The Elements of Harmony - Painful Truth
Nightmare Moon's Tiny Adversary
-
Chapter 5
Part 2
“What’s taking her so long?” Rainbow Dash snapped as she flew in small circles with her forelegs crossed, scowling at the castle ruins. "I’m tired of waiting!"
The pegasus darted towards the front doors of the castle, keeping her tail angled so Applejack could not grab it again, but she was yanked to an abrupt halt when Rarity used her magic to grab onto Rainbow’s body instead.
After she had managed to stop the energetic pegasus by bracing herself against an immobile object, Rarity daintily cleared her throat before chastising her friend. "Rainbow Dash! Twilight specifically told us not to interrupt her. Whatever she's doing is very important, and she needs to be able to concentrate."
“Even so, that doesn’t mean we can’t ensure her safety. I shouldn’t be worried, but I don’t feel right leaving her alone for so long, especially in a place like this,” added Steel Blade. “It’s a bit… spooky.”
Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared in front of him, causing the guard to flinch. “Spoooooooky,” she said eerily before bouncing away, leaving Steel Blade to raise an eyebrow at her.
Fluttershy cleared her throat softly. “Um… I agree with Steel Blade. A monster or animal might sneak into the castle, and…” she said with a gulp, twisting a section of mane in a hoof. "I don't want her to get eaten. Again."
Applejack nodded. “Ah agree. We shouldn’t have left her alone in there. At least one of us should keep an eye on ‘er.”
Steel Blade shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about that. I only said that I’m not comfortable out here where I can’t keep an eye on Twilight personally, not that we don’t already have somepony watching her. If anything happens to our charge, we’ll know.”
Rainbow Dash’s brow furrowed together. “And who is this ‘somepony’?”
“Yoo hoooo!” a voice called out from above them.
Steel Blade looked up at the roof of the castle, finding the source of the voice leaning precariously over what little remained of the tiles. “Hey Overwatch!” he shouted nonchalantly. “Anything happen to Twilight?”
Overwatch simply gave him a knowing stare, ignoring the confused looks of the other ponies present. “Really, Steelie? Are you really asking that?”
Steel Blade let out a groan, pressing a hoof into his forehead. “What happened this time?”
“Oh, Twilight just got foalnapped by Nightmare Moon.”
“W-w-what?!” Steel Blade exclaimed incredulously. “Foalnapped by Nightmar—”
“Well, not exactly,” Overwatch said, tapping a hoof to her chin in contemplation. “I don’t think Miss Moon knew our little boss was there. She was stealing the Elements and Twilight just got a bit swept up for the ride, so it was a very unintentional foalnapping, really.”
“Stop. Stop,” Steel Blade said sternly, rubbing at his forehead as he cut Overwatch off with a hoof. “It doesn’t matter what it was. Do you know where she’s gone? Is she still in the area?”
“Mmm… I’ve a feeling they’re still in the castle,” the guard mare said as she hopped down across the little platforms formed by what remained of the stone walls. “I didn’t see exactly where they went—Nightmare Moon did a black whirlwind thing and teleported away—but it can’t be that hard to figure out where they went.”
Overwatch landed gracefully in front of the group before turning to open the castle doors. “I’m fairly certain I can point us in the right direction once we get close, but we have to get going now before the situation escalates.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped, her eyes as wide as ostrich eggs. “S-slay you?” she stammered out after a moment of stunned silence. “What kind of nonsense is that? I would never slay you!”
Nightmare Moon slammed a hoof into the ground, cracking the stone tiles from the impact. “If you wish to protect your mentor from our wrath, then you must end us,” she said as she glared at the tiny unicorn with dragon-slit eyes, her tone cold and serious.
Twilight shook her head fervently. “B-b-but I don’t want to protect my mentor. I want to protect you. It’s only a matter of time before the princess finds you, and you just fought down an army of guards! You’re wounded and weak! I—”
The black alicorn snorted. “You are correct, and that is exactly why you should slay us now! We are weak while you are strong. We possess only a fraction of our magic when you are at the peak of your condition. We have even blessed you with our magic. This is the best time for you to return to your original size and—”
"You aren't listening!" Twilight shouted as she jumped down from the levitated stone, landing on the floor roughly as the floating rocks she had been sitting on clattered to the ground behind her. Mustering her courage, Twilight galloped towards the pedestal upon which Nightmare Moon sat.
She has to understand! I'm not her enemy!
She skidded to a halt at the bottom of the steps and looked up, trying not to cringe at the sight of the powerful alicorn glaring down at her. Feeling like prey before a vicious predator, Twilight took a deep breath and shouted, "I'm not going to kill you! I'm here to save you!"
Nightmare Moon snarled in return, momentarily twisting away from Twilight's words as if they had burned her. “‘Tis a lie! Thou hast come to unleash the Elements upon us to save thy mentor the trouble of killing us! Admit it!”
Twilight was taken aback by this accusation, but she quickly reasserted herself and straightened up. “Yes, I did come here to use the Elements against you,” she said firmly.
With a small baring of her sharp teeth in a victorious smile, Nightmare Moon purred, "Was that so difficult? We much prefer a harsh truth than a pleasant, manipulative lie.”
“But I’m not planning to seal you on the moon again! I’m going to use them to heal your hate and anger!”
Nightmare Moon stopped and blinked a few times. “Excuse us?” she finally said.
Twilight breathed out a relieved sigh. “The Elements. I think I know how to resolve everything.”
Cadence flew over the Everfree Forest with all the speed she could muster, her breathing heavy and her wings run ragged trying to keep up with Celestia. I really regret not joining auntie in her training with the Wonderbolts this past year, she thought as she trailed further and further behind the sun princess. I could really use the stamina right now.
“Please… slow down… I… can’t… keep up…” Cadence pled between gasping breaths, trying to put what little energy she had into flapping her wings as fast as she could.
“We don’t have time to slow down. Teleport if you must,” Celestia responded firmly as she flew restlessly towards her destination, pumping her wings a bit faster to boost her farther ahead.
“Where… are we heading… auntie? Do you know… where Nightmare Moon… is hiding?”
Celestia didn’t even bother to turn around as she answered. “Yes, Cadence, I know exactly where she is, and I should have gone there first to look for her. She’s been hiding in plain sight the whole time.”
Celestia lit up her horn and disappeared in a golden flash, only to reappear a few kilometers closer to her target.
Cadence let out a resigned sigh before following suit, teleporting after Celestia. She winced as her dull headache prodded sharply at her, an unwelcome reminder that she had transferred most of her magic to the sun princess in preparation for further confrontation. Regardless, she pushed through it, urging her leaden wings onwards despite their reticence.
The moment I rushed into the town hall and saw my Twilight exhausted, wounded, broken, and nestled against Celestia’s chest, I feared the worst. I feared that the Luna I knew was long gone, buried in vengeance and insanity after her thousand year imprisonment. Cadence thought as she took a deep breath, her horn releasing small blue sparks as she struggled to charge a teleportation spell.
But when Shining Armor looked at me with those bloodshot eyes and cursed himself for ordering his troops to attack, for unintentionally hurting Twilight in the crossfire…
In a flash, she reappeared closer to her destination, sweat pouring down her brow, but Celestia had already jumped even farther ahead, impossible to catch up with. If what Twilight said was true… if Nightmare Moon really showed mercy… if this whole conflict is just one big misunderstanding…
Cadence looked ahead with growing determination and grit her teeth. Then I will do whatever it takes to save you, Luna! I will continue where Twilight started and succeed.
I wasn’t there for you when you needed me, Luna, but not today!
“Stop right there.”
Twilight stopped her explanation, watching as Nightmare Moon stood from her throne and took a few paces towards her.
“So our dear sister tried to manipulate thee against us without telling the truth? How canst thou be so loyal to her after learning of this betrayal?” Nightmare Moon asked loudly, kneeling down and staring at her expectantly.
“Umm… Would you like the logical answer or the personal answer?” Twilight asked hesitantly.
Nightmare Moon’s brow furrowed. “Both,” she replied.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Well umm… the logical answer is simple. Princess Celestia is the ruler of Equestria. She cares about all of her subjects and has controlled the cycle between day and night for almost two millenia. I’m just her student, her little pony. If she wishes to utilize my talents for her own goals or for the good of Equestria, even to manipulate me towards it, I will accept it as my duty to serve,” she said with a bow. “I will gladly sacrifice myself if it means that I could reunite you with your sister. To make you both happy.”
Nightmare Moon smirked. “Although we appreciate the respect you show to those greater and wiser than you, we must say that you are still far too humble for your own good,” she said, chuckling. “Oh, the irony. You’ve risked your life to put us on the throne next to our sister, yet we’ve risked our life, sparing her royal guards, to prove to you that we are the queen worth serving. Your life is worth more than you believe.”
Twilight smiled sheepishly at the praise and rubbed the back of her neck. “Err… Thank you. As for my personal answer,” she started, “Princess Celestia has protected and taken care of me for the past thirteen years, and as harsh as being a tiny student was, they were the best years of my life. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”
Nightmare Moon snorted at the indirect praise towards Celestia, looking back at the tiny mare impassively. “Go on…”
Twilight cleared her throat and continued. “Your sister showed me kindness. She taught and trained me. She made me into a strong, dependable pony, and in return, all I wish to do is to please her, to prove my usefulness. She may have wanted to manipulate me, but what really hurts is that she changed her mind. That she didn’t have faith in my abilities to use the Elements,” she said with a sigh as she stared down at the floor.
The tiny mare soon found a hoof under her chin, delicately lifting her head up to look into the alicorn’s eyes. “She doth not deserve thee, Twilight Sparkle,” Nightmare Moon said calmly, “but thine efforts are fruitless. One pony canst not use all the Elements of Harmony. Just look at what happened with them after our sister tried.”
Nightmare Moon gestured towards the stone orbs lying on the floor, and Twilight turned to look at the Elements thoughtfully. “We were once the bearer of the Elements of Honesty, Loyalty and Laughter, though our feelings of betrayal soon separated us from our Elements,” the alicorn said wistfully. “Our sister represented the Elements of Generosity, Kindness and Magic. The moment she tried to use all the Elements against us, we ended up banished on the moon for a thousand years, and these once powerful artifacts turned into worthless stones. They will not heed her call, and we doubt they would heed thine own.”
Nightmare Moon looked at Twilight, but to her surprise, the tiny unicorn didn’t seem to be paying attention at all. “Didst thou not hear?” she demanded, but no response came.
Think, Twilight, think. Starswirl’s notes state that the Elements are self-aware. The guide to the Elements pointed out that Princess Celestia used them against her sister, but Nightmare Moon said that the Elements cannot be used by just one pony…
Twilight frowned as she sank deeper into her thoughts, completely forgetting the alicorn sitting to her side who was now poking her with the tip of her hoof.
Princess Celestia represented three Elements. Nightmare Moon—errr… Luna also represented three. If I could choose, my Element would most likely be magic, though I could also represent loyalty as well, considering how honest I was with Nightmare Moon when she first arrived in Town Hall. I did tell her I would backstab her the moment she was weak. Would that make me the Element of Honesty?
She sighed. On the other hoof, I haven’t been really honest with myself, using excuses to hide my own flaws. Even if I can use the Element of Honesty, I doubt I’m generous enough for that Element, and I’m not sure that simply liking parties and adventuring with my friends and mentor would count me as the bearer of Element of Laughter. Not to mention that compared to Cadence and Fluttershy, I’m nowhere near kind enough.
Twilight’s eyes suddenly widened. That’s it!
“Do not ignore us, Twilight Sparkle!”
The little mare quickly sat back up from where she had tumbled away to and shook her head, ignoring the throbbing sound in her ears. “You’re right,” she said as she slowly regained her hearing. “I alone cannot use the Elements of Harmony, but maybe with the help of my friends, we can heal you.”
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “And does the flight to the moon come as a complimentary gift? If so, we’re afraid that we’d have to refuse, thank thee very much,” she said sardonically, before she unexpectedly straightened up, suddenly becoming very wary of her surroundings. Nightmare Moon began to tremble, looking around restlessly.
Before Twilight could ask her if something was wrong, the large alicorn turned to her with fearful eyes and said, “We do not have much time, Twilight Sparkle.”
The little mare sat dumbfounded. “Not much time for what?”
“We challenge thee to a magic duel! We command thee to come face us in glorious battle!” Nightmare Moon said boldly, before raising a hoof deliberately and smashing it into the floor in front of Twilight, causing the tiny mare to jump back in surprise as she was showered with bits and pieces of broken stone.
The unicorn began moving back tentatively as she shot a confused look at Nightmare Moon. “What was that for?” she asked, slightly annoyed through her shock.
“We have no time! We may have been a powerful alicorn compared to you, Twilight Sparkle, but we are tired and hurt, while thou art healed and refreshed. Return to thine original size, and face us on equal ground!” Nightmare Moon declared as she hammered another hoof into the ground, once again forcing Twilight to dodge.
“Stop! I don’t want to fight you! I don’t want to hurt you!” Twilight shouted as she deftly avoided each of Nightmare Moon stomps one by one, surprising herself with how easy it was to see and dodge the alicorn’s attacks. Her brow furrowed in confusion, even as she protected herself from the shards of tile showering her. That’s strange… I’ve been up all night, chewed on by a manticore, and crushed multiple times under heavy rocks, so why am I not feeling even a little pain or fatigue?
Twilight swiftly rolled to the side as Nightmare Moon’s powerful strike caused the stone under her to tremble. I may be tough, but I should be in anything but perfect shape.
She got back up to her hooves and glared suspiciously at the tall alicorn towering over her, who in turn stopped her assault and looked back with determination. I told her about my encounter with the manticore, so how could she say I was in perfect shape to fight her? When she stated that we would fight on an equal grounds, did she just mean that her own wounds would balance the odds? Or was there more to it?”
“We will not take no for an answer, Twilight Sparkle! Thy mentor is coming, and we are in no shape to escape or defeat her,” Nightmare Moon said resolutely. “We have already made our decision! We would prefer to fall in combat against a proud and powerful unicorn like thyself than to be slain or enslaved by our traitorous sister!”
“I said I don’t want to hurt you! Please, just tell your sister!” Twilight said as she dove forward, barely evading the massive hoof that slammed down behind her. “I can help convince her to give you a chance! Just please, find it in your heart to forgive her!”
Twilight’s evading skills were quickly nullified when she was caught in a levitation field, and with anti-teleportation wards all over the place, she had no escape from Nightmare Moon’s magical grasp. Unable to move, she looked up at the dark hoof held above her head.
This is going to hurt, thought Twilight as she closed her eyes and braced for impact.
With a resounding smash, she was flattened against the cold floor, the unforgiving hoof leaving her little room to squirm. To Twilight’s surprise, it didn’t hurt as much as she feared, though the pressure still bore down on her tiny body relentlessly. Despite the pain, Twilight surmised that Nightmare Moon was holding back, and she had a very good idea why that was so.
The alicorn lowered her head to the mare under her hoof, pleading, “We beg of thee, return to thine original size and honor us with glorious battle. We wish to die by your hoof, not by our sister’s.”
Twilight shook her head, lighting up her horn to levitate Nightmare Moon’s hoof off of her back, but the harder she tried, the more strength the alicorn used against her, and even with her refreshed magical reserves, she could not fight both the alicorn’s strength and weight.
“If thou knowest not how to remove the effect of the shrinking spell, we shall gladly assist,” Nightmare Moon said as the dark, shimmering blue of her own magic shrouded her horn.
The little mare jerked in surprise, her eyes wide. “Please don’t!” she shouted as she redoubled her futile attempt to free herself. “I’m not going to return to my original size just to fight you to the death!”
Nightmare Moon simply snorted, showing little intention of listening to her captive. Moments later, Twilight deflated under the alicorn’s hoof, closing her eyes and awaiting the inevitable.
She had never been keen on returning to her original size, struggling to face a much smaller environment than she was used to, and fearing the kind of destruction her magic could do to her surroundings and to innocent ponies if left unchecked. She knew deep inside that she would eventually reverse the shrinking spell and use her power for the greater good, but she had hoped that time would come much farther into the future, not now.
It was obvious that as soon as the shrinking spell was lifted, Nightmare Moon would no longer speak to her, nor hold back, and a fight to the death was the last thing the tiny unicorn wanted. If Twilight held back, Nightmare Moon, even weakened, would knock her out just as she had done to the many royal guards before her, and the next fight against her mentor would be to the last drop of blood, with stern will and unfading determination.
The talk she had with the dark alicorn proved that while Nightmare Moon was a good pony, her psyche was highly unstable, and her pride and hate were only exacerbating it. In such a state of mind, restraining the alicorn rather than outright defeating her would give Nightmare Moon openings for counterattacks or suicidal charges. Whether Twilight stayed small or became big, the outcome would be the same.
The spell was already coming to a close, and it would only be a few moments before—
“Keep your dirty hooves away from her, you brute!”
Twilight opened her eyes, and though she could not turn around, she easily recognized that voice.
“R-Rarity?”
With a meaty thwack, Nightmare Moon was lifted bodily off the ground and away from Twilight, thrown unceremoniously a few meters away. The tiny mare looked up to find her rescuer, but there was little doubt who had so brashly attacked the dark alicorn when Rainbow Dash landed on the floor beside her, shouting, “Booyah! Did you see that dive kick?!”
Before Twilight could even stand up, she was lifted away by a magical aura, dragging her towards the middle of the throne room. The sound of galloping grew louder as she flew farther and farther back. The little mare turned around to find herself floating briefly in front of Overwatch’s smug grin and glowing horn before she was plopped onto Steel Blade’s back, surrounded by all her friends and Spike.
“You are not allowed to treat our friend like that,” Fluttershy said sternly, stamping her hoof against the stone floor as Nightmare Moon slowly recovered from the sudden attack.
“If ya lay a hoof on our friend, ya better get ready ta answer ta all of us!” Applejack exclaimed, stepping forward into an aggressive stance.
“That’s right! If you keep acting like a meany pants, you can forget about any ‘Welcome to Ponyville redeemed-Nightmare-Moon/former-Princess-Luna’ party!” Pinkie added, prompting a few eye rolls within the group.
Nightmare Moon shook the stars out of her head before she finally turned to look at the group clearly. Her lips curled up into a proud grin at the steely, protective faces of the ponies before her. “My, my, you have such a loyal and courageous group of friends, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, almost wondrously, before her voice took on a more somber tone. “It’s… it’s such a pity that we will not live to see the day when we could proudly call you all our subjects.”
The dark alicorn’s eyes flickered briefly to the window, and there was a blinding flash of golden fire between the ponies and Nightmare Moon. The light cleared, and Princess Celestia stood resolutely in the center of the room, glaring intently at her downed foe. Nightmare Moon could see several closed wounds on the white alicorn’s body that she inflicted during their last battle, but it was nothing compared to fresh wounds she herself had.
The black alicorn inclined her head in a mockery of a bow. “What a glorious entrance, sister. Hast thou practiced it?”
Everypony simply stared wide-eyed as Princess Celestia approached Nightmare Moon one purposeful step at a time, looking grimly at the fallen bodies of the guards scattered around the chamber, but oblivious to the ponies behind her.
“Y-your Highness,” Steel Blade murmured.
Overwatch’s eye twitched.
Celestia’s ear perked up, and she turned around slowly, almost dreadfully, to stare directly at the little ponies she had hoped would not be standing in the same room as Nightmare Moon.
Especially not with her littlest pony.
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MOAR!!!
IT LIVES! IT LIVES! Nice update, I do so enjoy your take on Nightmare Moon.
dang you and your cliffhangers 'pounce gnaws'
Excellent as always.
Dangit, cock-blocked on big-Twily hijinks again. Tease.
This is gonna be awesome. Tune in next time for "Twilight breaks Princess Celestia with words and reunites the sisters."
LOVE IT hope to read more soon
Twilight! Quick! Use the Elements to slap some sense into these mares!
5417428
5417474
I take it you enjoyed the chapter.
5417438
Thank you. Now with my editor finally having some time, hopefully the updates will come a bit faster than one chapter a month, but I make no promisses. I am also glad that my efforts to give Nightmare Moon some solid character weren't wasted.
5417464
Sorry, but cliffhangers are sadly the best way to end chapter while keeping audience in suspense, and this chapter just begged to end it on the moment Celestia made her entrance.
5417548
Well, you have to give Nightmare Moon credits for actually putting some efforts into returning Twilight to her original size, but when it comes to Twilight, it is not easy to get her out form the giant world she like so much. Also, the fact that Twilight's friends arrived to get her out of jam probably didn't help either.
5417568
The question is. Will Nightmare Moon let Twilight reunite them? In terms of breaking Celestia, she would love nothing more but to do the honors.
5417591
Hopefully my top editor will find more time to edit this story now and help with faster updates, but no quarantiee. Glad you liked it though.
Now, a question to all. How many of your predictions what will happen came true? Did anyone predicted some of stuff that happened in this chapter?
Dangit! Seriously I just finished reading all the available chapters a few hours ago... then this came out... Honestly that was wonderful timing, Still, the cliff hangers are harshing my mellow. So this was a good chapter, I'm really happy that Twi is unwilling to even change her size against Nightmare Moon.
Okay though last thing, I wanted to ask, are you planning on continuing Twiny's adventures after the Nightmare Moon arc?
Well, I'll see you at the next chapter.
You're never going to let Twilight grow, are you?
5417621
Well, she have Elements on the floor and friends by her side, I am sure she will figure out that it is a good time to use them. Still, with Celestia on the scene, who knows what will happen, and I doubt Nightmare Moon will stay in one place and do nothing.
5417769
I cannot tell you much without spoiling anything, but I can say is that if you think this story is almost over, you will see another thing comming. Sure, we reached the climax of the story, but the ride is far from over.
5417774
Well, Twilight did grow a bit in Little Medic sidestory to assist the Wonderbolts during a dangerous mission, so all I can say is that there is still hope.
5417840 Well that's all I really wanted to know, more is exciting. Now I got to get caught up on My Little Medic.
i love this story (hate cliffhangers :P ) can not wait for the next chapter.
yay another chapter!
Great chapter. I too love your take on Nightmare Moon. I'm hoping that Celestia will able to talk Some sense into old Moonbutt. As much as I love crazy magical duels, what Luna really needs right now is to be weakened to the point of submission and given a nice warm hug. From everypony.
5417964
Have fun there. Sadly considering that my more skilled editor is helping me with my other project, the recently uploaded chapter may contain many mistakes, typos and is not the greatest guality. It is a side-story after all, and it doesn't have as much support as primary stories.
5418172
Well, I sure can agree that she needs a solid hug. Currently on the scene we have main 6, Celestia, Spike, guards, and Cadence is on her way, so hopefully she will get one, who knows. (Though to be honest, I don't see any member of main 6 besides Pinkie to like the idea of hugging Nightmare Moon. So if anyone would hug her, it would be either Twilihgt, Cadence, Celestia or Pinkie Pie. Feel free to bet which one of them would dare to do that).
5418253 Well that's fine, looking at it now I realize that I have not yet started reading yet so I just started the prologue. Besides even if there are errors I love the characters in this universe enough to still enjoy it.
Hope there is more soon love this story
5417840
So it's possible, but very unlikely. Great.
I am so sorry that I haven't been able to help, out. It boils down to the fact that I'm very scatterbrained, and busy doing Christmas stuff. Basically anytime I think about reading it I can't at that moment, and when I can I'm not thinking about it. But that ends tonight. I'm finishing it, and helping damn it. There will be results in the morning.
More cliffhangas!
Funfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfunfun
Yay update!
....
...
...
Boo cliffhanger!
My prediction: Celestia gets all "I will stop you sister!" and Twilight will be all like "Oh HELL no" and get big and use her magic to throw Celestia to the side and have some epic speech involving her new friends and Cadance will show up just in time to see 'em blast NMM with the orbital friendship cannon
While it appears that we're about to witness the final showdown, I somehow get the very unnerving sense that we're still missing something here... or someone. I feel as though time and space are both waiting with baited breath during this calm before the Oncoming Storm that is about to occur.
Tis a most peculiar thing to be feeling at present, I'm sure.
5418497
Good to hear.
5418510
It is up to the time my top editor can sacrefice.
5418850
Roger that.
5419427
We will see, we will see.
5419463
Someone is missing? At the moment Shining Armor is gathering scattered guards, and Cadence had trouble to catch up with Celestia, so besides those two, I have no idea who you may be refering too.
5419606 'The Oncoming Storm' refers to Doctor Who. I was using that particular title as a sort of metaphor. I know that both Shiny and Cadance are doing their own thing, and that all the ones involved are likely where they're supposed to be, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like there's some unknown X-factor that could tip the scales.
I didn't mean to confuse you, but every now and then I'll make references to other things with my reviews.
5419606 curse my sleep schedule. About an hour after my message last night I apparently crashed while reading. probably won't get to it tonight due to Christmas and all, but maybe the night after.
I shall await thy next chapter.
I have an odd feeling that this story is going to have a dark twist..
5425750
Maybe yes, maybe no, there is always a possibility for everything.
5458166
Maybe there was place for some of AJ reaction as Twilight would tell her the story, but I didn't want to make this chapter longer that it needs to be, and with my top editor dissapearing on me for more than a week, I do not want to add anything to finished chapters, unless the issue is big.
I personally prefer to cut off when the story-telling is to long.
Freaking hell! I could've sworn Ifaved this. I only got 10 chapters in last time it was updated, and now I have to re-read all of it to catch up to all I missed. *Gets started on reading*
5471257
When you are smaller and weaker then opponent, diplomacy is always a good option.
Twilight wanted to buy time to help ponies escape, little did she know that she would find a common ground with Nightmare Moon.
5471334
She sure does.
5474016
I am sure it something Twilight and ponies of Equestria would prefer to not know.
5474172
Have fun.
5475776
While yes EP's have a natural bonus to strength and durability. I still don't think that any non-ep can't match up with an earth pony no matter how hard they work. Yeah the average unicorn couldn't match hooves with an earth pony. But any athlete, depending on how hard they train could be a match for average strength, or anothr athlete (depending on natural strength, training regimines, and the like). After all the Belle family's father Hondo Flanks, is muscualr as any ordinary Earth Pony. Even though he's a unicorn.
As for the show. The only consistency is that RAinbow Dash and Apple Jack are at equal levels of strength and skill. That swivle from one side winning to the other. As for Rarity, I think the only reason she could carry Tom was due to being mind raped by Discord (mind over matter type of thing). Idk, I'll be interested in seeing her learn EP magic. But I personally don't like the idea of her being inferior to Earth Ponies no matter how hard she's trained. But yeah, I can see her having low stamina unless she paces herself since she's not done a whole lot of stamina based training.
5475797 And why she always knows people's emotions, and refers to them as foods.
5475884
I so hope it actually turns out she is one ... otherwise I'll be highly disappointed. She much better a changeling than the Flim Flam trolls.
5475891 ?
5475892
Think about it:
1) Changeling Magic on the show was shown to be green. Their magic is geen.
2) They target things that have a high emotional investment, with a large chance of illiciting automatic love, adoration, or joy for a particular thing (cider = love of cider. "Magic Cure All" = love of a family member who's not well, joy over getting cured over something, Granny Smith's raw joy over doing something that she has been afriad of for ages, ect.).
3) Their plans are doomed for failiure. I mean nopony would really accept the kicking out of the Apple Family, their cure all would have been seen as a hoax eventually, etc.
4) And after gathering up all that instant food. And trolling their targets, they run off, and target another place with a sham for food.
They are like the conisures of junk food eating / take out. And yet for some reason never get in trouble regardless of the masses they troll for food. At least in my head canon, they're love collectors for a hive. And changelings with their own template rather than stolen from somepony.
5475921 Impressive.
sprinkledwithwords.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/1365337603923.png
5476210
Well, one thing for sure. It sure help her see everything during the night. Quite helpful if you ask me.
Don't worry, it will be touched upon at one point.
5476231
I never liked the whole "Nightamre Moon wanted to force respect for her art, so she was ready to kill all life on the planet to accomplish that."
I prefer a version where Nightamre Moon refused to lower the moon to keep Celestia out of her power source, while everyone else were afraid that she was going to doom the world. I prefer a misunderstation between characters rather than make the villain utterly stupid.
Glad you liked the way I wrote Nightmare Moon/Luna in this fic.
5476303
Depends on your Nightmare Moon.
The parasite version that took over her (like the person who took over primary director role from Faust), then yeah that could definitely happen (kill everything since all it needed was an excuse to take over her host, the world can die as onas it has a host to eat).
The black magic transformation that feds off anger and hate. I go for your explanation, and since this NMM is a part of her. Then, yeah she wouldn't kill everypony. After all you can't get adulation from corpses (like you said).
___________
With all the late night reading she does, she's going to love that boost. Although it'll be interesting how enhanced durability, magic, and strength Luna said Mon Blessed does for her with the addition of the rotection spell. I can't wait to see all the transformations come to light in future chapters *goes back to reading the fic*.
I can't wait to see the next chapter. Definitely can't wait to see who acts frist the Element Bearers, or a desperate Celestia. Or maybe a Cadance who wants to help Luna.
5476464
Yea. Nightmare Moon know that she is fighting a lost battle, and yet she put efforts to prove Twilight that she is a princess worthy of being her ruler.
Moon blessing sure have some useful aspects, one of them is resistance to sleep-related spells.
5476661
Thanks,
5477051
Stay tuned.
The lengthy preliminary pass on the next chapter has been completed, and if all goes well, the next chapter should be out soon.
#NoWayTheresGonnaBeACliffhangerOnThisOneMate
5477438
If a sleeping spell won't work would a Rahkshi of Sleep or a Makuta using said power do the trick?
This celestia doesn't show much of generosity or more than surface level of kindness. While nightmare gave mercy to guards while hurting herself in the process. And gave many chances to twilight.
Luna : Honestly, Generosity, Kindness
Celestia : Magic, Laughter, Loyalty
Celestia choose loyalty toward her subjects over her 'jealous' sister and like some good laught.