//------------------------------//
// 101. The best laid plans of changelings and ponies 
// Story: Rebirth of the Damned 
// by Borsuq 
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A changeling.
Looking aghast at it was all that Twilight could do. As the black creature’s wings buzzed, time stopped for her. That sound pulled her mind back to the day of her brother’s wedding, when hundreds or even thousands of those monsters attacked Canterlot. Twilight recalled how she and her friends fought them while making their way for the Elements of Harmony, so that they could beat the evil queen that defeated Princess Celestia, who put Shining Armor under her spell, and kidnapped Princess Cadance. The constant buzzing when they surrounded them, the emotionless, horrifying blue eyes without irises or pupils...
The golden chains appeared around the changeling, preventing it from moving. The buzzing stopped, and with great effort Twilight pushed her memories away, concentrating on what was happening now.
“Where is Scootaloo?” Matt growled, standing just few steps away from the changeling.
As Twilight’s mind began once again registering what was going on around her, she noticed that the other paladins and two guards surrounded the backed to the wall creature, and her friends weren’t far behind them… Although only two of her friends, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, looked as pissed as Matt was, at least until he mentioned the pegasus filly. Once he did, everypony had realized that if the bug-like creature took the shape of Scootaloo, then that could mean…
Anger rising within her for those monsters and what they kept on doing to ponies, Twilight teleported to Matt’s side to help him interrogate the changeling. She did it in time to see it give the stallion its response:
“Calm down.” it said, and the sound of its voice seemed to indicate that it was a male, but Twilight neither was sure about that nor interested in changeling’s gender. But she was able to tell by its facial expression (as alien as it was) that despite the situation it was in, it was calm. “The pegasus and those three other fillies are fine… Well, for now, anyways.”
Twilight gasped, and heard several others behind her. The ‘three other’ the changeling was talking about could be only Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed. Judging by its comment; all four Crusaders were in the changelings’ captivity. Matt undoubtedly reached the same conclusion much faster, for he pushed the changeling against the wall before Twilight had a chance to think about using King Sombra’s dark magic on the fiend.
“You’ve got about ten seconds to tell me where they are,” Matt told it, the Holy Avenger in his hoof and pressed against changeling’s neck, “after that I will have a head to mount over my fireplace!”
“Oh, I don’t think it will come to that.” the bug replied casually.
Despite her utter disgust with those monsters, Twilight couldn’t help but stare at it in shock. “Does it have some sort of a death wish?!”
“And why is that?” Matt asked, not moving by inch.
“Because no harm came to the foals.” the changeling told him. “But my queen plans to inflict on them all the eventual damage that will come to me from this point as a payback.”
“She’s keeping them hostage?!” Twilight thought, terrified. Then her fear turned into hatred as she recalled what kind of monster the Changeling Queen was.
The unicorn could see Matt grind his teeth, but with the girls’ life being in danger, he knew like her that there was nothing he could do. With his eyes burning with rage, he took a step back from the changeling, releasing it. But he still kept the Holy Avenger within his grasp and the bug thing in his reach.
“Fine, then.” he said, although anypony could see how much he loathed saying those words. “What does Chrysalis want?”
Twilight bristled hearing him use the name of the Changeling Queen. In her mind, all that she deserved to be called was Monster.
But when the short answer left changeling's mouth, all thoughts evaporated from her mind out of sheer shock.
“To talk.”
The lavender unicorn stared at the changeling as if it lost whatever in Tartarus it had for a mind, and she knew that she wasn’t the only one. All around her, her friends looked at the bug aghast at his response.
“Can you elaborate?” Matt asked, somehow managing to keep his cool.
“My queen wishes to speak with you.” the changeling replied, paying nopony else any attention. “Her Majesty would have preferred to avoid using those fillies, but she felt that she wouldn’t be… welcomed if she just came here.”
“You’re damn right she wouldn’t be!” Twilight screamed mentally, but allowed Matt to continue questioning it. For now...
“And what exactly she wants to talk about?”
“I’m afraid you will have to learn that from my queen.” the changeling told him.
Matt stared at the bug in silence, with an expression that Twilight knew only too well. It was on his face whenever he planning what to do next… and usually, the course he took was the last one she would pick.
“You don’t actually think about going to meet with her?!” she asked him, stomping angrily. “Have you forgotten what that monster did to me, my brother, Cadance, Princess Celestia, and the whole Canterlot?!”
“No, I haven’t forgotten.” Matt said calmly. “But I don’t see any way to rescue the girls other than accepting Chrysalis invitation.” glancing at the changeling and dispelling his blade, he added: “He obviously isn’t going to tell me where they are-”
Twilight didn’t know what annoyed her more: the fact that he was actually going to do this, or that he referred to it as ‘he’.
“So make it tell you!” she yelled. “Interrogate it, make it talk, torture-”
“That’s not how paladins do things!” he interrupted her in turn. She backed away, but not due to how loudly he shouted. Instead, she did it because of what she saw.
For a split second, Twilight saw him as she had never before. He wasn’t a handsome, heroic stallion, always confident in himself, nor was he the charming pony that kept on teasing her whenever he got the chance and they weren’t in any kind of peril. He wasn’t even the colt that cried over everything he did in his past life.
What Twilight saw, was a creature of raw pain.
Matt turned his head back to the changeling, but his eyes lingered for a moment locked with hers long enough for her to understand that the stallion knew what she saw.
“Where is your queen?” he asked the bug-like creature.
But the changeling shook its head.
“First, you will have to give me your word of honor, as the paladin and the Grand Master of the Celestial Light that you won’t try to attack my queen or any of my brothers and sisters.”
“What could changelings possibly know about honor?” Guard Shield snorted.
“You would be surprised, old geezer.” the changeling replied, glaring his way, before he returned his attention to Matt. “Only then I will tell you where my queen is. But that’s not all. You will have to go there with only one pony accompanying you, one who will take the fillies back here or wherever you choose, while you have a chat with Her Majesty.”
“Matt, you aren’t actually buying any of that?” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering next to him. “This is obviously a trap! She will-”
Matt raised a hoof to silence her.
“Perhaps.” he admitted. “But even if it so, then it is still the only way to rescue Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Babs Seed. I will not allow condoning torture on this changeling, which means that the only one that can point us in the direction of the fillies is him.”
Twilight listened to him, her despair growing. He was going to do it. He was actually going to place his fate in the hooves of that monster.
“Wait!” she said suddenly as the idea came to her. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it earlier. “We can use the spell I cast on you when you were unconscious shortly after coming to Ponyville!”
“That won’t work.” said two voices at the same time, Matt’s and the changeling’s. Both glanced at each other, the changeling in surprise and Matt with annoyance. “I suppose this means my guess is correct.” Matt added.
“What guess?” Twilight asked, puzzled and annoyed; how did he know that spell wouldn’t work?
“I will explain it to you later.” Matt said, and then turned to the changeling. “Fine, I-”
“No!”
“Matt, you can’t do that!” Twilight protested once again. She couldn’t let him do that. “She will try to kidnap you, brainwash you, and-”
“Twilight, as much as I think you are the wiser of the two of us, I won’t be listening to your advices on this matter.” Matt cut her off. Twilight winced hearing that. It hurt. Maybe something of her pain reflected on her face, because the stallion added more gently: “The changelings and their queen almost destroyed the lives of those closest to you, your hometown aside. I understand that, but I also understand that this will cloud your judgement.” leaning closer, he whispered: “I can’t watch you repeat my mistakes.”
Twilight recalled when she heard him use similar words. It was back before Shining Armor’s and Cadance’s wedding, when she began believing that the wedding should not happen at all. She was right, after a fashion, but Matt (or anypony else for that matter) didn’t believe her at the time. He did, however, tell her to think about this calmly and carefully, because he didn’t want to see her suffer as he did.
But it wasn’t the same… was it?
“My judgement isn’t clouded.” she said once the stallion had retreated.
“Then you can prove it to me by teleporting with the fillies back to the Abbey.” Matt told her, making her gape at him. “Once we get to Chrysalis, that is.” he said, and then to changeling: “I give you my word of honor, as the paladin of the Holy Light, Grand Master of the Celestial Light, knight defender of Equestria, that no harm will come to Chrysalis this evening. Provided, of course, that the fillies haven’t and won’t be hurt.” he added with a hint of a threat. “I will go there to talk, not to fight.”
The changeling nodded, accepting his words.
“This is going to end up badly.” Twilight thought miserably. “I suppose it’s a good thing he takes me, though. I will make him see by the time we will get to her, and make him realize that this is a trap.”
“Now, lead us to your queen.” Matt told the bug-like creature.
But the changeling shook his head. “I’m not going.” he said, much to the surprise of everypony. “My queen wishes to assure you that it is not a trick. Because of that, I was ordered to stay within the Everfree Abbey, as your hostage.”
Twilight once again found herself looking at the changeling as if he grew a second head… no. This time, she looked at him as if he grew a second head, put some makeup on it, cut it off, lit it on fire, jumped over it several times, followed by mounting what was left of it on a wall… and then did it all twelve more times just to be safe!
She calmed down and mentally facehoofed when after a heartbeat she realized she began thinking of it as ‘he’.
“Your queen is taking a big risk.” Matt told the changeling, and then squinted his eyes and  added: “Or she simply doesn’t care about what will happen to you.”
The changeling glared at him, but other than buzzing his wings, he refrained from reacting in a manner that could betray what he (“It!” Twilight corrected herself) felt.
“I volunteered.” the changeling said, but in reply to the disbelieving glances he pretended to yawn - demonstrating his sharp fangs - as if he was bored with the conversation, and looked the other way. “If you’re curious why I did that, you will have to ask my queen. She awaits you, along with the fillies, by the lake on the edge of Ponyville.”
Matt continued to look at the bug-like creature for several more seconds, before he addressed his subordinates. “Keep an eye on our guest. Also arm yourselves, we need to be on the safe side. Al’ar,” the paladin added, glancing at the phoenix with a mixture of respect and plea, “I would like you to circle around Ponyville, and intervene if you notice any trouble. Will you do it?”
The Phoenix God didn’t give any reply at first, just glared at Matt with his ruby eyes. He then turned his head to Fluttershy, who was trembling behind Rainbow Dash, casting frightened glances at the changeling. Making up his mind, Al’ar nodded to Matt, and flew off into the sky.
Sighing with relief, he turned to Twilight and the rest. “While Twilight and I are gone, I want you to stay within the Abbey. I know you are worried about the girls, but if this changeling tells the truth, they will be safe soon.” he said, ignoring the disbelieving snorts. “I would also like you to write a letter to Princess Celestia, informing her about what happened.”
“This wasn’t a part of the deal!” the changeling immediately hissed, his - “ITS!!!” - wings buzzing angrily. “My queen won’t agree to anything if your princess is going to be here!”
“I only want to inform Her Majesty about the situation, and the potential danger.” Matt told the changeling, looking at it without a flinch. “While I hope that I am not making a fool out of myself for believing you are speaking the truth, I won’t put Ponyville’s safety in jeopardy.”
The changeling grimaced, but hesitated a moment before it spoke again, pondering what Matt told it. “My queen… can understand that logic, and even respect it. But what guarantees do we have that your princesses won’t attack us? Or that their guards won’t try to have a payback for the invasion?”
“About the same that I have that this isn’t any trick either.” Matt replied sternly, but then added: “The Princesses trust my judgement, and they themselves would also prefer to solve this matter peacefully. As for their guards, I gave you my word that no harm will come to your queen this evening.”
Twilight eyes went wide as she took in the meaning behind the statement. Matt was prepared to fight the royal guards, and maybe even the Princesses themselves, if they chose to attack the Changeling Queen!
“You… are serious?” the changeling asked, as much surprised as everypony else.
“Matt, ar’ya crazy?!” Applejack was first to voice her opinion, and she did so loudly. “Those things kidnapped mah sister and cousin!”
“I broke my word once before.” Matt said. In contrast to Applejack, his voice was quiet, and yet everypony heard him clearly. The tone of it, for some reason, made them all stop further comments. “And I will not do so again.” shaking his head, he added: “Furthermore, if Chrysalis keeps true to her word - or rather true to what this changeling said - then as a paladin it will be my duty to protect her.”
Twilight could see that the other paladins looked uneasily at each other. Clearly, none of them thought before that protecting innocents might refer to changelings in the future. Twilight, despite her firm believe that it was all a trick, had to admit that if the Changeling Queen honestly just wanted to talk, then Matt was right.
“Twilight, are you good to go?” he asked her, pulling her out of her musing.
“Sure.” she said, for that much at least was true. They were going to bring back those fillies, one way or another. “But what about you?” she frowned. “Shouldn’t you put on you armor? That wouldn’t break your word.”
“I am still giving Chrysalis the benefit of the doubt.” he replied, then grinned. “Besides, when I fought with her before, I did so without any armor, remember?”
Twilight just sighed in annoyance, too frustrated and worried about the girls to point out to Matt how the fight had ended. They nodded to the others as they prepared to leave, but then Matt stopped and turned back to the changeling.
“What is your name, by the way?”
“Is he for real?” Twilight asked - either herself or the Light - while suppressing the urge to facehoof.
The changeling seemed also slightly taken aback by the question, but he just shrugged and, buzzing his wings briefly, replied: “Wind Reaver.”
There was a weird hint of pride in his voice that almost made Twilight quake.
 



 
Wind Reaver watched as the two ponies left to meet with his queen. He paid little mind to the ones stayed to watch over him. The changeling could sense all of their emotions without any concentration, the mares especially. The ones he knew by the names of Applejack and Rainbow Dash were boiling with rage. Rarity was mostly worried about her sister instead of being angry with him. Fluttershy was terrified, but was taking comfort from the other mares’ company. The pink one… okay, he had no idea what she was feeling. It would take a changeling with a better sense than him to figure her out.
His attention shifted for the two pony ‘paladins’ that were guarding him while the rest of them had went to arm themselves. Not that he thought them to be a threat; he was confident he could take both of them with ease. Probably in about ten seconds.
“According to our Intel, those are Guard Shield, an experienced former royal guard, and ‘Tucker Out’.” he mused, recalling what the Swarm knew about the unicorn. “A pony that seemingly appeared out of nowhere in Canterlot, under care of the Royal Physician... shortly after Matthias Lehner, also known as Lightbringer, and a group of others had ventured into the Everfree Forest…”
Wind Reaver was stopped from further analyzing Tucker… by the unicorn in question who turned to speak to him..
“Hey, mind if I ask you something?” he asked, emanating curiosity… and something else?
“Sure...” the changeling replied, puzzled as to what that ‘something’ was…
“Is that queen of yours hot?”
Wing Reaver’s jaw dropped upon hearing the question. He could see the mares, which were currently busy with telling the baby dragon what to write in the letter, pause to look at Tucker, disgusted.
He glared at the pony angrily, buzzing his wings out of irritation. “This is my queen you are speaking about!” he hissed, but after a moment, he grinned slightly. “And yeah, she’s totally hot.”
“Excuse me?” asked the voice in his head.
“Oh, great, now there’s two of them.” one of the mares commented, while he tried his best to not show how terrified he was now.
“Your Majesty, I-” he quickly began to reply to her, but stopped once he felt her amusement rather than anger. “My queen, you were observing everything, right?”
He could feel the connection between them - the same bond every changeling shared with their queen - being strengthened since he entered this Everfree Abbey, even if Her Majesty haven’t contacted him directly. It lasted for so long that by the time he made that comment, he got used to the feeling and forgot that the Queen was probably listening.
“Yes, my brave soldier.” the Queen replied, and the sound of her voice lifted his heart. “You have fulfilled your duty admirably.”
“Aren’t you worried about Celestia, Your Majesty?” he had to ask, pushing away the pride that swelled within him hearing her praise. Gaining his queen’s favor, while an always present goal, wasn’t on the top of his agenda at the moment.
Wind Reaver asked the question about the same time the mares began arguing about something. Turning his attention to them, he heard Applejack say: “No, Rainbow, we can’t do that.”
“Look, I trust Matt as much as the rest of us, but you can seriously believe that the changelings are going to keep their word.” the rainbow-mane mare retorted.
Wind Reaver wished he was wearing a shape of the pony at the moment. He wanted to roll eyes so much…
“We should write to the Princess to bring half of the royal guard and attack them as soon as Twilight gets back with the girls.” Rainbow Dash finished.
“It’s a good thing Matthias Lehner didn’t tell them about our connection… Although, I don’t understand how he could possibly know about it...” the Queen murmured in his mind.
“Maybe he doesn’t?” Wind Reaver offered, although he knew it to be unlikely. If Matthias hadn’t, he wouldn’t have stopped Twilight Sparkle from casting the spell that would let her enter his mind, which would only result with her bouncing off from the wall formed by the bond of the changeling and the queen. But why, then, did he not tell his friends?
“Matt trusted us to write what he asked.” Applejack replied to Rainbow’s suggestion. “And we must in turn trust that the Princess will know best.”
“AJ, they kidnapped your sister, for pony sake!” the pegasus wasn’t letting go. “They cannot be trusted!”
“Don’t you think Ah know that?” the cow mare said, and Wind Reaver could feel a great pain emanating from her. However, whatever sympathy he might have felt for her, evaporated when she glanced in his direction. “Trust me, if Apple Bloom as much as crooked her ribbon, I will buck this bug in the face so hard-”
“Bow-chicka-bow-” Tucker muttered quietly.
“-that even its momma won’t be able t’ tell which end was the head!”
“-yew.” the unicorn finished uncomfortably.
“But Ah won’t let what we promised Matt to do become a lie.” Applejack added, her gaze returning to the mares. “Besides, if the Princess will think that she should bring half of the royal guard, she will do so without our advices.”
“Gee, that’s soo comforting.” Wind Reaver thought.
“I will have to divert my concentration to the talk with Matthias Lehner.” his queen informed him. “He and Twilight Sparkle are approaching. If it would start looking as if the princesses plan to attack us, inform me immediately, then rendezvous with the Wing-Lord and his squadron.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
 



 
“Matt, I don’t-” as he expected, Twilight began trying to talk him out of it as soon as they left the Abbey behind.
“-think this is a good idea?” Matthias asked her, smirking when she looked at him annoyed.
“Yes.”
“Twilight, you can let your hatred guide you-” he started, but she cut him off.
“I am not trying to talk you out of it because of what happened during the wedding! I’m doing that because what you are doing is beyond idiotic!”
Matthias stopped. “Twilight, look me into eyes.” he said, and despite her anger, she listened. “Look me into eyes, and tell me that again.”
As much as he loved the sight of her beautiful eyes, he found this moment to be painful. At the first second, Twilight gazed into his without any doubt, and opened her mouth, but then she hesitated. She hesitated because she knew that if he was right, then she would be lying to him. So Twilight pondered the answer for long heartbeats, and then looked down.
“I… guess you’re right.” she said quietly.
Matt trotted closer to her and lifted her chin so that she would look into his eyes once more. “Twilight, you cannot let your anger control your actions.”
“Why not?” she asked, a bit annoyed.
“Because if you let it happen… what chances do I have?” he asked her, slumping down.
The memories of the times his rage and hatred made him do decide what to do have resurfaced, and it was all he could do to not start crying. His father, his mentor, his subjects… all of that happened because he couldn’t control himself!
Earlier in the Abbey, he had purposely used similar words to the ones Medivh used when he came with the warning to his father.
I failed humanity once before...and I will not do so again.
Just as the Last Guardian failed humanity by allowing Sargeras to control him, so did Arthas vow to protect his people, and he broke the word he gave.
He shook his head to clear his mind when Twilight hugged him.
“Sorry.” she whispered. “I… should have realized how you feel about me acting like that.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Matthias replied, breaking the hug. They were going to go save the four fillies, and they wouldn’t be able to do so if the lingered there.
“I still don’t trust the Changeling Queen.” Twilight warned him as both of them continued to walk towards the lake.
“What made you think that I do?”
“The fact that you keep referring to her by her name?” she asked, somehow managing to both smirk and frown as the same time.
Matthias rolled his eyes, but before the conversation could go down that track, she asked: “How do you know my spell wouldn’t work?”
“You recall how I told you what I think about the origin of the changelings?” he asked her in lowered voice.
He couldn’t sense Wind Reaver. Not just his evil intention, but his presence at all, even when he stood right in front of him. Somehow, the changelings could hide from being sensed. He doubted that even the guard Celestia mentioned to him, Radar Sense, could. While she could tell that Tucker was alive within the…
“Of course.” he mentally facehoofed.
Doctor Angelic Touch told him that the amber of the changelings is unable to be sensed. It should be expected that this unique characteristic applied to more than just their sap.
“The nerubians, one of the relatives of the changelings - at least according to my guess - are highly resistant to telepathy.” he told Twilight, his voice barely a whisper. He couldn’t be sure if there weren’t any changelings nearby, although his normal senses were telling him that they were alone. “Furthermore, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some sort of mental telepathy link between him and Chrysalis.”
“A Hivemind?” Twilight asked skeptically. “It was in one of those books written by changelings while they pretended to be ponies.”
“The best lie is the one that holds a seed of truth.” Matthias said, shrugging. “Either way, it would be safer to not try anything funny, not when they have the girls.” turning to her, he added: “Once we get them, you will teleport the five of you right back to the Abbey. But not immediately, first check if they are alright; if they’re not, then the ‘talk’ will never happen.”
“And if they are alright, you will honor your end of the deal, right?” she asked, and even before he nodded she sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know if I should be amazed by your stupidity, or impressed by your sense of honor.”
Despite what they were facing, Matthias couldn't help but grin.