//------------------------------//
// Chapter 19: A Time For Words... 
// Story: Worth Less Than a Fly 
// by nightshade745 
//------------------------------//


Robes sat in the over sized red chair as he quietly read a book. The library he was in was coated in a thick layer of dust. The guards of Soul-Shatter couldn't read and Oswin never took an interested in it. The prisoners weren't even allowed access to it either. The result, a library that hadn't had a visitor in over 50 years! Cobwebs could also be found on the higher shelves and Robes found it somewhat disgusting. Even if he didn't use it, Oswin could at least clean the darn thing once every couple years.

His brown tarp like garbs were gone. He now wore an outfit far more fitting for an Angel. Its base was a fine white silk, but it was coated in something, magic or chemicals, that gave it a plastic look. His new robe had various buttons, tassels, and golden threads. It was a uniform that had a tall collar and hugged him tightly around the chest with golden buttons. The bottom of it was wide and lined with gold. The shoulders were squared off and a single sword was attached to his left hip. The blade resembled that of a holy warrior's. Its guard was filled with precious stones and the handle formed a cross.

Robes sat with one leg crossed over his lap. The book was currently reading was a magical guide to dark magic...an evil tome in the eyes of most. But an Angel needed to have a firm grasp of what he was up against. Robes, like all Angels, would read up on the subject as often as the opportunity would present itself. There was another book on the floor next to him that he had already read, but it was about something far different. It was an account of every prisoner current being held in one of the cells of Soul-Shatter!

Suddenly, Oswin charged through the door to the library with steam practically shooting out of his ears. Two Heavy Guards trailed him in as he confronted Robes. "What's the meaning of this!?"

Robes looked up from his book slowly and calmly, "an Angel most understand the limits of dark magic."

"Not your stupid book Robes! What's this about executing my prisoners?"

"I already explained that this prison is now under my control, didn't I?"

"Yes, you told me," he growled. "But are you sure your not abusing that power?"

Robes felt insulted, "you dare accuse me of corruption?!" Robes dropped his book and rose menacingly. "I am after the single most dangerous and powerful man to ever live, and you accuse me of wrong doing?!"

Oswin took a step forward, "you intend to execute a Reaper. Why would you need to do that?"

Reapers were once Angels, often called "The Fallen". An Angel is physically incapable of using dark magic...unless they remove they're wings. The wings of Angels is where they're magic is stored, hence the fact that as an Angel gets stronger, they get more wings. In a complicated process, an Angel can remove his wings and lose his light magic abilities. But in doing so, gains the opportunity to learn and use dark magic as a replacement. This dark Angel is called a Reaper.

It is a well known fact that there is a chance the Angel will be more powerful with dark magic, but at the same time, they could become weaker. The Energy Wing Angels are superior to Physical Wing Angels, so there is a bit of envious involved in becoming a Reaper. For obvious reasons, Reapers are at least looked down upon. At worst, they're seen as evil beings full of selfishness and dark desires. Few people realize that just because they're a Reaper, doesn't mean they are evil or did it on purpose. Then there was the misconception that all Angels were perfect and good, when they too could be corrupted like humans.

Robes did not like Oswin claiming that he was letting personal matters get in the way of his investigation. After all, Reapers and Angels hate each others' guts. "I assure you, it is very necessary."

Oswin scoffed, "sure it is. Don't take me for a complete fool! I don't mind you snooping around, but when you take express control of my prison and then manipulated it for your own little agendas, don't expect me to remain quiet."

"What's that supposed to mean," Robes challenged.

"You just better watch your step around here. There are a lot of loose tiles and old staircases to trip on," Oswin warned him coldly..


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As the train pulled into the empty station, Twilight could already tell things were bad. She stepped out onto the platform and looked around. There were two guards at the station, but other then them, the place was deserted. Twilight made her way into town and the place continued to be devoid of life. All her way to the castle, she failed to see a single soul. When the castle truly came into view, she gasped. The roof was almost gone and there was a huge hole in the wall that led into the gardens. There were guard patrols everywhere, and the front gate was heavily fortified.

It took Twilight a second to get in, but the damage inside continued to stun and worry her. Eventually her tour led to the courtyard. There she froze and stared. Row after row of injured were lined out on mats as doctors and nurses desperately tried to treat all of them. Twilight couldn't tell what was wrong with some of them, but others...it was hard to tell what wasn't wrong. Never, not even during the changeling invasion, had so many guards been injured beyond the ability to serve their country.

The injured weren't just the Solar Guard, some Lunar Guards had been injured as well. Actually, most of the injured were Lunar Guards. There were a few civilians in the rows, but none of them were in nearly as serious a condition as the others.

Twilight was suddenly aware of a presence beside her. She turned slowly towards the pony and found herself looking at Celestia! She jumped slightly and quickly bowed. Celestia smiled weakly before giving her a nuzzle. Twilight was about to start asking her questions, when one of Celestia's hooves covered her mouth. Confused, she looked into her eyes.

"Follow me," she commanded gently.

They walked down carefully selected halls that prevented Twilight from seeing how truly great the destruction and effort to repair it was. Twilight also found it odd that no guards were escorting Celestia around, especially in her weakened condition. Then again, the castle may have been damaged, but it was still her castle. Their journey ended in a tall tower that led into the observatory. Here, there was a massive telescope that Twilight was all too familiar with.

The room was empty of other ponies and the doors were thick and heavy. The old telescope was a little dusty, but Twilight was transfixed on the other things in the room. The various desks were lined with star charts, ink and quills, books, and all of it had been left untouched for a time. Twilight still lost herself in her memories of this place. She had spent a great deal of time in this room, marveling at the stars above. She'd dream of far away planets and drift to the very limits of her imagination.

Celestia watched Twilight fall into her own thoughts with relief. She wanted to be someplace that was private but also someplace where she would relax. Twilight was prone to panic and Celestia needed her to be calm if she was going to tell her about the night before. Inhaling, she mentally prepared to explain.

"Twilight, I believe you are familiar with this room."

She was startled back into reality and answered quickly, "of course I do! This was the most important room in the castle for me as a filly!" She was excited about her childhood, that was good.

"You also spent countless hours in the library," Celestia smiled.

"I spend countless hours in a library now."

They shared a giggle. "And Spike kept you from sleeping in the Canterlot Library numerous times."

"He always kept me on track alright."

Celestia sighed, "but you didn't go out into the gardens too often. You were always inside diving into a book."

"I went to the courtyard with my big brother all the time, Princess," Twilight defended.

Celestia smiled at her. "Yes. Yes, you did. But your parents disagreed."

"That's because they didn't get to see me often enough," Twilight asserted.

"I remember the first time your parents came to see you in the castle," Celestia was enjoying the trip down memory lane.

"They were shocked with how much I'd grown," Twilight looked at the ceiling and began to remember that day. "They shouldn't have been so concerned, Shining was right here with me if I ever needed him."

"He and Cadence are doing well by the way."

"That's good." Twilight could sense that they were at the end of positive talking.

Celestia felt it was as good a time as any to get serious. "But I have some...bad news, regrettably."

Twilight felt her heart skip a beat. "Is it about the fire?"

Celestia nodded, "how much do you know about it?"

"Only that there was some kind of battle," Twilight's eyes drifted to Celestia's injuries.

She followed Twilight's gaze and closed her eyes. "Yes, I was involved in a confrontation with an intruder. One the likes we have never seen before."

"But you won, right?" Twilight was sure she had.

Celestia paused. Did she have it in her to get her favorite student involved in the hunt for such a monster? Was it even her choice? Even if they did track the wolf down, it had already proven that it could take Celestia, Luna, and a whole host of Royal Guard without much trouble. It wasn't a choice, she would need the Elements of Harmony if she was going to defeat it.

"No Twilight, we lost." Celestia lowered her head in shame. Twilight gasped and covered her mouth. "And that's why I need you."

"Me?"

"You and the rest of the Elements. The creature proved that it was very powerful and was capable of fighting for extended periods of time on a level myself and Luna.......cannot."

Twilight's eyes went wide. Was this new enemy like Discord? "Who was it, what was it?"

"Like I said Twilight, we have never seen a beast like this one before. It--somepony had defeated it in the past however. A series of seals were in its body that gave us the leverage we needed to hold it off. It is, however, still out there."

"Where did it go!?"

Celestia raised a hoof to get Twilight to quiet down. "It escaped with the use of Chaos Magic. I have reason to believe we won't be able to find it until it wants to be found. That's why I need you and your friends to be ready at all times."

"You want us to fight it when it comes back?"

"Yes. Normal forms of combat are inadequate for defeating this thing. Once we discover its location, I need you and your friends ready to act immediately."

"How long will it take to track down?"

"We can only hope it will be found soon, with the whole Royal Guard looking. We weren't able to hurt it physically, but we did manage to drain it of a large portion of magic."

"Why not ask for volunteers? I'm sure lots of ponies would be eager to help in the search."

"Your not thinking this through my student. If the public discovers there is a monster on the loose that is strong enough to burn entire cities to the ground, there will be panic." Celestia thought of something suddenly. "I also need you and your friends to keep it a secret. I don't want any ponies who don't need to know, to know that we were defeated last night. Can you do all I have asked of you?"

Twilight knew the Princess was counting on her and that all of Equestria did too. "Yes. Celestia, you can count on me--AND THE OTHER ELEMENTS!" she quickly added.

Celestia smiled, "You don't know how much of a relief it is to hear that."

"I just have three questions," she insisted.

"Oh? What are they?"

"Will you be sending me back to Ponyville, or will you bring my friends here?"

"Actually, I'm sending you back to Ponyville, but you'll take the Elements of Harmony back with you. Tell them all what I've told you, and warn them to keep it a secret."

"Yes Princess. Secondly; what did the creature that attacked look like?"

"It was a wolf at first, but it was able to shape shift and became...something else."

Twilight moved on, seeing how much it distressed her mentor. "Why did it come here, what was it after?"

Celestia didn't see any harm in letting Twilight in on their tiny guest. "The current theory is that the attack was actually a rescue mission."

Twilight tilted her head and gave Celestia a funny look, "a rescue mission?"

"We have a changeling of sorts in custody, the wolf attempted to leave the castle with him. We were able to recapture the changeling but the wolf got away...obviously," Celestia mumbled that last bit.

"Why don't we just ask the changeling who his ally was?" Twilight saw a clear and simple solution to the problem of the wolf's identity.

"We can't, he speaks a language that no one on Equus speaks. Until we can translate it, anything he says is just random babble." Celestia could feel her frustrations at her powerlessness rising.

Twilight's ears began to droop, "all you want me to do is to be ready to fight? But I can help translate the changeling's language or I could help find the wolf!"

Celestia could tell Twilight was ready and willing to do more. "We each have a task to complete. I need you to be rested and strong for the battle to come. I know how you are Twilight, you wouldn't sleep a wink until you had succeeded in translating that mysterious language."

Twilight smiled sheepishly, "okay. I guess you're right. So, are you sending me away with the Elements now?"

Celestia smiled mischievously, "I think you've asked more then three questions now, but yes. I have many things to prepare...and fix."

Twilight felt a little depressed knowing she wouldn't be with her mentor for much longer. "Can I at least see the changeling?" she begged.

Celestia gave a single nod. Together, they made their way down through the castle to Luna's room. Along the way, Twilight kept thinking about Celestia's words. A creature with enough power to attack the castle and get away? Nothing short of Discord was that powerful. But he wasn't a killer. Based on what she'd seen of him, he didn't enjoy killing or causing actual physical harm. He preferred attacking the mind and heart rather than the body.

When they arrived at Luna's room, Celestia made Twilight wait quietly outside as she snuck in. Luna was out of it and Celestia was easily able to snatch the glass box the changeling was in. Nash had been asleep, but Celestia moved his case a little too fast and it had sent him rolling off his pile of hay. As for Twilight outside, she was perplexed. Why would they be keeping a prisoner in Luna's room? Weren't the dungeons meant for that? Her questions went up in flames when Celestia emerged with a glass box.

The changeling was small...really small, maybe a third the size of an apple small. As for his color, he was something else. From what she knew about changelings, they all had a greenish color to their wings, eyes, and mane. But this changeling was a bright white in those aspects. It had previously been sleeping, but it was wide awake now and kept switching which of them it was staring at. Twilight was so into her thoughts that she failed to notice how close her face was to the glass, and what effect it was having on Nash.

Celestia held the case in her magic for a few more seconds before deciding that Twilight must have had her fill. With exaggerated haste, she returned the changeling to his proper place on Luna's desk. Whenever she saw him, Celestia felt a ping of anger in the back of her mind. She still had the idea that the changeling may have been small, but he had powerful friends that threatened the safety of her subjects.


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Rainbow Dash and Spike finished feeding the last of Fluttershy's animals and unanimously decided they both deserved a reward for the all their hard work. Almost sneakily, they proceeded to raid the fridge. Spike didn't mind pony foods, but he would have preferred some gems. Fluttershy usually had some hidden away, just incase, but neither Spike nor Rainbow Dash felt like looking for them.

While they chewed away at their snacks, they watched Shadaico sleep. "Don't wolves eat meat?" Rainbow asked suddenly.

"Yeah, I guess," Spike shrugged.

"And some kind of carnivore did what Fluttershy saw out in the Everfree?"

"Carnivores eat meat, so I'd have to say yeah." Spike gave Rainbow a confused look.

"What're you looking at me like that for?" Rainbow had taken a slightly aggressive posture.

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Isn't it possible that this wolf is the one that scared Fluttershy!"

Spike's eyes lit-up with understanding. "You think so?"

"I know there are lots of creatures in the Everfree and all, but he appeared only two days after that incident. That can't just be a coincidence."

"Fluttershy loves animals, you think that's going to affect her at all. She spent all night saving his life, she's committed now."

Rainbow's aggressive stance melted away, "then I just hope she doesn't find out."

"You think we should stay?"

"To make sure she's okay? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I don't have anything else to do today."

The two of them decided they'd stay until Fluttershy woke up. Spike expected she'd be happy to know that her most valuable patient was stable. Well, stable as far as he could tell. But what Dash had said lingered at the back of his mind. Fluttershy had been run deep with fear after she found some kind of animal's corpse in the Everfree. Was it possible this wolf had been the culprit? There were a lot of animals out there, some of them downright vicious. Spike wasn't sure Fluttershy should be left alone with him.


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"What have you concluded?" Chrysalis asked a single changeling that stood before her throne.

"That the repairs to Canterlot Castle will take several months at least. Government operations are at a standstill and the whole country is on edge."

It was only the morning after and rumors had already infected the populous. "Will we be able to take advantage of it as we suspected?"

"Easily so. The tension and fears in the ponies puts them in a weakened state. Should we act quickly, we can take...much from them."

Chrysalis smiled, "Excellent. You may go." As her servant left the room, Chrysalis stood up. She had a visitor and she didn't want to keep him waiting any longer.

Chrysalis made her way down a long and oppressive hall, lined with black rock. The door at the end was dark with a golden frame and an exquisite gold leaf design across its surface. After opening the doors, she calmly entered. The room was like an office. There was a desk and a few chairs, but little else. Chrysalis went and sat in the large chair at the desk. Spreading her wings to give herself a more powerful and threatening appearance, she called her guest in.

In walked the one changeling she really just wanted to kill right now...

"Firethorn, welcome to my Hive," she greeted with narrow eyes.

Firethorn was tall like Chrysalis, but he was a Thorn Changeling, he had a different body structure. His eyes, wings, and mane were a bright red, but his fur was black. His legs were covered with spikes that curved downward just slightly and his wings were tattered more evenly and neatly then Chrysalis's. His mane was short and styled back with care. His fangs were long and pearly white. He walked with forced steps and a scowl.

"Chrysalis, I'm so happy to be here," his voice was like hers. It sounded like he had two of them speaking just a tad out of sync. Both of his voices sounded pissed.

"Are you? That's good. 'Cause I'm glad your here to talk."

Firethorn idly looked over at the bare wall to his left. "So are you finally ready to admit that my Hive is superior to yours, or are you just lonely this evening?"

Chrysalis grumbled, "I asked for you to come....to explain yourself. At least before I tare your Hive apart."

Firethorn smirked, "explain myself? Why, whatever could you mean? And what's this about fighting?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Firethorn! Your little bratty kids picked a fight with one of mine and almost killed him. Give me one reason I shouldn't declare all out war against you right now!?"

Firethorn took a step forward. "If your pathetic children weren't so weak he wouldn't have almost died, now would he? As for going to war, you know how that would go my little sister. Your Hive may have the numbers--or should I say--did have the numbers. But mine has the weapons. You can't beat me in a fight. I'm too strong, and I don't intend to let you push the rest of us around."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chrysalis demanded.

"Oh come on Chrysalis, you know what I mean. After your little take over attempt, all the other changeling kings and queens have seen you as a greedy power hungry little bitch."

"Watch that tongue of yours Firethorn, or I'll have it cut out."

"I'll say whatever I damn well please!" Firethorn stomped. "Now if you want to throw it down right here and now, I'll gladly oblige, otherwise, I've got another pony to see today."

Chrysalis was slightly curious who that was. "Who could be more important than myself!?"

"Milkweed of course! That bastard has been shoving his nose in my business for far too long. It's about time he learned his lesson!"

Chrysalis wasn't surprised she had gotten Firethorn to tell her that with only one question, he was pretty dense sometimes. "You mean he won't let you break the ancient treaties and expose our kind to the ponies?" Chrysalis mocked him.

Firethorn glared back at her, "think before you talk. Are you really ready to fight me? Because you're just asking for it now."

Chrysalis hated to admit it, but he was right. Firethorn and his changelings were, in fact, superior to her own. Chrysalis's children were built for speed and agility. Firethorn's were better fighters, for obvious reasons. Firethorn himself had some nasty tricks up his nonexistent sleeves. She knew that if she went through with it, and declared war, she'd lose. But she couldn't be intimidated.

"If you fight me, you'll also have to fight Milkweed. Do you really think you can take us both at the same time?"

Firethorn grinned, "he's not here at the moment, is he. I kill you now, then I can kill him tomorrow."

"Can you now?" came a voice from the door. Firethorn spun around and found himself staring at the very Changeling he hated. Milkweed was, again, about as tall as the two of them. But he had well defined muscles and much broader shoulders. Like his behemoths, his mane, eyes, and wings were a deep blue. His hooves were wide and his chest was barrel shaped. His wings were not tattered like Chrysalis's and Firethorn's though. They were well taken care of and ended in nice round edges.

"How nice of you to join the party Milkweed, we were just talking about you," Firethorn joked.

"You want to say something to my face?" Milkweed had only one voice, but it was deep.

Firethorn stepped up and got disturbingly close. "Yeah, I do. You, or any of your chubby changelings, get in my way again...I'll rip off your horn, hollow it out, and use it as a goblet."

Milkweed was unwavering in his standoff with Firethorn. "And you better honor the laws our kind set forth at the beginning of time. If you don't, you know what I'm going to do to you?"

Firethorn moved back only an inch, "what?"

Milkweed smiled, "I'm going to tare off your horn, hollow it out, and use it as a goblet."

Firethorn scoffed, "sure you will. You just best watch your back." Firethorn left quickly after that. Whether the threat got to him or not was unclear.

Milkweed turned to Chrysalis and gave a tiny smile, "I got your message."

"Thank you for coming. Do you think we should have another gathering?"

Milkweed thought for just a second, "yes. There are things that need to be discussed. And, personally, I want to know what's happening with the other Hives."

"Are you still mad at me?" Chrysalis asked, folding her wings and looking down slightly.

"I never said I was mad, just...dissapointed."

"Milkweed.......will I ever live my mistake down?"

"You were rash, even you can't deny that. As to if you'll ever be forgiven....probably not. You will have to live with that act the rest of your life."

Chrysalis sighed. Milkweed was the closet thing Chrysalis had to a friend. Despite the fact that the two were supposed to be enemies, they did have some rather personal chats now and then. Another thing that non changelings would probably have misunderstood, was the way Chrysalis and the other royal changelings would greet each other. Although they would call one another brothers and sisters, they weren't technically related by blood. In other words, Firethorn was not actually Chrysalis's older brother. He was older then her, but they weren't related.

"What about Paradise?" Chrysalis's hope suddenly jumped.

"She will hear about it and I can guarantee, she'll feel just as I do." Chrysalis's ears drooped.

"What of the Firethorn situation?" Chrysalis suddenly became serious.

"Hm. You let me worry about him. I'll keep him in line...as always," Milkweed added with an eye roll.

"Thank you."

Just as Milkweed was about to leave, he stopped. "Oh, and Chrysalis?"

"Yes?"

"Don't do anything rash. Take it slow and think." He stopped talking for a moment before becoming unusually happy. "And have a nice day!"