Twilight took matters into her own hooves. Years after judgement, Twilight is torn between two worlds. A bright and peaceful Equestria and the world of the Dusklands; dangerous and unforgiving. Just where does her heart belong?
their smiles beamed out, almost blindingly as she looked at the, a young filly between them
1. Them.
7097768 More than that actually since the war did continue for several years after the retaking of Canterlot as it would seem. How long exactly is an ambiguous figure bit definitely more than one.
Will Diadem find a kindred spirit with Sombra? Will his return cause Celestia to relapse once again? Will Diadem follow Sombra to seek closure for her oldest and most recently opened wounds? Only time will tell.
Glad to hear things have settled down for you mostly, and yeah, the commute is what tends to be one of the biggest factors for being really exhausted.
For two years I've been making that commute and it was killing me. I was up about 5am, I'd leave about 6:00am, eventually get to campus a little before 8 have classes until 4pm then pick up my fiance at 5, drive home and wouldn't get there until 7 sometimes 8 and then have to eat and do homework then bed to do it all again.
Y'see sunny baby, there's this thing that we have for when you want to keep a criminal close but not free. It's called a dungeon. You made a blind teleport, so I hope the rules for magic here mean she couldn't have ended up 1000 feet in the air, or underground. In addition, you sent her south into the barrens. It's obvious you have no clue about whats past there, so your student is not only vulnerable to the elements, but unknown creatures and predatory foreigners (bandits, etc...). Now given a plan for retrieving her soon that danger could be mitigated, however, you made absolutely no attempt to keep track of her. You let her out in the wastes and hoped you'd find her before she died. You could have left some kind of magical mark on her, sent a guard with her, anything so that you could pull her out if shes in danger or when you decide she can come back. Your last, and potentially worst for her emotional state, sin, is that you made absolutely no indication that this banishment was temporary. You triggered her obvious neurosis about you, separated an asocial person from her safety net of friends, cut her off emotionally from any kind of support, just so you can send her to her room to cool down. You fail to respect the agency and intelligence of your people. You believe yourself so innately superior to everyone else that you can't be arsed to justify your actions. You are not their mother. You are their ruler, the only power over their lives that you command is as an adjudicator of laws, or what they give to you personally. As it's clear your banishment was extralegal, given the lack of documentation, a trial, investigation, public execution of punishment, it does not fall under either of those categories. The above about rule of law only applies if you are not an absolute tyrant. In which case, the only reason to support you over Sombra is that your slightly less likely to be in a bad mood when dealing with people. So no, you do not get to make excuses. You do not get to now start to justify your actions with your irrational fears. What you do now is make it apparent that you have not even the basic understanding of logic, or the minds of your people, or your world in general. You are unfit to to command a one man rowboat, let alone a nation. Speaking of, Anyone notice how interesting it is that nationalism is considered the norm in 'peaceful' Equestria? Sure fantastical racism, we're all ponies, whatever. Given the cultural disparity in Equestria, and the lack of good long range communication, the idea of 'Equestria' should be but a distant ideal.
Tried to read this story but... I simply don't believe that Celestia would banish Twilight just like that. Even Nightmare Moon/Luna canon Celestia banished only because she simply don't have any other choice. By Loren Faust word Celestia unable to use Element to turn NMM back to Luna and considering that NMM planned to start an "Era of Evil" (again, by Loren word) she basically force Celestia to banish her. And after this Celestia spend LOTS of time to find a way to bring Luna back. And here Celestia banish Twilight who close to her as her own daughter without even any attempt to find why exactly Twilight do what she do? Sorry, I can't believe in this. At all.
I'd post a "it's alive!" clip but it'd be the fourth of fifth time I made that joke, so I'll refrain from doing it. Nice to see not all old stories go to die.
7098174 Faced with the possibility that the mare she loved as her daughter could possibly turn into another Nightmare, then yes, I entirely believe that Celestia could banish Twilight without letting anyone else know. Especially for the good of Equestria. Coupled with her own pride and the feeling that she knows best, it's entirely possible.
7098295 Sorry, but you equalize NMM attempt to basically terrorize all of Equestria with Twilight attempt to assault "Cadance"? Really? And I say it again. She spend thousand years to bring Luna back and pretty much forgive her for everything she done (which is FAR worse that Twilight done here). And you saying that she could just banish Twilight and scratch her from her life? Sorry, I'm simply don't believe in that.
7098269 While I don't hate benevolent rulers in general there are times where I find a benign ruler to be much more crueler than a tyrant could ever be. Like you said, with the tyrants I know my place.
and with that celestias rule is gone anyway, when this hits public knowledge the populous well never forgive her. the dragons well be furious, the minotaurs probably more so. equestrian is already dead.
also is it too much to ask that applejacks family verbally attacks her for fanatical racism.... again?
I was really REALLY hoping you were not going down the tired beaten path of "everything is Celestia's fault." But sure enough here we are with another classic OOC Celestia where her actions are all but irredeemable. I was really hoping that it had been Chrysalis that had banished Twilight whilst disguised as Celestia, no doubt the real Celestia did hurt Twilight and during her emotionally compromised state she would have been easily manipulated by Chrysalis. Instead not only did Celestia do something monumentally stupid but she actively hid her actions for years. So here's where I step off the ride, I'm just sick of this cliche twist.
No, I am sorry. I am still siding with Celestia. Equestria is in a great danger. And Twilight is choosing to cling to her bitterness, instead of helping.
Celestia made mistakes. She acknowledges this, and clearly regrets it. And now, she is trying to fix them. Bloody hell, if she was stuck in a cocoon for a year, of course she was unable to bring Twilight back immediatly!
Twilight, however, is choosing to disregard an entire nation, as if her loss was more important than the lives of thousand of ponies. She is being ludicrously selfish, actively seeking confrontationg with her old friends...
And then, Sombra at the end. Twilight is probably going to head into a dark path...and for the first time, I am hoping this story ends with her death.
7099053 After reading comments I get impression that story use incredibly boring (for me) cliche that "it's all Celestia fault". So at this point I'm don't care and glad that I'm dropped this story.
Update, I had almost given up hope. Celestia finally has to own up to what she has done. The girls know the truth. Luna knows the truth. And the last player us on the board. Sombra. And Diadem has made contact with him and seen the past and why he is what he is now. Both betrayed by teachers....
I think that Twilight has a soul mate. I do feel bad for Rarity in all this. She was the only one willing to face the truth and then speak out.
I think the point being made was that it's not the crime or actions down the path of darkness is what mattered to Celestia. In my opinion I think the real issue here is the "Potential" between the two individuals.
I openly admit that NMM's banishment was fairly sound. Let's look at the facts: 1. It's her sister 2. She was a princess 3. Her plan would be the destruction of the lives of many.
Now let's expand it, first since she was her sister then execution would be right out. Next with Luna being a princess her power is already a fairly known factor and with being her sister she know's Luna quite well, thus her plan and subsequent actions afterwards would be obvious to imagine.
As for Twilight 1. Her surrogate daughter 2. One of the most powerful Unicorns to ever live 3. A genius mind that, like many of its like, tends to teeter on the brink by her unfortunate bouts of neurosis
Again, surrogate daughter, execution is a no-no. She is one of the most powerful unicorns to ever live and thus her current power is a bit of an unknown factor since she is simply a unicorn she has many options and paths open to her, making her a wildcard. Besides we've seen that there can be Unicorns in existence that can possible rival the power of alicorns. Lastly her genius mind coupled with that kind of power the "Potential" for things even worse to come it much greater.
So in short, it's not the crime, but the potential for what could be a greater evil between the two individuals. One is a Princess with great power but a one track mind and plan. Another is a powerful unicorn with so many options and choices with a tendency to go a bit on the neurotic end of things. I'd say that they are both equally great threats.
Now in terms of the punishment, I can't have much say in the matter since it seems your comment was cut off mid-way. I just like to chalk it up to being part of the plot and there wouldn't be a story if everything made perfect sense at all.
7099046 Twilight has yet to be told that her banishment has been lifted. Right now, the only way she can enter Equestria is as a fugitive who has every reason to fear terrible punishment if caught. Until Twilight gets contacted by someone who can undo her exile, the only thing waiting for her in Equestria is a dungeon or execution block. What reason has she been given to think otherwise?
Celestia may regret what she's done, but she hasn't done anything to fix it beyond endangering Twilight's friends via a fools' errand. She didn't give them a letter to give to Twilight or tell them what was going on. If she had, she might be talking to her former student right now. She's chosen to sacrifice this mission's chances - the mission on which thousands of lives supposedly hang - to protect her pride.
Perfect portrayal of Rarity. I knew she would be the one to knock some sense into this story.
I loved how Twilight's banishment was explained yet Celestia's reason still feels a little bland...
I'm really curious for this new subplot, Sombra is one of my favorite villains in the show and I'm really looking forward to the interactions between him and Diadem.
After see another of this "it's all Celestia fault"? Yes, a lot. I'm dead tired from this s...thing. It stopped being original years ago. At least I'm didn't downvote this.
7099465 Twilight also has yet to let her former friends speak to her. Even if Celestia had given them a letter, she would have probably burned it. She stubbornly refuses to listen.
It would not have mattered if their friends knew what was going on, or if they carried any kind of message from Celestia, if Twilight herself refuses to hear them out. Now the Rarity and the rest know the truth. What will that matter? Will Twilight suddenly decide they are worth listening to? Of course not.
Also, turning your back in an entire nation that needs you is selfish and stupid. Celestia banished her. Celestia. Not everypony else that lives in Equestria.
I could have perhaps expected Twilight to reach when the danger reached the Badlands...but after she has been contacted by Sombra, I have no hopes for her.
7100108 actually, this was done rather better than most times. I've just binge read it, so fresh from memory...
Sun butt didn't hold the idiot ball as she usually does in this stories. Oh, she did goof humongously... But in a rather humane way.
The mare she considered a daughter was, to celly's point of view, OK the brink of falling to the Nightmare. Locking her in the dungeons would most likely trigger the transformation, for she'd be in a dark place with naught but her thoughts to give her company. She feared for her niece, since she came to the scene of her battered and bruised, by her student's hooves - or so the scene seemed to get. She then tried to give Twilight a "time out"... In a desperate way that was bound to at least create scars, but one that could work.
That is... If she wasn't WRONG. The thing that makes this story believable is that. Celestia isn't some kind of infallible divine ruler, but a pony. A big, magical flying eternal pony. But a pony nonetheless. She can make mistakes. She can be blinded by her feelings. She can be stuck in denial, making bad decisions to avoid accepting she did wrong. Like we humans do.
She's a believable leader while a person, one that committed the (arguably) second worse mistake of her life, hurt tremendously one of her the most important ponies - and by that got her country in shambles, ripped her sister's friend from her life, Spike's mother, Shining' sister, the element's friend... Basically, a mistake so big she couldn't make herself own up to it. And that's way more believable than a perfect ruler whose feelings and humanity never get in the way of the optional solution.
It was well done as far as I see it. The real problem might have been how long it took for the story to show us that. 2 years was enough for past chapters to be forgotten, tropes solidified and bad executed prompts to poison our view of what this one could be.
I do understand real life can be a Bitch and a 2 hour commune turns writing impossible, but that really made reactions such as Comnislaher's plausible and understandable. I'll accompany this now, and sincerely hope you, the author, can give at least monthly updates. It would go a long way into making such slow exposition - although appropriated and rather well done - bearable. Take too long, and in character reasons can easily become the idiot ball...
7100222 the problem with your assumption is that Equestria is still her nation. To Twilight, she was exiled. Abandoned. Betrayed by her beloved mentor, one that was like a mother to her, and by her friends. Hell, even her parents have abandoned her, as far as she knows. For the last five years she has made a new home, one that has accepted her, that she loves and is loved back.
What did you expect it to go line? "Princess! You and my friends turned your backs to me, betrayed me by making my worse fears come true by exiling me to a deadly wasteland for the crime of trying to help equestria. I've suffered for years carving a place for me in this inhospitable place and making new friends and family, that didn't abandon me to die, some that actually have their lives for me! A new home that didn't put a knife in my back! No worries, you called, therefore I shall abandon them and come running to help the place in which I'm a criminal, just because you asked. Also, I forgive you for utterly destroying my life!" Really?
Sure, from our point of view it mind sound pretty or immature... But the characters doesn't share it with us. They don't have an the information, the tribulations we read about are felt by them. They have feelings, traumas, emotional baggage. Twilight is a broken mare that had her world destroyed by the one she trusted the most, her idol, supported by her friends. She has absolutely no reason to react different.
To do so, simply forgive because someone she hates and has all reasons to beloved betrayed her because they said there is a problem, awhile acting like there's nothing wrong (because they didn't know about Celestia's mistake)... That would be shallow, unrealistic and completely inhumane. She's not a machine nor a game character you can do whatever with, screw motivations. As a well written character, she comes along as quite human.
And saying fuck it to your feelings and history just to help is NOT the humane thing to do. Right, heroic? Undoubtedly. But this is not Superman we're taking about, but a hurt young woman with her worse enemies asking for help. To simply ignore them is actually quite sensate.
Now that they do understand her better, though... Now they might have a chance to talk to her.
7100232 No offense but there is BIG difference between NMM shtick and assaulting someone. Don't understand why people continue comparing NMM and Twilight here. She NOT gonna turn into Nightmare Twilight just because she assault someone.
Like we humans do.
We humans don't live up to thousand years. This is lots of time. More that enought to learn not to act on the spur of the moment.
She's a believable leader while a person, one that committed the (arguably) second worse mistake of her life
She already go thru this one time before. Which lead to thousand years of attempts to bring Luna back, resenting herself and all that s... things. And suddenly she forget all of this and chose to do it a second time? Even considering that Twilight nowhere as powerful as Luna (hell, she not even as powerful as a Starlight freaking Glimmer) and can be contained. But no! Let's forget all that happen and banish someone again! To somewhere where she could easily die. Because REASONS!
7100222 Again, you are jumping to conclusions without considering who knows what.
Celestia doesn't know what Twilight's state is prior to sending her friends out. But she does know that she banished her and that she's going to need to undo that. She doesn't know how receptive Twilight might or might not be to receiving correspondence from her old mentor. Celestia's failing here is that she isn't doing what she can do.
More important than sending the letter is informing Twilight's friends of the entire situation. Twilight did give them a little time to speak and they wasted it. It's not entirely their fault; they didn't know the particulars. They can't tell Twilight that her banishment is at an end if they didn't know in the first place. Celestia has tied their hooves by not giving them the information or power necessary to entice her back. They aren't free to, say, offer Twilight a million bits in restitution to come back and save Equestria. Even if Twilight herself doesn't care about the money, they would've had the opportunity in this circumstance to use it to persuade her tribe to pressure her into going.
Since you've brought up Twilight's selfishness in not going off to war to die twice, I may as well address that. Let's say that you were a Freemason who was exiled from Germany and fled to Switzerland. Do you have an obligation to return to Germany to protect it from the Soviet Union? Would it be selfish to sit out the war merely because you have every reason to believe that the Nazi Party would kill or imprison you if you returned rather than letting you fight?
While I am glad you are okay, and doubly so that you are able to resume writing this.
This chapter is interesting, for a variety of reasons.
I enjoy the nuance of celestia here. It's nice to see her as approachable. Here where in the view of now, she has a choice of two problems, neither right. And chooses the matter of one heart to another. I don't get some folks negativity here to celestia making mistakes. Immortal, or not, they do.
I do hope that updates can be in good times, no rush, i know it takes time. But that this isn't abandoned.
YEEEESSSS!!!
YOU'RE ALIVE!!!
hnnnnnnnnng yes i need more when u can plz
WOOOOOO!!! YOUR BACK AND THIS IS AWSOME!!! EXPLOTIONS!!!
Passes out from exsitement
Woohoo!
even here, my nemesis Cliff Hanger pursues me...
so Equestria was under siege for a year. no wonder the brash ones mistrust changelings...
Man, I had forgotten about this story. I'm psyched to see an update! Keep em coming!
their smiles beamed out, almost blindingly as she looked at the, a young filly between them
1. Them.
7097768 More than that actually since the war did continue for several years after the retaking of Canterlot as it would seem. How long exactly is an ambiguous figure bit definitely more than one.
Will Diadem find a kindred spirit with Sombra? Will his return cause Celestia to relapse once again? Will Diadem follow Sombra to seek closure for her oldest and most recently opened wounds? Only time will tell.
Glad to hear things have settled down for you mostly, and yeah, the commute is what tends to be one of the biggest factors for being really exhausted.
7097924
Ugh YES!
For two years I've been making that commute and it was killing me. I was up about 5am, I'd leave about 6:00am, eventually get to campus a little before 8 have classes until 4pm then pick up my fiance at 5, drive home and wouldn't get there until 7 sometimes 8 and then have to eat and do homework then bed to do it all again.
Ruthless cycle man.
Y'see sunny baby, there's this thing that we have for when you want to keep a criminal close but not free. It's called a dungeon. You made a blind teleport, so I hope the rules for magic here mean she couldn't have ended up 1000 feet in the air, or underground. In addition, you sent her south into the barrens. It's obvious you have no clue about whats past there, so your student is not only vulnerable to the elements, but unknown creatures and predatory foreigners (bandits, etc...). Now given a plan for retrieving her soon that danger could be mitigated, however, you made absolutely no attempt to keep track of her. You let her out in the wastes and hoped you'd find her before she died. You could have left some kind of magical mark on her, sent a guard with her, anything so that you could pull her out if shes in danger or when you decide she can come back.
Your last, and potentially worst for her emotional state, sin, is that you made absolutely no indication that this banishment was temporary. You triggered her obvious neurosis about you, separated an asocial person from her safety net of friends, cut her off emotionally from any kind of support, just so you can send her to her room to cool down.
You fail to respect the agency and intelligence of your people. You believe yourself so innately superior to everyone else that you can't be arsed to justify your actions. You are not their mother. You are their ruler, the only power over their lives that you command is as an adjudicator of laws, or what they give to you personally. As it's clear your banishment was extralegal, given the lack of documentation, a trial, investigation, public execution of punishment, it does not fall under either of those categories. The above about rule of law only applies if you are not an absolute tyrant. In which case, the only reason to support you over Sombra is that your slightly less likely to be in a bad mood when dealing with people.
So no, you do not get to make excuses. You do not get to now start to justify your actions with your irrational fears. What you do now is make it apparent that you have not even the basic understanding of logic, or the minds of your people, or your world in general. You are unfit to to command a one man rowboat, let alone a nation.
Speaking of, Anyone notice how interesting it is that nationalism is considered the norm in 'peaceful' Equestria? Sure fantastical racism, we're all ponies, whatever. Given the cultural disparity in Equestria, and the lack of good long range communication, the idea of 'Equestria' should be but a distant ideal.
why won't the up-vote button work multiple times!!! *bangs head on table*
Diadem is in touch with Sombra?
...Crap-biscuits.
Would be nice if the news some how got out that Celestia inadvertently screwed up Equestria.
7098001 FACEDESK HARDER!
49.media.tumblr.com/fdb90966867fcdd525b39b65fd47e375/tumblr_mma46f4SJM1qjqvo3o1_500.gif vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/8/81/FANMADE_Twilight_facedesk.gif/revision/latest?cb=20131111212808
Please let Dia join Sombra and turn evil.
Tried to read this story but... I simply don't believe that Celestia would banish Twilight just like that. Even Nightmare Moon/Luna canon Celestia banished only because she simply don't have any other choice. By Loren Faust word Celestia unable to use Element to turn NMM back to Luna and considering that NMM planned to start an "Era of Evil" (again, by Loren word) she basically force Celestia to banish her. And after this Celestia spend LOTS of time to find a way to bring Luna back.
And here Celestia banish Twilight who close to her as her own daughter without even any attempt to find why exactly Twilight do what she do? Sorry, I can't believe in this. At all.
I'd post a "it's alive!" clip but it'd be the fourth of fifth time I made that joke, so I'll refrain from doing it. Nice to see not all old stories go to die.
7098174 Faced with the possibility that the mare she loved as her daughter could possibly turn into another Nightmare, then yes, I entirely believe that Celestia could banish Twilight without letting anyone else know. Especially for the good of Equestria. Coupled with her own pride and the feeling that she knows best, it's entirely possible.
7098295
Sorry, but you equalize NMM attempt to basically terrorize all of Equestria with Twilight attempt to assault "Cadance"? Really?
And I say it again. She spend thousand years to bring Luna back and pretty much forgive her for everything she done (which is FAR worse that Twilight done here). And you saying that she could just banish Twilight and scratch her from her life? Sorry, I'm simply don't believe in that.
Yaaaassssssss! Take all of my limes and faves! Onwards!
Yesssss make an alliance. Down with equestria!!!!!
Yay an update!
I might have forgotten a slight bit about this fic but now it has come back in full force and it's amazing!
well, that took a turn.
7098269 While I don't hate benevolent rulers in general there are times where I find a benign ruler to be much more crueler than a tyrant could ever be. Like you said, with the tyrants I know my place.
7098269 Considering that she banished Sunset Shimmer, I agree with you.
*squeal!* Welcome back!
I got all giddy when I saw this update. The truth has finally outed; Celestia's looking to have a hard time atoning for this one...
Edit: I wonder if I'm the only one hoping this doesn't go "evil Twilight"...
and with that celestias rule is gone anyway, when this hits public knowledge the populous well never forgive her. the dragons well be furious, the minotaurs probably more so. equestrian is already dead.
also is it too much to ask that applejacks family verbally attacks her for fanatical racism.... again?
I was really REALLY hoping you were not going down the tired beaten path of "everything is Celestia's fault." But sure enough here we are with another classic OOC Celestia where her actions are all but irredeemable. I was really hoping that it had been Chrysalis that had banished Twilight whilst disguised as Celestia, no doubt the real Celestia did hurt Twilight and during her emotionally compromised state she would have been easily manipulated by Chrysalis. Instead not only did Celestia do something monumentally stupid but she actively hid her actions for years. So here's where I step off the ride, I'm just sick of this cliche twist.
oh joy one of my favorite stories is back up. good to hear that your getting everything back in order
YAY she just got in contact with Sombra and he ISN'T a total psychopath who can only say a couple words. isn't that great?
No, I am sorry. I am still siding with Celestia. Equestria is in a great danger. And Twilight is choosing to cling to her bitterness, instead of helping.
Celestia made mistakes. She acknowledges this, and clearly regrets it. And now, she is trying to fix them. Bloody hell, if she was stuck in a cocoon for a year, of course she was unable to bring Twilight back immediatly!
Twilight, however, is choosing to disregard an entire nation, as if her loss was more important than the lives of thousand of ponies. She is being ludicrously selfish, actively seeking confrontationg with her old friends...
And then, Sombra at the end. Twilight is probably going to head into a dark path...and for the first time, I am hoping this story ends with her death.
7098351 It was a temporary banishment. Celestia could not bring her back due to being inside a cocoon.
7099053
After reading comments I get impression that story use incredibly boring (for me) cliche that "it's all Celestia fault". So at this point I'm don't care and glad that I'm dropped this story.
7099046 Nnope.
Update, I had almost given up hope. Celestia finally has to own up to what she has done. The girls know the truth. Luna knows the truth. And the last player us on the board. Sombra. And Diadem has made contact with him and seen the past and why he is what he is now. Both betrayed by teachers....
I think that Twilight has a soul mate. I do feel bad for Rarity in all this. She was the only one willing to face the truth and then speak out.
7098351
I think the point being made was that it's not the crime or actions down the path of darkness is what mattered to Celestia. In my opinion I think the real issue here is the "Potential" between the two individuals.
I openly admit that NMM's banishment was fairly sound. Let's look at the facts:
1. It's her sister
2. She was a princess
3. Her plan would be the destruction of the lives of many.
Now let's expand it, first since she was her sister then execution would be right out. Next with Luna being a princess her power is already a fairly known factor and with being her sister she know's Luna quite well, thus her plan and subsequent actions afterwards would be obvious to imagine.
As for Twilight
1. Her surrogate daughter
2. One of the most powerful Unicorns to ever live
3. A genius mind that, like many of its like, tends to teeter on the brink by her unfortunate bouts of neurosis
Again, surrogate daughter, execution is a no-no. She is one of the most powerful unicorns to ever live and thus her current power is a bit of an unknown factor since she is simply a unicorn she has many options and paths open to her, making her a wildcard. Besides we've seen that there can be Unicorns in existence that can possible rival the power of alicorns. Lastly her genius mind coupled with that kind of power the "Potential" for things even worse to come it much greater.
So in short, it's not the crime, but the potential for what could be a greater evil between the two individuals. One is a Princess with great power but a one track mind and plan. Another is a powerful unicorn with so many options and choices with a tendency to go a bit on the neurotic end of things. I'd say that they are both equally great threats.
Now in terms of the punishment, I can't have much say in the matter since it seems your comment was cut off mid-way. I just like to chalk it up to being part of the plot and there wouldn't be a story if everything made perfect sense at all.
7099046
Twilight has yet to be told that her banishment has been lifted. Right now, the only way she can enter Equestria is as a fugitive who has every reason to fear terrible punishment if caught. Until Twilight gets contacted by someone who can undo her exile, the only thing waiting for her in Equestria is a dungeon or execution block. What reason has she been given to think otherwise?
Celestia may regret what she's done, but she hasn't done anything to fix it beyond endangering Twilight's friends via a fools' errand. She didn't give them a letter to give to Twilight or tell them what was going on. If she had, she might be talking to her former student right now. She's chosen to sacrifice this mission's chances - the mission on which thousands of lives supposedly hang - to protect her pride.
Perfect portrayal of Rarity. I knew she would be the one to knock some sense into this story.
I loved how Twilight's banishment was explained yet Celestia's reason still feels a little bland...
I'm really curious for this new subplot, Sombra is one of my favorite villains in the show and I'm really looking forward to the interactions between him and Diadem.
Keep up the awesome job.
the game is a foot, and the light side has don goofed
Loved the chapter!
Excellent. The updates begin once more.
7099906
also looks like english is not their first language
eather that or their a caveman
*shivers*
Finds out that this was updated
s2.quickmeme.com/img/a1/a1114dde8c89743b6aa795c7723104d7ade269d3632b318ed4bd29711b5e9f84.jpg
7099906
After see another of this "it's all Celestia fault"? Yes, a lot. I'm dead tired from this s...thing. It stopped being original years ago.
At least I'm didn't downvote this.
7099465 Twilight also has yet to let her former friends speak to her. Even if Celestia had given them a letter, she would have probably burned it. She stubbornly refuses to listen.
It would not have mattered if their friends knew what was going on, or if they carried any kind of message from Celestia, if Twilight herself refuses to hear them out. Now the Rarity and the rest know the truth. What will that matter? Will Twilight suddenly decide they are worth listening to? Of course not.
Also, turning your back in an entire nation that needs you is selfish and stupid. Celestia banished her. Celestia. Not everypony else that lives in Equestria.
I could have perhaps expected Twilight to reach when the danger reached the Badlands...but after she has been contacted by Sombra, I have no hopes for her.
7099167 Nope what?
7100108 actually, this was done rather better than most times. I've just binge read it, so fresh from memory...
Sun butt didn't hold the idiot ball as she usually does in this stories. Oh, she did goof humongously... But in a rather humane way.
The mare she considered a daughter was, to celly's point of view, OK the brink of falling to the Nightmare. Locking her in the dungeons would most likely trigger the transformation, for she'd be in a dark place with naught but her thoughts to give her company. She feared for her niece, since she came to the scene of her battered and bruised, by her student's hooves - or so the scene seemed to get. She then tried to give Twilight a "time out"... In a desperate way that was bound to at least create scars, but one that could work.
That is... If she wasn't WRONG. The thing that makes this story believable is that. Celestia isn't some kind of infallible divine ruler, but a pony. A big, magical flying eternal pony. But a pony nonetheless. She can make mistakes. She can be blinded by her feelings. She can be stuck in denial, making bad decisions to avoid accepting she did wrong.
Like we humans do.
She's a believable leader while a person, one that committed the (arguably) second worse mistake of her life, hurt tremendously one of her the most important ponies - and by that got her country in shambles, ripped her sister's friend from her life, Spike's mother, Shining' sister, the element's friend... Basically, a mistake so big she couldn't make herself own up to it. And that's way more believable than a perfect ruler whose feelings and humanity never get in the way of the optional solution.
It was well done as far as I see it.
The real problem might have been how long it took for the story to show us that. 2 years was enough for past chapters to be forgotten, tropes solidified and bad executed prompts to poison our view of what this one could be.
I do understand real life can be a Bitch and a 2 hour commune turns writing impossible, but that really made reactions such as Comnislaher's plausible and understandable. I'll accompany this now, and sincerely hope you, the author, can give at least monthly updates. It would go a long way into making such slow exposition - although appropriated and rather well done - bearable. Take too long, and in character reasons can easily become the idiot ball...
7100222 the problem with your assumption is that Equestria is still her nation. To Twilight, she was exiled. Abandoned. Betrayed by her beloved mentor, one that was like a mother to her, and by her friends. Hell, even her parents have abandoned her, as far as she knows. For the last five years she has made a new home, one that has accepted her, that she loves and is loved back.
What did you expect it to go line?
"Princess! You and my friends turned your backs to me, betrayed me by making my worse fears come true by exiling me to a deadly wasteland for the crime of trying to help equestria. I've suffered for years carving a place for me in this inhospitable place and making new friends and family, that didn't abandon me to die, some that actually have their lives for me! A new home that didn't put a knife in my back! No worries, you called, therefore I shall abandon them and come running to help the place in which I'm a criminal, just because you asked. Also, I forgive you for utterly destroying my life!"
Really?
Sure, from our point of view it mind sound pretty or immature... But the characters doesn't share it with us. They don't have an the information, the tribulations we read about are felt by them. They have feelings, traumas, emotional baggage. Twilight is a broken mare that had her world destroyed by the one she trusted the most, her idol, supported by her friends. She has absolutely no reason to react different.
To do so, simply forgive because someone she hates and has all reasons to beloved betrayed her because they said there is a problem, awhile acting like there's nothing wrong (because they didn't know about Celestia's mistake)...
That would be shallow, unrealistic and completely inhumane. She's not a machine nor a game character you can do whatever with, screw motivations. As a well written character, she comes along as quite human.
And saying fuck it to your feelings and history just to help is NOT the humane thing to do. Right, heroic? Undoubtedly. But this is not Superman we're taking about, but a hurt young woman with her worse enemies asking for help. To simply ignore them is actually quite sensate.
Now that they do understand her better, though... Now they might have a chance to talk to her.
7100232
No offense but there is BIG difference between NMM shtick and assaulting someone. Don't understand why people continue comparing NMM and Twilight here. She NOT gonna turn into Nightmare Twilight just because she assault someone.
We humans don't live up to thousand years. This is lots of time. More that enought to learn not to act on the spur of the moment.
She already go thru this one time before. Which lead to thousand years of attempts to bring Luna back, resenting herself and all that s... things. And suddenly she forget all of this and chose to do it a second time? Even considering that Twilight nowhere as powerful as Luna (hell, she not even as powerful as a Starlight freaking Glimmer) and can be contained. But no! Let's forget all that happen and banish someone again! To somewhere where she could easily die. Because REASONS!
7100222
Again, you are jumping to conclusions without considering who knows what.
Celestia doesn't know what Twilight's state is prior to sending her friends out. But she does know that she banished her and that she's going to need to undo that. She doesn't know how receptive Twilight might or might not be to receiving correspondence from her old mentor. Celestia's failing here is that she isn't doing what she can do.
More important than sending the letter is informing Twilight's friends of the entire situation. Twilight did give them a little time to speak and they wasted it. It's not entirely their fault; they didn't know the particulars. They can't tell Twilight that her banishment is at an end if they didn't know in the first place. Celestia has tied their hooves by not giving them the information or power necessary to entice her back. They aren't free to, say, offer Twilight a million bits in restitution to come back and save Equestria. Even if Twilight herself doesn't care about the money, they would've had the opportunity in this circumstance to use it to persuade her tribe to pressure her into going.
Since you've brought up Twilight's selfishness in not going off to war to die twice, I may as well address that. Let's say that you were a Freemason who was exiled from Germany and fled to Switzerland. Do you have an obligation to return to Germany to protect it from the Soviet Union? Would it be selfish to sit out the war merely because you have every reason to believe that the Nazi Party would kill or imprison you if you returned rather than letting you fight?
While I am glad you are okay, and doubly so that you are able to resume writing this.
This chapter is interesting, for a variety of reasons.
I enjoy the nuance of celestia here. It's nice to see her as approachable. Here where in the view of now, she has a choice of two problems, neither right. And chooses the matter of one heart to another. I don't get some folks negativity here to celestia making mistakes. Immortal, or not, they do.
I do hope that updates can be in good times, no rush, i know it takes time. But that this isn't abandoned.