Concepts and Creations – No Heroes: The Changeling Incident · 9:43pm Feb 3rd, 2020
Wanted to do this yesterday, but just couldn't find the time. Anyway, it's time for the last entry of my intended No Heroes-based changeling trilogy. Feel free to read my last two C&C blogs on the subject here and here to catch up.
This is the most nebulous of the three stories, as I never fully fleshed out all the events. For now, let's focus on what we know: Chrysalis has alerted Equestria to the fact that her hive is about to undergo a vicious civil war, and if her side doesn't win than the fighting will almost certainly spill over into Equestrian soil in the form of a changeling invasion. Seeing as her side is outnumbered at least 2 to 1, maybe worse, she has surrendered herself to Equestrian judgement in exchange for intervention in the war. In the meantime, her two daughters are at opposite sides of the conflict and are preparing to fight, one to end things quickly so an invasion against Equestria can be mounted and the other to keep things going until the Equestrians can, hopefully, arrive.
After the Order of Shadows (Fine Crime, Upper Crust, Lightning Dust, Octavia Melody, Jimmy Stone, and Nye Stone) complete their trial against Chrysalis, it is agreed that Equestria will intervene. But Celestia still doesn't trust Chrysalis and thinks their decision is flawed, so she insists that Shining Armor go with the army and keep an eye on everything.
Underneath all of this comes a subplot that gradually grows into the major point of the story: Twilight Sparkle and Octavia Melody. As mentioned in a previous blog, at this point Octavia has become Luna's personal student. Twilight, having some experience with this, has been asked and eagerly agreed to tutor Octavia in whatever subject she needs. In the beginning, this goes well as both are eager to work with each other. Yet as time goes by, Twilight begins to see Octavia's strengths, which are many. Twilight is organized, book-smart, able to study and focus and understand the things given to her. But Octavia is a natural at adapting what she learns to reality, forming practical and creative solutions to problems with little outside assistance. She lack's Twilight's propensity for panic and stays calm under intense pressure.
Simply put, Twilight is a student and scholar, but Octavia is a natural-born leader. Of course, anyone can point out that Twilight has her own significant leadership qualities. But Twilight, being Twilight, starts twilighting. What if Octavia is a better student than her? What if Celestia starts favoring her? What if she decides she'd rather take Octavia under her wing and abandon Twilight? Twilight begins to fear Octavia's incredible talent, and then to resent her.
So when she learns that Equestria is mustering its forces to march on the Badlands, Twilight sees an opportunity to prove herself and volunteers to go to the front lines as an advisor. Celestia, recognizing what's going on, tries to discourage this idea, but also knows that once Twilight Sparkle decides to do something stupid, nothing is going to stop Twilight Sparkle from doing something stupid. One thing leads to another, and soon all the Mane 6 and the Order of Shadows are headed to the front lines with strict orders to stay the Tartarus out of combat (we all know how likely that is).
The majority of the story would chronicle the war between the two changeling factions and Equestria. This is, sadly, the part that is completely unknown to me, as I never saw an opportunity to expand upon it. You can bet it would have involved a lot of military strategy and outright battles, along with some espionage and trust issues (because changelings) and our heroes getting directly involved in the fighting in one way or another. I wish I could say more about this part of the story, but I'd just be making it up as I went, so I don't see any point.
One of the ideas behind this story which I kept waffling back-and-forth on was ascension. Recall that in No Heroes Twilight hasn't become an alicorn. The goal all along was that this story would eventually lead to somepony doing so. Trick is, that somepony might not have been Twilight. There was a good chance I'd have made Octavia ascend instead, albeit entirely on accident, and in so doing actually rob Twilight of her chance at being royalty. Of course, neither her nor Twilight would have known this was coming. Regardless, the act would have 'woken up' Twilight's common sense and make her conclude that she didn't deserve such a thing, anyway.
But again, I kept waffling on this idea. I was never sure if making Octavia an alicorn at the end made sense, if it would be beneficial to the story, if it was warranted. I'm still on the fence about it, honestly. I wasn't even sure how the ascension would happen, only that it wasn't going to be the same as how Twilight did it canonically. Nor did I know with any confidence whether the event would be planned by Celestia and Luna – although one version running through my head was that they did and intended it to be Twilight, the whole event being a big "oops!" when the spell hit Octavia instead.
So... yeah. This story would have been the last major No Heroes entry, a few side-stories aside. I can say with confidence that the good guys would win and it would lead to a new, more amicable relationship between changelings and Equestria. Chrysalis's fate was never decided. Perhaps sacrificed for the greater good? Or survived the war and spent the rest of her days in Canterlot as a sort of quasi-prisoner? Exiled and locked in a dungeon in the place she's exiled to? Sent to the human world and made into the subject of ceaseless booping?
I have no idea. Lots of nebulous stuff about the end of all this. A new alicorn was likely, though who that new alicorn would be is unclear. All I know is that it would have ended the No Heroes franchise on an epic note if at all possible.
And that's that, for now. Soon I intend to start the next phase of these C&C blogs: the Trixie vs. Equestria franchise. I'm rather looking forward to it.
Heh, your comment about ascending Octavia reminded me of a comic that showed that earth ponies have to perform two spectacular events to reach alicornhood. One to earn the horn and the other to get the wings. Poor earth ponies...
Sounds like it would have been a nice capper for the overall series. Thanks for sharing!
It sounds like part of the plot is just about how Octavia is just better than Twilight and we should just accept it, which is kind of inherently frustrating? But I'm sure it would have played out better in practice.
Haven't read the blogs yet, but got curious... and found out I did read No Heroes part 1 to 3, began reading part 4 (haven't the foggiest why I stopped. Maybe lost the chrome tab? There wasn't a bookmark function until last year, no?) and Lightning's Bolt (this one even a favorite, and I don't tend to mark those in vain). I haven't the slightest recollection of doing it though, maybe because they're seven years old
But yeah, just had to say it because it surprised me. Gonna read the blogs now, maybe it'll jostle my memory.
Edit:
Oh, a serious case of The Purple. Rather serious, that one, always spray paint your ponies away!
On the ascension part, maybe no ascension could be better for the story that likely won't be. On the other hand, I do have a soft spot for alicorn Octavia, so I'd have liked to see it happening.
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I know that comic, actually. Poor Applejack, after eating so many pies...
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When I first developed the NH series, I had the idea in my head that Octavia was already an excellent individual in many ways. It made her hard to write for, as how do you apply character growth to someone who doesn't seem to need it? She would have indeed been interpreted as Twilight's superior.
Were I to write it now, I'd write Twilight and Octavia as equals, but with their best traits being in completely different areas such that they compliment one another.
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If I had to guess, I'd say that it's because Book IV is the most... shall we say "fanfic" of the series? I feel it's the overall low point, specifically because it uses elements that I would today consider amateur at best.