1. Silence of the Everfree
Part I
“Alright, Miss Honey Cake. I need you to go through this one more time for me. What exactly is it that you saw?”
Honey Cake tapped her hoof against the ground. It grew faster with the pace of her heart. Beyond the investigator—a beige mare with sternly-set eyes—the still and silent forest continued to call out to her. An expanse of dark green canopies had become a barren waste of skeletal branches, gnarled and ghastly.
She could see so much farther past the dead vegetation, now. She could see so much farther, but still so precious little. There was no forest left to see for those trees, no matter how far she peered. It stared back at her—that vast, terrible emptiness.
“Please,” she rasped, “I was just about to go pick up my daughter from school. I’m not special in any way.”
“Reports place you closer to the forest edge than other witness accounts thus far, miss,” the beige mare countered. “I know you’re frightened. I am too. I just need to verify your story for our investigation.”
“But I told you everything that I saw!” Honey Cake cried. “You can see the hole there for yourself, can’t you? You can see what happened to all of the plant life! Surely you can draw your own conclusions, your own pictures!”
“Miss, please, I just need you to—”
“It was horrid, okay!? I screamed like a filly! It was huge, black, and red with the-these wings that were claws!” Honey Cake bit her lip. Her eyes, wet with fear and anxiety, shook vehemently. “It’s the middle of the day, but when I saw its eyes, I-...I felt like I was looking at it in the dark.”
Drawn there by the shaken mare’s gaze, the agent cast an eye to the forest behind her. The pale trees sat beneath an anomaly of time and space—a swirling vortex of shifting color that stained an otherwise immaculate sky. Its edges distorted the air around it, and lightning angrily cracked and sparked in spasmodic patterns from its core.
The agent returned her attention to the startled pony.
"I have just one more question for you, miss. Did you happen to see where it went?"
Honey Cake said nothing. She peeked past the agent to stare at the forest as if to check it. It was trepidation, and it was obvious to spot. She was waiting for something to emerge from those trees.
“I think I understand. Thank you for your cooperation, miss. Please be on your way home, now.”
“B-but my daughter—”
“Has already been escorted somewhere safe along with the rest of her class,” the agent interrupted, her tone cold and calculating. How many times had she repeated this script? How many frantic mothers, sisters, brothers, aunts, or uncles had she reassured today?
For certain, far too many.
“Return home, miss. Somepony will bring your daughter home within the hour, I guarantee it,” she continued. “As soon as you and your daughter are reunited, wait for further instructions. Somepony will be in touch with you.”
Released from her obligations, Honey Cake fled at once, galloping back to the relative safety of Ponyville.
Naturally, it was not the route to her home she appeared to take, but that of the Ponyville Schoolhouse.
The agent barely had opportunity to sigh before her stolid guard escorts framed her peripheral. Together, they watched the bizarre portal hovering in the sky.
“Well? What do you think?”
The mare looked to the forest, then to the grass beneath her hooves. The decay of plant-life had somehow spread outwards, only stopping hundreds of yards from town. Stretches of disintegration and ash reached like hellish fingers towards Ponyville, and something about it made her scowl. She flicked a hoof against a patch of dried grass by the affected area's border and it crumbled to dust before her eyes.
“I think your buddies earlier were right—this is above any of our pay grades,” she said flatly. “This is princess-level stuff. And honestly? I think we’re about to find out they knew that all along. We didn’t get called on to solve the problem or even to find answers. We’re here for damage control and public appearance.”
She turned on a brisk hoof and began to make headway back to Ponyville’s heart. Her escorts turned in a moment of surprise before spreading their wings to catch up.
“Special Agent Sweetie Drops—”
“Drop the formal name, officer. I haven’t gone by that name in years. Getting pulled out of retirement and tasked with a top-level emergency summons doesn’t change that.”
“My apologies. Do you really think it’s all a show?"
Bon Bon clenched her teeth.
“Isn’t it always? We aren’t the ones equipped to handle things of this magnitude. We never were. I have no idea what this thing is but it’s more destructive than an entire flock of cockatrices. Equestria only has one response to situations like this, and it’s found in places like that.”
Passing the shoulder of the village, Bon Bon gestured her hoof. With their eyes, the guards followed her lead and found the newly-crowned palace of Ponyville, shining in the afternoon sun.
“You think we should give an update to Princess Twilight, then?” a guard offered.
“I somehow doubt she’s even home,” Bon Bon replied. She dismissed the castle with a head turn and continued towards the village center. “Likely already been summoned to Canterlot with the other Elements of Harmony, at this rate.”
“So what should we do?”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes. She stopped in her tracks.
“You guys are about as effective as a cardboard box in a thunderstorm. You know that?”
Her pegasi escorts blinked in response. She smacked a hoof to her face.
“We’ll do what we do every time there’s a national crisis,” she said plainly. “Secure the premises, contain the panic, and protect the populace the best we can. I'm sure the princesses can handle the rest. Now, I’m not well-versed in evacuation procedures, but I have a feeling that’s what we’re about to receive an order for. Please tell me you two know something about that.”
Exchanging glances, the guard pegasi nodded in unison. They took the lead and flew off towards the village square. Bon Bon allowed herself a chuckle before sighing in relief.
“Thank Celestia for that at least,” she mumbled, taking her time in trotting along after them.
“Princess Celestia, we came as fast as we could!”
Keeping an eye on Twilight from overhead, Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Don’t we say that, like, every time we come here?”
“Thank you, Twilight. Thank you, all,” came the urgent tones of Celestia. Dash frowned.
“Seriously, am I the only one getting deja vu here?”
Coming to a stop on the throne room’s lavish carpet, Twilight and her friends offered their audience to Celestia. Already risen from her throne, the alicorn paced her stage in a display of distress. Quietly accompanying her were her sister, who acknowledged the group with a nod, and to everyone's shock, Discord. The draconequus fiddled with his claws and paws and held a strange, sheepish little smile. For most it was goofy or obnoxious at best, but for a certain yellow pegasus it was an omen like no other.
“I'm sure I don't need to tell you that something is gravely wrong,” Celestia began, her composure rigid. "Something has happened to the Everfree Forest."
"Seems like somethin' always is," Applejack mumbled.
"The entire forest has been petrified," Luna added, stepping forward. "It is like nothing we have ever seen, and initial reports from Ponyville do not look good."
"Whatever do you mean?" inquired Rarity.
"It is a form of petrification far different from what we've come to know in Equestria," Celestia picked up. She cast a nervous glance to the far windows. "It appears to affect anything organic, including plant life. This is a feat even the gaze of the cockatrice cannot achieve."
"Ooh, does this have something to do with that huge swirly thing in the sky?" came Pinkie Pie's ever-curious voice. She bounced into view from behind Rarity and Applejack.
"It does," said Luna, readying a glare. With a shift of her mane, she regarded the Spirit of Chaos, now meekly waving to her. "The portal is something we're a bit more familiar with. It is what has come out of the portal that eludes us."
"I have already dispatched teams from various organizations to launch a full-scale response," said Celestia, shutting Discord's wave down with the pressure of a second glare. "They have been tasked with forming a perimeter around the forest and keeping the population of its nearby towns safe. I imagine you've all noticed some of this already. They are doing all they can to learn about the anomaly and locate anypony who might have witnessed the creature responsible. However, I have forbidden them from stepping hoof inside the forest."
"So something came through the portal over the Everfree Forest, petrified everything in sight, and then just vanished?" Twilight thoughtfully rubbed her chin with her hoof. "And we don't know anything at all about where this creature came from? If it's even a creature at all? Princess Luna, you mentioned you know something about the portal, right? What is it?"
The room befell an awkward quiet. The lunar and solar princesses turned their heads in perfect unison, and like a set of spotlights, directed all attention to Discord.
"I believe Discord can explain from here," Luna said with obvious venom.
Celestia said nothing. Her disapproving look spoke volumes more than words ever could.
Little more than a nigh-omnipotent foal reprimanded by the adults in the room, Discord shuffled forward. When he reached the head of the stage, he offered his first glance to Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy," he began, his silky smooth tone shakier than usual. "Do you remember the other week when I brought you all those delightful little critters for your birthday?"
The room's attention shifted again. Fluttershy, who had remained out of mind from within the fold of her friends, nodded and stepped forward.
"Of course I do," she replied sweetly. "They are just the most adorable little things. Oh, I didn't get the chance to tell you yet, Discord—did you know they can change their form? I was brushing Everly's tail this morning when she suddenly began glowing! She became the most beautiful creature I've ever seen! She's pink and white now, and she has the softest ribbons that she uses to hold onto me when we leave the house."
"Oh, you don't say," Discord muttered, sweat billowing down his brow. While Fluttershy's testimony delighted her friends, drawing cooes and chuckling, they only seemed to sharpen the looks burrowing into him from either side. "Yes, I do remember learning they could sometimes do such things. The thing is, Fluttershy, I fear I was not wholly truthful with you about where I found your new friends."
Fluttershy's smile, overflowing with glee over thoughts of dear Everly, began to fade. Discord's ears fell with it.
"You only told me that you'd gotten them from far, far away. I assumed you just meant from somewhere outside Equestria." Fluttershy furrowed her brow. Discord's earlier timidity had been something to worry about, hadn't it? "Discord, where did you find these creatures?"
Discord tapped his mismatched appendages from a few inches off the ground.
"I may have recently taken a stroll through this lovely dimension I stumbled upon, and, once there, I may have acquired some of the spritely woodland creatures I found there as a gift for you. I thought to myself, 'Fluttershy already has a relationship with nearly every creature in our dimension. Wouldn't she be excited to meet some new critters and form some relationships with them.'"
More silence. From a sea of gasps, Applejack dared to cock her brow.
"Beggin' your pardon?" she deadpanned.
"B-but where are they from?" asked Twilight, toppling over her own words in her thirst for answers. "And how is that connected to what's happening with the Everfree Forest? Discord, are you saying you opened that portal?"
"Equestria's sake, no," Discord defended, frantically waving his claw. "Yours Truly visits other dimensions all the time, Twilight. I always close my portals when I'm done with them. What sort of vagabond do you take me for?"
"The kind that excels in making oversights!" thundered Celestia, turning on the spirit with a motion of her wings. The outburst molded every posture in the hall to become perfectly straight. "You brought creatures back with you, Discord, and here they have stayed for days on end. You expressed to me that this is something you have never done before, did you not?"
His pool noodle body bending over in a display of cowering, Discord returned to sheepish smiling. He nodded.
"As usual, Discord's heart was in the right place, but his results are, well, chaotic," said Luna, addressing the crowd again. "Before your arrival, we briefly met with our leading experts on foreign and ancient magic. Our current theory is that by bringing these creatures back to our reality from another, Discord has unintentionally twisted the spatial fabric of both."
"It's unstable," Twilight summarized. Her eyes were sparks. "Discord's tampering must have weakened the wall between realities, to a point where a portal opened even without his help."
She got a nod and a subtle smile from Luna.
"Correct, Twilight Sparkle," she replied. "And the bad news does not end there. This portal may not be the only one to have opened because of Discord's recklessness. For all we know, dozens of them could be springing into existence all over Equestria, granting further unknown creatures access to our realm. While some, such as Fluttershy's friends might be relatively harmless, the Everfree Forest is a testament to the danger we're dealing with."
"As I mentioned earlier, dark powers like this are very worrying," Celestia continued. "It is too dangerous to send anyone inside the forest who is not expertly versed in magic. This is why I have summoned the greatest wielders of magic I know. I believe only they may be able to journey into the figurative unknown and return safely."
“Thank you, princess," Twilight said, bowing. "We’d be honored to assist. I’ll be sure to report back anything we find, immediately.”
An unexpected silence shook the petite alicorn’s confidence. She looked up again to find her fellow princesses regarding her with smiles before looking somewhere beyond her.
It only took a few syllables from a familiar voice to catch her up to speed.
“Something tells me she didn’t mean the usual order of good friends this time, Twilight.”
Twilight turned, and she found her own smile to offer. Standing only yards behind her was her newly-reformed colleague and student, Starlight Glimmer. Behind her, a lopsided hat signaled Starswirl's presence before he was even visible, but his voice was the most unmistakable of all, filling the room with an air of authority.
“I suppose to live is to see troubling times, no matter what era you live in,” he mused. “I’ve yet to even scratch the surface of the realm’s modern reaches since my return, and already, there is new darkness on our doorstep.”
“Thank you for coming so quickly, Starswirl,” said Luna. She nodded to Starlight. “You as well, Starlight Glimmer.”
“Starlight, when did you get here?" Twilight pondered aloud. She turned around to offer the unicorn a hug in greeting. "I thought you were on a trip with Trixie. Don’t tell me you had to cancel.”
Starlight giggled, readily returning the hug. “First of all, we got here just after you did. Starswirl and I figured we shouldn't interrupt the mission briefing. Secondly, don't worry about it. Trixie and I can spend more time together anytime. It’s not every day another threat to all of Equestria shows up, right?”
“Well,” said Applejack.
“Actually,” added Dash.
“Now that you mention it,” mumbled Fluttershy.
“Bad things do tend to happen rather consistently in a manner that is...” trailed Rarity.
“Totally uncharacteristic of a land full of super friendly ponies and woodland creatures!” shouted Pinkie, cartwheeling across the carpet.
Starlight humored a shake of her head. From the stage ahead of all of them, Celestia politely cleared her throat.
“Starlight Glimmer is correct,” the sun monarch began, sitting upon her haunches and addressing her audience with her eyes. “Until we know more about these strange events, I will not needlessly risk anyone’s safety. I believe the smaller our reconnaissance efforts, the safer we will be. Twilight, Starlight, Starswirl—I would request that the three of you meet with our stationed intel operatives in Ponyville. Learn what you can from them, and prepare an expedition into the forest when, and only when you feel ready.”
“We must discover the source of this decay,” Luna summarized. “More aptly, we must find a means to reverse it and ensure it does not spread further in the meantime.”
“Well, what about us?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, zipping higher into the air to draw the princesses’ attention. “Why did you ask us to come here if this is a magic-nerds-only mission?”
Starlight and Twilight shared a souring stare. Starswirl stroked his beard and chuckled.
"Also," Dash went on, flopping a hoof towards Discord. "Why can't you just get him to go in there?"
"I'm with Dash there," Applejack piled on. "Why can't ya just have Discord go in there n' wrangle up whatever critter is causing all this? Whatever it is, I'll bet it's not strong enough to beat him. Only the Elements can turn him to stone."
From his metaphorical doghouse, Discord smugly crossed his arms and smirked. He was ignored.
"I'm afraid Discord will be far too busy scouting Equestria for portals that may have popped up elsewhere," Celestia said coldly. "Discord possesses the ability to detect abnormal fluctuations in magic and is the only one who can close these portals. He will close the portal above the Everfree remotely, but any excursion into the forest beyond that will take time. For now, whatever has caused the Everfree's state appears to be self-contained. I would rather have Discord search Equestria for potentially less stable threats while we take our time in investigating what we're dealing with here."
“As for the rest of you, we asked you here because you all will be undergoing a mission of your own as well,” Luna spoke again.
Attention expectantly befell the sisters. Celestia sighed with apparent effort, and it bred unease in the room.
“I'm afraid these are not the only concerning events taking place. While Twilight, Starlight, and Starswirl investigate the mysterious events surrounding the Everfree Forest, Discord will be tracking down portals elsewhere in Equestria. I would ask the rest of you to meet with the other Pillars while these things are done. Even as we speak, they are on an investigation of their own, tracking a creature we believe to have recently escaped from Tartarus. I will leave it to Starswirl and the other Pillars to provide you with details, for I fear time is of the essence."
“Alright, that’s more like it!” Dash exclaimed with a crack in her voice. She somersaulted in place. “Twilight can check out the forest. Meanwhile, we’ve got a villain to track down. Just call me Rainbow 'Warden' Dash.”
“Hoo, nelly, Equestria’s havin’ a real tough go of it this week,” Applejack remarked. Again she adjusted the curve of her hat, turning to her friends with a wink. “Nothin’ we can’t handle though, I wager.”
“Indeed,” said Rarity, flipping her mane from her eyes. “I have a slew of orders I’d promised to help Sassy Saddles with this evening, but I suppose it can’t be helped. Duty calls, as they say.”
“You will find the other Pillars near the Hayseed Swamps,” Luna noted. “Several ponies there reported their magic was stolen from them by a mysterious figure. Suspicions drew our attention to Tartarus, where a check revealed that one cell, in particular, was now vacant.”
“These circumstances have potentially dire implications,” Celestia urged, rising from her flank. “I would pray that these events are isolated, but it cannot be ruled out that they are somehow connected. It could be that this enemy is only moving now in light of the current state of unrest and confusion. Go now, everyone. Report anything you might find, and above all, be careful. I believe the Pillars’ expertise will prove to be truly invaluable here.”
Celestia nodded to her former teacher. With a bow, Starswirl took the stage and looked first to his twin successors. He regarded them with a waning smile.
“I cannot think of any two ponies I would rather have accompany me on a quest such as this. You, who have dedicated your lives to magic, as I have. You, who expanded upon my work in ways I never could, and showed me the true power in friendship. It is an honor, Starlight, Twilight.”
Starswirl offered his hoof, and Twilight met it with hers. Her eyes twinkled.
“The honor is all mine, Starswirl!” she gushed.
“Likewise,” Starlight added, resting her own leg atop the pile. In light of Twilight’s fawning, she forced a broader smile, herself. “Between the three of us, I’m sure we’ll get this figured out in no time.”
“And I’m sure we’ll have this escapee tracked down just as quickly."
Dash's boasting bounced off the high ceiling as she fly around it. Unimpressed eyebrows sprouted like weeds below her.
Amidst the excitement, a yellow hoof found Discord's paw. The spirit blinked, his attention settling on bright blue eyes.
"Discord," Fluttershy began, sighing. She paused. "We need to talk about your bad habit of telling white lies, but that's not really important right now. I love Everly and the other creatures so much, and I don't want you to think that I don't love your gift just because it's caused some problems. It was very thoughtful. But I suppose Everly and the others will need to return home?"
The pegasus held her composure bravely, but it was hollow, and Discord could see it. He smiled, and his massive tooth gleamed.
"Dearest Fluttershy, I vow on my cloven hoof that even if Everly and her ilk must return home to help clean up my mess, we shall visit them in their dimension whenever you like. I shall build them the fanciest hideaway home any otherworldly critter has ever laid their eyes on, and only we shall know of it."
Fluttershy's smile returned, and the two embraced.
"Come, everyone," came Starswirl, his tone urgent. He trotted from the throne room with purpose and inspired the rest to follow. "I will detail the enemy my companions are searching for while we depart. Our paths needn't split until we've left Canterlot."
Their harrowing tasks set upon them, the group made for the doorway.
Celestia watched them disappear with a somber look. A blue hoof sought her side.
"Do not tread fields of worry so readily, sister," Luna whispered. "You are the pony who taught me to always hold on to faith. None are more equipped for these tasks."
Celestia rose from her haunches. The grizzly state of the forest drew her to the stained glass windows. There, she beheld the crumbling skeleton of their old castle, laid naked and visible with the loss of tree canopies to hide it away. If anything, it fit in with the Everfree more than ever, now. Decrepit, withered, and dead.
"I have faith, Luna. I always have, and I always will. But never before have I felt such unease. That faith will be tested, and I fear to what lengths. I believe we would do well to remain cautious."
Soundless in the afternoon breeze, a black cloak swept along a nameless hilltop. As the wind picked up, spitting up flurries of leaves, a quartet of hooves was revealed beneath tattered cloth. Sharp yellow eyes peered out from a fraying hood, and a crooked sneer emerged.
Laid at the hill's feet was the Everfree’s expanse, so vast that the towns and cities of pony-kind could not be seen from this side. Those yellow eyes took in the grim state of the forest with an unsettling delight.
"You never know what sort of peculiar things you might stumble upon when out on a stroll," the creature uttered. His voice was frail but smooth. He licked his lips and wrung his hands together before making his way down into the valley cradling the forest's edge.
The forest was petrified, but the untapped reserves of magic within still beckoned him. Moreover, they were faint, flickering scents. Nothing living could give off such a restrained smell. But then, nothing dead could, either.
He chuckled in a low, sinister tone. It could only mean the forest’s creatures, too, had been petrified. He drank in the aroma surrounding him, tilting back his head as he did.
Oh, yes, this was exotic magic indeed—rare and delectable. It was the fateful gaze of a cockatrice, the ghoulish green mist that molded wolves from bark, and the multiplicative nature of parasprites. Perhaps not terribly powerful magic, but more than enough for him to shed this feeble form.
He chanced a glance down the treeline and froze, quickly retreating from view behind a lone elm. Several pegasi and earth ponies loitered around the forest’s edge, though they had yet to take notice of him.
“Curious ponies,” the centaur seethed, tapping his spindly fingers against the tree’s trunk. “Heaven forbid a single thing be found out of place in your world.”
The wind picked up and began to howl. It pushed and pulled the rigid trees until they creaked, all at once drawing the attention of his potential witnesses away.
The cloaked figure took his chance. He darted across the last of the clearing and quickly disappeared within the thickets of bleached wood. As the equines fell out of sight, he knew he had, as well, and his sneer returned.
“Fear not, my little ponies,” he whispered. He gripped the underside of his hood, and with one motion, pulled it from his form before releasing it into the wind. “Lord Tirek is here, and before he retakes all that is rightfully his, he would be more than happy to locate the source of your plight and take its magic for himself.”
Coming off a sense of writing stagnancy in having written nothing but buggos these past few years, I'm switching my focus with this rewrite of an old project. 
I suspect some of you who follow me for the fluff and feels might not enjoy this story much because it is a far different style from almost everything I've ever posted. But, that's exactly why I'm enjoying it. 
And I hope most of you will, too.
Though this is a crossover, you won't need to be a Pokemon fan to appreciate and follow along with this story. It's essentially FiM with some injected critters, and most lore will be explained through character experience. 
So welcome, everyone, to my seminar course. Over these coming months, I will show you all a story of adventure and tension that I've had in my head for years, and in the process, depict the grim majesty of my favorite Legendary Pokemon. 
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Yveltal!
The ponies are becoming self aware
10777948
True! I mean, Every Season has a NEW SUPER VILLAIN, or THREATS that the Mane Six and their Friends/Allies will have to face.
Yeah, it tends to get so cliche and annoying that it's the ONLY sentences that either Twilight or Celestia will say.
So, as for Tirek trying to steal Yveltal's "Magic" Powers? Tirek is just a Cocky Idiot. Pokemon themselves DON'T have the same kind of "Magic" like the Ponies or the other MLP Creatures. They are so FAR different.
Yveltal can easily kill you if you try anything stupid, you dummy! The only thing that can face Yveltal/him is to have another Legendary Pokemon that is benevolent, and a Friend/Ally to the Ponies.
Or even send in Xerneas herself ( Pokemon Legendary Goddess of Life, and the Pokemon counterpart to Yveltal), Zygarde in 100% Form ( The equivalent of the Pokemon Legendary of Balance/Order) , or even Arceus himself ( The Pokemon GOD/CREATOR!!!!! ) to take this "God of Destruction" Birdly back to the Pokemon Universe.
And IF we sadly don't have another Heroic Pokemon Legendary or Mythical to stop Yveltal's Life Draining/"Death" Rampage.
We can just have the Mane Six, the Pillars, Princesses and other Ponies learn, educate themselves, befriend the other Pokemon that are just teleported to Equestria. Train really hard and evolve them to their highest forms. And then, GANG UP on Yveltal. And maybe beat him with numbers??!!
P.S. I don't like that Celestia thinks that EVERY Pokemon is "hostile" or anything. I mean, I get that they don't know Pokemon in general. And the situation is highly dire. But, NOT every Pokemon has evil intentions or anything. Plus, it's cool and nice for the Ponies ( Especially Twilight or Fluttershy) finally educate, or learn about the Pokemon themselves.
The Pokemon Lore and History, the MANY different Element types, the many species, and learn that they got their own "Demi-Gods, Gods/Goddesses ( Legendary and Mythical Pokemons).
And of course, possibly learn about the Villainous Human Factions ( Teams) besides, Hostile/"Evil" Pokemon that they will have to face.
The Mane 6 and Xerneas vs Tirek and Yveltal.
The villains and heroes teaming up in this story is something to be anticipated.
this looks very interesting and i will be looking forward to reading it soon
incredible cover art!!
When is this taking place? The description and behavior of Tirek seems consistent with his first appearance, but the presence of Starlight and the Pillars would require this to take place much later in the show.
10780050
This is why it has an Alternate Universe tag. 
Take note of the story's full description.
So basically the same, except Tirek's initial debut appearance happened much later than in canon.
10780286
... oh. Right. Well, that's egg on my face.
10780577
Thought of reiterating this in first chapter's author notes but it was already long.
Someone upvoted you so, at least you're not alone?
Finally got around to reading this, I'm liking it so far! It's okay if it's different, you can only go so long without changing your style up before your writing gets predictable, that's understandable. I can't wait to see what comes next!
It's very interesting how this grand fantasy arventure starts off with a civilian in police officer debriefing, which then moves on to gripes about Standard Operating Procedure and being kept in the loop. I've been reading a ton of Worm stories lately, so I heartily approve.
The element of Discord and Fluttershy bonding over weird alien animals is something I wish the show did more often. I think we only got that in the holiday special, with the giant killer chinchilla. Then in the finale we see that he makes portals just so her animals have extra leg room... I think? I remember an early IDW comic issue where he takes Fluttershy and the CMC back in time so they can see dinosaurs. More of that please! A chance to show off those amazing and creative powers that don't involve him being a dick to his friends.
The imagery of Celestia looking over petrified forest, and being able to make make out her old ruined home his brilliance. It perfectly visualizes Celestia being haunted by loss and her perceived failures.
So in that scene, the trees have all lost their leaves. This has to do with a question I had about what precisely Yveltal is doing. This chapter uses the terms "decay" and "petrification." But aren't those two complete opposites? Is the idea everythong wilted, THEN turned to stone? Or did the trees turn to stone, which made all the leaves fall off? Bear in mind, I've never seen Yveltal's movie. Haven't seen any of those titles for at least 15 years, excluding the live action one. They seemed pretty routine and only exist to pimp out the newest legendary. (Except the third).
10785300
Gosh I love discussing lore. Hope you don't mind that we're friends, now.
The basis for Yveltal's powers as directed by movie and show canon is this:
* Animals and humans are turned to stone.
* Trees themselves are bleached white and made to look withered and dead. I describe this as 'petrified' wood, seeing as petrified wood is basically wood as a fossil, and it allows that term 'petrify' to be used as a blanket term for anything organic affected by Yveltal in the context of this fic. Animals are petrified stone, trees are petrified wood.
*The actual foliage of plants—leaves, brush, grass, etc, is literally disintegrated. This is where my descriptions of decay come into play, though that can also be synonymous with the trees. In certain scenes I mention that the grass has been decayed, but only crumbles to dust upon being touched. This is largely for dramatic effect and my apologies if it was confusing.
In upcoming chapters you'll see description of 'ash' or 'soot' along the forest floor. This is in reference to the disintegrated foliage.
And here's a gif from that movie, for you, which demonstrates how trees and foliage are affected.
pa1.narvii.com/5841/416e22937e7eae564f2bdfe56d9e0d34b8ac09a7_hq.gif
As for what Yveltal is doing, you'll find out soon enough!
Thanks for the analysis! I really enjoyed that scene with Celestia in my head. I'm sure you'll enjoy what's to come!
Hm! Good start! Always loved Yveltal! Can’t wait to see how you interpret him!