Chapter 19: Progress
“I’m not mad.”
“Repeating the phrase doesn’t make it true.”
Twilight inhaled, putting her hooves together and closing her eyes, then exhaled, “I’m not mad.”
“Oh, you’re super mad.”
“Fine.” She lowered her hooves, looking straight at Starlight, “I am mad, but what did you expect? He attacked Star Swirl.”
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say attacked,” Starlight said, nonchalantly watering one of her succulents, “Star Swirl was fine, wasn’t he?”
“Are you defending Sombra’s behavior?”
“Are you defending Star Swirl’s?”
Twilight held back a retort, closing her eyes, slapping her hooves together, and taking another breath. Then she exhaled, repeating the process three more times.
“No,” She answered, opening her eyes, “Neither of their behaviors were acceptable.”
“And what do you plan to do about it?”
“Nothing. I can’t punish either of them. Star Swirl is far beyond me, and I can’t break what little trust Sombra might have in me.”
Switching to another plant, Starlight asked, “Do you think he trusts you at all?”
A brief silence, and then a quiet sigh, “I really don’t know, but I want to believe he might.”
Starlight gave her a sympathetic smile, “It might take some time, but maybe someday he will.”
Twilight nodded, watching as Starlight pulled out a small pair of pruning shears. Gently, she pruned the succulent she’d been watering, clipping away some leaves to allow new growth. The shears were golden, just like something Starlight had given up recently.
Switching the subject, Twilight said, “Sunburst told me about the Gala tickets.”
Starlight paused her work, setting the shears aside as she said, “You can’t change my mind.”
“I’m not trying to. I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me you didn’t want to go.”
“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“And I would never want to make you uncomfortable,” Twilight assured, getting a look of doubt from her former student, “Well, other than those assignments I used to give you. But friendship has helped a lot, hasn’t it?”
“Guess you’re not wrong about that,” She smiled, turning one of her succulents toward the sun, “But now it’s my turn to teach the magic of friendship to somepony who needs it, and I’m doing it my own way.”
Twilight returned the smile, “And I must say I’m proud of you for that, even if your first student is going to be one of the hardest.”
Starlight nodded, but said nothing more, returning to pruning. Her thoughts were on her plants this morning, which was a bit of a relief to both of them. Sunburst and Star Swirl had left just a few hours ago, choosing to stay overnight before returning to the Crystal Empire. Star Swirl hadn’t seemed particularly upset with Sombra, though she still knew he’d report this to Cadance or Celestia, and it was their reactions that worried her.
The princesses had every right to punish him, and this just added to the possibility they would.
“Hey, Twilight?” She needed to get her mind off of that. The princess raised her head with a curious hum, “If I had decided to go to the Gala, who do you think I should’ve taken?”
“Oh, well…” The question surprised her, and she had to think for an answer. She wasn’t sure she had one, “I don’t know, I’d planned on giving you a ticket for a while. I suppose Sunburst or Trixie could’ve gone with you.”
She left out the part where she’d originally only thought to give her one ticket. The idea of Trixie at the Gala wasn’t one she liked, so sure the mare would try to make the occasion into a magic show about her. Celestia might’ve liked a bit more excitement at her final Gala, but Twilight wasn’t so willing to deal with that.
“I guess, if I were to choose,” She continued slowly, “I’d have suggested Sombra.”
“Why him?” Starlight seemed shocked, but she supposed that wasn’t too much of a surprise.
“I was hoping he’d have calmed down by the time of the Gala, and figured it would’ve been a good way to show this improvement to Celestia.”
“I doubt Celestia would even allow him in the castle.”
“Maybe not, but it’s Pinkie and I in charge of the Gala. I can invite whomever I please.”
Starlight let out a small laugh, “Really working yourself into that princess role, aren’t you?”
“Best to start early, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
She’d finished her succulent care for the day. Levitating over a rag, she wiped off her pruners and set them on a shelf, to be properly cleaned and put away later. There were other things she had to attend to, and a certain pony she wanted to check on, so the small things would have to wait.
“Are you hungry?” She asked Twilight, “I’m about ready for lunch, and since I’m going to have to make something for Sombra as well, I figured I’d offer.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine. I’m supposed to head to Rarity’s in about half an hour for ‘brunch’,” She explained, putting an emphasis on the strange word, “And then a dress review. She wants mine to be perfect, so I’ve been going there almost every other day to try it on.”
“Hey, at least she’s paying for your time with food, right?”
“You know it’s not just because of that,” Twilight said, nudging Starlight playfully, “Though I will admit, even if I always enjoy my friends’ company, I am getting a bit tired of all these test runs.”
“You could always just say something, I’m sure she’d understand.”
Twilight suppressed a giggle, “Wise words from the pony who gave up her Gala tickets without telling me.”
The comment bothered Starlight more than she wanted it to, but she wouldn’t say that aloud. She’d never been particularly good with expressing her feelings, and she’d have thought Twilight would’ve figured that out by now.
“We all have our reasons for things, as strange as they may be,” She answered.
Befitting a cave outside of the Pegasi’s jurisdiction, the area around Grogar’s Lair had unpredictable weather. Dark clouds always seemed to congregate overhead, but what came out of them was somewhat of a mystery. Sometimes there was only wind that howled through all the openings, sometimes there was a thunderous downpour that was much less soothing than the casual storm of controlled weather.
Today, it was snowing.
Tirek hated it.
He’d hailed from a desert, and though the nights were often freezing, it never snowed. The skies were always clear, and the stars always bright, but now everything was the same shades of white and grey. Not that colors ever mattered to him, it was just horribly boring to constantly be surrounded by the same ones. It was like Tatarus, but colder.
Not that the cold bothered him all that much either. Even with a thinner coat and bare arms, he wasn’t freezing, just uncomfortable. The biting wind didn’t help much, but that was only a problem when he was outside. Which, unfortunately, he currently was.
“You need to go inside,” He said, more disappointed than annoyed, “Any longer out here and you’ll freeze to death.”
“You can’t tell the future Empress of Friendship what to do!” Cozy Glow hurled a snowball at him, the projectile splatting pathetically between his legs, “When Grogar’s not here, I’m in charge, and I make my own rules! I can play in the snow as long as I want!”
“No, you aren’t, and no, you can’t.”
Ignoring the snowballs she pelted him with, he walked over and grabbed her. Ensuring his hand was firmly around her wings with no chance of escape, he looked over her closer. Though she wore a coat, she was shivering, and her nose was red and runny from the cold.
“You’re coming inside,” He repeated, more firmly. She squirmed in his grip.
“But I haven’t played in the snow in so long,” She whined, “They locked me in Tartarus over Winter, so I missed the snow! This is the first time I’ve seen it in over a year.”
For a pony so determined in taking over Equestria, Tirek tended to forget she really was just a filly, and therefore had childish desires. He couldn’t understand what made the snow so intriguing to her, and why she had to throw a tantrum over it, but it had to end.
Turning back to the lair, he said, “You can play in the snow again tomorrow, but right now you have to go inside. It’s getting late, it’s getting colder, and I don’t need to find you dead in the snow in the morning.”
Squirming stopped, Cozy put her hooves to her face with a smile, “Aw, you do care.”
“Shut up.”
Surprisingly, she actually did, but not without a giggle. Tirek ignored it, shaking the snow off himself before returning to the lair, making his way to the main room and setting Cozy on the table. It wasn’t really warmer inside, what with so many openings, but neither the snow or wind could make things worse.
Leaving her to remove her damp jacket, he wandered off to grab a blanket. There wasn’t any way to start a fire in this cave without gathering firewood first, so that was his quick solution. That old ram really should've thought his subordinates through before summoning them, neither Cozy or Chrysalis could tolerate the cold as well as he could. One was a small child, and the other, while more resilient, was still an ectotherm.
At the thought of her, Tirek paused. She hadn’t left her room much since Grogar’s thrashing, only occasionally slinking out to steal food or to hiss at singing birds outside. If she took too long to do either of these things, he’d peek into her room to make sure she wasn’t dead. Perhaps he should check today? A cracked carapace wouldn’t be too good in the cold.
Ignoring Cozy Glow’s room, he wandered over to Chrysalis’. No doors meant that spying wasn’t hard, and upon looking around the cave’s edge he saw her sprawled across the floor. Her log was in a different spot than the last time he’d checked, so it seemed she was sulking.
“Go away.”
Of course, spying or not, it was basically impossible to silence his hoofsteps. Centaurs had never been known for their grace.
“I’m simply obeying Grogar’s orders of making sure you’re not dead,” He half lied.
“He can check on me himself.”
“He’s not home.”
“Again?” She shot up, venom dribbling from her mouth, “Does that ornery old fool truly care about his so-called conquest? I’d have figured we’d have gutted half of Twilight’s friends by now!”
“He did say he still needed Sombra, for some reason.”
“And what could that shadow do that we can’t?”
He had to think to answer that one. Other than added magic power, there was very little Sombra could accomplish that they couldn’t. Dark magic was hardly an advantage when Grogar had a creature that could suck the magic out of others in his ranks. Then again, he recalled stories from his childhood that frequently mentioned Grogar, and it was often mentioned that he fed off fear.
“Perhaps he wants his mind control?”
“I can mind control ponies.”
“Well, I’ve never seen you do it,” Tirek shrugged, “Maybe Grogar just hates our company.”
“Can’t say I blame him.” Chrysalis fell back to the ground, sprawling out like a ragdoll, “I’m hungry.”
“I caught some more fish earlier, if that interests you.”
“Absolutely not,” She gagged dramatically, much to his annoyance, “I need real sustenance, not the same garbage you’re forced to feed on. I need love.”
“We don’t exactly have any of that around.”
Chrysalis was in his face in an instant.
“Liar!” She shouted, wings buzzing furiously, “Both you and that pink grub feel love, for the most mundane of things! I felt her enjoyment for that filth outside, and every time she eats a cupcake!”
Choosing not to acknowledge the implication that he felt love, Tirek asked, “Then why not feed off of her?”
“A foal’s love for snow is hardly an appetizer, let alone a meal. Not to mention, hers is strangely bitter. You’d have much more to feed off of.”
She jabbed him in the chest, and he blinked. Denial filled him, there was nothing for her to feed off of. He hated her, he hated Cozy, he hated everything. There was nothing. Still, he questioned her.
“And what could I possibly care about enough to sustain you?”
“Oh, but isn’t it obvious?” Chrysalis grinned, parasitic needle teeth glimmering in the hints of light, “Your brother.”
The denial grew, as well as a suddenly bubbling rage. It wasn’t one he could hold back, and it wasn’t one he wanted to hold back. He smacked her away.
“Don’t be ridiculous, that traitor proved beyond my care a long time ago. Why would he ever matter to me?”
“How about you don’t be ridiculous,” Chrysalis shot back, shaking her hoof with a scowl, cruel smile gone for the moment, “I’ve caught you staring into that ball more than a couple of times, and I doubt you’re waiting for the old fool to keel over and die. You certainly seem the type to finish him off yourself.”
“And reveal myself to that pony he’s with? Absolutely not, it would ruin Grogar’s plans.”
“Since when did you care about Grogar’s plans?”
“Since when did you care about my feelings?”
“Did you forget about the part where I said I was feeding off you?”
He hesitated arguing at that, momentarily off guard by the obvious statement before rewording, “Then why does it matter to you if I can’t help but care about my brother?”
“There we go, an admittance of weakness,” She grinned, “As much as I appreciate the easy meal, it’s not befitting of a creature like you to show such a weakness.”
“If it’s not befitting of me to care, I’d hate to know how you feel about your Changelings.”
Her expression turned sour again, a sharp retort on her tongue, but a shrill cry made her bite it.
“Tirek!”
He let out a cry of annoyance, turning to see a certain filly behind him.
“What now?”
“I grabbed my blanket myself,” She said, snuggling herself within a haphazardly put together scrap of fabric.
“Did you really need to come over here to announce that?”
“No, but Grogar’s home and he wants you both in the main room. I thought you might want to know that.”
Catching a glimpse of Chrysalis stiffening up beside him, he quickly replied, “We’ll be out in a moment.”
She wandered off with a nod, likely not far. Before, Grogar’s constant absences had been an annoyance. But after his recent show of power, they’d all developed a fear of being around the ram, even if none would admit it.
“Tell him I died.”
Chrysalis especially.
“Absolutely not, I would never risk myself for your sake.”
“Coward.”
“Speak for yourself.”
No more words were exchanged, the two of them steeling themselves as they left the room. As expected, Cozy was right outside, and she fluttered onto Tirek’s back. He did nothing but twitch at the contact, leading them all into the main room. Grogar was at the table, peering into his eye. Tirek wondered if he’d been watching them.
“Grogar,” He spoke to get his attention, but the only sign he was being listened to was a pair of perked ears, “Is there anything we can do for you?”
“Not quite yet,” Grogar answered, swinging a hoof to rid of the vision he was looking into, “Perhaps in a few days. I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that my plan is coming together quite nicely.”
“You mean our plan, right?” Chrysalis demanded, unmoving from her place behind Tirek, “The plan you dragged us into, that hasn’t made any obvious progress, and that you haven’t told us a thing about?”
“If that’s how you’d like to put it, then yes.” He began to approach them, and she flinched away at the movement, “I was simply waiting for a final team player to make her appearance, though I’m afraid she’s a bit stuck at the moment.”
“A new team player?” Her gaze was doubtful, but hesitant, “Who else of note remains in Equestria?”
“Likely a creature you’ve never heard of, Equestrians try far too hard to bury the past,” Grogar spat, earning a look of unamusement from the fallen queen, “I question if I should even tell you at all.”
“You dragged us into this mess, the least you could do is have the decency to tell us what we need to know!”
“Peh, fine.” He returned to his eye, motioning for his underlings to follow. A vision quickly made itself known, of a large red crystal in a blizzard, “There we go.”
The three of them stared into the eye, a bit too intently, trying to figure out what they were looking at. After a moment, Chrysalis and Tirek glanced at each other in confusion, and Cozy Glow hopped onto the table. She tapped the orb.
“Uh, Grogar?” She said, catching his already given attention, “That’s a rock.”
“A prison, actually.” Somehow he didn’t sound annoyed, though his tone shifted as he continued “Created by the former ruler of the Crystal Empire, to contain one of my creations.”
“You mean Sombra?”
“No.”
“Wow, that was a super long time ago.”
“Aren’t most of your surviving creations imprisoned?” Tirek asked, “You have many, and I’m sure this isn’t a guessing game, so which is it?”
Grogar grinned, manipulating the eye until a shape began to take form within. It was indescribable at first, simply a shadow alive, but as it writhed and rippled, it became distinct. Something about it was equine in shape, but at the same time, very wrong. It was far too skinny, it’s legs too long, and its wings were unusual. Jagged teeth jutted out of a muzzle that was far too long, with hollowed glowing eyes.
Tirek and Chrysalis stepped back as it formed, looks of discomfort on their faces. Cozy didn’t seem to notice, only tilting her head curiously at the monsters within.
“Windigoes? Don’t they just show up when disharmony happens?”
“Though your description is correct, these are not Windigoes,” Grogar explained, looking to the elders behind her with a grin, “Perhaps you should ask your friends what they know.”
Tilting her head, Cozy turned. Though it wasn’t the first time she’d seen either of them frightened, it struck her as odd that they’d be afraid of something as simple as this. Chrysalis seemed particularly on edge.
“You’re scared of these? What are they?”
“Umbrum,” Chrysalis scowled, “A breed far more deserving of being called ‘vermin’ than I.”
“Never heard of ‘em.”
“Perhaps because their numbers had dwindled long before even I was born,” Tirek added, gazing down at the vision, “I’m surprised there’s even any left.”
“There shouldn’t be any left,” Chrysalis spat, any trace of fear gone and replaced with rage as she glared at Grogar, “I refuse to help if they’re involved.”
“I don’t recall giving you a choice.”
There was no anger to his tone, but she silenced herself regardless. Best not to argue, as much as she wanted to, especially with that stupid grin on his face.
“Okay, they’re ugly and Chrysalis hates them,” Cozy said, breaking her from her spiteful thoughts, “But that’s like almost every creature in Equestria, can someone please tell me what these ‘Umbrals’ are?”
“Umbrum,” Chrysalis corrected, keeping her glare on Grogar, “Are a race of shadow ponies who feed on pain and fear. They were the primary threat of the Changelings, and it’s well known to us just how many hives they eradicated.”
“They were also notorious for their trickery,” Tirek added, “At least according to old texts that made it to my homeland, it wasn’t unheard of for them to whisk away creatures and replace them with their own. I’d say they’re quite similar to Changelings in that regard.”
“They are nothing like us!” Chrysalis spat, causing Tirek to jolt back, “They drove my kind to starve, and for that I say they deserved their extinction!”
Cozy snickered, “An extinction that didn’t stick, apparently.”
“I suppose some of them managed to hide away. A pity, really.” She continued to keep eye contact with Grogar, though the old sheep showed little emotion to her outburst. She was beginning to have a harder time holding back, and was seconds from spitting in his face before Tirek pushed her away.
“May I ask what it is you need them for?” he asked, “Are we not enough?”
“Pah, my throne was taken by the ponies centuries ago,” Grogar spat, as if insulted by the question, “Do you really think I’d fully rely on the likes of you? A weakened Centaur, a fallen Queen of Vermin, a worthless child, and a manipulated king? You truly have little to offer me.”
Tirek covered Cozy’s mouth before she could retort, and shot a glare at Chrysalis.
“So why did you free us?”
“I said little to offer, not nothing. Your roles will be filled in due time.”
Chrysalis cried out in frustration and turned away.
“I’m not sure how you expect to keep our loyalty if you keep so many secrets,” Tirek stated, allowing his frustration to show, “What’s to stop us from abandoning you?”
“You’re a smart little group, you know exactly why you can’t abandon me,” Grogar’s voice held no malice, but his underlings knew better, “But if you must know, you’re still of use to me. Shape shifters are invaluable, and it never hurts to have a bit of extra magic draining muscle.”
“Hey!” Cozy Glow hopped into his view, “Don’t forget me!”
Grogar scowled at the filly, brushing her away with a hoof. She fell off the table. “Your use is uncertain.”
“And what of Sombra?” Chrysalis asked, sceptical, “You’re still interested in him, aren’t you? What purpose does he serve?”
“Many, he is my link to the Umbrum after all.”
For a moment, Chrysalis’ was annoyedly confused. Her ears pinned back, scepticism worse, until it finally clicked. She wanted to be angry, but was more surprised than anything.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’ve never been one for jokes, have I?”
“No, but you’re known for cruelty, and this is certainly one of the cruelest jokes I’ve ever been the victim of.”
“I am being entirely serious,” Grogar assured, “Sombra’s magic is a very important piece of my plan, but his attitude is one I could do without.”
“So you decided to allow him to fester in the ponies’ friendship? How pathetic.”
“It’s convenient enough, is it not?” Grogar rose from his seat at the table, wandering over to one of his bookshelves and scanning them, “Princess Twilight will not harm him, and I don’t have to listen to his insatiable ego. I can call upon him as soon as needed.”
He grabbed a thick magic book, as well as a scroll, skimming through. It didn’t take long to find what he needed, and with that he tossed them onto the table. Upon the yellowed pages of the book was an exaggerated drawing of him, as well as his bell.
“We’ll need to find this first, of course.”
“We?” Chrysalis questioned.
“But why?” Tirek asked, more willing to elaborate, “You’ve already shown to be powerful, why go through the trouble of finding your bell?”
“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of extra magic, now is there?” He asked, sure to leave out some very important details, “And yes, ‘we’. You three will finally have the honor of joining me on one of my outings.”
Chrysalis scowled at this, while Tirek raised a brow curiously, asking, “So, where exactly is this bell of yours, anyway?”
“Hidden behind a magic barrier, in one of the most uninhabitable places in Equestria,” Grogar explained, unrolling the scroll. It was a map, and an old one at that. Grogar set his hoof at the top, where the Crystal Empire would’ve been in the current date. In its place was a great mountain, with a warning written in Old Poneish beside it, “Mt. Everhoof.”
“Oh, how grand,” Chrysalis muttered, “More snow.”
Cozy hollered in joy from her unseen place on the floor, “Yay, more snow!”
“You have three days to prepare yourself for our excursion,” Grogar said, once again lifting himself from his seat and turning away, this time to return to his own quarters, “So you better be ready.”
Waiting until he was out of sight, Cozy Glow hopped back onto Tirek’s back. He sighed in annoyance, though she wasn’t sure if it was at her this time.
“Well, at least we’re actually going to be doing something for once.”
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I completely hated S9 myself. I normally consider it not cannon completely since everyone is ooc, especially the princess.
10978844
I actually don't mind anything to do with the princesses and Twilight's ascension to the throne. I hated the villain plot. Sombra being the throw away villain already ruined it for me, and then the Grogar twist had to go and made Discord one of my least favorite characters.
Love the chapter title, "Progress". I guess you're glad to finally be making progress on this story again, hope my motivation helped.
Very glad that Star Swirl was called out, he totally deserves a punishment for his unprofessional behavior. I also really enjoy how things are coming along with the villain plot, Tirek's reaction to his brother's mention, Chrysalis' reaction to the umbrum with a clever reference to Siege of the Crystal Empire with that vermin line, and the foreshadowing to what Grogar is going to do with Sombra that will lead to the story's climax. Looking forward to your rewrite of Frenemies.
10978906
The chapter title was a last second addition because I didn't even think of one, but then this hit me and it works many ways. Though I can confirm that Star Swirl will not be punished, unfortunately. There's not much to do except scold him, and we all know Twilight's not going to do that.
I will take every opportunity to reference Siege.
Frenemies: Now With Adult Supervision
Thanks for the update I do hope that Starlight will go to the Gala in the end. I am starting to wonder if Starlight might become the new princess od friendship or something I hope will you be able to update again soon keep up the great work I look forward to the next chapter.
10978916
) Great chapter, I could feel the tension in the air between starlight and twilight. Also chrysalis wanting tirek to tell Grogar she’s dead is such a mood.
If you need help writing a grumpy/serious Grogar count me in. That’s what I do like to write about the terrible trio lol. (Mostly because that’s all I have written about
Chrysalis: Let me sulk and die in peace.
Grogar: No
Also cozy playing in the snow was wholesome
10978857
It's pretty fucked up when you realize that Discord brought back Sombra just so the Main 6 could kill him.
10978983
I might have to get back to you when I start their trip, I'll admit I haven't thought out the details too much... Basically gonna be like the episode, but probably not, with Grogar tagging along this time. No backstabbing here~
10978989
Yes, you get it. I know Discord's thing is chaos, and people say his actions were just a part of his nature, but it's really messed up when you think about it. If it's 'in his nature', that means his nature involves his redemption being pointless.
I could do a whole rant about Discord, but I won't.
10979002
Honestly, the whole situation with Discord and the villains in Season 9 kind of just makes all the heroes look bad in the end. Because nobody ever actually calls him out or objects to his treatment of the villains, he's called out for how stupid his plan is and putting Equestria in danger, but nobody says a single peep about him manipulating, using and abusing them. They even happily let him suggest and then help carry out the trio's punishment in the end, and whether they deserve it or not he's the last person in the world that should be getting to do that.
It's one thing for Discord to have really twisted morals, even though Season 9 is incredibly twisted even by his standards, but you know, the other characters should take an issue with it and rightfully call him out, not just sweep it under the rug just because it's done to the bad guys.
10979019
It gives a very obvious double standard, doesn't it? If I remember right, Celestia wanted to reform Discord because he could be useful, right? I guess they think so too, even if he does dumb stuff, but they have Fluttershy to keep him somewhat in line (which is a bit of a circumstance that's not ideal either). Even then he's still using other creatures for his own gain, and the argument 'but they're evil' doesn't help because his actions were horrible. Reviving ad releasing high threat villains just to make your friend feel better, does not excuse the harm they caused, or the torment he gave them.
Like, I though Grogar being surprisingly violent in Frenemies was a neat detail, but once the Twist came, it made things... Worse, I guess?
And who even knows the kind of damage Sombra or the trio caused? Sombra didn't seem particularly violent, only using mind control and imprisoning royalty (they weren't even wearing the chains anymore by that point), but overall his goal was just power and causing fear. The trio though? I imagine they could've caused much more damage, just by pitting the ponies against each other like they did.
I'm off topic.
But yeah he should've had some sort of punishment. I don't know what or how, but it really does not look good on the ponies for just yelling at him, and then shrugging it off and letting him decided the trio's fate.
10979435
I've been saying this since the beginning. It would have never gotten as bad as it did without Discord pretty much pushing them all into it. Chrysalis at that point was no longer a real threat considering she seemed to be falling apart. Sombra was already pushing up daisies. And Cozy and Tirek most likely would not get out of prison for a long time, considering Tirek only managed to escape once in over 1000 years and only because Cerberus got out. And they definitely would not have teamed up if Discord hadn't been threatening them if they didn't. Then he gives them the location of the bell and doesn't bother to supervise them.
Discord created a situation which never have happened to begin with. Then he gets off Scot free for something he set in motion to begin with and kept threatening them and pushing them into a team up to take down Twilight and the others. Then they let him choose the punishment for them despite the fact it's his fault they were in that situation to begin with.
What if Discords actions had resulted in, let's say, Sombra killing one of Twilights family? Because it is very obvious he wasn't keeping track of them. Would he just say ' My bad.' And not get punished for it?
How many strikes is he going to get? He caused the vines in season 4 and knew what they were, but didn't tell them anything. He helps Tirek in season 4 and only helps them because Tirek turned on him. And now this bs.
I highly doubt he is even reformed at this point. It just works better with his agenda to 'try' to stay on their side. He gets to cause chaos and not get punished for it because he's 'friends' with Fluttershy.
10979562
Or, if you want to go the comic route, was redeemed and searching out princess pieces with his best friend. Which you could easily ignore if you didn't like the comics, but no, they had to go an retcon that while they were at it. Poor Sombra's such a mess of a character...
And you make some good points. Somehow I'd never even thought about how Sombra putting Flurry in danger was indirectly Discord's fault, possibly because it's not really brought up again. He really did just end up endangering a bunch of ponies for some mock encouraging reason. And the bell thing was just really dumb on him, it's just all so frustrating to think back on.
Overall this just teaches him that he can do whatever he wants, as long as he apologizes for it later. I won't doubt his friendship with Fluttershy is genuine, but there's a lot about their relationship that's not exactly healthy either... There's a lot to think about there.
I actually really want to portray Discord in a more negative light here, but I don't. It's always felt unreasonably petty to me to write your least favorite characters as monsters, so overall I try not to use him too much. Because if I ever do use him more frequently than planned in this story, he's not exactly going to have the healthiest of relationships...
10979800
The more you think about Discord's actions and plan the worse it get's. For instance, since it was his whole idea, the Tree of Harmony's destruction is kind of his fault too, heck since he spent most of the episode encouraging the Mane Six to try and beat Sombra with the Elements, it's possible it's destruction was even something he aimed for. Which if the Tree didn't reform into the tree house would not only have cost them something important to Equestria's defense, but would have meant he had indirectly killed a living, thinking being.
Plus, I think one of the writer's even confirmed on Twitter that the Tree's destruction means the Map doesn't work anymore, so even though it didn't die, Discord's plan still cost Equestria a valuable tool for tracking both friendship problems and even villains.
Still, I'm glad you're not going to be portraying Discord negatively here. Honestly, I can't even feel angry at Discord for his plan, because the twist was handled so poorly that I couldn't even blame him, it felt less like Discord doing something awful and more like the writer's just tossing his character under the bus for the sake of their dumb plot twist. It was just so ridiculous I couldn't even take it seriously.
10979874
A friend and I once had a discussion about the Tree, and Discord's part in its destruction. The Elements were a threat to Discord, and even if he didn't act upon his more destructive urges, it's one less threat for him to deal with in the future if he ever wanted to act out. Though said conversation also involved Sombra being a fake created by Discord, which was something I've never been a fan of... But yeah, no Elements of Harmony means one less threat to Discord.
I did not see that tweet, but I wouldn't doubt it being a thing. I did notice that the map wasn't ever used in season 9... Perhaps there was a reason for that, thanks Discord.
I'm pretty much the opposite. I got back into MLP just before S9 was announced, and it ended up being so bad that it just frustrated me. It doesn't help that I someone showed me the leaked synopsis for the original premier and it's just got so much better of an explanation
and Sombradoesn't die.So the whole ordeal, though I agree is the fault of the writers, not that I'd be rude to them for it, is so insanely frustrating that I just can not deal with it.I straight up will not rewatch any villain centric episode of S9, it frustrates me that much even two years later. It sounds dumb and it is dumb but I really just hate it that much.
So I overall just try not to write him, but he's still gotta pop up every now and then since I had the basic plot of the story done before that twist happened.
10979912
Oh, don't get me wrong, it frustrated me too. Still does, it's just in my case the frustration just made me disconnect emotionally from it entirely, so I can't get mad at the characters or hold anything against them because I don't see the characters anymore, just the writers. It basically just shattered my immersion. I actually struggle to rewatch any Season 9 episodes, even the good ones unrelated to the major story arc, since the whole thing is kind of tainted for me.
Discord not being in it much is still preferable to him being written poorly. Honestly, the show could have had him pull a "Canterlot Wedding" and show up only at the very end asking what he missed like Luna did way back then and that'd have been a better use of his character than what Season 9 actually did.
10979932
Discord purposely getting the Tree and Elements destroyed makes sense. I always wondered why Discord didn't just destroy them. Maybe because, being what he is, he can't. The Tree and Discord are kind of polar opposites. Maybe neither can destroy the other? Discord can hide the elements, while the Tree/Elements can turn Discord to stone, but neither can erase the other.
So he has a third party, Sombra, do it.
10980146
Discord did try to kill the tree before with the Plundervines. He made them specifically to steal it's magic and kill it, they just took way, way longer to get to the tree than he anticipated due to the tree having more power to block them than he thought. So, maybe he can't kill it directly, but he can make stuff that could, it just would take a long, long time. An issue Sombra obviously didn't have.
10979912
I literally could not watch any of season 9 after seeing the season premier. I had stuck with the show for years, got in around season 2 opening and stayed for the whole thing, but I just could not watch season 9 after that train wreck of an opening. Like, I could rant for hours on all the stuff they did to ruin Sombras semi-cannon character, but really, the three things I dislike the most are how contrived his death was (not to mention being dead for six seasons means they had good reason to just leave him dead rather than reuse him for one episode.) the fact they they destroyed the tree of harmony when stuff like the tree often needs something absurdly powerful rituals or magic (you know, like how the One Ring requires the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor), and then the worst part is the two above and any further annoyances were all to teach Twilight that she had the elements with her all along—the very thing she learned both in the pilot when Nightmare Moon broke the elements, and in season 4 when she had to give the elements back to the tree.
Like, to quote the pilot: “You think the elements of harmony can be destroyed just like that!” The utter despair on Twilights face when the tree broke was completely just to ham up a lesson she already learned twice, and destroying the tree of harmony literally serves no narrative purpose and that just… ugh… that whole episode literaly soured the show for me
10980740
I know the feeling.
I, myself, am a big fan of the Starlight Glimmer character. She was actually the reason I took an interest in the show. I was really excited for the eventual showdown between her and Queen Chrysalis. Then season 9 came around and despite Queen Chrysalis being one of the featured villians, they barely had Starlight in that season at all. I wanted buildup over the season for the coming battle.
And though I like the little fight they got at the end, I really expected more. And a real climax for their rivalry with Starlight being the one to beat her once and for all.
Not to mention not doing anything with the history between Tirek, Starswirl, and Tireks brother. It would have been a good time to bring Tireks brother in, if he is still alive.
10980740
I actually like Sombra's S9 character, more than his S3 personality anyway. He was charmingly eccentric, I thought... And could've done well to clash with the other villains. Overall I wasn't at all disappointed in the premier, probably because I didn't overthink it too much at the time, up until the last few minutes when Sombra was killed again. I'm not particularly impressed that the elements killed him, but not anyone else they went after either.
Not to mention this lovely little bit of dialogue that gave false promises. I spent until Frenemies thinking 'maybe Grogar will revive him?' But no, this deal, despite Sombra agreeing to it, meant nothing. It was completely pointless.
My disappointment only grew as the season went on, and then once that finale twist happened I was done. I don't mind Twilight becoming princess, and The Magic of Friendship Grows is a sweet song,
except for Fluttershy's verse,but I can't enjoy season 9 in the long run.And now I just refuse to watch the final season.
10980787
Season 3 personality is more passively shown than outright given, namely all his traps to reach the heart are incredibly clever and sort of show an intelligence he just didn't have for me season 9. It was all just power and arrogance in Season 9 as far as I could see, but I get not liking the season 3 stuff. No, the stuff I'm more annoyed they tossed to the side and didn't do anything with all the semi-canon lore--the comics and stuff, basically. He had the best origin story out of all the comics. Like, the irony of him listening to the Umbrum when there were hints of Princess Amore pushing for him to leave with Radiant Hope and that she set up his friend becoming a student specifically to avoid killing him? There was a lot of potential in his orgins that was never explored, and season 9 just portrayed him as another generic evil tyrant to me. He had more reason to consider and regret his actions than most of the other villains in the show.
10980794
I appreciate that you can actually see why I might like S9 Sombra better, people can be pretty set in their opinions sometimes. I suppose he doesn't act quite as clever in his reappearance, though I disagree with some people who say he's gotten dumber. I never saw him leaving the Mane 6 conscious in their crystal cage a mistake on his part. Sombra is a character that thrives off fear, and as far as he knew his enemies were powerless and about to live their fears. Why hypnotize them when they can experience the real thing?
But yeah, comic Sombra... That's another thing. I love Siege of the Crystal Empire, I love Sombra's comic portrayal & origin. It was the reason I got back into MLP after my interest fizzled out a bit before season 5. It fleshed Sombra out as a character, and gave a sweet lesson that, even if you might not love yourself, your friends still do.
I was genuinely heart broken to see it retconned, and that absolutely added to my general disdain for S9. Not only was it a disservice to Sombra's character, it just felt flat out like a cruel jab to the comic's writer, Jeremy Whitley. The character he'd worked to flesh out and redeem was turned into a joke and killed. The comic he once said he was proud of was trashed in one day.
The Beginning of the End was a punch in a gut.
10980824
Not retconned. The show writers themselves have said that the comics are not canon to the show. Not to mention a lot of them don't read the comics. Heck, the comics have gone against quite a few things that were already established as canon in the show, which confirms they are two different universes.
Like the show Cleary established that Discord can't exist without Chaos, yet the comics did a major story that went against that.
10981286
They've also established that comics are canon until they aren't, so therefore, retconned still applies. There's been a few comic references in the show too, such as Legends of Magic, which tied in with the introduction of the Pillars. The name of Ogres & Oubliettes is taken from the comic Neigh Anything, though the words are flipped. Tirek's father, King Vorak, who was introduced in Fiendship #2, is explicitly referred to be name in The Ending of the End. So some writers have at least some sort of knowledge of the comics.
The show goes against its own canon somewhat frequently as well. The Beginning of the End actually has an example of this, where the Crystal Heart doesn't harm Sombra when placed back on its pedestal. Or like, Sombra's entire personality.
Overall proves that the comics are seen as 'lesser' though. Which, as an aspiring comic creator, is pretty darn insulting if you ask me.
10981324
Actually doesn't go against canon. Sombra would have had to remove it from that pedestal originally to have been able to hide it back then.
Not to mention they hadn't really established a personality for him back then either. Just rewatched those episodes. He didn't actually have a personality and they never really said how he actually acted. Plus, who knows how it would have changed him, being brought back from the dead by Discord.
10981573
True, but the blast of magic it sent out upon being placed back on its pedestal still destroyed his crystals, but not him. I guess you could argue the Crystal ponies hadn't powered it up though. The second part is also true, but also aconstant complaint from others.
Do Twilight & her friends relearning the same lesson count as a retcon?
This is a joke.Comic is still retconned though. Hasbro & head show writers allowed Whitley to use him in a comic to redeem him, Hasbro & head show writers later decided, 'actually, no' and brought him back to get killed again. It's messy.
Dang, i've reached the end of this story as it is. I am enjoying it. I'm very interested on seeing how things go and how the relationship between Sombra and Starlight will evolve.
Keep up the good work and i look forward to the next chapter.
This amazing child has based weather tastes. Also, your author's note made me laugh.
11002381
Cozy Glow is manifesting my desires for Winter to take over. Also thanks, most of season 9 fills me with a rage that can only be soothed by writing 100k+ words of horses falling in love apparently.
11002510
Spite is a powerful motivator.
You and me both, pal. But thank you for giving us this.
Yeah, not going to lie, S9 was a tad bit disappointing. I prefer the fan interpretations.
11024851
I figured that wasn't the one you had in mind, but it still fit for me for nostalgic reasons ;3
hey, when will you release the next chapters?
11095960
Hopefully within the next week, before the year ends, but I can't promise it. Only a small section of it still needs finishing at least, though it's been causing me a bit of trouble.
I also signed up for Jinglemas this year, so that story took up much of my free time this month, along with a lot of other stuff in life. Sorry about the wait.
This is the best fic i've read till now, i'm grateful and relived that you're still keep going with the chapters.
Thank You
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11134625
Happy to hear you like it, though it's definitely a work in progress! Not too quick with chapters now a days...
Sombra didn't die in the original draft?! Why did they change it so much, then?
11184581
Oh godwhatis up with the Grammar in that comment of mine.Assuming what I was shown was true, which I can't be for certain, yeah. Sombra would've made it to the end of the episode, and possibly the series. My best guess is that they just wanted to go 'all out' for the final season... And so they killed the 'less popular' villain. Or something. I've always felt like the show writers didn't like him very much.
Still very much not a fan of the Elements of Harmony being capable of killing.
But it's whatever! I still don't like season 9, I'm still somewhat bitter, but at least now I have a non-canon crossover comic and my own fic to keep me happy.
And maybe a sliver of dwindling hope for him to appear in G5.I understand the feelings of spite...