Having been granted rulership over the city of Vanhoover, and confessed their feelings for each other, Lex Legis and Sonata Dusk have started a new life together. But the challenges of rulership, and a relationship, are more than they bargained for.
“Forgive me, but I cannot.”
Mihr’s answer, given with an expression of deep regret, caused any number of disappointed sighs and low groans to fill the room. By contrast, Luna herself bore the news stoically, her expression not changing save for her eyes closing for a long moment. Celestia was much the same, nodding sadly. “I understand. The curse Lex Legis used has proven itself to be unusually strong, which is why it’s resisted the efforts of our best…”
She trailed off as Mihr held up a hoof, shaking his head slowly. “You misunderstand me,” he said a moment later, “and I have no wish to be anything less than completely forthright with you. The wizard’s malediction is mighty, it’s true, but not so mighty that it is beyond my power to remove. Rather, it is because of the concordance reached among the planar powers regarding the oversight of this world that compels me to refrain from offering my aid.”
This time the raised voices were filled with shock and, in some cases, anger. “You’re saying you could help, but won’t?!” Line Byline couldn’t help but sound outraged. “I thought you were supposed to the Angel of Friendship!”
“I can’t believe you’re going to let some agreement keep you from healing someone who’s suffering right in front of you,” murmured Cozy, giving Luna a look of sympathy.
“At least I was willing to give it a try,” noted Discord smugly.
Zecora stood up abruptly, drawing everyone’s attention. “While this is disappointing news, we should consider the angel’s views,” she rhymed. “I’m sure he’ll tell us why it would be worse if he were to remove Princess Luna’s curse.”
“Mihr doesn’t have to explain himself.” Zecora’s eyes widened at Princess Celestia’s sharp retort, nor was she the only one surprised by the rebuke. Twilight cringed, Aisle flinched, and Cadance gave the elder princess a worried look. But it was only when Luna placed a hoof on her sister’s side and quietly uttered her name that Celestia calmed down. “I apologize,” she said a moment later, her voice having returned to its usual steady tone. “What I meant to say was that, after all that he’s done for us already, nopony here has any right to be upset with Mihr if he’s not willing to do even more.”
“I wish that I could.” Mihr’s eyes were filled with sadness as he looked around the room, his gaze sweeping over each person there before coming to rest on Luna. “Everyone here is united by their concern for you, their hearts aching that they cannot do more to help you carry this burden which has so cruelly been thrust upon you. Such compassion rings out more beautifully than all the choirs of my brethren in Heaven, and I am humbled to find myself in the presence of so many who are willing to give so much.”
“Mihr…” Princess Celestia bit her lip at that, a heartbroken expression on her face as she gazed at the six-winged stallion.
But the angel didn’t react to her gentle cry, instead turning to look at Twilight. “You asked me previously about the agreement that I spoke of, which bids me to stand by while your princess suffers even as it compelled me to stand fast against the harm the lhaksharut would have inflicted upon you. With your permission, I will expound upon it now.”
Blinking, Twilight glanced at Celestia and Luna. The latter nodded first, and the former did so a second later. It was only then that Twilight copied the gesture, looking back at Mihr. “If you wouldn’t mind,” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course.” Mihr turned to address the assembled guests as a whole then. “For reasons that remain unclear, your world was until recently isolated from the planes that lay beyond the mortal realm. Neither the Hosts of Virtue, not the Pits of Perdition, not any of the other great powers that dwell among the Outer Realms were aware of it. That was a situation that came to an abrupt end a very short time ago, when this world was suddenly brought into conjunction with the planes beyond it.”
“You’re referring to the Elemental Bleeds?” asked Line, his notepad and pencil out again.
“That is the name that your people have given the conjunction,” answered Mihr gravely. “But while the Elemental Planes touched your realm most closely, they were far from the only connections that were forged then. Although the raw matter of those planes made contact with your world directly, the powers of the Outer Realms have begun to take notice of it as well, and those that haven’t been made aware of it yet will not long remain ignorant.”
“You mean like Everglow’s gods?” Applejack frowned, remembering an encounter she’d had coming back from one of her trips to that other world, when she and her companions had stumbled into the realm of a certain deity. “Kara wanted to get to Equestria so badly you’d have thought she was a diamond dog that’d just heard about Ponyville’s Gem Cave.”
“There are many deities that are eager to expand their flock to this world’s residents,” agreed Mihr. “Although I have yet to see the full tapestry of people that live among you, that none of them seem to have any religions of their own presents an opportunity too great for any god to pass up, for their power is measured by the number of mortals who worship them and the strength of their devotion.” He gestured toward Cadance and the crystal ponies with a wing.
Twilight’s eyes widened then. “Wait, so if Lex has made some sort of deal with the Night Mare here in Equestria…”
Knowing what she was asking, Mihr nodded. “Yes, Princess Twilight. Should his goddess of darkness and tyranny spread her faith here while the others of her pantheon languish, then not only will this serene land of Equestria be at risk, but she might very well gain the power she needs to ascend to the position of leader over the other gods of her divine fellowship. Should she do that, she will surely seek to change the fate of that other world, Everglow, as well.”
“So let me see if I get this straight.” Unable to sit still any longer, Rainbow Dash jumped upward, wings flapping as she hovered in place. “Not only has Lex cursed Princess Luna, but now he’s also working with an evil goddess who’s putting Equestria and Everglow in danger? And you can’t help because why, exactly?”
“I think what Rainbow Dash is trying to say,” interjected Rarity tactfully, “is that we’ve gotten a little off-track from that agreement you were telling us about.”
“Indeed.” Giving an apologetic bow, Mihr continued. “The gods are not the only powers among the Outer Realms who wish to guide this world down a path in accordance with their interests. The inevitables seek to enforce order and natural law here as they do elsewhere. The devils will attempt to corrupt the souls of the populace and bring them to damnation. Demons will see this world as just another place to rampage through and destroy.”
“So we’re going to see more inevitables?” asked Discord uncomfortably.
“And devils?” whimpered Fluttershy.
“And demons?” frowned Applejack.
“Oh my!” grinned Pinkie, her cheery expression a marked contrast to how everyone else looked.
“Do not lose heart.” Mihr’s statement came with a flaring of all six of his wings, and the gesture was more than symbolic. Everyone present felt a pressure radiating off of the angel then, emanating from him like heat from a flame. But rather than pushing them away, it seemed to curl around everyone there, wrapping around them like a warm blanket on a winter’s night, offering security and hope to chase away the specter of despair. “It is in effort to prevent this world from being overrun by the great powers of the Outer Realms that the Hosts of Virtue – the powers that guide the realms of Heaven, Elysium, and Nirvana – have drafted a compact and presented it to those among our fellows who have knowledge of this world. It states that, until we’ve finished investigating the unusual circumstances by which this realm remained outside of our awareness for so long, we shall endeavor to remain apart from it so as to better evaluate it without contaminating our findings.”
“Of course you did,” muttered Willow, speaking for the first time since she’d returned with the other evacuees.
“Don’t be rude,” chastised Grass Patch gently, her smile making it clear that she was still enjoying the warmth of the angel’s protective aura.
But Willow just snorted. “This is what they do, angels and archons and other members of ‘the Hosts of Virtue.’ They hang back, work behind the scenes, and encourage those of us who don’t have anywhere near their power to do the heavy lifting.” She looked at Mihr then, scowling. “Do you actually think that any demons will abide by your little compact? Or that devils won’t find some loophole or workaround?” She shook her head in disgust. “All you’ve done is left us to fend for ourselves.”
“He didn’t exactly hang back when that lhaksha-thingy attacked,” noted Aisle.
For his part, Mihr didn’t seem distressed by Willow’s accusation. “The points you raise are valid ones. There is no possibility that the forces of Perdition or the Abyss will abide by this agreement. But that was not the point of this compact.”
Cadance tilted her head, curious. “Then what was?”
“This world is a testament to the good that mortals are capable of,” answered Mihr. “The souls of your people shine brightly, glowing with virtues such as charity, compassion, devotion, integrity, optimism, and many others. There are few worlds where so many have fulfilled their higher potential, and we among the Hosts consider it to be very important that we preserve and protect this world as much as we can, so that it might serve as a shining beacon to others. But we do not have the power to thwart the other great powers of the Outer Realms should they all use this world as a venue to advance their interests, as they do on others. To that end, this provisional agreement – by convincing them that the possibility of mortal worlds being hidden from our sight is too great an issue to ignore – bids them to suspend their interests in favor of keeping this world pristine, joining us in guarding it and so keeping it secure, at least for a time.”
“That didn’t seem to keep Lex from bringing the Night Mare here,” huffed Soft Mane.
“Or the belier devil that was in Vanhoover,” noted Luna.
“The gods are beyond the scope of our compact,” admitted Mihr. “What allowances they are made in this world is between them and mortals. Likewise, the presence of the belier was what alerted me that we needed to take action to preserve this place. But although we can keep watch over this world to a greater degree the more allies we have, such a defense remains imperfect. Although I wish I could say that not one denizen of darkness will befoul this beautiful world now that our agreement is in place, that is a promise I cannot make. Still, I hope you will take some comfort in knowing that your world will be protected.”
“And that’s why you can’t help us with Luna’s curse,” concluded Twilight. “Because that would break your agreement to leave Equestria alone.”
“Precisely so.” Mihr gestured to the conference room. “To correct the faults of one of our signatories falls within the purview of my oversight. But a conflict between the mortals of this world, even ones that have taken up the faith of foreign deities, is something that I am unable to become involved with.” He stood up then, folding his wings back to his sides as he did so. “But while I must take my leave now, there is one final thing I can do for all of you.”
In an instant, before anyone was able to object, the angel vanished, leaving only the echo of his voice behind.
“I will pray for your success.”
Mihr explains the agreement reached among the planar powers to preserve Equestria. But will it really work as well as he seems to think it will?
And what's Lex been up to while all of this has been going on?
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One million words.
One.
Million.
Words.
I'm honestly in shock at how large this story has grown. If I'd had any idea that it would be this massive, and still not be finished(!), back when I first started it, I doubt I ever would have begun. This is by far the single largest project, of any sort, that I've ever worked on. I honestly had no idea I had it in me to do something of such massive scope. One can only wonder just how much larger this story will grow, although I still have so much that I want to do...
Speaking of which, I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you who's taken the time to comment, upvote, and favorite this story. You all keep me writing, and I appreciate your taking an interest in it more than I can say. I hope you're still enjoying following Lex's adventures one million words in, and that you'll keep reading as we see what the future has in store for him and everypony else in Lateral Movement!
So Mihr's hands are metaphorically tied when it comes to internal affairs, even if they're related to a deity or demon. At the very least there will be a lower chance of a second Elemental Bleed happening. At least that's the idea but given Willow's opinion on angels and other powers of Virtue, I can't help but think that protection will be worth much if another demon or deity with ill intent enter Equestria anyways.
And with Lex's agreement with the Night Mare to create a following in Equestria, as well as the existence of Lashtada's own followers, it might open the floodgates for other deities to sink their teeth(for those that have teeth) into Equestria like Kara is. And with how little knowledge of how it works, someone could easily summon something or someone they hadn't intended.
But that's a matter for way, way, way down the line(I hope) Now, for Mane 6 to plan and to see how Lex is doing while this conflict happened...or are we going to check in on Silhouette instead?
Addition:Congrats on this new milestone!
10087266
Here's to the next million.
1 million words!
Good job mate
Continued from last chapter
Hello Operator please give me number nine
And if you disconnect me
I’ll cut off your
Come back next chapter for more lyrics !
Welcome to the 1 million words fan fiction club.
I dont know how many can boast about that, while also consistently being top rate quality =^_^=
Congratulations on achieving MegaMaster.
Now is a good time, if you already havent, to make sure you have a list of all characters, places, actions used so far, and a seperate list of possibilities, along with a general approximate overview with variations to at least make an envelope of story style to help you through the brainslugs?
Equestria was Ao personal snowglobe and somegod broke it?
10087268 Well, Mihr would be able to intervene if demons became an issue, but when it comes to gods it's somewhat out of his league. The planar hegemonies (angels, demons, inevitables, etc.) can make their impact known when it comes to divine politics, but in most cases they're out of their league where gods are concerned. Mihr would be hard-pressed to stand up to a demigod in direct combat, let alone a fully-fledged deity. Not to mention that deities tend to accumulate their own followings, both planar and mortal in nature (i.e. the terrestrial and supernatural aspects of their church), which makes them notable powerhouses in their own right. And then you have entire divine pantheons...
Which isn't to say that the planar hegemonies are completely out of their league, it's just that they need to mobilize a considerable portion of their full membership to dedicated action if they want to seriously impede even a single moderately-powerful deity (presuming said deity brings all of their power and resources to bear). If they can achieve a high level of coordination and focus, then they can present a considerable barrier, one where even if they'd lose they'd make it such a costly endeavor that the deity would likely consider the victory to have been more expensive than it was worth. But they'd still likely lose, at least against stronger deities.
Of course, deities have to play by their own rules, one of which is that they can't just march into a new world and set up shop. They need to be brought into a mortal world by mortals, and can't manifest in a world where they have no religious presence. Letting one god in doesn't mean that any others will necessarily come along, either (save for any servitor deities). In anything, I suspect that a newly-established god would very much want to keep its fellows out, so that it doesn't have to deal with the competition.
Also, kudos to you for mentioning summoning, which is a loophole where planar denizens coming to Equestria is concerned. It wasn't a coincidence that Mihr said nothing about Harrowing Ordeal (though he was technically a divine servitor in any case, which is also a loophole in planar beings coming to Equestria).
Finally, thanks for the kind words regarding this story hitting seven digits!
10087277 You know, it might very well come to that.
10087534 Thanks! I'm still shocked that I've written so much!
10087612 Aww, thanks! I hope I'll be able to keep delivering the quantity and quality for some time to come!
10087622 Thanks!
Also, good point about making a list; I've been meaning to do that for the last few hundred thousand words now...
As for why Equestria used to be sequestered the way it was...that remains a mystery.
10090020
How many levels of, or just entities at all, in relative power, lay between Planar Deities and Ao?
10090033 The problem with answering this question is that it depends on the setting context. Ao is the overdeity who controls the cosmology of the Forgotten Realms setting...but different editions of D&D have different definitions of what the "Forgotten Realms setting" actually is. (Not to mention that "deities" have different ranks among themselves; even leaving aside the "still mostly mortal" ranks of quasi-deities and hero-deities, they range from demigods to lesser gods, intermediate gods, and greater gods.)
In AD&D 2nd Edition, the Forgotten Realms campaign setting consisted of the Realmspace crystal sphere (i.e. the unbreakable but not impenetrable shell surrounding that solar system) and everything within it, including the local end of divine connections into that sphere. So Ao could essentially manipulate everything within that crystal sphere, including the aspects of deities as they manifested within that part of the Material Plane (but not, strictly speaking, the actual essence of those deities unto themselves, unless they personally manifested within that plane, which (for deities above the rank of demigods) they're forbidden by the Divine Compact - an agreement among the whole of the gods - from doing anyway). So while he only controls a comparatively small part of the cosmos, he's the absolute authority within that area.
D&D Third Edition (and, I believe, Fourth Edition) radically redefined things (and the in-character presentation of these changes wasn't nearly as cohesive as the shift between AD&D 1E and 2E). Now, the Forgotten Realms setting was its own cosmology (i.e. multiverse), rather than being presented as part of a larger meta-setting (those other settings still existed, but as their own cosmologies now, with connections between them being present, but thin). So now Ao was the guy who controlled everything within that cosmology; the arrangement of the planes, the gods as a whole (rather than just local aspects), all of it. He still couldn't affect other cosmologies, but he had a lot more stuff fall under his authority now.
Now, in both presentations Ao has consistently been presented as being beyond game statistics. But if we use the metric presented in The Immortal's Handbook: Ascension (a D&D Third Edition-compatible third-party product that aims to quantify and give statistics to divine ranks beyond gods), then we can see that these two levels - being in charge of a local area of the Material Plane and being in charge of an entire cosmology - are radically different rankings.
Under the AD&D 2E listing, where Ao is simply in charge of the Realmspace crystal sphere, Ao would be an elder god, the lowest rank among the sidereals (i.e. one rank above greater god, which is the rank of the strongest of the "ordinary" gods). This is powerful, but not necessarily more powerful than a dozen deities of the next-lowest rank, so you'd have a scenario where, say, the greater gods of the Faerunian pantheon could conceivably defeat Ao if it came down to a fight (presuming they could put their differences aside long enough to do so, and didn't care about the fallout in the meantime).
If we go with the D&D Third Edition version of the setting, however, where Ao is in charge of an entire cosmology, then we have to go way up the rankings. Controlling (or rather, being, since the IH listings assume a pantheist interpretation for deities above the "greater god" ranking) an entire cosmology goes right to being at the higher end of the eternals, specifically a time lord (no, this has nothing to do with Doctor Who, other than the author of IH: Ascension being British (well, Northern Irish, but close enough)). That's six strata above an elder god, and is far, far more powerful.
There are, of course, "monsters" at all of these levels as well, though in many cases the differences between them and actual gods of comparable power are academic at best (though the "monsters" that menace deities are usually characterized by not having mortal worshipers, or at least not granting any known spells or powers to ones they might accumulate, presuming that they even notice them). These range from creatures that can threaten lower-ranking deities to monstrosities that are a risk to an entire cosmology. You can find a sampling of such creatures in The Immortal's Handbook: Epic Bestiary Vol. 1 (sadly, no further volumes have been released, and probably won't be). These include things like super-celestials (hint: it was no coincidence that the lhaksharut in this story referred to Mihr as a "mercurian," a term that appears nowhere in the standard entry for angels), epic dragons, divine abominations, etc. While the IH series presumes that a lot of these creatures were sealed away to protect the fabric of reality, such things are always less than perfect, meaning that the next threat to the cosmos might be right around the corner, and your PCs who just managed to overcome all the odds and undergo divine ascension still have work to do...
10090893
I was trying to work out if my approximation was anyway equivalent to Overall gaming engine, and so far I got if +3 to stat is Size +1, then doubling size, +1 give 8 times teh mass, Cube, thats +3 when logged, so on that scale, if Spike was base 100kg, or mass +2 absolute, then the world would be +24, the sun would be +30, The galaxy approx +41, local universe +52, theoretical valid alternative realities +128, and current theoretical total multiverse about +512 or so?
Thing being, Spike is about the only entity I can think of at this time, that Id love to drop a certain (5,3) nano magitech core on, to unlock his Complete capabilities over time. Quite definitely Mythic, Epic classes, given that he can always have ancestral rewrites because he has no history at all, except what others create for him?
I still think Pinkie is the Penrose Void, the Galois Exception, that prooves the rule that existance is.
10090950 That doesn't really work, simply because the d20 System (like virtually all other game systems) is built primarily to present an internally-coherent set of "gameable" rules first, with their ability to model how "the physics of the game world works" a distant second. You certainly can make extrapolations along that second line, but when you do so it's typically just a matter of when, rather than if, you're going to push the system mechanics to the point where they break (or at least wreck the game if the players figure out how to exploit them).
You can certainly have things like a "powerful build" quality (scroll down) to account for particular density that doesn't have a matching increase in size, though the aforementioned Immortal's Handbook: Epic Bestiary had "virtual size categories" that I think did that better. But trying to map out a scaling increase, with attendant modifiers, beyond the listed size categories is going to be necessarily non-linear in nature.