Chapter 34
Ancro hadn't ceased to impress Discord. The human turned changeling's gambling habits were holding up, the same could be said of his morals. Pity, it'd be wonderful to imagine what kind of chaos they could bring. It was entertaining to see him think on the fly so, the draconequus stretched out reaching for his popcorn as Ancro's 'plan' unfold. A smile curled across his lips, he'd have to test Ancro's improvisation further and see just how much thinking on his feet he could do. As Rainbow Dash began to stall Discord's attention changed to the changeling that he had...evaporated around the cell.
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The pain stopped and Shift was standing in a large crater, the bars of his cells had been blasted inwards, but he had survived. The praetorians were gone far enough away to be out of his sense of perception. Yet he was alive, he didn't even want to know how it had been the most painful experience of his life.
“Alright, they should be gone now,” the voice spoke sounding distracted and tired.
“What if they come back?”
“I've expended quite a bit of my energy, I can't evaporate you again...well I could...just putting you back together would be...questionable...at best.” Shift could taste the sarcasm, “They won't, they're in much to much of a hurry...as long as they keep thinking you're dead. So just don't jeopardize that."
Shift nodded.
“Good lad, now remember lights out at ten and there's dinner in the fridge,” It said, “I'll stop in to check on you later for now I have to make sure Ancro survives.”
“What do you mean by survives?”
There was an uncomfortably long pause, long enough to make Shift think he had been ignored. Then the shadow smiled. “If an aerodynamic changeling were to collide with a preatorian while doing that little crash into the ground thing you do in the midst of a sonic rainboom what the fallout be for both parties?”
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Frantically the commander gave chase. Ancro had survived, somehow he must have accounted for Rainbow Dash flying by. He had barely sensed her through the battle though! Did that mean this was a coordinated counter attack? Blueblood and Stigandr's timing was almost perfect! It didn't make sense, when and how would they be able to coordinate like this!
Another powerful flap of his wings reassured the commander that soon it wouldn't matter long. Skilled flyer or not, the Element of Loyalty was still just an undisciplined pony, her emotions gave away her every move.
At first he bracketed his fire, narrowing her options into a small funnel that he controlled. Part of him wanted to close it off and catch but he knew he had to end it quickly. This was hampered by an increase in drag. A large feeling as though his body was being pulled down like it was made of lead. Sensing magic he turned to see the source of his problem.
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“I'm not sure about this.” Rainbow Dash confided as they started to stall, Ancro had never made it up this high and was for whatever reason felt relieved that the air actually became thinner at higher altitudes.The simple parallel to earth bringing him comfort.
“Oh come on, it'll be fun.” Ancro smiled putting the finishing touches on his body. His first truly original construct, a long rifled black horn protruding from most of his head, no eyes, atrophied wings with the legs tucked as closely as possible. Always a fan of “Rods from Gods” weapon systems in Sci-Fi's he never thought he'd get a chance to be one much less with Rainbow Dash being the cowboy from doctor Strangelove. “I've always wanted to plow into the ground while while igniting my body into a pillar of fire. It'll be like a dream come true.”
“You're not half b-.” Ancro removed his ears to cut down on drag. Besides the taste had changed enough that he didn't need them anymore and the miniscule energy they drew was needed elsewhere. He turned his eyes off as well. Besides the big ugly praetorian was a huge beacon of frustration. He had no idea what was going on, but Stigs was full-nelsoning him.
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“How long do we have to keep this up!” Blueblood groaned a bead of sweat rolling down his dirty brow.
“Until I tell you otherwise!” Stigandr barked, glaring Blueblood into going onward.
“He's looking at us!”
“Let him, as long as he sees us he's not seeing what Ancro's doing.” The brown unicorn smiled through his grit teeth and tears. His leg was messed up and he knew at least four ribs were broken but, Ancro asked for full nelson and he was going to give this bastard one.
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Ancro felt weird going through a final checks for his own person. Everything that could be turned off was, he was working with one atrophied kidney, half a liver, one lung, a nonexistent digestive track, and a whole bunch of other things he knew were important but not quite so much at this time. Who needs pain receptors and sensory nerves anyways? Ancro nodded his dense needle like head for Rainbow to begin her dive.
As they descended Ancro became aware of several things. Plummeting from high altitudes is just as scary being blind, which struck him as weird since he didn't have depth perception, in his pre-kamikaze dive checks he forgot to turn off his adrenaline glands, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep track of the target with all the background magic created by the rainboom. In short he was noticing several large holes in his already questionable plan. Still it was too late to turn back now and he noticed what he assumed was centripetal force build up from the spiral grooved design he had chosen for his horn.
He could sense the doubts coming from Rainbow Dash as well. Ancro leaned forward trying to show her a modicum of courage and not reveal just how stupid this idea was. If he could keep the charade going up long enough for her to drop him all would be well. The wind picked up as Rainbow accelerated through the aileron roll and the G-s continued to build.
Ancro could feel it. The physical barrier that they had to get through. It was starting to stretch. Ancro began building up the magic he had getting it to encompass him. Rainbow endured the heat as the changeling endured the pressure, their spinning slowed and Ancro felt the barrier wrap around his threaded horn. There was moment of silence, no movement, no senses, nothing. Then he felt it tear, then rip, it tore open. Ancro and Rainbow Dash accelerated and brought hell with them.
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Celestia and Luna took only a second from their fight as the new magic burst forth. It was definitely reminiscent of a Sonic Rainboom the only differences were it was on fire and spinning. Celestia and Luna couldn't figure out which was the more disconcerting. It became obvious who the sources were and that they had to be desperate.
They turned to face the sparse few remaining changelings, but found them to be madly clutching their heads shrieking. Quickly they seized the opportunity to capture the changelings hoping they would be more cooperative than the ones in the prison. Then they'd find out exactly what Rainbow Dash and Ancro had done and to who.
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Blueblood didn't wait for Stigandr's signal he just let go and ran. Between the light the noise and the heat it was a miracle they weren't cinders! He didn’t even notice the violet shell surrounding them and ran into it.
Rubbing his face he saw Twilight Sparkle standing where Stigandr had been, her horn glowing brightly as she maintained the shield. On the contrary Stigandr was barely standing one foreleg buckled under him and breathing raggedly. If this pony could quit his mercenary career he'd be a credit to the guards. Blueblood might even be willing to overlook his past acquaintances and put him in his personal bodyguards. As soon as Celestia let him have some.
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Twilight grit her teeth as the sonic rainboom from the deepest depths of Tartarus exploded into spiraling existence. If she had been a few moments later no telling what would happen. Well most likely Spike, Fluttershy, and everpony else would've been thrown from the ever more structurally unsound walkway bridge and with only Stigandr able to teleport...Twilight quickly banished the thoughts for being too gruesome. Besides she needed to focus on keeping the shield up.
Out of the corner of her eye Twilight saw her two friends recovering. The two of them sat mouths agape at the raw power barreling through the sky. Twilight was both impressed and unnerved, it was easily more than what she was capable of on her best day and the sprinkles on the ice cream it was focused on a point. She hoped Rainbow Dash and Ancro knew what they were doing because if they couldn't control that thing the damage would be catastrophic.
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All color and sound were gone, too overloaded to move the commander watched in horror as it headed towards him. Every nerve in his body screamed too move but he couldn't. The light faded as it grew closer to him and time drug by. His natural fear response was too activate his apex forms exceptional adrenal reserves. It wasn't an option though, everything was overloaded, eyes, ears, all of his senses. He had become a prisoner in his own body. Waiting for the executioner’s swing.
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Rainbow Dash wasn't going to let go and inwardly Ancro managed to chuckle. He was half and half on whether or not she'd follow him through to the end. He had no hope of sensing her beyond the surface with the tempest of magic that engulfed them. He couldn't even sense their target anymore, hoping he'd be paralyzed by the blast and standing still.
Much to his relief his worries were unfounded and his horn connected with the changeling's body. For that instant he could sense every fiber of the changeling's body and mind. His frustration, rage, and desperation all there all present, disbelief and annoyance were there as well but to a much lesser extent. The shell hardening in futility, muscles tightening in panic, what he imagined were organs drastically reorganizing themselves. Tucked beneath everything else Ancro sensed it : pure fear and it tasted good. The pause ended and the changeling's armor gave and the spell tore through him...
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This was much more intense than what Rainbow Dash had imagined. As soon as the rainboom and changeling fire had mixed it became apparent they couldn't hope to steer it. They had played with fire and now it was time to pay the piper...she paused, that didn't sound right. Analogies aside this was bad. She'd overestimated herself before with stunts but this was much worse. She tried to stay calm and think of a solution, going from basics to air braking to more advanced stuff like the one class she dozed and doodled through on stopping an out of control firestorm. Nothing even came close to this scenario. She had no way out.
Except, maybe, letting go. Rainbow Dash quickly perished the thought. Even if that wasn't a guaranteed death sentence for Ancro. There was no telling what would happen or where she would end up. The spinning and swirling lights had engulfed her and she wasn't even sure which way was up!
Regardless it turned out to be too late. The painfully familiar sensation of a skidding collision greeted them as the flaming rainbow tornado skipped across the palace grounds. Desperately she clung to the limp Ancro hoping to wait the energy out as it dissipated. Eventually it came to a halt leaving her and Ancro in smoldering crater somewhere in the palace gardens.
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The changelings dropped the cocoons roughly and out of the corner of his eye Princess Cadence could see them encircling her and Shining Armor. Her struggles intensified and she became more and more desperate to break out and save Shining Armor before it was too late. All it did was earn her a the muffled laughter of the changelings who took notice.
Then the explosion happened. She didn't see what happened but it's affects were immediately noticed on their perpetrators. Breaking their concentration with at least one falling over. That wasn't all, it also tremendously weakened the strength of the cocoons.
Shining Armor's cocoon burst open his horn glowing brightly. He quickly cast off the first changeling that charged him before casting a bubble around himself and her. The next one wasn't so foolish, instead turning itself into some terrifying beetle horned beetle before charging. Cadence felt the sensation of being inside a bell when the monster impacted ringing off the dome seemingly harmlessly.
“Come now Shining Armor,” One of the changelings spoke between the brutish one's collisions, “Our queen would not want her prizes delivered to her in less than favorable condition. Just come out of there and hop back into your cocoons, you do know there's no escape.”
“If you expect us to give up that easily you're sorely mistaken,” Cadence spoke regally, “It's you who should give up, that blast definitely wasn't good for you. I'd leave before we do it again.”
“Cadence, I love you,” Shining Armor's kiss had been out of the blue and while an affectionate husband she had never felt him kiss her so passionately! As his horn glowed again she noticed the tears rolling down his face. He never cried. She was about to comfort him, a flash of light she was back at the gardens and he was gone.
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Duo dropped the sedated Playtime on the ground unceremoniously. He looked too the palace and felt a small sense of shared accomplishment at seeing the smoke. Wishing he had been the one to execute the traitor instead of his own sister. The pain still weighed in his chest chewing at his heart. An explosion from the palace brought him out of his pondering. Turning back to see what final insult his brethren had bestowed he was shocked to see nothing made by a changeling, at least not entirely.
The emotions coming from the flaming rainboom were mixed...like two trying to work together. One was definitely passionate and loud, but the other was more reserved. It didn't take him long to realize the traitor was still at this moment alive, and healthy enough to perform a spell of this magnitude.
After the initial shock and rage relief washed over him. He'd be able to avenge his sister's death after all. He could already feel his claws enclosing around the traitors neck, his compatriots dead at his feet while he steadily chokes to death, utterly powerless.
The mental lash of his superior snapped him back to reality and Duo got in his position to teleport. Leaving behind Canterlot and his chance for revenge.
---
He felt it between the collisions against the shield, a small shake of the ground. His shield had been circumvented. If he had time to prepare the borrowing changeling wouldn't have mattered but...she was safe now and that's all that matters. He recognized the one who had been talking for what he was, a coordinator likely a sergeant or officer. He wasn't too familiar with the changeling rank structure.
“Very perceptive Shining Armor,” The changeling spoke, “I thought that between everything else going on you wouldn't notice him. I'm curious, why not blast us back with your indomitable love?”
Shining Armor didn't answer instead opting to take measured steps around his bubble in an attempt to find where the changeling would burst up from.
“Which was it? Inability, do you not still both love each other?” It asked, “Or when you hit her does that go away? Do you not lover her anymore?"
“Do you ever shut-up?” Shining Armor finally asked not taking his eyes off the ground.
“On occasion,” The changeling smiled, “We'll carry on this discussion another time.”
Fire engulfed them, Shining Armor reflexively closed his eyes expecting to be burnt to cinders but instead was in a large room. His shield no longer around him and facing Queen Chrysalis.
The changeling queen smiled down at him from her black throne. “Welcome to my humble abode Shining Armor.”
Big thanks to my editors.
Rainbow Ninja was here
ShadowblazeCR wub here.
Also update on my life. I’m not going to Parris Island, I want to leave it at that. Still when one door closes another opens. I’m looking at programing something I’ve always been interested in. Also had several people take me aside and say I’m to free thinking and artistic for the Marines.
That’s why the update was late this time though, had a lot on my plate in personal life. Finally clearing off some stuff from Netflix, had a trip to visit some friends up in Cincinnati, on the way back down visited my home town in Kentucky and had a wonderful nostalgia fest. May even plan to move back there at some point, it’s a pair of college towns and offers courses in what I’m interested in also has several gaming stores.
I used to have more money to commission stuff like this but something that usually helps me write is art. I’m not gonna be that self absorbed guy and demand it or have a competition for it. If you see something though or feel like posting it I’ll try to get in on my end credit bits.
Quick note here. February first we lost a talented artist and I’d like to pay my respects to Monty Oum. He was a gifted man who was able to make use of his talent to make wonderful works of art. Rest in Peace.
Thanks for reading, if you fav please like.