Ranger
Chapter 221: Found
By Wanderer D
Atop Daring Do's cottage, Galahad sat, watching the forest around them, still as a statue, and in such a way that a casual observer would never notice him.
Gilda had dozed off near the tied up Caballeron, tying an additional rope from him to her hind paw, in case he tried to escape. The pony himself was unconscious after being given some strong herbal medicine and some help from Twilight's magic.
Lunatitia had taken off a bit earlier, full of energy and wanting to fly as high as she could in the darkness and moonlight.
Gabby slept curled close to Alejandra, who watched with mild amusement her younger-counterpart's legs, wings and tail twitch as whatever she was dreaming of took place. It was late, but no-one had felt like going to sleep yet.
There were plans to make, and also many, many references to her home-country's mythology to not boggle the mind. Ahuitzotl? Tenochtitlan? Camazotz? Next thing Quetzalcoatl and Tlaloc would drop by to talk shop.
Still, it was an eye-opener to see the sort of tragedy that Sunset Shimmer had gotten herself into. Heroes always rose in mythology to kill the monsters… on Earth, Greek heroes had defeated Medusa and the Leviathan, or the Minotaur and the Cyclops, then gone home, usually to be killed by more mundane means, like poison. It was strange to see that things in the past were a lot more grim for a world of pastel-colored ponies and other creatures who hadn't seen war in centuries.
Was Sunset truly one of those? Admittedly she was fighting monsters, but then again, so was every other XCOM soldier, and they weren't turning into demons. Yet.
She glanced over at Twilight and Daring arguing back and forth on ancient magical artifacts, with Rainbow Dash occasionally throwing in her own half-muttered comments, seemingly engrossed in some of the books Daring had pulled out earlier.
Twilight's eyes had a slight hint of desperation, and Alejandra could understand that. Sunset was a sister in arms, and a bit of an XCOM legend in her own right…
Her loss was—even ignoring personal relations—a big punch to the gut when it came to XCOM. She had become a symbol of their power to fight the Chosen, who were for all intents and purposes, the ultimate ADVENT agents.
Sunset had produced results, but she had known all along that she was going to go mad someday. As for Laetitia… her sacrifice made Alejandra proud to be a human, and also a member of the same army where someone so devoted would serve. Even as a loaner from the Templars.
Alejandra shivered, extending a wing over Gabby's form both to keep her warm, and as an involuntary effort to comfort herself a little. Ever since finding out about Sunset's fate, Alejandra had wondered how it would feel to know that you were going to one day lose your mind? What kind of state of mind someone would have to be in to prepare ways to have others kill them if it all went wrong.
When she had arrived in this world, she'd thought that Sunset and Twilight were somewhat unique in their willingness to fight the good fight whatever the cost, especially considering Fluttershy's infuriatingly naive view of the—well, not her world, specifically—but certainly the multiverse.
Given how blatantly horrified she and the others were at any sort of violence that went beyond some bruises, it was surprising to find that pony heroes of the past had knowingly sacrificed themselves to stop monsters, even knowing their fate could be worse than death.
And if the stories were true, Twilight's friends were actual, living, legend-like heroes in their own right. Saved-the-world kind of heroes out of Ndlovu's or Galahad's stories back home. They had stopped an evil goddess from casting everything into darkness… with a rainbow ray that had purified her.
They had defeated an invasion of body-snatchers/changelings and blasted their Queen… with love.
They had overcome their weaknesses and trapped Chaos himself… with rainbows… and then later on befriended him with honest friendship.
They had taken down wannabe Sauron with a crystal heart.
And yet, despite the danger, they had been so lucky, so… protected by the benevolent nature of this world that they still had the privilege of arguing whether killing in self-defense against murderous enemies was ethical.
What if Sunset had sacrificed herself somehow, thinking that she was stopping a Blood Demon without knowing that that sacrifice would turn her into something equally bad, if not worse?
By all accounts Sunset was just as educated as Twilight, so when she had started researching and creating her own gem… had she known? Had she been aware of just how much she would lose to this monster that called herself Fugue? Sunset, unlike Twilight's friends, was well aware of how bloody and dangerous the real world outside of this sphere of pastel magical horses was. They all knew the universe was unforgiving and ready to devour them at the slightest excuse.
A bit of twitching and Gabby cuddling up closer to her and purring for a second made Alejandra smile and look down. She didn't know what she was exactly for Gabby. A new mom? A big sister? A friend? All she knew was that Gabby didn't belong on Earth and that the thought of leaving her behind made her feel like someone was grasping her heart and squeezing it..
When the time came to return to Earth… would she be strong enough to let go? Or would she find another solution?
For all she criticised Fluttershy's view of the world… she'd rather have Gabby grow up here than where the real monsters ruled.
"Look, all I'm saying is that your friend is already on the right track," Daring stated. "Sure, it sucks that she had to create these bullet things to kill herself, but she clearly understood the matter much better than either of us. Not only by your own account she studied Blood Magic for years, she also studied the siren gems, and knows full well what they did while they existed in Equestria. We don't know half the stuff she does, and I'm not willing to condemn my soul just for the sake of someone that did it knowingly, and planned ahead for the eventuality. I'm sorry. It sucks. But it's true."
"How can you say that! Sunset is willing to sacrifice her very essence and memory for this and you just want to let her do it!" Twilight snapped. "Just because you can't see a solution, that doesn't mean there isn't one! I know I can't solve everything on my own! That's why I came here, because two heads are better than one!"
"You just asked me to look for the Eye of Vecna!" Daring Do hissed. "It's not real! It's an Ogres and Oubliettes invention!"
"I said "something like the Eye of Vecna!" Twilight retorted.
"It doesn't matter! Because even if it did, its powers have nothing to do with the current situation!"
"My sister is going to die!"
Daring closed her mouth, biting her retort.
Twilight trembled. "She's… not my sister by blood," she clarified softly. "But—"
Daring sighed. "I understand. I'm sorry… I just don't know how to help you, Princess," she said more gently. "I've never found anything in my travels that could cure a blood witch. By all rights Sunset should be mad with power right now, but it seems that she's somehow able to act and think like a siren… she might not even be a blood witch anymore! She seems to be something completely different."
Twilight simply nodded miserably.
"I'm not telling you to give up it's just… it's never been done."
"Girls?" Rainbow Dash spoke up, drawing their attention. She looked up from the book and turned it around, showing the entry to the other two. "Would this help?"
"The Algae Photis" Daring whispered slowly, eyes widening. "I-it could work!"
Twilight blinked. "The what?"
"The Algae Photis," Daring Do repeated. "It was the legendary sword of the Underwater King, Divecurrent, he was said to be the king of the seaponies, married to Queen Seabiscuit and overseer and keeper of the deep ocean. His sword's powers were barely passed through legend, but it is said it could heal wounds, and more importantly, cut through magic and curses without killing the opponent."
"What?! Why didn't you—"
"Mention it before?" Daring interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have any idea how many legendary items I have to constantly remember?"
Twilight sighed. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry… but, can we get it?"
Daring bit her lip. "We… can investigate it. But we deal with Ahuitzotl first, okay?"
Twilight smiled. "Deal."
Daring nodded then stood up. "Now to write a letter to Queen Novo…" she muttered once she was out of earshot.
o.0.o End Chapter 221 o.0.o
Huh, oh look, convenient possible cure. Too bad these things never help the minds of those cleansed any further than removing corruption...
Ah, good ol' Vecna. Loved that particular D&D villain. Good to know his influence is far-reaching.
Seriously the seapony queen's name is Seabiscuit? At least Divecurrent sounds cool
Anyway loving the story...I'm glad Daring Do showed up too! So, what's pony Tirek up to now...?
That feel when you get outsmarted by Rainbow Dash.
Hold on, are we talking about a Sword ... of healing ...?
One thing I noticed:
"The Algae Photis," Daring Do repeated.
missing the quotation mark there
A cure? You can only Pray it Works
"So, when I said 'investigate' I meant 'try and find a way to get the seaponies to lend it to us'. They're not inclined to do it... But once we inform them we're talking about Celestia's daughter and adopted sister of another princess, well... Hooves crossed?"
Wait, DD knows about the hippogryphs?
Huh. . . so not only was Queen Seabiscuit real, but her husband owned a convienient Plot device. . . Oddly fitting
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Well. . . How does that speculation of yours about Daring taste my friend?
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Well Daring Do is a well travelled adventurer, it only makes sense that with how often she travels Daring would not only know about the hippogriffs, but actually know their leader personally
- Thunder
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You've never heard of a healing shiv? A few quick stabs and you're good as new!
To be fair though anti-magic and healing swords are fairly common. The master sword from the Legend of Zelda is a good example. It's not sharp but it repels magic. There's also the scabbard of Excalibur that bestowed healing.
So the storm King hasn't invaded yet. Curious.
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Seabiscuit is, arguably, the 2nd most famous race horse in US history. (From a laymen's prospective) Several books and movies have been made about him over the years, so a gender swapped seapony queen works well.
Now, why in Celestia's name would Twi be looking for anything like the Eye of Vecna?!? How in Tartarus could that possibility help Sunset and not make it astronomy worse?!? Their is grasping at straws, and then their is stuff that makes getting shot by those bullets look like a good idea!
Now comes the real hard part. Swords like that are never quite what they seem. And if the Seapony's had access to such a thing, why are the Sirens still, well, Sirens?
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Probably like orange marmalade.
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he's in for a nasty surprise if he does invade while they are in the midst of talks with Queen Novo.
"how would it feel to know"
"how it would feel to know"?
"cut through through magic"
"cut through magic"?
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Because, in this continuity, the Sirens were NOT Seaponies or Hippogriffs?
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True, but they are aquatic. I guess the threat of such a weapon could be what sent them back topside to be Pillered in the first place.
If she's not a blood witch, maybe whatever she is is curable?
I like this option, it sounds useful not just for Sunset but for other issues that may come up in the future.
Well, at least it's not the Head of Vecna...
(For non-D&D players: the assorted items of Vecna, most notably the Eye and Hand, are literal pieces of the ancient lich. They bestow incredible poser... but you have to remove your own bits before you can put them in the originals' place.)
In any case, depending on the timing, the ponies may encounter a living counterargument to Alejandra's beliefs about this world. That should definitely be interesting.
So are we moving to the movie far in advance ?
that
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Fixed! Thanks guys!
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You're welcome!
*sounds of a brain short circuiting* buhhwaaah?
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Honestly It's not that surprising, after all with Daring's background it would be more surprising if Daring Do didn't know Queen Novo, at the very least as an acquaintance if nothing else.
- Thunder
It's not the main subject of this chapter, but I've just thought of a good way to reconcile Fluttershy's idealistic view with that of occupied Earth.
There is no "right" ideal. We are all shaped by our experiences, and therefore all have different thoughts and beliefs. The best we can do if such things clash is to agree to disagree.
Now, I can continue loving Fluttershy with no qualms.
I know this is serious and all, but I'm still laughing at the name Seabuiscuit.
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Well, arguably the Storm King invasions, mostly as a headcanon, but if we were to account that he did invade many countries before Equestria by the time of the movie, the time between season 4 and season 8 seems like a great time span for the conquering to begin
so what I'm saying is, he's probably conquering Abssynia by now but, conveniently he might attack the Seaponies while our intrepid heroes are there
Finally a other plan than 'kill it, until it is dead'. Especially with Sunny on the line
I guess it will not be the Yeti Staff of Siconers after all than
Maybe 'next time'