World 4: Chapter 12
Only a few days after the changelings surrendered, Sunset knew it was her time to move on. This time, she would not be jumping to some random world. She would be jumping to the past where Princess Twilight Sparkle battled it out against a pony named Starlight Glimmer. She won’t be alone in this. I’ll help her in whatever way I can. She’d been helping the changelings. Without their queen, most were lost, looking for answers. A lot of changelings ran in fear of Tirek, and so she and Ember helped coax them out of hiding.
She parted from Sombra during this time, leaving the dark stallion in the Crystal Empire to work on the spell that would transfer her to the past. He had solved the equation, and instead of sending a letter, he rushed to Ponyville. “It’s complete,” was all he said when he had arrived in the middle of the night, knocking loudly on the door to the Golden Oak’s Library. Ember had been awake—the dragoness had not left Sunset’s side, and she furrowed into herself when she heard the news.
But Tirek had been working well with the dragoness. “A second apprentice. No dragon shall be kicked out of Equestria so long as they follow your example,” he told her, a good sentence for someone who had burned the Appleloosa orchards. She would not be alone, truly alone, after Sunset’s departure.
When morning appeared, Sunset was almost unsure if she wanted to leave this world that she’d grown so much in. “I would like it if you stayed,” Sombra told her after she explained her feelings on the subject. “I would like it very much. I don’t see that happening, though.” He knew her well, and she hated leaving it at just that.
She trusted that the spell would work. Sombra being a smart stallion, she reckoned the smartest stallion she ever met. He wore his glasses, cape, and saddlebags to Ponyville, and he wore them out to the crystal map. They did not leave the morning after he arrived, however. She wanted those she cared for to join her in her departure, just like the friends she had made in the last three worlds.
Helping the changelings, taking the time to relax, it had given her a word that she found suited this world. Community. She had written it down in the journal given to her two worlds ago. The Crystal War timeline, the Resistance timeline, Nightmare’s Night timeline, and now the Community timeline. Her heart sung at the word. That was what this world truly was, a community of races, love, and personalities. She had thought of it after a memory of the Talent Market.
Ember disapproved, however, while Sombra thought it clever. “You still owe me for reading my journal,” he had said as he stole the book away, a mocking grin to his lips. “Quite a lot of memories you’ve put into here. Plan on showing someone special?”
“You can have a look all you want, Sombra. None of that is embarrassing,” she replied, a pen in her mouth. It was nice to have him and Ember traipsing around the Golden Oak’s Library. It almost made her want to stay longer. Almost, she echoed the changeling queen.
“Really? None of it?” he asked. “What about this part saying Sombra is a gorgeous, loveable hunk of a stallion?”
“What? That’s not in there!” She reached for the journal, unsure if she had or hadn’t written that.
“Well, it should be—give me a pen! I’ll write it down for you.”
That sent an idea through Sunset’s heart. “Sombra! You’re a genius!” She took the journal and slammed it on the kitchen table she sat at. Flipping to an unused page, the next entry for the Community timeline, she handed off a pen to Sombra. “Write! Write something nice or funny or encouraging. I want to get all my friends to say something. When I show it to Princess Twilight, she’s going to blow a gasket seeing all of them!”
Sombra grinned his suave little grin. “Anything? Well, alright. If you insist.”
Once he finished, she read it aloud: “There’s no one more impressive than Sunset Shimmer. No one more talented. No one else I’d like to be with more. She shimmers the sun that is my heart.” She glanced over at him. “Okay, now it’s embarrassing,” she said, red flushing the bridge of her nose and cheeks.
“Well, you said anything.” He stood for a moment smiling at her. “I’m going to miss you, Sunset. I really am. There’s no one like you.”
“Except for the me that’s from this world. You could always find her beyond the mirror,” she replied with a coy little laugh.
“Oh, trust me. I haven’t forgotten.” He didn’t say any more, and Ember soon appeared to sign her own words into Sunset’s book of memories.
“You misspelled constant,” Sunset told the dragoness.
“What? That was supposed to be contact!”
“Oh.” Sunset squinted. “That makes more sense, actually.”
The dragoness grunted angrily, stomping her foot. “I’m not good at expressing myself, okay!?”
“Really? The stomping and yelling seems like you’re very good at expressing how you feel, Ember,” snarked the dark stallion.
Crossing her arms, Ember threw a glare his way. “I read your little signature, Mr. Emotional. She’s got all the cutesy words she needs from you. Mine’s good enough!” She tried to justify her words as best as she could, but eventually gave up.
When Tirek arrived with the three alicorns, they all went to work adding their own optimistic encouragements. While Celestia was busy adding hers, Tirek asked Ember: “Do you plan on making the Golden Oak your home after Sunset is gone? Ponyville is a fine place to live, it definitely needs more dragons.”
“Can I still get lessons from you here in Ponyville?” she asked in response.
“Of course. I’ll be making myself plenty available for you as much as I can. Though, do try to keep the fire contained. Wouldn’t want the Golden Oak to go up in smoke,” he replied. Celestia handed off the journal and the centaur went to work adding his own words of praise.
When Sunset got back the journal, she was surprised by how little he wrote, yet it was what he wrote that meant the world to her. “Sunset Shimmer: a true hero.” She broke down on the spot, one last time, crying in front of the centaur who had already made her cry so much.
The writings were done and the only thing left was to head to the crystal map. Sunset led the march out of town, a parade of all different sorts. The glorious alicorn leaders, the Defender of Equestria, the princess of dragons, and a retired king. It matched too well with her leading the bearers of the other worlds. They marched their way with the sun high in the sky out into the charred ruins of the forest that spread around Ponyville. As they passed burnt trunks and grime-covered fields, Sunset noticed a few flowers had sprung out from the ground. They were not golden.
Reaching the crystal map, Sunset pushed off the dirt and filth that had blown back over the crystalline surface. “So this was out here the entire time? I’m sure glad I didn’t destroy it,” Tirek said, striking a finger against the soot of a broken seat. “Lovely crystal, though. Would make the ponies of the Crystal Empire jealous.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Sombra remarked snottily, rousing a bit of laughter from Cadance. The two stepped away from the table, allowing the others to get in their goodbyes to the unicorn.
“I suppose this is it, isn’t it?” Celestia said.
Celestia was different. She was different than the other Celestia’s Sunset had met. She was different because, out of all the Celestia’s, this one took the time to be with her after the conflict was finished. The Celestia of The Crystal War timeline had spoken with her, but it was not on the level that Sunset wanted, nor was the Resistance timeline’s Celestia. She had left far too early for the last world’s Celestia to speak to Sunset of the past, their time on the moon their only true moment together.
Sunset appreciated this world’s Celestia, where only a few days prior she felt like she wanted to explode at the alicorn. It’s funny how words can solve problems. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, as they say.
“This is it,” Sunset replied. “I’ve got a lot of faith that Sombra fixed this spell. If it doesn’t work, though, we could always have brunch again.”
“You had brunch without me, sister?” Luna scolded playfully. “I would like to hear more of this Nightmare’s Night if she happens to stay.”
Celestia laughed, and so did Sunset. It feels good to laugh, Sunset thought. “I believe Sunset is right, dear sister. Sombra has completed a spell that not even Star Swirl the Bearded could solve. Perhaps Cadance will lose her magical advisor if we invite him to Canterlot.”
“I heard that,” Cadance hollered, rousing even more laughter.
“Sunset,” the stallion in question called her name. Cadance stepped away as Sunset came close, the other alicorns moved from the crystal table to join the dragon princess. “Are you sure you’re ready to go? I know we’ve gathered everyone up and it would be really embarrassing if the spell failed…”
“It’s not going to fail, Sombra,” she told him, and he thanked her for the belief in him. “It’s not just belief in you, Sombra. I just know things are going to work out. I’m finally going to see Twilight again. It’s been so long—yet it hasn’t.” I’m not counting the times I’ve seen her as she’s leaving the world I’m entering!
He gave a stiff nod. “Alright, let’s try it out.”
They headed back to the table where only Tirek stood patiently. Ember and the alicorns had trotted a good distance away to get the full view of what was soon to happen. “Sunset, you’re an asset to this world that I cannot lose. I will not give you your magic so that you can leave!” he told her, his arms crossed, his face stern. “But… if I gave you your magic to right time, and it just so happened that it also opened up a portal for you to leave… well, that just can’t be helped.” He shrugged, a smile demurely appearing between his beard and moustache.
“Tirek. I’m going to miss you, so much.” She hugged his leg and he patted her head. “I’m going to see if the Tirek in my world can be reformed. I believe he can.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it. Defeating the changelings the first time, it—well, it changed me. Without playing the hero, I would never have become a real hero. I don’t think a me in your world has that luxury or personality. No offense to me, of course,” he replied.
“I’ll still try. Everyone can be reformed. Everyone.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it, Sunset Shimmer. Good luck, and goodbye.” With an extension of the centaur’s mouth, a waft of magic released from his gullet, striking at Sunset’s horn with the power of lightning.
Feeling a burst of energy, Sunset felt rejuvenated to the point she wanted to scream. “Thank you, Tirek,” she said with another hug before the centaur trotted off. She hoped this would not be the last time he gave magic to a pony.
“So,” Sombra said as he opened the brown book on the crystal table. “How’s it feel to have your magic back?” He sounded envious.
“Really good,” she didn’t lie.
“Then I guess it’s time.” He flipped to the back page and pointed to the spell.
Sunset examined the incantation. It was written in two parts but combined into one. The taking of magic was underlined as part of the spell, followed by the giving of what appeared to be magic as well. She tried to understand all of which was written, but she didn’t bother trying too hard. She knew Sombra had gotten it right. With a sudden pause and reflexive close of her eyes, she whispered a plea and let loose the spell. A bout of magical bolts hit the crystal table, making the surface glow with bright white light. It turned into a rainbow of colors that struck the sky. It shined so hard that it could be seen from space—but then it faded!
“Oh geez, I shouldn’t have joked!” Sombra shouted. “This is really embarrassing—try again, please!”
Sunset shook her head and did as she was instructed, trying the spell once more. But just like the last, the white glow faded as quickly as it appeared. “No use. Are you sure you got everything right?”
“I was certain!” He took the book and examined it closely. “Here, follow this part of the incantation and give me a bit of your magic. I’ll give it a shot. Maybe the calculations are wrong for your body, a gender difference, perhaps. I’m unsure.”
“A gender difference?” Sunset had to laugh. For some reason, Sunset couldn’t help but think that someone had warned her not to give Sombra magic, but it was nowhere near the forethought within her mind. She was so focused on getting to Twilight that she immediately handed off the magic she had just obtained—though not all of it. She knew she wanted to keep some for herself.
As she was giving a piece of her magic, she could hear yelling; screaming in the distance. When she went to stop the process, she found that she could not let go. The dark stallion was taking it all, turning her eyes back to the grey, lifeless pupils they’d been. When the process was finished, Sunset shook her head and opened her eyes, coming face to face with the eyes she had seen once before.
They scared her when she looked through the telescope, it was as if they were looking right into her very being. Those crimson, terrifying eyes pierced her, judged her, and flung her aside. And now they were staring right at her, so close, with a smile that would scare even the hardest of villains. “Thank you, Sunset. I knew following you would lead me to great things,” the stallion said in his darkest voice.
With a finessed turn, the stallion slammed his hooves down on the ground. It had been Tirek who yelled, shouting for Sunset to not give the stallion magic. Tirek had not trusted Sombra, and it appeared to be for good reason. With a slam of his hooves, crystals shot up out of the ground, trapping Tirek before he got too close to the two unicorns. Crystal wrapped around Tirek like a spider trapping a fly, a single hand and the centaur’s head were the only things visible.
Sombra knew the centaur could change size, and so the stallion wasted no time climbing up the incline of crystals. With a burst of energy from his horn—Sombra did what Tirek had done to so many ponies. The centaur attempted to blast the stallion right off the formed crystal.
A click, click, but no boom.
Sunset could not believe her eyes. Why was Sombra doing this? He was reformed! He was kind! She writhed on the ground, struggling to move her legs to the platform that he had made on top of Tirek. As she almost reached him, the dark stallion finished with the centaur and jumped to meet the three alicorns that were rushing their way. She knew she wouldn’t reach him now, not with the crystal platforms that he sprung up to take on the flying mares. Instead, she climbed the crystal that trapped Tirek, hoping her teacher was alright.
“T-Tirek!” she cried when she saw him. He looked as if a thousand years had passed in an instant. His age wasn’t just showing, it was clear as day. “Tirek! What did he do to you? Why is he doing this!?”
The centaur coughed and wheezed, his eyes were closed. The pale red of his skin was frightening. His horns had completely diminished into stumps. He tried to flex his face, but it was clear that it hurt to do so. “N-never should have trusted ponies,” he breathed, the only thing that he could still do. His eyes slowly, painstakingly opened, and Sunset saw the grey pupils staring back at her. “Do you feel like a hero?” As soon as he spoke the words, he stopped moving, his tongue relaxed in his mouth.
Sunset’s tears struck the centaur’s cheeks. A stretch of magical blasts distracted her from the centaur. That was when she saw Sombra tearing toward her. Celestia and Cadance laid helplessly on the ground, unconscious. Luna was falling from the sky behind him, the most athletic of the trio beaten. Before she could react, the stallion hurdled her into the air with a push off of his crystals. He caught her as she landed on the platform that he stood on, moving toward the table that brought her so much trouble. “Ah, wonderful to see you again my dear.”
The platform fell to the ground and Sunset rolled in the charred dirt, struggling to get to her hooves. “Why?” she cried, though it sounded like nothing more than a whimper.
“Really? You’re going to ask why? I told you flat out—I’d use magic to change the world for the better. Of course, what I think is better and what others think are two completely different avenues. I did warn you to look for those, you know. I mean, I’d been looking for years for ways to draw magic out of creatures. You plopped the answer into my lap along with the creatures that could show me how.” He grinned his evil grin as he stood over her.
Sunset slammed with all her strength into the stallion, but he didn’t even budge. “Stop it, Sombra! Stop it!”
“Oh, I really do like you Sunset. We could have made the world together, me as King Sombra and you as Queen Sunset Shimmer. But, it’s as you said, that can still happen. And apparently, in this world, she’s just as evil as I am. I wonder how she’ll react once I bring her back through your mirror.” An evil laugh bellowed from the stallion like drums in an echo chamber. “But don’t worry, I promised you salvation, didn’t I? I keep my promises.”
The stallion whipped the book into his hooves before using his magic to prop it up. “I have sure missed this. It makes life so much easier. This spell that I’ve been working on—it’s complete junk.” Obliterating the book, he wiped his hooves from its ashes. “But with all the magic of Equestria, I’ve got enough to open your little crystal table’s portal.”
“No! No!” she yelled, tears falling down her cheeks.
With a green mist spouting from the tip of his crimson horn, the stallion shook the table with a spell that only he had figured out. Tearing through the world, a portal—the portal—opened, a ticking clock echoed and gears grinding reverberated around them. Wind began to pull Sunset, but the stallion latched onto the straps of her backpack, keeping her from being pulled away.
“One last kiss before you go?” he asked, pushing his muzzle close. “Nah. I’m not that evil.”
Releasing her, Sunset floated into the sky, swallowed by the portal. The last thing she saw was the evil grin of the stallion she had trusted more than anyone—and a certain blue dragoness sneaking up behind him.
The portal made her feel sick—or perhaps that was Sombra, she couldn’t tell which. She closed her grey eyes, knowing wherever she ended up would not be home. This portal was somehow different. She did not hear the mysterious voice this time, only the sound of a spell being cast, followed by the ringing of clapping. She was disgusted, not just with the clearly mocking action, but with herself.
Falling out into another world, Sunset landed rump first into a pile of toys. She stared upward at the magical purple princess who was disappearing into the same sort of portal she came from. Sunset didn’t care to shout or cry out for the pony or the dragon that sat on the mare’s back. Sunset didn’t want them seeing her like this—broken, magic-less, and in tears.
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Wait, with Tirek dead shouldn't all the ponies have gotten their magic back then, that would include Sunset Shimmer.
I certainly didn't expect that. Wow, Sombra is a 1A backstabber, he freaking killed her mentor and destroyed Sunset's newly found trust and confidence like nothing. No words. He played her and her feelings the whole time.
Hopefully Amber got the traitor.
Well, reality can be a bitch. But I guess that is something she probably needs to learn. Sunset was extremely high on positivity like a junkie and totally ignored the fact that not all beings are benevolent or that life isn't a fairy tail. Someone who wants to grow needs to see the world as it is and not how it should be in the own imagination. Making it even a little better is dealing with what life tosses at you, you just have to be careful not to stumble.
I fear that she may be back to square one now and is self-hating herself and uncertain again like before her journey started.
So... the Discord timeline?
Well, didn't see that end coming. Really surprising who the actual villain of this arc was.
Now, Sunset is left broken, powerless, unable to go back and save the world she just left, and stuck in a world ruled by the one creature that has the potential to reform, but probably doesn't have the motivation to help him.
Can only wonder what will happen next. Onto Arc 5!
8874904
It all belongs to his murderer now.
8874920
Not possible, with Tirek dead ALL that magic should have flown off BACK to their owners, not to mention that Sombra had not magic at the time so there was NO way he could have gotten it for himself.
I hope the best for the world she left...
What
oh
In the end, none of it matters, when the timeline is restored, all the other realities will be erased from time as if they never were.
Damn. I did NOT see that coming. Does this mean we'll get Arc 5 Chapter 1 tomorrow? Or will there be a hiatus?
I'm sorry I hate this arc completely if it wasn't for the otehr arcs I would drop this story right now.
8874927
A) Sunset just gave Sombra some to start things off.
B) The reason he was interested in changlings was so that he could learn to drain. So that while he killed Tirek with the magic Sunset gave him he then used it to drain Tirek before everyone else’s magic could leave him.
8874978
Chapter 1 tomorrow - then a hiatus!
8875025
That maybe true but Sombra is a Unicorn pony or if you go by the comic's he is an Umbra pony, he shouldn't be able to absorb magic like Tirek does or like a changeling can at all, besides even if he did do that he won't be able to hold all that magic or even the Alicorn magic since he is just a Unicorn and it would have blown him up.
8874990
My only problem with the arc was that Sunset started to follow Tirek blindly at one point. Like it was somehow fine that he tried to take all magic just to create his own utopia where he was sort of this world's protector and judge if things went not as he wanted them.
At first I waited for Sunset to seek out the Twilight of this universe in order to stop him.
And Starlight would have been proud, if nopony has neither magic nor Cutie Marks, all are really equal. I wonder what her own version of this Equestria did there.
8875150
That is the major point and she did nothing to solve it.
8874990
Sorry that you didn't like it. I'm not one to vehemently defend my work, so feel free to express your problems at me here or in PM. I love hearing the things that make people happy, angry, or sad.
8875168
I get passionate because i like the story so when i see somethingvlike this arc it triggers me.
As said the issue is that so blindly listen to Tirek and ignored a key thing. He stole her magic and the rest of Equestria. Even wirse the Princesses were all okay with this. Trade freedom for security and you get neither. Tirek may have been more benevolent but he was still evil and made way for Sombra's move. Should Sunset somehow reform this discord snd sends back to thatwork and Defeats Sombra, tbe Princesses should be removed from power for negligence. I couldsee that Twilight returning maybe take the throne.
8875204
I can’t really answer too much of that due to what happens in the next Arc, but I feel like I should remind you that she left Nightmare Moon’s world too without a fix. The parallels are similar for that specific purpose. I think you’ll quite enjoy the next Arc, however.
8875235
Well the big difference in NMM arc is that a agreement did happen. It is just reverse of the prime and NMM was never complete evil just forced into extreme. Tirek arc not really. She sovled a minor thing not the major.
Welp. Rest in peace silent shipping. The dream was real... The dream was real... I wonder how sunset will change though. Perhaps she'll end up not trusting anybody.
I approve of this ending. Sunset was definitely acting too naïvely throughout this arc, and Sombra's quick overthrow of Tirek deftly pointed out the dangers of a government based off a beatable supreme power.
8875480
The worst part is that Tirek is in no way redeemable.
I know the author is still trying to have us see Tirek as some kind of misguided hero, but that is not what comes across here.
Tirek came and forcefully subjugated an entire nation against their will...whether said nation becomes okay with it afterwards means absolutely nothing...
oh I was really hopping to see Sunset in a clown costume along with the rest of pony kind.
Wow! Worse than I expected!
I hate it!
Sombra was the only source of reason over the course of this arc, and while there were hints of his defiance, they were always directed towards Tirek. Having him suddenly betray Sunset so severely feels a bit like an asspull, though not nearly on the same level as Tirek being a """hero""" in this timeline.
Seriously, this entire arc went by without Tirek's viewpoint being challenged at all, and the only people who opposed him were violent and destructive. Gosh Tirek it sure is too bad that taking away Sombra's magic doesn't feel inherently like a big deal because you did it to CHILDREN for fuck's sake. It'd be too bad if you fucked over the country because you had centralised too much power in one place and made your own defeat inevitable, wouldn't it? This failure is entirely on his system of governance, and he has the audacity to blame Sunset with his last breath?
He was never a hero. He was a glorified child(note that his "way with words" consists entirely of speaking in absolutes) playing at godhood, and this story frustrates me for taking him at his word and painting him as such.
8874978
How long will this hiatus be?
i disliked tirek the hero, but i dislike sombra the traitor more. now don't get me wrong it was a great arc, but no mater what i just can't see Tirek as a good guy.
Both had backstabbing traitors. Three's were defeated, Four's wasn't, because he timed his betrayal perfectly. It was a perfect bait and switch, too. Sunset was looking at Tirek pretty much the whole time, and not the de-powered Sombra.
While benevolent, both Nightmare Moon and Tirek were still dictators, which obviously rustled the jimmies of a couple of readers.
Sunset didn't trust either of the Arc villains at first, but eventually just went with the flow. She trusted Sombra right away because they commiserated early on... While this Sunset claims to not have an element, the fandom tends to credit the jewel acquired at Camp Everfree as the Geode of Empathy. Unfortunately, Camp Everfree hasn't happened yet here.
More irony here as well: Sunset wanted to believe so bad that every villain had the capacity to be reformed. It is possible that a magic-less Sombra would have continue to be the pony that she grew to care for, if not for her gross lapse in judgement at the worst possible time. She basically gave the recovering alcoholic a drink and put him behind the wheel of a car.
disliked this arc
I honestly didn't see Sombra's betrayal coming. And while not a saint, I did like this Tirek. His death(?) is rather saddening to me. So now I must ask what is the fate of that Equestria?
Sombra's treachery was a nice touch, I thought. However, with regards to Tirek, I'm just gonna echo what many of the others have already said. He was a villain just as much as Sombra was at the end. He may have had heroic thoughts, sure, and he may have done some good things, but he still stole away the core elements of ponykind for himself in the name of security. That's not to say Tirek was poorly written, either. It's just that his presentation was poorly handled. It seemed like we were supposed to see him as a good guy when he really wasn't. That's where the problems entered in.
I'll be honest, the only good thing about this arc is that it's over. I enjoyed the previous three, but this one taught 3/4 of the wrong lessons up until well into the eleventh hour, by which I was long past the point of caring.
Thank god this garbage arc is over. REALLY hope that the next one picks up.
I think this arc makes a lot more sense if Tirek is actively brainwashing everyone. It makes sense Sombra doesn't buy into it, brainwashing is literally his bread and butter and he can fake buying into the koolaid easily. I think the fact that Sunset hates on Tirek until the very moment she has a 1 on 1 with him is telling to me. She does a complete 180 and calls herself his apprentice just from talking with him once, so I think he brainwashed her somehow when that happened. I know the author doesn't mention brainwashing anywhere, but I'd like to believe Tirek didn't really care for the ponies as much as he says he did. Maybe he was starting to a little, but there is no denying he is using them as a magic farm and that was why he was sticking with Equestria. Not out of any love for the ponies but for his own selfish needs. The moment a baby is born, he likely steals their magic right away, all for himself and no one else. Him protecting Equestria doesn't make up for that, that's nearly as evil as the Changelings. Also the thing that I hadn't figured out yet is why Celestia or Luna bought into this. I get Cadance a little bit. Celestia, maybe she realized she made a mistake when she made the deal with Tirek and that's why she's so angry all the time but when it happened she thought it was okay. Now it's too late and she doesn't want to go back on her decision when everyone is brainwashed to like him. Luna, it doesn't make sense. Her magic is tied to being able to go into dreams which she treasures a lot, and from the previous arc with Nightmare Moon where we find out how she thought about Celestia's decisions, I find it very difficult to believe she would be okay with this, without fighting Celestia over it. Also another thing that lead to brainwashing: When they say "reformed". It seems like a code-word for trying to brainwash ponies to like Tirek. If they can't, he does it himself or forces them to leave if they can't be brainwashed. Any creature that doesn't see that, is a threat apparently. Literally everything in this arc points to it being brainwashing and especially with Sombra being involved here. I think there was a missed opportunity with this arc to show this.
Man, this is a rough one. As with previous arcs, the writing felt cleaner.
But even though I know Sunset's perspective is what makes this arc harder to take in, it's still tough to read. Tirek is definitely a villain, yet he's presented as the hero because that's what Sunset sees him as. The hope is that Sunset learns this during the next couple arcs.
I feel like this arc would’ve been more interesting if Sombra had gained power earlier. Maybe then, if you still wanted to show Tirek in a better light, we could’ve seen Tirek all powerless and frail but still willing to help the ponies.
Maybe we could’ve seen Tirek question if his care for the ponies was either from the elements of harmony or from the time he’s actively spent with them. We could’ve seen the ponies stepping up into action with Sunset being the one to convince Sombra of a better way of life. Through Sombra’s attempt and defeat maybe we could’ve seen Tirek admit that even ponies can be powerful without his magic. He could take all of Sombra’s magic but everyone else could regain theirs. Maybe we still could’ve gotten a proper redemption arc for him and Sombra while still having that betrayal somewhere more in the center of the arc.
I don’t know, I just think this arc had more potential. The Tirek turned good is an interesting addition but ultimately didn’t work here. There was definitely a lot of potential here though and definitely a different approach to this timeline.
All your eggs in one basket. Nice job breaking it, hero.
I saw this coming all the way back in 4x02
So I recently picked up this story, and man, from what I'm seeing from the first part of this arc and the comments here at the end of it, I honestly think it's safe for me to skip it entirely; something I've *never* done for a fic before, and that's saying something.
What wasted potential.
Okay, this here is some Hans from Frozen level of an asspull.
I was really liking this story, and while I still think that Tirek was manipulating ponies with his words, you wrote Sombra's redeemed side way too well for me to believe his betrayal at the end. The betrayal only works if you leave subliminal clues behind that in retrospect feel like, "Oh, NOW I SEE HOW THAT HAPPENED!"
I'm going to continue it, but I honestly can't believe that Sombra was truly still evil, simply because of the way he was written.
9668554
Considering that Sunset appeared in the next timeline with no magic (And no way of getting it back, considering which villain rules this chaotic timeline), I have a feeling it's only going to go downhill from here.