53: Seeking vengeance
Wow, has it really been three weeks already since the visit by the critics? Time sure flies when you’re busy.
Things have been absolutely crazy. The second day after the City Of Gold article came out we thought it had failed, but on day three…
There was a queue of ponies already waiting, filling the side alley to the brim. That day we’ve been working from sunrise to the long dark hours of the night, repeating the scenario and changing the details on the fly depending on the reactions of the visitors. Also, after one attempt at letting in a ten-pony group and having to catch escapees several times after some were already sipping a drink at the bar, we decided five ponies at most were optimal.
Some week or so later, we’ve had the thing up and running as well as fueling us despite keeping us busy. We even had to limit to three groups a day just so that we could keep on doing changeling stuff like upgrading the tunnel network under the city, making Four practice infiltration, giving Ten time to learn to fake accounting properly, and most importantly getting ready to expand to the nightclub territory.
At this point, we’ve got things set up for the long run. The reservation list is full for months and ponies are still asking for more. Our prices are low enough so that pretty much anyone can try us out, and we’re flexible about that anyway, considering the love and lust we’re gaining from this venture. We have a good money reserve from Mayor Mare’s drug deals despite One having kept a large part of the stash for herself, and we’re about to get everything set up for a proper nightclub performance, for which we sadly needed pony artificers again, because as much as I like the dank hallways of the underground hive, they’re not a place for ponies to have a good time. The basic ground floor room with a stage we prepared for the original visit of the critics was just to create the illusion of a proper establishment, now we need something real.
There are three kinds of adventure scenarios we’re playing out depending on the group, because we decided that limiting entry based on the fitness range of ponies would only limit our options. If the ponies are capable of fighting, we leave some mining tools near their prison so that if they’re smart they can free themselves, find their way to “Nine the Titan”, then chase Four until “Dark Knight Black Rose” stops them, and if they get past her, either by sneaking, running, or fighting so hard she’d have to hurt them for real if she wanted to win, they get to face me, the dark changeling warlock, and my succubus.
You guessed it, One hasn’t given up on that idea. Once they either get defeated, or someone sacrifices themselves to be One’s plaything while the others get past me, they’re out. There are variations, but this is the main route. For example, I once ended my summoning ritual - me making some green painted goop on the floor of the cavern glow with eldritch green shimmer with having an entire small demon army at my disposal. You know, I wasn’t surprised by Eight joining. That was only a matter of time. It was Ten as a young and fit incubus, Nine as a massive, red centaur demon who immediately captivated the two mares of the group, and Four as a seductive coatless demonette wearing only some sort of strings who almost made me choke on my own goop.
Sometimes I feel like they mess with me as much as with the ponies. Anyway, that encounter ended with all the ponies losing, but definitely feeling like winners in the end. “Bad” ends are the best, it seems.
That was only one scenario, though. The groups who wouldn’t be much of a fight, either due to age, fitness, or general discrepancy between members got a stealthy escape sequence. They had to sneak through tunnels, avoid patrols, crawl under changelings on the ceiling hugging fake cocoons, and finding Celestia herself helplessly hanging there who would use her magic to telepathically tell them to get out and tell Luna what happened. It was Ten’s now irrevocably ruined plushie and One did the mental talking, but it felt real enough. If they got caught, they immediately lost a member who got dragged off and later found in a cocoon too. If someone from the group caught the eye of my infiltrators either by being interesting or especially full of love or lust, a swarm-
I’ve got five changelings at my disposal, don’t debate ‘swarm’ too much.
-of changelings immediately grabbed them and left. While these groups were the most common and generally the least interesting, they can DRINK. I definitely wasn’t expecting a group of “survivors” down that much alcohol immediately after while chatting with us still in “costumes”.
Oh yeah, after the random demon army scenario, Four got asked on a date.
Escort service idea ho!
Anyway, what surprised me the most was the last age group - the elderly. I didn’t think they would be good for more than money, but Four proved me wrong faster than you could say “visiting grandfoals”. Those damn old ponies are an enigma. They could conjure up endless supply of love when Four changed into a grandfoal of theirs. They could argue with Ten about politics afterwards for HOURS, yell at each other, threaten to do to him what they did to the griffons during the war-
No, I don’t know which war, especially when Equestria has been peaceful for some two centuries, our invasion excluded, ehm.
-and in the end consider him part of the family.
And the damn grandmothers?! I thought lust normally dripped from teenagers full of hormones, but the way they practically stripped scales from Nine with their eyes just to see his rippling muscles better was terrifying. At this point I’m absolutely certain that the fact that they spilled their drinks over him over and over had nothing to do with shaky hooves or weak telekinesis.
You know, when a changeling as tall as Celestia and three times her muscles tells you he feels like a piece of meat hanging in front of starving griffons it changes your perspective on things.
Ponies are weird. Anyway, the final kind of groups who couldn’t fight at all or run too much got saved in the end by heroic Celestia herself who defeated Black Rose and led them out of the hive. One and Eight used those sessions more for practice than just for show, but the audience loved the realism and lighting effects. Guess who had to reconstruct the tunnels afterwards.
We still haven’t thought of everything regarding the nightclub performances though. That’s what we’ll have to sort out this week while we’re closed and the pony workers are rebuilding the ground floor properly.
Knocking on the door of my office makes me stop updating the mental map of the tunnel network and open my eyes. On pure instinct, I already know who’s knocking.
“Come in, Ten.”
I’m not sure why he didn’t just use the hive link to talk to me, especially when we have more than enough energy, but it’s his choice.
“Hello, King,” he enters, and bows.
“Why so official, Ten?”
He looks around, taps his hoof on the carpet, and generally looks far more apprehensive than ever before. I give him time. It’s not as if I have anywhere to be. Our official business is over for the day, and I’m not going to be digging downstairs anymore until we get a hold of the behavior patterns of the construction ponies once they start working tomorrow.
“I… I think it’s finally time, King.”
“For?” I raise an eyebrow, “Come on, Ten. I don’t bite.”
“I want to leave, King,” he blurts out. I blink.
“Huh?” it takes me a moment to wrap my head around the idea, “What? Why? Is it about One teasing you about the plush Celestia? I can tell her to stop. Well, I can ask her to stop. I mean… suggest it would be a good idea she stopped.”
He raises his hoof, cracking a small smile.
“Nothing like that, but close. I want to go to Canterlot and take part in the trials. It’s been long enough for princess Celestia to maybe trust her sister to lead the trials again, and while I wish you the best, King, I want to see if I’m good enough. Every minute of every day, it keeps nagging me. What would she say? Am I worthy of even standing near her, or is everything I did before, the fact that I opened the vaults where ponies were hiding before the invasion for changelings something that will make me a villain in her eyes no matter what? Am I-”
He stops immediately when I raise my head from the desk, and stand up.
“Ten, I don’t want to let you go, I really don’t.”
He hangs his head, his smile turning bitter.
“I… understand...” he whispers.
“And do you know why?”
He looks up. I continue:
“Because you are definitely worth it. I wouldn’t want you to stay here if you weren’t a good changeling. It hurts me to let you go, but it would hurt me more if I forced you to stay. You’ve gone a long way from the changeling we all kinda...”
“Hated? Wanted to kick in the balls because I absolutely deserved it?”
“Umm… yes.”
Ten chuckles, letting out a relieved sigh afterwards.
“King, think of it like this - if you consider me worthwhile, then I might be good enough to show to princess Celestia that there is hope for our little hive. Who knows? Maybe when I come back I’ll come not as Ten, the infiltrator, but Ten, the ambassador of peace.”
“That would be amazing, Ten.”
“But that means passing the trial first.”
”Passing the trials and surviving a month or two first while observing the situation and finding your place,” Eight corrects him mentally through our links.
”I wanted this to be between the King and myself, Eight,” frowns Ten.
”Permanent link, remember? There’s nothing you can keep from me if you tell it to him and vice versa. Besides, it’s not like I would try to stop you. While I’m pretty sure Celestia will punch you in the face the second she sees you, I doubt she’ll go as far as to execute you.”
”Aaaand I find it difficult to stop myself from giving advice to the less skilled,” a new voice belonging to One joins the conversation, ”She recognized you before, and she definitely will now. You’ll have to watch your back, see who’s trailing you, and be completely sure you don’t lead anypony to us if they let you come back.”
”Privacy, One?” Ten rolls his eyes, ”And King, you could have told me she was listening too.”
”Oh I wasn’t spying through the boss, I’m inside your head, Ten. Anyway, good luck with Sunbutt, and if she decides to kill you in the end for real, tell her you want to go with her sitting on your face.”
Ten blushes immediately.
”T- That would be a dream come true, no reason to hide it by now.”
”You know...” One sounds thoughtful for a second, ”You do deserve some reward for not being a total asshole anymore. How about I turn into her and show you what sunset looks like from underneath as a preview?”
Total silence.
”I- I- I-” Ten takes a deep breath, ”Thank you for the offer, One, but no. This isn’t just about… that. I need her judgement more than her body.”
”Gee, everyone’s a saint these days,” chuckles One, ”Let me tell you one final thing, though, Ten. You are the one who will have to decide whether you are who you want to be in the end. You will judge yourself on whether you are better than before, and your opinion will be the one making the difference. Celestia’s praise will sound as hollow as the boss’ if you’re not ready to believe it.”
Ten only stands there for a moment before speaking.
”I still have to know, One. I.. think you’re right, but I won’t know until I see for myself. I need to meet princess Celestia on my own.”
I switch to talking over the links so that everyone knows my… orders.
”Then take whatever money you need to get to Canterlot. Nine will escort you to the train station. Are you leaving today?”
”If there isn’t anything pressing you need me to do, then yes.”
I walk over to him, and give him a hug.
”If Celestia isn’t reasonable, we’ll come for you, Ten.”
“That means more to me than you can ever guess, King.”
”Goodbye, Ten.”
”Goodbye, everyone.”
”HEY!” we hear rather annoyed Four, ”I’m on the way back, but I won’t make it in time. Someone hug Ten for me!”
”Lewd hug?” asks One.
”Normal hug, but strong. Nine, you do it! I want to hear Ten’s chitin creak. If you have to carry him to the train afterwards then so be it.”
”As soon as he gets down here, I’ll get right on it,” I can practically feel Nine smile as he answers.
”Heheh, goodbye, Ten,” says Four.
”Stay safe, Four. It would be a shame if the King lost the second best infiltrator I have ever seen.”
With the air of finality, the door behind Ten closes, leaving me alone in the office.
***
“Alright, mind telling me what you’re doing?” I hear a muffled voice outside my office. Tapping into everyone reveals it’s One’s, and she’s reacting to Four walking by her side, head lowered and staring at her distended belly.
Oh, I completely forgot to mention it before. One’s belly is now round with the solitary drone egg, and her full, hanging teats are a marvel to behold, overloaded with dripping deliciousness. Eight’s words, not mine. If you don’t believe me, ask her and watch her chitin blush as she vigorously denies ever mentioning it. Anyway, judging by One’s looks, the egg should be ready any time soon.
“Nothing, miss One,” with utmost care, she pokes One’s side, “I’m just… well… did miss Eight look like this when she was carrying me too?”
”Hole no! I actually have proper muscles. My abs were so tight you could barely notice how my well-emptied breeder did a great job making you,” Eight takes a jab at One immediately.
I kind of miss having some semblance of privacy inside my own head, but Eight’s permanent presence does have its perks.
Elsewhere, Eight with a devious smile lowers her hoof between her hind legs, and I grit my teeth as faint phantom pleasure makes my nerves light up as well. She’s crazy, I tell you, but she’s mine.
”Some stallions actually enjoy rubbing and playing with a big round belly filled to the brim,” One swings her hips, making her pendulous teats follow the movement, ”especially if they get these beauties in the deal as well. Maybe we should ask the boss to render his judgement on this one.”
”Please don’t. There’s not a good answer to this one.”
To my surprise, it’s Four who giggles and puts her ear to One’s side.
“You’re not gonna hear anything,” says the head infiltrator, “we’re not ponies. There’s an egg inside me, not a growing foal,” she rubs Four’s head, “Now scoot, I’ve got something important to talk to the boss about, and there’s no one by the main door in case someone wants to make final reservations before we close the theater for the week.”
“Is Nine on the way back?” asks Four.
“Ten wanted to buy some things for the road. Nine will be back in about an hour. Walking through Las Pegasus in the evening on hoof is a pain in the plot.”
“Alright,” Four walks off, and One enters my office, this time undisturbed.
“Something important, eh?” I raise an eyebrow at her, “Does it have something to do with you carrying the egg while brimming with love for way longer than Eight did?”
“Nah,” One waves her hoof dismissively, “that just saves me the hassle having to buy a dragon sized butt plug to walk around with. Next time we have to make a warrior, I want to try something bigger.”
If that wasn’t a joke, I’m scared.
”The best warrior genes are right here,” Eight answers before I can open my mouth again, ”you’re getting only infiltrators or drones.”
”Hey, that’s not fair, boss. Eight got to make an infiltrator! I want to carry a warrior.”
”You’re not using changeling eggs as sex toys, One.”
”Details details. Besides, the egg still inside me says otherwise,” she chuckles, but then her voice grows completely serious, ”That’s not why I’m here, though.”
“What’s going on, One?”
She hums to herself, paces around for a moment, then drops this bombshell:
“Now that we’ve purged the hive mind, I can restore your ability to shapeshift.”
“What?!” my jaw drops. I completely forgot about that. Also, about something else, “Wait, does that mean you can heal Four’s balance problems too?”
The pure joyful smile gracing One’s lips as she leans over the desk to me is somewhat strange, if only for its rarity.
“Eventually, eventually. You’ve been inside the hive mind multiple times, and you’ve always returned on instinct, which is why I think I can safely keep your mind there for some time. Four would need proper training which wouldn’t be difficult now, but time-consuming. The fact that you asked that first tells me I was right. No, you first. You need experience with ponies to make the right decisions, and you need the ability to impact events more than just by commanding us. Also, I want to see more of the love blade ability, it’s pretty cool. I can mimic it, but you’re doing it almost like Chrysalis could including her colour.”
It’s a dilemma in a way, which such an obviously beneficial offer shouldn’t be.
”What’s bothering you?” asks Eight, ”and don’t worry about her listening in on this one. I’m as much inside your head as I can. Don’t talk using the link, just think about what worries you.”
It’s bothered me for a while, Eight. Ever since I talked to Three about it what seems like ages ago now. What would have happened if I fixed his brain? If we somehow managed to let him grow into a fully fledged drone instead of the… living battering ram Chrysalis needed him to be for the invasion, would it still be him? Will I still be me if I have the option of… changing?
”You’ve changed before, haven’t you?”
No, Eight, I haven’t. I mean not completely. As a drone, all I ever needed was to shapeshift my hooves to dig better or my back to carry better. I never had the love to… try things out. Then whatever the hive mind did stopped me from transforming, and afterwards One directly damaged my brain. I don’t care about a different body, but… will I still stay if I can… run?
”That hurts, my love.”
The dejected tone rips into me harder than anything ever before…
...which in the end is all I need to hear, really.
Losing all of them would be far more agonizing than anything else that can happen. I can’t run away anymore, no matter if I’ll be able to change or not.
The door quietly clicks open again, and lets Eight in. She tilts her head a little, and smiles. She knows, and she knows that I know. There’s only one thing I can say right now:
“What do I need to do, One?”
”I promise I’ll do my best to be a good king for all of you.”
“You already are good, I wouldn’t have stayed if you weren’t, but better is always… better. Imagine how much fun we could have if you could shapeshift boss junior down there into what dragons have,” One winks at me.
“Size, One, size! I’d be more dong than ling.”
One’s expression turns into smugness of magnitude never seen before as she nods towards Eight…
...who is drooling, her jaw dropped and saliva freely dripping on the carpet, hissing, and turning into pink vapor forming hearts in the air.
Suddenly, she shakes her head, grabs One by her shoulders, and starts shaking her.
“Do it, One, do it, DO IT! I want it YESTERDAY!”
I have to assert mental pressure to make Eight stop, which rebounds back into me as sheer submissive pleasure as she realizes what I’m doing.
“Well,” One breathes a sigh of relief, “I believe my idea has been universally accepted. It won’t be all fun and games for us, though. What’s going to happen is that your body will be rebuilt to that of a drone and grown into your current one. I’m sorry, I wasn’t lying when I said no one could repair the deep brain damage I caused to you. The only way is to start over. Physically, of course. It is a complicated process, obviously, and it might take a lot of time.”
“What do you call a lot of time? Days, a week?”
“It could take years, boss, or weeks if you’re lucky, and you will be out for most of it. I don’t know. I know how to do it from Wistful’s shared knowledge, but no one has ever done it in my lifetime. We simply never had the love. Your mind will be safe within our hive mind, and since the body will be yours, it’s extremely unlikely it will reject your eventual return.”
“Extremely unlikely?” I ask.
One shifts on her hooves.
“The chance of that happening is… not zero. If that was the case we’d need to grow a completely new body, clear it, and give your mind another chance to get settled in. Something the old rulers never could, but you’ve got something they didn’t.”
“What?”
“Changelings you can trust to take care of you until it works.”
In the end, this doesn’t change my decision at all.
“Alright One. As I said before - what do I need to do?”
“Let’s go down to the tunnels and find a comfy spot. I don’t want to ruin the office in case someone from the reconstruction group comes looking for you.”
***
Huh, so One can ooze goo from literally every orifice of her body including the hair-thin cracks between her chitin plates, her eyeballs, ears, leg holes, and the frogs of her hooves.
Lewd. Creepy, but lewd.
Anyway, not even twenty minutes later, I’m floating in a rapidly hardening crystalline cocoon which, judging from the mind-blowing amount of energy One‘s just sacrificed, could withstand being thrown into a volcano.
”Now relax. As your body slowly dissolves, your mind will get the hint and store itself within us. I can see the flakes of your chitin already peeling off, and it will only get faster. For a short time, your mind will be working as normal, and then it will go into hibernation.”
From the eyes of Eight standing next to exhausted and heavily breathing One, I see my fetlock chitin dissipate, leaving exposed green flesh.
”Kinda gross for what belongs in the category of the pinnacle of changeling powers. I hope no one curious finds me and pokes the cocoon with a stick.”
”I poured pretty much all my love into it, boss. It’s nearly impervious to non-magical damage, and it would take serious magic to break it,” smiles One, ”Eight and Four will have to work hard to help me regain even a fraction of my energy,” she yawns, ”Damn…”
”Well, I guess you are in charge, One. Temporary Queen.”
The corner of her mouth curls up before she yawns again.
”Aaah… all the ways in which I’m gonna make Eight serve me will be fun.”
”One, I’m am the property of my King. I will do anything to keep him safe, no matter what you say. You are no more in charge of me than Nine is.”
”Gee, lighten up. All I’m saying is that the days of transferring love with a thought are over. I’ll lick all the energy I need out of you.”
Eight walks over to my cocoon, and gives it a kiss.
”I can work with that, I think.”
”Good,” One takes a deep breath and raises her voice, “Orders, Eight. You’ll stay here and guard the boss’ cocoon until I need you. Your overall priority, however, is to make sure he survives until the process is over NO MATTER WHAT. If I order you anything which endangers that goal, you will assume I’ve gone crazy, evil, or that someone is pretending to be me, and continue your primary mission. Is that clear?”
Eight’s eyes go wide for a second, and my beloved warrior nods to acknowledge my slightly less beloved but still up there infiltrator.
“Yes… Queen.”
“Heh, I never thought I’d hear those words, especially from you,” One sticks her tongue out at Eight.
Sudden burning sense of raw dread cleaves through our linked up mind, leaving a behind a chill slowly crawling our spines. From the other two changeling’s frozen expressions, I know immediately I’m not the only one feeling it. All my reflexes kick in, and in the next instant I’m looking through Ten’s eyes.
Everything is shimmering red. There are ponies in a spreading circle everywhere around, gasping at the duo of undisguised changelings.
“Get the other one,” growls a voice I hoped never to hear again.
”Ten, RUN!”
”N-No!” he objects, forcing my attention towards the scene in front of him.
Nine is standing in front of him, motionless with one foreleg covering his eyes from a wide cone of crimson glow.
”Nine, move!”
”I… can’t...”
His chitin is disintegrating one molecular layer after another despite his love reserves burning fast to defend against the magic. I quickly realize that if he moves forward, which means lowers his foreleg from his face, his eyes will evaporate instantly.
Star Trail in front of him grins, and the blood red glow of his horn pulses in tune with an amulet hanging around his neck.
”Ten, get out!”
”I can’t leave him here. He doesn’t stand a chance!”
”GET OUT!” I order.
The paralyzed changeling regains some control when Bright Star darts towards him, yelling:
“Get the big guy! I’ll deal with this one.”
Ten jumps into the screaming crowd, and as soon as he’s out of reach of the red glow, he shapeshifts into a pony.
“Help him, Resolute!” orders Star Trail.
“NO!” they hear Bright Star’s voice, “They know you’re here now. You two get to their hideout as fast as you can! HEY, PONIES, CALL OUT THE NEW SHAPE OF THE CHANGELING!”
I feel Ten bite his lip when someone yells:
“YELLOW UNICORN WITH RED MANE!”
Pain shoots through me.
”Nine!”
The warrior’s severed foreleg is lying on the ground, which is the last thing I see before he goes blind. I can still feel him spasming on the ground in agony under the effects of Star Trail’s destructive magic dissolving his body.
”He’s… much stronger… than before...”
”Nine, I’ll send Eight to-”
“Urk-” he gags as something slits his unprotected throat open.
”King… it was an honor… to serve you… but now… you must… run...”
Well that’s gonna be bloody fucking hard inside that cocoon!
”NINE? NINE!”
The link goes dark, and I reappear inside Ten gasping for breath after yet another transformation. The entire thing can’t have lasted more than thirty seconds.
“BROWN EARTHPONY WITH BLACK TAIL AND SUN CUTIE MARK!”
“Choke on a dick!” growls Ten, pushing through the crowd into a dark alley. If there’s a way he can shake off Bright Star then it’s by getting away from the crowds.
As soon as shadows hide him, he turns into a dark green mare and-
Golden aura envelops him and slams him against a wall behind a dumpster, knocking the breath out of him. Bright Star in his full armor managed to catch up with light Ten, which is a miracle in itself, but then the paladin says:
“I need you to help me stop this! Get to Upper Canterlot and wait for me in a mercenary bar called Sole Regret. Paladins and Royal Guards don’t check the place, because there are enough blades on everyone as is.”
“Wha…?” Ten opens his mouth, kicking Bright Star in his chestplate.
“Get. To. Canterlot!” the paladin growls, “I know you changelings can communicate over long distances somehow. Tell the others Star Trail and Resolute know where they are, and you can’t fight Star Trail right now. He’s got the alicorn amulet and by now he must have killed the big changeling whose lifeforce gives him even more power.”
“But One and Eight kicked even the princess’ asses back in the castle,” says still confused Ten.
“I doubt you made Celestia or Luna use dark magic or their divine powers, otherwise you wouldn’t be here anymore, and neither would the castle. I know you don’t trust me, but if you want some sort of justice for this, GET TO CANTERLOT!” Bright Star hisses, “I gotta try to salvage what is still possible.”
Without waiting, the paladin gallops out of the alley yelling:
“WRONG PONY! HAS ANYPONY SEEN THE CHANGELING?!”
”King, what od I do?”
”Canterlot!”
”What about you?”
”We’ll do what we-”
Rumbling and a loud crash resonating all the way down here comes from the front door. The bastards had to know exactly where we are. Damn teleportation magic!
A loud high-pitched scream rips through my, One’s, and Eight’s hearts.
I completely forgot Four was on the receptionist duty, and she doesn’t keep an ear on the links all the time like One does.
”Eight, get to-”
I only get a quick peek from Four’s eyes before I see a wide blade stab her through the neck, and with a powerful swing followed by a shower of blood toss her away into a rapidly growing green pool.
“Small fries down, now for the dangerous ones.”
My link to Four shuts down.
“Fuck!” curses One, “Exactly at the wrong time. Eight, get the cocoon out! I’ll buy you time. These bastards clearly know their teleport spells and can track us now somehow, but they can’t know the layout.”
”Don’t you dare, Eight! Help One fight!”
”King...” she actually hesitates.
”DON’T YOU DARE DISOBEY ME NOW! HELP HER!”
“Eight, I know you value the boss far more than me or anyone else maybe barring Four, and the little critter is dead. You’re the only one full of love, and you’ll need all of it to keep him safe. Get out, start over, infiltrate, hide, and RIP THAT FUCKING PALADIN IN HALF IF I DON’T MANAGE TO!”
”Eight, I will never forgive you if you run.”
She bites her lip so hard blood drips on the floor, and the echo of pain ruins my attempt at controlling her.
“I’m sorry.”
With tears streaming down her cheeks, she levitates my cocoon on her back, and gallops away through the dark tunnels.
”Damn it, Eight, no!”
I realize she can’t hear me anymore. I must be slowly going into hibernation as One said I soon would. All I can do is watch now.
Through One’s ears, I hear two sets of hoofsteps rushing through the caves, and feel energy coursing through her horn. She’s fully focused on her remaining love, not reacting to my mental touch at all.
”Those paladin assholes will regret ever fucking with MY hive!” she mutters through her ragged breaths.
A faint echo of more pain makes me leave her immediately.
”Four? FOUR!” if I had eyes, I would be tearing up now as I look out from those of the small infiltrator.
“Damn it, no...” Bright Star’s wet eyes come to view as he cradles Four who whimpers quietly. His horn lights up, healing magic flowing through the changeling slowly soothing the pain, “I can’t heal the wound. The dark magic from the amulet is far stronger than what I can deal with.”
However, as Four’s breathing slows down, it’s not because she’s dying, it’s because the pain-numbing magic allows her to focus on the love inside her.
It was shock, of course. Four isn’t used to pain at all, but she’s as full of love as a changeling can be. My surprise mirrors Bright Star’s as he sees the wound close, the red echo of the amulet’s magic dissipating.
“Mister Star… what’s going on...? I remember a sword… and...” shaking Four stops when Bright Star pats her head.
I have to tell Eight Four is okay and Bright Star is on our side. There is still hope.
She can’t hear me. No matter what I do she can’t hear me anymore. I feel her every breath, but she closed herself off, and I'm too weak get through anymore.
“Is there a place where you can hide?” asks Bright Star.
“I… can turn… invisible...”
“That won’t be enough, with the amulet’s power, you can’t hope that Star Trail and Resolute will just miss you.”
“There are… lockers...” she nods weakly to the changing room for the customers.
“That'll have to do,” Bright Star smears Four’s blood to look as if she crawled out through the main entrance, and carries her into the changing room where he shoves her into a locker. Four promptly disappears, “Huh, nifty. Maybe he won’t find you considering I can’t feel any magic. Now stay quiet no matter. I will come back for you.”
“Help the boss and everyone, please...” Four whispers.
“I can’t,” Bright Star shakes his head, “I just hope I can help at least you,” he slams the locker shut, locks it, and rushes off.
With a whimper, Four closes her eyes, and hugs her chest with her forelegs.
By the time Bright Star and Resolute enter the correct underground cavern following a red trail leading to One, the master infiltrator is already calm and ready, changeling magic coursing through every fiber of her being.
“Here you are, monster...” Star Trail recognizes her. Of course he would.
-KILL!-
Behind him, Resolute’s heavy blade flies up, about to slash Star Trail in half. The alicorn amulet glows.
“Remember your wows, Resolute! Your loyalty is to Celestia and Equestria! Destroy the monster.”
“I… can’t...” Resolute groans, the red glow of the amulet coursing through him. If this wasn’t such a horrible situation, I would be absolutely stunned by One’s mental abilities being on a such level, “I… need… her. I can’t… hurt… her.”
“Then die,” says Star Trail calmly, “Your service will be remembered. I will tell the princess you died valiantly.”
“Wha-?” Resolute drops on the ground, red wisps coming from his body and being absorbed by the amulet around Star Trail’s neck.
The old paladin cracks his neck.
“No more toys for you to use, just the two of us.”
“True,” One shrugs, “I should have asked the boss to buy me some more dildos to choke you to death with.”
Star Trail only laughs, sending out a red ray of energy which leaves a searing groove in the ground where One…
...isn’t anymore.
She reappears next to him, easily biting through his neck armor and the flesh underneath. A sudden burst of blinding crimson glow makes her take a step back and on reflex avoid immediately healed Star Trail’s flying sword.
The ground trembles. Nothing more happens.
“Hmm,” One now again circling around Star Trail frowns, “The boss sure knows how to build his tunnels. The one time you need him to be bad at something and he’s a master...”
From the corner of her eyes, I see what has to be the light of Bright Star’s horn arriving through the tunnel.
”Don’t kill Bright Star!” I give it my last shot. I have no idea whether One registered me or not, though.
“Star Trail, she’s pregnant!” the approaching paladin calls out, “You’re powerful enough to restrain her. You don’t have to kill-”
“Well noticed, Bright Star,” chuckles Star Trail, “I thought she was just fat from ALL THE PONIES SHE DEVOURED!”
He disappears. One looks around. A flying sword covered in swirling crimson lightning runs her through from underneath.
One screams as the pain from the burning blade slices her belly in half along with the egg almost ready to hatch inside her. Star Trail lying on his back under her kicks upwards with his legs covered in shadow flames.
One collapses, clutching her barrel.
“Boss’ egg,,, boss’ egg… boss’ egg...” she sobs. I can barely stay inside her mind through all the chaos, “Please no… our egg… no... anything but that...” she tries to reach for the broken egg covered in her guts lying nearby.
The ground trembles again.
“You buried my brothers under the mountain,” growls Star Trail, “You tried to bury me here,” the glow of his horn grows stronger, “Then I will squash you like the bug you are. Bright Star, I’ll teleport outside,” the ceiling starts breaking in chunks crashing on the floor.
“Star Trail, we can-” the paladin jumps backwards as part of the cavern crumbles, cutting him off from One and Star Trail.
“Well, he’s a smart unicorn,” Star Trail smiles, “Too soft, but smart. One of the best I've ever had the pleasure to work with. Anyway, I’d like to torture you for a while, maybe make you eat that bastard egg of yours, but it looks like you’re bleeding out too fast, so let’s get to the squashing-”
Like lightning, One’s foreleg shapeshifts into a blade which severs Star Trail’s necklace. As the alicorn amulet drops on the ground, a final pulse from One’s horn shakes the underground once more.
Rumbling follows, covering everything in dust.
To my surprise, I can still see from One’s eyes. What I see, however, is a rock which severed her head from her body.
”Huh. I seem to be missing some… bits. Time... for... plan… B. Do I have… a plan… B…? Fuck...”
Everything goes dark.
The ground is shaking, whimpering Four is lying in a stuck locker as she hears the house masonry crumble around her. Suddenly, the door flips open, revealing Bright Star.
“Damn, wrong locker?” he pokes his hoof inside, touching invisible Four’s crossed forelegs, “Oof, thank Celestia! Come here, little one.”
He works by touch, because Four refuses to appear, and he sits the changeling on his back. A part of nearby wall cracks and crumbles.
“Aw crap,” his horn flashes…
...and he reappears outside the house, backing off.
With one final rumble, the entire building collapses, and the houses around as well as the street sink several feet down.
Next to him, Star Trail reappears in a flash of light. Four’s legs clamp around Bright Star’s neck.
“What happened to the amulet?” Bright Star nods to Star Trail’s neck.
“That bitch managed to cut it off. I call it a worthwhile sacrifice, though. We destroyed the changeling who took control of princess Luna, and if there was anyone else underground or in the house... well, it crushed her, so the others didn’t stand a chance. Besides, the tracking spell enhanced by the amulet showed only her in a large area. We won.”
“I doubt Resolute would call it a victory. What happened to him? I just saw his body.”
“She took control of him. He resisted until the end, then he killed himself rather than attack me.”
“I will inform his family.”
“Thank you, Bright Star. You are a good paladin, a true protector of Equestria.”
Bright Star just turns around and starts walking away.
“I don’t think I believe that anymore,” he mutters under his breath. Aloud he says, “See you in Canterlot, Star Trail. I need a drink.”
“I will inform the princess about our success.”
With those words, darkness of hibernation finally catches up with me.
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HOLY...
I think that done it. Now I must fav this story.
...and now they're all dead. Just like that. One, Nine... Four is hurt, Ten is running. Only King and Eight are left..... I miss Three....
Eh, of all the ponies you could off, you picked the fun ones. No bueno.
Ok. Few things.
First. Celestia's flaming tits! That was one hell of a ride.
Second. That ending not only leaves me going wisky tango foxtrot, but has me demanding more.
Third. My plans for star trail didnt seem... enough... so i consulted the only mind more demented then mine... my sister. I wanted to strip the flesh and salt the wound before tossing him into a vat of acid just to watch him melt. But my sister decided that we have to make it last as long as possible. We're going to take a goddess amber amulet of eternal life. Remove the pain numbing effects so that he can not only feel the bone being shaterd, but the bone being violently jerked back into place by the magic. So we can dowse him in napalm and watch him burn. Strip his flesh with a razor. Rip out his internal organs and shove them down his throat. Practice bloody dismemberment apon him and beat him with his own severd limb. Feed him hind legs first up to the bottom of his ribs to an industrial shreader and leave him there to bask in the sensation of having his flesh regrow only to be ripped away fo a few days. And thats just the start of the physical bit. There are deadly flesh melting venoms and poisons we can have all kinds of fun with. And all the while we are breaking his body. We will be breaking his mind and spirit. The fun only stops when the mind is completely destroyed.
There are so many different kinds of torture, most are to break the body. But the best ones deal very little physical damage. No the most truly damaging methods are psychological torture. We can easily break the flesh, But to truly break the man, we must go deeper. And with the help of magic. The suffering dosnt have to end with something as trivial as death.
I have come to the conclusion that the one person that might have the capacity to honestly scare me, it might be my sister. Oh sure her boyfreind might be intimidated by the 6'5 guy in the shin length black trench coat. But the little girl dancing around him as we walk? Thats the scary one
Ok. After that rant. I feel i should lay forth some more reasond thoughts. I loved the story. The characters, setting, world building and pacing where all quite good. I loved the characters and their interactions. I hated the vilains (in a good way) there are few stories i have read that can tug at my hart in such a way. Ironically most of them have been fanfiction. I am a little mixed on the ending. One and nine are presumed dead and star trail is still at large. Ten and eight are on the run. four is in hiding. And the boss is litteraly a puddle. This sounds like a catastrophe leading to the final act rather then the ending of a story. I hope there will be a sequel, because i realy did enjoy it. I realy want to punch celestia. Its eather criminal negligence, complacency, or conspiring to comit murder. And considering one of those victims was a esentaily a child it might be with brass knuckles. Ether way her actions or inaction regarding the use of forbiden artifacts and black magic in a populated zone by ponies under her comand put the lives of countless civilians in danger. Whats more this was likely an unprovoked attack wich resulted in the death of two individuals, one of witch was pregnant, and the destruction of a public attraction. Regardless of where you are. That is an act of domestic terrorism. Not to mention the fact that he murderd an officer under his command.
But i am rambling again... keep ut the good work. I am off to continue to ravage the liberary. Until next time
9260200
The good guys won against the bad guys, right?
9260219
With only one chapter left, I think I can live with no bueno.
9259793
Sadist!
9260254
1) One more chapter left.
2) Such punishment isn't legal in Equestria so Star Trail will likely avoid it.
3) As Louis CK said "Boys fuck things up, girls are fucked up."
9260799
Thanks for the feedback, but there's a tiny bit left, as I said.
Anyway, you'll have hard time finding a story with a good end in my library. A mixed bag like this one is probably the best you can get.
I knew Star Trail had murderous intent. I knew he was going to be on a hunting trip. But I, like with most of your stories, did not know when the ball would drop. Even then, the expectations were maybe a swat-like break in, maybe a nuke, or even another detailed, epic fight scene like previous times. Not the sticky situation that our lovely crew found themselves in as an old man hell bent on vengeance flicked his empowered horn a few times.
The chapter flowed really well, it went from happy going to heart wrenching as past and current events linked up. I have to say, you've once again exceeded my expectations with how you can so easily play with our emotions. You've done a good job making us attached to the characters and then killing them off. I hate you for this because you do it pretty well and you're getting better at it.
Sorry for the paragraph and brown nosing, I just had to write what was on my mind. I eagerly await for the last chapter and how this roller coaster of a story will end.
9261103
I wish I could write a happy ending that wouldn't be cheap and empty, but my head doesn't work around happy endings in both literary and real setting. Well, maybe one day I start believing in hope again.
Analytical paragraphs are more valuable than anything else. And brown nose is still better than white nose, cause cocaine is bad…
...when not used in moderation.
9261009
Sorry. For some reason i thought this was the last chapter. I resind my previos judgement about the ending of a story.
While i realize that being tortured to the point of comeplete mental destruction isnt a punisment that celestia will dole out. Star trail is a criminal. The kind of criminal who would be killed by the other inmates while the guards turnd a blind eye. (Disgusting isnt it? But it hapens). For him to escape proper punishment would likely forever sabotage equestrian-changling relations forever. This kind of religious based racist zealotry could sabotage equestrian relations with most other species and is the direct antithisis to what celestia herself preaches. He deploid black magic (using a forbiden artifact) in a populated zone aganced a semi peaceful group and murderd two more of them. One of wich was pregnant.
I'm rambling again. Sorry, but the idea of someone like that getting away scott free just bugs me and i am not good with emotions
9261214
Well, the other possibility is that he'll actually be rewarded for a successful operation against enemy force. Now how horrible it would be if I chose THAT route.
9261239
Way to real... or maybe i just have a twisted word view...
Maybe not a happy ending but a just ending is required i would say. If he is rewarded by or celestia knew of their doings it would justify the former queens entirely making everything the characters did pointless.
While torture isn't suitable for equestria, publicly stripping his titles and the honor of his family might be a step in the right direction.
I'm hoping that the others are waiting in the hivemind. They weren't killed/absorbed, since the old rulers are gone, so hopefully they can be brought back in the epilogue.
Knowing Celestia, I'm absolutely certain that Star Trail's going to be locked up in Tartarus for this. Even if he did manage to convince her that they were a threat, there's no way she would condone his extreme solution. You also have to consider that Celestia and Luna know at least part of the story from the changelings' point of view, so the likelihood of him convincing them is rather slim. Knowing your style, though, he might not survive the trip for one reason or another; he might either be killed for trying to escape, be intercepted and killed by the changelings for revenge, or commit suicide.
The Friendship Cannon might be able to cure him of his darkness and extremism, but since he's lost the Alicorn Amulet, I doubt they'd ever think of trying that.
9261538
If she actually had any proof of good intents of the changelings, or at least not completely bad intents. Sunbutt's interactions were One taking over her sister, Four splitting them from Cadance, Eight taking control of Shiny and triggering his PCSD (Post-Chrysalis Stress Disorder), plus the resulting fight and threats. Luna's opinion about the changelings definitely wouldn't be proof of anything, and due to the mind control likely not even taken into consideration on its own. If only Celestia had another source of information contradicting the true reports of massacre in Canterlot, murder in the prison, and deaths of paladins in the castle... Welp, Bright Star is the only remaining hope.
9261609
Nine got literally annihilated and his lifeforce absorbed by the alicorn amulet to fuel Star Trail's power. One... let's see if the most knowledgeable changeling was good enough to cheat death in the real world.
9261886
The problem is that Celestia never had access to the complete picture, or at least some good parts of said picture. If she knew everything from a worthy source, things would likely end up really bad for Star Trail (yes, in Imbalanced storyline the penalty for grand treason is being stripped off of all titles and possessions, then banished or killed including everyone even remotely connected to the case). BUUUT at this point, the only one who knows the truth is Bright Star. Thankfully, he's kinda on good terms with solar flanks, so she might be inclined to believe him, although he might choose not to testify himself because he'd be part of the case.
9261976
In any case, taking it upon himself to kill them without authorization is not going to sit well with her. She's always preferred a non-violent solution if possible and likes turning enemies into friends.
Dangit, I was about to cite Discord as an example of that last statement, but now all I can think of is how the changelings in this story might react to him showing up and messing with them. Eight's, the Boss's, and especially One's reactions would be priceless!
9262096
I don't think that's possible, sheerly through the timeline. Didn't Discord get reformed a season (basically a year or so) later? Not gonna pull up an episode list here.
9262108
It wouldn't have to be a canon scenario.
And for the record, Discord's reformation was only ten episodes after the royal wedding, so it's actually not too far-fetched. I haven't noticed anything in your writing that would contradict the possibility of it having already happened. The timeline of each season typically tends to be rather vague and it's quite clear that the episodes within these seasons are not necessarily in chronological order.
I just reviewed that little preview of the paladins preparing for their hunt. (Chapter 50)
Celesta GAVE Star Trail permission to use the Alicorn Amulet and she knew what he was up to, or at least what he told her. Sunbutt even knows about the previous raids (which were unauthorized?) and gave Star Trail even more power despite of said raids. The only indication that Star Trail will be in any remote of trouble is his conduct in public and how he words the mission as not an official combat mission, but an "investigation with complications."
Celestia is old, so she has to have some wisdom from her long rule. Therefore, she can not be stupid enough to give an vengeance filled old man even more power and authorize him another mission involving changelings, without it ending in bloodshed. Maybe Star Trail managed to convince her that this was needed due to Luna being mind controlled and how many paladins have already died.
I don't see this ending with old Sunbutt being all, "Oh Star Trail killed 'innocent changelings', I'm gonna go punish the senile old fart." After all, our lovely band did kill paladins, quite a few of them, and mind controlled her sister. The ending can't be the typical trope of "Killing is wrong," especially with a ruler who wants to protect her subjects after seeing only the bad side of our gang, their defensive side. Even more, Star Trail will most likely be rewarded instead of punished for his actions. After all, the old retired spec ops did remove dangers to the country.
The only hope for a happy ending, is a bittersweet one. One that can only be achieved after Bright Light, the oldest active paladin, tells Celestia the other side of the story and allow her to see how morally wrong Star Trails actions were, considering that all interactions with our changelings were of the Paladin being the aggressor, and not the changelings. Except maybe for that one part where they staged a prison escape. Hopefully, Bright Star makes Celestia realize that this was more on par of a purge, rather than a righteous march. Only with the information and the right push into the moral button, can our changelings actually "win" this war and gain Celestia's support.
This... ramble was just some of my speculations as I saw that people were posting how they thought the last chapter would wrap this story up. All we can do for the time being is put in our thoughts and wait for Nameless to brutally beat up our merry hopes.
I'm out of ramble juice now, back to lurking.
Why would ANYONE give the Alicorn Amulet, a thing which IS WELL KNOWN TO CORRUPT THE USER IMMEDIATELY and make them insane, to anyone for any purpose?
That'd be like Harry Dresden deciding to give someone a Blackened Denarius for a power boost! No one even remotely in their right mind would do it!
This is forced stupidity of the worst kind. This guy would have stolen it himself for revenge, that's plausible. But being GIVEN IT?! Nope.
Fuck man...just, fuck.
My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
I know this is an old story but, fuck I really wanna say how much I hate you right now.
9773781
Hate as much as you want, as long as you keep reading.
A dongling?
10035169
Changedong?
Too late...
Kida wish ones’s egg somehow made it out with king but alas it’s cleaved in half under a cave in somewhere.
you writing tragedies like
media.discordapp.net/attachments/934183003129798726/1075910372306985011/image0.gif
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Insert Ludwig from Bloodborne's theme here