Glimpses
By Pen Stroke
Pre-read & Edited by
Illustrious Q, El Oso, Recon777, Questionable & Winston
Variance 1
Fury
====================
Water splashed against the shore of the rocky island, stirred by sturdy gusts from the south. There was no shrubbery to block the wind, no trees for a living creature to take shelter. The island was barren and smaller than a square city block. Despite the ever-present sea breezes, the smell of sulfur caught in the queen’s nose as she departed the skiff.
“They may be dragons, but that doesn’t help me understand why they would want to live in such an abysmal place,” the queen said as she waited for her guards to disembark. To their backs was the fleet, a few dozen of Equestria’s finest ships flying their colors like peacocks strutting about. Ahead of them, the stony path wound up a slope. At the end of the path, on the highest point of the island, was a flattened plateau. That was their destination, where she would get her first face to face meeting with the famed Dragon Lord.
The queen’s wings twitched. Her instinct was just to fly up there, but the Dragon Lord had only agreed to the meeting on the stipulation they would not approach by air. Normally, she would not bother respecting such a demand, but the dragons had proved more resistant than any other nation she had brought under her wing. That, and a shadow passing over the island reminded her that there were observers keeping her honest.
“There’s bound to be more of them,” the queen mused as she and her guards began walking the path. There was only one visible dragon in the air and one dragon floating in the water. She knew the one in the water. Torch, one of the largest living dragons and the previous Dragon Lord. He floated in the turbulent ocean like an irritated alligator. Only the crest of his back and half of his head were above the surface of the water. His eyes were fixed on the queen as she worked her way up the path, a few tendrils of smoke sneaking out of his nostrils only to be quickly dispersed by the wind.
The queen could see the glare of hatred in his eyes, though she couldn’t understand it. “Would you answer a question for me, guards?”
Her half-dozen guards shifted in their armor, glancing briefly at one another before one spoke up. “Of course, Your Highness.”
“Would you want to live in a place like this? Islands with no fertile ground for farming. A kingdom so woefully behind the rest of the civilized world in culture, technology, and education that I imagine some of these dragons haven’t even heard of the concept of a wheel before. A country that only has one ‘city’, a shantytown that was slapped together over the past few decades. Does that really sound like it can hold a candle to Equestria?”
“No, Your Highness,” the guards answered in unison.
“Of course it wouldn’t,” the queen said as she and her guard detail neared the end of the path. The island’s plateau was coming into view. They could see the wooden table that had been placed there, though she was quick to notice the lack of sitting cushions. “Any sensible creature would want their own share of the golden age Equestria is having. It only proves that draconic stubbornness is legendary, and of course, the Dragon Lord has proven the most stubborn of any dragon.”
“That’s part of what makes me so good at the job.”
The queen took a final few steps, reaching the top of the staircase and rounding a corner to see the table and two figures standing near the far side. They were Dragon Lord Ember and her greatest knight, Spike. Though puny compared to Torch, Ember stood equal in height to the queen, while Spike was a few heads taller. Both had matured in the decades since their first encounter. Spike’s wings had grown in, and he now possessed a broad shouldered, almost superheroic physique. Ember was just as strong, though her musculature was befitting of a female dragon.
“Really, I just thought a dragon had to have hips a mile across.” The queen said as she came to the table, though her attention quickly shifted. “Spike, it's been too long. You look really good. Love the wings, but they still can’t compare to mine. Though hasn’t that always been the truth. The greatest wings, the greatest magic, the greatest mind, and simply the greatest single pony Equestria has ever had.”
“It’s dangerous to believe your own propaganda, Flurry Heart,” Spike said, though his words were swiftly followed by Ember clearing her throat. He glanced at her, muttered an apology, then looked back at Flurry with his mouth shut and arms crossed.
“Oh ,Ember, don’t be such a party pooper. Spike and I are just catching up.” Flurry batted at her long, flowing mane before extending her wings. Their size compared to her body was just as disproportionate as it had ever been. At twice the wingspan of any alicorn that came before her, Flurry reached across the entire table with her wing, draping it over the surface in a sweeping motion as her horn glowed. In the wake of her feathers, Flurry left behind a tea set and plate of cupcakes. “Can’t have a diplomatic meeting without refreshments, and I’m afraid seawater and gems don’t agree with me. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, of course we don’t mind,” Ember said with a roll of her eyes. She and Spike sat down on their side of the table. Ember knelt on the ground while Spike sat cross-legged. Flurry remained standing a few moments longer, using her magic to conjure a fluffy cloud. She settled her tush into the soft cumulus as she began serving the tea.
“So, why don’t I hear from you anymore, Spike? Certainly scrolls and quills cannot be such a rare commodity out here. That delightful little berg you’ve built up must have a place where you can find such supplies. If not, I’m sure I could arrange a few crates to be sent there as a gift. It would be a shame if the young dragons were deprived of a chance to learn to read and write.”
Ember rapped the talons of her left claw on the table. “You badgered us for months for this meeting, and you want to small talk?!”
Flurry finished pouring a cup of tea for Spike and levitated it to the far side of the table before starting on her own cup. “Spike, really, we must talk at least for a little bit before we get down to business. How is your scar? I trust it's healing well.”
Spike reached for the cup, but deliberately knocked it over, spilling the tea in Flurry’s direction. “No, it’s still a nasty scar right where you left it.”
“Oh, and I do feel so horrible about that.” Flurry began raising her tea cup, but spoke a bit more before bringing the brim to her lips. “Though, that disagreement was your fault.”
Spike began to rise, a surge of smoke curling from his nostrils as fire licked at his lips. “After what you did to Twilight, to Nyx, to Rarity, and to everyone else, you couldn’t seriously have expected me to—”
“Spike,” Ember said firmly, her claw reaching out to touch his. That was enough to make Spike clench his jaw and settle back into his seat, though the trails of smoke still billowed from his nostrils with each exhale.
When she was sure Spike was back in control, Ember looked to Flurry. “You can’t ignore me forever.” Ember reached out, taking a cupcake for herself. She did not eat it, just set it down on the table in front of her, using it as a replacement for the tea cup she had been denied.
Flurry kept looking at Spike, simply sipping at her tea and smiling, as if enjoying an entertaining stage show. Only when she lowered the cup from her lips did she look over at Ember. “Very well, business before family. I believe you’ve had enough time to hear the news. The Griffins have joined my glorious revolution, and already their long abused, ancestral home of Griffinstone is under reconstruction. We even dug their old trinket out of that crevasse.
“Don’t you think it's about time you took up my offer and got with the program?” Flurry asked.
“Our stance has not changed,” Ember said firmly. “ And don’t gloat so much about the griffins. I have it on good authority you poisoned so much of their leadership that there’s only one griffin left with any sort of political power. A griffin that just happens to be part of your cult.”
“Now aren’t you being a tad overdramatic? Is it really a cult? In my opinion, it is just—”
“They think you’re a god, and you encourage them.”
Flurry smirked as she took a cupcake for herself. She removed the wrapper delicately with her magic as it levitated towards her. “You can’t fault their enthusiasm, and I’m certainly not going to deny any admirers. I am the only alicorn to ever be born naturally. Mother and Father always took that as a sign I was special. The ponies of the church just share their perspective and use my shining example to bring happiness and stability to their lives.”
Ember was not as delicate with her cupcake. She used her claw to rip the bottom off and toss it over her shoulder, leaving only the frosted top. “Yeah, though you’d think a god would have been kinder to her own family.”
“Sometimes the best kindness is forced retirement.” Flurry lifted a hoof to her regalia. She had forgone her crown for the visit, but hidden beneath her mane was a golden necklace with a deep purple, spherical jewel set into the center. “Besides, Equestria has never been happier under my wise, level-hoofed, and benevolent rule.”
“You’re about as benevolent as a toothache,” Ember said, starting to pick at the cupcake top, breaking chunks off. Her talons were getting covered in frosting, but she didn’t seem to care. She destroyed the dessert, letting its crumbs fall to the table before she proceeded to lick the frosting that clung to her claws.
“Like what Equestria had before was so much better.” Flurry slowly stood, holding her cupcake in her magic as she broke off a piece and brought it to her mouth. She chewed and swallowed as she looked out across the ocean, her back to the table. Her eyes scanned the horizon, only to catch the faint glimmer from a cloud in a distance. The edge of her mouth turned up into the slightest of smiles.
“We had so many alicorns, so many leaders. That meant we had many different opinions and ways of thinking. Those differences led to disagreements. I could see that, in time, friendships would decay. Disagreements would turn into armed conflict. Yes, as my aunt taught me, friendship is a powerful thing.” Flurry glanced over her shoulder, seeing Spike’s claws dig into the table as his wings twitched again. “Yet, even amongst friends, there can only ever be one real leader.
“That’s all I’m really asking for.” Flurry Heart’s gaze shifted again, this time to focus directly on Ember. “I want to be your friend. You just have to listen to me a little bit, take some constructive criticism.”
“If that’s all you hoped to gain out of this, my answer stays the same.” Ember stood, squaring her shoulders and spreading her wings in a display of strength. “The dragons of the Dragon Lands will not surrender to you.”
Flurry sighed. With her eyes still fixed on the ocean, she deliberately took her time with the next two bites of her cupcake before speaking. “That is a shame. You are a smart leader, Ember. Really, I wouldn’t have dethroned you. You would still rule these…” She paused a moment to kick a small stone near her hoof, causing it to tumble down the mountainside. “...beautiful islands.”
Flurry sighed again as she tossed her cupcake into the air. “I suppose I’ll just have to become friends with your replacement.” Flurry’s cupcake reached the pinnacle of its arc when it was suddenly split in two. Flurry heard the rush of air and the twang of an arrow hitting stone. She didn’t hear a body hit the ground, but the sound of Spike standing from his seat let Flurry picture the scene behind her all the same. She could imagine Spike had leapt to catch Ember’s now limp body as blood flowed over her scales, embracing her as the light left her eyes.
“I am sorry, Spike.” Flurry’s voice sounded sympathetic, but there was no denying the smile on her lips. “I know it seems that I’m always killing those you care about, but it's for the good of the world. Ember was like Nyx. She just wouldn’t see reason, and you were tangled in her influence. Still, I’ll make it up to you. How about I let you guard the royal treasury? It’s grown to be an impressive hoard. You sleep on that for a few years, I bet you’d be bigger than Torch. Though if you want to be Dragon Lord, I could certainly see that happening if you’d—”
“I’m sorry, but I believe I’m going to be Dragon Lord for a while longer.”
The smile fell from Flurry’s face as her head quickly turned around, her eye twitching. She looked to Ember, who was still standing proud and tall. The arrow, enchanted with a number of deadly curses and launched magically from a vast distance, was not imbedded in Ember’s chest or head as Flurry had ordered. It was dug into the table, managing to pierce halfway through before coming to a stop.
“The dragons will never bow to you,” Ember snarled.
“Must I do everything myself?” Her horn glowed, but her eyes flickered a few shades darker. Before Ember could react, her feet were encased in dark crystal, pinning her in place. Ember tried to pull herself free, and Spike took a step to help, only to be blasted squarely in the chest. Such a blow wasn’t meant to pierce his dragon scales, but it knocked him back, slamming him into a rock that bordered the negotiation area. “Now, if you hold still, I’ll try to make this quick.”
Ember continued to tug at the crystal, trying to free herself. “She was right. You planned this all along.”
“She?” Flurry said, her horn glowing. “Ember, my dear Ember, do you have a spy? She must be quite impressive to have discovered my plan. Though, I wouldn’t say you're out of the woods yet.” Flurry’s magic manifested around the arrow, which she knew still bore most of the deadly enchantments that had been placed on it. She yanked it out of the table and drew it back, preparing to drive it into Ember’s body with her own magic.
Before Flurry could launch the arrow, she noticed movement in her peripheral vision. Her guards were closing in on her, the only living ponies she had brought with her. Six guards, hoof selected from their ranks by her most trusted generals. But something was wrong. They were all looking at her now with glowing, turquoise eyes.
Flurry raised her wings and brought them down, a gale force gust of wind hitting the guards. They were knocked back, or rather, their armor was. The bodies within became as vapor, swirling out of the metal and around her feathers. The smoke began to solidify. First a sword took shape, slicing the lethal arrow in two and causing Flurry’s levitation magic to disperse before a hoof rose from the swirling cloud and connected with Flurry’s jaw.
Her teeth were forced to snap shut. Flurry’s head rang from the blow and the taste of blood filled her mouth. She beat her wings again, this time getting airborne as she quickly brought a hoof to her lips. Her nerves were screaming, the pain ringing in her head. She cast a spell, something to force the pain aside, but then she felt something rolling around in her mouth. She spat it out, caught with a levitation spell, and raised it to her eyes so she could get a good look.
It was the tip of her tongue, cut clean off by her own teeth.
“You Tartarus filth. I’ll see you’re executed for this,” Flurry said. Her teeth were stained red as some of her blood dribbled down her lip and to the ground below.
“An actual execution? Last time, you just stabbed me in the heart.” The familiar voice came from the smoke as it swirled, an equine form taking shape. A black alicorn with blue shield cutie mark materialized in front of Flurry, her body clad in the bronze armor of the Dragon Lands.
“I killed you,” Flurry Heart hissed as she began flying higher.
“You tried.” Nyx leapt forward, her own wings spreading as she pursued Flurry Heart into the air. Flurry was the first to act. Her horn glowed and she summoned great blasts of energy. Such blasts had decimated battalions, but Nyx shrouded herself in a shimmering bubble shield. The magical attacks crashed against Nyx’s barrier, but did not penetrate it.
As the duel in the air began, fighting broke out below. Ember raised her voice, and the ground of the rocky island shook. Dragons, who had been buried up to their nostrils, sprang from beneath the dirt and stone and began flying at Flurry’s escort of ships. The vessels were protected with anti-fire enchantments, but they were no match for the sheer amount of flames spewed at them. Spike himself led part of the charge. With his bare claws, he was tearing through the crystal golems that were Flurry’s forces, scattering them to the ocean floor.
“So you’re Ember’s spy,” Flurry Heart said. She had given up trying to tend to her bleeding tongue. She focused on casting her spells, launching single, mighty blasts as well as volleys of hundreds of smaller energy bursts, even as her lips and teeth were stained red. “You’re her eyes and ears. You knew of my plans. You deflected the arrow!”
Nyx swung her sword, nearly striking Flurry across the chest while her barrier spell continued to hold off the barrage of magic thrown at her. She offered no reply to Flurry’s accusations, her eyes focused entirely on the battle as she and Flurry darted and wove around one another in the air above the raging battle below.
“So what did I kill that day?”
Flurry banked hard to one side, trying to blast Nyx’s shield from another angle.
“A clone?”
The barrier spell held strong from all sides, forcing Flurry into a new tactic. She flew high, spread her wings, and summoned a volley: hundreds of tiny spines of magic that could turn anything into a pin cushion. Yet Nyx did not flinch. She just glared Flurry down as she remained protected by her indomitable shield.
Flurry gritted her teeth as she watched her spines bounce of Nyx’s shield like toothpicks being flung against iron. “No, if it was just a clone you wouldn’t have waited this long.” She went into a dive, a large sphere of magic forming at the tip of each wing. When she got in close, Flurry brought her wings forward, slamming her magic into opposite sides of Nyx’s barrier like a pair of wrecking balls. Yet, the shield still held, not even showing a crack.
“So how did it happen, dear cousin? How are you still alive?!”
With her magic failing to pierce Nyx’s barrier, Flurry Heart dove to the battlefield below, picking up a half dozen of her own crystal golems before turning and chucking them at Nyx like catapult boulders. Nyx lowered her bubble shield for a moment, relying on her aerial skills to dodge the attacks. She banked, she dove, she rolled, and when Flurry Heart had thrown the last golem, she counter attacked: a burst of lightning from her horn.
Flurry Heart raised a shield for herself, gritting her teeth as she braced. Nyx’s spell triggered. The lighting struck. The sound of thunder rang in Flurry’s ears, and the flash of light blinded her. She cursed, closing her eyes and rubbing them with a hoof as she kept the barrier spell up. The moment her vision began to return, she looked forward again.
Nyx was just outside the barrier. If not for Flurry’s shield spell, the pair might have smelled one another’s breaths. Nyx drove her sword forward, the magically formed blade piercing the shield. Flurry tried to dodge, but the blade found flesh. It cut through Flurry’s necklace, slicing the chain off and leaving a deep gash along the base of her neck.
Flurry Heart used another great beat of her wings to push Nyx away, giving herself a moment to think. The pain of the new wound and the ease at which Nyx had pierced the barrier left her enraged. That and her tongue was still bleeding, her chin now stained with the blood that had been slipping out of her mouth with every spoken word and breath. Flurry glanced at her escort. Most of the ships were sunk, and when the last fell, the dragons would turn their attention to her.
“Next time, you’ll stay dead,” Flurry spat before her horn surged with magic. In a flash, she teleported herself. Her magic whisked her back to her kingdom, to her throne room in the Crystal Empire, her capital. Her voice then rang out, filling the whole castle and shaking it to the foundation.
“Get the doctor. Get the generals. And get me the head of whoever was supposed to cremate Nyx!”
~~~
“We didn’t get her,” Spike said as he stood with Ember at the negotiating table, his claw resting on her hip as they stood close to one another.
“We couldn’t have killed her today even if we wanted to. You know that,” Nyx said as she came in for a landing. “Our only goal was was to keep Flurry from killing Ember. All the other things we accomplished today were a bonus.”
Ember nodded. “You’re right, though I am sorry you had to reveal yourself.”
“Even if Flurry knows I’m alive now, it’s not like she’ll be able to find me.” Nyx let her sword dissipate, the lingering drops Flurry’s blood evaporating from the heat of the spell’s dispersal. “Shapeshifting and clone magic make a very effective combination. If anything, her paranoia might just get her to make some critical mistakes.”
“Maybe,” Spike said. “I’m happy Ember’s safe, but… we had her standing right there.” He slowly slumped down, sitting on the edge of the table. “Even if we couldn’t have killed her, maybe we could have… after all these years—” He was cut off by a gentle touch from Ember, her claw touching the small of his back, feeling the rough scar tissue between his wings. Spike smiled and took hold of her free claw, nodding a silent thank you. “ I just wish we could accomplish more than sinking a few of Flurry’s ships and giving her a punch in the jaw.”
“Well then, maybe this will cheer you up,” Nyx said, using her magic to hold up the golden necklace that had been around Flurry’s neck, the one with the large purple jewel. “Though I think she may be a little disappointed her ‘Spikey Wikey’ is all grown up and has a girlfriend now.”
Spike and Ember’s bodies tensed. They glanced at one another, then back at the necklace Nyx was holding aloft. Spike raised his trembling claw, holding out his palm so Nyx could lower the necklace into his grip. He drew it back to him, holding it like it was made thin, fragile glass. “When you said she hadn’t—”
The gem glowed a moment, and then the smell hit Spike’s nostrils. He breathed in deep, a strange calm passing over him. “That’s… Rarity’s perfume. Even after all these years…”
“It’s hard to forget.” Ember said playfully as her claw continued to rub the tender scar on his back. “Sometimes, I think she bathed in that stuff.”
“Turning them back to normal may not be possible.” Nyx used her magic to remove her helmet, her mane changing from a smoky field to normal strands of purple hair. “At least she’s not in Flurry’s grasp anymore. Flurry having Rarity’s eye for detail almost got me busted a few times, and that’s not including Rarity’s power as an alicorn. Without that necklace, we’re that much closer to finally stopping Flurry Heart.”
“That’s good to hear,” Ember said as she leaned into Spike a little. “Spike and I should get back to the city and start planning our next move.”
“You do that. I need to get back and reassume my cover identities before any of them are missed. I’ll send a dragonfire message once I’ve had a chance to gauge Flurry’s reaction to...”
“Call it what it is, Nyx,” Ember said. “We just declared war.”
“Yeah,” Nyx said as she spread her wings and prepared to take off. “But we did it with style. Anyway, I’ll be in touch. Stay safe.” With that Nyx took off, rising high into the air before teleporting herself, heading back to the mainland and her duties. Ember and Spike watched the spot where she disappeared for a few seconds before Ember spoke.
“You know, you two still haven’t told me how she’s still alive,” Ember said as she looked over at Spike. “You told me how it looked like Flurry murdered her right in front of you. Nyx told me how she fled the mainland to find you. I’ve never heard how she survived. It would be a shame if Flurry Heart found out before I did.”
Spike stood up from the table. In one claw, he held the gem necklace that was Rarity while his other claw hooked around Ember’s body and rested it on her hip. “She didn’t survive. That dagger melted and scattered her magic and memories to the wind.” Spike smiled. “Then again, my little sister knows this old stallion that’s really good at putting dispersed magic and memories together into a living mare.”
====================
Variance End
====================
What if Nyx had to fight her family?
Is this going to reference Wild_Heart's Point of No Return?
Well, that was awesome. Really IS a pity they didn't kill that bitch Flurry...
Ah well. What's next?
I'm tracking this story but the update did not show up for me.
The hell..... I was not expecting something like this. I was expected something lighthearted or something funny. Not something as dark as this.
Edit: Love the sudden downvotes, don't know why when other people were't expecting it.
I could see someone writing a full story based off of this. I eagerly await more.
That was awesome. I had to laugh at myself for several seconds when you dropped the big reveal that "the queen" was Flurry Heart, and the way you wove so much world building into a dramatic fight sequence was excellent. I can't wait to see the next what if; it'll have to be a doozy to top this!
Okay, I like this, but this is just to clear up the line of dialogue referring to Rarity's perfume and returning "them" to normal, and is just my own mind wanting to know what that means, but what does that mean?
Holy bucking shit, I was NOT expecting that.
Now I just want more information about this AU!!! What we're told in this one glance is vague, at best, which just makes it even more mysterious and confusing.
This was brilliantly written (though everything you write is) but now I am terrified for what awaits us all...
EDIT: I'm guessing that those images of Nyx on the cover art pertain to these "what if" scenarios? Like, the one on the far left has to do with this one.
7517180
The intent is not to answer all the questions, but I suppose I can give a few more tidbits here and there. The idea was that Flurry Heart captured the other alicorns of Equestria, leverage their power. Now, does that mean Rarity is the necklace, magically trapped in crystal. Maybe? Could it just be the crystal acts as a conduit to Rarity and now our heroes can go searching for her and the others. Well, that's just as likely.
These glimpses are just that, glimpses, and not all questions will be answered.
7517180 Same. I think that the reason why this AU is so vague is that the question was, "What if Nyx had to fight her family?" They didn't say anything about wanting to know about how exactly that would happen.
7517195 Okay, I can live with that explanation.
Spell Nexis.
Interesting chapter, I hope to see more.
On an unrelated note,
I suspect that Starlight Glimmer is some sort of spirit of time/time incarnate like how Discord is the spirit of chaos except that Starlight is a bit more subtle.
By the throne... that was unexpected! And once again, you manage to both surprise and amaze us all...
huh, I was expecting to see what the mane 6+Starlight saw in the first chapter and onwards in order on who wanted to see what, but this works too!
Right out of the starting gate and we get another bad ending. Can't wait for a timeline where everything doesn't go straight to hell.
Also, why the hell is Tyrant Flurry Heart so prevalent lately? I get people didn't like her for a bevy of reasons, but this is like the sixth story I've seen where she's worse than Tirek, Sombra, Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon put together.
7517255 baby with huge amounts of power being raised by loving parents in environment that has ALOT of stamped out OLD OLD OLD styles of thinking so could be theoretically influenced with ideas not healthy to a mental upbringing of niceness. You have to remember the old adage its takes a village to raise a child.
This is doubly so for royalty in many forms since the parent/ruler is not there all the time to reinforce the correct lessons so a governess, maid, butler, and courtiers can influence and direct a new forming personality is so many ways. Both intentional and unintentional. And let face it current royalty in todays modern world tends to get viewed through a rose colored lens, or a ugly colored one depending on where you live. Sometimes justly.
7517255 "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton
It's also interesting. Flurry Heart is an infant with the ability to destroy the Crystal Heart. I know she probably didn't meant to but she was a few days old and she managed to destroy something KING SOMBRA(who the crystal ponies are terrified of, even the mere mention) wasn't able to do and he seemed to have managed to at least bring Luna AND Celestia to a draw, according to fanon anyways.
Flurry Heart also is a blank slate at the moment. We don't really know what she's going to be like, she could become evil or she could not.
I am guessing all the Mane 6 became alicorns in time in this timeline and Flurry Heart took their souls into gems to gain their powers.
7517255
With the exception of Cadance we see all the alicorns regularly get the villian treatment in fanfiction. Luna as Nightmare Moon, Twilight as Midnight Sparkle, Celestia as Nightmare Star/Solar Flare. An evil Flurry Heart is not hard to imagine given she is born literally more powerful than just about every pony in Equestria with the exception of the grown Alicorns and perhaps Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer.
What if Twilight had stopped Nyx from being taken by Celestia?
Who's this "Old Stallion" Spike mentioned?
Oh fuck that bitch. I KNEW she was going to be trouble.
Would there be any Crossover What ifs
Well, I certainly hope the next one is a little more chipper. Though I have to admit that this chapter was AWESOME, it was still a bit of a downer, which is an emotion that I don't really want to have before I go to bed.
7517663 Spell Nexus. OBVIOUSLY.
7517643 OHHHHHHHHH! That a DAMN good question. Someone, make it FUCKING happen.
7517207 Hell YEAH!
7517173 Yeah, blew my mind. When it finally came I was like, "Oh shit, I thought it was Nyx"
What if Nyx hadn't been able to save Twilight from being executed?
7517706 ...spell nexus...?..... The Stallion that knew trixie? He looked kinda feminine, too? (It's been a long time.)
I think I'm not the only one who is reading this in the voice of Recon777.
7517770 he is the pony who made the spell that originally made Nyx
7517722
7516787 has the answer to that question.
Have you read Terry Pratchett's Moving Pictures? It's just that the beginning is really similar...
Also, given the What if?, Nyx is lucky that the events of this timeline are like they are. It could have been worse.
Though, I wonder what Rarity did to become an alicorn, but that's the map's secret. And Flurry is probably talented ventriloquist to be able to still speak normally
7517195 And all this is proof that Flurry Heart is the most evil abomination of all time and must be destroyed.
Like Puff from "Fairly Oddparents".
Or... Shining and Cadance really suck as parents in that universe and raised Pony Nero. Like, REALLY suck. Worst, parents, ever. About as bad as Saddam Hussein's.
7517098
Dark?? What did you find surprisingly dark, may I ask?
Son, you ain't seen dark yet if you think this is dark.
7517906
Uh... What??
What, precisely, do you mean by my voice? I'm really curious now. lol
So, this variance is about Nyx fighting a member of her family. Great chapter!
I wonder what will the next one be.
7517961 I would guess he probably has, considering 'the embodiment of death goes on vacation (paraprasing)' is a clear reference to Terry Pratchett's 'Mort'.
7517770 No. Spell Nexus, the leader of the Children of Nightmare, the cult that created Nyx in an attempt to bring back Nightmare Moon.
7518181 sorry what i meant was Illya Leonov voice from reading of past sins
7518253 Yeah, but I've said I know to which fanfic is that a reference. I was asking about the others, for example that with rotting horn.
Still thanks
7518418
I think the one with horn rot is this one.
7518446 Thank you very much!
Woo go Spell Nexus. Nyx was cool this world. I mean coming back from the dead to fight on. Truly BAMF.
7517914 Thanks.
7517643 I want this one too.
What they heck cause Flurry Heart to go Tyrant?
¡Prince Consort Shining Armor should have killed the Eldridge Abomination with fire when he had the chance!