Le Sigh · 8:57pm Oct 2nd, 2016
First of all, a big thanks to badninja for providing some help. Tartarus Forged has a direction for the Eternal Night arc now thanks to him.
The problem lays in paving the road. I seriously cannot get through this stupid scene between Twilight and Celestia. I'm sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out how to handle this. Celestia is happy to see Twilight, Twilight is happy to see Celestia. The problem is that Twilight admitted to working for Tirek for twenty years during the fight with Nightmare Moon. As much as Celestia wants to, she can't just let that go without at least a discussion.
Not only that, but Celestia needs to send Twilight to Ponyville to gather the Elements, both the actual Regalia and the Bearers, but it's become increasingly obvious to Celestia as they talk that Twilight has changed and friendship is even further from her mind than before she vanished. She's worried Twilight can't wield the Element of Magic anymore.
My issue is in figuring out how to realistically get Celestia to convince Twilight to go and look for the Elements, without actually telling Twilight she's a potential Bearer.
So here I am, throwing in the towel. I need help guys. Can anyone figure out how to get this scene rolling? Once I've done that, I can get on with the rest of the Eternal Night arc.
If it helps, this is what I have so far for the chapter. Warning, these ARE spoilers!
Twilight wasn’t sure entirely why she was uncomfortable. She was home. She was finally home. Granted, said home was currently under the dominion of an unending Night, but it was still home.
She sipped at her tea.
The tea was good, a familiar blend she had hazy memories of drinking in her youth. It was very calming. Her magic was able to transfigure her chair into a form more comfortable for her body, something she was really grateful for when she realized her body was just a bit too big for the type of furniture normal Ponies used.
Really, she was happy!
But that happiness was somewhat muted by the silence, probably the source of her discomfort, that stretched between herself and the Alicorn seated across from her.
“Nightmare Moon is likely gathering her strength for a second assault,” Twilight pointed out.
“Hmm,” Celestia murmured, drinking deeply from her tea.
“And we’re… having a tea party?” Twilight asked.
Celestia looked at the table, then up to Twilight. “It appears that we are, indeed, having a tea party. Excellent observation.” She nodded.
Twilight face-palmed with a groan. “Why are we having a tea party instead of preparing for said likely assault?”
Celestia hummed, drinking some more tea. She did not answer beyond that.
Twilight growled and stood. “For the love of… Fine! I’ll go see if I can-”
“Sit.”
Twilight sat down so hard that she nearly broke the chair. Her eye was wide, and her fur was raised. Every instinct in her body was screaming at her, and it clicked in Twilight’s mind that she was speaking to the Alicorn that tossed the Sun around on a daily basis. Pissing her off was not a good idea. “Yes’m,” she murmured.
Celestia continued to sip her tea, as if she had not just told Twilight to sit down in a completely calm, but somehow absolutely terrifying voice.
Finally, she spoke. “My sister will not attack us. Two things support this fact. One, your appearance and ability to fight her on an equal level will stay her hoof for the time being. My sister was a War-Maiden before her banishment. Battle is second nature to her, and all veteran fighters know that knowing your enemy is half the battle. She will study you before she tries anything again.
“Two, Nightmare Moon didn’t leave because we beat her. She left because something else caught her attention, something more important than personal revenger against me. There is only one thing that she would consider that important; the Elements of Harmony.”
Twilight blinked, and then she frowned. “I know that term. I think I read about it in Tirek’s library once. Elements of Harmony… Elements of Harmony…” She tapped her forehead, trying to think.
“They are the artifacts that my sister and I once wielded together to protect Equestria.”
Twilight snapped her fingers. (a neat trick Tirek taught her when the both of them were bored one day.) “That’s right! I remember reading about how you and Princess Luna used them to seal Discord in stone… and that you somehow turned them against her when she became Nightmare Moon.”
Celestia nodded. “Indeed. However, using them against my sister like I did had consequences. Our bond to the Elements was severed, and the Elements themselves were damaged severely. They had become nothing but stone husks with no power in them at all, and the Element of Magic itself had vanished completely. The only silver lining to the entire ordeal is that they were not destroyed.”
“Where are they now?” Twilight asked, getting serious. “We need to get them before Nightmare Moon can find them and find a way to use them against us.”
Celestia shook her head. “Nightmare Moon has no desire whatsoever to use them,” she said.
Twilight frowned. “Why? I mean, with weapons that can stop the God of Chaos in his tracks, I imagine no-pony could stop her.” Celestia stared at Twilight, and she shifted slightly in discomfort. “What?” she asked.
Celestia eventually just sighed and shook her head. ‘You’ve changed, Twilight. Would Magic even recognize you anymore?’ “She can’t use them,” she told Twilight. “Only the chosen bearers of the Elements can make them work, and even then there are conditions which must be met, conditions that she no longer meets thanks to her transformation into Nightmare Moon. No, my sister doesn’t plan to use them.” Her eyes sharpened. “She plans to destroy them, and I cannot a
Glad I was able to help!
Celestia at this point should reveal her past connection to Tirek. She needs to ascertain the possible damage done to Twilight to see if it is possible to move forward. From what we know it can be assumed that this Tirek is not the same one she is aware of. She should at this point make Twilight swear a sacred oath to help save Luna from Nightmare Moon and returning Luna alive to her. Celestia has a lot on her plate right now and she needs to slip into a good Indy Ploy about now. All Celestia has to do is say " Twilight we need to have an in depth conversation about what happened to you when you get back." That conversation is a whole mini arc in and of it self and I think Shining Armor, Cadance, and Twilight's parents need to be involved.
I would recommend that Celestia should take a chance on sending Twilight but with the stipulation that she takes Sunset Shimmer and some other ponies as backup with intent to teach them self defense. That way if Twilight is unworthy, hopefully Sunset's skull is less thick and the nessary lesson will allow her to use the element of magic. Some time you got to shoot the dice and hope for the best.
Celestia from a certain point of view has shot the dice before during the show and gotten lucky, like during the Sombra incident. She blew the call during the wedding, and she got very lucky during the Tirek incident. She just needs to recognize that her plans are fully off the rails and take a very dangerous chance.
Not much I can think of that badninja didn't. Sometimes, you just have to cross your fingers/hooves, hope for the best and prepare for the worst, like bn said.
Just about the only thing (beyond the earlier stuff about Celestia reintroducing Twilight to Spike and the two gradually reconnecting) I can think of for something that badninja couldn't would be a scene where Celestia and Sunset are wondering what happened to Sunburst and Starlight; only for a brief scene to show them in another dimension (with background events hinting at which universe it is, but not explicitly showing) and Sunburst commenting "I hope my sis and Celestia are having better luck than we are." (it's basically a partial comic relief scene, while also showing that Starlight and Sunburst haven't been forgotten).
Of course, if you don't like the scene idea, I will completely understand and respect your wishes.