//------------------------------//
// The End of the Beginning 
// Story: The Prodigy Emperor 
// by The Toaster 
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"Are you sure about this Gerlach??" She questioned. "That information can't be right!"

"Yes it is, it comes from a trustworthy voice. I can vouch for the spy, he is loyal." He kept his expression neutral, lying about the mental turmoil that was going through his mind.

Before he stood Gabriela, her white silk nightwear rumpled as she sat on her bed with an expression of utter shock. All her fur is messy pink. Gerlach maintained his calm face with his iconic armor even though inside he was as panicked as Gabriela, but they had to keep their minds free of doubts if they were to make decisions and lead in such a critical moment.

Rumors were already circulating. Troops were moving without orders and refusing to give explanations. The city was almost under an unofficial martial law.

"A-are you sure Gerlach..? Are you 100% sure?"

"Yes, Gabriela." The black-furred Griffon was annoyed by him needing to repeat himself, however, he couldn't blame her.

When the spy came to himself, he couldn't hold back his gasp and shock at the information he brought. Movement of troops without orders on the capital, the disappearance of the heir, and inspections without any reason.

All in less than 2 hours.

She let out a sigh and steeled her resolve. She got up from her bed, holding her slipping clothes with one claw. "Gerlach go rally the other nobles, tell them it's urgent. I will catch up with you." She told him as she walked towards her closet.

"What are you gonna do?" He asked with curiosity.

"Me?" She asked with a tone of sarcasm. "I have an Archon to confront."





This wasn't in the plan.

It was supposed to be just a long extended vacation, come and go. Her reforms took much time, and she could still manage things from her little 'quarters' in the embassy. Plant some seeds of discord here, and steal some of that powerful love over there. And so far, everything had gone according to plan.

For a predator like her, there was little worry. When your kind is treated and seen as a plague before the world that must be eradicated with extreme abhorrence, trust was a raw material in short supply among the changelings.

But a contradiction arose before her.

Between her back hooves more specifically.

A sleeping griffon with his royal regalia. The back of his head rested on her back hoofs as he snored softly. She struggled not to make the grinding of her teeth in annoyance be heard by the children. Because it wasn't just Grover who was here, but a dog, from another royal family, who had also invaded the embassy without permission.

She was in the middle of her daily hygiene before retiring to her sleeping cocoon. Only to be interrupted by guards bringing in two 'miscreants'. Meeting Grover, the little heir she had 'friended', along with a little friend of his. Both smiling nervously while clearly wanting to be somewhere far away from there.

He had grown a lot. She at first didn't even recognize Grover on how much he had grown since they last saw each other just less than a few months ago.

But she ignored it for the most part as the two boys tried to explain why they were there, but they only managed to throw false lies boasting false admiration for her race as a justification for the infiltration attempt. You couldn't lie to a master of lies. But she knew the real reason, and she felt more concern than anything else.

On one hand, her private mission to create a strong bond with the boy as quickly as possible was an incredible success. The changeling queen was proud to be considered a goddess of manipulation, one who perfected her emotions and mastered the art of cunning and scheming.

She could see his emotions better than anyone, she could read him like a book.

The boy was lost, suspicious, nervous, but most of all. Disillusioned.

She couldn't resist feeling sorry for the boy, even though her shell was cold, she managed to put herself in the boy's shoes. A young man who discovered that he was just a political object to be used by everyone around him, his friends only wanted him for power, and his father, his only source of affection and true love, was just a slip on the stairs away from handing over the crown.

It was almost uncanny how similar their upbringings were.

The boy had no one else to turn to, so he came to her, the only friend he made whom he believes has nothing to use him for.

Poor boy, so innocent, she wasn't any different from the others.

But he had done it right, because, unlike the others, she had no political interest in him, instead, she had an interest in his source of life. But now? She had something more, a curiosity about little Griffon's capabilities, how far he would go, on his journey to madness or domination, or perhaps both.

Through the love he shared, she also got to see a little more of Grover's true face.

He was different, not just in how he thought towards her, but also in something different within him. She knew it from the love in its potency and sweetness. Love given was more effective than stolen? Or was it just Grover? She had to look into it more. But that was as far as she could see, even the changeling queen in all her power and capabilities still had a limit to how far she could observe him on the surface. 

But one thing was certain, the boy was different, not just in body. Already demonstrated in his absurd growth. He was something new. And the Queen would watch his career with great interest.

Yet, from what she could see, the plan had backfired, hard. And now she had walked into a dead end.

Clouds gathered over Griffenhein, the Griffon empire despite its nickname of 'Sick Bird of Griffonia' was still a powerhouse of respect and strength. It was reflected in its total dominance over Herzland, a very populated and industrial region of the Griffonia. But it was just a shadow of her former self, of the empire's total domination over the continent. But still, the monumental power that whoever took over the regency would gain on the day the emperor perished, would be too much of an opportunity for a stubborn and power-hungry race like the Griffons to let pass.

The Queen of Changelings, despite the looming danger and uncertainty, couldn't help but see the potential in the unexpected presence of the young heir. She considered the situation carefully, weighing the risks and opportunities that lay before her. The involvement of the griffon heir added a layer of complexity and danger that she hadn't anticipated.

But she would adapt, Changelings always did.

Her thoughts were cut off when someone knocked on the other side of her royal bedroom doors for the second time that night. She would have been extremely irritated at being disturbed again, but today was an exception, tonight was becoming too important for her to be irritated or care about such trivial things, communicating through the hive mind connected with her subjects by her magic, she permitted him to enter, asking to be silent so as not to wake the children.

Two changelings entered the room, following instructions, galloping so silently that no vibrations were felt as their hooves collided with the floor. Their race, after so many eons of needing to hide from hostile forces, made them masters of the art of being subtle. Necessary for your operations in other nations.

But the queen didn't admire her good breed traits as much as she needed to, focusing on the appearance of the two who entered, both were wearing officers' uniforms, one younger than the other.

They both stopped in front of her, taking glances with their eyebrows raised, unable to contain their surprise at the... Scene they saw.

Chrysalis just growled as she rolled her eyes. "What is it now?"

The soldier snapped out of his trance as he trotted at his queen and bowed. "Your Majesty, what you predicted is occurring."

She raised an eyebrow. "Carry on."

"The church and the nobles acted exactly as you expected, the city is in chaos, troops marching through the streets and the city is some disagreements away from a full-on battle. Each side telling the other to stand down while neither has the authority to arrest or stop the other. Both are on a standoff while another percentage of the garrison is not responding to orders from both factions."

This was worrying, she already expected all this to happen, it was obvious with both factions waiting for the fall of the Emperor and their rushed attempts to take the Regency, but she waited a few weeks later when the Emperor died, when she was already well far, and safe. Something that encouraged them to act preventively. "Both sides believe the other of trying some coup, while both are searching for something."

'Who they are searching rather' She thought with a deadpan look while giving a low glance at the still soundly sleeping heir.

"There are also reports of the Emperor's personal train just reached the city's border, he will be here at any minute."

This was alarming, he wasn't supposed to arrive so soon. Something changed, everything was happening very quickly. The conflict between factions, the Heir disappearing, and the Emperor's early arrival. And now she's somehow gotten herself in the middle of all this BY ACCIDENT.

She hit her hoof on her forehead in frustration. How did this happen?? She was smarter than this!

She let out a sigh but ignored her frustration and looked at the second soldier, who remained silent and let his companion deliver the bad news to the queen.

The one addressing her had nothing that stood out from the rest of the soldiers. But the other one? She recognized him very well, even noticing his queen's eyes falling on him, who swallowed dryly when her eyes connected with hers.

She couldn't stop a predatory smile from leaving her face.

"Ahh Thranx, you came as ordered." She watched with pleasure as the officer held back from looking away from her out of fear.

"Of course your majesty, when you called me I came as quickly as I could."

"Very good, I liked your enthusiasm. You must be pleased with your newest relocation." His heart felt like it was hooked by that. 'Well, he likes it here, a little too much in fact.'

"Re... Relocation...? My... My queen, this is unnecessary-" A look from Chrysalis silenced him almost immediately.

"I hope my hearing isn't failing right now Thranx, because I don't believe one of my precious Changelings would have the AUDACITY to cross me..." She had listened very well, but she wanted to teach him a lesson. But she couldn't stay in a bad mood even with Thranx's intolerable insubordination, the terror on his face brought her more and more pleasure. Seeing sweat start to drip down his carapace, his nervous smile trying to contain his true feelings and failing miserably.

She loved playing with such insignificant beings and their feelings.

"I have never in my life Your Majesty!" He exclaimed in nervousness. "I live only to serve the hive and the lady!"

Even though she wanted to play with him a little more, she knew she didn't have time, just nodding her head with a predatory smile. "Good...~"

She then gave a look at the boy under her, patting him softly. "You will now be his guardian." She said while keeping her eyes focused on the heir while still directing her conversation with Thranx, who looked taken aback.

"Guardian...? But...-"

Her eyes narrowed.

"O-o-of course Your Majesty! I would be more than happy!" He of course wouldn't.

"You will take care of him, his little 'vassal' for now wouldn't be able to do anything if a group of thugs would try to hurt him. Much more so now that the battle for the regency is beginning. This boy has my interest, and if he dies, you shall be held responsible for it, does I make myself clear?"

"Crystal m'am!"

"Good" she replied with a smile, she felt a huge discomfort and desperation between her legs. The heir was awake and listening to the conversation. But he still pretended to be sleeping.

Chrysalis didn't know how much of the conversation the little one heard, but she was pleased that he heard it. He would try to escape and return to the castle as soon as possible, his recklessness was shown in his attempts to spy on the embassy out of pure curiosity, and Chrysalis had already given orders if they noticed the Griffon and his dog escaping, to allow them to escape.

However, she knew one thing that all the Griffons across the continent did not. Grover's true appearance.

The Griffon was the height and size of a pre-teen. And with his father having tried to keep him secret as much as possible, with no public appearances since his birthday, almost no one other than the emperor's closest guards and a few ministers would know that he is the crown prince.

They would be unable to enter the castle, and his father would be unable to do anything. Her spies had already reported how quickly the Emperor's health was deteriorating, and if the reports were true, he would not survive the day after his arrival. If he had stepped back from his duties and worried a little more about his health he would have survived longer, but it seems that Dad is desperate to keep his kingdom together.

'What a tragedy' She thought with a mental laugh.

Once again, he will be alone, without help or friends. (Apart from that stupid dog.) With your soldiers too worried about possible imposters or infiltrators they will deny him entry.

Again he will return to her. The only true friend he had, the only one who welcomed him even when he invaded his house while everyone else shunned him at the moment he needed it most. The only one without 'ulterior' motives. The perfect justification for using her troops in the capital to march to the palace with Grover in her hoofs.

Having 'saved' him and being the only one who has the heir's blessing, she would have all the legitimacy she needs to establish a Changeling administration as heirs. She would have conquered a new kingdom without firing a single shot, a future puppet king with claims to the entire continent, a whole new source of manpower and resources to use against Equestria.

His predatory smile almost cut his face in two. 'Empress Chrysalis, Conqueror of Equestria and Lady of Griffonkind. That doesn't sound bad at all.' She couldn't contain her evil chuckle from coming out of her.

"uhh... Your majesty..?"

'Oh right.' She had totally forgotten the predicament she found herself at the moment. Coming back to reality she noticed that both soldiers were watching her with clear concern on their faces.

"You are both dismissed. Do not forget your orders Thranx." They both bowed, one with less enthusiasm than the other, and both left. She then returned her attention to the boy on her lap, still pretending to be asleep, her despair replaced by immense discomfort.

She smiled even more thinking about how innocent he was for the boy, not knowing that Changelings could feel emotions.

Forming her most friendly voice, one she has been training since birth, she slowly and gently shook his head with her front hoof. "Grovy? Wake up Grovy."

The little one pretended to groan in discomfort as he stretched. Slowly opening his right eye and looking at Chrysalis. "Mornin...." He greeted her sheepishly. "It is morning.... Right...?"

He was hiding his tension very well.

"Soon the sun will rise Grovy, but I have something to tell you." Chrysalis hid it too, it was a game of seeing who could mask their intentions best. A game that the Queen was a master at.

"Seriously, what..?" He showed (or feigned) cautious curiosity as he stood up and sat down next to her. His faithful dog was up too. Far away but observant of them.

"Your father is on his way, he'll be back in town in a few minutes." The boy opened his eyes wide and his beak dropped in surprise. Again, it was a lie. "You better get back before he arrives."

"Oh my god! What time is it??" He asked worriedly, showing a genuine reaction.

"Almost four of the morning" She smiled internally seeing the boy's desperate face. 'It would be more accurate to say your clock has struck midnight my dear heir.'

"I-I have to go!"

"Of course." She smiled fondly. "Go where you came from. If you managed to sneak in here, you'll be able to get out, right?" He nodded his head.

"Good... Go, remember, if you need me. I'll always be here for you." She closed her eyes and gave a huge friendly smile as she gave the little one a hug which she returned.

They both ran out the door to her room. Leaving her alone. Her smile turned predatory as she stood alone, still looking at the last traces of the boys.





The street was in chaos, very late at night with the moon at the top of the sky, troops lined up in a street next to the palace stood ready, their armor of griffon knights bearing the emblem of Arcturius was firm and proud. Weapons were ready and behind temporary barricades as they faced another group also heavily armed.

"In the name of the Archons, Stand down! If not for them, then for the authority given to us by the gods! Return to your posts" The officer roared as he flew above the Church troops and faced the adversaries in front of him, troops carrying the green banner, with Grabriela's strawberry on its emblems.

"You have no authority here, parasites of the church!" One of the soldiers in the formation loyal to Gabriela roared. "Do not use the name of the gods in vain, worms!" Another followed along.

"Godless Heathens!" A soldier from the church below him shouted while pointing an accusatory claw. "The Emperor will not be threatened!" Another joined in his comrade's support.

"Threatened?? We are here to save him from your dirty hands you fucking rat!"

This shouting continued an exchange of insults by troops on both sides. They were in this stand-off for hours. Any sense of discipline had been thrown away some time ago with soldiers loyal to the nobles agitated by the Archons' supposed betrayal.

Scenes like this took place all over the city, with troops from both sides in stand-offs and some even fighting without orders in the streets. However, until now, the ranks-in-file have been kept in line by their officers, with both sides stubbornly remaining firm in their stances.

The officer descended and landed among his soldiers, the night light illuminated his gray fur as two Griffons approached him, the senior officers of the platoon that was in that area. "Sir, I recommend we break this stalemate, the puppets of the nobles prove that their greed prevents them from seeing that we are on a tight schedule."

"We can't, the orders are not to start a conflict. Just to find the heir. Besides, we have civilians in the vicinity." He commented as he pointed with the thumb of his right claw behind him at the buildings. And as the officer looked he could see in the windows rows and rows of Griffons watching in shock.

This was bad, a stray bullet had an easy chance of hitting someone.

The officer creaked his beak, frustration was evident in his eyes. He knew that the longer this standoff persisted, the greater the risk of chaos erupting. With a determined look, he addressed his officers, "We can't afford to let this continue. We need to disperse them without escalating the conflict. Form a defensive line and pressure them back, but do not engage unless they shot first."

The senior officers nodded, relaying the orders to their respective units. Griffon knights on the Archons' side tightened their formation, guns raised and at the ready. On the other side, Gabriela's soldiers mirrored the defensive stance, eyes fixed on their adversaries.

As the officers coordinated the movement, the tension reached its peak. The soldiers exchanged hostile glares, each side waiting for the other to make a move.

The officer took a deep breath and his voice raised once again, addressing both sides. "This city is on the brink of disaster. We cannot let it fall into chaos. Lower your weapons, step back, and allow us to carry out our duty peacefully. There will be consequences if you obstruct us."

His words fell on deaf ears as both factions remained steadfast in their positions. The officer shook his head, realizing that reason was not prevailing tonight, tensions were too high and Griffons were stubborn creatures, by both fear and pride they wouldn't let themselves be ordered by someone other than their superiors.

Without further hesitation, the senior officers on both sides signaled their troops. Slowly, the two factions began to inch away from each other, creating a narrow gap. The air was thick with tension as the standoff continued, but for now, a fragile semblance of order was maintained.

'So far so good....'

The officer glanced over his shoulder at the civilians in the nearby buildings, their eyes filled with fear and uncertainty. He knew that the situation could escalate at any moment, and the responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders as he prepared for the next phase of this tumultuous night.

The officer signaled his troops to slowly start moving backward, maintaining a defensive formation. The soldiers, although complying with the orders, kept their eyes locked on their adversaries, distrust and animosity lingering in the air like an oppressive fog.

As the gap widened between the two factions, a sudden movement caught the officer's attention.

Sounds of claws clashing concrete came from a street between the two forces that only proved to be relevant now. Chill ran down the officer's spine. He had made a mistake. No reports of reinforcements.

'Curse! I didn't expect another force on the way! We might be outflanked!' Turning quickly to inform his companions- "It's the Royal Guard!"

His thoughts were cut off and he stopped mid-spin. 'Royal Guard?' He thought in surprise, turning again at the sounds of marching. He would see the troops that made such a roar revealed in the moonbeams. With their armor well polished and forged from the purest iron, their helmets and visors shining before the moonlight of Griffenheim.

They were the Emperor's guard. 'Here?? Now?? But the Emperor wouldn't come until the next day!' Even so, the guards were there, stopping right at the exit of the street that connected to the intersection of the streets where the two troops faced each other. And pushing the guards out of the way, he revealed himself as the emperor. In all its glory and splendor.

And he wasn't happy.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??" He wasn't happy at all.

Archonite soldiers and nobles looked at each other in shock and concern. Muttering worriedly as some officers stepped forward to find the emperor.

"M-my Emperor! Y-you are here!" A noble official exclaimed with relief mixed with surprise.

"Of course I'm here! I expected a worry-free arrival and instead, I find my troops READY TO KILL THEMSELVES!" He shouted at them, now positioning himself between both groups who showed extreme discomfort and some shame at the Emperor's berating. "ONE WEEK! I CAN'T GO OUT FOR A WEEK WITHOUT SOME SHIT LIKE THIS HAPPE-" He cut himself off mid-rant.

A silence permeated as the soldiers remained silent waiting for the Emperor to continue.

"Y-your majesty...?" One dared to speak.

But the emperor still maintained his hateful face as his beak opened and closed as if he was trying to speak. But no words came out. His face then changed drastically, from hatred to confusion, and from confusion to horror. He breathed in deep, long breaths as he seemed to gasp suddenly as he gripped and squeezed his imperial regalia tightly.

"Y-your majesty?!" He asked, now approaching with concern and tension.

The emperor then, after freezing, fell. It was as if he fell in slow motion, everyone looked on in disbelief and shock. The most powerful Griffon on the continent, the master of Griffonia and emperor of what was one of the greatest states the world had ever seen. Having his body crashing on the stone-hard concrete.

The moment his body hit the ground. The trance that the troops had been in since the beginning of the Emperor's angry outburst was broken. An explosion of ensued movements and chaos reigned. The Royal Guard broke ranks and rushed to help their emperor, while the soldiers of the rival troops ran like headless chickens and their officers tried to reorganize them.

He managed to get together with his non-commissioned officers and created a perimeter around the fallen Emperor. He did not see the monarch among the conglomeration of guards that surrounded him.

Civilians were now running everywhere, and some even tried to penetrate the groups of soldiers to see or reach the emperor for reasons he did not understand.

In the confusion and chaos, in the midst of them shouting orders and soldiers pushing civilians back. He saw a kid, from what he could see he was 13 to 15 years old, just a pre-teen. Pass through the line of soldiers and attack the Emperor while he screamed like a howling banshee.

He didn't know what he was planning or why he took such a sudden action, if the boy had more nefarious reasons or if he was delusional that he could save the emperor and become a hero. But he immediately, almost instinctively, acted. Using his wings he propelled himself towards the brat and crashed into him before he could get close to the royal guard, who were already prepared to take the boy down with weapons drawn.

"STAY ON THE GROUND KID! STAY ON THE GROUND!" He screamed as he kept the boy pressed to the ground. He could see that the boy had an aristocratic outfit and caramel fur, the boy seemed to cry as he struggled desperately.

"NO NO! GET OFF OF ME! GET OFF OF ME! I HAVE TO GO TO HIM! DADDY!!" The boy whimpered as he struggled desperately. The officer growled in disgust seeing the boy acting like a baby, from the looks of it, he was the son of a nobleman. Children of said rich fucks who acted without thinking about the reaction who now was shouting for his father to save him from the consequences of his actions by his own claws. Typical.

But before he could do anything else, he screamed in pain as he felt his shoulder being pierced by dozens of what felt like sharp knives, instinctively he got up and released the kid and tried to struggle to get out whatever the fuck stuck in him. Seeing a diamond dog he had sunk its teeth into him.

With a roar, he sunk his claws in the dog and threw it over his shoulder, which landed rolling on the concrete in front of him but was quickly back on its feet.

"I don't know why the fuck you decided to attack me kid, but you are royally fucked." The officer growled under his beak as he ran his claw over his shoulder, feeling blood running down and staining his uniform. The Diamond dog roared and prepared to lunge.

Only to be hit in the skull with a butt by a soldier behind him. The little dog was so focused on him that he had totally forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings. Being knocked out and falling hard to the ground.

"Holy shit sir, are you okay?" The soldier quickly ran to where he was, inspecting the wound.

"That's nothing, apprehend the two suspects who-" He cut himself off when he realized that one of the two miscreants was gone. The griffon that had tried to reach the emperor disappeared. He snorted as he looked at the soldier who had finished bandaging his wound.

"Sir? Do you want me to chase the boy?"

"No, ignore him, we have more important things to worry about." He replied as he watched the emperor being carried on a stretcher by the royal guard to the palace. "I feel like we're going to have a lot of work to do from now on."

He was panting, with his back to the wall he looked around the street desperately as he hid in the alley, finding only the streets at night empty. He can then let his body relax a little, sliding down the wall until he sits on the cold floor.

Tears still ran down his messy fur. He ran his hand over the mark he had on his neck when he was thrown to the ground by the soldier.

A soldier of the empire, he was one of its subjects.

Why did he attack him??

Why didn't he let him see his daddy???

He could still see the fight and struggle between the guard and Loudbark as he flew in despair.

As he ran away...

He abandoned Loudbark....

'Oh my god I left him behind!'

His father's words echoed through his head; "When a friend is willing to stick with you, helping you at your worst moment, when he could abandon you to save himself and yet he chooses to go into the fire to help you instead, that demonstrates the greatest symbol of brotherhood you can have. A friend willing to die for you, but you must be willing to do the same!"

He abandoned his friend in his time of need when he went headfirst into his defense of him.

He grabbed his face as he sobbed more and more. Why was this happening to him? Why was this happening to him?

He just wanted to have fun tonight, he just wanted to explore. He didn't want that! He didn't want any of this!

He failed his father and didn't help him when he needed it most. He failed his best friend and abandoned him at the first opportunity out of fear and now he was without anyone. He was alone.

Grover slowly curled into a fetal position against the wall. Crying as if he had no tomorrow, soaking his fur with tears. His only company being the cold of the night and the rays of light from the moon.

Unable to believe that his life went from paradise to hell in such a short period of time. And not being able to blame anyone but himself and being totally uncertain about the future.