//------------------------------// // chapter fourteen // Story: Changeling Heart and the New Moon // by ambion //------------------------------// Changeling Heart and the New Moon chapter fourteen What with one thing and another, three hours passed. As the sun descended the last red glow spilled over the changelings and lit up their bodies like smouldering coals. The rays caught their wings, setting strange flecks within the membranes to glimmering, while eyes shone like emeralds. The light touched Luna as well, and though her colours refused to submit to sunlight there was still warmth for them in it, like a gentle reminder that the dark need not be cold and fearsome. More than once she glanced to the horizon with an understandable wistfulness, and not even Chrysalis felt it necessary to intrude on that. More than anything it shone off the polished armour of the royal guards that descended upon the changeling band. They spiralled down from the darkening sky with double the menace and half the warning of a tornado on a sunny day. Things got somewhat excitable for a moment. Most of all, it got excitable for the pegasus commander of the eighteen gleaming suits of armour. There and then, on the spot, he was the pinnacle of the chain of command, but what with the worst case scenario being a rogue princess allied to the changeling threat... it was a laughably short chain. He felt out of his depth, so much so that he was where the fish wore lights on their heads and grinned evilly, mouths full of long, jagged teeth. But then again Chrysalis grinned like that and she was right there. Not to mention the little lights of the crown-shaped growth on her head either. It has always been the prerogative of guards to be a suspicious, cautious bunch, which is a natural and sympathetic product of repeatedly outnumbering the enemy right before being handed their rumps. Training, diligence, and cooperation never seemed to stand a chance against a dramatic backstory and adventurous personality or sense of purpose. It was the kind of pony that swung from chandeliers and slid down the rails, never thinking of - and never seeming to need - a plan. Guards preferred to never ever encounter those, they made a mockery of hardworking professionals. Oversize one such pony, fill her with mysterious powers and enthrone her as a dark counterpart to your beloved ruler, and it was easy enough to understand their apprehension. As for Chrysalis...don’t even go there. So it was touch and go, and it’d only take a very small touch for things to go very bad. Luna was scrutinized as closely as any changeling, so while fault could be lain in a lot of directions, Luna suspected she bore the brunt of it. In theory the royal guards obeyed the sisters in equal turn, though only the very naive could pretend that to be the case. They obeyed Celestia because she commanded their devotion, admiration and respect. They obeyed Luna on orders from Celestia. She knew it, everypony in the castle knew it, and worse still, they denied it. Her big sister had looked her straight in the eye and denied giving such an order. Certainly it wouldn’t have given as such either. The white alicorn would have made a quiet comment, or a wry observation, and always with Luna’s best interests at heart. Ironically enough, she really did want to share the throne with Luna, it was just that her subjects never seemed to let her. Back then Luna had, after a moment’s heated discussion, dropped the matter and never picked it up again. Her ongoing surliness had cost her too many chances to win over the castle staff. They’d taken to seeing her as moody, temperamental and uncertain. Unfit to lead or inspire. Well. They’d got the gist of it right. As the guards stood firm, rigidly refusing to show an inch of their uncertainty the alicorn felt curiously dispassionate. Just a resignation to repeating the same, unwelcome awkwardness. With the barest of nods, Luna acknowledged the formation of armoured pegasi, and their glaring leader. The changelings hadn’t done much since the abrupt arrival, but it was a very deliberate ‘not much,’ in the same ways it doesn’t take much at all for an innocent log to start drifting ever so slightly closer and open one menacing eye. Including Chrysalis, Luna could name three changelings. She couldn’t name one of these guards, those supposedly sworn to her. It was not a happy thought. “Wing commander, stand down.” “Princess...” It was sort of a plea and sort of a growl. The deployment might’ve been able to subdue a princess, maybe even the Queen, but certainly not together. The tension could’ve been cut with a knife. So Chrysalis did more or less that. Cut it she did, and bled it dry. The Queen of changelings did love the limelight so. “Enchanting the armour so their colours match? I’d been wondering about that. Cute. Don’t worry feather-boys, we come in peace.” There have been three toothy grins in recorded Equestrian history that have been considered the most insidious, the most nerve-wracking. Chrysalis’ left them all behind. Paintings’ eyes are known to follow the viewer around the room, but only the Queen’s teeth, glistening with sharpness, turned out the lights and cackled as they did so. Luna, in a moment of caustic mood and with all other eyes on Chrysalis, used that exact moment to silently herald the night. Not even the Queen noticed the subtle shift to moonlight. Only Wax, who knew where to look and how to cope with Luna flicked a glance her way. He saw that the alicorn regarded the big changeling closely; the expressions of both were scary. Nor were fangs any better by moonlight. The Queen took charge of the moment, though she might have let Luna handle it had the alicorn not shrugged away and withdrawn from it. “I’m going to assume you guys were following him,” she said conversationally as she gestured to the odd pegasus out, as if being able to personally thrash all of them together wasn’t as blatantly apparent as her towering height. “See, little moon, she does care!” the Queen of changelings shouted with caustic mirth. “And I don’t see any chains, so there’s even a chance they didn’t even mean to drag you home to her. Isn’t that nice?” Changelings blinked, and though Luna didn’t rise to the bait, didn’t respond or look her way at all even Chrysalis backed off; the princess had a nasty habit of being unpredictable with her little moments. This was not the time for such a little moment. In fact the only animation to Luna was her sudden, stiff confrontation with the wing commander. “You may escort us on our way to Canterlot.” “Princess Luna...” “See to it!” she shouted, and her voice rang through the metals of their armour and bounced between the trees. The force of it cowed changeling and pony alike as the dark surged over her in one terrible moment. Chrysalis stopped smiling as the dust settled. For a second there, she’d seemed... changed. Pegasi flew to and from the envoy, as hasty to get away as they were to report home. By midnight Celestia would know everything, by morning Canterlot would be in uproar. One and all, the group moved secretly, like fugitives. They neared the small town of Ponyville as they marched on through Whitetail Wood. Big events certainly gravitated towards that little place. Not this time. Chrysalis had adamantly refused to enter the town at all, even secretly by the dead of night - an expression Luna had never been fond of - insisting instead that the train meet them some ways away, well beyond the lights and buildings. So, the changelings knew about the Elements of Harmony and feared them appropriately. Luna well knew herself that those powers were not to be trifled with. But how did Chrysalis know of them? How many ponies in Equestria weren’t? Just what did Chrysalis know? That peace was their best hope. Luna had to believe that, whatever else, the Queen of changelings was sincere in this, whatever else may be. She had to believe that, just once, her good intentions weren’t leading Luna into another huge, terrible mistake. Such were her thoughts as the silent moonlight gave way to the groan and grumble that shook the earth. She felt a moment’s sympathy for the train driver - surely this must be one of the strangest and most frightful nights of his career. Even the blast of steam as the brakes ground it to a halt seemed somehow muted, somehow trying to further the secrecy of this venture. No doubt the royal guards would impress the importance of discretion on the hapless driver, after giving him all this trouble. Yet there was none from the changelings. Or words, for that matter. They filed aboard without hesitation or interest. If they had ever seen a train before or not, Luna had no way of knowing. Some took seats, some wandered the coach cars, but not one gave trouble of any kind to the armoured guards that anxiously watched over them from the doorways. If they siphoned and sampled of the pegasi, none were the wiser for it. Luna certainly wasn’t going to tell them anyway, not with how they watched her. She couldn’t blame them...but did anyway. She ignored the ponies, instead looking to the calm changelings. As a person inclined to shadows herself, Luna had a certain appreciation for the way their black bodies seemed to draw the shade in and fold it over themselves like a blanket. Only one measly lantern hung from the centre of each train car, and those only highlighted the darkness. The shadows gently pivoted around their bodies as the train’s motion swung the light back and forth. Luna skulked by, aiming to take the private car for a few hours reprieve. Luna felt more herself when those uniformed and uninformed pegasi weren’t watching her. The princess came upon the last car of the train, relieved to have her privacy, only to find that Chrysalis had got there first. ...sort of. The big changeling was halfway through the door anyway, and squirming intently. Equestrian trains did not well accommodate the Queen of changeling’s scale. In the small space between two cars, Luna found herself with a private showing of comedy. Trying not to laugh loudly Luna magicked closed the door behind her, a small favour to the Queen. Chrysalis muttered and wiggled, but the door refused to fit her through. The changeling’s tail swished and her wings fluttered, giving the ceiling an unexpected dusting. The Queen went still as dust flew then sneezed as it settled atop her, violently enough to send her tumbling through the gap. She fell in a heap and Luna laughed. Those long slender legs with their strange gaps disentangled from the mess and stretched out across the floor. Chrysalis huffed. “This is not funny.” Luna glowered. “Oh, of course not. It is just a mere indignity.” Sprawled out as she was, the Queen’s eyes met the alicorn’s. Then she laughed too. “That might be the first time anyone has ever laughed at me,” she managed through the chuckles. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly known for our humour.” They kept on laughing, right up to the moment Luna’s hoof delicately pressed down onto Chrysalis’ throat. The princess knelt down next to the fallen Queen. Anyone else would’ve been angry or afraid. Luna certainly would have been, but not Chrysalis. She smiled, and her eyes shone. “There’s my little moon,” she croaked. She wheezed another laugh. Luna scowled. The princess of the night let darkness beyond the natural suffuse through the train car. until even the sounds of the rails sounded muffled and distant. “Chrysalis. Don’t betray me. Don’t you dare betray this...this idea. This chance.” a dark hoof twisted down into a darker throat. After a second, Luna eased off the pressure and the Queen of changelings drew a rough breath. Grinning, she pushed her neck against the hoof, her eyes moving closer, closer, very close indeed. Luna was afraid to push harder, but equally afraid to move away. “It sounded like there was a ‘please’ in there somewhere. A long, slow ‘please.’ How desperate are you?” Chrysalis managed with another choked croak and chuckle. “Get it through your head, this isn’t about you.” A flame of green crawled across the changeling’s form and battered back the darkness. Luna stared into her sneering reflection, and even as the darkness poured back in on them it seemed reluctant to touch the false Luna. “The world doesn’t spin around your angst, alicorn. It’s not about me either. This is about ponies and changelings. If you think that I can be trusted, you’ll have no-one to blame but yourself. I’ll laugh at you and it’ll be a lot more worth it than stumbling through a tiny door.” Luna held the Queen of changelings there a moment more. Alone with Chrysalis in a heart of magical darkness, her hoof veritably on the enemy’s neck...and she felt afraid, terrified even, as if all this was some big deception and she really didn’t control her life at all. Her false self smiled dangerously up at her. Luna didn’t know what to think. On the other hoof, Wax knew exactly what to think as he opened the door to the private car. Nopony said it had to be a correct assumption though, nor would any other pony on the train have dared intrude upon their princess without tactfully announcing themselves first. The only time a jaw will ever literally drop to a floor is when the wired bones of an anatomy skeleton come undone, but the pegasus certainly managed the spirit of the thing as he took in the sight before him, as if the two royals had done this sheerly for spite of shocking him senseless. Surely it was the surprise that broke Luna’s darkness, and the way the shadows seemed to flee specifically from his reddening cheeks and flaring wings had nothing to do with it. Not at all. “This isn’t what it looks like,” the princess growled as she stepped up, then back. A sound like deep instruments in deeper caves accentuated the flash of green that burned away the visage as Chrysalis stood as well. The Queen of changelings cackled. Not laughed. Cackled. Although somewhat quietly, more for herself than anyone else. After a false start in which the pegasus helplessly looked between the two of them, he finally settled on the princess and regained a semblance of calm. “My lady liege, I’ll come back later-” “No, you won’t. Speak.” Eyes that could not be mistaken for anything other than a pinkish hue flickered to Chrysalis then back again. “Uh...” The Queen of changelings cut across his hesitation with a serrated little chuckle. “Everyone wants their privacy, it seems. Go, then. Have your little talk. We can always continue where we left off later, little moon.” Luna scowled. Wax tried to not be important. She lead and he followed, stopping only to look grin definatly at those shining teeth before scurrying on. The ever present rumbling of the train and groans of the rails beneath made for conversations not easily overheard. The little lamp squeaking back and forth on its hinge added what it could to the din. “Did she cast a spell on you too?” “Wax.” “Sorry. That was tasteless of me. So...did she?” Luna rolled her eyes. “No.” “And that there was-.” “Not what it looked like.” Wax shook his head vigorously. “Oh, no my lady liege, I don’t mean it like that.” Wax stared at the lamp’s jittery swinging for a second. “Well, a bit like that, I guess.” He shrugged, then met his mistress’ eye. “But what I really mean is that I’m yours. You know this. I do your bidding and all that. It helps you if you help me help you, you know? I don’t mind being kept in the dark if that’s what you decide, but it’d be nice if it were at least your dark I’m kept in. You do have the slightest tendency to shoot yourself in the hoof. Or, failing that, forcibly shove it in your mouth.” Luna peered. Wax met it halfway with an open smile and eyes that could be no other colour but purple. “Remind me where I got a guard like you.” “C.A.D.S. finest, remember. Two for one deal, if you remember.” “Probably trying to get rid of you both,” she deadpanned. A faint smile snuck up on her, one that softened her a lot. “And you came around why?” “Er, yeah. The bad news...I lost the thingy.” “The thingy,” she said tonelessly. “The magic collar with the little moon pendant.” Few other ponies would have caught the tiny shift in Luna’s expression, but the brothers Wax and Wane hadn’t just made the princess their employer, they’d made her their way of life. The pegasus ran through what he’d just said twice before catching it; he’d inadvertently used that pet name the Queen used for her. Nickname. Not pet name. Sheesh. “I’m sure a changeling has it. I’d bet on it.” “Then that means Chrysalis.” Magic popped and a battered journal appeared from thin air. With another it vanished. “She’ll have to keep it for now. There’s no way we could get it back.” “All right then. And my fairest dark lady?” Luna rolled her eyes, but Wax was looking for the smile which indeed widened a fraction. “What now?” “What about Wane? He’ll still be out there looking.” “And you want to go bring him back.” There was no need to make a question of it. The two were closer as brothers than Luna and Celestia were as sisters. It was something both heartwarming and saddening to recognize. “But I don’t want to leave you. The other ponies aren’t on your side.” Even with the constant rattle he whispered his words with care. It was Luna’s turn to stare into the tiny flame of the lamp as it rocked. She drew a deep, slow breath. “No. They are not. But I am on their side. Go find him. Bring him back to Canterlot. This will turn out all right. Somehow.” Wax rolled his shoulders and smirked, while his wings took a few warmup flaps. “Then I will fly at the speed of dark itself to come back to you.” “How will you find him?” "That’s easy. I’ll go the direction he did and pretend I haven’t found you yet.” “It can’t possibly be that easy.” “I guarantee it will be. Siblings work the same way, you know.” “I really wouldn’t,” she muttered. He didn’t hear, and a sudden chill gust carried the fat droplets of the night into the traincar, rapidly making it a raincar. The sound of the train exploded into a dull, rolling thunder. “I’m starting to see what you find appealing in leaving via the window. The billowing curtains really make it feel more important than a simple door.” “Go on already. You could use some cold rain.” “As you wish!” Then he was gone in a flurry of dull feathers, flung past the pane of glass and lost to the night. Almost. The faint cries of “See, you can change direction...” reached her on the echoing howls of the wind. Then he was gone, well and truly, but Luna’s smile lingered a great deal of time. Almost all the way to morning.