Turn About Your Own Damn Intruder
“All of you!” Secretary Sharp Quill barked at a line of Soul Sentries that he passed while galloping after the reindeer guard towards the end of the royal hallway. “Follow us! We will need your expertise in investigating this hidden passage!”
All in one accord, the reindeer's eyes pulsed green. They nodded, then marched briskly after the elk.
“How much further?” Sharp Quill asked.
“Just this way!” The guard cut around a corner, leading straight through the heart of the Palace's Royal Chambers. Servants peered out of the various rooms where they'd been sequestered. Their muzzles hung in perplexed, worrisome expressions.
“Get back to your quarters!” Sharp Quill snarled in mid-gallop, his purple eyes bright and fiery. “Your presence here impedes my investigation!”
Shuddering, the maids and butlers nervously complied. Soon, the hallway was full of nothing but the thunderous sound of marching hooves.
“Wait a minute...” Sharp Quill's mouth suddenly hung agape. His ears twitched beneath his antlers as he said, “You're leading me to the Prince's chambers, aren't you?”
“Affirmative!” exclaimed the guard in front of him.
“You mean to say that—all this time—there was an entrance to a hidden passageway inside his very bedroom?”
“That would seem to be the case!” The guard glanced back once as he approached the doors to the Prince's Royal Chambers. “Undoubtedly it was kept a closely guarded secret by the Royal Family.”
“And I was never told about it?” Sharp Quill briefly gnashed his teeth. “How was this kingdom ever supposed to operate smoothely...?”
The guard opened the doors. The Soul Sentries behind Sharp Quill illuminated the bedroom with their emerald aura. “It's located near the Prince's desk, along the southeast side of his chambers—”
“Step aside,” Sharp Quill growled, pushing the guard back as he marched ahead. “I'm no stranger to this part of the Palace. Now, just how small is this...”
The wall was solid, barren, and devoid of any passage.
“...entrance?” Sharp Quill stood dead-still, blinking.
The doors slammed shut behind him.
The elk spun around with a gasp.
Eight Soul Sentries—the ones who had obediently followed the Secretary through the Royal Palace—now stood in a single line before the bedroom's exit. In front of them stood the lone reindeer guard, gazing softly at Sharp Quill's surprised face.
“The masquerade stops here,” the guard said.
Sharp Quill blinked, his muzzle agape. “I've no unearthly idea what you're talking about.”
“No.” The guard shook his head. “You don't.” Then, in an unraveling curtain of flame, he turned into a burgundy-coated Xonan.
Sharp Quill gasped. “You...”
“I know a thing or two about who you think you're serving,” Ebon Mane said. “Trust me.” His nostrils flared with a melancholic breath. “She does not reward the ones whom she pretends to love.”
A low roar issued from Sharp Quill's throat. Standing tall, he faced the Soul Sentries and spat, “Neutralize him! Immediately!”
The Soul Sentries flinched once... twice... but remained still.
Sharp Quill nearly had a spasm. “What?!” He stomped his hoof. “I gave you a direct order!”
Still, the Soul Sentries refused to move.
“Very well then...” Leaning forward, Sharp Quill channeled green energy through his skull. The ends of his antlers pulsed with an emerald aura, and his eyes veritably billowed with jade flame. After half-a-minute of straining, he slumped back on his haunches, wide-eyed and sweating. “This... this makes no sense! Why aren't they obeying me?”
“Because she entrusted too much power in me, said a deep voice from the shadows.
Gasping, Sharp Quill spun about.
A stone gray elk trotted out from the royal lavatory, his good eye narrowing beneath sharp antlers. “As did you. And that's why this plan would never work.”
Sharp Quill gaped at him. “Saikano...” He gnashed his teeth. “You've turned traitorous?!”
“Only a traitor would imprison his surrogate daughter,” the General said. “As you have alienated your surrogate son.” He leaned his head to the side. “Tell me, Secretary, did you feel any qualms whatsoever when you nearly choked the Prince to death?”
Sharp Quill's eyes narrowed. “How did you know about...?” He twitched, then glared at Ebon Mane.
Ebon stared calmly at the elk.
Seething, Sharp Quill turned towards Saikano once again. “You would ally with this freakish invader? After all she's promised us?! Glory?! Power?! Rebirth for Val Roa?!”
“Not all things must be baptized in flames,” Saikano said. “As Val Roa's protector—or at least a fascimile of its protector—I know this by heart.”
“Fascimile of...?” Sharp Quill blinked. “What do you mean by that?”
“I can't expect you to understand, Secretary,” Saikano remarked. “You haven't woken up to the truth yet. You're still as much a prisoner as Fishberry.”
“Enough of this!” Sharp Quill stomped his hooves. “You won't be leaving the Palace alive!”
Saikano shook his head. “The Soul Sentries will not aid you.”
“Why not?!” Sharp Quill frowned. “Because you've mastered them?! Unless you've forgotten, Saikano, Fishberry and I command them too! They won't harm a hair on my body so long as I hold concious dominion!”
“Then we'll have to do something about that, shall we?” Saikano said.
Sharp Quill blinked.
The barest hint of a smile formed on Saikano's calm face.
Sharp Quill took a deep breath. He took one last look at Ebon Mane... ... ... then made a mad dash for the balcony windows on the far side of the bedroom.
Saikano made sure to get out of the Secretary's way, maintaining distance between them.
Sharp Quill was almost to the exit when a hard metal staff slammed across his skull. “Ooomf!” He collapsed against the wall, wincing in pain.
Thw-thw-thwpp! A charcoal-coated mare with half-healed bruises twirled her staff to a stop, bracing it between her raised fetlock and her neck. “Going somewhere, coward?” Midnite Bastion spat. “Not on my watch.”
Sharp Quill gritted his teeth. He kicked off the wall and dashed for a closed door along the edge of the room. Just as he flung it open—
WHAMMM! A thick, hairy hoof flew out and slammed across his chest.
“Guahh!” Sharp Quill stumbled backwards. He looked up, and his pupils shrank.
Constable Jake leered at him with a drooling smile. “Yeah. No.” The moose spun and slammed his massive buttocks into the elk.
WHUD! Sharp Quill flew back with a grunt. He crashed through Prince Eine's desk, shattering it to a dozen splintery bits.
Saikano helplessly shuddered, stumbling back and bracing himself against a table.
Midnite glanced his way with a blank expression.
“Heh... sorry, Blood'n'Guts,” Jake dribbled, trotting over and making sure Sharp Quill was down for the count. “Forgot you were kinda sorta attached at the invisible umbilical.”
“Do not apologize...” Saikano shook the pain off and stood up straight. “We still have much work to do.”
“Fishberry will be starting the High Council Meeting any time now,” Midnite said, hobbling across the chambers with the aid of her staff. “That's halfway across the Capital from here!”
Saikano looked across the room. His good eye pulsed green.
The Soul Sentries jerked towards him immediately, standing at attention.
“I have full control over the Soul Sentries now,” Saikano said.
“Puppies!” Jake glanced up. “You sure about that, Cyclopsy?”
“At least for the time being.” Saikano sighed out his nostrils. “After Rainbow Dash's plan falls through, however, I cannot say.” He gulped. “She will likely regain control.”
“Yes, well, one thing at a time.” Midnite glanced over at Ebon Mane. “Can you access the Soul Sentries' energy field now?”
Ebon nodded, already morphing to his natural, insectoid form. “With Sharp Quill no longer blocking the mental leylines, you bet!”
“Good.” Midnite's eyes narrowed. “It's up to you to find the Prince and your little Xonan.”
After a deep breath, Ebon said, “I'll get right on it.”
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>be me
Yussss
>finish updating Austraeohaiku for the first time in over a year
>about to go to bed
>two new feed updates
>"Imploding Colon posted a new chapter of Yaerfaerda"
>
UPDATE: Fuck yeah new alliances! But you better believe Chryssi still, like Trixie, has a few tricks up her sleeve.
Aww yeah. This is fantastic. Two down, one to go, then on to the Queen.
Helluva tactical strike, guys. Fine job.
...Though I am still leery of Saikano...
Jake used Butt
CRITICAL.
Backy would be so proud.
Hey.... psst.. might wanna raise the shields.
5482695 Somehow, I don't think it's going to be that simple.
How exactly does that link work? Whats a mental leyline?
I dunno I if trust Saikano...
So... Is Saikano the most powerful of the three? If so, then that's why Sharp Quill was easy to put down. Now for Fishberry. Here's to hoping that RD's going to make it epic, for the audience outside the meeting building thingy-thingy (and us readers).
5482744 Yeahh, probably not. But hey, maybe we get a Chryssi reveal in ch125?
I do love me a good air battle.
Jake's arse should be outlawed as a weapon of mass destruction.
Oh dear, this chapter is going to be known as the one where Jake, just arsing around, tries to assassinate Sharp Quill?
Facsimilies. I wonder which are teh decoys, which are the hidden, and which are what you want, but in plain sight?
This is going too well. Something is about to go wrong.
This is the Nevlamas before the Lerris.
Also, yay, waifu #3 lives
Go rock some socks Midnite!
At least they're not dumb enough to think that their plan will work flawlessly. They acknowledge that at some point the sentries will bust out of control.
And then they realize there actually is a secret passage in the prince's room. I bet they'll feel foolish. They almost gave it all away.
And then SharpQuill O'Neil escapes via the secret passage that was actually there.
Where is Rainbow Dash anyway? Wasn't she with Ebon?
Either they devised a plan ''off-screen'', or Dash is currently in the company of the Queen Bugbutt.
Desk Buttchery!
5482734
img1.derpicdn.net/img/2014/7/8/670367/full.png
If ya got it, flaunt it, right?
5483167 What is that even supposed to mean?
This is getting better by the second but it seems to be going too smoothly for the moment. I'm still waiting for something to go wrong somewhere.
5483702
I'm running on the theory that Eine is Chrysalis. Back at the very beginning of the arc, Ebon mentioned that Chrysalis' presence felt strange, different somehow. My first thought was that she had "amnesia", sort of like Ebon himself did when he was hidden among ponies, but since she is, in some form, actively controlling the big three in Val Roa, I'm not too certain about that anymore.
Unless she gave them orders and then just turned herself off (in a manner of speaking), but that seems like it would be too risky. Maybe she's just really weak after loosing her connection to her hive, I dunno...
5483746
He means that this is the happy moment before IC starts writing while listening to Singing In the Rain.
get shit on nerd lol
5483167
Who are waifus #1 & #2?
5484983 Gold Petals and Rayvinne.
5485007
I will agree that Rayvinne is awesome.
2.bp.blogspot.com/--BhXbq5TIgA/Ud8vC_fJlBI/AAAAAAAAZEE/JmLDLFwF4OM/s1600/rollercoaster.gif
*Hops up and down, eagerly awaiting more.*
5485031 I FORGOT PROPS
PROPS IS ACTUALLY THE SECOND WAIFU
I HAVE FOUR WAIFUS TOTAL
and two hasbandosHmmm, well, things have made a turn for the best, although I just realized that there is a huge problem in the plan that will almost certainly end in disaster.
...It's not stupid.
Hmm.... What if the three are actually changelings? That facsimile comment struck me as...odd
5485871 That's exactly the implication. Saikano realizes, or at least suspects, that he's not the real Saikano.
5478190
I believe you, as they say, called it
Ah nice to be back after not having internet for a bit. Sharp Quill has to know its over now there isn't much that he can do at this point.
Plot twist: They never find Kera and Eine until it's all over.
raise shields plz
goblins incoming
Yay Saikano! It's getting better and better by the chapter.
-Spirit
Very nice. Time for Sharp to wake up from his long nap.
Network password accepted.
Plans are coming together, Ebon is being a badass, and traitors are turning to be traitors towards traitors... my brain hurts. It's a good pain though, because dammit I gotta keep going on this.
~SolidFire
6929460 Ugh, dude, stop being so persistent--I'm slowly catching up you!
needs end " marks.
______________________
6970368
Within a week, and a half I'll be caught up with you and everyone else. [This is the most fun game of tag ever.]
7030683 and then there is me who is 40 weeks behind
7817634
I stopped reading this about half a year ago. Because of toxic and assholish fanbase (not all of them, but enough to turn me from the series for good). I was getting (After a lie filled, victim card spewing, sob story (that had no basis in reality)) tons of down votes for everything that I was posting in the recent story (at the time), so I said f' it. And left.
And you know what? I couldn't be happier to have done so.
It's a trap
... they are changelings? Unknowing ones? So much mind screw... and where are the originals?
5483054
>Not a weapon of ass destruction
You had one job
7818337
Somehow I missed that comment thread, sorry to hear about that. Still, glad to have you back, even if ur all waaaaaaaay ahead of me. I had a chance two years ago to catch up with some of you but now I can only hope to see you when I reach the most recent chapter.
2 out of 3 taken out or turned sides.
1 to go.