I stumbled into the central cavern, my humble abode, and slumped against the nearest wall. The adrenaline had long worn off, but my heart was still pounding as I tried to calm myself down from that little encounter. I’m not going to lie, how I, the disagreeable and crass Katherine, ended up actually not getting my ass smote by magic death blaster, let alone successfully managing an agreement between us was beyond me. Bunch of damn miracles, that was.
Yeah, sure, I acted all brave and tough back there, but I was nervous as hell, if the way I babbled nonstop was any indicator. Still, things will be a little safer now that Luna had said the ponies would leave me alone. I mean sure, I might have stolen from her and the town citizens, somewhat threatened them, showed I can use mind control, mentioned I had ties with creatures that hated pony guts and are kinda parasitic sometimes, sorta-kinda attacked some guards, insulted a few ponies, never really got the agreement in writing so they could go back on their word at anytime and ohGodIreallyscrewedthisup… What the hell was I thinking?
I sighed. That didn’t matter now, except as a slight reassurance that I might not get myself in quite as bad a pile of shit later on. Especially with the princesses that can exhibit enough force to lift the sun and moon (which, if my high school physics lessons and common sense served, would be more than enough force to crush my head like a grape).
I took some deep breaths. Now that I was safe-ish in my little hideout, it was thinky-time again. I had gotten what I was after, plus a few extra things. Now was a perfect time to get a little studying and practice in. Focusing, and probably looking like an idiot trying to use psychic powers with the way I had my fingers to my temples and my face scrunched up in concentration, I imagined an arm. My arm, reaching up from the floor, and I just barely managed to call up the shadows in the room to rise in kind. Slowly, carefully, I twisted the shadows until they finally turned a lone lantern on.
I relaxed, letting the shadows return to their natural state, and scooted closer to the lantern’s soft glow. Not too terribly bad for a first attempt at practicing this shadow-manipulation. Maybe one day, I might actually be able to use this power to do something more useful, eventually. It’d be really cool if I could pull off that maneuvering stunt Nocturne had pulled before.
Now that I had a reading light, I plunged my hand into my shadow and dug around until my fingers brushed against the coverless shadow ponies book. I yanked it out, and skimmed through the index.
I turned to the entry that seemed more pressing at the time: defense measures. I picked a paragraph and started skimming:
Long ago, the shadow ponies were a scourge upon the land… Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard this all before. I thought, skimming through the page. Blah blah attack yak yak yak shadow magic yada yada yada spell created bleh blah blur… Wait… Go back to that last part. I skimmed around for the part in question, and began to read, seriously this time:
In response to the attacking shadow ponies, which fled after every attack to places unknown, the greatest spellsmiths of the towns gathered together in a single, unnamed town that had either the fortune or misfortune of capturing one of their attackers. Utilizing this opportunity, the spellsmiths crafted a threefold spell, one that would ensure the continued safety of Equestria.
Utilizing this spell, one would be able to discover the whereabouts of the shadow ponies, release a pony from the bonds of the darkness, and capture the parasitic darkness.
I reeled back. Further down the book spelled out in intricate detail how to perform the spell, including magic circles and arrays that made little sense to me. Both Nocturne and I began to grow very, very worried. A pony only needed this one spell. One single spell and nothing could stop someone from finding me and stripping me of this magic, and maybe killing off Nocturne for good. God help us if this wasn’t the only edition.
I took a deep breath. Calm. I needed to calm down. I can’t figure anything out if I can’t stay calm and rational. Peering down at the book, I noticed a page seemed to be slightly unaligned with the other pages. Curious, I flipped to the page in question. To my surprise, a page fell from the book and fluttered to the ground.
I glanced at the pages in the book. 75…76… they’re still in numerical order. I thought, stealing a glance at the page on the floor. …Meaning that’s an extra page. Or maybe another little message. God, what kind of news could this thing be? Please be good news.
Carefully, I picked up the musty old piece of paper and flipped it over. A large squiggly shape seemed outlined in the center, with a few red Xs inside with little notes beside them. The remainder was divided into several other shapes, and names were scrawled all about the page, often next to small drawings. It took me a moment to realize I was staring at a crude map.
I could feel Nocturne’s excitement growing. Do you think this might lead us to the other Shadowborn? He asked hopefully, his urgency growing. We have to go see! We must check to see what others remain!
Now hold on just one second. I’m not going to head out on some presumably cross-country trip just on some hunch. Not yet, at least. I’m tired, and the sisters will undoubtedly be watching like hawks for the slightest sign of trouble. We’ll need to stock up for a trip like this, too, as well as get our bearings in relation to this map… I thought, trying to shut out his frenzied emotions.
Nocturne seemed to settle down just a little, disappointed, but I could sense he understood. In the back of my mind, I could still feel his sense of urgency. Almost like he was tapping his foot impatiently in my head. I couldn’t blame him. This was his species we were dealing with, here.
I set the book and the map off to the side, and opted to dig around in my shadow again for that weird stone from earlier. I felt my fingers wrap around the smooth shape, and dragged it out of the darkness.
I turned the soapstone over in my hand and eyed it carefully. When I had touched this thing, someone or something had spoken to me. In my head, like telepathy or something. Maybe the stone had some sort of magic message tied to it or something. But looking at it now, it didn’t seem all that strange. I brushed my fingers across the cool surface, hoping I would hear this “Solaire” person’s message again. But nothing happened. It seemed to be nothing more than a rock now.
I huffed in frustration, hitting the back of my head against the wall. What use was this thing if I couldn’t get it to do anything? I almost threw it across the room in disgust, but thought better of it.
I shifted a bit. “Hey Nocturne, you heard that Solaire guy’s message too, right? That whole thing about ‘calling upon me’ and ‘protect yada yada yada’?” I looked up at the ceiling. “You know about any of this stuff? Or any ideas on what this ‘calling’ junk is about?”
Yes and no. Nocturne replied. We did hear the message. But we have no knowledge of this object or what it is for.
I rolled my eyes. Of course he doesn’t know anything about it. He was trapped in a glass orb for years; what was I expecting?
“Hey, maybe it’s like a cell phone!” I quipped sarcastically, pulling the stone up to my ear in mockery, “Hi, Solaire? It’s your old pal Abyss, here! I could really use your help, please! I’ve got some magic troubles!”
I could feel Nocturne doing some weird internal eye-rolling thing. Being me, I took the joke further. Hey, I was frustrated; I needed some way to relieve the tension. “Or maybe, I have to call him forth like in a demon summoning ritual!” I said, waving my hands about.
Exaggeratedly, I drew a circle on the cave floor, and wrote this “Solaire” guy’s name in the middle just for kicks and scribbled in a few squiggles here and there. Nocturne was double-facepalming in my head. Taking my little pretend ritual even further, I set the stone down in the center of the circle and touched it with two fingers.
At this point, Nocturne spoke up, genuinely nervous. Okay, stop, that’s enough. If you’re not careful you might actually summon something.
I scoffed. “Come on, Nocturne, It’s just a bit of silliness. What could possibly happen?” I chided. Oh, if only I knew how badly I was about to eat those words. Wriggling the fingers of my free hand spookily and grinning manically, I called out, “Oh, Solaire, I call ye forth from the depths! I need to do some things with magic, but totally stink at it!”
My face fell as a golden light began to emanate from the circle. I stumbled back and pressed myself against the wall, watching as a yellow figure rose like a ghost from the grave and extended his arms skyward in a V formation. “Praise the Sun!” said the figure, which appeared almost like a knight. A human knight, not one of those pony-guard knights. My jaw dropped. “And.... I’m in a cave.” It looked about, it’s head tilted. “Huh. Didn’t put a mark here....”
Carefully, I reached over and picked up the soapstone, watching the figure’s movements closely. “Do you mean this thing?” I asked.
It looked down at me. “Ah,” it pointed at the soapstone. “I do mean that yes.” It looked around again, taking notice of the bed. “This your cave?”
Okay. I had half a mind at this moment that somehow, demon summoning wasn’t total bull in this world and somehow, Nocturne had known this. I really need to ask his opinion more often. That, anyways, would make what stood before me right now an actual demon, or a ghost or something. Damn, I had no idea how to deal with this.
If this was a demon, it seemed nice enough. At least it didn’t demand my soul right away. Maybe there was some way of talking my way out of this potential mess. “Yeah,” I replied, still not taking my eyes of it, “Technically, it’s a mine. It’s not much, but at least it’s dry, and the tunnels are dark and twisted enough that any ponies would be hard-pressed to find their way down here.” I looked at the ground. “Though it won’t matter much if there’s another copy of this tracking spell I found somewhere they can use to find me.” I glanced back at the figure. “I don’t believe I caught your name…?”
“Oh!” It rubbed the side of its head. “Apologies, I just got out of a hospital.” Holding out a ghostly hand, he spoke. “I am Solaire.”
I glanced at his outstretched hand, mentally weighing in what information I had. “Right. Call me Abyss.” Deciding that this was, in fact, probably not a demon, I stood up, reached out, and shook his hand in kind, surprised to find it actually felt solid.
“Nice to meet you.” He nodded. “It’s been about... A thousand years since I saw a human... That wasn’t in a costume... Or formerly a pony... Or an alternate me.”
“A thousand years?” I blinked, retracting my hand. Okay, maybe he was a demon, but there was one question a bit more pressing among the several hundred that statement alone had brought up. “There are more humans in this place? Why the hell haven’t I come across any?”
“Well,” He placed a hand on his chest. “I am from an alternate timeline, or world. Whichever this is.” Solaire made a small hum. “I don’t know, but the point is that the reason you haven’t met any, is because they exist in other planes. Not this one.”
“Like… alternate realities and junk?” I asked in surprise, pinching my chin between my thumb and finger. “Damn. That doesn’t leave me the option of just going home if I want to very plausible.” I glanced sideways at Solaire, the gears turning in my head. “But you were able to come here… Which means it’s not impossible...”
“Precisely.” Solaire turned to regard his staff. “I’m in the process of trying to make a way back to my world, but through fine tuning and the staff I think I can change the channel.” He tapped the side of his head. “Of course I need a few... Ingredients.”
Okay, that did it. I’d heard enough. I was still very much on edge, and that comment and the way he was very creepily vague about what he needed set off all the alarms in my head. I backed the hell away from him as fast as I could, pointing straight at him. “Okay, I don’t know what the hell you’re getting at, but if you want my soul, it’s not for sale, damn it!”
Nocturne tried calming me. Wait, Abyss. This apparition may be able to grant us the immunity we desire. The counterspell you mentioned.
“I don’t care if this guy can make a counterspell, MY SOUL IS MINE, NOCTURNE.” I snapped. I probably looked like a raving lunatic with the way I was behaving.
It didn't seem to faze Solaire much, though. “Soul?” Solaire shook his head. “No. Nonononono. I hate dabbling with souls. Tirek was bad enough.” He shuddered a little. “I do not need a soul. I don’t need any souls. I just need random things from across the multiverse, and I’m hoping you have one of the things I need.”
I relaxed a bit, mentally slapping myself for overreacting like that. I climbed down off of the fridge that I had ended up scaling in my panic. “Okay, then. Like a sidequest or something in videogames. So whaddya need from me?” I asked. If this guy could help me out in any way, I might be able to negotiate a trade of sorts, if his price was reasonable.
“Ahem...” He cleared his throat. “I need: The shard of a magic pan, a part of the lost tooth of Discord, the hair of a planeswalker’s servant, the chest hair from the muscle wizard, a drop of the Heir of Breath’s blood, and shadow essence.” Solaire paused and counted them off. “Yep. That’s everything.”
I blinked. “Muscle… Wizard…?” I shook my head, “Know what? Never mind. I’m guessing you need me for the shadow essence stuff. Fine. You got it.” I stared directly at Solaire where I assumed his eyes were. Kinda hard to tell with a helmet on his face. “But I’ll need some help in return.”
“Of course!” He sounded excited. “What is it you need, and I shall try to provide.” He did a small flourish and bow. “As best I can.”
Hm. A bow. How gentlemanly. “Well, if you managed to get here, you used either some form of magic in the most general sense of the word, as in a way of manipulating miscellaneous aspects of reality or just generally screwing with the laws of physics. Or you used a form of technology, though I doubt that’s the case given your getup. Therefore, you have some understanding and ability to use magic, correct?”
Solaire nodded. “Yes I know of magic. I didn’t learn nothing from Starswirl’s rants.”
“Can you at least place enchantments to block or negate a certain spell?” I asked.
“Yes.” He nodded yet again. “I’ve done it before.”
I nodded in return. Good. This was good. I dug around in my pockets, which I had hardly used since I got here. The whole shadow-storage thing was a lot more useful, after all. Can’t stuff a book in your pants pockets.
Finally, I felt my fingers brush the edge of that stupid little metal keyring that had been caught on the insides of my pocket for about a year now. It was annoying, but I’d never had the heart to remove it before, since it was caught on several of the strings at the bottom that tied the pocked to the sides of my jeans. Removing it would have meant ruining the pocket.
Now, though, I didn’t care, so I ripped the ring out with a swift yank, ripping out a bit of fabric in the process. I held it out to Solaire. “I think this’ll work. If you can enchant this to counter a spell in a book I have, I’ll try and come up with that essence you need.” I scurried over and picked up the coverless book, turning it to the right page. I handed him the keyring and the book, pointing to the spell in question.
“Hmm.” He grabbed the book and keyring, grunting a little as he took off his helmet and set it down. “There. I can see better now.” He turned to the page. “Okay... What’s the spell do?”
“Well, if I read it correctly, it’s a spell targeted towards a certain symbiotic species.” I waved a hand, gesturing at my appearance. “I didn’t always look like this. This shadow-powers stuff isn’t mine alone. The spell has three purposes: track, remove from the host, then contain. I kinda made a promise to a friend that I wouldn’t let that happen.”
Nocturne stirred at these words. You… think of us as a friend..? he asked, almost in disbelief.
Well, yeah. What else would you be? I asked mentally. Nocturne didn’t have an answer for that.
“Ah....” He set the keyring on the ground and looked at the book. “A bit tricky, and I say a bit cause this looks like a madman wrote it, but I can still make a counterspell.” Reaching behind him, he pulled out a small black crystal and set in next to the keyring. “Since I need to figure out the spell before I dare start making the counter, I can answer any questions you may have.”
“Hm. Well, for starters, You are human, right? How’s the thousand-year thing work?” I paused, pondering. “And how did the whole ‘you coming here’ thing work? You mentioned a marker...”
He looked at me and gave a smile past his filthy blond hair. “Human, and yet... Not.” He winced. “That’s another question though. The ‘thousand year thing’ is because I was turned to stone by the princesses.” Solaire shook his head. “As for coming here, it’s the soapstone.” He looked back to the book. “It acts like the chalk from Beetlejuice, the one that made the door.” He looked at me again. “You’ve seen that movie right?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen it. Strange, but funny.” I replied. “So it’s a gateway. How’s it work? And while I’m still asking questions, you mentioned wanting to ‘change the channel,’ which I assume is a metaphor for interplanar travel, so where is it you hope to go. And, this is the last one, anything I should look out for?”
“The gateway... I’m not sure how it works.” He shrugged. “I think it has something to do with timelines, but that was in the game....” Muttering to himself he turned the book sideways. “When I said changing the channel I did mean interplanar travel, and as to where I want to go.” He looked at me. “Not sure, but I do know that I want to find out why I was brought here....” Solaire frowned and sighed deeply. “As for things to look out for... If you see a thing like I am now, but dark blue. Run, or kill it as fast as you can.”
Well, that was ominous. “I, uh… I think I’m gonna go get that shadow essence thing up. I think I’ve got some plastic bags in the fridge; you could try taking it with you that way.”
“Thanks.” He smiled. “Also, little tip. Don’t worry too much ‘bout the blue phantoms. They’re very rare, and only appear if you commit a sin. Like murder.”
I pondered that for a moment. “Does being a general asshole count as a sin?” I asked.
“No.” He replied. “Otherwise I’d be hunted like mad.”
“M’kay.” I turned and walked over to the fridge, calling to Nocturne inside my head.
Hey, Nocturne. I’m assuming you hear all of that, so do you think you can manage this shadow essence thing? I don’t think I’m adept enough at this manipulation thing on my own. I thought to him, opening up the fridge and pulling out a plastic ziploc bag with only a few leftover cookie crumbs inside. I opened it up and dumped out the crumbs, wondering how the hell ponies managed to use these things without fingers.
We believe that this is well within our power, however… Noctune shifted uncomfortably. You’ll need to forfeit control for a bit…
Fine with me, I thought, surprising him. I trust you to not do anything we’ll both regret. You’ve shown how well you can control yourself and act civil back at the castle. Even when attacking people.
I sank back, experiencing that odd feeling of not being in control of yourself. Nocturne took a deep breath, and focused his energy. Like a drop of water falling upside down, the shadows flowed upward. The ‘drop’ at the end began growing darker and darker, until finally it matched even the deepest of voids in shade. This liquid void strained harder against Nocturne’s mental commands, and made short, jerky movements as it flowed into the plastic bag, as though fighting like a stubborn mule. Finally, every drop was forced into the bag, and in the blink of an eye, I was myself again.
I sloshed the stuff in the bag, poking it for good measure. It didn’t lash out at me or melt through the bag, so I assumed it was relatively safe. Wouldn’t want to accidentally kill the guy by giving him something unsafe. I zipped up the bag and trudged over to see how Solaire was holding up.
He chanted something under his breath as he held his hand over the keyring, a small strand of darkness and light fused together and embedded themselves in the keyring. He pulled his hand away and grinned. “There. One counterspell, with bonus effect. Free of charge.”
I snatched up the keyring, and flicked it. It hummed and glowed with ethereal light. Satisfied, I clutched it my hand and smiled at him. “Thanks a lot, Solaire.” I remembered the plastic bag in my hand, and held it out to him. “And, uh, here’s your shadow essence stuff. I can give you some cookies for the road, if you want.” I offered awkwardly. I mean, geez, he was giving me something extra. Generally one should give something extra in return, right? Who doesn’t like sweets?
He smiled and pocketed the bag, shaking his head. “Thank you, and I’m fine without cookies.” He leaned down to grab his helmet, placing it back on his head. “Oh, bonus gift.” He gestured to the ring. “One time blast of humanity, turn a pesky unicorn or annoying pegasus into a confused human.”
“Sounds good for self-defense, though I’m kinda honor-bound to not touch the ponies. If I want to keep my bones intact, at least. Does it work on other creatures as well?”
“Anything sentient, so don’t use it on a cockatrice.” He turned away. “Trust me don’t use it on a cockatrice.”
Struggling with it a bit, I managed to clip the keyring around my moon amulet. The glass and metal clinked against each other softly. “I’ll take your word for it.” I looked back at him with a smile, taking him turning away as his cue that he was about to leave. “Well, I guess it was nice meeting you.”
“Same.” He turned back and held out his hand again. “A pleasure working with you, Abyss.”
I shook his hand in turn, nodding in affirmation. “I guess it was nice talking with someone not in my head or walking on four legs for a change.”
“Of course.” His body began to fade out, his presence disappearing. “Keep the soapstone, and use it to write your name in times of need. All nearby may see and come to aid you.”
“Hm. Might just do that if I find myself in a pickle.” I nodded, glancing at the stone. “Might be useful having allies not in my head.”
He nodded one last time, and vanished from sight. And with that, I was left standing, rubbing at the keyring. I felt just a bit safer now that I had this. It wouldn’t solve all of my problems, but I would at least not have to worry about the light spell.
Well, no, actually. I realized. This only means we’ll have, at the very least, a one-time immunity to the spell before they figure out it doesn’t work. Then, if I learned anything from that week-long study session, they’ll be able to adapt the spell to make it work. If they don’t use another one or new one right off the bat.
“He was a nice fellow, wasn’t he, Nocturne?” I said at last.
He was helpful, at least. Nocturne said. Though we must admit, we are rather concerned about the prospect of the ponies utilizing another spell. Retrospectively, it would have been better to ask for a magic-absorption enchantment of some kind, but little can be done about that now. We have been formulating ideas on how we might be able to adapt this gift to better defend us both.
I grinned, and strutted over to my bed, flicking my hand towards the lantern light. The shadows responded, shutting the light off and enveloping the cavern in total darkness. “Good, good,” I yawned, “That means you’re honing your contingency planning skills. Thinking ahead. We may need that later.” I collapsed into the covers, exhausted from my rather interesting day.
Good night... friend. Nocturne said, just before I fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.
**********
Celestia had been understandably drowsy when her sister had burst into her room in the middle of the night. Now, however, she was wide awake as she contemplated what Luna was telling her.
“… And then, the guard’s shadow returned to him as promised, and the remaining guards were unable to find a trace of Abyss. The guard, thankfully, was unharmed, and seemed only a little dazed, but it seems that Abyss has taken some of the resources within the archives,” Luna finished.
Celestia calmly levitated her teacup down to its saucer, and set them both on the side table beside her. She was comfortably seated on her queen-sized bed, with her sister lying beside her. “It is good to hear everypony is alright. May I ask what was stolen?” Celestia asked.
“The entirety of the pages of two books, it seems, a soapstone that may or may not have been imbued with supernatural properties, as well as the amulet we suspect may have come from that.” Luna replied, “The covers were left behind, however, so we were able to discover she stole the only detailed book of information we had available about Shadow Ponies we found, as well as something about interdimensional travel. I am uncertain as to what this implies.”
“Hm,” mused Celestia, pouring a cup of tea, which she offered to Luna, “There are much more powerful and useful artifacts in the castle that she could have stolen. In the past, nopony unlocked the secrets of the soapstone, and the amulet is little more than a night-light on its own. It seems to me her main target was information, and perhaps the rest a mere afterthought. Perhaps she is attempting to keep something hidden…”
Luna accepted the tea, and sipped from the cup before replying. “Mayhap this implies a connection to the Shadowborn and this unspecified travesty that befell their kind that our ponies may have played a part in?”
Celestia took another sip of her tea, staring into the distance. “I cannot help but feel responsible for this travesty she mentioned. I do not know what transpired beyond that my ponies were being attacked and my own attempts to resolve the issue. What occurred was completely beyond my knowledge. Had I known whatever occurred to incur their wrath beforehand, I would have attempted to resolve the crisis. From what you have described from the interview with the guard, it must have been something dreadful indeed to have brought forth such wrath. If the offer is genuine, I appreciate her efforts to prevent further conflict between the Shadowborn and my little ponies.”
Luna looked uneasy for a moment, as though trying to find a way to gently break bad news. “There is… one other thing…” she began carefully. “One of the guards that saw her mentioned a similar amulet to the one that was stolen, one with an inscription of the moon…”
Celestia’s eyes shot wide open. “That is… rather disturbing news.” She remarked, her tone troubled. “Did she..?”
“She did not appear to have any understanding of their powers. She seemed more content to flee than use them, despite how they could have assisted her.” Luna replied. Celestia seemed content. This was something else to be grateful for.
Luna looked down at the floor, deeply troubled. “I should have done something more. I fear I may have failed in my duty to protect Equestria, that we may be blindsided to an attack by a false treaty. The fact that we did not get this treaty in writing makes it all the more dubious.”
“Nonsense, Luna. You did the best anypony could have done, given the circumstances. In fact, you may have just left us a way, should Abyss end up a threat to the safety and stability of Equestria, to resolve what crisis may come.”
“You see, sister…” Celestia regarded Luna with a twinkle in her eye and a sly smile. “Treaties tend to have loopholes, whether intentional or not.”
Luna looked surprised at this, and then put a hoof to her chin. “Does this not make the situation more dire? Surely by this logic, she could feasibly, for example, destroy entire cities so long as no ponies were harmed in the process. Or raise an army by utilizing this ability to gain control over others she exhibited.” She asked with growing concern, her face growing serious.
“Yes, that is true. But that does not mean our hoofs are tied should she choose to do such things. If I recall correctly, she stated ‘you and your ponies.’ This leaves quite a number of other options. Not all inhabitants of Equestria are ponies, after all.”
Luna’s eyes grew wide. “Surely you don’t mean to ask… Discord of all creatures?”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. Though it would certainly be rather easy for him, given his ability to sense magic outside of the norm. I don’t know if he is reformed enough to ask directly, despite his closeness with Fluttershy.” Celestia mused. “He has often tended to take an interest in the unusual, or that which does not conform to our society. It is in his nature, after all.”
Luna paused, trying to understand what her sister was grasping at. Then, finally, it clicked, and a small smile crept across her face. “I do believe we should report this incident to Twilight Sparkle, and her friends as well. Certainly, as the former bearers of the elements of harmony, they might appreciate being informed on this matter. And should someone just happen to read the letter and gain interest in the matter of Abyss…”
Celestia chuckled. “You catch on well, sister.”
Finally, an update!
i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/599/902/32c
4402986 S' okay. I just wanted to go ahead and post my chapter. I was planning on linking to your chapter in the author's comments, when you're done.
Or do you mean that you want me to take the chapter down until you're ready..?
Very sneaky, Celestia.
Also, DAG NABBIT, CELESTIA!
The story's getting better and better!
JOLLY CO-OPERATION!!!
4403159 That was fast...
Celestia is such a cunt.
Wait, did he learn something or not?
4402960 didn't see that one coming.
I realize as a ruler you don't always get the benefit of solving things the nice way...
But damn is that a underhanded way of doing things.
Especially against somebody that so far has only committed petty theft and trespassing. Granted, it was a high-security area and the possible threat the powers used to do so are quite strong... but compared to say Discord's or freaking Luna's own rampages it's barely blip on the radar worthy.
I'm just saying I rather hope a certain mare thinking she's oh so clever ends up biting her in the plot this time.
holy crap Celestia and Luna are evil dicks!!! of EVIL EVIL EEEEEVVVVVVVIIIIIIILLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bitches. Racist Bitches. Named Celestia in Luna. At least, in THIS story.
Ring+discord=?????
How's she going to get Egbert's blood?
4405135 Actually, it's Solaire that is going to get those things.
4405230 Ah, got it, got a little confused. It's an awesome story and everything, sorry I haven't said anything before this.
I really really hope that Celstia's and Luna's little plan backfires on them gruesomely.
I bet Discord will side with Abyss and protect her from harm just spite Celestia and Luna.
Well, I'm done. I was really hoping that you wouldn't, but you Dark Sold this story. Now we get characters that have absolutely no relevance to this stories plot. Providing Deus Ex Machina on demand and completely bypassing any challenges our protagonists might encounter.
4405837
Ditto, except I would prefer it backfire on them hilariously, instead.
Not hard to see how it potentially could, either. Celestia really didn't think this one through. Sure, it'll get Discord interested in Abyss, but how that interest will turn out is completely unpredictable and equally completely outside her control. For one thing, why would Discord tell Celestia what he finds out?
It shouldn't take Abyss long to realize the princesses are trying to rules lawyer their way around the terms of the agreement, and decide to return the favor. Maybe with the help of a certain chaos god. Given that humans are given to being quite chaotic themselves, I can easily see Abyss and Discord getting along like a house on fire. As in, people are running around screaming and lot of property is being torched.
4408563 Actually, I really tried to make it so that it ties in with the bigger story at large. Katherine, also known as Abyss, likes to keep her options open, and finding out that there is, in fact, a way to travel between worlds. And while the Keyring does provide protection:
Therefore it's less of a Deus Ex Machina, and more of a Single-Use Shield that Only Works Once before someone figures out that that one particular spell doesn't work. Assuming someone doesn't just make a new one from scratch, which Twilight or numerous unicorns could be capable of doing. It may only serve, in the end, to buy a little time.
And that isn't even counting all the other spells and physical attacks she's venerable to. She's far from capable of
And the humanity? May not even use this particular Chekhov's Gun.
That being said, I really only did this on Jimmy's request for his story, and I was honestly prepared to write in her having to resolve whatever mayhem Solaire caused. I half expected him to blow something up just because. I don't plan to bring him into the equation again. Or anyone else's characters, for that matter.
... I just wrote an argumentative essay about a piece of fanfiction. I need to get outside of the house more.
4408678 You people are giving me ideas. Terrible, evil ideas.
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I should hope it wouldn't be that easy to make a new spell from scratch. After all, it took the greatest spellsmiths (I presume that means unicorn specializing in creating new spells?) of the time to create the original one, and they had the advantage of having a captured shadowpony. Anypony trying to create spell that does the same, but is sufficiently different to bypass the counterspell, would not have that advantage, and very limited information on what exactly they're trying to detect.
You call that an essay? You should see me when I get into full SIWOTI mode.
Cynicism dooms everyone.
With this, your love shall surely shatter,
your light shall flutter and be unreached;
now is not a time for mistrust, but alas,
the fate of your Harmony rests precariously
and conflicts will arise.
Awaiting further releases.
4410304 That she is. That she is.
Great chapter.
Certainly an interesting take on this surprising genre of HIE. I look forward to seeing where this ends up. Onwards!
Am I the only one who wouldn't trust the princesses further than I could throw thew? They are politicians after all, millenia old politicians at that. They likely have near perfect poker faces and have had a very long time to perfect the art of deception.
Did anybody else read that in Nergal Jr.'s voice by any chance?
Also, is a- *BUY SOME APPLES!*
4448993 Wow... I never expected to get a full- on review of what I'd written. Thank you! You've given me a lot to think about! I'll try to implement some of your suggestions in the next chapter.
4450946 Nah, you're right for the most part. They do need more character depth.
4450946 You know what, actually? I got a proofreader some time ago, but I haven't heard back form the guy in forever. You seem like you can make some pretty good suggestions and analyses, Maybe I could PM you and you could become my editor? I'd be honored if you did, but I understand if you'd rather keep unspoiled to the story.
Wow, I really like this story so far. Not only is using a female protagonist a different take ( one that most HiE authors such as myself usually don't do ) but I like how you introduced Multiversism with Solaire. I've done something of them same but with a different take in my story. I also like how you used the handle names of members on this site like Divine Path, who is a loyal reader of my stories so it was a treat to see them.
Now my comments on the characters,
Shadowborn ( Nocturne ): I like him....her/whatever the identity is. I feel for those who have suffered genocide, especially one that didn't need to happen. His suffering is very understandable and I like how Katherine is helping him grow in a way. I hope that he/she will grow a bit more mature and eventually learn to forgive the ponies for what happened int he past but mostly hope that another of his/her kind is found so they can flourish in peace. Will pay attention to see how this character develops.
Katherine: I'd like to see a flashback how how her negative attitude developed by her own kind. I also hope that her meeting Solaire will kind help change her outlook and make her appreciate and hopefully miss her own kind. I like her demeanor in a way, the way she talks is kinda like how I do at times. But at somepoint I can only take so much of it. I really hope she'll learn a bit more to control it as she can turn others off real fast as demonstrated in the library. Still, overall I think she's a cool character. I mean, I'd date her.....probably not bring home to mom unless preggo. Would have badass babies with her though.
Princess Luna/Celestia: Holy crap...they have gone a bit overzealous in protecting their ponies haven't they? I understand why though, but is this after Tirek at the end of season 4? Or before? Solaire mentioned him so I guess he knew about him during the very old days before he was banished to Tartarus. If this happened after 4 though, then their plan to get him involved is downright dumb and dangerous especially his betrayal to the kingdom in which their ponies were almost enslaved because of his actions. This is a very bad move on their part to have Discord catch wind of Katherine. He simply has shown that he cannot be trusted but to be the chaotic individual he's always been. They should very well know that.
They know very well he will take an interest in her very fast, but their bet that he will help them is going to backfire just as fast. Sure, he cares about Fluttershy, and sure he'll learn about how Fluttershy met her and the incident in the Library, but with him having a better understanding of the Magic of Friendship, the differences in thought compared to the ponies, and more chaotic/unique nature of Katherine, will definitely get him on her side ( at the very least give him a different outlook about her ). I don't know what's more of a bad reason to pull such a risky and underhanded (hoofed?) move that they have done. Was it because of Pride that Katherine had bested them? Or was it due to fear or hatred of not having complete control of the situation?
Either way, those are very bad reasons and I have a feeling that choosing to not to leave this situation alone unless a pony has been hurt is going to be a source of regret and a bad things to come. Will see how this risk they are taking pans out but I predict it won't be good....
That's all I have for now, look forward to more.
What is it with dipsticks on this site and automatically assuming anyone with authority is evil or an asshole?
Yes, the princesses are concerned Abyss/Nocturne might attack the ponies. So what do you people think they should do? Sit there and trust that nothing bad happens? Then you people would complain they were incompetent. But here they plan for contingencies, just like Abyss and Nocturne are doing, and you people call them bitches and evil.
All the princesses know of them is that they represent beings that attacked their citizens once before, and that they exhibit dark and forbidden magic. Everything else could be a lie. What would any of YOU do? "Oh, I'll just believe them and eat some cake." Well, who would you run crying to when suddenly an outbreak of shadow ponies starts killing families under your nose? These are the sorts of things a leader has to consider.
People are being unrealistic and not realizing they're being biased and spoiled due to being readers and knowing the real situation and the truth behind matters. No one else does! Just us, and the main characters. How hard is that to understand? Try putting yourselves in the other characters' shoes and then making judgment calls instead of lording over them from an omniscient perspective that knows all and sees all and thus can say there were other ways when there aren't to everyone else? Annoying as fuck, you lot.
I truly hate when a char that has nothing to do with the universe of the story gets dropped in and somehow solves a fucking plot breaking problem and it disappears a extremelly sudden and retarded manner,just like how it appeared in the first fucking place,it feels like the writer being lazy and wanting to cut corners.
Unfortunately, this chapter is no longer accessible.
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To be fair, Celestia and Luna are basically saying "it's not in the agreement, so it's fine." Going do far as to almost conspire against her because she might be evil. Sounds like a pretty bad guy. I admit, some people's job is to be suspicious about anything and everything for safety reasons, but how about less 'if they're evil, do this to stop (kill) them' and more 'let's discuss things with them so we prevent any misunderstandings'
Yeah, just wait 'till they notice that the pendant is missing...
I'm not sure that even compares... Assuming Celestia can shorten an average 8-minute sunrise to 1 second, and assuming their sun is similar to ours in size, by my reckoning that's a force in the ballpark of about 10^35 Joules. And while that's still shy of a supernova, it's closer to that ballpark than anything we could come up with (yes, orders of magnitude more than the strongest nuclear bomb ever detonated on Earth).
So, I doubt a grape would be an apt comparison... She could probably crush Earth like a grape, maybe. If she could bring that strength to bear locally (which isn't actually a given, considering her non-cutie-mark-augmented strength could very well be much less), her power would have to be described as literally "astronomical".
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That's assuming that energy is being applied in a conventional sense, and that their cosmology somewhat resembles something familiar to us. It might be that there's a store of energy that can only be used for manipulating celestial bodies -- or that the 'sun' in this universe is just a flat projected disk.
Another hypothesis is that she doesn't have fine control over her magic beyond a certain threshold, and would accidentally destroy cities if she acted without supreme restraint at all times.