Music filled the admiral's quarters on the FAS Thunder. The sound of the soft piano reverberated through the dark room and the smell of crisp, fresh vegetables filled the air. General Chaput sat in his usual chair with his eyes closed. He nodded in time to the sway of the song and gently nibbled on a carrot that he held in his front talon. The clock on the wall clicked as the hour hand moved to point directly at ten o’clock. The light from the stars gently shone through the single window in the cabin.
Chaput leaned back in his seat and stroked his chin thoughtfully. He glanced down at the sheaf of papers on the desk beside him and idly flipped through them as he continued to enjoy the music. He folded the front page marked ‘Classified: Top Secret’ back and looked inside. Photographs of a female griffon and her family awaited his eyes. The general squinted and then sighed. “Hmm…”
A knock interrupted his thoughts. “General Chaput, Captain Ivanov is here to see you, as ordered.” Chaput recognized the muffled voice of his talonpicked griffon guard. His rugged voice carried the clip of a northerner, as did the voices of most of the griffons who had fought in the rebellion.
Chaput rose to his paws and claws and strode over to open the door. The metal of the handle felt cool against his talons as the door slowly creaked open. He nodded to his guard. “Thank you, Sergeant. Please, come inside, Captain.”
The golden-feathered griffon who entered the room wore the red, gold, and black uniform of Griffonia’s Air Navy. Captain Vladimir Ivanov’s black eyes squinted to see in the dim room, and he clucked his scarred beak as he stepped inside. “Thank you, General,” he said. He spoke in the refined tones of somegriff who had been schooled by impeccable teachers, but could not prevent some of his northern griffon accent from breaking through.
Chaput shut the door behind the officer, and they both took a seat. “Captain, thank you for coming. I know it is late, but we have much to discuss.”
Ivanov nodded. He leaned back in his chair and listened to the music for a moment. “This is Lanz, is it not?”
“It is, indeed.” Chaput smiled. “I adore this piece. It carries an air of… serenity. I find that it helps me when I have deep thinking to do.”
“And is this one of those times?” Ivanov asked.
“Yes.”
Ivanov raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I assume that means that your discussion with the princess was enlightening.”
“Extremely. Our talk revealed a great deal.” Chaput took another bite of his carrot. “I suppose you are curious about the meeting with Princess Celestia?”
“Indeed. How did it go?” Ivanov leaned forward, his hard eyes gazing directly at Chaput.
“Quite well, actually. Everything went more or less according to plan.”
“And what plan was that, sir?”
Chaput chuckled. “To tell the truth.”
The captain’s jaw dropped. “What? You told her the truth?”
“Hmmm…” Chaput cocked his head to the side. “From a perspective with which she could empathize, yes.”
“So, you didn’t then.” Ivanov nodded. He smiled and relaxed somewhat. “Good.”
“Oh, Captain. I did tell the truth. I also told other things, but she doesn’t need to know that.” The general’s light laugh filled the room.
Sitting back into his chair, Ivanov raised an eyebrow again. “And what truths would those be?”
“Oh, I told her that I’m here to stall, that Dmitri is a fool, and that I’m going to stab him in the back at the first possible opportunity. Then, I told her that we are more alike than she thinks, and I told her why Dmitri must fall.” Chaput grinned.
“General, I ask forgiveness for this, but what the hell were you thinking? You told her everything!” Ivanov fumed. “Do you even know who you were talking to?”
“‘To whom I was talking.’ And yes, I did. That is why I told her exactly as much truth as I told you when our mission began.” Chaput turned a knob on his record player, and the music increased volume. “If you insist on speaking so forcefully, I’ll have to put on louder music. And I really want to listen to Lanz.”
Ivanov sighed. “Sorry, sir. I just find your tactics… unnerving at times.”
The general smirked. “Of course you do! You are in the Navy, after all. There is so much less subterfuge in the air. It is not as if one could hide an airship and attack from behind. Everything is in the open. But down on the ground, in the forests, the mountains, and the fields, one must always be even more wary. Attacks come from every direction. Diplomacy is much the same way. The only way to be certain of victory is to shape your words in such a way that no path leads to defeat… and that is what I must do with Princess Celestia.”
“Hmm…” Ivanov nodded. “Not an easy feat.”
“No. Which is why we must employ unorthodox tactics, especially here.” Chaput inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes as he continued to speak. “The princess is the greatest foe I have ever faced. She has outlived countless other rulers and has maintained a hold upon what is widely considered to be the greatest nation to have ever existed on the face of Equus. Her continued rule is not a stroke of luck, as many believe. She is cunning, wise, and far more dangerous than she appears.”
“Then why tell her everything? Wouldn’t she use it against us?”
Chaput shook his head. “No. She is too smart to do that. At this point, she does not know our entire intentions, and she realizes that. If she follows the pattern that history seems to indicate, she will wait. She downplays her abilities, Captain. She speaks with a laugh, and sometimes she seems to have a temper. However, she is no fool, and she never loses control. Everything with her is intentional, from the place of the meeting to the paintings on the walls.”
“But why does that mean that she will not use this information against us? Even if she waits, she could decide to contact Dmitri and give the game away.” Ivanov stretched a wing. “She could decide to cut off negotiations if she doesn’t trust us. She could intentionally do the opposite of what you ask of her… There are so many ways we could fail because of her actions.”
“But she won’t.”
“How can you be sure?” Ivanov slammed a talon onto his leg. “This is an enormous risk! Might I remind you that you are not gambling with only your own life this time? My officers and I are behind you, and Dmitri would not hesitate to execute us if he uncovered the plan. The crew may know nothing, but they follow our orders. They would join us at the gallows or at gunpoint. And what of their families?”
“If you are so afraid, you may leave now, Captain,” Chaput said coldly. “You knew the risks when you joined me years ago. This plan has been in motion for a very long time. This is the final stage. Almost everything is a risk from here out, but Celestia is not one of them, and I will tell you why if you will stop interrupting me so rudely.” His eyes flashed.
Ivanov recoiled. “I… I apologize, sir. The stress must be getting to me.”
“I understand, Captain. It is a difficult time.” Chaput sighed. “Celestia is no fool, as I said. I have woven for her a tale of a people oppressed by a warmongering monster. This is true. I have given her a reason to believe us by telling the truth. Had I lied, she would have been suspicious of something. The issue, however, is that we would not have known of what she was suspicious. As such, she would have been unpredictable. As of now, we know what she will be thinking. She will investigate the truth of my assertions. How has Dmitri treated the griffons? She will also look at my own motivations. I told her that I came to Griffonia out of loyalty. How true was that?”
Ivanov nodded. “So, she will follow the train of thought that you laid out for her?”
“Precisely. She would find out the truth eventually. This way, we buy ourselves enough time for the next move.”
“Ah, the chess metaphor. I wondered when it would come into play.” Ivanov smiled. “What will her next move be?”
“Oh, the next move is not hers.” Chaput ran a talon through his crest.
“Very well. Then what is our move?”
Chaput laughed darkly. “Captain, Captain. You misunderstand. We are not playing the princess in this game… We are playing Dmitri. In the end, Celestia is inconsequential. She has no effect on the endgame.”
“I don’t know if I agree with you, sir.” Ivanov shook his head. “You said yourself how worthy of an opponent Celestia is. She should not be counted out yet.”
“Of course not. However, we have planned our moves in such a way that she is our ally… for now, at least. Our game with Celestia is a different one, and we must not confuse the two. Fighting a war on two fronts is to be avoided at all cost. One day, I may play Celestia, that is true, but for now, she is but another piece in my own game.” Chaput restarted the song. “And she is a very powerful piece indeed.”
“I still don’t like it, General. There are too many variables,” the captain said.
“There are always variables. Fortunately, we are in control. Dmitri may have the next move, but we will have checkmate within the next three.”
“And you are certain of this?” Ivanov asked.
Chaput nodded. “Dmitri is, if anything, predictable. I understand his kind. He will do exactly as I suspect. He always has.”
Sighing, the captain responded, “Okay. I can accept that. Will you tell me what these three moves are, at least?”
“Dear Captain, that would spoil the game!” The twinkling in Chaput’s eyes matched the lightness to his tone. “I asked you something a long time ago when you were but a lieutenant. We were the last officers remaining before an attack on Yakyakistan, and I had just told you my quite ambitious plan. Do you remember what I asked you?”
“Sir, you asked if I trusted you.”
Chaput’s eyes met the captain’s. “And how did you reply?”
“If I remember correctly, I told you that I wouldn’t trust your twice-damned Prench face with an empty carton of milk… but then I said that I believed your plan was just crazy enough to work.”
“And then we won the war against Yakyakistan with no more bloodshed.” Chaput stroked his chin again. “So, I will ask you once more… Do you trust me?”
“Damn it, Chaput. I still don’t trust you, but you haven’t lost yet,” Ivanov said with a sigh. He shook his head wryly. “I’m with you.”
“And that is all I needed to hear!” Chaput chuckled. “Now, please play along.” The general stood up and walked to the door. He cracked it open and spoke to his guard. “Sergeant, will you go get my other guest for me, please?” He then returned to his seat. “Our final move for the night, Captain.”
A moment later, the door opened and a nervous female griffon in a red uniform walked inside. “General, Captain. You wanted to see me?” she asked quietly.
“Ah, Ensign Glenda Goldsmith! Please, come in. I assume that the sergeant told you that this is not a formal meeting at all?” Chaput asked.
She nodded. “Yes, he did, sir.”
“Good… good…” Chaput pulled out the folder he had been looking at earlier. “Tell me, Ensign, would you say that you are loyal to Griffonia?”
Goldsmith nodded slowly. “Yes, sir. I served in the Navy before the civil war, and I stayed in to continue to serve.”
“Marvelous! It says here that your family lives in the south. How does it feel serving under northern rulers, especially after the fall of a southern king?” Chaput inquired politely.
“I, uh, to be honest, sir, I can’t really tell the difference. My loyalty is to Griffonia, not the the old king.” Goldsmith said uncertainly.
“Hmm… very well.” Chaput took one particular paper from the file. “As you know, regulations requires that any communications leaving the ship be read and passed by the Operational Security Officer. He redacts any critical information and keeps a record of the communication. This is the copy of the last letter that you sent to your… Mother.” Chaput raised an eyebrow.
Goldsmith swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Allow me to read it to you.” Chaput cleared his throat. “‘Dear Mother, I have just recalled where I put the recipe for the blueberry pie. I left it under the cloak in the downstairs bedroom. I don’t think I ever moved it. I hope you enjoy the pie! Sincerely, your Glenda.’” Chaput lowered the letter. “There are a few problems here.”
Goldsmith stood shock still.
“First, this letter was addressed to the capital. Your mother lives in the south. Second, blueberries are out of season, and they are mostly grown in the north. Third, you mentioned the word ‘cloak.’ Do you know anything interesting about the word ‘cloak’ in Prench?” Chaput asked.
“No, sir,” she replied nearly inaudibly.
“If you research the meaning of names, ‘Chaput’ actually means ‘one who wears a distinct cloak.’ Very intriguing. Combine that with the use of the color blue, which usually indicates that everything is okay, and you writing to a ‘mother’ who does not live in the capital…” Chaput looked up sharply. “Dmitri never was good at espionage. His ploys are incredibly easy to spot. ‘Father’ to ‘mother.’ Color coded for his convenience. Not even bothering to use a particularly creative name when referring to me. How long have you been his spy, Ensign?”
Goldsmith’s face stayed neutral, but Chaput could see a single tear clawing at the edge of her eye. “For two months now, sir.”
“Ah, open and honest! I like that in a spy! So refreshing.” The general stood. “Now that we are on the same page, I would like to talk to you about some things…” He grinned darkly. “In particular, I would like to discuss your family.”
Her tears fell, and she grimaced bitterly. She turned to look at Chaput. “You too? You bastards are both alike…”
Chaput cocked his head to the side. “‘You too?’ Whatever do you mean, dear?”
“He has my family already. There’s nothing you can do to them, so you may as well kill me now.” Goldsmith faced the general defiantly. “It’s over anyways.”
“Whatever do you mean, my dear? Did you think I was going to threaten your family?” Chaput asked gently. “Why would I do that?”
“Y-you aren’t?”
“Of course not! I am no monster! In fact, I was going to tell you that I knew that Dmitri had threatened your mother... I do not know if he has any others, but I knew about her. I had an offer for you, but if it is, as you say, over…” Chaput shrugged.
“No, wait!” Goldsmith cried. More tears fell down her face. “I… I’m so sorry, General. What was your offer?”
Chaput smiled. “Simple, my dear. You tell him exactly what I tell you that he needs to know, and I will get your family free. It is that simple.”
“R-really?” Goldsmith asked. “You would do that?”
“Ensign Goldsmith, you have my word on the matter. If you help me, I shall help you. And I always keep my word.” Chaput nodded solemnly.
“You will? And all I have to do is—”
“All you have to do is follow my orders. No more reports to Dmitri without my knowledge and approval. Then, when we return to Griffonia, my agents will free your family. Do we have a deal?”
Goldsmith nodded immediately. “Yes, yes! Of course!”
“Oh, perfect!” Chaput smiled. “Thank you, Ensign. Please, follow the sergeant. He will take you back to your quarters.”
The ensign’s grin nearly split her face in two. “Thank you, General! Thank you!”
“No, thank you.” Chaput waved as she walked out the door. It shut quickly, and his smile broadened. “Thank you, Ensign…”
“Is he going to kill her?” Captain Ivanov asked.
“No. Not this time. She will be extremely useful as a double agent.” Chaput sat back down.
Ivanov rested his chin on a talon. “Why do I get the feeling that you had no idea that her mother was locked up?”
“Because I did not know that until she told me.” Chaput stretched. “To be honest, threatening her family was my original intention. However, she revealed a far greater weakness, and I took advantage of the opportunity.”
“So instead of threatening to kill her or her family, you offer to save everything that she holds dear… General, there is something rather dark about that.”
Chaput laughed. “Most likely. It is interesting. I expected to play the villain once more, but I instead look like a hero to one of my own pawns. Very interesting.”
“‘Play the villain...’ Is this all an act to you, General?” Ivanov asked.
“Not all of it,” the general replied. “Some of it is genuine.” He glanced over at the clock. “Well, it is getting late. I believe that we have addressed all things of concern for the evening. With Dmitri’s second spy neutralized, we are in the clear for the next two weeks, and that is all the time that we shall need.”
Ivanov nodded. “Very well, sir. I will bid you good night.” The captain walked toward the door, but he stopped and turned around. “Sir, may I ask a personal question?”
“You may,” Chaput replied.
“You said that you look like a hero to a pawn… but what do you look like to yourself? A hero? A villain?”
The general smiled broadly. “Ah. What a wonderful question. Did you know that I was assigned a paper on this subject in school? It was my fifth year, and I wrote a twenty page typed essay on the matter. Very intriguing. In order to answer the question, we must first ask what a hero or villain actually is. What do you think, Captain? What is a hero?”
Ivanov thought for a moment. “Hmm… I think a hero is a noble warrior who is willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. He thinks of others before himself, and he follows what is right instead of what is easy.”
“Interesting. Your definition is like a combination of what one would hear from a warrior and from a noble hearted reader of romantic fiction. But what of a villain?”
“That would be… the opposite, I suppose?” The captain tilted his head.
“Hmm, I wonder if you see all the connotations that come with that answer. You suggest a dichotomy, a polarization of motives. Mutually exclusive, as different as the sun and the moon. Opposite sides of a coin… Would you like to hear what I think?” Chaput asked.
“Of course.”
“I believe,” Chaput began, “that the idea of the hero, and, by extension, the villain, is a construct. In any conflict, one cannot simply pick one side or another and define them as the hero or villain. No, we require context. Tell me, in the first war between the changelings and Equestria, as it was explained in the ancient texts, who were the heroes?”
Ivanov replied, “The Equestrians.”
“Why?”
“They were defending the land from an invading force. The changelings were attacking them. They only defended themselves.” The captain nodded.
“And that makes the changelings the villains, yes?” Chaput asked.
“Yes.”
“Very well. What of the more recent war when the yaks invaded caribou land two centuries ago? History tells us that the Yaks were the heroes, fighting off a nation of corrupt and evil warriors who threatened the entire world. Do you agree?”
“I do. History does tell us that.”
“But consider this. Had the changelings won, we would tell tales of how the inept Equestrians who could barely hold their own nation together were overthrown by a better organized force that brought peace to the land. If the caribou had been victorious, then we would have heard how the monstrous yak invaders had been fought off by warriors who were only protecting their homes. The heroes and the villains would have been switched, dear Captain.” Chaput narrowed his eyes. “Is this not true? Is it not fact that the heroes always win?”
“Perhaps…” Ivanov leaned against the wall and gazed at Chaput thoughtfully.
“Captain, this is no coincidence. However, we must not misunderstand the chain of causality. The heroes do not win because they are righteous… Instead, they are righteous because they win. Every being is a hero in his own eyes. The difference between a hero and a villain is that you never hear the villain’s side of the story…”
Ivanov stood silently.
The general shook his head and continued. “We view heroism and villainy as a moral issue, but it is not. It is simply a matter of perspective. What my enemy does is against me, and thus it is evil. I do what is right, so I am a hero. It is the same for my enemy. If he falls, the world will know that I was always right, for the ancient trial by combat still holds true in our hearts. The righteous take the day, and the gods punish the evil. By winning, I prove myself. And if I lose, my enemy is able to share his truth with the world. It is relativism in its truest glory, and it is a lie.
“So, to answer your question, I view myself as neither a hero nor a villain. I reject the concept of both. The hero is just another name for the victor who tells his story to more ears, and the villain is the loser that nogriff understands. Thus, I do not believe in heroes or villains and see myself as neither. Instead, I view myself as what I really am.” Chaput’s eyes bore into the naval officer.
“Captain, I am a victor. And I plan to have every pony, griffon, dragon, or any other being hear my story, even if I must die to make it so.”
6302593
Thank you for the wonderful comment! It made my evening. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story!
I know what Chaput is now. He is The Sociopath, the man (griffon) without morals who acts purely upon his own logic and gain. While he is aware of what morality is and how it affects others, it has no control over him. He will just as easily kill a person as he would save them, the difference entirely relying on which outcome would be more useful for his goals. A person such as this is far more dangerous than a regular, run of the mil psychopath like Dmitri. He is unpredictable, untrustworthy, and willing to do anything to achieve his goals, no matter how horrid or helpful they might be.
In short, he is the most dangerous villain a truly moral person like Celestia could ever face, worse in his own way than either Discord or Sombra. My sense of hope for peace in this Equestria is rapidly running out. This will not end well.
You confuse me, Doccular. This has more twists than a Doctor Who season.
Please, continue!
Aww, I am missing the Luna/Button interactions. They are my favorite part of this fic. At least we got some more sweet politic-ing and tactician-ing to hold us over.
As I've stated repeatedly before, it's quite rare for a story to be juggling two plots, be written in an excellent manner and still get updated regularly!
Really, the griffon subplot is what makes this even more intriguing
Also, this fic hits the featured box every time it updates, quite impressive.
6303078
It's coming soon! I just need a few days to move the story along a bit!
6303054
Maybe, maybe not...
Interestingly enough, I actually work with a few sociopaths in the group home where I am a residential counselor. It's one of the scariest feelings on earth, talking to them. Some of that may come out in my writing, haha.
So ol' Chaput is playing both Dmitri and Celestia to his game...His mind set on the chessboard of his scheme. ...Until video game logic will kick in~
i think this one of the best fics i have read on this site so far! i started reading this because of button and luna and now i am more interested in the griffons plan .Chaput is a absolutely amazing character, and a terrifying one too! i have no idea what he's gonna do next or even when he's telling the truth or the truths that suits him, thats if he is even telling the truth at all.
too bad i cant upvote this more than once.
Oh I see were this is going. He only considering Celestia :) When he should be considering the whole Diarchy. Before she became Nightmare Moon, Luna was the warrior princess.
Well, what can I say? This story gets better and better with every chapter!
I always adored Luna's part with nicely written and detailed "game-addiction-and-awkward-social-interactions" themes, and contrast between what characters are in their virtual world and what are they IRL.
Still, at the beginning I did not like the "political theme": "они такие злобные, эти русские грифоны, ну, вы знаете: аргх!".
Griffon characters seemed too flat to me, and their intrigues seemed too comic-book-villainish.
So I really like the development of Chaput's character. Maybe he is still an Evil Overlord, but he is so charismatic, that something small squees happily inside of my brain every time I read his monologues. :)
...
Can you tell, Doccular42, have you any plans to detail-up the character of Dmitri in one of the Interludes? Or describe the whole "revolution and new regime" stuff from perspective of "proletarian griffon"?
I read a lot of memoirs of soviet war heroes of WWII (like Alexander Pokrishkin, Ivan Kozhedub or Anna Egorova). And what is interesting - they was more or less happy living in Stalin's USSR before the nazis invasion. They saw new schools, hospitals, factories, that was built in order to perform "industrialization". They was believing they are participating in creation of new bright world.
E.g. Anna Egorova was working in construction of Moscow subway and she was happy to create such beautiful thing for soviet people. Even while her brother was sent to GULAG because he wrote an article for soviet newspaper... praising soviet technology advancements.
So... Most griffins obviously doesn't know that Dmitri killing his loyal followers just to impress some pony (and giggling afterwards). How common griffons perceive things around? Do they believe they are building brighter tomorrow for everygriff on ruins of evil kingdom? Or they think that revolution was a failure and one king was just replaced by another? Or griffons are just all blood-thirsty maniacs (like nazis from movies), and simply want to "kill all poniez and take their land"?
P.S. Please excuse me for my ridiculously long post, everyone.
Also sorry for my English: not native language at all.
Good ^^
I could pre-read this
Wow, Chaput is one devious bastard by put he has style. Gotta say, I liked his views about what makes a hero and a villain.
That is Chaput in a nutshell. I may not know exactly what his plan is but I know what his goal is. I'd been wondering. One very big question answered! Still lots more to go.
This guy. THIS GUY! He... I have no words. Chaput just.... Nhnff. So smart.
Wow, Chaput's take on Heroism and Villainy are what sell this chapter for me, especially since I'm a firm believer that good and evil are merely moral perspectives. Can't wait to see where this goes.
Color Me Intrigued. I'm starting to have a new found respect for Chaput and the game he is playing. But I see to things wrong with Chaput's pkan...
1) I agree with his general, he isn't giving tia enough credit. As long as tia is active she is a major player in the game making it a 3 way fight.
And 2) Luna...she may be a bit behind but remember that she was the warrior of the princess duo. Plus she is the video gamer, she will think of it more openly and not as a back and forth chess game.
Can't wait for the next chapter.
I started reading this expecting a luna and button romance
Instead I got this
It's like expecting a nice dinner and discovering everyone around you is trying to secretly kill the other
Exciting but terrifying
6303921
'Cuz that's how I roll.
i1263.photobucket.com/albums/ii633/TallyBean18/GIF/tumblr_ma152013Jw1r2a8tc.gif
6303896
Whoops! Thanks for the catch.
FAS is for Fatherland's Air Ship. Dmitri changed the designation for the fleet when he took power and made it a reference to himself.
Chaput reminds me of Makishima Shogo. This is a very good thing.
6303079
Just you wait, we're probably going to see the two plots collide spectacularly at some point.
Chaput is too smart. But I think Luna will be the one who wins it, not Celestia. Also, Author, you are very talented and if you can write a character like Chaput and make him sound realistic, should I be worried?
Chaput confuses me!!!
talveznao.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/boburham.png
I can see about three ways this can blow up in Chaput's face. That's a surprisingly low number, so you must be doing something right.
6303054 You suck so much, making me open a TV Tropes page.
6304438 You're welcome friend. Enjoy your life, (what's left of it that is... MWUHAHAHAHAHA)
You should quit writing pony fanfics, with your level of genius, you would be much better off writing philosophy novels.
6304523 TV Tropes has ruined my life.
Seriously amazing fic, I'm definitely giving this a fav and an upvote.
I wish I could give this another upvote Dx
Nice job! Fantastic chapter.
6304531
or even better, they make their game characters into robots, and use them to pwn the griffon army
6304582 That is true. Also I love the Sweetie Belle Chronicles.
This story has more twists than a black woman's weave.
This might be and understatement, but I find Chaput to be an incredibly dangerous individual.
Although with what we've seen, he seems to be focusing largely on Celestia only, there's some potential for wrinkles there.
Hope you don't mind, I'm gonna vaguely reference Luna's game in my FanFic. Again, I hope you don't mind.
6304271
Sure. This indeterminate calculus of yours has rendered me ashamed. Woe be unto me.
6305338
He is. As 6303054 above says, he's a true sociopath, which gives him an ability to understand morality that a psychopath doesn't have, and yet a freedom from it- he can anticipate the moral leanings of others, and use that to his own advantage to further his goals. In a way, he's the Joker to Celestia as Batman- a polar opposite, capable of knowing his opponent extremely well yet so far outside her own inherent mentality that she's going to be very hard-pressed to do the same.
And here he reveals those goals he desires: The closest thing to immortality he can hope for- fame, or infamy. And he doesn't seem to care which.
This is the deepest story I ever read...
Well said, Chaput.
whoever wrote this would be a great military stratigist
6305792 Really? Go read Background Pony and then tell me if you still think that.
6306626
I'm still trying to muster the courage to read that one... I have heard... Things
6306600
Thanks for the feedback! I'll try to avoid that in the future, and I'll take another look at that scene when I do my editing sweep in a few weeks.
I had a similar experience in a game, although mine involved a team of six bards dancing naked in front of a lagged out boss... Hahaha!
6306634 First story I ever read on here, it was fantastic.
6303690 Except of course I can think of a plethora of victorious leaders and armies who are in fact remembered as villains. Villains do not always lose and heroes do not always win.
6312835 story's are told by the victors in the first 10-20 years they may be remembered as villains but if they write the history books they will turn into hero's fir the future generations so I think this take is spot on
Well, we are certainly well solidly in the "Chaput is in the Grand Admiral Thrawn vein" and "is actually the major villain" (regardless of his own leanings. Actually, he basiclaly just paraphrased "I am beyond such petty conciets as good an evil" which - as usual - automatically makes him Evil...)
This is good; decent villains are hard to come by.
(Actually, this is what I headcanon Sombra might have been a bit like.)
6329680 Yes, of course, we all remember the glorious heroism of the Mongols. And we all know how impervious to any possible criticism the scientists who designed the atomic bomb still are to this day.
Oh wait!
This sort of cynicism is, ironically, quite naive; it assumes that competent historians do not exist, that the motivations of everyone in existence can be reduced to "make myself look good by every possible means, always" and "never risk offending anyone who has any power over you", and so forth. Real life is not nearly so simple as this fairy tale Chaput is spinning.
6329902 Basically, yes.
Hmm...That was delightful, I always enjoy when characters talk about their moral views.Since to me, asking if your the hero or villain is the same as asking are you good or evil. Both sides can flip from whom is telling the story.
History is written by the victor. 'Walter Benjamin'