42: Together against the holy light.
I’m lying under the throne, the one in the underground throne room, because the griffon wrecked the upper one. We did put it back where it belongs, but it was wobbly, and the underground one reminds me of the hive anyway. Well, it’s not like there’s much nice to remind me of, but it was home, something we haven’t managed to build since then.
Hopefully, we will.
To my surprise, the attack of the furious griffon didn’t drain us as much as I expected, and after some rest, One went back to Ponyville, and Eight stayed with me, making me massage her previously severed foreleg. That kind of ended up with us sleeping under the throne wrapped in some surviving tapestries.
Just sleeping!
Which brings us to now, the everpresent, annoying now.
“Trying to sleep your way up to my rank again, I see,” One’s joking voice makes me open my eyes. I don’t question her ability to hide her presence from me anymore.
“Shove off, One,” Eight, lying draped over my barrel, yawns, “Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t spread your ass for Chrysalis for some bonus points. I’m pretty sure you’ve mothered several thousand drones by yourself.”
“Everything I did was for the hive. My position stems from my skills and dedication,” One’s jovial tone drops into the freezing territory immediately.
“Oral skills, in all senses of the word,” Eight grins, “‘Cause you never seem to shut up about it. Even against the paladins, you barely showed you’re even a little useful.”
Contrary to my fresh expectations regarding our rapidly shortening lifespan, One only takes a deep breath, and gives me a strangely tired look.
“King, I have a request,” she says.
“I’m not kicking Eight out just because you don’t like-”
“Top her off. You should have enough love and the capacity to store it by now.”
“What?” I ask, sitting up as Eight stretches her legs.
“Fill her up to the brim, King,” One repeats, “I think it’s time to give our little warrior here a bite of the reality sandwich.”
“Oh you are so on...” Eight’s grin only grows wider.
“Come on, this is a waste of love. I need you both!” I try to defuse the situation.
“King,” One raises her hoof, “I have asked for very little, and I have given you a lot. This is a personal request-”
“You took my ability to shapeshift away forever, One!” I hiss, “That is NOT very little.”
“WHAT?!” roars Eight, now ready to trample One to dust, “MY King, please agree to her request. I WILL destroy her.”
“I DON’T WANT YOU TO DESTROY HER, EIGHT! I WANT THIS NONSENSE TO STOP!”
“No, this needs a resolution once and for all,” says One calmly despite Eight’s fuming, “Eight against me, no physical or mental intervention from you, no orders, no words, nothing. I will explain why that is necessary once I show this… ‘Eight’ what she really is.”
I really wish you two obeyed me when it matters, not when you feel like it.
“...alright...” I hang my head, hoping against all hope that I’ll have enough love to prevent one of them from being killed. Eight puts her horn to mine.
Strangely enough, even now I’m not sure which one I’ll have to save. The best I can do is prepare a contingency plan.
”Four, Ten, get ready to come back to the castle with all the love you’ve gathered if I call within ten minutes.”
It can’t take too long, right?
The transfer is finished, for the first time from Eight’s side. She’s positively glowing with power, and just from her look I can easily see that if she was in this shape when the griffon attacked, she’d have beaten him to death with his own shotgun. Which is technically my fault, because I had no clue how much love I can really store these days.
“Do you want something too, One?” my voice is weak now, and I feel as if I was hauling a block of granite on my back.
“I won’t need it,” she growls, facing Eight, “Ready? Just asking so that you don’t have any excuse later about me surprising you. On the other hole, I know you by now. You’ll find something anyway.”
“Oh shut your cock hole, Chrysalis’ whorse.”
To my surprise, One only shakes her head.
“Let’s just settle this.”
Eight moves faster than I can see, darting towards One, and stopping several inches in front of the motionless changeling staring her down. I feel her muscles bulge, her love burn under the internal order to punch One’s head off, and yet she doesn’t move.
One raises her foreleg, then points at the floor.
“Heel!” she says in a calm tone.
Eight sits down on her haunches.
“Pant!”
Eight opens her muzzle, tongue obediently hanging out of it.
“Bark!”
“Woof woof!”
“Roll over!”
Eight ends on her back, legs spread. One steps on her chest without any sign of Eight’s resistance. I feel Eight’s mind protest, her love reserves dissipate as she musters all mental resistance she can, and it means absolutely nothing. I stay silent, though, as per One’s original request.
One grows a thing spike from her foreleg…
...and rams it into Eight’s throat.
Eight doesn’t move, doesn’t show any sign of pain other than grinding her teeth, only quietly bleeds on the floor.
“Heal!”
Eight’s wound disappears. One’s foreleg glows green…
...then she punts Eight by the head across the throne room where she leaves an imprint in the stone wall.
“Come!”
Eight obediently walks over to One.
“Head down!”
I finally feel a spark of fear from Eight.
Another empowered kick. This time Eight cartwheels in the air as she’s rammed into the wall again.
“Stand up!”
Bleeding Eight unsteadily gets back on all fours.
“Come!”
Eight walks over again.
“Head down!”
Like a prisoner ready for execution, Eight lowers her head. Do I stop it now?
One’s foreleg glows again, she cocks it back, ready for another kick…
...and simply slaps Eight who looks up at her in disbelief.
“Do you understand now?” asks One, “Not even your survival instinct can help you here. You are a warrior type changeling, you are not an individual. You belong to someone, and on your own you are weak… in here,” One taps her hoof against her temple, “That’s why I didn’t want the King to interfere. Under his orders you could fight me,” One takes a deep breath, “And on an even level of love, if you could ever hold that much, you would likely win. I’d say it would be seventy-thirty against me, I’m not completely defenseless without my mental power.”
Eight’s shock and newfound growing admiration seeps into me. I am personally just happy no one is dead despite Eight being rather badly hurt.
“I...” Eight closes her eyes, “am sorry.”
“In the old hive, doing this would have gotten you killed which, on a second thought, might be a waste. If you work on yourself, you might get to rank five. You don’t have it in you to go higher, in your head. Being cocky isn’t going to cut it. The highest ranked warrior during my four hundred years of life was Four, rather recent one as well. You are stronger and physically more efficient than him. You don’t have his training, his experience, or his skill, though, and definitely not his mental fortitude. However, if the King gives you an order, you will do it, I learned that the hard way when we first met, and I’ve been observing you since then. You being a willing slave of his, your need for submission to only him, can make you nearly immune to my mind control, which means I doubt even Chrysalis would be able to stop you for long. Under his orders, you could be One. On your own, Five at most. Take it as you want,” One pats Eight’s head, “I just wish I didn’t have to beat the facts into you. As the King said, it’s a waste of love, a waste I and infiltrators under me will have to refill now.”
Eight just stands there, staring at One in confusion. I sense she wants to say something, but she has no idea what. As One walks away, she turns her head to us and winks, smug grin on her muzzle.
“And yes, I did ‘spend quality time’ with Chrysalis, but it was a reward for gaining my rank, not a way to get it. Something our new King has yet to beat.”
She turns invisible, and leaves.
“Eight?” I look at the warrior staring at the ground. I’m not sure what I’m actually asking, to be honest. Probably whether or not she’s okay, despite clearly seeing that she isn’t and that we're both now sort of low on love. Her attempts to resist One’s control even when she was full burned her out hard.
She returns back to me, regenerating the most pressing cracks and wounds.
“I apologize for wasting the hive’s resources, my King. I won’t do it again.”
“I thought you two settled things when she blackmailed me with leaving.”
“She made me learn my place then. Now she made me admit my potential the hard way.”
“Come on, nothing is written in stone. I was supposed to be just a drone and look where I’m now. We have our own castle, as Three would point out immediately. I did things drones are not supposed to do with a high rank, and I’m successfully avoiding the hive’s top changeling attempts at doing those to me. If you try hard enough, train in the right way which someone as smart as you can find, you can be the best on your own.”
Eight tilts her head, looking at me, then pushes me down and throws the tapestry over us like a blanket.
“I don’t think I want that. I… would rather go the other path she showed me, not on my own. Me being the most powerful changeling ever, only under your orders. You should know that by now,” she crawls on top of me, nuzzling my nose, “Speaking of one-upping One, how about some more of the ‘things drones do not get to do’, hmm?’”
Love resonates. I finally realize what it really means.
That’s how we’ve managed to get so full, Eight, Three, and I. It wasn’t only thanks to One’s, Ten’s, and Four’s excellent job, it was this as well. Anyway, right now I’ve got a very, very hungry warrior who needs feeding.
***
I have to correct my statement regarding our home. We’ve been her for two weeks now. More and more, I feel like this castle is where we could stay forever. Ponyville locals are friendly enough, Tree Hugger definitely hasn’t blabbed about us, otherwise we’d have spotted something, One now has a part time job as a singer in one of the three Ponyville clubs. Ten has been rather mysterious ever since his admission that he’ll go see princess Celestia at some point, but he’s been working closely with the Mayor of Ponyville on some town development plans I don’t really understand. Four is now romantically involved with local teacher Cheerilee, don’t ask me how that happened, and while the affection is highly one-sided, Four likes the company, especially if it’s of someone who knows stuff about the world.
Nine and Eight have spent most of their time around the castle, training or hunting. Unsurprisingly, this part of the forest has become much safer place recently. Nine has been wearing the griffon plate armor all the time, getting used to it. At first, moving was a bit more draining for him, but he’s grown stronger over the few days and now he can use it without any additional energy expenditure. As for Eight, she’s full of love. Do I need to say more? No, I don’t think so. Well, just one thing. When Eight found out that she’s been getting fed more than she expected, she led her feeding pony back to Ponyville, scrambled his head to leave a steamy memory for him, erase any trace of us, and let him go.
What surprised me was Three’s occasional absence in the castle. It’s not as if I did instruct him to stay here, but it was still strange. When I visited his head out of sheer curiosity, I was completely stumped. He was in the company of a grey mare with black stripes whom Eight tracked when we first arrived at the castle… a ‘zebra’ she called her. Seemingly, the mare was satisfied with undisguised Three pretending he was a fly as he helped her gather various plants even deeper in the forest or carried her over ravines the zebra couldn’t easily cross. I sent Eight to track the zebra for some time, and she didn’t make any moves to report Three’s presence to anyone, so we dropped the observation.
And yet, even now I can’t help feeling that this has to end at some point, that everything is too good to be true.
It’s so late at night that it could be considered early morning, everyone is scattered around the castle minding their own business. One is teaching Four, distant, faint noises of something hard hitting something even harder echoing through the hallways tell me that Eight and Nine are busy as well, Ten remembered Three’s passtime from Wet Soil and bought him a colouring book with a basic set of crayons which Three’s now working on far more successfully than before. Granted, since he’s underground in the small room we used for healing the survivors where everything is lit by green crystals, the coloured pictures still look somewhat creepy, but at least he knows that not everything is dead and brown like in the Badlands before, and the equines in the pictures are more than black shells with blue eyes.
Ten is inside the same room, however his work is lit by the white glow of his horn. Plus, he’s not using crayons, obviously. He’s using watercolours, canvas, and various brushes to paint a full-body picture of a big white alicorn mare with sun on her fantasy-level oversized flanks whom I recognize from One and Ten’s memories as princess Celestia. Despite him scowling all the time, cursing, and occasionally stomping out into the hallway while mumbling ‘No no no no no, all wrong!’ to himself, he doesn’t feel too discouraged by his results.
Three’s ear twitches.
“Hmm?” the drone leaves his colouring project, and peeks into the hallway. Nothing. He scrunches his nose.
”What’s wrong, Three?”
“I dunno,” he mumbles, “I hear something, but I don’t hear anything...”
”I don’t understand.”
“Me neither,” Three switches to mental speech. I can’t hear anything out of his ears either, but…
...when I focus, I can feel the faintest vibrations of the stone floor underneath.
A really weak earthquake or something? No, too regular. Hoofsteps-regular.
Damn, can Three really feel somepony walking on stone floor before he can hear them? I was never able do that as a drone. In fact, I can’t do it even now.
Three carefully peeks behind a corner. His bright, blue eyes go saucer-wide as he looks up and up.
“Not again...” he recognizes the heavy gold-decorated platemail, and so do I.
”RUN, THREE, RUN!”
The unicorn armored from head to hoof and yet making no noise looks down at the changeling.
“Kill it!” he sounds old, but his order is firm and ruthless like his voice, “All units, move, they know we’re here!”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Three’s voice echoes through the dark hallways lit only by the horns of the unicorns chasing him.
A magical flare scorches the floor under Three’s pumping hind legs. He feels the shrapnel bounce off of his chitin, and his tripping over the fresh dent in the floor is saved by the buzzing of his wings helping him keep balance. He dodges closer to the wall, only to get covered by a shower of dust and shattered rocks without slowing down.
“Celestia damn it, just RUIN the monster!” screams one of the paladins whose horn lights up repeatedly, and on the final attempt he grasps Three’s hind leg, brutally yanking him backwards so hard Three loses his footing and his head hits the floor.
“TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!” he calls out, and I realize he’s just next to the entrance to the healing cav- room.
“What the hole, Three-” Ten, annoyed frown on his face, walks outside only to see Three sliding towards the trio of heavily armored unicorns practically shimmering with magic.
“Ten, if you run now I’ll never forgive-”
”Oh SHUT UP!”
His own horn bursts into green flames, and the same aura envelops Three.
”Who do you think-”
The paladin’s eyes go wide as he loses grip on Three’s leg.
”-I am?!”
And the poor drone slingshots past Ten through the hallway far away from the paladins.
”Now you do YOUR job and link everyone up!”
Three gets up, unharmed, shakes his head, and then immediately follows Ten now galloping at full speed away from the fuming unicorns.
”Everyone, the paladins are attacking!”
One by one, I feel everyone’s link strengthen, and the little window of their minds capable of processing information others are seeing opens up.
The paladins are everywhere.
”Thanks, Ten, and sorry for doubting you. Now get over here to the throne room, Three knows all the secret routes.”
The drone slides into a halt, and boops a batpony statue that immediately spins around along with a plate of the floor, Ten, and Three. He takes a breath of relief inside the hidden passage, then the stones start grinding again.
Alright, the paladins know at least some of the routes too.
They should be here in few minutes.
”One, we’re regrouping in the throne room and getting the hole out of here.”
One steps in front of Four peeking out from behind her with curiosity, facing a different advancing trio of paladins.
”I. Don’t. Think. So.”
Golden glow envelops her horn.
”Because this time they made a huge mistake.”
”What?”
One grins, taking good care to show the paladins the dozens of small, needle-like teeth lining her mouth. Their advance slows down.
Air grows thick and heavy with power emanating from One.
”I’m not starving.”
“Four, cut yourself off as well as you can for a second,” says One, and I feel Four’s link to both myself and One weaken before hearing Four’s mental plea.
”Cut it off, boss, cut it off!”
I unlink Four and One.
-DIE!-
One paladin clutches his chestplate, grunts, chokes, and collapses on the floor. The other two stumble. A thin and bright beam of gold light sizzles against another paladin’s magically enhanced armor in the next instant. The protective magic fizzles, sparks, then gives in under the piercing spear of One’s magic which then cleaves its target in half.
The one paladin surviving the instant obliteration of his companions takes a step back.
“Not so easy when we’re not half dead from starvation and your treatment, is it?!” One growls, lowering her head and taking a step towards him.
“Princess Celestia, may your divine light protect me, or let me rest peacefully in its warm embrace,” says the paladin in one long breath out.
One’s horn lights up again…
...before Four jumps between the two, her head tilted upwards at the unicorn with his big sword levitating right next to him.
“Wait, miss One!” asks Four, taking a hesitant step towards the comparatively huge paladin, “I remember that voice. It’s you, isn’t it?” she walks a little closer again, stopping only when the paladin’s blade aims at her, “You found me back in Canterlot hiding under the bed.”
The sword doesn’t thrust, though.
“Four?” a simple word from One, “We don’t have time. These guys nearly killed Three, and are chasing him and Ten now on their way to the King. Eight and Nine are fighting another group.”
Four nods.
“Please, give yourself up, or miss One will have to... kill you. We’re only defending ourselves, we don’t want to hurt anypony.”
The paladin silently looks at each of his dead companions. Four hangs her head.
“Out of the over thirty changelings you attacked in Canterlot, there’s only seven of us left. Several returned to Canterlot to face the trials because they had lives of their own back there from before the invasion. Lives they built, not stole,” Four takes another step forward right into the floating sword. It backs off a little, “Please, don’t make miss One kill you.”
The sword flies back into its sheath on the unicorn’s broad back.
“Good,” One darts forward, spitting a glob of green goo at the unicorn’s horn poking through the helmet. A moment later it hardens, sealing his magic and telekinesis, “Now move your ass. I might have a soft spot for Four, but it’s a lot easier for me to end you than bother with questioning you later.”
One is damn scary!
Hmm, and so are the paladins following Ten and Three. How are Eight and Nine doing in the armory?
Eight grabs the armored paladin’s leg while sliding under him, heaves, and throws him into the second one with enough force to send them both tumbling away in one big ball. With her next breath, she's towering over them, cuts off the straps on one’s helmet, and crushes his muzzle with a single blow.
A blast of magic throws her away, the impact of which she easily balances with her wings, and lands on all fours. The unharmed paladin’s horn glows…
...until Eight blinks behind him, rearing on her hind legs, and…
...punches it off.
He screams in horror and agony when she grabs his head next, and rams her hoof into the frayed ends of the freshly split bone.
The third paladin of this group glances sideways, which gives Nine the opportunity to charge straight into him. His own weight and strength coupled with the magical griffon armor is enough to knock the unicorn over. All four of Nine’s hooves glow green as he tramples the enemy.
“BOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” I hear Three’s loud voice.
”Eight, Three, Ten, and I are in the underground throne room, but we can’t fight the paladins off, I think. We’re not exactly made for that.”
”On the way.”
Eight knocks the hornless paladin out by growing a claw and ramming it into the broken bone one last time.
“Nine, you finish this here. I gotta go help my King,” she doesn’t wait for an answer, already rushing off.
“Will do,” is his answer nonetheless.
I have to stop focusing on him as he keeps punching the paladin under him, hoping he’ll handle any magical surprise the two heavily wounded but still conscious unicorns might throw at him.
Three and Ten rush into the throne room, gasping for breath.
“One, Eight, and Four are on the way. Eight will get here first,” I announce what they might have missed from our links during their escape.
“Yeah, no time!” Ten yells while running through the throne room towards me, “They know the castle like the back of their hoof. They must- oh for Chrysalis’ cheese legs,” he stops. Through his eyes I see one paladin coming in via the main entrance. I myself see the one following Three arrive from the side hallway, and the last one appears on the balcony above us.
“Boss, they-” Three hides behind me, “Wait, I thought all of them were behind us.”
“Damn teleportation spells...” scowls Ten, “Alright, what now?”
“Now you die, monsters, for what you did in Canterlot, for all my companions you bugs have killed over the years, AND FOR WHAT YOU DID TO PUFF!” screams the unicorn from the balcony. His horn burns with fire, sending three flares towards us.
“Scatter!”
We run from the dropping projectiles.
*BOOM!*
My ears are ringing as I gather myself from the edge of a molten crater, red-hot, liquid stones dripping down my chitin. Thankfully, neither Ten nor Three were as slow as I was, and while the explosions flung them away, they only seem shaken.
If those things hit them…
My legs are trembling...
...and yet, the magma covering my armor feels almost cool.
“...why can’t you just leave us alone…?” I hiss, feeling acid drip from my mouth.
Everything inside me revolts. These… worms have hunted us down, killed- murdered MY changelings in cold blood.
This will not stand.
The love inside me boils, and overflows.
Green blast from my horn razes the balcony, shattering masonry, evaporating metal, and turning decorations to ash.
I turn my head, and half of the paladin advancing from the main entrance disappears, disintegrated by a wave of emerald light.
The paladin who was chasing Three disappears back into the side hallway, I hear a muffled scream followed by a ‘thud’ before he flies back.
Eight comes in and gives the paladin one more kick for good measure.
“Alright, whose skull do I... flatten... now...?” she slows down, examining the devastation.
The energy inside me calms down. I should feel exhausted after using this much, but I’m pretty fine, I think.
I look at the deep grooves burnt into solid rock, the dead unicorn, and the absolutely ruined second floor of the throne room from the rubble of which the surviving and conscious paladin is trying to free himself.
Eight trots over, pulls him out, punches him, punches him again, cuts his helmet off, then tosses him towards me.
Unlike the others, this paladin looks old. His white muzzle is covered with blood, and there isn’t much left of his blond mane that isn’t grey. The brown eyes, however, look at me without fear, only raw hatred.
“What now, my King?” asks Eight, still eyeing the destruction I caused.
“Why?” I ask the paladin, “Most of us weren’t part of the invasion, and from what information we gathered only few died in the whole city, and that was mostly on accident. All we did was free the changelings you imprisoned before they would starve to death because you didn’t know how to feed them. Then you came for us, and killed most of the survivors. We fled here, we didn’t hurt anypony, and… and here you are again. This-” I point at the death and destruction, “-is what it led to. Why?”
Nine arrives with three unicorns slung over his back, none of them dead. One and Four arrive a moment later, leading their captive.
The unicorn spits at the floor.
“This world will be a much better place without you in it. You ruined the city I’ve protected most of my life, you killed my apprentice who didn’t deserve it in the slightest, and through my service I had to fight so many of your kind who took place of my friends. I had to kill so many of my companions who were mind controlled by you or into whom you shapeshifted that I know you can never be trusted. I visited asylums filled with those whom you brainwashed and drained so much they didn’t recognize anypony anymore. I’ve been to the funerals of those who took their own lives due to the nightmares you inflicted on them. I KNOW you, monsters, and before this is over, the entire changeling race will remember the name Star Trail!”
I sigh.
“One, Eight, what do you think we should d-”
“Umm, boss?” Three raises a hoof, “Can I say something?”
“Sure.”
He walks over to Star Trail, and looks up into the sitting paladin’s eyes.
“I’m sure miss One and miss Eight will want to get rid of this threat once and for all, but that means more ponies will come, we will have to hurt more of them, or we will have to hide and starve like in the old hive before we have no other choice but to attack a town or a city again. I mean, we, changelings, have hurt many ponies. Even Four killed one by accident and is super sorry. The thing is that you ponies killed thousands of us just in Canterlot, and who knows how many before. I won’t even count those who simply starved because you ponies were so afraid of us only because how we look that you never gave us a chance to live in peace,” he stretches his foreleg towards Star Trail in a friendly gesture, “Ponies here in Ponyville don’t mind us, we didn’t kidnap anypony, and it was the same in Wet Soil. We are fed, and they aren’t hurt in any way. I know the mistrust will stay for a long time, and that we can’t end it here, but… can we build something new now? Maybe a chance to start fresh.”
Star Trail glares at the smaller hoof reaching up to him, takes a deep breath, closes his eyes…
…and his horn flashes.
Three can’t even squeak before a thick and sharp combat dagger rams through his eye right into his brain.
“I will not rest until I purge all of you from this world,” Star Trail stands up, pulling the dagger out of Three’s head with a horrendous squelching noise.
The crunch that follows signals metal and bones breaking when Eight grabs Star Trail by his foreleg and slams him against the floor so hard the armored foreleg remains in her grasp while Star Trail slides away, leaving a bloody trail.
Eight stomps over, her now acidic saliva burning the stone floor.
“...stop...”
Why is everything green?
Why am I walking forward covered in flames?
Why am I not trying to save Three?
Why all I want is to kill Star Trail?
“...One, heal Three...”
“He’s dead, my King. Even I can’t rebuild a broken brain.”
“...worthless...”
“...Eight, heal Three. That’s an ORDER...”
Her body twitches as she involuntarily walks over to Three with his head lying in a pool of blood and brain matter. She looks at me, closes her eyes, and shakes her head.
“...you said you’d obey me no matter what...”
“I’m sorry.”
“...liar...”
Star Trail’s body rises up wrapped in emerald fire. The paladin is screaming as his armor melts on his body. The glow enveloping him brightens around his legs, followed by cracking of breaking bones and bending metal.
“...I will erase every proof you’ve ever existed, monster...”
“Monster, ME?!” Star Trail’s screaming turns into mad laughter, “KILLER, PARASITE, ABOMINATION! YOU ARE THE LIVING DARKNESS MY PRINCESS NEVER MANAGED TO PURGE! BURN IN TARTARUS, YOU AND YOUR MINIONS!”
“...your princess made us, she put us through centuries of misery, and I will bring her your corpse...”
Love.
Irony, isn’t it?
Love bubbles through my horn, ready to break out and turn that vile pile of vomit into a black smear on the ground.
I don’t let it. Why?
Because Four jumps at the scorched paladin, green flash comes from her mouth, and she bites Star Trail’s horn off before jumping between him and me.
“Boss, Three was right. If WE don’t stop the cycle, no one will,” she points towards Star Trail’s horn lying on the floor, “He’s completely crippled now, boss. We can bring him to Ponyville, and someone can take him to Canterlot. I know most of you want this pony dead or you don’t care if he’s alive at least, but that’s it. The hatred or the indifference are all the cause. We are all creatures who just want to build a life. The invasion survivors said there were some trials where the princesses know if you’re telling the truth. We can clear our name, and explain what he did.”
“...he did it on the princess’ orders, you idiot...”
Why is she resisting me?
“No, he didn’t,” says the paladin One and Four captured, “These operations were a favor for Star Trail at first. After you dropped the mount Canterlot tunnels on us, we looked for you with the princess’ knowledge as one of multiple missions, but not on her orders. Princess Celestia didn’t order your death.”
“Hey, that’s awesome, boss!” we all freeze when we hear Three’s voice through our link. I look at his very, very dead body.
“Three?” there’s finally some life in my voice again, “Where are you?”
“Umm, I dunno, boss. It’s dark in here, like completely black, and there are a bunch of changelings who look like you, all big and with huge teeth. They’ve got crowns too. Hey, we need to get you a crown thingy as well soon. Wait, do bosses wear crowns?”
“Oh no...” I breathe out.
”Nine, Ten. Carry the paladins into the cells downstairs. If Star Trail bleeds out, then he bleeds out, I couldn’t care less. One, Eight, get me into the hive mind, NOW!”
Everyone rushes off, only One and Eight stay, their horns glowing.
WE DON’T THINK SO!
Everything goes dark. When I blink, I’m facing a group of changeling rulers fanned out with Three in their middle.
Unfortunately, One and Eight aren’t here.
NOW, HOW ABOUT WE HAVE A LITTLE CHAT?
“What do you want?”
WE ARE SURE YOU KNOW. YOU OWE US A LOT.
“Alright, give Three back and you can have my stored love, all of it.”
OH MY, BUT HIS BODY IS RUINED. YOU WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A FRESH ONE, WIPE ITS MIND, AND THEN TRANSFER THIS DRONE’S PERSONALITY INTO IT. THE PROCESS IS… WASTEFUL. ALL THAT ONLY MEANS WE GET LESS LOVE THAT YOU OWE US.
“I will gather more, just give Three back.”
YOU DEFINITELY WILL, OR WE WILL HAVE TO REPEAT THIS LESSON.
The darkness under Three’s hooves begins boiling.
“Uhh, boss?” he panics, trying to push against the black tar swallowing him faster and faster.
“No, stop that!” I scream, darting forward for a second before being tossed back.
IT WOULD NOT BE MUCH OF A LESSON WITHOUT PROPER PUNISHMENT.
“NO!” I let out a shockwave of love which blasts the changeling memories away. Green glow envelops struggling Three as I pull with all my might while running to him.
Suddenly, my power fizzles out completely. I’m surrounded by changeling rulers, a glowing green lines connecting me with the horn of each one. I feel my love drain away, leaving me weak and fragile no matter how hard I try to push back against them sucking my dry.
I collapse, reaching towards Three with my shaking foreleg. The little drone has stopped struggling, and is now just looking at me and sinking.
“If you drain me, who will feed you? And if you take Three away, I will NEVER EVEN THINK about feeding you again!” I growl.
WE HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE MATTERS INTO OUR HOOVES. YOUR BODY WILL BE SUFFICIENT, YOUR PROBLEMATIC MIND… UNNECESSARY AT THIS POINT.
“Please no...” I don’t even have the strength to keep my leg raised.
Three hangs his head.
“Boss, I’m happy I got a chance to meet all those nice ponies, to see more than just dirt and caves, and to be more than a ball of chitin made to go crunch against a big magic shield. All that thanks to you, miss One, and miss Eight.”
“Three...”
“You’re a way better boss than all the meanies in here, don’t forget that! You brought changelings who hated ponies together and made them nicer. And Four, no pony can be nasty to her, because she’s the nicest and friendliest changelin-” the darkness swallows him.
INSOLENT LITTLE SHIT. GOOD RIDDANCE.
I feel everything shake. From the corner of my teared up eyes I see some purple and gold blurs that have no meaning anymore.
Darkness changes back into cold stone floor under me, and I simply lie there, empty. Something shakes me. I don’t react, there’s no reason.
I couldn’t care less.
Three’s link is completely out. He’s gone.
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Piercing chapter =_=
Is now sad
Can't say I was too moved by Three's death since it I got a strong feeling there still exists a way to return him to life. As for the Paladins, I see that you're portraying them as the bad guys, but simultaneously if their attack had been against Chrysalis instead, which they believed it was, then I can't really blame them seeing as the story has told us numerous times what a horrendous monster she is.
In the end, I can't help but blame King for the violence. He knew this would eventually happen and decided to continue with the subterfuge anyways, instead of trying to either leave or make peace with the ponies (he had ample proof that Celestia would be willing to listen.) That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with King's decisions and how the story is playing out, just that despite depicting the Paladins as the racist villains, I kinda can't help but feel that King, and perhaps Celestia, are actually the ones making matters worse.
9105544
What? the paladins are there in an official capacity it might as well be Celestia that sent them there because one of her commanders sent them there, and the changelings in Canterlot were dying of starvation. Turning themselves in would be a death sentence by starvation, especially in Canterlot where they were already starving. They don't have any expendable changelings they could use as messengers or any official capacity to make peace, they're a group of a very few changelings at all. Revealing themselves even in part could very well mean sacrificing somebody if not instantly, then slowly in a dungeon like all the others.
9106175
From what I recall the changelings in Canterlot were only starving because they were all too injured and drained to heal, and the ponies couldn't do anything for them in such a state. Of course, they wouldn't turn themselves in without guarantees and trust, but it should be plausible to live as a pony in Canterlot.
Like I said, there is nothing wrong with the King's decision to remain in the Castle of the Two Sisters. It's fully understandable, but at the same time, it made this confrontation and its outcome nearly inevitable. The ponies, like the Paladin mentioned, sees them as monsters with good reason, courtesies of Chrysalis horrendous acts, and unless King does something to convince Celestia that they're a friendly faction, I can't really blame the ponies for going after them, no matter how much the author makes the Paladins seem like zealous jerks.
9105544
He's still got one very big problem that no amount of going to chat with Celestia will help.
He has the Hive Mind. And they are not only VERY hostile, they can influence his activities and make him suffer to the point of desperation. Just like they did before when they effectively sucked him dry and left him near defenseless.
Until they can be permanently dealt with, King cannot sue for peace with Celestia. Every attempt will be undermined and sabotaged.
It could be said that I get attached to characters too easily. Whether that's the case or not, I was sincerely moved by Three's death, because it was caused by his optimism. That very same optimism is what they need to trust in, and yet it lead to the death of his first and closest (perhaps even only) friend.
On a related note, may the dead rulers boil in the miasma of their own hatred and stupidity. I am filled with a desire to see the old crowns ground to dust, their memory fading forevermore.
You did a very effective job of getting me emotionally invested, both in the buildup to this chapter and in the chapter itself.
Everyone has good and bad reasons to do what they're doing, but they have reasons. Hive mind, our group, paladins.
9105426
Yeah, there's one in my every story, the rest is filler.
9105434
Yeeeah.
9105544
I'm actually trying to portray Star Trail as not as much a racist but as someone with ample experience and plenty reasons to weed out the very real changeling threat, plus a personal vendeeta, not paladins as a whole. As for Celestia, look at it from her point of view - a group of changelings killed a pony in Canterlot and helped war criminals escape. Then, an unofficial paladin mission (a personal request by ST because he's out of the paladins) led to finding the group and the deaths of quite a lot of pallys. The king has more than enough reasons to know Celestia would NOT listen.
9106175
Pretty on the spot, plus ever since 1 dropped the mountain tunnels on a bunch of paladins there's mass murder attached.
9106214
They were starving because ponies didn't know how to feed them after the invasion and didn't trust the not half-dead ones enough to let them out and feed on their own. Plus, pretty much all non-hive changelings living in Canterlot who got dragged into the invasion are pissed off at Chrysalis and the hive for screwing their life so the chance of them helping others after the trial is small. As for our group, they have no clue if the trials are real and not a trap to catch more lings. For all they know, the survivors who returned to Canterlot might be dead now. No matter how much 1 and the hive mind are questionable, they know that peace failed every time throughout history.
9106591
Very accurately stated half of the problem. The mistrust and lack of information plus previous deaths are the other half.
9106597
Was hoping someone would feel something.
9109429
Yup, I get all that. It's one of the big reasons I like this story; things are not black and white. That's great. 👍
My point was mainly this: As a reader, I've got the sense that you're trying to convince me that the Paladins are at fault for attacking King's group. After all, they attack changelings we the readers know are nice, they take no prisoners, and act like religious zealots. That said, from what we know they are attacking King for reasons that are valid. It's mostly strange when the author tries to convince me that the paladins deserve no sympathy, while I can't really put blame on them for attacking.
I'm not saying King should go and surrender to Celestia or anything. But, it would be nice if he at least made a few attempts to bury the hatchet. Like sending anonymous letters to Celestia (or other leaders) to inform them of their situation. Only a few villagers at this point knows that there are changelings groups out there who are not affiliated with Chrysalis and desire peace. The small things are likely not enough on their own, but doing nothing would inevitably lead to more confrontations, and continue justifying the paladins' aggression.
9109429
The Hive Mind wants Vengeance, they want Celestia to suffer just as they do, and are doing it the same way she did, making her ponies suffer, just as she asked the old Flutter Pony rulers of old to rip the love from their subjects, so too will they rip the love from her ponies hearts.
The Group just wants peace enough to live, and maybe figure out a way to make this whole coexistence thing work once they're properly settled. Coexistence they have evidence of with the Canterlot Changelings returning to their old lives.
The Paladin's want Revenge, they justify it here as wanting to keep other ponies safe by eliminating a threat, but as Star Trail points out, it's not about that, it's about Puff, it's about the nameless, faceless paladins and ponies he's seen twisted, brainwashed, kidnapped and copied, and how his dreams are haunted, it's about the lives that were lost when they attacked the house in Canterlot, and the Castle of the Two Sisters.
Revenge is a wheel that turns backwards, crushing both those that push it, and those trapped in its wake.
9109698
Welcome to the Nameless library, where happiness is a dirty word.
9109616
Well, I'm glad you're having fun. However, you said you didn't feel bad for Three, which I consider my personal failure.
9111375
I'm certainly sad to see the most likable character in the story die, but if you dangle the possibilities of bringing someone back to life within minutes of his passing then it's hard not to think: 'Yeah, he's probably coming back later somehow,' even if he really is gone for good.
What is this ache in my chest... you monster... you made this cold husk feel emotions...i want to rip the still beating cold black shriveled hart from that basterds chest and crush it with my bare hands. I want the last thing he sees to be my cold purposeful stare as blood and gristle leak from my clenched fist. I want to rip those phantoms from watever hole they managed to crawl into and feed them to my immortal soul eater, where they will endure an eternity of suffering the likes of wich would make hades himself shrink back in horror. They think they know what monsters are... they havent met a monster yet. But when i get my hands on them...
They will...
And on that note, great story! Cant wait for more
9114819
Vivid.
Glad to hear you're enjoying yourself. Next chapter will be up sometime late next week.
Hmm, the hive pile's plan using three to attack the kingling (king of hearts, etc) might be a bad case of 'hoist by their own petard'. It seems to be an amalgam of past 'personality' infused changelings, and if any of the changelings of this troupe had personality it was three, who actually had his own proper name (which none of the others do).
I suspect their trickery at subverting kingling will backfire with their pulling his personality into that space that has thus-far been only for high ranking and individual changelings. Possibly his own innocence tempering or subverting their anger in the most Bill Murray way one could conceive of.
9137127
For everyone but Three their disguise is just a temporary throwaway form like for any normal changeling.
Hive mind needs either spring cleaning or a Saturday night massacre.
...
Happy thoughts... Happy thoughts...
Oh hey isn't Four the grump who's blind now?
OH SHIT IT'S STARFUCK OR WHATEVER HIS NAME WAS :O
He... He just killed the changeling version of Puff. What the fuck.
HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE, BUT THREE TIMES. HOW DARE YOU KEEP KILLING THE BEST CHARACTERS.
Noooooo, not Three again.
I don't think I can hand let loosing him for real. 
Nooooooooooo!!!
Three was the lovable, earnest idiot! My favourite character!
9486266
I thought he was closer to Caboose from Red vs Blue.
Whelp, time for Total Control!