Song of Circles, Final
As Endrax's corpse lay freshly dormant—impaled atop the summit of the ziggurat—there was a final flicker of light. Three points atop her draconian crown—pale blue and piercing—shimmered with the final vestiges of magic. Then, one after another, they broke off from her onyx cranium and plummeted in separate directions... ultimately littering the beds of calcified death that surrounded the edges of the structure like bone-white tide.
As the factions fought bloodily with one another, a brave few souls dove for the inexplicable relics discarded by the dead bastion that had sealed off all four entrances to the zigurrat. Three platoons met at once with a clash of ruby light, green metamorphosis, and lunar brilliance. Amidst the fray, members of the competing armies flew off—each stealing a separate piece of the collapsed matriarch. The fragments glowed faintly in their grasp, growing dimmer and dimmer with the distance increasing between them and the dead host from which they had fallen in the center of the hellish plain.
The enchantment of these Shards was not lost
To the three armies, nor their potential
To return animation to the limbs
Of she who had—in death—sealed off the doors
To a harmonic and coveted goal.
Somehow the factions understood that the
Latent power harbored in the Shards were
Purposed towards obtaining the Prism,
And—for the greater part—they were correct.
What the Trinary factions neglected
To take into account was Endrax's plan,
Which relied on their blind, violent vigor.
Now that each possessed a different Shard—
—A separate key—they were fighting for
More than just the Sarcophagus itself.
Their fury and ambition only drew
Them further from the heart of the battle.
The War spread all across the Curve as they
Fought tooth and nail over Endrax's remains.
In spiraling formations, sarosian soldiers dove towards the gnarled, biorganic hives of their metamorphic foe. Tchern's hatchlings flew up to meet them, and the clashing equines filled the air with blood and sparks. Meanwhile, a glowing blue piece of draconian flesh was carried deeper and deeper into the Keeper's underground lair by loyal drones with armored shells.
Elsewhere, crystalline vessels closed in around a wooden fortress built by sarosian hooves. Volley after valley of ruby energy pummeled the outer ramparts, setting the structure ablaze. A brave platoon of nightbloods fled Curveside, carrying a glowing blue artifact with them. As half the vessels veered off to pursue their target, a surprise formation of Bloodwings dove in from behind a mountain, pelting the ships with lunar discharge and rendering the Ruby constructs to brittle glass—allowing the platoon to safely get away with their treasure.
On the far end of the Curve, waves of insectoid quadrupeds stormed up the sloping planes surrounding a massive tower built out of translucent metal. Crystalline equines atop the battlements aimed their horns at the invading swarm, firing countless streams of burning crimson light. Carapaces exploded in bursts of flame and body fluid, but the swarm kept closing in. The front wave slammed into the base of the tower, billowing with bright organic acid bursts and sending cracks through the height of the structure. Meanwhile—high above—several glass panels dislodged from the tower, turning into a rectangular vessel powered by ruby light. Its minimal occupants held tight to a glowing blue shard as they fled further towards the Curve's edge... just in time to be protected by an advancing armada of mana-powered structures soaring in to flank the Keepers.
Thus, Endrax's contribution was twofold:
She sealed the Sarcophagus with her flesh
And the fate of the factions with her Shards.
In a land defined by darkness, they were
Sparks of false hope for desperate armies.
Nevertheless, their function is quite true.
Whoever possesses all three Shards will
Hold sway over the dead matriarch's corpse,
For once they are returned to Endrax's crown,
The spell that keeps her scales tougher than steel
Will be undone, and the Prism exposed.
The armies ascertain this, and that is
Why they assault each other constantly,
For if a single side gains one more Shard,
They will have changed the tide forevermore.
The other two factions would have no choice
But to accept a hopeless defeat, for
Their foe will be that much more powerful.
Under a dark cloud that blots out the twilight...
...thousands of nefarious bodies can be seen advancing upon the ziggurat.
Two opposing armies retreat as the charge pierces on through, emboldened by a trio of piercing blue lights. The ethereal artifacts are reunited with the deceased dragon's crown. There's a pulse of pale brilliance, and the beast's scales peel away into ash. The bodies immediately flood the interior of the structure, and all remaining light is drowned out as an onyx miasma eclipses the remaining warmth from the deathscape.
But it must never come to that ill fate.
None of the three factions must be allowed
To seize another piece of Endrax's crown.
For if they did, then the Harmonic gift
In the heart of the Sarcophagus will
Become a weapon of chaos and death
And not even Penumbral Paradise
Could survive the tidal waves of darkness
That would saturate both sides of the plane.
The onyx shadow spreads...
Washing like a black satin sea over the furthest stretches of the curved plane...
When at last it reaches the edges of the world, it wraps around like living ink. There is a flicker of hopeful luminescent from beyond—a solar flare, courageous and defiant—but soon it is too snuffed out...
...and the lonely piece of the circle drifts once again in pure, chaotic darkness.
All black.
However... hope remains for harmony.
This plane waits for a shift in the darkness.
A gift from the Penumbral horizon,
Imbued with song, older than the Circles.
Ilrifa's codex guides her, a road forged
By ruby flame, Urohringr's bloodstream.
There comes a Spark: Loyalty most divine.
It will unite that which has been Sundered,
Illuminate that which has been eclipsed,
Foal yesterday and secure tomorrow.
She comes with a chorus, bathed in friendship.
She delivers a dirge: a righteous purge.
For those who stand to bask in harmony
Cannot dwell with those who shun its Spectrum.
This is the cost of rejoining circles.
A straight line makes it possible, but the
Future cannot have serrated edges.
Endrax knew this when she ushered Winter.
Somewhere, an immense crystalline structure floated loftily above the Curved landscape, empowered by ruby essence. In the centermost core of its glass matrices, a horned fragment rested protectively atop a glass pedestal, pulsating with dim blue brilliance.
Elsewhere, deep in the twisted hovels of insectoid biomatter, a swarm of changeling drones huddled tightly around a circular nesting area. In the center—where fresh egg sacks would otherwise have been laid—there was instead a blue shard that glowed out of sync with the Keepers' emerald life pulse.
Then in another part of the Curve, nestled deep in the boughs of an impossibly huge tree and protected by lunar runes, a third shard resided—locked behind layers of thick moonrock. Nightblood warriors stood guard, ever vigilant and patient as endless night twinkled outside the wooden reaches of the sanctum.
The anger and fury of the factions
Have weakened them; the Winter starves more than
Just my children, Ilrifa's Gift, but that
Makes this tense balance all the more fragile.
Tchern's Flux has strengthened the Keepers to the
Point that they are nearly unkillable.
However, the Bloodwings are being led
By a new tactician whose merciless
Strategy has given them a new edge.
All the while the Ruby Chorus only
Gets stronger and stronger with each battle,
Powered by both life and death, consuming.
All it now takes is a burst—a Spark—and
One of these armies will be forced to move,
And that move will determine the victor.
They wait for this bright opportunity.
They wait for this Spark to embolden them.
You must not be the Spark that ushers in
Darkness, Austraeoh, but the Spark that will
Consume them nevertheless, allowing
Harmony to burst free from Endrax's cage
And grant you the flame that will reunite
The Sundered slices of Urohringr.
In a far off corner of the stars...
...surrounded by nebulae and constellatory dust...
...a curved slice of terrestrial permanence broke the cosmic light. As it sailed off into the galactic reaches, another silhouette drifted past a stellar band, this one cylindrical and almost whole. Almost.
As the two came into proximity of one another, a ruby glow enveloped both, reaching a heightened pulse of luminescent glory, soft and harmonic in its impermeable reach.
This is the Final Movement of the Song.
This is the gift of Ilrifa, the hope
Of Gardez, the labor of my Children.
But, more than anything, Austraeoh, it
Is the melody that only your Spark
Can ignite, and bring Harmony back to
The cosmos with a spectral orchestra.
The light was blinding. Timeless.
Its many hues burst all at once, joyous and triumphant.
The Song was complete, and so it shattered into a million pieces to create a brand new sound.
All that was left was to ascend...
Rising rapidly...
Soaring in a straight line towards the gasping summit—
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HOLY SHIT IT'S BACK!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I JUST CAUGHT UP DAMMIT!
Just an hour or so back.
And now there's MORE CHAPTERS?
...
what is this madness.
...
Time for to be devouring more of de chapterz den,
8754786
Welcome to the party!
So Dash is going to have to pick one of the factions to betray, huh.
Interesting.
Also, IT'S BACK BABY!
Rejoice, for those who read in darkness have seen a great light, the light of a rainbow shooting across the sky.
How does a master tactician compete with uber-tricksy changelings and soul-vampire crystal pones? Do the bats have numbers on their side?
It is back YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
So it looks like old Endrax, is only mostly dead, and does not need to have her pockets rifled through for loose change. Rainbow has her work cut out for her. Now what will happen to our spider friends?
That feel when Austraeoh is back, baby!
Yay
The withdrawals have ended
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I am so glad to see this back!
More Dash?
Smashing.
Ooooooh boy, here we go again!
With Spider Jesus confirming what Dash already knew, I suppose.
Onward and Eastward!
It's back!? Well, how 'bout I crack open the bottle I've been saving. Cheers!
WE BACK BOISSSSSS
Also that's pretty nito, we've got glimpses of the three locales the band has to bust into and bust out of hopefully without dying. Hive-diving sounds especially fun.
I got so excited when I saw the email for this! Very glad to have this back.
I got so excited when I saw the email for this! Very glad to have this back.
dammit
literally crying, reading this
This was one of the most beautifully written chapters of the saga, thus far.
Damn a lot of cryptic info here... WELCOME BACK EVERYPONY!
I hate to ruin the mood, but I've completely forgotten what was going on in this fic. Who are the three factions in the Trinary War, again? Do we even know who's experiencing this???
Wait a second.
The ring is not in twelve pieces? It's just one tiny piece and one big piece?
8759312
As a review, for all of us returning to this amazing fic, the three factions of the Trinary war are:
The Night Shard, mysterious crystalline beings that collect souls and live in pyramids.
Tchern's changelings, like those of Chrysalis, but much more OP
The sarosians, followers of Nightmare Moon, that came here after her banishment, the newcomers to the war.
This chapter is the finale of Dash's drug induced hallucinations of the past, given by a giant, impossibly old, spider queen.
(Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, this is all just by memory)
Always and always and always ascending
The opening line leaves an uncertain ending
Always and always and always ascending
The chords seem to pause, but I'm
never gonna resolve!
Back once more into the fray.
8754852
I would go with the Stormcloaks. While I don't like their leader, they leave some good people as jarls.
8763127
I dunno. I’ve always been one to vouch for a free and independent New Vegas.
8759312
oh my god your avatar is so cute ;;
Onwards!
8761141
THANK YOU!!! I, too, had completely forgotten what the three factions were... This was very helpful!
We're back on air, folks!
To get the Shards of Endrax without tipping the horrific balance of powers, the group has much pain to undergo.
WOW. I focus on school for ONE MONTH and all of a sudden I'm 50k words behind.
Sweeeeet.
8825055
I feel ya buddy.
And now, the war between the steampunk. magipunk, and biopunk begins.
So - in order to even get in the front door of the Armory in the first place, Rainbow has to somehow snag the most prized possessions of each of three factions with the power and resources to fight a war spanning thousands of years.
nbd
So in other words screw all three factions over, get them to kill themselves, and set the wolf straight because they're all irridemably damned anyway.
Gotcha...
9082045
Sounds like a plan. Let’s get to it.
I just realized this is where the hiatus began. That must’ve sucked not having a chapter after this.
And now we finally know for sure what the endgame is, where this has all been leading. We’ve got 3 more books, this should be fun.
The Final Verse in the song.
So Endrax turns the three armies and their aggression against themselves. If they came together in peace they could pass the obstacle. But their determination to see themselves as the one victor will likely ensure that none of them get the prize they are fighting for.
11/17/2019
01:39 UTC
Damn bro I wanna be bitten by these spiders
Well damn. What a song to be sung, a tale to be told.
I guess that's the benefit of being way behind— I didn't have to wait to read all these chapters consecutively. It'll just be tougher when I get caught up.
Now that's a Song! Hell, it's more like a rock opera.