Nai hiruvalye Valimar, nai elye hiruva; namarie!
This story is a sequel to The Darkening Sky
The heiress, trying to find her place in the world.
The best friend, trying to figure out what she is when her friend isn't around.
The mercenary, trying to choose which banner to fly.
The drifter, trying to escape the tailwind of his elder sister.
A band bound only by their seeming opposition to each other hunts the truth.
Continuity: The Song of the Spheres
Branch: The Seekers of the Stars
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I never thought I would hear Zephyr Breeze, of all people, singing The Lay of Leithian.
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Hopefully it's not too unbelievable.
Also, to whoever left the dislike, I would greatly appreciate it if you left further feedback, what specifically you didn't like. A dislike just leaves me guessing on that.
Well, that’s an interesting mental backspace…
Yeah, Diamond’s definitely putting these folks in mortal peril. Whether she gets them killed remains to be seen. I can only imagine what she did to convince them to come, much less stay. (Though I do like how she couldn’t retain her whole retinue. Even Diamond’s powers of persuasion have limits.)
And yeah, Zephyr Breeze and epic poetry is an odd mix. Not an unreasonable one given this setting’s Cloudsdale, but certainly unexpected.
In any case, looking forward to more. Especially what’s driving on Scootaloo and Zephyr.
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"Let's go into a warzone with only a teenager for protection! What could possibly go wrong?"
As for the departure of Vinyl and Twist, that was more meant to show how the stories lie, that not all the members of 'The Fellowship' will automatically continue on the journey. Di's doing everything that her hero did, trying to live up to her example, but only looking at the surface: she's trying to destroy the Ring by doing exactly what Frodo did, not what accomplishing the task actually requires.
Zephyr's actually one of the characters I'm most looking forward to writing, believe it or not. Combined with some of my other non-FimFic writing, he's actually one of the more fleshed-out characterizations I've thought of. Hopefully it turns out well. (Though, ironically, it would make sense if it fails.)
Don't worry, Scootaloo's POV next chapter, and I'm planning for Zephyr to be POV after that. If not him, though, then probably a second Silver Spoon chapter; timing when to reveal just what's going on behind Zephyr's eyes, why he wanted to be Fylakundu, is proving to be difficult.
A reinvention of Scootaloo, more unexpected depths to Zephyr, and the promise of spooky bat folks.
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My headcanon for the reason behind Scootaloo's wings: she's not a pegasus at all. She's a griff-pony, a sub-tribe with their own unique biological and magic capabilities, more focused on gliding and athleticism in general than straight flight. Hope you've enjoyed plumbing the depths of Zephyr's character with me, and hope that you're ready for another dive soon.
Also, sorry, but that promise is gonna have to be broken. It's not a Nocturne Zephyr heard.
Fascinating spins on both Scootaloo and Zephyr... though we're hitting the point where AU crosses over into OOC; that just doesn't sound like Zephyr to me. Scootaloo's on point, but I cannot imagine those words coming out of that stubbled mouth. Still looking forward to more, but it's becoming harder and harder to see Equestria Girls as we know it happening in this setting.
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I understand. The characterization makes sense to me, though; his self-admitted fear of failure and his crush on Rainbow (a model of achievement) are canon, and deducing that his acting like all that and a bag of chips is just an act meant to cover up the crippling fear of failure inside isn't too much of a stretch. Maybe I'm just putting too much emphasis on Zephyr's fear of failure (namely, his fear that he is a failure), though.
Glad you liked Scootaloo, though.
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The logic involved in Zehpyr's motivation makes perfect sense. The issue is more character voice. This person saying this thing this way just doesn't feel right to me given what else we've seen of him. It's a personal bugaboo.
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I'll try to keep that in mind going forward.
Ah. Yeah, his vocabulary has gotten a bit of an upgrade in this, perhaps too much of one.
Darn it, again with Zephyr making me emotional. You toy with our feelings, and you do so with a smile.
Ooh, great characterization of both surviving sirens. “Circenian” is definitely an intriguing term.
Oh, of course he’d know Dash’s true identity. He’s probably known her for as long as he can remember.
I would love to hear more about Sonata’s adventures in arcane academia.
Zephyr seeing his manbun as an abomination is entirely fitting.
Fire disrupting magic… Your explanation makes sense, but it keeps running against the magic system I’m most familiar with, and my mind keeps going “Red doesn’t get counterspells!”
Yeah, no surprise that both sirens are still processing Adagio’s loss. That’s going to take a while even without the existential horror of sudden-onset mortality.
And Zephyr demonstrates that killing the mood can be a good thing when the mood is set for killing. And, perhaps accidentally, disproving his own argument. Not all heroes wield blades or magic. Some just say the right thing at the right time.
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:)
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Glad you liked them! It was surprisingly fun to write them, and being able to include some worldbuilding on top of that was a joy. Also glad you liked Circenican as their people's name.
That's why he had to clear his throat here last chapter; he knew that the story Platinum told Scootaloo about her name was a lie, and wanted to get away from it (and the risk of revealing her secret) as quickly as possible.
"Hey, Dagi? Where's the armory again?"
"*sigh.* Another of your experiments gone rogue?"
"Nope."
"Good. Anyway, the armory's-"
"It's the textbook this time."
"..."
"How was I supposed to know arcane grimoires wouldn't like it when you write in the margins?!"
Ironically, his hair was actually something I noted in support of his characterization; it looks like a mix of several styles, almost like he's unsure which one to go with, while his half-shaven stubble indicates a lack of decision either to shave completely or not at all. Zephyr's paralyzed by fear of failure, even in his personal grooming.
I will not get political, I will not get political, I will not get political...
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Underneath the cover of rage and violence, you can smell the faint hint of desperation in Aria. Her hesitation when Zephyr asks her what would make up for breaking someone's legs is telling; she doesn't know what she wants. She wants something, desperately, but she doesn't know what it is.
The stories aren't real. That doesn't mean they're not true.
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that unfolded at the capitol? That solidified each side's hideous perception of the other? That cost many lives and ended with Rarity being taken as a hostage?
Are you saying that Aria is responsible for the absolute clusterf
On a completely unrelated note, I suddenly find myself in the mood for sushi. Song fish sushi.
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Well... yes and no. On the one hand, she did kill Adagio, yes, allowing those things you mentioned to happen. On the other hand, the fact that Starlight took hostages and disabled most of the Guards' vehicles indicates that she was already planning something along the lines of the Riot before the stone left Aria's hand. Overall, I'd say that while Aria gave things in the capitol a solid push towards the explosion of the Riot, it probably would've blown up without her involvement. Like Sunset and Razzaroo mentioned, Starlight planned the Riot, so even if Aria held her arm back, the Unmarked would've still done something.
Also, whatever you do to angy song fish, do not touch happy song fish. Spare happy song fish. Appreciate happy song fish.
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WORSHIP HAPPY SONG FISH
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Worry not, I have no ire for taco fish. Taco fish is good friend.
Starlight, on the other hand... I can't decide between flogging her with her own spine, lynching her with her own entrails, or ripping her heart out through her nostrils and making her eat it.
R’lyeh being a real place is a concerning note… though I think you’ve already covered that.
An equals sign and a tree. Very curious. Where’s a phrasebook when you need one?
Well, that’s utterly horrifying.
I do like how one of Sonata’s objections to field biomancy is that she doesn’t have a lab coat.
And… Oof, I don’t envy Aria’s position. Yes, her intervention lit the fuse at the demonstration, but Starlight already had the powder keg raring to go. She offered the final kindness she could to her sister.
(Also, given the state of the poor, diabetic soul, I dread to imagine how Rarity’s faring.)
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Once again, another reminder of the importance of communication.
Yeah. On the bright side, places with such a lack of medical care are completely fictional, ri-
*looks at medical care in rural areas of the world*
Oh.
Yeah, she's a joy to write, the insightful mage with almost childlike naivety. She can easily weave a 5th-level spell, then promptly get distracted by the pretty fireworks doing so creates.
Yeah, Aria's been dealt a really bad hand in this. There are certainly ways she could have played that hand better, but the fact that she thinks that killing her sister was the best kindness she could give her says a lot about how bad the choices available to her are.
Judging by this...
... I'd guess "not well."
(Also, it's Ryleh, not R'lyeh. Totally different places, don't worry. Sonata's spoken with some of the Rylesh, they're pretty cool.)
Well, that ending came out of nowhere. I'm sure Di's Heel Realization won't have any negative repercussions...
For goodness sake, Silver, people other than Diamond Tiara have names. Hopefully part of her nightmare includes recognizing her own tendency to dehumanize everyone but her best friend.
Also, here’s hoping Scootaloo doesn’t ruin everything. Nor anyone else. This plan just keeps getting worse…
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Also, it wasn't Di's Heel Realization in the dream, it was Silver's, her subconscious forcing her to confront what she's been trying to suppress this chapter; the fear that, underneath her veneer of refinement, Di's really a monster, symbolized by Adagio. And if Di's really a monster, and she and Silver are two sides of the same coin...
Yeah, it was a bit sudden, sorry.
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Oh, don't worry, she's not dehumanizing them, she's just insulting them. She knows they have names, and she knows what those names are, it's just that, in the safety of her own mind, she refuses to hold her acid tongue back.
Yeah, at this point Di's plan is basically the "This is Fine" meme on steroids. Hopefully Sonata's right and Aria can keep three more children alive...
A blade with as storied a history as its wielder might carry an echo of her personality, but the far more probable possibility is Scootaloo inventing a story so she can claim that the monstrous thought wasn’t hers.
The problem with being Dash’s disciple, whether the one from the stories or the one we know, is that it doesn’t encourage an appreciation for nuance or pragmatism. I can understand why Aria showed the only mercy she could, both here and with Adagio. But to Scootaloo…
Yeah, that bridge has been thoroughly burned. The question is whether anyone’s willing to wade through the ash.
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Sometimes things are eldritch and cursed, other times people just don't want to take responsibility for their actions.
Judging by her preparing to pick up the knife again at the end...
Huh. The loser understands the monster, and each pulls the other out of their respective abyss.
What the heck, I'll ship it.
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They've begun pulling each other out, but they're not all the way out yet. Aria understands what she was doing wrong, not what she needs to do right, and Zephyr's only beginning to understand that he himself can do right at all.
Also, yes, they have proved surprisingly shippable as I've written this.
If there’s anyone in all the multiverse who can understand how it feels to be aimless, shiftless, and helpless, it’s Zephyr Breeze. Sometimes it just be comforting to know that you’re not the only one who’s lost and wandering. Learning that you’re the one who has to blaze the new trail can be absolutely terrifying. But a Siren knows no fear, and a fool holds no convictions. Between the two of them, there’s nothing they can’t question in their quest for meaning. Their mission to find a story they can believe in.
Their search for truth.
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While writing this, I realized that Aria actually made an ideal foil for Zephyr; he thought that, because the stories he most identified with weren't real, he himself was wrong, pathetic, useless, unable to live up to whatever ideals actually existed. Aria, on the other hand, thought that because the stories she most identified with weren't real that meant that there was no truth, no ideals, nothing except the rule of the strong and whatever the stories taught that actually worked. Both experienced a test of faith in the past, but where Zephyr thought that it meant that something was wrong with him, Aria thought it meant that something was wrong with the world.
This is great, because it not only means that Zephyr can further his arc, but also that, in doing so, he can help Aria further hers; Zephyr learns from Aria as she learns from him, the loser and monster each helping the other see that they don't have to be those things. Like Zephyr dreamt at the end,
Anyone else getting some major Uncle Iroh vibes from this paragraph? How ironic that it's DT, of all people, saying this.
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Me who's never seen a single episode of ATLA: That's good, right?
Also, regarding the fact that it's DT saying it, there are two main reasons for that; 1) She was the current POV character and I wanted to get this story done, and 2) In my headcanon, she has more reason than most to recognize how useless the cycle is, namely her too-long maintained hatred of Sunset. Her last flashback, the one right after the quote you quoted, is a reference to how that hatred manifested itself and ultimately ended up destroying itself.
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*GASP* You've never seen Avatar: The Last Airbender?! Oh, you fool of a Took, you are missing out on something wonderful. Those who do not know the wisdom of Uncle Iroh do not know true happiness!
Intriguing. Knowledge of magic isn't exactly universal, but the cat's been slipping out of the bag. I suppose the Nocturne don't keep up with the news, or just don't believe everything they read.
Mind you, underestimating Starlight never ends well.
Silver does raise a salient point. Starlight is a horrendous, irredeemable monster, but what of her followers? Yes, they've committed horrible acts, but in blind obedience. They're still people. Good to see Diamond actually listen to her most trusted advisor.
Hell of a cliffhanger to end the story, but I suppose we'll see what Aria's planning in time. And possibly from a different perspective. Let's just hope Scootaloo doesn't manage to ruin the best laid plans of monsters and Men, whichever Aria may call herself.
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Yeah, miscalculating the strength of a nuclear reactor is usually a bad idea.
I hesitate to call anyone irredeemable, though Starlight does seem to have a negligible interest in redemption, yes. As for her followers, it's not that they only did wrong in blind obedience to Starlight, it's that not all of them supported her in her wrongdoings. Membership in the Unmarked is not an automatic "I'm a criminal" stamp; Starlight, Double Diamond, Party Favor, and the others need to be judged on their own merits, not just their membership in the group.
Oh, don't worry, we'll soon see what Aria's planning. Currently, I'm planning to finish 1-2 side stories, another story in the Song of the Spheres, then either reveal what Aria's planning in the next story or in the one after that if there's too much going on in the second story.