Spoilers -- Character Development for the Knights of Order (and Twilight's reaction to their insults)

During their stay in Tartarus, I attempt to extrapolate the personality of each of the Knights of Order, trying to uncover what barriers might be in the way of them considering the love of friendship. King Danu comes across as the most angry, rebellious, and self-destructive. Indeed, his foolishness and hypocrisy feel like pre-reformed Chancellor Neighsay on crack.

If the Knights had honestly cared about national security, then why didn't they try a peaceful solution first? Why did they cause a conflict where there was none before? Why would they be so hateful to those who knew nothing of their existence? Why would they want to reveal their existence in the first place? If they'd been merely paranoid, then they could have just tried a secret operation to de-activate and re-conceal the Elements. Then they could have left everything else alone. No one would have had to know what happened. That much, I could have respected, depending on execution.

In reality, the Knights' real motives were hate and revenge. National security was just a pretext. They acted like Equestria were some deadly threat -- yet they acted like no one could resist them. Even when they understood Twilight's true intentions, they were still not moved. They did not act out of ignorance. They refused to get their facts straight -- because they wanted reasons to hate and kill. Their hate for others outweighed their love for their own people. In the end, they totally undermined the one thing they were supposed to do -- keep their people safe!

Ceridwen is the most confusing of the group. At times, she's just as sadistic as the others. Other times, it seems she's squeamish about destroying something. Despite declaring that she would burn down Equestria, when she actually got there, she didn't do very much. You'd think that she'd have destroyed Canterlot in one fell swoop, with her size-changing powers. So what was holding her back? Was her conscience bothering her? Did she damage her connection with her own Element, by acting completely against what it's supposed to stand for? Probably both.

I have to believe that the Knights of Order were running on fumes, on the verge of losing the connection with their own Elements. For as strong as they were, it seems they should have been much stronger. Perhaps the Elements of Patriotism are rather forgiving of atrocious foreign policy -- as long as domestic policy is fairly good. In general, however, those who have the heart to destroy other races have the heart to oppress their own. If I were a citizen of Cunabula, I think I would hate and fear the Knights as tyrants.

Ceridwen and Mannah are supposed to stand for Equity and Acceptance, respectively. If they stand for those things in any meaningful way, then there must be something good in them. When the Knights are locked in Tartarus, I have these two be the most open-minded of the group.

The other four, however, remain ugly and obnoxious -- refusing to believe that Twilight could possibly be better than them. Conversely, Danu's comrades-slash-siblings are getting sick of him ordering them around just because he's king. Technically, he's no longer king because the Knights got overthrown -- but that's beside the point to him.

Spike soon finds himself building a bridge with Ceridwen, and Mannah to a lesser extent. At one point, he risks entering their cages in order to hug them. It appears they really are starting to like him, even if they remain a little suspicious of Twilight.

Twilight perceives that she might be making some headway with Ceridwen and Mannah. Unfortunately, Danu's spiteful words start to get the best of her, causing her to overlook this progress.

Overall, Danu, Balor, Taranis, and Morrigan look for every reason they can to tear her down, to make her question who she is. Danu just happens to be the most over the top.

A few days later, Danu finally yells, "I wish our ancestors had destroyed Equestria long ago! Then our country would have been living in peace! We wouldn't have had to fear anything. And we wouldn't be tormented by you and your stupid attempts to win us over!"

Twilight finally snaps. She becomes a giant angry version of herself, with her mane and wings on fire. Her horn glows like the sun. [Twilight has no intention of harming innocent creatures. Even so, she plays to their fears that she could easily respond in kind -- but she closes her angry words with the following reassurance: "I won't destroy your country -- I will make it better! I will install new rulers -- ones who are actually worthy to bear the Elements of Patriotism! I will end this cycle of hate. I will adopt your people as my own. And with the power of the Elements, I know it will be a clean victory!" Perhaps Twilight takes her angry words too far -- or maybe she says exactly what the Knights need to hear, if they're ever to appreciate that a nation without friendship is a nation that will fall on itself.]

Twilight calls out the group for the fools and hypocrites that they are. She reminds them, she knew nothing about Cunabula until they decided to destroy Equestria. She can't be a threat to a country she knows nothing about. She tells them, they ought to know her true intentions by now. The Knights did not act out of ignorance -- they refused to get their facts straight because they did not care. And now they have made enemies where they had none before.

The Knights should know as well as Twilight what's right and wrong -- what's fair and just. They should know better than to destroy a country that did nothing to them. The Equestria of today is not the Equestria of yesterday -- it's completely different people -- run by people who had nothing to do with what happened before. How would the Knights like it -- to be punished for something evil that they had nothing to do with? Why don't they treat others as they want to be treated?

The Knights of Order are speechless. Danu tries not to show it, but he's getting a little unnerved, too.

Twilight declares, "Today is only the beginning of your dark days to come. You will spend the rest of your lives in a prison whose darkness and loneliness will drive you insane! I could destroy you right now -- but I think that might be too easy. I think I'd rather you suffer until old age releases you!"

Taranis, for all his arrogant and prideful boasting, is now starting to feel terrified. And he can barely hide it anymore. Balor is also getting scared, though still half-able to hide it. Morrigan remains shocked and speechless. Ceridwen has started to cry, and so has Mannah. Danu is starting to lose his angry and rebellious demeanor.

Spike hovers next to Twilight. "Twilight ... Twilight ..." he says with a low voice, pulling on her fiery mane.

"Spike," says Twilight with a low voice, getting annoyed at him -- "not now!"

Spike can do nothing but continue to watch his giant angry friend. He himself is starting to get nervous.

"What are your Elements again?" says Twilight, rhetorically. "Let's see ... loyalty, equity, pride, acceptance, magic, and faith. Well, Ceridwen -- where's the equity in destroying creatures who showed no harm to you?

"And, Mannah -- how can you say you stand for acceptance -- if you are so happy to discard innocent creatures as garbage to a furnace? And, Taranis -- your pride is nothing but arrogance! What good is it to be proud, if what you're proud of is malice and hate? And, Danu! What good is loyalty -- if you're loyal to an evil cause?

"And, Morrigan! Your faith is no faith -- it's nothing but brainwashing, mind control, and manipulation!

"And, Balor ... your magic is no good, either! It's dark magic -- the opposite of harmony and order! You don't deserve your Elements -- because you destroy the very things they stand for."

As Twilight addresses each Knight, she points her hoof at them.

"You Knights think you're so prudent!" rebukes Twilight. "You're nothing but cruel, sadistic bullies. You project your cruelty onto others -- so that you can feel good about yourselves. If you had been wise and cautious, you would have just calmly monitored the situation. If you had kidnapped me, while leaving everything else alone, I might have appreciated your feelings. But, no -- NO! -- you were so drunk with hate, you acted against your best interests! And now all the other Elements are aligned against you! You have created the very alliance that you feared!"

Twilight takes a few deep breaths. "Now that we know about your country, we WILL find it. One way or another, we and our allies will find our way in! The fate of Cunabula is in our hands and hooves! And you'd better hope to Celestia that we are better than you. 'Cause if we're not, the we shall do to Cunabula the exact same thing you tried to do to Equestria! If we stoop to your level, then your land will be burned down -- with everyone in it! There will be nothing but burning rubble and lifeless bodies. How ironic would it be -- that in trying to destroy an imaginary threat, you caused the very destruction that you feared? And you will know ... that it was ALL ... YOUR ... FAULT!"

As Twilight says the last few lines, she presses herself straight into Danu's face. Twilight gives him a sadistic grin, as part of her mockery. Danu can no longer hide it. He's getting scared now.

As Twilight spoke, Balor, Taranis, and Morrigan started to crumble with terror. Taranis started to cry. Balor's and Morrigan's eyes also started to get wet.

Danu regains composure just long enough to fire one last insult. "Go on, you horned beast! Destroy our country. I don't care anymore!"

The other Knights gasp with horror.

"Well, I do!" retorts Twilight. "I won't destroy your country -- I will make it better! I will install new rulers -- ones who are actually worthy to bear the Elements of Patriotism! I will end this cycle of hate. I will adopt your people as my own. And with the power of the Elements, I know it will be a clean victory!"

Twilight starts to calm down now. Slowly, she returns to her normal alicorn self.

"Spike," says Twilight calmly, "let's get out of here. I'm sorry that I ever tried to reform these monsters. In this case, I guess it is as the old saying goes: 'Once a villain -- always a villain.' "

Spike hangs his head, his eyes also wet. He looks back toward Ceridwen and Mannah and waves goodbye to them. "Goodbye, Ceridwen and Mannah. I wish I could stay ... but my Princess won't let me. I hope things work out between you and your brothers and sisters."

"Spike," said Twilight, getting a little annoyed. "Let's go!"

Inside the bedroom next to the entrance to Tartarus, Spike and Twilight have a private discussion.

"Twilight," says Spike nervously. "I'm sorry that four of those creatures spoke evil of you, when all you wanted was to be their friend. I now apologize in advance for what I'm about to say next."

Spike takes a deep breath. "I don't think I can leave. I can't abandon Ceridwen and Mannah. I feel they're my friends now, and I want to be there for them. How else will they learn the love of friendship, unless they have someone they can love? They will feel betrayed -- unless I stay with them!"

"I can't let you do that. I understand you want to follow your heart. But I'm the Princess. And I get the last word in all matters of national security."

"You're making a big mistake!" cries Spike.

Twilight growls at him. Spike pauses, feeling unnerved.

Twilight starts to raise her voice. "My decision is final. And there's no use arguing. One more word out of you and you're grounded! If I can't trust you to be responsible, then you will never go on any friendship missions with me again!"

Spike just stops and stares.

"Let's ... go!" orders Twilight. "You're just wasting my time!"

Spike pauses. Then he starts to cry.

Spike wraps his arms around Twilight, squeezing her as tightly as he can. "Twilight! I beg you! Please don't lash out at me! I'm scared! I've never seen you so filled with anger and hate. This isn't the Twilight I know!"

Twilight pauses in her place. She now has a blank expression.

"Twilight! I know you're more angry than words can say. But please don't take it out on me! It will bring you one step closer to becoming your enemies! Maybe I am about to make a mistake, despite my best intentions. But if you toss me aside, you will have nothing left! Tell me I'm still your precious dragon! Tell me that nothing can separate me from your love! If I lose you, then half my world is gone!"

Spike wails with grief and pain.

Twilight sighs. She also begins to cry. Wrapping her arms around Spike, she says, "I'm sorry, Spike. I can't believe that I could be so cruel to you -- after all the ways I have grown. I'm going through feelings I've never felt before. I don't blame you, Spike. I can't expect you to trust me. I don't know if I can trust myself."

Spike starts to calm down. But his eyes remain wet.

"I love you, Twilight," says Spike, still clinging to her with his arms. "You're as precious to me as the entire world. And the world is as precious to me as you. Be the Princess of Friendship that you are -- even if it's only to please me."

"I feel I would be lost without you, Spike," says Twilight, also clinging to him.

"I feel the same way about you," replies Spike. "If each of us were by ourself, we might both fall to hate and fear. Just when we're tempted beyond what we can handle, the spirit of friendship finds a way to save us!"

Meanwhile, Danu's comrades are really mad at him.

"Wow, Ceridwen!" remarks Danu, feeling quite shocked and surprised. "That alicorn copied you word for word -- down to your sadistic grin. I didn't think she had it in her. But it seems she really is as bold and ruthless as me!"

"If you didn't think she was so bad," exclaims Taranis, "then why did you have us go after her!"

"We are sick of taking orders from you!" scolds Balor. "You have been a terrible influence on us all!"

"I used to have great faith in you," says Morrigan. "But now I see who you really are. You are loyal to no creature but yourself. You don't care about us! You don't care about your own family!"

"We're gonna be stuck here forever, thanks to you!" cries Taranis.

Ceridwen is sniffling and wiping her tears, but she is relatively calm. "I wouldn't worry too much, my siblings. Not just yet. I believe Princess Twilight still wants to forgive us. She's not going to leave us here forever -- not if she has a reason to believe in us. But we have to prove ourselves. We must find it in our hearts -- that we don't want to hurt creatures who've done nothing to us."

"I'm supposed to stand for the Element of Acceptance," Mannah reminds the group. "Why shouldn't we want to accept these ponies -- and adopt them as part of our own people? Is that not what our Elements are supposed to be about?"

At this stage, it seems that Danu is a lost cause, even if there is good in the other Knights. Is there any part of him that still wants to be loved?

Ceridwen and Mannah recall a time when they felt close to Danu and he felt close to them. But when he became king, he started treating his friends-slash-siblings like servants. They tell him that they've been loyal to him all this time, despite the times they wanted to slap him. But they felt it would be disgraceful to hit their own king. They could have done it if they'd wanted; Danu might talk a big game but he can't do much to punish his own siblings and get away with it.

Spike gets a chance to meet with the Knights behind Twilight's back. As much as he would like to play it safe, he doesn't believe there's any way to do so. If he is to break the cycle of hate, he needs to give the Knights a proper chance to do their part. It's a matter of risk management. In his eyes, Twilight is probably no better at risk management than he is.

By this time, all of Danu's siblings wish he would love them again. Spike decides to let Ceridwen and Mannah out of their cages. It turns out that his fire breath can breach the cages in Tartarus. No other dragon has been able to do this -- which suggests that some special magic lies within Spike. Indeed, as he does this, his body starts to glow yellow again.

Ceridwen and Manna approach Danu. They can't hug him so well with their arms -- but they can do it with their long tails.

Danu finally realizes that he is dead inside. He can barely remember the last time he felt happy with his life. He remembers how good it used to feel, back when he felt like friends with his siblings. He used to hug them, too. But he can't remember the last time he did this. And the thought of showing such sentimental feelings embarrasses him. It goes against what he thinks he's supposed to be.

All his life, he and his fellow Knights have been taught not to be at the whims of feelings. They've been taught to be devoted to the welfare of their people at all costs. To them, destroying another country just felt like getting rid of a dangerous pest. They were taught they should have no pity, for fear that it might come to bite them back.

Spike says, "Danu, you say that your Elements are tied to love for country. And, therefore, they are not tied to feelings. But how can that be? If you have no feelings for your country, then how can you actually love your country?"

Danu pauses, seeming genuinely puzzled. Then he says, "I don't need to take advice from little dragons."

"Everyone," asks Spike -- "would you like to hear my side of the story now?"

"We have nothing better to do, I suppose," replies Balor.

Spike clears his throat. Then he says, "Discord used to rule Equestria. That much is true. But we ponies did not like it, either. Our previous rulers -- Celestia and Luna -- attacked him with the Elements of Friendship and turned him to stone. He stayed that way for a thousand years. Then he broke out of his rocky prison and we had to defeat him again. A little later, we decided, maybe we could reform him, and make him into a crucial ally? That risk, crazy as it sounded, ended up paying off. Since then, Discord has been a loyal friend for us, though he can still be kind of mean sometimes. But Fluttershy loves him very much, and he's possibly her best friend!"

The Knights are speechless once again.

Danu scoffs. "That's quite an interesting story, little boy. But I might consider you an unreliable narrator." He gives a scornful smile.

Spike sighs. "If you don't believe me, then I can't make you. As I understand it, you don't care about any country except your own. Consequently, you don't believe any foreign creatures could have your best interests at heart. And because you don't trust me, everything I say can and will be used against me."

"All our lives," says Ceridwen, "we've been told not to care much about other countries. We were told that preemptive strikes were right and proper -- if it seemed useful to protect our own people."

"We didn't necessarily understand your intentions," says Mannah. "And we didn't necessarily care, either. Because good intentions mean nothing if the results are evil."

"But somewhere along the way," says Taranis, "destruction was no longer just a means to an end. It became a goal in its own right. Because it just felt good -- feeling that everyone was at our mercy and would be lucky if we let them exist at all!"

As Taranis says this, he momentarily has a sadistic grin. But then he cools back down.

"He's right, you know," says Balor, with a slightly menacing smile. But then he returns to a straight face.

"As long as our victims were the enemy," explains Morrigan, also a little smug, "it didn't matter whether we treated them with respect or dignity. As far as we were concerned, they lived only to serve our own interests."

"But then," says Ceridwen ... "we encountered your Princess. And the thought that she could possibly care about her enemies -- that really upset us."

"Because you see," says Mannah, "we enjoyed being able to be cruel without it counting as cruelty. To have that taken away from us -- we did not like that at all!"

"When your princess snapped on us some minutes ago," says Danu with an amused smile, "I was kind of proud of her. I knew that she could be cruel and ruthless if properly provoked. I think we could have been partners in crime in another universe. But, yeah. Maybe I tried too hard to prove my point."

"I think I understand what's going on," says Spike to the group. "Many things you were told not to do to your own people -- you were taught that you could do to those who were not. And you were taught that feelings were often something to hate and fear. But in the end, you did not escape your feelings. Instead, you obeyed your worst desires -- and feared that everyone else was doing the same thing. You were so bloodthirsty, you didn't think to find a more peaceful, more prudent solution. Instead of looking for reasons to spare others, you looked for reasons to kill. You feared everyone would harm you -- yet you thought no one could fight you back. In your hate for others, you started to neglect your own people. And that's when your Elements started to fail."

As Spike said this, he remained calm and friendly -- sounding not like an accuser but rather a professional counselor.

"That's an interesting psychoanalysis, little boy," says Balor, slightly smug but mostly amused. "I don't know if I would phrase it that way. But it's fun seeing you try to read our minds."

Ceridwen sighs. "For a moment, I was happy to burn Equestria to the ground. But when I actually made it there ... I didn't do much of anything. I shouldn't have shrunk that big red pony. I should have made him bigger than the mountain -- to crush Canterlot in one fell swoop, together with Twilight and her precious Elements. But something held me back. Maybe it's because I knew ... that I would never want to be treated that way? I was feeling weak, as well -- but, still, I didn't make nearly the effort that I had promised."

"Ceridwen," assures Spike, "I believe that you want to do for others as you would want them to do for you. You tried to give Danu a reason to spare us. But when you got frustrated, you lost your temper for a short while. But then you realized that you couldn't do to us what you did to Ornithia. It wasn't an act of weakness, that something held you back. It was an act of strength."

As Spike spoke, his yellow glow continued to get brighter.

"Danu, I see that you're hurting inside. Your ancestors wanted to make friends. But they made enemies by mistake. You feel the same anger and betrayal that your ancestors did. And you fear that Equestria is no better now than it was then. Or maybe you think that the guilt of our ancestors is transmitted to us, no matter how much we want to be better. When I look at you, I see what Twilight and her friends might have become -- if they had been in your place. More and more, I realize how much our decisions are shaped by things out of our control. But we don't have to be controlled by fate. Our past does not have to be today. Maybe you'll never want to be my friend. But maybe you could find that there's value in every creature's life."

Spike pauses once more. Then he says, "If you want me never to speak to you again, then your wish is granted. But if you ever change your mind, just let me know."

Spike perches back on top of the central pinnacle, between the other six.

Twilight finally catches Spike acting behind her back. She wanted to interrupt him. But she decides it's too late for that. She has no choice but to see how it plays out.

Danu takes some deep breaths. Then he sighs. Suddenly, he breaks into tears.

"You're right, Spike!" exclaims Danu. "You know exactly how I feel. I didn't think I wanted your goodwill. Now I see that if we don't end this cycle of hate, then my world will never be safe. When I tried to destroy you, I destroyed my bond with my own people. If I don't care about your world, then why should I care about anyone but myself?"

As Danu speaks, he starts to glow, ever so faintly. The same is happening with the other Knights. Spike now shines even brighter.

Twilight gasps ... not knowing if she should be terrified or overjoyed. Just the same, she lays low and makes herself invisible.

Ceridwen and Mannah are already outside their cages, since Spike let them out earlier. Now the aura of the remaining Knights' Elements bursts open their cages.

Spike's own mystery Element shines bright like the sun.

When Twilight first tried to leave the Knights, she found that she was trapped in Tartarus. Maybe it was an accident -- or someone deliberately locked her. (It was the work of Cozy, Chrysalis, and Tirek.) Danu, with his eagle eyes, perceived what was happening. For a moment, he was happy at her misfortune -- only to be reminded that if she didn't get out, then there was no chance in Tartarus that he would ever get out.

With the Elements, Spike and the Knights manage to burst open the doors to Tartarus. Twilight is overjoyed to finally be free. But she's still nervous. She gets all 18 of Equestria's Element bearers together to monitor the situation. She stands by herself, with the others secretly backing her up. But the Knights never attack. Instead, they thank her for showing the true meaning of Patriotism! No longer do the Knights of Order want to be called that. Now they want to be called the Knights of Friendship!

Here are some ideas for the development of Shining Armor's character, along with more on Twilight's allies and the Knights of Order:

Shining Armor had meant to sub for Twilight for only a week. But when he found that she was trapped inside -- and that Discord could not get her out -- he started to panic -- not just for his sister but also for his ability to do her job. Could he actually take her place and bear the Element of Magic? As Armor gets comfortable, thanks to the advice of Twilight's friends, he starts to enjoy his new position. He still misses his sister dearly -- yet he finds that he takes some perverse pleasure in being in her place. He doesn't realize this at first -- until the rest of the Mane 6 notice and point it out to him.

While Armor is running things, he commissions Lyra and Bon Bon to lead a team to figure out Cunabula's location. However, he displays a more militant attitude than Twilight. Whereas Twilight wants to find replacements for the Elements -- which should ensure a peaceful victory -- Armor wants to make sure the Elements of Patriotism can never be wielded again. He thinks those Elements are evil and corrupt by nature. He thinks the word "patriotism" is nothing but propaganda for tyrants to silence and intimidate their victims.

What Armor proposes is for the five other sets of Elements to try and destroy the Tree of Patriotism. And for Equestria and allies to lead a massive invasion with more soldiers than the population of Cunabula. The Cunabulans are to be seized from their homeland -- scattered and detained in various parts of the world. This way, he can destroy the nation -- and the people's identity -- while sparing all the people.

Little does Armor know that Cunabula is already waging a new war in distant lands -- led by a popular leader named Naponeon Blownaparte. General Naponeon rose up as the new ruler after the people overthrew the disgraced Knights, after the nation underwent a brief civil war between warring factions. And she has six innocent children who naively bear the Elements of Patriotism -- which allowed her to defeat the other factions.

At that point, the Cutie Map calls up the Knights of Order -- and reveals the location of Cunabula! A short time later, Armor sees the Knights floating away, on their way back to their homeland. He screams with horror. Twilight tries to explain the miracle that's just taken place -- but Armor refuses to believe it. By now, Armor has started to acquire some of the Element of Magic ... but now it's pitting the Element of Magic against itself -- since he and Twilight have very different ideas on whether Cunabula can be reformed.

Okay, so how can it be that Shining Armor could acquire some of the Element of Magic -- despite being partially ignorant about the power of friendship? It's because his devotion to his sister makes him halfway worthy. When Armor is reminded that he values Twilight as much as the entire Crystal Empire, he starts to end his fighting with her.

In his desperation to lead his own way, he had started to use force against her. He wasn't trying to overthrow her -- but he was trying to override her. Twilight was afraid to fight back -- fearing she would only escalate the situation. When she started to cry, because she felt sad and betrayed, Armor finally realized he was about to lose half his world. He finally realized that trying to overrule her was an act of treason -- no matter how loyal his motives.

Although the "Knights of Friendship" now have their Elements back, they cannot retake Cunabula with their Elements alone. They must solve their own country's friendship problem. If the two sets of Element bearers fight each other, it could possibly destroy the Elements of Patriotism -- which could make for a very bloody and drawn-out war when it comes to Naponeon's attempts to take over the world. This is something the Knights of Friendship don't yet realize. But at least they have the heart to learn -- and now that they know the true power of friendship, they can never go back to their old ways.

To stop Naponeon's invasion of the world in its tracks -- and save everyone in the process -- all six sets of Elements must be united. But the sixth set is divided against itself between two factions -- the old regime and the new regime. Moreover, there's some friendship trouble between some of Equestria's allies. If, under the stress of war, hate and fear prevail, then there might be a great new force of evil -- an ancient monster -- that's waiting to be unlocked.