This story is a sequel to What Have You Done?
Canterlot has fallen.
Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen, has taken her prize, unhindered by Equestria's precious heroes. Celestia is little more than another prisoner of war now. The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony are lost, and the Elements themselves have turned away from Equestria's plight. As the world they once knew begins to crumble, a single question is asked among the people as they look up at their fallen heroes.
It is no longer the question that needs to be asked, however.
It is no longer about what has been done, but what must be done now.
There is no such thing as "miserably ever after," for someone will always be fighting for things to change. Hope doesn't die just because someone's turned off the lights. Truth doesn't vanish when deceit begins its reign, and Harmony can only shine brighter among chaos.
Even as this world falls, we'll work to build it up again.
Even as you lose yourself, you can find greater things within you.
Even as fear rises up like a tidal wave, we'll forge a sanctuary to stand against it.
Even as you break, someone will always be standing there next to you to carry you through it.
And even if this entire broken world stands against me, as long as you do not give up, I will find my way back to you.
Cover art is by Odin-odin.
Story theme (Equestria in Grey) is by Omnipony.
Main Characters are Twilight, Velvet, Discord, Nightlight, Luna, and Chrysalis, in that order.
See you in the comments, my dear readers.
A deliberately detached narration style for the silence of the sea...
I like it mate but please do try to not do a wall of text but other then that no grammar mistakes in my eyes brilliant exercution
Nice opening chapter. I can't wait to see how this story progresses. Great job adding Discord.
4403886
I like it. It fits nicely.
Yay the sequel!
A date with the devil of chaos.... Well done sparkle.
lel
I think you meant "changeling".
4404919
I think it can be spelled either way. Like Cadance or Cadence. I could be wrong.
4405003
The thing is, changling isn't a word at all. Changeling is.
I dunno. Spell it how you'd like, I just wanted to point it out cuz I'm a grammar Nazi.
4405014
Technically "pegasus" is a name, not a word, which is what I THINK is the case here, too. Changeling is the mythological spelling from our own myths, while changling is the spelling for the equestrian species. I think. I seem to get corrected no matter which way I spell it, so whatever xD
This is deep, but as for I would release Discord from stone consequences be damned.
4403886 this definitely needs more.
This is just awesome for a sequel! XD
I thought the music would fit Twlight's mood. good chapter, glad to see ya back in business.
Any tropes for this story on TV Tropes please put on What Have You Done page.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/WhatHaveYouDone
Good opening chapter. Angsty and dark, but not too dark, and leaves the reader (moi) wanting to know what happens. :D
i freaking love this! and i love the story before this one! keep up the good work!
I like the writing style, but I'm really, really confused. How does Twilight go from angsting over her friends not believing her, to suddenly (And with no apparent reason) freeing Discord? I don't see the connection.
4405668
She is driven to such despair, I guess, that she no longer thinks her friends matter. In her new perspective, Discord was himself a victim of someone who had grown close to his heart, only for them to separate once they knew they were to follow opposing paths. In that way, the same thing happened to her, she tried to save her friends in a rash manner, but they left her to herself without a word. The difference depends on what happens later in the story. I hope I can explain it well enough for you.
4405668
I did my best to pace out her reasoning, so, how about this-
Tell me where I lost you, and I'll either clarify in story, or I'll explain it to you in PM :3
(Although redandready's pretty on the ball already)
4405668
From what I have seen, Twilight relate her situation with Discord. Friends that they think understood them but they really don't, left alone in sea of despair and betrayal. Discord used to be either loved or friends with Celestia but Celestia never understood him and thus this is how Discord became to be like that. Why Twilight freed Discord probably she saw those memories of Discord and Celestia, thus she doesn't want anyone to felt what she felt right now so she gave Discord some companionship
Do I have to had read What Have You Done? to know what's going on in this story?
4406309
You'll probably be okay for the first two chapters, but the third picks right up from where What Have You Done left off, so you might be a little lost if you don't.
Yay, I'm really excited to read this!! It seems great so far, the only thing I'll ask for is if you were to space out the paragraphs a bit so it'd be easier to read, thanks!
The very pic of Twilight being human.....showing what will happen next....
(SEAL OF APPROVAL)
Continue pls...
4406628
Uh, just so you know, you can click that little formatting button in the corner and space the paragraphs as little or as much as you like. They're already indented and separated, so the rest is up to your own tastes.
4406669
Oh, uh
Twilight is human in the picture because the artist felt like drawing her as a human. I'm using it as cover art because I feel it holds many of the same emotions as my story, and in fact, was one of the inspirations behind it.
No humans are actually involved with this story, transformation or otherwise.
Sorry to disappoint.
4406816
I didn't know that.
Welp, nevermind then! I look forward to the next chapter!
4404039
You are so unqualified to talk about grammar mistakes and walls of text. Please take your kindergarten-tier proofing skills elsewhere.
Customary insult out of the way, this is a good story. I love the way you're handling these two. Perfect capture of their personalities, given the circumstances, and all without some obnoxious, tired cliche. You write a much better Discord than most, my friend.
Ahh, so nice to see Twilight's friends suffer a bit because of how they treated her at the wedding... She forgave them WAY too quickly after all they put her through in the show IMO.
Anyway, really liking the direction this story is headed, maybe Twilight and Discord can leave for Saddle Arabia and leave her 'friends' to their fate.
4404039 Seriously, That actually hurt to Read. I may not be a Grammar God, But even I Can tell that you Have no Right to Criticize Grammar when yours is Worse than that of a 4 Year-Old.
4404039 I agree with you; some spacing would be nice to make it easier on the eyes.
Other than that, this is a wonderful beginning with an intriguing premise, and I will be certain to follow with rapt attention. (In other words, write more, please!
)
4408517
Again, I would like to remind my readers that the paragraphs are already separated and indented, and spacing is available for personal customization underneath the formatting button.
Other than that, nice to have ya! Glad you're enjoying it. :)
4408581 So sorry, I wasn't aware of that feature.
4405003 I haven't read this story yet. I might later. This comment deserves attention, however. Both "Changeling" and "Cadance" are the correct spellings. Anything else is strictly incorrect. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are wrong. This isn't a color colour thing, it's a matter of fact.
Aside from The Crystal Empire's credits, and a small quantity of merchandise, Cadance is exclusively referred to as such. Changling isn't used anywhere.
Sorry if I seemed hostile, but the misspelling of Cadance's name is a pet peeve of mine. I'll read your prequel later, then read this after that.
4408856
Alright, I'll use the mythological spelling, doesn't matter much to me either way. It's really just hitting an auto-correct edit button and tapping in two 'e's. No problem. :)
I am, however, still going to spell Cadence's name to match with the musical term. I'm sorry, I just really, really like it that way. I loved that in "This Day Aria," in contrast to Chrysalis's ending notes, all of Princess Cadenza's notes ended on a "true cadence." It was such a neat little thing.
I'm also not really sure how Mi Amore Cadenza is supposed to shorten to Cadance.
So.
Yeah. Consider it a quirk. It's too bad that it's going to rub you the wrong way, but... Yeah... Screw Hasbro, wave it to the AU if you must, but that's just how I write it.
4406886 *Using Jingles For the Lulz Video(IS-6)*
Comrade tank commander, I think he misunderstood us that the comment we gave is invalid
Don't be silly Ivan, I'm here to explain it. This means that the picture will represent what would happen next in the future comrade(maybe)..
But comrade tank commander aren't you suppose to command the tank while I explain it?
.......FUCK
So is Twilight still the Element of Magic?
I remember in the prequel that the element was the only one who didn't 'reject' its bearer, and I'm pretty sure the last voice, pleading not to be thrown away, was the element of magic.
So will Twilight reclaim her element? And if so, who will be the new Elements of Harmony?
4405742 Lol, I understand the reasons you're giving, but it just doesn't seem strong enough to justify letting something like Discord loose, especially not after what he did to them last time. If anything, I think she'd be even more leery of him - without her friends to back her up, she has no effective method of re-sealing him.
4409410
What did he do to them last time?
Make Applejack a liar?
She already is.
Make Fluttershy cruel? Pinkie Petty? Rarity selfish?
Maybe that was just their true colors.
Grief isn't logical. Right now, Twilight doesn't see Discord as a threat, because she herself has nothing to lose.
4409484
Well, that's one way of seeing it. Maybe you can incorporate that reasoning into the narrative as you go along.
The single question: Da fuq is wrong with this world?! It's worse that Earth!
4409250 Discord
I'm not sure whats going on to be honest, the protagonists seem a little out of character but then it's an alternate universe so everything goes i suppose.
The summary was quite anticipatory. Maybe a little too much, since it would be more interesting to discover it instead of having it somewhat chewed for oneself. However, i'm curious where this goes.
Finally!
MORE please more
4409484 So none of the other ponies he messed with last time he got out are worth a damn to her either, then?
I really do look forward to seeing how this all winds up, but watching Twilight wangst is teeth-grinding, especially since you explained quite well in the last installment that it's her problem for not knowing that people can make up after a serious argument, just because she had the good fortune of never having had one before (and, yes, partly everypony else's [except for
Mommy SueTwilight Velvet] for not anticipating that reaction).Also, the chapter title wound up making this my background music for the chapter:
So, it wasn't all bad.
4405632 Thankee-sai for the page! As bugged as I am that I hadn't gotten around to making my own trope examples, this does merit a page and it's a better start than I could have done.
4413016
No one's ever commented on my troping examples, and I hope you are a such an experienced troper that your words will only fuel my talent.
Don't mention it
I agree with you, that Twilight overreacted to one stupid decision made by her friends. But you forget that Twilight isn't normal even by MLP standards. Twilight is a super powered unicorn. In Equestria, when a super powered being overreacts, the consequences are much greater than if you or I react. When Luna, a demigoddess, fell from grace, she nearly took the sun with her. When Twilight believed she was going to lose her status as Princess Celestia's student over a friendship report, she had a breakdown that drove her to brainwash an entire town. So what do you think that super powered unicorn will do since in her eyes, everyone she loved ditched her for a stranger? The way I see it, the greater powered being, the more consequences that breakdown will have. Just the way I see it.
4413718
Bingo~! You seem quite good at figuring out my thought processes for this story, haha
Whenever I read stories like this, I consider them great and well-written if it can make me start to feel the same emotions it conveys. The sheer empathy pouring off each word in this story has made me feel dead inside. I congratulate you on a story well done, and I humbly ask of you to update immediately.