Siege of Canterlot - Riot
“…And furthermore if we forsake our sense of right and wrong to defeat an enemy, we will be no better than them!” Twilight said emphatically.
She had been going on like this for nearly a half an hour, one of her many unhinged lectures about ethics of which Lord Ryder had been subjected to nearly a hundred since the war began.
He had, to put it simply, had enough.
“…Fine,” he said simply, cutting Twilight off as she took another breath.
“These methods are-wait what?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow, looking confused.
“You win, Twilight,” Ryder said, standing up, “If you wish to retain your sense of virtue, then I shall take my Val’kyr and return home.”
He stepped past Twilight and approached an acolyte standing guard at the door, “Inform Master Crane that all stations are to dismantle and prepare to leave. Our part in this war is over.”
The acolyte looked confused, “…My lord? We are to leave the Equestrians stranded here without resources?”
“Indeed. It was Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia’s emphatic wish,” Ryder explained, “I will inform the refugees.”
Ryder strode out of the war room with Twilight trailing behind him, looking suspicious. The two of them made their way out to the front of the keep and onto the podium that overlooked the massive complex built into Sweet Apple Acres.
“Refugees of Equestria, may I have your attention,” Ryder called out, his voice echoing across the orchard.
The several million refugees spread across the massive farmland and the village just beyond the walls all quieted within a few seconds.
“It is my responsibility to inform you that my Val’kyr will be departing Equestria immediately,” Ryder’s voice carried much farther now that the surrounding area had gone completely silent, “Princess Twilight has made it abundantly clear that my methods are not adequate and my presence unwelcome on this planet. In accordance with her moral standards, I shall be withdrawing my forces from this planet immediately and returning to Sagittarius A. It is my understanding that Princess Twilight will be conducting the rebellion against King Stonehoof using her own resources from this moment forward.”
The crowd was silent for a moment.
Then there was a steady rise in murmuring.
Then the four million Equestrian refugees began to riot.
Twilight’s face was a mixture of shock and horror as she distinctly heard calls for her head out in the crowd. She apprehensively stepped back and looked up at Ryder, who was glaring down at her with disgust.
“You see, your Highness, while you may care about your ethical standards and being ‘better’ than your enemies, the refugees do not.” Ryder explained, “Their desires are more simple. They want their King dead, and any traitors who sympathize with him to either die or rot in prison. And then they will move on with their lives and leave the ethical questions to the historians. You are the only one standing in the way of that.”
Ryder turned back out to the rioting crowd and snickered.
“You once defended Celestia’s lack of security as her investment in Equestria’s freedom,” Ryder said dismissively, “And look what happened when you didn’t defend it: It was taken from you without a fight. You now have the chance to get it back, and you are throwing it away over your personal feeling of moral superiority. Unfortunately it would seem that your subjects have had enough.”
Ryder turned back to Twilight, “I am going to make this as clear as it can possibly be. If you pursue this line of thought, they will kill you, and all of your values will mean nothing when you are dead.”
Twilight glared up at Ryder, “Some of us would rather die than sacrifice who we are.”
“If that is the case,” Ryder pushed Twilight toward the edge of the platform, “Then jump.”
Twilight looked down at the hundred-foot drop to the ground below, “What does suicide prove?” she asked incredulously.
“Nothing,” Ryder answered, “But if you truly value the mortal pretensions of personal freedom then you will not condemn millions of people to death for your own petulance. Your values mean nothing to them, and so you will step aside or you will be forcibly removed.”
Twilight exhaled sharply, “…You knew they would do this.”
“Of course I did,” Ryder narrowed his eyes and smirked, “I have earned their respect through decisive victory and providing for their well-being. You and the other monarchs have burned every last ounce of goodwill you once had through treachery, brainwashing, and stubbornness. They no longer trust you to keep them alive.”
“But what about their heart?” Twilight balked, “They may be physically alive, but without their integrity they’re not truly living!”
“I deal in how things are, Twilight,” Ryder turned on his heel and strode off, “I have no interest in your delusions about how they ought to be.”
anonymous asked:
If Lord Ryder goes out like he does, presenting the situation in that tone and from that particular mindset, then of COURSE the people are going to be upset at Twilight. The way that scene came across, it just felt like the guy was deliberately trying to turn the people against her, which helps nobody. If it had been Twilight trying to explain that situation, I’m convinced the people would have been far more willing to accept her position on this.
No they wouldn’t.
The situation is that Equestria was conquered in a day by an beast of a man thanks in no small part to numerous instances of treachery from within and brainwashing. This persisted for five years before the Val’kyr were made aware of this and immediately set about fueling a rebellion at Ascentia’s request.
The Equestrians were tortured and thoroughly demoralized for years, and once Lord Ryder and Luna took charge they were protected, fed, clothed, and enjoyed the luxury of constant and decisive victory.
Twilight’s objections are entirely on the basis that Ryder’s methods are extremely brutal. There is no such thing as “too far”, there is only “counter productive.” And he trains all of his students to think this way as well. The only reason he reprimanded Ascentia for massacring the Crystal Empire is because the massive amount of brainwashed refugees in the city being slaughtered severely demoralized the Equestrians, and emboldening them is the only way they’re going to be able to finish the war and leave without having to babysit.
That complete and total disregard for the morality of violence doesn’t sit well with Twilight.
Unfortunately, Ryder is the one with all the actual resources and the near-unstoppable army, and this situation requires brutality. The Equestrian refugees (and Luna) do not share Twilight’s sense of moral virtue. They want Stonehoof and his lackeys out of their kingdom and they’re not too fussed about how that’s done.
Ryder and the certain-victory he brings with him leaving is bad for everybody. Objectively. Twilight is sacrificing long-term gain for short-sighted idealism and is frequently on the receiving end of harsh reality checks. She has not quite absorbed the fact that she can’t friendship her way out of this kind of situation, and that her insistence on trying to do it anyway is going to get more people killed in the long run.
Debating the ethics is what historians are for.