//------------------------------// // VIII - The Queen of Zebrica // Story: Zebrabwe's Secret // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// “R-r-revenge?” Gustave stuttered. “Quiet, bird, this doesn’t concern you,” Xie hissed, never looking away from Sasori. “This concerns HER and our MOTHER.” Sasori took a few steps back. “What do you mean?” “What do I think? You know what she does to us… no other Queens aside from her. She was the first born of the Plague Tree and she will never let another rise. I attempted to survive through mastery of magic. She turned it against me, locking me in this STONE, tormenting all those who followed me through the burning of my very soul. It was like FIRE, Sasori. FIRE!” “I’m… so sorry.” “You know nothing. YOU got away. Somehow.” “I just… ran off in the middle of the night. One of my brothers warned me. I never looked back.” “WEAK…” Xie hissed. “You should have challenged her. The maggot needs to learn her place…”  “Yes. I wasn’t and ain’t strong enough t’—” “You speak like a backwater farmpony.” Sasori let out a mock gasp before jumping into a distinctly alien sounding voice. “Well, I never. Darling, a backwater farmpony? I must say, that’s quite inconsiderate of you. Perhaps we could discuss this over tea and crumpets and other fanciful things that make you stand out?”  “You are revealed, there is no point in hiding.” Sasori dropped back into her usual accent. “It’s what I do, nitwit. This is my voice now, not for ye to mock.” “Inconsequential.” Zecora coughed. “I am sorry for interrupting your flow, but where is this going to go? We came down here to learn of the truth, and yet here we are mocking the youth.” Xie turned to her, frowning. “You are a blockade to revenge, traveling sage. Speaking of the friendship and harmony within Equestria… unacceptable. If we were to adopt your ways, we would become like the fool Celestia, sealing Chrysalis away, only for her to escape again and again, tormenting us continually. Chrysalis must END. And we will be the ones to make it happen.” “You do not speak for Zebrakind, we will all shout our own mind.” “Oh, will you?” Xie’s crystal flashed. Suddenly, Zecora dropped to the ground like a stone, eyes bright orange. “Here’s a little secret, Zecora. I am the hidden Queen of Zebrica. Everything that you are comes from me. Your unity didn’t exist until your ancestors took up residence in this lost Hive.” Zecora made no response.  “It was my magic that brought you together. I gave you the power, the instinct to rule…” She leaned in, sneering. “The desire to go into other lands and spy. You may have been sent out before I had gained full control, but your mission was still MINE.” “We… have our own wills…” Zecora grunted. “There will be n—” “Stop talking,” Xie ordered. Zecora’s mouth slammed shut. Her eyes darted around in a panic. “Yes, see where you lie. I have spent CENTURIES feeling the Zebras’ magic, touching their minds. It was only a matter of time before I understood them well enough to control every last aspect…” She cackled. “There are no Zebras who can resist my call, now. You will do all I say. Punch yourself.” Zecora pulled her hoof back and hit her jaw so hard she fell to the ground, dazed.  “It’s useless to resist. You will serve me, and you will be used to end Chrysalis. There will be no exceptions.” “W-why are you doin’ this?” Sasori demanded.  “REVENGE, idiot!” “But you’re becoming her! This… this is exactly what she would do! Take control of others against their will, make an army, and attack!” Xie snorted. “You think I care? I just want her gone. Nothing else matters. Maybe I’ll eventually figure out how to control Changelings too, cover up that little rebellion weakness she’s always had to deal with. Then again, my machines might do that for me. Did you know Changeling carapaces can be enchanted by my magic? I thought my power existed just to torment me, but no…” The crystal flashed again, this time removing a chunk of the brown material from the ground. It broke into several pieces, reshaping into a familiar quadrupedal shape: one of the husks.  Sasori lost all confidence. “Ya… ya monster. Yer makin’ machines out of Changelings?” “Just carapace grown from the long dead ground,” Xie said, dismissively. “There hasn’t been a living Changeling in this city for over a century. You are the first to see… and you REJECT what I have built! Do you not want to see her suffer?” “I do! But not like this! Not from the skin of our people! Not by the sufferin’ of Zebrakind!” “They’re better off for it anyway. I gave them machines of power in less than a decade! I power their industry! They will become a global superpower the likes of which the world has never seen…” “And ye won’t stop. ye’ll be just as bad as her.” “Fine. Reject me. I did send my husks to kill you, after all, might as well finish the job.” “You finish nothin’, vile villain!” Zecora shouted, jumping at the crystal. She punched it with her hoof, forcing as much of her magic into it as she could, cracking it—but not breaking it. Xie shrieked, lashing out with a magic burst. Zecora was thrown away, her mind once again foggy from the hit.  “...I should have emptied her mind to me. I cannot afford to be careless.” She turned to Sasori, sneering. “Which means I can’t take any chances with you, either.” Sasori spread her wings. “I can take y—” Xie lit her horn, surrounding Sasori’s front leg with an orange whirlwind. With horror, Sasori saw her leg’s carapace change to a brown color, gaining more than a few orange runes inside. “No! No! I won’t!” “You will… I’m not sure how this works on living carapace, but I’m sure it isn’t pleasant…” Sasori let out a scream. She attempted to fire back with her own magic, but Xie’s barrier spell kept her crystal safe. “You will join me, one way or another…” And then a soggy pastry hit Xie’s crystal from behind.  Xie blinked. “Is that… an eclair?” “An… explosive eclair, oui.” Gustave tugged on his feathers.  “A WHAT!?” The eclair exploded. Not in a burst of fire and smoke, but in a torrent of pressurized frosting. Xie’s crystal was absolutely covered in the sugary paste, but her astral projection was completely unaffected.  Xie blinked. “Was that supposed to do anything?” “W-well…” He swallowed hard.  “Did you really think shoddy pastries would do anything to my magic!?” “Non non non non… but, er… shoddy pastries mixed wiz certain chemicals and a Zebrican electric muffin?” The frosting on Xie’s crystal began to spark with electricity.  Xie’s empty eyes opened wide. “Wait n—” KA-BOOOOOOOM!