Fancypants was a rich pony, but one that never shied away from less luxurious activities. So he felt comfortable just outside Zecora's home, watching her cook in her outdoor cauldron, sitting on a hoofmade chair, even if he didn't feel right at home. Who could in the Everfree Forest, aside from the zebra herself? He adjusted his monocle as he watched his host drop a few more leaves into her cauldron.
"And you're certain this can be done?"
"It truly has been such a task,
Trying to accomplish what you ask,
But time is plenty and your need is great,
And good things come to those who wait."
"Time isn't that plentiful," Fancypants sighed. He took another sip of tea. He liked the tea, and paid Zecora a good deal for a steady supply of it.
"I understand your want for haste,
Trust that time I do not waste."
Zecora grabbed the last ingredient off the shelf, another type of herb, and with great care she sprinkled it in.
The mixture began to bubble a great deal, as if she had fed the fire burning underneath it. It changed from green to blue to a deep purple, finally giving a large bubble that popped with a gaseous sound, as if the pot had burped.
Fancypants and Zecora had both flinched at this reaction, and neither untensed their muscles for several seconds. They simply watched as the liquid emitted a strange smoke. Finally, Fancypants dared ask.
"Is it... is it a success?"
"I truly do not know,
But I sincerely hope it is so."
"We need to test it."
"We cannot test it here, I fear,
Twilight and friends are much too near."
Fancypants hated that subject. Everytime Rarity and her friends entered his brain at the same time as this dealing, he felt himself pulled two ways. He liked Rarity, he might have courted her if he wasn't spoken for, but she wouldn't understand. Twilight wouldn't understand. She was loyal to the Princess, who was a kind and wise ruler, but she might not understand. Maybe she would. It couldn't be risked.
"Then where?"
"In the deserts, wide and vast,
You can find the answers at last."
"There? But the buffalo... and the guards are still searching out there for the changelings..."
"The guards have eased up, their search has found little,
And of this plan you should not belittle.
As for the buffalo, worry not.
They migrate plenty, we won't be sought."
Fancypants thought a moment. It's true, the search for the changelings had been fruitless. The guards had pulled out except for an outpost set up there. It had been a violation of the treaty with the buffalo tribes, but they didn't complain, they knew the danger. In fact, buffalo were often seen there, reporting on any leads. But actively looking for the changelings was long over for both groups. The desert was calm.
The calm before the storm. A cliché, he knew, but very appropriate.
"Very well. I'll have some ponies here tomorrow to move. Ponies I trust, I assure you. Will you be coming."
"I fear that this time there's a need,
My curiosity I must feed.”
Leaving Everfree. She had never agreed to that, hadn't expected her to agree to it now. The offer was customary by this point.
"Truly? You don't think Ponyville will be suspicious at you leaving? No offense, my dear, but in a small town any non-pony sticks out..."
"If I make an appearance at tomorrow's noon,
I shan’t be missed at any time soon,
A request I will make for peace will sway,
Even keeping my young friend Apple Bloom away."
"Very well. Just be careful. You know what's at stake." Zecora gave him a look, and he amended his statement. "What could be at stake."
"One who fights monsters then looks in the mirror,
Might see a reflection that makes them shiver."
"I'm... aware of the saying, my dear." He rubbed his temple. He had a headache. He looked at the edge of a clearing. A timberwolf was there, growling. Just growling, never stepping forward, Zecora's wards prevented it, especially for something so unnatural.
One who fights monsters... that had been Luna once upon a time. Luna, whose defeat of Discord and Sombra had given her pride. Luna, whose battle with her sister created this horrible place.
He felt like his head would split in two. "I say, do you have any more of that headache cure?"
Dyne was shocked. After months of having his request put off by Celestia for different emergencies (the reemergence of the Crystal Empire, a mad pony who had somehow found a dangerous artifact thought to be destroyed, false leads on the Changeling Queen) and a request for their meeting to be away from Dragon Territory, and alone, he was thinking Celestia better have a good explanation for this dragon whelp.
And did she ever.
"Light... Light help us," he said, rubbing his head. "Do you know what this means? This is even worse than my idiot son... Light..."
"That's why I kept things quiet, even from you," she said. "I trust you, Dyne, but you were better off not knowing. You had deniability then. Even after all this time..."
"You think I don't know that?" He never raised his voice. He was too dazed. "This could be a disaster."
Celestia took a deep breath. "Dragons live a long time. There are plenty of them still alive that would remember, even if it was before my sister's corruption."
"What are you going to do when he grows up?"
"The plan's been to pass him off as just another dragon I've allowed to settle in pony territory."
"And what if he stays with your student's offspring?" Dyne mumbled. "He'll want to, if he really considers her his blood."
"He'll need to grow out of it," Celestia said. "It won't be easy. I've been dreading the day Twilight passes on into Paradise for more than the loss of..." She trailed off. She had nearly said, "my child", and that would have been a lie. A sweet lie.
"That egg should have been stillborn," Dyne said, more to himself than to Celestia.
"My student's just that good," Celestia said, pride creeping into her voice. Dyne couldn't help but smile. He didn't meet with the pony princess often, but whenever he did, Twilight was brought up, and no matter how brief they stayed on the subject, the pride was always there.
"Can you keep your son quiet?"
Dyne groaned. "My son thinks with his muscles." His attitude seemed a mirror flip of Celestia's, he almost laughed. "I've had to threaten him with the most grueling work possible to keep him under my thumb, and even then I don't trust him to leave his chambers. Thrash and Mumble, on the other claw, I believe will stay quiet. I think they believe Garble's crazy."
"Oh?"
"I heard them council, on one of the few occasions I've allowed it since he returned. They continue telling him he needs to forget his petty vengeance, but he..." Dyne hung his head in shame. "I... I apologize again for his antagonism," he said in a tone one would not expect to come from a dragon, let alone a king.
"You are not your son..."
"His attitude is still a reflection of my parenting," he grumbled. He looked down at Celestia, who backed up a bit. It was a disorienting experience, he realized, for her to deal with a creature bigger than she was, given how she towered over her subjects. "Does... Spike know? Twilight?"
"They are in the dark, and I intend to keep it that way," she said, her voice heavy. "Though maybe not for much longer.”
Dyne lifted an eyebrow. “And why’s that?”
Celestia took a breath. “Twilight is the one responsible for the Changelings’ defeat, the restoration of my sister, the defeat of Discord...”
Dyne shivered. He was not quite old enough to have seen Discord’s reign, but he had his father’s stories of it, and that had chilled his blood well enough.
“Twilight is ready. Ready for something she has earned a thousand times over.”
“... The Trials.” Even outside of ponies, it was known the Trials were gifts of the Source. Alicorns were marked for worship, as far as many were concerned.
“She’s ready to begin. I will be calling her up to the Crystal Empire soon to discuss it.”
“You honor Spike then, putting him in such care.”
“I appreciate that sentiment,” Celestia said, “but... I worry. Twilight’s a target, and a worry what will come next with her ascension.”
Chrysalis stumbled back into her hideout. It was inconvenient, her associate said, coming back here every evening, especially when she could live much more comfortably. The first half of that statement had been correct, of course, but the second had been an outright fabrication. Even stuck in a cave with no running water was better than the horrible confines she had been operating in the last few days.
Shivering, she went over to her washtub, filled thanks to a studious changeling, and dipped in, ignoring the pain the hot water was causing. The burn was good, it burned away the filth.
A brush and soap were worked until she nearly rubbed her coat off. She felt so filthy... but it would be worth it. Oh, how it would be worth it...
Hooray!
Ugh, Fancy Pants, what the hell are you doing!?
Looks like that the dragon king was a reasonable guy in the end... unlike his son.
Nice start, let see how this will develop.
Interesting. Very interesting.
JUST PEED MY PANTS!!!
The next story in the saga has at last begun! Can't wait to see what happens next!
Although I must say, several of the things mentioned in the Prologue sound fairly ominous. What are Fancypants and Zecora up to, that he's worried about anyone in Ponyville finding out that she's gone? What's Chrysalis up to? Will Dyne be able to keep Garble on a leash, especially when it comes to the latter's vengeance against Spike, Twilight and Company? And just what does King Dyne know about Spike and his past, anyway?
Oh, the suspense! I'll be glad when the chapters start rolling in! Til next time, take care and keep 'em comin', bro!!!
EDIT: Wow, you've got 13 upvotes on this chapter already! Well done! Shows how good it is!
Time to go another round of Darth Link. Sometime in a few days...
Let's do this.
3525618 LEEROY..... Sorry, I just had to
Wait, so instead of Twilight writing a new spell that will allow her to become an alicorn, it will be these trials that you were talking about. While she is doing these trials, the rest of the main cast will be solving the problems Twilight solved in season 3. You also show King Dyne actually showing some respect for Twilight, which means he'll be more accustomed to Spike being in her hoofs. This is already becoming an awesome premise. Can't wait for more!
Everyone here is shifty. I don't trust them.
IT HAS BEGUN!
Wait... Is that the Smooze?
Did Zecora just brew the Smooze?
Huzzah! It has arrived!
And what a way to start! You already got me to the edge of my seat with just the prologue (is this going to be a thing with all your stories?). Anyway, great work!
3525928
... Thank you. Now I can't get that song out of my head.
Families might not have warranted a dark tag, but it certainly toed that line pretty tightly a few times.
guess we'll see where this goes. should be fun
I think you mean "Magical Mystery Cure".
Hmm. Ominous. Most ominous... I can't wait for all of this to come to a head!
Also, when you say assume everything took place, does that include "Keep Calm and Flutter On"? A reformed Discord has a tendency to unhinge conspiracies by simple virtue of his existence.
In any case, looking forward to more.
Oh, and one last thing. Zecora's last line is kind of weak. If I may suggest an alternative:
"One who fights monsters then looks in the mirror,
May see there a monster that could not be nearer."
3526066
I should have posted this link earlier: here
Prologue seems misspelled
yes. Just yes. Can't wait to read more, and I'm so glad it's continuing.
No tag for Twilight or Spike?
3526215
No, they're going to be off screen most of the story.
Do you have any plans to address anything of importance that Season 4 might produce? Just in case something pops up that might cause trouble for the universe you've built up.
Plots and plans all around it seems.
I sure hope Fancy lives up to my dreams.
How does Zecora do this all day long
I couldn't even manage for the length of a song.
All right!
Not much to say so far, considering we only have scattered bits to work with, but I am glad that Celestia and Dyne got to have their talk before anything else could hit the fan.
Definitely can't wait to see where this one goes!
Damn, quite the setup here in this chapter. Curious and eager to see where this goes.
Well it's about time!
Who's this Concier chap?
3526012
Alright, then.... It's showtime!
3526012
You're welcome.
I'm annoyed that the Dragon King x Celestia meeting happened pretty much off screen, I was looking forward to it honestly. I'll take the mild distraction having the Smooze song stuck in your head as my petty revenge.
---
In the chapter 'Life goes on' of Families you had several short snippets play out, among them was Trixie on the Pie Family rock farm.
In the Prologue you sum up
.
I do wonder if this was specifically the infamous Trixie episode? Also I wonder if the short snippet of her back in families was just set-up for the season 3 episode in question?
If these are both the case, I find it odd that you would place a set-up specifically for a scene that would not be mentioned except in passing but at that would play out (assumedly) unchanged from the actual episode itself.
I have to ask if there was another plan that was changed or abandoned here?
Or would answers just be a spoiler of things to come?
3526232 So does this mean we don't get to see the trials that Twilight have to go through?
Anyway, there seems to be a lot of conspiracies behind the scenes going on. I am guessing this story takes place instead of "Magical Mystery Cure?" That all the other episodes you are including has already happened?
... Are we going to see the trails?
I wonder just who Spike is as well... and what Fancypants/Zecora are planning.
Post Nuptials was interesting because it dealt with canon and expanded upon it with a heavy dose of realism. It was well written and didn't try to be anything grander than what it was, a well written character study and logical deduction of what happened during the Royal Wedding
Families tried to answer several questions that have been unanswered in the series, but turned into a dark and violent story with a stupid political conflict which couldn't have interested me less. If it wasn't for the Scootaloo subplot, I would have quit after the dragon-maiming. Also went with the most common fandom ideas with an unimaginative endings: Scootadoption, Pie family redemption and Twilightmom.
Forward doesn't even deal with canon events or anything. And a Dark tag to boot? Not gonna bother with it.
So, we have at least three plots underway here. One is definitely malign (with Discord sponsoring Chrysalis, how could it be anything else?). I'm actually unsure about Fancy Pants. Maybe he's doing a good thing but, from his thoughts about Rarity and Twilight's reaction, that's debatable. As for Celestia? Well, whatever she's plotting is for the Greater Good, we can be sure of that... Whether Twilight will see it that way?
I'll follow this to see where it goes, but the lack of Twilight and Spike does lessen my enthusiasm, I admit.
3527789 I have to agree. My whole reason for following Post Nuptials was the character examination. I could care less about the genre the series has decided to involve itself with.
And so, questions abound. What is Discord making Chrysalis do? How will Twilight handle the Trials? Will I ever finish my own fanfiction and stop wasting the days away on here?
lol
Great story as always, can't wait for more.
3528293 Wait, YOU and ME are agreeing on something? Dude... wtf?
3528459 you hate on Twilestia fics. It's natural I disagree with you then. This is Nuptialverse. It's completely different as a dynamic. But yes, it is odd to see us unanimously agree something is bad. That's generally a sign something is wrong.
3527789
...
Even though I'm going to give it a chance, it's sobering to see my opinion duplicated by others.
Ooh, another Dark Link fic *rubs hooves together* I am intrigued by this setup, and shall track.
3527157
Infamous?
3529717
I do enjoy Trixie as a Character, she's my favourite character in the series.
But both her episodes are, to me at least, 'mishandled' at best.
3530484 Ah.
I thought maybe that specific episode was more controversial than I realized.
I think the reason this hasn't got that much of a response is because there's only a prologue up. Just saying that it might have helped to have a first chapter too.
is this a canon reference or a reference to another story
I have seen a few that have done that.
and here comes trollestia again
let's see where this goes before I like it.
3527789
I just put the Dark tag because everyone said Families was dark. I don't see it. Maybe I'm just desensitized.
It will be dealing with a canon event. The reason Twilight leaves Equestria will be based on a canon episode. And it will focus on everypony's character getting along without her. I don't care if that changes your mind, I'm just saying..
3533295
It's nothing like that. S3 is happening differently because I had the idea before it aired and some things in that season I wanted to use. It's already happened as of this prologue, as I've referenced.
And as for Pinkie... eh, that's just the story that came to me. If you don't like it, that's your opinion.
3526759
The image links to his deviantArt page.
3528395
A series of fics that started with Post Nuptials. The list is on my profile.
3534558
child abuse is dark, especially psychological child abuse. Treason is dark. Hell, the way you come up with immortality is dark.
I like your writing, but I wish you'd stick with slice of life because a lot of times I feel like the payoff at the end isn't worth the way you extend the plot to really show how terrible your villains are
At last. Part 3 hath begun.