//------------------------------// // Stage // Story: Markings of a King // by Zimprus Nalune //------------------------------// Appaloosa Harbinger stood disguised among the crowds of Appaloosa. The entire town was clustered around a new, mysterious object that had appeared overnight and seemingly from nowhere. Murmurs traveled amongst the ponies about the object’s purpose, who had made it, and the like. She, of course, had the answers to all of those questions. But she wouldn’t tell anypony, because Apple Fritter didn’t know. She smirked at the Savior’s game, more specifically how he toyed with the ponies of Appaloosa. They were easy to whip into a stir, and she admitted it was almost... funny. Eventually, though, the sheriff called for everypony to disperse, and they did so. From that point on, they treated the object as just a random pillar in the middle of the town. Harbinger was the only one to return to it later, drawing her hoof across the segmented surface of the object. “Why did you have me bring this here?” she whispered to herself, but also through the Hive Mind. “What purpose does it serve?” *** “Explain this,” Chrysalis said, gesturing to the new addition to the throne room. “Please.” Jack smirked as he circled the object in question. It was a segmented double helix, created from the remains of the throne room’s once great obsidian doors. It began with a wide bottom, spiraling up and around itself, topping off at two very sharp points. He was proud of the way he had crafted it, the final product perfectly coinciding with his memories. “It’s just a little something I remember from my old life,” he said, stopping his pacing and placing his hand on the pillar’s surface. “Something I thought we could make a part of us.” “But what is it, exactly?” Chrysalis asked, eyes roaming over the surface. “I hope you put the shattered remains of our history to good use.” “It’s art, to be precise,” Jack replied, ignoring her addendum. “A very famous piece of art where I came from. I intend for it to become synonymous with changeling rule. And if you’ll look closely, you can see I’ve started recording history yet again.” Jack waved his hand, levitating the black helix up and turning it so Chrysalis could better see the underside. The changeling queen squinted and ignited her horn, showering the glossy surface in a green light. Carved into the obsidian, in very fine and flowing lines, were several different figures. Among them were Royal Guards, changelings, Jack, and Chrysalis herself. Several scenes were carved into the obsidian. The first, at the very base of the pillar, was of Jack, surrounded by guards and on the ground. The next was of him, this time surrounded by Chrysalis and her changelings. His left claw was the most prominent feature of the scene. Other sets were carved around the base, slowly spiraling around the pillar. There was a great deal of room left for more carvings, and by the time Chrysalis had finished scanning through what was already there, she had read through no more than a single ring around. “This is... impressive,” Chrysalis said slowly. “Out of curiosity, is this the only one?” “Actually, no,” Jack smiled, setting the pillar down gently. “I made two. One for Kruziik-Ahrol, another for Harbinger to deliver to Appaloosa.” Chrysalis tilted her head. “Why there?” Jack turned to her and chuckled darkly. “I’m marking it for conquest.” Jack began to circle Chrysalis. The changeling kept her eyes on him whenever he crossed in front of her, the pair watching each other warily. Chrysalis’ wings fluttered every so often, and Jack’s spines shivered at the same rate. The human stopped behind the changeling and turned to face away from her. “Marking something for conquest is easy...” Chrysalis said slowly. “Taking it... is much harder.” Chrysalis funneled her magic into her horn and created a wicked, multi-curved blade around it. Jack did the same with his left hand, forming a scythe-like blade that began on top of his wrist and ended far past his fingers. Both human and changeling spun around, Chrysalis swinging her blade upwards as Jack brought his down. The blades connected in the crook of the queen’s horn, hissing loudly as the duo forced them against one another. Jack and Chrysalis leaned further into the struggle, now adding their respective weights to their strengths. “That, my queen...” Jack spoke coolly. “Is a lesson I have learned many times.” The pair pushed off of one another, jumping back and watching their opponent for any further movement. A tense moment passed before Chrysalis leaped into the air, her wings giving her a quick boost forward. She brought her horn down in a cleaving motion, bearing down on top of Jack, who raised his blade to deflect the strike and slip out of the way. “And yet,” Chrysalis began, quickly swiping her horn low and to the side and forcing the teen into a much more awkward blade lock. “I think it is a lesson that has yet to take root.” Jack’s arm was twisted uncomfortably, and he had to keep it in position to keep Chrysalis’ attack from getting to him. However, the stress of keeping it that way was increasing by the moment. The teen gritted his teeth, then jumped and spun midair such that he landed on Chrysalis’ back. The changeling queen noticed this immediately, and swung her head back in order to get at the human on her back. Jack couldn’t get his hand raised in time to block the swing, so he did the next best thing. He managed to tilt his body just enough so that it wouldn’t slice through his vulnerable flesh, but rather impact on his newly gotten armor. He let out a short cry as the queen’s blade made contact with the chitin armor, cutting into but not completely severing it. Rather than capitalize on his new opening, Jack’s hand jerked to grasp his newly seared chitin. It was far more sensitive than he had anticipated, and now he was paying for it. Chrysalis finished her strike and brought her head forward, out of Jack’s immediate reach. With effort, she then threw her entire body back. Before Jack was aware of what she had done, he found himself painfully impacting the floor, the full weight of the changeling queen crashing down on top of him in addition to his own. Jack reflexively threw his arm around Chrysalis, holding her in place and digging his claws into her side. The changeling thrashed and tried to free herself, but Jack’s held fast, gritting his teeth and squeezing her abdomen harshly. “I know... what is beyond me...” Jack hissed, stopping for a moment as Chrysalis thrashed again, knocking her head into his and giving the both of them tremendous headaches. “My... queen...” Chrysalis hissed back at him and threw her head back again, stunning Jack enough that his grip loosened and enabled her to leap away from him. She lit her horn again with magic, preparing to put Jack down again if he should try anything. The human stumbled to his feet, clutching his throbbing skull in one hand, the other alight with magic and ready to strike out at any moment. He saw the queen ahead of him, and raised his glowing hand in defiance. “You would do well to remember who it is you are dealing with,” Chrysalis reminded him, narrowing her eyes. “I am not some pony to be trifled with as you please.” “And who else is supposed to save your entire race?” Jack asked sarcastically. “Face it, I’ve got you all by your collective throats.” “And what is it you’re hoping to gain from threatening me?” “I think that answer’s fairly obvious.” Chrysalis let out a short laugh, preparing to attack Jack once more. “And just why do you want my crown?” Jack opened his mouth for a harsh response, but froze when no legitimate reason sprung to mind. His eyes wandered over Chrysalis, and he was suddenly aware of a faint tug in his mind. It was a subtle feeling, but it brought with it a want, an unmistakable greed. Jack lowered his hand and straightened, tearing his eyes from the queen. He dispelled his magic with a flick of his wrist, and turned to leave the throne room. “Never mind...” He growled. Chrysalis allowed him to leave, only releasing her own magic once he was out of sight. She turned her attention back to the pillar the human had created, walking up to it and placing a hoof on the smooth surface. Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Just what are you playing at, human?” *** Appaloosa It was a dark night in Appaloosa. There was no moon out, leaving most of the land cloaked in utter darkness. Most of the town and the outlying farms were pitch black, save for the occasional night light that provided some comfort for the foals and fillies. A bright green flash briefly illuminated the area around the Appaloosan Apple Family home. A few of the farm animals let out low cries, but otherwise nothing was disturbed. Jack looked around, spotting the Apple house, a large red barn, a few pens filled with various livestock, and a nearby river. The area around the farm was covered in grass, but beyond that was nothing but loose sand. The human cracked his knuckles and looked towards the animal pens. Even in the dark of night, his eyes were able to identify a few cattle out from the rest of the livestock. He approached the pens, scanning and picking out the fattest cow among its number. With a flick of his arm, a bright green magical blade burst into existence. He walked up to one of the cows and stood in front of it. The cow cowered and took a step back from him, eyeing his blade nervously. “I’m almost certain you can understand me,” Jack spoke lowly. “So if you can, tell me your name.” The cow’s eyes widened. “W... what?” Jack grinned. “Scratch that, I’ll just call you dinner!” He said cheerily. *** Harbinger awoke to the sound of cattle crying out in distress. The loud cry had shaken any drowsiness from her system. She threw her covers off and bolted from her room, down the stairs and out the front door. She scanned the area and found a familiar being standing next to a slaughtered bovine, his green blade glowing eerily in the darkness. Harbinger changed back into her natural form with a flash of green fire. As she approached Jack, he turned to face her. “Greetings, Savior,” Harbinger said. “You sent no word ahead, I would have greeted you if I had known.” “Ah, don’t worry about it,” Jack said, waving his blade dismissively. “I need to get away for a bit. Spur of the moment and all that.” “If I may ask...” Harbinger tilted her head. “What are you trying to get away from?” Jack gave her a flat look and turned away, kneeling down next to the cattle he had killed. He drew his blade along the belly of the cow, slicing it open effortlessly. “Make me a fire, pronto,” he ordered. Harbinger blinked in surprise, but nodded and left for the barn. She glanced once over her shoulder to see the teen slicing away at the cow, and wondered what it was he was doing. She shrugged internally and looked away, continuing towards the barn. With habitual ease, the changeling opened the barn doors and slipped inside, heading to the rear where the dead and dry apple tree wood laid. She mindlessly loaded up a few large branches on her back, pondering all the while Jack’s words. He mentioned trying to escape something, but from his replies to her indicated that he likely wouldn’t go into any detail if she asked again. Harbinger left the barn and brought the branches over to Jack, who by then had completely disemboweled the bovine and had thrown its insides into a pile next to him. He was currently in the middle of cutting wherever there was meat to be had, levitating those suitable pieces above his head. Harbinger deposited the wood onto the ground and dug a hole, tossing the wood in and lighting it with a small gout of green fire from her horn. She turned back to Jack, who had stripped the cow of all useful meat and was holding it above him. "Your fire is ready, my liege," Harbinger said with a bow. "Is there anything else you need?" Jack levitated the chunks of meat he had gathered over the fire, sitting down with a sigh and patting the ground next to him. "Actually, yes," he smiled. "Have a seat. I'd like to talk with you." Again, Harbinger blinked in surprise, but took a seat next to the human anyway. She sat tentatively on her haunches, staring straight into the fire. A silence fell between them as the teen cooked his meat over the fire, slowly rotating the meat so as not to burn any portion of it. Harbinger remained still, watching the fire intently. “So,” Jack began, giving Harbinger a light nudge. “How’s life in Appaloosa?” “As usual,” she responded. “My memories are all the Hive’s, you are free to look through them.” “Nah.” Jack shook his head. “I want to hear it from you." Harbinger blinked again in surprise. She would have expected such a remark from someling not associated with the Hive Mind, but Jack was very well integrated, likely even more than she was. Nevertheless, she shook off her confusion and proceeded to begin a conversation with him. "As the ponies say, it goes," she replied. "The apple trees are almost ready for the fall harvest. The sheriff and his compatriots are still sifting through the wreck of the Salt Block, looking for any traces of me. And the nurse who found the survivor is helping them track me down. They're still a long way off, but they'll figure it out eventually." "Oh yeah?" Jack smiled. "Somehow I think you'll be fine. One way or another." Harbinger bit her lip. "Is that why you had me bring that marker into town last night?" she asked tentatively. Jack frowned, his spines twitching. "None of that right now," he said firmly. "I'm trying to get away, remember." "Away from what?" the changeling asked again, and for a second time received no immediate response. "Don't ask," Jack said after a long pause. The human levitated one piece of brown meat over to him, checking it for any signs of spoilage or undercookedness. Finding none, he drew the rest of the meat off the fire, and presented half of the lot to Harbinger, who simply stared at the meat floating in front of her. "If I may ask," she said slowly. "Why are you presenting me with cooked meat? I am not a carnivore, and neither do I savor the thought of eating Annie's remains." "Aw, come on," the teen grinned as he took a bite out of the juicy rib meat. "It'll be fine. Worst case scenario, you have a fatal allergic reaction and die. Otherwise, you'll love the taste, I guarantee.” “...I mean no disrespect, but...” Harbinger began, but stopped when she noticed the glare she was being given. “Don’t make me,” he said lowly, the ultimatum more than clear enough. With closed eyes and a slight grimace, Harbinger bowed her head and exchanged the meat with Jack, bringing it to her mouth and sniffing it cautiously. The aroma was pleasant enough, and the piece itself sent a small trail of steam into the air, indicating it was still hot. The changeling blew on the piece to cool it off some, then tentatively brought it into her mouth. A few jaw movements passed before the taste hit her, forcing her eyes wide in shock. “Oh yes...” she trailed off, her eyes drooping as she chewed happily. “This is wonderful...” “I knew you’d like it,” Jack smiled. “Honestly?” Harbinger swallowed her morsel. “This is the first hint of real taste I’ve ever gotten from tangible food. All the ponies love to eat plants and fruits, and us changelings never got any enjoyment from eating. It was just something we did to keep up our disguise. We could hardly even reuse the food.” “Interesting,” Jack said, thoughtfully chewing on another piece of meat. “But for some reason you can taste this.” Harbinger nodded rapidly. “Can I have some more?” she said, inching closer to the human. Jack snickered and levitated the other pieces of meat away from her. “No. No. Sit. Stay.” Jack said jokingly, bursting out in laughter when Harbinger did exactly as he said. “Roll over.” Harbinger grimaced, but laid on her belly and rolled over once before standing up again. “Play dead,” Jack grinned. Harbinger went limp and fell onto her side. “Do a loop-de-loop.” Harbinger got up and buzzed into the air, doing a small loop before landing again. “Turn into Celestia.” “I can’t do that,” Harbinger said flatly. “She’s too big.” “Okay then, Cadence.” Harbinger nodded, and with a flash, turned into the spitting image of Princess Cadence. “Now do an ostrich.” “I’m sorry?” Harbinger spoke in Cadence’s voice. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Jack rolled his eyes and searched through his memories. With an image in his mind, he willed Harbinger to see the same image, sending it to her through the Hive Mind. The changeling’s disguised face gained a look of horror as she realized what he wanted her to do. Jack simply snickered as she stared at him. “Yes sir,” Harbinger said dejectedly. “I’ll give you two pieces.” Harbinger looked up at him, smiling widely, all traces of reluctance gone. She then looked at the ground, then leveled her horn at it. In one swift jab, she stuck her entire head into the ground. Jack collapsed to the ground, holding his stomach as his laughter echoed through the night. Harbinger gave her head a few tugs, eventually popping her head out of the ground and shaking it vigorously. With a flash, she turned back into her changeling form and sat next to Jack, looking at him expectantly. The teen didn’t notice her, too occupied with attempting to cease his laughter, failing dismally. Eventually, Harbinger tired of waiting. She stood back up and leaped over Jack, snatching a sizable piece of rib out of the air and landing on the other side of him. The changeling let out a pleased moan as she tasted the meat in her mouth. She ran her tongue over its surface, savoring the exquisite taste and the alien texture. She had never had such a wondrous thing in her mouth, and when she swallowed it, she let out a contented sigh, wishing for more. By this point, the human’s laughter had died down, and now he simply chuckled constantly. Pushing himself to his feet, Jack dusted himself off, grabbing another bit of meat and eating it. He looked down at Harbinger with a wide smile, reaching down and rubbing the top of her head somewhat roughly, but affectionately. The changeling flinched at first, but eventually pushed her chitin plated head up against his hand. “Alright, Harbinger,” He chuckled. “I never considered thinking of you as cute, but here we are. Want to help me finish off the rest of this cow?” Harbinger nodded again. The pair sat down, splitting what was left of the meal between themselves, quietly enjoying the other’s company. *** Harbinger balanced her last piece of meat on the tip of her nose, delicately swaying to keep it there. Jack watched intently as she did so, fingers steepled together. Neither of them breathed a word to the other, too busy watching gravity try to foil Harbinger’s efforts. “Apple Fritter!” The voice of a concerned mother was instantly recognized, sending a shock of alarm through both changeling and human. Harbinger quickly let the singular piece of meat fall into her mouth and swallowed. With a bright green flash, she turned back into Apple Fritter, hoping and praying that her mother would not notice her shapeshifting. “Run!” She hissed at Jack. “Hide!” Jack simply stood up and dusted himself off once more. “Hello!” he called out. “She’s over here!” Both Harbinger and Jack saw a single mare exit the Apple household, a lit candleholder clutched in her teeth. She looked around the Apple farm, looking this way and that, finally making her way towards the pair once she caught sight of their fire. Jack waited patiently as the mare hurried along, hands folded behind his back. With a smirk, he glanced at Harbinger, who was sweating visibly, and certainly not from the heat of the fire. He extended a hand and patted her on the head, feeling her soft coat as opposed to hard chitin. “Relax,” he said softly. “It’ll be alright.” “Yes sir,” she replied weakly. The mare hurried along, her rapid pace quickly slowing down when she saw exactly who, and what, her daughter was accompanying. As she came into the light of the fire her features became more apparent. A vibrant, yet dark blue coat, offset by fiery orange eyes, and finally an earthen brown mane and tail comprised the mare’s coloration, and after a moment Jack concluded that she was an earth pony, lacking any additions to the contrary. A cutie mark comprised of a pair of golden coins was faintly visible in the light of the fire. The mare looked at Jack with fear in her eyes, her jaw dropping and allowing the candleholder to fall to the ground and extinguish. She remained still for a while, unable to tear her sight from the human in front of her. Jack simply smiled and held out his right hand. “You must be Apple Fritter’s mother,” he said gently. “Pleased to meet you, missus...?” It took a moment for the mare to respond, her jaw drifting ever so slightly from side to side, eventually closing and allowing a shocked voice to come out. “Two Bit,” she finished, shaking Jack’s hand awkwardly with a hoof. “Who are you?” “My name is Jack,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Missus Bit. Your daughter has told me quite a lot about you. Her entire family, as a matter of fact.” Two Bit nodded dumbly, prompting Jack to turn to Harbinger. “I think we’d better go inside,” he said aloud, then nodded toward the cow carcass. “I don’t think it’s quite safe out here.” “Do you think your so-called family will react well to me?” “Of course,” Harbinger nodded. “Thanks for driving that... thing away from the farm. Come on, mother, we’d better get inside.” “I think they will, if we keep up this facade. If my family accepts you, then the whole of Appaloosa should fall in line.” Two Bit slowly raised her hoof, pointing at the corpse of the bovine Jack had stripped of ribs. Her lip trembled, fear visible in her eyes. Jack and Harbinger looked at her, then one another, then at the corpse, then at each other once more. “Inside,” they said in unison. Jack gently lifted Two Bit up onto his shoulders, carrying her fireman style as Harbinger guided them back to the Apple house. No conversation passed between any of them, Two Bit in far too much shock, Harbinger and Jack keeping a pretense of alertness, occasionally stopping to check around themselves and listen intently to the night air. A slow pace kept them from reaching the homestead anytime soon, but eventually the trio reached the door to the Apple house. Harbinger quietly opened it and ushered Jack and Two Bit into the kitchen, closing and locking the door behind them. Jack had to crouch slightly in order to enter the house, the roof being just a tad short for him. He gently set Two Bit down in a chair Harbinger pulled out, allowing Harbinger to sit down next to Two Bit and hold on to her hoof comfortingly. Jack backed up a few steps, allowing the them to have some space. “I... I just don’t know what’s happening anymore...” Two Bit eventually said, tears in her eyes. “First your sister and the saloon burning down, now cattle being eaten and strange creatures showing up...” Harbinger simply leaned in and hugged her, allowing Two Bit to hug her back and let her tears fall. It was clear the mare was in some kind of shock, and as such Harbinger attempted to calm her with soothing whispers and words that Jack pointedly ignored. He remained silent, standing away from the pony and changeling in disguise. When Two Bit had regained her composure, she gently pushed her daughter away and turned to the human. She looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his left hand and shoulder, flinching at the sight of the vicious armor. “What are you?” she asked softly. “I’ve never seen your kind before.” “He’s a human, mother,” Harbinger supplied. “They’re wonderful creatures. Very friendly, very strong.” “How would you know?” Two Bit asked, a hint of motherly scolding in her voice. “I met him one night, out in the desert,” she replied sheepishly. “I know I’m not supposed to be out late at night, but there was the strangest noise, and I just couldn’t go to sleep. I stumbled across a pair of Fire Snakes, and, well, I don't want to think about what could have happened." “Apple Fritter! You should know better than to go sneaking out at night! I’m grounding you until further notice!” Harbinger hung her head in mock shame as Two Bit turned to Jack, who had a small smirk on his face. “Thank you for making sure she was safe,” she said, giving him a respectful nod. "No problem," he waved his hand dismissively. "I wouldn't let anything happen to little Fritter over there." Harbinger straightened up, genuine confusion radiating from her over the Hive Mind. She gave Jack a strange look, to which he responded with an almost unnoticeable wink. "'Little Fritter', you say?" Two Bit asked slowly turning back to Harbinger. "Exactly how well do you know this human, little filly?" Harbinger, by this point, was utterly befuddled. She kept trying to connect with Jack over the Hive Mind, but he simply refused to either communicate with her or allow her to read his intents. “I’m... that is to say...” Harbinger sputtered, trying to figure things out before they got out of hoof for her. Jack walked over to Harbinger and placed his hand on her head, smiling down at her even as she looked up at him, silently pleading with him. Two Bit visibly edged forward in her seat, causing Jack to chuckle to himself. “Oh, I’d say she knows me fairly well,” he said, smirking at Harbinger before looking at Two Bit. “It’s been a while, a few months I think. We’ve had some time to chat, you know?” “I... see,” Two Bit breathed out, relaxing slightly. “Well that’s... nice to hear.” “Isn’t it?” Harbinger offered weakly. Jack’s grin widened as he knelt down next to the confused changeling, giving her a slight nudge with his elbow. “Aw, come on, Fritter,” he said teasingly. “Got nothing else to say? You sure were the loudmouth two nights ago.” “Excuse me!?” Two Bit all but screamed, jumping out of her chair to stare at Jack and Harbinger with a parental rage. “Oh, pardon me, ma’am,” Jack stood up and held his hands up in front of him. “I think perhaps I misspoke. My mistake.” “You think?” Harbinger said, clearly exasperated. “No, what I meant to say was...” Jack pursed his lips and folded his hands. “You never really understand somepony until you’ve been inside them.” Two Bit’s eyes practically bulged out of her head. Her entire face reddened, making her look as if she had undergone a complete color change. Just as it seemed she would explode, she exhaled deeply, pointed at Harbinger, then pointed out of the room. “Upstairs, young lady,” she said softly. “I’d like to have a talk with you.” Jack tried to keep a straight face as Harbinger and Two Bit left the room. It wasn’t until he heard their hoofsteps up above that he allowed himself to chuckle and snicker, making sure Harbinger was well aware of the humor he had found at her expense. She made sure he knew she was absolutely livid. Jack’s chuckles turned into full on hysteria as he heard a scream from Two Bit upstairs. “YOU HAD SEX WHILE YOUR SISTER WAS BURNING!?” The matron’s voice carried surprisingly well throughout the entire house. “WITH SOME CELESTIA-KNOWS-WHAT FILTHY ANIMAL!?” Jack froze as a flash of pain echoed out from Harbinger’s mind, followed immediately by a loud crash from above him. “Okay, no.” *** Harbinger fell to the floor of her bedroom, clutching the cheek her mother struck. She let out a very unponylike hiss in pain, as tears streamed from her eye. The side of her face stung harshly, the feeling of the blow lingering far longer than it should have. However, the shock she was feeling was far worse than the slap. “How could you?” Two Bit sobbed. “Why couldn’t you be there?” Harbinger laid still on the floor, staring mutely across the room. Her mother’s words rained down ineffectually on her ears, as she was far too busy processing the one, burning thought in her mind. Two Bit had never, not ever, hit her. Harbinger heard a hiss in her mind, followed by a familiar sensation. She could feel her body going numb, her vision sharpening, all sound suddenly silenced. Shortly after, her veins caught fire, as the feeling of raw, complete, unadulterated power coursed through her body. And from her throat, in a voice not quite her own, came three deafening words. “ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.” Harbinger pulled herself to her hooves, feeling her disguise burn off her, revealing her true changeling body. Two Bit screamed in terror as Harbinger seized her in a magical grip, bringing her close to her face. “You have made a grave mistake.” Harbinger threw Two Bit through the roof, sending the mare far into the night sky as she screamed in absolute fear. To the changeling’s sharpened vision, Two Bit was clearly visible, even in the darkness. When Two Bit had flown far enough into the air that she was only a speck in Harbinger’s vision, she reversed her magic, bringing the mare back towards the earth at a dizzying speed. The screams of the pony were silenced as soon as she fell back through the roof, once again being levitated in front of Harbinger. The changeling felt the presence in her body recede slightly, allowing her muddled mind to think once more. She was now acutely aware of her mother in front of her, broken, bloodied, and quite near death. The mare’s head lolled around in a circle as she tried to look at the glowing changeling in front of her. “Where... where...” she whispered sluggishly. “Where... is my... daughter?” Harbinger blinked once, very slowly. She took a deep breath and brought her hooves together, standing tall and proud over Two Bit. A single tear fell down her face as she looked at her mother and caretaker. “I’m right here, ma.” And then she felt Jack’s mind encompass her own, hardening her heart and steeling her nerves. Her magic flared brightly, the air around her body saturated with raw power. “Face your annihilation.” *** Chrysalis laid on her bed, breathing even and steady, her mind somewhere in between awake and the void of slumber. Her limbs felt like lead, sprawled out as they were across the mattress. Her horn felt heavy and overexerted, throbbing dully every few moments. Sleep, it seemed, would not come to her. But then, she could easily place her inability to drift off to the concerns that ran through her mind. For as she was queen, she was very in tune with the needs of her hive, and her the needs of her children. As such, several things were becoming apparent, and none of them were in any way comforting. One, for starters, was the dwindling amount of love her hive had to run on. It wasn't that Equestria was lacking in love to feed on and exploit, no. In fact, ponies seemed to be clinging to each other more than ever, allowing her drones countless opportunities to feed. It was a matter of being able to escape the ponies' lands and return to the hive that was the issue. Formerly, drones came and went with impunity. However, it seemed that the Royal Guard was finally coming to realize that the changlings were in fact a threat, and thus were tightening security across Equestria. There was also the matter of their border patrols. While they were by no means any real concern, being too few in number to truly impede any movements her drones made, the fact remained that they were there, and the diarchs had finally realized that perhaps they were not as secure as they once thought. Second, and perhaps just as important, was the matter of Jack. For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Chrysalis found the human unbelievably confusing. On one hoof, she felt a desire to understand him, to know him as well as she knew the rest of her children. But on the other, since he had taken to carrying the Hive Mind, she was repulsed by him. She could feel her blood burning at the thought of him, a desire to wipe his smirk off his face and grind him into the floor beneath her hooves. Perhaps, she reasoned, it was his attitude. The human had come into her hive, taken what he wanted, when he wanted. She had glimpsed into his mind well enough when he was first brought to her to understand that he was no longer bound by many societal chains, and was on some level only reveling in his freedom. However, she could not ignore the fact that he had, twice now, taken her children from her. First there had been Cain. An accident, perhaps. Chrysalis had seen the thoughts churning in the young changeling's mind, and had simply dismissed them as a normal territorial instinct. She had not anticipated the drone to outright challenge Jack, after which he had brutally put the changeling in his place. And, quite unexpectedly, forced the changeling to become sentient. Chrysalis had thought that she was the only one who could give such a spirit, but she had been proven wrong. She was beginning to wonder how much her hive would pay for it. After Cain had died, and truly was he dead, Jack had gone one step further. The drone known as Harbinger was quite the debacle. When she was a simple drone, Chrysalis had disregarded the changeling's feeling of attachment to her surrogate family, thinking them simply a means to further an end. More than once, she had been proven correct. Then, quite simply, Jack happened. The human had come in force after seeing the way Chrysalis had been ogled by the stallions in Appaloosa. In his disgusted fury, he had practically forced his mind into the body of the drone, not only amplifying its power but also carving out space for the drone to become sentient. And as she could see now, the pair of them worked almost scarily well in tandem. Together, they truly were a sort of Harbinger. And yet, the queen could not suppress a smirk as she observed their consciousnesses blurring together, distinct but eerily similar. She felt the conflict and hurt roiling off of Harbinger, tempered by possessiveness and a cold anger. The overall message was quite clear. Harbinger was in pain, and Jack would not allow such a thing. Chrysalis’ smirk faded as she felt a felt a tug in her mind. Something was very, very wrong. The changeling queen listened intently with her mind. The Hive Mind had suddenly tensed up, like a string being pulled far further than it was meant to. Something was ready to snap. All of the lights of the changeling’s minds were flickering, agitated on some base level that even Chrysalis could feel. Among the vast ocean of candles, a light flickered. Then it died. Only one thing could be felt by anyling. Panic. *** “Was that truly necessary, my lord?” “On some level? No, it probably wasn’t.” Harbinger and Jack marched through the late night, one of their minds weighed down heavily by the act they had just committed. The other felt regret, but had quite justified itself so as not to feel anything. “I feel... hollow...” Harbinger said, keeping her eyes trained on the ground. “I expect as much,” Jack nodded in acknowledgement. “A brilliant and happy, or at least content, chapter of your life has just ended.” Harbinger was silent for a moment. “Do you mean you knew that this would happen?” Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then reached down and placed his hand on Harbinger’s head. “My little changeling, this turned out no better for you than it did for me.” He paused. “Though I think we both learned something tonight.” “What!?” Harbinger yelled, stopping and looking up at Jack, all respect forgotten. “What could we have possibly learned!? What could be worth throwing away my entire life!?” Jack drew back his hand as Harbinger snapped at it, slowly clenching his fingers into a fist. He did no more than scowl at the changeling, bring his left hand up, and allow his magic to bathe the both of them in a vibrant green glow. “You should know as well as I, little changeling,” he said to her. “Our lives are worth being what we are, no matter how much it hurts. However much I hated it, I had a life before I came to Equestria. I had a mother and a sister, much like you. Different though they were, they were still the ones I grew up with.” Jack’s glowing hand snapped down and caught Harbinger by the throat, lifting her up to his eye level. He drew her close enough so their noses were touching and their eyes could see nought but their opposites. He then spoke to her in a low whisper. “I was running from what we are. But now I know, and I think you do too.” A silence settled between them as Harbinger let all Jack had said sink in. Eventually, she whispered back to him. “There’s no running from the monster inside.” Jack nodded slowly, then set her down extremely gently, patting her head softly as he drew his hand away. Then they resumed their trek back to Kruziik-Ahrol. And without warning, a tug was felt. A light died. Panic.