Upheaval : Reckoning
Chapter 15: For the Legion
Six days had passed since Canterlot's public address. The past few days had been peaceful enough. Twilight had taken the time to keep up with news coming from Canterlot, and other nearby cities.The address had gone well enough, and the Legion was moving in.
The larger settlements were first: Manehattan, Cloudsdale, Baltimare, Canterlot…the big cities with plenty of recruits to gain. It was only now that the Legion had started to pay attention to the smaller settlements, including Ponyville.
Twilight watched the first few squads of lightly-barded earth ponies arrive. She had woken up early, and had been watching for them ever since news of them coming arrived yesterday. She wasn't alone. Applejack had thought of doing the exact same thing. “What’s with the disappointed face?” she asked.
The last of the legionnaires had entered the village when Applejack answered. “I was hoping Vanguard would be with them,” she said.
That familiar and annoying twinge was back. “That’s completely ridiculous,” Twilight said. The tinge of harshness in her voice surprised even her. “He’s Special Operations, not a recruiting officer, why would he come here?”
“To see us,” Applejack replied. She kept her gaze on the legionnaires, ready to interfere if something went out of hoof. Twilight bit back another harsh reply, berating herself for suddenly being so irritable.
There was something anticlimactic about the way the legionnaires arrive: no trumpets, no procession. A small group of armored ponies simply walked into town as if they were merely visitors. Indeed, it took some time before somepony realized that the draft had finally begun. The mayor hurriedly arrived to greet them while the rest of Ponyville gathered behind her.
“Greetings, ponies of the Equestrian Legion,” the mayor said. She had that prepared script with her that Twilight helped with. "Welcome to our fair village.”
Twilight watched nervously as the lead legionnaire stepped forward. They were probably from the Western or Southern Barrier Land. They were all earth ponies, clad in light chain armor, and carrying enormous blades or spears on their backs. Northern Legion infantry were more armored, and less armed. She and Applejack moved closer. Among the crowd, Rarity and the others also looked on.
“I am Recruiting Officer Mineshaft,” the lead legionnaire replied. “Behind me are legionnaires from the Fourth Infantry Platoon of the Western Legion. We greet you, citizens of Ponyville, and we look forward to working with you in the fight for our realm.”
Mineshaft must have replied to the prepared script with one of his own from that delivery. ‘I suppose I should be glad that he, at least, made a decent attempt at enthusiasm,’ she thought.
“We request access to your registry list to determine who, and how many we are expecting to draft,” Mineshaft said. “We are also going to set up here in your main plaza.”
“Of course, sir, right away,” Mayor Mare replied. She and her assistants trotted back to her office.
Mineshaft turned his attention to all the gathered ponies. “All ponies expecting to be drafted, and all volunteers should remain. The rest of you, please return to your daily business.” As he was saying that, the rest of the legionnaires were already spreading out. A few asked for chairs and tables, while others were already organizing lines and herding out the ponies who were not expected to be recruited: colts, fillies, and the elderly.
Twilight and her friends approached Mineshaft. “Excuse me, Officer Mineshaft,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am?” Mineshaft replied.
Twilight glanced at the lines. “Does this mean that all the ponies recruited here will be stationed at the Western Barrier Land?”
Mineshaft nodded. “That is correct.”
Twilight relaxed a little. She didn't know much of the other Barrier Lands, but she could expect the fighting there to be less intense to the west. At least, as long as the ursans didn't decide to launch their own major invasion. Mayor Mare returned with the registry list, which she promptly handed over. “Thank you, madam mayor,” Mineshaft said. “The Legion appreciates your cooperation.” He looked over the list, then eyed Twilight curiously. “We received a memo that there are chosen legionnaires currently staying here. Do you happen to know who they are?”
“That would be us,” Twilight replied. She gestured towards her friends. “We’re from the Northern Legion.”
“In the thick of the fighting, eh?” Mineshaft said. He looked glad to encounter fellow legionnaires. “I can respect that. I understand that you’re on some kind of leave, but we’d appreciate any assistance.”
Twilight nodded. She was actually hoping for that. If nothing else, she wanted to make this draft as easy as possible for Ponyville.
By the time noon rolled around, the draft was well under way. Though the smooth proceedings were a relief, the lack of volunteers proved disappointing. Twilight had believed that some of her fellow chosen would join in on their own volition. The looks on their faces, however, were more resigned acceptance than any sort of enthusiasm. Twilight was now glad that Vanguard had not come to see this, not after all her talk about how ponies from the Heartland would help if they knew. The legionnaires matched the resignation with emotionless, mechanical movements that were only a little better than outright hostility.
“They should really make this into a happy occasion,” Pinkie said. “Think of how much better recruitment would be if these legionnaires threw a ‘Welcome to the Legion’ party to celebrate all the new recruits!”
“I don’t think our friends and neighbors are in any mood for a party, Pinkie,” Rarity said.
“They won’t be if these legionnaires keep acting like grumps,” Pinkie replied. “Can't they take off those champrons, and smile?”
“I don’t think the legionnaires are in any mood for that either,” Fluttershy answered.
An hour passed when a legionnaire approached Twilight’s group. “Legionnaire Sparkle, we need your assistance,” he said.
“What happened?” Twilight asked.
“We've encountered some resistance with one of the chosen,” the legionnaire replied. He led them to a house where several legionnaires were standing by the entrance along with a mint-green unicorn. Twilight recognized Lyra Heartstrings, and knew who was inside.
“Open this door, Miss Bon Bon,” one the legionnaires said. “By unified Equestrian law, avoiding the draft is punishable by jail time!”
“Never!” Bon Bon shrieked. “I don’t want to go to some far off land and fight! Leave me alone!”
“Bon Bon, please come out,” Lyra implored. “You’ll only make things worse in there!”
There was no answer this time. The legionnaire that brought Twilight and her friends along turned towards them. “Maybe you can talk her into putting a stop to this tantrum,” he said. “Otherwise, we’re arresting her.”
Twilight knocked on the door briefly. “Bon Bon, it’s me, Twilight Sparkle."
“Go away, Twilight Sparkle!”
“Bon Bon, the Legion needs your help…”
“They’re not getting it! There are hundreds of ponies out there they could get, they don’t need me!”
“Don’t you care about protecting Equestria?” Twilight asked.
“I’m just one pony,” Bon Bon answered. Her voice quivered. “I’m not a fighter. I don’t have magic or great strength. What am I supposed to do against monsters? Please, just leave me alone!”
“Bon Bon--”
“This is all your fault, Twilight Sparkle!” Bon Bon sobbed between the words. “Why couldn't you have just left things alone? Why couldn't you have just stayed banished to wherever you were? Everypony was happy! Why did you have to ruin everything?”
Twilight’s gaze lowered. “I just…”
Eventually, one of the legionnaires planted his forelegs firmly on the ground, then bucked at the door. His tramplers smashed into the house’s wooden entrance, breaking it in half, and sending splinters scattering into the interior. Inside, Bon Bon gave a panicked yelp, and tried to run farther into the house. The legionnaires quickly surrounded, and restrained her.
“You’re under arrest,” one of the legionnaires said. With his fellows surrounding Bon Bon, he pushed her forward roughly. Tears streaming down her face, Bon Bon gave one last angry look at Twilight.
“You’re not going to hurt her, are you?” Lyra asked as the legionnaires walked past her.
“Our orders are to arrest anypony who tries to avoid the draft. Seeing as this village doesn't have a jail, we’ll probably have to transfer her to the nearest city. Get to the plaza, Miss Heartstrings, you’re on the list too.” The legionnaire softened his tone. “We won’t hurt her unless she makes us defend ourselves,” he added.
“Coward,” Rainbow muttered as Bon Bon was led away.
“Rainbow!” Applejack said. “It ain’t that simple!”
Rarity put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Are you alright, Twilight?” she asked. “Don’t let what she said get to you. You did the right thing by going against the division.”
“But is it really our fault?” Fluttershy asked. “Are we the ones who dragged Ponyville into war?”
“The war didn't need any help in bringing itself here,” Rarity said. “It was going to happen eventually thanks to Black Rose’s meddling. If there’s anypony to be blamed it’s her, and all the creatures trying to invade Equestria!”
“We still had a part in it,” Twilight said. “But you’re right, Rarity." She watched as Lyra ran off to the plaza. “There’s going to be more of these incidents, and not just here in Ponyville.”
The Ponyville was almost finished by late afternoon. Throughout the entire procedure, Twilight kept looking for at least one volunteer. She was disappointed to the end. She didn't consider the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who tried to sign up, only to be shooed away. “So what’s going to happen to all the new recruits now?” she asked Mineshaft.
“We've got a large training camp set up near Cloudsdale,” Mineshaft replied. “They’ll start their training there, then it's off to their new posts.”
As Mineshaft was speaking, a large, red stallion approaching the legionnaires. ‘Big Macintosh,” Twilight thought. It looked like she was going to find that one volunteer after all. Applejack was already moving to intercept her brother.
“Big Macintosh!” Applejack called out. “What are you doing here? You’re not being drafted!”
Big Macintosh ignored his sister, and walked over to Mineshaft. “Sir,” he said. “I’d like to replace Applejack in your Legion please.”
“I already told you that it doesn't work that way!” Applejack said.
“I still got to try,” Big Macintosh replied.
Mineshaft looked Big Macintosh over, then turned to one of the other legionnaires. “Scree Trail! Why aren't we drafting this big, strapping stallion?” he asked. “Just looking at him, I know he’ll do well!”
Scree Trail walked over, and inspected Big Macintosh. “Which family are you from, stallion?” he asked.
“The Apple Family,” Big Macintosh replied.
“Well, there you go,” Scree Trail said. “It says on this report that the Ponyville branch of the Apple Family is exempted from the draft. The Legion already has a member in the ranks.”
“Well, that explains it,” Mineshaft said. “We’re not drafting you, and the Legion doesn't do trades.”
“But--” Big Macintosh said.
“Not just any legionnaire too!” Scree Trail said. “It says here that she’s a Special Operations Vice Captain!”
Mineshaft gave a low whistle. “A chosen in Special Operations that fast?” he said. “From the Apple Family too. It’s the legend of Apple Slice all over again.”
“Wait just a golldarn minute!” Applejack said. She cringed when she saw the look of horror that Big Macintosh gave her. “I’m not Special Operations! That report’s a mistake!”
“It’s true,” Twilight added. “We formed a squad under a Special Operations captain, but we weren't part of that group.”
“Would you like to be anyway?” somepony said from a distance.
Everypony turned towards the newcomer. Applejack took one look at the dark blue unicorn mare with the curly mane, then shook her head. “Captain Nightcanter,” she said.
Behind Nightcanter walked towards the gathering of ponies, and looked around. Behind her, several ponies followed. “So what do we have here?” she asked. She focused on Big Macintosh, who was still staring at Applejack. “You looking to join the Legion, big boy?” she asked. “I can think of several uses for you. A few might actually involve fighting.”
Applejack planted herself between Nightcanter, and Big Macintosh. “Why don’t we just talk about why Special Operations is here?” she asked. Her tone was tense, but still respectful. Twilight agreed with the approach. Captain Nightcanter may often talk playfully, but she was still a high-ranking pony, one who had defeated her in a sparring match before.
“I…I’ll be back in the farm,” Big Macintosh said. When he turned around, he did so in a daze.
“Big Mac!” Applejack called out to him. “We’ll talk about this later!” She pressed her lips together tightly when he didn't respond as he trotted off.
“So what is Special Operations doing in Ponyville, Captain Nightcanter?” Twilight asked. “Does it have something to do with us?”
“No,” Nightcanter replied. She gestured for Mineshaft and his legionnaires to move on, an order that they promptly obeyed. She lowered her voice slightly. “We’re here to set up a base of operations, then we’re off to investigate the Everfree Forest. Maybe we can talk somewhere more private than the middle of a public plaza."
“The library is pretty empty,” Twilight said.
Several minutes later, Twilight found herself playing host to two squads of Special Operations legionnaires, and her friends. She peered outside, then closed the curtains. Nightcanter cast a spell, temporarily engulfing everything in the tree-house in dark blue light. “Just something to make sure nopony’s spying,” Nightcanter said.
Most of the Special Operations ponies remained in the other reading rooms while Nightcanter sat at the center of Twilight, and her friends. “So why do you need to go to Everfree Forest?” Twilight asked.
“Not the forest,” Nightcanter said. “Our destination is Everfree Castle. We've received information that it might hold what we need to finally get a grasp of Black Rose’s plans.”
“You mean the goal isn't even to defeat Black Rose?” Rainbow asked. “She’s already stolen Princess Celestia’s power, and we’re still just getting to know her?”
Nightcanter’s eyes narrowed. She set both her forelegs on the table before resting her chin behind them. “Things aren't as simple as your rainbow-stained brain might take them to be,” she said. “It’s easy with the wolven, or the ursans, or the ophidites. They want to attack Equestria, and the goal is to defend against them. We’re in the dark with Black Rose here. We originally thought that she wanted to kill Princess Celestia, but she’s not dead now is she? Our best lead is the one provided by her brother, of all ponies. Special Operations is spread thin, and clutching at straws so, yes, our current goal at the moment is to get to know her better.”
“And you think that there’s something in Everfree Castle that could help with that?” Rarity asked. “What could it be?”
“You only scratched the surface during your last visit,” Nightcanter replied. “We’re going deeper than that. Thanks to what we found inside Canterlot’s Great Library, we know that the castle is sitting on something even older.”
“What’s that?” Twilight asked. She leaned closer, her eyes wide.
“The Last Refuge of Clover the Clever.”
Twilight's heart nearly stopped. “You’re kidding,” she said. She had to force the words out.
“How much do you know about Clover the Clever?” Nightcanter asked.
“She was Starswirl the Bearded’s disciple, and a great spell caster in her own right,” Twilight answered eagerly. “She helped found Equestria during the Windigo Crisis along with several other ponies.”
Nightcanter failed to hold back a snort.
Twilight frowned. “What? That’s not how Barrier Lands lore remembers it?”
“No, but it’s not about Barrier Lands lore, it’s about what we found in the Great Library's hidden archives.”
“There are hidden archives in the Great Library?” Twilight asked. Her breathing quickened. Plans to schedule a trip to Canterlot started forming in her mind.
“Woah, nelly,” Applejack said. “Let’s focus here.”
“Right,” Nightcanter said. “According to the sealed histories, the ponies before Lexarius’s dominion migrated outward from the Blasphemous Rift. The Windigo Crisis prompted a move inward in a desperate attempt to survive.”
“And then they discovered that the power of friendship, and defeated the windigos,” Twilight said. She made a mental note to find out more about this "Blasphemous Rift" later.
The corners of Nightcanter’s lips twitched a bit, but she controlled herself. “Well, they found something. I don’t think it was friendship though.” She grew serious as she went on. “Clover the Clever, and her companions strayed very close to the Blasphemous Rift, and managed to attune themselves to the lingering power of Oceanus. They used this power to destroy the windigos, and claim Equestria.”
It was Twilight’s turn to settle down grimly. ‘So much for Hearth’s Warming Eve,’ she thought. “What happened then?"
“While the rest of the ponykind settled the land, the Six Companions delved deeper into utilizing the power of Oceanus. They built a great capital city around the rift dedicated to further attuning all of ponykind to their progenitor. A lot of bad things were committed during those times. Several books worth, in fact.”
Nightcanter paused to massage her throat. “Say, you don’t happen to have some booze in this library do you?” she asked.
“No booze,” Twilight replied. “I’ll get you some water.” Once she set down a glass of water for Nightcanter, she spoke in a grim tone. "Was Starswirl the Bearded attuned to Oceanus too?"
"Starswirl the Bearded died of sickness immediately after the discovery of Oceanus, and the Blasphemous Rift," Nightcanter replied. "At least, that's what the records say," she added with a sly smile. After several gulps of water, she went on. “Lexarius eventually interfered. He arrived in this world, and rallied every pony who was horrified with what the Six Companions were up to. To our race's credit, there were a lot of them. With his army, he met the Oceanites in the battlefield, and annihilated them, reducing their mighty city into a rubble-filled crater, and then teaming up with his fellow stewards to seal the Blasphemous Rift for good.”
“That wasn't the end,” Rarity said. “You wouldn't be here if that was the end.”
“Of course not," Nightcanter said. "Clover the Clever survived, and fled into where the Everfree is now. She went into hiding, and spent the rest of her life trying to find a way to undo the seals, and reach Oceanus’s power. The sealed histories say that she came up with a way but…”
“..but what?” Twilight asked. She tapped a front hoof on the table impatiently.
“She didn't get to use it. Lexarius intercepted her. That was the end of Clover the Too-Clever-For-Her-Own-Good. Lexarius sealed away her last refuge. Centuries later, Princess Celestia built Everfree Castle over it for extra protection.”
“Why didn't they just destroy it?” Rainbow asked.
Nightcanter shrugged. “Clover stored a lot of power in that refuge in order to hide and protect it. That power was distilled from remains of her former companions, and the last traces of the Blasphemous Rift she could gather. Destroying the refuge would have spread that power all over Equestria. Who knows what effect it could have?”
“So why go there now?” Twilight asked.
“Black Rose plans to get into the Blasphemous Rift. She’ll need a way how, and whatever’s in that refuge is a good lead.”
“She’s been on the move for a while now,” Twilight said. “She may have already gone there and taken anything useful.”
“Maybe, but she doesn't have free access to the information we just got like we have." Nightcanter took another gulp. "The prince is sure that what she learned from the Library of Lexarius only has vague clues about the sealed histories, which hadn't been disturbed when we got to them. She still needs a means to complete her goals. We just might get the jump on Black Rose this time. At the very least, we can actually be on her trail instead of floundering around.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked. She stood up, and flapped her wings. “Let’s go!”
“Hold on there, RD,” Applejack said. “This ain’t our mission. It’s Captain Nightcanter’s.”
“You’ll need help, right?” Twilight asked.
“We could use some assistance navigating the forest,” Nightcanter replied.
“We can help with that,” Twilight said. “We’d like to go into the castle with you as well.”
Nightcanter paused again. "You know...Vanguard asked me not to bother you mares on your vacation..." she said. She smiled the same sort of smile that made both Twilight, and Applejack shudder. "But why not? It sounds like fun."
“Don’t involve the Elements of Harmony,” Vanguard Clash had said. “They should be resting and reconnecting with their families, not delving into the lair of a dead cultist of Oceanus.”
“Sure,” she said with a smile.
scumbag nightcanter
Oh Nightcanter.
I'm a tad disappointed that Ponyville reacted to the draft so poorly. I was hoping that more would step up like the mane 6 did. Then again, I suppose that other than Twilight they didn't exactly know what they were getting into.
562356
What do you expect? Conscription never goes well, especially when you recruit from people who don't have a tradition of hardship or military life. The drive for conscription will just alienate and anger the Heartlanders; they'll have no love for the Legion for forcing them out of their homes, away from their loved ones and into foreign lands to fight monsters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_draft_riots
It'll be like that, but more widespread. And knowing Terrato and the Legion, they'll respond too harshly and only exacerbate things. By the end of all this, the Heartlanders will be scarred and learn to hate Terrato and his Legion. The idiot alicorn didn't think this through; he should have used recruitment of volunteers, à la early First World War. Back then, people signed up in droves. It was considered almost a fad, and the British public were clambering to do their part. It was only once the horrors of industrialised warfare were fully realised did people become disillusioned.
But conscription strips a person of all their free choice, and all their motivation to fight properly. Rather than truly putting their minds into the task, they'll just want to survive. Rather than form a connection to the service, they'll hate it as a prisoner hates the jail he's in. They won't associate it with brotherhood or comradeship; they'll associate it with a cruel system forcing them to go against their principles, leave their families and risk their lives for an authority they had no clue existed until recently. And they'll be looked down upon by the Barrierlanders, which will only make them hate it more.
It's not too late for the alicorns to change it though. They'll see how its affecting their land, people and the Legion and see that it would be better to start up a recruitment campaign. Even though some damage is already done (people will remember to associate the Legion with those cold, cruel people who dragged your siblings, parents or children away) the government can spin the Legion and service to look good and worthy.
In short, this conscription can only turn out for the worse and Terrato is an inflexible fool.
562472 Very good points.
562472 well at least Terrato didn't make the draft permanent, like before
562585
No, but what he did say was that "All ponies recruited during the draft will be allowed to leave and go home once the worst has come to pass."
That's pretty ambiguous, when you think about it. "Once the worst has come to pass" can have lots of interpretations, and I think he could easily spin it into "When the fighting is over", which could take many years.
In fact, "the worst" sounds like it could take a very long time just by itself.
559333 or a greed dragon, given that he got more powerful the more stuff he had in his hoard, and that gluttony tends to be tied to eating/consuming a lot
562738
well he's planning on having a Chosen reserve in six months, the time it would take to regain what ground they had lost up north to the Wolven, then the Legion would launch a offensive into Wolvenguard, to hopefully crush the Wolven and to take them out of the war, thereby letting the now safe Northern Barrier Lands on assisting the Western and Southern Barrier Lands on pushing back their enemies, I'm expecting the Chosen to take the regular posts of the Legionaries from the Barrier Lands, because they'll probably get reassigned to the offense against Wolvenguard.
so depending on how long the offense against Wolvenguard takes, maybe a year or two at best?
562472
Since you feel so strongly about this, I feel that I should respond.
First I'll consider the article you linked. I've read it and it seems to me that the riots are more over how the draft was being implemented and not because of the draft. The working class irish immigrants felt resentful because the rich people can avoid the draft while they can't so they rioted.
You're not considering the fact that Terrato has to make concessions towards the Barrier Lands ponies as well. Sure he can turn it into a recruiting drive. Are you sure that the Barrier Lands ponies will say "Sure, that's fine by us. We've been subjected to permanent drafts throughout our entire history but the chosen should totally be allowed to decide whether they want to go or not. We're totally fine with this and we won't join in anymore Black Rose Rebellions like the one that erupted up north and resulted in the wolven pushing through nor will we travel through the now non-existent barrier so we can lynch chosen by the hundreds."?
In fact, those the sort of circumstances that will ignite the situation in the article you presented. Replace "working class Irish immigrants" with Barrier Lands ponies, and "rich people" with Chosen. Legion popularity in the Heartland will be at the cost of Legion unpopularity in the Barrier Lands. Who would you prefer to rebel? Angry ponies who've spent their lives not fighting or angry ponies who've spent all their lives fighting?
Oh I just love Nightcanter. She's such a troll.
Oh god I just had a thought: What if the CMC try to sneak into the Barrier Lands somehow? Oooh that sounds so possible.
“He’s Special Operations, not a recruiting officer, why would he go here?” --> come
She had a prepared script with her, something that Twilight had helped with earlier. Welcome to our fair village.” --> "Welcome
Heavy, metal tramplers smashed into the house’s wooden entrance, --> Heavy metal tramplers
“But you’re right, Rarity. She watched as Lyra ran off to the plaza before the legionnaires decide to arrest her as well. --> Rarity." ; decided
‘So much for Hearth’s Warming Eve,’ she thought. “What happened then?" she asked. --> can omit "she asked" - it's a little redundant.
Hey, Visiden! What's on the East of Equestria? Why is it unguarded? That's an entire flank left open for both the Southern and Northern Legions, not to mention the Heartland!
562953 I'm glad you've put so much thought into this. It's a big issue and there's no real right answer. And I refuse to believe Terrato hasn't been around the block enough times to know how things will be perceived, even among the Heartlanders.
Thank you :D
first of all, I am a little disappointed that nopony from Ponyville joined the Legion. I understand it of course but I was hoping for at least one or two volunteers.
AJ is still Sp-ops vice captain, cool
Bon Bon... well... I never liked her. she's probably going to end up in Logistics or something. but we also know Lyra's being drafted so at least one familiar pony :d I wonder... it doesn't look like Bon Bon and Lyra are a couple in this story... oh well
Big Mac being stubborn as always. also, no Derpy, I am disappointed.
and now the big thing, the one thing I've been waiting for: BACKSTORY! so many questions answered and a complete chronology established. yay.
and Mane six got a new Quest: explore ancient ruins of ancient evil cult. how classic
I can't wait to see more of that.
inb4 plot jumps to Spike or something.
good chapter, i still miss having more action, but there needs to be a time (or several) for this kind of development as well in a good story.
i get the distinct feeling that black rose knows what she's looking for, just not where it is, and thus; she's keeping an eye on special operations as they are the ones most likely to get sent to the place she needs to find. which means that she might have sent her brother to reveal the information as she needs them to know as a part of her plan.
that ending....
myfacewhen.net/uploads/605-y-u-no-guy.jpg
WHY U NO FOLLOW THE PLAN AND LISTEN TO EACH OTHER?!?!
this will most likely came back to haunt them later.... well mistakes in the past always did anyway....
563380 Think about it, if the author did that he would lose atleast half his viewers.
566426
if he did what?
cliff hangers... you learn to love them in this story ^^
566639 If he had derpy drafted.
570545
hmm.... why?
I hope we will get a decent Derpy in here eventually, you know, a little bit clumsy, but completely normal and not drooling stupid, you know, something like, you know, this
I wonder what Nightcanter won't try to bed down with. Sheesh, whatta slut.
Nightcanter is one sultry mare... Somepony should tease her back.
wow i can't believe Bon Bon got arrested, i wonder what will happen to her after the war. i'm also very curious to find out who else has been drafted. what about ponies like Derpy, Cheerilee, the Cakes, Diamond Tiara's Father, Zecora, Trixie, and the wonderbolts.
the plot thickens. dark secrets revealed and such such..............
actually wouldn't that plan have backfired on them? the windigos are documented to feed upon hatred and evil, which is basically what oceanus's power narrows down to. so wouldn't an attempt to use such power simply make the windigo's that much stronger?
don't know, maybe thinking too much on them. just seemed windigos were pretty up there on the scale of threats.
ok am i the only one who puts juri hans voice on nightcanter
Bon Bon is pretty dedicated to keeping her cover I see.
So, not enough to make Celestia an incompetent fool, the original founders of Equestria were all villains as well.
Nightcanter is giving me weird vibes all of a sudden. Even though I'm not convinced Blue Moon has actually betrayed Black Rose, if he has,I strongly suspect that Nightcanter's going to turn out to be a traitor. Blue Moon's replacement and Black Rose's answer to Twilight Sparkle. Think about it, there's no reason at all to give this information to Twilight and company unless she was planning to bring them with her all along. I think the Mane 6 are being lead into a trap.
Wait Big Macintosh is getting angry at the Legion, Black Rose needs an Earth Pony to replace one of her dead Ponies. NO YOU FUCKING DON'T.
I know this story is already finished but I really hope Twilight and Vanguard get together.