Ascendant Shadows 14
I had arrived at Cloudsdale as many things. A young child reared by her fathers. A soldier returning home from her first deployment. An Ephor and materfamilias enjoying her homecoming after months away in the service of Equestria. But ne’er before had I approached the city of my birth as a conqueror.
After the destruction at Maresidian Fields, Rightly had withdrawn to the clouds rather than attempt to regain control of the ground. With the loss of Steel’s army, he had no hope of restoring control o’er the earth ponies. ‘Twas plain that his cause was lost, and there was no path to victory for the rebellion. Many hidden loyalists came into the open now that the rebels could no longer force them into compliance, while those whose loyalties were more flexible were quick to shift allegiance to the winning side.
Rightly still had one hope to at least gain defeat with honor, if not a true victory. While his rebels were badly outnumbered, they still had greater strength in the air. Howe’er, our magi were hard at work addressing that imbalance.
Sunbeam strode into the command tent, her daughter in tow and a pair of translucent wings glistening upon her back. She struck a pose when she noticed mine eyes upon her, displaying her new wings in fullness. “You must admit, they suit me.”
For a moment, I had a less than dignified desire to use mine armor to absorb the magical energies sustaining her magical constructs. Thankfully, I resisted the urge and responded in a way that suited my station. “Fine spellwork, Magus. Though I expect there is a great difference ‘tween having wings and knowing how best to use them.”
“Most likely,” she conceded. “I think ‘tis not immodest to say that I have crafted a truly brilliant spell for allowing flight to the flightless, but ‘twas quite difficult enough just to craft the spell formulae for reasonably reliable basic flight. The sort of maneuvers I have seen thee perform in battle are, I am afraid, quite beyond me. At least, not without the sort of testing that is far more likely to result in me breaking mine own neck.” She smirked and ran a hoof o’er her new limbs. “Doubtless the reason so few magi have e’er attempted flight, despite how exhilarating it must be. The slightest error would result in a long plunge to an unpleasant end.”
Young Midnight nodded gravely. “Aye, the sensation of having your means of flight fail you and the all-too-terrible realization that you can no longer remain airborne as you plummet towards the ground at terminal velocity, your panicked thoughts as your only companion as you hopelessly try and stop your descent before a sudden impact with the ground pulverizes all your bones and liquefies your organs, leaving the hapless pony nothing more than a smear on the ground to be cleaned up for burial.”
“Quite,” I murmured, taking her morbidity in stride. In all honesty, I had come to expect it after having known her for so long. If anything, I would have been more concerned if she failed to speak at great length about horrible and gruesome death when given the opportunity.
The young child cocked her head to the side, her eye lingering upon her mother’s wings. “The spell is quite impressive, though I suspect Mother would prefer proper wings of flesh and blood rather than mere spell-constructs. If Her Majesty conceded the throne to Mother by law rather than merely as a matter of practicality, it would only be fitting to grant her all the accoutrements of her new rank.”
A flicker of annoyance shot across Sunbeam’s face, and she raised a hoof to cuff her child. She set it back down after a moment’s hesitation with a weary sigh. “Some day, daughter of mine, thou wilt learn to guard thy tongue and not share every word I say in private whilst venting my spleen.” She paused a moment, then shrugged and amended, “Or mayhaps I should learn to speak more carefully when I know my child has such loose lips.”
Midnight’s ears wilted. “I am sorry if I have failed you, Mother. It is sometimes difficult to know what things I may speak of and which topics are restricted. Mayhaps we could create a list that I may consult whene’er I am uncertain?”
Sunbeam sighed softly and massaged her forehead. “I will think upon that.”
Her daughter hesitated for several seconds, then spoke up again. “Your wings look very nice, Mother.”
“My thanks to thee, child.” She idly patted Midnight’s head, shifting her focus back to me. “In any case, the wings are rather delicate for combat operations, and the spell is far too complicated for all but the very best of our magi. The bulk of our forces will have to make do with simpler spells to allow them to walk upon the clouds, or failing that, thunderforged shoes.”
I grimaced and nodded. “While that might allow us to breach Cloudsdale, we will still be at a substantial disadvantage. Rightly knows we are coming, and ‘tis certain he will be well prepared. I expect we will bleed heavily if we must take the city by storm.”
Sunbeam nodded, her confidence unshaken. “Aye, I did not merely give myself wings as a vain indulgence. Spellcasting is our only hope of winning the battle without paying a steep butcher’s bill to take the city. We could afford to lose five of our own for every one of Rightly’s soldiers, but I would sooner not waste so many lives.”
“There are other means of ending the matter,” I proposed. “Rightly must realize that the rebellion cannot hope to win this war. If we offer him reasonable terms...”
“We did the same for Steel, and he preferred death to submission,” Sunbeam murmured. “I suspect Rightly will not feel any differently. I recall many proud claims that no Ephor of Pegasopolis has e’er surrendered to a foreign conqueror, and I doubt he wishes to be the one to change that. Still, it costs us little to make the effort, and we can always hope he sees reason.”
She frowned and shook her head. “In all honesty, my true concern is that he might choose flight o’er battle or surrender. If he decides to use his clan as dispersed raiders, we would be hard-pressed to force him into a decisive battle and he could plague us with banditry for years to come. He could e’en move the entire city away, going into exile for many years only to return with his strength renewed.”
I rose to my hooves, pouring myself a goblet of water from the flask White had earlier filled for me. “Exile would destroy them. Their support is already crumbling, and surrendering the rest of Equestria would make it e’en worse. Not to mention the problems of feeding an entire city without any support from farms on the ground. Pegasopolis has little to offer by way of trade other than its blades, and I do not think Rightly or the warriors of Pegasopolis would resort to banditry or selling their services. Such things are antithetical to all that Pegasopolis stands for.”
Sunbeam regarded me with a sardonic smirk. “I am sure that if I asked thee a year ago, thou wouldst tell me that rebellion and consorting with warlocks or abominations of dark magic were also actions that no true child of Pegasopolis would e’er consider.”
I scowled, but I had no way to refute her words. Worse, the self-satisfied grin on her lips made it plain that she knew it.
A cleared throat caught mine attention as Gale strode into the tent. “If I might, I suspect that the harder we press Pegasopolis, the more flexible their morals will become. I know some have suggested merely starving the city into submission rather than risk storming it. Given the impossibility of properly investing the city, we would almost certainly drive what remains of Rightly’s army to banditry just to survive.”
Midnight nodded gravely. “Aye, when hunger gnaws at one’s belly like a serpent, leaving them in constant agony that ne’er abates as the pangs become so sharp they wake from sleep and reduce them to tears of helpless impotence, many would perform otherwise unconscionable acts simply to stave off the pain for a few days.”
Gale drew close enough to whisper to me. “One other matter, Mother. ‘Tis no secret that Rightly is stubborn and proud. It is possible that another commander would be more pliable.”
Mine eyes narrowed. “What art thou suggesting?”
“I suggest nothing,” she answered carefully. “I merely state facts.”
“I have no interest in such facts,” I answered tersely. “If anything befell Rightly, all the world would assume we were the cause regardless of the evidence. ‘Twill be hard enough to secure the surrender as it stands. The slightest hint of illegitimacy would give many all the excuse they need to ignore the order.”
My daughter bowed her head, acknowledging my point. “It is, of course, your decision. But if ending one life could save thousands, many would call it the most honorable course. Better a few more bandits and fanatics than a bloody battle in the streets of Cloudsdale. Alternately, given the likely poor state of Cloudsdale’s food and water supplies, we could revisit an old idea of mine if their foodstock were poisoned.”
“No, Gale.” I sighed and shook my head. “I will speak with Rightly first and give him the chance to end this without any more lives lost. If that fails, then we will consider how to take the city with the fewest lives lost—both in the immediate battle, and as the result of any long-term consequences of our actions.”
Gale frowned, but nodded a moment later. “Of course. As you wish, Mother.”
We met on neutral ground for the parley, in an abandoned manor house beneath the city. Whoe’er it was who oversaw these farmlands was long fled, most likely to avoid being in the center of a battlefield. The farmlands themselves had long since been stripped bare, likely by Rightly in preparation for the coming battle.
Sunbeam remained outside the manor, accompanied by many of her magi. They would keep an eye on the clouds, ensuring that nothing untoward occurred. Rightly doubtless had his own watchers in the sky for similar purposes.
I arrived alongside Gale, White, and a few chosen soldiers. Rightly was already waiting for me in the manor’s salon, his own soldiers tensing when we entered the room. His own force was carefully equal in strength to mine own, though one of them seemed more concerned with looking out the windows to keep close watch on Sunbeam and the other magi.
Rightly looked ... old. Old and tired. The heavy bags under his eyes were testament to many a sleepless night, and there was a limpness to how he sat that spoke to his exhaustion. He turned to me, seeming a hollow shell of the stallion I had once known. Not e’en his long captivity had worn him as much as the last few weeks of command.
I cleared my throat and nodded politely. “Rightly. Shall we speak alone?”
He frowned. “I have nothing to hide from my fellow pegasi.” When I said nothing more for several seconds, he sighed and conceded. “But perhaps the negotiations would move more smoothly with fewer ponies.”
“Very good then.” I found a seat and made myself comfortable, mine eyes pointedly remaining on Rightly’s followers as mine own made no move to leave the room.
Once it became clear I would not dismiss mine own followers, Rightly’s frown grew into a suspicious scowl. “Do you expect me to send away mine own escorts while you retain yours?”
I chuckled humorlessly. “You will forgive me for my suspicions, but I do not have the best history with parleys when meeting with the rebels. Need I remind you of what happened to my daughter? Shall I show you the scar Bright left?”
Rightly grunted, then waved his followers back. Some of them hesitated, and he repeated the command more firmly. “You have no cause to fear of that from me or mine.”
“Of course not.” I still waited until every single member of his escort had left to building before dismissing mine own. For all that I might trust his honor, I had learned many difficult lessons o’er the course of this war. Once we were alone, I cleared my throat. “Now we may speak freely. I offer you the chance to end this war and avoid further bloodshed.”
“I would like that, if such a thing is possible.” He took a deep breath. “I will not beg you for terms, but I will hear your offer.”
I had expected as much, and letting him retain a small measure of pride was a small price to pay if it ended the war. “I promise mercy for those under your command, save any warlocks or others who violated the rules and customs of war and basic decency. The common soldiers may have amnesty so long as they set aside their weapons and may regain those once they swear loyalty to the Commander. You will step down as paterfamilias and enjoy an honorable retirement. Any clans that rose in rebellion against their rightful Commander will be disbanded and struck from the roles of honor.”
Rightly scoffed incredulously. “All the clans opposed Celestia’s tyranny? That would be the end of Pegasopolis. You have gone mad if you think I would accept such terms. Since before there was an Equestria, there was Clan Doo. I will not undo the legacy of my forefathers simply because you hold a strategic advantage at this time.”
“If you do not like the terms, then perhaps you should not have turned against your Commander,” I answered bluntly. “Treason carries a heavy price. There are some who would prefer to see this war ended with every officer in the rebel armies swinging from a noose.”
Rightly shook his head. “Celestia was rightfully and legally removed from her post as Commander of Pegasopolis. She lost any claim to that post when she abandoned us, and only returned her attention to accuse us of being kinslayers and the maimers of our children. When we withdrew from her leadership and supported our earth pony kin in doing the same, she launched a war of aggression against her own allies.”
His account was hardly an accurate one, but I saw no point in arguing it. If he were prepared to listen to a reasonable explanation of the Commander’s actions, this entire war never would have happened. “I cannot deny that she has erred, as did we all. Commander Celestia has recognized those errors and endeavors to correct them. It is time you did the same.”
He scoffed. “Mere apologies are not enough to make her our commander again. That time has passed, and now the pegasi rule themselves once again. Since the dawn of Pegasopolis no Ephor has e’er surrendered a foreign conqueror, and I shall not be the first to do so.”
I sighed and pointed towards mine own forces. “You have fought bravely, but your armies are broken and your territory lost. Your rebellion controls nothing outside of Cloudsdale itself, and we both know I can take that city as well. Make peace with honor, and let this madness end before any more die.”
Rightly rose to his hooves, pacing towards the window and staring out it. “The armies of Pegasopolis might be bowed and many of my fellow Ephors dead, but we are not yet broken. We can still fight, and might yet achieve victory. We have endured far worse than this, and we will continue to endure long after your immortal queen leaves this world.”
I crossed my forelegs o’er my chest, unimpressed by his bluster. “I have many times your numbers, Rightly. How can you hope to win this war?”
“Do you intend to storm Cloudsdale?” he countered. “An army that cannot fly might find it difficult to take a city in the clouds. E’en if your magi can find some way to bring them to the city itself, we are no longer fighting in the tunnels. In the open sky I would rather have a dozen good pegasi than an army of earth ponies.”
I saw nothing to be gained in arguing the point, and so I moved on. “Let us say you do win, and still hold the city. How will you feed your soldiers for the winter? Or after that? The ground is lost to you. Will you raid and steal from common farmers, like mere bandits?”
He glowered at me. “E’en if we cannot hold the ground, we still have our supporters amongst the earth ponies. I would think you would also remember from your own time in the Patrol that we know how to live off the land.”
I poured myself a glass of water, using the few goblets the home’s original owner had left behind. “Will you be able to forage enough to feed an entire city, including the children and the elderly? This winter will already be a lean one, in no small part because of your rebellion. How many of our farmers died in the tunnels at Swift's command? Will you steal food from their widows and children now?”
Rightly did his best to ignore my words, but I caught the barest flinch from him. I pressed the attack, taking advantage of a report from Gale he likely had not heard yet. “The earth ponies you think love your cause might not be so fond of you now. Yesterday I learned that they caught Swift Blade attempting to buy passage on a ship bound for Gryphonia. The mob beat him half to death, then hung him from the nearest lamppost. How do you think they would greet you?”
He tucked his wings against his sides and nodded slowly. “Then give me more acceptable terms to end this war. Let Pegasopolis stand, give us what we need to defend Equestria, and we will cease fighting with our fellow ponies.”
“I have given you the terms I will accept,” I countered.
“Is that truly what you want?” Rightly demanded, whirling about to face me. “You wish to destroy the nation of your birth, and the legacy of your ancestors? For centuries the warriors of Pegasopolis have stood as Equestria’s sword and shield, protecting it from all who would harm it. Will all the good we have done for Equestria and can continue doing be cast aside like so much chaff, just because you wish it?”
“I wish there were another solution,” I answered grimly, “but you have forced my hoof. I will not have a second civil war a generation hence. The clans will not rise again. It ends now.”
“You speak of risks and possibilities,” he countered stubbornly. “There is no guarantee there will be another war. Not unless we plant the seeds for it today. Merely give Pegasopolis and the earth ponies their independence and we can be sure of eternal peace.”
I scoffed, scarcely believing mine own ears. “When Commander Celestia initially chose to allow Pegasopolis to depart in peace, you answered her with a declaration of war. Rightly, you have lost the war. I will hardly give you the victory you sought when negotiating the peace.”
Rightly stomped on the floor. “No Commander or Ephor of Pegasopolis has ever surrendered to a foreign conqueror and you are a fool if you think I will be the first! I will not destroy my nation with the swipe of a pen.”
I met his gaze levelly. “Then you will destroy it in the fires of war.”
His eyes widened, and he snarled at me. “You would use whatever spell you used at Maresidian against Pegasopolis itself? You have become many things, but I had hoped you were not a butcher of innocents.”
I would do no such thing, for precisely the reason he mentioned. E’en if I wished to, a city in the clouds would not burn anywhere near as readily as grassland suffering from months of drought and carefully prepared by the Commander and her magi. After seeing the carnage of Maresidian, I doubted the Commander could bring herself to repeat it, and that attack had been against an entirely military target. E’en if we could replicate the feat against Cloudsdale, we would not.
Howe’er, if Rightly believed we could and would, it might convince him to surrender. “I would not do such a thing unless you left me no other choice. As one of Celestia’s generals, it is my duty to end this war swiftly and with as few of our own lives lost as possible.”
His teeth clenched. “You ask me accept the annihilation of everything Pegasopolis stands for or you will destroy the nation itself. It seems to me that oblivion is the end in either case.”
“No.” I shook my head. “The ponies of Pegasopolis will survive if you would but have the courage to end this war. Think of how many lives you could save with a few simple words. Will the clans and all they believed in vanish just because the ponies within them must find new names? I value the lives of the ponies within my clan more than a mere name.” I slowly reached out and set a hoof on his shoulder. “Sometimes, the most noble thing one can do is to sacrifice one's own honor and pride to do what is right. Let history say that Rightly made the choice to save the lives of every pony under his command, e’en if it meant he would go down in history as the only Ephor to e’er surrender.”
Rightly took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. He paced back and forth across the room, and opened his mouth several times as if he were about to speak though he said nothing. Finally, after what felt like an age of silence, he spoke. “No. You gave a fine speech, Shadow, but I will not do this. I will not surrender to you. Not now. Not ever. Either offer better terms, or we are finished..”
I sighed and shook my head. “There will be no better offer, Rightly.”
He nodded grimly. “Then I shall see you on the battlefield.” He started for the door, then paused. “Or you will unleash your queen’s magi upon Cloudsdale, and prove yourself a monster.”
He left the room, taking with him our last hope for peace. I departed a short time later, rejoining Gale and the others. They all regarded me with hopeful smiles that faded as soon as they saw my grim countenance. I spoke and stole away the last of their hope. “Make ready for battle.”
The mood back at our camp was somber as we prepared for a battle none of us wanted to fight. Sunbeam was in an especially foul mood. “That damnable fool insists on continuing e’en after ‘tis plain he cannot hope to win. Tell me, dear Shadow, is there something in the water in Pegasopolis that makes thy kind excessively fond of pointless deaths? Do you romanticize the idea of having every single pony under thy command slain, as if it somehow proves some grand moral point?”
Celestia sighed heavily. “Sunbeam, do not vent your frustration upon Shadow. We all would have preferred that the matter end with no more deaths, but she has done all that she could to reach a peaceful conclusion. Rightly’s refusal is his own choice.”
“Oh, aye, most certainly it was.” Sunbeam scoffed and threw up her hooves. “And now we will bury many more ponies because of that choice. You will forgive me if I am less than pleased by that outcome.”
“None of us are happy,” I cut in ere Sunbeam could continue. “Lamenting what has happened will profit us little. We must simply adapt to the circumstances before us.”
Sunbeam opened her mouth to retort, then paused and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and said nothing for several seconds. When she opened them once more, the wild, unfocused fury had left them. “You are right, of course. Mine apologies for my choleric disposition, Shadow. Let us cease these pointless dramatics and find the best way to move forward. You said that you think Rightly would take the offensive against us. Why?”
I was tempted to point out that she had been responsible for almost all of the pointless dramatics she was lamenting, but that would merely drag on the needless distraction. “He will attack us for three reasons. First, it is the only way he can hope to actually win the war. Defending Cloudsdale is not a pathway to victory. E’en if he holds the city against our assault, we will do enough damage to devastate him, then withdraw to Canterlot and leave him to face the long, harsh winter with his supplies exhausted.
“Secondly, going on the offensive favors him if he can achieve tactical surprise.” I tapped the map on which we had laid out our battle plans. “Our army relies upon tight formations and the precise coordination of differing units. If he can close the distance to us ere we form a proper pike wall and bring our ranged weapons and magi into position, he could devastate us. In an uncoordinated melee, the superior training and equipment of his forces will be far more telling.
“Finally, he will take the offensive for the same reason we attacked the rebels at Avalon Vale.” I cleared my throat. “Morale amongst the rebels is near the breaking point. They have suffered a series of crushing defeats, and now their capital is about to come under attack. If he can gain e’en a small victory, it would do much to restore hope. Not to mention that he might disrupt us badly enough to force us to cancel the offensive and withdraw to winter quarters. E’en with the fresh influx of supplies we gained from the earth ponies falling into line, we cannot afford to remain in the field for long.”
Sunbeam frowned down at the map, looking it over. “You make a convincing case, dear Shadow. Still, it seems unwise to sacrifice a strong defensive position to launch such an attack that is so likely to fail. Our own actions during the siege of Canterlot showed just how much could be gained from exploiting that.”
“Aye, but Rightly is not us.” I sighed and shook my head. “Cloudsdale does not sit atop a mountain, with miles of tunnels he can force us to crawl through ere we reach the city. If we can gain the clouds at all we will be within the city itself. Additionally, defending a fixed position is not something that comes naturally to most pegasi. As Commander Hurricane once famously said, ‘Fortresses are a testament to the stupidity of ponykind.’” (1)
1: That particular quote is likely apocryphal, as it has been attributed to other pegasus leaders with slightly different wording. However, the general sentiment hold true regardless of the source—pegasi don’t think much of walls they can easily fly over.
“Is there no way to dissuade him?” Celestia asked.
I grimaced as I turned to face her. “I do not think it likely. At best, we could convince him that an attack would fail, and he would wait for a better opportunity or attempt to withdraw entirely.” I still did not think it likely he would chose exile, but after my conversation with him I judged it no more unlikely than him accepting surrender.
“Far better to let him attack,” Sunbeam opined. “We will be ready for him, and he can break himself upon our forces. ‘Twould certainly be far cleaner than trying to claim Cloudsdale by fighting in the city’s streets. We might e’en attempt to make ourselves seem a more tempting target to draw him in.”
“And there is still one hope left,” I murmured. “If we wait until he is committed to the attack ere we reveal our readiness, he might accept the hopelessness of his position.” I sighed softly. “It is one thing to know it intellectually, and quite another to see the harsh military reality with one’s own eyes. It is perhaps a thin hope, but...”
“E’en the thinnest of hopes is better than none,” Celestia agreed.
Rightly came for us in the night. ‘Twas the most logical time to launch his strike, when our sentries would have less time to see his forces coming, and many of our soldiers would be fast asleep. Rousing thousands of sleeping ponies and getting them into a proper battle line while they milled about in half-awake confusion would have been all but impossible. If his surprise attack had been successful, it might well have delivered a great victory despite the staggering disadvantage he held in numbers.
Howe’er, achieving total surprise had required certain sacrifices on his part. His own scouting of our camps had been minimal, lest his reconnaissance betray his intentions to us. And so, he failed to grasp the significance of the reordered sleeping arrangements for our forces. If he came for us in the night, they would not need several minutes to find their units and move into formation, for every single soldier was already sleeping in their combat position. A few carefully concealed drills had me confident that they could be out of their bedrolls and in a passable pike wall within a minute of the alarm sounding.
Howe’er, perhaps the single greatest flaw in Rightly’s plan for a night attack lay not in the execution of the strike, but his choice of opponent.
Once Gale’s scouts confirmed that Rightly’s force had fully departed Cloudsdale and was truly committed to the attack, the night simply ended. E’en forewarned, I was briefly stunned when the moon almost instantly abandoned the sky, replaced by a blazing noonday sun. Rightly’s soldiers, caught completely by surprise, froze in shock as the light blinded them.
Caught in the open, his force seemed pitifully small compared to mine. The once proud clans of Pegasopolis had bled heavily in the caverns beneath Canterlot, while others had burned at Maresidian Fields. Shorn of their earth pony auxiliaries, the clans were badly outnumbered, and now they stood exposed and helpless within range of our artillery and magi.
Mine armor released a spell I had acquired earlier from Celestia, amplifying mine own voice. “Rightly Doo! Your position is hopeless. Stand down and end this.”
Had he been wiser, he might have listened to me. Or e’en fallen back to Cloudsdale. I expect some of our magi, namely Sunbeam, would not have hesitated to fire into the backs of a fleeing foe, but many would have let them withdraw. He would have taken losses to be sure, but the bulk of his strength might have lived to fight another day. Or, perhaps in the aftermath he might have accepted the futility of it all.
Alas, he did no such thing.
I have always wondered if I truly heard his response, or if ‘twas merely mine own imagination providing it. I suppose that in the end it mattered little. If he spoke, ‘twas but a single word. One last damnable command that sent far too many ponies to their deaths.
“Charge!”
The rebels broke into a dive, desperately trying to close with us ere our magi and ranged weapons could inflict too heavy a toll. The charge itself was a disorganized thing, the rebel line still staggered by the stunning effects of the sudden noonday sun and some of the rebels were doubtless shocked into inaction by the sheer enormity of the situation and their massive disadvantage.
Howe’er, enough moved forward that I knew what I had to do. ‘Twas but a single word, but speaking it proved far more difficult than it should have. “Fire.”
The full strength of Canterlot’s magi lashed out at the oncoming rebels. Lightning bolts tore solid lines of destruction through the rebel force, and fireballs scattered entire squads. At the same time, our artillery hammered them with ballistae bolts and thousands of smaller stones fired from catapults. Hundreds of warriors fell ere they e’en reached bow range.
Once that happened, the slaughter redoubled, the sound of hundreds of spells and artillery pieces joined by the song of thousands of bowstrings. The rebel charge faltered as it seemed to hit a solid wall of arrows and crossbow bolts, and in that frozen moment I unleashed several more spells stored within mine armor, lashing the rebels with fire and ice that Sunbeam had granted me earlier. ‘Twas a curious thing to so readily wield the magic of a unicorn, but any joy I might have found in the new experience was soured by my target.
I wondered if the madness would e’er end. If the rebels would force us to cut down every last one of them ere they allowed this madness to finally end. The roar of spells and our ranged weapons blended together with the screams of dying pegasi, until it all became an awful nightmare sound, like the cry of an impossibly huge beast.
“ENOUGH!”
Golden chains and nets descended from the heavens, capturing what few rebels remained and forcing them to the ground. Our own forces immediately ceased fire by pure instinct as Celestia strode forward, her horn glowing as she bound the last surviving rebels. “Enough!” she repeated. “It is over. No more will die today.”
Enough already had.
After the battle, I searched among the survivors. I did not find Rightly among them, but one of them was at least able to direct me to where he fell. The stallion I had once thought to wed was now naught but a charred corpse. Though I knew ‘twould likely bring me naught but pain, I tapped into mine armor’s magic to check the magical traces upon the body itself.
Sunbeam.
So the Archmagus of Canterlot had cast the spell to end Rightly. But had she done so directly, or was it one of the ones I wielded? Mine armor could not tell me that. I do not know which answer I would have preferred.
The next day, I entered Cloudsdale with an army at my back. We met no resistance, for Rightly had all but stripped the city of fighting-age ponies for his final attack.
With the Ephorate effectively disbanded, I went to the halls of the Gerousia. Age and stress had robbed them of a few familiar faces, but I still recognized many of mine old allies from my days in the Ephorate.
The elderly Dawnburst Charger rose to his hooves despite being all but crippled by time, and ripped the flag of Pegasopolis from the walls casting it to my hooves. “The city is yours, damn you. May you choke on your victory.”
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Rightly actually managed to convince himself that he was in the right? Even though he was literally part of the Ephor meeting without Shadow that implied they were all planning conquest rather than... revenge, or what have you.
Again the disbanding of the clans cause these deaths more then anything else. Celestia is was a major error and all this blood on your hooves. Disbanding the clans over a hypothetical future war. one that may never happened considering that the clans would have study why the rebellion failed, hell why it was even started and prevent themselves from going this course again. Might meant a later willing dissolution of the clans as they are rather then the forced here.
8624031
maybe. all sides made errors leading to this war. Celestia back them into the corner and with her stupid idea of force dissovling the clans what reason would they have to surrender. She gave them no out.
"inflict too heavy a tool"
"inflict too heavy a toll"?
8624055
Go back to chapter 51's comments. I've already disassembled your viewpoint and shown you why it is incorrect in that chapter's comment page. If you ignored it then, not my problem. I explained why dissolving the clans is the best idea for peace and unity, and the fact that this is the past, and we've seen the future is full of relative harmony and togetherness, it was clearly the RIGHT one. It cannot be argued against, it's already happened that it was correct.
You don't give an out to traitors. The out they want would let them stay as their own independent nation-state, weakening Equestria greatly as a whole, and they want to take Earth Ponies with them expressly to make them grow their food. Because yeah, "let's abandon Equestria to being picked apart by foreign nations, screw the pony race, we just need mud pony slaves to feed us rather than working together and benefiting from each other like Celestia wants." While also allowing them to build up their forces and try again later because Equestria will have greater natural riches than Cloudsdale, and more earth ponies to tend them. It will become a resource war that Cloudsdale decides is just and proper because they're starving due to their own blatant, narcissistic stupidity, though they'll blame Celestia and all the rest of Equestria for resisting their forefathers' rule of bloody conquest and domination.
And it was not going to be a 'hypothetical' war. Let us not forget Celestia has... some manner of foresight, as in the ability to see parts of the future. Ignoring that, it's just common sense. Look at the last charge of Pegasopolis. These fools died for their PRIDE. En masse! How many bloodlines were snuffed out? How many children aren't going to be born? How many orphans were just made?! When you consider how many children those soldiers could have had, and how many those children could have had - you start to realize just how much they screwed the future for the relative short-term. Possibly centuries.
You can't blame the Loyalists for this, the Rebels are so up their own asses with pride that they would rather be slain by the people who want them to just live peacefully with them. All of this loss because they were too proud, and had been led astray (too proud to think for themselves!) by Rightly and the other Ephors for greed and bloodlust. If they were proud enough to die, they would be too proud to learn from their mistake as long as they can cling to the foundations of that pride. Tradition, clan structure, independence. You have to take these things from them so that one day they can be normal citizens instead of misguided, stupid, stubborn avengers. What sense is there in avenging the side that instigated aggression?
I don't know what more I can do to convince you. All the logic is right there. Even Fluttershy learned this lesson: Pushing them away may seem cruel, but it's sometimes the kindest thing you can do. Sometimes you have to be harsh in the name of peace, love, and unity. Or else you will never have it. That is the nature of conflict.
No, you probably couldn't have ignited the city, but reverse the shield used around Canterlot and heat the water in the clouds. Steamed Pegasi.
I can't help but wonder about a parallel with the American civil war. It been said by some historians that Grant' s to allow the rebel armies to disband while allowing the soldiers to maintain their arms, was an effective way to allow the south to keep some 'honor on defeat' which kept them from continuing the war as a unending guerilla war.
The question is, did we trade the threat of possible guerilla war for the pains of "Southern Pride" (which many still cling to even though its undeserved) and the national disgrace of Trump.
8624031
This was never going to end happily.
It really is wild to think about this story finally ending after so long. It felt like it would just keep going. Good job keeping it going for all this time, man. Commendable.
If there's just the epilogue left though, I'm concerned that it won't be able to cover all the ends that need to be wrapped up. If we don't get the scene where Celestia and Shadow discuss her ascension I'm gonna be so mad lol
An excellent read, as always.
Nice to know that Swift got his from the ponies he'd screwed over.
And so the war ends. This battle was somehow harder to read than the blazing massacre earlier.
8624078
not really a second rebellion is hypothetical at best. if the clans were allowed to exist some deep thinking will likely happen and a c;lose look at what the Ephorate did and especially what Swift Blade did will be the focus and changes likely to be made. Instead we now have freeport, several more dead and Celestia actually proving the Rebellion right in her being a tyrant.
8624158
Trump is NOT a disgrace. he has already improving country far more then anyone else. the disgrace is the democrats continued lies and dersperation to try to impeach him somehow.
8624466
Wow... bringing politics in? And such clearly misguided ones at best? For shame... We clearly have different definitions of 'improving'.
8624591
8624591
comsofur started that not me.
8624158
The guerrilla war that resulted from the peace at Appomattox lasted ten years, cost countless lives, and reversed every advance in Civil Rights made over the course of Reconstruction. A state of affairs that lasted for a century until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's.
8624275
Doubly fitting if you consider that his demise is practically a footnote in the larger picture when Shadow tells Rightly. Almost comparable to Judas, except Judas still had enough honor remaining to hang himself.
Of course, the whole "honor" bit is the root of what caused the whole mess in the first place and why this chapter played out as it did.
8624031
Rightly always believed that he was in the right... from the beginning to the bitter end.
And yet the Kickers were the only pegasus clan to survive to modernity. Perhaps, if Shadow had offered to dissolve it as well...
Ah, but such a choice would have to be discussed with the clan itself, and who would agree to the same fate as traitors for the faint hope of appeasing those traitors?
In any case, Rightly followed what he saw as the virtuous course of action to its inevitable conclusion. He will be mourned, but it was as much by his own pride as by Sunbeam's pyromancy that he fell. Alas.
Now comes reconstruction, and it does not promise to be easy. A harsh winter and a resentful pegasus population will make this exceedingly tricky at absolute best.
8624031
You know Rightly had established that delusion at least as early as his prison conversation with Shadow, that more than anything else had me wright him off.
8624051
So I just thought I would point out that you are attacking the idea of a hypothetical war by using your own hypothetical ideas of the pegasi coming to their senses on their own, this chapter really should have put the final nail in the coffin for that notion.
You really should drop this "both sides" narative you have going. After Celestia was ousted, every decision that lead to the war including the declaration itself was all the Pegasus. By my count the loyalists gave the Pegasus an out twice in this chapter alone, you want to know what got the most ponies killed? Rightly totally "honorable' and 'Glorious' final order to charge, before this chapter I had little use for him, now I view him as no better that Swift.
This is the narrative the Pegasus have decided upon, and what they would pass down as true, your idea really does not have a leg to stand on.
The rebellion will always be a just and honorable cause, because the Pegasus are just and honorable and thus any war they fight must also be just and honorable, and of course they can never know defeat, nor do they seem to know how to handle it when it happens. Heck look at what Rightly considered reasonable terms, every war goal they started out with, he wanted to be treated as though he won the war, anything less would be unacceptable, so yes, there would most assuredly be another war.
8624466
This explains so much.
...*sigh*...Rightly...you poor, poor , prideful, deluded fool. This could have had a better end, but you threw it and many lives away in the name of Pegasopolan "honor".
8624158
...Really? You're going to being that kind of political bullcrap in here?
Blow it out your ass.
8624466 8624591 8625031
Could we not bring politics into this?
Dang. That was just.... dang. The last charge of Pegasoplis, nothing more than a futile suicide run. I honestly do have to wonder how the Pegasus race recovered after this. I mean, how many clans were just wiped out? That is definitely a decisive end to the Rebellion. Now, of course, comes the rebuilding. Sunbeam was right that bandit gangs did crop up, but we haven't really seen just how prevalent they were after the war. The Midnight stories seem to take place around a time when they were being gradually put down, at least that was my impression. Fascinated to see where all this goes and how this story finally ends!
8625194
No reason to tag me there. Only insinuation I made was that someone willing to bring real-world politics up in a discussion online is probably not going to be reasonable. I'm certainly not going to be the one to touch that taboo, good heavens. Much too polarizing, too unpredictable - no place for that in the comments of a story not dealing with said issues.
That aside, I do apologize for the combative stance I took on your comments for this discussion, even if focused on the story world.
Edit: Looking back on that post, I actually see how that looks, now. Hoo... yeah, that's my bad. Sorry for not catching that sooner, Chengar.
8625194
Cosmofur started it not me. I am more then happy to leave modern politics out of this.
8624766
the clans have existed for thousands of years and no doubt errors were made durign those time yet none needed to end the clans as a whole. and yes BOTH sides are at fault. The Ephorate wouldn't have ousted her as Commander if she hadn't made critical mistakes and losign their trust. After her ousting I would agree that it is the ephorate at fault especially Swift Blade. However the force dissolving ofthe clans was a bad move. She gave the rebellion no reason to surrender now if everything they are would be destroyed. Celestia and Shadow are the reason so many die at the end of the war because they gave the rebellion no reason to consider peace they were almost reasonable Eternal but the dissolving the clans was the deal breaker.
Their cause was paritally justified. Celestia screwed up in her leadership of them. She took them for granted and allowed Sunbeam too much sway over her. Their removal was technically legal but went to far after the voter fraud happened. I have said form the get go that the Pegasi made mistakes and that the war was a powerplay in the end. HOWEVER Celestia is not blameless either and I feel that her force dissolving of the clans was a major mistake. Hell the aftermath Tia actually proved the rebellion's point. Only the Unicornian government survived the war. Tyrant much?
8625194
hw-img.datpiff.com/md10c2a0/Mauri_Corey_Im_Sorry_But_Its_Too_Late-front-large.jpg
8625431
Yes the clans existed for a long time, and I would hazard a guess that during that time they never took up arms against the rest of a unified Equestria plunging it into a brutal civil war. Seems to me this is a new situation that requires a new response, why would their longevity entitle them to perpetual existence no matter what crimes they may commit?
You really need to stop conflating Celestias removal with the rest of the war. After she left Cloudsdale she took no hostile action against the peagsus, nothing to justify the Ephors crusade against her pr claims she was a tyrant, your sounding like you take Rightlys ranting at face value. Shadow and Celestia gave Rightly all the reasons in the world to surrender, life, life for him life for his army, life for a an entire generation of pegasus, and all the possibilities that life may bring. Rightly chose the finality of death, and that same generation of pegasus died to pay for Rightlys pride, in the end he was not the stallion Shadow thought him to be, and that showed in the writing and he should be condemned with all the others who drove headlong into this war.
Wait your actually blaming Celestia for the peagus wiping out the earth pony government and then throwing their own into a funeral pyre of their own making on Celestia? She offered them every opportunity to end the war, and begged them to stop. These are not 2 equal sides , one is a flawed mare who ultimately would do anything to save her ponies, the other is a culture so driven made by the poison of its toxic militarism that its most honorable leader was prepared to commit national suicide instead of facing the reality of what they had done and what they have become. An attempt that would have succeeded had the mare they named tyrant not stepped in to save them. The individuals can be salvaged, and even then, they can't do it themselves anymore. But Rightlys degradation should be all the proof you need to know that the Ephors and clans can not.
8625599
even before Equestria the clans likely made mistakes Yes Equestria forming was the most stable they have been. And IF the clans were allowed to survive I think some deep thinking will happened as to why they lost and what lead to the war to begin with. Yes after Celestia's ousting I blame the Ephorate for going to far in that. However the genesis of the war rests with Celestia and how she handled the Ephorate. She chastied them for doing their actual job with the griffon raiders. Then her abysmal job with the whole clipping issue she had lost the faith of the pegasi. Even Celestia herself admits to screwing up. where the Ephorate really screw up is meddling in the Earth Pony affairs and their over reactions to the results of the voter fraud. (alot of it started by Swift.) Where Celestia's screws up again is the disolving of the clans. Just as their surrender offer earlier in the story was unreasonable so is this. If the clans are forced dissolved then why accept any peace given to them if it means destroying everything they are. That gives them no insentive to surrender for a fight means they may still have a chance to pull a victory and keep the clans alive. So all death after the decree is on Shadow's and Celestia's hooves for now peace would be possible with that in place.
And yes even to outside sources Celestia's rebuilding can be seen as tyranical. For in the end only the Unicorn government is allowed to rule. Yes the Earht Ponies were hit hard but there is enough to rebuild that government. Heck it is easier to rebuild it then either of the other two governments. every major position is voted by the Earth ponies and new elections can see the reconsitituion of the Earth Government is easily possible. But she doesn't. She just absorbs what's left into the unicornian government and the only thing we see is mayor elections nothing more. And with Pegasoplis even more destroyed with the clan disbanding Celestia has no check on her power. That no matter how good a person is is a tyranny and as Good as Celestia is she is far from perfect hence the war just fought so nothing to save them if she espeically screws up in the future. Hell the wedding is a perfect example. She completely missed all the warning signs and if it wasn't for Chryssy's arrogance and Twilight taking that advantage Equestria is screwed. And even in the modern Equestria with 4 Princesses Luna is too behind the times and guilt ridden to fully stop Celestia form screwing up. Twilight and Cadance are to loyal, hell Twilight is way to worshipful to be a check on Celestia's power. She has formed a tyranny, one with good intentions but a tyranny none the less and she never fully corrects her flaws as Sunset of this universe shows.
8625691
I think you're misunderstanding what tyranny is. Tyranny is when a ruler rules purely for the sake of their own self-benefit. Celestia has certainly established a government where she is the ultimate authority, and yes there are innate drawbacks to autocracy as a system, but it's a bit extreme to call her tyrannical. As for the Eart Ponies, how is there government the most salvageable? Their entire federal government was burnt to ash and half of their local city leadership sided with the Rebellion. Not to mention their country side hasn't been decimated by all the various militias fighting it out. The Unicornian government, however, hasn't really been affected in any meaningful way. Their queen is still alive and on her throne, their nobility is still largely intact, their magi can still function, even with losses, so they are really the only fully functioning government left. To rebuild the Earth Ponies, you'd need to find competent civil servants in the midst of a devestated country side, hold elections to decide which one of likely few should hold what position of power, all while trying to get enough farmers back home to prevent mass famine. As for the pegasai, they were given multiple opportunities to end the war prior to the decision to disband the clans but didn't, because they thought they could win. Even in the face of certain doom, the only acceptable terms for Rightly were basically the main war goals of the Rebellion: total independence from Celestia, with all their armies and military infrastructure intact. Defeat just wasn't something they could fathom. I don't think you're wrong when you say they would do a lot of deep thinking about how they lost the war, I think it's just more likely from what we've seen is that they would think about tactical errors they made that they could correct in the next war as opposed to about how war is just bad and how they could all try to solve problems peacefully in the future. The pegasai are warrior culture, they tend to have a very narrow way of thinking.
8625691 I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you are so full of shit that it is leaking out of your ears. You have absolutely no idea what tyranny is. Punishing traitors for their treason is not tyranny. Rebuilding a nation devastated by civil war is not tyranny. Reestablishing a stable centralized government after a massive upheaval is not tyranny. Absolutely nothing Celestia has done or will do qualifies as tyranny.
The pegasus clans, by contrast? They started a civil war even after getting what they'd demanded, conscripted the earth ponies after *literally* and figuratively firing their duly elected government, strove to do much the same to the unicorns, and even brought back Nightmare Moon of all the twisted things and fought to help her enslave all of Equestria in their name. They intended to force all ponies everywhere under their hooves because they "deserved" to rule, in stark contrast to Celestia's attitude and actions. And in this chapter, we see that even after it was clear that they'd lost, they refused to acknowledge reality, or even accept any responsibility for their actions. They are (were, rather) the tyrants, not Celestia.
Weird question: Is the epilogue going to explain how Gale and Dusk finally ended up together, or will that be talked about in a later story? Because, and I know it's super weird given everything else there is to be curious about, but that's what I want to know about the most. I kind of had this idea where Dusk is just in his room thinking about how much his life sucks now, when he hears a knock at his door, see's Gale, who smacks him across the face before kissing him passionately on the mouth and giving us the whole "you know what happens next" thing in these stories. I know it's a silly idea, but I think its funny. I really am curious about that though. I also want to know what happened to Shield Charger. Was he eventually recovered or not? Can't wait wait find out! Also sorry if my argument with the Admiral got out of hand. I didn't expect it to go this long and for so many people to get involved.
8626100
8626208
isn't it for her sake? So that she doesn't have the potential of pony conflict again by shutting up all opposition for that is certainly what has happened. Yes many Earth pony cities did side with the rebellion but many more did not. Hell at the end it seems that Earth Pony support was gone considering the fate of the Blades. All the Earth ponies need to do is elect a new vice Chancellor and maybe new mayors for the formerly rebel towns and boom the Earth Pony government is back. Yet this never happens. Celestia dissolves the Earth pony government despite it's loyalty and adopts a slightly altered Unicornian system with her as a ruler with no checks on her. Gives the rebels point alot of ammunition don't you think?
Yes the Pegasi were wrong to do what they did and until the disolving of the clans decree that had nothign to support the idea of Celestia beign a tyrant. Now they do.
8626302
For what it's worth, it looks like she only dissolved the very upper levels of the earth pony government? Since local governments are still elected in the modern day. (at least in the comics)
8626302
There was never any mention of more Earth Ponies siding with the Loyalists than the Rebellion. Fillydelphia was a Loyalist city from the get go that surrendered to avoid sacking. I also think you're oversimplifying the process of rebuilding an entire government from the ground up. The rebels didn't just kill the Chancellor, they killed the entire federal government of the Earth Ponies. That means, to rebuild the Earth Pony government, they would have to hold elections, which triggered a civil war last time, in the immediate aftermath of that civil war. Also, how exactly would Celestia or any other high ranking official go about convincing ponies to limit her power? Is Celestia supposed to say to all the ponies who nearly died for believing in her "In the wake of this terrible rebellion that tried to weaken my authority, I shall now install infrastructure meant to make rebellion easier in case I really deserve it next time." Kinda sends a bad message. Also, no, she did not do this for her own self interest. She didn't dissolve the rebel governments because she wanted to remove any checks on her authority, she dissolved them so they couldn't rise up and kill thousands again and nearly starve the entire country over entirely misguided reasons. The Rebels were the aggressors in this war. Pegasopolis invaded Unicornia with the intention to unseat its well loved queen. When a nation is invaded, it isn't uncommon for the defender to try and invade and destroy the attacker to avoid future wars. Destroying Pegasopolis prevented generations of bloodshed, because the Loyalists WON. Everything the Rebels stood for was undone, largely by themselves, and their armies were shattered. And, I can't stress this enough, it worked. You've claimed in the past that this was through luck, but I legitimately want to know how. How did they get lucky? If they weren't lucky, how would the clans have risen up again to fight? How would the Earth Ponies? How could another war occur after all that has happened, and all the steps taken to prevent another one?
8626490
Yeah, earth pony communities got to keep their local democracy and elections largely unchanged, aside from a few temporary rules restricting anyone who worked for the rebels from running. Expanding local democracy was also likely one of the tools Sunbeam used to de-fang the nobility once she started undercutting their power base.
Of course, going off show and comics cannon makes it very hard to figure out how Equestria government works, since it seems to run however the writer of that current story wants it to work and/or needs for any random one-off characters and cutaway gags. Consistent worldbuilding has not always been MLP’s strong suit.
8626685
Wow, Sunbeam didn't miss a single opportunity to undermine the nobilities power, did she? Kinda makes me wonder if she dislikes the nobility for practical reasons or if she has some sort of personal grudge. Either way, always great to see what you guys have to say, it always makes the world you built feel more real. Can't wait for the final chapter!
8626685
well I don't use the cmics for anythign really and show has only shown Town mayor elections at best so it seemed Celestia wipe out both governments and slightly adapted the Unicornian one.
8625691
The narative Rightly and years later Freezy belive in paint a very grim picture, one where your deep thinking leads to the Pegasus deciding they were totally correct in going to war and that it was only because of Swift or dishonorable tactics that they lost. At the very least if you are going to insist that a second war is just a hypothetical despite what every character but Rightly says you must acknowledge your scenario is at the very least just as hypothetical, if not your not really being honest. I am also not really sure if you want to make the argument that a major reason the Peagsus went was because Celestia accidentally insulted them, that only serves to paint them in an even worse light.
You say this and I will reply with a quote from Shadow
You keep saying that it was up to the loyalists to be reasonable but look at what Rightly would accept, complete Independence for the Pegasus and earth ponies, and a return of their privileged status as the warrior elite of Equstria. They were given a choice, one that they did not like but a choice none the less, actions have consequences.
That was Rightly stance tacticly acknowedgle the legtimacy of their rebellion, as well as implicitly accept their victory in a war they lost, he never considered anything less then total victory or defeat as far back as his conversation with Shadow in prison. No it was not because he wanted to save the clans, its was because he could not be the first and only ephor to surrender, time and time again Chengar brought up that fact as the story went on and several times in this chapter alone. That was not an accident, some times, one side is to far gone and it is important to acknowledge that.
As for your last point, are you really arguing that the solution to mistakes made in the show is to let a warrior society with a bronze age level of morality, one that has already failed utterly in its self apointed duty in the worst way, to be the 'check' on Celestia? That every time something goes wrong the Clans should move in and seize power? Ya no. Also with your last point do you mean to acept that the clans would not willing reform and disband?
8626302 8626502>>8626685
I would bet that after what the Peagus did to them, the Earth ponies actualy would be quite accepting of unifying the separate governments, especially if the trains started to run on time again for lack of a better metaphor, as well as their loved ones were not being marched into a meat grinder. If the new equestrian government provides stability and safety with no one starving as well as keeping their local politics in tact, they would at the very least just go with it. But seriously the cannon government makes no damn sense.
I think this chapter has finally gotten me to feel downright sympathetic for Sunbeam's viewpoint. I'm still not sure I like (or trust) her really, but man is it ever infuriating to basically watch everyone around you decide that real, flesh and blood people/ponies/etc. have to die for some abstract idea. Not even because it's a hard decision that is carefully calculated to save more lives down the road, no. But just because...well this idea here is really special and important, or something like that.
It's enough to make me wonder, if an idea needs a seemingly endless parade of sacrifices just to keep existing...is it really an idea worth keeping around at all?
8628968
"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer."
Rightly made his choice, and that's fine. The damned part of it, however, is that he dragged so many others down with him. A charismatic enough leader can often convince the weaker-minded of just about anything. It's the most compelling argument for the use of assassins that I've ever seen.
8631999
Yeah, although in this case all those who followed him to die might have done something else stupid to "avenge" him if he'd been assassinated. This was far worse than a case of weak minds or one faulty leader. They all charged to their deaths because of the centuries old culture and traditions they'd been raised with.
The war has finally reached it's end.
I can't wait to see what happens in the closing chapter(s) now that the main conflict has been resolved.
Great chapter!
Something just occurred to me. What happened to that mercenary guy Polaris hired to advise him? I know he was arrested under suspicion of having helped the Rebels find Polaris’s army, but what happened to him once what really happened came to light? I know this is, like, the least important thing that hasn’t been fully explained, but I am still curious nonetheless.
-Takes deep breath-
It is over. The war is finally over. And yet, I am not happy. Righty's last attempt was pointless and stupid...How many lives have been lost.
Now, for the Epilogue.
8639551 As far as I can tell, Famous Spear is still rotting in a Canterlot cell. Yeah, Shadow didn't like him, so she wouldn't mention him much, but I doubt she wouldn't have said something if he rejoined the Solars or "proved his nature" and went over to the Lunars.
get yeet'd Mussolini style, Swift Bitch
Evidently, yes, and for a long time more peaceable times hid the rot.