Last Moves
Twilight had died in the cold and the dark, and it was to the cold and the dark that she returned. The little unicorn struggled and kicked as she floated weightlessly in the abyss she had found herself in, cloaked in bubbles and unable to tell which way was up. She was reminded of her experience in the Everfree several years earlier, and the cruelness of the Keepers of Truth was recalled with little fondness. Calming herself and ignoring the burning in her lungs, Twilight stilled herself, trusting her natural buoyancy to orient her. Sure enough, she felt a slight tugging in one direction, and she began to kick for the surface, eyes fixed on the dull shimmering above her.
She breached the surface with a gasp, drawing in a breath of air so cold that it burned her to take it in, and screamed in pain and defiant joy. She was alive again, wonderfully alive, and she realized how unusual it was to live again. Her pulse thudded in her ears, rushing and roaring as it pumped blood through her body, and she could feel the swish and shifting of her heart, and the steady in and out of her lungs. Twilight simply lay on top of the water for a brief moment, getting used to the sensations, before she began to swim steadily to the side of the pool she was lying in.
She was surrounded by a very familiar stone circle, and she recognized the view past the standing stones as the top of the mountain she had divined, in what seemed to her to be another life. It probably was another life, she reflected. But that was not all, she realized, resting a hoof on her chest as she stared up at a rapidly darkening sky. Something was different about her, unusual. What was lying on her chest, or rather inside of it, surprised her.
The Element of Magic gleamed proudly, flickering with light in time to her heartbeat, ringed by numerous crystals in white and black. Twilight felt an intense heat emanating from it, hot enough to melt the snow around her, and realized that she could feel what appeared to be a vast reservoir of power, so great as to make the Elements pale in comparison beside it. Twilight turned her consciousness inside of itself, and when she focused on the crystal, she realized exactly what it was. She now carried in her chest not only the Element of Magic, but a direct link to the Aether. Smiling, she focused on dampening the stone, and turned her attention back out once more.
It burned her to carry, but she paid the sensation no mind, instead looking for her armor, which she found after a brief search at the bottom of Celestia’s pool. Reaching for it with her magic, she hardly needed to exert any will at all to wrench it violently from the bottom of the pool and lay it in front of her.
It was a mess, the front blown out and the crystals in the center in complete disarray. The metal was blackened and twisted, unable to contain the magical force of her old crystal shattering. Twilight frowned. She would need armor to ward off the worst blows in the coming conflict, she knew that. But she couldn’t just rip any old set of plate off, she needed more durable stuff. Gazing at the armor, she made her decision.
Reaching deep inside of herself, she drew on the incredible power she now carried. It felt to her like plunging into a flaming stream, and she grunted in pain as she drank deep from the well of magic inside of her, pouring it into the armor. She bathed the armor in magic, feeling the metal bend to her will as she realized what needed to be done.
The armor was melted in a split second, the crystal and strange ore condensed into a single sphere of red-hot alloy that writhed and twisted like a serpent before Twilight Sparkle decided how to reforge it. Spells of force and duplication flickered across the glowing orange sphere, pulverizing it into something stronger while increasing the amount available to her. She would need more metal for what she had in mind. At last, she stood ready to begin, and Twilight Sparkle began to reform her armor around herself, letting the metal cool on her body, only protected by the thinnest skin of magic.
She made herself mail first, links so fine that what she wore resembled a shirt more than armor. It was the grey of a storm, fitting her body exactly and bending like fine cotton while providing all the protection of chain mail and more. It wrapped around her legs and middle, culminating in a coif that covered her head entirely save for her ears and horn.
The shoes were different than they had been before, cunningly hinged and composed of layers of plate that swiveled and moved with ease. They were etched with flames, running from the earth up to where her knees would be. The knees of the greaves were etched with a single six-pointed star. Her breastplate was similarly etched, with a six pointed star, but with one key difference. A dragon, wings stretched as if ready to take flight, clutched the star in its talons, spewing flame from its gaping, toothy maw. Anypony familiar with Spike would have seen the resemblance right away. More layered plate stretched to the back of her body, encasing her flanks and tail in shimmering metal that gleamed a dark grey in the light of her magic. They were etched with stylized wings, not feathered but leathery like that of a bat.
Her helm was next, and it was a fearsome helm indeed. It concealed her face entirely save for her ears, eyes, and horn. From the hole for her horn a spike jutted, easily six inches longer than the horn itself, made for goring and stabbing. Two more flanges jutted from her cheeks, bladed like sabers, ready to slash and hack the poor fool who dared to close with her. The entire pieces was lined with scales, and the gorget met the visor in such a way to suggest the presence of teeth, merging seamlessly to create the appearance of fangs.
Twilight smiled fiercely inside of her armor as she felt the improved crystal work conduct the energies through the metal, making her movements faster, her body lighter, the armor stronger. The power she wielded thrummed within her, and she felt good, better than she ever had before. She could cast her consciousness across Equestria, and where there was thought, so too did she exist. It occurred to her that she had actually accomplished Celestia’s goal by enlisting the help of the archetypes. She now wielded power over Knowledge, and she planned on showing her teacher exactly what she was capable of. But first…
Twilight’s smile turned the tiniest bit cruel, and she focused on a rather different castle than the one she had died defending.
There was a crack of thunder, a flash of light, and the top of the mountain stood still once more.
The skies above Canterlot were the white of purest snow, interspersed with pale blue flashes of lightning that flickered among the clouds, spinning in a pale disk above the capital as they poured snow down on the capitol of Equestria. The ponies huddled in their homes fearfully, burning fires to ward off the cold as they waited on their goddess to save them, for Cadance to emerge from the clouds triumphant. All had gone quiet about an hour ago, but before the eerie calm had descended with the snow, a might battle had raged above the city, and was at least partly responsible for the harsh weather.
Unseen to the ponies below, Cadance was floating, transfixed, above the clouds. Her mind ranged far afield as her body hovered, her mastery of emotion sensing the location of every Windigo, from the few stragglers over the Everfree to the vast herds now roaming the northern wastes, swooping down on ponies to drain them of hope and life. She consumed them all, filling herself with their hatred and leaving them with no reason to continue living. She met and forgave every one, healing them of their wounds and sending them peacefully into the afterlife.
But it was taking its toll. Her feathers shone with the white of bone, her normally kind violet eyes slowly turning into the hard blue of ice, and her face twisted into a furious scowl that spoke of near-homicidal rage. Still she continued, and still she forgave, though her heart was filled with the hatred of millennia and more. Her will was iron, her love boundless, and though her body was wracked with anger and hate, she could still feel the core of her true self pulsing strongly. She was weak, however, and as such she was unprepared for what happened next.
Twilight erupted from the clouds, two wings of smoke and shadow flaring from her back, and tumbling into her body. The Alicorn was limp for a moment before she was able to call herself back to her own body, but when she did, there was nothing holding her back. Rolling to face Twilight, she drew deep on the hatred within herself, forcing it through her horn in the form of a beam of icy blue magic that knocked the unicorn backwards through the sky. Frost rimed her horn as she screamed wordlessly at Twilight, drawing on the raw emotional power of the hatred she had absorbed and focusing it all on Twilight Sparkle, the mare who had stolen her family, scarred her face, and made her life unbearable for four long years.
Twilight felt the heat within her catch the coldness and push it away before she drew on its power in turn. The draconic armor lit up as if it had just been forged, the red-hot energy coalescing at the tip of Twilight’s horn before flashing forth in a red-hot beam of incredibly thin energy no thicker than a needle. It was barely caught on Cadance’s shield, which stopped the penetrating force of the beam from gutting her like a fish. It did not, however, shield her from the vast and fiery explosion that tore through the heavens, burning a hole in the clouds as Twilight pressed her assault.
Cadance’s brow furrowed as she locked eyes with Twilight. She didn’t know how, but the mare had seemingly returned from the dead. But at the same time, something was…different about her. The unicorn was no longer as helpless and weak as before. If anything, she was stronger now than Cadance, still weak from her bout with the Windigos. And there was something more, too. She possessed something else besides power.
Twilight’s next attack was just as strong as the first, maybe even a bit stronger. The beam of light flickered across Cadance’s shields, slicing them as though they were rice paper parted by a sharp sword. Cadance rolled, attempting to find an opening, but it seemed that no matter how she tried, Twilight was one step ahead of her, always there to press the attack and forcing the Alicorn to tire herself with more useless shields. More than once a magical beam managed to slip by her defenses, leaving deep burns on her flanks as they neatly burned away flesh.
And it was only then that Cadance realized what Twilight was doing. She didn’t know how she had done it, or how she was using it, but the unicorn was somehow anticipating her movements. She knew what Cadance knew as she knew it, which meant that she could plan a counter for the attack. Twilight had become what Celestia had hoped she would be, or at least produce. She had become the Mistress of Thought. But she wasn’t under Celestia’s control, and that made her a terrifying opponent.
“Fine, Twilight.” Cadance growled. “Two can play at your game.” And with those words, she focused on the young unicorn, levying an intense psychic assault on her as she dove. The unicorn barely managed to roll, but her movements were sluggish, her mental defenses crumbling under the weight of the intense fear and exhaustion Cadance was forcing her to feel. More icy hatred flared from Cadance’s horn, meeting Twilight’s fire, and the skies above Canterlot flared into life once more, as the power of Thought met with the power of Emotion.
The sky above the Regia rumbled and cracked as Celestia’s assault was barely cancelled out by Rarity, whose bolt of amaranth magic barely managed to cancel out the intense power of Celestia’s blasts. The unicorn wobbled on her hooves as she gritted her teeth, exhaustion tugging at her limbs and battering her already beleaguered mind. The desire to give up, to just roll over and let Celestia carry the day was monumental. If not for the support of her friends, and the exhortations of Princess Luna, she would have long succumbed to the pressure in her head.
Another bolt of magic soared through the sky, even as the ground below mirrored the conflict above, rippling with light and noise. Fluttershy was the one to strike that bolt down, her pink energy soaring gracefully into the sky to dispel it before it got too close to the castle. She grunted in pain as she did so, the unfamiliar magic taxing her in ways that she was unused to. Landing, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if she was focusing on a faraway voice. She shook her head wildly, clearing it, before rejoining her friends as Applejack cancelled out another attack.
“Keep going!” Luna called. “If we can hold until the sun sets, I may yet be able to repel her!”
Rarity groaned, her head throbbing as she cast another bolt of magic into the sky, forcing Celestia to dodge as she battered at the defenses. She wasn’t sure how long they could last, especially with Rainbow gone. Her fierce nature hadn’t lasted long after Celestia had begun attacking the castle in earnest, and she had been the first one to collapse. She had been taken below an hour ago, in a deep coma. The beleaguered warrior had finally reached her limits.
The sun was setting, almost touching the horizon, and the hour was finally approaching twilight, but the moon wouldn’t rise for another hour at least, possibly more if Celestia tried to keep it from rising. And Rarity knew she didn’t have another hour left in her. In fact, she wasn’t sure about the next few minutes. Her concentration flickered, and it was due to her lapse in attention that another bolt managed to sail through the defenses of the remaining Elements, erasing yet another layer of the wards.
“Mine!” Fluttershy called, leaping over an off-balance Pinkie Pie to catch the next bolt. Her magic ripped through the sky, actually managing to bore a hole through Celestia’s magic and catch the Alicorn off-guard. Celestia retreated for the briefest of moments, and Rarity felt a moment of blessed relief from the voice in her head. Steeling herself, she thought of Sweetie Belle, and reminded herself that she was doing this for her sister.
Pinkie Pie followed up with another bolt of magic, sky blue lightning warning off a party of Air Corps Pegasi that had flown too near. Celestia flew low over the castle again, and this time it was a bolt of indigo magic from Luna that took to the air, causing the Solar monarch to interpose a hasty barrier between herself and the offending spell. Rarity, seeing her opening, drew in the last shreds of her will, and unleashed a torrent of purple flame that washed through the air, catching Celestia off guard once more.
The action cost her dearly, though, as Rarity sank to her knees, her vision going black around the edges as Celestia found a hole in her mental armor that she could no longer defend. With a groan, Rarity felt her eyes roll up in her head, and heard Applejack calling her name. Looking up at the sky, she could both see and feel Celestia swooping down towards the tower, avoiding the spells Pinkie Pie, Luna, and Fluttershy were sending at her to cover Applejack’s retreat. Rarity raised one hoof, pointing in an attempt to warn her friend, but she couldn’t move.
And then the sky exploded.
Shining Armor dove for cover as the skies above the Regia erupted into noise and light, arcane energies skittering across the sky as two figures appeared high above the battlefield. He adjusted his magical eye, and what he saw stopped his heart. An armored figure, her wings smoking in the dusk, stood over them all, towering above even Celestia like some sort of vengeful bird of prey. Her armor resembled a snarling dragon, and her entire body was wreathed in baleful flame and grey, shimmering magic. When she spoke, her voice carried across the entire battlefield.
“Transgressors! Intruders! Armies of The Dread Sun! You have trespassed upon my demesne and attacked my followers! For your crimes against me, you shall pay in blood! For I am the Dusk, the Everstar! I claim these woods in my name, and so you shall pay homage! Resist, and this shall be your fate!”
And with that, her magic flashed, and the second figure was cast from on high, tumbling limply before slamming into the ground hard enough to raise a cloud of dust. Shining Armor gasped as his wife impacted the earth, and he felt a tremor of fear run through him at the sight of what he now realized to be his sister. And then the unthinkable happened.
The airships, their salvation, which had been approaching the castle, soared overhead, and from their decks came Gryphons.
In the hundreds, in the thousands they came, turning the guns of Equestria’s Navy against the forces on the ground and obliterating entire groups of ponies in magical lightning, softening them up for the impact of the Gryphon assault. Shining Armor was suddenly beset by three of the avian predators, each wearing their king’s colors and lashing out with scimitars and spears. The army, in sudden disarray, was soon fighting for its very life as the Gryphon warriors tore through their ranks, easily outclassing most solitary legionnaires. Pockets of resistance were targeted with the guns, and what had once been an organized assault turned into a rout.
The Air Corps Pegasi began to tumble from the skies, simply unable to match the peerless flying ability of the Gryphons, and a cheer arose from the Ever Free defenders at the sight of the Gryphons driving their enemies back. Shining Armor fought clear of the Gryphons, his armor catching most of the blows while his horn made quick work of the attackers, and seized a banner from the earth, waving it back and forth as he rallied what little remained of the Guard.
“Retreat!” he called, attempting to save what remained of the army. “Everypony back! Form rearguards and retreat!”
Ponies flocked to him, casting shields to ward off the worst of the guns from the Navy, and as they fell back, Shining Armor noticed the Gryphons forming a defensive ring around the castle, consolidating their position rather than pursuing the remnants of the Regulars and Guard. The army fell back across the plains in front of the Regia, far out of the way of the castle walls. First a hundred, then a thousand, then another thousand all gathered under Shining Armor’s banner as he waved frantically, attempting to gather whatever remained to himself.
So entrenched, Shining Armor was then able to watch as his sister took her next steps.
Twilight watched the army fall away from the Regia’s walls with a satisfied grin on her face, the Gryphons emerging from their airships and driving away the last attackers as they formed an iron ring around her castle. Her grin faded, however, upon noticing the damage done to its walls, and sensing the intense magical disruption leaking from the damaged and destroyed wards. Her chest thrummed warningly, and she looked up just in time to see Celestia regarding her calmly as she hovered in place, wings flapping in a measured pace.
“Twilight. I’m glad to see you again. You’ve…grown.”
The unicorn smiled, though the expression was hidden by her mask. “Celestia. I wish I could say that I was glad to see you as well, but I’d be lying to you. Now get out of my damn woods. And take your army with you.”
Celestia inclined her head regally. “Of course, Twilight. Will you and the other Elements be accompanying me back to Canterlot?”
“You’ve lost, Celestia.” Twilight said, her horn sparking. “Take what you have left and begin your retreat. If your army is still around this castle come nightfall, I don’t want to be held responsible for what happens next.”
Celestia laughed. “With you and the other Elements at my side, I don’t anticipate a problem.” Her horn flashed, and Twilight felt a strange tugging at her mind, as if Celestia had taken hold of her will and given it a gentle yank. “The rest of your friends are very close to seeing the error of their ways, Twilight. Will you let me do the same to you? Just because you have ascended doesn’t mean I can no longer execute my vision. I actually prefer it this way. You are my favorite student, out of the many I have taken over the years. You’ve proved yourself to be resourceful, cunning, intelligent beyond even my expectations.”
Her tone turned motherly, and oddly hypnotic. “Think of it, Twilight. You could have your life again, your eternal life full of happiness, by my side just like it was. It’s not too late to renounce the bargain you made. Oh yes,” she said, noting Twilight’s confusion. “I can sense what you’ve done. You’ve made a deal with all sorts of devils, Twilight Sparkle. But you can still hold on to what you’ve taken, and use it to help me bring about a paradise. I can show you how. All you need to do is let go.”
The sky was quiet for a brief moment before Twilight’s shoulders slumped. “You aren’t the first to offer me power. And though your offer of peace is tempting, I’m afraid that ship has sailed. It’s over, Celestia. I don’t want to fight you, but if I have to, I will.”
The Alicorn looked at Twilight, her face a mixture of love, regret, and anger. Twilight thought she knew that feeling, the one Celestia was displaying. She had experienced that same feeling four years ago, kneeling in an empty tower in front of her friends. It was the feeling of a heart breaking.
“So it’s come to this.” the Alicorn murmured.
Twilight was resolute. “I suppose it has.”
With nothing further to say, both goddesses manifested blades of magic, and charged at one another. And their duel tore the sky asunder, as the sun touched the horizon.
Dusk had arrived.
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Epic.
Crying brb.
AAW SNAP!!!! Also, awesome chapter!
2773359 And no offence, but the only way I see this ending cleanly is by both Twilight and Celestia being destroyed. The world then falls to Chaos, etc etc.
oh yes.
The final duel, the fate of Everything now hangs in the balance.
Also the gryphons part was so unexpected, i was honestly expecting discord to arrive.
Suddenly, everyone dies.
Dayum, this is the beginning of the end!
-Mis
So is Cadence dead??
Don't kill her Twily! Just beat her ass so soundly that she wont forget it for the next ten thousand years!
I sense a Chekhov's Gun.
And now the fight that I've been waiting for ever since "Lines and webs"
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/rsz/mlfw584_large.jpg
It is the epitome of arrogance for Celestia to think -- after breeding Twilight like a dog, trying to coax her into being date-raped, and planning on murdering her via childbirth -- that she can simply offer her her life back and let everything be okay again. That's not how it works.
Chop that bitch's horn off and give her a thousand years of what she gave Luna.
SQUEEE
I read that last line and I got goosebumps. Dis Gon B Gud.
and lo. so cometh the final battle, dusk against day, the master and the pupil
their armies demolished, the ground scorched with fire and stained with the blood of thousands. all around them, destruction and death on both sides. one princess has already fallen, her husband fleeing for his life.
here standeth the teacher and the student, their horns prepped for battle.
one will stand. and one...shall fall.
*returns to normal mode*
I think the best thing about this story is you don't know who's going to die and who's going to live. leaves us open to speculation and predictions
btw, I think I need a bit of a recap
what happened to Rainbow again? did she die? is she just unable to carry on fighting? had Celestia regained control over her?
i've had a bit of a mindblank, help me out here
2773553 I agree with you but have celestia tortured and bloodied then kick her ass to fiery hot sun plus she is a bitch.
2773533 iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/174132__UNOPT__twilight-sparkle_animated.gif
2773553 Dont forget that she killed Spike as well!
Kick her ass Twilight!
I don't think Twilight would ever forgive Celestia for killing Spike. It doesn't matter at this point what she offers. Twilight is going to kill her. It won't end until one of them is dead. And somehow I don't think Celestia will be coming back from the dead anytime soon.
2773533Amen, brother.
descended with the snow, a might battle had raged above the city, and
I think it should be.... descended with the snow, a mighty battle had raged above the city, and
Or maybe that word for small? mite?
Celestia, why did you think, even for a second, your coaxing would work, even after everything that's happened? Are you that stubborn?
I guess so. Ah, well...
Twilight, go get 'er.
Also: The whole chapter, I was reading this with a growing squee. I think it might have past beyond the range of normal hearing.
I do not have music epic enough to listen to whist reading this chapter.
I severely doubt I can find any epic enough for the next.
You have no idea how happy I am to see Cadence beaten down. Twilight's friends were under magical manipulation when they betrayed her, but even after Twilight had saved her life Cadence still played her role in Celestia's plan and back stabbed Twilight anyway. There is no excuse, Cadence deserved what she got and hopefully Twilight will beat her down again later on.
I look forward to Twilight opening a can on Celestia, though Discord may end up stepping in just for fun in the near future.
Started and finished the previous fic the other day, and finally reached the current chapters of this one. Amazing story and I desperately want Twilight to beat Celestia to a writhing pulp.
Update again soon or I may cry! 
i'm fucking crying right now that this chapter seemed so short 'cause it's SO GOOD!
Three chapters ago, she was begging for the opportunity of kick Celestia´s ass, and now she doesn´t want to fight?
Just for being clear, is Twilight a true Goddess right now, or more like a Scion with borrowed power?
2774262
Bitch What?!
She is the one who has tormented your life, and taken your family away? Seriously, I can barely stand the arrogance of these gods.
By the way, the part with Shiny shitting bricks after seeing her wife beaten to a pulp and his armies turned into gryphon´s happy meals, priceless
And now, finally, the moment we have been waiting since the beggining of this duology:
images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/29800000/Twilight-vs-Celestia-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-29856472-640-800.jpg
The part with the griffons killed my suspension of disbelief.
The neighbouring griffon kingdom managed to take over the whole 7 equestrian fleet all over equestria without anyone raising an alarm, nobody noticed anything ?
And how are griffons supposed to handle communication with the equestrian command, or pony made equipment for that matter.
Just imagine Russia capturing intact ALL twelve US fleet overnight without anyone noticing :/
And it was pointless to boot.
The griffons could have sabotaged/hold up most of the equestrian navy instead and Twilight could have ravaged the one fleet which made it on time upon arrival. It would have been 100 times more believable than this.
IT HAS BEGUN!!! *grabs popcorn*
The whole story, from the first chapter of "Lines and Webs", has been building up to this moment. FIIGGGHHHTTT!!!
2774674
Screw believability, and kick ass.
Excellent! Thanks for the quick updates. Finally the first chapter of the epic battle we have all been waiting for is finally here! And what a chapter it was!
As far as people asking if Twilight is a goddess now. I think that answer is pretty clear. She is BEYOND an alicorn now. An Alicorn is just another pawn in Mother's schemes and Twilight has become something greater, a champion of balance.
2774262 Do be honest, I wanna see some interaction between Sweetie Belle and Discord.
2773553
Break her horn off, enchant it with the same childbirth spell she planed on twilight, then SHOVE IT UP HER ASS!
My reaction as this story draws nearer to a close:
2777800
Fun fact- the background music, "Vale Decem", was what I listened to when I was writing about Chrysalis's "death".
Random question:
I thought Celestia's brainwashing was due to her control of the Elements of Harmony, how the message of accepting her was something the Elements constantly beamed out. Yet, the Elements are broken and the Element of Magic has been claimed by Twilight Sparkle. Soooo, how is Celestia still using her mind control power over Twilight's friends, and for that matter, it even seems like she can still exert some control over Twilight as well.
I must have misunderstood something along the way...
Oh dear, I'm going to be waiting in desperate suspense for the next few days. Moar moar moar, faster faster!
So much of what I wanted, and still so much more I need to wait for that which is yet to come! When I logged in tonight after a crappy day and now totally relaxing, I checked first to see if your story had an update. Fortunately for me I found it! <3
I am resisting the urge to read the next chapter with some very peaceful classical music. Although it would be absolutely hilarious, I'm far to invested in this story to ruin the final(?) battle. Overall, this chapter was epic and Twilight did a very good job making a good impression upon returning from the dead, although oddly enough this is not the most suspenseful cliffhanger you've written yet. Maybe it's because the cliffhanger is positioned right when the loading screen would appear if this were a video game. (At least if it were a console based video game! I don't care how fancy the consoles get, PC's will always have a better loading time!)
I look forward to the next chapter!
I have exhausted all my hatred for these fools.
Oh, what ever shall become of Equestria when its ruler and her heirs are such morons?
Celestia, Cadence, Shining...I can't even bother to wish you dead anymore. Oh well, have fun fighting Twilight I suppose.
Awaiting further releases.
2774674
Seriously, one might believe that it could have only been pulled by some kind of tactical geniu-Wait!
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2778615
I got the impressions that the "elements" are physical containers of a sort for greater forces. Thus they are sort of bound to Celestia's magic, and the bearers are bound to the elements. Thus, Celestia can exert control of sort over the bearers. I still can't decide whether Celestia is just evil or just horribly misguided. I mean, my view of canon Luna and some other fic's canon kinda gives me the impression that she really didn't recognize the problem she had until it was far too late for any corrective action. She went on a little power trip, developed an alternate personalty which evolved from her fears and emotions, succumbed to the thrall thereof and even if she'd surrendered at the end, it would have been a half-surrender. It would have been nearly impossible to rehabilitate her in that state. So, assuming Celestia's not just nutso, it's clear that the damaging impact of her behavior hasn't sunk in yet or she just so focused on the task at hand that the fact that she's destroying Equestria hasn't occurred to her.
2783819 She's not so much insane as arrogant, I believe. She believes her path, no one else's, is right, and as the god of Order, no one can challenge her. Those that do she kills or "convinces" them otherwise (lol mind rape). It's a pretty common flaw in gods in a lot of stories. Because they have power, because they're above mortals, because they are god, they alone are the ones that determine right and wrong, and what sacrifices are worth it to achieve their goals.
So pretty much, she literally cannot see any acceptable solution but her own, and likely never will without the proper...persuasion. Like an incredible beat down at the hands of her student. And even then it might not be enough.
I almost fully expect Twilight to start knocking off gods one by one. I'm not sure if she killed Cadence, but I wouldn't put it past her. Probably a mercy killing at this point, seeing what Cadence just put herself through with the Wendigo spirits, though maybe Twilight just burned away that hatred through application of a metaphorical 'hoof to plot'?
Celestia first, then Luna. Discord will probably get popped somewhere along the way, and then it will be up to Twilight + Friends to destroy the Shadow. Then... who knows, maybe she'll just go and disappear somewhere.
Celestia though... arrogant to the last, I hope she dies in agony personally. Torment for what she put Twilight, and really... the world and her 'precious little ponies' through. I mean, she started a war all for her ideal. Granted, with how this fic's canon works, I can't say I'm surprised. She is the epitome of Order, and a god, what are mortal lives to that? What are morals and what's 'right' compared to Order? It's a compulsion, a mental disease of sorts that Harmony created within her, just as Discord is forced to be chaotic. Not saying this absolves her in any way... she still performed hideously evil acts to further her own design, a virtually sterilized society.
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Well, I disagree. Hopefully the author will spell his point of view out for us.
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You might argue that the absence of both Luna and Discord was actually a real problem, one that actually had an unexpected effect on Celestia. Which is to say that in the absence of Chaos and whatever Luna stood for, she was not constrained enough for things to run smoothly. So in a sense, Twilight needs to correct the balance. A more sympathetic reader might argue that the Celestia was trying to right the problem, but doesn't get that more Order isn't the solution.
Also, if they are gods and not mortal, then they cannot be killed. However the author seemed to hint that they might be bearers of greater forces, similar to the way Twilight and her friends are bearers of the EoH. I.e. they can be killed, possibly, but not the things they represent. So, since someone has to be in charge of those things (guessing here), Twilight would rather keep the ponies she loved if possible.
YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY
Yayyyyyyyyy, i cant wait for the epic showdown....
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If you recall a few chapters previous, Death said that if the gods, Celesia (order), Discord(Chaos), and Luna(Balance/Order Unchained/Chaos Bound),etc etc, were killed, then the forces they controlled would be returned to the primal state they sprang from thanks to Mother's machinations. Twilight's out for blood, she just gave Celestia the last chance to repent. Luna may survive this, and possibly Discord and Cadance, but the Sun shall not see a new Dawn.
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If you read the previous chapter, Twilight already considered to agree with the lesser archetipes´ offer... only to remember her nightmare about "Empress Twilight". No, she won´t risk to become a tyrant even worse than her teacher for the sake of vengeance. Beating the crap of Celestia and bringing her under heel is another thing.
, so the good guys are still far from victory.
Sadly, Airstream has declared his evil intention to pull a Diabolus Ex Machina