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This story is a sequel to Eye of the Hurricane
A glimpse into the past of the Eastern Empires most efficient and ruthless scientist. We watch her as she begins life as Twilight Sparkle. We watch her through the tragic loss of her family, the trials and tribulations of her time in the lower ranks of R&D for King Sombra. We watch as she rises in the ranks and descends into obsessive madness, becoming the most feared and respected scientist of the Eastern Empire...Professor Midnight.
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sighs...so we see another consequence of Sunset's greatest sin....Wonderful, thou i admit things were falling apart already even before then, but love to see How Sunset reacts to seeing Midnight.
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That will be an interesting interaction.:)
Thanks for reading! :)
Oh boy, sorry I'm a bit late on commenting, but what a story!
We get to see a bit more of the inner workings of the Eastern Empire's science infrastructure (more on this locale is always a win for me) and it is not what I was expecting. We see a bit of what it takes to survive in a place like this if you want to have a better life for you and those around you. Maybe it's the fact that Superman: Red Son came out recently, but I am getting heavy Soviet era vibes from this place, from the advancement by any means process, to the quiet internal power struggles and all the way to every individual has use no matter what their current status (alive or dead)
Seeing Midnight just prior to the disaster really helps set the scene for her motivations. Shining Armor is her brother and one of only two family members she has left, add to that the fact that despite having just had a heated exchange, he didn't hesitate to throw his body over hers to protect her from the explosion. That has to weigh on her in some regards and I'm sure the first thing she'd want to do once he was cured is to apologize for what was said. Judging by that cold storage, Midnight isn't the first or the last to be enticed by Sombra with the prospect of helping a loved through the virtues of their merit. Which also would help explain the cutthroat nature of this already dangerous atmosphere.
Through this read, I encountered three different types of personnel in this field that Midnight has to encounter and eventually overcome to get to the top. All dealt with or will certainly be dealt with in ironic fashion. We have Plum, someone who knows they aren't the smartest person in the room, yet she still aims for the top and, to that end uses her wits to out hustle her competition, but in the end she's the one who is not only shown up in the intelligence department, she is also outwitted by Midnight courtesy of a little "mishap".
Then we have my personal favorite character of this story (I know it won't happen but would love to see more of them), Tinsel. Here is a woman who understands the system of the science branch and instead of aiming high like nearly everyone around her, she figures to game the system, show no aspirations, do the minimal amount of work while still getting results and ride the wave of mediocrity all the way to easy retirement. Unfortunately for her, Midnight's ambitions were carefully calculated and she became a casualty of the relentless climb to the top. The plan she thought would keep her safe ended up costing her everything. We see at the end of the day, despite looking out for her, Midnight decided that "cool boss" had to go and she quickly dismantles her setup and replaces it with her own sterile vision.
Finally, we have Glockenspiel, the head of the division. In her we see an ending to a possibly tragic tale. Here is someone who has clearly fought their way to the top, prove themselves useful, time and again to Sombra and is hellbent on staying right where they are. Clearly her body is failing but her mind is still sharp and she intends to fight and keep fighting to hold that spot. No doubt she placed underlings such like Tinsel in these positions knowing full well they would never challenge her and withholds supplies to prevent upstarts like Twilight from ever surpassing her. She is the alpha of this pack, but like all top dogs, you can flex your muscle, assert your dominance, but eventually you grow old, you get weak and that kink in your armor gets bigger and more noticeable. Her time is coming and everyone around her has to know it and I doubt they'll be all that broken up about it when it does.
That ending just shows that this empire is a marvel but at the cost of it's peoples health: Physically, mentally and morally. Twilight has to make that final decision to save her best friend or her brother and it clearly is taxing all three in a way no one should ever has to choose. Unfortunately, she'll make the call, for Spike, for her demonic Hound of the Baskervilles robot and most importantly for her brother. Because in this place, in Sombra's Eastern Empire, it's "Progress at any cost".
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We're so glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for such a thorough review :)
This was so hard for me to read. Seeing Twilight (now Midnight) being bullied, sabotaged & mocked by her superior & peers, only to later become cold & heartless was truly sad to see, especially since her last memory about Shining was about an argument... Then that ending about Spike was... heartbreaking & it kinda hit close to home for me. No doubt, that's when she finally loses the last bit of humanity…
"Progress at Any Cost" That is her live now... And it's a cold & sad one
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I have not had the pleasure of watching Red Son yet but I'm eager to eventually!
As usual we welcome your feedback as it's one of the few consistent reviews we get each time!
We would be lost without feedback! I hope others take you as an example and dive in as well!
Small point of correction:
Tinsel is not whom Midnight replaces. It's a new department n.n
Tinsel may indeed be alive and well! Who knows. (Well..I mean I do xD)
Stay tuned!
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Watching someone spiral into what feels like a dark path is very difficult. Especially if you know life could be better.
But some of what happens is her choice at first and later all her choice.
Though what we see is but the dawn of Midnights journey into darkness.
Spike and the rest will return!
Stay tuned n.n
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Even still, it was such a sad to see her go down this path...
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Oh indeed.
Her journey is not one that will be as storybook and hugs and kisses as the canon.
Of course that's because she never met her friends. Causing a chain reaction.
Just imagine what else has happened to other people?
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I'm almost afraid to imagine, just how badly everyone else was affected that we still don't know about.
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One of the main things I focus on in my stories is how choices we make shape us and how we seldom realize that at a young age. :)
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Such words of wisdom
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I can tell that a lot of effort has been put into this by everyone involved and everytime I read a new story or chapter of this verse I find so much to write about. Always a pleasure.
So Midnight leapfrogged over Tinsel to a better position. Okay. At first I thought it was her office Midnight was having cleaned out since the disorganization just seemed like the way Tinsel would have her work area. I do wonder if Plum was ever okay. Usually that kind of injury is certain death. If not, her aspirations for any type of career are now dead in the water.
Midnight's story is one of sadness and intrigue. A glimpse into what turns a brilliant mind into that of a mad scientist. It's easy to see here that Midnight's poor social conditioning played a huge role in her fall into darkness. She didn't afford herself to the same "morals" that others had, and thus it was easier for her to abandon them to achieve what she needed. She's a desperate girl trying to salvage the only things she has left. It's easy to see that she is put in a bind.
The story is short and sweet, and I think we all know what happens next. Spike is the successful test subject in the end.
I think what's fascinating here is that we only get a small "glimpse" into the world that is the Sombra empire. We don't get to see the man himself, and that actually works to the benefit of the story. It exemplifies the idea of "show, don't tell," in that we don't need to see Sombra to get an idea of what kind of kingdom he's running. The research facility is only a tiny fragment of his world, but it gives a grim picture of what his world is like. He's ruthless, and he is clearly a utilitarian to the highest degree, and that makes him less "villainous" in a good way. His position as a "bad guy" is ambiguous because it can be argued that Midnight herself is clearly a utilitarian as well.
Some might say that because Midnight has these utilitarian makes her somewhat of a villain, but that's the beauty of the duality of writing at times. It's left up to the reader to decide that. She clearly has no issue with working under the conditions that Sombra has created, such as disposal of the "useless" elderly. It could also be interpreted as Midnight has tunnel vision and focuses only on her goals and thus is droning out anything that is morally questionable in the pursuit of said goals.
It's a unique take on the character and a potential path she could take after the events of the second movie, and it's interestingly crafted. I think the only flaw is that there... Isn't enough of it!
What is really interesting is that while it is a part of the Metaverse created in Equestrian City, it actually accomplishes being a unique setting that feels different.
It's a fantastic read, and highlights a side character that warranted the attention.
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I feel like this and the Equestrian City storyline could've worked well together.