In Which Much is Wrapped Up
Rarity walked into Canterlot Castle’s dungeon with her head held high. She wore the finest makeup, the glitziest jewelry, and the fanciest hat in her arsenal. She took a seat beside a dark, gloomy cell without looking inside.
Sombra shifted his bruised body. Chains clinked together. “Well?”
“Beg pardon, Darling?” Rarity said. She looked into the cell and spied the rumpled, deposed king. “Did you want me to say something?”
“You know who I am.” Sombra’s eyes glowed green in the darkness. “Why did you come?”
Rarity sighed. “To say that I’m sorry.”
Sombra’s eyes dimmed. “What?”
“I lie awake at night, asking myself how I didn’t realize who you are.” Rarity scuffed a hoof on the floor. “How I didn’t understand that my big, strong, noble Dark Shadow Lightning was really…”
Rarity met his eyes. “I am appalled at what I discover. I didn’t respect you.”
Her curl bobbed behind her as she shook her head. “I never paid any attention to you at all, not really. I was always concerned about what you meant to me. A pretty face to accompany mine to a party. A business partner to share fashion secrets with. Strong hooves to hold me tight. But I never concerned myself with who you were, or what you wanted, or what you did.”
Sombra opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
“And now I find that not only is my beau, my dream stallion, the Tyrant King of the Crystal Empire, he also sacrificed himself to allow Twilight Sparkle to proceed to Tartarus, in order that she could free Blueblood and in turn be freed of possession.” Rarity dabbed a handkerchief across her eyes. “Yes, that big, dumb lunk of a stallion did all that because he sought to make me feel better. Do you realize how conflicted I feel?”
Rarity shook her head. “There I go again, thinking only of myself. You are… simultaneously my worst fear and my greatest wish. How do you do it?”
Sombra shrugged. “I tried to please you. I have… decided to love you.” He dropped his chin to the floor. “If you will not have me, I cannot force it on you. I realize that you have no reason to trust me anymore, not with who I am…”
“I have grown enough to understand that ponies are capable of change, Sombra.” The name felt strange on her tongue. “The fact that you lied to me is far more hurtful.”
“You surprise me every day.” Sombra brushed his tangled mane out of his face. “Where does this leave us?”
“I don’t know.” Rarity bit her lip. “I honestly don’t know.”
She tapped a hoof on the ground. “How long is your prison sentence?”
“After my actions were explained?” Sombra did the numbers in his head. “A year, after which I am under house arrest for another year, after which I am under heavy parole for the rest of my very, very long life.”
Rarity smirked. “With an army ready to come down on your head if you decide to take over another kingdom.”
“Yes, with that.” Sombra chuckled. “I think my days of conquest are over.” He looked to the cold, damp floor. “Perhaps I’ll start my fashion design business again.”
“Perhaps you should.” Rarity leaned this way and that. “I’ll be happy to help.”
“You would?” Sombra shook his head. “Even after all that’s happened?”
“Especially after all that’s happened.” Rarity stood up as the guards came to escort her out. “I truly am sorry, Sombra. For everything.”
“I’m sorry, too.” Sombra stood up and bowed. “Until next we meet.”
“How does next Thursday sound?” Rarity asked. “I’ll be in town, and it’ll just be a short jaunt to the spacious and glamorous Canterlot Dungeon.”
They shared a laugh.
“This is the last of them?”
The guard at the helm of the prisoner-filled airship nodded. They were flying low over a green valley. A waterfall flowed on the far side, while trees of all shapes, sizes, and species grew below.
“You know the rumor is that these things came from the stars, just like the space aliens in your comic books. How nuts is that?”
“Super nuts.”
“So why are we supposed to drop them off in the middle of nowhere? Is there some sort of super-secret Tartarus-two we weren’t told about?”
“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
“Seriously?”
“Heck no. Nopony told me anything.”
The two guards yelped and grabbed their weapons as a bright light filled the cabin. A flowing, ghostly shape appeared. It danced around until it was between the guards’ spears.
“Is this the Iron Bird airship?” the ghost said.
“Um… Yeah?”
“Excellent. Then I assume you are carrying a payload of captured Nightmares?”
“That’s right.”
“Doubly excellent. Please give Celestia my good wishes.”
“We don’t normally speak with Her Majesty.”
“That is probably about to change very quickly.”
“Who are you?”
The ghost might have bowed. “I am Luscious, King of Living Dreams. This is our home, and we are very happy to receive our deviants back now that we have… facilities to hold them. Please remain calm as my people move the self-proclaimed ‘Nightmares’ to our holding areas. I’m told our appearance can startle newcomers, but be assured we are for all intents and purposes harmless.”
Luscious vanished in a puff of glitter. The guards looked at each other.
“Seems like a nice guy.”
“Sure does.”
There was quiet.
“Harmless. For all intents and purposes.”
“You need to pee as bad as I do?”
“Oooh, yeah.”
Twilight Sparkle stood in a circle of alicorns. They had rounded up all the ponies they could find whose magic would be powerful enough to perform her spell. Celestia and Luna stood to either side of her, their throats bobbing.
A Neverdead alicorn prince stood in the center of the ring, his head low, but his stance hopeful. Blueblood turned to Redheart, who smiled. It was a very, very nervous smile.
“Okay, we’ve got power, we’ve learned the instructions, we’re all set up.” Twilight Sparkle squared her hooves. “What could go wrong?”
She laughed. “I mean, aside from the spell messing up and turning Blueblood into a dead pile of bones, or bringing his flesh back but disappearing his bones, or changing him into a cactus—”
Celestia covered her mouth with a hoof. “Twilight. Please.”
“Trust in Trixie,” Trixie Lulamoon said. “My magical power is incredible. There’s no spell I can’t perform given enough practice!”
Flim Flimflam raised an eyebrow at her. “How much have you practiced this spell?”
“Not at all, since we only just learned it.” Trixie’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry, dearies,” Cup Cake said. “We’ll pop his body right back to normal, don’chya know?”
“No kiddin’,” Vinyl Scratch said. “With this much power, I’ll be surprised if we don’t just blow him right to the moooon!”
Blueblood’s bones chattered nervously.
“Chill it, guys,” Soarin said. “You’re gonna make him lose his nerve.”
“Everypony!” Twilight said. “Everypony! Just calm down and… and calm down! We need to start the spell right now. On my mark.”
She lit her horn and counted down. “Three… two… one… mark!”
Magic flittered all around as the alicorn princes and princesses of Equestria combined their powers to undo the curse on Blueblood. Without killing him, that is. That was the important part. Magic joined and flowed into his limbs. A tingling sensation ran through his bones, deep into his marrow, climbing up until it reached his horn.
Blueblood added his own part of the enchantment: A modification of his own “Come to Life” spell. He stretched his wings out as his whole body shimmered with power.
A gasping breath from Blueblood nearly caused Redheart to break her concentration.
The spell ended, the glow faded, and there was a dark spot where Blueblood was just standing a moment ago.
Lyra Heartstrings pouted. “Well, crud!”
The air flashed with an explosion, and an alicorn stallion burst out of its epicenter. He tumbled to the ground, a tangle of limbs and fur and feathers. Blueblood groaned as he picked himself up off the ground, brushed himself off…
And was promptly knocked back to the ground by Redheart’s loving tackle. “You’re alive!”
“As far as I know,” he said. He coughed black clouds of soot. “I hope I don’t have to go through that again.”
Redheart grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss.
Twilight Sparkle sighed. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Blueblood.”
Blueblood would have answered, but he was busy at the moment. The kiss continued in this manner for a while.
Celestia coughed into her hoof. “I think we’d best give them a little room. To catch up.”
“Quite.” Luna waved to the rest of the alicorns. “You have our thanks and Blueblood’s gratitude!”
She looked down at the prince, made a “hmm” sound, and turned back to the crowd. “His deep gratitude! Please join us for refreshments in Ponyville tonight!”
Twilight Sparkle shuffled her hooves. She walked close beside Celestia. “Is it time?”
“In a few hours,” Celestia said. “Your friends should be arriving soon.”
“So,” Celestia said, “here’s where we stand.”
Twilight Sparkle, Lyra Heartstrings, Braeburn Apple, Lightning Dust, and Captain Soarin bowed before her. Discord sat in a nearby wheelchair, his body covered with a wrap of gauze and bandages. All the ponies from the battle at Tartarus were present, as were a few close friends and relatives.
“You have all fallen to the Nightmares. You have all been possessed.” Celestia pressed her lips together. “Whether we like to admit it or not, that has made you all susceptible to future possession. It has made you vulnerable to similar manipulations in addition to those of the Nightmares. It makes you dangerous.”
She looked to her left, to where Luna stood. “However, that is not the whole of the matter. Much like my sister has been freed, you also were freed. Also much like my sister, you must not bear this burden of possible corruption alone.
“Each of you must have a pony who you will confide with on a daily basis. They will ask questions, you will give them answers. You will speak of any ill will you hold, and they will help you work through it. They will stand by your side unwaveringly.” She inclined her head. “They will keep you accountable.
“Because of the long-lasting nature of this situation—you will never be fully immune—I will ask for volunteers from those close to you. Who among you ponies is willing to stand by their side and share in the responsibility?” She looked down the line. “First, Lightning Dust.”
Lightning Dust walked forward. She turned to the crowd and gnawed her lip. “I don’t think—”
“’Ay! That’s us!” Artful Dodger pushed through the crowd, slipping various valuables into his oversized coat as he went. Ember and Amber walked behind him. They stood beside Lightning and puffed out their chests.
“Y’ didnae think ye could get outta oo’r help, didja?” Ember said. She fluttered her wings. “We’re yer family!”
Lightning scooped them up in a hug, though Artful tried to pull away. “Missed you guys.”
“Don’t forget about me!” Rainbow Dash said. “We’ve got a daily training regiment we’re starting ASAP. Sounds like a perfect time for a little ‘Q’ and ‘A’!”
“Very good,” Celestia said. “Soarin?”
Soarin couldn’t even step forward before he was swamped by Derpy and her daughter Dinky. Derpy hugged him close. “You’ve got a little explaining to do, stallion,” she sniffed. “You don’t call, you don’t write…” She choked out a laugh. “It’s good to have you back.”
He nuzzled her. “It’s good to be back.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna keep him honest, too,” Spitfire said. She walked up and punched him in the shoulder. “Can’t let the third-best flier on the team go bonkers again.”
Soarin grinned. “That’s truly touching.”
Celestia smiled. She pointed her horn at the next in line. “Braeburn Apple?”
Braeburn turned around. Pinkie Pie stood next to him. “How long’ve you been there, darlin’?”
“Not long enough,” Pinkie said before planting a quick kiss on his mouth. “Not by a long shot.”
Granny Smith trotted up, followed by Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Apple Bloom. “We’re gonna be hogtied before we leave an Apple high an’ dry,” Granny said. “Especially if’n he’s gonna be workin’ the farm!”
Celestia chuckled and sent Luna a wink. “I know somepony who’s gonna want to dance with you…”
“Hush,” Luna said. “Lyra Heartstrings? Do you have somepony?”
Lyra tapped a hoof. “Well, you know—”
“Heck yeah, she does!” Vinyl Scratch called out. She marched up and nudged Lyra in the gut. “This gal here ain’t gonna survive long in this world if I don’t stick close. Believe me, she’s had this coming.”
Lyra smirked. “You are simultaneously the coolest and most annoying friend, you know that?”
“Maybe I need to work harder,” Redheart said, wrapping her foreleg around Lyra and nuzzling her cheek. “I figured I can either outshine her in coolness or annoyance. Which is it gonna be?”
“Let’s shoot for coolness, alright?” Lyra chuckled. “Alright.”
Somepony cleared their throat. The three looked down to see Mandible rubbing his foreleg. “Hay,” he said. “I was kinda thinking… You saved my life, and I kinda helped save yours… and I’ve done the whole ‘evil soul-sucking monster’ bit, so I kinda know what it’s like… Mind if I hang with you sometime, Lyra? Swap stories. Keep each other in check…” He shrugged. “Get to know each other?”
Lyra grinned. “How can I say no to that?”
Vinyl made an officious cough. “And the award for weirdest bunch of friends in Equestria goes to…”
Celestia’s smile fell when she faced Twilight. “And Twilight…”
Twilight bowed her head. “Yeah.”
She felt a hoof on her shoulder. Her mouth fell open as she lifted her eyes. Flash Sentry gave her a small smile. “I forgive you for knocking me into the buffet table.”
Spike’s claws gripped her as the baby dragon skittered onto her back. “Don’t worry, Twilight. We got this.”
“Yeah, me too!” Rainbow Dash said as she glided across the room. “What? You didn’t think I was an exclusive confidante, did you?”
“Sure as shootin’ ah’ll be there right beside yah.” Applejack grasped one of Twilight’s shoulders and gave it a friendly shake. “We’re here for you, gal.”
“All of us,” Rarity said. She ran her cheek over Twilight’s. “To the very end.”
“An end that’s a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, llllooonnnggg time coming!” Pinkie bounced over. “And now you’re legally and morally obligated to spend time with us! Won’t that be spectacular?”
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Fluttershy said with a hug. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure you don’t relapse into a horrible, selfish, maniacal monster bent on the destruction of Equestria.”
“Thanks.” Twilight cringed, but her expression soon softened. “Just… thanks, everypony.”
Celestia sighed. She looked to the back of the room. “And finally, Discord.”
He snorted. “Looks like it’s just me and you, Celestia. I think my goose is well and truly—”
Fluttershy flew over and hugged him. He sputtered. “What are you—?”
“I’ll stay with you, Discord, if you promise me one thing,” Fluttershy said. “Try to be a good friend, okay?”
Discord’s ears drooped. “Of course I will. Of course.”
“I think that it would be a great disservice to my new friend not to also help.” Blueblood trotted up, adjusting his blue bowtie. “In the event that you ever get over your disgust of the cinema, perhaps you should browse the works of Shy Llama Long.”
Discord gaped. “But why would you of all ponies want to help me?”
“Was I or was I not your first attempt at making a new friend?” Blueblood lifted an eyebrow. “I have the feeling you are a being of great potential, once you learn to apply your chaos constructively.”
“I don’t even care that that’s an oxymoron,” Discord said. He laughed, then groaned as his chest muscles protested. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Blueblood stood by the train as he and Twilight Sparkle prepared to depart. They stood a meter away from each other, each alone with their thoughts.
“I remember the days when we could look each other in the eye when we talked,” Blueblood said.
Twilight laughed. Once. “I miss that.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you.” Blueblood tisked. “I’m sorry, too. For blowing up at the party. For not telling you the truth. Such a large part of this mess has me to blame. Me and me alone.”
“And I just led an army of Nightmares to bust you out of Tartarus and thus send Equestria into an eternal Nightmare.” Twilight nodded, a smile crossing her lips. “Yup. What you did is definitely worse.”
Blueblood gave her a sad smile. “At least you still have your sense of humor.”
“Only because I still have my friends.” Twilight fluttered her wings. “How about you?”
“I think I may have come out of this with more friends than before.” Blueblood looked over his shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Wishbone?”
Wishbone Fluorspar carried a briefcase full of insurance claims behind him. He grinned. “Want ride on new airship when Wishbone finishes it?”
“No thank you,” Blueblood said. “I think I’ll stick to my own two wings.”
“Suit yourself.” Wishbone stopped, gave Twilight a wink, and then bounded onto the train.
“Not to mention Mandible.” Blueblood walked beside Twilight down the train corridors toward her cabin. “Have you seen him around?”
Twilight shrugged. She looked at her ticket. “Last I saw of him, he was hanging out with Lyra and Vinyl. Here’s door number five.”
She slid the door open with a spell. Mandible the Changeling and Lyra Heartstrings lay inside, their forelegs wrapped around each other and their mouths pressed together.
Lyra popped up, her mane standing on end. She stared at Blueblood and Twilight for a long instant. “First of all, this isn’t what it looks like.”
Mandible waved at them with a dopey grin on his face.
She pointed a hoof at them. “Second of all, yeah, okay, this is exactly what it looks like. Third of all, privacy? Hello!”
She slid the door closed with a golden glow. The door opened again. “First joke about me really getting over my phobia of changelings gets thrown off the train at speed!”
Twilight stood still as the door closed again. She looked down at her ticket. “Door six. Right.”
“Well…” Blueblood pressed his teeth together. “Good for Mandible, I suppose.”
Bluemane sat on the balcony of the Blueblood suit. He surveyed the city as the lights came on little by little. “Night in Canterlot is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It always was,” Celestia said. “Though there was a time I didn’t notice.”
Bluemane nodded. “Lots of things don’t get noticed around the castle, don’t they?”
“Too often.” Celestia looked up at Luna’s Observatory, where her sister watched over dreams. “But sometimes we get a second chance.”
Celestia leaned close. “They’re having something of a celebration in Ponyville. An end to all this Nightmare nonsense. You should go and be happy for your son.”
Bluemane stood, his wooden leg thumping against the railing. “Will he welcome me?”
“It may take time to heal,” Celestia said. “But you should make the effort. Especially since it seems that you’ll have a new daughter-in-law before too long.”
Bluemane jerked his head up. “When did this happen?”
“Not quite yet,” Celestia chuckled. “But when you live as long as I do, you start to see patterns.”
Luna took a deep breath. She bowed to the ponies standing in a semicircle around her. “It is a pleasure to accept your induction into the newly-formed Dream Guard.”
She tapped her horn against the forehead of each pony she passed. “Lightning Dust, your assistance in the Battle of Tartarus proved your perseverance. Vinyl Scratch, your quick-thinking will be invaluable towards the defense of our little ponies.”
She stopped and gave the last pony a warm smile. “Granny Smith, there is none other I would rather have at my side.”
“Shucks, Yer Majesty,” Granny Smith said as she stood tall and proud, “ah’m right pleased to be able to finally help yah outta yer own mud hole.” She leaned close to the princess’ ear. “Now what say you an’ ah leave these two fillies in charge o’ the dreams tonight and head down to Ponyville for a good old hootenanny?”
“Hay!” Vinyl Scratch said. “I got friends down there, too! I got just as much right to be down there as you do!”
“So much for the proud Dream Guard,” Luna laughed. “Our duties as guardians of dreams do not start for another few hours. We shall all go to Ponyville and frolic.”
“Frolic with a particular stallion, hmm?” Granny Smith’s eyebrows danced.
Luna grinned. “Perhaps I will.”
“I’ll stay here,” Lightning Dust said. “I think I need to stay away from Ponyville for a while.”
“Nay!” Luna wrapped her foreleg around Lightning’s neck. “Rainbow Dash will be most sorely disappointed that her newest friend did not come! Not to mention Ember and the others.”
“Well…” Lightning Dust shrugged. “If you say so.”
“We do,” Vinyl Scratch said. “Believe me, we do.”
Fluttershy pushed a large wheelchair through downtown Ponyville. Discord sat in it, covered from head to tail-tip in bandages. He grumbled as she spooned applesauce into his mouth.
“That was very brave of you,” Fluttershy said.
“Don’t remind me.”
“You should be proud of yourself for having chosen the right decision.”
“Can I be proud of myself after I no longer ooze pain from every orifice?”
“No need to be a grump.”
“I am trapped in a body cast.”
“It could have been worse. Oh, and Celestia said you should only need it for a month or two. That’s wonderful for you to be able to heal that many broken bones so quickly!”
“How did I manage to break every bone except for the ones in my inner ear? The world may never know.”
“Angel Bunny was very excited to hear that you’d be staying with us that whole time.”
Discord’s eye twitched. “I can imagine.”
Pinkie gave the signal, and Neon Lights started the record.
The party filled the entire park. Braeburn and Big Macintosh had spent the better part of the day clearing out a section where Pinkie and Rarity could set up the tables, food, and the streamers. Soarin and Rainbow Dash collaborated to clear the sky. Luna paid special attention to the angle of the moon, and bathed the clearing with silver that complimented the gold from the firefly lanterns.
The dance floor was full for the entire night. Soarin and Derpy monopolized the slow songs. Vinyl taught Mandible a leprechaun jig. Luna grabbed Big Mac and swung him around like a wrecking ball every time the tempo picked up. Braeburn started up a square dance, which had all the dancers laughing when he and Pinkie pushed aside other dancers to be continually reunited.
Flash Sentry held a hoof out to Twilight Sparkle, and they danced a waltz. Before long, Rarity tapped his shoulder to ask to cut in. She and Twilight twirled away, leaving the guard to shake his head.
Celestia nudged Bluemane towards Blueblood. The aged stallion sucked in his stomach, squared his hooves, and spoke quietly with his son. A smile broke out across Celestia’s face as the two embraced.
Discord rocked back and forth in time to the music. He chuckled when Fluttershy joined in with the singing, and then wheezed as pain racked his bruised ribs.
Redheart nuzzled Blueblood’s neck. He nuzzled her back. He took her hoof in his, and led her in a magnificent dance around the party.
He stubbed her hoof, and she snorted with laughter.
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Well that's just a slightly creative interpretation of events. I suppose with the appropriate glossing over of the exact details they might even be able to officially let Shadowfright and Scorpan rightly take all of the blame.
Also, it's funny how right Sombra feels as a match for Rarity. Drama is Rarity, and he brings it in spades.
Oooo, the Living Dreams king. Neat.
You know, regardless of everything else that happened, at least they now have a whole pile of alicorns to call upon for doing things like re-fleshing Blueblood.
Thanks, Vinyl, that's very helpful.
Blueblood's Come to Life spell was a part of the cure for him? I love how neatly that ties everything together.
Ah dammit, so in the end Twilight really does get a thousand year banishment, even if it's fairly lightly applied? That's kind of... terrible. Extending from my comments about the possession last chapter, it feels like, well, making the victim serve the punishment for the crime (they literally just convicted a kidnapping victim of kidnapping, for example). I'm incredibly unimpressed that Celestia would participate in such a miscarriage of justice.
This really isn't the ending that I was hoping for.
Oooo, I really like the replacement of the court scene. It nicely ties up, well, everything! And in the end, the solution? Friendship (and a bit more than that for a few of them) is Magic.
You've mentioned this before, but I'd like to thank you for this. Too many people treat love as an emotion, a "feeling", as it were. So thank you for portraying it as an action, an intentional, purposed decision. "Feelings" are passive, fleeting, volatile. Something so intentional and active as love deserves a better name.
What a Twist.
(No, seriously, I would never have seen that coming. 
)
Please tell me that's an ambient effect of being near the "King of Living Dreams".
So... one of these showed up in his place?
Wait. Did I miss something? Because, last I heard, he had been atomized (if not ripped apart at the quantum level). Why would his chest muscles still be hurting after he reconstituted himself?
I'm gonna go check to see if I still have any lungs left. By laughing them up.
Ah knew it!
I guess I'll have to accept that answer.
So true. (Though I'm still somewhat partial to Twibra...)
It seemed to me to be more that she (and the rest of the Nightmare'd alicorns) are at greater risk for future attack from the Nightmares, so an eye is going to be kept on them; which, coupled with who the "eyes" are, doesn't seem very harsh at all.
Keep in mind that the Nightmares were using twisted versions of things that were already present in the hosts.
Thank you, MyHobby, for taking us upon this wonderful journey.
Until the next tale strikes, farewell.
5061704
Love is a verb, as the bards say. The world would be a better place if more people realized that things don't work out on their own, you've got to make them work. Giving your life for another, the greatest type of love, doesn't necessarily mean dying in their place.
Like Cadance, I could probably write a short essay on it.
It does my heart good to know there are people in the world who see how important and special love really is.
Hmm. Probably could have done with some foreshadowing, but there was always the question of what happened to the Nightmares that didn't rebel. Propter hoc, ergo sum.
One last typo to fix!
It's possible Discord is far more powerful than Shadowfright. It's also possible that the author is a lazy bum who didn't think that part through.
I was hoping that scene would get chuckles.
In the original first draft, Equestrian law dictated that anypony who committed treason against the country (such as, say, personally freeing an entire army of bloodthirsty monsters) was to be banished for a thousand years. To soften the blow, Celestia sent Twilight to the Everfree Forest, where she would live alone.
Except for the contingent of Guards led by Flash Sentry. And the friends who lived right next door and could visit anytime they wanted. And the Zebra just down the road.
In the end, there were too many questions that came up, too many plot holes that surfaced, and too many complaints that made total sense. I edited it to the form you just read, where we simply ignore any potential banishment and go right for the emotional closure. I believe what we have now is a far stronger ending.
You're welcome! Thank you for reading, and I'm glad you've enjoyed the story of Blueblood's Ascension!
When the next tale strikes, it shall hit like a thunderbolt. Or maybe a Wonderbolt.
Background Ascension's still going on, after all.
HE SURVIVED! YAAAAAY! I should've known you'd never kill of Discord. He's probably gonna need a while before he's back to full power, but still.
Yes, but what about BonBon?
Because it doesn't make sense?
You pulled it all together for a nice, solid end. A nice finish, though I was a bit thrown by the Dreams showing up as a counterpart to the Nightmares. Makes sense, conceptually, plus practically, with Tartarus utterly destroyed. The joke about Tartarus-Two reminded me of how, in comics and the rest, prisons like the Vault just keep being rebuilt even after they fail again and again.
But, forget that, congratulations on finishing this epic fic!
6329110
Myeah. As an author, it pays to point out potential issues amongst the characters before the readers can think of them. Helps to stave off the whole fridge logic aspect of reading.
I'm quite happy with how my first love polygon turned out, though it's got some rough edges. In the end, it's a good first effort, worth at least a gold star!
If it's any consolation, I wish I'd thought of that.
Sometimes, I feel like I should have spent more time on Cerberus. There's a lot of story potential there.
As for the fright magic, that's almost a real-life thing. Dog barks at a certain decibel level cause my heart to skip a beat. I'm terrified of dogs, though, so maybe that's just me.
We need more fanfics with musical numbers in them. I consider this my contribution to society at large.
Can't be helped, there's always some clown who thinks they own the place...
Ahem. Sorry about that one.
I tried to build that up a little as the story went on, with the mentions of there being other Living Dreams that didn't rebel with Shadowfright and Scorpan. I might have been too obscure, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Thank you and thanks doubly for leaving your thoughts! It was great to hear you enjoyed it.