Chapter 38 Part 2: Lost History
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Just Over 1,000 Years Ago
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A lone pony toiled away in the dark catacombs beneath the crystal palace. The dark chambers beneath, known only to the gray-hued unicorn within them, had been retrofitted into a laboratory. Numerous aerenth constructs littered the tables and shelves, they and the other dark magic experiments being cataloged by magically held quills and parchment spread out across the stations. The incredible magic potential of the laboratory's occupant managed to write pages of notes simultaneously with each quill and parchment as he moved from one experiment to another. He was a large unicorn and had grown larger since he began these experiments years ago, but aside from a slight growth in his canine teeth and a bend beginning to occur in his horn; he looked perfectly normal sporting a set of green eyes with a slate gray coat and ink-black mane.
The archmage paused his experimentation and moved to the lowest depths of the catacombs, descending down a near-infinite flight of stairs until he stood before a seemingly solid rock wall. He knelt, letting his messy black mane spill onto the floor as he put his horn to it. An incantation was thought and a spurt of green and black dark magic stabbed out from the horn into the floor. The ground shifted, splitting open and revealing a massive tome inscribed with all manner of heinous looking runes and writing. The unicorn controlled his thoughts, focusing on all his master had taught him to use to become strong, to focus his power and foster its growth. He thought of all those for whom he held malice, all those he sought to conquer with brutality, to unrepentantly strip away to nothingness without pause just like the chilling blizzards of the north. Chrysalis was lust for status and a bastardization of love, Tirek and Sendak before him were greed for more of what they already possessed, Discord was gluttony for hedonistic excess and indulgence at the expense of others. And Archmage Saros was wrath.
Evil made light to Grogar’s tome, opening it. For what seemed like hours, Sombra studied the texts, memorizing them over and over again. Upfront he was the weakest of his peers, but the teachings of a god could make even a simple unicorn mighty enough to stand beside the others. Of course, after years of experiments (including numerous ones on himself) one might consider him to have deviated away from a normal unicorn as the use of dark magic was starting to bend his form. And of all of Grogar’s students, Saros was the one most keen to experiment and study. He closed his master’s tome and sealed it away yet again for safe keeping, ascending the stairs to get back to work. Returning to the laboratory, Saros drew up an inkwell and quill to write down both what he’d seen from Grogar’s tome as well as the fruits of his own experiments; copying them all down into a small spellbook.
The source of his dark magic was too precious and too large to lug around, best to avoid the cumbersomeness of carrying it and the risk of safety or exposure in doing so by just keeping it locked away. Hence the creation of the smaller booklet. Saros regarded it as he filled in the last page, which was packed with notes on dark magic. One such note involved a spell he’d come up with by combining Sendak’s magic draining spell with a magic containment spell he’d devised that blocked a unicorn’s magic through aerenths impacted onto the horn.
-No replacement for the Master’s work, but for its purpose of portable reference; it will suffice.-
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Weeks later
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The royal chamber seemed to be mourning. The darkened calm of Luna’s night shone moonlight across a room marred by magic blasts that had blown chunks out of the walls, torn curtains; and worst of all, the cries of an infant orphan. Formerly archmage Saros, now King Sombra strode across the darkened hall to quietly approached the prone form lying with its back to him. He could hear her whispering, whispering some plea to the furry canine laying beside her. Sombra cared not for what Amore said, hardly even noticing her limp hoof slip out of a shaking paw. It was time to put the dog down and silence the half-breed spawn of that pegasus interloper.
He took an idle glance at the spellbook wedged in his cape’s inside pocket, remembering the spell on the last page as he had read it just previously. A cruel grin formed across fanged jaws as the magic built up on his recurved, gray horn.
-Time to experiment, what will this do to a diamond dog?-
Before he could fire though, there was an explosion of motion from the seemingly limp canine. An enormous sound akin to a mix of a lion’s roar and canid's howl filled the chambers as the maker pounced upon him. The last thing Sombra saw before feeling a set of jaws clamp down on his horn was teary red eyes. Thrown backwards from the sudden weight and pinned to the wall, the shisa called King Caesar chomped down on Sombra’s horn. His teeth dug in before splintering the bone and keratin like shattered wood, biting off the entire horn from the first third upwards. King Sombra howled in agony as his dark magic flew out of control, blasting the diamond dog back with an out of control shockwave. When the tyrant murderer fell to the ground writhing in pain and shocked by rampant magic bursts, he only caught glimpses of what happened next.
Caesar, still smoking, spat his horn out before stumbling upon a rise and clutching his side. The canine limped closer to Sombra’s screaming form, but stopped short when another magic burst nearly struck him. Sombra was forced to close his eye momentarily to try and direct the burst, lest the dark magic tear him apart. When he opened them again, Caesar was limping away with a bundle of swaddled cloth in the crook of his arm. The dog paused and noticed something on the ground and picked it up before jumping out the window.
It would take Sombra a half hour to struggle back to his feet and limp to the catacombs, using an emergency flesh binding spell to repair his horn. Red hot aerenths were molded into the shape and stabbed into the bone and keratin stump, artificial veins pumping blood back into it. Sombra roared an unequine bellow, focusing on the same wrath that gave him so much strength. The interloping consort was dead, as was the unworthy princess he once sought. The bastard dog had escaped, but Sombra could speculate from the blood on the ground that he’d done a grievous wound to his foe. He had to focus on something, something to fill him with malice to blunt the pain of his blood red, artificial horn as his very soul became tethered to it. Tirek had fallen short and he’d lost contact with Discord, he needed his strength for he knew the alicorns were coming.
It came to him like a bolt of inspiration, one that filled him with terrible resolve in his widened eyes. He glimpsed whom Caesar had been holding when he jumped and he remembered the daughter’s cries. The baby that was a reminder of what had spurred this path, what had driven him to where he was. It existed because he didn’t have what should have been his. King Sombra shook, the aerenth in his horn being stained a glowing red as charges of magic arched over his form.
That child would be the focus of his wrath until it lay dead at his hooves.
King Sombra smashed a hoof through the floor and called out in a scream of rage that could be heard across the empire, shaking the castle. An enormous burst of dark magic flew forth from his new horn, shooting up into the sky like a torrent of evil. The curse of his wrath spread across the empire, binding it to him. In that moment of wrathful declaration, the king made his decree. Until the daughter of Princess Amore and Bene Lyric lay below him, no one would ever have this empire without him.
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Just over 970 years later
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King Caesar didn’t know how long he’d been walking. After briefly blacking out when on the fringes of the empire, he’d almost been in a dazed trance while heading south, not even noticing the empire was gone when he became conscious again. All he knew was to head south to find help while keeping Amore and Bene Lyric’s child safe. At least he didn’t need to worry about keeping her warm after trudging his way through all the ice and snow upon reaching a temperate forest. The infant was asleep now, curled up against his mane while gumming some of it in her sleep. Perhaps it was the change to a more comfortable temperature, perhaps her now being away from what she instinctively knew was evil and a danger with all the distance Caesar had put between them and Sombra, or maybe she was just too tired to cry anymore.
The shisa turned diamond dog stole a glance at her helpless but content form and tried to smile, only to feel the stabbing pain from his stomach’s right flank spur a wince. He glanced down at it and grimaced through his fangs. A mark left from being stabbed and then blasted with dark magic by the thing stabbing into you was anything but small. Times like these made him value the stony body of his true form, as the darkened burn was still rimmed with red and burned with every muscle twitch near it. Its condition was no doubt worsened by him running himself to near exhaustion since getting it. Going back to sleep and turning to stone would mend the wound, but that was off the table of priorities for now.
-I have to get her to Clover or the Sisters Alicorn, or lacking that someone who’d care for her! Anyone!-
As rain began to ping off his brow and nose, King Caesar hurried his pace through the forest. Taking mind to cover Amore’s infant to keep her shielded from the rain, his attention briefly faltered to the other object he was carrying. The shisa instinctively felt his fur stick up and bristle, despite being damp from the rain. He could literally smell the dark magic coming out of King Sombra’s book. He’d grabbed it on a whim while fleeing, it having dropped out of Sombra’s cloak when Caesar bit his horn off. Perhaps it was some quick instinct to act, an attempt to deprive Sombra of a resource, or maybe a small act of spite; but he’d been carrying it along with him all this time. Caesar’s mind was clear on what was to be done about it hower. His brow furrowed and growl curled around his maw.
-I have to destroy it.-
King Caesar moved the book up to his jaws and bit down on the cover with the intent to tear the pages out like a weird parody of the classic dog eating the proverbial homework. His fangs dug in to gain purchase but the tearing that tried to follow never came. A thin glowing line of magic aura formed around the book when he tried to bite the cover and first few pages out, protecting them. As he kept moving through the forest in an attempt to find the infant respite from the storm, Caesar attempted all manner of things to try and destroy King Sombra’s book. Clawing at the pages, shaking it hard enough the binding should have come undone, smashing it against a tree, stomping it, pulling it apart; anything. Everything he tried activated that damned preservation spell. After an hour of attempts, Caesar huffed and snarled. Memories of what transpired in the palace were a recent pain. Being too late to the fight, the agonizing wound that still burned within his side, feeling Amore’s hoof go limp in his paw after he made her one last promise. Even now he could still see the murderer’s visage in the shadows.
Having failed to tear the book apart one last time, Caesar roared in a mix of rage and emotional agony as he threw it away and into a tree before dropping to his knees. The rain poured down on his slumped over form and he was still, giving a thousand-yard stare into the beyond. Tiny mumbles eventually called out and a little form wriggled against his chest. Amore’s infant, startled awake and scared of the noise, muttered hushed mumbles and pulled her tiny hooves around the shisa’s mane-covered neck while trying to bury her face into it for comfort.
"Puu.. Pup-py...", the tiny voiced squeaked as she clutched closer and shivered, wanting comfort as all babies did.
Caesar was still for a time, before slowly shifting to hold the child close to him.
He stayed like that, cradling her in the one warm, dry spot on him until she drifted back to sleep. A tear joined the raindrops after he staggered back to his feet.
Caesar quietly walked back to the book and picked it up. The pain in his side was agonizing, he’d soon shut down and rest to try and mend it regardless of if he wished it or not. Lacking the ability to destroy it, he’d have to come back for it to find someone who could, as getting Amore’s child to safety was priority one.
With a heart full of worry, Caesar eventually found a hollowed tree and stashed the book in it, leaving a mark on the bark with his claws so he could find it later. Holding the baby close, he reluctantly paced off. Later that night a kindly couple would receive her from him, christening the child they came to adopt with the name of their wedding song. She would be called Mi Amore Cadenza.
However, King Caesar wouldn’t make it back to the tree.
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Years later
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A tiny unicorn filly walked into the darkened thrift store, glancing about nervously with the rattle of the filled piggie bank audibly jingling from her saddlebag. She was young, around eight years of age at most, with a bright purple coat and darker purple mane bearing a teal stripe styled into twin tails. She looked around apprehensively at the dusty displays, seeing everything from frightening mounted skeletons, to old-fashioned clothes and knick knacks, some amulet with an alicorn symbol that gave her the creeps, to myriads of books. Starlight Glimmer pursed her lips, trying to find something, anything that seemed magic related.
-The Bursts sent all the manuals with Sunburst to Canterlot. Maybe if I can find a magic book I can get my mark?-
The thought excited her a little bit, hurrying her waddling pace towards a big stack of books. She winced, using some spurts of magic to help lift the heavy books out of the way and inspect each one in hopes she’d see some magic related emblem or title.
-If I can get my mark, get some good magic; maybe I can be sent too! I can find Sunburst and have my friend a-gain!-
Her eyes widened upon her trying to pick up one book. Despite it being in the middle of a huge stack of dusty titles ranging from bird watching manuals to carpentry guides, there wasn’t a speck of dust on it. And when she tried to pick it up with telekinesis, she felt a push back. A second attempt was cast and while it ended in failure, she did glimpse a thin aura of dark purple magic surrounding the book. Starlight yelped and plopped down on her rump, kicking up some dust. After a fit of coughing, she blew it out of her face but soon felt her eyes widening when she saw the dust touch the book. The aura field reacted again, forcing the dust away and keeping it looking pristine. Resigned to use physical force, Starlight managed to flip the book over and saw the title.
Private Magic Notations - Archmage Saros of the Crystal Empire
Starlight’s mind blurred after she jumped up to squeal in joy. She remembered lugging the book to the front on her back and shoving her piggie bank into the confused thrift shop owner’s hooves. He said something about having a hard time even reading it legibly so he assumed it was a fake; hence why it was at a cheap price. But Starlight Glimmer was out the door running without even asking for return change. She was far too elated, having seen the magic present and knowing it had to at least have some worth. To her, it was a miracle; a dream come true!
-A magic notebook! A real authentic magic notebook! And from an Imperial Archmage! I’d bet there are spells in here nopony at the school for gifted unicorns has seen in centuries, I’ll be a shoo-in to get in! I’m already decent with magic, I’m sure I can figure out how to read it! Sunburst, here I come!-
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Days later and despite constant efforts to the point she locked herself in her room, Starlight couldn’t make sense of the writing. She was no closer now, sitting in the dark of a candle light late at night than she was the first morning she came back with the book. All the spells she remembered from practicing with Sunburst didn’t do a thing to try and make the bizarre mishmash of text have a sliver of sense to it. At this point, she could practically swear the charts and text of the notes would shift every time she looked away from it. Frustration was an understatement given the feelings that exhaustion, worry, confusion, and annoyance were spurring. She looked at the book again and, despite having been holding a page still with some telekinesis while trying to recount an opening spell she knew for the twentieth time, the text had changed again. Changed and still just as incomprehensible as before.
Starlight Glimmer hissed through her teeth, feeling her sore eyes burning both figuratively and literally from them being bloodshot. The failure was antagonizing her every time it reared its ugly head. She was cold, tired, hungry, but too stubborn to let go despite the book seemingly taunting her. Here it was, documentation of obviously magical origin from probably one of the greatest spellcasters of all time given this Saros was an archmage, and because of some hex on the text she might as well have been trying to reach the constantly changing chicken scratch of a packed hen house! It broiled her nerves.
Starlight Glimmer was one who took denial harshly, and this blasted book was denying her everything she wanted. It all began to course its way towards her horn, all the negative emotions. The one thing she wanted in life was for things to change and change back. She wanted to get out into the world beyond, foster the gift for the magic she knew she had, to change the social recluse status she could see herself growing into. The fact Sunburst was her sole friend, a title earned mostly due to their proximity giving Sunburst the nerve to break the ice, was a threat of loneliness that was terrifying. At the same time, she wanted things back to how they were, wanting to learn more magic and especially learn it alongside her best friend.
Everything, everything would change for the better once she got to the magic school. And this confounded book was denying her that destiny while taunting her about it! The anger was maddening, building initially off of defensive retaliation as a form of righteous retribution to the wrongs dealt, before building off itself merely for the sake of making more anger. It started to become something familiar to the book, something that briefly caused the shaking filly to see a split-second of clarity in the text as the magic formed into her horn like a pressurized volcano. Her anger, both at her lot in life and the book’s taunts, turned to wrath.
Starlight Glimmer shot upwards, swinging a wave of telekinesis outwards like an uppercut. For a brief moment, her eyes turned green and shady lights formed around her horn, spurring the filly to lash out with far more magical force than she intended or even thought herself capable. She tore the book, the papers she’d gathered, and the entire small table she was seated at off the ground and slammed them into the ceiling. Shrieking in wrath filled venting, Starlight gripped either side of the table by the legs and tore the telekinesis out in opposite directions, shredding the wooden limbs and the table itself to splinters as the papers flying around them were flash-fried to ash and smoke. The power was incredible in hindsight, but completely out of control. Starlight had no will or thought behind her actions, just destroy. She grabbed the book and with swings of her head and hoof, directed the telekinesis to smash it against the walls, try to grip at and rip the binding, throw it violently back and forth from the roof and floor.
The outburst lasted for a full minute and by the time Starlight snapped out of the wrathful trance, she stood huffing for breath. A small trickle of blood leaked out of the corner of her eye along with berserk tears, for she was still filled with anger but had physically burned herself out utterly destroying her room. Amongst the ash, shattered wood, and dented walls, she stood shaking all over from muscle spasming. The book dislodged itself from a dent it had been used to carve into the ceiling, flopping to the ground in front of Starlight and popping open. One passage on the last page shifted, the scribblings changing from the incomprehensible rabble and rearranging themselves to form legible words. Starlight, her lips still twitching and curling in a snarl, stumbled forward and leaned down to read it.
-”Suppression of magic and potential spell”...!!!-
Her labored breath and widened eyes banished away her exhaustion and Starlight Glimmer surged forward to study. Desperation was her driving force, and her wrath had just given her a means to sate it as more text began to make itself known.
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Two Months Later
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Today was the day, Starlight Glimmer hyperventilated as she stood inside the testing room. The teacher council for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns stood at the testing booth above her, looking down their snouts at her as they took their initial notes. Starlight Glimmer gulped, not needing to know why one of them glanced at her still blank flank and muttered something to the others. The walls seemed to crush inwards on her and the young filly was suffocating under them, breath only returning to her chest when she glanced at the reassuring faces of the ponies who’d accompanied her here. Moonbeam chewed her lip before cracking a grin upon seeing her baby sister look to her, the young mare giving Starlight a pleasant wave and mouthing words of reassurance. The figures behind her included the pleasant smiles of the Bursts, though before Starlight could feel a rock in her stomach at seeing Sunburst wasn’t there, the warm beaming of Mr. Fancy Pants helped keep her focused. The last two standing in the back were a pair of pegasi, a stallion and a colt of similar coloration, though admittedly Starlight didn’t know them too well even if she knew them by name. Still, seeing the Captain of the Canterlot Guard, Stalwart Sentry, was a confidence booster after he gave her a courteous nod; and his son Flash, the only one here her age, was eagerly waving in mute cheers.
One of the teachers nodded to the other two as the pre-evaluation wrapped up, rising from her seat, “Young Miss Starlight Glimmer, your records from the on-site exam are impeccable even if based off circumstance your growth suggests otherwise. While the school is meant to cultivate the best of magic users in a variety of fields, understand that potentially fraudulent results will never go far here. And if you do pass this exam and are accepted, no handicaps will be granted given your… condition. If you wish to attempt another exam when you are older and have acquired your mark, that is acceptable. Now if you are done with preparations, we see you’ve chosen the demonstration route rather than the egg an-”
Starlight zoned out. While in truth the teacher had just been at worst rightfully suspicious that somepony had scored so high when she didn’t even have her cutiemark yet and at best trying to give fair warning of rough schooling in case the suspicion was unfounded, Starlight Glimmer’s lip twitched in an involuntary reaction; curling up to form a small snarl spurred by the flicker of anger in the filly. She didn’t see a suspicious teacher just trying to do her job, even if it was a little accidentally insensitive, she just saw an insulting pity at best. And ever since she’d worked through the spells in the archmage’s book to foster her power, Starlight Glimmer loathed being pitied.
“-and you may begin.”
And begin Starlight did, her horn ignited as her eyes seethed with the anger that perpetuated itself into wrath. The teaching hall hadn’t seen so much chaos since earlier that week with a giant baby dragon.
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The day was dying, and Starlight Glimmer was still running. Out of Canterlot, out of the city, out from anywhere populated. She was still suffering magic bursts every few minutes, the built up dark magic exploding out of her horn in cleaving beams of light or outward shockwaves that left tiny black crystals in their wake. She sat in the aged ruins lined with charcoal beside a single tree and frantically flipped through her spellbook to find one particular spell. Tears streamed down her quivering eyes as she found the passage and copied its motions the best she could. Another magic burst was about to erupt and Starlight grabbed a hold of it, rather than let it free.
She struggled, she struggled more than she ever had before to chain it down. Aerenths started to erupt from the ground around her hooves as a ghastly gale curled around her. Dark magic smoke erupted from her eyes as they flashed back and forth between red and green. Her horn started to forcefully bend, threatening to lengthen and curve only for sheer force of will to keep the wrath-fueled magic from mutating her like it had its author. The agony forced her eyes closed and flashes of memory assaulted her mind, mostly from the failed exam.
She remembered channeling her anger like she always had, forcing the magic out under the confused gazes of the judging teachers. She struggled at first, nervousness wrestling with her anger. But that all changed when one of the teachers, upon Starlight failing to cast under pressure after two minutes, was about to call it all off. In the ensuing rage that followed, Starlight didn’t notice this was because the teacher was doing so not to fail her but suggest the crowd who came with her leave to avoid pressing the filly. Starlight’s temperamental mind just thought she was failing her.
There was a very good reason dark magic was often banned from instruction or teaching, for darker emotions are often warping to the mind when not properly controlled. And a filly, even a magical prodigy, lacks that control.
The teachers' confusion turned to shock when Starlight’s anger turned to wrath. She remembered screaming out, firing a wide burst of dark magic flames from her horn that engulfed the roof. The ground shook, the beam of flame condensing into a thin, neon green beam that burned and sliced through the roof and walls of the magic school’s tower. Fragmented visions recalled the audience’s reactions.
Moonbeam was aghast, frozen in place before trying to rush forward and grab her sister.
Fancy Pants, moving out of the shocked stupor a little quicker, surged forth to grab Moonbeam and bring her to safety while Stalwart Sentry barked for him to do the same for Flash Sentry despite the colt’s protests to help.
The teachers’ all reacted differently. One tried to hurry out the door and sound the alarm, another attempted to call out to Starlight Glimmer but the enraged filly didn’t hear any of his calls to calm; the female teacher just sat there with her agape mouth covered in shock.
Starlight Glimmer shrieked, seizing her in a magical aura, a warped mind clearly not thinking straight.
The teacher had expressed justified skepticism for Starlight’s pre-exam. Starlight saw her doubting her.
The teacher had tried to offer up the filly to try again later in light of her cutiemark. Starlight only saw the same pity she despised being forced upon her again over what she didn’t have, hardly a new feeling.
The teacher was just trying to be reasonable and do her job. Starlight saw her as just getting in the way. And the first passage of the book was clear, obstacles are to be removed.
Starlight had focused on the old mare’s cutiemark, recalling the magic sealing spell meant to lock up a unicorn’s horn magic with aerenths and refocusing it to the flank. If this teacher was going to give her grief about not having an infernal cutiemark, then she wouldn’t have one either!
Starlight’s eyes flashed with smoke and a surge shot up through the magic stream, causing the teacher to call out in pain as her cutiemark started to budge and shift like it was a sticker being peeled off. That was when a lance bathed in the ichors of a dragon and changeling queen alike shot up between the beam and sliced it in two like a knife through paper.
Captain Stalwart Sentry roared, flying up between the teachers and the same filly he rescued a decade prior, “THAT’S ENOUGH!”
Stalwart Sentry’s bellow was terrifying, silencing the filly off her attack. The loss of focus didn’t translate to a loss of magic, however, for now, the wrath fueled dark magic was flowing out devoid of a target. As Stalwart calmed his voice and lowered his lance to slowly walk forward to try and defuse the situation, all of Starlight’s magic screamed at her to get away and let loose. And that she did after teleporting away from the now ruined magic hall in a burst of light just as the first magical shockwave sounded off.
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Starlight Glimmer gasped, flipping through the pages of her book while she tried to keep her emotions and magic under control. She sat on a set of eroding, familiar charred ruins she’d visited hundreds of times with her sister. On a happier day, she’d remember flying a kite here or having a small picnic next to their parents’ marker stones; but now the world was nothing else but a whirlwind of twisting wrath, fear, and confusion. Her appearance was beginning to change as well. She winced from a surge of dark magic she had to vent off into the sky as a burst of neon teal and black magic. During the emission, one could see the tip of her horn beginning to curl upwards into a sharp point and a smokey haze start to seep out of her eyes. Power, especially that which corrupted and was uncontrollable, always came at a price. Starlight gasped for a breath and trying to hold on after cutting the beam off as she finally got to the page she needed.
-”Tranquil rage spell! For collection of mind when exerting force-”-
She reread the text hastily and followed suit, collecting her wrath and balling it up. It couldn’t be vented off, that wasn’t even what the spell was for, but like a wildfire, it could be contained. Starlight focused as closely as she could and followed suit, mentally crushing the burning anger inside her to condense it to a sphere like coal into a diamond. Another huge beam of magic shot free of her horn. At first, the beam was clogged with the black streaks and purple highlights one would expect of dark magic, complete with the smoking eyes and beginnings of physical mutations occurring on Starlight. But just as quickly, it all shifted. The beam thinned, teal burning away the other colors just as the mutations were forcefully lifted. Soon, she looked no different than if she was a normal unicorn filly and not one who’d dabbled in what was beyond her control.
Starlight cut the beam off, falling over onto her book and gasping to alleviate the horrific burning in her lungs. She breathed out dark mist with each huff, clogging emissions of the dark magic smoke curling in the air before her until they dissipated. Covered in sweat, Starlight grimaced and braced a shaking hoof to the hard ground in front of her. She looked normal again, and the magic wasn’t ripping free to the outside anymore, but invisible to the eye was a wound even worse than what could be seen. Starlight felt calm, even placid, but there was a ravenous gnawing at the fringes of her mind. She could be collected in mind and scared as any filly in her situation would be, but behind a thin mental wall was a tidal wave rearing to break loose. She could already feel the pressure, giving her a slight headache.
“Starly?! Starliiight?!”
A distant voice, female, called out. Starlight turned herself around and looked over her shoulder to see a familiar light purple shape flying a few meters above the ground up the path. She reflexively winced upon seeing her sister, trying in vain to make herself seem small as to avoid notice. Moonbeam, however, had spotted her in an instant and dove down, landing a short distance away and sliding to a halt about two meters away from her sister. She didn’t approach outright, both for fear of setting her sister off and fear in general; as much as it was agonizing to do so. She wanted so desperately to grab and embrace her little sister, but the worry was as strong a restraint as Fancy Pants.
Voice would have to do, as she whispered cautiously, “S-Starly? It’s me, Moony. It’s okay, it’s okay. You don’t have to get up…”
Her voice quivered as she saw her sister shudder, seemingly as afraid as she was. Moonbeam Glimmer bit her lip and tried to keep herself from looking threatening as she took a slow step forward. But the moment her hoof hit the ground, Starlight began to move and Moonbeam flinched. But rather than lurching back or falling prey to another outburst of magic, Starlight just slowly looked back at her sister with fat tears streaming down her face. The filly sniffled, trying to mouth something but her clogged throat stopped her. It didn’t stop Moonbeam at all, as seeing her baby sister crying was the one thing that overpowered her previous terror.
She approached slowly with a tiny smile and unthreatening posture. Moonbeam had plenty of practice with this, having been forced to grow up fast after the dragon attack. The Bursts were good foster parents, but it would be a lie to think Moonbeam hadn’t played a big role in raising her little sister. With a pair of siblings lacking parents, she acted like a parent would. Within a moment’s span, Moonbeam had collected the filly into her arms and the young mare was holding her up while patting and rubbing Starlight’s back.
“Ssshhh shhhh it’s okay. It’s okay sis, I’m here. I’m here…”
-Forgive me...-
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The Present, Two days after April Fools Special
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Moonbeam Glimmer set down her tea and read through the paper while reclining back on her old chair. The recirculating headline didn’t bother her too much, despite the attached article being not especially kind to her personage. It was about her and King Godzilla Junior again, apparently spurred by a lot of ponies sighting him assuming his true form near Baltimare diving into the ocean; though thankfully Princess Celestia clarified there was no kaiju attack and he was being sent to something else. It took all of four seconds of thought for the press runners, lacking information on the current goings on, to lament more on her dealings with him.
A frown formed over her muzzle as she reread some of her own quotes, which sounded even worse when taken out of context. The memories of him ‘confronting’ her at her old homestead were as fresh now as they were then and Moonbeam felt herself weltering in her seat more. Recollections of how much she’d unintentionally blasted him in that interview were almost as fresh.
-I was just trying to be pragmatic! Just trying to think rationally and assume his moral system wasn’t like ours. He’s an alien after all! I was just-
Moonbeam slammed her eyes shut and growled into a sneering pout that rapidly became less sneer, more pout as the seconds ticked by.
-Who am I kidding… No more lies or excuses, Moony-
The pegasus mare stole a glance at the scar present on the back of her forelimb, tracing the edge of her hoof across the seam.
-You were scared, terrified. And you projected it while worrying for others.-
The flash of the mourning flowers he left at her parents’ marker stones flashed before her eyes, causing her to wince and let her ears flop down.
-He’s not that dragon. You misjudged this one big time.-
-”I forgive you”-
His words echoed through her mind, causing her to chew at her lip as she looked up at the sky beyond the ceiling.
-Forgiveness doesn’t equate to correctness. He wants to forgive me, I’m not taking it. I’m earning it!-
Moonbeam, her face full of resolve, kicked herself off her seat and started up. She intended to pace around, either her house or through Hollow Shades until she found the idea she was looking for. Something appropriate, something meaningful, something that could either make good between her and whom she’d wronged or help put an end to any controversy she’d helped spur. She’d do it on her honor as a Glimmer!
The doorbell rang and Moonbeam trotted over to it. If it was the mailpony come to flirt again, she’d have to shoot him down again. She had a mission in mind and was convinced nothing short of a miracle or a freak terror would stop her cold.
She didn’t know which it was when she opened the door and instantly felt her breath leave her. Moonbeam gasped, covering her mouth in pure shock as she stumbled back. A light purple mare with a color scheme similar to, but not exactly the same as Moonbeam’s, let herself in. Teal magical aura gripped the door and gently closed it behind herself. A pair of stoic, almost leering eyes looked back down their nose at the surprised pegasus.
“Sister.” Starlight Glimmer muttered plainly….
==============================
Deep inside his hollowed space in Zenith, Grand King Ghidorah stood in total silence. Had it not been for the myriad of floating debris orbiting him, one might have thought he was frozen. Fragments of obsidian, still dozens of meters long in some cases, encircled him weightlessly as they were drawn close after the dragon had effectively turned the gravity off throughout the chamber. With his wings spread wide, necks curled into tight “S” shapes, and his eyes closed; the King of Terror paid no heed to the wondrous display of gravity manipulation all around him nor to the dome of dark energy he’d been stashing his ‘living’ resources in. It was a cruel mercy to the ponies inside that he’d tired of their fruitless calls for help and had forced them all into a coma with a mental assault. Much as he was an appreciator for the pleading, the begging, the wailing, and all the other glories of mental torture that came usually with cold confinement when he first snatched victims all up; he had them all muted as soon as they got to Zenith. To them, they might as well have blacked out and stayed asleep almost the whole time.
Partly to try and toy with the prying eye of Reijuu he knew was still upon him, and partly because he needed to focus.
It was a little-known fact Ghidorah was psychic and an extremely powerful one at that. It was a skill he rarely used, typically the civilizations didn’t last long enough for him to play with his food, but it was potent. In truth, he was probably one of the most powerful to ever exist and he’d found so many wondrously entertaining ways to use it. He could warp a perception, removing the concept of time or affinity to make one lost in both perception and isolation from others. Picking at a mind, especially an impressionable one, was as simple as editing the pages of a book. Write in which subconscious commands he wanted, tear out the pages of things he didn’t want; that was the most entertaining endeavor. On one occasion he sated his bloodthirst for just a day, crisscrossing a planet while hiding in a storm. Before the day’s end so much artificial paranoia, hatred, and mania had flared up in the population that the mass burning and pillaging was already well underway when Ghidorah came by to mop up once he got bored.
Often times he could tear his way into a mind and glimpse what had transpired before, the memories of experiences cataloged on their souls; this attempt was something different, however.
Fate, destiny, pre-disposition, any label one wished to call it; Grand King Ghidorah treated it as fact. The fantastic present was destined because it had a fantastical past, and thus bore a destiny for a fantastical future. He’d seen enough miraculous things in the first million years to be convinced factors beyond mere chance were at play. And if he could see things in the past by prying open some poor soul’s mind, there was always a chance for the inverse. So here he was, pooling his psychic perception as well as twisting gravity, a fundamental force of the universe just as time was, like a string wrapped around his nonexistent hand.
It was tedious, he’d been at this for hours non-stop on the outside and factoring in how time around him was flowing differently due to the intense gravitational time dilation, even longer than that. He didn’t even know exactly how long he’d been doing this, could have been days, months, maybe even decades on the inside of the skin-tight gravity field. He could only dilate to speed up time on his own form and his unchanging age offered no clues as to how long he’d been at this.
But his effort was not in vain, he was getting something. Sometimes for the briefest of moments, perhaps by his psychic perception reacting out to times unknown, he’d glimpse something. What it was he couldn’t ever pinpoint, as the vision was too blurry and amorphous to distinguish. But he did see what was left in the wake.
A mountain crumbling. A hurricane’s roar. Hills turned to rubble as its wrath soared.
And it wasn’t Bagan he’d fail to glimpse, but something standing opposite of it.
Grand King Ghidorah ended the vision as it slipped away again despite his attempts to put it in a stranglehold and reveal itself. But he knew what it meant, for it was something he was well familiar with. Destruction.
The great dragon straightened himself out again and set down upon the dark floor foot-first. The visions would need to wait, tantalizing as they were. He had other plans to execute and he couldn’t be late. After all, even for a being that could afford to casually shrug off a century or two in a meditation; time wasn’t something he had much left of.
Grand King Ghidorah slowly paced out of his chamber, stepping past the cutiemark slab and the containment dome that housed dozens of frozen ponies, and calmly making his way towards the heart of the Zenith temple in no particular rush.
===============================
Crowds filtered out of the train. Amongst them, a wayward pony slipped between the moving tides of ponies heading towards Canterlot’s gleaming city. When they passed by a fruit vendor they were a blue unicorn mare with a white mane. The individual was a red pegasus mare sporting a cropped green mane when they bumped into a passerby. A pink earth pony with a gold mane, an orange-furred and teal maned unicorn, back to the red pegasus; Every passing pony, appearance shifted to a new disguise, making it impossible to keep track of in the swirling crowd.
And when they ducked into an alleyway at the base of the city, one could briefly glimpse a yellow-furred unicorn with a bicolored burnt gold and fiery red mane, cast a spell. Enjin, disguised in the image of Sunset Shimmer after having copied and assumed control of her magic, ensured it wasn’t being observed before scanning the auras of magic all around the city. Canterlot, with a high population out and about, was lit up like a dozen hearth-tree. Each speck of aura embodying a single unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, and even non-pony visiting or living in the capital. Filtering its vision, Enjin homed in on only the strongest traces; ones only the most powerful of the natives or any kaiju could leave. Pitching its head up towards the castle, it spied a blazing, massive aura slowly moving through the solar tower. Enjin knew this magic from Sunset Shimmer’s memory, it was Princess Celestia.
And judging from the fact it didn’t see any other alicorn auras or extremely powerful signals that would indicate a kaiju, the Aspect of Earth and the entity controlling it, Bagan, took a time to weigh the options.
It could try again to claim one of the alicorns, in light of both the potential magic reward and how one was needed to free Grogar. After all, Bagan had already tried before using the gyaos either as a means to or a distraction; only for the high amounts of magic around the city to play havoc with its portals and Godzilla and Mothra to prove to be an unforeseen element. Enjin stoically opted against it.
The eldest and probably most prized alicorn was alone, but it probably lacked the power to gain a decisive advantage. Even a young alicorn proved a handy match against multiple small gyaos and if they resembled Harmony in more than a few ways, Bagan’s puppet might get taken off guard by a power it didn’t know of beforehand. Besides, even success could bring with it exposure.
No, instead it would proceed with the current ploys, disarm the wards and let the native allies help in dealing with what they had more experience with. Bagan was in no rush. It had waited over seventy millennia just to be free, it could afford to play the long game.
Enjin turned its attention back to the city and scanned again, this time looking for objects that bore the traces of Princess Celestia’s magic.Fifteen disguises and another half hour of walking later, and it had found the first ward just outside the main wall of the city in a quiet slope of the mountain beneath the castle. Princess Celestia had hidden it well, likely operating on the logic of making it as unremarkable as possible as not to attract attention. Unfortunately while burying a rather simple looking stone might have thrown off most anyone, it didn’t fool something that could literally see the earth beneath its hooves.
Sunset Shimmer’s magic gripped the stone and drew it from the ground. To the naked eye, it was completely unremarkable, bearing no insignia or marking to designate its status. An extremely excellent disguise to keep any from recognizing it otherwise. Unfortunately, the special nature of the beachball-sized stone was all too visible to something that could sense the magic. Enjin focused, prying open more of Sunset Shimmer’s memories from her mind to recall a counterspell to remove an enchant imbued into an object. The effectively comatose unicorn’s mind couldn’t fight back even if she were capable. And true to the hypothesis, the magic of the student closely matched that of the master. The ward was made by Princess Celestia, meant to only turn off and on by her will and action alone. But, Sunset Shimmer’s magic when bolstered by one of the most ancient entities of Terra, was just enough to fit.
The magical energy bled out of the stone and dribbled to the ground like glowing white ichor, causing a noticeable hole in the field of wards that fenced in the city. Enjin had opened the path for later use.
But before a decision could be made to keep the hole stealthed and obscured as much as possible and just have Chrysalis move her forces through it, or punching more holes in the alicorn’s protection zone until it couldn’t hold up any longer; the opened hole of air now devoid of magic, altered Enjin to something else. Enjin paused before stoically returning the now defunct ward back to its holding place, closing up the earth around it to make it look as if nothing happened.
It was far to the east, past the tall mountain called Foal Mountain. Had it a map or Sunset Shimmer traveled there, Enjin and by proxy Bagan would have observed the energy signal was coming from Hollow Shades. And even from here, just like how Enjin once was able to track Monster X and Aria Blaze across dozens of kilometers even in human form; Enjin was sensing the energy of a Ghidorah. One that was now coming closer to it.
And standing there it seemed to feel something, a pair of eyes upon it though there wasn’t a soul to be seen looking in Sunset Shimmer’s direction. Knowing it was being observed, Enjin backed up towards the city, taking on a new disguise based on the features of the passersby as it melted into the crowds.
It was to be expected that plans would shift on account of what Ghidorah was up to…
Unbeknownst to Enjin, a faint magical aura devoid of a flesh and blood body around it was also present but not in the city. Just beyond the range of Canterlot, nestled in the forest’s cover and observing the abomination running around with Sunset Shimmer’s body, was a pony made of pure shadow. The Nightmare had seen the entity just after it put the ward back. She knew not what the pony who wasn’t a pony was doing, but that just made her not like it even more.
Time to step up its plans. And what lovely timing it was, that one of its hosts was also coming towards the city by train?...
===============
Reader Works!
===============
Because I love bragging about the lovely assortment of folks I have the honor of entertaining, here's a shot out to some of your fine guys and gals! If you'd like your stuff feature, drop me a link in the comments!
Check out this story by our own Pyrus-Leonidas! It's not technically a Bridge fic buuut.. screw it, shouting out to my buddy with another cool MLP-Kaiju mashup!
Gallery Link!
I am so proud of all of you, artist, writer, or commenters. You guys and gals have seriously kept me from going insane over life's toils. So to give you all one more laugh for any who didn't see it, enjoy!
=======================================
The Bridge - Omake 1: Dance with me Sensei!
=======================================
Animation based off work by Wild Blue Fantasy
============
Mariner “Chibi” Moon tugged at her sensei, Godzilla Junior, by the hoof to lead him into the training room. But instead of Junior’s typical choice arrangement of targets, weight gear, and padding; she’d pushed that all to the side and had a music player set up next to a table.
“Come on, come on Sensei! I’mma teach you how to dance!”, she yelped eagerly and wagging her tail as she ran up to the music player.
Godzilla Junior just grunted, “....Nani?” (What?)
“Silly sensei! You wanna make good with Best Princess again after your stunt on Mako riiiiiiight? Well, mares love a good dance and I know one!”
“I... really don’t think that is going to work, Chibi.”
“Why not?”
“There are many things I have done. Dancing is not one of them in a long time.”
“So you have before?”
“Rodan got us all doing this one after we repelled King Ghidorah, we never spoke of it again. This won’t work.”
Chibi Moon let out an exaggerated groan, putting a hoof across her forehead as she set the music track up; “Awww pleeeease? I’m just to help only way I know how, Sensei. Unless you want to finally tell me more specifics about what those sea dames tried to do to yo-hmpgm!”
She was silenced by Junior, having rapidly closed the distance, muffling her mouth with his hoof as a bead of sweat dropped off his awkward looking face; “When you’re older!”
Chibi Moon shook her head and got free, putting the music track on to play and hopping up on the table so she’d be a bit shorter than Godzilla’s shoulder rather than so small she barely reached his elbow.
“Then hop to it, Sensei!”, she piped, chipper as always.
“If it’s that bad you’ll need every help you can get to get on Best Princess’ good side!”
Junior heard the song coming on, tilting his head at the upbeat, blaring melody, “I don’t know if this song is the right one. Sounds a bit too bouncy.”
“Naaaaah! It’s a favorite back in Neighpon, and the dance is really simple! Besides, if it’s in Neighpon it’s big back in Nippon too. SO you get a dance aaaaand can give Princess Luna a taste of home!”
“... Fine.”
============================
Hours later and Princess Luna gave the both of them a quizzing look as the odd arrangement stood before her. Godzilla Junior couldn’t open his eyes, either apprehensive about something or, judging from his flopped ears, swallowing his pride over something embarrassing. Young Miss Mariner Moon however, looked like she was about to have the time of her life as she stood on a table with a wagging tail.
“Don’t worry Sensei, I got your back!”, she whispered as the music started.
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8229218
No problem buddy! It's up now by the way if you are still awake
Next time on Bridge!
Junior: My Nemesis
King Ghidorah: Nemesis
Chibi Moon: This is the best worst thing ever!
great chapter, King Caesar taking a bite outta crime like a champ
Love part 2!
That scene with Ghidorah, what i always wanted since he first debuted. He radiated power, mystique, and even a little bit of intimidation which i rarely get from a literary character(not even Bagan and Kaizer accomplished that). Truly gives us the impression that Ghidorah is a being beyond our comprehension.
Though part of me still expects ham from him. Enough to make Terence Stamp and Michael Shannon proud.
Also greatly enjoyed the flashback of Sombra and the Great Caesar, with the scene of Starlight and the consequences of her utilizing Dark Magic intriguing.
Ahh, i was wondering when we'd get back to Nightmare and Enjin. Seems Enjin learned from his mistake of screwing around with those he knows little about, and Nightmare is aware that she has to step up her A-Game. Same with Ghidorah.
Though you never answered my question on whether the Nightmare was gender restricted?
Let's see Ghidorah's vision...it suspiciously sounds very similar to Flurry Heart's report, and while at first glance it seems to allude to Grogario. I don't think it's Grogario since as fellow readers pointed out, destruction isn't Grogar's MO as in G1. He was more interested in conquer and torture as a very old blog of Tarb implied which makes him a bit like Darkseid in that regard.
And finally the next chapter preview. I'm calling it with Kaizer Ghidorah, since i think Kaizer is a big part of King's character and vice versa.
Well goodnight to all!
It just goes to show that everyone and everything is connected. I'm just bummed that I can't figure out what King Ghidorah's plan is.
Clear Wing: *growls* Kisama...!
Dark Rebellion: *seems more calm...if not for the violet lightning crackling along his being*
Odd-Eyes: Hmmm...
LOL
That gif
And a recollection of past event furthering the lore of the Bridge.
The fall of the Crystal Empire with Caesar saving baby Cadance. I see you didn't go with IDW comic origin of Sombra as you did with Chrysalis. Also it seems Caesar and Cadence were caught in Sombra's curse, but could you explain how they manage to escape it before everypony else?
The origin of Starlight's sociopathy, ow boy. She was already clearly trouble in the beginning, but add a tome of dark magic and hello disaster.
Is this Trixie?
I forgot Enjin took possession of Sunset's body and are back in Equestria. Ghidorah hasn't been enough discrete toward Bagan and that might bite back at him, literally. Though I'm still curious how the Nightmare is gonna act upon the situation. Will it stay to its agenda or will it ally itself with the ponies and kaijus to prevent a disaster?
That bonus part with Junior and Chibi doing the Caramel dance.
And here is certainly the dance Junior was referring.
Found a mistake.
*space missing*
Something tells me that Chrysalis will be in for quite the shock when they encounter Big G, because it seems like they don't he's on the Palace Guard and stands at least a full head and shoulders above everybody else, with the exception of Mothra.
This is the best story since itself.
Love the chapter. It begins with a memory of Sombra taking the final steps from a normal unicorn (Saros) into the monster he is today. As expected, Sombra betrayed Lyric and Amore, but not before Caesar punished him with a painful bite to his horn, though not before Sombra injured him and sent him and Cadence away through time and space. Sombra making a copy of his book was a brilliant move, but one that brought misfortune to Starlight due to Caesar's inability to destroy it.
Seeing Starlight try to learn magic to reunite with Sunburst is hearbreaking as her anger only makes her powerful in dark magic and makes her suspicious in the eyes of the teachers. Of course, that only makes Starlight antagonistic and targets the teachers, which leads to Stalwart having to step in and save them (It's great to finally see him in person after hearing so much about him). The influence of the book also explains why Starlight is capable of using anger magic in season 7.
Moonbeam's concern about Starlight is heartbreaking as she blames herself for Starlight's outburst in the past and now, in the present, she finds her as a puppet for GKG. GKG seems to have learned that Grogar will participate against Bagan and is making a move. Meanwhile, Enjin uses Sunset to deactivate Celestia's wards, putting Canterlot in danger, while the Nightmare will try to stop it by possessing a host. Magnificent chapter as usual Tarb. Also, my respect to all the fanart, especially the shipping pic with the couples, the Branded Rose pic, and the delightful omake video.
Forgot to ask, will there be other omakes in following chapters and are the omakes canon? If there's an oncoming Galla, as hinted by Maui teaching Junior how to dance, then it would be fun to see Anguirus and Xenilla getting dance lessons from Rarity/Ki Seong and Blade Dancer respectively.
Well, it looks like we've found out how Starlight's power became so enormously potent.
Well shit has started hitting the fan.
That dancing animation of Junior... I had the Caramelldansen song going off in my head because of it... and now I want to see an animation of the Kailua-turned ponies doing that dance
Edit: oh... it was Caramelldansen... I read this chapter on my phone, which has Youtube blocked on it...
my man what a fun and interesting chapter
Very interesting chapter, good character development and set up for battles down the road.
I actually like the "always a dick" version of Sombra's origin story more than the sympathetic IDW one, some people are just beyond saving.
I was a bit disappointing in King Ceaser's reappearance. His plotline has been dangling since the series early chapters and we still know next to nothing. This time he's just worfed to show the spell book's protection levels.
And speaking of beyond saving we have Starlight. I'm not a Starlight hater, but i won't pretend she's anything other than the show's worst recurring character. That makes it interesting when fanfic writers take her on, as its not often they get to handle a whole character better than the show did. I'm happy this story is portraying Starlight as a naive brat even before she gets the spellbook, and the book only exaggerated what was already there. i also really like her becoming Gigorah's plaything, as it removes her agency and just makes her the pawn of a much better character.
Moonbeam also provides a useful note in the story here. I don't care about Starlight's fate in the slightest, but Moonbeam will want her saved and i do care about her. I really hope the Nightmare targets Moonbeam and not Starlight, as the former would make for a much more interesting dark side turn.
Finally we have a Enjin, not much t say other than really good set up for future events, and i like that its learning not to bum rush things this time around.
It seems to me that the Gidorah arc will be moving a lot of neutral, enemy, or out of picture characters to the good guys side. Between Sunset being possessed, whatever happens to Moonbeam, the fact that Iris will not be happy when she finds out about Sunset, and Starlight's sadly inevitable good guy turn, it seems this arc will do a lot of bolstering of the good guys forces before the real big bads show up.
>fallen knight
>king ghidorah is involved
I'm calling it, Kaiser is gonna show up in the next chapter. Ghidorah is like "HAHA MORE POWER 4 MEH" and then somehow MX returns and might fight alongside goji to beat ghidorah.
Okay, I gotta ask: what happened to King Caesar? How the heck did he travel forward in time?
Looks like things are going to be escalating in a very immense way very soon. I CAN'T WAIT!!!:D
Sombra's Portion
Caesar's Portion
Oh, now I'm sad.
Starlight's Portion
Wow, the Dark Side is quicker and easier. A hell of a lot more dangerous though.
Moonbeam's Portion
Aw, she's admitting she was wrong and now she's gonna take steps to fix what happened. Real talk; I like how, even though she was forgiven, she still wants to do something nice for Goji. That shows she's not only willing to admit when she's wrong, but is willing to apologize for it. It's a shame Starlight is probably going to ruin it (I have nothing against Starlight Glimmer, I just think she was a mediocre villain).
Ghidorah's Portion
Y'know, when you take the most iconic and terrifying Godzilla villain and give him psychic powers, I begin to wonder how they're going to beat him. But, either way, even though I admitted fault in thinking Ghidorah was evil for shits and giggles, it seems that there are things he does for shits and giggles. With the classic Godzilla rival battle fast approaching, I'm really excited for what's going to happen next.
Finale
So, Enjin's aura vision allows him to see the anti-changeling spells Tia put up. Now there's a hole in the ward, and the only Equestrian villain the heroes are aware is in play can get in. Also, Nightmare shows up. I didn't read the comics, so I don't have a lot to say.
Thoughts
With the way things are going, I can't help but feel that the grand finale is approaching. Then I remembered that the boss man said that there's probably another two years to go before he's finished. With, quite possibly, the most powerful malevolent Kaiju, after Bagan and the aspects, enacting some big elaborate scheme to overthrow the big bad and an opening for Chrysalis to get into Canterlot, what the hell is going to top that? You know, aside from the grand finale. Either way, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
A brilliant look into the life of Starlight. As a big fan of her, you've done her justice with engaging us in a really plausible explanation of the path that she would follow. It was really heart wrenching and has definitely got me hooked in. I can't wait to see how the others react to this and how everything works out.
Ghidorah is great as always and his air of 'majesty' is great to read. He's a rather fun antagonist. Overall, great chapter.
You know, Starlight coming across a notebook of Sombra's and being "lightly" corrupted by it as an explanation for both her not getting into Celestia's school and her developing the sort of spell that could drive the CMC to consider ponycide makes FAR too much sense.
I suspect that, when asked, GKG will have no problem spinning his encounter with Starlight into a shape Bagan would approve of. After all, having Ponies distrust Junior and not remember the Three Headed Arsehole's presence is entirely to his advantage. At worst, the Winged Sociopath will likely be chided for not cleaning up after himself.
Thank you for sharing one of my pictures bro.
Apparently Tarb, you and i have a common HC that Ghidorah is a fatalist.
Awesome chapter.
1. Learning where the spell that removes cutie marks came from was a surprise. What made you decide to fill in this blank?
2. KG finds a memory of interest, but it eludes him before he can get a good look at it? I was expecting his reaction to the memories he saw to be thinking of ponies as weak minded.
3. Enjin and the Nightmare have made their moves. The latter will undoubtedly be happy to play the waiting the game, especially since it waited this long before making another move.
4. The glimmer sisters reunite. This visit's outcome seems likely to end in a scuffle, thanks to KG's manipulation of Starlight.
5. The fight with KG is on the horizon. I wasn't expecting it this soon, but getting to the big event earlier than expected is always nice.
So now we know more of what happened with Ceasar, Amore and Sombra... and it looks like Enjin is up to no good again....
2 things..
First,I honestly hope someone makes some MLP animation puppets for the entire Bridge series sometime.The art is GREAT but being able to see the scenes done using the official MLP movement animations for the main characters and The Bridge characters to recreate the story in video form...would be EPIC.Forget Audio Reads that are done on YouTube sometime. this story needs a full fledged fanimation .
Second,when they get to Grogar...hoping he's like a Lich King Necromancer to be honest. As in Dead,Spirits,and Demons type magic. Because if he ends up just using more Darkness ill be disappointed. He has been hyped a lot as very evil, so having him as deadly as WOWs Lich King would be beautiful and that means more than regular undeads. Bonus points if someone blasts half his face away in desperation and he just grins and regrows it. If they can make Grogar terrifying as a villain and not just hype when he finally makes his appearance I will tip my hat to them.
Ill frankly be disappointed if he's nothing more than Sombra Plus....
I'm just hoping Sunset is able to get back to the Human version of the world in one piece and possibly reconnect with Irys.
hey when did Enjin posses Sunset, please give chapter number so I can reread
That gif at the bottom though... that's some good shit.
Good work on this!
8232999
Chapter 34: Review.
8233044
thx
8233918
Through the blood, yes.
Actually, he was referring to Mothra.
Half sister, Biolante.
8233944
No, it was Raiga. He mentioned females of his species. The only ones are Raiga and Biollante.
8233984
And Xenilla and Orga if we're gonna be technical.
8233989
Again, only females.
8233994
Fair enough, by the way did I offend you in some way?
8234009
No, I was just pointing out that Godzilla was only referring to the female members of his species.
Yo, bossman. I remember you mentioned that you scaled up the weight of the PR kaiju so they'd be able to stand a chance against the main cast. How much heavier are we talking here? IIRC, Slattern, the biggest out of the bunch, was 5,400 tons in the movie proper. Jr. the measuring stick for almost all kaiju in this series weighs 60,000 tons. In order for it to stand a chance, Slattern would have to be 54,600 tons heavier.
Edit: I was wrong. Slattern weighs 6,750 tons. That's still a pretty significant size difference though.
8234035
Right, my bad.
I'll be honest, I am trying to get used to this new update to the site. But I like this chapter non the less.
8222648
I wasn't the biggest fan of the colored text either at first, but it grew on me. Plus, it's easier to make out who's talking that way.
omg that dancing and the reaction off junior GOLD plus that swedish sining XD!!!!
8238059
If this were Meta or he originated on Terra, it'd make sense. Though it sounds weird that an alien who lives in a completely different culture with a unique naming system would use a derivative of a German word to address himself?
8238066
8238059
Thank you Ulti and to answer your question Temnizziv, how logical is it that Ghidorah calls himself an English word, "king" even before he so much as met a single human who spoke English? It's probably just a translated word from the language they're speaking (Xilian and whatever the heck kaiju speak) with "Kaizer" being what we read it as in translation given it's the closest sounding and meaning. I'm just sticking to the Toho names, don't think on it too much
8238082
Touche, though i wonder if perhaps Ghidorah never actually referred to himself as King until after he attacked Terra in modern times?
8238084
He did, both canonically and in Bridge. It' s just one of those plot convenience playhouse moments like why all the kaiju can understand each other or why the physics of them work the way they do. It's the equivalent to us not bothering with worrying on how the unicorn magic works on a biochemical level, it's just that way it is and thinking too hard on it is kinda pointless.
8238087
Alright, I'll just accept it. Not that it bothers me all that much.
Though I'm reading on your Sentry line blog. Ardent stabbed Chrysalis, didn't she?
I just had a really cool thought; what if Junior absorbed the power of the Alpha like Mirror!Junior? I think that would be all sort of awesomeness! Of course, I highly doubt it would be in the same circumstances but it would be cool to see happen.
8240099
Alpha? What's that?