//------------------------------//
// Chapter 73: King Kindling 
// Story: Secrets of the Everfree 
// by PaisleyPerson 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 73
King Kindling


“You can perform the spell?” Shift hopefully inquired, not daring to peer out from beneath the wide-brimmed hat.
“Fink taught me how to perform it. Sounds simple enough,” Shining Armor nodded. “But first, you’ll have to switch into your changeling form.” Shift did so without delay, eagerly awaiting any further instruction. “And it might be best to get that hat out of the way... just close your eyes,” he added. Shift nodded, which cued Trixie to retrieve her costume. “This might pinch a bit... at least, that’s what Fink said.”
“At the base of your skull, you may experience pain,” the other changeling repeated. “I found the lack of voices to be disturbing at first, but you will eventually adjust to the silence.”
“I think silence will be welcome,” Shift muttered, wincing as the scornful cries grew louder.
“Okay. Here goes nothing.” Shining Armor strained a bit as he struggled to multitask, maintaining the shield while also conducting the complicated spell that would free Shift of Chrysalis’ influence once and for all.
Indeed, Shift did feel the pinch at the back of his neck. But it was far more unpleasant than Fink had lead him to believe. He screamed out in agony as the sensation evolved from an uncomfortable pinch to a severe throb to a harrowing pound to an unbearable hammering. Shift didn’t think he could take any more of the pain.
But just like that, it was over. Shining Armor released him from his magic, and the changeling slumped to the floor.
“Shift!” Charcoal galloped to his side, curling a hoof under his head for support. “Are you alright?”
“Charcoal?” In his disoriented state, Shift barely made out the fuzzy form. But then, he began to laugh.
“Shift?” Charcoal looked to Fink. “Is that supposed to happen?”
“They’re gone!” Shift gleefully cried. “The voices are gone!”
“It worked!” Glitter gasped.
“Whoo hoo!” Spectrum cheered, offering her a high-hoof. The entire room burst into celebration. Only one did not join in the festivity.
Fink’s heart pounded. It had worked. Shift was completely free of the hive. Fink had still not told them that he was secretly connected to Kindling’s mind, and had been spying on them all this time. He had even infiltrated the meeting in which they had discussed their battle plans. They might as well have told Kindling how to defeat them, for in essence, they already had.
They trusted him. But Shining Armor had been right, at least about him. Fink had betrayed them. He was a monster.
“Fink? Are you okay?” The festivities had stopped when Trixie noticed how unsettled he looked. This just gave Fink another reason to beat himself up. They actually cared about his feelings. That was more than Chrysalis or Kindling had ever done for him.
Perhaps he could have Shining Armor cast the spell on him? Disconnect him from Kindling?
[Don’t even think about it,] a voice at the back of his mind threatened. Fink jumped, forgetting that his master was still listening in.
“Fink?” Charcoal repeated, trying to get his attention. “What’s wrong?”
“I...”
[Nothing is wrong. Maintain your cover.]
“I... I’m fine...” he stuttered.
“You don’t look so good,” Glitter pressed.
[Fool. If you so much as think about a stunt like that again, I will END you,] Kindling threatened.
‘So don’t think.’
“ME! Cast the spell on me!” Fink desperately cried, flinging himself at Shining Armor’s hooves.
“What?” the unicorn was baffled by the request, and took a step back.
[FOOL!] 
“Please!” Fink screamed as Kindling began transmitting his termination spell. He could feel it seeping into his body, slowly beginning to kill him.
“Shining Armor, do it!” Glitter was quick to respond. The prince dumbly obeyed, casting the spell again. Instantly, he detected a second power flowing through the changeling. For a moment, two entities battled for Fink’s life. The combined pain of Shining Armor’s disconnection spell and the lethal termination spell was too much. Fink collapsed to the floor.
“Fink?!” This time, it was Glitter who scooped up the crumpled changeling. “Quick, somepony prepare a room!” Luckily, they had not exited the Unbridled Inn, and one of the maids nodded before rushing off to find an unoccupied suite.
“What just happened?” Shining Armor inquired once most everyone had already filed out.
“I think I have an idea,” Charcoal confessed, supporting Shift as they hobbled after their friends.





“NO!” Kindling screamed, overturning his desk in outrage. The fool had gone and done it! He hadn’t finished transmitting the termination spell! Now the coward was free to give away all his secrets!
Chrysalis had answered his request for a new drone, and his second red-shelled assistant cowered in the corner. It had been enough to be assigned to serve this monster, but losing the voices of the hive mind had been a traumatic experience in itself. He could not even call to Chrysalis and warn her of Kindling’s true intent. Though, even if he had, the queen would not have believed him, and possibly executed him for insubordination. She was so in love with Kindling that she had become blind to the monster he really was.
The changeling watched as his master angrily paced, occasionally overturning more furniture as he traveled and creating more of a mess that he would have to clean up later. That was the least of his troubles. The changelings knew that he was he was very much in danger with his master in this state... yet if Chrysalis ever found out that he hadn’t attended to Kindling’s every need, he would be in just as much trouble. So with a gulp, the drone crawled forward. Let it never be said he had not fulfilled his duty.
“M-Master? Is there anything I can do for you, sire?” he knelt at the pony’s armored hooves.
“INSOLENCE! YOU DO NOT ADDRESS ME UNLESS ADDRESSED! IS THAT CLEAR?!”
“Y-yes, Master. I was only trying-”
“BE QUIET, INCOMPETENT FOOL!” Kindling picked up the quaking form in his magic and hurled him across the room. He would have hit the wall if the door had not opened at that very moment, allowing him a bit more airspace to complete the arc.
“Love?” Kindling ground his teeth as the changeling queen arrived unnannounced into his tower. “Is something wrong?”
“LEAVE ME!”
“Kindling, darling, what’s the matter?” The changeling queen dashed to her fiancé’s side rather than departing. “Was the replacement drone unable to reach your needs?”
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I DID NOT REQUEST YOUR PRESENCE!”
“Why, darling, I was worried. You haven’t come down from your tower since the colt... escaped. But your assistant has not left either, nor had it requested food or supplies of any kind be brought up. For that matter, I could not seem to isolate it’s thoughts at all. It is not defective, is it?”
“The drone is fine,” Kindling seethed, attempting to get rid of her by calming down. “Please, LEAVE.”
“If that is what you wish...” Chrysalis sadly agreed. Dreadful thoughts had begun to enter her mind as of late. For instance, what if Charcoal had been right? Kindling had seemed distant, and even more angry than usual. Nothing she did could please him anymore. They weren’t even married yet! What was she doing wrong? Chrysalis sighed. Perhaps, at least for now, it would be best to give him his space. She reluctantly turned to leave.
The discarded drone now hobbled back in, limping as it dragged a possibly broken hind leg behind it. Upon spotting Chrysalis, it kneeled low.
“My Queen,” he hummed, closing pain-filled eyes. “Your majesty, please, I must request a healing spell... to fulfill Master Kindling Pyre’s wishes,” the drone quickly added.
“Kindling! You must be more gentle with my drones,” Chrysalis scolded, charging her horn in preparation of the spell.
“Your drones?” Kindling failed to refrain from laughing, completely fed up with the nuisance. His armor began to glow as Casper reassembled. Chrysalis straightened up after healing the changeling, quite baffled.
“Our drones, of course,” she corrected, nervously eyeing the growling timberwolf. He had never so much as snarled at her before. “Down, Casper,” she ordered, stepping around him. Yet, the dog continued to bare his teeth, weaving in front of her and blocking her path to the door. The next thing Chrysalis knew, the wolf’s wooden, thorny teeth snapped down on her foreleg.
“AAAH!” she yelped, jerking her hoof back. “Bad dog! Get down!” she demanded, hastily trying to heal the gash with her spell. Yet, she found she could not. “Kindling, my magic!” she gasped.
“Is gone,” the destral finished. His gaze temporarily flicked to an open vial sitting on his desk, containing a thick, red fluid.
“Your magic inhibitor?” she gasped, identifying the same substance now ringing Casper’s bite wound. His dog had poisoned her! “But darling, why?!”
“So you will never call me that again,” he viciously snarled, even more fearsome than his dog. 
“Kindling? My love, I-!” Chrysalis wailed.
“I AM NOT YOUR LOVE! I never have been, and I never was! I despise everything about you, you ugly goat! You are as nearsighted as a naked mole rat!” There were tears in Chrysalis’ eyes. He didn’t love her? But he had sworn on his life! They were supposed to be married the moment Equestria had been conquered! 
Chrysalis glowered at her would-be husband. He was a lying, abusive monster. She wanted nothing more to do with this filthy low life!
[DRONES!] she screamed through the hive mind. [TO MOTHER! PROTECT MOTHER! KILL KINDLING PYRE!]
“Do you honestly think that would work on me?” Kindling sneered, somehow guessing what she was up to. Kindling tightly gripped her in his telekinesis. He pressed his muzzle to hers, staring into her terror-filled eyes as he cast the next spell. It seeped into her mind, then into the hive mind, and Chrysalis felt it infect the entire network.
[Your drones will bend to my command.] Chrysalis’ eyes went wide with fear.
[You have entered the hive mind?! But... how?!]
[The same way I will disconnect you from it.] Kindling cast another spell, this one focused on Chrysalis herself. The mare screamed. It felt like he was trying to rip her mind apart.
She was already limp by the time the spell had been completed. Kindling carelessly tossed her aside, just as her drones were flooding his windowsills and doorway. He found their snarls and hisses rather amusing.
[DRONES! CHRYSALIS IS GONE.] He stepped aside to allow them a view of their crumpled leader. [I, KINDLING PYRE, AM YOUR KING, NOW. OBEY ME OR PERISH!] The hovering changelings eyed each other uneasily.
[He speaks truth,] his assistant timidly offered, now reconnected to the hive through Kindling. He remembered how his last assistant, Fink, had been terminated, and shuddered.
The other changelings seemed to have come to a decision. All those present bowed their heads and diverted their eyes from the new leader.
[All hail the king! All hail the king!] they chanted. Kindling snorted approval before returning to his desk one last time. From one of the drawers, he pulled an unoccupied orb. Chrysalis awoke just in time to see him preparing it, and her pupils contracted.
“No! Kindling, no!” she begged. 
“Goodbye, Chrysalis.” Light from within shone down and burned her skin. She screamed. She never thought she’d have to say this.
“HELP!”
Just like that, Chrysalis was gone.





“Is he going to be okay?” Spectrum asked the maid who had volunteered her services as a nurse.
“It doesn’t look good,” she sadly informed. She ducked her head and turned away. “Excuse me.”
“What happened to him?” Gilda wondered again.
“Someone was listening in,” Charcoal guessed, finally making it into the room with Shift and Shining Armor.
“You mean he was spying?” Trixie exclaimed, looking down at their patient with fear and contempt.
“But Charcoal, I didn’t sense him connected to the hive mind,” Shift pointed out, easing into one of the room’s armchairs.
“Kindling must have found a way to inhibit your ability to sense his voice in the hive mind, or otherwise rerouted it so that you couldn’t hear him. Either way, he must have been spying for someone. Otherwise, why would he ask Shining Armor to cast the disconnection spell?”
“Traitor!” Shining Armor accused, storming into the room. Charcoal’s outstretched wing prohibited his entry.
“Wait,” the colt calmly requested. “Now that he’s been disconnected from the hive, he might be more willing to share information.”
“What about all the information we’ve already shared with whoever it was he was spying for? He was sitting in on our meeting! Now Chrysalis knows our battle plan!”
“Let’s see what he knows. Fink could still give us information to level the playing field.”
“If he wakes up,” Glitter reminded him. “It doesn’t look good right now.” Despite finding out the changeling had been playing them all along, the kind mare still stroked his tattered fins.
“Have you tried fire healing?” Charcoal asked. Glitter looked up, shaking her head.
“I’m just a showpony. I never learned that kind of fire dancing.”
“Then let me give it a go,” Charcoal moved closer to the bed, trying to spark the blue fire from his hooves. A lot of straining barely produced a flicker, and even then, he could not spread enough of the fire to do Fink any real good. “I can’t do it,” he admitted, panting from both exertion and fear. “Why can’t I do it? It was a cinch with Shift!”
“You need sleep,” Gilda assessed, moving around to his side of the bed. “You’ve been awake for almost three days. I know you haven’t gotten a wink of sleep since you and Pound visited Chrysalis’ base.”
“I’m fine,” he argued, trying to resurrect the flame.
“I think we can all use some sleep,” Glitter suggested. “Mr. Water Mark has offered us rooms here, Charcoal. I think we’ve done all we can tonight. Let’s get some sleep and regroup in the morning.”
“I can’t sleep!” the colt burst. “How can I sleep? There’s a psychotic changeling queen on the loose who’s keeping my parents in some sort of magical prison and turning the rest of our friends into mindless monsters! Now we finally have a fighting force that might just stand a chance against her, but if anything goes wrong, their lives will be on my head! The plan has to be perfect! How can I get everyone ready if I’m sleeping?!”
“You aren’t going to get anything done in this state either, Charcoal. Even the best leaders have to rest sometime,” Shining Armor pointed out.
“That’s another thing! I’ve been unanimously nominated the leader around here! I never asked for that! I’m fifteen years old! I can’t command an army. I can’t even choose my friends wisely!” he angrily gestured to the unconscious form of Fink, still slumbering in the bed. “For all I know, you were in on the act the whole time, too!” he pointed to Shift.
“No, Charcoal!” the blue changeling exclaimed. His heart pounded, and filled with fear. He felt the flow of love from his friend run dry. “I was no more aware of Fink’s schemes than you!”
“How can I trust you? How can I trust any of you?!”
“Charcoal,” Glitter moved to comfort him, but the colt jerked away, bolting out the door.
“Charcoal?” Shining Armor called after him.
“I’ll go,” Glitter offered, darting down the hall after him. Whether to search out Charcoal or just go about their business, everyone else present also began to file out. Soon, only Trixie, Shining Armor, Fink and Shift remained. The prince also attempted to leave, but Trixie called him back.
“Shining Armor, what do you make of this?” She had been busy running a scanning spell on Fink, trying to determine the problem. Shining Armor also ignited his horn.
“What am I looking for?”
“Feel here, at the base of his neck.”
“That’s where I had to transmit the disconnection spell. Could that be it?” he asked, getting a feel for the area with his scan.
“No,” Trixie shook her head. “There’s something strange about it, even compared to Shift’s. I just can’t quite put my hoof on exactly what.” Shining Armor jolted back, terminating the scanning spell. “What? What is it?”
“It can’t be...” Shining Armor tentatively reached out with the scan again, this time increasing the radius to sweep over his whole body. Trixie patiently waited for his diagnosis. “I think... it feels like a... a termination spell. But that’s impossible! Termination magic is highly illegal! It’s not practiced at all anymore. Even Star Swirl the Bearded’s notes on it were destroyed!”
“What is termination magic?”
“It acts like a magically transmitted poison, delivered over some sort of neural connection to the victim,” he explained. “Whoever was spying on us tried to kill Fink!”
“Will he recover?” Trixie wondered. Shining Armor grimly met her gaze.
“I don’t know enough about termination magic to say for sure. We can only hope the connection was terminated before enough of the poison entered his system.”
“I believe Kindling Pyre was the one who attempted to assassinate Fink,” Shift remorsefully sighed.
“How can you be sure?”
“Fink was Kindling’s personal assistant. I do not know much of Kindling, but I know he is a very powerful, very brilliant magic user. I do not doubt he was able to disconnect Fink from the main hive, or at least redirect his thoughts. And I do know that he is ancient, one of Essence’s first students from the original destral civilization. Termination magic would not have been illegal to practice, then. In fact, it was most likely just emerging. It would not be impossible for Kindling to be the one to invent the spell. At least, he would have perfected the technique by now.”
“If Kindling is from the original destral race, how is he still alive?”
“Queen Chrysalis freed him from the stasis orb he was imprisoned in. I’m afraid that is all I know.”
“I’ll tell Charcoal,” Shining Armor offered. 
“No. Leave him be, for now,” Trixie countered. “He’s taken the last few days awfully hard. He needs to rest- we’ll tell him in the morning.” Shining Armor nodded, and with that, finally departed. Trixie resumed her role as caretaker and took a seat in the other armchair, keeping watch over her two changeling wards.
Shift bowed his head in grief. He didn’t approve of Fink’s actions, either, but had he been in his horseshoes, would he had done any differently? Kindling was most definitely one to be feared. Honestly, Fink had played his cards quite well, perfectly following Kindling’s orders until he had the opportunity to be set free. Even now, his life was on the line. 
Shift sighed, and patted Fink’s arm. He had to admire his bravery, anyway. He dearly hoped Fink pulled through. Traitor or not, he was the only other changeling not under Chrysalis’ control. The only one that would ever understand just what it was like.
Shift went to sleep in hopes that Fink would still be alive in the morning.

***

Charcoal bolted out through the hotel’s double doors. He had lost his pursuers once he ducked down the stairwell. Now he was blindly running, storming through the town as he attempted to flee from it all. The changelings, the army, the responsibility... he just wanted to leave it all behind. He wanted to be a kid again, able to go to school during the day and play with Lilac and Bandit in the evenings, always to return to his parents’ embrace at night. They’d always been there for him in the past.
But now they were gone.
He’d left his sister behind, his cousins and friends alike all back in the safety of the dragon craters. Oh, what he’d give to join them about now! To escape this nightmare of a reality and rejoin what remained of his family. His sister needed him, and where was he? Off bound to get himself killed, playing soldier boy, pretending to be something he wasn’t. He was sick of it. This wasn’t him. King Trident was right. He had no place here.
“Charcoal!” The colt had almost forgotten he was still running when Garble’s red tail again circled his midsection. “Whoa! Where’s the fire?”
“Let me go! Garble, let me go!” Charcoal struggled against the impossible grip of his brother.
“Where are you going?”
“Away!”
“I haven’t seen you all day. Can I come? I’ll take you wherever-”
“No! I have to get away!”
“Get away from what?” Garble protectively placed him between his forearms and scanned for pursuers. Charcoal briefly attempted to escape, but was too weary to scale the giant walls of red.
“Everything!” Charcoal cried, giving up and collapsing by his brother’s scales. Garble looked down with a start.
“Charcoal?” Glitter Shine finally caught up, still seeking the colt. Garble hastily shook his head, nodding downwards in an effort to relay that he had Charcoal but wanted time alone. Somehow, the message got through to her, and she quietly nodded, turning back for the hotel.
“Come on, Char.” Garble plucked his weeping brother from the ground, and nestled him between his wings before taking off. He didn’t need to fly a great distance; he was only looking for a quiet spot where he could talk to his brother privately, away from prying eyes. Most of the beach just off the boardwalk was now occupied by Shining Armor’s soldiers, now setting up in tents along the shore. A bit farther down, however, he found a secluded part of the beach that appeared untouched by anyone. 
He lighted down, curled onto his side, and lowered Charcoal into the crook of his body. The poor boy was still crying, and Garble let him, even encouraged him to do so. His spade-tipped tail rested on his shoulder, rhythmically patting him in a soothing motion. Charcoal wept a good while longer before he had finally calmed down enough to say anything.
“Now,” Garble softly spoke, “tell me everything.”
Charcoal started out babbling indecipherably, yet Garble did not interrupt. He got the gist of what his brother was saying, and after a while, began to pick out whole words and phrases. “Tired... can’t... Pound... gone... sick of... Lilac... miss Mom and Dad... blank flank... just a kid... pretending to be something I’m not. just want to go home.”
“Me too, Charcoal,” Garble sighed. “Me too. But you know what? When we get through this, we can put our families back together, and all of us can go home together.” He thought of his wife and several children waiting for him back at the dragon craters. At least he knew they’d be safe, but Charcoal did not have this guarantee.
“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Garble,” Charcoal sank further into the sand, pressing close to the comforting warmth of the dragon’s scales. “Armies and war strategies, traitors and now attempted assassination... some ponies might be able to handle it, but I’m not one of them. I don’t want anyone to die- not even Chrysalis, even after everything she’s done. No one deserves to die. Their lives aren’t ours to take. But everyone’s still looking to me to lead them. Why can’t Trident or Shining Armor or even the Doctor? Why me?”
“Because, Char,” Garble nudged him even closer as they both rearranged themselves for sleep. “You brought us all together. Dragons and hippogryphs, hippocampi and changelings... that was all you. Nopony else could have done that.”
“But it wasn’t me. Mom and Dad did the research, they made the trips, they found each one of you before I was even born!”
“They found them, alright,” Garble agreed, “but you brought us together. You convinced them to work towards a common cause. You united us. I believe in ya, Char. If anyone can do this, it’s you.” Garble wasn’t sure if Charcoal had heard him, for when he looked down again, the colt was already asleep. Garble smiled, and fashioned his wing into a protective tent. “’Night, Char.”