Chapters The Empresses; A Continuation
Princess Twilight would always wonder where it went wrong.
If you asked Princess Celestia, it would be the day that Midnight Sparkle finally received a letter of surrender from the United States of Equestria.
If you asked Princess Luna, she would say the moment Midnight Sparkle took over Twilight Sparkle once more.
If you asked any of her friends, they would flip you off and make you swear on Discord himself that you would never utter their counterpart's name again.
If you asked her, however, she would say approximately 4 years, 3 months, and 12 days ago.
It wouldn't be an approximation, however. No, it would be a fact.
Because to Twilight Sparkle, that was the day she asked Sunset Shimmer to buy her a book from Barnyard Bargains.
It was a specific book, a copy of the newest Daring Do that had yet to be released in Equestria for 6 months.
She just couldn't wait. After waiting for nearly a year, then finding out that the author had to push it back because she 'didn't like the feel of the ending'?
She was so stupid.
But, she didn't know that for another week. Back then, all she heard from Sunset was a casual 'okay' and an agreement for them to meet in an hour for her to drop off the book.
She wouldn't hear about the attack for another day. According to Sunset's friends, she was still clutching the book in her arms when they had to wheel her into the ER.
It was a miracle that she didn't bleed out before they hooked her to the ER.
But, she couldn't put all the blame on Sunset's attackers, she knew. She knew it was also her fault. It was her fault she took so long to grieve.
It was her fault she never responded to her counterpart pleading for any help on what to do about Sunset's condition.
It was her fault that she never saw the shift of her writing. From teary-eyed scratches to cold, hard writing.
It was her fault that she wasn't there to help any of her Human friends when Midnight Sparkle had swayed the over to her side.
But, now was not time to dwell on the past, she told herself. Now, Sunset was awake, and she had to be there for her like she should have been 4 years ago.
Shelving her thoughts, she dared a glance at Midnight, who took up a quarter of the elevator they were in. Because of the amount of raw power she held, she was able to match Celestia and Luna in stature. Twilight, being the smaller princess of the three, looked like a teenager compared to them.
The ride up was cold, lifeless. In a 'show of power', Midnight had the elevator made of tempered glass on all sides and made it so the elevator ran directly in the middle of each floor, so any visitors can see the might of her Empire. Floor after floor, Twilight could see soldiers, guns, and weapons of such destruction Little Boy was a grenade by comparison. On each floor, she could see soldiers wheeling around corrosive material, laser weapons, and torture devices ranging from the 15th Century to today.
"Enjoying the show, princess ?" Midnight whispered in her ear. "Imagine what we could do if we have an infinite amount of magic at our disposal. Imagine all of the great achievements we could have if you just worked with me."
"Stop," Celestia growled. During the entire trip, she had not once spoken besides her demand to see Sunset when she walked out of the portal. She drew her ceremonial sword and pointed it at Midnight's throat. In turn, Twilight unsheathed her own sword and readied herself.
As royalty themselves, Celestia, Luna, and Twilight all had ceremonial armor and swords to accompany them. Since they weren't allowed to bring guards with them, they compromised to be allowed to arm themselves should they ever come here. The swords were custom-made in the Celestial Forge in Canterlot, being infused with spells that made the armor of Midnight's army feel like paper.
The armor was made out of SkyForge Steel from the top of Mount Canterhorn and was capable of holding up against the power of the literal sun. Each set was infused with blood and magic from the owner, made so that it would reject the touch and use of anyone else besides themselves. It was a pain though since it also had to be specific to that particular iteration of them, or else Midnight or her former Principal and Vice-Principal could use it.
Luckily, Twilight had pulled the spell off, and Midnight had to get treated for second-degree burns when she first tried the armor.
To any other leader, drawing weapons would immediately be taken as a sign of hostility. However, with the circumstances surrounding Midnight, her friends, and their counterparts, drawing swords upon each other was a regular basis.
Midnight stared at Twilight, then looked at Celestia, before she relented and backed off. When the elevator made it to the top of the castle, she ushered them into a conference room to the left, which held the rest of the Empress's sans Fluttershy.
"Hey there, Princess ," Rainbow Dash sneered. "How are you today?"
"Likewise, Spectrum ," Twilight replied with malice, "I suppose you've supplemented your days with torturing more employees if that hospital wing was any indication."
"That dweeb had it coming!" Rainbow roared, rushing towards Twilight. With deft skill, Twilight side-stepped her and put her leg out to trip the Empress. She toppled over and crashed into a chemistry set that was (thankfully) empty. If there was one thing Rainbow hated, it was being called by her Empress name by those she still considered her friends.
"Well, I do hope you have a nice trip here, Princesses." Rarity stepped forward, diverting attention from that mock-up that was her best friend. "You must simply visit us more often, Twilight."
"I suppose," Twilight grumbled, "Now that Sunset is awake."
"On that topic," Midnight cut her counterpart off, "We all have to transform into our human forms." She turned to face the Equestrians, "Sunset is out there with Fluttershy right now. We placed an illusion spell over her, so that she wouldn't be surprised immediately by the state of the world. We have to wait until her heart can handle the stress before we break it to her what happened."
"An illusion spell?" Luna mused, with a hint of amusement in her voice. "I wonder how much of your precious magic is needed to keep up one of such magnitude. That must be a lot of power being used to keep the spell up."
Midnight glared daggers into the Night Princess, "And that's why I need your help to keep the spell up. We can't spare any more magic on the illusion, and our geodes can't siphon enough magic to hold it up, especially after you cut us off of any other natural portals to Equestria." Twilight could hear the anger in her voice.
"Well, such a shame," Celestia sneered, "You need magic to hold up your illusion, and we don't want to give you the magic."
"You know, if you just shared the magic of Equestria with us, we could do so much more together." Midnight quipped. "How about you just give us some more magic?" She already knew the answer Twilight would give, but she was persistent.
"Buck off," Twilight growled. "It'll be a cold day in Tartarus before I give you more magic."
"That's a bit selfish of you, isn't it Twilight darling?" Rarity batted her eyes at the princesses.
"Not at all." Twilight bluntly replied, looking at Rarity with innocent eyes. "It's our magic. I don't see a reason why I need to help you when we are at odds with each other." She turned her gaze back to Midnight, "We will only use our magic to cover our armor. Anything else would have to be supplemented by your own reserves."
"Not that there's much left..." Midnight muttered under her breath. Despite how they appeared to the masses on television and online, they actually had a very small budget of natural magic compared to Equestria. All of their magic reserves had to be carefully managed, as they didn't have any other sources of natural magic besides their connection to Equestria. They used to have more, with the Natural portals to Equestria, but Celestia had ordered them closed by Starswirl when they first found out the humans were siphoning magic from them.
Even their own powers weren't infinite. While the geodes acted like the Elements of Harmony, in which they can create their own magic, it was minuscule compared to what the Elements can create. When they first found this out during Twilight's first official visit to Earth with her Element, they had tried to steal her crown because of the sheer amount of magic it had been expelling. However, Twilight had found out what they were doing, and it ended up in a Second Grand Canyon cutting a swath through Canterlado.
A good chunk of their magic was dedicated to the Weather Service, who regulated the weather of the planet. The rest of it was dedicated solely to R&D and military R&D. It was one reason why Midnight had wanted to end the rebellion so quickly, as they were a major drain on the planet's magic either through the rebel's magic weapons, or their own.
"Whatever the case, I believe it would be a good time to visit dear Sunset, should we not?" Rarity suggested, attempting to clear up the air in the room. A chorus of agreement rang out, and each person used their own magic to disguise themselves before exiting the room...
Only to see Sunset toppled out of her own wheelchair, with Fluttershy holding her body and crying.
"MEDIC!" She screamed.
Author's Note
Hey, look, another continuation!
Yeah yeah, some of you may say I'm stealing other's stories But if you read the rules, I'm really not. There is no rule against continuations, only re-writes, and plagiarism. So go ahead and act pissed all you want. I'm still going to continue this.
I get this was a lot of world-building, but you guys need to know how magic works in this universe before I continue since it will be a major plot point later in the story.
Also, as per moral rules, the original chapters aren't here. You have to head to the original The Empresses to read them, so as to properly credit the author.
Anyways, au revoir!
The Empresses; A Continuation
About 15 minutes prior
"Wow, it looks even more beautiful than before I went into a coma." Sunset quipped as she and Fluttershy exited the elevator and entered the 'viewing deck' on top of the castle. "Since when did Canterlot get so big?"
"We've had some major corporations move in since you slipped into a coma," Fluttershy said softly, not wanting Sunset to hear the betrayal in her voice. While Sunset was able to see clear skies and a beautiful city skyline for miles, Fluttershy wished she could say the same thing. To Sunset, this was a viewing deck, with other patients around her that were just chatting or playing with each other. To her left, she could see some nurses chatting with each other as their patients conversed, while to her right she could see a decently-sized field where some patients were going for a small walk-a-round. Behind her, nurses would come in and out of the elevators moving things like medicine and other medical equipment around.
Like downstairs, Fluttershy saw things a bit differently. The top of the castle was mainly a large helipad, where their generals would come down and converse with the Empresses. Around her, Fluttershy saw guards patrolling the area, while some on break merely stood next to each other, with little conversation between them. Since the castle was sectioned into multiple areas for multiple jobs, guards would often come in and out of elevators, wheeling around weapons or otherwise dangerous substances. She felt bad for lying to Sunset about what is really going on, but she knew that if she ever found the truth in her state, she may not live it.
As Sunset continued to relax and watch the skyline. Fluttershy got a text from Twilight,
With the princesses; They want to see Sunset. We'll be there in 10 minutes
She smiled and pocketed her phone. Next to her, Sunset wheeled around to face her. "Who was that?" She cocked her head.
Fluttershy gave her a small smile, "Twilight. She's bringing along some friends of hers to meet you, and wanted me to let you know before you see them."
"Oh, that's nice." Sunset said, "From work?"
"Umm, you could say that..." Fluttershy shyly said. She didn't know what would happen once the Princesses got here, as they have yet to be briefed about Sunset's conditions.
Suddenly, the elevator door swung open, and out came one of the new servants of the castle. They walked at a brisk pace, holding a plate with a coffee cup on it, to meet with the Empress of Kindness. "My Empress, your coffee as you wished for IT! " They shouted, as they tripped over.
It seemed that the servant had not been briefed on the situation regarding Sunset, and did not realize the implications of calling Fluttershy by her present name. Fluttershy had tried to wave off the servant before he revealed any more secrets yet to be told when she accidentally pushed the servant and made them drop the coffee near her chest. She sidestepped the coffee...only for it to land on Sunset right behind her.
Now, coffee is hot, like really bloody hot unless you're one of those heathens who drinks Iced Coffee from Dunkin, andwho is sitting down no less , it didn't end up on her chest or her legs, no no no.
It landed on her face.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH, SON OF A B****!!" Sunset swore, as the coffee splattered all around her face, her nose, even on her forehead. She luckily clamped her eyes shut, but her eyelids were still affected by the coffee. She leaned forward, and fell out of her wheelchair on top of Fluttershy, who was just barely able to catch her. Had she been in a better state, the coffee may not have been that potent. However, seeing as she had just began walking again, the effect was amplified.
Now, please enter, the rest of the Rainbooms and the Princesses! *Jazz hands*
"MEDIC!" Fluttershy shouted at a guard, who hastly began calling up the closest EMS they had.
"SUNSET!" The rest of the group shouted, as the Rainbooms shed their human forms in favor of immediatly flying over to the girl. Midnight took over for Fluttershy in holding Sunset up, as the Empress of Kindness began running through all of her known spell to treat the burn.
"Sunset, are you alright!?" Midnight said, holding up Sunset's face to look at her. Sunset cracked her non-affected eye open to look at Midnight, and gave her a small smile.
"Twilight..." Sunset began.
"Sunset, can you see me?" She asked with haste.
"Twi..." Sunset got out, before she cluched her chest and falling limp in her arms. Just as she fell into this state, a EMS team came to them. The leader slid right next to Midnight, and checked Sunset's heartbeat.
"Irregular heartbeat, she might be having a heart attack." She said in a cool fashion, then turned to one of her team, and nodded to the wall behind them, "Get the defib from the elevator, NOW!" The paramedic nodded, than rushed to get the defiblirator as the rest of the paramedics began ripping open Sunset's hospital gown and preparing the chest. The paramedic turned to Midnight, "Excuse me, Empress, but I need this space." Midnight nodded, and let the paramedic take over, before going over to the rest of her friends huddling nearby.
In the group, Pinkie was trying to comfort Fluttershy, who was crying into one of her wings and sobbing as she muttered 'It's all my fault' and 'I shouldn't have pushed him'. Applejack was just giving her backpats, while Rarity, Rainbow, and the Princesses were standing around nervously. Before she could address them, she saw one servant trying to scamper into the elevator.
"Halt." She said in a cold voice. The servant froze, and slowly turned to face Midnight. Midnight called over Fluttershy, who had finished crying and whiping off dry tears from her face. "Was he the one who dropped the coffee?" She asked. Fluttershy finished drying her tears, and looked at the servant.
"Yes, he was." Fluttershy said, facing Midnight, who glared at the servant. Said servant was now also sweating profusely.
"Good." She said with a tone of finality in her voice. The tone signaled only one thing to the rest of the people present. Celestia and Twilight only gave the servant a look of pity, before turning away. They had seen Midnight do this before, and weren't willing to watch it twice. Despite not knowing what's going to happen, Luna realized the signal her sister was giving her, and turned away as well. The rest of the Empresses, meanwhile, began to back away from Twilight, and knowing what she was about to do, Fluttershy signaled for the guards to throw up their shields, which they did in haste.
The servant began trembling in fear, and litirally pissed himself on the spot as Midnight brought out he personal weapon. A ornate amathyst scythe emblazoned with Midnight's personal cutie mark. She slowly brought the tip of the balde to the servants nose, before giving him a sickingly sweet smile. "Did you know, I personally learned where all 206 bones are in a persons body for this very reason?"
It...was not quick for the servant.
Author's Note
So, based on my reading, CrossRedstone had this mixed style of random rush, in which it feels both like a rushed story in terms of writing and a random story as if it wasn't fully planned out beyond the basic plotline.
How do I know this? Because it's the same style that I apply to half of my stories.
Anyways, new chapter! Sunset got burned, we see that I am somehow decently descriptive with medical issues, and apparently Midnight can execute people. NICE
The Empresses; A Continuation
Author's Note
If you read the morse code in the last chapter, and it made no sense to you, this is the conversation decoded. I thought it would be fun to try and pretend it was a conversation, but it seems there are issues with it.
So, this is the decoded conversation of the last chapter. if you want to solve it yourself, don't read this.
Should you read it, this is how you have to read it:
1) Ignore the random phrases at the start and end of the sentences. These were put in the front and end of sentences as deterrents to wiretappers and confuse them by adding in random, nonsensical phrases.
2) Get yourself a prosign chart, I used the one from Wikipedia. Prosigns are meant to shorten the messages by taking a commonly used phrase (Such as Roger) and assigning it to a letter to use in place of writing out the entire thing (Example, the letter K will stand for 'Copy')
Conversation Decoded
COWS TO THE ATTIC DE OPRT OMEGA HOW COPY K YULTIDE CAROLS
MOTHERS BLIGHT R OUR TOWN COPIES ALL STANDBY FOR INSTRUCTIONS DAYLIGHTS BREAK##
HEAVENS DROUGHT OPRT OMEGA STANDING BY HOW COPY R WALL EXODUS
WEEPING WATERS R OUR TOWN COPIES ALL STANDBY LATTERDAY ANGEL
WALKING ALLMATTER OUR TOWN RELAYS CHECK STATUS OF DD AND HOLD NO EXFL HELI REDIRECT TO YAMANTAU HOW COPY K JASON ARCHANGEL
YELLOW WIND OMEGA COPIES ALL CHECK DD HOLD POS UMBRAL WATERING
OPEN INTERMARKET MSG FROM BEARLIN STANDBY TO RECIEVE HOLIDAY MUSKET
LOGIC MATTER HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=YITPGQHIUGO HOW COPY K OPEN SEASON
MEGA FOIL R OMEGA COPIES ALL AR DESK PLASTIC
WEAPON SOIL AR TELLTALE OCEANS
The Empresses; A Continuation
RIng Ring Ring
*Chk*
"Speak."
"Commander, this is Pixelated."
"Pixelated. Good, good. How is the target?"
"Immobilized, ma'am."
"What?! How?!"
"An improperly trained servent, it seems. Target experienced scalding and fainted shortly after."
"Damnit. What is the prognosis?"
"Doctors are more worried about how the stress was on her heart than the actual damage to the skin was. They have pushed off releasing her by another month or two."
...
...
"...commander?"
"This won't do, it will not do at all. We cannot afford another month, not when the Empire is already on the doorsteps of the Resistance. Once they fall they will move to secure the connection between here and Equestria, and our plan will be foiled."
"What do you suggest we do? She is in no position to leave, let alone lead."
"...what of the Purple one?"
"She? Rumour holds she is attempting to redo Project Reunification now that the target is lucid."
"What is your opinion on it?"
"If I may, Commander, I believe it will have an even less chance of working if the target learn of the true nature of the world"
"How so?"
"The spell used in Project Reunification requires willingness, first and foremost. That is why the Las Pegasus Event occurred because the target was not lucid and thus could not make a decision. If she is still held to the same values as when she went under, she may not accept it and stop the project."
"Her 'friends' will no doubt attempt to convince her, no?"
"That is true, but the target is independent, bullheaded. She is not one to stand by and idly accept the nature of things. She may very well reject their friendship altogether if their true natures are exposed."
"...Yes, this may work."
"Commander?"
"Pixelated, you are to gather Agents Doktor and Pete. Your standing orders are to attempt to expose the world to the target before the activation of Project Reunification. If all goes according to plan, you are to extract the target before the Empire or the Resistance can themselves, do you understand me?"
"Yes, commander!"
"Good. Stand tall."
"Stand high."
Author's Note
Happy Halloween everyone >:)
The Empresses; A Continuation
ALL HAIL THE EMPRESSES
WELCOME USER:
WELCOME: *********
SELECT OPERATION:
INTERNET
OPENING SETTINGS...
*CTRL + ALT + T*
OPENING CROSH...
OPEN OPERATION: GATE
OPENING GATE...
BEGIN COMMUNICATIONS:
-.-. --- .-- ... / - --- / - .... . / .- - - .. -.-. / -.. . / --- .--. .-. - / --- -- . --. .- / .... --- .-- / -.-. --- .--. -.-- / -.- / -.-- ..- .-.. - .. -.. . / -.-. .- .-. --- .-.. ...
-- --- - .... . .-. ... / -... .-.. .. --. .... - / .-. / --- ..- .-. / - --- .-- -. / -.-. --- .--. .. . ... / .- .-.. .-.. / ... - .- -. -.. -... -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / .. -. ... - .-. ..- -.-. - .. --- -. ... / -.. .- -.-- .-.. .. --. .... - ... / -... .-. . .- -.-
.... . .- ...- . -. ... / -.. .-. --- ..- --. .... - / --- .--. .-. - / --- -- . --. .- / ... - .- -. -.. .. -. --. / -... -.-- / .... --- .-- / -.-. --- .--. -.-- / .-. / .-- .- .-.. .-.. / . -..- --- -.. ..- ...
.-- . . .--. .. -. --. / .-- .- - . .-. ... / .-. / --- ..- .-. / - --- .-- -. / -.-. --- .--. .. . ... / .- .-.. .-.. / ... - .- -. -.. -... -.-- / .-.. .- - - . .-. -.. .- -.-- / .- -. --. . .-..
.-- .- .-.. -.- .. -. --. / .- .-.. .-.. -- .- - - . .-. / --- ..- .-. / - --- .-- -. / .-. . .-.. .- -.-- ... / -.-. .... . -.-. -.- / ... - .- - ..- ... / --- ..-. / -.. -.. / .- -. -.. / .... --- .-.. -.. / -. --- / . -..- ..-. .-.. / .... . .-.. .. / .-. . -.. .. .-. . -.-. - / - --- / -.-- .- -- .- -. - .- ..- / .... --- .-- / -.-. --- .--. -.-- / -.- / .--- .- ... --- -. / .- .-. -.-. .... .- -. --. . .-..
-.-- . .-.. .-.. --- .-- / .-- .. -. -.. / --- -- . --. .- / -.-. --- .--. .. . ... / .- .-.. .-.. / -.-. .... . -.-. -.- / -.. -.. / .... --- .-.. -.. / .--. --- ... / ..- -- -... .-. .- .-.. / .-- .- - . .-. .. -. --.
--- .--. . -. / .. -. - . .-. -- .- .-. -.- . - / -- ... --. / ..-. .-. --- -- / -... . .- .-. .-.. .. -. / ... - .- -. -.. -... -.-- / - --- / .-. . -.-. .. . ...- . / .... --- .-.. .. -.. .- -.-- / -- ..- ... -.- . -
.-.. --- --. .. -.-. / -- .- - - . .-. / .... - - .--. ... ---... -..-. -..-. .-- .-- .-- .-.-.- -.-- --- ..- - ..- -... . .-.-.- -.-. --- -- -..-. .-- .- - -.-. .... ..--.. ...- -...- -.-- .. - .--. --. --.- .... .. ..- --. --- / .... --- .-- / -.-. --- .--. -.-- / -.- / --- .--. . -. / ... . .- ... --- -.
-- . --. .- / ..-. --- .. .-.. / .-. / --- -- . --. .- / -.-. --- .--. .. . ... / .- .-.. .-.. / .- .-. / -.. . ... -.- / .--. .-.. .- ... - .. -.-.
.-- . .- .--. --- -. / ... --- .. .-.. / .- .-. / - . .-.. .-.. - .- .-.. . / --- -.-. . .- -. ...
END OF TRANSMISSION
Author's Note
Yeah, this is a doozy, ain't it
If you need help decoding this, consult this Wikipedia article on morse code prosigns to help you.
I wish you the best of luck, agent
