The Last Blade
Upheaval: Reckoning
Chapter 34: The Last Blade
For the very long second it took Sablesteel descend on her, Pinkie's mind raced through an explosion of panicked thoughts. ‘Oh no! Oh no! This is so bad! She’s starting that swooping thing! What do I do? What do I do?’
At the tail end of that second, Pinkie jumped to one side. Sablesteel’s blade-tipped hoof whistled an inch from her ear as she slammed against a wall. Several small things landed a few feet away with loud, metallic pings. She had more pressing concerns, however. Her tablet had slipped from her forelegs, and skittered away.
What was the plan again? She had been so sure when she was running towards this alley. The plan should be simple: find Sablesteel, get Sablesteel to stop trying to hurt anypony, tell everypony that it was safe to return to their normal lives again, then finish with a celebratory song, preferably with Sablesteel.
Step one proved surprisingly easy. Despite all his oddities, Copper Mane did show her how to work the channeling slab. She was able to see ley energy whenever she wanted to now. After that, it was simply a matter of looking for disturbances throughout the lines, just as she had done back in that really scary, and dark place under Everfree Castle. She had taken a huge gamble in running after this particular disturbance, but it had paid off.
Step two was proving to be a rather huge snarl in her plan. Sablesteel was more monstrous than she remembered. Even though she knew there was a pony under that mask, she still couldn't stop trembling. The first swing from those blades also made it clear that this problem wasn't going to be solved by talking.
“Hold still!” Sablesteel’s growl was hollow, and metallic. She made a swift turn after her first swoop, and positioned herself for another.
“Why do you have to do this?” Pinkie asked. She zigzagged through the alley, trying to get to her channeling slab, and make herself a difficult target at the same time.
Sablesteel answered by landing on the slab just as Pinkie was about to grab it. Pinkie yelped, and jumped back at the last moment. She eyed Sablesteel warily, and began to circle around.
“What’s the matter, Pinkie Pie?” Sablesteel asked. “Did all your bravado come from this chunk of shale?”
Pinkie’s eyes narrowed. No, that wasn't true. She had always had her Pinkie Sense. The channeling slab just sort of let her see how it worked. She lowered her stance, then charged. Her sudden move startled Sablesteel for a second, giving her enough time to snatch the slab. That moment quickly passed. A sharp sensation in her mind made her move her head to the right. Another bladed strike whistled close to her face. With another yelp, she made a run for it to recollect herself. Something hard slashed through the hair of her tail, sending strands flying. Pinkie didn't look back until she felt that she was far enough. When she did, Sablesteel had not moved from the spot.
“We don’t have to fight!” Pinkie cried out. “Just promise to leave my friends and family alone!”
“I won’t,” Sablesteel replied.
“Why not? What did they ever do to you?”
Sablesteel swooped again, sending Pinkie scurrying for some sort of cover. “Is that all you came here to do, Pinkie Pie?” she asked. She whirled in mid-air, cutting at Pinkie like a bladed corkscrew.
Pinkie flattened herself against the ground. This time, the very tip of Sablesteel’s blades lightly grazed her back. It was difficult to tell if she had been actually cut or if the blades had merely parted her fur. The stinging sensation that followed confirmed her fears. She held the channeling slab tightly, and scrambled to her hooves.
‘Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…’ Tears welled up in Pinkie’s eyes. Sablesteel hovered just a few feet away, hoof-blades extended, and the stinger around her tail waving lazily. Step two seemed all but impossible. She was panting, sweating, and trembling. Her back felt as if a swarm of angry bees was stinging her. This was looking more and more like a bad idea with each passing second. She had to try something.
“Does it sting, Pinkie?” Sablesteel asked. “That’s just a scratch. I’m not stopping at scratches, and I’m not stopping at you. Unless…”
Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Unless what? What do you want? Tell me!”
“Quit being an Element of Harmony.”
“What?” Pinkie stared at Sablesteel. Seconds passed before she could make sense of the sentence. “Quit…quit being an Element of Harmony? How is that…what does…why would you…?” Pinkie wrestled with the idea. She didn't know if she should be angry that somepony suggested that to her or be curious if such a thing was even possible. How would a pony quit being an Element of Harmony? Did she have to talk to somepony? Princess Celestia maybe? But her necklace had already shattered anyway. Wasn't that some kind of quitting? Maybe her element had quit on her.
Sablesteel waved a hoof irritably. “Put the how’s and why’s away for now! Give me a yes or no.”
Pinkie opened her mouth only to realize that she had no idea what to say. After a few more moments of struggling, she found some words. “Wait, if I say yes, will you leave my friends and family alone?”
“I will,” Sablesteel replied. “I swear that neither I nor any of my fellow thorns will harm them.”
Pinkie stared long and hard at Sablesteel. The insect-like mask hid her face, and distorted her voice, making it impossible to tell if she was lying or not. “B-but, my friends need me to be part of the elements…”
“The Element of Joy will pick somepony else,” Sablesteel replied. “They’ll still be your friends.”
“Why do you want me to do that?”
“Yes or no?”
Pinkie clamped down on her tongue, fearing that she might say yes without thinking. Horrifying as the thought was, Sablesteel’s offer sounded tempting. Everypony expected so much from the Elements of Harmony: the royal siblings, the Legion, even their enemies. It was all so heavy. If somepony could do it better, why shouldn't they? But…
“Well?” Sablesteel asked.
“No,” Pinkie said. She nearly clapped her hooves over her mouth. “My friends need me. I can’t just quit!”
“Need you for what?” Sablesteel asked. “For balloons? Isn't that your purpose in life? That’s what’s written on your flank!” She dove after Pinkie.
Again, any thought of fighting back flew out of Pinkie’s mind once she was faced with those poisoned blades. The burning sting on her back remained a dire warning of what would happen if she let herself get cut any deeper. She hopped backwards, and skipped to her sides, barely staying a step away from another poisoned wound.
“Don’t you see how out of your element you are?” Sablesteel asked. “You’re worse than a fish out of water. At least, the fish just flops, and dies. You will drag others into your fall, Pinkie!”
“I…I just wanted to help!” Pinkie wailed. She ducked one swing and, unable to contain her frustration, lunged. Her head slammed into Sablesteel's midriff. Sablesteel broke off, and hovered above her. Pinkie wasn't sure if she had actually hurt Sablesteel, or it was merely the surprise of the moment. She rubbed her head to help with the pain of impact only to notice that it wasn't just hurting because of her attack.
“Then help,” Sablesteel said. “Let somepony else bear the Element of Joy.”
“Why are you so insistent? What do you get out of it?”
“I get to not have to kill you!”
Like a thick, damp blanket, silence settled on them. All Pinkie could hear were her harsh breathing, and the gentle flapping of Sablesteel’s wings. “Why?” she asked. When she decided to speak, she found her voice far too loud.
Sablesteel’s stinger clinked with a twitch of her tail. Pinkie swallowed when a single drop of…something, fell from the pointed tip to the ground. “Because, Pinkie Pie, I don’t want to deal with you. You’re an itch; a minor bother that does more harm if you actually scratch it. Hurting the Element of Joy is a necessity, but hurting you stains me. Go away on your own. Stand at the sidelines, cheer for your friends, make them cakes, and throw them parties. Leave the important work to somepony else.”
The last sentence struck Pinkie, leaving her unable to recall what Sablesteel had said earlier. She had heard this somewhere before.
“What’s your passion, Pinkie? Birthday cakes? Party hats?”
Balloons, birthday cakes, and party hats…was that it? Were New Fluttershy, and Sablesteel right? Was that all her cutie mark meant? Wasn't that good enough to be the Element of Joy? “No,” she said, her voice trembling. Sablesteel didn't respond, probably because she didn't hear her. “No!” Pinkie said louder. Now that she was holding the shale tablet, she saw all the ley energy around them. There was a strange rippling around those weird metal things Sablesteel had thrown earlier, but she couldn't tell what was happening with them, nor did she really care. “NO!” she shouted. She planted her hooves on the ground, and let the colors meld into her body.
When Pinkie shouted at her, Sable already knew that she had triggered something. When Pinkie disappeared, she realized that “something” might be a threat. She turned instinctively with a hoof raised when she felt a draft to her right.
Pinkie Pie had somehow materialized by her side.
Pinkie was screaming at the top of her lungs by the time she reappeared in Sable’s sights. Her right foreleg ground against Sable’s, barely slipping past the block, then smashing a hoof against one side her breather mask. Pinkie’s eyes lit up, surprised that her attack actually managed to hit.
Furious, Sable answered by knocking Pinkie to the ground with a hoof to the face. She barely managed to twist the blow at the last moment to avoid stabbing Pinkie's eye out. She shook her head. She had to recover before those insane abilities triggered again. Her mask had absorbed most of the blow, but the clear covering on the left eye had cracked on impact. ‘This is not what I’m looking for,’ she thought. A bearer of the Elements of Harmony becoming a stronger fighter was a mere secondary objective to Black Rose. This was also not completely new. She had seen Frenzy Heart move in such a manner before.
Sable pulled a few more canisters from her harness, and scattered them across the alley. Fortunately, the small cracks had not affected her breather mask’s functions. Otherwise, she would have had to pull back or risk flying into the city. She landed several feet away from Pinkie, who was still recovering from her blow.
“That’s not where my cutie mark ends!” Pinkie shouted. Her tablet glowed brightly. “I've got more than birthday cakes and party hats! That’s not all what my cutie mark means!” She disappeared from sight again. No flash of magic as there would have been with a unicorn spell. One second she was there, then she was gone.
Sable was ready this time. She had fought teleporting unicorns before. The air to her right shifted. As she had thought, Pinkie avoided appearing directly behind her, where her bladed back hooves, and her stinger could attack. Pinkie would appear to her sides, close to her hind legs, but out of their way. Sable still had weapons there. She extended her wings. Up in the air, her sides were vulnerable because she had to use her wings for flying. Not so on the ground.
Pinkie did appear from the right, both front hooves ready for a strike. Sable swiped at her with a bladed wing, but she noticed it, and stepped back at the last moment. The wing blade barely touched the tip of her nose. Sable began to turn on the spot, stabbing at Pinkie with the stinger, then attacking with the left wing blade. Upon facing Pinkie, Sable hovered a foot off the ground, and lashed out with all four legs.
Faced with a steadily advancing wall of envenomed blades, Pinkie yelped, and ran back. “No fair!” she cried out. “You've got too many weapons!”
“And you've got too few!” Sable retorted. “That’s the problem isn't it? You've got nothing to put on the table besides gags and giggles!” She flew up, and swooped. Again, Pinkie weaved through her blades, always dodging by a hair’s width. ‘Discipline,’ she thought. Frustration hung around the edges of her thoughts. This barely trained earth pony slipped through a barrage of attacks that should have been enough to cut down several ursans. A lesser soldier would be grinding her teeth away in a rage by now. Sable concentrated on conserving her energy instead, relying on a more reliable, albeit slower, method of taking out Pinkie.
“I've got more!” Pinkie shouted back. Her voice dropped, and she looked down. Sable saw an opportunity to lunge, and cut her, but decided to stay put. “I can do more. I can be the Element of Joy.”
“You keep telling yourself that,” Sable said. “Let’s see how much of a comfort it is when the ponies around you start to suffer!”
“Leave them alone!”
A hoof struck Sable’s side before the last word even finished. She winced. The blows were getting stronger. She slashed with her wings again, but Pinkie was no longer there. Unfazed, she struck out with her other wing without looking. This one cut something, the mild resistance echoed by a pained cry. When they broke off, Pinkie was bleeding from a shallow cut to the shoulder. ‘Your fault, foal,’ Sable thought. ‘I’m giving you a way out, but you won’t take it.’
Tears streamed from Pinkie’s eyes. She pressed a hoof against the cut, and started blowing on it. Sable wasn't too worried. Her wing blades weren't poisoned this time. From the bleeding, she doubted that she cut anything too important. The reaction was all the more telling of why she didn't want to deal with Pinkie. Impressive as her channeling was, Pinkie acted like a filly with a scraped knee. “Understand now?” she asked. “Take my offer.”
Pinkie tried to say something, but she wobbled slightly, and squinted, wincing at what undoubtedly was a severe headache. The poison gas was doing its work. That should stop any of her channeling now. If there was anything else she could use, it should be the Element of Joy. If she couldn't…Sable looked to her foreleg devices. Her blades were coated with a very minor toxin, less potent than bee venom. Her needles carried a lethal mix.
“Stop right there, Sablesteel!”
Sable glanced towards the end of the alley. As Pinkie had said, a group of legionnaires had been following her: a four-pony Special Operations squad, some reinforcing legionnaires, and a few members of the Royal Guard. Leading them was a unicorn mare whose purple mane came down in ringlets.
Sable spoke to her communicating device. “Octavia, you’re on. Will Warsinger’s harmonics to torment. I’m not in the mood for wiping brains off my gear.”
“Alright,” Octavia replied. Even through the communicating device, Sable noticed the relief in her voice. Warsinger had not yet influenced her enough for its deadliest harmonics. Another second passed before the music started.
For a fleeting second, Sable expected Rhapsody's melodious voice, an ethereal tone known to melt stallions on the spot even without Warsinger, to flow out from her communication device. Instead, the deep and powerful notes from a cello flowed forth. It was far from the soothing pieces Octavia played for Black Rose. It began with deep, ominous quivers; Octavia’s grudge against Pinkie in musical form. The first part served as a warning, a herald for bad things to come. Sable hoped that Octavia did not overdo things. The special chamber in her room allowed her to send her music through the other thorns, but in a less potent form. That should be enough to ensure some control.
Despite the diluted power, the effect of Warsinger quickly proved telling. The legionnaires, and guards that charged halted in their tracks. The music left them disoriented, and fearful of something they could neither see nor put a name to. Sable pulled out a different kind of canister from her pouches, and chucked it beneath them. A yellow haze seeped out, slowly filling the alley with poison. The unicorn mare, and her squad mates shouted for the others to leave, while they dragged Pinkie out. The ponies caught in Warsinger’s tune didn't seem to hear the warning. Their eyes watered, and their noses ran at first. As they stayed in the cloud, the tears and snot turned mixed with blood. In less than a minute, all of them had fallen to the ground, coughing, wheezing, and bleeding.
Sable had little time to survey her hoof-work. It was time to remind Pinkie of what happened when a pony involved herself in things beyond her. The music continued to flow from her communication device, leaving everypony within earshot unable to defend themselves properly.
Pinkie tried desperately to stay on her hooves, but the dull ache from earlier had turned into a searing headache. She was feeling sick for some reason. ‘This is no time to come down with a cold!’ she told herself. ‘I've got to stop her!’ She tried to concentrate on the swirling colors again, but the pain made it impossible. Nightcanter was dragging her out of the alley with telekinesis. “Wait!” she cried out. “I can’t run away now! She’ll go after my friends, and family!”
“Celestia drill my backside,” Nightcanter grunted. “If you keep struggling, I’ll kill them myself! Stay still, Pinkie, we’ll take care of this!”
Pinkie watched in horror as the first legionnaires dropped to the ground. The yellow haze was seeping out of the alley. The ominous music hinted of things even more horrible than Sablesteel about to burst into the alley at any moment. Thoughts of that awful smoke seeping into the rock farm, Sugarcube Corner, even the rest of Ponyville, filled her head.
‘Oh no! She’s started already!’ Pinkie remembered one more trick that Copper Mane taught her, and fought through the headache. With a flash of colors, Nightcanter’s telekinesis broke.
Pinkie took three steps before falling face first to the ground. The headache sent the world spinning. It was impossible to even take two steps in the same direction. The swirl of ley energy was just ahead of her, all she needed to do was reach out. The colors faded when her hoof touched them. A second later, everything was dark.
Despite the poison gas obscuring her vision, Sable could still spot her target. When Pinkie passed out, it was time to end the mission for the time being. Once she woke up, Pinkie would have that quiet moment of introspection that would determine if she had what it took to bring more out of the Element of Joy, or not. Sable had to give it to her partner as well. Octavia had not overdone things despite the temptation. There were only a few minor problems to deal with. The lead unicorn had cast a spell that was causing Sable’s poison gas to dissipate. It wouldn't be long until that pegasus in her squad would have a clear line of sight. With a flap of her wings, Sable dove into the thicker portions of the cloud, swooped past the fallen legionnaires, and aimed a needle thrust at where the unicorn’s neck would be.
To Sable’s surprise, she stabbed something else before she could even come close. The needle was covered in blood when she pulled her hoof back. Who had she just stabbed? The yellow haze suddenly vanished into a sudden darkness. As did most of her surroundings.
“Sable…why have you done this?”
Sable could only stare as her grandfather shuffled towards her. He stood out in the dark as if lit by an unseen spotlight. His neck spurted blood on her coat. It was easy to recognized the badly burned skin, the bad eye, the lack of a mane and tail, and the patches of coarse blue hair all over his body. Ice Carver, the last of the Blackmoon Blades, ultimately paid for his stubborn dedication. His laboratory exploded while he was perfecting a chemical mixture, leaving him a disfigured wreck for the rest of his days, and earning him an insulting nickname that remained long after memory of his real name had faded. “You’re dead,” she whispered.
“Wretched filly, how many times must you spit on our memory?” His voice sounded nothing like how Sable remembered. That she couldn't tell if it was because this was a fake, or that it was her own memory that was flawed, left an ache within her. “I taught you the lore so you may remember, not so you could disgrace us!”
To the sound of cracking earth, the ground burst in several places. More ponies rose all around Sable. Their faces were but skulls with a few strips of dessicated flesh clinging on. Some of their limbs hung only by a tendon or two, but she recognized a few of them. They were her grandfather’s comrades, the last remnants of a fallen order. One by one, they died until he remained. They clung to her, the cloying smell of rot penetrating even her breather mask. She struggled to break free. ‘This is an illusion,’ she thought. ‘Some unicorn mage thinks she can play tricks on me!’
The sheer power of such an illusion left Sable nervous. This spell reached into her memories, and created visions out of her worst fears; a phantasm, as Lion Court told her once. Only a very powerful illusionist could do this. Perhaps she had underestimated the unicorn mare earlier. Still, there were ways to break out of such a spell. Before the corpses of the Blackmoon Blades could pry her hooves apart, she switched one foreleg device into a blade, then stabbed her flank, sending a burst of pain coursing through her body. Even the pain of a poisoned wound felt good compared to the agony of watching her memories twisted like this.
The vision did not fade.
Sable fought back a sense of rising panic. The idea that this may not be an illusion, but her actual punishment, crossed her mind. The corpses held her tightly, leaving her unable to move an inch.
“Don’t bother hurting yourself anymore, I have you well and fully trapped.”
Sable didn't recognize the voice, but the regal tone made it easy to tell. Out of the darkness, Princess Luna walked out, her face a grim mask of determination. “You are very brave, thorn, for conducting your business here in Canterlot. I have you, though. You will lead us to your mistress.” Princess Luna removed the breather mask with her telekinesis.
“Alright, I’ll tell you if you take away these visions,” Sable said.
“Tell me then.”
Sable muttered some words, and garbled them on purpose.
“What?” Princess Luna asked. She leaned a little closer, her ears perking.
Sable spat. The glob of phlegm and saliva landed squarely on Princess Luna’s snout, who looked at it in disgust. She cast a spell to clean herself after a moment.
“I wouldn't tell you where I piss, moon princess,” Sable hissed. “Why don’t you just kill me? You've already slain all the Blackmoon Blades. Finish the job!”
The outburst caught Princess Luna off guard, and it only added to Sable’s rising fury. The mighty Princess of the Night probably never even heard of the Blackmoon Blades. Sable was more than happy to show her.
A great flash of golden light suddenly erupted from behind Sable. The visions vanished, allowing her to move freely. Before she could, a powerful telekinetic spell caught her in its grip. After a second, it pulled her back into the portal she had used. The door slammed, then simply disappeared as Black Rose destroyed yet another secret entrance to Canterlot. The breather mask fell just a foot away as Sable regained her bearings. She was back at the hideout, inside Black Rose’s quarters.
“Cutting it a little too close are we, Sable?” Black Rose asked. She reclined on her bed, once more going through the dozens of magical images she used to keep track of her agents.
“I was done for at that point,” Sable said. “I’m ready for whatever punishment you have.”
“No need,” Black Rose said. “The Element of Joy did spark. Not much, but it certainly reacted to all that put down you kept giving poor Pinkie Pie. Good work, Sable.”
Sable nodded. She was about to leave when Black Rose spoke again.
“Sable, you do realize that the bearers can’t actually quit?”
“It was a test,” Sable replied.
“Oh really? Black Rose smiled. "How much of it, I wonder?”
“Just enough.”
Sable closed the door, and returned to her quarters. She passed by Octavia, who bowed politely. Once she was alone, she looked at the breather mask, the same breather mask that her grandfather crafted for her. The cracks on one of the eyes had lengthened vertically. The piece was in need of some serious repair.
"You are a thorn not a blade." Sable muttered. With a snort, she hurled the mask to one corner of the room.
Luna walked through the halls of the Royal Palace in a bad mood. She had a thorn. A thorn! She had one land on her hoof, and she let it slip away. Some of the guards flinched, and looked away when she walked past them. Several hours had passed since that incident. She had to personally heal Pinkie, who was suffering from prolonged exposure to poisonous gas. Even though Pinkie was not in any grave danger, to see her lying depressed on a hospital bed was difficult to take. Of course, whatever discomfort Luna felt was nothing compared to Fluttershy's, who never left Pinkie's side.
After that, Luna spent the rest of the day helping Special Operations track down any remaining portals that connected Black Rose's base to Canterlot. Each time they found one, Black Rose destroyed it. It was a frustrating task, but their enemy couldn't go back and forth into the capital from now on.
Terrato had just flown in from some business in the Great Delve. He had been gone for days now, and wasn't around when Rarity fought against Lion Court, or when Rainbow disappeared. Luna didn't buy the story of problems in the Delve entirely. Celestia had secretly dispatched Wax Wing, another one of the royal nephews, to the Great Delve in order to observe the Barrier Lands capital. Wax Wing had reported earlier that day that Terrato had indeed stopped by the Delve, but only for a short while. That left a great deal of missing time.
That wasn't what Luna was going to pry into for now. Sablesteel had said something that left her curious. She flung the doors to Terrato’s quarters open with her magic, and found her brother by his desk.
“This better be important, Luna.” Terrato didn't glance back, but he did put aside the papers he was working on.
“Big brother, what can you tell me about the Blackmoon Blades?”
“They’re dead.”
Luna held back a snort. It looked like she wasn't the only one whose endeavors left her in a foul mood. “Not all of them it seems,” she said.
Terrato turned around. “Reports have already rolled in,” he said. “You ran into Sablesteel of the Thorns.” His horn glowed briefly, and the doors shut behind Luna. “Like I said, they’re dead. Contrary to what you may be thinking right now, Sablesteel is not a Blackmoon Blade.”
“She accused me of destroying them,” Luna insisted. “I've never heard of this group in my life.”
Terrato snorted, then smiled a bit. Luna frowned at what the seeming mockery. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
“It’s a strange feeling,” Terrato replied. “I can understand why you have no idea who these ponies were, but I still feel that you should have known about them.” When Luna stayed silent, Terrato went on. “You created the Blackmoon Blades, little sister. Except that, during the time you did, they were called something else. Starlight Sentinels, I think.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed. Starlight Sentinels. There was a name she recognized. A long, long time ago she found herself the center of unwanted reverence. Ponies treated her as a patron of thieves, burglars, and other miscreants who used the night to hide their less than noble deeds. In response, she formed the Starlight Sentinels, a group dedicated to watching the night for such things.
“When you left for the Heartland, they and a bunch of other groups were left to fend for themselves,” Terrato went on. “A few simply disbanded. Some just went on as if nothing had happened. The Starlight Sentinels went through a lot of changes. I don’t know the details. It’s probably written in some history book over at the Delve. Decades later, they were the Blackmoon Blades, a group less interested in catching criminals, and more interested in assassinating anything that might be the reason why their moon princess didn't want to stick around anymore. At the peak of their power, the Blackmoon Blades cultivated legends with their exploits. Apparently, swearing by the moon and not keeping your word was enough for their agents to hunt you down, make you disappear, and nail your tongue on the front door of your relatives. They scared even the ophidites with their proficiency in poisons.”
“And what happened after that peak?” Luna asked.
“Nightmare Moon happened,” Terrato replied. Luna cast her eyes to the ground. Of course, why didn't she think of it to begin with? “When news of what you tried to do spread to the Barrier Lands, it spelled the end of any group still related to you: the Night Parade, the Moonlight Rondo…nearly all of them simply walked away. A pity too. I kind of liked the Rondo."
“The Blackmoon Blades?” Luna asked.
“What did you expect?” Terrato asked. “Recruitment dried up. They were under suspicion of being an insane cult dedicated to Nightmare Moon. It didn't help that some of them did become that. It was over. Some small fragment tried to stay together led by somepony called 'Charred the Insane Apothecary'. They died out in the end.”
“Where does Sablesteel come in?”
Terrato’s eyes narrowed. “Sablesteel is Charred’s granddaughter, and heiress to all of what remained of the Blackmoon Blades. Black Rose found her slogging through a camp of melted ophidites on a suicide mission, then recruited her. Does that satisfy your curiosity, Luna?”
Luna nodded, and left her brother to his work. She remembered the face she found when she removed that insect-like mask. Now, she had a face to put on those ponies she left behind in her foalishness. ‘One day I will make amends,” she thought. “To all you who tried to hold on. First, I will show you a Princess of the Night that you all should have gotten at the start.”
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Great chapter, looking forward to seeing how Luna acts after this.
first?
no second. that'll do. loved the chapter I've been waiting ages xD
keep up the great work and ill be waiting foe mooee
oh Pinkie, if only it was that simple...
and now Pinkie has conscious use of ley teleportation...interesting, and apparently Frenzy Heart could do it too? even while wielding his massive stone blade? oh, shit
glad he's gone...
and now we see how Warsinger works, hmm, it's VERY effective...
you know what they say Luna, everyone's got the story of the one that got away...
poor Luna, so much guilt, so much wrong caused all by that one (major) failing...
and once again Terrato is a fountain of exposition, seems like he does 80% of the infodumps in this story, not that I'm complaining, Visiden
1680080
pinkie pie used teleport!
critical hit!
sable steel used poison jab
it wasn't very effective...pinkiepie became poisoned.
pinkiepie used telesmash
pinkiepie hit recoil!
foe octavia used war singer
war singer fucks shit up!
Guuuuuuuurl, Luna's all Freddy Krueger up in dis shit. And Pinkie Pie is a boss for putting up a resilient fight!
Yes, this story requires more LUNA!
This story may be the second most convoluted thing I have ever read, behind only A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones).
Gotta love Luna being a Badass.
i.chzbgr.com/completestore/2012/2/7/e8751aae-3714-4ebf-b04d-bbf783ec57fa.jpg
Great chapter.
Luna should somehow save Sablesteel.
An assassin guild would be very handy.
Man special forces are really going all storm-trooper. Did Black Rose hog all the magic artifacts and super-ponies or something? We've seen tons of special forces squads now but not even so much as a second suit of Nightsteel.
1680387
I have to agree with you, It's not well balanced. What's supposed to be the Pony élites are killed with some music and smoke and then Black Rose miraculously saves the day for Sablesteel when things starts to get balanced. They had to bring Luna in to get a chance at capturing a Thorn while they can just teleport in Canterlot via some random portals built everywhere around the enemy's camp without them noticing a shit.
That, and the fact that the elements still haven't realized that they're especially after them for a specific reason that could be brought up with some good thinking around a table instead of running around like fools.
I'm sorry. I love this story. I've been following it before Reckoning was started but it seems that these past few chapters it's hard to find something that makes us believe the Elements are worth giving a try for.
Each time they seem to get their spotlight moment, something/somebody else happens that put the element aside, instead focusing on the new out-of-the-blue appearance (like how Luna appeared out of nowhere. Black Rose too, That time in the previous chapter where Longstride had to intervene just when Dash was starting to act up with Scarlet)
Just when we're thinking we're getting our money's worth of action something else happens that diffuses the situation instantly without any impressive special effects.
I guess I should stop rambling before people start thinking I dislike this story
I love it.
I just can't help believe that the mane6 aren't given enough faith. Only BlackRose seems to share my point. She's always telling about having some faith in them before thinking they're worthless but each time I expect to see my faith pay back.... They don't get the chance to do something.
Great chapter, can't wait to see what else Pinkie has to dish out, keep it up!
That makes no sense. If Luna created the Blackmoon Blades, Surely she would have remembered them. Especially as Nightmare Moon.
1681060
I'm not annoyed that the Elements are weaker than the Thorns right now. It's not much of a story if they don't have to improve to win. I'm annoyed that all their important moments invariably involve someone else saving them; it would be boring if they could do everything by themselves, but it's starting to feel like instead of them finding some inner strength it's always an external force turning the tide.
I'm also annoyed that the Thorns seemingly have a monopoly on exceptional powers, training, and artifacts. It's reasonable to assume that Black Rose kept exceptional ponies and equipment around and preserved the best for her plans, but we've seen a lot of what is allegedly the legion's best and none of them appear to be any more than veteran soldiers and the only items of note are Vanguard's armor (it sounded rare but not so rare that he'd be the only one in all of the special forces to have it) and the lasso that up until recently no one could use.
Yay!
History/world building! 
And Pinkie Pie! It was a good chapter... I'm hoping Octy doesn't go to far down the dark side... but I've a bad feeling she just might... oh well... It was AWESOME seeing this in my update box! I have to say I think this is prob my favorite world and story that I've read of fanfiction.
1681153 Luna knew them under their old name of Starlight Sentinels, back when they were 'good guys', and she was in the newly founded Heartland when they became the Blackmoon Blades, I highly doubt Celestia and Luna had much contact with the ponies of Barrier Lands, probably just conversations with Terrato through magical image
plus we don't know how extensive her rampage as NMM was, it most certainly wasn't full scale rebellion with an army of hundreds, given how it seems to been restrained to the Heartland, plus it had to be small scale enough to wipe Terrato's presence from the Heartland's history books, I'm thinking it was one major confrontation in the throne room, or something like that
1681499
That makes better sense. Thank you.
Also why does Octavia bear a grudge against Pinkie Pie? What did the Pink Mare do to her?
1681532 I'll assume you don't know that out of forgetfulness...
go read Chapter 21: A Rose's Weapons again, I think it explains Octavia's motivations very well, if they do seem a little petty
have'nt heard of spike in a wile is he...growing?
getting bulkier? hope to see some spike again
1681153 Did you not even read like a paragraph or so down? They formed under a different name and dispersed after Nightmare Moon's rise.
Edit: And some minor hypocrisy from myself, it seems; you were answered a few comments below your original question. My bad.
I hope for ever increasing levels of badflankery from the mane 6, grow those powers!
1682669 his chapters only come around every one in ten (
), so we still have four more chapters until we see him again
1684009
aw man!!
but still
i don't mind
his story's are awsome so it wont get bored at any moment
but i still think that twilight would be a bit more adateble for killing
she was such bad-ass in the training ground
(i like it when twilight gets dark magic and evil and stuff, if you know some good story's for that, i will gladly reserve them)
well good to know about when spike makes progress
1684065 not sure what happened with your comment and the tab key, not to mention the weird spacing on top of that...
there's a difference between using your (for example) martal arts skills in controlled sparring verus actually killing someone with them, plus not to mention killing an alien monster (a Wolven) versus killing another person (or pony in this case)
as for dark magic in stories...don't have any right now, given it's only been two weeks(?) since the new season premiered and it takes longer than that to write a good story, plus it doesn't help that I'm rather picky with my stories, I can give you other recommendations however
you know where we won't be seeing any dark magic? This story. Visiden (the author), has said that nothing from season three onwards will be integrated, now that the story is running on it's own mythos, so unless Visiden planned on including dark magic for a long time, I doubt we'll be seeing any here
1684266
dark magic it self is not to be feared, its the user that control's the magic who is responsible of its action
its like necromancy magic, first thing comes up is: death, pain, blood, monsters... i'm i rite?
but necromancy is not only that...
stop bleeding, pain releasing, banishment of the ''darkness'' (clouded mind, murderess ideas and kind)
its how you use it to your benefits, and for the ones around you
do you blame the gun for killing people?
no, its the sharpshooter who's to blame not?
its the role pattern in live that makes us think that its evil
but how many times did a gun saved a live?
sure, killing on it self is a foul deed, but it is the purpose on what you use the deed, that it seems less of a sin.
about the tabs...
it's some sort of browser application and sometimes, well...
you saw what it did
1684432 um, I never brought up the whole 'guns don't kill people, people kill people' debate, and also I think you're applying the wrong argument, what Twilight's going through (I think that's what you're talking about) is more of the 'oh god, I just killed someone, how do I live with myself?' line of though, right now she's slogging through all the guilt that comes with it, the Pyre Valor voice is new, however, and can't be good for Twilight
can you turn off whatever browser application that is? it makes your text VERY hard to read, it looks like you're writing code or something...
1684517
how is this working?
i open it up in a other web browser without that ''thing''
any how, i think that killing wolven is poking on a sore spot, but killing other pony i prodding in a open wound
a voice in you head? it never a good thing...but
if the voice makes you more focus on killing and help you out, who are you to call it bad/evil?
if she can make the voice work to her liking and gain the benefits from it, i see no reason to get rid of the voice
but she thinks that the voice is changing her slowly
its just like ''stalking someone sick''
if you say to the same person that he looks pale all day long, there comes a time that he two will start belief that he looks ill and is body only response to that thought
if twilight thinks that she begins to change more every time that voice is talking to her, than it is bound to happen that pyre becomes a second host with in her mind(split personality)
twilight know pyre mostly being grumpy, mean, destructive, bloodthirsty and of the sort
repeat that mantra and there we go!
i mite not make much sens but i over think things way to much
if some one says one, two, three your response would be four, five, six
i never get past the number three
i start working with the number i got to get further
i make things seem so awkward
well... i got PDD-NOS
not going to explain but i thing in a way others think awkward
no hard feelings no?
1684762 eh, having/or saying that you have 'issues' on the internet is like saying you like ice cream (or something else everyone likes, another example: kittens) in real life, it's perfectly normal, so don't worry about it
can't make complete sense of what you wrote, but here's what I think: how far down the (metaphorical) rabbit hole are you willing to go? how much are you willing to change, to let go of yourself, in the name of, for Twilight at least, 'protecting Equestria'? Guilt is important, it reminds us when we've crossed one of our self-imposed boundaries, so you shouldn't squash it under the idea of 'for the greater good' or something similar, it helps us retain an element of normality, if you've read/watched/played enough, you'll probably find that the Complete Monsters and the one's who you can't sympathise with are the ones who have no regret in killing, and if not you might have a few issues yourself (including me)
1685022
that about sums it up yeah
there are no saints without sinners
wait... i...uhm... o bolox
your self?
now i'm curious
i my self see no:
wrong or rite
evil or good
black or white
i'm complete neutral
but i confess
blood, gore, death, pain, suffering, ect.
it amuse me
not just fiction
for that matter
i don't care how my meat is threaded, as long i i can eat flesh
i also see it as ''a eye for a eye''
but i treat every one as equal
treat them as you want to treat you
1685126 for me I see killing in self-defense as relatively guilt-free, then it's a case of I Did What I Had To Do, but arguably you're just making excuses, if you have to explain why you did something, you've probably done something wrong according to someone
I see morality as an interesting faset of society, at the same time meaningless, something to be thrown aside at the first sign of trouble (the Joker explains much better then I ever could: [link]), and yet completely binding, a line you can never cross because you'd never forgive yourself
I liked this chapter.
Pinkie is finally getting some fighting prowess, I guess that just leaves Fluttershy as the only one who cant fight.
That's not very likely to change any time soon.
1685262
i must say i really enjoy this conversation
its like: there are no hero's nor is there need for a villain
we are the same, yet so far apart
respect each others arguments and point of few's
out weighting to pro's and the con's
i see so little people with the same thought progresses like yours
its refreshing
if only the world had a bit more souls like this it would make it a lot better place i think
that aside
i did what i have to do...
over rated use in fan fictions
under rated of the gravity behind it
and self defense huh?
let me ask you this one...
you and a relative are walking down a treed
a man with a knife demands money
you aint got nothing but your relative has but refuse to give
the man with the knife swings his knife at your relative
(you see a open spot to nail him on the ground but not with out harm and killing him instead)
is it self defense or i did what i had to do?
you act for defense of your relative but the site says you did what you had to do to safe your relative
or am i over thinking again?
1685510 I'm sure there's a way to not kill the guy, also you're kinda stuck defending your relatives, because they have connections to you, meanwhile the random guy probably doesn't
1685539
''...''
interesting
the man could have done it out of nesesety
but than again it probably would be a
i do what i got to do
because there are other way's to get money sure, but not every one takes the same route
i could go on like this for a wile but its 7:10 here in Holland i haven't sleep yet
it was most fun peaking with you, and i must say: never have i been talking for this long over this site to anyone
the thought progresses of a more thought trough mind it quite interesting
that for a fan fic about pony's in a war zone HA!
the bronie community is as varies as there people are on earth
ha she can't make amends, cause they are all kinda dead.
Yay Pinkie and her starting to actually show some spirited fighting. I hope we get to see her progress to being an effective warrior with interesting powers.
1693664
I suggest you read that chapter more closely. Examine why Hashymissa would even allow such a thing to happen, why she insisted on sending them outside and why she said what she said after they saw what happened.
I love this story! It has a completely different view on Equestria which makes it a unique
can't wait until it's updated.
So pinkie can teleport, sense attacks before they come and use telekinesis.
That's so awesome!
Wait, is Pinkie Goku?
You know, the Dark Souls references are starting to get a bit ridiculous.
Blackmoon Blades? That wouldn't have anything to do with the Blades of the Darkmoon, would it?
yup, Pinkie's a bad ass now.
That was pretty badass on Pinkie's part.
Although, Octavia is another character whose motivations I don't understand. With Pyre I'm convinced she was insane, or she just followed an internal logic I don't understand, Octavia seems to hold a grudge against Pinkie...for ruining a formal party...and wants her to suffer and/or possibly die...why? It's one thing to dislike someone, but it's another to wish this much ill will. Is Octavia just a psychopath or more unhinged than her refined demeanor would explain?
Honestly, I think her entire character arc in this story was poorly explained, and her grudge against Pinkie had so little time devoted to it that you might as well not have even mentioned it, because I only have the most vague idea of what is going on in her head and if asked I'd assume most readers would be the same.
Missing a quotation mark at the end there.