//------------------------------// // Intermission 3: A sky high chat // Story: DOOM of Griffonstone! // by ShadowStar_IMHP //------------------------------// Starlight Glimmer looked out the window of the airship Dauntless. Far below Our Town got smaller and smaller. She spent years, plotting, planning, manipulating, all of it was a waste.   Looking down at the table she picked up the records Doom collected on Sunburst. The reports only started a few months ago, but it traced all of Sunburst’s life. He was a genius when it came to Thaumaturgy and Spell Theories, however, when it came to Spellcasting he struggled all through his schooling.   The bullies in Celestia School reportedly teased him often about his lack of magic. The result was Sunburst retreated into researching, he was friendless for years, only interacted with one other pony, a Moondancer, who was also a fellow researcher and loner. There were also records of train tickets for when he went home, one was just two months after she left. She missed him, both literally and figuratively. Her crusade against Cutie Marks caused her to miss seeing him again. She ignored the wet drops hitting the reports and turned to look out the window. They were going to Canterlot. Doom stated clearly his goal, to take over the nation, no… his goal was to take over the world.  Could she help him? She looked back to her new wings. One wave of his jewel gauntlet and he changed everything. No Unicorns, no Earth Ponies, no Pegasus, we were equal, but not hindered. One tribe, the Alicorn tribe. She reached down and picked up another report on Celestia and Luna. Their Immortality is due to the connection to the Sun and Moon, not to their Alicorn hood. There were some factors he didn’t know, for example why weren’t the Unicorns granted a long life when using their magic on the sun and moon. One note theorized that the combination of two different deep magical effects caused the two Celestial sisters to have such a long life.   The Magic joining them to the Sun and Moon, at the same time being Alicorns stabilizes the cells and halts the aging process. If more Alicorns bond to the sun and moon, the amount of this cellular rejuvenation is reduced. He even noted a side effect of this constant rejuvenation results in a larger size, this is why Celestia is so much larger than a normal pony, Luna missed a thousand years of growth, so her body is smaller.  The new Alicorn Princess Mi Amore Cadenza did not have this connection so was normal sized if on the tall side. There was another addition, a question.  “Is this why Celestia didn’t make other Alicorns? Did she not want to risk losing her youth?” Side note included the reports of how Luna appeared after returning from her banishment, but before she was reconnected to the Moon.  She was smaller, her mane and tail were no longer blowing in an ethereal wind, and her colors were of a lighter blue.  Once the bonding was reconnected her color shades deepened, she grew larger, and the ethereal mane returned.  “So to be immortal, or at least long-lived an Alicorn would need to join magically to a source of power, but the more Alicorn’s are bound to the same source the weaker the effect.”  She picked up another paper, this one was talking about the Elements of Harmony. Gems were alive! This was a shock to her, but it made some sense that items could be imbued with magic, but need a pony to activate the magic. Enchantments have a steady effect even when no pony is around. This is due to the gems acting as the control of the magic, replacing the need for a Pony or magical creature to activate the magic.  This is why a magic comic book would take a reader into the world of the comic, but the magic isn’t pulling everyone in when the comic hasn’t been activated.   She laid down the papers and then laid her head on her arms. It was too much, her entire world view upended, then turned sideways, and possibly inside out. Her anger at the Cutie Marks has brushed aside with a simple fact. Sunburst’s mother sent him to school, and her father didn’t send her. Why didn’t she see it before? Sure she had her teenage rebellious, and embarrassing goth phase, but she never blamed her father or Stellar Flare.  “He does that.” A voice said as a taloned hand placed down a glass of water on the table.  Starlight lifted her head and saw it was Gilda the Griffon spell caster. “Who does what?” Gilda sat down on the other bench, “Victor, or I should say Doctor Doom. He upends everything in his wake. One day, that was all it took him to overthrow the council and take over Griffonstone. He united us Griffons again when he found the Idol of Boreas and restored our historical archive.  “It just so much… and” Starlight looks down “it all here, explained step by step.  The Elements being alive and choosing the partner to use their magic.  This Tree of harmony is just the tip of a massive Crystal lifeform that came from another world. How Cutie Marks are part of our awareness to express our abilities.  How when I took their Cutie Marks I suppressed those very abilities, in effect setting their minds back to a child’s when it comes to skills.” Guilt came over her face “I was damaging their brains, I wanted ponies free of Cutie Marks, but instead, I was forcing them to be mentally foals. Guess that's why it was so easy to manipulate them… they were foals in adult bodies.” Gilda takes a drink from her glass of water.  “Now he wants you to tell him how, so he could use it on criminals.” “And what makes a criminal to someone with the absolute power of a ruler, anyone that challenges him.” “Indeed, and the first target of the spell would be Celestia and Luna.  He might spare Luna, but Celestia has been ruling a thousand years using other nations like Griffonstone to build up Equestria and keeping the other nations from becoming a threat.” “I know, I read the report on how they used Griffonstone’s metal to build the train system, then cut trade to Griffonstone, once it was possible to ship steel from Fillydelphia to the rest of the country over those same Griffon steel train tracks.” “With the other nations not needing such a high amount of steel, and the council being morons never diversifying.  The Griffon economy collapsed.” Starlight drank her water, then said “All justifiable, all easy to dismiss, unless you read the step by step plan over 20 years worth of treaties and negotiations.” “The only one who had the foresight and time to do that is an Alicorn with a thousand years experience of manipulation or a megalomaniac from another reality.” Starlight looked at the papers.  “You know, I can see myself being manipulated by Doctor Doom now.  He chose these files for me to read, I can see where some information was left out.”  She sighs and looks out the window.  “But what I read I know is true, I can see the results, I can understand step by step.  I feel like I'm playing against a grandmaster playing chess, seeing how each move forces me into a move that He wants, but unable to make any move otherwise.” Gilda knew what she meant. “He’s an Apex Predator. Even when we try to fight against him, he already anticipated it and planned for it. I’m just happy under that armor, under his scars, is someone that does want what is best for the world.” “And Harmony forbid anyone that stands in his way.” The two looked out the window, as they crossed over the mountains other Zeppelin type Airships came into view, the rest of the fleet of the Griffonstone air force.