//------------------------------// // Temptation and Revalations // Story: The Elements of Salvation // by Slick Dash //------------------------------// "GET BACK!" Armour shouted. He swung a strong hoof out defensively of the younger ponies, trying to defend them from any attack from the seated Changeling queen, who watched on with a strange expression across her face, both mirth... and pain... "I-is that..." Ruby began, her round bright green eyes staring into the Queens pale dead ones. "Chrysalis? The queen of all changelings?" The queen finished the question, her voice filled with self indulgent love. For a moment she smiled at the fear her presence struck in the young mare. But as she raised herself higher, she winced at the wound she had seemed to have sustained, and her expression quickly gave into self pity. When she looked back up, she looked defeated. "No... not anymore." Shining Armour felt torn, his mind in two ways, in one way he wished to help the wounded creature, as was his nature, but the other side of him wanted to watch the monster suffer for all she'd done both now and eighteen years ago. "W-what's wrong with her?" Angelica asked, her voice unusually shaky in the presence of the dark creature of her mother's stories, Shining Armour could see. His experienced eyes saw her wound instantly and knew it to be life threatening, beside him his nephew watched unashamedly. Archy stared, his craving for knowledge outweighing his fear, making him stare in awe at the creature. He'd heard the stories, but never seen her up close. Her slender slim figure, her long straight mane and her beautiful wings tucked beside her. The stallion couldn't help thinking... she was oddly beautiful in her own dark way. Chrysalis's eyes passed over the bespectacled stallion and raised an eyebrow at his gawking expression. "What is it child?" She spat venomously. When Archy snapped out of his trance, he spluttered quickly and stupidly, looking everywhere except the in the direction of the dark queen, who, even through her pain couldn't help but laugh. "Leave Archy alone!" Shining Armour commanded. His voice echoed around the empty and shattered hall. The silent fury in his voice was even enough to silence the queen's dark giggle, it enveloped every syllable he muttered as he stared intently at the ghost of his past, the embodiment of everything that had gone wrong in his life. The queen watched him for a moment with interest. "So that's the great Archimedes Wright, son of Twilight Sparkle?" she said in a deadly whisper, suddenly filled with deep curiosity, returning her gaze to the dark unicorn who blushed under the intensity of the look. For a moment she showed no emotion, then the corners of her lips curled into a mocking smile. "The element of Knowledge?" Shining Armour frowned at the comment and glanced to his nephew to see if he understood the strange comment, by the dropping of his jaw, he did. He glanced to the others, all of who's heads had snapped towards the queen in horrified amazement. Archy took a teetering step forward. "Y-you know? B-but how?" Angelica took a step also, like Archy, she was being drawn in like a moth to a flame, with the promise of answers. In truth they still knew so little! "Yes..." The queen purred, half closing her eyes to Archy. "I know, thanks to..." for a moment her calm face flickered with rage. Armour spotted it, but saw that his nephew hadn't. What was going on? He felt something bump his left shoulder, he glanced over and saw Archy passing him slowly, his eyes unblinking and focused solely on the changeling on the thrown, who began to continue. "But that doesn't matter does it? All you need is what I know... and all I need..." Her eyes glinted, like a spider stalking a captured fly in its web. With difficulty due to her wound, she reached out to the stallion and smiled caringly. "...Is love..." Angelica had been walking to the queen as well, caught herself in the spell being cast by the queens pale green eyes. However, as the queen made her request, a soft hoof took hold of her chest and pulled her back. Upon the contact, she was immediately shaken from her state. As she looked back she saw a stone faced Thor and Angelica, the mare was holding her friend, while the pegasus male simply stared at the queen. Armour however wasn't as quick minded as those ponies closer to angelica. As the queen explained what she needed, he realised too late what she was doing to his nephew. He cried out and reached forward to the tail before him, but was cut off by a torrent of dark green fire which exploded into life before him splitting the throne room in two; On one side, Shining Armour and the other elements of Salvation, on the other were Archimedes and the queen. "Archy!" Seed cried from behind the flames, he could only catch glimpses of his friend from behind the dancing torrents, with each glimpse he was getting closer to the steps. His voice however, seemed to go un-noticed. Archy still walked towards the black throne with that unreal focus, it seemed he was cut off from everything else around him, even the very reality of who he was approaching! ..... "Yesssss..." The queen moaned happily as Archy took to the steps and came ever closer. Silhouetted against the flames. "Poor dear... you've been left all alone in this world haven't you?" She pouted, if he'd had his senses about him, he'd see the over the top mocking manner in her address. "...yes..." Archy replied, almost like a zombie. ..... "ARCHY YOU BIG BOOKWORM!" Thor screamed, resorting to insults in the hope it would snap his friend out of it. At the explosion, he had rushed as close to the flames as he could without being burnt, and like the orange Farm stallion beside him, was trying to find a way through. "STOP RIGHT THERE OR I'LL BEAT YOUR BUTT INTO NEXT WEEK!" No response, Archy was over halfway there. ..... "Why are you alone?" The queen asked, her eyes glinting green as she kept her spell in place, tempting him closer. ..... "WE CAN'T LET HIM TOUCH HER!" Shining Armour cried to the others, he knew what she was doing. If she was doing this right in front of them it meant she was desperate for some kind of love. Dying Armour's words echoed in his mind... 'What have you done... not me... the queen!' What had happened to make her this week? So in need of the slightest drop of love? The entire group nodded and set about their assault. Angelica and Thor took to the air, trying to shoot through the thinnest plumes of flames, but whenever they approached they would thicken and explode with new found heat. Shining Armour and Ruby tried to fire through the flames with spells, but the flames simply dissolved the magic as it passed through. Armour noted that if she was this week, and yet able to cast this spell, she must truly be desperate, on her last legs and putting everything into this last desperate gamble. He caught a glimpse of her face, and he saw she was struggling! ..... "I'm alone..." Archy said slowly. "Because my father left..." His eye twitched at the mention of the hated stallion. He pulled his head slightly away to the floor. The queen gasped and her horn burst to life, strengthening the spell that the unicorn had almost broke with his dislike of his father. Archy's head snapped back to place, his eyes mirroring the slightest tint of green. "M-my mother... is probably dead..." "Yes... she probably is..." The queen moped sadly, holding out her forelegs, inviting the approaching stallion to embrace her. ..... Seed couldn't do much but look from side to side for a hole in the wall of fire, surely it was his job to stop this? Like in the crystal fissure, he was supposed to be the strength when his friends had none! Yet no matter what he did he couldn't get close enough. Archy was reaching the crest of the steps, whatever reason Shining Armour had for the two not to touch, seemed pointless now. As though on cue with his dark thoughts, Seed felt a cold wind tickle his neck. In spite of himself, he turned to investigate, and gazing back, his jaw dropped in surprise... and fear. ..... "No mother... and no father... so unfair on you my dear..." the queen goaded, building on Archy's grievances. "And why is that?" She asked. Archy reached the cushions of the lunar throne and stepped up to them. As his hoof touched the soft material, he began to sink down, coming ever closer to the Queen. "I don't know..." He came closer, only centimetres from the queens waiting forelegs. Then he stopped, as though frozen. The queen frowned, unsure as to why he had stopped, she hadn't commanded it... She glanced up at her horn terrified that her magic was gone, that her last chance had slipped away. Yet it still glowed green, and the flames separating the others still held strong. Archy now frowned, his ear twitched, and he moved his head towards it. "Wait..." He muttered, catching a faint glimmer of sanity. He DID know why! Of course he did! That was why he was here! The vision from the crystal fissure returned to his mind now, the dark creature's strong legs, Fly like wings, mane, tail and eyes just like... the queen's... just like the creature that lay before him! ..... Seed wasn't the only who noticed the wind now, it was building in strength, and ferocity. Ruby's wavy mane billowed around her as she turned her head to find the source, as did Angelica's braided ponytail. As soon as they searched, they saw... ..... "I-I DO know why! Because..." The flecks of green vanished from view in an instant of realisation, the spell broke, and Archy's head sky rocketed up and his eyes glared at the queen. "Because of you... and... and your son!" The queens eyes widened as much as the ponies' had at her mention of the elements. "Dying Armour?" She asked, her voice filled with slight hope. "Y-you know of him?" Her gaze grew desperate. "Where is he?" Archy didn't answer. ..... Sweetness's mane was beginning to rise, not into its old bouncy quality, but simply rise, as though she lay completely submerged in water. The strands of long hair rippled out and flowed around her gracefully and slowly. Her eyes were fixed on the queen, and as finally Thor turned around, he saw they were that same colour of red he saw in Ponyville. Ruby took a step forward, terrified of what she was looking at. "S-Sweety?" She asked tremblingly, her words went unheard. Sweetness only had eyes for the queen. Seed swore he saw her face flicker, into something far longer than her usual round plump face, longer... and curved... He saw it again, as though there was something lying behind her pink fur. Flickering in and out of sight as though through a heat haze. ..... "Where is he?!" The queen probed far more persistently. Archy simply glared back again. "TELL ME!!!" She screamed, lunging forwards. ..... With an explosive force rivalling that of the queen's fiery spell, Sweetness's mane dropped to the ground as though made of lead. She opened her mouth a bellowed with a voice not only not her own, but of a creature far larger, far stronger, and far more powerful than a pony. She ordered a simple command, but the words carried forward with such force, the fiery wall extinguished under the tremendous wind, and the ponies before it stumbled to the floor. "LET ARCHY GO!" The bellow reached the queen, just as her forelegs brushed Archy's fur. With her weight off balance, the queen tipped over instantly, slamming hard into the back of the lunar throne. Archy himself fell to the side of the throne, shot high into the air over the gap that separated the two seats of power, beside the solar throne. A few chaotic moments of thunderous shaking played out. Ruby glanced up from the floor, and saw Sweetness still screaming, her eyes clenched shut, her mouth gaping far wider than it should as it expelled the unnaturally long yell. Her face was patched with tints of grey fur, the shade the mare had only seen on Sweetness's father, the draconaquus Discord. ..... Just as suddenly as it had come, the scream died away. Leaving a ringing silence in its wake. Sweetness's appearance snapped back to normal, except for her mane still hanging in long strands beside her face. Her eyes switched back to their usual gentle colour, but her angry expression still remained. She panted hard, as though she had run for miles, still gazing up at the thrones. This time however, her vision darted from one to the other, from the queen, to Archy, and back. Slowly, the ponies on the ground, all of whom had covered their heads with their hooves to protect themselves, now peeked out from beneath their protection. They slowly stood and stared at Sweetness. Thor was the first to think straight. Turning, he shot to the solar throne and grabbed Archy. Scooping him up, he shot back to the group, and to the waiting Angelica who checked the stallion was ok, but never turning her back on Sweetness. While one female tended to the stallion, the other jumped up and rushed to Sweetness, no fear in her, only worry for her friend. "Sweetness?" Ruby asked, concern in every letter. "Are you ok?" Sweetness said nothing, only panted still, now solely focusing on the queen, who was beginning to stir. Ruby flung her hooves around her friends neck, hugging her tight. The hug triggered something in the pink mare, and slowly but surely, the old Sweetness began to return. She blinked hard as though she had just awoken from a dream, she frowned and glanced down at Ruby holding her tight. "W-What's wrong silly Billy?" She stammered slowly, genuine concern in her voice. She glanced around and saw the weary gazes of every other pony around her. Especially the incredulous Captain Shining Armour. "G-guys?" she asked, unsure they all looked so concerned. Slowly, Archy came around. Holding his head with discomfort, he stood up. He opened his mouth to ask what that was, but was cut off by a sudden horrified whisper. "Draconaquus!" It came from the Lunar throne. Sure enough, the Chrysalis came into view, dragging her pain riddled body across the floor. Her wound was weeping faster now, either from how relaxed her body was now after using so much magic, or the vicious contact with the back of the throne. She came into view just above the steps, and stared down at Sweetness. "That was Draconequus magic!" Sweetness frowned. "What? No, I'm a pony." "I've never seen a pony do that..." Thor said lowly. He didn't want it to be this way, he'd wanted to tell the others slowly, not have it thrust in their faces like this. Because now he knew that soon, his suspicions of the mare's father would come out after the source of that unbelievable power was discussed. "Y-you're..." The Queen muttered, dragging herself down a few steps, getting closer to the group, like a monster from a horror. "You're Sweetness aren't you?!" She persisted, her eyes gleaming madly. "H-How do you know my name?!" Sweetness asked, fear in her voice. She backed away, and Ruby finally let go of her. The pony gazed over at the others, and help came from its usual source: Archy. "She knew my name too Sweetness, it's nothing!" Sweetness's relief was only short live however, as the queen ignored Archy's response and answered for herself in a venomous spit. "I heard about you, learnt about you... from your sweet little Pappa!"