This story is a sequel to MLA: Perihelion
It's been a handful of years since Twilight came into her own as a Princess of Equestria, a few years spent in peace and harmony without so much as an angry spirit or clandestine invasion to take away from the tranquility of Equestrian life. Unprecedented developments in the technological and thaumaturgical sciences seem to be preparation for something, though nopony realizes what that something might be.
Nopony except the Princesses, who have not failed to see the signs of impending disaster that began with the mass kidnappings just following the Summer Sun Celebration. When all their preparations are turned upside down, can an alliance with the mysterious Precursors turn the tides of the most devastating war in Equestrian history, while there is still anything left to save? Enemies and allies appear in the most unlikely of places, and friendship with a dying elder race can be more dangerous than an invasion of Dragons and Changelings. What is a pony willing to give in defense of harmony? What are they willing to sacrifice?
This story now has a companion piece, The Sunset Campaign! This story is designed to bring Harmony Defended more into line with the three-story version of My Little Apprentice. If you read Apogee and Perihelion, you may want to read that as well!
This story was written prior to season five, and as such any events which transpire therein may or may not be treated as canonical. All events up to and including "Twilight's Kingdom" are treated as having occurred, however.
A huge thanks to my Alpha Readers! Thanks to these wonderful people, new chapters aren't nearly so riddled with mistakes and errors as they used to be. Thanks to Sparktail, TwoBit, Withered Pyre, and Zutcha. Zutcha of course deserves double the love, since he's also the artist of the cover and any other fantastic art that finds its way into the story.
Awww yeah! Faved and saved! I cant wait to see whats going to happen next saturday! Are we going to start seeing development of magitech in this story? I've always liked the idea of combining magic and technology together in stories.
I'm not a fan of the sudden romance, but that won't stop my from liking and faving this story.
I look forward to seeing where you take this
"Only" once a week? That is still an exemplary release schedule. Most fics I follow don't even update once a month. Not saying any names, but here are the dates of the latest chapters of another fic I'm following: 30th Oct 2012, 9th Jul 2013, 12th Jun 2014. Notice the years. That's the kind of schedule that warrants a 'sorry'.
On that note, woot. Here come the drums.
4547068 Oh please no, not that annoying blue fairy again.
4547081
Crackfic idea: Trixie replaces Navi from LoZ:OoT.
4547081
Bby pls, navi is my waifu <3
do you even time lord?
4547137
Do ya one better; Rainbow Dash replaces Navi.
WOHOO! the sequel is here! oh this is going to be so much f-
...
here we go again...
...
...
...remember way back when I said 'think equine'?
Huh, not an error, a bit unusual, but its not wrong so why did I-
...
one or the other my friend, one or the other...
)
...
...
...B+ because with a new story I have to be harder with my gradeing (oh sweet Faust DON'T HATE ME!
Still a great story
Keep up the good work
Note, you said the "space elevator fired into the sky," I believe you mean mass driver. I think you also called it a mass driver in your previous story.
Doctor Whooves
The Master
*pulls face back and reads* Pip and Chance, sitting in the hay, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then come marriage, then comes a foal in a carriage!
A sequel? HELL YEAH!
4547499 Pretty much, yeah.
Of course, those who follow the show know that the Doctor knows that Gallifrey is still around somewhere now, so he's not the last Time Lord anymore.
Yes! It's finally here! I couldn't be happier! I can't wait for the ensuing philosophy and science and chaos, I'm sure that I'll enjoy every last freaking second of it!
My friend, a sequel to a story that was clearly a self insert WITHOUT any clop? Is this the best American fanfic writers can do!? My friend, I am disappointed :/
3/10 big macs
4546390
Well considering Chance has been in Equestria for somewhere near a decade now, it's far more likely to show up in this story more than the one time it made an appearance in the last one.
4547010
Oh, well... yeah, I think if I updated that infrequently, I would never finish it. Considering this story will probably be even longer than MLA was... I thought taking about six months from beginning to end was too long after my first story was finished in three, but that's just insane. No, I wouldn't do that to people.
4547068
i40.tinypic.com/c2s6c.jpg
4547274
I won't hate you for pointing out mistakes, don't worry. I deserve every bit of criticism I get so long as the mistakes are really in there. I do expect there to be fewer since I've switched to an alpha/beta reading structure instead of the single read-through that I used during MLA. The mistakes you've pointed out have been corrected. I put my "common mistakes" program away after MLA. I suppose it's time to dust that old boy off after two weeks of vacation.
4547400
You're right that it's not a true space elevator, which MLA talked about. However, it's not a mistake... or rather, it's not MY mistake that it's described as a Space Elevator. In the last story (and in this one as well) people colloquially refer to the structure as a Space Elevator even though in reality it isn't one. You're correct that it's not an accurate statement.... however, the mistake is one made by the characters, not mine.
4547499
stream1.gifsoup.com/view3/4286596/wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey-o.gif
4547611
Sounds like someone is pre-empting the teasing that is no doubt waiting for her when the CMC get wind of it. Assuming Equestria has that rhyme.
4546538
Yeah, on the one hand I wish I could've written about the many years of peace between this and the last story to develop things like this. I tried to pick as unimportant a character as possible for Chance's pony relationship (not that there were too terribly many cannon colts her age to choose from in ponyville), but I know that's no substitute for an actual developed story.
4547619
What can I say? I guess I couldn't stay away.
4547913
Which in theory also means the Master is floating around somewhere too, right? Spoilers? Nah. There are way more and better authors than me to write Dr. Whooves stuff.
4548769
I sure hope so! It's a pleasure to have you along for the ride again, for round two.. Hopefully this time will be as exciting as the time before.
I don't know why, but the name of this story bugs me.
4550045 That was my reaction, I think while they will tease, the CMC will be happy for their friends and not be TOO obnoxious. Of course, they might make digs at Diamond Tiara if she hasnt' got a coltfriend yet
This was a pleasant surprise. I completely forgot there was a sequel coming.
You know what the Omnicron Core is starting to remind me of? A Culture Mind, or at least a sophisticated AI of theirs. It has the perfect attitude for that sort of thing, even if it may lack the computing power.
So, given the books mentioned in the last story.. Did humanity have Lovecraftian magic? Otherwise, why did those books even exist or become relevant?
And can she have an Omni-Tool now? Sorry, I just love those things.
Well, I didn't find any errors just casually reading for my own pleasure. So that's one success. (Or two!)
She knew that there were tech savvy.. mythos cultists?.. hanging around. Sounds like a good reason to run cyberwarfare programs and mount heavy duty smart turrets... everywhere.
And does Twilight have the nanophage or whatever new and improved version Chance might have developed? I assume being able to 'ping' Twilight or any other Princess would be on the top of the 'to do' list. Instant communication is beyond valuable, particularly when you know there're at least two enemy factions out there: The Steel Tower(who might be.. neutralish?) and our friendly neighborhood Cultists.
Also, Omnitool. Again! Or at least some sort of implants or useful load out to strap on. Being kidnapped by tentacle worshiping cultists would be all the reason I'd need to up my arsenal and make sure that the most powerful artifact in the world had ludicrous levels of protection.
4580526
Truth's Mesh network was down, wouldn't have mattered anyways. Otherwise, some sort of Omni-tool would be useful. But you forget that she's a Unicorn and has magic. Mana weapons, anyone?
4580546
Back up meshes or secondary communications can be created. Even short wave radio would be damn useful in an emergency. As would an alarm system for Truth's room. There're several options that're purely magical or pure clockwork, free of anything electronically hackable, that could have been used.
And even a unicorn should carry back up or supplementary weaponry when it's known that there're multiple forces out to get you and everyone you love. Enemies who know you're a unicorn and can plan appropriately. Even a few drones of her own would've been a wise investment.
Being a black belt is great. Being a black belt with a shotgun is better.
It becomes a battle of knowledge, wits and preparation. Who can out think or out prepare the other? Who can gather the most information while guarding their own?
4580594 And now we've moved fully into 'what should have been prepared' territory.
Chance could have asked Twilight to have a couple squads (Earth, Unicorn and Pegasus alike) circle the immediate vicinity of the Castle of Friendship. Chance definitely could have made some sort of immediate response system for her labs. Most definitely should have had a few signal boosters out to Canterlot for the Princesses to receive a mesh network of their own not based entirely off of or from Truth's, or had some sort of spell relay with the same effect. Essentially everything you've said is something that should've been done.
But, with that level of readiness, one would have to wonder if Equestria was not getting ready for war. Assuming the forces from the Steel Tower aren't complete failures or nincompoops, they would notice immediately that the drones hijacking energy for the door were being taken down. Of course, the drones would have obviously begun to counter attack, and, had they, the Steel Tower, still had enough energy, would have sent reinforcements in short order. Hello, full-blown wartime! But who knows, what with all that wibbly wobbly timey wimey schtick going on with the Hawking Rifts.
For that bit of nonsense about being a blackbelt, a pistol or revolver would be more effective, in my opinion, just for the fact that you can bring it to bear faster, with both compact pistols and revolvers being lighter and more maneuverable.
4581154
The black belt thing was a metaphor, dude. To put spell it out more plainly: Being a unicorn is great. Unicorns also have limits and their hoodoo can be circumvented. The horn is far from god mode, even for Twilight's personal apprentice. As such, considering the circumstances*, it's sensible for her to pack an ace up her sleeve. Or an entire deck.
Unicorn good, unicorn with with the weapon of your choice for this example better.
Now then! Sending drones to drain and hack Truth could be considered an act of war by the Steel Tower. Equestria bolstering its defenses and repelling an invasion by drones is self defense. The Tower should've asked before they started touching Equestria's stuff. It's only polite.
Personally, I would've buried the lab in the caves underneath Canterlot, surrounded by magical, mechanical and fleshy defenses. And ensured that some sort of preconstructed coded teleportation circle in Twilight's castle was the only entrance(or <pick your form of transportation> if you want to quibble about teleportation circles).
I would also have set up a few decoy labs armed and armored to 'meat grinder' levels and set to blow if something like this happened. Oh, and had back up communication networks, particularly for the Equestrian Military.
*Those circumstances being: Being kidnapped, dying repeatedly, almost having her soul erased by something designed to kill Gods, looking into Cthulhu's bung hole, SEALING Cthulhu's bunghole and knowing that the Changelings, Steel Tower and Cultists are all her enemy.
Though we are getting into
territory with this level of Backseat Generaling. Chance still should've piled on some extra tricks though.
Though given the Equestrian tendency to just leave items of world shaking power lying around.. I guess its understandable.
Elements of Harmony,
Inspiration Manifestation,
Alicorn Amulet(It was in a PAWN SHOP!)
Everything Daring Do has saved from her Rogue's Gallery(If she'd kept all those items, she could probably rule the world)
Discord's statue
Mirror Pool(It was mentioned in one of Twilight's books!)
and I'm sure there're more. Hell, somepony is probably using the Rainbow of Darkness as a paper weight.
"fellow nights" - knights of course.
4581251
Oh, I figured that the blackbelt thing was a metaphor, it was why I commented on it and called it a 'bit of nonsense', also why I went with the shotgun to pistol... thing...
Bad example and 'not fully writing out thoughts' on my part.
4581291
To be fair, the Elements, Mirror Pool and Inspiration Manifestation weren't just lying around. They had, arguably, one of the best natural defense systems known to Ponykind - The Everfree Forest. It's obviously just not that secure enough anymore. And now we're probably just filling poor Starscribe's inbox up, going back and forth with this.
Agree to disagree while agreeing and disagreeing that Chance and the Equestrian royalty-slash-government-slash-principality-slash whatever should have done more to be prepared?
4581427
Works for me!
Very interesting chapter, I hope things don't go smoothly for the invaders, because as I see it that's what they are. They broke into Chance's lab and forced the portal open.
4581154 Going to throw in a secondary addition to the pistol: the short sword, the most common melee weapon across cultures. Quick and easy to use, found almost everywhere once you get basic metal working going. Heck, the Samurai carried the Wakizashi as a back up to the Katana because it was better for close quarter fighting where the Katana would let someone into your guard. So in summary, have an easy to use long range and easy to use close range weapon.
I notice that you use the word 'friends' near the end, welcoming the humans. Holy. Crap. I can tell that this gon' be gooood. You only use the word friends when describing your worst enemies as describing them as your absolute worst enemies. I love it.
4552024
On the one hand, I kinda hope that DT and SS have matured over the years. Plenty of bullies do, after all. On the other hand, I'm not sure we have any evidence to suggest that they will.
4552032
^^
4557208
Now that you mention it I can see some distinct similarities there as well.
4580384
Yay! I'd say he number of mistakes has been cut down if even one person can go through the chapter without finding any glaring errors. Doesn't mean it's free of all mistakes, but...
4580526
I think the one fundamental thing to keep in mind about Chance is that she is not a warrior, and she isn't a fighter. Actually, her past points her pretty heavily against ever becoming anything like that.
Equestria's security for magical things has a pretty dismal track record, but even so the cube was pretty darn secure. It was, after all, stored in a secret room high up in a castle with technological security measures on every door that could ever be used to get to it, to say nothing of the magical wards on the castle and the flesh guards patrolling it, or the fact that ponyville is so far into Equestrian territory.
The only reason the Steel Tower was able to succeed was because they changed the rules on Equestrian defenses. The cube had been placed in such a way that stealing it would be basically impossible without conquering Ponyville (which is right next to the capital) first. But the Steel Tower only need momentary access, which meant they weren't forced to go around any of the guards of teleportation-restriction spells on unregistered unicorns or anything else. On that we have another false assumption that formed the basis of equestrian defense: That the Steel Tower did not have the ability to travel between worlds, and if they did, they have their own technologies and wouldn't need to briefly use an OMICRON Core to do it. Clearly mistaken, but this is the source of the trouble.
And of course you're right about the need for many types of weapons. We'll see more of this as peace changes to war and ponies begin actually being prepared for battle.
4581154
Can't say that wouldn't have been a great plan, if she could have reacted in time to get ponies there to shut the drones down. I already talked about what factors contributed to Truth's easy hacking. Had it been active wartime with enemies still trying to get to it, such preparations would probably have been taken. Or something similarly drastic. But considering the pony world we know, the protection it already had was pretty substantial
4581460
I can't tell you how things will go for the Invaders, but I can promise that the Equestrians see them the exact same way you describe them, if that helps.
4582871
You caught that! Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. That's the kind of friends you don't want to be.
FAVE-BUTTON, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?!!
*Sigh* apparently when I pushed the Fave-button it didn't light up and as a result I missed this chapter when it came out...
on the plus side, I didn't see anything wrong with the story... at all
A+
Keep up the good work
dont trust the robots
I really like robots and all but these guys sound like they through their own humanity away and didn't know it.
I had those type of people.
Annnnnyyyyywwwaaayyy good chapter and a bitch of a cliff hanger. see you next week.
fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/317/5/5/twilight_sparkle____something_is_wrong_by_joemasterpencil-d5kviv6.png
"I don't recall gagging anypony. Although if I recall correctly, Rarity is into that sort of thing."
*gauging
4612890 If Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1 has taught me anything... It would be that.
Well that, and Colonel O'Neil is hilarious
cdn.justpo.st/images/2014/03/736dd8e8d2641ae100b049895589ee0d.jpg
37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb0bmfeykc1rwksrwo1_400.png
4606601
Well hopefully you've got it all worked out now, fav buttons and otherwise. If nothing else, Saturday is the day. I wish I had the time to update more often, but... (shrugs) Still, glad to see my editing peeps be doin' good work. I don't know what I would do without them.
4612890
I know, right!
4613239
Yeah, well. It's an interesting theme in fiction. They've sure given up more than I would in the interest of performance, that's for sure
4613241
All that trouble to look for something wrong, and something like this slipped through. Fixed, though wish the error had been in a more suggestive place. As it is it just looks like a boring typo.
4613680
A pity universe wasn't very good. Well the second season was okay in my mind but so few people actually made it that far after the dreadful first few episodes of the first season.
4613928 It felt like Battlestar Galactica... I didn't like battlestar Galactica, in the first place. But if I want to watch Stargate, it better feel like Stargate dangit!
So I'm guessing this is where Mr.Roboto uses the attack upon Canterlot to force Celestia into choosing their help or not, just like the prophecy foretold... Gah, I hate when fate is so unavoidable like that. Now if this was a movie, the hero (Second Chance) would do something like thumb (hoof) her nose at Fate and tell it to sod off while she does something outside the box to change that dreadful future for the better.
Reading this story makes me think, will humanity ever spiral that far downwards?
4613928 Pleasure helping ya' out, 'Scribe!
Also, that cliffhanger- Dun Dun Duuun
4612890 Instead, place your trust in Zuul! Zuul is not evil! Zuul will help the tasty pony things. ZUUL WILL DESTROY TINY PONY CREATU-!
Please excuse Zuul. Zuul is not feeling well...
My internet is made of fish (aka I've been without internet for a while)
Good chapter, diplomacy seems to be going bad for the king- is that terror-drones I hear?
nothing wrong with the text, but what is that in between?
A
Keep up the good work
4613241
4613928
Are you sure this is incorrect? I know that "gage" is a valid alternative for e.g. railroad gauge, but I'm not sure whether the verb only has the one correct spelling. Google was little help ... a rarity!
I did find one wiki that indicated that it depends on whether you are using American or British English.
4619180 I always thought it was spelled "gauging", but then again I'm not British. In any case, that was also my poor attempt at a Bondage joke. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Emoticons/misc_Pinkie_loool.png
4620850 Gauging is AFAIK the only British spelling and the more common American one.
Honestly, my first thought when Twilight senses a slight change in Richard's attitude at the bit of unpleasant news was "Ctrl+Alt+Delete, someone just got a Blue Screen of Death!"
I love Chanceling becoming Amber, I can totally see her and Chance ending up back to back at some point and fighting their way out of a bad situation together... but I can also see her taking on Chance's appearance to deceive enemies and giving her life for it 
4613239 Or they know and don't care at all.
4613241
4614104 Nobody has mentioned Discord at all... what if he's hiding in the back ground ready to act??? Equestria is his home and I think he'd have fun turning robots into dolls or causing stupid programs and logic loops in their systems.
4620559 Spike most likely isn't as powerful as a dragon raised by dragons... but he probably knows more about science and magic than any of them and more importantly he knows their weaknesses. I can just see him tossing alchemical bombs, dual wielding laser guns, and spitting fire while guarding the Crusaders and Second chance.