The Superior Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
“It is common knowledge that Verlax is a powerful being,” Queen Chrysalis said. “All across the East Edge, she is worshipped as a Goddess. Only few know that she is—in fact—a dragon Divine.”
“Immortals know, right?” Rainbow spoke from across the bars. “Like you, Luna, Celestia...?”
“Indeed.” Chrysalis calmly gazed at the pegasus from her prison. “But for the mortals who have lived and died in the eastern continent and the outlying archipelagos these last few eons, she is known as 'Verlaxion.' The very name demands respects and reverence.”
“And fear?”
“They do not fear Verlaxion,” Chrysalis explained. “They admire her. They adore her. She is, after all, the being who divinely intervened and saved the landscape when it was blighted by everlasting frost. Through sheer willpower, she tamed the elements and united the six tribes of Rohbredden.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Rohbredden?”
“It is the central kingdom of the East Edge. Many of the islands bordering the fringes of Rohbredden are populated by various civilized cultures, but it is the Six Tribes who wield central power. They consist of six individual races, united by their love and worship of Verlaxion.” Chrysalis waved her hoof as she listed them off: “Earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi, griffons, wyverns, and sirens. Together, they uphold the Council of Six, a representative power that answers to Verlax and acts as a bridge between the Divine and... mortalkind.”
“Does... Verlax even talk to the Rohbredden... Rohbreddeners... Rohbreddenites...” Rainbow's eyes crossed. “Rohbies?”
“A mortal would be lucky enough to even see her,” Chrysalis remarked. “Verlax... is a mysterious entity, but only because she chooses to be that way.” The changeling queen's wingtips fluttered. “She may be the Divine of Frost, but her true gift is subterfuge. There is no way to ever ascertain her true form at any given time.”
“Wow...” Rainbow blinked. “That means a lot, coming from an uber metamorph, I bet.”
“One cannot simply grasp the Divines,” Chrysalis said. “When the alicorns discovered this plane, we discovered the Dragon Matriarchs as well. Despite what Luna or Celestia might believe, there truly is no concrete evidence to prove which is the older, them or us. Thankfully, we all had a common goal in the beginning: the preservation of order over chaos. To that extent, we never clashed or warred. But we did remain strangers to one another for a long time. That is how I was able to take advantage of Nevlamas in her invalidic state.” She took a heavy breath. “Verlax, for all I know, could be in a worse condition... or she could be healthier than all of her sisters combined.
“Did you ever... get a look at her?”
Chrysalis was silent.
Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “Well?”
“You... might be wondering why I never chose Rohbredden as a staging point for my broodlings' invasion...”
Rainbow leaned back on her haunches, shivering slightly. “I'm starting to wonder now, yeah...”
“Well, in truth, my little pony, I had planned to do just that.” Chrysalis glare through the bars. Vaporous air drifted between them as she spoke. “But the very moment I sent my drones deep into the interior of Rohbredden... they were discovered.”
Rainbow Dash blinked.
“Nevlamas may have been the Divine of magic, but her sibling—Verlax—is indescribably powerful... and conniving.” Chrysalis paced about, her eyes distant with a tinge of fear. “She wields sorcery that is older than anything I've ever witnessed. It allows her to take forms... to see into the constructs of matter and energy. It's part of how she's able to manipulate temperature and the elements. All of these things she uses to her advantage—not to dominate the world, but to preserve herself... as well as her control over the Six Tribes.” Chrysalis' hooves scuffed to a stop as she turned to look across the bars at Rainbow. “I've every reason to believe that she was the one to blight the land and the islands surrounding it with impenetrable cold. Then, in the Six Tribes' time of need, she appeared before them as a savior, controlling the very same blizzards that had assailed them in the first place.”
“I bet you must have been proud of her in a way,” Rainbow said. “Goddess, Divine, Queen...” She shrugged. “You're all just charlatans on a crazy epic scale.”
“Only... Verlax has one thing that I don't have... and—in fact—never did have.”
“And what's that?”
Chrysalis shuddered, her fangs glinting in the cold torchlight. “Control.” She gazed at the floor. “If she wanted to... I've every reason to believe that Verlax could dominate the entire light side of the plane if she simply chose to scale the Grand Choke and launch and unstoppable invasion.”
Rainbow bit her lip. Eventually, she squeaked, “But she won't.”
Chrysalis shook her head. “But she won't. And that's what I truly find intimidating about her. With all of that power...” She glanced over at Rainbow Dash again. “...there is something she desires more. It's... it's almost as if she's waiting for it to come her way.”
Rainbow felt her trembles increasing. “You don't say...” She ran a hoof across her forehead. With a stifled groan, she muttered, “What... uhm... wh-whatever happened to your drones?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“The hatchlings that you sent in to investigate Rohbredden. I mean... that was waaaaay back when you still had possession of your Hive Mind. Couldn't you—like—see through their eyes? Hear through the ears n'stuff?”
“Indeed.” Chrysalis nodded. “They are not sensations I care to relive.”
“So you do have a heart.”
“I have a spine,” Chrysalis hissed. “But only when I care to manifest it.”
“Humor me...”
Chrysalis clenched her jaws. She closed her eyes, the lids twitching... quivering.
Rainbow looked on.
At last, Chrysalis spoke, “One by one... the drones all vanished. I felt... chills... like frozen knives were being funneled through my leylines. I... felt each death, Rainbow Dash, like broken bones surrounding my heart.” She took a shuddering breath. “And in the faint traces of memory, I remember my children all being taken to one place... the black pinnacle of Obsidian Hope.”
“Obsidian What-now?”
“I know. A very obtuse name, isn't it?” Chrysalis opened her eyes again, and they were glossy. “It was contrived by the Six Tribes to describe the tall onyx mountain upon which 'Verlaxion's' fortress lays. My final memories of my unfortunate children is of them being flown to the bulwarks of that lofty palace by griffon and wyvern soldiers. There, alone with the blood-freezing frost of Obsidian Hope, they met their fates. Verlax dispensed with each of them personally, and I cut myself off from the drones before she could trace their leylines back to me. It... was no simple task. I barely made it to the edge of the Grand Choke with the surviving broodlings who followed me from Tchern's nest on the dark side. And that was how I left the East Edge... decades ago.” She exhaled bitterly. “Starving and on the run. The Grand Choke—for all its desolation—was almost a blessing for me.”
Rainbow found herself panting and panting. At last, she threw a sweaty glance beyond the wall. Yaerfaerda was pulsing wildly.
Chrysalis continued speaking. “My last contact was three years ago... as recent as my infiltration of the Xonan Empire. A single drone—a starving child—had holed itself away. He had found a place to live, deep in the jungles of a lone island, hidden away amidst the western archipelagos. And—even still—cast off from all civilization and sentient eyes... Verlax found my child. I awoke one morning to a vision of a seashore covered in frozen daggers of ice... and then all was green and running...” Her jaw tensed. “His screams still haunt me in the silence of a place like this.”
Rainbow Dash was shivering uncontrollably at this point. With a meager whimper, she fell over to her side, hugging her forelimbs to her chest.
Chrysalis blinked... then blinked again. She craned her neck, staring down at Rainbow through the bars.
Rainbow seethed through her teeth, fighting dizziness as she struggled to stay alive.
“...I wonder, Rainbow,” Chrysalis calmly muttered. “Does she seek you as well? Or is it something else... something grander... greater... and darker than all of the evils this plane and the surrounding chaos has spawned over time?”
“You... sh-should know...” Rainbow hissed, her whole world spinning. Her eyes rolled back, flickering yellow in brief spurts. “You... were w-waiting for me t-too...” She gnashed her teeth, scraping at the dungeon floor with her hooves. “Grnnngh... waiting... to sp-spring a trap...”
“And yet, the ultimate trap was sprung for me,” Chrysalis said. “You may just be tenacious enough to survive Verlax...” The Changeling's eyes narrowed. “Provided you can survive yourself.”
“What... hckkkt...” Rainbow clenched her teeth together. “...do you m-mean...?”
“The alicorn magic in that amulet might preserve your body. But your mind... your spirit...” She slowly shook her head. “It is a tender morsel to be preyed upon by the elements of the Grand Choke. Or—should I say—the lack of elements.”
“Grnnkkt... ch-chaos...”
Chrysalis gravely nodded. “Something lurks deep inside of you, Rainbow Dash. It was something that I once thought I could take advantage of. But then you snuffed it out... and ever since then, I've been tracking you.” She shook her head. “I can't taste of that discordant beacon any longer... but in a way, I'm almost glad for it. Do you truly believe that you're experiencing anguish now? It will be nothing compared for what you'll endure in the desert and the ocean east of here.”
Rainbow Dash breathed in and out firmly, pacing her lungs. Slowly, she stopped shivering, and the world centered itself around her skull.
“I cannot even pretend to know what will happen to you on the dark side,” Chrysalis said. “When all is unfathomable emptiness, and a thin veil of twilight between you and the void.” She leaned back. “One thing is for certain, if you make it that far, you will shine like a blazing fire to the likes of Tchern and her nest.”
Slowly, nostrils flaring, Rainbow looked up. She swiped the sweat from her brow and glared at Chrysalis with ruby eyes. “...when did you first ever see me?”
The Brood Queen merely stared at her.
“For real...” Rainbow pulled herself up by the bars and pressed her angry muzzle against the edge of the cell. “...when did I first show up on your Hive Mind. Your drones were everywhere... are everywhere. So, how 'bout it, Queenie? If Verlax can track everypony down so easily... when did you start?”
Chrysalis hesitated before finally muttering: “Earlier than you think...”
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It was Applejack.
Nobody ever notices her snooping around. Her inability to tell lies is her cover. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Emoticons/lolface_Queen_Chrysalis.png
i.imgur.com/y62pXEK.jpg
Well, first thing's first:
*backflips around room*
*returns to computer desk*
And I'll be damned if that isn't a great application for the name.
Hoooooly crap, though. not much else to say apart from Verlax being bad news.
This is exactly what I was thinking when she mentioned Verlax being the one to "save" the tribes from frosty death. I'm 100% certain she was the cause.
No Sarosians?
Eh, maybe they have their own agenda. Heck, I don't even remember what their assumed stance was from the last time they were brought up. Sirens, though...didn't expect to see them appear in this story. Mayhap we will see a certain three famous sirens?
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...heywaitasecond...
Gold Petals was a changeling. I'm calling it now.
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It's Scootaloo. Such a complicated relationship. Rainbow would implode her colon.
It terrifies me and excites me.
It could even be several encounters she had...
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Congrats. With hope, RD will continue to mispronounce whatever that place is.
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Simplest solution. Changelings. All of them.
Applejack, Scoots, Gold Petals, C2, Shell
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Hmmm...I think you might be on the right track. Remember the other day how Super Trampoline pointed out that waaaaaay as far back as Austraeoh, someone mentioned a sea after the Grand Choke?
I bet that's it.
> sirens
Does this mean Austraeoh will meet the Dazzlings? Oh, I will be so happy if you make this happen! That would be so just and gold!
> the Council of Six
...of Eternia? Braev Lee, Alternis Dim, etc.? lol
Skirts, if you got a 3DS, definitely consider getting Bravely Default. There's even a free demo on the eShop. It's like an old school Final Fantasy with some modern conveniences. Look into it! It's got airships and everything. Bravely Second is coming out in Japan in April, iirc.
5623698 I think I remember hearing something about the Sarosions being at war with Tchern. That would put them on the dark side, or the edge itself.
Oh great. So we're not just dealing with a dragon Divine. We're dealing with an ice breathing, shape shifting, criminal mastermind dragon Divine that has six separate island nations worshipping her as a Goddess, has freaky tracking magic, and can wield apocalyptic levels of power.
... I bet 200 bits on East Horse winning in six rounds.
5623699 I was thinking the same thing.
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Those two mares who worked in that clothing store in Verdestone. Those kids in Emeraldine. Flower Gears. All changelings.
And will Whitemane ever play a role in this story again?
5623698 Congrats! You wanted a character, you got an entire nation!
I think Zaid has a point--Gold Petals seems like a prime candidate. It would lend a bit more structural cohesion to the series (since Gold Petals was pretty much right there at the beginning), and the chemistry the two of them shared would certainly feed into a changeling angle. Other people have suggested something even further back, like Scootaloo, but I doubt that. I don't think it would have preceded Rainbow's quest.
Also, Verlax is sounding quite formidable. Between her, Tchern, the other factions of the Trinary War, and whatever abominations from beyond are waiting on the Dark Side, the second half of the series ought to be wild.
Looks like Rainbow Dash is going to get some new companions once she starts her journey on the dark side and possibly a long and drawn out rebellion to fight.
Verlax is a Divine on the extreme end of the harmony to chaos scale like Nevlamas. Under her watchful eye, society orderly and its denizens safe at the cost of their individual freedom. Dissent is most likely violently dealt with and quickly, granted it seldom happens.
At this end of the scale, Verlax is no better than Nevlamas and the former should probably be put down like the latter.
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I've gotten a character, a building, and a nation. I think I can retire now.
*rides off into sunset*
img.photobucket.com/albums/v426/RoboRed/highhoquattro.jpg
I'll throw in Zaap as another possibility, goes along with the whole political infiltration/revolution idea Chrysalis had with the other nations.
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Gold Petals already changed when she went by the name of Gold Plate. Seems like a good way of throw away suspicion of being a changeling.
Then again, I may just be rambling.
I secretly hope that Regidar catches up by book 10 so that the final antagonist is named after him.
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What if it's Roarke Most Rare?
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Changeling
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.....Well, now that's just awkward.
Well this should be interesting.
Dash is gonna have to be very good at concealing herself in Verlax's domain.
Maybe take some lessons from the bug.
-Treachery and deceit, kingdom of conceit Yaerfaerda.
The shit never stops.
Oh, great. Now we're playing "Who's the Changeling?"
Lovely.
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The best kind of awkward,
I can't decide if the parallel between this east side of the world to the Equestrian origin story is lazy or smart parallel construction. It's basically the same.
I just have this sinking feeling Verlax is being built up to be overpowered and crazy like the Changelings and it will end with a whimper, like Chrysalis.
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Hold on, what's "Obsidian Hope" referencing?
rs1img.memecdn.com/i-amp-039-m-suck-her-k-and-i-amp-039-m-a-man_c_2729857.jpg
5623821 TKO in 5
Pretty sure she's been tracking Dash since before Day 0 of Austraeoh. After all, her drones know how to morph into Dash's friends.
Ah glorious, glorious exposition.
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5623856 I, to question why you are associated with the name Obsidian hope.
The dark side is confirmed to be metal as fuck. Rainbow Dash is going to be like a flame is to moths. "A thin veil of twilight" could be the color of the sky, or reference to the purple lines and symbols she's been following. Either way, this is pretty much the first description of the dark side Vince luna talked about the midnight armory.
I suspect that one divine who has been stalk....er "following" RD will make an appearance here.
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It could easily be both Gold Petals and someone from Ponyville as well.
Verlax seems like she's going to be a real fun time, that's for sure.
Now Axan was bitter and Nevlamas was turned, but Verlax is the first divine that sounds like she's never been too savoury in the first place. Hell, we know Stuorke is kind of a cool gal and we don't know anything about Endrax apart from her being possibly dead, so I suppose that makes Verlax worst dragon!
5624078 If he does it right, she won't be fighting her. No punching out Cthulhu. Nevlamas could be fought because she was weakened and sickened, a shadow of herself - Verlax, like Axan, would have to be impossible to defeat in an actual conflict.
I'd actually envision her as rather playing the role of a Primordial Serpent from Dark Souls: the ever unsettling presence giving whispers from the dark.
Welp, If the East Edge countries, are the East Edge, then the Plane just got a couple thousand miles larger again. The Grand Choke and Ocean not being the Chaos intersecting region of destruction, but the Divine blasted region of isolation. sort of like the moat and clear field surrounding a castle. But, scaled Divine power and thinking wise.
Still, not to bad for trade wise, as long as the Ocean storms arent directly due to Divine intervention. Usually there isnt much wave action a hundred metres down, but you get powerful currents, but ther have been reports of ultra high speed submarines being designed. Cavitation allows vaccuum speeds in a dense fluid. Thats why deep penetrating bombs have flat noses, and why Im extremely confused as to why all high speed aircraft deisngs have pointy noses. The shuttle was teh fastest aircraft ever, and it most definitely didnt have a pointy nose. Pointy bits on the Shuttle vapourised.
Anyone else looked at the Season 5 map? Eagleland to the East, Zebrica to the West, Dragonia to the South, and the greatest nod to Star Trek, in the classic show way, in the Room Of Thrones? The Portal, as in the Transporter. Star Trek, we can either waste most of the show getting people to and from their destination, or just add this instant transition. FiM writers. Eyup.Pinkie Pie, Ill just step over here.
Any of the Mane 6 going to come back with a Stepford husband? or is Flash that much of a warning?
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i.imgur.com/T5axNJu.png
BAM!
We'd never see it coming.
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Hundreds of Applejacks start running at her and nuzzling her.
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Shush.
Appledash because drama, Gold Petals, because Juicy Changeling love Triangles.
5624805 No! I will not allow it!
I'm really appreciating the suspense and tension being built here. This is better than good television.
5624056 Again?! Ugh.
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raingold original best ship
new2.fjcdn.com/upictures/Austraeoh_3f985b_5454450.jpg
5624078 Chiasmus
5624805 Wait, didn't Dash mention something about her father before?
I don't remember, but maybe he knew something was up with his family's destinies or at least had an idea of it?
Well Verlax seems pleasent...
The torch of salvation in the land of unending twilight, the chaotic knight marches onwards towards her destiny.
we need an A-team tier plan for this
Verlax gets scarier every chapter.
-Spirit
I'll hop on the Gold Petals wagon... unless it was Scootaloo.......
Oh man, here we go theorizing who could be a changeling again.