You march, the beating of hooves and boots against the dirt drumming in your ears. Joined with you are the remnants of both the Erredian and Equestrian armies. After the surprise attack, both were left in shambles. Luckily, Shining Armor arrived in time to keep both armies intact. You stand between Princess Celestia and King John, your father. Forward you march, your destination? The Changeling hive, an uncharted series of tunnels and pitfalls within the Silver Streak Mountains. Those who returned were never quite themselves, the implications obvious.
The three of you, Celestia, John and yourself, speak of the threat that awaits. ”The changelings are not to be underestimated. They’ll take advantage of any weakness they find.”
”Let them come.” King John boasts proudly, “There’s no protection from me.”
“No foe is shunned by the Erredians. Everyone’s fair game.” You help explain.
”The klorfors had it coming. They tried to klorf me right out of my money.”
“I’m sure they did.” The sun peaks through the tree tops as you proceed into the Everfree Forest. You’d heard tales of the Everfree forest, and you’re glad to see them falsified. The Gne is infinitely creepier than this place. Even still, a familiar chill runs down your spine. You can’t help but feel like you’re being watched.
”How much longer Princess?” Twilight pipes up from behind you.
”We will arrive soon enough.”
Your hand runs across her back, putting her at ease, “We’ll make it.”
”I don’t doubt it.” You pull out your map, tracing your course along it. We should arrive in a couple hours at this rate. Though what we do from there is anyone’s guess. ”What’s our plan of attack Anon?”
“I was hoping you had one already.”
John, turns his head away. His disapproval just gets higher and higher. ”Strike hard and fast, cave them in and let them rot.”
”Unwise,” Celestia replies, “The solution is only temporary. We must strike at its heart.”
“Chrysalis…” You can almost see her in your mind, laughing at your dismay.
”Indeed. Incapacitate her and bring her forth for judgement. She will pay for her crimes.”
This doesn’t sit so well with you. ”Your justice is frail. A thousand years of exile will only infuriate her. Your plan is as temporary as mine.”
“Then we do them both,” you reply coldly, your grip tightened upon your sword.
“We keep them occupied outside with our main force, making sure to draw as much attention as possible.”
Celestia nods but is still interested about the rest of the plan, “And what about Chrysalis?”
“Another team will infiltrate the cave system, making sure to disable any vital systems around the way. Chrysalis is the main objective. Everything else is secondary.”
”And when we find her?” your father asks.
“We kill her.” Your forced to release your grip, anger building within you.
Your father has a hint of a smile, “I presume you wish to lead the second team.”
“I will lead the second team.”
”Remember what I said…”
“I’ll be fine; you just make sure to watch our backs.” The vines tighten their hold on the earth as the foliage grows thicker. Groans sound off from inside the forest, catching the troops off guard. You tell them it’s just jump-scares, made purely for shock value, but they don’t care. It’s real enough for them.
Shining Armor does his best to settle them down, and he seems to be far more successful. He appears to be a natural leader, his demeanor invoking confidence all by itself. The mountain appears through the gaps of the leaves. A sigh of relief is released at its sight, many eager to end this endeavor. ”I’ll have a team of my men readied for you.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I already have one in mind.”
”Suit yourself; just don’t come crawling back for reinforcements.”
“Not even in your dreams.”
You part ways with the forest and move onto the rocky tundra. The terrain is unsuited to ponies, but your malleable feet are able to adapt to the rocks. You aid the ponies in their struggle to traverse the unfamiliar land. Those who can avoid the path, flying over them, but not all are as lucky. You catch Twilight as she stumbles who smiles back at you affectionately. At least she’s keeping in good spirits.
“Where’s the entrance?” That’s a good question if you don’t say so yourself. As far as you can see there isn’t a main entrance into the hive.
“I can’t see any.”
”They’re right here silly.” You look to Pinkie who’s peering into some sort of pit.
”What’s that?” You stand next to Pinkie with Twilight, joining her stares. ”How deep is it?
”It’s hard to tell, hang on.” Twilight whips out some measuring tape from her bag and goes to work on it. Silly Twilight and her calculations. She takes her time, getting the measurements just right, even as the army moves past her. Only Rarity matches her utmost precision.
She frantically scribbles down a bunch of numerical jargon on her notepad. You sigh, picking up one of the many surrounding rocks. “Excuse me,” you say tossing the rock into the abyss. Twilight tries to stop you, fearing it might interfere with her projections, but she’s a bit slow on the draw. Darkness takes the rock as you wait for its signal. A pop rings our from below as the stone collides with the cavern.
“Seven seconds? That’s about 250 meters give or take,” you answer keeping on the path. You fall down one of those don’t expect to come back up.”
”Where does it lead?”
You observe more openings around you, making sure to avoid them. “Changelings don’t happen to be able to fly do they?”
”They can.”
“These likely lead to their caverns then. They probably use these for speedy entrance and exits.”
”Then why are we still searching if the entrance is right there?”
“Because not everyone can fly. If anyone else tried to go down there they’d be met with a swift demise. Who knows how many are already waiting down there?”
”You’d be torn limb from limb before you could even raise your sword,” your father adds.
“We need to keep searching for the main entrance, that’s our ticket in.”
”And if there isn’t one?”
“Well then I’ll be joining Tartarus sooner than I expected.”
The pits narrow but become far more plentiful the higher you go. Pinkie hops merrily over them, either unaware or uncaring of the danger. You yank her out of the air when she gets close enough. “I need you to calm down, you’re giving away our position with all your hopping.”
”But it’s just a hop, skip and a ju-“ You press your fingers against lips, silencing her.
“I don't care who you are back in the world, you give away our position one more time, I'll bleed ya, real quiet. Leave ya here. Got that?” She silently nods, her hair deflating. You might have been a bit harsh on the little p0ny. “Just keep it to a minimum okay.”
She poofs up again, “Okie Dokie Lokie!” She walks along with the rest of the troops jumping around on occasion. You can’t help but like that p0ny, even with her wacky behavior. You rejoin John and Celestia at the forefront of the group. ”That girl is trouble. You’re too soft.”
“Not everyone can be an ass at all times.”
”Pinkie is an odd one, it’s just her way.”
John shakes his head knowingly. ”Her way is going to get us caught.”
“Why does everyone worry so much? It’s seriously pissing me off.”
”You’d be right to worry boy. This isn’t a stroll in the park.”
“What, are changelings going to erupt from the ground and swarm us when we least expect it? I’ve seen apes write better with their own dung.” The ground rumbles, the quake striking when you least expected it. Touché world. Touché…
You stand your ground despite the disturbance, holding onto Twilight as well. The rocks tremble beneath you eager to introduce your face with its own. Then, silence… You look around inspecting the damage, finding everyp0ny safe and sound. “Well I’ll be damned. You see you guys…” A shimmer catches your eye from one of the pits, enticing you towards it. You tell Pinkie to be careful, and now you have to fish her out of trouble. Ponies really need to listen to you more often.
You kneel by the pit’s edge gazing downwards. Any normal pony would have died from that fall, but Pinkie? She’s probably skipping down there without a care in the world. Hell, she probably jumped down there just to spite you. Oh the things you’ll do to her… “Whatcha looking at?”
“Just listening for Pink- Pinkie?”
”Who else would I be?” If she’s here, then what did you see over here. You look back to the hole, a pair of blue eyes staring back at you. NOPE! You thrust your arm into the darkness, stabbing the hidden changeling with your hidden blade. It lets out a shriek as it collapses back down the chasm with an audible thud. You breathe heavily, content with your work. A drip of blood escapes the tip of your blade falling after its owner.
”Ooh more friends.” You look back down again, a dozen pairs of eyes splattered with changeling blood to meet you. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE! You pull Pinkie back as a torrent of changelings erupts from the pit. The battle horn sounds as more of them spew from their cavernous home. Twilight covers you as you stand up and draw your sword. Pinkie whips out her party cannon, firing a shot in the air for good measure. The rest of the mane 6 hole up with the Princess and King, knocking away the oncoming waves. No time like the present.
You charge forward, colliding with a changeling and throwing him back down the hole. Swining upwards, you catch one by surprise, spilling his intestines before you. The adrenaline… Oh does it feel good. You’re pushed forward by a changeling latching onto your back, driving his teeth into your shoulder. You grunt and knee him in the stomach, tossing him over you. He squirms under your boot as you crush his windpipe with a quick thrust. You put pressure on the wound, a steady flow of blood seeping from it.
A soothing sensation shoots through you as something touches the back of your shoulder. ”Don’t stop there, I’m with you.” You thank Twilight, kicking away the corpse at your feet. Pinkie blasts away into the crowd, knocking out a handful of changelings at a time. You pull out the knives from your calf, throwing them her direction. They fly towards either side of her and strike true. Two changelings falling beside her.
”Nice throw.”
“Compliment me later,” you say pulling a changeling off of one of your Erredian comrades. You go to check his pulse only to find his throat ripped out. “No time for mourning Anon,” you say to yourself searching his pack. You pull out a pair of black orbs and move back to Twilight. “Spark please.” Her horn crackles to life, igniting the fuse on your device.
“Firebomb out!” You chuck the orb down a hole exploding on the head of some poor soul. A rain of fire and molten rock spews from the opening, closing up the passage. “Use your FBs! Stop the flow!” You proceed to the next hole, slamming the bomb into one of the changeling’s mouths. “Give Chrysalis my regards.” You kick him inside, ducking at the ear-ringing explosion. A green blast gets your attention as an aerial assault is taken on you.
Pulling out another knife from your free arm you throw it at your attacker, slicing straight through his fragile wing. He begins spiraling and picking up speed as he falls towards you at an alarming rate. You don’t have time to escape as he crashes into you and sends you both rolling down the hill. The two of you claw and bite at the other, all the while rolling helplessly around. He grabs you and brings a rear hoof to your face, knocking your head upwards. You glimpse your destination approaching fast, but are unable to escape. He keeps his grip tight on you as you’re both pulled into the dark abyss below.
You fall, likely to your death. The changeling tries to slip away, but you won’t let him off that easy. You grind his head into the stone walls, a blue mist escaping from his mouth as his teeth are torn from it. The tunnel tightens, your grinding slowing your fall, though not enough to be thankful for. You come to a chokepoint, the two of you forced into the open room beneath it. You say your final prayers, colliding with the earth. Blackness… So much blackness…
Air fills your lungs as you gasp for breath. Your eyes open to find nothing more than an eternal darkness. A tiny light shimmers from above, too far to reach. You roll off the changeling underneath you, him not so lucky to survive. Small aches throb across your body, but you think you’re okay otherwise. You push yourself up and try to stand, a sickening crack forcing you back down. Tears flow from your eyes as you grasp your ankle in agony.
This can’t be happening. Not now and not here. Painkillers. That’s what you need, just get some painkillers and you’ll be fine. You reach into your satchel and feel around, a cool liquid drenching the compartment. Your fears are revealed when you begin feeling shards of glass sifting in the liquid. Another throb forces your submission, making you bare your teeth and groan miserably. You can’t fight like this. You need to find a medic or doctor, someone who can fix you up. You need to find Twilight.
You reach back into your satchel hesitantly, avoiding the glass shards, hoping to find anything to help you out. The pain in your leg builds as the adrenaline wears off. You’re forced to double your search efforts. Scooping out the liquid and glass makes it easier, but the darkness cloaks the location of anything vital. Your fingers touch a small stone, giving you instant relief. You pull it out and move back over to the changeling.
You mask your hand in its blood and caress the stone in an attempt to activate it. The blood stone does nothing, staying as cold as it was before. You had hoped you didn’t need to use your own, but you’re out of options. You pull out your sword slightly, running your hand along the edge, a sharp pain telling you to stop. You thrust the stone upon your wound and the effect is instantaneous. The stone rumbles and warms up, a red glow appearing within. The glow spreads throughout and soon encompasses the entire mass. In a flash, the glow intensifies ten fold, filling the room with its majesty.
The illumination reveals the enclosed stone walls and passages that inhabit them. Markings are carved into the walls likely by the changeling’s themselves. Pictures and places are a few of them, likely a history of their kind. Wherever you are, it seems not many enter here, the thick layer of dust giving that away. The sounds of battle are mute on your ears, whether from the distance or the battle’s finish is unclear. Whatever the case, you need to find a way to regroup with your main force. Your plan has gone to shit, and it’s time to pick up the pieces.
You drag yourself to a nearby wall and grab onto whatever you can as you pull yourself up. Gently using your good leg you apply weight onto it. The crack never comes, neither does the pain thankfully. Holding onto both the wall and the blood stone you hop forwards, keeping your broken ankle suspended. You leave your satchel behind, the combination of potions sure to poison you should you attempt to consume it. You keep moving forwards, advancing deeper into the hive.
The tunnels twist and turn the further you go. You’ll die of dehydration before a changeling will get to you. A shuffling makes you spin around with your back to the wall. You didn’t think about how this light would actually draw attention to yourself. Something darts across the entrance, too fast for you to see who it is. You back up, keeping your front facing the source. You feel your balance shift, waving your arms in an attempt to stay up, but it’s not enough. You collapse onto your back, sliding down some tube, a cackle echoing from above.
You skid down the hollow tube, the rough sides bouncing you up and down. Your ankle gets the worst of it, thrashing wildly up and down sending tendrils of pain up your body. You reach down to grab it, your head striking against the ceiling. The force is enough to darken your sight, each second more faded than the last. The pain subsides as you drift off, lulled to sleep by the twists of the tube.
You awaken with a massive thud, your stone lying next to your head. The pain from your ankle has since doubled from your fall. You bring yourself up, your hand covered in some type of moss. Raising the stone above you reveals a massive chamber with an underground spring. Moss and other foliage cover much of the rocks that you find yourself upon. You crawl over to the water’s edge and submerge your head, drawing water into your eager stomach.
You pull back satisfied, wiping the water out of your eyes. You move upwards back onto one leg and move around trying to find an exit. The walls curve around seamlessly, nothing helpful to you. There’s the tunnel you fell down, but there’s now way you’d be able to reach it or climb it. This is your tomb, an underground spring, rotting alone. Fuck you too world. You throw the blood stone in a bout of anger, skipping across the water until it finally sinks to the bottom.
The lake glows a dull red, shadows cast upwards. The walls become lined with the crimson color, one section a bit darker though. You focus your eyes; the walls seem to… bend? Like there’s a hole… It’s the exit! Anger you’ve done good by me again. You’re about to dive right in when a shadow pulses through the deep recesses of the water. It seem to notice you, swimming closer to the waters edge, almost enough to touch It darts away before you can get it. It’s just toying with you.
A dull tone sounds from the creature, several more departing from the exit. Their cries sound in unison, creating a sort of tantalizing music. It pisses you off is what it does. They move in turn to taunt you, darting away a second before they get in your range. Well two can play that game… You draw your sword, hiding it as another one swims towards you. You thrust forward, piercing the creature’s side and withdrawing it near you. The other’s shriek when they realize what happened, but you couldn’t care the least.
You plant the creature on its side, its breathing erratic as your sword spears into its lungs. Withdrawing your sword leads to the creature wheezing, followed by silence. You press your fingers to its neck, confirming its death. The lack of light doesn’t help you identify it, but your fingers are still very much useful. You move your fingers around its body, memorizing the small details about it. It’s roughly a fourth your size, about that of a filly. It has wings but they feel weak and limp. Its canines protrude from its mouth. It’s a baby changeling?
You suddenly feel revolted at your behavior. You just killed a child, a changeling one, but a child nonetheless. They were just playing… and you killed them. Why did you land here of all places? You didn’t want to hurt them, you just wanted to leave. And you still need to, but you shouldn’t harm them in the process. They’ve already lost enough.
You say a few prayers for the child, placing your feet inside the water at its edge. The warm water soothes your aching leg, but movement causes you to reel in pain. You’ve never swam with one leg before, but you’re going to have to try. You lower yourself further, water soaking your torso. You remove your cloak and set it on the shore, submerging yourself fully underwater. You paddle with your arms and swing your leg as you move further in.
The children keep their distance from you after what you did to their sibling. They’re likely scared shitless that you’re in the water with them. You’re about halfway there when you feel your chest start to burn, the need for air arising. You probably should have dived when you reached the end. Swimming back up you breach the surface and take a deep breathe. You stay there rebuilding your stamina before you continue on.
A sharp pain rings from your ankle as you feel yourself brought downwards. You instinctively strike downwards with your foot, colliding with something as you’re brought back underwater. You look down to see one of the children’s teeth sunk deep into your ankle, two more dragging you down. You flail your legs until they leave you be and detach themselves from you. The second you turn away you know they’ll be right back on you, but you can’t bring yourself to kill another. You back paddle towards the exit, the changeling children closing back in.
One hits you from the side, though you’re able to smack it away with your hand. Another dives at your good foot and locks around it, teeth in your calf. It manages to slow you down, and despite your efforts to kick it off it stays latched on. The other move in at your vulnerability making you have to think fast. You bring your knee to your chest, in turn brining the kid’s head within striking distance. You punch him square in the noggin, knocking him out and letting go. The others don’t stop though as they’re tired of waiting. Gotta Go Fast!
You face the exit which is closer than ever and swim forward. You bear the pain as you paddle with both of your legs and arms, increasing your speed immensely. The distance between you and your pursuers widen as you keep moving, picking up the blood stone along the way. They stop following as you enter the tunnel which turns out longer than you imagined. The burning sensation returns, but there’s no way but forwards. Your vision dims as the overwhelming pain starts to get to you.
Your muscles grow weaker, your momentum dropping. Another room, inches away… Just need to get there… You float to the top reaching your hand towards the surface. A hoof reaches down to meet you, pulling you free of the aquatic grave. The cool air chills your fiery chest as you inhale all you can. “T- t- Thank you…”
You flop onto your back, keeping your leg suspended in the water. The rush of adrenaline blocked out the pain, but it’ll be back soon enough. You thank your rescuer again, a pony from the looks of it. A pair of green eyes flash at you, her giggle sending chills down your back. Your vision recovers, revealing what you feared. She giggles at your expression, licking her canines. ”Did you miss me?”