84. Return to the Ruins
The camp for the expedition hasn't changed much since the last time we were here. Looking around, I notice that the central area is crowded with the miners and construction ponies milling around. I guess that excavations have been put on hold as of right now, considering the cave-in caused by my battle with Vanta. Sure enough, the ramp leading into the ruins is roped off and guarded by two soldiers.
“Celestia is probably in Opal's tent,” I deduce, figuring that we'd be meeting her in the most important place in the camp. With that in mind, the three of us change course and head directly to it. Some of the ponies we pass shoot us concerned or curious looks. Huh. Those are more than just cursory glances. I wonder if they know my role in the current situation?
I brush aside the tent flap and step inside, closely followed by Rainbow and Twilight. As I'd expected, Celestia is standing on the far side of the tent, accompanied by Luna and Opal. Upon hearing us enter, Celestia turns away from her sister and meets us halfway.
“Good morning, you three. I'm glad you've arrived so early in the day. We have much to discuss,” Celestia greets us, making eye contact with all of us at least once. Just as she's starting to turn away, Celestia pauses, noticing something strange. She turns a curious eye on Rainbow and me, observing how close Rainbow is standing to me, as well as how much happier she looks in comparison to yesterday. Celestia raises an eyebrow, a ghost of a smile forming on her face.
“Shit,” I say aloud with dread, realizing what just happened. I can't believe I overlooked this possibility yesterday. Rainbow and Twilight look at me curiously upon hearing me suddenly curse. “Rainbow, we forgot about Celestia.”
“Wait what? You mean...?” Rainbow replies in surprise, catching on to my meaning almost immediately. Rainbow looks at Celestia, meeting the princess's gaze. I swear Celestia's smile starts to look a little smug. “Oh, darn it, we did, didn't we?”
Celestia giggles a little, and then her smile becomes one of genuine happiness. “May I assume that your little problem has been resolved, Rainbow Dash?” she inquires. I should be shocked that she somehow already knew about it, but after knowing her for this long...I mostly just feel like an idiot for not expecting her to know about it.
“What are you three talking about? What problem?” Twilight questions, totally lost. And, as one might expect, we completely ignore her.
“Yeah...I suppose it has,” Rainbow replies awkwardly, dipping her head. Celestia nods and then beams at me. I can't hold her gaze, so I too avert my eyes awkwardly.
I flinch when I feel Celestia nuzzling my cheek affectionately. “Thank you, Seth, for giving her a chance. You've grown so much since coming to Equestria...I'm proud of you,” she whispers in my ear, her tone brimming with elation and approval.
“Glad I have your approval,” I mutter as she withdraws from me. I stand there, feeling twice as awkward as before after hearing something like that. Right...you're proud of me. That certainly wasn't my intention. I was just doing what felt right to me. Even now I'm not sure being in this relationship will work out. I'm going into this blind, which I absolutely hate doing. I hate not knowing all the details, and therefore not being able to plan for the future. It goes without saying that if I didn't feel so strongly about Rainbow...I'd never have considered anything like this.
“Now then, I believe it's time to focus on the matter at hand. Would you two come join us?” Celestia finally says, beckoning to Luna and Opal with a slight motion of her head. As they approach us, Luna's eyes alight on me.
“Well met, Seth. It doth not surprise me that thou art involved with this situation,” Luna remarks with a bit of a wry smile. Yeah, things do tend to blow up around me, don't they? Between the royal wedding and now, I just can't seem to catch a break. I'll be glad when all of this is over and I can go back to living my life.
“Luna,” I reply to her tersely.
“Seth, could you tell us what happened down in the ruins? I'm afraid that the most Luna and I have been able to discover on our own is that you became trapped in the lower levels due to some sinister magic,” Celestia begins, broaching the subject carefully. Luna, Opal, and Twilight watch me expectantly, waiting for my answer.
“Right, I'll start by giving it to you in a nutshell,” I begin. Next to me, Rainbow sits down, figuring that she's not going to needed until I finish telling the story. “There was a lot of working tech down there. It wasn't human exactly, but it was of a very similar design, as if it had been reverse-engineered.”
“Working human technology? I can't believe it! Is there any of it left!?” Opal exclaims in the most excited voice I've ever heard her use. “Imagine the scientific benefits we could make just from one piece of tech!”
“Miss Opal, let Seth continue. We can discuss the possible benefits after a course of action has been decided upon,” Celestia chides Opal gently. Opal nods and murmurs and apology, letting me continue.
“From what I was able to discover from records left behind, Sombra didn't return to the future immediately after finding me,” I continue after glaring at Opal for interrupting me. Celestia nods, remembering as much from our last discussion on this topic. “He spent a year in the human world, though I'm not sure what he was doing. What I do know is that he didn't come to my time alone.”
“He left behind several of his scientists and soldiers, and they were the ones who wiped out my race,” I relate. Opal gives out a small gasp of shock. Right, she never knew the fate of the human race. Everything she learned from us, she had to find out from artifacts. “They were led by this asshole named Vanta. Ever heard of him?”
“General Vanta? I have,” Celestia replies grimly, looking at her sister meaningfully. “Luna and I had several encounters with him during our conflict with the Crystal Empire. He was a powerful necromancer and a cunning tactician.”
“We did notice his fortuitous disappearance alongside his master. Unlike his master, however, the general did not return,” Luna adds, returning her sister's glance. “If he had been left in the past...then that would explain his absence.”
“Right. It also explained how my kind fell to the Oppressed; that's the term we gave to the monsters Sombra created from our bodies,” I explain to them. Celestia and Luna wince at the reminder of Sombra's twisted deeds. “With a commander, a force like the Oppressed would have been unstoppable.”
“But that's not even the best part. Humanity's last stand was in these ruins,” I reveal, once again shocking Opal. “And after the battle was over, humanity's commander caused an explosion on the mountaintop, demolishing it and burying the entire campus, trapping Vanta and the others inside.”
I take a breath. “I'll cut to the chase. Vanta was still alive down there...well, sort of.” The reaction to those words are immediate. Twilight looks horrified, while Celestia looks stern. Luna just looks like she wants to head down there herself and knock some heads together. “He wasn't exactly alive any more. Using his necromancy, he'd kept himself and his soldiers in a constant state of undeath for years, making more of those monsters and performing twisted experiments on the humans trapped in there with him.”
“Dost the general persist?” Luna questions me intensely, a little of her magic seeping out of her body. “We have improved greatly since our last meeting. He will not be able to withstand our might.”
“No, he's dead for good. I blew the fucker to ash, and that's why you felt my power all the way from Canterlot,” I tell her, heaving a sigh. At that, I see Celestia let out a sigh of relief, though she does appear a little curious. Luna looks suspicious, but now she's eyeing me suspiciously.
“General Vanta was a powerful opponent to us, back then,” Celestia reveals to me seriously. At first I gape, unable to believe that anypony could give Celestia trouble. But then I remember that that was over a millennium ago, and their power must have been a great deal lower than it is now. “If you are telling me that the other source of magic that we sensed was the general, then he must have improved immensely. Where did you gain the power to defeat him?”
“Honestly, I haven't a clue,” I admit, shrugging. Celestia blinks, having not expected such a response. Luna snorts in disbelief, finding that unlikely. “Honestly, it seems rather convenient, now that I think back on it. I'd never been able to power up past a certain point in the past, but then...it was just like the barrier wasn't there anymore.”
“Seth, you didn't...give in, did you?” Celestia asks me grimly. Twilight looks at me questioningly, likely confused by that cryptic sentence. I know exactly what Celestia is talking about, though. She's wondering if I went insane, like that day on the mountaintop. “While it may have given you a burst of power, it's a risk you can't afford to take.”
“I didn't give in. I felt it, but I didn't fall prey to it,” I recall, remembering when the insanity had tried to take over. “I was in full control of myself when it happened. But what I don't get is how it happened.”
“I know that it was totally cool. That Vanta guy didn't stand much of a chance after that,” Rainbow chimes in.
“Sister...” Luna warns, looking slightly anxious. “We still don't fully understand dark magic. T'is possible it may have evolved somehow.”
Celestia returns her gaze to me after taking a moment to think about what I'd just told her. “Dark magic responds to negative emotion, such as anger, fear, sadness, or despair. Even if the emotions are felt for another, the magic will still respond. I will not pry as to what caused your magic to surge, but I must warn you,” she tells me ominously. “Don't assume that you can just use this new power freely. Dark magic always comes with a price.”
“Trust me, I don't plan to use my magic for fighting ever again, if I can help it,” I assure her. Besides, I doubt there's anything out there apart from Chrysalis that warrants that kind of power. Celestia's words are chilling, making me envision that form I achieved with a little bit of fear. Maybe it's because I've used it to protect the ones I've cared about, but I keep forgetting that the magic I wield is evil. I wish I knew where the fuck it came from. “But there you have it. I put that fucker down for good. The only thing I'm still worried about is that there's a lot more Oppressed down there.”
“There's more monsters in the ruins!?” Opal cries out, rejoining the conversation now that the topic is on something more relevant to her interests. “If that's true, I need to pull everypony out as fast as possible! Commander Iron tells me they're extremely dangerous!”
“They need to be dealt with. That much is certain,” Celestia decides. “But I don't see any reason to cancel the expedition. I'll take care of these Oppressed before they become a problem. I won't let them threaten the safety of my subjects.”
“Wait, hold the fucking phone. You're going down there?!” I exclaim, wondering if I heard right. Celestia nods seriously. I can't help but feel reassured at that. Hah, motherfucking Celestia is here. Resistant to magic or not, she'll completely wreck them. She already showed me once during the royal wedding that she doesn't need magic to be strong. Speaking of which, I should tell her that. “In that case, let me warn you. They're resistant to magic.”
“Troubling...” Celestia muses. Once again I'm reminded of how well off the ponies are for having her for a ruler. She's actually taking that warning seriously, even though she has every right to be confident in her own power. “Very well. I shall err on the side of caution. Seth, will you accompany me into the ruins?”
“What, so the both of us can wipe the rest of them out?” I inquire, feeling conflicted. I really don't want to go back down there...but on the other hand, Celestia will be with me, and she and I will wreck everything. Just knowing that she'll be coming down there with me makes me feel a hell of a lot better about this.
“That's right. You know the layout of the lower levels better than I, and it will be safer to travel in a pair,” Celestia agrees.
“In a pair? Sister, we wish to join thee on this excursion,” Luna insists, incredulous at the thought of being left behind. “We hath trained vigorously, ever since the incident with Chrysalis. We believe we can hold our own.”
“I have no doubt about that, my dear sister. However, the captain will be arriving soon with her report. I'd like you to be here to meet with her,” Celestia explains gently. Luna huffs in annoyance and looks like she wants to argue, but she lets out a sigh and nods instead. “Seth and I will be more than capable of handling this on our own.”
“Very well. But if we sense any fluctuation in either of thy magical energies, we will not hesitate to follow thee,” Luna asserts, giving both Celestia and me a firm stare.
“Hey, what about me? You're not going down into those ruins without me!” Rainbow demands, leaping to her hooves. “You're gonna kick some Oppressed flank, right? I want in!”
“You're not going to leave me behind, are you? I don't want to stay up here after hearing something like that!” Twilight adds, standing next to Rainbow.
“Rainbow can hold her own. Especially since she doesn't need to use magic,” I admit, causing Rainbow to preen. God, why did I say that? I can practically hear the air filling up her head. “But Twilight? If you're not on my level, you certainly won't be able to touch those monsters. I could barely even pierce the skin with my magic.”
“But...!” Twilight starts to protest.
“Seth is right, dear Twilight. Your magic is strong, but against this opponent, physical strength is needed,” Celestia says, cutting across her student. Twilight closes her mouth and looks down sadly. Celestia smiles, and nuzzles her reassuringly. “Don't worry. We won't take long at all.”
“Let's get going then! Time's wasting, and I certainly want to do more today than crawl around in the ruins again,” Rainbow urges us.
“Actually, Rainbow, would you mind staying up here with the rest?” Celestia asks, surprising me. Why leave Rainbow behind?
“What? Why would I stay behind, when you two are going right into trouble? I can handle myself!” Rainbow protests vehemently, taking that about as well as I'd expect.
“Of course you can. I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't. I merely have a few things I wish to discuss with him while we're down there that I'm sure he'd rather be private,” Celestia responds tactfully. However, I don't see what she'd want to talk about that would be unsuitable for Rainbow's ears. “Of course, if Seth chooses to tell you our conversations afterward, that's up to him.”
“Ugh, fine. But I don't like this. The last time I let him go down there on his own, he nearly got himself killed,” Rainbow grumbles, eyeing me accusingly. I have no doubt that if it had been anypony other than Celestia that had ordered her to stay behind, she would have downright ignored them.
“Trust me, I'll be fine. With Celestia, I doubt that even another super Oppressed could stop us,” I assure her, but Rainbow doesn't look any less disgruntled. “Now, are we going or not?”
“We are. I want deal with this as quickly as possible,” Celestia agrees, and with that, she passes by Rainbow and Twilight. “Miss Opal, could you explain the situation to the workers? I'm sure they must be worried.”
“Of course. They'll feel much better knowing that you're taking care of everything personally,” Opal responds, dipping her head respectfully. Satisfied, Celestia leads the way out of the tent, with me just behind her.
“I'm going to have to make this up to Rainbow. She hates being left behind,” I remark, accompanying Celestia through the camp. If the miners hadn't been looking at me before, they certainly are now, considering fucking Celestia is with me. Many of them incline their heads or bow low with respect, murmuring words of thanks or of wonder. I'm curious how many of them see her on a regular basis, if they feel the need to treat her with this much respect. Or maybe I'm just an asshole. Heh.
“I don't think that will be much of a problem. I believe that making up with her will be quite the enjoyable experience,” Celestia responds with a teasing smile. I'm about to respond when the possible hidden meaning in her words hits me, and I choke.
“W-what!? No, I don't have a clue what you're talking about...” I stammer. I didn't expect a statement like that from Celestia of all ponies. “I just meant that...”
“Whatever has you so flustered, Seth? I simply meant that you'd have to spend more time with her,” Celestia responds smoothly, her smile turning coy. “What did you think I was referring to?”
I pause, and then I release a groan when I realize that she got me. “You...you fucking troll,” I grumble. Celestia laughs delicately in response.
Celestia and I reach the ramp leading to the ruins, and then she opens the way with her magic, moving the rope aside and setting it on the ground. “To be honest, I'm quite curious about these ruins myself. Miss Opal has told me in her reports that these ruins are remarkably intact for their age,” she reveals to me as we enter the ruins.
“I'm not sure how intact they are now. I think the chemistry labs are pretty much shot,” I reply. Right before I passed out with Iron, I remember coming out in that area...which meant that they were right above the wide room where I fought with Vanta.
“I was told something similar.” Celestia looks around the first hallway, taking in the sight of the ruined hallways and the crumbling staircases. “I believe you know the way from here. Shall we go?”
“Yeah, there's no Oppressed up here. According to Vanta himself, he couldn't come up this far because he was anchored to his true body. It wasn't until I got too close that he struck out at me,” I explain. I step ahead of Celestia and gesture for her to follow me. We're not taking the stairs; instead, I lead Celestia towards the scaffolding in the elevator shaft. “It was right down at the bottom of this scaffolding.”
“I see. That does fit the general description of advanced necromancy,” Celestia agrees, though she looks troubled. “I'm curious, however. Do you believe that these Oppressed were tied to the general's existence?”
“You mean, did they die when he did? I haven't a clue. I wasn't waiting around to find out,” I reply, though the idea does make sense. Frozen said that Vanta's magic was keeping him alive. If I hadn't killed him myself, maybe Vanta's death would have done the same. “Though that would be nice.”
“It would indeed. However, I do have an ulterior motive for bringing you down here as well,” Celestia informs me. I nod, having expected as much. “I want to see this new power of yours in action, and determine for myself whether or not it poses a threat to you or anypony.”
“Shit. Well, I'm not sure if I can call upon it again. I haven't tried since it happened the first time,” I admit. “Was that the discussion you wanted to keep hidden from Rainbow?”
“Not entirely. I also wanted to ask you about your decision in regards to Rainbow herself,” Celestia adds. I pause, and then sigh. I don't know why I expected her to drop the issue after addressing it the first time in the tent. We're still on the scaffolding, so I don't think an Oppressed will randomly show up to interrupt this conversation. “I'm happy you chose to give her a chance, as I said before, but I wanted to make sure you know what you're getting into.”
“Of course I don't. I haven't a clue,” I snap, resigning myself to having this conversation with her. “I don't know how this shit works. I don't know what's expected of me. How do relationships work in Equestria anyway?”
“Hm,” Celestia emits, looking pensive. “Perhaps I should ask how she broached the subject to you. I hate to say it, but I sympathized with her, because I believed you would react harshly to her feelings.”
“Hah. You wouldn't be wrong. I almost did,” I confess, giving a harsh chuckle at my own expense. “There's something about seeing her getting knocked about like a ragdoll that made me re-evaluate our relationship.”
“I see,” Celestia replies. Her tone is such that I can't tell if she approves or not. She nods her head, thinking to herself.
“Look, I don't know what you want me to say. Vinyl helped me realize that I love her, so I gave it a chance, even though I don't really believe in relationships,” I tell her flatly, hating the awkward feeling I'm getting from this conversation. Sometimes the best way to power through awkwardness is to be as blunt and straightforward as possible. “Rainbow and I decided we'd figure things out as we go along.”
“I'm glad. It's good to hear you say it,” Celestia responds with a happy smile. Just then, the two of us reach the bottom of the scaffolding, which is still damaged from when Vanta fucked with it. I summon my magic and leap into the shaft, followed closely by Celestia. “There's one more thing I want to discuss with you before I let the matter rest.”
“What's that?”
“Pardon me for saying this, but I want you to understand just what it is you're getting into,” Celestia prefaces. Okay, if she's saying something like that...what the hell is she going to ask me? “I can't speak for Rainbow's feelings on the matter, but can you accept that relationships generally have some degree of intimacy?”
“That's...certainly blunt,” I choke, taken by surprise. Is Celestia really talking to me about this? Am I really about to talk about sex with a princess that's been around for millennia? God, this is fucking awkward. The two of us soon find ourselves in the initial hallway in which I'd found myself after falling down the shaft for the first time. However, Celestia seems more focused on me at the moment. That means there's no getting out of this conversation. “You're talking about sex, right?”
To her credit, Celestia shows no signs of being embarrassed by the subject matter. Come to think of it, living for as long as she has must have made her relatively comfortable talking about things like this. “That's correct. I apologize if I'm making you uncomfortable, but I'm trying to spare you future pain,” Celestia assures me. Despite the fact that she's holding such a personal conversation with me, I can tell she's still fully on alert. “According to what I've learned, ponies were not sentient during your time, and as such having a relationship with one was considered wrong. I'd understand if you still held some reservations.”
“I don't even want to know how you know that. I don't think I've said a word to anypony other than...” I start to say, and then the memory of an early conversation strikes me...one where I'd said many words which I'm practically contradicting as we speak. But...considering who I spoke to, everything makes sense. “Fucking Twilight.”
Celestia confirms my suspicions with a nod. Shit. I'd told Twilight at the time about Lyra's obsession with me, and then proceeded to tell her that her whole race were just a bunch of animals to me. While that was true then...I wouldn't feel right saying it now. Anyway...I'd better answer Celestia.
“Yeah...well, the idea really doesn't sit well with me. I've been trying not to think about it,” I admit to her. “In fact, I think the only reason I decided to give this a shot is because Vinyl told me I didn't need to fuck her to have a decent relationship.”
“That's certainly true,” Celestia agrees, looking at me with respect. “The fact that you're content just to love her speaks well of your character...but I just wanted to make sure you're prepared for the possibility that Rainbow may become interested.”
“Honestly, I'm still going to fucking panic if she brings it up. Whether or not I'm warned about it first isn't going to change that,” I confess. It hits me that I'm doing an awful lot of confiding in Celestia, but I can't really back out at this point. I don't feel the need to either, which surprises me. Maybe it's because Celestia has so much experience in worldly matters like this, I know she can give me good advice.
“I understand. In that case, I suppose I've done the best I can, for the moment,” Celestia decides, looking satisfied. “Just don't be afraid to come to me for advice if you need it.”
“Thanks, I guess. Whatever. I just hope I won't need it,” I grunt, glad that this conversation seems to be over. Already it's given me a lot of troubling thoughts that I really didn't need.
“Now, let us return to the task at hoof,” Celestia directs me. Hah, you don't have to tell me twice. Now I understand why she didn't want Rainbow down here with us. “Hm, it seems newer down here than up above.”
“Right? There's some large offices through the doors there, so I think Sombra left a lot of ponies behind other than just Vanta,” I respond, pointing at the executive offices, where'd I'd found a working computer. “I don't think there's any Oppressed on this level, though. I found them mostly...”
I don't even get to finish my statement before I'm proven wrong. Almost immediately after we start to approach the offices, the door shatters outwards, and two Oppressed charge out of it, turning right towards us. They don't seem to have any coordination or direction, instead exhibiting nothing more than raw killing intent.
“I stand corrected!” I yell, releasing my magic and summoning Vanta's scythe in my right hand. Shit, what the hell were they doing in the offices, and why didn't I see any of them when I passed through here?
Next to me, I feel an overwhelming amount of magic pouring from Celestia's frame. The darkness in the hallway peels away like a curtain as her magic becomes visible as an aura of light around her body. Her eyes narrow, following the path of the first Oppressed as it approaches her, its jaws hanging open and salivating, and its claws stretched out to strike her.
Just as it's about to reach her, Celestia plants her front hoof into its chest. It happens so fast...I can see the creature's chest rupture and crumple inwards just from the strength of that one simple attack. It hurtles all the way back to the far side of the hall, causing an impact so great that the Oppressed goes right through the wall. Yeah, I think it's safe to say that it's fucking dead.
The other Oppressed reaches me, ignoring the fate of its companion. It leaps...and is easily cleft in two by a quick slash of my scythe. This thing is a bit unwieldy, but against Oppressed, it should do just fine.
“That appears to be all of them, for now,” Celestia observes, powering back down. I glance at her wordlessly. No matter how many times I see it...Celestia's power is so great it frightens me. There's really no comparison between her and Luna...though that's probably because Luna was stuck on the moon for a good thousand years and couldn't train like her sister.
“I don't know why they were in the offices in the first place. I'm going to check it out,” I decide. Considering how they're still active, I think it's safe to say that the Oppressed are not tied to Vanta. But without a commander...I bet they're just rampaging around.
The offices are a mess. Before I can look them over, however, I hear the sounds of more Oppressed. One of them immediately barrels through the desk to my right, opening its jaws in a roar. I turn in place and hook the creature's body with the blade of the scythe, so that it's own momentum causes it to slice itself in half.
Celestia joins me in the room a few seconds later, easily dispatching another Oppressed that ambushes her in a manner similar to what happened to me. “This room is infested. Stay close, and we will weather their assault,” she warns me calmly. She's right. I can hear the Oppressed closing in, their clawed hooves clicking and scraping along the floor.
It's laughably easy how quickly we take care of them. With a melee weapon backed by the force given to me by magic, I can handle them a lot easier than before, when all I had was a table leg and my guns. As for Celestia...well, I don't think I even need to say how she's doing. She's a fucking force of nature.
Celestia noticeably doesn't use any blasts of magic from her horn, resorting to only brutal physical attacks that break the Oppressed like twigs. She flows around their attacks like water and strikes back hard in their vital areas, which is usually enough to put them down permanently. With the combination of our efforts, the room is cleared, so that I can finally see what happened to the place.
The room is a mess now, the desks shattered and the computers broken. It seems like the Oppressed have been rampaging all over the place now that there's nopony to command them. Even Vanta's office has been broken into, the glass door lying on the ground in pieces.
“These Oppressed are indeed a threat,” Celestia observes, stepping further into the room. She's eyeing the bodies closely, a mixture of pity and disgust on her face. “Unforgivable, Sombra. This was a majestic race, one that didn't deserve the fate you gave them.”
“Yeah...if he were still around, I'd have a few choice words for him,” I mutter. “Still, looks like the offices are trashed. But this isn't where the Oppressed are gathered, I don't think. Then again, I'm not sure how many of them are down here in the first place.”
“There must be a way we can draw them all to us, rather than hunting them down one by one,” Celestia surmises sensibly. Right, if we try to handle them one by one, we'll be down here for a long time. “Seth, is there a central location?”
“Well, I don't know about about that, but I do know of the main lab,” I suggest. Then I remember exactly what happened to me in that lab, as well as what's in it. “Actually, we need to go there anyway. I'm not sure if the Oppressed in there are alive or not.”
“That sounds like a good place to start,” Celestia agrees, heading to the other exit back into the hallway. She glances over the wreckage of the room. “A shame. Dr. Forward would have really enjoyed the chance to study these machines in working order.”
“Don't worry, there's tons of tech down here for you ponies. It's not like I need it,” I remark...and then I pause. “Unless I can get my hands on a power supply. I found my old laptop, but it died a long time ago.”
I do my best to retrace my steps through the complex, but I run into a dead end once I reach the dungeon. “Shit. I actually...don't know my way to the main lab,” I admit, coming to a halt just outside of Frozen's lab.
“You don't? This looks like a laboratory to me,” Celestia observes, peering inside Frozen's lab. When her eyes alight upon the mangled skeleton on the table, she gasps. “This is monstrous. How can anypony do this to another living, thinking individual?”
“Yeah...I made sure to turn the bastard who did this to dust. He's right there, actually,” I tell her somberly, indicating the pile of bones and dust where I'd killed Frozen. “But this isn't the main lab. This one belonged to some fucker named Frozen Soul. Know him?”
“That name isn't familiar to me. He must have been one of King Sombra's scientists,” Celestia answers, even as she glares at the pile of dust. “All of this serves to remind me that I did well in deciding to go to war against him in the first place. I cannot abide anypony that is capable of such depravity.”
“That reminds me, before we keep going, what made you decide to go to war against Sombra in the first place? I saw a conversation between Vanta and Sombra, and from what I could tell, you attacked him first,” I address her curiously. When Celestia looks at me oddly, I retract. “I mean, I support your decision. Wholeheartedly. I'm just curious.”
“Ah. Very well, I shall give you the short version,” Celestia says, understanding. “Usually, the affairs of another country is none of our concern. Even when we heard that the Crystal Empire had fallen, we did not act. It wasn't until several refugees of the Crystal Empire reached us that we discovered the depths of his depravity.”
“We could not abide the thought of any living creature in slavery, whether in our country or another. We contacted Sombra through diplomacy and demanded that he release his slaves, but it was ultimately futile,” Celestia continues.
“I don't know why you bothered,” I retort. Some individuals you shouldn't reason with, and should just put down. Slavers and tyrants are among that number.
“We had to make the effort, Seth. Even though it failed, we were able to go into battle knowing that there was no other way,” Celestia admonishes me. Whatever. It still seems like a waste of time to me. “But there you have it. We struck at Sombra's forces to free those suffering beneath his oppression. Unprovoked or not, it was the right thing to do.”
“I suppose so. One last question before we go. What exactly happened to the Crystal Empire? I've never heard anypony talk about it other than you and Luna, and it doesn't seem like a crystal city that large would go abandoned for long,” I ask, mentally slapping myself for not asking this question before.
Celestia's expression turns pained, and she looks down out of sorrow. “That...is the worst part about our battle with Sombra. In the end, it was ultimately pointless,” she admits.
“How do you figure? You won, didn't you?”
“Yes, but in his darkest hour, Sombra cursed the Crystal Empire, causing the entire city and its inhabitants to become tied to his life force. As such, when he was defeated...all was lost,” Celestia reveals sadly, and my jaw drops. The fucker took the entire Crystal Empire with him? That's...that's just terrible. How many ponies would have died? A thousand? Two thousand? And...that would mean that Celestia lost in the end, despite her defeat of Sombra. What a fucking sore loser. “There is nothing left of the Crystal Empire now but a wasteland.”
“Well...shit,” is my incredibly eloquent response. I don't think it's possible to hate Sombra more than I do right now. The fucker couldn't just die. “That really sucks.”
“Yes, Seth. It really does.”
I has returned, after several days of being busy...what with my mother's birthday party, and all of the classwork that I put off until the last minute just so that I could write this more. Yes, yes, it's my own fault, but whatever. This fic is addicting to write.
Now then, before I talk about any of that, let me just say how excited I am to write this upcoming arc. You can tell because I wrote my version of the Crystal Empire's history in here. Of course, there's other bits to my headcanon in this case that Celestia doesn't know, so I'm still trying to figure out how I can make all of it known to you. I really appreciate the show writers giving me a blank slate like this for Sombra and the Crystal Empire. It really gives me room to do what I like with it.
Also, for those of you that may be confused, I've taken the liberty of drafting two separate power charts. Basically, starting from the top, I give you the main magic using characters in order from weakest to strongest, in terms of raw power. (Their techniques, equipment, and whether or not they can effectively use it is another matter)
Royal Wedding:
Rose
Blades - Iron
Seth - Twilight 
Shining Armor
Luna
Chrysalis
Celestia 
Dark Descent (this current arc):
Rose
Blades - Iron
Twilight 
Shining Armor
Luna(?) <-- did some training, as mentioned in this chapter. Not sure where I'm going to put her yet.
Seth - Vanta -Chrysalis
Celestia
I hope that helps you guys out.
Lastly, before I head off and start working on the next chapter, I want to return back to the subject of my mother's birthday. There, my dad got his band together to perform for them as usual, but with one addition to their setlist which was a surprise to them all. AcoustiMandoBrony's Kindness. Yes, they performed a brony song. Mostly because my dad is a total bro and did it because I wanted them to. Also, I was the one singing it. If you want to see the performance, take a look at this!
Now, you love me, so please leave your comments and tell me what you think! 
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"this is a message from princess celestia, here to talk about the birds and the bees..
"
any road, another great chapter if it is just a sort of wrap up almost. surprisingly it felt like the scenes for taking the oppressed out where kinda...dull almost. but still good, displaying celestia strength and giving insight on your fic's version of history
One word: Awesome!!!
Just wait until they find out it's back, then vengeance will be his.
And with that power scale for each character Discord is still on top. Speaking of Discord I really hope you include him in the story.
5557722
Well, Discord doesn't really count. He doesn't have power in the usual sense, like Celestia and Seth do. It's just impossible to fight him on a conventional level, because then he just turns your magic Final Flashes into streams of butterflies.
5557750
Well there answers that, but that still leaves the other part of my comment.
5557767
Now, I can't tell you everything.
5557783
*Fall on knees*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
5557798
1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAR0XO2w8K4/UXAR8AsZ0KI/AAAAAAAAANg/RM0UA9o0daQ/s1600/Celestia+troll+face.jpg
5557801 Authors hiding details are magic.
Yours is one of my favorites fics, incredible work, also, a mostache for you my great sir .
5557801
Can I suggest you take a look at some of the Vindictus OST for some of the future battle scenes? Your picks are great and all, but I feel that with some battles, their music fits in really well. For example, the Irukul, Titan and Thor soundtracks fit well with the Juggernaut battle.
Anyways, great chapter, I finally caught up after binge reading this thing for a day, and this is a genuinely wonderful story. Looking forward to more.
This was a good chapter, and it gives us a little breathing room from the drama of the last few.
Starting off Seth, Rainbow and Twilight make it back to the ruins to chat with Celestia. Being that Seth was unconscious when he was removed from the ruins, we never got to see what they knew of the situation. Evidently, the whole thing is still under wraps and left everypony confused, but they all know something dangerous occurred and Seth was involved in it. In later chapters when Celestia and seth are done with the ruins, I suspect a few more ponies are going to become aware of him now. He already got himself a rep from Canterlot during the invasion (some see him as a hero, others hate him as a traitor and the majority just don't know what to make of him) and it's likely going to spread more now. Iron will likely have just as much respect for him as before, but what of Rose and Shining Armour? They both hate him, so I can't see this changing their minds all that much (for Shining this might actually make him think Seth is even more dangerous then before if he is now powerful enough to take on Chrysalis - and subsequently take him apart). This may make things interesting for Seth in the future.
Upon meeting up with Celestia, she immediately figures out that Seth and Rainbow made up and are now dating (Seth's reaction was priceless and Twilight is still as oblivious as ever. I wonder if Rainbow will tell her while Seth and Celestia explore the ruins, or whether she'll still be in the dark by the time they get back to Ponyville. Hell, she'll probably show up at Pinkie's 'Rainbow-and-Seth-Finally-Hooked-Up-After-Being-Really-Oblivious-To-Their-Own-Feelings-Party' and be like, 'The fuck?') and smiles that little troll smile of hers. Seth goes into the details about Vanta, the labs and how Sombra destroyed his race before being asked to follow Celestia down below to finish off the Oppressed. Luna seemed a little pissed she wasn't allowed to go. Apparently she's been training since Canterlot, so I wonder how powerful she's gotten. I doubt she's as powerful as Chrysalis even with the training. It's only been just over 2 months (I think. Might have even been less) since the invasion, and since she doesn't have Seth's dark magic growth rate (seriously this magic of his is epic. I cannot wait to see how it ties in to Sombra) she likely still wouldn't pose much of a threat. She could probably deal a little damage to Chrysalis and hold her own far longer, but even with Seth she got flattened the last time, alone she's screwed.
Upon reaching the labs, Celestia decides to give Seth a sex talk. I saw it coming even as she starting bringing up the relationship, and its just hilariously awkward. The sun god Princess of an entire race asking you whether you'll stick it to your girlfriend? That's awkward even before you involve the different species. Still its a point that Seth likely hadn't even considered addressing before now, and even if he doesn't think he can follow through with it, he is at least able to recognize that it might come up and not leave him blindsided like when Rainbow first brought up her feelings. Who knows for them too. He was adamant about not even considering Ponies as romantic interests when he arrived, and while Rainbow is the only exception, its still shows growth. It might not happen in the timeline of the story, but maybe someday he could potentially get intimate with Rainbow if he could push passed his cultural doubts and human sex drive.
Anyway, once the awkward chat is done with, we get an Oppressed attack which is immediately halted by Seth's new scythe (hot damn that thing is badass) and Celestia's overpowered punching. This goes on for a bit as they explore more of the labs looking to cull the attackers down (man I wonder what will happen if another Mega Oppressed attacks. Likely be beaten a bit easier then the first one I imagine). Then we get to hear about Sombra's pony crimes and the fate of the Empire. Its slightly different to the canon (the Empire disappeared in canon but there was no mention of it being connected to his life force, nor was necromancy in anyway involved) but overall carries the same weight as before. When Sombra brings it back later, shit is going to hit the fan.
Overall a good breather chapter with some good interaction between Seth and Celestia. While Seth's moments with Rainbow make for the best characters interactions in my opinion, the conversations he has with Celestia are always really interesting to read, especially since she plays everything off all cool, while Seth gets angry and frustrated easily. Future interactions will be fun to read.
I can't wait to read what's coming next as Celestia and Seth continue to clear out the labs. I also cannot wait to see what happens with Seth and Rainbow when they make it back to Ponyville and see everyponies reaction to them dating
Great work
And now I've caught up again, some 8 or 9 chapters that I hadn't gotten around to.
Quite good stuff.
Ps. During the first few chapters I had this image in my head about a tumblr feminist yelling "STOP OPPRESSING ME" to Vanta after getting caught, it was quite distracting.
Trollestia: even worse than molestia.
Well, little bit better than molestia.
Well, better than molestia.
Well, I'd prefer Trollestia.
Well, Great chapter.
5565687
>2015
>not preferring molestia