A Rock For Hard Times

[twilightpony]

Cloudsdale sent sheets of rain to Ponyville today, a downpour to make up for the dry spell we'd had for the harvest. Now that the clouds have cleared, everything looks so clean and fresh. I hadn't noticed the dust before the rain washed it away, but the dry soil had started to blow around and the short grass in the pastures wasn't holding it back. I gathered my books near the door to the balcony where I could hear the waves of rain wash across the stones and smell the mist and spray. Starlight Glimmer retired to the silence and isolation of the library.

Starlight Glimmer told me something odd today. She told me that Maud had mentioned that with the right rock you could rule all of Equestria. Maud may have been jesting, it's hard to say with her, but then she may have been serious. I've seen a few magic-channeling rocks here in Equestria, such as the one that used to be in the heart of the Changeling Hive, so "the right rock", for the right kind of magic, is not far fetched. What dangers would such a rock entail? If I got that desperate, would I dare look for this rock? Could it be tuned to the Magic of Friendship? If Maud knows this, there could already be ponies out looking for such a stone.

Comments

[borglord]

Who says you haven't already encountered the right rock? Before you had to return the Elements of Harmony to the Tree, you six might have been able to use them to rule Equestria with the Magic of Friendship if you had tried.

Maybe there's another crystal artifact of similar power hidden away somewhere in your castle, where you'll find it when you need it most. Maybe in the future you will again be entrusted with something that might empower you to take over the world if you chose to use it for personal (well, just for you and your friends, anyway) gain.

[twilightpony]

It's true that time and again we did use the Elements of Harmony to impose our collective will on an entity bent on ruling Equestria. We wielded immense power and used it to restore the Royal Pony Sisters to the throne, but that does not mean that we are motivated to be rulers ourselves. We have a castle here in Ponyville that is an extension of the Tree of Harmony and in it, six thrones made for us. But we rarely sit there and we have no desire to proclaim ourselves the sovereigns over Ponyville or of Equestria. Friendship is not about ruling, it is about mutual support. By extension, Friendship Castle offers support to Equestria, not laws or litigation. Yes, with the right spell the map table may well be the rock by which to rule Equestria. Starlight Glimmer already used it to change the past and she thereby revealed that peace in Equestria is a fragile thing. But we have a regime in place that has given us a thousand years of peace and stability. I am a fan of systems that work and as far as I can tell, being ruled by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna is a system that works. I would not trade that in to become the pony who has to have her nose in everypony else's business. I may love to organize things so that everything fits together as an efficient whole, but I do not like to wrangle ponies into doing something they don't want to do. Dealing with ponies in that way would drive me crazy.

I guess I've been a bit of a boring pony lately. My friends have their demanding careers that take them out of town or which generally keep them busy. I'm just holding down the stable here and reading my books. It could be worse, I could be ruling Equestria. Then when would I find time to read?

[flareblitzfury]

Sounds like a great time!

Yeah, that would makes sense.