Chapter 96.25: The Reign Shal-Quz
Griffon of Canterlot
Chapter 96.25: The Reign Shal-Quz
Gilda and Pom-Pom land on the plateau of the mountain peak, Celestia soon lands just behind them as her hooves sink into the soft snow from the gentle snow fall, clouds parting slightly to show the moon shining behind the peak, also they could see a metal shell of a object resting against the rocky walls.
Pom-Pom took notice of what look like sliding three hinge smooth metal door in the rock face under the peak. “Shall I cast the spell Princess?”
“Please do Alpha, we are guests and do not wish to insult this creature by violating his terms.” Celestia gave Pom-Pom the go ahead, she did notice Gilda looking very tense, her talons digging into the soft white powder. “Are you alright Gilda?”
Gilda shuddered at the sight of the wreckage covered in snow and ice. “That was a metal bird... A flying machine...”
Pom-Pom's green tail flame glowing as she prepared to cast the spell on Celestia. “An aeroplane, a machine with stiff wings and using a form of propulsion, I seen many posters and writings from old books at the Forgotten Ruins of Nowhere.”
Celestia felt uneasy. “I believe this one has a more significant connection to us.” Celestia turn to Pom-Pom. “This mountain fell from the sky over 4000 years ago, a tear in reality...” Celestia turn to the metal shell. “That aeroplane as you call it brought Gale to this mountain before he was Gale.”
“Yeah and I remember it...” Gilda grumbled fluttering her wings. “Can we get this over with so I don't have to stay here any longer than I have to...” Gilda demanded.
Celestia nodded. “Alpha do it.”
Pom-Pom cast her magic upon Celestia, her form glowing with hoofshoes, chest plate and crown, the mane shifting more to between the ears, her muzzle reforming into a beak, the tail shifting into tail feathers as a long lion tail forms with a brush at the end. The forehooves turn to talons with gauntlets, the hind hoof shift into paws with the hoof shoe turning into a plate resting just above the paw toes around the ankles.
The light fades and the now larger griffon wings flap a few times, Celestia shaking her body by instinct. “It been too long since I felt like this.” Celestia test herself with steady steps with talon to paw. “It seem our host has decided to show himself.” Celestia notice the door three panels slide open with the gold plated armoured creature stepping out with the doors closing behind him.
They turn to him walking through the snow towards them. “I am named Arbiter, welcome to my reforge, you honour me in your grace and appearance Princess Celestia, thank you for abiding by my wishes.”
“I gracefully did so in the terms we have much to talk about?” Celestia said lifting her talon up flexing it a little.
His split jaw quivered a little. “Yes there is much to talk, plea-” He instantly turn around towards the peak slitted eyes narrowing. “Shal-Quz is here, defend yourselves!” He pulled a object from his side and with a flick a red glowing blade appearance the snow hitting it with hissing sounds of burning water.
Pom-Pom's tails light up quickly, Gilda and Celestia stood ready, but in a instant from below them icy rocky tendrils bust out of the ground wrapping around Pom-Pom, Arbiter and Celestia. Gilda dodged them and saw a black tall anthromophic rabbit land in the snow wearing a white robe, she waved the brush with more bursting out going for Gilda.
Gilda quickly dodged and flew around them to slash at Shal-Quz but to hit snow, suddenly a blast of intense snow hit her, she recovers and roars at Shal-Quz. “I got to admit you are admiringly good with your reflexs, lets see how you play with gravity being bent.” She wave the brush forming a symbol.
Suddenly Gilda found herself weightless, even her wings couldn't work correctly in the change of gravity around her, she found the icy rock tendrils grab her and pulled down to the others. “When I get free I am going to claw that furry face of yours to pieces!” She snarled.
“Oh I think you would, but sadly you won't.” Shal-Quz calmly walked up to them. “Also the rocks are taking care of your magic, it blocking them from being used.” She stopped in front looking at all four of them calmly, pulling out a sphere from her robe.
Celestia, Gilda and Pom-Pom being held by icy rock formations with Arbiter, standing before them holding up the Orb of Grogar's eye to them. “Thank you for being test subjects for absorbing magic and the life force, when I am done all be left of you is a stony remains she chuckled.
“You are without honour monster.” Splitjaw growled.
“Whatever, I will deal with you after dealing with Celestia.” She wave the brush for the icy rock to move Celestia towards her.
Celestia struggled to break free as the orb moved close to her and touch, Celestia felt her magic and life force being drained from her into it, the energy being transferred into the brush. “Wh-what happening to me...” Celestia saw her beak being transparent.
“That simple, as I stripe you of everything, your basically fading form existence.” Shal-Quz responded.
Celestia had tears fall and they also fade. “Son... I-” She faded away completely, her crown, chest plate, gauntlets and ankle bracelets fall to the snow.
Shal-Quz grinned darkly looking over to the others as they stared in horror at her. “Now for you.”
Gale woke up with the alarm going off, he sat up in bed looking over to the window doors to the balcony seeing the sun haven't came up yet. He saw the moon shining still with the stars. “Huh? Why sun not up?” Gale got out of bed walking to the window opening it to feel something odd in the air, he watched wisps of energy float around, he ran a talon through one.
Suddenly Gale gasped as a flash of Sunbeam came to in senses. “Wh-What was that!?” He screeched.
He quickly rushed to the doors opening them to find sets of armour all over the ground with hoof shoes, Gale picked up the helmet of one of the piles there was no sign on the guards, he quickly raced to Gallus' room to open it to see no sign of Gallus in there, than he went to Nightingale's to also find nothing.
Gale rushed down the stairs to see Shining Armor's armour on the ground beside his cousin Cadance regal gear, he started to panic and freak out, Gale was finding maid outfits and no pony, no signs of guards. Gale reached the throne room opening it to see Luna she was transparent and energy pulling from her, Gale quickly raced to her grabbing the hoof, she suddenly came solid gasping for breath falling into Gale.
He held her foreleg. “Aunty Luna wh-what happening!?”
“We under attack... Ponies gone... Couldn't stop it...” She whizzed. “I felt my life force and magic being taken from me...” Luna said. “We need to leave now.”
“Wh-what of others!?”
The doors flung open with a blackish grey rabbit stepping in causally, she looked at them with yellow cold eyes. “Ah thank you for showing yourself pure one, it took the effort of finding you out of the equation, draining this princess slowly was the perfect bait.” She raised the orb out of her robe. “Since I took the lives of all at the peak I have no need to connect any more, now to take yours.” Shal-Quz raised it.
Gale suddenly felt his magic being pulled from him, he fell to the ground, Luna powered her magic. “Nephew run.” He looked at her and with a blinding flash Gale found him self falling beside the waterfall, he couldn't slow himself down in panic, the teenage splash into the water and struggled to get free from the currents.
Gale manage to pull himself out of the river with pain shooting through his right wing as it dragged, he couldn't move it at all as he managed to drag himself onto the shore, Gale turn to the mountain seeing everything was twisted and bulked in ways it shouldn't be possible, the reality magic at full work through out the city and the mountain.
Gale recalled roughly where Ponyville would be from the city side of the mountain, he turn walking to the city grunting in pain with anglished squawks from part of the lower wing dragging on the forest ground.
Soon the teenager made it to Ponyville seeing many ponies gathered at the town hall asking about what happening at Canterlot, when they saw the injured griffon walking up to them many quickly rushed to his aid including Twilight Sparkle and Spike to his relief.
Gale tells them that a anthropomorphic black rabbit called Shal-Quz attacked and stole every single ponies life and magic force, including the Princesses, Twilight was devastated at the news of losing her family and her mentor.
With a threat of Shal-Quz attacking and the Elements of Harmony at the heart of her realm of twisted reality at the city of Canterlot, she and her friends with the aid of Gale with Spike worked around the clock to find anything they could use or do to stop the rabbit, one thing they came across by chance was something about the Castle of the Two Sisters was built over the very place the Elements of Harmony was first discovered by Celestia and Luna.
They travelled to the castle ruins for Pinkie Pie to accidental discover a stair case leading down to the gorge below the castle, that is when they came across the cavern entrance. Within it they find the tree of Harmony and the spirit waiting for them in surprise to them looking like Twilight, she told them of what she felt and why they came.
They ask if the tree can help but she respond with limit abilities due to keeping the vines under the tree at bay, Gale suggest if she could free Discord and have him help bring the elements to Twilight and her friends, the idea is sound but she warn them of doing so would make Ponyville a target for the forest and vines.
Twilight tell Gale and Spike to go back, tell Big Mac and get every pony to leave and head for Dodge Junction, after refusing at first Twilight said they need as many that wouldn't be put in risk way if this goes south, Shal-Quz will advance and know there a threat.
Gale and Spike does exactly that and tell Big Mac, he tell the mayor and soon all the ponies were leaving Ponyville after gathering supplies, they slowly walked in a long caravan chain heading to Dodge Junction, Granny Smith watched the vines grow and over take the town and her farm, devastated at the family lose, the Apples press on with the others.
Discord is freed and informed my the tree about the situation, he get the elements and return to Twilight and her friends, they prepared themselves for Shal-Quz but wasn't prepared for what she did on arrival.
The black rabbit attacked with no remorse removing one of the element bearers in a instant by draining their magic and life force, Discord tell Twilight and her remaining friends to flee and he will deal with her with his own reality bending magic.
Only one of them would make it back being Applejack, she tells of how Shal-Quz over powered Discord and went for all of her friends, Twilight teleporting her to safety as it was only them left, now the threat of Dodge Junction being the next target they flee in all directions away from the direction of Canterlot and Ponyville.
Gale, Spike and the Apples flee with a group of ponies right to the Changeling Hive, they tell the changelings of Shal-Quz and what she already done to Twilight, Discord the princesses and many others, without the sun rising and the moon still in the sky the Queen of the Changelings Chrysalis knew they weren't making it up.
Soon she discover this to be completely true when Shal-Quz with her own strange reality warped creatures stood at the border of the Hive, she knowing of the Black Throne power to cancel out all magic part from Changeling, Shal-Quz leaves for every major city in Equestia, Changeling reports come in of empty cities soon after.
For a few months they were safe till Shal-Quz found a way to draw them out in the most crawliest of ways, she twisted reality around the Hive to suck out all the oxygen from the Hive Lands, Chrysalis orders a counter offence on Shal-Quz to keep her and the forces busy while airships from Big-Rig to the Storm King Black Fleet in the command of Tempest arrives.
They evacuate as many as they can as the fighting starts, those changelings that didn't fight watch helplessly as their home is consumed by the ground around it as the fleet of airships took to the skies and flew away.
Months down the line reports filter through the fleet of airships of the Dragon Lands being attacked, Nowhere creatures wiped out including the Kistunes and most of the dragons including Torch, Anubis and Ember, the Storm King and his forces soon fall part from the fleet that kept moving and never staying in one place too long.
Almost a year later they hear of a crystal kingdom in the far north appearing, a tyrant king using the subjects to invade, for a time Sombra was winning till Shal-Quz personally involved herself in it, and as swiftly as other leaders fell so did Sombra and the Crystal Empire with Yakyakisten a bit more north to the city, some airships managed to pick up a few survives of the assault on both cities.
The next to fall was a prisoner of Tartarus Tierk, he broke out and tried to absorb her magic when encountering Shal-Quz, but she reversed it on him and drained all his magic including the life force, next to fall was Seaequestria and only a few made it out with Queen Nova using the pearl magic to restore some to Hippogriffs.
Two years passed since the world below mostly went silence with Shal-Quz taking the life and magic force of everything, all that were left sailing in the skies of a twisted strange sky were a fleet of 62 airships with all the life of many creatures that were left.
Gale on that day of the annivsary stood watching the strange sky on the day he lost his family, loved ones and many more, including those at the time he couldn't bring himself to call friends and would call them family instead, honorary family.
He joined by Spike and a orange dragon Smolder talking about the way the world became, how they live their lives over breakfast and work at the Airship Garden where they grow all their crops, even a prince the last leader of any nation surviours work get his talons dirty, he had also lost his right wing during the early days of Shal-Quz reign.
Upon this day however a unexpected guest arrived in the cargo hold of that airship.
Soon they with Big-Rig on the largest of the airships working on the small fields on top deck, tending to the crop that were growing from the artificial sunlight to picking some crop, and followed by planting seeds for the next crop yield.
Smolder groans as her claw hands dig into the soft wet dirt as she dig a little to allow Spike to plant a seed in it. “Why can't we use spades?”
“We don't have any as ah told ya sugarcube, with all the maintenance to keep these here airships runnin' they need metals. So tough it out and get those seeds plantin'” Applejack sternly said to Smolder.
Smolder give a mock salute. “Yes ma'am...”
Suddenly a flash followed by a booming sound below deck catch their attention, hippogriff, dragon and pony guards race down below followed by Gale, Smolder, Spike and Applejack.
What they find in the storage room is- “Grogar!?” Gale gasped in shock.
The goat stumbling around knocking over barrels with guards tense with wooden spears raised at him. “Gale? Is that you? I hear your voice.” He asked looking around.
“Yes?” The griffon frowned.
Soon as the goat turn around they could see why he had a hard time seeing where Gale was, they were solid white, his horns mostly missing. “I couldn't stop her from destroying it... I tried with all my might, even the Inverse Griffon Celestia helped me...”
“Griffon mum!? What happened to her!?” Gale grabbed him by the bell strap lifting the goat near to his beak to the muzzle. “Tell me!”
“Shal-Quz attacked the Tree of Elysium, she destroyed it... We tried to stop her, trillions of lives silenced in a instant, so many realities wiped out... Zerra was pulled apart as he life force and magic was taken from him, I am broken and beaten, I couldn't muster anything... All I could do is stop her from breaching to other universes, tied her magic into it.” He told Gale. “I couldn't stop her from destroying it though, I couldn't stop her... I couldn't stop her...” He kept repeating over and over again.
Applejack waved a leaf over his muzzle causing Grogar to pass out at once fall limp on the ground. “Why did you do that!?” Gale demanded.
Applejack point to the large goat. “Look at the state of him, listen to him! He in shock, it the best way to go about it at the moment, we talk to him more after we tend to his injuries, and from the look of thin's he no threat.” Applejack pointed out to Gale.
Gale sighed. “Fine, guards take Grogar to be tended by Nurse Red Heart and Doctor Stable.”
They saluted. “Aye Prince Gale!” They all gathered around the goat slowly lifting him up and carrying him away.
Gale turn to Applejack. “If he saying is true and all the realities outside our own been destroyed, it means in our little corner of the Multiverse, this is the only reality left.”
“Trillions of lives... Gone...”
“Including Avatar...” Gale sighed. “Let's finish up and get some answers...”
“But-” Smolder begun to say.
Gale sighed. “If we don't do our part, who know what crops may not grow for next harvest, this is far more important at the moment Smolder, more than him at the moment.” Gale honestly said to the teen orange dragon.
“Fine... Let's get our claws dirty again, than we get answers!” She pocked his beak with a muddy claw walking out the room.
“Yes ma'am.”
Soon after they got more then they asked for, Shal-Quz directly attacked the Tree of Elysium and in it need Avatar called Grogar for help, he came with the assistance of Inverse Reality Celestia. But their attempts proved to be devastating, Shal-Quz destroyed the tree, took the life and magic from Zerra before their eyes and watched as branches of realities were instantly wiped out, trillions of lives silenced in a blink.
Inverse Celestia and Grogar fought against Shal-Quz and in result the goat got blinded, his horns snapped to the point he couldn't fight her. Inverse Celestia weakened knew she had to say Grogar as Avatar with little time magic left gave a crystal to her to give to Grogar, this led her teleporting him away from Shal-Quz reach.
The griffon stood and fought the rabbit knowing she would lose, but giving the others a life line for now.
Eight years later that moment came, the moment they needed, hard work with scarps of parts and time crystal from Avatar with determination from every single life on the fleet of airships, they knew this is all or nothing moment with Shal-Quz closing in on them at all fronts.
Grogar eight years before managed to use her reality magic against her after the destruction of the tree, more Shal-Quz grew stronger in return the barriers between realities did too making it impossible for her to travel to other universes, but it didn't stop her from believing that taking all remaining life she would be able to.
Now the rabbit was taking more sky by the day, she couldn't do it all at once due to complete reality collapse, but time and patient she was getting her wish, they believed there was only months left before Shal-Quz had them for sure.
That moment to save every single life that was taken had came...
On the airship HMS Victory Big-Rig and Smolder managed to put together everything they needed to use the time crystal to do something really crazy, they checked through the systems to see the time crystal ready to go with all the wires and tubes attached to a round platform made of different pieces of scarped metal.
The doors to the room open, a fully grown Gale minus a right wing walk in with Grogar resting his hoof on the back in aid to move through out the airship, the moment had came, Spike and Applejack joined them sooner after.
Watching on monitors all over the other airships were the citizens of the Sky Fleet Town, they knew of this moment but made it feel very tense for every life from young to old to see and hear what was about to happen.
Gale took a good hard look at the machine, a adult tall Spike taking Grogar to the side. “Today marks ten years since it all begun, since the day I lost a mother, aunt, family and you all lost the most amazing princesses in the whole world, even Queens and Kings fell to Shal-Quz they at the end made sure as many of their subjects would survive too.”
Gale walked around as many listened. “Through it all we found friends in each other, no more related issues of our kinds being so different on the outside, but what makes us in the inside, I found love through all of it as many of you did too, friends that feel like brothers and sisters.”
He took a look to Smolder. “Days we wouldn't want to forget or give up, Smolder made sure that hopefully all of our tales so ever short it is may get given to those that will never know what we had to give up to save them all.”
“Project Daybreaker wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for every single one of you agreeing to this, even one faulters and said no, the days we would have left be remembered by us all, but that didn't happen and soon we about to break a lot of rules to pull this off, change history for the lives of all.”
Gale stopped standing by Grogar. “Even enemies became friends would be lost, it worth bring back trillions of lives lost to that mad rabbit Shal-Quz, she caused so much suffering and it time for us to return the favour and shatter her reign of power once and for all.”
He raised his only wing up and drop it. “Activate the machine Big-Rig!”
“Aye Prince Gale.” He pulled the leaver.
The crystal lights up and the rings above the machine start to rapidly spin around with purple glowing energy, a beam shots down and emerging through the mix of misty magic created from the crystal stood Avatar of the Tree of Elysium somewhat confused by where she was.
“You got five minutes and seventeen seconds! Make it quick!” Big-Rig warned.
Avatar looked around the chamber she was in standing on a makeshift platform, her senses of this world, this time line flooded her system, her memories. “Your seeing it aren't you? Seeing what we all been through?” Gale asked
Avatar turn to him. “Yes I do... How is this possible? How are we talking in real time?”
“I wish I can tell you but we don't have time.” Gale nod to Smolder.
She walked up with a case in claw. “Take this, we hoping it will survive the collapse to come, our last will and testimony from all of us on Sky Fleet Town.” Avatar took it with her talon hand. “We want you to bring the younger Gale moments before Shal-Quz strikes down Princess Celestia to our present by two days from now to the ruins of Canterlot, the heart of Shal-Quz reign.”
“You do know doing this will change what should be, change so much that the love you found never to be.”
“Yes we know.” Applejack spoke up. “Ah found love with this dragon.” Applejack looked up at Spike smiling warmly, he smiled back giving her a hug. “But we all agreed to this, every life on this town, we only have months before Shal-Quz find us, it either a few months of happiness or a way to make the world spin full of life and deal a personal blow to that vermin!” Applejack said with anger carried in her voice at the end.
Spike open up a locket around his neck showing Twilight's picture on it. “We know that bring the younger version of the prince here will destroy our timeline, but it will save so many more lives, including all those realities when Shal-Quz wiped out the tree...”
Avatar raise her free talon hand resting it against Spike's scaly face. “I can see it in all of you, but this would also weaken the barriers of other realities, the multiverse outside our corner would bleed into this corner, even Shal-Quz would be able to escape through them.”
“A better fate then this one.” Spike said. “Please help us make this happen...”
“Please...” Came the sounds of all through the speakers, a mass plea from all. “Please...” They repeated.
Gale put his talon on her shoulder. “Avatar, Operation Daybreaker has to happen, it will create a mess, but this mess is far less serious than this one we currently in, I ran and ran and ran, but in two days I will no longer run and face her, all I hope you pull through for us.”
Big-Rig step back from the controls, smoke and sparks coming from it, the crystal cracking rapidly. “We got seconds!”
Grogar spoke up. “Send a message to myself, tell him what Shal-Quz did, what she about to do, even I will be still after Gale's pure magic back then, her fate will be far worse and hopefully at the moment of Future and Past collides Gale with everyone that should of gone to Flaputa that day will stop me. I believe they will, since good always has a way of coming through, even now.” He warmly smiled.
Avatar nodded. “I will... You will have only a few minutes while I hold the collapse back as much as I can, I will send Gale through to your time, the tree agreed and for it to do so, your matters must be se-” She vanished and the crystal shatters with the machine groaning to a complete shut down.
Gale put his arm over Smolder. “How about we all get together and feast as friends and family?”
“That I can agree on.” Smolder smiled. “And we can finally eat those gems we been holding back Spike.”
“I look forward to it.”
Applejack bow to Gale. “Thank you for being the best prince and leader we could ask for.”
They others including Grogar did too, Gale looked around with tears falling. “Thank you for letting me, now...” He whipped the tears away. “Dweebs let's gather!”
Avatar reappeared before the tree holding the case Smolder gave to her, she put it down enbedded in crystals. “This should protect it...” She walked into the water to the tree looking up at it. “Tree of Elysium, let's Operation Daybreaker start, send Gale to the ruins of Canterlot!”
The tree hums with it glowing brightly as the temporal energy from it is unleashed.
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Woah, great job with this chapter!
.... well then
Woah... deep.