"L-Luna? W-what are you doing?" You cower behind the trunk, holy fuck, she's gone mental.
"My duties as the princess of the night, Anon. Although, I admit, this is..." She says with a small hint of passive anger "unorthodox" And then she fires another shot. From where? You had no idea.
Oh yeah, she must have known about Scoots. "Luna, look. If it makes you feel any better, I'm really s-"
"SILENCE!" She yells, in what must have been the Royal Canterlot voice " THERE WAS NEVER A TIME FOR APOLOGIES!" She then calms herself, her voice full of authority. "You will stay quiet, and you will listen, Anon. For awhile now, my sister and I have been more than patient with your mission to reform the changeling queen. But today...today you have shown that you are too irresponsible to be left alone in this endeavor. And furthermore, I have personally seen no progress in reforming any of those reprehensible insects."
Oh...no.. "Woah, Woah. Don't tell me you're just going to end this all together. You can't do that!"
"Can't I? You forget that this world is not yours. Your need to meddle in what should be left alone has gone too far and now it is up to me to protect this land. My word on this is final. Also, you will refer to me as Princess Luna...you have not earned the right to refer to me as anything else"
Dammit Luna, what she said....it's not true. You slowly pop your head up and start looking around, looking through the density of the flora. "Princess Luna...That's not true. It isn't. I have made progress. Me and Chrysalis, we saved another dimension together. A-and, there's a changeling that's friends with Applebloom and t-" Oh shit, she fired another shot! You duck to dodge it.
"DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THIS? LET ME EXPLAIN ANON! LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR! YOU HAVE PROVIDED NO SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE THAT THIS EVENT TOOK PLACE FOR ME TO ACTUALLY BELIEVE IT! AND THIS...'SCRAPPY'. DO YOU TRULY THINK I'D BELIEVE THAT HE IS CAPABLE OF ANYTHING OTHER THAN DECEIT, LIES, AND ESPIONAGE? NO ANON, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS WRONG! AND THROUGH YOUR ERRORS, YOU ALLOWED AN INNOCENT FOAL TO BE HURT!" She bellows
The yelling, it was coming slightly to the right behind you "Princess Luna, I'm telling you. You can't do this...you're wrong. I didn't mean to get Scoots hurt, that wasn't my intent..." You start to tap at your person, until you managed to find a..Haha! A Tranq gun! With a dart! Maybe if you could pacify her...she'd listen. "I'm sorry for that. But Scrappy? I was wrong before too, I thought he was scum. But he's actually good and..."
You pop up with the Tranq and aim directly where her voice came from. You felt you could make the shot. "AHA!...Ahh...uh?" ...but you couldn't actually pull the trigger with your hooves. And then it gets shot out of your grip. And then you went back to hiding. "COME ON PRINCESS, THIS IS MESSED UP! I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH! IF YOU WANTED FULL PROOF ON WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO. THEN GO SEE SCRAPPY AND TALK TO HIM YOURSELF! AND-NGH!" You didn't even notice it, but Luna somehow got in front of you. Her next bullet went right between your lower legs...oooohhhhhh! "P-Princess L-Luna?"
"I can see speaking to you about this is pointless, Anon, you do not understand. You have left me no choice but to show you how wrong you really are. Anon, I shall pass my judgement tomorrow, and you will be the first to know. Once I have made MY final decision, Then my will WILL be done, or you too shall be banished from Equestria."
You gulp..c-could she do that? "B-banished? But you can't, does Princess Celestia even agree with this?"
".....My sister does not need to know such things until my judgement is passed. She has been too lenient on you. She does not even know of what has happened to young Scootaloo. You will accept my judgement Anon, the most I can do for you is to have it as if this Changeling business never happened. But if you do not comply, then I simply will have no other choice. The safety of Equestria is of the highest priority. I will hear nothing else on the subject." You could hear her reloading the sniper, you could see the glint off the scope.
"Luna..please don't do this...pLEAAAGH!" But she didn't hesitate, she fired one last shot. Right into your head. "AAAAGH!"
You wake up, breathing heavily, sweating, tapping at your forehead.....no bullet hole. Holy shit....holy fucking shit......that was real...wasn't it? The dream....that was Luna…
"Ahh, Anon. awake before I can wake you up. That is a first" You hear a familiar sensual giggle as you feel your head get a gentle rub. "Have a bad dream?"
You look over....Chrysalis. She was in your bedroom...no doubt to fetch you for this mission. "C-chrysalis?...ummm...erm...W-what are you doing up here?"
"Hmph" She eyes your face up and down, and then taps at your head "Don't be so dense. I'm here to send you on your way. Or were you going to try to skip out on this?"
..... "No....ummm...." ...Chrysalis...goddammit. "I wasn't..."
"Good, the captain is already waiting at the outskirts of the empire towards the mountains. Ahh, but before you go." Chrysalis's horn glows as she pulls up your winter coat and scarf, and also a baggy lunch. "Take these with you, I don't need the captain coming back with a ponsicle."
...She made you a lunch...and she also got your winter clothes...something you would have forgotten..That was actually good of her..And you were going to lose her...Goddammit.
You hop up from your bed and give Chrysalis a huge hug. ".....Chrysalis...I....omph!"
She shoves you away, she didn't understand why you were suddenly being affectionate. But she had a guess. "Anon, you can't get out of this by being cute. It doesn't work on me"
"N-no...That's not it..I...I just appreciate our friendship, Chrysalis. I'm still going..I just thought, y'know...for once...we could just have a nice friendly hug...for once? Huh?" You did try to act cute though. You gave her big huge eyes.
She had no idea what had gotten into you. She just looked down at you, confused and trying to be distant emotionally. ".....What is this?"
...Of course.... C'mon Chryssi… "...Just once, Come on. I know you can taste the love off of me. If you want, I'll owe you another life debt. Just one hug, it's all I want."
She just stares silently at you for a moment. She could taste it, and yet she didn't understand. She wasn't even eating it because it caught her so off guard. "....I don't even.......If I hug you, will you just go? I don't have time for this nonsense, I have things to do"
You nod. "Mhmm..."
"Fine..." She picks you up and brings you close. At first, it's a pretty weak hug. But it lasts a little longer than you expected. And as it went on, she pulls you in just ever so closer. Despite her cold chitin, you actually felt a sort of warm feeling, like she was actually trying, If only for a moment. She then gently puts you down and looks at you, seemingly horribly annoyed. "Satisfied?"
You nod. "Yeah...Sorry if it bothered you" You tried...At least the hug itself was nice. She didn't have to do that really.
"....." She sighed, thinking she actually figured out what happened. "Anon, if you're afraid of not coming back. Don't worry, I do actually have faith in you. Of course, I expect satisfactory results. And even if I know you'll bungle some of this...The faith is there. If it makes you feel ANY better,I do wish you good luck. AND there is a possibility that losing you could sour my mood, so take that as you will."
Your little tail starts to wag as you look up at her with a small smile, eyes glistening. "D-do you really mean that?"
"...Ergh...Yeesssss....Will you go now? Do I have to say please? you're creeping me out, Anon. Just hurry up already. You're wasting valuable time"
Right..."Ok....t-thanks Chrysalis...Queen Chrysalis...Seeya later.." You sigh as you gather up your things and quickly put on your coat and scarf and enter the portal door into the Crystal Empire.
All there was now was to wait for the inevitable. One thing you had to do though was capture this dangerous Changeling. So, while you're doing it, you had to be extra nice to Scrappy. If Fluttershy was to give you advice, if she knew Scrappy...you knew she'd tell you to be nice to him, since this might be the final time you see him..and him the CMC.
You head to the outskirts of the city towards the snowy mountains. It actually got colder and colder as you neared it.
But Scrappy himself was nowhere in sight. You were at the end of the city, and no sign at all. You start to call his name. "Scrappy?....hey Scrappy? You around?"
"Here I am." He didn't cry it out, he just..sort of said it as he popped up from a mound of snow, a scarf and a pair of binoculars hanging from his neck. You braced yourself for the pounce, closing your eyes. But..it never came. He just stood there, only his head was visible as the powdery snow slipped off his head. Geez, he wasn't freezing from hiding in the snow at all?
"Scrappy? What are you doing in the snow. Isn't it cold?"
"Sorta, but I can handle it...ummm...Are you ready to go, Anon? Thorax is somewhere out in the mountains, so it could be dangerous going out there if you're not ready." Something about Scrappy was off. He didn't seem excited to serve his queen. He didn't seem excited to try to dominate you. He wasn't even smiling. Was he scared?
"No, I'm fine...lead the way" You followed behind him as he started to sniff around as if he was a real dog. But..there was no spring in his step. Considering this would most likely be the last day you see him... "Hey Scrappy, is anything wrong? You're usually...y'know...ready to kill me or something."
"Oh..." Scrappy stops and looks back at you, his expression...he looked miserable "D-do you want to have our battle now?....I-I'm ready...if you are"
No enthusiasm, he didn't have his heart in it. The Scrappy you knew would have tried to make you agree or just be ready for the kill. He wasn't even baring his fangs. "Scrappy, what's wrong? Come on...you can tell me."
He started to twitch, his eyes started to water as he stared directly at you. "S-something is w-wrong with Scootaloo, she.....she asked me a lot of strange questions last night. She asked if I was just 'Evil'...A-and when I told her yes...s-she started crying."
...Oh geez... Scootaloo wasn't alright after all. Fuck, you needed more info. "..Scrappy, what happened exactly? Was she alone with you? Were the others there?"
He shook his head. "N-no, only Scootaloo was in the clubhouse last night. I was staying there guarding all the presents I brought for Master Applebloom and the others. To make sure nopony else tried to take them."
Presents...? "You had presents?"
"Mhmmm...I was sneaking around last night gathering things for my friends. I know Sweetie Belle likes to sing, so I found a very nice microphone for her to use. Master Applebloom said she liked potion stuff, so I gathered a lot of ingredients. I even managed to take some from some dumb rhyming zebra. And I got Scootaloo a Rainbow Dash doll....sorta. I kinda just took a doll and brought it home. I disguised myself as Rainbow Dash and used a mirror to paint it right with all the paint supplies I stole. When I was putting the gifts up to show them later, Scootaloo came inside. She looked so sad, Anon....I don't know why...I...I" Scrappy starts to cry and hugs on to you. "I'm a bad friend, Anon, I'm a terrible friend! I have ruined the honor of Scootaloo and I don't know how to fix it..."
Oh dammit..Scrappy...it wasn't his fault. Scootaloo must have still been feeling obliterated from having her love drained. Was she thinking straight? You didn't know....You just hugged onto Scrappy, and started to rub your hoof along his back. "It's alright Scrappy, it's ok....Scootaloo was just having a bad day. It happens."
"...B-but...she got so mad...I didn't even get a chance to show her her present...I thought maybe some hugs would work...but she didn't want me close to her...hugs didn't work Anon...Hugs..one of the snuggliest feelings I ever felt...and she...didn't....ngh...she told me to leave....." And then he started wailing. He was like a little kid, a little kid who didn't understand how things worked. Scootaloo got mad because he said he liked doing evil things. Maybe he did, he probably did, but..he himself wasn't evil. He was just...dumb.
"..Scrappy..." And now it didn't matter...he was going to be gone soon anyway.
"...I know you hate me too, Anon...you never really liked me....r-right?" He sounded so pathetic, he couldn't even say those words without sounding like he was going to fall apart..... The poor guy..
"No, nah, I..never hated you, Scrappy. It's ok..I was just being dumb. You're a great changeling. The best captain anypony could ever have."
"R-really?.." He sat down to look up at you like any other puppy, his fur soaked in his tears.
"Yeah...and.." You give him head pats, which he presses his head against your hooves, he really did like that. "How about, when this is all over, we go see Scoots together. I bet she'd change her mind when she sees that Rainbow Dash doll you painted for her."
"R-really? I..I hope she didn't look in the bag yet...if she looks too early, then she might not know it came from me...I want her to know...I painted it for her because she's a good friend, just like Sweetie Belle and Master Applebloom...I never ever want to hurt them..they are so nice to me..."
You give him a reassuring smile and pat his head once again, trying to sound confident. "Don't worry Scrappy, it's gonna be A-okay. Trust me, we'll go cheer Scoots up together and she'll want all the hugs you can throw at her. And she'll love that doll, that's worth like...super mega hugs"
"Woooow" Scrappy went from depressed to utterly amazed. "Super mega hugs? Those sound sooooo gooood! Hehe!" He giggled, but then stopped as he was puzzled by something. "But umm, Anon, I think you're confused about something."
Confused? "Umm..what about?"
"You can't throw hugs...you can throw rocks, like this," Scrappy finds a small rock in the snow and throws it directly at your head. You barely felt it, but you just half closed your eyes as you felt the universe mocking your noggin for some reason "But hugs? You have to wrap your legs around a pony, and snuggle and care about them...like this!" Scrappy jumps towards you, not enough force to knock you down, but he snuggled onto you as best he could. He could feel his fears melt away.
But your fears mounted. All you could do for him was try to keep his spirits up. He didn't have much to worry about anyway. If Scootaloo found the doll, she'd already realized it was a present from Scrappy. And then realized Scrappy did care about her as much as he could. No, what he had to worry about...was Luna.
...You were such a shitbag. You knew Chrysalis could be reformed. But you had been doing it the wrong way...you got Scoots involved. And now, you ruined this little guy's life. And he didn't even realize it yet.
"Thanks Anon, you're a real good friend!" Scrappy hopped back, then started to bounce about happily. "And the best part is! If we accomplish this mission, I won't have to destroy you anymore. You will have completed a mission for the queen! That officially fixes everything, isn't that great?!"
Yeah… You fake being excited, hopping around with him. "Yeah! Super Yeah! That is super awesome!"
"Woo! Alright then!" Scrappy got super determined and started to speed up his pace as he sniffed through the snow. "Just you wait Thorax, your reign of......hmmm" Scrappy stopped, he couldn't come up with a good word.
So you thought you'd help him fill it in. "Tyranny? That sounds like a good word, right?"
"No..umm...nope. Thorax wasn't good at tyranny." Scrappy said as he went back to sniffing around as he thought.
Not good at tyranny? "Reign of uhhh...destruction?"
Scrappy made a turn as he continued sniffing about "Nope, he wasn't good at that either"
"Evil? Pain? Deception? Kicking things?"
“Nope, no, nah, nopeity nope. Thorax wasn't really good at being evil like me or our siblings."
.....Wut? "...Then what was he good at?"
"Dunno, he said something about not liking what we did and the queen forced him to do what she wanted him to because, well, as the old captain used to say, 'Every ounce of our power makes a difference in our queen's conquest'. After the campaign in Canterlot failed, Thorax disappeared. But haha!" Scrappy snickered evilly. "I managed to sniff him out, he will pay for dishonoring the queen!"
Not liking what they did...so then… "Scrappy wait, if he wasn't good at evil. Then what did he WANT to do with his life?"
"He said he didn't want to steal love anymore, that he wanted to make friends with the ponies and live in peace with them, isn't that silly?" Scrappy scoffed.
....
"Scrappy....you do realize you also made friends and peace with the ponies, right? Namely the CMC....you realize that right?"
"Huh...Anon don't be...." But Scrappy stopped, somehow...SOMEHOW...he never made that connection. "......Oh… B-but, that goes against everything a changeling is suppose to do." Scrappy was surprised with himself. He realized he dishonored the queen again... and yet.... "I...I'm not supposed to do that. B-but...I like being friends with ponies. D-does that make me good too?"
You nod. "It does, Scrappy, you don't have to do evil things, you know. Applebloom and the others really like it when you're nice and sweet. I do too."
"B-but....it makes my queen happy when I do evil things....I really do want to crash a big space thingy into Canterlot..It seems like so much fun." His enthusiasm started to drop again.
...Poor Scrappy. "Scrappy, you have to choose one sooner or later. If Chrysalis ever did end up ruling everything, you'd have to give up Applebloom and the others."
".....Oh..." Scrappy may have not known that, but he felt you were right. He tried his best to come up with a compromise...but failed. "W-well, then...I'm just going to be friends with them and do what my queen wants me to do until I can decide what I want. That way everypony stays happy."
Since it didn't matter, you accepted that answer. You could tell though, he just didn't want to upset anyone. And he really did enjoy both the good and evil in his life and simply didn't want to have to choose. "That's fine....soo..er...any sign of Thorax?" This Thorax guy. You wondered...if he wasn't actually dangerous. Then what was he even like? You'd find out soon, most likely.
Scrappy stopped, and started pointing down. "Right down below...I can sense him...we just need to find a way to get down. We should climb up the mountain a little more until we find a cave. Then we'll be close to victory! Then we can go home and see Scootaloo! I can't wait!"
"Yeah...." What was Luna going to do exactly? What was her "Judgement"? Hell...you were feeling goosebumps...Like you were being watched somehow.
As you and Scrappy continued to walk through the snow, three things bothered you. Although two were unimportant, it just struck you as odd.
one, the empire not having snow in it, at least not at the moment. Must be a magic thing, Crystal Heart related. Two, the fact he's using his nose to sniff out Thorax, did he even need to do that? Three...Luna, that was the actual important one. The former two you onlt really kept in mind to try to forget about her. "Hey, Scrappy. Do you even need to sniff him out like that?"
“Hmm?" He stops and looks back at you, then shakes his head. "Nope, but I do it because it's how a dog finds things. Also, it makes Master Applebloom smile and call me cute."
..Good lord, he was adorably stupid. You found it really endearing at this point, it made you laugh. "Haha, that's a pretty good answer. So, that means you can sense the guy then, right?"
"Erm....sorta. He hasn't left any of the pheromones that let us track each other around. But, I can taste him." Scrappy said as he went back to sniffing.
Yeah...that was weird...maybe? Could they taste each other? "What do you mean 'taste'?"
He made a turn and started heading towards a steep rise in the mountain, a cave visible up ahead. "I dunno exactly. It tastes like love, But it's very very very faint. I dunno, he might have somepony he's been feeding off of down there or something."
......Wut? Didn't he just explain that he wasn't dangerous?! ....Dammit. Well… You tapped at your horn. If trouble did happen, you could nip it in the bud in seconds. Nothing to worry about. "..I see, so uhh. then. Let me ask you this, how far are you willing to take this whole 'Master Applebloom' thing?"
"Huh? Ummm, I don't know what you mean by that. I don't need to take it anywhere. She's my master and my friend, the very first pony to make me feel all these warm and fuzzy feelings I really really like without having to eat it first. I had to repay her in someway, so when she said she'd like me as a pet, I said yes. That's it...it's perfect because it lets me do my work too. You know, sneaking and spying. It's perfect."
"Yeah, I can see that. You're a special kind of changeling, Scrappy, and you know what? I like you for it."
"Thanks!" He exclaims as you both near the cave. "We should go in here, I think there might be a tunnel that will take us to Thorax."
"Really? How do you know?"
"Anon, I'm not dumb. I'm a captain." He puts his paw to his chest in pride. "I figured since the taste is stronger near this cave, that it has to be coming from it. Come on, use your head" He gives you a big happy grin. "I know you can!"
Oh come on! That coming from him?! "You know I can't taste love, right?"
"...Oh..right..umm..well. Then it's good you're following me then. Since I'm the captain...and since our target is definitely in that cave then..." He points towards the cave. "Then as the captain, I say we charge in."
Charge in? But Thorax is also a changeling. "Umm, that might not be a good idea. What if he knows we're coming and, I dunno, stages an ambush?"
"It's two against one, Anon, he can't beat the both of us. Especially me!" Scrappy hops forwards with a growl. "I'll drag him back to the hive with my teeth if I gotta!"
"Still, we have to be careful, ok?" You wanted to be prepared for this. Yeah, you had the horn. But you had no idea what this "Thorax" was capable of.
"What could possibly go wrong, Anon?" Suddenly...everything went dark. "...Ummm, who turned off the sun?"
....Oh shit, why was everything dark? Was it Thorax?! Was it an ambush?! "....Hey, whoever you are! I wouldn't try anything. Not unless you want to be blown to bits!"
But it wasn't an ambush. The darkness began to fade, and yet a black ball of starry darkness began to form and then disappear, Revealing a certain Alicorn within the epicenter.
...Luna
....Oh shit.
"P-Princess Luna?!" You were stunned. What the fuck was she doing here?!...Oh god..not unless she was planning to pass on her judgement now. She must have wanted to intercept you and Scrappy. Was that her plan?
Princess Luna just stood there, looking down upon the both of you, regally and with a vicious stare. But Scrappy? All he saw was an immediate enemy. He growled, and immediately charged at her. "Princess Luna! Grrrr! Prepare to be destroyed!" The little guy, he didn't hesitate, he didn't even question it. It was clear that he was always prepared to face down anyone he deemed an enemy as immediately as he could.
And that wasn't good at all. If she came here to lay down a judgement. Then all he was doing was solidifying her resolve. "Scrappy! Stop!"
But he didn't, he ran through the snow and jumped right at her. But Luna, without moving a muscle, snatches him by the tail with her magic and holds him up at a distance, at eye level, and just observed as he tried to take bites at her.
Goddammit Scrappy. God fucking dammit...fucking..FUCKING!
"So, this is the changeling captain." Luna said calmly as she observed him with an intense stare
"That's right! And you’re the princess of the night! The enemy of the queen! Prepare for destruction...NGH!" He struggled to get down. "When..NGH! I get down!..NGH...From here!"
Luna's horn began to glow brighter as she looked upon Scrappy with disgust. "A vile creature indeed, full of deceit and lies. I can see, without a doubt, that no progress has been made whatsoever just from your vicious behavior."
You rush up between Scrappy and Luna, and hold your hoof up towards her. "Princess Luna, wait! WAIT! Don't do anything yet, please!"
"Anon, how could you? How DARE you! Your failure is as clear as the moon in the sky. You have made no progress whatsoever. These creatures are beyond saving. Step aside, or suffer the same fate. Don't make me take any unnecessary measures." Luna was ready to do her worst and seal Scrappy up without hesitation.
GODDAMMIT. You were scared, you wanted to move. But Scrappy...he was your friend. Even after all the hate you put upon him, He never came to realize it, he always saw you as his friend. And he loved you just the same, just as he loved the CMC. "Come on Luna, You have to have been watching us, right? Don't tell me you just got here and immediately just want to seal him up!"
"I watched from a distance, But I did not care what either of you had to say to each other. This isn't why I'm here. I told you this wasn't up for discussion, this is their final judgement. Any chance they may have had has already been squandered by his actions. And do not tell me about his friendship with Applebloom and the others. It is obvious that he has pulled the wool over their eyes just as he has over yours." Luna explains to you, and stomps her front hoof forward. "Now again, step aside."
"HEY!" Scrappy yells at her as he hangs there. "Don't you dare insult my friends like that! They wouldn't let wool go over their eyes. That's just dumb! How would I even pull wool over them...unless" Scrappy growled. "You were actually going to do that! Just because their my friends doesn't mean you get to hurt them! I'm going to double destroy you now! You can't stop me!" He tried running in mid air, but to no avail.
But his words, they both confused and enraged Luna. "What are you talking about!? I would never hurt them, unlike you with your constant lying. I have seen the horror of the damage you caused Scootaloo yesterday. It took much of my power to fix what you and your kind has caused. And even then, it wasn't complete. You cannot fool me into thinking you have any ties to those innocent foals." Luna refused to believe.
"Luna, he wasn't even there!" You cry out
"....Then where was he then? Hmm? With his loyalty to his hive, I doubt he'd be anywhere else." This, Luna was sure of. All that dream hopping, and she never ran into the fact that Scrappy was telling the truth. Meaning, she probably never went into his dreams.
"Shows what you know, you dumb princess! I was getting my friends presents. ANNNND." Scrappy snickered, as if it was an accomplishment, not realizing how dire the situation really was. "It was all something they really like too! I bet you never got them any gifts that they exactly wanted. Even with your dumb dream powers."
Goddammit Scrappy...NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE INSULTING SOMEONE WHO'S ABOUT TO BANISH YOU. "Scrappy...calm down. You don't re-"
"SILENCE!" Luna let's out.
Luna starts to speak in a low but very angry tone. "If you truly expect me to believe that, then tell me what these gifts are. I know those ponies, and I can think of many gifts they would want that would bring them merriment." She was ready to go the moment he got one wrong, which she felt she knew would be immediate. She could see the horrors of Scootaloo's nightmare within her memory.
The fact that you now knew that she saw things that must have been mind bendingly terrible made you realize why she was so angry. But she was also wrong. And you wouldn't step aside either way...the CMC would never forgive you if you let Scrappy get banished. But dammit Luna, why so sudden..why now?!
"That's easy" Scrappy crossed his legs as he looked to the princess with a smirk. "Potion thingys for Master Applebloom, a microphone for Sweetie Belle, and a Rainbow Dash doll for Scootaloo.....but" The information Luna told him starts to sink in, and it starts to put him down. "...A-are you saying Scootaloo went down to my queen's lair?..S-she isn't supposed to do that. She could have gotten hurt..."
Luna stepped back, her mind racing. She couldn't believe it. That answer was correct. All three were correct. She thought it was impossible. She thought with that, you would just step aside and let her do her work. But..she was wrong. And now, he didn't even know about the attack? She didn't understand how that could be. "You truly didn't know?" Luna's voice, it wasn't harsh anymore, there was hints of regret within it. But she was still waiting. Surely she couldn't be THAT wrong. could she? She felt there had to be a lie somewhere.
As for you, the cat was out of the bag now. You wanted to protect him from knowing but… "Scrappy, I took Scoots down to see Chrysalis yesterday. And your siblings almost drained her dry...I'm sorry. That's why she was upset. Because she may have thought that you were just as evil as they were." You look up at him as your emotional wall finally breaks. You hug him, even as he was upside down. You hugged him and began to cry. "I'm sorry...I'm so damn sorry, Scrappy. It's my fault. It's my fucking fault. I've been so stupid and angry. I've been hurting everypony just because I was being jealous and angry....ngh.."
You turn to Luna, you realized how stupid you really were. You failed. No doubt, If it had to be this way, you knew you wouldn't be able to protect everyone...but maybe.. "Princess Luna, if you have to do this. Then just banish me instead of him. To tell you the truth, the CMC did better than I have when it comes to him. He has a good heart and cares so much about them because of how they care about him. He even considers Applebloom his master, just because of how she treats him."
Luna doesn't say a word at first, she just stands there. She then thinks up a question or two, and looks towards Scrappy. "Tell me, If I were to search for these gifts that you have gathered. Where would I find them?"
....Was she...ignoring you? No, she wasn't even making a move.
"......." Scrappy just hung there, depressed. "What does it matter? Scootaloo hates me.....I wasn't even there to protect her like the dog Master Applebloom expects me to be...my chest hurts....my chest hurts so much." Scrappy held on to his chest. Feeling the absolute pain of guilt within himself. Even when he didn't have to, he blamed himself for what happened.
And Luna could see it. She had lived long enough to know when someone was being genuine, most of the time anyway. And the way Scrappy was acting. She had never seen a Changeling act THAT well. Not even Chrysalis could pull off such a feat. She really started to believe that it was real.
"....Scrappy...was it?" She gently puts him down. He then slinks his head into the snow and sniffs and whimpers. He didn't realize he was released. "Are you truly this worried about being hated? Scared of losing young Scootaloo as a friend?"
".....Yes..." He whined.
Scrappy… You poor guy.
".....Anon...a word." Luna steps back, stepping away enough to keep out of earshot. Did she understand? Was she going to let him go?...She listened. She had to have. Thanks to Scrappy's own stupidity, he managed to get himself out of what you couldn't. But it didn't seem it was over yet, she wanted to talk to you privately…
You couldn't fuck this up. You couldn't let the little guy down.
Luna stepped forward to the mouth of the cave, looking back at the pathetic puppy. You looked up at her face to try to guess what she was feeling, and you could see it, it was regret and empathy for the little guy.
When you both were far enough way, she began to speak to you in a much nicer, more gentle fashion. "Anon, this changeling, his reactions, It vexes me...It seems that he enjoys the acts of villainy and hatred, and yet his heart is fragile and weak when it comes to be looking down upon by those that should be against him. Does he truly care about the Crusaders?...." Luna closes her eyes and pauses, then speaks before you can. "Do not worry, I shall listen to your words."
She didn't say believe in them though. But given the situation, as long as you told the truth and was sincere about it, she would know you weren't lying. You hoped so anyway. "He does, I think he cares about them more than Chrysalis. He enjoys their company and tells them everything Chrysalis tells him while lying to Chrysalis about what he tells them. And before you ask how that works, it's because he wants them all to be happy. I don't quite got a grasp on how it works exactly. But hey..it just seems to work and I'm ok with it."
"...He does that? I was unaware... But then, why does he refer to Applebloom as 'Master'?" Luna was perplexed about that as well.
"Apparently because it benefits them both, and he likes calling her that. I really don't get it myself. But I think he enjoys it because it means he gets to hang with his friends more. I don't think Applebloom is abusing it either. He really enjoys being her puppy."
".....Curious. But then why try to attack me if he is able to befriend the crusaders as he has. I would think he would have been reformed by then."
Yeah, if you were in Luna's position, you wouldn't understand this shit either. Scrappy did seem rather random. But...you think you have it figured out by now. "It's because you're an enemy of his queen. He's still loyal to her after all. Buuut, I think there's a way to fix that. But Princess, please, you have to be willing to give it a chance, Please? Look, I know I screwed up really bad. I know, but I still think there's a chance to reform Chrysalis. I've just been doing it wrong. But look at Scrappy, the only reason he's this way is because of the Crusaders..."
You felt ashamed, not because that they managed to one up you...but… "And I admit, even I thought it was a sham. But I was wrong. What I have been doing so far was wrong. I don't have a plan to fix it yet, but I mean it, I know it can be done...." You bow to Princess Luna, you needed her mercy. "Please, don't make a judgement just yet. I'll be more careful from now on. I won't let Anypony else get hurt. And if I do, I will not complain about the consequences. As they say in olden times....your will be done, your highness."
Luna didn't say anything, she looked down to you, then to Scrappy, who was a sobbing mess at this point. At this height in the mountain, she could see his face becoming icy as his tears became icicles on his face. But he didn't seem to care, he just sulked there. She felt guilt within her own heart to see him suffer. "...What must I do to still his suffering heart?"
Thank… Christ... "Just tell him you're Scootaloo's friend. Trust me, If I have things figured out by now, then that's all it'll take. Just let him know that and that things will be ok."
"Then is shall be done." Luna's face becomes half serious, half mournful as she looks down at you. "But know this Anon, this will be your final chance. Please, do not squander it."
"...I understand" You had to be super careful now. One more fuck up, and on your own word, you'd be done. But you understood how important this was. You couldn't let anypony get hurt. It was irresponsible to let Scootaloo see the changeling queen. You could never allow something like that to happen again.
With that, Luna approached Scrappy, and slowly moved downward beside him, laying her belly on the snow. He didn't even notice as he sobbed. "Little one, you needn't be in such distress" He doesn't reply, he just doesn't stop. Luna actually felt her own heart start to break. "You may hate me because of who I am. But let me ask, what would you say if I told you I was also the friend of the Crusaders? If I was a friend of Scootaloo." Luna leans a little to her side. She feels this maternal feeling, that if he was as childish as he seems, that he would go for her warm belly.
Scrappy finally responds, he slowly looks up at her, and wipes his eyes, small bits of ice coming off with his gentle swipe. "Y-you are?"
Luna nods. "I am, I have helped the Crusaders with their own plight. Whether it be a fear, or an anxiety, or even a problem they feel they had. I would do anything in my power to protect them. That is why I was so aggressive, I felt you were a danger to them. But I can see now that you are not and-uhm?" Luna stops when Scrappy immediately starts cuddling on the side of her belly.
"I'm S-Scrappy..D-do you want to be...f-f-friends?" Scrappy asked, confusing Luna. But you knew this would happen. Any friends of the crusaders would automatically make them his friends. That's how his thought process worked. You knew that now.
"........." Luna stayed silent until she realized why you asked her to tell him she was the CMCs' friend. ".....I would" Luna nuzzles her face onto his back, he was starting to calm down, but still, he was not done weeping.
"T-thank you...I..I like being friends...with Master A-Applebloom's friends..." He whimpered, sinking his face deeper into her soft belly.
"Little one, I can tell you fear that you have lost your friendship with Scootaloo...but I can assure you, this is not the case." Luna may have not known this, but she felt that this wasn't beyond saving. She knew Scootaloo was just emotionally warped temporarily. And even then, she had jumped into her nightmare when she had gone asleep to fight off as much of the torment as she could, so it shouldn't be nearly as bad as Scrappy thought. And although successful, it was only natural she'd still be upset...but if Scrappy was telling the truth, if you were as well, then Scootaloo was just that...upset. She'd never want to turn away a friend. "Scootaloo still very much cares about you"
"No she doesn't......She hates me..." He sobs.
"She does not, she is merely upset due to what your siblings and your queen have caused. If you are truly her friend, then she would not just discard you. I would even think that at this time, she'd want to see you again. She is probably worried about you being up here with Anon. As I understand it, you tell the crusaders about your queen's plans, Correct?" Luna began to lay on her side, to let Scrappy nuzzle against her belly completely.
"I do..I do tell them...And they listen...I-I always tell them the truth. T-that's why I don't understand..."
"Friendship is hard to understand sometimes. But if you have told her about today, then she is most worried about you, and is wishing for your safe return. As I understand it, this mission is quite dangerous. It would only be natural for her to be worried. Perhaps, when it is over, you should go see her, and let her know you are ok." Luna sounded motherly now, trying to soothe the crumbled soul.
"...D-do you think she's worried?...r-really? Wouldn't that mean...we're still friends?" Scrappy asks, unburying his face to look at Luna's expression. She seemed pretty sure.
"Indeed, and I'm sure she would be even happier when you show her the gift you have gotten her. I even bet she'd be ecstatic to see you and Anon getting along." Luna told him.
He sniffed, despite still looking miserable, you noticed his tail starting to wag. "R-really?"
Luna nodded. "Mhmmm"
Tears started to flow from Scrappy's eyes once more, but the suffering in his heart was gone. He moved up from his spot and started to gently paw at Luna's nose. "C-can I have hugs? I-I like hugs." Luna stayed silent, and rolled onto her back. At first, Scrappy was confused. Until she patted her belly for him to get on and hug. The moment he realized it, he felt renewed energy as he dove and snuggle-hugged. "Yay! Hugs! Hugs from my new friend and still enemy, Princess Luna!"
Ahh shit...you go to say something. But Luna's reaction was instant as she looked into his face, utterly confused. "Enemy?"
"Mhmmm!" Scrappy said as he snuggled her belly. "B-but I don't ever want to actually destroy you...s-so, if you want to battle to the end...erm..you only need to ask. If you don't, then I won't fight...I don't want to hurt my frien...en...frienemies unless they are ready to meet their end." He sounded so genuine, yet afraid that he insulted her.
And then Luna began to smile, then laugh as she hugged onto the little puppy. "Never in all the years I've lived have I heard such adorable ridiculousness. Well then, I too see you as a frienemy. And will only try to destroy you upon you asking. Until then, let us enjoy our company and friendship."
"Yay! I like those things!" Scrappy snuggled, then looked back at you. "Anon, come on! It's hug time! Don't you want hugs? Hugs are the greatest thing ever next to fetch and world domination!"
You couldn't help but laugh as you approached. "Sure, whatever ya say Scrappy. It's alright with you, right Princess Luna?"
"Indeed, I have room for two small ones such as yourselves. Come, Anon, join in on the hug times"
And that was enough for you. You joined in on the hug. climbing onto her lower belly to snuggle her as the puppy runt snuggled her upper chest. This was it, it was over. You prevented disaster… No… Scrappy did.
Hugging Luna like this, even up in the mountains, it was an intensely warm feeling. It reminded you of Fluttershy. Fluttershy, she really did help with this as well didn't she? You kept your cool, you didn't react to negatively, you treated Luna with respect instead of as a threat. Fluttershy would be proud.
If only she was in the know....
After the hug, it would seem it would be back to business as usual. As much as Scrappy wanted to get back to Scootaloo now. He also knew he had a mission to do, and knew that if he returned this soon, Chrysalis would be suspicious. You knew this too.
And Luna? She had a plan of her own. "..Then it seems I will have to accompany the both of you. Not only to make this a swift and successful mission. But to insure nopony gets hurt. There are safety in numbers." Luna suggests.
Huh...actually. That wasn't a bad idea. You had no idea what Thorax was capable of. Even though he sounded docile, it could still be dangerous. "I don't have a problem with that. With you, my horn, and Scrappy's ability to even find the guy. We should be able to stop whatever he might have for us."
"I also do not mind. Completing the mission is what is important right now, then Scootaloo after. So come on, let's get it done super fast!" Scrappy starts walking into the cave. Until Luna's magic stops him.
"Hold yourself, little one. Before we venture inside, I do have a condition for use of my help and the giving of my mercy."
Wut? Fuck... Dammit, no, don't question it. Just...hear her out. "Hmm?"
"Given this is a changeling that has pledged allegiance to himself. I would like to be the one to take him in." Luna says
"Wait...I'm supposed to bring him in" Scrappy reminds her.
"Yeah, Princess Luna, he's right. We can't just return empty hooved."
"Perhaps not, but the queen is a cruel one, is she not? All you need to tell her is that he was destroyed, and have something to prove it. Scrappy, I ask of your compliance with this. Having a changeling kept within our castle would help us greatly." Luna explains.
"You mean you're going to interrogate him, and find out changeling secrets even Scrappy couldn't tell you, right?" Scrappy was dumb, and probably didn't know too much about the deeper workings of the hive. But this guy? It could be possible...
Luna nods. "Exactly"
"...If I argue, it would just make things slower..right? I need to see Scootaloo as quick as I can" Scrappy didn't want this to take too long. He wanted to be done with this so he could go see Scootaloo and speak to her.
"I don't wish to argue, but I feel it'd be better to have the changeling in Canterlot than with your queen." Luna explains, it wasn't like she would really accept a "No" anyway.
"...Ok....I agree..now come on, I don't wanna waste any more time! Thorax is down this way, where the cave goes deeper down." Scrappy puts his nose on the cave floor and starts to sniff as he follows the trail. "I hope he doesn't want a fight. As captain, he has to listen to me...I hope he listens to me anyway. I do want to beat him up for dishonoring the queen...but I just don't have the time...urgh..Thorax, why do you have to be such a dummy..."
"May I ask what makes him a dummy? What is this 'Thorax' like?" Luna asks, following down deeper into the cave. At first, she had to use her horn to light the way. But eventually, when you all came out into an open and icy cavern, there was sunlight coming from the open ceiling. Was there a fissure above? A pit of some sort?
"I already told Anon, but, The short version? He's just WAAAYYY too nice. He doesn't want to follow the queen's plans at all. He's such a dishonorable traitor. Maybe it's good that we are pretending he's destroyed. That way I can imagine having really destroyed him for being such a dumb traitorous scumhead." Scrappy said with a cute growl.
"Indeed..." Luna was starting to notice Scrappy's naivete in full. She now understood what you meant by him being both good and bad. "And what say you, Anon? Is there any strategy you'd like to suggest in apprehending this changeling?"
You didn't really have one, hell..did you even need one? "Not really. If things get really bad, I have my horn. If this guy turns out to be dangerous for any reason, then I won't hesitate to take him down."
"Walking in without a strategy. Not usually the best move. But I suppose such an idea lives up to your cutie mark." Luna remarks, she also noticed how chaotic and unthinking you can really be.
"Are you saying that it's bad? It's just one changeling. For all we know, he could be watching us. Devising a strategy would only give him a chance to counter it. I say we just stick to our strengths." You say
"That's fine, I have a pretty strong bite" Scrappy smirks as he continues to follow the "Scent". Though, the way he was slowing down, it may seem you all were close. You had to be careful though. This cavern was huge, and it seemed there were some pits that lead into the black abyss. Very dangerous.
"I too am not worried. My sister and I have defeated beings much more powerful that a mere changeling, and yet this area is unknown to me and could serve as an icy tomb regardless. All I suggest is some caution." Luna looks around, keeping her attention to anything that could be suspicious. "If we do fight, it must be done quickly,"
"That's gonna be soon, because that dumb-dumb is close. He didn't even try to run away. HEY THORAX! WE KNOW YOU'RE HERE! PREPARE TO BE TAKEN DOWN!" Scrappy yells out. But no reply. If he was here, he was keeping to a disguise.
"...Is he not nearby?" Luna couldn't see anything.
"He's probably disguised as something. Scrappy, can you tell us exactly where he is?" Nothing, you couldn't tell what Thorax could be in this ice ridden cavern.
"...No,but he's scared now, so I can't pick up on anything. He's trying to stay hidden from all my senses.....a lot of good it'll do him though. WE'LL FIND YOU EVENTUALLY! YOU HEAR ME!?" Scrappy yells again, trying to threaten his former comrade.
Still nothing. You'd tell Scrappy to calm down. But it might be the only way to draw him out. Who knows how long this guy could hide out? If he got scared, he'd move, or shake, and he'd be easier to spot.
"Are you sure he's here?" Luna couldn't even see anything moving.
"He is, I can still barely sense him. That scaredy pony..." Scrappy started to sniff about again. Trying to get a stronger feeling for him.
You casually take out your bagged lunch and look inside. Sandwiches? Neat...and they weren't trapped with anything or had anything gross in them either, thanks bugbutt.
You start to munch on one as you carefully look around.
"...Anon....are you really eating at a time like this?" Luna couldn't believe you. That was too far out for her.
"Hey...I'm hungry. Besides, all I have to do is put on my horn and bam. He's done." You go beside a small boulder and rest your back against it. But then, as you do, The boulder easily moves back, making you fall onto the back of your head. "Omph!...uggghhh" That boulder was way too light… How could it… Waiiiiitttt...
You quickly get up, swallow the sandwich as you eye the boulder, and tap it…
It shakes.
Oh shiiiiiieeetttt...