//------------------------------// // Chapter 38 // Story: Hegira: Option Gamma // by Guardian_Gryphon //------------------------------// The elder co-ruler of Equestria was bored. One of the most insidious downsides to longevity was also one of the most unexpected, and unfortunately the most ubiquitous. The routine. Boredom was one of the most tricky enemies Celestia had ever faced. On the one hoof, she wanted her kingdom to live in peace and harmony, on the other she craved something, *anything,* to break the monotony of carrying out the same governmental tasks; Day after day, week after week, century after century after century. In the earlier days, the task of ruling had been fraught with exciting challenges, new ideas, and bold decisions. Leading a race out of something like the Reign of Chaos and into its next golden age was quite a task. But as the Equestrian civilization had settled into a too-comfortable status quo, the thrill of adventure had become less a daily companion, and more a yearly event to look forward to whenever some sort of singular threat, or fascinating puzzle eventually arose. Celestia knew that the future would bring the promise of more excitement. Humans, whether in their own bodies, or the body of a newfoal, or a newfledge, had a mesmerizing, wonderful, terrible talent for upsetting status quo. But it would be another year or two before the colonization of the new frontier began in earnest, and until then things were looking increasingly, there was no other word for it - boring, on the Equestrian side of the barrier. Visiting Earth was always an interesting experience, but so far Equestrian politics had remained preternaturally stable; A product of what Celestia privately called 'The law of governmental physics' which stated; 'A bureaucracy at rest tends to remain at rest until an outside force breaks down the door and bucks it six ways from Sunday.' It wasn't that the law didn't apply to the Human government as well, but the Humans had something her little Ponies didn't; A natural penchant for creating that 'outside force' all on their own. Frequently. They could upend a period of peace faster than the Gryphons, which was saying something. Celestia was looking forward to a period of closer harmony with both races, and all the wonderful, deliciously interesting breaks in routine that such a period would bring. For the moment Celestia would have to force herself, as usual, to accept the routine of the day. Watching Luna lower the Moon, Raising the Sun, and breakfast with her sister were the parts of the routine she enjoyed. Loved even. She took solace in the simple pleasures those moments brought. But all too soon after that, the court of the day would go into session. That was the part she loathed. Most of her dukes, barons, duchesses and other sundry courtiers were good Ponies, or at the very least not the worst sorts, but they seemed to labor under the constant delusion that she was a necessary force in dealing with their incessant minutiae. They lacked initiative and self-resolve, something she desperately hoped Humanity would bring to Equestrian civilization in full measure. It was not so much that the issues they brought to her were unimportant, more that they were unimportant to *her.* She had appointed these Ponies to their positions in order to take the stress of the comparatively 'little' things off her withers. The idea, which they seemed to fail to grasp, was that she was entrusting them to make their own choices about the things they'd been given power over. The white monarch sighed inwardly, as she took her seat on the throne. As she had for so many millions of days before, she plastered a well practiced slight smile to her muzzle, and adopted a regal posture. It wouldn't do to unduly insult anyone with her true inner observations. First up was Baron Vladimir DeOatso, with some sort of question on the finer points of grain storage protocols, and tariffs. Thrilling. The Baron, who looked far too clever to be burdening her with this issue, was about halfway through his long-winded introduction, and perfunctories, when one of her Royal Guards came bursting in through the main doors. He wasn't rushing with the dignified air of one bearing news of an emergency, but he had interrupted Royal court, which meant that whatever news he bore, it was important. Celestia had to exert a great deal of control to keep a genuine smirk from supplanting her demure polite smile. Thank the heavens. An excuse to break routine. Celestia smelled trouble. She would never admit it, to a single living soul, but Celestia *loved* trouble. Canterlot. All Fyrenn had ever seen were models, rendered based on sketches, visual descriptions, and the occasional painting that made its way from Equestria to Earth. The architecture was something completely new to him. The city had a whimsical, airy, yet sturdy feel that seemed to evoke some part of the three subspecies that made up Ponies, all at once. The scale of the constructions was enormous; Spires, domes, and towers filling every part of the enormous settlement. A fact that was even more astonishing considering that the city was essentially hanging from a cliff face. That *had* to have been the contribution of the Pegasi. A waterfall, doubtless fed by some cool fresh spring at the peak of the mountain, had been redirected to feed a decorative moat, which in turn spilled over into ornamental pools that overflowed into each other, like the tiers of an enormous fountain. The main building material seemed to be white marble, trimmed in gold, capped with roofs of deep purple tiling. Everywhere the eye turned the motif of the sun, moon, and stars was repeated; Worked into every conceivable surface and decoration. Looking on from a distance, Fyrenn could see myriads of Ponies engaged in the day to day tasks of running a city. He was immediately struck by the contrast to Neighvada. The Ponies here were largely comprised of landed gentry, intellectuals, upper crust business ponies, and the industries that provided for their daily wants; Clothing stores, high class dining, and the like. Neighvada had been a city of blue-collar workers, Canterlot was a city of white-collars, leaders, and thinkers. Even the terrain evoked a different feel. Unlike the mountains of the Gryphon homelands, these peaks were curved, in seemingly impossible ways. The stone was more blue, and purple tinged, and snow seemed to occur at lower altitudes than it should have, likely a product of artificial Pegasus-driven weather patterns. As they approached the spires of the city, Fyrenn noted the reactions of the other members in the group. Kephic and Varan seemed largely unfazed. While they showed a similar interest to Fyrenn's, the idea of going into a nearly-all-Pony environment didn't seem to especially perturb them either. Carradan was by far the most bedazzled of the group, likely due to no small measure of newfound species pride. IJ and Neyla however both seemed nervous. Fyrenn suspected Neyla's sense of worry stemmed from her heightened distrust of others. IJ's reactions, however, were something of a mystery. Over the past several days and night of travel, she had become increasingly withdrawn, and prickly; Snapping at even the smallest perceived offenses. Fyrenn finally decided that her reactions likely stemmed from the potential career implications she faced because of the accusations they were about to level against three very powerful nobles in Celestia's court. Taking on someone with political clout was an unnerving endeavour the first time around, as Fyrenn knew from his own experiences. The Group aimed for the palace, which was immediately identifiable by the stream of nobility entering and leaving, under the watchful eye of a profusion of Royal Guards. Fyrenn noted, with interest, that there were two other types of Royal Guard; Unicorns and Earth Ponies, both with slightly differing armor than the Pegasi, and dark gray coats accented by off-white manes. Likely a product of liberal dye application. The arrival of four Gryphons, accompanied by another Royal Guard, and a salmon colored Pegasus in unadorned steely gray armor, sparked what could only be described as a commotion. The group made its landing directly at the entrance to the palace, which promptly interrupted the incoming stream of nobility, and service Ponies. Judging by the way all eyes suddenly gravitated to them, Fyrenn guessed that Canterlot did not see many Gryphon visitors, much less Gryphon visitors clad in battle damaged armor, carrying enough weapons to stock an armory, and bearing the wounds to prove that they had done their banner proud. As the fashionably clad Ponies of the landed gentry looked on in shock, murmuring amongst themselves excitedly, IJ marched forward and snapped off a salute to the nearest guard. "My Companions seek an audience with Princess Celestia. We are here on extremely urgent business that concerns the crown." Fyrenn caught a hint of skepticism on the guard's normally implacable face, but upon inspecting the no-nonsense appearance of the resolute looking warriors before him, he appeared to have a swift change of heart. "I will escort you." He took up a position at the head of the group, and marched through the open double doors with practiced grace. A guard to his left sprang into action, barring the entrance politely, but firmly, after the group had passed through. Fyrenn also noted that another Pegasus went on ahead with considerably more alacrity, most likely to announce their arrival. Normally he would feel slightly embarrassed at the fanfare, but in this case the importance of their mission justified it. On top of his slowly mounting exhaustion and hunger, the cumulative effect placed Fyrenn's concerns firmly in the 'shower, sleep, and food' category, leaving no room whatsoever for embarrassment. The interior of the castle was no less extravagant and grand than the exterior. The spaces were high, and well lit, ending in vaulted ceilings. Virtually every surface was marble or gold, with luxuriant rugs to cover parts of the floors. Fyrenn found it all very admirable, but a little too opulent for his taste. The sheer volume of art and wealth on display simply overwhelmed the subtler emotions architecture was capable of evoking. The exception was a series of stained glass windows that the group passed, which appeared to depict events from the history of the Equestrian Nation. Fyrenn had very little time to consider the images, as the group had at last reached the throne room. The entrance consisted of massive arched double doors, which were locked in an open position and flanked by guards in gleaming armor holding position, predictably, in their trademark 'at attention' stance. The space was dominated by a highly placed golden throne, which instantly drew the eye upon entering the room. Fyrenn quickly realized it was unoccupied, and looked to the foot of the mammoth seat's staircase to see that Celestia was waiting for them on their level. "Welcome friends! This is an unexpected, and pleasant interruption!" Her expression and stance backed her words with sincerity. Fyrenn imagined her happiness would quickly give way to concern when the reason for their visit became apparent. IJ bowed formally, with Carradan doing a sincere, but ultimately comedic imitation. Fyrenn watched intently as Kephic, Varan, and Neyla all made a more informal inclination of their heads, which he in turn repeated. The Gryphon mentality of treating no one outside the species as much more than an equal seemed to hold true, even for a being like Celestia. Unlike the Lupines, she took the genuinely polite, albeit unusual treatment in stride. She was used to dealing with Gryphons, and in fact always found it somewhat refreshing to discourse with someone who wasn't incessantly tripping over themselves to pay her homage, respect propriety, or observe protocol. Secretly she felt as if she was being treated more like a living being, and less like some sort of icon, when talking to Gryphons. The fact that she preferred that feeling was something she would never dream of admitting to her subjects for fear of offending or saddening them. She returned the slight bow, and then adopted a more quizzical demeanor, "What brings you here? I was under the impression that Inside Joke would be returning alone... That the rest of you would be too concerned with business elsewhere to visit... Has something changed?" Kephic nodded, "I'm not sure how privy you are to the details of our mission, but I think it would be best if we discussed all this privately." Fyrenn and Varan quickly nodded their agreement, much to Celestia's visible concern. She whispered to one of her guards, her tone so low even the Gryphons couldn't make out the words. Fyrenn reasoned that if you lived in a society where super-hearing was nominal, you learned very quickly to whisper at a lower level. The guard vanished through a side door, and swiftly returned bringing another familiar, and famous, face with him. Fyrenn had never seen the Princess of the Night in person, but he was at least partly prepared for the shock. What he didn't expect was the unusual way in which the presence of a being of Celestia's level of power who he *wasn't* acquainted with automatically seemed to amplify the Sun Princess's aura of power. Her more personal and friendly treatment of him, and his own tendency to treat authority figures less as unapproachable beings, more as equals, had brought her down to a mortal level in his eyes, subconsciously. Luna's presences, likewise, seemed to subconsciously counteract this effect, making the entire atmosphere of the room more formal and regal with her mere appearance. The magnitude of the effect did not last, as Celestia graced her sibling with a warm smile, "Luna, would you be a dear and run the day court for me? Just until noon meal? There are things these friends of ours need to tell me that are not for the public ear." The way she said it made it obvious her sister was first and foremost her *sister,* rather than her position or title. The way she said it also lowered the formality of the situation back to 'bearable' levels for the Gryphons. Luna nodded, her expression remaining serious and firm, "We shall do thee this favor, But we are eager for a retelling of this news ourselves." Her formal mode of speech came as something of a surprise. Fyrenn hadn't heard anything even remotely like it since the single instance in which he had attended a Renaissance Fair. Celestia nodded emphatically, "Of Course. I'm sure you could even convince one of them to regale you with their adventures, if you're too curious to wait until I am free." As swiftly as it had begun, the conversation was over. Celestia personally escorted the group to a private room, where she had food and drink brought to quell appetites. There was no meat, so Fyrenn reasoned it would be left up to the Gryphons to go hunting for themselves somewhere away from the city at a later time. At first glance it appeared callous, but upon further reflection Fyrenn found it unlikely that the high society Equines of Canterlot would adapt to seeing meat consumption quite so easily as Stanley Carradan had. Celestia initially insisted they all received a hot bath, full meal, and treatment for their wounds before delving into more serious matters, but Varan had mercifully talked her out of it. Fyrenn could easily see that his fellow Gryphons were just as eager as he was to have the entire width and breadth of the matter laid out before the Equine monarch. Thus, over apple related delicacies, piping hot bread, and fizzy cider, the group recounted the entirety of their experiences; emphasizing the Wisps, and ending with the names of the known PER collaborators within Celestia's court. On the former matter, she seemed perturbed. On the latter, the Daytime Princess of Equestria looked quite ready to perpetrate acts of violence worthy of a Gryphon. Fyrenn did not envy the three traitors their position. In the slightest. "And you're quite sure this will get where it needs to go? It's extremely significant to me, this isn't some sort of everyday envelope... And given the distances..." The stocky male Pegasus cut Fyrenn off with a wave of his hoof, "We're the Pony Express. They trust us with Royal packages. Your armor, and everyone else's, will probably get to the Kingdoms quicker, and with less jostling, than you could get to the barrier. Don't worry about it! We've never lost a package before, we're not going to start today." Whether he liked it or not, Fyrenn had to admit that his armor needed repair. It was, Kephic had convinced him, better to have it sent back to Tih’ré Seli’hn for maintenance than to carry it in its damaged state, back to Earth, a place where Energy Diffusion was sometimes more desirable than kinetic protection in any case. It was still mildly unnerving to see the pieces packed up and sent away, despite the consolation of retaining his sword, quiver, and bow. It occurred to him he was going to miss having those deployable blades too. He would have dearly liked to see a PER trooper try come up with a defensive reaction to *that* sort of surprise attack. The Pegasus whizzed off down the hall, the box containing Fyrenn's armor in tow via a harness, making it look as though the package weighed no more than a small suitcase. To the Pegasus, Fyrenn reflected, it didn't. The red Gryphon decided he was feeling the beginning pangs of hunger, so he opted, in lieu of any other pressing business, to embark on a short hunting trip. Celestia had been upset beyond describing upon learning of the traitors in her court, but despite the desire for swift resolution that she shared with the group, there was simply nothing to be done that day. All three of the named, soon to be shamed Ponies were at least a day's journey from the capital. Celestia had immediately requested that Luna dispatch her more aggressive, and more combat trained Night Guards to apprehend all three. A request the Lunar Princess seemed all too happy to grant. Until the Guards returned, there was nothing to be done save tend wounds, rest, and roam the city. The group had already had some help with the former. Immediately after the recounting of their story, Celestia had seen to it that they all received rooms, baths, and much needed medical care. Unicorn healing magic would not work on a Gryphon, due to the same defensive mechanism that made other forms of meddling impossible, so the task was accomplished the 'old fashioned way;' with herbs and poultices. Despite the uselessness of magic in their particular case, the Gryphons had been well tended to. Earth Ponies and Pegasi had both learned much of non-magical medicine in the years before the Equestrian nation was founded, knowledge that had been painstakingly retained for situations such as this. Fyrenn's lacerations were already feeling much better, and he was eager to test the limits of his body under its current, still-injured condition. He had never been the sort to recover in bed. Celestia had kindly shown the Gryphons a quiet back exit from the castle to a small aerial takeoff platform, which would allow them to leave and return unseen, thus avoiding bringing consternation to the local Ponies with the gruesome nature of their mealtime activities. Fyrenn found the exit easy to locate, but he had not expected to come upon Neyla, also headed in the same direction. With a loaded Arbalest. Pointed at IJ. He watched, horrified, as Neyla squeezed the trigger, sending a quarrel through IJ's left wing and pinning her firmly to the wall. He dashed forward, "What the HELL are you DOING?!" Neyla calmly reloaded the weapon, and leveled it at IJ's head. Incredibly, the white Pegasus didn't seem to be in any pain, she was merely squirming, as if to work herself free, despite the liberal amount of blood she was dispensing form her wing in the process. Fyrenn also noted, with some curiosity, that the Pegasus Guard was unarmored, which was likely non-regulation on Palace grounds. Neyla placed her weapon, deployed points and all, under IJ's throat, much to Fyrenn's consternation, "What does it look like. I'm killing a Changeling." Celestia was angry, and disappointed, for the second time in a day's span. Fyrenn morbidly wondered if that was some sort of record. He had barely managed to convince Neyla to refrain from shooting IJ through the skull outright. IJ had admitted that the charges were true. It was difficult to do otherwise, once they had seen her take a quarrel through her wing, yet feel no pain. As Neyla summoned guards, IJ had explained, quite casually, that Changelings could simply shift away the nerve endings responsible for physical pain, making them effectively immune to it. When he mentioned the blood pouring from her wing, she promptly shifted back to her natural state, delivering quite a shock to Fyrenn. He had never seen a Changeling in its base form, not even an image or artist's conception. The only word he could think of to describe IJ was 'insectoid.' It was jarring to hear her voice coming from the body of black chitin and green accents. Fyrenn found her treatment of the situation peculiar. She put up no struggle, offered no complaint, and didn't even seem particularly angry at having been caught, and shot. She explained that Neyla had found her leaving by the back exit, and put the pieces together when IJ attempted to flee. For her part, when she returned, Neyla admitted that much of her evidence had been circumstantial until she had actually seen IJ attempting to escape. She had been content to ignore most of the warning signs after the ex-pegasus had come up with the strategy that saved their lives. Now IJ seemed almost remorseful. Neyla, on the other claw, was furious. Fyrenn understood; She had been burned once, and now she was being forced to relive highly unpleasant memories. He suspected that the *only* reason IJ was not a pile of chitin-dust was due to the fact that she *had* indeed saved their lives, and she had come quietly once incarcerated. Now the entire group once again stood before Celestia in a private ante-chamber. Fyrenn wondered exactly what sort of punishment the incredibly powerful Sovereign would mete out. Oddly, despite the sense of betrayal the situation presented, he found himself hoping for leniency. IJ had, after all, saved their lives when it would have been far simpler, and cleaner, to let the Wisps bury them, and any evidence of her treachery, in the far North wastes. Celestia shook her head, "I'm disturbed, to say the least. Your kind was strictly warned to never again cross our borders in disguise, with the intent to deceive us. How did you bypass the wards on the Castle?" IJ sighed, "Your defenses have several significant flaws. You don't understand enough of our biology to yet block every means of ingress." The Sun Princess towered over the Changeling, her voice carrying more steel than Fyrenn had ever imagined possible, "You do understand that you will not leave this Castle, ever again, until you explain to me precisely how to rectify these flaws?" "Well I didn't expect the royal suite, if that's what you mean." The words weren't voiced as a sarcastic jab, but came more as an admission of defeat, laden with depression and regret. Fyrenn was about to voice his thoughts, when Varan beat him to it, addressing his words to IJ, "So you have been in this royal guard position a long time?" She nodded. "And you received orders to acquire the assignment to work with us in order to gain access to a sample of our life code?" Again, IJ nodded. A magical aura flared around her, causing Celestia to tense, and within the space of a half second, a fully grown female Gryphon, purest white, with cobalt crest, tail, and wingtips, stood before them. She swiftly drew one of her own newly minted talons along the other claw, causing a stream of red blood, tinged with gold, to appear, "Nearly full transformation. I can't completely become one of you, or I would become stuck because of your immunity to magic. I lack some of your potential stamina, speed, and strength because of that. But this is far better suited to deception than a mere visual disguise, and it is no small opponent in battle." She once again dropped her magical form, returning to the slightly repulsive, and somewhat unnerving insectoid form. All the same, Fyrenn found it less unnerving than imagining her as one of his own kind. That just didn't sit well with him at all. Kephic shot a glance at Celestia, "She is carrying what amounts to something that belongs to us. We have to ask that you either remand her to our custody, or strip her of our lifecode, if your magic is capable of such a feat." Celestia nodded, "It is. And I shall. Before I pronounce judgement on you, little Changeling, I would hear the opinions of your companions on the severity to which that punishment should be taken." Neyla hissed, "Kill her." Fyrenn stepped between her and IJ, "Now hang on just a moment! She saved our lives, on some level we *owe* her." He shifted his gaze to IJ, "Would it not have been easier to just leave us to the Wisps? You couldn't escape earlier, you were always surrounded by one or more awake Gryphons... But during the battle, you could have easily cut and run. Why didn't you?" She flicked her insectoid wings, thoughtfully, "Because, as revolting as I initially found you to be, after being forced to spend a great deal of time with you all, I discovered that neither Gryphons," She looked at Fyrenn, Neyla, Varan, and Kephic in turn, "Nor Ponies," She looked to Carradan, "Are anything like the tales the hive tells." She shook her head, as if in wonderment, "We are told, from spawn, with a thousand whispering voices and images, that you are monsters." Varan snorted, "But it is hard to sustain illusions about people when you share battle with them. Is it not?" IJ nodded, "I'm not sure I'd call you my friends... I don't have friends. But you're... Better to me than my hive-mates..." She shot a glance at Neyla, "...Mostly." Fyrenn turned to face the co-monarch of Equestria, "Is there some other way you can punish her? She has essentially betrayed her own kind, and hive, to keep our lives out of danger. She didn't resist incarceration, and she is being co-operative." He glanced to Kephic and Varan for support. Kephic nodded, Varan sighed, "I am not entirely sure I should be advocating leniency, but she has acted in a fashion so as to earn it." Neyla shook her head violently, "I can begrudgingly agree, it would be wrong to execute her after she saved us, but I'd consider our debt repaid if she was imprisoned. For the rest of her life, however long that may be." Celestia strode to the window, and stared out at the sun, which was quickly approaching the latter phase of its daily cycle. She would have to fulfill her most important royal duty soon. After a long moment, which even the Gryphons were loathe to interrupt, she spoke slowly. "I am faced with a perplexing problem. I believe, firmly, in mercy. Many of your companions have vouched for you, Inside Joke, and that stands in your favor. On the other hoof, Neyla is right. You have committed acts of espionage, treason, and treachery. You represent a threat to my kingdom, and the kingdom of an ally." The Princess sighed deeply, and turned to face the group again, "I have a solution. It has its risks, and its restrictions. You may find it a far worse thing than prison at first." Celestia straightened, and flared her wings, "My mind is made up." Her horn flared to life, creating a perceptible aura of energy that Fyrenn could feel rushing and crackling around him, yet not actually touching him. "Inside Joke, I have determined your fate," The aura of Celestia's horn fully engulfed the terrified Changeling, whose face bore an expression of such horror that Fyrenn truly did feel sorry for her. "I take from you the lifecodes of all the species you have acquired, save one," there was a visible discharge, and IJ winced, crying out in pain, "I place you in this form," As Fyrenn watched in morbid fascination, IJ's body began to change, without her intervention, resuming the familiar white curves and blue mane of her Pegasus shape. Celestia's horn reached the peak of its brightness, and she spoke a final time, with words that bore the gravity of the world, "...Finally, I take from you your power to change form." The room was split by a crack of thunder, and a visible white shock wave that rattled the glass in the windows, as the magic dissipated. Fyrenn's crest feathers, the tufts of his ears, and the hackles at the back of his neck were standing on end, as if he had touched a Tesla coil. IJ slumped to the floor, once again a Pegasus. Permanently. Fyrenn stared. For the first time, he was truly deeply grateful for his species' immunity to magical alteration. Though Celestia's solution had a certain elegance to it, he found himself inwardly horrified. It was true, IJ had brought this on herself, and gotten off easy, but the idea of being forced to become something else was as terrifying as the day the PER had begun doing it. Fyrenn wondered how hard it was for Celestia to walk the thin bright line separating moral use of her powers, from abuse. The Princess looked down upon IJ with a critical eye as she stood, wobbling, on her legs, "You will be taken to Cloudsdale, and placed in the advanced flight school there under close probationary supervision. Any appreciable infraction, or attempt to leave before your probation is finished, will result in you being delivered to the dungeons here. For life." Celestia's expression softened slightly, "If... After three years' time, you can prove to me that you have learned lessons of friendship, trust, loyalty, and love, then I will restore your power to shapeshift, and you will be free to go on condition that you leave the nation of Equestria, and never return in any form but your own. If, at the end of this period, you wish to remain a Pegasus, then you will be granted citizenship." The gestures were gracious, and IJ nodded meekly in acceptance, "Thank you. I have to admit... I wasn't expecting... Well... this. Any of it. To even be allowed to live." Celestia allowed a very small smile to grace her lips, "I'm not in the habit of rewarding valorous action with unnecessary punishment. I do hope you will understand that you can't keep your armor." IJ nodded again, "If nothing else, I suppose a prison of the body is better than a prison of stone." Fyrenn wasn't entirely sure he agreed.