The Precipice
Hey all, I'm going fucking mental right now! Between suffering from slight cabin fever, boredom and the usual unwillingness to sleep at a normal time of night, I found myself putting a lot more into this chapter then originally planned.
Firstly, if I missed anything out, if it looked like my quality dropped or if something just seems wrong Narratively let me know and I'll fix it; I wrote this over the course of several long nights and early mornings for some reason so I might've fucked up and I didn't catch it while editing.
Secondly, I changed the title of this story because it was too long and kinda shit and if I plan on doing a sequel or just continuing this after whenever I'm done I feel the new title would work better. Also, Alistair isn't technically dead or alive so calling him the 'Dead Hierophant' is a bit of a misnomer.
Third, as you may have already guessed there's going to be past and present segments of the story, idk if I'll have a set number of chapters in between each past chapter but there's a bit of backstory/lore I want to cover from Alistair and Co.'s perspective that I don't want to be just exposition. Obviously I won't cut to a past segment if I leave the last chapter on a tense or suspenseful note (unless I hate you all) but I will every now and then cut back when I feel it's appropriate.
Lastly, I'm tired and a procrastinating bastard but I love writing and I want to get into a semi-reliable update schedule. Most of my projects fall apart from either lack of effort, irl shit or lack of drive and for once a story of mine is doing well and I've got the drive to keep going. I have uni shit to worry about in real life but I do want to upload at least two chapters a month or maybe three if I'm not too busy. Nothing concrete yet but that's my plan.
As always, comment and tell me what you thought or just to give me feedback. I appreciate either even if the feedback can be scathing. With how long I made this chapter I think I'm going insane or something...Fuck me. Would you guys prefer shorter chapters or long? Either way I don't mind as most chapters go on for as long as I think is good but if you guys want me to cut back from the mind numbingly long chapters then I will.
LPC-Last Pony Creator.
Idk if anyone else hears it but for some reason this song makes me think of the remnants of the Archivist, Faded Scroll and Snow plus I like Porter Robinson so meh.
As the sun set over Equestria, bathing the tranquil kingdom in a purple and orange haze, Ponies began their various rituals either in preparation for sleep or a long night ahead. Yet despite the calming and cool atmosphere of nightfall, none were in the mood to rest within the Castle of Friendship resting in the small town of Ponyville. A series of voices echoed throughout the crystalline hallways, all of which questioning the strange circumstance they found themselves in.
"Someone's gotta know something, right?" Rainbow Dash insisted, irritated and curious as she hovered over the magical map before them, trying to spot wherever the map wanted to send her.
"I honestly don't know Rainbow, the map's never done this before!" Twilight repeated, pacing back and forth anxiously as for once the map showed nowhere they were needed and yet their cutie marks were indicating otherwise.
"Maybe the table's just messing up? Y'all know this thing ain't exactly clear on anything." Applejack offered, adjusting her dusty stetson as she brushed back her mane.
"Perhaps it's nothing, or the problem fixed itself? That'd be a nice change." Fluttershy added meekly, resting in her appointed throne.
"If that were the case our cutie marks would've stopped glowing by now, yet all of us are apparently still needed for something..." Twilight countered, gesturing to all of them to get the point across.
"This truly is a conundrum darling, the map's never needed all of us before or refused to show where exactly the problem is. I hope Starlight has found-Ah, there she is." Rarity added, rubbing her chin with a quizzical expression before snapping at attention as the other purple unicorn they knew walked into the room, a bevy of books and scrolls hovering in her magical grasp.
"Did you find anything?" Twilight added as Starlight put the collection of information on the crystal table.
"Nothing at all, whatever was written in relation to similar magical devices didn't cover anything like this..." She answered, defeated somewhat as she wondered what the map had planned.
"Maybe the map's having an off day? I know I can do some silly stuff when I'm a bit out of it!" Pinkie Pie offered, her usual pep and cheer keeping the mood light despite the confusion.
"I don't think enchanted objects can have off days Pinkie." Twilight said with a tired tone as she began rapidly flipping pages in various tomes searching for an answer.
"Maybe we should just leave it as is? We're not really learning anything new here, and Celestia knows-" Spike started, yawning from fatigue as he looked around the azure and purple room to the various Ponies, only to be cut short.
"Spike, of course! One of the Princesses has to know something about artifacts malfunctioning or acting out!" Twilight interrupted with a sudden second wind of enthusiasm. Spike, after rolling his eyes as he began the same old song and dance, grabbed a quill and parchment and prepared to jot down her words. after a short, throat clearing cough the Princess began dictating.
"Dear Princess Celestia, I find myself in need of help deciphering, or fixing, the Cutie Map. For whatever reason, it has chosen all of us to fix a friendship problem, but hasn't given us a location. I believe that either yourself or Princess Luna would have greater knowledge or understanding in the field of-Spike?" She started with a clear, almost rehearsed soft tone and pace before looking back at her diminutive assistant as she heard the scratching of quill to parchment cease. With a great burp and puff of green fire and smoke, a scroll from Celestia manifested. Befuddled at the strange coincidence, Spike opened the scroll and read aloud.
"My faithful student Twilight, a dire situation has arisen and I request the immediate presence of yourself and your friends. If my suspicions prove true then Equestria is in danger. Princess Celestia..." Spike finished, taken aback by not only the terse nature of the message but the startling implications.
"Could this be the problem the map wanted you six to solve?" Starlight postulated as the six began heading for the door with spike in toe.
"I'd assume so...Aren't you coming along?" The Princess assessed before heading towards the great double doors, only to stop and turn back when she saw Starlight wasn't following her.
"Oh, you want me to come along as well?" She questioned, surprised that she was accompanying Twilight on her latest mission.
"Of course, Celestia said to bring my friends and if they're all coming then I see no reason you can't as well!" Twilight answered with a small smile, to which her student returned one as well. Although Starlight had no idea what she and the rest of them would be walking into, she was delighted to tag along and hopefully help.
Resting upon her throne, Celestia's ears rang with the unnerving silence of the room. Her radiant guards stood by, a constant vigil against any would be threats, their quiet nature unwelcome for once. Sighing, she looked out the colourful, obfuscating window to her left and looked upon the darkened city of Canterlot bathed in moonlight; her mind racing with so many unknowns and ideas.
"Your majesty, Princess Twilight and her companions have arrived." A guard declared from the throne room doors, her voice breaking the stillness in the air.
"Thank you. Leave us." She ordered after turning to her guards who bowed before hurrying out of the room while Twilight and her friends trotted across the extravagant hall, hushed whispers between them bouncing off the walls. Celestia stood up from her throne, her legs shaking slightly from exhaustion.
"Princess Celestia, we got your message, what's wrong?" Twilight asked frantically before embracing her mentor in a small hug.
"Yeah, I'm kinda wonderin' that myself; woulda thought Princess Luna would be summoning us at this hour." Applejack added, yawning softly as she tried to suppress her exhaustion.
"I'm sorry to call you all here this late at night, but something dire has come to my attention..." Celestia apologised with a sincere tone before she closed her eyes, preparing to unearth old wounds.
"What's wrong? Is Chrysalis back?" Rainbow asked, furrowed brow and ready to attack.
"No, she seems to have gone to ground with her loyalist and my agents can't find anything. No, I believe a new threat has arisen." Celestia declared with a noticeable tone of worry and doubt. "I believe a powerful mage from my past has returned." She continued as she closed her eyes and summoned an ancient looking grey tome with a series of unknown text scrawled across it.
"Long ago, before Equestria as we know it was formed, Luna and I embarked on a grand journey across countries and continents and along that journey we found a young man by the name of Alistair and his sister Aurora. They were a a travelling mage and warrior from a neighboring empire called Valetoria. Within Valetoria lived the Humans, bipedal, pale and widespread; some were even magically sensitive and they were at one time servants of the first Dragons. The Valetorians were malicious and indiscriminate in who they killed and dominated, yet these two were noble, kind and just in their cause. Along with several strangers and heroes who would arrive further into our adventure, they joined us and ultimately helped us save not only Equestria, but perhaps the world." Celestia explained as she opened the dusty tome, a swirling mass of clouds forming to illustrate a colourful and lifelike retelling of her ancient life story. Twilight and her friends were surprised to see a young Celestia and Luna without their Alicorn features, but were shocked at the sight of the mysterious, cloaked mage and the armour covered heroine. They stood tall above the two sisters, their bipedal clothing and armour beautiful and bizarre. The designs and patterns caused Rarity to ooh and awe while Twilight studied the features of Alistair the mage.
"Just as we ascended and became the Alicorns of the sun and moon, they ascended into immortals as well, though their people called them 'Demigods'. They weren't celestial like myself, but they represented the magical and physical respectively. Alistair pursued seemingly every aspect of magic, ultimately embodying it and potentially understanding it more than any mortal, living or dead, and Aurora was a force of nature capable of decimating entire armies or shattering a castles defenses alone. Together they were the sword and shield of the Valetorian Empire." The Princess continued, her voice holding a strange tone of respect and admiration as the book painted a colorful picture of the siblings standing tall over a ruined Griffin fortress. Although inspiring, the sight of people so casually trudging over the remains of a people's defenses seemed unnerving to all sans Celestia.
"If these two were so powerful, how come we've never heard of them or this empire?" Rarity inquired, finding the lack of knowledge surrounding these supposed immortals queer.
"Because neither them nor their people exist anymore." Celestia answered, crestfallen but refused to show weakness. "For eons Alistair and Aurora held the peace and were the guardians of the empire. Some even saw them as the true rulers; whatever they decreed was best for Valetoria, the Emperor or Empress listened for it'd be foolish to oppose an immortal let alone two. They were just, unconquerable and steadfast in their commitment to ensuring the continued survival of their way of life and rarely interfered or took control of the people. With them in power, wars between the Valetorians and their enemies all but ceased aside from some brief skirmishes. Diplomacy became their first response instead of bloodshed, relations between Equestria and Valetoria improved immensely and the land was kept in a state of peace. Then..." Celestia told with an air of wonder, the tome painting a picture of rolling green fields, gleaming citadels and various races living in harmony. All of it was washed away as the sky darkened and a tall, malicious looking knight resting upon a throne replaced the scenery. Fluttershy hid behind her mane in fright and even Pinkie Pie's constant optimism was dampened from the display.
"The empire changed, Alistair and Aurora's views differed and over time they drifted down different paths. Alistair grew distant, arrogant and uncaring towards the material world, his sights set completely on understand the metaphysical. As the years passed his obsession towards magic became...Extreme. Aurora, on the other hoof, saw the empire at risk of growing stagnant, or worse, irrelevant. She saw the empire as weak and began instilling a desire for war back into the Valetorians. The people, under control of the new Emperor Frederick, saw the constant trades, deals and gifts of once stolen land in the past as not only an affront to the throne but his subjects. With him in charge, the Valetorians were heading down the warpath once more, this time with Aurora's blessing. Alistair did what he could, but with the backing of not only Aurora but a unified nation, Frederick refused to see his view...They went to war with the Minotaurs, once their oldest allies and now the target of the new Emperor's wrath for reasons I can't say I know." The clouds morphed into scenes of hellish warfare, magic firestorms decimating armies, siege weapons and golems breaking apart cities and Minotaurs razing farmlands and shires. Seeing the imposing Minotaurs and these mythical Humans fighting was epic in scale but utterly horrific, causing even the hardened Applejack to go pale."The Griffins were primed to attack the distracted empire, wishing to subjugate their oldest rivals, but my sister and I offered to try and either broker peace or end the war with as little violence as possible..." She hesitated, her composure wavering as she remembered days long since forgotten.
"It was a mistake to get involved, but we had to stop them...Aurora wouldn't see reason, she truly believed the war was necessary, and Alistair refused to turn his powers against his own kind and his sister. We found ourselves in opposition with our oldest allies...The war dragged on for far too long, Aurora's might holding us off at every pass, and when we finally broke through her lines and cleared the North, her brother's hatred was overwhelming...The magic he found...The forces he awakened...Like his sister had became a warlord, he also became something monstrous at the outset of war." The tome had ceased showing anything, Celestia having shut the book and willing it away, horror flickering in her eyes. "In the end, I had to kill them..." Celestia confessed, her voice calm and eyes closed; she looked placid, but cries of betrayal and anger ranged out in her mind and the mere memory began to dishearten her.
"Princess...I had no idea..." Twilight said, taking a step back in horror at the old story, before she composed herself and reached her hoof out to her teacher in support.
"It's alright Twilight, I've accepted what I've done and so has Luna...We had to act, if we hadn't I shudder to think what would've become of not only Valetoria and the Minotuarian Islands, but the entirety of Equus itself." Celestia assured, brushing her hoof aside softly. "Without their greatest warrior, Alistair finally joined the war if only to strike me down and the Emperor grew unnerved and paranoid. Alistair refused to listen to talks of peace even when his city was occupied...After I claimed his stronghold, I assumed the Emperor would back down after losing both Demigods but he didn't. We couldn't break his defenses at their capital city, Val'kala; Alistair's enchantments from years past held strong against the most powerful magic we could muster. After almost a year of stagnate fighting and failed diplomacy, he unleashed a weapon of untold power. It was a weapon intended to kill Luna and I along with razing our armies and potentially the whole continent of Equus, instead it burned the land, salted the earth and turned the once prosperous nation into something akin to Tarturus...The war ended with a self inflicted genocide and an old, powerful nation burned off the map. We took in as many refugees as we could, thousands I believe, and many survivors fled across the ocean or had already left long before the climax of the war...Ultimately it proved pointless as due to infighting, the chaos of the whole ordeal and the lack of survivors the Human race was dwindling rapidly, and after two hundred years Humanity was no more..." Celestia finished, her face obscured by shadows that failed to hide the look of pain and guilt. All within the room were consumed with dark thoughts, ranging from great sorrow and horror on the part of Fluttershy, rarity and Pinkie Pie and shock, a dark amazement and freightful awe towards Celestia from Applejack and Rainbow Dash, though oddly Twilight felt something more akin to skepticism or surprise.
"Whoa...I didn't think it was possible for a race to just...Die out..." Rainbow muttered, her eyes wide with shock as she reflected on the tale.
"Why have I never heard of any of this? Surely someone would've recorded something so...So disastrous." Twilight exclaimed, confusion and horror in equal parts gripping her.
"Because after the war ended the world entered an era of strife. Wars came and went, plagues and natural disasters were frequent and the few Equestrians or Humans who would've endeavoured to recorded Valetoria's fall were occupied dealing with the magical and natural disasters spreading across Equestira; some say it was the gods the Humans worshiped exacting revenge, and they may have been right for how difficult it was to control. Many have written about the old war, particularly the Griffons and Minotuars, though few can claim to true understand the motives or the world it happened in. I've never shared this story with you, nor anypony living, because it shames me greatly; it's not a heroic tale or an epic journey, it was close friends and old allies succumbing to madness and war. Nothing was gained from it, aside from the removal of a would-be tyrant at the cost of countless lives and a proud culture." Celestia explained, her voice composed but wavering cracks of sadness made it clear she was struggling to forget the ancient conflict. Although it placated her, Twilight was still shocked she had never heard of such an archaic tragedy.
"Wait...If they're all gone, why're you so worried?" Starlight interjected, trying to make sense of everything. Celestia seemed surprised by her presence, but proceeded nonetheless.
"Because I felt a surge of energy, something like an explosion of ancient magic, far to the South of Equestria's border. Immortals have powerful souls and auras, those who're more in tune with magic can sense it in others but only another immortal can fully understand and sense the magnitude of another immortal." Celestia explained, causing Twilight to frown.
"If that's true then why didn't I sense anything?" The younger Alicorn asked, not out of suspicion towards her mentor but out of genuine curiosity and slight disappointment.
"All immortals have a different aura to them associated to their strengths, you can tell by looking at me the kind of power I embody." Celestia started, and true to her words Twilight could subtly feel the power radiating off her; it was similar to a comforting warmth and a summer breeze yet held a deep, primal strength to it with the intensity of the sun. Her aura exemplified the millennia old, motherly mare's true powers while displaying it in a soft, gentle way. "There are few immortals left alive, or perhaps I simply can't sense them anymore, but I will never mistake Alistair's. It's faint, tame and weak in comparison to what it once was, but there are no immortals I can think of who's revival would create such an intense burst of magic. I believe somewhere in that desert Alistair is resting, possibly growing in strength." Celestia clarified, sharing her suspicions with the assembled crowd.
"So...You want us to...Fight him?" Fluttershy whispered shakingly, terrified at the thought of attacking a being similar in power to Celestia.
"No, It'd be foolish to attempt it, even weakened he'd be hard to apprehend or defeat, and I can't say for sure if he's alive or something has merely caused a colossal explosion of magical energy and I'm wrong. Regardless, I need you to travel to Appleloosa, alert Captain Braeburn and assist in forming a survey of the desert; if he's alive then we'll need to prepare for whatever comes and if it's merely an anomaly it should be monitored. I'd aid you, but I regret to say that the Griffon Kingdoms are in need of my attention; I can't risk our relations on a unconfirmed fear and I trust you all to act where I can not." Celestia requested with a proud smile, causing Twilight to beam with adulation while Rainbow Dash seemed to puff out her chest in boastful pride.
"We won't fail you Princess." Her former student assured, stepping back to join her companions.
"I know Twilight, I have faith you'll make sense of this." She responded, a nostalgic grin on her face as she remembered the countless times Twilight had promised her the same promise. "Be warned, if he has returned and he's already reformed a body, he may be disguised as a unicorn by the name of 'Wonderlust'. He'll have white fur, a silver and brown mane and blue eyes, if you find him I'd advise avoiding him. Please hurry, time may be of the essence." She finished with a steely look to which she received a chorus of respectful assurances or simple 'Of course. With nothing more to say, they parted ways leaving Celestia alone in the quiet, echoing hall. Resting on her marble and gold throne, the magenta cushions offering little comfort, she contemplated the potential threats to come.
"I can't believe it! Not only are we going on yet another potentially dangerous mission, but it's in the desert of all places...Why couldn't a threat have appeared in Manehattan or Las Pegasus for once?" Rarity huffed, annoyed at the prospect of grueling work, while the rest of the group wondered what was to come as they trotted down the empty, illuminated streets of Canterlot's Noble district.
"Are you kidding me Rare? We're going on an adventure to track down an immortal magic guy! How is that not cool?" Rainbow rhetorically asked, doing a small loop in the air out of excitement.
"Princess Celestia said we might not run into anyone...I hope she's wrong..." Her timid friend said, quivering at the thought of facing yet another adversary.
"I concur, I'd rather not face another life threatening situation this week." Rarity jested, the frequent danger surrounding their adventures growing into more of a novelty with each passing peril.
"I hope Braeburn knows anything 'bout handling this, or at least can keep us outta trouble...Celestia knows he's got enough trouble keeping the town together these days." Applejack said aloud as she wondered what was going to come in the next few days.
"Oh come on, Braeburn wouldn't have been given the rank of Captain if he wasn't reliable!" Pinkie Pie offered with a commonly massive smile.
"He got it because the last Captain died Pinkie, not because he's reliable." She retorted, her lack of confidence in her cousin evident from her faint grimace.
"Well that's just great." Spike said sarcastically as he yawned deeply, the late hour weighing heavily on him. They traveled in relative silence, little to be said as none had the desired answers. The lamps glowed brightly above, projecting light onto the whitestone pavement, gilded buildings, dimly lit alleyways and the few Ponies wandering around. The closer they got to the train station, the more questions formed within their minds surrounding the coming mission.
"Still positive you wish to come with us? Not to undermine you, but this may get problematic if things go wrong." Twilight asked Starlight as she placed a hoof on her shoulder, worried about her student coming to harm, while their friends rushed ahead to the well lit and surprisingly well populated train station.
"Of course, it'd be a bit cowardly to back out now wouldn't it?" Starlight assured, smiling confidently as she slowly trotted next to her mentor.
"There's a difference between confidence and caution. I trust that you're smart and strong enough to handle almost anything, but we're dealing that's come back from a confrontation with Celestia." She pressed, using what little she knew to weigh up the odds in her mind while they approached their small group of fatigued but pumped friends.
"If he's anything like Chrysalis then I'm sure we'll be fine, As far as I know this 'Alistair' might not even be alive. Twilight, I want to help you and the Princess and I know we're well prepared for anything we find." Starlight affirmed with a fiery spark of resolve in her purple eyes, whether forged through experience or cockiness it was there. Twilight gave into her assurance and sighed softly before putting on a calm smile.
"As long as there's not another magic blocking artifact, I suppose you're right. Come on, it won't be long before the next train pulls in." Twilight joked, chuckling slightly, before indicating towards the platform. Finally able to sit down and breath, Twilight began fretting over whatever abomination she'd be faced with next.
"Lord Alistair, why're you awake at such an ungodly hour?" Faded Scroll questioned as he peered in through the ajar doors of the war room and stared at the looming figure leering at a map of the world.
"Sleep is for mortals and the lazy, I've got work to do." The Human responded, suppressing a yawn, as he continued to look at, and adjust in his mind, the borders of 'his' land. "I could ask you the same thing Fade." He continued as he curled up the colossal scroll with his magic before whisking it away onto a black, bleak shelf devoid of relevant or modern information aside from the map.
"I find it difficult to sleep before a battle and Snowfall doesn't need my help handling your detail so I decided to simply patrol the halls." The old seer explained as he stepped next to Alistair and noticed the bags under his eyes. "...Have you actually slept since we revived you?" He asked as Alistair headed towards the doors, stretching his arms.
"I passed out in the main library, that counts." He proclaimed as he stepped out into the moonlit hallway and cracked his neck, his joints aching from a lack of rest. "We should head out soon, is Snow ready?" Alistair asked as he ran his hand across the walls, his magic fixing the cracks running down from the ceiling.
"Yes my Lord, she's amassed a small group of our elite fighters and casters; they're waiting on your call." Faded announced, anxious but ready for the coming fight. Meanwhile, Alistair seemed distracted by something.
"What about Chrysalis?"
"She received your missive, although she was...Perturbed to lend her forces at such a critical time, she'll meet us at the rendezvous point with a contingent of guards." He said as he handed Chrysalis' response to him, a grimace on his face as he remembered how disquieted the messenger was when he came back.
"Excellent...Monsters aside, who else do you suppose could pose a threat to us?" His master inquired, looking out of one of the dust covered windows out into the howling desert.
"Well, the Minotaurs have largely forgotten or forgiven Humanity, only the xenophobic tribes would hate you. The Griffins still despise the memory of your people and even the fringe tribes or separatists would be loathed to aid you, Chrysalis seems to like you but the other Changeling Queens are enigmatic at best and aside from the frontier town Appaloosa Equestria has very little interest in this region; if anything they're apprehensive to come here. If someone were to discover you before you're ready we'd be surrounded by potential enemies but the chance of that is remote, my Lord." Faded listed off, a clear list of targets or aggressors etched into his mind as he rattled off.
"Well I guess that's the beauty of living in a wasteland, no one wants to come here...Assuming we play it safe, no one should find us until the majority of my followers arrive." He responded, neither dismayed nor thrilled by the report as he continued to stare out into the dead land with a burning hate in his eyes. "Have the soldier's been briefed on what to expect?" He continued, losing the glimmer of wrath and exhaustion as he turned to face him. Before the senior Mage could begin however, the sound of a door creaking open interrupted him.
"Hey Wonderlust? You out here?" Braeburn called out, his rustic accent cutting the silence. Almost instantly, Alistair changed form and approached the Captain. Cursing slightly for giving Braeburn a magical key with which to open the door, he approached the stallion.
"What're you doing up at such an hour? You should be resting." 'Wonderlust' stressed, the irony of his statement not lost on Faded Scroll who simply rolled his eyes.
"The wounds healed and I know you're going on some kinda mission to kill those monsters." He announced, proving his point by stretching his hooves and showing no sign of discomfort.
"How did you hear about this?" Faded Scroll asked, surprised he would've found out.
"Some of the guards you put on my door were discussing it, something about tracking down their den or whatever those things call home. I want to come along." Braeburn claimed, his usually soft and charming accent taking on a sinister tone as he spoke about the hybrid monsters.
"Out of the question." The Human turned Unicorn stated firmly with a frown, causing the Captain to eye him.
"Pardon my bad manners, but these fuckers killed my soldiers and left me for dead like trash; it doesn't help none that a lot of those stallions were my friends...if you're not taking me with you then I'll go kill those bastards myself, injuries be damned." He assured, donning his stetson and standing tall with a hardened look. Standing there in his dark brown scale armour, ax at his side and injuries fixed he did look tough enough to handle the fight, but there were several issues with bringing him along, chiefly the fact that he didn't want an Equestrian Knight seeing Queen Chrysalis.
"I understand that you're furious, but I believe you should let us handle this for now." Faded Scroll interjected, his voice calm but he too shared my sentiment on bringing him along.
"No, you really don't partner. Unless you're gonna stand there and tell me you know exactly how it feels to watch a bunch of friends and innocent Ponies die at the hooves of some monsters and be told you can't get even you're gonna let me come." The Captain demanded, his fierce scowl and spiteful voice a mask for the pain his soul was pouring out.
"Unless you believe you can attack a Mage who's trained in close quarters tactics, you will step back and calm down. Try to understand where we're coming from. You've been fatally wounded, you're clearly still torn up over what has transpired and you're out of your element; I believe it'd be wise to simply rest." Fade threatened back, his serious inflection and demand falling on deaf ears, before trying to placate with a softer, friendlier tone. Meanwhile, Alistair was theorising and came to a brilliant idea.
"I'm sick of resting! I've lost my whole troop and now I'm being told I can't even-"
"Fine, you can come." Alistair interrupted his rant as he waved it off and turned around.
"Really?...thanks partner, sorry I flew off the handle back there..." He apologised, genuinely upset over his behavior as he smiled and followed Alistair. Meanwhile, Faded Scroll seemed flabbergasted.
"My Lord, Can you hear me? What are you doing?!" Scroll cried out in alarm telepathically, his projected voice clearly articulating his shock.
"Think nothing of it, so long as you follow my orders I have no problem with you exacting revenge." He told Braeburn with a neutral look to which he simply nodded. "Don't worry, I have a plan that will benefit us in the long run." Wonderlust reassured Faded Scroll telepathically, announcing both sentences at roughly the same time.
"So what's the plan?" Braeburn inquired, trotting ahead so that he stood by Alistair's side.
"We're going to meet Snowfall, one of my more skilled combatants, and teleport out to the site of your battle. From there I will track down their den if I can sense any residual magic and also regroup with our scouting party; after we form up and find their hideout we'll formulate a plan of attack." He enlightened the soldier as they continued down the hall, nearing the Grand Entrance.
"Sounds good." Braeburn said simply, having little to say about the plan.
"Scouting party?" Fade asked, confused as to why he waas lying about how many of their own soldiers were going into the field.
"I'll ask Chrysalis to disguise herself and her soldiers as Ponies before we meet, if Braeburn sees us with Changelings he may have questions but if he sees us helping him not only avenge his lost soldiers but slay monsters he'll most likely have nice things to say about the reclusive Mages out in the desert when he returns back to his lands instead of telling Ponies about the cold and hostile or Changeling allied potential threats in the desert." Alistair said in Faded's mind, finally calming the old Mage as although susceptible to errors or problems, it was better then having the armed Captain agitated in their new home. With nothing else to say, they rapidly approached the Grand Entrance.
Moonlight graced the shanty town and rubble and illuminated the band of tattooed, robe and leather clad warriors of varying ages, races and skills. There were several Diamond Dogs, Minotaurs and a handful of Unicorns and Earth Ponies, despite their apparent mundanity the markings, facial tattoos, rune etched cloth wrapped around their hands and their wooden weapons faintly glowed a multitude of violent colours.
"Welcome my Lord, we're just about ready to-oh!...I didn't realise the Equestrian was tagging along..." Snowfall started with a pound to her plate covered chest, the robe lying over it muffling the clang of metal meeting force, only to halt and gawk at the Pony who merely nodded at her.
"Don't worry ma'am, just trying to help out and get even." He reassured with a polite grin. After a telepathic message was relayed to her from Alistair, she merely sighed as the constant stress of preparation continued to mount up.
"If Wonderlust says you're fine, you're good in my books." She said with a shrug, having to remind herself not to say Alistair or Hierophant, as she turned back to her combatants. "Alright boys and girls, you know what's being asked of you. The days of fighting bandits and Drakes are over, today we get to be heroes and slay monsters!" She declared dramatically with sarcasm, earning a few smirks from the less professional among the elite. "We're walking into Tartarus here and we're coming prepared; we've got our leaders and an Equestrian Captain for backup." She reminded, gesturing towards the three Ponies. Aside from a few grimaces of displeasure towards Braeburn who was simply stand at attention the group remained unshaken. "Ain't we lucky? Back when I was a grunt we didn't even have a hornhead to stand next to, now we've got a Plateflank to fight with!" She continued with a mocking smirk, earning a few short lived laughs before Faded Scroll gave her and the fighters a stern look.
"At least I'm wearing armour, wooden staves and cloth ain't gonna save ya from those demons." Braeburn countered, not used to being on the receiving end of a superior's mocking. Although a few may have been chuckling beforehand, several were now bellowing, Alistair and Faded Scroll included.
"You're not familiar with magic, are you?" Alistair rhetorically asked, in between gasps of air, as he wiped a few tears away after the laughter died down.
"Can't say I am, no." He answered, unsure whether he was suppose to feel embarrassed or not.
"Well I'll put it simply." Snow said as she reached out to borrow one of the warrior's staves, who handed it to her, and walked towards a collapsed pillar. "It isn't the wood and wool that makes our gear effective." She assured, reinforcing her statement by holding the branch like staff overhead and swing it down onto the ancient marble. As it impacted, two things happened: The staff exploded with colour as several magical runes and etching illuminated, the old language illegible to the Equestrian, and the fallen pillar cracked all the way down to the center of the construct.
"Whoa Nelly..." He mumbled, dazzled at the display. "...Think you can spruce up my ax?" He requested, causing the Diamond Dog to smile.
"Make it back in one piece and I'll think about it...Oh, uh, sorry about the pillar boss." She started with a smirk, before taking on a more repentant expression as she addressed her Lord.
"No harm done, I'll fix it later." He dismissed with a shrug, he'd have had to repair it later anyway.
"I'm more worried if you woke anyone up with that display." Faded Scroll said with concern, furrowing his brow at Snow before looking back towards the fledgling town.
"Sorry...So boss, we about ready to move out?" She apologised with a somewhat flat tone, years of being Fade's apprentice numbing her to being chewed out, before turning to Alistair who walked up next to her, Braeburn and Fade tailing behind him.
"Of course. Remember, although I'm in command during this expedition I'm more interested in seeing how my new followers operate. Don't play hero or go out of your way to impress me, do what comes naturally, follow your orders from Snowfall and Faded Scroll and if I say something then you do it. Everyone ready? Good. Prepare yourself, this may feel tingly." Alistair ordered, his straightforward and simplistic command getting the soldiers to form up and ready for action. As he closed his eyes and began murmuring a soothing, echoing lullaby, a halo of blue energy began rapidly encircling the huddled group. The feeling of power coursing through the air was a new and peculiar sensation for the magically inept, but it was soon replaced by the sudden and exhilarating head rush and nausea of teleportation soon followed. To Alistair and Faded Scroll it was like a sudden but pleasant gust of astral air, but to the rest it was a dizzying and bombastic assault of the senses. As the large circle of combatants reappeared in the middle of the moonlit desert, several had to take a knee or expunge the contents of their stomach.
"Gods...How can anyone get used to that?" Snow asked herself, grasping her spinning head. As the various warriors and Braeburn settled down and reacquainted themselves with the ground, Alistair was busy staring out at the horizon and tried to sense Chrysalis' presence. It wasn't hard to sense her, being a Changeling Queen meant she was...Easy for him to sense in a way; separating her mind from her hive was a different beast entirely. After turning towards the direction of her hive, Alistair felt her mental presence in full force. Differentiating her mind for her hivemind was difficult, but after being swarmed by a barrage of voices, all calling out for orders or reporting various tedious accounts or assignment reports, he began narrowing it down. After learning a bit too much about the birthing process of Changelings, he found Chrysalis' mind, and just her mind.
"Chrysalis? Can you hear me? Change of plan." He asked, finally getting over the headache of listening to the hivemind.
"Alistair? Why're you-...Never mind, what's wrong?" She asked in surprise and ire, but calmed down as she knew he wouldn't have risked joining the hivemind if it wasn't necessary.
"I need you and your guards to disguise as Ponies or something similar, there's an Equestrian Royal Guard with us." He requested, the whispering of thousands of voices completely rescinded.
"What?! Why?" She demanded, angered at the sudden development.
"Long story short, found him dying in the desert, couldn't let him die, and he wants revenge against these monsters; better to risk this then leave him alone and furious in the Archive with a weapon. Sorry, but this will benefit us in the long run." He explained, hearing her faintly growling within his mind.
"You're testing my patience Alistair, I don't enjoy being the one surprised." She stressed, irritation clearly expressed through her tone.
"My apologies, I promise this won't happen again." He guaranteed, failing to placate his old friend.
"See to it the fool doesn't get in my way, I won't stand for any provocations from the cretin." She demanded before the mental link went silent. With little else to do, Alistair began scanning the sand covered battlefield.
"Were it not for the stench, I don't think I would've recognised this was where it all happened..." Braeburn told Alistair as he surveyed his surroundings morosely. The ruined transport was covered in sand, most of the bodies of his fallen allies had seemingly disappeared and all that was left of the monsters was a disgusting, congealed ooze that seeped into the sands, staining the once pristine dunes black and dark red.
"It smells like death and rot...What the hell made those things?" Snowfall asked, gagging slightly at the miasma of disease and corruption.
"Something not of this world evidently, keep your guard up...My lord, have you found anything?" Scroll inquired as he approached the Unicorn, his snow white fur clashing against the darkened sand.
"Yes, I've found something, though I'm still unsure what it is exactly. It's magical in origin and not dissimilar to an aura...But it's so...Putrid and unnatural. It's small and barely detectable here but I can definitely sense a greater presence to the south." Alistair informed, his closed eyes glowing faintly as he scowled from the overwhelming sickness of his surroundings. "Once our scouts rejoin us, we'll teleport once more; the less time we spend around this muck the better." he continued, examining the sludge that bubbled and hissed infrequently. Curious as to the nature of the substance, he removed a vial from his saddlebag and scooped up the black slime and bottled it.
"Wonderlust, a pleasure to see you again." He heard a strange, sultry and unfamiliar voice call out behind him. Turning around, he watched a tall, black armour clad Unicorn flanked by a dozen or so similar Ponies. Her green mane, pale coat and blue eyes hid her identity well but he saw through their disguises easily.
"Likewise Visage. Are your soldiers prepared?" The Hierophant responded with a polite nod before gesturing to the bored, agitated looking knights and mages who would infrequently glare at Braeburn who was obliviously searching for his soldier's remains.
"Although dissatisfied with the sudden change of plans, they're eager to wet their blades. Shall we?" She answered, a sickeningly sweet smile on her beautiful face as the two guards next to her smiles in turn, their faces obscured by helms.
"Of course. Everyone, form up and brace." He called out as once more, this time with hesitance, the now substantially larger force fell in line and watched as Wonderlust knelled slightly, once more began his soft chant, and all were transported in the blink of an eye. When they reappeared, Alistair's forces once more queasy from the experience, Chrysalis noticed Alistair falling to his knees for a moment before standing up once more with a groan.
"What's wrong?" She asked as she stood aside him, her tone neutral but concern sincere.
"I'm fine, just...Exhausted. My magic seems less effective than it once was...Perhaps I just need more practice." He assessed, unsure as to why once simple spells were draining.
"Well partner, you're about to get a lot of practice it looks like." Braeburn informed as he stepped next him with his ax in hoof. Although Chrysalis was eyeing him with hunger and hate, both he and Alistair, along with the rest of the non-Changelings, were distracted by the ominous sight in front of them. Much like the rest of the hellish desert, runes of the Valetorian Empire were plentiful and they stood in the center of what could've been a town square, the sand covered stone path beneath them weathered by time and the elements. Before them, built out of the ruins of a cathedral dedicated to one or more of the Human deities was a tunnel adorned in black stone, ooze, stone rubble and discarded, rusted weapons. area immediately surrounding the tunnel was surrounding by bleached white skeletons of various races, stripped dry of possessions, and more rubble seemingly purposefully set up so as to provide basic cover.
"Before you ask, this isn't a Changeling hive...I'm not exactly sure what this is." Chrysalis confessed with a hint of surprise, confirming Alistair's suspicions. As the various leaders gave the orders to advance, the soldiers all drew their weapons and formed up into a defensive formation with Chrysalis defending the left flank, Snowfall and her elites defending the right, Scroll and a contingent of Unicorns behind the defensive line and Braeburn and Alistair forming the tip of the spear. Stepping into the dank tunnel, a few soldiers lamented the state of their boots as they trudged through refuse and magical ooze.
"It smells like a Dragon's arse down here..." Snow cursed, almost gagging at the horrendous, ripe stench, as she instinctively began opening and closing her fists anxiously.
"You're not wrong, and here I thought the barrack outhouse smelled bad." The out of place Captain remarked, scanning the darkened tunnels and pathways they passed.
"Did you see that?"
"What the fuck?"
"Quiet...I heard something..." Along with various other comments and hushed commands, the soldiers began noting the scuttering and growling of beasts in the shadows, the torches and magelight barely combating the shrouding darkness. With ever step deeper into the echoing, cavernous tunnel the sounds of hushed whispers, laughter and inhuman growls cried out. Alistair felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the shadows dance in front of him, just out of sight of his pale blue light. As they neared the entrance to an alcove, the dulled sounds of hundreds of voices grew agonising to listen to, the gibberish of dozens of languages laid over each other unnerving the two immortals and their servants alike. As Alistair stepped into the massive room, losing sight of the cavern roof above, the snapping of bones and metal under his hooves replaced the sound of waving through primordial ooze. The floor was littered with blackened, rotten remains and weaponry from unrecognisable or disbanded guilds, bands and civilizations.
"My Lord, the voices...They're all around us..." Faded Scroll informed, gripping his metal staff tightly as he tried to pinpoint the location of the unknown speakers. Realising this was most likely an ambush, the group backed up and covered all sides, waiting for the attack. As the chorus of disharmonious voices reached the peak of their crescendo, they all suddenly silenced as all light within the cavern was snuffed out, flame and magical alike.
"Licht!" Alistair cried out, his voice echoing against the cave walls, as a great pale light exploded out of his horn, bathing the entirety of the room in blinding light, allowing his allies to see the horde of monsters rushing them from all sides. Their armour was falling apart, their weapons little more than rusted antique weapons and farming equipment, their bodies were decomposing as they ran but the sheer numbers were overwhelming.
"Shields, now!" Faded Scroll ordered, using his steel staff to direct a beam of incinerating golden light out of the diamond affixed to the tip. Before the monsters could crash upon the defending circle of warriors, a multicoloured barrier separated them causing any of the beasts to burn to death if they passed through while allowing the defenders to strike physically and magically.
"How long is that barrier gonna hold?" Braeburn asked frantically, hacking rapidly but precisely through the rotting, shambled sewn together Ponies who tried to pull or cut him through the barrier.
"A half hour if these numbers stay this strong!" Faded Scroll yelled over the rabble, using his magic to bolster the shield and also picking up a few particularly feisty monsters and dashing them against jagged rocks on the other side of the room.
"Then thin out the crowd and get to work!" Chrysalis screamed back, her forces striking as a singular, frenzied mass that were taking apart anything that shambled in front of them.
"Hey Boss, got any ideas?!" Snowfall asked, smashing apart the larger, Minoturian and Diamond Dog hybrid monsters with a single blow from her glowing, scorching fists that were smashing bones and armour with a single strike.
"Of course, take point next to Braeburn and get ready, when I say so smash your palms into the ground and level the floor around us! It'll kill a few but throw the majority off guard and may allow us to rout the rest!" Alistair ordered, sweating profusely as he focused on not only keeping the light alive, slashing apart monsters with Talon, blasting the stragglers away with magic and aiding the barrier.
"Got it!" She announced as she hurriedly moved through the battered lines, standing next to the bloodied, calculated Equestrian who, despite suffering from a few cuts and dents to his armour, was cleaving apart the monsters coming at him. By the time she'd gotten next to him he had planted his ax deep within the drooling, beady eyed skull of whatever these things did to Diamond Dogs; it's brown fur and stitched together flesh stained with blood, feces and flakes of metal.
"Holding strong ey Plateflank?" She jested, grabbing one of the Pony looking creatures by the head, crushing its skull, and throwing it back into the crowd.
"Strong as I can, you?" He returned, wiping the sticky, almost purple blood off his brow before taking his stance next to the Diamond Dog once more.
"A few bruises and love bites, though I gotta say I've never had to take on anything like this." She said, shrugging it off somewhat, as she closed her eyes and began channeling magic into her palms, causing the blooded paper wrapped around her hands to crackle with electric energy.
"Visage, left!" Fade called out, sensing the presence of several invisible monsters. using his powers, he magically held the twenty or so hidden monsters in place, causing his nose to bleed, and reveal them.
"What are-...Kill them all..." Chrysalis began as she and her hidden soldiers turned to faced the unveiled monsters, only to reel in horror as they saw what theses monsters did to Changelings. The cloaked former Changelings were revealed, their pustule covered, grey tinged and sickly organs and innards pouring out of their cracked and soft exoskeletons. What little colour the monsters had that would normally signify what hive they belonged to was devoid of any pigmentation, matching the lack of life or reasoning in their sunken, bloodied eyes. Without a word, Chrysalis took on a fierce, terrifying expression before channeling her magic into a cone of green, incandescent flame that engulfed the mangled Changelings, as well as the monsters surrounding the suspended beasts.
"Snowfall, are you ready?" Alistair screamed over the cacophony of battle, somewhat distracted as he continued to tear apart monsters with his blade while conjuring small, disposable blades out of his tome while channeling an extensive amount of magic.
"Ready boss!" She answered, shaking slightly from the amount of stored magic she had ready.
"Now!" He commanded, slamming his hooves into the ground while she did the same with her paws. The sound of the two pouring their magic into the ground was akin to a war song, inspiring and energising to some and terrifying to others. The ground lit up as a colossal circle that surrounded the soldiers appeared and with a discordant crash, the ground beneath the monsters broke apart, unable to support the weight of so many monsters. Some were impaled on jagged stone, some fell deep within the new ravines in the floor, some simply lost their footing and were injured in the process, but either way this gave the defenders a great advantage. Dropping their barrier, the Unicorns, Scroll, Chrysalis and Alistair began laying waste to the suppressed soldiers by raining down hellfire on them while the few who recovered and charged at the defended Unicorns were dispatched with haste by the soldiers. After ten minutes of continuous bloodletting and magical barrages, the sound of clashing metal and screams died down and all that could be heard was the huffs of fatigue from the victors.
"Gotta say, never been in a fight like that before...Whoa..." Braeburn exclaimed, covered in blood and sweat as he huffed and tried to get his breath back.
"Yeah...Nothing like fighting off bandits..." Snowfall agreed, sitting on a dulled rock as she rested her spinning head in her bloodied hands.
"Is everyone alright? Anyone in need of aid?" Faded Scroll asked the relaxed mass, amazed at the lack of lost allies.
"We're fine for the most part, your own suffered a few blows it seems." Chrysalis pointed out while wiping away the blood on her face. For the most part the group was fine, they'd remarkably suffered no casualties but just under half of their combined forces were suffering from wounds of various severity.
"It was unavoidable it seems, if anyone needs medicinal aid I'd advise seeking it now as I doubt we'll have another moment of respite anytime soon." Faded announced, causing several bleeding or battered Changelings in disguise and Archivists to limp towards the numerous Unicorns around Scroll. "My lord, are you hurt?" He continued, diverting his attention to the titular Immortal.
Something seemed...Off to Faded Scroll. He stood there, his body almost radiating with the amount of magic that surrounded him, covered in blood and gore. His robes were painted red and black with the reward of his onslaught and his coat was likewise dirtied, his mane was frazzled from the rampage he unleashed and his blazing eyes held a tingle of glee as he surveyed the cavern full of dead creatures. His sword was dripping red and his tome, despite the resistant enchantment meant to repeal damage and stains, had a splatter across the House Leonas sigil. He looked less like a regal archivist who'd allegedly spend weeks delving into the mysteries of the universe and more like a ravenous warfighter.
"...My lord?" He asked once more, breaking Alistair out of his stupor.
"Yes? Everything alright?" He asked, a sanguine smile on his gentle face. Although he still looked unnerving in his current state, at least he was clearly back to reality.
"Y-Yes, for whatever reason the beasts have stopped assaulting us and at our current rate we should be able to fix our soldier's surface wounds in a matter of minutes. I'd advise taking a moment to catch a breath and...Um, clean off blood." He suggested, pointing towards his ruined robes.
"Oh...Um, thank you, guess I got a little too into the battle." He said sheepishly with a smile as he casted a spell to wipe away the blood, leaving him looking mostly pristine were it not for his ruffled hair and torn robe.
"I gotta say, bit worried that we only find skeletons and monsters...If those things turned my colts into them..." Braeburn left the sentence hanging as he and Snowfall stood aside the two Unicorns. He looked less furious after venting his anger onto the brutes but the words he said invoked hatred, fear and sadness in equal measures.
"Well, if worst comes to worst we could deal with it for ya; no one should have to kill their own troops." Snow offered, patting the battered Earth Pony on the back, trying to keep his head in the game.
"Thanks, but I think I outta be the one to fix my own mess..." He rejected, putting on a small smile for the first time since he arrived at the Archive as he chose to occupy his time by checking for damage to his weapon or armour.
"Why're we loitering in this disgusting cove? We still have a hive to destroy correct?" Chrysalis demanded to know, visibly unsettled and wrathful.
"No use going forward if half our soldiers are going to bleed out and we can't leave them behind." Snow reasoned, taking in the state of her soldiers as they either went to the Unicorns for aid or patched their own wounds with basic supplies and remedies.
"And while we're sitting here, those abominations are no doubt amassing for a second strike! Forget the injured, we have more than enough to finish these freaks." Chrysalis ordered, her soldiers preparing to move on with a synchronized nod.
"Now hold on there partner, we can't just up and leave our friends behind because they got a bit scraped up. I say we wait here and-" Braeburn interjected, siding with Snow, as he also noted the injured on both Chrysalis' and our side. Before he could continue however, Chrysalis snapped at him.
"Don't presume to order me around you Equestrian simpleton! If we wait around for the slow and weak these monsters will once more ambush us and we may not be nearly as prepared. So unless you're through with the platitudes, we shall continue onward." She snarled venomously, her contempt for him evident as her thralls merely looked at him like he was little more than scum.
"Now where do you get off telling me what to do you yellow bellied, little-"
"Enough!" Alistair commanded as he teleported between the two, causing them both to step back. "Sitting here and arguing will get us nowhere and leaving men to die is beyond inane!" He barked at Chrysalis, causing her to scowl and almost hiss. "Faded Scroll, can we fix some of their wounds while we march?" As the old mage nodded, he turned to Braeburn. "Then we're good to go." He ordered, causing the somewhat exhausted yet still eager mass to stand up and continued deeper into the twisting and winding tunnels.
"Piece of work that Visage of yours..." Braeburn remarked as he stepped next to Alistair at the front, his light burning away the shadows, while looking back to the end of the pack to glare at the mare. "Where'd you find a mare as heartless as her?" He inquired as he kept an eye out for stragglers or another ambush.
"A hole somewhere...She has her moments, but heartless is a bit much." He answered cryptically before defending as he raised Talon, preparing for anything.
"She just tried to leave half of our force behind 'cause they got hurt." He stated with a deadpan expression.
"True, though I will say...Did you hear that?" Alistair began with an understanding nod before going quiet and raising his sword defensively, the band behind him tensing up likewise.
"More of those things?" The Captain guessed, raising his ax overhead aggressively ready to strike.
"No...For once I can understand it...It's coming from over here..." He assessed as he rushed further down the path, scanning for traps, before rounding the corner and coming face to face with yet another one of the several disgusting sights Alistair had seen that day. It was a wide, room like alcove built into the tunnel that seemed like some kind of preparation room for whatever process made these monsters. To the left of the room laid a pile of corpses, all Pony and armour clad, and to the right a table with several knives ranging from surgical to nature to a butcher's knife. The stone table dripped blood off its chipped surface onto the floor where it seemed to pool into a stagnate, putrid puddle in the center of the room. Against the opposite wall was looked like a cell, rusted spikes of metal forming rods embedded into cracked stone and solidified grim forming walls and within rested two emaciated Ponies, a Pegasus resting against the stone wall and an Earth Pony grasping the bars.
"...Woah! Hey you, you're not one of those things right?! Get us out! Please!" The Earth Pony yelled desperately. His thick, black fur and gold, short cut mane were matted by sweat and his muscles, though still admirable, seemed almost decaying and the flicker of desperation in his bronze eyes added to the depressing sight. His armour hanged onto him despite the holes and broken plates.
"God's blessing, there's living people down here!" Alistair called out, causing Braeburn to round the corner; in an instant his expression shifted from determined to jubilant and sorrow.
"B-Boulder?! You're alive?" He stammered out as he rushed over to the bars, looking for a key or anyway to force them off.
"Celestia's arse, captain?! Lance, get up it's the Cap!" Boulder screamed in joy, his accented, deep voice cracked and hoarse. As Braeburn neared them, Alistair close behind, Lancer looked up from his corner in the back of the cell, the bags under his cyan eyes and his gaunt figure made it look like he had been prisoner for weeks.
"Captain? You survived?" Lancer rhetorically asked with newfound hope, struggling to his hooves he limped over to the bars. His blue fur and feathers were filthy and his long white mane was clumped and seemingly falling off in patches.
"Yeah, I made it just barely 'cause of this fella here. How the hay did you two?!" He asked as he stepped back and watched Alistair use his magic to tear the bars from the wall.
"The...Thing that threw you away grabbed me after I tried killing it for awhile and threw me back through their portal...There were so many rotting Ponies on the other end..." Lancer explained, clearly traumatized by the prior events.
"When those monsters over ran my position, one of them tackled me. Turns out some of them know magic and it sent me back here. When I woke up, I was next to Lancer watching them...Well..." He punctured his sentenced by pointing while avoiding looking at the pile of rotting corpses that were their platoon. "After we refused to eat the bodies, they seemed to decide to starve us out...I don't know what they were planning to do with the bodies, or us, but they never got the chance...Cap, it's good to see you again..." Boulder explained, an audible shudder in his voice, before weakly saluting his captain as he stepped out of his cell on shaking legs.
"Likewise private, were it not for Wonderlust here I would've died with the rest." He said aloud as he nodded towards Alistair who merely smiled and aided Lancer, who could barely walk, out of the cell.
"Thank you, I'll buy you a cider or something when we get back to Appleloosa." Lancer thanked with a faint voice and a massive, grateful smile.
"Don't worry about it, how are you two holding up?" He responded, examining the two prisoners. Boulder was battered, bruised and had various stab wounds that seemed to have been somewhat healed and Lancer was sweating profusely and could barely stand.
"I'm in a pretty rough state, uh, we're leaving now right?" Lancer asked, trying to keep his eyes open.
"Yeah, although I'd love to kill some more of these monsters I think I'm about ready to keel over..." Boulder assured, his movements sluggish and slow as he had a noticeable limp in his gait.
"Shit...Well, you're not exactly in fighting condition." Alistair cursed, realising that bringing them along would be suicide but leaving them behind would be a death sentence for them as well. "Obviously you two can't stay down here but we can't retreat now...Braeburn, could you escort these two to the surface?" He suggested as Braeburn put Lancer's front left hoof over his shoulder.
"Already ahead of ya...Thanks for bringing me along, I know you were hesitant but I'm glad ya changed your mind. See ya up top." The captain thanked with a sincere grin and a small nod. Purposefully avoiding looking at what remained of his forces, ax and Lancer in hoof he headed back with Alistair and Boulder.
"Hey, before you head out let me help you a little." Alistair offered to the two injured guards. As they turned to face him, he casted a wave of basic, yet effective, healing magic. Although it wouldn't fix everything or cure whatever Lancer was suffering from, at least Boulder could walk straight.
"Thanks buddy, you're a lifesaver." The burly stallion said, testing out his mostly fixed front hooves by patting Alistair on the back. As they rejoined the group, Faded Scroll and Snowfall approached the survivors.
"Woah, I didn't think we'd find anything normal down here." Snow remarked, examining the two injured knights as they marveled at the size of the force.
"Yes, it is quite shocking; I would've assumed any survivors would've been, well, dealt with. I gather you're escorting your comrades to safety?" Scroll guessed, examining the way Braeburn was guiding the sickly Pegasus.
"Yeah, they're no good down here and I sure as heck ain't leaving them behind." The captain informed with a hardened look that emphasised that he wasn't changing his plan.
"In that case you're gonna need more than one ax and a mean kick, take a few guards with ya." Snow insisted as a Unicorn and several Diamond Dogs approached upon Snow's indication.
"Much appreciated, we'll keep the exit clear for y'all." He thanked, grateful for the additional aid. With that said, the two parties parted and once the larger group rounded the corner and descended deeper into the caves, the Changelings and Alistair dropped their facade.
"You're playing a dangerous game letting rats into your fold." Chrysalis chastised, glowering at the newly formed Human, devoid of blood but still adorned in torn robes and scratched armour.
"Trust me, this will pay off in the long run...Thank you for help, I sincerely appreciate it." He promised with a tone that indicated he was planning something before smiling warmly at his old friend.
"Hmph, without my aid you'd've no doubt died once more and I'd rather have that not happen." She half mocked, looking straight ahead. "Still, it is quite nice to finally inflict pain on something Pony-like after such a long dry spell. It's almost like old times again isn't it?" She said with an almost lecherous smile as she examined her dark green, curved sword fondly, before turning to her old companion with a warm, rarely seen smile.
"I distinctly remember more Liches and Dragons and less slime and rot, but you have a unique way of making things less insufferable." He jested, wiping off a dollop of ooze that had fallen on his shoulder before looking ahead with his hand in the air, a ball of light within his palm.
"Odd, most would say I make most situations intolerable." She added with a cackle, her duel voices making it sound more sinister than intended. Were it not for her spiked, dark metal and heavily modified and warped plate armour she may have looked less intimidating.
"Well I've never been like most people huh?"
"True, most people know when to not go spelunking into hellish pits." She ribbed before taking on a serious demeanor, sensing something ahead. raising her spiked great shield and sword with her magic, the began to creep ahead.
"Yeah, I feel it too." Alistair affirmed, drawing his blade once more as they approached another alcove. On the other end of the elongated room rested a massive set of double doors, the antique and beautifully detailed steel doors contrasting against the decay and disease of the surroundings. On the other side rested a great feeling of uneasy and terror, the closer Alistair, Chrysalis and Faded Scroll got the more intense the feeling became.
"This must be the source, or at least something important..." Alistair asserted, running his hand along the door and examining the layer of dust in his palm afterward.
"Looks too sturdy to break down." Snowfall lamented, wishing she could've broken them down.
"Nonsense, anything can be taken down if you try hard enough and apply logic." He retorted as he placed his palms on the door and with a flash of coursing light he felt the weight behind the doors drop to that of a wooden door. Before Alistair could walk inside however, a rumbling within the caverns caused all to turn around to see another great swarm of beasts approaching from all sides.
"Shit! Get those shields up!" Snow hastily ordered. Before the monsters had gotten halfway across the room the shield was already up while the Changelings began firing searing energy at them, melting flesh and metal alike. Before Alistair could join the fray, the door he was resting on swung open, causing him to lose balance and stumble into the chamber within. As he crashed against the wet floor, the door closed behind him and with a chain like pattern of flashing light, something locked it.
"Lord Alistair, are you alright?!" Faded Scroll mentally asked with panic, worried for his ruler.
"I'm alright, though something locked me in...The magic on the door seems extreme, so I'd wager whatever is in here didn't plan for anything to get in." He assessed, looking around the room for any sign of the caster. "I'll find the source of these monsters, with any luck destroying it will have a domino effect on the monsters like most thralls to dark powers." He strategized with a commanding tone, taking control of the situation.
"We'll hold the line, these shields won't fall for awhile." His second in command promised, a determined and confident inflection to his voice. "Be careful Alistair."
"You too Scroll." He responded, severing the mental link to focus on the task at hand. The light in his palm seemed dampened somehow, like the shadows were all consuming past a point. The light reflected off of Talon and his lion pauldron, causing him to almost shine in the darkness. With every step forward, the faint echoing sound of sloshing blood cried out, Alistair's steps disturbing the pools of warm, fresh blood covering the cool stone pathway beneath him. The walls around him were decorated with ancient stone statues of the Old Gods, their features all but unrecognizable as the primordial and ever present muck ensnared the old stone and metal idols. The ceiling above was unseeable, Alistair's magelight extending only so far. With only the disquieting, constant sound of a woman humming at the far side of the corridor, Alistair slowly crept forward with his blade and light held high.
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Finally! I was getting tired of the consecutive flashback chapters. You really ought'a spread those out a bit, otherwise they go from feeling like interesting worldbuilding to grating filler.
As for my thoughts on the chapter itself...
m.memegen.com/0n7vp4.jpg
Well Goddamn way to pull out the stops with this here. Great work, flowed nice and I really enjoyed the combat scene.
The first Valetori is not capitalized
Just a few quick edits I found.
Everything else looks alright. I like how Celestia hid the fact that Celestia use to know and be "friends" with Chrysalis. I wonder how the mane 6 will react to the news from Braeburn. Now how will the fight between Twilight and our protagonist go I wonder?
7965126 I know some people were probably getting tired of flashback/past segements being mixed in with the modern chapters so I'll keep the chapter timeframes consistent.
7965149 Thanks man, it means a lot to know people like my shit.
7965252 Cheers on picking up on that, corrected it just now. I got a lot up my sleeve and a lot planned, it's hopefully gonna get gud.
Sp00py
God, they did something to Aurora, didn't they?
Very nice chapter, great to see some more action. And Chryssie.
Interesting that Celestia omitted mentioning the rest of the group she and Luna were a part of in the past.
By the way, can't remember, are there any griffins among Alistair's followers?
'As the sunset over Equestria' - either as the sun set or as the sunset fell
'the maps' - map's
'we play it save' - safe
'out to the sight of your battle' - site
'As he closed his eyes and began murmuring a soothing, echoing lullaby a halo of blue energy rapidly encircling the huddle of personal, the feeling of coursing power in the air was a new, peculiar sensation to the magically inept but the sudden, exhilarating head rush and nausea of teleportation' - 'As he closed his eyes and began murmuring a soothing, echoing lullaby, a halo of blue energy began rapidly encircling the huddled group. The feeling of power coursing through the air was a new and peculiar sensation for the magically inept, but it was soon replaced by the sudden and exhilarating head rush and nausea of teleportation soon followed. '
7965327 i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/123/157/009.jpg
7965648 Thanks for the edits, fixed them. Chryssie is always a delight imo. Yeah, odd that Celestia wouldn't mention them huh? There aren't any Griffins among Alistair's followers, most Griffins who know of him hate him and most Griffins are magically inept in this world so few Griffins would've gotten into the Archive anyways. There may be members in the future but atm there aren't any.
Just as I suspected. Celestia is the "bad guy," but not for some asinine reason. One of the rew ficks with a reasonable Celestia as the antagonist.
7965706 I've always hated typecasting Celestia as the villain, it always seemed odd to make the antagonist evil for the sake of being evil even when it makes no sense or comes off as contrived.
You know what is wrong here
Aaahh....
Once more we have a work of art to read and enjoy
This was amazing
7966044 Thanks for picking up on that and the compliment, means a lot.
7966053 i did see more errors but i really don't want to comb the chapter through with my phone to point out every single error i saw
You understand, right?
Celestia, The Liar.
Oddly, i think she may be specifically twisting the truth so as to manipulate Twilight into befriending Alistair, by playing to her psychology.
7966808
7966081its all g
I think the correct word is "you'd've"
there are a few other editing errors/typos/etc but otherwise this is a great chapter.
That was a pretty sloppy exposition dump at the beginning. Just kinda felt too much like "Ok, the Author wants the reader to know about x so here you go"
7967386 Thanks for the correction, just changed it, and thanks for the compliment. The next chapter is gonna be shorter but come out hopefully sooner.
7967488 That's kind of the point to an extent, I don't want the writing to feel sloppy but it's meant to be Celestia giving explicitly her point of view on a complicated situation that few understand due to a lack of information and of course she's biased and also wants some things to remain hidden. I haven't told everything, just what Celestia wants her student to know and how she saw it happen and she needed to compress a massive amount of history into a short rundown for her student since she feared she didn't have the time for a longer explanation. Trust me, I've got more planned for the past then just Celestia's explanation. If you think it's poorly written or bad exposition can you tell me how you think it could be improved?
My money is that with Alistair brought back to life, some link brought his sister to life as well...
7967508
The main issue is that there are just massive blocks of dialogue with nothing in between to separate or add depth. I'd suggest making breaks to detail how certain characters are processing the information being given. Instead of saying "Twilight was horrified", something like: "Twilight took a step back, mouth slightly agape" would be a more effective sentence.
7967651 I see you're point, I'll probably go back to add to it, but at the moment I was more concerned over the story she was telling and her suspicions. Thanks for the feedback.
Good stuff, certainly some minor mistakes in there but still an interesting tale. Hope to see more of this in the near future.
Oh. You changed the name. No wonder I couldn't find it
7967842 Sorry, I thought the last name was kinda crap.
Great chapter man it was exactly what I wanted :)
I actually hope he can resurrect his sister, the Human race, and beat up Celestia.
At this point I'm half expecting a Gaping Dragon to come out from the darkness alongside whoever Alistair meets. This has gotten very Dark Souls-ish in a hurry.
7969221 Huh, I would've thought more people would've drawn a comparison to Dead Space then Dark Souls given that the creatures in Space are more body horror and the ones in Souls are more dark fantasy. Although I love Dark Souls I'm not trying to emulate it but I can see why people would think that with the lifeless creatures and darkness.
Praise her dead half light..
Celestia the Liar.
CElestia thedeceiverr.
Very nice chapter, good work.
I have the suspicion that the source of these eldritch abominations is Alistairs sister.
7967532
Wasn't there mention in the past scenes of stuff like Soul-bonds existing among humanity? I can't remember whether the siblings were stated to have one explicitly but I do recall some mention of it (I think so anyway.)
7985185 not sure, but it would be a interesting idea.