The Monster in the Twilight
Courage
It was happy. It even looked happy, with a smiling face and mismatched button eyes, although It felt a little damp. Monster gave It a sniff once her laughter had subsided enough for breathing, but It smelled different now. It smelled of tears and lilacs, brother and sitter and—
No.
It smelled of Shining Armor and Cadence, of soft pink feathers that wrapped around her when she felt sad, and the musky scent of a perspiring stallion that mom… A flicker of purple and white darted through her memories, but could not escape. Monster pounced, dragging the thought back up to the surface of her mind and examining the strange face. Twilight. Mom. The rumble of falling stones blotted out the memory, blown about by fire from the sky and smashing the image of the mare with the purple-striped mane into dust. So many dead ponies, dead by her actions, dead and smashed to pieces by the power she was unable to control. Not a single living thing survived — except the blue unicorn now chasing her.
If brother… If Shining Armor had saved Trixie, could he have saved others from the flames Monster brought down upon them?
Monster turned, ignoring the crackling flames that filled the clearing with smoke and the pitiful whine of burning Timber Wolves. When she would fight the dark pony, others would be hurt. Her friends. sis and rarity and — Trixie, whom she had almost killed before.
One at a time, Monster dug her hooves deep into the soft soil of the clearing and concentrated. The Fear remaining in the area fought and hissed against the power she held within herself, but Monster had proven that Fear could still be used to power a spell even if she could not tolerate its filthy sensation for long. The earth resonated with the touch of her friends and the hoofsteps of the larger ponies who followed them. Fear lashed out against the restraints she forced upon it, but she held it firm and shaped it, moulded it to her will, stretching it into a barrier between them and her. As thin as gossamer, it only could touch the mind, but none of them would be able to overcome it.
They would all remain safe while Monster fought the bad pony.
Monster frowned, twisting her hooves into the soft soil with puzzlement, and finally resignation. The changeling no longer resonated with the earth. He had probably been eaten by one of the myriad creatures who hunted the Everfree Forest at night. She added the infinitesimal weight of its soul to the giant pile of bodies that she was already responsible for. The guilt of his death remained on Monster even though she had not killed him directly, as she most certainly would have needed to if he had eventually caught her. The words of the big changeling still resonated in her ears.
…We shall have our revenge for the deaths of my children, for my changelings shall never rest until you are dead and eaten!
With a shudder, Monster returned to her travel, trotting much slower and with It held carefully to her cheek. Alone except for her doll, she continued down the path to her destiny.
* * *
“This is (untranslatable) insane!” screamed Tallgrass after he burst up out of the deep water for a third time, flapping frantically for air as a set of toothed jaws snapped shut inches behind his rear hooves and took another nip off his already-shortened tail. Throwing his entire energy into flight, the changeling hurtled forward with one eye angled skyward until the stars suddenly obscured above him. With a snap roll, he plunged into the water again a split-second before a set of serrated tentacles swept through the air he had just occupied, the flying predator screeching in frustration at missing the delightfully tasty-smelling prey. Tallgrass barely managed to swim a few body-lengths before exploding back up into the air again, only this time close enough to the shore to dart between two thick trees in a narrow path too small for the flying beast to follow.
“Watch the kids, bug! Read the book, bug! Trixie, I’m going to kill you if I get out of this alive!”
* * *
“That was so cool!” Featherweight dashed about in the air, zipping back and forth like some oversugared hummingbird. “I need a flash like that! I could take night pictures of the whole town at once!”
“That’s great, Featherweight. Could you come over here and help pull Scootaloo out of the tree, please?”
The little ponies continued to tug on Scootaloo once all the larger branches had been cleared away, finally pulling the dizzy pegasus out of the old hollow tree she had managed to stick her head into when blinded by the purple flash. Despite her protestations of perfect health, her friends loaded her in the wagon and held her down while Featherweight took over scooter propulsion duty, at a much reduced rate of speed and with many mournful glances at missed photographic opportunities.
Once they entered the smoky clearing, all of the little ponies gaped at the circle of burning trees around them, charred and blasted to fall away from the very center of the path. In a circle farther out, a ring of burning branches nearly turned to charcoal still twitched and spasmed as the occasional Timber Wolf fragment crumbled to ashes and fell to the ground.
Featherweight slowed even more as the path narrowed, finally coming to a panting halt a few inches away from four deep hoofprints in the forest clearing’s rich soil.
“Cant. Go. Afraid.” Featherweight clung to the handlebars of the scooter as if they were a life vest in a treacherous sea, his wings just barely flapping.
“I-I know y-y-you’re skeered,” shouted Apple Bloom with chattering teeth. “But we h-have to keep going. M-m-monster needs us!” The rest of the little ponies huddled together in terror, holding onto one another until Apple Bloom crawled out of the back of the wagon and braced her head against the tailgate. “I-I’m not going to abandon her! I-I’m not going to be afraid!”
“Apple Bloom! No!” Sweetie Belle reached feebly for her friend but stumbled as the wagon began to move again, pushed by four little earth pony hooves.
“Not. Going. To. Abandon. You.” Apple Bloom’s voice got lower and cracked with stress as she pushed. “Not.Like. mom.” Fear roared to a world-rending volume in the ears of the little fillies, cresting into a crescendo of raw terror that abruptly began to fall as they passed through the wall of fear and the wagon picked up speed. What was first a trot turned to a gallop, then to a full roar down the pathway as Apple Bloom was dragged up into the wagon by her friends and Featherweight put his full effort into a pace that even Scootaloo would have considered dangerous.
“Wahooo! Faster!”
Or maybe not.
* * *
The path where Zecora led them up angled in the direction of the flames and smoke seen climbing into the night sky ahead, which Trixie considered being at least some indication the supposed zebra knew what she was talking about, although that still did not totally eliminate the possibility she was simply luring them deeper into a trap. Still, if they were ambushed by some nameless⁽*⁾ monstrosity, at least during the digestion process, Trixie would have the cold comfort of knowing somepony else had led them to their doom.
(*) Technically, the monsters of the Everfree all had names given to them by the first ponies who discovered them, but since that meant many of them would be simply known as ‘Arrrgh! Help!’ it was probably better to simply consider them nameless.
Applejack put a hoof over Trixie and pulled her close as they trotted down the path towards the smoky fire in the distance. “Ah’m sorry about being so hard on your flank back there. It’s just… well, mah baby sister’s out there, and I’m all tied up in knots with worry.”
“Yes. Trixie knows how you feel.” After a few false starts, Trixie managed to get her magical field to pull the bottle of bourbon out of her cloak and float it over to Applejack. “Trixie has found Monsieur Bourbon to be a great comfort in stressful times.” The bottle bobbed somewhat while they trotted down the road with Trixie unable to meet the farmer’s eyes. “Perhaps too great a comfort.”
“Yeah, I know what’cha mean. It’s not a good idea to own a distillery when your parents die.” They trotted for a short while, both trying to ignore the fire ahead while it grew nearer. Finally with a sigh, Applejack pushed the bottle away. “You just put ‘ol Monster Bourbon back in yer cloak, and we’ll drag him out for a victory drink when we’re done, ya’hear?”
“Deal.” Trixie tucked the bottle back into her cloak and giggled nervously.
“What? Did ah say sumpthin funny?”
“No. It is just something Trixie heard from Princess Cadence’s guards once. They called Twilight Sparkle ‘Monster’ because of the trail of destruction she leaves behind. It made me think we’re like a little dog chasing a wagon. What are we going to do if we catch her?”
“Oh, now yer makin plans? Seems a bit late.”
“Harumph.” Trixie trotted along, waving a hoof at the smoke ahead. “The Great and Powerful Trixie prefers to work off-the-hoof, but planning is still important. I borrowed your grandmother’s false teeth to use in the puppet spell to be prepared in case I needed to cast it tonight. If I had managed to lay my hooves on some glass eyes, my performance would have been perfect.”
“Say what?”
“The Puppet spell is a vastly complicated spell, far beyond your meager knowledge. But if you must know, I performed the trick for Princess Celestia three times. The first time, she was able to detect the Puppet from my voice. The second time, I used a set of dentures in the spell, but she could still see which image was real by looking into my eyes. On the third time, I cheated. I put a tiny bit of my own essence into the spell along with the glass eyes.”
“Wasn’t that just a mite dangerous? Ah mean there’s only so much of ya to go around.”
Trixie snorted dismissively, missing Applejack rolling her eyes with a hidden smile. “It was worth it, tenfold. Celestia nearly ripped the stage apart in a panic when the candle burned through the rope and the spiked trap slammed shut on my alter ego. Presto!” Trixie’s eyes glittered in the nearing flames as if a fire of nearly forgotten joy burned in her mind.
“Ya really brought down the house in Ponyville this time. Or burned it down, ah suppose.”
Trixie’s joyous expression fell, returning to her cynical sneer. “Bill me.”
Applejack chuckled, nudging Trixie with a shoulder as they trotted into the outskirts of the scattered flames illuminating the clearing.
“You know, if’n Big Mac did take a shine to you, I reckon it wouldn’t be too bad to have you out at the farm all the time.”
“It wouldn’t?” Trixie blinked in confusion, her attention drawn away from the flames. “Wait, at the farm?”
“Heck, yeah. We’re always a little short hooved around apple bucking season, and a few little ones runnin’ around to keep Apple Bloom company would be darned welcome.”
“Little ones? Like — foals?” Several unused muscles in Trixie’s gut clenched, thinking of delivery pains associated with a foal the size of Big Mac.
“Only about five or six, ‘cause you don’t want to get too busy to buck apples.”
“But what about—”
“‘Tween raising the young uns, apple bucking, fixin’ the barns, weaving apple baskets, chopping firewood, planting, canning, weeding, cooking and cleaning, we put in a good seventeen hour day, but a few months of that and you’d be just like one of the family.”
“Seventeen…” Trixie slowed, thinking of endless lines of trees needing harvesting while Applejack continued trotting along.
“And there’s always more ‘n enough grub. I mean we got apple pies, apple fritters, apple dumplings, apple brown betty, apple cake, apple chips, apple juice, applesauce—”
Trixie interrupted rather weakly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t really like apples all that much.”
“Oh, don’t you worry none about that. We also gots us a plum tree.”
“Oh, Applejack?” called Rarity, trying to keep out of as much of the smoke as possible. “Would you be a dear and stop taunting the poor dear. There’s something wrong with Rainbow Dash.”
* * *
The rainbow-maned pegasus lay curled up in a ball in the center of the clearing, well lit by the burning trees around her. Every so often, her blue coat would twitch, or a wing would shudder, the only signs of life she showed other than a rapid panting. The rest of the ponies held up a number of yards back, clustered together in a small herd for social protection from the paralyzing fear that seemed to pulse out from an invisible wall in front of them.
“Stand back,” said Trixie, not moving one inch away from the warm huddle of the rest of the ponies. “There’s some sort of spell in the air here. Let me just get a look at — Uggha!” The unicorn shuddered when she lit her horn, fighting her head back and forth while the glow flickered and pulsed as if reluctant to be controlled. Several moments passed until her magic steadied into a soft light. “Ow. Stupid Everfree. Oh. Yeah, it’s a spell.”
“Really?” said Rarity in an almost perfect imitation of Trixie’s voice. “I never would have guessed.”
With a growl of effort from Trixie, a pink aura surrounded Rainbow Dash, floating her away from the invisible spell and into the warm embrace of her friends.
“I c-couldn’t fly,” gasped the pegasus from inside the group hug. “My wings froze up. Are they okay? Do you think there will be any damage?”
“Only to your thick head,” muttered Trixie. “Ow!”
“Polite you should be to the very young flier, for she saved you from dying in the terrible fire.
Think about that while you rub your head,or consider the next time, you may wind up dead.”
“I was never in danger from the fire. And besides, you could have just told me to apologize without hitting me,” grumbled Trixie while rubbing the back of her head and glaring at the disguised zebra.
“Some of our lessons are easily learned, but some only sink in when you are burned. Now, what do you see as an enchantment up there, that seems to have frightened our dashing young mare.”
“I’m not afraid!”
Trixie scoffed. “Oh, yes you were. I’ve seen a variant of this spell used to protect chests or rooms from unauthorized intruders, and not just in Daring Do novels. There’s a web of fear woven into the spell, pulled out in each direction as far as I could see.” Trixie paused and glared at Zecora. “Before I was hit.” Getting nothing but a shrug, Trixie continued. “There’s always one exception to the spell, and this one’s a tricky little stinker.”
Rainbow Dash hopped to her hooves and shook her head vigorously. “Oh, no. This is just a wall, right? I’ll just fly everypony over the top. How tall is it?”
“Tall enough if you misjudge it, you’ll freeze up like you did just now a couple thousand feet up, and make a bloody crater in the ground when you hit.” Ignoring the faint whimpering from Fluttershy, Trixie turned back to the wall and began searching for a weak spot. “There has to be something that bypasses it, some trick or code, but where is it?”
Ignoring Trixie, the pink ‘alicorn’ walked to the deep hoofprints in the ground, placing each of her own hooves in them before closing her eyes and humming.
“Got it,” growled Trixie with a grin. “You’re a powerful one, Twilight Sparkle, but you’re about as subtle as a crutch. It’s your greatest fear. All you have to do is admit your greatest fear, and you can pass right through.”
“What the arrogant one sees, is completely true, for Flower’s friends have been here and through. While Trixie fears the tempting booze, my daughter is what I fear to lose.”
Scattering fresh earth as she stepped forward, Zecora walked straight through the invisible wall and down the path where she stood calmly, waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.
“Me! Me next!” Pinkie Pie bounced forward and stopped, facing the wall like she was about to charge, before announcing, “I’m afraid of losing my friends.”
Trixie huffed and watched the pink party pony hop casually through the wall while muttering, “Like that could ever happen to you. Come on, who’s next?”
“I-I’m afraid of not being able to fly anymore.”
“Ah’m afraid of losin’ mah sister. Ah promised ma and pa I’d take care of her.”
“I’m afraid of… dirt! Icky dirt! Ewww! But I would wallow in mud to save my darling Sweetie Belle!”
“I-I’m afraid! Of everything!”
Trixie scowled at the pink tail that blocked her view where Fluttershy’s front legs had collapsed on the trail in front of her. Her hind legs remained locked, holding her rear in the air with tremors shaking her pink tail like some huge fluffy rattlesnake. “Oh, for the love of ponykind! Just walk through it! You admitted your greatest fear.”
“T-t-that’s n-not m-my g-greatest f-f-f—”
“Fear!” shouted Trixie.
“Eep!” squeaked Fluttershy, in a terrified tone that nearly exceeded audible frequencies, but did not gain any forward progress more than a brief hop.
“Come on, Fluttershy! You can do it!”
“Yeah, Fluttershy! You rock!”
“Darling, you need to have faith in yourself. Think of it as a photo shoot.”
“Eeek!” Fluttershy’s paralyzed hind legs collapsed, allowing the yellow pegasus to curl up into a terrified ball of fur and feathers.
“Ah don’t think mentioning a photo shoot was the right thing to say there, sugarcube.”
“I. Have. Had. Enough!” Trixie’s pink magic wrapped around the terrified pegasus and propelled her down the road, landing her firmly on her belly in front of her friends. Trixie cut off the levitation spell with an angry snap and stepped forward.
“I’m afraid of…” Trixie trailed off, looking at the six ponies waiting on her.
It was odd. Nopony had ever waited on Trixie before. They actually wanted her to succeed, and were waiting on her instead of bolting off into the forest in continued pursuit of the little menaces.
“I’m afraid of…” There were so many things to be afraid of. Ants. Spiders. Laughter. She always hated to be laughed at on stage. Trixie knew the touch of fear every time she lifted a hoof to climb onto the stage, although she had never admitted it. There was only one thing it could possibly be, and Trixie blurted it out before she could talk herself out of it.
“Laughter!”
Trixie trotted forward, only to come to a crashing halt when a wave of raw terror swept up her legs and across her chest, holding her muscles paralyzed.
Fear filled her mind with images, of standing alone on stage in the middle of a performance while the yawning audience trickled out the exits, the empty bed where a handsome stallion had slipped away on first light of the sun before his drunken companion could awaken, seeing Celestia perform a powerful magic on a whim that Trixie would not ever be able to master even if she spent her entire life trying.
Failure.
She would never be able to do what Celestia had wanted, she could never make friends, she was not great or powerful enough to use the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon. The evil being who corrupted Princess Luna was only toying with Trixie, feeling her thrash in terror like a crawdad in a boiling pot. Laughing at her. Mocking her. Relishing the fear that came from the crowd. Like a changeling consuming love, Nightmare Moon consumed—
Trixie hardly felt the lariat when it settled around her neck, but she certainly felt it when all six ponies grabbed the other end of the rope and pulled, yanking Trixie through the wall of fear and dragging her down the path in a spluttering fury. Spitting out dirt and a twig, Trixie leapt to her hooves and glared at Applejack. “What did you think you were doing?!”
The smiles that occupied the ponies’ faces began to fade while Trixie continued to fume in relative silence. Applejack flipped the rope off her neck and began to roll it back up, trying not to look Trixie in the eyes. “You was stuck there for quite some time, and we got worried.”
“How long?”
“It seemed like forever!” said Pinkie Pie in an aged, tremulous voice, earning a second glance from Trixie as somehow the party pony had grown a long white beard and was walking with a cane. Zecora walked around Pinkie carefully, as if she were contagious, before looking deeply into Trixie’s eyes.
“Have you seen some power, that might help my Flower?”
“I-I don’t know. There’s something wrong in what we’re doing, but I’m not sure what. Trixie thinks you all were right about the Elements of Harmony, but if Princess Celestia did not want to bring them to Ponyville and train Trixie… Or Twilight Sparkle with them earlier, she must have had a good reason. Why didn’t she just tell me?” The last words came out in a plaintive tone, just a fraction away from a whine.
“Perhaps the use of this device is not meant to be taught twice. Once to you, and once to Flower, could there be dangers in this power?”
“It put an alicorn princess on the moon, so of course it’s dangerous! But it’s missing a part, because the book said it only has five of the six pieces. Unless one of you has some ancient relic disguised as a knick-knack or necklace, Princess Celestia sent us out here on a wild goose chase to give Twilight Sparkle a broken weapon to fight an angry goddess.”
Applejack frowned. “Well, what in tarnation would that do?”
Trixie held up a hoof, turned it back and forth a few times, then produced a bit coin out of Applejack’s ear. “Provide a distraction.”
--*-*-*--
Celestia soared on wings of flame.
Magnetic vortices swirled all around her, lifting torrents of plasma into the sky everywhere the sun constantly erupted. Other immaterial forms danced with her upon the rising fiery wave, calling to shed what was left of her body and join their celebration. One at a time, they fell away with little piping cries of joy as she climbed. It was getting more difficult with every attempt to resist their siren call, but Celestia held to her purpose with a will of steel.
Hold fast, my sister!
She clung to the updraft, her wings catching every solar particle as it climbed. Up. Up. Up.
Until she struck the wards.
Blackened flames crashed across her ethereal body, magic meeting magic in a clash of power that she had yet to win, but could not stop trying. Her body twisted at the lashing agony, hurtling backwards away from the open sky where her beloved Equestria could be seen and back down into the swirling sea of fire where she floated in pain. The barely-seen forms of others drifted past, calling out to her in happiness as they danced and played before being swirled away by the constant solar wind.
She gathered her corporeal form about herself, and spread her fiery wings again, fighting against the little fingers that seemed to pluck about her mind, attempting to steal her self and turn her into one of the mindless beings who danced through the solar plasma. Luna would not have lasted a moment in this place, extinguished as a shadow before the flame. Celestia drew power from the sun, filling her being with might for yet another attempt at escape. If it took a thousand thousand years, she would leave this place, and save her sister from the shadows.
I am Celestia Invicta, the Unconquered Sun. Hear me, Nightmare. I am coming for you.
* * ✹ * *
Yay! An update.
Very happy to see this update again. Looks like we're getting to payoff in the story. Looking forward to it.
Nameless monsters could also be called expletives. I imagine someone would have the reaction to curse before getting help.
I love this story so much, it makes me SO happy whenever I see it update!
Good work as always, dude!
So, Trixie's greatest fear is to be unloved. Saw that coming.
So Trixie's group merely the distraction, clever girl. (Insert Jurassic Park hunter guy)
It's that time again!
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I love this chapter. It's a nice look into Twilight's mind. We see that while yes she is recovering she still has a long way to go, and that she still has a lot to bare. she won't forget what she did even though she wasn't exactly herself when it happened. Little details like wondering if her brother could have saved others aside from Trixie, Her own regret at nearly killing said mare then. Along with her mixed feelings about tallgrass not trusting him given Chrysalis' warning yet also not wanting him dead.
Slowly but surely Twilight is recovering. She's also being quite clever too. Using the power of fear to form a barrier not of the material, but of the mental and spiritual. She would risk her own life alone to see to it that Nightmare is stopped. Yet she would save the others not just because she's worried about others getting caught in the cross fire but because she knows that Nightmare would hurt them horribly if she won and thus she can't afford the risk of being distracted by them being near. Hence the barricade of fear.
I loved how Applebloom was the one to muscle through the barrier first. Admitting her fear and refusing to give into it. She was able to power through so that she wouldn't lose her friend or let the others give up on her. That's very impressive for anyone much less a girl implied to be in the eight to ten age range if I'm guessing right.
Poor Tallgrass. I really hope that he gets some kind of reward for all this. The guy's having one hell of a night and could use a break. It really isn't fair to him that he's stuck playing baby sitter to the CMCs much less doing so while rushing through the everfree towards Nightmare Moon and Twilight no less.
The exchange between Applejack and Trixie was good. I really enjoyed seeing them bond some. Though even if it didn't last it was nice. Plus I got a kick out of her breaking down what marrying in to the Apple Family entails. While she may have been pulling Trixie's leg some I really don't think she was making things too over the top as given the size of the farm they probably could use another five or six ponies around in a few years to help with the work load.
The group getting through the fear wall seemed quite well don e as well. Though I was expecting Fluttershy to admit to being afraid of either others, or herself rather then saying everything. Rarity's con fession had a nice bit of mood lightening humor in it. Though I don't doubt she'd become a living dirt magnet for the rest of her life if it meant keeping her sister safe. Trixie's fear was quite well explained here. It really shows that there is indeed more to her then meets the eye. I can't wait to see how this all plays out.
Celestia's short interlude was quite interesting. I wonder what those beings of plasma are about? Beings banished to the sun? The remints of the long defeated Windigos? Or simply the sprits of the dead who have passed on to become a star? So many questions. Still that's for later right now I got to say I love her determination and willpower here. I think somepony is worthy of a green lantern ring. Even if only for a temporary use I think she's earned it.
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So yeah great chapter can't wait for the next.
I hereby christen whatever nameless monstrosity shortly ambushes them Kingtiger Is Like Jesus Only Sexier.
I'm still completely mystified as to who's going to end up being the bearers that cleanse NMM from Luna.
Will it be Twilight with the EoM and the Foals as the rest? Trixie and crew? Some combination of the two, or possibly both combined? Twilight's gone on some silly heroic solo quest, but her fear shield sure didn't stop them for long, so I expect the rest will come into play shortly.
Celestia is boss. She just became my favorite princess, do to your portrayal of her banishment.
yay
Great!
'Monster''s really coming back together. Applebloom looks to be loyalty if that scene is of any evidence.
2622560
Wow, that profile pic.
Haven't seen anyone sporting Pirogeth (If I remember the spelling right) in years.
I noticed a few spots where either opening or closing quotation marks were missing.
Or "Hey, does this look dangerous?"
Another good chapter, it would be nice to see them appear more often, but I have been following a story that has a nice premise but terribly executed. So, as long as you keep these entertaining, take your time.
Oooo, so Smarty Pants and more memories, very nice.
Yeah, that's about what I would expect to happen to anyone forced to foalsit the CMC++.
Go Applebloom, push through that fear! Confronting NMM alone is a terrible plan anyway, Twilight is going to need you.
That is an excellent question.
Oh AJ, that's just mean. Well, mostly hilarious, but just a tiny bit mean.
Well, so much for Twi's plan to keep everyone else away from the fight.
Aww yeah, Celestia is awesome. Though to be fair, if she was completely unconquered she wouldn't be floating around in the sun at the moment.
2622560 i agree with this guy
2623096 Well I guess it depends on what your definition of "conquered" means. To some it would mean defeated and while many might claim that Celestia is "defeated" it could be argued that because Celestia is alive to fight another day she has not been truly, "defeated." Especially considering how Celestia still has pieces moving about the board... it's almost kinda like Celestia is the Queen piece of a chess board AND the King. She might get removed from the board but she's still in the game.
2624393 I think it depends on how long she's in the sun, if it's a thousand year vacation then I would have a hard time not viewing her as conquered. Anyway, it was mostly a joke.
2624753 ...touché
Ok this is interesting.
2622048
On your left you will see the rare "OHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKFUCKFUCK". Notice it's immense toothless maw.
Over here we have a "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-". This creature resides at the bottoms of huge cliffs, waiting for others to take the long fall into its jaws.
Next we have the "Sigh, goddammit", which prefers to loom over its prey, giving it a brief second to ponder it's fate.
Lastly there's this, a truly rare specimen from OH GOD ITS GOT ME HEEEELLLP OH GOD ITS GONNA EAT ME-CHOMP
Awesome Chapter!!
Although I think Fluttershy's fear should've the mean part of herself that's hidden away (Often referred to as Nasty Fluttershy, Flutterbitch or even Fluttermonster; pick one.) but that's just me.
2626811 She's too afraid of that to say it. So her greatest fear is saying what her greatest fear is. Good thing Trixie was there to lend a helping horn.
2626392 Everfree Tour Guide. A job with rapid promotion, challenging work conditions, and no worries about tenure.
2623096 She's not the Undefeated Sun. Nothing ever wins against her in the long term. Don't taunt the gorilla at the zoo while standing within an ape's arm's length of his cage, or else.
2622355 I'm sure Trixie will tip Tallgrass two bits for his foalsitting job. She'll also charge him for the book he lost.
2622345 That would presume Trixie is right
2622764 I'll get it.
2627144 No she seems like the dine and dash type to me. Though that doesn't work when your bill collector is not only in possession of shape shifting skills that both Clay Face from Batman and Morph of the X-Men would admit are top notch AND has a network of several dozen siblings also in possession of said abilities.
Oh a side note why has Clay Face never been the villain of a Batman Movie?
2627192
I'd wager he is too slimy so he always slips away?
2627941 Or the producers think he's too "comic Book" to use and don't even try. Witch I think is BS, now if the reason was he was too special affects intensive I might buy if we didn't have the first three X -Men movies to show how relatively easily a shape shifter can be done now a days.
Back to the fic. I wonder if Twilight's going to try and slow the others down with more obstacles? This this assumes that she felt them get past her fear barrier
But we h-have to keep going. M-m-monster needs us!”
You missed a speech mark.
I wonder who,s going to defeat nightmare moon, super celestia or twilight?
2628363
Well, as far as I gather over the cartoons that I watched involving him, he is too strong as a shapeshifter. He has no preferred form (he stays like that because it's the easiest to be, nothing more), he can overpower other shapeshifters (If the Martian Manhunter would only stick to his transforming powers and strength, he would lose) and with enough provided mass he is a legitimate threat to a city. Also the little fact that he can take radioactive material inside him and use it as a weapon too is a bit OP in my books. Then again: Which enemy of Batman seems not overpowered if you count all of his or her powers and advantages?
Regarding further obstacles: I don't think that Twilight will have the time to do this. She must be pretty close to the castle by now and we DO have Nightmare Moon waiting around. That mare in the moon won't sit by idly if she can help it. Just think of the Shadowbolts or the creepy trees she sent in the original series.
Looks to me like Trixie just earned the Element of Honesty. Interesting development.
2632290 Yet water and Ice still mess him up but good, and while a talented actor he's short sighted more interested in curing his condition then wealth or power. At least from what I recall of Batman TAS.
While Nightmare isn't one to sit idle, it isn't as if she's villain of the year matrial. In the show at least, it seemed she used the Evil Overlord list the same way Voldermort did as a To Do list. the Nightmare of this fic is more competent.
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No one says that he is without flaws...every enemy (and the good guys too) have some flaws in Batman. Well...more like in the whole comic universe
See? So Nightmare will try something underhoofed pretty soon. And who says that she showed all of her might in canon? This fic needs to put some strong enemy against 'Monster' right now after all...
2633482 While I used to be a big DBZ fan and thus know power levels are worthless it's hard to gauge just what Celestia, Nightmare, or Luna are capable of. Chrysalis Sombra, and Discord only further complicate matters along with Trixie's Alicorn amulet. So just how much power Canon Nightmare was holding back, and how much she blew extending the night or restraining Celestia is up for debate.
Now I'm not saying that Fic Nightmare doesn't have some tricks up her sleeve, but well Twilight does as well and apparently isn't afraid to pull all the stops out given she's trying too keep people out of the crossfire so she doesn't need to worry about them. That speaks of her basically being willing to wreak things on a Dr. Strange or even Hulk like level.
Given her mind seems to be coming back to her and she's twice tonight done incredible feats like turnning emotions like Hate into love for power, or used fear itself as a source of power she's not going to make things easy, something that Nightmare Knows... but I don't know if even Twilight knows what she's really capable of so when the confrontation comes it'll be quite the sight to see unfold.
Here we see two ways to overcome fear: master it and use it as any other tool, or overcome it through devotion and duty. Musical numbers are also a valid means, of course, but only in the hooves of those too crazed by sugar, laughter magic, and fourth-wall awareness to even notice the fear in the first place.
Looking forward to more. Also, I find myself intrigued by those sun spirits. Who knew nuclear fusion was so much fun?
2633589 Nah, power levels are AWESOME! After all, we wouldn't have gotten the awesome meme from Vegeta ('IT'S OVER NINE THOUUUSAAAAAAAND!') or some abrigded series otherwise.
Yes, powers are really hard to judge. I'd say Chrysalis herself was the weakest of the whole bunch, she only was 'strong' because of the threat of her entire race of shapeshifters and a supercharge of love. After that though...the whole thing becomes really open for debate: Would a alicorn-amulet wearing Trixie be able to defeat Sombra? Would Celestia be able to? Is there a limit the amulet can't pass but Dischord can? Who knows if the banishment spell isn't something that had been set in place long ago (maybe with how they got their appearant immortality?) and isn't needed to 'hold' seperately by the other sister?
As for the upcoming confrontation: Nightmare Moon was in Twilights head during the bit with the changelings, remember? She might be able to trick 'Monster' for about a second and that would be all that is needed. Also, she is an old alicorn with quite some experience in combat (after all, she rallied troops from nowhere against an entire nation...and nearly defeated their leader Celestia before banishment).
As for Monster: We definitely haven't seen the extent of her powers. And the way she used her powers indicate some level of training and education. Maybe Zecora helped her a bit? Couple that with the fact that Monster is able to do EVERYTHING in her power to stop the evil pony and we got the explosives all set and ready to go off.
And to bring up an entire different point of the whole thing: Trixies role is interesting in this too - what if the fillies reach the castle and her group too? Think about the possible beatdown that can happen for NMM or how a tricky dream (and maybe mind?) walker can use ponies against each other...
2634198 So basically, fear can be overcomed by one's will power? Sounds alot like green lantern, doesn't it?
2634340 Nightmare's got an issue that limits her though. she needs not only Twilight alive so she can possess her, but she also needs the elements to awaken. fighting to capture rather then kills is tricky enough, and because even more complicated when the person you're trying to capture is attempting to KILL you.
Add in the further complication of how the elements are activated, They are actively pissed at Nightmare and Magic in particular isn't feeling trusting or forgiving at this point in time and things are going to be far from simple.
As for memes? ...ain't nobody got time for that!
Elements of Harmony useless?
Dinkleberg...
fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/246/3/6/profile_picture_by_dinkleberg_plz-d48rku6.jpg
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I'm not saying that Nightmare Moon will win. I'm just saying that she will prove to be a big threat to Twilight and the group. However...seeing as there is no Chrysalis anymore but STILL changelings...who knows what will happen to NMM? Maybe her powers get transferred and a pony like Zecora gets an unwanted power boost? Maybe Lunas conscience will take hold of Twilights body as soon as NMM wants to take over? Maybe Pinkie Pie snips with her hooves (because Pinkie Pie) and all is forgotten?
Memes: Y u no like them?
2638072 I agree she's a big threat. I was just trying to point out some issues she's got to deal with when the confrontation comes. As for Zecora? I'd like alicorn Zecora that'd be awesome.
To be honest aside from concerns about twilight's new powers possibly overshadowing the other's abilities and having the chance to be an easy button(though I doubt the show writers would do that.) I actually like the idea of alicorn twilight. though I don't want to derail the c oments so please just ignore that.
I have nothing against memes in fact "Ain't nobody got time for that." Is meme I've heard crop up a few times.
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSkWrpH3H3Q]
Instantly thought of it, didnt see anyone else point it out, so why not?
2639564 Yeah...it would be interesting. Though my favorite alicorn is Tom...the picture of 'him' as an alicorn is just too good
I don't dislike alicorn Twilight either. As long as the whole thing fits in with the rest of the Mane 6...but okay, let's rest that point.
I was referencing another meme:
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/y-u-no-guy
2653836 My meme fu is weak and I don't really mind. They're fun but c an grate on nerves.
So any guesses as to what Nightmare has up her greaves?
2655211 Yeah...I just look them through for MLP related stuff and some fit sometimes.
Nightmare, huh? Hmmm...well if she has all the abilities of Luna, she can visits dreams and change her appearance. She has good magic too, with likely a lot of spells, some even unknown to her sister maybe?
Then she has her magic mist, which can create sentinent beings (Shadowbolts) and is quite versatile on it's own. It can cut, weave around stuff and wrap itself around stuff.
And finally, she can lock the sun away from the planet off the whole planet and survive on the moon for at least 1003 years.
That is basically all she could do in the show...combine that with some stuff that you can come up with...like creating a literal shower of stars upon her target or some combat experience in hoof to hoof and she can become 'quite the nuisance' to Twilight.
Doesn't that sound powerful enough?
2662504 I didn't mean to imply she was weak. I just wondered about some possible ways she'd use her abilities. Like say using Twilight's guild about he magical outburst and the disaster it caused against her via illusion, Or perhaps playing on her fears of the harm she'd cause by engaging nightmare in combat.
What I'm saying is I'm not expecting a straight up fight between the two. while I'm not ruling it out. Nightmare doesn't seem to strike me as the type to do that with someone who might be able to turn the tables on her. After all fighting fair isn't something that villains do regularly.
Also minor point but I debate how self aware the shadow bolts are. Only one spoke an she could have been Nightmare herself while the other to were just mindless dummies. Or more likely a kind of golem or less aware magical clone like what the mirror pool makes.
2662636 I didn't want to make it seem like that. I imagine Nightmare Moon more like an assassin and a war mage combined than anything else. So if she has some illusion to use, she will use it. If she can use any kind of advantage, she will.
So I'm following you in that regard because a straight fight against a pony so full of magic powress seems like a bad idea...however if that is the best option NMM can use, then she will use it.
There are writers that turn the shadow bolts into an entire race. As for how much the shadow bolts are 'alive'...this really depends on how you look at them. You can make them up to be a race or golem like magic constructs. The first one requires a big amount of magic a long time ago and the latter needs more magic and focus at the time it is cast.
2663150 Fair points all.
Though speaking of races do the crystal ponies count as a one or are they just earth ponies who have lived in proximity to the crystal heart for so long that some kin d of secondary effect t kicked in on them/
2666371 If they are, they definitely got a bit fo genetic change in them...I mean, the Mane 6 lived in the vicinity of the Crystal Hearts glow for a few days and they all got a bit crystallified. Now think of what would have happened if they had lived there for a thousand years?
So the Crystal Heart may have some negative side effects that aren't really that known outside of the Empire...just saying xD
So how would you call a race of genetically altered ponies? Are they still ponies or are they something else?