8: As the Old Guard Bows Out...
The summit concluded shortly thereafter. Aegis was the first to leave the amphitheater and she was practically vibrating with barely contained excitement. But she kept herself in check as the group walked quickly away through one of the connecting passageways. It was not out of any sort of tradition, but she didn’t want her upcoming outburst to be seen by a rival queen.
Her ears shifted backwards as Twilight and Rainbow quietly instructed Amber and Stellar Drift to do the same. Oh wow, wow, wow, wow!! She ran into the four Queen’s Guard waiting for them, two from Phoenix Roost and the other two from Tradewinds. Intel and Thunderfury were right beside Celsius and Shield Wall waiting for their queens’ return. As soon as they saw Aegis, all four of them sprinted to close the distance.
“Is it true momma?!” Celsius all but cried out. The bipedal mare mirrored her mother’s enthusiasm. Both she and Shield Wall stopped just short of hugging Aegis. “Did Granny really get named the Second Mother?!”
“She totally did! We need to throw a party, Auntie Pinkie style!”
Shield Wall skidded to a halt near Aegis, but his nervous eyes were focused on the rest of the royals calmly making their way over. The adults anyway. Amber and Stellar were finally released, and were making a mad dash to join Aegis.
The blue drone had to fight to keep the nervous excitement out of his voice. “We should clear out of the castle, my Queens, where we won’t be overheard.”
The two fillies ignored his warning and began spilling the beans on every little bit of what happened. “The red one is so mean!”
“Did you know there are princesses with no queen?!”
“Sticky Spit is really creepy.”
“Why was her friend allowed to have drones in there? I thought that was against the rules.”
“She’s not a friend, she’s her sister!”
“Nu uh!”
“Yeah huh!”
“Girls,” Twilight called out as she reached the bickering duo. “Maybe we should take Shield’s advice, hmm?”
Rainbow Dash had such a massive smirk on her face that it crept into her speech. “Why? We should remind the other queens just how much we’re the new face of our tribe.”
Blitz rested a hand on Rainbow’s withers. “Maybe we shouldn’t be so antagonist, momma. The last time a rival got this big of a shock we got dragged into a war.”
“Agreed,” Twilight added, lifting an eyebrow at her sister and first daughter. “Treat this like any other diplomatic meeting with other nations.”
“So in other words, you’re telling Aunty and me to behave?”
“Your words not mine,” Twilight said with a playful smirk while poking her tongue out. <None of you would go around gossiping right outside Celestia and Luna’s throne room would you?>
<I would,> Rainbow butted in with a cheeky grin.
A younger Aegis might have laughed openly, or chafed under the suggestion. She still did internally, but pride in her crown stayed her tongue. <I would too, since ponies can’t hear the Link and all that.>
Twilight scrunched her muzzle in getting outplayed on technicalities.
Aegis scooped up Amber into her arms like a nymph, and started giving her a noogie. For her part, Amber giggled madly and swatted at the attack. “Either way, let’s get out of here, eh sprout?”
“Stoooooop!” Amber wailed unconvincingly as Aegis walked her way towards the exit stairwell. Stellar scampered after Aegis while the others followed after her. The darker furred princess jumped at Aegis trying to get a ride too.
At the top of the stairs stood an aging black chitin bound drone in the resplendent armor of the Home Guard Captain. As with all of his queen-less kind, he had slightly rough chitin, appearing more brittle than those of Chrysi’s brood. He had the holes, same as any changeling, and head frills. Only his eyes somewhat mirrored that of Twilight’s tribe, lacking the blue glow entirely.
Thoran tried to ignore the royal rough housing, but couldn’t stop himself from cracking a smile. A smile he hid by bowing deeply. “Your graces.”
Aegis freaked a bit in her excitement to see him, having missed Thoran on the way in. “Hey, it’s my favorite gunshot victim! How’ya been doing?” She started bouncing from one leg to the other, making Amber giggle madly.
Thoran let off a choked laugh and absently rubbed the old bullet wound she had given him years ago. “I’ve been much better since then. Not one second of being mind controlled since.”
“Ha!, glad to hear it.” Hearing the rest of her family was catching up, Aegis stopped bouncing and gently put Amber down, only to have Stellar worm her way into Aegis’ hands. “Me next, me next!”
<Behave yourselves in front of those not of our hives, girls.> Aegis warned firmly.
Stellar pouted at her aunt. <That’s not fair, you were being silly in front of him too!> The little blue princess’ cheeks puffed out in young indignation.
Aegis sent motherly pride over the Link to them, as that typically got them confused enough to stop whining, allowing Aegis to refocus on the drone. “Please, rise.” As he did so, Twilight and the others caught up with them, each queen giving the captain a range of regally aloof expressions, yet they were all clearly pleased to see him alive and well. “How’s life these days?” Regal indeed.
Thoran was taken aback by her question, but quickly recovered his composure lest he cause offense. “Ah, good, we had a problem with ripper hornets a few weeks ago, but nothing we couldn’t handle.”
Blitz came up along side Aegis and gently leaned against her, and wrapped her tail around Aegis’ own. “Do you want us to donate some equipment or just the usual egg and love crystals?”
Thoran risked a glance at Twilight to find the elder queen had a tiny, playful grin. No admonishment, no correction. “Forgive me, but I am not used to such… casualness from royalty.” He recalled the time Twilight investigated the First Mother in the castle, but even then, the studious queen was professional, yet more polite than expected.
Aegis took a long, slow breath as Blitz’ love washed over her like a warm, comfortable, familiar blanket. It took her the briefest of moments to refocus on Thoran. “Eh, what can I say? I know how rough the drone life can be.”
“Oh please,” Twilight scoffed as she came up on Aegis and pulled on her ear with a bit of magic. “Sure, you got into some battles here and there, but you and the rest of my kids have it far easier than any drones that lived before our line.”
“Some battles she says,” Aegis laid the sarcasm on thick.
“Easy, she says,” Blitz mirrored with a sly grin at Aegis. “Life’s pretty easy if you’re just a glorified puppet instead of a free being who has to do the thinking herself.”
Twilight pressed her lips tight and eyed the two former drones with motherly annoyance. “I suppose.”
Basing his assumption on how queens typically reacted to this sort of verbal sparring, Thoran was quick to interject as politely as possible before war declarations were cast about. “If I may, Prime Matriarch Twilight Sparkle, I knew this day was coming. The naming of the Second Mother, that is.”
At that, everyone but Blitz and Aegis were surprised. Both of the bipedal queens adopted haughty tones of the Canterlot elite. “Honestly, mothers, if we had known the title was up for grabs, we’d have nominated her ages ago.”
Twilight chuckled lightly at how the young ones were mimicking her and Rainbow. “Of that, I have no doubt.”
When Thoran thought no one other than the fillies were paying him any attention, he quietly pulled out some index cards (donated by Twilight of course) and skimmed them quickly before realizing some of them were missing. “I, ah...sort of had a thank you speech planned, but think I misplaced some bits of it.” When all eyes were back on him, he hastily hid the cards to fix Twilight with a warm, yet firm look. “Prime Matriarch Twilight Sparkle, from the day you first entered these hallowed halls, I suspected you would be an engine of change.” He felt rather proud of that, borrowing from her hive’s vocabulary. “Yet it was when you showed not just a passing interest in our species’ history, but going so far as to making it your contribution for the crown, I was utterly convinced that one day, either you or Cadista would be nominated as Second Mother. Had it been within my power, I’d have proposed it years ago. You have all but nullified Gethar’s curse, and the other queens are following you, whether they like it or not.
“For those of you who don’t know, we Home Guard look the way we do because we were modeled after the First Mother’s drones… well, if you add the intelligence at least. If you would permit it, we of the Home Guard would be deeply honored if you modified our alchemical template to better match that of the Second Mother, or more honestly, your own.”
Twilight’s brain froze in that moment and her eyes dilated like a cat about to pounce. She was being handed history on such a shiny silver platter. Not only was she being asked to change the Home Guard, but being given a chance to see the very roots of modern alchemy. Her heart started racing, and she was threatening to foam at the mouth with her hyperventilation. Her eyes turned magenta along with Rainbow Dash who also started to do the same.
Aegis and Blitz eyed their mothers with deep concern and started to take a few steps back before one of them remembered something rather important. <Calm them down, quick!> Aegis hissed out of frightful concern.
It took both of their efforts to bleed Twilight’s and Rainbow’s excitement into the hive mind, and none too soon, as they were starting to bear down on Thoran who was only just starting to become clued in on the danger.
When their work did the trick, and the sisters snapped out of it and recomposed themselves, Twilight shook her head and easily pushed away their efforts. She looked at each of them in confusion. “What was that for?”
Rainbow had experienced plenty of Twilight’s knowledge cravings, and a few too many of similar focused intensity. What made this one unsettling was that this time, Rainbow wholly shared in that craving. It left her speechless and dazed a bit.
Blitz hoped to spare her mother some of the embarrassment and focused entirely on her aunt. <You heard Thoran’s idea and were about to go full Twilinanas.>
Twilight chuffed in indignation. “I wasn’t going Twilinanas!!” Aegis’ and Blitz’s unconvinced glares, along with Thoran’s own confused one made Twilight look away in cheek-reddening embarrassment. “Okay fine, maybe a liiittle Twilinanas.”
Rainbow Dash decided to play along and acted like her own trip down Rabid Egghead Lane didn’t happen. “As if you could hide it from us,” she added with a sardonic wiggling eyebrow.
“Oh whatever, it’s not my fault you don’t understand how meaningful this is.” Twilight at last looked back at Thoran. “As much as I’d love to take a look, are you really okay with me doing this? If your template’s lasted this long, wouldn’t you want to keep it? For tradition’s sake, or maybe the other queens might see it as negating your neutrality?”
Thoran nodded in understanding, and bowed while directing Twilight towards a different staircase. A second Home Guard drone was waiting for them. Without further prompting, Twilight led the other royals after it. Thoran fell into step beside her. “My answer to you will be the same to any other queen that asks. These are still uncertain times for our species.The next generation of queens are being raised, and have mental… predispositions that make modeling the future impossible. In that light, for the preservation of the Home Guard, we need our strain to support love production. Our purpose will not change.”
Blitz hummed approvingly. “Rational, smart. I’m guessing you want the eggs we donate to you to start retaining that ability from here on.”
“You would be correct, I’m afraid.” Thoran nodded at the Guard ahead of them for him to lead the way to the incubation wing. “With so few queens left, we have had to… thin our ranks of some of the older members.”
Rainbow’s look of horror was mirrored by the others. “Why didn’t you ask for more love rocks? We’d have given you all you need.”
“And then some,” Aegis added.
“It is not our place,” Thoran replied meekly in the face of so many irate royals. “We have always made do during harsh wars. Polybia was not the first to cull so many queens at once; I only hope your bloodline will make her the last.
“As for the tradition of it all, I have been outvoted on the matter.”
“Voted?” Twilight and Rainbow parroted, their eyes turning magenta. “You vote on things?!”
“Aye. Most of our members have been wanting you to edit the template to allow love production, to make us more resilient during love droughts. It was only with the results of today’s Summit that garnered enough votes to force my hoof.”
Coming from both a diarchy of Equestria, and living as the queen of a hive, the very idea of voting for anything this monumental was creating a logic error in Twilight's and Blitz’s brains. Aegis and Rainbow simply thought it was stupid and left it at that.
The group had made their way halfway down the castle, and were passing through a common hall when they ran into Kreesus who stood alone; not even her princess was there. The burning torches cast the red, leathery queen in a grim light that made Amber and Stellar hide behind Twilight and Rainbow.
Shield Wall and Celsius were all but compelled by Aegis’ flash of anger into jumping between her and Kreesus with hands resting on their weapons. Intel and her group were more used to letting Rainbow’s heated emotions slide off of them, and didn’t move into formation. They were still in the Ebony castle after all.
Blitz preemptively pinged Aegis to keep her temper in check, while most of her concern was leveled at her mother.
All Rainbow outwardly did was mirror Twilight’s rigid, cold stance. Yet their shared aura was that of deep, seething anger barely covered by a dusting of snow.
Since Blitz was behind the elder queens, she noticed the other clues, their emotional auras were perfectly identical, their voices on the Link didn’t even sound like two voices speaking as one, but as only one voice without so much as an echo. It put Blitz in a state of awe and not a small amount of forbearance. She glanced at Aegis who noticed it too.
<Shield, Celsius, nice reflexes and all, but fall back for now.> Aegis inwardly beamed with pride at the two drones and showered them with praise over the Link.
<I’ll redirect any questions the kids have to us, so they don’t distract them,> Blitz offered, with Aegis nodding in silent agreement as the two drones fell back into step with Intel.
“What do you want, Kreesus?” the Sisters asked with heavy disdain. Even in the waking world, they spoke in perfect unison.
Kreesus’ ears flattened at the disturbing sight of those four quiet, burning, magenta eyes. “I was hoping we could talk away from the posturing and ego of the Summit.”
“Make it quick,” the Sisters all but demanded without emotion. “My time’s more valuable than yours.”
<Ouch,> Aegis sent Blitz, <didn’t think mom would ever talk like that.>
<Or that my mom would even speak to Kreesus ever again,> Blitz added. Their voices were completely as one. Not an echo, but actually one, single voice… She stepped up to her mother, who looked at her without facing away from Kreesus. “Why don’t I take the girls along? No need for them to stick around for this.”
“Good idea, I’ll see you soon, Blizzy/Little Blue,” the Sisters replied quietly.
The usage of both names caused Twilight to blink a fraction of a second faster than Rainbow Dash; and like that, the spell was broken as Rainbow’s eyes returned to normal. She blinked and stepped aside from her sister. “Umm,” confused embarrassment caused her to take both fillies onto her back. “Aegis, why don’t we let the diplomats handle this instead before something weirder happens, or I break the Summit rules and kill her.”
“Uhh, sure.” Eager to do just that, Aegis waved Thoran and the escort on. “Lead the way, boys. I’ll be sure to keep all the juicy bits off the Link for ya, Momma.”
“Excellent, thank you.” Twilight watched her sister, daughter, and Queens’ Guard leave with a bit of thanks that their tempers were not going to be an issue.
All three of them waited as Rainbow and the others disappeared around the bend. Blitz rested a hand on the side of Twilight’s neck, earning a questioning look.
For a moment, Blitz didn’t quite see her mentor. Twilight’s aura was tinted too far into the reddish-orange of controlled ire, with a few large splashes of regal purple composure she usually kept in dealing with authority figures of other nations. <Can I try taking the lead here?>
Twilight hummed, casting a frown at Kreesus. <She asked for me specifically, and there’s no reason to be rude, no matter what she’s done. Still, interject if you think of an idea, or a better one than I come up with.>
<Better than you?> Blitz giggled nervously, the corner of her lip twitched. <I doubt it, but I’ll - I’ll try.>
<I have faith in you, my wonderful student.> Twilight’s cheery, loving tone turned much more professionally neutral once she faced Kreesus at last. That much at least seemed more like her normal self. “Alright, say your piece.”
Kreesus tensed, her gaze studying the two furry queens, measuring their moods. “There’s nothing I can really do about Cadista’s appointment. For what it’s worth, your line is proof enough she deserves it.”
“How kind of you,” Twilight admitted with a level gaze. “A pity fear causes such admissions to remain behind closed doors.”
Fear? Blitz’s tail swished questioningly.
Kreesus kept a level tone. “If you want public support for the nomination, I’d be more than willing to be the loudest proponent.”
Blitz’s temper spiked, yet all that betrayed her sour mood was a light scowl. “As if that’s worth anything at this point. Cadista is the Second Mother no matter what anypony says now.”
“Perhaps,” Kressus spat more at herself, ignoring Blitz pulling Aegis’ attention away from her. “So take what I say as you will, but…” She pawed at the ground, frustration staining her aura. “You have it all. A monopoly on cold, artificial technology that the other races of the world actually desire as opposed to refined flesh. And with it, an economy that can pay for supporting multiple new hives. It’s astounding you’ve limited yourself to a single pair of heirs at a time. You have full support of the largest known nation, save perhaps the Federation if they’ve been truthful about their size. And then there’s the free love.
“You have it all. Quite the insidious trap you’ve set for yourself and the others, isn’t it?”
“A trap?” Twilight blinked with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Equestria is not all too dissimilar from a hive, if you think about it. Celestia and Luna may rule together now, but it is Celestia who has guided Equestria, molded it. Be it hive or a nation of mammals, they are shaped by two things: the queen and the struggles they endure.
“The pony military and the Chaos Lands it keeps in check are such distant concerns for the common pony that even we queens didn’t know about them. It made Equestria soft and weak. With your overabundance, you and your line will fall into that same trap too.”
“Oh right, this again,” Twilight sighed while rubbing her temple, exasperation peeking through her diplomatic tone. “Yes, yes, I’m well aware of our race’s need to struggle. Honestly, it’s true of all sapient species; but I suppose we’re the only ones who openly acknowledge it. Isn’t that right, Blitzkrieg? I believe Lyra’s birth family is familiar with that.”
Blitz was caught between cringing at her full name, and jumping a bit for being put in the spotlight. “Oh, yes, her - father used to say ‘Difficult times create strong ponies. Strong ponies create good times. Good times create weak ponies. Weak ponies create difficult times.’ Queen Twilight adds that the other aspect is addressing new challenges that didn’t exist before instead of focusing on old risks.”
“Very well done, Little Blue,” Twilight commended with a welcome, genuine smile. “But you said something rather good this morning before coffee, what was it?”
“Ah - right—” Blitz mentally fumbled a bit to remember it. “Personally, I feel unnaturally prolonging hard times creates generational fatigue, but ultimately I think the real challenge is balancing the cycle of wax and wane.”
“Wonderfully put.” Twilight gave a cheerful buzz of her wings, causing Blitz to glow with pride. Twilight looked back at Kreesus with a knowing, regal smile. “The old ways of fighting the jungle for survival was a form of stagnation in and of itself. How can we grow beyond survival alone if all we ever do is adapt to nature? It is a fight the ponies mastered long ago. No, the widespread rise of my hive’s technology will bring about new challenges and hard times. A dear friend of mine, who I’ll simply name Sunny, has shown me what dangers and pitfalls her… people faced when they reached what she called the Industrial Revolution. Pollution, overpopulation, environmental degradation, more complicated sanitation, and a slew of others she has thankfully warned me about. The difference between my bloodline and the ponies is that they answered these questions by staying too close to nature, outside of a few cities worth the name.
“Our species is finally reaching the next tier of evolution, Queen Kreesus. A societal and technological reformation, one which I plan on bringing Equestria along with us. We’ll still be facing plenty of hardships, just not the ones you’re familiar with.”
A choked laugh escaped Kreesus and her face fell. Her aura blackened entirely with not even a token attempt to mask it. “I see… So I’m just as much of a relic as the rest of us.” A humorless, forced grin crossed her face. “I have nothing further to say.”
Twilight’s face fell into a grimace. When she was satisfied Kreesus’ comment was not a warning for sudden violence, she started marching towards the stairwell Rainbow had vanished into. <Come on, Blitzkrieg. We don’t want to overstay our welcome.>
This is bad, Blitz thought grimmly at how dark Kreesus’ aura was getting. She had seen it plenty of times. Like how sphinxes see a Psykira on the street. It was a black that could herald someone killing their own family. Or even, one’s own daughter. “Well, I do!” Blitz half-yelled at Kreesus, ignoring Twilight. She took a step towards the red queen, causing Kreesus’ gaze to jump up in a start. “Back in the Summit, you made your real objections quite clear, but nopony seemed to hear you, and I was too caught up to address it myself. For that, I’m sorry.”
Twilight turned fully around and tilted her head. “Blitz, what, are you talking about?”
Blitz turned to her aunt, a fierce look in her eyes. “Don’t you remember? She said she doesn’t want her daughters to live with the stigma of her betrayal against Granny.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she searched her memory and gasped when she remembered it. “That’s it?”
The hostility in Twilight’s voice was a bit too sharp for Blitz’s liking, but she pressed on. “Of course it is!” Blitz pressed on with a closer approach to tactfulness. “What queen doesn’t do everything they can to raise their princesses right, no matter what their form of ‘right’ is?”
“Let me get this perfectly clear,” Twilight growled through gritted teeth. She glared at Kreesus who recoiled under such a cold, hate-laced glare. “You betrayed your only ally and friend for hundreds of years out of some misplaced fear. Who I might remind you, actually forgave you for it, First Mother knows why! And then you do it again?! Right there on the Summit floor?!”
In that moment, that ire, that aggressive stance, Blitz didn’t see Twilight, but Rainbow Dash. Her aura looks just like Mom’s when she’s super pissed.
Twilight’s loathing rage threatened to burn away any diplomatic posturing. “Does treachery have to be your go-to every. Single. Time!? Did it ever occur to you to rutting ask?!”
“I did this for my daughter’s future!”’ Kreesus shot back, taking a step forward. “I would think you of all queens could understand that.”
“And you think I wouldn’t do the same for my granddaughters?!”
Kreesus went wide eyed out of shock, but Twilight was too angry to catch it. “Did you honestly think I would care if you or even Chrysalis, or whoever was their mother? Have you paid attention at all on how much Rainbow and I love our kids?! All of them?”
Kreesus looked at Blitz, and in that moment, saw her for what she truly represented. A drone made queen. “I - I always thought it was a front to placate sentient drones.”
Twilight snorted scornfully. “That’s what I thought. In one ear and right out the other with you. You just keep believing what you want to believe! At this point, I’d be surprised if your daughter can still produce love. Assuming you didn’t just steal a Mare’s Guide to Motherhood.”
Twilight scoffed at herself and turned away from Kreesus, and walked away a bit to give herself some space.
It was a tactic Blitz was familiar with. Diplomacy wasn’t always polite smiles and veiled threats. She wants to act like she was cooling off. But… is she really though?
“I should have seen the signs,” Twilight said at last with more disdain than diplomatic tact. “You’re just like her.”
It didn’t happen often. In fact, Blitz avoided the topic whenever possible, but she recognized that flicker of black in Twilight’s aura. Velvet.
“You only hear what you want to hear. I could have brought you right in to live in Phoenix Roost and you’d still have betrayed mother one last time at the Summit. You’re so damned paranoid that you’d rather I scream in your face than be courteous.”
Twilight teleported right into Kreesus’ face and put herself muzzle to muzzle with her. “Even Chrysalis is more pleasant to be around. You are absolute scum! You can rest assured my record of history is going to be very accurate.”
“You’re not listening either!” Blitz yelled, breaking through Twilight’s anger, but not dispelling it. The elder queen turned to give Blitz an incredulous look. One matched by Kreesus. “If she can’t understand what you’ve been trying to tell her, then tell her in a way she can.”
Twilight huffed and walked away from Kreesus to buy herself time to think for a moment. Her aura went awash with calming blue as Twilight reigned in her outburst. “Alright…” She didn’t face Blitz since she was too focused on cooling herself off, for real this time. <Do I really have to speak like my sister to get her to understand?>
Blitz inwardly shook her head. Great, she’s lying to herself again. You’re not that good of a liar when you’re temper’s flaring, Aunty. You’re so worked up you’re broadcasting without thinking.
After visibly calming down with some breathing exercises in a few dozen linkscapes, Twilight leveled a flat look at the red queen, Twilight faced Kreesus with sarcasm dripping from her fangs. “Kreesus, let me make this as - lowbrow as possible.
“No matter how much history will tear you apart, and the fact that I will be making zero attempts to - omit your crimes; know that your princesses are still my granddaughters. I will never allow that to harm them. A daughter should never, ever inherit the sins of the mother.
“When they are old enough to enter the wider society I’m creating, we will welcome them with open hooves.” Twilight’s nostrils flared with heated anger, and Blitz would swear to the end of her days it looked like Rainbow was in Twilight’s body. “But I shouldn’t have to tell anypony that by now!” Twilight stomped the ground out of sheer exasperation.
Kreesus’ eyes started watering and her voice quivered. “Thank you, Prime Matriarch. I won’t forget it.”
Twilight’s heated glare threatened to devolve into a snarl until she faced away from Kreesus, which then slumped into a resigned, sad frown. Even then, she kept the resignation out of her tone and aura. “Pah, how about you put it in writing this time,” Twilight chided. “And stick it above whatever you use for a bed.”
The purple queen would say no more and departed. Blitz lingered for a moment at the top of the stairs, looking at Kreesus. The red queen was trying to hide it from Blitz, but she could see the ancient mare was crying. Just like Velvet huh? I wonder… I wonder if I can change that.
Stats
Page generated in 0.048 seconds
Total duration
966 users online
1,190,158 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
For the record: LAP got excited and posted before getting an editor greenlight again.
Always glad to see more of this. That chapter was awesome.
9703589
Good to know.
Now let's see here:
do you mean 'Chrysi's Brood'?
refocus
Uhh ... what?
Kreesus is really stupid in the end
9703589
Well I'm not complaining!
That "just like her" part hit me hard and seeing the context of the other chapters, I'm excited to see the eventual meet-up. Ooooh boy.
9703715
Hindsight may be 20/20 but stupidity is universal.
100 Bits says Kreesus sends her daughter/princess to Phoenix Roost at some point.
Great as always, keep up the wonderful work
I feel like I am missing something. I like the chapter, I like what's happening... But I'm having a hard time understanding all of it. Like I'm missing pieces. Maybe I should go and read the last few chapters, to hopefully get the context I'm lacking right now.
One tends to be paranoid when they think they are the right one and everybody else is wrong.
Awesome chapter
9704511
It's more that she's still stuck in her old thinking. Mostly because of the distance she's been forced to keep from the Newlings. She's only truly familiar with TwiDash while they're yelling at her or wishing she'd die, because of her betrayal, so she's not gotten the time to spend with them to come to a realization that they really are nothing like all the things she's used to.
When you have it all but beaten into your DNA that 'everything is this way and no one is different, or should be', and you have to be that way just to survive and thrive, and someone new comes in who manages to survive and thrive even BETTER doing it a different way, can you honestly just throw away the foundation for your very being and your ability to view others and the world at large on a whim to suit their new style?
She's a relic, she said it herself. She can't change enough to truly be part of this new wave. Can't, not won't.
9704305
Raise your 100 with another 100 by saying she sends them at the same time Velvet visits.
Also, I find it hilarious that this is the third time a chapter is posted after I think about it when I fail to find a good MLP;FiM fanfiction outside the romance genres. I think half the problem there is I hold the other stories to this standard of writing which I curse the writer for being so goddamn good at writing. Curse you Law Abiding Pony, curse you. Now resuming the wait for the next chapter.
9704903
Can or cannot, I probably don't have the right to judge those. But I rather question was that jusify one to hurt others?
9705043
Not at all.
Well done Blitz, good show.
9704903
Ironic. For a race of shapeshifters, change is harder than they'd like to admit.
9704623
When did they come up with that “Twilinanas” thing anyway? It’s hilarious!
On another note, are we to infer that this constant merger of minds Twilight and Rainbow are going through is going to end up as something bad? Seeing as how it’s always seen as a cause for concern amongst the other characters every time it crops up…
9709017
Exactly so.
9506536
Would you be cool with someone who attacked your babysitter, and your brother in their wedding day first, make lots of problems at every twist and turn second, and only when your victory is assured with or withOUT them(through your suffering and efforts) - starts helping you in actions, but is just as provocative as before? And after that Sticky Spit dares to say that she was responsible for actually doing something good all this time? Bullcrap. Unless she puts her life on the line(however many chapters are left, and I doubt there is any war left) - she can go to hell.
Yesssss... God I love this series. Loving every update of this final fic!
9728849
Just wondering but who said this was the final fic? I think I heard somewhere that this would be the final fic with twilight and rainbow as the main characters though, I just came to the conclusion that they'll fuse and become a new character who will then either be the main character or become a supporting one.
9738474
Author mentioned it a few times. Mother of the Hives is the last part of the story.
be so
_________
9739414
I'm going to be sad when this series ends. But this has been one hell of an amazing ride.
I love the irony of how the most totalitarian despotic race/culture also has a subculture of democracy in it. One that is utterly foreign to the 'good guys'
This is my third or forth reread of this saga, all of the books and mini stories too and I just can't believe that this is it, coming up to the final book now. I believe that it was this story that sparked my interest in the rest of fimfiction, and for that, I thank you, Law Abiding Pony! Thank you so very much!!!
I just read this entire story front to... not quite back. Good on ya.
9800853
First time? Good for you! This is, idk, like my fifth of sixth re read.
Oh, and while I'm here:
How's the next chapter coming along?
Am I ever going to get a steampunk battleship or will that just be regulated to my fanciful daydreams that would be so bad they'd destroy free speech?
Where are we in guns? Don't gotta be too specific, but last book I thought mentioned some Lunar guards having repeating carbines, but then they raided the PCE it mentioned using a ramrod i.e. muzzle loaded, but Lyra paid them with a modern bullet and it's been 6 years so they may have bolt-action so I really don't know. And does (last book's antagonist I'm on mobile and don't wanna have to try and find it since spell check ain't gonna do shit) have a rebirth twin? I don't think she does, besides Night's but they didn't know that till like a year later.
Ooooh, reminded of Velvet just as the mare in question wants to make her final apologies. Talk about a tense situation becoming even tenser right before a possible resolution arrives. Goodness, let's hope Rainbow's soul hasn't washed away too much of Twilight's desire to rebuild her relationship with Velvet.
9709159
Last season's The Best Gift Ever. Shining Armour introduced us to the wonders of twilinanity as only a big brother can.
Yay, update! Glorious, glorious up...date? $#!*, this is the second fic in as many days to pull a fakeout update. Granted, with GAoA the upload glitched out, and here the reaction comments tell their own story. Still salty though. If tomorrow ANOTHER fic I read does this, then I am buying a roll of bubble wrap, and I am not going to stop until the whole thing has been popped.
I smell an oops.
Don't worry! We'll be here when it un-oopses!
9854925 But the only one of the Queens who was all that religious was Polyba, and now she's a succubus damned to Tartarus. The other Queens still aren't all that concerned with their past, so the First Mother is simply a fancy title to them and nothing more-- certainly no Goddess. The only reason Chrysalis was interested in the new history being written concerning Cadista as Second Mother is because she knows that Twilight's recounting of history will have to paint Chrysalis as the "father figure", so to speak, because the Invasion of Canterlot is what set all these events in motion.
And as Twilight pointed out, none of her brood sees the First or Second Mother as a "goddess" either. To them, its a title of respect because Cadista and Yumia finally managed to create a strain to combat Gethar's curse. And the only reason the other Queens threw such a fit about Cadista getting that title is because 1). It confirmed that they are completely obsolete, and 2). They're still operating on the outdated belief that Twilight's bloodline is too weak and soft.
It's also worth noting that the First Mother did not create the changelings. She's the first mother because she's the only known Queen to have found a way to survive Gethar's Curse. I suppose it is accurate that she created the changelings as a nation (before they splintered into dozens of separate, rival hives), but she didn't create the changelings as a people. Gethar did that.
Isn't the fact that they're on the same link supposed to be a secret? Viewed as a weakness? So why is Blitz openly displaying the fact that she's still in the same link as Twilight?
Damn...Changelings have sometimes more problems changing than others...
Sooo... Did the Yeti invasion never happened?
They're called changelings, but they don't change anymore then most other creatures. Maybe they should be called disguislings. Hidelings. Sneaklings!