“So, are we going to do the ‘long, awkward silence’ thing again, or can we just skip straight to the good stuff?” Scholar demanded impatiently.
The soldiers didn’t respond, choosing instead to glare at him coolly.
The human sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, if you won’t talk, I will. First and foremost, if you’re arresting us, I want a lawyer. Someone reptilian, they’re always great. Second, I want it to be a nice and public court trial. Third-”
“Do you really think you’re getting a trial?” Gladia demanded incredulously.
Scholar regarded her evenly. “Oh? So you’re saying we won’t be receiving due process?” He inquired innocently.
Pilum stamped his hoof definitively, lowering his javelin at them. “Not when dealing with enemies of the state practitioning illegal magic.”
“Illegal magic!?” Nix shrieked indignantly.
“Minotaur shit!” Null concurred. “The illegal magic here is the macroenvironmental interference you jackasses are running!
“All else falls under the purview of the Academia, where it will be debated!”
“And then decided about whether or not to be outlawed!”
Arcus snorted. “Yeah, that’s how things used to be.”
“But!” Sagitta continued, “The Academia became defunct a few millennia back, so...”
Nix and Null’s eyes bulged as they sputtered indignantly.
“You two hard-asses...”
“Did not!”
“Just steal!”
“Our quirk!”
“Yes, tragic, we know!” Scholar cut off impatiently. “Let’s move it along.”
“Agreed.” Pilum stated gruffly. “Let’s get to the part where we run the lot of you through, hm?”
“W-Wait!” Twilight protested, getting her magic under control. “Y-you’re just going to kill them?”
Gladia rolled her eyes at the Unicorn’s naivety. “Well we already tried imprisoning them. Look how well that turned out.”
“Oh I have to agree!” Scholar concurred cheerfully. His demeanor then shifted from carefree to glacial. “But then again...” He intoned darkly as he folded his arms behind his back. “While we’re on the subject of past occurrences, let’s remember how many times people have tried to kill me, hm? Let’s remember how well those turned out.”
Sagitta and Arcus barked out harsh laughs simultaneously.
“Oh give it a rest you arrogant prick!”
“This is like your downfall all over again!”
“We have you surrounded...”
“And dead to rights!”
Nix and Null growled viciously.
“I’m going to slit their throats...” Null snarled.
“And I’m going to keep them alive through every second of it!” Nix concurred.
Scholar ignored them, choosing instead to focus on the generals. “There’s a big difference between the then and the now. Then the soldiers were innocent, and truly thought they were doing the right thing. Now? You’ve all got innocent blood on your blades. It doesn’t matter how right you think you are, that’s a death sentence, one I will be all too willing to dish out.”
Pilum snorted, “And how do you intend to do that?”
“Yeah!” Sagitta crowed, “You…”
“...and what army?” finished Arcus.
“Oh come on!” Nix hollered.
“That wasn’t even a good one!” Null added.
Their protests were silenced by Scholar raising a hand.
He gave the Pegasi an amused look. “‘What army you ask? Why...” He swept his arm out, indicating his allies. “The one directly behind me of course!”
Gladia rolled her eyes at what she believed to be Scholar’s folly. “Forgive me if I find it hard to believe that a rag-tag bunch of misfits could count as an army.”
Scholar gasped in an overly dramatic manner, whipping his hand to his mouth. “Bite your tongue, nag! This only proves my point of how you all have botched things! It should be common knowledge that rag-tag bunches of misfits make the best armies! Here, allow me to break things down for you.”
“First,” He jerked his thumb at the Golem Twins. “We have Tweedle Doofus and Tweedle Dumbass here.”
“Ey!”
“Oh!”
“Their IQs might be lacking, and they can be crass as all hell, but in the end? They know how to kick some serious ass. You should know. After all, you captured them when they literally tore through this city trying to get to me.”
Nix and Null’s moods flipped from indignant to smug.
“Say brother,” Nix inquired innocently. “Just how many soldiers do you think we left unrecognizable before the Royal Nags took us down?”
“I dunno, sister.” Null replied in a saccharine tone. “I lost count. Had to be triple digits though, at the least.”
“Next!” Scholar continued unabated. “We have these three, starting with him.” He pointed at Iron Will. “He is by far the gutsiest minotaur I have ever seen. He has stuck with me through thick and thin this entire week, and not once has he wavered. And the way he handled those crystals, carving them out, moving them, shaking them... he is by far one of the most skilled Mountain Raisers that I have ever known.”
Iron Will’s jaw dropped open in shock.
“Second!” He moved on to Trixie. “The irrefutably Great and Powerful Trixie! She doesn’t boast, she earned that title! If you’re looking for an incredible illusionist, nay! An incredible Fog Weaver, then look no further! I’ve known some good ones: Morgana, Jasper the Elusive, The Spy, even Luna! But none of them, none have had the ability to ensorcell an entire city simultaneously! Sure, she had power from the crystals, but they wouldn’t have helped her with her concentration, her control! No, that was all her. Never before have I seen such a mare with pure, raw talent!”
Trixie stared at him, speechless and awestruck until she regained her composure and posed pridefully, preening at the praise.
“And last!” He jabbed his finger at Gilda. “But oh, so far from least! Gilda, Gilda, Gilda... what can I say about her that is not self-evident? Breaking through ward after seemingly impregnable ward, like they were wet cardboard! Truly a genius... And that’s her skill with runes alone! In the air... She is the very definition, the pinnacle of what a Storm Knight aspires to be! No, that’s wrong. She is a Storm Knight, the best to patrol the skies. No doubt about it.”
Rainbow Dash felt a lump of ice form in her stomach as she saw Gilda’s face take on an air of immense satisfaction. ‘She’s... she’s happier than she ever was at camp... with me...’
“Furthermore!” Scholar persisted. “They worked in conjunction to do the impossible! They surpassed the dangers of the Labyrinth, successfully circumvented Cerberus, and thoroughly defeated the Gates of Tartarus! They orchestrated the invasion of Canterlot, and they have stuck with me through thick and through thin. I didn’t promote them to Magisters for the hell of it, I promoted them because they earned it! I am honored to call them members of the Academia Arcana, as well as my friends.”
This caused the trio to gape at him in shock.
“I know,” He pressed on. “That I can trust them to have my back, through thick or through thin. I know that they’ll stand by my side, no matter the consequences. I know that they’ll support me when I fall down, and I know that when I do something stupid, they’ll berate me for it and bring me down to earth. And I know! That when I wake up in the drunk tank after getting positively hammered, Gilda and Trixie will be at my side laughing it up, while Iron Will will be berating us for being insane idiots!”
The minotaur grimaced, slumping forwards miserably. He shot a half-hearted glare at Gilda as she patted his back in false sympathy, her amused smirk betraying her true feelings.
“That!” Scholar stated confidently, his arms crossed over his chest. “Is my army, Gladia! And they are more than enough for you and your flunkies!” He glanced down at his still-open grimoire and smirked in success. “Them, and my friend of course.”
Everyone else blinked in surprise.
“What friend!?” The Equestrians asked almost simultaneously.
“ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!”
Scholar smirked victoriously. “That friend.”
Before anyone could react, the sound of shattering crystal rang out again from over the edge of the plaza. The sound became louder and louder, until it seemed to fill the air.
Before the eyes of the dumbstruck onlookers, a gargantuan pillar of jagged crystal grew, literally grew up and above the plaza. Crystal after crystal materialized and spiked out as the pillar grew. Situated on top of the pillar was a massive white being.
Pilum paled drastically, his mouth running dry. “D...d...d...”
Slowly, the being drew itself up to it’s full height, glaring down at the Equestrians.
Gilda worked her beak helplessly. “D-d-d-d... d-d-d-d-!”
The being jerked forwards, jumping from the top of the pillar to the plaza, landing with a resounding CRASH!
“D... d-d-d... d-d-d-!” Rarity stammered in abject terror.
The being reared it’s head back opened it’s jaw, and split the air with a massive roar.
“Dragon.” Fluttershy whimpered.
“ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!”
And what a dragon it was. Gargantuan, almost 25 feet tall. The dragon didn’t have any scales, and was in fact coated in a pale, snow-white hide. He was insanely thin, his arms like massive sticks, and his ribs were easily visible through his chest. Protruding from his back were six massive wings.
Rather than being draconian, they were an iridescent set of dragonfly-like wings shimmering with shades of blue and purple. His head was perched upon a long, serpentine neck. It was angular, and had five tentacle-like horns jutting back over it’s scalp. It’s fangs merged with it’s skin, resulting in a pair of lipless jaws. But though what it’s head was sporting was odd, what it lacked was far more perplexing.
The dragon didn’t have any eyes, just an expanse of skin.
Further more, the fact that it was a dragon could only be discerned from it’s upper torso. Below the waist, the dragon was... completely foreign. A massive glowing blue orb of crystal wrapped in skin occupied where it’s pelvis would be. A trio of immense tentacles grew down and around the orb, two on either side on the front half, and one longer one sticking out the rear end like a tail. Crystals ran all along the top of the tentacles, and macro-sized cilia grew out of the undersides.
Cadance paled dramatically, her pupils dilating in terror. “Oh no...”
“Oh yes.” Scholar gloated. “Full system reset, Cadance. That means that he goes free.” He then proceeded to turn towards the dragon, sweep his arm across his waist, and take a deep bow. “I am glad to see you well once again, Duke Seath.”
The dragon slowly turned his head towards him and nodded respectfully. “And I you, Lord Scholar.” His voice was like twin mountains of diamond grinding against each other. Deep, scratchy, and powerful.
Regaining their wits, the generals acted hastily, stamping their hooves on the ground.
Seath snapped his head towards them, his fangs twisted into a scowl. He snapped his arm up, a ring of runes appearing all around his limb. “Executive Authorization.” He growled quietly, his voice filled with cold rage. “Authorization for Generals Pilum, Gladia, Arcus and Sagitta and Oligarchs Cadenza Mi Amore, Luna and Celestia revoked.”
The faces of those named dropped as ice-water flooded their veins.
Scholar nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Seath. I’m happy to see that my trust in you was well placed.”
The dragon was silent, staring at the Equestrians for a moment before bowing his head, a miserable keening noise rippling from his chest. “Do not thank me, Scholar.” He rumbled miserably. “I failed. I failed Vitrum, and I failed Concordia. I failed you. You entrusted Vitrum to me after it was created, after you helped me bring my design to life, and I failed. Worst of all, I failed the citizens who entrusted their lives to me. They needed me to be strong... and instead I was weak.”
“Don’t!”
Seath whipped his head towards Scholar, shocked at the sudden shift in tone. Scholar’s runes were shifting violently around him, magic flaring around him as he glared at the dragon.
Scholar took a deep breath, his magic settling before he turned his head away.
“Don’t. Don’t blame yourself.” He croaked sadly. “If you failed, then so did I. I should have fought harder, I should have seen things coming. I should have done better. Me!” He panted heavily for a second.
“Look... what happened, happened. We know how prickly time-travel can be, so we both know all too well that we can’t change the past. But...” He fixed Seath with a piercing stare. “That doesn’t mean we can’t fix the future. That doesn’t mean we can’t bring back what once was. It’ll be hard work. And I’ll need all the help I can get to do it.”
Seath stared at him silently for a minute before snorting and grinning ruefully. “Well then... in that case...” He turned to stare at the Equestrians, his smile becoming downright demonic. “We had better get started.”
Scholar turned and grinned right alongside him, his glasses glinting malevolently. “Seath my friend, your words are music to my ears.”
“Not today, foul demons!”
Nearly all the soldiers present flinched simultaneously as a strident and pompous voice rang out over the crowd.
Gladia slapped her hoof to her face. “Oh sweet Celestia...”
Rarity’s mouth dropped open in shock, “Wh-but how the buck is he-!?”
Cadance shot Pilum an unhappy grimace. “Is that who I think that is?”
The crimson stallion nodded reluctantly. “Much to my regret.”
Gilda’s eye was twitching violently. “Oh you have got to be kidding me.”
The crowd parted as a stallion galloped right up to Seath. He was dressed in a fancy and overly redundant suit of armor. Latched to his back was an intricately forged lance, it’s head shaped like a roaring dragon. His coat was a blinding pearl-white, and his heavily styled mane was sapphire-blue.
But the most astonishing part was that he looked exactly like...
“Prince Blueblood!?” Twilight exclaimed in shock.
“Hm?” He turned his head and raised his eyebrow at her before turning his head up arrogantly. “Who is this ‘Blueblood’, peasant? Do you not recognize the glorious form of the Prince Aristo? Hm? The mightiest dragonslayer in all the land? Step back!” He grabbed the lance off his back with his magic and twirled it around, jabbing it at Seath. “I shall slay this foul beast, once and for all!”
The crystal dragon arched his neck so as to gaze at the ‘prince’ incredulously. “Dear Ladon, I think he’s serious.”
Scholar narrowed his eyes at the stallion inquisitively. “Wait a second... is... no way... couldn’t be... but- holy shit!” His eyes all but popped from his sockets. He whipped around and gaped at Cadance. “Y-you let Noblesse Oblige spawn!?”
The Alicorn chewed her lip miserably. “Believe me, I feel the same way...”
“Noblesse Oblige, Noblesse Oblige...” Nix snapped her fingers helplessly. “Where do I know that name?”
“Naginata and miasma on Ruby Avenue, in front of Patsy’s.” Her brother supplied.
“Oh right! Talked big but screamed like a piggy, right?”
“That’s the one!”
“Ahem!” Attention was reluctantly returned to the lance-wielding stallion. “Are you all quite done yet, or can I proceed to save the day?”
“No, we are not!” Pilum stated exasperatedly. “A-Prince Aristo,” He amended hastily when the royal began to get angry. “We told you to remain at the barracks. For your... protection...” The last bit was ground out between clenched teeth.
Arcus rolled his eyes and crossed his hooves. “Protection my back hoof-OOF!” He winced as his sister rammed her elbow into his gut.
Aristo sniffed arrogantly and turned his nose up. “Ah, but now it is I who is protecting you! For you see, this is no longer simply a matter of apprehending some pointless hooligans! Now, this involves a dragon!” He flashed Gladia a haughty grin. “Dearest Gladia, once I have disposed of this vile creature, what say that I take you out for a night upon the town?”
The general’s mouth twisted in a sickly facsimile of a smile. “I would be... honored.” Her mortus rigtor smile dropped into a scowl the second the pomp looked away. “Honored to shove my blade up your ribcage...” She muttered venomously.
Rarity snorted in agreement, trotting up next to the general. “Save a piece for me, why don’t you?”
The white unicorn gave Rarity a semi-surprised look. “What, you’ve met him?”
“Close enough. Suffice to say that arrogance is genetic.”
“My condolences.”
“Now then!” Aristo exclaimed, twirling the lance some more. “Prepare yourself, foul creature, to meet your demise!”
Seath stared at him bemusedly. “And why exactly should I do that?”
The stallion gaped in honest shock. “You foul beast! I am the mighty Prince Aristo! I have slain dozens of your foul kind, as effortlessly as felling wheat with a scythe!”
“That implies he’s been on a farm even a single time in his life.” Trixie muttered.
Gilda snorted. “Now that I find hard to believe.”
“You! Like all others! Shall fall before the might of my mighty Wurm-drapsmann!” Arcane lightning began to run up and down the lance, energy gathering in the jaw of the metallic dragon.
Seath’s fingers began to dig into his arm, his brow furrowing angrily. “Worm-killer.”
Aristo smirked arrogantly. “A simple name for a simple tool. Nothing too complex. Now then, Seath the Scaleless, shall we perform the usual song and dance of you trying pathetically to rage against destiny, or will you accept your fate upon my mantlepiece?”
Seath froze, staring at Aristo for a moment before slowly pulling his fangs back into a snarl. “What did you call me?” His voice was as frigid as the tundras.
Whether it was due to stupidity or bravery, Aristo ignored the life-threatening tone, smirking arrogantly. Or just plain smirking, it was hard to tell with him. “You heard me.”
Seath shook silently, an alabaster volcano just waiting to blow. And then... he went still, an eerie serenity falling over him. His jaws twisted into a rictus grin. “Well then...” He spread his arms wide, exposing his chest. “Take your best shot.”
“So be it!” The lance crackled furiously, magic filling the figure-head’s maw. It condensed to a single point and then unleashed in a bolt of magic. The projectile struck Seath square in the face, detonating in a massive, ear-shattering blast. Smoke and dust billowed up in a massive cloud.
Aristo threw his head back and guffawed gleefully. “HA! Once anew, the draconian form falls before my royal might! Now then!” He wheeled around to smirk at the Academics, his lance charging up again. “Prepare yourselves, miscreants, to face justice!”
The trio fell into ready positions, preparing to dodge the blast, but Scholar didn’t even flinch, smiling expectantly at the noble.
In the next second, he was satisfied.
“Allow me... to explain to you... where you went wrong...”
Prince Aristo gave a surprised yelp, snapping his head back towards the cloud.
The dust had settled revealing a very unharmed, very unmoved, and very irate dragon.
“B- I- how the-!?” Aristo stammered.
“Your first mistake...” Seath growled. “Was trying to use a magic blast to kill a dragon who has spent his entire life researching the arcane arts. Particularly!” The air before him flashed like a polished gem. “Barriers, wards, and all other defensive arts. A necessity considering my... condition. That was moronic.”
“I- but that’s-!”
“Your second mistake!” The dragon rumbled. “Was coming before me, reeking of the blood of innocent dragons. Some of whom couldn’t have been older than twenty-one. That was insensitive.”
Spike’s eyes widened as he turned to Twilight, “What’s he talking about? Equestrians don’t kill dragons... right?”
Twilight rubbed her shoulder uncomfortably, “Well... no... but a long time ago... there were some battles... it’s where Blueblood’s family got their fame. But... I didn’t know that it was so bad.”
Pilum chewed his lip uneasily. “Normally it wasn’t, but Aristo and the word ‘restraint’ have been long estranged.”
Spike swallowed heavily, rubbing his neck uneasily.
“I- listen here you-!”
“I AM NOT DONE TALKING!” Seath roared, forcing the pony to clamp his mouth shut. He breathed heavily for a second before continuing. “Your third mistake... was to threaten my friends... and my comrades in front of me. That... was just plain stupid.”
Aristo swallowed heavily, taking a hesitant step back from the dragon.
“And your final mistake...” Seath whispered harshly, leaning down to stare the pony in the eyes, despite lacking his own. “Was to call me. That. Name. That!” He hissed, drawing himself back up to his full height. “Was suicidal. Now, it’s time for you to, as they say, pay the piper.”
Aristo’s personality pulled a 180, his panicked expression morphing one into one of confidence. “Ha! Do your worst, worm! My armor is enchanted! Fire holds no threat for me!”
“Good for you.”
Seath reared his head back and whipped his head downwards, roaring furiously at the Prince. Instead of orange flames, a pure white mist flecked with crystal fragments billowed out of his jaws, cascading onto the pony’s form. Wherever the mist touched, jagged spires of crystal jutted from the ground like demonic teeth. When the barrage finally subsided, all that was left was a spiny diamond outline of the noble.
“Idiot.”
Rarity bit her lip uneasily as a flood of emotions ran through her. “Is it wrong for me to feel so happy?” She asked Gladia discretely.
The general shook her head, actively fighting to keep an overjoyed grin off her face. “If it’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. I’m seriously considering petitioning to make this day a national holiday!”
-o-
CRASH!
“OH NO!”
Fancy Pants silently thanked Celestia for the interruption to Blueblood’s seemingly unending tirade on... he’d lost track almost half an hour ago. He sighed heavily as he watched the pony gallop towards the mantlepiece. “What’s wrong now, Blueblood?” He asked, hoping to distract Blueblood from their previous conversation.
Luckily, the noble was entirely focused on the portrait that appeared to have slipped from it’s place on the wall and fallen to the ground, the glass in it’s frame shattering.
“Oh this is simply dreadful!” Blueblood lamented. “This is a portrait of my noble ancestor Prince Aristo! He was the greatest dragonslayer in all of Equestrian history! He disappeared over a thousand years ago, but I’m certain that he died honorably in battle!” He rambled on and on, extolling his ancestor’s ‘noble’ accomplishments.
Fancy Pants idly wondered if Fleur would forgive him for committing suicide. A glance at his darling wife told him that yes, she was thinking the same thing and they communicated in the language that only married couples knew.
‘Do it at the same time darling? ‘Fleur raised a questioning eyebrow.
‘Well, you could play the grieving widow and jump out the window...’ Fancy Pants responded with a flickering, wry grin.
‘Oh, but you’d be perfect as the wailing widower,’ Fleur pouted.
‘Doesn’t matter. The insufferable fop is going to kill us with his latest speech, and it’s not even time for tea,’ Fancy Pants sighed and seconds later his wife joined him before nuzzling his neck supportively.
However, it seemed that fate was on their side. “This must surely be the fault of that new maid!” Blueblood exclaimed indignantly. “Oh, I knew that hiring a pegasus was not a good idea! I’m going straight to Aunty and having her fired!” He galloped off out of the foyer, the dreaded sound of his voice crying out for ‘Aunty’ Celestia.
Fancy Pants smirked at his wife. He put his hoof at his throat and then yanked it away, sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes.
Fleur giggle and lightly batted at his shoulder, “Oh you cad, stop it!” Her giggles increased as Fancy made a faux-choking noise before doing as she said, “Though in the mood the Princess has been in lately, that may just happen.”
Fancy Pants rolled his eyes as they left the room, “Blueblood dying? Nothing could wipe out that bloodline. That entire family is more cockroach than pony. Honestly, his ancestor, a dragonslayer?”
“More like dragon-slayed.” Fleur giggled again before Fancy Pants joined in.
“If there is any justice in this world.” He agreed.
-o-
“Now then...” Seath rumbled, runes wafting off of his arms as he held a hand over Aristo’s remains. “Allow me to demonstrate to you the difference between Equestrian justice and Vitrum justice.”
The runes wafted down from his hand, flowing into the statue, carving themselves into it’s hide. Slowly, it began to shake and judder, crags of translucent stone coming loose.
“In life, you were a nuisance and a threat. You made no contributions to society, or life in general. As such, justice has been served upon you. May your existence find purpose in death.”
The statue’s skin was now smooth as glass, taking on the form of an expressionless statue.
“Rise.”
CRACK!
To the shock of the Equestrians, the eyes of the statue snapped open, sockets filled with glowing magic. It then proceeded to flex it’s joints, resulting in the sound of grinding glass ringing out. The statue then reached out with a hoof and grabbed the lance.
To the surprise of the Equestrians, it then proceeded to rear back on it’s hind hooves, standing tall and proud. The statue swung the lance expertly around it’s body, ending by pointing it threateningly at the generals.
“Well... that’s not something you see everyday.” Shining Armor muttered uneasily.
Arcus and Sagitta snorted simultaneously.
“Speak for yourself.”
“These guys patrolled daily.”
“Used to play with kids at the parks.”
“And then proceed to beat the crap out of any felons unlucky enough to get in their way.”
“But it doesn’t change anything.” Pilum stated gruffly. “You might have gained a few extra pieces in the sick, twisted game you’re undoubtedly playing in your mind, but the situation is still clear: we have three separate armies on our side. Your lives are as good as forfeit.”
Scholar and Seath exchanged amused smirks. “Tell me, Seath,” the human inquired innocently. “Do you see four generals leading three armies?”
“Not at all, Scholar!” He responded. “All I see are four fools leading one army.”
“Indeed.” Scholar nodded. He smirked confidently at the Equestrians. “Two of those armies are ours.”
“Preposterous!” One of the armored ponies standing behind Gladia, a commander, protested. “We are the standing forces of the Equestrian state! We are willing to fight to the death to defend our nation’s honor! Isn’t that right men?” He addressed the soldiers standing behind him without turning around.
The two ponies saluted simultaneously. “Sir, no, sir!”
The commander nodded. “As I-!” He blinked as the answers registered with him. “Wait, wha-!?”
THUNK! SQUELCH!
“GRK!” The commander coughed and choked as blood filled his lungs. He jerkily turned his head around and stared in horror. The two ponies who had answered had proceeded to jam their spears in his sides. “Wh-why...!?” He stammered.
The pony on his left smirked mockingly. “Oh, I don’t know...” He mused, glancing at the stallion opposite him. “Well brother? Why would we perform such a heinous act?”
“Oh, I don’t know, brother.” The other stallion responded. “Here’s a thought!”
To the shock and horror of most of the onlookers, the stallions were engulfed in an inferno of emerald flames, leaving behind a pair of insectoid beings clad in obsidian armor.
“Maybe it’s because we’re not ponies!”
“Yeah, that works!” His opposite nodded. “But Lacewing, I’m confused on another matter!”
“What is it, Rotfang?”
“Well, why didn’t the rest of the army realize that we were fakes earlier and beat the ichor out of us?”
“That’s an easy one!”
The army behind them was engulfed in a sea of green.
“They’re not ponies either!”
Cadance made a sick choking sound as the flames fell away, revealing a standing army clad in glistening black armor. Multiple troops were in the air, buzzing around malevolently and leering at the armored Pegasi. There was no sign of any ponies, but Cadance noted with horror that several of the insects number were flecked with crimson blood.
“So brother, any other questions?”
“Mmm... nope! I think that’s everything. So brother, shall we end this fool?”
“Let’s!”
As one, the changelings yanked their spears out of the commander’s sides. The pony swayed uneasily on his hooves. They then twirled their spears around, aimed, and thrust.
SQUIRCH!
The Elements screamed in horror as the lances pierced straight through the back of the commander’s skull.
Rarity fell backwards in a dead faint and Fluttershy was barely able to swallow back the bile that rose in her throat.
Gladia stumbled backwards, staring in horror. “B-b-but-! M-my troops! M-my army! I-this is impossible, they were with me the entire time, when could you possibly-!?”
“Oh please, General, it was easy!”
Cadance’s entire body locked up, her mind flooding with fear. ‘No. Nonono. Not her. Not her, not her, anyone, anyone but her!’
But it was. The changeling swarm parted, allowing Queen Chrysalis in all her chitinous glory to move to the front of the lines. She was covered head to toe in a set of blue-green armor.
Following along beside her and bouncing like a more insectoid version of Pinkie Pie was Chitter, giggling madly as his head jerked around almost at random, bandoliers of equipment and varying other devices strapped to his body.
Lacewing and Rotfang jerked their weapons out of the cadaver’s head, letting it fall to the ground as they snapped into crisp salutes, arrogant smirks still adorning their muzzles.
“After all,” She continued cockily. “We’re changelings. We would be disgraces to the name if we weren’t capable of replacing one, measly army.”
“And getting here was easy too!” Lacewing added. “‘bout ten minutes ago, the old portal system came back online!”
“From there, we just swarmed through!” Rotfang continued. “Replacing your meatheads with ours was a snap thanks to Ol’ Boomer here!”
Chitter cackled madly in response, juggling an orb between his hooves. “Nap time for the bone heads! Hee hee hee!”
“And from there...” Chrysalis shrugged carelessly. “Child’s play. It’s amazing what a little hard work and elbow grease can do. Don’t you agree,” She smirked at the pink Alicorn. “Cadance?”
Cadance was unable to respond. All she could do was shiver in terror as she stared at the Changeling Queen.
Scholar sputtered indignantly. “Oh come on! With me, she uses the Dark Love, but with you she’s about ready to piss herself!? What gives!?”
Chrysalis chuckled malevolently, innocently examining her hoof tip. “Ah, now you see, that would be because of me. I may or may not have left one or ten post-hypnotic suggestions in her when I had her unconscious. Just a precaution, you understand.”
Scholar gaped at her in awe before groaning and slapping his face. “Oooooooh damn it! I had Luna dead to rights, I should have done the same thing! Crap, just goes to show how out of it I was. Still though, nice initiative!”
Seath chuckled, nodding appreciatively. “Indeed. Then again, I suppose this is why you’re Acentetus Mendacium, the Flawless Lie. None better at subterfuge than you, milady.”
Chrysalis chuckled coquettishly, covering her mouth with her hoof. “Oh Seath, you flatterer!”
Apparently not everyone was happy with the turn of events.
Shining Armor stamped his hoof on the ground furiously. “Leave my wife alone!” His horn flared furiously. “Now!”
Chrysalis gave him an amused look. “Or what, boy-toy? You’ll crush me like you did that poor innocent vase?”
Shining Armor jerked forwards, but was held back by Arcus and Sagitta.
“Woah there, Captain!” Arcus warned. “Don’t be too hasty!”
“Yeah,” Sagitta nodded. “She likes you now, but one wrong move and you’ll be missing your frontal lobe.”
Shining Armor growled venomously, glaring daggers at the smirking changeling. “I can get her, I know I can.”
Arcus snorted. “That assumes that that is her.” He jerked his head at Chrysalis.
“Flawless Lie, remember?” Sagitta reminded him. “That’s never her.”
Shining Armor snorted furiously, but finally relented.
“Sooo...” Arcus asked quietly. “You and the Princess?”
“Yeah.” He gave the pegasus a cold look. “Why, is that a problem?”
The general’s sister shrugged. “Nah, just happy she found someone. She didn’t have one back then.”
The conversation was cut short by Pilum jabbing the two of them with the butt of his spear. He glared at them exasperatedly before facing forwards again. The soldiers got the hint, turning their attention back to the going-ons of the enemy.
All throughout the plaza, soldiers were facing off against the changeling soldiers. Some of the ponies encircled the insects and others got back to back as they themselves were instead surrounded.
“You might have an army, Scholar!” Pilum shouted defiantly. “But we still have two! My men are still loyal, and so are Arcus and Sagitta’s! We can still fight!”
The twins nodded in agreement. “Right!”
“Wrong!”
Pilum whipped his head around and stared into the defiant eyes of one of his own commanders. “Wha- Agate, what are you talking about!?”
The pony snorted furiously, whipping his helmet off his head. “Allow me to put this in terms you can understand, general.”
He hefted his spear up and shoved it straight in an adjacent soldier’s throat.
“I resign.”
“And so do I!” Another soldier shouted, rearing up on her hooves and snapping the neck of another in a single kick.
“And us!” A pair of pegasi concurred, grabbing a third by the wings and proceeding to... remove him from the sky. Violently.
All throughout the plaza, soldier after soldier turned on one another, slaying the ponies who thought they were comrades.
Pilum sputtered in horror. “I- w-what is this!?” He demanded.
“You want to know what this is, Pilum?” A voice rang out over the clamor. The Earth pony turned and gaped at a violet pegasus with a dark blue mane that was glaring at him.
“Amethyst Glitter?” He asked dumbly.
The mare swept her wing over the crowd. “Look around you, Pilum! Every soldier here who’s fighting, you know what they have in common? They were born here, in Vitrum! And every one, every last one of them, they enlisted for one purpose, and one purpose only! A purpose that goes back generation after generation!”
Light flowed down her forelegs, runic tattoos charging with energy. Crystal’s sprouted from her limbs, coating them in a layer of lustrous armor.
“So that one day we could take our home back!” She screamed, lashing out with her hooves and blasting a nearby Pegasus with energy, taking a chunk out of his side.
All throughout the crowd, seemingly helpless civilians lashed out with ancient magic. Tattoos hidden by fur lit up, hidden weapons unfolded, and crystals sprung from the earth and the ponies. Sounds of fighting and yelling rang out not just from the plaza, but the city as a whole.
Cries of pain, and fear. Cries of success, and victory.
Sounds that could signify only one thing.
A revolution.
Finally, the clamor in the plaza died out. Silence reigned once anew, but now the tone was different. Now, the soldiers that remained were all outnumbered nearly three to one.
“Well, looks like that’s half of the troops from both your armies.” Seath stated smugly.
“Leaving you guys with one!” Nix shouted.
“And us with two! Booyah!” Null finished exuberantly.
“B-but how!?” Twilight stammered, dumbstruck by the turn of events. “How is this possible?”
“Because Vitrum never fell, Twilight!” Scholar shouted proudly. “Over a thousand years acting subservient, a thousand years under Celestia’s hoof, but not once did it fall!”
Trixie gasped as realization struck her. “The happiness...”
Scholar nodded in agreement. “You didn’t need to cast an illusion. The joy didn’t need to be forced. Why? Because almost every pony in this city was really, honestly, truly happy that the harmony would finally be gone. That joy was genuine!”
Rainbow Dash swallowed heavily as she leaned in close to Applejack. “Soooo... that bad feeling of yours?”
“Remind me, how many Crystal Ponies panicked when the Heart was destroyed?”
“Point taken.”
“But how?” Gladia demanded desperately. “How could they have organised so well, how could they know so much? How did their knowledge survive so long?”
“It survived through me!” Seith roared furiously. “Though you bound my corporal form, my soul was still free to wander the earth! Every night, while you patrolled the streets, I reached out with my mind, and gathered the souls of my citizens, my charges, my wards. I taught them everything. I taught them of what once was. I told them of how things would one day be. Every time you captured one of ours, we mourned as one! And every time you failed, we celebrated! Though you might have believed you reigned supreme, that was only a facade to conceal the fact that we ruled, and we alone!”
“B-b-b-but...” Fluttershy stammered. “H-how could you have been in their dreams? P-princess Luna-!”
“Easy,” Scholar gloated smugly. “He had help. While he taught his citizens all he knew, another orchestrated a series of false dreams to fool Princess Ink-stain. An individual of immense talent, capable of creating a false world that could only be defined... as a work of art.”
Rarity chose that moment to regain consciousness. She groaned as she pressed a hoof to her forehead. “Oooohh... what did I miss?”
A nearby soldier was suddenly decapitated, leaving only a headless corpse with blood literally fountaining from the stump that was his neck.
Rarity stared in horror for a second before her eyes rolled up in her head and she keeled over.
Slowly, a figure faded into view behind the still standing corpse.
She was a female human, standing almost twelve feet tall. Her skin was extremely pale, and her long hair was as white as snow. Her body was cloaked in a robe that seemed to be made of white fur. Poking out of the back of her dress was a long, furry tail.
Clutched in her hands was a massive, pitch black scythe. The handle seemed to be carved from some kind of dark bone, and it fused with the wicked blade at the end. It was dripping with blood.
Scholar bowed once again. “I am glad to see you well, Lady Priscilla.”
The woman gave him a nod. “And I you, Lord Scholar.” She then turned and smiled kindly at Seath. “And you as well, father.”
“Father!?” Iron Will gasped.
Seath’s jaws lifted into a sad smile. “As am I, daughter.”
“Daughter!?” Gilda choked.
The minotaur and griffon exchanged looks of shock before mischievous smirks ran across their faces. But when they turned towards Scholar, anything they were about to say was cut off by the human’s hands clamping down on their windpipes.
“Listen here, and listen well,” Scholar hissed venomously, murder in his eyes. “Priscilla was one of Seath’s experiments a long time ago. She gained sentience while she was still incorporeal, so Seath designed a body for her. A humanoid body with some of his own DNA mixed in. Humanoid, do you hear me? Not human! There were a lot of humanoid species back then. If I hear so much as a single quip from either of you, I swear to Osiris that I will make you renew every book in the archives letter by letter, am I clear?”
The Magisters nodded jerkily, then wheezed for breath when he let go of them.
“You’re... an... ass...” Gilda wheezed.
“No, just exasperated.” He responded. “That joke ran it’s course a millennia ago.
Luckily, the attention was not on them, and was instead focused on the latest arrival.
Priscilla swept her gaze over the crowd idly, noting the terror present in the eyes of the soldiers. “Well now... I take it you all know who I am.”
An Earth Pony standing near her swallowed heavily, quaking in his greaves. “C-c-crossbreed Priscilla...”
THUNK!
“YEARGH!”
The pony screamed in pain as Priscilla’s scythe lodged itself squarely in the middle of his spine. Blood sprayed out of the wound around the blade.
Priscilla sighed in annoyance as she yanked her weapon out of his back. “I oh-so despise the fact that you mutated those unfortunate sobriquets and used them to turn us into boogeymen. Quite exasperating.”
Twilight whimpered miserably. She barely kept herself from vomiting as she watched the blood drain from the unfortunate soldier’s body. In an attempt to distance herself from the horror of the situation, she took a scientific view of the situation. “H-his blood...” She stammered.
“Hm?” Priscilla cocked an eyebrow inquiringly.
The lavender unicorn swallowed heavily. “Th-that pony’s blood... th-the wound isn’t that deep, wh-why is it d-doing that!?”
The woman smiled kindly. “Ah. An inquisitive mind. Allow me to indulge. It is thanks to an innate ability of mine: the Lifehunt.”
“L-Lifehunt?”
“Indeed.” Priscilla leaned down towards a nearby soldier who was paralyzed by fear. He tried to move, but froze when she reached out and began to stroke along his neck. “You see, my magic is... unique. It is... infectious, you might say. It seeps into any wound I might inflict...”
The pony winced in pain when she suddenly dragged a finger along his neck, leaving a minuscule cut showing through his fur.
“And makes it fatal.”
The soldier was nearly decapitated by the torrent of blood that gushed from his neck. He fell to the ground, gurgling on the life fluid.
“Any other questions?”
Twilight shook her head violently.
“Great!” Scholar exclaimed, clapping his hands together eagerly. “Now then, if that’s everything...” He narrowed his eyes viciously, grabbing his book out of the air. Runes flowed out around him, a vicious, nigh-deadly cloud. “What say we clean house?”
Queen Chrysalis cackled malevolently, a green aura engulfing her as her voice flanged even more than usual and her form flickered like an afterimage. “Yes, let’s show them what true power is!”
Seath gave out a predatory roar, waves of crystals erupting around him. Pristine white runes flowed around him in a blizzard of energy. “Let us educate these ignorami in the art of pain!”
“HELL NO!”
“NOT A CHANCE!”
“Absolutely not!”
The three stumbled in shock, magic dissipating around them as they stared in shock at the individuals who had shouted.
“Wh- Nix, Null, what are you on about!?” Scholar stammered.
Chrysalis bared her fangs menacingly. “Lacewing. Rotfang. You have ten seconds to explain yourselves.”
“Priscilla?” Seath inquired in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
The Golems huffed angrily as they glared at their creator.
“If you three go all out, then what will we do!?” Nix demanded.
“Yeah!” Null concurred. “You’ll tear through them in ten seconds flat!”
“They’re right!” Lacewing concurred. “You and Scholar are Oligarchs! And Seath was always known as the unseated Oligarch!”
“These guys will be blown away with a flick of your pinkies!” Rotfang protested.
“And where will we be left, hm?” Priscilla demanded. “Nothing will be left for us! And who knows how long it will be until the next battle!”
Seath rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “They... do have a point...”
Chrysalis sighed and rolled her eyes. “So in that case what do we do?”
“Hmmm...” Scholar scratched his chin contemplatively. He snapped his fingers as a thought hit him. “I got it! We’ll let them run rampant for about... eh, forty-five minutes or so. After that, we get involved!”
“I reiterate,” Chrysalis stated flatly. “What do we do?”
“Simple! We stay here. I need to talk to you guys about something. Plus...” He smirked at the Equestrians. “We’ll have some company.”
Before the Equestrians could react, he sent a flurry of runes at the group. Eight barriers of runes erupted around the Elements, Spike and Cadance.
“TWILY!” Shining Armor attacked the barrier with his magic. It went on for a minute before he was finally repulsed by a wave of glyphs.
“Shiny!” Twilight pounded futilely on the wall.
“Congratulations!” Scholar said with saccharine cheer. “You eight are officially our first P.O.W.s!”
Shining Armor whipped around and glared at Scholar. “Why you-!”
“Oh deal with it.” The Rune Keeper taunted. “And hey! Who knows? Maybe if you survive the forty-five minutes, We’ll let you live!”
Shining jerked forwards again, but was halted once anew by the pegasus generals.
“Don’t!” Arcus hissed. “He’s giving you a free pass!”
“I know it stings,” Sagitta growled. “But right now, you have the highest life expectancy of everyone present! Don’t throw that away!”
Shining Armor looked at them desperately. “But... my sister... Twily... Cadance...”
“Right now, Scholar wants them alive.”
“That means they’re safer than they’ve ever been in their entire lives.”
The Captain of the Guard was silent for a second before sighing and relenting.
“Now!” Scholar repeated, raising his hand above his head. “Are we all ready?”
Priscilla gave the Twins an indulgent smile as she swung her scythe around. “So, Nix and Null, shall we work together as we did in the days of old?”
“Yup!” Nix agreed.
“Sound’s good!” Null concurred. “Just give us ooooone second.”
In an instant, the Golem’s demeanors changed. They went from cheerful and chipper to... disturbing.
Null held his hand opposite his sister out, conjuring a massive red blade. “Ready or no~ot...”
Nix held her hand away from her brother, igniting it in a verdant blaze. “Here we co~ome...”
Iron Will shuddered at their voices. “Damn those two can be creepy.”
Trixie gave him a deadpan look. “And she isn’t?” She asked, jerking her head at Gilda.
The griffon was twitching eagerly, running her tongue over her beak and clenching and unclenching her talons. “Come on, come on, let’s go, let’s go...”
Lacewing smirked at his brother. “I’ll take high, you take low?”
Rotfang smirked right back, bumping hooves with his twin. “We’re too fast, they’re too slow!”
Chitter leapt into the air, flailing his hooves madly. “LET’S GO ALREADY!” He cackled
Scholar brought his hand down.
“BEGIN!”
And the world went to Discord.