The Forgotten
A name pronounced is the recognition of the individual to whom it belongs. He who can pronounce my name aright, he can call me, and is entitled to my love and service.
-Henry David Thoreau
"Must we be at each other's throats?" Doubt's wings folded against his sides as he began to move about the library, using a chaotic swirl of white and black magic to clean up from his formation. He clicked his tongue several times as he looked over the mess, knowing when Twilight had a moment to actually look over the library she would be screaming up a storm. He looked at the hate-filled glares being directed towards him and sighed. "I do not see why we cannot discuss this as rational adults."
"Who the hell are ya?" Applejack snapped, staring down the strange that was, to her atleast, the root of all their problems.
"I believe we covered that,” he stated, lifting up several books and placing them back on the shelf. “I am Doubt." The alicorn tilted his head in confusion. "Were you not listening?"
"We've heard enough from you!" Rainbow Dash shouted. It was only the memory of the beatdown Twilight had given her an hour before that kept her from rushing forward. "You're the one that brainwashed Twilight."
The stallion laughed. "Oh, ever the brash one. You know…normally I’d enjoy dissecting your emotions like a frog and rebuilding you into a more polite pony but even immortals have time limits." Doubt turned his back to the others and made his way over the Twilight. The dark alicorn had grown still, staring at the being that had been whispering in her ear and guiding her for the last 24 hours. "Are you ok?" he asked gently.
"I... I know you," Twilight whispered. "I've always known you. How is that possible?"
"Many things you have thought to beyond the realm of reality you will find to be quite true. I have been with you for all the days of your life. The moment you entered this world I was beside you, watching over you."
"Liar," Twilight Velvet hissed, taking a bold step forward. "My daughter is an innocent... she has nothing to do with your evil!"
Doubt turned and just stared at the quivering mare. "I assure you, Velvet... I never lie. It is against my very nature."
A bolt of white magic struck his face, sending him falling to the ground. Twilight screamed in fright and the others gasped as the moon goddess began her approach once more. The world had faded and all Luna could see was the being that represented all her failings and mistakes.
"Everything your silver tongue preaches is a lie," Luna declared, eyes blazing with fury. Doubt slowly began to rise only to be struck by another blast that torn a chunk of his side away. His flesh trembled and rapidly healed the damage Luna had inflicted. "You aren't in the presence of naive fouls, phantom. We remember your honey-coated words well. Thee were the one that made us turn against our beloved sister! It was your actions that led to our banishment!" Another blast of white magic sent Doubt back to his knees. "A thousand years separated from all those we loved because of your lies!"
"And now that Luna is no longer your pawn you seek to use my faithful student in her place," Celestia challenged, joining her sister in striking out at Doubt. The alicorn stallion never let out a cry of pain; he merely took their blasts with the same blasé look. "You have convinced her that we no longer care for her, that our love for her is something selfish and wrong. You have attempted to isolate her and we will not rest till we free her from your enchantment."
Doubt finally raised his wings and began to deflect the shots being fired at him. He looked up at the two from hooded eyes. "Am I allowed to speak in my own defense? Or is the law of Equestria to be cast aside whenever a princess desires to play executioner?" He looked at Twilight's former friends, smiling slightly. "Have you considered the position you now side with? I have done nothing to harm you and these two seek to strike me down. Such noble leaders."
"Done no harm?" Shining snapped, his horn still glowing as he kept a firm hold on his sister. "Look at what you've done to Twilight!"
Doubt did just that, gazing at her as an artist might look upon a masterpiece or a child spotting their favorite toy. "I have elevated her. I have gifted her with immortality. I have made her a goddess, no different than our fellow alicorns. I have brought forth her inner beauty and given her the strength to truly be free." A sphere of black and white magic formed around Doubt's horn. "I am not greedy nor do I play favorites. If any of you wish for the same I will provide it. Eternity... no strings attached." Twilight let out a yelp of surprise but Doubt paid no heed, sending a wave of comforting magic to the dark alicorn. The other stared and within the orb they each saw a vision of them as a mighty alicorn, immortal and powerful, radiant and beautiful. “Of course, if I am able to do this… what could Celestia and Luna do? Or, to better say it… what have they chosen NOT to do?”
"He's lying," Luna snapped. "Everything he offers only brings pain and suffering."
Doubt scoffed. "If I give you candle and you burn your house down, am I to blame?" He locked eyes with Luna, his face stern and his posture that of a school teacher speaking down to a naughty filly. "I gave you the power to rival your sister. I whispered in your ear about how she treated you as like a foal and did not let you take a larger part in governing Equestria; that is something you agreed with and something you still think now." He stomped his hoof, cutting off her next retort. "Do not deny it. I can read your thoughts as easily. I know that to be true... just as I know that Fluttershy here fears that I will hurt all of you. I assure you, little one, I could not hurt you if I wanted to. Nothing would bring me greater joy than to aid each and every one of you little ponies.
"But Nightmare Moon... everything comes back to that, doesn't it Luna? Everything you are now and everything you will ever be is tied to that horrible day when you took the mantle of the Mare in the Moon. Long you and your sister have convinced yourselves and your subjects that you were not in control... that some dark boogeyman had taken you over and twisted you into a weapon of evil and the real Luna was trapped inside. And you have now decided to cast me in that role.
"That... is the lie."
The moon goddess shook her head, breathing hard. “No… it was you. It was all you! I was good before you…”
“Now who is the liar?” Doubt asked softly taking a step towards the shaking princess. “All I gave you was the power. My words were a reflection of your own thoughts, nothing more. I can influence your mind as much as a foal can stop the rain from falling. Everything that happened was your fault, Luna; every dark word, every bitter thought was your own. The hatred for your sister came not from me. Nightmare Moon wasn’t a separate entity or some corruption; it was merely a name you used to deflect blame. Your own feelings of self worth drove you to attack your sister and try and destroy all of Equestria. It was then that I removed my protection from you and allowed the dear traitor you call sister to banish you.”
“That… that isn’t true,” Luna said feebly. “I… I would never.”
“But you did, Luna. You did. Darkness is not evil… it is those that wield it that make it so. The sun can give life on a farm… or kill in the desert.”
Twilight shrugged against her restraints, which were beginning to buckle under her constant attempts to free herself. “See? There is nothing wrong with this! There is nothing wrong with me! Just because you don’t agree with my choices doesn’t make me wrong! Can’t you see that? I’ve chosen to embrace something within myself that I’ve long ignored because I was afraid of how you would react. Doubt is the first pony to truly let me be myself! Why can’t you let me have that?”
The others shifted uneasily, looking to Celestia for guidance.
“Why do you call me a traitor, Doubt? I have never met you before this night.”
The stallion scoffed. “And yet you betray me again with those very words.”
“If that is so then tell me my faults. I am willing to face my mistakes but only when I know them. If I have done you wrong then I will do all in my power to make things right.”
Doubt began to pace back and forth. “That… can never happen. You can not fix this. But still… if you must know, I will answer. Imagine back, Celestia, to before the great great great great grandmothers of these ponies had been born. A time of strife and chaos… a time ruled by one named Discord. You found yourself wishing to free the little ponies from his rule and so, along with Luna and others, you crafted the Elements of Harmony. There were five in total, each representing the antithesis of Discord’s dark urges: Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, and Generosity. You stormed into battle and matched the beast’s power against your own. The winner would claim Equestria and the loser doomed to a fate worse than death.”
“Everypony knows that story,” Celestia said sternly.
“Indeed. But what they don’t know is that you were losing. The Elements could match Discord but you were weak. You could not hold out forever and in that stalemate you know that his endurance would go beyond yours and you would fall. He would claim the pieces of Harmony and use them for his own twisted gain. Defeat was certain.
“And then you heard a small voice whisper upon the wind just when you were ready to give in. It promised to aid you in your fight… it spoke of how Discord was weak and you should not believe his words, for they were false. The voice told you-“
“Take my power and together we will defeat him,” Celestia whispered in shock, her legs giving out as she fell to the ground, staring at the stallion. “You?”
“Me. The final element… the piece that helped defeat Discord. I was an abstract but I felt the call and thus I came. I gave you my power and together we defeated the chaos god.” Doubt struggled to contain himself. For the first time since this had all begun Doubt was beginning to show signs of anger. “And what was my reward?” He slammed his front hooves against the floor in outrage. “You forgot me! The other five were named and taught as the virtues all ponies must hold dear but I was forgotten! I was spoken of in whispers, a mystery you never attempted to solve! And when all of you forgot me I forgot myself! My name… my past… stolen from me because YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE!”
The others were struck by his words. It wasn’t the rage that surprised them but the utter despondency. They wondered how they react if their identity was stripped away and they were left to wonder the world as a shapeless form, unable to even remember their home or name.
“And in return you attempted to turn me into a weapon against her.” Luna said coldly. “What did I do to you? I didn’t betray you, so why me?”
“Get it through that skull of yours Luna… I did nothing,” Doubt growled. “I wanted you to be the one to help me reconnect to the world, to make Celestia remember me. I believed that if you gained power that you get make her reveal the truth and, as more learned of the 6th element my past would be revealed. But my hopes were in vain, much as all hopes are. You betrayed me and used your power to try and destroy the world.” He shook his head in disgust. “Stop blaming others for your own mistakes. We are all much to old to play that game.”
The bonds that held Twilight shattered and the dark alicorn rushed forward, pressing her head against Doubt’s. “It was you… every time I needed help you were with me, weren’t you?” She looked at him and just as she did when she stared at Spike Twilight felt the bonds of friendship and understanding worm their way into her heart. “You’ve been silent this entire time… protecting me and helping me?”
“Yes,” the stallion said softly. “The moment you were born I was drawn to you. I chose you to be the bearer of my power, to wield my magic. And I have guarded you your entire life, Twilight Sparkle. When Rainbow Dash created the Sonic Rainboom I combined our power to bring Spike into the world. When Nightmare Moon raged against the world I filled you with the strength to disregard her words. I am the reason you resisted Discord for so long. Whenever others have told you to stand down or stop or to give in I gave you the strength to doubt their words and rise.”
Celestia had never felt so small, not even when she had been a filly. All of this… her sister’s fall, Twilight’s descent into darkness… it was all her fault. She could feel the eyes glaring at her and shame, such a forgien feeling for her, flooded her system.
But she had done the right thing, hadn’t she? They would understand that. She just had to explain, to get them to see why she had acted as she had. Doubt had told his side of the story but she still had her own words to let loose.
“Doubt… I did it to protect you. Back then… I wasn’t for sure who I could trust. We had defeated Discord and all these ponies came out of the woodwork wanting to help my sister and I rebuild Equestria and we were scared. Yes, we were scared. We feared they would use the elements against us. Their power was so great and I was frightened that I could not control them. So I hid your involvement and let it become a mystery, so that only the right pony could ever wield your power.”
“By that, you mean you,” Shining Armor spoke up, reminding the four bickering alicorns that there were others in the audience. “You covered it up so only you would be able to pick the final bearer.”
“…yes.”
The others were stunned silent by the admission.
Doubt lowered his head in sadness. “Even that I could have forgiven. I understand why you first chose to act as you did. But…had you just remembered… had you just remembered my name. But you didn’t, Celestia. You forgot my name… banished it from your thoughts so that even you could not call upon my power fully. I know this because I can’t remember my name either. I am an abstract; all I have is what others see in me, what they believe of me. I gave you everything and you tossed me aside when I wasn’t needed. So I was forced to become something new, to find a new place in this world…”
“Is that why you are all darky dark and have the shiny wings?” Pinkie asked softly.
Doubt sighed. “I don’t know.”
“I… I am sorry. I will do all I can to help you.” Celestia was pleading now and she hated it. But what else could she do? She had ruled for 1000 years without anypony questioning her or her actions. Doubt had changed all that and all she wanted was to get things back to the way they were. “Return Twilight to us and I swear I will do all I can to he-“
Twilight roared out in anger, firing a blast of dark magic at her teacher, knocking her onto her back. “STOP LYING! YOU DID THIS TO HIM! YOU! TO ME! YOU DID THIS TO ME! ALL OF MY LIFE” Twilight leapt on top of Celestia and began to smack her with her hooves. “HE ISN’T TO BLAME, YOU ARE! YOU MADE ME!”
Celestia easily bucked Twilight off of her and on instinct fired a blast of white magic. Doubt’s wing flashed and he used them to shield Twilight from the blow, redirecting it back at Celestia, sending her to the ground, twitching in pain.
“Celestia!” the other bearers cried out.
“YOU MONSTER!” Twilight screamed, throwing blast after blast of dark magic at Celestia, who fought to block every shot. Twilight saw only red, all the rage and despair and hate and sadness and loneliness and frustration she had felt for the last day bursting to the surface in a maelstrom of uncontrolled emotion. She couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, couldn’t focus on anything but destroying everything and everypony that was around her.
“Twilight, enough.”
The words cut through her and left her magic sputtering. The dark alicorn stared at Doubt in shock, the stallion easing her away from her panting mentor. “Why? Why are you protecting her?” Twilight snapped, turning on him.
“I am not protecting her, I am protecting you,” Doubt said simply. His horn glowed and Twilight’s eyes drifted shut. “Go to sleep, Twilight… things will be better in the morning.” Twilight let out a weak murmur and fell to her belly, drifting into a dreamless sleep. The abstract given form turned towards Twilight’s friends and family, staring them down. “We need to talk.”
“What more do you have to say?” Rarity complained. “You’ve done a fine job turning our friend into a beast.”
“That is all you, my dear mare. All of you supplied the kindling… I was merely the flint.” Doubt’s magic gathered around Twilight and lifted her towards her bed. “But the time for blame is over… you have a decision before you.”
“And that is?” Cadence asked, slowly moving to help her aunt up.
“How are you going to correct your mistakes?”
Applejack shook her head. “You ain’t makin’ any sense. I thought you wanted to kidnap Twi and make her your bride or somethin’.”
“I would love nothing more than that… but I am her guardian, her protector. My first duty is to see to her safety and happiness… and she will never be happy until she has truly made a decision about all of you.” Doubt raised his mirror wings, energy whipping around him. “You have two days… two days to prove to her you are sorry and deserve to be her friends. Should she choose to stay with all of you and renew your bonds of friendship then so be it. I will not fight her against her choice.
“But should she turn away from your gestures then I will take her and the dragon, as well as any others she chooses, and whisk us all away from this place. We will find a land to call our own and gather beings that have been betrayed like us. The choice is hers alone… I have played my hand, now it is your turn.”
Fluttershy stared at the stallion. “Why… why are you giving us this chance?”
“Because I care for Twilight and want her only to be happy… even if that means sacrificing my own joy. Can you say the same?”
And with that, Doubt warped away.
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It would have been so easy to stretch this and the last chapter out. I could have easily taken the reveals of Twilight's ascension, the arrival of Doubt, Doubt's past and Doubt's plan and made them each a chapter or two.
But that isn't what this story is about.
This story is about what happens when friends and family have a falling out and how far those bonds can be stretched... and how far one must go to undo the damage.This has been a story through the mind and now we have turned a corner.
For a long time, Twilight's friends have been only seeing things grow darker... now they have a final chance to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Mr.Doubt. You have gained my respect! Dunno why though. Must be something from that speech of his. And giving the girls a chance for redemption.
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Twilight_future.png
And now I'm gonna wonder how the girls will do that in 2 days.
*Puts a long stick of candy in his mouth and puffs*
Fuck me sideways, this is truly an amazing chapter.
This is the most horrifying kind of "evil." He is truthful, kind and caring.
I simply cannot wait for the next chapter and to see how the Mane 6 go about trying to win Twilight back. Methinks a few lessons must be taught both ways.
Keep it up!
Cheers
GM
Amazing, doubt is the best god
wow, this chapter was really, really good. I already know, though, that like when you watch a really good movie, like the dark knight rises, sometimes you have to watch/read it more than once. I did think this was a really interesting chapter. I love doubt's mannerisms, hes so cool. The bit about his past was pretty interesting too. Can't wait to see where it goes from here. I'm probably going to read it again though. I still...wow....so far this has been an amazing story. Great work man.
wow, would that mean that Doubt is all Magic? still stunned...
You can't really say Doubt is a bad guy, he is only doing what he thinks is right.
Doubt has to be the best OC I have ever seen.
Fantastic, I love every word of this and can't wait for more.
Brilliant!!! Must say I thoroughly enjoyed this story!!!
I think I've finally figured out an overarching theme of this story: that things, no matter how bad, are never as bad as they seem. For example: It's been made abundantly clear that Twilight is focusing on the bad thanks to her current hate for everyone, but despite what she thinks, they do still love her and want to help. Rainbow thinks Twilight is angry enough to murder her in the club, but she just wants to talk (rant). Even with Doubt, I remember thinking "Okay, with an entrance and name like that, there's no way this guy isn't some kind of evil Chaos God or something"- but nope, he truly does occupy the Morally Grey zone, though mostly in regards to Twilight and, to a lesser extent, Luna and Celestia. Plus, he truly does respect Twilight's choices, so he definitely cares about her.
With that in mind, I think it'll be safe to assume that this story will have a happy, if not at least bittersweet, ending. Of course, I've learned to not assume things about this story, so I'll withhold judgement. I eagerly await Monday's chapter!
1394952 makes sense...
So, if I'm reading it right, Doubt is actually the Sixth Element? The Element of Magic itself?
And that's why it's just called an arbitrary 'Magic', unlike the rest of the elements. His actual name, and purpose, has been lost to time.
Ohh, I'm liking this.
EDIT: I like that 'Faith' idea Thaum has.
“Because I care for Twilight and want her only to be happy… even if that means sacrificing my own joy. Can you say the same?” This really stood out for me, can they really say that after the wedding fiasco?
Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Doubt weeds itself into you, tearing down what you believe and making everything you see a lie. Could Doubt be telling the truth? Maybe, but can you believe in yourself to know that when he can easily set the greatest enemy against you?
THIS is clearly why 'Dark Is Not Evil'!
Curse you Celestia.
Awaiting further releases.
1394958
Exactly. I never liked the fact that Twilight's element was magic. It is so generic and it just doesn't fit with what the show is going with.
Thus, we have Doubt, the 6th element whose name was forgotten and has now placed himself in the role of Devil's Advocate.
awesome chapter, and thanks for making Celestia look bad. I have waited a long time for a story like that.
1394930
Like hell he is. If he had, he would have come peacefully seeking reconciliation. He's a monster through and through for his actions with Luna AND with Twilight. He damn well knows what he's doing. A father of lies, and a silver-tongued snake who speaks no truth save for what can be turned into a weapon of his choice. He keeps no promises, gives no gifts without a terrible price. Evil, pure evil.
Woah... you litterally made an element the OC of your story
“Because I care for Twilight and want her only to be happy… even if that means sacrificing my own joy. Can you say the same?”
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1394930 1395034
I think that's the point the author is trying to make. You are presented two cases. Doubt says he never lies and wants only Twilight's happiness. Luna says all Doubt does is lie and his sliver tongue corrupts everything. It isn't clear who is right. You, the reader, have to decide who to believe.
I personally think Doubt is lying, but I'm not 100% sure. A small part of me thinks he might be right. So... I'm doubting myself. Get it? Man that was a lame joke...
I'm expecting Doubt will turn out to be Faith like mentioned beforehand - Faith gave strenght to Celestia in the battle against Discord as she was doubting her chances.
But if that's the case, I expect a bit of butthurt from the readers who believe Doubt to be evil.
1394952 Head Fanon Accepted!
1395103
I don't believe it. I've SEEN it demonstrated, with the way it attacked Applejack, Dash, and Cadance. I've SEEN it demonstrated with the horror beyond horrors it unleashed upon Luna. I've SEEN it demonstrated with how it's corrupted and turned Twilight into a monster.
If she hates and despises the rest of the cast, let HER make that decision. Let HER walk away, on her own, not spurred on by the nightmare.
Doubt should be in the God Squad. He's best OC.
But the last two chapters were really well made. It would have been easy to make Doubt just be some terrible evil guy, but you really made me and I assume the rest of the audience feel for him. Can't wait to see the end of this story.
1395103 Maybe he is evil. He was once good, but after everything Celestia did he corrupted and turned evil and lonely and sad. Can't blame him, know why he does what he does, but it doesn't excuse him and he is still 'classed' as being evil.
Do you at all plan to explore both of Twilight's options with two endings?
In other words, Doubt is also striking me as having shades of Kreia from KOTOR 2. Fantastic work!
So, the sixth elemt is something that he was before Celly forgot him. Because of that, Celly only had 5 Elements, and therefore was not able to free her sister. According to the story, he isn't part of the elements, he's or, to be more exact, his forgotten past is ....well, somehting else. My problem with him is, that many things he said doesn't make sense: Why hasn't he just abandoned Luna, as he noticed that she's using him? He also claims to want only the best for all ponies, especially Twilight, but why did he let Twi hurt the guards and Rainbow. As it seems, he controls Twilight, we don't know to how much, but he does, and Twi could've killed Celly with no probs, same for Luna. That he gave them that last chance, is quite suprising, and makes it difficult to discover his true intendings.
Nice story, can't wait where it takes us.
And you're right, he is indeed an interesting character.
Still, so many questions are open, what makes his current connection with Twi different to what he had with Celly, why didnt he just SHOW her that he exists.....And why, freaking why, is Twi so incredible violent?!
Maybe, Doubt hasn't always been Doubt...
Maybe, before he forgot who he was, his name was Faith.
1395136
Did he not say that, in the end, that was their choices, and their choices alone?
Now, of course whether or not he's lying about that is still up in the air. But, if he's telling the truth, then -
1) Luna is to blame for Nightmare Moon.
2) Twilight is the one who fought her friends.
i think Doubt is right. He gave the power, Luna misused it. Twilight is herself, as an alicorn with more freedom. Doubt is not evil. After all, if I had his power he could be me, or I could be him.
I like Doubt.
And what I really love about this story is that you challenge the idea of having a 'villian'.
Twilight is not evil, and neither is Doubt (unless he's a real trickster) they just feel betrayed by those they loved.
So Doubt is the corrupted/embittered Element of Magic, so to speak?
...THAT IS FREAKIN' AWESOME! 8D
This is actually a very interesting idea, concerning the element of magic. I'm with Doubt on this one though, being forgotten sucks.
Part of me is still hoping for some redemption from Twi's friends, though at this point it seems rather useless. Twilight's already moving on with her life, so can they.
I like him!
He is a fair man.
Hell, if I was forgotten for about 2000 years I would be mad too.
There is only one thing I want Doubt to promise, I want him to promise that he will not intentionally corrupt Twilight just so he can claim her for himself as revenge against Celestia.
1395307 I think that's pretty much a given.
This story is my favorite pony fanfiction of all time...
I thought "Oh, another Nightmare Returns story," then I read it and want more! You're doing well, but I've noticed some typos. I can go back and mark them all down if you'd like.
I'm in awe, this is an amazing story.
I'm gonna make a pic or 2 because of this chapter alone.
1395456
Can't wait to see them
1395419
Go right ahead
1394952
Doubt isn't the opposite of faith; they're two sides of the same coin. Say a friend of mine is the primary suspect in a murder investigation. I doubt that he's actually the murderer . . . because I have faith that he'd never do something like that. As with many things, doubt is neither good nor evil, it simply is. Without doubt, we'd probably still believe the sun revolved around the Earth. Without doubt, a con man could get away with anything. Doubt allows us to question and challenge our preconceived notions, which, while it can be used for evil, is not evil in and of itself.
>> defender2222
I was thinking about what I had read earlier, and if you don't mind, I have another guess, and i'd just like to see how close I am. My guess is that "doubt" is actually "faith" and "doubt" (in accordance with the title), and what he's really about, is he comes to those who are in doubt, and instills in them a sense of faith. ex: celestia is in doubt about her ability to defeat discord, faith-and-doubt comes to her and lends her power, and instils in her faith that she can defeat discord. Twilight is in doubt about her ability to defeat NMM after being unable to get the elements working, then her friends show up, and faith-and-doubt allows her to recognize that her friends represent the elements, and instills into her a sense of faith that she can defeat NMM. and in the plot of this story, twilight is in doubt of her assumptions about cadence, and the worth of her life, and faith-and-doubt comes to her and allows her to feel faith in her accusation about cadence being a changeling, and gives her faith that her life is still worth living, that it is not her fault what happened. He comes to those who have doubt, and gives them faith, thus, he is "faith-and-doubt". Is my guess correct? Is it even close? the only thing I couldnt work out with this theory, is that, twilight was in doubt about her friends....but, from what i see, faith-and-doubt doesnt bring her any faith in regards to her friends.
And zomg shellsh0cker, I like your comment. I completely agree with it.
edit: scrolled up, loosely read some comments, seems my line of thinking isnt so original lol, and im deffinitly not the first to make the connection....darn
dear.... lord....
this is GENIUS!!!
Doubt, the present altered version of his past self: Faith?
>more likely than you think<
that's my theory, well along with the assisted black and white contrasting magic glow, as described.
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/119/933/POrLW.gif?1304464386
^ is all i could say
OH and MOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR
Wow! I don't really know who to side with in this argument.
On one hoof Doubt is right about the fact that he hates being forgotten and that nobody should deserve that treatment. Having it seem as if your invisible and you don't exist is a horrible thing to experience.
On the other hoof, by seeing hints in the story, everyone else seems to be right. If Doubt really wanted what was best for everypony, then a lot of these events wouldn't have transpired the way they are now. Doubt wouldn't have been telling Twilight those whispers about how her friends abandoned her, he wouldn't have let so many ponies get her (like the guards, Shinning, etc.), and he would have been trying to convince Twilight to reconcile.
The way I see it, both Doubt and Twilight's friends have some faults here. So for the moment, I'm not siding with any particular side. Doubt may have been forgotten, but that gives him no excuse for some of actions that have taken place. Twilight's friends and Luna can't just go around pointing fingers at somebody else and say that it's all their fault. Until there is further evidence, I'm a neutral party in this. Both sides have reasonable and unreasonable arguments. Anyway, this was another great chapter, and I can't wait for Monday's chapter! Defender2222, your story by far my most favorite story out any of the fanfics I have read on this site by far. Keep up the good work and see ya later!
- Super-Brony12
gratzthisis the 4th time youve been featured, i love this story and you are a wonder ful writere *watych*
1394952
I agree that Faith is likely his real name, but we'll find out eventually.
I will say that 'Trust' is likely a better choice though. Faith is the bielf in things unseen, trust is built upon actions like what you experience in friendship.
1395525
I guess Doubt is like a mirror in this story (what you show is what he displays) and also what they give is what they receive... so I think Doubt has been given a lot of negative emotions in the past (starting with Celestia, as he gave positve emotions, but she gave him negative by forgetting him and that is worse than death)... so he tried to give Luna a fair amount of power (sensing her negative emotions, he wanted to make it positive) but she abused that thus he forsake her when she turned evil by her choice. Now with Twilight, who he has sensed a familiar pressense to, he has given her guidance which lead to positive outcomes (that made him somewhat happy) but with her being at the lowest (when her family and friends forsake her) and the negative emotions came to play big time, Doubt did direct intervention and helped Twilight see truth... but now with her being unhappy, he wants to give her friends and family a shot at redemption and see if Twilight can achieve happiness from it... he is basically the output that others have inputted into Twilight...
yay, i was right.
1394875
Inception perhaps? Doubt is the embodiment of conflicting information after all. Perhaps not even he is immune to his own powers? Doubt has cast uncertainty in Twilight's mind over the true nature of her friends, but at the same time, he knows that they have done great things for the sake of each other. Funny thing about doubt, it means there are multiple possibilities, the good and the bad, and it could go either way with just the slightest bit of clarification or extra information. Perhaps, just perhaps, Doubt doubts his own doubt?