Edited by iakovl
I remember, when I was small there was a creek not far from the house. Daddy taught me how to swim there during the summer, before we started travelling the United States. Before he won the lottery, life was so much simpler, being poor and finding ways to amuse ourselves. I also learned how to fish. Those days of watching the bobber on the surface of the water became my dream and I was a filly again. I must have been three or four at the time, too young to have an extensive vocabulary, but old enough to remember some of the brightest moments as if it was only yesterday.
Of course, it didn’t take long to figure out this was just a dream. I was looking down at my younger self, having just finished lunch and Daddy enticing me to the water. I hated being more than two feet from him. I was so attached! Nervously I had stood at the bank of the creek as he shed his shirt and flipped off his flops before doing a cannonball into the slow-moving water. Oh, how much I cried when he went in!
I knew Luna was near me. I could feel her presence, but she did not choose to reveal herself. Instead, I shoved her from my thoughts and simply stared at the little filly crying for her daddy. He emerged from the water, brushed his hair from his eyes and smiled at his little girl. The man held his arms to her, beckoning little Chrysalis to jump and adding words of encouragement.
“I’ll catch you! I promise!” Those words inspired me then, and after a great deal of trepidation, I gave in to the trust, closed my eyes, and leapt as far as my little legs could take me. Daddy’s strong hands caught that little filly and pulled her —me— to his chest, words of praise lifting her spirits. Soon I was swimming, or rather, watching myself swim. It was more of a dog paddle, really. Daddy stayed close by, rolling on his back with ease and giving my younger self a nice chest to stand on and rest after exhausting myself from mad water kicking.
Finally, it was time to get out of the water. I paddled ashore and turned expectantly to watch my daddy follow me out.
Only now, he wasn’t there.
Daddy..?
Daddy, where are you? The scene faded, and there was nothing but darkness and her presence.
“You truly love your father, do you not?” Luna’s voice? Oh, right. It’s a dream. The only way to get away from her is to wake up.
“Go away!” I cried out, lashing as I remembered it was her fault. She and Celestia had messed everything up. Why did my head hurt? Why did my everything hurt? Especially my heart.
“Chrysalis, please, let me help you!” Luna was never very good at having a gentle voice. At least, not with me. Always the distrust, the suspicions. She always have and I imagine always will have that sternness in her mannerisms. If she ever decides to have kids, they’ll be little soldiers from diapers until leaving the nest and beyond.
I decided to be snide to the Lady of the Night. “I think you and your sister have helped enough.” Without giving her a chance to reply, I concentrated, remembering a lesson on mental focus Twilight shown me once before. I clear everything out, focusing on a point of flame I conjured up in my thoughts. Luna’s gone, but I feel her sorrow as she fades away.
Maybe I should have been nicer...
“Emeraude? Awakened, have you?” She’s worried, her tone gentle as always. It’s almost motherly, but at the same time with the sternness of a teacher. Fleur’s not exactly someone I’d call a friend, but she’s been nothing but kind to me since the first time we met.
“Hrrgh!” I groan, blinking groggily. My pounding head feels like a jackhammer gone wild. “Where, wha—? Daddy? Fleur? Izzat you?” A gentle hoof stroked my forehead.
“Do not sit up yet, mon fille,” she cooed, keeping her voice just above a whisper. I can hear her voice change as she looks away from me. My head is pounding so much and her voice is like jackhammers on my ears! “Are you certain this is a wise thing to do? I cannot for the life of me see any wisdom in your suggestion.” Fleur’s talking to someone else in the room.
The raspy voice and current focal point of a lot of my hate speaks up, “Queen Druanae strongly advises this to happen. Queen Anisophira might be more inclined to listen to reason if she were there with us.” Anzealous has that arrogant tone still, as if he thinks he’s smarter than everyone else. What’s he talking about?
Despite Fleur’s best efforts to gently restrain me, I sat up, glaring at the fat little bastard. “This is all your fault!” I seethed, taking a moment for my blurred vision to clear before pointing an accusatory hoof at the now in focus changeling. He harrumphed and looked away from me, ears splayed against his skull.
“Emeraude, please,” chastised the lovely white unicorn with a disapproving look. “Your magic surge shattered a very strong inhibitor ring and you had a backlash of magic surge back into your mana reserves. Do not, I repeat emphatically, do not attempt to use magic beyond light telekinesis. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
I wanted to ignore her, wanted to yell at Anzealous some more. If he had just kept his mind probing to himself, minded his own business, Daddy would be enjoying himself right now and not be the prisoner of a bunch of hissing cockroaches. He got one day to enjoy and the rest has just been a big pile of shit ever since. I don’t think he even wants the t-shirt now.
A hoof cupped my chin and gently eased my line of sight until they met up with Fleur’s own steely gaze. “Mon fille, do I make myself clear?” She gave me a comforting nuzzle. “A promise, oui?” All I could do was nod.
I wanted to cry, to let out all the emotions I had bottled up within me. I could feel my eyes welling up and I sucked in air and held it as if to stave off the torrent to come. My cheeks were suddenly wet, but I refused to let anything else come out. “Why?” I managed, fighting with the sadness. “Why him? Why not me, instead?”
Anzealous spoke up, “Queen Anisophira was curious to see this human who had raised a changeling for herself.” He fidgeted where he stood in the corner of the room. I only realized I was still in my room, on my bed with the covers half off.
“What did the changeling say to you?” I asked him. “Before they left, one of them said something to you. What was it?” Fleur levitated a glass of water to my lips and bade me to drink with an encouraging nod. I sipped, found myself suddenly parched with thirst and downed the glass within a few long gulps.
The fat little shit just sat there like a retard, staring at me as if I just asked him if I could geld him with a pair of dull, rusty scissors. I wish. This was all his fault, after all. The act of depriving him of his stallionhood might make me feel better. No, not really better anyway. Besides, Daddy would frown on such a thing. Or would he? After a staring contest of insignificant consequence, he sighed, chewing on his tongue before answering, “Changelings from different hives are usually hostile towards each other on principle,” he said as he straightened himself. “Given the fact our race has been fighting itself without end for the past thousand years or so, animosity is going to abound.”
“Bullshit,” I replied flatly. “I may be new to the language of my race, but I distinctly heard the word ‘brother’ thrown at you. I also noticed you don’t look like the other changelings from the embassy back in Canterlot. Aren’t they all from Druanae’s hive?”
After a moment of staring at me with his jaw hanging like a noose in the wind, he recovered. “It’s private,” he snapped, abruptly heading for the door. “You’ll address her as Queen Druanae, child!” It slammed shut behind him, the metal frame making a very loud bang.
“What’s his problem?” I sighed, flopping back into my pillow. Fleur was giving me a disapproving look. “What?” I blinked owlishly.
“Show him some compassion, Emeraude,” she chided, taking the glass and refilling it. “He has already done much to begin his path to forgiveness. This ordeal is as difficult to him as it is for you.” Offering it to me, she held it to me and I drank again, managing to pout while I was at it. The expression came with flattened ears and mournful eyes. “Now, if you are feeling up to it, I am going with a small team to go and see to recovering your papa. You have been asked to join, if you are able. Both princesses are against it, but both understand this is important for you. It is ultimately your choice. You’ve already slept the better part of the day. It’s already almost sunrise. Anzealous was checking in on you before you woke up. Now, about that promise…”
She pulled back with the now empty glass, smiling as she always did. It was nowhere near the smile Pinkie Pie wore, that manic always determined to make all those around her be happy. No, Fleur de Lis (or Lis Dee, if you’re Prench) had a warm inviting smile, the smile of a friend who wanted you to figure things out for yourself. If I had ever wanted a mom…
If ever…
...I wanted…
I collapsed into her barrel, surprising the mare as the dam broke again for me. I carried my father’s emotions, protecting him from everything emotional that had happened to him. I shouldn’t have done it, I think, but nobody told me I couldn’t do it. By all means, Daddy should have reacted strongly, but I was bearing them. I had felt his fears and his trepidations and I took them away.
I did the right thing, didn’t I? I had to be strong for him as well as myself. Fleur gently placed her hooves around my shoulders and hugged me. “I do not blame you for taking up his burdens,” she said softly into my ear. “But do you not think your papa is stronger than you give him credit for? Surely what he has seen before you came into his life is proof of his inner strength, non? The queen who has him will not harm him. He is far too valuable to her and to her hive, I should think. Oui, he is safe. We need only to go and pluck him from the hive.”
I didn’t say anything, but let go of everything, my tears staining the unicorn’s fur. I hiccuped, cried some more, sniffled and made a general mess of myself. Fleur I’m sure wasn’t looking too clean with me slobbering all over her shoulder.
“I promise,” I manage after what felt like an eternity. “I won’t use my magic.”
“For a time, I would also like for Emeraude de Minuit to not feel as though she must shoulder her papa’s emotions. You cannot protect him from them forever, mon fille.” The unicorn pulled back and regarded me, noting a few strands of my mane obscuring my eyes. With a barely noticeable glow on the tip of her horn, she moved them aside, tucking them behind one of my ears. I nodded mutely, snuffled, and added one more hiccup. Her emotions for me were positive, worried and caring, trying to be a both a friend and a mentor.
“Bon. I shall hold you to your promise, young one. For now, shower, have something to eat, and meet me in my quarters within the hour.” Then she bopped me on the tip of my muzzle, smiled, and with a flick of her tail departed. She threw one last smile at me, encouragement for me. “I shall have food sent to your quarters,” her voice trailed as the door closed behind her. A muffled voice, Anzealous spoke and she responded. Their conversation faded as the sound of their hoofsteps carried them down the hallway.
I showered, but not before looking in the mirror and seeing another inhibitor ring around the base of my horn. It was a prison without bars, confining my magic, my strength. Twilight had done a lot to help me control it, to refine what I could do and learn the rules behind magic. I had only scratched the surface after just a mere month. Steam filled the small room, the sound of water running from the shower head soothing my throbbing temples. It felt good, though using my magic felt uncomfortable and sluggish at first. Fleur seemed happy to leave me with some use of my telekinesis and I was glad to have it as I worked the shampoo bottle with it. It felt like handling a greased pig at first, but I went slow and nothing catastrophic came of it.
The inhibitor. I hated it. My prison was in the form of a ring, containing part of what made me...well, me. I looked at my face— my true face, taking a washcloth to wipe the condensation off the mirror. Noting my crooked horn and the makeshift...thing wrapped around it, I sighed and wondered what caused the surge. I hadn’t had one in three years. I didn’t know what they were completely until Twilight explained it to me. I sort of had an idea. After all, I had grown up with them. Daddy had put up with them with good humor...after he got used to the idea of weird things happening around the house.
He thought the house was haunted. I still remember it fondly now. Back then, I was just as afraid of my magic as he was. I hadn’t a clue as to what was going on.
I sighed, the tears long gone now as I toweled myself off, my head aching through prolonged use of my power. Running low, I guessed. Maybe I consumed a lot of love blowing up the ring. Should I feel bad about it? Destroying the ring, I mean? Was Celestia mad at me? Was Luna? Fleur didn’t seemed bothered. If she was, she said nothing. My temper was going to get me into trouble some day, I know it. Right now, instead of worrying about my dad, thoughts focused on the surge that had knocked me out cold. I’m too old to be having surges!
Damn it.
Unwanted surge aside, I heard noise in my cabin and poked my head from the washroom to see a crewpony bringing in a tray of food. It was a simple ship’s fare, a breakfast of scrambled eggs and hashbrowns with a cup of coffee. I wasn’t too much a fan of the bitter drink. That was Daddy’s favored beverage. The pony smiled at me weakly before leaving, in his wake a primal fear of me. Most of the ship’s crew must be terrified of changelings now, including me. I wondered if it was adding to my melancholy. Though I didn’t want to eat, I forced myself to and even downed the coffee for the caffeine. The clock on the wall chimed four in the morning.
I remembered Daddy didn’t have his hat or his boots on. After wolfing down breakfast, I trotted out the door, donning my unicorn disguise before exiting. It seemed a prudent thing to do, given the recent attack. The ponies on board might know who I was, but I thought it would be a psychological plus to not appear in my normal form.
Not surprisingly, there was a guard outside my door. “Sir?” I began, his head snapping to the sound of my voice. Eyes fixed on me and narrowed.
“What?” The voice was flat and unfriendly, as was his emotions.
“I’m supposed to be in Lady Fleur’s quarters.” I assumed the meekest expression I could. This wasn’t the same guard as before, but I was sure they heard all about my little outburst.
The guard grunted. “This way. Stay close and don’t stray off.”
“Yes, sir.” I hated being humble. It didn’t suit my personality.
I was soon ushered down the hall like an unwanted pest being shooed out the front door, the guard thumping a hoof against Fleur’s door. “The changeling is here to see you, My Lady,” he called out. The door opened, shrouded in the unicorn’s magic and I was bidden entry.
“The changeling has a name, guard,” she reminded him as I stepped over the threshold. “Mind your manners, s'il vous plaît. It would be most unfortunate if Princess Celestia was brought to her attention the rudeness of one of her own personal guards what with all the stressful events happening as of late, non?” With that, the door was slammed in the face of the astonished stallion and his last view was of me blowing a very loud and deliberate raspberry at him.
“Emeraude!” snapped Fleur. She was getting tired of my antics, if I understood the sharpness in her tone.
“Sorry,” I dipped my head shamefully. “It’s just… I mean…” My voice lost itself each time I tried to find the words.
“Lost your faith in Princess Celestia?” she offered plainly. A smile played sadly across her features, her ears splaying out a twitch or two. I nodded mutely and suddenly found the floor in front of my hooves very interesting to stare blankly at. “Ah, I understand, mon fille.”
“It’s twice she’s failed to protect my father,” I went on, straining to keep my frustrations in check. “Daddy came here to see me and how I was doing, not to become some pawn in a political power struggle between two goddesses. He doesn’t deserve this! I don’t deserve this! He’s had one nice day here and that was when we went to Ponyville to meet Twilight’s friends! Now he’s just something being used, regardless of his feelings,needs, concerns or even his basic rights and freedoms. He’s a citizen of the United States of America and a war veteran to boot. His treatment has been deplorable, despicable, and dishonorable! Celestia preaches love and tolerance, but she fails to protect the means by which those creeds are adhered by! She’s failed, Fleur! Utterly and completely and I want nothing to do with her! I just want my daddy back and I want to send him home, and away from this insane world!”
“I see.” The mare stepped into my personal space and nuzzled me. “Please do not hold a grudge against her. She has ruled for a very long time and she understands fully the hardships this places upon you and your father. Her mind is set upon her nation as a whole and keeping the nation whole and healthy, oiu? She is inclined to instinctively see to the best interests of her subjects and secure for them a future of peace and prosperity. It pains her to see others suffer in the process, but she does what she can to prevent such things.”
I shied away from her, shaking my head. “How can you stand there and let her do this to my dad? I thought you liked him, liked me!”
She sighed, offering me a gentle smile. “But I do! I am your friend and I am your father’s friend. I intend to go to the hive with a select group to secure the safe release and return of your papa. I had hoped you might be interested in coming.”
My ears perked forward as I straightened up. “Wha—?”
She gestures to the foot of her bed where a sea chest lays. Upon it are my daddy’s boots and his hat. “Somepony needs to take him his things, non?”
Without hesitating, I trotted over and nosed through Daddy’s things, as if to assure myself everything should be as needed. At least his socks were clean, I noted with satisfaction. “Do you have a saddlebag I can put them in?” I normally didn’t use them, at least not since I was younger, walking with Daddy alone in the wilds of Yellowstone. It had been more of a small harness with pouches for both sides.
One was tossed on top of the bed. I grinned at Fleur and she smiled right back. “We must hurry before the princesses change their minds, Emeraude. Now, un moment while I change and dress appropriately for this excursion.” Her horn lit and covered her form in a bright light, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut. “What do you think?” she asked me shyly.
Fleur de Lis was dressed in a sort of armor best suited for an assassin. It was white, maybe even leather. Her face was beneath a heavy hood, shoved behind her horn. Her violet eyes shone with merriment as she tossed her head and posed. The simple elegance of the design allowed for freedom of movement while at the same time offering protection to her vital areas. It took a moment, but it fell into place as I realized this was the garb of a battlemage.
“It’s been years,” she said with a smirk. “It still feels good to wear! Come, put the saddlebag on and put your papa’s things in it. We have little time.”
The next few minutes found the two of us hurrying down to the belly of the ship and towards the aft hanger. When the other ponies saw the white clad unicorn trotting along with a nervous black teenager following determinedly behind, they practically fell over each other to get out of the way. Fleur ignored them, but wore a polite smile. At least I wasn’t getting any weird stares.
The whispering, however trailed in the background like an annoying swarm of mosquitos.
“That’s Chrysalis!”
“Suppose she’s behind the attack? Wouldn’t be surprised.”
“I wonder if she knows the prisoner!”
That bugged me. I trotted closer to Fleur. “Okay, spill it. I heard talk of a prisoner.”
“Indeed,” she replied with a nod.
We arrived. There were ponies everywhere, most of them pegasi. Almost all of them were armed to the teeth. Orders were called out as everything had the makings of something big going down.
“Pirates,” Fleur said as she nudged me. “The princesses feel it is time to pay a certain group of sea thieves a visit. Apparently they had in their possession human children with less than honorable intentions. The fleet will rendezvous at sunrise at a point and move in to engage the pirates at their base while the princesses draw out their leader. You missed a great deal while you were having your unexpected rest.”
We sidestepped some ponies moving some heavy gear I had no idea as to what purpose they served. My mind was working its way through the information Fleur had just dished out for me. Once our path was clear, we resumed our hoofsteps uninterrupted.
“So, what’s the deal? How are kids showing up in this world?” I asked. I noted more winged ponies trying in what they referred to as wingblades. “Things are going to get real heavy, aren’t they?” I wondered as thin blades sang out with a distinct metallic ring as their owners inspected them with practiced ease. They fitted along some of the primary feathers and were attached to jointed thin metal covers that flexed over the length of their wingspan. Through thought, pegasi could control them to be as supple as their real feathers or hardened to slice through just about anything. I heard the edge of a wingblade could slice through a gryphon’s body. Just seeing them sent shivers down my spine.
Fleur spotted the group of ponies we were looking for. They were kinda hard to miss considering two alicorns were talking to them. The stern and unyielding looks on their faces was enough to tell me I was going to have to put aside how upset I was at Celestia. Though I could easily feel the emotions from the other ponies in the gathered group. Hatred from Steel Jaw, nothing unusual there. The thestral called Shatterdown saw us coming and as soon as his eyes found the leather-clad sorceress, waves of lust washed over me.
Eeeew!
Brushing that out of my mind, I found Quint Orca giving off the sensation of not really giving a damn about anything. The old pegasus was odd as he never gave off any solid emotion I could get a bead on, save for something vaguely base and even that was a chore. Twilight had explained to me in one of her magic lessons some ponies or even other races had a natural ability to mask their thoughts and emotions. It was rare, but not unheard of. Quint was one of those, I assumed.
There was a fourth pony I didn’t know. She was an earth pony, with a coat slightly darker than Applejack’s and a mane she kept cropped short, save for the base of her dark brown mane. It was a single tight braid with leather strips woven in it. I think she was older, but it was difficult to tell. I sensed from her the emotion of quiet anger. She was a hurricane waiting for the right conditions. Something was off about her. Something I should know or feel.
This was the team going in to save my dad? “Fleur, you can’t mean them, can you?”
The sorceress glanced at me. “They’ll do nicely. They are professionals and one or two of them have something to prove.”
“That’s helpful, Fleur. Really helpful.” My hopes for success swirled downward like flushing toilet water. “FUBAR,” I added under my breath.
“Pardon?” she asked me, a quizzical frown on her muzzle. “What is Fubar?”
I snorted. “One of my dad’s neat little acronyms from his army days.”
“Oh?” she prompted, an eyebrow making a perfect little upwards arch.
I simply smiled and nodded, noticing with a scowl Anzealous was with the group. He was clearly not a happy camper, if I read his body posture correctly. Bent neck, ears splayed out to the sides, nasty little scowl on his ugly little black mug. Yeah, Anzy was not happy at all.
Good.
We still had not been fully noticed as Shatterdown was suddenly drawn into a conversation before he could point out our arrival. Fleur smiled and held me where I stood, just outside of the circle of ponies and changelings I quickly discovered was in the midst of an argument. It was a small miracle they weren’t shouting at each other.
“We don’t need him!” Steel Jaw proclaimed, throwing an accusing hoof at the fat changeling. Anzealous puffed himself up, his visage twisted in outrage.
“Now see here, unicorn!” He hopped up and down, buzzing his wings furiously. “I’m the only one who can translate changeling language for you! Besides, you’ll need me to get past the guards or they’ll tear this little group apart without a second thought! They’ll be expecting us, you idiot! Don’t you see? Or did the lesson in Lady Fleur’s stateroom not convincing enough?”
Well, he did have a point. The changelings had used numbers to overwhelm the two guards in the room as well as Fleur, Anzealous, Daddy, and me. They weren’t particularly strong, but they were quick and went for the weak spots. They were like poisonous snakes, coiled to strike and strike as often as possible until their prey ceased struggling. I was still sore in the places they had bitten me, but the wounds had all but healed by now. Quick healing saliva? That’s a twist!
Fleur cleared her throat. “Ah, so good to have everypony here,” she began, holding her head high and smiling. I think Celestia had a huge influence in her mannerisms. Though she was not as physically impressive as the Princess of the Sun, the sorceress carried an air of authority she exercised almost as if it was nothing more than a passing hobby. “I hope all is ready. Is there a difference of opinion to be sorted out?”
Steel Jaw straightened himself, his features going neutral as he assumed the position of attention. “I don’t understand why we’re taking him with us.” His eyes flicked to me. “She is more than enough for me to be concerned with a second possible threat within our group.”
"Excuse me?” I declared, taking a step towards him. He was not impressed.
“Emeraude,” Fleur chastised me with a gentle hoof blocking my path. “No. You cannot give in to your emotions. As for you, Lieutenant, I should hope your self-discipline is better ingrained than you are letting on. Our lives may very well depend on it.”
“We’re going to be fighting changelings, aren’t we?” he demanded, glaring pointedly at me. The unicorn stallion really did not like me at all. Racist much?
“No,” she replied coolly, indicating to a pair of large and familiar forms joining the small gathering. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wore stern, disapproving looks as they regarded the Night Guard lieutenant. Shatterdown winced and took a step away from his commanding officer. Steel Jaw flinched and flashed a guilty expression.
I had to do a double-take when the diarchs appeared. Celestia wore gleaming armor of white and gold, perfectly polished and giving off a golden aura. Her torc had expanded, covering her shoulders and barrel, reinforced along her spine in overlapping and flexible plates. The princess’ ethereal mane and tail reflected off the perfectly smooth surface. Her helmet lay between her wings, nestled by what appeared to be the collapsed shaft of a spear. The shoes on her hooves were blunt and designed to giver her kicks more lethal results.
Luna appeared as she did as Nightmare Moon. Her helmet floated beside her, just below the shoulder. It was more open than her sister’s. I thought she seemed to be looking forward to whatever battle awaited her.
“Everyone is here. Good.” Celestia assumed a professional air, shuffling her wings as she did so. Her eyes fell upon me and softened. “It has been a difficult time for all of us. The past twenty-four hours have been very trying, especially for those of us worried about missing family. Queen Anisophira is asking for help, in her own way.”
“By kidnapping my dad?” I asked with incredulous steel in my voice. “That’s extortion!”
Anzealous cleared his throat. “A queen cannot show herself to be weak before her hive. She cannot be weak before the other queens. She will act in a way to giver herself strength, even if it is only an illusion.” Was he...wistful?
I opened my mouth to retort hotly, but Fleur pressed against me, a warning gleam in her eye. “Sorry,” I muttered, slouching unlady-like.
“Be that as it may,” Luna continued for her sister, “Queen Anisophira has one of her changelings with us. He has been most helpful in answering our questions. Though he will not openly admit it, I am led to believe he was instructed to answer truthfully.”
Anzealous looked very uncomfortable.
“It has been brought to our attention the former ambassador has a rather intriguing secret to tell us,” Celestia said.
“So, what’s going on, princess?” Quint asked grumpily. He was always grumpy. “Ain’t none of them officers much for yappin’ about events that might have an impact on the lives of us simple ponies.” The pegasus snorted. “Bein’ told ta keep my mouth shut at some of the ‘classified’ stuff at the meetin’s is drivin’ me insane.”
“Apologies, Master Chief,” Luna said wryly. “I am so appalled at our interest in national security superseding your desire to ‘spread the word’, so to speak.”
He glared at her for a moment. “I don’t care how old you are, young mare,” he stated, “I’ll still put you over my knee and give you a good spanking.”
“Chief!” cried a suddenly pale Shatterdown. The thestral wore a mask of pure unadulterated horror.
“Ya only live once,” shrugged the older pegasus. He stuck a cigar into his mouth from a slim saddlebag on his side. Grinning like the Joker, he gave me a wink even as Luna blushed from his previous comment. “So, are we going to get down to the mission and our objectives or are ye just gonna throw us out there to wing it?”
Celestia sighed and rolled her eyes. “Let’s get down to business. It’s very important we do this right. Leviatan is ancient and powerful. Most magic is ineffective on him due to his sheer size. Luna and I will keep him distracted while the fleet engages any pirate vessels attempting to flee. Now, the purpose of a small group going into the hive is to serve twofold; seek out and find Michael Spriggs. Once you have secured his safety, prepare to assist the hive in defense and retreat.”
“What, we’re helping the changelings?” demanded the earth pony.
“The hive is surrounded by hostile forces of unknown number. They have been this way for several weeks. A World Gate had been in their possession until the attack on the hive saw it stolen along with their foals.” Celestia was as regal and beautiful as her rising sun. “This is a grave moment. A dragon like Leviatan cannot be allowed to possess a World Gate. He has already sent his minions to Earth to learn and steal technologies. They have also resorted to making profits off the foalnapping of human children. No doubt Gray changelings have been in league with the Storm Serpent.”
“Feathersong,” Luna stated, addressing the mare I didn’t know.
What, the earth pony had a name like that?
“Majesty,” came the soft reply. Feathersong was one of those ponies who saw their rulers as deities, goddesses, embodiments of immortality. I knew it the moment I felt her emotions. It was also a bit in her mannerisms; the way she deferred to the Moon Princess and her sister, the love she felt for the both of them, especially Celestia.
“Your duty is clear?”
“It is, your Majesty,” replied the mare.
“What’s her job?” I asked curiously.
“Your safety is my priority,” she said to me, holding her head high. “Fancy Pants asked me to come and keep an eye on you when the princesses sent word back to Canterlot. I was teleported here by one of the Guard’s unicorns. I’m the best mare for the job for missions requiring small numbers and encompassing high risk.”
“So, this is it, then?” Fleur de Lis asked.
“Your group will be the one going into the hive itself.” Celestia flicked an ear, sweeping her gaze over us. “A small tactical team will go with you and secure the perimeter, as soon as the changelings recognize you as friendlies. As soon as Prince Blueblood is able, he will detach from the battle and give you air support once the enemy realizes there are ponies in the hive. There is a forest behind the hive. The hive itself is located along a steep cliff face overlooking a small bay. The changelings are holed up within and have been able to hold off the pirates, but their reserves of love were destroyed by the dragon.”
“They’re runnin’ outta ammo,” supplied Quint helpfully. He puffed on his cigar, oblivious to the world around him as more than one pair of eyes glared at his nasty habit.
“Not only that,” interjected Anzealous (who stared at the cigar with envy!), “Love is necessary for incubating changeling eggs and nurturing nymphs until their first molt. Think of it as mare’s milk with all the vitamins and minerals necessary for proper growth. Love also helps determine a changeling’s magic pool during the early stages of development. The more love is fed into an incubating egg, the greater the chance the changeling will become quite good at magic as well as intelligence. The standard drone is simple at best, using little magic and pretty much relegated to menial tasks. Love also determines the intelligence of a changeling before it hatches.”
“So…” I tapped my chin thoughtfully as I gave the fat little shit some credit. “Does that mean changelings can’t replenish their magic like ponies? I mean, I grew up surrounded by love—” I blushed a bit. So embarrassing! “—from Daddy, so I’ve never been...I don’t know...empty, I guess?”
Anzealous nodded, impressed. “You’re close, young queen—”
“Notaqueen!” I blurted.
“Of course. My mistake. As I was saying, a changeling without magic has almost the same feelings as a pony slowly starving to death. They won’t die, but the certainly would prefer death to the empty feeling.” Anzealous was very serious and had no humor at all in his mannerisms. I don’t think he knew how to make a joke.
“Why is she wearing an inhibitor?” interrupted Feathersong as she eyed the base of my horn. “Is she dangerous?”
“It is a precaution,” Princess Celestia replied, shifting her attention from the earth pony to me. I felt very uncomfortable under her gentle gaze. “She is beginning her final phase of her final change and her magic has become unstable. A bit early for her, don’t you think, Anzealous?” Those magenta eyes flickered to him before returning upon me.
“Usually not until she’s twenty or so,” he agreed, squinting his faceted eyes. “There are a lot of young mares like her who go through the process of assuming positions of authority in changeling society. Most of our kind are relatively simple in thought and manners. Peasants, really. The distinction between drones and royals are distinct and even more so among our males. It becomes apparent as nymphs grow if they will ascend to royal status. We’re all drones in the beginning.” He snorted, his head fin flicking up and down. “But I get ahead of myself. She’s a daughter of the Empress, your Majesty. Such unusual things cannot be unexpected.”
“She’ll be fine, sister,” Luna spoke quietly. “There isn’t much time. We must act now before Leviatan becomes aware of our presence.”
“Agreed. Fleur?” The unicorn tilted her head to one side as she regarded her oldest friend. “Are you ready to meet a queen?”
Fleur de Lis smiled determinedly. “Que le soleil illumine le bas la bonne fortune et la lune montrer le chemin.”
“What?” Shatterdown asked, blinking owlishly.
She giggled. “May the sun shine down good fortune and the moon show the way.”
“Tha’s jus’ great,” complained Quint with a snort. “She’ll be yappin’ fancy the whole way.”
The fleet rendezvoused before dawn, a force formidable even without the presence of the two alicorns. The massive battleship Justicar, one of the Shiva class leviathans in the air was surrounded by her escorts. There was only one other ship of her size and she was deployed on the other side of Equestria as part of the White Cloud fleet. Admiral Briarpatch signaled to Blueblood the desire for a face-to-face meeting with the prince and his aunts. The two alicorns teleported over, along with the Mare Crisium’s skipper. The details of the battle plan were outlined and talked over until everypony was relatively satisfied every possible scenario was covered. There was still the matter of meeting Queen Anisophira’s contact as vaguely mentioned on the map the queen had given Celestia.
Fog was rolled in by pegasi and the fleet spread out at an altitude nearly brushing their hulls to the surface of the calm seas. Destroyers screened out before the larger ships. Before them went teams of pegasi and even a few griffons as they maintained a sharp eye out for the floating island. Few had even heard of such a thing. Such things were the stuff of legends.
Celestia and Luna saw Fleur de Lis and her small group depart via a corsair airship; a fast troop transport designed to insert up to fifty ponies stealthily behind enemy lines. Equestria’s special forces came to stand behind the sturdy craft for its ability to go anywhere at any given time. Both were worried and both had reason to be worried. Too many things could go wrong. Luna was not exactly in a mood to speak with her elder sister as she was unhappy with how events had been unfolding. Too much leniency was being given to the changelings and now the queens appeared to be involving themselves directly. Even worse was the Empress seemed to be doing little to discourage such interference.
This was confirmed when a message from Canterlot from the new changeling ambassador confirmed the mysterious ruler of all changelings was indeed aware of the situation and was not concerned. Even more disconcerting was the feeling she had expected such a thing to happen. Was she testing the Equestrians to see if they would help a queen in need? Intelligence had surprised the two princesses by presenting a report supporting the theory the changelings were in a state of civil war. Twilight added her own thoughts on the matter. She believed through her letter delivered to the Princess of the Sun the changelings were using their weakest queens to test the resolve of both rulers of Equestria as well as to see if they could force Chrysalis into doing something rash. The queens, she believed, were using this moment to empower themselves through intrigue and covert operations.
The dragon was simply taking advantage of his own opportunities. There was hope the nymphs and the eggs were still on the island. It was expected they were still on board some of the pirate ships as the island was reportedly short on space. If they were lucky, the World Gate did not have enough power to open again as they took enormous magical energy to open.
Luna read the letter and clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Of course this would be a game to the changelings. She indicated this with disgust to her sister. Celestia was reluctant to agree, but could not refute Twilight’s assessment. Both armor clad mares prepared to go to the front and meet the dragon before the fleet could move out of the morning fog. Their goal was to confront the dragon, and find the missing foals..
Queen Anisophira’s messenger came at first light, a dark speck in a calm gray morning. The changeling was at the coordinates given, having waited on a raft in the middle of the ocean. She was escorted to the Mare Crisium. Upon meeting Celestia and Luna, she respectfully reported the island was unaware of their approach. The Grays had caught wind of the approaching fleet and had slipped from the island during the night. They did not tell their fellow pirates as they left their non-changeling comrades to meet the might of Equestria, having suddenly found a life of clean living very desirable.
“Have you ever met Leviatan?” Luna asked her sister after the changeling messenger was dismissed.
“I have not,” admitted Celestia. “Shall we go and meet him?”
The dark alicorn smirked. “If what the messenger says is true, he shall be hard to miss.”
“All ships report they are in position,” Prince Blueblood informed them quietly from the side. “On your mark, Auntie.”
Celestia smiled grimly and nodded to her nephew. She was saddened his marriage would have to be put off until after dealing with the dragon and his pirates, but Octavia had given her husband-to-be a kiss for luck before being placed on board one of the auxiliary ships until after the battle. The cellist would make a fine wife and perhaps make a wiser stallion of her nephew. He was a brilliant captain, but was rather aloof and even rude to ponies outside of the navy. The prospect of fatherhood weighed heavily on his mind and the princess had noticed a subtle yet positive change in the unicorn.
She gave Luna an inquiring look. Her sister nodded once, her lips set to thin determination. “The word is given.” Both alicorns lit up their horns and disappeared, leaving behind them swirling air filling in the void of the space they had vacated.
They reappeared on wing, roughly a half a thousand feet in the air. The sound of seagulls and rolling waves filled their ears. Before them a dark mass loomed, jagged with sharply angled peaks reaching high into the air and in a singular row. Around the odd mountains were built a great many makeshift buildings from the wrecks of ships. Nary a plant grew in the crevices, nor was any found anywhere on the land mass. As the fog cleared in patches, they could make out a settlement of sorts with the idea of ‘good enough’ at the core of the haphazard design. Some ships had been stacked on top of each other, some on their sides, other in pieces. Numerous bridges connected them, having been built from ropes and planks. They creaked and groaned in the slight breeze, though it seemed impossible for such little air movement. The island itself was not large as far as islands went, perhaps a thousand feet long and shaped like a teardrop.
“It would appear as though the information was correct,” commented Luna wryly.
“He is large, isn’t he?” remarked Celestia. She then asked politely of her younger sister, “If I may?”
“If you insist.”
“I insist.”
“Why, thank you.”
“But of course!”
Celestia drew in a deep breath, then utilized her Royal Canterlot Voice. “LEVIATAN, SHOW YOURSELF!” The very skies froze, the seas shrank from her power and the sun loomed behind her form and seemed to blaze down upon the island like a spotlight of doom.
On the island, ship’s bells clanged as the inhabitants were suddenly aware there was not one, but two goddesses looking down upon them like holy vengeance come as living revelations. Griffons, diamond dogs, ponies, minotaurs, and even a changeling or two darted about in various states of panic. Some simply gaped up in fearful disbelief at the two alicorns watching them with impassive (and definitely unimpressed) eyes. Cries went up to clear decks and make ready what ships were moored to the island of jumbled shipwrecks. A few brave souls with wings took a moment to see for themselves if the fabled princesses of Equestria had come to met out doom upon them. Once they were satisfied they were indeed confronting living goddesses, they flew in the opposite direction as fast as their wings could carry them, straight in the general direction of the awaiting Equestrian ships.
The island rumbled.
“I think you woke them up,” noted Luna conversationally.
“We’re not interested in them,” replied Celestia with hawkish eyes. Again, filled her lungs. “LEVIATAN, WE WILL HAVE WORDS WITH YOU! RETURN THE WORLD GATE YOU HAVE STOLEN!”
“Which ship are they on, again?” Luna asked, leaning towards her sister as her eyes danced over the mayhem below.
“I should think that one,” Celestia indicated with an armored hoof a large ship teeming with pirates making way from the island. “It’s a converted passenger liner.” Her focus remained on the island itself.
The island shook.
And began to rise.
Bits of the island’s shabby buildings began to teeter and slide off the slopes of the slopes of the mountains. They crashed and fell into the sea, sending up great waves as the frothy seas about the island seemed to come to a life of their own. The island tilted and shook with violence as a great sound seemed to emerge from beneath the waves. The mountains suddenly swayed from one side to the other in a vastness of movement, organic and unlike anything stone was capable of. The last of the settlement fell into the ocean and a great head emerged at the end of a long, thick neck. Barnacles clung along its length and seaweed dangled from where the current had carried it into the scales and folds. The colors were of charcoal and stone, scales touched with flecks of white and browns. They were the markings of an apex predator, made fat and lazy from the homage paid by lackeys and fearful sailors. Yet there was enormous power here, frightening and as of yet undreamed of in all the oceans in all the world.
“Heh..,” sighed the island. Baleful yellow orbs filled with greed and hatred cracked open, from hellish slits to a pair of open fiery pits. “Alicorrrrrrnsssssss…. You come at long lassssst…” A great maw opened, a cavern to a forbidden place no creature could venture and hope to survive. Great serrated teeth capable of slicing through armored hulls of warships separated, revealing themselves to the alicorns. The largest were easily three times larger than Celestia and they lined up in jagged rows of lethal intent. It was a vice no whale could escape. Indeed, there was little left to the imagination as to what might have made a meal for the island that was in fact a dragon.
The former island straightened, rising higher and higher into the air. The massive wedge-shaped head bore a low ridge, becoming more pronounced along the neck until it met the massive barrel of the chest. Great webbed claws upon the forelegs rose, four immense sickles capable of ripping a hapless whale to pieces.
Luna looked the giant monster up and down, not believing any dragon could grow this big. She was colored impressed. “My, you’re a tall one,” quipped the lunar princess.