-Lemon Danish-
Skyfall shot up in bed with a snort, the loud ringing of the doorbell and the clamoring of a great many mini-hooves shocked him awake. He felt a warmth snuggled next to him, and he was greatly surprised to find that Cadance was sleeping with him under all of the covers, practically clinging to his foreleg. 'What the hell?'
He ignored the weirdness and trotted downstairs to find a large group of foals and their teacher standing in his foyer in front of a raggedy Nimbus whose hair looked like it belonged to an aging 80’s punk rocker in denial.
"Say good morning, class." Cheerilee said.
"Good morning, Mr. Skyfall." The foals chorused. A few of them waved a hoof at him.
"Good morning, class." Skyfall said, then he looked up at Nim, who was waving his own hoof.
"Hey, I gotta go post River's bail." Nimbus said. He wanted to see if Streams was okay.
Cheerilee looked from stallion to stallion, clearly worried about their conversation. Her eyes lingered a bit on Skyfall.
Sky nodded and waved for the class to follow him as he clip-clopped up a staircase. They eagerly pursued their new teacher down one of the marbled corridors. Old paintings and swords lined the walls, eliciting varying reactions from each foal.
"Honestly, I was unsure where to keep you all for a class." Skyfall admitted. "We could do this outside on a clear day, but it's been rainy recently, and the fields are more like a bog, so I figured we could have class in one of the storage rooms."
"You have a storage room on the second floor?" Cheerilee asked.
"Eh, kind of. It's more of an old training room that leads out to a second floor garden." Skyfall admitted to the 'ohs' of the class. "Nimbus should have placed some books and maps in there so we could look them over."
Skyfall opened the double doors to the large, empty room with a few pieces of furniture covered in white sheets. Large windows allowed for plenty of light to shine on the parqueted wooden floor. Skyfall stepped aside so the foals could rush past him.
Cheerilee stepped to his side. "Wow. I didn't know all this was here in Ponyville."
"I had to get many restoration ponies to come by and fix it up. They said the build date is about a century ago." Skyfall sighed as he saw a few sets of armor in the corner. "Seriously, Nim? The armor?"
"Ms. Cheerilee look, armor!" Pipsqueak called.
Cheerilee stood, trying to come up with something to say, but Skyfall beat her to it.
"Yes, Pip, that's armor." Skyfall strode over and picked up a piece. "My brother must have dragged it out of storage."
The armor was old and ornate, and being that it was a mixture of chain mail, plate armor, and leather padding meant it was heavy. Sky picked it up and gave it a little bounce. "It's too small for me though."
"Do you wear armor?" Button Mash asked.
Skyfall patted him on the head. "Once upon a time, yes. Now, who can tell me where these two pieces of armor are from?"
The foals raised their hooves.
"Yes, Apple Bloom."
"Um, here?" She smiled sheepishly.
"No, I mean originally." Skyfall said, smirking. He placed the armor in front of him so they could all see it, he looked up and saw that a few hooves went down. "Look at the design and how it would be worn."
"Yes, Dinky Do?" Skyfall picked a filly from the back.
"I didn't raise my hoof?" She tried to defend.
Skyfall smiled sweetly. "Try anyway."
She came forward and looked at the armor to Skyfall's right. "It looks pieced together?"
"Yes, excellent." Skyfall patted her on the head. "I took ownership of these pieces when friends of mine lost them to me in a card game."
"Gambling is bad class." Cheerilee said immediately.
"Unless you win, then it's totally awesome and completely okay." Skyfall instantly returned. The class giggled at the banter between their teachers. "Now, let’s go a little deeper."
Skyfall lifted the armor. "Who wants to put it on?"
Button Mash and Pipsqueak shot their hooves up.
"Great. You two step forward. It will be big, but you will notice what I'm talking about." Sky started helping both colts into their respective armors, putting it on them as if they were really about to fight, fastening buckles and adjusting them as much as they would allow. He drew the buckles as tight as they could go, and the colts still looked like shrunken warriors. "Okay, boys, tell us what you feel."
"Awesomesauce." Button Mash said, his eyes wide. Skyfall chuckled.
"No, like mobility and weight."
Button Mash and Pip shifted around in the oversized armor, struggling to stay upright.
"Heavy and stiff." Button said.
"Lightweight and flexible." Pip said.
"Before I reveal some of the history behind them, who wants to take their last, best guess?" Skyfall asked.
Cheerilee rose her hoof.
"Yes?"
"Medieval?"
"No, anyone else?" Sky looked down.
Sweetie Belle rose her hoof.
"Got an answer, Sweetie?" Sky asked as she shuffled forward to examine the armor on Button Mash. She lifted the pauldrons and finally rested a hoof on a ribbon that was attached to the chest.
"Is it Prench?"
"Very good, Sweetie Belle. That armor was made in Prance and worn by a stallion named Iron Grip. He was a minister and a court justice during one of Prance's more troublesome times, like the Revolutions and et cetera" Skyfall grabbed the armor and helped Button Mash out of it. "Later on, the armor was claimed by a stallion named Honos who defeated Iron Grip at the top of the Palace of Justice. Honos wore it as a symbol for many years while he presided over the Prench courts while doing good deeds in his spare time."
The class, including Cheerilee, had a look of awe upon each of their faces.
"Did that really happen?" Cheerilee asked.
"Of course." Skyfall said, a little surprised a school teacher was unaware of Equestria's own history. He reached back and rooted through the history books. He pulled one out and after a minute of flipping, he found the period he was looking for. "Ah, wonderful. They have a painting of Iron Grip."
Skyfall showed the class the book. It was old and likely out of print, but the information was still good. "If you look closely, the armor in the painting and the one next to me are the same."
Pipsqueak shook his hoof in the air.
"Yes, Pip?"
"What about this armor? It doesn't look like that at all." Pipsqueak said as he jostled around inside his armor.
"You're right. That armor is harder to pinpoint when it comes to historical origins. Had I not known the story behind it, It may have been lost to time." Skyfall chuckled. "I would ask for you all to guess, but the story is too good to put off."
Sky helped Pipsqueak out of the armor and he popped out of the bottom and fell back with a knife in his mouth. He spat it out and gasped. "Where'd that come from?"
Sky lifted the neck lining and found an empty holster. Sky picked the dagger up and held it before him. "This is a diving knife."
"Why does a suit of armor have a diving knife?" Cheerilee asked, slightly upset one of her students had stumbled upon it.
"Let me tell the tale and you'll see." Skyfall said. "Why does this armor look pieced together?"
"Maybe that's all they could find and they needed it?" Snips said from the back.
"You would be right in most cases." Skyfall placed the armor down and flipped through another book. "Every piece of this armor was taken by a worthy opponent."
"Was it won?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah imagine the losing pony would be really mad?"
"The armor was taken after the end of a fight." Sky said.
"They fought?" Cheerilee asked, her eyes widening a little.
"Yes, often times to the death."
Cheerilee gasped, unsure how her class would react. They all didn't mind, they were young, not dumb. "What kind of ponies were these? I've never heard of such a thing."
"Put simply. They were pirates." Skyfall turned another book towards the class, showing a scene where two old ships did battle in the sky. "This armor belonged to a pirate named Black Horn and was left to be by a friend named Bones."
'Same stallion, but I'll keep that to myself.'
"Black Horn sailed from ocean to ocean plundering a great many ships. He stole from Cows, Sheep, Ponies, Cats, Dogs, Spirits, it didn't matter. At one point his bounty was so large, Princess Celestia herself ordered his capture and sent Spirits after him. Unfortunately, the one that succeeded, let him go because they happened to be good friends."
"The Princess associated with Spirits?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Yes, long ago." Skyfall said.
"Aren't they evil?" Tiara asked once more, but this time with a pad and pencil.
"No. Some Spirits can be misunderstood, but no one is inherently evil." Skyfall said.
"What about Discord?" Diamond asked. "He was evil up until a few years ago."
Skyfall cursed mentally and chose to answer honestly. "Discord was never truly evil."
"Huh?" Tiara asked.
He hated saying it, but it was the honest truth. "Discord is a Spirit that thrives on chaos. Without it, he aches and becomes backed up, which could lead to an explosive release of harmful magic. So, evil no, but he handles himself very poorly."
"You don't like him?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"I'm not overly fond of him, no." Skyfall sighed.
"How do you know so much about Spirits?" Cheerilee asked.
"It was my dissertation when I lived in Saddle Arabia." Skyfall walked to the window and saw Nimbus arguing with Streams.
"I thought you were from the east?" Scootaloo asked.
"I am. I was educated partly in Saddle Arabia. There is a library there that I stumbled upon that held information that proved to be quite extensive."
"What's a dissertifi - disser - dessert?" Snails tried to repeat the long word.
"Dissertation." Skyfall restated. "It's a long essay required for a doctorate, usually in Philosophy and it's about forty pages long, but mine usually ran into the nineties."
"So you're a doctor?" Sweetie asked.
"Yes, in both history and in the medical field." Skyfall stood.
"You're a doctor, doctor?" Scootaloo's question was answered with a curt nod.
"Yep, I’ve helped a great many ponies."
"I thought you were a guard?" Snips asked. "My dad said you were a guard."
"I was never a guard, per se, but I did serve in a military aspect." Sky rolled his eyes as the foals started raising their hooves. "Yes, Scootaloo?"
"Is that how you got the scars under your wings?"
"Scootaloo!" Cheerilee scolded and started to angrily stomp over, but was stopped by Skyfall's firm hoofstomp.
"It is quite alright, Cheerilee." Skyfall looked back to Scootaloo and lifted his enormous wings, revealing the long, thick scars on either side. "Yes, I served someone who turned on me. She drew her blade and ran me through. She nearly killed me."
"How did you survive?" Scootaloo asked.
"With the help of someone very dear to me." Sky smiled down. "Luckily, I payed attention in school, so I knew to try and stay calm so I wouldn't bleed out faster."
"See class, school is important." Cheerilee said, full of pride while her class groaned.
Sky sat down. "It really is. If you don't develop the basics like math, then you will have nothing when you move on to harder subjects."
"Math is hard." Dinky Do mumbled.
Skyfall turned to Cheerilee. "What maths are they learning?"
"We've moved into algebra."
"Ew." Skyfall made a gagging noise and rested his hoof on the bridge of his nose. "Who is in charge of your curriculum?"
Cheerilee shrugged. "I don't agree with it either, but that's what was set forth by the school board."
"What about special classes? Surely you’ve got electives?"
"What do you mean? Like shop class or cooking?" Cheerilee watched Skyfall nod. "Then no, we have math, Equish, geography, and arts."
"No science, chemistry, or physical education?" Skyfall's expression turned annoyed. "Y'know what, don't answer that. Whatever y'all are missing you're gonna learn here."
Diamond Tiara and Sweetie Belle started giggling.
"What?" Skyfall asked, confused at what he did.
"You were talking like Apple Bloom." Sweetie Belle poked Apple Bloom, earning a hoof smack from the farm filly.
"Sorry, I do that sometimes." Skyfall tittered and felt someone approaching. "Well, children, that seems to be all we have time for today."
The class stood up, too dazed from what they learned to say much.
Cheerilee trotted over to Skyfall as the class gathered their things, she looked around the room and then back to Sky. "So was it all really true?"
"Every word." Sky missed teaching, but was slightly worried he started off to heavy for a young class. "Did I do well?"
Cheerilee nodded. "Oh yeah. Whenever you want to teach, let me know. I imagine some of the parents may want to listen to you talk."
"If it's that good, it could be every Friday. That way, you don't have to spread your workload too thin."
Cheerilee thought for a second. "That sounds great. The Mayor asked me to give her my thoughts on the class for the future and I think she'll approve of the change."
"So I guess that makes us co-workers." Skyfall joked.
"Where is he!" A loud thunderous boom came from the front door, causing all of the foals to shrink down and look back at Skyfall.
"You all want to see something funny?" Skyfall laughed. "Come back and stand in the back stairwell."
As the stomping got closer, the foals scurried away just as the door flew open to reveal a very angry mare. "You!"
"I've been getting that a lot lately." Skyfall deadpanned. "How are you, River?"
River growled and charged Sky in a frantic, enraged sprint only to be sidestepped and tackled. "Ragh, let me go!"
"You fail, Nim!" Sky called down to Nimbus as he playfully pinned River's hooves to the ground, exposing her belly. "Now, are you going to calm down or am I going to have to resort to torture?"
River scowled. "Like you would."
Skyfall gestured to the class who stared at her curiously. The colts stared in awe, for River was extremely fit and curvy beneath her teal fur, and the fillies in wonder because she had a beautifully done mane.
"What are you going to do?" River mumbled.
"Pink belly or raspberry?"
"I prefer whips and chains." River whispered. Luckily the class couldn't hear, but Sky could.
"Raspberry? I think I heard raspberry." Sky glanced to his class. "Y’all heard raspberry, right?"
"RASPBERRY!" The shouted in excitement.
"Raspberry it is." Skyfall pressed his face to River's belly and blew. He watched her writhe in laughter for a good two minutes before she gave up. "I will see you all next Friday. Oh, and one more thing: homework!"
The class groaned.
"No actual writing involved, just thinking." Skyfall said. "I don't believe in meaningless homework."
The class, including Cheerilee, looked perplexed. "I said earlier that no one is inherently evil and by your faces I suspect some of you feel otherwise. Black Horn and Honos were brothers, they came from the same upbringing and stock. Why did they choose their path and why does the world view them differently?"
"Goodbye, Doctor Skyfall!" The foals said as they exited as they began talking among themselves.
"So." River said, having recovered.
"We will have a chance to talk, but not here." Sky said.
"There isn't much time, Sky. It’s getting bad out there and Nimbus told me you gave up."
"Retired."
"Same thing." River scoffed. "Not to mention there are four Alicorns that would like nothing more than to see your head on a pike. I think if we gather what we have, we can start to change things. Innocence and Feather will be here either late this evening or tomorrow morning, and then we can have a meeting."
Skyfall facepalmed. "Nimbus didn't tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"Skyfall, who's this?" Came a cheery voice from the doorway.
River glanced at Cadance, then scowled at Skyfall. "Rudolph!"
Sif muttered to herself as she sipped her coffee. The hustle and bustle of the marketplace proved to be too harrowing for her nerves.
"How about-"
"Away, pink devil!" Sif shouted into her cup, drawing wary stares from the other patrons.
Rainbow Dash sat in the seat next to her. "What's wrong, Sif?"
"Nothing, I just want to relax." Sif growled before Rainbow slid a plate of danish over to her.
"Want one?"
"Lemon danish." Sif hesitantly took the pastry. "This isn't poisoned, is it?"
Rainbow deadpanned. "Really?"
"Hey, just asking." Sif defended as she took a bite.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"And here we go." Sif groaned.
"What?"
"I knew you were going to ask me something and you were using the food as a way to start the conversation." Sif deadpanned to Rainbow Dash while she tried to put on an innocent smile that would rival Fluttershy's.
"Guilty."
"Right." Sif reached over and took one of Rainbow's donuts.
"Hey, that's mine!" Rainbow yelped.
"Information ain't cheap, sister." Sif dipped her donut. "Now, what do you want to know about Skyfall?"
Rainbow's eyes grew slightly. "Who s-said anything about him?"
Sif raised an eyebrow. "So it's not about Skyfall?"
"Now I didn't say that." Rainbow whispered.
"Dash, everyone here wants to know something. I haven't paid for a meal in a month, you ponies give me free food to tell stories about living by the Everfree and about Skyfall. Though, there was this old stallion that wanted a few strands of my mane." Sif mused aloud.
Dash looked around. The bakery had since cleared out, leaving only them. She twirled the end of her mane nervously. "I, uh, I just wanted to know where I stand with Skyfall, that's all."
"...Oh." Sif shied away from Rainbow.
"That bad?" Rainbow winced.
"No, but you have it bad." Sif said.
"Have what?" Rainbow's confused look turned to annoyance. "I'm not sick."
“No, but you've got a fever." Sif said, chuckling to herself. "Some Skyfall fever."
Rainbow started to turn red from the teasing.
"Oh relax, I won't tell him." Sif tried not to make eye contact so she wouldn't burst out laughing.
"Is it that bad?" Rainbow asked. "I know most ponies think I'm too bull headed to find my special somepony."
"Eh." Sif shrugged. "I try not to judge."
"Thank you."
Sif raised a brow. "You know, you aren't half bad when you aren't boasting."
Rainbow stayed silent and bobbed her head. Sif suspected that she had struggled with her cockiness throughout her lifetime. Going around claiming to be the best and rubbing it in would make more enemies than friends.
"I take it you've tried talking to Skyfall about how he feels?"
"Not necessarily." Rainbow scratched her chin in an effort to keep her hooves occupied.
"Then why come to me?"
"I just want to see if he still hates me." Rainbow said solemnly.
"He never hated you."
"But-"
Sif held up a hoof. "I've known him so long that the spread of my life with him dwarfs the time I've spent alone. Trust me when I say, he does not hate you. You just annoy him."
"Has he told you?"
"No, I just hear your voice and then a door slam, following by grumbling and stomps." Sif could only watch as Rainbow's head bounced on the table.
"I've tried to be neighborly to him, but he never wants to hang out."
Sif shook her head, laughing at Rainbow's pitiful expression.
"What should I do?"
"I don't know. Ask him to a party or something." Sif started to pay more attention to her coffee. "That or trick him into owing you a favor so he has to accept."
"L-Like a date?" Rainbow said a little louder than she meant.
"Sure."
"Well, the Grand Galloping Gala is coming up." Rainbow mused. "I over heard Rarity talking about asking him to go so she would have some hoof candy."
Sif cringed. "Then you better beat her to it."
Rainbow did not have to be told twice.
Sif just stared on as Rainbow flew out of the restaurant at full speed, leaving a long streak of rainbow in her wake. "Well, I hope that doesn't backfire-oh my sweet baby Skies, she left her donuts! Yes!"
Canterlot Throne Room
"The overflooding in the north and the drought in the west have been fixed." Discord grumbled as he floated high above Celestia and Luna.
"Thank you very much, Discord." Celestia smiled.
"Yes, commendable job." Luna looked over the reports to confirm the Draconequus' claim.
"Can I go now? There is a new book I wish to read and all the sentiment is making me ill." Discord's body turned blue.
"Yes, you may, after one more thing." Celestia said. "You have not been to Ponyville in a few months. I believe you should go and visit."
Discord's antics of popping things in and out of existence stopped before he landed before both Alicorns slowly. "I thought I made myself clear when I refused your order to confront him."
"That isn't what I asked."
"It's what you meant." Discord said curtly.
"Honestly, you two fight like a married couple." Luna scowled to no one in particular.
"Let's ask Luna what she thinks, mmm?" Celestia chirped, expecting her sister's undivided support.
"I think we should leave him alone." Luna stated. "I have asked you repeatedly to stop pursuing him."
Celestia's smiled faded into annoyance. "And I have told you I will not forgive what he did to us, all of us. I know you may still feel for him, but genocide cannot be forgiven."
Both Celestia and Discord watched as Luna stood and walked out of the room to leave both beings to their squabbles.
"The council believes you could bring him out of hiding." Celestia's smile returned. "If you did this, all of Equestria would see you as a hero. Don't you want that?"
"Your 'council' holds no sway over me. Not Fury, not Graves, not River Bend, and especially not Faith." Discord stated, making his mistrust for them apparent.
"Oh, that's too bad." Came a voice from behind Discord. "I thought we had hit it off so well, too."
"Faith, it's nice to see that you've returned from Trottingham." Celestia smiled down at the goldenrod mare.
"It's been a long day." Faithful said, readjusting her wings to fix at her sides better. "I just wanted to give you my report before going to my quarters."
"No rush. Give it to me when you're fully rested. I trust that you handled the situation with as much grace as you do in all your endeavors." Celestia complimented.
"You flatter me, Your Grace." Faith gave her a curtsy.
Discord scoffed and started floating away.
"We aren't finished." Celestia called out, holding out a hoof in vain.
"It's okay, Princess, I'll try and talk with him." Faithful chirped as she trotted after Discord, who had been floating faster and faster away from her until they turned the corner.
"Oh, Discord." Faith called.
"Away with you, cretin." Discord floated through a few walls and came to a rest in one of the many storage rooms in the Canterlot castle. Discord watched as sand started to pour into room through cracks in the walls. "Here we go."
The sand kicked up from the floor and started to form into a large golden being with a long, black mane and claws. She closely resembled a cross between a pony and a sphinx. "You know ditching me has never been that easy."
"Not for lack of trying." Discord reminded. "Have you done something with your mane? It looks wonderfully atrocious, Faith. Or should I call you by your real name, Unfaithful. "
Unfaithful gave the Chaos Spirit a wry smile.
"Quit beating around the bush. Why have you been refusing our orders to go to Ponyville to root Shattered Skies out?" Unfaithful scowled.
"Put simply, my dear?" Discord smiled. "I've never listened to any of you: you were only arrogant enough to believe I had."
Unfaithful's expression was unmoving. "Why must you be so difficult?"
"Me?" Discord sat in the air. "What about Graves and that little fiasco in Ponyville?"
Discord sounded genuinely angry as he snapped and summoned medical reports and news lines, shoving them at Unfaithful.
"You three have no control over that thing, he just goes around committing atrocities. Do you even know where he is? Why should I listen to those who can't even control their own family?"
"Watch it, Discord." Unfaithul growled. "You were told to listen to us and we've ordered you to go to Ponyville. The lives of mortals are of no concern to us."
"My answer is still no." Discord said solemnly. "I will take this up with him when he returns. Do not push the issue, Unfaithful, do not forget that I am more powerful than you in every conceivable way."
Unfaithful gave a malicious grin. "But you still take orders."
"Not by choice." Discord said before snapping his fingers and appearing in the only place he could go where she couldn't easily follow, Chaosville. "Ugh, home sweet home."
As Discord floated to the window and lamented about the position he was in. The minutes ticked by like hours while he watched the colors of the sky change again and again. "Why must I always make things worse?"
"It is your nature."
Discord gave a half hearted laugh. "Psalm, when did you arrive?"
"Quite some time." An earthpony mare floated into sight when Discord didn't turn around. He noticed her well groomed, rust orange coat and onyx mane. She looked at him with eyes that ranged from grey to blue that looked like a piece of hawk's eye. "I know that look."
"I suppose you do." Discord sighed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Psalm asked, her silk voice was a welcomed sound to Discord.
"I keep getting asked to do things I have no desire doing, my dear. Frankly, it's getting harder to deny them." Discord let out an annoyed groan as a letter popped into view. "That's probably them now."
Psalm's eyes glowed and the letter floated and opened before her. "Hmm. No, it seems to be your friend from Ponyville. You know, the yellow one."
"Fluttershy's been sending more letters recently."
Psalm patted Discord on the shoulder as she floated to the couch with a bag of sour cream and onion chips. "Too afraid to tell her why you won't go to Ponyville?"
Discord only nodded to Psalm's question before he continued looking out the window.
"Not going to go and visit?"
"Why don't you?" Discord glanced back. "It's more urgent that you go and find Skies, maybe then the world will start moving to fix what I blundered. If I go, it'll only make things worse."
Psalm gave Discord an annoyed look. "I will leave you to your thoughts then."
"Plans?" Discord quipped.
"No, I sense that Chrysalis is having a mental breakdown, again."
"Well, hopefully you can calm her down, again." Discord continued his emotionless response.
After a quiet moment of reaching out with her magic, Psalm groaned. "Yeah, she found the ice cream. Later, alligator. Gots stuff to do." With a loud clap, Plasm evaporated and left a scent of ozone in the air.
Discord looked back to see that she left the empty chip bag on the couch with a frowny face drawn onto it. He wanted to laugh, but felt to terrible too find joy in Psalms attempt to lighten the mood. He turned to continue looking out the window.
"Skies."
Hey I have a question, how many spirits are still around? Also do you need any ocs? I have a changeling hive that you can use at some point in your story.
Awesome as ever, keep up the good work!
I think I'm gonna like River. Seems like a very amusing character!
And as always I love the Cadance scenes. Surprise cuddles!
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Still around on Equus, or in general?
I need ocs for when I write. Sometimes I need a character that may not be recurring. For example, If Skyfall goes to the dock and buys something, I need an oc cause I feel that's better then 'Generic male pony #8' Hell, if the Oc is BA enough then he/she could be recurring.
You've sent me the info for your hive. I have it in an info section on my drive. I can use characters from that hive, but the Changelings in Farhaven aren't combat based. They're peaceful and trying to live their own life, they make cloths and keep records or do whatever it is a bug pony trying to discover them self does. I wanted to avoid the generic use of them. Y'know the whole 'bug pony is best spy and can use any weapon because reasons.'
7131451 I mean in general. I have for OCs, my main Alicorn one and his three disguises, a unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth pony. I have pictures of the four of them, do you want to see them?
Next chapter: -The Confrontation-
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Initially, I was going to say no, because Alicorns have been driven to extinction, but there will be points in the story where the reader will be able to read about pre-war era stuff when the Alicorns lived. So yes, PM me so I can log them away. :)
If there are Spirits that look like Alicorns, there are none.
As for Spirits, there are still a good number of Spirits left on Equus, but the vast majority of those are imprisoned in either Tartarus or certain a certain mirrored world. The Spirits still actually roaming Equus are very few.
So the council is made of Spirits, Discord has something being hang over his head and Celestia is completely clueless...
Fun times ahead, I can tell...
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7131631 So here are the pictures of my four ocs. Emperor Prince Gargon, Calm Mind, Skyjoy, Rageboulder. Let me know what you think of them, also Calm Mind, Skyjoy, and Rageboulder are all brothers with Calm Mind the oldest, Skyjoy in the middle, and Rageboulder the youngest.
7131973 The pictures are... fine, but I'd rather have backstories and details regarding who they are. Send me a message with any details.
7132030 Ok, I will!
This is amazing I just need to-
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Sorry just wiping the semen off my keyboard
Celestia you fool. you are trusting the wrong spirits.
Just read from beginning to now, and I'm definitely hooked. The whole universe is just so interesting and the characters are simply awesome.
I'm now eagerly and impatiently waiting for the next chapter haha.
It's official, Celestia's still being pig-headed about the whole thing, and now she's stupidly trusting in the more darker Spirits, intending to root out Skies. And not only that, she's driving Discord insane with her obsession, something that is quite hard to do. I mean Discord's already slightly insane, so for her to affect him like that...
7131451 well... only because you asked. Well my ocs are a little well depressing. their is fuck boi #1 (im bad at names)a Pegasus who lost his wings in the changling invasion and now has to live his life as a grounded lighting pyrotechnic ( Somepony who doses light shows at night using clouds and thunder in replacement for fireworks) (no gun powder). Fuck boi #2 is a Griffin with muscular dystrophy and Since he lives in a warrior society he is looked down on for being weak and he has to make up for his lack of strength in creative ways (mostly mixing chemical compounds). And last but not least we have sir rapturous (pronounced rap-torus but you can still use it in its original state he is a pretty happy guy) a psychotic stallion of the noble courts who BELIEVES that only through becoming carnivorous may pony ascend to a greater state of being, the raptor or as he calls them the God runners(he's only slight insane) also he has trained him self in how to use a raptor claw boot horse shoe thing(some how don't ask me). Well that's my three free to use back storys as you wish (but only the author of this story if your not him(or her) then I'll rip your throughout out through your ass hole) have fun hope you think of names because I'm shit at it (I named my cat Kat).
7137893 I shall log them away for the future. especially the first one.
7138968 Iits the first one your after then I can give you a bit more back story. *cliche transition* our clinical Pegasus was once an artist an artist of lighting and thunder he would do things with clouds you wouldn't believe although a little pushy with his co workers but then the invasion happened clipping his wings and stifling his art work. But in order to continue doing what his cutty mark is telling him he must find a way to work with other ponies despite his clinical, judging, bossy, kind of sarcastic self as well as dealing with someminor ptsd and a deep seceded hate for all things buggy.*cliche transition* I also wanted him geruly white and blue but I give you full creative freedom for him surprise me. Also MORE CHAPERS!!!
7141623 I just started 29
I am 12 chapters ahead of release. The fine tuning is what takes the most time. Though, the wait for the next chapter is good. (IMO)
7141672 why must you torture us so but I shall await the next chapter in till it's entire completion. But only for you... because I like you(no homo?) your cool. (I gust like that last face no real importance I gust wanted to see it)
7141715 i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/134/609/trollestia4.jpg?1308103005
I'm enjoying the subplots here. Some of my thoughts on stuff that may be important. Or maybe not.
The Council.
Celestia's 'Council' apparently got to her after her sister was banished, and manipulated her into being their attack dog and corrupting everything Equestria was supposed to stand for. Something that Unfaithful probably intends to throw in her face when they're finally ready to end the game. They act like former allies of Discord getting their own back for his defeat.
Heck, they wouldn't even necessarily need to lie to convince Celestia that Skies is responsible for murdering the Alicorns. Something like:
1. There was an entire tribe of Alicorns.
2. An evil Spirit thought they were a threat so he murdered them. You and Luna were the only survivors.
3. Shattered Skies tried to erase all memory of what happened from history.
4. Wait for Celestia to jump to connect the dots... wrongly.
Which leads to Politics.
Seems like a number of unifying events in Equestrian history were when they and their allies came together against vile, evil Spirits. The world's already apparently headed to a major breakdown and potentially a global free-for-all. What happens if it becomes public that the atrocities were actually all committed by Celestia's closest advisors, and the ones they fought and crushed were innocent?
Princess Cadance
Cadance has found something major in the Crystal Empire records - possibly something in Amore's personal papers describing her best friend's daughter, who has been hinted at being named after Amore. Maybe Mi Cadenza Amore suspects some fourth dimensional translation of a filly who vanished from the record? Right or wrong, if anpony else starts thinking on those lines she's in serious danger, from the Council and maybe even from the paranoid Celestia herself.
Shining Armor
Shining has been acting angry and jealous, starting to reach irrational levels suddenly right when Captain Fury shows up. Odd that. I wonder what a Spirit who calls himself Fury eats.
Discord
I wonder if it was the Council who suggested 'reforming' Discord. If so, they got a serious joker in the deck. Who would have thought that someone willing to start wars to enslave mortals and apparently even commit genocide would actually realize and admit to himself that he was wrong? Until he can face his fear of losing his new friends and admit to them what's actually happening it's still not an unsurmountable problem for the Council though.
I think the real reason he's avoiding Skies is that he's so ashamed of what he did.
The Mirror
Canterlot High might be wise to expect a number of new faces comimg their way. The sirens are likely to be the exception in that they were actually guilty when exiled, but that won't make a bunch of unfairly banished innocent spirits any less dangerous to Equestria's rulers as matters now stand if they can make it back through the mirror...
Lonely Graves
Trusted advisor to Celestia, necromancer, foal killer. Supposed brother to Shattered Skies. But was he a brother in Equestria, or from before? I bet he isn't Meat Muffins though. ;-)
And I live in anticipation of one of the Bearers finally getting a clue and realizing that just maybe the rainbow power of Harmony isn't working on Skies because he really is innocent of all the charges. A more suitable target might be Celestia herself. She needs healing as much as Nightmare Moon did.
7142937 that's a hole lot of hoopla or maby not
Good lord that thing is ugly. Celestia really has atrocious taste.
7143053
Of course it might just all be hoopla. :-) But it's lots of fun trying to piece the clues in a good story together and seeing how close to the actual plot the guesses are.
7145229 I agree yet I'm still sitting here waiting for a certain spirit to find a cactus and insert it analy in to a certain necromancer.
7145414 I'm looking forward to that too, but what I'm really waiting for is Celestia to remember who last served her that blend of tea. Her screams of outrage will probably break all the windows in Ponyville. From Canterlot.
7145737 lol
I still believe artcik should have kept the darker chapter in because it ads the the plot of the story it develops hate and a loathing for the bad guy and that's what you want you want every one to hate him in their soul and great writers make people feel things love or hate it doesn't mader the chapter made me feel actual hate for someone or thing. I believe artcik should have kept the darker chapter as it was
7142937
7143053
Obviously I can't tell you what was close, but 1 or more things was damn close.
As for the darkness, I'm going to ease into the darkness instead of it being a snap thing. Graves shall be hated.
7148068 If you said what was close in my guesses, it'd take all the fun out of actually reading your story when it's ready. Though the new chapter confirms one conection I made. :-) Well done for giving the clues without making it blatantly obvious.
7143657 she is a terrible judge of character. Just look at the cannon history. Ignore Luna's issues till she became NMM, Didn't see the road Sunset was on till it was too late, completely missed Chrysalis not at all acting like Cadence, and trusting Discord. And note all of these had to be fixed by Twilight.
7483117
Oh, I certainly agree. Celestia is, in all honesty, really not actually all that bright. Old and wise, yes, but not bright. Anyone can become wise. You just have to live through enough shit.
I REALLY hope somebody reveals that her entire advisory staff are Spirits who have been lying to her.
did you mean quit beating around the bush? Sorry if i'm being annoying or overstepping my bounds... i can be a bit of a perfectionist sometimes
8513818
Knowing discord he could be wrapping beads around a bush :p. But since he's feeling down, probably meant beating
7142937
The idea of Celestia getting blasted really sounds neat. The one 'omnipotent' pony who once wields them elements gets attacked by said weapons. The weapons being something that may have chose her to wield them long ago adds salt to the wound.
Roar!