Episode 154: Nothing New Under the Sun
Episode 154: Nothing New Under the Sun
Careful calculation of risk versus reward had been the guiding principle of much of Starlight Glimmer’s plans for the better part of her life since going rogue from Soul Society. She’d known, as soon as she’d truly learned the length and breadth of the Zero Division’s aims, that any action she took in opposing them from henceforth would be a high odds game of chance where every single toss of the dice could easily result in her death, the deaths of her friends who’d been in Xcution, and the eventual damnation of nearly every soul in her world.
As such she got very good at reading a situation. Emotionally driven as she was, and even Starlight could admit she let her emotions get the better of her many a time, she still tried to base her plans on well thought through understandings of the odds and the likely outcomes she could comfortably predict. It’s one of the reasons she’d felt confident that planting the seed of conflict with Sunset Shimmer and her friends would bear the fruit it did. Soul Society was usually very predictable in their responses, as tended to be the Hollows and the Quincy, hence it hadn’t been that hard to engineer the situations she desired back in her world.
She had come to believe Equestria would be the same. At first it had appeared as such.
The harsh golden glow that saturated the land, forming into an impenetrable pillar of immense radiance that impaled the heavens on a shaft of purest sunlight and magic left Starlight with the distinct feel that her calculations no longer applied. Or at the very least required some serious adjustment. The pressure bearing down on her soul was at once both quite alien, and yet hauntingly familiar. She’d felt pressure like this before. Spiritual pressure, of such density as to almost be beyond perception, like trying to gauge the weight of the sea when one rests at the bottom.
Her best point of comparison to what she felt now was the day that Discord had unleashed his Bankai on her, the closest she’d ever come to dying outright to someone in a fight. She’d understood then why Discord had been given an invitation to the Zero Division.
Now similar weight came down upon her from the immaculate tower of golden magic swelling into the sky from where Celestia had just been standing, and Starlight was hardly in ideal shape after fighting the alicorn Princess to a standstill. With a weary smile of lead on her lips, Starlight pulled upon the Hollow power within her, yanking forth as much as she could to sweep a hoof over her face and restore her broken mask. Even then, the mask remained somewhat cracked, and she could tell it wouldn’t last as long as before. She’d already used up a lot in the battle already. The only thing in her that didn’t seem drained was the pulsating star of the Hogyoku itself, the incandescent gem thumping in its place lodged in her chest with even greater excitement than before. If it was going to do anything useful, now would be the ideal time for it, but Starlight knew better than to count on that.
“I don’t suppose you have any clue what that busted sword was that Celestia pulled out?” Starlight asked Chrysalis.
For her part, the changeling Queen was still clutching at her head as if in pain, not quite doubled over but standing on shaky legs. A bitter snarl burst forth from her that was somewhat ruined by a trickle of obvious fear in her voice, “How should I know!? I’ve never seen it before! I knew Celestia was powerful, which is why I never dared challenge her directly without a plan to first weaken her or empower myself! But this... this is beyond anything I thought her capable of. If you have a means of escape, we should be using it. Now!”
The sardonic glaze to Starlight’s expression deepened as she gestured at her now clothing bereft body, “I did. A few scrolls meant to help the Crossgate target specific individuals for transport. Those got burned up from the damn orbital sun laser. The last one I had, I gave to Trixie, with specific instructions. She ought to be long gone by now.”
Chrysalis blinked once, then twice, and she then reached up into her hole strewn mane of dark green hair and yanked out a scroll, “You mean one of these?”
“Where did you get that?” Starlight asked, quite confounded, as she’d never given one of those scrolls to Chrysalis. She’d intended to use the ones she’d had on her to evacuate herself, Chrysalis, and Discord if they managed to catch him, but had wanted to hold on to them, just in case Chrysalis had gotten any ideas to bug out of the fight early.
“Platinum,” Chrysalis replied, an odd note in her voice, as if she was as surprised as anyone else by the answer, “She said to use it if I felt my life in danger. Which I am sorely tempted to do.”
“Why aren’t you?”
Chrysalis squinted her eyes, still rubbing at her head, not merely in pain, but now seemingly in confusion, “I don’t know. I should leave you to deal with this mess yourself, but...”
A deep frustrated growl rose up in her hesitating voice, and Chrysalis shoved the scroll over to Starlight before hefting her remaining anti-magic javelin and facing the blinding light from Celestia’s position, “I’ve fled, and fled, and fled from this and I am tired of it! So utterly sick and tired of running and scurrying and hiding! Platinum has nothing and still somehow had the courage to go fight Luna alone. That disgusting other version of me is dealing with the pink Princess and probably laughing behind my back about how much more powerful she is! And you’re not running away from this even though I can smell your fear, Starlight Glimmer. I will NOT be outdone! I will not be made small by others fighting while I run away!”
“Ego, got it, say no more. Glad to have you still on board,” Starlight replied, “Maybe together we’ve still got a shot at this.”
“I can assure you both that you do not,” came a somewhat raspy, blood tainted voice and both Starlight and Chrysalis regarded Discord, whom Starlight had set down next to one of the pillars of Ponehenge. He was bound with Kido now, a wrap of yellow chains from a high end binding Kido to keep him from moving around too much and to prevent him from removing the javelin in his chest. Starlight didn’t think he was mortally wounded, but was a tad worried, given how pale he was looking.
“You ought to save your strength,” she told him, “And try not to wiggle around too much. I want you disabled, not dead.”
He let out a rough laugh, his eyes of deepest yellow with blood red iris’ gazing at her like a pair of shiny deviled eggs, “I’d be more concerned for yourselves, ladies. In case it hasn’t quite sunk in yet, Celestia didn’t want to use that dilapidated old Relic, and not without reason. But you know what, I won’t spoil things. I’ll just sit here, relax as much as I can with a shaft of magic robbing metal lodged in my sternum, and enjoy the show.”
A mere few seconds after his words, the gigantic shaft of unnecessarily luminous light vanished in a snap. In its place was left a clear sky that at first appeared empty, devoid of all save the sun itself which remained at its noontide zenith.
Then Starlight saw the first feather softly float down, a huge and pure pinion of snow white light. Then another floated down, its passage creating a faint chime of sound like a heavenly string being plucked. Before long a shower of these feathers were raining down from above, a flurry of holy plumage made of raw light that upon contact with the ground burst into motes of residual magic. Then the ground where Celestia had been standing became bathed in a pool of focused light, as if the sun itself was creating a pathway for something to descend.
And descend she did, floating down gently from the blinding sun itself to glide downward like a celestial figure of myth gracing the mortal world but belonging wholly to the realm of the divine.
Starlight and Chrysalis both squinted against the light, but still saw Celestia fully as the alicorn alighted softly upon the ground.
She resembled little of the Princess that had stood in that approximate spot a few minutes earlier. It was difficult to tell if she was even a being of flesh and blood any longer. She was golden from end to end, even where it appeared to be fur and flesh, it remained a gleaming shade of metallic gold as to make it near indistinguishable from the parts of her covered in armor. And there was certainly quite a bit of her clad in armor! Armor that sheathed her limbs, rear, and chest in such intricately carved plates it looked as if she was wearing a piece of artwork rather than something meant for the battlefield. Every inch bore a carving either related to the sun, or the heavens themselves, with clouds, stars, and angelic wings swirling across every portion of the golden platemail. Most prominent, however, was the sun sigil on the chest, carved with nine points shaped like swords. While Celestia had worn a tiara, what now graced her brow was nothing short of a crown, with four grand sun sigils rising around a mane of pure, blazing white. Indeed, both mane and tail looked like the white fire of a sun’s corona, flickering with shimmering heat. Similar light filled Celestia’s eyes, only the hint of golden iris’ within. Her wings were similarly metallic gold, the larger feathers sharpened like sword blades, and upon the back of each wing spun wheels of white fire, a series of three such halos for each wing.
For a second Starlight wondered what happened to the sword, but it appeared within that same thought, descending from on high just as Celestia had, planting itself in the ground next to the transformed alicorn. It had changed completely as well, now a broad and long blade whose shape could barely be described outside of being a curved and elegant form as if someone had taken a flicker of sunfire and crystalized it into a physical form. Its edge was at once both graceful, yet jagged, like tongues of fire, gold metal shot through with bands of white flame. The blade swirled towards a hilt that looked as if the points of a star had been slightly curved by an inward gravitational force and forged around a spherical central gem of white fire, which in turn birthed a handle and pommel of spotless pearl white crystal.
Furthermore, the damn thing was a good pace taller than Celestia was, giving Sweet Cider competition for the ‘Stupidly Biggest Sword Award’. Starlight might have laughed at it if she couldn’t sense the overwhelming power of the weapon. Sometimes bigger really was better.
“On second thought,” squeaked Chrysalis, “Perhaps bravery is overrated. Can I have that scroll back, Starlight?”
Before Starlight could respond to that, Celestia’s voice echoed out. It was pitched differently, somehow richer and more maturely resonant compared to earlier, and Celestia had already had a rather motherly voice to begin with. But if that had been the voice of a warm mother seeking to educate her children, this was more like the stern press of one who was not pleased to find their kid’s hand in the cookie jar.
“Even if you did use that scroll, I would not let either of you escape,” Celestia said, and her horn did not so much light up as it simply filled with a liquid flash of sunlight. Starlight caught sight of a streak of several threads of energy that rose into the air and immediately wove a dense pattern into the sky. Starlight hardly finished blinking before she saw the area, probably for a few kilometers, was now encased in some manner of shining gold dome, laced with dozens of interlocking magical circles.
“Something to block teleportation?” Starlight said, trying to hide her nervousness behind a tone of casual curiosity. Celestia’s eyes were so bright with ambient power it was hard to tell where she was looking, but Starlight thought the alicorn’s gaze flicked towards Ponehenge itself, or rather its center area.
“More than that. A spell to counteract the influence of planar shifting itself. I don’t know the technologies that went into the device you used to come to my realm, but we’ll see if it can pierce a barrier that extends to multiple planes simultaneously.”
“Guess we’re about to find out,” Starlight said, and moved with all the speed she could muster, not knowing if it’d be fast enough, with Celestia’s new form.
She took the scroll that Chrysalis had given her and unrolled it in the same motion she had moved in, aiming for Discord. She felt an immense weight crush around her, gripping her body, and saw a flickering aura of pure gold surrounding her. Celestia’s telekinetic grip of magic, far more potent now, all but halted Starlight in mid-step. Starlight’s reiatsu burst outward, the Hogyoku pulsating like a hot furnace in her chest. It was frightening that Celestia's might risen so far, but Starlight was not so utterly outgunned that her own reiatsu couldn’t resist the magical grip enough to still move, albeit slower than before.
Of course “slower” was a deadly thing when facing someone with Celestia’s abilities, and Starlight sensed a painfully sharp rise in magical and spiritual energy from the alicorn as a point of light as bright as the sun in the sky formed in front of Celestia like a miniature orb of the same nature.
Starlight grunted in exertion as she swung her transformed Zanpaktou, the estoc blade ripping into the air like it was slicing cloth. A hole between two spaces was torn and Starlight stuck again in the same motion, ripping an even wider hole around her. She then hurled the scroll through one of the holes while using a burst of her own telekinetic magic to activate the kanji symbol upon it that was the activation key.
The scroll passed through the hole in the air Starlight’s Zanpaktou had cut. Apparently Celestia’s spell prevented special distortions from the outside getting in, but didn’t affect such abilities within the dome itself, or perhaps this particular Zanpaktou’s ability fell beyond the purview of whatever planes the dome extended into. Starlight silently thanked Ditzy Doo for having such a useful and potent Zanpaktou as she watched the scroll pop out the other end of the hole and land on Discord’s head, stuck on one of his antlers.
In the same moment, Celestia’s summoned orb had shot out a pencil thin beam of incandescent white light. Fortunately for Starlight the second hole she’d torn open in space was set just right to catch the beam, transferring it to another hole that she’d opened right above Celestia.
Celestia, in a motion swift as light, grabbed the sword at her side and swept it up, using it to deflect her own beam away from her. Starlight saw the beam lance through the landscape to the west, cutting a distant hill cleanly in half like a slice of cake.
The scroll that was now stuck to Discord emitted a brief glow of ambient blue light, and Starlight held her breath.
The Crossgate had been designed to pierce almost any layer of reality in order to transport its targets from one location to another, no matter how distant or layered in protections. Whether for the purpose of invasion or evacuation, the Twelfth Division had conceived of the device as the ultimate means of moving something from anywhere to anywhere else, regardless of circumstances. There was good reason she was banking on it being able to get her to the Soul Palace itself, for even with the Queen’s Key she’d stolen form Soul Society she didn’t doubt the Zero Division would have defenses in place in case someone ever did make an attempt at breaking in.
Starlight’s held breath maintained itself for a heart stopping second before she heard the sound of something being torn open, like a hole being punched through steel. A static wavering appeared amid the dome, and Starlight could almost see the air waver in protest. Then Discord was surrounded by a waver of light, and was gone. Transported, ideally to Hitsuyo-Aku, as per the plan. Or, at least mostly the plan. Starlight had intended to have the scrolls needed to transport herself and Chrysalis to safety as well, but that was no longer possible.
Chrysalis herself looked momentarily horrified at Starlight, stammering, “W-what did you just do!? That was our only way to escape!”
Starlight kept her eyes on Celestia, who was in turn looking at her pierced dome with a look of utmost consternation.
“If she retrieved Discord then all of this was for nothing, Chrysalis. Another second and she might have yanked that javelin out of him, and the whole plan would be up in smoke.”
“As if it isn’t already,” shouted Chrysalis, waving a hoof at Celestia, “What do you plan to do about her!?”
“A question I was wondering myself,” Celestia said as she redirected her attention to the both of them, and both Starlight and Chrysalis were forced to take a step back as a burst of raw, sun gold energy poured off of Celestia’s body like a bountiful ocean. The air grew thick with the alicorn’s magical might, and Starlight had to wonder again at the sensation of spiritual pressure along with it.
“I’ll admit, I don’t actually have a plan to beat you,” Starlight said with a modest shrug, sweat dripping down the side of her face behind her Hollow mask, “I figured you had some aces to play, but I thought Discord was your biggest card, so I’d come prepared to remove him from the board. You honestly got me fully stumped here with this supermode of yours. Before you start thoroughly kicking our butts, mind at least telling me what it is? What was the deal with that broken old sword you had before going all Golden Empress on us?”
“I am no ‘Empress’, child,” Celestia said, leveling her remarkably humongous blade at Starlight, “I am Eos, of the Highest Dominion, Queen of the Day and... and...”
Starlight looked on in bewildered, but interested amazement as Celestia’s stance abruptly grew unsteady, her expression going from supreme confidence to a moment of confusion, “No, that’s not right. I am Celestia. Ugh, blast it all, is it supposed to be this difficult to think straight? I only used one, so why... aaah, why is her presence so strong in my mind?”
Chrysalis and Starlight exchanged looks.
“Running time, while she’s distracted?” Starlight suggested, and Chrysalis mutely gave a vigorous few nods, and the pair started to turn to make a break for it. Starlight was fully willing to try and use Ditzy Doo’s Zanpaktou to try and break through the dome, although she had no way of knowing if that would work.
They only got a few steps before an enormous wall of sunfire sprang up to block their path, bisecting the dome in a hellish heat. Celestia’s voice was still wavering, but there was a fresh intensity to it that left Starlight feeling pin pricks on the back of her neck.
“Neither of you are going anywhere, mortals! None ignore the edicts of Eos. None... ugh, enough, my mind may be divided, but be it either as Celestia or not, I cannot afford to let you two escape.”
The ground began to shake was more power erupted out of Celestia’s body, a golden aura so wide that it looked like she walked amid a corona of the sun. Her sword was raised high with her magic, and Starlight and Chrysalis were forced to turn to face it as the powerful alicorn Princess advanced on them amid a melting wave of molten rock that spread from where she stepped.
Starlight, sweat soaked, readied her Zanpaktou. She didn’t know if it would be easier or much, much worse to fight Celestia while she was mentally unhinged, but either way the day was about to get a lot more complicated than she’d ever anticipated.
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Strangely, more than having his chaotic magic barred from him by the ignobly stuck javelin in his chest, Discord really detested having such a hard time breathing that he couldn’t get off one more snarky comment before that mentally regressed idiot Starlight had managed to poof him somewhere else. It wasn’t teleportation, otherwise Celetia’s barrier would have blocked it. Heck, a spell of that caliber would have probably blocked him from casually snapping himself to wherever he liked. Briefly, at any rate. Very few things were actually beyond the Lord of Chaos.
Well, except physically removing a mere thrice-damned three foot metal stick! It was beyond insulting to his sense of personal majesty that he’d let himself get caught by that. Well, not “let himself”, but Discord was mentally kicking himself for getting taken in by Starlight’s taunting. Much as he was wroth with her at the moment he was at least man enough to give a tiny shred of credit that she’d played to his ego quite effectively and gotten him to focus so much attention on her that he hadn’t spotted where the real attack was going to come from.
But setting that aside, where was he?
He saw he was in a rather vast and high ceilinged room, the walls composed of no shortage of complex looking weavings of gold metal pipes and odd contraptions made of crystals in complex metal housings. There was an edge to the room that suggested a drop off behind him, and a bridge of sorts, like a plain stone platform, that extended off beyond that. Of more immediate interest was the huge device taking up a sizeable portion of the chamber in front of him, consisting of multiple, curved pillars around a central pool of silver liquid that pulsated with streams of energy. Above the pool crackled motes of power that turned into disc shaped windows that shone like a mirror with images of multiple places, some of which Discord recognized as locations within Equestria.
Before he could make out any details, however, a young lady appeared before him, quite literally snapping into view as if materializing from thin air. Discord recognized it as just high-speed motion, and the girl he quickly noted was one of Chrysalis’ changelings, from her dark chitinous hide to her gleaming, jewel-like eyes of light blue. However this wasn’t one of the native Chrysalis’ brood, as evidenced by the hole in this one’s chest and the fragments of bone around her brow and the pink frill on her head. She was wearing a white vest with black trim, and a similarly colored skirt, with a gleaming kukri blade sheathed through a sash around her waist. In a sing-song voice, the Arrancar changeling buzzed into the air and to Discord’s extreme discomfort, landed lightly to balance on the javelin in his chest.
“Heya mister Discord! Welcome to Hotel Hitsuyo-Aku! I’m your hostess for the evening. Call me Ocellus. Now I have you booked for an extended stay, and I’m just pleased as punch to show you to your accommodations, but first things first every guest gets a free souvenir to commemorate their stay.”
Again, minus the length of sharp metal interfering with just about every one of his bodily functions, Discord would have either instantly snapped his fingers to make this overly cheerful bug a lot more agreeable to his tastes, or at least batted her away. As it was he wasn’t even highly capable of moving very well. His body was made of magic, after all, so having his magic disrupted was seriously weakening every aspect about him, including just simply having the physical strength to move. Granted, he could probably still yank the javelin out, albeit with some strain, which is exactly what he tried to do... but the binding Kido Starlight had lain on him was still active as well, so even his physical struggles couldn’t produce enough movement to get that much done.
And he certainly couldn’t stop Ocellus from snapping a metal collar around his neck, one he momentarily feared might be more anti-magic, but he sensed no additional disruption to his arcane might. Instead the collar beeped, and from it spread a coating of light, an energy sheath that hardened around him and arrested his limited motion even further.
“Now I hear you’ve got some crazy powerful magic, so that pokey stick has to stay in you, but don’t fret, we won’t let you bleed out. Hotel Hitsuyo-Aku boasts a 67% survival rate for all its guests! We just need you to stay extra still so you don’t hurt yourself any further while we treat your wound, or at least keep you hooked up to a machine that’ll maintain a constant healing Kido on you so you don’t bleed out.”
“I... am going to... rate this place... zero stars,” Discord assured her in his most serious tone, somewhat ruined by the rasp in his voice from labored breathing.
From nearby another individual approached, a colt with white fur and a brown patch over one of his eyes, bearing a similarly brown mane and tail both neatly combed. He was wearing a black robe and a sheathed katana at his side. In a faintly accented voice he looked at Ocellus and said, “I don’t understand. Weren’t Miss Starlight and Miss Chrysalis supposed to come with him? Why did we only get a signal from one of the scrolls?”
Ocellus tilted her head and sat back on her haunches, her changeling wings buzzing in a contemplative manner, “Huh, good point, Pipsqueak. Thought the plan was for all three of them to pop over as soon as they snagged the big fish here. Better go check the readings quick-like!”
Discord was roughly grabbed around the head by an overly exuberant Ocellus, who flew along with her wings and dragged him like an oversized teddy bear, alongside a very worried looking Pipsqueak to the front of the massive device that Discord assumed was the “Crossgate” Starlight Glimmer had used to reach Equestria. In front of the gate device a number of pipes that burned with geometric patterns of light fed into a huge obelisk. Attached to this metallic tombstone was a hexagon shaped monitor and control panel. Pipsqueak went to it and started manipulating the controls, while Ocellus stared at the monitor, holding Discord almost absent mindedly. Not that he could move now, or do more than grunt in protest. He was using the free time to invent various forms of revenge he was going to get on everyone involved in this poor treatment of a national treasure such as himself.
“Looks like Starlight and Not-Mom are both still at the Ponehenge place,” Ocellus said, apparently getting far more out of the random looking graphs, glyphs, bars, and other weird symbols on the screen than Discord was, “But what in Tirek’s burning left nipple is that energy reading!? Is this thing busted or something?”
“N-no, I don’t think so,” Pipsqueak said, gulping, “Everything looks like it’s working normally. I think that energy signature is Celestia’s.”
“No way, it’s like, a whole order of magnitude bigger now. Way too big. We couldn’t even lock onto anyone without those scrolls when Starlight and Celestia were holding back, but with all of that crazy energy there, we’ll never be able to get a fix on them. Hey, you!” Ocellus shook Discord, “What’s the deal? Aren’t you supposed to be the most powerful dude in this world? That’s why we targeted you, you know?”
Discord let out a bitter laugh, “Me... the most powerful? Hah. True, more or less. If you don’t count what Luna and Celestia can become if they tap into their legacy. That’s a whole different ball game that’d ensure anyone facing them would be in for a bad day. Much like Starlight Glimmer is in for right now.”
“Ooooh hell in a handbasket,” Ocellus said, dropping him without a second thought, “Looks like Miss Glimmer miscalculated. Pip, we need to figure out a way to get her and Not-Mom out of there, fast!”
“I don’t know how,” Pipsqueak said, “The Crossgate’s targeting system doesn’t do well with magical interference. It’s why we made those scrolls in the first place. A strong spiritual signature that can be locked onto. Right now there’s so much magic present I can’t find their specific reiatsu.”
Ocellus made a high pitched grumble as she kicked the console lightly, “Well we sure can’t afford to lose Miss Glimmer, and I think Not-Mom is funny how she makes Actual Mom all grumpy, so rather not ditch her either. What if we just widen the Crossgate’s transport pattern to include the entire area?”
The way Pipsqueak flicked his whole head towards her with wide eyes suggested his shock at the idea, even if his voice didn’t raise an octave, “But if we did that wouldn’t we end up transporting Celestia too!?”
“Aaaaaah!” Ocellus rubbed her head between her hooves, “You’re right! This sucks! Think Ocellus, think. There’s got to be a way to cut through that interference, even without a scroll.”
“Wait, didn’t Miss Glimmer give a scroll to Trixie?” said Pipsqueak, his eyes now refocused on the monitor as he fiddled with the controls, “We still haven’t gotten a signal from her. Shouldn’t she have used the scroll by now?”
“Huh, good point. She’s that Bount that snuck over here before all of us did, right? If she’s got a scroll she ought to have used it already, but if you don’t have a signal from her... then that means she’s still...”
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Trixie knew she ought to have run away as instructed, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had unfurled the scroll Starlight had given her, and seen the instructions it contained. It had explained the scroll was a reiatsu infused signal booster meant to allow the Crossgate to target whoever bore the scroll so that they could be transported, but there were two reasons Trixie didn’t touch the activation kanji, the symbol for “Go”.
One, she had a terrible feeling that something bad was going to happen to Starlight, a feeling the Bount just could not shake. Her loyalty warred with itself, for Trixie knew she should trust Starlight’s judgment and do as she was told. Yet she recalled all Starlight Glimmer had done for her. Trixie had spent much of her life alone, losing even the dim memories of her parents at a young age when they’d been hunted down by Soul Reapers. Trixie had desperately fled from place to place, never staying long in any one part of the world, with little hope or purpose beyond a vague notion of looking for more of her own kind. Starlight had changed that wandering, lonely life into one of meaning, helping Trixie increase her power, develop the strength of Eisenwand, and provide a route forward in which Trixie could dream of a world without Soul Society.
For all her bravado, Trixie knew she wasn’t anywhere near powerful enough to really stand beside Starlight in the battles to come, but she wanted to do everything she could to help, regardless, and fleeing just did not seem right, even when the order came from Starlight herself.
The second reason Trixie had hesitated to use the scroll is because she sensed him coming. Her Doll, Eisenwand.
She’d found a hiding place a few hills away from the battle-site, amid the few remaining trees within miles of Ponehenge. There she waited, feeling her Doll’s distinct reiatsu ever more rapidly approaching. Finally she saw him, or rather his floating head, flying through the air. In his iron mouth was her beloved hat, and Trixie turned to him with a grateful smile and all but leaped to grab the metallic stallion’s floating head as he reached her.
“Took you long enough!” she cried, taking her hat as he offered it to her. The iron stallion’s ruby eyes flashed as he replied in a clipped baritone.
“It was not easy, Mistress, to steal your headgear from under Equestrian guard, then follow you all the way out here. You are fortunate we are so attuned, otherwise I may not have sensed your reiatsu at such distance. I apologize for the delay, but I moved with all possible speed.”
“It’s well enough,” Trixie said, affixing her hat to her head and making a swift gesture, “Eisenwand, the rest of your body; Zeige Ditch!”
From the crest upon her hate swirled forth the red and black mist that took shape into the rest of her Doll’s body. As Eisenwand reattached his head to his mane body, spreading his gleaming wings of metal, Trixie reached out and the gem on his chest detached, flying to her hoof. There, it extended into the iron shafted, ruby capped scepter that Trixie held firmly.
A beam of light in the distance flew out and cut a nearby hill cleanly in two, and went on to slice apart several more kilometers of terrain. Trixie and Eisenwand watched this, and her Doll coughed politely.
“Are you certain you wish to go back, Mistress? Against that?”
Trixie gulped, but then firmly adjusted her hat and held her scepter tightly, the unused scroll tucked neatly in her mane, “The Gallant and Gregarious Trixie does not make idle boasts. Come, Eisenwand, be it even in the smallest manner, we shall find a way to tip the balance for Starlight Glimmer!”
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Chrysalis may have drawn her Zanpaktou, but she felt little rush to actually use it, instead just idly bouncing the blade around between her hooves as she offered the pink Princess of the Crystal Empire a long tongue lick of her lips, her eyes shifting towards the battle in the streets below. There, Chrysalis’ excellent eyesight and spiritual senses had little trouble discerning the shape of events. Her darling children were having a spot of trouble with the handsome white stallion who bore a striking resemblance to one of the Quincy Sternritter. Looked like that relationship mirrored the one in the human realm, then, although from the smell on Cadence things had advanced even further than back home. While her children were having trouble cracking Shining Armor’s defenses, and that of the contingent of crystal ponies advancing down the street, she could tell her children were mostly playing. Not even using Resurreccion yet. Good, she’d taught them well. Play with the food, have fun, never be too eager to end things fast. Life was meant to be enjoyed, not rushed through.
“Looks like your husband is playing nicely with my darling offspring,” Chrysalis commented, as if she was a housewife playing morning gossip with a neighbor, “He seems to be good with children. You must care for him deeply.”
Cadence’s jaw visibly tightened and her nostrils flared at Chrysalis’ seemingly innocent commentary, and she flew at the Espada with a remarkably swift burst of speed. Her crystal spear shot out in a glinting rain of thrusts, surprisingly more than Chrysalis would have expected. She still didn’t have much trouble slightly turning her body this way and that to avoid the piercing polearm, occasionally using a hoof or the scabbard of her Zanpaktou to deflect amid her dodging.
“You keep your damned eyes off of him!” Cadence snarled, “Your only concern right now is me.”
Chrysalis, not even looking at Cadence now as she glanced over at Zecora, kept blocking and dodging as she said, “Were you planning to help, or what?”
Zecora wasn’t even looking at the two combatants, instead holding out her transformed Zanpaktou like some kind of dowsing rod as her eyes narrowed in focus upon the crystal tower, “You seem to have things well in hand. Or hoof, as it happens. You can be the Princess’ opponent. I shall turn my attention to securing our objective.”
With that, Zecora vanished with a Flash Step, and Chrysalis sensed the Reigai appearing down at the bottom of the crystalline tower, near where the Crystal Heart itself was on display. The Espada laughed, “Oh very well, I guess she can have fun dealing with whatever defenses you ponies have set up around your sparkly gem, while you and I can play, Princess.”
With a blurring spin of her spear, Cadence unleashed a series of arcing slashes that left trails of sparkling lights in the air. Chrysalis looked on without a great deal of concern on her bemused features as the trails of light formed into sharpened ribbons of pale blue light that wrapped around her, their edges trying to dig into Chrysalis' hardened skin. Chrysalis imagined she could rip herself free of the bindings, but was curious to see where Cadence was going with this, so waited patiently for the Princess to finish.
Cadence’s horn flashed and a set of five magical circles drew themselves into shape in front of her, one after another in a straight line aimed right at the bound Chrysalis. Cadence then leveled her spear and charged into the magic circles, and with each one she passed through her speed doubled and a magical aura around her and her spread intensified. This led to her impacting with Chrysalis in an explosion of force and a burst of blue energy which left the crystal spear embedded in Chrysalis’ chest. Any satisfaction Cadence may have worn, however, was swiftly erased as Chrysalis let out an unperturbed and appreciative whistle.
“Whewwww, not entirely shabby, my delightfully naïve morsel,” Chrysalis said, and flexed her limbs. The ribbons of magical light that had encased her began to tear, and were torn apart a few seconds later. Chrysalis then wrapped the hoof not holding her Zanpaktou around the shaft of the spear in her and gave it an affectionate pat, “I admit my Heirro was never my strong point, but piercing it at all is still impressive, even if I wasn’t backing it up with any reiatsu just then.”
“Hmph, just toying with me, are you? That’s why you didn’t try to dodge?” Cadence said, pulling back, along with her spear. Chrysalis didn’t try to halt her, letting the spear yank from her chest. The wound there didn’t even bleed for more than an instant before the hole pulsated and closed.
“Well of course I’m toying with you. I’m here to enjoy myself, and it wouldn’t be any fun at all to just snap your dainty neck and dangle your lifeless body in front of your husband and your subjects for all to gawk at. Hilarious, but also gauche and just generally nowhere near as satisfying as taking my time with things. Besides, I thought I’d at least see how strong you were first, let you get a few hits in. I’m a good sport, despite what rumors may float about to the contrary. So, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that wasn’t your best shot just now, yes?”
A stillness came over Cadence’s features, almost like the flawless reflection of a diamond, as she leveled her spear once more and magic started to flow off of her in streaming flickers of blue from both her horn and her body.
“Far from it. I know I can’t hold a candle to the likes of Celestia or Luna, but I haven’t been sitting idle, enjoying the married life. I’ve been preparing to defend my people, home, and family from monsters just like you.”
Chrysalis let out a howl of laughter, “Oh, poor girl, there are no monsters like me, not in my world or yours. But I like the spirit you’re showing. Reminds me of an old friend. I wonder what she’s up to now...? Well, no matter, it’s you I’m playing with today. Now, I think I’ll change into something a bit more comfortable.”
A crackling gout of sickly emerald fire engulfed Chrysalis’ body. In an instant she went from the form of an Equestrian changeling’s equine body shape to the form of her original, tall and painfully well curved human-like Arrancar body. Even Cadence was briefly struck but the arresting level of unnatural beauty contained even in a body that was alien to her visual senses, as if whatever qualities made up Chrysalis’ form somehow transcended the boundaries of taste, preference, or even knowledge of lust. The transformation did, at least, provide Chrysalis with a replica of her Arrancar clothing, although that left little enough to the imagination in the way the white and black trimmed dress hugged her body and left all the right parts exposed to bare, onyx skin.
Now with nicely dexterous fingers to work with, Chrysalis twirled her Zanpaktou and proceeded to vanish with Sonido, her voice making a dancing chime on the wind, “Try to keep up, Princess.”
It was all Cadence could do now just to defend herself as Chrysalis descended upon her like a dark stormfront, all black blurring motions and deadly timed cuts from all angles. Cadence worked overtime with her spear, magic pouring from her horn to lace speed enhancements on her senses and body while simultaneously conjuring kite shaped shields of blue crystal to quickly swim about her like a protective school of fish. Even then Chrysalis’ blade was finding it’s mark numerous times, the Espada making shallow cuts on Cadence’s body. Her armor soaked the initial damage, but there were a few places where her unprotected flesh was sliced. It was obvious to Cadence that Chrysalis was still playing, only making shallow wounds. She focused her magic briefly upon her body... for a purpose that she made a point to keep secret, letting the wounds bleed, or at least appear to do so.
And ever so slowly she retreated, drawing Chrysalis closer to the tower.
Meanwhile Zecora stood in front of the area where the Crystal Heart sat upon a podium of similarly blue crystal, on clear display directly beneath the giant edifice of the tower itself. Suspiciously there were no guards present, but Zecora had known that before she’d even come down. Her Zanpaktou revealed everything around her, piercing all with its unmitigated gaze. Neither physical or metaphysical barriers were able to stop the power of the blade, and it allowed Zecora to see into the truth of all within the power’s range.
It had always been a useful tool for healing, as it let her see the exact nature of the wounds she was treating both before and during the healing process.
Or rather, it let the real Zecora do that. The Reigai had to regretfully remind herself she’d never healed anyone before, she simply had the memories of a great, kind, and noble healer. She was nothing more than a replica of the Fourth Division’s Captain, and had not been “alive” for more than a week. Yes, Starlight Glimmer had begun making the Reigai well before today, but each was still all but a newborn by anyone’s measure of time.
It did no good to dwell on, Zecora knew. She had a task to perform, and if she wished to keep herself and her fellow Reigai alive, she needed to be about it, before Chrysalis did any more damage to this nation of innocent ponies.
To that end, she had to determine the safest way to retrieve the Crystal Heart. She was not so reckless as to just walk up and try and grab the object. Even a casual glance was enough to show Zecora that doing so would be, if not deadly, at the very least problematic.
The sight granted to her by her Zanpaktou showed her that the Crystal Heart was layered in numerous protections. The outer layer consisted of an invisible barrier, not unlike the wards that Soul Reapers used. The ward was attached to the crystal tower itself, and Zecora could look at the pattern of woven magic within it as clearly as someone might look at the threads of a quilt to discern the images they made. Granted she knew little of magic, but while the two used different types of energy she did notice a few similar patterns to what she’d seen in Kido spells. At a guess, she imagined this outer layer would trigger a physical blast of force to push back anyone who tried to cross it.
She might be able to just power her way through, but disabling the ward would be less risky. However she could also tell that there was a second layer of defense directly beyond the first ward, meant to trigger when someone attempted to interfere with or breach the first. This defense was tied to multiple magical circles engraved on the ground and on the ceiling of the bottom of the tower. The symbols were unfamiliar to Zecora, but the energy charged within each circle looked elemental to her, perhaps fire or electricity? They would probably direct blasts or beams at intruders.
Past those elemental wards, Zecora saw a complex weaving of magic energy around the Crystal Heart itself, like a moth’s cocoon wrapped in a conical shape to protect the pulsating heart-shaped gem. Zecora had no idea what this cocoon ward might do, as its weaving was so dense and esoteric that even with her Zanpaktou all the insight she could glean was that it was some kind of amplifier.
Pondering her course, she looked up at the crystal tower itself, expanding her spiritual senses. She could still see and feel the fight between Cadence and Chrysalis, and felt a pang of sympathy for the alicorn. It was clear she was heavily overmatched by the Second Espada, and that Chrysalis was just taking her time to savor her opponent’s growing realization of the fact. And yet...
“Hmm?” Zecora blinked, her attention now focusing upon Cadence herself. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but now that she was paying attention, she realized something about the Princess. Interesting. Had Chrysalis noticed, or was the Espada so flush with her own superiority that she hadn’t actually realized the truth?
Well, no business of Zecora’s. She’d let Chrysalis figure it out on her own.
Now... how to get the Crystal Heart?
----------
Every corner of Canterlot Library’s restricted section bore cobwebs and many decades of gathered dust. Very few creatures were allowed access to the cloistered rooms built down into the very rock of the mountain that Canterlot was constructed on. A bare few lamps were left to be lit in case the rare visitor was slowed down to these chambers, and one such lamp was now lit as a comely unicorn mare sat at a plain wooden table with several books open before her, their ancient texts illuminated by the lamp’s flickering glow and a bit of added light from her horn. Her light violet coat was complimented by a long, sky blue mane, and she wore a well used traveling cloak that bore plenty of patches from a long journey.
Her eyes roved the pages of the book in front of her, an arcane text penned many centuries ago by one of the realm’s more fabled heroes of old; a unicorn known as Mistmane.
Behind the mare a shadow moved, and a stallion with a coat black as soot emerged into the light, his even darker mane blending with the darkness behind him. Yet his eyes glittered bright and green, and he carried a stack of several more tomes that he gently laid at an empty spot next to the mare, speaking quietly, “Found Mage Meadowbrook’s medical journals, but still haven’t tracked down anything from Starswirl. Any luck in Mistmane’s records?”
The mare looked up at the stallion, a slightly amused smile brightening her features, “You know you don’t have to whisper, Sombra? I mean, I know we’re in a library but nopony is down here but us.”
The unicorn named Sombra, one who once called himself ‘King’ and ruled over shadow, coughed in faint embarrassment, a tint of rose on his dark cheeks as he sat down at the table and said, “Well, yes, but it’s so quiet here, just seemed appropriate to keep it down. You don’t have to tease me about it, Radiant.”
“Heheh, but you’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” Radiant Hope said with a disarming grin, but her expression soon turned serious as he looked back at the books she’d been reading, “But to answer your question, no, no luck yet. There is mention of restorative magics that can reassemble broken objects, but nothing specifically pertaining to petrified or crystalized individuals who were once whole.”
Sombra lowered his head, eyes shifting down as well as he slowly slipped open one of the books he’d brought, “Would that I’d never shattered her...”
“Sombra, if you’re going to spend the rest of our lives together kicking yourself-”
“I know,” he said, waving a hoof, “I’m not wallowing. Together we shall fix our mistakes. I just hope there actually is a way forward.”
His gaze drifted to one side of the chamber, where a pair of sizable traveling bags were settled, both full to bursting, “It took a long time, but we finally found all of Amore’s pieces. Now we just need a way to put her back together, and restore her fully. There’s no margin for error, Radiant. It can be deadly for the one being restored if even one element of the spell is out of place.”
Radiant Hope’s hoof went over to touch his in a comforting brush, “Which is why we’re making sure to find the right spell, and why the Princesses acquiesced to us being allowed inside this section of the library. If there’s anyplace in all Equestria where we can find the right spell, it’s here. And no better place to start looking than the journals of the greatest magical minds of the previous age.”
“Yes, although given how many books are down here, we’re likely to spend half a lifetime digging,” Sombra said, then paused, tilting his head. Radiant Hope saw his curious expression and the sudden way he had gone still and found herself whispering to him.
“What’s wrong?”
His eyes shifted upward, “I thought I felt... a tremor, just now.”
Curious, Radiant Hope went silent and closed her eyes to help her focus on her hearing. She also set her hooves on the ground, looking for any sign of what her friend and dear traveling companion had spoken of. For a minute nothing happened, but then she did feel something, like the faintest shake that rumbled through the ground. Her eyes popped open and she turned to Sombra, “I just felt it too. What do you think it is? Wait... you don’t suppose?”
Sombra nodded with a grim frown shadowing his already darkened features. Not long after their arrival in Canterlot to report their success in finding all of the pieces of the shattered previous Princess of the Crystal Empire, Celestia and Luna had informed Radiant Hope and Sombra of the dire events transpiring concerning a Starlight Glimmer who was not of their world. As unbelievable as the tale was, the pair had accepted what the Princesses had told them, and that it was possible that soon these otherworldly forces might attack a major city such as Canterlot or the Crystal Empire.
“If it's them,” Sombra said, “We must get back to the surface and lend what help we can.”
Radiant Hope nodded agreement, quickly going over to grab her saddlebags, “Right! If it turns out to be a false alarm, we can always come back down, but if it isn’t, then surely we can find a way to be of help.”
Just then, however, both unicorns heard the distinct wailing groan of the metal doors to the restricted section being pulled open. It echoed loud in the chambers, well out of view. The restricted section consisted of seven chambers arranged in a circle around a central staircase, to which the heavily warded and locked doors opened up into the chamber on the southern side. The chamber Radiant Hope and Sombra were in was two chambers clockwise from that entry chamber, so whoever had just come down was still not in view, blocked by a maze of bookshelves and separating walls, but the noise still carried far.
Sombra and Radiant looked at one another, and by unspoken agreement, both decided to be silent and quietly moved to hide. Sombra gestured at the lamp on the table, and a curl of shadow rose, reaching out like a pair of fingers to snuff the flame.
While he was no longer a living shadow, no longer “Umbrum”, he still held command over the powers of that element. Somewhat. He had to begrudgingly admit that since he’d been turned into a full blooded unicorn his elemental command over shadow had lessened, if not faded entirely. He’d been learning more conventional unicorn magic to supplement his abilities, and his adventures across the world with Radiant Hope had hardened those skills, but he wasn’t the same powerhouse of shadow he’d once been.
Radiant Hope was a highly capable mage in her own right, although not on par with the likes of Twilight Sparkle. Still, Sombra had confidence in her, and trusted her at his side implicitly. They’d overcome plenty of foes together since they’d set out on their journey, and could fight without needing to communicate plans, knowing one another as well as they did. He didn’t even have to tell Radiant to set up a flanking position with him, her slipping behind a bookshelf at one side of the room while he went to an alcove on the other. He bent the shadows around both of them to further help hide themselves as they waited to see who was coming.
Soon, they both heard voices.
“Ahah! Such a blissful sight, so many books of tightly bound knowledge, all arrayed in neat rows! I scarcely know where to begin, assistant, but since I’m on a time table, I’ll have you direct me. In no particular order I’m looking for books on the following subjects; The Elements of Harmony, temporal magic, mind altering spells, the history and construction of Tartarus, and records of unusually powerful artifacts.”
To this boisterous male voice a female voice answered, not quite stammering but rather strained, “I don’t spend a lot of time here, so I don’t know where everything is. I can point you in the general direction, but you’ll have to find whatever your specifically looking for on your own.”
“Correction, dear assistant, on our own! Come now, I wasn’t expecting you to have the place memorized, and I’m keeping our deal on the whole ‘not killing anyone’ thing you so desperately demanded, so the least you can do is continue to be cooperative. You say you can point us in the right direction, then by all means, point away!”
“Y-yes, of course. Um, I think there’s a shelf on temporal spells this way,” the female voice said, raising a few octaves, “To our right, I think!”
“Geeze, girl, you don’t have to shout,” grumbled the other voice, but Sombra felt a moment of gratitude to the owner of the female voice as he recognized it as the library’s intelligent intern, Moondancer. She knew he and Radiant Hope were down here, and she’d probably shouted for their benefit, in case they hadn’t heard of her and her strange companion’s arrival. Still, that begged the question, who was this individual and were they tied to the forces of the foreign world’s Starlight Glimmer?
The mere fact that he’d mentioned making a deal with Moondancer not to ‘kill’ anyone was more than enough to suggest this person was not a friend. In an instant, he cast a simple spell of telepathy, linking his mind to Radiant’s. It was a spell they both knew, and had used to help coordinate their efforts in the past.
”Radiant, it seems our friendly library intern is in a spot of trouble, and no doubt the city itself is, too.”
Her voice spoke back in his mind, growing fierce and determined as an open flame, ”I heard. Poor Moondancer sounds so scared, but bless her she’s holding it together and even tried to warn us. I don’t know who she’s with, but I’m not about to let them get their hooves on something as dangerous as time-based magic.”
”Or learn of the Elements of Harmony, or Tartarus for that matter. Such knowledge could only be used for ill purpose, I imagine. Hmm, let us wait until we get a look at our foe. If we can launch a surprise attack, we might be able to immobilize him before he has a chance to react.”
He felt Radiant Hope’s agreement as a warm breeze in his mind, and they both waited silently for the sound of two sets of hooves to make their approach. Before long the chamber they were in was illuminated by a wash of magenta and golden light, an interplay of colors that turned all into shifting display of color and shadow. Fortunately Sombra’s own shadow weaving still kept him and Radiant out of view, allowing them a good view of the chamber’s new occupants.
He of course recognized Moondancer by her somewhat unkempt mane, tied back in a knot, and the sweater she wore over her chest, not to mention the rather thick glasses. The creature at her side was unknown to Sombra. He had never seen an entity quite like this one, although minotaurs shared a similar bipedal shape to this creature, although it was much slimmer than a minotaur and lacked the bovine features. Rather, this... man looked like somepony’s sleep-deprived, somewhat manic college professor, with wild white hair that shot out in all directions. He wore odd black robes of a somewhat eastern style that reminded Sombra of nations well beyond Equestria’s borders, as did the curved blade he wore at his side.
This strange creature looked around, golden eyes sharp as drawn steel, and filled with a crazed hunger that matched his voice, “This room, then? Which shelf might the temporal spells be on?”
Moondancer gulped, gesturing vaguely with a hoof to the far side of the room, “Over there, I think?”
“Oho? Well let us take a look, then!”
As the intruder bounded, almost like a colt in a candy store, towards the indicated shelves, Sombra felt a query in his mind from Radiant. Now?
He nodded to himself, drawing shadows around his body.
”Now!”
Although Sombra had at this point long since committed himself to a new path of atonement and righteousness, he still retained a few elements of his less than honorable lifestyle. Especially in battle he believed in striking first, with every advantage, and not giving his opponent a chance to retaliate. Honor was for games of sport. Battles were for those who wanted to survive and win.
He sprang forth, a lancing maelstrom of shadows bursting from around him to instantly cross the ground and rise up around the unknown creature. The shadows held physical mass, wrapping him in a crushing embrace that bound the target in place as solidly as the claw of a dragon, squeezing tight, almost enough to break bone or pulp flesh. Sombra held back just enough to not be fatal, perhaps more for Moondancer’s sake than anypony’s. He doubted the intern would appreciate being next to a living creature getting popped like a grape, and he’d rather not scar the mare’s mind with such a nightmare vision.
The moment Sombra’s shadows bound the creature, the room flared brightly with the light of Radiant Hope’s magic. In contrast to his darkness, her light shone with purest crystal blue as she leaped from hiding and formed her magic into the shape of a blindingly bright, spectral warhammer. She’d been practicing with such conjuring magic for some time, and was quite skillful with the weapon of pure, channeled magic. In a swift display of martial and arcane skill she spun the spectral hammer around and brought it slamming down towards the creature’s head; hopefully enough to knock him out rather than outright kill him. Sombra wouldn’t mind asking their new prisoner a few questions-
“Bakudo Number Eighty One: Danku.”
A translucent plane of force, like a wall of glass, appeared in the hammer’s path, catching the spectral weapon and halting it in mid-swing. Radiant Hope let out a gasp of surprise and pulled her hammer back, while Sombra prepared to send a fresh lance of shadows into their target, but the creature was still chanting rapidly.
”Hado Number Fifty Four: Haien.”
Sombra felt something burning through his shadows, and just barely managed to slide to the side along a stream of shadows as a curved wave of burning purple energy shot out from the creature’s position. This wave of force not only burned through the shadows, but burned clean holes through several bookshelves and then the wall behind them, like the physical matter gave zero resistance to the heat of the... spell? Sombra assumed this was some kind of magic, but wasn’t clear on the mechanics behind them.
Regardless, the creature freed himself of the burnt away shadows and then moved with such speed that Sombra could tell he was all but vanishing from normal view. Tracking such movement would be difficult, although fortunately there was still so much shadow in the room that Sombra could feel the creature’s motions through those shadows, and faced him as the stallion appeared at the opposite side of the room. The creature’s face was twisted in an upset rictus as he drew his sword and pointed, not at Radiant and Sombra, but at the destroyed bookshelves.
“Ooooooh! Did you see what you dolts just made me do!? Who knows what precious knowledge was inside those books! Fiends! Swine! Lower lifeforms! You must have more respect for such precious treasures.”
As the creature ranted, Radiant Hope moved close to Moondancer, protectively standing between the intern and their foe, sparing the mare a quick glance, “Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you?”
“No, no I’m fine,” Moondancer said, “He says his name is Starswirl, and he’s trying to steal any knowledge he can find down here.”
“I think we surmised as much,” Sombra said as he remained where he was, eyes focused on... Starswirl, was it? He’d seen a few pictures and paintings of the vaunted historical mage, and he supposed there was a faint resemblance between those images and this unusual creature, but only in passing. He put aside the numerous questions he had about this so-called Starswirl’s origins and glanced at Moondancer, “Regardless, what’s happening in the city? Radiant and I felt tremors earlier.”
Moondancer shuffled on her hooves, “I don’t... I don’t really know for sure. A big island of ice appeared in the sky, and some mare’s voice called out Princess Luna. Everypony was taking refuge in the library, but then he showed up, defeated the Royal Guards, then had me take him down here.”
“Research assistant, I would greatly appreciate it if you would refrain from speaking as if I am not standing right here. Indeed, you rude pair who attack without warning can ask questions directly of me, if you like. I have naught to hide, but little patience for ill-mannered behavior.”
Moondancer screwed up her face, “I’m not your research assistant! You practically forced me at sword point to ‘help’ you!”
“Would you prefer it if I paid you?”
“No! Just leave me alone!”
“Hmm, a pity, that. I could use an assistant and you appear competent, but if you insist, I suppose I must terminate our professional relationship. Now then, as for the two of you...” Starswirl now pointed the tip of his blade towards Radiant Hope and Sombra, “I’m afraid I’m on a timetable here, so I don’t have long for a Q&A session. Rude as you are, I’ll be the bigger ‘pony’ in this case and answer a few questions if you have them, but understand I am not leaving here without the knowledge I seek. If you intend to bar my path, I’ll not hold back in dealing with you.”
Radiant Hope and Sombra shared a glance, communicating with their telepathic spell. Then Radiant Hope spoke, taking a single step forward.
“Why do you want temporal magic, specifically?”
“Ah, I would think the benefits of such magic would be obvious. Seeing the future to thwart the plans of one’s foes? Traveling the past, perhaps to alter the course of events to one’s favor? Oh, certainly such paradoxical quandaries exist to bar such exercises, but if the magic exists, surely ways to avoid the dangers of paradox and time loops also exist? If not, well, there may be other ways to use such magic to gain advantage, which is what Starlight Glimmer seeks. Personally I just like satiating my curiosity.”
“I see...” Radiant licked her lips, “Then who are you, exactly? What are you? Why do you serve this Starlight Glimmer, whom I assume is the one Sombra and I were told about who comes from the human world?”
“Pfft, one question at a time, madam. Who I am is a replica of my world’s Captain Starswirl, of the Twelfth Division of the Gotei 13, sans about two centuries worth of memories. What I am is a Reigai, an artificial soul born from the real mccoy's spiritual energies, with an exact copy of the original’s knowledge, skills, and powers. Mostly. Starlight has specifically put limits on our power, in case we get... willful and decide not to obey her orders. So I’m not quite as strong as the real Starswirl, but strong enough that I’m certain few things short of your Princesses could make easy work of me. As to why I serve her, well, what reason do I have not to? I desire knowledge, first and foremost, and that aligns with her goals as well. Since if I don’t obey her she’s likely to trigger a kill switch in me, or dispose of me in any number of other ways, it only makes sense to go along with her plans, since they don’t interfere with my own wish to attain as much knowledge of this strange world as possible. There, does this satiate your curiosity? Feel up to speed on current events and my general motivations?”
Sombra spoke then, a hardness in his visage, “So you injured innocent ponies, put the lives of this whole city at risk, solely for the sake of knowledge? Or because you fear death if you do not follow Starlight Glimmer’s orders?”
Starswirl shrugged, “Collateral damage in the pursuit of knowledge is acceptable to me, yes, although I’d harm none if none stood to be in my way. And obviously I fear death. What living being doesn’t? My life may be manufactured, but it remains mine, and I’d like to avoid losing it. That said, I don’t mind risking it in pursuit of my goals. A goal which, right now, you and your female companion are standing in the way of. Sombra, you are called? How very... coincidental. I don’t suppose you are a King in this world, too?”
This world, too? Sombra grit his jaw and shook his head, “King no longer. Never again, if I have my say. Now, I’m just a simple traveler, seeking to fix his mistakes.”
He felt Radiant move a step closer to him, and took comfort in her closeness. Starwirl for his part merely looked at him with a nonplussed expression.
“Well then, it seems we have reached an impasse. All I seek is the knowledge of this library. Depart quietly, and I’ll have no cause to harm you. Remain in my way...”
Sombra felt a rising pressure from Starswirl as the man’s body became aglow with an incense aura of white energy. This sharp rise in power was accompanied by Starswirl speaking in an intoning voice, “Pull apart: Jukuko”
Upon that invocation, the curved blade he had drawn transformed, a gray ooze spilling forth from the blade until, like rapidly hardening concrete, it solidified into the shape of a large iron fan.
“Moondancer,” Sombra said, not taking his eyes off of Starswirl, “Go back to the surface, fast as you can, and don’t look back.”
“A-Are you sure?” she asked, but Radiant Hope placed a comforting hoof on the younger mare’s shoulder, smiling reassuringly.
“Sombra and I will be just fine, you’ll see. Now go, go and take care of everypony upstairs.”
With a final tearful nod Moondancer turned and galloped away, praying as hard as she could that the two strangers now bravely facing the power of this terrifying Starswirl would be able to emerge victorious.
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Yeah, unless Starlight’s Bankai allow some special ability strong enough to cancel Celestial/Eos’ Sunfire, she isn’t going to win.
I also wonder how strong Equestria Sombra is currently.
I'm seeing many, many death flags for Bount Trixie here. I predict she'll sacrifice herself to save the others from Eos. And honestly, this epic has so many god damn characters at this point that taking some who won't really be relevant anymore off the board in an emotional fashion is the best path to take.
Another great chapter down. I'm surprised Starswirl didn't suggest taking the fight outside or something. They all want those books!
Eos, titaness and goddess of the dawn.
Cursed with a lust for mortal men.
I think the molestia angle is 100% not intended.
You hurt the books Your souls are FORFIT
I think than Queen Chrysalis will need to get her "Royal form" from selfless love, per your own words, this would give her a power equal to that of princess Celestia.
Also, Queen Chrysalis is, out of their group, the one with the most knowledges regarding how to counter Celestia, and while Celestia's power thanks to Eos is far greater, well, Chrysalis' abilities would be far from useless, especially those designed to counter Celestia.
Probably the only one this bothered but when Eos showed up, all I could think was "where the hay is daybreaker?" And it inspired me to write this little scene. I'm sorry I couldn't resist and I hope you don't mind.
Anyway on to my thoughts on the actual chapter.
I see Cadence has some sort of plan at least and Shining Armour is probably still holding back as well. The Changelings are still notable by their absence on that front. I expect them and the Dragons will show up soon to back the Equestrians up against their spiritual foes.
So Sombra's been hit with a HELLA HARD nerf hammer. Exactly why are they looking in the Canterlot library for a spell to counter crystallization and NOT the Crystal Empire library where such spells originate, kind of escapes me? I thought they were down there looking for a way to free the Pillars, that would make more sense.
Reigai Starswirl's nerf seems a bit pointless really. BASE Sternritter Twilight pushed the real version to his limit, Substitute Starlight would smoke his ass even at full power without having to expend much effort doing so. As would Espada Chrysalis, seems like a bit of a pointless measure to me. These two should be more than enough to put up a fight regardless.
Part of me still kind of hopes King Thorax has one upped his mother by effectively mimicking her disguise and lingering on Discord's back, about to subdue the unsuspecting Arrancar Ocellus and Pipsqueak, pull the spear out and praise Discord on his willingness to "go along with the plan" as it were, and for discreetly using his magic to move Thorax so he wouldn't be impaled by the spear when it was thrown.
Discord: You know that's not gonna happen right? The plot spear is here to stay.
Me: Yeah, but a guy can dream of a way to make it make sense, can't he?
So, what is the power of Ditzy’s Zanpakuto ?
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Regarding King Thorax, what I hope would happens would be him fighting Arrancar Ocellus and Pipsqueak (although the boy would be the less useful of the two obviously).
What do you think of the idea of Queen Chrysalis getting her « Royal form » , considering it would (per Vex’s own words) put her at a power comparable or equal to princess Celestia ? While she would be less strong than Eos Celestia, they would have actual chances to survive and escape considering Queen Chrysalis plethora of abilities, many likely designed to counter Celestia.
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Effectively it's a sword version of the Portal Gun from, well Portal.
I doubt he would actually fight Ocellus. Arrancar or not, she's still too much like his own little sister and it's doubtful he'd want to fight a literal child either. He'd try and catch them off guard and restrain them with his goop without hurting them.
Even if we assumed it wouldn't hold them (kind of should though as he should be Alicorn level at least) he'd only need a second or two to remove the spear from Discord.
Chrysalis' plethora of abilities somehow "designed" to counter a character she's never actually fought and knows very little about? That'd be a nice trick.
She's only traded ONE magical blast with an obviously holding back Princess Celestia and has no idea what Celestia is even doing at the moment. So the odds of her "countering" much of anything are pretty slim. Besides if she's going to get her true form against anyone, it's far more likely to be Espada Chrysalis.
I think it's pretty obvious their escape is going to come as a result of Bount Trixie's interference and likely sacrifice. And if her days are that numbered, I worry even more about Pony Trixie who couldn't even manage more than momentarily inconvenience some mooks (I mean I get why she couldn't use lightning underwater but she still has energy blasts, let her do some actual damage for crying out loud, she's not that weak).
Well I suppose Pony Trixie will probably end up getting a relic (IF she doesn't die first).