“I swear I heal more ponies then I kill,” Nigel muttered as he stared at the pegasus on the table. He picked the broken stallion up and placed him down on an unbroken table, cricking his neck as he prepared to once again use his limited medical knowledge to save the life of an equine. A crowd had gathered around, all whispering as they stared at the pegasus and wondered what one was doing in Equestria.
Chalmers glanced towards Chrysalis, the changeling shielding the frightened nymphs from the gory sight. He turned back to his patient, the medical tools leaving their housing while Nigel examined the visitor.
The pony was armoured in plain metal armour, chain-linked and with a simple round helmet. As Nigel looked closer he saw that the pony seemed relatively uninjured apart from a hole in his wing a cut along his right flank. He knew that external injuries weren’t all that was wrong, the fall likely to have broken bones and caused internal bleeding. Both of the wings were bent out of shape, or at least they looked broken to Nigel.
Starting on the heavily bleeding cut on the flank, Nigel used his fingers to part the brown hair, allowing him to examine the injury. Blood weakly pumped out of the gash, whatever had struck the pony searing the flesh and striking an artery.
The members of the crowd who had a strong stomach watched on while Nigel plunged a needle into the Pegasus’ neck. Painkillers, immune boosters and blood-production stimulants were injected into the pony’s bloodstream, hopefully enough to prevent the pegasus’ death. Nigel still wanted to find out why a pegasus had crashed in his town. Stripping the pony of his armour and a small dagger, Nigel popped his shoulders before continuing.
The crowd stared on in morbid curiosity when the medical laser glowed, Chalmers deciding that the heavily bleeding flank wound needed the most attention. He squeezed the edges of the cut together, aiming the laser and activating it. Many of the watching ponies stepped back as the smell of burning hair and flesh wafted out, Nigel closing the wound and moving onto the wing.
He clicked his tongue, the hole clean and not gushing excessive amounts of blood. The laser was returned to its housing, Nigel figuring that he wouldn’t need it anymore.
“Someone fetch bandages,” he ordered, deciding that the minor cuts and wounds could be handled by the simple treatment. The wounds were all clean, Nigel withdrawing the armour from his hand so he could run his fingers over key spots on the pony. He felt no signs of internal bleeding, but to make sure he activated his suit’s medical scanner.
His helmet display filled up with details regarding the pony. According to the device, there was internal bleeding in the chest, but luckily it was classed as minor and looked like it would solve itself. Both wings were fractures, and a few ribs were broken. Most seriously, the pegasus was showing little brain activity, indicating a coma. How long it would last was uncertain, but Nigel wanted to try and keep him alive for information.
“Bandages,” a waitress told him while approaching, the young mare carrying a wooden box on her blue back. Nigel picked it up, the waitress shuddering as she got an up-close view of the pegasus, before Nigel waved her away. The mare complied hurriedly, her face turning a shade of green as she dashed inside of the café.
Paying no attention to her, Nigel opened the box and removed a roll of bandage. With care he wrapped one broken wing up, the human not knowing how to treat it properly. He persisted, doing the same with the second before moving onto the other cuts and scrapes. These were small enough to be taken care of with liquid stitches, and soon all of the wounds were tended to.
Nigel glanced out over to the crowd. “Is there a hospital in the town?” He was met with head shakes, one tan stallion raising his hoof.
“There’s a healer on the main street,” he told Nigel. Chalmers nodded and carefully picked up the pegasus in his arms, the human turning to look at Chrysalis.
“Come on, we’ll get your leg sorted at this ‘healers’.” Chrysalis looked at the Nymphs, wincing as she tried to walk on her injured leg.
“What about the nymphs?” she asked, Nigel spotting the owner of the café looking out of the building’s window. He beckoned her outside, the middle-aged, coal-coated mare not sure what the Captain wanted.
“Could you just keep an eye on them for a few minutes?” Nigel asked her, the mare’s eyes widening.
“I don’t know how,” she stammered, Nigel shifting the stallion in his arms.
“They’re just like pony foals, all you have to do is make sure they don’t escape. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The owner sighed and nodded, knowing that she really didn’t have a choice.
“Are you sure we can leave the nymphs?” Chrysalis asked him as she flew alongside Nigel, avoiding the use of her leg.
“Sure, it’s only for a few minutes,” Chalmers replied while the pegasus remained out cold in his arms. “Besides, I didn’t feel like I needed to say it, but if something happens to them then I would be very displeased.” Chrysalis was about to ask what he would do, but then she remembered that the town was filled with enough weapons to fend off an army.
The two received stares and whispers from townsponies as they searched for the local healer, the sight of the Captain carrying a wounded pegasus with a flying changeling by his side an unusual one. Nigel stopped when they reached a large wooden building with an overhanging sign decorated with various medical items such as bandages and medicine bottles.
“This looks like the place,” he observed with a nod. He walked up to the open doorway and stepped inside, Chrysalis touching down on the wooden floor before looking around. They were in a spacious waiting area with a row of chairs made for ponies up against the right wall, a small counter with a tip jar situated at the back. “Some things don’t change,” Nigel muttered while eyeing the tip jar. Chrysalis sat down and examined her leg, Nigel moving a hand out and tapping the silver bell on the counter.
“Coming!” a stallion called out, before a grey earth pony entered from a door behind the counter. He froze as soon as he saw his customers, the Healer trembling in his white wool robe.
“Morning,” Nigel greeted before placing the pegasus down on the counter. “I’ve got a delivery.” He tilted his head towards Chrysalis, the Healer gulping as he stared at her.
“I… I don’t know much about pegasi, and certainly nothing about the… other thing.”
“I’m a changeling,” Chrysalis huffed.
“A human, a changeling and a bleeding pegasus walk into a Healer’s shop,” Chalmers started before chuckling. Recovering, he pointed down at the sleeping pegasus. “Anyway, I’ve already done most of the work. I just need you to finish patching him up and to keep him alive.” Chalmers moved his finger so that it pointed at Chrysalis. “She needs a bandage around her leg and some painkillers, I’d give her some of mine but they’d put her to sleep and I need her up and active.” The stallion gulped, preparing for anger.
“I would, I truly would, but I just don’t know how to treat them properly.” Nigel sighed and opened a compartment on his waist armour, tossing a large coin purse onto the counter.
“Do you know how to treat them now?” The pony’s eyes widened at the sight of the money.
“I suddenly remember how to treat pegasi and changemings-“
“Changelings!” Chrysalis stressed, the Healer nodding his head quickly.
“Of course, a slight slip of the tongue,” he replied hastily with a nervous chuckle. “Please, come into my examination room and I’ll start treatment right away!” The stallion glanced at the pegasus and shook his head while muttering to himself, before looking up at Nigel with a hopeful grin. “Um, my assistant has today off…” Chalmers sighed and picked the pegasus up again, the Healer gulping and disappearing back through the door.
Nigel and Chrysalis followed him, the next room painted a sterile white and hosting a large, sturdy table in the centre. The pegasus was plopped down on the table spread-eagled, the Healer giving Nigel a wary glance before commencing his examination.
Chalmers walked over to Chrysalis while they waited for the stallion to treat the pegasus. Chrysalis had sat down on the floor and was currently gazing around at all the medical tools stored on racks around the room. Her leg was still bleeding, a few other scrapes surrounding it.
“How’s your leg?” he asked, Chrysalis glancing up at him.
“It’s still stinging a bit,” she answered, Chrysalis grimacing after prodding it with a hoof. She got to her hooves awkwardly, stumbling a little while her wings began to buzz. “I really should get back to the nymphs, I’ll be fine.”
“And they will be as well,” Nigel reassured, glancing down at his right arm as an information screen lit up. “According to the sensors they’re still in the playpen. They’ll be fine.” Chrysalis bit her lip but nodded, her wings resting back on her back. Just as she was about to sit back down, the Healer walked towards them.
“Well, the pegasus will live,” he informed as he wiped his brow. “I’ve still got to patch up some of the smaller injuries and treat him with herbs, but he’s stable.”
“Do you have space to keep him until he wakes up?” Nigel asked, the stallion nodding.
“I do have a spare bed, though it will cost extra-“
“Bill it to me after,” Nigel replied with a wave of his hand. “Can you take a look at Chrysalis now?” The Healer took a deep breath and gulped, moving to examine Chrysalis’s wound.
“No mark, green blood,” the pony mumbled before he looked at her face. “Does it still hurt?” Chrysalis nodded.
“It does, do you have anything for it?” she asked. The Healer tutted and moved to a wooden cabinet. His eyes ran over the shelves before settling on a glass jar filled with deep green leafs. He opened the top of the jar and selected four leafs before taking them back to Chrysalis.
“Chew on this, don’t swallow them though. They’ll help deal with the irritation of the wound.” Chrysalis stared at the offered treatment apprehensively, before she used her magic to lift the leaves from his hoof. She sniffed them and winced, but still put them in her mouth and began to chew. Her face was locked in an expression of distaste; Chalmers grinning at her while the Healer fetched a clean bandage. “Please lift your right hind leg so I can wrap this around your wound.”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened and she glanced back at the injury, lifting her leg would mean that…
“There is no need to be so modest,” the Healer stated. “It’s only me and my assistant acting as doctors in this town, it will be nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Chrysalis stopped chewing as a slight green blush covered her cheeks. “I um, I just don’t-“
“Come on Chrissy,” Nigel interrupted while rolling his eyes. “The sooner you let him wrap up your leg, the sooner we can leave.” Chrysalis still looked unsure, Nigel deciding to try and ease her nerves with some humour. “Would you rather I wrap a bandage around your leg and see your privates, instead of a medical professional?”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened even more, her blush increasing and her mouth was left hanging. She lowered and stared at the floor. “I would prefer it if you did it,” Chrysalis answered meekly, Nigel freezing in place while the Healer coughed into a hoof awkwardly.
‘Well, that back-fired.’
Despite the thought and his original intentions, Nigel had offered to do it and he guessed that if she was more comfortable with him then it couldn’t hurt.
“Why would you prefer me?” he questioned while taking the bandage and crouching down next to her.
“You’re my friend, and I know you so it just seems better than a stranger.” The Healer huffed, and turned away. Chrysalis rotated so that her injured side was facing Nigel, and then she lifted her leg.
Nigel quickly wrapped the bandage around her leg, having to go around a few times to cover the entire cut. Chrysalis continued to chew her medicine, the previous stinging having died down to a dull throb that hurt a lot less. Chalmers finished securing the bandage, and Chrysalis lowered her leg to the ground.
“Finished,” Nigel informed, the Healer turning back around and appraising the bandage. “I don’t know why I’m paying you; I seem to have done most of the work.” The stallioon wrinkled his nose and pointed towards Chrysalis, the changeling still chewing and blushing.
“You’re paying for the medicine and the treatment of the pegasus. I’m going to have to secure him to the bed as well, so there’s also the element of danger. Then there’s food, I’m going to have to pay for a helper to watch over him at night-“
“Okay, okay,” Nigel conceded while backing away. “The money will be worth it if it means I can leave. Come on Chrissy, we better get back to the nymphs.” He began to walk out of the room, however he stopped when he noticed Chrysalis limping and not flying. Her wings were buzzing erratically, but still she chose to walk.
“Why don’t you fly like before?” he questioned, Chrysalis’ eyes widening again.
“I just want to walk,” she lied. Chalmers rolled his eyes and picked her up swiftly but carefully. Chrysalis froze as she found herself lifted up like a nymph in his arms.
“I’m not going to have the mother of my favourite children injure herself further. If you’re not going to fly, then I’ll carry you.” He carried her out of the building, the Healer giving the two a strange look and shaking his head.
Chrysalis ducked her head when she noticed the looks she was getting from the townsponies that saw them, hoping that her chitin would blend in with the armour that Nigel was wearing. She had forgotten about her teal mane and tail however, the hair making her stand out no matter what she tried. She wanted to tell him to put her down, but at the same time she was guiltily enjoying the contact.
Nigel wondered why Chrysalis was acting so weird. He shook his head, putting it down to his previous behaviour with Platinum. She probably hadn’t fully forgiven him yet so he didn’t think mentioning it would do any good.
Before long the café was back in sight, the owner sitting at a table with the playpen next to it. The mare didn’t notice them approach, the pony grinning as she watched the activity in the child prison.
“I see they’re causing no end of trouble,” Nigel remarked, the café owner glancing up at him with a sheepish expression.
“They weren’t as difficult as I thought they would be,” she admitted, a chorus of ‘Nigel’ and ‘Chrysalis’ calling up from the pen. “Well, apart from the noise. Is the pegasus alright?”
“Your town Healer said that he would be fine,” Nigel informed as he lowered Chrysalis to the ground. The owner nodded her head.
“Be careful, those Pegasi are trouble.” She received a look from both Nigel and Chrysalis, a blush covering her face as she realised who she was talking to. “I… I better get back to work. I have a lot of cleaning up to do.” She left her chair and was about to trot back into her café, but was stopped when Nigel dangled a coin purse in front of her.
“Consider it thanks for watching them,” he told her with a gesture towards the nymphs. “It should be enough to cover the damages.” The manager hesitated before taking it in her mouth, the mare nodding her thanks before returning inside. Chrysalis tested her leg and found that her wings had returned to normal, so she fluttered over to the pen to look inside.
“Hello,” she greeted, the nymphs calling her name and raising their hooves towards her. Chrysalis turned back to face Nigel. “What do you want to do now?”
“I guess that we take them back home,” he answered, meaning his new base. “I’ve got some things I need to do today. I need to figure out what to do with the Equestrian prisoners, start working on Morning’s ship, do some more stuff with the tower and try and find some potential defensive spots.” Chrysalis went over the plan, rubbing her chin with a hoof.
“A quiet day would be nice for a change,” she agreed, before remembering what had just happened. “Well, a quiet afternoon I suppose. I would like to get to know our Equestrian guests a little better, except Platinum.” Chrysalis scowled at the name. “I don’t want anything to do with Platinum.”
“Plat-“ Reflection began, Nigel walking over to the pen and leaning down to look at the nymph.
“Not now, Reflection,” he advised, Chrysalis too caught up in her fuming to notice. “Let it go Chrysalis, it was just a mistake. I’m sure she didn’t know how it would affect you.”
“I guess,” she sighed, before turning her attention back to the more pressing matter of transporting the nymphs. “Which ones do you want to carry?” Chalmers hummed and stared down at them, the changelings returning the stare with gazes of their own.
“You know, I think we could let them just walk beside us. I don’t think they’d run off, and they already seem smart enough to know when we’re calling them. A little exercise in the sea air would do them good. Besides, it’ll be fun for them and it’ll tire them out.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Chrysalis asked with furrowed eyebrows.
“Sure,” Nigel replied with a wave of dismissal. “We can control them, they know better than to run off by themselves.” With that he undid the latch on the pen, the door opening and freeing the nymphs. Seeing a chance to escape, Reflection was the first to leave the enclosure with the others soon following behind her.
Chrysalis watched as all ten moved around the area, sniffing at all of the surrounding objects. They stayed in a group, no nymph ever a metre away from another. Most stayed around Chrysalis, with one or two roaming out occasionally as Nigel started to walk down the street.
“Come along,” Nigel ordered. Chrysalis took flight and followed him at a slow pace, allowing the nymphs to stay alongside her. A few tried to fly as well, but their undeveloped wings only buzzed uselessly. Chirps and chatters rose up as the nymphs followed their care-givers and examined the surroundings at the same time.
The procession also earned curious stares, the column of changelings lead by the human captain attracting the attention of townsponies and a small number of the crew who weren’t already liquored up. Townsponies either stared and conversed with each other, or went back to their business after a brief examination. A few braver souls actively approached the group, most retreating when they drew the attention of the nymphs.
The ones that held their ground despite the curious children were briefly sniffed and touched before the nymphs retreated back to their guardians. A few of these ponies reached out hooves to try and return the contact, but quickly found themselves covered with red targeting lasers. They wisely stood still until the nymphs left.
“Sorry,” Nigel apologised to one particular mare while the group walked past her, red dots covering her body. “It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to children.” The townspony nodded, the mare breathing a sigh of relief when the lasers were removed from her.
“Isn’t that a bit… excessive?” Chrysalis puffed while moving next to him, not used to flying.
“Nonsense,” Nigel answered, pausing in front of the alley that contained his personal entrance. Chrysalis landed and the nymphs flocked around Nigel’s legs, all of them rubbing up against him and chirping loudly as they desired to be fed. “I doubt it’s needed anyway, everyone in this town seems to understand who’s in charge and they haven’t shown any signs of wanting to rebel. In fact they seem to not mind me that much.”
“The old mayor sounds like she was worse,” Chrysalis informed as she tested her leg. “At least you don’t tax them.”
“That’s true,” Chalmers agreed as he entered the alley. Chrysalis and the nymphs followed, Chrysalis finding that she was able to walk on her leg. The alley was cleaner and much less menacing than before, the other end walled off with a large metal plate. The group entered the teleporter, and after some difficulty with herding the nymphs they ascended the tower with a flash of light.
“I’m never going to get used to that,” Chrysalis mumbled as she shook off the tingling feeling. The nymphs rushed out around her and ran around the room, already familiar with the surroundings. They avoided one corner of the command room however, a single unicorn looking outside towards Equestria.
“Oh… Good Morning, Platinum,” Nigel greeted hesitantly. Chrysalis glared at Platinum while the former princess turned around.
“Good Morning Nigel,” Platinum greeted warmly. The warmth left her voice when she turned to look at Chrysalis. “Good Morning Changeling.” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes.
“Platinum, her name is Chrysalis,” Nigel informed as the two females continued to stare off. The nymphs moved to surround Nigel, their nerves on high as they could sense the tension in the room. When he got no response, Nigel sat down in his chair and started to pat and feed the nymphs.
Chrysalis also felt the passive feeling of love increase to her, but it still didn’t pull her away from the confrontation. She made sure to bare her fangs, the teeth having grown a little larger. Platinum wavered; obviously the unicorn was not used to direct confrontations. Chrysalis smirked in victory, and commenced to have an unspoken conversation with Platinum.
‘Stay away from Nigel, you Harlot,’ Chrysalis thought while she took a step forward. ‘Or else.’
Platinum’s mouth curled into a smile, a gesture that Chrysalis knew was: ‘Make me’.
Chrysalis fumed, how could Nigel trust Platinum to keep her word? The mare was obviously trouble and Chrysalis knew that she was up to no good. However, Nigel didn’t seem concerned about Platinum’s future plans, he appeared to be more worried about dodging around what he did with her. With a final glare, Chrysalis flicked her mane and returned to Nigel, sitting down beside his chair with the nymphs.
A hand came down and rubbed her head, Chrysalis grinning and sticking her tongue out at Platinum. The unicorn huffed and returned to gazing out at her lost castle while Chrysalis relaxed and basked in the head rubs.
It felt like victory, sweet victory that Platinum couldn’t have.
‘She’s had another type of victory,’ Chrysalis realised, and suddenly the soothing fingers didn’t feel so special anymore. She remained stoic however, intent to not let Platinum know that she was jealous of the ease of which the unicorn had seduced Nigel.
“Cheer up Chrissy,” Chalmers told her as he patted her with one hand and operated the computer on his chair with the other. “All I have to do is key in a few orders and set some things in motion, and then I can spend the rest of the day with you and the nymphs. I know it’s boring, but that’s no reason to sulk.”
‘That’s not what I’m sulking about,’ Chrysalis thought as she felt a nymph nuzzle her foreleg. She looked down and noticed two things. One was that the nymph, Holey, seemed slightly larger and her chitin was shinier. The second was that her own foreleg was longer than she remembered. “Excuse me, I need to go to my quarters for a while.”
“Go ahead, I’ll watch the nymphs,” Nigel replied, Chrysalis regretfully leaving the relaxing hand. She moved into the teleporter and turned around, watching as the nymphs clambered over and around Nigel to bask in the positive emotion coming from him. With a final ‘I’m watching you’ glare to Platinum’s back, Chrysalis used a hoof to touch the extra-large control screen that Nigel had added. With a press on the large icon that would take her to the living areas, the teleporter doors closed and she disappeared in a flash.
Shaking off the tingling again, Chrysalis stepped out into living room. She was meet with Clover, Morning, Spyglass all lounging around the room with cards in their magic. Sunflare was also present, however she lacked magic and was instead watching the three while she lay on a couch. Everyone halted and stared at Chrysalis as she walked out of the teleporter.
“Hello Chrysalis,” Morning greeted after a moment, returning back to her cards. “I take it you were with Nigel this morning?” Chrysalis wondered if the others knew about the incident with Platinum, or even about the fallen pegasus soldier.
“We had breakfast with the nymphs, and then there was the injured pegasus-“
“What pegasus?” Clover spoke up with a tinge of worry. “Are they attacking?”
“No,” Chrysalis answered before moving towards the hallway. “Well, I don’t think so. He was already wounded and crashed down on our table. Nigel fixed all of the serious wounds and then took him to a healer.” Sunflare noticed the bandage around her leg, the unicorn nodding towards it.
“You got hurt as well?” Chrysalis quickly moved into the hallway, hoping to finish her task as soon as possible.
“It’s just a scratch,” she muttered before leaving down the hallway, the ponies shrugging their shoulders and returning to their card game.
Chrysalis reached her room, the changeling thankful that Nigel had the foresight to make the door controls hoof-friendly. The metal door slid open, and she stepped into her room for the first time. It was fairly plain, but Chrysalis didn’t mind. She also noticed that a line of ten smaller beds were lined up in two rows of five against the walls.
“Where did Nigel say it was?” Chrysalis murmured to herself while see looked for the bathroom. She spotted another door and opened it, finding herself in a white-tiled room. She investigated it curiously, opening the cupboards to find an assortment of bottles and different coloured towers. Pushing aside the questions of just how Nigel had acquired all of these things, Chrysalis spotted her goal.
The full length mirror was illuminated by the strange magical lights that had turned on when the door had opened. Chrysalis stepped up and examined herself, taking in all of her features. She had indeed gotten taller and even more slender, and her teal mane and tail were even longer. Her eyes roamed over her chitin, Chrysalis stepping closer to the mirror. It shone in the light, and she’d heard that changelings with shinier chitin were seen as more powerful and thusly prized mates.
Turning around, Chrysalis eyed her own rump in the reflective surface, seeing that it was plump but toned. She quickly whipped back around and sat down with a blush, remembering the visit to the healer. The changes were extensive and she still wasn’t too sure where they would end. She sighed, her pair of bright green eyes staring back. As she looked at her face up close, she realised that she did look beautiful. Her eyes were full of life, her teeth were healthy and her muzzle was slightly longer and slender. Her horn was also larger, and sharper.
Maybe being a little more beautiful wasn’t as much of a worry as she thought? She’d need all of the look that she could get after all, if she wanted a shot at the one she adored.
Sighing again, Chrysalis pulled herself away from the mirror and looked around the rest of the room. She spotted a sink, a bath and a strange glass object in the corner. Taking a sniff of herself, she decided that a bath might be in order. Besides, an hour or two spent soaking in warm bath might calm her down. She had never taken one before, but she had overheard that pony bathhouses, usually reserved for the rich, were a very rare comfort.
And here she was, with a bath all to herself.
Chrysalis got to her hooves and walked over to the tub, spotting two objects attached to the side. Wondering where she was supposed to get water from, Chrysalis decided to try and see what the metal objects did. With a hoof, she reached out and managed to turn one of them with a blue marking. She jumped back as a torrent of water flowed out of a metal nozzle, Chrysalis staring at it in awe.
Carefully, she brushed a hoof underneath it and found that it was cold. She eyed the red tap, guessing that it was for hot water. That one was also twisted, a second flow of water joining the first. A brief hoof-touch later and she found that it did indeed dispense hot water. She glanced down at the bottom of the bath, the water swirling down a grated hole at the end near the taps. Chrysalis spotted a button next to the taps, and pressed the grey switch with a hoof. A covering slide out and closed off the hole, and the water began to fill the bath.
“Ha!” Chrysalis cheered to herself, proud that she had managed to figure out the strange device without Nigel’s input. As she watched the water fill the tub, she got an idea.
Rushing to the cabinet under the sink, Chrysalis found what she was looking for.
She withdrew a bottle labelled ‘Liquid Soap, Spring’ in Equestrian and examined it. She walked back to the bath and popped the lid of the bottle, pouring a little bit of the liquid in. The bath began to fill with bubbles, and a flowery scent rose up from it. Chrysalis sniffed and found it quite pleasant. She set the bottle on the side and turned off the taps, before eagerly stepping in.
The water was incredibly warm, the perfect temperature for a nice relaxing soak. Chrysalis hummed and settled in the bath, forgetting about her bandage in the process. The water soothed her in more ways than one, and it got rid of the layer of dirt that caked her chitin. She made a note to give herself a rinse off after the main soak, but for now she was content to sit back and enjoy the water.
Briefly, she wondered if Nigel was having an easy time, before she dismissed the thought and closed her eyes in relaxation.
“Settle down you lot.”
Nigel glanced over at the group of nymphs, the excited children shouting out names of various objects such as ‘boat’, ‘bath’, and ‘missile’. They were seated down on cushions in front of a large screen. Nigel had managed to somehow find a bunch of UIP child educational programs on his suit’s computer storage, its reasoning to be there incomprehensible to him. Currently it was running through a series of pictures accompanied by a monotone female voice saying the names, the nymphs eagerly reciting the names once spoken.
Chalmers shook his head and turned back to his command console. They had been fed and were currently entertained, so that was his job done. He continued on reviewing plans of the base and readouts, a smile growing as he examined the data.
The base was ready to start producing an attack force, with resource fabricators and generators working away in the large cavern underneath the tower. As he looked at the screens, he saw that there were a few, smaller caves under the town that contained rich metal and mineral deposits, including precious stones and rare noble metals. The base’s AI had already begun mining operations, a large network of mining drills and processers steadily working away and pillaging the earth.
“I love this job,” Nigel murmured upon seeing that his underground hanger was complete. He didn’t know why, but just thinking the words ‘underground hanger’ made his spine tingle. All he needed was aircraft to fill it with, Nigel unable to decide what mix of planes he should have. Still, all the attack planes in the world would be useless if he had nothing to control them, hence his need for a new AI nexus. Thankfully, the base plans had included multiple rooms left vacant, and there were a few large enough to hold a nexus capable of powering a fleet of starships.
Nigel decided to save that for later; right now he had to focus on Morning’s ship and the Equestrian prisoners. He leaned back in his chair as the educational program continued to play in the background, mulling over all of his options in regards to the Equestrians captured with Sunflare. Feeding them hadn’t been an issue, the base including a large artificial garden with genetically-enhanced fast-growing grains, vegetables and fruit. However, the easiest option would be to just let them go free. They weren’t really a threat and the crew in charge of them had reported that most were farmers pressed into the militia by Platinum’s guards.
Deciding that releasing them would be the most cost-efficient and easiest option, Nigel pushed that issue away for later. A body settled down beside his chair, Chalmers absentmindedly reaching out a hand and patting the creature on the head.
Instead of the chitin of a nymph that he had expected, he was instead met with silky hair. Nigel’s hand froze, and he leaned to the left to gaze down at just who he was patting.
Platinum stared back at him, the mare wearing a small grin on her face as he moved her head up into his hand.
“Platinum,” Nigel warned, withdrawing his hand much to her disappointment. “Remember our deal?”
“It’s only a head rub,” she complained, Nigel faltering. “You gave Morning Sparkle a head rub before.” He was just about to inform her that Morning was a close friend, but then he remembered what had happened last night. Deciding that it wasn’t worth the trouble, Nigel relented and resumed the rub.
“Platinum, I want you to be nice to Chrysalis,” he informed after a few seconds. “Don’t think I didn’t understand what was going on between you two earlier.” Platinum huffed in response, a hind leg twitching as the fingers found their way behind her ears.
“She started it,” Platinum defended, her eyes fluttering at the scratching. “I bet she’s just jealous that I got to you first.” The scratching stopped suddenly, and the hand was withdrawn.
“She doesn’t think of me like that,” Chalmers stated. “We’re good friends and the changes she’s going through are just affecting her mood. Sure, there’s love, but she’s more like family to me then… that.” Platinum smirked.
“Keep telling yourself that,” she replied, Nigel raising an eyebrow.
“You’re feeling better and back to your usual self,” he quipped, Platinum flicking her mane. She didn’t reply however and instead decided to remain sitting down. Nigel continued on. “Besides, I still want you to not start any fights or continue them, I’ll need to talk to her as well.” Platinum walked away from the throne, moving back to the window. She laid down upon a red pillow in the sunlight while still ignoring him.
“Bitch!” the nymphs all yelled out, Nigel and Platinum’s eyes widening. Chalmers whipped his head around to stare at the children.
‘The Hell are they watching!?’
On the screen was the picture of a group of dogs, the program going through the different names. Nigel relaxed, and hoped that the nymphs wouldn’t repeat that particular word at the wrong time. While he appreciated the depth of the UIP programming, he questioned why young children needed to know the different names for the genders of animals. Platinum however didn’t understand what had happened, the unicorn believing that it was a personal attack against her.
“How…” she stammered, her face going red. “How dare they call me that!” Nigel rolled his eyes, preparing to explain the circumstances to the former ruler.
“They’re watching a program. Bitch is the name for a female dog, so they’re not insulting you.”
“I… I know that!” Platinum stammered before facing the window. “Do you think I’m stupid?” Nigel didn’t answer; instead he went back to his command console. He entered in some final commands and activated a phase of his plan. He watched through a screen as a large hatch in the ground slid open a mile away from the town. As soon as the metal door was open, four yellow lifter drones rose up from the black pit the size of an entire street of houses.
Secret bases need secret hatches.
The drones, each the size of a house, used their anti-gravity engines to propel themselves over the sea. They reached the battleship, townsponies and crew alike stopping to stare at the spectacle. The drones stopped and lowered their two arms, securing the ship in their grip. The base’s sensors detected no life signs on the ship, so with the whine of engines the drones lifted up.
The ship was slowly freed from the water, the four drones made to lift weights far greater than a wooden ship. As soon as it was clear of the ocean, they slowly flew back to the hatch in preparation for the ship to be upgraded. Nigel noticed that none of the ponies seemed to panic, was he really that predictable that he could have a ship lifted out of the water and everyone just assumed that it was because of him?
He remotely observed the ship being lowered down the hatch, the computer soon signalling that it was secure and ready to be worked on. The hatched was closed, a small tracked drone popping out from a bush to sweep sand back over the metal door. Nigel grinned at the thought of how Morning would react when she saw the new ship, he had personally created the plans for its modification. In a good mood, Nigel returned to planning his army and resulting world domination.
“Nigel,” Platinum suddenly spoke up after a few minutes. “Am I… a horrible pony?”
‘Wow, that’s a sucker punch,’ Nigel thought while he turned to look at her. The unicorn was still looking out of the artificial window, gazing out over the town.
“What do you mean?” Nigel asked, Platinum gesturing with a hoof out to the town.
“I mean, my own subjects hate me,” she answered with a sniffle. “The ponies in this town don’t even seem to mind you, and you’re ruling over them from a black tower with weapons filling their town. Am I worse of a ruler than you?” Nigel winced; this was going to be difficult.
“Platinum, it’s not that I have weapons or a black tower,” Nigel had to hold himself back from making a joke about how ‘the ladies love a black tower’, and instead worked on getting Platinum out of her sour mood. “It’s how I treat them.” The unicorn turned at this, facing him with a sniffle.
“Treat them?” she inquired, Nigel nodding his head.
“I mostly leave them alone and let them do their own thing,” he told her. “I tax them in food, drink and supplies for my crew, but it’s not excessive and I provide them with services in return. Did you know that I’m giving them electric lights, water and heating at the end of the week?” Platinum stared blankly at him, Nigel remembering that he hadn’t exactly told anyone that yet. “Moving on,” he continued. “The key thing is respect. I respect them, and they in turn respect me.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Platinum huffed sadly. “You’re a big, powerful creature; I’m just a unicorn with magic and a royal bloodline.” Nigel laughed despite Platinum’s sadness, the nymphs moving away from their screen to crowd around him.
“Me?” Nigel asked with a chuckle. “I’m just a guy with a prototype suit. Don’t let the ‘Commander’ title fool you, back where I’m from I’m only middle-management. If you think I’m powerful, you should see my bosses.” Platinum raised her head, the revelation that there were things more powerful than a being that could create from nothing was mind-boggling to her.
“But how does that help me?” she questioned. “Ponies don’t like me, and the others here already hate me.” Chalmers’ mirth died at a sob from her, and he tapped his fingers against his chair. Reflection jumped up into his lap while three other nymphs approached Platinum.
“Well, from what I heard you did treat them like crap,” Nigel stated bluntly while he stroked Reflection’s back. “People don’t just forgive things as easily as I think you expect. Is that why you’re up here instead of down there or in town?”
“Yes,” Platinum nodded sadly. Nigel hummed and paused his finger tapping, Reflection yawning in his lap. The other nymphs stopped approaching Platinum and returned to Nigel’s chair to sit down.
“Try and apologise to Sunflare, Spyglass and Clover,” he suggested. “Morning’s just a little cold to start off with; I don’t believe that she hates you though. Chrysalis is… well, you know what happened to cause that issue. At least if you apologise, then they might forgive you.”
“Is that all?” Platinum perked up, her ears shooting up as she straightened. Nigel shook his head, raising his finger to the roof.
“No, you also need to drop the ‘higher-than-you’ attitude and you need to try and be, well, nice.”
“Oh…”
“You can do it,” Nigel encouraged. “If I can get along with them, then you can as well.” Platinum thought for a few moments, before she nodded and stood up. She approached to lift, still hesitant to use the teleporter, but turned around before entering it.
“Look, Nigel,” she began, her voice softer and lacking her usual ego. “Thanks. You could have just killed me or let Sombra kill me, but you didn’t. It’s hard for me to say it, but I appreciate that you’re helping me even if I don’t know why.”
“It’s no problem,” Nigel answered, Platinum nodding again. She entered the lift but paused before pressing the button to take her down.
“One more thing,” she added. “Last night did mean something to me and I wasn’t just using you-“
“Remember the rule?” Nigel reminded, Platinum stopping and pressing the button. She gave him a final look before the doors closed and she headed down to the living areas. Nigel allowed himself a small smile, a pair of hooves battering at his leg drawing his attention.
Upon glancing down, Nigel saw that Chatter was gazing up at him and wanting to be lifted up. Nigel complied, his hand leaving the sleeping Reflection to help the other lift the awaiting nymph up to sit beside his fellow.
“You’re getting bigger,” he observed, finding that Chatter was larger and heavier than he remembered. It wasn’t fat, but the nymph seemed bulkier in general. As Chalmers scratched Chatter’s ears, he wondered if the nymphs would grow as physically fast as they did mentally. Thinking about that reminded him of Chrysalis and her strange behaviour.
“Women, what do I need to do to understand them, Chatter?” Nigel asked, the nymph looking up at him with a thoughtful expression.
“Chair,” Chatter answered with a hoof-point towards the armrest of the chair, Nigel smirking while he leaned back and increased the head rub.
“Indeed,” he replied while he waited for Chrysalis to return so he could continue on with the day. “Chair is the best answer I’ve heard to that question so far.”
Platinum exited the left and cautiously walked into the main living area. She was met with the stares from the other ponies who were all playing a card game. She got the feeling that she was not welcome, Spyglass and Sunflare glaring ar her. The pirate known as Morning Sparkle gave her a glance before returning to her cards, and Clover was avoiding making eye contact.
“What are you doing here?” Sunflare growled, Platinum gulping before taking a step forward.
“I came down to…” Platinum paused, the glares increasing. “I came down to apologise.”
“Apologise,” Sunflare stated dangerously. “You think an apology is going to make up for my horn or threatening to kill me?”
“Please, I didn’t mean for it to happen!” Platinum answered hastily. “I’ve changed, honestly!” Sunflare snorted and laid back down on the couch, Platinum turning to Clover. “What about you Clover, will you accept my apology?”
“I… I’m not sure,” Clover answered, glancing to Spyglass and Sunflare. “You treated me terribly, and everyone else terribly. I was almost executed because of you.” Platinum tried desperately to convince her ex-advisor otherwise, but was beaten by Spyglass.
“Clover’s right,” he added before taking a drink of water from a glass. “You’ve caused trouble for everyone, why should we forgive you? I doubt that you’ve changed that much.”
“I have!” Platinum protested. “I haven’t done anything wrong since I was removed from the throne!” She stamped a hoof to emphasise her point, Spyglass narrowing his eyes.
“You went off with the Captain last night, and we all know that he wasn’t himself.” Platinum looked down at the ground, ashamed. “If he can’t trust you, then why should we?”
“He forgave me,” Platinum answered with hope. “He was the one that sent me down to apologise.” This drew a long look from Morning, the First Mate lowering her cards to stare at Platinum.
“Commander Chalmers sent you down here?” she asked with a neutral tone, Platinum hesitating before nodding. “Fine then, take a seat. You’ll have to wait until the next game though.”
“Are you joking?” Sunflare asked. “Why are you letting her stay, let alone play!?”
“Chalmers trusts her,” Morning stated while looking at her cards. “That’s good enough for me.” Platinum wrinkled her nose before taking a seat next to the pirate. The red rug she was sitting on was quite comfortable, and despite her closeness to the common unicorn, she didn’t smell any dirt or filth.
“If that’s what you think,” Sunflare huffed. “It doesn’t mean that I’ll talk to her.”
“Suit yourself,” came the reply from Morning. Platinum decided to sit down and remain quiet, watching as the others went back to their game. Spyglass and Sunflare didn’t talk to her, and Clover looked like she was trying to stay out of everything. Platinum sighed and resolved to just sit and watch, the former princess eying Morning’s cards with a confused look.
“It’s a game called ‘Hoof-full’, it’s common on pirate ships,” Morning informed Platinum. “I’ve already taught these three to play, it’s easy to pick up.”
“It is?”
Morning nodded her head at the question, before placing her cards face-up on the wooden table.
“Why show your cards, I thought we were still playing?” Clover inquired, puzzled.
“We are,” Morning answered, picking out another six cards from the deck. “But I might as well teach Platinum how to play now so she can join in.” The corner of the pirate’s mouth curled up in a small smile. “Besides, I was going to win next turn anyway.” Both Spyglass and Clover leaned forwards, their eyes resting on Morning’s cards.
“Son of a-“ Spyglass began, before sighing and leaning back on his cushion.
“Again?” Clover mumbled, trying to figure out how the pirate had won every round so far. Morning smirked and collected all of the cards. Platinum wondered if they were betting anything, but from the looks of it nothing was at stake. She jolted when the card deck was thrusted under her muzzle, a red glow holding them in the air.
“Pick six,” Morning told her. Platinum complied, making sure not to show them to anyone. “Now, this is how you play…”
Chrysalis threw the towel in a hatch marked ‘laundry’, her bath having been just as relaxing as she had expected. She walked back to her mirror and examined herself again.
Her washed mane was silky and it shone in the light, her chitin also carrying an impressive sheen. Her bandage was waterlogged but it held, and her cut felt better than ever. She opened her mouth and examined her teeth and tongue, her fangs sharp and white. The tongue was waggled, and Chrysalis let out a giggle at her reflection.
She looked great, well, at least by changeling standards. Confidence flowed through her and Chrysalis gave herself a grin. She trotted out of the bathroom with a bounce in her step, the lights shutting off and the door closing behind her. Leaving the bedroom, she made her way back to the lift, keen to return to Nigel and the nymphs.
Upon entering the living room, Chrysalis was met with an unexpected sight.
Platinum was sitting down with the other ponies, and they were all laughing as they played cards. The group stopped and looked at her, Spyglass letting out a low whistle.
“Hi,” Chrysalis greeted with a blush. “I was just going back up to the tower.”
“You sure you don’t want to play a game of cards?” Platinum asked. “It’s surprisingly fun.” The Princess had a friendly tone, but Chrysalis could detect a large amount of guilt coming off the pony. She held back a harsh retort, Platinum did seem to be sorry about what she did.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Chrysalis answered. “I’ve got to go back and look after the nymphs. Nigel has work to do, and I’ve already been away for hours.”
“Okay then,” Morning responded, the group returning to their game. Chrysalis headed to the teleporter, a final glance being shot at the First Mate before the door closed. She still didn’t know what Morning thought about her, Chrysalis not having seen her really converse openly with anyone except for Chalmers.
A blue flash signalled that she was once again at the top of the tower, Chrysalis walking into the command room to be met with an interesting scene.
Nigel was asleep in his chair, four nymphs resting on top of him. The other six were arrayed around the room, staring out of windows or playing with dragon toys. One spotted her, the nymph dropping his toy and rushing over to her with a pattering of hooves on the floor.
“Chrysalis!” he greeted, nuzzling her leg when he arrived.
“That right,” Chrysalis praised, glancing at his name tag. “What other words can you say, Buzz?” She smiled when the nymph paused in thought, before he sat down and looked up at her.
“Boat, chair, book, dog, door, floor, wall, red, Nigel, chair, screen, dog.”
Chrysalis watched on amazed as Buzz recited a flurry of words. Sure, he was repeating some, but the amount of new ones was nothing short of amazing. She sat down, a few of the other nymphs rushing over towards her. Buzz stopped telling her new words, the nymph jostling with his fellows for a spot by her legs.
“Hello Cupid, Joy and Keith,” she greeted to the next three, Chrysalis using her forehooves to pat each one on the head. One of them, Keith, somehow tripped over his own tail and tumbled down in front of her.
“Ow,” he stated, Chrysalis pushing aside her thoughts of another word they had learnt to help him. Carefully she picked him up in her hooves and looked him over, a small mark on his forehead next to his horn.
“You have to be more careful,” she lectured, planting a small kiss on his forehead. “There, better?” Keith nodded, his sniffles dying out. Chrysalis smiled at him, inside she was giggling at his name.
‘Keith,’ she thought while her grin increased. ‘Why did Nigel name him that? Why would anyone choose a name like Keith?’
She placed Keith back down, the nymph rushing off back to Nigel. Chrysalis looked closer at the sleeping Commander, noticing that a nymph was curled around his shoulders. She got up and approached the chair, shaking her head at Nigel taking a nap.
Keith was trying to climb up Nigel’s legs; however his hooves were unable to get a grip on the smooth armour. Chrysalis briefly wondered what Chalmers looked like without it, she hadn’t seen him without it on since they had met. Pushing the thought out of her mind, Chrysalis nudged him with a hoof, Nigel breathing in a breath of air before his eyes opened.
Nigel awoke with a start, not having intended to fall asleep. He found himself covered in nymphs, three huddled together on his lap with another wrapped around his shoulders. All were asleep, so he wondered what had disturbed him. He looked to his left, spotting Chrysalis standing there and looking at him hopefully.
“Oh, hi there Chrissy, “ he greeted while blinking his eyes. “I must have just drifted off.” The changeling nodded and did a turn on the spot, before she gazed at him hopefully.
“Do you notice anything different?” she asked, Nigel actually doing so now that she mentioned it.
“You took a bath or shower, your mane is wet,” he answered before going back to his command console. He missed the disappointed look that Chrysalis gave him.
“Yeah, I did,” she muttered, Nigel too busy humming to himself to notice.
“I’ve ordered the construction of the new nexus and some starting defence forces. By tomorrow we’ll be ready to start scouting operations and possibly some light attacks to keep Sombra all rattled. I predict that we’ll have the Capitol by the end of the week!” Chrysalis sighed and nodded, Nigel glancing at her worried. “Something wrong?”
“Oh… it’s nothing,” she answered dejectedly. Nigel put it down to her changes and finished some final commands.
“I know what will cheer you up,” Nigel told her. "How about you and me go out into the town for a while? I need to organise the Equestrian prisoners, but as soon as I’m done that’s my schedule free. We can go to the beach, grab a drink or some ice-cream, or do something that you want to do. What do you say?”
“What about the nymphs?” Chrysalis asked, perking up at the suggestion of going out on what she saw as a date. Nigel pointed down at the three in his lap and the one on his shoulders.
“They’re tuckered out,” he replied. “The others don’t look too far off.” Chrysalis glanced around at the nymphs, the six not on Nigel all beginning to rest on the floor near the chair.
“So we just leave them alone?”
“Well, yes. We’ll take them downstairs and put them to bed. They’ll sleep for a few hours and that will give us plenty of time to have some time to ourselves. If they do wake up, they’ll have toys and each other to play with while we’re gone. They’re growing up fast, and some time away from us might do them some good.”
Nigel watched as Chrysalis debated the idea with herself, before he received a hesitant nod.
“I suppose that we could do that,” she agreed. “As long as you think they’ll be fine.”
“They’re in the safest place in the world,” Nigel reassured. He stood up after gathering the four nymphs sleeping on him, the slumbering children still snoozing even when picked up.
“Come along little ones,” Chrysalis called to the other nymphs in the room. The remaining six followed the two adults into the lift, yawns exchanged all around.
A short lift ride later and the twelve being filled out into the living room. After a brief stop to explain their plans to the others, Chrysalis and Nigel herded the active nymphs to the bedrooms.
“Just in time,” Nigel commented as he opened the door to Chrysalis’ room, a few of the children almost falling asleep on their hooves. Between them, Chrysalis and Nigel managed to get all ten tucked in, and soon every single one was peacefully asleep. Leaving the room, Nigel made sure that the lights were left dimmed and that the door was shut.
“Prisoners first?” he asked Chrysalis.
“Let’s get it over and done with,” she replied. The two moved back the way they had come, heading back to the lift. “What are you going to do with them, by the way?”
“Give them the option to join my crew, and then release the ones who refuse.” Chrysalis stared up at him, confusion evident on her face.
“Release them?” she questioned. “What if they come back to fight us again?” Nigel chuckled, the two entering the lift and heading up to the ground floor.
“Relax; if they couldn’t get past the first set of laser turrets then I doubt they’re that much of a threat. Most of them are farmers or labourers anyway, they’ll likely be happy to be able to return to their normal lives. From what I can see, they’re not exactly keen to throw their lives away to stop me.”
“I guess so,” Chrysalis replied with a hum. “I didn’t expect you to be so forgiving.”
“They’re just soldiers following orders,” Nigel answered as the lift opened its doors, revealing the empty entrance lobby. “It’s not like they all got together and said, ‘Hey, let’s all leave our homes and go and fight pirates. It’ll be fun’. Trust me, as soon as I let them go, they’ll be thankful that I let them live and then we’ll be a few hundred prisoners less.” He glanced down at Chrysalis, the changeling still seeming unsure.
“Onto other things,” Nigel continued. “Where do you want to go after the prisoners are dealt with?”
“Ice-cream sounds nice,” Chrysalis answered as she walked alongside him. The pair exited out onto the street, townsponies glancing at them as they passed. “I’ve never had it before, what is it?” Nigel paused, not having bothered to check if these ponies even had ice-cream.
“Well, I don’t know if it’s made here, but think like frozen cream that’s flavoured. It’s a basic explanation, but that’s what ice-cream pretty much is.” Chalmers stopped and peered around. “All we need to do is spot a stall or shop-“
“Prisoners first,” Chrysalis reminded, Nigel resuming his walking.
“Indeed, let’s go say hello to our guests.”
Lieutenant Hard Blow raised her head up as prisoners around her began to mutter amongst themselves.
The inside of the prison they were all held in was dimly lit, only a few rays of sunlight from skylights allowing them to see. There was activity up on the catwalk above them, Hard Blow shifting in her chains to get a better look.
The pirate captain was staring down at them, the ever-vigilant turret continuing to watch over the hundreds of captured Equestrians. Hard Blow watched the monster lean down to a strange, bug-like creature beside him. She guessed that it was the same creature that was rumoured to steal the forms of ponies. Her grumbling belly distracted her for a moment, Hard Blow glancing down at her stomach.
They had been receiving food, and admittedly it wasn’t as bad as expected, but she did have a bit of an appetite. An appetite that had earned her a slightly negative reputation amongst her fellow officers. Granted, she was a little pudgy, but her mother had always told her that most stallions didn’t mind a little cushion on their mares.
Her mother was weird.
The sound of a clearing throat broke her out of her thoughts, Hard Blow returning her attention to the Captain. The creature waited until all eyes were upon him, before he raised a claw into the air.
“Good Afternoon,” he greeted. “How have you all been?” An uncomfortable silence descended over the prison, the creature beside the Captain shaking its head. “That good,” the pirate commented as he strolled back and forth along the cat-walk. “Well, your day is about to get better. I have decided that keeping hundreds of Equestrians captive is a waste of resources that could be better used on my own assistants. So I’m going to have to get rid of you.”
Distressed murmurs and pleas for mercy rang out, Hard Blow trembling in her chains. This was it, this was her fate. To be executed in a prison with a bunch of lowly mud ponies by a terrible monster, what a way to end a promising career. She remained stoic as the weapon mounted on the roof pointed at her, the unicorn staring up at it with a strange calmness. At least it would be a quick death, unlike the one Knight Sunflare had suffered. Hard Blow closed her yellow eyes, preparing to be cut down by whatever weapons the object possessed.
After a few moments she opened them again, Hard Blow staring up as the crowd’s pleas died down. Instead of shooting her, the turret was now resting at the top, no longer pointing down. Adding to the confusion, the door at the far end of the building was open.
“Relax, I’m not going to kill you,” the Monster informed. Hard Blow turned her attention back to him as he pointed towards the sun-lit opening. “I’m giving you all a choice. Princess Platinum was dethroned by a noble named Sombra, so you’re likely to not suffer any punishment for returning to Equestria without killing me. So, you can leave right now and return to your homes, or you can do the smart thing and join my crew.”
Hard Blow flattened her ears, a stampede of hooves rushing past her. The horde of ponies rushed past her and headed straight out of the door, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt that shrouded the area in a haze of muck. She wheezed and coughed until the dust died down, and her fear returned when she saw how few ponies remained behind.
None of them.
Not a single pony except her was left in the makeshift prison, and to be honest she would have also scarpered if it wasn’t for the chains holding her in place.
“None of them?” she heard the Captain question with surprise, evidently the monster missing her.
“There’s that unicorn down there,” a female voice answered, Hard Blow gulping as the monster looked down at her.
“Ah, let’s go talk to it then!”
“Nigel how are you-“
The female was cut off, the pirate Captain climbing over and jumping off the catwalk. Hard Blow’s eyes boggled at the insane move, the monster was certain to end up with a broken leg or an even worse fate. Hard Blow certainly didn’t suspect him to land on his feet without a scratch, only a brief upturn of dust and a slight tremor the evidence of what he had done.
“Nigel, are you stupid!?” Hard Blow tore her eyes away from the monster, the black bug creature flying down with fragile-looking teal wings. “What were you thinking!? You could have been hurt!”
“Relax Chrissy,” the Captain reassured with a wave of a claw. “My armour can take a small fall.” Now that he was closer, Hard Blow could see that his face wasn’t black metal like before, but instead it was smooth peach-coloured skin. There were no tentacles or fangs like she expected from a being as foul as him, but instead a small nose and relatively normal teeth.
The same teeth that were arrayed in a smile while he approached her.
“Hello unicorn,” the Captain greeted, Hard Blow pressing her back against the metal wall when he walked up to her. “I don’t know your name, but I am glad that you decided to join my crew.” Hard Blow stopped and stared at him, wondering if he was a few mud ponies short of a hovel.
“She’s chained up,” the bug creature pointed out as she landed next to her captain, Hard Blow wincing as she saw the fangs that the female had.
“Oh, right. I guess we better fix that then.”
Hard Blow shuddered as the Monster pointed his right arm at her, an object with a large barrel emerging from his armour. A bright blue glow caused her to blink her eyes, and after it died out Hard Blow moved her hooves to rub at them.
‘Hang on, my hooves are free…’
She glanced down and saw that yes, her chains were indeed gone. Not broken, just gone without a trace. Taking the opportunity to stretch her legs, Hard Blow almost forgot about the two creatures standing in front of her.
“Hurry up, we don’t have all day,” the Captain informed, causing her to snap her head up. The exit at the far end was blocked by his fearsome form, Hard Blow gulping as she tried to speak.
“You’re blocking the exit,” she answered fearfully, the Captain looking back towards the door.
“We’re not going through that one,” he told her. “We’re going back into town to get some ice-cream.” Hard Blow suppressed a scream when one of his metal claws grasped her around a foreleg, the unicorn finding herself pulled to her hooves.
“Why are we taking her?” the bug huffed as it stood next to the Captain.
“Why not?” came the answer, and judging from the face of the insect-equine it was not the one that it wanted to hear. “Relax Chrysalis, Miss…”
“Hard Blow,” Hard Blow stammered out after a few seconds. The Monster smiled at her name, or rather smirked at it.
“These ponies and their names,” he muttered, before gesturing towards a smaller door that was closer to them. “Come along, let’s try and find some ice-cream. I’m in the mood for a small snack.”
“But, I,” Hard Blow tried to protest before she was pulled along with the biped. “I don’t want to join your-“
“We’ll talk about it over ice-cream,” the Captain interrupted, increasing his pace. Hard Blow started to panic and looked to the bug for support, but it returned her pleading look with one filled with annoyance and displeasure. Sighing, Hard Blow lowered her head and sighed while she was guided like a foal.
Mother and Father would be so proud of her right now.
“Take it already.”
Nigel held out the strawberry ice-cream cone towards Hard Blow, the mare looking at the frosted treat reluctantly.
“I don’t feel hungry,” she replied, before her stomach grumbled and gave her away. Nigel raised an eyebrow, the unicorn giving up and taking the cone with her magic. Chalmers turned back to Chrysalis, the three sitting at a table outside the ice-cream store. The changeling was enjoying her own ice-cream, Chrysalis choosing mint.
“Ah, a nice afternoon of pure relaxation,” Nigel sighed as he leaned back in his chair. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful, the chirping of birds accompanied by the whirring of turrets as they rotated in their constant vigil.
“It’s nice not to worry about anything,” Chrysalis agreed, finishing off her cone with a few chomps. Chalmers grinned, she had gotten over her sour mood and he was having a good time. “We should do this more often.”
“I’ll try,” Nigel continued. “I suspect tomorrow is going to be a bit hectic though.” Chrysalis stared at him, licking the remains of the ice-cream off of her muzzle.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing,” Nigel answered, leaning back in his chair. “It’s just a hunch.”
“That sounds like trouble,” Hard Blow muttered, drawing the attention of the other two. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at her while Nigel smiled and tapped his fingers together.
“Not at all,” he reassured. “Besides, now that you’re on my crew, you’ve got a certain level of protection from anything that I decide to unleash.” He grinned and thought about the surprise that he had in store. “Not that I’m going to unleash anything of course.” He could tell that Hard Blow didn’t believe him, but the unicorn went back to her ice-cream with a scowl. Chalmers knew that she didn’t want to be part of his crew, but he just wanted to see how long he could draw it out.
“What now?” Chrysalis asked, the changeling standing up from her seat.
“First, we do the polite thing and wait for Hard Blow to finish her ice-cream,” he lectured, Chrysalis grumbling before sitting back down. “Then, how about you pick something that you want to do?” Nigel watched as Chrysalis shot the unicorn a glare, his eyes furrowing at the changeling’s behaviour. She seemed… possessive, and trying to compete for his full attention all the time. He shrugged, putting it down to her changing body.
“I don’t really feel like anything,” Chrysalis answered. “I think I’ll just go back to the tower, the nymphs will probably be awake now anyway. There’s nothing stopping you from spending the rest of the day with Hard Blow, though.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Nigel answered, getting the impression that Chrysalis was anything but fine with that idea. “I’ve got some touch-ups to do anyway, so heading back to the tower sounds like a good idea.” The warm smile that she gave him convinced him that he made the right choice. Playing along with her was the best thing to do at the moment if he wanted to keep her happy. Evidently he would have to distance himself from any female that was not her until this current mood was over.
“Great, now all we have to do is wait for Hard Blow.” Chrysalis made an effort to stare at the unicorn, Hard Blow gulping and increase the pace at which she ate. It wasn’t long until she was done, and she got down from the table with an apologetic look towards Chalmers.
“Um… thanks for the ice-cream,” she acknowledged, before shooting a fearful look at Chrysalis. “But I need to get back to my family. I’m sorry that you went through this and I’m not joining your crew-“
“Don’t worry about it,” Nigel replied hurriedly. “You’re free to go; it was nice meeting you Miss Hard Blow.” The unicorn seemed a little surprised at the ease of which she was able to leave. Still, she began to trot away towards the north, her hooves clacking on the stone road. She turned and gave a wave with a hoof, Nigel returning it.
“Good riddance,” Chrysalis muttered, the changeling leaving her seat.
“She wasn’t that bad,” Nigel defended, before he also left. Chrysalis clicked her tongue, before a smile replaced her frown.
“I suppose, and at least now it’s just us.”
“Indeed it is,” he agreed, hurrying towards the tower. Nigel was keen to get back to work; he was so close to achieving his plans. Chrysalis however had different ideas.
“Slow down,” she told him. Nigel looked down as she moved beside him and bumped her side against his leg. “Let’s just enjoy the walk and each other’s company. There’s no need to rush.” Chalmers didn’t reply, but he did comply. His pace slowed, and Chrysalis seemed keen to draw out the time alone for as long as possible.
Just what had he gotten into?
Morning Sparkle looked up from her book as Nigel and Chrysalis entered the living room. The others had retired to the dining area, Spyglass apparently eager to see what food the base produced. Morning hadn’t wanted to crush his hopes with the fact that it was pretty much vegetables and fruit with some other items transferred from the town, so she let him keep the foolish idea that Nigel was hoarding a mass of alien food and drink.
Then again, it was Chalmers so maybe the stallion wasn’t wrong.
“Evening,” she greeted, receiving a smile from Chrysalis. Nigel however seemed strained, the human’s right eye twitching.
“Evening,” she received in return from Chrysalis, the changeling bouncy and radiating joy.
‘Did she finally tell him?’she wondered, Chrysalis’ attracting to the oblivious Captain a favoured topic amongst the crew. Morning herself didn’t really care; as long as she got rich then the pair could do whatever they wanted.
“I’ve got to go and check on the nymphs, it’s almost time for their evening feeding.” With that Chrysalis bounded off down the hall, her wings fluttering as she did so. Morning turned to Chalmers, the Captain collapsing down on a couch.
“Are you okay?” Morning inquired, never having seen the human this tired.
“Oh, I think so,” Nigel answered after checking that Chrysalis was out of earshot. “I mean, it’s not like Chrysalis didn’t just drag me around town for hours, while spending the entire time glaring at any mare that came within a few metres of me.” Morning stared blankly at him, Nigel rubbing his face with his hands. “I can’t wait until this mood swing is over and she’s back to how she was on the ship.”
It was then that Morning realised that Nigel still didn’t know about the changeling’s feelings to him. Either that or he was in denial. Morning searched her mind for a way to cheer him up and get his mind off his problems. One solution reared its head, but Morning knew that it would end in trouble. Still, it was the only option she could think of, and to be honest her present company was far more entertaining than the other ponies.
“Do you want to grab a drink at the tavern?” Nigel removed his hands from his face at her query.
“Actually, that sounds like a great idea, I could use a drink.”
Morning allowed herself a small smile. She wasn’t a social pony, but drinking with Chalmers was admittedly an interesting time. It also didn’t hurt to remain in good standing with him. After all, he did hold the keys to securing her the title and respect that she needed. She had come so far, and she wasn’t about to leave with empty hooves.
“I’ve got to feed the nymphs,” Nigel told her. He got off the couch with an energy that he had been lacking previously. Obviously he enjoyed their drinking sessions just as much as she did.
“I might as well take one of these ‘showers’, I haven’t washed my mane for… seven months I believe.”
“Such is life on the sea,” Nigel replied. “Do you know how it works?”
“Platinum told me how the bath worked, so I just assumed that it’s the same sort of thing.”
“It is. The red tap is for hot water and blue tap is for cold. So, that means that Platinum is finally getting along with the others?” Morning nodded, stretching her legs as she got to her hooves.
“Sunflare and Spyglass are still a little cross at her, but they’re being civil. I’ve been making sure that they don’t do anything to her, and for now they seem to be trying.”
“And what about Platinum?” Nigel followed up.
“She’s not as bad as I thought she would be,” Morning admitted. “I think she’s still feeling guilty over what she did with you last night.” She must have said the wrong thing, Nigel in taking a sharp breath of air.
“How did you find out,” he strained, his fists clenched.
“Well, I was sitting with Spyglass in the pub last night,” Morning made sure to answer carefully. “We saw you and her stumble off, and then I was woken up last night by Chrysalis crying in her room. After that, you take Chrysalis and the nymphs out to breakfast and then spend most of the day with her. Adding to that, Platinum is acting all nice and said that you managed to convince her to apologise. I put the pieces together, something happened last night. And given that she’s a mare and you’re a, well, a male…”
“Okay, okay,” Nigel halted her with a hand. “Yes, something did happen. It’s over though, so let’s just drop it.”
“If you wish,” Morning relented, her suspicions confirmed.
“Thank you,” he replied while he walked towards the hallway. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just would like that incident to stay in the past. I’ll see you back her in a while.”
“That works,” Morning answered, Chalmers leaving the room. Morning did a final stretch and followed him, aiming to see what this ‘shower’ was like.
“Nigel!” Reflection left Chrysalis to race towards the food-provider, her little hooves clattering on the cool metal. She grinned up at the creature that fed her, the tall being smiling back down at her. Sniffing around his legs, she smelt dirt and grime. She didn’t care, and rubbed her side against the black surface. She giggled happily when the flow of food increased, and she was dimly aware of the others rushing towards them.
The door was shut behind him, and Reflection felt herself picked and raised into the air. She glanced down at the objects that grasped her, completely unlike her own hooves. She strained, trying to remember the name and how to say it. Then it came to her, the talking box having said what the objects were called.
“Hands,” she said, her tongue rolling around the new word.
“That’s right,” he replied, Reflection beaming up at him. She had done something good, and she tilted her head forward to receive a reward. “I see how it is.”
Reflection couldn’t stop herself from letting out a chirp as she was shifted into his arms, a hand moving down and scratching her behind the ears. She stayed still, keen for the pleasant feeling to continue for as long as possible. She was vaguely aware of moving, but she didn’t really care at the moment.
The hand was removed, Reflection shaking her head before looking around to see where they were now. Nigel, the food provider, was sitting down in a chair still holding her. He was talking to Chrysalis, Reflection watching the two adults converse.
They were strange, she knew that they fed and looked after her, but she wondered why. Chrysalis looked like her, well, without the hair and eyes, but Nigel was completely different. Reflection could taste the love between the two, and it confused her. Still, she had her fill, and that was more than enough for her. Her brothers and sisters were also crowding around the chair, but unlike her they were not being carried by Nigel. She was his favourite, and that thought made her happy.
“Well, I’ve got to go, Morning’s waiting for me.” Reflection glanced up as she felt herself move again, this time she was placed on the ground. She looked up, worried that she had done something wrong. Her fears were waylaid, a smiling face looking back down at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” Nigel walked towards the door, Reflection chasing after him. She didn’t want him to go, who else would give her head rubs?
“Nigel,” she called out, the creature stopping and looking down at her.
“I can’t stay, sorry Reflection.”
Reflection concentrated, and tried to say what she was thinking. He had used the words before, now how did he said them?
“Be back soon,” she replied, once again being rewarded with a scratch behind the ears.
“Almost a full sentence,” Nigel told her. “You’re learning quickly, now who’s a smart young nymph?” Reflection knew the answer to this one, and she knew that ‘nymph’ was what the adults called her and her siblings.
“I am!” she answered happily, hearing the chirps and chatters of her siblings behind her. They were slower with learning, but they were catching up quickly. Reflection frowned when the hand left her head to quickly give all of the others a head rub. They hadn’t answered anything, so why did they get one?
“That’s enough, I’ll be back to feed you all in the morning.” With that, Nigel left the room, leaving Reflection to stare at the door. She only turned around when she heard large hoofsteps behind her, Chrysalis gesturing for her to move out of the way.
“I have to go out for a few minutes,” Chrysalis told her, Reflection not understanding what the word ‘minutes’ meant. Still, she understood that Chrysalis wanted to leave, so she moved to the side. Chrysalis seemed… different right now. The adult had a frown and her eyes were narrowed, so Reflection decided that asking her to stay wasn’t the best idea. She watched Chrysalis leave, before a nudge in her side distracted her from the shutting door.
Keith was sitting next to her with his purple dragon at his hooves, her brother nodding down at it. Reflection glanced over to her own toy, a nice green one lying on its side near her bed. She got up and bounded towards it, dodging other nymphs playing games of their own. Briefly, she wondered if the adults were having this much fun, before she picked up her toy and ran back to Keith with only play on her mind.
Morning was staring at her mane in the mirror, the golden strands perfectly straight and clean. It irked her, it had been ages since she had gotten it cut and it was almost down to her hooves. She didn’t have any time to tie it back or brush it back, as the Captain was no doubt waiting for her. Sighing, she resigned herself to going into the tavern with her hair looking like it did. She turned around to face the exit, ready for a fun night out drinking with her good friend.
What she was not ready for, was the fuming changeling that was blocking her path.
‘Oh, it must be my turn,’ Morning realised before she stared into Chrysalis’ angry eyes.
“Is something wrong?”
“Why are you going out with Nigel to the tavern, and why is your hair like that?” Morning resisted the urge to roll her eyes, the changeling’s mood swings were starting to get annoying. The paranoia was understandable, given the incident with Platinum, but did Chrysalis really thing that she would do something like that?
“We’re only going for a few drinks, like we’ve done plenty of times before. I may be a pirate, but I wouldn’t go and steal your… male. He’s a friend, and I enjoy drinking with him.”
“But what about your hair?” Chrysalis pressed. “Are you trying to look prettier for him?”
“No,” Morning replied bluntly. “It’s wet and I don’t have time to tie it up. I did just have a shower.” Chrysalis seemed like she was about to continue, but Morning halted it before she could. “You have to stop this protectiveness, ask him to bang you or whatever it is that you want from him so that I can go and have a few drinks with my Captain.”
“I…” Chrysalis began, a green blush covering her face. “It’s not like that!” Morning scoffed, getting annoyed at the hold-up.
“Well whatever it is, hurry up and tell him already. He’s a good Captain, but he’s completely oblivious to everything around him that he doesn’t want to see. If you don’t tell him by the end of the week, then I will.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Chrysalis whispered fearfully. “Why would you do something like that?”
“I’d do anything to stop you lording over me just because I want to have a drink with him. Do you honestly think that you can monitor every female that he’s around? If you don’t tell him soon, you may lose your chance. Besides, what’s the worst he can say? ‘Oh Chrysalis, I don’t want to screw you but I’m happy to continue going on like we are now’? I mean, he already loves you from what I can see.” Morning pushed past Chrysalis, the stunned changeling remaining still.
“You think he does?” she asked hopefully, Morning almost bursting out into laughter.
Almost.
“No, he just feeds you and your adoptive children for a kick. The same reason why he gives you a home and takes you out for ice-cream. The same reason why he treats you so nicely even when you try and control who he sees and when he sees them. Of course he loves you.” Morning exited her room, leaving the door open for the shocked Chrysalis.
“Moron,” Morning grumbled to herself, her patience for Chrysalis’ recent behaviour having run out. She increased her pace, making her way down the long hallway.
She really needed a drink.
Spyglass jolted awake, the unicorn flailing his limbs in a panic. He sat up and glanced around, realising that he was alone and there was no biped standing over him with a knife.
“Whew,” he muttered to himself. He scratched the collar around his neck, the weight a reminder of his current predicament. Spyglass paused when a tremor shook his bed, soon followed by another. The spy rolled off and slammed down onto the metal floor, ignoring the pain and scrambling under the bed. He covered his head with his hooves as the tremors continued, the bed above him shaking violently.
It was an attack, he just knew it. Spyglass just hoped that whoever was attacking them wouldn’t find where he was hiding.
‘What is he up to this time?’
Chrysalis had left the nymphs behind in her room, figuring that it was the safest place if they were under attack. She hurried out into the hallway, hoping that all the noise and activity was just Nigel testing something. As she ran into the living area she came across Platinum, Morning and Clover. The three ponies were just as confused as she was, the Equestrians just about to enter the teleporter.
“Wait!” Chrysalis called out, the three stopping and turning to look at her. “What’s going on?”
“We don’t know,” Morning answered while she stepped into the teleporter. “It’s probably just the Captain testing out a new weapon, and he couldn’t wait until the afternoon. Still, we should help him in case Equestria is attacking.” Chrysalis followed Morning into the teleporter, the other two ponies also stepping in after them.
“Where’s Sunflare?” Chrysalis asked. “Is she okay?”
“She’s in her room,” Morning replied, pressing the button for the command floor. “It’s just us for now.” The teleporter activated, the four quickly finding themselves in the tower’s corresponding room.
“This still feels weird,” Clover pointed out as she shook herself in an attempt to get rid of the tingling.
“There’s no time for that,” Chrysalis told her as she dashed out of the teleporter. “Nigel might be in trouble-“
“Ha ha, yes!”
Chrysalis was cut off by laughter, the changeling skidding to a stop while the others exited the teleporter after her.
Standing in front of the windows, was Nigel. He was wearing his full armour, helmet and all. Chrysalis and the rest watched in puzzlement when he clapped his hands together, seemingly not worried at all with the noise and earthquakes.
“Nigel!” Chrysalis called out, rushing up to him and poking him in the side. She was up to his torso now, her legs having grown longer overnight. This wasn’t noticed by her; instead she was intent on getting answers from Chalmers. “What’s going on!?”
“Progress, my dear Chrissy! Sweet, sciencey progress!” This did not answer her concerns, Chrysalis not in the mood for Chalmers’ cryptic explanations.
“I don’t know what that means!” she yelled over the noise. “Just tell me what’s happening!”
“Look outside the window, and be amazed!” Chrysalis huffed and looked outside, her eyes widening at what she saw.
Bipedal metal machines were marching down the main street, heading towards the exit of the town. Each one was a dull grey, and she estimated that they must have been twice as tall as Nigel. A single mass of eight red eyes glared out from blocky ‘heads’ mounted on metal torsos. They looked vaguely like Nigel, if he was a huge metal machine that is.
Instead of hands the machines had weapon barrels on each arm, one made out of eight linked barrels while the other was a single, large weapon. The machines also had a box on each shoulder, Chrysalis assuming that they were yet more strange weapons. Just how much firepower did Nigel have at his disposal? She watched him tilt his head, all of the noise dying out. Curious, Chrysalis looked back out the window, finding that the machines had all stopped and were now lined up on the sides of the street.
There seemed to be a hundred of them, all of them intimidating to even look at. The ponies slowly made their way to the windows, all of them looking out with varying reactions.
“So that’s what all the noise was,” Morning stated evenly. Nigel burst out into laughter again, an armoured hand reaching down to pat the stoic mare. Chrysalis frowned and was about to snap at the two, but it was then that she remembered her conversation with Morning last night. The mare was right, and as Chrysalis looked at the pair she didn’t see any signs of love between them. In fact, Morning actually looked annoyed at the head rub she was receiving.
“There is no sound as sweet as an army preparing to march,” Nigel chuckled while removing his hand. “These XJ-RP Standard Land Attack Drones will be more than enough to take over the Capitol, even if I only have a hundred of them currently.” Chrysalis turned as another pony stepped between her and Nigel, Platinum staring out at the drones with a glint in her eyes and a grin on her face.
“Oh, those will show that traitor Sombra just who’s in charge!” she laughed, sitting down on her rump so that she could rub her front hooves together.
“Yes, me,” Nigel reminded the former Princess, Platinum stopping her gloating and giving him a sheepish smile.
“Of course I meant you,” she tried. Chrysalis glanced up, wondering how Nigel would take it. She couldn’t see past his helmet, but the fact that he laughed again showed that he was willing to let it go.
“Ah, don’t worry Platinum; I may appoint you as governor or something like that.” Chrysalis actually didn’t mind that idea, it would mean that Platinum would likely be far away from Nigel at all times. Good, that’s how she wanted it. Platinum was also understandably happy with the arrangement.
“It’s not as good as Princess,” she muttered. “But I guess that Governor will have to do. Do I get to keep the castle?”
“If I don’t bomb it into dust,” Nigel answered her. Platinum gazed out lovingly at the drones, Chrysalis rolling her eyes and moving closer to Nigel.
“You still have to actually take the city, before you start gifting positions to everyone,” she pointed out. Chrysalis pressed her side up against his hip, Nigel glancing down at her and resting his hand on her head.
“I know that, and you are still getting taller,” he replied, Chrysalis wondering how he could link the two so quickly. Her annoyance at it being pointed out was waylaid when his hand began to rub, Morning Sparkle stepping in front of both of them.
“Captain-“
“Commander, remember Morning? You’re the Captain now.” Chrysalis managed to look up at the unicorn, Morning Sparkle rolling her eyes.
“Commander,” she continued after the correction. “While I admit that your drones are impressive, will they really be enough to take an entire city?” Chrysalis frowned as the hand left her head, Nigel clapping them together before sweeping his arm in front of him.
“Everyone, please direct your attention to the coast line.” The ponies and changeling followed his arm, gazing out towards the sea.
“There’s nothing there,” Clover spoke up.
“There is,” Nigel replied. “Look closer at that set of hills.” Everyone strained their eyes, before Chrysalis noticed a widening black strip in the ground.
“That trench?” she inquired, Nigel nodding his head. “But there’s nothing there.”
“Three, two, one,” the Commander counted down.
“What are you-“ Chrysalis began to asked, before her question was answered with a roar. Even Morning’s mouth dropped when a mass of machines roared out of the trench before flying towards the tower. The ponies in the tower and the confused townsponies down in the house below ducked for cover as the new machines soared over the town. Chrysalis remained frozen and pressed up against Nigel, the objects a sleek triangular-wedge shape with four glowing boxes on the back.
“Underground hangers are the best thing invented,” Chalmers muttered to himself as the twenty objects did a loop around the town.
“More drones?” Chrysalis guessed and her fear dropped as she realised that Nigel also controlled them. She received a nod in response, Chalmers rubbing his hands together.
“They are just simple AI strike fighters. They’re Supersonic, multi-purpose and relatively cheap to make. This town is sitting on a wealth of metals and material, if I wanted to then I could blot out the sun with armed killing machines. Hell, I could probably take over this planet from the safety of my command chair.” While saying this, Nigel walked over to the chair and sat down, the ponies in the tower getting back to their hooves.
“So you’re attacking them now, sir?” Morning questioned, Nigel pausing in thought before shaking his head.
“No, I want to get a larger force before attempting it, just to be safe. However…” Chrysalis, Morning and the rest stared as Chalmers pressed a button on his chair. A holo-map flickered to life above his armrest, Nigel touching the immaterial surface until it zoomed in to focus on the Equestrian Capitol’s castle.
“Nigel,” Chrysalis asked carefully after she stood at his side. “What are you planning?”
“It’s simple, dear Chrissy,” he answered. “I think Sombra would be thankful for an early morning wake-up, and as a good neighbour it falls on me to ensure that he starts his day with a bang.” The map flashed red, and a panel slid back on Nigel’s chair. Everyone stared at the big, red button that popped out of the metal surface, Nigel staring down at it.
“You know what they say about red buttons,” he continued as he slowly lowered his finger to it. “They’re just made to be pressed.”
He jammed his finger down, a beeping sound accompanied by a countdown displaying on the map. The ponies and changeling jolted when a long object riding a pillar of flame streaked up from the base of the tower into the sky. They watched it through the windows, the device racing towards the castle. Nigel leaned back in his chair as the missile streaked away, took his helmet off and breathed in a happy lungful of air.
“Well,” he commented with a glance towards his map. “Sombra’s sure in for a surprise.”
‘Ahhh! What a fine day to be a king!’
Sombra admired himself in the mirror, his image one of nobility and respect. His broken jaw was now fully healed thanks to the castle’s skilled unicorn healers, and after the failed pegasi assassination attempt he felt alive and full of energy. He couldn’t recall when he had woken up in this good a mood for a long time.
He smirked at himself, a handsome stallion looking right back at him. His populace were eating out of his hoof, and already they were prepared for war. Let the pegasi come, they would face skilled unicorn knights and a mass of mud pony peasants. Sombra could taste victory already, his mages working on a spell that would allow them to assault the pegasi where they lived. Accursed flying rats, huddling up on their clouds and sending assassins after him, the nerve!
‘Still, they can’t get me now,’ Sombra smirked, glancing outside his window to gaze at the shimmering green shield that covered his castle. ‘Not with my barrier in place. I’d like to see anything break through that!’
Sombra turned back to his mirror, but he spotted something in the corner of his eye. He faced the window again, and leaned out to stare into the distance.
A fiery object was speeding towards him, a tongue of flame propelling it forward. His eyes widened, they were under attack! He quickly ducked behind the window, but stood back up a second later, a grin on his face.
‘I still have my barrier,’ he thought with a grin, eying the oncoming object. ‘Nothing will break through it. I, King Sombra, designed the very spell myself and my brilliance knows no boun-‘
A cataclysmic crack interrupted his self-congratulating, Sombra diving behind his bed for cover. His ears rang with noise, and a bright flash lit everything up for miles. He lay there for a few minutes, his hearing slowly returning to normal. Sombra pulled himself up off the floor, glad that no one had been around to see his moment of cowardice.
He smelt smoke, the King rushing back to his window to examine that damage. His eyes widened when he saw that his shield was completely gone, the green barrier non-existent. Smoke wafted up from the direction that the object had been coming from, and a large patch of the surrounding land was scorched beyond recognition. His shield was gone, but the amount of damage that would have been caused to the castle if the shield hadn’t been there…
"You missed me!" Sombra yelled out, his blood pumping from the near death experience. He leaned out of his window and shook a hoof at the sky, ignoring the terrified cries of alarm that filled the city below him. "Is that all that you have!?"
“Huh, that missile was a little bigger than I expected.”
“You what?” Chrysalis questioned, still blinking her eyes from the flash earlier. “You didn’t know what that… that thing would do?”
“Oh I did,” Nigel replied while looking towards the ponies all staring out the windows in shock. “I just didn’t expect for it to make an explosion that large… or for there to be a shield blocking the castle.” Chrysalis shook her head when Nigel leaned back and hummed. “On second thought, it’s probably a good thing that the shield was there. Not much point of conquering a city if you blow it up completely after all.”
“So that’s it then,” Platinum sighed, sitting down on the floor. “If Sombra can stop an attack like that, then what hope do I have of regaining my country?” Chrysalis shot Platinum a glare, the former princess quickly correcting herself. “I mean your country, Nigel.”
Nigel didn’t seem bothered by Platinum’s slip-up, the human letting out a bark of laughter.
“That was just one missile,” he chuckled. “I have hundreds more of them!” His finger hovered over the red button again, however he paused. “You know what?” He asked while taking his finger away. “I have all of these brand new planes just waiting to do something. I might as well put them to use.” Chrysalis and the ponies watched as Nigel tapped commands into his screen, the biped only taking a few seconds.
Multiple roars burst into life, looking outside everyone could see that all thirty of the flying drones were heading towards the Capitol at amazing speeds.
“I do love a good bit of indiscriminate bombing in the morning,” Nigel announced before forming his fingers into a pyramid. “I’m sure the Equestrians will have… a blast!” Chrysalis held back the urge to smack herself in the face at the pun, the others all staring at Nigel as he laughed maniacally. “I predict that property rates in the city are going to… explode! All thanks to the... volatile market!”
‘I almost wish that I was in that city instead of here with his terrible puns,’ Chrysalis thought, before she sat down next to him. She felt a hand reach out, Chalmers absentmindedly scratching her ears while he continued to laugh.
‘Almost.’