With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

CTrees · Nov 26, 2024

Darko said:
I don't remember if the name of Earth was ever given in the show, or other related material, but this may be as good as any.

That may must be what Kali calls it. She's Hindu inspired, and Bhuloka is the Hindu term for the Earth world.

Neruz · Nov 26, 2024

BR549 said:
To be fair, the Tau'ri are a big deal. When they're happening to you.
When they're not, they're at best (especially at this point in the timeline) whispered rumors of people from some lost planet that some System Lord or another forgot about who managed to get a little bit up the tech tree and are getting stroppy with Goa'uld of lower repute...

Even in canon the Tau'ri weren't actually an issue for like 90% of System Lords until near the end, they just have the annoying habit of being involved in the deaths of some of the strongest and most important System Lords, upsetting the political stability of the galaxy.

Vaermina · Nov 27, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
16th January 2000
03:19 GMT

All this should do is hand Aphophis's fleets to Anubis early.

Mr Zoat · Nov 27, 2024

16th January 2000
03:23 GMT

"Certainly, My Queen. Which part-?"

"To begin with, calling me 'queen'. Kali knows, but you did not know that.

"Queen is a normal title for a female ruler. In my first language, it is also a term for a fertile female cat. I thought it worked as a pet name." I think she's thinking about it. "Good? Not good?"

"'Queen'."

"My Queen. Possessive."

She looks up for a moment, before returning her gaze to me. "I will allow it. Why do you want Klorel alive?"

"I have always been clear that the reason why I so admire you is that you are a great ruler. Most other goa'uld are… Adequate at best, Sokar… Being the worst I know of. If there is no System Lord who can take Apophis's place then the suffering of the humans and Jaffa living in his former territory will be immense as the minor goa'uld flail around carelessly to inflict any wound upon their rivals. But if there is one Lord more powerful than the others, then they must moderate their behaviour somewhat. And I don't have a better candidate than Klorel. I can kill Apophis and Heru'ur without leaving a trace of my presence. Klorel will have no reason to suspect you. He will resent his dependence on you, but I doubt that he would be so stupid as to slap your hand away."

She thinks for a moment. "I will consider this. What effect does that have on your plans?"

"Being seen to be able to moderate the worst excesses of… 'My fellow goa'uld', will aid my relationship with the Tau'ri, and allow me to encourage them to focus their ire against other domains. Particularly if Klorel can be encouraged to take a different host."

"Why?"

"His host is a friend of their… The nearest equivalent would be Second Prime, and the brother-in-law of their greatest historian. A medium value hostage, in other words. A more mature host would also underline his ascension to command of his own domain, rather than being his father's vassal. Again, few goa'uld are as gracious to their hosts as you are. Returning him would underline that distinction."

"I do not understand your fondness for the Tau'ri. When I discovered that you were treating with them -or rather, that it was them that you were treating with- I thought that perhaps there was some specific object or piece of knowledge that you wanted from them. Then I saw your new crops and thought that perhaps that was all there was to it. But there is more."

"Well, yes. I'm a Tau'ri myself."

She tilts her head to the side. "And they do not know?"

"Earth is split between many nations. The Tau'ri who use the stargate are from one of those nations. I am from another. Those who have the gate have not told the other nations what they are doing, and certainly do not share any of the technology which they capture and study. They picked a fight with Ra and Apophis and the first that any other nation would have known about it is when the planet shook from the explosion of his bomb or when his fleet began bombarding their cities."

"But you have not told the exploring nation what you are."

"No. This is more convenient."

She smiles. "Do not tell them unless I am there to see it."

I bow. "As My Queen commands."

"You plan to educate your humans using the Tau'ri as teachers."

"And the Tok'Ra, for the more advanced students."

"Tok'Ra? Egeria's mutant spawn who hate their brethren with all of their souls. Keeping a spy in your domain so that you can watch them is one thing, but you believe that you can persuade them to your cause. How?"

"I have repeatedly insulted their intelligence, and indicated in an extremely heavy-handed manner that their usual methods will not produce the goal they seek. More than that, I have caused their nominal allies amongst the Tau'ri to openly agree with me. And I have shown them my work, and yours, and asked them to consider the consequences of removing us for those they would 'protect' from us. Every time they have an opportunity to act against me, they will be forced to ask themselves 'Am I an idiot for doing this? Would this work better?'." I smile. "Or better yet, 'Did Egeria hate us too?'. They will do what I ask because it is not contrary to their basic drives and because it is better than confronting millennia of failure and doubt."

"You will monitor them very carefully. And you cannot allow the spies of other System Lords to discover them."

I shake my head, waggling my right hand dismissively. "All they will find is minor gods serving your favourite. And if they speak with mortal voices, so do I. And if they treat their hosts better than most, so do you. But it should not be difficult to limit their teachings to the children of life-long residents."

"Good."

"Though I should probably ask: the original Mammon. Did he have some relationship with the Tok'Ra Selmak? Because he acted like he knew 'me'."

She thinks for a moment. "Not that I recall. Ra's domains were their primary target. It is likely that Mammon was attacked at some point."

"I'll have to pay visits to Ra's former tributaries and see if they have any records on the subject."

"Heru'ur would be best. He inherited a good deal of Ra's fleet."

I shrug, smiling. "Since I'm going to pay him a visit anyway…"

"Why were you in my wardrobe?"

"I needed somewhere without observers, and that was closest to you." I transfer myself to the opposite end of the room and then back again. "I don't make a habit of hiding in your cupboard."

"I would hope not." She looks thoughtful. "Prior to our current arrangement, what was your goal?"

"The goal has not changed. The betterment of my people, my service traded for your beneficence. I have a more personal stake in your domain now, and… The fact that you discovered my plans and tolerated them makes me trust you more, but, fundamentally... "

"Your people of Syrania, or your people amongst the Tau'ri?"

"My people amongst the Tau'ri don't need me. Though I was thinking about taking you there for a visit. I think you might find it interesting; what they remember about the goa'uld's time on Earth, and what we've learned about the time before that. And some of the restaurants are really quite good."

"I do not often visit worlds not ruled by goa'uld. I think that I would find it interesting. But would the nation with the stargate be concerned? Your plans still require that you maintain a positive relationship with them."

"I didn't plan to announce who we are, and there are enough rich people in my country's capital that a degree of unusual behaviour will be ignored if I pay well. The main issue will be your bodyguards, but I can liaise with Huy to ensure that they are appropriately briefed and attired." I smile with the left side of my mouth. "The knowledge that I can at any point end their secrecy is one of the threats I have against the explorers. I doubt that they'll push me, even if they spot us. Though if that happens it may help if you pretend not to be Bastet."

"How will you explain my voice? I will not hide myself."

"If anyone asks, I will tell them that your voice is produced by an implant necessitated by a throat injury. But they probably won't."

She nods. "Very well. Proceed with your task. I will look forward to hearing of your success."

I start to bow, then reconsider. I step forward, gently take her right hand in mine and raise it to my lips, gently kissing her knuckles. I meet her eyes for a moment and then transition into high orbit.

Right. Time to kill Apophis. How hard can that be?

BR549 · Nov 27, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Right. Time to kill Apophis. How hard can that be?

...well, now that you've said that, first you must kill the greatest System Lord of all.

Mur'phy.

LZB1285 · Nov 27, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Right. Time to kill Apophis. How hard can that be?

How hard is it to kill a cockroach? If you're lucky, splat, if not it's half an hour later and you've made one helluva mess.

TheLunarwolf · Nov 27, 2024

He really just went... "How hard can that be?"

RichardWhereat · Nov 27, 2024

When did OL get the ability to instant transmission? I thought that was an Enlightnment thing.

Chojin Patriarch · Nov 27, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
16th January 2000
03:23 GMT

"Certainly, My Queen. Which part-?"

"To begin with, calling me 'queen'. Kali knows, but you did not know that.

You can't tell us you don't feel some little thrill at such a respectful form of address? Something more intimate than merely 'Lord' or 'Goddess'? Especially if it's clear he's not saying it in the Goa'uld tongue, Ring translation or not...

"Queen is a normal title for a female ruler. In my first language, it is also a term for a fertile female cat. I thought it worked as a pet name." I think she's thinking about it. "Good? Not good?"

"'Queen'."

Would you prefer Queenie? Less formal, but sillier. Be glad it's nothing embarrassing.

"My Queen. Possessive."

She looks up for a moment, before returning her gaze to me. "I will allow it. Why do you want Klorel alive?"

Oh, she does like that.

"I have always been clear that the reason why I so admire you is that you are a great ruler. Most other goa'uld are… Adequate at best, Sokar… Being the worst I know of. If there is no System Lord who can take Apophis's place then the suffering of the humans and Jaffa living in his former territory will be immense as the minor goa'uld flail around carelessly to inflict any wound upon their rivals. But if there is one Lord more powerful that the others, then they must moderate their behaviour somewhat. And I don't have a better candidate then Klorel. I can kill Apophis and Heru'ur without leaving a trace of my presence. Klorel will have no reason to suspect you. He will resent his dependence on you, but I doubt that he would be so stupid as to slap your hand away."

Especially if she shows some respect for his lineage. Not as a ruler to a subject, but as a respected junior ally.

She thinks for a moment. "I will consider this. What affect does that have on your plans?"

"Being seen to be able to moderate the worst excesses of… 'My fellow goa'uld', will aid my relationship with the Tau'ri, and allow me to encourage them to focus their ire against other domains. Particularly if Klorel can be encouraged to take a different host."

Oh, yeah... That detail.

"Why?"

"His host is a friend of their… The nearest equivalent would be Second Prime, and the brother-in-law of their greatest historian. A medium value hostage, in other words. A more mature host would also underline his ascension to command of his own domain, rather than being his father's vassal. Again, few goa'uld are as gracious to their hosts as you are. Returning him would underline that distinction."

Skaara. Fans who only know the movie might know him as 'that kid who shadowed Oneill.'

"I do not understand your fondness for the Tau'ri. When I discovered that you were treating with them -or rather, that it was them that you were treating with- I thought that perhaps there was some specific object or piece of knowledge that you wanted from them. Then I saw your new crops and thought that perhaps that was all there was to it. But there is more."

Good thing he's been careful about that stuff, that she's the only one who really noticed.

"Well, yes. I'm a Tau'ri myself."

She tilts her head to the side. "And they do not know?"

Given the ubiquity of Humanity across the galaxy, I doubt it.

"Earth is split between many nations. The Tau'ri who use the stargate are from one of those nations. I am from another. Those who have the gate have not told the other nations what they are doing, and certainly do not share any of the technology which they capture and study. They picked a fight with Ra and Apophis and the first that any other nation would have known about it is when the planet shook from the explosion of his bomb or when his fleet began bombarding their cities."

Kind of scary when you think about it, yes. And given the force naquadah would have given the bomb, it might well have cracked the mantle, assuming the mountain didn't simply evaporate first.

"But you have not told the exploring nation what you are."

"No. This is more convenient."

She smiles. "Do not tell them unless I am there to see it."

Heheh. She wants to see the looks on their faces, doesn't she?

I bow. "As My Queen commands."

"You plan to educate your humans using the Tau'ri as teachers."

Well, they do have people to spare. What's the average population of a Goa'uld world, again? Less than a billion?

"And the Tok'Ra, for the more advanced students."

"Tok'Ra? Egeria's mutant spawn who hate their brethren with all of their souls. Keeping a spy in your domain so that you can watch them is one thing, but you believe that you can persuade them to your cause. How?"

Very carefully.

"I have repeatedly insulted their intelligence, and indicated in an extremely heavy-handed manner that their usual methods will not produce the goal they seek. More than that, I have caused their nominal allies amongst the Tau'ri to openly agree with me. And I have shown them my work, and yours, and asked them to consider the consequences of removing us for those they would 'protect' from us. Every time they have an opportunity to act against me, they will be forced to ask themselves 'Am I an idiot for doing this? Would this work better?'." I smile. "Or better yet, 'Did Egeria hate us too?'. They will do what I ask because it is not contrary to their basic drives and because it is better than confronting millennia of failure and doubt."

So, they'll do what he wants in order to spite him and prove him wrong, not realising that they're dancing to his tune.

"You will monitor them very carefully. And you cannot allow the spies of other System Lords to discover them."

I shake my head, waggling my right hand dismissively. "All they will find is minor gods serving your favourite. And if they speak with mortal voices, so do I. And if they treat their hosts better than most, so do you. But it should not be difficult to limit their teachings to the children of life-long residents."

Honestly, if not for the inborn hatred of Goa'uld, the Tok'ra would be quite effective in Bastet's faction.

"Good."

"Though I should probably ask: the original Mammon. Did he have some relationship with the Tok'Ra Selmak? Because he acted like he knew 'me'."

Not hard to work out: He's an assassin, old Mammon was a notable figure in Ra's government.

She thinks for a moment. "Not that I recall. Ra's domains were their primary target. It is likely that Mammon was attacked at some point."

"I'll have to pay visits to Ra's former tributaries and see if they have any records on the subject."

I doubt Selmak was the one who dropped Mammon's ship, but is it possible he managed to sabotage it to make that possible?

"Heru'ur would be best. He inherited a good deal of Ra's fleet."

I shrug, smiling. "Since I'm going to pay him a visit anyway…"

Either assimilation or a very motivated chat...

"Why were you in my wardrobe?"

"I needed somewhere without observers, and that was closest to you." I transfer myself to the opposite end of the room and then back again. "I don't make a habit of hiding in your cupboard."

...Not unless she asks him to, anyway.

"I would hope not." She looks thoughtful. "Prior to our current arrangement, what was your goal?"

"The goal has not changed. The betterment of my people, my service traded for your beneficence. I have a more personal stake in your domain now, and… The fact that you discovered my plans and tolerated them makes me trust you more, but, fundamentally... "

It's still something of a transactional relationship. If Bastet were to turn on him, or her domains endangered to the point his world would be at risk... I expect Syriana's Stargate would quickly find itself in a sun.

"Your people of Syrania, or your people amongst the Tau'ri?"

"My people amongst the Tau'ri don't need me. Though I was thinking about taking you there for a visit. I think you might find it interesting; what they remember about the goa'uld's time on Earth, and what we've learned about the time before that. And some of the restaurants are really quite good."

"I do not often visit worlds not ruled by goa'uld. I think that I would find it interesting. But would the nation with the stargate be concerned? Your plans still require that you maintain a positive relationship with them."

With the right arrangement, he could easily sneak them onto the planet without the stargate. Take a cruiser into a distant orbit in the outer solar system, then FTL them in a bubble around a light lander...

"I didn't plan to announce who we are, and there are enough rich people in my country's capital that a degree of unusual behaviour will be ignored if I pay well. The main issue will be your bodyguards, but I can liaise with Huy to ensure that they are appropriately briefed and attired." I smile with the left side of my mouth. "The knowledge that I can at any point end their secrecy is one of the threats I have against the explorers. I doubt that they'll push me, even if they spot us. Though if that happens it may help if you pretend not to be Bastet."

Though I bet they'll need some snazzy hats, headbands or a bit of clever hairstyling to hide their forehead glyphs.

"How will you explain my voice? I will not hide myself."

"If anyone asks, I will tell them that your voice is produced by an implant necessitated by a throat injury. But they probably won't."

True, it'd be hard to disguise that peculiar reverb effect on goa'uld voices. Might require her to wear a choker or something with a little gubbin to make it plausible.

She nods. "Very well. Proceed with your task. I will look forward to hearing of your success."

I start to bow, then reconsider. I step forward, gently take her right hand in mine and raise it to my lips, gently kissing her knuckles. I meet her eyes for a moment and then transition into high orbit.

Right. Time to kill Apophis. How hard can that be?

Welp, he's hosed. Too deep to be genre savvy enough to realise he just jinxed himself...

Bastet visiting would certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons, so to speak. Especially if it was reliably covert enough that the SGC never learns of it. Still, that'll only be possible if Mammon can settle the current crisis. I have an amusing feeling it won't be as easy as he thinks it will, especially after poking Murphy the way he did.

batrax · Nov 27, 2024

RichardWhereat said:
When did OL get the ability to instant transmission? I thought that was an Enlightnment thing.

Step out is the teleport method requiring enlightenment, transition is a middle-range (planetary but not interstellar, iirc) method that can be blocked.

Mr Zoat said:
And I don't have a better candidate then Klorel.

than

monochromaticPrism · Nov 27, 2024

RichardWhereat said:
When did OL get the ability to instant transmission? I thought that was an Enlightnment thing.

Power rings are functionally capable of teleporting people planetary distances. It isn't actually teleporting (as far as I remember), more like local ftl travel, but unless you have light speed or above senses it's a difference without a distinction.

Edit: Ah, beat me to it.

Vaermina · Nov 27, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Right. Time to kill Apophis. How hard can that be?

Depends how true to canon your author is writing things.

Coltsguy · Nov 27, 2024

BR549 said:
...well, now that you've said that, first you must kill the greatest System Lord of all.

Mur'phy.

Yes. All tremble before the might of Mur'phy.

RichardWhereat · Nov 27, 2024

batrax said:
Step out is the teleport method requiring enlightenment, transition is a middle-range (planetary but not interstellar, iirc) method that can be blocked.

monochromaticPrism said:
Power rings are functionally capable of teleporting people planetary distances. It isn't actually teleporting (as far as I remember), more like local ftl travel, but unless you have light speed or above senses it's a difference without a distinction.

Aye, but isn't he popping over to other planets doing this?

Mr Zoat · Nov 27, 2024

batrax said:
than

Thank you, corrected.

RichardWhereat said:
Aye, but isn't he popping over to other planets doing this?

No. He flew by 'normal' flt, scanned the planet for somewhere to come down and transitioned down. After he finished, he transitioned back into local space and then began plotting his course.

WereDragon · Nov 27, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Though I was thinking about taking you there for a visit. I think you might find it interesting; what they remember about the goa'uld's time on Earth, and what we've learned about the time before that.

It would be entertaining to see an Egyptian god react to the residual egyptomania to be found in London's museums.

Right. Time to kill Apophis. How hard can that be?

Well it has been managed multiple times so not too hard.

CTrees · Nov 27, 2024

WereDragon said:
Well it has been managed multiple times so not too hard.

Yeah, reviewing the wiki, Apophis died a bunch of times in both the main timeline and alternate realities/timelines. Doesn't really seem like he was any physically tougher than the average goauld. Just got to make sure there's not enough left for a sarcophagus to ressurect.

Now, Anubis could be a problem, when he reappears. But Apophis? Nah.

Impartial Panic · Nov 27, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Right. Time to kill Apophis. How hard can that be?

Jack: So Mammon do you remember that time you blew up a sun?

Anubis: Ah the Beacons are lit, the galaxy calls for conquest!

Jack: and now we have more bad guys, thank you sooooo much Mammon.

Mammon: to be fair I thought Anubis was dead and blowing up that star while unintentional did wipe out Apophis's and Haru'ur's fleets.

Vaermina · Nov 27, 2024

CTrees said:
Yeah, reviewing the wiki, Apophis died a bunch of times in both the main timeline and alternate realities/timelines. Doesn't really seem like he was any physically tougher than the average goauld. Just got to make sure there's not enough left for a sarcophagus to ressurect.

Now, Anubis could be a problem, when he reappears. But Apophis? Nah.

Aphophis had a personal shield capable of keeping out the Replicators and cybernetics whose functions we never actually learned.

Someguy Somewhere · Nov 27, 2024

Ok....been Pondering for a little bit.

Aside from our favourite space god boy here, we've had a selection of other Paul's from other universes show up of late, and several of them have had a visit from the Controller behind the Effigy Corps.

But we haven't seen him visit the universe for the Green Knight version of Paul, the one where he ran into and regularly interacts with a 'Leprechaun' Oan.

I would assume that, while visiting other Paul's he's been able to come off as all knowing and powerful, as well as the 'good guy' for implying he is the one that provided the rings to them....somehow I think that conversation would go VERY DIFFERENTLY if there was that fellow was standing next to him at the time.

Quick search shows that I'm not the first one to consider this.

SotF · Nov 28, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Right. Time to kill Apophis. How hard can that be?

Considering Apophis...you're going after a particularly resilient cockroach there

This is kind of like going after Darth Tenebrae/Valkorion...he's got survival plans within survival plans

I think the only Goa'uld that's harder to permanently take down is, probably, Ba'al

Mr Zoat · Nov 28, 2024

1st May 2013
15:15 GMT

I feel eyes boring into the back of my head-.

I turn and watch Applejack buck an apple tree with… Somewhat less than her usual care. Apples fly forcefully in all directions, and her previously narrowed eyes widen as she gets a grip on herself.

No sense letting ill-feeling fester, not given how long it will take three princesses and a king to have time in their schedule to speak with me. "Applejack!" I trot towards the fence separating Sweet Apple Acres from the… Well, it used to be a track and it's still a track in places, but I can see where they've started paving it. "How are you?"

She pulls her eyes away from the tree she was apologising to and resumes glaring.

"Lahk you don't know."

"To the best of my knowledge I have taken no action likely to injure you or yours. Can you fill me in?"

She raises her left foreleg and points it towards… An early-stage building site in Ponyville proper. "That."

I frown mildly. "Ponyville has grown every generation since your great-grandparents founded it. I didn't think you had a problem with that?"

"Grown a little, and slowly." She looks around at her appsplosion, sighs, and then trots over to me. "More farms, an' a few stores an' a schoolhouse. Not a big ole' factory."

"Ah." I nod. "And you feel that the nature of the town will be altered for the worst."

She considers carefully. "Ain't… Certain it'll be worse. Not for sure. But it ain't gunna be the Ponyville ah grew up in. An' 'fore you say it, ah know it weren't the same Ponyville mah folks grew up in, nor Granny neither. But there's a difference between a bunch of farmers and what Twilight an' you 're fixing t' turn Ponyville into."

"Mm." I nod. "True. Did she tell you why?"

"Ah…" She frowns as she tries to remember. "Unparalleled… Opportunities in… Ah, whatchamacallit… Magic machine.. thingamies."

"No, the other reason." She shakes her head. "Celestia's planning on retiring, and she wants Twilight to take over running the country."

She blinks, craning her neck towards me slightly. "Say whut now?"

"Okay, so you know that a little over a thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna ran the country together? And then Luna had her little episode and Celestia ran the whole thing by herself?"

Applejack's still having a little trouble with the idea. "Uh-huh."

"And then Luna got rainbow-blasted and now they run it together again? Right, well, I'm afraid that the person governing the country can change. Celestia's been in place for what is by the standards of… Just about every polity in the universe, a freakishly long time. And she wants to stop."

"Oh." She sits down with a degree of force. "Okay."

"I mean, I could rule somewhere like this indefinitely, but it's not even her special talent. I mean, can you imagine keeping doing something you don't particularly like for a thousand years virtually every hour of the day? And not being able to use your special talent outside of a few minutes at dawn and dusk?"

She shudders. Or maybe twitches, I'm not sure.

"Can now. That really what she's been doin'?"

"Something like that."

"An' she picked Twilight t' take over. Ah mean, ah love her lahk a sister, but ah ain't sure runnin' the whole country is… Ah…"

I nod. "Yeah, I know. That's why she's been put in charge of Ponyville."

"Fer practice."

"Basically." I turn my equine neck left and right, taking in Central Equestria. "And the fact is that putting a large settlement in the centre of Equestria, along with a transit hub of railways and roads, is… An economic inevitability."

"Waste of good farmland, if'n ya ask me."

"Well, the town will be growing away from the current farms, but… Okay, look: I like manufacturing. And I don't have any problem building an industrial centre around the existing farms. But…"

"But whut?"

"This is good farmland. If you expanded, increased production, and used the new freight railways to ship your goods to other population centres, an agriculture-focused settlement remains viable."

"Twilight didn't think so."

"Twilight… I've noticed that she can sometimes become fixated on a plan and then have trouble adapting to changes in circumstance. Leaving Ponyville as it is isn't really an option, but if you're prepared to put the time in, you could propose an alternative."

She frowns thoughtfully. "Ah don't know. She seemed maghty keen on the machine workshops."

"Oh, those are going to stay. But they can do the experimental work and testing here and do the mass manufacturing closer to the mines, which will presumably be in areas that are bad for farming. And which are more used to industry. Less efficient, but… It would work."

"Oh-kay." She nods and smiles. "Ah'm glad that's sorted out. I-."

"Oh, no. It's not." She tilts her head to the side and frowns. "That's an outline. You need to get together with the other farmers and come up with a detailed plan if you want to catch Twilight's attention. This isn't normal Twilight-With-A-Plan, this is Twilight-With-An-Order-From-Celestia."

She looks decidedly uncertain. "Ah ain't never planned anything lakh this befouh."

I shrug. "Neither's Twilight. And you've planned fields, planting and harvesting schedules and.. things like that." She tentatively nods. "And your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents must have done something similar?"

"Uh-huh. They surely did." She smiles at me. "Thank-." She frowns. "Wait jus' a moment. Le's jus' go back t' how Twilight's takin' over the whole country."

"Um. What's to say? Shouldn't be happening for a decade at the soonest, and… Not wanting to get too morbid here, but it might well not happen.. until…"

She nods. "Alicorns live a whole lot longer than regular folks. Jus'… Can't imagine Twilight bein' up there in the Royal Palace."

"Honestly, I'm not super-keen on that. I don't want her to fail in Ponyville, obviously, but rulership… It's a useful skill to have, but if it's not your special talent you should probably avoid putting yourself in Celestia's position."

Applejack nods. "She's jus' doin' it 'cause a' the Princess askin' her."

"Yep. Once she heard that, she stopping thinking and started doing. Can't really help you there, though I am going to be talking to Celestia in… A few hours, if you want me to pass anything on."

She strokes her chin with her right forehoof. "Think this is one ah'm gunna haf t'get all the girls together for."

"I suggest including Spike. And possibly sending a message to Cadance and Shining Armour and asking how they coped with having a city-state dumped on them."

"Will do."

"And on an ancillary issue, given how you don't employ seasonal workers here, what thought have you given to your own lineage?"

She raises her eyebrows. "Pardon me?"

"If you're going to be expanding, then you'll need more workers. Which means that now is the ideal time for you and your brother to look into possible marriage partners. That way, by the time your children start being old enough to-."

"That is a mite more familiar a conversation than ah'm comfortable havin' with a stranger."

She's blushing, and it really emphasise her freckles.

I smother my laugh, and turn away.

"Good luck with the planning, Applejack."

Neruz · Nov 28, 2024

WereDragon said:
Well it has been managed multiple times so not too hard.

The hard part isn't killing Apophis, the hard part is getting him to stay dead.

Bud-E · Nov 28, 2024

I love the MLP stuff, I'd be down for a whole series of Pony Politics and the expansion of Ponyville!

Abandoned Account · Nov 28, 2024

Neruz said:
The hard part isn't killing Apophis, the hard part is getting him to stay dead.

He could try the old identity theft? That's what Grayven did to Savage. But I don't know enough about Stargate to know how hard keeping him dead is.

KaiKolo · Nov 28, 2024

It is fun seeing Grayven talking things through, getting people to express their frustration and finding a constructive way to deal with their issues.

I don't remember him really interacting with Applejack before, back when he was playing the big baddie.

It's good that Grayven no longer has the piece of Anti-Life in him, I just think the contrast with how he used to be (confrontation and extremely opinionated) is funny.

Chojin Patriarch · Nov 28, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
1st May 2013
15:15 GMT

I feel eyes boring into the back of my head-.

I turn and watch Applejack buck an apple tree with… Somewhat less than her usual care. Apples fly forcefully in all directions, and her previously narrowed eyes widen as she gets a grip on herself.

That's a good sign something is on her mind, all right. At east she noticed she messed up a little. If she hadn't, then you might have had a real issue on your hands, and not just from broken and splintered trees...

No sense letting ill-feeling fester, not given how long it will take three princesses and a king to have time in their schedule to speak with me. "Applejack!" I trot towards the fence separating Sweet Apple Acres from the… Well, it used to be a track and it's still a track in places, but I can see where they've started paving it. "How are you?"

I suspect I can already guess. And the track is just one small part of it.

She pulls her eyes away from the tree she was apologising to and resumes glaring.

"Lahk you don't know."

Ah, she's in one of those moods.

"To the best of my knowledge I have taken no action likely to injure you or yours. Can you fill me in?"

She raises her left foreleg and points it towards… An early-stage building site in Ponyville proper. "That."

Ah, modernisation? Not worried about the environmental impact, I hope. I doubt Twilight would be so careless to allow pollution.

I frown mildly. "Ponyville has grown every generation since your great-grandparents founded it. I didn't think you had a problem with that?"

"Grown a little, and slowly." She looks around at her appsplosion, sighs, and then trots over to me. "More farms, an' a few stores an' a schoolhouse. Not a big ole' factory."

Heh. 'Applsplosion', eh? A fitting name for it. But yes, change that large is probably a bit more confronting than the gradual change of small details.

"Ah." I nod. "And you feel that the nature of the town will be altered for the worst."

She considers carefully. "Ain't… Certain it'll be worse. Not for sure. But it ain't gunna be the Ponyville ah grew up in. An' 'fore you say it, ah know it weren't the same Ponyville mah folks grew up in, nor Granny neither. But there's a difference between a bunch of farmers and what Twilight an' you 're fixing t' turn Ponyville into."

Won't really be a village anymore, or even a town. More like a small city with a deceptive name...

"Mm." I nod. "True. Did she tell you why?"

"Ah…" She frowns as she tries to remember. "Unparalleled… Opportunities in… Ah, whatchamacallit… Magic machine.. thingamies."

...Oh, boy. Twilight's been throwing around the corporate-esque speechifying? Maybe she needs a little advice.

"No, the other reason." She shakes her head. "Celestia's planning on retiring, and she wants Twilight to take over running the country."

She blinks, craning her neck towards me slightly. "Say whut now?"

...She didn't tell her friends about that part? Well, that's a surprise.

"Okay, so you know that a little over a thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna ran the country together? And then Luna had her little episode and Celestia ran the whole thing by herself?"

Applejack's still having a little trouble with the idea. "Uh-huh."

Definitely a little stunned, she's not even annoyed by the 'explain it like she's a young foal' tone.

"And then Luna got rainbow-blasted and now they run it together again? Right, well, I'm afraid that the person governing the country can change. Celestia's been in place for what is by the standards of… Just about every polity in the universe, a freakishly long time. And she wants to stop."

And in her defence, that's entirely fair. The big problem was going to be how she did it, though.

"Oh." She sits down with a degree of force. "Okay."

"I mean, I could rule somewhere like this indefinitely, but it's not even her special talent. I mean, can you imagining keeping doing something you don't particularly like for a thousand years virtually every hour of the day? And not being able to use your special talent outside of a few minutes and dawn and dusk?"

Something of a nightmare for nearly any pony, I would expect.

She shudders. Or maybe twitches, I'm not sure.

"Can now. That really what she's been doin'?"

I can just picture the full-body shudder.

"Something like that."

"An' she picked Twilight t' take over. Ah mean, ah love her lahk a sister, but ah ain't sure runnin' the whole country is… Ah…"

And you would not be the only one, 'Jackie.

I nod. "Yeah, I know. That's why she's been put in charge of Ponyville."

"Fer practice."

Best to start small, where it's easier to fix any mistakes quickly. Imagine if she had foolishly passed a law that affected everyone in the country, but it didn't become clear that it's bad for a year or two?

"Basically." I turn my equine neck left and right, taking in Central Equestria. "And the fact is that putting a large settlement in the centre of Equestria, along with a transit hub of railways and roads, is… An economic inevitability."

"Waste of good farmland, if'n ya ask me."

Also the issue of pollution. Unless they can progress past steam-technology, there's going to be a lot of smoke starting to rise in various places. You so don't want it turning into something like early Victorian London.

"Well, the town will be growing away from the current farms, but… Okay, look: I like manufacturing. And I don't have any problem building an industrial centre around the existing farms. But…"

"But whut?"

It means pushing them into new areas. Some of which might object to suddenly being considered farmland.

"This is good farmland. If you expanded, increased production, and used the new freight railways to ship your goods to other population centres, an agriculture-focused settlement remains viable."

"Twilight didn't think so."

...Earth Pony magic could probably sidestep issues like overfarming and losing ground nutrients...

"Twilight… I've noticed that she can sometimes become fixated on a plan and then have trouble adapting to changes in circumstance. Leaving Ponyville as it is isn't really an option, but if you're prepared to put the time in, you could propose an alternative."

She frowns thoughtfully. "Ah don't know. She seemed maghty keen on the machine workshops."

Maybe the idea coming from a friend might break through her obsessiveness.

"Oh, those are going to stay. But they can do the experimental work and testing here and do the mass manufacturing closer to the mines, which will presumably be in areas that are bad for farming. And which are more used to industry. Less efficient, but… It would work."

"Oh-kay." She nods and smile. "Ah'm glad that's sorted out. I-."

Heh. Oh, no, dear. It's only just getting started.

"Oh, no. It's not." She tilts her head to the side and frowns. "That's an outline. You need to get together with the other farmers and come up with a detailed plan if you want to catch Twilight's attention. This isn't normal Twilight-With-A-Plan, this is Twilight-With-An-Order-From-Celestia."

And that sort of mood is as implacable as a glacier. But much faster.

She looks decidedly uncertain. "Ah ain't never planned anything lakh this befouh."

I shrug. "Neither's Twilight. And you've planned fields, planting and harvesting schedules and.. things like that." She tentatively nods. "And your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents must have done something similar?"

Or is it perhaps that you don't want the responsibility of it, 'Jackie?

Easier to follow someone else sometimes.

"Uh-huh. They surely did." She smiles at me. "Thank-." She frowns. "Wait jus' a moment. Le's jus' go back t' how Twilight's takin' over the whole country."

"Um. What's to say? Shouldn't be happening for a decade at the soonest, and… Not wanting to get too morbid here, but it might well not happen.. until…"

I suspect something as significant as Celestia dying might be a bit more cataclysmic.

She nods. "Alicorns live a whole lot longer than regular folks. Jus'… Can't imagine Twilight bein' up there in the Royal Palace."

"Honestly, I'm not super-keen on that. I don't want her to fail in Ponyville, obviously, but rulership… It's a useful skill to have, but if it's not your special talent you should probably avoid putting yourself in Celestia's position."

And I'd be worried about anyone who did have that specific a talent. Especially if they were stuck in a position of powerlessness...

Applejack nods. "She's jus' doin' it 'cause a' the Princess askin' her."

"Yep. Once she heard that, she stopping thinking and started doing. Can't really help you there, though I am going to be talking to Celestia in… A few hours, if you want me to pass anything on."

Joy of having the ear of the prospective rulers of the country. Lots of people have things to pass on...

She strokes her chin with her right forehoof. "Think this is one ah'm gunna haf t'get all the girls together for."

"I suggest including Spike. And possibly sending a message to Cadance and Shining Armour and asking how they coped with having a city-state dumped on them."

True, neither of them really expected that to happen. I can't expect Cadance to have given lessons in civic administration much thought back in the day.

"Will do."

"And on an ancillary issue, given how you don't employ seasonal workers here, what thought have you given to your own lineage?"

...Well, that's quite the swerve.

She raises her eyebrows. "Pardon me?"

"If you're going to be expanding, then you'll need more workers. Which means that now is the ideal time for you and your brother to look into possible marriage partners. That way, by the time your children start being old enough to-."

And even so, they may need more people than they can 'produce'.

Might be time to expand outside the core Apple family.

"That is a mite more familiar a conversation than ah'm comfortable havin' with a stranger."

She's blushing, and it really emphasise her freckles.

Still, it is a conversation you'll eventually have to have sooner or later. Being comfortable with the way your life is right now is no excuse not to be preparing for the future.

I smother my laugh, and turn away.

"Good luck with the planning, Applejack."

And she's going to be well out of her comfort zone, unless she can fob it off on someone else...

Amazing how a short chat can produce remarkable changes. Putting the Mane Six on these matters should be entertaining, if nothing else, I'm sure Grayven will have plenty of amused commentary, and the occasional useful bit of advice. Some of which might reward him with threats of a bucking if he puts them forwards foolishly...

Ciber · Nov 28, 2024

Bud-E said:
I love the MLP stuff, I'd be down for a whole series of Pony Politics and the expansion of Ponyville!

I'm really looking forward to the Applejack redemption arc.

Darko · Nov 28, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
mean, can you imagining

"imagine"

Mr Zoat · Nov 28, 2024

Darko said:
"imagine"

Thank you, corrected.

With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

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