Revised Episode 3 Completed

I highly recommend reading the new Episode 3. I understand if you don't want to, but I think its worth it. Everything is more in-character now; Cadenza's rants, Derpy's speech, Twilight's defiance... the list goes on.

Not to mention the absolute epic battle. I don't want to give anything away, but this new fight is mostly my own now. There's a bit left over from the original anime, and a pinch of influence from me re-watching Ant-Man, but on the whole it is my own battle sequence.

Mostly because I've put in a lot more magic. Episode 1 (revised) had some telekinesis, some Earth Pony strength, and an implied cutting charm cast on Twilight's sword. Episode 2 had Pegasus flight being enhanced, and the Speed Spell, but that was about it. Oh, one teleport at the end. This episode has Unicorn magic up the freaking wazoo, so much so that I'm going to dedicate an entire section of my profile page to recording the spells used in this story.

Some people seemed confused about the Xanatos Gambit I mentioned last blog. A Xanatos Gambit is a trope, defined thusly:

Character A creates a plan in relation to Character B which takes into account every possible action by Character B to guarantee a positive outcome for Character A, no matter what.

A Xanatos Gambit is a Batman Gambit taken up to eleven. It usually has at least one Thanatos Gambit in it (meaning that if Character A dies, that still benefits their cause).

Note that 'positive outcome' does not mean that Character A automatically wins. The 'positive' part may in fact be relatively small. It just needs to benefit Character A or their cause.

Lets go over Cadenza's gambit so far.

Scenario 1: Twilight is attacking Cadenza's school. Cadenza sends Lightning Dust to challenge her.

Outcome A: Twilight loses to Lightning. The threat is removed, Cadenza's greater plans are unhindered.

Outcome B: Twilight refuses to fight. She has broken the rules of Canterlot High, shown no initiative, and is of no possible benefit to keep around. Cue the Curb Stomp and her likely death, resulting in the same ending as the first outcome.

Outcome C: Twilight wins. In this case, Twilight has proven herself a formidable opponent, she has removed an annoying member of the school's hierarchy, and Twilight grows even more powerful as a potential tool. Move on to Scenario 2.

Outcome D: The fight ends in a draw. Twilight would be offered a position within Canterlot's hierarchy. If she refuses, cue the Curb Stomp. If she accepts, she'll be given the information she wants and much, much more. She will become another tool for Cadenza in the larger fight.

Scenario 2: Cadenza challenges Twilight to a personal duel.

Outcome A: Twilight loses. She was unworthy to fight beside Cadenza, and thus is now removed.

Outcome B: Twilight refuses to fight. This almost happened. In this case, Cadenza would have killed her anyway, for lack of initiative.

Outcome C: The fight ends in a draw. Cadenza would tell Twilight what she wanted to know out of mutual respect, then would have offered a position at Canterlot, and told her of the real fight.

Outcome D: Twilight wins. Cadenza would be left pleading for her life. Twilight might grant mercy, she might not; if she does, Cadenza would again offer a position at Canterlot, after revealing the information Twilight wanted to know. If Twilight were not so merciful, Cadenza then becomes a martyr. Her Elite Four would kill Twilight, and then continue on with Cadenza's greater plan, though with less likelihood of success.

Secret Outcome: Twilight technically lost the fight. However, she did not die because she found a fifth option- she challenged everything Cadenza was working towards. By shifting her focus from personal gain to truly fighting against Cadenza, Twilight proved herself capable of the vision Cadenza was looking for. Thus earning her respect outside of combat. This is typically how Xanatos Gambits are defeated; the maker overlooked a possible curve ball. Even when planning for every option, you can't plan for every option.

Scenario 3: This is where the story is now. Twilight has challenged the entire school, and will build her strength to face Cadenza again. At this point, pretty much every scenario would end with a mutual respect between the two, resulting in Twilight joining the cause- at least, in Cadenza's mind. There are still some curve balls out there, though. Her Elite Four may decide to take matters into their own hooves (Episode 6). Some student may actually get the better of Twilight (Episode 4). Or some outside entity could interfere and make life difficult for all of them (Episode 5). So while Cadenza's own actions lead to victory no matter what, she has to rely on everypony around her not screwing up. That's unlikely, to say the least.

Oh, and for anyone who hates Brad, I can confirm that I just killed him.