Epilogue: Faithful Knight
Orion sighed in contentment as he waved the scene to fog over, shielding the sight of Emerald and Twilight having sex from view of the room. At the audible protest of more than a few people, Orion rolled his eyes and simply switched the scene back to Earth to watch Tabitha.
“Aww, not Earth again!” Astrid protested, banging her fists in frustration on her armrest.
“Earth was an important arc to Emerald's character,” Orion said with an annoyed glance to Astrid, having had to put with the girl's constant complaints the whole show. “Emerald has been changing and improving her personality with every step forward. It was even more the case for her trip back to Earth.”
“She only had to go to Earth because you went and interfered!” Astrid protested with a pout and crossed arms. “Which you promised you wouldn't do again!”
“I said I dislike interfering, not that I wouldn't,” Orion replied with a sigh. “Besides, I only did what I did before. I gave Emerald a little push in an interesting direction then sat back to watch. Like I showed you earlier, the adventure Emerald would have had would have been rather short... possibly even detrimental to Emerald's own development.”
“Still sounds like you cheated and manipulated things to her benefit when you say that,” Astrid pointed out.
“If I was willing to do that, I would have stopped those two's inter-universal trips and time traveling,” Orion pointed out before leaning back against his couch's backrest and crossing his legs. “In any case, since you don't like Earth stuff, I will warn you more is coming now.”
“AWWWWW!” Astrid groaned before turning to Orion and saying in a demanding voice, “Tell me what happens next so I don't have to find out myself.”
“No.”
“Why not!?” Astrid screeched.
“Because I don't want to,” Orion said and put up a barrier to block the sound of Astrid's anger. “Watch, do your own research, find your own answers. I'm not here to do that for you.”
With that, Orion gave his full attention to the crystal ball which now had the image of a passenger jet on it.
<><>
Maxwell Trager, formally a Major of Blackwatch, shifted in great discomfort despite his beyond first class seat.
Trager and seven other members of the Old Guard faction of Blackwatch were inside a private jet whose exterior was disguised to look like the common passenger jet. The interior of this jet, however, wouldn't look out of place as a billionaire's personal transport. Practically every passenger had their own little area and there were some flight attendants who brought them decent food and drinks, though they never said anything more than they were required to. The Major didn't know where exactly they were going, and there were no windows to look out to see, but considering it had been close to seven hours since they all were practically kidnapped, it was likely an international flight.
The Old Guard didn't hold any sort of grudge or ill feelings for being dragged off suddenly, however. They all knew their number was up. James Heller had apparently tossed all caution to the wind or was so unspeakably pissed off he needed someone to suffer for it, because practically the day after the destruction of Liberty Base he started cleaning house.
Most of their loyal men and battle ready resources had been with Shepard at the time of his death, leaving the rest to be near instantly overwhelmed and destroyed by Heller's untouched forces. Thus, when the eight of them each found themselves being dragged off somewhere and having black bags wrapped around their heads, they fully expected to die. Imagine their surprise when the bags were finally lifted and they found themselves on a jet with a very expensive looking interior, with their apparent savior along for the ride as their escort.
Trager looked down to the woman sitting nearest to the front of the plane. One Sophie Neveu, the so called Interpol Agent on loan to Blackwatch. The Major was fairly sure that someone who could arrange for the kidnapping of several military personnel, take them out of a quarantine zone and then get them successfully on a flight out of the country was more then they appeared. Said woman had ignored any attempts to question her, and her only response was to tell them to wait for them to arrive.
Suddenly Trager heard the seat belt alert ping, followed shortly by the plane starting to descend. The Old Guard buckled in and it wasn't long before they felt the plane touch down and slow. Eventually the plane came to a full stop and Sophie Neveu got up from her own seat.
“If you'll follow me, your benefactor would like to meet with you,” Sophie said, motioning to the door.
“Benefactor... you mean Chevalier?” one of the Guard asked and they all shared a look. None of them had ever met any of the leading members of Chevalier. It had always been by message or proxy. It had always been some point of contention among the commanders of Blackwatch that none of them even knew what the founders of the organization even sounded like. The only real things they knew was that Chevalier had a ton of influence and spies everywhere. The instant Blackwatch ever got up to something they weren't supposed to, they would almost instantly receive a politely worded but still somehow frightening message to cease and desist.
“Yes,” Sophie answered simply and walked through the door. The Old Guard looked among themselves one last time before following.
At first it was like disembarking any plane, but the terminal they found themselves in was like nothing they had ever seen. It clearly was a private airport, as the floor and ceiling were made out of black granite and the walls white marble, both polished to a reflective shine. The many chairs were all comfortable looking, white leather seats. Desks made out of white marble lined the back wall with suited personnel manning every one and each wearing tinted visors. There was no windows in the terminal, leaving the only sources of light being artificial and there seemed to be a few people awaiting planes as well.
Sophie led them through the middle of the terminal and they found themselves walking past a large display case sitting in the center of the terminal. Within the case was an aged looking white banner with a red cross, tattered and covered in old stains. There was a pedestal before it with a plaque no doubt explaining the history behind the banner. None of the Old Guard bothered to read it as they walked past.
Trager then noticed that there appeared to be no way out of the terminal other than passages likely leading to boarding halls for awaiting planes. Sophie brought them to a blank wall between two desks and before anyone could question her, a section of wall before them started rising up. An unfurnished hall of black granite floors and white marble walls met their sight.
They were led down this hall and the wall panel seamlessly closed behind them with a barely heard thump. The hall was completely blank and seemingly lead to a dead end, and Trager noticed Sophie now had a visor on like the others back in the terminal. She approached a certain section of wall on the hallway’s side, and it opened up to reveal yet another hall.
They went down hidden halls for what felt like half an hour, all the while Trager was certain they were walking past many rooms and facilities hidden behind walls. Eventually they came to a large room with a set piece in the middle and a sky light. The set piece was a large oak tree in the middle of a fountain with angel statues shooting water into the fountain. There was an actual door in this room. A massive, black, steel monolithic thing with a sun cross emblazoned upon the front in glowing white lights. And formed into the very door itself were the words “Chevaliers du dévoreur”.
Sophie led the group to this door and it opened up at their approach. Within was a far different room than the others. The floors and walls seemed to be made of blacked out glass with the ceiling covered in glowing light panels. In the center was a long, half moon desk with several empty throne-like chairs around it. Each one was definitely an expensive looking antique, but one in particular situated in a central position at the desk looked like something fit for an emperor. In the middle of this half moon desk was a strange projector-looking device with multiple lenses all angled at each other and upwards.
There were only two people in this room that seemed to be awaiting them. One was a woman and the other a young boy. The woman was standing in front of the desk and facing them. She was wearing a floor length, extremely graceful looking high collar gray dress with wrist length sleeves and a mantle over her shoulders. She had extremely long, jet black hair that easily reached past the middle of her back with pale skin and bright gray eyes. The boy in comparison looked completely normal, save he was dressed in a white jumpsuit. He was sitting atop the desk with crossed legs and drawing something with crayons.
“My dear child, Sophie!” the woman proclaimed happily as Sophie came to a stop before her, face averted downwards and hands folded before her. “Even I doubted if you could have retrieved these fine fellows! You always do such good work for the order. ”
“You do me too much honour, Lady Lydia,” Sophie said respectfully.
“Go and rest before you return to your duties, my child.” Lady Lydia waved off Sophie and the woman gave a shallow bow before leaving.
Trager frowned, and he wasn't the only one. He found himself profoundly unimpressed at the religious overtones their apparent leader and benefactor had. That wasn't it, though. There was something about her that felt off. Something about her face seemed so... otherworldly.
“Hello my dear compatriots.” Lydia smiled warmly. “I imagine after all that has happened, you have quite a few questions. After all, I shall admit it is quite rare for one in the Order's employ to meet directly with the Order itself.”
“Just what is the point of all this?” Trager asked, putting aside the dismay he felt at her behaviour for now. “It's a bit too late if the intent was to stop the leak of information. Heller likely has dozens of us being interrogated for everything we know this very moment.”
“None of you know anything that is damaging to the Order itself.” Lydia shook her head with a beatific smile. “So I suppose the point would be... closure. For you as well as myself, if I can be so frank. If you would direct your attentions downwards?”
When the Old Guard did so, Lady Lydia took a remote off the desk and pressed a button. Instantly the glass changed from being completely blacked out to being transparent, revealing quite the sight.
Below the room was a chamber that was likely just as massive as a major sports stadium, but also twice as tall. The room was heavily armour plated in black metals, but fully lit up with the bottom covered in enough cushioning purple fabrics to likely fully clothe an entire city. All this served to house a creature of some sort. It was a twisted, massive beast that easily took up most of the surface area of the chamber. It had six major limbs ending in appendages that looked vaguely like venus fly traps. It seemed to have no head or neck or even a face of some kind, but a studying stare revealed what might have been over a dozen eyes of varying sizes closed in apparent slumber. Its body had a kind of oblong shape and it was covered in a thick “coat” of tendrils mimicking hair. Its skin and “hair” was completely black but had a shiny sheen that was red in the light. And it was hard to make out, but it seemed like there appeared to be people down below on the floor near it.
“What the hell is that?” Trager muttered with wide eyes, the others mirroring his statement.
“It is the Ancient One, the Great One, The All that will be as One,” Lydia intoned with hands clasped before her.
“What?” Trager said incredulously.
“A history lesson, perhaps?” Lydia smiled. “Long ago, we were a simple military group like yours. An order of knights set forth to retake the Holy Land in the name of one whom we once thought our god. We were once simply the Knights Templar.”
“That explains the banner in the terminal...” Trager stated.
“Indeed. One must know their history or be doomed to repeat it.” Lydia nodded with yet another smile. “Then one day our Order came across something so grand, so marvellous we all could not help but to be captivated by our discovery.”
'Great. Powerless and being spoon fed propaganda by true believer cultists,' Trager thought in growing agitation at the situation he was now in. 'I don't know what's worse. What's happening now or the fact we were being controlled by a bunch of religious nutjobs.'
“For years we stood indecisive of what was to be done next after the discovery,” Lydia continued, blissfully ignorant of her audience's thoughts, or possibly uncaring. “Eventually we came to a turning point. Many of us wished to turn to our church with our discovery and let them decide for us, while the rest wished to treat this as the true moment of revelation. Accusations of heresy abounds! Our lost brothers prepared for civil war, however we had different ideas of how to handle the schism...”
“Using the promises of vast wealth, we manipulated the nobles of the times to have the order declared heretics,” the lady explained as she averted her gaze downwards towards the great beast below with an expression of bliss. “They were all burned at the stake and killed while those of the true faith retreated to the shadows, free to reinvent ourselves. So we became Chevalier, Knights of the Devourer.”
“What in the hell does THAT,” Trager demanded, pointing sharply downwards. “Have to do with anything.”
“My friends, you all know just how Blackwatch's experiments began, correct?” Lydia asked with an amused look, gazing at each in them. “The controlled lab tests followed by Carnival I and II, of course, and you know that Redlight was not made but found. I assure you, my dear compatriots, that whatever had been written down or told to you by scientists of the time had been completely false. Redlight was not found in some forgotten corner of the world, but derived from the Great One slumbering below our very feet.”
“Redlight, my dear compatriots, was gleaned from flesh samples of the slumbering Great One,” Lydia explained grandly. “Indeed, when the oldest among you saw its first tests, they were largely untouched, unaltered by the hands of man. But while the creations of Redlight were all the same impressive... they were still lacking when viewed in hindsight. It was only through the experimentation of one Alex Mercer that the true potential of those so blessed was unlocked. While Redlight may have finally been purged by the military, it was Blacklight that tore out the heart.”
“I think we can all agree that Alex Mercer showed us without a shadow of a doubt the power of what we were meddling with,” Lydia said with a shake of her head before turning around to face the desk.
Lady Lydia grabbed the remote off the desk and aimed it at the large projecting machine and pressed a button. The machine instantly turned out and a holographic image appeared. In the air was a slightly transparent 3D image of Emerald Gleaner in her new outfit, slowing rotating in midair.
“What it must have been like to bare witness to such power... such divine endowed might,” Lydia said quietly in almost rapturous awe. “To stand there and behold the glorious incandescence of a Saint! If only I could be so blessed!”
The Old Guard looked amongst themselves in open confusion and disgust. They had many ideas of what their benefactors had been like, but none of them were the idea they were true believer-crazed, ancient cultists.
“Hehehe... my, the thoughts that must be going through your heads,” Lydia said aloud with an amused tone. “I do know how I must look to you. We Chevalier know just what kind of mindset our tools possess. Shortsighted materialists, all of you... the siren song of power and control is a collar and leash you all so very willingly and blindly wear. You all believe the work you partook in was in the name of the advancement of your own nations rather than that of mankind itself. Directing the likes of you is an art Chevalier has had centuries of practice in.”
Lydia glanced back at them and the Old Guard froze in place. Her narrowed eyes glowed orange softly and her smile became something a cat would have after tiring of toying with a cornered mouse. Her hair started flowing in an unseen breeze as she took a few steps to stand beside the child on the desk.
“My dear sweet child of the martyr. Auntie wishes you to do something for her,” Lydia said as she gently placed a hand on his shoulders and gained his attention. “Dearest Pariah... prepare them for ascension.”
Pariah nodded and smiled at Lydia as the Old Guard recoiled in horror at the name. Pariah hopped down from his seat on the desk and the men instantly turned tail and ran. Even if they had weapons, it was an action they still would have chosen to take. Pariah didn't attempt to chase after them, didn't move to run. He just raised his hands towards them.
Trager stumbled and a scream ripped free form his throat as he felt his flesh agonizingly melt and shift and move. He looked down to see one arm shrivel and start to retract into his body while the other bloated horrifically and ripped the sleeve to pieces. One of his legs melted and bloated into a slug-like form while the other split into dozens of spindly limbs. His torso stated expanding grotesquely and his vision become a confusing mess of images as dozens of eyes started sprouting all over his body.
Pariah tilted his head as he observed his work. Most of the Old Guard had become a nearly indescribable mess of flesh and body parts. One became little more than a giant mouth with dozens of legs each sporting fingers like they were hair. Another became a giant, unblinking eye with teeth bursting out from beneath the flesh while another became a ball of flesh covered in dozens of organs. The little boy smiled and nodded before turning back to Lydia who was now examining the drawing he had been making.
“Oh my, is this who I think it is?” Lydia asked softly with a smile as she turned the drawing to him, revealing a crude image of a woman with blond hair wearing a gray suit.
“Mom... my...” Pariah answered haltingly and then asked. “I do... good?”
“The very best, sweetie.” Lydia smiled kindly and held the drawing out to Pariah. “Take this and show Nana just how good a drawer you are!”
“Okay...” Pariah smiled eagerly and grabbed the paper before running off. The large doors to the room opened before him and he passed several hazmat wearing people pushing trolleys.
Lady Lydia hummed absently as she walked over to the biggest throne at the table, while the hazmat wearing people started gathering up the former Old Guard onto the trolleys in the background. She took her seat and then pressed a button under the desk. The hologram changed from Emerald to a white outline of a phone and a ringing sound filled the air.
“Ya'loo?” the voice of Jacob answered cheerfully.
“Uncle Jacob, it's Lydia. I have some work for you,” Lydia said as she pulled out a folder and placed on the desk.
“Again?!” Jacob said with a faux annoyed tone. “Can't you play favourites with family for once, Dia?”
“But aren't all members of the Inner Circle considered family, dearest uncle?” Lydia pointed out with a smile as she started going over the contents of the folder. “How could I play favourites if all are my favourite?”
“Got me there,” Jacob answered and Lydia could imagine her fellow Cursor shrugging. “So what do you need me to do?”
“It is time for Chevalier to make an overt move after so long,” Lydia declared authoritatively. “The upcoming emergency meeting of the UN will be deciding the fate of the Cursors after the divine display. Their short sighted fear will make an enemy of the blessed. Use as much of our blackmail material and influence as you see fit to ensure a positive ruling... in fact, go a step further and ensure the blessed are granted far more favourable conditions.”
“No problemo!” Jacob said cheerfully.
“And afterwards... if you have the time...” Lydia said, her voice gaining a coy tone and her expression shifted to a deeply admiring one as she picked up a picture of Emerald Gleaner from her folder. “Tell me about her.”
“Ohoho!” Jacob laughed. “I'll be sure to tell you everything I know about her when I'm finished with this little errand.”
“I look forward to it, uncle.”
<><>
“-Shock reigns as UN ruling goes against all expectations...”
“-Rioters fill the streets of Paris in outrage at the UN decision...”
“-NYZ quarantine zone not only expanded to include the entire state but travel restrictions lessened along with goods crossing the state line...”
“-Television Ghost Hunters hospitalized after investigating an abandoned building near the NYZ, no official statement on whether or not Cursors were involved...”
“-American cities in a state of confusion after UN decision with little rioting, officials hopeful...”
“-Chinese trading fleets set sail for American coasts in the hundreds after the repeal of sanctions previously set...”
“-Unprecedented new trend in Youtube videos, viewers of amateur magicians say the special effects are surprisingly well done...”
“-Medical list with wait time of at least six months undergoes massive appointment cancelations as patients report third party medical attention...”
“-Reports of violent infighting among Blackwatch forces go unconfirmed, UN investigations ceased after lack of evidence...”
“-New Cult formed in the NYZ, member interviewed about central beliefs of Emerald Gleaner being touched by god...”
“-UN backed effort to study the crystal formation on Liberty Island has yet to yield results, scientists report EMP field too strong for normal instruments to properly examine...”
“-Overwhelming uncertainty as latest census reports unauthorized Cursor population growth, lawmakers convene to debate means of ethical population control...”
“-With an uncertain future looming, peoples of the world are no doubt wondering what could possibly happen next?”
~<>END<>~
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... It's like Crocodile Dandy, I saw it once and I don't want to see it ever again. Who the hell were that idiotic bitch and her pets?! Nobody cares, but we sure hope to never hear about her ever again...
Also, I really hope you'll pose the new book soon, we all love your Series!
Second
8198289 I don't get it
8198336 That crazy cultist lady, the soldiers, and Sophia? We saw what happened to them and now we don't want to see or hear about them ever again as we really don't care what will come out of that clusterfuck of a meeting. Like Crocodile Dandy, we saw him once and we don't want to see him ever again.
8198341 Only a Sith deals in absolutes
Ah, Templars.
Was.. was not expecting that.
So, Old God, eh?
Well, I can't wait to see the old God awaken and battle with the New.
And now I’m really glad I don’t skip these epilogues.
I know it may seem like a strange thing to focus on in light of everything that's been revealed but I'm just going to take a moment to say that I find it hilarious that the ghost hunters seems to have actually found an actual ghost. and speaking of which- Dear god if the sudden influence of magic from Emeralds action is making ghosts be a thing then everyone near the NYZ are in for a real bad time! I'm holding out a slim hope that Emeralds mother may be among said ghosts.
Also in light of everything we've seen I'm going to guess that the whole eugenics program in the prototype game (in relation to this story) was done with the end goal of allowing humans to manifest magic. It was revealed previously that the viral pulse is magic based and the wavy hair thing the cult leader did while she was talking to Pariah makes me think of MLP mind control spells- the thought of her having mind control makes the idea of Jacob being in on this whole thing a little easier to deal with. If it is the case then it should be pointed out that Emerald pretty much just fulfilled that centuries long end goal by accident. No wonder the cult leader thinks of her as divine.
So? Fear the Old Blood?
Interesting.....
I saying it now: Emerald ends up as True Alpha Elder God of all Creation by the end of the series.
Uh, you keep on doing the unexpected legionary! And Templars worshipping an Old God is as good a reason for prototype two as anything. :D You even remembered Pariah!
I have to say, at first since we got a look onto earth again I thought you were going to do the "enemy from your past" cliche, but now its slightly more interesting. Slightly. I still see that cliche forming.
Then again more humans in equestria is just going to be anoying to deal with. Also please dont use the cliche of using the enemies POV, I want to be just as surprised as everyone else when the enemy strikes without us knowing their goal. Sometimes its nice to see that POV. But other time its just annoying.
Sometimes its better to leave things in the past rather than try to drag them back.
Emeralds character development; I think she rust racked up her biggest sentient body count.
It's really sticking with me, I mean she has all that power and she took the easy way. And that really stands out against when she was pretending to be batman with no killing.
We're stepping into some Bloodborne territory here and it seems we've found the Eldeer's human version but in their case, its got a sense of wonder and reverence towards Emerald, like Fenrir's cult or the growing NYZ faith. So with Emerald brute forcing the portal open, is it permanently open like if it was in the EQG timeline? Cause if so, I can see a possible future of her needing to seize the NYZ as her territory, just to ensure security between worlds, as was suspected to those ghost hunters, they must've stumbled upon the portal.
And with more and more people displaying magic, it might even solidify the image of Emerald's deification as the one who bestowed the world the gift of magic. Damn, I can't wait for the next volume to start.
Stuff is escalating. This is good. I wanna see Navi meet Luna also tho lol. Navi needs to meet everyone.
I feel really dumb for asking this but : Is the order evil or good ?
Ps: sorry but i just got so confuse...
By the way i really liked this book, at first i thought i would not like it because of the equestria girls tag but you proved me wrong.
8199531 The order is the benefactor behind the Blackwatch experiments and eugenics programs. I think it’s safe to say they are evil- though the ‘Great One’ they worship may not be ‘evil’ in its own right if its inspiration was taken from the ‘Great ones’ from Bloodborne. The game describes the ‘great ones’ as "sympathetic in spirit." However, their attempts to ‘uplift’ humanity and spawn a new Great One went terribly wrong- implied to be a result of a small number of ‘evil’ humans abusing the Great ones abilities (which mirrors what happened in prototype with the hope Idaho experiments and Mercer virus).
But even if they aren’t ‘evil’ it should be noted that the Bloodborne ‘Great ones’ end goal of forcibly ‘uplifting’ humans and changing them into more of their own kind holds a very uncomfortable parallel to what Mercers end goal in the second prototype game.
8199820 Wow thanks.
That clears a lot .
Eeesh! That ugly toad is what this has all been about? I suppose that the virus being derived from Cthulhu's stumpy cousin explains why any time I try to figure out what type of capsule blacklight could possibly have in 3 dimensional space my soul feels like it's beginning to fray.
And now I want to know what a slice of elder thing 'cells' looks like under a microscope.
I wish I could like this twice.
If those are the Knight Templars..... WHERE TEH FUCC ARE THE ASSASSINS?!?!
Also, I'll be on the lookout for the sequel, this series is AMAZING!!!
8203624
I would expect they conform to standard biology only while being directly observed.
8209878
At this point I have to wonder if labeling it a virus was a little misleading. Is the devourer comprised of viruses (That'd be kind of a let down, honestly.)? Does it produce them for some reason or another? Maybe the initial virus isn't entirely from the original specimen, but is some kind of recombinant using genes from the creature. There's a lot of questions, and I don't even know if the answers could even be useful!
8199105 Just my 2 cents on this. Emerald was attacked by an extremist group that was suppose to be destroyed and/or in hiding until the last survivors of it died of old age. Instead they still have the manpower and following to pull off a daytime kidnapping from within the organization that is suppose to control them. And not only that, but they were already outright torturing Twilight in an hour after that, at a level that they would have to hide evidence of later. And by hide I mean killing Twilight and declaring 'Who is this Twilight you speak of?' to anyone who asks, and probably 'accidently' killing the asker later just to be sure. And finally the fact is that this was happening to Twilight, not some stranger that Emerald did not really know.
No Emerald was justified in what she did in this case. Even the showy over-the-top shock-and-awe was justified, for it sent the message that this S___ will not be tolerated. Period. No apologies given. She could have shown more wisdom by at least trying to get Dana's spies out, and maybe evacuating the torturer with the recording of his actions. Not to mention the fallout of magic onto Earth, I don't think she is going to even think about that until/unless the problem spreads to Equesteria. Heck, I like how restrained yet to the point she was in the face of outright zealotry and madness that everyone believe ended with the events Prototype 2. There are some lines that when crossed incur too much of a karma debt that extreme violence is the best way to equalizing it.
No, doing a full on smite from the heavens and killing everyone on that base was justifiable. Hopefully this will become a wake-up call, though there is a chance of american civilization on earth ending and that USA dividing up into several smaller countries/civilizations.
---- Actually, now that I think about it. What really worries me more is when Emerald was controlled during the Batman arc, and she hasn't really thought about it. That really sticks in my mind about her character, and is a big red flag.
I will honestly say that after the update that changed notification system I do not read blog posts. So, I, for one, will be checking your user page for new stories every week.
Thank you for writing these amazing stories.
8211094
I see what you mean, I suppose I was thinking with a superhero mindset with great power and so on.
And with all the power emerald had she could take them out non-lethaly, or do nothing as she said she didn't care if the world was nuked.
Though I wonder what would emerald do if she became all-powerful?
8214219
Like 'Q' all powerful? Those stories are hard to write, though there are some good ones.
However remember, Emerald isn't really a hero. A survivor and pragmatist who tries to be better that she was before every day is more her character. Even better that she is much more self aware of her flaws than most. And frankly that makes her very 'real' and more believable in my mind than some iconic hero.
I said it once and i'll say it again.
Tarbtano was right. Why settle for just one big bad?
This gave me the chills. Can't wait for the next story.
Huh, I realized, how will the Fenrir cult react to the news of the wedding. Would they feel that the union is a hindrance, that a "weaker" goddess is just going to be in the way of Emerald's continued rise to greater divinity? Or will they rejoice, seeing that the hated Equestria is losing a new goddess to the pull and allure of their own, like- "Do you see that, our goddess deserves the best and what greater is there if not another divine?! Rejoice!!".
Damn, this'll probably boost their growth as a faction :I
I'm even thinking that Chevalier would likely take over the NYZ's cult, seeing that they'd like to be at the front if Emerald ever returns. Actually, the growing religion might mean they're already there and they're setting up shop under the guise of a new faith. Also, Lydia's giving off that creepy fan girl vibe, like she'd want to be touched by Emerald's brand of Blacklight.
Or be mistress
8210700
I think my personal headcanon at this point, is that Blacklight and Redlight are multi-dimensional entities that simply use the Virus as a method to manifest their power on the physical planes.
I can see where this is going. Invasion of Equestria.
8222781
Cults don't usually get along with people, even similar cults.
So saying that, I can see this Chelevier deploying leaders that take over the 'new' cults from the top down, if they act quickly.
8225005
Good God... That's like.. giving the Aztecs assault rifles just to bolster your brand recognition levels of evil!
I LOVE IT!!
8226314
Why? It's not safe to jump to conclusions just yet.
I can do nothing but groan at the appearance of another crazy band of nutjobs. Don't get me wrong they aren't a bad element to the story I just hate cults. Also pariah seems as if hes an easily manipulated, impressionable, and underdeveloped kid. A dangerous tool being used by dangerous people. It's probably nothing Emerald can't handle however some of you speculate or jump to the conclusion that eventually these whackjobs will invade equestria. All I can say is hopefully not, if push comes to shove and those twits find the portal I suppose Emerald would just have to destroy the portal. Though again it's probably nothing she can't handle. I can definitely see pariah becoming a problem, it would seem hes a very pure and powerful form of redlight or blacklight. I don't know. Can't wait to see whats done with them.
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Predictions based on current facts and previous iterations of similar stories.
It's either an Invasion of Equestria, or a single highly dangerous element.
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Who knows for certain
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The Author does.
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Yeah well the author doesn't always divulge that information
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Yes they do. Future events are hinted at in stories, even unintentionally.
I'm glad I finally took the time to continue reading this part of the series. I was initially dreading it, but you once again have exceeded my expectations,
CommanderLegionary. I truly look forward to Spirit of Dissent's release.The Chevaliers, though...I was wondering if you were actually going to take a turn towards Assassin's Creed for a moment there, but now I'm even more intrigued - why was Sophie suddenly compliant with them? How is Jacob connected to Lady Lydia? Who exactly is Pariah? What's the story with the Old One? Are the Chevaliers really nutjobs, or might they actually be onto something - and would they be considered a force of good, or evil? I was thinking they were leaning towards lawful evil, but considering their methods, I think the Chevaliers are more along the lines of chaotic neutral. The organization alone is now a serious wild card added to the deck, but add in not only the new and imminent developments in Equestria, but the crystal mirror itself - is it forever connected to Earth now, and is it possible that another human might accidentally stumble through, maybe even the Chevaliers themselves discover how to open it? You've definitely got me waiting on the edge of my seat, that's for sure!
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There are two Sophies in this book you realize that right?
As for Chevalier... I've still got plans for them. Some people seem to think they already know what those plans are, we'll just have to see
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Wait what? I didn't even notice...when did the other Sophie appear?
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Chapter 3, near the beginning
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Oh damn, I completely forgot about her. Thanks for pointing that out, explains what Dana was talking about in Chapter 9.
Having recently had the opportunity to revisit Legionary's enthralling "Viral Unicorn" series—perhaps through a shameless four story binge read-through—I cannot give him, or his work, enough praise for delivering an unmatched adventure story series. While I am commenting on the latest complete entry into the series, my remarks extend to all four completed works.
When we first meet Oskar he is not a character readers can easily be empathetic towards, in fact his first actions in Equestria could be considered shocking and unpalatable. Even as he changes into Emerald Gleaner, can the reader truly become invested with a near-invincible living super-virus with, seemingly, no limits or weaknesses?
Quite simply, yes. What gives the character of Emerald Gleaner depth isn't the relatability of her physical struggles, such as mortality or fear, but her emotional struggles. Her fight for acceptance in Equestria, to rectify the wrongs she had done in the past, rid herself of Mercer's psychological influence, and even the romantic aspect of the stories. It is these aspects that make the reader ask themselves questions like, "How will Emerald handle this new situation?" and "What could she ever do to accomplish what cannot be achieved through force?"
The emotional depth of the protagonist aside, the other aspect that makes these works by Legionary unique is that this is truly an "adventure" series. There is no carefully crafted "5 point" arc; Emerald Gleaner is on an adventure, and you will be dragged along for unexpected twists, turns, and other happenings. Not only does the reader care for the characters, but the reader also becomes interested in Emerald's plans and setups. Her work in the Everfree, for example, is a major part of the story that kept me coming back again and again because it was always interesting to see just what was new and what would happen. What has been written so far in this series is very long, and as a result the reader is able to experience the fictional world changing around Emerald as she molds it, something that is usually not seen in other works simply because there is not enough time. The shameless enjoyment found in exciting action moments is another positive (Depp and Star Fox's monochrome child?).
Overall Legionary's work here is outstanding. The countless hours spent editing and proofreading are apparent: the action is well placed, characters well written, and plot developments genuinely interesting. The stories are so expansive and enthralling I have a hard time finding anything to criticize, and reading this adventure series for the first time honestly feels akin to playing "Skyrim" for the first time, or watching your first "Star Wars" movie. Fantastic pieces, and I eagerly await the fifth entry.
Speaking of the fifth entry, if we assume Legionary is planning to write about as many words as he did for the last stories, and he types at about 100 words per minute, he could finish the final entry through a mere 24-35 hours straight of typing! Please, Legionary? I'm sure we can all chip in for the inevitable carpal tunnel surgery.
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Such a wonderful comment, I love it!
I was once told that a proper genre for this story would be high stakes slice of life, which I fully agree with. The story follows Emerald as she makes her way through life and whichever obstacles and annoyances life through her way as typical of slice of life, but at the same time due to her own actions and indeed her very presence she gets involved in some highly disruptive or dangerous activities. The kind of things that tend to harm whole nations instead of just scant individuals, and Emerald has to deal with the blowback that comes with that. The world changes Emerald just as much as she changes it, probably even more so once some plot twists are taken into account.
And I do try to go fast but it doesn't always work out
4:00 AM and we just finished...god we missed reading these books. We remember we read the first three in a week.....we didn't sleep at all....lol. Our vision is currently flashing around the edges and we are having to write redo every sentence at least once....welp onto the next book!!!
Regarding Emerald's existential crisis, her logic is WRONG! First, the OTHER Oskar went a different route and had to have HIS version of Discord time-travel and die to fix things. Emerald's Discord is alive and well, hence he did NOT time travel, and therefore he did not change Emerald's actions. Emerald's actions were all her own.
........ I need sleep, this story is detrimental to that. 10/10 really looking forward to more stuff happening on Earth.