Twilight's naivete is really heart-wrenching. She's setting herself up for such a soul crushing disappointment.
Ooh, Twilight Prime (what I'll call Trixie Vs Equestria unicorn Twilight Sparkle) is back on my shit list. Yeah, Celestia forced her to do what she did, but damn... that's cold. Trixie has no idea just how light she got off...
Ah, back to the seven fights angle, are we? I have a dreading feeling that these will not be as "playful" as Trixie's fights were.
Ha! Steve is always a great cameo to have. But, how did Twilight know his name? Did she read the TV captions or sumthin'? Or does Rarity make frequent trips to trim up his mane and mustache?
Ah, and the big dragon Trixie pulled her bullshit win over. THAT will be an encounter.
4452921 Battles. Battles, he says. Hah, sure, if that's what you want to call them.
As for Steve, I figure since he lives so close to Ponyville and is a rather unique character that he'd probably be known by name to the locals. But meh, that's just my headcanon.
4476843 Reddux appeared in TvE Chapter 18. Y'know, the one named after him?
Also, the content of this story was concieved and written long before I knew anything about Tirek... and as such he doesn't even get a mention in this story. That said, I am thinking about having him make a cameo of some sort in one of the TvE sequels.
colon after Behold. Also, I believe that Lethe is the River of Forgetfulness officially, though I guess they can be considered the same thing, especially since it's Equestria's Lethe and not actually Hades'.
Sunset is really quite the downer. Wait... she said that Twi would be killed... does that mean that she's still alive? And everyone else in Tartarus is as well? Your inclusion of Steven here is most ingenious. I love how you kept him mostly in-character (what little we saw of him) while also adding your own twist to him personality. And thank goodness Sunset spoke up when she did. ...next chapter, then.
Had I known you were going to jump on these things, I would have had you edit the story in the first place.
Also, I believe that Lethe is the River of Forgetfulness officially
This is not a parody, and I took a lot of liberties. Look for similarities, not exact copies. Also, that would be a negative on the colon. I didn't want that dramatic pause after the word. Might be wrong grammatically, but I'm not so sure. I think it really depends upon intention in this case.
Steven is intended to be Tartarus' variant of Minos, depicted as a serpentine figure, who judged the sinners to determine what circle of Hell they belonged to. Steven struck me as the perfect replacement, both as a representative of Minos and for what I intended to do with the Lords as a whole.
Oh, and yes. Tartarus is 'Hell on Equestria,' not the afterlife, so every individual creature in Tartarus is actually still alive. 'Eternal Prison' is a much more accurate title, really.
Good Golly. Reading this gave me the urge to track down that old brainstorming doc I made back in the day. This chapter, moreso than any other, is a product of that doc. And reading this still fills me with pride. Of course it also fills me with a little bit of dread now, considering I now know all too well what happens, but I'm on the train. Too late to get off.
An interesting pagan flare to the Christian Nikeia. Being able to outwit the principalities of hell isn't exactly a montheistic motif, but I suppose the polytheistic flavor of MLP justifies it. Or maybe just because this has to be a narrative, rather than the travelogue or atlas that Dante frequently devolved into. There's not much room for agency in a Christian afterlife.
I wonder what this Reddux fellow will be like, considering the importance he apparently has. The choice of Sunset, or this world's Sunset, as the Virgil and guide of this story is an interesting one. I think it contrasts nicely with Twilight, especially with her more wayward and fallen nature here. Though, I can also see why she might be unusual if you wanted more literal traits of Virgil represented, where an ancient pony character would have worked. Considering the setup, I guess the choice of Sunny is going to be intentional, especially when it comes to being the link between the history of this world and why Twi is here.
Ah, I see Sunset is given the role of the Old Poet, Vergil. Also, seven lords, makes me think of the seven deadly sins: Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Averice, Envy, and Greed. I wonder which one Reddux represents.
Twilight's naivete is really heart-wrenching. She's setting herself up for such a soul crushing disappointment.
Ooh, Twilight Prime (what I'll call Trixie Vs Equestria unicorn Twilight Sparkle) is back on my shit list. Yeah, Celestia forced her to do what she did, but damn... that's cold. Trixie has no idea just how light she got off...
Ah, back to the seven fights angle, are we? I have a dreading feeling that these will not be as "playful" as Trixie's fights were.
Ha! Steve is always a great cameo to have. But, how did Twilight know his name? Did she read the TV captions or sumthin'? Or does Rarity make frequent trips to trim up his mane and mustache?
Ah, and the big dragon Trixie pulled her bullshit win over. THAT will be an encounter.
Eh, either way, looking forward to more!
4452921
Battles. Battles, he says. Hah, sure, if that's what you want to call them.
As for Steve, I figure since he lives so close to Ponyville and is a rather unique character that he'd probably be known by name to the locals. But meh, that's just my headcanon.
And so, we meet
VirgilSunset Shimmer, whose purpose is to deliver exposition on Tartarus to a haplessDanteTwilight Sparkle.What chapter did he appear in?
Tirek: Oh, now I wouldn't say that...
4476843
Reddux appeared in TvE Chapter 18. Y'know, the one named after him?
Also, the content of this story was concieved and written long before I knew anything about Tirek... and as such he doesn't even get a mention in this story. That said, I am thinking about having him make a cameo of some sort in one of the TvE sequels.
colon after Behold. Also, I believe that Lethe is the River of Forgetfulness officially, though I guess they can be considered the same thing, especially since it's Equestria's Lethe and not actually Hades'.
Sunset is really quite the downer. Wait... she said that Twi would be killed... does that mean that she's still alive? And everyone else in Tartarus is as well?
Your inclusion of Steven here is most ingenious. I love how you kept him mostly in-character (what little we saw of him) while also adding your own twist to him personality. And thank goodness Sunset spoke up when she did.
...next chapter, then.
Had I known you were going to jump on these things, I would have had you edit the story in the first place.
This is not a parody, and I took a lot of liberties. Look for similarities, not exact copies. Also, that would be a negative on the colon. I didn't want that dramatic pause after the word. Might be wrong grammatically, but I'm not so sure. I think it really depends upon intention in this case.
Steven is intended to be Tartarus' variant of Minos, depicted as a serpentine figure, who judged the sinners to determine what circle of Hell they belonged to. Steven struck me as the perfect replacement, both as a representative of Minos and for what I intended to do with the Lords as a whole.
Oh, and yes. Tartarus is 'Hell on Equestria,' not the afterlife, so every individual creature in Tartarus is actually still alive. 'Eternal Prison' is a much more accurate title, really.
Good Golly. Reading this gave me the urge to track down that old brainstorming doc I made back in the day. This chapter, moreso than any other, is a product of that doc. And reading this still fills me with pride. Of course it also fills me with a little bit of dread now, considering I now know all too well what happens, but I'm on the train. Too late to get off.
6057814
Don't mind me, I'm just sabotaging the breaks. If you hear wild laughter, just ignore it.
An interesting pagan flare to the Christian Nikeia. Being able to outwit the principalities of hell isn't exactly a montheistic motif, but I suppose the polytheistic flavor of MLP justifies it. Or maybe just because this has to be a narrative, rather than the travelogue or atlas that Dante frequently devolved into. There's not much room for agency in a Christian afterlife.
Okay, so there's one similarity to your Tartarus and mine. The seven lords each with their own territory.
I probably have to think of something else now. Dammit.
I wonder what this Reddux fellow will be like, considering the importance he apparently has. The choice of Sunset, or this world's Sunset, as the Virgil and guide of this story is an interesting one. I think it contrasts nicely with Twilight, especially with her more wayward and fallen nature here. Though, I can also see why she might be unusual if you wanted more literal traits of Virgil represented, where an ancient pony character would have worked. Considering the setup, I guess the choice of Sunny is going to be intentional, especially when it comes to being the link between the history of this world and why Twi is here.
Ah, I see Sunset is given the role of the Old Poet, Vergil. Also, seven lords, makes me think of the seven deadly sins: Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Averice, Envy, and Greed. I wonder which one Reddux represents.