Chapter 12 - It all comes to a Head
Me and mine stared at the cracked pink shield surrounding Canterlot.
When the NAT - Newvale Adventuring Troupe - had sent word back to me via Djinn about an upcoming Royal Wedding, I recalled the words Solaire and I had last exchanged.
That the wedding would play host to an invasion.
Moonfire's bit of information that he tacked on - That he recalled something about Chrysalis needing more love for her Hive, and was looking to Equestria - helped me put two and two together real fast.
To that end, I put out a call, saying that Newvale was going to gatecrash the wedding, and possibly raid the town of those that had wronged us if we could find them.
Almost all the town responded. Which wasn't good.
We needed people back here to keep the town running, after all.
To that end, the weather team was only allowed to give over half its members, Snow Fluff excluded.
Neither of the barstallions were allowed to come, because someone needed to run the inn, and we couldn't take both of them. And since neither could agree on who should go, I ended up cutting both of them out.
Didn't take the adoptive father or his filly.
Aboyami wanted to sit this one out, and I couldn't blame her.
Kajex, the pegasus who couldn't quite fly, also wanted to come, but I told him that until he mastered his strength, I would not take him with me.
The manticore opted out, and frankly, I couldn't blame him.
Amber also elected to stay behind, which was a good thing. Her and Lattice, the Venus Djinn she'd bonded with, were crucial to our mining efforts. Together they could find jewels like nobody's business.
ShiverSpine really wanted to come with, and I quickly ran out of excuses to use on him. Instead, I told him that as long as he stayed close to me, I would permit him to come.
Secretly I wanted to keep him and Celly as far apart from each other as possible, and would later tell him to play nice with the others. Once I found Celly, that is.
And...well, eventually I had to tell them that this was going to possibly be a damn combat op.
Common Grounds left then, saying that someone would need to run the court.
Others made their own excuses, and soon I had a much smaller group before me.
About a week of hiking through the terrain led us to here, staring at a faltering shield.
Eventually, it cracked, letting the changeling swarm in to ravage Canterlot.
I stared for a moment before I turned to the ponies that had followed me.
Ponies! I do not care for Canterlot. I do not care for the Princesses. In fact, the thought of returning here only filled me with sadistic glee. What I do care about is the fact that those damn changelings beat us to it!
There was a mumbling building up in the ponies.
I have often said I have a line, that I harm no ponies that do not deserve it, and the fact that you follow it fills me with pride. But these damn things are not ponies, and they damn well deserve it!
As the mumbling grew louder, I turned to watch the changelings as they attacked. Wave after wave swooped in and landed, did some damage, looked for potential targets, and either took off again, or reacted.
However, every fifty feet or so, hovering in the air, were changelings that did not move much. However, they watched, and moved their legs around as though they were maestros conducting an orchestra, and the changelings below followed. I knew what that meant.
Pegasi! Bring down that leadership!
They took off instantly, hopefully realizing what I did:
Without her relays, Chrysalis would have to control her entire swarm manually.
It's like she's a server, they're her routers, and the footsoldiers are all the computers linked in to her, I mused to myself. Any break in the chain effects the efficiency of the whole chain...
Two changelings fell. Then five.
Ten.
And then I heard the scream.
"PONIES DON'T FIGHT BACK AS WELL AS THEY DO! FIND WHATEVER IS GOING ON AND STOP IT!"
I would have smiled as the last of her leadership fell and the pegasi returned to me, landing in a nice little row.
Any fatalities on their side?
The pegasi, to a pony, shook their heads. "Nah, we made sure they were knocked out and laid 'em out on rooftops."
Injuries on ours?
The pegasi did a moment of self inspection and responded in the negative again.
Excellent. Now, we're probably going to have to fight off massive waves of changelings as we progress. Our target is the castle itself, because knowing her type, it's where she'll be. No fatalities allowed on their side, but injuring them? Perfectly fine. I expect it in fact. Just rein in your brutality.
With that being said, I swapped over to Mercury, and we entered the city, only to be met with a huge wave of changelings staring at us.
Oh I do not have time for this! Stand ASIDE! Froth Sphere!
A huge wave of water erupted from my sword and washed over the changelings, dragging them away from us and down the street, evaporating once the job was done.
As we progressed through the city, my entourage decided to test their powers on the various stragglers that would sometimes come up from the sides or behind us. And I am proud to say that we did not lose a single pony to the changelings.
I should know, every five minutes I stopped and used Reveal. It was, in fact, after such a check where I was making sure I wasn't falling into an obvious trap that we were attacked again, this time from above. It was almost as though there was a thick blanket of changelings covering us.
I merely sighed and raised my sword. Shine Plasma!
Multiple balls of lightning erupted out of my sword and tasered the changelings. They dropped, smoking and twitching around us.
Chrysalis got inventive, then, but we kept pushing her back. When she came at us from all sides on the ground, we huddled together, and I reworked Stone Spire and Quake Sphere into dealing with them. When she decided to stay out of range, but divebomb us multiple times, I whipped out my Searing Beam, and clipped one, sending it falling to the ground with its wings on fire.
She kept them well out of range after that.
Once we reached the actual castle, I parted from my company. I shall deal with this. You lot go about and save who needs saving. Or take who has wronged you and prepare them for transport. There is much to do and little time to do it in.
I stalked the halls, slowly hearing the complaining growing louder and louder.
"This cannot be, we trounced those ponies effortlessly, and this small group is fighting back! What are these powers they have? How are they able to push us back with such ease? Find them! Capture them! Interrogate them! STOP THEM!"
Yeah good luck with that, I gave them orders to never travel too far from a Jupiter Adept with Reveal. Plus we have a passcode, one that you won't be able to imitate.
Following the stringent complaining led me to an altar. Or what had once been one.
Chrysalis had clearly started here. Changeling goo covered the walls erratically.
Standing off to the side, under guard by a few drones, were the Mane Six, along with a pink alicorn. I mean, seriously pink. She looked like a bloody flamingo.
Note to self - ask if she eats a lot of shrimp.
Double note to self - ask if Pinkie does too.
By process of being the only damnable bug-pony in the room large enough to be considered a leader, the black insectoid looking horse at the altar must be Chrysalis.
No clue who the white unicorn stallion with the blue mane was, though.
Looking towards the ceiling showed me an unwelcome sight.
Celestia in a changeling cocoon.
Moonfire had explained how changelings operate.
The most common method was the replacement method. You ponynap someone, turn into them, and feed off their loved ones. Meanwhile, the original is back at the hive, cocooned. Your fellow 'lings turn into their loved ones and feed off their love for them, slowly eating up everything they are. At that point, they have the option to either drain them to death, or turn them.
Celestia being in a pod meant that the changeling queen wanted to feed off of everything that made her unique and powerful, so that she could add it to her own.
Not today.
As I stomped into the room, all eyes turned to me.
You tend to draw attention when you're a giant animate suit of headless armor, I've noticed.
"Are you the reason my incursion is being disrupted?"
Holy shit that voice. I can't think of a more obvious tell that someone is evil, even in sparkly magic pony land.
Are you the reason my gatecrashing was pre-empted?
She seemed slightly taken aback that I responded. Or that I could respond. Or my flippant attitude. Hard to tell.
"Gatecrashing?"
Yeah, essentially, I was gonna show up, wreck the party, be all 'I OBJECT BECAUSE OF YOUR FAT FLANK, CELESTIA!' and show the nobility that you don't need to be a unicorn to be awesome, as the ponies outside are demonstrating.
She hissed at that. "So they are yours, and your fault. You will call them off or I will-"
I decided to cut her off then. Yeah, no. I told them to go have fun, and I'm not about to rescind that. And do you want to know why?
Before she could actually answer, I cut her off again. Spite. You're doing what I wanted to. Also, I may not care for Canterlot or the ponies here, but I will be DAMNED if I will let those that think they are monsters run amok! Do you even know who I am?!
She hissed again at me. "Why should I care? I sense no love in that chestplate of yours. I cannot use you, and you are standing in my way. I will have all the time to learn about you when you're dead."
Ma'am, you're fifteen hundred years too late for that. I am the darkness, the elemental wraith, he who scares ponies into behaving. I am the monster other monsters fear. I am the monster your mother told you stories about to make you wary at night.
I drew and leveled my sword at the bug-horse, and then I felt something...change inside.
I turned and faced Celestia's pod, pointing my sword at the part where it connected to the ceiling. Activating my Fulminous Strike for a moment was enough to cut her down. She impacted the ground with a thud behind me, and the ponies called for their princess. I looked back at Chrysalis, and she was sneering at me.
"You think freeing that old nag will save you? I will still wreck you for your insolence."
I turned back to face the bug-horse, realizing she was still the greatest threat.
I am Dullahan, the shadow, the protector of the light. If you desire the sun's power...
I held my sword to the side for a moment and activated my Fulminous Strike again.
THEN SHOW ME YOUR OWN!
The lightning impacted the wall next to the changeling queen. She looked at the scorch mark, looked at my sword, looked at where my head should be, looked back at the scorch mark, back at me, and did some numbers in her head.
That was when she laughed, and through the windows, I could see the horde of changelings homing in. I had an option, and I hoped it worked.
Djinn Storm!
The waves of light erupted from me, washing over the changelings - and funnily enough, only the changelings.
They fell instantly, and Chrysalis screamed in pain.
"How did you do that?! They're drained! I'M drained!"
I pointed my sword at the unicorn standing next to her, finally realizing that the glassy look in his eyes was the cause of some sort of spell on him. Break!
A jet of blue sparks emitted from the stallion, and after he shook his head and opened his newly-cleared eyes. "Is the wedding over?"
Chrysalis growled at me. "Despite this scrap heap's interference, it's ALL OVER! Canterlot is MINE! All that remains is to oust him and his!"
Twilight saw her chance. Or more accurately, she saw the pink alicorn's chance. "Go to him! Hurry!"
The stallion looked out the window and was dismayed. "No! How could this have happened?"
The alicorn sidled up to him and put a wing on his back. "There is still time, love. Perform your spell."
"And what good will THAT do? My changelings already roam free!"
Indeed, the stallion's horn sparked a few times, but nothing happened. "I've been drained too much...I just don't have the strength."
"My love will give you strength," the alicorn rejoined, causing the changeling queen to laugh.
"What a lovely, but foolish, sentiment." She fired a few bolts of magic at me, and I held up my shield. They bounced off, into the ceiling, leaving a few scorch marks.
That was when I had enough of this bitch, and ran at her, tackling her through the window. My weight bore us down, and she screamed something, probably about how she demanded release. Or to be released. Hard to tell with that much wind whipping past and stealing her voice.
She managed to squirm free just as I impacted the ground. The dust cloud hid me for a moment, and I heard her laugh.
"That foolish pile of metal! He wrecked himself just to buy the ponies a few moments, so that they could say their prayers!"
Thanks for telling me where you are, bitch, I thought to myself. I swung my sword, activating my Fulminous Strike and bringing it across where I'd heard her voice emanating from.
Her scream of pain was delicious.
"HOW CAN YOU STILL BE ALIVE AFTER A FALL LIKE THAT?!"
I am neither living nor dead, I walk the line between the light and the dark. You have challenged me, and I answer all challenges with no less than my full mettle!
The dust finally cleared, and Chrysalis was glaring at me. The feeling would have been mutual, but, no eyes.
Now I call upon the ferryman, he who escorts the dead across the river Styx...
I finally recognized the voice. It wasn't mine. It wasn't me. THIS wasn't me! Killing wasn't my style! CHARON wasn't my style!
I shook violently a few times, trying to regain control, and then the wave of pink impacted me.
It triggered something inside me again.
Mom. Dad. Jenny. Richard. My...old life. My home.
And as I was remembering my life, I remembered something else.
Wait a tic. That's right! Time doesn't have to be a constant! Time isn't a river! It can change, it's malleable, save for fixed points!
I could go back!
And then I sobered and asked myself the crucial question.
How? My powers wouldn't allow for it. None of mine could possess the strength. Nor could I turn back to my old self. Psynergy just wouldn't do it. The only way back would be to...
I watched the changelings get tossed aside, realizing that a plausible answer to my questions...was the one I'd been antagonizing all this time.
And then there was an explosion on Mt. Canterlot.
One that I could feel.
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so dullys joined the voices in my head party? what a riot that party is.
notes of the chapter (for the people who "aint got time for that")
-the main point of the raid by dull was to troll the royalties
-it so happened to be in lined with the Chyrisalis invasion
-Dully was acting like a true bad-flank
- Dully's title is getting old cause everyone now dismisses it like the team rocket intro
- Dully's consciousness is now divided into a true master of darkness and Charon (who practically wants you to go to hell)
- there is a way to return to earth as Dulls former self as a human
i really do enjoy this story, keep up the good work friend.
Wait, what?
Celestial could send him back?
Also. . . First post!
4041794
Keep in mind:
He has yet to ask her.
Dullahan shouldn't have said to grabbed those that wronged them because now Dreamer is going to want to grab Celestia and/or Twilight Sparkle... XD
Still, bad ass chapter but I still hope he stays in Equestria to fight Celestia instead of going home...
4041860
Y'all are jumping the gun a wee bit.
He ain't asked yet.
And that explosion at the end will add a bit of a plot twist to it.
Oh, shit someone from the Golden Sun universe has shown up, haven't they? Dear god, for everyone's sake let it not be Alex.
BTW, I'm kinda wondering how many chapters you have planned after this. After all, we still have our three Changeling OC's that haven't joined the group yet to show up. And then there's whether or not everyone will have a named Djinn. Also, there's what Celestia has to offer Dullahan, though if it was mentioned what that was, I missed it.
Anyway, looking forward to where this is going, as like your other work, I still have no idea where this is actually heading.
4041874
Ya still got a few OCs to join in on the fun(poor Ribbon). never the less it was a great chapter as always.
I wonder what blew up? Because the explosion happened AFTER the love wave so what's left to explode? Poor Dully. Fire and explosions just seem to follow him wherever he goes, even when it's not his fault.
4042048
There is a purpose behind this explosion.
It's eerily similar to the one at the start of the first game in the series.
There's a way for him to go home. Well let's see how his friends and family will react to a talking suit of armor that has no head.
static.fjcdn.com/large/pictures/02/d0/02d088_844162.jpg
I wonder… where was Cross? You'd think he'd have gotten first class tickets on the hype train for this one. Meh, he's probably cutting up as many as he can. Now, the problem is… WHAT HAPPENED TO DULLY?
Ah darn it, Phalanx missed the wedding, oh well at least it saved him from a headache of a family reunion in Canterlot.
Pity my oc didn't want to join the raid. That or he became one of the background ponies in the small group.
4042430 you don't honestly think you can jump into another being's body without the original soul attempting to regain control do you?
*sits back and waits* i wonder when there will be a chapter call "wheres your head at?"
When dullahan gets back, they will either encounter a pile of sleeping drunks or Newvale burned to the ground. At least, if Flowing gets everyone drunk enough that is.
I have to ask, will you be doing classes? I imagine that the whole elemental cross contamination business with the Djinn might make things a bit difficult to keep track of, but but such things can have benefits, although I doubt you will have enough Djinn to go round under the circumstances.
Earlier, Dullahan used psynergy to mark that dragoness for the Reaper/Death. Now he mentioned using it to call Charon, the Ferryman of the Dead. As far as I can tell, they do the same thing. What is the difference between the two "spells"? Or when he summoned the Reaper did you actually mean to summon Charon?
4041864
I know he hasn't been asked yet, but his current mind set seems like he would go home now if he had the chance.
Course, that might change once he finds out who's offering it.
Furthermore, if Dreamer can't get his hooves on Celestia or Twilight Sparkle (He he will damn well try hard for) then he'll probably take his parents since they've been unsupportive of his entire life, blaming him for all of their problems, and practically ruining his child hood.
I'd like to see a few of the character's court cases that'll go on. :P
4042061 Wait a minute, that kind of explosion!? That level of explosion!? Whether you're talking about the Mt. Aleph Boulder or the Sol Sanctum Eruption I think Dully's gonna need some help with this one. And I don't think he's going to like who he has to get it from.
And on the subject of a chance to go back home, I'll be honest, if I was in Frank's position, I'd stay in pony land, alternate personality be damned. How often in our own human lives do we get not only a clear purpose but unfathomable power to go with it? Sure I might miss my friends, family, and home, and all the other technological pleasures of this modern age, but to trade being a mighty being with godlike powers to go back to being another cog in the machine of modern society? No freaking way.
Then again, it's Frank's (and your) choice, not mine. I look forward to the future.
4042840
Not to mention the fact that he has been imprisioned for over 1000 years. Back home, everyone he ever knew is long dead.
4042883 Yeah, but it mentions there might be a way to go back not only to his own dimension, but back in time as well. But like I said before, I still wouldn't take it.
4042707 Charon isn't like the Reaper, BOTH the author and you must get your Greek mythology right. No offence.
4043256
HEY! I take offense to that!
I KNOW the difference between the two.
Charon is the skeletal ferryman of the river Styx that separates the land of the living from the land of the dead.
The Reaper is more of a modern fear of death itself personified.
The similarities between the two tend to allow people to draw the incorrect conclusion that they're one and the same.
Though I won't doubt one probably influenced the other.
4043256 I agree with you.
4043256
Looking back at it, I phrased that comment incorrectly. I know very well that they are two COMPLETELY separate beings, and that was why I was confused. If I thought they were the same being, then I would have therefore saw nothing wronged and never would have mentioned it. What I actually meant was...
As far as in-game effects go, both spells, as far as this story has implied, result in instant defeat of any opponent. Is this actually what both spells do? If not what is the difference between the in-game effects of these two spells? Is there a specific reason why you used the spell to summon Death on the Dragoness, yet any other time an instant Death spell is mentioned, it is always the spell to summon Charon?
Personally, the Greek religion and translated Greek stories are some of my favorite things to learn about. I Apollo-gise for the terrible wording of my previous comment. I will not, however, Apollo-gise for my puns.
4042669
Meh Snow Fluff wouldn't let the town drink itself into destruction... or he'd of napped through it hehe.
Also with the weather team staying behind town burning at all could be a tough one to pull off. Dully would "lose his head" at that. Hehe lame over done joke
Oh question on Djinn!
Can they walk on clouds?
One talked previously, can more and of what type? Are only jupiter djinn the talkable type?
4044563
Jupiter Djinn are more likely to talk, as Jupiter has access to Mind Read.
They're all equally likely, but the fastest way to get them to talk to you is to bond with them.
And I'd say Mercury Djinn could walk on clouds in some capacity, if they found their way up there.
Jupiter, definitely, but definitely not Venus, and probably not Mars.
4044615
Interesting and awesome.
Super fast response too hehe
4044531 Flowing could. He would find a way to replace the water in the clouds with pure alcohol, so that it rains fire.
4047094
Seems reasonable
I have to say it ... I'm sorry everyone ... IT LOOKS. LIKE YOU WONT BE GETTING A-HEAD IN LIFE ... kill me
4041794 Here's a note. Failure! Not first post! Suck it.
Personally, I would've used Odyssey on her just to make it epic.
hay how is the next chapter doing MOAR
4064269
Life happened.
I'll try and have one out soon.
Probably.
4064337
hay have you looked at the mail i sent you. i am was it and i am also creating a back story could you look at what i have sent you and tell me if i would be any good
4064337 is your avitar just firefox redone because i think it looks cool and i am using fire fox
yo thadeyus are you their
That's still kinda racist.
Why not just ask Discord all those years ago? He gained understanding, so he should have known how to. Instead, you had to squash some bugs instead.
Oh my, a sexual pun? That is terrible by the way, but I can see this happening
iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/mlfw8393-I_can_clop_to_this.gif
His anger... It reminds me of the Blood Angels Death Company... Friendly bunch... Oh what am I saying?! Those fuckers are so fucked up their epic! I mean their so fucked up their sent in on the missions no one comes back from fucking finish it... I mean they have to die afterwards by their battle brothers hands but it needs to happen... I mean, who else makes those Damned green skins run away in fucking terror as the wounds that should kill don't affect the Death Company!... Fucking Badass's right there...
Their differerences become clear.
Two paths,
one through hidden barbs,
one laced with honey-covered grass,
now they grow distant.
Beware,
for a person hiding in darkness can lose their way,
broken between the dawn.
We shall read on.
Ha
Why does he keep emphasizing the 'not pony' bit? It would be just as simple to say 'the changelings deserve to be attacked for being aggressors'. The speciesism is getting irritating.
Okay, seriously, why is he emphasising that it's okay to attack non ponies only? That's specieist.
And last time the djinn storm worked in ponies, but this time it didn't? Why?
I hope Chryssie kicks his chest in.