35: Sunrise
You ever have one of those days where you wake up and just think the world is going crazy? You usually know it right from the moment the sunrises. Right from the moment that the stupid chime from your clock goes off. Right from the moment that carefully aimed sunray sneaks through the window and homes in on your eyelids. You ever have one of those days where you wished you had stayed in bed? Just one of those days where you can’t seem to bring yourself to open your eyes? Those days where you just can’t bring yourself to cast off the quilt? The kind of day where you just can’t bring yourself to sit up in bed? One of those days where you can’t force your legs to walk to the washroom and start the day? One of those days where every single doorway is a chore to open? Maybe your limbs are just too weak. Maybe your stomach is nauseous. Maybe your heart is just not in to the moment. Maybe it’s all three. And yet… despite it all, you still open your eyes, throw off the quilt, roll out of bed, walk to the washroom, and open the front door. And when it’s all said and done… when you’ve got out of bed and stand up, squinting at the harsh sunlight, you can only think of one thing. All that tiredness and all that hopelessness comes back to only one single thing. One thought. One simple thought is all that fills your mind as you look out at the coming day. And that thought will stay with you for the rest of the day. “It’s going to be one of those days…”
“Yeah. I think it’s going to be one of those days.” Twilight Sparkle said as she stared out of the porthole, watching the airship floated above the snow covered houses of Ponyville.
A dark chuckle rang out from behind the pony. “Oh, dear Twilight Stumble, you have absolutely no idea.”
Twilight turned around quickly. “Is…? Is any pony there?”
Rising Star slowly walked down one of Canterlot Castle’s many hallways. Wind Strider followed closely behind. She stretched out a hoof and gestured to the griffins following her. “Well… um… if you follow me this way, we can get to the reception room. Well… what’s left of it, anyway. You know… we’re… uh… going through… uh… renovations right now.” All four of Rising Star’s knees were shaking. The leader of the griffins, Gallant, apparently the grand vizier to the king, was staring intently down at Rising Star. “Um. So, uh… how is Griffica doing? I hear it’s lovely this time of…”
The griffin grunted. “It’s frozen over.”
“Oh… right. Well if you’ll just follow me this way… The reception room…”
The griffin took to the air and flew over the top of the pony. He landed down facing the unicorn and scowled. “Enough. You have been leading me around this wreck of a castle for two hours now. I think you are stalling. I will speak to the regent! Where is she?” The griffin raised his large claw above the pony’s head. The griffin grabbed hold of Rising Star’s horn and forced her head to look directly at the griffin. “No more games.”
“Oh well… you she…” Rising Star’s eyes fell to the floor.
Wind Strider lifted a hoof. “In the interest of resolving the urgent matter concerning the sun, the regent has….”
“Is there a problem here?” A voice rang out from down the hall.
The griffin turned around. “I will see no more ponies! Lest this one is the regent.”
“Well, I typically prefer to use the title of princess. The term ‘regent’ seems rather temporary; the rule of an alicorn is anything but.” Princess Luna stepped from the darkness.
Gallant the griffin smirked. “Ah… you are… the other one.” Luna clenched her jaw tightly but refrained from saying anything. “So the princesses are here?” Gallant released Rising Star’s horn. “You lied to me tiny unicorn.”
“I apologize for our lack of hospitality at the moment.” Princess Luna said with a smile. “As you can see we are currently in the midst of a crisis. I would appreciate it if you would state your business quickly. Now is not the time for long drawn out politics.”
Gallant growled. “You may hold the title of princess, but you are not the one who sits on the throne. I am not here to discuss tariffs on baked goods or the burning of barns! Where is your sister?”
“My sister is quite ill at the moment, but do not misunderstand. I have always held equal power on the throne with Celestia. Because I simply choose not to involve myself in most affairs does not mean I cannot command this nation. If you do not recognize that then you are a fool.” Luna took a step forward and looked eye to eye with the beast. Her icy gaze was unfaltering in its power.
“Very well. Then I expect you to ‘choose to involve yourself’ in this matter. I need not waste time explaining the situation. You know full well that the state of Equestria affects other nations in this world. I mean no disrespect but where is Celestia? The sun is her responsibility. Why am I meeting with you when this is your sister’s domain? You must be aware of the image I am being presented with. Equestria’s capital lies in ruins and I see only the younger princess in my presence; a princess who at one time long ago has been known to attempt to overthrow her sister.”
“My sister was briefly overtaken by a madness inducing artifact. The threat has been dealt with, but at the cost of our fair city.”
Gallant looked at Luna with a scowl. “I see. And you supposedly beat her down in an attempt to quell her madness? And in the process she has been drained of her power?”
“You are correct.” Luna said with a nod.
“And what of you? I see no moon in the sky. You ponies think we griffins are not attuned to the subtleties of magic. Your own power has waned as well, hasn’t it?” Luna said nothing as the griffin’s eyes studied her. “Well?”
“State your business in Canterlot then be gone.”
“I am here seeking aid for my griffins, nothing more.”
“Then I suggest you seek elsewhere. You have eyes. You can plainly see we are unable to provide it at the moment.”
“The climate of the world is your sister’s fault. You have a responsibility as one of this world’s rulers.”
“I assure you, we are doing all we can to ratify the situation. In the meantime I suggest you return to Griffica and allow us to resolve it. Your presence is distracting me from what is important.”
Gallant growled. “You have plenty of grain in your warehouses! I will not return to Griffica with an empty claw.”
Luna growled back. “Such supplies are first and foremost for my ponies. I assure you Celestia would have the same stance. I regret that there is little aid that can be offered but this is the way of things. We cannot feed more than we have the supplies for, I am sorry.”
“You would turn your back on ally? Have the griffins and ponies not strived for peace in the last hundred years? You would throw that all away for a few bags of grain?”
Luna sighed. “You may have thirty-five bags. That is all we can spare and I am afraid we cannot spare that.”
“That’s not good enough!” The griffin shouted. “You expect me to feed all my refugees from the palace with a measly thirty-five bags? This is an insult. Why shouldn’t I take the grain by force? Have you ever seen a hungry griffin? We are a formidable foe.”
Luna’s wings flared out. “DO NOT TAKE ME FOR A FOOL, GALLANT! Perhaps your King Grifficus XXXVII forgets who was present at his country’s founding. His line owes much to the alicorn sisters. You will take your thirty-five bags and you will return to your king because you must give him a message. Tell him Princess Luna asks him to review the Warforgotton Steele and have him read the twenty-second line. Then ask him if he dares bring an army to my door at this time of crisis!”
“You expect me to return home with no answer as to when the sun will return to its rightful place in the sky? You expect the impossible.”
“The amount of food in nonnegotiable; you will take the ‘insult’ as you have so put it or you will not take anything at all. How empty-clawed you return home is not of my concern. My loyalty is to my own nation.” Luna waved the griffin off with her hoof. “As to the state of the sun, I see it fair for you to have a messenger from Griffica stay in Canterlot, ready to provide updates back to the mountains as soon as we have them.”
Gallant nodded. “A single message by himself? No. I will leave ten griffins here in the castle. They will be my eyes and ears while I return to my homeland with the grain. The world looks to Canterlot in these trying times and I wish to stay informed.”
“Ten griffins? Why must we feed such a force? If we had food to spare you would have more bags of grain. You may keep six here. No more.”
“Eight.”
“Five.” Luna said as her eyes narrowed. “And they better have strongest of backs, because they will be helping with the restoration of the city.”
“Seven! And they shall be treated like the dignitaries they are. You must have good faith at times like this.”
“I would be more inclined to have good faith if you did not have an army numbering in the thousands on my doorstep. You may have your seven in the castle, but they will help with the restoration. Consider it an olive branch cementing the peace between our two nations, the trading of grain for labor. As you have said, it would be a shame for Griffica to turn its back on an ally in the dire times. Griffins and ponies have strived for peace in the last hundred years and you would take that all away because a few griffins are allergic to heavy lifting?”
Gallant spat on the ground. “Twisting my words. Invoking old pacts time has no doubt forgotten. You are shrewd, princess of the night.”
Luna leered over the griffin and spoke in a calm, even tone. “Take your army and take your grain and get out of my city, Gallant. Return to your king. Give my message to him.”
“Shrewd indeed. You would make a good griffin, princess. You have my respect.” Gallant turned around and stormed down the hallway. His tail swished in the distance as his angry steps echoed against the castle walls. Princess Luna, Wind Strider, and Rising Star watched as Gallant was lead out of the castle by a few guards. For a moment, the castle was silent.
Wind Strider was the first to speak. “So… I’ll go have the guardsponies set aside the grain for Griffica….”
Luna shot him a harsh look. “Under whose orders?”
Wind Strider quivered slightly. “Um… yours?”
Luna shook her head. “Perhaps you forget, but I am currently dethroned and accused of crimes against the state. Twilight Sparkle is the regent and I believe she left that one…” Luna pointed a hoof towards Rising Star. “In charge of Canterlot until she returns from Ponyville.”
Wind Strider looked confused. “Then I guess I’ll… stay here?”
“Go have the grain bagged up and prepped for shipping to Griffica!” Rising Star shouted at the pegasus.
Luna shook her head and turned down the hallway. “What an inspired order….” She said sarcastically. She turned her back on the two ponies and started to walk down the hallway.
“Hold on a moment!” Rising Star called out. “We’re not done yet!”
“Oh?” Luna said, quizzically as she looked back.
“You told them this was Celestia’s fault! Why?” Rising Star shouted angrily at the alicorn.
Luna turned around. “Perhaps because it is partly true?”
“Now?!” Rising Star shouted. “Now?! You choose to make a political move now?!”
“Interesting. If you did not want me to say it, why did you not stop me? I have no political power now, I am at best an enemy of the crown; it was in your power to stop me. You seemed perfectly alright with me talking when it was preventing the griffins from ripping your hide apart with their beaks.”
Rising Star pointed out the window. “How can you make a political move for power now when the world is frozen over?!”
“Perhaps because I would like to remain in it once Twilight has this crisis resolved. Pardon me for having a vested interest in not returning to the moon.” Luna scoffed. “Do not assume me a fool. Do not pretend that any pony, you included, do not have the slightest idea of what my sister will do once she is cured of her madness. She will attempt to claim that Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Moon alone is responsible for this mess. Perhaps you modern ponies forget, but I once ruled alongside my sister as an equal. I am no foal at the political games played by heads of state.”
“So that’s what this all comes down to? The world is dying and the princesses start bickering over what’s there’s and what’s not. The world freezes over because you and your sister fought over a mare! Are we not better than the fool Marelaus, who launched a thousand ships to retrieve her husband in the myths of old? And after all that, you can think of nothing better to do than seize power. You are a monster! Your sister too!” Rising Star growled.
Luna’s eyes narrowed with rage. Rising Star found herself pinned against a wall. Luna’s leg was pressed against Rising Star’s neck, lifting her off the ground. Rising Star’s hind legs struggled to find the floor so she could support her weight and take the pressure off of her neck. Finally she was able to get her left hind leg to barely touch the ground to keep her from suffocating. Luna’s eyes were practically on fire. “Say what you will about me. I am well aware of my own faults. But you will bite your tongue…!” Luna pressed her leg into Rising Star’s neck. The unicorn made a few gasps as she tried for air.
“Urk!”
“You will bite your tongue before dragging my sister’s name into the mud. Do not forget who gave you such a world to live in. Do not forget who has kept this country relatively peaceful for thousands of years. Do not forget that not but a week ago you had good tasting food in your belly, beds with pillows and sheets to sleep in, and books of knowledge to peruse. Do not forget that you live in a world that is free of chaos. How dare you, with your short lifespan, judge a being that has sacrificed so much for your kind? Celestia has devoted her existence, an existence which dwarfs your own over one thousand-fold, to protecting your kin. She sees not just to your basic needs but to lavish you in utopian opulence. Your life is an insignificant spec of cosmic dust struggling against solar winds you cannot even hope to comprehend. She is beyond you, a being infinitely your greater. I will not deny that my sister and I have made mistakes, but I suggest you look at your own life and until you can tell me that you yourself are infallible, you will bite your tongue before you judge my sister.” Luna withdrew her leg.
“Ugh…” Rising Star fell to the ground unceremoniously. She rubbed her neck with her hooves and looked down at the ground quietly.
The airship creaked as it touched down on the snow-covered streets of Ponyville. The base of the ship jolted as it impacted the ground. The upper hull bounced, sending high-pitched twangs down the support coils. The sound of the airship’s noisy landing was seemingly the only sound in the world. Ponyville’s houses were covered in freshly fallen snow. Twilight Sparkle sat staring from the railing of the ship. Her scarf billowed in the wind. The cold nipped at her hooves, but she did not notice. Applejack was shivering as she reached one of the airship’s mooring lines. Rainbow Dash caught the line and tied it to a nearby building. One by one, each of the ponies got off the ship and planted their hooves into the snow.
Twilight was the last of the airship’s passengers to let her hooves touch the street. The snow crunched loudly through the silence of the town. Twilight looked down the street. Ponyville was a welcome sight to her eyes. Even covered heavily in snow, the town was still comforting and most of all, unlike Canterlot, was still mostly intact. Most of the houses seemed to be dormant, their lights were out and no smoke rose from their chimneys. From what it looked, most of the town’s population had been huddling together in various houses. No doubt to consolidate food and firewood. Twilight smiled. That was her town, banding together and toughing it out. It warmed her heart; metaphorically, of course, because in reality she was still freezing.
In the distance three ponies of various sizes were approaching. A familiar twang of a voice called out causing Applejack’s ears to perk up. As the trio approached, Twilight and her friends quickly urged them to huddle behind the bulk of the airship for protection from the wind. Twilight gave a slight bow to what was visible of the Mayor underneath a large collection of coats and blankets. The Mayor reached up with her hoof and tapped the pointed part of Celestia’s tiara on Twilight’s head. “Oh my goodness, they weren’t kidding. You really are in charge now, huh?”
“Sad to say, but true.” Twilight said as she shook her head.
Applejack quickly pulled the other two the ponies into a large hug. “Big Mac! Applebloom!” The farmer pony cried out. “You two been holding up alright? How’s the farm? Ah take it Ah probably shouldn’t ask about the orchard should Ah?”
“Farm’s not too well, sis.” Applebloom said.
“Eeyup.”
“Not that we’ve had time to check on it. Most of Ponyville is huddled up in the barn on Sweet Apple Acres. We’ve got a big bonfire going to keep everypony warm.”
“Eeyup.”
“An’ Granny Smith’s not doing too well in this cold!”
Big Mac’s face fell to a frown. “Eeyup….”
Applejack bit her lip. “Ya’ll got her bundled up real good right? Ah shoot…”
Applebloom nodded vigorously. “Yes ma’am. But it’s getting colder and colder every day. Scootaloo says we’re all going freeze to death, but I know better! You and Twilight are going to fix all this right?” Applejack gave Applebloom a comforting pat on the head, accidentally dropping a bit of snow on her nose.
The Mayor stepped forward and gave a smile to Applebloom. “Well, sure they are, little Applebloom. You be sure to tell Scootaloo she couldn’t be more wrong.” The Mayor turned Twilight Sparkle with a worried expression. “You are here to fix this right, Twilight? This whole thing took us by surprise. We had very little food stored up! Everypony is hungry and we’re running out of firewood to keep warm. We’ve done some math. The numbers are not good. By our calculations we’ll be out of food in three days.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve got a plan!” Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof in the air.
Twilight nodded. “Rainbow is right, Mayor! Don’t you worry, Applebloom! I’ve found a way to raise the sun. I just need to take a look at a book from the library.” The purple unicorn smiled widely. It was mostly a false smile, but a bit of the hope in young Applebloom’s eyes turned the smile genuine.
“Alls ya need is a book?” Applebloom said with a large smile. “Well, hay! Let’s go get that right now! To the library!”
Pinkie Pie cleared her throat. “Oh! Oh! We also need a changeling queen!”
“Pinkie!” A good majority of the ponies cried out.
Outside the walls of Canterlot Castle, Gallant the griffin, Grand Vizier of Griffica, sat with a scowl. He shifted his position on the rock he was sitting on. He ruffled his feathers, an action which he regretted as the heat escaped from the gaps in his coat. He muttered something in his guttural griffin tongue. It could have been anything, but bets would be good that this was some sort of vulgarity. He stared out at the horizon and his eyes caught the outline of one of Canterlot’s grain warehouses, framed by the eternal twilight. Around him, seemingly ignorant of his pout, several griffins were busy rushing around him, piling the thirty-five large bags of grain. He scoffed at the bags as each one was passed in front of him. The amount of grain was barely enough to feed the griffins he brought with him for a meal. The princess had done more than insult him. She had nearly declared war on his kind, doomed them to starve on their way back to the Griffica Mountains. “Still,” he huffed. “A griffin has to admire that kind of loyalty to her kingdom.” He began to ponder as one of his officers approached him. The officer was clutching a quill and a scroll.
“Sir!” The officer said. “I have compiled a list of what I believe to be the best candidates to stay behind and help with the ponies’ restoration efforts. Would you like to review my choices or should I go ahead and inform the seven who are to stay behind?”
Gallant scoffed. “That will not be needed, Gregory.” Gallant stood up and walked a few steps towards the warehouse. “We won’t be leaving any griffins behind.”
“Sir?” The officer looked puzzled. “I thought the princess was going to allow us…”
“Gregory, the princess is allowing us nothing.” Gallant laughed.
“Sir… I’m sorry, but I was there… she clearly said…”
“What the princess said does not matter, Gregory. Take a look around this city.” He spread his wings out and shouted. “She’s not in power here!”
“Sir?”
“This place is in ruins. The royal palace is being held together with gum and string. No doubt the princess of the night attempted a coup and failed. Now she sits depowered in the castle, aimlessly wondering about while the common ponies… this regent… whoever she is… is probably trying to rule the kingdom. If the dethroned Princess Luna thinks she can threaten us with ancient pacts and a disorganized collection of freezing and starving soldiers then she’s crazier than Duke Garridan and his treasure hunts.”
“Then what would you have us do?” The officer asked. “Sir!” He added hastily.
“Tell the men… to take all they can carry from the grain warehouses. Leave nothing behind.”
First, as always, came breath. Pain surged through her body as air rushed back into the alicorn’s chest. Her chest rose and her form expanded as life flooded back into her lungs. Then, like always, came the coughing. Her body forced out the dried blood that had pooled in her throat. She shook violently with each raspy cough. Bones snapped back in place in small jolts. The sense of touch and pain were already back. It had always been the first thing to return after these little inconveniences. The alicorn’s eye twitched. Finally the world faded into view. It started at the center, reaching outward, as light poured over her open eyes. She found the strength to lift her neck slightly. Snow fell off of the alicorn’s back. She glanced around in a dizzying daze. The snow around her was soaked in red. It sight did not bother her; she had seen much of her own blood before. She glanced backwards, up at the tower she had fallen from. She shook her head.
Not that far. She thought. Shouldn’t have been enough to knock me out like that. Must be weaker than I thought.
She looked down at her hooves. Her pink mane fell across her eyes and she let out a tiny wail.
Right. Very weak. Celestia wouldn’t be this weak.
She struggled to her hooves. The world spun around her. She felt her balance tip and for a moment. Her wings spread forth and shifted her weight so she stayed upright. A faint smile spread across her lips as she reveled in her cleverness. She began to walk, or rather stumble, forwards into the rubble of the castle.
Have to help Twilight. It’s important! Have to fix this. Celestia would fix this. Need to… make it to… library. Oh… head… throbbing….
The alicorn trudged ahead through the snow. Even though she had just come back to life, an event that normally left her feeling fine, she still was barely able to walk. Each step was a chore. Each hoof-fall was an insurmountable task. Inch by inch she made her way through the rubble-laden castle grounds. The world tipped and swayed with each step, testing her balance and perseverance. Her mind, though clouded, raced.
Must move forward. The library isn’t that far. Have to help Twilight defeat him. Ah! So dizzy….
The alicorn tripped head of over hoof. Her forehoof slipped off to the left and she felt her body twist around in a convoluted mess of body and limb. She fell into a roll and bounced against the snowy ground. She found her hooves rolling upwards towards the sky. Her head scrapped against the ground.
Celestia would have the strength to make it to the library. Celestia has the strength to do anything she wants. Not like me. I always screw it up. Father… Mother… Gratis… Arcas… Dagr… Sombra… Luna… Chrysalis… now Twilight….
The alicorn sobbed.
But this time… Celestia started the fight with Lulu…. No, couldn’t be. Must have been me. Celestia is perfect. She would never…. It must be Luna’s fault. That’s why I had to banish her. Couldn’t let Celestia do that. She’s perfect and pure. Have to get to the library. Twilight must know… she can save the kingdom until Celestia comes back.
The alicorn slithered forward. The blood in her coat had dried into messy frozen clots and her face was streamed with tears. Slowly, step by step, she made her way to a large building that was still mostly intact from the events five days ago. The entry way to the Grand Canterlot Library was normally guarded heavily, not because the acquisition of knowledge was restricted, but rather it was valued so highly that the theft of a single book would be an unforgivable grievance to Canterlot’s society. Today, however, no guards were posted to protect the building. Much of the city was deserted; ponies were moved to refugee camps to keep them away from the crumbling rubble of the city. Only a few ponies were roaming the streets, bundled up in the warmest clothes available, scrounging for supplies amongst the rubble.
The alicorn placed her hooves against the library door. Finding the strength to open the door was not hard, she simply fell into the door and it opened from her considerable weight. She tumbled into the dark building. The library, with its large windows, was normally lit from natural light; however with the sun sitting eternally on the horizon the building was nearly pitch black. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had expected the librarians to still be lighting the torches that illuminated the building at night. Only upon entering did the structure did she realize how much of the city had stopped operations since the emergency.
Still, she considered the empty building a blessing. She slowly made her way through the empty hallways, traversing the library in darkness, guided only by her memories. Each wing of the deserted building she passed through reminded her of the state of her city. A few books were left sitting on the reading tables. The building must have been evacuated in a hurry during the incident it seemed. She made her way to the spiral steps the lead to the library’s basement. The Canterlot library held tomes for general reading on the first floor. Tomes that contained dangerous magics were kept in the restricted sections of the upper floors and tomes that were never to be read under any circumstances were kept in the basement.
She tumbled down that stairs. Not that she meant to, her legs had given out from underneath her once again. She slammed against the cold stone floor at the base of the staircase. Her left rear leg was probably broken but it hardly mattered. As long as she had not snapped her neck she would not have to wait to wake back up. She lifted her head and squinted to observe her surroundings. No light was entering the basement at all. There were no windows to allow the twilight inside. She focused as hard as she could. She tried with all her might to cast a simple light spell, the kind of spell that is taught in those My Little Unicorn’s First Spell books. After a few minutes of grunting and thrashing about in frustration she conceded.
You’ve been down here before. She told herself. You know the path. Just make it to the book….
She began to crawl, dragging her rather useless broken rear leg behind her. She mentally cursed herself for every cake she had ever eaten as she tried to pull her weight across the floor. She reached out with her hooves ever few meters, checking to see if the right turn she was expecting to make was approaching. Eventually her hoof stopped colliding with the wall and she knew her turn had arrived. She pulled herself down the new hallway and hugged the wall closely. She counted the number of stone bricks in the wall. Each one was about a third of a meter and she knew it was at least six meters before she had to make her next turn. Groping about in the darkness she finally found her way into the restricted section of the library.
The room was vaguely lit by a pale electric glow. It was a small dancing energy field that she herself had cast to keep intruders away from the object in the cage. From the light cast by the protective barrier she could see her goal. A large tome, of an age far greater than any one object should be, rested on a display stand. It had been uncountable years since the last time the alicorn had cast her gaze upon the tome. The cover had a large scorch mark running u the spine and the front face of the book. Now she only had to deal with getting past her own protection spell and the tome would be within reach. Had she had her magic, it would be a simple task to disarm the spell. Barring that, she knew she would have to force her way in. The barrier was designed to not let anything through alive. She inhaled deeply.
She clenched her lips and prepared for the pain she was about to feel. She lifted herself up and pressed her form against the energy barrier. The magic singed her coat and seared her flesh with unimaginable pain. Her eyes struggled to stay open and she nearly vomited from the smell of her own roasted flesh. She mentally cursed herself for devising such a protection spell that would not recognize her. Finally she passed through the barrier, landing on the other side with an unceremonious thud.
She glanced up at the tome and smiled. She could feel life rapidly escaping her. She tightened her whole body in an effort to keep from passing out. Her eyes started to drift closed. She could tell she would be out again for a good deal of time. Time she did not currently have. She reached up with a hoof and swatted the book off its display pedestal. It flopped to the ground and she quickly began flipping through pages. Page after page passed by and she was beginning to get angry that she could not locate what she needed. Just as she reached the page she wanted she felt her strength give out. Her eyes rolled backwards and she slumped to the floor, dead once more.
Pinkie Pie huddled with Fluttershy around a small purple flame that burned in the center of Twilight Sparkle’s tree library in Ponyville. The purple flame, a quick magic spell that Twilight cast once they had entered, served as the only heat for the library. While the flame was roaring and nearly roasting the pink and yellow ponies that were huddling around it, as one moved away from the fire the heat quickly dissipated. This lead the ponies to take shifts, running from grabbing books off of the shelves and then running back to the fire to keep from freezing. Twilight, however, seemed to be the warmest of all as she ran frantically back and forth from bookshelf to bookshelf.
The unicorn muttered to herself as she tossed one book after another behind her back. Applejack and Rainbow Dash occasionally had to stop one of the castoff books from bouncing into the purple flame. “No…. no… no! Ugh!” The unicorn crumpled down in frustration. “Where is my copy of Quantum Fractals and You?! I could have sworn it was here next to Ten Reasons to Not Tickle a Hydra!” Twilight dashed to another bookshelf. She passed by a floating crystal. The floating object revolved slowly and shimmered in the firelight. “If I don’t find this book I’ll have no way for focusing the crystal and it won’t funnel magic properly!”
“Relax, Twilight. We’ll get everything sorted out.” Rainbow Dash said with a smile. “You need to just chill out so we can focus on making sure this spell goes correctly. We wouldn’t want this focusing whatzit to explode or anything.”
Twilight collapsed on the ground. “What’s the use? Nothing is working out at all… I can’t even make a simple focusing crystal work.” She buried her face behind her hooves.
“Now, Twilight, it’s not that bad. We can get through this, darling.” Rarity said as she placed a hoof on the mare’s back.
Twilight sobbed. “I just don’t think… I can do this anymore. All this responsibility! Everypony is counting on me to get the sun back in its right spot in the sky and I don’t know if I can do it. We don’t have a changeling queen to mimic the magical signature and… I can’t even think about the alternative. I just don’t….” She heaved a sob. “I can’t…. I…. I’d give anything for this to just be fixed….”
“It’s about time!”
Twilight Sparkled peeked over the top of her hooves, her face wet with tears. “Did anypony hear a voice just now?”
The door burst open, sending a rush of cold air blasting into the library. “Why heelllooooo, Ponyville!” A sultry male voice cried out. “Well how have my little ponies been?” He shook off a pile of snow he had been wearing as a coat. It splattered on floor and he kicked the door to the outside shut. “Keeping warm, I hope.” Discord slithered around in between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. He placed a claw and a paw on their backs and pressed the two mares together, their faces smashed up against each other. “Things heatin’ up around here?” He poked his head in between each other and smiled devilishly. “No?”
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash called out.
“Careful now you wouldn’t want to…. Oh, blast what was the colorful term Applejack used? Oh right! Careful, you wouldn’t want to start a ruckus in front of Discord now!” He laughed. “Oh, you're so grouchy. Why is everypony so grouchy? Well no wonder why! Have any of you looked outside? It’s freezing out there. Some pony should really go check the world’s thermostat; it might be broken.” Discord laughed heartedly. “I will say you ponies have done just a wonderful job.” He pranced around the room, grabbing Pinkie Pie by her hooves and giving her a twirl. “That was sarcasm by the way. I just wanted to let you know, in case the cold is slowing your thoughts.” He let go of Pinkie’s hooves and she twirled off as a pink tornado into one of the walls. “Seriously, I leave the world in your hands for no less than a week and you already have it covered in snow and on the verge of dying! How could you let that happen? Oh, right. You ponies don’t actually have hands do you? How do you manage to do anything without digits?” He flexed his digits in front of the ponies’ faces.
“Yeah!” Spike laughed as he flexed his own claws, mimicking Discord’s movements.
“Spike!” Rarity shot him a terrifying glance and the dragon quickly looked down to the ground in shame.
“Really though. Let’s think about all this for a moment; a little recap for those following along at home, if you don’t mind.” He picked up the purple flame with his claw and held it up to his face. The magic fire cast a haunting purple glow on his features that made him seem more sinister than ever. His lips extended as though he was going to kiss the fire. With a mighty heave, he blew on the flame sending it into a frantic dance. When the flame settled it showed an image of Twilight Sparkle looking downtrodden. “So poor little Twilight Stumble here, in an effort to make friends with the whole world, for extra credit no doubt, decides to mix and mingle with the queen of loneliness herself.” The image in the flame changed to a blue alicorn. “Wittle Prwincess Woona!” He blew on the flame again. The image faded and the flame’s shape stretched to make a heart. “But somepony wasn’t satisfied with just being friends…. Oh such an innocent love the student and the exile had.” His flicked his lion’s paw outward. A few stray strings cascaded down and dangled around Twilight, giving her the eerie image of a puppet. “And that’s when everything went down the drain, up in smoke, haywire, topsy-turvy, bungled, and downright not too good.”
The strings came to life and lifted Celestia’s tiara off of Twilight’s head. They dangled the crown overtop of the flame. Discord blew on the flame again, causing it to flicker out for a moment. The purple fire relit with the image of Princess Celestia’s face. The crown floated overtop of the pony princess’s head. “See, poor little Twilight didn’t know about the sibling rivalry between the princesses and now look what’s gone on! We’ve got one princess who’s gone mad and another who’s betrayed the little unicorn! I, of course, was around to lend a helping claw.”
“Discord!” Twilight yelled.
“Aw, there it is! I was wondering when you were going to make that exclamation, dear Twilight Stumble.” Discord pressed his cheek up against the purple unicorn’s face. “Felt a bit late this time, if I’m honest. You should work on your timing. Still, I love it when you call out my name.” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at the pony. “Now then, where was I? Oh right: world covered in snow! So that’s where we are now. The world is dying and you ponies are doing a terrible job of fixing it. Am I right?”
“Drop it, Discord! We’ve got enough to deal with without you causing chaos around here.” Twilight said.
“Oh, but perhaps you forgot our deal? In exchange for you not using the Elements of Harmony on me, I won’t cause chaos with my magic in this world. So there’s really nothing I can do, aside from cheap tricks. It’s pretty airtight.” He coughed into his hand and then whispered. “Mostly.” He opened his palm and let the purple flame fall back into its place on the floor.
“Everypony just ignore him, he can’t harm us without his magic.” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof.
“Yes, yes. Point and laugh at the old man whose vigor has left him!” Discord put on a pout. “Shed not a tear for his fate. A terrible fate of magical impotence, brought about by none other than the six mares he now converses with!” He folded his arms and faked a sniffle. “Where in this world has compassion gone?” He broke down laughing. “It’s probably frozen in ice actually. Say, here’s a thought: since you six, oh and Spike, are in such a bad mood, why don’t you try extensive arguing? That might make the Windagos come galloping in. Now I know they typically cause blizzards, but let’s face it. A blizzard might actually be warmer than what you’ve got going on outside right now.” He leaned over Applejack and smiled. “How’s Granny Smith, by the way? Holding up in this cold?”
“Buck off, you unholy abomination.” Applejack said with a sneer.
Twilight stared deeply into the floating crystal. “It’s no use. I can’t get it to focus.”
“So this is the device that’s going to save the world?” The draconequus leered over the crystal. “Doesn’t look like much. Also it doesn’t appear to be working. You might want to fix that if you’re planning on saving the world.”
Twilight gazed up at the draconequus angrily. “Is there a reason you’re here, Discord?”
“Well, contrary to what you might believe, I actually care about this world. I’m here to check on your progress. You see a frozen world is so terribly boring. So static! Where’s the gentle breeze that ruffles the grass in incalculable patterns? Where’s the unpredictable summer rains?” He tugged on his beard for a moment. “Oh right, Celestia broke nature. None of those things exist anymore anyway. What a pity.” He loomed over the purple pony. “Still, it seems to me all you need is someone to raise the sun and the moon again. Right?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh that would be just lovely! Perhaps you haven’t heard? Celestia and Luna can’t do that right now!”
“Well I didn’t say it had to be them. I said it just had to be someone. You know someone with incredible power… over the entire cosmos perhaps?”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “You!” She sneered. “You could raise the sun! You said yourself you don’t want to see this world die! Snap your fingers and raise the sun!”
“Me?” Discord said, placing a paw against his chest. He looked upwards in thought for a moment. “What a fantastic idea! Why, I’d be honored to raise the sun and save the world. ‘Discord, the world’s savior,’ they’ll say.” He lifted his claw upwards and the snapped his fingers. The sound of the snap echoed throughout the library.
Twilight raced to the window. She opened the window’s shutters and shivered as a cold gust rushed into the library. She glanced out the window and spied the sun, still sitting on the edge of the horizon. “It’s still twilight out!”
“Why of course it is, stupid unicorn.” Discord said with a laugh. “The fact is I’d love to raise the sun, but you see I made a deal that prevents me from using magic to influence the world.”
Fluttershy shrived. “You mean there’s no way for you to raise the sun at all? Oh, my….”
Discord scratched his chin for a moment. “Well….” He pulled a book off of one of the nearby shelves and pretended to read it. “We made a fully binding contract with the Fates. That’s unbreakable, unfortunately…. Unless….”
“Unless what?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Well, there are annulment rules, you see. If both parties… no, not that kind, Pinkie…. If both parties agree to annul the agreement the contract can be voided. That sounds like a reasonable approach.”
Twilight scrunched her face up in thought. Billions of thoughts pranced about in her mind, each weighing the options. All of that thinking happened in less than a few milliseconds as she quickly blurted out. “Done. We agree to an annulment.”
Discord sighed. “Actually, Applejack made the contract… so…”
Applejack glanced back at her friends. Each of their faces was riddled with worry. She shook her head and sighed. “I agree to the annulment.”
“Really? Hm…” He lifted up his claw again and snapped his fingers. In a stampede, all the ponies raced to the windowsill to check the position of the sun.
“What the hay?!” Rainbow Dash called out. “The sun still hasn’t moved.”
“Oh, right. Like I said: both parties have to agree to an annulment. I never actually said I wanted the contract voided.” Discord yawned. “I’m not stupid, mis pequeños ponis. If I void the deal then you’ll use the Elements of Harmony on me seconds after I raise the sun. You’ll have a few more days to figure out how for fix this mess and I’ll have a few eternities encased in stone. I don’t think so!”
“Discord!” Twilight gasped.
“Oh, here’s an idea! Why don’t we make a new deal? Hm? We’ll annul the old deal and I’ll take over the duty of raising and lowering the sun and moon, just like they are supposed to. In exchange you promise not to use the Elements of Harmony on me.” He held out his claw. “What do you say? For the good of Equestria. For the good of the whole world! Doesn’t that sound fair?”
“Wait? What?!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Are you kidding?”
“Yes, that’s quite fair I think. What do you say?” Discord thrust his arm out at Applejack. “Shake my claw!” He smiled sinisterly. “Come on, my little ponies, won’t you shake a poor spirit’s claw?”
“That’s just trading one disaster for another! Twilight, he’ll plunge Equestria into total chaos!” Rarity cried out.
“Well… um… actually…” Fluttershy winced. “Is chaos so bad if we’re all still alive?”
“The acrophobic pegasus is right, you know!” Discord chuckled.
“Hey! Don’t call Fluttershy words I don’t know the meaning of, you vile dragon-pony thing!” Pinkie Pie said. “Especially when she’s talking about things that make sense.”
“Quite right, my peculiar pink party pony.” Discord nodded. “I think she’s actually panophobic. And no, Pinkie, that doesn’t mean she’s afraid of pots and pans.” Discord laughed. “But to more pressing matters! We’ve heard from laughter, kindness, and generosity. What say you, Loyal Dash of Rainbow?”
“No way are we going to fall for that again. Right, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash glanced over to the purple mare. “I mean, sure, technically it wasn’t his fault with what happened to the sun and the moon, but I mean it’s not like the last deal helped us any!”
“Oh! What a twist! It seems Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash have traded options from last time. Still that’s two against two. The vote is tied!”
“We never said we we’re voting!” Twilight shouted.
Discord covered his mouth to suppress a giggle. “Oh, right. I’m sorry. My mistake. Then I guess it falls to you, Lady Twilight. Tell us, what does the mighty regent of Equestria think is the best course of action?”
“I… I don’t….” Twilight’s lip began to quiver.
“Come on, Twilight! This isn’t hard! This is Discord! Master of chaos and disharmony. He’ll be unleashed, in full force!” Rainbow Dash stamped her hoof.
“Girls, we don’t need to keep shouting like a pack of wild timberwolves….” Applejack said softly.
“But… if there’s no sun… is there really any point to order?” Pinkie Pie said with a tilt of her head.
Discord snaked his way around Twilight’s neck. “A noggin tickling question to be sure, Twilight, but I’m confident you can make the right choice here. Come, look at what you get. A world that’s not on the verge of death. You’ll be a hero! The one who brought light back to the world and let’s not forget the bringer of the end of Nightmare Twilight!”
“This is… ugh….” Twilight slammed her hooves on to the sides of her head. A desperate attempt to keep her thoughts from spilling out of her ears.
“Come on! Take the deal! It’s getting colder by the second.”
“Don’t listen to Pinkie Pie, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I mean it’s a sad day in Equestria when Pinkie’s advice is sound, right?”
Applejack winced. “Now, hold on a minute, let the poor girl breathe.”
“But… it is a sad day… twilight… thing.” Fluttershy whimpered.
Twilight scrunched her face up. “Would everypony just…”
Discord laughed. “Choices, choices are yours to make. Choose carefully for there are lives at stake. If correctly you pick and swift, their salvation will be your gift. Should your indecision paralyze, the world, your friends will pay with their lives.” Discord was practically singing, not that any pony noticed. He did a quick twirl in the center of the room and all of the windows burst open, flooding the library with cold winds. “Oh! Feel that chilled air race down your spine. It won’t be long now before everypony is frozen.”
“Come on, Twilight!”
“Let’s be reasonable, Twilight!”
“EVERYPONY JUST SHUT UP!” The purple unicorn bellowed. The room seemed to shake with her words. Twilight fell to the floor and sobbed. “Why me? Why is it always me?”
“Why, I told you.” Discord said with a shake of the head. “Don’t you remember? It’s the Twilight Sparkle one hour special. It’s always been about you, little Twilight Stumble.”
“I can’t do this….” She whined.
“Twilight, dear, it is a simple matter. Do not, under any circumstances take the deal.”
“Do take the deal! We don’t want to live in underground ice caves! Do you have any idea how hard it is to bake cupcakes in an ice cave? I don’t either, but I can’t imagine it’s easier than baking then outside of ice caves.”
“Oh… I don’t know what to do….” Twilight sobbed.
“It’s plum not fair!” Applejack shouted loud enough to startle everypony. “Twilight’s right! Why does she have to do all the work? Why do we have to turn to her and make her decide everything? Instead of helping her like good friends do, all we do is around and bark our opinion at her. Well enough is enough. Ah am going to put a stop to this right now!” Applejack stomped a hoof on the ground. “From this point on, anything that happens is going to be because of me! If things go badly, it will be my fault. Not Twilight’s.” She reached out with her other hoof and grabbed Discord’s claw. “Discord, you have yourself a deal.”
Twilight looked up from her hooves. “Wait! Applejack!”
“But… uh…. Twilight was supposed to….” Discord’s face scrunched up in utter confusion. “Very well! Honest Applejack, we have an accord! I’m nothing, if not flexible.” The draconequus’s claw tightened around the hoof. The sound of metal shattering echoed throughout the room as what appeared to be spectral chains broke away from Applejack’s body. A few seconds later, shining chains swirled around the union of hoof and claw. Discord smiled widely as the chains crisscrossed and tightened around the handshake. The chains faded away with small clinking sounds and Discord jumped backwards into the air. “Oh, you have no idea how happy I am at the moment. I feel like celebrating! In fact….” The draconequus snapped his fingers and he vanished from sight with a blinding flash. His laugh echoed throughout the library.
For the longest moment the library sat in silence. No pony spoke. Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and glanced around the room. Spike idly twiddled his thumbs. Fluttershy hid her face underneath her wings. Rainbow Dash uneasily fidgeted in place. Rarity chewed on a strand of her mane, a bad habit that she had thought kicked a long time ago. Applejack looked down at the floor, unable to meet anypony’s eyes. Even Pinkie Pie was quiet and subdued. The cold air that was flooding in from the open windows did not seem to bother any of the ponies, even though it was enough to blow out the magic purple flame that was keeping them warm.
Then something caught Pinkie Pie’s eye. It was a glimmer of light. A bright shimmer reflected off the snow covered ground. The light bounced into the library through the open window nearest Pinkie Pie. It was bright and brilliant and most of all warm. A warm ray of sunshine that was creeping over the horizon had entered the library. The dull gray glow of twilight was lifted. Color exploded into the room as the windows filled with sunshine. “Guys, look at this!” Pinkie Pie whispered.
The ponies all gathered around one of the windows, fighting for a place to see. The sun was slowly making its way back up into the center of the sky. Far faster than it should have happened, the snow began to melt. Green grass sprouted up, covering the ground in a welcoming sight. The dark sky once more shone a vibrant blue. Heat rushed back into the landscape. Quickly the ponies began to remove their scarves and hats as the heat wave hit the library. “I don’t believe it.” Twilight Sparkle said. “The sun is back. It’s warm again. And everything is… normal….” She gave the whole world, freshly waking up from its nightmare, a soft smile.
Boom! Boom!
The library vibrated with a thunderous noise. A few of the books were jostled off their shelves. “What was that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Boom! Boom!
“It sounds like… a bass beat?” Twilight said slowly.
Boom! Boom!
Pinkie Pie jumped up and down. “Sounds like Vinyl Scratch is throwing a Welcome Back Sun Party!”
“With enough bass to level the town!” Rarity added. “Look! Something’s going on outside!” Twilight and the others fought to get out of the tiny library door first. They stood looking out at the streets of Ponyville, watching as an event was unfolding in front of them.
“Look a parade!” Pinkie Pie shouted.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide at the sight before her. “Oh… we… are… so… bucked…!”
The bass thundered as a distinctly gray Vinyl Scratch manned her turntables and speakers. She sat atop a large platform that was being pushed down the road by a group of equally gray stallions. All around the platform ponies danced and pranced around with eerie smiles plastered on their faces. Confetti was tossed up in the air and a few ponies held the strings of large balloons in their mouths.
He’s the master of chaos! Whoa-oh!
Following shortly behind Vinyl was another platform. Three little fillies sat atop the portable stage, dressed in gaudy stripped formfitting outfits. Their faces were painted with eye shadow that looked applied by a foal and placed in the center of them was a large microphone that they were huddled around. Rarity called out to them. “Sweetie Belle!”
“Applebloom!” Applejack raced forward but was stopped by Twilight’s magic.
“Oh! It’s that... other one…! The kid!” Rainbow Dash said. All three gray fillies ignored the calls and continued to sing off-key.
He’s the master of chaos! Whoa-oh!
Finally at the end of the parade came the draconequus himself. He strutted down the street, swinging his arms and swaying his hips. Draped around his neck was the strap for a musical instrument, a silver plated saxophone. He would take a few steps down the street then stop to twirl in place. At the end of his twirl he would point to a building or a panicking pony, snap his fingers and make it join the parade. Several houses and other assorted structures from Ponyville danced along behind him, stopping every now and then to pirouette before proceeding down the street. Discord wrapped his lips around the mouthpiece of the saxophone and began to play along with the song.
And he’s here to stay!
A few birds happily chirped over head as Twilight sighed. “Yeah. It’s going to be one of those days.”
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I had found myself enjoying this tale immensely. It had good pacing, nice backstory on the sisters even before the whole taking of four or five chapters for Luna to explain everything. I liked the budding relationship, and the slight tension that hung in the air.
However.
Ever since the sisters fought, it has been nothing but a drama fest, at least that is how it has been coming across. Reading this chapter simply reminded me of that fact, and honestly, you took what was an excellent tale in it's weaving and decided to all of a sudden take a ninety degree turn from something that was already working very well. It feels as if these events are over the top to an extreme simply because you can, and not for the story. Too. much. drama. The focus has completely slipped from what it was prior to the tiff of the sisters, and it's just blah now.
INTERESTING
No on cares about you, Scootaloo! Ha ha ha ha!!
So basically, Discord's end goal was getting the Mane Six to agree to an unbreakable contract stating that they shall not use the Elements of Harmony on him so long as he raises the Sun? That seems kinda... uninspired, considering all that stuff Discord set up.
Then again,
Celestia and LunaHelia and Selene are still at odds, and there's a possible war looming over Equestria and Griffica. And Chrysalis might be dead.And Helia's frying in her own spell in the basement. And Granny Smith is sick. And Shining owes Discord like a million bits in gambling debt...
Okay, so I guess there's plenty of stuff going on.
By the way, It would be really awesome if Discord would show Spike his Grey Dragon form.
They fell for it.....whelpgifsforum.com/images/gif/i%27m%20out%20of%20here/grand/im-out-of-here-eccbc87e4b5ce2fe28308fd9f2a7baf3-348.gif I'm out.
Discord wins! And all is well. Rising Star is right, Luna and Celestia are monsters.
1793271
End goal? Discord's not done yet. This was just to give him some breathing room. Now his real plan can start. Stay tuned.
1792665
I can understand your criticism. However, all these events were planned ahead of time, before the second chapter was written. Still, I'm flattered you enjoyed the first part so much.
1792665 I hate to say it, but I'm forced to agree.
It's become progressively harder to enjoy reading this over the last few months, sorry if that seems harsh. 
Well, I've still been enjoying the story at least, if only because I saw Discord's most likely end goal(s) from the start, and I've been wanting to see how he'd get there. I enjoyed the Twi-luna pairing, especially how it was worked in, and hope to see it come back into focus some... and the flashback was a bit on the long side... but over all, I'm still enjoying it.
This chapter of course, my response to Applejack's actions was about like Discord's response: "Oh darn, that wasn't in the plan. Twilight was supposed to... oh well, it still works out. Time to go to plan B now that there's room to maneuver for it." I do so love it when a plan has speed bumps tossed at it.
If my suspicions are right, I think we need to prepare for Discord intentionally being the biggest jerk HE can imagine next chapter. I do hope that the story continues some for the aftermath of Discord's plan though, after he get's it to work. Seeing Twilight trying to patch up her relationships with the princesses should be very interesting after that happens.
1794152 1792665
. I've reread through the story recently and I can see where such notions are coming from and I wholeheartedly agree. I originally intended the fight between the sisters to be a "Wham Chapter" where everything does change. However, I can see now that I've beached the boat, drove the car into a wall, crashed the plane into the Sea of Japan (it spun in, there were no survivors).
Not harsh at all, and no need to apologize
I was hoping reader morale would improve after the flashback sequences went too long, but I can see that this was a story that started out as a lighthearted romance and suddenly became some... dualistic... emo-fest... with avocados.
I've been thinking about putting Static World on hiatus for a month or so while I think up ways to rework the parts after the fight. I've already noticed that the flashbacks could have been their own story... perhaps Static World could have ended somewhere around before the sisters fought. And this section could be its own story, a more adventure based sequel?
Anyway, just somethings I'm considering. Before I decide anything though I'll wait for the next chapter, "Discord's Wonderful World of Chaos", which should be more lighthearted and less drama.
Wow... this comes off as whiny....
That's not the intent at all, btw. 
I don't mind the new part of the story, I just wish something would actually happen, I feel kind of like there's a massive shit storm a' brewing, and I'm just kinda sitting here waiting for it to happen...
I mean, I can see Discord's plan in small pieces, and assume some of it right now, like how he pretty much said he was going to shatter all their hope (what better way then making the
Princesses? Feel totally useless? Which would make everyone else feel even more useless and depressed by proxy! Unless somehow taking away ThePrincesses? powers will weaken or kill them since that's apparently how power transfers, regardless they might still keep their immortality regardless but they'd still be out for a few hours...So yeah, basically TLDR I'm just waiting for anything to be explained at all...
1795390 Hey, it's not whiny at all.
I find it very refreshing to find an author who takes on board criticism so well. 
I thought I was the one coming over as whiny. 
Could Twilight do to Discord what Helia and Selene did to their old buddies? Seems like it would solve a lot of problems if she simply stole Discord's powers and proclaimed herself Ruler of All Creation.
Poor Twilight...
Seriously though, I can't imagine that this outcome will be any better than freezing to death. There are some fates worse than death afterall.
Kendandra, I am still very much enjoying the story. It may not be what is started off as, but it is still quite good. Don't beat yourself up about it.
Please, please, please finish this. If nothing else, I need to find out how this gigantic shit storm ends. (It's a very good and well-written shit storm, by the way
)
1873951
Well... Since you asked so nicely. Next chapter will be up within the next two days.
1881284
this was written
at this point
I would suggest to avoid contact with Pinkie
1907630
Loss of employment has slowed down chapter writting.
It's on its way... I promise.
“Oh! It’s that... other one…! The kid!” Rainbow Dash said. All three gray fillies ignored the calls and continued to sing off-key.
OH GOD!!
reference found:
from dr. facilier when he asks to shake hands. (same quotze)
wow