Way new chapter!

nicely done

Ah, so it seems the Vice Lords have their own quotas, rivalries, and such things between themselves. This interaction could be interesting to see!

I did not expect Zeloph to lose his form. From the battle, it felt as if he just simply lost his Onoma, but apparently, Beatrix took quite a toll on him to revert him to the form Moxxi uses. Though that does explain the picture of the two of them together being the same size, somehow my mind never clicks things. (Although Beatrix laughing caused me to laugh naturally, cause I imagine Zeloph would look cute next to his sister (referring to your drawing)

On that note, after reading Bewitched I could see why Moxxi chose to remain in her smaller, but much stable, imp form.

Yeah pretty much everybody screwed up one point or another. The part where Beatrix is called out is interesting. Poor Cerise and Midnight tho. At least he didn't kill her. Considering how Doppia changes bodies very often (12th!?), you could take the approach mentioned by somebody over here that Midnight actually got Cerise pregnant, there's a large can of worms that can occur here, so that's your call.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Midnight does indeed remove the genes that cause him to become a Hyper Stallion (though considering that the other counterparts also are Hyper Stallions, I'm assuming the part that will be taken out will be the Hyper Stallion Feral Type part. And again, given that the other counterparts have normal lifespans, maybe the Feral (or Primal as the words have been thrown around as well) Type is the culprit here. I imagine that form gains the extra energy by burning away his life force, so without that his lifespan might increase though it wouldn't be the original one he was supposed to have since he already had used a bunch in his transformations.)

Somewhat surprised Shadow more or less accepted the offer quickly, and not surprised at Beatrix's response. She literally went into a clean slate after the Manor and still somehow ended up on the bad side after all the love Beatrix gave to her (though you have to admit that this could be viewed as another mistake Beatrix did from Shadow's view, basically having brainwashed her and trying her best to not know anything about her past) and it was Zeloph, the snake who gave the apple of knowledge (he literally entered as one when they first interacted if I'm correct) to her and caused her to rebel yet again.

Honestly, I want to see them... not serve as much sentence time as they should. If I was a judge I'd probably pardon Shadow and only give her community service since it's clear she's drastically different from the reaper she started out as (I'd argue she's literally a different person due to Beatrix's interference), and Zeloph is... yeah he kind of screwed up. Much of the crimes he did were very recent and the good he once did is far back in the past. He (1) 'used' (you know what I mean there) Beatrix to try and bring Aba into existence (2) nearly destroyed Cerise's dimension (3) manipulated Shadow to pit her against Beatrix again (4) fought against Beatrix (even though by then he has changed a bit, you can't deny the collateral damage) to the near-death, and I think that's... all what I have in mind? Safe to say that Zeloph is in a deeper hole compared to Shadow. I felt Beatrix was like 'ugh, whatever, fine' when Shadow decided to accept, but you know Beatrix was like 'for once I can agree with this jerk!' when Zeloph rejected the deal.

Though thankfully, I feel Zeloph is changing. I already feel he has a chance to be pardoned (compared to the sentence he would've gotten, albeit he'd still get something for everything he's done) and any good action he does would help with his case. Cause like told in the story, everybody did something bad. The reason Beatrix and the rest only got reprimanded was that what happened was either a long time ago, they were manipulated, they did some heroic act that took away a lot of their guilt, etc.

Ex. Beatrix did the same thing Doppia did with Zeloph with her father and had the situation been different she probably would've had something much bigger than simply getting smacked in the rear by Flurry Heart.

I feel like if I don't stop myself I'm going to be writing a thesis essay so I'm going to stop for now. The last part of this comment reminded me of that Youtube channel that has somebody show all the laws broken in movies (take a look at the Home Alone video, Kevin is such an evil mastermind if you think about it).

Thanks for uploading again Nota, I hope to see much more soon (cause I kind of need it for any stories I make about Beatrix, since most I have planned are set 20 Years into the future like Spirits of Light and Dark or that Necro Beatrix thing that now causes me to speculate for half an hour every time I think about it, OTOS, so ya know, don't want to contradict) because they're fun to read!

Even though this series doesn't have as many likes compared to other stories, I value it as one of the best I've seen in Fimfiction from Shining Force to Lightendark, everything you two have written is just so good. I know things have been rough for both of you, so I have to thank you for providing me and the others who follow this with all the updates and stories you guys bring each time you do so.

Cause I honestly wouldn't know what I'd be doing at this point if I didn't meet either of you. ACIV probably wouldn't have been written since I believe part of its existence is because I was emboldened by the clop stories that were made here, and likewise, Riding in Zebrica wouldn't be possible as well as Spirits of Lightendark (and all the other ideas I have in my mind, many are because of you two and your work, you can say you've influenced me a lot, which I'm happy about).

... and I just finished that thesis essay didn't I?

Guess this is to motivate you two to continue onwards. Good luck!

10980862
Thank you, I agree that Shadow Scythe is basically a 'new' person after Sunny had purified her, sure the soul is the same and her memories returned, but in her child-like state she grew to care about Beatrix and her friends, despite how the latter understandably avoided her. (And Beatrix stuck by her partially because she felt guilty/responsible for what happened.)

Proud to see how far Cerise has come! Zeloph's new design reminds me a little of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac for some reason. Glad to see more lore and interactions between the Vice Lords. One detail I wanted to note was that Doppia still has Cerise's wedding ring attached to her finger...

10980917
I should also point out it was Doppia’s Body that Midnight defiled with Cerise’s soul trapped. So if pregnancy were to happen, it would be with Doppia.

10980917
Hmm... HMMMMMM-

Alright I have some thoughts, basically 50/50 that the wedding ring will be important to the story (maybe the rings are connected and thus she can still manipulate Midnight, maybe when he takes his own ring he's stating that he won't be wed to Doppia, perhaps leading to a Vow Renewal in which Midnight reaffirms his love to Cerise despite all the guilt he felt, etc)

Another thought passed my mind. While Beatrix and Zeloph are completely different characters, I'm betting that had things been different, they'd basically live the same life, heck even with their different backstories, they already commit so similar acts to the point where I find all of this deliberate. Let me explain.

Both characters lost a lot in their lives. Zeloph lost everything, his father killed his close human friends, he saw all of humanity degrade themselves, causing him to become conflicted until he became bad, his sister betrayed him upon using the Necronomicon, he basically lost everything. Beatrix is similar in this way. First of all, she had difficulties connecting with others being the first Anthro Pony born, she lost Shining Armor in Force 2, the Smooze was lost along the way, any friends she brought with her were broken, and all in all she was lonely.

What differs Zeloph from Beatrix is the fact that while Beatrix had friends she could rely on, from Flurry to Cerise to Oona, Zeloph... didn't. Again humanity, the same race where a man that Zeloph held dearly came from, the same race he fought for against his father, the same race he gained every happy memory he had in his life, betrayed him by degrading themselves to the point where their worship to him went so low to the point where they confessed their sins... and told him they were happy about what they did (another bible quote? Cause God does say that he ended up being sick of the hallow sacrifices Ancient Isreal did because they continued to do evil that he eventually erased them and scattered their people. Nota is this an intentional reference?). Beatrix could be broken, but she had friends to help pick herself up, Zeloph didn't. Even though he had his sister, the main focus he had was on humanity and how he once cared for it. Seeing them turn their backs towards him made him confused and ultimately enact his 'divine justice' to make sure things could go back the way they were before, and well the rest is history.

Even so, both committed the same things. Beatrix used her father, Zeloph used her. Zeloph wished for a daughter, Beatrix wished for a brother. Zeloph did whatever it took to obtain his goals, destroying everything in his path, Beatrix did whatever it took to obtain her goals, barely stopping to look back at the after-effects of her entering the world. Both were reckless and careless, both wanted to make things right from their perspective, and obviously, when the two met each other, they fought because they ended up having different goals.

Mind you, Zeloph had ended up becoming the more destructive force of the pair, with many of Beatrix's actions being mistakes or minimal compared to him. But with this in mind... Necro Beatrix wouldn't be a whole lot different against Zeloph right?

10980956
I’m… pretty sure this was already established during the Banquet of Battles, you’re just exaggerating on what was stated.

As for your main thought, sure. If Beatrix have into the Necronomicon and became the Dark Messiah, she and Zeloph would likely be the same character, with the False Idol being the more heroic of the two.

Also, would like to state that the character profiles are currently being updated as the story goes on. So keep an eye for new pictures and voices.

10980954

oh yeah I was going to think about adding that to the comment, but it was already long as it is. Basically, should pregnancy occur, it would be notified to them after Doppia would be in prison since they kind of need her to swap Cerise's body back (though I do understand there's a chance that Cerise might end up stuck in that form if Doppia somehow dies in Cerise's body). Naturally, the question would come up as to what would be done with this.

10980977
Ah.

Alright. Thanks.

Noice!

10980917
Clean Slate Shadow was so interesting to see. It's a shame that soon faded away.

10981084
Yeah, I originally planned to leave Shadow Scythe innocent longer, but Dearly Beloved was made as a possible ending in case I was unable to continue writing. Stories like The Bewitching Hour could always flash back to that time if needed. She's definitely been one of my favorite characters to write!

10981088
Pure Shadow vs Pure Midnight, who'd win in innocence lol?

10981106
Well, Shadow Scythe was practically reduced to a child (although still with her genius intellect), so her. Sadly she was born without a conscience, the closest she came to kindness was respecting her parents for bringing her into the world and not planning to let them be harmed when she conquered her Equestria.

10981122
oof

1. Beatrix bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. This whole situation sucked. The thought of forming an alliance with two of her biggest nemesis disgusted her. But considering both her friends were incapacitated, and more threats lurked beyond the horizon, the witch knew she didn’t have a choice. She vowed to save her daughter, no matter the strife. And she would uphold her promise.

   Don't you mean "nemeses"? (Yes, there's a plural for that.)

2. One gains this through spreadin' disease,

   Pestilence?

3. another through desolatin' their victims.

   War?

4. In Alma’s case, mere desire is enough tae sustain her thirst fur blood.

   Lust?

5. “And let you do all the work for me? Not a chance,” she stubbornly declared, pushing Beatrix away to stand up on wobbling legs. “I came on this quest to help my friend, regardless of the consequences. And I will not take a back seat knowing that evil bitch is out there, dancing around in my body! I refuse to sit here and remain a liability. I’m coming, and there’s nothing you can say that’ll change my mind!”

   About damn time, Princess!😆

6. “Doesn’t matter,” Midnight cuts in, taking off the gold finger from his ring. “I still assaulted my wife when I swore to protect her. Because of that, I don’t deserve to bear this ring...”

   I'm sure Cerise has already forgiven you, Midnight, but divorce won't solve your problems. Your biggest priority now is figuring out how to keep your power under control.

7. “That’s 'cause you’re a dick abaht it. And nah wahn likes a dick that’s dry~!”

   Moxxi really loves sexual analogies, doesn't she?😅

8. “I think Kurt Cobain had the right idea,” the cherub snarked.

   I might be out of the loop here. Who's Kurt Cobain?

9. “Such exquisite power!” Doppia cackled, making the crystal pillar crumble on command. “To think that Sombra would spawn such a weak-hearted daughter! Truly a waste of genetics~!”

   The only reason she was "weak-hearted" isn't that she was born that way. Sombra barely allowed her courage and willpower to grow by themselves!😡

10. “All Ah need is a single drop ov blood tae get what Ah want,” Alma purred. “But you? Ye had tae lie an' cheat yer way intae power. This is, what, th' twelfth body ye've possessed? Ah can’t even remember what ye originally looked like because ye’ve gone through sae many~!”

    At least Alma has standards, even as a Vice Lord.

11. “You will pay…” Doppia promised darkly, storming off into the Everfree forest, hatred, and determination on her mind. “... You will all pay!!” She promised darkly.

    Once she found the library and assimilated Abadonna’s prowess, she would overthrow the Burning King and claim his might as her own.

    Through the End of Days, she would remake the entire multiverse in her image.

    Somehow, I get the feeling that her plan will fail miserably.😒

10981278
1.) Huh. The more you know! Edited.
2./3./4.) You could interpret them like that, though Illness isn’t really a sin than it is a form of weakness. Sorta tells you Varys’ status in this~
5.) Did somebody say ‘comeback~?’
6.) I wonder if it’s possible for him to go back to being celibate about sex, despite his ‘enhanced’ genetics. Hmm…
7.) It’s why she’s my favorite character to write dialogue for
8.) Lead singer of Nirvana who committed suicide.
9.) Yeah, Sombra and Inky’s parenting effectively held Cerise back.
10.) The Vice Lords do have a moral code, the only exceptions being the depraved Doppia and the omnisidal Burning King.
11.) It’s not a very good plan, let’s be honest XD

10981278
In Cerise's case her parents, having survived the horrors of the Eldritch war, were paranoid their firstborn wouldn't survive, not helped by Chrysalis killing Pacific Glow when she was carrying her and Inky having to prematurely remove the baby from her natural mother.

Inky kept Cerise overly pampered and protected, although Sombra also deserves responsibility for going along with his worrying wife's wishes. Still, it's made Cerise a very kind and warm hearted (Albeit spoiled in a sweet natured manner) mare, so it has upsides, too!

10981525
I thought Varys was more of a reference to the Techpriests of the Adeptus Mechanicus from Warhammer.

10981587
I have never played Warhammer, but I can tell you he’s no priest :P

10981598
Neither have I. I've only watched a few lore videos and parodies of Warhammer.

That aside, Varys seems to enjoy mechanising his minions, as if flesh were a weakness that must be purged.

10981610
Oh, he does that and worse.

For a little more context on him, he appears in the Cyberverse fic as the main antagonist.