@441TheSecond  
I feel like the whole “test” thing is at the expense of Luna too.  
Like deep down Luna probably wants to redeem herself for the NMM mess by helping take down threats but sadly she is forced to not be allowed to for the sake of Twilight “learning” and such.

@Scrounge  
Pretty sure she would only get after Celestia due to it was only her idea.  
Luna wanted to deal with Sombra but Celestia wouldn’t let her for the sake of that “test” for Twilight.

Well, Celestia was very confident in Twilight’s abilities, and if we’re to accept that Twilight will come to replace Celestia and Luna as a ruler of Equestria at some point, then honestly, this is warranted.
 
I mean, as a princess, she’s going to have to deal with situations like this in the future, anyways. At least by using a newly emerged empire as a test, she’s not risking her own kingdom of Equestria by putting an unproven pony in power there.

@Background Pony #973F  
True, but I think having them tried for war crimes would be more reasonable, catch fewer innocent ponies in the crossfire, have better odds.

@Scrounge  
Well jousting is a thing in the Empire.

@Princess♠Molestia  
Point taken. But only because it worked.
 
If it hadn’t worked, she’d be pissed. Or dead, I guess.

Sounds OOC for Cadence
 
Knowing how she is, shed probably just go “I understand” and giggle or something.

 
I have to disagree. The Crystal Empire seems even less militarily inclined than Equestria.
 
Instead of starting a war, risking her people, I think Cadance would sit down, get out a pen and paper…
 
…And draft a list of charges for when she hauls her auntie and sister-in-law to the pony equivalent of the Hague.

@Arrowsman
 
@441TheSecond
 
Bad End
 
>Continue  
>Title Screen

@Arrowsman  
The following years became harsh on Equestria, as Cadence’s inability to properly handle Celestia’s complex socioeconomical systems that kept the country prosperous caused them to stagnate. Inflation prices rose out of control, and starvation and poverty became a way of life. Years later, the Griffon Empire takes advantage of the nation’s weakened state and conquers it, forcefully annexing it and enslaving the population, and thus, the Equestrian civilization ceased to be.

How the invasion might go-
 
Celestia: Luna, help me to fend off the invaders!  
…
 
Celestia: Where the hay is she? Never mind. Discord, defeat the invaders!  
Discord: No.
 
Celestia: Guards! Attack!  
Shining Armor: I’m disappointed in you. Would you really attack your former captain?  
Guards: No! We love you captain! Oh captain!
 
Celestia: Twilight!  
Twilight: I can’t, those are my Sister-in-law and BBBFF!
 
Celestia: Gets stuck in vines How did this happen? D:  
Cadance: Yay! We won :D! And thus I declare Equestria to be incorporated to Crystal empire.
 
Luna: Hi guys! Did I miss anything?

@Background Human  
ayyyy

@Background Pony #C870  
The greater good.

Now, that’s an ending I can get behind!

@Background Pony #8414  
Well, to be perfectly honest… I was. Not massively so, but I was. I guess if I knew that after Season 2 Celestia would drop off from the show, I’d be a bit more pissed, but I was still incredibly bothered by how rather callous Celestia was in treating an ancient warlord like a test. Making her either look like a complete idiot, or Sombra so pathetic that he shouldn’t even be considered a threat, which is not good since we’re supposed to be afraid of the possibility of him winning. I think that part could have been made a lot stronger had either Celestia just assumed that she destroyed Sombra in their last encounter, or just scrap the test aspect and have another reason for Twilight to try doing everything on her own.

@441TheSecond  
Well, “like” may be going too far, but for what it’s worth I thought Sombra worked as a villain for that particular story. It’s just my major problem with TCE is how it portrayed Celestia, Twilight, and their relationship, so I thought you’d be upset over that as well.

@Background Pony #8414  
Eh, I think it’s ok. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just… ok. It has some good ideas but overall the lackluster execution really drags it down. The only reason why I tend to be softer with it is because of Sombra, a villain only I seem to like.

@441TheSecond  
Wait, do you like “The Crystal Empire” two-parter?

“well poop. Looks like we’ll have to Use the moon as a battering ram again.”

“My aunt has been mildly callous with her judgment! EXTERMINATE EQUESTRIA! BURN DOWN THE CITIES! SALT THE FIELDS! CUT OFF THE TONGUES OF THE SCHOLARS! WIPE OUT THE CIVILIZATION, THEN SLAY LUNA BEFORE CELESTIA, AND BRING ME THE SKULL OF THE LATTER AS A TROPHY!”
 
Cadence: As reasonable as a Democratic Gandhi.

I clicked on the image because I was wondering why Twilight was wearing her brother’s tail on her head.

@Lokizade  
And I’d love to be a fly on the wall when they have to resort to Plan B.
 
“Sister! The Crystal Empire has fallen!”  
“Guh?”  
“Alas, thy ‘faithful student’ has thoroughly blundered thy test of her leadership. Already thousands of Crystal Ponies have been slain by the Dark Lord and his fell magic.”  
(sigh) “Load up the chariot. Looks like I’ll have to crack Sombra’s skull myself. Again.”  
“Don’t forget: thou also ow’st us twenty bits.”  
“Save Equestria first, settle bets later, Luna.”
 
@Soarinjack  
To be fair, the only troublemakers they deliberately sent here (that we know of) were the Sirens–though it’s not like they made much of an effort to stop Sunset Shimmer from fleeing the country.

The sad part is that this comic actually makes sense.

I didn’t really think about this very much before, then again this isn’t an episode I hold in particularly high regard myself anyway, but I would assume they’d have a contingency plan of some sort if things went pear shaped.
 
@Psyga315  
Also, the parasprites, they could very well have gotten pretty far away.