Night of the Summer Sun Celebration
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived four princesses: arcane alicorns—winged unicorns—who led the land with glorious magic and deep wisdom. There were two senior and two junior princesses, each of whom had their own area of influence. The elders reigned over the heavens. Luna guided the Moon across the night sky, tracing its path with beautiful constellations, all the while watching over the many dreams of her subjects. Celestia’s charge was the sun itself, keeping the land of Equestria and beyond warmed and suitable for all life. For this service, there was a holiday kept in her honor—the Summer Sun Celebration, held on the longest day of the year, focused especially on the brilliant sunrise. Every year, Celestia traveled to some corner of her realm and lifted the sun in the view of all, and as such it had become tradition to stay up the entire night waiting for the regal glory of the sun princess with her sunrise.
This year, the Summer Sun Celebration was held in the Crystal Empire, a large northern community that one of the junior princesses called home. Cadence, Princess of Love and the People, was put in the awkward situation of hosting the revered princess she called “auntie” half the time. When Celestia visited smaller communities for the celebration, ponies didn’t expect much in the way of festivities. However, everyone expected the Crystal Empire to throw a party the likes of which Equestria had never seen.
Luckily for Cadence, she had a sister-in-law who just happened to be the fourth princess: Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and Magic. To be fair, the bookish and excitable Twilight definitely wasn’t the best choice to help throw a legendary party, seeing as her idea of the “best party ever” was re-arranging an ancient library in at least three different ways. However, Twilight was called the Princess of Friendship for a reason; if anyone needed something, chances were Twilight knew someone in the vast lands of Equestria or beyond that could do exactly that.
It just so happened that one of Twilight’s best friends threw parties for a living.
“Are you ready to get down!?” the pink pony in question shouted to the partygoers, twirling a vinyl record in her front hoof, seemingly defying gravity in the act.
The ponies of the Crystal Empire let out a massive cheer. With a giggle, the party pony slammed the record on the turntable and blared the music out over the crowd. Several hundred balloons floated out from behind her, eclipsing the brilliant shine of the Moon. What was dark became a rainbow of colors as all the neon lasers came on, reflecting not only from the balloons but also the many crystal-faceted buildings of the Crystal Empire, bathing the ponies in a brilliant rainbow of celebratory cheer.
“Let’s party until the sun comes up!”
From her vantage point on the Crystal Palace’s balcony, Twilight Sparkle smiled. “You’ve outdone yourself, Pinkie,” she said to nobody in particular.
“Going down?” Cadence asked, trotting up to Twilight’s side. Twilight had to look up to meet the pink alicorn’s eyes, though it was impossible to look at Cadence’s soft face and feel intimidated. Even if she was in her golden regalia, as she currently was.
Twilight flapped her wings, glancing at the crowd below. “Probably. I’ll show them my dance moves!”
Cadence put a hoof to her mouth, stifling a giggle. “I very clearly remember a little filly who would do anything to get out of any party.”
“And I remember a mare who didn’t know how to stop partying. Don’t think I didn’t notice how many times Shining was out past midnight.”
Cadence leaned against the railing, as if it would get her closer to the crowd. “Children really are more observant than we give them credit for.”
“Or maybe I’m just ‘catalog everything’ Twilight.” Twilight tapped her chest, pretending to be sheepish.
Cadence rolled her eyes. “I will be joining the festivities, after Shining finishes putting Flurry to bed.”
“You’ll have to keep him from falling asleep.”
“I heard that!” a strong, male voice called. Shining Armor strode to meet them, adjusting his Captain of the Guard uniform with his magic. Twilight noticed that his horn’s aura was already wavering. The poor stallion was already tired and it wasn’t even midnight yet!
“If I was a betting mare, I’d say you don’t make it to morning.” Twilight tapped his chest with her hoof.
Shining forced a grin. “Twily, I’m not some random royal guard.”
“Yes, you’re my brother, and you’re going to fall asleep.” Twilight put on her “lecturing” look and went on. “See, previous experiments have shown that you have a very poor ability to keep yourself awake in a safe environment after twenty-point-three-three hours of solid activity. It is already past that time, and we all kn—”
“All right, all right, we get it,” Shining grumbled.
Twilight shot him a wink. “And now I’ve given you even more motivation to stay awake!”
Cadence’s hoof was doing a very poor job of stifling her giggles. “Perhaps we should head down?”
Shining nodded. Cadence lit her horn, surrounding herself and her husband in a blue aura. One burst of energy later, they were gone, having teleported somewhere into the crowd below. Instinctually, Twilight lit her own horn and started channeling a magenta glow, but she stopped herself. She had wings, she should use them every now and then. Leaning back, she unfolded her feathery appendages to their maximum length, taking a moment to feel the wind blowing through them. With a burst of forward movement, she jumped into the air, gliding out over the festivities.
It struck her how beautiful they all were. Ponies living in the middle of the arctic climate, ponies who’d had their very lives threatened by dark magic multiple times in recent memory, ponies who were once too terrified to even remember their past… those same ponies were shouting with joy to the night sky, waiting for the sun to dawn on a new day. She could make out the sparkling coats and manes of every color in the crowd, some drinking, some dancing, and a few just talking loudly with their friends. There were even a few griffons and young dragons amongst the gathering, enjoying themselves just as much as any of the ponies. It was a sight of unity that warmed Twilight’s heart.
She caught Pinkie’s eye. The two friends smiled at each other, agreeing on the success of the party. Pinkie, however, made sure the nonverbal conversation wasn’t over and pulled out a party bazooka from her mane.
“Wait, nonono—”
A burst of confetti hit Twilight square in the chest, tossing her to the ground at one of the refreshment tables. All but one of the celebrating ponies paid her no mind, for this was a normal occurrence in Equestria when Pinkie was around. The exception to the general disinterest was a white unicorn dressed in an overly frilly dress who was currently sipping some neon pink punch.
“I say, Twilight, how undignified.” She took a slow, exaggerated sip of her drink.
“Gee, thanks, Rarity,” Twilight deadpanned as she stood up and began picking confetti out of her wings and mane.
“Just making sure you’re aware.”
Twilight poured herself a drink with her magic while she continued shaking Pinkie’s party assault off her. “So, I thought you were going to be dancing?”
“I was. Then I remembered the noble princes are snobs.” She frowned at the ripples in her cup. “You think I’d have learned my lesson by now, but no, I always have to dance with a prince.”
“I’m sure not all of the nobles are bad. Fancy Pants—”
“Is married, darling.”
“He was just an example!”
“Quite,” Rarity said with a coy smirk crawling up her features. “But he also works as an example for my point. All the good, decent nobles are already taken, those that aren’t are only single because they’re piggish snobs.” She chuckled to herself. “I’m doomed! Doomed I say!”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually.”
“It’s the ‘eventually’ that worries me. None of us are exactly young anymore, Twilight. You’re in training to replace Celestia for Celestia’s sake!” She paused, a thoughtful expression crossing her features. “You know, expressing proper surprise has become a lot more difficult since we got on speaking terms with the princesses.”
“I still feel young,” Twilight commented, glancing at her wings.
“Everypony feels young, darling, you’ve seen Celestia prance around like a filly.” Rarity giggled at the memory. “Ah… well, I guess she’s the prime example. One thousand years, and not a single prince for her. Proof that romance isn’t everything in life.”
Twilight smiled warmly at her friend. “You know, I’m proud of you for being mature enough to see that. It—”
“It proves that I’m old, Twilight. Wisdom comes with age, after all!” She sang the last word with a high-pitched trill.
“Not… exactly where I would have gone with that, but all right.”
Rarity rolled her eyes and set her drink down. “Twilight, I’m just playing around. For what it’s worth, thanks.”
Twilight smiled at her warmly. “What are friends for?”
“Parties,” Rarity pointed out, gesturing at Pinkie, who had just thrown a pie larger than herself into the crowd. “I swear, that mare doesn’t know how to stop.”
“Good thing this party can't stop.” Twilight investigated her drink, sniffing it to make sure Pinkie hadn’t somehow snuck hot sauce into it. “Where are the rest of the girls, by the way?”
“Well…” Rarity took a moment to compose her thoughts. “Pinkie’s location should be obvious. Rainbow and Applejack are at that table, hoof wrestling, because of course they are.” Twilight followed Rarity’s hoof to see an orange earth pony and a blue pegasus locked in a contest of strength, neither of their front hooves budging in the slightest. “I suspect they’ll be at that for a while. Starlight went off with Sunburst, and Fluttershy’s under the table.”
Twilight blinked. Using her magic, she lifted the tablecloth up to find a yellow pegasus of small stature sitting under the refreshments. She wasn’t cowering in fear; rather, she was spending her time breaking up the little tea cakes to feed to the Crystal Empire mice. Twilight’s head poking in sent the rodents scampering away in fear.
“Twilight, they don’t like the excitement,” Fluttershy said.
“I, uh, had no idea. Sorry.”
“They’ll probably be back,” Fluttershy admitted, coming out from under the table. “They can never just leave snack food alone, no matter how loud the party is.”
“Rats,” Rarity huffed.
“Rarity!” Fluttershy said. “Rodents are just as beautiful as any other member of the animal kingdom.”
“I’d disagree. Though I have to admit, they’re better than some instances I can think of.” She lifted a drink back to her lips—only for it to talk back to her.
“I do hope you weren’t talking about me.”
The punch in the glass erupted into a large, snakelike shape three times the height of a normal pony. As the fruity liquid dripped away, it revealed a tall creature made of mismatched body parts from numerous races dominated by a goat-like head with both a deer and unicorn horn. Its reptilian tail flicked right in front of Rarity’s muzzle without hitting.
“Discord…” Rarity sighed.
“Discord!” Fluttershy cheered.
There are two kinds of ponies in this world, Twilight thought, managing to bite back a laugh at her observation.
Fluttershy leaped up, having to fly several feet into the air to give Discord a proper hug. “I didn’t think you were coming!”
“Well, turns out, I got bored of my little engagement with the lava spirit of Tisbik, so here I am, ready to party until the end of time! Or the morning. Whatever comes first.” He picked up a glass and drank it, leaving the punch behind. The punch transformed into a chocolate butterfly that landed on Fluttershy’s snout.
She giggled.
“I swear, you two,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes.
“I think it’s cute,” Twilight said.
“...Cute?” Fluttershy said, cocking her head, the implication clearly flying over her head.
“Never mind,” Twilight said, clearing her throat loudly. “So, Discord, how have things been?”
“You saw me last week,” Discord said, turning his wiry beard into noodles and trimming them before throwing them in his mouth. Rarity gagged.
“I know, but who knows what the Lord of Chaos can get up to in a week?” Twilight retorted.
“The Lord of Chaos,” Discord pointed out.
“Yes, I know, b—”
“BLEH HEH HEH HEH, BLECK!”
The voice rang out with an echo so loud and startling that Pinkie scratched the disc at the turntable, plunging the party into sudden silence.
Twilight got a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Above the crowd, a noxious mass of black outlined in deep purple formed, collecting not in loose wispy tufts like one would expect from a cloud, but cubic, angled shapes that pulsed in and out of existence. It grew in size until it was about twice as large as a normal pony before dissipating, revealing a creature unlike any Twilight had ever seen. It was tall, with a blue and white cape that was wrapped around most of its body. Two hands floated, separate from its chest, so disconnected that Twilight wondered if they were just gloves it was levitating with some kind of invisible magic. A massive red collar sprung from the top of its outfit, framing its head in conjunction with a brilliant red medallion. Its face was the worst of it—there were no pupils in its red eyes, and its skin was little more than swirling darkness that surrounded a jagged maw. As this was a terrifying, dark creature, it was almost comical to see a distinguished white top hat and a monocle on it.
“Your celebration has been interrupted by… Count Bleck!” he said, throwing his hands wide and drawing attention to the crystal scepter he was holding.
Most of the ponies in the crowd backed away instinctually.
Pinkie, as it should be noted, was not most ponies. “So are you here to stop the party or join in? Because we’ve always got room for more!” Pinkie lifted up a beautiful key-lime pie seemingly out of nowhere. “We have amazing desserts!”
Bleck met her eyes with his own wild gaze. “I am afraid it is the former, for there will be few remaining once the prophecy is fulfilled.”
“Ooooh, we know a lot about prophecies and fate!” Pinkie called, smile unwavering. “Just ask Twilight!”
“Uh… hi,” Twilight said, waving cautiously at Count Bleck. “I’m sure we can help you with whatever it is we need. Maybe we can talk in one of the castle halls?”
“You can most definitely help Count Bleck!” he said, throwing his arms wide. “The chosen executor of the Dark Prognosticus, Count Bleck!”
“Wow, you sure like the sound of your own name!” Pinkie waved at him. “I’m Pinkie Pie! Planner of this party, Pinkie Pie!”
“Pinkie, let’s not antagonize him!” Twilight warned.
“What? I’m just getting into the spirit of things!”
“It would be best to get into the spirit!” the Count said, adjusting his hat. “You are all integral to fulfilling the prophecy! But especially you, Princess.”
“M-me!?” Twilight stammered.
“No. You are inconsequential.” The sheer dismissiveness in his voice took Twilight by surprise. “I speak of the Princess of Love!”
The crowd parted to reveal Cadence’s position. The pink princess ruffled her wings and fixed Bleck with a defiant glare. “I’m not going anywhere with you until you explain why.”
“It is simple, really! You will be used to fulfill the prophecy and destroy all worlds, with Count Bleck!”
Twilight’s jaw dropped—she couldn’t even comprehend the scope of what he was saying.
“D-destroy all worlds!?” Rarity shouted. “What… how!?”
“You will see soon enough…” Count Bleck pointed his hands at Cadence and Discord. Instantly, both fell to the ground, completely unconscious. Discord’s chaos magic didn’t even react. “Bleh heh heh heh, bleck!”
Twilight decided that was all she was willing to put up with. She launched into the air, channeling as much magic as she could muster into her horn, surrounding it in three separate layers of arcane power. She used a secondary thread of power to teleport right behind Bleck, unleashing a beam of neon power right into his back.
In response, he raised a shield composed of noxious darkness. Twilight’s attack strained the barrier, but it did not break. “Bleck declares your struggling useless!” Instead of pointing at Twilight and making her pass out, he summoned an orb of dark energy and threw it at her. The twisting vortex drew her in, swirled her around like a washing machine, and rammed her into the ground.
Twilight knew she was more durable than most ponies. That sort of attack shouldn’t have done any more than disorient her. But something about the darkness stuck to her, making her feel heavy, almost immobile. However, she still had hope. “G-girls, we need t—”
“Bleck knows of your Elements of Harmony.” Bleck interrupted. “You will not get a chance to use them.”
He opened his cape, revealing a swirling tumult of stars within rather than a body. From within these stars erupted a portal of darkness larger than the courtyard the party was held in. With a rumble, the vortex became a vacuum, that sucked every pony, griffon, dragon, and everyone else to it, drawing their panicked screams to an abrupt end as they passed the event horizon. Pinkie tried to run, but her hooves couldn’t gain traction in midair. Fluttershy clung to Discord as his limp form was lifted up. Rarity was the only one who tried to attack Bleck directly, but a simple wave of his hand deflected her into the portal with ease.
Twilight, however, remained heavy—stuck on the ground.
“BLEH HEH HEH HEH!”
He and the portal vanished, leaving a nearly empty courtyard. Most of the neon lights were still active, shining upon what should have been thousands of ponies, instead finding only the weak form of a single purple alicorn.
Twilight was alone, and all of her friends had been taken from her.
She was too weak to move. She wasn’t so weak that she couldn’t weep.
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ooh pog, will be following this in due time
THREE CHEERS FOR THE COUNT!
This is a good birthday present.
Hey, the fic I helped edit! Fancy seeing you 'round these parts...
Will twilight learn new magic?
Hmm, I wonder if the count will try to marry cadence and discord?
10536862
See, now, that's what's called a spoiler.
-GM, master of old magic.
10536866
Hmm is one of the opposing themes involving fate or Ka?
10536874
Ya don't know when to stop askin', do ya? The reason I didn't say is because part of the fun is discovering it out yourself.
-GM, master of ka-tet.
10536876
I need evidence to say “I called it”
Amazing how wrong someone can be in just four short words.
Heck of an opening. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this, especially the premise of being SotS's opposite.
I'll stick this on my Read Later so I don't forget about it. Once it's finished or closer to completion, I'll see about giving it a whirl. I'm a slow enough reader that if I started even at 3/4, it would probably be done before I finish it.
Instant favorite.
Super Paper Mario is my second favorite Paper Mario game
SSSOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait to see what happens next
What will flipside look like?
I can't wait for the next chapter(s)
10537447
Every six days.
Also some drafts are available for anyone who wants them on the discord server.
-GM, master of ink.
10537509
Could you link me to them?
It's time.
Count Bleck is the best antagonist.... SAYS COUNT BLECK! BLEH HEH HEH!
You could say she was... out for the count.
...I'm terrible.
Now this caught my interest so very easily. I'll be waiting for later chapters very soon........
Wow that one hell of a start, gonna follow this so I won't get tired from trying to read as much as I can in one go like it happened a lot during my read of SotS, which I still haven't finished.
10536864
Yes, he will marry both to appease Ching Dai, the God of the East, and sacrifice one to satisfy the Emperor.
Oh hey, it's my second favorite Count.
Real talk, Super Paper Mario has one of my favorite video game stories of all time. I'm really excited to see what you do with it this time!
You have my attention.
Is the lava spirit of Tisbik a reference to something?
Also, I like how this is the opposite of the beginning of SPM; this time, the protagonist is the only one who isn't teleported away.
While SotS completely lost me towards the end I'm still excited to see what you do with this one.
Well, that certainly went from 0 to 11 in a hurry.
Finally getting around to reading the finished product of this, think I'm going to leave some certain songs in chapters were certain characters appear.
https://youtu.be/IbuGd2rDozA
Did you just....
I always imagined Count Bleck sounding like Mr. Mart from Pickle and Peanut.