//------------------------------// // Chapter Twelve - Some Kind of Pressure // Story: Neither Created Nor Destroyed // by Sage Runner //------------------------------// "Has there been any progress in apprehending our escapees?" J'aggerdov asked, addressing his council. "Unfortunately, no," replied the Speaker. "The castle guards did catch up to them, but were driven off by a recently formed terrorist group of pony-sympathizers." "So Gilda had help from more of our people without even having to ask for it..." J'aggerdov said, resting his forehead in his claw. "What does this mean?" "Nothing, sire," the Speaker replied as the rest of the council nodded profusely. "Your subjects are committed to the ideals of your predecessors." "That the griffons stand alone against the trials of this world, and that all others are mere stepping stones. I remember the words of my father," J'aggerdov said. "And you're certain that the citizenry of this kingdom still feels that way?" "Absolutely, sire," the Speaker replied. "As I said, these were terrorists. Criminals who only wish to see the downfall of our society. The majority still supports this conquest." "It's been so long since I've addressed the people directly," J'aggerdov said. "That's why we're here, your Highness," the Speaker replied. "Your time is too valuable to bother with things like that." "Very well," J'aggerdov replied. It was true that the king had very little contact with the outside world, getting most of his information on the state of his realm from his council. His throne room was an open area, overlooking the vast mountain ranges, but to him they were nothing more than decoration. He rarely ventured beyond his palace, and the outside world, in any capacity at all, very rarely made its way in. The last time had been the Masquerade Ball, two years prior. It had been one of the few social events to take place in J'aggerdov's palace, and an attempt to alleviate his boredom during that time. He had also secretly hoped to make a more personal connection with his subjects. The council had been against the idea of letting commoners roam the palace, but ultimately J'aggerdov had the final say. The masks had been a compromise. Even though his throne room was filled with guests, he still felt isolated from all of them, and with their decorative masks, they differed very little from one another. Save for one guest. The cloak and hood he wore did not obscure the fact that he walked upon two legs, towering above the crowd. He staggered through the main hall, swaying in rhythm with the music. J'aggerdov had never seen such a creature before, and the sense of dread that gripped him as he watched it stalk in and out of the crowd, all of whom did their level best to give him a wide berth, was enough to compel him to pursue this... thing. Room after room, J'aggerdov slowly followed the shadowy figure. It had passed by countless guards, all of whom were too frightened to make any attempt to stop him. Far from the guests and guards, in the lowest levels of the palace, J'aggerdov finally decided to confront the man he had been following. The king called out, and the creature ignored him. J'aggerdov gave it a second chance to respond, and still nothing. The music being played in the throne room was no longer audible, but the man continued to sway as though the song was playing loud and clear. That was when J'aggerdov, overcome with anger and fear, lunged forward to attack. As the king approached, it turned to face him. In an instant, J'aggerdov had been brought to his knees, overcome with a sense of terror he had never felt before, as the glowing eyes pressed down upon him. Then it spoke, and J'aggerdov couldn't help but listen. As mighty as he had been, he was humbled by this intruder, and its words mocked the sedentary, peaceful lifestyle the griffons had enjoyed in recent decades, and the growing famine that threatened to crush them in spite of their strength. That was the first time he had met Delacroix. And the path that moment set him upon had led him to further isolation from his people, as he continued to assure himself that this invasion was the only way to save them. "I have no love for outsiders, equine or otherwise," he thought. "But if this war is not what's best for my people... but then what other choice do I have?" "Your Highness!" the Speaker said, snapping J'aggerdov out of his daydream. "Yes, of course," J'aggerdov muttered. "It's time to assign each city's army its task. They need to know how best to use the strength of our allies to their advantage." *** "Fine mess we're in now!" Mahugpin muttered to himself as he paced on all fours back and forth across his bedroom. "Rarity and Fluttershy are above ground, I'm hearin' nothin' from Reggie and Greyjaw... and now it's time to go through with this invasion." The invasion. He had torn Rarity and Fluttershy from their homes, kept them in the city, put them in harms way, and lied to them all the while. What would they say? As his mind wandered, he began to imagine. "You..." he imagined Fluttershy whimpering, "you were planning to take over our home all along? How could you lie to us like that?!" "I had no choice, I was outta options," Mahugpin whispered to himself, shaking his head. "To rob us all of our freedom? To hand us over to the changelings as food?" Rarity asked. "At least no one would die!" Mahugpin whispered. "And they'd never even know what was goin' on, the changelings use illusions to harvest love. Each pony would live their dream life and be none the wiser!" "And that makes it okay?" Rarity asked. "How many of us ponies do you think would choose a life like that if asked? Not a one, I'd say. It's a decision nobody has the right to make for us." "And we would have helped your people no matter what!" Fluttershy added. "I... I realize that now," Mahugpin whimpered. "And your assurance that nopony would die?" Rarity asked. "What about us? The two of us could be dead for all you know, and with things as dangerous as they are out there, we probably are." "No!" Mahugpin grunted, rapidly shaking his head. "No, no, no! You two are smarter and stronger than that! You're fine, I just know it!" But he knew that the mere fact that he was having this conversation with himself was evidence of his doubt. "You always prided yourself on being good and decent to everyone you met, even before you became the Alpha Male," Fluttershy said. "Your kindness was obvious, it's why we trusted you. How could you have ever agreed to something like this?" How could he have allowed himself to agree to this? His people were dying, Equestria was safe, and he knew he could have the land for the Diamond Dogs. Ponies would live on in their ideal fantasies, and it would all be so easy. What other solution was there? None, according to Clarion Call. And Delacroix. Delacroix... Mahugpin's thoughts drifted back to the first month he spent with... that thing. All the nights he awoke from his restless sleep to see the figure at the foot of his bed, or in the corner of his room. Staring at him. Just staring, silently. How Mahugpin tried to make himself flee each and every time, but was always paralyzed with fear. All he could do to cope during the day, and allow himself to fall asleep each night, was tell himself that it was a recurring dream. The dream worsened when the monster began to whisper in his ear at night. Mahugpin could never bring himself to look at the thing. "Your people are dying," it said. "How will you protect them? I know a way..." night after night it whispered to him, until finally, he wanted to know. He had to know. The dream became a reality as the lights clicked on, and Mahugpin saw that the being was real. The nature of their relationship changed in an instant, the creature conversing with him casually, as though he hadn't terrorized Mahugpin in his bed, night after night. Delacroix became his secret advisor, and shortly thereafter, Clarion Call was introduced, as a catalyst for communication. The plans were made, the contacts were established, and the coalition was formed. But Mahugpin never realized how detestable the plan was until now. "So don't go through with it," he imagined Rarity pleading. "It isn't too late to do the right thing," Fluttershy added. "You know that no one in the militia you formed for this invasion is happy about it, but they'll follow you no matter what. Because of who you are. And you're not the kind of person who would do something like this!" "And what happens then?" the intrusive thought of Delacroix replied, silencing the others. "Without your non-lethal weaponry, Equestria will be taken by the changelings and griffons, neither of whom share your compassion." He smiled. That smile. "Oh, the changelings need live food, to be sure, but the state that it's in is irrelevant. Pain, accidental death, all collateral damage, all acceptable losses, if your forces aren't there to capture these ponies humanely." "But—" "The invasion is happening with or without you. By backing out now, you'd be covering your paws with the blood of the innocent, while your people continue to live in fear and die. Is that what you want?!" Mahugpin had never heard Delacroix shout, but he had heard the awful voice enough times to speculate. The small ruler sighed. All went quiet again. He crawled into his bed and gradually slipped into an uneasy sleep. *** "I will apprehend Princess Cadence and take her place," Chrysalis said, her voice echoing through the Great Hive as her subjects listened intently. "And begin the process of bending her fiancé to my will. A small group of you will also infiltrate Canterlot and replace a portion of its civilian population for good measure. On the day of the wedding, we will—" "You're deluding yourself if you think you can take Canterlot on your own," a deep, unsettling voice said, shaking the very foundations of the Great Hive. "Who said that?!" Chrysalis bellowed. The Changelings in her throne room turned to behold the naysayer: a tall, bipedal, repulsive thing that now casually strolled through the crowd. Chrysalis gave the air a sniff as the man drew closer. The changelings, by nature, had a very deep awareness and understanding of most chemical compositions. Some things were unfamiliar even to them, however. "I don't recognize the scent," Chrysalis said. "But whatever chemical that is you're excreting from your body, I assure you we are quite immune to it. I don't know what you think you're doing here, but you will not be leaving the Great Hive." "I'm aware of your immunity, which is why I'm approaching you directly," the man replied. "My name is Delacroix, and only through me will you be able to conquer Equestria." "Seize him!" Chrysalis shouted. The changeling horde descended upon Delacroix. He did not move. In instant, the Changelings were sent flying in all directions, and all Delacroix did was grin. "...you have my attention." Chrysalis said. "Equestria, for all its talk about peace and love, is a powerful nation," Delacroix explained. He staggered toward her throne, and her muscles tensed. There was an undeniable pressure emanating from him, and it pressed her further into her throne. "Powerful and diverse. No matter how sophisticated your plan may be, your magic alone will not be enough. They have unicorns whose magic is almost a match for yours, the physical prowess of the pegasi, and the ingenuity of the earth ponies." "And you, alone, will tip the scale in my favor, I suppose?" Chrysalis rolled her eyes at her guest. Delacroix folded his arms neatly behind his back and began pacing back and forth in front of the throne. "I come offering to facilitate an alliance between you and two other nations. The griffons, who are warriors even greater than the pegasi. And the Diamond Dogs of the Big Deep, whose technical prowess surpasses that of the earth ponies in every way." "I wasn't aware that either nation had cause to invade Equestria," Chrysalis replied. "Not directly," Delacroix replied. "Both nations have their own struggles. Thanks to, shall we say, a little 'meddling' on my part, those struggles have grown exponentially and now threaten their very ways of life. I have convinced them that taking Equestria is the answer to both their problems." "I highly doubt they would trust you of their own free will based on your appearance alone." She sniffed the air again. "I see. Your body releases a mind-altering toxin. Long-term exposure bends others to your will. Similar to what we do with our magic." "Very perceptive." Delacroix smiled. Chrysalis grimaced at his misshapen, misaligned teeth. "I have to be subtle. Theatricality and conditioning swayed the ruler of the Big Deep, and I won over King J'aggerdov by displaying my power. My pheromones hampered their judgment, and so I was able to persuade them." "So you unite and coordinate a three-nation army that conquers Equestria. Then what?" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "The diamond dogs inhabit the land, the griffons reap the benefits of the land's fertility, and your people?" Delacroix chuckled slightly, ceasing his pacing and directing his gaze out onto the crowd of changelings. "You claim its inhabitants. Equine and all other manner of life that currently resides in that land, feeding your power. And before you ask, yes, I am aware that the story that your people require love to survive is a lie." "So let me see if I understand," Chrysalis began, "you trespass in my domain, assault my subjects, and offer me what I will already have on my own with the added condition that I blindly trust two other nations and you, an admitted manipulative saboteur?" "I understand how it sounds," Delacroix replied. "If that were true, you would never have approached me," Chrysalis spat back. "This audience is over. You may be able to resist a small squadron of my people, but you can not resist all of us. Be gone." "And here I thought my honesty would earn your trust. Have I done anything that you wouldn't do to get what you want?" Delacroix asked. "No, but I know my own goals," Chrysalis replied. "What do you get out of all this?" "It would be difficult to explain," Delacroix replied. "But I will try. Long ago, before I was..." he waved his hand in front of his face, "this, something very important was taken from me, then it was used against me. That began the process of my great change" He turned his back to Chrysalis, and his hands fell at his sides. "My evolution into this wretched form was a slow process, and each and every minor alteration was the result of a painful experience my body was forced to adapt to." Though a series of excruciating memories came flooding back to him, Delacroix's voice remained level, his gaze unblinking. Chrysalis shuddered at his callousness. "Through the long months of suffering I searched, in vain, for the reason; for the meaning behind it all. It was not until the very end, when I was strong enough to overthrow my captors, and I understood the full extent of my new abilities; when I... beheld my new visage for the very first time... that I finally understood what my purpose was." "And that is...?" Chrysalis asked, intrigued but otherwise unmoved by the tale. "This." Delacroix turned to face her again. "In upsetting the balance of this world, and pushing the human—" he paused. Letting out an amused grunt, he shook his head before continuing, "pushing all of the races of this world to their limit, I will be able to fulfill my purpose." "What are you?" Chrysalis asked, voicing the question on the minds of all the changelings who were listening. Delacroix said nothing. Chrysalis glanced to the side. "Uh-huh... Well, I won't lie and say your visit hasn't been entertaining, but my answer is still 'no'. Leave this place!" "Very well," Delacroix replied. He bowed deeply and began to walk away. "When your invasion fails, my offer will still stand." He left without another word. Chrysalis thought back to that day and laughed. She had always suspected that it was Delacroix who sent the warning of an impending attack to Canterlot. Even with the precautions Shining Armor had taken to protect the city and his own wedding, the changelings had succeeded in infiltrating the ranks of Canterot's hierarchy all the same. The invasion failed because, as Delacroix said, the equines were simply stronger together than the changelings. As much as she hated to admit it, Chrysalis would need the aid of the two other nations if she wanted to claim her prize. She didn't trust Delacroix, of course. Since their first meeting, he had at least requested a tangible reward for the part he was playing: a single city in Equestria, all to himself. But she had seen too much of his nature. Even so, it didn't matter. Feeding on the love of the citizens of Equestria would raise the might of the changelings to unimaginable heights. And then the griffons, the diamond dogs, and even Delacroix himself, would belong to them. She just had to cooperate for a little while longer... *** Clarion Call stood at a cliff's edge, a look of concentration affixed upon his face. He stared out over the vast mountain range, his gaze shifting from peak to peak. He had grown several inches since he first put on the Alicorn Amulet. In addition, wings, though still small, had begun to grow from his sides. Delacroix sat on a rock behind, dividing his attention between Clarion and the Elements of Harmony. Gazing at the final piece of his puzzle, his thoughts drifted back to the Big Deep, the region that had birthed him into this new world... "What is so important that you incompetent slackers needed to come get me?" the foreman asked, passing his fellow miners in the narrow tunnel to reach the end of the hall. The electric lamps strung up along the ceiling hung just above the heads of the miners. "Sorry, boss, it's just... that." One of the miners gestured with his pickaxe toward a small hole at the end of the tunnel. "Yeah, I see it," the foreman replied, looking from the hole towards the worker. "Clearly that was made by your pickaxe. What about it?" "Something about it just feels... wrong. There's some kind of... I dunno... pressure coming out of it. I don't think we should dig any further in this direction." The other canine miners nodded in agreement. "Yeah..." The foreman slowly nodded his head, taking a step away from the rocky wall. His heart was racing. "Yeah, I feel it too. Somethin' ain't right here. Okay, seal off this tunnel, we'll tell the higher ups the rock was unstable or somethin'." The other miners relaxed as they walked back down the makeshift hall towards the larger chambers they had dug. That was when they heard the sound. The cracking of rock that the diamond dogs took as the early warning sign of a cave-in. When they turned to look back, however, all they saw were three small fractures coming from the hole in the wall. They were spreading. The foreman heard an unusual sound vibrating through the rock: a low hum, and it was getting louder. The cracks in the wall continued to spread. It was a melody. There was a voice beyond the wall, and as the cracks began to widen, fork, and multiply, it became clear that the voice was singing. "Run," the foreman hissed, but neither he nor his workers seemed to be able to move. Entranced by what they thought was melody, their knees began to shake. The stone began to crumble. Fractures spread along the walls, floor, and ceiling of the tunnel, making their way towards the dogs. Instead of running, the workers huddled together. One by one, the bulbs in the hanging lamps began to burst, until all light was gone. Amidst the sound of the breaking rock and the approaching voice that was singing softly, footsteps could be heard. And they were getting closer. The workers gasped as a small pair of lights became visible, floating high above the ground and bobbing in rhythm with the footsteps. As the distance between the miners and the voice lessened, the words it was singing became audible. "Will you remember the famous men who," the voice paused for half of a second before continuing, slowly, as though it were singing a dirge, "have to fall and then rise again?" It was then that the foreman let out a high-pitched shriek and bolted towards the source of the lights, pickaxe raised above his head. The other miners, their eyes not yet adjusted, heard only a pained yelp and a thud before the glow began to bounce towards them again. "So take a deep breath." The voice got closer. The miners gasped. "Pick yourself up." The voice became more forceful. A stomp was heard just inches away from the pack, and the miners began to cower. "Dust yourself off." A series of yelps mimicking those of the foreman emanated from the group, followed by a dead silence. "And start all over, again..." Delacroix shook his head. He never could help himself, theatricality had always been a habit of his. Four years had passed since that day. Time spent researching, learning everything he could about the state of the world; its inhabitants, its politics. He made his plans, forged his alliances, mastered the abilities gained from the Elements. He focused once more on Clarion Call. "Are you ready?" "Guess we'll find out," the proto-alicorn replied. He widened his stance, and shut his eyes. A red aura illuminated his horn. The magical energy it generated cast a strong breeze outward all around him, kicking up dust. Delacroix focused on the mountain range. One by one, each large rock formation was consumed by a bright light. Five total. Then there was a blinding flash, and what sounded like lightning. A gust of wind billowed into Delacroix's face, nearly pushing him off his rock. When the glare faded away, and the wind died down, Clarion exhaled deeply, but evenly, and observed his work. "I can't tell..." he said, placing his hoof above his eyes and squinting. "I can," Delacroix said. "The shape of each peak is the indicator, the rotation was a success." "Well, there you have it!" Clarion couldn't help but smile. "Clarion Call can officially move mountains!" "Then the time has arrived," Delacroix said. "The invasion will begin tomorrow." "Sounds good," Clarion Call said. "We're out in the middle of nowhere, but somebody still might have noticed all that. We should probably get outta here." "Then let's make our rounds," Delacroix said, rising to his feet and tucking the case containing the Elements underneath his right shoulder. "We'll check in with the dogs, first." "You got it, boss," Clarion Call said. He revved up another teleportation spell, and then they were gone.