The mare blinked once, then twice, clear thought once again returning to her. She tried to stand up, but her legs refused to listen. She looked around her, seeing only the dim chamber where she'd first lost track of herself. Apparently she was still in Pandinus' chamber. Zelus blinked a few times, looking around and soon spotting the prone, still-comatose form of her fellow queen, a line of drool falling from the elder queen's gaping maw and trailing down her slender neck.
Zelus giggled at the sight, knowing how rare it was to catch the always-serious Lestidae in a compromising position. Truly it would be wonderful if she could find a crystal-recorder to immortalize the picture, but considering how dizzy she was feeling she wasn't certain she could hold the crystal in the proper position long enough.
"You're already up?" a voice asked from the other side of the room. Zelus managed to turn, seeing Pandinus smirking at her from the doorway.
"What time is it?" Zelus asked, rubbing her eyes with a foreleg.
"It's just past noon," the larger queen answered, approaching the blankets and helping the other queen to her hooves. "Flush the extra to the hive, Zelus. It will help clear your mind until you can adapt to the higher concentrations."
Zelus frowned at the order, her instinct to hold onto the emotions she'd ingested being very strong in its reproach. There was more in that single shot than she'd tasted in the last five years. Despite this, she took a deep breath and did so, opening her eyes to find Din smiling at her.
"This way."
She followed the other mare, curious about their destination. Soon enough they came upon a small door, a full compliment of guards standing before it. She felt them brush against her in the link, verifying those who approached and then stepping aside. Walking in after Pandinus, Zelus' jaw dropped.
The room was large, with several large covered pools throughout the room. Different emotions were stored in each, the colors varying depending upon the concentration and the contents. The queen walked between them, noting the consistency, the purity, the sheer amount of emotion contained inside the pools.
'They were diluting what they were giving us.,' she realized. If she'd tried consuming some of this in her previous state, it would likely have left her violently ill. Snapping out of her thoughts, she noticed Pandinus hadn't stopped, continuing on a path to the back of the room and a second door with yet another set of guards. They passed into the next room, and the sight nearly made the smaller queen weep.
"Love has always been the most powerful, most empowering of all the emotions. We keep it back here, away from the others so there is no cross-contamination." Pandinus explained, three true drones moving to clean the two of them with towels and brushes. Then, before Zelus could ask what was going on Din stepped forward, walking into one of the small one-person ponds in the room and letting out a sigh of contentment. Din looked back with a grin as the drones went back to their places.
"Are you going to sit there all day? Or does the idea scare you?"
"Why?" Zelus asked her. "You have so much here, why do you need us?"
Pandinus stared into the distance for a moment before responding. "Amare is not my daughter by birth, she's a proto queen that is only here because she was linked to Cadance. Mirage, Kris, Healing Mist, Umbra, Still, Gem, all of them a part of my hive, and yet the only drones that I've personally given birth to are a few true drones, including the ones by the door. I'm not worried though, do you know why? Because I know I'll live to see tomorrow. I'm not scared, trying to lay as many eggs as I can to increase my children's chances of surviving each day. I don't see other changelings as an obstacle, things that consume resources better suited for my own children. Instead I follow Cimmerian's plan. I make those here want to stay, I work to make this better than any alternative."
Zelus nodded as she cautiously slipped into a second personal pond, shuddering as she felt the warmth of the honey pressing against her shell.
"I, I can't say it's not effective."
Din giggled, focusing her stare on the other queen. "It's wonderful isn't it? I want you to do something for me though. I won't stop you from starting your own hive, but until you decide if you want to leave or not, I want you to guard my husband. This, all of this, is because he gave our people a chance. That love you sit in, that's yours. Use it, heal yourself. Force a molt, alter yourself in any way you see fit. The entire contents of that pond are yours, I'm not even going to add it to your debt. Keep my mate safe during this time of danger, and I'll consider your debt null."
Zelus stared at the other queen in shock, here eyes going from Din to the bathing pond of love she was currently standing in. Had she not seen and felt so much love and other emotions in the area, she'd have called the other queen mad for suggesting such a waste. As it stood...
Zelus took a deep breath, allowing her form to fall beneath the surface of the pool. Her heartbeat slowed, her eyes glazed, and her body slowly began its repairs. She knew what had been asked of her, and knew the importance of her new task.
A ghost of a smile graced her face. She would be the defender of her race's future. She would be the warrior queen she'd always wished to be.
Pandinus smiled softly as she felt the smaller queen's link going dormant. Zelus wasn't one for sitting in meeting rooms all day, that much she'd already discovered. As such, the best place for her would be in the field, which was odd considering she was a fellow queen.
She was, however, much easier to deal with than Lestidae. The older mare would likely have had an aneurism if she'd been put through a similar situation, but she'd have her own use. The changeling's face hardened in conviction. Lestidae would learn to adapt, or she would leave the hive.
Dunking her head under the honey and enjoying being completely encapsulated in love, allowing the warmth to permeate every part of her form, the changeling took a deep pull of the glowing emotion-laden honey. She broke the surface, stepping out of the pool carefully and allowing the drones to clean the liquid from her form. Afterwards, she left them with orders to maintain the depth of Zelus' pool. Her husband's guard would have anything and everything she needed.
Pandinus shook her head in frustration as she felt her gut gurgling once again, the constant need for both types of food weighing on her mind. She wasn't used to this need, nor was she happy about how slowly the nymphs were developing. It would be worth it, though. The intensity of the alicorn's love, even his desire for her safety had multiplied upon the discovery of her condition. She could only imagine how much it would increase when the young were finally born.
Entering the dining hall nearly an hour after the meal had ended, she was greeted by the sight of two other mares also seated at a table, munching on a late meal and giggling amongst themselves. Seating herself by them, she smiled kindly at the mares even as one of Slop's assistants approached to take her order.
"So it starts, hmm? Who are the fathers?"
The mares blushed, breaking out into a renewed fit of giggles before naming their respective stallions and asking the queen how her own pregnancy was progressing. Eventually the conversations were put on hold, all the gathered females having received their meals. Din smiled through her lunch, a free hoof finding its way to her barrel. Maybe this wasn't as bad as she'd first thought.
<-(0)->
He tried waiting for her whimpering and groveling to stop.
He tried speaking softly to the mare, or even gently approaching her, but her shivering only increased to outright shaking.
Finally, he tried authority, demanding she explain what was wrong, why she was so fearful of him, but all it drew from the mare was additional tears.
Cimmerian sighed in exasperation, hooking a fetlock over his muzzle before standing and once more approaching the mare. He ignored her whimpers and shaking, laying down in front of her and using his magic to lift her face to his own.
"Look at me."
The mare struggled against his aura for nearly a minute before raising her eyes, though the second her eyes rested on his they darted back to the floor. She renewed her efforts to try and hide herself or meld into the floor.
"Why are you afraid of me?" he asked her with a mixture of curiosity and disappointment. "Do you know why I called your kind here? Do you know why I asked to speak to one of your people, a representative of the thestrals?"
Surprisingly she answered his question.
"Gram t-told me you'd come one day, to call us on our, our debt. I didn't believe her, oh stars, I don't want to die, please don't kill me!" she wailed.
The stallion's face scrunched up in a mixture of disgust and confusion. He'd seen a few thestrals that bowed or even groveled the first time they'd seen him, but he'd yet to see the mind bending fear this one displayed. His curious look towards the thestral guards was answered by the one to his left.
"I, I think she may be a descendant of the Nighthawks, sir."
Cimmerian raise an eyebrow. "And those were..."
"The Nighthawks were a group that decided to side with Nightmare Moon during the Twilight Coup. They pledged to side with her, but didn't manage to reach Equestria in time to help Nightmare Moon, so she swore to punish them when she returned. I heard that many Nighthawks were plagued by night terrors for years after Nightmare Moon was banished. Sometimes they even haunted the dreams of their descendants."
The guard shook his head. "Equestrians may have forgotten over the years about Nightmare Moon, but the loss of Princess Luna left a huge impact on our people. Princess Luna wasn't just a foreign ruler, she was an embodiment of our element. She was a physical representation of the night sky. Not only that, she saw us not as monsters or twisted pegasi, but our own people. She talked to us, she visited, she learned our traditions." The stallion took a shuddering breath, the topic very close to his heart. The second thestral took over, seeing her friend not certain how to proceed.
"Princess Luna became a symbol to our people. A symbol, and then a god. There are still places back home that worship the Lady of the Night. Many actually assumed Nightmare Moon was natural to her, a phase of her life just as the old tales told of the cycles of the moon in the times before Discord. Just as Princess Luna was the cool embrace of the moon's light, Nightmare Moon was the silent death that awaited those who disrespected her realm."
The alicorn nodded, a little bit of understanding lighting his eyes. "Therefore a physical embodiment of The Night's Hatred before someone who is a descendant of those ponies would be pretty terrifying."
Cimmerian took one last look at the quivering mare before turning back to the guards. "I'm going to step out for a moment, tell her I won't harm her or her loved ones in any way. I called for an ambassador to discuss the future of her people, should the Mad Queen move against them. I only want to see her people happy." The alicorn grinned at the female guard. "Tell her of your experiences at the Temple. I seem to remember a certain thestral who also acted similarly upon first seeing me."
With that he turned and left, hoping the other thestrals would be able to calm her down enough to allow them to continue the talks. Three steps out the door he almost bumped into Herrick, the old griffon wearing a concerned expression.
"What happened? Did she attack you or something?"
"No, apparently some thestrals have a bit of history with Nightmare Moon, and with how closely I resemble that individual..."
"I thought you were the Nightmare. Isn't that what those crazies set out to do in the Temple? Bring back the Nightmare?"
The stallion blinked at the counter, unable to form a reply for a moment. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he looked straight into the griffons eyes, even as his guards looked at him for an answer.
"No, Herrick, I'm not creature they set out to resurrect."
The griffon looked at him for a moment in confusion before gesturing for him to elaborate.
"The Nightmare is a parasite, a horrible creature that did in fact want to destroy the planet. However, it's also a coward. When Luna returned from her exile, the creature once more attempted to fulfill its mad goal of destroying all life. When it lost and was about to be purged by the elements, it abandoned Luna to her fate, casting a spell that swapped its position with a random being amongst the universe. That being is me. Theodore Fredson, son of an accountant and a doctor, brother to an older sister, and a creature from a world devoid of magic."
The changelings eyes widened slightly, but the griffons beside him were left with their jaws on the floor. Herrick himself was left blinking in confusion, attempting to come to grips with the reality he'd been told of.
"So, no magic, but you... how do you know any spells?"
"The creature used a swap spell, leaving a copy of its host's memories in exchange for a copy of mine. I was sealed in that armor for forty years with several centuries of memories stolen from Luna. The only reason I can think of that I didn't fall apart to such a mess was because I didn't have a physical brain. My mind was free to handle the information as it wished," the stallion explained. "When the cultists went to free the Nightmare, they freed the creature that was trapped in the armor instead. When they gave the Nightmare a physical form, it was the one they believed it should have, that of an alicorn. This body, this power is the result of their freeing me. That is why I protect them, Herrick. I am a man who was helped when he was trapped in a situation he couldn't possibly understand. My upbringing taught me to help those in need, to return good deeds in kind."
Cimmerian stood up straight, staring down imperiously at the older griffon. "Despite my origins, I am exactly what you see. I am an alicorn, a being whose domain is the shadows. I command them, I bend them, I call them my home. I have millennia of experience to call upon. I wish to see this world protected from the parasites that even now seek the destruction of this world. The Mad Queen is my goal, Herrick. Once she's dealt with, we can focus on getting everyone home, griffons, ponies, and thestrals alike. I don't know if I can bring her down without bringing ruin to those I protect, though. So I move slowly, cautiously. I offer aid from the shadows. Call me a coward, call me a sham, a counterfeit, I really don't care. If I have to bear the title of a monster to see my children safeguarded, I will. I will wear the title of Demon King if need be. But I will see my own protected."
Herrick stared in silence as the dark alicorn left, the stallion making his way back to his quarters. The griffon guards were silent for a few moments, though the changelings quickly moved to follow him.
"Changelings, why would you still follow him? He just told you he's not who he pretended to be." The griffon called to them.
One turned around, its face a stony mask. "His emotions can not be faked. We taste them, we know liars and deceivers. Father is neither. He will see us through the day to the safety of the night." With that it turned to rejoin its brethren, no words being exchanged as they took up position outside the alicorn's room.
Herrick stared for a few moments, allowing the information to sink in. That's when one of the line's the alicorn had used came back to him.
'protected from the parasites that even now seek the destruction of this world'
Parasites. Multiple, more than one. According to the alicorn, he was moving against a creature whose end goal was likely the same as Nightmare Moon; the destruction of all life on the planet. If one removed the need for the Mad Queen's own country to be safe from the equation...
"Wings of the Skylord protect us," the griffon muttered, his eyes widening in horror. "She'd unleash them upon the world just to watch it burn."
He would have plenty of time to question the apparent alien at a later time. He needed to get this information to his brothers and the other nations before it was too late.
<-(0)->
The mare never recovered enough to allow her to speak to the alicorn as her position demanded, so Cimmerian was forced to cancel the talks. He offered the mare a tour of his home instead, given by the female guard, Shrike. The group would make their way back to the Temple, then, barring any big problems, set out for Transylmaneia within the week. It would be just over a weeklong trip even flying for the entirety of each day, but Cimmerian felt an obligation to the ponies. He had to make the trip, he had to at least try. Besides, as one of the griffon guards had said, who would believe the mare?
He'd been worried after his outburst, afraid that his guards would lose their faith, afraid that the Talon's would attempt to kick him out or worse. Instead, he woke up to a very strange occurrence the next morning. His guards were also unshaken in their duties, the changelings still seeing him as their King, or Queen's Consort. As for the Talons?
"Captain Herrick is nau' present at the moment, sir." A griffon merc told him. "Captain left late last night on impor'ant business, something about worst-case scenario prep'ration. I don' know what you told him, muh lord, but I've not seen Cap'n Herrick that rattled in a long time. Still, Cap's orders were to see you and yours were properly looked to fo' as long as needed, so iff'n ya need anythin' just say the word."
"I see. Thanks, Geert," the alicorn said, moving silently to the courtyard. His entourage was already there, even the thestral ambassador who he'd since learned was named Jasmine Breeze. The group did their final checks and took flight, the storm having long since past, but the alicorn knowing his troubles were only beginning. Just past the walls of the Talon compound, a voice called out for them to stop. Cimmerian turned, seeing a small company of well-armed griffons moving towards his group while at their center stood the unmistakable form of Princess Isana.
"I wish to see your city, I wish to learn of these creatures that have become such a terror to my people." Princess Isana said as she reached his group. She grinned slyly to the alicorn, continuing "If Herrick were here, I'd likely not get the chance, as he's the only one here who would stop me. I also wish to see Shadowtalon Port. Would you allow me to enter your country, my lord?"
Cimmerian looked at her and her guards for a few moments, the soft beating of wings the only sound that reached them at their current height. With a sigh the alicorn nodded. "I'm sure Lady Thrisha would love to have you visit the port. I don't know if we'll have any rooms suited for one of your station, but we will do our best to see that you're comfortable, Princess."
No sir, Cimmerian's troubles were just beginning.
This update has officially made my weekend better.
Thank you.
finally an updated story today!
and here, i've been refreshing my page off and on.
her
More loyal additions to the temples cause! We need more!
A queen of battle. I can only see good things coming from that in the future.
still can't wait till nightmare moon, sees what she unleashed upon herself.
Guy's little halp please I failed to see the point of this update why the captain panicked? Besides of that great update
I already gave you my opinion.
6610044 Nightmare Moon. One parasite taking hold of one alicorn was almost enough to bring down the world. One other that took Twilight Sparkle gotten even closer.
There are more of them somewhere. Imagine what kind of damage multiple parasites can do if they would be able to hop from one influential figure to another.
Imagine if you knew there is a parasite somewhere there that can leech on to your soul and control your body. And you have no way to defend yet.
Similar situation in X-Com games.
6610055 I see now that really terrifies gives me goosebumps thanks for answering
6610034 Really? I mostly just see... you know, battle.
*squuuueeeeee* the truth is coming out~
Two story updates in one day. Sir, you are a champ.
Why did this have to update in the morning of the SAT? Then again, UPDATE! Yes, give me all the words! I have insomnia anyways. I might as well spend my time on this!
6610063 that and all of the feral changelings ordered to kill everything non changeling
6610011 Found you, you canadian moose lover.
6610055 well there is a way to defend. say no. both the show and comics (rarity got possessed at one point...and allmost ended the world) show us that a nightmare can only posses you if you let them in. it seems that they target individuals suffering emotional problems and promise to fix said problems of coarse they dont tell you that the way they fix it is with Armageddon
that begs the question, what emotional turmoil was twilight going thru?
6610121 He is not Canadian, he is native american on top of a vengeful spirit. That ball with number seven represents native americans in polandball
6610121
6610055 XD i'm absolutely sure that once twilight is free/killed (i'm REALLY hoping it's the first one but i know we don't always get a happy ending) Cimmerian will go on a crusade to annihilate these creatures. They help no one and must be put down for good for the safety of all the races.
Just made my day reykan, with updating both this and magic's shadow. Thank you
Oh boy. I hop hrrick doesn't do anything stupid, by which I mean say something the wrong way and give the wrong idea
6610146 and seeing as his form tchnailly came from one, I bet he has an immunity to them, so if they try to take over him, he can just knock them aside
6610136 Yep. Also, the Cimmerian does not know that. Unless he read MLP comics.
Rarity was possessed after she got lots of nightmares. In the comic they were targeting elements indiscriminately, every one of them had nightmares. Sleepover didn't help.
Thus, based on what character knows (at least I don't remember comics being mentioned), they do not have a weapon to defend yet.
As well there was a moment on the moon when they were engulfed in the smoke. They had irrational fears. So that magic is strong and can influence the victim to a degree. So the chain would work like this: find weakest, make him bully someone else that is closer to your target. Spread influence, get more victims and make them think they are getting something. Eventually have subtle hints and make lots of discontent in a location. Major becomes frustrated with inability to handle unreasonable population. Depending on number of nightmares and their strength that can take from 1 day to a few months.
Think like a virus or a team of saboteurs. Nightmare virus or whatever it is is undetectable and can reside in one individual for a long periods of time as we seen told about Twilight. However, since we see only one Nightmare working, probably they are more of solitary type of being. Otherwise they'd mob Equestria in it's current situation.
Unknown: How does Nightmare breed?
There must be a reason why Nightmare is solitary in Twilight Sparkle and she isn't surrounded by multiple Nightmare controlled ponies.
I like what you say about Zelus. Can't wait to see what you do with her!
So the catbird is going to spread the word.
The word of the Nightmare in the Twilight Tower.
The noose shall slowly encircle, as the bitter truths are laid bare.
And the Nightmare in the Twilight is totally gonna lose her shit.
And her chokehold on the citizens of Equestria.
A world united, and flagrant rumors that the Mad Queen is actually a possessed usurper?
Fear and Hate will twist into Pity and Hope, poison to the Nightmare...
... and the Nightmare is gonna blow her top.
Especially now that all Twilight's brain power is suddenly lost to the Nightmare's crumbling war machine.
6610136
Lesson zero, pinkie sense, future light. We are talking about Twilight Sparkle, she's not exactly mentally stable.
If approaching the due date on a simple letter can cause a mental break down imagine what would happen if one of her civic projects went over budget and behond deadline... Oh wait Reykan has already done that for us
6610202 Could be that they also want the world all to themselves. So they don't want to bring over an army of others like them because then there'd be an army of others to fight with over everything.
Ted will probably get tired of telling that story pretty soon. Maybe he should just print up pamphlets and hand them out. "Cimmerian, AKA Theodore Fredson: My Origin Story"
"Welcome to the Sisterhood!" As an artist/writer, I people watch a lot. I swear its wierd, almost eerie watching even complete strangers bond like that over their shared state of pregnancy. The other Queen's brains would probably fall out of their heads when their jaws hit the floor at finding a CHANGELING forming bonds beyond the Hive like that -with PONIES!
Oh Sweet Mother Epona! The Gates of Tartarus are well within the reach and domain of Nightmare Book, aren't they?!
nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Alderaan5Day-e1300966898291.jpg
6610202 i just had a horrible thought nightmares seem to like the night what if what we are seeing is the high fantasy inter planar version of colonization think about it when you colonize a place you have about 3 options for the indigenous inhabitants
1: assimilation
2: enslavement
3: extermination
first try attempted to exterminate ALL intelligent life it failed. why? ponys, attempt 2 enslave ponys and exterminate all intelligent life
or they breed by destroying planets but i like my idea more
6610243 further more we dont know if all nightmares are really evil we've only seen two
So... Pandinus had to become "Mom Changeling." However, Zelus gets to kick ass and be the smokin' hot changeling next door?
Yeesh. I don't know if I'm ready for this.
6610202 I doubt the nightmares work well with each other; they're probably worse than the changeling queens. To avoid fighting each other, they most likely have a 'one tiger to a hill' policy.
Pull pin on Combat Changeling Queen,
Place in Unlimited Resource Pool,
Tell her she can Upgrade Anything and Everything,
Stand WELL Back.
I wonder if one of the queens will scale up to where they can get dragon eggs from a very happy port dragon?
Now Cimmerian is looking at being out of town for at least two weeks, with only his armor link to handle things back home, or can he do long range beacon teleports yet?
Why does it seem that these thestrals, the Nighthawks are similar to the Oathbreakers in the Lord of the Rings. Will Timagorn have to raise the horn of Nightmare Moon so the Nighthawks will come to the aid of Minas Tirith?
Delicious update~!
Yeah, being mistaken for the Nightmare was... kind of useful at first, but I bet Teddian is growing pretty damn tired of it by now, especially if people are going to freak out to that degree.
Griffon princess visiting the Temple? Oh... That could either end well or very awkwardly, considering it is housing three changeling queens, one proto-queen and a hell of a lot of normal changelings. I'm not sure Isana really realizes what she is going to see once she arrives...
And Herrick just realized that the Mad Queen is actually possessed by the closest thing to a Great Old One Equestria has and it probably wants to either enslave the whole world or just plain murderize everything or some combination of the two. Yeah, that's the kind of shit that'll light a fire under everyone's asses real quick.
Shit just got real(er).
Very nice chapter, good work.
Still enjoying the story, but the passionate pontificating like this gets old.
6610037
It's unlikely they're the same parasite. NMM was sent to a world void of magic and probably without a tether back to that specific world after all. I mean, it's possible, but highly unlikely.
I have a feeling that Zelus will be an awesome character to read about. I can't wait for more!
Great chapter.
Oh please tell me that Zelus is going to become the Changeling version of Big Boss. I'll love reading about her regardless, I'm sure, but I can't get that idea out of my head and it's seeming cooler by the minute.
A previously magicless being who has proven more of an actual threat to the true Mad Queen by literally welcoming every one to his protection and has produced the best defense against the mindless drones. That's terrifying for a commander who is used to accounting for the inherent magic of each species. Especially considering he can literally drop into shadows now.
So much interesting happenings.
6610292
Really, at that point she can look however she want. I expect her to go with deadly and sleek armor.. but she can also go all out and get a Tyranid Hive Tyrant body too.
The moment I read "The warrior she wanted to be." I thought of something akin to a ninja.
A shape-shifting ninja.
A bad ass bug like dual-wielding back flipin' body guard/ninja.
I literally blew my own mind.
6610068
Yes, but good battle. The kind legends are made of!
6609983 Always good to hear.
6610044 Herrick just realized something. The Mad Queen is sitting on an endless supply of feral changelings, and the only reason she wouldn't turn off the array's completely is because they'd rip Equestria apart just as surely as the rest of the planet. He just learned the Mad Queen doesn't care if they do. At literally any point, MQ could pull the plug on the arrays, and the changelings would wipe out everything around them.
6610055 That too, of course. I think Herrick's more concerned about short term at the moment, though.
6610087 No, I just worked really early, and decided to put off going to bed till after work. I'm unwinding now, and I'll be headed to bed in a bit.
6610121 He's a lover of only Canadian meese? what about American meese?
6610136 Twilight is an emotionally fragile pony who has been given the same power and authority as the goddess she's been idolizing her entire life. what isn't she freaking out about?
6610182 Not so much immunity as being aware of how they work. He has a bit of Luna's memories from the time she was possessed, so he knows how they work. Good luck trying to convince him to let you help when he knows you want to steal his body!
6610284
6610284 Most fiction and all visual entertainment that depicts women warriors depict them in sexy armor. This is not realistic. Zelus is going for a real warrior. Just as Din reduced her protection to mere thin chitin and leather to be more attractive to Cimmeron, Zelus will be doing the opposite. She has access to unlimited love so she will turn out better than Pan when she we semi- feral but Zelus will turn out more like a horse with heavy barding than a scantily clad amazonian in leather. Expect enhanced armor and spell casting for starters.
Reykan, you used the term Twilight Coup to describe when Nightmare Moon Tried to take over Equestria. This can be highly confusing as there is a more recent coup than would fit the term closer. That being when Twilight Sparkle committed her coup.