• Published 27th May 2012
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My Little Pony: Morphing is Magic - Tricondon



The Mane 6 team up with another Main 6 to fight a new threat.

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Chapter 34

Chapter 34


Twilight

I watched, still slightly stunned, as Illusion cautiously vanished into the gaping maw before us. The entrance to the Changeling Hive looked not unlike a giant mouth somepony had dug into the ground; I suspected it would be easily viewable from the sky, which would explain the peculiar shield spell surrounding it.

“C’mon, we gotta move!” Prince Jake’s voice cut into my thoughts as he quickly followed Illusion down, the others not far behind. I silently admonished myself for getting distracted and ran to catch up.

Slowly we made our way through a long, dark tunnel. I kept expecting a Changeling to drop from the ceiling at any moment, even though Illusion said that they were all preoccupied with the airship. As we continued I felt the ground begin to slope, meaning the tunnel was now leading us far underground. Eventually Illusion stopped and called us all forward. And when I heeded him I felt my eyes widen.

The tunnel opened up into a vast cavern, dimly lit by pale green crystals. Large pillars of black stone rose from floor to ceiling, supporting a jagged roof of stalactites. Surrounding the main chamber on all sides were dozens of smaller tunnels, from the walls, floor and ceiling. I recalled the attack they made on Canterlot not too long ago, how the Changelings seemed to stick to walls. Looking down I saw that the cavern was lined with various chasms and pitfalls that lead hundreds, maybe thousands of hooves below the earth - with only thin bridges made of stone to cross them. And everywhere, there were Changelings.

Changelings flying through the tunnel entrances, Changelings working on the pillars, Changelings curled up and sleeping in shallow carvings in the rock. There were even a few smaller groups scattered about, standing around and seemingly mingling. What’s more, I even spotted a few groups of humans standing around some of the light-giving crystals.

“Oh, perfect, we got Changelings and Controllers to worry about here...” Marco muttered under his breath.

“At least I don’t see any Hork-Bajir or Taxxons,” Prince Jake whispered.

“What are they doing here anyways?” I asked softly. Illusion bristled next to me, baring his teeth.

“Humans come with Yeerk. Take Hive. Call them ‘Master’,” Illusion whispered. “Many Changelings die fighting them. We no stand chance.”

“Speaking of lots of Changelings, any ideas as to how we’re going to get through here?” Marco asked.

“Walk through,” Illusion said simply.

“Maybe for you, but not all of us are Changelings here,” Rachel said. “I say we fight our way through.”

“In th’ middle of the Hive? Do ya think that’s such a hot idea?”

Illusion hissed under his breath. “Not fight! Hurt Changelings!” Self-consciously he glanced around. “I know. Come.” Without another word he pushed past me, back the way we came. Curiously, I followed him, with Prince Jake behind me.

Muttering to himself in what sounded like strange clicks, Illusion trailed a hoof along the walls of the tunnel. At first his hoof moved perfectly along it, but after a moment his hoof seemed to fall between the rocks by a few centimeters. He smiled to himself and ushered us over.

“Here. This wall weak. We break through to other side.”

“What’s on the other side? And how do you know this?” I asked, somewhat skeptical.

“Rain flood Hive. Weaken wall. I one drone to fix. Still not done because we attack Canterlot.”

“So it’s breakable, is it?” Rachel asked, an unmistakable edge of joy in her voice. “Great! I’ll smash through easy!”

Illusion ran between Rachel and the wall. “No! Make noise! Alert Hive!”

“Well if we can’t smash through, how do we get past?” Marco whined, sounding far more like Rarity than was comfortable for me.

“Well, if we can’t move the rocks, why not go through them?” I inquired. “I know a spell that can give solid objects the properties of a liquid.” Receiving blank stares from everypony, I continued. “We can walk through the rock.”

“Such a feat would carry great risk,” Ax said. “It requires heat to convert the physical state of matter from solid to-”

“Ax, we’re in a world of talking horses. I thought by now you would have figured to let some things go,” Marco cut in. He turned to me and smiled. “Whenever you’re ready, darling.”

After taking a moment to comprehend what I had just heard — and ultimately deciding to treat it the same way I do Pinkie — I focused on the weakened wall. My horn sparked with magic, which I directed at the rocks, and willed the molecules to move at a quicker pace from each other — but not enough that the rocks would become completely liquid. After a few seconds the stones began to waver like ripples in water.

“There, I think I did it,” I said through gritted teeth. “Go through, quickly!”

Illusion haltingly pressed a hoof against the wall, and pulled back in surprise as his hoof passed into the rock. Shutting his eyes tightly, he leapt at the wall and vanished from sight. I heard gasps of wonder from the others behind me.

“But such a thing is impossible...” Ax mumbled.

“We’ll fix physics later,” Prince Jake said. “Now go through already!” With a shove from behind both Ax and the Prince ran through the wall. Rachel rolled her eyes as she calmly followed them, with Marco and Applejack right behind her. With only myself left I quickly ran through.

It’s hard to precisely describe what walking through rock feels like. In many respects it was much like walking through wet clay, though not as smooth. I gasped for breath, a useless act due to the fact I was embedded in rock. Thankfully the rock wasn’t too deep, and the spell prevented me from asphyxiating, so we exited the other side fairly quickly and were greeted to a partially collapsed cavern. Water covered the floor and the air was thick with humidity.

“That was fun. Let’s never do it again,” Marco said with a groan.

“I agree. Not like that spell.” Illusion shook himself off like a dog, his disguise falling at the same time; were the situation not so dire, I might almost find it comical.

“Illusion, which of these walls do you think is the best to take out the Hive with?” Prince Jake inquired.

“None. Support walls for tunnel. Not Hive. Only crush self.” He paused, lost in thought, then screeched. “Wait, take out Hive?! No! Not destroy!”

“It’s the only way we can get the Yeerk’s attention away from Canterlot,” I added. Illusion turned to me with rage filled eyes and hissed.

“I agree to get you in Hive. Yes. I agree to help you drive out Yeerks. I not agree to harm Hive!” He spat those last two words as if they were a curse.

“Harm the Hive? Tsk tsk tsk, Drone three dash nine-three-seven, I thought you had more sense than that.” I felt my blood run cold as ten Changelings buzzed into view. One of them seemed to be wearing armour at first glance, but upon closer inspection I noted his carapace had grown into natural armour.

“We’re so glad you have returned at long last, though. And look, you brought prisoners. I suppose this will be an adequate apology for...”

He never finished whatever he was about to say since at that moment Rachel burst into the air, slamming her hooves into two of the Changelings. They fell to the ground and were still. From that point on pandemonium broke out. Rocks whizzed by my head, bathed in a familiar purple aura, but the Changelings they were aimed at deftly dodged. I leapt back, acting out of instinct, moments before one of them smashed into the ground where I’d stood seconds earlier.

It was so strange, the way things seemed to slow down during the fight, how disconnected I felt from everything. I grabbed a boulder from the ceiling with my magic and wrenched it down, swinging it around and smashing any Changeling that dared to get close. Somehow I knew which one was Illusion and didn’t hit him. I sensed, rather than saw, Prince Jake and Marco using their own magic to fight back.

Suddenly the cavern echoed with the sound of a rubber chicken squeaking, and the few remaining Changelings were thrown against the far wall amidst a barrage of confetti, streamers, and cake. I turned my head around to see Ax brandishing a large blue tan cannon made of interlocking blades. There were even fake eye-stalks coming off like a cross-sight. In the center of the wheels were the images of some metal rod with what looked like a dome mounted on its top.

“This makes zero sense! But I don’t care!” he cried exuberantly, firing the cannon a second time. This time the Changeling bearing down on him was pelted with dozens of tiny blue cubes.

I was so engrossed in the spectacle before me that I failed to notice the pair of hooves flying towards me until they collided with my side. I skidded across the floor before being splashed by the shallow water, courtesy of the same two hooves coming down next to my head. I was forced to look straight up at my attacker, the armoured Changeling.

“You’ll make a wonderful host, little unicorn,” he hissed, baring his fangs. His horn shone a sickly green and I felt this strange liquid start seeping out of the ground and begin to wrap around my hooves. Belatedly I remembered my own magic, but I had no sooner called up an appropriate spell when the armoured Changeling gave an agonizing screech and collapsed onto his side next to me.

“Purple pony alright?” Illusion said as he offered me a hoof. I took it gratefully and quickly got to my own hooves.

“Y-yeah, thanks,” I said awkwardly. I was a little ashamed I nearly got captured, really.

“Woo, that was fun!” Rachel gleefully said as she landed beside me. “Strength, flight, speed. I am loving this morph!”

Applejack chuckled. “Why, if Ah didn’t know any better Ah’d say yah were complimentin’ Rainbow Dash.”

“I don’t mean to worry anyone, but I almost certainly think that they know we’re here by now,” Marco cut in. “They found us far too easily besides,” he added, casting a wary eye at Illusion.

“I not trap!” he protested. “You help Hive! Get rid of Yeerks!”

“Which I suggest we get back to doing,” Prince Jake interjected, stepping between Illusion and Marco. “Illusion, lead the way. We need to get deeper in.”

Illusion glared at Marco for a moment before turning and quickly headed down a tunnel. The six of us were right behind him, moving as quickly and quietly as we could.

Eventually we found our way through a particularly long, single tracked passageway. In the end it opened up into a large room, hexagonal in shape and with a low ceiling. What’s more, the room seemed particularly devoid of any alternate passageways.

“This not right,” Illusion said, his wings buzzing in his confusion. “Why this room here? Why it no lead anywhere?”

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“All rooms lead elsewhere. This so we can repair and defend quickly,” he explained. “However, this room lead nowhere. Why it closed off?”

“Could they have changed the layout since you left?” Ax asked.

I was about to open my mouth to say something when a booming voice filled the room.

“Like a rat in a maze. Pity you didn’t find the cheese, though.” The room seemed to shimmer for a moment and the spell dissolved, revealing hundreds of Changelings. But what got my attention more than them was...

“Q-Queen Chrysalis!” Illusion shrieked, backing up a few steps and visibly shaking in fear. She gave him a toothy grin.

“I thought I made it quite clear. I prefer Visser Seven these days.”

Author's Note:

Written by Samaru163 and Tricondon.