//------------------------------// // CHAPTER SIX: WRATH // Story: Mind Over Might // by SilentSky //------------------------------// --- Knight Sky awoke at dawn to find Fluttershy peacefully asleep beside him, one of her wings still spread protectively over him and the other folded neatly at her side. After the previous night’s horrors, though he felt restless himself, he decided not to wake her. He carefully and stealthily removed himself from her embrace and got to his hooves, looking back at the sleeping mare with a smile on his face and a warmth in his heart that he hadn’t felt since before Adra’s death. It felt like a lifetime ago that he was a human, when in reality, it only added up to about two months. Beckoned by the smells of nature from outside, the cool dawn breeze from the slightly open window, and the golden rays of the sun peeking over the horizon, Knight Sky’s attention was drawn outside. It was then that he spotted a rather large and ugly-looking bird staring back at him with a strangely harsh glare. It stared him down, and then disappeared back into the forest. Too many small creatures had been watching him that way, and Knight Sky wanted answers. He decided to follow it, since a sunrise walk would be nice anyway. As dangerous as he was told the Everfree Forest was, it seemed peaceful enough on the outskirts. Knight Sky stuck to the treeline, and began walking. The scenic beauty was beyond his wildest dreams. Life on a starship rarely featured tall, strong trees, deep blue skies, and golden sunrises. However, what struck him most were the smells. He’d spent his entire life breathing the filtered and sterilized air of starships and space fighters, and despite getting used to it, they always had a similarly unpleasant tinge to them. There was nothing unpleasant or artificial about the smells here. The scent of rich soil and healthy grass wet from morning dew filled him with energy. He drew the scents deep into his lungs, and savored them. The air was invigorating. Not in the way that the oxygen-surplused air of a starship energized one, but in a different way that he couldn’t describe. He lost himself in the aromas, walking at a brisk trot along the treeline. He walked for what he estimated to be nearly a half hour when a strangely familiar voice called to him from within the trees. “Hey, Knight Sky!” “What? Who’s there?” He knew the voice, but she was not even supposed to be awake at this hour or anywhere near the forest for that matter. The voice called out again. “I think I’ve found something you’ll want to see!” “What?” Now he definitely recognized the voice, he had to investigate. Knight Sky pushed his way past a bush, and after a minute of weaving around the trees and thick undergrowth he came face-to-face with Twilight, though something about her facial expression seemed off. “What did you find?” “Heh heh, you’ll see. Follow me,” she said with just the slightest hint of...malice? His guard up, Knight Sky followed. Every time the unicorn looked back to make sure he was following, he could have sworn he saw the faintest flash of green in her normally violet eyes as she led him deeper into the forest. It put him on edge. Something didn’t feel right about this. When they reached a small clearing with no view of the sky, she stopped. “So...where is it, whatever you say you’ve found?” he asked with with skepticism in his voice. “It’s right where you’re standing.” she said with a menacing look. “Twilight, is something wrong?” “Not anymore it isn’t,” a wicked grin spread across her features. soundtrack Her horn flashed bright green and encircled them both in a ring of green fire. “Twilight, what the hell is this?!” She laughed cruelly. “Oh, silly me. You can’t escape anyway, so there’s no more need for this ridiculous disguise.” At that, a green point of light formed on her horn and blazed to sudden brightness. Knight Sky had to avert his gaze lest he be blinded, but when he turned back to look again, in Twilight’s place stood a large, black creature with insect-like wings, a jagged horn, and legs filled with holes. It stared down at him with cruel eyes. “Allow me to introduce myself,” it said in a voice very different from Twilight’s. “I am Chrysalis, queen of the Changelings, and I offer you some information in exchange for your help.” Initially recoiling at the sight of this creature, Knight Sky regained his composure, deciding to give a fair chance to a being of whom he had no prior knowledge. “What do you need my help with, and what kind of information are you offering?” She grinned smugly. “Information that will lead to your salvation. I have been watching you; rather, my changelings have. You are not of this world, and within your mind lies a sleeping beast that threatens to devour it.” “...how, how could you know all this?” he stood in utter disbelief. “My changelings are able to assume the shape of any pony, bird, fish, insect, or otherwise and remain in perfect disguise as long as they need to in order to obtain necessary information. I would expect one shapeshifter to recognize another, but I suppose I was wrong.” Responding to his look of shock, Chrysalis continued, “Oh yes, I know about your bioscribe. Rather impressive bit of technology, but flawed. Now, for my proposition.” “I’m listening...” he said with narrowed eyes, very suspicious of this alleged queen. “As a powerful changeling, I possess the power to grant you your original human form, and as a powerful mage, I can unlock your name from the memories you hold, return your memories to you, and help you rid yourself of the demon within.” He thought to himself, This seems too good to be true... “No kidding, do it.” Adra’s voice urged. I don’t trust this creature. He thought back, surprised at the first instance of Adra’s memory giving him what sounded like definitively bad advice. His mind silent, he flatly asked the burning question. “What’s the catch?” “I see you don’t like to beat around the bush, as it were. You see, several months ago, I went to the capital of this fair nation as an emissary of my own. My changelings are starving, and I sought help from the supposedly benevolent rulers of this land. After insulting me and mocking my pleas, they had their thrice-damned Royal Guard chase me out of the city, murdering scores of my helpless changelings as we fled. There are precious few of us left.” “So you want me to somehow help you find food for your subjects?” he asked skeptically. “No, all you must do is lead an attack on Ponyville.” Knight Sky nearly choked. “W-what?! No! Why would I do that?” She began walking a slow, predatory circle around him. “They have been lying to you all along about your precious little war, but I’ll save that bit of information for after you help me. I know you’re a strategist, and I’ll need one if I’m going to use the few changelings I have left to take Ponyville. If we succeed, my subjects will be fed, and I will grant you your human form, all of your memories, a certain important bit of news regarding your war, and vanquish the beast in your mind for you.” Knight Sky knew a false promise when he heard one, and after all his friends in Ponyville had done for him, he would be damned if he let them come to harm, much less brought them to harm himself. It was on this line of thought that he let slip some very rash words. “I’ll tell you what. You can take your offer, and shove it up your ass.” As he took flight to leave Chrysalis behind, he suddenly felt himself caught in an icy grip. He looked down to see Chrysalis’ horn glowing, along with his own body, her face twisted into a sadistic grin. “I had hoped you would at least put up some fight. I do need you alive, but now I get to do this!” Her eyes flashed, and a beam of green light shot from her horn to his body. It felt like he was thrown into a burning furnace. The pain was unlike any he’d ever known. He grunted in agony as he felt his dark grey coat singe away to reveal his skin, which began to sizzle and crack away to expose the muscle and sinew beneath. The pain now too great to stop himself from giving her the satisfaction of his agony, he screamed a piercing cry. Just when he felt like his bones were charring to dust, she released him and dropped him to the forest floor. “...you...you bitch...” he grunted as he found himself too weak to stand. “Ahhh, I enjoyed that. I hope you did too. You look like you could use a rest. My offer still stands, perhaps you should sleep on it.” As she said it, he already felt his world spinning into blackness as Chrysalis’ shrill laugh faded from his reality. --- Still half asleep, Fluttershy tried to tighten her wing around the stallion she thought still laid beside her. On finding nothing there, her eyes snapped open. “Knight Sky? Where are you?” she asked to the empty room. The sun was just barely over the horizon, and she looked around the house to find only herself and her animals. She began to worry. It had taken some persuasion, but she had managed to convince him to tell her his nightmare. As a result, she feared that he would wander off in despair, which was part of why she held him so persistently throughout the night. That, and she couldn’t stand to see him in such pain and her touch seemed to soothe him, much to her own contentment. She ran outside and checked the immediate area around the house, finding it vacant, her worry turned to fear. It wasn’t until Fluttershy heard the sound that her fears turned to utter panic. “EEEEAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!!!” A piercing cry came from the direction of the Everfree forest, and Fluttershy took to the air. She recognized the voice immediately, and a million thoughts raced through her mind as she flew. Her panic led her to tears as she desperately looked down on the Everfree, not seeing a trace of the stallion in question. She hardly even noticed one of her best friends attending to early morning weather duties. When she caught sight of her friend in distress, Rainbow Dash immediately told the other weather pegasi, “Take over for me! I’ll make it up to ya!” and raced to go help her friend. “Fluttershy! What happened?!” she shouted to her sobbing friend as they flew side-by-side. Fluttershy responded in a frantic voice, “He’s gone! I can’t find him! I heard him scream, and he’s probably hurt! Oh Celestia, how could I let this happen?!” “Fluttershy, get ahold of yourself!” The sky blue pegasus grabbed her hysterical friend and flew her to the ground so she could speak calmly, “Now take a breath and tell me who’s missing.” Fluttershy did as she was told, “I woke up this morning, and Knight Sky was nowhere to be found. When I looked outside, all I heard was him screaming somewhere in the forest, but it wasn’t a scream of fear. He sounded like he was really hurt! Something’s definitely caught him and hurt him badly, we have to help him!” “Okay, you fly straight to Twilight and get her to organize a search. I’ll mobilize the weather pegasi and have them do a flyover of the whole forest. Don’t worry, if he’s down there at all, we’ll find the guy!” Fluttershy choked again on her tears, “Whatever happened is my fault. If I was awake when he woke up, he wouldn’t-” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Stop that! Now’s not the time to blame yourself! I know your feelings about him are very strong, but the best way you can help him is to keep your head and tell Twilight as quickly as you can!” Her friend was right, it was time to be brave. Fluttershy steeled her nerve and said, “Right. I’ll go get her, be careful! And thank you.” Rainbow Dash smiled, “What’re friends for? Like I always say, I never leave a friend hangin’! Now let’s go!” The two pegasi launched themselves into the air in opposite directions. --- Twilight Sparkle awoke in her library to a frantic knocking on her door. “Ugh...it’s too early for shenanigans...” she said as she groggily rolled out of bed and walked downstairs. The knocking persisted, “I’m coming, I’m coming.” The sleepy unicorn opened the door only to be pushed back inside by Fluttershy, whose face betrayed only one thing: extreme urgency. “Fluttershy? Is everything-” “No Twilight, everything’s not okay. I need you to organize a search party immediately!” “Did somepony say ‘party?!’” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, somehow emerging from one of the inkpots on a desk in the main room of the library. Twilight curtly said, “Not now, Pinkie.” Turning their attention back to one another, Twilight asked Fluttershy, “What happened? Who’s missing?” She took a deep breath, and explained, “When I woke up this morning, I couldn’t find Knight Sky anywhere. I went outside to look for him and heard a scream from the Everfree Forest. It was definitely him screaming, and it was definitely the sound of somepony in immense physical pain. Can you get everypony organized for an emergency search?” Without hesitation, Twilight replied, “Absolutely. Pinkie, I need your help with this.” Despite her goofiness a moment earlier, the pink party mare snapped a stern salute and dove back into the inkpot. “Fluttershy, I can tell you want to go look for him yourself. Go ahead, just...be careful.” Twilight put a concerned hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “I will. Twilight, thank you. Rainbow Dash and all of the weather pegasi are already flying over the whole forest, so I’ll be safe if I help them.” Within an hour, Twilight had rallied about half the town to come help look for the missing pegasus. The other half were either too young or old to be sent on the search; wanted to participate but couldn’t; or, disturbingly, still thought Knight Sky a threat and elected to leave him to his fate. --- Knight Sky awoke within a large, dimly lit stone cavern. He sat up to find himself in little to no pain, contrasting the manner in which he’d fallen unconscious. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the dark, and looked around. He was in a small corner that had been barred off to act as a makeshift cell. He stepped to the bars to look around the cavern. There were flaming torches on the walls, and old mining equipment scattered throughout the room. Clearly this area was some sort of storage area for a mine. On the wall was what looked like a map of the cavern. There was even a very sizeable stockpile of dynamite. If I can get out of this cell, there are plenty of tools I can use... “Hey, you!” an ugly voice called. Knight Sky looked toward the sound to see it came from one of two creatures, one very large, the other a bit smaller. They had long, thick arms, short, spiked tails, and their faces looked like they were some sort of mutated canine animal. “You’re awake, huh? Guess I better go tell queen Chrysie.” he turned around before the other grabbed him. “No! I wanna tell her! You always get all the glory.” The two squabbled for several minutes, eventually deciding to take a nap and decide later. Seriously? These are my jailors? He continued to think things through carefully. Still, I shouldn’t underestimate them, they seem to be working for Chrysalis. If I get out of here, I’ll need to head straight to town to warn them. Chrysalis may be somewhere in here, so however I get out, it’ll have to be stealthy. Anyone I see could be her or a changeling. Knight Sky turned his flank to the bars, and gathered his strength, he had to prepare to subdue the dog-like creatures guarding his cell. Though combined they seemed to have the intelligence of a rock, they looked incredibly strong. With a stiff kick, his hoof rang loudly against the metal bars. “HEY! Quiet down!” One of them was awake now. With another kick against the bars, the other stirred. “What’s all that racket?” the smaller one groaned. His counterpart growled, “It’s that stupid pony. I can’t believe we gotta watch him ‘stead of lookin’ for gems! I just wanna go in there and beat ‘im to a pulp for makin’ us have to sit around here all day.” He grinned. Time to manipulate their dumb little minds... “You two don’t look so tough,” he called back to them. “Oh yeah? Ya wanna mess with me? I’m the strongest diamond dog in these here caves!” the larger one asked. “I don’t think it’ll be a fair fight, it’s not all about strength. You need a brain too, something you clearly lack,” he taunted back at the diamond dog. “What?! That’s it!” the large one shouted, grabbing his keys and a large spiked mace. “Queen Chrysie said you had to be alive, she didn’t say nothin’ about you bein’ in one piece!” The diamond dog unlocked the cell door, and threw it open. He stomped towards Knight Sky, and raised his mace high over his head. Knight Sky braced himself for a counter. Just like that little incident with the Lunar Guard... As the mace came down, Knight Sky dodged into a roll, and while inverted, kicked the mace out of the diamond dog’s paw. He caught it in air with his teeth, and followed through with his motion. The rather slow moving diamond dog had just long enough to realize that strength really wasn’t everything. Knight Sky was far too fast for him. In what looked like one movement, he dodged the mace, disarmed him, caught the mace, and brought it around in a hard swing. The smaller diamond dog watched in horror as his fellow jailor’s head was quite literally smashed to pieces between a mace and the wall of the jail cell. Knight Sky spat out the mace, and turned to glare at the other jailor. One look was all it took. The smaller one whimpered and ran off, tail between its legs. I don’t have much time before he tells someone who can think. Better make this quick... The dark grey pegasus trotted over to the stockpile of dynamite. Nearby was a long spool of fuse which was labelled with detailed instructions. It seemed that once lit, the flame would propagate very quickly along the fuse at hundreds of feet per second. This will at least work as an effective guide rope, should I get lost. And it’ll make a good last resort should it come to that... He tied the loose end to the fuse of a large bundle of dynamite, which would set off the rest of what must have been more than five tons of mining explosives, and took with him an igniter. After a quick study of the map, Knight Sky had a good idea of where the only exit was, and an equally good idea of how to get there. The only problem was that the only possible route went straight past a room labeled “Changelings Only.” That could only mean it was some sort of planning room, probably for the attack on Ponyville. Knight Sky took a deep breath, and set off, spooling out the fuse as he went. --- “Twi! Hey, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called from above. “What is it? Did you find something?” She had broken the volunteers for the search into groups of two so they could safely cover more ground. Each group was followed by a pegasus. Twilight herself searched alone, with Rainbow Dash flying overhead beneath the tree canopy and sticking close to act as her eyes while she scanned for signs of offense-oriented magic. “Yeah! I thought I saw something just a little further ahead from your current position!” she shouted. “Go and wait there! I’ll come meet you.” The pegasus flew down to a spot in the trees a short distance away. Twilight headed straight there. “What did you-” she gasped. Rainbow Dash was standing forlornly over what she’d found. It was a tuft of gold and orange hair, clearly the same color as Knight Sky’s mane. There were a few drops of blood over it and next to it on the ground. Rainbow Dash looked up from it on the verge of tears as Twilight charged her horn and scanned for any magic that was recently used in the area. “Twilight...please tell me he’s not-” “No. Whatever did that to him, it wasn’t deadly. It was an incendiary hex, meant to cause the sensation of being burned alive without actually killing the individual. That means he was tortured to incapacitation, and taken somewhere else.” “W-who could do that to anypony?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I don’t know, but I’ve felt this magic before, and if I’m right, we may be in for a lot of trouble soon.” Their thoughts were interrupted by a distinct rumbling in the ground, and the sounds of distant thunder coming from the direction of a nearby mountain. The sounds intensified, and Twilight used her magic to amplify her voice. “EVERYPONY OUT OF THE FOREST, NOW!” Simultaneously, the multitude of weather pegasi flying overhead and searching from the skies swooped down and grabbed one of their flightless fellow citizens. Some grabbed two, and whisked them out of the forest. A large number came running out of the trees. Twilight watched from the air as Rainbow Dash carried her to safety as well. She only hoped none were left in the forest, for if what she suspected was true, anyone in there was now in serious danger. --- soundtrack Knight Sky kept to the shadows and followed his memory of the map as best he could, only getting turned around once. He did encounter his former jailor at one point, but on sight the creature once again fled in fear. After what felt like only an hour of searching, he came to the last stretch of the cave before the exit. He could smell the outside air cutting through the stale stench of the underground, and saw reflections of sunlight streaming in. The spool of quick-fuse was reaching its end. He didn’t really need it anymore, but kept a hold on it just the same. Knight Sky rounded a corner, and in plain view was a heavy door, exactly where the “changelings only” room was supposed to be. Time for a little recon... Still keeping to the shadows, and helped greatly by his dark grey coat, the pegasus crept up to the door and put an ear to it. He could hear Chrysalis speaking, “..and even if he doesn’t help us, we’ve since imprisoned enough diamond dogs to raise a small army. I’ll consume them and use magic to spawn just enough changelings for our initial strike. The attack on Ponyville will go ahead as planned tomorrow at dawn, and any one of you who gets in my way will share the fate of the ponies. I assure you, it won’t be a pleasant one.” A different voice asked, “Your majesty, this one will serve you to the death if needed, and apologizes for his curiosity, but what is your plan for after you take Ponyville?” “Your loyalty is refreshing, my changeling. My intention is for us to consume every last one of the residents, with the exception of the six Element Bearers. We will multiply using our new food source. I will then hold the six of them as hostages, and their cries of agony will reach the ears of their Princesses. I intend to bring the alicorn sisters here alone. When they arrive, we will ambush them. I don’t care how many have to die, I WILL see their heads on a spike. Once that is finished, nothing stands between us and all of Equestria. We will never again go hungry, my changelings.” Knight Sky almost gagged at the sinister nature of this attack plan. It reminded him all too much of the minimal regard for life held by the Faction. Then and there, he knew he was fighting for the right side. He looked down at the spool of fuse, and then up again at the cave exit. He was debating resorting to that when the door opened, and he found himself face to face with a creature that looked like a smaller version of Chrysalis. Without waiting for it to react, he threw a hoof into its face, stunning it, and giving him a chance to sprint for the exit. After a moment, it regained itself enough to shout, “My queen! The prisoner has escaped!” “Stop him! Ponyville must not be warned!” Knight Sky heard the sound of hollow hooves chasing after him, and flapped his wings, boosting himself to the cave exit, and turning to face his pursuers who stopped in horror when they saw what he was holding. In one hoof, Knight Sky held the end of the fuse; in the other, the igniter. “You will not harm my friends. Not while I draw breath.” He struck the igniter against the fuse, and the flame darted away. The changelings chased after it, clearly not realizing just how hopeless such a pursuit was. Knight Sky flapped his wings again, and landed on a flat rocky outcrop a short distance from the cave entrance as the ground began to shake. --- Fluttershy and her friends pushed to the front of the crowd, fearing the worst for their friend. They realized the shaking was coming from a nearby mountain and all congregated before it, hoping they wouldn’t be forced to fight or run from whatever malevolence emerged. Just when they thought their fears would be confirmed, Rainbow Dash caught sight of something. “There! In front of the cave! There he is!” she pointed with a hoof to a dark grey shape moving among the grey rocks. soundtrack He was hard to see until a deafening explosion emerged from the mouth of the cavern along with a massive ball of blazing yellow flame and a billowing cloud of black smoke. They could then see Knight Sky silhouetted against the fireball. His eyes were narrowed in anger and he wore a look of fierce, grim determination, not even looking back to the inferno that raged behind him as he made his way over to them. No sooner had he gotten close to the group than Fluttershy swooped down and grabbed him in a tight embrace. His expression softened to one of relief, and he nuzzled her affectionately. Twilight approached the two of them. “Knight Sky, are you okay?!” He looked sternly at Twilight. “I’m fine, but you’re not.” “What?” she asked with confusion. “Ponyville is in grave danger. Is there a Royal Guard detachment stationed here in town?” He looked around as if searching for any sign of authority. She thought for a second and answered, “Well, yes, but they’re only here to keep the peace...what’s-” “Take me there, I need to speak with them immediately,” he snapped. --- “I don’t understand, how could you know in advance about an attack like this?” The chief of the Royal Guard detachment for the town looked confused when Knight Sky explained everything he heard from Chrysalis inside the cavern. “As I have already said, you’d be surprised what you hear when your enemy thinks you’re locked up or dead. I may not look it, but trust me, I’ve seen a lot of combat. I know strategy. Although I destroyed her base of operations, we cannot assume Chrysalis to be dead or even defeated. Our best bet is to conclude that she could attack at any time. She mentioned dawn as the time of the attack, but given her circumstances, we should prepare ourselves starting now.” The guard eyed him carefully, and relented. “Then what do you suggest?” “How many Royal Guard soldiers are in this town?” he asked curtly. The guard looked over at a roster and answered, “Not many in a town as quiet as this one. We have five earth ponies, three pegasi, and a unicorn on duty this week.” “That isn’t much to work with, but I’ve lead attacks with smaller forces. What about your princesses? Could they be contacted for reinforcements?” “You’ll need a dragon to get word to them in time,” the guard sighed. Twilight Sparkle, who had lead him to the guard post, chimed in. “That won’t be a problem, I’ll go get a letter off right now! What should I say?” Knight Sky thought for a moment and said, “Tell them we need all the force that can be spared. Strategy is essential here, but power in numbers is not to be taken lightly. Chrysalis may have a larger force than we expect.” She nodded and galloped off to her library, presumably to write and send the letter. The chief guard looked back to Knight Sky and inquired, “Do you have a strategy in case the changelings arrive before our reinforcements?" “I don’t know much of their attack, though I do know that one of their primary goals is the capture of all six Element Bearers alive. They intend to use them as bait to lure the princesses here alone so Chrysalis can dispatch them herself. They won’t expect them to come in force.” The chief responded, “In that case, we should make protecting the Element Bearers our highest priority.” “No. That’s exactly what she’ll expect. She won’t, however, expect to find them on the front lines,” Knight Sky explained with a knowing grin. --- Her duties at court finished for the day, Celestia went to join her sister on the palace balcony to perform her other responsibilities. She reached out to her sun, gave it the required nudge with her magic, and it slipped below the horizon just as Luna closed her eyes and pulled forth her moon. Another focused burst of magic from Luna, and the sky was filled with a tapestry of points of light. The stars welcomed the land for another night. “Beautiful as always, sister,” Celestia remarked. Luna grinned proudly just as a letter materialized before them. Celestia took hold of it with her magic and unfurled it before the two of them, carefully reading the hastily written script. Princesses, Your aid is required immediately. Changeling swarm to attack Ponyville at dawn, Knight Sky organizing defense strategy. We will be overwhelmed without an army. -Twilight Sparkle The two sisters looked at one another and each gave a determined nod. Celestia stepped to the edge of the balcony and breathed deep. It wasn’t often that she used the Voice. “ROYAL GUARD! TO ARMS!” ---