Chapter Two: ...The Storm
~Chapter 2~
The night guards stripped the changeling of his equipment and blindly tossed him into the cell. The soldiers slammed the steel bars and locked the cell. One stallion tugged on the bars, making sure the cell was secure. Both stallions nodded to each other and exited the holding cells. They only sent a quick glance to the guards who would be taking tonight’s dungeon watch.
Three sets of eyes observed the prisoner, and a broad grin spread across one of the spectator’s muzzle when the prisoner moaned in his sleep.
“Let him sleep for now,” Fleetwing said, leaning against the doorway of the holding area.
Sigil brushed a bang of her blue mane out of her sight. “That doesn’t sound like the best course of action. Why not use some smelling salts to try to bring him to? It doesn’t make sense to stretch this out.”
“Surprisingly, I agree,” Cypher added. He reached back and flipped opened his saddlebag. Fishing through the pack, he retrieved a small folded package.
Fleetwing shook his head and sighed. He watched as his fellow officers approached the cell. “No sense of flair, those two,” he grumbled as he followed behind them.
Cypher and Sigil entered the cell first, followed shortly by Fleetwing who stood vigil at the entrance. Cypher walked over to the unconscious changeling and prodded it with a hoof. Convinced that it was down for the count, he dragged it by the tail and propped it up against the dry stone walls. He pulled out the small package again, but this time unwrapped it. Small crystals shimmered in the moonlight. "Wakey, wakey motherbucker," Cypher chuckled as he waved the smelling salts in front of the changeling’s nose. "Thought you’d be able to dodge us forever didn’t you?" Sigil gave the changeling a friendly back-hoof strike to help it through its grogginess.
It wrinkled its nose as its eyelids fluttered open. "B-buck...my head...” It moaned. “You’re going to regret that once I get out of here.” The changeling’s voice was a little weak.
Cypher clicked his tongue. “Whatever. Like you’ve got a chance of getting out of this town. Now that we know you’re here, you aren’t leaving.” The stallion reared up on his hind legs. “Besides, not like you can get far with broken hooves anyway.”
Sigil turned to Cypher. "Control yourself. We can’t get any answers from him if you shatter his legs and he dies from shock. Not to mention, it wouldn’t look too good if somepony walked in and saw you stomping all over a prisoner." She growled at the captured stallion. Using her magic, she tossed several sigils from her armor at his hooves, binding them to the floor with sticky orbs of gold magic. She addressed him calmly. “And as for you… Well, let’s just say that a pony in your position wouldn’t be wise to wager any bits on escaping.”
“Hasn’t stopped me from escaping before.”
"Cocky lil’ freak, aren’t you? Doesn’t matter. The crowns will be long dethroned by the time you’re done rotting away in some dank hole of a dungeon." He grinned darkly as he spoke.
The other officer quickly covered her partner's mouth with her hoof. "Shh, you idiot! You can’t just talk about stuff like that out in the open!"
The damage had already been done though. He needed to tell someone, but whom? Command was compromised and he had no way to alert Luna while he was awake. He clutched the freshly stitched wound on his chest, now wondering if he had arrested a good guy.
A coup against the crown… He mentally kicked himself.
"Buck!" He cursed out loud before teleporting away.
"I think somepony heard me." Cypher’s smug expression melted away and was replaced by a stoic stare. “I’m going to check it out. Nopony can hear what goes on in here.” He turned away from them, preparing to exit the cell.
When he looked away, the changeling bathed its legs in black flame before leaping at Cypher and tearing his throat out with his freshly transformed limbs.
Sigil jumped away the moment she saw Cypher clutching at his throat. The sight of her conjured restraints crumbling like talc caused the mare to step back. Those dragon appendages must retain the magic resistant properties of actual dragon claws!
Fleetwing took the initiative, charging the changeling as Cypher’s limp body fell to the ground. He lashed out with his wingblades, going for the quick kill. The prisoner rolled to the side before he jumped onto his hind hooves, dodging a swipe from one of the officer’s wing blades.
"You damned monster," Fleetwing hissed as he haphazardly threw out another strike.
The changeling’s response was to dodge backwards before he pushed off of a wall, lunging at Fleetwing with his claws outstretched.
Fleetwing tried to dodge, but was too slow. Though he avoided the dive, the changeling’s wicked claws still managed to cleave cleanly through the soft flesh of his neck. The stallion crumpled to the ground, clutching his throat as his life spilled from him.
"This wasn’t supposed to happen!" The unicorn mare yelled as she dropped a medallion on the ground and stomped on it, causing her to vanish from sight.
The changeling’s attention was torn from the now dead pegasus to the spot that the unicorn had occupied moments ago. Not good. I have to get out of here before the guard mobilizes. He ran through the open doorway and into the hallway of the jail.
He sprinted down the corridor, opening the door at the far end of the hall, and bounding down the steps. Once at the bottom, he burst through the door, and into the guards’ offices.
Shit.
Eclipse, having no set destination in mind, arrived in one of the hold’s armories. The stallion was at lost for words. Stumbling, he leaned against the wall and ran a hoof through his mane. What did I just hear? Sigil, or the perp... Which one was the priority? If what he just had heard was true, then Sigil was an enemy of the state; whereas the changeling in the room was simply spreading the word about their plots. Sigil had been one of the officers who transferred from Canterlot with all of the guard academy’s graduates. He trusted her to give him some closure on the issue; she was who he needed find. Searching through the darkness, he felt his target's current location. With practiced ease, he sank into the shadows and vanished.
He reappeared in a large, well furnished office space. He cast a quick glance to his sides and was rewarded with the sight of several medallions and pins adorning the cherry wood walls. A faint amount of moonlight streamed in through the through the window on the back wall of the office. The entire room smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. Everything about the office matched the pony he was looking for, and, as if to prove him right, he heard the rustling of items in front of him. A bronze colored mare with a blue mane and red eyes popped up from under the wooden desk in the center of the room.
When Sigil saw another pony in the room, her eyes widened and her face paled as if she had stared into the depths of Tartarus and witnessed all the evils of the world. Her expression cycled through surprise and terror, and finally settled on relief when she realized who the intruder was.
“Oh,” she panted. “Thank Luna it’s you, Eclipse!” Sigil slid from beneath the desk and regaled the stallion with a hopeful smile. The signature jingle of her namesakes bouncing against her custom armor filled the office as she trotted over to him. Her horn was lit from the magic she was using to levitate a thick dossier. “Listen, I need you for a special assignment.” She telekinetically pushed the documents up against his chest, but Eclipse was totally unresponsive. Sigil, too preoccupied by her machinations, hadn’t noticed and turned away from him.
The folder fell to the ground with a light thud. Eclipse ignored it. “Why?” It was a simple question, but the feelings behind it were complex.
He stared at her as if she were a total stranger. His face stuck somewhere between confusion and disgust. Sigil’s head turned slightly and her red eyes met his gaze, cutting right through his resolve and making him second guess himself.
“Why what?” She asked innocently. Her eyes constantly shifting between Eclipse and the door to her office. Eclipse’s mouth started moving, but, before the word coup could even roll off of his tongue, she interrupted him. “So you heard that...” The words were dry and lacking in their usual mirth. Eclipse’s stoic expression morphed into a scowl. “I don’t have the time to try to explain, or justify my actions to you at the moment--”
“-- Don’t bother,” Eclipse interrupted.
A single golden sigil with a ruby centerpiece clattered loudly as it hit the floor. "Even if I can't stop it," Eclipse intoned as he slowly shoved a smoking black lance through Sigil's chest, "You won't live to see this coup come to fruition." He twisted the shadowy lance inside of the mare’s chest cavity, causing the mare to cough and spray blood laced spittle onto his face. Her blood soaked the front of his body, darkening his grey coat. The mare sputtered as the light left her eyes. Stars above, what have I done?!
The door on the far end of the room swung open and the same changeling from before burst into the room, slamming the double doors shut behind him and placing a conveniently located broom in between the handles, and twisting the dead bolt. He turned around, looking for an exit and was surprised to see the same guard who captured him, standing over the dead body of a coup member. I doubt they’d kill their own at a time like this. “Well, at least I know you’re not with them.”
That voice… Eclipse whipped around faced his foe. His hooves stomped on the blood soaked folder, staining it with crimson horseshoe prints. He’d thought the captive would have escaped by now, but regardless of what he expected, the changeling he'd brought in, the one who set this night's events in motion, stood behind him. Eclipse let his magic crumble away, leaving a gaping hole through clean through the mare’s chest cavity. Sigil's body noisily flopped to the floor behind him. Her blood pooled around Eclipse’s hooves.
Eclipse looked at the stallion and growled. “T-this... This is all your fault!”
“Please, do explain how you killing a guard is my fault?”
The shouts and bangs from the door behind the changeling grew louder.
“And you might want to hurry with that.” My decision depends on your answer.
“You came here… exposed sedition among my superiors… I- I’m loyal to the diarchy. I had to do my duty and stop the traitor.” Eclipse looked at Sigil’s corpse. “I did my duty,” he said, hanging his head low.
Good answer. “That’s right and if you want to keep on doing that duty--”
The reinforced redwood doors burst inward, sending splinters of cream and cherry colored material flying at the rooms occupants. Guards burst through the door, each surveying the area keenly. Their eyes fell first on the bleeding body of Sigil, and then on the blood soaked Eclipse. Backup whipped around to face the guards as they trained their weapons on the two of them.
A pegasus mare spoke up, the familiar voice causing Eclipse’s ears to stand up at attention. “Eclipse?”
The addressed unicorn looked up slowly, dreading what he would see. “Jet Stream...” He said quietly as he scanned her face. Tears ran down her cheeks, messing up the fur on her face and her mouth was twisted into an unreadable expression. He took a step towards her, but the moment his hoof touched the floor every spear tip was directed at him. Jet Stream shook her head sadly, denying him a final look at her amber eyes.
“The guard who found Fleetwing claimed that his final word was Eclipse... I told them it was a load of horseapples… H-how could you…?” She mumbled as she disappeared into the group of guards.
Eclipse had no words to comfort her with or even make a case for himself. Rather, he had the words, but Jet Stream’s reaction was like a knife to the heart, leaving him stunned and unable to respond. Is that how I looked when I saw Sigil?
The changeling started backpedaling towards Eclipse. Just gotta get close to him.
A guard that Eclipse wasn’t familiar with stepped to the front of the group, replacing Jet Stream. “Eclipse, you're being charged with one count of murder, two counts of assisted murder, assisting in an escape attempt, and treason. We’re taking you in for questioning.”
The changeling suddenly leapt backwards, wrapping his forelegs around Eclipse’s neck as he stood on his hind legs.
“Take a step closer, and I break his neck,” he said coolly.
"Release him!" One of the guards barked. "Return to your standard form, then lie on your stomach, NOW!" He took a step forward and every other guard followed. "Both of you, down!”
Eclipse eyes widened and he struggled against his assailant’s vice-like grip. As it was now, he wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise and would probably die before anyone heard his side of the story.
The changeling leaned close and whispered in the stallion’s ear. "You wanna get outta this mess alive?" He felt his captive nod.
"Good. I’m going to need you to hold onto me.”
Eclipse still didn't trust this thing at all, but, with the guard as they were, there was no way they'd listen to him, especially with him basically bathing in their commanding officer’s blood. He squirmed a little in the changeling's grasp to keep up the illusion.
The guards jumped into action. Unicorns cast paralysis spells at them while earth ponies and pegasi charged the duo. “Somepony, bucking stop them!” A unicorn yelled.
The changeling turned, dropping to all fours, and threw Eclipse onto his back. In a single bound, he leapt over the desk, and through the window. Spells and spears flew over their heads as the pair crashed through the glass, and once they were through, Eclipse used his magic to cast a barrier over the window, preventing anypony from attacking them from their point of exit. Right as they started to fall, the changeling’s limbs transformed and he stabbed his claws as deep into the stonework as he could before starting the perilous descent down the wall.
Eclipse looked around and noted how vulnerable they were. The heavy winds sent his mane flying off to the left and the icy rain chilled him to the bone. “We’re sitting ducks out here! We need to get off of this wall!” he yelled, trying to be heard over the maelstrom.
“Agreed!” The changeling pressed himself closer to the wall, readying his muscles for what was to come next. He released the stored energy in his limbs, jumping several feet away from the outpost’s wall. He twisted in air gracefully, despite the added weight on his back. His wings snapped open, catching the wind and slowing their fall.
"I’m Sub Backup. Would you mind explaining who you are, and why you killed that guard?” He shouted over the wind and rain.
"Sub Backup..." He whispered as he thought about Backup's claws. Changelings shouldn’t be capable of dragon mimicry. “Corporal Eclipse... It might not matter anymore." His voice battled the storm with each word. He clung to Backup as they glided through the alleyway adjacent to the keep. It was slow, and uncomfortable, but at this rate they'd be at ground level before too much resistance could be formed. What happened between him and Sigil was still fresh on his mind. Thinking about it made his stomach churn, like somepony was wiggling a hot poker in his gut every time he thought about the mare. Eclipse sighed, “I had to kill her… to defend the crowns,” was all he had to say.
Eclipse didn’t want to dwell on that, so he decided to occupy his mind by asking a question. "If you don't mind my asking, is your knowledge about all of this why you're wanted?"
Several buildings whizzed by them as they weaved through the network of connecting alleyways. The harsh weather ensured that everypony was in their homes.
Backup seemed to consider his answer for a moment. "Primarily." He said as he landed on the ground. Stumbling a little from the extra weight on his back, he quickly regained his balance and lowered himself.
“You know the layout of the city fairly well right? What’s the fastest way out?” Backup asked.
"I'm fairly familiar with the most of the districts. Enough to navigate with no map or assistance." His pride at having that knowledge was evident by his tone. “As for a way out we’re about ten blocks away from the eastern gates,” Eclipse informed.
"Running for ten blocks is out of the question. We need an alternate strategy.”
"Well, there are the sewers, but I have no idea how far outside of the city those extend, plus I'd rather not go down there if possible." Eclipse pointed to a street cover. “It’ll take a while before the guard mobilizes a full search party.”
Time is of the essence and the sewers are a complete unknown. Probably like a maze down there. Can’t risk it. “Not a good option.”
Backup went back to thinking and looking around at what little of the city he could see from the narrow alleyway. If we don't move soon, it’s going to get much harder to escape. He looked up at the sky, able to see clearly despite the darkness and the raging storm. That could work. "How far could you teleport us?"
“Half a mile, why?" Eclipse asked curiously.
"Are you familiar with the clock tower over in that direction?" He pointed a claw into the murky sky.
"I am." He looked at Sub skeptically, "What are you planning?"
Backup stood on his hind legs and flexed his wings and claws. "If you can teleport us there, I can either glide out pretty far. Either out of the city or damn close.”
"Hmmm." He looked towards the clock tower. The structure was maybe six-hundred and fifty to seven-hundred meters away. After calculating what the distance to the top would be, he turned his attention to Sub and nodded. "I think I can get us to the top."
"Good. Ready when you are."
"Alright, stand next to me, the sooner we get off the ground, the better."
Eclipse's horn lit up as he focused his magic, summoning pools of seemingly endless darkness. The void crept up both characters legs, while at the same time dragging them into the infinite darkness. The entire process took less than a second.
A black portal opened just a few feet away from the top of the tower, depositing both stallions on a balcony one floor beneath the roof.
Backup blinked and narrowed his eyes for a moment. "That felt...familiar..."
"Actually, I'm pretty surprised that you aren't completely confused right now. Most ponies can't tell the difference between their flanks and their head after a shadowport."
“Not sure why I wasn’t, but that’s not our primary concern right now. I can’t gain altitude with our combined weight, and we’re probably going to fall faster with this storm. We’re most likely going to have to run once we get close to the edge of the city."
"Let's glide down; hopefully the weather will cover us enough. As long as we don't fly directly at any patrols, we should be fine." Eclipse popped his neck and limbered up a little. The last thing he wanted to be was uncomfortable during the ride.
"Same deal as before. Hang on tight, avoid my neck. Chitin doesn't cover anything starting from the base of my neck up." He walked over to a large arch and crouched so Eclipse could get on more easily.
Eclipse nodded then climbed on to Sub's back. "Ready."
Backup grunted a little as he rose from his crouched position and walked to the edge of the arch, rain whipping him in the face. "Can you conjure a construct to protect my eyes?”
"I could make some goggles, but they'd be about as good for your sight as a blindfold," Eclipse sighed. "I may be able to help some other way though.”
Hmm... Not good. I can still do this, but it's going to be a tad more difficult. “Help how?”
"I can give us more lift, make it easier to get there with more altitude to spare. Hold on," Eclipse answered. Backup couldn't see what Eclipse was doing, but he could feel a coolness envelop his wings. Large black wings overtook his, adding at least another two feet to his wingspan.
With a satisfied nod, and a single mighty leap, Backup took to the air and spread his newly augmented wings to their full length.
The view from the clouded sky over Filly would have been magnificent if Eclipse could actually see anything for more than a second. Every so often, a flash of lightning would break up the darkness smothering the city and illuminate the world around them. Eclipse had never seen the city like this. The large rain-slicked buildings towering over the empty city streets as the lights from magical street lamps reflected off of every wet surface around them. Eclipse looked in the direction of the guard outpost he was stationed at. A deep frown was plastered on across his face as doubt formed in his head. Sigil had tried to give him her last words, but he denied her and his squad... how was this affecting their squad? How was this affecting Jet Stream?
“Jet...” He mumbled.
Everything was dark, and no noise other than the falling rain and Backup’s breathing stimulated his ears. By this point, he didn’t even care that the icy water had soaked him to the bone. He was much too busy listening to the world. The pounding rain, Backup’s labored breaths, and the steady beat of wings all lulled him into a sense of safety. Wings?! Alarms went off in Eclipse’s head. Backup was gliding, that meant... “Buck! We got incoming!”
Backup banked sharply to the left, nearly throwing Eclipse from his back, sparing a glance behind him. Following them were five pegasus guards, each leveling weapons at the escaping pair.
Backup saw the closest one shout something, but whatever he said was lost over the roar of the wind. Moments later, he felt something fly past his head.
“They’ve got crossbows!”
Eclipse ducked down the moment Backup shouted. The stallion had no idea if the bolts were rubber tipped or not, but he wasn’t going take any chances. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the pegasi preparing another volley of crossbow bolts. This was the first time he’d ever been under live fire before and it was coming from his allies. Panicking, Eclipse conjured a thin black barrier to defend them from the incoming salvo of the bolts.
He couldn’t hear the twang of the wires or the whir of the projectiles through the air, but he could feel the impacts against his shield. Each hit was like a mental wasp sting, causing him to wince as each round deflected away from them.
“Eclipse! If you can’t take them down, we’re not going to be able to escape!”
“Are you insane?! If I knock them out up here they’ll die!” He yelled over the storm.
“Better them than us!”
“No!” One of the pegasi tried to tackle the duo out of the sky only to be shoved back by a wave of darkness, disorientating the attacker. The pegasus fell a few feet, but was otherwise unharmed.
“ECLIPSE! If you want to serve the crown, you WILL take them down!” Backup shouted angrily.
“Buck you! Don’t use my loyalty to try to get me to kill ponies who may just be doing their job! Just keep going, I’ll handle this!” Eclipse grunted as he blocked a few more bolts and smacked away another pegasus. This time, he slashed one of the belts on the pony’s armor, causing it to shift out of position and slow the soldier down.
You better. Backup thought darkly.
Eclipsed growled. His frustration rose with each attack he thwarted. Just keep them way for a bit longer… That’s all I have to do. I’ll figure something out. Something that doesn’t involving killing them. Keeping the pegasi off of their backs proved to be difficult, but the unicorn had a plethora of tricks to keep them at bay.
Using his magic, he temporarily blinded them, struck them in the wings, and knocked them back, but they were well trained and bounced back quickly. As the buildings sped under them and the ground drew closer, his mouth curled into a sinister smirk, he knew exactly what he could do to get the city guards and soldier trainees off of their backs. A pegasus mare rushed them, forcing Eclipse to crack a dark tendril against her wing like a whip. She dropped into the darkness below them, but was up again soon.
They were quickly approaching the eastern gates. Using the ground as a reference, Eclipse wondered if they’d have the altitude to clear the last few building at the edges of town. The rooftops of the smaller, more homely buildings were now clearly distinguishable from each other and the ground. Eclipse smiled at the fact that they’d made it this far. Now, he could actually do something to the stop their attackers.
The unicorn lashed out with two tendrils, grabbing one of the ponies by the head, he pulled, causing the pegasus to slam into the roof of a home. The impact tore off several tiles and left the pony looking like a mangled heap, but likely alive.
That’s better. “Keep it up!” Backup yelled.
Eclipse nodded as a pegasus stallion with a short sword accelerated and charged them, though the storm made the attack harder to see. Hastily, Eclipse threw up a small shield. It was sloppy, but it worked. The pegasus’s blade sank into the shield and refused to move. Using his magic, Eclipse ripped the soldier’s weapon from his grasp and slammed the flat of the blade against the soldier’s armored head, knocking him out cold. Two down… Still, got three more to deal with though. “Backup, I have an idea. Land on next roof!”
Backup nodded. As soon as they passed over the edge of the next roof, he collapsed his wings and dug his claws into the roof, leaving long furrows in the roof.
The pegasi shot over their heads like arrows. None of them were able to stop instantaneously or turn sharp enough to capitalize on Eclipse and Backup’s now sudden stop. Eclipse looked at the gates and the buildings around the edges of town. Teleporting took a lot out of the unicorn and he had already burned through more than half of his reserves. From where they were now, he could get them a good distance outside of the gate, but that would be it, he’d be spent. Eclipse dug as deep as he could, fishing for enough energy to get them safely into the brush outside the city.
By now, the soldiers had turned and were banking widely in an attempt to flank them from above and the sides. The spell formed slower than usually, due to the onset of mana exhaustion. The pegasi were closing rapidly, Eclipse could see the whites of their eyes as they came for them. Come on, come on! He pleaded with his magic, and like a parent pitying a begging foal, it gave him what he wanted. The last sounds Eclipse and Backup heard before sinking into the darkness were steel and stone clattering against each other as the soldiers smashed into each other.
Not even a second later, the duo were ejected from a dark hole in the ground and into the brush outside of the city’s limits. Eclipse clutched his head and groaned as he lay on his back, staring up at the storming sky. The stallion shook violently as the temperature caught up to him. “I-I got nothing else… ”
Backup got up on shaky hooves while his wings hung limply at his sides. His scales were covered in scratches from when they tore through roof tiles. “Good job. We need to get moving before they expand their search zone.”
“Yeah, it won’t be long until they notice that we’ve slipped out of the city,” he said as he rolled over and got to his hooves. His fur and cloak were caked with mud and the rain didn’t seem to be washing it out at all. “What now?” Eclipse sounded absolutely lost.
“If I were you, I’d head for the Skyverge,” Backup said as he started tiredly walking away.
Eclipse stared at the stallion as he walked away. The unicorn was totally stunned at Backup’s answer. After he got a few steps away from him, the grey coated stallion broke out of his trance and bounded in front of the changeling, blocking his path. “Wait! You cannot be serious. You’re joking, right?”
“What do you mean?”
Eclipse looked as if he was going to backhoof the changeling. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. He bit his quivering bottom lip to take his mind off of what Backup had just said.
“You-” Eclipse jabbed Backup in the chest with a hoof. “-are going to just blow through my life and destroy everything like a bucking typhoon, then leave me to the wolves like you didn’t have a damn thing to do with this?” Eclipse gave the stallion in front of him a look of pure disgust.
“I could have left you back in the outpost. It was also you who was unable to keep quiet when spying on your superiors and it was also you whom killed that guard.”
“We can go back and forth on this all night, but the simple fact is that you are the variable that caused tonight’s events to occur.” Eclipse turned away from him. “Buck you. After what I heard back there in the outpost, I kind of thought that you were a good hearted anarchist or something. Fighting on the side of stability. But now I see what you are...” The unicorn threw his hood overhead and started trotting towards the Skyverge.
“As if you’d know what I am,” Backup said darkly.
Eclipse stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. He wanted to burn a hole straight through Backup, but the best he could muster was a ferocious glare. “I know you’re a coward. The worst sort too. You go around kicking pebbles down mountains and not giving a buck about whoever gets caught in the forming avalanche.” He shook his head at Backup. “Why should you care? You’re fine up there on top of the mountain. Alone...” Eclipse snorted. “Whatever, as soon as my mentor gets word of this, she’ll set things straight.”
Backup turned around and faced Eclipse. “Head into any city and you’re going to be captured, you know. No matter who your mentor is, they’re going to be unable to help you.”
“I’ll just camp out deeper into the forest then. She’ll contact me magically in day or two. I’ll tell all about this coup and she’ll make hostile action towards me high treason.” He started back on his path.
Spoiled brat. “Have fun with that.” Backup started walking towards the forest.
“I will. Once Luna contacts me and I tell her all about this, she can take an active stand against all traitors.”
Backup stopped moving. “...Luna you say?”
Eclipse continued walking. “Yeah, Luna. What about it?”
“If I take you with me, could you arrange a meeting between us?”
How could one pony be so vile? A moment ago, he couldn’t have given a flying feather about what happened to me and now he wants a favor? Inside his head, Eclipse was screaming bloody murder. He really had no choice but to say yes to Backup. He didn’t want to be in this by himself with no direction. He was exhausted and his muscles were burning, so any chance he had of survival hinged on whatever teamwork he could get out of the stallion he was currently walking away from. Begrudgingly, Eclipse nodded. “I can.”
“Then get on.” Backup crouched. “You probably have mana exhaustion after such a long teleport.”
“No thanks. I can walk just fine on my own,” Eclipse snipped. “I take it you have someplace in mind. Trot. I’ll keep pace.”
“I do. It’s about a day and a half from here.”
“And that would put us where exactly?”
“The Everfree Forest.”
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I really don't think anypony can consider mustering enough power to remove the Sun and the Moon from their respective thrones. Not unless they mass enough dissidents with powerful magic and take the sisters by surprise...
Of course, Luna and Celestia would probably balk at the thought of harming their own ponies, even if their own lives are on the line (Celly more so than Luna...Luna's just pragmatic that way).
4009974 Let's have a small theoretical discussion shall we? Let's pretend for a moment that the coup will amass a large army. They march on Canterlot (would never happen) and bust down the doors. This is purely doable for this discussion. Celestia and Luna would have to slaughter them in order to retain their throne. This is only one of the problems they would have because of the coup. Don't worry, we aren't going to have it as simple as a hostile takeover. Going to be much more interesting than that.
4009998 Hence you have changelings...playing both sides. Perhaps a queen might have something to gain by playing the field and eventually siding with the winners to be determined? Perhaps a second queen is involved? Who knows? You have my interest, sir! (even if you don't have whole hives thrown into the mix...)
Interesting, yes. The game seems to be well underway. But why is Luna mentoring a guard?
Not going to question the alchemy that went into making a changeling-dragon hybrid, though the possibilities...
Keep going! ;)
4010069 Well, we're going to explain that, but not for a little while. I will tell you though that it's not just "He is Luna's son" or some stupid reason like that. This isn't gonna be one of THOSE fics.
3972985 I'll be waiting!
4010872 lol yeah ok.
A coup, against All powerful DEMIGODS? This is going to be interesting. Now that I look at it, I'm doing something similar, except with more demigods involved. I can kind of see mentoring a guard to be more powerful than others. After all, You do need someone you can trust to keep tabs on everyone else.