Chapter 44: Falling Towards Apotheosis
At the Inn of the Prancing Pony
Chapter 44: Falling Towards Apotheosis
“Excuse me,” Gorgon Choss said in a cold voice as he pushed his way through the other adventurers to reach the narrow ledge. “I have a bone to pick with the ‘maiden’.” He tore the folding screen aside and launched his petrifaction gas attack at the flying vampony, but missed. He then flew out of Dreadna’s grasp to await another opportunity.
“No...” Midnight gasped, staring at the pegasus Carry On, who had collapsed into a heap on the floor, pale and lifeless. She seemed unable to process what had happened, as Ameri pushed past her. The mage then flung a spell at the body, of all places, preserving it from further harm.
Immediately after the mage’s spell went off, a griffon in a shimmering black cloak was briefly spotted by the group, directly behind the maiden, studying her intensely. This was not Griffon the Griffon, but rather the griffon who had tried to use an alignment-detecting wand on Hope, the one who was with Ameri and Gem when they had met Midnight—the one who had never even introduced himself.
“Dreadna, I name thee vampony!” Burnished Lore proclaimed, stepping forward. “Immune to poison, charm, sleep and hold spells. Takes half damage from cold or electricity attacks. Armed with the magic sword Slayer, with the power to paralyze Lawful Good clerics on contact, able to fly, detect invisibility or magic. Daughter of Eggswife and the demon Graze.” He laughed out loud. “I fight you with knowledge, with wisdom...and with Big Bee’s Crushing Hoof.” He quickly began reading from a scroll.
Dreadna swooped down to attack, only for Torn Deck to interpose himself with his Shield +3. She swung with Slayer and hit Torn Deck, inflicting 11 damage.
Itty Bitty stepped forward to lob a vial of holy water at the enemy. She missed. Facet tried to do the same, and also missed. However, she was close enough for some of the water to splash upon Dreadna, causing her to burn for 2 hit points damage.
Bumble could do nothing, and Sophia and Gem were too far back to act in this round.
“Stop!” Hope cried vainly. “Stop fighting!”
The pegasus and griffon team of Cumulus and Cumulous took to the air at the top of the spherical chamber, creating a cloud.
The doors to the southern balcony opened to admit Prince Blueblood and a couple of dragon-eyed ponies. From the west, another door opened to admit the earth pony Wooden Bit, the only member of Calorus’ party who had not yet been introduced. All of them arrived too late to do anything but watch.
Burnished Lore completed his spell, and a vast blue hand materialized around Dreadna and began to squeeze, inflicting 9 points of damage.
Torn Deck had no weapons capable of hurting the vampony, so he continued to interpose himself with his shield so that Burnished could continue to cast his spell.
Choss swooped in for an attack, but unfortunately he had used up his allotted gorgon breath and dragon breath attacks, so he was forced to resort to physical attacks. Two claw strikes managed to get past his enemy’s defenses, causing 17 damage.
Midnight shook herself out of her shock, and looked to Hope, before frowning and casting a spell on Torn Deck. “May Celestia’s might protect you!” she cried as a field of positive energy surrounded him. She then stepped closer to her companion.
The black and brown griffon stalked ever so slowly through the air toward Dreadna.
The vampony attempted to touch Torn Deck with her energy-draining feathers. Despite all of his protection, the fighter was hit, and died. She also spontaneously cured 3 hit points of her damage, as Midnight cried out again, this time more in rage than anguish.
Hope looked around her helplessly, as the ponies around her fell to pain and death. She retreated mentally to the human version of events, where damage was numeric and death was merely the prevention of more role-playing. It was so much less traumatizing that way.
Itty Bitty tried to turn the vampony, a nearly-impossible task at her level. Unsurprisingly, she failed. Facet said a magical Prayer to her goddess, which would act to protect the party going forward.
Sophia barreled through the corridor and off the side of the platform, transforming into a black dragon in mid-air. She spit a stream of acid that splashed across Dreadna’s upraised wing, causing her to scream in agony as she took 7 damage.
The two disguised dragons on either side of Prince Blueblood prepared to leap out into the fray, but the unicorn stopped them with a gesture. “Celestia!” he proclaimed to the heavens. “We beseech you to return to the mortal plane and slay this enemy of all that is good and right. Draw your power from your followers! I believe in you!”
The dragons behind him took up the chant: “We believe in you! We believe in you!”
On the opposite platform, the siblings and friends of adventurers also repeated the phrase.
“N...no, don’t,” a shaken Hope whispered as she began to glow.
“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be!” Midnight called out, looking to Hope in shock, before casting a hex at Dreadna, meant to keep her from flying.
Cumulus and Cumulous finished their cloud, and called out to Wooden Bit. “Bless the cloud! Bless the cloud!” they cried in unison.
The cleric quickly did as he was asked. It would be another round before the “holy deluge” could begin.
This moment happened to be the final bit of time required for the griffon, his movements silenced by his magical cloak, to find a weak spot in the vampony’s armor. He drew a sickly green blade and lunged forward, attempting to drive it into her neck.
As she turned to look at the glowing earth pony, the griffon’s dagger nearly missed its mark, but the force of the prayer uttered moments before guided the tip in between two steel plates, and over a hundred pounds of force drove it home.
The attack only did 10 damage, as vamponies aren’t as affected by things such as cut jugulars. Otto the Griffon (or, to use his assassin alias, Death From Above) retrieved his dagger and turned to dive back into the shadows.
The chanting of Celestia’s divinity grew louder and louder, causing Hope to curl herself into a ball at the bottom of the spherical chamber.
Midnight held her, trying to reassure her friend that everything was going to be okay, as she cast a protective sphere around themselves, eyes returning Dreadna’s stare.
Burnished continued to read his scroll, causing 10 more points of crushing damage.
Choss attacked once more, causing 14 damage.
Dreadna turned her attention from the wizard to the gorgimera. “You were supposed to serve me until your dying breath!” she cried.
“I serve none but your father!” Lion Choss replied. “And he was a demon of honor, unlike you!”
“Die!” Dreadna cried, swinging her sword. Her blow struck, inflicting 18 damage upon Choss. Then she restored 3 points to her own health.
Itty Bitty threw her second vial of holy water. She missed. Facet tried the same tactic, and also missed.
Sophia used one of the random innate magical abilities granted by her transformation into a dragon: Shocking Grasp. She succeeded in grabbing onto the vampony—away from her level-draining wings. Despite the enemy’s resistance to electrical attacks, Dreadna still took 6 points of damage.
“Я люблю тебя!” Dragon Choss cried out in his native tongue.
Sophia blushed in response.
“Please talk to me, Hope—everything is going to be okay,” Midnight pleaded, forelegs wrapped tight around her. She cast another spell, this one aimed at Dreadna, trying to daze her.
The vampony momentarily froze in place, just as the rain of holy water struck her, doing 5 damage.
The griffon assassin took this chance to strike again, successfully driving his dagger into her side for 12 more damage. Dreadna screamed, so loud it hurt the ears of all in the chamber. She dissolved into a cloud of green gas that constricted downwards towards the marble block.
“Oh crap...” Alexia mumbled, looking to M.J. sheepishly. “Um...gloomy assassin dude kills her; I thought for sure he would fail his silence check and become bat bait, but, uh...”
“Don’t worry about it,” Mary Jo said. “I designed this chamber to be hell for earth ponies and unicorns, and didn’t expect quite so many...wings to show up.”
“Is Hope okay?” Ellen asked, single minded in her devotion.
“Well, I’d be able to tell you if I could think straight…”
“We believe in Celestia! We believe in Celestia! We believe in Celestia!” The audience just would not give up the chant.
“Shut up, just shut up!” M. J. cried in growing fear, her hands grasped to her head. Slowly, she sank down towards the floor.
Ellen scowled, preparing to stand up and address the mob. But that was when her own hands began glowing. “What…?”
“Time out!” Mary Jo pleaded to the out of control crowd. “Game over! Game…”
“We believe in Celestia!! We believe in Celestia!!”
A vision began to appear in Ellen’s eyes, superimposed over the rowdy crowd, of Hope Springs weeping before her. Her glow increased in intensity, until she suddenly burst into flames. And for a brief moment, Ellen felt Midnight being burnt alive beside her.
A burst of bright light shot from Ellen to Mary Jo, and then into the air above the two of them, forming into the shape of a giant head of Celestia.
“ENOUGH!” the specter cried.
The crowd hushed.
“The inhabitants of Equestria have finally had enough of your bloodlust. I am hereby reclaiming control over this land! And the lot of you are hereby forbidden to ever return! I claim protection over all the ponies and creatures you have victimized, and that protection will. Last. Forever!”
There was a final burst of heat and light, as all electrically-powered devices in the convention center exploded as one. The room was plunged into utter darkness.
“I...don’t think we’re in Kentucky anymore,” remarked the voice of Will Crowther.
“Shut up, just...shut up,” said Howard, the human once known as the pony W.C. “You’re not funny.”
“I...no...I can’t...Jojo! Jojo are you okay?” the trembling voice of Ellen asked. She crawled over to her sister’s unconscious body and cradled it in her arms until the fire department showed up.
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I've been waiting a long time to read the end if this chapter!
Celestia never deserved to go through this.
A beautiful chapter, and one that I was overjoyed to help with.
Well, I didn't see that coming.
Did everypony in that dungeon room just get immolated by Celestia's emergence?
.... Does that count as a literal 4th wall break or not?
Water Cooler is Howard?! Didn't see that coming honestly...
Firebelle seems to have earned her "Sophia" name. I wonder if Celestia's expulsion of humans from Equestria will have affected her? She does still want a crack at Brian...
Oh shit.
This is not good on just about every level save for the half-demon vampire not killing anyone else. Of course, it remains to be seen what Celestia does now. Perhaps she'll force Howard into revealing himself. Perhaps she'll supplant him.
I dread more, and yet I'm looking forward to it.
Interesting touch, given who McPoodle is transcribing this for...
5449883 What is protection, after all, than a claimant over something to keep it as one's own?
WTF?
I hope Celestia didn't kill Midnight with all that.
Which land? Who's victimizing who? It would be quite humorous if that "protection" extended to the players or at least Ellen and M.J. given their connection to the respective ponies. At some level I suppose you could consider them victims as well.
Man, talk about a climax to the game.