Chapter 6
Dusty Bones yawned as he rubbed his grey foreleg over his eyes; he had been working triple shifts writing death certificates. So many ponies dead after the rampage... but he was numb to it. His special talent was being a mortician; after all, it's only expected he'd become used to death. While ponies wept in woe at the fallen princess's destruction, he grumbled about all the extra work he had to do. He massaged his neck as he struggled to his hooves and set the finished scroll down.
Turning his attention to a heavy iron door, he slowly trotted to it; levitating a wrought iron key, he unlocked and opened it. Icy cold air seeped out, making him shiver momentarily as he entered the dark enchanted freezer. He made his way past numerous gurneys covered with white sheets, his green eyes focusing on one that seemed to be kept away from the others. Working his way behind it, he began to push it with his forehooves, eventually exiting the dreary place.
Stopping the gurney near his operating slab, he used his magic to slide the sheet-covered corpse onto it. Once it was adequately placed, he pushed the gurney away to the corner of the room. Returning, he noticed the sheet was slightly ajar. "must have snagged it..." He shrugged as he dragged his tools over.
With little decorum, he pulled the sheet off, revealing his subject. He stared at the half-charred face, grasping the unblemished side of the mare's muzzle; he turned the corpse's head side to side. Undisturbed by the cracks from its broken neck or the pealing skin from its third-degree burns. "Hmmm, well, aren't you a messy filly?" He chuckled faintly, running his hoof over the remains of her ruined mane.
Grasping a bucket, he carefully washed the dirt grime with a damp rag, occasionally tossing some of the disintegrating burnt hair away. Once it was rinsed, he poured some shampoo into his hooves and began to massage it into her scalp; once it was adequately lathered, he carefully washed it out. Dusty slowly made his way down, gently dabbing at the brunt side of the mare's face, careful not to further damage the flesh or her horn as he cleaned her. The process was slow and meticulous, but unlike writing the death certificates, he seemed actually to enjoy it!
Dusty had a faint smile on his face as he finished cleaning both her forelegs. "You know I read that book you published with your friends... It was a little juvenile... but charming... I'd be a liar if I said it didn't cheer me up after a long day at the office." He said while working his way down her barrel. "I always envied you for making so many friends... In my line of work, it's not easy to meet ponies; I'm sure you can understand."
He continued down her body, washing her back legs with a rag. "Huh, you're more muscular than I thought you be... I take it from running all over Equestria to save the day?" Once he finished her back legs, she carefully flipped her over.
Grasping a scrub brush, he dipped it into the bucket and ran it down the length of her tail. Dusty gently tugged out the knots and picked out the bits of rubble tangled in them. As he brushed her tail, he looked up at her Cutie Marks. "Must be nice having such a broad talent; a lot of ponies aren't so lucky, you know? Most of us have more pigeon-holed special talents if we're fortunate enough, it's something valuable... like civil engineering or gem finding your set for life... others get something... less valuable and gotta settle for a more... humble job..." He shook his head. "Me? My special talent is being a mortician... it certainly pays well, but it can get awfully lonely at times... Huh? Why? Well, ponies don't like to think about death, that's why! Even if I cover my Cutie Marks, I swear they can tell what my lot in life is by looking at me..." He said sadly as he washed her Cutie Marks with a rag, slowly making his way up her back, stopping once he reached her wings.
He levitated some tweezers over. "No, I don't regret getting my Cutie Marks. There's a particular pride in helping ponies get ready for their final day with their families." He slowly pulled out some tweezers and plucked the broken feathers and bits of stone out. "Hmmm? Yes, even you... I've had many supposed monsters pass through my morgue; I never treated them any differently."
He raises an eyebrow as if hearing a response from the corpse. "Because even their families deserve closure." He ran a feather brush through the primaries. "Even if no pony shows up, I think everyone deserves to be buried with dignity... if only to show the world what could have been..." He sighed sadly, shaking his head.
"Well, I think that about handles your cleaning, don't worry, you'll get your coat and mane more properly groomed later." He hummed as he began to trot away from the slab, approaching an odd machine and grabbing it with his magic. "Let's begin the embalming process..." He hummed as he lifted one of the large needles in his magic and turned around, speaking like a doctor about to give a foal an inoculation, only to freeze on the spot.
Dusty Bone's eyes widened as he saw the corpse sitting up on the slab, its head hanging limply to the side at an unnatural angle. Words died in his throat as the eyes of Twilight Sparkle opened, revealing twin purple vortexes that pierced his very soul. He couldn't even look away; it was as if something was puppeteering him... but he could still scream.
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Equestria
Canterlot
Royal Morgue
4:43PM
Princess Celestia solemnly made her way to the castle's lower levels, to the Royal Morgue. The snow white alicorn looked haggard as she trotted through the stone keep, her movements seeming more instinctual than purposeful. The lack of sleep and growing burdens placed upon her left her looking like a shell of herself. Yet, despite her exhaustion, she was determined to see her student, if only one more time.
Approaching the wrought iron door, she knocked on it. But she didn't hear a response, blinking she knocked again. "Dusty? I've come to see my student... is she presentable yet?" Still nothing.
"I'm coming in..." She mumbled, pushing the door open. Her sensitive ears twitched, just hearing a faint murmuring as she peaked inside.
Looking around the room, she saw that it was impeccable, besides an overturned wash bucket near the operating slab. Yet something felt wrong; her eyes scanned the room again, widening as she finally saw Dusty huddled in a corner. He scarcely moved, yet she could hear him whisper. "Dusty?..." She took a cautious step closer.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He whimpered as he stared into the corner, not responding to the princess's hail.
"Dusty?... what has happened?" She reached out her hoof hesitantly, yet even as she touched his back, he still didn't respond.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He continued to mumble as the princess grabbed his shoulder and forcefully turned him around. Tears streamed down his cheeks while his eyes glowed a faint purple filled with guilt.
Celestia's eyes widened, shaking him in a vane attempt to snap him out of it. "Somepony fetch me the royal physician!" She slipped into the Royal Canterlot voice, causing the chamber to quake.
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Gryphon Empire
Grover Shores
Crescent Trading Company
4:44 PM
Luna shivered, pausing in the middle of the docks, much to the surprise of her gryphon assistant, her knees buckling underneath her. Her barrel crashed into the rough-sawn dock as her body convulsed; she groaned as the spasms contorted her body. The former princess gasped for air quaking in a heap; it took all her effort to keep down her lunch.
"Ma'am? C-can you hear me?" The gryphon quickly peeled off his jacket, setting it under her head.
Luna struggled to steady her breath. "I... d-don't..." She shook her head. "Just a spasm Giovanni, nothing more..."
Giovanni looked unconvinced but was quick to her side, helping her back to her hooves. Once she was sitting, he gently patted her back as she coughed. "If you say so..." He grabbed his jacket, digging around before pulling out a flask and handing it to her.
Luna grabbed the flask in her magic and began to take a long swig, shuttering briefly from the bitter taste. "Gah!.. thank you..." She mumbled, rocking herself forward back into a standing position before handing him back the flask.
"We can do this another day... perhaps you should rest?" Giovanni clicked his beak nervously.
"No... I must inspect the vessels so they can begin their voyage tonight. The repairs alone have set us back enough..." She grumbled, slowly making her way back down the docks.
Giovanni sighed, knowing better than to push further, following after her as she looked over the old galleons.
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Silphium
Musaeum
Inner Sanctum
4:45 PM
Aaron set the quill back into the inkpot, freeing up his hand to slowly rotate the cramping joint. A Keeper approached carrying a tea set; setting the tray down on the ironwood table, she began to pour him a cup. As she worked, it was hard for him not to marvel at what generations of selective breeding accomplished, as ire as it was. Taking the cup from her, he brought the green liquid close to his nose, inhaling the bitter scent.
"How are your writings coming along?" The Keeper asked, tilting her head curiously.
"Slowly... I underestimated just how lacking the world's knowledge of banking is..." Aaron rubbed his eyes. "Assuming your collections are as complete as you claim..."
"They are...."
"Then the most developed country in terms of baking is Equestria... and their understanding of the practice is little better than dumping their Bits into a vault and collecting fees...." He groaned faintly.
"The way you speak about it implies theirs more to banking than that?" She tilted her head curiously.
"I've been writing for days and haven't even scratched the surface... while the practice of loans is at least... crudely understood... they haven't developed much beyond an individualistic practice between friends and family..." He sipped from the cup. "Interest isn't even a concept that's been discussed, let alone practiced... Though I suppose that's to be expected..."
"Interest?" The Keeper seemed curious.
"Think of it as a fee the bank charges-" He dropped the cup and clutched his head with a splitting headache. The porcelain shattered against the floor while the Keeper rushed to his side, keeping him from falling over.
"Aaron! What's wrong?" The Keeper looked panicked. "Fetch the Physcians!" She shouted at the guards outside the chamber.
Aaron heaved, holding his hand over his mouth in an attempt to hold down his drink. Shuttering, he pulled his hand away, noticing blood staining his thumb and index finger. Before he could react, the Keeper brought him a cloth to stop the nosebleed. "Thank you..." Aaron mumbled. While the worst of the sudden migraine had passed, a dull throb remained, which wasn't helped by the hurried steps of physicians rushing into the chamber to tend to him.
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Equestria
The Everfree Forest
Castle of the Two Sisters
4:46 PM
Discord shuttered, having collapsed onto the floor, his body convulsing as if he was having a seizure. The Draconequus struggled to breathe, scarcely hearing the rushed hoof steps of Fluttershy. Thankfully, the spasm ended as quickly as it appeared, though he didn't seem to be in a condition to move for a while. Struggling to open his eyes, he gazed up at the winkled butter-yellow pegasus holding his head on her lap.
"Something terrible just happened, didn't it?" Fluttershy frowned and looked down at him.
"I'm not sure..." He said, biting his lip. "But... that magical pulse... was f-" He shook his head, seeing her worried face. "It doesn't matter..."
"I doubt you can finish taring the roof in this condition..." Fluttershy sighed, nuzzling him between his horns. "How about we get you near the fire while I finish the hazelnut soup?...."
Discord weakly smiled as she helped him back onto his feet. "I'd like that..." He leaned against her side a bit, allowing her to lead him to the old servant's quarters where she had made her home. "I still can't believe you've thrived out here..." He said, looking around and watching the small animals scurry about the abandoned castle.
Fluttershy chuckles. "I didn't do it alone; I have been a forest ranger and animal caretaker for decades." She huffed as she struggled to help her larger friend. "I watched over these animals and their families for generations... they think it's only fair they pay me back... despite my attempts to tell them otherwise..."
"Well... it was a relief to find out you've been well taken care of all this time..." He blushed, settling in a nest near the cooking hearth. Letting out a faint groan as he felt the intense warmth wash over him.
"I always felt more at home in nature... foraging was a hobby I particularly enjoyed too." She hummed, returning her attention to a bubbling caldron over the fire. Sniffing the soup inside, she shook her head and motioned to the squirrels to get more nuts.
"Still despite... what happened... don't you miss Ponyville?" He looked up from his nest.
"Yes and no..." She sighed, stirring the soup. "I miss what it used to be... but at this point, there's no going back to that... seeing it now would only ruin the memories I have..."
"What about the foals you raised with Rarity?" Discord asked in a concerned tone.
"When the economic situation started to sour, they had to leave for the cities in search of work... we used to get letters from them weekly... but over time they just stopped..." Fluttershy bit her lip.
Discord didn't know what to say in response; instead, he just coiled around the old mare hugging her close.
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Emperor Ironback stood quietly as he gazed at the lights of Manehatten harbor at the horizon's edge. It looked so inviting in the darkness of the moonless night, like a flame luring in a moth. He held out his hand, allowing a servant to set a goblet into his grasp; bringing it to his snout, he inhaled the aroma of the sweet wine before taking a long slow drink. Once it was finished, he handed the goblet back to the servant and grabbed an ordinate war horn, staring at it for a while. Taking a deep breath, he brought it to his lips and blew.
The cheers of his soldiers onboard his flagship and among the fleet began to join in as the sails rose. There was no going back now; he could feel the ship pick up speed as they caught the wind and the rowers began to heave the oars. Stepping up to the bow, he held the railing and closed his eyes, taking in the sea air that was starting to give way to the smells of a port city. Opening his eyes, a smile formed on his muzzle while his eyes steeled.
"Just wait, little ponies; we'll be there soon." He chuckled as the sounds of the soldiers beating their spears and swords against their shields became deafening. The thrill of the coming battle overwhelmed their nerves. "We'll give you the same courtesy you gave our fellow bulls."
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Chessboard's getting a bit crowded, now. Players are going to start running into one another.
Well this'll be fun, a liche on one side, incipient war crimes on the other, such joyous Harmony we shall have.
The whole gorram planet's gonna die...
11616718
yup we got
1. the ponys dealing with the concequinces of celestia and night lights actions
2. luna who left and started over and is doing well
3. fluttershy and discord in their sancuary in everfree away from danger
4. Aaron and the dimond dogs who will likely do their own thing unless provoked further
and finaly
5. "zombie" twilight. we dont know what is going on there but gonna guess she is gonna do something strange as you dont come back to life usualy for the laughes.
The way i see it twilight is either gonna just leave or use her new existene to destroy equestria out of a feeling of full on betrayal by celestia. she kinda dead so im guessing she isnt going to do it neatly
I know this is a squeal, but could you please go into more detail with the synopsis?
Huh, looks like Alicorn immortality goes further than we thought.
Glad to see this story once again being worked on. Though with so many connected story archs I hope that you don't end up overworking yourself.
ut oh, shits goin down
Glad to see Fluttershy and Discord reunited.
Oh celestia what interesting times you have wrought
Cake is money. Money is time. Their cake's running out.
things are certainly developing in an interesting way. I wonder what kind of a crash happens when several different pieces meet, and how many ponies get caught between?
It's alive!
11616722
I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, that you are a brown coat.
Alicorn... undeath?
And the crows are gathering in a murder in anticipation of the feast to come. All because a few were afraid to let uncomfortable truths out.
They say secrets can kill. In this case its literal.
Perhaps they should accept the fate of their kind and invite their favorite group in in return for care for the elderly
11693050
Of course, grooming isn't the issue; it's when it's driven by ill intentions. Everything Celestia did was to mentor Twilight, much like a caring teacher or wise parent. My point is, if Celestia wanted a puppet, she could have kept Twilight as she was or even worse, with Twilight giving up. I can agree that Twilight Sparkle as a character can be neurotic and make unconventional decisions, but her giving up seems unbelievable, especially considering her past actions.
Are we talking about the same Twilight Sparkle who correctly suspected Cadence at her own wedding, despite the chaos it caused? Or the Twilight who would obsess over problems for months until she nearly drove herself mad? How about the Twilight Sparkle who tirelessly sought to unravel Pinkie Pie's mysteries? And let's not forget the same Twilight who cast the "Want It, Need It" spell to find problems to solve.
I understand your point about leaders needing cooperation, but we must remember we're talking about a thousand-year-old statesmare with ties to every pony in the land. She's a highly magically gifted alicorn who can control the sun and has ruled during an era of peace for centuries. While Celestia may have a firm grip on Equestria, I believe she'd be wise enough to maintain an open and inclusive approach.
And if the human is this spinning nonsense at Celestia, It would be the equivalent of a foreigner attempting to Make commentary on a coachable. Normality they do not know about.
11693084
I mean, isn't this part of the issue? She has a massive case of tunnel vision, and sometimes it would blind her from the consequences down the road. As proven by the later chapters that I had just read, seems like it's partly true on that part. She sought to fix a problem, and she focused too much on it, leading to everything that's told in the story.
Other than that, I think I can concede to your point. In the end, it's all good intentions gone bad. Celestia might not groomed Twilight in the sense that she was manipulating her, but in the end, she made and failed to break some sort of mentor complex in the purple mare. As proven by the later chapters, she didn't gave up; in fact, she was so determined that she went too far.
11693127
Good intentions gone bad? Maybe, or perhaps only the vaguest of good intentions and a total fixation on the outcome Celestia and her ilk wanted. Specifically the being the survival of ponykind as a "pure" physical species respectively. Its the later that is important because we have fairly solid evidence in the story that there was in fact a route to the first part. But it would mean ponies as they were effectively becoming extinct or a distinct minority for a very long time, if not forever, and so it was rejected. Right there we get an hint of what Celestia's true priorities were. Not the survival of ponykind as a cultural group but as a physically "pure" species. In other words racial purity was more important to her and her minions than survival.
Pretty hard to paint that as good intentions. Last major group of humans that did that were branded as the epitome of evil.
11694220
Survival of a race and a whole species is an entirely different beast. While I agree that that goal makes her seem mighty dubious, you have to remember that unlike that certain scenario you were referring to, Celestia was dealing with a wholly internal and biological issue. It's not just a matter of survival of a species, it's the survival of the nation's drive and hope as a whole. She did a critically bad maneuver of not portraying the hybrids as a viable alternative, I agree, but politics is not as simple as picking the best solution that people may or may not agree to; most likely, the nobles pushed for her to continue research in pure pony offspring.
We also have to remember that Night Light's lies exacerbated the problem immensely, and made her, and subsequently the whole nation, think that a pure pony solution is always on the table. They chose to trust a supposed expert in the field; turns out the expert is a also as clueless as others. If Night Light straight up said "no, it's impossible" much earlier, it would definitely change the course of action Celestia would've taken.
Simply put, it's a case of sunk cost fallacy gone too far; there's no single black or white "good/bad intentions", it's an anthill of subpar decisions made in increasing desperation. The intentions, however, is always good, just horribly and horrifically misled; you can actually say the same thing about that real life scenario you mentioned.
I'm always interested by stories like this, bringing the ugliness of real life into a happy fictional world and turning it into a perverted, grotesque and cruel version of what it once was, its purity now tainted and violated