Chapter 2
Twilight yawned, slowly working her way into a sitting position in her bed. Taking a moment to rub her eyes, she swung forehooves over the side of the bed, dragging herself out from the covers. After wobbling on her hooves, she slowly trotted to the nearby balcony, ripping open the doors to let the sun in. For a few precious seconds, she could almost pretend everything was as it was years ago. Then her vision cleared, revealing empty market stalls, boarded up storefronts, and the occasional elderly bum sleeping in the alleys. It was a far cry for the cozy hamlet she had overseen decades ago during the Summer Sun Celebration. With a growing frown, she turned back to her room, heading to the vanity mirror running a brush through her mane.
Once the hair was out of her eyes, she stared into her reflection. The image did little to help her souring mood, alicorn longevity or not; the situation wasn't kind to her complexion. Glancing over at the ponyequin, she began to levitate the solid purple quartz regalia onto herself before applying makeup to cover the wrinkles and greying fur. Turning her head side to side, she eventually nodded to herself, standing up from the vanity making her way out.
Beyond the few guards standing at attention, the Castle of Friendship felt more like a Fortress of Solitude. It was almost like it could feel something was wrong as it slowly lost its luster over the last few decades. She would stop in the main hall glancing up at the chandelier above the static cutie map, seeing a few artisans looking it over shaking their heads.
Clearing her throat, she spoke. "Crystal Ware?"
A greying brown coated pegasus fluttered down to the floor, bowing as quickly as he could. "Princess Twilight."
"How goes the repairs?" She didn't bother with pleasantries, looking up at the dulling crystal.
He bit his lip, taking a deep breath. "They... aren't..."
"Pray to tell why? Is it a question of bits? Workers? Tools? Because I'm willing to pay whatever it takes to save my home." She kept her voice steady but firm.
"I'm afraid it's not a question of bits or resources. To be honest, princess... I don't know what to tell you, in my 40 years or Crystal restoration, I've never seen anything like-"A piece of the chandelier fell off and shattered nearby. "This... any spells or methods we've tried only seem to slow the rot."
"Crystals don't rot." Twilight twitched her tail.
"Well... I don't know what to call it; I've never seen Crystal deteriorate like this. Even if we remove the greyed areas, I worry it wouldn't be able to support itself; it's just too intricate." He looked over his clipboard. "Even ignoring the threat of the collapsing fixture above us... it's my recommendation we remove the map and thro-"
"You're not removing them." While she kept her voice even, the volume was enough to cut him off.
His nervous demeanor melted away in response. "Well then, if you won't remove the cause, then I see no reason to continue this.”
Ignoring his disrespect, she seemed to pause before speaking. "...Cause?"
"Princess, I've worked with Crystal all my life, but this place... continues to baffle me." He glanced around. "Whatever this blight is, it started from there." He motioned to the blackened table and chairs.
Looking at those chairs began to bring back bittersweet memories. "...How can you be sure?..."
"Beyond the blackened colors?" He ran his hoof over his face. "Princess, look at the thrones and map. The dust from the crumbling crystal alone makes half my staff sick masks or no; I'm not even sure how you've managed to live here. The deterioration also follows the black veins to a tee, with the worst of it all centered around the map... wore this anypony else's home I would have condemned it..."
"The room?" A pit started to form in her stomach.
"No, the... Castle... Princess, I'll be honest... I'm going to have to bring in ironworkers to build trusses for most of the structure." He continued to flip through the papers. "The decay has largely attacked the load-bearing areas... the outer structures are holding... for now... but long term they won't last."
"...How much would it cost?..." Her throat felt increasingly dry.
"To be honest... with the shortages?... Princess, it would be cheaper to build a new castle than to save this place... I'm sorry..."
"...I see... you may return to your work... I expect to see a complete report on my desk when I return..." Trotted away without so much as a goodby, lost in thought. Only through instinct did she avoid crashing into the grand entryway. Her horn glowed, forcing the massive doors open, the guards just outside standing at attention as she passed into the square.
Trotting down the road, she would glance up at the various guards standing at attention on the rooftops and streets. Ensuring her safety during her few and infrequent walks through town. The sad state of Ponyville doing little to help her mood, be it the homeless bums snoring in the alleyways or the boarded-up businesses left to rot. Unable to look, she turned her attention back down to the cobblestone road focusing on making her way through old Main Street. Eventually, making her way to the old dirt road, she could see the familiar sprawling acres of her friend's farm in the distance.
She mumbled in distaste seeing the guards had followed her out here. Keeping their distance or not, they had become an annoyance, necessary as they may be. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the farm, sighing gently as she closed her eyes. She could almost smell the scent of apples wafting over her nose, a faint smile forming on her face as she dreamt. Keeping her eyes closed, she could practically imagine nothing had changed... but just as she opened them again... an orange figure seemed to be hobbling towards her in the distance.
Twilight held her breath, watching the figure become more defined as they got closer. At first, it seemed as if Apple Jack hadn't aged at all, looking like that same friendly farmer she had first met all those years ago. But as she climbed the hill, the tell-tale signs of aging became apparent. Greying mane and coat, tired eyes, and gimp brought on by years of apple bucking, but the most telling was the deep frown lines covering her muzzle, which only grew more noticeable seeing the princess.
"Princess..." The older mare struggled to bow.
"Applejack...." Twilight swallowed.
"May I ask why you're stalking mah family again?..." The greying orange mare looked unamused.
"I wasn't talking... I was just enjoying the weather." She tried, but the raised eyebrow of her old friend showed they didn't buy it.
"You come here every day... did ya think I wouldn't notice?" Applejack stamped her front hoof irritably.
"No... I didn't..." Twilight motioned for the guards to stand down.
"What were you hoping to accomplish then?" Aj eyed the retreating guards.
"I don't know... I was hoping... we could talk?..." Twilight struggled to hide the discomfort from her friend's stare.
"We don't have much to talk about..." The orange mare snorted, digging her hoof into the grass. "I think Ay and the girls made things clear."
"I didn't know things would turn out like this..." Twilight sighed, lowering her head. "I'm sorry about Pink La-"
"Don't even try that... don't you bucking dare..." Applejack forced her muzzle into the alicorns, a look of pure rage covering her face. "She's dead cause of you and Celestia."
"I-I didn't know the treatment would cause that; you have to believe me! I would never hurt your family; you know that!" She backed up, struggling to keep herself together.
"But you did! When you lied about the treatment, and when your damn solution caused Pink's foals to die in her hooves!" Applejack took a step forward.
"W-what are you talking about? Y-you were so happy when I told you the treatment would help you a-and Pokey conceive!" Twilight avoided eye contact.
"Aaron says differently..." Hearing that name Twilight seemed to freeze. "Surprised I know his name?... After Pinkie got his letter... she made sure to notify the rest of us..."
"... What do you you want me to say?... Celestia needed our support for the program..." Twilight slowly ran her hoof over her belly.
"Convenient you never had to worry about the side effects... your pretty generous with your friend's wombs, though." Applejack said with malice.
"I would have volunteered if I could! But I've been sterile since I was a filly...You know that...." Twilight looked deeply hurt. "I didn't know about the side effect until it was too late!"
"Twilight... I can forgive you lying to me... maybe even damaging my family as you have... but your mentor's lil project? How she got her magic cure-all?... I can't... you had us conceive a whole generation in evil!" She shoved a hoof into the young alicorn's chest.
"W-what are you talking about?..."
"A four-letter word Twilight... Rape... but on a scale, I've never thought possible..." Her eyes burned into the purple mare. "You took something that was supposed to be beautiful... a manifestation of the love between a mare and stallion... and... and... tainted it with your lies!"
"I-it wasn't r-rape..." Twilight seemed to say more for herself than her friend. "I-it was the harvesting of materi-"A hoof smack stopped her; it was scarcely enough to make her cringe, though the shock seemed to hurt worse.
"Don't even try that! I might not have been the best when it came to new creatures in the past like Zecora, but he ain't some science project! Use his damn name!" Apple Jack took another step forward, forcing her to look at her. "Your daddy pumped him for all he had against his damn will! Don't pretend he's just some animal!"
Twilight shook her head. "C-Celestia said he wasn't willing to help us... what else could we do?... we needed donors!"
"So kidnapping creatures from around the globe was her solution?! And you wonder why every damn exchange student was taken out of your school!" Applejack looked incredulous.
"She couldn't risk it getting out! It was for national security!" Twilight tried to argue, but even she was struggling with it.
"Well, she did a great job, Twilight! The world hates our guts now!" Applejack ran her hoof over her face. "I wonder..."
"...Wonder what?..." Twilight seemed relieved the mare had calmed down a bit.
"How many?..." She looked back up.
"How many what?..." Twilight tilted her head.
"How many of your students ended up in her little science project?..." Applejack looked back up into her friend's eyes. "How many young'ns that walked into my class ended up getting milked by your daddy and his crony's?..."
Twilight stared; Applejack wasn't even angry anymore... she was crying. She wanted to lie, to tell her something to comfort her. But she knew that it wouldn't work. "I don't know the exact number... but... I know my student directory was used..."
"Did you even try to stop them?... or were you just happy to let them use your school as breeding stock?..." Applejack struggled to keep herself from stuttering as the tears started to flow. "They were foals Twilight! They trusted us!"
"It... was nec..." She couldn't even say it; just imagining that word made her sick to her stomach.
"So you know it was wrong... but how long?" Applejack looked unamused.
"Since...I found out and handed over the school's records..." Twilight lowered her eyes and sighed.
"And yet you still did it..." Applejack snorted, rubbing the tears from her eyes, struggling to control herself.
"I had to... we... you... ponies were dying out... what was I supposed to do?!" Twilight stomped her hoof down, struggling to contain herself.
"A-anything...but this." The older mare's back legs gave out as she clutched her belly. "Your daddy... h-he made me... and so many others part o-of... t-this... this...." She seemed to dry heave for a moment. "I-I loved Pink... b-but seeing her... so... so.... broken at the end... I-I wish...."
"Y-you can't mean..." Twilight looked horrified.
"I-I wish... I never let you take me to that clinic... I hope you and your daddy never has to know what it's like to bury a child... cause it never heals..." She clutched her heart. "But we had to bury two... you best leave before Big Mac gets back Twilight..." She snorted. "He didn't take losing Apple Tart well... who knows what he might do iffin he sees ya..."
"Applejack p-please..." Twilight bit her lip.
"How many times do I gotta tell ya... Y'all ain't welcome here... you and your... mistress..." She shook the tears from her eyes. "But this is it, Twilight... next time any of us see ya... We won't be talking... you best just hope we just chase you off..." She growled, working back to her hooves, turning around, causing her tail to slap the princess one last time.
Twilight watched the orange mare hobble away, the last piece of her heart breaking painfully in her chest. She lowered her head back down, trotting away from the old farm. Her lip trembling as she tried to ignore the stares of her guards. Slowly she made her way back into town; even there, the eyes of the few remaining locals leered at her from their decrepit homes. Closing her eyes, she fought the urge to gallop but picked up her pace to a respectable amount. Peaking through her eyelashes, she saw the Castle approaching, opening the doors, she slipped inside.
She seemed like she was about to call for someone before closing her mouth and shaking her head. Igniting her horn, she quickly teleported to her private chambers, and more importantly, her desk where a stack of parchment and an ink-pot waited for her. Once she was seated, she levitated the quill from the pot and began to write.
"Dear Princess Celestia..." She mumbled to her self almost like she was dictating to someone. Her eyes occasionally glancing at an old empty basket near her bed.
Once she had finished writing, she levitated the letter to a candle with a flickering green flame. The moment it touched the paper, it disintegrated into smoke spiraling out of the nearby window.
She stared out the window for a while, waiting... until a trail of smoke slithered back, a bright flash causing a letter to appear on her desk. The bright yellow wax seal still warm to the touch, sighing; she broke the seal and glanced over it. "No turning back..."
——————————————————————
"Twilight, you don't have to do this..." Celestia trotted next to her former protege.
"Yes... yes, I do..." Twilight snorted as she walked through the halls entering the disused sitting room.
"Why?..." Celestia pressed as she hesitantly reached out a hoof to the bookshelf.
"I lost my friends because of this project... I deserve to see the source..." Twilight glanced at the shelf and pulled the book herself.
"He's dangerous, Twilight... don't take him lightly..." The sun princess said as the shelf opened to reveal the gilded elevator. "He turned my own sister against me..."
"I know..." Twilight said faintly as she stepped in, turning around and staring into her mentor's eyes. "But... I have to see him..." She said as the gate closed and she started to move down.
Even years after the Royal Wedding, the caves beneath the city caused her skin to crawl. Closing her eyes, she attempted to steady her breath losing track of time... until she heard a familiar stallion clear his throat.
"Hello, sweetie..." She opened her eyes to see the wrinkled face of her father.
"Hey, dad..." The purple mare trotted forward, pulling her father into a hug. "You're looking... well..."
"Your too kind little spark..." Nightlight hummed, leaning into his daughter's embrace.
Pulling back, Twilight continued. "How's mom?..."
"Still adjusting at Celestia's estate..." He avoided eye contact with his daughter. "Losing her home was hard on her... we weren't able to save much from the fire..."
"And the guard still doesn't have any leads?..." She asked, following her father deeper into the lab.
"No..." He lowered his ears as they made their way into his office; once he was seated, he took a moment to catch his breath wheezing a bit.
Twilight sat to the opposite of him. "Have... you made any progress with the hybrids?..."
"... I see you're here about that..." He opened one of the drawers to his desk, digging around before pulling out some documents. "... no... we haven't..." He passed them over to his daughter.
Twilight levitated the documents to her face glancing over the parchment. "They seem to be healthy... excellent IQ scores... strong physical aptitude... no physical deformities..."
"Yes, yes... everything seems wonderful... except the fact they can't have viable foals!" He pulled a bottle from his desk and took a swig.
Twilight stared. "You promised mom you quit...." She said while watching him take a long drink.
"I did... but right now... need it..." He set the bottle back down on the desk.
"The meeting with the Royal houses... didn't go well, did it?..." Twilight eyed the bottle.
"No... no, it didn't... with the leak... their wealth practically evaporated overnight... they blame everypony in Canterlot Labs... and rightfully so..."
"What happened wasn't your fault; Luna stole your journals!" Twilight reached for her father's hoof only to see him slide it just out of reach.
"Doesn't matter... Luna isn't here and out of their reach... they hate her plenty... but your mother and I are the easiest targets..." He crossed his forehooves to support himself.
"Your under Celestia's protection... the burning of the manor was just theatre." She spoke attempt to comfort him. "They wouldn't dare harm you and mom... besides, she's safe at the Estate, and you're here, in one of the most secure facilities in Equestria!"
"We're alive... but are we living?..." He stared up at the ceiling. "Twilight... as happy as I am to have you visit... I feel you've come here for a different reason... haven't you?..."
"Is it that obvious?..." She mumbled.
"I can tell when my foals are upset... I'm not that blind yet..." He adjusted his glasses. "Trouble at home?..."
"...Yes..."
Leaning over, he sighed. "Spike wasn't able to come?...”
"He's... taking a vacation back East..."
"… I see…" Her father mumbled, looking back down at his desk.
"Dad… I need the key…" She said faintly.
"Right…. Right…." He levitated the keyring to her. "I hope you find what you're looking for…"
Twilight nodded her head, taking the keys.———————————————————————-
The walk through the lab wasn't long, but she seemed to freeze once she had reached the door to the holding cells. She would slowly work through each key on the ring, though she didn't have to… they were all expertly labeled… but she found it therapeutic. Sadly after going through the ring for the fifth time, she could feel the eyes of the scholars on her… unable to take it, she shoved the gilded key into the lock. Quickly opening the door and slipping inside the massive stone hallway.
The musty smell of the converted dungeons caused her nose to wrinkle slightly as she took tentative steps. Passing by numerous empty cells, many of which still had signs of their former occupants. Drawings on the walls, messy bits of furniture, crumbling books gave the place a rather unsettling feel. As she made her way deeper, the loud clicking of a beak reached her ears. Turning her head, she saw a giant gryphon standing before the bars.
"Well, well… I was wondering when we would see the other princess…" The gryphon hummed, pacing along the edge of the bars. "Twilight Sparkle… princess of friendship…" He said sarcastically.
"… Yes… your… Gifford, right?" She asked, glancing behind him at the sorry state of his cell.
"Mmmm… yes…." He ruffled his feathers. "I'm surprised you know my name…. I trust you've been keeping up on the reports?…."
"I have too… I am a head of state…" Twilight said.
"Oh, I'm sure… But I doubt you came to check up on me… Sky Streak, Rover, or Rex…" He gave her a cracked smile.
"No… I haven't…"
"So you're going to see the freak…" He chuckled. "Want some advice?…"
The princess swallowed, nodding her head slowly.
"Come closer…." He leaned his head against the bars.
Twilight looked side to side as of checking to ensure no one saw her before approaching his cell, swallowing nervously.
He leaned his beak through the bars and whispered into her ear. "Don't…"
"I… what?…." Her eyes widened.
"He made the Princess of the Sun crack her own mask… the rest of the world has spent Millennia trying to find the grand weapon to expose her… yet he made her stagger with just a few petty words…." He tilted his head. "What do you think he'll do to you… miss Lesson Zero?… he's broken the sanest mare alive… what chance do you stand?"
Twilight stepped back from the bars. "I'll keep that in mind…" She made her way deeper into the dungeon.
Her hooves echoed as she made her way deeper into the facility. Avoiding eye contact with the muttering hippogriff who paced back in forth in his cell. Despite her attempts to focus on the task at hand, the scribbling of a quill against parchment caught her attention. Looking back up from the stone floors, she glanced to her left, seeing a runty Diamond Dog writing by candlelight on a well-worn desk.
"May I help you?…." Rex glanced up from his work.
"Just curious, I suppose…" Her eyes wandered over the stacks of paper that filled his cell. "What is all this?…"
"A closing chapter… few get to see an empire fall before their eyes… normally scholars have to piece it together from rotten manuscripts… half-truths from sagas… endless theorizing…." He hummed, dropping his quill back into the ink.
"Equestria is not falling…." Twilight looked insulted, but a brief flash of worry showed through her eyes. "I doubt you can get much information down here… I'd be surprised if most of this wasn't just filler…."
"Oh… we hear plenty, don't we Rover?…" Rex gently while Twilight looked behind herself, seeing the more ragged dog resting in the center of his cell, eyes closed with his ears occasionally twitching. "You'd be amazed what you can hear even in these conditions… your father and his parasites alone have been invaluable… but over time… Our net has expanded…"
"Expanded?… you couldn't mean…" Her eyes widened.
"Diamond Dogs have advanced hearing thanks to countless millennia of subterranean living…" He chuckled. "With the right technique… one can hear a lot… especially when you're under a capital…"
Twilights eyes widened before narrowing. "Why are you telling me this?…"
"Because I doubt you'll stop us…" Rex tilted his head to the side.
"What makes you say that?…"
"Because despite your title, your not one to stop the pursuit of knowledge… You always seemed more scholar than princess… especially when you nearly bankrupted yourself funding the expedition up north to find Dream Valley…" Rex purred.
"…How is that relevant? Archeological expeditions are nothing new…."
"They certainly aren't… But normally, they are funded straight from the Royal Treasury, not one's personal expense account…" The dog hummed, tapping his chin. "I'm guessing the Solar Princess disapproved?”
"I don't see how that's relevant…"
"But it is… especially since you only announced the expedition after they had returned with their findings… with quite a bit of fanfare, I might add… then?… nothing! Not a single peep… just what did you find?" He stared emotionlessly.
"Celestia has decided… the findings would be too upsetting… and ordered the records and artifacts to be sealed for 50 years minimum…" Twilight said, sounding rather… empty…
"Meaning by the time they are declassified, ponies as a race will be buried… and Celestia will have no reason to let the information see the light of day…." He stood up from his chair, slowly making his way to the bars.
"No… Ponykind will endure…" She stamped her hoof, but the emptiness started to grow in her stomach.
"Please… we all know Celestia's solution has failed; it's a matter of when, not if they all realize they're doomed. If the unrest doesn't destroy your nation, the embargo's and war will." He said rather offhandedly.
"That won't happen… Celestia will find a diplomatic solution to prevent war… and fix the breeding issues…" Twilight attempted to put passion behind her words… but they just seemed to die in her throat.
"If you can't convince yourself, how will you convince anyone else?" His muzzle grew a toothy grin. "The Umano will tear you apart."
"Umano?…" She took a moment to run the word over her tongue. "You mean Specimen 16…"
"Celestia went in there full of conviction… and left shell… what do you think he'll do to you?”
"…" Twilight searched his eyes, though, for what, she wasn't sure.
She soon felt a second pair of eyes begin to burn into the back of her head. "I have a suggestion for you, pony…" The more gruff voice of Rover caught her attention.
Twilight quickly turned herself around to face the yellowed smile of the familiar mutt. "And what would that be?…"
Rover grabbed the bars pressing his muzzle between them. "Go home…"
"What… after coming all this way… with you in your position… you think you have any authority to…"
"I'm not telling you to do anything, pony… I'm giving advice… you won't like what you find…" Rover said, staring into her eyes with… pity? “The Anthropos can be as kind as he is cruel to those he sees as enemies…”
"I can't…" Twilight turned away, trotting deeper into the complex, the quickened place sounding more forced. As she approached the massive gilded vault, levitating the keys, she slowly sorted through them. Eventually, shoving the key into the lock and twisting it, the heavy locks began to slide open after a moment. The sound they made like granite dragging against the floor, steadily each lock opened, but as each opened, an unseen weight seemed to press down on her. Feeling as if she was being crushed by an invisible force, her legs shook as she struggled to stand.
Finally, the door began to swing open, revealing the crystal cage inside and, more importantly, the occupant inside. His back turned to her as he worked on a vast canvas, occasionally dabbing his brush into the palette in his left hand. Swallowing, she lifted a shaking hoof over the threshold, but try as she might, she wouldn't take the first step.
She almost didn't notice the occupant slowly set his tools down before the painting, standing from his seat and turning around. Two green eyes focusing on the younger princess as he slowly walked to the edge of his enclosure. He said nothing, but his presence was more than enough, like the weight of the sins in this place was crushing her alive.
"I… I…" She tried to form words, but nothing came, she had focused so much on coming here… to see him… she hadn't thought about what she wanted to say!
He stood in silence, watching her. Though she couldn't be sure for what purpose, it felt as if he could see her soul.
"I'd like to ta-"She was cut off by his arms slamming against his prison. It wasn't near enough force to even crack the crystal… but the suddenness of the movement and sound nearly sent her running.
Staring into her eyes, he opened his mouth and spoke. "No…"
"W-what?…" She struggled to speak.
"Not interested…" He said, leaning against his prison.
"What are you talking about?…" She struggled to swallow the bile building in her throat.
"Why are you here? To accuse me of destroying your friendships? To ask how I tainted my seed, so daddy dearest isn't at fault? Or perhaps just to probe me for the secrets of my world?" He tilted his head, staring. "You won't ask anything that hasn't be asked before… be it with words or…" He grabbed his robes, opening them to reveal intricate scarres on his chest and stomach. "With the edge of a knife…"
She couldn't hold it back, emptying the contents of her stomach on the floor.
"You like them?~… your father made many of the incisions himself… attempting to find some kind of biological safeguard…" He traced them with his finger. "Do you know what it's like to be violated in such a way?… to watch a bunch of creatures who, after milking you like cattle… fish around your insides with their dirty little hooves?…" His eyes pierced into her own "All while you scream… begging them to stop?.." The way he talked… so emotionless.. it wasn't right…
"H-he wouldn't!" She shook her head, her back legs giving out behind her. But as she stared at the grizzly display the familiar voice of her father whispered from her memories.
“That’s it little Spark… the way you start any dissection is to cut from the chest down… then left to right.” Flashes of a frog imposed over the strange creature before her. “Once you’ve made the proper incision… you begin to peel back the skin…”She continued to shake her head trying to deny the familiar work before her eyes.
"He's desperate, pony… you think he wants to go down in history as the one who doomed his race?… Or to have to tell the one protecting him and his wife… that he's in over his head?… when ones pressed against the wall… you'd be horrified what they can do…." He twisted his lips into a toothy grin. “So tell me… what could you possibly ask me?…”
Twilight felt as if her heart would burst out her chest as it beat fast, pummeling her rib cage. She shook her head as tears slowly began to fall; backing up, she turned around and ran… unable to suppress the flight instincts. Not even bothering to close the vault as she galloped, attempting to flee from what she had seen… what she had heard. Passing Rover, she caught a glimpse of his sympathetic stare before it vanished in the blur of cells around her. This place… it was everything Applejack said it was… and more… But just as she reached her lowest… something new began to grow inside of her.. taking the place of her broken heart.
———————————————————————
Celestia sat at her desk reading through the reports, each one souring her mood further. But one stood out above all the others… Rusthoof a settlement right at the border between Equestria and Dimondia, a constant diplomatic thorn in her side. Especially since they accused the settlements mines of crossing into their own territory… something she wished they were wrong about… but with the country lacking in metals, it was too valuable to dismantle… Despite the situation, they had never been willing to embark on military action to stop it… but things had changed.
Before she could think further on the matter, a Royal guard burst into his chambers. "Princess! We have a containment breach in Canterlot Labs!"
Her eyes widened. "Have the specimens escaped?!"
"No! It's Twilight!" He screamed in terror
"…Mother of me…"
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Always nice to see an update!
I wonder, is Twilight freeing the prisoners, going mad, or both?
(Ooooooh, what HAS Twilight done? Self-delusion, denial, and double-think, can only go so far... now that she's 'snapped' again, made an impulsive decision, what is she going to do? What has she done? And what will Celestia's reaction be? So many questions! I look forward to the answers.)
Plz continue this is great
Hmmm...
Why does everyone talk about the guy like he were Hannibal Lecter? He merely stated facts that neither Celly or Twi could accept.
An update! Looking at the backstory something genetic has struck the Pony species as a whole. Rather than looking at his to fix it the ponys might be better off looking to see what started it. For all anyone knows it's a outside influence like the biggest Poison Joke truck ever. But the clue to look at might be the Castle itself. Could the whatever is affecting that be the same as what is affecting the Ponys?
10833807
It's because he broke through their denial. Have you ever heard the term "My Truth"? If you can break through that on someone then that's some Hannibal Lecter level of skill.
Very dramatic right up untill that last line.
Is just too corny and I littlerly sat there and said aloud "did they really just do that?"
Really disapointing.
neat, this will be fun
So each conversation Aaron simply levels the truth at the people speaking to him and somehow destroys some sort of aspect of them that has kept the status quo. Seems the ponies are learning a lesson about the importance of words. A lesson brought to us by the number 666.
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I think you need to reread the story and possibly the prequel. The rot in the castle is because of what Twilight caused to her friendship by aiding Celestia's stupid plan. The story alludes to the issue with having foals having been around for quite a while and is most likely based off of the skewed gender ratio from the show. It's a classic concept and has been used in stories before, this is just the first FiMfic one I've seen that addressed the possible issues from hybridization when it goes as far bad as it can. Others mention it or find a fix early on but never have to actually deal with it.
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Skewed gender ratios actually work out in how horse herds actually run with fewer stallions than mares. And the issue of not having foals at all is a pure outside force as any issue like that would be generalized in a area and not nationwide and all at the same time.
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I don’t want to spoil anything, but what has happened to them is another biological concept learned in your middle/high school classes. The only hint I will give involves the “Greater Prairie Chicken” and how Friendship is Magic connects with earlier generations MLP.
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Think about the genetics and the amount of inbreeding that leads to and you have your answer. It's why so many dog breeds have are getting more and more diseases and some have issues breeding, because some idiots decided inbreeding them for specific traits was great for dog shows and similar trends for ages.
An excellent chapter, I cant wait to see what lies in store for the next one.
The next chapter cant come fast enough, I am at the edge of my seat here!
(Oh! Just occurred to me, so I'm going to comment.
The other species, the other 'subjects'... why are they still there? No seriously. Why? Before, it was to keep the secret. Well? The secret's out! It's out and about and around! With serious repercussions! Research with them hit a dead end a long time ago, smashed into nothing, kaput! They only kept them because of the need for secrecy, that they couldn't mind-wipe them, or at least that was the story. But now? Everyone knows. And everyone's demanding their release, or else consequences continue to come.
But they're still there. They're still prisoners. They can't help with research, there's no secret left to keep that they know and hasn't been revealed already, and their countries, with the notable exceptions of the Diamond Dogs, are threatening violent reprisal if they're not released. So... why are they still there?
Maybe they fear revenge? Revenge from these few broken individuals that their entire nations can't do already, aren't angrily readying themselves to do, aren't planning to do? Or maybe, just maybe... they just didn't care enough... they didn't care enough, to even ask the question 'why do we need these prisoners here' and come to the conclusion, that they didn't. They just didn't even consider, how unnecessary, their continuous holding of these captives is... And of course... neither did Celestia. Or she's just so afraid of the individual representation of her sin and evil, that she forgets how much worse having armies coming in over the matter is... or maybe, even worse, she's planning to use them as hostages for a potential invasion.
So yeah, those thoughts rammed into my mind after I started thinking about it... had to share.)
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Really? for me it was a little funny and since it was the last sentence it didn't break my "immersion".
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Do you think the sudden application of humour flowed with the entire rest of the story which barely had a hint of it?
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I wasn’t going for humor, more Celestia coming close to taking her mother’s name in vain.
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Well it comes off as utterly ridiculous. I dont think I've ever heard anyone say that sentance seriously.
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oh Im sorry if I sounded negative I agree it didn't fit the theme of the chapter. I just accepted it better as a last sentence.
I can see myself getting repulsed if I read it, say in the middle of mule for example.
Edit: BTW how do you go to the comment directly if someone replied to you? the notification bell was not helpful at all
Maybe fewer ellipses next chapter, it makes it a bit difficult to read.
Thank you for update
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In the calculus of leadership you dont give evidence your wrong even if you are. With the notes and journals all you have is something created that could be fabricated and thus still deniable. With the subjects they could be examined with separate questioning to corroborate the story with the journals. That opens a wide diplomatic chink in the deniability armor that allows outside forces to shape a narrative and diplomatic force Celestia does not want.
The fact that she is so clearly in the wrong on multiple levels is more frightening to her that if it comes out fully that she has abused hospitality of the other nations subjects or their nobility she basically doomed herself and her specie to death. This Celestia basically made the wrong choice when trying to find out how to solve their infertility problem.
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I direct you back to chapter one: they had to restart the entire project using generation /zero/. Whenever a breeding project like this uses a gen zero it means the /initial batch of breeders/, in this case the captured subjects from the other species. Aaron's whole spiel about them trying to figure out if there's some kind of genetic killswitch on his sperm or some way he's the cause for foals being unviable as new breeding stock implies that the dissection (vivisection really as he's still alive but that's an issue of semantics) was more recent than the "milking" or "harvesting" was.
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(Ah, thank you both for your replies! It does help me look at things from another angle. Still cruel, but not senseless at least, I can see more logic in it now.)
'containment breach' and 'twilight'? That's a headscratcher.
Not sure how twilight's 'contained' unless midnight sparkle's now on the warpath.
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a "containment breach" in this sort of facility tends to include anything that might jeopardize the operation or its secrecy: Luna's flight with the journals would also be considered a containment breach.
oh I get mule now
sterile hybrids cause of chromosome differences
probably what's going on here methinks
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Or that human has gone full SCP Mode with other inmates
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So are the G4 ponies a subspesies or a new racial branch of the earlier ''Dream Valley''-race (G1 ponies).
But the inbreeding of the G4 race (back then) limited numbers, started the slow decline of fertilely in them?
Or is it because of the effect of drift and genetic erosion, due to outside causes?
I need to know more in the next chapter!
Thank you for this chapter.
It was good!
Censored G1 findings and the Crystal Empire going silent. Two events one hopes to get a behind the scenes look at.
As for Twilight: it was one thing for children of Nazi doctors to read about what their parents did. But to actually see the results first hand? Oh boy...
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Remember than Twilight willingly handled the foreign students she has been entrusted with to her father, knowing exactly why they were needed.
That single deed should have been enough to make the entire castle rot away. Doesn't matter how much she idolized Celestia, Twilight is an adult capable of taking responsabilities.
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I forgot that part as the second half of the story captured my attention more. But your right. I guess it's safe to say that if Twilight's dad is Dr. Mengle, than Twilight is the Nazi Youth member that turned her neighbors over to the authorities.
Maybe the only good thing is that the students were presumably given back after having certain memories magically erased. Or...did the students get detained after Luna fled which led to yet another terrible decision?
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Because, putting the whole psychopathic cannabil bit aside, what made Lecter such a scary character was that he knew how to read people like books and how to use said information to bring their entire world crashing down around their heads. All by getting them to face the unpleasant truths about the world and themselves that the subject doesn't want to face. To sum it up I'll just say this (can't remember where I found it but it rings so true) "the Devil tells you the absolute truth, then lets you find your own road to damnnation."
Jesus fuck, this entire series is genuinely unnerving and I LOVE IT!
What I need to see: What happened to Rainbow, Fluttershy and Rarity. Who's twilight's mistress? Did AJ mean Celestia? What happened to the Student Six? What will be the retaliation of the other species? Did Cadance imprison Shining for treason? To what extent did the program go to? Just how many human-pony hybrids exist??
Need more
Gotta admit I did not expect this series to be this good cannot wait for the next chapter.
You have a couple grammar issues, and tend to very much overuse ellipsis. You don't need to use them literally over half a dozen times in a paragraph. It's incredibly distracting. You also alternate several times between "Applejack" and "Apple Jack". I believe the canon name is the former.
Also:
Their = possessive, usually plural, but can be a singular pronoun. "Those boys played with their toys." or "Someone forgot their bag on the train."
They're = they are. "They're brothers."
You're = you are. "You're writing this story."
Your = possessive. "This is your fanfic."
Too = used sort of like the word also. "Did you read the book, too?"
To = "I went to the store."
Two = the number. "There are two chapters."
Other than grammar/spelling, I like the story. Could you possibly get an editor? That might help with the grammar issues presented.