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<HEADS UP: I accidentally flagged this post as a contest. Looking through the editing options, I'm not sure how to change the icon, so I'm stating at the top of the post that this is NOT a contest and has NOTHING to do with a contest. My apologies for the misconceptions, I'm something of a newbie around here and had no idea the icons were for specific purposes. If someone could tell me how to change the icon of this thread, that'd be awesome. Thanks!>
Hey, all. So, I noticed a few of you are interested in MLP, and I figured I'd drop this idea here. Even if you're not interested in MLP, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my ideas for these campaigns. I mean, I'd love to do it myself, but I'd need the models, the mapping experience, the AI experience, etc. I'm not half bad at making neat maps, but this just seems a little over my head. Or maybe a lot.
I had this idea for a series of campaigns. Three, specifically. It'd be between the benevolent and noble Princess Celestia, the jealous and vindictive Princess Luna, and the insidious and arrogant changeling queen.
Anyone here remember Tiberian Sun? Well, if you've never heard of it, the cast of the story never referred to the player as the commander. The player followed the stories of characters in the game, like Michael McNeil or Anton Slavick. I was thinking these campaigns would happen that way, all of them following a single character as the player: Shining Armor.
Shining Armor is ideal for this position because he’s the brother of a very important character, Twilight Sparkle, the captain of the royal guard, and the husband of another important character, Princess Cadance. With an ‘a.’ This makes him a priority target for any of the faction leaders to have on their side.
First, a little history:
Roughly a thousand years ago, Princess Luna – the younger of the two royal sisters – refused to lower the moon to make way for the sun. She was sick of sitting in her sister’s shadow, and wanted to be appreciated. Faced with the collapse of the delicate order they had worked so hard to build, Princess Celestia was forced to do the unthinkable: Using powerful magical artifacts called the Elements of Harmony (but unable to use them properly without her sister’s help, who she was fighting against), she managed to imprison her sister in the moon.
Princess Celestia is very regretful of what she had to do, and has thought very much before about what she might have said or done differently to prevent the tragedy from occurring. Princess Luna, on the other hand, is also apparently regretful of her actions. I’ve deduced there’s a strong possibility that the Elements of Harmony are merely short-term assets when used properly, meant not to warp the minds of their victims, but to balance them, so that harmony could be achieved.
Princess Luna (under the guise of Nightmare Moon) was hit with the Elements of Harmony (used properly by the unicorn pupil of Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle) and was turned back into herself. Assuming that the reason for her shape-shifting into a much shorter, much weaker version of herself was -not- because some sort of corruption left her body, but because she was so powerful and threatening to harmony prior to being struck by the Elements that their attack harmonized her, reducing her to something that harmonic forces could handle, she was never changed mentally. Thus, she could feign loyalty to regain power in order to take the throne this time around. Clearly, she’s also regretful to some degree, but if it’s true that the Elements of Harmony never changed her mind, her hatred of her older sister is still there, and so are her motivations to take her down… provided she has the confidence to even try.
Currently, there are six ponies who can wield the Elements of Harmony, but like the royal sisters had to be together to use them, they too have to be together. Twilight Sparkle is the element of magic, and Shining Armor is her brother.
About changelings… they made an appearance in the last two episodes of season 2, and are essentially shape-shifting, hive-minded creatures that feed on love. They use their shape-shifting powers to take the place of ponies and feed on the love that the pony whose face they’re wearing receives from others in their life. All changelings have wings and horns, but they don’t seem to use either of those in the same way as ponies with wings and/or horns, nor do they possess the same god-like power that Alicorns have. Not even their queen is that powerful. However, with sufficient energy from love, they become more powerful, which is how the changeling queen defeated Princess Celestia at the wedding. The queen herself seems to be able to mind-control ponies.
Princess Cadance and Shining Armor used Deus Ex Machina to beat the changelings at the end of the final episode of season 2.
There’s this funky idea floating around that Princess Luna was the evil shape-shifter at the wedding in Canterlot, and if true, that would really debunk everything we know about changelings, as we never would have actually seen one. However, for the purposes of these campaigns, that was the case. And, for the sake of logic, we’ll assume that the example Princess Luna and whoever played the role of the changelings set during the Canterlot wedding is actually what changelings are like and how they operate. This’ll make it much easier to design the changeling faction, and maybe even make Princess Luna’s case a little more interesting or cool.
Here’s a rough sketch of my vision for the elder sister’s campaign, with some links to musical themes:
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SOLAR CAMPAIGN: HARMONY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjGL7W55Ydw
Princess Celestia believes that the time to come out of peace is upon them, for negotiations with the infamous changeling queen have ended in threats. The changeling queen takes no responsibility for the attack on Canterlot, and sees Princess Celestia's communications as a challenge!
Shining Armor, loyal and honorable captain of the royal guard, is prepared to answer the call to arms. He stands proud and confident that the fearsome menace from parts unknown will surrender or fall before the might of the Solar Empire. He readies his troops and awaits Princess Celestia's orders.
Nopony has been out to the wasteland in centuries. Changelings haven't been to pony lands, presumably, in similar lengths of time, excluding the incident at the wedding. When the changelings strike first, Princess Celestia has no choice but to return fire. Despite the fact that the changeling horde is formidable unlike any foe faced by Equestrian folk in recorded history, and the amiable country hasn't been at war for ages, her forces are ready to retalliate. Besides, with her sister at her side once more, her people cannot be stopped! Right?
Princess Luna stands by, watching as her sister paces back and forth. It didn't make any sense! She did not intend to provoke the wrath of the changeling swarm once more, but the arrogant queen wouldn't admit to her own aggressiveness. Regardless, Princess Celestia wouldn't stand for any more of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfx3OlgsOYM
SONG TIME: 0:00
Having warmed up on Equestria’s wasteland outposts, the changeling swarm is on their way to the homeland. Their numbers are overwhelming, but by splitting them up in the skies over Gildedale and fencing them in with defensive perimeters, Shining’s forces manage to absorb a good lot of the initial attack.
After repelling the attack on the homeland, Princess Celestia’s army takes to the wasteland, fighting the environment almost as much as the changeling swarm. The focus of these missions would be securing / conquering resource nodes, making base, and eliminating some changeling fortifications. Perhaps even in that order.
Finally, they reach the outer hive clusters. However, word reaches the front lines of an attack on the capital of Canterlot by a mysterious anarchist organization. Shining Armor is summoned back to the city, leaving his officers in charge of defense.
SONG TIME: 2:25
Princess Celestia has been relocated from the castle, and the first mission in Canterlot involves the recruiting of militia and the rescuing of royal guards, some of which have been trapped by the rebels, and others have betrayed the throne. By the end of the first mission, it'll be revealed that Princess Luna is behind the attack, and since the majority of her sister’s army is prowling around the wasteland, she took the opportunity to seize the castle.
The second mission involves securing the castle, and the killing of a guard captain who is on the rebels' side. Over the course of the battle, Princess Luna's morale will have been broken completely. She will admit that she doesn't want to fight anymore, regrets her actions, perhaps that she's scared or confused about what she's supposed to do, or what she's brought upon the kingdom, having lost the battle. They'll have a dramatic and touching encounter, where Princess Celestia apologizes to her sister, and vows to make things right at any cost. Finally, some hope for the kingdom!
SONG TIME: 4:46
Shining Armor returns to the front lines to find that his officers have held the line around the secondary hive clusters. Now, the only thing left to do is take it.
The first step is de-powering the changeling swarm by freeing a number of ponies who've been enslaved in the hive. This'll be a covert sort of mission with some neat exposition, which would normally be found at the beginning of the changeling campaign.
The second mission involves the assault on the primary hive clusters, and the assassination of the changeling queen. Princess Luna's remaining forces arrive at some point during the battle, fighting alongside Shining Armor and his soldiers.
CONCLUSION:
After this, they rebuild. Princess Luna will rule alongside her sister, and the next queen of the changelings will be the willing ally of Equestria, for the royal sisters shall have a part to play in her upbringing. Or something. Harmony is restored to Equestria.
The whole idea behind the Solar campaign is about rebuilding trust and reaching compromise, and about having zero tolerance for those who don't have any tolerance, themselves. Princess Luna was confused, but regretful, and while hostile, she could be redeemed, and deserved to be. The changeling queen brashly and selfishly attempted to seize power, and in order to safeguard her ponies, Princess Celestia had no choice but to dethrone her.
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PRINCESS CELESTIA’S ARMY:
The hierarchy in Equestria as it stands is basically as follows:
Alicorns at the top – they rule the rest. Alicorns wield god-like power and there are only four Alicorns that exist today: The royal sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and recently, Princess Twilight Sparkle (though these campaigns would all take place immediately after the events of the Canterlot wedding, so Twilight would be a unicorn, here). Supposedly, the royal sisters are immortal as far as aging goes, or live for very long period of time, but can be killed or corrupted.
Unicorns – the high-class, social part of Equestrian society. They universally have the uncanny ability to use magic to cast spells, though their power is nowhere near as great as an Alicorn’s. Before the royal sisters came around, they used their magic to control the cycle of day and night so the earth ponies could grow their food. As the high end of Equestrian society, they can often be seen in high-end positions. Shining Armor, for example, is the captain of the royal guard, and he is a unicorn. Most scholars in Equestrian society are unicorns. Unicorns brought up in their ‘ideal’ society generally try to set an ‘ideal’ example, inclined towards order and civility.
Pegasi – tough, resilient fliers capable of breaking the sound barrier (and in some cases, the visible light spectrum) and manipulating weather. Before the royal sisters came around, pegasi were responsible for placing rainclouds in convenient places so earth ponies could grow their food. The general stereotype about pegasi is that they’re competitive and impetuous, and to a degree, it’s correct! Pegasi are naturally and culturally inclined towards competition and strength. For their pride, they were never the easiest race to negotiate with. Still, their nature makes them great soldiers, and they make up the largest percentage of ponies in the royal guard. Nowadays, some of the individuals most loyal to Princess Celestia are pegasi.
Earth ponies – without the ability to use magic or fly, this race was stuck doing the work that was too menial for the other races to bother with. Because a lot of their race had to farm to meet the demands of unicorns, pegasi, and their fellow earth ponies, generations of earth ponies were generally uneducated for a long time. Technological advancements and societal changes since the royal sisters came around have greatly contributed to the rise in greatness and respect for earth ponies, but they’re still at the bottom. Clearly, they have great aspirations, and some earth ponies have even attempted to replicate or participate in unicorn culture. Earth ponies are naturally strong, if nothing else.
All of that being said, I’d say Princess Celestia’s faction would consist mostly of pegasi, with some elite unicorn units. Pegasi would be able to swap between flying in the air or trotting on the ground, and some unicorns would be able to teleport themselves or others around places, making Princess Celestia’s faction pretty versatile in terms of movement. Then there’s the idea of vehicles, which would be cool.
As they exist today, the Wonderbolts are a sort of air force for the royal sisters. There was a reference to the Shadowbolts at some point, so I’m gonna assume that the ones under Princess Celestia were the Solarbolts, back during the conflict between her and her sister. Thus, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will have two different sets of elite air units that are roughly equivalent to one-another, that the changeling swarm won’t have any equivalents to. Maybe one’s a little more stealthy and the other’s more faster or something, I dunno.
As for unicorns, and aside from hero units (like Shining Armor, who’s obviously going to be a hero unit), I had this idea for an elite unicorn unit for Princess Celestia’s faction: The Arbiter! Arbiters are by definition people who have the sole or absolute power of judging or determining, and I love the idea of a self-righteous, self-empowering regime under Princess Celestia. Makes me think that’s how Princess Luna got jealous in the first place. So, there’d be a unicorn arbiter with an arsenal of neat spells to support groups of troops ‘n’ stuff.
So there’s an idea. Now then, Princess Luna’s campaign:
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LUNAR CAMPAIGN: CONVICTION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7j-igzEAxc
After many centuries of honing her skills and planning her moves, Princess Luna has finally returned home. For years, she has been influencing or intimidating ponies in their dreams, reaching out to those with the spirit of a rebel, with the will to see her sister de-throned for her transgressions.
A thousand years were wasted on the very thing Princess Luna sought to see idolized by the ponies that only saw her sister's sun. She had to be banished, because she could not be stopped... and she will not be stopped a second time. With an army at her back and renewed hatred fueling her every thought, the younger of the royal sisters is prepared to take it to the bloody end.
Shining Armor, tormented by nightmares of his beloved country burning amidst a great and terrible war, one which cannot end well for those he loves if he remains loyal to Princess Celestia, and somehow reluctant to inform Princess Celestia of his recent blasphemous thoughts, is drawn into the wayward sister's grasp. He sees no choice but to serve her and save what he can. Welcomed whole-heartedly by some unexpectedly treacherous comrades of his, however, he begins to re-think his position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJAsM-DkZC0
Kicking off with a very swift start, Ponyville receives a visit from a squad of the mythical Shadowbolts - Princess Luna's elite air force, back when the Wonderbolts were split between the Solarbolts and the Shadowbolts. Nopony expects something that isn't even supposed to exist anymore, right? Something unheard-of?
Their mission is simple: capture Twilight Sparkle, element of magic. Without her, the elements are rendered useless, save the fact that they're still giant reserves of raw magical power. And, preferrably, capture any of the other elements as well, if not all of them, before they can escape.
Naturally, Shining Armor doesn't take kindly to the fact that they're stealing his sister. He will plead with Princess Luna to allow him to lead her, himself, where she will not be able to turn back. Doing so will build Luna's fury, likely resulting in threats, but she allows him to do it under certain conditions, like if the town is alerted to the presence of the rebels before Twilight can be captured. Or, heck, maybe he manages to convince her that he can rope her in without hurting her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Inb29-9yI
Depending on Shining Armor's stance, Twilight will be more or less furious with him, and confused with Princess Luna. However, unable to break free and alert Princess Celestia of this treachery, she is only able to direct her disbelief at her brother.
Over the course of the next few missions, Princess Luna's militants continue to intimidate or inspire various towns into cooperating. Very early on, the changelings show up, and compete with the Solar Empire for control of the regions. This builds unrest, allowing Shining Armor to convince ponies that siding with Princess Luna is the only way to defeat both the ineffective Solar Empire and the immediate changeling threat. It also allows the rebels to recruit with ease, letting the two big threats battle it out and sneaking to ponies in-between.
Shining Armor will either fear Princess Luna, following her only to keep his loved ones safe, or he will start to take pride in following her, impressed with her ability to efficiently get things done but not fearful of her rule, depending on how he plays throughout the missions.
With the majority of her forces aiding her sister in secret, Shining Armor included, Princess Celestia is losing the battle for her homeland, and consults her sister, Princess Luna. Depending on the sort of impression her army makes with either inspiring or intimidating (or some other way of influencing the outcome of this stuff), Princess Luna either judges her sister's confusion and frantic strategizing as cowardice, leaving her undeserving of the throne and of support, or decides instead to restore her confidence for the time being, only to shatter it later.
Twilight, on the other hand, may begin to truly accept what's happening, depending on how the campaign has been played. Upset and shocked at Princess Luna's betrayal, she reflects upon the possible outcomes of this conflict, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgKqvVLl5sA
SONG TIME: 0:00
With the changeling swarm having made a huge impact on the northwest border and having already invaded Canterlot, and without anywhere to turn, Princess Celestia cannot flee her castle in Canterlot. Princess Luna, with great and rising confidence, communicates to her officers the situation in the city.
The streets must be retaken from the changelings, and the remnants of the Solar Empire in the area erradicated. Shining Armor will have the most trouble doing this if he's been inspiring this whole time, as opposed to intimidating.
All over the city, Princess Luna's black banner is raised. It becomes very clear who is behind all of this.
SONG TIME: 1:52
At last, the capital is reached. Canterlot Castle lies directly ahead, as Princess Celestia realizes that Princess Luna is behind this uprising. No matter what, this will end badly for Princess Celestia – her sister will either threaten her with banishment, as was done to her, and as she vowed to do, or, if the cards were played a certain way, she will threaten to end her life. Maybe there’s a way to avoid getting either of these endings, but it had better have a damn good reason behind it, and maybe be really hard to achieve, since compromise was the -last- campaign’s big thing, not this one’s big thing.
Princess Luna reveals that she was, in fact, the evil shape-shifter who appeared during the wedding, who knew all about the caves beneath Canterlot, and knew to secure the vault holding the Elements of Harmony... that she feigned the entire time, and used her sister's trust against her.
Princess Celestia pleads with her sister for the entirety of the battle, during which Queen Chrysalis arrives a little off the way. She has no idea what's going on, but takes the opportunity to batter at the less powerful one - naturally, that'd be Princess Luna's rebels, at the time.
Having fortified the castle, Princess Celestia does not go down without a fight. She attempts to secure the vault containing the Elements of Harmony, but that has to be taken by Princess Luna's rebels at some point during the battle.
SONG TIME: 2:56
The Solarbolts plummet out of the sky as a militant army shakes the earth, marching relentlessly onwards towards Canterlot castle. Princess Luna, who now leads her ranks towards her sister, grins confidently. The last stalwart defenders of the benevolent Princess Celestia fall before the rebel onslaught.
Princess Celestia leaves the castle, appearing on the front steps, amidst the corpses of her best knights, and before her sister. The two speak for the last time (for now, at the very least), as Princess Celestia accepts her fate. Battling with the last semblance of will and courage she has, the two duel, leaving Princess Luna as the victor, and Princess Celestia either banished to the moon, or dead.
Princess Luna's vengeance has been exacted. Canterlot castle gleams in the fading sunlight as it crumbles before the rebel army. The full moon rises high into the sky, and bannermen had already run in, anticipating the victory. Upon the rubble, a black flag is raised, and all goes silent, save the billowing of that flag. The day is won for the night.
CONCLUSION:
Following the battle, Princess Luna chases the changelings out of her now-unified country, cornering the queen herself. She will learn not to trifle in Equestrian affairs again, or face the wrath of the vengeful princess.
Princess Luna, broken from the bloodshed and tearful at the overwhelming guilt that comes flooding back to her upon banishing or killing her sister, has only misery to bask in. What did she do it all for, really? Envy? Despite what happens, her faithful army is still at her back. They are ready to rebuild Equestria, and ready to begin a new age, amidst the sadness of loss.
She might, on the other hand, be entirely proud of whatever she did. She deserved this victory, and nopony was going to take it from her. Having conquered her fears and her sister, she finds she has no remorse, no shame, and no pity for her actions. The crown never fit her sister, anyway. Now, confident that she will at last be free of her sister's shadow, and will finally be appreciated (one way or another), she is prepared to lead her terrified and awed subjects into a new era of Lunar glory.
This entire campaign is focused on the notion of choice. Does Princess Luna forgive? Perhaps she can. But, for this, so much hurt has fallen upon the younger sister's shoulders. Does Princess Celestia deserve mercy? Perhaps a banishment is in order, or maybe it's best to scatter her to the sands of time... but, one thing is for certain: Judgment day has come for all those who never loved the princess of the night. Pray she is merciful.
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PRINCESS LUNA’S ARMY:
Come to think of it, Princess Luna seems to be all about judging and such, so maybe going the holy route for Princess Celestia and giving her ‘confessors’ or something and Princess Luna ‘arbiters’ would work out just fine. Or, swap those two and Princess Luna with her confessors and her militant rebels would be a nice homage to the Brotherhood of Nod from Tiberian Sun. Erm, but then again, if both of those units were on the same team, they seem to go together. Yeah, it’d work too if they were on the same team… then could go the ‘holy’ route for Princess Celestia what with knights and paladins and such. Then again, self-righteous, holy crusaders decked in epic armor and an awesome title like ‘arbiter’ would fit right in on Princess Celestia’s side…
But I digress.
Seeing as Princess Luna is rebelling, she’d probably have the most trouble influencing pegasi, then unicorns, then earth ponies. Thus, I think it would make sense if the majority of her army were earth ponies, and then unicorns, and then she has the Shadowbolts for air power. Actually, since she only seems to have the Shadowbolts for air power, I figure it might be a good idea to make the Shadowbolts more powerful than the Solarbolts, even if only slightly. Naturally, Princess Luna's army will have plenty of anti-air, but with such limited mobility, having the Shadowbolts be her elite units would be cool. Then, Princess Celestia's elite units could be unicorns.
Here’s my sketch for the changeling campaign:
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CHANGELING CAMPAIGN: OVERMIND
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Kd_71GkUo
The storied changelings strike fear in the hearts of ponies, as they have for many centuries. If one would inquire, they would hear tell of how ponies used to vanish without a trace, and it was thought that the changelings were to blame... and you could never tell who was who, because anyone could be a changeling. Anyone. The superstitious were right to fear them – their hides are thick and tough, their strength unparalleled, save by only the strongest of ponies... like the royal guard. Each and every one is unified in purpose, tied forever to their queen.
As evolutionary masters of replication, they hardly possess any genuineness... save the genuine impenetrability of their hive cluster. Nopony has penetrated the changeling hive in centuries, and lived to tell the tale.
The spies have returned from their recon. Queen Chrysalis, an Imperialist ruler, having only recently noticed the value of Equestria and its ponies as a source of nourishment, has decided to capture and enslave Shining Armor, since he not only has ties to the element of magic, but also to an Alicorn who might thwart her plans.
Shining Armor witnesses the horrors of the changeling hive firsthand: Generations upon generations of ponies have been indoctrinated into the swarm, likely stolen away from their homes many years ago and bred to feed with their compulsive devotion. Truly, there is no humanity in the changeling queen. She is as insidious as she is cunning, and that will be the downfall of those who challenged her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsjZG0iZd3k
Swarming Equestria from the northwest, the changelings fly over Gildedale and into Manehattan. The first mission will involve a neat, all-out city raid, to establish a hive cluster in Equestria. The Solar Empire will be there to defend it, but surely, they will fall before the swarms.
Throughout the campaign, the player will find the opportunity to thwart rebel recruiting plans in the region. For the first mission, they will need to assimilate a number of civilians or soldiers, and slaughter the rest.
Manehattan happens to be in close proximity to the Everfree Forest. The Everfree Heights, a warrior-town in the Everfree full of hardened ponies who live in one of the most dangerous places in the world, should be conquered. Because of its solitude, it should be simple to capture.
Princess Luna's rebels will show up, however, claiming that now is a better time than ever for the indifferent town to dive into the fray, for the end is approaching, and they cannot stand separately against the threats facing the country. They make a formidable combination, but are eventually defeated.
Ponyville, northeast of the Everfree Forest, is next for the taking. The town has been fortified to prepare for the coming assault, but what they didn't expect is Shining Armor's assimilation (or maybe they did, in which case the bunch of changelings inside the town already would have to sneak Shining to his destination).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt5xd_cdap8
Having arrived at town, Shining Armor seeks out his sister with a posse of changelings already inside the town, whom he is forced to barricade in her own house with a magical bubbleshield. She attempts to overpower him, but the changeling swarm must overwhelm the town's defenses and assist Shining Armor before he can be defeated or knocked out of hypnosis by the element of magic. The changelings that followed him into the house should be able to keep Twilight occupied for a certain amount of time before they cannot protect Shining Armor any longer.
Ultimately, they succeed, and Twilight is abducted. She returns in a later mission, subservient. Also, Princess Cadance arrives in Canterlot and stands beside the royal sisters against the changeling swarm, having heard of her beloved friends' unfortunate fate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg6tI3MJPLk
Fighting their way to Canterlot below Cloudsdale, the changeling swarm devastates the pegasus city and leaves it as quickly as they came, only desolate and lifeless.
Princess Luna has stopped attempting to overthrow Celestia, seeing the changelings as the real threat. In fact, they band together for the last couple of missions. However, it's not enough to stop Queen Chrysalis, and Princess Cadance is captured during the battle.
The royal sisters still can make use of the elements of harmony, however, and are prepared with everything they've got. Banded together, they're unstoppable! However, the swarm manages to separate the two, and Queen Chrysalis moves in on Princess Celestia.
After destroying her last lines of defense, the changeling queen corners the elder sister and begins channeling magic in an attempt to control her. Princess Cadance channels magic into the queen, but Princess Celestia doesn't go quietly. Her sister, Princess Luna, fights a desperate battle to save her sister and disrupt the ritual, but it's too late. She is forced into submission, and Queen Chrysalis is far too powerful to stop.
CONCLUSION:
Taking control of the other royal sister was simply too easy, with her sister to overpower her. With all of Equestria's might under her spell and watchful eyes, and the swarms eager to do her bidding, Queen Chrysalis is invincible. She should have done this years ago! Although, it's apparent that she would not have succeeded without the sisters' dissent at the very beginning.
This entire campaign is about conquest. I don’t really have a theme for it, so I guess I’ll just call it the ‘just for teh lulz’ campaign.
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CHANGELING ARMY:
Actually, I was kinda thinking that the first mission of the changeling campaign would involve the battle over Gildedale, and the capturing of Shining Armor. I mean, that doesn’t need to be the case, really; Shining could have been sent to the wasteland to check up on the outposts around the changeling hive and been captured before the first mission, but whatever. Could work either way.
The changeling army wouldn’t be quite as mobile as Princess Celestia’s army, since the changelings would, say, only be able to fly for short periods of time, or they’d be mana-starved a lot. I figure it’d be cool to have a supporting spellcaster for the changeling faction be an enslaved pony who restores mana to changelings by providing love, which would let them Frenzy or something.
On the note of more powerful units, I figured it’d be cool if the changeling faction, instead of having tanks or something, used controlled animals, like manticores. I mean, they do go into the Everfree at some point during this campaign, and the Everfree Forest has bears that are the size of houses… when they’re still infants. If that’s not a sufficient replacement for tanks, I dunno what is. And, RA2/YR-style spies would be pretty cool.
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Thoughts?
Hey, all. So, I noticed a few of you are interested in MLP, and I figured I'd drop this idea here. Even if you're not interested in MLP, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my ideas for these campaigns. I mean, I'd love to do it myself, but I'd need the models, the mapping experience, the AI experience, etc. I'm not half bad at making neat maps, but this just seems a little over my head. Or maybe a lot.
I had this idea for a series of campaigns. Three, specifically. It'd be between the benevolent and noble Princess Celestia, the jealous and vindictive Princess Luna, and the insidious and arrogant changeling queen.
Anyone here remember Tiberian Sun? Well, if you've never heard of it, the cast of the story never referred to the player as the commander. The player followed the stories of characters in the game, like Michael McNeil or Anton Slavick. I was thinking these campaigns would happen that way, all of them following a single character as the player: Shining Armor.
Shining Armor is ideal for this position because he’s the brother of a very important character, Twilight Sparkle, the captain of the royal guard, and the husband of another important character, Princess Cadance. With an ‘a.’ This makes him a priority target for any of the faction leaders to have on their side.
First, a little history:
Roughly a thousand years ago, Princess Luna – the younger of the two royal sisters – refused to lower the moon to make way for the sun. She was sick of sitting in her sister’s shadow, and wanted to be appreciated. Faced with the collapse of the delicate order they had worked so hard to build, Princess Celestia was forced to do the unthinkable: Using powerful magical artifacts called the Elements of Harmony (but unable to use them properly without her sister’s help, who she was fighting against), she managed to imprison her sister in the moon.
Princess Celestia is very regretful of what she had to do, and has thought very much before about what she might have said or done differently to prevent the tragedy from occurring. Princess Luna, on the other hand, is also apparently regretful of her actions. I’ve deduced there’s a strong possibility that the Elements of Harmony are merely short-term assets when used properly, meant not to warp the minds of their victims, but to balance them, so that harmony could be achieved.
Princess Luna (under the guise of Nightmare Moon) was hit with the Elements of Harmony (used properly by the unicorn pupil of Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle) and was turned back into herself. Assuming that the reason for her shape-shifting into a much shorter, much weaker version of herself was -not- because some sort of corruption left her body, but because she was so powerful and threatening to harmony prior to being struck by the Elements that their attack harmonized her, reducing her to something that harmonic forces could handle, she was never changed mentally. Thus, she could feign loyalty to regain power in order to take the throne this time around. Clearly, she’s also regretful to some degree, but if it’s true that the Elements of Harmony never changed her mind, her hatred of her older sister is still there, and so are her motivations to take her down… provided she has the confidence to even try.
Currently, there are six ponies who can wield the Elements of Harmony, but like the royal sisters had to be together to use them, they too have to be together. Twilight Sparkle is the element of magic, and Shining Armor is her brother.
About changelings… they made an appearance in the last two episodes of season 2, and are essentially shape-shifting, hive-minded creatures that feed on love. They use their shape-shifting powers to take the place of ponies and feed on the love that the pony whose face they’re wearing receives from others in their life. All changelings have wings and horns, but they don’t seem to use either of those in the same way as ponies with wings and/or horns, nor do they possess the same god-like power that Alicorns have. Not even their queen is that powerful. However, with sufficient energy from love, they become more powerful, which is how the changeling queen defeated Princess Celestia at the wedding. The queen herself seems to be able to mind-control ponies.
Princess Cadance and Shining Armor used Deus Ex Machina to beat the changelings at the end of the final episode of season 2.
There’s this funky idea floating around that Princess Luna was the evil shape-shifter at the wedding in Canterlot, and if true, that would really debunk everything we know about changelings, as we never would have actually seen one. However, for the purposes of these campaigns, that was the case. And, for the sake of logic, we’ll assume that the example Princess Luna and whoever played the role of the changelings set during the Canterlot wedding is actually what changelings are like and how they operate. This’ll make it much easier to design the changeling faction, and maybe even make Princess Luna’s case a little more interesting or cool.
Here’s a rough sketch of my vision for the elder sister’s campaign, with some links to musical themes:
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SOLAR CAMPAIGN: HARMONY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjGL7W55Ydw
Princess Celestia believes that the time to come out of peace is upon them, for negotiations with the infamous changeling queen have ended in threats. The changeling queen takes no responsibility for the attack on Canterlot, and sees Princess Celestia's communications as a challenge!
Shining Armor, loyal and honorable captain of the royal guard, is prepared to answer the call to arms. He stands proud and confident that the fearsome menace from parts unknown will surrender or fall before the might of the Solar Empire. He readies his troops and awaits Princess Celestia's orders.
Nopony has been out to the wasteland in centuries. Changelings haven't been to pony lands, presumably, in similar lengths of time, excluding the incident at the wedding. When the changelings strike first, Princess Celestia has no choice but to return fire. Despite the fact that the changeling horde is formidable unlike any foe faced by Equestrian folk in recorded history, and the amiable country hasn't been at war for ages, her forces are ready to retalliate. Besides, with her sister at her side once more, her people cannot be stopped! Right?
Princess Luna stands by, watching as her sister paces back and forth. It didn't make any sense! She did not intend to provoke the wrath of the changeling swarm once more, but the arrogant queen wouldn't admit to her own aggressiveness. Regardless, Princess Celestia wouldn't stand for any more of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfx3OlgsOYM
SONG TIME: 0:00
Having warmed up on Equestria’s wasteland outposts, the changeling swarm is on their way to the homeland. Their numbers are overwhelming, but by splitting them up in the skies over Gildedale and fencing them in with defensive perimeters, Shining’s forces manage to absorb a good lot of the initial attack.
After repelling the attack on the homeland, Princess Celestia’s army takes to the wasteland, fighting the environment almost as much as the changeling swarm. The focus of these missions would be securing / conquering resource nodes, making base, and eliminating some changeling fortifications. Perhaps even in that order.
Finally, they reach the outer hive clusters. However, word reaches the front lines of an attack on the capital of Canterlot by a mysterious anarchist organization. Shining Armor is summoned back to the city, leaving his officers in charge of defense.
SONG TIME: 2:25
Princess Celestia has been relocated from the castle, and the first mission in Canterlot involves the recruiting of militia and the rescuing of royal guards, some of which have been trapped by the rebels, and others have betrayed the throne. By the end of the first mission, it'll be revealed that Princess Luna is behind the attack, and since the majority of her sister’s army is prowling around the wasteland, she took the opportunity to seize the castle.
The second mission involves securing the castle, and the killing of a guard captain who is on the rebels' side. Over the course of the battle, Princess Luna's morale will have been broken completely. She will admit that she doesn't want to fight anymore, regrets her actions, perhaps that she's scared or confused about what she's supposed to do, or what she's brought upon the kingdom, having lost the battle. They'll have a dramatic and touching encounter, where Princess Celestia apologizes to her sister, and vows to make things right at any cost. Finally, some hope for the kingdom!
SONG TIME: 4:46
Shining Armor returns to the front lines to find that his officers have held the line around the secondary hive clusters. Now, the only thing left to do is take it.
The first step is de-powering the changeling swarm by freeing a number of ponies who've been enslaved in the hive. This'll be a covert sort of mission with some neat exposition, which would normally be found at the beginning of the changeling campaign.
The second mission involves the assault on the primary hive clusters, and the assassination of the changeling queen. Princess Luna's remaining forces arrive at some point during the battle, fighting alongside Shining Armor and his soldiers.
CONCLUSION:
After this, they rebuild. Princess Luna will rule alongside her sister, and the next queen of the changelings will be the willing ally of Equestria, for the royal sisters shall have a part to play in her upbringing. Or something. Harmony is restored to Equestria.
The whole idea behind the Solar campaign is about rebuilding trust and reaching compromise, and about having zero tolerance for those who don't have any tolerance, themselves. Princess Luna was confused, but regretful, and while hostile, she could be redeemed, and deserved to be. The changeling queen brashly and selfishly attempted to seize power, and in order to safeguard her ponies, Princess Celestia had no choice but to dethrone her.
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PRINCESS CELESTIA’S ARMY:
The hierarchy in Equestria as it stands is basically as follows:
Alicorns at the top – they rule the rest. Alicorns wield god-like power and there are only four Alicorns that exist today: The royal sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and recently, Princess Twilight Sparkle (though these campaigns would all take place immediately after the events of the Canterlot wedding, so Twilight would be a unicorn, here). Supposedly, the royal sisters are immortal as far as aging goes, or live for very long period of time, but can be killed or corrupted.
Unicorns – the high-class, social part of Equestrian society. They universally have the uncanny ability to use magic to cast spells, though their power is nowhere near as great as an Alicorn’s. Before the royal sisters came around, they used their magic to control the cycle of day and night so the earth ponies could grow their food. As the high end of Equestrian society, they can often be seen in high-end positions. Shining Armor, for example, is the captain of the royal guard, and he is a unicorn. Most scholars in Equestrian society are unicorns. Unicorns brought up in their ‘ideal’ society generally try to set an ‘ideal’ example, inclined towards order and civility.
Pegasi – tough, resilient fliers capable of breaking the sound barrier (and in some cases, the visible light spectrum) and manipulating weather. Before the royal sisters came around, pegasi were responsible for placing rainclouds in convenient places so earth ponies could grow their food. The general stereotype about pegasi is that they’re competitive and impetuous, and to a degree, it’s correct! Pegasi are naturally and culturally inclined towards competition and strength. For their pride, they were never the easiest race to negotiate with. Still, their nature makes them great soldiers, and they make up the largest percentage of ponies in the royal guard. Nowadays, some of the individuals most loyal to Princess Celestia are pegasi.
Earth ponies – without the ability to use magic or fly, this race was stuck doing the work that was too menial for the other races to bother with. Because a lot of their race had to farm to meet the demands of unicorns, pegasi, and their fellow earth ponies, generations of earth ponies were generally uneducated for a long time. Technological advancements and societal changes since the royal sisters came around have greatly contributed to the rise in greatness and respect for earth ponies, but they’re still at the bottom. Clearly, they have great aspirations, and some earth ponies have even attempted to replicate or participate in unicorn culture. Earth ponies are naturally strong, if nothing else.
All of that being said, I’d say Princess Celestia’s faction would consist mostly of pegasi, with some elite unicorn units. Pegasi would be able to swap between flying in the air or trotting on the ground, and some unicorns would be able to teleport themselves or others around places, making Princess Celestia’s faction pretty versatile in terms of movement. Then there’s the idea of vehicles, which would be cool.
As they exist today, the Wonderbolts are a sort of air force for the royal sisters. There was a reference to the Shadowbolts at some point, so I’m gonna assume that the ones under Princess Celestia were the Solarbolts, back during the conflict between her and her sister. Thus, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will have two different sets of elite air units that are roughly equivalent to one-another, that the changeling swarm won’t have any equivalents to. Maybe one’s a little more stealthy and the other’s more faster or something, I dunno.
As for unicorns, and aside from hero units (like Shining Armor, who’s obviously going to be a hero unit), I had this idea for an elite unicorn unit for Princess Celestia’s faction: The Arbiter! Arbiters are by definition people who have the sole or absolute power of judging or determining, and I love the idea of a self-righteous, self-empowering regime under Princess Celestia. Makes me think that’s how Princess Luna got jealous in the first place. So, there’d be a unicorn arbiter with an arsenal of neat spells to support groups of troops ‘n’ stuff.
So there’s an idea. Now then, Princess Luna’s campaign:
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LUNAR CAMPAIGN: CONVICTION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7j-igzEAxc
After many centuries of honing her skills and planning her moves, Princess Luna has finally returned home. For years, she has been influencing or intimidating ponies in their dreams, reaching out to those with the spirit of a rebel, with the will to see her sister de-throned for her transgressions.
A thousand years were wasted on the very thing Princess Luna sought to see idolized by the ponies that only saw her sister's sun. She had to be banished, because she could not be stopped... and she will not be stopped a second time. With an army at her back and renewed hatred fueling her every thought, the younger of the royal sisters is prepared to take it to the bloody end.
Shining Armor, tormented by nightmares of his beloved country burning amidst a great and terrible war, one which cannot end well for those he loves if he remains loyal to Princess Celestia, and somehow reluctant to inform Princess Celestia of his recent blasphemous thoughts, is drawn into the wayward sister's grasp. He sees no choice but to serve her and save what he can. Welcomed whole-heartedly by some unexpectedly treacherous comrades of his, however, he begins to re-think his position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJAsM-DkZC0
Kicking off with a very swift start, Ponyville receives a visit from a squad of the mythical Shadowbolts - Princess Luna's elite air force, back when the Wonderbolts were split between the Solarbolts and the Shadowbolts. Nopony expects something that isn't even supposed to exist anymore, right? Something unheard-of?
Their mission is simple: capture Twilight Sparkle, element of magic. Without her, the elements are rendered useless, save the fact that they're still giant reserves of raw magical power. And, preferrably, capture any of the other elements as well, if not all of them, before they can escape.
Naturally, Shining Armor doesn't take kindly to the fact that they're stealing his sister. He will plead with Princess Luna to allow him to lead her, himself, where she will not be able to turn back. Doing so will build Luna's fury, likely resulting in threats, but she allows him to do it under certain conditions, like if the town is alerted to the presence of the rebels before Twilight can be captured. Or, heck, maybe he manages to convince her that he can rope her in without hurting her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Inb29-9yI
Depending on Shining Armor's stance, Twilight will be more or less furious with him, and confused with Princess Luna. However, unable to break free and alert Princess Celestia of this treachery, she is only able to direct her disbelief at her brother.
Over the course of the next few missions, Princess Luna's militants continue to intimidate or inspire various towns into cooperating. Very early on, the changelings show up, and compete with the Solar Empire for control of the regions. This builds unrest, allowing Shining Armor to convince ponies that siding with Princess Luna is the only way to defeat both the ineffective Solar Empire and the immediate changeling threat. It also allows the rebels to recruit with ease, letting the two big threats battle it out and sneaking to ponies in-between.
Shining Armor will either fear Princess Luna, following her only to keep his loved ones safe, or he will start to take pride in following her, impressed with her ability to efficiently get things done but not fearful of her rule, depending on how he plays throughout the missions.
With the majority of her forces aiding her sister in secret, Shining Armor included, Princess Celestia is losing the battle for her homeland, and consults her sister, Princess Luna. Depending on the sort of impression her army makes with either inspiring or intimidating (or some other way of influencing the outcome of this stuff), Princess Luna either judges her sister's confusion and frantic strategizing as cowardice, leaving her undeserving of the throne and of support, or decides instead to restore her confidence for the time being, only to shatter it later.
Twilight, on the other hand, may begin to truly accept what's happening, depending on how the campaign has been played. Upset and shocked at Princess Luna's betrayal, she reflects upon the possible outcomes of this conflict, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgKqvVLl5sA
SONG TIME: 0:00
With the changeling swarm having made a huge impact on the northwest border and having already invaded Canterlot, and without anywhere to turn, Princess Celestia cannot flee her castle in Canterlot. Princess Luna, with great and rising confidence, communicates to her officers the situation in the city.
The streets must be retaken from the changelings, and the remnants of the Solar Empire in the area erradicated. Shining Armor will have the most trouble doing this if he's been inspiring this whole time, as opposed to intimidating.
All over the city, Princess Luna's black banner is raised. It becomes very clear who is behind all of this.
SONG TIME: 1:52
At last, the capital is reached. Canterlot Castle lies directly ahead, as Princess Celestia realizes that Princess Luna is behind this uprising. No matter what, this will end badly for Princess Celestia – her sister will either threaten her with banishment, as was done to her, and as she vowed to do, or, if the cards were played a certain way, she will threaten to end her life. Maybe there’s a way to avoid getting either of these endings, but it had better have a damn good reason behind it, and maybe be really hard to achieve, since compromise was the -last- campaign’s big thing, not this one’s big thing.
Princess Luna reveals that she was, in fact, the evil shape-shifter who appeared during the wedding, who knew all about the caves beneath Canterlot, and knew to secure the vault holding the Elements of Harmony... that she feigned the entire time, and used her sister's trust against her.
Princess Celestia pleads with her sister for the entirety of the battle, during which Queen Chrysalis arrives a little off the way. She has no idea what's going on, but takes the opportunity to batter at the less powerful one - naturally, that'd be Princess Luna's rebels, at the time.
Having fortified the castle, Princess Celestia does not go down without a fight. She attempts to secure the vault containing the Elements of Harmony, but that has to be taken by Princess Luna's rebels at some point during the battle.
SONG TIME: 2:56
The Solarbolts plummet out of the sky as a militant army shakes the earth, marching relentlessly onwards towards Canterlot castle. Princess Luna, who now leads her ranks towards her sister, grins confidently. The last stalwart defenders of the benevolent Princess Celestia fall before the rebel onslaught.
Princess Celestia leaves the castle, appearing on the front steps, amidst the corpses of her best knights, and before her sister. The two speak for the last time (for now, at the very least), as Princess Celestia accepts her fate. Battling with the last semblance of will and courage she has, the two duel, leaving Princess Luna as the victor, and Princess Celestia either banished to the moon, or dead.
Princess Luna's vengeance has been exacted. Canterlot castle gleams in the fading sunlight as it crumbles before the rebel army. The full moon rises high into the sky, and bannermen had already run in, anticipating the victory. Upon the rubble, a black flag is raised, and all goes silent, save the billowing of that flag. The day is won for the night.
CONCLUSION:
Following the battle, Princess Luna chases the changelings out of her now-unified country, cornering the queen herself. She will learn not to trifle in Equestrian affairs again, or face the wrath of the vengeful princess.
Princess Luna, broken from the bloodshed and tearful at the overwhelming guilt that comes flooding back to her upon banishing or killing her sister, has only misery to bask in. What did she do it all for, really? Envy? Despite what happens, her faithful army is still at her back. They are ready to rebuild Equestria, and ready to begin a new age, amidst the sadness of loss.
She might, on the other hand, be entirely proud of whatever she did. She deserved this victory, and nopony was going to take it from her. Having conquered her fears and her sister, she finds she has no remorse, no shame, and no pity for her actions. The crown never fit her sister, anyway. Now, confident that she will at last be free of her sister's shadow, and will finally be appreciated (one way or another), she is prepared to lead her terrified and awed subjects into a new era of Lunar glory.
This entire campaign is focused on the notion of choice. Does Princess Luna forgive? Perhaps she can. But, for this, so much hurt has fallen upon the younger sister's shoulders. Does Princess Celestia deserve mercy? Perhaps a banishment is in order, or maybe it's best to scatter her to the sands of time... but, one thing is for certain: Judgment day has come for all those who never loved the princess of the night. Pray she is merciful.
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PRINCESS LUNA’S ARMY:
Come to think of it, Princess Luna seems to be all about judging and such, so maybe going the holy route for Princess Celestia and giving her ‘confessors’ or something and Princess Luna ‘arbiters’ would work out just fine. Or, swap those two and Princess Luna with her confessors and her militant rebels would be a nice homage to the Brotherhood of Nod from Tiberian Sun. Erm, but then again, if both of those units were on the same team, they seem to go together. Yeah, it’d work too if they were on the same team… then could go the ‘holy’ route for Princess Celestia what with knights and paladins and such. Then again, self-righteous, holy crusaders decked in epic armor and an awesome title like ‘arbiter’ would fit right in on Princess Celestia’s side…
But I digress.
Seeing as Princess Luna is rebelling, she’d probably have the most trouble influencing pegasi, then unicorns, then earth ponies. Thus, I think it would make sense if the majority of her army were earth ponies, and then unicorns, and then she has the Shadowbolts for air power. Actually, since she only seems to have the Shadowbolts for air power, I figure it might be a good idea to make the Shadowbolts more powerful than the Solarbolts, even if only slightly. Naturally, Princess Luna's army will have plenty of anti-air, but with such limited mobility, having the Shadowbolts be her elite units would be cool. Then, Princess Celestia's elite units could be unicorns.
Here’s my sketch for the changeling campaign:
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CHANGELING CAMPAIGN: OVERMIND
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Kd_71GkUo
The storied changelings strike fear in the hearts of ponies, as they have for many centuries. If one would inquire, they would hear tell of how ponies used to vanish without a trace, and it was thought that the changelings were to blame... and you could never tell who was who, because anyone could be a changeling. Anyone. The superstitious were right to fear them – their hides are thick and tough, their strength unparalleled, save by only the strongest of ponies... like the royal guard. Each and every one is unified in purpose, tied forever to their queen.
As evolutionary masters of replication, they hardly possess any genuineness... save the genuine impenetrability of their hive cluster. Nopony has penetrated the changeling hive in centuries, and lived to tell the tale.
The spies have returned from their recon. Queen Chrysalis, an Imperialist ruler, having only recently noticed the value of Equestria and its ponies as a source of nourishment, has decided to capture and enslave Shining Armor, since he not only has ties to the element of magic, but also to an Alicorn who might thwart her plans.
Shining Armor witnesses the horrors of the changeling hive firsthand: Generations upon generations of ponies have been indoctrinated into the swarm, likely stolen away from their homes many years ago and bred to feed with their compulsive devotion. Truly, there is no humanity in the changeling queen. She is as insidious as she is cunning, and that will be the downfall of those who challenged her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsjZG0iZd3k
Swarming Equestria from the northwest, the changelings fly over Gildedale and into Manehattan. The first mission will involve a neat, all-out city raid, to establish a hive cluster in Equestria. The Solar Empire will be there to defend it, but surely, they will fall before the swarms.
Throughout the campaign, the player will find the opportunity to thwart rebel recruiting plans in the region. For the first mission, they will need to assimilate a number of civilians or soldiers, and slaughter the rest.
Manehattan happens to be in close proximity to the Everfree Forest. The Everfree Heights, a warrior-town in the Everfree full of hardened ponies who live in one of the most dangerous places in the world, should be conquered. Because of its solitude, it should be simple to capture.
Princess Luna's rebels will show up, however, claiming that now is a better time than ever for the indifferent town to dive into the fray, for the end is approaching, and they cannot stand separately against the threats facing the country. They make a formidable combination, but are eventually defeated.
Ponyville, northeast of the Everfree Forest, is next for the taking. The town has been fortified to prepare for the coming assault, but what they didn't expect is Shining Armor's assimilation (or maybe they did, in which case the bunch of changelings inside the town already would have to sneak Shining to his destination).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt5xd_cdap8
Having arrived at town, Shining Armor seeks out his sister with a posse of changelings already inside the town, whom he is forced to barricade in her own house with a magical bubbleshield. She attempts to overpower him, but the changeling swarm must overwhelm the town's defenses and assist Shining Armor before he can be defeated or knocked out of hypnosis by the element of magic. The changelings that followed him into the house should be able to keep Twilight occupied for a certain amount of time before they cannot protect Shining Armor any longer.
Ultimately, they succeed, and Twilight is abducted. She returns in a later mission, subservient. Also, Princess Cadance arrives in Canterlot and stands beside the royal sisters against the changeling swarm, having heard of her beloved friends' unfortunate fate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg6tI3MJPLk
Fighting their way to Canterlot below Cloudsdale, the changeling swarm devastates the pegasus city and leaves it as quickly as they came, only desolate and lifeless.
Princess Luna has stopped attempting to overthrow Celestia, seeing the changelings as the real threat. In fact, they band together for the last couple of missions. However, it's not enough to stop Queen Chrysalis, and Princess Cadance is captured during the battle.
The royal sisters still can make use of the elements of harmony, however, and are prepared with everything they've got. Banded together, they're unstoppable! However, the swarm manages to separate the two, and Queen Chrysalis moves in on Princess Celestia.
After destroying her last lines of defense, the changeling queen corners the elder sister and begins channeling magic in an attempt to control her. Princess Cadance channels magic into the queen, but Princess Celestia doesn't go quietly. Her sister, Princess Luna, fights a desperate battle to save her sister and disrupt the ritual, but it's too late. She is forced into submission, and Queen Chrysalis is far too powerful to stop.
CONCLUSION:
Taking control of the other royal sister was simply too easy, with her sister to overpower her. With all of Equestria's might under her spell and watchful eyes, and the swarms eager to do her bidding, Queen Chrysalis is invincible. She should have done this years ago! Although, it's apparent that she would not have succeeded without the sisters' dissent at the very beginning.
This entire campaign is about conquest. I don’t really have a theme for it, so I guess I’ll just call it the ‘just for teh lulz’ campaign.
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CHANGELING ARMY:
Actually, I was kinda thinking that the first mission of the changeling campaign would involve the battle over Gildedale, and the capturing of Shining Armor. I mean, that doesn’t need to be the case, really; Shining could have been sent to the wasteland to check up on the outposts around the changeling hive and been captured before the first mission, but whatever. Could work either way.
The changeling army wouldn’t be quite as mobile as Princess Celestia’s army, since the changelings would, say, only be able to fly for short periods of time, or they’d be mana-starved a lot. I figure it’d be cool to have a supporting spellcaster for the changeling faction be an enslaved pony who restores mana to changelings by providing love, which would let them Frenzy or something.
On the note of more powerful units, I figured it’d be cool if the changeling faction, instead of having tanks or something, used controlled animals, like manticores. I mean, they do go into the Everfree at some point during this campaign, and the Everfree Forest has bears that are the size of houses… when they’re still infants. If that’s not a sufficient replacement for tanks, I dunno what is. And, RA2/YR-style spies would be pretty cool.
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Thoughts?
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