//------------------------------// // Yesterday's Enemies // Story: My Little Teelo: Masquerade // by Ardwolf //------------------------------// In which Teagan discovers time does not heal all wounds and the price of power is often quite high. Their first stop was the Ponyville hospital. The appearance of the changeling queen—clearly injured and obviously a prisoner, not to mention the ten blinded and burned changelings, set the normally placid staff into a frenzied rush. Happily for Teagan the medical ponies showed none of the reluctance to help changelings that Stormwind or the Ponyville stallions had. Teagan explained the nature of the queen’s injuries, and warned the unicorn doctor magical healing of her spine would be useless because of Crush’s interfering magic. He frowned at her in clear disapproval but said nothing as a pair of nurses whisked the queen off for examination. He was even unhappier with the condition of the changeling drones. “What caused these injuries?” He asked coldly. “They look like they dived face-first into a bonfire.” “The cause was a blast of magical fire,” Teagan said carefully. “I’m not at liberty to disclose the details. Please do what you can for them, Dr. Pressure.” “Where should I send the bill?” The red unicorn asked bluntly. “These injuries will need specialist healers, and extended care. Regeneration spells are not cheap, Lady Teagan.” “I will discuss the matter with Princess Celestia, doctor. If it turns out the Equestrian crown won’t cover the charges the World Below might. If they decline I’ll deal with it. You have my word.” “Very good, Lady Teagan. I will contact Canterlot General immediately,” the doctor bobbed his head and moved off. “They tried to kill us!” Emma protested. “Why should you have to foot their medical bills? Shouldn’t their queen be on the hook for it?” “I made an agreement, Emma,” Teagan said tiredly. “Payment for services rendered. You really think changeling drones will have any bits squirreled away?” “I agree with your friend, Lady Teagan. It isn’t your responsibility to pay for healing their injuries. They attacked the Royal Guard during a high-level diplomatic mission. That is a very serious crime,” Stormwind said. “And how would you feel if the situation were reversed, Stormwind?” Teagan asked irritably. “If you were injured that badly and captured? How would you feel if your wings got burned off and your eyes were burned out of your head? How would you want to be treated?” Teagan was angry. The pitiful way the drones stumbled around, their breath hissing in and out as they fought to not whimper tore at her in spite of the fact she’d have gladly killed them during the attack. She had killed the queen’s guards without a qualm (and that knowledge scared her down to her toes). But now that she had time to think it was Discord lying broken and helpless before her all over again. She was angry at Chrysalis for attacking them. She was angry at Emma for being stupid and putting herself in danger. But mostly she was angry at herself for not having been able to stop any of it. She was a queen, damn it! She had a magical club that gave her all these wonderful powers! In Equestria, where nobody was supposed to die, and fights were bloodless affairs usually involving thrown food or minor fisticuffs! But instead of custard pies she’d watched a single unicorn slaughter an army of changelings with magical fire, and she’d used that horrific event merely as a distraction so she could try and murder Chrysalis. Her anger fed her guilt, which in turn made her even angrier. So she tried to assuage her guilt by making sure the surviving changelings at least got their eyes and wings back. That still left Chrysalis paralyzed for the rest of her immortal life—which was Teagan’s fault too. And somehow she didn’t think she’d ever be able to fix it, which made her even angrier. To add to her problems, she was positively starving, and that fed her anger as well. The hunger was affecting her judgment and eroding her self-control. She knew if she didn’t eat soon she was going to do something stupid and probably violent, no doubt creating an international incident. But certain things wouldn’t wait, raging hunger or no. Sighing she moved toward the nurse’s station. ooOoo He was conscious, but feeling no pain. “Hi!” He said, chuckling happily. “My name is Subtle Dancer, what’s yours?” She turned to the nurse in shock. “Don’t worry,” the nurse said soothingly. “It’s just the sedatives talking. He won’t remember any of this after he wakes up. It’s kind of like sleep walking. That’s why I’m here making sure he doesn’t try to get out of bed and hurt himself.” “How are you feeling, Subtle Dancer?” Teagan asked with forced cheerfulness. “Great! Jus’ great…you like chocolate éclairs? Cause I’m a big éclair fan. Got a whole library full back at my house,” he nodded firmly. “They keep trying to alphabetize themselves backwards, but I put my hoof down,” His eyes rolled slowly. “Whee….gotta go bye-bye.” His eyes closed and he started to snore. “He’s out of danger, Lady Teagan,” Nurse Red Heart said kindly. “By tomorrow he should be coherent and awake, but unfortunately not mobile. Because of his shoulder separation, he’ll be out of commission for at least three weeks, even with magical healing.” “That’s unfortunate. I’m due in Canterlot this afternoon, and I’m leaving for Hejm tomorrow,” Teagan fretted. “I wanted to talk to him before I left, to thank him. He saved us, you know. He’s a hero.” “Really?” Nurse Red Heart’s eyes turned to her patient. “I’ll be sure and let him know you asked after him. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear it.” “I’d appreciate that. Do you know where the changelings’ rooms are?” “Third floor,” Nurse Red Heart’s voice turned a little cool. “They’re being treated for their burns. You won’t be able to visit them until at least this afternoon.” “Ah. What about Queen Chrysalis?” She asked. “The doctor is with her now. He says you told him her spine can’t be magically healed. Is that true? How could you inflict such a permanent injury?” The nurse’s voice held condemnation. Teagan sighed. “Because if I hadn’t the changelings would have murdered everyone in that clearing. I hate it, but I would have hated being dead even more.” “Oh. How many of the changelings died?” The nurse asked with closed eyes. “Too many,” Teagan said grimly. “Far too many. Thank God we didn’t lose anyone from our side.” “Do you know why they attacked?” The nurse asked. Teagan shook her head. “I think we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Chrysalis said something about revenge against Shining Armor but she called Subtle Dancer by name. It almost sounded personal.” The nurse glanced at her patient. “I wonder why?” She asked quietly. ooOoo Teagan was finally sitting at an outside table at Horté’s Café impatiently waiting for her food, along with Emma, the trolls, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Stormwind. Fluttershy had left to go fetch a friend she wanted Teagan to meet, promising to be right back. Pinkie Pie had vanished after giving Emma a thorough sniffing. “What was all that about?” Emma asked, staring after the fading pink blur vanishing down the street. Teagan laughed. “That, my dear Emma, is the sound of the orchestra warming up for a grand Ponyville tradition. You are doomed. Doomed, I say!” She said in a sepulchral voice, a wide grin splitting her face. “Am I right, Rainbow Dash?” The cyan pegasus started laughing. “Oh, yeah! You’re not getting away now that Pinkie’s got the bit in her teeth.” “Watch yer language, Dashie,” Applejack warned, but there was a twinkle in her eye. “Knowin’ Pinkie Ah’d say it’ll start by sundown.” “Unfortunately, we won’t be here at sundown,” Stormwind said rather stonily. “The plan was to take the afternoon train to Canterlot. As it is we barely have time for this—frivolity,” he sniffed. “I’m not budging until I eat, Stormwind,” Teagan growled. “I’m so famished I could gnaw my own arm off. It’s left me way beyond cranky.” “There are many stories about Mountain Heart, min Dronning,” Søyle unexpectedly spoke up in the uncomfortable silence that followed. “It is said that Mountain Heart feeds from its wielder. The greater the powers drawn forth the more it must feed. Only a handful of wielders ever dared call on the powers you used today. And none were ever able to leap into the sky as you did.” “Really?” Teagan asked, suddenly wondering if Crush might be doing more than just making her hungry. It was made for trolls, after all, who were much larger and stronger than she was. “What happened to them, the ones who dared?” “The need for such powers usually occurs in battle, min Dronning,” Søyle said soberly. “Sometimes even Mountain Heart is not enough to turn the tide. When a Kongen falls Mountain Heart lies there until the trolls can reclaim the territory and a new Kongen comes for it.” “But not last time,” Teagan said soberly. “It let the ponies take it. Any idea why?” Søyle shook her head. “Mountain Heart is a mystery even to the Alene, min Dronning. But, as always, a new linjal came for it, and brought it back to us. We are still grappling with the steinhellen.” “The what?” Teagan asked, furrowing her brow. “How do you say? In the cavern, when the ceiling collapses in a single piece?” Søyle asked. “Fallout,” Emma said unexpectedly. “I don’t know what that fallen stone is called, but she’s saying they’re still dealing with the fallout, Teelo.” “Ah,” Teagan said, face clearing. “Hey, wait a minute! Since when do you speak troll?” “I don’t,” Emma stuck her tongue out at the other girl. “But it’s kind of obvious.” “Not to me,” Rainbow Dash disagreed. “Me neither,” Applejack chimed in. “O’ course Ah ain’t no troll. Never did hang out in caves, nor met any trolls afore the Snøskred.” “I’m not a troll either,” Emma said. “But come on, that one was easy.” “If you say so. Where’s the food?” Teagan moaned. “I’m starving. If it doesn’t get here soon I’m gonna start chewing on the table!” “Is it really that bad?” Emma asked, frowning. “You have no idea,” Teagan answered. “It feels like I haven’t eaten for a week. Aren’t restaurants supposed to send out bread or something to tide you over?” “Teelo, darling!” A melodious voice interrupted her whining. “Are you all right?” Rarity was standing nearby, having approached without being noticed. “Hey, Rarity,” Teelo smiled with pleasure. “I’m glad to see you! Yes, I’m fine—starving, but not a scratch on me.” “I’m so relieved! When Princess Celestia’s guards brought poor Subtle Dancer to the hospital the grapevine went absolutely insane. Then the rest of the guards came back without you! Well, I must admit I feared the worst.” “I sent them back,” Teagan explained. “Subtle Dancer needed immediate treatment and two of the changelings would have died if they hadn’t gotten to the hospital in time. But we eventually got back in one piece, thanks to the Sun Shield and Ponyville’s volunteers. I hear the CMC kept you busy.” “Darling, I was at my wit’s end! Imagine Sweetie Belle and her friends off hunting monsters. They’d have been gobbled up by the first creature they came across! The Everfree is no place for little fillies like them.” “You can say that again. It’s no place for troll queens either!” Teagan agreed fervently. “Why don’t you join us for lunch? It will settle your nerves.” “Why, thank you. I believe I will,” Using her magic she plucked a pillow from an unoccupied table and crowded in with the rest of them. It was about this time their food arrived. Teelo’s eyes lit up as a massive bowl of stew was placed in front of her. She dove in without waiting for the others. It was a pony-sized portion, meaning it was more than three helpings for a normal girl like Emma. The latter watched wide-eyed as Teagan single-mindedly worked her way rapidly to the bottom of the bowl. “You’re going to make yourself sick,” Emma said, taking a spoonful of her own stew. “Hey, this is really good!” “Don’t worry about me,” Teagan replied, grabbing a piece of bread and sopping out her bowl. She ate it in two bites. “Using Crush makes me ravenous. Last time I was here I ate like a horse—sorry, pony. Literally! Pony-sized portions nearly every meal and I was still losing weight.” “I’m jealous,” Emma said with a laugh. “The way you work out it’s not surprising, though. You spend every day at Matt’s dojo and Lord knows what you do at home.” “Matt made me go to the doctor when I got back,” Teagan told her audience, who had just watched her demolish five ears of corn with lots of butter smeared on each one. Even the trolls looked impressed. “They did all kinds of tests, looking for everything from tape worms to cancer. Finally they just put it down to a, quote, “idiosyncratically high metabolism”, unquote,” she chuckled. “Bottom line, I have to eat a lot or I lose muscle mass. I’m averaging 6,000 calories a day now and that seems to keep me stable. It drives my mom nuts.” “Wow!” Rainbow Dash commented. “Most I ever ate was 9,000 and that was when I was doing double training. And I weigh a lot more than you do, too!” “What do you weigh?” Teagan asked. “Four hundred pounds or so?” Rarity burst into an ineptly smothered fit of giggles at the look on Rainbow Dash’s face. “No!” The pegasus denied indignantly. “Three sixty! What do I look like, an earth pony?” “Actually, Sugarcube, Ah weigh around four forty,” Applejack broke in soothingly. “Come ta think on it, Ah think Pinkie’s around four twenty-five her own self. She always was a bit on the skinny side.” “What about you, Rarity?” Teagan asked. “Me?” The unicorn asked, surprised. “One should never ask a lady her weight, darling! But if you must know I am a svelte three hundred and eight six pounds. What about you, dear?” “A hundred and twenty,” Teagan said immediately. “And it’s hard for me to keep it that high. I’m supposed to weigh about one thirty.” “That’s right, rub it in,” Emma moaned. “I’m supposed to weigh a hundred and forty and I weigh a hundred and fifty two.” “Why is it mares are compelled to compare their weights?” Stormwind sniffed. “Stallions never worry about things like that.” “Well, a fine stallion such as yourself clearly leads a healthy lifestyle. I’m sure you get lots of fresh air and exercise, flying around in all that dreadfully heavy armor,” Rarity said smoothly. “Alas, most of us lack such a superb exercise program. To catch a stallion’s eye a mare must be constantly vigilant about her weight,” she artfully tossed her head, letting her mane shift and bounce as she batted her eyes at him. Stormwind found himself watching her mane with keen interest before the Guard training reasserted itself and he donned a stoic mask. He was sure the unicorn had done it quite deliberately and knew exactly what reaction she’d provoked. But you’d never know it to look at her—she was the very picture of ladylike innocence. ooOoo The meal was winding down. Everyone else had finished their lunch and Teagan had gotten the massive piece of double-chocolate cake she’d ordered for desert. She was only half way through with it when Fluttershy came trotting up. “Oh, I’m so sorry, girls! It took longer than I thought because he was being stubborn,” Fluttershy apologized. “But I finally managed to persuade him.” “Persuade who?” Teagan asked, not seeing anyone behind the yellow pegasus. “What? Oh, no!” She spun around. “Now where did he get off to? Come on out, it’s okay. She’s not going to hurt you, you’re just being silly!” “Hurt him?” Teagan exchanged baffled looks with Emma. “Hurt who? Why would I hurt anybody?” “See? There’s nothing to be afraid of! So come on out and be a good boy,” Fluttershy crooned. Teagan chuckled to herself, expecting to see Angel come stalking out to glare at her. A creature came creeping out, all right. Only it wasn’t a small white rabbit. Teagan stared for a moment, her mind refusing to acknowledge the two legged serpentine form. She sat in bewilderment, trying to put a name to the bizarre mishmash of different creatures that stood no more than twenty feet away. “Hello, little Teelo!” It said with a cheerful grin and a small wave. “Did you miss me?” That voice. That loathsome, hateful, unforgettable voice. Teagan felt like someone had dumped ice water all over her. The frigid chill slammed through her, imploding until it reached her stomach. She felt the prickle of claws against her throat, heard that vile whisper in her ear, remembered the sick horror of not being able to move as terror slithered through her... The girl dropped her fork and began to tremble as her eyes grew impossibly wide. The racing chill slammed into her belly with unstoppable force, squeezing the horror harder and harder until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see—and still the icy fear slammed inward, compressing more and more fear into that tiny ball, until suddenly the ball ignited in a catastrophic rage that blew her out of her body to another place. Around her world darkened as black clouds covered the sky and the trees whipped in the howling winds of chaos. She stood naked in front of the madly cackling monster as lightning stabbed around them. She felt the glass rip through her bloody feet with every step she forced her agonized body to take. She raised her club… The table went flying as Teagan rose and drew Crush, a bloody glow blasting outward from her body. Ponies cursed and scrambled madly out of her way as she started screaming and staggering toward the creature that had tormented her beyond sanity, the monster she simply couldn’t kill—the horror that would not die. Swinging the club she brushed away the sturdy small fence separating the restaurant tables from the street as easily as she would have cobwebs, her glaring eyes fixed on her target. The wood and metal fence disintegrated, shrapnel flying outward with thuds and ringing tinkles. He just watched her come, frozen to the spot, mismatched eyes wide with shock, his mouth open in a wordless rictus of fear. She hurled herself at her nemesis, club coming around like a baseball bat, every ounce of strength devoted to smashing the abomination in front of her out of existence.