//------------------------------// // Chapter 276 - The Manor of the Changeling Queen // Story: Dadonequus Discord (Book 2) // by CrazedLaughter //------------------------------// So here it was… As the four of you stepped out from the portal gate, the manor’s front doors stood before you. You didn’t care to take in its features as you prepare to knock. “Hold!” Neighsay called out from behind you. “Are you sure it’s alright to just make ourselves known straight away? Perhaps a strategy in case the worst has come to worst?” “The strange influence I was feeling earlier doesn’t seem to reach here. So if there’s any kind of danger, we will either fight through it or retreat. We don’t really have any other options at this point.” You say as you reach out, and knock before he can say anything more. "And yet you... Ngh." Neighsay grunted and stomped his hoof, but said nothing more. He just seemed to prep himself for what was to come at this point. You all then waited. “You think someone is even home? What if they evacuated?” Capper asked. “Doesn’t seem smart to stick around here, mansion or no.” “Hmn, I have my doubts. A changeling queen never abandons her hive. In fact, I’d even say that this calm setting hides true horrors that lays inside for us.” Neighsay said in a chilling tone. "You should have waited." Grubber just shrugged. “Just another day for us, right, Tempe-Hmn!” Suddenly, Grubber stands at the ready for an attack as the door opens. Capper jumps back, expecting a monster, as per Neighsay’s ominous message. Neighsay’s horn glowed, he was ready for some sort of attack. You did nothing, as you could already see a very tired purple dragon holding a mug, eyes reddened from lack of sleep, step outside. “Ngh, Starlight, you’re back-Woah!” Spike, you recognized him, Twilight’s assistant. It seems he hadn’t slept for some time now, or at least he has been awake all night. Given he called you Starlight, it seemed he was waiting for someone. “Tempest?! Is that really you? Woah, what are you doing here?!” “At first? Hearthwarming. But it seems you’re in need of assistance. There’s no time for hellos, Spike. We need information.” You tell him, waiting to be let inside. “O-oh, I’m guessing you got a glimpse of what Ponyville looks like now, huh? Is there anyp-Chancellor Neighsay?! You’re here?!” Spike yelped, taken aback enough to drop his mug of black liquid. “What in the hay?!” “Is that a surprise?” Chancellor Neighsay asked, deeply wondering why Spike seemed so astonished. “I mean, yeah. I mean… Look… Um….” Spike seemed to be at a loss for words. You didn’t know if he had something spiteful to say, or was truly that surprised. Either way, he stepped aside, pushing the glass of his mug to the side with his foot, looking at it as if he wanted to clean it up. “...Just, come in and follow me to the living room. You guys need to be caught up to speed.” The four of you carefully but closely followed. You, nor Neighsay, had nothing to really say about the interior of the grand entrance hall. Though, silently, you were impressed, as he seemed to be. “Woah, this place looks more like one of those mansions owned by those greedy guys in the Christmas movies I watched.” Capper said as he looked around, taking notice of the paintings. “Hm, interesting pieces she’s got there.” “Can you, perhaps, focus on more serious matters? We have no time to marvel at frivolous things.” Neighsay said in a sharp manner. Capper recoiled at that, his ears folding slightly as he put his hands in his pockets, looking glum. “Y-yeah, just trying to lighten the mood a little, I guess.” “Look, let’s not jump on anycreature here, alright? It’s Hearthwarming, even if everything is really really awful right now.” Spike said as he led you all into the living room. He pointed at the large couch for you all to sit on as he walked over, to what seemed to be, a lit human television set, and shut it off. He then looked at the four of you with tired eyes, and sat at a recliner beside you all. “So, what do you guys know so far?” “Very little. Spike, we need to know everything that has happened thus far. Every last detail.” You tell him. Knowing what you knew meant nothing. It was more important to get the details from someone who was well in the know. “Before that…” Neighsay calls out, interrupting Spike before he can even speak. “Oh geez, what now?! Look here, Mister School Guy, whatever other garbage you have to spew, you can save it! What reason could you possibly have to interrupt Tempest?” Grubber asked, already itching to blast Neighsay into a net. “What reason? Unless you didn’t notice, that is Spike, Twilight’s assistant. But as you can see, there is no Princess Twilight Sparkle with him. Before we gather information on the town, we must know the situation we’re in now. So tell me, ‘Spike’, why are YOU here? Seems strange you’d be here cowering when you should have been at her side.” Neighsay said in a near-venomous fashion. “Hey!” Spike suddenly stood up, smoke billowing from his nose as he pointed harshly at Neighsay. “Lay off, alright?! I didn’t even know she was captured! We were busy evacuating everypony we could! I wasn’t hiding! If I was there, I would have fought to the end! But everything went so wrong, so fast! I… I…” Spike fell to his knees. “She’s gone, they’re all gone. They were all captured before anypony even really knew what was going on.” “Hey!” Grubber jumped up, standing on the couch, as he aimed his Trapper Blaster at Neighsay. “What did I say!? You’re out of line, buddy!” He cocked his blaster as he looked down the sights. “How about I just put you in a net for awhile, or maybe a few months, yeah, that sounds-” But you interrupt Grubber immediately, trying to regain control of the situation. “Enough! Chancellor, the situation is grave enough without you berating a baby dragon. You say you care about ponykind, yet if we cannot get to the bottom of this, then they, us, and everything else is doomed. Unless you have something important to say, I’ll be the one handling the questions from now on.” This wasn’t a request, you were making an order. Times were too dire to allow something like this. “And you don’t think learning what has become of everypony else is important?!” Neighsay said as he stood up, looking directly at you with intense eyes. “I think that if we be quiet and pay attention, we’ll learn everything we need to know. But if you need incentive to let him speak…” You look to Spike, trying to soften your tone towards him. “This manor holds some refugees from the town, correct?” Spike nodded, fidgeting from tiredness and nervousness “Y-yeah. T-they’re allowed to use the guest rooms upstairs, but most of them chose to stay in that cave downstairs since it pretty much has an escape tunnel.  E-everycreature is being well provided for too. We have a lot of great food and warm beds for everycreature, even you guys. I know that sounds crazy, but it was really nice of Chrysalis to let us all stay here. It’s just…” Spike grabbed his arm, looking away, becoming even more nervous as he stops speaking for a moment. “Though, to tell you the truth, the only one who has even talked to her is Diamond Tiara. She won’t talk to anypony else, not even her own Captain.” “Young Diamond Tiara? The daughter of the Riches? I know her… What kind of connection does she have with Chrysalis?” Chancellor Neighsay asked. He seemed deeply troubled, yet intrigued, by such information. But this line of questioning was unimportant, and you needed to get everything in order before indulging in any irrelevant questions. “Chancellor, again, we must start from the beginning. I won’t tell you again. And I won’t hold back my partner.” You tell him. Immediately Grubber gives him a cruel smirk as he spins his weapon along his claw as a warning. Chancellor Neighsay once again looked at you with disdain. But he sighed, settled down, and waited. “Very well, we’ll do things your way… For now. But be aware I don’t take too kindly to threats.”  And you didn’t care. “Noted. Now, Spike, if you will please proceed.” Spike nodded, and began to explain the situation. The start of the story confirmed your worst fears, something had happened to Anon after all, and his horn was taken. After that, he was used as bait to lure in Discord, and both were locked away afterwards. After that, Cozy Glow had apparently fooled Twilight into venturing into the castle alone, leading to her being captured. Or at least, that is what he was told by Discord, as it seems the story was told to him by others as time went on. After Twilight’s capture, the townsponies began to slowly change and become mind controlled. You learned that Diamond Tiara’s parents had succumbed, and she had first tried to seek help from Anon, but was cornered and fled into the forest. A dangerous move, but apparently Chrysalis was closeby from where she entered. Chrysalis herself had been spying from a distance, curious about Hearthwarming celebrations, and had not known about the strange happenings until Diamond had informed her. Chrysalis had quickly taken Diamond to her manor to hide, and ventured into the town to try to find out what was going on herself under the guise of another. There was already an emergency evacuation going on as she returned, with ponies already turning on one another as they attempted to make their way to the old castle in the forest. Twilight had gone missing and, at the time, no one had known why. She assumed her form to make it appear she had never left. Chrysalis had then used this form to try to assault the castle with the rest of the elements of harmony, but was bested. The elements were lost, and she was only able to recover Discord, who is severely weakened. During this time, the evacuees were already being taken to her manor, due to her request under the guise of Twilight. The only other powerful pony within the manor was Starlight Glimmer, but she was out searching for lost foals.  But then there were the adversaries themselves. It was not only Tirek, armed with a powerful staff that used the power of chaos and harmony, but also… “Cozy Glow?!” Neighsay shouted in surprise. “That can’t be right. I have studied all of Princess Twilight’s reports on her students to make sure nothing was amiss, and she was an up and coming prodigy when it came to her classes. Surely Tirek is merely using her.” Spike shook his head. “I thought that too. But it’s true, she’s working with Tirek. And the crazy thing is, Discord and Chrysalis seem to think she’s the true mastermind. Tirek might just be another pawn.” “But that’s outrageous! You can’t expect me to believe such a young filly is the culprit behind all this!” Neighsay said, defiant against the information brought before him. “...It’s true. When this ‘influence’ tried to control my mind, I could see her, hear her even. I could hear her name. Whether this is a partnership, or a ruse, it doesn’t matter. Our resources are lower than we thought. Unless we work out a strong strategy, then all hope is lost.” They had control of all six of the elements of harmony. You doubted Anon would succumb to this influence, but sadly, he also wouldn’t be much help in this endeavor. You still wanted to rescue him of course. But it’d be all for naught without at least destroying the staff or restoring Twilight and Discord back to their original states. “I can’t believe they got them all like that. And so fast. We gotta do something.” Capper said as he stood up, pounding his fist into his palm. “We can’t just sit around like lazy felines here, we gotta come up with a plan.” “Easy, buddy, we will. But trust me, this situation is really delicate stuff. Tempest, we can use this creep to get past the barrier, right? You got anything for after that?” Grubber asked, as he tried to calm down Capper. “Not yet. Grubber, Discord, as we heard, is currently the head chef of the manor. I want you to find him and gather any more intel on the situation. I’m sure someone like him is withholding a few facts Spike may have missed.” You said. Grubber saluted. “You got it, Tempest. But what about you?” “I’m going to speak to Chrysalis herself, and find out why she’s been acting ‘strange’ since her battle at the castle. Spike, if you c-” But you stop when you noticed he had fallen over, sleeping deeply with loud snores. “Hm. I’m sure I can find the room on my own. Capper, keep an eye on Neighsay.” “Excuse me?! I think not! If anything, I believe you may need my assistance!” Neighsay said in a demanding tone. “Given your attitude, you may actually end up risking our lives over nothing. For your health, I’d suggest you remain here.” You tell him. If Chrysalis wanted to be alone, you were sure she may end up becoming violent. Or at least verbally hostile. Having Neighsay around would no doubt make things unnecessarily difficult. “You are aware I’m the only one who can even make any plan you come up with work, correct? I have the ability to pass through that barrier.” Neighsay reminded you. “And you’d be so petty as to keep that to yourself over something like this?” You ask him. Neighsay stopped for a moment, as if shocked you’d suggest such a thing, and furrowed his brow. “I’m insulted you’d even suggest that I would. I understand what the stakes are. I also understand that the dragon seems to have painted our changeling ally as disturbed. Things might be more dangerous than they appear and you may need my help subduing her should things become unpleasant.” “I have dealt with situations like this many times before. Your services won’t be required.” You tell him. “And I have dealt with the same kinds of situations myself. I also know that if there is a chance she may attack you, then you may need my help subduing her. I’m willing to let you do things your way, but the moment you lose control of the situation, then we do things my way. Surely that is something you can find agreeable.” Neighsay offered. As much as you wanted to deny the offer, you felt that if you did, or perhaps even if you left him here with Capper, he’d find a way to do things on his own without you. It may be better just to take him along and have him wait outside her room. He seemed like someone who abides by his own word, so you’ll allow it, but with a caveat. “...Fine then, agreed. But if you act out of line, I will make sure you stay unconscious until we need you. Are we clear?” Neighsay scoffed at her words, but agreed regardless in a sarcastic tone. “Crystal.” With that, the two of you made your way to the grand stairs to the second floor. You couldn't help but take notice of the paintings on the side of each staircase. One in particular what must have been a human in some strange armor. Given the television in the living room, you knew her reverence for them must have been strong. You wondered if she had painted it herself, or if Anon conjured them. You could hear Neighsay question the art behind you, obviously displeased with what he saw. The upper floor’s halls were simpler, yet grand, with the velvet red carpets, full flower vases with green flowers and brighter green roses, and doors with extravagant designs and emblems. But which one was her bedroom? Well, it wouldn’t take long to find it as you came upon a larger, more stylized, door that seemed to resemble that of a master’s bedroom with darker undertones. Though, what made it more obvious was a little filly with a tiara, wrapped in quilts, sleeping by the door. It seems this was Diamond Tiara, Anon’s marefriend. “Hm? What is she doing out here?” Neighsay asked, finding the situation highly suspect. “This is no place for a filly to sleep.” “It’s obvious. She’s worried about Chrysalis. My guess is she fell asleep outside her door, and someone else wrapped her up in those quilts.” You surmised. Neighsay was silent, he didn’t say anything else after that, he merely observed a while more before looking upon the door. “So then, I expect you to want me to wait out here.” You nod towards him. “I do, the situation doesn’t call for both of us.” “Hm… Just remember what I told you.” Neighsay reminded you. “I remember. Just don’t enter prematurely if you want to be awake for what follows next.” You really meant it. He was too prejudiced for a situation such as this. “I’m aware.” He said, giving you a sharpened look. Hmm… You checked the door. It was locked, up until it began to glow for a moment, and clicked. “Consider it a courtesy.” Neighsay said, his horn glowing softly. …Hmnnn. You slowly make your way inside, and as soon as you do, the door suddenly shuts behind you, and locks. The room was dark, too dark for you to see. “Well, well, a foolish pony has entered my domain. I thought I made it very clear that only the foal may enter here. That is, unless you came to be a living test to my future vengeance.” A dark voice said, from where, you could barely tell as it echoed all around you. Well, it became apparent why only Diamond Tiara was allowed to enter this room.