Chapter Thirty: Poisoned Wells
Onyx stared at the food in front of him, the portions neatly partitioned into various categories. He didn’t need to eat as much as other creatures, but he certainly enjoyed it and did need something to fuel his more-solid body.
Unfortunately, another individual was making it rather difficult to decide whether to start with spicy or savory.
“You really don’t talk much, huh?” Knife Twist asked, spearing some preserved fruit with an elongated toothpick and tossing it into her mouth. “There’s so much going on around here, I thought you’d have something to say.”
“I was trying to eat,” Onyx muttered, Knife rolling her eyes, clearly amused by the gruff shadow pony.
“Yes, and out of the goodness of my heart I decided to sit with you. When your Windigo friend isn’t talking your ear off, you practically radiate sadness. It’s distracting.”
The glare shot her way nearly had Knife choking on her food from laughter.
“Ok, it’s not that obvious,” she wheezed, “but you’re definitely more of a grump. Where is she this time?”
After muttering something under his breath, Onyx finally relented, shifting into his ‘I’m trying to be pleasant’ mannerisms, as Knife had eloquently put the other day.
“She’s helping with the airships. Something about having a semi-corporeal creature test the magical shields.”
“Huh.”
Onyx half-glared at the amused Thestrel at that.
“What?”
Knife shrugged, thoughtfully taking another bite of her food.
“I didn’t actually expect you to answer so quickly. You’re not exactly known for being talkative. As far as I can tell, you haven’t said more than a few sentences to anyone else.”
It was Onyx’s turn to shrug, now turning his attention to the food plate in front of him. Carefully selecting a bite from one of the neat piles, he took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.
Knife would never admit it, but the shadow-pony looked rather adorable as his ears perked up happily, a notepad being pulled out from the satchel that lay on the floor. A simple pen wrote an entry under the ‘foods I like’ page.
She had a feeling of who’s idea it was to keep track of such a thing.
“By the way, if you like that potato salad, you may want to mention they season it heavily with Griffinstone spices. Gives it an extra kick.”
The look Onyx shot her was clearly meant to be a scowl, but it lacked any venom. The shadow-pony simply nodded, making an extra notation before quickly finishing off the previous dish.
Knife saw a familiar individual sneaking up from behind Onyx, but she quickly looked back to her plate and stifled a laugh.
She didn’t have to wait long. A certain Windigo floated over and wrapped the shadow-pony up in a hug with a soft, happy squeak.
“Hiiiiii!”
The Thestral’s eyes widened in surprise. Onyx’s demeanor immediately softened, the usual half-scowl he wore abruptly dissolving into an almost blissful grin. Even the shadowy tendrils that radiated off his body became more subdued and smoothed.
Knife was no genius, but she could put two and two together in this case. Not that she’d say anything of course.
What she didn’t notice was Icait’s eyes flicker over her shoulder- the Thestral nearly jumping out of her seat as a happy voice sounded next to her ear, a familiar embrace now wrapping around her torso.
“Knifey!”
As the Thestral enjoyed trying to pry her coltfriend off of her, Knife’s eyes met Icait’s gaze for a moment. The Windigo actually smirked, nodding ever so slightly to the other mare as if to say ‘you don’t say anything, I won’t either.’
She could honor that deal.
Gelliana knew it would be difficult. But two days into their new shelter and she was already feeling a mounting anxiety. Yesterday had been fine; the two of them actually able to relax, given the circumstances.
And by relax, it had meant cuddle while the stallion read a book or two out loud, totally not interrupted by the occasional kiss.
But today….
Gelliana had woken up normally, but Toxic had seemed to be lethargic, his head pounding and lacking any of the energy and zeal from before.
It was almost a physical pain, seeing her stallion’s strength waste away within hours. He barely had the ability to walk around before collapsing on one of their bedrolls. Toxic’s last few conscious moments were seared lovingly in her memory, however.
He had simply reached over to hold the gryphoness’s claws, reaching up to give her a simple, brief kiss.
“Remember. No matter what I say, I love you,” he had whispered, the shaky tone in his voice betraying the pony’s own nerves. Genuine fear had shown in Toxic’s eyes, his grip having tightened on her claws. “P-please…be here when I wake up.”
Gelliana had yanked him close with a simple reply, lovingly pressing her cheek to his.
“I promise.”
And then he was gone, the poison now starting to burn him from the inside out. All they could do was wait. Well, all she could do was wait.
It was both odd and rather endearing that if she gave Toxic’s hoof a squeeze, he seemed to relax even if completely passed out. It was nice, in a way, a simple way to check if he was still there.
Her wings drooped, the gryphoness fighting back tears. Seeing the pony she loved at the mercy of some nigh-invisible poison was tormenting. All she could do was watch and wait. Maybe SMAL could teach her-
With a *snap*, a spectral mare appeared. Instead of the SMAL, it was a very different individual, one that made Gelliana’s eyes narrow as her emotions boiled over.
“Gelliana, I-”
*THWACK!*
The entity let out a hiss as Gelliana threw her weight behind the strike, her clawed fist making the mare stumble.
“You,” the gryphoness growled, “deserved that.”
The spectral mare’s eyes darted to the ground, her shoulders slumping as a soft glow radiated from a forgotten breastplate in the corner.
“I suppose from your perspective I did,” she muttered. “And yet I still saved Toxic Shield’s life.”
“Then explain why you’re here!” Gelliana growled, animosity still leaking from her frame. “I’m grateful you saved him, thankful beyond measure. But you used him! You used me!”
“I did not!”
Sitting down, Gelliana glared at the mare, the pony sighing as she likewise sat down.
“Mortals,” she grumbled, “my only goal is to help!”
“I don’t even know your name.”
That made the mare pause.
“Ah.”
Letting out an exasperated breath, the armored mare shook her head slowly.
“My name is Fide,” she said, “and want nothing more than to see you both safe and sound. I must operate within rules, however.”
“Ok then, Fide, please explain. From my perspective you’ve used a pony I love very much, and manipulated my feelings. You deserve more than a punch for that,” Gelliana said rather roughly, Fide wincing.
“Perhaps my previous phrasing was…incomplete,” she admitted. “From that perspective, it must have appeared that I could not act until you understood your own feelings, yes? Guiding your emotions towards an eventuality?”
A simple nod was Gelliana’s reply.
“To an extent that is true,” Fide admitted, drawing a series of lines on the ground. “First you must understand, our enemy has broken rules that exist for creatures with our level of power. I am sorry that you must be involved in this proxy conflict, but we have no choice.”
“What conflict? I don’t even know who, or what you are. Clari’s sister? I don’t fully understand all of that with Toxic. He hasn’t explained it completely.”
Blinking in surprise, Fide actually let out an amused huff.
“Apologies. I am indeed Clari’s sister. We are curators of leylines, of some ‘fates’ you may say. We see outcomes and try to nudge them in the right direction.”
“Direction of what?”
Fide looked up, a calm, determined expression on her face.
“Of life and joy. Of happiness. But our enemy seeks the opposite. His name isn’t important, but he is the King of Shadows. He wants to tip the balance in the favor of chaos and pain. Every action he does allows us an equal, possibly greater reaction. So, we must wait until mortal forces can aid us in tipping the scale over completely.”
Gelliana’s brow furrowed, the gryphoness processing that before nodding.
“Ok, so there’s a balance; what does that have to do with us? Why was it so important I realized how much I cared for him?”
Fide’s muzzle parted in the hints of a smile at that.
“You two are rather important in all of this,” she said, voice actually caring a slight caring inflection. “Here is how I can explain it. Every action our enemy takes that is against the rules is like an hourglass. The sand that pours through is the amount of leverage we get in return for such rule breaking.”
Gelliana’s eyes widened at that.
“And Toxic being sick…”
“Was one of those times, yes,” Fide stated, “the very existence of such a poison violates many, many rules, as well as using such on a mortal. Your natural progression with Toxic was disrupted. I would have been forced to intervene shortly after I appeared that time regardless, since he was dying. But the fact that you realized such feelings even with such an accelerated timeline gave me more leeway. My stating of such was just incomplete.”
The mare’s ears flicked down, eyes darting to the floor in thought.
“I have come to understand this is not…palatable by mortals,” she admitted. “I do not fully understand what it means to be in love. I am now only understanding the appeal of having a friend. I do not understand the details of how my actions harmed you, but I am sorry they did.”
She lifted her eyes, gaze a bit stonier and more determined.
“But know that I waited as long as I could. Do not think both my sister and myself will forget the pains you and Toxic go through. That is a dept that will be paid, of that I promise you. Neither of you asked to be dragged into this conflict. But our hooves are bound, lest we compromise our eventual retaliation against the King.”
Gelliana stayed quiet for a time, finally letting out a frustrated sigh.
“So, you intervened because if you didn’t, Toxic would have died and thus sent the…balance all wrong? You would have helped either way, and me just realizing things made it all easier?”
“Correct.”
“Alright. Then what did my feelings have to do with all of that?”
Fide’s face actually broke into a sincere, kind smile. With a wave, she levitated a previously-forgotten breastplate over, setting it onto the ground.
“You love him,” Fide said softly, “and while I am inexperienced with the depth of such feelings, I can see clearly the impact it has, in ways I am not sure you can understand. In this world, where emotion is an actual energy source…love can be a powerful thing indeed. Last I checked, it had the power to repel an entire invasion from a capital city.”
Fide seemed to be rather amused at Gelliana’s blush, the mare shrugging.
“Your fates are now intertwined. To what end I do not know. But Toxic is the only one who is mostly immune to the King of Shadow’s plans. That makes him a key piece in all of this.” Fide’s gaze hardened, pushing the breastplate over to Gelliana.
“He will stop at nothing to make sure Toxic is dead or otherwise incapacitated. My sister and I will help how we can; that is why we granted him access to such levels of power. But…” her brow furrowed at that, as if the mare’s thoughts were in conflict. “Pure power and spells cannot win this fight. Toxic’s mind is in flux, turmoil and pain. He does not have to be killed to be rendered useless in this fight. Do you understand?”
Gelliana nodded at that, a lump rising in her throat.
“That is why he, and yourself are so important. You said it yourself better than I could have. This pony protects others at the expense of himself…but who protects him?” Fide asked, gesturing to the breastplate. “To that end, I have given you my aid.”
“What is it?”
“A companion piece to the armor my sister gave Toxic, on his formal induction into her Order,” Fide stated. “I understand you don’t know the details. Know that the breastplate responds to emotion, and it is worn by those of my order. They are being re-instated abroad, but you are the first to receive such an artifact.”
“I’m honored, I think. But I don’t even understand what your Order is. I don’t know any of that,” Gelliana admitted, reaching over to pick up the oddly-light metal. “All I know is that the armor Toxic wears made me feel a certain way.”
“And this armor will likewise,” Fide confirmed. “If you but will it to exist on your body, it will respond and likely link with Toxic’s own pieces. You are a unique case; you do not have to go through the usual procedures to receive this armor, and that is not by accident,” The mare paused, gesturing towards the prone pony. “You are vulnerable, Gelliana. Our enemy is relentless and has armies at his disposal. Your best chance is to remain hidden if at all possible. That said, this armor is the best way I can try to help you without unbalancing the scales. All I am doing is giving you the means to fight back when you have to; I am not doing that for you.”
Gelliana let out a soft huff.
“That’s a fine line to not cross.”
“Indeed. I know it is difficult to understand, but I hope you can believe me when I say that both myself and Clari want this situation resolved. Resolved, and you two home safe,” Fide explained.
“I still don’t like this…meddling at times,” Gelliana said, Fide then raising a spectral hoof.
“I can understand that. But let me make something very clear,” the mare said softly, a bit of actual unease shining through her gaze, as if she couldn’t quite understand what her own thoughts were but was to say them regardless. “Your feelings are your own. Your journey with Toxic is yours. Anything we do will never alter how a natural path would have played out, and we take the utmost care to prevent as much disruption as we can. Bumps along the way will occur however. And for that I am sorry.”
With a nod, Gelliana rustled her wings, expression still troubled.
“I guess that makes sense,” she admitted, “and it’s nice to know you’re definitely on our side. Just, please explain it better next time. This is hard enough as it is without feeling like a pawn in this game.”
Fide bowed her head at that.
“I will try. But do keep in mind, you two are most certainly not pawns,” she said, the flicker of a smile dawning on her usually stern features. “If anything, I believe the appropriate analogy would be a king and the queen.”
As Gelliana’s face flushed at that, Fide gestured to the prone stallion off to the side.
“Is it not the queen who must protect the king?” she asked softly. “I have to go, but I will try to find moments to speak with you again. I wish I could offer more instruction, but vagueness is necessary.”
“I, well, I don’t fully understand, but I get it at least,” Gelliana huffed. “And for what it’s worth, thank you for saving him. I only regret my punch a little though.”
Fide actually smirked at that.
“It was a good hit and I deserved that much at least. Take care, Gelliana.”
And with that she was gone, SMAL shimmering as the program reappeared.
To Gelliana’s surprise, the magical golem actually grumbled.
“I would appreciate if she would stop doing that,” the entity muttered. “May I inquire if that was the mare you spoke of earlier?”
“Yup. Maybe she could ask you next time? You almost look annoyed,” Gelliana said, SMAL nodding.
“Such instances affect my core processes in unforeseen ways. I am not programmed to deal with the energy surge. It alters my core functions that then must be compensated for.”
“Alright…well, can you continue our lessons after I eat?”
“That is fine. Just let me know.” The entity paused, eyes flickering back to the gryphoness briefly. “And while I cannot feel annoyance, I would appreciate warning next time from this mare.”
It didn’t escape Gelliana’s notice how SMAL seemed almost unsure of her words before vanishing.
The gryphoness made her way back over to Toxic, giving his hoof a squeeze before helping herself to some of the rations from their storage containers. At least she could stay occupied while he slept.
Fide’s words were enough to keep Gelliana occupied outside of SMAL’s classes, the gryphoness mostly reading what little information the entity had on leylines, or rather, the creatures that lived in them.
Gelliana only now noticed the odd quirks with SMAL, the entity seeming equally curious as she relayed the information. Any questions regarding such were simply met with some technical jargon regarding defragmenting…something.
An entire day in near silence weighed heavy on Gelliana’s heart, SMAL appearing in the evening with the sober news that the unknown gas was once again rising in concentration. However, the shelter was more than sufficient, their underground spring shielded from the effects.
Even if it wouldn’t have been smart to go outside before, the abrupt removal of being able to go outside was a heavy blow. It made the substantially-large cave feel rather oppressive despite the lights provided in the crate, the cheery blue crystals feeding off residual magic energy.
It hadn’t been apparent at first, but the emotional high and subsequent letdown from hearing Toxic say those beautiful words and likewise returning them was apparent. What made it infinitely worse was that the pony she loved was completely incapacitated, magical sparks occasionally leaking out from under his eyes despite the horn-suppression ring.
“Gells?”
Toxic’s voice sounded horrible, and that was saying something for the gryphoness. Sandpapery and raw, the pony winced as he spoke, barely able to lift his head and look around. He lay back down immediately, a tired smile on his lips as Gelliana sat at his side.
“Well, good evening to you too,” she managed to say, finding a surprisingly large wave of emotion threatening to make the words catch in her throat. The pony’s ears flicked back in realization, a hoof dragging over to grasp her talons with a frighteningly weak hold.
“You ok?” he asked, clearly fighting back a wince of pain.
“Me? You’re the one who slept the whole day,” she replied, barely retraining a few tears.
“Not what asked,” Toxic muttered, forgoing additional words with a grimace.
“F-fine,” she muttered, “ok, no, I’m not. None of this is ok. But I’ll be ok. It’s hard to just be alone in the quiet while you sleep.”
A partial truth, Toxic barely managing to nod.
“SMAL?”
Gelliana let out a huff, briefly explaining her interaction with the entity as well as Fide. Despite not being able to move, Toxic’s ears were perked with interest, the pony finally managing to croak out a response.
“Tell you more. Later,” he then shook his head. “Hurts. Talking.”
Making sure their water and food rations were within reach, Gelliana then sat down at Toxic’s side once again, her own eyes still threatening to water and spill over.
“Don’t talk then. Just gesture to what you want for now.”
After a moment’s hesitation, a hoof pointed at her made Gelliana’s heart melt, the unicorn then shifting to flop over and rest against her shoulder. Just that simple gesture made the tears flow freely from her eyes. Even when feeling stars-above awful, he was still as sweet as ever.
He just wants someone to be there; me, to be there.
“What about you?”
The simple words made Gelliana reach over to hold Toxic’s hoof, leaning on his head after scooting closer, his sides rising and falling against her.
“Same answer,” she whispered, feeling Toxic’s cheeks pull upwards into a slight smile.
“Always here. I try,” he muttered, still forcing the words out.
“Just try to get better soon, Tox. That’s all you can do right now, ok? And stop talking if it hurts.”
A rather rebellious nod was the pony’s reply.
They didn’t say anything else for a time, simply enjoying each other’s company. Yet it was Toxic who stubbornly refused to say silent.
“Love you, Gells,” he whispered, the gryphoness reaching up to give him a loving kiss, one that was returned with a surprising amount of passion.
It was then that Gelliana felt Toxic’s grip tighten, his hoof shaking slightly as the pony’s sides shivered. With a sudden, almost physical blow of understanding, the gryphoness understood the very simple reality.
He’s scared.
Moving a bit closer, Gelliana spread a wing over the stricken stallion, the realization burning in her mind.
He’s probably never been actually affected by some poison before, and now he’s stuck, unable to move. He’s always been the one to help in a disaster; but now he’s helpless…
And yet between the two of them, Toxic was still trying to be there for her.
Shifting to look over at the stallion Gelliana made sure to meet his confused gaze before leaning forward to nuzzle his cheek with hers.
“It’s going to be ok, Toxic,” she said softly. “It’ll be a few cruddy weeks at most, and then you’re going to have to endure a lot of make-up kisses and long cuddling sessions. You’ll get through this. I know you’ve been through worse.”
The simple words of encouragement made the previously stoic stallion crumble, the pony quietly crying in genuine fear and pain as Gelliana wrapped him up in a hug, scooting over to have Toxic lean partially on her chest.
“You’re going to be ok, Toxic.”
Previously cast aside, Gelliana’s hind leg brushed her breastplate, the armor immediately igniting with a soft, rosy glow.
“We’re going to be ok.”
Despite her own fears, Gelliana somehow knew that her words were anything but hollow.
“Incoming message via portal…Sister, it’s him,” Luna hissed, the two immediately setting aside their dinner and teleporting to a conference room.
“Will you led me lead on this? Please, trust me sister,” Celestia’s words were calm and stead as Luna nodded firmly, the two sisters taking a deep breath before allowing the portal to form, revealing a disturbingly smug gryphon.
“Empress’s,” the Bringer said, his eyes then drifting to lock onto the two sisters. “I will make this short. My Master is tired of your interference; or rather, your actions leading towards such.”
“What interference would that be?” Celestia asked innocently, the gryphon snorting in slight amusement.
“A game is it? Very well. The subtle build-up and transferring of Equestrian hardware and military soldiers towards our continent, gathering at various ports and beginning to fortify small outposts within view of our domain. If it continues my Master will take it as seriously as an all-out attack.”
Celestia sighed, nodding once. It had been worth a shot, but was certainly not worth increasing the risk even more.
“Very well. Equestria will not interfere with your claim, for now.”
The bringer grinned; the fact a gryphon now sported sharp canines being extremely unsettling.
“Very good. It would be unfortunate for your kingdom if any more interference were to occur. This will be your only warning of such.”
“How unfortunate?” Luna asked calmly, the Bringer then chuckling, examining his claws with a smirk.
“Did you know that nine out of ten of your water-treatment plants only had a chain link fence for security?”
Celestia’s eyes widened in horror at the gryphon’s statement, the other individual continuing to grin, a bit of shadow leaking from behind his eyes.
“Any additional provocations will ensure that an example is made of a town, or a city, or perhaps both. Some of your cities have tens of thousands of inhabitants, yes? Or more?”
Luna felt the air in the room jump, the temperature increasing slightly as Celestia let out a hiss.
“You have made your point. Is there anything else?”
The Bringer let out a thoughtful hum, then nodded once.
“As a matter of fact, there is. The Last Light Organization will not interfere with us either. If they do, my Master will treat it as if Equestria itself attacked us and react accordingly.”
The Solar Empress’s demeanor shifted slightly, and that made Luna nervous. Not because it was of horror or surprise, but of eagerness. Something had been said that made Celestia’s mood shift from anger at the threats to a predatory hunter.
“I’m afraid that is quite impossible,” Celestia said with a shrug, “while I promise Equestria will not interfere, we have no jurisdiction over that organization. You also attacked them first; and legally they are fully in their rights to counter-”
“They will not interfere!” the Bringer growled, his self-control clearly on a finer edge than Celestia’s. “Or do you value the lives of your subjects to be so little?”
Luna was forced to cast a shield around the room; the temperature now spiking for a moment; the only indicator that Celestia’s patience was apparently being tested.
“Do not goad me, limbo-demon,” Celestia said calmly, “My sister and I can rule Equestria; but we have no say in that organization.”
“If they interfere, you will-”
“What?”
That single word made the Bringer pause, Celestia now glaring at the gryphon.
“What will you do? You have spoken quite a bit for someone with no leverage.”
“Excuse me!? Did my Master not make himself clear?”
“He did. I fail to see the threat. Any attack on Equestrian soil that costs additional lives, at this point would warrant an all-out and overwhelming response. We would have no more reason to limit our response and power as we currently have been. Or have you forgotten to whome you speak?”
Luna now began to see the web that Celestia was weaving, and she couldn’t help but love the dance she was a part of. Her sister had been playing along…
“We will kill your precious two subjects if any attack to my Master’s domain is undertaken!” the Bringer finally said, the words making Celestia shrug.
“You clearly do not have them, and I doubt you would spare them regardless.”
“I am surprised, Empress,” the gryphon replied. “I was under the impression that Princess Celestia cared more for her subjects than that.”
“And what would you know about that, demon?” Celestia asked, Luna not missing the fiery flecks that now spotted her mane. “A creature that sold his soul for the promise of power? I care for Toxic and Gelliana as if they were my children. I watched them grow up; but I will not sacrifice a nation for two creatures.”
This seemed to please the Bringer, the gryphon grinned as Luna feared her sister had made an emotional error.
“It seems we greatly overestimated the worth of these two lives,” the shadow-creature sighed. “You would choose the lives of unknown creatures, of not taking charge, for these two? Even as they suffer and beg for us to end it as they are tortured?”
Luna took a step away from Celestia as familiar armor clamped itself around the Solar Empress’s frame, canine poking out from under her lips as the Princess’s pupils narrowed to slits.
“You and your Master will listen closely,” Celestia hissed. “If you force me to choose between the lives of my subjects, of who will live and who will die, even if numbers are lopsided, you will pay a price that even your Master cannot afford.”
“Oh?” The gryphon’s voice took on a deeper tone; a hint that another entity was also watching; two shadowy eyes appearing to float in the air behind the Bringer. “What price would that be?”
“Simple; your utter destruction.”
The Bringer abruptly let out a cackle, the gryphon shaking his head sadly.
“That’s all? We assumed that would be in your-”
“You misunderstand. I will give that mercy to your subjects. I will dissect you.”
That quieted the cocky creature, Celestia taking a step forward to glare at him.
“Shadow King. I will not kill you if you force my hoof. No. I will first burn your kingdom to ash, my sister crater its remnants with the stars.”
As she spoke, more and more of Celestia’s mane turned to flames prompting Luna to send out a silent signal for Nacreous. She hadn’t seen her sister this upset in…
“I will then imprison you and your highest-ranking individuals outside of my sun. Every day for a thousand years, I will weaken the shields so you burn away, atom by atom, piece by piece. And when you are near death, I will tear you from that prison and send you back to Limbo as a wounded shell,” Celestia stated calmly, never blinking as she stared at the Bringer and the increasingly unnerved gaze of the Shadow King behind him. “I will then watch as you are devoured by your own kind, for the weak are consumed by the strong in that realm, are they not? That is the price you will pay for forcing my hoof. Equestria will not intervene, but do not mistake our peace for weakness.”
Celestia waved a hoof, closing the portal with a SNAP as Luna looked at her.
“Sister? Are you…?” she began, Celestia’s form beginning to return to its normal state as she took deep breaths.
“I’m fine, Lulu. That was just a bit difficult.”
After a pause, Luna had to ask.
“Did you mean it? Would you do all that to avenge Toxic and Gelliana?”
The amount of fury, of seething hatred behind Celestia’s gaze made Luna shudder, the younger Princess shaking her head.
“I did not think that sort of thing was…”
“I will not sacrifice tens of thousands for the sake of two,” Celestia whispered, hanging her head briefly, “I have made such decisions before. We both have, weighing the many against the few. In this case, it is a choice I would have to make without hesitation. Celestia then looked up, her eyes sharp and cold. “But I will make them pay dearly if they force me to choose, and don’t think I wouldn’t try to rescue them first. This burden is mine; not yours.”
Luna wished she could offer a rebuttal, a different plan to both protect Equestria and the two prisoners…but nothing came.
“Then we must trust the Last Light,” Luna sighed, Celestia nodding.
“For now. But we must take heart; Toxic and Gelliana have eluded the King for now. They just need to hold on. For our part, let’s start isolating our infrastructure further. I think Twilight could come up with a water generation system in a timely manner.”
A blood-stained field was all that remained of the once fifty-strong deer herd. The trees trembled as yellow and red eyes flashed through their depths. The hunger was dulled, but still gnawed at their mind.
A pair of shadow-wreathed eyes, ever watching, ensured their master was aware of their progress. With a methodical, machine-like precision, their multiple legs propelled their mis-mismatched bodies over the ground with an uncanny, fluidic movement. Every grid was searched, the maps memories and distributed through their vague, hive-minded link.
“Grids One and Two are clear.”
“It was a lovely meal for a few of us.”
“Continue searching. Leave no sections barren.”
“He will wish for us to check again. Regardless we must be thorough.”
“Perhaps we can find more food.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Hopefully.”
“So hungry.”
“We hope so.”
“We must not eat them if we find them.”
“Would only be a few bites regardless. There should be more deer.”
“He has promised food every quarter of the search area, but none if we rush.”
“Of course.”
“We must be diligent.”
“The air is savory, tasty. It eases our hunger. Can it not spread faster?”
“He is trying.”
“Much was destroyed by the Empress of Fire.”
“Unfortunate.”
“Continue searching.”
Their lungs inhaled the slowly-spreading gas with ease, somehow the vapor feeling like home. Such an idea was met with amusement from the others. They had no home per se. This was their home. They had been born under the mountain, created by their Master.
And they would serve him until death, or beyond.
Thank you all for bearing with me for the much slower updates! I'll finish this story one way or another, just might take me a bit longer than planned. I have the entire plot mapped out =) Quite a bit happened in this chapter....
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Omg I’m so excited that you updated! Loved Toxic and Gelliana as usual and loved Celestia being awesome! Hope you can update soon!
Rules, even those beyond mortal understanding must abide by them or it could destroy the world.
gasp
Will Gelliana become a paladin? Or is she going to pretty much be Toxics squire, more or less?
Okay so not a paladin..... Or maybe not yet? She didn't have to go to the procedures to get the armor and yet she's still getting it. Is this just to tie them together or is this going to become something more? Hmmmmmm
The downside to being a mortal in a game of gods...... Or spirits in this case.
Grumbling, muttering, unsure?! I so hope I'm seeing a potential for an actual character development out of SMAL. Having toxic misdirectedly create life would be awesome.
Quirks? Curiosity? Maybe repeated interactions with Fide might be giving her a soul?
Poor Gelliana.
This was a good chapter, while it doesn't feel as intense or lore heavy as the previous chapters were it still carries with it and intensity that grabs your attention and holds onto it. it's good seeing a new chapter after so long and I'm looking forward to seeing the next one.
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She's getting SOME extra help it would seem, even if Fide is being a bit vague...
SMAL is starting to show some quirks, that's for sure....
Glad you enjoyed it! (And changes made) I wanted to make sure Celestia isn't seeming as impotent as some may assume...she's just holding back to save her subjects. If that restraint is removed...uh oh.
Someone is gaining a personality
Exactly, this current stalemate is essentially a hostage situation, one side can't act since that would be their end but if they can stall long enough they might get a chance to win.
The other side won't act because they care about the hostages but just like the other side they have a plan in motion that will give them a chance to win while lessening the casualties
Probably
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A glitch in the machine it seems....
Bingo. It's a stalemate, but one that favors Equestria. The puffed-up Shadow doesn't realize (or want to acknowledge) that his 'kingdom' could literally be flattened if they stop playing nice.
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I understand :)) its better to have quality than quantity when it comes to writing. I have notifications on so i'll be waiting :D also i must say that your,, brush with fate" Was really great. I really liked it and i can see the cheesy puns scheme you have going across stories >:DDDA
In other words, the parallel with Voyager’s EMH continues. Soon, SMAL shall be Doctor Smol, inexplicably adorable artificial pony practitioner of the hippocratic sciences.
I find myself wondering whether ClariFide had anything to do with Gelly’s hearing not suffering from Toxic’s voice, or if that’s just supposed to be a quirk of her unique genetics.
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Not sure so I thought I would check, did you actually mean Icait or was this supposed to be a wordless communication with Onyx? It feels more like it was supposed to be Onyx considering the conversation flow.
Swap "only am" around, this sentence feels a little clunky as it is now.
Inexperienced
And still gnawed?
Just a few points that could be adjusted for smoother reading.
so its like provoking a guy and making them punch you, then getting him in jail for that
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Lets just say her way of operating isn't the most...palatable to 'mortals.'
"THWACK" - it would be more right and amusing if she just phased through Fide and smacked herself against wall. Maybe even knocked herself out.
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But not really having the serious tone
Funny, yes