Fixer Upper
Far to the north of the Lost Archive, in a similarly ancient yet gleaming fortress overlooking a glittering jewel of a city, rested a tired and flustered Alicorn. It doesn't matter how much gold a person owns, how many people try to suck up to them or even how much coffee keeps them up because when you're sitting in front of a desk late at night reading legislation after legislation and piles of borderline asinine proposals you grow annoyed all the same. With a huff, she finished the last of the chocolatey coffee and considered finally going to sleep. But, regardless of whether or not she wanted to rest for the night she thought the people who'd be affected by these laws would be appreciative if she went over them at least once.
"Last I checked dear sister I was the one who was meant to stay up all night and seem discontented." A mirthful, regal voice called out from the dark.
"We both have a rather large country to run and unfortunately the nobles are rather finicky about proposing bizarre laws...Honestly, did they really think I'd approve even half of these laws?" Celestia asked rhetorically without looking away from her desk as Luna approached her, her dark purple coat blending into the shadows.
"I've noticed the nobles seem to be a bit more...frivolous than I remember. Still, some of them do have their place in the royal circle even if the others are rather annoying." Luna reminded as she looked over Celestia's expansive and covered white desk and scoffed at some of the proposals.
"Do you ever miss the old days? Things were so much more...Exhilarating and less tedious; against all odds these last few years have been seemingly more problematic than the early days of Equestria." Celestia wondered with nostalgia in her magenta eyes as she looked around her cozy, elaborately decorated room. On the walls, in cases and on shelves were the relics of Celestia's real past; the flowery stories and myths tend to leave out the bloodshed, friendships and hard fought victories. Dented helmets, a few rusted swords or shields and some pictures of the now long since abandoned band of heroes she and her sister stood side by side with.
"You seem to be forgetting, dear sister, that each day was a fight for survival against regimes, monsters and anything else fate saw fit to hurl at us. It was fun no doubt but how much did our adventuring days cost us in the end?" Luna reprimanded as she too looked at the mere nick-nacks but not in wonderment.
"It was rather hectic, but I still pine over them." Celestia admitted with a small huff.
"If you truly wish to relive the olden days then go out on a hunt or a deployment with the royal guard, otherwise you could get drunk in the cellars or spend time with Twilight; blood, beer and friends were the cornerstones of our adventures after all." Luna suggested as she levitated one of her displayed swords and noticed the dulled yet freshly dusted and polished blades.
"Heh, I believe there was one more element that made our adventures so engaging." Celestia teased as she fondly remembered some of her old companions. In response Luna merely scoffed and blushed slightly.
"Speak for yourself, some of us didn't lust over every smooth talking rogue and bard that joined in our quest." Luna defended as she grimaced at her sister's less than exemplary dalliances.
"Oh, so I was the only one? I think I remember a certain young, starry eyed mage who caught your attention..." Celestia mocked as she looked over at her annoyed sister; Luna's scowl warned Celestia she might've taken to far so she stopped while she still could. They were silent for a short while as Luna stared at an old photo of the two of them.
"How many of them are still around? I'd been meaning to check but with all the chaos of reintegrating and managing crises across the country..." She asked, knowing what her answer would most likely be.
"Most of them were mortal...Only Azure Light, Mystic Mind and Golden Hammer weren't and they've been gone for a very long time." Celestia sadly informed as she began to remember the small band of heroes.
"...Shame, they were amazing people and greater warriors." Luna simply said, masking how deeply the news hurt despite the fears already existing prior.
After a short pause, Celestia stood up from her table and walked over to the balcony and looked over Canterlot and smiled to herself.
"...You know what they told me when I told them the next capital of Equestria was to be constructed on the side of a mountain?" Celestia asked with a small smirk.
"I imagine they thought you'd gone soft in the head." Luna quipped as she too walked out onto the chilling platform and breathed in the cool, sweet night air.
"That they did. They told me it was impossible and that there were was no crew willing to take such a foolhardy operation...I proved them wrong of course. If my years fighting the unbeatable and touring the world on a wild goose chase has taught me anything it's that nothing is truly impossible; granted I needed to pool in my resources, find a few geniuses and mad men from our old adventuring days and hope to the Goddess it didn't blow up in my face...But I did it." Celestia exclaimed proudly as she placed her alabaster hooves on the railing and smiled sadly.
"You did a wonderful job, I just wish I could've been there with you." Her sister praised with a soft voice.
After placing a wing on her shoulder, Celestia continued. "You can't keep dwelling on the past. We forgave each other for what we did, Equestria has embraced you once more and you're surrounded by close friends. It was difficult, I won't lie, to keep going without you...Without another immortal. But I wasn't alone and I have people who supported me and reassured me when I began to doubt my rule; I was the reason you were alone. can't compare my gilded cage to your banishment." Celestia tried to comfort.
"Tia..." Luna started, telling her sister she was about to say something important. "...I don't want you to keep comparing your losses with mine. Yes, I suffered for a millennia on the moon with nothing but my anger and yes I was alone. But in between the dark thoughts that took hold, I knew I'd done something worthy of my punishment. I'd divided our home, I'd torn down the fragile peace we'd strived for since we were old enough to want and worst of all I-...It took away the only friend you had left. I was alone but I grew to accept what I'd done and forgive myself for my actions. But despite my acknowledgement I could never accept what I'd done to you." Luna vented, staring down into the lonely streets far below and patrolled castle grounds.
"Luna..."
"I know, we've gone over this all before but it's hard to simply move on from something like that. We both lost a thousand years to my anger and your ignorance...You said we're both to blame and I'm still trying to believe that. I'm sorry for bring this up, you've had a long day and the last thing you need is to hear what you most likely already knew. Goodnight Tia, try and catch some sleep." Luna apologised and turned back toward the large, ornate doors into her room. But before she could go, Celestia turned to her.
"It occurs to me we've had very little time to just talk recently; I've been in the court seemingly all year and you're constantly either in night court or helping with the Lunar Guard...Would you like to go out for tea later this week?" Celestia asked hopefully causing Luna to grin.
"I'd love to. I've still been unable to see the city properly for more than a few minutes between public appearances and defending the streets from the occasional Changeling attack or Centaur." She joked, trying to shrug off the soulful heart to heart.
"There's these little tea shop a few blocks from the train station with an amazing view, they make the best scones." Celestia recommended, pretending to fantasies about the quaint little eatery.
"It sounds spectacular sister. I'm free Friday afternoon, does that sound good for you?" Luna remarked truthfully. As the elder sister nodded Luna bid farewell and seemed to disappeared as stealthy as she appeared.
As Celestia prepared to drift off to sleep in her oversized and ludicrously comfortable bed, she could help but reflect on her recent years. Despite the strain of the arrogant nobles, the alarmingly representative threats of Queens, old rulers and demons and the struggle of diplomacy...Having Luna back in her live, seeing Twilight blossom into a promising ruler along with the newest addition to the royal family...She couldn't possibly ask for more in that moment.
"-And with your aid we'll be well on our way to establishing the wondrous nation of knowledge you once lead!" Cried out Faded Scroll with a magnificent light in his milky eyes as he followed his liege.
"uh huh, okay..." Alistair halfheartedly replied, barely listening to him ramble about his 'future kingdom'. "Say, how many men have we got here? I hope that small group that welcomed me back to live wasn't all I've got." Alistair asked, finally engaging Scroll as he looked back at him and thought to himself the best way to dispose of the overgrowth of weeds across the floor they were stepping over.
"Currently, our coven has eighty seven fighters including myself and thirty two healers and Mimickers; the rest are comprised of children, the elderly and the ill. Despite this many of us have some small skill in the art of Weight Manipulation." Faded Scroll reported to his master as he watched him strut around his old, cavernous study hall placing his hand on the weathered shelves and watching as the stone snapped in place and turned marble white while tomes, books and grimoires seemed to shape out of nothing or repair themselves.
"Wait, you fight?" Alistair questioned, half surprised and half impressed. The room was no longer bathed in moonlight but was now painted orange and black from the few candles placed on the restored tables in the center and on the railings on the nineteen floors overhead with the occasional silver beam wafting in from the gigantic coloured mosaic windows behind the Arcane Throne.
"Well...Yes and no. I can't see and my body is far from in its prime but I do know an exorbitant amount about strategy, warfare, siege tactics and magic; it's what has allowed us to hold the Lost Archive against the few threats that have breached our defenses." Faded Scroll confessed, his frail body being propped up by his polished, engraved steel staff resonated with magic power.
"I see, and where did an old timer like yourself learn siege tactics? I don't remember writing a whole lot on conventional warfare." Alistair inquired as he looked over the fifth towering shelf he'd restored and inspected the books.
"Oh, long ago when I was a member of the military." He elaborating with a kind smile, raising more questions then answers.
"Which one? Or did you fight for them all." The Hierophant continued his questionnaire as he prepped to rebuild another row of hundreds of books.
"The Royal Equestrian Army, Enchanter Division." Faded informed before once more marveling at how effortlessly he repaired the age old tomes.
"So how'd a skilled tactician go from the Equestrian army to joining a cult? You're giving me a lot of blank spaces here." He kept going, almost annoyed at how little Faded who say.
"Well, it's a long story but I'll summarize. I was a renowned leader in the army, it's true, and I had my soldier's respect despite my young age and gung ho attitude. After years of studying with the Enchanters and Tacticians I bared witness to conquest after conquest. Bandits, Diamond Dog dens, slavers and the occasional dragon...They all fell to my infantry's swords and my wit. I rapidly elevated in rank until...We were mobilizing to respond to reports of Griffon bandits near the border but we were ambushed on the trek over. We fought hard and resiliently but in the end our forces were routed and I was left behind with the other dead weight. They blinded me, I still don't know why to this day, and left me in a cell with other injured or tortured soldiers...I heard a lot my former friends die in that cage." Faded recounted with a deep frown as he relived his memories, all while Alistair sat down in a chair next to him and placed his grimoire on the table.
"Gods damn...That sounds beyond horrendous." He said sympathetically as he placed a hand on the blind stallion's shoulder to comfort him causing Faded Scroll to smile slightly.
"You don't need to offer sympathy, you were the one who saved me after all." He continued with a beaming smile.
"How? Wait, now I see why your thoughts were harder to read..." Alistair commented to himself as he smacked his head for being so stupid.
"Yes, I'm a Telepath, the only one in your order currently. A few weeks into our imprisonment and I saw something in my dreams. A shapeless haze unlike anything I'd see and within that miasma a voice called out to me; it told me it'd give me the power to change my fate and do good in this world and when I awoke...The experience of having my mind open up like that was daunting at first but by the end of the month. Well, it's much easier to escape when you can plant the idea that the guards are going to mutiny against the bandit chief and while they're fighting convince an imbecile to unlock our cells." He continued with a proud smirk and a small, hacking chuckle.
"I'm impressed, most Telepaths can't implant an idea in someone's mind until at least a year of practice and training." Alistair remarked, eyes wide open and smiling at his unofficial second in command.
"Thank you Sir Alistair, as I'd later find out I was indeed remarkably talented at controlling weaker minds...Though I swore once I escaped never to do so or to use my powers for evil; you gave them to me because you saw me and knew what I could do. I don't know if you were aware of what I'd done but I still believe you had a purpose for me. My men carried me back to Equestria to which we received a hero's welcome and a patch up. The morning after, me and a few men I'd told my tale to had disappeared to start what you saw tonight." Faded finished with a small bow of his head to which Alistair applauded lightly.
"I'm glad to see you didn't squander what I gave to you on something petty or villainous...I hope at least." He added at the end under his breath, reminding himself he'd have to ask others for events that transpired afterwards.
"You don't need to thank me, my lord. Truth be told I should be thanking you, were it not for your intervention I would've either died in that cell or be ransomed back to Equestria as a cripple. All of us are here because of you, we've all inherited one of your four gifts and we all are better for it." Faded informed with genuine happiness much to Alistair's confusion.
"Four? What about the art of achieving a magical form? It seems like it'd be the most desired gift since it leads to immortality...Not that I'm shitting on Telepathy or anything but most people would really not like to die." He inquired then defended as he realized he might've insulted the closest thing he's got to an ally.
"No need to apologise, I know you didn't mean to offend and yes it's true many have tried to mimic your own power. The outcomes have been...Horrifying." Faded said with a shudder in his voice as Alistair got up and began fixing more ruined furniture and shelves while stepping over the wild vines and flowers that he'd have to remove later.
"What happened to them? I wrote multiple studies on the art of Transcendence, how could anyone screw up?" Alistair asked, partially fearful as he hid his worried frown from Faded Scroll.
"Much of what you wrote and pioneered was lost with the Archive itself...Celestia feared what your knowledge could do for more powerful or unjust nations and thought it wiser to let sleeping dogs lie and to confiscate what shreds of your work existed outside your lands. Those who followed in your footsteps without the proper training, tools, or procedures were...I suppose an apt term would be lost...Yes, lost to the same realm you resided in." Faded Scroll told him as he remembered all the stupid fools who'd died through their lack of caution. Alistair for his part was silent for a short while, head bowed and features hidden, before he placed his right hand on another broken relic and continued restoring the room.
"Gods damn it Celestia...You should've know this would've happened...How many were lost?" Alistair implored as he refused to look away from his work.
"We personally lost ten people, six adults of varying races and four Equestrian foals, before we all agreed to stop our research though the number of people who've tried globally would be staggering." Faded confessed with a looks of sorrow.
"Ten?! You let ten people die before you stopped? And why the hell were children even allowed to study Transcendence? It took me twenty years before I even understood the concept of Transcendence and you allowed children to try?!" Alistair snapped, outraged and distraught over the foolishness of his followers, as he turned around and looked at him; if it weren't enough that his presence and power frightened Faded Scroll then his smoldering eyes did.
"W-We were in the early stages of banning research before they got a hold of the loose bits of information we'd gathered and tried for themselves. By the time we'd figured out what they were up to they had already..." He guiltily confessed, looking down in shame at what he considered one of his greatest blunders. Alistair for his part merely looked at him contemplatively before getting back to his work.
"You did the right thing by shutting down all research into a field you knew nothing about, shame it took the deaths of ten of your own for you all to wise up." The immortal snapped, scowling him while conceding that it wasn't directly anyone's fault. For a long time, they remained silent. Alistair worked tirelessly and meticulously to restore the aged library and Faded Scroll sat quietly in the center going over his thoughts and aiding workers around the crumbling ruins if they requested his thoughts. The silence was broken however when Alistair cried out in alarm when a loose chunk of marble fell off from atop the shelf and smashed into his right arm with an audible thud.
"L-Lord Alistair! Are-"
"Yes, yes, I'm alright Fade...It hurt a lot but I'm alright. It'll take more then that to dent this form...You know, I almost forgot I could feel pain that wasn't magical or emotional for a while, kind of a nice reminder before someone stabs me again with a mythical sword." Alistair calmly said as he interrupted his panicking assistant who was hobbling over to help mend the arm only to be amazed at the lack of damage.
"W-Well that's a relief, we went to Tartarus and back to save your soul and it'd be quite the shock if a piece of marble killed you so soon..." Scroll reminded as he pulled out a tattered cloth from his concealed saddle bag within his white and gold robe and began dabbing his forehead.
"Yes, it'd be rather unfortunate and hilarious in a morbid sense." His liege remarked as he laughed at the idea of a powerful mage dying from a bump on the head. After a brief bout of laughter he turned back to the work at hand, rolled his shoulder and fixed the final shelf on the bottom floor of the grand study hall.
"One down, nineteen to go...How long until the envoy mobilizes to contact the other hold outs in the region?" He inquired thoughtfully as he exhaled and looked up and watched the light fade towards the stone ceiling.
"They'll be ready to move out at dawn, my liege. They've been preparing for this day for years now and won't fail you." Faded Scroll told with pride and trust in his fellow members causing Alistair to smile.
"Excellent, and how many should I be expecting to return?" Alistair continued.
"Several hundred, my liege. We should have well over a thousand by the end of next month if we can spread the word to the whole south of Equestria." Faded optimistically announced, despite the news Alistair seemed less assured.
"No, no that won't do...The Bibliotheca alone could house several thousands in its prime and with my magic it'll be better than its prime...And we'll need a stronger fighting force to hold the gates if we're going to turn this back into a safe haven of knowledge..." Alistair mumbled as he tried to organize a plan in his head before snapping his fingers in triumph.
"You've formulated a plan, my lord?" Scroll asked hopefully, lapping at any chance to speed along the process of recovery.
Yes, why didn't I think of this sooner? We already have allies in waiting! prepare another smaller party to ride south to Val'kala and contact the royal houses. I suspect they're not as grandiose as they once were given the fact that the border has been turned into this Badland you call it but they'd never stop guarding the Human homeland. They won't find much in the way of supporters of my family, especially if you're sending Equestrians to their gates, but they've always trusted Minotaurs and Diamond Dogs; I saw a few of them during my homecoming party and they looked brawny to say the least...Now, if my memory is right Houses Wolfbane, Lort, Glin and Stoneshield swore a blood oath to us. Glin have always been dubious at paying debts but Stoneshield live for honour, doesn't matter if I've been dead for a few millennials they'll show up and we'll need their masons to fix up the rest of this and Wolfbane have some of the best archers I've ever seen..." Alistair ordered with a spark in his eye, envisioning the future scale of the Lost Archive. As he continued to structure the coming project in his mind, he couldn't help but notice the deafening silence. Somewhat irritated, he turned around and noticed how uncomfortable and disheartened Faded Scroll looked; even though he couldn't see he somehow was able to look away from his gaze.
"Fade, is something wrong? Don't tell me Val'kala fell!" Alistair pleaded, genuinely fearful about the idea that his home might've been lost in the eons old war. To his credit Faded was able to look back at him and answer, although he was reluctant to do so and was preparing himself.
"I-It's worse I'm afraid...My lord...The last known Human died over a thousand years ago..." Faded Scroll said with no small amount of despondency.
"What?...You...You're joking right?" Alistair hoped, begging the Goddess above that Faded was playing a cruel joke on him as he watched his expression darken as he prepared himself.
"No but I wish I was...After you died and the few who stood by you fell guarding the border, the King threw everything he had at the Equestrians and used every weapon he had at his disposal. Thousands died, lands were scorched as they retreated back into the capital and watched as town after town was razed or occupied. Val'kala held out for well over a year while citizens and houses evacuated to allies across the sea like the Minotaurs but many ships never made it or were captured at sea. The battle was officially lost when the King used his ultimate weapon only to see it backfire. Accounts vary from person to person but the most common tale is that the city was leveled along with the remaining forces and a large portion of the Equestrian army." Scroll recounted as he watch his leader wordlessly stumble over to the large, polished brown wood table in the center, collapse into a chair and wordlessly stare forward; despite his emotionless facade he was in agony.
"Over the years Humanity spread across the Minotaurian Isles, aligned themselves with dozens of different Diamond Dog packs even a few Zebra tribes...And, much to their own people's dismay, some people were able to live with the Equestrians in their capital; they were all but stripped of their Humanity in the eyes of their own family but they were some of the Humans whose lineages survived the longest. They all tried but no large gathering of Humans and other races were able to create the new capital for Humanity and their homeland was nothing but ash. Many cities, houses, bands and armies rose and fell over the years and many Minotaurs, Diamond Dogs, Zebras and a few Equestrians have Human ancestry but tragically there was never a grand resurgence in Humanity's power, reach, population or respect. Many of the once royal houses either died out from infighting, were assassinated one by one or lost too much of their power to be considered regal; the few that lasted devolved into raider bands, evil yet tiny nations that lasted less than a century or simply disappeared in the hundred years or so after what's now commonly referred to as 'The Fall of Humanity'...The last known Human died surrounded by her entire village in the Minotuarian Isles...I'm...I'm sorry you had to find out this way, I wanted to wait until you were ready to hear-"
"I was never going to be ready! How the fuck do you prepare yourself to hear you're the last living member of your species?! How did you even think I'd handle this? Did you think I'd be able to shrug it off? Act like a noble, regal ponce and soldier on?! Maybe you thought I'd find solace in the knowledge that some people still give a damn about whatever man sired me and if he had noble blood? Did you think I'd just find out? Stumble across a history book and figure it out on my own so you could avoid seeing all of this? What the hell did you think would happen?" Alistair shouted at the frail man, interrupting his sorry excuse for an explanation, as he turned to look at him; his eyes were bloodshot and his features showed equal measures of contempt, sadness and regret.
"I don't know...I guess...I was hoping you'd react as positively as anyone could when hearing such news...I know it isn't much consolation but you're surrounded by people who wish to support you, to see you rebuild what was lost and to give you the live you deserved." He tried to placate, watching his idol scoff at him and eyed him with anger.
"Fuck being positive. My species is gone, my family has all but been erased from history aside from whatever hogwash you've heard about me and I'm surrounded by misguided idiots in the ruins of everything I worked hard to achieve...Every war I fought in, every spell I conceived and every pupil I helped guide...All of it was to see a better future for my house and my country...Now all that's left is rubble and a few pages in a musty history book. I should've died with the rest of my family and stayed dead..." Alistair cried out in defeat, depressed, angry and tired. Faded Scroll was doing all he could to not panic at the sight of his ruler giving up on everything he'd tried to set in motion.
"B-But you're actions helped Humanity survive for a few more thousands of years...I know this is beyond agonizing to hear, but I know you can help rebuild what was lost, I know in my heart that you can lead a country greater than Val'kala and-"
"I'm not going to build a facade of a country on top of my homeland's ashes. I'm not going to build a wonderland for your followers and your little fanatics, I'm going to rebuild this archive alone if I have to and stay here till someone kills me or I die from entropy." Alistair announced, stunning Faded Scroll silent and rocking him to his core as Alistair merely placed his head in his hands and sighed as he tried to think of anything he could do.
"But...You're all that's left, you're our idol, our hope for a better future! You could rebuild a nation unto which all could live in harmony and you could rebuild the wonderland of magic Val'kala was." Faded tried, and failed, to raise his spirits by reminding him of what he envisioned for Alistair. All it got from him was a bitter chuckle.
"'Wonderland'...Do you know what Val'kala was when I died? A haven of dark magic, terrible inventions and a dictator who ruled with an iron fist. It wasn't a 'wonderland' and it never was. It was a country like any other, the only difference is this one's buried under its people's bones. I don't give a damn if I'm your idol...Your hope...Your messiah, because I don't want to be, nor will be, any of that. I didn't want to come back to the world of the living yet you dragged me back here and want me to lead your pitiful group? I'm only still here because it's become apparent there's nowhere on this world for me to go. Celestia is still alive, my homeland is gone, Chrysalis may still be out there so at least that's reassuring and if I wanted to talk to another Human I'd have to dig up what's left of that woman who died on 'The ass end of nowhere Island'. You woke me up and forced me to witness my nightmare, and you think I want to lead a foolhardy mission to build some kind of delusional cult's promised land? I'm rebuilding my library, you and your people can stay along with the other cultists because I might as well take in as many poor souls with talent as I can, and I'm going to study and occupy myself till I go mad or chaos takes its course. Sorry if it's not the future you wanted, but I don't care for the one you imagined." Alistair ranted, his deep voice muffled by his hands, to a discouraged and hurt Faded Scroll who merely looked down in defeat and shame. "How are your people's food stocks?" He asked, confusing Faded.
"...We have enough food to last a few years." He simply responded, his resolve too shattered to try and convince his liege.
"Good, prepare a feast and tell everyone their 'leader' wants them to all get a good night's rest...Tell them 'they did a good job' and that 'they've still got a long way to go before we're done' or something...Hell, tell them the truth if you want but 'our god has given up on everything' isn't nearly as encouraging for a crowd to hear; I don't care either way, they're your people." Alistair ordered halfheartedly as he looked up to the murals depiction the rise of Humanity and the Immortalis Bibliotheca, his young eyes cloudy with suppressed tears and his pale arms weak.
"Leave." He simply commanded. He listened to the click clack of the old man's cane as he guided himself towards the massive double doors of the study and waited for the loud slam of the doors closing before he got up.
The only sound that could be heard as he softly placed page after page of blank paper on the ground was his metal plates scraping against the white stone and obsidian runes woven into his robe and his quiet ramblings as he prepared a powerful incantation. With no one left to watch him work, he removed his left hand's gauntlet, placed it on the table and brushed his hand against one of the pages at his foot. Simultaneously, an unknown and illegible sigil appeared on them all as he placed his dense, beautifully crafted grimoire on the table as well and filled through the pages until he came across the incantation for a 'Mass Restore'.
If one were to enter, they'd hear Alistair sing a soothing melody in a long dead yet morosely beautiful language as the circle glowed a soft blue and his grimoire a vibrant orange. Light filled the air as the song began to crescendo. The floor, walls, vines and flowers all glowed a multitude of gorgeous colours and they all had an intricate pattern of crossing lines of scripture and symbols woven onto their surfaces. The room shined as if it were day and as the song climaxed on the finishing note, all anyone could've heard was Alistair's body thud against the polished, seemingly new marble floor. As he laid down, his shining hair matted and messy, his hood acting as a small pillow and body exhausted from both the powerful spell and revelation he thought to himself that the floor was as good as anywhere to take a nap.
As he slept, he dreamed of a myriad of locations and faces all lost to time and he silently wept at the future that was stolen from him because of his people's stupidity, his ruler's arrogance and Celestia's actions.
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7382762
7382816
Two memes for the price of one, thanks guys.
7382720
Thanks for the hug.
Damn...
You must construct additional commas.
Well, that turned around quickly. At least he hasn't lost his sense of humanity.
Whoh he is going to cut a path of vengeance through Equestria. So who do we all think has human blood among the mane 6? My bet Twilight most likely does.
7383048 He's not the 'kill everyone' type of person and he wouldn't really blame the new world for what the millennia old version of Equestria did. And I don't think I want to have a 'Canon char has Human powers' thing, it seems kind of edgy/cliche.
7383046 He didn't want to rule from that start, he was planning on breaking the news later when he archive was complete but snapped due to everything he was told.
Another of Celestia's long list of past sins and crimes. Everything for the betterment of her little ponies, no matter how many other races she needs to eradicate.
Don't lose hope, Alistair!
7383261
The vengeance could be ageist Celestia and possibly Luna. He could knock them down a few pegs by giving their ponies something different. The question is just how will Celestia, Luna, and Chrysalis will react when they find out he is back.
7383338 I know how they'll react
Hmmm going to be digging up graves to have a conversation are we? Well, necromancy is popular this time of year.
I eagerly await the bugs.
i.imgur.com/5uKrW7J.png
7383436 Well, he is an immortal mage who's main hobby is archiving knowledge and pushing the magical limits...Necromancy is such a harsh word isn't it?
I expect Alistair will lose his last shred of ethical fiber when he meets modern-day Chrysalis.
7383591
Hmm.
I went to the direct link on my gallery and it worked. I don't know how this stuff works.
i.imgur.com/5uKrW7J.png
You mean "welcomed me back to"?
And this,
Should be "if" i think?
Just nitpicks
I hope he will talk civilly with the other rulers when they meet.
7383617 Idk, it's still not working though.
7383679 Thanks, I'll fix them before I hit the sack.
7383689
There I found it from the original tumblr.
I'm gon be mad if it still doesn't work.
67.media.tumblr.com/cb77e8bba88a706a694de7d8bebcaffa/tumblr_o551eiqrM41vq7npoo1_1280.png
7383617 imgur blocks links coming from fimfiction.
Something about how they aren't an image hosting site despite clearly being a hosting site.
I wonder how long before Twilight's book sense begins to go off about his library...
Good story so far, looking forward to seeing how it goes.
I don't know if I'm jaded but I feel like Alistair was a bit snappy with only ten of his cult dying trying to replicate his ascension. I'd think an immortal would need a significantly larger number of people being wiped out to be perturbed.
For example his entire species.
Good on him for no immediately going on a rage/despair rampage.
Any and all reactions are acceptable in the face of that thermonuclear bombshell.
I'm interested to see what he does with the emotional maelstrom that tosses him into. I would personally be inclined to blow a lot of things up, like a LOT a lot.
Looking forward to more.
7383692 I see it now, and pretty gud
Sorry for the trouble you went through.
7384737 Good question
7385384 Well, I always thought Alistair would've been the type of person who views most life as sacred so he wouldn't take kindly to hearing people died because of his research though I do get what you mean.
7383261
In any case if humanity is gone forever, Celestia has already won, no matter what Alistair does now.
7385800 Making a lot of assumptions there
I remember commenting on this story, or one very similar to it.
Anyways it looks good but I wish he'd help the old codger out by at least fixing his old scars and giving him a few more years.
Like he can blame his cult for not having everything correct after four thousand years and telling him the truth of what they know happened to his species, fucking douche is his name not Alistair.
7387959 And your comment need commas, a whole shiteload of them :D. But eh, I agree with 'cha. Although he already gave them some of his power.
7388397
Is, this, better, my, dear boy?
I use commas when I please. Hell you should be lucky I use them at all. *grrrr*
7388463
Noooo! You went full Shatner! You NEVER go full Shatner!
7388463 That's, not, even, c,l,o,s,e, to the needed count of commas, my, good, sir! Also I'm verily interested, just how much olde are you?
7389391
Hmm, thy sentence structure leaves none to weep!
Truly, thou art a grand adversary with wit as sharp as the iron dagger thou may hold tight upon our back and the tongue of the serpent known, as the ire of Man!
This lowly man of God, the true King of Kings, has been on this world to see the flowers bloom for as long as the great empire that I have called home began its fall from grace.
Indeed, tis but a hollow shell of what she once was and with it, so to am I.
(This is quite fun actually!)
7385916 so either there is more humans, or a way to bring them back. Or he will come to terms with it and just become what the cultists wanted? Not wanting a spoiler though haha.
There is always ways to restore a species. Even Humanity. Cloning spells, the Mirror Pool, spells to turn one specie into another. And wouldnt it be irony if Alistair decided the way to restore humanity would be to turn Celestia and Luna into humans and start breeding?
7389677 I thanketh thee f'r thy praises thee giveth to me with thy w'rds of goodwill, t's a wond'rful showeth of thy writing art. The Ye Olde English is mast'r'd through the years and years of learning and this is but a cruel fleer'ry upon t. Eke, I seeth a dram problem in thy writing, too becomes a tō, if 't be true thee hath tried. (This is v'ry much excit'ment! Although, this is m're of a 18 to 19 English writing style, with some of the parts taken from the Shakesp'rean 'ra, because truly fusty English is a lot hard'r than this.)
7390811
I haven't seen that writing style in a very, very long time.
The song known as "John Barleycorn" was one of the most beautiful I've ever read for a pagan drinking song from the 17s up, But some believe that records show it was even older then that, I believe they said the 15s?
But was first written in a semi-legible script around the 17s
7390835 Ooh, twas fast! Also, yes, I would say that some parts were chopped from 17
, with some words from 15-16s that are still in use just for "sounding fancy" as t twere. But still, Latin is beautiful. And Roman wordplays are divine.
7390202
7390378 That last option has several reasons as to why Alistair would be against it.
7389948 Thanks. I'll fix it now.
7390860
7390835 You two sure have been keeping each other busy for awhile.
7391606 Hehe, we sure did, didn't we :D?
7391606 Besides the fact Celestia killed him?
7391642 Among others, but that's AT LEAST tied for second.
7391625 Ain't nothing like grammar and word play to bring people together.
7391645 HA! Truer words have never been spoken.
7391645 Did note Celestia teasing Luna about a wizard though, was she talking about Alistair?
7391661 There's going to be a lot of OCs in the story, so perhaps but perhaps not
7391606 tbh the only thing that scares me about this story is the update rate
7392266 Literally working on chapter three as I type, don't worry.
7392288 B A E
7392290 I got you bae
Very good story needs some editing but it's very interesting.
Isn't he blind?
Few men
An imbecile
To me
7451387 Also, you used live instead of life a few times. This is my favorite story in a long while though.
My only question... How blind is faded scroll? Because I'm legally blind only because I don't have 20/20 vision, however... since it doesn't seem to be specified here I can only assume he has total blindness and if that's the case, how is he watching his idol in amazement?