Echoing Silence
is a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfiction story by NyxiaStarlight.
She was only trying to help.
In a flash of light following her biggest mistake, Twilight Sparkle is banished to the Dusklands, a vast amount of wasteland outside the borders of the kingdom of Equestria. Here, the only thing the sisters control is the time of day and Twilight is left to defend herself in the barren lands that her most trusted ally exiled her to. After finding a city in such lands, Twilight works hard to make a place for herself within the walls, but when her past comes to find her, she finds it difficult to look at it the same way she did all those years ago. With the threat of war on the horizon for Twilight's new home and an old enemy returning to destroy the harmony of Equestria, Twilight will have to choose where her loyalties lie.
But just how far is she willing to go in order to save the ones she loves the most?
Echoing Silence provides examples of:
- Accusation Fic: The fic has elements of this.
- Alternate Universe Fic: The Royal Wedding went somewhat differently than it did in canon.
- Berserk Button:
- Go ahead, call Diadem "Twilight". See what happens.
- Also, mention Equestria. Also a good time.
- Broken Bird: Diadem's had a hard time since her exile.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: For Twilight Sparkle, the day of the Royal Wedding was the day her friends betrayed her, her brother married a manipulative bitch, and she got exiled from Equestria forever. For everyone else, it was the day Twilight Sparkle tried to ruin her brother's wedding.
- Crapsack World: The Dusklands. It's a harsh, brutal desert with even harsher inhabitants.
- Cute Bruiser: Diadem is a pony. She can, and will, break you in half if you piss her off.
- Dark Fic: Let's see: Twilight's exiled, Chrysalis successfully marries Shining Armor, and Equestria is implied to be at war with both Chrysalis' hive and King Sombra.
- Dead Fic: Hasn't been updated since May 2016.
- Didn't Think This Through: Celestia sends people out looking for Twilight without telling them why she's missing in the first place. Ends up screwing up the whole thing.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": Don't call Diadem "Twilight". Everyone in the Den who knows her well enough to know her old name advise the Mane Six against using it.
- Dying Declaration of Love: As he lays dying from battle with a band of hippogriffs, Astral Mace professes his love for Diadem.
- The Exile: The plot is kicked off and driven by Twilight being exiled by Celestia.
- Fantastic Racism: The Element Bearers do not like Changelings, due to Chrysalis' actions. However, after meeting Atynis, Rarity and Fluttershy are willing to give the species the benefit of a doubt, and not judge them by the actions of a renegade like Chrysalis.
- For Want Of A Nail: Because Twilight tried to violently go after the fake Cadence, Celestia banished her. As a result, Canterlot was occupied by the Changelings for a time, just long enough for Sombra to regain control of the Crystal Empire, and he's now waging war against Equestria.
- Good Is Not Soft: Diadem is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. She has no problem killing if she thinks the situation calls for it.
- Had to Be Sharp: A requisit for living in the Dusklands
- Took a Level in Badass: Diadem, as a result of the above.
- Happily Adopted: Diadem
- Interspecies Adoption: Diadem, a unicorn, is the adoptive daughter of Nereus, a Ki'rin.
- Both tropes also apply to Astral, the pegasus colt also adopted by Nereus.
- Heel Realization: Fluttershy and Rarity start to figure out why Diadem hates them in chapter six. They're not too happy about the answer.
- And when they both explain this, and expose Celestia's own actions in the process, the rest of the Mane Six feel the same way.
- Hopeless War: Equestria's armed forces are slowly being worn down by Sombra's, with total defeat being a very real possibility.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Diadem is willing to give King Sombra the benefit of a doubt when they first speak in a dream and he feeds her a sob story about his past, since her own experiences have messed with her worldview a little bit.
- It's All About Me: The rest of the Element Bearers have no idea why Diadem hates them and expect her to return to Equestria at the drop of a hat.
- Celestia doesn't even think about looking for Twilight until she needs her to use to the Elements. In her defense, she intended Twilight's banishment to be temporary, but was sidetracked by the Changeling invasion, and then the war with Sombra. This appears to have been the first chance she actually had to go looking.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Celestia says this in regards to banishing Twilight, as she thought that Twilight was going Nightmare. Also, the reason she lied about it afterwards was because Equestria needed to be united to face the Changeling invasion and subsequent war with Sombra, and that wouldn't happen if she confessed then.
- Loyal Phlebotinum: The Element of Magic is still bound to Twilight, as shown when Celestia tried wielding it and it responded badly.
- Modest Royalty: Diadem is princess of the Den. She's embarrassed to be treated like it.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: In addition to retaining many of Twilight Sparkle's tendencies towards overworking herself, Diadem regularly goes on missions for the Den.
- My Greatest Failure: How Celestia feels about sending away Twilight.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Inverted in regards to Chrysalis — most changelings are a peaceful and noble race, and view Chrysalis as a brute.
- Not Helping Your Case: Maybe the Mane Six would have more luck getting through to Diadem if they weren't making it seem they only want her back so they can use the Elements of Harmony again.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Sombra says this about him and Diadem.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: When Queen Atynis goes on about how any deception by Chrysalis should have been easily spotted due to her not bothering to copy the personalities of the people she replaces, it causes Rarity and Fluttershy to remember how Twilight acted during the wedding and realize she was the only one who saw what was happening, and they ignored her.
- Rape as Drama: When Twilight first arrived in the Dusklands, she was captured by a band of hippogriffs, who kept her as a Sex Slave.
- Ship Tease: Diadem and Astral — while they haven't quite been confirmed as a couple yet, it's clear they have strong feelings for each other.
- Skyward Scream: Diadem, after Astral's death.
- Spanner in the Works: When Celestia banished Twilight, she thought that Twilight was on the verge of going Nightmare, and either would, or be returned to normal by guilt, either of which Celestia had plans to deal with. Unfortunately, the changeling invasion prevented Celestia from looking for Twilight when she wanted to.
- That Man Is Dead: Diadem hasn't been Twilight Sparkle for years.
- Took a Level in Cynic: While Diadem is still a fundamentally good person, the Dusklands beat the innocence out of her. Sometimes literally.
- True Companions: Diadem's Den team.
- Wandering the Earth: Spike has apparently been wandering Equestria looking for Twilight ever since the Changelings were fought off.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Celestia is forced to confess what really happened to Twilight, Luna and the Mane Five are more than a little pissed.
