As Nigel woke up he ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth. He frowned as he smacked his lips together, an odd taste lingering. It wasn’t unpleasant, a slight hint of what tasted like cinnamon present, but where it had come from was a mystery.
A light snore at his side drew his attention, Nigel glancing down to spot Chrysalis drooling on his shoulder as she leaned against him. He smiled at the sight of the changeling peacefully sleeping, glad that she looked happy despite the changes that she was going through and his erratic personality. He knew that he was difficult to tolerate, but Chrysalis did put up with him so he was proud to call her a friend. After all, she and him were the two outsiders in the situation so sticking together was in their best interests.
He tried to move but found that he was still covered with bedding and nymphs, the small creatures fast asleep against and on him. Shaking his head, Nigel carefully moved his arm to retrieve his helmet from the floor. A sigh escaped his mouth as he found it occupied by a nymph, the changeling’s front half resting inside the helmet with her back end sprawled on the floor facing him.
Both of his hands moved together towards the child, the armour covering them sliding back silently before his bare hands grabbed the nymph gently around the waist. Her hind legs kicked as she began to wake, Nigel searching for a free spot to put her down. He found none within reach and she was about wake up fully, Nigel forced to place her on his chest with an arm wrapped around her. He caught a brief glance of the nametag, the nymph turning out to be Swissy. The reminder of the name that he had given her brought back his smile, his free hand picking up his helmet and placing it on his head.
The inside lit up with displays as soon as the helmet was locked in, Chalmers’s eyes immediately looking towards the time. It read as five o’clock in the morning and he’d woken up early, Nigel grinning as he read a report that had popped up holographicly in his vision.
His tower was complete, furnishings and all.
His day-dream involving legions of war-machines marching through the streets of the Equestrian capitol as AI fighters flew overhead was interrupted by a weary chirp, Nigel looking down to find that Swissy was gazing back up at him. Chalmers raised a finger to his face and shushed.
“Shhh, not another peep,” he whispered. His words went unheeded, the nymph fully awake and her mouth opened in preparation to laugh at the funny movements that the large creature who provided food was making. Nigel’s finger quickly moved to Swissy’s mouth, the changeling not making a sound as her mouth closed.
“Good girl,” Nigel praised softly while moving his finger away. Whether Swissy understood what he was trying to tell her, or if she just sensed that he wanted her to be quiet Chalmers couldn’t be sure. After making sure that the nymph was not going to wake anyone else up, Nigel began the hard task of clearing some space to get up.
Bedding was placed on the wooden floor and nymphs were shifted carefully while Swissy watched on. None of the other nymphs woke up when they were moved, something that Nigel was thankful for. He tightened his armoured arm around Swissy and hugged her to his chest, his other hand picking up a spare pillow as he edged away from Chrysalis, who was still drooling against his shoulder.
“Easy does it,” Nigel mumbled under his breath as he edged away from Chrysalis. The adult changeling listed to the side, gently coming to rest on the floor with her head on the pillow that Chalmers had put down. He lingered until he was sure that she was truly asleep, before he got up off the floor while making as little noise as possible.
Swissy continued to stay quiet as Nigel made his way to the cabin door, the nymph giddy at the height that she was traveling at. She had watched the food-provider take Reflection out of the room the other day and was excited that she would also be treated to the same privilege.
Nigel opened the door and walked out into the warm night air. He glanced back into the cabin, his eyes scanning over the still-sleeping inhabitants. Nymphs, Chrysalis, Spyglass, and Sunflare were all silent save for breathing, Sunflare chained to her bed while Spyglass was still cuffed on the main bed. He still had to decide what he wanted to do with the two ponies that had tried to kill him, he was hoping to eventually reconcile with Sunflare and he enjoyed toying with Spyglass.
Deciding to leave his thoughts about his prisoners for a while, Nigel closed the cabin door and walked towards the gangplank connecting the ship to the docks. None of the crew were on watch, with the networked laser turrets watching the town there was no need. They hadn’t complained, it merely meant that they could all drink as much as they wanted every night and sleep off the hangovers in the morning. Thinking about this, Nigel decided that he would have to find them something to do so they didn’t get lazy and bored. He would also have to figure out what would happen to the Equestrian prisoners.
“Let’s go see how the tower turned out, hmm?” Nigel asked Swissy as he walked down the gangplank and onto the dock. The changeling stayed quiet in his arms as she looked around, the streets deserted due to the early hour. Chalmers wasn’t really expecting a reply; Chrysalis had informed him that she couldn’t recall when she herself was able to talk so they didn’t know when the nymphs would start to form words. Nigel figured that it was possibly very soon, after all the creatures seemed to be quite intelligent already.
While continuing to walk, his boots treading on the cobbled road, Nigel pondered how he was able to understand the creatures on this world. While English was the primary language of the UIP he could speak a bit of Russian and German, the second and third most common languages, but how these ponies and changelings knew it was a mystery.
He shook his head, figuring out how it was possible was not something he was concerned with right now. He could talk and his friends, subordinates and prisoners could talk so he saw no need to pick it apart when that time could be spent enjoy his unplanned holiday.
Swissy cooed as he scratched her on the head, the nymph shifting in his arm to get a better position to ensure that the fingers covered behind her ears as well. Nigel was briefly filled with joy and a little bit of pride as he held the child in his arms. He had never been good with children, and he had no clue how to act around them apart from observing other people. These nymphs were different however.
Maybe it was because he saw them as his own, he did enjoy their antics and they seemed to like him a lot. Granted, it was probably because of the fact that he was their breakfast, lunch and dinner but he still liked to think that he was doing a good job as a father figure. Not that changeling’s really had a father figure if what Chrysalis told him was correct.
Chalmers looked up into the sky as Swissy let out a curious chirp, the nymph staring at the large, black tower that rose into the early-morning sky. Now that it was complete, Chalmers pondered why he had decided to make it so… big. Most of the main areas would be underground anyway for defensive reasons. The actual tower was just for show, apart from a penthouse command room.
Every tower in an evil base needs a command room so the owners can look out over their domain and laugh evilly while making their plans. He wanted to be able to do that, super villains always seemed to have the most interesting lives. The fact that he was currently on a planet inhabited by talking pony aliens, had acquired ten children, was seen as a great evil by a major planetary civilisation and he felt the need to make it more interesting was lost on him. Swissy began moving her forehooves towards it, trying to touch the interesting object that was growing bigger as the approached the base of the building.
“You think that’s cool,” Nigel commented while Swissy looked up at him. “You should see the inside what looks like.”
Chalmers walked to the main entrance, a large grey door set into the black building. A new addition since the previous day was present, a key pad with nine large, numbered buttons, each the size of a hoof. He didn’t need to use it, a command sent over his control network opened the door with him needing to lift a finger.
A brief moment passed as the tower’s computers verified the many security codes and authentications that was transmitted, before the seamless door split in two, one half sinking into the ground while the other raised into the top. The faint groaning of the thick doors stopped, both halves completely gone from sight.
A rather plain entrance hall was lit up with soft-white lighting, a long line of chairs against the cream-coloured wall with a water cooler sitting nearby. A single metal door was at the end of the hall, ‘Commander’ marked in bold lettering upon the surface. Chalmers had to admit that it was fairly boring as he stared at the public entrance to the tower. The only oddities that broke up the room were the security cameras and laser turrets hanging from the roof, in case of any disgruntled visitors. Swissy strained in his grasp towards the room, Nigel patting the child on the head as he walked to the left side of the building.
“We don’t go in that one,” Nigel informed as he stepped into the alleyway separating his tower from a row of houses. He walked halfway down until he came to a plain rectangle set within the black tower. Another signal from his suit and the rectangle swung outwards, another plain room greeting the pair. “This is where we go,” Chalmers continued as he walked inside the featureless box of a room. Swissy trembled as the door thudded shut behind them and a light-blue laser came out from the dark and scanned the two beings.
The changeling ceased her shaking when the laser shut off, the room lighting up with the same white light from the lobby. A door at the end of the small room slide into the right side, revealing a cylindrical pod designed to fit in ten armoured humans. Chalmers stepped into the large room covered with panels and waited for the door to close behind him. Swissy looked around the chamber with awe, a multitude of blue lights pulsing with a steady glow as a panel lit up on the side of the wall.
A cutaway map of the entire tower and vast underground structure was displayed, twenty red dots labelled with various locations flashing on the panel. Nigel selected the one at the very top of the tower, labelled ‘Command’. A hum built up, Chalmers rubbing Swissy’s head to calm her as the blue glow grew stronger. There was a flash and the humming died out, Swissy blinking her eyes while Nigel stepped out of the opening door.
Both were greeted with an impressive sight, a large, circular room with metal plated walls lighting up as they entered. In the centre, on a raised pedestal, sat a large chair covered with screens and controls. Around the pedestal were rows of displays flowing with information and banks of high-tech computers.
Nigel walked over towards the centre chair and pressed a button on one armrest, the walls of the room flickering into life as the electronic windows activated. The view, provided by arrays of external cameras and sensors set into the exterior of the tower, was as if nothing was between the command room and the outside. The entire town as well as the surrounding area could be seen with clarity, all from within the safety of armour-plated walls.
“Quite a view, isn’t it?” Nigel asked while putting the nymph down on the ground. Swissy immediately began to explore the new surroundings, the nymph intrigued by the beeping machines around the room. Nigel let her roam and sat down in his centre chair, his eyes scanning over reports and statuses.
In the subterranean levels the living areas, kitchen, storage and factory facilities had all been finished and ready to be used. A large cavern had been carved below these areas, large power plants and mass fabricators nearly all finished. He’d still have to wait a little until he could start producing an army, his priorities being to settle everyone in to their new home, beef up the tower’s defences, construct a more powerful AI nexus and upgrade his battleship.
He was going to be known by his ISA rank of Commander from now on. Besides, he thought that it was about time to reward Morning Sparkle for her service to him. Promoting her to Captain and giving the unicorn command of her own ship would only cement her loyalty more.
A chirp from Swissy drew his attention away from his displays, Nigel spotting the nymph staring out to the east. The sun was rising, the clear sky a brilliant shade of orange and pink. Time was flying by and he still had a lot to do today. He was just about to leave his chair when an alert sounded on the display monitoring the public door. Nigel looked towards it, Morning Sparkle having entered the waiting area.
“Hello?” the mare called out, her voice coming out of the command room’s speakers. “Captain, are you here?” Nigel watched as his First Mate investigated the room, the water cooler drawing her attention. He chuckled as she touched the lever and a stream of water dribbled out, Morning jolting back in surprise. Pressing a button on his chair, Nigel activated the speakers set around the room.
“Good Morning,” he greeted, Sparkle turning around as his voice boomed out around her. “To what do I owe the visit?”
“I just saw that this… door was open,” Morning replied while glancing up at the closest security camera after noticing it move closer. “Where are you?”
“Up top of course,” Nigel answered. Morning flinched as a loud chattering followed the sentence, Chalmers’s laughter ringing out around her. “Swissy says hello, she’s currently trying to reach you through the display.” Morning didn’t really know what to say, she still hadn’t decided how to feel at the Captain’s attachment to the young creatures. It didn’t exactly paint the picture of a fearless warrior-captain that struck terror into the hearts of ponies.
“Well, can I come in?” Morning began, looking at the door marked ‘Commander’. “You did say you wanted to show me your tower.” Nigel’s laughter doubled in intensity, Morning not getting what was so funny.
“Yes, I want to give you a full tour of the base,” he managed out as the chattering from the nymph started again, Swissy encouraged by his mirth. “Just step in the door and press the big, red button.” Morning waited until the door slide into the side, revealing a grey, boxy container.
“Is it safe?” she asked, the box not appearing to have any controls or alternate exits.
“Of course!” Nigel answered over the communication system. “It’s just a magnetic lift, far safer than cables. You’ll only be crushed to death if the power goes out, the safety features don’t deploy or if the tower itself falls to the ground. The drones all made it perfectly so nothing should go wrong at all.”
Morning was still hesitant, however she saw no other option. Stepping into the lift, she stood uneasily as the door shut behind her and trapped her in.
“Oh,” Nigel continued through the intercom, this time a single speaker in the roof. “I forgot to mention that I didn’t test the speed on this thing. Let me know how it works out.” Morning did a double take before fearfully looking towards the speaker.
“Wait… what!?”
That was all she managed to get out before the lift beeped and shot up the shaft. Morning was dropped to the floor as the lift made the one-hundred metre trip in ten seconds. The unicorn tried to hold onto the floor with all of her might during the terrifying, and thankfully short, trip. In contrast to the sudden acceleration, the lift stopped at the top of the tower smoothly without a single jolt, the door opening with a ping.
Morning struggled to her hooves and rushed out of the lift with her heart beating in her chest, the unicorn vowing to never ride that demon-machine again. As she caught her breath, Morning glanced over the room she found herself in. She was met with strange machines, a magnificent view and in the centre of it all was a large, black chair. The chair was pointed away from her and the high back hid the occupant, Morning however knew that there was only one being who could be occupying it.
“Welcome to my evil lair, fair maiden,” Nigel ominously stated as the chair swivelled to face Morning. She was met with the sight of the helmeted Nigel stroking the head of a purring nymph in his lap, the child named Swissy if she remembered correctly. “While we await for the foolish rescue from your beloved, may I offer you some tea?” Morning watched Chalmers press a button, a tray containing a tea set rising up from the floor as a circular hole opened. “I find that eminent doomsday is so much more enjoyable with a freshly brewed cup.”
“Um,” Morning started, unsure if the mention of ‘doomsday’ was a part of the play that the Captain was putting on or if he really meant it. In her defence, it was hard to tell with Chalmers. “Tea sounds… nice?”
“Lovely,” Nigel suddenly said in his normal tone, all threat gone. “Sugar, milk?”
“Just some sugar thankyou,” Morning replied before furrowing her brows. “Wait, how did you get sugar and milk? Or a full tea-set for that matter?” Nigel paused at this, staring down at the fine china cup of steaming tea that he just stirred some sugar into.
“I don’t actually know,” he stated. “All I know is that it’s all part of the plans and the drones…” Nigel’s eyes widened. “Oh no, please tell me they didn’t steal from a store and milk a cow.” Morning cleared her throat, deciding to not inform the Captain that he had stolen an entire ship after killing some of its crew.
“Let’s just think about it later,” she offered. Nigel nodded and passed her the cup, Swissy sitting up in his lap as Morning took it with her magic.
“That’s probably a good thing to do,” he agreed while taking a sip of his own tea. Morning tried hers and walked towards him, humming as she enjoyed the beverage. No matter where or how the items had been acquired, it was pretty good tea. Morning walked up the five steps of the centre pedestal, sitting down on her rump next to the Captain’s chair. The nymph in his lap chattered at her, Morning ignoring it as she looked around the huge room.
“So this is what you’ve been working on,” she commented as she took another sip. Nigel sat back in his chair, one hand holding his cup will the other was in the process of being gnawed on by Swissy. The changeling wasn’t using her small fangs, intending to just play instead of hurt.
“Along with the underground areas,” Nigel answered. Morning glanced up at him, curious as to what else he had made.
“Such as?” she asked with concern. Chalmers touched some buttons to bring up a holographic map of the complex. Morning’s eyes widened as she saw that the entire base was huge, almost the size of the entire town with some parts extending deep under the earth.
“Sleeping quarters, storage areas,” Nigel began to list. “Living areas, a kitchen, factories, power plants, hydroponics, medical areas, secondary control areas, automated mining drills, weapon bays and my favourite,” Chalmers pointed to a large underground area with what seemed to be a large tunnel connecting it to the surface, pointing out to the coast. “An underground aircraft hangar with a launch bay, needed for any evil lair.”
“Captain-“ Morning began, only to be interrupted by Nigel.
“Commander, I decided to change back to my actual rank,” Chalmers smiled down at her, the completion of his tower putting him into a great mood. “Once again, stop with the titles. Nigel or Chalmers will suffice.” Morning sighed in resignation.
“Fine, Nigel,” Morning continued with a deep breath. “Can I just ask why you’re so set on being an evil super-villain with underground lairs and large black towers? Can’t you just stay a pirate captain, become a lord or even just call yourself a king?” Nigel didn’t need to think before replying, with a waving hand he gestured towards the surrounding view.
“Because being a king or captain isn’t as fun of course, why settle for a castle or a ship if I can have an evil base?” Chalmers grinned at the thought of how Morning would react to his next announcement. He guessed that now was as good a time as any. “Besides, you’re a captain with a ship, kinda steals my thunder if I don’t become an evil overlord.”
Morning took a few moments to figure out what had just happened. Nigel watched as, for the first time since he had met her, Morning actually appeared to be joyful.
“Do you really mean?” she asked with a grin on her face, Nigel nodding which prompted Swissy to copy him.
“Yes, the ship’s yours. You’re in charge of the crew and after I preform some upgrades you can go around pillaging to your heart’s content. All I ask is that you obey my commands when needed and give me a ten-percent cut.” Morning couldn’t believe her ears, only ten percent would mean that she’d be rich before she knew it. Considering what Chalmers had done with the tower in a few days, the upgraded ship will certainly be nigh-unstoppable.
“Thank you!” Morning cried out while putting down her empty cup to hug Nigel’s armoured leg, much to his surprise. “You don’t know how much this means to me!”
“I can probably guess,” Chalmers chuckled. He was glad that he had managed to make her smile. Morning had been loyal to him and he enjoyed her company, the mare could hold her drink better than some a few of his friends in the military. “Just don’t go and ding it, I’m still attached to it.”
“I’ll try,” Morning answered, pulling away from his leg when she calmed down.
“Don’t worry,” Nigel responded before looking out at the sun rising into the sky. “I trust that you’ll do well. Anyway, it’s probably time that we went and fetched the rest of the brood.” Nigel placed his empty cup on the raised tray, Morning doing the same before the tray was lowered back into the floor. Turning back around, Morning noticed that Chalmers had a line of something on his right shoulder.
“You’ve got something on your shoulder,” Morning pointed out while getting up, Nigel glancing to his left before staring at his right. He remembered what it was, the small amount of saliva from when Chrysalis was leaning against him. He brushed it off with a hand, however his nose winkled in surprise and he lifted the hand to his nose.
He smelt cinnamon, almost like…
Chalmers stood up from his chair and quickly put that thought out of his mind, Swissy in his arms while Morning stared fearfully at the mag-lift door.
“I don’t want to go back down in that,” she whispered, memories of her terrible trip replaying in her mind.
“You won’t have to,” Nigel re-assured, his revelation forgotten. Morning sighed in relief before wondering how they were going to get down.
“Then how do we get out? That was the only way.”
“Nah,” Nigel casually dismissed. “We’ll take the teleporter instead.” Morning stared blankly at the Commander until the teleporter door opened and she was greeted with a glowing blue chamber.
“You can’t be serious,” she bluntly stated as she watched Nigel and Swissy enter it. Morning took note of the nymph closing her eyes and gripping Chalmers tightly, something that did not boost her confidence in the machine. “Why does your empire let you build all of these things?”
“They don’t,” Nigel remarked as he stood in the teleporter waiting for her. “Truth is, if I acted like a super-villain on a UIP planet and not some unknown backwater then I’d probably be court-martialled and shot.” Nigel’s face fell as he shuddered. “Or worse, mind wipe and re-assignment.” Morning decided that she could live with not finding out what a ‘mind wipe’ was, if it rattled the human so much then it must be horrible. As much as she hated the idea, this teleporter couldn’t be as bad as the lift, could it?
“Are you sure that it won’t hurt or go really fast?” Morning inquired as she inched closer to Commander.
“I’m sure, me and Swissy already took it up here and it works perfectly fine.”
Morning took a deep breath and hurried into the chamber, the door closing behind her and blocking all escape.
“So,” Morning asked while Nigel pressed the destination on a screen. “How does this one work?” Morning hoped that asking the question would help her calm down.
“Oh, I don’t know the specifics,” Chalmers answered as a blue glow built up. “All I know is that it turns us into tiny little atoms and ‘beams’ us down to another chamber. Our bodies are then re-constructed out of these atoms and everything is fine.” Morning’s face turned white, this was true madness. Nigel didn’t notice her fear however. “Fun fact, since you’re turned to molecules and your heart stops beating, you’re actually clinically dead for about a millisecond. Then you come back to ‘life’ when you’re re-constructed.” Morning froze, the mare beginning to hyperventilate.
“Let me out! Let me out!” she suddenly yelled as she banged on the door uselessly, before a bright blue flash returned the chamber to an empty state.
Chrysalis was sitting on the floor and watching the nymphs slowly wake up. She had woken up a few minutes before to find that Chalmers and Swissy had gone, Chrysalis surprised to find that she was resting against a pillow on the floor and not him. At first she feared that he had found out about her actions last night and stormed off, however when she had calmed down she came to the conclusion that Nigel taking Swissy for an early morning walk was more likely.
As a few of the youngsters rose and rubbed their eyes, Chrysalis reflected on how she felt about Chalmers’s attachment to the children. She hadn’t expected him to be the kind to do well with them as he was rather… unstable, after all. She was thankful that he was willing to spend time taking care of them though, Chrysalis couldn’t even imagine how she’d cope without it. He was also the sole source of food for them and her, the fact that he willingly provided it made things so much easier.
“Hmmm.”
Chrysalis looked to the noise, Sunflare’s chain clinking as she started to wake up. The mare was looking better, most of her bruises gone with only a few left. Her foreleg was still in a cast and the missing horn was a stark reminder of what had happened, Chrysalis was hopeful that the knight would come to forgive Chalmers for what he had done.
A look to the main bed revealed the still-sleeping form of Spyglass, the Equestrian stallion still snoring away with his legs cuffed together. Maybe hitting him, multiple times, was a bit over-the-top. Chrysalis hoped that she hadn’t done any permanent damage.
“Morning,” Sunflare greeted sleepily, Chrysalis turning to face the sitting mare.
“Morning,” Chrysalis replied as she watched the knight stretch out her limbs. Sunflare seemed to not be that concerned about her race and Chrysalis had noticed that the knight was fairly warm with her. It might be because Chrysalis had also been in the room with her and they had talked, Chrysalis having tried to take the unicorn’s mind off her missing horn whenever she got the chance.
“How’s Spyglass?” Sunflare inquired as she glanced at the sleeping pony. Chrysalis bit her lip, still a little ashamed at the beating she had given the poor stallion.
“He’s still sleeping and hasn’t said a word,” Chrysalis answered. “I think I hit him a little too hard, but he wouldn’t stop screaming.” Sunflare let out a small chuckle, Chrysalis surprised that the mare was able to do so considering her circumstance.
“He’s pretty strange,” the knight commented before looking back at Chrysalis and the nymphs gathered around her. “In is defence though, those, um-“
“Nymphs,” Chrysalis provided, Morning nodding her head at the information.
“Right, the nymphs did get pretty terrifying. No wonder my mother always reminds me of what a burden I was if all children are like that.” Chrysalis shifted awkwardly on her spot, her next question potentially about to ruin Sunflare’s good mood.
“You’re… happier today,” Chrysalis managed, Sunflare looking down at her chained hoof with a sad smile.
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” she informed Chrysalis. “I had a lot of time to think about things and I realised that it could be worse and I’m thankful for that but,” Sunflare gestured with her free hoof to her broken horn, a tear falling from her eye. “My horn is gone,” she strained out with effort. “It’s not going to grow back, everyone knows that unicorn horns don’t. I know that I could be dead right now, but still I feel so torn up about it. ”
“Maybe Chalmers will be able to fix it for you,” Chrysalis tried to reassure before Sunflare haltered her with a hoof.
“I doubt that your Captain will,” the unicorn responded, Chrysalis wincing when the mare said ‘Captain’ with a flinch. “Given how he doesn’t even seem to know about unicorns or ponies in general. I doubt he would anyway.”
“Sure he would!” Chrysalis defended. “I know he appears really evil but he’s not that bad!”
“He broke off my horn!” Sunflare spat, waking Spyglass and causing the nymphs to all huddle closer to Chrysalis.
“You tried to kill him in a duel!” Chrysalis yelled back, causing Sunflare to pause at the changeling’s intense response. “All because Platinum ordered you to do it after he kicked out that corrupt mayor! She was going to buy the nymphs to keep as pets and it was because of me that he even intervened! If I hadn’t begged him to save them then we’d be off in our ship and away from this town, so if anyone’s to blame it’s me!” Sunflare stared at the angry changeling, Chrysalis breathing heavily after her tirade. The unicorn lowered her head again, some of the changeling’s words getting to her.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” Sunflare choked out with a sob. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just don’t know what to think about the past few days. My entire life, my title as knight, my aspirations has all come crashing down.” Sunflare sniffled while Spyglass and Chrysalis watched on with worry. “I’m even breaking the law right now, since the Princess banished me if I didn’t kill him.”
“Technically, since Chalmers took over this town isn’t part of Equestria anymore,” Chrysalis tried to joke. “That means that at least you aren’t breaking the law, that’s something.” Sunflare laughed softly, using her sheets to dry her tears,
“Thanks,” Sunflare replied softly. “Not just for trying to make me feel better, for everything you’ve done. Despite what you are, you’ve been pretty good to me. I just can’t forgive your Captain right now, no matter how much you want me to.” Chrysalis sighed. She guessed that at least it was better than nothing.
“That’s okay, I can understand why you’d feel that way.” Chrysalis leaned back against the wooden wall and rubbed her temples. “I haven’t been feeling great myself, with all these changes happening to me I don’t know what to do.” Sunflare nodded and her mood lifted a little at the reminder that the changeling was also going through a tough time. Spyglass decided that he should try cheering up Chrysalis, maybe it would get her to drop her guard and allow him to escape after freeing Sunflare.
“You don’t look that bad,” he spoke up from the bed, his grey hooves fidgeting in his cuffs. He drew the attention of the two females as well as the nymphs, Spyglass eyeing the young creatures warily. “I’m sure that if you told your Captain how you felt then he’d be happy to hear it, then you wouldn’t have to kiss him when he’s sleeping.” Spyglass got the hint that he had said the wrong thing when Chrysalis’s mouth dropped open, the changeling’s face flushed green while Sunflare looked at her oddly.
“You saw that?” Chrysalis replied shakily. Spyglass, reconsidering the wisdom in telling her that he had indeed woken up the previous night to witness her have her way with the sleeping Captain, nodded his head hesitantly.
“I did,” he confirmed. He shrieked and struggled when Chrysalis raced towards him, the changeling slamming her two forehooves down onto the mattress near his head.
“Don’t you dare tell him!” Chrysalis threatened with a low hiss.
“I won’t! I promise!” Spyglass blubbered out. Chrysalis stared at the scared pony and dropped back to the floor ashamed. She shook her head, her emotions were all out of whack and she didn’t know why she was so afraid of Chalmers’s finding out about her attraction.
“I thought he already knew?” Sunflare asked, puzzled. “I mean, you and him are pretty close. You’ve also got children so I thought-“
“They’re not ours by blood,” Chrysalis informed quickly. “When I said we saved them from the mayor, I wasn’t talking about rescuing them. They were on a trader’s ship so we rescued them, he didn’t even know that I was a changeling before then. He looks after them like they are his own and so do I, we’re really good friends and that’s all there is to it.”
“Except that you’re kissing him in his sleep,” Sunflare deadpanned. “I don’t like him, but even I think that you’ve got a problem if you’re going that far without talking to him.” Sunflare scanned over Chrysalis’s appearance, the unicorn taking note that the changeling looked a little taller than before. Chrysalis had her eyes facing the floor, staring at her two forehooves with a sorrowful expression. Sunflare felt a bit guilty, she liked the insect-looking creature and felt a little guilty.
“So those nymphs,” Sunflare continued with the intent of changing the subject as she pointed towards the nine small creatures nuzzling Chrysalis’s legs. “They seem to like him a lot.”
“Of course they do,” Chrysalis muttered. “Changelings feed off love and the Captain is very loving to them. He feeds and plays with them so I can see why they adore him.” The knowledge that changelings feed on love was new to Sunflare, she had not been paying attention during her sadness so she didn’t know a lot about the creatures.
“Oh,” she replied while Spyglass elected to stay silent, the assassin not wanting to risk Chrysalis’s wrath again. “You feed off him as well I assume?” Sunflare had an idea pop into head, an attempt to improve Chrysalis’s mood.
“Yes…” Chrysalis hesitantly answered while looking at Sunflare. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Well,” Sunflare began. “You already feed of his love, love which he gives you willingly. That’s a pretty big thing there, I don’t know any ponies that would let someone feed off them like that and I certainly wouldn’t.” As Chrysalis smiled at her thankfully, Sunflare realised what she had just said. “I still don’t like him though,” she added. “But if you do then I don’t care. I like you, Chrysalis, you’re a good person. Do what makes you happy and if that means telling him that you like him then go for it, far better than waiting around and never knowing if he would have said yes.”
“Thanks Sunflare,” Chrysalis acknowledged as she got up. While the changeling was walking over to give the knight a hug, Spyglass saw his chance. Rocking his body side to side, Spyglass edged towards the end of the bed and his planned freedom. As Chrysalis and Sunflare embraced, the Equestrian assassin completed his plan and his body left the bed to thump upon the floor. Before Chrysalis could turn around, Spyglass leapt up and tackled her unconscious, leaving him free to save Sunflare from captivity.
Or he would have, if it wasn’t for the small matter of the cuffs around his legs. Instead of leaping up and heroically saving the day, Spyglass floundered on the ground. Chrysalis, Sunflare and the nymphs watched on confused as the stallion rolled on the ground attempting to break free.
“Are you okay?” Chrysalis asked, concerned that Spyglass had fallen off the bed and hurt himself. Realising that his planned was foiled, Spyglass gave up and flopped down onto his side.
“I’m a prisoner of an insane biped who may or may not kill me before the end of the week. My ruler wants me dead and I’m trapped in a cabin with a group of changeling children who could be weaponised after they eat food. How is any of that okay?” Chrysalis and Sunflare didn’t have an answer for that. Spyglass huffed and closed his eyes, the stallion not noticing the figures approaching him until it was too late.
With a wet lick, one of the nymphs ran her little red tongue across Spyglass’s snout, much to the amusement of Sunflare and Chrysalis. The unicorn on the ground opened his eyes and was met by a pair of bright blue orbs, the nymph’s name tag indicating that it was called ‘Cupid’. Spyglass’s eyes bugged out as he noticed that the nymph was not alone, the other eight chirping as they crowded him and began to nuzzle against him.
“Help me!” Spyglass cried out desperately as one nymph placed it’s forelegs on his head and began to chew on the tape-covered horn playfully. Chrysalis and Sunflare laughed as they watched the stricken unicorn panic over a group of children. “Don’t just stand there!” Spyglass continued. “Help me!”
“What have we just walked into?”
All play, laughter and screaming stopped, everyone turning to look at the cabin door. Standing in the doorway was Chalmers with Swissy in his arms. Morning and four members of the crew, three Earth pony stallions and a unicorn mare were outside waiting. Nigel was looking down at Spyglass with confusion, the nymphs immediately leaving Spyglass to race towards him as Swissy excitedly chattered from her position up against Nigel’s chest.
“Oh,” Chrysalis started with a glance towards Sunflare. “Spyglass just fell off the bed and we were going to help him up.” Chrysalis noticed that Nigel was looking at her strangely. While it could be because he knew that she was lying, Chrysalis dreaded that he had somehow found out about what she had done.
“You look a little taller,” was all Chalmers said, Chrysalis glancing down to see that the floor did look higher up.
“I hadn’t noticed,” Chrysalis responded with a nervous glance towards Sunflare. After getting a nod from the mare, Chrysalis looked back towards Nigel as Morning walked in beside him. The First Mate looked like she had seen a ghost, her face pale and her legs shaking. “What happened to you?” Chrysalis asked, keen to steer the conversation in a different direction.
“Devil machines,” Morning warned, trembling with fright. Chrysalis was shocked that the normally stony First Mate was shaken like this. Nigel placed Swissy down on the ground, the nymph joining the others who were swarming around Nigel’s legs.
“Ignore Sparkle,” Chalmers advised while patting the mare on the head. “She didn’t like the lift or the teleporter.” Chrysalis perked up at this, her eyes shining with curiosity.
“Lift and teleporter?” Chalmers seemed to snap out of his thoughts with her question, a smile coming to life on his face.
“You heard that right, the Tower is complete.” With a wave to the crew outside, Nigel bent down and scooped five of the nymphs up in his arms. All five immediately grabbed onto his arms and held on, Chalmers looking over the surprised occupants of the room. “What are you waiting for? We have a new base to move onto.”
“Princess Platinum? Please come out. Morning Court started hours ago and ponies are waiting for you! The nobles are beginning to talk about how you’re unfit to rule!”
Clover was sitting next to Platinum’s door, trying to reason with the ruler to leave her quarters and attend to her worried subjects. After the… ‘attack’ of the biped the previous day, the Princess had been almost catatonic. Platinum had immediately rushed to her room and locked the door, Clover figuring that she was embarrassed that she had been kissed by the monster in such a forward way.
Clover had spent the entire night next to Platinum’s door trying to get her to open up, not a word in reply from the Princess. The situation with the nobility was getting worrying with one stallion in particular, Duke Sombra, advocating for the forced removal of Platinum and the installation of a new ruler who could defend the country against pirate and monster attacks. Normally Clover would dismiss it as the typical political scheming of the nobility, but with war against the Pegasi looming and the recent attack, Sombra was fast gaining supporters.
“Princess, open up! The nobility are threatening to revolt!” Clover tried desperately again to sway Platinum again, beating her green hooves against the strong wooden door.
Inside the lavish bedroom, Clover’s warnings fell on deaf ears. Platinum was curled up in a ball on her four-poster bed with a purple cushion grasped in her hooves. The kiss from the Monster had struck her deeply, Platinum never experiencing anything like it. She had always focused on ruling and nothing else, none of her royal training or education preparing her for the shock of the event.
Or for the terrible feeling of enjoyment and guilt combined together that had stayed with her since the kiss and plagued her endlessly.
Whether it was the kiss itself or the feeling of having no control over it Platinum didn’t know, what she did know was that she wanted more of it. A want which made her hate herself for lusting after a non-unicorn and an enemy of her country as well. She hugged her pillow tighter while replaying the moment in the throne room again and again in her mind. She was dead to all external stimuli, including Clover’s desperate warnings.
“Princess!” Clover tried one last time before the clanking of armoured hooves sounded from behind her and forced her to turn around.
“Get away from the door, Advisor Clover.” The dark-grey stallion that had given her the order, the young Lord Sombra, glared at her with his orange eyes as he emerged from the corridor. A group of armoured unicorns behind him moved towards her, their grey armour and spears causing Clover to gulp.
“You can’t do this,” Clover replied fearfully. “I know that Princess Platinum’s been acting strange after the attack but she’ll get better!” Sombra shook his head, sighing as he adjusted his red suit and coat with his magic.
“Your loyalty is commendable, however why you remain so loyal to a ruler that punishes you for her own insecurities I don’t understand.” Sombra almost seemed sorry as he raised a hoof towards her. “It matters not, the nobility have agreed that I will make the better ruler and there is nothing stopping me. Guards, arrest her.” Clover tried to run but the guards were too quick, a stallion and two mares holding her down with their horns glowing bright. She tried to cast a stun spell but a blow to the back of her head dazed her, allowing one of the guards to slip a nullifying ring over her horn.
Lord Sombra tutted as he watched the guards secure the Princess’s advisor. It had taken a lot of threats and bribes to secure the support of the other nobles but he had done it. At twenty years of age he was the youngest ruler in unicorn history, Platinum herself coming a close second with her age of twenty-five. Waiting until Clover was dragged to the side, Sombra nodded his head towards the four guards levitating a wooden ram between them.
With a thud the ram impacted the door, jolting the wooden barrier and causing cracks to appear on the strained wood. Sombra watched as the guards prepared for another strike, the loyalty of the military secured thanks to his late father’s respected servitude as a general in the Griffon wars.
“Heave!” the guard sergeant called out, as the mare and her three subordinates moved the ram back again. When it reached the apex of its arc, the simple ram swung forward again and crashed against the door, busting it open with a crash. The ram was dropped and the guards burst into the room. The sounds of a scuffle were overlaid with muffled screaming, soon the guards returning with a gagged and tied Platinum levitating between them.
Sombra stared at the Princess, a slight smile crossing his face as she glared down at him hatefully. Her crown had been knocked off, allowing her silver mane to fall around her face. The Lord had to admit that she was quite beautiful, however he was unable to offer her the position of his queen as he needed her for something else. That something was what every successful change of power needs.
“Should we take her to the dungeons, King Sombra?” the Sergeant asked as she wrapped her blue hoof around her spear, her yellow magic busy helping to hold Platinum. Sombra shook his head, his plan firmly laid in his mind.
“No Sergeant,” he began. “The former Princess has allowed pirates and monsters to plague our nation, even going so far to invade the castle itself. With full-scale war on the horizon and the weakness that Platinum has allowed to fester, we are woefully unprepared. In addition to her sordid actions with an enemy of the state, she has also failed to rule in a time of need. For her crimes against the country she is to be publicly executed as soon as possible so that all can see the end of the weakness.”
Platinum tried to talk but the gag rendered her hurried speech into incomprehensible gibberish. She flailed her bound legs but nothing was achieved, the guards leaving the corridor and heading to the throne room with her in tow. Clover tried to speak up to defend the Princess, despite her faults and treatment towards others she didn’t deserve death. She was silenced with a sad look from Sombra however, something about the stallion’s apologetic gaze setting off alarm bells in her head.
“I’m sorry, Clover the Clever,” Sombra stated as he nodded to the guards holding her down. Clover found herself raised to her hooves with a spear head poking at her cloak-covered rump threateningly. Sombra walked towards her and peered into her scared eyes. “As Platinum’s Advisor, many of the nobility believe that you share responsibility for the failings of the former Princess. As such a condition of their support was that you shared her sentence.” Clover’s heart dropped, the unicorn devastated at what he was telling her.
“You’re going to execute me?” she whispered fearfully, Sombra nodding in confirmation.
“I’m afraid so, once again sorry about it. I personally doubt that Platinum ever listened to you and I admire your efforts with attempting to unite the tribes, but politics is politics. The verdict is final, you served your ruler loyally and you will die with her loyally.” Clover couldn’t find the strength to reply or fight back as she was dragged out of the corridor like Platinum, the unicorn stunned by sorrow.
Sombra gave a final, pitiful look towards Clover before he shook his head and glanced inside the wrecked bedroom, soon to be his after it had been cleaned up. Oh, and he was going to replace the purple bedding and decorations with red and black, his family colours.
“King Sombra,” he muttered as he turned to head back to the throne room. “For some reason it just sounds… right.”
“Don’t you think that you’ve overdone it?”
Chrysalis was sitting down and looking at the large holo-map that was floating in the air beside Nigel’s command chair. As the nymphs ran around the room investigating the strange objects and smells, Chrysalis and Morning had sat down on cushions and watched as Chalmers went about his business. He had claimed that he had to check a few things before he could show them their new rooms.
“Of course not,” Nigel replied haughtily as he scanned over the list of active weapon systems. “I haven’t even built the nuclear silos yet, let alone the anti-matter cannon.” Chrysalis sighed and lay down, she didn’t even know why she bothered to ask. “Besides,” continued Nigel, “Morning needs some time to recover so I may as well organise some new construction.”
Chrysalis looked to the left, Morning still mumbling about ‘Demon machines’ as she drank her third cup of tea. Tea that had somehow come out of the floor, with milk and sugar as well. Chrysalis was not going to even get started on how strange that was, considering Nigel had made a gigantic tower and underground base in under a week she assumed that a tea set wasn’t a big deal. Speaking of Nigel, he showed no signs of knowing about her kiss so maybe the stare earlier was just her imagination.
“We still need some extra stuff, you know that mag-lift we travelled up in?” Chrysalis nodded, unlike Morning, she and the nymphs had enjoyed the ride up. Morning however had refused to get in, until Nigel solved the problem by passing the nymphs over the Chrysalis and grabbing the First Mate in his arms. Morning had been too shocked to continue fighting until she was in the lift and it was too late. “Well, I was thinking of making trap ones, you know, a spy tries to get in and it turns out that the lift he picked actually is designed to flood with nerve gas. It’s the small touches like that which are needed in everyday life.”
“Um,” Chrysalis started, Nigel nodding as he waved a hand.
“Yes, I just realised that death-lifts filled with nerve gas are a little unfeasible,” Nigel conceded. Chrysalis let out a relieved breath at the news that he was not going to pursue that line of defence. “Nerve gas is so… messy,” Nigel dashed her hopes as he continued. “Maybe we’ll go with nitrogen asphyxiation instead. Not as fun, but at least you don’t get scratch marks on the walls and dissolved organs on your floor.”
“No!” Morning shouted out, startling Chrysalis and the nymphs. Nigel and Chrysalis looked towards Morning, the mare staring up at Chalmers with fear in her eyes. “They’re bad enough already,” she whispered while gazing down into her tea, before draining the last in the cup. Hurriedly she reached out to pour another, Nigel grabbing the cup out of her magic field and shaking his head at her.
“You’ve had enough tea I think, Morning,” Nigel commented as he placed the cup on the tray and lowered it into the floor. Morning looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.
“But I need it,” she begged. “I need to take my mind off those things-“ Morning trailed off as Chalmers’s hand started to rub her head, the mare going ramrod straight.
“Huh, didn’t think that would work,” Nigel commented as he continued to pet Morning like a dog, which was very amusing for Chrysalis. The nymphs also noticed and rushed over for their turn, Chalmers chuckling as he alternated a head rub for each one. “Now I know it works for you, we’re going to have to set up a play-pen or something so you all don’t go running around like mad-things in the middle of a war.”
“Will that really fit in?” Chrysalis pointed out, Nigel shrugging in response.
“We’ll make it all spikey or covered with skulls or something. We do need something to keep them contained.” Chrysalis nodded, now that she thought about it the idea would give her some breathing room during the day. Mothering them was rewarding but tiring at the same time.
“Or we could just call it an evil-sounding name?” Chrysalis suggested, not being too keen on imprisoning the nymphs within a spiked prison. Nigel’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, the human rubbing his hands together gleefully.
“Yes, we could call it the ‘Nympharium’ and throw in tied up prisoners after giving evil monologues, brilliant idea Chrissy!” Morning groaned and flopped to the floor, Chalmers’s fingers having found the back of her ears. They were withdrawn as the mag-lift beeped, the door opening. “Speaking of prisoners,” Nigel continued as Spyglass was herded in by two stallions, his cuffs gone with standard chains in their place. “Welcome to my tower, Spyglass and crew.”
“Wow,” was all Spyglass had to say as he and the two crew looked at the view. “And I thought that the metal box did nothing.” Nigel and Chrysalis shared a laugh at the unicorn’s child-like look, the failed-assassin flushing red and looking down at his hooves. Another three ponies walked out of the large lift, a mare and stallion wheeling in Sunflare, who was seated upon a wheelchair that Nigel had ‘borrowed’ from the local healer.
“Never again,” Sunflare muttered as her two crewmembers joined their fellows in examining the room with awe. “That machine is a death-trap.”
“Would you prefer the teleporter?” Nigel asked with a smile, a smile that faltered a little when he received a blank look from Sunflare.
“I don’t know what that is,” Sunflare replied emotionlessly, Chrysalis shooting her a disappointed look which cowed the unicorn.
“No,” Morning mumbled out while down lying face-first in a pillow. “He said that it kills you every time you use it and then brings you back to life.” Chrysalis looked at Chalmers with shock after Morning pointed an accusing hoof at him.
“You took Swissy in there!” she yelled. “Nigel, what were you thinking!?” Chalmers held his hands out before he plucked the scared nymph up from her siblings around his chair, the changelings huddling around him as Chrysalis angrily questioned him.
“Chrissy, calm down,” Nigel replied while holding Swissy out towards her with his hands around her torso. “See, she’s fine. Morning only mis-interpreted what I said, all I meant was that your body gets turned to energy and your heart stops beating for a small amount of time. I used teleporters all the time and look at me, perfectly fine.”
Chrysalis had gone still, her face frozen in shock. Swissy giggled at her and tried to touch her face with her stubby forelegs, the nymphs quickly getting over their terror and returning to their normal, chirpy mood. Sunflare snorted, Nigel glancing at her before bringing Swissy back to his chest. The nymph moved her forelegs around his neck and rubbed her face against his chin affectionately.
“See, would I ever endanger them?” Chalmers asked while returning Swissy’s gesture, much to the nymph’s enjoyment. Chrysalis sighed and laid back down on the floor. Despite his faults and disregard for the lives of others, she did believe that Nigel wouldn’t wilfully endanger her, Morning or the nymphs.
“No,” Chrysalis replied. “I can give you that much.” Nigel’s triumphant grin at Chrysalis’s agreement that he was right disappeared at the second part.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, Chrysalis about to reply before Morning spoke up from her spot.
“Just kiss already,” she muttered while sitting up and stretching her neck. “Maybe then he’d keep his hands to you and not go and rub the heads of others.” Chrysalis was shocked at Morning’s joke, the First Mate unknowingly hitting fairly close to home. Nigel however was shocked for a different reason.
“You don’t like my head rubs?” he questioned, hurt evident in his voice. Swissy hugged him tighter and chattered at him, sensing the food-provider’s mood. Morning seemed to have recovered from her fear of the lift and teleporter, the mare shaking her head as the four normal crew members watched their leaders’ interactions with interest.
“It was great,” Morning complimented before her brows furrowed. “I just don’t like to be touched, something from my foalhood.”
An uncomfortable silence descended over the room, everyone interpreting Morning’s information differently.
“So,” Spyglass spoke up to break the silence. “Can you let me go now?”
“Not quite,” Nigel chuckled as he removed Swissy from around his neck and placed her in his lap, glad that the stallion had changed the subject. “I do have something a little better than chains and cuffs though.” Spyglass’s hopes soared, maybe this new method of captivity would allow him to escape. “Bring him forward.”
The four crew members snapped out of their thoughts, quickly bringing Spyglass towards Chalmers. He didn’t resist, Nigel leaning around his chair to rummage around behind it. “Got it,” he announced, holding up a plain silver collar in the air with victory. Swissy and the other nymphs chirped as they saw the collar, some of them glancing down at their own. Spyglass’s face dropped, he hadn’t been expecting a collar.
“That’s it?” he asked, flinching as the human pulled back his hood to reveal his coal-black mane. Spyglass gulped as the collar was fastened around his neck, a malicious set of red lights coming to life when Chalmers pressed a button.
“It is,” Nigel confirmed, the crew unshackling Spyglass after a nod. The Equestrian spy stretched his legs as soon as he was free, finding the collar surprisingly comfortable.
“So this thing tracks me with magic?” Spyglass casually asked, secretly trying to contain his excitement at his new freedom.
“Not quite,” Nigel followed up. “It does track you, but if you try to escape the explosives in the collar detonate and blow your head clean off.” Suddenly, Spyglass’s knew collar felt a lot less comfortable than before. “Oh yes,” Nigel continued upon seeing Spyglass’s horrified face. “You leave the town and you blow up. You try to harm me, my friends or my family and one thought from me blows you up. You fart without saying ‘excuse me’ and you blow up, get the picture?”
Spyglass nodded dumbly, the Equestrian really wishing that he had just kept the chains instead of the exploding collar.
“Don’t be so down chum,” Nigel commented as he put Swissy down on the ground to pick up another nymph, Shade. “You’ll only die by explosive collar if I desire it, so relax.” Spyglass broke out of his trance and glared at Nigel while the human patted Shade.
“You put a bomb around my neck,” Spyglass responded hotly.
“None of that,” Nigel jumped in while pointing a finger. “You can’t whinge about potential death when you’re in this predicament because you tried to kill me.” Chalmers looked towards Sunflare, the mare turning away to gaze out over the town silently. Spyglass followed her example, using his freed legs he walked towards the far right side and sat down on the cool metal.
“Bit harsh, Nigel,” Chrysalis whispered. Chalmers sighed and sat back in his chair, Shade snuggling against his armoured stomach with a content chirp. The rest of the nymphs headed straight to Morning and Chrysalis, the adult changeling welcoming them with hugs and murmurs.
Morning was not so receptive of the attention, the mare shuddering as small muzzles poked her flanks and changelings ran around her in circles. She didn’t mind them because they were changelings, Chalmers was far more weird and scary after all, but she didn’t have a good track record with children. Eventually they stopped poking her and just laid down against her, something that Morning could tolerate for the time being.
“Whatever,” Chalmers replied with a huff as he continued to pat Shade. “Let’s just watch some Equestria TV, be thankful for telescopic lenses and relax.” Chrysalis was about to ask what ‘Equestria TV’ was but Nigel pressed a few buttons on his left armrest and his chair swivelled towards the direction that the Equestrian Capitol was in before she could get any words out. “Thank you for your time crew members, record your names in the book at the exit and I’ll give you some extra pay.” The four crew eagerly left the room via the lift, Morning giving them a worried glance before turning back to join Chrysalis and Nigel in watching the window.
Spyglass and the nymphs also looked at the screen as a red rectangle popped into view, rows of foreign symbols running down the sides of the ‘window’.
“And zoom in,” Nigel muttered as he pressed another set of buttons on a holographic display floating at his side. The rectangle soon filled the entire screen, everyone watching gasping in amazement as a bustling city with a castle came into view. “A bit more,” Nigel said with another set of commands entered into the screen. The image zoomed in more, revealing the castle in all its glory.
Grey spires extended into the sky, banners fluttering in the breeze while the courtyard bustled with activity. Nigel eyed the many windows facing them, a grin forming on his face as he turned to Spyglass.
“Hey, Spyglass,” he addressed, breaking the stallion out of his awe. “What do you say about us finding Platinum’s bedroom and peeking in?”
“What!?” Spyglass questioned excitedly. “You can do that!?” He turned around and was met with judgmental looks from Morning, Chrysalis and Sunflare. “Well, she’s a bitch but she’s also very pretty,” he defended. “Besides, he’s the one that suggested it,” Spyglass pointed an accusing hoof at Nigel who shrugged in response.
“But we expect such things from Chalmers,” Morning replied. “You on the other hoof I thought would be more proper, since you worked for her.” Spyglass childishly stuck his tongue out at her and turned back eagerly to the screen while Nigel leaned forward and tried to pick a window.
“Which one?” Nigel muttered to himself as he touched another button that caused a control stick to pop up from the right arm rest. Everyone watched on as he browsed the available windows, Chrysalis interrupting him as she spotted a sight in the courtyard.
“Wait,” she said while pointing a hoof towards the bottom-left corner. “Something’s happening in the courtyard.” Nigel glanced down and moved the rectangle to cover the area mentioned, another few commands enlarging the view and revealing an interesting sight.
A crowd of Equestrians, all clothed in simple cloth or rags were gathered around a large wooden platform. Guards armoured in grey metal were everywhere, all of them unicorns wielding spears and crossbows. On the platform itself was a simple wooden block, a pony wearing a black hood and cloak standing beside it while sharpening a large axe. Nigel almost chuckled at the cliché image, but remembered that he was viewing it all from a gigantic black tower so he wasn’t one to complain about stereotypes.
“Someone’s about to get executed, I wonder what they did to Platinum this time,” Sunflare spoke up. Spyglass shivered, remembering that he had been threatened with the same punishment.
“Some peasant probably looked at her wrong,” he supplied, Sunflare shaking her head.
“Despite the rumours, Platinum hasn’t ordered executions just for that,” the knight answered. “It must be a murderer or maybe one of the nobles tried to overthrow her at last.” Nigel was more focused on the axe, the nymph in his lap staring at the screen with interest.
“You still do beheadings?” he inquired, all the ponies furrowing their brows while Chrysalis was trying not to look at the upcoming execution.
“Of course we do,” Morning replied. “What other executions are there?” Nigel sat back in his chair and started to list known methods off on his fingers.
“Well, there’s lethal injection, firing squad, hanging, electrocution, inert gas asphyxiation, nerve gas, burning at the stake, drowning, death by one-thousand cuts, garrotting, having molten gold poured down your throat, beating, stoning, being buried alive-“
“We get the point!” Chrysalis interrupted with her hooves over her ears. Nigel stopped and turned around to Spyglass, the human gesturing for the spy come closer. Spyglass seemed hesitant but relented, moving next to the Commander’s chair.
“Spyglass,” Nigel whispered so the females in the room wouldn’t overhear, the Equestrian cocking an ear. “Do you think Chrysalis’s mood swings are… odd? That time of the month?” Spyglass glanced to the changeling, Chrysalis on the floor with her hooves still covering her ears.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied softly. “I didn’t even know what a changeling was until a day ago. What is a ‘time of the month’ anyway?” Chalmers sighed before placing his hands over Shade’s ears.
“You know,” he hissed. “It’s when a female gets really emotional and scary for a week or so. Don’t mares have that?”
Spyglass coughed awkwardly while the other ponies continued to watch the screen. “Uh… as far as I know they only have Equis, and they don’t get angry, just…promiscuous. It could be different for changelings though, they’re not exactly ponies.”
“Ah,” Nigel nodded. “Well that answers that then. Guess I’ll have to figure out what’s making her so… different.” Spyglass shifted uncomfortably, he knew exactly why Chrysalis was acting strange around him but his fear of her threats was preventing him from telling the human. Instead he tried to think of another suggestion.
“Maybe it’s because of her body changing, or the nymphs?” Spyglass imputed, loud enough that Morning overheard and turned her head towards them. “I mean, who knows how changelings cope with that, maybe she’s just fitting into the role of a ‘queen’ or whatever it was because of the nymphs. I don’t know. I’ve only heard Morning and Chrysalis talking about it.”
“That could be it,” Nigel agreed with a nod as he gave Shade an affectionate scratch behind the ears. “Change seems to be something that they are adapted to, they do call themselves changelings after all.” Spyglass hummed in agreement as he turned away back to the screen.
“They’re not very inventive are they…” Nigel didn’t notice the stallion trail off, the human furrowing his brows as he stared at him.
“Your name is Spyglass and you’re a spy,” Chalmers replied, not noticing Spyglass’s shock or open mouth thanks to his own confusion.
“Princess Platinum,” Sunflare breathed out, Nigel rotating in his chair to look towards the knight.
“I highly doubt that,” he commented as he shook his head at the strange idea. “Princess Platinum is not a stallion that I am holding prisoner-“
“Not him!” Sunflare snapped before she pointed her uninjured foreleg at the ‘window’. “Princess Platinum is the one about to get executed!” Chalmers whirled back around to the screen, Shade letting out a surprised chirp as he was shaken with the rapid movement. Nigel leaned forward and stared at the screen, seeing that Platinum was indeed in the picture.
The Princess was in a sorry state, he couldn’t see clearly at this zoom level but what appeared to be tear trails were running down her face. The fact that she was bound in chains, gagged with a white cloth and surrounded by armoured guards also tipped him off that she was not having a good time. A grey unicorn stallion appeared to be making a speech while Platinum was dragged to the chopping block, Nigel noticing Platinum’s crown upon his head.
Following Platinum was the green unicorn that Nigel remembered as ‘Clover’, also bound and gagged. He wondered what Clover had done as he watched the scene. Platinum was unlikeable, although fun to fluster, but Chalmers couldn’t work out why Clover was also for the chop. She didn’t seem that threatening when he had paid his visit to the castle.
“That’s Duke Sombra,” Spyglass muttered in awe. “There were rumours that he was aiming for more power in the court but I didn’t think that he would overthrow the Princess!” Nigel focused on Sombra while lifting Shade down to the floor, the human already having made up his mind.
“It looks like he’s got pretty much everyone on his side,” Nigel observed as the crowd and guards appeared to burst into applause. “What do you know about him?”
“His father, Richenhoof, was a general in the army and a very powerful stallion in the court,” Spyglass informed with his eyes still glued to the screen. “Sombra himself was one of the nobles that Platinum was keeping tabs on, he’s charming but there are rumours that he is cold and cruel to most ponies. He likes power and he was always aiming for more.” Spyglass shifted in his spot. “He’s gotten his wish, more power than anyone else.”
“Why are they executing her?” Chrysalis asked, the changeling disturbed by the scene playing out on the window. All the nymphs must have felt her distress, the small creatures running over towards her from Nigel and Morning. Nigel stood up from his chair and ensured that his helmet was on tight, everyone looking at him while Chrysalis was swarmed with nuzzles.
“First rule of seizing power,” Nigel recounted as he checked his suit’s systems. “Dispose of the previous ruler publicly so that everyone can see that you have overcome them. This crushes ideas of further rebellion to re-install the disposed ruler and is a symbol that the old way is gone forever with no chance of returning.”
“You’re not seriously,” Morning began, her eyes widening as she figured out Nigel’s intentions.
“I am,” Chalmers replied as he turned towards the teleporter. “I am going to rescue me a Princess.” Chalmers paused. “Oh, and Clover as well,” he added as he remembered the unicorn. Chrysalis’s mind was full of befuddlement at the revelation that Nigel was intending to save his enemy, the mare that had ordered him to be killed, twice. She didn’t have time to ask why he wanted to save her, Morning jumping in with a question more likely to get a comprehendible answer.
“How do you expect to get there?” Morning asked incredulously, not even bothering to try and work out why Nigel was going. “It’s at least a day’s march and from the looks of it you’ve only got half-an-hour at most?” Nigel pointed both thumbs towards his chest, armour re-covering his hands while he grinned under his helmet.
“Relax,” Nigel reassured as he entered the teleporter. “I’m Nigel M Chalmers, I know what I’m doing.” With that the door shut behind him, a blue glow signalling his exit from the building. Everyone looked up as a muffled whine sounded above them before it developed into a full roar. Chrysalis and Morning watched Nigel fly towards the castle with blank looks while Sunflare and Spyglass, not knowing about his jetpack, stared at the flying human with astonishment.
“He really doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Chrysalis muttered from her spot on the floor with the nymphs around her. Morning moved towards her, despite her apprehension around the young changelings. With a foreleg she began to pat Chrysalis on the back, Morning having noticed that the changeling was more stressed than usual. While Chrysalis looked up at her thankfully, Morning glanced towards the window.
In his haste to be a hero, Nigel had forgotten to turn the image of the stage off and the scene was still playing for all to see.
“… and it is for these crimes against our country that the sentence of death is needed! These two mares have ruined all that we worked for, all that a good unicorn society strives for!” As Sombra spoke, shouts of approval rang out from the unicorns in the crowd, the earth ponies at the back a little less excited at the prospect of a good unicorn society. Platinum’s head was bowed, the mare having given up trying to prevent her demise. Clover was still searching the crowd, trying to find anyone who would save her from the unjust punishment. Unfortunately for her, no one spoke up.
“I urge anyone to speak up if they have a reason that Platinum here should be spared,” Sombra continued as he walked back and forwards across the stage. “I will hold no ill-will against them, in fact I encourage you to speak!” Platinum looked up, hope shining in her tear-soaked eyes as she looked out at the crowd that could hold her salvation. Her hopes were dashed when not a single pony spoke up, instead she was met with hated glares and calls for her blood.
Gone were the compliments, the respect and the feeling of importance, having been replaced with insults, contempt and shame. Platinum realised a terrible truth at that moment as the crowd booed her and the executioner finished sharpening his axe, a truth that shattered what was left of her self-esteem.
She was hated. She was hated by everyone.
“No-one?” Sombra confirmed with a raised eyebrow, the King stopping at the side of the stage so that everyone had a clear sight of Platinum. “No-one has anything to say in her defence?”
He was met with nods from everyone, the crowd having fallen silent when questioned. Sombra didn’t show it, but the lack of support for Platinum pleased him. These fools were eating up everything he was saying, peasants and nobles alike wallowing in ignorance. Now he can craft Equestria into the world-dominating empire that it could be. He was going to keep the name, probably the only change that, in his opinion, Platinum didn’t mess up. There was one other matter that still needed to be addressed.
“What about Clover the Clever, who played a role in the unification of the tribes?” Clover sniffled, despite the circumstances the mentions her efforts those years ago may sway the crowd to release her.
“That worked well, with the Pegasi at the doorstep!” a stallion called out from the back of the crowd. He was soon joined by many others, earth ponies and unicorns alike calling out Clover as a fraud. Clover sighed in defeat, what was she supposed to do? She was one pony among thousands.
“You are right!” Sombra agreed, with his earlier pity for Clover over-ridden by the chance to secure more devotion from his subjects. “The Pegasi are knocking at the door, Platinum and Clover would have let them come inside!” The crowd booed again, a few rotten tomatoes and carrots tossed at the pair before Sombra halted it with a glare. “Don’t fight them!” he commanded while pointing at Platinum and Clover. “We have far more vicious enemies to face.”
Sombra paused and nodded to the guards holding Platinum, a prod of a spear driving her forward to the block. The crowd waited with baited breath as Sombra turned back around, the guards forcing Platinum’s head onto the block. One of them pulled her mane to the side and let it drop down on her right, leaving her neck exposed for the executioner.
“The Pegasi!” Sombra continued on as he rode the power of popularity. “With the death of the traitors we will be stronger!” As Sombra spat the word ‘traitors’, the crowd began to chant his new title and name repeatedly. The executioner lifted his axe in his magical grasp, a light tap on Platinum’s neck lining up his stroke as the axe glinted in the sunlight. The blade was raised, the executioner waiting for the signal that Sombra had arranged.
“A new age awaits us!” Sombra declared with gusto. “This axe stroke will signal the end of the weakness, and the beginning of strength! None shall stand in our way! Not Pegasi! Not Pirates and certainly not petty Monsters! Prepare for an Equestria you can be proud to call your home!”
Sombra didn’t signal the executioner to end Platinum’s life immediately. The King was far too engrossed in bowing to his cheering subjects to worry about such a trivial thing.
What he couldn’t ignore however was the Monster from the attack on the throne room materialising out of thin air in the sky, at least fifty pony-lengths up from the ground.
The crowd gasped and screamed at the sight, the Monster covered in fire and somehow speeding towards the castle with speed rivalling the fastest pegasi. Sombra watched on, more in confusion than fear, as the flying Monster impacted against the stone castle head-first. The executioner lowered his axe and stared at the sight along with everyone in the courtyard, the crunch that sounded causing a few to wince.
The Monster plummeted like a stone, the burning black body smacking against the wooden stage and causing the supports to groan in protest. Guards backed away nervously as the creature groaned and rose up, many of them remembering their last encounter with the creature.
“Note to self,” Nigel muttered loudly while running a hand down his face, seemingly to himself but the entire crowd could hear. “Do not attempt to teleport while flying with the jetpack.” He groaned and stood all the way up, glancing over towards the block and finding that Platinum was alive and staring at him with an unnerving look.
Nigel spotted Sombra standing to the side, the crown-toting stallion glaring at him. Chalmers guessed that the pony was not too keen about having the execution ruined by his arrival. Nigel held a hand out for a shake, not noticing the flames licking across the surface of his armour.
“Sombra I assume, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Nigel frowned when the stallion didn’t even move, Sombra just staring at him. “Oh come on,” Nigel complained. “Have some politeness.”
“It’s not my lack of politeness that is the issue, creature,” Sombra replied with a growl. “Your moronic ploy to set me on fire like yourself is not going to work.” Nigel looked down at his burning hand for the first time, the high-speed impact against the wall having confused him despite his helmet’s protection.
“Oh, I’m on fire,” Nigel stated dreamily before he snapped out of his daze in alarm. “Oh shit, I’m on Bloody fire!” Sombra backpedalled in alarm and fell onto his rump at the edge of the stage as Chalmers dropped and rolled in an attempt to douse the flames, the human forgetting that his armour was fireproof and the flames would do no damage at all.
After a few moments of frantic rolling the fire was extinguished, Nigel standing back up before brushing himself off.
“Now that the fire is out, where were we?” he asked with a wave of his hands. “Oh right, the execution. Now, we have a small problem Sombra,” Nigel walked over and picked up the stunned Platinum, placing her under his arm. “I care little for your power changes. After all, before the month is out I plan to have you all praising my name like a god. What I do care about, however, is people spoiling my fun.” Clover was next to be picked up, he guards not doing anything as Nigel nestled her under his other arm. The chains around both mares clinked as Chalmers turned back to face Sombra.
“Now, Platinum is bitch,” Platinum didn’t react as Nigel expected. Instead of a rage-filled insult all he got was a blank stare. “Sorry Plats, but it’s true,” he continued before looking back at Sombra. “Despite that, she was pretty fun to annoy so I’m taking her with me.” Sombra raised a hoof and was about to ask if the Monster was serious but Nigel stopped him with a hand raise. “My Question first, why did you decide to execute Clover? She seems like a nice pony.” Clover was still in shock, the advisor dead to the world as she dangled in his grasp.
“The nobility demanded it,” Sombra explained coldly. “If it takes her death along with Platinum’s to become King then I have no problems with it. They are also the ones that allowed you to take a town from us.” Chalmers nodded, he could understand that way of thinking.
“Eh, decent reasons I guess,” he replied with a shrug. “Still, as stated previously, I kind of want to keep them around for a little longer. So having you kill them is not part of my plan.” Nigel looked behind him, checking that his jetpack was undamaged from fall. “Better not set me on fire again,” he muttered quietly. Sombra stared at him in disbelief as the crowd and guards echoed the King’s reaction. The more skittish of the ponies had already bolted for home, only a handful of the citizens left.
“You’re insane,” Sombra growled with narrowed eyes. “You think that you can just come in and steal my two prisoners from me? It’s monsters like you that have weakened our race, and I won’t let you have your way with our ideals any more. Platinum’s rule is over,” Sombra stood up, neither he nor Nigel noticing the smouldering wood where Chalmers had landed. “Equestria is ruled by me now, and I won’t let you bully us into becoming your playthings!”
“Sombra, buddy,” Nigel replied. “It’s not like that at all… actually it is, but that’s not the point. Face it, I could just waltz in with an army in a week’s time and take over with force, but listen to my offer.” Chalmers lifted the arm holding Platinum. “Same deal I offered Platinum here. You surrender the country to me and I’ll let you keep the castle. That’s fair.” Sombra scoffed at the terms, the King noticing that the executioner was sneaking up behind the monster while he was distracted.
“I’ll never surrender to you,” Sombra answered, watching the executioner raise his axe behind the monster. He smirked, the Monster shaking his head and tutting. “Anyway, I doubt you’re going to be a threat in the future.”
“Oh, you mean the pony with the axe behind me?” Sombra stopped dead, the executioner also halting as Nigel casually informed them of his knowledge regarding the plan. Chalmers turned around and fixed the hooded-pony with a helmeted stare, while at the same time pointing towards the castle wall. “I mean, good effort and all that, but you really should have remembered that hooves make a lot of noise of solid surfaces. I could hear you all the way from the wall, where your colleagues are currently standing.”
As the executioner turned to look at where Nigel was pointing, the human lashed out with a kick that lifted the unfortunate pony up into the air. The cloaked pony, evidently a stallion judging from the male scream of pain, crashed down in front of the stage. Sombra didn’t make the same mistake, keeping his eyes on the Monster while ignoring the whimpers coming from the fallen stallion.
“I can see why he’s an executioner,” Nigel commented as if nothing had happened. “Not that bright really, fell for the old ‘look over there’ trick. Back on topic, your refusal to surrender-”
“Hasn’t changed,” Sombra cut in with a snort. “You’re not the first being that’s tried to force me to comply with threats and violence, you will forever be unwelcome in Equestria and I swear that I will not rest until you are dead.”
“Ohhhh!” Nigel mocked while, despite his armour, somehow managing to prance around in a circle. “The pony king is mad. Whatever shall I do to save myself from his terrible wrath? Forever shall I live in fear of a hug in the night, a neigh outside my window or the clopping of hooves upon the ground!”
Sombra’s restrained demeanour shattered at the childish teasing, his horn glowing as he pulled a long knife from a hidden sheath in his robe. He could use some of the battle spells that his father taught him before his passing, but this Monster was so annoying that Sombra wanted to be able to see his knife sink into its flesh.
As the biped laughed at his own jokes, Sombra lunged forwards with knife floating in front of him to end its life. He was blinded by rage, despite his normally calm demeanour his temper was always bubbling below the surface. The taunts had caused it to boil over, the fact that the creature was armoured didn’t matter to the enraged King.
“Wait, what?” Nigel asked and looked up as Sombra roared. The point of the knife smacked into his armoured neck, Sombra using his magic hold in an attempt to stab any vital spot he could think of. Around the two, the remaining crowd and guards watched the fight with shocked looks. Sombra was actually trying to fight the Monster, the creature that had defeated countless guards and invaded the castle throne room!
“Why won’t you just die!?” Sombra bellowed with hate as he continued to stab, Nigel still dumbstruck that the King was trying to kill him with a knife. Sombra saw that he was making no progress, pausing his attacks and searching for a weak spot. His frenzied eyes moved to Platinum, the chained mare still held under an armoured arm. She was looking towards him, her eyes widening with fear as Sombra grinned.
He may not be able to hurt the Monster physically, but maybe taking away some of its entertainment would unbalance it enough and allow the cowardly guards to grow a spine and help.
Nigel frowned as he noticed Sombra come at him again, his brain informing him that he might want to stop the King. With understanding, Nigel realised that Sombra was staring at Platinum, the knife moving towards her instead.
‘Interesting,’ Nigel thought as he worked out Sombra’s new tactic. ‘This may be fun after all.’
As the knife darted towards the mare under his left arm, Nigel dropped Clover from his right and darted forward while turning to the side. Clover fell to the wooden stage with a muffed yelp, Sombra’s eyes widening as instead of stabbing Platinum like he intended, the knife scraped along the biped’s chest armour instead. The weapon flew past the biped and Sombra had no time to act, the King desperately back-peddling away from the oncoming creature which brought him closer to the edge of the stage.
“No! Wait!” Sombra yelled as Nigel’s right hand started to move.
It was too late however. With Platinum still held under his left arm, Nigel lashed out with the back of his right hand. The back of the armoured hand collided with Sombra’s jaw, the King’s head whipping to the side as a few teeth were dislodged. The force of the epic bitch-slap was so intense that it actually knocked Sombra off the stage, the King falling a few meters before thudding down next to the unconscious executioner.
Nigel, his right hand held out to his side with the aftermath of the swing, walked back over to Clover and nestled her under his right arm again. Stopping to sniff the air, he smelt smoke and looked around the platform. In the back right corner there was a fire beginning to flare up, the spot where he had landed having developed into full-blown flames. Shrugging it off as none of his concern, Nigel turned his back on the fire and glanced down at Clover.
“Sorry about dropping you,” he whispered to the hyperventilating unicorn before he walked to the edge of the stage. Around the courtyard, guards and civilians ran around attempting to find buckets as the fire began to spread. Continuing to ignore the fire that he had accidently started, Nigel looked down at the groaning Sombra and made sure that the King was awake and aware before speaking.
“Hey Sombra,” Chalmers addressed, Sombra managing to lift his head and gaze hatefully back at him.
“Fu-“ Sombra tried to speak but his words were cut off with moans of pain, the King’s bloodstained jaw broken from the slap. Nigel turned to the sky and looked up as smoke bellowed around the stage, the inferno quickly beginning to consume the wooden platform.
“Sombra,” Nigel spoke while the jetpack on his back started up with a small whine. “You’ve gone and fucked up…” Nigel paused and glanced down at the King.
“Royally.”
With that Nigel’s jetpack activated, Sombra staring up at Chalmers as he and the two mares disappeared into the sky. He managed to remain conscious for long enough to witness the speck turn towards the coast, before his eyes shut and he blacked out. As he fell asleep, guards pulled him and the executioner clear from the stage as they attempted to douse the flames, the crackling fire soon devouring the platform and the unused chopping block.
Nigel hummed a rousing tune as he stepped out of the teleporter and into the command room. Platinum and Clover where still firmly in his arms, the ponies not having dared to move during the flight. It had taken a little longer, the extra weight combined with Nigel’s reluctance to try teleporting again meaning that it was almost nightfall by the time they reached the tower.
Platinum and Clover were still in chains and gagged, Nigel not bothering to release them during the flight for obvious reasons. When Nigel stepped into the command room he was met by the nymphs and no-one else. Peering around, he spotted Chrysalis snoozing on the cushions and Sunflare sitting in her wheelchair and gazing out of the window without acknowledging him.
Nigel walked over to his chair, nudging Chrysalis gently with a foot as the nymphs tried to climb up his legs to investigate the new ponies he had brought.
“Chrysalis, I brought you some new friends, wakey wakey.” Chrysalis groaned and yawned, rubbing her eyes with her hooves before looking up at him and blinking. Suddenly she scowled and bolted up, the nymphs running behind the chair as Chrysalis smacked Nigel in the stomach with her forelegs.
“Why did you do that!?” she yelled, her wings buzzing to keep her upright as she repeatedly hit Chalmers. Nigel was surprised that Chrysalis was reacting like this, never before had he thought that she could get so angry. Platinum and Clover were forgotten as he stood there and watched her hit his armour ineffectively. Chrysalis stopped after a few moments, while his armour wasn’t damaged her hooves were throbbing with pain. She ignored it and continued to glare at him, her fangs showing with her snarl.
“Bring back Platinum and Clover?” Nigel tried, Chrysalis hissing with anger.
“I don’t give a Fuck about them!” she spat. This caused some concern, Chrysalis certainly hadn’t sworn at him before. Nigel thought it was a good idea to put the ponies down, the stunned Platinum and Clover lowered onto the cushioned floor. His focus was placed back on Chrysalis once his task was done.
“What is it then?” he asked her slowly, hoping to try and defuse the situation. Chrysalis pointed a hoof towards the screen, Nigel seeing that he had left the window zoomed in on the courtyard. The smouldering remains of the platform was visible, a large amount of the surrounding area also showing signs of fire damage. Guards were everywhere, combing through the wreckage and holding back a large crowd.
“You almost went and got yourself killed!” Chrysalis accused, Nigel remembering Sombra coming at him with a knife.
“He wasn’t going to stab me, Chrissy, I blocked Sunflare’s sword remember?” Nigel glanced over to the knight, Sunflare quickly turning around to look back at the window but not fast enough to escape notice. Chalmers let it go and turned back to Chrysalis, the changeling still fuming at him. “I am a soldier, I can handle myself in a knife fight with a pony.”
“What about when you crashed into the wall while on fire!?” Chrysalis continued. “Am I just supposed to think that you planned for that to happen!?” Nigel showed her his palms, Platinum and Clover watching the heated exchange between the two.
“No I didn’t, sometimes things happen that I don’t foresee,” Nigel answered. “It’s part of my job to go into dangerous situations, situations far worse than today. It is my own safety and I train for it.” It was then that Nigel asked the possibly stupidest thing possible at that moment. “Why are you getting so worked up? I went in and came back fine, not a scratch on me.” Chrysalis exploded with fury at his question, taking flight so that she was face-to-helmet with the standing human.
“Why am I getting so worked up!?” she hit him in the chest with a hoof, only the knowledge that it would hurt her more than him holding Chrysalis back from beating him again. “I’m getting worked up because you’re going to get yourself killed!” Chrysalis kept her hoof on Nigel’s chest as she hovered in front of him. “The nymphs and I care about you, not to mention that you’re our only food! I can’t take care of them myself, I can’t have you getting yourself killed and leaving us alone with all these ponies!”
Nigel stood there silently, stunned by Chrysalis’s behaviour. Chrysalis waited for a few moments, Sunflare and the nymphs watching the confrontation with worry.
“Don’t you have anything to say?” Chrysalis asked with venom.
“I,” Nigel began, glancing quickly at the nymphs hiding behind his chair. “I don’t honestly know what to say. I just can’t think straight right now.” Chrysalis didn’t like his answer at all, the changeling removing her hoof and lowering to the floor. She moved over to the nymphs and began to gather them, the children trembling at all the yelling but not resisting.
“I’m going to bed, and I think it’s time for the nymphs to go to sleep as well,” Chrysalis growled as she herded the nymphs towards the lift. Reflection whined and rushed over to Nigel, wrapping her forelegs around his right leg.
“The lift doesn’t go down to the lower levels yet and I haven’t shown you your room,” Nigel answered emptily. Chrysalis huffed and shot him a glare.
“I was talking to Morning earlier and she said that I could use my cabin on the ship.” Chrysalis looked down at Reflection, her glare softening as her voice lost its angry edge. “Reflection, come on. We’re going somewhere else to sleep.”
Reflection shook her head and tightened her grip. She chattered, gazing up at Nigel with a concerned expression as Chrysalis waited in the lift with the other nymphs. Nigel looked down at Reflection, his hand reaching out to pat her on the head.
“Go on, I’m fine,” he reassured with not much confidence. “Go to Chrysalis, I’ll see you in the morning for your breakfast.” Reflection tried to speak, some jumbled sounds coming out instead of the normal sounds the nymphs made. She gave up and nuzzled the leg briefly before regretfully moving to Chrysalis, Nigel watching Reflection as she re-joined her somber siblings. Chrysalis gave him a final glare before she pressed the destination and the lift door closed, Nigel not noticing the tears building up in her eyes. He let her go, figuring that it was best to give her space.
Chalmers stood still for a few minutes after she had left, the sun setting outside. He eventually remembered his guests, Platinum and Clover still on the floor with equal feelings of fear and confusion. Sighing, Nigel bent down and used his armoured hands to break the bolts holding their chains on. With their legs free, Nigel undid their gags for them and let them adjust. After what had just happened and the questioning that was no doubt incoming, Nigel collapsed into his chair and ran his hands over his helmet.
Clover and Platinum exchanged looks and sat down without saying anything, neither mare willing to say anything in the aftermath of what was obviously a heated situation. All three sat in silence, Sunflare forgotten and unnoticed in the corner as she laid back and mulled over the situation that had just occurred.
“Um,” Clover started, rubbing a hoof over one of her forelegs. “Thank you for saving us from execution. I’m sorry that it caused your friend to get angry at you like that.” Platinum didn’t add anything, the former Princess still going over the events of her downfall from power. Nigel removed his hands from his helmet and took a deep breath before sitting up and looking back at Clover.
“Oh don’t worry about Chrissy,” he replied in a cheery voice, quite out-of-place considering the chewing out he had just received. “She’s just going through some stuff so she’s a little on edge. I’m sure it’ll all be fine once she gets some sleep. Speaking of sleep, I guess we’d better get you sorted with some rooms. We have plenty spare down below.”
“You’re letting us stay?” Clover questioned hopefully, too concerned with securing a safe place to sleep then to ask about everything she had witnessed so far. That could come later, when she wasn’t trembling from just escaping an execution. Once again Platinum didn’t speak, the Princess staring blanking out the window while lost in her own thoughts.
“Of course,” Nigel confirmed. “You can’t go back to Equestria and I doubt any of the other nations on this planet would accept you. You, Ms Clover, haven’t done anything to me so I see no reason to deny you a roof over your head. Platinum is another matter, but I’m willing to let her have a free pass considering the circumstances.” Both Clover and Chalmers looked at the former Princess, no response forthcoming.
“Thank you, again,” Clover answered. Nigel nodded, standing up from his chair to pop his neck.
“Don’t worry about it, just stay inside the town and don’t cause trouble. I’ve already added you and Platinum to the ‘do not shoot’ list for the defences so you don’t have to worry about getting shot.” As Clover shuddered at the thought, Nigel glanced towards Sunflare.
“Sunflare, you want me to take you out of and grab a drink?”
“No thank you,” Sunflare answered, her normal bitterness gone. “I think I’ll just go to bed.” Nigel nodded, not really expecting a yes from her.
“I take it Morning and Spyglass have already gone to bed?”
“Morning offered him a cabin on your ship,” Sunflare informed with a slight nod. “I think they said something about joining your crew in a tavern before calling it a night.”
“Thanks,” Nigel replied. He turned back to Clover and Platinum, the two still sitting down next to his chair with Clover staring at Sunflare. “What about you two?”
Clover shook her head. “No, thank you. With everything that’s happened I don’t feel up to it.” Clover looked towards Sunflare again, her eyes lingering on the missing horn. “If it’s alright with Sunflare, I’d like to maybe just stay here.”
“Fine with me,” Sunflare spoke without looking back. Nigel looked down at Platinum, a gentle foot-nudge to the side of her foreleg waking her from her trance.
“What about you?”
Platinum stared up at him, unsure of what to say. Here he was, the creature which had been partly responsible for her de-throning and the target of her lust, offering to take her out for a drink. Platinum gulped, even if it wasn’t for her unwanted attraction to him she really needed a drink anyway.
“Yes,” she managed out weakly, Nigel walking over to Sunflare and placing his hands on the wheelchair handles.
“Well, one’s better than none. I’ll show you all how to work things and where your rooms are and then I’ll leave you to your own devices. I must warn you to not try to tamper with anything, the security systems will not appreciate it.” All three ponies nodded, even Sunflare. Platinum and Clover got up from the floor and followed Nigel as he wheeled Sunflare’s chair into the teleporter.
“So I really don’t know what’s going on with her.”
Platinum nodded sympathetically as Nigel took another drink, a pile of empty mugs in front of him. The tavern was roaring with activity, Platinum only able to hear what Chalmers was saying thanks to the fact that they were sitting at a table in the corner. The secluded location was something she was thankful for, the pirate crew that made up the majority of the tavern’s patrons had been shocked to see their Leader walk in with a Princess.
“She probably just needs some time alone, it happens with all friends.” Platinum made extra effort to highlight the word ‘friends’, her magic lifting up a glass of wine that Chalmers had managed to order for her. The bartender had been wary serving her, convinced that it was some sort of trap or test. It seemed like the human had pull however, Platinum getting over her shock and regaining her normal attitude as the night went on.
The wine also helped in that regard.
“I guess so,” Nigel sighed, finishing his mug of ale before grapping another that he had been keeping spare. Platinum wasn’t really concerned about the human’s problems with his friend, she had her own goals in mind.
“I do hate Sombra though,” Platinum continued, a small amount of anger seeping into her voice. “He caused problems for both of us. What I wouldn’t do to see him de-throned and paraded in front of the peasantry for all to see.” Encouraged by the slight buzz that she had from her wine, Platinum rubbed a hind leg against the human’s own. He didn’t seem to notice the contact, Platinum hiding a scowl as Nigel huffed and propped his head up with a hand.
“I already slapped him silly,” he slurred slightly. “Besides, I’ll just conquer the country and then make him a court jester or something.” Platinum grinned at the human’s drunkenness, maybe the night would go as she hoped after all.
“And when you do take over Equestria,” Platinum leaned forward and touch his hand with her hoof. “You’ll need a queen.”
“I don’t know,” Nigel replied, still ignoring Platinum’s contact. “I don’t really think of Chrissy in that way and I tend to shy away from marriage after my last one.” Platinum’s cheeks puffed up, the human’s utter obliviousness to her hints enraging her.
‘What is it with him and that stupid changeling!?’ she thought while gulping down the rest of her wine. ‘He already said that he doesn’t love her anyway, so why doesn’t he just stop caring about her already!?’
Platinum struggled to remain calm, a final idea popping into her head as Chalmers finished his drink.
“Oh,” she swayed slightly in her chair. “I think I’ve had a little too much wine. Would you be so kind as to escort me back home?” Nigel shrugged, took out a coin purse from his armour and placed it on the table as he got up. Platinum smiled, the wheels of her plan in motion, as Nigel nodded at the Bartender and took her forehoof in his hand.
“I don’t have an issue with that,” Nigel answered, putting on his helmet as he helped her down from the table. Platinum giggled and deliberately bumped against him as she left her seat, exaggerating her level of intoxication. Nigel however didn’t once consider that he was falling for her trap, the amount of drinks he had downed clouding his judgement.
The crew in the bar shot their leader looks, most of them either approval or jealousy. Two ponies however watched on with surprise and concern, Morning and Spyglass at a crowded table against the left wall. Neither of them moved, both hesitant to get involved in the issues happening in the close circle of command.
Platinum and Nigel walked through the town without a word, the pair entering the teleporter of the tower through the side door.
“I still don’t trust this thing,” Platinum commented as Nigel tapped the living areas as his destination.
“It’s not going to hurt you,” Nigel replied with a sigh. “It’s a simple teleporter, not a ‘demon machine’ like Morning still thinks it is, even though she’s used it three times now.” Platinum didn’t really know what to say about that, she wasn’t too informed about the group’s history prior to her arrival. She didn’t have time to request elaboration, as the teleporter activated and a bright flash beamed into life.
Platinum blinked her eyes, still not used to the flash that the machine produced. As the door opened she found that they had reached the living areas, the teleporter leading into a large, tan carpeted room with tables, chairs, couches and pillows filling it up. The lights were dimmed so the human and pony walked out carefully while looking around.
“Quiet,” Nigel advised, pointing towards the back of the room. Platinum looked towards the grey metal wall, a metal table with a chess set upon it the human’s target. A figure in a chair was lightly snoring away, Platinum realising that it was Sunflare sleeping soundly. She frowned, the knight hadn’t talked to her and she was fine with that. On the brown couch opposite to Sunflare was Clover, the unicorn sound asleep, surrounded by pillows.
The two quietly made their way out of the room, a metal corridor stretching out before them. The lights in the hallway lit up the area, with the pair passing a kitchen, a door marked ‘storage’ and a dining room dominated by a large rectangular metal table. Soon they reached the end, the corridor branching off to a large area.
The walls were a simple grey, twenty doors of the same colour located on the left and right sides. Numbered one to forty, each door had a simple set of buttons on the outside wall which were large enough for hooves to operate. Nigel walked past numbers one-through-four on the left and stopped at five. Reaching out with a hand towards the two buttons, one red one green, he pressed the green button and the door slide open.
“Here’s your room,” Nigel informed as he held out a hand. Platinum peered in, the white walls the same as the outside area. In the back-right corner there was a double bed with ash-grey sheets, far smaller than her old one. A simple dresser made from polished metal was opposite it, the three draws small and plain. All-in-all it was colourless and dull, the room far more suited to a military then the Princess she was. Or, at least the Princess she used to be.
“Oh,” Platinum replied while glancing at him pleadingly. “It’s nice, are you able to show me around it though?” She could have sworn that the human cursed under his breath, but he nodded and gestured again.
“Ladies first,” he offered, Platinum walking into her new accommodation and finding that the shiny metal floor wasn’t as slippery as she thought it would be. Now that she looked closer, the floor in her room did seem to be more upscale than the other areas she had seen in the tower. Her examining of the floor was interrupted by Nigel clearing his throat, Platinum looking up to find him opening a door near her bed.
“Is that my own bathroom?” she asked, a little relieved that she wouldn’t have to share with anyone else. Private bathrooms were a rarity reserved for the richest of the nobility and royalty, Platinum a little surprised that such barren quarters had a luxury like it.
“Yes it is,” Nigel replied as he flicked a switch on the wall and turned on the lights. Platinum looked in and saw that the bathroom had a rectangular bath, a sink with a stool and mirror, what she assumed was a lavatory and a strange cubicle surrounded by glass. The floor was tiled with a simple white mat in the centre, a rack of towels hanging on the left wall. At the back, next to the sink, there was a chute marked ‘Laundry’ near an empty metal bin.
“Who brings me my bathwater and empties it?” Platinum inquired, provoking a drunken chuckle from Nigel.
“Normally I’d tell your self-entitled arse to get it yourself,” he answered mirthfully while Platinum scowled. Chalmers didn’t notice her look and walked over to the bath, turning one of the metal taps. Platinum’s eyes widened as water began to flow out, the human pointing to the red dot on the head of the tap. “We’ve got plumbing, turn the red tape for hot water and the blue one for cold water. All the water used is sanitised sea-water so we won’t have water shortages anytime soon.” Platinum moved over to the bath and put her hoof under the running tap, quickly withdrawing it as she stared at it in amazement.
“The water really is hot!” she exclaimed before glancing back up at Chalmers. “What magic do you use? Even unicorns can’t heat water up instantly and bring it through the wall.” Platinum sighed when Nigel laughed again, she was getting annoyed at how he was enjoying her cluelessness.
“No magic, it’s just pipes in the walls and a hot-water system,” he replied. Platinum let the useless reply go, all this touring was getting in the way of her real goal. She still had one final thing to ask about the bathroom however.
“What is that?” She said while pointing at the glass cubicle. Chalmers walked over to it and opened a door, Platinum following him and finding another pair of taps up on the inside wall.
“This is a shower, think of it like a bath except that the water comes down from the showerhead,” Nigel pointed up to a metal device, sprinkled with holes on the bottom, jutting out from top of the wall. “You stand under the water and it goes down the drain, you’ll probably find that it will make washing your hair easier.” Chalmers turned quickly as if he had just remembered something, Platinum following behind as he approached the sink. He opened a cabinet below it, revealing a few bars of soap and two glass-flasks filled with white liquid.
“You’ve got soap, shampoo and conditioner in here,” Nigel told her. “I asked Morning to pick these up from the town earlier today. If you need anything else I can give you the money, just ask and you can get what you want within reason.” Platinum held back a scoff at the idea of anyone having to give her money, however she did have to admit that she wasn’t able to be picky at the current time.
“I will endeavour to do that,” Platinum answered, her attempt to appear drunk vanishing with her excitement at keeping a private bathroom. She left the room, not waiting for Nigel to exit before turning off the light. She wanted to try the switch for herself, questioning just how the instant lights could be controlled by such a simple method without magic. She assumed that Chalmers was just trying to hide his true power from everyone, using ‘it’s science’ and ‘I don’t know how it works’ as excuses to throw them off the trail.
“It’s a smaller bed, but these sheets are soft enough at least,” Platinum observed as she ran a hoof along the top of the bed.
“I can’t exactly make four-poster beds made from mahogany with the finest silk sheets,” Nigel joked, walking out of the dark bathroom. “I didn’t exactly choose everything, it’s all off previous schematics that I had stored.” Platinum nodded, climbing onto the bed and lying down sideways. She looked at Nigel suggestively, his expression hidden behind his helmet.
“It’s more than comfortable enough, and you could fit easily in here as well,” she responded silkily. Platinum had decided to go for broke, she had lined all the pieces up and all that was left was for them to fall into place.
“I should probably get going and leave you in peace,” Nigel replied, with no sign that he had noticed the suggestion in her words. He turned towards the still-open door, the human beginning towards the exit.
‘Oh no you don’t,’ Platinum thought with a frown as her horn lit up. ‘You don’t lose me my kingdom by kissing me and get away with it’.
Before he could walk out of the room, Platinum levitated one of her four pillows and moved it towards the door buttons. Hitting the red one, which Platinum figured meant ‘off’ or ‘close’, she halted his escape when the door shut off his exit. Nigel turned around and was met with the Princess gazing at him with lust.
“What do you want?” he asked hazily, his clouded mind telling him that something was wrong with the situation.
“Oh nothing,” Platinum sultry said as she levitated her pillow back to the bed. “It’s just an Equestrian custom to give a mare a quick kiss when you finish a date.”
“We didn’t go on a date,” Nigel quickly clarified. “Me and Morning have gone to bars plenty of times and this was no different.” Platinum folded her forelegs up to her chest and willed herself to let out a small sniffle.
“Oh…” she started, a single tear falling from her eye. “I just am so scared after today and I’m so grateful that you saved me. Is a single, quick kiss for a frightened mare too much to ask?” Chalmers still seemed hesitant, Platinum pulling out her trump card. “You didn’t have an issue with kissing me yesterday, a kiss which ruined my life and nearly got me killed.”
Nigel flinched, her accusation was true and a part of him did regret it. If he wasn’t drunk he probably would have said some comforting words and negotiated her down to just a quick hug, but the combination of the alcohol and Platinum’s sadness overrode his concerns.
The fact that she was curled cutely up on her bed in a ball also didn’t help. Chalmers didn’t like to admit it, but he found her fiery demeanour attractive and she wasn’t the worst-looking alien that he had seen on top of that.
“Fine, just one kiss though,” Nigel relented. Platinum grinned triumphantly and sat up on the bed eagerly as he removed his helmet. Hoping to get it over with as quickly as possible, Nigel leaned forwards and planted his lips on hers. He moved to draw back and away, but Platinum threw her forelegs around his neck and held on. She continued to kiss him as Nigel tried to break it off without hurting her, his mind reeling from booze and the shock of the situation.
“Platni-“ he tried to speak as the mare paused for air, but Platinum was too fast and managed to get her tongue in. She moaned in bliss and her forelegs rubbed the back of his armour, Platinum’s eyes closed and her face flushed a rosy red as she continued.
‘Oh, so this is what it feels like,’ Nigel thought as he remembered that he had kind of done the same sort of thing to Platinum.
Shaking the thought away, Nigel grabbed her forelegs with his hands, pried them from around his neck and shoved her away from him. Platinum fell back onto the bed with a thump, Chalmers wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before making for the door.
“No, please wait!”
The desperate call accompanied by a sob halted him, Chalmers sighing as Platinum started to cry behind him.
“I’m… I’m so sorry for what I just did! Just please let me explain!”
Nigel could have just walked out the door and ended it there, but he knew that he at least owed her the chance to explain herself. Taking a breath he turned around and was met with a teary-eyed Platinum, the Princess’s sorrow real this time.
“I don’t know what came over me,” Platinum choked out through her tears. “Ever since you kissed me in the castle I can’t get you out of my head. I want it to stop. I don’t want to feel like this. I thought that if we… spent the night then I could finally be free of this torment!” Platinum yelled the last part before sobbing into her pillows. Nigel didn’t say anything, the day had really messed with his ability to figure out what was going on.
“Please,” Platinum continued after her pause. She raised her head and looked at him, the pitiful mare a far cry from her arrogant self. “Don’t go.” Nigel looked back to the still-closed door, a door that was only a button-press away from being his freedom from this problem. He couldn’t go through with it though, looking back at Platinum he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.
Platinum looked up as the bed creaked, the armoured form of Nigel testing its supports. She hated herself for what was happening, for this weak creature that she had become.
“Look, Platinum,” Nigel started while running his hand down his face, his helmet dropping to the floor. “I can understand why you did what you did, and I can’t really blame you for it considering I did it to you first. I… I think that you’re an attractive mare but I just can’t do what you want me to do. It wouldn’t be a smart idea after this afternoon, I think that Chrysalis has developed feelings for me and I don’t want to make her upset again.”
“You can’t do this to me!” Platinum pleaded as she lunged up and grabbed his arm. “You started all of this for me, if you had just stayed out of my castle and left my town alone then I wouldn’t be in this mess! Look at me!” Nigel did as asked, Platinum hammering home the point. “This isn’t me! Do you think I want to feel attracted to a non-unicorn and a non-pony!? I want you to reverse whatever you did with that kiss and just stop me from thinking about you!”
Chalmers was still inebriated, but even so he thought that informing Platinum that her reasoning for her feelings and demands made no sense. For starters he didn’t even know about how these ponies’ brains worked, Hell with all the magic around she may actually be right. He was so confused at the situation and he didn’t know how to solve it.
Well, there was one way that Platinum had suggested but he was not keen for that. As she stared at him, waiting for an answer, Chalmers did something that he thought he would never do.
He surrendered.
“Okay,” he answered, both hands rubbing his temples. “We’ll do it your way, I still don’t think that a one-night stand will solve this issue though.”
Platinum sniffed and her frown disappeared. She opened her mouth to thank him but Nigel clamped a hand over her muzzle while looking her in the eyes.
“Platinum,” he stated seriously. “You have to understand that this is a one-time thing only. I’m not happy with this and I don’t want it brought up again, understand?” Platinum nodded, Nigel still keeping his hand over her muzzle. “Oh,” he leaned in close so that his nose was almost touching hers. “If you tell anyone, especially Chrysalis, that we did this then I will kill you. On that you have my word.” He let go of her mouth, Platinum looking up at him solemnly.
“I promise that I won’t tell anyone,” Platinum answered while putting a hoof over her heart. Nigel snorted, more disgusted with himself than with her. Taking a flask from his suit which was filled with the strongest whisky that the tavern had, Nigel uncapped it and took a swig. Draining half of the flask, he put it away and looked at Platinum. The mare in her defence was looking somewhat guilty, but she was still waiting for him. With her already having her shoes, cape and crown removed before her foiled execution, Nigel was the only one who had to get undressed.
The whisky started to take the guilt away, Nigel sighing as he got up to remove his armour for the first time on the planet. He might as well get this over with and deal with the guilt in the morning, possibly by taking Chrysalis and the nymphs out into town. It still felt like a hollow gesture though and he just hoped that Platinum would keep her promise, for both their sakes.
Chrysalis yawned as she exited the teleporter, Nigel having given them all access earlier that day. She had left the nymphs to sleep soundly in the cabin, Chrysalis having been unable to sleep with worry gnawing at her.
She had no idea why she had exploded at Nigel like that, whatever was she thinking? She may not be a human but she was certain that they didn’t like to be yelled at and then left. When she had calmed down and started to think about why Chalmers was such a unthinking, egotistical idiot she had remembered something that made her feel terrible.
That carefree and rashness nature was what drew her to him, and she had possibly ruined their friendship in a few minutes. All because of a mistake he had made while saving his enemy.
Chrysalis knew what to do however, the changeling raising her head as she walked down the corridor towards his room. An apology and an invite to buy him breakfast in the town with her own money would surely fix things. He saved Platinum after all, she was sure that he would forgive her for having a temporary loss of control with her emotions.
Chrysalis put on a smile as she approached the door labelled ‘one’, Chalmers having informed them all that it was his room, in case anyone had a problem late at night. It must have been at least two in the morning, the moon in the sky well past the midnight. Still, Chrysalis was certain that he would welcome her and her apology. With a glance towards the room marked ‘two’, her room, Chrysalis’s smile increased. She knew that it wouldn’t be used, the nymphs had grown used to sleeping alongside their adoptive father and she had as well.
After taking a moment to try and brush her mane into an acceptable shape, Chrysalis took a breath and knocked on the door with a forehoof. She stood at the door and waited. She didn’t move for a minute, her smile disappearing as she knocked again and got no response. Figuring he wouldn’t mind her coming in, Chrysalis pressed the green button next to the door and walked into the dark room.
It was empty, no human in sight. Chrysalis didn’t need to turn on the lights thanks to her eyes, the changeling quickly checking the bathroom but still finding no sign of Nigel.
She left the room, the door closing behind her as she desperately looked around at the other rooms. She tried rooms two, three and four to no avail, however upon entering number five she let out a sigh of relief when she walked in and saw the human lying in the bed under the covers.
Her heart dropped however when she noticed that he didn’t seem to be wearing his armour, his peach-coloured skin plain to see. Slowly, feeling like the worst nightmare she had ever had, Chrysalis approached the bed and her sleeping crush. As she came closer, Chrysalis noticed a bundle lying on the other side of Nigel, the object pressed up against his side.
Chrysalis’s world shattered when she recognised the object as Princess Platinum, the mare snuggled up against the human that was supposed to belong to her. Chrysalis stood in horror as she examined the scene, unable to look away.
Platinum had a smile on her face and a foreleg over Nigel, it was obvious what the two had done. Chrysalis felt an alien feeling enter her, something that she had never felt before.
She felt truly enraged and heartbroken at the same time, the urge to harm Platinum for stealing her human growing stronger. Chrysalis stood there like a statue, imagining how easy it would be to just stab the Princess in the neck with her jagged horn. The pony wouldn’t be able to do a thing to stop her and once it was done then she could never threaten Nigel again.
Chrysalis stopped her thoughts, sick that she could even think of taking the life of another. With her emotions in turmoil and the murderous thoughts in her head, Chrysalis did the only thing she could.
She turned and ran from the room, crying all the while as the two sleeping beings noticed nothing.
“Why do I feel like absolute shit?”
Nigel muttered to himself as he woke up, feeling bed sheets on his body as well as a warm furry thing against his right side. Glancing next to him he found the answer to his own question, Nigel sighing and closing his eyes.
“Oh right, that.”
Platinum was lying against him, the unicorn’s mane spread out everywhere while one of her forelegs was slumped across his chest. She was breathing softly in her sleep, Nigel remembering everything from the previous night.
Everything.
“What the Hell was I thinking?” he questioned again, running his hands down his face. Platinum didn’t wake up from all his talking, the mare continuing to slumber peacefully with a happy smile on her face. Nigel snorted, at least someone was happy with themselves about the previous night.
Thinking back over the night, he had to question just how much of her behaviour was actually genuine. Now that he was sober he had no clue why he didn’t pick up on all her obvious tricks to bed him. He guessed that her ‘I can’t stop thinking about you’ reason was also bullshit, Nigel removing the forearm from his chest before getting out of the bed and managing to not wake Platinum in the process.
He put on his armour that had been stacked in the corner, Nigel being as quiet as possible. After a few minutes he was done, not even bothering to have a shower despite what had happened. Leaving his helmet off and carried under an arm, he moved to the door and left. Platinum had agreed to it only being a one-nighter, he had a friend and some nymphs to feed so he was unable to stay. It wasn’t a big deal and he would see Platinum again during the day anyway.
With the door shut behind him Nigel was free to groan loudly, smacking himself in the face with the un-armoured palm of his hand. How could he have been so stupid?
His day was about to get worse however, a flash of colour catching his eye. Bending down, Nigel retrieved a teal hair from the floor. The strand was long and smooth, Chalmers swearing that he had seen it somewhere before.
He froze as he put two and two together, his head sagging as the hair dropped from his fingers.
“I’m so fucked,” he muttered while shaking his head. Standing up, he made his way down the corridor towards the teleporter.
He had a lot of damage control to deal with, and he doubted that a breakfast invite would even remotely begin to fix it.
Chrysalis watched the waves hit her hind legs, the hole-covered limbs dangling in the cool water as she sat on the edge of the pier.
She had stopped crying hours ago, now all that was left was a harsh feeling of nothing. She’d been out on the pier ever since she had saw Platinum and Nigel together, and she had forgotten about everything else as the scene of walking in and finding them repeatedly played in her mind.
The sun was just about to rise, Chrysalis able to see the very tip out on the horizon. She continued to stare at her hooves, her legs numb and her body aching with pain that was not just physical. A part of her mind was reminding her that she should go back to the cabin before the nymphs woke up, but Chrysalis just couldn’t do anything but sit.
Her forelegs ached, the limbs by her sides burning from the stress of holding her body up for most of the night. She didn’t care though, with everything else numb her legs were the only parts that she could still feel. Chrysalis was so caught up in her own disappointment and sorrow that she didn’t even turn around as footsteps approached her from behind.
The figure behind her didn’t say anything for a while, Chrysalis idly starting to move her hind legs back and forth while watching the water flow through the holes.
“Chrysalis,” a voice addressed softly from behind her. “I know I screwed up, majorly.”
Chrysalis recognised the voice as Nigel’s. She didn’t reply, a fresh tear running down her cheek at the reminder of why she was out here. He sighed, his footsteps growing closer until he sounded to be right behind her.
“I should have thought about how it’d affect you. You haven’t told me anything but I’ve been getting the impression that you… are attracted to me more than you say you are. I might be wrong, but if it’s true then it only makes this situation more of a mess-up by me. I’ m sorry that I betrayed you like I did, it’s going to sound like a cop-out but I was not thinking straight. Can you forgive me?”
Chrysalis didn’t know what to reply with. Should she tell him that yes, she did love him more than he knew and that his betrayal had destroyed her? Should she tell him that she sometimes suspected that he only kept her around because of the nymphs? Chrysalis did neither, still sitting on the spot and watching the waves.
Another sigh, Chrysalis was vaguely aware of incomprehensible muttering before Nigel sat down next to her. The wooden pier groaned but held, Chalmers placing his armoured legs in the sea next to hers. The two sat there in silence for a while, the sun slowly rising up in the sky as the sounds of the town waking up began to ring out behind them.
“Nigel,” Chrysalis asked suddenly, her voice flat. “Do you treat me nicely because I look after the nymphs?”
“Did I treat you nicely when I didn’t even know you were Chrysalis?” he questioned back, Chrysalis feeling a little bit of the numbness recede as she thought about the answer.
“You… you did,” she replied.
“That’s the answer,” Nigel continued. “We’re both different to the ones around us and I do care a lot about you. I also care a lot about the nymphs as well, but what about you? You love them a lot, don’t you?”
“I do love them, a lot.” Chrysalis responded immediately. “I also…”
‘Love you a lot’ her brain told her to say.
“Care about you as well,” Chrysalis finished, closing her eyes and cursing herself for not being strong enough to say what she wanted to. Nigel didn’t say anything, both of them looking down into the water. Chrysalis shivered, thanks to her hind hooves she realised that she was freezing. She gulped, some of her confidence coming back as she pushed for answers. “Why did you do it, with Platinum I mean?” Chalmers groaned and huffed, Chrysalis getting the impression that he was genuine in his regret.
“It started when I went to her castle,” Nigel began to re-tell. “I didn’t talk to an advisor like I told you, I busted in and confronted Platinum.” Chrysalis turned her head and nodded for him to continue. “We traded insults, I made some threats and then I kissed her in front of her entire court.” Chrysalis took a second to process it, withdrawing her hind legs from the sea as she tried to figure it out.
“You kissed her?” she asked, surprise leaking into her voice.
“I did,” Nigel nodded. “It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and it also served the purpose of confusing the enemy.” Chrysalis shook her head, a small smile forming despite the topics they were discussing. It did sound like the spontaneous behaviour that she had come to expect from the human.
“Is that why you saved her?”
“Well, that was a small part,” Nigel replied. “I mainly rescued her because I wanted to mess with everyone. Bet none of them expected the villain to turn up and save the princess for once. Clover was different, it sounds like she was convicted because of her mere affiliation with Platinum. It’s not like they’ll be a burden to us.” Nigel had cheered up with her replies, Chrysalis however was still angry at Platinum. She doubted the mare was innocent.
“So all of that combined meant that you slept together?”
“No, I mean yes, a little bit,” Nigel hurried out. “After you left I went to grab a drink. She wanted to come along so we went out together. Now that I think about it I had a little more than I should have, that was bloody stupid of me.”
“Oh, I see.” Chrysalis was ashamed about her lecturing of him, but the knowledge that it upset him enough to immediately turn to drinking was flattering.
“Platinum claimed that she was drunk and asked me to walk her home. I showed her around her room and when I went to leave she asked for a customary good night kiss. After she began to cry I relented, kissed her and then she tried to continue it. I went to leave but she began to bawl her eyes out and told me that once I had kissed her in the throne room she couldn’t stop lusting after me. She begged for me to stay. I did the weak thing and I gave in. I made sure that she understood that it was only a one-off thing and she promised to uphold that. Now that I think back I suspect that she planned everything.”
Chrysalis’s anger grew as she listened to Nigel tell his side of the story.
“So she seduced you,” Chrysalis stated with venom in her voice. “I knew she was trouble.”
“Now, now,” Nigel raised his hands out towards her. “You can’t go and blame her for everything. I’m just as guilty for my loss of control, and I shouldn’t’ have lied to you at the start. If you want to say something about it to vent your anger then say it to me. She’s already lost enough.” Chrysalis felt her anger fade away at his suggestion. She sighed and looked back up at him as she moved to sit facing him.
“Nigel, what you did was very hurtful,” Chrysalis started while he looked back at her. “I know we’re… not together but it still feels like you betrayed me. Platinum tried to kill you, and I just can’t forgive her for that. Sunflare and Spyglass are different, they only wanted to follow her orders. Last night proves that she’s no good and still a risk. I can’t force you to throw her out and I know that you wouldn’t anyway, I just… don’t want you to see her anymore.” Chrysalis jolted as an arm wrapped around her, Nigel pulling her against him.
“You know me too well,” he answered as Chrysalis moved into the hug. “I can’t just throw her out. We’ll give her a chance to behave herself and hopefully she’ll leave it alone. Platinum promised to drop the issue and never mention it again, and I certainly won’t try to restart anything.”
“You mean it?” Chrysalis asked hopefully.
“I do,” Nigel nodded as she rubbed her head on his shoulder. “I won’t go near her or another mare again without your permission. Do you forgive me?” Chrysalis smiled, he was going a little overboard.
“I forgive you, and you don’t have to go that far,” she responded lightly, prompting a chuckle from Nigel.
“I don’t think I’ll have to resort to that, I’ve learnt my lesson.” He looked up at the sky, the sun now shining with full intensity. “Well, it’s time to go I think. I was hoping you and the nymphs would come out with me and have some breakfast in the town.”
Chrysalis smiled, feeling like her old self again thanks to the talk.
“That’ll be good,” she answered as she pulled away and got up. “No solid food for the nymphs though, I don’t want you feeding them pancakes again and then leaving me to deal with the aftermath.” Nigel laughed as he got to his feet, the town in the distance already buzzing with early morning activity.
“You make it sound like a warzone,” he joked, Chrysalis wrinkling her nose at the memory.
“You weren’t there,” she replied, only increasing Nigel’s mirth. She started to trot off towards the ship, keen to return so that she could get the nymphs and go out.
“One more thing, Chrissy,” Nigel asked, Chrysalis turning around and raising an eyebrow at him. “If you want to tell me anything at all or talk about something, feel free.”
‘Fine, I’m in love with you and I think you know now. I want us to stop being friends and become something more.’
“Thanks, Nigel,” Chrysalis strained out with a shudder at her own terror of admitting her feelings. “You’re a great friend and I don’t want that to change.” He stood there and stared at her, Chrysalis kicking the wooden planks nervously as she beat herself up for her cowardice.
“Great,” he replied, upbeat. “Just remember, anytime that you want to and I’ll listen.” Chrysalis nodded and he moved next to her, both of them heading back towards the ship.
Corporal Forecast peered down at the unicorn castle below his cloud, a great crowd of ponies gathered in the courtyard and surrounding area. Guards were everywhere, the soldiers all watching the skies and thus preventing him from escaping unnoticed. He assumed they were watching for the creature that had interrupted the execution and attacked the new king the previous day, Forecast having witnessed it all from his cloud.
The brown pegasus fluttered his wings nervously as the gaze of a unicorn passed over him, the Equestrian soldiers already proven to be accurate shots with their magic. Thankfully his high altitude worked in his favour, the guard’s eyes not seeing anything and they soon returned to the castle balcony.
Forecast’s light mail clinked as he readjusted his position, a figure hobbling out onto the balcony surrounded by more guards. Risking detection, Forecast flapped his wings and moved the cloud closer, his light-mail clinking slightly. Peeking out over the edge with orange eyes, Forecast watched as King Sombra turned to a white unicorn dressed in a black suit. The stallion moved his blonde-maned head closer to his ruler, the King’s jaw covered with white bandages.
“His Majesty, King Sombra Highshadow, wishes to make a declaration!” the white unicorn announced after taking his head away from the King. The crowd erupted into murmurs, a sense of fear filling the air as the King whispered to his servant again.
“He is sorry that he cannot speak to his subjects directly,” the servant continued. “But he sustained heavy injuries while attempting to ward off the monster that attacked our city. The monster that fled after rescuing its true masters, Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever, from true justice for their heinous crimes!” The crowd booed at the mention of the names, the servant once again receiving more words to relay.
“Thanks to our King’s noble heroism, the monster retreated to its lair! We have evidence that links Princess Platinum to the Pegasi scum, indicating that she was using us the entire time after selling out to them!” The crowd erupted into a frenzy, insults about the Princess being a traitor thrown around liberally. The servant held up an envelope in his yellow magic, the crowd going quiet.
“This letter here was found in her quarters, a letter containing instructions for the pegasi to attack us shortly! It is because of this foul treason that we are vulnerable!” the servant emphasised the word treason, members of the crowd spitting on the ground in disgust. “As a result, our glorious King has called for a draft! Every un-married earth pony stallion and mare over the age of sixteen is to report to the nearest army camp! Copies of the draft have been sent to every town and city so that we will be ready for the Pegasi invasion!”
Forecast frowned as the crowd roared in approval, already eager ponies were flocking to nearby booths staffed by guards to sign up. This new King Sombra was quite the orator, even without speaking himself he was able to spark such a result.
Forecast reached over to his side and pulled his loaded crossbow off its harness, the compact weapon cocked with an iron bolt. Using both forehooves and wings, Forecast lined up the sights with the new King. Sombra was unaware of the weapon lining him up, the grey unicorn still bowing towards his cheering subjects. With a deep breath, Forecast’s wing started to pull the trigger with the King’s head firm in his sights.
A blue flash of light from below startled Forecast, the bolt missing its mark and bouncing harmlessly off the stone balcony before the king.
“Pegasus!”
The cry of alarm sent fear down Forecast’s spine, his crossbow falling from his grasp as his wings beat furiously. He propelled himself away from the cloud, just in time before a barrage of different coloured magical bolts tore it to shreds.
Forecast turned and flew for his life as the crowd below him cried out for his blood or screamed in fear. In his haste to escape he flew along the coast instead of over it, his wings beating the fastest they ever had.
He let out a muffled scream as one of the bolts scraped along his un-armoured flank, another one of the magical projectiles going through a wing. Forecast lost speed and altitude, blood pouring from his wounds as his body burned with pain.
The bolts stopped, Forecast closing his eyes and willing himself to keep flying, a feat he managed to keep up for ten minutes despite his wounds. He soon slowed down more though, the young stallion opening his teary eyes to spot a port town ahead of him. Even though it was an Equestrian town, his chances of survival would be much higher if he could land and hide in an alley, rather than plummet from the sky when he passed out. It was only a matter of time, Forecast’s eyes fluttering as he aimed for a clear patch of grass in the centre.
He didn’t make it, the blood loss was too much. With a final prayer, his eyes closed, his wings stopped and he plummeted out of the sky into the town below.
“This is delicious,” Chrysalis observed as she took another sip of her carrot and tomato juice. “Who would have thought that you could juice carrots? I’ve only seen ponies eat them whole or chopped.” Nigel nodded with a mouthful of pastry opposite her at the small table, the café they were sitting at located in the centre of town.
“This apple lattice is pretty good as well,” Nigel replied after swallowing his mouthful. As the two sat down on stools, Nigel having made his own metal one, the nymphs sat in a borrowed wooden playpen and watched their caretakers with interest. Having chosen a table outside, Chrysalis and Nigel were relatively alone with most of the café patrons sitting inside.
“I’m glad we came here,” Chrysalis continued as she finished her drink, placing the empty glass down. “Not just because of the food either.” Nigel hummed in agreement, Chrysalis giggling as he finished his lattice with a final bite, some of the apple filling spilling onto his armour.
“A nice way to say goodbye to the problems between us,” Chalmers said before sipping his cup of tea and leaning back on his stool. “The nymphs also get outside so that’s a bonus, needs to happen more often.”
“Not until they get older,” Chrysalis informed. “Nymphs grow fast, but not that fast. It’s going to be playpens for a while.” Chrysalis glanced over at the targets of the conversation, her eyes furrowing as she saw all the nymphs studying them with unusual patience.
“At least the café manager was kind enough to lend us theirs.” Nigel finished his tea. “Imagine the chaos if they were roaming free. At least they can’t fly yet, that’ll be a nightmare.” After getting no response, Nigel looked over at Chrysalis. Noticing that she was staring at the nymphs, he followed her gaze and noticed that the normally energetic creatures were stock still.
He frowned as he leaned closer. He could still feel the flow of energy from him to them, as well as to Chrysalis, and when they were feeding was when they tended to be the most lively.
“Do you think they’re sick?” Nigel joked, the attempt hiding his befuddlement. Chrysalis was deep in thought, the changeling gazing at the youngsters in confusion.
“All ten at once?” she muttered, before one of the nymphs looked at Nigel. It was Reflection, the child’s mouth moving like she was trying to form words. Curious, Nigel leaned around the round table and reached out his arms, Reflection getting up to move into them. Bringing the quiet nymph to his chest, he looked into her blue eyes and smiled.
“What’s wrong then, Reflection?” he inquired, the nymph pausing her words before appearing to concentrate hard. A spike of worry flew through Nigel, the human trying to quickly remember if they had fed the nymphs any solid food.
“Nig,” Reflection said, the other nymphs echoing the word soon after. Nigel went still, was this what he thought it was?
“Nigel,” Reflection forced out, her face relaxing as soon as she had finished. “Nigel! Nigel!” she began to shout happily once she realised that she had done it. The other nymphs soon burst into noise, pedestrians on the street stopping to watch the spectacle as Nigel stayed dumbstruck.
“Wow,” Chrysalis murmured in shock as the nymphs stopped. “They actually learnt your name, first.”
“And all at the same time,” Nigel added softly before beaming down at Reflection. “Who’s a smart girl, hmm?” he asked merrily as he placed her in his lap and scratched her ears. After a few moments of the reward, Reflection put her two forelegs in the air again, Nigel taking the hint that she wanted to be picked up. He went through with it, lifting her up to his chest again.
“You want to go to Chrissy?” Chalmers asked, Reflection nodding her head. Carefully Nigel placed her down on the table, the nymph walking towards Chrysalis with a smile on her face. Chrysalis grinned in anticipation and leaned in until her muzzle was almost touching Reflection’s.
“Ch, Chr,” Reflection tried to concentrate again, Nigel leaning around the side to whisper in her ear.
“Chry-sal-is,” he whispered slowly, Reflection mouthing the words while her siblings imitated her.
“Chrysalis,” Reflection finished softly before her eyes widened with enjoyment. “Chrysalis!” she began to chant as she bounced up and down on the table, her tiny wings fluttering with excitement. Chrysalis was frozen in awe, an incredible rush of pride filling her as all the nymphs echoed her name. The ponies in the street and café watching the scene turned to each other and held interested
conversations, the scene they were witnessing a rare one indeed.
Nigel’s smile faded slightly as the nymphs started to alternate chanting the two names, he hoped that they would learn new words soon or else it would get really tiring. Luckily they soon quietened down and began to explore new words, starting with their own names. Nigel also noticed that they seemed to be reading their own nametags as they said their names, just how fast where these changelings learning?
“Nigel,” Chrysalis said, Nigel raising his head to find her cuddling Reflection. “We’ve repaired our friendship, had a great breakfast and now the nymphs are learning to speak. Can this day get any better?”
A droning alarm suddenly rang out from Nigel’s armour, a flashing red light on his right arm going off. Ponies dropped and huddled on the ground as the defence turrets rotated towards the Capitol, missile launchers and laser cannon barrels pointing up into the sky. He quickly picked his helmet up off the table and placed it on his head, his eyes scanning over the reports as Chrysalis looked at him with worry.
“What’s going on!?” she yelled, Nigel seeing that the AI system had picked up a single object breaching the security perimeter. He quickly found saw that the object, registering heat and life signs equivalent to that of a pony, seemed to stop in the air and go into a dive. He quickly ordered the turrets to stand down, wanting to find out why a single pony was flying into the town. By this point he didn’t need to look at the sensors, a glance into the sky revealed an armoured pegasus heading straight for them.
“Get down!” He yelled as he moved to cover the nymphs cowering in the playpen. Chrysalis clutched Reflection tight and dived away from the table, just in time as the pegasus crashed down and broke the wooden table in two. Ponies in the café screamed at the impact, everyone huddling under tables as the dust cleared and panic died down. Nigel stood up from his spot over the playpen, checking to see if Chrysalis was alright.
He winced as he noticed the cut on her right flank, a trail of green blood dribbling out slowly. Luckily Reflection appeared to be unscathed, Chrysalis having done a good job of shielding the nymph with her body.
“Chrissy,” Nigel addressed as he knelt down beside her. “Are you okay?” Chrysalis winced as she moved her injured leg, but nodded her head.
“I’m fine apart from my leg and Reflection’s okay as well. What about the pony?” Nigel stood up and examined the wreckage of the table, confident to trust Chrysalis and her own self-diagnosis.
His eyes picked out the brown pegasus lying in the middle of the table, the pony’s body soaked in gore. There were large holes in the stallion’s left flank and wing, the wounds surrounded by burnt flesh and oozing a steady stream of blood. In addition to the two major injuries were numerous cuts, scrapes and bruises which Nigel assumed was from the fall. He was amazed when his suit’s sensors picked up life-signs, the pony still alive even after the fall.
Nigel looked back to Chrysalis, the changeling having managed to stand but was keeping her damaged leg off the ground. Reflection was loose and was pressed up against the playpen, her brethren inside huddling in a clump as close to her as possible. Ponies and waitresses slowly exited the café and walked towards the downed pegasus while whispering between each other. The townsponies in the street also approached, some of them gasping and rushing off once they saw what had happened.
Nigel almost laughed as he noticed a group of the crew try to reach him, the ponies still slightly drunk from the previous night as they stumbled down the road towards him. Looking back at the injured pegasus soldier he decided that he would have to give it medical attention, however there was something he had to do first, something which he needed after all the stress and turmoil of the previous day and night.
“Waitress,” Nigel called out mirthfully while pointing towards the ruined table.
“There’s a pony in my soup.”