An Equestria ravaged by the changeling horde is the last place that somepony would expect a mare of culture and refinement to survive. With the capitol of Canterlot having been the first city taken, the nobility has been wiped out to a pony and Princess Celestia has vanished, the only sign that she's still alive being the fact that the sun continues to rise every morning.
Yet, from the wreckage has come Rarity, a mare who carries herself like a noble and speaks little of her past. Her only companion is a young filly and her only possession is a strange necklace around her neck, the gem of which matches her cutie mark. She claims that said necklace has power, and that now is the time to gather their strength and strike back against the invaders.
Few can deny that this stranger is charismatic, and her words compelling, but the mysteries swirling around her almost eclipse her ruthless determination to liberate Equestria once and for all. In a land where trust is a dangerous gamble, can anypony take the risk?
Or is the greater risk to do nothing at all?
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Love the prose and premise
Hmm. Very ambitious.
That was amazing! I can't wait for more!
I do love the idea that ponies' bright colors are at least partially for the same reason as poison dart frogs'.
In any case, fascinating portrait of this Glimmer-splinter thus far. Looking forward to seeing where you go with it. There are several intriguing questions to look into.
All of this,
Just cause Glimmer had abandonment issues
I wonder how much the premise of the actual show episode itself will have on this, from what I remember Alicorn Twilight did fight changelings in the evergreen refugee village, it has been a while so correct me if I am wrong.
upvoting the hell out of this just because it has so much more ambition than the tropey stuff that floods the feature box on a daily basis
That was a good chapter.
Interesting how Rarity and Cheerilee don’t know each other considering Rarity was originally from ponyvile and were at school together. Guess this rarity never lived in ponyvile
… Until there won’t be, and then what?
But hopefully whatever Rarity has planned will work before we get to that point. Still if her plan depends on the Elements, she’ll need to learn to trust again. Hard to form interpersonal bonds without it.
something just isn't adding up, these most private of thoughts about gaining trust and some sort of plan...makes it sound like Rarity and possibly SB aren't entirely on the up and up.
Fascinating moments with the Tree. Did Rarity barely pass the trial because of the deviations in the timeline, or because she's not as she seems? I suppose we'll find out soon enough.
Also, good to see Best Pony. Unclear whether the patch is just because they can't afford the sort of mishap her eyes cause or if she actually lost it, but there are more pressing concerns to look into.
Great work with the devastation of Thicket. Really carries the tragedy of senseless destruction in the face of refusing to serve, and of Chrysalis's gratuitous cruelty. Looking forward to more.
A story where my favorite character is the mysterious charismatic leader forming a rebellion?
Sign me the f*ck up!
No plan survives contact with the enemy. And the Everfree doesn't make many friends.
Very interesting to get all these flashbacks to a changeling general that are thematically appropriate to the prior scene with Rarity. I'm sure they have no deeper significance.
I like that Granny went down swinging
Pretty emotional chapter
That bit with Aloe and Big Mac were a rather big oomph in the feels.
As to the changelings, they are a dangerous enemy, and the show kind of missed the mark when they decided to go the friendly hippie bug route.
At the very least, Chryssy could have been a twisted perversion of what changelings were supposed to be, like in this other fic series I read recently where there were multiple hives, most having lived peaceably with ponies for centuries, and Chrysalis threatened everything by her bid for ultimate power.
That was a good chapter goodluck with the next one.
Ah, irony. Amazing what a little thing like total social upheaval can change.
The image of the overgrown cottage shrub is incredibly striking. Great work there. Likewise the library and what would have been the Boutique. Ponyville holds a place in our hearts as well.
Unicycled, even, if Rarity gets involved.
It's a Glimmer splinter, after all. Plenty of reasons why Applejack might stay in Manehattan.
She'd have some pointed criticisms about some of their other work when that time came.
Things do seem to be going well... but they can't hide forever. We'll see how events proceed from here. If nothing else, Rarity may have another Bearer on hoof.
I wonder what secrets Rarity is hiding. Assuming the element bearers aren't different from the ones in the show, how will she hide them from Applejack if they ever meet?
I'm really liking your story !
That was a good chapter. I wonder what they plan to do with Spike.
This suggests the Tree is trying all manner of possibilities to get this world back to where it should be, its own loose association with linear time having it discard some possibilities even as it works to realize them. Or perhaps it's simply working on all of them simultaneously if the Lockbox of Harmony is taking shape.
Of course, that raises the question of whether the Pinkie-Dash scene happened in this timeline. Goodness knows the story isn't completely in chronological order.
I get the feeling that the fate of Equestria absolutely hinges on hugs. Also, very interesting to see Sunset here. That's a big shift very soon after the point when Starlight altered history.
Many wheels turning where the changelings (hopefully) can't see them. The question is how many will end up crashing into each other.
Good read. There is a tag for 'Tree of Harmony' now, if you're interested, with no stories to its name as of time of writing.
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Wow! Really! That's cool!
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there a tag for the Tree, but there still not a tag for Rarity mom Cookie Crumbles, all the other main six moms have tags, but not her, what's with the disrespect.
Ahhhhh I'm so excited. The bands getting back together :)
Best. Pony.
Both brothers have a point in the Canterlot interlude. Pharynx is right to be concerned about the food's vengeance... but Thorax has a very good point about sustainability. At the current rate, the swarm is headed for its own destruction one way or another. The question is whether it's taking the rest of the world with it in the process.
I do appreciate the alien perspective of the Tree of Harmony. Just because it's on the side of good—or at least the side of harmony, which isn't always the same thing—doesn't mean it's nice. Or comprehensible to mortals.
Looking forward to more.
That was a good chapter goodluck with the next one.
Hardly the ideal relationship with the Tree of Harmony, but it will take what it can get.
I feel like you're teasing us with a massive variety of possible histories for this world's Rarity, and the answer will eventually turn out to be "none of the above."
... Ah. Or it's Applejack. That also works.
Good on Rarity for trying to preserve the spirit of equinity even in these dark times. I just hope her attempts aren't in vain. Vengeance is one thing; restoring lost normalcy is quite another.
so excited for what comes next :o thanku
That was a good chapter.
That was a good chapter goodluck with the next one.
And there's the problem. Refilling the jug is someone else's problem, assuming Chrysalis ever thinks of it at all.
Alas, poor Cheese. I can't imagine the real one's doing well...
And that last bit with the Tree is more than a little ominous. The problem with focusing on the big picture is that you can forget how all the little pieces feel about the process. An unexpected parallel between it and Chrysalis, honestly. Each has their goal and their tools, and has no qualms about pushing the latter past the breaking point to attain the former.
Say Chrysalis DID complete her goal of draining every last drop of love from Ponykind. What then? perhaps one of the other species? Or perhaps, they'd turn on themselves. Changeling against Changeling until none or one were left.
thanks for the chapters :)
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That's a perfect point and I myself keep thinking that really, there should be a changeling insurrection going on already, just based on that. Especially since it's been stated that even now, the majority of the food goes to the Queen herself.
Glad I caught up on this. Brilliant release of and sunsequent buildup of tension between these two chapters. Definitely looking forward to the big meetup… and seeing just what happens to the party crashers.
wake up babe new song of silk and steel chapter just dropped
That was a good chapter.
I always love to see applied earth pony magic, and the surreality of it from a Cloudsdaler perspective. Great stuff, especially the building tension with the message runner sent to Canterlot. Looking forward to more.
So, Spike being a baby was that a flashback, or was he just hatched later in this timeline?
every little shakeup of the plot is very exciting! can't wait for the next chapter :)
Given Granny Smith’s caution, I have to wonder if that’s really Moondancer hearing Sunset’s big reveal…
Also, I don’t expect Chrysalis to actually learn something as she reflects on the hollowness of her victory, but I can at least get some schadenfreude out of it.
Great catch-up chapter looking at how everypony’s faring outside of Rockville. The world still turns (or, at least, the sun’s still moving) beyond the away team’s current mission… though speaking of the world, I do wonder whst everyone else thinks of this. News may travel slow, but the longer the changelings squat on Equestria, the longer the other nations have to think about that occupation.
The book-like narrative was a nice touch
Heh. That mane and tail without magic, ethereal breezes have some issues. At least they’re not the sewer brown of the Triptych Continuum.
The question of Luna does hang heavy here. It always does in this timeline, but especially now that we’ve gotten a look at Celestia and a mention of Discord.
Fascinating tidbit with the narrative bookends. I wonder what deeper significance that story may hold. If nothing else, there’s the question of what scarred the changelings.