//------------------------------// // Chapter 34 // Story: The Monster of Canterlot // by drnkntst //------------------------------// Chapter 34 Celestia willed herself to fly faster. Her precious child was in danger and she didn’t know where he was. Her only thought was that she had to get to her baby. Actually, that was the only logical thought in her mind. The more primal part of her mind was screaming to destroy whoever dared to do harm to her child. As she was going at near sonic speeds, Celestia reached Appleoosa in just under an hour. As soon as she touched down, she was approached by Sheriff Silverstar. “Princess? What are ya doin’ here?” Celestia was frantically trying to see in all directions at once. “Where is the search party?! What locations have already been inspected?!” “Uh, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” Celestia reeled on the stallion, fire in her eyes. “My son has been missing from your town for more than three days and you haven’t even started to look for him!?” Silverstar had a sudden flashback to what Chris had warned him about. “Gather every pony who’s not sick in bed and get them looking! NOW!” The sheriff was still quaking in fear when Celestia had reached the nearest cliff face and was searching for any sort of opening. At this point, she settle for a deep shadow. Anything that looked like it could hold more than a large rabbit was searched. There was a roaring explosion of air coming from the east. Celestia turned to see what it was that caused it. The unmistakable spreading ring of spectral fire told her exactly what, or rather who it was. “Princess! I just heard what happened.” Rainbow floated a few feet in front of the princess. “Any clues?” “None, Rainbow Dash, and I only growing more concerned. Please, help me search.” “Right away, Princess.” Dash zoomed off and began her own near frantic search. Once Rainbow was away, the princess began searching and repeating her mantra, “…please be okay. Please be okay. Please…” An hour after Rainbow had showed up, a much larger search party arrived. First was the ponies from Appleoosa and the buffalo from the nearby tribe. Next came her own guards. An hour and a half after that, the griffins arrived in force. Each new arrival was given orders and filed in with other groups to maximize efficiency in the endeavor. Luna knew, if Chris was still anywhere near here, they would find him before long. Though that knowledge didn’t help calm her nerves, or her sister. “Help! Help!” The cries for assistance caught the attention of every guard, soldier, warrior and civilian within five hundred yards. The sight of a galloping, screaming blue, unicorn mare in the desert tends to stand out. It wasn’t long before Trixie’s pleas were answered. A earth pony guard was the first to reach her. “Calm down, miss. You’re safe now. Tell us what happened.” “Changelings… monkey… escaped…” she blurted between breaths. Suddenly, the ground shook so hard that everything less than a hundred pounds jumped into the air a few inches at least. The guard and Trixie looked up into the face of the concerned Princess of the Sun. “He’s not a monkey.” ***** Celestia had rushed over the small plateau that Trixie had indicated she had escaped from. She had followed the tracks left by the fleeing filly and had been led to a small cave hidden behind some shrubs. Celestia was about to enter when she felt something… odd. It was magic. Strong magic that was weak at the same time. It was as if somepony extremely powerful was trapped beneath tons of stone. This magic was familiar though. More familiar than any other magic on Equus. It was hers. In fact, it was more than just hers. Her sister’s, her niece’s and her student’s magic was all in one spot. It had to be the feathers they had given Chris. “I’m coming, Honey. Don’t worry, Mommy’s here.” Celestia had to get down there, and fast. Normally, when trying to get through stone, one would dig and/or drill. That wasn’t fast enough though. Instead, Celestia merely removed a plug of earth telekinetically. In an instant, she had access to the beasts’ lair and took full advantage of it. She touched down inside the large chamber, lit only by some glowing green crystals and the light from her own entryway. As her eyes rapidly adjusted, she could hear the movement of dozens of hooves. She was not alone. Once Celestia could see clearly, she knew there was trouble. She was confident she would more than a match for at least four dozen of these bugs, so she was unafraid. She was more concerned with where the queen was and were her baby was being kept. “Don’t just stand there, my children. Greet our guest.” Celestia turned to the speaker. At first, she thought she had found her beloved son, but he never had a horn before. It was a changeling, a big one. She quickly realized why this changeling resembled Chris. He must be here and this one had attempted to copy his appearance. When the changelings take ponies, that’s inexcusable. When they attacked her niece at her own wedding, that was unforgiveable. foalnapping her son and then trying to duplicate that which sets him apart from every other creature, plant or animal on Equus, That was flat out damnable. If Celestia was angry before, she was furious now. And a pony who is one step shy of being a goddess is not one to infuriate. Celestia started to approach who she figured must be the queen, when she was jumped by a half-dozen changelings at once. With a simple flex of her magical muscle, her attackers where flung in different directions. “Where is he, Chrysalis?” Celestia demanded as her eyes began to light her way with their glow. “Where is my son?!” “Oh, don’t worry. He’s here.” Chrysalis stepped to the side, revealing what Celestia was looking for. “Well, what’s left of him anyway.” Celestia’s mind refused to believe what her eyes were telling her. Slowly, she forced her legs to move her forward one shaky step at a time. Time slowed to a crawl as her world crumbled around her. He lay there, lifeless on the floor, with a spear still in his chest. There was no heartbeat to be heard. Not even when she lifted him to her ear. What was probably the worst of it all, he was still warm. Still warm and the blood was still flowing, staining her fur a deep, dark red. “Oh… such a shame. If you had only gotten here a few seconds earlier, you might have been able to save him. Too bad.” Chrysalis’s mirthful gloating was cut short, almost literally, by a bloodied spear flying past her head. It missed piercing her skull by less than an inch. Chrysalis’s muscles locked up tight. Slowly, she dared to look into the face of Celestia. It was now the face of true terror. On a few occasions in the past, Celestia’s mane and tail have resembled flames, but always kept their pastel coloration. At this point, her mane didn’t just look like fire, it was fire. Her eyes shone like the sun itself as tears streaked down her cheeks. Strangely, her fur also seemed to be changing. It gradually turned more and more golden orange, just like the celestial plasma she moved on a daily basis. Celestia wasn’t the only thing that was different. The hole she had come through was spreading at an alarming rate. Growing in size as larger and larger pieces flew off into the skies above, leaving nowhere for the changelings to hide from the all-revealing daylight. All the while, Celestia held her son’s corpse tightly to her barrel as if fearful she might lose it. “G-get her, you foals!” Chrysalis ordered. Unwilling to disobey their queen, changelings rushed in, forgetting how easily she had dispatched the others before them. This time, however, Celestia wouldn’t be satisfied with merely shrugging them off. A dozen of them floated off of her, exoskeletons creaking under the immense pressure of her boundless rage. Others were slammed into rocks, stalagmites and stalactites, as well as the floor, each resulting in a sickening crunch as bones, horns, and chiton alike were cracked and broken. The scene was one that was so terrifying to gaze upon, that even her own guard only dared to watch from outside the gaping hole in the planet. Not even the griffins were brave enough to come near, and they were all proud warriors whose king had made it abundantly clear what would happen to those who dared to not give the search everything they had. But there was one who dared to enter the gaping maw that was once the changeling’s hive. One who knew exactly what dangers Celestia was hurtling toward at break-neck speeds. She knew, because she owned a mirror one thousand years ago. Celestia had just finished dispatching all of the smaller changelings and had turned her sights onto the queen when her sister landed next to her. “Sister, you must stop th-… Christopher?” Luna reached a hoof out toward the corpse still in Celestia’s grasp. Though, when Celestia set her burning gaze upon her sister, Luna withdrew very quickly, lest she lose that hoof. At that moment, all Celestia could see were enemies. Celestia turned back to the biggest target there was, Chrysalis. The queen was enveloped in a golden aura that lifted her off the ground and was already pulling her in all directions. “Ow! My fingers!” Chrysalis screamed as Celestia spread the fingers on both hands almost to the point of dislocation. “THEY’RE NOT YOURS!” Celestia roared in a Royal Canterlot voice that seemed to be calling from the beginning of time. “ONLY MY SON HAS FINGERS LIKE THESE!” To reinforce her point, Celestia broke each of Chrysalis’s fingers one bone at a time. After the phalanges, she began to move up the arm to the metacarpals, then the wrist. When she reached the radial and ulna, a sick smile spread on the princess’s face, these bones were long and offered lots more opportunities for fractures. The pain had grown so great, that Chrysalis could only cry. She could even scream anymore. The queen could do no more than watch as her arms began to resemble cooked pasta. It wasn’t long before she was at the point where death seemed to be the only relief. “Whoa, whoa, whoa there Princess,” a deep, masculine voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere instructed, “I think you’ve made your point. Equus would not survive the reign of Daymare Sun” With a loud snap, all time seemed to freeze. “Besides, you’ll need all your magic for what’s to come.” Discord appeared as a painting on the cave wall. When the painting stepped off the wall, it still retained its two-dimensional look. It was one of Discord’s famous arrivals that was both amazing and slightly annoying. “Mmhhmphm!” Luna demanded. Discord snapped his fingers, releasing Luna’s head from its stasis. “I’m sorry, what was that?” “I said, what is to come? And I warn you to choose your words wisely.” “Easy, Luna, easy. Believe it or not, I like the kid too. I never really know what to expect from him. I merely meant that there might still be a chance to save him.” “What?! How!? Tell me!” “Well, it just so happens that II know how to open a portal to the next realm. There is someone there who may be able to help.” “Then why are you still here?! Go!” “Alas, I cannot,” Discord deflated. “If I were to go there, I would not be allowed to return, I’m kind of wanted there. And if I can’t come back, I can’t bring anypony back either. You and your sister can go though. All it’ll take is the majority of your magic to open the portal.” “Whatever it takes, I will do it.” Celestia’s fur returned to its normal white and her mane regained its pastel colors. She had begun to come to her senses. “Oh, it seems somepony else wants to join in on the conversation.” He snapped his fingers and both princesses were freed. “Is what you say true? Can you really save my baby?” “No, I can help you save your, *ahem* baby. All I need is your magic.” Celestia looked down at Chris’s limp body. She brushed a strand of hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. “Whatever it takes.” “Excellent. Shall we begin?” ***** The two sisters walked through a strange scene. It was completely devoid of color, with the exception of themselves. Everything else was varying shades of gray, even the trees and flowers. So where the residents. Ponies, griffins, and minotaurs trudged along a narrow path beside each other but not really seeming to notice anything. They all simply placed one hoof/foot in front of the other and made their way toward a single seated figure. From where they were, they couldn’t make out much in the way of detail, and the robe wasn’t helping. But the robed figure wasn’t what Celestia was concerned with. Rather, it was the one seated on the ground next to it. “Chris!” Celestia and Luna galloped to the front of the line. Once there, they could more clearly see the pony in the robes. Though, in truth, he was only a pony because they were. His bleached white skull would take the form of whatever creature gazed upon it. The voice, however, would always sound the same, even though no one ever truly hears it with their ears. Rather, they feel it, with their soul. AH, PRINCESSES CELESTIA AND LUNA. I HONESTLY NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE EITHER OF YOU HERE. WHAT IS IT THAT I CAN DO FOR YOU? “Forgive us, uh, Sir, but we have come for him,” Luna informed Death while pointing at Chris’s unresponsive form. Celestia wanted so badly to go to her son and hold him again, but no one stepped on Death’s robes. OH? Death looked down at the human seated next to him. Then he looked at Celestia’s desperate face. I SEE. YES, RATHER A STRANGE CASE THIS ONE. Death raised an hour glass that was only about a quarter empty in the top. AS YOU CAN SEE, HIS TIME IS FAR FROM UP. AND YET, HERE HE IS. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO LIVE WELL INTO HIS EIGHTIES IN HIS OWN WORLD, A RESPECTABLE AGE FOR HIS KIND. INSTEAD, HIS SOUL IS TRAPPED HERE. I CANNOT EVEN PLACE HIM INTO AN ETERNITY YET. TRAGIC REALLY. “Then give him back to me,” Celestia begged, “please. Give me back my baby.” HMM… IF ONLY I COULD. SADLY, HE HAS NO FUNCTIONING BODY TO RETURN TO. “Please, there must be something that can be done. I’ll do anything.” “As will I,” Luna agreed. WELL, THERE MAY BE ONE WAY, BUT IT WOULD LEAVE YOU BOTH EXTREMLY WEAKENED. “I’ll do it!” Celestia yelled and then realized to whom she was talking. “I don’t care what it takes, I need my son back.” SO I SEE. VERY WELL THEN. WHAT I’LL NEED TO REPAIR HIS BODY AND RESTORE HIS LIFE IS SOME LIFEFORCE FROM BOTH OF YOU. THOUGH IT’S A MERE TRIFLE FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOURSELVES. ONCE I HAVE WHAT I NEED, HIS LIFE WILL BE RESTORED. THOUGH, BEFORE WE BEGIN, I MUST WARN YOU; HE WILL BE CHANGED. “Changed? How?” Luna asked. EVEN I DON’T KNOW. THE CHANGE MAY BE PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL. HE MAY EVEN WIND UP LIKE OUR FRIEND DISCORD. IS IT A RISK YOU ARE STILL WILLING TO TAKE? “Yes!” both princesses cried out in unison. AS LONG AS YOU UNDERSTAND THE RISKS. YOU MAY NOW RETURN TO YOUR OWN REALM. CHRISTOPHER WILL BE ALIVE WHEN YOU GET THERE, THOUGH IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME BEFORE HIS BODY IS HEALED ENOUGH TO BE UP AND ABOUT. “We understand,” Luna was pushing her sister who refused to take her eyes off her son, “thank you.” OH, BEFORE YOU GO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW HIS REAL FAMILY NAME? ***** One second. Literally one second after the two sisters came back through Discord’s portal, Celestia had Chris in her hooves again. She was crying again, but this time, they were tears of joy. She could hear Chris’s heart beating, and it was the greatest sound in the world. Luna looked around the chamber to find that things had been well taken care of while they were gone. Chrysalis and all her changelings had been captured, tied up, and fitted with magic suppression rings on their horns. The chamber was also filled with guards of several different species. It was refreshing to see. “Princess Luna!” “Princess Twilight. It is good to see you. Your friends as well.” “We came as fast as we could. Is… is it true? Is Chris really…?” Twilight asked. “He was.” Twilight and her friends gasped in shock. Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Applejack and cried into her shoulder. “Worry not, my friends, for he shall be alright once again. He only needs time to heal.” “Phew, what a relief.” “Indeed, Discord. And though I find it a difficult pill to swallow, I must thank you for your help.” “Hey, what other option was there for a reformed draconequus to do? Besides, if he were to die, then my dear friend Fluttershy would be sad, and I can’t have that.” “Whatever the reason, the result is the same. My nephew is alive and the changelings have been captured. In all, I would say the ending has a happy one.”