//------------------------------// // Start of the End of the world // Story: Night Patrol 2: Awakening // by Foxgear //------------------------------// Night Patrol 2 Chapter 67 By Foxgear Kaiserin Chrissy, actually Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings, looked over her adoptive kingdom of Germane. The artistic city was a massive upgrade from her old home in the wastelands, where her children could blend into the population with little trouble. They were even officially welcomed by the Kaiser himself. Yes, life has changed for the changelings. No longer were they a horde of scavengers. They were part of something greater. Now they were the secret defenders of Germane. How could they not be loyal to their adoptive home? When it filled their bellies with delicious love, which they returned. Chrysalis, no, she decided, she was Chrissy. A new life deserved a new name. Though it had only been for a show before, she’s been using her cover name so long her real name no longer felt like her real name. “Pharynx, what is the latest news?” She asked her oldest spawn that emerged out of the shadows as stealthily as a Nippon Shinobi. “Our spies report chaos, my Queen. Seems the unicorns have joined forces with the monsters against everypony else.” “I see, and how are the nations responding?” Chrissy inquired with perhaps a touch of genuine concern. “Those that were not at war are fairing better. Accounting for the number of unicorns in each country, of course. Pegasi seem to be suffering the worse for reasons we don’t understand. It’s almost like they’re being targeted. While earth and other subspecies of ponies are, not unscathed, but not treated as aggressively.” Pharynx articulated skimming through pages of reports. “There is something else of note.” “And that is?” “While monsters are attacking in mass, the bulk of them are attacking Dragon lands.” Chrissy looked to the sky, “So that’s why I haven’t seen any. I would have thought certain Dragonlords would have taken this chance to act, but they are on the defensive, huh? Interesting. It’s almost like this isn’t a random attack.” “It’s far from a thorough plan, but all signs point to some sort of organization in the unicorn and monster forces. Who or what is the leader is still a mystery. That said, we can only assume we’ll be attacked soon. Our forces are already engaged at what was the frontlines. Our main opponent as of now is Ghoul Ponies.” Ghoul Ponies, the undead, meaning there was a necromancer involved. It was dark, sinister magic that even made the Changeling Queen shiver. The thought of dealing with rotted flesh-hungry corpses was revolting. “Have clerics bless the city’s fountains to make Holy water. That’s the most effective against those disgusting creatures.” Chrissy ordered. “Also, gather your brothers and sisters. We’ll be venturing out to aid our troops currently stranded on the Prench border. Any word of Hades yet?” “The last word has he safely escaped the Peace conference with Titania, thanks to Lady Zeppelin’s obsessive loyalty to your stepdaughter.” “Yes, we’ll have to cancel that court marshal for running off without authorization.” Zeppelin running off to save Titania was a massive blow to their home defenses, but what was royal authority for, if not for times like these? Besides, they always planned to save Hades and Titania. Zeppelin just did it without a plan. “My Queen,” Another changeling announced themselves dropping from the ceiling. “Speak, Ocellus.” “A unit in the northwest reports sighting a… well an Alicorn of unknown identity.” Chrissy turned away from the scenic city to give her spawn her full attention. “Please clarify.” “It is not, Celestia, Luna, or Cadence. The Alicorn appears to be green in color.” A new alicorn? That couldn’t be anything other than bad news. Frankly, Chrissy had her fill with Alicorns when Luna hacked off her legs. Or maybe that was Celestia? The details were fuzzy, but she knew one or both sisters had a hoof in her untimely amputation. “Observe them, but do not engage. Gather our mightiest warriors. I’ll prepare myself for battle just in case.” “NO!” The collective rebuke of her children was deafening. Chrysalis counted, three, ten? Of her offspring crawling out of their hiding spots. How many were guarding her at a time? The amount of love for her produced a warm, pleasant feeling deep inside of her. (Is this parental love? Huh, I don’t feel hungry either… strange.) “My Queen,” Pharynx spoke for the group. “Allow us to handle this. You are nearly due.” “Right, about that… I suppose there’s little point hiding it from you all.” Chrissy pulled the heavy skirt of her dress away to reveal her flat underbelly with a terrible scar. “There were some complications. The child is fine but hanging on by a thread at a secret medical facility. “Hades and I are waiting for the child’s condition to improve before making a public announcement. We haven’t even named them yet, as their life hangs by a thread.” “But still…” “Enough, I’m going, but you are more than welcome to accompany me. Individually we changelings don’t pose much of a threat, but together, as a swarm, we are nigh-invincible!” A resounding, “Yeah!” answered her short yet passioned speech, the warmth growing inside Chrysalis’s body grew hotter. “Let’s go defend our home! My children!” Viride Secure, Alicorn of Wind and Squalls, glared at the map Minerva sent her as an afterthought. Turns out her esteemed Queen forgot to mention she moved the vessel during her escape from Germane. The container laid somewhere between some low mountains, trees, and valleys northwest of the Germane Capital. Four x’s marked the possible locations. With a P.S. reading, “It’s a ball of pulsing magical energy. You should be able to sense it.” As if that was the easiest thing in the world. Still, even from high in the sky, Viride could feel a powerful presence below. Or it was just the collective life energy of the forest. “What’s the best way to do this? It is just a big piece of slag, so it should be immune to fire, right? It’s not my specialty, but if I just stir some clouds here and then ZAP! Instant forest fire!” Viride lit the forest ablaze with a single lightning bolt, using her control of wind to give the little spark the boost it needed to erupt into a massive firestorm that quickly ate through the leaves and other vegetation. “Ifrit would be proud,” She beamed as the fire grew and grew beyond her control. Gleefully feeding the flames her wind. “Turn it all to ash because it’s trash, trash, trash! La, la, la!” While watching the unnatural disaster, Viride felt a change in the wind. Something was approaching. It sounded like flies. “Ah, I forget how infested these forests can be. Did I burn the manure pile you were all buzzing around?” Viride asked the approaching Changelings. Their shock at being spotted was amusing, as they were over a mile away. They were probably surprised to hear her voice, a simple trick of the wind. There was another trick she loved to do to pitiful fools. In a low voice, Viride whispered, “Mors,” Into the breeze. That single word was enough to make half of the approaching swarm fall from the sky. It was a simple little-death curse that barely worked a tenth of the time. It only went to show how weak these insects were. “Charge! Before it’s too late!” Their leader shouted in a panic. The swarm became a hotpot of dangerous flying beasts. Viride wondered if these creatures knew true transformation magic or if it was all fluff. Out of curiosity, she let them get close, raising a claw to halt one of the incoming attacks. She stopped it effortlessly enough. They might as well be attacking a mountain, but Viride was surprised that there was actual weight behind the attack. “Where did you get all that mass?” She wondered aloud, tossing the Bugbear changeling aside. Next came Griffons, Rocs, and Harpies. None were the genuine article, but the strength behind the attacks was true. Surprising considering how thin their limbs were. While deflecting them all with minimum ease, Viride was impressed to see some dragons rearing back. She had been curious if they could replicate natural abilities, and by the three streams of flames, it turns out Changelings could. Yes, she knew what she was fighting. They just didn’t deserve to be named until now. “How serious, I suppose, I should up my game as well.” Inhaling deeply, Viride let out a loud, resounding, “Mors Magnam Funebris!” This upgraded form of Mors had a much higher success rate. Ninety percent, to be exact. The reaping winds cut through the swarm surrounding her, and all but one reverted back to their original form and fell to the ground. The one that did clutch their chest still in the guise of a dragon. “What…” it tried to ask her, gasping for air. “What did you do?” Viride flew up close, whispering, “This,” Into its ear, and like a puppet with cut strings, the last survivor too fell to the ground dead. “Too easy, honestly, why don’t they save me the trouble and just kill themselves if they have such weak wills.” She supposed she couldn’t blame the peons. Though it did make her wonder if the peons would ever figure out her ‘death curse’ was her simply shooting air into their hearts. There were death curses, and she did know them and use them, but really their failure rate isn’t worth the magic. Simple wind manipulation? Nearly zero for her. “Now, where was I? Right, the Vessel. I feel like I should sense something with that much magic by now… yep! There it is!” Flying down into the blackened forest, Viride found the pulsing orange-blue rock as Minerva described. Placed in a small craven or maybe a crevice? Whatever, she wasn’t the Alicorn of Mountains. It wasn’t her job to know this stuff. Approaching the magically charged stone, Viride was cautious. It was certainly lively. Too lively. Upon closer inspection, she found deep cracks all over the surface of the sphere, like an egg about to hatch. Perhaps Minerva was wrong. This wasn’t a vessel but something else. “Well, come on! Don’t keep me waiting now!” She encouraged whatever was inside. The colors brightened, and there was a low snarl from within the rocky prison. A winged silhouette appeared as the surface of the slag became more transparent, like a crystal. Viride was genuinely enthralled, eager to see what would come out of this stone egg, but her amusement was interrupted by a significant magic signal. “Well, you must be the queen of the bugs,” Viride said, turning to face Queen Chrysalis, clad in full battle gear. The Changeling Queen adorned in black and green armor was outfitted with the best Germane had to offer, her two prosthetic legs configured for combat. Making them much bulkier and more dangerous. Her crooked trident was replaced with something of more fame. “For the love of… did somepony just put all these legendary weapons in a discount bin somewhere? First Cu’s spear, and now THAT wretched thing!” It wasn’t unreasonable for Viride to so angry at the sight of the weapon the bug Queen wielded. It was the very same one that spelled her doom last time. “Solaris’s fucking spear, Altair Sol!” Chrysalis said nothing in reply, merely pointing the shining gold spear at Viride. With only a micro of magic channeled into the weapon, a sun the size of a golf ball formed. “Perish! Green Witch! The murderer of my children!” “Don’t think that’s all it’s takes to defeat me, you pleb!” Viciously Viride manipulated the winds around her into a frenzy, wrapping around the mini Sun and dragging it into the sky. High above in the atmosphere, an explosion shook the air, clearing a massive hole in the clouds. “You don’t have the faintest clue how to use that, do you?” Chrysalis grit her teeth, unwilling to retort because anything she said would be a lie. She hadn’t the time to acoelomate to the legendary spear Hades spent five fortunes to find. The spear was practically its own living thing, and it was not fond of her. Despite that, even with her complete incompatibility with the spear, it was still a powerful weapon on her side. Even if she could only use the: Mini Flare Spell. “It doesn’t matter. It’s more than enough to defeat you!” Chrysalis barked with bravado, charging at the Green Alicorn. Viride used her horn to parry, jabbing and swiping with her claws as the Queen fluttered away. “You don’t seem to be very well coordinated yourself. Those attacks were clumsy!” Chrysalis critiqued engaging in melee again. “That’s true,” Viride retorted, dodging the Queen’s strikes, half-heartedly counterattacking, choosing to keep her distance for now. “I’m not used to this body, yet, but…” Viride suddenly caught the spear by the shaft, standing bipedal and with two more forelegs emerging from her body. “I’m getting used to it.” Remembering the fighting style of a dragon from long ago, Viride struck the Queen hard with a left claw, then her right, and mixed in her extra limbs, creating a hail of blows. Seems her body remembered how to fight from its previous owner via muscle memory. It was a weird feeling, almost like the vessel’s soul still lingered. That was impossible. Viride was sure she was the only occupant. “What else can I do?” Viride wondered as Chrysalis broke away with a bloody nose. The Alicorn pointed one of her claws at the ground and, by some strange force and summoned a ton of emerald gems. “I might have to update my title,” She grinned, sending the rocks flying like arrows. Chrysalis escaped with a few nicks on her armor. The razor-sharp gems cutting clean through her plate mail, but it was nothing serious. Firing a Mini Flare, she rose into the sky, letting loose some rapid-fire blasts to pin the green Alicorn down. To counter, Viride created a twister and mixed in some thunder clouds to create a plasma storm. The two attacks met with the Plasma storm absorbing the Mini Flare. The resulting explosion only fueled the storm attack, causing it to grow in size as it barreled towards the bug Queen. “Look out!” Chrysalis was blitzed from the side, spiraling out of the way to safety. In a brief flash, she saw the child that saved her be eviscerated. “NO!” She screamed, her heart aching for her lost spawn. “Protect the Queen! Protect mother!” Pharynx commanded, descending with a large swarm of his siblings upon the Alicorn. Each of them chose their favorite, most powerful imitation. Forcing the Alicorn to contend with Bugbears, Ursa, Hydras, and many more creatures. “You!” SLASH! “LITTLE!” CRUSH! “FREAKS!” Viride snared, slobber spilling from her jaws as she put real effort into fighting. Like a beast, she slashed, bit, and gnawed through the swarm. She tore the throat of one, jabbed her spiked knee into another, and whipped a third in the face with her tail. Her body pulsed with power as the wind raged around her, becoming invisible blades of death. “Ventis Immolantes!” The wind compressed around the Alicorn expanded in a deadly whirlwind, creating a fine red mist in its wake. All twenty Changelings that engaged the Alicorn were erased entirely. Not a trace of their existence remained. What was left was a panting, snarling, Viride. Whose sole focus was on their precious Queen, “YOU! Insignificant bug!” Chrysalis paid her no mind, too shell shocked by the horrible death of her spawn, no her children. The pounding of her heart was so deafening that she couldn’t even hear Viride’s scornful words. Like a drum was pounding in her ears. “Pharynx,” She uttered, unable to process that her oldest, most beloved son was gone and in such a gruesome way. “Ocellus…” The young daughter with such promise, who could have become a Queen in the future. “My children…” Chrysalis touched her cheek, finding tears. “My beloved, children… YOU KILLED THEM!” Power came from deep within her, not of burning hatred, but of warmth and compassion. It had always been there, beneath the surface. It was love. Not the stolen love her kind feasted on, but the love she had, the love her children had. Love she wished she could have shared with them but would never be able to now. Viride stuttered in her rant when a pinkish vortex swirled around the Changeling Queen. Suddenly the black insect pony was a much brighter cream color, with bright teal green hair, transparent purple wings, and curved blade-like horn. The Queen’s magic was also much more substantial. It was beyond noticeable; it was a threat! “What the hell!” Chrysalis reared back, Altair Sol resonating perfectly with her. The legendary spear shining with the radiance of five suns! With eyes burning bright gold like a pony possessed, Chrysalis said something that made Viride shutter. “Galactic Incineration!” Not one, not two, but ten miniature suns the size of train cars formed, each raining down beams of flaming death. It took all Viride had, magic, physical prowess, instinct, and luck to weave through the onslaught. It wasn’t merely about teleporting away. She knew from past experience that wouldn’t be enough. The attack would follow her until the suns were extinguished or she died. Last time she died. This time she dodged, countered, and grit her teeth through the storm. Sparing no expense in regards to her magic supply. She threw up defense barriers that could have stopped a meteor that lasted only a second in the face of this attack. And every second was another investment towards living. (That bitch! How does she know this attack! It’s Solaris’s… the damn spear! It’s using her as a medium!) It wasn’t crazy to believe a piece of Solaris’s soul, the Alicorn of Stars and Light, was inside her spear. She certainly wielded it long enough for it. Such was the case with any weapon that gained a will of its own. “ALMOST THERE!” Viride broke through the bombardment, escaping the rain of flaming death as the suns fizzled out of existence. The Bug Queen was still in that new form but was clearly exhausted, the spear sapping all of her strength. It made Viride give a boastful, “Ha ah!” In victory. “Don’t think the same trick works twice, Solaris!” She raved, absolutely exasperated. Viride hadn’t felt this great since her last mate, and that was a long time ago. Trembling from surviving, Viride prepared to finish off the Queen, only for her own magic to fizz out and her limbs to lock. Seems she used up all her magic as well. “Dammit!” She seethed as the bug Queen crashing to earth. Viride ground her teeth, trying to think of a way to fight when a loud “CRACK” noise caught her attention. She looked over to the slag, unharmed, and saw a blue leg with orange claws sticking out of the shell. The slag sphere crumbled, revealing a blue pony with six legs, bright red wings, an orange mane and tail, and miss-matched eyes of teal and orange. Minerva had said the vessel would likely be male, but by the slenderness of the pony’s body, she was guessing it was female. Interesting. The newly freed Alirin? Viride didn’t know what to classify it as. It had a horn, wings like any alicorn would, but it had several rinin features, claws, fangs, sporadic scales, and a serpent-like tail. Putting the Hybrids appearance aside, its magic was something else. If Viride was humble, this newborn, the size of an adult… no more like a teenager. Was as powerful as her. (Time to make an excellent first impression.) “Hello there… little one! Why don’t you tell Auntie Viride your name?” “Name…” The Blue Alirin rasped, its voice soft and meek. It seemed surprised by its own words. “My name… Permaflame, Perma for short. Are you… am I… we… kin?” “Yes, yes, dear, we’re as close to kin as we can be!” Viride said jovially, dashing over to Perma to embrace the Alirin. “You’re a real lifesaver. I was about to be done in by that horrid creature over there.” The Alicorn of Wind directed Perma’s gaze to the gasping Changeling Queen. “See? That’s a bad monster! She tried to kill me!” “Bad… monster…” A fire lit in the young Alirin. That wasn’t a metaphor. Fire literally spewed from her eyes. A bright azure flame that released snow dust instead of smoke. Blue cracks appeared along her barrel as it’s expanded, Perma rearing back to attack. Chrysalis managed to raise off the ground when she heard the echo of Perma’s attack. The wall of blue firing came right at her. Though exhausted, she hobbled away as best she could. It was for not as the flames engulfed her, but they were strange. They didn’t burn. In fact, they were cold! “What…” Her teeth chattered restlessly, frost covering her body. Solaris’s spear clattered to the ashen ground as she floundered around, eventually falling to the ground. She was so cold. Chrysalis curled her body for warmth, but she only grew weaker. “That’s great, Perma!” Viride praised ruffling the Alirin’s mane. The new being relished the touch like a puppy, cooing and leaning in for more affection. As much as she hated to admit it. Minerva was right about this whole Alirin thing. Her vessel was just a modified body, but this newborn. This hybrid. Was something else. Still, it was strange the coloration and the gender was wrong. This was supposed to be Ifrit, right? Giving Perma a closer inspection, she found a pulsing, orange core in her barrel where her heart was likely to be. It looked like a dragon’s core, but she could tell it was where the Orange Alicorn Amulet was located. Or that’s what she thought it was. There was no presence, no soul, just pure power. Whatever events unfolded in that rocky shell, it merged the two ponies inside into one and incorporated the Alicorn Amulet too. This was beyond a new vessel; this was a new Ascension! Following the frozen flames that formed in the wake of Perma’s breath attack, Viride was inspired to say, “Permaflame, the Alicorn… Alirin of Frozen Flames. Yes, that is what you are, my dear new kin!” “Kin!” Perma yipped excitedly like a kid. “Yes… mental age, aside, you are frighteningly powerful.” Viride nervously stated. If it was this easy to gain this little one’s trust, she made the right move. Had any pony else gotten to Perma first, she’d be dead! “Now, let’s go finish off that bad monster.” “Bad monster!” Approaching at their leisure Viride was salivating at what she could do to the Bug Queen for revenge. Her fantasies were interrupted when Perma pushed her aside, saving her from an attack from above. “Oh, what now!” She decried at the new arrivals. And there were a lot of them! One of those Iron Airships floated in the sky above her, its fighters pouring out. It was the Otto. “Save Kaiserin Chrissy! At least I think that’s her!” Zeppelin rallied her unit with the Equestrians alongside them. A total of twenty-five ponies and one dragon, Obara, dived in to save the Queen. “We’ll take those two!” Sixes volunteered Fury, Essex, and Obara with a few of Zeppelin’s auxiliary units. He barked at them to support him as he and the others touched down between the two Alirin and Queen. Zeppelin quickly extracted the Queen via gurney, promising to be back as soon as possible. An uncomfortable feeling passed through the Evernight ponies as they got a better look at Viride’s face. It was one Sixes, and Fury knew all too well. “Emerald Cutter…” Fury trailed off, not believing his eyes. “Just her face,” Viride stated, too tired to try and put on an act. “I’m just a renter, but I wouldn’t mind purchasing if you catch my meaning.” Saddling up beside Perma, Viride sized up her new opponents. In her present state, if she were alone, that would be it. Good thing she wasn’t. “Let Auntie catch her breath, Perma.” “Yes!” The child-minded Alirin cheered, letting loose another freezing flame attack. This seemed like the perfect time to glean some intel. Viride reckoned, sitting back to observe. “Hit her hard!” Sixes ordered, unleashing lava. The air cracked as heat and ice collided. His lava was utterly outclassed, instantly becoming a slag of black rock while the blue flames exploded every which way, creating a fascinating ice sculpture that looked like an explosion cloud. Fury and Obara paired up to do a double Flame breath, creating a mixture of orange and green. Perma dashed through the flames, completely unharmed. The Alirin fired blue fireballs that froze on impact. One caught Fury, turning his left foreleg into a block of ice. When he hit the ground, it shattered, leaving him with a stub. “Don’t get hit by that,” He warned all non-regenerating creatures. With a howl, Essex created her cursed nails, diving in for close combat. Her fierce assault caught Perma unprepared. The less than fifteen minutes year old, quickly backpedaled, uncertain how to deal with the attacks. “Come on!” Essex, try as she might, couldn’t hit Perma. The Alirin’s speed was something else, or maybe it was something else? She stopped short, letting Perma getaway. The little shit had been creating copies made out of ice crystals! “Essex!” Sixes yelled at her, giving her enough warning to fly up to avoid Perma’s flaming ice. Obara flew in with some wind breath as cover, surprisingly effective as the blue flames solidified into ice. The four regrouped overhead, a bit confused why Perma wasn’t going airborne. When the Alirin, upon analyzing their wing rhythms, began to beat her wings. Awkwardly gaining lift with her legs flailing wildly. “Auntie!” Perma cried, not knowing how to fly in the slightest. “Right, right, I caught my breath. You go somewhere I can see you.” Viride patted Perma on the head for her effort, but this required an experienced pony. “Alright, Rinin? Was it? And we have a dragon here, a runt, but still legally a dragon. Perfect. Please show me what this new modern age is made of.” “Who the hell are you,” Was not the first thing Viride expected in their banter, but she felt obliged to answer. “How rude of me. The Filly in a mare’s body is Permaflame, and I’m Viride Secure, Alicorn of Wind, Squalls, and Emeralds. The last one is a new addition. I was told you lot managed to take down Vulcan…barely.” She tacked on with an amused smirk. “And you’re tougher?” Essex replied cattily, her accent ticking up. “Ya don’t look much more than a twig! Vulcan was all spit, piss, and vinegar! And a fucking mountain!” “And smart as one, but I digress, it’s easier to show you I’m in a different league. You lot don’t even make the playoffs. Or so Atalanta would say, I hope I can find her gem.” She whispered that last one as she made sure her saddlebag was secured. Sixes and the others were put on guard as two small vortexes formed around Viride. The Green Alirin stuffed storm clouds inside the swirling tornadoes, creating plasma. Following that, she summoned an ungodly number of emeralds from the ground. “Do you know what a Railgun is? No? Let me teach you the basic principles!” Viride loaded a gem into each vortex, each vanished into the spiraling electrical whirlwind, or it seemed. Sixes and the others heard the explosion well after it happened. The Kaiser’s flagship, the Otto, a 50-ton aerial battleship with twelve-inch-thick armoring, just suffered an impact greater than any of its rivals could deliver. The two gems, no bigger than a pony’s hoof, ripped through the armor, through the interior walls, and out the other side. Unluckily, one of those gems cut through the ammo supply. The ensuing explosion nearly broke the ship in half as it freefell to the ground. Sixes and the other didn’t have time to gawk at the exploding fireball behind them. Viride’s attack was still going and showing no signs of slowing down as the mock six projectiles ripped through the air. Perhaps their only good fortune was Viride wasn’t taking the time to aim, choosing to blanket the sky with flak instead. Still, it wasn’t like any of them could see the attacks coming beyond the distortions in the air. Pure luck and guessing their flight path were their only saving grace. “Look out!” Fury shoved Essex and Obara aside, taking three gems center mass. Providing a gruesome example of their fates, as the red rinin was all but eviscerated. Barely a feather or scale remained. “It’s Fury! Keep on!” Sixes barked, snapping the other two out of their stupor. Turning gold, Sixes hurriedly crafted the Aegis, a legendary shield that Viride recognized instantly. Obara and Essex took refuge behind the massive gold shield. Using it to gain ground against the Green Alirin. “Don’t think that knockoff will save you!” Viride spat, focusing her attack. Cracks began to appear in the mighty shield, its resilience much lower than the original. The edges started to give way, chunks of gold breaking off, the emerald gems punching through. Viride licked her lips, eager for the moment the three tried to escape. She had every path in her sights. They’d be swiss cheese no matter which way they tried to run! “Auntie! Look out!” “Huh?” Viride was engrossed in the battle and could barely comprehend what Perma was trying to warn her about before it was too late. A powerful presence caught her attention. She looked left, spotting Zeppelin, flying in hard in full Blessed mode. She looked to her right, finding Titania in a similar state. “Fuck.” Viride canceled her Railgun Vortex, backpedaling in the nick of time to avoid a two-for-one press. She didn’t get much of a chance to breathe easy as both earth ponies chased after her but were intercepted by Perma, who, in a frightening display of power, created a mountain of ice to defend Viride. The green Alirin just caught her breath when she felt a tingle in her spine. Grabbing Perma, she flew into the sky just as a golden streak blew through the ice wall. Viride got a clear look at Sixes’ gold form, quickly recognizing the dwindling soul inside the rinin. “Midas…” Viride was taken back that one of her kind could be subdued like that. A mere mortal overcoming the power of an alicorn and using it for themselves? Surely Minerva knew about this? If it could be done, the risk of her sealed brethren being used against them was high. “Got you!” Essex came out of nowhere slashed at Viride and Perma but instead ripped open the Viride’s saddlebag, causing Alicorn Amulets to rain from the sky. Viride grabbed what she could, but three slipped away. The Rose, Cyan and Lapis Amulets. “No, Shala, Theia, Shiva!” Viride placed her claw over the hole to prevent losing anymore. She dived to retrieve the three, but the Lapis veered off wildly, and the Rose and Cyan… were snapped up into Essex’s mouth. Viride decided to cut her losses with a growl, and with a flash of her horn, she teleported Perma and herself away. “Essex spit them out!” Sixes shouted. Eating one Alicorn Amulet was dangerous enough, but two would be pure suicide. Thankfully his sister did just that and dropped the two Amulets on the ground. “Fury!” As if on command, Fury materialized with the Lapis Amulet. The three couldn’t help but marvel at the bounty before them. Essex and Fury couldn’t help but eye their respective favorite Amulet. The Lapis caught the red Rinin’s eye, while the Cyan held Essex’s attention. “Now is not the time,” Sixes pocketed the three gesturing towards the disaster of the Otto. Perhaps more importantly, the presence of Titania and Zeppelin. It was unclear if the two saw the relinquishing of the amulets, but it would not do to make a scene with their uncertain ally while the Capital guard entered the scene. “What do we do?” Essex asked in a subdued tone. “Collect Obara, and then we’ll check on Celestia. Hopefully, we can start heading home soon, or at best, take her to Nippon to recover.” Agreeing to the plan, the three Evernight’s went to collect their ruler’s sister. Retrieving Celestia from the wreckage was much easier than predicted. The Germane crew was efficient at damage control. Having safely (Relatively) landed the Otto and put out the fires. The Kaiser and other VIPs were evacuated until it was deemed safe. It was rendered somewhat mute as the capital defense fleet arrived. They were only small frigates and destroyers but enough to act as a rescue team. A medical ship landed, accepting the wounded Celestia and Kaiserin Chrissy. In a strange twist of fate, the two royals that once tried to kill each other shared the same room. The Kaiser saw his lover off, sporting a gash on the head bandaged by a passing medic, which he ushered off to tend to others. As much as he wanted to be by his Kaiserin’s side. Hades knew he had other places to be. With the support of his daughter, he ventured across what had been a national forest to Sixes’ little group, which was making its way towards him. The two not allies, but not enemies, kept several paces away as military and medical staff scurried around them. “Well, this is quite the mess,” Hades said with a joyless smile. “Perhaps we could go somewhere more private?” He pointed his hoof at the medical ship that carried their respective leverage. With little reason to refuse, the three rinin and the dragon accepted the Kaiser’s offer. Changing locations to inside the ship. It was rather apparent the Kaiser merely wished to be as close to his lover as possible. Really there was little to be said between the two groups. This meeting was more a formality to their shared objective of defeating Minerva. “So,” Hades began, knowing there was no time to prattle anymore. “That’s a taste of what we face. That was Viride Secure, one of Minerva’s allies from yesteryear. To think she’s awakened such a powerful ally so soon. It’s as if luck is on her side or, perhaps, Fate herself. Perma is troublesome, but she’s merely raw power with no experience. Leave her too long, and that will quickly change.” “Do you think we don’t know that?” Fury scoffed. “I don’t know your opinions of us, but we are a might more intelligent than you give us credit for.” “Believe me, Fierce Fury, I know not to underestimate you. You’ve evolved beyond my imagination. On the other hoof, I would appreciate it if you didn’t disregard my many lifetimes of experience and first account knowledge. I doubt any record even remains of Viride and those like her. Which is why, before you all go off on your suicide mission, I recommend you sit put and give me time.” “Time for what?” Sixes asked warily. Hades raised his hoof dramatically, “Firstly, for you to recover, secondly Celestia’s recovery. Germane technology and my alchemy will have her back on her feet in no time. Finally…” The Kaiser appeached the three speaking softly. “Give you time to properly absorb those little gifts Viride carelessly dropped. Three days is all I ask. Wait three days, and I will provide you my fastest ship and my most capable warriors.” It was a deal almost too good to refuse, yet Sixes was wary. “Give me a moment.” He excused himself from the room and snuck into Celestia’s ward. He tiptoed past the resting Kaiserin to stand by his sister-in-law’s side. “Should you be using magic in your state?” He asked the Sun Princess, who’d been listening via telepathy. Sixes himself acting as the medium. It made things easier as he didn’t have to explain things to the Princess. She already knew. “Probably not…” Celestia wheezed. Her barrel wrapped tightly in bandages, the smell of burnt flesh lingering on her. “I already know what you’re thinking.” “Then I shouldn’t need to say it.” Celestia smiled, her eyes still closed. “It’s nice to know you care so much, compared to before, you’d sooner help roadkill than me. It’s refreshing.” The Sun princess let out a slow, uneasy breath. “If you’ll wait for me, I wish, no need to fight. Whatever the Kaiser’s proposal, be it a miracle or a curse, I wish to undergo his treatment.” “He’ll probably use alchemy to rebuild your body and fill in that gaping hole. He might even make other… adjustments.” “That’s fine,” Celestia replied, determined. “The reward is worth the risk. You know better than any pony what rushing in unprepared results in.” “Three days,” Sixes sighed. “That’s all. If you’re not ready by then, we’re leaving you behind.” “That’s agreeable,” Celestia said as the rinin took his leave. The Sun Princess could only let out a tired sigh and a stare longingly at the ceiling. All but biting off her own tongue. “You seemed troubled… Sun bitch…” Chrysalis spat weakly from her bed. “Your filled with such… worry… worry for a loved one. Now, who could that be? I wonder? It’s a shortlist for you, isn’t it? There is truly only one pony in the whole world who you love this much, right?” Celestia’s expression soured. Beyond her own faint connection to her Sun, she could barely feel the presence of the moon, of Luna. Her sister was in trouble. And there was nothing to be done about it presently. “It must be so hard to lie like that, or maybe it’s second nature to you now?” “I told no lies,” Celestia replied, looking away from the brighter colored Changeling. “I only failed to inform Sixes. Though it’s faint, I know Luna is ok, weakened, but alive. She doesn’t seem to be in fear for her life as of yet. If things change, then so will my response.” “And pray tell, what would you do half the world away?” Chrysalis asked with genuine interest. “I would ensure her husband got to her, no matter the costs. She deserves that much from me in the very least.” Celestia said firmly, looking straight at the Queen with fearless eyes. Chrysalis could only whistle and stare at the ceiling, “My, how scary love is. Yet, I understand it better now. I would do the same, or I believe I would if it were Hades or Titania.” Celestia smiled at the transformed Changeling. “Perhaps, you and I…” “If you say we could be friends or anything related to that Magic of Friendship dribble, I’ll stab you with your mother’s spear.” “Well, this is fine too.” Celestia chuckled. On the inside, though, she prayed to whatever gods were left that her sister was safe. (Dusk… if you’re watching, please show us the way forward.) She doubted the Alicorn of Time would or could answer. The Sun Princess could only hope the choices and events unfolding lead to a future worth fighting for. “Three days… I just need a little more time… wait for me, Luna, Twilight.” Celestia mumbled as she let sleep take her once more.