It has been a little over 2 years since The Doctor crash landed in this alternate dimension full of pastel colored horses with inconceivable, and quite often baffling, feats of what they call "magic", and yet when he reflects on what he learned from observing the races of these "ponies", he is reminded of a very particular day on Earth.
It was December 25, the year 1914. War has ravaged the land, and much like what occurred after the Storm King's Siege, the world was united over an open fire and the tragedies of war were forgotten for a day...
Set after the events from My Little Pony: the movie.
Chapters (2)
This reminds me a little bit of when the Allies and Germans stopped fighting for Christmas and instead played kickball and sang in the trenches. Props.
very fitting considering today's Christmas Special
8630412
That is what the Christmas Truce of 1914 was
8631071
I know. I was just sayin'.
8631073
Oh ok sorry
I love this idea. Even if I never get to read this story, your idea is solid... a Doctorate Pony explaining.. I've called a Christmas Truce in my own head. Settled the War of the States of mind in my head. Christmas Truce is applicable, relevant to America. We're on the brink of a freaking civil war and we're teetering. We need *this* Christmas to be about unity. Dems and Repubs, Conservatives and Libertardians to come together. The states uniting. The Atheistic, heathen Alaska and Idaho uniting with the religious Deep South. UNITY. Cats and dogs, living to gether, mass revelation. I'm agnostic as Kant but I appreciate Christianity and Christmas for what they are, not what I want them to be and when.
Now, we need a Christmas Truce.
While I do not think that the Storm King implemented scorched earth tactics — conquest was his goal, not mindless destruction — this story has a original and interesting concept. Good for you.
8660531
Thank you! I was going for a more serious portrayal of what happened considering some of the dark tones from the movie. it's the first real defeat I've seen compared to the others, which seem small in comparison. Either way, I'm glad you like the story!
8660622
On the pain of sounding like a jerk, I shall inform you that while it is more serious, it is not more realistic. Why bother to invade a kingdom when all you'll have left to rule over are ashes? Some destruction will be present, sure, but overall it won't be major (the Canterlot Castle is only one building, and it was repaired instantaneously). I do have an idea for making it sound more serious and yet stay true to the portrayal in the movie. Scene of the ponies being enslaved were present, right? You could capitalize on the mental trauma such an experience would no doubt leave, although I don't know how that would fit in with the Christmas Truce.
P.S. I really don't want to sound like an arrogant jerk, but I do recognize that my impersonal sounding writing style doesn't help in that aspect, so I'll reiterate the fact that your one-shot was original, and I liked it.
8660634
Hey, you don't sound like a jerk and made some valid points! but(as a counter argument) if he were to conquer, then there could be two ways: hostile takeover, such as storming the capital and seizing total control, or show of force. I went with the latter in this story. Freezing all Princesses in a prison of stone, stealing their magic, and enslaving the ponies all gave me an idea for the brute force concept. I just kind of experimented with the darker aspects of the movie, and what it could have entailed in the other parts of Equestria. One such thing was the fuel needed for their airships, which didn't rely heavily on wind power and more on motor power. Thus the Dragon Lands concept was born. If he needs fuel, then why not take from a plentiful resource? While it is true we saw the castle completely repaired, what of the capital itself? Not much is shown, so on my part, an assumption was made on the state the city itself would be in.
His intentions, in my opinion, seemed more on obtaining power than conquering a nation so I tried to go for a dark tone.
Thank you for the criticism though, I appreciate what you had to say so I might make some edits to this story in the future.
8660647
Yay! I can participate in a discussion!
So, this is a "What if?" story, then? Maybe you could add an alternate universe tag, although this fic is near borderline standards for that tag.
For this argument, I'm assuming that a "show of force" entails quickly and utterly decimating a (major) population center with overwhelming force as a threat to use against a nation in order to intimidate them into surrendering.
Now, I shall present my counter argument. I'm not sure whether or not a show of force tactic is wise when facing a nation like Equestria. From the looks of it, Equestria is the MLP world's America, basically the No.1 superpower. It would only serve to anger the population and unite the nation even more against the Storm King, and it would probably become something like the King Sombra timeline from the season 5 finale. Is that why so many cities were destroyed? I can't imagine destroying every city is good for anything, even for a show of force.
P.S. More information on the kind of "show of force" would be welcome, if it isn't a bother.
P.S.S. I'm not an expert at all concerning these kind of things, so my opinion is that of a layman's.
8660679
Yeah, I love discussions like this! One such show of force that I noticed is upon arriving, they (tempest and the Storm Kong's army) immediately take out the governing powers as well as the most powerful sources of their magic. Now, I'm not saying they destroyed many cities, but major ones that could oppose them, such as Manehatten or Las Pegasus and even Ponyville. Another thing to keep in mind is the Equestrian population, save for the Mane 6 and the Princesses, are not used to these kinds of threats. As ponies, they are a herd society so if the leader of the herd for lack of a better name, is taken away, many will not have the ability to rise up. They will be devastated their leaders are gone, and won't be able to rise up. Compared to the mob mentality us humans have, they won't be inspired to take up arms, even if they see someone such as the Mane 6 fight against the opposing power.
8661552
So, it's like a show of force to the population, not the government, in order to reduce post-invasion resistance? In that case, I just saw the Wikipedia page for "show of force" and it says it's a preventative measure, as in warning the enemy not to wage war on them, so if that definition holds true then what you're describing technically isn't a show of force, since it's the opening move of a war. Rather, I think the Storm King used "shock and awe", along with the first move being a "decapitation strike". If so, I wouldn't advise destroying Manehattan, Las Pegasus, etc., since the cost-benefit ratio of destroying them would be unjustifiable compared to simply taking out any military presence (which I doubt they have) there and enslaving the citizens like in Canterlot. That'll lower their morale plenty enough, not to mention the fact that they can't fight in the first place, being enslaved.
Also, I don't really have a headcanon yet concerning pony mentality, so I can't really think of something to counter that part argument. Besides, there's the fact that we can only guess about the mentality of sentient pastel-colored ponies, although I do think that what you're saying about ponies is quite realistic. But, but, I think that as time passes on, they'll eventually regain their strength of will, and the resistance will start getting stronger. I think the scene when the Mane 5 learn that Twilight was captured is a pretty good example of a group rallying themselves after being demoralized, although it'll take some more time with the general population.
P.S. I'm noting the fact that while I'm trying to think realistically, realistic thinking tends to falter when faced with plot convenience.
8663443
Very true about the destruction of cities so you have me on that! Either way, I hope it's a good read to others as well as yourself!
8664300
While it wasn't my usual cup of tea, it was still a thought provoking read nonetheless, as our discussion can testify.
So, I take that this is the end of our little discussion? If then, I thank you for it; I don't really have anyone to discuss matters such as these with, and it feels refreshing to talk about things for a while.
Still, if you're up for it, I'm up for a discussion at any time, whether it be about military tactics or headcanons. After all, I gotta have something to do while trying to search for interesting docs to read, right?
8664609
Well, I am in the process of editing some chapters for some of my fics and could always use "fresh eyes", so to speak. If that's something that piques your interest, I could always use advice involving headcanon as well as proper military tactics! Fair warning though, most of the fics I am currently working on are crossovers so if that isnt your cup of tea, I understand.
Just go ahead and either send me a PM or a comment if you'd like to help! No guarantees ill be able to respond immediately, due to my current work schedule but ill try my best!
The Allied and Axis powers were in WW2, in WW1 it was the Entente: Britain, France, Russia (and others) against the Central powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.) Just so you know.
8754811
Thanks for giving me the heads up! When I have some free time to edit, ill go ahead and change that!
To think what would have been if the Truce lead to true peace
Great story.