Raivo
"Tyrin! please calm down!" Twilight urged the Griffon to no avail.
Tyrin snapped the head off of the broomstick in his home and rummaged about until he found the machete he borrowed from Granny for when he was going through the Everfree to gather supplies for his cottage, a few short moments of work and he had secured the blade to the head of the broomstick. He had hastily secured the old armor onto his body hoping it gave him some sort of edge in the fight to come.
"Tyrin! Please!" Twilight reached out to him but he turned and gave her an icy glare which seemed to echo with the devastating scream that echoed from him as he seized Luna by the throat. She could see it blatantly in his eyes, he was in dire pain and nothing she could give would take that pain away.
"They have my child!... I don't care what kind of friendship you want me to act with, I am going to find and begin to kill changelings until my child is back in my embrace... If you really want to help, find me their hive. I'll have to kill less Changelings to find it myself..." He gave her a parting glare and hefted his weapon before turning and walking out.
Quickly Twilight followed out after him. The look on her face was one of desperation. "Wait please... w...we can go to the royal guard..."
He whirled on her and sank the blade into the dirt between them. "How many ponies get captured or replaced by Changelings? It's how they survive, it's the only reason they can shapeshift. So how many has it been? there are thousands upon thousands of Changelings yet they remain at large. Just how capable do you think the royal guard is in defeating the changelings? Just how dedicated do you think they are at countering their influence on Equestria? Additionally... there is another reason... And I can't trust anypony with it. Even if they could take on this task..."
He growled looking away from her before yanking the weapon up and shouldering it. "Just know that it's not on the menu. I HAVE to do this, I don't care what the consequences are, I am doing this."
She stood watching him leave, she remembered his scream, remembered the look of pain and terror on his face. He was still lost, still in pain, Iris was his beacon of light in the darkness. She did not know if he would call her a friend, but she knew she would not turn her back on him. She had dealt with changelings and a whole slew of other immortal and nigh invincible enemies before. "Hold up!... Tyrin, I am coming with you I don't know where the hive is but I will do my best to help."
He spared a look back at her before gesturing to follow, but then something unexpected happened.
"Tyrin!... they... um... they are in the Everfree forest, on the far Eastern side." Spike looked on in hesitation as he held out a folded piece of paper.
It did not take long for Tyrin to swipe it from his claws and open it up. It was a crudely drawn map with an X on the far side of the forest. Below the map was a crudely written message, it was as if the writer barely knew how to hold a quill much less have been graced with the interior of a school before. *We have her. come to speak. Queen want speak to you.*
"What?..." He turned the paper over a few times still unsure what the actual message was. But he found nothing else. "Well fine then. I'll come but only time will tell if there is talk..."
He tossed the paper and continued directly towards the forest, Twilight trailing him closely after whispering some instructions to Spike.
Twilight could barely keep up, but she knew she had to. Tyrin was out for blood, and she wanted at least part of him to be left over by the time this was over. She was also hoping that her message got through as fast as possible. She was mildly thankful that he was choosing to fly through the forest rather than over it. Her lighter frame made it much easier to keep up, if they were above the forest he would simply have left her miles behind. However, this did not mean it was easy. Even with him ducking dodging and weaving past every tree and branch, he still did not stop even a little. He was on a warpath and Twilight worried for him almost as much as she worried for the changelings.
"Keep up Princess, if you really can't keep up then go back. This is not a fight you should even be in..." His eyes panned back at her and she shivered still seeing the anger in them.
"I can't just leave you, and if you really need to fight, somepony has to make sure that Iris is clear of the fighting..." She looked back at him as she struggled to keep up, his eyes went back to the front as he kept going.
They kept going for another few minutes, Twilight was already on the verge of passing out when suddenly she got a face full the gray fur off Tyrin's rear. Collapsing in a gasping heap she panted heavily as she looked up at Tyrin as he stared down into a descending cavern. This in and of itself would not have meant much had their not been two Changelings guarding the entrance. They regarded Tyrin calmly and smiled as they stepped forward. However, they did not appear to understand exactly how much they had angered the Griffon by taking his daughter.
Twilight stared in gut wrenching horror as Tyrin charged forward the moment one of the changelings opened his mouth to speak. His balled up talons smashed the changeling in the jaw snapping his mouth shut and severing his tongue. The homemade spear flew from his grip and impaled the other changeling killing him instantly and pinning his limp body against a tree. Tyrin's talons gripped the remaining changeling by the head and with a mighty heave he twisted and yanked the smaller changeling over his shoulder turning its head backwards and sending it into another tree.
"T..Tyrin!... w.." Twilight could do little more than stare as the griffon tore the blade free letting the body hit the forest floor.
"If you can't... then don't. You can get home... Don't wait for me.." He growled and started down the cave. In desperation Twilight followed, but everything around he made her slow. Fear eating at her gut, she flinched at every shadow and quickly lost Tyrin in the darkness, thankfully there was only one path to follow, even if it was flooded with increasing loud changeling shrieks and yells.
"Tyrin... please... slow down.. just.. just stop!" Twilight slipped on something slick in the darkness. Picking herself off the floor she sputtered and tried to peer through the darkness. She focused for a moment and her horn created a illuminating ball of light. Unfortunately for her this showed her just what she had slipped in.
At her hooves and all over further down the hallway, blood and entrails of changelings littered the hall. Tyrin's broomstick appeared to have snapped, the sharp end of the wood was stuck through an eye, the borrowed machete she found even further down the hall as she kept going, it was dulled till it was nearly just a flat piece of metal it was then pushed through a changeling's mouth and out the back of its neck. Shivering and shaking, Twilight continued and her keen mind saw two things. Firstly, the loss of the improvised weapon did little to slow him down. She guessed that he picked up one of the changeling's many weapons. However, the second observation chilled her to the bone. All these slain changelings were killed from behind yet clearly the noise in the hive would not have let him take them by surprise. Twilight shivered and held back the urge to vomit. This was not a fight, he was slaughtering them, and they were not fighting back, only running.
She pushed deeper into the hall finding nothing alive but clearly hearing more battle and conflict deeper inside. Her body filled with a terrible chill at the entire ordeal. It felt like a nightmare and as she curled a hoof to her chest she hoped to Celestia that it really was just a nightmare, but the Changeling screams ahead reminded her that this was not so.
Pushing through the darkness the princess of friendship finally came to a very large central chamber. Burning green flames lit the damp air, the taste of copper lingered on her tongue. A cold shock shot through her and she struggled not to vomit as she stared down at the dozens of morbidly torn apart changeling guards. But she saw him, splattered with blood and hefting the changeling polearm at a Changeling Queen she could have sworn was going to be Chrysalis.
The angry Changeling stared down at Tyrin from her throne, her raised hoof commanding her most elite guards from engaging the griffon. At her side, bound with a chain around her neck, a little Changeling filly stayed still looking down in fear and pain, a large crack from the base of her horn to about halfway up. Twilight didn't know exactly what was going on and but clearly this was a standoff. The unknown queen appeared very angry but she paled in comparison to Tyrin who starred with livid rage, black ink welling up in his eyes.
The changeling's lips turned just slightly, she was still clearly angry but at least for show, she needed to smile. "You did not need to kill them you know... You were invited, the guards were ordered not to harm you and to let you enter peacefully..."
The bladed weapon left Tyrin's hand and cleaved through two guards before sinking deep into the queen's throne just inches from her head. Her eyes betrayed the sudden fright at the excessive speed that the attack happened. Tyrin's beak opened and his voice roared. "GIVE HER BACK!..."
His talons tensed up, the joints popped and cracked still caked with Changeling blood. His voice lowered to chilling levels. "You have nopony to blame but yourself, you took her and now you will give her back... I won't tell you again, and I’m not asking. Learning your lesson MIGHT make me spare your life..."
His hissing voice made it clear that there was no question on how long he would wait, no mystery of what trying to play out any theories would win her. The queen hastily flared up her horn and the chains dropped off of Iris's neck. She quickly scurried over to Tyrin who held her tight. The only one who seemed surprised was Twilight.
"They didn't hurt you did they?" He cradled the little filly and she just whimpered, shivering and crying into his shoulder. He glared at the queen, clearly tempted to kill her anyway. But to her relief he turned and walked back the way he had originally came in. Twilight stared in fear, unable to utter a single word as Iris finally managed to look up. Her tear soaked eyes beheld the Princess of Friendship and her magic flared up enough to put on her old disguise. Twilight was completely dumbstruck. She simply stood and stared as Tyrin wordlessly walked past her.
Twilight had only just turned to follow, making a note to ask questions the moment everything calmed down. But everything was put on hold when the queen spoke. One simply word earned her the hate filled bloodshot glare from Tyrin.
"Wait...." She stood from her throne and her brood scampered about her on the walls and ceiling. She swallowed and stood ready.
"I spared your life... DON'T TEST PATIENCE THAT DOES NOT EXIST" His eyes burned as he stared at her with endless livid hate. She recoiled but did not back away just yet.
"We did all this for a reason, you don't have to leave, in fact you shouldn't leave" She put on her best smile and levitated a small chest over. But if the griffon was interested he did not show it. "We... ahem... We know what you are. We can't exactly just stroll into town and talk to you."
His glare intensified and he turned to Twilight. Slowly he handed the very worried Iris into the very unsure Twilight's hooves. She held her, still unsure of what to do with the filly she had come to know and only just now realized was a Changeling. She turned to him but his beak parted and a single word escaped. "Relinquo..."
There was a cold shock that ran through her brain. It was so clear, she had to leave. It was the polite and smart thing to do. She really wanted to leave. Twilight instantly began to walk out as if nothing was wrong. But something itched inside her. Her logical mind dug at why she would do such a thing, reason and logic screamed at her and slowly she began to stop. Blinking heavily she looked back when he spoke louder. "Evolo!" There was aggression in his voice and a fright spread through her.
Twilight's power surged and Iris screamed out as she struggled to get to Tyrin. But she was too late. Twilight was in the middle of the Everfree forest. Her head was still recoiling in pain and fright. It was like someone had just sat her down and gave her a very convincing ten hour lecture on how if she did not leave that very moment, she would die.
Still fresh with fear and only just barely starting to realize that she had just experienced order magic, the little filly in her grasp sprang out looking in all directions, tearing up she turned back to Twilight. "We have to go back! please! They are going to show him!"
"Iris! Slow down, calm down. What is going on? Why did they foalnap you?" She was still put on edge from the fact she was talking to a Changeling.
"They took me to lure him in. He has a lot of dark energy, I thought it was a coincidence, that it just felt like what I thought it was." Twilight stared at her again, this time more confusion than pain and fear. "When I first saw him, I thought he was a changeling, so I followed him. But I learned pretty fast he isn't a changeling. But.... he has some strange changeling magic, it's woven into who he is. They told me, but if they show him, it might wake him up. It might give him bad memories, they might make my daddy bad!"
"What is this game bug?" He stood, raising on his hind paws as he picked up another dropped weapon.
To her credit, the queen did not cower, but she clearly understood that now was not exactly a moment for theatrics. "Well, we brought you here because you are very VERY important to the hive, to all Changelings in fact. There are not many hives out there, but ours remembers the old tales, and you... or rather, what you really are is all over our oldest history... There is a lot we are hoping you can fill in, but you are the single most importan-"
"Shut it!" He brought the bladed instrument down between them, shattering the stone and making her flinch while the Changelings behind her scurried for cover, only peaking out when he didn't follow his anger up with violence.
She popped open the chest and levitated out a dark crystal sphere. "Just give us a chance, I'm sorry, we crossed a line we should not have. It was ignorance, but the reason we need you is very real. Just give us this chance...." She offered the crystal out to him. "It's a memory inducer. A very very old and powerful artifact. It's got at least one more good run in her. Just give it a shot. If there is anything in there that is repressed, it will unlock it and let you see who you really are."
He stared at her, his eyes wet with the same black ink before his taons snapped out and grasped the sphere. "Scutum" darkness enveloped the air between him and the queen. An extremely powerful telekinetic field raised on all sides as he stared at the sphere finally bringing it in and flooding it with his magic. It did not take long to activate the device, But he almost wished he hadn't.
Panicking and moving about rapidly, Twilight was followed quickly by Iris as they struggled to find any kind of way back into the hive. She did not even remember how she got in or out. The order magic burning its way into her mind did not quite let her remember exact details. Struggling to remember all the while, scanning everything she could with her magic she did not notice the army approaching.
Wings flapping loudly preempted the flash of magic as the Lunar guard as well as a company of the solar guard landed quickly. Twilight came about just in time to see none other than Luna herself in full battle regalia.
"Thank goodness! My message got through, please we have to hurry!" Twilight still stumbled about a little. Iris seemed like she was about to explode with fear and distress. Luna however, scooped up the filly and with a short moment of focus the filly was fast asleep.
"Get Princess Twilight and Iris back into town immediately!" The soldier nodded firmly as he took Iris in very steady caring hooves, two guards flanked Twilight and she did not get the chance to object as they slowly began to move her very sternly away. Then the explosion rocked the forest, green and black flames shot up from every crack and crevice in the ground for miles, the stink of cooking changeling flesh and the smoke and heat of foul balefire filled the forest to the brim. Luna gawked but only for a moment before she repeated her order with far more urgency and aggression in her voice.
"GET HER OUT, NOW!" She slung a polearm off her shoulder and gave it a twirl. "Third company! Secure all access points, second company, take the solar guard and comb the forest for changelings, everypony else come with me!"
Twilight did not get a chance to get a word in as a small group of guards picked her up rather roughly and made haste back towards Ponyville. Still in shock she did nothing to oppose them, hesitating for just a moment until she saw Iris fast asleep going the same direction. Sweat heavy across her brow Twilight quickly turned front and began flying on her own which was quickly noticed by the guards who let go but stayed very close.
Twilight shivered and glanced towards Iris not sure if she should speak of it to anypony. But swallowing she gave a glance back at the rising smoke just in time to see the tiny dark blur that was Luna disappearing into a hole in the ground. "Please be safe Tyrin...."
They were weak. They didn't deserve the legacy of his dark blood. "Your weakness disgusts me... I cannot even fathom how my own blood could have possibly fallen so far...."
Tyrin's words hissed from his mouth, the runny blackness dribbled steadily from his eyes. His talons dragged the changeling banner across his blade cleaning the excessive blood from it and gripping the weapon with an iron fist. The queen stood weakly, sparks coming off her horn, over strained from the fight. She winced as she coughed up a thick slurry of blood. She shivered staring at him, only her honor guard survived the blast, and that was only because they were with her behind the magical shield. The rest of her entire hive died in that split second. The moment he activated the crystal, the creature in front of her was born.
But she had some hope, it was keen and powerful, overflowing with its movements and endless powerful attacks. She could barely keep up, she was unsure if she could even call what she was doing as keeping up, but he was slowing down, as if the memories returned were being combated and he was losing the power and oddly seemed to be more deliberate with his attacks. He had burst through her shield, the same shield that held back that massive balefire blast, he had torn through with his bare talons and crushed her left foreleg with the slightest effort, but now he slowed, not tired but almost thoughtfully. Debating whether to kill or just leave to rot. She could have more children if she was able to run, it would take her two decades to fully return her hive to power, but she would have to escape first.
"Please... I... I don't understand. Why? Why would you do this to us?" Her words had validity, she truly wanted to know, but they were spewing forth from her lips to keep him from attacking until she had a chance to run. The five remaining honor guard stayed between her and the griffon. But they knew that they were staring at death itself but it was their place to die protecting the queen.
Tyrin's beak cracked open and a grin spread. "You... you were weak... so weak.. and despite my song to you... you left me... I sang... I sang for a thousand years... and you still did not come!" His grin faded and his eyes narrowed. He took one step before three of the remaining honor guards rushed him. Their blood splattered left and right before their bodies fell to the ground twitching, the ringing blade somersaulted end over end before clattering to the ground trailing changeling blood. Talons free of the weapon, the figure before he still advanced without an ounce of hesitation, his stride going from livid rage to calculated wrath.
"Please!... no!.. we ... we need you! We are weak because you were gone! You... you have to help us!.. Please! We were incomplete without you!" She struggled to hobble back on her three good legs and instantly the remaining guards stepped forward not fearing what they knew would instantly be their doom.
He froze, Tyrin clenched his beak, a pain spread over his features. A pain that was nothing like the darkness just moments before as his eyes panned over the changelings standing ready to die before their queen. "Du...duty..." The darkness about him faded like a dying fire flickering to nothing in a harsh wind. His stance changed from that of a darkness that took life to something stern and powerful. Something honed by decades of military training.
After but a short moment of hesitation, his talons raked across the centerpiece of his armor. The small runes across his sparsely populated armor flared with a golden light and he regarded her with a righteous glare. He took up a stance, his wings out and his body ready. The way he stood suggested there was something precious he stood in front of, this was not an attacking stance, it was the stance a guard took to protect his charge, almost mirroring the changelings before him. But it went nearly unnoticed by the queen or her guards.
Seeing the darkness vanish they hesitated for just a moment but when they saw no sign of a return of the devastating power they both rushed in at once. The queen just watched wondering if she could escape.
Tyrin's reaction was purely martial. He twisted and pivoted in the air, his talons met joints and gave firm strikes and yanks, twisting and pulling, he tore apart the guards with carefully calculated martial prowess. The last guard gurgled and struggled against his crushed throat before he fell to the ground. The queen's eyes narrowed. His back was turned and if she was going to survive, it was now or never.
Her horn flared and a thick sickly blast of dark green washed over Tyrin's back and she bolted for the catacombs as fast as she could manage. Even if he wasn't downed by the attack, she knew she put all her remaining power into it. He would not be able to catch up before she hit the catacombs, then he would never find her.
A flash of gold in her peripherals was all she saw before she hit the stones beneath her, propelled by a strike directly between her wings.
His body was alight with gold from his armor, every small point of metal and runes shed light to the next fully over the surface of his fur and skin creating a thick magical shield. She stared up at him with fear, she was going to resume begging before his talons pressed firmly over her throat as he leaned over her.
Choking, she struggled with the words. "Please!.... p...please!.." She opened her eyes to see him turning away from her. Silently staring back as he held her down. "W...what?..." He did not move, just stared at the same spot back near her now shattered and burning throne. Staring with pain and confusion.
Dark blue feathers in the air, he stared blankly. He didn't know what he was looking at, but it was there. Right there, the most beautiful creature he had ever seen or comprehended. Dark blue feathers and fur. Her wings were delicate and smooth like silk. She smelled of the queen of the night, he remembered offering her the flower when he first saw her.
" Selenicereus grandiflorus ... the desert moon flower..."
He offered it to her, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen to the most beautiful creature he had ever beheld. She smiled. She smiled and removed his helmet, placing a kiss on his young brow. From that day onward, he fought for her. He fought only for her.
He winced at the sharp pain, like a cold blade under his eyes, deep into his head. When his eyes opened, he saw her form. Limp at the feet of the throne. her delicate beautiful neck bleeding. He looked back at where he pinned her killer. The enemy griffon's bloody talons scraped against Tyrin's plate armor. The killer spat and laughed at her death. The ice cold breath caught in Tyrin's throat. Tears streaked down his face and he opened his beak in pain. His voice rang out in a deep weeping cry. His scream echoed loudly as he felt the world around him melt and shatter. The sole reason for his existence torn away and spat upon. He screamed until blood mixed with his spittle. Screaming and weeping at his loss. There was nothing left in the world. Nothing that remained, save for the one who killed her. His breath lost in his chest, his gaze turned slowly to the pinned enemy and everything he had inside him was released.
"Don't stop!... just move forward! I refuse to believe nothing is here!" Luna charged through the tunnels lined with charred bodies of the destroyed hive. All killed instantly without any form of discrimination, simply slain with the dark fires. Her night guard moved quickly through every last room, searching top to bottom.
The dark blue alicorn moved between then like the night itself. Her mind blazed from one scenario to the next, her senses explored every inch of the razed hive at high speeds. The princess of the moon slid to a stop and pressed her hoof on the wall for just a moment. She could feel it, such extreme pain, like a nightmare that never ended. "HERE! Form ranks!"
The guards gathered quickly, leveling spears and pikes at the wall just as she pressed and gave a firm twist. The wall flared with her magic and crumbled away. They advanced slowly her eyes catching the occasional non charred bloody body, eviscerated and broken before being thrown clear. Slowly she advanced until she saw it.
Tears poured from his eyes as his body shook and shivered. The griffon stared down at the limp form of a changeling queen. His talons pressed at her throat keeping her pinned. His voice was like a crying child, whimpering and gasping as he stared down with broken eyes repeating the same word and watching the queen twitch and spasm with every repetition.
"Cruciatus.... cruciatus.... cruciatus..."
She carefully trotted up until she was just feet away. Staring down at the limp queen, Luna could not help but to grimace. The queen's eyes open wide, a broken far gone blank look on her face. Hesitating she looked back to Tyrin who could do nothing but repeat the word. Slowly she reached out and touched him. He flinched, shaking hard his beak clenched shut and he turned to her. His body convulsed and he broke, with a flood of tears he embraced her and wept into her armor.
Without the ability to even understand what was going on, she calmly stared and slowly, her hooves came up to hold the broken griffon. She pulled him close and whispered softly. "Shhhh... sleep... I have you now...and I won't let go.." Her horn glowed and Tyrin returned to his nightmares.