Chapter 153 - Shining's Armor
There you both were, standing in the middle of an empty stadium within the heart of the Crystal Empire. You were prepped, your horn was recharged, Discord even gave you your backpack so you had more tools at your disposal just in case. Shining was going down! He was going to regret going against you. “So, are we really doing this?”
“We are, and it is indeed the best case scenario. Anon, there’s no way he’s going to beat you.” Discord said as he began to shoot popcorn from his nose and into a paper popcorn bag. You could see smoke coming from his nostrils, as popping noises could be heard from within. “It’s going to be quite the show.”
“I’ll make sure to make it one. Really, challenge me? Trust me, I’m gonna beat him for sure. I kinda always wanted to show him up anyway, guy seems pretty damn co-hm?” As you were speaking, Cadance, with Flurry on her back, flies on in from above and lands beside you and Discord, looking rather distraught.
“Ok, good, you’re both here.” She says, half to herself, as she gives you both a serious stare. “Look, I won’t demand the both of you to do anything. But I am asking you to try to call this off. Because Shining, he won’t listen.”
Discord snorted at that. “And I will? Do you see my bag of popcorn? I’m ready to see some action, so why would we call it off?”
“Ok, should have seen that coming. Anon, you’re more reasonable. I’m asking you, please, do not engage my husband. He’s taking this waaaaay too seriously, and for your sake, I’d rather you not lose to him.” Cadance asked, practically begging as the baby on her back looked at you with harsh eyes.
Was she kidding? Call it off? For your sake? “And why would I do that? I know you’re ok with the whole Chrysalis thing, but before that, you all, all of you, were always jumping down my throat. I’m here to prove I can handle myself, the situation, and protect Twilight. If ‘your husband’ wants to try to prove something, let him, I’m right here.”
“This is ridiculous” Cadance whispers to herself in aggravation as she brings a hoof to her forehead. “Look, I get it, you have something to prove. Let me remind you that you have help from all of us for something, I remind you, is considered insane.”
“And there’s a problem with insanity?” Discord asks with a cool smirk.
“Not now, Discord! I’m being serious, and so is he. I’d rather we handle things the way we’re doing now than let Shining do what he wants to do. And if he wins, he’s going to do… Something. I don’t know what it is exactly, but considering this whole curse thing, I don’t even want a chance for Chrysalis to be destroyed.”
“You… Actually care about that?” Like, that was unexpected. You thought, in most ways, she’d be on Shining’s side. It caught you off guard.
“Yes, or else I wouldn’t have agreed in the first place. I don’t want anypony to meet a pointless end when there is a better way. If Chrysalis can be saved, be redeemed, then I’m all for it. Shining, especially because…” She looks over at Discord with a mean look “Of him, isn’t going to handle this Chrysalis situation the way it should be. And trust me, Anon, if you go through with this, he will beat you.”
Wut? “I-I mean, thanks for the confidence with Chrysalis. But you don’t think I can win? You do realize I wield chaos magic, right? I know he’s your husband, but I’m more than a match for him. But since you’ve been so understanding, I can promise to go easy on him.”
“Anon, you don’t get it. He’s already been testing some armor he’s made from Chrysalis’s old throne, given to us by the changelings themselves. This armor, Anon, disables all magic around it, both his and yours. And let me ask you something, do you think you can beat a fully trained soldier? You’re smaller than most colts even, there’s no way you can win, and I don’t want to see you lose.” Cadance explains, trying to get through to you.
Before you could say anything, Discord began to laugh wholeheartedly, finding the whole thing preposterous. “You jest, surely you jest. A anti magic armor that can nullify my magic? A anti magic ‘anything’ that can stop my awesome power? Such a thing surely doesn’t exist.”
“Except for the fact Tirek stopped you by outright draining your magic.” Cadance reminded him.
Discord stood there, silently, a little dumbstruck before finally replying. “I mean besides that.”
“Wait, hold on, Discord. This might actually be serious. I went up against anti magic material before, but it only stopped regular magic. Cadance, why do you think it can stop chaos magic?” Damn it, you wanted this fight so bad, but Cadance was pretty hot, and the fact she believed in your plan and was distressed picked at your heart pretty hard. You’d hear her out, and be cautious for once. But if there were no validity to her words, you would crush Shining regardless.
“If you mean the weird armor knight machine you said you fought in that other Equestria, it’s possible it was all improperly refined, causing it to lose some of its anti magic properties. The changelings were pretty clear that outright changing or refining the material could cause it to lose its power. Shining, knowing this, only refined it enough to have an effect in a small yet pretty profound area. It disables his magic, but I’m sure it's still powerful enough to disable yours.” Cadance explains. “So, please, I’m asking the both of you to just call this off. I’m sure he’ll listen to reason if you just explain things calmly.”
“Again, I scoff and disbelieve.” Discord replies. “There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can stop my power… Except for Tirek. Anyway, your worry is noted, but unnecessary. We have this win in the bag.” Discord said as he wiggled his popcorn bag towards Cadance.
DAMN IT! She was right, wasn’t she? Ugh, of course she was. You weren’t going to get to show up Shining. Hell, you weren’t even going to get the satisfaction of shutting him down. Looking at Cadance’s worried eyes, and the fact she cares about your cause. Ughhhhh, fiiiiiine. “Discord, ugh, she’s right, I can’t fight Shining.”
“See? He-WHAT?! How can you not?! How can we prove that chaos magic is the best magic if you back down!? And you, how can you not want to try to turn Anon into a pulpy splotch on the ground? Need I remind you that this entire situation got you turned into a bat?” Discord, now aggravated, wanted a show, he wanted to prove his power’s superiority. He couldn’t let this happen.
“Honestly, Discord, despite all the guards nearly fainting from the scary bat monster you turned me into, Flurry seemed to have a lot of fun poking at my nose during all of it. So, whatever, I’m ok with it, it entertained her. Didn’t it, Flurry?” She looked back at her foal, Flurry giving a small nod and cuddling up to her mother’s face. “Yes, you did, you had a lot of fun, huh?”
Discord’s eye twitched at that before exploding in a rage. “FUN?! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TERRIFYING! Ohhhhh! No, no, no. You’re not going to spoil this for me. My intentions are pure this time! Anon needs this win to guarantee you both will follow the plan. Not to mention showing off our complete chaotic superiority. What good is talking to him going to do? It is a waste of time!”
“Dammit, Discord. Geez!” You did really want to prove your power, but… “It’s over, ok? It’s better for us to just leave it be.”
“Anon, you can’t be serious. What makes you think, if you manage to convince him, that he won’t pull this stunt again, hm?” Discord asked as he chomped on his popcorn, aggravated like a hornet.
“Considering you pretty much caused this, yeah, I doubt he’ll go for this again as long as he isn’t provoked. Look, if you’re not going to be productive, then just let me talk to him, ok?” It was over, and Discord just had to stop being a baby about it at this point.
“Grrrr…” Discord growled, then pointed over to Cadance angrily. “You did this! You used your feminine wiles to take control of Anon’s mind!”
“Oh right, I forgot… Anon… Is like that.” Cadance said, feeling awkward about it, it was a strange topic to her. But then, it really started to put her into deep thought. “Then again, I guess looking at Anon with ‘those eyes’ would have saved me a lot of breath.”
W-Wut?! “U-uh” You stutter, blushing. “R-really? You w-would have done that?”
Cadance felt irked by those words. She was surprised that it really did seem enough to convince you, had she done it. Something so simple making you falter so easily. “Er… Yeah? Forget it, look, are we calling the fight off?”
“Yeah, we are. For sure.” You look over to Discord, who looked like he wanted to strangle something. “Really, don’t be selfish about it, ok? It’s over.”
“How?! How can it be over?! We have been challenged, Anon. I finally get to see this legendary anti-magic whatever for myself and you’re going to fold like a stack of cards! Why, I should…” But as Discord spoke angrily, a sudden yell could be heard from the other side of the Stadium. It was Shining Armor, garbed in a twisted black and green, tree like armor, but with no helmet to go along with it.
“Anon, Discord!” Shining yelled out as he stepped forward, wooden sword strapped to his back as every movement he made demanded respect, every step showing heroic bravado. “Glad you both could make it. Because we’re settling this whole Chrysalis th-Cadance?” Shining stopped, confused as to why his wife was there. “You’re here? Why are you here?”
“Shining, Honey.” Cadance stepped forward, in front of her husband. Flurry suddenly was holding onto Cadance tighter, as their horns seemed to be dimmer than usual for some reason. “I’ve been talking to Anon and Discord, and we’re all ready to discuss the whole Chrysalis thing, again, in a civilized way.”
“Yeah, I really don’t want to have any beef with you or anything. My mission is to protect Twilight and reform Chrysalis. Can’t exactly do that if we’re gonna be beating the tar out of each other.” You explain, stepping up next to Cadance.
“...What?” Shining was confused, deeply confused. “Woah, hold on. You don’t want to fight?”
Why did he seem so confused? You thought he’d be dead set on a fight. “Er, yeah. I mean, I kinda did before. But Princess Cadance is right, we should settle this peacefully.”
“That’s right. So, Shining, my love, can we just not be ridiculous and just talk things out?” Cadance pleads.
“Uh… Yeah, yeah.” Shining said in a low voice, somewhat confused, but also subdued by the worry in his wife's voice. “It’s just, Discord made it seem like Anon was willing to slap me around all of Equestria to prove some point. Like, he said Anon was the one who wanted to prove his point in battle. Honestly, I was surprised Anon wanted to challenge me so badly.”
“Really?” Cadance stopped for a moment, and looked over to Discord with a hard look. “That’s a detail I missed. I must have not heard it despite being turned into a bat.”
WUT?! “D, no, Discord! You said he was the one who wanted to fight!”
“He did! Ugh, Anon, you need to understand that stories sometimes become askew as they pass on from pony to pony.” Discord explains.
Your eye twitched in anger. “YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE WHO KNEW THE STORY, ASSHOLE!”
“Anon! Watch your language! There are foals present!” Discord said with a smirk as he pointed to Flurry.
“Discord! Er, ok, you’re right about that, but still!” Cadance yelled, she was getting quite angry herself. “Did you set up Anon and my husband to fight each other?!”
“Well, yes. My reasoning is the same, even if the story was a little twisted. Shining was indeed having second thoughts, and was willing to meddle in Anon’s plans if he got too antsy. And don’t say I’m wrong, I’m not. I needed a way, through pony honor, to make sure he doesn’t upset Anon. So what if I fudged the truth a little, who cares!?” Discord said, waving his arms about. “Now we’re going to do the ‘responsible’ thing and talk it out. That won’t work mind you, Shining has already made his decision.”
“No he hasn’t, Discord. You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Cadance barked back.
“Actually…” Shining had a strained expression on his face as he shifted his eyes about. “He’s sorta not wrong on that one. I did have this armor prepped originally for something else, namely Chrysalis. I felt I could take it to Twilight so we could get it adjusted to affect changelings. I mean, come on, this is Chrysalis we’re talking about. She’s going to find a way to break the rules of the curse and hurt my sister. I can’t let it go down like that.”
“See? Talking to him was, is, and will always be pointless in this matter. He loathes Chryssi with a passion. But don’t worry, Anon, if you won’t deal with this, then I will.” Discord points to Shining, ready to throw down. “Shining Armor, I challenge you.”
“Honey, don’t do this, please.” Cadance begs, before looking to Discord. "Discord, please, just stop!"
You know what, fuck this. Discord had you dragged by the tail, while helping Angel, and brought you here on false pretenses. Sure, he was doing it in your honor, but fuck him right now, seriously. Besides, you had to know if everything said about Chrysalis’s throne was true. “No, wait. I want to see this, just to see who wins, without anything riding on it.”
“What?! Anon, didn’t we just agree there’d be no fight at all?!” Cadance asked, baffled you’d go back on your word so quick.
“I know, I know. But if I had to make a bet, it’d be on Shining. Just saying, I just want to see what happens.” You say, though those words upset Discord even further.
“Oh, ok, I see how this is. I’m the crazy one, I’m the one who’s wrong. And yet, I’m the one with all the power around here.” Discord said as he brought his talons together. “And if I have to get things done myself, so be it!” Discord snaps his talons.
Nothing happens.
“Er, I said… SO BE IT!” Discord growled as he snapped again, and yet again, there was nothing. “What’s going on? I’m pretty sure I didn’t take out a second mortgage on my magic.”
You sigh, with a satisfied smile on your face. “It’s Shining’s Armor, Dad. It really nullifies all magic.” You try placing your horn on your head, it doesn’t even light up or spew darkness. “It’s over. If I had fought, I’d have lost.”
Discord went silent, looked around, saw your cocky smirk, and plopped down on his ass as he threw away his popcorn. “Well, this stinks. Fine, carry on with your useless conversation. But for once, I won’t be helping, so nyah.” Discord said as he snapped his talons, snapped them a few more times, then began to grumble. “I can’t believe this, how can anything stop my magic? Really, how?! This is just a bad dream, that’s all. I’ll go home, make some coffee, throw it on that useless bug, and everything will be better.” He growled lowly to himself as he just walked off.
Well, that happened. Fucking Discord, he really can be so incredible sometimes. Both in a good and bad way.
“Well, that’s that. Sorry, guys. I promise, I wasn’t in on whatever that was, aside from what I already admitted to.” You tell them.
“I got that much.” Cadance sighs in relief “I’m just glad everything got settled without a fight.”
“Not everything.” Shining said. “I still want to discuss Chrysalis. I feel like she can still find a way to hurt Twily, and I’m scared that if I don’t do anything about that…” Shining goes silent for a moment there, looking down.
“Honey, nothing is going to happen to Twilight. She’s a big mare, she can handle herself. She has all the help she’ll ever need. Guards, her friends, Scrappy, Anon, and I’m sure even Discord, under all his… Er… Discordness, is watching over her too.” Cadance does her best to console her husband, but he just doesn’t seem to be listening.
“But is it enough? Chrysalis has been a sworn enemy to Equestria, long before I was even born. She wants to destroy Twily, and yet I gotta believe she is going to be reformed? Do you really understand what you’re all asking from me? You’re asking me to trust an outsider with the life of my sister, on the slim chance he’s right that Chrysalis will reform, while she wants to end my sister once and for all! I want to see Chrysalis myself, I know I can find out if she’s telling the truth. If I can get this armor’s power reversed, then she won’t be able to do anything else but talk to me.”
Ngh, no, you can’t let that happen. Chrysalis would never listen to him, and cutting off her magic would make her unreasonably angry. “Shining, please, I’m begging you, I am literally begging you, please don’t do that. Chrysalis won’t listen to anyone but me, and this curse…” You show him your shackles. “It’s serious, if she ends up trying to attack you, she’ll be ending her own life. She hasn’t been well, mentally I mean. Look, I’m taking this seriously, I really am willing to send Chrysalis to Tartarus if I have to. But I know, deep in my heart, that she’s willing to reform. But she has this thing, you know? Like you said, she’s been a threat for a really long time, of course she’s going to give it one more shot before she throws in the towel. That’s why we all have to focus on protecting Twilight. Chrysalis can’t hurt anypony else without risking her own life, she literally has no options.”
“Can you really do that, Anon? If you’re as close as you say you are, can you really send her to Tartarus? You can’t lie to me, bro, I know you have a basement to stick her in if nothing else works.” Shining says to you, still not trusting you.
“Yeah… I’ve thought about it a lot. I really was obsessed with Chrysalis’s well being, I just wanted her to reform and become good. But a good friend of mine showed me I was being pretty delusional. So, yeah, if somehow this doesn’t even work, then I’ll get rid of Chrysalis myself, you have my word as the ‘Hero Colt.’” You tell him
“See, Honey? You know this already, there was no reason to do this, and no reason to get upset by Discord’s craziness.” Cadance said, in a soothingly soft tone. Even Flurry was looking to Shining with a happy coo, trying to change his mind.
“What about turning you into a bat monster?!” Shining asked, surprised his wife would act nonchalant about everything that has happened thus far.
“Like I told Anon and Discord, Flurry enjoyed it, so no harm done.” Cadance said with a giggle.
“Geez, you forgive way too easily. You’re really not worried about Twily at all, not even a little?” Shining asked.
“Shining, you know I am. But everypony deserves a chance. We’re only giving Chrysalis one, can’t you give her that one too? If her children can change, doesn’t it stand to reason she can as well? And even with that, it is clear to me Chrysalis trusts Anon and is his friend. If she can’t even reform for him, then I think we can trust Anon to make the right decision, right, Anon?” Cadance looked to you, looking for an answer.
You let out a heavy sigh. Yeah it was true. “I will, I promise.”
“There, see? So can you take off that silly armor, put it away, and come take a walk with me and Flurry? I bet it’d make her really happy to have a day out with her mommy and daddy, don’t you think?” Cadance said, trying to convince him further. She felt a walk would calm him down more than it would anyone else.
Shining went silent for a moment as his gaze became transfixed on you. He knew he couldn’t argue Cadance now, even if he was still worried about Twilight. He had already given the ok once before. Now he truly realized how much the others seemed to be on your side. “I guess Twily… Ugh, I guess she really wouldn’t agree to all this unless she believed it can happen. Y’know, Friendship is magic. But you really better live up to that promise, Anon.”
“I promise you. Just as long as something like this doesn’t happen again. No matter how much my Dad tries to start something.” You tell him, serious on that.
“Right, I think I can handle that. And Cadance? Ah, I’m sorry, I lost my head, that’s all.” Shining said to her, apologizing.
“Don’t apologize.” Cadance said with a giggle. “I would have gotten peeved too if Discord turned my perfect stallion into something like, I don’t know, a crab?”
“A crab?! Why a crab of all things?!” Shining said in surprise, even stepping back.
“Well, you were kinda being ‘crabby’ about this whole thing.” Cadance said, still letting out small giggles.
“Y-yeah… Er, so Anon, wanna come with us on our walk?” Shining offered, surprisingly so. “Give us a chance to talk about this a little more, maybe show you some of the sights, that sort of thing. I feel getting to know you a bit better might help with our relationship.”
Flurry’s sudden death stare as she hugged onto Cadance cemented your answer into a no. You may have chaos magic, but that baby was going to kill you the moment that armor was put away. “Er, sorry, Shining. I gotta get back to my Aunt, Discord sort of interrupted my time with her and I want to get back before she gets worried about me.”
“I can understand that, you know how Fluttershy can be, right Shining?” Cadance asked.
“Yeah… Ok, maybe next time. But remember what I said, alright? It’s pretty fair.” Shining tells you.
“I got it, and I promise, if it has to happen, it’ll happen. You take care, you two.” Crisis averted, again. Of course, you weren’t out of the woods yet, you still had to get back to class. Ugh, but you also knew pretty much the entire animal kingdom hated you at this point. Stupid rabbit, he still needs his comeuppance.
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Great chapter, I’m only slightly surprised that Discord was instigating a fight.
10189065
Discord isn't right all the time
10189080
Truth.
My thing was that it would've been fun to test the limits of this "armor". Like its radius, how big is it exactly? Can chaos magic, if the application is clever enough, still be used to fight it? Like for example, if you pull enough distance from the target, and then shift the lands outside the magic's reach to be filled with traps made from the materials of the land, would they stick around?
Or, if you flung a projectile with magic from enough of a distance away, would it keep its speed once it enters the field? Perhaps you could have the chaos magic wrap around the entire radius in a bubble form, and then, with connections to chaos outside the magic's reach helping to fuel it, could you seal the armor in raw chaos magic to stop its effect?
Those sorta things.
10189162
Well, not everything can be a fight, just a bit of fun with a chapter that may or may not allude to something in the future.
Wait a anti-magic armor that....oh damn. If Chrysalis gets hold of that she could get through a lot of the protection the crew is using for Twilight.
And still have her own magic to use, since Shining did say he wanted to get it adjusted to affect changelings so you know yikes. It would be at that point only physical force could be used against her, and considering she is a changeling queen with magic that would be...difficult to say the least.
Course also could be used to make Cozy Glow's life a living hell when she does her `I'm actually evil` reveal.
Cozy Glow: I have the magic of friendship for power now! Nothing can stop me!
Chrysalis: Anti-magic armor
Cozy Glow:
Chrysalis: There is only room for one evil bitch in this world kid.
What was the beef between Flurry and Anon, again?
10189315
It's assumed that Flurry knows there's something not right with Anon. Whether she knows that he isn't a true pony, or she can feel his chaotic aura, it's not known.
10189162
Well if the armor is only slightly weaker in effect then Chrysalis’ original throne. Then we know some of the answers to your questions.
As demonstrated by Discord in the show objects and brings created by magic disappear when they enter the radius of effect.
The thrown also seems to have a negative effect on the wildlife in its radius of effect.
For example, if a Boulder was manifested above the armor’s wearer it would disappear before it could crush him/her. However if magic is used to lift a boulder above the wearer then crushing them wouldn’t be an issue.
Now using magic to turn the surrounding environment into something innately hostile, like a moat of lava. Probably wouldn’t work because as soon as the armor’s area of effect overlaps the new environment it would turn back to normal.
However forming traps out of the material in the surrounding environment may work if the activity of making the traps could have been done with out magic.
10189328
Can I pet Flurry Heart?
10189593
If you want to be throw around like a rag-doll, yeah.
dang it im on discord's side, i wanted to see that fight too -.-
dam you cadence !
but hay in this timeline he makes armor instead of castle security xD
10189708
When she gets older she'll still hate him.
*too
I hate discord sometimes