Equus: The Grand Priest
Once her business in Tartarus was finished, and the Wardens assured her that they didn't need help routing the remaining inmates that had scattered after Tirek's defeat, Sunset and her companions headed back towards the gateway that would allow them to return to the Everfree Forest. From there they could traverse the forest for a few minutes and then return to Twilight's castle, where Sunset was sure that she and the Grand Priest, the mysterious stranger that had shown up to talk with her, would spend some time talking before she figured out what he wanted from her. She still wondered if the Grand Priest was here to help her decide who her Angel and Supreme Kai were, though at the same time she kept her thoughts to herself until she discovered what was going to happen.
That, of course, didn't stop Twilight from asking Starlight about her adventure on the other side of the mirror, where Starlight promised to tell her everything she, Sunset, and Ratchet had gone through... where she also warned her that it would likely take a day or two to go through everything, leaving Twilight to giggle about the possible knowledge that she was about to acquire.
As they walked Sunset noticed that Celestia and Luna were glancing at the Grand Priest every now and then, making sure that he wasn't going to try anything funny while he followed them. She, on the other hand, knew that the stranger wasn't here to fight them, because if he had come here with that in mind she was sure that he would have attacked the moment she was finished with Tirek. She was also sure that the man had business elsewhere, especially if there were twelve other universes that required his attention from time to time, as well as the other twelve Gods of Destruction. Sunset also found it amusing that all this time she had assumed that Beerus and the other Destroyer Gods had been nothing but stories, only to discover, by the appearance of the Grand Priest, that they were actually real.
Sunset had an idea how the people of Old Earth, the Universe 13 version of Earth as she mentally reflected, could have known about the twelve Gods and their universes, though she would have to share it with Starlight and the others before the end of the day.
When they emerged from the forest Sunset was pleased to see that the town was alright, because based on everything that Twilight had told her, before she had chased Starlight through the mirror, she had expected something interesting to happen while they were away. As she wondered why the town seemed so ordinary, which was strange to think about when she considered that Discord was living with Fluttershy, but she had to take the mirror into consideration. She had to wonder if the mirror had done more than send her and Starlight away from Equus, though when the thought crossed her mind she immediately discarded it, because if more ponies were missing she was sure that Twilight would have been freaking out at this point... unless she was doing a better job at hiding that part of her and was keeping it all trapped inside herself.
As they approached the castle, however, Sunset and Starlight immediately spotted Spike standing in front of the door, as he had been left behind to hold down the fort while they went to deal with Tirek, though the moment he spotted them he smiled and seemed to cheer up. Sunset remembered the story that Twilight had told her at one point, where Tirek destroyed the library that she and Spike had been living in since they arrived in Ponyville, so she understood that he was worried about all of them. She smiled in return, knowing that the small dragon would appreciate the gesture, while at the same time wondering why he seemed a little nervous, because she spotted him glancing back at the front door for a moment... as if something had actually happened while they were in Tartarus.
"Spike, you didn't have to wait outside while we were in Tartarus," Twilight commented, noticing that her assistant was standing outside the castle, while at the same time wondering if something had happened while they were away, "Did something happen to Ponyville while we were away?"
"No... not exactly," Spike said, to which he opened the doors and beckoned everyone inside, allowing them to walk inside the castle before closing the doors and making his way towards the ballroom, "but, um, Discord showed up while you were away... and he's pacing around the ballroom, insisting that he needs to tell you something."
Sunset immediately flashed back to when Celestia had told them that Discord had come to her to confess his sins about tampering with the mirror and sending both her and Starlight to another part of the universe, while at the same time sending them back between twenty to thirty years. She would not blame the Spirit of Disharmony for what he had done, because it was because of his actions that he had spared Equus from being destroyed when she reached her godly state on her own terms. Still, it actually made her wonder what Discord wanted with them, though she had the feeling that she and the others would find out when they entered the ballroom... where they found the chimera actually pacing around the room, as if he was lost in thought.
They actually stood there for a few seconds, just to watch Discord pace around like a literal madman that was stressing over something, before he finally noticed that they were all standing there... though when Sunset noticed a look of fear appear on his face, for a brief second anyway, she had to wonder if it was her he was looking at or if he was staring at the Grand Priest.
"G... Grand Priest sama," Discord stumbled to say, immediately indicating that he knew the Grand Priest, in some fashion that no one else was aware of, "I wasn't aware that you would be visiting today. Can I get you and the others anything for while you talk?"
"Just some tea will do... the flavor doesn't matter," the Grand Priest said, to which Discord nodded his head and bolted from the room, leaving the man to turn to the group as they took their seats, "I know that a few new questions have formed in your minds thanks to Discord, though the first one would be how the two of us know each other."
"That's correct," Celestia replied, because thanks to all the years she and Luna had spent dealing with the Spirit of Disharmony, and the chaos he brought, she and her sister knew that they had never seen Discord that scared before... especially when they brought the Elements of Harmony to bare against him.
"Discord has been watching Universe 7 for some time," the Grand Priest commented, though at the same time he extended a hand and called upon an image of the Destroyer of that universe, but as Sunset focused on Beerus for a few seconds she noticed two familiar people standing around him, "When I confronted him about what he was doing, the one time he actually entered the universe, he stated that he was looking for two of the ponies that called this planet home; Rainbow Dash and Applejack, if my memory is correct."
"Is that so?" Sunset asked, though at the same time she was interested as to what the girls were doing there, while making a mental note to ask Twilight if she knew about this fact, "This image indicates that someone has been taking good care of them since their arrival, along with showing that they have been changed into a more reasonable form... just like the one I now possess."
"From what I understand the mirror is behind the changes that you see," the Grand Priest said, to which the group paused as Discord came back into the room and literally handed everyone something to drink, though once that was done the Spirit moved over to a nearby chair and took a seat, apparently waiting his turn to say something, "Beerus, Whis, Chronoa, and Shin have been taking good care of them since they first arrived on Beerus' planet, though it will be some time before they are allowed to return to this universe."
"They got sent into the past, didn't they?" Starlight inquired, because she had picked up some useful information from her time in the Great Clock and had an idea why the two girls weren't allowed to return just yet.
"That's correct," the Grand Priest replied, taking a sip from the cup that had been placed in front of him, to which he nodded towards Discord for a moment before turning back to the group, "For you their return would happen in a week or two, as at the moment they are wrapping up some unfinished business on their end, but for them, however, it will be a matter of years before they can cross over."
"Discord's magic is responsible for them being displaced in the first place," Qwark commented, causing the group to turn towards him for a moment, "couldn't we just ask him to, I don't know, follow his magic to wherever Rainbow and Applejack went and just pull them back to this world?"
"I would if I could," Discord spoke up, though at the same time the group noticed that he hadn't touched the cup he had poured for himself, "Sure, I can trace them to the planet, or in this case the universe, that they were sent to by the mirror, but forcefully summoning them back to this world would pretty much destroy the pony they had been before they entered the mirror. They would return without the ability to remember who they used to be, while at the same time they wouldn't be able to remember any of the relationships they made and they would have no idea who they were. However, if I waited for the time magic to wear off, and restore them to an age where their old memories could seamlessly fit in with their new memories, then nothing bad would happen.
Also, the thought of ripping Rainbow and Applejack out of Universe 7, the home of Beerus the Destroyer, scares me, as I worried that he would go berserk and cause a war with our universe until he got his daughters back. That is why I have been trying to observe the girls from a distance... as well as anyone else that has recently crossed through the mirror."
Sunset, now knowing that others had accessed the mirror, wasn't too surprised to find that Discord was checking up on those he had unknowingly displaced, as he had come to check up on her and Starlight at one point. However, the way that he said that there were others that had used the mirror, other than Rainbow and Applejack, made her wonder just how many ponies had been displaced since he tampered with the mirror.
"Discord, we know that Rainbow and Applejack used the mirror," Luna said, staring at the Spirit of Disharmony for a few seconds, knowing that she wasn't going to like the answer that he was going to give them when she asked her question, "so tell us, who else as accessed the mirror?"
"Well, I know Pinkie Pie used the mirror shortly after Rainbow and Applejack," Discord commented, to which he pulled out a small notepad and looked at it, making Sunset worry that there were a lot more displaced ponies than just the three she now knew about, "and, according to all my readings, I have come up with a list of those that have crossed through the mirror; Gilda, Derpy Hooves, Lyra Heartstrings, Trixie, Sombra, and the Sirens, though they used the other anchor and not the mirror in the other room. Even Chrysalis, ex queen of the Changelings, stopped by to use to mirror, though she refused to listen to my arguments and went in anyway."
"Discord... that's twelve lives you've ruined," Twilight said, her mind trying to come to terms with the amount of ponies, and Sirens, that she and the others would need to find the location of and bring them back when the time was right, while at the same time trying to keep herself from collapsing in pure shock.
"I understand your shock Twilight," Celestia said, draping a wing over her former student for a few seconds, before she glared at Discord, "I know that you were looking out for our world when you shattered the anchor and sent Sunset off to another part of the universe, but couldn't you have just closed the mirror once she was on the other side? Its obvious that she and Starlight didn't need it to return to Equus, so wouldn't it have been safer to permanently close the mirror, before something like this happened?"
"That would have left Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack stranded in their new worlds." Discord replied, indicating that he had thought about everything that had happened, "Now, I'm sure that Rainbow and Applejack have a way home, if our friend here is any indication of what can happen, but I couldn't leave the others stranded... especially when some were sent to worlds with little to no magic to begin with. I have been spending most of my energy trying to figure out which planets the others have been sent to and keeping an eye on them, which is draining thanks to how many eyes I have had to create over the last few weeks."
"I hate to interrupt your conversation, but I will be needed back at Zen-Oh sama's palace within the next sixty minutes," the Grand Priest said, to which he set down his cup, which happened to be empty, and looked over at Sunset, who turned her attention back to him, "I will cut to the heart of why I came here, to your lovely planet, and witnessed your fight with the being you call Tirek; I came to see who will take up the position of the Supreme Kai of this universe, as well as who would be willing to be your Angel."
"Could you please explain what these stations are?" Luna asked, because she was curious as to what the roles of the 'Supreme Kai' and the 'Angel' were, while at the same time she knew that Twilight and the others were curious as well, "We know that you're pressed for time, but it would help our decision making."
"Very well, I suppose that its only fair to explain these things to you before you make a decision," the Grand Priest said, to which he looked at everyone as he summoned the image of Beerus once more, though this time the projection of the God of Destruction was accompanied by a projection of someone with a staff and a second projection of someone that was somewhat shorter than the other two, "The Supreme Kai are essentially Gods of Creation, as they provide the catalyst for life and planets to be born, as opposed to the Gods of Destruction, who destroy life and planets, which maintains the balance of the universe. Basically they watch over the universe, sometimes advise the worlds that they are watching over, and, in the instance of Shin and Beerus, sometimes the Supreme Kai finds a planet that has to be destroyed for the safety of the universe..."
"Where the Supreme Kai will tell their Destroyer about the planet," Azimuth commented, knowing what the Grand Priest was going to say and was beating him to the punch, "which leads to that planet's destruction."
"Indeed." the Grand Priest agreed, though if he was upset over being cut off he wasn't revealing it to the group, "Angels, on the other hand, exist to guide and teach their God of Destruction to master their destructive powers, while at the same time being an attendant for them. They are also slightly more powerful than their God of Destruction, as there are times where an act of destruction needs to be stopped because of some reason. As you can see, from the projection of Whis, all Angels carry a staff that allows them to speak with people over long distances, or observe events that their Destroyer is interested in."
Sunset had known about some of the responsibilities of the Supreme Kai and the Angel, as the Codex fragments they had acquired on the other universes stopped once it revealed that there were twelve universes, thirteen if she counted her own universe. The knowledge they had on the other universes was incomplete, which meant that she had no idea what could happen when they determined who her Angel and Supreme Kai were.
"I will gladly accept the responsibility of being Sunset's Angel," Celestia said, surprising most of the group for a few seconds, as well as her own sister in the process, but at the same time Sunset smiled at her, "I don't know any of the rituals or rites that we would go through to make someone an Angel, but I am more than willing to do anything that's required of me."
"Oh, we don't need to do anything like that," the Grand Priest said, to which he snapped his fingers for a second and a scepter, one that was gold on the top and bottom, while fire orange colored in the middle, appeared near the table, though at the same time the group noticed that at the top of the scepter rested a black orb that was surrounded by a blue ring, "I prepared this ahead of time, though because I knew that a pony was bound to volunteer to be Lady Sunset's Angel I added a little something to it. Go ahead and grasp it with your magic."
Celestia nodded and pulled herself from where she was sitting, to which she approached the scepter and studied it for a moment, where she noticed that the color mimicked the flame that had surrounded Sunset earlier. She sighed for a moment and took the scepter with her magic, to which she felt a strange power surge through her magic and enter her body. A light surrounded her for a few seconds, where she felt her body changing on her, though at the same time she didn't feel any pain from it, which she assumed had to be part of what the Grand Priest had done to the scepter. When the light faded a few seconds later she heard several gasps when the others took in what had happened to her, to which she looked down at her body and nearly gasped in surprise.
Her body had changed into the hybrid form that Sunset was locked into, though she noticed that while her front hooves had turned into hands, and her forelegs into arms, her hind legs and hooves remained the same, only repositioned so she could walk like a bipedal creature, like Ratchet or Sunset. As she looked at her new form she noticed that her wings had been taken away, to which she determined that she could learn a new flying technique from Sunset, while at the same time noticing that her body now resembled Sunset's, with the partly human anatomy, the pony tail, and the pony ears that she now had. She also discovered that she was wearing some new clothing that resembled the clothing that the man called Whis was wearing, though where Whis' was reddish colored hers was golden yellow, much like her former attire.
The strangest part about it was the Angel markings that mimicked the diamonds on Sunset's sash, but she figured that it was part of determining which God of Destruction she served... though she also bowed to the Grand Priest in respect for a few seconds.
"Well, that was a rather easy decision," the Grand Priest commented, to which he snapped his fingers again and summoned a bracelet of some kind, though the group knew that if another pony took it they would be changed to match Sunset and Celestia's new forms, "Now then, who shall take the position of the Supreme Kai for this universe?"
"I propose that Twilight be the one to take on the title and role of the Supreme Kai," Celestia spoke up, to which she looked at the rest of the assembled group, and noticed that her sister seemed unsure of allowing Twilight to jump in power once more, "Luna, remember that Twilight is the first pony, since the time of Starswirl himself, that has created new magic and understood every school of magic that she has so far discovered. Despite all of her outbursts, she has proven that she can keep calm under pressure and find a solution that works for everyone, so I cannot think of anyone more suited to be the Supreme Kai than her."
"If you say so sister," Luna said, knowing that she trusted her sister's judgement, though at the same time she wouldn't deny that she was a little jealous of her and Twilight, because she was sure that the change in form had empowered her sister... and would likely do the same to young Twilight.
Twilight stood there for a few seconds, as it was clear that she was unsure of what she should do, but she eventually let out a sigh and used her magic to levitate the bracelet over to her, where she could feel the power surging into her body. She gasped as the light surrounded her and felt her body shifting, though she was surprised to discover that there wasn't any pain, just like if she had used the mirror to travel to the other world that Sunset had been on for some number of years before she had decided to return home. When the light faded she looked down and found that her body mimicked Sunset's, as well as Celestia's, though she was roughly the same height as Sunset, if not a little shorter. She found it odd to be in a form that was a mix of human and pony, where she had her tail, pony ears, and horn, while at the same time her wings had been taken... though personally she didn't mind losing her wings.
She also noticed that the clothing that had been created on her new form, just like what had happened when Celestia had transformed into her Angel form, actually mimicked the clothing of the mysterious Supreme Kai that was standing near Beerus and Whis, though the coloration was fire orange, much like the other pieces of attire that Sunset and Celestia were wearing.
"Now that I have found out what I came here to find out, and have helped you choose who Lady Sunset's Angel and Supreme Kai are, its time for me to leave," the Grand Priest commented, to which he stood up and nodded his head to Sunset, who stood up and gave him a slight bow anyway, before he conjured a book and levitated it over to Twilight, "That will help you understand your new role and all your new responsibilities, though I do know that you will have some time to relax before you are all summoned before Zen-Oh and the other Gods."
"We eagerly await the time where we can stand before Zen-Oh and the other Gods," Sunset said, knowing that she was eager to meet with Beerus, especially when it appeared that Rainbow and Applejack were currently living in his universe at the moment.
The Grand Priest nodded before walking outside, to which the group watched as he levitated into the air and summoned some sort of portal or gateway that allowed him to travel the distance between Equus and wherever Zen-Oh's palace was located. A few seconds later the Grand Priest disappeared before their eyes, to which the gateway he had opened disappeared the moment he was gone, leaving the group to come to terms with what had happened. Once they were sure they were alone Sunset turned to Twilight and Celestia, where she noticed that the two of them were having some difficulty with walking in their new forms, to which she smiled at them.
"It seems that all of us are going to be learning something over the next few days," Sunset commented, causing the group to look at her for a few seconds, before she turned to Discord, "You and I shall have words about searching for the planets that the other displaced ponies have been sent to thanks to the mirror, but for now you should continue whatever you were doing before the Grand Priest showed up."
As Discord nodded his head, and moved to head to wherever he was keeping track of all the ponies he had displaced, Sunset turned back to everyone else and smiled, because she could teach Celestia and Twilight how to walk and harness the power that came with their new forms. Then, one they had settled into a routine, they could talk with Discord and figure out where the other ponies were located, which would take some time and effort on their part, especially if time magic was involved. There was also no telling when the Grand Priest would come and summon them to Zen-Oh's palace, but she was going to make sure that they had time for some training sessions before that time came.
Sunset turned her smile towards the sky for a few seconds, because she was interested in seeing what happened when Rainbow and Applejack returned... along with the people that were watching after them at the moment. She was excited for the possibility of meeting Lord Beerus, but at the moment she decided to focus on what was happening and help both Celestia and Twilight... because she knew that they would need some help adjusting to their new forms, and then they could focus on bringing stability to their entire universe.
Stats
Page generated in 0.084 seconds
Total duration
637 users online
845,689 hits today, 1,960,719 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
You glorious bastard, this is such a tease! You just gave us so much to look forward to! So the Lyra in WoW is canon, Eco is canon, is Sombra visits Skyrim canon? To this chain of stories that is. Bravo Blackdrag, bravo!
8261683 Pinkie and Lyra's stories are canon to this set of stories I'm weaving, but not the Sombra one. I actually have a new story in mind for Sombra, a new world for him to explore that will be canon to this universe I have created.
8261727
Ah, ok. I must say, that is an impressive spread of characters to send through the portal. Are any of them going to end up together before returning to Equestria? I seem to recall Lyra's story description mentioning a second pony in WoW?
8261730 Ah, Lyra will be having a companion in her story. Of course the Sirens will be together, I mean they are sisters and it seems wrong to separate them... and, you might find this strange, I've decided to bundle Gilda and Derpy when I reach their story.
8261735
You do realize that means the only other ponies that could be Lyra's companion are Trixie or Sombra? And since you already said that Sombra is getting a new world to explore...... I am looking forward to Archmage Trixie Lulamoon and Demon Hunter Lyra Heartstrings meeting up. Ooh, I can just picture Medivh tutoring Trixie in magic. I am not considering Chrysalis because, well, she is a changeling, and I just think it would be funny for Chrysalis to end up in a world over-saturated in love.
And Gilda being paired with Derpy? Depending on if this before RD and PP visit Griffonstone in the show or after, the dynamic will be interesting. If it is before, I am looking forward to Derpy changing Gilda's worldview. The muffin-loving mailmare is more intelligent than she lets on. Apparently there is a story on this site about her being a planeswalker from Magic the Gathering.
8261741 I am aware that I cut down the choices of who can join Lyra (and made it really easy to determine otherwise). As for Chrysalis, however, I had an interesting idea that would utilize her natural skills.
Though now everyone can be happy that I've told them who Sunset's Supreme Kai and Angel are... or annoyed, if they determine that someone was more suited for the position.
8261750
Honestly, I am not surprised by who stepped up, it makes sense in the long run. The only question I have is if both the Angel and Supreme Kai have to leave the planet, who will take over their duties? I'm pretty sure it is obvious who takes over for the Angel, but not as obvious for the SK. Will there be more Kais at the end of the series than the three we already have? Well, 4 counting Clank/Orvus' position. I can just tell that Rainbow's first words after learning about Sunset's new job and returning home are going to be a sparring challenge.
Yay for guessing right!
8261764 Well, Twilight can always train Starlight as her apprentice, as I'm sure that Starlight would be wanting to learn more about the universe and everything that Twilight has to deal with now. Worse case scenario; they ask Discord to help out.
At the time of reading Gilda ,Derpy, Trixie, Sombra, the Sirens and Chyrsalis don't have a story yet.
And her forelegs into arms.