Thistle: (to her brother, Fireweed) Keep Rusty away from us.
 
Yeah Thistle still has no idea that Rusty already made his heinous move after she told Lullaby to return to the cabin to be safe while trying to keep her brother and her lover in check until she realize her mistake too late when she enters the cabin to find Lullaby gone and taken away she’ll become heart broken.
 
Hopefully, Tempest will return to help her get Lullaby back after Tempest does some soul searching while preventing the evil orb from interfering, give Thistle a second chance and rekindle their relationship.
 
Also Fireweed while initially still skeptical about how he blindly thinks his cousin would never do such a terrible thing to Lullaby til he finally realize Rusty did have selfish ulterior motives behind his back and Thistle was telling the truth about Rusty was using her and Lullaby as collateral damage for the sake of revenge on Tempest by reluctantly teaming up with Tempest to get Lullaby back from Rusty for his sister’s sake.

@Starswirl  
You did notice Fireweed’s eyes were back to normal in pages 138 and 139 but back to being red in page 145 and this page, right?

@Transgressor  
Keep in mind, he’d been holding that corrupting, talking magic rock far longer than Fizzle. And his eyes have yet to return to normal, they’re still reflecting a reddish light, like Tempest’s under the influence of whatever what was inside the rock.

@Transgressor  
Well Fireweed should understand that revenge is never the answer and Tempest was really trying her best to atone for her mistakes but he would falsely assume the worst about her but Thistle is keeping her little bro in check to accept Tempest who she is now than continue despising who she was.

[](/images/2592425#comment_9597237)  

Almost as if the story has been her touching on this very problem or something….
 

 
 
Not to pile on ya Stainless but I do have a problem with Fireweed using the word “revenge” here.  
Narratively it works to remind the reader that his reasons are selfish, but from the characters perspective this is about bringing Fizzle to justice, for her to receive her comeuppance.  
Yes he he might be a bit dim but i don’t think in his state here its revenge he would think of more-so Fizzle having no apparent punishment.  
Again revenge is correct but its not what the character himself should say.
 
Thistle’s dialogue panel 5 and on is sitting off with me too, but i want to see how you play it out.
 
not trying to be an ahole just offering my criticism

@Starswirl  
I’m gonna let dSana handle this one.

@Background Pony #2E6D  
Thing is, nothing we’ve seen indicates he could have had protective equipment. He died from smoke inhalation, remember? He would’ve needed a respirator. Not particularly likely a rural family like theirs had one of those lying around. And Tempest set fire to their means to live, nevermind their home, and out of spite from what it looks like. Saying he was “foolish” to put the fire out as he did is unfair, because he most likely couldn’t have protected himself and waiting would’ve meant watching their food and their home literally go up in flames. Why is it so difficult to admit Tempest has blood on her hooves? I don’t get it.

@dSana  
Guess if you put it like that i can sorta see why she got a crush on her. But i still find it rather fecked up.
 
And if Tempest is trying to atone for her sins, she’s doing a very very bad job at it. Since she seems to enjoy violence a lot.

@Powdered_toast_mare  
The entire story is based on the idea presented in the Movie that Tempest is not evil and unredeemable and that a second chance was given to her after she sacrificed her life for Twilight. Thistle is aware of all that; she also sees Tempest trying to atone for her sins and took responsibility for her past. This is why it’s not at all like falling in love with “Hermann Göring”. The indirectly responsible is important because the intent was not there. It doesn’t excuse anything but even in our world it’s a different kind of a crime.
 
Also, I must add that ot’s not real, pure love from the get-go.At first Thistle gets a simple crush on Tempest. Which happens when one least expects it and pretty much instantly (or at least this is how it worked for me when I was around Thistle’s age). This is why she goes for a kiss (inexperienced and a bit misguided being young and isolated and so on).
 
I do agree about the farmer’s mindset, though!

@Powdered_toast_mare  
You just keep that to yerself cause we know better.

@Powdered_toast_mare  
Historical perspective doesn’t really work here. Thistle’s skills and interests are determined by her cutie mark, which is beyond her control. Forcing her to conform is also not a very Equestrian thing to do, given how the show painstakingly promotes individualism. It all seems that her father is unreasonably stubborn and bigoted, even abusive.
 
Even if we give him that running a farm in his neck of the woods is hard, and there somehow isn’t much demand for alchemists like Thistle, he’s still shown to be insensitive and uncaring. He could have calmly explained to Thistle why he can’t afford to keep feeding her and why her talent isn’t the moneymaker she claims it to be. No, he just snipes at earth ponies who won’t fit the stereotype of a rural bumpkin and that he’s replacing her with her cousin, who’s race he also puts down as inferior farmworkers.
 
The dude has not shown any side of him that makes me give him the benefit of the doubt, and Thistle is better off without him.

@Powdered_toast_mare  
I have no doubt that he cared, he just did a piss-poor job showing it. I mean Thistle even told him that they could probably make money with her potion but he didn’t even want to hear it because if it’s not good honest farm work he’s not interested. So, he was a great father. Probably really regretted it in the end which is why his last words where Thistle. Overall, I think it’s justified that she’s less bothered, but still affected, by his death that the rest of the family.

@Background Pony #2E6D  
Still doesn’t change the fact that it is fecked up. I don’t buy the whole “she was indirectly responsible” thing at all. May has well fall in love with Hermann Göring, cause after all “he was indirectly responsible” for all those deaths
 
She really should also give a great scolding to herself cause she’s very much responsible to these events. After all she knew her brother was out for revenge and her psycho cousin was after them.

@Background Pony #58B0  
I think you have to look at it from Farmers in old times or rough times perspective, that if you don’t work you won’t eat. She wanted to pursue a different kind of work and not help out with the farm, of course he won’t stop her from doing what she wants to do, but she just can’t do it while living in the farm cause he just can’t afford her to stay. He did love her, it was just tough love.
 
Edit: Also she feel in love with her almost the very same day they meet. So yeah not a whole lot of time spent together and she just immediately goes for kiss

@Starswirl  
Again, their relationship wasn’t that great. He sent her away and either didn’t care or acted like he didn’t care.
 
Rye: “Farewell, Thistle.”  
Young Thistle (crying): “Let me stay.”  
Rye: “Have you changed your mind, then?”  
Young Thistle (crying): “No, papa, but -.”  
Rye: “Then follow your grandpop and stop wasting my time!”
 
Not the most heartfelt goodbye. I would like to imagine that he behaved similar every time Thistle showed up for a visit. She has probably spent years without any close contact, growing apart from him. And a little “Thistle…” on his deathbed is too little too late.
 
Obviously she’s still saddened by her death, but it makes sense that she got over it far quicker than her brother and cousin. Who both had a positive relationship with him.

@cdcdrr  
After all, Thistle is older then Fireweed than she finally gave her baby bro a good scolding and tough love for him to understand and let go of his hatred of and spare Tempest his future sister-in law’s life and accept her as she is now than continue despise who she was.

@Starswirl  
I wouldn’t say most of it like that but he was trying to protect his family except Thistle whose still at her grandfather’s cabin from harm and at the same time trying to keep Rusty’s disturbed abusive nature his father and brother put him through while Rusty was growing up in check.

@Background Pony #2E6D  
Yeah! How dumb is he, not having a gas mask and fireproof clothes ready for when some psycho unicorn decides to burn his family’s place down for daring to resist? Poor Tempest, how was she supposed to know she could hurt somepony by setting fire to their home! She had nothing to do with anything! It’s all Winter Rye’s fault! If he just let her steal their Livelihood, none of this would have happened!

@dSana  
Thistle is in love with the new reformed Tempest Shadow whose trying to right the wrongs the old evil Tempest Shadow had done.

@Background Pony #58B0  
Not to mention Tempest indirectly caused his death but did not know that til Thistle told her about why Thistle’s family (except Thistle) hates her and want her dead meaning she did not murder him in cold blood after she set the silo on fire while still on the blimp not knowing what happened at the time and Winter Rye foolishly did put his own life at risk not having proper protection for himself when putting the fire out.

I like how Thistle is holding them both accountable.

@Background Pony #58B0  
More like learning of the death of your father who, in his last moments, thought about you, said your name, while dying from a lung disease you might’ve been able to cure if you had been a little bit faster in reaching their home.

@Powdered_toast_mare  
You mean the father who sent her away to life with her uncle at a very young age because “It’s my way or the highway!”? I think they weren’t really that close anymore. Of course, she sad about his death but it’s probably more like learning about the death of distant relative you met once every Christmas.
 
It also helps that she never really was fully on-board with the whole revenge scheme and actually spent a lot of time around Tempest.

Damn, Thistle laying down the law!

@Dust Rock  
My guess is, this is a learning process for Thistle as well. Her development. Becoming stronger in herself, more confident. That means really standing up to Tempest. Thistle’s whole life was made through other ponies’ choices pretty much. We should keep that in mind.