Chapter 3: Aftermath and Awakening
The spires of the Royal Palace stood tall over Canterlot, the golden minarets gleaming like fire when the morning sunlight struck them. Canterlot itself spread out below and to either side of the royal compound like the train of a wedding dress, the gleaming white stone in sharp contrast to the darker, rougher rock of the mountain it perched upon. For many, the sight of the Royal Palace was a comforting reminder of the Princess’ presence. Few ever gave much thought as to what occurred within the alabaster walls.
Celestia liked it that way. It wouldn’t do for her subjects to see her at that moment. She was in a very poor mood.
The Sun Princess paced back and forth in her quarters, her tail swishing and her nostrils flared. Power rolled off her skin like sweat. She would have scorched the carpet of her floor with each step, were it not for the golden slippers she wore on each hoof. Still, the very air trembled in a heat haze as she strode, her thoughts jumbled with anger.
How did I not see it? How did I not sense it?! I am not so blind as to completely miss such a flagrant use of power, let alone when Twilight of all ponies is attacked!
Ponyville was on lockdown; the library was shut down, guards had been dispatched to the Apple family’s farm and to the residence of Rarity‘s parents, and Celestia had issued a statement both to the Mayor and the citizens of the sleepy town at dawn. Those who had been injured had been taken off-realm to the Arthra for medical attention.
Including Twilight.
---
The other ponies had gathered around Twilight and Yuuno. Neither of them were responsive, no matter how much they pleaded or shook them.
“Twi! Come on Twilight, this ain’t funny! Wake up darn you!” Applejack shook Twilight as hard as she dared.
“This can’t be… Twilight and Yuuno…” Rarity whispered, her mouth hidden behind her hooves. Rainbow Dash was gently hugging a shocked Pinkie Pie as Fluttershy nudged the unconscious human boy.
“Your majesties…”
Celestia turned as she heard Chrono speak, the injured young man leaning weakly against his staff.
“Chrono.” Celestia replied stiffly.
“We have injured.” Chrono’s voice was just as stiff. “With you permission, I’d like to evacuate everyone to the Arthra. We have medical teams on standby.”
“Including Twilight?”
“Including Twilight.”
“Permission granted.”
“Sister, are you sure that’s wise?” Luna glanced at the devastated library.
“Neither Ponyville General nor the Royal Hospital at Canterlot will be safe if there’s another attack on Twilight. Even if we did post guards, there would likely be collateral damage.” Celestia replied, glancing past Chrono as she spoke. “The Arthra likely has better medical equipment than either hospital as well.”
Luna started to speak, but glanced away. It was probably for the better that she didn’t say anything as Celestia strode over towards the gathered ponies.
“Everypony, I’m going to need you to listen.”
“Princess?” Applejack glanced up at her.
“This place isn’t safe right now. Chrono is going to take Twilight and the others back to his ship so they can get medical attention.” Celestia inhaled. “I’m going to need you five to come with me back to Canterlot.”
“We’re going with-” Rainbow Dash started to reply before Celestia cut her off.
“This is not up for debate. If someone has attacked Twilight, the rest of you will likely be in danger as well. I’ll have security details posted for your family, just in case. Please, bear with me…”
---
All she needed was the report from the Arthra. However, in the meantime, she had been thinking.
I should have sensed it. Luna should have sensed it. Celestia nickered in irritation, the temperature rising from her anger. For someone to have attacked Twilight so brazenly… but how?! How did they do it without either me or Luna knowing?!
And that was the crux of her anger. Someone, something, had somehow slipped under her and her sisters awareness and struck at Twilight. True, Celestia wasn’t completely omniscient; her awareness only extended outwards when the sun shone over the land, just as Luna’s did when the moon hung overhead. But even without the sun, she could feel the ebb and flow of Equestria’s magic. She knew it intimately from her thousand-year rule; every eddy and ripple of the world’s power was as familiar as the placement of her feathers.
And yet, she felt nothing. Not a ripple, not a pull, not an inkling of disruption. Had it not been for Rainbow Dash’s arrival, she wouldn’t have known anything had happened. That thought had kept her up all night, pacing and thinking, her mind racing for an explanation. There had to be a reason why she didn’t notice. There had to be a reason.
And when she couldn’t think of a good one, she got angry.
Celestia rarely got angry. She prided herself on having a long fuse and an even temper. She got grumpy, she got irritated, she got upset, but she rarely got out-and-out angry. The only time she got angry was when she was afraid. And this was anger born from fear. Fear and a sense of… impotence. Only Discord had managed to pull this sort of anger from her.
Celestia stopped her pacing as she heard a loud pounding at her door. She inhaled and drew her power back within herself. A glimmer of her horn threw the windows open as she drew up a mask of calm. “Yes?”
The door opened as Luna stepped inside, the night princess calmly regarding her older sister. “I see you are still wrathful, sister dear.”
“Wrathful?” Celestia arched an eyebrow. “I’m not-”
“You know that I speak the truth. The air is so thick with your ire that it would choke a lesser pony.” Luna’s horn glowed, the heat pushing back as the room cooled into a more reasonable temperature. “No doubt you have spent the dark hours a-pacing, all the while growing hotter in your contemplation.”
Celestia‘s temper flared a little, her regal poise cracking. “And you’re going to lecture me about losing my cool?” Her normally even voice ran hot, the volume inching upwards.
“Turn not your frustration on me, sister,” Luna replied reproachfully, staring the pale alicorn down. “I am not the source of thy fury and you know this. Or have your emotions gained the better of you, now that something beyond your control has occurred?”
Celestia glared at her sister, briefly entertaining a few dark thoughts involving jail cells or buckets of paint. Then she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to center herself. Luna was right; she was letting her emotions run roughshod over her better judgment.
You are better than this Celestia, she chastised herself. You’ve ruled with an even hoof for a thousand years. A princess serves nopony when she’s having a temper tantrum. Act your age.
She took another deep breath before speaking. “You’re right. Sorry Luna.”
“Art thou in control, then?”
“Yes.” Celestia shook herself, her wings fluffing. “It’s just… how could I have missed something like that? It should have been so obvious. How could something like that hide itself from me of all ponies?”
“You forget, oh sister, that I too did not sense this calamity.” Luna countered gently. “And while you have shut yourself away and stewed in your burning righteousness, it was I who mollified the court as to the nature of your… actions last night.”
Celestia took another deep breath. It had been an impulsive act. She had reached forth with her magic and drew down the raw fury of the sun, an act that no living pony had likely seen before. Celestia hadn’t used that sort of magic for a thousand years, much less during the night. No doubt the Royal Astronomers were driven to panic.
She didn’t blame them.
“I’ll apologize to them later today.” Celestia looked at Luna, feeling fear well up slightly. “The seal. Has it..?”
“The seal remains intact. If it didn‘t, the beast would have moved against us by now.”
Celestia exhaled in relief. That had been the first thing she had checked after confirming Twilight’s status. The twisted statue of the Draconequus in the royal garden showed no sign of breaking apart. Discord was still contained.
The pale alicorn let her head slump. “Good… good… Has there been news of Twilight’s condition?”
“None as of yet. I sought to remind you that our guests should be arriving soon.”
“I see. Luna, if you would, could you go up and speak with them? Maybe get an update?”
“Of course, sister.”
Celestia nodded. “Thank you.”
“Should I leave you then, oh sister mine?”
“Please.” Celestia sighed, slumping down onto her bed as Luna excused herself. She closed her eyes, sighing as she tried to get comfortable. The court could wait for a few minutes.
---
Yuuno Scrya sat beside the raised medical bed in the Arthra’s sick bay, his chin resting on his folded arms, a few inches from Twilight’s prone form. The purple unicorn’s body was limp, her breathing slow but regular, just as it had been when he’d woken up in the bed next to hers a few hours earlier.
She looked so fragile under the sheets, so helpless, so unlike her usual self.
Yuuno reached out, resting a hand on Twilight’s hoof.
“I’m sorry Twilight,” he mumbled under his breath. “I should have done better.”
The door to the sick bay hissed open, causing Yuuno sit up with a jerk. Fate trotted in carefully, her normally long mane pulled back neatly over her back, exposing a ring of bandages around her barrel.
“Fate? What’re you doing up?”
“I got tired of listening to Arf’s grumbling, so I decided to do a little check up.“ Fate walked over to Yuuno, glancing up at the young mage before turning her attention to Twilight’s prone form. “How is she?”
Yuuno sighed. “Still unconscious, but stable at least.”
Fate nodded, then glanced around the room curiously. “Where’s Spike? Last I saw, he was curled up beside her…”
“He left a little while after I woke up. I don‘t think he was in any mood to talk to me.”
“I see. And are you alright?”
“I guess.”
“You guess?”
Yuuno nodded sullenly. Fate tilted her head up, nuzzling his arm. Yuuno responded by slipping an arm around Fate’s neck, hugging her gently.
“I just… I screwed up. I should have stayed inside the barrier I had set up and played defense… or something.” Yuuno sighed, glancing back at Twilight. “I let her get hurt because I got careless.”
“Yuuno…”
“What?”
“I don’t think Twilight would blame you. You tried your best, so stop beating yourself up about it, okay? It’s not healthy.”
“You’re right Fate.” Yuuno shook himself. “It’s just… Twilight’s kind of special.”
“Special?” Fate giggled. “So Arf was right-”
“Not that way!“ Yuuno glanced down at Fate with a slightly grumpy look. “She’s special because… well, if it weren’t for her, I still wouldn’t have any friends.”
“Oh…” Fate blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”
“I don’t really talk about it that much. There’s a lot of people who have more to complain about than me. It’s just… all my life, I’ve never really had someone special. When I was living with my clan, the Scrya, I just sort of… existed among them. Sure, they were kind to me, taught me and raised me well, but I was just another kid in the camp, alone in a crowd. And then the Jewel Seed incident happened and I met Twilight and all the other ponies, and for the first time I didn‘t feel…”
“…alone.” Fate completed his sentence, nuzzling under his ribs.
“Yeah.”
“I can understand that.” Fate slid her head out from under Yuuno’s arm. “Don‘t worry Yuuno, she‘ll wake up eventually. If you want, I can get you some food from the mess hall.”
“Thanks. I was getting hungry, but…” Yuuno glanced back at Twilight tellingly.
“I know. I’ll be back shortly.”
Yuuno nodded as Fate left the room, leaning forwards onto the bedside again.
---
“So you’re sure of it.”
Chrono sat stiffly in his chair in the briefing room, facing the two admirals with a carefully neutral expression on his face. It was partly because he didn’t want the bandage wound around his forehead to chafe, and partly because he was trying to keep his emotions in check.
“Yes Admiral Graham, I’m certain. According to Spike’s testimony as well as the descriptions of the assailants, there is no doubt in my mind that we’re dealing with the Book of Darkness.”
“I see.” Graham leaned forwards, resting his elbows on the briefing room table. “This complicates matters.”
“To say the least.” Lindy pinched the bridge of her nose. “The last thing we want during diplomatic talks is something like this hanging over our collective heads. Especially considering that one of the rulers‘ personal students was assaulted. We haven‘t even met with the government and we‘re already in hot water.”
“Tell me, Enforcer Harlaown,” Graham’s eyes focused on Chrono, “as security head for this delicate mission, what would you advise?”
Chrono stiffened slightly at the question, then closed his eyes. “Permission to speak freely, admirals?”
“Granted.”
“Go ahead Chrono.”
“I think we should get the Equestrians involved.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” Graham quirked an eyebrow. “Explain your reasoning.”
“Given my past experiences and observations, the Equestrians are quite capable of assisting us in policing operations within their own sphere of influence and beyond. As the Book of Darkness threatens their world, it would be wise to use existing resources and force to counter it. That would show respect for their position as an independent power. The last thing we need is to present ourselves as an invasive force, coming to aid the helpless ponies.”
“And your suggested level of intervention and required resources?”
“Minimal, sir. We don’t want a warship hanging over Equestrian dimensional space unless it’s absolutely necessary. Ideally, I would like a contingent of Enforcers for monitoring and direct intervention. I’d say… twenty?” Chrono paused, rubbing his chin. “No, thirty, three squads of ten, as well as a temporary station with dimensional scanning systems and long-range direct transit equipment set up in the capital to serve as our communication and monitoring hub while the Arthra is undergoing its upgrades. With permission from the Princesses, of course. Most operations will consist of sweep patrols in Equestria and neighboring dimensional areas for activity, though I advise we allow the ponies to take the lead while on their world, sir.”
“That’s a rather unorthodox approach. After all, this is still technically a Non-Administrated World...”
“In this case, sir, a situation like this is not in the standard Bureau regulations. I’m willing to be flexible if you are, sir.”
Chrono swallowed as Graham eyed him, his stomach filled with butterflies. It was true, Admiral Graham was his mentor and superior officer, but in some ways he was more than that.
“As head of this diplomatic mission, I agree with your assessment, Enforcer Harlaown.” Graham smiled wryly, leaning back in his chair. “I trust that you and Enforcer Harlaown will be capable of handling this incident, Admiral?”
“Yes sir, Admiral Graham.” Lindy replied.
“Sir, yes sir.” Chrono sat up a bit straighter, if it were possible.
“Then I’ll inform headquarters as to my decision. And Chrono?”
“Yes sir?”
“I’m quite impressed with you, and wish you the best in your investigation.”
Chrono tried his best to not grin as he stood and saluted. “Sir, thank you sir.”
---
Spike wandered the corridors of the Arthra quietly, his little clawed feet tapping against the floor as he walked, eyes focused downward. The crew knew enough of the situation to give the tiny purple dragon a decent berth, especially given his current mood.
When I get my hands on them... Spike thought to himself as he grumbled, snorting out a bit of greenish fire from his nostrils as he thought ugly, violent thoughts. Last night’s attack was still fresh and clear in his mind: The hammer swinging around and smashing up the library, the sight of Twilight gasping for air as Shamal’s hand stuck out from her chest, the terror in her eyes, the feeling of utter helplessness when Shamal disappeared with her burnt arm…
“Grr!” Spike turned and kicked a foot against one of the walls. Stupid bad guys, stupid ship, stupid humans and their stupid magic!
He gave the wall another angry kick, leaving a few scratches behind from his toe claws, only for the wall to hiss open.
“Did someone knock?” A human woman with short pinkish hair glanced down at him curiously. Her clothing was odd: a simple black dress with long sleeves and a white covering over her shoulders, secured with a red ribbon. Her eyebrow lifted slightly. “Was it you?”
“No.” Spike growled softly at the weird woman. She didn’t look like any of the other people on the ship, though he didn’t particularly care why. He turned and began to walk off, still quietly fuming.
“Excuse me. You’re Twilight Sparkle’s dragon friend, are you not?”
“Yeah? So what if I am?” Spike turned and gave the woman a glare.
The lady was unimpressed. “I’m sorry to hear about her condition. I had hoped to meet her myself.” She nodded politely, touching a hand to her chest. “I’m Sister Schach Nouera.”
“Spike,” the young dragon replied, crossing his arms. “You don’t look like the others. Where’s your uniform; at the drycleaners?”
“I’m not a member of the Bureau’s military. I’m actually a representative of the Saint Church.”
“The what?”
“The Saint Church. We’re a religious organization allied with the Bureau...”
“Wow. Cool.” Spike’s voice was deadpan. He started to walk off again, only to stop when the lady spoke again.
“You seem troubled. Would you like to talk about it?”
“Not really, no. ‘Specially not with some weirdo human lady.”
“I understand-”
“No, you don’t!” Spike shouted as he spun around, a plume of green fire sizzling from his nostrils. “You don’t know anything, alright?! I watched Twilight get hurt and now she’s laying in a bed and she won’t wake up and I can’t do anything to help so why don‘t you just shut up, okay!?”
Spike huffed and puffed, glaring up at the pink-haired woman.
“Feel better now?” Schach asked calmly, her hands folded in front of her.
Spike grumbled and shook his head. “No. Well…maybe a little.”
“It’s alright. I won’t hold it against you. Would you mind if I walk with you?”
“Guess not.” Spike grumbled again as he looked down at the floor, paying little mind to anything ahead of him. He could feel the woman looming over him slightly as she kept pace with him easily, the only sound coming from the swishing of her dress and the soft clicking of her boots.
The pair continued in silence for a while.
“Sorry.” Spike grumbled, breaking the silence as he walked.
“Pardon?”
“I’m sorry for… you know… shouting like that.”
“It’s alright. Like I said, I don’t blame you for your outbursts. Your friend is hurt and you feel helpless.”
“Yeah, but it’s not something I should take out on someone. I just… I can’t stand being unable to help like this, you know?”
Schach nodded quietly.
Spike sighed and glanced up at her again. Maybe she could provide a distraction from his thoughts. “So, Sister Schach… if you’re a sister, where’s your brother?”
“Sister is a title, not a statement of family.” Schach replied, chuckling softly. “Though technically I should be considered a knight as well...”
“Wait, you’re a knight too?” Spike blinked. “How can you be a knight and a girl? I thought only boys were allowed to be knights. At least, that’s how it is in the old pony-tales.”
“Perhaps, but in Mid-Childa knighthood is gender-equal. It’s all about training. You see, knights are trained in a style that relies on close combat, unlike the mages of the Bureau. It‘s a technical distinction, but still a distinction.”
“So, what’s knighthood like? Do you rescue maidens and stuff like that?”
“Knights of the Saint Church are the sworn defenders of the church and the people it serves.” Schach smiled. “We do things like protect people and keep holy places safe from monsters and bandits, especially on worlds where the Bureau doesn’t have a strong presence on. I‘ve also taken my vows as a member of the Church, so I‘m also a Sister of the Saint Church.”
“So you’re kinda like the Princess’s royal guards?”
Schach hmmed softly, then nodded. “I suppose that‘s an appropriate description, yes.”
“But no fair maidens.”
“Correct.” Schach laughed softly. “No fair maidens.”
“Darn.” Spike grumbled, crossing his arms.
“There’s more to life than rescuing damsels, young dragon.”
Spike nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Never heard of a church before, though.”
“’Never heard of a church before?’ What do you mean?”
“Well, exactly that.”
“You don’t know what a church is?”
“Nope.”
Schach paused, rubbing her forehead. “Um… well, how can I explain this. You know what a religion is, right? Surely you have something like that in Equestria?”
“Nope. Though I’ve heard some ponies are a little kooky when it comes to the Princesses. Is that what you mean by religion?”
Schach stared down at him. “I… wouldn‘t call it ‘kooky.’ Is there anything everyone in Equestria universally respects and bows down to?”
“The Princesses. I mean, whenever they go anywhere everypony bows down and treats them really respectfully, though I think Princess Celestia gets embarrassed by it sometimes.”
“Well, rulers are revered, but I mean other than the Princesses…”
“Nope. I mean, what else is there? I know there a bunch of dangerous monsters out there, but nopony in their right mind respects them. Besides, Celestia and Luna raise the sun and moon, why wouldn’t we revere them?”
“I…” Schach shook her head. “Never mind. Perhaps I should ask Twilight Sparkle when she wakes up.”
Spike deflated slightly. “Yeah… sorry if that wasn’t of much help.”
“Oh no, you did help,” Schach replied, still crouched down. “And from what I’ve heard, you did admirably well during the fight with the Knights.”
Spike snorted at that. “Yeah, fat lot of good I did to help…”
“Spike!”
Spike turned to glance as Fate trotted down the halls towards them, only for the filly to pause in front of him and Schach. “Oh, Sister Schach. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Not at all, Miss Fate. How’re you feeling?”
“Side’s a little sore, but my ribs are healed for the most part. I hope Spike’s not giving you too much trouble.”
“Not at all. I was simply consoling him about the events last night.”
“Oh.” Fate glanced at Spike. “I guess you’re still upset…”
“A little.”
“If it’s any help, Spike, you might have actually saved Twilight from being worse off than she was.”
“What?”
Fate nodded. “The doctors said that her Linker Core was drained to dangerously low levels. If you hadn’t attacked that Shamal lady, Twilight would have been a lot worse off.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Fate reached over and rubbed his head. “So no sulking, alright?”
“I guess I was getting a little sulky, if you have to tell me to cheer up.” Spike teased.
“Don’t press your luck, Spike.” Fate glanced up at Schach. “Sister, I was on my way to the mess hall to get some food. Would you like to accompany us?”
There was a soft chime as the ship intercom spoke. “Sister Nouera, please report to the Captain’s Quarters.”
“I suppose that answers that question,” the sister replied wryly before bowing. “It was a pleasure speaking with you Spike, Miss Fate.”
“Same to you, I guess.” Spike replied as the sister-knight strode off, her black dress rustling. “Hey Fate.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s her deal anyway?”
“Who, Sister Nouera?”
“Yeah. She said she’s from the Saint Church, whatever that is. So why‘s she here?”
“Well,” Fate rubbed her chin gently. “If I remember, she’s the personal subordinate of the Saint Church‘s leader, Carim Gracia. She’s her right-hand woman, so to speak. Since Sister Gracia has to handle things on Mid-Childa, she sent Sister Nouera in her place.”
“So she’s a knight and an assistant?” Spike hmmed.
“Yeah. She’s sort of like you, in a way.”
“Huh.” Spike paused, then chuckled. “But I’m not pink and squishy like she is. Plus, I look better in black.”
Fate shook her head, gently tapping Spike on the head for his comment. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”
“Sure.” Spike trotted off after Fate. “Hey Fate… do you think I’d be a good knight?”
“I think you’d make a great knight, Spike.”
Spike grinned. “Sir Spike… I like the sound of that.”
---
“Tea, your majesty?”
Luna nodded politely as she took a seat at the low table, folding her legs underneath herself gracefully. Lindy Harlaown sat across from her, Admiral Graham to her left, while Enforcer Harlaown sat to her right.
“Yes, if you would.” Luna replied as Lindy poured. “We apologize for the short notice of our arrival. As you no doubt know, the events of last night have cast a considerable shadow over our land.”
“That’s understandable.” Graham folded his hands atop the table and shook his head. “If I remember correctly from what you told us during our first meeting, such incidents are extremely rare in your realm.”
“That is correct.” Luna replied calmly, levitating her tea cup over to her lips and sipping. “And it has been many a long age since the last such blatant attack on our ponies. We only hope that it will be resolved swiftly.”
“We hope so too, your majesty.” Lindy replied, pouring her own cup. “I’m assuming you want to know what we know about last night, right?”
“We do. ‘Twould be best if we could put our sister to ease; she has been most fretful.”
“I can imagine.” Lindy took a sip from her cup, then set it down and poured milk into the green tea. “We should probably start with Miss Sparkle’s condition.”
Chrono turned as the door slid open, admitting a pink-haired woman. “Forgive my tardiness…” her voice quietly died as Luna looked at her.
“It’s alright. Princess Luna, this is Sister Schach Nouera, the representative from the Saint Church. Sister Nouera, this is Princess Luna of Equestria.”
“Greetings, sister. Come closer and sit at the table with us.”
Schach shivered, then breathed in deeply as she seemed to get a grip of the situation, making her way over and taking a seat. “Sorry. I was overwhelmed for a moment…”
“We have noticed that trend with human visitors.” Luna replied, a playful smile on her face, the smile quickly fading into a more neutral expression. “However, such pleasantries can wait. We wish for knowledge, beginning with Twilight Sparkle’s condition.”
“Chrono?” Graham nodded to the young Enforcer, drawing Luna’s attention towards him.
“Comatose right now.” Chrono replied, rubbing his bandaged head. “The ship’s doctors have given her a checking over, but the general consensus is that her Linker Core was drained.”
Princess Luna hissed. “Will she recover?”
“Probably. We don’t really know a lot about unicorns, or ponies in general for that matter. Her recovery might go smoother if she were in a magic-rich environment like Equestria, but don’t quote me on that.”
“It would be best to bring her to Canterlot as swiftly as possible then. We insist on this.”
“Oh?”
Luna nodded sharply. “For a unicorn, or for that matter any Pony, to have their Linker Core so harmed… we shudder to think of the consequences. We believe that Equestria would indeed be the ideal location for her convalescence.”
“I’ll have our medical team prepare a gurney for transport. Will that work for you?”
Luna nodded. “Now, what of her assailants? What of them?”
“Based on the information we have right now we believe that the attackers, these so-called ‘Knights,’ are emissaries of an extremely powerful and dangerous Lost Logia called ‘The Book of Darkness.’”
“The Book of Darkness?” Luna felt a tightness in the pit of her stomach at the name. It sounded familiar.
“Yes. We believe it’s an artifact from the Ancient Belkan era. A powerful magic storage device in the shape of a book of spells. Are you familiar with it?”
Luna frowned in thought. That was why it sounded familiar. The Book of Darkness was a name she’d heard before, once upon a time. The name was one she’d never used herself, though. She shook her head, replying in the negative.
“Are you sure? I was under the impression that you were familiar with the Belka, like your sister.”
“Sadly, no. It has been long since our interactions with the Belka. Many of our memories of that era are enveloped in haze.”
“I see.” Chrono’s eyes were focused on her.
Does he know I‘m lying? Luna kept her expression carefully neutral and calm. He most likely guesses. I would not be surprised if he disbelieves us. He is no fool.
Graham coughed softly. “Given the nature of the situation, the Bureau would like to extend its assistance to the Equestrian government to apprehend the Book and its Master, before any other ponies are harmed.”
“We welcome the Bureau’s assistance, Admiral Graham.”
“Chrono can give you a more in-depth analysis for your records after the meeting, but there’s a few preliminary things I think we should clear up.”
“By all means…” Luna took a drink from her cup and let Graham talk. She listened carefully, even as her thoughts wandered.
The Book of Darkness… was that the touch I felt? No doubt the Belka had something to do with it; Celestia did say that many of my effects were traded to them after my exile. My precious Tome of the Night Sky, what have they done to you?
---
The Royal Guards were doing their best against the Griffon King’s forces, but they were sorely outnumbered. True, the guards had magic on their side, but even they couldn’t handle three-to-one odds.
At least, until a shadow drew across the sky. The fighting stopped as all eyes turned upward, a dark figure streaking down from the sky and landing on the Equestrian side of the field.
“She’s here! The Nightmare‘s here!”
A great and terrified cry erupted from the griffon forces as Princess Luna strode across the battlefield, darkness wavering behind her like a cloak. Her Lunargent Silver armor glittered gently, the blue-white barding covering her royal blue coat.
This time, however, there was something else. At her side floated a black book, its cover adorned with the upward-pointed crescent of her seal. Many ponies whispered of the Moon Princess’ skill at enchantment, but few had seen a work such as that before.
The Royal Guard was thankful that she was there. Ever since Discord’s fall Equestria had been beset by any number of foes seeking to claim the realm’s precious treasures and fertile land, thinking that Discord‘s presence had crippled the ponies and made them easy prey. It was only the presence of the Princesses that kept them at bay.
And of the sisters, the one they feared most was Luna. The Nightmare she was called, a title that she wore with calm acceptance. When war encroached on Equestrian soil, Luna would appear as surely as light cast a shadow. The Nightmare and her Book of Darkness.
The Griffon King‘s forces were numerous and their casualties were minimal. And yet, they were retreating.
They knew what was coming.
The book floated before her and opened with a snap as she called it forth, her personal circle springing forth under her hooves, filling with a many-pointed star and crescent. Her mane and tail coiled downward, sinking into a circular loop of blue and black light as she spoke.
“Strands of our tail, strike forth and ensnare! Let no beast upon the ground nor fowl in the sky escape our indignation! Come forth, oh blackest lightning!”
Her power flowed through the tome as she spoke the command. There was a bell-like tone as her Tome of the Night Sky activated.
BY YOUR WILL, the Tome replied in her voice, IT SHALL BE DONE!
Her magic leapt upwards in a pillar of black and blue lightning, so high that it blotted out the sun. The bolts arced outwards like the trails of a firework’s bloom, diving down into the ranks of the Griffon King’s armies and knocking them out of the skies, much like a pony’s tail would swat an irritating fly. Those that were struck were wrapped in crackling darkness, screaming and pleading.
Luna smiled. None would harm her kingdom, nor would they harm her precious ponies. She turned to face the Royal Guards, her smile faltering slightly as she saw the terror and wonder in their eyes.
“Commander!”
An older unicorn with a scarred nose and a missing eye approached, kneeling down and pressing his nostrils to the ground in reverence and fear. “Yes, your most glorious majesty?”
“Retrieve the wounded and the imprisoned and draw your forces back. We shall pursue the interlopers in thine place.”
“Yes, your most glorious majesty.”
She nodded imperiously before she took to wing. “Tome, hast thou recorded the processes of the spell we have used?”
I HAVE, MISTRESS. WIDE AREA ENHANCEMENT SUCCESSFUL.
“Good. We have much to teach you. Learn well, my Tome, for that is the purpose for which I have crafted ye…”
---
“Is this acceptable, Princess?”
Luna nodded, letting the old memory fade. “We believe so. We will, of course, discuss this with our sister, but we foresee no issues with your requests.”
Graham exhaled. “Good.”
“We do have a small request, however.”
“Of course.”
“We ask that Twilight’s and Fate’s Devices be turned over to us for repair.”
“I… see.”
Luna arched an eyebrow. “Is there something amiss in our request?”
“No. It was just unexpected. We were going to have a Device Meister inspect them as soon as possible. However, if you prefer to have your people work on them, I don’t see any problem.”
“Good. If there is no other matters involved with this issue, it would be best if we moved on to something less dreary, do you not agree?”
---
Amy Limietta typed away at her keyboard in the Arthra’s armory. Three Devices hovered in a small stasis field in Standby Form, surrounded by a pair of linked loops of energy; Raising Heart’s red jewel, Bardiche’s golden triangle and gem, and S2U’s black card All three of them looked decidedly worse for the wear. Thin cracks radiated out from a single point on Raising Heart’s surface, crisscrossing the jewel like varicose veins. Bardiche’s central jewel was cracked, and its backing looked like it was cut in half. S2U, meanwhile, had a thick fracture line running along its upper half.
Amy sighed as she inspected the readouts, running a hand through her already messed-up hair. The Arthra’s armory had the necessary equipment to maintain standard issue Devices, but this was beyond anything the ship could offer. Advanced Devices like S2U would require maintenance from a Meister at HQ. Raising Heart and Bardiche, meanwhile, were custom Devices, no doubt designed and built by master Meisters. Assuming that parts could be found that matched their specifications, both Devices were so precisely tuned that loss in performance would be impossible to avoid.
I really don’t want to tell Fate and Twilight that. Amy sighed as she rested her chin on her hand, staring at the information before her. It was just another disappointment; first failing to track the attackers, and now this. She’d stayed up all night, poking at the data and running scans, all for naught. She knew she looked terrible. She ran a hand over her hair, trying to smooth out some of the unruly tufts that were poking up.
It didn’t work. She sighed again, leaning forwards and resting her forehead on the console.
There as a soft hiss as the door behind her opened up, causing her to sit up and turn. Chrono entered the room, followed closely by a familiar dark-coated alicorn.
“Princess Luna!” Amy rose to her feet, blushing and quickly dusting off her uniform jacket. “I didn’t know you were aboard. I must look terrible…”
“Be not afraid, Miss Limietta. No doubt you were quite engrossed in your duties.”
“Princess Luna is here to pick up Raising Heart and Bardiche,” Chrono chimed in as he walked over, standing beside Amy’s chair and glancing at the screen.
“She’s what? You’re what?” Amy blinked owlishly.
“You seem confused, Miss Limietta.” Luna noted, looking at the hovering Devices.
“A little. I mean, I didn’t know Equestria had facilities for Device repair…”
“It doesn’t.”
“If it doesn’t, then-”
“We are experienced in the art you call ‘Meistership,’ Miss Limietta. Though the Devices are not of our world or style, we wish to study and forge them anew.” Luna glanced back to Amy and quirked an eyebrow.
“You mean… you’re a Meister? I didn’t expect that.” Amy swallowed. “No offence. I just-”
“Worry not, Miss Limietta. We do not expect you to know all things pertaining to us and our realm.” Luna glanced over towards the Devices and closed her eyes, her horn lighting with its deep blue glow as she drew the broken items out of the stasis field. She frowned pensively as she turned the items about in her grasp, her eyes still closed. Amy felt goosebumps slide up her arms as the room grew slightly cooler.
“If you want, your majesty,” Amy swallowed nervously, “I can give you a print-off of the information from our scans…”
“We would appreciate that, Miss Limietta.” Luna opened her eyes and turned, the broken Devices still hovering beside her. “And we thank you for your work.”
Amy nodded and tapped on her keyboard, pausing only to rub her arms in an attempt to get the goosebumps to go away. There was a soft hum as a physical copy was produced, the statistics and catalogue of damage laid out in black ink on white paper. Amy reached over, pulling the printouts free from the machine. “If there’s anything I need to clarify, Princess, please feel free to ask.”
“We will at that. Good day, then.”
Amy leaned back in her chair as the alicorn walked out, the door hissing shut behind her. “Whew,“ Amy glanced over at Chrono as she hugged herself. “I forgot how…intimidating the princesses could be.”
“I know.” Chrono shook his head and glanced over at his own Device. “I assume you’ve done the scans for S2U?”
“Yeah. I was just about to send the repair request to HQ…”
“Well, add this in to the request.” Chrono produced a sheet of paper and handed it to Amy.
“A part request for the CVK-792-R system?”
“With Admiral Graham and Harlaown’s signatures, yes. If I’m going to be going up against… those people,” Chrono shifted uncomfortably, “then I’m going to need some better equipment. Admiral Graham agreed with my assessment.”
“I see. I’ll make sure to add it in.”
“Thanks” Chrono turned to leave, pausing when Amy grabbed his wrist.
“Are you alright, Chrono?” Amy frowned, looking up at him. “Really alright?”
“Not really, no. I just didn’t expect to have something like this drop in my lap.”
“Chrono,” Amy sighed, looking down. “I… know about what happened with your dad. Just… be careful, alright? Don’t do anything reckless.”
“I won’t.”
“And,” Amy turned as he began to walk off, causing him to stop, “if you need to talk about anything, tell me, okay?”
Chrono turned to look over his shoulder at her, then nodded. “Okay.”
He’s a smart guy, Amy thought to herself as Chrono left the room. He’ll be fine. I’m sure he’ll be fine.
Now if she could just convince herself about that fact.
---
“Princess Luna!”
Luna turned slightly as she heard a familiar voice call out to her. Fate galloped up to her, closely trailed by Spike.
“Ah, young miss Fate, and Twilight Sparkle’s assistant Spike. Well met.”
Fate nodded quickly. “I didn’t know you were on the ship…”
“We had not planned to advertise this knowledge, no. We believed that, given the circumstances, it would have been better to leave you be.”
“Oh.”
“Princess,” Spike pointed up. “What’re you doing with those?”
The Princess glanced over at the hovering Devices, then back to the pair. “We had hoped to repair your and Twilight Sparkle’s Devices.”
“Repair… you want to fix Bardiche?” Fate paused.
“Would you rather we didn’t, Fate?”
“No. I just didn’t expect you to…”
“We see.” Luna nodded, then glanced down at Spike. “Would you give us a moment alone, young Spike?”
“Sure. I’ll see you at the cafeteria, Fate.”
Fate nodded as the dragon trotted off, before glancing up at the dark alicorn. The Princess inhaled slowly before speaking.
“Accompany us, if you would.”
Fate nodded, trotting beside the Princess as she strode pass. “You wanted to speak to me about something in private?
“Of course. We have been considering your request to become our apprentice.”
Fate’s heart leapt. “And?”
Luna opened her mouth to speak, then shut it just as quickly. “We… are still uncertain.”
“Why?” Fate glanced up at the taller pony.
Luna frowned. “We are… you would refer to us as ‘old-fashioned.’ Our knowledge is out of date in comparison to that of our sister’s academy. Furthermore, much of our knowledge is…”
“Dangerous?” Fate supplied.
“Indeed. We are not as our sister. We tarried little on the gentler side of magic. Our magic is dark and dreadful, more suitable for the field of battle than the gentle land Equestria has now become.”
“Is that why you were hesitant when I first asked you?”
Luna nodded. “You must understand, dearest Fate, in those dark times we were the sword of Equestria. Our presence struck awe and fear into both friend and foe alike. You yourself saw a fraction of that power during the assault on the Garden of Time. We can instruct ye in naught but the wizardry of war. Would it not be better to pursue gentler instruction, perhaps from our sister?”
Fate stopped behind the alicorn, causing them both to halt as Luna turned to face her.
“We ask thee, Fate;” Luna’s voice was calm, but firm, “would you be so willing to be associated with such things as we once were?”
Fate frowned, then glanced up at Luna. “Princess, you said you were the sword of Equestria.”
“Truly, I did..”
“That meant you protected everypony from those that would hurt them.”
Luna nodded, her blue eyes meeting Fate’s determined, ruby-eyed gaze.
“Right now, Twilight is in a coma because someone hurt her. And if they hurt my big sister, they’re going to hurt other ponies. I want to stop them, but to do that I need to get better. Stronger.”
Luna frowned. “Even if it meant taking a more sinister path, child of lightning?”
“Yes. I’m willing to do what it takes. I want to make sure nopony else is hurt. I want to fight for everypony, and you’re one of the most powerful and most dangerous mages in all of Equestria. You showed everybody that at the Garden of Time. Please. I want you to teach me.”
The princess of the night regarded Fate calmly, then nodded. “Very well. We shall endeavor to instruct you in magic. Our instruction will not be simple, however. You will find us to be a difficult and harsh taskmistress.”
“I’m used to things being tough. I won‘t let you down.”
Luna smiled slowly.
“It gladdens our… my heart to hear that. Rarely are my talents appreciated by other ponies.”
“I think you sell yourself a bit short on that, Princess Luna. Would you like to join me in the cafeteria?”
“Sadly, I must pass. I must see to Twilight’s transfer to Canterlot. However, I would appreciate it if you would accompany me, along with Spike.”
“Of course.” Fate nodded. “I’ll just be glad to be off the ship…”
“Indeed. Good eve then, Fate.”
“Good evening, teacher.”
---
It was the prickling sensation that first caught Twilight’s attention. It was like she’d slept on her foreleg wrong and it’d fallen asleep, except it covered her entire body.
She tried to open her eyes. That in and of itself was difficult; they felt like they were glued shut and made of lead. She rubbed them and, after a good deal of effort, opened them.
The ceiling above her was pink. The room was dim and smelt faintly of flowers and clean linen. She was laying on a soft bed, the covers pulled up and over her body. The pink continued as she rolled over, blinking at the rose, orange and violet sunset sky glittering beyond Canterlot’s tall spires.
I’m in Canterlot… She grunted softly, slowly pushing herself up so that she half-sat, half-lounged on the bed. Her throat felt dry
A soft gasp caught her attention. She turned and blinked blearily at the door. Pinkie stood there for a brief moment, before she let out a cheerful screech and shot off.
“SHE’S AWAKE!”
Twilight winced at the volume of the announcement. She was pretty sure ponies in Manehatten heard Pinkie’s shout. A hoof went to her sore head as she heard hooves rushing up towards the door, followed by her friends swarming through the door and surrounding her bed, their voices mixing into a loud cacophony.
“Could everypony please just be quiet?!” Her voice came out in a loud croak.
“Ya’ll heard her!” Applejack called out, waving a hoof to the others. “Settle down ya’ll. Poor gal’s only jus’ now woke up!”
“Thank you.” Twilight grimaced. “Could I get some water or something? I’m really thirsty…”
“Of course darling.” Rarity glanced over her shoulder at the small bedside table, her horn lighting up as she poured a cup of water from an attendant pitcher. The cup levitated over to Twilight, letting her sip at it.
“How do you feel, Twilight?” Fluttershy rested her hooves on the bed as Twilight drank.
“Mmmf… tired…” Twilight paused. She was in Canterlot, not in Ponyville. Not in her library. Thoughts raced through her head: the battle, Yuuno, her burst of power, the book…
“Where is everyone else?!” Panic seized Twilight. “Where’s Yuuno?! Where’s Spike?! Where’s Fate?! Is everypony okay?! Is Ponyville-”
“Calm down sugarcube.” Applejack reached over, gently pushing Twilight back as the unicorn wrestled with the covers. “Calm down. Everypony’s fine.”
“Yuuno and Spike are talking with Chrono and the other humans.” Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs as she hovered over the bed. “And Fate’s doing her ‘special lessons’ with Princess Luna.”
“Tha’ library is all smashed to bits, though.” Applejack sighed. “An’ things are all real tense.”
“How… how long have I been unconscious?”
Her friends glanced at each other.
“Um.. Two days…” Fluttershy offered.
I was unconscious for that long? Twilight took another drink, draining the cup. No wonder I feel terrible.
“Don’t worry though Twilight!” Pinkie Pie grinned as she opened the drawer on the bedside table, reaching in and producing a familiar-looking roll of parchments, setting it down beside the unicorn. “Spike got all your notes and stuff gathered up, just in case you wanted something to do while you were in bed.”
Twilight smiled faintly. She had expected the library wouldn’t have survived the assault, but at least she had her notes. She focused, trying to levitate the scroll.
It didn’t budge.
She froze, a chill forming in the pit of her stomach. She tried again, trying to summon the magical energy most unicorns used naturally to lift the scroll.
Nothing happened. No light, no aura of magic, nothing.
“Twilight? Is something the matter?” Rarity paused as Twilight tried not to panic.
“I… I…” She inhaled, trying to focus, willing the energy forth again. The rolls of parchment remained unfazed. She turned her head to the cup Rarity was holding, trying to summon the strength to move it. Her teeth clenched, her eyes narrowed, but nothing happened. Her fear turned to horror.
“I… I can’t use my magic. I can’t use my magic!”
“Twi, calm down…” Applejack cautioned her as she began to hyperventilate. “The fellers from the Bureau said something’ happened when ya’ll were attacked, that they’d stolen some of yer magic…”
Her mind had been like an open book, with a violent windstorm ripping at the pages. She couldn’t breathe, couldn‘t move, couldn‘t speak. Her heart fluttered like a hummingbird. It was like some part of her was being taken away…
Twilight’s breath caught in her throat. That woman had taken her magic. What else had she taken?!
The ponies drew back as the purple unicorn flailed and kicked the sheets free from her hind legs. Twilight rolled over and reached for the scrolls with her hooves. She spread the parchments open with a soft crinkle of unrolled paper.
These were her notes. Everything she’d learned during her experiments, neatly noted down in her typically precise script. She knew what the words were, what they meant… and yet there was something wrong. It was like there was a disconnect, a mental block. She felt like a foal that had just entered an advanced magic class.
She didn’t understand any of it.
The other ponies had fallen silent. She glanced at her friends, then blinked; all of them were staring at her flank. She craned her head back and felt her blood run cold.
Every pony had a cutie mark, a symbol on their flank that symbolized their special talent. Normally, the mark was unmistakable; the colors bright, the image clear and sharp. And yet, her mark was faded, the normally vibrant pink and white muted and nearly non-existent. It looked less like a mark and more like a stain, like someone had tried to rub it out with a poor-quality pencil eraser.
“My… my magic…” Twilight felt tears drip down her muzzle before she let out a pained scream. “What happened to me?!”
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Great chapter! Wow, Twilight on the verge of Cutie Mark Failure syndrome. It seems a lot more dramatic than when Nanoha's linker core got drained in Nanoha A's, and it seemed like Nanoha just rested for a while and then it was no big deal.
But, uh “Ponyville General won’t be open until dawn. Same with the Royal Hospital at Canterlot," --> Hospitals don't normally close down for the night, what with injured people not being able to wait.
505320
Cutie Mark Failure syndrome as caused by mental/psychological disconnect is scary enough; I hate to think of what would happen in the event of full cutie mark negation.
Also, I can think of a Hand Wave (warning, TvTropes link!) for Celestia's hospital explanation: she was able to tell that Twilight's Linker Core was severely drained, and the relevant specialists for that type of malady are not the type you find on night duty at a hospital... assuming they're even common enough to be found in residency at all.
505320
Edit made.
505621
True enough, but Brief does have a point. Shouldn't it be a hoof-wave, though?
Dear Lord, the Wolkenritter are SCREWED. Celestia is going to be absolutely furious when she sees how much damage they did. I'm seeing that summon solar flare spell in their future.
And Luna, your sister uses magic to create nuclear blasts for her trump card*. You can't possibly have more sinister magic than that.
*A star is a constant fusion explosion. Celestia drops bits of that on people.
505805
"And Luna, your sister uses magic to create nuclear blasts for her trump card*. You can't possibly have more sinister magic than that."
challengeaccepted.jpg
So later on will the final battle take place on Earth or Equestria?
505805
On Luna's Trump:
Three words, Kinetic Kill Vehicle. Yes I know how the TSAB feels about Mass Weapons.
Okay, spacebatttles was down, so I was
, then I checked here and found an updated MPLT-A and I was all 
.
Then I discovered you had Cutie Marks run through a linker core, or at least when someone drains a pony who's special talent is magic there are serious complications and they are ramped up to eleven. Anypony facing them knowing or suspecting this effect isn't going to hold back, given this is Equestrian style Nightmare Rocket Fuel.
Leaving the Diarchs aside, we have Fate, who Twilight pulled out of a pit of despair learning Ancient Equestrian War Magic. (The Lightning Sword of Night?) Their big brother, Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, he of the massive Shield Haxx. And any of the Royal Guard that knew her either from being Celestia's apprentice, or as the boss's little sister.
And we thought Chrono would be the most loose cannon in this scenario. "How did I get to be the reasonable one here?"
This is so much win. I was pretty bummed out tonight and lo and behold you updated, now my whole day is good. Also I'm so glad that you didn't decide to put the cartage system in fate's and twilight's devices. Now I'm coming up with all kinds of crazy things that the princess could do to make them stronger, the possibilities are endless. Oh and I want to beat whoever got that book out, beat them within an inch of their life for what they did to twilight.
Now I have a monumental problem... I have to wait for the next chapter.
So is Fate, er, "stuck" as a pony? I mean, certainly she doesn't seem to mind much and one could say that with all the bad memories associated with her human body she might well prefer to be in the form of her new-found family. But could she be changed back into a human if it seemed like a good idea for some reason?
507499
Yes, Fate can change back to a human if she wants to.
A pony's cutie mark is both a facet of their soul and personality, and seemingly deeply entrenched in their magical essence. To have it drained, well it's not exactly surprising that Twilight's talent extended like that as well. Must be something of a shock, to be little more than a pale, or as you say, partially erased shadow of yourself. I expect any pony, even non-unicorns could probably be drained in a similar fashion. Both AJ and Rainbow have significant potency as well, and would probably experience a similar issue. Unlike humans, all ponies are magical.
She better get better though! I don't know how much talking about 'friendship' she's going to feel up to after this.
Love the connection of the Tome with Luna, and I already see how this could play out differently than Canon. Though, if the tome was created by her, wouldn't the 'knights' be ponies? Unless they were a feature added later somehow, which seems to be the case.
Well, I just got back from reading Elementals of Harmony, and yeah, Luna's thematics do leave her with more sinister magic. Channel the truth of the heat death of the Universe anyone? Nuclear weapons are kind of tame compared to that. Although, the whole turn peoples shadows into lethal binds she was using on the drones was pretty scary in its own way.
Sorry to double post, but I just had an scary thought. If anything like the fight with Reinforce from the final episodes happens, Celestia and Luna will actually need to use their trump cards to win. Unless the elements can destroy the darkness of the book of darkness and end the fight that way, and if Gears of Destiny is canon here that thing is at least as dangerous as Discord, there is gonna be a hell of a blast-out. And with almost everyone and everything and Equestria being magical, barriers will not stop Reinforce's city buster spells from killing civilians. The diarchs will not let happen. Problem is, Reinforce, judging from A's, is powerful enough to stand up any magical attack that isn't in the same league as their big guns.
Oh, when Luna and Celestia catch up with these Knights, horse apples gonna go down!
Great writing of Celestia, there. Pitch-perfect IMHO. I hope she can 'truly' cut loose and score some major victories/carnage. Also, poor Twilight. *Hugs*
Arrr! The alerts on this site are useless!
Good chapter.
Interesting backstory additions for Luna.
Also I feel that at some point a TSAB mechanic will see RH and or Bardiche, learn who upgraded them and make an Iron Man reference.
I'm loving this, so much.
My money's on Scootaloo being . No known parents, and she's unable to fly, despite it seeming like she should have a real knack for it. . . The curious question, regardless of who it turns out to be, is. . . How long has known of Equestria's existence, and how?
This chapter gave me so many feels... Sadness, D'awww-ness, more sadness and then finally horror and even more sadness.
I love your idea of Fate becoming Luna's student and especially Luna having constructed the Tome of the Night Sky. Yes, I will forever call it that, not Book of Darkness. Feels from A's Episode 10 and Episode 11 are preventing that.
This chapter was, as always, really well-written and awesome!
Ok now I'm a little less upset at some of the characterizations on the Princesses. Now I see why Celestia acts more as Equestria's Shield, she is the last line of defense, for her to go out means someone will die, and the base earth be rendered into glass. This chapter reminds me of why you never piss of Celestia.
ha i called it back in the first chapter.
505858 if someone ask me rendering something to ashes with the power of the sun is less sinister and less messy, its clean and quick, no time to mourn, to fret, or to pray, you just cease to exist, now if you see a big ass pillar of dark lightning lounging at you, that instills fear man.
but now i am greatly wondering just what the hell happened a thousand years ago, how did the Belkan fit in the whole Nightmare Moon rise and fall, just what did Celestia did, and why in all that is holy, did Luna belongings where given to them
P.S. oh oh i wonder if you have this big part all planned out for Discord, and also, since this was done pre-Twilicorn, are we going to see some of that in the future?
I really hope Luna makes devices for Spike and the rest of the mane 6. Or maybe that would be in a Striker's fic...
4622672
Take a step back and look at it from a different angle. As you say, Prose didn't predict Tirac's power drain abilities, as that came pre-bundled with the nature of this crossover. He did, however, predict the effect said drain would have on the subject's Cutie Mark. All in favor of renaming the author ProphetProse, raise your hoof/paw/claw/talon/wing/whatever appropriate appendage for your species.
“My… my magic…” Twilight felt tears drip down her muzzle before she let out a pained scream. “What happened to me?!”
Looks like core drain is worse in ponies than humans.