Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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“Starlight!”
The unicorn mare looked up from the plans she’d been going over with Double Diamond in case the town needed to hide in the tunnels.
Night Glider landed, closing the door behind her.
“What’s happening out there?” Starlight asked, worrying for the worst. “Have the attacks started again? The other unicorns need time to recover before we can properly cast the shielding and warding spells again.”
Night Glider shook her head. “It seems the princesses were finally able to send help. The Royal Guard are currently battling those armoured ponies while being led by some new princess.”
“I just wish we knew who those ponies were working for,” Starlight bit her lip in anger, before what else Night Glider said finally clicked. “Wait. New princess?”
Night Glider nodded. “She’s purple and has both wings and a horn.”
Starlight’s eyes widened. “Another Alicorn princess? Where’s she been all these years? Weren’t Princess Celestia and Mi Amore Cadenza the only Alicorns? Where’s this one been hiding all these years?!”
Night Glider shrugged. “I’ve no clue, but she’s one hay of a fighter. She’s even got dragons fighting alongside her!”
Starlight blinked, before cocking an eyebrow. “How do ya know?” Dragons fighting alongside ponies? Since when?
SEVERAL MINUTES AGO
Night Glider flew as high as she could, keeping her eyes fixed on the large group of armoured ponies. They’d stopped their most recent attempt to get to the village, but it was clear they’d be trying again soon.
That wasn’t good. They’d barely been keeping them back all these years and that was with Starlight’s help. But Starlight couldn’t fight these ponies off on their own.
How could…? Wait, what was that?
She frowned, narrowing her eyes as the sun glinted off of golden armour, before the sounds of battle cries came up from below.
Her eyes widened as she saw a large battalion of the Royal Guard charging down the ridge towards the other armoured ponies, who turned around, seeming surprised.
Leading the Equestrian side was a purple pony Night Glider didn’t recognize, who she assumed was a unicorn… until the mare spread large purple wings and shot into the air, before dive bombing a group of the other ponies.
Night Glider stared, still trying to process the wings and horn as she watched the mare seemingly rip into the army before her.
She was staying the slightest bit airborne, allowing her use of her forelimbs, which had large fields of lavender magic surrounding them, switching between shapes like scythes, axes, swords and shields.
However, the magic aura weapons never cut the armour ponies in half. No blood was drawn whenever they made contact. Instead, anypony struck by the weapons dropped to the ground, she was hoping unconscious.
As if that in and of itself wasn’t enough to stun the Pegasus, there were two... No, it couldn’t be. Were those dragons fighting alongside the Alicorn?
They were! There were two dragons fighting next to the Alicorn, backing her up. Both were small, around the size of a pony themselves.
One was red with a yellow underbelly, a deep orange frill on his head with similar spikes along his back and at end of his tail and was male if the jawline was anything to go by.
He was punching and tossing the black armoured ponies, smiling a little too fondly, as far as she was concerned.
The other was smaller than the male and possibly female. She had the same underbelly, suggesting they were siblings, but her scales were orange, not red. She had not spikes down her back, just a purple frill at the end of it, purple, the same as the frill on her head.
She was fighting with a more determined look on her face than that of her fellow dragon. Both were using just their fists and tails to fight, their scales working as their own inbuilt armour.
Looking around, she saw it wasn’t just the unknown Alicorn with those weapons, nor was she the only one fighting alongside dragons. All the Royal Guard who were unicorns were using the same weapons. The pegasi and Earth Ponies were using hoof to hoof combat and defensive weapons, some even intentionally being distractions for the unicorns to deliver surprise attacks. All were fighting alongside at least one dragon, each of varying shapes and sizes.
NOW
“Soon as I realized the Equestrian and dragon forces were fighting for us, I came here to inform you,” Night Glider finished.
Starlight was staring, her mouth open in shock. Whoever this new princess was, she sounded like a badass. A badass who was against killing, maybe, but a badass, all the same.
Forming magic weapons on her forelimbs? Starlight never had even considered the idea. For a pony who could afford to do it, the dexterity and less need to focus magic was a brilliant idea. By focusing the magic in her limbs, the mare was likely expending less energy and was able to split her focus better, not needing as much to maintain her weapons because she didn’t have to also move the weapons with her magic too.
And since when were the dragons fighting alongside ponies? Last Starlight had heard, while the Dragon Lord had made a truce with Equestria centuries ago, most dragons still acted up, showing a dislike towards the ponies of Equestria. So for them to be fighting with ponies? It… Starlight couldn’t understand how that was even possible.
“How long ago did the battle start?” Starlight asked, moving to the door and stepping outside. The moment she did, the Sound Dampening Spell on the room she’d been in no longer prevent the sounds of the not too far off battle. It didn’t sound too tense now. Only every thirty seconds did she hear the clang of metal, instead of every couple seconds.
“Not too long ago,” Night Glider joined her outside. “Though the Equestrian forces did seem at least twice as big as the other, so it would make sense if the fight ended quickly. Strength in numbers, ya know?”
“Not to mention having an unknown Alicorn leading the fight,” Starlight murmured.
“Strangers approaching!” a voice called over a magical speaker Starlight had installed shortly after the attacks started. “Strangers approaching!”
Starlight lit her horn, teleporting to the wall they’d constructed in front of the town to hold back the invaders.
“Are they the Equestrian soldiers or the enemy?” she asked the Earth Pony mare she’d teleported next to.
She looked to her, putting down her binoculars. “The dust is making it a bit hard to see.”
Starlight looked down, frowning and teleported, reappearing outside the wall. She stood in front of it as five figures approached her through the dust the battle had whipped up and the wind had blown towards the village.
Three were ponies, but two were bipedal.
“Whoever you are, identify yourselves!” She lit her horn menacingly. “This village is protected. We’ve not surrendered before and we’re not planning to now!”
“Good,” a firm voice answered, the pony in the middle of the five, whom Starlight had assumed was a unicorn from her outline, spreading wings from either side of her.
Starlight’s eyes widened as they fell on the mare Night Glider had talked about upon stepping out of the dust. She was shorter than the stallion walking next to her on her right, but her aura demanded respect, regardless of size.
Her fur was a deep lavender hue. Her mane was ragged and puffed out, like punk ponies would style theirs in. she was clad in a purple-tinted golden armour. On her flank was a symbol Starlight recognized from an old book she’d found in her travels to her village. The symbol of the legendary Tree of Harmony, to which the location was unknown.
“I am Princess Ken,” the Alicorn said, pulling Starlight from her observations to focus on the mare herself. “Starlight Glimmer, you have something Equestria needs.”
Starlight blinked. “Huh?”
TWO MONTHS AGO
“Why do you ponies come to my land?!” the large dragon bellows down at us from atop his perch.
I honestly find myself staring in awe for a few moments at the hulking mass of lizard. He’s HUGE. I don’t think any dragon has ever been that big. He’s ridiculously big. Yikes. I hope Spike doesn’t get that big.
Inwardly shaking myself from my thoughts, I step forward, clearing my throat. “Dragon Lord Torch, I am Ken, Princess of Equestria.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “I was unaware Equestria had more than three Alicorn princesses.” He glances between Twilight and myself. “And why do you both look the same? If you are Changelings come to trick us, your choice of disguise is poor in quality.”
I shake my head. “We are twins. As to whether we are Changelings or not, they cannot hide their scent when they transform and dragons are capable of smelling them out when they know what they’re looking for. Does any dragon here smell the scent of a Changeling?” I glance around confidently.
The mass of dragons gathered look around at each other, some murmuring in annoyance that they do not smell Changeling at all, only ponies and dragons.
“Very well,” Dragon Lord Torch says, inclining his head slightly in respectful acknowledgement of my royalty. “However, I ask again, why are you here?”
“We come to ask for your aid in the war against King Sombra,” Twilight steps forward.
At once, all the dragons bristle, Dragon Lord Torch narrowing his eyes.
“I have made it clear to your fellow princesses, when they came asking the same, your war with that unicorn has nothing to do with us dragons,” Dragon Lord Torch states matter-of-factly. “We will not involve ourselves in a war that has no connection to us.”
“But if Sombra does win the war, what’s to stop him from turning his attention to the Dragon Lands?” I stomp a hoof. “I know dragons are strong, but by then he would have all of Equestria and numbers would eventually overwhelm. Dragons are not immune to all magic, after all.”
“We’ll be fine on our own, ponies!” a red dragon I recognize from stories Spike’s told me calls jeeringly.
“Zip it, Gar Gar,” the smaller orange dragon next to him hisses, putting a claw on his arm. “The Dragon Lord is going to hear you!”
“Indeed, I did, little one,” Dragon Lord Torch says, causing the two to freeze and wilt, before backing up, trying to blend into the crowd. He looks to us. “Though he is not wrong. We dragons have repelled what few feeble forces this Sombra has thrown our way. We do not fear him, which I hear is his power source, so gains nothing from us. Now, again, why should we fight in your war, when we have no claim in it?”
“But you do,” I state firmly, glancing to Twilight and nudging her.
She looks at me with worry, though the imposing form of the Dragon Lord makes that understandable. I give her an encouraging smile and lean against her for a moment.
We look at each other for a few moments, before she steps forward and clears her throat. “We are bound, D-Dragon Lord Torch.”
He stares at her for a few moments, as if expecting her to go on, before cocking an eyebrow. “And just how exactly do you think that, Princess of Equestria?”
Twilight turns her head back and nudges the purple mass curled up on between her shoulder blades.
It stirs, unfurling to reveal a very drained looking Spike. The dragons around us make murmurs of confusion as the little guy slowly sits up and gingerly climbs down, Twilight aiding him with a wing, before he’s on the ground and steps up until he’s standing in front of her.
The Dragon Lord looks us over, his eyes narrowed. “Why are you with these ponies, puny one?”
I frown. Does he have to bring up Spike’s height? He’s a self-conscious little guy as it is. Besides, every dragon would be considered puny compared to this behemoth, but not every dragon will likely use that logic right away, especially one as young and inexperienced with other dragons as Spike.
Spike remains silent for a few moments, before taking a deep breath and looking up at the dragon multiple times his size, his voice weak due to not having fully recovered yet, but he tries to make it sound as strong as possible. “I’m here because my mother needs me to be.”
That causes confusion to enter the Dragon Lord’s expression. “And just how does that apply to your being with these ponies?”
Spike steps back and wraps his arms around Twilight’s leg. “Because this pony is my mother.”
At once, every dragon erupts into roars of anger.
“The joke ain’t funny, kid!”
“Impossible! Dragons can’t be the offspring of ponies! They wouldn’t be dragons then!”
“Since when could that be a possibility?!”
“QUIET!” the Dragon Lord’s voice booms in a similar way to the Royal Canterlot Voice, but I sense some magic behind it that isn’t in the RCV.
At once, all the dragons hush; even Spike goes silent, for some reason. Maybe whatever I sensed is some kind of command that affects dragons specifically on some level?
The Dragon Lord looks down with inspective eyes at Twilight, clearly looking for any sign of doubt. “Is this true, pony? Are you indeed this hatchling’s mother?”
Twilight is trembling a little, but, upon glancing down at Spike and meeting his eyes, she takes a deep breath and looks up, her expression firm. “Yes. I hatched his egg. He imprinted on me and I’ve raised him.”
A snort comes from a voice who was silenced earlier. “Yeah, right. And I’m a prissy piny unicorn.”
“Hmm,” the Dragon Lord murmurs, lifting what looks like a sceptre with a great big red ruby on the end. It’s way too small for him, he can barely hold it between two claws.
The ruby glows, a light moving from it down to Twilight and Spike. It moves over them for several seconds, before they both glow with a pale green light.
All the dragons are now staring at us in shock, the vocal read dragon in particular with his mouth hanging wide open, his eyes wide.
“You speak the truth, pony,” he says, before blinking and clearing his throat. “My apologies. Princess.” He looks over all the gathered dragons, raising his voice. “This changes many things. This dragon and pony are bound by the sacred bound of dragon parenthood. As such, she and any of her kind are to be treated as one of our own. If someone brings harm or threatens them, they threaten us all.”
“Does this mean what I think it means?” a dragon from somewhere in the crowd calls out.
The Dragon Lord nods. “Indeed. This means Sombra’s declaration of war against Equestria is now also a declaration against the dragons.” He raises a clenched fist into the air. “We fight alongside our fellow kind! Sombra will rue the day he challenge the might of Equestria and the Dragon Lands!”
The other dragons all roar in approval, raising their fists, while others belch flames into the air.
I look to Twilight, who smiles back at me, before hugging Spike.
NOW
“Well…” Starlight looks from myself to my companions, Rainbow Dash, Shining Armour, Garble and Smoulder. “That… definitely isn’t how I would’ve seen things going.”
Garble nods, looking a little annoyed. “Yeah. I hate to admit it, but ponies aren’t as pathetic as I always thought they were.” He looks to Dash and nods. “They’re actually pretty good fighters. They earned my respect over the last couple weeks.” He then looks to me and wilts slightly. “And your princesses are nowhere near as namby pamby as I thought before.”
“So, why exactly are you here?” Night Glider asks, looking us over. “If you were looking for recruits, we don’t have a lot of ponies to offer. Honestly, without Starlight, our village would’ve been overrun by Sombra’s forces years ago.”
Starlight looks like she wants to blush, but shudders instead. “To think, Sombra has returned. We had no idea it was his forces we’ve been repelling all this time.”
“And you’re lucky you did keep repelling them,” Smoulder says bluntly, her arms folded. “If you hadn’t, he’d have taken you all and brainwashed you to fight in his war, just like he has those under him already. And with her in mind,” she nods to Starlight, “I get the feeling that wouldn’t go well for our side.”
“Ponies and dragons fighting on the same side,” Party Favour shakes his head. “I’ve seen it and yet I still can’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” I say firmly, before looking to Starlight. “Getting back to the matter at hoof though, we’re here because you have something that could turn the tide of this war in Equestria’s favour, Starlight Glimmer.”
Starlight frowns. “Yeah, how do you figure that, exactly? I love this town we’ve built, but it’s hardly anything special to anypony else.”
Garble snorts. “She seriously has no idea?”
I frown, putting my forehooves together atop the table. “It would seem not. Starlight Glimmer, we are well aware of the original purpose you had for this town.”
At once, Starlight goes pale and the other three ponies stand closer to her, their expressions firm.
“Look, Starlight didn’t realize how much we needed our Cutie Marks!” Double Diamond states, his eyes narrowed.
“Soon as we started getting attacked, she realized how helpless we were without them and gave them back to us,” Night Glider shifts her eyes between each member of my party, clearly trying to determine who will strike first.
“We’ve been living in harmony with each other and our Cutie Marks ever since,” Party Favour is holding a balloon sword he quickly fashions in his forehooves. “You can’t punish her for that. We won’t let you!”
I eye the balloon sword for a moment, fully aware Party Favour’s talent makes it far more dangerous than one would think just looking at it without the foreknowledge of his talent.
“The princess didn’t come here to arrest anypony,” Shining Armour says, himself eyeing the balloon sword. I had informed him of Party Favour’s talent, so he knows to be wary.
“Then why did you come here?” Starlight asks, clearly trying to hide her nervousness behind bravado, but I notice a small quiver she couldn’t hide.
I close my eyes, before looking firmly into hers. “We need your Cutie Mark Vault.”
The four ponies bodies ease slightly as confusion plays across their faces.
“The Vault?” Night Glider looks to her fellow ponies, before back to me, an eyebrow raised. “Why? Nopony’s used it in years. What point would there be in a vault meant to store Cutie Marks?”
“Much as I hate to say it, I guess I can’t blame them for not realizing the gold mine they’re sitting on,” Garble shrugs.
To the confused looks directed at him, I answer, “Thanks to information gathered by spies, we have learned Sombra has no Cutie Mark because his essence is his own Cutie Mark. You took Cutie Marks from ponies and left the marks in the vault. We intend to do the same to Sombra.”
“But, you just said he doesn’t have one,” Double Diamond looks very confused. “If you tried, wouldn’t that put all of him…?”
He trails off as all their eyes widen.
I nod. “You unknowingly picked the one place in Equestria that has something Sombra would be vulnerable to that isn’t the Empire while the Crystal Heart is active.”
“Our plan is simple,” Shining Armour says, nodding. “We are going to lure Sombra here, trapping him inside the vault. Once he’s trapped, his army will be less organized and we will move in on the Crystal Empire, retaking it.”
“But, even if such a crazy idea were to work, you said he’s already taken over half of Equestria!” Starlight says, looking worried. “You realize just how big his army must be? It could take months just to get past the front lines!”
Smoulder and Garble snicker.
“If you ponies were going at it alone, sure,” Smoulder says nonchalantly. “But you’re not.”
Starlight frowns at the siblings. “A few younger dragons fighting alongside us isn’t exactly going to do much.”
I shake my head. “No, Starlight. All the dragons are fighting alongside us.”
“And it’s not just the dragons,” Rainbow Dash smirks. “You think Princess Ken’s been sitting on her flank this whole time? She knew of allies we could call on and they’ve answer the call.”
“All we need now is the final incentive to lure Sombra here,” I nod, smiling.
Night Glider frowns. “And just how could you interest Sombra here? You said it yourself, he has no clue about the vault; so what reason would he have to come to our tiny corner of Equestria?”
Garble chuckles, folding his arms. “Let’s just say a small truce with a select few has given us an interesting hand to play.”
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Sombra frowned over the reports he’d been sent. Why couldn’t his slaves just do all this themselves? Why should he need to be bothered by them?
Looking them over, he noticed a report that had apparently been sent a month ago, but had only just gotten to him. Looking it over, he guessed it made sense.
A very small battalion of his soldiers had been trying for years to get into a small village that had somehow been putting up a good defence. The area had no real importance, so he’d never paid it much mind, but the report was saying the trope hadn’t reported in for a while.
He cocked an eyebrow. Did that mean the ponies there had somehow managed to stop his soldiers?
He rolled his eyes. Typical. Never send slaves to do a King’s job… not that a king should have to waste his time on something so small.
“My King,” he glanced up at the monotone voice to see one of his brainwashed soldiers before him, bowing, then saluting.
He looked to them, bored. “Yes. What is it?”
The soldier reached into a bag he was carrying on his side and lifted out a scroll. “A recent report, sire. News on Princess Celestia.”
Curious, Sombra took the scroll in his magic, opening it and started reading. As he did, his lips broke into a snide grin.
Princess Celestia had been spotted making arrangements for a new base, to which she would personally be overseeing. Interestingly enough, it was in the same small area that had been resisting him in that month old report he’d just read.
Oh, this was too perfect. Celestia assumed such a remote area would be unnoticed and that she could prepare it without worry.
She was wrong. Oh, she was dead wrong.
“Ready my chariot and ensemble the thirtieth to thirty-first battalions,” he told the slave before him. “Celestia will fall and this war will be mine!”
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Under the cover of night, Sombra’s forces, led by the king himself, marched towards the location of Celestia’s new base of operations.
It was interesting. Far as he could tell, it seemed to look like an ordinary village. Having sent a soldier down, unarmoured to look like a normal citizen, but wearing glasses to hide the green of his brainwashing spell, looking through their eyes, he was able to see nothing that would suggest this was a base of operations.
However, within ten minutes of the slave having snuck inside, he’d caught sight of Celestia. She was speaking with a pink unicorn. Listening in, the slave overheard them talking about some kind of underground base.
Sombra couldn’t help be congratulate the Alicorn. It was a smart move. Such an unassuming village above, hiding the base of operations bellow. It was simple, but genius.
Or, it would be, if he wasn’t hearing every word.
Cutting his link to the slave, Sombra looked to his army.
“March!” he called and the army moved forward.
Several pegasi were flying above the wall in front of the village and they dived down behind the wall once he spotted them.
He smirked. Warn your princess. It will do you no good. You are rats caught in a maze. There will be no escape.
Within minutes they’d reached the walls and it was but a trifle to break it down with his magic.
His army waltzed into the empty village. No doubt they had all ran for the base to hide.
Glancing around, he spotted a mare with a dark-pink coat peaking down from a ridge. She ducked, clearly running away.
He followed, his army walking behind him.
Though the mare was too far ahead to reach her, her pathway was clear. Up the path was the entrance to a cave.
“Wait out here,” Sombra ordered his forces. “I shall enter and then you will storm in on my signal.”
“Yes, Great King Sombra,” the soldiers answered in monotone unison.
Grinning menacingly, the king stepped into the cave, looking around. At once his eyes fell on the white Alicorn. She was standing in a defensive manor. Behind her was a large tarp that went from the roof to the floor.
Sombra gave her a mocking smile. “Really, Celestia? A tarp? You think that will stop me from walking into your base and conquering it?”
“You may try, Sombra,” she growled, her teeth bared. “I promise you though, you take one more step forward, you will regret it!”
He just sneered. “Really, now? Let’s put that to the test.”
His horn flared and he fired a blast of magic at her. It hit her dead on, sending her flying back, smashing into what was behind the tarp and falling to the ground.
He gave a small sigh, looking at her in disappointment as he stepped towards her. “And here I thought you would put up more of a challenge. Was this really all you had planned?”
Celestia grunted in pain, before lifting her head and looking to him, smirking, a flash of magic shimmering across her eyes. “No.” she flared her horn. “This is.”
The tarp fell down, revealing a large blank stone with a field of magic before it. The field opened like a door.
At once, Sombra felt a strain, before, to his horror, he began being being pulled towards the stone, his form turning into smoke.
He tried to fight back, using all his strength to pull away, but the force was too strong.
He roared in fear and rage as he was pulled towards the stone, the field of magic sealing itself.
He screamed, his smoky form slamming into the field over and over again.
“What is this?!” he yelled, looking to Celestia.
She merely smirked. She flared with a green light, her body shrinking down, her fur going from white to black, revealing a creature that looked more like an insect than a pony, with, fangs, purple eyes, dark-purple insect wings and a red frill at the top of its head. “Welcome to your new home, Your Highness,” it said in a deep, male voice.
THREE WEEKS AGO
“Princess Ken!” I look up as a young griffon with feather colours that remind me of the Wonderbolts uniforms steps into the tent. He salutes. “There’s a pair of Changelings here. They wish to see you.”
I frown, sitting up a bit straighter the desk where I’ve been going over the final plans for the Sombra Entrapment Plan. I’ve been trying to find a way to have Celestia be there, but not put her at risk… but I’ve been coming up empty.
“Are you sure they wish to see me?” I ask. “Last I checked, the Changelings are not our allies, so why come to us to request an audience than just attack?”
“They wish to barter for their comrade, ma’am,” he replies, looking confused as he says it and nodding when I raise an eyebrow. “I know. I didn’t believe it either, but they seem genuine in their plea.”
Curious, I get up and walk out, letting the griffon lead me to a tent where several hippogriff and unicorn guards are standing at attention, clearly making sure the bugponies don’t try to pull anything.
Turning, I walk into the tent to see two Changelings are standing in the middle. One looks like every other Changeling I’ve seen. The other has purple and read colours. They both turn around at the sound of my entrance.
“You’re Princess Ken?” the purple and red one says, cocking an eyebrow. “I thought you’d be taller?”
“You both did not come here to talk about my height,” I state firmly, looking them both over. “Why should we return your comrade to you? He impersonated one of our soldiers. We need every able body we can and he very well risked that.”
“In the town of Ponyville?” the Changeling replied. “Doubt it.”
I give him a look that has made others wilt, but he just stares back with a look to match.
“I’ll repeat myself,” I look them both over, noticing the other one seems far more anxious. “Why should we return you the Changeling we have in custody?”
The first Changeling snorts. “My name is Pharynx. This is my younger brother, Thorax.”
“Hi,” Thorax says quietly, giving a weak wave.
“We know our kind and yours haven’t gotten along, ever,” Pharynx conitues, “but this war has been hard on our hive. Our Queen, as much as we respect her, is too stubborn for her own good. We’ve been able to gain less and less love, leaving the hive starving and less effective.”
“Wh-whenever anyling suggests making a truce with the ponies, she attacks them, driving them to flee the hive,” Thorax stutters. “We-we couldn’t take it anymore.”
“We all love the hive, but we couldn’t live like that anymore,” Pharynx takes over. “True, we were safe in our kingdom, but we were going without food for longer and longer. The Hive split. Those willing to stay with the queen and those willing to try other means of survival. That’s why we’re here. We want to make an alliance with Equestria.”
I frown. “And I’m supposed to take this at face value?”
The two look to each other. They’re expressions say they knew this question was coming, but clearly didn’t know how to respond to it.
I think for a moment, before giving a smile I can tell makes them suspicious. “I’ll take your word for it, if you Pinkie Promise.”
They both cock an eyebrow… or whatever it is they have, in confusion. “Pinkie Promise?”
I show them the motions, noticing the annoyed look Pharynx sends me way. “Now, say you Pinkie Promise you’ve split off from your queen and truly wish to work alongside Equestria in a truce.”
Pharynx deadpans. “Seriously?”
I narrow my eyes. “Seriously.”
He groans, before both he and Thorax do the motions while saying, “We Pinkie Promise we are part of a group of Changelings who have split from the queen and wish to help Equestria in a truce.”
Once finished, Pharynx glares at me. “Happy?”
I nod, smirking. “Now and know you’ll keep your word.”
Pharynx smirks back. “And just how do you know that?”
“No one breaks a Pinkie Promise!”
The two yelp, suddenly aware of the pink mare who just seems to have appeared between them, a blade held with either hoof, each pressed against the neck of the two, whose faces have now gone pale.
I nod. “That’ll be all. Thank you, Miss Pie.”
Pinkie looks to me for several moments, before nodding, withdrawing her blades and putting them in the hilts on her suit. She walks to the exit, before glancing back at the two Changelings, causing them to wince, before making the “I’ve got my eyes on you” motion with a hoof, then walks out.
The two bugponies look very shaken.
“I… I didn’t even sense her emotions coming,” Pharynx shudders, looking at the door and me. “She… she was just there.”
“Now I assume I don’t need to explain what should happen if you decide to betray us to your, as you said, former queen or simply try to double cross us?” I ask in a falsely naïve tone.
The two nod. “Yep. Understood.”
“Good. I’ve have General Sea Spray guide you back to…” I pause, before looking back, smirking. “Actually, I just thought of a way to prove yourselves. Up for the mission?”
The two nod quickly.
And with that, Sombra is captured... but doesn't it seem a little too easy? Surely it isn't this simple, right? Something HAS to go wrong.
Well, next chapter is the conclusion to our trio's time in the Sombraverse.
How will it end? will Sombra finally be beaten? Will the Crystal Heart be found? What did Twilight want to see Ken about three weeks ago? 
You'll have to wait and see.
Not gonna lie, i'm loving writing this with the later seasons in mind. Being able to include all the other races, including members of the Young 6 is really fun. literally learning Garble was Smoulder's brother recently made it all the more interesting and easier to figure out how to work both of them into the chapter so smoothly without having to figure out why the two would fight together aside from the fact they're the only real dragons we know much about.
and, yes, before anyone questions it, Torch WOULD still be Dragon Lord at this point in the timeline. Remember, Gauntlet of Fire doesn't happen til season 6 and this is still set during season 5, so he hasn't had to step down due to Dragon Law yet.
So, how do you think this will end exactly? How many months later will it have ended? And will Ken, Twilight and Spike end up in the Chrysalisverse timeline next... or will Ken being there cause something different to happen, leading to another timeline where Ken might fiannly get some answers? And, if so, what timeline would it be? A completely new one? or one we already know? One where Ken would have a stake in standing up to the one in charge?
I'll leave you to ponder that over the next couple weeks, as i won't be able to get back to this arch til next week, meaning the next arch won't be happening for another two at the least.
On a happier note, i was finally able to get my ticket to Alicon. i'll be going there now, no question about it. anyone else going, feel free to hit me up on the days, as i have the weekend pass, so will be there all weekend.
Also, i recently just edited a bit of Wings, A Horn and Hooves to match the canon a bit more after what we got in The Last Crusade... and i'm a wee bit creeped out by how acuraetly i got Lofty's design. sure, i called her Caring Heart in the fic originally, but everything else was pretty much word for word how Lofty's design ended up. and i wrote that part of the fic YEARS ago.
Also, dunno when i'll get back to that one for updates, but at least now i have a reasonable explanation why Scoots parents are dead in that fic. they handle dangerous deadly animals. nuff said.
anyway, i've rambled on long enough. hope you enjoyed this chapter and, til next time, later everybody
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That bit with the Pinkie Promise. . . Just solid gold there.
And Pinkie was scary in the canon timeline when you broke a pinkie promise. This is worse.
speaker
bond
harm to
To be fair,
pre02.deviantart.net/fc18/th/pre/f/2015/188/8/e/mlp_comic__party_pooped_alternate_ending_by_didj-d90du4l.jpg
A really good chapter! A little bit jumpy with the whens and the wheres, but it still flowed well altogether! This story has been a fun ride so far and I hope it continues to be!
se onds
Fun fact: the actual definition of a moment is about 90 seconds.
we
Sounds like this is a very different Starlight
...she's beaten you up once or twice, hasn't she ?
Cause you've made them mostly mindless
Pinkie Promise: Lethal Edition
This is reminding me of how Noctis switches between his weapons and the armiger he uses
Also I calling it out Twilight, Ken and Spike will return to the past to stop starlight after they finish this corrupted future
That was just clever all around
This arc is so good.
Looks like Authmn Breeze love to try his ideas with the alternate timeline arc - and this one turned out pretty good. Glad to see Starlight saw the error of her way when time of crisis. And can Princess Ken weaponize Pinkie Promise in other timeline?
Hmmm.
Never thought about someone basically using the mafuba on Sombra.
That is really convenient
Question though how does Ken know about the hippogryphs? Since it seems like he didn’t know about the S5 finale it would stand to reason that he hasn’t seen the movie either
Easy ?
No... there was a great deal of planning and ally-making in that capture !
Genius I really didn't see that part of the plan coming.
9667278
Well, if you think about it. He is really cocky in the show, so this is in the realm of possibility....
Really enjoying the story so far. Quite a few spelling errors where you use a different word instead of the word that is needed.... Try to keep an eye on that while your writing...
But besides that the story is awesome. I really like how this arc is playing out and enjoy seeing the possibilities of what would happen if Twilight and Spike had stuck around to save that fractured reality....
What about Luna?
9667218
My impression is that this is the "native" Starlight of this timeline, not the one who used the spell.
9670046
I understood that this is the Starlight of this timeline. But since they follow the same story up to the return of the Crystal Empire, their experience & perspective should be more-or-less the same.
a super duper chapter.
I will be honest I was ready to just drop this one but now it has got me again.
Great story!
You ever wonder if the writers check out FIMfiction on occasion? Just saying...
...The hell? Was that the soldier Pinkie (does this one even care about such 'happy-go-lucky' and 'mundane' things as friends and parties?) or main-timeline Pinkie (I guess since space and time are the same thing, and she can alter space at will, she can alter time at will too?) who said this?
About that pretty ribbon you're trying to wrap that present with....
9679329
Pinkie Promises were her thing before the Rainboom. And they're not about friends in this timeline.
Have I missed something, or Why has Ken another Cutie Mark then Twilight? Read the Chapter Twice and still got No clue. (If this is grammally, wrong Blame my Autocorrection, please xD)
9856942
Are you asking what Ken's Cutie mark is, because if so then it's the same as Twilight's Cutie Mark.
These two literally did not exist prior to, what, a couple of months ago? So...nowhere. Elsewhen.
Fallout:pony edition
Now I can't stop picturing Lord Torch as Thanos.
11221378
Torch: I am inevitable
Thanos: . . .
You have the whole 'equestria at war' going on and this is the best you can come up with?
Where the fuck is airship fleets? Why it doesn't have battle on roof of train scene.
11382282
Bro. That was the most genius way to game the system and you're peeved about a train fight scene?