or, she knows something about the prophecy that nobody else does, and has to walk on eggshells b/c of it…

@redweasel
 
If she is Chrysalis in disguise, it would be in her best interest to fulfill the prophecy. Twilight would be captive somewhere. She would want to be rid of her once and for all. Therefore, it wouldn’t be incompetence.

@AstralFrankie  
the fact that she didn’t immediately horribly murder her friends, and finds the matter of their existence confirming the prophecy of her doom to be funny and light hearted. she’s playing with her own death like it’s a toy ball.
 
so, either she wants to die, doesn’t give a flying fuck about dying, or is ridiculously incompetent (and thus confirmed to be chrysalis in disguise).

@CocoaNut  
Naw, I’m thinking that Changeling Twi is the simplest explanation for her sudden change in behavior immediately after coming back “different” from a war with the Changelings.
 
The only other (more-direct) alternative (in my mind) would be that this is the real Twi and the war did change her to the point where she thought killing her own people for talking about changelings was reasonable. But I discount this possibility because, for it to be effective, the author would need to go back and show all that character development. And that would take a lot of pages re-examining something that’s already been discussed, in order to convince the audience that this is a believable change in Twi. It could be done, but it would require quite a significant bit of work on the author’s part, and I suspect since we’re already at page 94 that author isn’t looking for ways to stuff even more pages into this project… (I mean, a story about war changing people could be its own comic in-and-of-itself.)
 
So I’m hoping for something else… Like maybe Spike isn’t actually Spike. Or there were actual Changelings, and Twi was eradicating them but couldn’t her people because that might cause panic/witch hunts. Or maybe the Twi that came back was a Changeling, but then the real one returned and quietly usurped the throne back from her. Or maybe the executions were done by Changelings pretending to do it under Twi’s authority. Or one of the many other possibilities out there.

@Exedrus
 
Are you sure you’re not invoking the hangman’s paradox there?

@armadiloeater  
That’s probably where the smart money is… but I’m still hoping the author will subvert that with something more unexpected.

@Exedrus  
I’m still betting on her being a changeling. Based on the last page and her smirk, I’m putting my money of Chrysalis.
 
But if Twilight really did go insane because of the war, I’ll totally accept it too.

@armadiloeater  
Alright, I could see that yeah.
 
@CocoaNut  
True, there could be a lot more going on. But based on what we’ve been told so far (which is mostly the Spike/Dr Hooves recollection), I’m gonna say Twi seems pretty far in the red.

@armadiloeater
 
Alternatively, it’s entirely possible that this was some sort of rebellion propaganda. Or else a ploy by changelings, both of them to convince the people that Twilight was a changeling.
 
Of course, there is that other option, that she actually is a changeling.
 
And then there’s the possibility of it not being any of those and simply a “doing what she must because the alternative is worse” sort of thing. I can’t say what the situation necessarily would be, but it’s a possibility.

@armadiloeater  
Which isn’t confusing in the slightest.

@Exedrus  
I think HJSDGCE means that Twilight is not doing this out of evil intentions, like a villain would. She’s doing this because she genuinely believes that it’s the best course of action. Maybe she lost all emotions during the war, and now she doesn’t understand that what she’s doing is wrong.
 
So yeah, not a villain per say, more like a monster without remorse.

@HJSDGCE  
>“Remember, Twilight isn’t a villain.”  
Really? The part where she started murdering her own people for mentioning changelings doesn’t make her an evil dictator? Cause that seems pretty far over the line to me.

@CocoaNut  
That does sound possible.  
But she probably also believes that she is needed in Equestria.
 
Remember, Twilight isn’t a villain. She’s more on the lines of a hero given unlimited power to do what they believe is necessary for the sake of peace.

Bait and switch? Making them trust her until she gets the 5 of them all together?

@CocoaNut  
What makes you think that?

Prediction: Twilight wants to die.