Chapter 18
Aurelia clenched her tiny hands. The little wolf pup stood less than 10 feet in front of her, its expression a mix of curiosity and caution. Its tail rose straight up and alert as the child bravely stood her ground, yet it did not fold its ears back to show its aggression. Well, not yet at least.
Across the meadow even the birds held back their chirps in respect of the two souls, letting them have the privacy and the sanctity expected of a civilized face off. The pup lowered its head as if to charge. Aurelia raised her fists in preparation to counter.
“You’re absolutely certain this is how they should be introduced to each other?” Ciaran asked from where she and Artorias lay secretly watching in the tall grass.
“They are as alike as two souls can be: a brimming fountain of potential but in need of proper instruction. We cannot hope to hone either of their talents until we know how they’re going to get along with each other.” Artorias replied. The wolf pup barked a challenge to Aurelia. The blonde haired child silently expressed she would not be intimidated into backing down.
“I think you have been spending far too much time with those forest hunters. First they’ve got you bringing stray animals home, now you honestly believe that having our student fight those animals to prove her worth will help her make friends.” Ciaran sighed.
“Well she has to have someone to bond with besides us, and a friendship forged at this age between them will prove to be invaluable for training them together.” Artorias replied as the wolf barked again and ran at the child.
“Some of us might also wish to acknowledge that defeat does not always result in said bond between souls.” Ciaran warned. Before her, Aurelia narrowed her eyes as her opponent closed in, measuring the pace of its legs, the bob of its head and the overall flow of its body with each stride. At the last possible moment she sidestepped out of the wolf’s path then tackled it side on. The wolf yelped as its forward momentum was abruptly redirected, throwing it off balance and making it easy for the child to force it down onto its back. It tried to nip at her with its little jaws, but Aurelia firmly planted both hands on its belly and held the wolf still. After a few fruitless attempts to recover from its downed state, the wolf’s own nature slowly took hold. It was not the alpha, not yet, and as such it had to respect its superior. Gradually the pup relaxed, showing it accepted its position in the pecking order. Aurelia duly released her hold and smiled as the wolf rolled over and stood again.
“You were saying?” Artorias teased as the wolf bowed its head and let Aurelia hug it around its neck. Ciaran rolled her eyes as the knight rose and applauded the two.
“An excellent effort, Aurelia. Clean, efficient and tactfully executed. I expect you and Sif will serve each other well to build your respective abilities.” The knight commented. Aurelia looked up at her mentor with a somewhat perturbed air, but Sif barked her consent that this was a sound idea as she pulled herself free and ran over to Artorias.
“We will of course be taking precautions to see you are both adequately prepared beforehand though.” Ciaran added, shaking her head as she picked up Aurelia. “We aim to make you into warriors, not enemies after all.”
Both child and pup looked to each other. Respectfully they exchanged an unspoken acknowledgement that they would take heed of their teachers’ words. If they were to face each other again it would not be out of loathing or malice. Artorias and Ciaran wanted them to make each other stronger, better, and thus they would do as expected.
Such was life in their odd little family.
The Chosen Undead shook herself out of her memories, sighing in disdain that she’d let herself get drawn into happier moments again when she was supposed to be mentally preparing herself for the next leg of her quest. She couldn’t dwell on the past and how much she wished to reclaim it now. It would just make it harder for her to again leave Lordran.
That said…it did at least remind her she had something to come back to. An unfinished matter she intended to take up with Alvina once she’d recovered the missing Lord Souls.
Above her, the Stone Dragon watched in silent contemplation as its apostle checked her gear, gave her weapons a dusting of repair powder then rose and bowed in farewell. It drew its wings around its body and returned to slumber as the bonfire enveloped the husk and whisked her away, back to where she would be expected to enact change, while it remained in its own static little corner, clinging to its own memories of a never changing world long since gone.
***
“Hello? Anypony home?” Trixie rapped on the door to Twilight’s castle. “Princess? Highness? Whatever? The Great and Powerful Trixie has returned to finish our business together. She demands you open up so we may settle things once and for all!”
The blue unicorn dramatically swept her new fur lined cape behind her and stood ready to be greeted by her rival. She remained standing that way for a good five minutes before finally it dawned on her that she couldn’t hear hoofsteps, or any sound from inside.
“Twilight? Are you in there or not?” She asked in annoyance. She pressed her hoof harder against the crystal doors and blinked as they slowly gave way. “Really? A newly crowned princess of the realm and she doesn’t bother to post sentries OR lock her place up?”
The unicorn stepped inside the castle, finding herself in an elegant but completely deserted entrance hallway.
“Twilight?” She asked, hearing nothing but the echo of her own voice. “Huh. No staff or reception or anything?”
She made her way through the castle, coming to the throne room and the six chairs surrounding the Friendship Map.
“All this finery going to waste. What a shame.” Trixie lamented as she pushed open the doors on the other side and continued her search. The sound of her hoofs clopping against the crystal floor started to get freaky when no other sound rose to accompany it. She explored what looked like an unfinished wing of the library, the kitchen, and several rooms that had yet to be assigned a purpose. There didn’t seem to be a soul in sight.
“Perhaps Trixie should come back later? If she’s out then there’s little to be gained by waiting around here…” The unicorn mused as she stepped into the back garden and sighted the bonfire. “But what’s this?”
She paused and observed the flowing enchanted flames, her eyes widening as she felt their heat and sensed their otherworldly nature.
“She can’t have been gone for too long, this looks like it was just started.” She murmured while sitting down. “But why would she leave it to just burn unattended? That can’t be safe.”
Trixie stared at the ethereal flames for a while longer, her attention completely absorbed in the way they flowed with such purpose, such rhythm, and such order; a stark contrast to the usual behavior of fire.
“Trixie should show she’s learned the lesson of being safe rather than sorry and see that this doesn’t accidentally burn all the surrounding area to the ground…but if Twilight’s conducting some sort of experiment here….”
The unicorn caught sight of a shovel sitting forgotten by the side of the pit. Her mouth tightened as she levitated it up and debated on whether to shovel some dirt over the fire to extinguish it.
Fortunately a sudden bloom of the flames made the decision for her, sending her crashing against the side of the castle from the force of the explosion.
“Ugh....what the…” Trixie looked up, only to find her hat had been shoved forward on her head from the impact, obscuring her vision. She yanked it off and blinked upon discovering she was no longer alone in the backyard.
“Check that…WHO the….” She muttered as the Chosen Undead stepped out of the flames. The two regarded each other in silence, neither quite sure what to make of the other. Moment after moment passed as the situation slowly grew more awkward.
“Who might you be, that stands before the Great and Powerful Trixie?” The unicorn demanded, gathering herself back up to her full height. She quickly realized this move came off far less impressive than she imagined as her full height only brought her to the waist area of the undead, but ever the seasoned performer, Trixie did not let this show through.
The undead did her the service of kneeling to get a better look at her. She’d known before departing what sort of inhabitants to expect from this strange land, but to see one in the flesh, talking and eyeing her up with all the manner of a fully sentient being still gave her pause to marvel.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands you identify yourself!” The unicorn commanded, her horn lighting up and her expression turning as fierce as she could muster. The Chosen Undead thought to go for the Moonlight Greatsword on her back, but stopped herself. She had no clue where she was, where she might start looking for Seath, or what manner of resistance she might encounter. Going the normal route of treating everything like a threat and reacting accordingly might actually make things harder than they needed to be. This pony was going on the defensive, yes, but only because she probably wasn’t used to having other folk just drop out of the blue (or rather out of the fire) in front of her. While the husk did not consider herself to be all that skilled in the art of diplomacy, she figured it couldn’t hurt to try.
“Mmmm…Muh…Mmmmuuuhh….eyyyyeee…Mmmmmuuuuughhhhh….” The husk coughed and clasped a hand to her face. Her mouth felt wrong, the skin rotted, her lips tightened and dry, and her jaw too used to remaining shut to adequately convey speech. Trixie backed away and her horn burned more intensely as the being before her groaned meaninglessly.
“I warn you, the Great and Powerful Trixie is skilled in many forms of deadly magic. She is NOT one you would wish as an enemy!”
The Chosen Undead sighed and removed her helmet. Trixie gasped as she beheld the husk’s cankered visage, death seeming to ooze from every inch of her zombified face.
“Uhhh…right…back to Trixie’s first question: WHAT the…!?” She instantly prepared to attack this resurrected monster, pausing only when said monster raised one hand towards her in request for patience, while the other reached out to grab the crystal spear thrust into the bonfire.
What happened next came as a relief to one party and an utter shock to the other.
The Chosen Undead trembled as she finally put the humanity in her to its intended purpose, something she admittedly should’ve done a while back but had been too distracted with her own problems to remember. Her rotted flesh slowly repaired itself and softened till it held the supple, tan texture of when she’d been alive. The sparkle returned to her eyes, bringing them out of the hollowed cavities in her skull. Her lips grew plump; her tongue energetic, the muscles around her mouth strengthened to the point where she felt like communicating vocally might actually yield favorable results again.
Flicking her thick, freshly grown braid of golden hair behind her, the newly humanized Chosen Undead flexed her jaw and said a quick prayer that she wasn’t about to embarrass herself again.
“Mmmmm…eyeee…My….nnnnn..name….*cough*….My name…is Aurelia. I’m….llll….I’m loo-looking for someone.” She said. Her voice still betrayed her status as one who’d been away from the world of the living for too long, but Trixie seemed too surprised to care.
“Uhhhh….okay then.” The unicorn said after another awkward silence. “Who…who might that be?”
***
“Now above all else, remember this, Twilight Sparkle: dark sorceries do carry the weight of the Abyss in their essence. Thou shalt need to accommodate for their heaviness in thine aim and thine energy expenditure.” Seath instructed as he set an apple down on a stone plinth in the palace garden. “Many a sorcerer hath found the art demands too much of them. Indeed even among the most skilled and experienced many failed in their attempt to master such a costly practice.”
“Well in my studies I’ve come across several spells that presented the same issue. Some of them eluded me all the way until I became an alicorn.” Twilight replied. She nodded to a small cloud overhead and flew up to it. Holding out her hooves, she cast an enchantment on them and let herself settle upon the white mist as easily as if it were a giant floating cushion.
“Typically only pegasi are able to do something like this. It’s only because I’m now both the bearer of the Element of Magic and at least part pegasus that I was able to figure out how to copy the magic and cast it on myself.” Twilight blushed as she looked down at her teacher. “Kinda wish I’d known then about that ‘Fall Control’ spell you taught me. Would’ve made the testing phase a lot less painful.”
Seath stared in quiet amusement as his student trotted around the cloud a bit more then brought herself back down to earth.
“Yet still thou succeeded in the endeavor. If nothing else, such proves thou may yet flourish where others faltered.” He replied while turning back to the apple. “The question thus stands: what else may that flourish bring out of thee?”
Twilight was about to ask what her teacher meant by that (as she seemed to be doing quite often as of late) but Seath had already began prepping a demonstration of the sorcery they were studying. Despite it being another fine and sunny day, with only a few clouds in the sky, an eerie blackness seemed to slowly close around the white dragon. His face tightened in angry concentration, his wings tensed as if fearing the need to flee, his tentacles thrashed and slithered across the ground like serpents as he raised his catalyst and launched a ball of black fire at the apple. Despite it being only a piece of fruit, the sight of the red flesh instantly wrinkling and rotting away as the dark magic consumed it made Twilight swallow in apprehension. Again she felt the doubt that this was a wise course of study nag at her, but again she thought about her brother, her friends and Celestia, and how close all of them had come to perishing right before her eyes. The only reason such an outcome had not come to pass was because, for one brief moment, she’d somehow managed to turn all her own internal darkness on a far greater foe. Had she hesitated, or not taken such a drastic action, would things have turned out so well?
Twilight stilled her worries and levitated the demon catalyst in her magic as Seath turned from the withered, pathetic remains of the apple.
“In order to draw upon the darkness of the Abyss, one must learn to draw upon the darkness in themselves. As thou hast done this once before, I ask thee simply to try and do it again.” He instructed. “Focus thine soul as thou would for any other sorcery, but then lace it with the ferocity of thine anger, thine hatred and thine terror.”
Taking a deep breath, Twilight gripped the catalyst in her teeth. Seath placed another apple on the plinth and stepped back as the alicorn began to search her feelings. She recalled what had shot through her soul when she saw Shining Armor lying injured in Luna’s burning garden, she focused on how those feelings had intensified when she saw Rainbow Dash lying burned and beaten next to him. In her mouth the catalyst began to exude a pitch black aura as it detected the infusion of negative energy. Twilight searched further for what had prompted her to throw caution to the wind and charge the monstrous Demon Firesage. She dwelled on the sight of Celestia, looking as black, charred and broken as the rest, and only mere seconds from being impaled upon her enemy’s blade.
Celestia….
Twilight’s eyes shot open, revealing they burned with the same blue-ish aura as before. She locked the apple in her sights and launched an orb of dark energy at it. Another piece of fruit met a most gruesome end as the alicorn sat back on her haunches and put the catalyst down.
“W…Wow…Great Faust I did it.” She said breathlessly.
“Indeed thou did, with precise control and near flawless craftsmanship.” Seath commented as he placed a third apple in the line of fire. “Pray, canst thou repeat the attempt for me?”
Twilight picked up her catalyst and nodded. On a whim she focused again on the sight of her fellow princess, her friend and her former mentor, bracing against the pain in her chest as she remembered how angry and yet how fearful the thought of losing the solar diarch had been. It was a traumatizing image to dwell on, but it served its purpose in helping her cast the spell once more. Black, shriveled scraps of fruit peel fell from the plinth as she hit it with a second, finely honed black orb.
“Most startling, and fascinating. T’would seem thine aptness for this is almost greater than any other sorcery we have practiced.” Seath slowly rubbed his chin. Twilight let the catalyst fall from her mouth so she could fill her lungs with some much needed air.
“Am I wise to be as terrified by that as I am emboldened?” She asked.
“Thou art.” Seath replied. “However to ignore such natural talent is foolishness on the highest level. For this moment, I ask thee to please continue, but describe to me thine experience along the way.”
Twilight nodded and felt her chest where it ached.
“It’s like I’m trying to drag some crushing burden from the recesses of my mind. Like I’m not just casting magic but physically hurling a huge weight simultaneously. I can see why you said this was a demanding practice.” Twilight replied. Her eyes flashed with an ember of blue as she looked at the ruins of her attempts. “Yet, when I cast it, for a moment there’s a feeling of blessed relief…like when the weight is gone, the negative emotions used to create it are gone with it. It’s…kind of intoxicating actually…”
Seath bit his tongue as his student swallowed and looked up at him.
“I take it that’s why these sort of spells are considered to be more dangerous than the others.”
“Aye, yet thou shows considerably more awareness of the temptation than others…” Seath replied. Twilight looked up at one of the windows of the palace.
“Yeah well, before you I had a good tutor teaching me to be aware of things like this.” She smiled at Celestia as she watched from above.
The solar alicorn placed a hoof over her own heart as Twilight and Seath continued with their lesson. Beside her Luna uneasily waited for her sister to say something, to offer up a commentary to the information she’d just imparted.
“Look at them, it’s like the first days of school all over again. Twilight’s being the ever-eager little scholar, and her teacher is observing with quiet pride at how she excels in her studies. I never realized it before but I actually miss that time when she and I shared the same experience.” Celestia finally replied while turning to the moon princess with a worried look. “I also used to joke back then that she might grow up to be a mad scientist with all the ambition she displayed to become the smartest pony alive. To now think that such may become a reality, however,…”
“It won’t, Tia.” Luna cut her off.
“How can you be sure?” Celestia replied.
Luna looked back down at the scene below, catching another glance up from Twilight as she explained something to Seath. She bit down on her own doubt.
“You’ve trained her too well. The more she takes to Seath like a second parental figure, the more I see your own teachings emerge in her. Honestly I think, and hope, some of it’s rubbing off on Seath too.”
Celestia narrowed her eyes upon catching the uncertainty in her sister’s voice, however, she kept her tongue in check.
“You say I was right to see this as similar to when I charged Fluttershy with reforming Discord, yet then I held no worry of what might happen as a result. Here…I cannot shake this cold worry in my being, this sense of dread as to what may happen to Twilight…” The white alicorn now viewed her sister with quiet desperation. “Why would two almost identical situations stir such different feelings in me?”
Luna blinked, and briefly looked annoyed at being asked such a sensitive question. The annoyance quickly faded when she realized the answer, but hesitated to voice it.
“Not that I wish to sound detrimental to another pony…but let’s face facts here, Tia, your feelings for Fluttershy aren’t the same as they are for Twilight.” The moon princess sighed. “It’s like when you had us all imbue our magic into Twilight to try and fool Tirek: you had no option but to place a pony you care very dearly for, perhaps more so than me…”
Celestia glared. Luna waved a hoof at her.
“I’m not critiquing you for that, Tia, just saying. Your relationship is more than just the average teacher/student set up, however you two may wish to avoid admitting it. As such, when you have no option but to place Twilight into a situation she may not walk away from, and trust her to make the right decision, that really hits you hard. It’s the same as when I have to send my own Night Guard on recon missions in foreign territories.”
Celestia uncomfortably tossed her mane back. “Maybe not quite the same as that…”
Luna shrugged. “Regardless, you worry you’re making a terrible mistake and Twilight will be caught in the aftermath. While I can’t deny the latter will happen, I can assure you the former is false.”
Celestia exhaled, letting her head fall as her breath left her. “And what about us still trusting Seath, despite having our reservations about him confirmed?”
Luna looked down at the white drake.
“Again I can’t say how things might have differed if history had not taken the course it did, whether Seath may have not become such a monster if he’d not been laden with hardship after hardship. I merely remain convinced we’re at least helping to make up for what came before. Provided we learn from the mistakes of his previous life, we may just be able to turn him back to the side of good.”
Celestia smiled slightly. “I guess I should commend myself for remaining confident that you’d eventually see things my way.”
Luna chuckled. “Yeah, well, I guess I should remember that we’ve known each other too long to still question each other’s logic. Such as right now, I firmly believe what you need is some nice jasmine tea and a hefty helping of Victoria Sponge Cake to put your mind at ease.”
Now Celestia had to laugh. “Yes, we definitely know each other far, far too well.”
***
Back at Twilight’s castle things had gotten no less awkward. If anything the revelations brought up as human and unicorn filled each other in on their respective reasons for being at the present location had only made things worse.
“If Trixie may just double check here: there’s no chance this is a different, second giant white dragon with a penchant for magic and a violent streak you’re seeking? Because Trixie is having a hard time believing this terror you speak of is the same as the one who….*ahem*…politely assisted her back in the Everfree Forest.”
The Chosen Undead massaged her eyes in aggravation and shook her head.
"Your own tale is no less easier to believe.” She muttered. Trixie frowned while scraping at the dirt.
“And yet he seemed so concerned for Trixie’s own well being. Rightfully so!” She boasted while thinking hard. “Well, if it is one of your own world you seek, then the Great and Powerful Trixie knows just how to go about finding them!”
Pompously, the unicorn flung her cape over her back, adjusted her hat to just the right angle and strode back into the castle.
“We must spread the word immediately! Let all ponies know of the monster that lurks in their midst and that Trixie is here to save the day…along with you of course!”
The undead felt a headache coming on at such ridiculousness. Then again, it wasn’t like she had any other feasible plan of action to go on, nor could she really hope to search amidst the ponies without standing out like a sore thumb.
Grimly, the human picked up her shield, put her helmet back on and followed the blue mare, hoping her imminent announcement to this civilization would at least be met with a warm welcome.
***
In Canterlot, a fellow pink mare was experiencing an imminent announcement of her own. Apparently not even the sting of singed fur and minor burns could blot out the respective twitches and niggles of one’s heightened sense detecting a new development.
“Ooooh! Left ear, tail, right front hoof! Someone new has arrived in Ponyville! Someone from a different world!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She jumped out of bed, then promptly doubled over as more sensations made themselves known. “Oooh, but also itchy back and tingling flank! That means they’re scary and dangerous and...oh wait, that may just be my coat growing back. It did get pretty cooked last night in the fire. Hmmm, I wonder if that’s what a cupcake feels like when it’s in the oven. I should speak with the Cakes about a less traumatic way of making baked goods when I get home. Oooh but I do need to get home! We all do!”
Half a second later the mare was halfway across the palace, running to find her friends and tell them of the impending need to depart.
“Twilight and Seath are going to be so happy to hear this!”
***
“Twilight is not going to be happy to hear this.” A brown stallion commented under his breath while passing through the Ponyville marketplace.
“Well neither is Seath, at least if it’s the same Seath I think it is.” A blue mare replied while staring at the stage Trixie was proudly traipsing across.
“It is imperative that this dragon of questionable intent, this Seath the Scaleless, be brought forth immediately! The very fate of our world depends upon it!” The unicorn declared. A collective murmur of worry ran through the gathered crowd, though much like the one addressing them, many looked like they were still finding this a bit hard to swallow.
“Just to confirm, this is the same dragon that’s been hanging around with Princess Twilight for the better half of the last two months? Cause he’s been seen quite a bit around here and so far he’s not done much besides look intimidating and show off a few magic tricks, kind of like yourself. Certainly doesn’t fit the criteria of one who’s kidnapped thousands and terrorized lands with his creations.” One of the more skeptical ponies spoke up. Trixie rolled her eyes and shrugged.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie shares your doubts. She has met this dragon herself and would not be here showing off her trophy from an actual victory against an ursa major were it not for some…mmm…timely advice from him.”
Now the skeptical stares doubled. Trixie groaned and grandly spread her fur-lined cape out for all to see.
“And yes, Trixie is making no idle boast this time! Come forth and see the proof for yourselves! A handsome sample of an ursa major’s pelt, cut from the felled beast by Trixie’s own hoof!” She declared. The doubt slowly faded as several ponies in the front row reached up to feel her cloak and confirm it at least seemed to be genuine magical hide.
“Well that’s as well as maybe, but still, what proof do you have that one, whom a princess of Equestria deems safe enough to allow in her intimate company is the same one who apparently has helped lay waste to several nations?” A certain mint colored unicorn spoke up. Spotting her, Trixie smiled smugly.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is glad you, of all ponies, should ask, Miss Lyra Heartstrings. First off she also witnessed, with her own eyes, this Seath brutally murder a band of Diamond Dogs in cold blood! If that were not at least some indication of the danger he poses, she has also been given the testimony of an eye witness from Seath’s own world!” Trixie stepped aside and gestured for the Chosen Undead to step onto the stage. She etched the last of several summoning signs on the ground with her white soapstone and stood to a collective gasp.
“Trixie presents to you a human from the land of Lordran, sent here to find and apprehend Seath for the crimes he has committed!” The unicorn announced. The undead subtly checked her face was fully concealed beneath her helmet and promptly grimaced. There had to have been a way to conduct her search without this whole song and dance!
“A…a human? An actual…human? With hands and no hair and everything?” Lyra breathlessly approached the undead, her eyes zipping from one feature of her anatomy to another and her jaw hanging lower and lower with each step. “You’re real…you’re actually real…I KNEW IT!”
All attention turned from Trixie to the mint unicorn (much to the former’s annoyance), watching as she promptly dropped to the ground and bowed her head like a disciple worshiping their goddess.
“I knew you existed! Everyone told me I was crazy but I knew you weren’t just a myth! Bon Bon, where are you? Come and see! See I wasn’t wrong to believe!”
From out of the crowd a beige toned earth pony with a purple and pink mane and tail, and a cutie mark of three wrapped sweets stepped forward. She thankfully looked as embarrassed to be called out as the Chosen Undead felt for being lauded over.
“First off I never said you were wrong, Lyra, just that I found some of your theories hard to accept. And second, now that the evidence is staring me straight in the face, I’m more than happy to admit my error.” Bon Bon replied as she stood next to the still worshiping unicorn. “I apologize for my marefriend’s enthusiasm, ma’am. She’s convinced your race has some history with our own.”
The embarrassment was washed away by a new wave of puzzlement. Slowly the Chosen Undead removed her helmet, bringing more gasps and awed mutterings as everypony now beheld her freshly regenerated and strikingly beautiful features.
“How…do you mean?” She asked, her questions from before now receiving reinforcements as the gathered equines began sharing in Lyra’s reaction. She’d expected to be treated like an oddity, going on what Laurentius had told her, but to be also considered by these ponies as a deity returned? And what was this talk of past history between this world and her own?
What had she missed out on, or not been told of?
***
“My word! Not that I wish to sound critical of the railway service but that certainly beats travelling by train.” Rarity exclaimed as the royal fleet of chariots touched down on the other side of Ponyville.
“Well, if Pinkie Pie’s intuition is right, and it usually is, somehow, then this is a cause for us to make haste in our return.” Twilight replied as she hopped off her seat and onto the street. “Kind of ironic that we sent guards to comb all the remote regions of Equestria for another visitor from Lordran, and then one turns up right in the most obvious place imaginable.”
“At least this time we’re here to welcome them as diplomacy would state. See to it we don’t have any more unexpected upsets.” Celestia calmly replied as she finished off her cake and placed her plate on her seat.
“Again, need I remind everyone, that was an accident! Queen was just reacting in response to being threatened!” Discord grumbled as he poofed into existence by the ponies, the Izalith chaos bug lovingly cradled in his hands.
“Regardless, we’d like to try and see that this time things don’t dissolve into violence.” Luna replied as Pinkie Pie jumped out of the chariot with her and ran like a pony possessed across the town.
“Oh this is going to be the greatest day ever! I’ll be able to throw a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party AND a ‘Lordran Reunion’ party at the same time! That means two times the fun, two times the festivities, two times the cupcakes!!” She bounced and clapped and laughed all the way to the marketplace, stopping only upon finding the large crowd of ponies gathered around a stage, seemingly conducting an energetic Q&A session with somepony obscured by their numbers. “Wha? Oh no, did someone beat me to the welcoming speeches already? Ah durn, I was hoping to be able to add musical accompaniment to that part!”
Behind the pink mare, Applejack raised the brim of her Stetson and peered into the crowd.
“Is that…Trixie Ah see on the stage? Since when did she return tah these parts?” The farmer queried.
“Apparently after having a chance to upgrade her wardrobe it seems. That’s quite an elegant new cape she’s wearing!” Rarity said in pleasant surprise. The ponies drew closer to their brethren, their heads cocking and their ears twitching as they began picking up bits of the banter.
…Are there any like us where you come from?
…Is it true your kind left us all the designs for things like cups, chairs, beds, door handles and so on before you returned to your world?
…Is that a sword on your back? What do you need a blade that big for?
…Are you familiar with DnD? Could we get a photo with you for our game group?
…What’s the story behind the lion motif on your armor? Are you a descendant of Huculese?
“Uhh, excuse me everypony? Everypony?” Twilight waved a hoof in the air. The crowd silenced themselves as they turned, surprised to see not one but three of the princesses approaching with a full entourage. “What’s going on here?”
Trixie cocked her hat back with a flourish and leaped off the stage.
“We’d love to ask you the same question, Twilight! It seems the not so little dragon you’ve been hanging with has a few unpleasant past deeds to atone for.” She stated while striding forward to face her rival…then while taking a few steps back to view the other ponies with her. “Actually…wait…where is that dragon friend of yours?”
“Uh…right here?” Spike raised his hand in confusion. Trixie sighed and slapped a hoof to her head.
“Not you! Seath! Where is Seath?” She demanded. In response the crash of enormous wings descended down from the sky, heralding the arrival of the last member of the entourage. As delicately as was possible for one of his size, Seath touched down in the market place, majestically drawing himself to his full height upon making contact with the ground.
“My stature as thus is suited not to traveling in a vessel sized for your fellow equines, thus I tailed behind on my own.” He replied while staring inquisitively at the blue unicorn. “I trust thou stands before us with the good intentions promised at our previous meet, fair Trixie?”
Trixie cleared her throat, her accusing glare losing a bit of its edge as she recalled the original reason she’d returned to Ponyville. She brushed it off and reminded herself a much more serious matter needed to be dealt with first.
“Not exactly…” She began before being interrupted by a sudden blaze of blinding white light from behind. Ponies promptly scattered in alarm, allowing the one they’d been shielding from view to step forward, one hand holding Artorias’ shield at the ready, the other aiming the glowing blade of the Moonlight Greatsword at Seath in accusation.
“What the…Trixie, what is going on?” Twilight demanded while igniting her horn at this intimidating new being.
“As I said, Seath has been accused of committing some very heinous acts, and Trixie has brought the one who will hopefully help us settle this matter!” The blue unicorn stated. Seath gaped in momentary confusion at the sight of an unknown female wearing what was blatantly Ornstein’s armor, then his heart sank as he saw the sword in her hand and the pieces fell into place.
“I suppose it t’were a foolish venture to hope thou would not come seeking me.” He grimly stated as the Chosen Undead put her helmet back on and stood ready for battle.
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This cannot end in ought but tears.
Well. Trixie fails at gratitude. And I was beginning to like her.
6217089 It's not easy shedding your old traits. She needs more time to improve herself.
Rooting for the undead. She isn't the MC, so she isn't going to win because story progression, but she should win anyway.
OH SHIT GOT REAL!
We all know what's going to happen right? As in the CU will correct everyone Len the difference between dragons and drakes and how seath is not a drake.
Oh Trixie you have the WORSE luck in the world. First you go into a village and not only mock national heroes, but had two colts that don't have a braincell between the two of them take you literally.
Then the evil amulet and the diamond dogs...this and...yeah mare needs to just out right avoid Ponyville in general and any areas near it.
I am silently hoping that Aurelia will be killed and then come back at the bonfire... it would be funny to see the ponies reaction.
I honestly hope you don't plan on having the chosen undead use the MLGS as a viable weapon against seath because Im pretty sure she's a strength build and doesn't have the INT to even use it properly much less take advantage of the scaleing, and then there's this little fun fact from the wiki.
so if she's gonna use it she better be smashed into the floor like my fat rolling giant armor strength tank.
not to say it's Impossible to kill him with the MLGS but it's gonna take awhile.
6220009 Fret not my friend, I've both read the wiki and fought Seath enough times to be well aware of those stated points. The next chapter shall address all in turn, though yes there may be some unpleasant outcomes in the process.
6217984 Well in fairness the girl does bring some of it on herself. If she let go of her pride and her stubbornness for one moment who knows how much trouble she might avoid.
Sadly people tend not to be able to just drop habits like that on a whim.
6220077 Oh no you are fully correct that Trixie brings it upon herself. But considering that most times in the show, and even in fanfiction, she has okay times in other locations. It just seems her luck goes bad enough that her negative social traits REALLY screw her over when in or around Ponyville.
Also yes I know after the whole issue with the Ursa Minor her rep was ruined and so she had a hard life everywhere. BUT before that event there wasn't any indication she had rough times in other parts of Equestria, only after bad Ponyville juju hit her that things went to hell for her everywhere else.
For some reason I feel like "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody song 'Your Horoscope for Today' should be played as the background music whenever Trixie is in or around Ponyville.
dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw10351-rough.png
6220072
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Clench up your buttholes, it's about to get freaky up in this bitch
I feel like Aurelia it's going to hurt Seath, and Twilight is going to kill her with dark magic, thus discouraging Twilight from dark magic.
Goddamn it, Trixie.
Is this when Solaire explodes in out of nowhere wearing Smough's stuff and the Space Jam music sets in?
6806343 Praise Celestia
OH SHIT OH SHIT BOSS FIGHT BOSS FIGHT FUCK YEAH!!
Go get the popcor----
wait.
Popcorn is overrated. Instead,
SOMEONE GO GET THE SUNNY D
7784592 SuNiD.
I'm starting to think Trixie's luck turned around the moment she first set hoof in Ponyville... and Ponyville is pretty much a living bad luck charm for her.
I thought Trixie would be on Seath's side, with the whole being ex-evil and ran out due to one's perspective on something they never witnessed themselves. Hope Trixie redeems herself of causing more trouble