Chapter 60
Rise of the Changelings
Chrysalis paused by the grand entrance to the catacombs, or from her perspective, the entrance to the castle. She took a deep breath, completely clearing her mind before taking on a new form. She felt the tickle of changeling fire well up and completely engulf her, elongating her body and shrinking her limbs. Her torn, fin-like mane shriveled up to an uncomfortably short strip of black, bristly hair, and the odd sensation of facial hair sprouted from her chin. Her ragged tail gained much more body, and coated itself in shiny red scales. She tested the new fingers she’d gained from one eagle claw and a lion paw. Even one dragon foot had toes she could wiggle. After gaining these new appendages, the single goat hoof felt even more uncomfortable and out of place. She grunted in irritation, but the sound came out more masculine than she was used to. Chrysalis briefly summoned up a mirror to ensure the transformation had gone as planned. Indeed, the spitting image of Discord stared back at her.
With a whuff of satisfaction, Chrysalis placed a paw on the handle. Before opening it, she took a moment to get into character, jogging in place to raise her heart rate and plastering a distraught, flustered expression on her face. Then, jerking the door open, she landed herself in the midst of two Everfree guards, both thestrals adorned in armor marked with the Tree emblem of Essence’s kingdom. The guards jumped back, but momentarily aimed their spears right at the draconequus.
“State your business, Discord,” one of them demanded.
“Please! I must speak with Princess Essence! It’s urgent!”
“That’s not going to happen. She’s still recovering from your last visit.”
“What part of ‘it’s urgent’ don’t you understand?!”
“Sorry, pal, but she’s requested no visitors until she gives the word,” the other one informed, tucking the spear back under his wing.
“Is that so?” An eerie calm washed over the draconequus, and unsettled the guards. The thestral unsteadily primed his spear once more.
“Yeah, so scram.”
“Tell me, soldier, did Essence give you those orders directly?”
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I’ll take that as a yes, which must mean she’s still accepting contact with you. Thank you, gentlecolts. You’ve been ever so helpful.” Chrysalis knew better than to use her changeling goo on these guards; Acrylic’s thestral fire had torn right through it on their first meeting. Instead, she now accessed Discord’s power and encased the two in a cage with thick metal bars. It would take a very talented fire dancer to break out of that. She silenced their protests with gags of changeling goo, which they did burn through, but not before she had carelessly tossed the cage back into the catacombs.
The doors thudded shut, and looking over her shoulder to be sure no one was watching, Chrysalis clasped an oversized lock over the handles, giving her exclusive access to the catacombs. Checking one last time for any onlookers, Chrysalis switched into the form of one of the guards, and proceeded to make her way down the hall.
She nodded to those she passed, and most nodded back. It had been such a long time since she had been here. Despite all the renovations and remodeling that had taken place since Essence’s return, Chrysalis had practically been brought up in this castle, and felt at home winding through the familiar, twisting structure. She navigated her way about the maze of hallways and corridors until she found the extravagant (and guarded) entrance to what she knew to be Essence’s private chambers. A rather surly guard blocked her access to the door.
“Trench, why aren’t you at your post?” the black coated, imposing stallion demanded with piercing blue eyes.
“There was some trouble by the catacombs entrance. That draconequus Discord came back,” Chrysalis informed.
“Essence is not seeing visitors. You know this as well as I.”
“Indeed I do, but he’s brought news she really should hear.”
“Give me the message, and I’ll relay it to Essence.”
“I need to see her myself.”
“That’s an order, soldier!” the black guard barked. Chrysalis sighed.
“I gave you a chance.” She then cast a teleportation spell that would land the officer in the same prison as his other officers. Hoping his form would be more readily accepted by Essence, Chrysalis switched bodies once again, and rapped on the heavy oaken doors.
“Enter.” This was it. Chrysalis took a deep breath before pushing the heavy panels aside.
“Salient! Is something the matter?” Essence approached from the far end of her chamber. Chrysalis nervously eyed the giant hulk of her timberwolf Jasper, who suspiciously peered at her from the bed. He growled, and jumped down off the mattress. Essence stopped dead in her tracks. She trusted the timberwolf with her life, and everyone in the room knew it. “Jasper knows you quite well, Salient. Whatever could make him so agitated?”
“Discord has reappeared by the catacombs. Perhaps he smells the draconequus?”
“Jasper knows Discord’s scent.”
“True. But he does not know that of a changeling.” Essence gasped, cuing Jasper to charge at Chrysalis. She reacted in kind, casting another teleportation spell. She could have sent Jasper someplace else, but that was not how Kindling would have it. He was too cruel for that. As before, he would have Jasper’s very hide to imprison his own master. Instead, this transportation spell brought Kindling’s timberwolf to their location. Eyes blazing red, the smaller wolf howled in fury before bolting directly at his opponent. Caught off guard by this new adversary, Jasper was distracted long enough to give Casper the advantage.
“Casper!” Essence gasped, petrified by the sight of her former pupil’s timberwolf.
“Did you think you would be forever rid of Kindling, your majesty?” Chrysalis spat, fully exposed in her own changeling form. There was no answer as Essence stared at the brutal dog fight in sheer horror. Teeth gnashed, claws sliced and gouged, splinters flew, and the wolves were so entangled in one another that it became impossible to tell where one started and the other began. “You cannot run from your past. You can’t run from what you’ve done!”
“I have done nothing!” Essence denied, shakily coming out of her stupor to face Chrysalis.
“Kindling has been imprisoned for eons because of you! Why, if I hadn’t found his orb in the catacombs, he would still be there!”
“I was not the one to imprison him!”
“But you did not free him, either.”
“How could I free him after what he has done?”
“Kindling was merely trying to liberate thestral and destral kind, something you seemed incapable of doing. We could provide thestrals and destrals alike the freedom they sought.”
“How would putting yourselves on the throne make life better for them?”
“Kindling recognized that we are the dominant species. He dreamed of a society in which thestrals and destrals, and my changelings, would rise above the rest. And to think he and I would lead them to this victory together!”
“Don’t you see he was using you? Kindling wanted your armies, nothing more!”
“Why do you all keep saying that?! Kindling loves me, despite what you or Acrylic may think!”
“Acrylic? What have you done with her?”
“She and her friends are safe,” she smirked, “locked away for eternity. Now they will feel the pain, the frustration Kindling felt, unable to do anything as their world is torn apart.”
“No!” Essence gulped. The spirits of the Elements of Harmony... gone?
Casper growled, attracting the mares’ attention. The limp, scarred form of Jasper hung from his jaws.
“JASPER!” Essence wailed.
“Good boy, Casper. Kindling will be so pleased, perhaps you’ll even get a treat,” Chrysalis cooed. She took the blue gem-adorned timberwolf in her levitation magic, and began manually dismantling him. His wooden frame crackled dangerously as he was compacted down to a size that would better fit her purpose. She also simultaneously teleported an unfinished orb into the room, and encased Essence’s hooves in goo. This bought her enough time to prime the orb, and add the last ingredient- Jasper’s own timberwolf bark. Just as Essence had freed herself of the revolting changeling gunk, the orb became a spotlight, starring her. The familiar pain burned her skin as light fell over it.
“Smoky Topaz,” she pleaded. Chrysalis paused as her old name was spoken. “Please, don’t do this. It doesn’t have to be this way.” Chrysalis straightened up.
“Goodbye, Essence.”
No one heard Essence’s cries, nor the raging changeling fire as Chrysalis took the Princess’s place. The faint squeak of a drawer opening reached Chrysalis’ ears and hers alone, as did the dim scratch of quill to paper.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Please accompany Princess Luna and Princess Cadance to my castle at once. The matter is extremely urgent.
Princess Essence
“They said they’d be back before sundown,” Charcoal paced the length of the dining hall for the fiftieth time, still glaring out at the rising moon as though it was responsible for the fact that his parents had not yet returned. The others had supposedly gone to bed, though the girls, who had all settled down in a single room, were probably still chatting away.
“I’m sure they’re just caught up in working out how to free Radiance,” Spike assured. “When Twilight gets caught up in her research, there’s just no bringing her out of it!”
“Hey... isn’t that Princess Celestia’s royal chariot?” Charcoal pressed his face to the glass as a tiny, silhouetted speck raced across the dark sky. Spike and Blaze, who had remained in the dining hall with Charcoal, now stood and moved to the tall windows themselves.
“Sure is,” Spike confirmed.
“And... Cadance’s?” A glimmer caught Charcoal’s eye in another part of the sky, and what looked like a crystalline chariot chased after Celestia and Luna’s.
“They must be wrapping things up with Radiance,” Blaze assumed. “See? Told ya they’d be fine.”
“Why don’t you go to bed? It’s almost midnight.”
“I’ve stayed up this long. I might as well wait until they’re here,” Charcoal argued, settling down in one of the dining room chairs and resting his head on his hooves. Blaze shrugged.
“Can’t blame us when you have to get up early for school tomorrow.” The dragons settled back in their corner, drowsily sitting up with Acrylic’s hardheaded son.
“That doesn’t mean you guys have to wait with me,” Charcoal reminded.
I think I’m old enough to take care of myself.”
“We’re not going down until everyone else is down,” Spike resolutely informed, both dragons determined not to go to their own bed until everypony else was tucked in, lest they need anything.
“Your choice,” Charcoal shrugged, secretly glad for the company. A big, dark, empty castle could get a little creepy at night, even for the fifteen-year-old thestral colt.
The three lounged around in the dining hall in silence, the minutes quite literally ticking by as the large clock on the wall waved to the occupants below. Another hour passed, maybe two. All three friends’ eyes were drooping by now, but sleep was impossible with such a racket; each jerky motion of the second hand seemed to resonate with an even louder tick than the last until the entire castle appeared to tremble from the booming sound. It wasn’t until the crystalline chandelier toppled from the ceiling that they realized the castle literally was shaking.
“CHAR!” Blaze woke up instantly, and time seemed to stop as the chandelier directly above the snoozing thestral plummeted. Blaze’s hind legs shot out from under him, propelling him forward and even leaving gouges in the crystal floor. Spike drowsily woke up to his friend’s cry, and his pupils shrunk as he witnessed the scene before him. With Charcoal still obliviously sleeping, it became unclear whether the chandelier or Blaze would reach him first.
Crystals exploded everywhere as the chandelier smacked into Blaze’s orange hide. Spike jumped up to see what he could do to help.
“Everyone okay?” he exclaimed, trying not to sound as panicked as he actually felt. Charcoal, now fully awake, peered out from beneath Blaze’s arms, sheer terror having engulfed his entire disposition.
“Char? Charcoal, say something!” Blaze practically smacked his brother back to his senses.
“I-I’m good,” the pony gulped. “Thanks.”
“What was that?” Spike stood on his hind legs to examine the ceiling from which the chandelier had fallen. An entire chunk of the roofing had been knocked out of place. Moonlight poured in from the palace’s wound, giving Spike the light needed to investigate. Abruptly, though, he was rudely interrupted when a spray of green goop was hurled at his eyes.
“GRAAAAAAH!” the dragon bellowed in surprise and discomfort as the revolting substance covered his face. Two pairs of glowing blue eyes, lacking pupils, peered down from the hole in the roof, fangs gleaming and hissing. The annoying buzz of bug-like wings resonated as the two changelings jumped down into their midst.
“Changelings!” Blaze announced as Spike peeled the last of the sticky goo from his eyes. The changelings hissed in response, ready to battle the dragons. Spike and Blaze challengingly glared at the drones. Two changelings against two dragons? This would be a cinch.
“Aw, what’s the matter? Did Chrysalis keep all your brothers at home?” Spike cockily taunted. Just then, the windows shattered as more changelings poured in, and the doors burst open as some found their way in through the castle’s other entrance.
“Uh-oh.”
“Charcoal, get out of here!” Spike cried, hurling a vortex of green flame down at the intruders.
“I can help!” he insisted.
“GO! Get the others to safety!” his brother ordered, likewise belching out a stream of ruby colored fire. Charcoal paused. He did have a responsibility to the younger colts and fillies.
“Okay,” he consented, bolting to the far door. Amidst the jets of green and red, a couple blue explosions flared up as Charcoal zig-zagged through a minefield of changelings. Charcoal was nearly to the door when something jerked back on his hoof, sending him sprawling hard on the floor.
“GAH!” He rubbed his chin where it had banged against the smooth surface, and looked back. His hoof was currently encased in a vile webbing of changeling goo. A shadow fell over him, and Charcoal gulped upon realizing that he was now trapped in the center of five changelings.
He absentmindedly freed himself from the goop, focused more on monitoring the changelings’ every move. They grinned menacingly back at him, daring him to make a move. He cautiously peered upward, wondering if he could make a break for it through the air. But crisscrossing jets of fire obscured his vision. He wasn’t going to risk running off into the unknown. Then again, he was rather limited on options at the moment.
The changelings began advancing slowly from all sides. He had nowhere to go. What would his mom do? Call for his father, probably. That wasn’t an option at the moment. Okay... how about Fluttershy? That’s a stupid question; she’d curl up in a ball and hide. Rainbow or Applejack would probably jump right out into danger, something he was incapable of doing. There was no way he could fight five changelings on his own- he was just a kid! Rarity might plant a few lady-like punches, but ultimately, she wasn’t much use in a fight either. Pinkie would probably pull out a party cannon out of thin air, a talent Charcoal did not possess. Or did he? His father had taught him to teleport objects, hadn’t he? But what could he teleport? He didn’t know where Aunt Pinkie kept her party cannon. He wasn’t about to wield a knife or other sort of weapon. What could help him most in this situation?
Did he really need something, or did he need someone? Was it possible to teleport ponies through thestral fire? For that matter, could he teleport himself? Aunt Twilight did it all the time. He’d never heard of a thestral teleporting live subjects, but who’s to say it had ever been attempted?
He was running out of options. He could practically feel the changelings’ breath seeping into his fur. It was now or never. Fire welled up from his hooves, and completely engulfed him. Worried they would lose their prisoner, the changelings all pounced on the flaming thestral. They all collided, collapsing in a tangled heap. Charcoal was gone.
A charred Charcoal rematerialized in a fiery flash, hyperventilating out of fear and nausea. That hadn’t gone nearly as smoothly as when Twilight did it.
“Charcoal!” Lilac squealed, jumping off the bed and rushing to his aid. “I thought that teleport felt funny. Did you just send yourself to me?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he gasped, gripping her tightly for the mere sake of holding something solid.
“What in the hay’s goin’ on?” Candy Apple demanded, rising with the rest of the girls.
“The castle’s under attack. We have to get out of here.”
“Attack? By who?” Petticoat gasped.
“Changelings.”
“Let me at ‘em! I’ll teach ‘em a lesson!” Thunder declared, enthusiastically punching at the air. But when a changeling promptly crashed through the window, she screamed most loudly. Charcoal blasted his blue fire at the creature.
“Meet up with Spectrum! I’ll be right there!” he called over the roar of the fire. The girls made no attempt to challenge his order, and bolted down the hallway to find Thunder Cloud’s brother. Charcoal followed more slowly, backing out gradually to make sure the changeling was kept at bay. Only after Spectrum emerged from the doorway with the other girls did Charcoal slam the door shut.
“What’s going on?” Spectrum cried.
“Hang on!” Charcoal sprinted to his friends at top speed, already summoning more blue fire and mentally preparing to repeat the teleport. His friends seemed to understand what he was trying to do, and huddled close. Charcoal’s fire soon engulfed all six ponies, and the group vanished, leaving only a wispy pillar of smoke where they once stood.
The changelings bashed the bedroom door down, emerging into the empty hallway with great bafflement.
“Where’d they go?” one asked in a raspy, echoing voice.
“Chrysalis will not be pleased,” another groaned.
“Stop whining. We have the dragons, don’t we?”
“Not for much longer! They’re getting away!”
“Then activate an orb and catch them before they escape!” The squadron promptly dashed back down the hallway leading to the dining hall, where their comrades were being tossed about by the dragons’ might. One of the new arrivals brought out one of the precious orbs entrusted to them by the Queen herself, and used its limited magic to activate it. Scorching light blasted from the sphere, and not even the fireproof scales could protect the dragons from its painful glare. Both howled as the light played across their scales, and ultimately sucked them up. Even a few changelings had been caught in the crossfire, but it was not a significant loss. Chrysalis could easily replace those few soldiers. The lead drone turned to its subordinates.
“Find the children. Chrysalis wants them alive.”