Chapter 8. Hostile Negotiations
The reception was frozen, all parties staring silently at the two most powerful beings present. One victorious, the other defeated.
Scholar and Celestia both bore stone-cold facades. Scholar’s was determined, Celestia’s was solemn.
They stared into each other’s eyes silently, until at last...
“What do you want, Scholar?” Celestia asked quietly.
“I already told you my long-term goals,” He said emotionlessly. “But I do have a new short-term,” His eyes narrowed viciously. “The Lexicon, Celestia. Now.”
Celestia opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “Before you try and lie to me about where it is, allow me to remind you that I ran out of patience centuries ago. The only valuable answers are yes and no. Lie, and the Twins go to work.”
The red golem chuckled sadistically from where he was floating, twirling the huge sword as though it were weightless. “Yeah. Please, test us! Do it, and you’ll end up with half a student.”
Twilight whimpered in fear. ‘This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening-!’
“Woah woah woah, hold up Null!” Nix interrupted. “I didn’t agree to this!”
“What!?” Null whipped around and glared at her. “The plan was that if Celestia refuses to cooperate, we make the brat go bye bye! Are you getting cold feet!?
Twilight looked up at her captor, hope in her eyes. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.
“Hell no! I’m with you, I want to make her suffer!”
Then again, maybe not.
“My issue is with your means of dispatching her!” Nix’s hand lit up in flames again. “I want to immolate her, burn her alive nice and slowly, not just slice her up!”
“Wh- are you- URGH!” Null jerked the hand holding the sword. Somehow the huge blade was sucked away into his palm and out of sight. He wheeled around and looked down at Scholar. “We’re gonna need a minute.”
Scholar waved his hand casually. “Go ahead, I’ve got a feeling we’re going to be here awhile.”
“Good.” Null turned around and zipped up right next to his sister. “Nix, what the hell are you playing at?!”
“Me? What about you! The way you go on and on about cutting her up, oh please!”
“And what’s wrong with that!?”
“Burns are clearly superior to blades, duh!”
“I-are you out of your mind!? Nothing surpasses slitting a person’s throat! Blades!”
“Wrong! Charring the flesh off bones will never be beaten! Burns!”
“Blades!”
“Burns!”
“Blades!”
“Burns!”
Celestia groaned and facehoofed. “Scholar, this is insane! Please, make them stop.”
Scholar nodded in agreement. “Absolutely.” He looked up at them. “Nix! Null! You are being incredibly rude!”
“Sorry boss!”
“Immolation and bisection, shame on you!” He admonished. “Those means of execution are far too mundane! Be creative!”
“Yes boss!” They chorused.
Null flicked his hand, and from out of his palm shot a very large red syringe. “Exsanguination!”
Nix’s hand became covered in an icy green fog. “Frostbite!”
A large red ax. “Decapitation!”
Green lightning. “Electrocution!”
Celestia gave the grinning Scholar the evil eye. “That is not what I meant.”
“Don’t care! This is hilarious!”
“Hilarious!? They’re terrifying her!”
“As I said...”
“Uuuurgh...” Celestia shook her head in defeat. “You still know how to be obnoxious when you don’t like someone.”
Scholar became solemn again. “Two thousand years in the deepest darkest hole ever constructed doesn’t leave a lot of room for personality change.”
A tinge of sadness entered Celestia’s eyes. “Scholar...”
“Save it.” He cut her off. “I believe you were going to try and convince me to not utterly destroy you, hm?”
Celestia glanced at the crowd that was watching them fearfully. “Fine. But can we at least relocate to the throne room?”
Scholar slowly grinned ferally. “So you want some privacy, eh?”
The solar monarch paled, realizing her mistake. “Scholar, please-!”
He glanced at Chrysalis, still grinning. She smirked in return, her eyes momentarily flashing green. Then...
“OW! Get OFF of me you damn-!”
“When Ah get a hold of you, Ah’m gonna buck you straight over my barn!”
“Oh! P-please, e-excuse me...”
“This is not how you handle a lady!”
“WHEEE! Crowd surfing!”
“Ouch! Get off of me, you damn dirty insect!”
And without further ado, the remaining free Elements and Spike were shoved into the clearing in the crowd.
“Greetings, nuisances!” Scholar said gleefully.
“Ah, go buck yerself.” Applejack scowled.
“Darling, language!”
“Rarity, no offense- OUCH! YOU ARE GOING TO EAT HOOF, LARVA-BREATH! Urgh, we are way beyond that point,” Rainbow Dash growled.
“HA! What tipped you off, dweeb?” The pegasus’ jaw dropped as Gilda stomped up to them, grinning predatorily. “The point when I totalled the Wonderbolts in ten seconds flat?”
Coincidentally, ten seconds flat was how long it took Rainbow Dash to regain her speech“ GILDA!? Wh-why the hell are you with him!?”
“What, a griffon can’t get some new friends? Talk about being a hypocrite!”
“Hmph! Indeed!” Trixie concurred as she trotted up alongside Gilda. “It’s no surprise that Trixie was able to show up such an uncouth ruffian!”
“You no good varmint!” Applejack growled. “I ain’t even surprised a bottom-feeder like you hooked up with these no-good changelin’s.”
“Oh please, like you’re one to talk! Hello, Appaloosa called, it wants it’s unseemly headwear back!”
“Why I oughta-YEOWCH! Watch it ya hard-shelled sack a’ manure!”
“Heh, Iron Will believes that you won’t be doing anything for awhile,” The minotaur chuckled. “Not while we have you.”
Fluttershy paled considerably at the sight of the huge being. “I-Iron W-W-Will...” She whimpered.
“Hmph.” He snorted derisively. “Still a doormat, hm? It really is a good thing you didn’t pay Iron Will.”
Celestia blinked in shock. “Wait, you all know these individuals?”
Rarity nodded hesitantly. “I-indeed your highness. Each of these ruffians has come to Ponyville on previous occasions, each bringing their own brand of trouble! But...we had no idea that they were associated with...him!”
Scholar raised an eyebrow at the trio. “Oh? And why were you three gallivanting around in their backwater, rundown, poverty-ridden-”
“We get it, you don’t like us!”
Trixie huffed arrogantly. “Trixie went to that two-bit shantytown because she heard that ‘her glorious solar majesty’-”
“You know that I neither ask anybody to call me that nor does anybody call me that, correct?”
“Button it! Anyways, Trixie heard that your apprentice was no longer surrounded by twenty-four seven guard, wards and six-foot thick walls, so Trixie thought she might as well take her chances and level the playing field a bit however she could!...next thing she knows, an Ursa Minor is knocking at her door and ends up making her homeless.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled mockingly. “Yeah, showed you! Hehehe-hurk!” She was cut off by the silver aura gripping her throat.
Trixie growled furiously. “Middle of the night, half asleep, and still keeping her true abilities under lock and key! The Enraged and Frankly Pissed Off Trixie would love to see you do better!”
Scholar coughed to grab her attention. “Um, Trixie? We already have a good hostage. Mind letting her go? She’s looking blue...er.”
Trixie snorted angrily and released the Element’s throat, leaving her to hack and wheeze.
Iron Will chuckled. “While Iron Will appreciates the enthusiasm, you have to admit it was somewhat half-assed.”
Trixie rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, and your little scam went perfectly.”
The minotaur shrugged indifferently. “Hey, at least Iron Will got the scent for Cerberus in the end.”
“Which failed!”
“How was Iron Will supposed to know that the Discord-dog liked belly rubs?!”
Scholar chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, Cerberus is a real softie when you’re nice to him. Strangers he chews, friends he licks,” He sent a smirk at Celestia. “People who slap mind-control collars on him, he mauls.”
The alicorn swallowed heavily. Powerful she might be, the anti-magic mutt was still a nightmare made real.
“Anyways,” He said, turning to the golden griffon. “What about you, Gilda?”
Gilda froze momentarily. In a moment of weakness, she momentarily glanced at Rainbow Dash before staring straight ahead. “Same as Trix. The most powerful and important pieces in Celestia’s kingdom? How the hell could I refuse?” She snapped her fingers in mock realization. “Oh, wait! Now I remember!” She jabbed a talon over her shoulder at Pinkie Pie who’d been gleefully using her a nearby Changeling as a mirror. “The pony that acts like she’s on a permanent lightning high!”
Rainbow Dash jerked against her captors trying to throttle the would-be Stormknight. “You rainbow-huffing feather-brained trai-!” She cut herself off when a gold-lined wing snapped itself beneath her chin, crackling with energy.
Gilda narrowed her eyes venomously at her. “Do you seriously want to test me?”
“Gilda! Again, we have a hostage!” Scholar intervened. “And unlike the ham-winged way you’re going about things, Nix and Null are handling her properly!”
“Draw-and-quarter!”
“Poison!”
“Skinning!”
“Pure magic overload!”
Twilight was shivering uncontrollably in fear in Nix’s grasp. Finally, she regained enough sense through her panic to use her magic. Her horn lit up, preparing her teleport-
ZAP! “YEARGH!”
Right until Nix grabbed her horn with her free hand. Twilight yelped in pain as green energy danced over her body.
“Oooh, nice try purple!” Nix taunted, a smirk obvious in her voice. Twilight whimpered as she was hauled up by her neck so that the golem could stare her in the eye. Her tone suddenly became deadly. “But futile.”
“Hehehe,” Null chuckled ominously as he flew up close to her. “Yeah. Let us give you a little history lesson.”
“Scholar made us to be his go-to golems. In Concordia, we were the Pimp Hands of God.”
“Right Hands, damn it!”
“We’ll call ourselves whatever we want to be!” Null returned. “Anyways, we were his enforcers.”
“And as such,” Nix continued. “We had to be able to take down any opponent whatsoever, make sure that they couldn’t resist us.”
“For me, he gave me pocket dimensions in my hands,” Null flicked his hand again, withdrawing a huge hammer which he swung around effortlessly. “With my arsenal, there’s no physical opening I can’t exploit, no defense I can’t break through.”
“And he gave me pure energy control,” Nix said, lighting her free hand up. “So not only do I have a variety of energy-based attacks and spells literally on hand, but I can undo any magic easily. Spells? I cancel. Barriers? I shatter. Basically, anything you try? Doomed to failure. Got it?”
Twilight nodded silently, shivering the entire time.
“Good. Now, where were we?”
“Magic overload.”
“Oh, right! Drowning!”
“Branding!
“P-please...” Twilight whimpered. “J-just let me-!”
“Quiet!”
“We’re discussing how to best slaughter you!”
“As such, this conversation doesn’t concern you!”
Fluttershy shivered in fear as she listened to the horrifying conversation. She looked up at Scholar with big watery eyes. “P-please mister Scholar, can’t you just get them to be a bit more gentle? I-if it’s not too much trouble.”
Scholar stared at her for a second before cupping his chin in thought. “Chrysalis, how should I handle this? Above her by way of ‘talk to the hand’ or direct with a simple ‘screw off’?”
Fluttershy’s eyes wavered with unshed tears. “P-p-please...”
Scholar shrugged indifferently. “Ah screw it.” He stuck his hand in her face. “Talk to the hand.” He then moved the fingers up and down like a mouth, muttering ‘screw off’ out of the corner off his mouth.
Fluttershy swallowed heavily. “I-I’m s-sorry...I d-didn’t want to...”
Scholar blinked in confusion before turning to look at her. “What are you-?” He cut off as he caught sight of Fluttershy.
Of her eyes.
They were...pissed!
She flared her wings and broke past the changelings holding her, flapping right into his face, looking him right in the eyes. “Tell those mean golems to let go of Twilight, then take your mean changelings and your mean friends and go away!” She said forcefully.
Scholar could feel it.
Dread, despair, misery. All life as he knew it, pointless.
And rage, such inestimable rage! Flowing into him!
It was like staring into the face of a vengeful god!
It was like staring into the depths of hell itself!
It was...it was...!
So very very very boring.
Scholar yawned casually. “Is that the best you got?”
Everyone watching who knew what the Stare was dropped their jaws in shock. Fluttershy especially faltered. “H-h-HURK!”
She was cut off by Scholar engulfing her throat and crushing her windpipe with his hand. “Because seriously,” He smirked viciously. “That’s just pathetic.”
Celestia paled beneath her coat. “Scholar-!”
“Whaaaat?” Scholar asked casually. “I’m just saying that her ‘look of death’ needs a bit of work is all! Is that so much to ask? Saaaay,” His smirk grew to positively feral proportions. “Maybe I should give her a little demonstration, hmm?”
“Scholar, please, I’m begging you!” Celestia pleaded desperately. “I’ll give you the Lexicon, I’ll give you every artifact in the vaults, just don’t do it!”
“Mmm...nope!” Scholar exclaimed. “I am going to show her how it’s done! It’s a matter of pride!” He turned back to the shivering Fluttershy. “Now then...” He leaned in close, face to muzzle with her, her terrified eyes staring into the discs of light that were his glasses. “You’re going to feel a slight tingling sensation...followed by most of your senses shutting down from pure, unadulterated fear.”
Before anyone could move, his free hand was at his glasses and he’d lifted them onto his forehead, staring into Fluttershy’s eyes unabated.
Rage.
Fire.
Power.
Pain.
Wrath.
Burning.
Burning.
Burning.
Fluttershy was shivering uncontrollably as though in the middle of a seizure, foam dripping from her mouth as she stared into the supernovas that were Scholar’s eyes.
“FLUTTERSHY!” The rest of the Elements cried out.
“LET HER GO!” Rainbow Dash cried out, struggling against her changelings.
“Scholar, enough!” Celestia cried out, all but crying.
Scholar held the stare for a second more before shrugging indifferently. “Fine, fine, whatever. He slipped his glasses back on and dropped Fluttershy. She lay on the ground, shuddering frenziedly. He chuckled as he looked down at her. “Ah, nothing like giving out a healthy dose of existential despair!”
Gilda whistled appreciatively as she watched the pony all but have a stroke. “Neat. Any chance of me trying some of that?”
“Depends, do you want to feel your soul crushed in the icy yet infernal hands of a wrathful god?” Chrysalis asked sarcastically.
“...”
“Gilda?”
“I’m thinking!”
“That does not fill me with confidence.”
“HEY!” Scholar raised an eyebrow as a pink pony bounced up and glared at him through his glasses. “That was really mean! You’re nothing but a big fat party-crashing meanie!”
The human smirked at her mischievously. “Yes, yes I am a meanie.” He brought his hand up to his glasses. “Do you want to see just how big of a meanie I can be?”
Pinkie froze for a moment before swallowing heavily. She plastered a nervous smile on her face. “How about instead we see how the comic relief are doing? Guys?”
Nix’s hands were lit up like an emerald barbeque again, Null was holding a very big red spear, and Twilight just looked sick.
“You already suggested immolation you moron!”
“This is not immolation! Immolation means that we reduce her flesh to ashes in seconds, burning her alive means that it’s slower and she feels every second of it!”
“It still isn’t as good as impaling her! That way, she’s left to struggle and writhe as she watches her blood slowly drip down the shaft! Jiggle her around a bit and her intestines will be hanging too!”
“But what about the smell? The smell of cooking flesh, how can you surpass that!?”
“Easily thanks to how it protrudes from her back-!”
“ENOUGH!”
All attention shifted from the golems’ morbid argument to a huffy Pinkie Pie. The two zipped up to her and looked her in the eyes.
“What the hell are you talking about?” They chorused.
Pinkie pouted angrily and glared at them. “You two are supposed to be brother and sister, right?”
The both of their eyes twitched as they glanced at each other angrily.
“Not by choice.”
“For once we agree.”
“Then stop arguing!” She cried out! “You’re siblings! Siblings are supposed to love and support each other! You’re better together than you could ever be apart!”
For the longest time, Nix and Null were silent. Then, their eyes softened and they looked at each other calmly.
“She’s right.”
“Yeah, I’ll admit to it.”
Pinkie smiled happily. “Great! Say, would you mind-?”
“I mean, our best work has always been together!”
“Remember the way we took down that fully-armored centaur in the Briar Timberlands?”
“I stunned him with my lightning."
“And I slammed the top half of his head off with my war club, right!”
Cold sweat began to trail down Pinkie’s coat. “Uh, guys?...that sounds great, but...”
“And I’m sure we could do better here!”
“Yeah! We can come up with a great way of killing this unicorn, together!”
Pinkie’s eye twitched. “Guys?”
“Alright, your plan is to run her through...”
“And yours is to set her on fire...”
“So if we combine them...”
“Then we impale her...”
“...and roast her...”
Nix and Null trailed off as they stared at each other. Slowly, an eager spark came into their eyes.
“We can cook her alive!” They cried out eagerly. They looked back at Pinkie happily. “Thanks’ Pinkie Pie!”
“You’re welcome!”
“PINKIE!”
The pink pony flinched. “Woops, sorry Twilight...”
“I’m so happy we’re in agreement!” Nix squealed happily. “So, we’ll run her through, cook her, take the spear out-”
“Woah woah woah, why would we take the spear out?”
“Um, hello? How else do we make a flambé?”
“Flambé!? Ew, yuck! No way we’re making her a flambé!”
“What!? Then what the hell do you want to make her?!
“A kebab! Obviously!”
“WHAT!?!” Nix screeched. “You’re mad! Flambés are clearly superior!”
“Kebabs are eaten with sticks! One does not surpass eating with sticks!”
“What one does not surpass is food that’s on fire! Flambés are better!”
“No, kebabs are!”
“Flambé!”
“Kebab!”
“Fla-!”
“Why...”
The two cut off their mounting tirade when they heard the quiet voice. They looked down at Twilight.
“Huh?”
“You say something, main course?”
“Why...” She whimpered. “Why are you doing all of this?”
The Golem Twins’ eyes glinted mischievously.
“Ooooh, now isn’t that a good question.” Nix cooed.
“One with a nice, long, complicated answer. A very old answer.” Null concurred.
The two tilted their head/bodies towards Scholar.
“Whaddaya say boss?”
“Mind if we recite your biography?”
The Rune Keeper shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’ll be nice to dredge up the past,” He glared at a visibly nervous Celestia. “It’ll upset those who wish for it to remain buried.”
The Twin’s eyes glinted again. “Perfect!” They chorused.
“Now then, listen up, boys and girls.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, your attention please!”
“What we are about to tell you is one hundred percent true!”
“The story of the first empire upon Mundus!”
“The story of the arrival of Scholar!”
“The story of the rise!”
“And the fall!”
“Of Concordia!” The finished in harmony.
“Now, let’s start at the beginning...”
“Long, long ago, there lived a very powerful mage.”
“The mage was an intellectual, a magic scientist, who loved knowledge above all else!”
“He scoured his world for all knowledge of magic, seeking it out from varying cultures and species.”
“However, he eventually outpaced the knowledge, learning so much that the world grew boring to him.”
“So he came up with a brilliant plan!”
“If the world he was on held no more mysteries...”
“Then maybe another would!”
“And so the mage used his vast magic and knowledge and performed a feat none had ever done before!”
“He traveled to a new world!”
“It was all he had hoped for!”
“New people!”
“New magic!”
“New knowledge!”
“Once more he traveled, his life extended thanks to his skill in his craft."
“But eventually, he once anew learned all there was to know.”
“So once more, he traveled!”
“And so it went!”
“From world to world!”
“Universe to universe!”
“Until one day, long long ago."
“Over two thousand years to be precise!”
“He landed here!”
“On Mundus! Well, you guys call it Equus, which is completely wrong,” The two took a moment to glare venomously at Celestia.
“But anyways, the point stands!”
“When he arrived here, he knew that Mundus was unlike any other world he had visited!”
“It was filled with magic! The air, the water, even the earth itself!”
“And the species! So many different kinds, so many different ways of life!”
“Back then, conflict was extremely common.”
“Griffons and minotaurs clashed, giants and titans battled, the undead waged war against the dragons."
“And so on and so forth.”
“But the mage cared not for their battles, he desired their magics!”
“And so, he traveled amongst the species, learning their ways, their ancient knowledge, and showing them his.”
“He had done this many times before, but this time, something peculiar happened!”
“He made friends!”
“Sure, some relations were strained, tenuous at most."
“But the connection was present."
“He somehow found people with whom he was willing to trust his life.”
“And who were willing to entrust their lives to him in turn.”
“Eventually, the mage learned all there was to learn.”
“Once anew, he prepared to leave."
“But he found he could not!”
“When he tried to cast the spell, his heart ached!”
“The thought of leaving his friends was unbearable!”
“Unthinkable!”
“Impossible!”
“And what pained him even worse was how his friends fought with each other.”
“No longer could he stand by and watch as war was waged."
“No longer could he allow blood to be shed!”
“And so, the mage acted.”
“It was no small feat. He had to bring his many friends together, have them work together, learn to tolerate each other, trust each other.”
“It was difficult. The wounds were many, the scars ran deep.”
“But slowly."
“Surely."
“He did it.”
“His friends began to become friends with each other.”
“Wars began to slow, and eventually, they ground to a halt.”
“At the mage’s prompting, the species actually began to band together.”
“Talon joined with claw, fang joined with hoof, scale joined with fur.”
“And so many others!”
“It took years."
“It took blood."
“And sweat."
“And tears."
“But eventually, the result was met.”
“There was peace.”
“There was unity.”
“There was Concordia.”
“Led and protected by the Thirteen Oligarchs who founded it.”
“And taught and governed by an organization of the mage’s devising.”
“The Academia Arcana.”
“An institution that accepted members of all races.”
“And whose sole purpose was to collect, protect and propagate all knowledge.”
“And to utilize said knowledge in every way possible to protect the innocent.”
“For the longest time, all was well.”
“War no longer ravaged the land."
“Little to no conflict was to be found.”
“It was the closest the world would be to a utopia.”
“Some said it would last for eternity.”
“Some said that it would never be forgotten.”
“They were wrong.”
“Concordia was betrayed from within.”
“Cast down into the abyss by three who had aided it.”
“Three who had sworn to protect it.”
The two glared once anew at Celestia, this time including Luna and Cadance in their ire. “Three who had helped found it,” They intoned darkly.
Celestia swallowed heavily. “Nix, Null, look, you don’t-!”
SHINK! “EEP!”
Twilight shivered violently as she tilted her head up, doing her utmost best to distance her neck from the red barber’s razor the was tickling her fur.
“My apologies,” Null said dully. “I get twitchy whenever someone interrupts us. Now may I continue?”
Celestia nodded silently.
“Great! Now then...”
“The betrayal was by no means wholly unexpected.”
“For a long time, the traitors had been acting...twitchy. Everyone knew that something was amiss, just not what.”
“Finally, one day, it all came to a point.”
“The land of the traitors, Equestria, was flooded with a corrupt brand of magic known as harmony.”
“Harmony had many effects on the world. It stilled the land, halting the blowing of the wind, the raging of the rivers, and even the growth of the plants.”
“The land was domesticated, shackled, only allowed to move at the whims of the species of the traitors, the ponies.”
“However, as horrifying as this action was to the rest of Concordia, there was another effect of the harmony that was far worse.”
“It poisoned the other species who came into contact with it, inhibiting them from naturally absorbing magic from the air, suffocating them and driving them into a profound slumber.”
“Some, such as the minotaurs and the griffons, managed to remain conscious.”
“But at what cost? Their magic was robbed of them!”
“The minotaur could no longer delve into the earth, the griffons could no longer manipulate the air and lightning to their whims as they once had!”
“Even the ponies themselves were limited, with many of their old arts no longer within their reach.”
“Those within the harmony lived little more than a life in chains.”
“The other Oligarchs of Concordia were furious!”
“Such blatant transgressions could not be left unpunished!”
“All of the Oligarchs were up in arms to lynch the traitors.”
“All of them. Save for the mage.”
“He advocated a peaceful approach. He stated that the traitors should be brought to stand trial fairly, as common criminals.”
“But before he could go before them and tell them of this decision, another of the Oligarchs went mad.”
“Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, was deeply disturbed by the harmony. He went on a rampage, devastating Equestria, and many lands beyond.”
“In the end, he failed. Petrified by the traitor’s harmony and placed on display.”
“At the time, the other Oligarchs were forced to abandon their plans of retribution to rectify the damages wrought by Discord’s fury.”
“But unknown to them, the traitors had come to a decision.”
“When the mage came to their home to try and bring them to justice, he was unprepared for what would come next.”
“Upon his arrival, he was apprehended, convicted, and imprisoned.”
“Then, the traitors began the unthinkable.”
“They began to spread their harmony beyond their borders, poisoning the entire world with their invisible miasma.”
“Without the mage, the remaining Oligarchs fell into disarray, reviving old conflicts and arguments.”
“Concordia died a long, slow, painful death.”
“And throughout it’s fragmentation, the traitors sealed each species one by one.”
“The Oligarchs and all other species were imprisoned. Laid to sleep and eternal slumber.”
“All fought against them, but some more so than others. Some fought fiercely, unrelentingly to the very last.”
“When all other magics were entrapped, the traitors at last turned their attention to the mage.”
“They built a prison of enormous capabilities, impenetrable both magically and physically.”
“They sealed him away, locking him up for all eternity.”
“Because they knew, they knew that if he ever escaped-”
“That there would be hell to pay.” Scholar finished icily as he glared at Celestia.
The alabaster alicorn tried to speak, but the golems weren’t finished.
“Anyways! The triple-breed bitches got their hands on us and sealed us when we tried to break Scholar out.”
“Yeah, save that they kind of screwed the whole thing up.”
“Two thousand years we were sealed up. Conscious!”
“The first hundred years were the worst.”
“The second hundred years were the worst too.”
“We didn’t like the third hundred years at all.”
“After that, it all went into a bit of a downward spiral.”
“We went insane!”
“Then sane again.”
“Then I went insane and she went sane.”
“Then I went insane and he went sane.”
“Then we were koalas for awhile.”
“See, that is completely insane! There is no way that we were koalas!”
“Then explain the urge to eat eucalyptus leaves!”
“Simple, we were great gliders!”
“Oh for- you moron! The eucalyptus was our primary food!”
“Then how about you explain the instinct to climb a tree and glide away from predators!?”
“Urgh. You are unbelievable!”
“Anyways! Now we’re completely sane!”
“Yup! Nothing insane about us here!”
“Now then, shut up and let us get back to discussing how to cook you alive! Kebab!”
“Flambé!”
“Kebab!”
“Flambé!”
“And that’s how Equestria was made!” Gilda said snidely.
The Element bearers didn’t hear her. They were too busy staring at Celestia in horror.
“P-princess...is this true?” Rarity stammered.
“P-princess Celestia?” Twilight asked, her voice full of tears.
The princess was sweating like a pig, glancing around nervously. “I- Scholar, there were a lot of circumstances-!”
“Ah ah ah ah!” Scholar held his finger up. “You know what I’m hearing? A lot of you not giving me my uber-powerful grimoire and consequently condemning your student to a fate as a...hey guys, how we doing on that?”
“We’ve decided to compromise on a roast!” Nix said.
“We’re now arguing on the fruit toppings!” Null added.
“I suggest the classic apple!” She continued defiantly.
“And I propose the far more new-age banana!” Null waved around the yellow fruit.
“The apple is traditional! And it’s delicious!”
“The banana is far more superior! It’s an excellent source of potassium!”
“Buck that! Apples’ll always be way better than any of yer confounded bananas!”
“APPLEJACK!”
“Er, sorry Twi’.”
“Why do you even have a banana?!”
“Because it’s a party!”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?!”
“You always bring a banana to a party!”
“Thank you!” A brown pony in the middle of the crowd cried out.
Scholar smirked at the Alicorn. “As you can see, it would be in your best interests to get me that book. And soon, I’m beginning to feel a bit peckish.”
“ENOUGH!”
Everyone whipped around and stared at the origin of the shout.
“Oh? You got something to say, Luna?” Scholar asked calmly.
The dark Alicorn’s horn lit up blue and tossed away the ponies holding her down. Her entire being ignited with power as she glared at him venomously.
“No more of this, you scoundrel!” she growled. “We shall end you, here and now!”
Chrysalis and the Magisters awakened their magic, preparing for conflict...
Right up until Scholar held up his hand, waving them down. He smirked at her. “Oh? And you’re going to...what? Strike me down?”
Luna growled angrily. “Most painfully.”
Scholar was silent for a second before chuckling. “Go ahead.”
Luna’s magic faltered. “What!?”
Everyone else stared at him in shock. “What!”
“You heard me.” He smirked. “Strike me down. I won’t stop you!...on one condition.”
Luna narrowed her eyes as her magic flared at the challenge. “Name it.”
His smirk became feral. “Don’t hold back.”
The blue light broke off in shock. “...w-what?” She stammered.
“I repeat: you heard me. Full. Power,” His glasses glinted malevolently. “The same way you devastated that Night Demon army on the Obsidian Plains.”
Luna’s pelt paled violently. “N-no...”
“Yes,” He stood up, the illumination from his runes angling just so to cover him in shadows. “There’s only one way to get me. End the Dream.” His expression would have made the devil himself piss in fear. “Begin the Nightmare.”
Luna shivered violently as she took a step back. “I...n-no, I-!”
“Can’t, huh?” Scholar chuckled mirthlessly. “That’s what I thought. How you’ve always been. Suuure, you can be vindictive at times, but end of the day? You always screw up at the last moment. Come on, Luna! DO IT!”
She swallowed heavily, her magic flickering like a dying torch.
Scholar was relentless, his runes becoming vicious. “Do it, Luna! Do it, or I swear to you I will find the Lexicon. I will leave this place and I will burn your world to the ground! Your culture, your people, all of it!” He took a menacing step forwards, his arms spread wide, presenting her with a target. “Strike me down Luna, or watch the world burn!”
Luna swallowed heavily, glancing around for an escape.
“Do it!”
That did it.
Luna loosed a feral growl, her lips pulling back in rage. Her entire body shone like a supernova as she levitated off the ground.
“Luna!” Celestia cried out fearfully.
The protest went ignored as she levitated even higher. Slowly, dark smoke began to pool and swirl around her, raising up to encase her in a pillar of smoke. The magic darkened from silver to a deep, dark purple.
Scholar chuckled venomously. “That’s it, Luna. End the Dream.”
Slowly, the smoke coalesced. It took the form of the front half of an alicorn. Dark magic shone out of the eyes as black wings flared out, shadowing the crowd. The form threw it’s head back and whinnied in rage as it stared down at it’s foe.
“Begin the Nightmare.”
Magic illuminated the wispy horn in dark light as magic charged, preparing to blast Scholar.
Before it fired, the nightmarish pony caught sight of Scholar smirking victoriously.
It caught sight of Celestia staring up at her in horror.
It caught sight of all the ponies watching her with fear.
Finally, the magic reached it’s apex. It brought it’s horn to bear, preparing to blast him.
At long last...
The clouds collapsed inwards in an explosion of smoke and energy. When the clouds dissipated, all that was left was Luna, sobbing miserably.
“We...We can’t...We can’t do it...We can’t...” She cried.
The crowd stared in horror, all of them paralyzed by the sight.
Everyone, that is, save for Scholar.
“As I thought,” He said quietly walking up to her. “You might speak a big game, but in the end, you will always balk.”
Luna sobbed miserably. She’d tried, she’d tried so hard, but in the end, she just couldn’t summon the Nightmare. She...she just couldn’t.
Slowly, fingers placed themselves beneath her chin and lifted her head. Through her tears she met Scholar’s eyes. They were filled with pity.
“I want you to remember something,” He whispered. “When this world burns in the flames of rage, when your ponies scream in fear and pain. When the seas run red with blood and the skies burn crimson, I want you to remember.”
Suddenly his hand whipped around her muzzle, gripping it shut as he leaned in, his expression and runes twisted into a representation of pure rage. “It was all your fault,” He hissed. “You could have stopped it all. You could have stopped me. But you didn’t. When this world dies, remember: it dies...”
He leaned in, right next to her ear, and whispered harshly.
“Because you were a coward.”
With those parting words, Scholar released Luna, leaving her to collapse to the ground and sob miserably.
Trixie worked her jaw, trying to find something to say. “I...er, that was...”
“Holy shit!” Gilda exclaimed. “That was harsh!”
“You can attribute it to my patience running thin,” Scholar replied icilly. He turned around and faced Celestia once more, his expression absolutely frigid. “This is your last chance, Celestia. Give me the Lexicon De Arcana. Now.”
Celestia was silent for the longest time before bowing in defeat, her mane obscuring her sorrowful visage in shadows. “I can’t.”
Scholar stared at her emotionlessly. “So be it. I’ll just retrieve it myself.”
The Alicorn whipped her head up and stared at him in confusion and distress. “Wait, you-!?”
“I already know where it is,” He finished. “Yes, I knew when we arrived here. The whole point of this endeavor was to proffer to you a final chance at redemption. Congratulations, you failed spectacularly.”
Celestia was speechless, staring at him in horror.
“Now then,” Scholar continued. “Allow me to demonstrate that my capabilities have not been diminished over the years.”
With that statement, he flung his arms out, runes swirling actively around them both. To the shock and mounting horror of the ponies present, the stone walls that enclosed them suddenly lit up with larger and more complex series of runes.
It took a few seconds for the proper synapses in Celestia’s brain to fire, but when they did she paled visibly.
“A Venti Canis Array,” She whispered in terror.
“Indeed,” Scholar responded. “I’d say that a nice buffet of fear will hit the spot.”
Light poured out of the runes and filled the entire area, engulfing the crowd. Once it faded, the ponies were staggering and shaking their heads, trying to clear their heads of the fog that had overcome them.
Scholar had also been affected. He had been glowing with magic before, but now he shone like a lighthouse, magic blazing out of him. His runes were little more than blurs of light as they orbited his being.
“Now, for the end of an era,” Scholar stated darkly. He raised his arms, sending his runes high into the air and generating a pulse of magic.
CRASH!
Celestia’s eyes widened as the sound of shattering glass rang out from Canterlot Castle. “Oh no...”
Scholar smirked in mock sympathy. “It’s not your fault. It was actually quite smart! But there was something you didn’t know...”
Suddenly, several small flecks of light zipped down and stopped directly in front of him. Now that their motion had stopped, it was plain to see that the flecks were actually...
“Glass?” Spike asked dumbfounded.
“Bingo. Stained glass to be exact.”
A veritable flurry of glass flew down, freezing and snapping into varying positions in front of Scholar.
“See, it was so close to my lab that all the explosions were shaking bits and pieces out. And seeing how it always took forever to find them, I enchanted the whole thing with a tracking array. So when I got close and sensed that here? For what other reason would you have displayed, albeit in pieces, in your throne room?”
The last of the glass shards flew down and affixed themselves into place.
Standing erect before Scholar was a stained-glass rendition of himself. It mirrored him accurately, displaying his robes, his runes, even his glasses. But most important of all was his position. His left hand was raised as though he were lecturing a crowd, and in his right he held a large book with rune-engraved covers, letters pouring out of it’s open pages.
The light surrounding Scholar died down as he cut down on the flow of magic. He smiled nostalgically as he raised his hand and gently brushed the window. “It’s been so long,” He whispered. “The last time I saw this was the last time I left Vitrum,” His smile died slowly as he took several steps back and stared at it. “Shame to destroy it.”
He flung his arm out, casting a flurry of runes into the window.
A moment of silence.
Then...
CRACK!
A huge crack spiderwebbed out, originating from the book and spreading across the entire thing.
Scholar gestured once with his hand.
It all happened in slow motion.
From out of the window smashed the book depicted. It was a little less than a foot wide, a little more than a foot long, and almost half a foot thick. On the covers and running down the spine were several glowing arrays. It flew straight into Scholars right hand, glass shards glistening as they flew around him.
Once in his hand, the grimoire snapped open and the pages began flipping endlessly, runes spewing out of it like a geyser.
Scholar floated into the air as the runes surrounding him evolved from a small flock to a large cloud.
Iron Will stared in awe at the sight. “Incredible...”
Chrysalis smirked happily. “You think this is good? This is nothing. He’s just getting back up to normal standards.”
Scholar raised his free hand. To his left, the runes swirled into a huge, powerful Array that flashed with magic before fading from sight. Then another appeared to his right. Then another in front, behind, above and below. More and more, on every side.
‘No!’ Celestia mentally screamed. She lit her horn up with golden light, aiming it at him, trying for a final time to strike Scholar down.
The Rune Keeper whipped around, whipping his hand from his grimoire to the air in front of him. Another Array materialized instantly in front of him, shining down upon Celestia.
Scholar spoke, his voice drowning in pure magic. “Third Psalm of the Olympian Pantheon: Binding of Helios!” The shards of glass that had been following Scholar snapped into several spears of magic and glass. They lanced down, directly at the Alicorn.
SHINK!
“CELESTIA!” Twilight screamed in fear.
The fear was unfortunately unneccessary. The arcane spears had very narrowly missed her, close enough to brush her, imprison her, halt any movements, but not run her through.
Finally, Scholar snapped the book shut singlehandedly, a gigantic, final wave of arcane energy washing outwards from himself. He dropped to the ground, landing squarely in front of Celestia. He glared down at her imperiously and gripped her horn. The Alicorn flinched in pain.
“I could end you,” He intoned darkly. “Here and now, I could snap your neck like a twig.”
Celestia stared up at him in fear. All of the ponies stared at him in pure horror and terror.
Finally...
He released her horn and stepped back, settling with glaring at her. “Nix! Null!”
“We have decided on a well-done roast with a combination of apple and banana toppings.”
“Seasoned with oregano, cilantro, and paprika!”
“It sounds delicious. Put it in a cookbook and save it for later,” Scholar gestured with his hand, the Lexicon briefly flashing before a pillar of light and runes coalesced behind him. “We’re leaving.”
“Awww!” Null groaned as he stowed the spear he’d been brandishing.
“Too bad!” Nix lamented sadly. “Ah well! Bye bye pony!” She tossed Twilight away.
The purple pony grunted in pain as she landed on the unforgiving ground.
Chrysalis’s eyes flashed green as she spoke commandingly. “Come along, kids! Party’s over!” The changelings released their captives and began to stream through the pillar-like portal.
Rainbow Dash, once released, snarled furiously, flapping her wings and shooting at Scholar like a cannonball. “YOU BAS-YEARGH!”
She screamed in pain as a Rune Array faded into view almost five feet from Scholar’s body and zapped her, sending her careening off and leaving her smoking like her idoled Wonderbolts.
The human mage eyed her dispassionately. “How barbaric.”
Gilda laughed morosely at her old friend’s fate. “What can you do? Rainbow Dash will be Rainbow Dash,” And with that statement, she strode through the light.
Trixie flourished her cape as she prepared to leave. “The Majestic and Victorious Trixie bids you all farewell!” She called out as she stepped out.
Iron Will tromped into the portal silently.
Chrysalis stood by silently, waiting for Scholar.
The Rune Keeper swept his gaze out over the crowd. “The next time I return here,” He said darkly. “It will be to burn Canterlot to the ground.”
He turned around, beginning to stride for the portal, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Scholar...”
He slowly turned around and stared at Celestia. She was gazing at him mournfully, fighting against the magical bonds that were keeping her down.
A moment of silence. Then...
“I’m sorry,” She whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Scholar remained unmoved. “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” He replied coolly.
With those final parting words, he left, Chrysalis and the Golem Twins following along.
The pillar of light dissipated, and so did Celestia’s bonds.
In the middle of the crowd, in the middle of all of her frightened and confused subjects, Princess Celestia, Solar Diarch of Equestria, Sol Invictus...
Cried silent tears of regret.
To Be Continued...
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Good chapter.
Nice gone with the wind reference at the end.
Too bad to hear about the cancer. Hope he gets better.
An incredible chapters, as always. And give your friend my regards, good luck to him!
And I find myself loving Scholar more and more. Does this make me a bad person?
Oh wait, I don't care, he's brilliant.
WHY CAN'T I UPVOTE ANYMORE?!?!?!
THIS ISN'T FAIR
...(no wait I hate rarity)
~GILDA WHY FACE~
sorry, too damn late for a sorry
4102213 You have no idea how long I've wanted to use that line.
there will be people who think he went over board on the ponies so far like fluttershy! poor thing they say.... but I think he went easy on them so far that scary possible and he that awesome!!!!!
I just hope discord not used as a tool properly by celestia but she do it I know she will try it... and I wish you luck.
Oh! Wow, that was interesting.
I like Nix and Null those guys were fun to see, a little harsh on the stare, but when you do a sneak attack and it does not work, well you should expect the recipient to be annoyed and give payback.
The summary of Scholar's fallen kingdom was also a joy to see, but the last bit at the end...make me wonder if there was not more between our dear Celestia and Scholar then simple friends.
Even it not I still look forward to how the world will change.
So let use all enjoy the world's reformation!
I felt rather satisfied when Fluttershy got her own crappy Deus Ex Machina power used against her.
does this make me a bad person.
I've just always felt that "The Stare" made no sense (I mean come on, you'd have to be a total p@#$y to be afraid of Fluttershy).
Also sorry to hear about your friend. I lost my grandfather to lung cancer so I know what that's like.
true justice
there is NOTHING like it
tia and the others don't even TRY to come up with a valid reason for their antics, I mean yes it's BULL^%*(# but even the klan's got thier "for the children" bit. everyone and their mother-in-law can see right through it as the farse it is but at least they have a reason
SO looking forward to more
best of luck and wishes to TgTfProductions
I WANA SEE EMOTIONAL PONY PAIN!!!!
4102376 Yup! I got fed up with the Stare when a ponified Kratos of all people succumbed to it, so I knew I had to cause an upset one way or another!
And as for the cancer...it's early, so the chances are good, but still thanks for the support everyone!
4102286 I hear you man, I hate Rarity too (Worst character ever).
This is interesting. Really interesting. I love what you did with the world, how you explained all that.
Also, I think Decapitation is the best.
I really hope that your editor gets better and that he stays strong through this time. This chapter, like all of the others, was masterful.
4102388 Yeah I hate Deus ex Machina's, they're just an excuse for lazy writing.
Next thing I'm looking forward to is magic duel between Trixie and Twilight. I imagine unharmonied Trixie would prove quite the challenge.
I imagine that harmony magic is much harder to use. My theory is that regular magic has an intelligence to it so you can give it a command and it moves to obey you. But harmony magic has no sentience so you have to manually guide it.
An example would be to telekinetically lift a rock. Twilight would have to gather the magic and grasp the rock with it and maintain focus on it or it would drop. But Trixie could just tell the magic to lift the rock and it would float without any input until she commanded it to move or moved far enough away for it to dispel.
Also I imagine gathering Harmony magic is like trying to suck a thick milkshake through a tiny straw. The ward Scholar put on them allows them to remove the lid altogether and just drink straight from the cup.
4102467 Close enough, though natural magic isn't so much sentient as it is alive, free, wild. Other than that, that's basically the gist of it.
it makes no sense i thought this wasn't the outcome or direction he wanted to take and he kinda sounds no better. not hating on this story or anything just confused. he clams that they where friends but dosent show it. to me he is sounding like a tyrant in the way he is going to condemn a race to death for the few even though they had no knowledge of it at all. if there is something that's comeing up that i am missing then correct me but if he is a learner as he proclames and was truly there friend then he would have asked there reasons for what they did instead of acting like a child having a temper tantrum. Like the story and cant wait to see what happens next.
rainbowdash.net/file/mylilbrony-20120112T185043-z3g8p2n.jpeg
God damn this fanfic. I get so goddamn giddy when I see updates for this, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Can't wait for more.
SERVE YOU RIGHT, YOU BLOODY BITCH!!!
i loved this chapter so much i was just like
through the whole thing it brings manly tears to my eyes 
I wonder if this story is going to have a positively portrayed Blueblood. I've always liked Blueblood, mostly due to the fact that we know so little about him leaving a lot to the imagination. I've always assumed that due to his compass rose cutie mark that he's in the royal navy (this would explain why he's never on the show, he's always out on deployment). this would make a lot of sense due to many real life princes serving in the military.
He could be their man on the inside, telling them Celestia's secret plans and whatnot. his reasons could be that on one of his journey's he met and fell in love with a zebra mare. Celestia didn't approve of Blueblood marrying a zebra because if a zebra joined the royal family the rest of her kind might "forget their place" (I see ponies using the other races as a form of cheap labor for all the jobs they don't want).
Blueblood planned to elope with her but Celestia found out and caused her to have an "accident"(she's proven to be capable of killing millions to maintain the status quo). but why would Blueblood betray his country and his people for a mare you may ask, simple. because of something Celestia didn't know.
she was pregnant
(A little dark but fitting for this story don't you think)
4102575 Yeeeaah...sorry, I don't see that happening. Creative though! And FYI, this version of Celestia wouldn't cause an 'accident' as you so succinctly put it. Nor would Luna.
4102596 Darn, I like Blueblood.
Oh well cant win em all, still an awesome story and eagerly await the next chapter.
Hmm. Gone too far? Nah, not yet. But I'm keeping my eye on you, Xomniac.
Thanks everyone, appreciate the support.
Unfortunate. They will destroy each other. Scholar has lost his moral compace. I suppose that is the true death of Concordia.
Me? I'd offer her peace as long as the harmony was dispelled. I would go out of my way to make sure that there was NO punishment for them at all. I'd make it a point. Make it clear.
What you think this a mercy? Not at all.
They would live with the shame. All would know their crimes for it would be on every lip and beak. With there reversal the ire of every nation and race would be upon them. The heart of ponies would be cut out. As the rest of the world moved on without them social sickness would set in. In three hundred years they would be sitting among ruins Equestrian rapidly becoming a footnote in world politics. A people enslaved by there own foolishness to raise the Sun and moon.
All she would hold dear would crumble to dust...and all she could do is smile.
OK is her name Nix or Nyx, because you keep using both? I like Nix myself.
4103076 It's supposed to be NIx! Damn, I screwed up somewhere? Fixing it now!
4103049 A smart plan, but one that went defunct before it even began. Equestria's crusade against Concordia ensured that all the other species and Oligarchs that were sealed now hate the Alicorns with a vengeance. Scholar tried to offer her peace while he was imprisoned, tried to offer her leniency, but every time he was turned down. Right up to when he was sealed in Tartarus he tried to offer them redemption. Even his request to have his grimoire returned! Had she accepted, then what you stated might be possible, but due to Celestia's refusal, it isn't. Any form of peaceful resolution is off the table.
To make one thing clear, Scholar and Concordia's enemy isn't ponykind in general, it's just the Alicorns. He might have said he was going to kill them all, but that was more for the sake of fear and reputation than anything. Instead, he's going to do as he said: burn the world the Alicorns have built to the ground. But just that world, just the facade they've constructed. He'll let the ponies live. If they make him an enemy, so be it, but he won't go out of his way to unnecessarily harm them. In fact, going after innocents for no good reason and most good ones is a good way to get on his shit list.
To summarize, Scholar might have sounded over-the-top, but it's not nearly as bad as it seems.
4102481 to me there is no reason big enough to kill off almost the entire world just for one species so he rightly pissed off and everything that happens is deserved except for probably the innocents but such are the casualty's of war im still hoping for the mane 6 or even some of the mane 6 to join him
4103035 i dont know if this is rude or not but my support is cancer sux and you should kick its ass and get better but if its rude then im sorry and i hope you get better soon
that like lol
likes.333. dislikes.19
4103128
The flaw you mention is based on knowledge I did not have and now I worry that the stories complex moral underline will be ignored. Also that this will paint scholar as in complete right. It would of been deeper with that other path. Oh well thanks for responding. :\
4103167 It's all good, thanks.
im not say they hug it out and say its ok i forgive you lol cuz what she did, what they did is wrong six was to Friday, but maby im reading to mutch into it lol, i mean dijin and changelings at least to our lore are pritty nasty things that wouldn't think twice of useing you then tossing aside once they where all done but then relise that not same world and different laws different rules. Correct me if I'm wrong but do you think maby, now follow me me on this one, what if she went mad as well not only discord but her as well. I mean when you live that long maby her brain just went SNAP. she should be punished. I meant no insult to your story man its pretty good just im over reading it. I remind my self its a sain that I'm reading a good story. i can also see the mane six joing him but not through force
Why did Scholar leave the Alicorns and the Mare Six behind, besides dramatism? As long as Celestia can claim a hold on the Elements of Harmony, she isn´t entirely defeated and can find a way to bind her enemies. By leaving them shackled and powerless until they could be judged and condemned by the others Oligarchs, Scholar could have still prevented a bloody retailation war against ponykind.
Damn, this is a heavy chapter. Great work.
I'm looking forward to seeing some elaboration on the Elements of Harmony's reactions to all this information in the next chapter, if possible. And while I can't guess where this story will go (there are so many possibilities), I can tell that it's gonna be one hell of a ride.
Hmm, interesting. . .
It's interesting to hear Scholar's backstory although it was quite the summary it is still interesting to think about as to how old he is and what worlds he's been to. You know what would be epic? If Scholar met Storm from the fimfic "Well. . . this is new", the would totally be best buddies!!
I hope that we can get to see things from the perspective of the Mane6 and the Princesses. I mean I do love internal group conflicts, and add that to the conflict of the truth being revealed as well as their morals as to which side to go or stay on, it will be fascinating to see not just the Mane6, but the entire Pony populace deciding on who they will side with. Or maybe. . . No never mind. I don't want to keep spoiling too much for the other readers.
Anyway, great chapter! I do how to see the next one come out soon!
1. I don't know what the hay is going
2. What's this story about anyway?
4102385
I AGREE! MAKE RARITY GET CRIPPLED OR DIE!
4103582 Because as things stand, he can't quite feasibly kill Celestia or Luna, or free the Oligarchs. It's a tactical retreat.
4103582 If scholars ward allows them to reject the harmony in the air they could simply be immune to the elements now
4103922
Is not the same to nullify the ambient harmony as to endure a direct hit of the magic rainbow in the face, something Discord could testify to.
4103946 Yeah maybe, but Scholar said the ward was permanent so even if they were stoned it would probably erode the harmony and set them free pretty quick.
Awesome chapter.
So the truth is finally out. Can't wait to see the aftermath from all this. I'm guessing it's only matter of time till the truth is know by all the ponies in equestria.
Will more MLP character join Scholars side? I'm hoping some of the elements like Twilight for example join him. After all she just found out her teacher betrayed everything she taught her. Not to mention killed billions of innocent lives and wiped out a few sentient species.
Not mention other characters that could join his side. Like Zecora or maybe one CMC or a background character like Vinyl. Chances are Dash isn't the only who will end up fighting someone they once called friend.
Let the war begin.
4103716 Try reading it a number of times, you usually catch more and more stuff that you missed the more you read it.
Wow........just wow.......if they would ever make a Movie out of this fic, i would buy TWO copys of it, due to it being so awsome.
BTW, is ther any chance we imght have a flash back chapter? Something that shows the thought and feelings of the Three Alicorns before they betrayed their friends?