Celestia woke with a start as Spitfire burst into her tent, a scroll clutched under her wing. "Princess, I've got an urgent message from Manehattan!"
She blinked to clear her eyes, trying to focus on the yellow Wonderbolt before her. Stars, how long had she been asleep? She had only meant to close her eyes... "Report."
Spitfire snapped a salute and unraveled the scroll. "It's from Mayor Hilltop of Manehattan, Your Highness. A camel fleet is closing in on them, and possibly on Baltimare and Fillydelphia, too."
Celestia sat up straight. "What?"
"Apparently, they received a warning from Princess Cadance, Captain Armor, and a few civilians traveling with them. They passed word and then headed to Canterlot; Princess Cadance said she needed to speak with you urgently."
"They must know what happened to Blueblood and Twilight Sparkle," the princess mused. "I'll have to meet them immediately."
Spitfire frowned. "Your Highness, no offense, but what about us? What if the griffons attack while you're gone?"
"I'll be back as soon as I can. I'm afraid you'll have to hold the line without me, at least for a little while."
"Ma'am... we could easily send a sky carriage to pick them up. I'll just take a few of my 'Bolts, we'll be back by morning."
Celestia looked at her crossly. "The sun is about to set. I can teleport there, find out what's going on, and be back before morning myself."
"Yes, but... "
"Spitfire, I understand. But trust me when I say that, if what I fear has happened has come to pass, this may be a graver threat to Equestria than all the griffons in the world. I need to speak to Cadance immediately."
The pegasus' shoulders slumped, and she offered a half-hearted grunt of surrender. "We'll hold out here. Maybe the griffons won't even attack. Not like they can see any better at night than we can."
Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder and mustered the most reassuring smile she could. "You'll be fine, Spitfire. I have every confidence in you, and in General Hailstorm. And I'll be back in the morning, I promise you."
"Yes, ma'am," Spitfire said with another weak salute. "Just, uh... be careful, okay? If something's going on that's bigger than the invasions... well. It's an honor to serve you, Your Highness, and I'd hate to hafta take orders from somepony else."
"I'll be fine," Celestia said. She stepped into the fading sunlight, closed her eyes, and was gone.
Shining groaned and tried to roll over. He couldn't quite manage it. There was something wet and gooey covering him, and it smelled awful, like garbage left in the sun. He could even taste it, sitting in his mouth like gelatin. He tried to swallow it, but try though he might, he couldn't move his tongue, either.
This is probably not good, he decided. He opened his eyes, and found that he was correct.
Everything around him was tinted a sort of greenish-brown and was blurred, like trying to look through muddy water. It stung at his eyes, and he felt that same, squishy gel pressing against them, but he steadfastly ignored it as he focused on his surroundings. Some sort of membranous shell divided him from the outside world just a few inches away from his nose, and beyond that... more greenish blobs of various sizes. Some of them had shapes floating in them, too. In fact, the largest held a pair of familiar eyes that were staring at him with panic.
Cadance, he tried to say. His mouth, held in place by the thick slime, did not cooperate. Chrysalis, he remembered suddenly. Chrysalis... poisoned us? But Blueblood said she was dead...
Celestia, but they'd fallen right into a trap. He should have known better. The camel ships had paused just an hour or so from the city, clearly waiting for some sort of signal. They must have been communicating with Chrysalis, or perhaps Zujada, waiting for the signal to move in. Meanwhile, he'd been too busy with the promise of a good meal to fully think things through. Maybe Blueblood was right after all; maybe he was an idiot. Unless...
Whispered voices caught his attention, and he shifted his eyes until, at the corner of his peripheral vision, he could just make out Zujada leaning close to another pod. Zecora's, he thought. She was speaking quietly and in a language he didn't recognize, but he thought he recognized the tone: it was an apology, for whatever good that might do.
"Our prisoners are awake?"
Zujada turned regretfully from her granddaughter and nodded. "Not all, but some. Like the princess, and her husband."
"Ahh, yes, I see their little eyes darting about," Chrysalis' said. She appeared in front of Shining's pod a moment later, grinning that unsettling grin as she looked him over. "Awake, my luscious lover? Mm, ready for a little fun?"
She raised a jagged hoof to his face and lightly brushed aside the layers of membrane and jelly covering his face. He spat a thick glob of the stuff out, aiming for her face but barely clearing the pod. "Go to Tartarus," he growled.
"Yes, I do love it when you talk dirty." Giggling, she turned to Cadance. "And you, my angry little princess. I told you I'd make you suffer for each one of my children you murdered. Oh, we are going to have such fun together, the three of us."
"Where are Pinkie and Applejack?" Shining demanded.
Chrysalis turned to him with an amused smirk. "Nearby. I wasn't planning to kill them just yet; better to torture them in front of their beloved princess, mm?" She giggled again. "I have to say, lover boy, I did not expect things to go so well. Taking Manehattan? That was easy. All I had to do was replace a few key figures. A few Royal Guards, a few well-placed civilians, that fat fool's personal butler... 'Jeeves.' Honestly, 'Jeeves.' I truly hope that wasn't his real name.
"Then, with the help of my dear friend Zujada, we simply had to apply the lionsbane poison she'd brewed up to the feast he'd had prepared for you. Fortunately for you, we had a few doses of the antidote prepared. It was a shame we didn't have enough for Hilltop and his little friend, though. Well, c'est la vie."
Shining shook his head. "How are you here? How are you alive? Was Blueblood working with you this whole time?"
"Blueblood?" she giggled. "No, my stallion. He thought me dead, and I was. Fortunately, that's hardly the end for the Queen of the Changelings. We are not, after all, physically immortal like your princesses. Every few decades, the old queen dies, and a new one receives all her memories and power and steps up to take her place. I was one of the dozen or so autonomous 'nobles' of the swarm, tasked with preparing the fall of this pathetic city. When the old Chrysalis passed, I was... promoted. And rather put-off with your beloved wife, I should add."
"That's... really, incredibly unfair."
"Isn't it?" Chrysalis agreed. "But, I think, no less fair than your immortal goddesses controlling the heavens and claiming the richest lands in the world as their private utopia."
"So... why? Why are you helping the camels?" He glanced at Zujada, who was standing behind the changeling, silently watching the proceedings. "Why is she?"
"Blueblood didn't tell you?" Chrysalis giggled again. "The Eclipse is coming. Nightmare Moon will rise again, and we all stand to benefit greatly. You pathetic little ponies will pay for the centuries you've lorded over us all, meddling in our affairs and hiding behind the skirts of your rulers. My changelings have starved, starved in droves, while you grow fat and happy on the love you all share. Zujada's folk are considered freaks and monsters, slandered for centuries based on the idiocy of one idiotic explorer. The camels' culture dates back millenia, even older than yours, yet you presume to scold them for their practices. Every species in this world bears you a grudge, little pony. The griffons, the minotaurs, the dragons, the diamond dogs, the buffalo... you've given them all reason to see you fall. It's time for your reckoning."
"It is not so bleak," Zujada said quietly. "We do not seek to destroy you, just to make you weak. You have lived too long apart from the rest; you must struggle back to the top to prove yourselves best. Such is the way of life: conflict, turmoil, and strife."
"And somehow returning Nightmare Moon to the throne will make that happen?" Shining scoffed. "She wants to rule Equestria. Why would she let it turn into some kind of no-pony's-land?"
"Because she agrees," Chrysalis said smoothly. "Your kind have grown complacent. Your culture has all but stagnated. If you wish to advance as a species, if you wish to grow, you need to be sheared back first. And if you rise again, well, this time your tide will lift all ships, not just your own."
Shining, to their surprise, laughed. "I can't believe this. Do you listen to yourselves? 'We'll destroy the ponies to help the ponies!' How does this sound like a good plan and not some shallow justification for your own greed and jealousy?"
He noticed with interest that Zujada flinched at the accusation. Chrysalis just smiled all the wider. "I think we're done here, lovely. But don't worry, I'll be back. And it'll be just like old times... "
Her horn glowed, and suddenly the pod was sealed again and the sickening jelly was pressed against his face and mouth. He struggled against the implacable bonds, but again found himself unable to move anything but his eyelids. Damn it, he thought bitterly. This is bad. We have to escape somehow, to warn Celestia and Luna.
But try as he might, he could do nothing. He couldn't move, and the slime that encased him seemed to nullify his magic, too. Across the room, he saw that Cadance had closed her eyes, probably trying to draw upon her own power. She seemed to be having as much luck as him.
He closed his own eyes, but he didn't bother trying to summon his magic. Instead, he said a simple little prayer, repeated over and over like a mantra: Help us. Somepony, please. Help us.
Celestia appeared in the grand foyer of Canterlot Castle, at the center of the great mural depicting her and her sister circling their sun and moon. It was an ancient piece of art, dating back almost to the founding of Equestria. It also marked another, darker part of Equestria's history, of which only she and Luna knew.
She raised her head, expecting the usual respectful greetings from the guards stationed here, but none came. The chamber was empty and silent. Celestia's own hoofsteps echoed oddly in the stillness, cold and unwelcome. It was like walking through a tomb.
"Oh, stars," she whispered.
Something was badly amiss. Her palace was always full of life, from the bustle of the daylight hours to the whispers and giggles of her sister's night. Only once before had her home felt so empty: the night that the draconequus Tyranny had come to claim her throne.
Very well, then. Something had happened. Something had lured her here, using Cadance as bait. She glanced out a high window, as the last rays of the setting sun winked out on the horizon. She could leave. Now that the sun was set and the responsibility of managing the heavens shifted to Luna, she had access to more of her power. It would leave her exhausted nonetheless, teleporting again so soon as taxed as she was, but she could manage it. It was certainly a wiser course than marching into an obvious trap with her power so drained.
No. Something was wrong, here, in her home, in the very heart of her kingdom. Something had happened to her guards, her advisers, her servants. And if they had Cadance, Shining and the others...
She was Celestia, the immortal ruler of Equestria. She would not turn and flee at the first hint of danger.
Her hoofsteps were firm and steady as she pushed through the heavy double doors into her throne room. She marched in boldly, ignoring the startled intakes of breath from the shadows around her, and stopped at the base of the raised dais. Somepony was seated before her, their features concealed beneath a hooded cloak. Other figures, also hidden beneath black robes, tensed at her approach. She braced herself for what was to come and summoned up all the confidence and regal bluster she could manage.
"You're in my chair," she told the intruder calmly.
The figure above her stirred, gently pushing back the hood of her cloak and regarding her with an amused smile. Celestia's mask of confidence faltered as recognition washed over her. "Twilight Sparkle?"
"Not quite," the unicorn smirked. Her horn flared with deep violet energy. Celestia reached for her own power, raising a shield around her just in time to stop a blast that nonetheless drove her back several steps.
As if that were a signal, two of the figures leapt into action. One threw back its cloak to reveal a minotaur with a broad, gray-furred chest and a long-shafted battleaxe; it raised its weapon and charged. Almost unseen against the beast's bulk, a smaller figure sprang forward, orange eyes blazing wickedly in the darkness of its hood and a simple, bloodstained scalpel dancing in its tail.
Celestia recovered from Twilight's attack in time to duck her head beneath the smaller creature's dive, then quickly scamper out of the way of the charging minotaur. Her eyes widened at the familiar sound of an eagle's shriek, and she turned just in time to see a red-feathered griffon charging at her from the other side, her claws covered in steel gauntlets that gave off a faint, crimson glow.
She tried to pivot on her front hooves, but the griffon's strengthened claws tore into her and left three long, shallow gashes along her flank. Celestia's knees weakened as she felt something being drained out of her, and she was suddenly, vividly reminded of how long it had been since she'd slept more than a few hours at a time. She steadied herself and shook the weariness away. The gauntlets are enchanted, she realized. Some sort of life-draining spell.
Another of the robed figures stepped forward, throwing back his hood to reveal a vaguely familiar-looking unicorn of dull green. Lightning crackled along the length of his horn, and he released the energy in a narrow blast. Celestia almost scoffed. She caught the bolt easily on her own horn and fired it back, sending the unicorn scrambling to the side as the stone he'd stood upon disintegrated. She turned her attention to the final creature, a huge, misshapen behemoth that could only be a camel. She tensed as the beast dipped a hoof into its robes, then paused in confusion as it simply tossed a hooffull of sand on the ground.
"BLEED!" screeched a tiny voice behind her. Celestia turned to find the little monkey thing running at her from behind. Abruptly, it vanished in a puff of black smoke, and then appeared above her, its grin shining in the darkness as its knife scored a cut across her cheek. She snorted and smashed her head into him from below, launching him across the room.
And then the minotaur was there again, axe coming down in an overhead chop. Celestia tensed herself for the impact and set her shoulders, catching the axe just below the head with her horn. A deft twist, assisted by just an ounce of magic, tore the blade from the surprised minotaur's hands and sent it clattering across the room. She raised her front hooves and kicked the creature in the chest, hard; it stumbled back and fell against the wall.
The griffon shrieked again, and Celestia whipped around, prepared to meet its charge. To her surprise, the griffon was simply standing at the far end of the throne room, watching her with a faintly amused expression. "So, this is the mighty protector of the ponies. I was always told you were a great magician, yet you face us physically. I am disappointed."
"Perhaps I simply don't think you worth impressing."
"Perhaps," the griffon agreed. "Or, perhaps, you are weak, you are exhausted, and you are terrified to call upon your reserves knowing that you still have our mistress to face."
Celestia narrowed her eyes. "Who are you people? Why are you here? What do you want?"
"I am Bloodwing, of the Skysunder griffon clan. The others are Tiktakthanga of the Skull tribe, Chieftan Xorrat of the Stormhoof Clan, and I believe you'll remember Bank Ledger, of the Bureau of Infrastructure, should you try. Oh, yes, and Vizier Addawser."
Something bellowed thunderously behind her. Celestia turned in surprise to see that the camel's little pile of sand had begun to take form, expanding and replicating far beyond its original size. Bones began to take shape, four great legs tipped with razor-sharp claws. A long, serpentine neck topped with a long, narrow skull, fangs gleaming. Wings spread and flexed, filling the entire throne room. And the thing was still growing.
Celestia cursed herself. A sandshaper! I should have realized-
There would be time for self-recrimination later. The sand dragon bellowed again and swept one of its claws at the alicorn. Celestia narrowly jumped out of the way, and began backing up and out of the room as the beast advanced. Through its fleshless body, she could see Twilight Sparkle, still sitting on the throne and watching it all with an expression of mild amusement.
The thick double doors buckled and shattered as the massive construct shouldered its way through them. Celestia raced down the hall, in full flight now, desperate to reach open ground. Sandshapers were, potentially, extremely dangerous. With enough power and training, they could shield their creations from magic, make them physically nigh-invulnerable, and even take control of them directly. In all her centuries, though, she had never seen a sandshaper capable of creating something like this. The power that camel wielded...
Behind her, the dragon stopped. She felt as much as heard the sharp intake of breath. And then wind, as strong as a tornado, had picked her up and launched her forward, sending her tumbling out of the hall and into the grand foyer. A second later, minuscule bits of sand pelted her, tearing hair-thin gashes all across her exposed side, but most of it passing harmlessly overhead.
She scrambled to her hooves as the construct came on again, its footsteps shaking the ground with its passing. She ducked behind one of the pillars ringing the hall as it burst in, its green, pinprick eyes searching for her. Celestia let out a breath as it turned away, searching for her.
She needed a plan. She needed to get past the dragon and to reach its master; once he was rendered unconscious, his construct would dissolve away. She just needed to distract it somehow.
"Pony hiding..." a high, sinister voice called. "Pony knows she's dead. Come out, pony. Come on and play."
That might work.
A puff of black smoke appeared in front of her. She winced as the lemur's little knife sank into her shoulder and retracted before she could even react. She turned to swat the little monster, but all she hit was more smoke.
"Pony slow," Tiktakthanga mocked, his voice distorted and echoing. "We play for long time, I think. I cut you, you bleed. It will be fun."
The sand dragon snorted and looked in the direction of the lemur's voice. Black smoke puffed again, and suddenly Tiktakthanga was there again, his flashing blade scoring two, crossed cuts over Celestia's cutie mark. She grimaced and spun again, but he was gone.
"Pony weak," the lemur continued. "Just like other pony. We cut him for days, he never fight back. Weak, stupid pony."
The dragon's head pivoted again. Celestia cast her eyes around, watching for the tell-tale puff of smoke.
"I'm weak? Yet I could crush your tiny little skull with hardly an effort."
Tiktakthanga laughed. "Yes, you could, if you could catch me. But you can't. That why we lemurs so strong now. We teach others... zebras, antelopes, even lions... we teach them to fear us. We shadows in the night, cruel and merciless. They do not prey on us anymore, pony. They are prey."
Celestia smirked. "And you really think your little knife is going to be enough to make me, the Princess of the Sun, fear you?"
The dragon's eyes narrowed as it began to figure out Celestia's position.
"You will learn, pony. You will learn."
"Try me."
Celestia stepped out from behind the pillar. The dragon reared its head in surprise, then began to intake breath. A puff of black smoke appeared behind Celestia, just where she had expected it. Calling on her magic, she siezed the lemur in mid-pounce and held him there. As the dragon released its sandstorm, she ducked back behind another pillar, loosing her telekinetic hold.
There was a satisfying crunch as Tiktaktanga was slammed into the far wall and pelted with sand. What hit the floor was still breathing, but only just.
The dragon bellowed in frustration and charged, skeletal claws smashing apart the pillar Celestia had hidden behind. She, however, was already moving past, making a run for the castle doors and the gardens outside.
"She's escaping!" Bloodwing snarled from down the hall. "Get her!"
Escaping? the princess thought. Hardly.
Celestia slammed the doors open and leapt into the sky, wings spread wide and pushing hard to gain speed and altitude. She glanced behind her to see Bloodwing already in pursuit and the sand dragon trying to force its way out.
This was going to be difficult. Celestia had never excelled at flying--Luna had always been the more physical of the two--but a few centuries of practice, not to mention watching the best flyers in her kingdom perform regularly, had left their mark. The griffon would be the main problem; she was intelligent, clearly enough, but judging from her gauntlets, she was also an artificer of some sort. Who knew what other tricks she might have prepared?
Indeed, if the glow around her wings was any indication, she had found a way to increase her flight speed, and she was gaining rapidly. Celestia frowned in concentration and went into a sideways roll, narrowly avoiding the griffon's energy-draining claws as she streaked past. Immediately, though, the griffon pulled an impossible turn and came around again. Celestia folded her wings and dropped, again narrowly avoiding her opponent, then spread them again as she caught an updraft.
"You will not escape!" Bloodwing screeched. "The ritual will be completed! We will have your power!"
"What ritual?" Celestia shouted, rolling again as the griffon raced by. "What are you talking about?"
"Your kingdom's fall will be complete! We will take your strength and make it our own! Then, our armies will march unopposed, and Equestria will be ours!"
Celestia couldn't help it. She laughed. "Do you have any idea how often I've heard that over the last few thousand years?"
"Mock all you want," Bloodwing snarled. "The Eclipse is coming!"
Below, the dragon bellowed as it finally tore itself free and launched into the air. Celestia ignored it and focused on the griffon in front of her. She dodged again as Bloodwing dove at her, but this time, she reached out and clamped her teeth around the griffon's wing. Bloodwing cried out in surprise and pain as Celestia wrenched with all her strength, not to dislodge the griffon's wing, but to tear away the tiny bit of metal plating she'd enchanted for speed. Bloodwing spun on her, raking her wicked claws across Celestia's chest, but she accepted the blow unflinchingly and rolled back, putting her hooves against the griffon's chest and launching her away.
Bloodwing cursed as she fumbled to right herself, one wing moving faster than the other. She tore away the second bit of enchanted steel and narrowed her eyes. "Do you really think that was my only advantage?"
Celestia grinned. "Of course not. By all means, bring it."
The griffon reached into her robes and came out holding a tiny crossbow loaded with a ruby-tipped dart. Celestia dove as Bloodwing fired; the bolt flew past harmlessly. And then, its tip glowing, it stopped, realigned itself on Celestia, and darted forward again. The princess rolled desperately away as the dart narrowly missed again, only to stop and adjust its trajectory once more.
"I call it the Lifeseeker Bolt," Bloodwing explained, her tone superior and mocking. "My own design, of course. Once it is fired, it will not stop until it hits its target. And then... well, whatever it hits will be thoroughly dead."
"An impressive bit of artifice," Celestia admitted, dodging it again. "May I borrow it for a minute?"
"Huh?"
Celestia smirked and turned towards the slowly, steadily rising sand dragon.
"No!" Bloodwing cried.
The alicorn doved straight at the beast, focusing on the moves she had seen her Wonderbolts perform time and time again. Adjust the shoulders just so. Tuck the legs in just so. Tilt wings...
The dragon's mouth opened as it began to suck in breath.
The Lifeseeker Bolt closed in.
Celestia swooped into the dragon's mouth, twisted, and darted out around its jaw.
The bolt slammed into a tooth.
The sand dragon erupted in an explosion of crimson flame, shards of bone disintegrating into sand as they fell away.
Celestia tucked in her wings and rolled with the explosion, diving almost straight down, the wind whipping at her face. Below, the fat camel, Addawser, skulked in the doorway. Of course; sandcrafters had to maintain visual contact with their constructs. He was busily trying to sprinkle more sand, but as he looked up at the approaching alicorn, he realized he was too late.
Celestia hit him at speeds just shy of a Sonic Rainboom, and Addawser was hurled across the foyer, through a pillar, and halfway through the far wall. Celestia followed almost as far, spreading her wings to slow herself, and finally came to a skidding halt halfway across the room.
Bloodwing was right behind her, shrieking in fury. Celestia turned to her with a glare and channeled just a fraction of her magic. Suddenly, the griffon's wings were bound tightly to her sides. Her savage war cry turned into a scream of surprise, ending abruptly as she slammed into the far wall herself.
Celestia allowed her head to sink for just a moment. She was very, very tired. She was also feeling a bit lightheaded, likely from the blood trickling out of her many, small wounds. She'd need to heal those before she confronted Twilight Sparkle... or whatever was pretending to be her. For now, though, it was enough to catch her breath.
"Very impressive, Your Highness," a calm, monotone voice called.
"Ledger," Celestia replied. She looked up to find the bland, green unicorn standing at the hall to the throne room, the huge, silent minotaur behind him. "Could you explain why, exactly, one of my little ponies is plotting treachery alongside griffons, camels, and psychotic monkeys?"
"Of course, Your Highness. You see, I plan to help end your tyrannical rule once and for all. The true ruler of Equestria, the sister you wronged and imprisoned, will ascend in your place. Nightmare Moon."
Celestia sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. "You do realize that Luna and I have made up, don't you?"
"Luna, yes," Ledger said dismissively. "I am not fooled. She is... merely some sort of puppet. After all, she looks nothing like the Princess Luna we saw after the Elements of Harmony returned. Through Nightmare Moon's old writings, however, I have determined that she is not merely a physical shell, but a spirit, a soul independent unto itself. Since you drove it from its body, it has taken the form of your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."
"Luna is Luna," the princess said firmly. "Whatever is possessing my student is something unnatural and evil. You're a fool if you think otherwise."
"As you say, Your Highness. Xorrat? I believe it is up to us to subdue the princess. Shall we?"
The minotaur nodded and stepped forward, pounding the haft of his axe against his palm. As he walked, the rubble from the broken columns began to tremble, to shake, and then to roll towards him. It began to shift and change shape, forming leggaurds, a breastplate, and gauntlets that attached themselves to him. More and more stone surged towards the minotaur and formed around him, until he looked more like a statue than a living being. His hooves shook the floor with every step.
Celestia called up her magic, lifted him into the air, and chucked him at Ledger.
"I am done playing games," she told the unconscious unicorn and dazed minotaur as she walked past them to the throne room. For added emphasis, she brought her hoof down across Xorrat's temple, knocking him cold.
She entered her throne room with her head held high, her demeanor proud and confident despite the many small cuts marking her hide. Her ethereal mane billowed behind her at full extension, and her horn glowed with held power as she summoned up every ounce of strength she could find.
"Creature, spirit, whatever you are," she told the thing that inhabited her student, "release her, or I will destroy you. I've defeated your minions, and I will defeat you if need be."
Twilight Sparkle looked at her mentor calmly through half-lidded eyes, her confident smirk never shifting. "No, you haven't."
"What?"
A figure stepped out from behind the throne.
He was a tall, broad-chested unicorn. His coat was white, where she could see it beneath the plates of armor and latticework of fresh, red scars. His face was concealed beneath a steel mask, but his golden mane was loose and touselled across his neck. And his eyes were an achingly familiar shade of blue, though distant, glassy, and empty.
"Blueblood?" Celestia whispered.
His horn flared turquoise. Frantically, Celestia tried to focus her own, readied power. She managed to put up a shield in time to deflect his blast, yet it still hit like a sledgehammer and drove her back several feet. And then he hit her again, even harder. And again, harder still.
"Blueblood, don't... "
"He can't really stop himself," Twilight said casually. "It took quite a bit of convincing, but he finally gave in. After being tortured for days on end, the sweet, sensual ecstasy of feeding his power was just too much for him. Poor boy."
He hit her again, and this time, her shield shattered. Celestia fell to the floor, trying in futility to summon more magic, but there was nothing left. Days of fighting, trying to protect her ponies, worrying over her kingdom... the wounds she'd suffered... the shock of her son's betrayal...
It was too much. She had no more left to give.
She looked up into Blueblood's eyes, and she saw nothing there.
The next hit granted her blissful peace.
Damn, that's a mean trick to pull off. Great chapter and Celly's a badass
... Okay, something better change, or... I will be prepared to deliver a thumbs-down, Kavonde. Don't like the idea of Celestia being defeated, power-boosted Blueblood or not. It's starting to feel like a rehash of Tyranny...
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Man, those are two dramatically conflicting comments, right there.
I'm kinda surprised at your reaction, Snow. I know I've got a habit of Worfing Celestia in my stories, but I really tried to justify her losing this time while still giving her a chance to kick some major flank. If being exhuasted, wounded, and magically drained isn't enough to justify a loss to a newly suped-up Blueblood after thrashing five major bad guys, I don't know what is.
If the objection is just to the idea of Celestia losing, period, well... all I can say is, it happens sometimes in canon.
1408031
Maybe I'm annoyed because I'm reminded of that loss in canon... and so many beloved characters... dying... or being betrayed by their own treacherous *insert many profanities here* family. Or maybe it's because I've seen too many Grimdark fics between updates... Who knows?
1408031 I think it's justified, you know. You can still be a badass, even if you lose. Like you said, Celly took on several opponents in quick succesion, all of them requring her to think quick and change tactics. And then NMM was a bitch and send Bluey after her.
I like the story, I do, but I can't help but wonder if this story is going to end in favor of the 'good guys' at all, or if it's just going to be one big beat down for Equestria, story over. I'm honestly wondering, because it seems that NOTHING has gone in favor of the heroes for longer than two seconds.
To restate though: I do like this story.
I'm just kind of bored with the story.
I literally said what is going to be in this chapter and hit perfectly.
Down to Nightmare Dawn(or whatever she's named) on the throne.
Maybe it's just your style is predictable or I just read too much.
I'll watch this story to an end but dangers constantly getting bigger and upping the stakes without an end.
Just got boring.
Still looking forward to next chapter.
I'm also waiting for XCOM and reviews tell it's gonna be great.
Shame for no randomly generated maps though.
Was expecting some awesome sun spell which acts like a sat laser
Hopefully old celly ain't dead, I'm still holding out for it.
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Well that is how these type of stories usually go. Heroes beat down then pull some sort of magical muffin out of their butts.
1408031
I am with you man. Celestia has to be beatable or she can just fix anything and there is no tension. It should just cost a lot to beat her or Luna.
And why does Blueblood now remind me of a Maltek Stalker from Dark Heresy?
images.wikia.com/warhammer40k/images/7/73/Maltek_Stalker.jpg
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I like to kinda play coy with the avoiding spoilers stuff, I'm gonna drop that for a second. I'm a big fan of Jim Butcher. If you haven't read his stuff, you really should. If you have, you might've noticed a pattern: things get really, really really bad for our heroes, but somehow, they find a way to turn things around. Endings generally aren't sunshine and flowers, and the overall state of the world might be appropriately labeled as "crappy," but at least the good guys pulled through, and there's still a little hope that some day, things will get better.
All that's just a long, convoluted way of saying: bear with me. No, I'm not going all Warhammer 40k on Equestria. Things are bad, and frankly, they're going to get worse. But the good guys aren't out of the fight just yet.
I realize that releasing chapters once a week or so instead of writing big chunks (or the whole story) before publishing it is exacerbating the grimdark mood. It's probably also stretching things out, making the action feel less impactful. It's one of the downsides of publishing as I go. On the other hand, it means I get feedback from folks as I'm writing, which can be rewarding and encouraging sometimes, and can make me step back and go "oh, yeah, people don't know how this ends yet" at others. Given how dark the last few chapters have been, I guess I feel the need to take time for a little author filibuster in the comments, here.
Hopefully, once this is all done, and there's no more having to wait a week between chapters, all of this will flow much more smoothly on a complete readthrough. Or maybe it'll be an overly-dark mess, I dunno. Only time shall tell.
I think with my next story, I'll write a few chapters at a time before I post 'em. That might help. I could try writing the whole shebang by myself before throwing it up here, but frankly, the self-imposed "I haven't finished this chapter yet and people wanna read it!" deadline helps motivate me to get things done. So, we'll see.
In the meantime, back to the original point. I know how the story ends, and I promise you, it won't be grim darky darkness of gloomy shadowy uber-dark. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.
1408128
Bloodwing did mention a ritual they wanted her for...
1408253
Note to self: give Blueblood a chainsword.
1408421
I'm trying, Kavonde... it's just... for me, it's jarring in comparison to the 'happy epilogue' at the very end of your "The Strange Destiny of Prince Blueblood" fic... which is in continuity, to my knowledge. I mean... HOW do we get from Big Mac dying, Zecora's own family beating her down, Nightmare Moon/Dawn almost winning... to a simple 'I'm doing fine, Aunty' letter... It... It does NOT add up to me. Sorry.
1408421
Good so
i.chzbgr.com/completestore/12/9/17/_xbl94pbZ0Guhc7dXPEmHQ2.jpg
Give us Moar NOW above
And remember
iambrony.jsmart.web.id/mlp/gif/f74.gif?1328462174
Ha, not too far from what i expected to happen to Blueblood. I have yet to see if there is a small of his soul (or humanity but that wouldn't sound right) left inside where he would turn the table. Either way really great chapter, jam-packed with action and all of that good stuff. Nice to see how Celestia fairs against the Dark Council (Or whatever they would call themselves) in her weakened state, really well delivered. I shall be waiting to see how it ends in the last few chapters....Keep up the good work man! Best Regards
By the way, you not going to have the-one-who-is-Chrysalis-incarnate to have a love child between poor Prince Shining Armor are you? O_o
I'm having a hard time seeing ponys as the "good guys".
I kinda want them to lose, but if NNM wins she will probably screw everybody over.
Wait, son?
1408893
Adopted, but it still counts. They had that little talk back at the end of Chapter 11. No weird revelations here
1408596
Someone's sympathizing with my antagonists! Score!
1408527
Ahh! See, the letter's a weird anachronism thing. I wrote it before I came up with an idea for continuing Blue's story. Really, it'd have been written shortly after he got out of the hospital, but before the party. Somehow. Even though they pretty much went straight to Sugar Cube Corner. See, it really doesn't fit in the timeline at all now, and I really need to go back and change it. Or maybe I can just say the Doctor did it.
1408567
Chrysalis, like all responsible adults not planning to start a family, uses protection. Remember, kids: when you're assuming the form of a victim's fiance in order to seduce him and feed off his love, be sure to wrap it up!
1408645
To be perfectly honest, I don't know if I could write that scene well enough to make it work. That's why I kinda cheated around it. I mean, I guess I could do some research on it by going out and getting addicted to heroin, but that somehow doesn't strike me as a great idea.
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But I like the letter... *sniffle*
1409072
It feels like nobodys gonna win too be honest.
Kavonde, I am flipping you off through the computer. Just thought you should know.
Also, on a side note, I'm discovering lately that The Doctor is incredibly hard to write. Oh well, I like a good challenge.
1409072
She wanna take some lovin but not too much, it'll make a mess...
Good god, this is getting depressing.
Seriously, it's gonna be a miracle if you can pull off the ponies winning without it feeling like an ass pull.
1411927
Admittedly, and no offense to Kavonde, but... that's how I'm starting to feel about this, too...
Is this gonna, like, continue in a sequel? Because I know you said there are only two chapters left and it seems like there's no way to resolve all this satisfactorily in that kind of space . . .
1412148
He could do a 'Flight of the Alicorn' and write 18000 word chapters
1412834
I think I would be ok with that.
Woah, go Tia!!!
images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120418052356/mlp/images/6/64/FANMADE_YEAH%21%21%21.gif
1412834
Ha! I only have one 18000 word chapter.
1409072
I don't actually find this story to be particularly "grimdark," all things considered (at least compared to stories like "Ponies Make War" or any of the many gore fics one can find on this site), nor am I bothered by Celestia being defeated. As someone else said, if Celestia truly is an unstoppable force (which canonically she is not, having been overpowered by three separate antagonists), then there is no real conflict. Of course, if in the next chapter Twilight is wearing Princess Celestia's skin as a jacket, then I think this would qualify as "dark." Anyway, you're doing a very good job of keeping the various moving parts in your story running and well-oiled.
Okay! I return, successfully, from my first campaign (on Normal) in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Time to catch up on all the stories that updated in the last two days (seriously, what the hell?) and reply to some comments.
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It'll mostly stay the same! I just need to fit it into the timeline better. Really, it serves an important purpose in making the ending of Strange Destiny less bleak. Without it, it ends with Cadance asking Blue to leave, and... that's a really friggin' depressing note to end on.
1409132
Definitely gonna try to explain in the next chapter.
1409154
Then I'm doing my job
1409282
Heh heh
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I'm honestly pretty confident that the ending's going to be satisfying and logical. Not all of the pieces are in place yet (next chapter!), but I'm actually really happy with how things are gonna be resolved. I'm a troper myself, and I'm a little obsessive about trying to avoid plot holes and logic fails where possible. (Though I'm apparently fond of passing around the Idiot Ball, but hey, YMMV.)
1412148
There will not be any further stories in this series starring Blueblood. Beyond that, well, we'll see. But like I said above, I think the ending might leave things in a more satisfactory state than people are expecting. (Though some of the fallout could still develop into its own stories.)
1412834
I wish. I'm too addicted to cliffhangers; this chapter would have been about 9k words if I'd stuck with my plan of it being the penultimate chapter, but I just felt like this was too good of a chapter break to pass up.
1415347
Snowflake! YEAH!
(Side note: I know a lot of people call him Roid Rage, or Steroid Pony, or whatever. I think that's way too obvious. I like the idea that he was a meek, scrawny little foal with a cute name. And then he had to lift weights in gym class one day, and the rest is history.)
1418219
Thank you! Seriously, thank you. The last couple of chapters have given me a small crisis of confidence, with so many people expressing concern about how dark things have gotten. Really means a lot to see you say that.
1422293 I agree. Snowflake is the best possible name for him.
Hm.
You really gain some new prospective when you read through the whole series in one afternoon and evening. This whole series has been on my read later list for several months just today I finally got some time to read through it. I know the story isn't done yet but I'll try to give you something like a review or at least something resembling one.
Grammatically you are flawless. The story is captivating enough and all of the characters are well enough put together. The idea is very original. That's the simple stuff out of the way.
I really only have one more major point to make. I liked the first story in the series, it was very well put together and it was simple. I even laughed a bit. The second story was also very good. It had a few of these very dark and foreboding moments without going overboard. It was even kind of funny at times. The third story was obviously a little darker at first and that's fine. It was still very interesting to read and I did want to see where it went but when I reached the end I realized something.
It had gone from a funny story about an awkward Prince, to a coming of age story, to a skeletal army invading Equestria, to an insane curse, to a massive war on an impossible scale, to a schoolteacher killing a child minotaur while Ponyville is under siege.
It looks like its just going to keep ramping up and I see no end in sight.
I'm not sure if this series has jumped the shark but I really though I should address this.
As my final two suggestions, I hope that you have your story planned out. If you don't have it planned out may I suggest that you do. Also if you ever make another series, make sure the stories are more connected. I just can't relate the stories together anymore. I hope you see what I mean.
As a final note. You have indeed caught my interest. I will be favoriting this and I will ride this out to the end.
Keep writing.
1435896
First off, welcome aboard! Always nice to have new readers, especially ones who are all thoughtful and constructive and whatnot
I think if I've jumped the shark, it was back in Strange Destiny, somewhere around the third chapter. Though I know the tone did change dramatically in Prince, going from a "Blueblood develops as a person" story to a big adventure thing, I'd like to at least think the transition was fairly natural as things moved from Act I to Act II. Now we're getting to the end of Act III, and yeah, despite how dire things look and how everything seems to keep escalating (and it's gonna escalate a bit further), the Prince is finished in two chapters. (Though the final chapter's likely going to be the longest in the story by a good margin.) But, yeah, this story's been planned out from the beginning, at least in the broad strokes, and as unlikely as it seems, I really do think the ending's gonna be a satisfying captstone to Blueblood's tale.
The series, however, wasn't planned at all. I wrote Strange Destiny mostly as an excuse to write a Cheerilee story, but somehow, Blueblood turned into the star. People really wanted to know what happened when he went into the Everfree, so I came up with an idea for a semi-traditional fantasy adventure starring a protagonist who was weak, cowardly, and generally useless. And then people really wanted a sequel to that, and after awhile, I came up with the idea for Prince, which is more of a straightforward heroic quest, where he gets the chance to grow and become an actual hero. So, yeah, the stories are stylistically kind of disjointed, but that's the result of me never really expecting to write 120k+ words about poor Prince Blue. Plus, heck, I started writing pony 'fics as a way to experiment with different ideas. figure out what my strengths and weaknesses as a writer are, and generally get my literary muscles back into shape after years of neglect. It's all one, big learning exercise.
Okay, I've rambled on enough. Thanks for reading and commenting, mon ami. Hope ya enjoy the rest of the ride
1408063
srry snow but this was a genius move on his part... think how shitty of a story this would be if it was all sunshine and daisies....
on a side note am i the only one whos reminded of the final cut-scene of halo reach?
celly's defeat rivals noble 6's on the bad ass scale
So Blue blood realizes that he is a jerk after speaking in a school, accidentally releases Discord's brother and gets blamed for the resulting fallout, and then gets tortured into insanity shortly after he finally gets a few friends and a girlfriend.
And this isn't counting several asswhoopins and various emasculating events that further trample his pride.
God damn being Blueblood sucks. Massively.
Woah, I almost missed this one.
Wait, so Zujada's motivation for supporting a massive war, murder, implied genocide and betraying her own grandaughter is that ponies call zebras nasty names? What the hay?!?
no '
remove had
Chieftain
Come out and play?
You said she would heal her cuts when she had time. She had time before entering the throne room, and didn't.