Chapter 34
Twilight Sparkle
They certainly didn't lie to me, that was for sure. While most of King Sombra's research was... nothing I wanted to get involved with, let alone know about, he did have quite a lot of research into crystals which I could use. I licked my lips at the prospect. Already, my mind was racing with ideas. With a bit of study, practice, trial and error, I could definitely store spells in crystals. Complex spells, too. Storing barrier spells would be fairly simple, all I would need would be to create a spell matrix that would recognize threats and respond accordingly.
I could protect my ponies by storing spells in the crystals that would protect them. I wouldn't be able to save everypony, though. A grimace pulled at my lips from that knowledge. It would most likely be too prohibitively expensive to equip all of my ponies with crystals that held the required spells unless I were to make them myself. I was willing to do that, but I didn't think I had the time. There was still so much I needed to do. I sighed a little, then shook my head.
'I have to protect my ponies... and I can. Once I figure this out, I can get some scientists working on streamlining it... maybe I will be able to give everypony a protective crystal...' I mused. 'But, there's still another, perhaps even better idea. What if I figured out how to store spells in the crystal which would teleport ponies who were injured out of battle?' I asked.
That was an idea worth pursuing. It was a great idea, ponies lives would be saved where they would otherwise die. It excited me. But, unfortunately, I knew that would be more complicated to create. I would have to figure out how to make a spell recognize when a pony was in mortal danger, versus non-life-threatening danger. To make matters worse, I'd have to figure out how to calibrate the spell to teleport them to the right place. The best solution I could come up with right then was to create a crystal for the teleportation spell to lock onto. With a bit of work, it would work perfectly.
And of course, that was only half of the problem. Testing to make sure the spell worked properly, however, wouldn't be as easy or fun. It would require that somepony almost get killed, and so there was the risk that anypony testing it would die and it wouldn't trigger, or that it did trigger but they couldn't be saved.
I shifted my weight a little and looked down at my forehooves on the table in front of me.
Perhaps then, testing it beforehoof wasn't an option. But then, if it wasn't tested and was rolled out on a large scale, it could be a disaster.
I sighed. It was another problem I would have to deal with and solve. 'Maybe the answer would be to test it on a small scale...' I thought. I mulled over the idea, slowly bobbing my head side to side. It would be more doable, perhaps just outfitting my team with the crystals, rather than everypony. It would give us a much-needed advantage, and next time, maybe I wouldn't be responsible for...
I blinked, then swallowed. 'I need to stop letting that eat me up.' A grimace twisted my lips. I was useless if I couldn't focus, and with everything weighing on my mind, focusing was hard. Even studying the spells and crystals just felt like a distraction, like I was trying to force myself not to think about the other problems I faced. I closed my eyes, then sat up straighter. I took a deep breath, then held it. 'I need to stop this,' I told myself. It was easy to say. Actually stopping, however, wasn't easy.
I calmly exhaled, then opened my eyes. I stood up from my chair, then turned around.
The Crystal Archives were vast, but I already knew that. Looking around, the crystal walls seemed to stretch on forever- and I was in an isolated section of the Archive. I shifted my weight a bit and fidgeted on my hooves.
The section was isolated for a reason.
It just wasn't right. In the back of my mind, I was acutely aware of the dark magic which lingered in my surroundings. During his reign, King Sombra really did a number on the Crystal Empire and the crystal ponies. I shifted my weight in the chair as his actions played through my mind. The dark magic around constantly ate at the back of my mind. It was impossible to ignore, and it just felt so wrong. It was distracting and unnerving. I took a deep breath, then I looked over at Rainbow.
She stood outside of an opened gate which normally sealed the area I was in. She wore her armor, of course, while she stood guard. And she really didn't move or anything. She reminded me more of a Royal Guard than my friend at the time, but I could at least take comfort in knowing she couldn't sense the dark magic around.
I shuddered a little, then glanced around at the books on the crystal shelves surrounding me. The shelves were actually rather barren. The section was dedicated to King Sombra's research, although dedicated might not have been the best word. I had half the mind to bury half of the books in the room in a vault more than a couple miles underground. As it was, only two books actually had any value to me. The rest were sickening, detailing his use and study of dark magic, his discoveries, and some detailed history that might be best forgotten. After all, there was a reason there were only crystal earth ponies anymore.
I levitated the two books on the table up in my magic and pulled them close. I could feel the residual dark magic in the pages, but it was minor. Even still, I was going to purge the dark magic before I risked contaminating anything with the sickening, twisted magic in them.
I slowly walked towards the gate, then stepped outside. Before my growth spurt, it would have taken me a dozen paces to cross the distance, but now it only took maybe eight steps. I pushed the thought aside and idly looked around as I stepped outside. The archive was mostly deserted, although a few guards patrolled. One of the archivists walked across the walkway on the other side of the gap from where I was. She carried a book, holding it close to her chest with a foreleg. I watched her for a few moments before she calmly turned into one of the aisles.
I shook my head and exhaled, then turned to my right and started walking towards the lobby. I looked at Rainbow, she fidgeted a bit, possibly from my gaze, but stood in place. "Let's go," I stated.
Rainbow obeyed my order without any hesitation or question, to the point that she scrambled to my side.
I looked away from her and continued on my walk to the exit. We walked in silence as we made our way to the desk at the entrance. The clicking of our hooves on the crystal was almost comforting and calming, and yet it wasn't anywhere close enough to distract me from what was to come.
Vast aisles lined by crystal bookshelves filled with voluminous tomes of knowledge passed by as we journeyed to the desk. In all honesty, I suspected that the archive of the Crystal Empire was larger and held more information than the Canterlot Archives. And, in a way, it was all mine. I'd be lying if I said that realization didn't leave me a bit giddy. But, at the same time, it was sobering- I didn't have the time to read it all anymore.
I slowed my pace as we reached the lobby, and I looked back the way we had come. The archive was three stories, although only the first two stories were visible. The third story was underground. Honestly, it irked me that Sombra's research wasn't stored in the basement, but nopony wanted to be involved with moving it down there. I couldn't blame them.
I turned my head and looked back at the desk. A light, grayish blue crystal pony mare sat calmly behind the desk. She wore a simple pair of glasses, and her mane was a dull, bluish-green. Despite the relatively dull palette of her colors, she still looked vibrant, happy, and even excited. She watched me, and there was an eager glint in her eye.
I smiled a little, then approached her. "Hello," I greeted.
"Princess," she greeted reverently, inclining her head as much as possible. I shifted my weight on my hooves a little.
"I'm taking two books from... Sombra's... section... with me..." I explained. I levitated the two books over and set them on the desk.
Her smile wavered. The eagerness twisted into nervousness. She hastily looked the books over, then nodded. She leaned over and picked up a pencil in her mouth, then hastily scratched out something on a piece of paper. When she finished, she spat the pencil out and licked her lips. "I'll file that immediately, Princess," she replied.
I nodded. "Thank you," I said. She smiled a little, but it seemed awkward. I levitated the books up, then turned to my right. I nearly walked into Rainbow. She stumbled to step back so she wasn't in my way. I frowned at her. "Rainbow, are you doing okay?" I asked quietly.
She nodded far too quickly. "Y-yes, Princess," she answered.
I glanced down at my hooves, then I looked at her hooves before finally looking back at her expression. "Rainbow..." I groaned softly. She fidgeted on her hooves and stood there rigidly. 'How am I supposed to deal with this..?' I wasn't qualified to deal with it. I sighed, then lifted my right forehoof up to my forehead. I gently pressed my hoof into my head, right below my horn. I closed my eyes, then clenched them shut. After a moment, I placed my forehoof back on the floor and opened my eyes. "When we get back, you're taking time off," I stated.
"What? No!" she retorted.
I looked at her firmly. She actually took a step back and shied away from me, as if she was afraid. "Rainbow..." I drawled. I took a deep breath, then sighed. "At this rate, I'm going to end up using mind magic on the both of us..." I muttered dismissively. I shook my head. "When we get back, you're taking a week off. Maybe longer. Hang out with our friends, talk to them. Do something. Stop blaming yourself, Rainbow. It's not your fault..." I said quietly.
Rainbow didn't meet my gaze, not that I had expected her to. "I'm supposed to protect you-"
"And I'm supposed to protect everypony," I reminded her.
She looked up at me. "But you... you almost... because I-"
"Stop right there," I ordered. She went silent. "It's. Not. Your. Fault. Okay?" I said. I mulled over my own words as I watched her. She reluctantly lifted her head up, then lowered it, nodding. She didn't want to nod, but she did. I wasn't sure if it would help her any, but maybe it would.
But, as I mulled over my own words, it sort of hit me. I was telling her that it wasn't her fault that I almost died, and just like that, it wasn't my fault that Storm and Lightning Strike died either, yet it still felt like it was. It was the same thing as with Rainbow. I didn't do a good enough job of protecting them, but I tried. It was the same with the other ponies who died because of my failure to act. I looked away from Rainbow and looked down at my hooves.
'Let's think about this logically. Logically, if I don't act, then more of my ponies will die. If I don't act, then more of my ponies will have more blood on their hooves. Thus, based on this, logically, I should stop holding back. It's a mercy since I would protect my own ponies...' I mused. My heart still ached at the idea. I was a killer, after all, but I didn't want to be. But, I suppose I had to be one. My ponies needed me to be their leader, their protector. If I was going to save Equestria, then I needed to stop feeling so sorry for myself and move on.
Knowing and doing it, however, were two different things.
I grimaced, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Let's go," I stated once more. I hesitated a moment, then I lifted a hoof and started walking for the door again.
Probably about the only bad thing about the Crystal Empire was that it was so far away from Ponyvilly and my territory. Well, at least that was the worst thing about it right then. After all, I had science to do! I needed to get the crystals and everything set up for testing. And going back to Ponyville for that testing, then coming back for a briefing, and then going back to Ponyville again when I was done in the Crystal Empire would have been ever so slightly draining.
But, hey, it was called the Crystal Empire for a reason, so all in all, I didn't really need to go back to Ponyville for crystals. Although I didn't have everything that my lab study had, nor the laboratory, I could make do. So instead, I sat in my study, at my desk, staring at the small, unassuming crystal in front of me. The crystal was a light, lavender-purple gem of my own fabricating. It was smaller than my hoof, and resembled a shard. It was designed so that it could be placed in my regalia like the Element of Magic and the other crystals, although it wouldn't fill the arms.
I tilted my head, then levitated it up in my magic. The gem was so young and pristine. The sharp angles seemed to sparkle from the light of my aura enveloping it. And, perhaps the best thing about it, it was distinct from my regalia and the Element of Magic. Because it was distinct, nopony would easily confuse them, so thus that made mass producing them more viable. It wasn't likely for them to get mixed up.
I felt a little giddy as I levitated it around. I glanced away from the crystal and looked over the book that laid open on the desk. It was one of Sombra's research books on crystals. A little of the giddiness faded, and a feeling of dread replaced it. It was Sombra's. And just looking at it, you could tell. It had a lot of valuable information it in, but the purposes mentioned in the text were nefarious, to say the least.
But, while his research was for evil, my research was for good. Where he looked into storing spells inside of crystals to enslave ponies, I was looking into storing spells in crystals to protect ponies, to save lives. I took a deep breath, then looked back at the crystal.
A part of myself still felt odd about it. It was exactly what I should be doing, working on ways to protect my ponies. And yet, at the same time, it wasn't what I should have been doing. There was so much else that demanded my attention. I was needed to prepare and lead the attack from my territory up into Equestria, I was needed to figure out how to prevent Celestia and Luna from trying to escape or kill me after I dethroned them, I was needed to talk to the ponies and reassure them... I was needed for so much.
And yet, even with all I was needed for, I was still needed for this too. I didn't have anypony who I could simply assign to work on this, at least not if I expected adequate progress in a short period of time. Unicorns didn't have the magic needed to fabricate the crystals, and I hadn't sat down to teach anypony how to use the spell that was easier for that, nor did we have the manufacturing capabilities to do it through industrial means. Plus, it would take time for anypony I delegated this project to in order learn the background information presented in the text and understand the theory.
I closed my eyes, then took a deep breath. I sat up straighter, and for several seconds, I just sat there, holding my breath, keeping my eyes closed. The room was so silent and still, aside from my magic. It was almost peaceful, and that peace was a contrast with the chaos of a battle.
I blinked my eyes open and fluffed my wings at my sides. I shifted in my seat, then exhaled. I stopped spinning the crystal in my magic and held it still. I had a project to complete.
I focused my gaze on the crystal, then I channeled some of my magic into it. It was so simple to store my magic inside of it, and it seemed that my stronger magic had an effect on that as well. Within a few seconds, the crystal was charged with more than enough magic for testing purposes. I continued to channel more of my magic into the crystal, and the crystal continued to take the charge and store it. And at the same time, it didn't really feel like it was having any effect on my own magical capacity. A slight drain, but I easily recovered.
Once I was satisfied, I stopped charging the crystal. It glowed with a bright, innocent inner pink light. I reached out with my foreleg, then laid the crystal down in my hoof. It was warm to the touch and felt welcoming. It had an almost calming effect; it was my magic. My alicorn magic. Magic stronger than most forms of magic, with only a few exceptions.
I licked my lips, then I levitated the crystal back up into the air. Charging it was the easy part, storing the spell was a bit more complicated.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. I used my magic to inscribe the spell matrix for a barrier onto the crystal. It was a slow process. I could easily create barriers with my magic, but the crystal wasn't alive. It didn't understand the magic or the spell that I wanted to make it use. It couldn't willfully project that magic. So I had to weave together multiple spell matrices.
It wasn't quite enchanting, there were many differences. Enchantments passively used magic and would break under enough stress. The best example was a soldier's armor: the enchantments would provide protection and disguise the soldier, but the enchantments would be broken by enough magic or physical damage. However, I needed something different. The crystal needed to actively project the magic stored inside into a barrier, and it couldn't constantly project it. If it constantly projected the barrier, not only would it drain the magic charge, but it would become impractical.
Of course, I didn't have a lot of experience with what I needed to do. Sombra's book helped with that, at least a little bit. There was a certain logic required for the crystal to function properly, the crystal needed to detect threats and react accordingly to them.
But, eventually, I finished weaving the spells together. I opened my eyes, then blinked. I spun the crystal around once and scrutinized it. It looked no different than before, and I could still feel the magic inside of it. Although I couldn't detect the spell. That may have been a bad thing, or it may have simply been the magic charge stored inside of it.
"Right... now, how am I going to test you?" I asked myself. I pursed my lips and stuck my tongue out.
The crystal and the spells were designed to protect somepony from harm. 'Well, I suppose I could make some alterations and test it, but that wouldn't be a perfect test...' I mused. A grimace pulled at my lips. If I really wanted to be sure it worked, I needed to actually test it.
Testing it in a battle would be dangerous, so a controlled environment was preferred. In fact, a controlled environment would have been perfect. I could even be the pony using the crystal. All I would need was sompony who could use magic!
Unfortunately, there were no crystal unicorns, so I was the only magic user present in the Crystal Empire who I could really use to test it. I leaned forward, sighing a bit. "Well, I suppose I could always see if it reacts properly to physical threats, although that's not as pressing as magical threats..." I muttered.
Or, of course, there was the alternative option where somepony volunteered to wear the crystal while I used my magic on them.
I waited for a few seconds, then I took a deep breath. As soon as I finished breathing in, I exhaled, sighing, and leaned forward. There just wasn't an easy solution, but then again, easy solutions weren't always the best ones.
I shook the thought aside, then teleported the crystal and book away. I had done the basics, I needed to test it, but that could wait. I turned to my right, then I hopped out of my chair and stood up. I turned to my right and casually walked towards the door while I scooted my chair in with my magic.
As I approached the door, I opened it with my aura. Rainbow's head tilted to the left slightly and she glanced back at me before quickly trying to hide it. I smirked a little at it but pushed it off as I stepped out into the hallway. I glanced back at her. It was still so very, very strange to look down at her. It made her look so small. 'What is it like for you, Celestia?' I wondered.
I shook my head and forced the thought aside. I looked back down the hallway, then I glanced at Rainbow and used my magic to teleport us to the throne room.
I exhaled calmly and swept my gaze around to see who all was present. About eight soldiers all stood guard in the room, and though they didn't show it, I was sure my sudden arrival drew their attention. After all, if it didn't then they wouldn't have actually been paying attention or doing their job.
I turned towards my throne, then calmly approached it. I smiled a little bit. I would have been lying if I said I didn't feel a twinge of pride as I ascended the stairs. After all, who wouldn't? They had chosen to follow me. They trusted me with their lives, their empire. They trusted me to protect them. I couldn't let them down.
My gaze drifted to my hooves for a moment as I reached the top. There was so much that could go wrong. It was paralyzing. 'If I don't act, then nothing will change... and... mistakes may be unavoidable, but I can try to learn from them, at least...'
I took a deep breath, then I turned around and calmly sat down on my throne. Rainbow stood beside me to my right. I waited a few seconds, halfway expecting something, somepony to walk in to talk about me, one of the guards to do something, or perhaps just somepony walk in to take care of something I wasn't familiar with, but nothing changed.
I shook the thought aside, then licked my lips. "Please inform General Sapphire and General Quartz I would like to speak with them as soon as possible," I said. I didn't direct my request at anypony in particular, but one of the closest soldiers nodded and bowed.
"At once, Princess," he answered. He broke formation, then calmly strode towards the door, carrying himself with purpose and pride.
I watched him walk out through the door, then I watched the doors close. I waited a few seconds, then I leaned forward a little. "Well... I suppose I have at least a few minutes right now... what should I do?" I asked myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rainbow shift her weight and turn her head towards me as if she wasn't sure if I wanted somepony to answer.
A thought came to mind. The thought made me smile, and I sat up straight in anticipation. "A list! Yes, that would be perfect..." I nodded to myself, then teleported a quill and scroll to me. I levitated both in my magic- I held the scroll in front of me at eye level, and the quill was primed in the perfect spot for starting.
It had been far, far too long since I had sat down and actually made a list. I had been busy back in Ponyville following my recovery. Yes, I had made lists, but I hadn't written any of them down. And as a bonus, writing it down would probably help me to feel better. It was catharsis.
"Okay, let's see... things I need to do..." I licked my lips, then scribbled out a title for the list at the top of the scroll. "To-do," I mouthed. "Let's see..." I repeated. I looked back and forth across the scroll. A certain eager giddiness built up inside of me. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in far too long.
"Where should I start?" I mused. I tilted my head and pursed my lips. 'I suppose I could just start writing, then when I get it all out I can organize it...' I nodded once, then straightened my head and brought the quill to the scroll.
My ears perked up at the sound of the Throne Room's doors opened. It was a quiet, unassuming sound. Were it not for the fact that I was waiting and listening for it, I could have missed it. I lifted my head up a little and levitated the list I was working on a few inches lower. I smiled as I watched the soldier return, bringing General Quartz and General Sapphire in tow with him.
I sat up straighter and teleported my quill and scroll away. I had mostly finished the list, but the rest of it could wait for later. Besides, it needed better organization.
I fluffed my wings and took a deep breath, then let it out as I patiently waited for the generals to cross the Throne Room and approach my throne. They walked calmly and carried themselves with dignity, pride, and honor. With duty or purpose might have been other words to describe the way they walked. Their gazes were serious, but not intense- they looked at me with respect and trust.
Eventually, they arrived at the base of the stairs leading to my throne. Both of them fell into reverential bows, bending their forelegs to stoop low. I still wasn't used to it. My wings fluttered at my sides. "Um... stand?" I suggested. They both lifted their heads back up in unison, then stood back up.
"Princess, you wished to see us?" General Sapphire inquired.
I nodded and smiled. "Yes," I acknowledged. "I will be taking my leave from the Crystal Empire later today... I need to get back to Ponyville. I have things that I need to take care of, and then there are the preparations for this attack that I need to oversee. I trust you two can take care of things here?" I asked.
Both generals inclined their heads to nod. "Yes, Princess," General Sapphire answered. "If there are any problems or if there's anything you need, you have but to ask. General Spitfire should still have the crystal for long-range communications. When you give the word, we will be ready my liege!"
I nodded and looked at them intently. "It will probably be a few weeks, maybe a month, before we can begin. My forces in Equestria aren't prepared for such an endeavor yet. In addition, I need to come up with a solution for dealing with Celestia and Luna," I stated.
"Of course," General Sapphire answered. He paused for a moment, then leaned to his left. His eyes looked in between my wings, my peytral, and then to my horn. "If I may make a suggestion?" he asked, finally meeting my gaze once more.
I nodded courteously.
"You said that your magic is stronger now than it was before. Are you able to match Princess Celestia or Princess Luna yet?" General Sapphire inquired.
"And what of Princess Cadance?" General Quartz inquired.
I pursed my lips and looked over at one of the crystal columns supporting the ceiling. Well, it didn't really support the ceiling, it was more for decoration. "I could have overpowered Cadance before, most likely," I answered. I nibbled on my lip and reluctantly looked back at them. "As for Celestia and Luna..? Well..." I trailed off unsurely, and it showed in my voice, which sounded higher-pitched than normal to me. I winced a bit and shifted my weight a little. "I... may be able to, now... but I suspect that both of them still have a lot more magic than me. However, we're much more evenly matched than we were. In addition, if I can store enough of my magic in a crystal, I should be able to match them." I paused and tilted my head. "Although it feels like my magic might still be getting stronger. It's not as much as what happened as a result of my surge, or as much as it changed while I was unconscious..." I trailed off and squinted.
I was still a bit self-conscious of that.
I shook my head. "But it still feels like it's getting stronger," I answered. I paused for a moment to see if they'd ask anything else, but they just nodded. "Anyway... I need to do research, but in theory, I could do something similar to a magic suppression ring, except it would have to drain their magic rather than suppress it. We have too much magic for it to be suppressed..." I trailed off and winced. I slowly leaned to my left. "Although... I suppose, in theory, I could attempt to... turn them into stone, like they had done with Discord..."
Neither of them showed any signs of being phased by my suggestion. They probably didn't understand what that would mean. They had experience with something similar, after all, Sombra sealed them away for a millennium, but it was far from the same thing I was suggesting. If I were to try to make a spell to imprison Celestia and Luna in stone, based off of what the Elements of Harmony did to Discord, it would be paramount to torture. After all, during that entire time, Discord had been conscious. Several thousand years, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to feel, but still conscious.
I looked down at my hooves. 'Is that even ethical..?' I wondered. 'Imprisoning them in stone like with Discord? Luna... she went through something like that...'
'Can I really do that to them if I had to?' I asked myself. 'Trap them in stone for who knows how long... My mentor and her sister? They're my friends...'
Honestly, that thought felt like I was betraying them. Luna especially. Neither of them really deserved that outcome. It was completely disproportionate. If our positions were switched, and they were the ones considering doing that to me... I would have been terrified.
I closed my eyes, then took a deep breath. I waited a couple of seconds, then calmly exhaled. I opened my eyes and looked up.
Both generals' foreheads were creased as they watched me. "Princess, are you alright?" General Sapphire asked.
I nodded. "Yes," I replied. "It's just..." I trailed off and shook my head. "Overwhelming," I stated. I grimaced. "I have a lot I need to do..." I trailed off quietly.
"Of course, Princess," General Sapphire replied, brushing off my unease. "Unless there is anything else, we will leave you to it. If there is anything at all that you need, you have but to ask, Princess," he added.
I nodded my thanks and tried to smile. My lips did lift up, but they felt numb. My heart wasn't in it. "You can go," I replied.
They both bowed again, then rose and turned around. I watched them walk back to the door, then leave the room.
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Some interesting decision choices in Twilights side... Will there be soon something on sunbutt side? Or she just trying to do that waiting-game strategy, she planned on? With cake?
8865120
Haha, completely true!
Although, in all honesty, that's probably still completely inaccurate. Let's face it, judging on what we've seen, Celestia and Luna would get taken out as soon as the plot needed it, and then it'd be on Twilight and her friends to take care of it.
No problem
8864853
Honestly i think the best option is a Twilight Luna Alliance. Luna may not be fit to rule alone but what if her and twilight co ruled. Luna listened to her suggwstions and was calmed down by her. Luna also was yet to attack Twilight and treats her as an equal. And judging last chapyer the alliance would help luna since NMM still haunts her.
Twilight will probably go after celestia first since ponyville is just south of canterlot, they’re literally neighbours. Also, I don’t think twilight is thinking quite enough about what to do after the wars end. I mean she is considering different ways of dealing with celestia and Luna, but running a country straight out of a three way civil war when a good chunk of it probably dislikes you to some degree can’t be easy.
Also, I’m not sure what she could do about the other princesses. Like she said, Stone is paramount to torture, so unless she goes the way of sombra (which I really hope not) that’s not going to happen. I guess some form of exile or something, but keeping them out is going to be tricky. IDK, you’ll think (or have possibly already thought) of something.
Lastly,
a new chapter and 200k words!!!
Congrats on reaching 200k!
I only just reached the 100k milestone on my story, but seriously the chapter wasn't bad at all. If Twilight does win the war (like I'm hoping she will) I am curious to see what she'll end up doing. Also with how focused she is on crystals at the moment, I'm thinking that whatever she decides to about Celestia and Luna might be based around the use of said crystals.
8865177
The general plan, right now, is for Twilight to consolidate things that need to be consolidated, and then go after Canterlot and Celestia. Twilight will start considering how to deal with the others more as the time draws closer, although it would be kinda funny if she ended up sieging Canterlot because she couldn't figure out/didn't have a plan to deal with Celestia. Additionally, Twilight is liked the most of the three princesses- and furthermore, since she has control of the Crystal Empire (and the Crystal Heart) she has another advantage there for after the war ends.
I have a plan...
200K... never thought I'd see the day. Although quite frankly I have a series which is longer than this. However, this is the most in one story (and my single longest story).
8865409
Thanks and good luck on your writing! I've written a lot of stories longer than 100k, but this is my first 200k story.
8865128
Agreed, it would be one of the best options at this time. Since Celly is kinda set in HER ways, is one of the big instigators of this conflict and tried some underhoofed things. And I just think she need to be knocked down few...Miles(?) from her pedestal...
8865756
Yeah I think Luna is more fit to rule then Twilight gives her credit. She has gone after strategic locations. I am assuming Trottiham was I cared because it was so close to Luna's cities. She does her best to minimize casualties and leaves the bulk of the local government intact when she can. And unlike Celestia she wants Twilight as her equal rather then servant.
I'm also waiting for Cadance's and Shining's reactions to what Hoof tried to do.