Crystal stared at the deep, rich mahogany wood as her forehoof traced the pattern of it. The surface was almost perfectly smooth, rivers of black running through the dark brown that created the subtlest of ridges and valleys. A tree had been cut down to make this table. A tree that had grown in a forest—tall and strong and proud—until somepony came along and tore it down.
How did that tree feel, having survived for so long only to be felled in one, single moment?
A hoof waved in front of her face and Miley's voice squeaked, "Hi? Equestria to Crystal?"
Crystal blinked and lifted her gaze to see several pairs of eyes on her. "Huh?" She flushed. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts."
"Yeah, we noticed," Winterspear lightly teased. "You didn't close your eyes for the night phase. You've just been sitting there with your eyes open the whole time."
"I thought something was strange when I opened my eyes for my night action and you were awake, too," Runic said, his nose scrunched up. "But then I thought, maybe she just forgot how the Clairvoyant works."
The Clairvoyant. Crystal's coat bristled as she stared at the role's token in the middle of the table and spat, "There's no such thing."
Runic tilted his head. "Huh? Of course there is! That's one of the roles." His hoof started to reach for the face-down card in front of Crystal. "Let me just—"
"Runic!" Miley swatted at his hoof. "Don't cheat!"
"Why not? She cheated first! I just want to see what she was supposed to do. Maybe she has a special role I've never seen before?"
Winterspear tapped a hoof on the table to draw attention to herself. "I think I know what this is about."
Crystal glanced up at her, ears folding back. "You do?"
"I overheard your talk with Mom," Winterspear admitted with a sheepish smile. "Is that what's bothering you?"
Crystal didn't respond; she didn't have to. The traitorous tremble of her lower lip said everything she tried to shove aside and ignore.
Luna leaned forward to catch Crystal's eyes. "Would you like to talk about it?"
After a moment of hesitation, Crystal sighed and crossed her forelegs on the table, shaking her head. "Princess—"
Luna's ears stood up at the formality, but she said nothing.
"—you know a great deal about magic, don't you?" Crystal furrowed her brow. "How much do you know about magic relating to conjuring spirits?"
A rustling sound of her friends at the table shifting in their seats and glancing at one another filled the air with confused tension.
"Spirits?" Luna straightened up. "As in of the dead? I am aware of much speculation, but little proof." Her eyes narrowed just slightly. "What brings this topic to light?"
Crystal's chin trembled. The gazes on her turned sympathetic and concerned, and all at once, she hardened her resolve as she looked up at Luna. "There is a pony who claims she can reunite ponies with their lost loved ones by conjuring their spirits. Is such magic even possible?"
The crease of Luna's brow smoothed and her lips pulled into a taut, thin line. She met Crystal's gaze and held it, a serious, contemplative look in her eyes until she finally asked, "Are you asking me as a friend for my personal opinion, or as a princess for the reality of the matter?"
"Both?" Crystal asked in a soft voice.
"Very well." Luna leaned back in her seat and sighed, her flowing mane glimmering with countless stars. "I do not believe in such magic. To my knowledge, it is beyond even my sister's powers and she is the most magically proficient pony I've ever known, alicorn or unicorn alike. No tome or scroll I've read has ever proven such magic to be true."
Crystal's heart leaped into her throat. If the princesses spoke out against Madame Ouija and her ilk, then surely—
"But," Luna continued, interrupting Crystal's thoughts, "I cannot prove that it is an impossible feat. More importantly, however, that matters not. It is a service not unlike a stage magician, and ponies like the one of which you speak fall under the purview of..." Her nose scrunched up and she finished with a distinct tone of distaste, "entertainment."
And just as easily as she was elated, Crystal felt as though a rock had fallen to the pit of her stomach. "Entertainment?"
Luna gave a solemn nod. "Yes. It is not within my rights to deny ponies a service for which they willingly pay. Just as my sister and I cannot force a pony to cease drinking to excess or spending bits on frivolous luxuries, the same is to be said for entertainment." The word came out with the same venomous note as before. "My personal opinions cannot interfere with a pony's freedom."
"But—" Crystal's throat felt tight. "But, Luna, she—I just—"
Luna reached out a hoof to gently stroke Crystal's cheek. "I know this is not the answer you sought, and I'm sorry for that."
That wasn't fair. Luna couldn't do anything? But she was a princess! An alicorn! She could move the heavens, but she couldn't stop a charlatan?
Winterspear snorted. "It's despicable. So Crystal just has to watch as Bunny—"
"Bonnie," Crystal quietly, almost sadly corrected.
With a small, strangled sound of a chuckling snort, Winterspear tried to keep her expression from showing her amusement by scrunching up her nose. "—as Bonnie throws away her life on a lie?" She shook her head. "This Madame should be ashamed of herself."
Luna turned her empathetic but strong gaze to the whole table. "Please understand. It is not my place to say what is and isn't acceptable in a situation like this. Ponies go to mediums of their own free will. They are spending their own bits. There is no serious, undeniable harm done to themselves or others. Many ponies would call pastimes such as what we do"—she gestured at the game on the table and the cards in front of them all—"a waste of bits and a waste of time. That we are harming ourselves by not using our time toward more substantial pursuits."
Runic sighed, idly hoofing at his card. "Some ponies say I'm a menace with my experiments."
Iridescence winced and rubbed a hoof along her foreleg. "And I buy way, way too many cosmetics. Even Winters teases me about it."
"But that's not the same!" Winterspear looked at Iridescence with wide eyes. "Cosmetics and—and that aren't the same at all!"
Luna shook her head. "Where is the line to be drawn, then? Who decides where that line is? What is fair to everypony?" Her magic started to gather up the role cards into a pile. "It comes down to harm. Were I to have, beyond any shadow of a doubt, certain proof that mediums cause harm to others, then I could urge the parliament to take action. Otherwise..."
After they were shuffled together, one by one, each card was dealt back out. Luna offered a small smile. "Shall we try again, this time closing our eyes appropriately?"
Normally, the distraction would be welcome, especially with the way Crystal felt drained as her last option had vanished into thin air. She had to accept the truth: Bonnie was free to make decisions for herself, and Crystal could do nothing about it.
The game, instead, felt tiresome and slow. All she wanted to do was go home, make some tea, and go to bed. Perhaps she'd feel more like herself in the morning.
Crystal caught a pair of violet eyes on her and she flashed a weak smile. Velvet returned it with a frown, then cleared her throat. "Sorry, guys, but I need to go. I just remembered that I have practice, like, tomorrow morning." She stood up and glanced at Crystal. "Hey, Crystal, can you come with me? I found something of yours the other day when I was cleaning your old room."
"Aww," Runic said with a foalish pout. "You're turning in early?"
Velvet waved a hoof. "It's, like, almost midnight! That's not early."
"'Tis early for us, thy Princess of the Night," Luna said in a haughty tone, mock offense on her face. "Hardly hath my moon reached its zenith and already thou seekest to leave us?"
"Yup." Velvet faced her with a grin. "I mean, come on, Princess. You want me to stay cooped up when I could be out under your glorious moon?"
Luna's lips quirked into a smile before she cleared her throat and waved a hoof. "Very well. Thou hast our permission to steal away fair Crystal and enjoy our night."
Crystal slowly stood, smiling at the table of ponies. "I'm sorry to leave early. To be fair, I'm not quite feeling like myself. I'll bring my normal self to the next game night, though, I promise."
"Don't worry about it," Miley chirped. "Just rest up and feel better!"
Crystal nodded and waved to them all before she trotted after Velvet, who was already making her way out of the room and into the hall. As they made their way out of Luna's wing, the House Guards would nod in acknowledgement of her passing by. However, when they were out in the common hall, she noticed a palace guard that seemed out of place. She paused to look up at his face beneath his helmet, her lips pursing in a moment of thought.
He was young. Young and inexperienced. His eyes wandered rather than remaining fixed forward. Somehow over the years, Silent’s experience had rubbed off on her; she could spot everything wrong with the way this guard stood.
Her lips curled into a smile and she stood to attention. "Like this."
He blinked and looked down at her, then flushed as he snapped into action like a spring-loaded toy. "S-Sorry, ma'am!"
"You'll get the hang of it." She winked and turned to see Velvet staring at her. "What?"
"Are you flirting with him?" Velvet whispered, glancing around almost nervously.
Crystal's ears jolted upright, her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. After a moment to recover her senses, her expression dropped into a scowl. "Velvet Candylicious Step! The gall of you to even suggest such a thing!" She shoved her shoulder against Velvet's and trotted forward, tail held high and nose stuck in the air. "Honestly."
Velvet hurried to fall into step beside her. "Well! I mean, you know. You know? It's been a while, right?" Her ear flicked. "Aren't you... lonely?"
"Of course." Crystal's playful air deflated into a somber mood as her tail drooped and her eyes lowered to the ground. "But you and I are opposites. You have intimacy with no love. For me, I can't fathom being intimate with a pony I don't love."
There was a pause before Velvet replied simply, "Oh."
They walked in relative silence out of the castle and courtyard, Crystal merely following Velvet's lead until they started to wander into what she recognized as the more Velvet-friendly district of Canterlot. Rave music permeated the air from a nearby club when a door opened to let a group of giggling mares out.
"Uh, Velvet?" Crystal sidled closer to her. "Where are we going, by the way?"
Velvet shot her a lopsided grin. "Where else does a pony go at midnight to feel better?"
"The club?" she squeaked. The idea of alcohol was tempting, granted, but Velvet sometimes pushed it to the limit and she wasn't looking forward to a hangover.
"Okay, where else does a pony that's not me go at midnight to feel better?"
Crystal blinked, tilting her head. "Bed?"
Velvet let out a playfully frustrated sigh. "Oh my gosh, the Pancake Shack, of course!"
"The... what?" Crystal furrowed her brow. "Pancake Shack?"
Velvet came to a sudden halt and looked at her with wide eyes. "Wait, seriously? I mean, I know we've never gone there together, but you've never been to the Pancake Shack?"
Crystal gave a slow, cautious shake of her head. "I have no idea what that is."
"Wow, okay, Mrs. Apparently-Too-Good-For-Pancake-Shack." Velvet grinned and hooked her foreleg around Crystal's to tug her along. "I don't know if our commonfolk fare will be good enough for your high class tastes, but hopefully you can survive the experience!"
A laugh escaped Crystal and she hurried to keep up with Velvet's excited gait. "I'm sure I will, but I thought we were going to your place?" She gasped. "Wait, did you lie? To the princess? Velvet! What would your mother say?"
Velvet snorted. "Probably something like 'Velvet Candylicious Step'. Seriously, where did that even come from?"
"It seemed appropriate." Crystal giggled lightly, the sound dying in her throat like a fading ember. "I... don't feel quite like myself lately. One moment I'm fine, the next I'm grasping desperately for something to make me feel normal."
Velvet's expression grew serious as she nodded. "I get ya. Kinda. I mean, sort of. I know things are—well, they—they're different for you than they are for me."
Before Crystal could press her for more details, Velvet gestured at the building they came to a stop in front of. "Here it is! The Pancake Shack!"
The little eatery was nestled between two larger, more prominent buildings, and seemed insignificant by comparison. It had one large window that had an image of a stack of pancakes on it and the door was a deep pine green in color, some of the paint flaked and faded. The interior, Crystal discovered when Velvet led her inside, did not make up for the exterior. The tacky black-and-white checkerboard floors paired with the seafoam green booths just screamed desperately for a serious renovation.
"I know, I know," Velvet said, sliding into the nearest booth. "It doesn't look like much, but they make great, cheap pancakes and are always open."
Crystal paused to examine a tear in the seat she was supposed to take. The material around the rip was crackled, like a refining mask that had dried too long. Gingerly, she settled onto the cushion, trying to ignore the mental image of what was beneath her. "It's fine." She levitated the menu in front of her and blinked. "Oh. Well, that's rather straightforward, isn't it?"
The menu was split into three sections: a short square of the prices per pancake stack that got cheaper the more you ordered, a long list of ingredients that could be baked into the pancake, and an even longer list of syrups, toppings, and creams. The variety was, admittedly, quite impressive, even if the font was somewhat gaudy for such a down-to-earth establishment. And the corner of her menu had a coffee stain on it—at least she thought that was coffee. Or was it maple syrup?
Velvet's voice cut into her thoughts and brought her back from the land of critical overthinking. "Yeah, right?" She grinned. "But the problem is narrowing it down. Seriously, though, one day, I want to bring a bunch of friends and just be like, 'Bring me everything!' Just a huge trough of pancakes and fruit and syrup and, well, yeah. Stuff."
Crystal shot her a sly smile. "With you involved in eating it, I'm not sure you need a bunch of friends. Just one or two."
Velvet tossed her head back as she laughed freely. "Rude!"
A companionable silence fell on them while Crystal mulled over what she wanted to eat, the stillness disturbed by Velvet asking, "So, uh... You okay?"
Crystal glanced up at her, one brow raised. "Hmm? What do you mean?"
"With, stuff. Life." Velvet rubbed her neck, gaze darting down and away. "Like, I know we're living different lives right now. The—the war doesn't really affect my stuff. I'm doing ballet, I'm trying to adopt, I'm hanging out with my family... like normal."
Normal. The word rang in Crystal's mind with a certain hollowness to it. It echoed from her ears down to her chest, which clenched with a strange, bitter feeling of envy. "It is what it is." She smiled, waving a hoof to dismiss the topic. "Tell me more about the adoption. How is that going?"
Velvet scrunched up her nose. "I dunno. I guess it depends. It's great, but not for me."
"Why not?" Crystal dropped her gaze back to the menu, though her ears remained alert and facing toward Velvet.
"There just aren't a lot of foals in need of parents." Velvet sighed as she set down her own menu. "Which is, you know, great! Great that there aren't orphanages everywhere overflowing with lonely foals. But, well, not great for me. There's a long list of ponies ahead of me that have been waiting a while. I'm—I dunno. I guess I'm feeling down about it. And I feel guilty for not—for not knowing how to understand you? For not being on the same page? I dunno, I just..." She trailed off with a shrug.
Settling on poppyseed pancakes with lemon syrup, Crystal put her menu aside and reached out to take Velvet's hooves in her own. "I admit, it's strange for me to imagine living a life right now that's not consumed with the war." She smiled, giving a brief but comforting squeeze. "But our lives have always been different from each others', haven't they?"
Velvet snorted and grinned. "Yeah, that's one way to put it."
"And yet, we've still found ways to support each other." Crystal leaned across the table to press her forehead to Velvet's. "So, I'll encourage you while you struggle with adoption, even though I can't fathom how you're not brought low by the war."
Velvet's grin softened to a smile and she nodded just slightly. "And I'll encourage you while you struggle with the war, even though I can't fathom how you're not brought low by my adoption woes."
After a moment of holding each other's gazes with serious expressions, they burst into laughter and pulled apart. For one night, at least, Crystal could enjoy a taste of normalcy, a taste of the way things used to be before she lost her sense of self to the war. And, wonderfully, that tasted like delicious pancakes and sweet friendship.
Looks like Crystal will have no choice but to let Bonnie going out to see that charlatan.
Mmmmm pancakes. I know someone will be pleased.
Velvet used "flattery" on Princess Luna!
IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!
Critical Hit!
Hehe. I have fun.
So this is where Velvet's foal will come from. Crystal gets lonely and uh, nothing happened while Silent Knight was gone, nope.
Bad news everyone. Depending on how the war goes, this may be changing in the future.
So many favorite moments...
I have a friend whose wife teaches yoga and I would tease him about being awesome at yoga. Apparently, he ISNT awesome at yoga, but he knows terms and such. It's so true that although we may not end up specializing in what those we are close to specialize in, it DOES rub off over time. I also love the image of my head of her standing at proper attention saying "Like this" If there's a picture I would request, it's of this moment, coupled with the time she wore Silent's armor.
Dang, sometimes you just say stuff and I think "that is a way better way to put it than I could ever think of" and it's clever to boot!
I may not agree with Velvet's lifestyle but I really liked having her perspective on these conversations because it always seemed like her thoughts were always somewhere totally different. I imagine a whole two paragraphs of inner dialogue before that "oh".
It's easy to stay close when you have something in common: going to the same school, living in the same place, sharing a major hobby. It's more difficult to stay connected when you mature and follow your own path which may be very different from your close friends (or family for that matter).
I loved Velvet's involvement in this chapter, it shows a legitimate reason for somepony to live their day-to-day lives and not have to think about the war because it doesn't directly affect them. That's basically been my life.
Listen to this Ouija, darling... You can feel safe now... Go, go and help as many ponies as you wish!
The exchange between Crystal and Velvet on... being lonely was intense. Short, but I could feel the weight behind it. Astounding. Very well-conveyed.
So, yes, yet another wonderful chapter. This consistency is refreshing!
Its interesting how you were able to portray Ouija the way you did. First she was held in a negative light and then she was held in a neutral light. It truly helped convey to me how Crystal felt when trying to figure out Madam Ouija's intentions. I know I felt frustrated right along side Crystal when she realized there was nothing she could really do.
And then pancakes! Oh now I need me some pancakes!
*Sigh*
Crystal. Being a "Spirit Medium," isn't illegal. But drugging your clients to mess with their consent certainly is!
Did you just forget about the choking swoon you had when you entered her shop?
At least ask Bonnie if she experienced the same thing.
Very serious. And then light-hearted. Love me some pancakes.
Now I want pancakes.
Where's AzuBot when you need her?
Aw, bit of an emotional chapter here, Poor Crystal and Velvet, yet Velvet still proves to be best friend.
@Azurite#2721 One perferct pancake please.
Hmmmm... Aren't there laws against outright swindling? Because there's freedom to indulge, and then there's taking advantage of an ill-prepared customer base. And before we get into "where do we draw the line?", you are one of the two who gets to define it, Luna! If Crystal feels there's legitimate wrongdoing, then there's probably some manner of recourse that would allow someone to check on whether Ouija is on the up and up. Which is, once again, your purview, Luna!
7564597
That's the sign of quality mind control: the victim doesn't remember it. Any plebian can put someone in the back seat and take their body for a spin; only a master can prevent that person from knowing they weren't in control.
7564164
That sounds like such a Crystal thing to do. She's so selfless that she'd have a baby for Velvet.
7564683 Oh i wasnt lumping him into the same as bastion or bonnie. His concerns.. I honestly feel have legitimate grounds.
A very nice chapter. not the answer I was looking for from Luna, but after she explained herself, i can see where she is coming from. There has to be somepony who can know if such things. Maybe Haven's library has something about it
Rose princess you just hurt me deep. How can you not know the wonderfullness of Midnight Pancakes or waffles. Hell when I was in the Army, we would have all day Field Training days, and it would be 3 am or something, and on the way back to base my platoon or company would be like "we need waffles" and sometimes we would still be in full battle rattle and roll up in there for waffles. Those.. were some of the best nights for me honestly. Made the day so much better. Anyway, Velvet I can understand where she is coming from. And Luna raises some very vauable Insites about madam Ouija
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
Uh...Crystal seems to have omitted a couple details. Most of the important ones. Because what Luna said is completely true for mundane palm readers and crap, but Ouija was running, like, airborne hallucinogens at minimum and some extremely real and vaguely threatening magic in the most likely case.
And now I am all caught up...... (from Crystal's pov at least) heh I couldn't stay away even a day I think? THAT is how good these stories are! And it is almost 230am. I really want to start on the one's from Silent's pov but i have class in the morning so alas this little changeling must get some shuteye.
7564806
1. I'm not an expert on the Quill and Blade universe, but the author did suggest that Luna is not the one 'drawing the line'. It is, possibly, this 'parliament' that Luna refers to. Sure, maybe Luna has the power to act outside the law, investigate and make a judgement on the situation, but what's the point in having the law in the first place, then?
I would also like to suggest that there might be other offices that fall under this 'parliament' section that Crystal should go to if she has a suspicion about another pony or shopkeeper. Luna, to stay within the law, would only be able to suggest that Crystal take her concerns to one such office.
2. People take advantage of their customer base all the time in every aspect of marketing and they aren't dinged for it. In actuality, it falls on the customer for being duped, and not researching the background of the product thoroughly. If I buy a car on Craigslist for $12,000 when it's only worth $6,000 at a dealer, it's my fault for spending the extra money, not the guy on Craigslist I bought it from.
3. Crystal is not infallible. I would like to offer a different viewpoint and suggest that the author might be trying to show that. Sure, Ouija is probably providing a service that is hogwash and fake. But, guess what? Customers don't care, they wanted the service that was provided. But that's not the point of this situation, the point is that Crystal doesn't understand the situation/circumstances and makes some bad choices based on her self imposed misunderstanding.
It doesn't matter what Ouija is doing, what matters is that Crystal is sticking her nose in where she isn't wanted and she doesn't realize it. This is a learning experience for Crystal: She's in charge of her own life, not everyone else.
Of course, this is just speculation. But, I think you shouldn't be so hasty to judge Luna and exalt Crystal. There are many factors that could be in play and it's unfair when our knowledge of the situation is still lacking. It's all up to the author, though, and maybe you are hitting the nail on the head.
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A large part of any government is to provide protection to it's citizens, both from threats outside of the country and threats from within a country, such as people like Ouija who take advantage of people.
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I apologize for not individually replying to everyone this time around, but more or less y'all are talking about the same topic, so I'm going to dedicate my response time to that! I will do some individual replies to some things that particularly stand out.
*~> 7566021 <~*
Gold star comment! This more or less sums up what I would say on the topic, so be sure to read it. Thanks, Sasha!
Some additional notes:
1) Regarding the comments of Crystal not mentioning the smoke and/or "drugs" — that's not her focus. To her, she coughed and was affected by smoke because smoke isn't fun to breathe in; it doesn't cross her mind that there may or may not have been drugs in it. It's completely unrelated to her crusade. We also have no idea if the smoke was related at all, or just an atmosphere / mood setter.
2) Specifically regarding the swindling, as Sasha pointed out, that's just a thing that happens. In the show, Pinkie Pie got swindled out of her canon. Was that illegal? No, that was a choice Pinkie made. If Luna encouraged the parliament to outlaw Madame Ouija's practices, there would be an outcry of the ponies who believe she is legitimate and are soothed by getting to see their loved ones again. Alcohol can be very harmful, but it's not outlawed. In our society, we have psychic hotlines. We have cigarettes and gambling and all sorts of things that can be easily pointed to as harmful, but they're still a thing—a thing that people can choose whether or not to indulge in. Luna and Celestia set the example and provide the guidelines for how society is molded; the system of government puts those into laws. There is simply too much Equestria for them to make widespread laws from their seat in Canterlot. That's why there are governors and mayors and the like.
And, somewhat of a spoiler, but Crystal will not be going on an investigative journey to uncover the truths about Madame Ouija. That's not who she is. She's not an adventurer or a researcher. She's exhausted the options she feels are available to her. The point of this plot is for Crystal to feel the sting of failure and to learn from it.
7566019 I'm glad you're enjoying the stories that much, but yes! Please sleep!!
7565255 I have many leatherbound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.
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7564156
7564347 Oh, man! Love all the thoughts, especially, yes. Velvet's... role, for lack of a better word, is really important. Because for how consumed Crystal's life is by the war, Velvet's is every bit not. It's important to remember that, both for Crystal and for readers.
That... and... Velvet is just such a wonderful contrast to Crystal. I legitimately love writing their scenes together.
Its so good to see Crystal hanging out with Velvet again, it's been a while.
And my phone decided that in the middle of my reading this chapter was the best time to think it's dying and shut down, even though it was at 65% power. I think I need a new phone, just so that I never get needlessly interrupted while reading Hopes or Trials again!
7566223 Wait a minute! What if Crystal went to someone like Zecora for advice? Because Zecora is very knowledgeable about things such as mysticism, exorcism, and speaking to spirits of the dead (she is no charlatan either). She could give a possible answer as to whether or not if Ouija is actually conning other ponies of their money.
7566280
As I said in my previous comment:
But, to answer your question:
1) Crystal doesn't know Zecora, nor does she know any zebras.
2) Have we ever seen Zecora do exorcisms, speak to spirits, or do anything mysticism-related except potions? Is this canon or just fanon?
3) It does not matter whether or not Ouija is a fake. It is irrelevant, because it's not illegal. As Luna said, it falls under the category of entertainment, just like gambling, drinking, illusionists, stage magicians...
7566284 Very well.
7566223
Oh I did do so And am excited for more after class!
7566021
7566223
I do understand that character-Crystal's issue may not be directly Luna's purview, and there may be little Luna can do about it. The thing is, I can't imagine Equestria being so conflict-free as to not have a bureau devoted to ensuring fair business practices. Luna should at least know who Crystal can talk to about details and potential recourse, but instead, Luna just felt very dismissive.
I also understand that author-Crystal may simply not want to get into the nitty-gritty. It still feels somewhat 'dropped' if that's all there is regarding Ouija.
7566673 Well, it certainly wasn't intended to be dismissive! Luna's tone and light sneering as she talked about it was supposed to convey her displeasure of such activities, but also that it's an already known profession to her and the law.
I can see the dismissive part in the way that Luna picks up the cards and doles them out, cutting the conversation off, but that was more intended to be she's trying to move back to the game because it's clearly upsetting Crystal. Maybe that fell flat!
Crystal only presents the argument of whether the magic is legitimate. Luna says in her personal opinion, it's not, but, to reiterate her words:
So, mediums are considered the same way we in our society consider psychic hotlines—entertainment, the legitimacy of it being up to the consumer to decide with their money.
That said, I'm not dropping Ouija here and never bringing her up again. She has her figurative claws deep in Crystal. My spoiler text was merely to say don't expect a long journey into the depths of Haven's library or anything like that.
7566223 I'm really curious, how long does it generally take to you to write your long replies to all our comments? some of which are pretty lengthy themselves.
7566955 Hahaha, when I'm not lazy like this last roundup and reply individually, it can take up to an hour. I try to not just give generic responses, though sometimes that's all I have left in the chamber if so many people comment on the same thing D: And I'd rather say "Thanks! Glad you liked it!" than nothing at all.
But I really appreciate you guys taking the time to comment, so I'm happy to set aside the time
7566914
Actually, I was mostly going off Luna, as the 'resident' authority figure to what may be a legitimate issue, responding with rhetorical questions - which is highly unprofessional - and admitting her own incomplete knowledge, then ruling on the issue anyway. After all, regardless of whether people are free to spend on whatever they want, it's the government's job to make sure that the businesses/available products aren't simply harmful, and that's where Luna should be able to help.
Exactly. Luna didn't say anything to placate Crystal - not even "I or these other people can look into your claim later" - she just brushed things off.
7564683 It's a bad idea all around. Sure, I can understand that she didn't see Bastion's whole thing coming, but she had to know Bonnie was gonna freak out.
7567375 Oh, I certainly don't disagree! She made a mistake, through and through.
Huh, so would swear I remember commenting, but apparently not. Story discussion chat confusion?
Hmn, so no knowledge on Luna's part about whether magic can reach past the grave, and can't do anything about a con artist either. Equestria's most useless Princess.
"Settling", those sound pretty good.
Wow, finally all caught up (I was stuck trying to vastly trim down a backlog of stories while I waited for the chapters in this and trials to build up). Hmm, I blitzed through it so it's hard to make a comment other than I like what I've read so far.
I feel so conflicted on the group/soothsayer pony (whose name I forget atm >.>). Chrystal does mean well, but I think Wallflower and Luna do have it right in that there really isn't much that can be done. Though to be honest (for some personal reasons) I don't give a damn how grief ridden you get, I will never respect anyone who lashes out at someone who was only trying to help like Crystal was so good on Golden for calling them out.
Btw, it's probably been mentioned, but I don't really have the time to read back through the comments, but isn't Bastion the pony who worked with/trained SK when he was out to get Alistair? If so, he's got a lot of nerve acting the way he is toward Chrystal since it's as much his fault everyone is in the position they are in as anyone (though iirc the Griffon Kingdom was just looking for an excuse to fight which meant that what SK and his team did was only hasten the inevitable imo). I would say that Bastion is acting the way he is because he knows that his wife and that others is partly his fault and guilt is eating at him, but lashing out at someone who only wanted to help means he won't get any empathy or sympathy from me.
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but even luna said she cant prove or disprove. who is to say, except the beholder?
As a side note, the lyrics for this chapter remind me of Rossby