Chapter 19
“So you were a mare this entire time?!”
“Yes. So?”
“Even at poker night?!”
Kyle could help but chuckle slightly as he walked past a pair of guards, who were headed in the opposite direction. Neither one was wearing a helmet, so neither one was disguised. After the Changeling attack the evening before, Princess Luna had ordered all helmets to be returned to the castle armory. There, the enchantments would be altered to only work on Ponies. Changelings would no longer be able to rely on the helmets to disguise themselves, and would have to use their illusion magic to remain hidden - illusion magic that was easily detectable with the proper spell. Of course, the lack of helmets meant that the illusions on the guards were broken for the time being. Many guards were seeing their colleagues’ real faces for the first time.
Kyle turned a corner to see another pair of guards walking away from him - both mares this time. The incident had also encouraged Princess Luna to order an increase in security all over Canterlot. Guards were patrolling much more frequently, on much higher alert, and were now randomly checking passing Ponies and each other. There were grumblings among the castle staff, but there was no denying that the security increase was necessary - already, three more Changelings had been unveiled from the castle staff and herded into the dungeons. Not even Kyle had been spared - Since it wasn’t known if Changelings could take on the appearance of a Human or not, he had been put through a Changeling-detection spell already this morning. While the spell itself was painless, getting stopped by the Royal Guard certainly wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Kyle turned one last corner and found himself face-to-face with a large double-door, flanked on each side by two Pegasi. They made no move to stop him as he approached the door and pushed it open, revealing the dining hall. The room sat on the edge of the castle, and the entire right side of the room was covered in large windows that presented a breath-taking view of not just Canterlot, but the surrounding land as well. Off in the distance, Kyle could just barely make out a speck of color against the landscape that indicated where Ponyville was.
As the doors closed behind him, Kyle made his way down the long banquet table. At the far end were the two Princesses and his friends, already eating their breakfast. As he approached, Princess Luna looked up at him and frowned. Her horn glowed, and Kyle was enveloped in the glow of her magic. He continued walking as the aura faded from both himself and Luna’s horn. Her frown was replaced by a smile as he took a seat next to Twilight.
“Good morning, Mr. Slater.” Celestia smiled as Kyle took a sip of the glass of orange juice already waiting for him. “Nice of you to finally join us.”
“Have I mentioned before how much of a maze this place is?” Kyle asked as he reached for a piece of toast. “I had to ask for directions three times before I found my way here.”
“My apologies. I should have sent an escort. Perhaps this will make it up to you.” Celestia’s horn glowed, and a small lidded platter floated in front of Kyle, depositing itself next to his plate. Kyle raised an eyebrow at Celestia, who nodded with a smile. Kyle shrugged and pulled the lid off of the tray.
Underneath the lid lay a selection of meats. Kyle’s eyes grew wide as he scanned over the contents of the tray. Sausage… Ham… BACON?! He looked up at Celestia, who was staring at him expectantly. “I, uh… what’s this all about? Is this all for me?”
“As much as you wish.” Celestia nodded. “I remember you telling me that Humans consume meat as part of their diets. We often host carnivorous delegates here in Canterlot, so it wasn’t too out of the ordinary to request some breakfast meats sent up for you. I hope it is to your liking.”
“You have no idea.” Kyle grinned, grabbing a piece of bacon off of the tray. He took a bite and let out a contented sigh. “Just like back home.”
Celestia turned her attention back to her sister. “So, Luna, you were saying something about Senator Wordtwist?”
“Yes.” Luna growled, her face furrowing into a frown. “He brought that Everfree Deforestation Project up again last night. He’s trying to use the Changeling attacks, and the incident with the Sha of Deceit, as evidence that the forest is dangerous and should be removed.”
Celestia sighed, shaking her head. “This has gone on long enough. I shall speak to him and forbid him from bringing it up again. I had hoped your reaction last month would have given him the hint, but apparently I was mistaken.”
“What’s his deal with the forest?” Kyle asked, swallowing a bite of the toast-and-sausage sandwich he had made. “I mean, I know Ponies don’t have as much control over the weather in there, and there are some wild animals like Manticores and such, but they don’t seem to wander out of the forest. Just leave it alone, and it’ll leave you alone, I say.”
“Precisely.” Celestia sighed. “But this goes far beyond the forest, unfortunately. You have heard of Zecora, correct?”
“The Zhevra - sorry, Zebra, that lives in the forest?” Kyle asked. “Yeah, I’ve heard her mentioned a few times. Never met her though.”
“Yes. She has elected to live in the forest due to the number of rare plants and herbs found in abundance there. Plants and herbs that are exceedingly rare elsewhere. As an alchemist, she relies on those ingredients for her trade.”
“Senator Wordsmith comes from a long, proud family. His ancestors fought in the Zebra wars five hundred years ago. Back then, extreme anti-Zebra sentiments ran rampant. Though they have mostly cooled off by now, his family never let the fire die. They have always shown extreme cruelty towards any Zebra they encounter, and Wordsmith is no exception. He speaks of them as little more than beasts, and attempts to inconvenience or harm them at any opportunity.”
“So what, he wants to cut down an entire forest just to relocate one Zebra?” Kyle asked incredulously. “That’s… ridiculous!”
“I am afraid it would mean more than relocation for Zecora.” Luna sighed. “It would also mean the end of her alchemy. Zebra-made potions are generally of much higher quality than Pony-made potions. However, they are incredibly rare in Equestria outside of Ponyville, and not entirely common there.. If the forest were cut down, many of the ingredients for those potions would disappear from Equestria entirely. While we have no direct evidence of this being his primary motive, it doesn’t take much guesswork to see that Wordsmith wishes to ruin Zecora and shut off the supply of anything made by Zebras.”
“And this varmit is still a member of the court… why?” Applejack asked, her eyes narrowed to slits. “Ah mean, it sounds like he’s been buggin’ ya about this whole thing fer a while now, fer no reason other than t’ stop Zecora from makin’ her potions. And it also sounds like this ain’t the first time he’s taken a shot at Zebras. If he’s causin’ so much trouble, why not just give him the boot?”
“It requires a 60 percent majority vote to remove a senator from their position. His family has sat on the court for generations.” Celestia shook her head sadly. “It is very difficult to unseat a senator whose lineage has held the spot for five hundred years. Though he has few allies in the court, not enough members are willing to vote him out of his position.”
“Not yet.” Luna muttered. “I pray one day that they shall.”
“But enough of such depressing talk.” Celestia said, her frown vanishing. “We should focus on the task at hoof. Finish your meal. We have a Changeling Princess to talk to.”
“By ‘we’, you mean ‘me’. Kyle deadpanned, finishing off his sandwich. He looked around the table to see the other Ponies looking at him. Their plates were empty, and judging by Rainbow Dash’s wings flapping behind her, they were growing restless. “Alright, alright, let’s go.” he muttered, grabbing another handful of bacon before standing up.
“I am afraid I will not be joining you today.” Luna yawned. “Court last night was difficult. I must sleep and recover.”
“I will take care of today.” Celestia nudged her sister. “Go get some sleep.” Luna yawned once more and took her leave as Celestia finished the last bite of her toast. Once she had finished, she stood and led the group out of the dining hall.
A few minutes later, the group was once again walking through the dark depths of the dungeons. Kyle looked around as they passed through intersections, and noticed quite a few more guards present than there had been the day before. Clearly, the heightened security did not just apply to the areas above-ground.
As they rounded a corner, Kyle heard a sharp hissing sound from his left. He whipped his head around, and came face-to-face with an iron cell door. On the other side of the door was a Changeling, glaring angrily at him.
“Children of the usurpers. Your time has come. We will rule this world once more, and you - you will die screaming!” it snarled, reaching a hoof through the door to try and swipe at Kyle.
A jolt of energy jumped into the outstretched hoof, causing the Changeling to recoil with a yelp. Princess Celestia glared at the door, and the two guards stationed outside of the cell gulped nervously. She did not say a word, but instead continued down the corridor, away from the Changeling prisoners.
A few moments later, they were once more outside of Yxia’s cell. Through the walls, Kyle could see the Changelings. The two most injured ones were still in the corner, but they had moved slightly, and were speaking to each other in the same strange, hissing and clicking language that Yxia had spoken in the day before. Most of the others were grooming each other, speaking, or resting. Only one appeared on edge, its eyes never leaving the cell door.
“It appears Yxia has calmed her hive down.” Celestia remarked. “Though she herself appears nervous. Which will hopefully make your job easier, Mr. Slater. You know what to do, correct?”
“Yep.” Kyle replied. “Get in there, find out why they were out in the Badlands undisguised, assess whether they intend us harm or not, and go from there.”
“We will wait out here. I do not anticipate trouble from them after yesterday, but if there is any, we are ready. You may enter at any time.”
Kyle nodded and approached the door. The two Pegasi guarding the cell stepped aside as Kyle pushed the door open and stepped inside.
As the door closed behind him, every head in the room instantly turned towards him. Kyle felt a wave of Deja Vu wash over him as the entire room grew tense. Though there was no longer any open hostility on their faces, it was clear that the Changelings were still uncomfortable with his presence, even after healing them.
Even Yxia seemed slightly hesitant as she stepped forward. “Greetings, Mr. Slater.” she said. “I must thank you for the food last night. Though not as potent as love, it will keep us nourished for a time. And also… I must thank you for saving us.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “We were still weak when they attacked. Had you not stopped the assassin, we would be dead.”
“I doubt that.” Kyle smirked slightly. “You didn’t seem all that weak when you cracked his skull against the wall. I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
“It was only successful because he did not anticipate it.” Yxia replied. “Had he seen my attack coming, it would have brushed him aside, little more.”
“Perhaps, but what could have happened is a moot point.” Kyle waved his hand dismissively. “While the attack last night was troubling, it is not why I am here. You promised me answers yesterday, Yxia. I am here to get them.”
“Yes, I did. And you shall recieve your answers.” Yxia laid down on the floor, and Kyle sat down opposite her. The Changelings slowly began to gather around, all ears focused on the conversation. “Ask your questions.”
“Let’s start off with something easy.” Kyle said. “What were you and your Changelings doing in the Badlands, undisguised and avoiding the nearest potential source of love?”
“We had not the energy to disguise ourselves.” Yxia replied. “We were tired, injured, and hungry. Our only thought was to get away. We had set off to form a new hive, away from the Changeling Empire and my father’s hive, Hive Regali.”
“Okay. Next question. Why?” Kyle asked. “I mean, you’re the Emperor’s daughter, yes? Surely you’re going to take over for him at some point.”
“Under normal circumstances, yes. However, the situation has… changed. Drastically.” Yxia sighed heavily. “We are outcasts. We can no longer remain within the Empire.”
“What happened?”
“Chrysalis happened.” Yxia growled.
“The Changeling Queen? The one who tried to take over Canterlot a while back?”
“Yes. Her stunt last year put our entire race in peril, and as such, she was reprimanded. Severely. Many hives disagreed with my father’s decision, but he has always been more conservative. ‘We have always survived through deception, not brute force.’ he said. His decision was to remove Chrysalis from the Imperial Council. Her hive - Hive Crisali - essentially lost their voice in the Empire, but was still subject to our laws.”
“I’m guessing Chrysalis didn’t take too kindly to that.”
“Apparently not.” Yxia growled. “Two weeks ago, her hive launched a surprise attack on their neighbor, Hive Asina. Only a few survivors made it back to Hive Regali. They spoke of terrible beasts, pulsing with dread energy. Attackers empowered by foul magics. And Chrysalis herself, backed by something she called ‘Treachery’. A monstrous creature that would turn friend against friend with a wave of its claws.”
“The Sha.” Kyle hissed.
“You know of this creature?” Yxia asked sharply.
“Far too well.” Kyle nodded. “The Sha are creatures of terrible and deadly power. There are six Prime Sha in total, but they all have minor Sha minions. Likely the terrible beasts you said were pulsing with dread energy.”
“How do you know of them?”
“I faced seven of them back in my homeworld.” Kyle explained. “Each one represented a dark emotion - Doubt, Despair, Anger, Violence, Hatred, Fear, and Pride. Here, there are six, and each one stands opposite to one of the Elements of Harmony - Deceit, Treachery, Cruelty, Greed, Misery, and Hatred. It sounds like Chrysalis is backed by the Sha of Treachery.”
“Indeed.” Yxia sighed. “It didn’t end with Hive Asina. One by one, other hives fell or defected to her cause. All survivors spoke of the same terrible creatures, the stench of evil, and the unbridled power that these defectors were unleashing with the help of their new black magic.”
“The day before we fled, Hive Regali itself fell under attack. We fought valiantly, but eventually Chrysalis herself made it to the throne room. I hid in a secret passage as my father fought her. He was old, but he has earned his seat a thousand times over. Chrysalis could not defeat him. He knocked her to the ground and was prepared to end the rebellion.”
“But then, a terrible creature born of nightmares appeared. I knew this must be the ‘Treachery’ that the survivors had spoken of. Simply standing in the same room drained all hope from me. It turned and breath black flames onto my father, distracting him for just long enough. Chrysalis recovered her balance and…” Yxia stopped suddenly, choking slightly.
“Grand Emperor Toxxys is dead.” One Changeling murmured quietly. “Chrysalis cut his head off. She has claimed the throne for herself.”
“By the light…” Kyle murmured, looking down at Yxia. She didn’t meet his gaze, instead looking at her hooves.
“Not just him.” She murmured. “Our entire hive was slaughtered. We are the only survivors.”
“Before the siege, it was estimated that roughly half of the Empire has been slain during this war.” Another Changeling whispered.
“Half of the Changeling race is dead?” Kyle murmured.
“And of the survivors, only we in this room stand against these Sha.” Yxia coughed, trying to recover her composure.
“But why? I mean… why the war? How did it come to this?” Kyle asked, still trying to process this information. It’s like Lordaeron all over again…
“Many hives had become dissatisfied with our way of life” Yxia replied. “All this sneaking around, infiltration, deception… Many desired to instead enslave Equestria. Chrysalis believes that the Sha can help her make this a reality.”
“And what of you?” Kyle asked. “Would you see Equestria enslaved, given the opportunity?”
“I must admit, the idea is… tempting.” Yxia muttered. “But… no. Our hives have hungered a bit recently, but only because of Chrysalis’s failed invasion and the increased scrutiny that followed. We have never starved. Our way of life has supported us for millennia, and did no physical harm to others. To enslave Equestria would harm us more than help us. If enslaved, Ponies would feel far less love than they do now, and we would face hunger far greater than we face now.”
Kyle rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to process all of the information coming at him. “Okay. Well… you’ve certainly given me quite a bit to think about.”
“That’s it?” Yxia asked, surprise clear in her voice. “No questions of secret methods of entry into our hives, of our social structure… nothing else?”
“For now, no.” Kyle replied. “This is… quite a lot to process. Perhaps at a later time we can discuss those topics, but this has been very helpful. Now we know what we are up against.” And it’s far worse than I feared, even in my darkest nightmare. he added silently.
“Before you leave, a few more things.” Yxia held up one hoof. “Firstly, the assassin that broke in yesterday. I recognized him. Tharnax of Hive Ombrex, one of the greatest infiltrators that our Empire has produced since the Nightmare Moon incident. It pained me to kill him, but it was necessary. You likely have more Changelings in your ranks. Changelings that serve the new Empress, mind you.”
“We have already taken several measures to ensure that they are weeded out.” Kyle replied. “Already, three more have been discovered and captured, besides the ones that attacked last night.”
“Excellent. I have another thing to discuss before you leave.” Yxia continued. “With my father’s… passing… I am technically the new Queen of Hive Regali. What’s left of it, anyway.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“Should Chrysalis be vanquished, and the old order restored, I would become Empress.” Yxia replied. “It also means that the Changelings in this room answer to me. I shall also begin to transform to take on a form that will better suit my new role. Already, I can feel my legs growing longer, my horn changing shape…”
“As Queen of Hive Regali, and the only Changeling Queen that stands against the new Empire, I wish to offer a banner of cooperation with Equestria. We will aid you in your endeavour against Chrysalis and her Empire of usurpers, as well as the Sha that back them. For this to happen, I would request an audience with Princess Celestia. I understand that you may still have your reservations.” Yxia held up a hoof to ward of Kyle’s protests. “She may have as many guards with her as she wishes. I will come alone, if she wishes. But please, inform her that I wish to aid her in restoring my Empire back to order.”
“I… will do what I can.” Kyle sighed. “I trust you, Yxia, but I cannot speak for the others. I will try to persuade Princess Celestia to meet with you, but I can promise nothing else.”
“You have held true to your word thus far, Mr. Slater.” Yxia gave a slightly smile. “I trust that you will continue to do so. Unless you have any further questions, I believe we are done here.”
“Celestials guide you, Pri - Queen Yxia.” Kyle murmured, rising from the floor.
A loud popping sound echoed through the room, and while Kyle couldn’t see the source, he could guess what it was. He gave out a great sigh of exasperation, dreading the coming encounter.
Yxia rose from the floor as well, and her Changelings followed suit. The two bowed to each other, and Kyle turned away, heading back to the door.
As the door closed behind him, Kyle turned towards Celestia. She was not looking at him, however, instead, she was looking at a newcomer. Kyle sighed and approached. “Discord.” he greeted with a curt nod.
The Draconequus turned towards him with a slight frown. “Ah, there you are, Human.” he said, his voice surprisingly serious. “You and I need to have a word.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ve heard rumor that more information about the Sha and their origins has been uncovered.” Discord’s frown deepened. “Information that I have not been given access to.”
“Hey, I don’t know how to call you.” Kyle raise his hands defensively. “Look at the Princess, not me.”
“Well, I am here now, and Princess Celestia says that you are the one who should tell me.” Discord crossed his arms, drumming his eagle claw against his elbow. “I can hardly do my job of tracking the Sha if I don’t know everything there is to know about them, can I?”
Kyle sighed, resisting the temptation to snap back at Discord. “Fine. We’ve discovered the final Sha. It is Hatred.”
“And?” Discord waved his paw in a circle. “There’s more than just that.”
“I was getting to that.” Kyle huffed. “Do you remember an Old God called Alp’tauum?”
A sharp breath could be heard as Discord grew tense. His eyes narrowed in anger, and he let out a low hiss. “Far too well.” he muttered.
“I’m guessing you two had a history?”
“Alp’tauum was a monster.” Discord growled. “Even by Old God standards. He was easily the most vicious of the Old Gods, and took great pleasure in tormenting anything he could. Including other Old Gods. He would continuously destroy my playthings just to deprive me of my amusement.”
“Well, it turns out that he’s dead." Kyle continued. “Just like Y’shaarj. Killed by the Elements of Harmony when Nightmare Moon was defeated a few years back. The Sha we face now were born from Alp’tauum’s death.”
“So we’re up against his Sha?” Discord’s face broke into a grin, and he clapped his hands together. “Well, in that case, I’ll keep an extra-close eye-out for them. It will give me great pleasure to help stamp out my old childhood bully.”
“Immortal beings have childhoods?” Kyle muttered under his breath.”
“Not exactly, but my point stands.” Discord waved his paw once more, his usual demeanour returning. “Revenge is a dish best served cold, and I -”
A loud alarm rang through the hallway, interrupting Discord. Kyle and the Ponies instinctively jumped backwards. Discord, on the other hand, simply looked surprised. “Oh goody. It looks like it’s revenge time already.” He cackled. He reached into a pocket - Pocket? Kyle wondered. How can he have a pocket? He has no clothes on! - and pulled out a bizarre device. It had a display screen that was constantly flashing different colors, and was surrounded on all sides by knobs, buttons, and levers.
“What the hell is that thing?” Kyle asked, taking a closer look at the device. “I can’t make heads or tails of it…”
“Of course you can’t. That’s why I have it and you don’t.” Discord scoffed, fiddling with some knobs. “To answer your question though, this is my Sha Radar. I put it together specifically to track Sha energy. The alarm tells us that there is a large amount of it nearby. Now we just have to pinpoint it.”
Everyone crowded around as Discord pushed a few more buttons and tweaked some more knobs. Finally, he pulled on a lever just below the display. The machine whirred to live, and began to shudder. Suddenly the shaking stopped, and a loud farting noise echoed through the corridor.
Every head turned towards Discord, who shrugged. “Must have had it set to ‘fart machine’ mode.” he said dismissively, turning a few more knobs. After fiddling with the device for another minute, he pulled the lever once more.
At once, a large, glowing, neon arrow popped out of the display. It sniffed Discord, and then Kyle, and gave out a loud barking sound. “Who’s a good boy?” Discord cooed, scratching the arrow gently. “You are. Yes you are.” The arrow gave off another happy bark. “Alright boy, you know what to do. Find that Sha!”
The arrow fell to the ground, making some sniffing noises as it moved slowly across the stone floor. Suddenly, it gave a loud yelp and flew back up to head-height, pointing down the corridor. An instant later, it was flying down the corridor, letting out a series of barks.
“Follow that arrow!” Discord exclaimed, pointing down the hallway. He quickly gave chase, electing to fly rather than run.
Kyle looked at Fluttershy. Her face showed the same confusion that he was feeling. She quickly shook her head and sighed, smiling slightly. “It’s never a boring day with Discord around.” she murmured, running after him. Kyle quickly followed, running after Fluttershy, Discord, and the strange arrow towards the Sha.
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I had half expected Discord to say "it's a machine that goes Brrrring", but I guess even he won't go that far for a joke...
Damn right
you acidently made two A there
Also all fun to see a new queen
Really? It seems more like the War of the Spider to me.
4804787 I considered that, but It would seem to me that the common soldier in the Alliance army would know very little about the War of the Spider. That conflict happened between the Lich King's forces and the Nerubian Empire, long before Wrath of the Lich King (Before Classic, even). The only ones who would know anything about the War of the Spider are the Scourge, and perhaps a few select heroes (Who may be Horde) who aided the Nerubians in Azjol-Nerub and Ahn'kahet.
Lordaeron, on the other hand, is a very well-known event that Kyle may or may not have experienced personally. Either way, the Changeling Civil War was a bloodbath.
4804787 how so?
4810268 Both involve Arthropodoid (yes, that was a thing I said) races and their own kind eventually turning on them.
4804965 I know it may be stupid to ask but after the mentioning Lordaeron it reminded me of other stories surrounding DKs as the main character. What my question is will anyone else from Azeroth coming or not. Like I said the mentioning of Lordaeron reminded me of the death knights and wondered how the ponies of Equestria would react to it or hell anybody or anything that comes from Azeroth.
Maybe a Mage that later helps Twi with the portal.
4810283 true they are similar in those cases, but I'll have to agree with Fire. How would Kyle know about that, I mean he could have heard about that war from someone else but I believe what happened with Lordaeron would be more of a grim reminder of the effects of civil war to Kyle because it did affect his people greatly and maybe (if Firestsr allows it) the civil war affected him on a personal level.
4810315 When I said that, it was more of a personal observation, not a suggestion. When I typed that, I was aware of the points that you and Firestar are making
4810378 k
4810296 I've got a few more chapters mapped out. None of them involve another Azerothian coming through, but I'm not going to say that it won't happen at some point. Just not now.
4810296 4810283 As to the War of the Spider vs Lordaeron debate, I chose Lordaeron because of the reasons I mentioned (Kyle not knowing about the War of the Spider), but also because of the way the combatants are. The Changeling Civil War is regular Changelings vs corrupted Changelings, much like how the Fall of Lordaeron was regular Humans vs corrupt (Undead) Humans. The War of the Spider, on the other hand, was the Nerubians against the Scourge (Who, to be fair had a couple of undead Nerubians in their ranks, but were primarily composed of the aforementioned undead Humans)
4812517
Many apologies, but this week's chapter is likely to be delayed again. I've been battling a nasty stomach bug for the past couple of days, and not been able to write much in that time. I'll try to make it up with some faster chapters in the coming weeks.
I gotta wonder, I expect that Celestia will at least want to try and reform Chrysalis. I mean, for crying out loud she tried - and succeeded - in reforming a damn Old God!
Also... wow, yeah. Sha-corrupted changelings are some nightmare fuel.
My bet is that the next sha is misery, spawned by Kyle turning down Lyra.
4955064
Which is appropriate, since they were created through the death of a being known as The Nightmare.