It was chaos, pure and simple, an insane melee filled with war-cries and shouted orders. Blood and ichor flew as metal and crystal dug into flesh and chitin, the air was a mess of brawling pegasi and changelings, and blasts of magic lanced across the battlefield.
Throughout the madness could be seen several distinct individuals who utterly dominated the combat they were involved in.
One of those individuals was a psychotic gold-armored griffon, her claws carving open flesh to allowing lancing arcs of lightning inside to cook vital organs and fluids, her screeches drowning out the screams of her enemies.
In her wake, corpses lay leaking boiling liquids and smoking organs, as she leapt atop a pegasus that had narrowly avoided a spear and before the stallion could anything, the griffon shoved a claw into his mouth and fired a bolt of lightning down his throat.
The effect was gruesome as the powerful blast of electricity boiled his brain and popped his eyes like a pair of wet balloons. Blood flowed out of every possible orifice as the griffon ripped out her gore-caked talons and tore through the skies, sending bolts of lightning down on any Equestrian that looked to be getting the upper hand over the Crystal Ponies.
Or, judging from the way she was cackling madly the whole time, more simply for the hell of it. “COME ON YOU BASTARDS!” She screeched, “COME AND GET ME!”
Another notable fighter was far more silent than his colleague. A minotaur, towering above the bloody melee, a great maul gripped in his hands. Every swing pulped flesh and bone, sending limp bodies flying, and every slam into the earth tore up great rents that somehow avoided Crystal Ponies and swallowed up Equestrians before closing up and entombing them.
Silent and imposing, the armoured giant’s cloven hoof lashed out in a kick that caught a charging Earth Pony on the chin, and with a sickeningly wet crack, the pony’s head went flying in a bloody arc as he turned and glared down at another pair of ponies, who turned and fled...right into the waiting spears of the Crystal Ponies.
A third warrior, a Unicorn in silver armor, rarely sullied her hooves, but was nonetheless an epicenter of death.
Literally.
All around her, the air shimmered with a silver fog, and when it touched the Equestrians, they turned on each other, dueling to the death. And through it all, the Unicorn trotted along, sidestepping blood-sprays and causing the odd fatal mistake. Occasionally, a Unicorn with a glowing horn or a visibly struggling Earth Pony or Pegasus would break out of the crowd and confront her, but every time, they would attack just to the side of her or their assault would fall just short. Then the Unicorn would casually sling her hoof around their throats and snap their necks like twigs.
Some of the conquering fighters were slightly less... hinged than the others.
“I’m si~ingin’ in the rain!” Lacewing chanted as he used his spear to pierce an Earth Pony’s exposed throat.
“Just si~ingin’ in the rain!” Rotfang continued in the same pitch, using his brother as a springboard to pierce a Unicorn from above.
They both fell into synch as they moved as one and jabbed their weapons upwards, impaling a passing Pegasus. “What a gl~orious feeling! We’re h~appy again!”
Meanwhile, a twitching and hopping Changeling was bouncing through the crowd, each bounce he made punctuated by an object flying off his being and into the crowd, producing a rather loud and violent explosion.
Chitter giggled as he went about his merry way. “Boom! Boom! Kaboom boom boom! Hee hee hee!”
“STOP!”
The Changeling blinked in surprise and planted his hooves in the ground when he suddenly found a sword pointed in his face, held in the magic of a badly singed Unicorn.
“You... killed... my brother...” The soldier grit out.
Chitter tilted his head in confusion. “So? I’ve killed lots of people. Some of them not even on purpose!”
The Unicorn snorted angrily. “Any last words you monster?”
Chitter gave a wide, honest smile as he nodded eagerly. “Yahuh!” Before the Unicorn could react, the changelings hooves whipped out and slammed into both his cheeks at once, forcing his jaw open. The Equestrian’s eyes then widened in abject panic when he felt something forced between his jaws.
Chitter leapt up and landed on the Unicorn’s snout, cackling madly as he went. “BOOM!”
The Unicorn’s head detonated, sending Chitter on a mad flight over the fray.
And finally, some of the fighters were more unique that could possibly be imagined.
Null lashed out his his hand, sending the tomahawk he held in his hand spiralling into the helmet and into the skull of an Earth Pony. He then flicked both his hands, producing a pair of blades which he then threw through the throats of a pair of Pegasi as they swooped away from him. This was then followed by a kusarigama, the scythe lashing out to dig into the base of a Unicorn’s neck, who was then pulled up by the chain and into several of her comrades.
Meanwhile, Nix sent out a ball of emerald fire to engulf a soldier as he tried to blindside a Crystal Pony. She continued by augmenting the ball with a blast of magic, turning it into an inferno that engulfed the two other Equestrians standing behind him. The golem then flew up and around a Pegasus, imbibing her hand with magic before shoving it clean through the Equestrians skull.
And finally, Priscilla did not so much wade through the battlefield as she did dance through it. Every step was precise and calculated. She spun the entire time, whirling about this way and that, her scythe in constant motion. Sometimes the wounds she inflicted were extravagant, decapitating and bisecting ponies, while others were minor, leaving them with little more than scratches. Either way, all damage she caused was fatal.
All of this occurred in less than three minutes.
The trio were a whirlwind of corporal devastation, blurs of red and green and white, leaving naught but death, damnation and pain in their wake. Weapons and magic flew through the air, maiming and crippling, while the bloodthirsty scythe simply sang the Reaper’s tune for all to hear as it flew through the air.
Scholar sighed nostalgically as he watched the war wage. “This,” He stated simply, gesturing out towards Gilda as she disemboweled a Pegasus. “This is what I’ve been missing, the action, the carnage, the thrill of battle! Yes, research is all well and good, but it’s at moments like these where we are pushed to our utter limits that we truly redefine ourselves, and see what we are capable of!”
Chrysalis chuckled heartily as she observed a changeling slit an Equestrian’s throat from out of the blue from a first-person view. “Waxing nostalgic, are you? Ah well, but who am I to speak. I’m enjoying it almost as much as you are! Remember that war between the Cryptlords we orchestrated so that we could uproot a good number of their conspiracies? Oh, that one went on for days!”
Seath let out a half-rumbling, half-grinding laugh as he contemplated his daughter removing the limbs from a pony in a few mere swings. “Ah, those were the days indeed. And it appears that the next generation is coming along just fine too! Truly, this is a beautiful day to be alive.”
Scholar nodded in agreement. “I concur wholeheartedly!” He turned his attention to the prisoner of the runic cage he was leaning against. “And what say you, Twilight?”
The lavender unicorn was far too busy emptying her stomach contents to respond. Her actions were being imitated by the rest of the Elements. Only Spike managed to withhold a violent reaction, and even then just barely, much to Seath’s shame.
The Rune Keeper raised an eyebrow at the vomit. “Well now, that’s unappetizing.” Turning to
face her fully, he sighed, “So, are you learning anything from all this? Do you understand now? This is not some kiddy story where all of the problems go away so your mother can tell a new story every night, this is real.” He waved a hand at the mess, and Twilight’s eyes followed it just in time to see a Crystal Pony’s corpse get stabbed over and over again by a maddened Royal Guard.
She turned away as Scholar saw a bolt of lightning turn the insane pony into a scorch mark as he continued, “This is a war, Twilight Sparkle, one that was delayed but was long in coming, because your mentor made mistakes that now cannot be forgiven or fixed by any way except by the destruction of all that she has built.”
He leaned closer, “And unfortunately for you, it is only going to get worse. You think this is bad? This is a walk in the park. All the forces of Concordia that Celestia tried to hide away are going to come roaring back with a never before seen fury, and not all of them will be on my side. And none of you can even hope to compete.”
Suddenly, a flash of pink magic drew his attention to the side. He blinked in surprise before raising an eyebrow. “Well, almost none of you anyways.”
Twilight followed his gaze uneasily and gasped in shock.
Shining Armor was in the full middle of the battlefield, flaring his magic energetically. He was a sight to behold. Shields flashed around him again and again, blasting away attack and attacker alike. He maneuvered his hooves expertly, making sure to clip enemies in just the right way to turn them away from him. He bore a few scratches, but was a faring far sight better than most others.
Chrysalis sniffed condescendingly, “I recognize those moves. They’re the same tactics that the Crystal Ponies used to use for riot suppression.” She cast a glance over her shoulder at the still paralyzed Cadance. “You must have taught him those. Hardly fitting on a battlefield, but he may survive yet.”
Scholar nodded sagely in agreement. “Indeed. See, Twilight Sparkle? This is war. And in war, people fight to their best. Hell, even those four Generals are-!” The human cut off as he glanced around, his searching becoming even more frantic as he failed to discern his targets. He snarled furiously and cast a glare up at Seath. “Where the hell did those traitors go!?”
The dragon craned his neck back, staring upwards as he hummed thoughtfully, a few runes flicking past his eyeless face. Finally, he nodded. “Pilum has rallied a squadron and taken to the Subarchives, Gladia is roaming Lucente, and Arcus and Sagitta are up amidst the Overloft.”
Scholar eyes darted back and forth behind his glasses as he searched his memories. “Anything compromising they can do?”
Seath shook his head definitively. “None. No weak points, no nodes, no escape. They act out of desperation.”
The human chewed his lip thoughtfully. “Maybe so, maybe so, but still... I’d rather they not be out there in the first place.”
“Shall I dispose of them?”
Scholar waved his hand dismissively. “No, no, we’ve still got forty more minutes on the clock. I’ve got a better idea.” He flipped his grimoire open with a hand, flicked to a page, and touched it with a finger, lighting the whole thing up in runes.
Almost simultaneously, runes appeared near the ears of Gilda, Trixie and Iron Will.
“Alright, listen up you three.” Scholar’s voice filtered out and over the din of combat. “The Generals have gone AWOL. Now, they can’t do us any harm, but better safe than sorry. They’re in the districts. Hunt them down and end them.”
Iron Will nodded definitively, turning and stomping towards the edge of the plaza. “Iron Will will find Pilum, and will see which of them is stronger.” And with that, he jumped over the edge, slamming his maul into the side of the crystal structure to slow his fall.
Trixie wheeled around and galloped up one of the bridges leading away from the Palace. “Trixie claims Gladia’s head. Skill-on-skill combat, as is appropriate.”
Gilda snorted, releasing the charred equine corpse she was clutching by the throat. “Guess that leaves the gruesome-twosome to me.” Her beak twisted into an eager smirk. “Perfect. I needed a challenge.” She flared her wings and took to the skies anew, this time soaring far higher than before, loosing bolts of lightning as she went.
Seath snorted as he watched the three depart. “So, you have faith in those three?”
Scholar folded his arms and nodded confidently. “Are you kidding? Those three are prodigies, pure and simple. Out of everyone present, us and the P.O.W.s excluded, they’re the most likely to survive. Well...” Scholar turned his head and glanced towards Shining Armor, watching as he caught one of Chitter’s stray bombs and redirected it upwards, where it detonated harmlessly. Well, as harmless as possible considering the current state of events. “Them and him I suppose.”
“Him!?” Chrysalis scoffed. “Please, that two-bit pomp is worthless. Captain of the Guard? What’s the point of such a title if the ‘Guard’ doesn’t even qualify as competent?”
The Rune Keeper shrugged evenly. “In my opinion, it means he’s the only one who’s actually worth a damn in the whole lot. He’ll live.” He then winced when he saw the unicorn get clipped by a changeling hoof. “Maybe.”
“Hmm...” Queen Chrysalis hummed in thought as she tapped her chin, a cheeky grin playing across her chitinous lips. “Well now... care to make that a wager?”
Scholar blinked in surprise and gave her a befuddled look. “Clarify.”
Chrysalis waved her hoof airily. “Oh, it’s easy. I bet that by the end of the time limit, Shining Armor will be little more than a corpse on the pyre.”
“Hmmm...” Scholar grinned and looked upwards contemplatively. “Well now... in that case...” He stuck his hand out towards her. “I’ll put up five that he isn’t.”
Chrysalis took his hand and shook it. “Make it seven.”
“Deal!”
“You too lunatics are betting fourteen lousy bits on my brother’s life!?” Twilight screeched in disbelief.
Scholar and Chrysalis gave each other disbelieving looks before bursting into laughter.
“F-fourteen bits!?” Chrysalis giggled.
“Puh-leeze!” The human chortled. “Give us some credit! When we Oligarchs make a bet, we bet big! That’s seven million standard credits apiece we’re putting up! Payable in either valuable metals, favors, or objects and information of sufficient worth.”
Twilight blinked in surprise. “Umm... well...” She shook her head and growled angrily at him. “That doesn’t change the fact that that’s my brother’s survival you’re betting on!”
Scholar shrugged helplessly. “Eh. We’re immortals. When you’ve lived for so long, you take your excitement where you can get it. Besides...” He gave her a disbelieving look. “The heck can you do about it?”
The lavender unicorn grit her teeth and lit her horn up in response, putting as much force as she could behind a magical push.
The Rune Keeper merely raised his eyebrows before flexing his own arcane muscle. The runes composing her cage flared briefly before knocking Twilight on her rump.
“That’s what I thought. So, anyways, clock is starting now.”
“Perfect! Now then...” Chrysalis suddenly flapped her insectoid wings, rising up above Scholar to hover by Seath’s head. “Dearest Duke Seath...” She drawled in a tempting tone. “Would you be so kind as to aid one of your oldest and dearest friends in her pursuit of wealth and power?”
“What!?” Scholar protested. “Why you lying-”
The changeling matriarch cut him off with a childish raspberry. She then went back to giving the dragon a pleading look. “Well?”
Seath merely turned his head to give her a flat look, despite his lack of eyes. “Fifty percent of the prize.”
Chrysalis’s smile turned into a scowl. “Thirty-five and not a credit more. I’m the one who started this bet in the first place.”
“Forty-five. You asked for my help.” He raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Why is that anyways? For what reason do you require my assistance?”
The Queen bore her fangs and growled angrily as she crossed her forelegs. “I’d order my hive to deal with the ponce myself, but they’re wrapped up in liberating your city. I’ll need your help if I’m to guarantee my prosperity.”
Seath snorted angrily. “And you think my citizens aren’t either? These damn soldiers aren’t cheap to go down, you know. I can’t spare any of them.”
Almost instantly, Chrysalis clasped her hooves together and pouted, the picture of cherubic benevolence. “Pleeeeeease? I’m just trying to ensure the wellbeing of my poor, innocent hive.”
The dragon renewed his flat look. “Endos has several caverns filled to the brim with silver, gold, and every valuable object in between. Most of which were acquired via swindling and cheating others. Me included!”
Chrysalis dropped the act and snorted in frustration. “Do you want the credits or don’t you?”
Seath scratched his chin contemplatively before slowly gaining a smirk. “Now that I think about it... there is one option...” He raised a massive hand and snapped his fingers, producing a medium-sized array that flashed before disappearing.
Meanwhile, Shining Armor was straining visibly as he kept a shield conjured, utilizing it to hold back the crystal broadsword of a particularly large rebel.
Suddenly, a shadow falling over him drew his attention upwards. Shining Armor spared a glance upwards before widening his eyes in panic.
Relying on his old training, he pushed back on his forelegs the same instant his back legs kicked, the white unicorn performing an graceful hop that drew him back seconds before a lance impaled the space he had been occupying moments before, landing on all fours. His legs were spread evenly, prepared either to charge or to block.
Slowly, with a great amount of cracking and grinding, the statue that was once Prince Aristo withdrew its lance from the ground, swinging it around in a grand sweeping flourish before pointing its dragon-shaped tipped at Shining Armor.
Seath let loose a rumbling chuckle as he crossed his arms pridefully. “How’s that for service?”
Chrysalis gave an appreciative whistle as the two started to square off. “Oh yes, you’ve earned that forty percent.”
“Yes, I have earned my forty-five percent.”
“Drat.”
Shining breathed heavily as he and the statue faced off. “Alright...” He growled under his breath. “You want me?”
Lightning began to crackle up and down the construct’s lance in response.
“So be it...” His horn shone pink as he prepared to cast a new shield. “Come and get me!”
The energy coalesced at the tip of the spear, and prepared to blast at the unicorn. In three... two...
“Look out!”
Suddenly, Shining Armor was tackled out of nowhere, taking him out of the diamond lancer’s line of sight and forcing it to cancel its attack.
Shining Armor shook his head as he tried to reorient himself. He found himself clutched in the white aura of an Equestrian soldier’s magic, being dragged down a flight of stairs and away from the battlefield. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” He tried to struggle, but was rewarded with a hoof upside the back of his head.
“Saving your life!” The soldier huffed before setting the other unicorn down. “Now hurry up and run!”
“But!” Shining Armor stared desperately at the runic cages containing the Oligarch’s prisoners. “Cadance-!”
“Is alive!” The soldier interrupted. “Which is something you won’t be if that Gem Custodian catches us! And unless the princess is into some seriously weird stuff, I’m fairly certain she wants you with a beating heart! Now hurry!”
Shining Armor gave the battlefield a final, mournful look before galloping after the soldier.
Seath scowled furiously, raising a claw to point in their direction. “After them, you fool!” He ordered, his voice layered with violent magic.
The crystal remains of Aristo acted briskly, darting through the throngs of fighters in the direction indicated, occasionally stabbing or blasting Equestrians as it went.
Scholar growled as he watched the construct give chase. “You slippery sons of- two can play at that game!” He brought his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly. “Nix! Null!”
The lethal blurs came to a sudden halt, Null holding a soldier up with a pair of foot-long hand claws and Nix impaling one with an aetherial blade. “Yeah?” They called out.
“Tail Shining Armor and keep his ass in one piece!”
“WHAT!?!” They cried in shock, the red one airing his struggling target’s chest cavity when he jerked his claws to the side and the green one all but blowing the back of hers off in a magical detonation. “Are you nuts!?”
“Less lip, more moving!” Scholar bellowed. “Hurry the hell up, I’ve got a fortune riding on that stallion!”
The twins growled indignantly for a moment before wheeling around and darting away into the city.
“Cheater.” Chrysalis pouted.
“Oh cram it up your abdomen.” The human groused. “You’re the ones who started it!”
Seath sighed and moved his head in a direction similar to another being rolling their eyes as the two started to bicker and snipe at each other. “Here we go again...” He muttered under his breath.
Nonetheless, nothing could hide the shifting of his lipless fangs. One might have been able to say that the dragon was smirking as he turned his head towards one part of the city.
Seconds later, an explosion erupted from deep within the Subarchives.
I knew he would regret letting them go. Honestly, you would have thought he would have learned not to be so arrogant.
Yay. Love the bet they made on Shinies life!
You could say that Scholar likes war.
4655302 If that was a reference to a certain major, I love you.
So I've just now realized, Scholar and Celestia are...very similar.
so between this chapter and the last i have started to play dark souls and.... everything makes sense now!
4655337 My statement was only... dare I say, the understatement of the millenium.
*rimshot here*
4655373 Ah..... the whyboner is back.
4655271
To be fair, Scholar did send his three heavy hitters against them. for all we know, that could have been them starting their fight.
4655401 until we see otherwise, that's how I see it.
OH GLORIOUS DAY!!! This story has updated.
Long live Gilda
Yes! A new chapter! I am so happy right now!
I'm just waiting for when Twilight finally just snaps
images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/27500000/Twilight-Sparkle-ANGRY-random-27539493-620-350.gif
And she turns into an Alicorn and just murders everything around her. It will be glorious.
4655388 WITH A VENGEANCE!!!
4655401 Looper Trixie was briefly Awoken and decided fireworks were called for in whatever situation presented itself.
4655779 Never again speak of the Yggdrasil-looper cluster!
I still want to know what it was the Celestia lied about that shook Applejacks' faith in her so hard.
4655854 Just to spite you, imma re-read it from the start
I have played a hundred hours of dark souls since the last chapter, and bravo if Seath and Priscilla are references.
4656160
She is not actually a mare
… F*cking Scholar, just what I expected from him. But seriously, I have a feeling that whatever happened in the Subarchives is NOT going to end well.
I'm still hoping Scholar manages to turn the Mane Six and Spike to his side.
4656381 ... wut?
Once again, Xomniac, you amaze us with your work. And it's also good to hear from you again.
4656663 I... really hope that doesn't happen, because it doesn't make a lick of sense. With the way Scholar treats them, with the way Scholar does things specifically against their own moral code, the whole 'gambling on the life of a family member' thing going on here, his casual reaction to outright slaughter that they clearly don't share, et cetera et cetera, for them to switch to his side would... well either it'd have to be a several-chapters-long gradual thing where both sides make compromises, or it'd be complete bull. And I don't think the Scholar side seems the compromising sort. So yeah, don't see it happening personally.
Well, this chapter was... I'm not gonna say cathartic, yet, I've still got problems - like I really wish you'd stop keeping the Mane Six out of the action, but hell, Twilight made an actual effort this time, so maybe we're getting there. Raised my eyebrow when all our 'main players' in the battle were Scholar-siders, but then Shining got his moment in the spotlight and the Generals are off doing something else apparently? So it's not like it doesn't make sense, if only one of the Celestia-siders were actually on the battlefield. Still, at the moment feeling too one-sided to actually be all that tense. Hell, some people insist on making that side the outright heroes with no question (as Gilda gleefully chars ponies' insides while they're still alive and Trixie brainwashes her enemies into murdering their own friends and the leadership casually discusses mass death like it's the weather and make bets on the outcomes of peoples' lives, how is this not a gray-versus-gray story you people), and if nothing else they probably are the main characters, so a one-sided battle in their favor? The real saving grace for me right now is that things look like they might be changing, that the battlefield's about to be less one-sided. I hope so, there's only so much I can take of a story about one side who walks around without even being inconvenienced by their opponents.
4655854 The author will happily let you know that he happens to enjoy the Infinite Loops.
4656813 I enjoy the infinite loops too, and I mean no offence, but it's so convoluted that just remembering about it gives a massive headache when trying to determine the time-lines and how each loop is connected, which is an ongoing project of mine that I started last week. Otherwise I don't have anything bad to say, I just didn't want references to pop up.
4656800
A moral code that they were indoctrinated to follow. What Celestia, Luna, and Cadance did was unforgivable. They betrayed the trust of those that they called friends and won't undo the damage they've wrought because they know that doing so will be tantamount to setting themselves up in front of an extremely vengeful firing squad. Sorry if you disagree, but Scholar and his allies are in the right. I have every confidence that the alicorns will be subdued and made to answer for what they did.
4657040 Look, I'm not trying to argue "who's right/who's wrong" on that point, the potential side-swapping. I mean, hell, my opinion so far is "Everyone's kind of a jerk." Right/wrong is inconsequential to the side-swapping from that point of view. But what has Jerk The Scholar done that would let them trust him more than Jerk The Celestia? He's lied to them, he's tricked and betrayed them, he's threatened their lives on a regular basis, he takes sadistic glee in his attempts to terrorize them, he belittles them like every time they talk, he has taken to literally gambling with the lives of their loved ones. Whatever Celestia is, whatever she's done, she's still treated the team better than he has. Again, right/wrong isn't even factoring in here. Just the actions each side shows to the Mane Six personally. From that point of view, Team Celestia still has a huge gigantic galaxy-spanning lead over Team Scholar.
Though you're going to have to refresh my memory on where the Mane Six were 'indoctrinated'. I've been trying to place that but it's not ringing any bells. Not from this story, at least.
4657133
The indoctrination I speak of took place over the course of their lives. They have all been subtly manipulated into believing that their benevolent princess can do no wrong and that all who oppose her are supporters of chaos and evil. History is written by the winners. Celestia had many places to make herself look good and demonize her enemies. Nightmare Moon was reduced to myth. Discord was erased from history entirely, as was Concordia it seems. For all his sadism and belittling, Scholar is merely returning the favor. And if he belittles the Mane Six, it's because of how naive they are being. Already a schism is forming among the Six. Time will increase its size and eventually the Six will splinter.
4657224 All you've told me is why you think Scholar is right. Which, again, is not something I'm debating right now. You haven't said a word about why any of this encourages the Mane Six to join up with him. I didn't ask why he belittled him, I asked how belittling them encouraged them to join him. I didn't say Celestia was a better person, I said she had personally treated the Mane Six better as a whole - which on a personal level she most certainly has, though again Scholar hasn't put up any fight on that front.
Again and again, this isn't about right and wrong. It's about the Mane Six, and their loyalties. Even if Celestia does things that throws them into question, Scholar has done nothing to gain it himself - no, Scholar had in fact done plenty to make it out to be a bad idea to throw in with him, at least for them personally. His sort of abuse will do that. Which again is what it's about - where the Mane Six personally can feel trust. After everything they've been through, and everything he's done to them, can you really tell me that Scholar is where that trust can be? Yes, Celestia may yet betray their trust in an irreparable way. But even then, why go to the one who started out antagonistic towards them, and the one time they risked trusting him ended up... well, in what we have right now? If anything I'd say they'd split off into their own third side.
PS: I love you. Usually when I make any comments that follow a less-than-popular train of thought, I get a bunch of thumbs downs without any word about where anyone disagrees. But all I really want is this sort of discussion. So thank you for not just spitting on my comment and actually engaging me like this, it's great and I really appreciate it.
its back! yaaaaaay!
Great ch apter.
I really don't know why, but for some indecipherable reason this story puts me in mind of "The Bible according to Spike Milligan". This is the opening segment, Have a look and see if you can pin it down, it's driving me absolutely potty. This is extremely British humour (note spelling), so it's OK not to get the jokes if you are an American.
THE CREATION ACCORDING TO THE TRADE UNIONS
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And darkness was upon the face of the deep; this was due to a malfunction at the Lots Road Power Station.
And God said, Let there be light; and there was light, but Eastern Electricity Board said that He would have to wait until Thursday to be connected.
And God saw the light and it was good; He saw the quarterly bill and that was not good.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night, and so passed his G C S E.
And God said, Let there be a firmament and God called the firmament heaven, Freephone 999.
And God said, Let the waters be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear, and in London it went on the market at six hundred pounds a square foot.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, and the earth brought forth grass and the Rastafarians smoked it.
And God said, Let there be lights in heaven to give light to the earth, and it was so, except over England where there was heavy cloud and snow on high ground.
And God said, Let the seas bring forth that that hath life, flooding the market with fish fingers, fish-burgers and grade three salmon.
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the sea, and let fowl multiply on earth where Prince Charles and Prince Philip would shoot them.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth cattle and creeping things, and there came cows, and the BBC Board of Governors.
And God said, Let us make man in our own image, but woe many came out like Spitting Image.
4657311 Before I post this, I just want to say that I'm happy that there is indeed a debate going on in about my story. Second, I also want to say that there's a high chance that this post might have a huge, glaring hole in it that I haven't noticed. I fully understand and expect it, because frankly, I'm just not as... experienced or... indepth a reader as you are TK. Anyways...
I believe that you're making one mistake as you analyze Scholar and Gilda and Trixie and Iron Will. From what I gather, you're saying that they're acting horrible as heroes because of how they're treating the Mane 6 and what they're doing to the Equestrians.
But the question you have to ask is this: whose heroes are they?
In all honesty, right now you could say that they're not acting as heroes. They're acting as villains. The Mane 6 are enemies, so Scholar is treating them as such. From an Equestrian point of view, Scholar and his friends are evil. However, from a Concordian view, what Scholar is doing is perfectly par for the course. He's their hero.
At no point in this story did I depict either side to be entirely in the right, or in the wrong. I had both sides of the conflict display their arguments and reasons as clearly as I could make them.
Discord himself put it best: Scholar is playing the part of the Concordian hero by being the Equestrian's villain.
VIVA LA REVOLUTION
im just surprised that there is know one that there is no one that opposes him that is on equal terms of power and strength. i don't care how powerful one might be there is always some one more powerful. i don't care if this person agrees with Equestria or not, just some one that puts Scholar to the test. I think that is very possible espeshily if there are as many thing sealed away as he clames there are there has to be something or some one that can and will challenge him and his group for his or her or its own reasons. Dosnt have to be now but at some point.
4655747
In which case she'd still be at best only the fourth most powerful person present, after Scholar, Chrysalis and Seath.
EDIT: Correction: fifth most powerful person, I forgot Cadence was still there.
4656160
My guess is when she said that the harmony wasn't intended to be harmful to the other races.
4657311
Their loyalties are very much bound up with their idea of right and wrong, though. They've been indoctrinated their entire lives into a black and white morality of Good and Evil, with of course Celestia as the Big Good. It's becoming harder and harder to maintain that image, what with Celestia basically admitting Scholar told the truth and Cadence flat-out saying she'd murder everyone in the city. Sort of like that:
suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/28642402/images/1386139145994.jpg
That priceless moment you realize you're working for Pony Hitler.
Personally, I don't think they will openly join up with the Concordians, but more importantly, It doesn't matter one bit. The ponies have grown so weak and complacent, even Twilight is basically an ant compared to the old ones.
4658984
There probably will be. There's none right now, because Celestia either banished or murdered everyone that could stand up to her. But Scholar said it himself, not all of the Concordian forces that are coming back will be on his side. None will side with the Equestrians, but the races of Mundis didn't exactly always get along; some will most likely strike out on their own when the free-for-all starts and every race attempts to carve out a place for themselves in the world.
4662445
Nooooope. As Applejack said, the majority of Celestia's explanation was true. It was just one detail, one teeny-tiny detail that happened to not be as true.
4662782
Actually, what she said was "One thing. The rest was true." Nothing about whether it was a big or small thing. Good to know, thanks for that.
4662782
Was it when she said “we never mounted a single offensive”?
4662992 I will not say a word more!
4662445
Is that a spoiler that Cadence will not be there in the future, like as in she dies?
4663935
My bet is must be something about the extremes Celestia and the others took in order to avoid the return of the fallen Oligarchs. Considering Celly´s reaction when she remembered their vows of vengeance before being sealed, is not unlikely.
love it more?
4664298
Who knows? Unlike Celestia and Luna, she hasn't got a celestial body held hostage, so they could execute her I suppose.
But I meant that while she should still be in the rune cage with the others, she wasn't even mentioned once this chapter, so I forgot she was even there. You'd think she'd have spoken up when they began betting on her husband's life.
4667520 She was prevented by Chrysalis's mental blocks that are forcing her to the depths of panic. She is literally frozen in place by her fear of Chrysalis.
My headcannon voice for scholar:
(Be it Hiroshi Kamiya or Johnny Yong Bosch)
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The smugness of Izaya's voice actor would fit Scholar perfectly.
Also, this fic is plain epic. It deserves more likes and attention
if i remember correctly the name of the city is arcadia or something similar so
Amazing as always I'm really looking forward to the next chapter
A blood feud can only be ended, through the spilling of more blood.