This story is a sequel to The Balance of Harmony
Sequel to The Evolution of Harmony and The Balance of Harmony.
The Princess of Friendship is summoned to face the biggest test of her life. Who summoned her? What does the test entail? Has she studied?
Twilight must face the challenge without the aid of her Ponyville friends. Luckily, she draws some help from an unlikely source.
The third book in the Evolution of Harmony trilogy takes our favorite purple princess on a journey for the ages. While not required reading, the first two stories are highly suggested to start with due to some back-story and the culmination of certain events handled in the final book.
Chapters (30)
New chapters will be released regularly, although not every day. I hope you all enjoy the third installment of The Evolution of Harmony trilogy.
Comments are very welcome - I love to hear what you all think of my work.
Enjoy!
Hello there!
Just thought i'd pop in to say how much i've loved this trilogy. Seriously, just spent the last 2 hours reading the whole thing up to here...
I could definetly see this being a whopper of a story! So you've definetly earned a follow, favourite, and a like from me!
4939559 Thanks for the comments - I'm having a really fun time writing book three.
Thinking back to when I wrote the first book, this one is so much more... everything.
It's a little disappointing to see the dislikes sitting even to the likes after a single published chapter. I really wish people would take a moment and say what it is they disliked about it. I really hope it isn't someone who thought the entire story was a single chapter, or worse yet—a troll.
i can't wait to share the rest of what I have. I'm taking my time, however, and want to make sure everything is in order before I release it into the wild.
Once again, I appreciate the kind words. I wish more people took the time to comment, good or bad.
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My story is currently sat with even in both sides of the like/dislike bar. Even if I write less often than a blue moon, I still get a little miffed by dislike-and-run readers...
You and me both!
That's probably still my biggest anoyance with any writing site though. Although I make it my primary objective to comment on everything I read!
My my. Someone's got a good idea of who they want our favourite fabled bearded wizard to be! I like the quirkyness, it's a reasonable sigh of relief from the usual, grumpy introvert I myself am used to experiencing. So I do hope this Starswirl is here to stay, and a little nudge towards a certain gimmick with a familiar Timepony definetly wouldn't go amiss with this kind of personality!
4954887 Even the Starswirl character should evolve as we go. There's a lot for Twilight to discover and things aren't always as they seem.
Should be good to watch what happens as the story moves along.
Yer off the edge of the map mate, Here there be monsters!
sorry, just needed to get the pirates quote requirement fulfilled.
I really like the psycological battle that is taking place here, Twilight's dilema definetly sounds like a realistic one she would genuinely have!
Although I am hoping that this isn't foreshadowing a certain 'test' she'll have to face. Although that would definetly be an astounding judgement of character.
Hmm, fate requires me to tell you that pirates have been on my mind most of the past week. And random trivia here: September 19th is international Speak Like A Pirate Day!
Urgh...
Also Voltaire's album is nothing but sea shanties.
Dammit Voltaire.
Either way I liked the little confrontation you made between Twi and Blacky. Very quick, sweet and to the point.
And Voltaire's music really does set this up perfectly, I was humming The Beast Of Pirate's Bay all the way through reading this. I suggest it if you're looking for some inspirational muse whilst penning another piratey chapter.
Another chapter of adventure awaits matey! Just don't get in range of The Long Nines!
Never let me start pirate talk again...
Hmm... a random letter from an unknown source. Wonder how this will turn out
Its always a pleasure to write a comment for ya!
Hmm, what can I say about this chapter that isn't about pirates?
Surprisingly allot!
I love Starswirl, such an hospitable enigma in this story. Now, watch me now, i'm going to do some scheming: perhaps he made a deal, much like The Dutchmare's ancestors, to see the completion of his studies in friendship? Seeing the scion of friendship complete the trials might be the one thing Starswirl has yet to study. But his deal was turned around by him having to wait celestia knows how many years for the scion to be ready. That, or my brains going overdrive.
Now our adventurous duo are litterally stuck between a rock (which will crush them) and a hard place (which will drown them) it's hard to see how this could possibly get worse! Although I have my huntches.
See ya at the next chapter!
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I can't wait to see the reaction - the next couple chapters have some really cool stuff coming.
Wow, ive been busy this weekend. Far too busy to even begin reading the backlog of chapter updates. And now i'm getting back into the swing of things, time for another comment on this lovely, slightly more mature although nonetheless, perfectly fitting, chapter.
It pains me to say this, but I probably would have prefered if the Sea Pony had met a rather more ultimate end.
Yes, I know, i'm a bit twisted.
But seriously, it would show Twilight perhaps a greater lesson than self-sacrifice, which has now been shown multiple times. It would have shown her that she actually can't save everyone. And that is definetly a lesson that deserves priority, right?
Heck his half the reason why I like the 12th Doctor: His mentality towards saving people is prorities towards getting himself in a position to save others, regardless of how many people get caught in the crossfire. Darn i'm off course again... And it's probably not my place to critisise such plot devices, but a shoal of pissed Sea Ponies would have been awesome!
5041435 What can I say - I'm a purist at heart. Can't kill stuff on the show - can't do it here. I've been thinking about going off in another direction down the road after this series wraps up, but I'm still debating how dark and/or mature I want to get.
The point I am trying to make here is that there is a sort of struggle for Twilight in always having to be the one to do the saving. It takes its toll. She almost needs a vacation where absolutely nothing happens that requires her immediate intervention. Makes for a boring story, but it would probably make for a much happier purple pony.
Haha, something named after an area that has the same name as my nickname! ...small victories?
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Triple entendre!
5051219 down by the bay, where the watermelon grows!
i like how you gave Seachelle some depth in this chapter. I really wasn't expecting it
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The idea behind the privateer captain and her crew came up as a sort of necessary vehicle. As I got into writing it, I found there were a number of ways that a bit of back story could be woven in to give them more depth. I'm pretty sure I'll be revisiting the captain and crew of the Flying Dutchmare in a future story or two, but we definitely haven't seen the last of them in this one - more to come.
Just two words: Me like!
I have only one question after reading the last 3 chapters in quick succession. Isn't this going to get far more diffcult the more of the mane 6 Twi possesses? Heck RD almost caught onto Twilight in Flutter's body. And I dont think for a second that Twi could even atempt to pull of a decent Pinkie impression. A pony with mild OCD cannot act that disorganised!
5093095 That's part of the fun.
This has to be my favorite story from you to fair. I've been reading it on my bus to school.
Let me guess, Rainbow find out?
Yay! Another chapter! I'd wondered where you'd got to. A month you say? Not long at all! And definetly worth the wait. Still, you would have thought the Elements would understand that this is hardly the time to have a debate over which she best represented. The entire universe is at stake ponies! Don't be picky at a time like this!
Loving this story and all the ones you've done up to this point. And hey, Rainbow's shitting bricks, so you earned another cookie from me!
Wait... how did this not happen before? The entire castle is crystal, Reflections would be everywhere. Still an awesome plot twist. I'm wondering if Twilight could actually play this cool instead of explaining this Element possession scenario. I mean, I'm pretty sure with Rainbow's signature swagger she could pull it off. But then again, she was nearly skewered on knitting needles by Rarity ,and that was without her full magic. I dread to think what Rarity could do now...
I have ideas, but then again... I tend to OVERthink things. Heck i've spent days putting together a decent theory about Five Night's At Freddy's and its sequel. Far too much time to spend thinking. So I shall stay quiet, as per the request. And wait patiently (And excitedly) for the next chapter. Also we're getting close to the end now, I can feel it. So how much is left? Two, maybe three chapters?
5278602 We've got a decent bit left. I'd say at least four more chapters minimum. If I get a little carried away, I could make it go ten.
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Well, i'm looking forward to as many chapters as you want to give!
So keep up the awesome work.
Wow, did Twilight just get two birds with one stone?
Haven't been around for a while, so my glorious Christmas present (albeit late on my account) was a load of chapters! And I would never have guessed this!
It went from bad to troublesome, to nuke inbound! Could it get any worse!?!
...I'm going to regret those words. Aren't I?...
....Whut....My brain...Whut....Well, I think I need a minute...
*a few minutes later*
Well, that quite a bombshell. A rather large, life-changing, Shining Armor shaped bombshell.
I was rather looking forward to a nice happy ending, and now you throw this? Sweet Celestia, if this is what you use as a curve ball, I dread to think what the finale is going to involve. Keep up the amazing work, but just one thing: don't make my brain break like that again. I don't think I could take much more...
Goddamnit, I hate cliffhangers.
Please keep writing this!
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I most certainly will. I want to get it done even more than some folks want to finish reading it.
Ooh, such calamity, much pressure. Looking forward to the end here! If it's anything like the journey to get to it, then it'll be brilliant!
Might I ask about these other projects?, its always nice to see what some of my favourite authors are up to.
Discord? As much as I like good guy Discord, I'm not too sure he would've actively gone against the Elements again. Don't get me wrong, he's a good guy, but I see him more like a Skull Kid, rather than an anti-hero. Also his reveal was a little....odd. I'm really not sure how to put it. It just didn't seem like Discord...too serious I suppose...
I do implore you: PLEASE don't rush this in the next fortnight. I rather like waiting eagerly for the next chapter. What I mean to say is: if you think the quality is going to suffer, please don't aim to get this done in such a small time.
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I know, right?
Believe me, I want to finish this more than anyone.
It has begun... The (hopefully) happy ending, where the heroes triumph over forces beyond their control... Celestia returns and probably gives Discord a right vocal barrage, which Discord will completely ignore. Twilight will become some alicorn-deity, which holds friendship with an iron hoof. And the rest of them are elevated to Alicornship......
Right?....
No....
Probably not....
Bah! I CAN DREAM!
In all seriousness Discord is a better librarian than Twilight at this point, in both fanon and canon. Enjoying the new season are we? I know i am!
Still have no idea what this story has to do with toyotasupload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Scion_FR-S_3-22-2012-Toyota-Motorsports-Kickoff-Day-USA-100-57.jpg
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So, I got a little carried away and made it go ten plus an epilogue.
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Guess what? I finished it!
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I been waiting this whole time for someone to make that joke. Thank you, sir!
I hope everyone enjoys the ending.
Wow, I thought that this week couldn't get any better, then I find a mass-upload of chapters. And i've gotta say, you handled the ending spectacuarly well.
The plot has has me hooked from the start. Everypony in character. And this is still one of the finest interpretations of Starswirl i've ever had the pleasure to read. Not yet a Magnum Opus, because I believe you've only just begun your literacy adventure.
This is a standard that you've set for future stories, that I hope will catch me as much as this did.
Ciao. Until we meet again.
(quickly goes over the previous two books to refresh the story)
Okay, in the first book, the Mane Six had to deal with a problem outside Equestria, and in the second book, they had to locate and return the embodiments of their of their Elemental Opposites to Discord. So, what will the Mane Six have to deal with this time?
Welcome back to Sunlight Blaze's FIMFiction Reviews (I've got to get a better title for this show...)! Yes, Thornwing, I've been holding off on reviewing this last story until it was finished. That's how I do my reviews. Anyway, let's get back to reviewing this trilogy!
Having already reviewed two of these stories thus far, I'd say we jump right in.
Quick reminder, my criteria is:
Story - interesting premise and overall plot.
Writing - spelling, grammar, and characters.
Humor - Quality over Quantity; make me laugh.
Moral - ......Okay, no "Slice of Life" tag. But I may be able to find a moral within these pages.
Ending - Well-rounded ending that satisfies the readers.
This is it, everypony! The Scion of Harmony! LET'S GO!!!
(WARNING: The following may contain sarcastic, serious, joking, thoughtful, or downright unnecessary commentary and/or Flutter-censored swearing. Viewer discretion is advised.)
So, we start things off with a vague prologue chapter giving us vague exposition via two vague characters talking vaguely to each other about events to come. (record number of uses of the word "vague" in a sentence)
It seems one of these two characters is getting up in their years and is looking for some kind of successor to his or her position of importance. ANd it seems somepony else has already attempted to be this successor and apparently failed.
That's all I got from this chapter. Vague, I can tell. But that's how prologues usually work. But enough of that. ONWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!
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I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to reading this. This one is
about equal toa good deal longer than the other two put together. Hope you like it.Chapter two begins with Princess Twilight checking her ever-present schedule on the way up from the secret library that started the whole trilogy.
Hey, look! Callback to season four!
And so Twilight is still having personal tutoring sessions with Sweetie Belle. I wonder where the rest of the CMC are?
On the way down the long staircase that makes up the trunk of this tree-castle, Twilight's thoughts turn to her activities in the secret library.
So, Twilight's trying to figure out how to free the Crystal Queen who's still trapped in Sombra's little pocket dimension, but so far has been unsuccessful.
And then thoughts turn to Twilight's sessions with Sweetie Belle and we see some parallels between the two ponies. Honestly, I could see Sweetie getting more than a little curious about learning more about magic. Heck, we see her using magic more in the season five episode, "Appleoosa's Most Wanted."
Whoa! That filly is ambitious! I hope she doesn't get fed up with Twilight's teachings and eventually turn to the dark arts and become the next supervillain of Equestria.
Fed up with taking the stairs every time, Spike hitches a ride on Twilight's back as they glide down to the ground floor.
Okay, it's official: Twilight has mastered the art of flying.
So Sweetie Belle arrives right on time, right down to the very instant Spike opens the door... How long have they been doing this to be able to have the exact timing down for this?
And we see that Sweetie is upset about her sister being constantly busy. Again.
Well, she did just get back from a particularly long leave of absence to deal with a national crisis and has a bazillion and one orders backed up due to said absence. Also, while you can be helpful in the boutique, you tend to get a little overzealous when trying to help and nine times out of ten, it results in a mess.
But I'm quickly proven wrong as Twilight convinces Sweetie Belle to talk to Rarity when she gets back from Canterlot, and now Twilight flips into teacher mode. So, what's today's lesson?
So, Sweetie's mastered Teleportation. But can she track somepony's teleportation trail!? Something even I can't do quite yet.......Oh, who am I kidding? I can't even teleport yet. I've gotten quite the affinity for any fire-related spells, but teleportation still seems to be beyond me.
And I have to applaud Twilight in her teaching method here; giving the student a chance to complete the assignment on their own before giving advice. It's a good way to test their abilities. And this tracking of magical signatures seems quite interesting. The trick is being able to recognize your own apart from everypony else's.
Expansion of the inner-workings of Unicorn magic explained in a way the audience can understand while not feeling out of place in the story. Well done. (Writing: +1)
So, Sweetie Belle manages to pinpoint Twilight's magical signature and follows it to the throne room, but it turns out that was a bridge left over from earlier in the day. Twilight points this out, which leaves Sweetie Belle on the edge of tears.
Whoa...didn't catch the symbolism of Sweetie appearing by Rarity's throne until rereading that line a few times......
Twilight offers Sweetie a few encouraging words and she takes the young filly home - and receives an ungodly number of thank yous from her mother (and here I thought Rarity and Sweetie Belle lived there without their parents...) before heading back to the castle, where she hears from Spike that she's got an unusual amount of free time on her hooves.
So, the rest of the Mane Six are out of town, which leaves Twilight at a loss for what to do now. She is spared a few moments of boredom when somepony knocks on the door.
Wait...mother? ......Oh yeah. I've heard the fandom gave Derpy a daughter named Dinky Doo. (what got the bronies' attention this time? First it was an animation glitch, but the only thing I can find with Dinky is that she's a young Unicorn filly who seems to sport a different Cutie Mark every time she appears on screen, which is not unexpected with reused background ponies. I would like this mother-daughter thing explained, please!)
So Derpy quickly recovers from her moment of sadness, offers to bring Dinky over to the castle sometime later, and leaves Twilight with a scroll for mail.
Uuuuuhhh.....Twilight...... Anything like this would at least warrant a quick question to Princess Celestia, right? Something like this seems like an ancient deity calling for you, and perhaps Celestia might know something? Then again, if this goes the way I think it is, Celestia will be completely in the dark about this "Guardian", so maybe it's another solo mission that'll turn into another friendship nuke in the end.
So Twilight spends the rest of the day doing...stuff...before deciding to call it a night.
So, basically, Sweetie Belle is now Twilight's student just as she was once Celestia's, the Remain Five are out of town, Derpy's got a daughter, and now Twilight is being summoned by an unknown pony and is passing it off as a joke when the audience knows something is going to happen.
This next chapter starts off with Twilight waking up to---
WHOA!!!! What the hell!
So, Twilight wakes up the next morning to this random pony in her bedroom, who starts packing her belongings, and then tries to wake her up. Talk about lack of tact like I mentioned in the previous chapter.
So, after several comedic bits of Twilight fumbling over herself in surprise, shock, and denial, all the while with this "Starswirl" giving quite a quirky personality for fans to bounce off of, we find that Twilight isn't buying this. I mean, wasn't the beard about...fifty times longer than that?
So, what, did he use an Age Spell on himself? That's about all I can think of.
So Starswirl refuses to give a straight answer and leaves Twilight to continue packing. She calls Spike, who comes up and we find that Starswirl is in fact a great pancake baker. And Twilight is in very heavy denial, to the point where she tries to hit herself in the head to try and wake up, resulting only in a headache. Yeah, you're awake, Twi.
AAAAND I bet she wishes she wasn't, as she is sent into a panic attack.
Okay, he's got me convinced; he did all that without giving it any more than a moment's thought, and all pretty much simultaneously.
So, Twilight finally asks the question I think we all want to know the answer to.
Yeah. Y'know, the one you so foolishly crumpled up and threw away? I told you not to take these things lightly! Why does nopony ever listen to me!!!
Wait...then Starswirl is actually a follower of some kind... I would have thought that, if he was involved in this at all, HE would have been this "Guardian."
So Twilight is still unsure about this, but decides to play along for now and agrees - begrudgingly - to go with Starswirl. And the guy is incredibly impatient. Seriously, I'd have told him to screw the schedule unless he told me exactly what was going on, in full detail, up front. I just hope we get at least some answers on the way.
And thank goodness she sets up a backup plan. Oftentimes, my hunches are incorrect - and my hunch says this guy is the real Starswirl.
Alright. I'm just about as confused about the situation as Twilight is, so let's just move on, shall we?
I know, right? He's pushed to the side quite a lot in the show, and even in several fanfictions - including this one, from the looks of it.
So Twilight says her good-byes and takes off after this Starswirl - who, apparently, is so impatient that he took off running before she could even blink. Seriously, what is so important that he could be in this kind of a rush?
Uh, Twilight? If THAT'S the best explanation for a prank you can come up with, you really need to hang out with Rainbow and Pinkie more often. (see "Griffon the Brush Off")
But she does give at least some thought to this actually being true. Good to see that lesson of open-mindedness from "Feeling Pinkie Keen" being put to good use.
I could make the joke that just about any brony with even a slightly dirty mind and no filter on their mouth would make, but I'm above that.
So the Cutie Mark is literally spot-on... Hmm...
Arriving at the train station, Twilight's friends are nowhere to be seen, thereby debunking her earlier theory about this being an elaborate - and very poor in quality - prank by RD or Pinkie.
Okay, giving the girl the option to turn back now isn't exactly conducive to your plan to take her to this "Guardian", is it, Starswirl? Then again, being the super-powerful wizard that you are, you could just teleport her onto the train if she refused...
Also, the more I read this, the more I notice the immense level of detail put into every thought Twilight has; so far it hasn't taken away from the pacing in the slightest, and it really puts into perspective how things can tend to go in slow-motion at pivotal points in our lives. It's just how our minds process information at such high speeds that everything else seems to slow down. Oh, how strange the inner workings of the mind are. (Writing: +1)
After a minute or two of thought, the conductor gives the "All aboard!" signal and Twilight decides to go along with Starswirl.
So, now that we're not exactly in a rush to get anywhere until the train stops, can we get some answers?
Whoa... Suddenly, poetic wisdom. Multi-dimensional personality for the great wizard. Now he's kinda reminding me of Gandalf. (Writing: +1)
So now we're on for a long train ride., and some mental mapping of the Friendship Express train line.
So, Twilight asks Starswirl, exactly where has he been these last two thousand years?
Capitalization of the word "He" when referring to The Guardian. Only other time I've seen this was when referring to a deity with a pronoun. More mystery into this Guardian!
And Twilight's got a bazillion-and-one questions to ask, and ends up with simply more questions that need answering.
"Horseshoe Bay"? Why does that sound incredibly familiar?......Oh well. Moving on.
We are then given a summary of how far the train has gone and how much further they have to go. Now, when I saw so many named landmarks, I googled a map of Equestria and found one that was in fact official, and I must say you were very accurate. Research = success.
And Twilight decides her next spot to strike up conversation with Starswirl.
Yeah, it's not like you're in any official areas where formal speech is required. Also, Starswirl has a sense of humor. Nice.
Twilight is about to ask her question when suddenly the train lurches, sending them both flying. Twilight catches herself, but Starswirl is knocked clean out. Twilight flies out to assess the damage, and apparently the bridge across Filly River is out! With some quick thinking - and some Alicorn-strength magic - Twilight is able to save everypony on board, except for the train's engine. (she got the Conductor out, yes! Don't worry!)
But it turns out, on her way out of hers and Starswirl's train car, she managed to get herself a gash on her flank, slicing her Cutie Mark in half and leaving a wound deep enough to be life-threatening. The nurse pony made to assist Twilight, but before anypony can do a whole lot....
Suddenly, Latin incantation. ("Sano Vitae" translates directly to "Healthy Life.")
He's pretty suave for an over-two-thousand-year-old stallion.
Also, something tells me I'll have to start keeping track of each of the Elements of Harmony that Twilight lives up to in each of their situations. In this instance...self-sacrifice could be related to Generosity the most. (Generosity: check)
Well, with that bridge out, that definitely throws Starswirl's schedule for a loop. Any ideas, anypony?
Hopefully she'll be a natural, 'cause that water doesn't look exactly calm.
(Elements of Harmony fulfilled: Generosity)
So Starswirl carves them both paddles and is in the process of making a canoe out of a tree trunk, and Twilight isn't exactly fond of the prospect.
(Twilight impression) "Yes, but I also thought you said we were on a tight schedule, Sir. Wouldn't we be ahead of schedule if we just teleported to Baltimare?"
(about to retort)...............Point granted.
Nevertheless, their canoeing trip begins - Twilight taking a while to get used to rowing in rhythm, and meanwhile forgetting about her questions.
Okay, this seems a little awkward in how you ordered the paragraphs. (Writing: -1) The part I colored red seems like it should be before the point when Starswirl suggests Twilight try without magic. Something like this:
Man, that was a pain in the flank to color correctly...
But this does raise some questions for the Analysis Community: what would happen if all Unicorn and Alicorn magic suddenly stop working? Would they be able to adjust to the sudden lack of what makes them master race fast enough? And how would the Day and Night cycle continue without anypony to move it?
Twilight decides to use this suggestion to her advantage by agreeing to use her hooves, if Starswirl agrees to give us some freaking answers! To which he agrees.
So, Starswirl. Exactly why are we going on this journey?
No pressure or anything, right?
Needless to say, at the mention of the word "test", Twilight goes absolutely bonkers. She really takes anything that even remotely resembles schoolwork WAY too seriously. Even Starswirl's attempts to calm her down are almost ignored as she rummages through her bags in search of her quills, parchment, and ink.
When she finds her Rarity-stitched traveling cloak, it then hits her; she went on this journey without telling her friends a thing.
I'm not sure whether to point out the obvious in that Starswirl still knows nothing about how important friends are, or to say "get to the side of the river so you don't capsize."
Redundant statement is redundant, but duly noted.
So, after a few more hours, they can finally see Baltimare and Horseshoe Bay, at which point they pull to the side of the river.
Yeah, that was kind of a dick move, Starswirl.
Ohoho! Leaving the continent for unseen lands! THAT sounds interesting!
But Starswirl continues to be a troll and just takes off galloping down the beach so fast that Twilight has to take to the air to catch up and keep up. Once again, the wizard suggests using her non-Alicorn parts and joining him for a run, to which Twilight disagrees. Yeah, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I wouldn't fall for that again either.
Sweet Mother of the Celestial Sisters; how in Equestria does Starswirl have such stamina!?
Eventually, they stop as the sun starts setting, and we find that their destination is due south, which - according to this map on the MLP Wikia - is either directly before or somewhere after the Hayseed Swamp.
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130403195243/mlp/images/c/cb/Map_of_Equestria_April_2013.jpg
So Starswirl teleports them....apparently, to just BEFORE the swamps, at a place called......
Wow. I'll take "Things I'd never expect to be in MLP" for 500, Alex!
ARE YOU F
KING CRAZY!!! What, do you need to cross the ocean or something? 'cause that's all I can think of where you'd need to go to a pirate port.
And now to question Starswirl's sanity.
Also. I see a connection to a certain issue of the IDW comics here. I've heard there was an issue or two that involved pirates, but I have yet to read past "Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair." But that's neither here nor there, so let's move on, shall we?
When, where, and by what deity? All I can see is possibly some stamina consumption - which, after your little stroll along the beach, I'm surprised you still had the energy to teleport two ponies such a long distance. Seriously, how many Stamina Full Restore potions did he have on him and how did he drink them all in the split second he was off-screen?
Anyway, Starswirl suggests they keep a low profile for the time being, and for good reason.
Twilight, tell me something. In all the history books you read, did none of them mention pirates? If not history books, then how about the wide variety of fiction books you've read? Pirates. You know, pirates? The Terror of the Seas? "Kidnap and Ravage and Don't Give a Hoot; Drink Up me Hearties, Yo Ho?" Did Celestia teach you NOTHING!?
But something tells me that Murphy's Law will eventually kick in and they'll have to make an escape. Calling it now! If I hear that phone ring, someone's speakers are gonna blow out, and it's probably going to be my own.
Anyway, they proceed into town and after what seems like a simple ten feet has Twilight extremely uneasy. Insert eerie pirate music here.
Eventually, they come to the docks, where two ships are moored; one is flying a skull-cross-bones flag, the other not flying any colors. As they approach, they are stopped by a buck with a mismatched set of antlers and an eye-patch, who seems to recognize Starswirl as he lowers his hood when asking as to the whereabouts of the captain of this particular vessel. Perhaps an arrangement was made prior to the adventure starting?
So they head back into town, following directions from the buck to the local tavern. Upon arrival, Starswirl moves Twilight to a booth in a corner and asks her to keep a low profile. No need telling me twice if I were there. Almost immediately, he disappears into the crowd. Two bits says something's gonna happen while he's gone.
And, sure enough, Twilight can't exactly hide all that well, as the waitress shows up and instantly guesses she's new to town. After placing a small order of Seaweed Stew (blegh....), she is left alone.
For about two minutes.
One pirate - with a very tacky getup and....an admittedly imposing appearance - gets up from the other side of the room, having somehow recognized Twilight as a mare and.....well, here.
Okay, so we have a Blackbeard representative getting frisky with Twilight and straight-up stealing her crown. This is NOT going to end well.
And by that, I mean it ends up erupting into an all-out bar brawl as Twilight reveals her wings - after a few polite requests for the crown's return - and blasts Blackmane into a nearby table. And when a pirate's ale is spilled, fists - I mean, hooves - start flying. Works every time.
After a short action scene in which a mare pirate comes in and helps Twilight,.....
.......the fight is calmed down, and Blackmane is ejected from the bar, along with his crew. And, thankfully, Twilight is now back in possession of her crown. I'd say she was less prepared for this than she was for her test at the Crystal Empire.
No kidding.
Wow, those are all rather unfortunate names; I wonder if those are their actual birth-names or just nicknames they got during their career? Peg Leg and Buckaneer in particular.
.......HA.
Also, Buckaneer.
Some orders of Seaweed Stew and an awkward silence later, they finally begin a conversation.
Well, then that little bit about you owing him isn't exactly true; more like he got what was coming to him. I'd say he's lucky he still has a ship at all.
What the heck was he looking for, a missed stitch?
Anyway, it seems Seachelle (pronounced like Sea Shell, right?) agreed to help Twilight and Starswirl. There's always at least one pirate who's kind in nature.
Oh, I don't think anyone in his crew would. (Humor: +1)
So, one meal later, they head to Seachelle's ship, the Flying Dutch...mare...........
Twilight is escorted to her quarters, and Seachelle pulls Starswirl aside for a private conversation. Ugh...the secrets.......Alright, fine; I'm used to it by now.
(end-of-chapter note about Blackbeard)
Well......you learn something new everyday. I didn't know that about Blackbeard. And after learning that, I have removed an earlier complaint I had. Nice job on the research there. (Writing: +1)
Yeah, that's an experience I'm certain she won't forget anytime soon.
Next morning, Twilight has not slept well. Yeah, it's gonna take a while for her to get her sea legs once they shove off.
And it seems Starswirl is looking like his old self again with a knee-length beard and showing signs of aging. This can't be good.
About fifteen minutes later, they're out at sea without a hitch.
Okay, so it seems these Barrowlands aren't on the map of Equestria.
(Pirates of the Caribbean quote: check.)
Once they get their course set...
There. NOW can we get some answers, you secretive old fart?
Frustration levels = nearly maxed out. So, can we get a clear answer of what you dragged Twilight out here for, Starswirl?
Yeah. Exactly what IS this destiny?
But of course, Starswirl is being as vague as ever.
Okay, time for me to summarize what I know: Starswirl works for this other pony who, thus far, has only been referred to as "The Guardian." He has been sent out to find Twilight Sparkle and bring her before the Guardian in a place called the "Barrowlands", an unknown land beyond Equestria, to take some kind of test that will ultimately lead to Twilight fulfilling her Destiny.
This kind of reminds me of the plot of "The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night," a member of my favorite video game trilogy of all time; Spyro the dragon is telepathically summoned before an ancient dragon known as "The Chronicler" so he can learn of the main villain and ride out the sh*tstorm that is his return so he can ultimately defeat him, thus Spyro fulfilling his Destiny. Another parallel: there's pirates in that game as well, though absolutely NONE of them are friendly. I like these parallels.
Just Twilight is having a LOT more trouble trusting her guide than Spyro did.
Take notes, Discord!
And this right here shows that, while Starswirl needs to be vague about their mission, he does in fact know that she's having a hard time with it all and offers these occasional gestures of kindness and encouragement.
Theme for this moment:
I think Starswirl pointed it out before I could. A second element fulfilled thus far (that I noticed): Honesty. That's two down, three to go.
Well, according to Google:
Since the first definition is obviously irrelevant in this situation, let's consider the second definition. And by this, I'd say that Twilight's entire family line has been important since before she was born. Perhaps she's a descendant of this Guardian? Or maybe she's been chosen to become the next Guardian or something?
.......
Wonder how that last one would affect her friends.....
Okay, yup; this Guardian is this world's equivalent of the Chronicler from the Dragon Realms. How many Spyro parallels are we packing in this thing?
Starswirl exits and we change scenes with a shot through one of the portholes showcasing an incoming storm.
A few minutes later, Starswirl returns with Twilight's bags and pulls out the crown, placing it beneath a porthole and leaving Twilight to think on what she has been told.
And to sum up the scene with music: Aqua's Theme from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.
Eventually, Twilight sees a rainbow (albeit with only five colors instead of seven) which somehow connects to each of the five gemstones on her crown.
WOOO!!! Character development! (Story, Writing: +2 each)
Perhaps this will be in regards to the rainbow she shot.
And I forgot about the storm. Twilight manages to worm her way to the helm, whereupon she's greeted with a joke by Seachelle, along with a bit of backstory to her ancestors.
So basically, her ancestors made a deal with this Guardian and it ended up a similar tale to Davy Jones, except it's a family business instead of passing down by killing the previous captain. Even the name of the ship is similar. There wouldn't happen to be an open mouth at the bow, would there?
So they arrive just before a place known as the Twin Terrors.
Y'know what else is an old-mares-tale, Twilight? Nightmare Moon. And we all know how THAT turned out.
Also, more Greek/Roman mythology sprinkled into an MLP item. Nice.
So Seachelle decides to hold off braving these two ancient beasts until the storm subsides and drops anchor for the time being, meanwhile asking Twilight to check on Starswirl and get some food.
And we catch Starswirl......looking incredibly young once again.....
Well, I wasn't TOO far off with my first guess a few chapters back.
So once Starswirl confirms Twilight's question, she gets excited about learning a new form of magic, but this hope is stomped out when Starswirl snaps out a definitive "no". Short moment of tension between them, but is quickly absolved by Starswirl, who points out Twilight is wearing her crown.
Your friends are in your heart at all times, Twi. Glad you can see that now.
(end note) Did NOT make that connection until now. That is awesome!
(Elements fulfilled: Generosity, Honesty)
(Reviewer's note: Sorry this one was a little later than normal; had some distractions with a friend inviting me to a water park, followed immediately by a Father's Day party at my grandfather's house the next day, leaving little room for reviewing until now.)
Alright, so that storm decided to come to them first, so everypony is below deck with the ship anchored in place. And Seachelle is complaining about not technically having safe passage like she was promised.
Uh, Starswirl......you do realize that Pegasi aren't the only ponies who can control the weather? We see Rarity do it in Magical Mystery Cure - albeit, her own natural tendencies kinda messed it up, but she still manipulated the weather. Surely you can do so without too much trouble, right? Twilight even produced a Wind spell in Boast Busters (which she used on grass reeds to put the Ursa Minor to sleep). You've got all your bases covered, yet you refuse to use what you clearly have available to you!
But Starswirl produces an alternative way of passage.
And, of course, Starswirl doesn't explain, preferring to show us what it does - more like "show off" if you ask me.
So Starswirl uses this seashell to summon a school of Sea Ponies.
Apparently, Starswirl has shown them kindness in the past and the seashell was a token of repayment, which he is now using for their assistance. And the plan is to have the sea ponies tow the ship between the Twin Terrors and hope they can angle it just right. Am I the only one who's leery about this?
Guess I'm not alone.
Also, red highlighted area: unnecessary word repetition. Either she stuttered or that's a minor fix needed.
So after some short work and rope-tying (and an Umbrella spell over the ship), they're heading at an already unnatural speed inside of thirty seconds. Damn, those sea ponies are strong!
Everything seems to be going according to plan, with only a minor adjustment needed. But then...
Uh-oh......There goes some of their propulsion.
But Twilight won't have any of Seachelle's "leave her behind" sh
t, throws caution to the wind, and goes after the downed sea pony. With skill learned only from at least a year with training with Rainbow Dash, she manages to save her. But the sea pony isn't doing so great, with a giant charred hole in her side.
And it scares me that I'm not exaggerating that.
As they get to the other side of the whirlpool, the storm starts breaking down, and Twilight is at a loss as to what to do.
So, yeah. With some great encouragement, Twilight manages to cast the mass-heal spell that Starswirl used at the train, healing the lightning-struck sea pony - probably along with everypony within the next immediate 100 meters, AKA the whole ship - and is rewarded with a string of seashells to call upon the sea ponies whenever she has need of them.
And there's Kindness. Three down, two to go. (Kindness: Check)
Though I have to ask: was a healing spell that strong really needed? The train wreck was one thing, with practically everypony on board needing medical attention, but it's not like there was anypony else on the Flying Dutchmare who needed help, or any of the other sea ponies needed healing, right?
............I stand thoroughly corrected.
(Elements fulfilled thus far: Generosity, Honesty, Kindness)
Now that everypony is in the clear and has had at least a full day of clean sailing, they decide to retire for the day and celebrate their victory, giving special thanks to Starswirl, the Sea Ponies (reluctantly), and Twilight. We also get some backstory for two of the crew members in particular; apparently, Pegleg was initially named Tripod by his family due to him being born with only three legs and he fit into the privateer setting perfectly; Buckaneer ran into a tree when he lived in the woods and poked his eye out and decided to take up a job seafaring to hide his shame, leaving his family behind in the process. Gives me some sympathy for these pirates. (Modern pirates are practically a joke compared to the fiction of old pirates.)
And after a few heartwarming statements from the crew, everyone seems to be getting drunk - even Twilight, whom I thought would be deliberately avoiding the stuff.
Well, didn't see that one coming.
So, basically, Seachelle believes that she is bound to the Flying Dutchmare for the rest of her life, regardless of if she has a Cutie Mark or not, but Twilight thinks differently. This seems like a similar topic to the moral of "Appleoosa's Most Wanted" where Troubleshoes misinterprets his Cutie Mark to mean he's destined for bad luck his whole life, only to find out it means he's got a talent for slapstick comedy at the rodeo. The difference here is there is no Cutie Mark to misinterpret; instead, we have a pony who never got a Cutie Mark but, but due to a past deal, she believes this is her destiny regardless of whether she even has a Cutie Mark or not. This is an intriguing conflict. Perhaps the show staff will try something like this in the future? (Story: +1, Writing: +1)
But Seachelle isn't convinced and dismisses the topic for a later date. Twilight makes a mental note to talk to the Guardian about this and heads to bed.
The next morning, the ship is heading out and Twilight is speaking to Seachelle about her ancestor's contract with the Guardian, only to find that the contract is in fact rock solid.
A further explanation on the curse is that it's passed down via familial line, and Seachelle explains that she hasn't had a foal for that very reason, hoping to end the curse. Talk about a hard decision to make. That's what you call a strong character. (Writing: +1)
How do you know she doesn't have a foal?
She's only 20.
Oh, right. Kinda obvious. Moving on...
Twilight gives her word as a Princess of Equestria to find a way to release Seachelle from her curse, even going so far as to Pinkie Promise.
*snickers* That was cute.
So Twilight goes to finish her discussion with Starswirl, but......
We find Starswirl with a two-foot-long, snow-white beard, and he's looking very weak...
Didn't he just renew his age spell yesterday? It took him three days last time he used the orb, so why the sudden shortage?
So they take their conversation indoors and Twilight is wondering exactly what I am.
So, what, due to his age, he's only got a small amount of his original power left? Hmm... Kinda like Yoda.
Wow...he is growing weak......
So Starswirl explains that the previous Scion, whom he brought before the Guardian a thousand years ago ("thousand-year-old-problem surfaces" cliche) was, unfortunately, unprepared for the Trials and, through some form of mercy, the trials were indefinitely suspended, as was Starswirl's punishment for failure.
And a few paragraphs later, we now see that the challenges Twilight has faced up to this point are to prepare her for what's to come, something Starswirl didn't do for Celestia when he brought her before the Guardian via the very shortcuts he was attempting to avoid this time around. Learning from past mistakes is the best thing one can do.
And through all of this, we still don't know exactly what the "Scion" is or any hint as to what these Trials will entail.
So Twilight escorts Starswirl back up to the captain and he works the last bit of magic he has left.
Wow. Flashy.
So Twilight and Starswirl have a bit more rowing to do......though I still have no idea what kind of "consequences" there would be if Twilight were to teleport the two of them to shore.
Wait, they're an hour early? .......How in Tartarus did they manage that!?