//------------------------------// // Ch. 2-11: A Queen's Preparation // Story: Seeking A Quiet Afternoon // by Tired Old Man //------------------------------// ‘Celestia’ conjured a wave of force that blew away all the ponies surrounding her, doing so with such intensity that it sent everypony against the cave walls. Mender received the worst of it, as he was the closest. He was launched upward and hit the roof of the cavern headfirst, robbing him of his consciousness in an instant. Applejack, Twilight and Rarity were thrown against the sides of the cave, though the resulting impact they suffered was the same as Mender’s. Pinkie had acted as a body shield for the Crusaders, leaving them unharmed. However, Pinkie’s small sacrifice had left her disabled, as she too was thrown over the fillies and into the cave wall like the others. The farce now revealed, Chrysalis did away with her disguise in a plume of green fire. Her wings buzzed to life as she returned to her normal self, scaring her only conscious victims, the fillies. After a brief look around to assess the damage of her blast (and happy with the results of it), Chrysalis approached the cowering fillies, who were huddled together. She had expected the fillies to stay frozen in fear, but as she took another step forward, they ran off in the other direction. Chrysalis smirked. She had intended to simply capture the fillies like she would the others in a moment, but if they wanted to doom themselves in these caves, so be it. Her ears swiveled around as they caught the familiar sound of more buzzing wings as a few changelings flew onto the scene. “My Queen, are you alright?” One of them asked. “Fine.” She gestured to the unconscious ponies scattered around the area. “Get them ready for transport back to the castle dungeon. The sooner I see these ponies behind bars, the better.” Most of changelings nodded at her order and flew off. One stayed behind however, for it had some news to relay. “Oh, my Queen. I was part of the swarm assigned to capture the youngling. I flew ahead of them to let you know that they are on their way to the cave entrance now.” A wide, joyous grin spread across her face. “Excellent. I will meet them at the mouth of the cave then. Assist the others with transporting the ponies.” With a quick bow of their head, the changeling flew off to help its brethren, while Chrysalis trotted through the cave, mentally preparing herself for the insolent child that dared to refuse his mother’s dear embrace. -----------Fifteen Minutes Later----------- “Let me go!” Crunch yelped as he struggled against the webbing that bound his hooves. Two changelings held him aloft in the webbing as they flew towards Canterlot with all the speed they could muster while carrying the resistant child. “Quiet, you little whelp! We’re almost at Canterlot, where your mother is waiting,” the first of the two changelings spat. “No! She’s not my family! I know who my mama is!” “Ugh, he’s still going on about that stallion. Can’t he tell the difference between a male and a female?” the second changeling asked. “Don’t you talk bad about my mama!” “Apparently not.” The second changeling sighed for a moment before the flight came to an end when they touched down at the mouth of the cave entrance leading into Canterlot. Queen Chrysalis was waiting, and held a joyous smile on her face upon seeing the young changeling face-to-face. “Evening, child. It is so good to see you up close for the first time,” Chrysalis observed as she approached, taking in the dimensions of the young changeling with care. “S-stay away from me!” Crunch struggled against the webbing harder than before, but the result was the same. He wasn’t going anywhere. Chrysalis smirked. “Now now, child. This isn’t how you should treat your mother.” She gestured to the two changelings that carried Crunch. “Hold him still, and one of you keep his eyes open. It is time for the indoctrination.” Crunch had no idea what that last word meant, but when the changelings obeyed by doing as she instructed, he knew he was in danger. Despite the added weight of two changelings on his body, Crunch continued struggling against his bonds with what little strength that remained in him. Chrysalis didn’t seem to notice or care, however. She closed her eyes for a moment and brought a sickly green glow to her horn as she lowered it to touch Crunch’s horn. When the horns touched, searing heat and pain rushed through Crunch’s body, as if he were being cooked from the inside out. As the magic worked its way through him, his resistance ceased, and his body slumped limply in the webbing binding him. Chrysalis angled her head to keep the horns locked in position as she scryed his brain for the memories of the one who raised him. It took her a few moments to locate the memories among others Crunch had around that time, and upon discovering them she saw something surprising there. She saw Mender, the pony who had cornered her minutes ago within the cave, raising this changeling with love and tenderness like that of a caring father. The moment they first met where Mender shared a bag of apple chips in a dusty old home. She saw her changeling stand up for him deep within the Everfree as he tore into a cockatrice to protect his so-called mother. Chrysalis originally intended on destroying these memories as part of the indoctrination, but she realized that would be a folly. Now she had a different plan, one that would twist these memories of his into raw, unfiltered power. She still had a task to accomplish, however. The green aura around her horn intensified as she dug deeper into his mind, and she found a memory, one that would undeniably shatter Crunch’s notion of that pony being his mother, and solidify her rightful title. It was the day that Chrysalis gave birth to him. ------------------ “Girls, I’m tellin ya, we’re lost.” “Apple Bloom, stop being such a worrywart. Scootaloo knows where we’re going...right, Scootaloo?” “I thought you were the one leading us, Sweetie Belle!” “So...we’re lost.” “No, Applebloom. We’re close to an exit. I just know it!” “You kept saying that the past five times we passed a rock that looked like Rarity, Sweetie!” “Wasn’t she carrying something on her back, or was that just me?” “Scoots, you know my sister doesn’t want to talk about him, so don’t ask. She already feels bad enough telling me about it.” “Shh, quiet you two! Somepony’s comin’!” At Applebloom’s words, all three huddled close to the cave wall, swiveling their ears as they picked up the sound of hoofsteps and voices echoing down the dark cave corridor. “Princess, are you sure you know where we’re going? I don’t like flying around in cramped places like this.” “Of course I do! It’s just been a long time since I’ve walked in these caves.” “Yes, it has. We’ve looped around that rock formation of a pony carrying a rock at least twice by now...and I think we’re on our way over there for the third time.” “Assassin, do not mock our sister!” “Oh, like you’re any help. You’re the master of the night and can’t even get us through a dark cave. Have a thousand years on a celestial hunk of rock dulled your senses, Princess Luna?” “...Tia, we ask for permission to kill this assassin as soon as we find Princess Sparkle.” “You are free to try as soon as I find Mender, Luna. Until then, hooves off.” Luna growled in irritation as Point taunted her. Rainbow Dash had enough of it, while Celestia remained focused on leading the group through the caves. “Knife Point, knock it off. We have to focus!” “Nopony asked you for a comment, cyan mare.” “The name is Rainbow Dash! And you still haven’t apologized to me for what you did to me when I carried Mender to the hospital out of the Everfree!” “Hah, an apology? From an assassin? You’re better off pulling teeth from a manticore. An assassin doesn’t apologize for doing their job!” “BE QUIET!” Luna’s royal voice boomed, echoing loudly through the caverns. The noise was amplified as it reached the fillies’ ears, causing them to scream out in pain. Celestia gasped when she heard the scream, and ran toward its source. Relief washed over her as she spotted three fillies covering their ears and eyes. “Everypony, over here! I’ve found survivors!” Luna, Dash, and Point all rushed the scene. Celestia gently shook Scootaloo’s shoulder, and when she looked up and saw the sun princess grinning at her, she instinctively backed away, thinking it to be the changeling queen again. However, when she saw Rainbow Dash hovering in the air, she jumped with joy at the sight of her idol. Scootaloo shook Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, alerting them both to the presence of the other ponies that had arrived. Seeing Knife Point in the group further enhanced their relief as the Crusaders vaguely remembered him as the one responsible for saving them before he vanished. Instinctively they rushed him and tackled him to the floor. Point wanted to yell out some very creative swears, but refrained because they were children. This didn’t stop him from shooting threatening looks at Luna and Dash, who chuckled at the joyful moment. Shaking the fillies off him as he rose to his hooves, he addressed the Crusaders. “Okay, that’s one problem solved. But where’s the rest of the ponies, kids?” “They were captured by a changeling impersonating Princess Celestia!” Sweetie Belle answered. The other two nodded in unison. “As I thought..but do you know where they’ve gone?” “Uh...no,” Applebloom replied. Upon hearing this response, Point moved his head from facing the children to the Princesses. “Well? Do you think Mender and the other ponies are still in these caves?” Celestia and Luna shared a glance before shaking their heads in response. “If they have been captured by the changeling queen, she would have taken them back to the castle.” “So we gotta backtrack? Aw man, I was really hoping we’d find Fluttershy and the others down here,” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “Alright then, back to the castle. I hope you two know the way back,” Point directed toward the Princesses. Luna spoke up. “Hah! Of course we remember! It’s...um...this way! Follow us!” Luna dashed off in the direction opposite the way they came from when they found the Crusaders. This caused Celestia to facehoof in response to her younger sister’s brashness. “Oh, for the love of--” -----------Twenty Minutes Later----------- “What is taking them so long?” Locus paced back and forth in a line in his throne room. He had been walking for so long that a trench was now carved into the floor, the evacuated dirt piled up at the ends of the line. Was it truly that hard for his three main groups of ponies to come to a consensus on who to send him? He figured his army would show a little more spine than this. The iron door creaked loudly as a Recruit rushed into the throne room with urgent news to relay. “Lord Locus, I-” “Ah, finally. You’re the Recruit that was nominated, correct?” Locus continued to pace the floor, not acknowledging the Recruit’s presence beyond hearing their voice. “What? No, but-” “Have you any idea how long you’ve kept me waiting? I’ve been wearing down a damn trench in the floor in the time it took for you to get here!” “Lord Locus, if I may interru-” “Although I am happy that somepony went and stallioned up to the task. It’s also nice to know the Judicators and Assassins are taking their sweet, precious time coming to a deci-” “SIR! I’m NOT here for that!” The Recruit loudly objected. Locus finally stopped moving, and turned his head sharply to face the recruit. “Then what are you here for? Go on, spit it out!” “A-a letter has just arrived, Lord Locus. Two, in fact.” The Recruit produced the letters from his saddlebag and held them in front of Locus, who snatched them away with his dark aura. The first letter caught his eye, as the recognized the hoofwriting. Shredding the envelope to bits, he read the paper tucked inside. Lord Locus, I thought you should know that you’re doing a bang-up job of finding me. Seriously, it’s been over forty years and you STILL haven’t found me! What in Equestria are you doing with all that spare time of yours in that dingy little cave? Planting daisies and planning world domination? Anyway, I thought you should know that my piece is in play, and he’s currently dealing with that ridiculous Changeling invasion you helped out with. I don’t know what you got out of the bargain, but it’s of no consequence to me. Your plan WILL fail, Locus. I don’t know how many times I’ve warned you of this already. You’re dabbling in magic that should never be touched, and you KNOW this ever since you invaded- Locus crumpled up the rest of the note and torched it immediately. Reading letters from Old Mindly that started off with an insult always got under his skin, and this was no exception. The Recruit watched the scene of barely contained anger before him and began quivering on the spot. Locus didn’t notice this, for he moved on to the second letter. Locus’s eyes shot wide open as he read the words on the parchment. Then, ever so slowly, a grin spread across his face in a display of elation and malice. “Recruit, do you know what this is?” Locus asked. “Yes, sir. It’s a letter that came from Canterlot that was sent earlier this afternoon,” he responded. Locus sighed. “No, Recruit. I’ll ask again. Do you know what this is? Do you know what this letter has just told me?” “Uh...no, my Lord. I don’t.” “This letter was sent by the Benefactor that sought out our services to kill Able Mender a year ago. This same Benefactor has eluded my spy network for a full year through a method I’ve yet to ascertain. “But now, this Benefactor has made a foalish mistake that I intend to capitalize on immediately. Recruit, you stated that this letter came from Canterlot, correct?” “I did, Lord Locus.” “Well, Canterlot is currently under lockdown due to a threat posed by Queen Chrysalis. A shield has been put around Canterlot that has remained standing since yesterday morning. If this letter truly came from there, then nopony is allowed outside of the town until the situation is resolved,” Locus explained. “M-Meaning what, sir?” “Meaning that our dear Benefactor is trapped within Canterlot right now. I do not wish to let this opportunity pass me by. Send a message to the spy network set up within the town. Let them know that the Benefactor is there, and that I want a list of anypony leaving the town once the situation is resolved.” “Sir? Pardon my asking, but doesn’t that sound like Queen Chrysalis will fail?” Locus snorted. “Recruit, I never had much faith in the changeling queen. I have all I need from her, and if she’s held up the rest of the deal, the other item I require is on its way here. If by some chance she succeeds, then I will deal with her in time. Now, is there any more news for you to share?” “Nothing else to report but a memo, sir. It’s from the other assassin you sent out.” “Long Shot? Very well, what is his status?” “He’s set up camp on Frostpeak, the mountain Canterlot is built on. He’s currently waiting for the shield to go down before he begins his mission, sir.” “Excellent. Thank you, Recruit. You may go.” The Recruit nodded and quickly galloped out of the throne room. As he opened the door, three ponies of varying size and appearance were gathered outside. He recognized them as the strongest ponies Lord Locus had summoned, and held the door open for them. Receiving a nod from each as they entered in a single-file line, he shut the door before heading off to the communications room within the mining structure. “Lord Locus, apologies for the delay. The Recruits were still taking their sweet time finding a nominee, so we waited for them before entering, sir,” The Judicator informed. Locus waved a dismissive hoof. “I care not for any of your excuses. All of you came later than expected. If there was a delay, punishment should be handled individually, not as a group. “However, I thank you for the information that it was the Recruit who took the most time coming here.” The Recruit’s legs buckled slightly as they thought of all the various punishments Lord Locus would inflict upon them. At this sight, Locus chuckled loud enough for all of them to hear. “Fear not, little Recruit. You were chosen as the strongest out of your group, so no harm will come to you for wasting my time. No, that is now reserved for the ones that nominated you. “Now then, Recruit, Judicator, and Assassin. You have been selected for a most important task to undertake. However, there is only one spot available for this job, and there are three of you. Do you know what that means?” The three ponies began to cast wary glances at each other, anticipating a fight between them about to occur. “This means I have a challenge for you to undertake. This is not a challenge of brawn or brains, but one of...devotion.” Locus reached into his cloak and pulled out a long, sleek, black katana. What little light the room had within it was absorbed by the blade, replacing it with pulses of a dark violet aura, illuminating the area with its distinctive hue of color. A chill emanating from the weapon stole away at the warmth the three ponies had within their bodies, causing their breath to come out in misty clouds as the temperature plummeted within the room. He took a few steps forward before driving the blade into the dirt ground hilt-first. With a strong hit from his forehoof on the guard of the blade, the sword was now firmly rooted in place at a 45-degree angle. Satisfied with the placement, he issued a challenge to the three ponies before him. “Behold the blade called Wither as she eagerly sucks at the life around and within you. The unnatural cold she is responsible for, your shortness of breath she steals away. If she could taste the sun, she would swallow it whole in a day. Fear her, but revel in her majesty, for she will be the one to taste your blood and deem you worthy of my time. “Each of you will step forth and score your hooves upon the tip of her delicate lips. Let her savor the taste for a few moments before withdrawing your hoof. If Wither is pleased with your faith, I will know. If not...well, you’ll find out soon enough if it happens.” Frost began to form in the corners of the room, and all the ponies save for Locus visibly shivered as their body temperature sank like stones in water. The Recruit was having the worst of it; his legs buckled underneath him from shaking so much as his muscles contracted in response to the cold. The Judicator and Assassin remained more composed, though their legs shook as well. Locus noticed this and scoffed. He walked up to the blade and softly whispered to it, “Now now, Wither. It won’t do me any good to freeze them before my challenge has started. I believe you’ve made your point clear as to how intimidating you are.” A faint screech of protest sang from Wither before she stopped freezing the room. Locus gave the ponies a minute to recover as their body temperatures returned to normal. “Now then...let us begin.” ----------------------- ----------------------- Hiya folks! Old Man here. Sometimes I wish I could see the look on Locus’s face when he gets my letters. I keep imagining him getting pissed. Am I right? I hope I’m right. Also, I lost track of Mender the moment I heard the cocoon being formed around him. Changeling silk is nasty business, I tell ya. I imagine my grandson is freaking out right now about losing the connection on that band of his. Mender better get out of that cocoon soon, or he’s going to get an earful from him.