My mind was racing, trying to think of a plan of action when Starlight returned with Twilight and Thorax. The alicorn’s gaze immediately shifted to Penumbra’s petrified form, her eyes widened, and she gasped. Her horn lit up as she moved closer to examine the injuries.
“You gotta help her, Twi! Penny saved me from being petrified but I couldn’t stop her wings from getting broken off. I failed her!”
Twilight’s gaze shifted to me and she frowned. “What do you mean?”
“After the assassin’s attempt to turn me to stone was intercepted by Penny, the changeling threw one of the Storm King’s grenades at me. I confined it in a shield and tried to hurl it out the window, but when it exploded, I couldn’t contain it. The feedback shut down my unicorn magic. I couldn’t do a thing about the rubble that fell onto Penny and broke her wings.”
“What rubble? I assumed Penumbra must have fallen when she was encased in stone. Wait – the restoration enchantment was activated?”
I nodded then paused. “What do you mean by encased in stone? I thought she was petrified like you were.”
Twilight looked back at Penny. “This is different; otherwise the stumps of her wings wouldn’t be bleeding. However, as it’s a very slow leak, I believe that the rest of Penumbra’s body is virtually in stasis. We have some time to work with.”
“Then we can depetrify her and use your special healing gel on her wings?” I asked hopefully.
Twilight shook her head. “It’s not that simple, Mark. I haven’t worked all the bugs out of it as yet. You saw what happened when I used it on you, and that’s not even close to the worst problem. Growth is sometimes disproportionate and the final result might not even work properly. Ponies with limb loss were among the first volunteers to sign up for experimental trials with the gel. For two of the twelve pegasi who regrew small sections of their wing, the new areas were opaque to magic and the patient could not fly. I’m still researching why that happens. Also, while regenerating, the wing isn’t strong enough to withstand gravity. I don’t know how to support the growing structure yet.” She looked down at the one intact wing on the floor. “Maybe if I made a mold then created a mirror image… but how would I hold it in place?”
“That’s still better than not doing anything at all!” I protested. “Even if she can’t fly, at least she’ll have wings again.”
Thorax spoke up. “There’s one thing that hasn’t been tried yet.”
We both looked at the changeling king with a mixture of surprise and hope.
“Spit it out, Thorax!”
“Well, Twilight’s experiments were purely with variations of the new healing gel. What they all had in common is that they acted very fast, just like with Mark’s wounds. I suggest that we put her in a changeling healing pod and introduce a little of the gel at a time. The fluid in the pod will dilute the gel’s effects–”
“Thus controlling the growth rate!” interjected Twilight, hope shining in her eyes. “Plus it eliminates the problem of gravity distorting the wings. I can set up a spell to regulate the speed of the flow of the gel directly to the area that is regrowing. The more restrained growth could allow the mana paths to form properly and prevent the opacity problem. Thorax, love – you’re a genius!”
The changeling blushed. “Not really. I talked it over with our healer Flagellum and she also suggested using our largest pod.”
I thought to myself, ‘Sometimes the smartest thing to do is to ask the right pony, or 'ling in this case.’ I turned back to Twilight. “How soon can we do this? We don’t know what will happen to the exposed open wound if it’s left like that too long.”
The alicorn replied, “I have some pods back at my lab for experimental purposes, including one that is oversized. We can have Penumbra in it very soon. Thorax, tell Flagellum that the Hive Mother requires her services. Starlight, could you take my husband to the hive, please? Then bring him and the healer to my castle.”
Starlight nodded and said, “On it!” She teleported away with Thorax.
“I want to go with you, Twilight,” I said.
“Sorry, Mark, but you’d just be in the way,” she replied, and a moment later, both she and Penny were gone.
I looked forlornly at the broken wings that had been left on the floor. I was still gazing at them, cursing my inability to protect my friend when my wife arrived.
“Trixie has been told what happened. Are you alright, Dowser?”
I slowly shook my still-aching head. “No, I’m not, Lulu. One of my best friends just got maimed because I was too useless to prevent it. Twilight thinks we may be able to regrow Penny’s wings but that doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Why do you blame yourself, darling? You aren’t responsible for the assassin’s actions.”
“Because I should have been able to contain that blast that knocked out my levitation ability.”
“Pardon me, sire, but no, you couldn’t,” came another voice.
I turned to face the Royal Guard. “What do you mean, Sterling?” I asked.
He held up a shard of something. “This is shrapnel from the grenade. It’s nullstone. That weapon was fabricated to look like a standard grenade but was specifically designed to incapacitate unicorns by breaking their shields. If you had let it drop onto your personal shield, the grenade would have broken it, most likely causing you and all around you serious wounds in the process. Redirecting it was your best option but I suspect it was intended to detonate upon encountering any unicorn magic.”
I frowned. “I see. That assassin wasn’t worried about casualties among innocent bystanders attending court, was she? With that nullstone flying around, not even the armored guards would have been safe.”
“Correct, sir.”
“Then nopony is safe around me. I’m going to go to Twilight’s castle. If I can’t be here on royal duty, at least I can give Penumbra my support.” I started heading out but Trixie stopped me.
“You’re not going anywhere until you have your personal bodyguard, Trademark Upsells!” Trixie said imperiously.
I choked back a retort before turning back to Sterling. “Have Crimson Boulder report to me at once!”
Sterling saluted and galloped out of the throne room.
I stewed in my anger and frustration for several minutes while I waited for my earth pony friend to turn up. Trixie tried to calm me down by putting her foreleg around my neck and nuzzling me. It did work a bit. When Crimson arrived at the same precipitous rate at which the Royal Guard left, his grim expression told me that he’d been informed about what had happened.
I said, “Lieutenant Crimson Boulder, you are hereby promoted back to being my personal bodyguard. We’re going to Princess Twilight’s castle. Choose your team.”
He nodded and immediately began selecting several of the Royal Guards who regularly worked with Penny. As soon as he was ready, we started for the daggerscale portal room. Minutes later, we exited from its counterpart in the Ponyville castle and I headed directly for Twilight’s laboratory.
“Coordinate with Twilight’s guards,” I said. “While I don’t expect the assassin to try again today or here in this castle, I don’t intend to take any chances.”
When we reached the lab, we found Twilight and an evolved changeling in the act of preparing a healing pod. Penny’s stony form was lying on a nearby bench out of harm’s way. Starlight was bent over it, her eyes closed and horn glowing. Thorax was standing to one side and watching the procedures but he came over to me as soon as he saw us arrive.
“We’re almost ready,” Thorax said. “Flagellum has optimized the healing pod and Twilight is crafting the spell needed to feed in the regenerative gel. However, due to being unique and unprecedented, it’s taking her a lot of time to craft it.”
“What’s Starlight doing?”
“She’s deconstructing the petrifying spell. She reckons that its similarity to the one used on Twilight should make it fairly straightforward.”
“Yeah, for a magical expert like her, I suppose. I see that the stumps don’t seem to be weeping fluids anymore. Is the delay going to affect those open wounds?” I asked with a worried frown.
“I’m no authority on these matters, Mark, but I know that when Twilight was performing trials with the regenerative gel on the amputees, she had to cut the stumps to present unscarred tissue to begin the process.”
I winced. I knew that the damage was already done but deliberately cutting off a bit more of the remaining wing still seemed horrible.
“I’m ready,” declared Starlight.
“Just a minute more,” Twilight said. “I have the spell in place but I’m triple-checking it before I commit.”
Even if every second seemed like an eternity to me, I preferred that the alicorn was sure that she had gotten it correct. There were so many ways this could go wrong and leave Penny crippled.
Eventually, Twilight stepped back from the pod and moved over to my stricken bodyguard. “Okay, now for the final step. At least, Penumbra won’t be caused any extra pain when I do this.” Her horn flashed twice and a slice fell off each wing stump, replacing the ragged breaks with clean cuts. Fluid started oozing out once more from both.
Twilight nodded at Starlight who gritted her teeth in concentration. The glow of her magic surrounded Penny’s form and the stony shell shattered, falling in a rain around the batpony.
Penumbra arched her back and screamed in agony. I winced in sympathetic pain. Twilight quickly cast another spell and my friend slumped into unconsciousness. The alicorn then levitated Penny’s limp body over to the healing pod and lowered her into the liquid. Barely any spilled over as the batpony was immersed and Flagellum closed the pod. There was a bladder attached and it pulsed with magic. I saw two silvery lines extend to the wing stumps and start discharging the contents of the bladder. It mixed with the pod fluid, diluting it as had been suggested back at Canterlot.
Twilight turned away, nodding in satisfaction. “The process has begun. Now it’s just a matter of time before we find out if we got everything right.”
“How long, Twi?”
“We erred on the safe side, so instead of just a few minutes like was done with your healing process, Penumbra’s should take a minimum of six hours. The pod will supply Penumbra with all her needs indefinitely, so there’s no point in rushing the regeneration process.”
“You know I’m going to be a nervous wreck by then?”
Twilight gave me a sympathetic smile. “You can visit her as often as you like to see her progress. Don’t worry, Mark – she means a lot to all of us and we’ll take the very best care of her.”
“Thanks, Sparkles.” I looked around at the others. “Thanks, all of you. Without you, Penny would never be whole again.” My expression hardened. “But now that tending to Penny is out of the way, it’s time to deal with the cause of the problem. Up until now, we were satisfied with setting a trap which the assassin avoided. Today showed us that that’s not enough. We need to go actively eliminate that threat.”
Twilight frowned. “Does that mean killing the assassin?”
“If necessary,” I confirmed.
The alicorn shook her head. “No. That’s absolutely the last resort. We haven’t heard back from Tempest yet. Killing Apicula might spell the end of every changeling in her hive.”
I glared at her. “What if the target had been Thorax instead?” I grimaced in satisfaction as she winced and looked a little guilty.
“Be that as it may,” Twilight riposted, “we still do not know for certain if she is doing this on her own initiative. In fact, why in Tartarus would she willingly follow the orders of the subordinate of the yeti who killed her mother?”
I exhaled slowly and let go of my anger. “You're probably right. The one responsible for Penumbra’s injuries was the Overseer who is now dead, along with those who fought with him. There's no one left to take revenge on, is there?”
Twilight let me reflect on that without comment.
After a bit, I said, “OK. We'll continue to try to capture and kill only if we have to. Now, it’s time we figured out how the assassin got past our defenses.”
Neither Trixie nor I were happy when Sterling brought the report to us in our suite.
“Are you sure Apicula hid in Trixie’s ceiling fountain?” my wife asked forlornly.
The changeling Royal Guard nodded. “The battle forensic team positively identified that as her place of concealment. The ambient chaos magic that makes the gravity-defying water feature possible also interfered with the magical scans used to detect intruders. Apicula avoided visual identification by taking the place of one of the stone fishes at the bottom of the pool. We estimate that she had to have been in place for at least three days.” He shook his head in amazement. “That level of mimicry and endurance is well beyond anything any red changeling can achieve, and my fellow guardlings tell me the same can be said for the crystal changelings.”
I frowned. Chrysalis had not been exaggerating about the skills of this princess. “How is Baron Top Drawer?”
Sterling replied, “We found a dart loaded with the nerve poison embedded in his rump; it had been obscured by his tail. That’s another thing. The skill needed to hit him from the height of the fountain, passing through two different gravity fields. I don’t think the Equestrian military has anypony comparable. Anyway, he was obviously meant to be a diversion while the assassin pursued her real target. Fortunately for the Baron, the prompt application of the antidote saved his life. He is expected to make a full recovery.”
“Good. At least nopony had to die in this attempt. However, Apicula has already outwitted us once despite the heightened security. She’s been calling the shots from the start and it’s time we changed that. We need to adopt a plan to catch her before she can figure out another way past our defenses.”
Crimson Boulder said, “Apicula could only bring so many tools with her and she’s already been forced to repeat using one of them, to wit – the nerve poison. Her next attempt is now more likely to be based on straight deception and substitution.”
I thought about that for a moment, remembering back to the round table meeting from five days earlier. I smiled slightly. “Then let’s give her that opportunity.”
The shocked looks of the others made me chuckle, then I turned serious. I muttered, “Although, I don’t think I’m going to like it.”
From my suite, I received hourly reports on Penumbra’s recovery. Her wings were growing slowly but steadily, with no visible abnormalities. This filled me with much relief as it meant that my friend would at least have her wings back. Now, all we had to do was hope that they formed correctly and worked properly. Through Sterling Shield, I heard that Twilight fussed over her patient constantly, optimizing the flow of the regenerative gel and adjusting its distribution as the surface area of the new limbs grew.
Trixie had to assume the majority of the royal duties because it was deemed too risky for me to appear in public for the time being. Twilight helped out as much as possible, but both mares still needed to devote time to their foals. At least, with more time on my hooves, I was able to spend much of it with Gemini. Twilight and Trixie pared down the court sessions to the most essential and urgent matters, but that still left me plenty to do paperwork-wise. Therefore, I spent every day of the next week and a half in the office portion of the Royal Suite with Crimson Boulder by the door, my foal’s cot by my side, and their changeling nanny quietly watching over Gemini and attending to their needs. It was a good thing that I had a big workspace!
One of the things that I noticed due to spending a lot more time with my child was that Gemini tended to be in their filly form when sleeping and switched to colt form when they wanted something. I wondered if they were developing two distinct personalities or just showing each side of the one. Only time would answer that question but I hoped that we would figure it out soon enough to deal with our unusual foal’s psychological needs.
I sighed. Doing paperwork was boring enough, but being confined to my suite for the sake of security meant there was no break from the current scenery. At least I got a new Marklestia-sized desk out of this ordeal. For my protection, the pieces were nailed together in my room to ensure they were exactly what they appeared to be.
I yawned and stretched my forelegs and wings. This earned me a disapproving glare from Penumbra as if any unnecessary movement was a precursor for a desperate escape attempt via the balcony. As if that would work. The sliding doors had been replaced by a brick wall, making it impassable to anypony or even any insect. A shifting array of anti-teleport shields removed the chance for magical entry from that or any other direction. Both Discord and Twilight gave them their seal of approval. I reflected on my extended incarceration.
Sparring practice? Canceled.
Flight lessons? Read books on aerodynamics and weather control instead.
A quick trip down to the Royal Kitchens for food? The oats and dried vegetables stored in our emptied-out closet would last for two months. Get used to them.
Preside over another session of Day Court? That got a round of laughter out of Penumbra, and not the friendly kind. I felt far too guilty to bring up the subject again. Maybe in another week or so.
At least Trixie and Gemini got to escape this gilded prison. My wife took over my old rooms and came back daily with more happy stories of how she was changing it for the better. Steady's expression behind her back perfectly expressed what I was feeling on the inside at the “marvelous news.” I was fairly certain my wife was taking advantage of this unique opportunity to prank me. Whispered conversations between her and Starlight with occasional glances my way only strengthened my conviction.
The knock at the door almost made me cry with relief. “Come in!”
After giving me a glare for breaking protocol, Penumbra moved halfway between my desk and the double doors. A green glow enveloped them and they swung inwards, revealing a shivering earth pony mare surrounded by four frowning guardsponies. I recognized Lieutenants Crimson Boulder and Crumb Catcher, a very short unicorn stallion. The pegasus mare, Sergeant Storm Flag, stood closest to the entrance to my suite. Next to her, Corporal Soup Sandwich was inspecting a set of folded sheets with both his horn and hooves. The maid sported a dull gray coat with an even duller brown mane and tail. She wrung her hooves piteously while trying to stammer out her reason for being here. “I'm... Your Highness... I...”
“Gilded Tapestry! I'm so glad to see you. Thank you for taking up your station again. I know your encounter with the infiltrator was quite terrifying.”
Corporal Sandwich finished his examination of the bedsheets and levitated them a few feet into the room. He stepped back and gave Gilded a nod. The mare hadn't taken a step forward before Penumbra stopped her with an upraised hoof. “Mother's name?”
“S-Satin Sheets.”
“Name one of the ponies at your cute-ceañera.”
That made her eyes go wide. “Oh, umm... Jawbreaker. He was my coltfriend… umm… but not now.”
Penumbra walked back to my side. Only after my bodyguard nodded did the guards in the hallway encourage Gilded Tapestry to walk the rest of the way into the room. The same green glow from guardspony Crumb Catcher closed the doors to my chamber.
The maid wrung her hooves a couple more times before moving to my bed and efficiently stripping off the sheets.
I smirked and glanced at my bodyguard. “You know, Penny, I'm sure you could do that job... and you'd even rock the new uniform.”
Penny's ear twitched as if a persistent fly had tried to make it their home. “Please keep your personal fantasies to yourself, Your Highness.”
I chuckled and turned back to my paperwork.
After a couple of minutes, I heard Gilded Tapestry cough a couple of times. Looking up, I saw her bring a hoof up to her mouth while the other held a pillowcase.
“Amateurish,” said my bodyguard as she stepped forward. Green flames enveloped her form, revealing the former Crystal Hive Queen. Immediately, I raised my personal shield.
The earth pony mare squeaked in terror and dropped the pillowcase, retreating until her rump hit the back wall. “Ch… Ch… Change—”
Chrysalis snarled. “I am no mere changeling! My name is Chrysalis, Queen of Changelings! If you are going to impersonate a pony, have the decency not to cast insults that would cost you your life!”
Chrysalis’ horn glowed a sickly green as she advanced on the maid. “I expected better from the daughter of Queen Dactylia. It’s bad enough for you to work for the murderers of your hive, but retrieving a vial of poison from your mouth with a cough? That’s just sloppy – unforgivably so.” The changeling queen towered over the maid, who was now huddled on the floor. “Your mother praised your efficiency and perseverance, though I can hardly see why.”
I said, “How sure are you, Chrysalis?”
She tilted her head. “The mix of emotions is most convincing, but I suspect she will not want to reveal what is in her hooves.”
Gilded Tapestry shot a pleading look my way as her whole body trembled. I nodded. “Show us, please.”
Shakily, she revealed the frogs of her empty hooves.
I saw Chrysalis’ ears twitch in annoyance, then she scanned both the hooves and the pillowcase with a beam from her horn. With a final snarl that caused the earth pony to shrink down even further, the changeling queen stalked back to my side and sat down. “Disappointing.”
I clasped my forehooves together and lowered my shield. “Please forgive us, Gilded. We’ve been running this test for over a week now. Everyone from new guards to each maid to Lady Stylish Soiree.”
“Who?” Chrysalis inclined her head fractionally towards me.
I glared. “Baron Top Drawer’s wife.”
The changeling queen nodded. “Ah, yes. Such a marvelous conversationalist. Adept at speaking the least number of words necessary and no more.”
I ground my teeth. “She screamed at the top of her lungs and then fainted.”
Chrysalis smiled. “Yes. Like I said. Exactly the right number of words for a pony meeting their betters.”
I turned back to the maid with a sigh. “Again, I apologize for the bit of theatre and for the distress we caused you. Please keep this incident secret until we find the intruder, Miss Gilded.”
With a couple of fearful glances at my companion, the earth pony mare shakily got to her hooves. “As… as you wish, Your Highness.” She took a couple of deep breaths and continued her work.
When she finished, she bowed deeply. I could still see her legs shivering. “Is… is there anything else you need, Your Highness?”
I steepled my hooves on the desk. “Actually, there is one thing. Kind of puzzling, really.”
The maid looked directly into my eyes.
I raised my shield again before I continued. “Sergeant Sterling Shield visited you at home six days ago and told the real you about the new security arrangements. But you didn’t know that, did you?”
There was a brief pause and then everything happened very quickly. Gilded Tapestry jumped to the side, bringing a forehoof to her mouth as blue-green flames enveloped her. When they dissipated, Chrysalis and I faced a gray changeling with a violet mane and tail that shifted to yellow at the ends. A few sections of her hair were wrapped in green bindings of some sort and she wore leg coverings of greenish-gray metal. Her carapace was yellow on her stomach with bands of green along her sides and back. Her foreleg was a blur as she threw something towards me… which stopped in mid-air along with the changeling herself. A white bubble encased her motionless form and what was a dart of some sort. As I watched, the bubble shrunk, leaving the dart to fall towards the floor. Chrysalis’ magic caught it and levitated the dart to the nightstand next to my bed.
From behind me, I heard a crunching noise. Turning, I saw Star Swirl step out from my closet, shadows seeming to fall off his body as he moved forward. His horn glowed softly and a pile of oats rested on his hoof. He grinned. “I must have gained a couple of pounds this week. Can either of you appreciate how enticing those oats smell after sitting next to them all day?”
Green flames enveloped Chrysalis, leaving Thorax standing next to me. He took in a deep breath then stuck his tongue out. “Bleh! Taking the form of my mother always leaves a terrible taste in my mouth! Give me some of those oats, please.”
Star Swirl levitated half of his pile into the changeling king’s mouth. After Thorax was done munching on his snack, I said, “Your impression of Queen Chrysalis was far better than that of my bodyguard. ‘Keep your personal fantasies to yourself’? What kind of comeback is that?”
Thorax shrugged his shoulders and waved at the bearded wizard. Obligingly, more oats levitated to the changeling’s outstretched hoof. “Thanks to seeing Chrysalis’ reactions to you and her two visitors last week, I had a good read on who she is now. Definitely not the same as when she led the hive.”
I snorted in amusement. “I’m just glad you didn’t have to say anything then.”
Thorax grinned. “Sorry, Mark. Insults from Chrysalis are like a bludgeon and easy to mimic. Those from Penumbra are like a surgeon’s scalpel. I just can’t wrap my brain around how to think that way.”
Star Swirl walked past me and up to our prisoner. “So, here is the result of the time I sacrificed. All because there is no way to force a changeling to take their natural form. Isn’t that so, King Thorax?”
“That’s right. Sometimes we will revert when unconscious or dead, but not often.”
I ruminated on how lucky I had been when the disguise of Trixie’s doppelganger had failed after I had bucked her senseless.
The wizard tilted his head. “Let’s see exactly what we have here. Princess Apicula of the Southern Wastes Hive, wasn’t it?”
Thorax walked next to him and pointed. “No, she’s a queen now. Changeling royalty does not grow a crown until they lead their hive. Those wires on her head are not natural though… are they… going into her skull?”
The wizard narrowed his eyes at the unblinking changeling queen. “Mmmm… yes. I suspect they control her actions by implanting orders directly into her brain. Very nasty. No doubt including instructions to kill herself rather than be captured.”
I said, “Fortunately, time has stopped for her so that won’t happen, correct?”
Star Swirl turned to me and put on a condescending smile. “Actually, slowed down to the point where a single eye-blink takes her a decade. But if it’s easier to think of it as time stopping entirely, that’s fine.” He missed my eye roll as he turned back to face the captive changeling. “My plan to capture your would-be assassin worked perfectly, even if it took more than a week.”
I shared a glance with Thorax then said, “From what I remember of the meeting everypony attended, it was Stygian’s idea.”
Star Swirl waved a hoof. “Yes, yes. But it was my support and refinement of the plan that convinced everypony to adapt it, as I’m sure you agree.”
I wasn’t sure at all but decided not to argue the point.
The mage said, “Now Twilight, Thorax, and I will see about getting that bit of nastiness removed without causing any traps to go off or brain damage.” He smiled at me. “Shouldn’t be a challenge seeing as we have all the time in the world!” With a flash, I was alone in my chambers.
I walked to the door and rapped on it twice, then twice again. The doors opened, revealing Crimson Boulder.
I said, “Code Green.”
He looked into the empty room behind me then snorted. “Finally. I’ll have somepony sent to Gilded Tapestry’s house. With Hexbreaker also being found unharmed, I have high hopes that your servant’s bravery did not cost the mare her life.”
Behind Crimson, Storm Flag poked Soup Sandwich with a hoof. “If you wouldn’t mind? As in now?”
The unicorn regained his balance, turned to the pegasus mare, and his horn glowed. Her form shimmered, leaving a widely grinning thestral mare in her place.
I had sighed hugely in relief when I had heard that Penumbra emerged from the healing pod with a beautiful set of flawless wings that responded as well as ever to flight magic. However, they had ended up about twenty percent bigger than her previous pair. Twilight had not allowed Penumbra to return to duty until extensive testing showed no or only minimal adverse effects. As it turned out, the batpony had proved to be in perfect condition.
“Ahhhh!” Penumbra stretched her wings outwards, causing a couple of guards to duck out of the way. “Sooooo much better!”
I said in my most deadpan voice. “Please don’t knock holes in the walls with those things, Sergeant Penumbra. The castle is only so wide, you know.”
She returned a grin. “Yes. You should fear my larger and more powerful form now. Don’t believe everypony that says you can’t be trained.” I heard several choked-back laughs from my guards.
Oh, well. I should have known better, but I still had to try. Speaking of trying, time to change the subject. I asked Crimson, “When did you hear about Hexbreaker?”
He inclined his head down the hallway where Tempest Shadow was standing. She bowed her head respectfully.
When she raised it, she said, “My Liege, I take it the assassin has been killed or captured?”
“Captured,” I said, waving for her to follow me into my room.
Crimson Boulder and Penny entered before the unicorn mare. She dropped to one knee in a formal bow.
The rituals of subservience were something I could do without, but if it made the Commander of our Foreign Forces more comfortable, I could put up with it. “Report, General.”
She stood up and brought herself to attention. “It took a week to locate the changeling hive. I found a civilian contractor who had helped build the command center placed just outside the single hive entrance. From her, I learned the layout of the base and where the base commander would be located. The specialists the Triarchy loaned to me were essential. Colonel Dusky Wings flew me into the command compound undetected. I walked up behind the Abyssinian commander, telling him ‘The package has been delivered.’ He asked for clarification but I refused, saying he was either in the need to know or was not. I then demanded an inspection of the hive.”
I smiled. “So he interpreted that as meaning you successfully brought the assassin to Equestria.”
She shrugged. “Or he was confused enough to allow me to perform the tour while he decided what to do. Regardless, after the inspection, I asked to speak to all of the staff that could be freed from their duties. I praised their work for the Empire under trying circumstances and promised them a full month’s bonus payable as soon as they were relieved in twenty-four hours. That earned me a round of cheers from all but the commander. I believe he realized then that his mind had been made up for him, regardless his personal convictions. Loyal troops now occupy the hive and I have allowed the drone workers to begin repairing the damage made during the Storm King’s attack. I believe that made them even happier than the departing soldiers. Oh, and to answer your earlier question, three princesses live in the hive but none have had their molt to adult form.”
I held out a hoof which Tempest Shadow looked at for a moment before clopping with hers. “Fantastic work, Tempest. I speak for all the Triarchs when I say how proud we are. Is there anything we can do for you in return?”
Her smile remained unchanged but her eyes narrowed slightly. A single spark rose from her horn.
“Ah,” I said. “I got the latest report yesterday from Twilight and Thorax. They have made significant progress with the regeneration gel, as demonstrated by my personal guard, but there have been instances where the new growth is opaque to magic or deformed in some way.”
“I’d like to point out that ‘even more awesome’ does not count as ‘deformed’,” said Penumbra, flapping her wings once for emphasis.
I continued. “Awesome or not, Twilight hasn’t figured out why these anomalies happen. Also, all scar tissue needs to be removed before the process starts, so there is a finite number of times the treatment can be retried. In some cases, it can only be attempted once. She’s made progress with regrowing wings and legs, but she’s being much more cautious with horns because of the far greater density of magic that will need to flow through it. Considering how little is left of your horn, you’ll probably only get one shot at fixing it.”
The unicorn mare let out a small sigh. “So… progress, but still foolhardy to try now?”
I nodded. That summed it up nicely.
Tempest smiled. “Very well. I have waited this long. I can wait a bit longer.” Her eyes widened. “Ah! I almost forgot. The Storm King ordered a new, large chamber be constructed in the hive. It is filled with pods containing many of the former leaders of the cities and countries he had conquered. It seems the Storm King found a use for them after all.”
I was genuinely surprised. “Really? That will make returning them to independence much easier.”
The mare smiled. “My thoughts exactly. I would like to discuss with King Thorax how to do this in a manner that does not deprive the hive of its food source. All love gatherers had been placed in stasis pods by order of their captors. I cannot say whether the new queen cooperated with the Storm King out of her own free will.”
I tapped my head with a hoof. “That I can answer. She had a network of wires implanted into her skull.”
Tempest winced. “I see. An abomination doubtless created by the Overseer. Anyway, that is my full report. What are your new orders, My Liege?”
I smiled. “Take a break, General. You’ve earned it. Plan to meet with your Triarchs tomorrow after the morning session of Day Court. In the meantime, I know Trixie insisted on taking you to the Ponyville Spa as soon as you returned.”
For the first time, the unicorn mare looked uncertain. Her eyes darted around the room and her ears flattened onto the back of her head. “Ahhhh… I’m honored, but must respectfully decline, Your Highness. I just don’t do spas. The whole idea… simply doesn’t appeal to me.”
I grinned. “Don’t knock it until you try it. Consider this an order then. If you go quietly, I’ll see what I can do to talk Trixie out of you getting a hooficure.”
Tempest’s ears perked forwards again. “I would appreciate that. Thank you.”
I nodded. “Dismissed. Please report to Princess Trixie. Tell her I will meet her there.”
The mare again genuflected. “Immediately, My Liege.”
After she rose onto her hooves and trotted out of the room, I turned to Crimson. “Tell me. Is it raining outside?”
“There is no rain scheduled for today, sire.”
I smirked. “But you can’t be one hundred percent sure, now can you?”
Crimson finally got my meaning and he returned my smile. “No, Your Highness. Would you like me to be sure?”
I smiled wider, showing all my teeth this time.
The earth pony trotted up to the bricks that cut off the room from the balcony. I heard Penny say something disapproving but wasn’t paying any attention. With a well-placed buck, Crimson Boulder caused the entire wall to collapse. The sunlight streaming into the room blinded me for a moment but that didn’t stop me from rushing forward.
I leaped over a ducking Crimson and spread my wings fully.
“FREEDOM!”
Tartarus was not what I expected.
Instead of pits of lava and screaming, there were rocky outcrops and eerie silence. Well, excluding the happy panting of Cerberus. Thank goodness Twilight brought along a red rubber ball enchanted with invincibility and retrieval charms. Between the guardian’s slavering jaws and the seemingly bottomless crevasses that surrounded our path, the distraction wouldn't have lasted ten seconds otherwise. Fortunately, a few scritches and compliments from Fluttershy along with an hour of playtime earned the towering beast’s consent. Or at least, tired him out enough that he didn't mind if we visited the realm’s newest prisoner.
The fourth member of our group flew up to the Storm King’s cage. Queen Apicula had polished her leg armor to a fine sheen and the wounds on her head caused by the removal of the control mesh were fully healed. A well-thrown rock woke the yeti warlord and he glared at the changeling queen. That turned into a smirk as he regarded her.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Queen Apicula spoke first. “Your Overseer is dead, along with his followers. The prisoners you encapsulated in my hive have now returned to lead their cities and realms. The Southern Wastes Hive is rebuilding and will flourish.” She narrowed her eyes and scowled. “All you have done is now undone. You have failed.”
“Again,” I added with a cheery grin.
The Storm King’s smile vanished. He regarded both of us with a promise in his remaining eye. The yeti then turned away from us.
I exchanged a look with Apicula. She nodded in satisfaction and we started to head back.
Movement out of the corner of my eye made me turn to see Tirek waving at Twilight from the adjacent peak. “Hey! You over there! Bring me pizza the next time you come! Extra anchovies!”
I laughed. After what I fed him the last time, you’d think he’d know better by now!
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