We cut to the next morning as the group is making their final preparations to leave. Double checking their supplies, splitting up the loads, that kind of thing. Tick Tock noting the AJ seemed oddly silent and withdrawn. At least towards herself and for some reason Flathoof. (Yeah yeah that damn plan working as intended. Stupid Poor Communication Kills plots that are written well enough I can't really bitch about the story for doing it to badly other then hating to see it happen.)
While avoiding someponies, AJ did seem to be quite open to chatting with Curacao. The two going over Tick Tock's map. The unicorn wondering how Curacao was so good at using it when it took Tick Tock years to fully master the map. And coming up with quite the good reason why.
I... can not argue with that. At all. Even knowing more about Starlight, it still makes it seem like something she would do all the more. As to the real reason Curacao is so good at the map? Who knows. She's proven before, and will again, to be the most clever of the Mean 6. Yes Starlight has the highest raw intelligence, but to use more D&D terms, Curacao has her own high INT score, but also a much higher Wisdom score then Star. Better able to work things out. So, basically just a natural talent for figuring things out.
All around she noticed the Mean 6 and Mane 6 mingling together. Mostly in the expected pairs. Grey and RD flying together above them. Insipid trying, and likely failing horribly and hilariously, at helping Rarity make a harness they could carry Fluttershy in. Red and Pinkie just going everywhere and being random. (Tick Tock noting the Red seemed to be extremely tired and have trouble keeping up) The only exceptions being Starlight, who was with Insipid trying to keep her from screwing up to badly. And Havoc, who was talking with the stallions of the group.
All of it feeling off to her. The six of them blending into the group so easily. While she'd been there longer, done more to help them, and yet still felt like an outsider. Still got no more then politeness from the Mane 6 (bar Pinkie of course). Feeling more tolerated then welcomed. And, well, I've already made clear some reasons why this is. She's simply a vary abrupt, abrasive personality type. She's not good with other ponies, or with groups. And she also doesn't do her part to treat them like friends either. The Mean 6 meanwhile, are going out of their way to be nice, helpful. To act like friends. So yeah, easy to see why they got such an easy in. Though RD's arbitrary skepticism about how apparently every pony they meet is evil, or hiding something, or out to get them, some BS like that... not triggering for the Mean 6 is rather odd. Almost like it ONLY exist to cause drama when needed.
Pewter tries unsuccessfully to get Tick Tock to stay a bit longer. Both for legit reasons; the group could use the break, Fluttershy especially. They got an extra day by taking her 'short cut' through Redblade. As well as the real reason, he simply wants to spend more time with her. But she persists that they need to head out ASAP. And again I really love the whole dynamic between these two. It's quite clear how they feel about each other, without ever being blatant. One of the stories best ways of handling a relationship. (Maybe another reason I hate that one part so much. All the good, well done relationships in the fic prove the story can do them well. But they all are minor, side things. Or get derailed for half the story over a freaking misunderstanding. While the one massive cluster-fuck of a failure is a major plot point for so damn long.)
Okay, odd bit here, ummm, huh?
I mean, it's a good bit, and really well done but, didn't we get the exact same thing from Twilight two chapters ago when they first caught sight of the pass?
As they walk, Rarity realizes that the rocks aren't just gold colored, but actually made of gold. Estimating it at 22-karat. (Okay I don't know enough about measuring gold and grading it and whatnot to know if her being able to tell this just by looking at it is bullshit or not.) One massive rock getting her attention as she drags Lockwood and Fluttershy over to examine it. (Lockwood and Rarity bearing the sling with Fluttershy in it between them. With the required Rarity making note of how perfect him doing anything nice was and... yeah I better just try to ignore these bits for now.
Her gushing about how great it is, how valuable, all the things they could buy with it being cut off rather abruptly by Tick Tock who points out, it's worthless. Gold is so plentiful because of these mountains that nopony cares about it. And very good point. Insipid of course agreeing with Rarity, they totally needed to sell it and get lots of stuff somewhere where it is useful. And She totally needs to get the biggest piece of it.
And again, this is why Tick Tock has such a hard time fitting in. Yeah she's right, but the way she says it is needlessly antagonistic. being abrupt, harsh almost. It's not so much what she's saying as her deliver and general attitude. She means well, but simply doesn't know how to deal with other ponies like this. Which is partly why Rarity only giving in and admitting defeat at getting it once Twi chimes in.
Pffffttt, that was freaking hilarious. I can just picture the panic on Twilight's face. The group eventually gets Rarity to admit defeat, but Insipid persists in wanting some of it. Curacao eventually persuading Starlight to do something. The mage blasting off a chunk of rock and cutting it to fit in one of their empty food containers. Ummm, alright, if it's large enough to fit in the box almsot perfectly, why bother with the box in the first place? It's a lump of gold, it doesn't really need to be wrapped up. At least not when it's one solid chunk that big.
Okay, this seems like a little, mostly pointless bit of comedy scene. But, this is actually pretty well done. Yeah it was hilarious. But also has stuff going on you don't really notice right away, yet come to light later. Setting up character stuff, mostly from the Mean 6. Insipid and Curacao in particular. Giving hints of some things that we will end up finding out. So nice job with slipping that foreshadowing in.
Fluttershy wakes up that night while they are camped out, Rarity laying on one side of her. After a bit of talking, she asks where Lockwood was. *Sigh* We aren't going to get a single Fluttershy scene for a long time that doesn't end up being about this stupid thing are we? And yet, again, on it's own, Fluttershy acting like this, based just on what she's seen and done with Lockwood, That would actually be rather cute and might work. If it wasn't for Rarity trying so hard to slam the whole idea down everypony's, and the reader's, throats. Oh and this line.
But, trying to slam them into a relationship with some pony they just met, you know almsot nothing about, and none of you will ever see again after a month. Endlessly extolling how great it is, and in general being an annoying twat about it. That is perfectly fine isn't it? How did the revisions do this? Or is it just stuff that was always there and I'm just now seeing how stupid and infuriating it is cause I know where it will lead? The story is doing a good job of not making me hate Dash this time around. (Just irritated at her still constant, stupid, and already went over how incredibly out of place distrust of Lockwood for no good reason.) But Rarity? I really really really do not like her here. At all. And yet, unlike with RD I can't say she's really OOC. It's like Pinkie stuff from Filli Vanilli. Annoying, irritating, stupid, and yet does match with what we've seen. It's just the worst parts of them coming out. (Other then the whole "How dare you you sick pervert! How dare you look at me naked and dripping wet when I'm the idiot that ran into the room like that knowing you were in there." Bit from last chapter. That was still just plain stupid and despicable.)
Well, they manage to move on from that into another completely frustrating, but for different reasons, plot. The Mean 6 worming their way into the mane 6 and twisting them. (Annoying for hating to see it happen, and just how long some of the effects go on. But still really well done... for the most part) With Rarity introducing Fluttershy to Havocwing. Fluttershy uneasy immediately around the other pegasus. Both for just how physically imposing she was, as well as the oddity of having a fang.
Rarity of course playing up all she's done, laying it on way too thick and, yeah it's not just with Lockwood, Rarity does this with everyone. She way overdoes the praise and the talking up how good and amazing and great anypony is to the point she just plain gets annoying about everything. Again not to fully OOC levels, but definitely overly exaggerating a part of her personality. Fluttershy's overall reaction to Havoc being easy to sum up.
Worried, very very worried.
We are spared from more Rarity endlessly gushing about how great somepony is by Insipid wanting more beauty tips from the fashionista. Yeah really love that mare. Bringer of a never ending stream of comedy and levity, ender of awkward and annoying scenes, and damn fucking terrifying at times. But to damn stupid to know it. I honestly prefer reading about her then her counterpart. Something unique out of the Mean/Mane 6. Though we do get a rather odd parting line from Rarity to Havoc.
Soooo, was that a threat? I mean I don't think Rarity is imposing enough to really give one of those, especially to one of the Mean 6. But, what else could that have meant? I really only see two things, either as above, a threat. Which is just stupid. Two, Rarity is trying to hint that she she wants to hook up with Flutters. And given how obsessed she's been all story with the pegasus, I can't wholly discount that idea.
That leaves Fluttershy and Havoc to talk. And gives me a pretty steady stream of things that don't really make sense. First Fluttershy tries to move her wings, seeing if she was getting feeling back in them and getting able to use them at all. That is fine. But she ends up unable to do so because the jacket was in the way. The jacket she got from Lockwood. Who is a Pegasus. And so whose jacket should already have accommodations built into it to account for wings. Unless they just wrapped her up in it like a blanket and made a Fluttershy burrito more or less. If so, what's the point in using a jacket in the first place, and doing that is far less efficient and works a lot worse then just using it like it's meant to.
Next, she then says it's simply because it's 'to tight' so Havoc loosens it. How does that work? She just loosens it, and her wings can spread full? If there weren't holes for her wings to slide through in the first place, she would have to take it off to unfurl her wings. If it was loose enough to simply be moved along with her wings, unfurling them would pull the jacket off of her, or at least leave it dangling. So, how the hell was she wearing the coat in the first place and just what is going on detail wise here?
Next, Fluttershy comments on how, while she can move her wings, she can't really feel them. Though as she worked, and Havoc used her power to warm her up a bit more, it comes back, though not to the point she could feel every individual feather. What? That's like someone saying they can't feel every strand of their hair. While the root's have feeling, the full feather itself doesn't, maybe the most basic pressure sensitivity, which is more derived from pressure being sensed at the base.
Then you have Havoc making a comment about being 'the best fighter this side of Pandemonium." Okay, except that phrase really makes little sense. Since the city is centered right on the North pole, and is spread out in a more or less even circle. So, there really isn't another 'side' to it when you are outside of it. (Yes I know, minor nitpick now, but I'm on a role here.)
Now nitpicks aside, the talk between the two is pretty damn good. And if you didn't know what Havoc's real goal was, you'd think she really WAS just trying to help Fluttershy. And a lot of her arguments make sense.
Which is something Fluttershy actually agrees with, and is a good point. Though of course Havoc takes it a tad to far in letting out that rage quickly at the slightest provocation. And her assertiveness ideas really aren't all that bad. Maybe a tad blunt, but not really wrong completely. At least in how she presents them to Fluttershy. (Except for the rhymes, those are just painful. And make me liken this even more to Putting Your Hoof Down. Given what happens to Fluttershy later, that is NO a good thing, since I freaking HATE that episdoe and it's unending stream of character derailment.)
The main argument between the two is about the Gargantuans. Havoc constantly referring to them as monsters, just like everypony else. While Fluttershy insists they are just animals, doing what is perfectly natural for them. Eventually taking some of Havoc's 'advice' and standing up for herself, trying to make her point clear and get Havoc to stop calling them monsters.
Really, it's incredibly well done, and shows there is a lot more to Havoc then appears, as she's able to do this, make these claims and these rather well thought out arguments, all while staying calm, not a trace of anger at all. Passion sure, but not her normal rage. And her observations show she thinks a lot more then it appears.
Havoc eventually more or less wins their argument, or at least get's Fluttershy to admit she might be right be making the point that there are something that simply can't be reasoned with, and where violence and force are the only option. Something the leads Fluttershy to think about the times the mane 6 were reduced to having to fight. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis.
Hmmmm, a rather fitting end quote. With multiple meanings about just who 'these monsters' could be.
Again I really loved this scene, it shows Havoc connecting to Fluttershy, slowly working her over to her point of view. But in a way that feels believable, you can see why Fluttershy is listening to her, and she does have quite a few good points. If is a bit overly harsh and blunt about some things.
As to the whole gargantuan dispute, I also really liked that, the points of view were both easy to see. To Fluttershy they were just animals, like any other. Vicious, dangerous, and not to be toyed with. But not evil. Not wrong. Simply doing what they were meant to, and if they were left alone or treated right they wouldn't be a big threat. Her point of view is exactly what you'd expect and makes sense. And would be right. If these are in fact just regular animals.
Everypony else refers to them as monsters, which offends Fluttershy because it seems the rest are just writing them off as unthinking brutes. Creatures of destruction that have no right to exist. Something that hurts her very idea of how the world works. But they aren't completely wrong either. Yes they started out as animals, but Fluttershy is forgetting, or simply ignoring, the fact that they have developed for generations under the influence of a lot of dark, chaotic magic. They have been twisted from simple animals, into something that is rather monstrous. Though still are animals. Somewhere in between the two.
And she's forgetting that those threats which NEEDED to be dealt with through force, were all thinking rationale beings that made the choice to act the way they did. She is completely right that the Gargantuans are simply acting according to their nature. There isn't some innate meanness, or cruelty, or evil in them. It's just their nature is that of violence and destruction due to the influence of the northern world, and Nihila's power.
And it's also quite interesting to see how quickly and how easily Havoc can resort to lying. And not in big, "I have to hide the truth" ways. But just tiny, matter of fact statements that add a tiny bit of weight to her words, while being utterly false. And yet nopony who did not know everything we know about them would be able to tell. About how often her and her sisters have made this trip. About how experienced she is with the wastelands. How she's seen ponies as sweet and innocent and naive as Fluttershy get killed by the harsh, brutal wastes. All things that she could never have seen or done, and yet presents so casually, there is zero reason not to suspect she is telling the truth if you don't know better. Yeah this scene is what really shows Havocwing is a LOT smarter then she lets on.
Thoughts: Not much more to add to this, just some nice character building. Rarity is still annoying, Insipid is still hilarious, and the whole Havocwing/Fluttershy dynamic is just so damn well done this time around and really makes sense. (To a point)
The title, "Innocence" Pretty obvious it's mostly referring to Fluttershy, her starting to lose some of it. As well as the rest of the Mane 6 as well slowly being worked on by the Mean 6. Well aside from Pinkie and Rarity. Nothing really major in the chapter, just most groundwork for things that come later, and more insights into the Mean 6.
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