Chapter 3: Dopple and Ganger
Graves. Dozens, if not hundreds of graves. Whether they be with a tombstone or just a wooden cross. Yeah not really a reinsuring sight.
Despite this we just followed The Princess. I looked at the names on the tombstones as we walked by. Most names I didn’t recognize, but one made me stop dead in my tracks, ‘Shining Armor’.
“Is something wrong Seth?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, uhhh... no nothing. Nothing at all.” I say trying to block the name out of her view.
“Okay then.” She said in a skeptical tone before trotting off.
I let out a sigh of relief thank Celestia I didn’t let her see that. I mean it may be an alternate Shining, but still I don’t know how Twilight would take it if she saw that her BBBFF was dead. Yet, if we actually succeed at this I’ll assume Twilight would like to talk to her counterpart, so I might just be delaying the inevitable. I trot to the princess and ask her, “So should we expect anything? Like you know an army or something?”
“Well that is worst case scenario. If we’re lucky we can get to the castle without any trouble.” She responded.
“Where are we anyways?” Rainbow asked.
“We seem to be not too far from Canterlot, but we’ll still have to trek up the mountain.” The princess responded.
“Wait can’t we just teleport there?” I ask her. “I mean both Twilight and I know how to, and you are obviously very talented with magic yourself due to your cutie mark and the fact you can preform interdimensional travel.”
“Wow, I can’t believe I never thought of that. Okay then let’s...” Filia began to say before being interupted.
“What’s is this that I see?” A first voice said.
“The Princess has returned, but what is this?” Said a second voice.
“The wielders of the Elements? Impossible!”
“Last time I cheeked they were statues in Aunt Chrissy’s throne room.”
The voices belonged to a pair of Changelings. They both seemed to be slightly taller than the average changeling. The first one was the normal black, but had purple torso and eyes. The other was completely white and with red eyes. So an albino changeling I guess.
“Who are these guys?” Applejack asked.
“There names are Dopple and Ganger.” Filia said.
Pinkie Pie giggles and then exclaims, “I get it!”
“Anyways, as I was saying, they are Chrysalis’s nephews and high ranking member of the changeling army.”
“So basically two of the worst guys to run into.” I say to get a nod from the Princess as a responded.
“Oh look at this one Dopple.” The white one, who I can only assume is Ganger, said.
“Indeed, I wouldn’t have to do much to look like him now won’t I?” Responded Dopple.
“Yes I know I look like some generic character that a 12 year old or Rob Liefoal would design. Just slap a pair of wings on me and call me Blood Kill.” I say in a sarcastic tone.
“Well it’s nice to met you Mr. Kill, but if you’re with these mare then we’ll have to destroy you too.” Ganger said.
I create one of those knives that has those teeth on one side, yeah this should show how much I know about weapons outside of how to use them. Then I say “Bring it on bug boy.” I smirk with confidence thinking that it’s 2 against 8, and they have no visible troops with them, but then both there horns glow with a green aura and instead of two of them there now was several copies of them. Well this will be slightly harder than I thought.
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So we go in doing whatever we can against an army of changeling clones. And these doubles were weird they can physically harm you, I know I received a few punches in the face, but if you get a good hit on them, or in my case stabbing them, they disappear in a cloud of smoke. After switching out the knife for my favorite weapon the rapier and taking out three of four of them with it I got tackled to the ground, which knocked the wind out of me. Before I could react I saw what appeared to be one of them in the form of Rarity on top of my with one of its hooves on my horn.
“I always enjoy a little horn snapping.” It said, but thankfully before it was able to do so I was save by a blue blur that force it off of me.
“Nopony touches his horn, but me!” Rainbow shouts.
“Thanks beautiful.” I say getting up.
“No problem.” She said smiling.
We look to see that the changeling didn’t disappear, but instead it turned back from Rarity to Dopple. Putting two and two together I figure that this is the real one. He stands up and shouts, “Buck you! You bitch!”
Then he gets the biggest oh shit face I ever seen after I use my magic to grab him. I pull him closer and say. “You just sealed you fate.” I noticed the second voice I heard in my fight with Inferno, but this time I remember what I did. I snapped the horn off of his head, which made him screech in pain and made all his remaining copies disappear. “That’s for threatening to do that to me and now this is for calling Rainbow a bitch!” I then jab the broken horn into his throat. He makes a loud gargling sound as light blue blood streams down the horn from his neck. His eye roll into the back of his head an I let go of him. As you would guess he falls to the ground dead.
I notice what I assume to be the real Ganger flying away as the others defeat the last clone. I turn to see that most of them had disapproving eyes at what I’ve done.
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Due to us being tired after fighting Dopple and Ganger we set up camp in an area surrounded by trees. That night at dinner we all sat around a campfire eating a soup Applejack and Fluttershy made, but it was awkwardly quiet.
I put down my spoon and say, “Okay I know what you’re all thinking. Yes, I killed Dopple and yes, I didn’t hesitate to do so, but really are you gals really going to judge me on that?” There was no response so I continued, “Look they are our enemy. You know who we have to fight to save Equestria. Do you honestly think we can do this without getting a little blood on our hooves? If given the chance they’d do the same to us. Besides not only did he insult Rainbow, but he was going to snap off my bucking horn! Thank Celestia Rainbow saved me. If that happened do you know how hard that would make my life if I couldn’t use magic?! And I don’t mean levitation or spawning weapons, oh no, I mean stuff like teleportation and the cloud walking spell. You know, the spells that let me live with Rainbow!” I lower my head feeling like I’m on the verge of tears when I feel Rainbow’s arms around me.
“It’s okay Seth. I’m not judging you.” She said.
“Agreed.” The Princess said. “Right now we are at war. And like he said we can not win this without a little bloodshed. Even if you views on killing may be different from his it is still inevitable. Besides didn’t you see those graves. They will not hesitate to kill you. So it’s rather you or them.”
They all looked at each other before nodding in agreement.
“We understand Princess, but we’ll try to avoid it as much as possible.” Twi said before turning to me. “Sorry for making you feel bad Seth. I guess we weren’t thinking about that.”
“It’s fine.” I say nuzzle Rainbow.
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Later as Rainbow and I are lying on a cloud, Rainbow cuddles up to me and says, “You’re still thinking about the whole killing somepony situation are you?”
“Yeah, I am. Even thought they apologized I still feel guilty now because of how they looked at me. I mean You, The Princess and Pinkie where the only ones who didn’t care. I mean what if I killed Inferno then would have they done the same thing? despite you gals being my closest friends do you secretly fear me? Do you guys see me as a monster or some...” I was interupted by Rainbow planting a kiss on my lips.
She broke the kiss and said, “Seth that’s crazy. Of course we don’t. We care about you as much as you care about us. And you know I love you more than anything.”
“More than anything? Even the Wonderbolts?” I ask with a smirk.
“Sure that’s my dream, but that’s nothing compared to you.”
“So say if you had to chose between becoming a Wonderbolt or me, you’d chose me?”
Rainbow fell silent for a few seconds before answering with, “Yeah, I would.”
“I really mean that much to you?”
“If you don’t believe my than how about I show you just how much you mean to me.”
I let out a chuckle and ask, “What do you have in mind?”
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Author’s Notes
Okay guys sorry that this took me a whole week to get out. I was suffering from some major writer’s block and I was kinda busy anyways. I’ll try to get the next one done sooner.
Also is it just me or does half of the dialgoue in this story seem to be questions?