Jarvi(2)
Jarvi. It had to be Jarvi, of course. As old a soldier he was, at least soldiers tended to compromise in situations that no longer favored outmoded tactics. At least, they tended to adapt if they were any good at their jobs. After a long pause, Virtue ceded the point and moved on to the next. "You dreamed of what, some bird with big eyes? And what is the purpose of that? Fly my mind through that if you would." 'Fly his mind?', as in walk him through the details? What would be the best way for Danny to proceed through that laid minefield of slip-ups? Time was not on his side, but he did have a moment to think. It seemed that in the presence of an inquisitor, Pegasi were used to long well thought out pauses as they sorted out the random thoughts.
How best to describe the concept of an owl to these alien creatures? "I feel my dream is a representation for a new breed of pegasi needed to wage a new kind of battle. I am not privy to how these oracles work, but my time on Earth has taught me that some animals are adapted to fight at night. Owls, these things have large eyes that can see in low light to swoop in and decimate their prey. We've build cities and satellite outposts on every mountaintop and steep hill, but therein lies the end of our conquest to the point we have to colonize into other dimensions because they seem less dangerous than what lies in the meadows below. Why waste our energies on unknown dangers in other worlds when we know our enemies here and can put an end to them with the right ideas?" Every word was carefully measured in the dialect not to give his true nature away, but he hoped Virtue got the message without trying to exorcise him.
A long eternity followed as Virtue didn't speak, nor even move a single hair out of place as motionless eyes contemplated and calculated. When the inquisitor finally spoke, it seemed a violation that shook the very silence even though he uttered but one low callous word into the void. "Lies." No one moved a scant hair, so enthralled by this stallion's power and authority granted him by their society and leadership. Well, no, Danny had only spoken the truth, but facts never mattered nor made any impact on those close-minded souls who only wanted to see the world their way. Perhaps colonizing other dimensions was an easy out to someone deep-set into their ideology and hubris. One question remained, of course, and that was why did the Inquisitor want things to stay the same when purging the lowlands would make everything better for everyone. The answer was quickly obvious as Danny thought about it. In these semi-medieval societies, fear and enemies were needed in order for the subjects to accept whatever rigid and unfair laws the ruler put in place so that tyrants never seemed so bad compared to the dangers of barbarians at the gates. It was time for an enlightenment and to cast those old shrouds off the Pegasi mind.
Just as all of that contemplation solidified itself into his head, the words he needed to speak to make such alien ideas clear came to him quickly. "You claim to be Virture, yet you do not recognize the virtue of truth when you hear it. Would sense not dictate that we should deal with our enemies and predators at home even before we try to make more abroad? What a fool's thing to say that you discount my observations without thinking about them first with the slow surety of wisdom. You may be an Inquisitor, but that doesn't mean that what you represent is good for our kin. You've kept us alive for this long, and we thank you for that, but sometimes you must know when things must change or else everything you and I have worked so hard for will fall into destruction. Such is the nature of any society that cannot find the flexibility to adapt to a changing world. Such things have already been foretold in the world of man, where nations once supreme over all others have fallen to calamity and pride to be overcome by the rising kingdoms of others. England was such a kingdom, yet look what has befallen her and her people." Knowing who he was dealing with, Danny should've been more respectful, but respect was what Virtue was expecting out of everyone who ever interacted with him. No one was ever rude or defiant to an Inquisator: it would make him pause and set him off-balance. An advantage that could be exploited with more hard-hitting facts!
His insightful outburst completely took Jarvi and the Dreamspeaker by surprise, if for no other reason than they'd never have the drive to do it themselves, always cowering before his powers of state and what he could have done to them. For Danny, this was bigger than him and the members of the council. Whatever they decided in these private secretive chambers would be what decided how the conduct of pegasi expansionism would go. What the Inquisitor didn't know about the human world was that they'd never be able to survive out there in any capacity but small groups of clandestine scouts. They were innocent and naive to the ways of man, how cruel humans can be in trying to secure an advantage over one another. That Danny lived in a so-called post-war technological age where all fighting was done by volunteers and bomber drones hardly mattered because the savage beast always resided in the dna ready to strike at the defenseless and secure any profit or advantage. When Ron Pearlman said "War never changes.", he should've said people never change. For every man that embodied the goodness of Ghandi or Roosevelt, there were ten others who lived to exploit the gullibility of others and make themselves rich off the ignorance of the poor and trusting.
Written by FluffyPony on 06 June 2018
The end (for now)