Check
“I’m sorry, you want me to what?” Twilight asked.
Life’s gaze burned as it met her own, transfixing the young unicorn. “Kill them, Twilight. If you want to save your world, you must eliminate the forces that are tearing it apart. If Celestia and Luna and Discord are allowed to run rampant, they will destroy your world just as surely as the Shadow. Regardless of who wins this struggle, you will lose. Unless you decide that no one wins that war.”
Death nodded in agreement. “You wish for free will? It can be yours. You could seize control of your own life, for the first time in your life you would be free to choose as you wish, truly free, without bias. You could choose what to do with your life, Twilight.”
Twilight’s mind spun at the implications. No more Celestia or Discord to fight against, no more Luna to maintain Balance. She could save her world by dint of her skill and intelligence, and hers alone. She could be what she wanted to be, anything at all.
Life smiled beatifically at her, seeing what the young unicorn was thinking. “Yes, Twilight. You could be anything, do anything, and be with whoever you wanted to be with. Your body has been destroyed, and with it the curse Celestia laid upon you at birth. You could have a foal, Twilight. You could marry a stallion, or a mare if that is what you so desire. You could take both.”
“Who would refuse one who killed a goddess and ended a war? You could have anything your heart desired, and more. With our powers at your disposal, with Knowledge and Life and Death at your command, you could work wonders. Your name could be remembered for all time, writ large in the very stars. You could be the Empress of the Evening, the Mage Queen who gave ponies their freedom. You could be ruler, beloved of all.” Death hissed, his knife twisting back and forth in the air.
Twilight’s brow furrowed. If she agreed to kill those who had twisted her world so badly that she hardly even recognized it, she could remake it as she saw fit. Visions of ivory and ebony towers, crackling with lightning, stood tall in her head. She could bring forth a new age of prosperity, with only a single nod of her head. She could have her revenge and all the power she could ever desire by simply saying “yes”, all she would need to do was what was clearly right. Her so-called friends had only come slinking back to her when she had brought them to their knees through trickery and lies, when they should have been there from the start. Her thoughts spun wrathfully as she considered what she could do to them. She could make them beg for forgiveness on their knees, just as she had begged them four long years ago, when they had shown her where their true loyalties had lain.
Of course they had chosen Celestia over her. They were nothing more than tools, after all, nothing more than mortal. She could raise them up to new heights after grinding them into the dust, showing them the light after teaching them their errors, for Twilight would be the one with the power to remake her life, and in doing so remake the lives of others, make them better, give them their freedom and lead them into a new and glorious age. Celestia had to be stopped; she could not be trusted to keep control. And Discord was surely no better. And all it would take were a few necessary sacrifices.
She froze. The ivory towers in her mind melted away, replaced with a familiar hall, the audience hall of the Regia. She remembered with horror how Morning Star’s mocking voice had called to her, hailing her as a savior as legions of faceless ponies prostrated themselves before her. She remembered two wings made of smoke, the horrible things she had seen in that terrible dream. She remembered what she could have done. Canterlot in ruins, her race humbled, and her friends nothing more than names carved into a weathered stone.
Her friends…she couldn’t believe what she was considering doing to her friends. They were not tools, they were ponies, with thoughts and feelings and hopes and dreams of their own. Free will meant making mistakes, intelligence meant being open to thoughts that might be different than her own. She had no right to punish them for being used by one so much more powerful than them. She had been like them, once. And as soon as she was offered power, she considered using it to put herself above others.
And it was only then that she realized what she was being told to do, and how she was being used. Her shoulders began to shake as her head bowed, and the amphitheater, at first silent, was soon filled with the gasps of desperate, near-hysterical chuckling. Death and Life looked at one another in confusion as Twilight began to howl with laughter, the tones of her revelations echoing off of unseen walls. She laughed and laughed, until she finally subsided, breath coming in short gasps. Finally, she lifted her head and looked at Death and Life, whose expressions were as inscrutable as the space between stars.
“Okay, so let me get this straight.” she said, swallowing another chuckle. “You want me to take a stand and exercise my free will by doing what it is you tell me to do. You want to get rid of Celestia and Luna and Discord, thereby increasing your power, and you want me to do it for you. Meaning that I would in fact be free of their influence, at the price of falling under yours. Essentially, you want a puppet to dance for you in exchange for some insane dream of power and fame?”
Death attempted to speak, but Twilight’s voice cracked like a whip across his own. “You really don’t get it, do you? You’re offering me the world, and everything inside of it, but you’ve made a big mistake.”
She locked eyes with Life, who now seemed to be transfixed by her instead of it being the other way around. “The thing is, I don’t want the world. I never wanted the world. What you’ve just offered me is the exact opposite of what I would really like, which is to finally rest, to find a bit of redemption and not have to worry about my world or any other world coming to an end. All I wanted was happiness, and what you’ve just offered me would never, ever make me happy.”
Her eyes swept over the stands behind the two archetypes, and she took in the shadowy ranks of the waiting versions of herself. “I don’t want to owe allegiance to any aspect. I don’t want to be a god, but I feel the only way for me to ever be out from underneath these massive Powers is to become one myself. So, I have a counterproposal for you all.”
There was no outward sign of assent from the shadowy spectators in front of her, but Twilight could feel their attention on her just as acutely as the full force of a storm. She had interested them, and now it was up to her to convince them of the plan she had been holding close to her chest.
“I will not work for Order, or Chaos, or Death, or Life. I will not be subservient to any archetype, and that is a vow I will hold to. Mother herself will not challenge me. But I can offer you something else. I will never be a pawn, but I can be something better. Make me a champion, a knight who fights for your causes because she wishes to, not because she is forced to. Lend me power when I need it, and I can promise you that I will do more than banish the Shadow, I will do what Luna could not.”
She looked the two archetypes in the eyes, and spoke with confidence. “I can maintain the Balance. With her help, and the support of the other archetypes, there is nothing that I cannot do. Once the Shadow lies defeated, and Equestria is saved, I will relinquish my power, if it is so desired. To be honest, that’s what I would prefer. And that’s why you can trust me, because I don’t want your power, I just want to rest. I will do my very best to make sure that your enemies are crushed, Celestia and Discord brought to heel, the Balance is maintained. And after that task is complete, I will gladly step aside. No, I will beg to die, if that is what is needed.”
The archetypes and the assembled shadows gazed at her as if transfixed. “Make me your ally, not a tool, and I can be far more deadly and effective than even you could be acting through me. Let me solve problems my way, and I promise you that I will be more than you could have ever dreamed. Just look at what I accomplished on my own! With none of you supporting me, with only the help given to me by my friends, I was able to nearly bring Celestia to her knees, something Discord and Luna could never have done. Imagine what wonders I could create with my freedom intact and your support!”
Twilight raised one hoof in the air, nearing the climax of her speech. “I ask you this, good and gentle souls. I ask for your support, the backing of Order and Chaos alike. Lend me your Power, and let me shoulder the burden of Balance. I will drive out the entity of Destruction, and restore Equestria to its rightful state, that of evenness and true harmony, not the lie that Celestia claimed it was. True Harmony is about a balance between extremes, and with your help, I can bring about Harmony, not just for my worlds, but through me, all of Creation. Order and Chaos, side by side, and the stronger for it! I ask you now, brave and wonderful souls, lend me your strength, and I will never falter, and I cannot fail. Lend me your strength, and together, let us forge Creation into what it was always meant to be, a place of Balance!”
Twilight was suddenly aware of a great pressure upon her, and her eyes widened as she watched the air warp and twist even more, bringing new forms to the arena floor. A column of writhing water, some strange looking creature with fur the color of bark, a grinning skull with razor sharp teeth, and others revealed themselves to her, and Twilight heard the crowd suddenly erupt into roaring and cheering as she faced down the archetypes, keeping her head high.
“It seems they’ve agreed to your proposal, dear.” a voice said from behind her. “Well played. A masterful speech, if a tad bombastic. Keep in mind that you did ask for it, however. And you have made some very big promises. Very big indeed.”
Twilight nodded her head respectfully as Mother trotted around her back. “Mother. I assure you, I meant every word I said.”
The mare smiled, laugh lines creasing her face. “I’ve no doubt of that, my dear. And perhaps I should have listened to my children more. I had always intended for Balance to reign supreme, but I suppose it was too much for any one being to bear, no matter how great she was. Perhaps the extra help will be of use to her.” She turned, facing the rows of benches. “I have never seen Order and Chaos agree on something so solidly.” she said, taking in the applauding spirits. “Perhaps you really can bring around equilibrium. It’s certainly time for it.”
Twilight smiled, finally allowing herself to relax. “So what happens now?” she asked.
The Aether turned to face her, her face serious. “To keep your promises, you’re going to need to make some changes. You aren’t going to be a goddess, because you don’t command any archetype, you simply use them as necessary. So you will not be immortal, though I think that we can work something out. Life and Death support you, so you will not be allowed to die until you have fulfilled your goals. And you will be taking a small part of me with you. This is to ensure that you can access the archetypes as you need them. The rest, you will simply need to take care of on your own.”
Twilight frowned. “Part of you? What do you mean by-“
Mother lunged forward, burying her horn up to the hilt in Twilight’s chest and cutting her sentence short. The unicorn choked and gagged as pain radiated out from the wound, which felt as if it was on fire. Mother broke the horn off of her head with a vicious jerk of her head, leaving the horn embedded in Twilight’s heart as the young unicorn collapsed, suddenly feeling very cold indeed. Twilight looked down to see blood seeping from the wound, and the last thing she remembered seeing before blacking out entirely was Mother’s sympathetic face.
Twilight drifted in weightlessness once more, and this time she realized that it felt far colder than it should have.
Sweetie Belle shot up in bed with a start, eyes swiveling wildly as she attempted to take in her surroundings. She immediately regretted that action as a lance of pain shot through her head and chest, causing her to hiss in agony as she sunk back down into the mattress. She could hear rumblings in the distance, sharp reports and cries from somewhere nearby. Silently, she took stock of what was around her, and came to the conclusion that she was back in the Regia.
The sudden clatter of hooves sounded, and a familiar looking Pegasus filly skidded to a stop near her bed, eyes gleaming with tears as she looked at her expectantly. Sweetie Belle’s sluggish mind attempted to reconcile this filly with what had happened to her, and took a moment to arrive at the logical conclusion.
“Cirrus?”
The filly nodded, pulling out a sheet of paper from her saddlebags and showing her the message scrawled upon it. Are you feeling alright?
Sweetie Belle sat up more slowly this time, taking it easy. “I think so. What’s going on?”
The Regia’s under attack. Celestia’s trying to break the wards, and Luna and the Elements can’t hold her off much longer. They’re flagging fast up there. All of the other foals are being moved to the keep, along with the injured and sick. You’ve got to come with me, this part of the castle’s about to be overrun.
Sweetie Belle nodded once, forcing herself out of bed. Upon hitting the floor, her hooves nearly gave way, causing her to stumble a bit. She caught herself just in time to prevent a fall, steadying herself on a nightstand. She looked around as the room spun. She appeared to be in some sort of sick bay or hospital wing. It was being evacuated, and quickly. Most of the beds were empty, nurses ushering patients out of the door.
The filly withdrew another piece of paper. Rainbow Dash already collapsed, and she’s unconscious. The other four are working as hard as they can, but they’re just no match for Celestia. It’s only a matter of time, now that Twilight Sparkle’s dead.
The duo burst into the hallway, Sweetie Belle panting as she hobbled along. “Twilight Sparkle is dead? When did that happen?”
The filly glared at her, tugging her along impatiently. Sweetie Belle figured she must have run out of paper, so she shut up and focused on running. The tower shook as she rounded a corner, sending her into a wall. Gritting her teeth in pain, Sweetie Belle kept moving, powering through it. The steady stream of ponies merged into the main hallway that ran between the outer tower and the inner keep, moving calmly but urgently towards their destination. Cirrus flapped her wings a few times, landing on Sweetie Belle’s back to avoid being separated in the crowd.
The weight was negligible, and Sweetie Belle found herself moving more and more easily with each step, trying to make it to safety. As she hobbled, she tried desperately to think about something, anything besides what she knew she had done to one of her best friends. It had been her or Applebloom, she knew that. She had no choice if she wanted to live.
But that look in her eyes, right before she died. It had been almost like Applebloom had become herself, for one last moment. And the possibility that Sweetie Belle had not killed a monster, but instead her best friend, terrified her and sickened her beyond words. It had been easy to do it, to get in close and bring her down. If she was going to be honest with herself, she knew that she probably could have ended the fight before it had even really begun. But some part of her had held back, hoping that Applebloom was still in there, somewhere.
And in a cruel twist of fate, she had shown up. She had shown up right as Sweetie Belle had given up hope on her, had forsaken peace for the blade. Maybe she hadn’t. Maybe she had been imagining it, maybe Applebloom really had disappeared. But the possibility that she wasn’t was something that would haunt her for as long as she lived.
This wasn’t likely to be very long, Sweetie Belle realized. Trottingham was an entire city, full of innocents, and Celestia had set it ablaze. The castle was full of Ever Free ponies, threats to her rule. By the time she was finished, there would likely not be a castle left at all, let alone ponies inside of it. But she set those thoughts to the side as they reached their destination, a room with many doors, each imposing and stretching to the ceiling above. Sweetie Belle realized it was the antechamber to the throne room, which also lead a few other places. With a jolt, she realized where they were headed.
The vault in the Regia stood open, empty of coin, which was strewn about on the floor in order to make more room for ponies to fit inside. The mighty door looked unbreakable under normal conditions, but Sweetie Belle knew to a goddess it would make a very poor barrier indeed. It was their best hope, and it would not be enough to save them, not by a long shot.
A tap on her shoulder caused Sweetie Belle to turn her head, and she was presented with an envelope by Cirrus, one that bulged strangely. Making an effort, she took it from the filly as they sat down inside the vault, settling against one of the walls. Immediately she recognized the script on the outside as Rarity’s, and she tore it open eagerly, withdrawing the letter first.
My Dearest Sister,
If you are reading this, it means that I was not there to comfort you when you woke up. It feels like I never am there, doesn’t it? But this time, it is for a reason. Celestia’s army marches on the Regia, and since Twilight is gone, it doesn’t look like we have much of a chance left. I can feel her now, tugging at my thoughts and telling me to surrender. But I won’t, not while there’s breath left in me.
Because I’m fighting for you, Sweetie Belle. Everything I can do to keep you in my life just a little bit longer is something I will do gladly. There is so much I didn’t say, so much I could have shared with you if only I hadn’t tried to keep the truth hidden from you. That’s one of my biggest regrets, that I will never be able to talk to you as a sister. I don’t expect to come from this fight without anything to show for it. Like as not I’ll be in service to Celestia again. Rainbow Dash is already showing signs of flagging, the poor dear doesn’t have much strength left, and she was the closest of all of us to Celestia.
I failed to protect you, Sweetie Belle. Even though I tried, it seemed the harder I worked to keep you safe, the less safe you became. Even this last action is ultimately futile. But all is not lost, Sweetie Belle. Inside the envelope is your knife, one you refused to let go of even after we pulled you from the lake and brought you back here. It’s yours. Use it to keep the ponies around you safe. Perhaps you can do it better than I.
Sweetie Belle, I love you more than you could ever know, and for what it’s worth, I’m proud of the choices you’ve made. Even though I couldn’t see it, you grew into a powerful young mare, one that I envy in more ways than one. Keep your conviction strong, and your faith in yourself stronger. Something great lies within you, Sweetie Belle. Though it should have died, the foal inside of you is as healthy as ever. Keep it safe, and those around you safe as well.
I love you, and I miss you already. Please, remember me fondly, and know that I will be here for you until the very end.
Love,
Rarity.
Sweetie Belle folded the letter back up with trembling hooves, taking the jambiyah from the envelope and hefting it in one hoof as she gave it an experimental twirl. Her eyes met those of Cirrus, and Sweetie Belle made the choice right then and there. She would keep this filly safe. Regardless of what she had to do, she would make sure that Celestia could not have Cirrus. The knife hummed as she looked at it, and then at the filly. Whatever it took.
Shining Armor ducked behind the hastily erected earthworks as another bucker shot whirred overhead. The young lieutenant screamed at the spellcasters to return fire, her voice echoing throughout the battlefield. The sun was beginning to set, and the clouds were rolling back in, flashes of thunder and lightning heralding the arrival of a storm as flakes of gentle snow began to fall.
He looked out over the ramparts as Celestia dove in close to the castle, her attack repulsed yet again by the remaining Elements and her sister. Rainbow Dash’s signature red flares of lightning had ceased hours ago, and the defenses were finally beginning to weaken. The wards on the walls, layered so thick that they put Canterlot’s defenses to shame, flared yet again, another rune failing somewhere in the system and taking an entire layer of wards with it. Easily thirty layers of defenses had been removed, but the powerful runes showed no signs of letting up soon.
A shout arose from the ranks of the Equestrian army, and the ponies assaulting the castle cheered wildly at what was appearing over the treeline. The Fleets had arrived! All seven of Equestria’s fleets had combined, and hundreds of airships now filled the skies above the Regia. Cries of panic came from the defenders on the walls, but it was too late. The might of Equestria had finally arrived, and now the massive guns of the Navy were going to pound the last remnants of the Ever Free into submission. Shining Armor smiled. It would all be over soon.
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The anticipation of the resurrection is killing me!
-Mis
Obligatory MOAR post.
Everything's coming to a head and I want to see how this will go, and what has happened to Twilight.
HELL YEAH FUCKING DIE YOU (in this fic) BICTH CELESTIA BECUSE TWILIGHT IS GOING TO KILL YOU AND MAKE YOU BLEED AND SUFFER FOR YOUR CRIMES WMHHAAAAAAA HEEHEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE LONG LIVE TWILIGT THE ALICORN OF BALANCE OF ALL AND DEATH TO CELESTIA THE TYRENT.
Oh, dear... this... is going to be interesting indeed.
god fucking damn it you'r killing me with all this build up of suspense! ACK-GAH! 'keels over from heart attack'
Am I the only one who hopes Shiney gets tossed off a cliff or something before the end of this? I mean, seriously, beyond even the rest of the Mane 6, he's probably the worst offender when it comes to betraying Twilight. I SUPPOSE it could depend on exactly how much he actually knows about Celestia's plans, but still, at least the other Elements can claim to have had a double dose of mind whammy...
What, Twilight? You intend to put Luna out of a job?
Theory one: Twilight came back as herself
Theory two: Twilight is the baby SB is carrying.
2753571 Yeah that was my thought as well. I mean, for a BBBFF, he's doing a pretty shitty job. After all, "Twiley"s dead, and he doesn't seem to even care.
2753705
Or he doesn't know. Keep in mind his army didn't fight in the battle Twilight was killed in.
2753647
I like that second one. Why didn't I think of that?
2753524
Settle down Beavis...
2753722
Oh, but you did. Because secretly, we're all just your conscience split amongst the entire world's population, and therefore are clones of you.
2753722
Never too late to change
2753647>>2753722
That was the theory I had. I made a comment about it back in Chapter 52. Well, granted I didn't really say anything too specific, but that was my line of thinking when I posted it.
I swear, Twilight's eventual resurrection will be one of the most epic events in FimFiction history. MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
The paragons of virtue weather the vices of old.
For the suns shadow is long.
Love now tempers wrath's full fury.
Life, has found peace with death.
Chaos can exist in the natural order.
And as the pendulum swings, the bell rings clear as balance is restored.
For dusk, heralds the end of day.
And dawn, the end of night.
For in the twilight, all is equal.
Just for that smile, JUST FOR THAT, you will experience your life slowly getting sucked out of your body as your blood stains the ground from your heart.
Meanwhile, Twilight is ready to return, to bring the tyrant to her knees!
You shall not face defeat, Twilight Sparkle!
Awaiting further releases.
Short but sweet! Can't wait to see how it ends!
No, seriously. PLEASE POST MOAR CHAPTERS!!!!!! I have been with your story since you posted the 1st chapter, and I need to see how it ends!!!!!! 
I LOVE your story! *dies from awesomeness.
Your story needs to be re-titled, "Cliffhanger II: The cliffhangering!"
This chapter was over way too fast.
2754407
He's been known to do that.
BY LUNA'S LEFT LEGS! Make MOAR!
Well....
Damn.
"Shining Armor smiled. It would all be over soon."
Yes, it will. Too bad you're about to lose spectacularly.
god the final battle is looking to be pretty epic. Damn hope new chapter isn't a long the wait is killing me!
Whey was I asleep when this was posted! Now to the reading!
Life and Death should have worked a bit more their part; they are so corny that they are almost screaming "Join the Dark Side! We have Cookies!" The secret of offering the Devil Deal is not to push too hard, neither making the offer so attractive and devoid of disadvantages that anyone with two brain cells and a bit of cinism could think something is fishy. Enough to make Twilight stop and think for just a few seconds about.
See an example of another failed Deal:
2753602
She is pretty much of a failure already, if you ask me.
2753571
Agreed. Worst big brother ever.
2753647
That would be a great idea, except there isn´t much time left to save the day.
Unless Mr. Airstream is actually planing let the bad guys win this time, until Dusk has the opportunity of growing up. But that would be too cruel ever from him,right? right?!
So let me see if I got this right, Twilight will have the power and backing of all her other selfs as well as command over all the other aspects not just life-and-death... oh boy... Celestia is in for a world of hurt, Discord will get a beat down again... Although he's pretty use to it in this particular universe, and I suspect Luna won't get away scot-free either, you know with the whole betraying Twilight and killing her part she played... I'm sitting on the edge of my seat here, so you better get on the next part of this pronto!!!
Ps: Jesus somersaulting Christ this is a bucking good story Airstream!!! Just to let you know if I haven't made my thoughts about that abundantly clear already... Now could you please put your entire life on hold so we can get the next chapter ASAP! Pretty please with sugar on top!!!
Wait, isn't the deaf pegasus deaf? How does she hear Sweetie Belle talk to her? Unless you mentioned lip reading at one point? Also, didn't she break her neck in an earlier chapter? The real question, I guess, is, "Is she a timelord?" If she was a timelord that would explain everything. Also, is anyone else worried about Tara's well being? I mean she crazy sad and thus fighting a battle with nothing to lose... So, she's in quite a bit of danger if she gets too reckless. Although, I think the battle she was in is over if the fighting has moved back to the walls, so that must already be resolved, we're just not being told yet. Oh, and if the bearer's family lines have been condensed as well as Twilight's (But not as much) how was Sweetie Belle able to have a foal on the first shot? I think I may have used up my question mark qouta for the day. Now I can't ask any more questions.
Still got my exclamation marks though! (Oh wait, that was the last one! Why must the world be so cruel! Hold on, how did I use exclamation marks there? Was that a question mark? What is happening!)
Well, I'm going to go hide from the punctuation police. I look forward to reading the next chapter as soon as it transfers from the state of not being into the one of being on my screen.
2755001
Read again. Cirrus can read lips.The pegasus filly who broke her neck was never named. She is not timelord. Celestia put a spell of fertility on Sweetie when she was undercovered.
2755030
Thanks for clearing it up, however the fertility spell was after she and Night Light did a thing.
Forgive me for being confused about a deaf pegasus filly that lived in the same city as this one breaking her neck after ignoring the guards just like this one did (minus the neck break.)
I'm going to be sad when this is finally over.
2755051
To be honest, I suspect the filly was intended to be Cirrus at first, but Airstream decided later to keep that character for further use. Apparently Cadence is interested in her.
awww yeah
AWWW YEAH!!!
AWWWW YEAH!!!!!!!!
forums.kleientertainment.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=242&d=1360718855&thumb=1
airstream...whatever great epiphanies you are having while writing this...keep having them
2754525 It pretty much is the entire reason the war is happening in the first place, as well as introducing most of the characters that continue on into this story. Reading it would definitely be recommended, if not required.
And son of a bitch if it isn't really really hard waiting for Twilight to come back and give Celestia the thrashing she's had a long time coming.
Called the avatar of free will thingy in the first story and have just been waiting for this moment!
2753571
The deal with Shining Armor is that the story hasn't really shown us a good look into his head nor given us any info on what happened to him at the end of the last story where Twilight reveals Celestia's nation wide mind manipulation.
Many chapters ago we got a tiny peak into his thoughts, and those thoughts suggested that Shining was under the impression that Twilight was confused and misguided. Of course, this isn't correct and Twilight already proved that right in front of him at the end of the last story. Thus, I would wager that Shining has had his emotions and memories heavily altered by Celestia and Cadence.
I do hope that we get a better look inside his head and even some info on what was on his mind at the end of the last story when Twilight pulled back the curtain on Celestia's plan.
2755561
Shining Armor´s thoughts appear in "White Knight, Grey Plans". Mostly, he has chosen his wife and duty over his sister again.
2756168
This is the part that I was kinda referring too. I mean, Twilight revealed everything Celestia was going to do to her to all of Equestria AND Celestia backed up what Twilight was saying. Thus, Twi's parents and Shining should have been the first ones to jump ship, but they didn't. Her friends were the same way.
I just feel that Shining's decision to choose the crown over his family was born out of manipulation, not unlike Celestia's hold over Twi's friends until the Element of Magic started breaking down.
I could be wrong though, I guess we'll get a better idea of where he really stands soon enough.
Airstream, here, have this knife and just thrust it into my throat. Would be kinder than THE ANTICIPATION YOU HAVE CREATED ARRRRGH!!
I think pretty much everbody's lost their marbles at this point, certainly for those who side with Celestia. Now if we could just force everypony to relive their choices (with the orders coming directly from Celestia) and preferably with them in their "right minds", that would make this a bit more even.
Okay, I'm calling this now. Airstream is going to string us along, have the defenders fall valiantly, and then have Twilight show up at the very end of the next chapter. We will all be enraged and flail uselessly against our inability to hurry this story along, and we will be loving and praising him regardless.
Can't wait for the update's and for the Royal Smack Down's Twilight is about to deliver!
2753647
img.mu.cdn.li/Ao/xqefEH.jpg
^ quite litteraly. (in a sense)
Whoa that was EPIC! Also I feel my heart worry greatly, but also some small semblance of hope that the Navy has been taken over by Everfree.
Also: MOAR! MOAR CHAPTERS!!
That is all ^^
This is such a great story!!! I can't wait to see how it ends.
2753647
I'm with theory two on this one.
I need the conclusion to this like a crackhead needs his next fix! I MUST HAVE MORE!!!
I bet Tara and the Condottieri took care of the Navy and the Fleet has a BIG surprise in form of massive Guns for Celestias Army
2766754
This is a piece of fiction we're talking about here. Broken necks are always fatal, unless the recipient is the Big Bad.
shining is a dick so he die's horribly with knowledge he betrayed his little sister and thrown her to the wolves (aka celestia and co.) and lead her to her death and stuff.
Twily always got one up her sleeve. She ready to die and just has to take out the trash first