Mission Impokeble
The city of Canterlot was built almost a thousand years ago, shortly after the banishment of Nightmare Moon. Until then, the princesses had lived within the ancient castle inside the Everfree Forest. Even to this day, there are many speculations over why Celestia chose to move after the event. Some say that she just wanted to live closer to the center of Equestria. Others say that Nightmare Moon’s influence somehow corrupted the once tranquil animals living there, turning them into the wild and ferocious creatures that live there today. Finally, it is possible that Celestia just couldn’t stand living in a place where such dark memories would haunt her.
Building the new city and castle had taken a long time, but many secrets about Canterlot Mountain had been discovered in the process. In the past, as the workers were digging out the grounds for the city, they discovered a mysterious system of caves. What they found inside was the largest natural resource of gems that has ever been discovered in Equestria’s history. Soon enough, ponies from across the entire country came to harvest the valuables inside. But no matter how much they took, the ponies were never satisfied. Greed corrupted them, making them fight among each other over the smallest shards. A group of especially crazed unicorns even invaded the caves, claiming everything inside to be theirs.
Eventually, Celesta herself had to put a stop to the madness. Managing to break the unicorns free from their crazed greed, she ordered the caves to be sealed off, never to be mentioned again. However, the old entrance was still connected to the insides of the castle, a fact only known by Celestia herself.
“…So, why did you tell me all this again?”
The red-coated unicorn guard named Crimson planted a hoof to his forehead. He still couldn’t understand what wrong he had done to deserve sharing the same shift as Azure Scroll. It was a miracle that the poor unicorn finished magic kindergarten, let alone making it into the royal guard.
“For Pete’s sake. Azure, you were the one who asked me why nopony had been told about these caves up until now. Princess Celestia ordered ALL entrances to the castle to be secured, including the secret ones. If even one pony knows of these caves, they could’ve used them to sneak inside unnoticed. That’s why she decided to tell the guard about this place. We can’t let even the most unlikely… Azure, get a hold of yourself!”
Crimson fired off a weak shock spell at his co-worker’s backside. This was the third time Azure had walked off to stare into one of the nearby gems.
“OW! Hehe. Sorry, Crimson. But if the princess knows how alluring these gems are, why didn’t she give us a resistance to them, like a spell or something. It seems kind of rude to order us to stand guard here for hours if we’ll just end up turning crazy.”
“I would really like an answer to that question myself. I trust the princess’s judgment, but we are simply not trained to resist urges like these. Or at least you aren’t, you dimwit!”
“OW! Thanks again.”
*sigh* “The things I put up with. When are you ever going to start-”
As Crimson was about to continue his scolding, the sound of a falling rock echoed through the cavern. Crimson immediately stopped midsentence and stared into the darkness. Azure also heard the sound and walked up to his partner. Together they watched the shadows, knowing that the rock didn’t simply fall by itself. Crimson’s horn started to glow as he prepared for the possibility of something suddenly charging at them. He didn’t have to wait long as another rock fell near one of the gem pillars to their left.
“THERE!” he yelled as he fired his spell. The beam hit the pillar, shattering it to pieces. Letting the dust clear, Crimson walked up to see what he had hit. Cowering inside the dust cloud was a small bat, terrified at the sudden explosion that had almost buried him in rock.
“Oh, hehe. Sorry, little guy. False alarm, Azure. It was just a bat.”
“OW!”
“What do you mean 'OW!'? I haven’t even shot you yet. Or have you finally taken the liberty of hitting yourself whenever you-“
Crimson only had a brief moment to notice the blue-coated unicorn lying unconscious on the ground. He had even lesser time to react as something grabbed his neck, showering electricity over his body.
Lucario dragged the ponies behind one of the gem pillars. The red one had his mane shaped like an afro after the ThunderPunch. It wasn’t the most effective move to use for stealth operations, but he had found its use rather ironic after the stallion’s constant use of a shock spell against his friend. Making sure that they wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, he turned back towards the gate they had been guarding.
Sometime before, Lucario had approached the castle grounds to observe the security. Nearly every entrance was covered by at least two guards, with many more patrolling the streets and sky. As Shining had predicted, it would be difficult to make it past them. There was one thing that Sir Aaron had taught him about infiltration though: If you can’t use an entrance, make one for yourself. As he began to Dig a hole in one of the nearby alleys, his Aura Sense suddenly detected the vast and empty space beneath the castle. Sensing far less guards in that area, he decided to go there first.
Shining must have been referring to this as one of the secret entrances. He could’ve easily distracted those two for me before entering himself. They wouldn’t have the courage to question the orders of their own captain.
His thinking was interrupted as something bit his ear. Looking up, he saw the bat from before flying above him. It had been kind enough to help him distract the guards.
“Thank you. As promised, I’ll let you into the castle’s kitchen. Just be sure to be out before daylight so the staff doesn’t catch you.”
The bat nodded happily before landing on his shoulder, intending to hitch a ride to the kitchen. Lucario gave the guards one last look before opening the gate and ascending the stairs behind it. A few torches lit up the passage as he made his way to the top. Faced with a brick wall, he scanned the area behind it. It was a small room, seemingly just a place to put brooms and other cleaning tools. Outside of that he could see a larger room with many beds, possibly the cleaning staff’s bedroom. Nopony seemed to be sleeping there for the moment. Sensing no guards in the area either, he easily pushed the wall aside, dodged the buckets lying on the floor, and stepped into the bedroom.
“Luck is on my side so far. I better find Luna’s chambers as soon as possible.” A scratch to the chin reminded him of his earlier promise. “As soon as we get you to the kitchen, but it better be quick.”
Using Aura Sense, he scanned as much of the castle’s interior as he could. There were still many guards stationed throughout the corridors, but nothing that he wouldn’t be able to sneak past. His first target, the kitchen, was thankfully located close by. He would’ve needed to go past it on his way to Luna either way. His path decided for the moment, he left the bedroom and began to make his way through the corridors. Thanks to the high ceiling, he was able to either jump over or climb past the guards on his way. Finally reaching a wooden door, he opened it and stepped into the kitchen.
The bat let out a happy squeal as it flew away and began to snack on one of the nearby fruit bowls. Lucario had intended to be on his way immediately, but something caught his attention. Right next to the bowl was some sort of letter. Stepping inside the room himself, he picked up the paper and read its contents.
Dear Nanny:
I’m growing more and more worried about Princess Celestia’s condition. I delivered the plate of cupcakes you made to her room this morning, expecting them to be eaten already by the time I returned by ten o’clock. I know how much she loves your baking.
But I was distraught when I returned and found that she hadn’t taken a single bite. Sure, the plate was empty, but only because she had dumped everything in the trash. Surely even in times like these she should find herself able to relax and eat them, even for just a moment.
You’ve been with the princess ever since you were a small filly. Please, try to talk to her. We’re now just as worried about her as we are of Princess Luna.
Love: Candle Warmth.
As Lucario finished reading the letter, the bat let out a burp after finishing the entire bowl by itself. Lucario was about to put the note back when voices approached outside. Lucario leapt to the nearby wall and pressed his back against it. Thankfully, he had remembered to close the door after entering.
“Is this really our route?”
“I don’t know, all right? I’ve been walking around at random for hours now. Captain Armor didn’t even give us a note before retreating to his home with Princess Cadence. Way to leave us disorganized, I say.”
“I don’t know. Some of the other guys said that the captain had tried to question the princess’s orders at first. But for some reason she had been very forceful.”
“Well, he is technically family to her now. Last time I checked, it was normal to be worried about your family’s safety.”
“Yeah, but the guys made it sound like she was angry, desperate even. Like it or not, we’re just lost pigs without the captain’s supervision. Why the princess would try so hard to get him and Cadence out of here I will never under-”
“What will you never understand, guard?”
The guards and Lucario froze up as a familiar voice came out of nowhere. Outside the kitchen, the guards turned around to see the princess of the sun standing behind them.
“P-Princess Celestia?! What are you doing here?”
Celestia is awake?! Lucario panicked. This wasn’t good. He didn’t know the full extent of her powers, but he had guessed that one of them was the ability to sense everything occurring within the castle. That was why he had decided to sneak in during the night, so that she would be asleep. Now it was only a matter of time before he would get caught.
“What we mean is-” One of the guards coughed nervously. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping at this hour, princess? Staying up late has always been Princess Luna’s thing.”
“My sister’s 'thing' is exactly what I’m trying to do here. With the night back in my control, I need to stay awake longer to make sure that it is working as it should. Now, I believe you have a patrol to get back to.”
“Yes ma’am!” the guards answered before dashing away. Celestia looked after them for a moment before leaving as well.
Inside the kitchen, Lucario breathed out in relief. Had he been mistaken about Celestia’s abilities? If she had them, she would’ve noticed his presence long ago. Maybe she was too exhausted after being awake for so long? No, that was doubtful. Even her guards thought that she was acting out of character. This was clearly yet another example of that.
Activating his Aura Sense again, he studied Celestia’s route. It seemed like she was making her way to the lower floors, away from Luna’s chamber. That was a relief. Magical sensing powers or not, he wouldn’t want to risk being in her presence any more than necessary. Just a few more floors and he would reach his primary target.
However, as he scanned through the castle again, a sudden thought crossed his mind. If Celestia was awake, that would mean that her own bedchambers were empty. Scanning the area, he confirmed his theories upon sensing the empty room. Only a lone guard was stationed outside.
Rather poorly protected for being her personal chambers, he thought to himself. Luna’s safety was still his priority, but if there was one place where he could find clues to Celestia’s behavior, it was there. His mind made up, he left the kitchen and the bat behind him.
The security was growing thicker as he approached his new target, but a combination of the guards’ disorganized state and flying through nearby windows allowed him to avoid their sight. Finally making it to the chambers, he hid behind the corner and studied the guard outside the door. It was clear from his armor that he was of a higher rank than the rest, possibly a captain like Shining. His eyes were focused and devoid of fatigue. He also lacked a helmet, letting his silver-colored mane fall down over his neck. Simply sneaking past this guy would not be an option. After some thinking he got an idea.
The stallion was only briefly surprised when Lucario casually stepped out of his hiding place. One second later, a white glow engulfed the Pokémon as he was dragged in front of his captor.
“I don’t know who you are or why you decided to walk out before me, but know that whatever plans you had have failed. I, Captain Duty Edge, knew that walking around with the rest of the guard would be a waste of time. I would wait here; ready to capture whoever thought that he or she could sneak into our princess’s chambers. Now I have you firmly in my telekinetic grasp, and the only thing that awaits you is a cold, dark ce-”
Blue light surrounded the pony’s head, and it was promptly smashed into the nearby wall. Lucario could almost see tears of pain welling up in the pony’s eyes before he fell to the ground. Lucario just shook his head.
“First off: You’re not the only one with telekinetic abilities here. Secondly: The guards need some directions. It’s your job as captain to give them that, isn’t it? Thirdly: The rest of the guards have the right idea about one thing: Wear a helmet.” Paying the knocked out captain no further mind, he stepped through the doors.
The room inside was everything he would’ve expected from a princess’s personal chambers. A large fireplace was burning near the wall, with a huge crown painted on the top. The walls were painted by a mixture of clouds, rainbows and rays of light. Right in the middle of the room, a round purple carpet was placed next to a yellow pillow. This was probably just a resting spot, as the actual bed was located further into the room. A simple nightstand with a plant was placed by it.
Despite all this, the room was surprisingly empty. There were no bookshelves or wardrobes, only a small box under the bed where Celestia probably kept her crown, shoes and trinket during the night. If she kept any secrets within this room, they were well hidden. Lucario activated his Aura Sense to look for any clues.
The search didn’t last long, as he almost immediately noticed some strange power emitting from the nearby wall. On it was a large painting. The lower half was darkened like the night sky, with six stars placed in a hexagon pattern. A word was written by each star, each with a different color: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. The stars were connected with each other by a line, and all of them had another line drawn up to the upper part of the painting. There, one large star was shining down on the rest, lighting up the painting’s upper part in daylight. Again, a word was written next to it: Harmony.
To a normal pony, the painting would look no more different than any other. But Lucario could sense a power in it that he had never felt before. It was warm, welcoming and friendly. He felt like if he reached out his paw, the painting would grab and hold it like a long lost friend. What kind of magic was this?
No matter the origin of this power, one question still remained. Was there another secret behind the painting’s presence? As he studied it, Lucario could swear that it was some sort of puzzle. The connected stars, the words written by them, their color, there must be…
Wait. These colors… they are familiar. Orange, yellow, pink, white, blue and purple. Isn’t that…
Hesitating for a few more moments, Lucario reached out and touched the star by the word Honesty with his paw.
“Applejack.”
Nothing visually changed about the painting, but Lucario could feel something change about its energy. He moved his paw over to the star next to Kindness.
“Fluttershy.”
Another change. He moved his paw over the rest.
“Pinkie Pie. Rarity. Rainbow Dash.”
Every one of his friends’ names caused an effect on the painting. His paw reached the sixth star, Magic.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
Yet another change occurred. Lucario stood still and waited for something to trigger, but the painting stayed dormant. Looking over it, he realized that the seventh giant star was left. Harmony…was there a seventh pony that represented it, like Celestia? Lucario doubted it. The six stars were all connected to it, as if they were the individual parts that made it up. Somehow it didn’t make sense for Celestia to be their unifier. There must be something he’s missing.
“I’m actually Princess Celestia’s personal student. I’ve studied under her ever since I was a small filly. I moved to Ponyville to continue my studies and learn about the magic of…”
His mind clicked as he moved his paw over the final star.
“Friendship.”
The six smaller stars started shining, and their rays of light erupted from the painting. They almost playfully danced around each other before uniting in the seventh one. Raising his arm to shield his eyes from the light, Lucario suddenly found a book floating in midair in front of the painting. It was small and simple with a title drawn on the cover with what looked like a crayon pen.
“Tia’s Diary,” Lucario read out loud as he grabbed it. Looking over it, he could see a happy sun drawn on the backside. “She went through so much trouble to hide this? I guess that our memories are our greatest treasures in the end.”
He had no idea why Celestia used the names of Twilight and her friends for the painting, nor why they each represented their own word. Rainbow and Twilight had mentioned that they had stopped this Nightmare Moon together in the past. Was that somehow linked with this? He would need to ask them about it later, as long as they avoided speaking more of Nightmare Moon.
We had a deal. I intend to keep it, for both our sakes, he told himself as he questioned his reasons for avoiding the Nightmare Moon subject. He shook his head slightly. That was a matter for another time. Right now, he needed to see what was written in the diary. Privacy never was an issue for him, not under circumstances like these.
Sitting down on the bed, he opened the book and looked at the last page, wanting to read the latest entry first. The handwriting was every bit as elegant as he expected, written with what seemed to be simple quill and ink.
September 29
Luna must have been more worried than I thought. I had hoped that my talk with her yesterday would calm her down, but I guess there’s not much stopping her once her mind is set.
She surprised everypony in the whole castle when she suddenly showed up at breakfast this morning. She must’ve hardly slept for more than a few hours. I hardly had any time to ask her about it before she finished her meal and flew off towards Ponyville. If I know her right (and I do) she probably spent the entire day spying on Lucario and his new-earned friends.
Oh, I forgot to mention that. Twilight sent me a letter a while ago that described her meeting with the creature. His name is Lucario, a so-called Pokémon from another world. While Twilight managed to learn many things about his species, the exact circumstances that led to his arrival here were withheld. Whatever the cause was, it surely must pain him greatly.
I can’t say that I’m not concerned about Lucario’s presence here. Travel between different worlds and dimensions can possibly have terrible effects on both sides. But I wouldn’t just go and send him back even if I could, at least not without his consent. His heart seems to be in the right place, if his rescue of the cutie mark crusaders is an indication. Most of all, he seems to have already built some bonds with Twilight and her friends. I look forward to meeting him in person.
Lucario finished the page, thinking through its contents. September 29 was the day he had awoken in the hospital and met his new friends for the first time, including Luna. But that was over four days ago. Had the princess not made any other entries after that?
She must’ve been too occupied with finding a cure for Luna. Besides, being over a thousand years old, she certainly couldn’t write something down every day.
Just as he finished that thought, the pages of the book glowed slightly. Surprised by this reaction, he began turning the pages backwards. September 28. September 27. September 26. Every day in September, July, June and every other month of the year passed by. No matter how many he turned, new pages seemingly materialized out of nowhere as he went further and further back in Celestia’s life. She had really done it. She had written something for every single day of her long life.
Speeding through the rest, he finally reached the first page. The first entry Celesta had ever written. The elegant handwriting her present self had was replaced by the unsteady writing of a young filly.
Dere diary. Mommy just gave you to me for my birftday! Luna was so jellus. Im going to vrite in you forever!
Tank you, Mama Lauren!
At the bottom of the page was a simple drawing of three ponies, two fillies and one mare. The fillies were obviously Celestia and Luna, judging by their coats and manes. The mare had a simple white coat, with a long red mane seemingly blowing in the wind. Simple as the drawing was, Lucario didn’t doubt the love Celestia had put into it so many years ago.
Every single day for over a thousand years. Her entire life is documented in this. Everything… except these last few days.
It was then that the last few traces of Lucario’s doubts vanished. There was no longer a question about it. His fears were correct. Standing up from the bed and putting the diary down on the nightstand, he rushed out of the room. He had to get to Luna, now.
Knowing that the front doors to Luna’s chambers were guarded, his only choice was to sneak in through one of her windows. He flew out of one of the windows in the corridor and kept himself hidden behind towers as he made his way forward. Using Magnet Rise in the middle of the night was risky due to its glow, but he was running out of time. Thankfully, he managed to avoid the patrolling guards as he finally slipped through one of the chamber’s windows.
Luna’s chambers were as different from her sister’s as the two princesses were from each other. However, Lucario couldn’t make out any exact details as the entire room was covered in darkness. He could still sense the princess of the night sleeping on her bed. Walking up to her, he studied her for a minute. For a pony that was suffering from an illness, she seemed to be sleeping rather peacefully. Her breaths were calm and she didn’t seem to be sweating. But there was something strange about her aura. Some strange force was flowing through it, as if it was a jailor keeping watch over a prisoner. Whatever it was, it didn’t come from Luna, that much was certain.
I’ll see what I can do for her later. Now I have to-
As he prepared his Psychic, the pair of blue eyes on the bed shot open. They briefly looked around in confusion before stopping at Lucario.
“THOU!”
Luna’s horn sparked as a magic force struck Lucario in the torso. He flew through the air and crashed into the doors, leaving little but shards behind as they broke from the impact. The guards outside jumped in fright as Lucario’s back struck the opposite wall. He coughed in pain as Luna followed him, her eyes glowing in rage.
“WHAT ART THOU DOING HERE?! HAVE OUR SISTER NOT ORDERED QUARANTINE OVER THE CASTLE?! HOW DARE THOU GO AGAINST HER WILL?!”
*cough, cough* “You… knew…?” Lucario managed to force out. Luna’s attack had not only taken him by surprise, but it had been incredibly powerful. The magic force had hurt far more than his crash through the doors and into the wall.
“DOST THOU TAKE US FOR A FOAL?! WE WOULD DO ANYTHING OUR BELOVED SISTER TOLD US! NOW ANSWER US! WHY HAVE THOU-”
“That’s enough, Luna.”
Yellow-colored magic surrounded Lucario as he was forcibly levitated into the air. Luna’s rage calmed down as she saw Celestia walk up the stairs, followed by a group of guards. Her eyes stared into Lucario's like knifes.
“Whoever this is, he will be punished for his actions. Know that standing against me will bring you nothing but failure. Guards, take him to the dungeon.”
The guards nodded as they stepped up to take their prisoner away. In most situations like these, the captive would be terrified and filled with guilt. But to the surprise of everypony present, a small smile spread over Lucario’s face.
“I’m sorry, Princess, but I have to ask: Don’t you recognize me?”
The guards stopped in their tracks, shocked that the creature not only dared to talk that way to their princess, but also claimed to know her. Nevertheless, some of them turned around to see if Celestia was going to answer.
“Don’t make me laugh. As if I would know a criminal like you.”
“Are you sure? I thought Luna would’ve at least mentioned me a little after our first meeting a few days ago. My name is Lucario. You seemed to remember it just fine in your diary.”
Celestia’s eyes widened. “What diary?!” Realization dawned on her too late, and she lifted her hoof halfway to her mouth.
“Your diary, Princess. The one you’ve been writing in nearly every day of your life, remember? Although I think it’s a bit troublesome to solve that painting’s puzzle every time you want to write in it.”
“A puzz… I mean, I’ve had enough. Guards, take him away!”
“Can I ask why you haven’t bothered to write anything in it during these past few days? I know that Luna’s… 'sickness' have burdened your mind, but you seemed to have gone through similar struggles in the past. All those were documented.”
By now, the guards were whispering to each other. They had no idea what Lucario was talking about, but Celestia’s behavior was strange to say the least. Lucario briefly looked down on them before continuing.
“Let me ask something else, Princess: Can you name anyone of these guards’?”
Celestia involuntarily eyed the guards before scoffing. “Are you mocking me, Lucario? I don’t see why that is relevant whatso-”
“Um, Princess? You remember me, don’t you?” One of the guards suddenly interrupted her. “It’s me, Dream Weave. We talked a bit during lunch a few weeks ago.”
“And don’t you remember me, Princess?” a mare spoke up. “Lily Wing? I’ve known you longer than nearly any other guard in the castle.”
Celestia didn’t know how to respond as the guards stared at her. “L-Listen to me. I can explain!”
“I’ll tell you why you can’t name them, 'Princess'.” Some of the guards jumped when Lucario raised his voice behind them. His confident smile was now replaced by an expression of anger. “Because before a few days ago, you’ve never seen any of these ponies in your entire life. Every time I’ve heard you speak to them, you’ve always called them 'Guard' or 'Guards', because that is all you know about them. Is that really the only thing the princess of the sun knows about her most loyal subjects?”
“Silence…”
“Is that why you have no remorse for letting them stay in the castle, where they could be infected at any moment? No, that’s not it, is it? There is no illness, there never was. Pegasi have been flying in and out of this place at their leisure. Half of Canterlot would have been infected by now, if not half of Equestria!”
“Silence…!”
“Not to mention that you haven’t made an entry in your diary ever since this whole thing started! Whatever game you’re playing, you are doing a poor job at it. Every single pony here has doubted you ever since this ridiculous play of yours started! There is nothing more you can do to hide it! Why don’t you just make us all a favor and tell us-”
“SILENCE!”
Guards and door shards flew back as Luna’s voice again boomed over the area, sending a shockwave through the corridor. Her eyes glowing white, she almost ran up to Lucario and screamed at him.
“HOW DARE THOU ACCUSE OUR SISTER LIKE THIS?! HOW DARE THOU QUESTION HER THIS WAY?! THERE IS NOTHING BEHIND THYNE WORDS BUT LIES! TAKE EVERYTHING BACK, OR WE WILL TAKE THEM BACK BY FORCE!”
Luna’s horn glowed in a blinding light, her magic fueled by anger. The guards hardly dared to stand up, cowering in fear at her wrath. Lucario, however, just stared back into her glowing eyes. There was no more anger behind them. Instead, they almost seemed sad. Closing his eyes and sighing, he turned back towards Celestia.
“What is your mother’s name?”
Luna’s white eyes died down in an instant. For a moment she just stared at Lucario in shock and bewilderment, as if trying to figure out how he could know this. Soon she turned her head back to her sister, suddenly very desperate to hear her answer. Celestia looked all around her, as if she was searching for an answer. Just then Lucario thought he had her, Celestia’s face beamed up and she turned back to them.
“Why, it’s Faust, of course. I know that it isn’t common knowledge among the public, but surely you must’ve heard the speculations all over Eques-”
Celestia never finished her sentence, as Luna fired off another shockwave. Hitting her straight in the chest, Celestia was knocked to the other end of the corridor, crashing through a couple of pillars that stood along the walls. Her telekinetic grip over Lucario was immediately broken, and he landed back on his feet. Next to him, tears were clearly flowing down Luna’s cheeks. She didn’t even have the mental strength to use her Royal Canterlot Voice when she spoke.
“It’s Lauren! We ALWAYS called her Lauren! Of all the things you could forget, this is the one thing I won’t believe you have! Just who and what are you?!”
“My my, is that how you speak to me now, little sister?”
The voice that echoed through the area was nothing like Celestia’s. This one was sinister, calculating and terrifying. Behind them, the guards slowly got back on their feet, utterly confused at the situation.
“Don’t you dare call me that! You are not my sis-”
Luna’s head suddenly arched back, her words left unfinished as a loud scream pierced her lips. Lifting her hooves to her eyes in pain, she stumbled backwards in a state of agony. Lucario ran up to her immediately, holding her to keep her from falling to the ground.
“Luna, what’s wrong?! Luna! Look at me!”
Just as he gripped Luna’s hooves, her screaming stopped. She stood frozen in place, seemingly unaware of anything around her. As she slowly lowered her hooves, Lucario looked at her eyes. Their usual blue color was now replaced by a sinister shade of green.
“You are my beloved sister…”
“Hehehe, now that’s my girl.”
Magical energies suddenly spawned from where Celestia lied. Soon enough, a giant pillar of green energy erupted from her body, showering the area in its light. Rubble blew past them as the guards ducked on the ground. Only Lucario stood unaffected by the ordeal, defiantly standing in place as he let dust and rock blow past him without care. In the center of the magic pillar, Celestia’s body began to change. The feathers on her wings evaporated, leaving a pair of bug-like wings behind. Her white coat darkened to black, holes suddenly appeared on her lower legs and fangs grew out of her mouth. Finally, her flowing mane turned blue and dirty as it fell over her back, as if it hadn’t been washed in her entire life. As the magic around her settled, she opened her green eyes while laughing menacingly.
“I had hoped to keep my cover a bit longer this time, but it no longer matters. I am Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings.”
“Y-YOU?!” The guards exclaimed in recognition. All of them now stood up and rushed to Lucario’s side. “Haven’t you learned your lesson by now?! You attacked Canterlot just a few months ago, and we stopped you! What makes you think that you will have a better chance now?!”
Chrysalis just laughed and waved a hoof in front of her. “Now now, there’s one thing I must admit that I learned from my last attempt: To keep my plans to myself. Resist me all you like, my plan is already in motion. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
“What have you done with Luna?” Lucario didn’t take his eyes off Chrysalis, but he was still shielding Luna by standing in front of her.
“That’s one of her changeling powers,” Lily Wing answered him. “Changelings feed off the love and affection ponies feel for each other, fueling their own strength in the process. In this state, Princess Luna won’t react to anything around her, only what Chrysalis tells her. Last time she was here, she tried to impersonate Princess Cadence to feed off Captain Armor’s love for her.”
“And what a fool I was for choosing her.” Chrysalis scoffed. “Love is far more complicated than any of you will ever understand. It’s not just lovey-dovey affection and feelings. No, it’s far more than that: It’s trust, knowing that your friends and family will never leave your side and always believe in you. That’s why the royal sisters were the perfect targets. They’ve known each other far longer than any two creatures have in history. Ahh, even now I can feel Luna’s love flooding into me.”
“I suppose you won’t tell us where you’ve hidden the real Princess Celestia, then?” Lucario asked the queen. Predictably, he just received a laugh in response.
“Why? So you could run off and save her? Don’t make me laugh.”
“…I see.” Lucario looked down at his feet, as if processing the answer.
“Don’t worry yourselves, rejoice!” Chrysalis threw her hooves out in triumph. “A new era is approaching, and you are all invited to the mea-”
“Vacuum Wave!”
Lucario suddenly punched the air in front of him. At the exact same time, Chrysalis face was hit by an invisible force, making her stagger backwards. She grunted in pain as she held a hoof over the face.
“W-Why you-”
Just as she lowered her hoof, she found herself facing a burning leg. She barely had time to feel the heat radiating from it.
“Blaze Kick!”
The kick collided with her, sending her flying through the nearby wall. Two more walls crumbled as she finally found herself outside. Her eyes temporarily blinded by the fire, she never even saw Lucario appearing behind her. He grabbed hold of her long horn, and began swinging her around in a vertical circle.
“Circle Throw!”
With one last swing, Lucario threw Chrysalis towards the outskirts of Canterlot. The force put his earlier use of the move against Rainbow to shame. In just a few seconds, Chrysalis crashed into the ground, making dust and stone explode from her impact. Still flying above, Lucario’s paws glowed blue as energy formed between them.
“Aura Sphere!”
Three spheres were fired off, flying towards the crash site with incredible accuracy. One by one they hit their target, a huge explosion spawning from each. As the dust spread over the area, Lucario landed a small distance away. He watched the scene with an emotionless expression.
“Hehehehe, what was that supposed to be?”
Chrysalis was standing in the middle of the crater. Not a single scratch was on her after Lucario’s assault, with the exception of his first two attacks. A smug smile adorned her face as she laughed.
“Was that all you had? What did you even think such a weak effort would accomplish?”
Chrysalis expected her opponent to be shocked or at least surprised by how unharmed she was. Instead, Lucario gave a smug smile of his own as he began to crack his knuckles.
“My warm up.”
To be continued…
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CRIMSON! USE ROCK TOMB ON ZUBAT!!!
Cliffhangers? NOOO!!
I guessed it was Chrysalis, what do I win?
Oh man, I smell one hell of a beat down coming.
I can't wait for the next chap! Lucario! BREAK HER IN TWO!!
WUNDERBAR!
images.memegenerator.net/instances/260x260/9194400.jpg
heh, the good old warmup line, used that one in a few video games when playing my friends and messing around, until they decided to target me and i lone wolf'd their noobish flanks
Wait, Chrysalis is a bug type. Blaze kick should have owned her.
100 bits on Lucario, i mean, if that was his warm up, the real fight is going to shake entire mountains.
What I was listening to as I was reading this.
Mother's name was Lauren. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE!
And FINALLY, we see Lucario's signature. Hopefully, we shall be seeing more of it in the upcoming fight, which I am looking forward to.
Huh, wonder why I didn't see this coming.
I honestly thought it was Darkrai, and his move Dark Void.
Wait... that was a warm up?
Must prepare for epicness.
img.ponibooru.org/_images/742061f19c5414e4abbdec757817d47d/71628%20-%20deal_with_it%20exploitable%20glasses%20rainbow_dash%20shades%20sunglasses%20transparent%20vector.png
There, ready. BRING THE SMACKDOWN LUCARIO!
You know, it all makes sense now. Those weren't pegasi flying in and out, those were changelings. You are one clever little pony. Didn't expect Chrysalis back so soon, and certainly not strong enough to overpower Celestia without a power source. Way to rip the carpet out from underhoof
The second i read that Luna and Celestia mother was pure white and had a red mane, I knew that it was Lauren Faust. Very good chapter.
KNEW IT!I TOLD U ABOUT THOSE CHANGLINGS MAN.
Called it.
i.imgur.com/rOwh0.gif
i love you
Damn, the Pokeris thing would've been cool as shit.
Please stop with the Naruto mame calling of moves, it is so out of place that it hurts my head.
Ooooooh! This is just too good! I had a feeling that Changling bitch was behind this. Princess Celestia was way off (although...I first couldn't tell whether you wrote her out of character on purpose or not
). Awesome job!
713613 In the games, Pokérus actually have no negative effect on pokémon. All it does is doubling the amount of Effort Values (EVs) the infected pokémon gains from battles. Besides, it's called POKÈrus, so I guess only pokémon can have it.
713593 Your Rainbow seems rather confused by that, but I love you too.
715146
713426
i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv102/cheesegirl33/GIF/GIF%20Supernatural/hellyeah.gif
713675 I'm not going overuse it or anything, but I've never really considered the "calling out names" thing to be so literal. Many shounen series like Naruto, Dragonball, One Piece, Bleach and Fairy Tail do that all the time, but the actual characters almost never comment on it. Personally, I'd like to think that when Lucario speaks out his attacks it's just so that you readers will understand what move he used. You might figure out obvious ones like Blaze Kick and Bone Rush, but let's say that Lucario charges up an extra large version of Aura Sphere. How many of you would immediately think "Of course! That's Focus Blast!"? Or would you think it was a similar charging ability to his Super Smash Bros Brawl moveset?
No, I'm not going to have him speak out the names EVERY TIME he uses them, but it all depends on the situation. In this chapter, I had him speak them out just because it sounded more badass to me. Shounen series are great inspirations for this story, so I'm simply using trademark characteristics from them. If that displeases you, I'm sorry.
I apologise for the rant. I know you guys just want to help make this story better. Believe me, I appreciate it.
712624 I've actually been rather bothered about the lack of Aura Spheres as well. He used them against Razorfang, but I couldn't see him trying to blow Rainbow up during their fight. Also, because Lucario can use every move in his game moveset, it's hard to force myself down to just using the same one over and over.
712494 Well, her magic is pretty much green colored flames. I doubt regular fire would have much of an effect on her, especially not after just one kick (powerful as it may have been).
712486 You know you love them.
712235
You can haaaaaave...
715159
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
In many fanfiction and other socially created media around pokemon, Pokeris is like rabies, except no negative effects to the pokemon.
It starts in pokemon but may spread to humans, and since humans are genetically different than pokemon, it is like a deadly virus that kills in a week.
Ha, i knew it. good job mate.
715593 Thanks for the info, Billy Mays.
oh snap, this was good.
716152
So theoretically, ponies are close enough to humans where they may be effected.
It promises to be an exciting fight
I hope that updates soon.
SPIRIT BOMB THE INSECT
I am very much able to imagine the bat as a zubat or woobat. It is a friendly image of lucario with a woobat or zubat on his shoulder.
Man I love this story.
Lucario was always one of my favorite pokemon and you do him justice.
Question: Will Lucario have his ssbb style aura cannon.( His final smash in brawl)
Just curious.
Well done! Till the next one!
~8chill
737000 Thank you!
I've always considered Lucario's final smash (called Aura Storm) to be his ultimate attack. Considering he already knows ridiculously strong moves like Focus Punch, it would probably take someone REALLY powerful to force him to use it. Someone far beyond the strength of, say, adult dragons.
But yeah, I consider Aura Storm to be somewhere in his movepool. But don't expect him to use it against just any normal foe.
737538
So, in other words, Chrysalis.
Argue with the ** episode.
We really need a Chrysalis emote...
I suspected Chrysie when I read the green text.
The power of love... Can you imagine the power she would get if she somehow made her way over to Ponyland and replaced Megan? Scary. On the other hoof, between Ribbon, Galaxy, and Mimic her cover probably wouldn't last too long.
HOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHIT
Hm I shall assert my authority over you, BOW TO ME VIEWERS FOR I AM... THE PROOF-READER WITHOUT ME THE STORY WOULD BE FULL OF ERRORS MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! btw I had to come back and read again this is so good. When is the next chapter due
756240 I'm working on it, so I will try to have it finished within a few days. I mostly only have the time to write during late evenings though, so my progress speed is down like crazy.
Writing a battle is a bit more difficult than normal chapters. Not only do I have to think up every move and attack that the combatants are going to use, but I also have to write it down in a way that sounds epic. I also have to make up and improvise my own attacks for Chrysalis. We know that she can shapeshift, use magic and feed off the love of others, but that's nothing compared to Lucario's huge moveset. Then again, she is feeding off one of the largests sources of love in Equestria, so she should be a beast to fight right now. I have thought up some cool and fitting moves that fits her abilities in the show and the circumstances of the story, so don't worry.
While the fight itself is difficult to write, I already have all the keyscenes and dialogue planned out. Those parts of the chapter will be done in a breeze once I get to them. Wish me luck, and thank you all for waiting patiently!
And then chrysallis was the dead.
But seriously, I expect the battle to be epic yet at the same time not too overly predictable.
799194 I think I've put in a few surprises here and there for your enjoyment.
757152 Something I do to help me with battle scenes is act them out a little, moving around to see how the character could be seen in the story. Not sure if that would help, just thought I'd offer an idea.
853536 There are other things going on outside the battle, so it won't be 100% focused on the fight. Speaking of which, I WILL FOR FAUST'S SAKE FINISH THIS CHAPTER SOON! Just some IRL stuff that has been keeping me busy.