Twilight: “So, apparently Braeburn went on record after the food incident, stating that the only other time he’d ever felt like THAT was when Lord Tirek drained everypony’s magic. I’ve since asked the guards to check, and sure enough, both Tirek AND Cozy Glow are missing from their cells in Tartarus.

“On top of that, they reported suspicious activity when a guard they didn’t recognize tried to enter the castle with a fake badge, and there’s evidence that the castle library’s restricted section has recently been raided. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like anything important was taken, though we may need to reexamine the structural integrity of some of the chains used in the castle. Also, Shining owes me 20 bits.

“All of this leads me to the conclusion that Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy have somehow all teamed up together, and are likely preparing for a much larger attack on Equestria as a whole.“

Rarity: “Oh my… should we do something about this?“

Twilight: “Nah. We’ve dealt with all of them before, and even if they have something unexpected waiting for us, we can figure out how to deal with it as we go. It’s not like we need a plan for everything!“

Rarity: “…I don’t even know who you are, anymore…”

——-

Happy Summer Solstice in August, everypony! As we lay witness to old doors closing and new ones opening, won’t you join me in celebration with the Season 9 Retirement Party? This week’s comic is based on The Summer Sun Setback, aka: “Twilight Has Everything Under Control and Discord’s Disappointment is Immeasurable: the Episode”. Seeing Twilight in this episode felt like watching a child all grown up. We’ve been with this character for close to 9 years now, watching her adventures, her struggles, her successes, and her failures, and seeing her grow as a result of all of them. Watching her surprise everyone with the way she handled the preparations for the last Summer Sun Celebration… I couldn’t help but get a little misty eyed. The grand conclusion to this incredible journey is quickly approaching us now!

…A bit too quickly, in some cases. So, I had a few different ideas for what to do for this comic, and was trying to decide between them. Then this happened. And I knew what I had to do. I’m not really surprised at this point, but I’m still pretty upset about it. At least it’s nice to know that no one did it on purpose this time, but that doesn’t change the fact that several people have already seen how the show ends, completely out of nowhere, before we’re all really ready to say goodbye. As usual, I will be avoiding the leaks as best I can, and I strongly request the universe to not ruin this for me. I only get to see the end of my favorite show for the first time once. Please let it be on my own terms.

I always feel weird speculating about future events when this happens, since I know a bunch of people already know the answer, but I’m still gonna try and go through the rest of this season to the best of my ability. I’m probably gonna be getting a new job soon too; hopefully that doesn’t negatively impact the comics too much. Hope you all have a lot to look forward to, and I’m looking forward to the next episode.