In a dusty storage room, somewhere in a respectable museum, sat a box. It contained a curious artifact, the purpose of which had never been divined. The fact that it was made of gold and gems had categorized it as art, albeit art that was atypical for the region and timeframe of its creation. Too valuable to dispose of and too abnormal to display, it sat in storage, seeing the light of day only when curious academics unearthed it to marvel at its uniqueness.
It glowed red, fulfilling a part of its purpose.
No one witnessed it siphon the energies from the monster it was built to imprison.
No one witnessed it prepare the next stage of the plan.
No one marveled at the forethought of their ancestors, preparing for every scenario they could imagine.
No one witnessed the counterattack, centuries in the making, build up to its release.
No one had tested the artifact, avoiding possibly triggering Armageddon.
No one had the forethought to anticipate what happened next.
No one had noticed the dislocation in what they thought was a flawless alexandrite sphere.
No one saw the energies expand the dislocation into a submicroscopic crack.
No one felt the rouge pulse of magic it released.
No one realized it wasn’t the first.
Six sisters took note.
(Pas de un)
The fat, white flakes that fluttered down left him practically deaf and blind. A more jarring effect was that they scrubbed the air, stealing every scent that might tell him what was approaching. Still, as much as they hid the world from him, they hid his retreat from the world.
The preceding months had been a cascading series of disasters. Perhaps it was simply one prolonged disaster. Regardless, the effect was the same. His pack was abandoning him. More than half had skulked away without warning or explanation.
There must be a new alpha somewhere, waiting to take him down. He would need to grow his pack, not just to counter the immediate threat, but also to propagate his legacy. His plan was already underway.
Things had not gone entirely as planned. He had merely intended to test the wards as only the parents had been present. His main prize, the little girl, hadn’t even been in the house. She was a strong bitch who was sure to produce healthy litters.
The sun had yet to give up the sky. Still, the change had come.
The storm had hidden the moon's glory. Still, the change had come.
The moon had clearly been waning, with only a sliver glowing. Still, the change had come.
The wolf had stood on four legs where the man had stood on two. Two minds shared one goal.
The two adults had foolishly left the protection of their wards. The blood that painted his muzzle bore mute testament to their error.
The night had not been a total loss. The bitch might be past her prime, but she would keep his nights warm. Besides, she still might bear a litter. As for the dog, it really didn't matter whether he lived or died. Still, the real prize lay out of reach.
The girl child was his real objective. She was rumored to be strong. She had yet to blossom into maturity. She was the perfect candidate.
The element of surprise was gone. She would be vigilant. It wouldn't matter; he would still take her. Now, however, he would have to be patient and pursue his secondary objective in the meantime. The bitch would have a short respite.
He looked skyward and mused. His pack would grow. He would be ready for any challengers. The snow had transformed his world into a mass of white. Why had the change come?
Clotho cried.
(Pas de loup)
The cage was much too small.
There was no room to turn around.
Foul magics reinforced the metals that held him.
They had put him here.
They had snatched up the child.
The child was his friend.
They had made her scream.
When he had come to help, they had been ready.
He had charged with his horn poised for a killing blow.
The blow had never landed.
They had caged him, instead.
They had let the child flee once he had been caged.
The pink monstrosity kept trying to touch him, a touch he would not suffer.
They had brought him far, far away from his child friend.
He was a prisoner.
He wasn’t the only one.
The large one had just returned.
He had returned with a firebird.
A circle of metal, centered on his chest, glowed as he commanded the bird to do his bidding.
The bird had danced around a circle marking the floor, bobbing its head as it went.
Then, the magic of the area grew heavier.
One of them removed the purple cloth it had wrapped around his head and a black smoke poured out.
The smoke, instead of dissipating, rolled into a position inside the circle.
Magic grew even heavier.
Suddenly, six beams of black light leapt from the smoke.
Five went north.
One went forty-two degrees inwards of north and towards yesterday.
The smoke seemed to grow denser.
Evil hung heavily in the air.
Then, the unknown magic came, homing in on the spell already in progress.
It was red.
It rippled through the magic already present.
It shattered the enchantments on his cage.
*Clang!*
It was now their turn to scream.
Dike delighted.
(Pas de cheval)
The phoenix regained his bearings abruptly.
The last thing he remembered was sitting on his perch in the office of his human.
Then, he had heard the song.
The song had been carried on the winds of magic.
Then . . . nothing.
Then, he was here.
There had been snow; now, there was none.
He was outside, and a summoning circle glowed on the ground.
A grotesquely large woman dressed in pink lay not far from him. A red, hoof-shaped welt marred her face.
Just beyond her, a human he recognized from the school huddled in a ball, clutching his stomach.
Most importantly, a huge man hung impaled on the horn of a great unicorn stallion.
The horn had gone through a medallion the man had been wearing, cleared his center of mass, and exited out the back.
There was no life in the man’s eyes.
The unicorn shook the man off its horn and turned deadly eyes upon the woman.
Something was forming in the circle.
Something was solidifying, something evil.
It was time to go!
He was too weak to do much of anything.
He could flee.
He could take the unicorn with him.
He had enough left in him for that.
With a burst of strength, he launched himself onto the back of the equine.
Before calling upon his innate magics, he heard a voice from the circle unknowingly echo the words of another.
“Why am I pink!”
*Fwoosh!*
Atropos agonized.
(Pas de deux)
As she pranced about her backyard, she knew they were pushing their luck. Still, a little excitement went a long way. Their daughter had called to let them know that she was going to a party. With the storm coming, this was the perfect time for a few laps around the yard.
This wasn't the first time they had engaged in the thrill. They had always waited until they knew their neighbors wouldn't be home. The storm was an extra layer of cover, hiding them from potential onlookers. Their fur would keep them warm.
They knew it was a stupid risk. They couldn't help themselves. They were on their third lap when she realized her husband's breath no longer warmed her neck. Curious, she reversed direction, coming back to him with a questioning look on her face. He gazed with unfocused eyes. An orange blossom hung from a tube stuck to his flank.
Panicked, she turned to retreat. She felt a sting on her flank. Looking back, she saw she now sported the same decoration as her husband. This was not good. She stumbled.
Lachesis lamented.
(Pas de valse)
The dosshouse was definitely not the appropriate place for the meeting, even though the hourly rate was still within per diem. It was almost unthinkable that they would be here at the request of a mere technician. However, the man had insisted that their normal meeting rooms had been compromised. The man had insisted that the highest levels of the organization had been compromised. The man had insisted that the director had wanted him to record a meeting that no one could remember happening.
They had scoffed. Still, they had come. They could recognize themselves in the recording. The technician had been right. They had an adversary who had the ability to infiltrate to the very heart of their organization and erase their memories.
That adversary had not known of the new measures the director had taken. The entire situation almost seemed to be a joke. No one was laughing.
One turned to another. “You have a safehouse in the sewers?”
“It’s an old bunker.”
“He put a lot of emphasis on the painting. That was an unusual way of denoting a room,” another commented.
“How do we know this is genuine?”
“My secretary remembers me mentioning going to a meeting at that time.”
“We have to assume the entire headquarters is compromised.”
“A threat assessment is going to be needed.”
“We need defenses.”
“We need to leave ourselves messages.”
“We are in uncharted waters here.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Believe later, make plans now.”
Eirene emoted.
(Pas de bourrée)
With the storm coming, the best place to be was in front of the telly, drinking a large mug of hot mulled wine.
Like so many others, that was exactly where he was. His wife snuggled against his side. They had been worried about their children until the letter had arrived by owl letting them know that they were with an adult and were going to a party and would be back later.
He was almost jealous that they were not going themselves, but the alone time would more than make up for it.
The telly wouldn’t be staying on long.
He was taking a sip as the anchor from the American cable news channel finished introducing himself.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have some world-shattering news this evening. In that vein, the first thing I would like is for each of you to check your calendars. Please note that the date is not April the first. What you are about to hear is absolutely true and is the culminative work of our friends in England. It is so shocking that I am hesitant to say what I’m about to say.
"In fact, you may want to be sitting down for this.
"Seriously, sit down.
"In the next hour you are going to witness the amassed evidence of a secret society living under our very noses. People, once persecuted have withdrawn from the eyes of the world taking secrets upon secrets with them.
"You see, I am here tonight to tell you that magic is real.
"That’s right, you didn’t hear me wrong.
"I’m not crazy, neither are you. This is really happening.
"Magic is real.
"Wizards, witches . . . they exist, as do dragons, werewolves, goblins, and funny little beings called house elves. They all exist, and these are only the creatures that we have verified. Without leaving our own planet, we have proof that we are not alone.
"I repeat, magic is real. It's been hidden for generations, but it exists. Those who practice it have done everything in their power to keep it secret, up to and including wiping the memories of anyone hapless enough to witness any instances of magic.
"I’ll give you a few seconds to let that sink in.
"Yes, you can check your calendar again; it still isn’t April first.
"Here’s the kicker. This news should be the biggest story of the day. Nothing should be able to top it. It is almost obscene that it ends up being second tier to our lead revelation.
"If you weren’t sitting down before, do so now.”
The anchor took a deep breath and stared directly at the camera.
“Aliens walk among us.”
He and his wife shared a worried glance before returning their attention to the telly, all thoughts of an evening alone fleeing.
Outside snow swirled completely obscuring vision after just a few feet.
The storm had arrived.
Eunoma erupted.
(Faux pas)
Chaos advanced.
Fate receded.
Ugh these interludes just seem to get more obnoxious as the story goes on. I swear if you only read the interludes you'd think this was a completely different story.
Discord and Pinkie are preparing their tubs of popcorn for the front-row seats.
Oh dear. Mr. and Mrs. Granger have been captured. The question is: By who? And will Discord intervene?
Looks like I was right about Fenrir Greyback sticking his ugly nose into things. That he's about to engage in rape churns my stomach. Here's hoping help reaches Mrs. Brown first.
..... and did Voldemort just get revived as a pink pony...???
Typo corrected
Whups, the Grangers just got nabbed by the government. That's going to be a fun adventure.
9670095
...pink pony ...pink pony ...better check the his gender next.
9670095
LOL!!!! SNAKE-FACE IS IN BIG TRUBLE!!!!!
Well, That escalated quickly.
MACUSA, along with every other Magical organization, will be screaming at the British Ministry of Magic about this. The Statute of Secrecy, completely rendered null and void, since they cannot Oblivate every muggle on the planet.
9670246
All they have to do is convince everyone it's a hoax. Memory alterations aren't the only way to keep magic secret. The idea someone could go on TV claiming magic is real and not be treated like a joke is very unlikely.
the next day, the world ended.
Sorry, but it's bothering me... What do you mean by "Pas de bourrée"
I've googled bourrée... but it's not giving me a really good answer. I'm getting: stuffed... fluff... and dance...?
Could you please tell me how you are using it for this?
9670095
What I want to know is if anything happened to the horcruxes. Especially Harry, since it was undoubtedly noticed.
9670369
(Pas de bourrée) -- Step of the stuffed, describing over occupancy of room.
This chapter confused me so very much. I skipped huge portions of it because I couldn't figure out what was happening. I got more from the comments about the sorry and plot than any of the actual comments relayed. Very disappointing given the whole of the story is utterly fantastic.
I have no idea what's going on but at least the story isn't over so I'm still happy :)
Thanks for the interlude
It's always good to read something different,
It helps to distract a little bit of the normal phase of this story
Wut?!?
9670423
Well Fate was going about it's merry way when Eris suddenly made a hard right turn into oncoming traffic whilst blaring
So to summarize,
As to the six observers, they are figures of Greek myth.
9670363
It makes biological sense for any creature to want to pass on their genes and see other children as competition, even us humans. One of the things that sets humans apart from animals is that our intelligence allows us to look past our instincts to a degree. Saying that ponies can't do that implies they are still just animals.
But more than that, it goes against what Equestria stands for. I get that this is meant to make the ponies darker, but that just seems to miss the point of MLP. Rape, death sentences in all but name, forced marriages and near-guaranteed child abuse just make Twilight saying "friendship is magic" feel rather hollow.
9670092
They arn't the only ones. *fills up a popcorn tub.*
Any spices whit your?
9670695
But it's also Harry Potter, which had always been full of child abuse, murder, and rape.
I have no idea where the plot of this story is going anymore there are so many threads we are following at the same time.
Like will Cadance ever be freed without a convoluted reason to forgive Chrysalis :P?
Hmmmmm.
Pink Voldy
Browns werewolfed
Doll not as sealed as we thought
Grangers kidnapped..... some how...
There is going to be some rather interesting comeuppance coming.
9670753
Yes, but that's literally a different universe that is only now being explored by Equestria. I don't expect Harry Potter wizards to have always moved the sun and moon and shoot rainbow lazers to redeem Voldemort anymore than I do ponies suddenly having always been habitual rapists and child abusers.
Chaos is prevailing!
9670910
Madness has stirred; the Triskelion is awakening
9670266
Yes, but before making the announcement, they would have prepared. I expect this is not going to end up swept under the rug, if only from story logic.
Hmmm it seems official this story has taken a right turn from commedy into dark/gore/violence I'll give it a few more chapters but this may be the point where I step out. Like I said last chapter I get enough of that in real life.
9670093
A werewolf who admits it makes no sense for him to be in wolf form at that time.
9670662
So you're saying at least one of the browns is dead and the grangers have wound up in a zoo or dead themselves?
9671145
Well Mr. Brown just got mauled by a sadistic werewolf, Fenrir didn't give him very good odds, and he's rather the expert, isn't he? As to the Grangers we know precisely nothing. Could have been spooks, could have been cryptozoologists, could have been animal control. The tranq darts mean that they're still alive at least, but the planned course of their lives has gone utterly off track.
9671145
Using the world of Harry Potter always meant that this story would be darker than the MLP norm. It is something I have been worrying about since before actually getting the nerve to start writing. However, you can rest assured, I don't now intent nor never did, to make it so dark as to need a dark tag.
That said, I had removed the original comedy tag from the story because I wasn't sure if I could keep it up enough to qualify as a comedy. I only put it back on after about, I don't know, chapter 17ish.
9670853
Except, I'm not defining the entire pony population this way. I'm pointing out that there is a dark underbelly that acts counter to pony norms. Barnaby's reaction to Berryshine would not have been a worry if not for his previous actions.
A new chapter!? What a great birthday present!
9671478
You made it sound like stallions being abusive towards foals not their own was pretty normal though. It all feels less like 'seedy underbelly' and more 'common Equestrian biology.'
9671580
It is somewhere between those two extremes. To the point that the mares are appreciative of not having to worry about it.
9671580
9671478
Same it's part of why I was uncertain especially when you compared it to beating women in our world which us common and even today has people happy to joke about giving a girl a hit for her own good.
For me it's the difference between Berryshine being a mother worried the stallion who attacked a group of foals might do the same to her filly even though Cherilee and Carrot Top say he probably had a reason and wouldnt do that to her filly. Vs all 3 acting like it's basically expected he'd do something to her and promising to keep her away from him so he won't need to.
Same with Mayor Mayor who shouldn't be affected by the darkness of HP yet browbeating a mare into a her agreement rather than trying to reason or encourage her when we see multiple single partner units in the show.
Salt causing drunkenness sure, casual attitudes towards nudity definitely, kinky bondage games to Barnabys discomfort yep, ancient evils that mentally break and enslave ponies definitely but the stallion foal abuse just doesn't anything shown in the show.
It just comes off as less darker series interacting with a lighter one and more au for the sake of gritty storytelling since this isn't something like Fenrirs attack or Equestria needing to deal with something coming from Earth but something as far as I can tell is being added in based on wild horse behaviour which wouldn't necessarily apply to intelligent ponies and contradicts things shown in show. just like I may be descended from apes but don't fling poop at people.
Then there's this ritual you used to resurrect Vokdemort with the implied torture of a child to lure the unicorn into a trap and enslaving a Phoenix or Fenrirs attacking the browns and possibly killing them. Not to my taste but aside from the as yet unexplained transformation into a wolf or the browns foolishly leaving their wards to investigate It works in universe. It comes from something I can see happening. Not all changes are good ones after all and the impact on their child will also impact her Equestrian friends and thus that world as the ponies deal with the idea someone would do this deliberately.
A good story and you should definitely write what your happy with though. Anyway hope this post clarifies my position and I'll not belabor the point any more.
9671309
Unless they were filled with something more potent in order to not damage the pelt.
The exploding prophecies were only the beginning. You don't throw a destiny as intricate as Harry Potter's off the rails without a crapton of collateral damage. The wreckage will surely be a sight to see. I just hope most of it can be repaired.
So......should I set the table for The Great Old Ones now or wait a few more chapters? I wonder if they like tea, coffee, or beer?
9681070
Thanks! I just hope it gets addressed in the story. Those pones truly were imprisoned in horrid conditions, and their only real crime was waking up one day with a biological need, without knowing any healthy way to get it. And I uh... may have not read very much of the story past that yet.
As someone who didn't read all the books nor see all but the first 4 movies, this chapter is irritatingly confusing...
No offense meant to the author as it all seems to be pretty well written, but recently it's been feeling (to me) like you're expected to know the entire Harry Potter story beforehand. In only two "scenes" of this chapter did I have any small clue who or what was being talked about.
There have been characters or events before that I knew had to come from what parts I hadn't seen/read, but it was fine. I could follow along easily enough. Now...
I put recommendation for Magic School Days on Chapter 3 of my fanfic. Just thought you might want to know
9516926
I think I accidentally slipped by 100 years xD
9670662
Thank you very much for this much needed translation!
9684262
Actually nothing in this chapter is even close to being from the books. Excepted the reference to the Horcruxes during the ritual. It's just the perspective and purple prose that makes it confusing. It deliberately leave out names to make it a puzzle to work out.
For the first snippet this story had Discord thwart an ancient evil magician who sounds like he was from the Aztec sort of era. He would be given sacrifices etc. When Discord stops him his soul is in the body of a beetle. But he goes on to keep trying to come back to life. The ancient people who first killed him though left behind a few plans to stop him including the jeweled box that gets introduced the same way each time it's mentioned. It pulsed red magic to stop that evil wizard from killing the girl he made Goblin king a awhile back now it's pulsing again to stop another evil ritual but the red gem is cracked in the process.
The second snippet comes from right after the end of last chapter where Lavander Brown's parents were attacked by a werewolf who is trying to hunt Lavander apparently. They were both turned from what it sounds like and the werewolf wants to use Lavander as a breeder but is going to use her mother as one until he can get to Lavander (really not liking that plot point btw)
The third snippet comes from a unicorn captured by Umbridge and Quirrel who are attempting to resurrect Voldemort using the ritual the kids used to resurrect Myrtle. The red magic pulse from the first snippet finally reached it's Target and interrupts the ritual freeing the unicorn who precedes to gore and stamp on Quirrel and Umbridge.
The next is from Fawkes the Phoenix at the same ritual who comes to his senses with the red magic pulse and flaps over to the unicorn to flame them out of there just before whatever Voldemort was ressurected as appears asking why he was pink, meaning the spell was slightly botched and he might be a pony now or just colored pink.
The next is from Emma and Dan Granger who were frolicking in their backyard as ponies when they got sleeping darted by what I would assume is muggles, either their neighbors or animal control.
The next is from the MI agents from the meeting that got obliviated a few chapters ago. They managed to save a recording of it happening.
And the last is the end result of that reporter guy snooping around the leaky cauldron, starting to date that friend of Tonks, and getting dragged to Equestria and turned into a Wizard so he could use the ring to turn into a pony. With the winter vacation I guess he came back and reported his findings lol. (To be fair I'm not entirely sure if the guy snooping around the leaky cauldron is actually the same guy who was dating Tonk's friend but the context clues point that that is the case.)
10188012
actually from what i understand, there were two Muggles who managed to get in undetected, Clementines friend is one, the other is a reporter...
10205942
Clementine's friend IS the reporter
10304253
Nop.
Clementine's friend is the conspiracy theorist.
The report is the one that was in tue Leaky Caldron when Twilight was on fire.
Voldemort is now pink?...
Voldemort is pink? Or Fushia? Is Voldemort:
Pinkie Pie evil twin?
Twilight evil twin in pink?
Cozy Glow?
Pink Kirin im Lunas size?
Evil Cadance twin?
A Lamia full on pink? Pink snake is still pink...
11589533
I'm betting cozy. She is power mad and sneaky enough for it.