“Thorax what are you doing?” Hammer asked as he stared at the Changeling who had as far as Hammer could tell been lying in the same spot for the last few hours.
“I’m trying to will myself dead.” The Changeling responded as he continued to stare up at the ceiling
“Well not to be a buzz kill but could you do that somewhere that isn’t the middle of a hallway?” Hammer asked as he pointed towards the caution tape that someone had placed around the Changeling “Ponies are starting to send reports that there’s a dead Changeling down here.”
“Not yet” Thorax groaned
The guard sighed as he looked at his Changeling friend he didn’t know why he was trying to will himself dead or why he chose to do it in the middle of a hallway but Hammer had other duties that he needed to deal with.
“Okay Thorax, you’ve got to get off the floor.” Hammer spoke as he ducked under the caution tape and began trying to get the Changeling back up on his hooves. After a bit of effort he stepped away from the now standing Changeling.
“See you’re all good now.” The guard stated happily a couple seconds later the Changeling fell back to the ground with a dull thud.
“Leave me to my fate” The Changeling groaned before rolling over to face the ceiling once again.
“Fine” Hammer shrugged “But just so you know the cleaning staff is going to be here eventually and they sweep up everything.” The guard finished speaking before trotting off
“Chrysalis!” Celestia shouted up at the tress sitting in the center of the royal gardens “Chrysalis I know you’re up there!”
After a couple seconds the leaves began to rustle and Chrysalis peeked her head out an annoyed expression on her face.
“You’re going to blow my cover” The Changeling Queen hissed at the Sun Goddess “Get up here if you want to talk.”
“I’m not a foal I’m not clim-“ Celestia was cut off as an aura of magic wrapped around her and she quickly pulled into the tree several branches snapping on her way up. “I hate you so much right now.” Celestia groaned as she rubbed her head.
“Be quiet” Chrysalis hissed as she carefully motioned towards a small viewing gap in the leaves. Both she and Celestia silently watched as down on the ground the most terrifying creature Equestria had ever seen made his way into view.
“Where you” Nibbles hissed as he scanned his surroundings the Changeling Hybrid moved erratically through the garden searching for his prey. Every location that proved to be empty only making him more annoyed. After what felt like a life time Nibbles bolted up the side of the Castle wall and into one of the open windows allowing both Chrysalis and Celestia a chance to finally breathe.
“What in the fires of Tartarus was that about?!” Celestia spoke still trying to keep her heart inside her chest.
“Hide and Seek” Chrysalis answered happily as she stretched out on one of the largest branches in the tree. “I’ve been up here for about six hours now, but I will win.”
“Why do you play with death all the time?” Celestia asked the look of horror still plastered on her face. “Normal ponies don’t play hide and seek with a death itself.”
“That is where you’re wrong, because we are literally playing hide and seek with death itself because Morty is hiding too and I’ve got a couple of your guards playing too.”
“Okay” Celestia spoke as she rubbed her head with a hoof “Who else do you have involved in this insanity?”
“Sombra, Morty, about a dozen of your guards, ALL of my guards, Nightmare, Discord, Luna and now you.”
“First off, I’m not involved in this insanity and secondly the reason I came here in the first place was about one of your guards. Apparently one of them is either dead or playing dead or something I don’t really know, nobody fills out their paper work anymore its anarchy.”
“You mean Thorax? Yeah it’s how he deals with things give him a bit and he’ll get bored or hungry and leave. Back in the Hive we had an infestation of… “Slightly” large spider and Thorax played dead for so long we held a funeral for him. I have to say I have a lot of respect for his ability to play dead he stayed on that pyre for a good three minutes after we lit it.”
Chrysalis finished speaking but continued to stare up at the sky as she recalled the unending amusement of a flaming Changeling bolting out of a flaming pyre; it was almost majestic in a semi horrifying way.
“So is Nibbles just going to take him out when he finds him?” Celestia asked with a raised brow.
“Fortunately for him no, Nibbles has use for him so he will most likely be spared. Cookies for the Cookie god and all that.” Chrysalis finished with a laugh followed by her expression and tone shifting to a more serious one. “Unfortunately for you though, he has no use for you so you won’t be spared. You hid in the tree with me so you’re in the game now, Good luck” Chrysalis laughed as she pushed the Alicorn out of the tree.
With a loud thud the white Alicorn slammed into the ground. She thought about vaporizing the tree and Chrysalis but that would have to wait as she could faintly here the familiar sound of death approaching.
“Oh sweet sun and moon he heard me” Celestia muttered as she bolted in the opposite direction Nibbles had gone and made her way into the castle. She didn’t even know why she was running she hadn’t agreed to be part of this madness but part of her knew that Nibble wasn’t one for reason. The only thing she could do now was find somewhere to hide.
“Note to self, Destroy Changeling Queen and all traces of her existence… again.” Celestia muttered as she galloped through the halls passing guards and leaping clean over a Changeling lying in the middle of the floor.
Eventually Celestia found herself in a rather empty corner of the castle and the feeling of approaching death had faded enough that she felt safe enough to take a break.
“Where am I?” Celestia asked herself as she looked around, the large amount of dusty and cobwebs made her wonder how long it had been since anyone had actually been in this portion of the castle. “Hello?” Celestia asked in a semi hushed voice hoping Nibbles was far enough away that the echo would never reach him.
The white Alicorn carefully and silently made her way through the halls checking each room she came across for any signs of life. Each room however proved to be just as empty as the next and eventually she came to the last room.
“Maybe it’s an exit” She muttered aloud trying to give herself some hope of escaping without having to go back the way she came. As she pushed the door open the door open she was met with the panicked yells of two familiar voices.
“This is it!” Nightmare shouted “This is how we die… Again!”
“Nightmare, I want you to know I always lo- Oh look its Celestia” Discord finished with a sigh of relief “We’re not dead yet!”
“Ah good meat shields” Celestia spoke with a sigh of relief
“What did you say?” Nightmare asked with a semi worried expression still on her face.
“I said, what are you two doing here?” the White Alicorn answered with an innocent smile
“We fell through the roof “ Nightmare spoke as she pointed upwards to the large hole in the ceiling “Luna, Discord and I were trying to hide from Nibbles”
“Oh good Luna’s here?” Celestia spoke with a smile “Where is she, we can sort this all out right now.”
“She didn’t make it” Discord feigned sadness “So we put her body in the closet because it was gross looking and it was attracting rats.”
“Then the only way to stop this madness is to find Sombra, he’s the only one who can calm Nibbles down. Have either of you seen him since this stupidity began?”
Both Nightmare and Discord remained silent as they tried to remember the last time they saw Sombra. Before the game had begun they had breakfast with Sombra and Chrysalis after that Sombra had wandered off towards the royal library.
“He’s in Ponyville!” Discord stated happily earning him a whack from Nightmare
“Last we saw, he was heading towards the Library.” Nightmare stated “He might being hiding ther-“ Nightmare was cut off as the door was flung open by a black tendril and their worst Nightmare walked in
“Find you!” Nibbles stated with a grin that could only be described as adorably twisted. “No more hide” stated as two more tendrils emerged from beneath his shell each one approaching one of the terrified gods.
“Wait Nibbles we can work this out“ Celestia pleaded as the tendril drew closer and closer before gentle tapping her.
“You out!” Nibbles stated happily as he poked the three gods in unison and the three tendrils of dark magic withdrew beneath his shell.
“Wait that’s it?” Nightmare, Discord and Celestia spoke in unison
“Hide and seek” Nibbles stated happily “I find you, you out.”
The three gods gave a sigh of relief at the revelation that none of them would die that day. Their fear replaced with annoyance towards one Changeling Queen in particular.
“Hey Nibbles” Celestia spoke with a sly grin
“Yes” Nibbles answered as he looked away from the giant hole in the ceiling.
“I heard your mother was planning to give you a bath tonight.”
“Bath?!” The hybrid hissed as several black tendrils shot out from beneath his shell and his eyes began to glow a blood like red.
“Yes a bath” Celestia repeated “She said if you couldn’t find her she would give you a bath for losing.”
“Nibbles no lose!” He hissed as the tendrils slammed into the ground cracking the floor around him.
“What if I told you where she was hiding so you wouldn’t lose?” Celestia continued to speak as she shifted her gaze towards Nightmare and Discord who know both shared her devious expression.
“You help Nibbles win?” The hybrid spoke his tone becoming a little less terrifying
“Of course, you’re family.” Celestia answered with a devious grin before leaning down to whisper into the hybrids ear. Once she finished giving the hybrid the location of his mother and some tips on how to catch her they three gods watched in unison as the hybrid scaled up the wall and through the hole in the ceiling.
Several minutes later the three gods and one Changeling stood on the roof overlooking the Castle Gardens.
“Just let me die” Thorax whined as he laid on the roof his head dangling over the edge
“The games over” Celestia stated flatly “No more hide and seek.”
“Wooo” Thorax shouted as he shot to his feet.
“But I need you for something, all Changelings have that freaky Hive mind thing where other Changeling’s see what they see right?” Celestia asked her devious grin from before returning.
“Yes” Thorax answered a bit worried by the question
“Good” the white Alicorn said with a smile all I need you to do is watch and share with your hive.”
Down below in the garden they could see Nibbles making his way down the side of the wall and slowly and carefully towards the large tree that sat in the center of the garden. The three gods giggled to themselves as they watched the leaves shift ever so slight a sign that Chrysalis was getting worried. Nibbles silently and carefully got closer and closer to the branch until he stopped and a red glow formed on his horn.
In a blinding flash of light the tree was engulfed in flames and all those in the area continued to silently watch as the tree burned. Nibbles new the game wasn’t over until her tagged his mother. Discord, Celestia and Nightmare knew that a little fire wouldn’t kill Chrysalis so easily and Thorax and no idea what was happening but he wasn’t on fire so it was okay.
After two minutes of waiting Chrysalis bolted out of the inferno covered in flames. The onlookers watched as the Changeling Queen ran head first into the castle. None of them were sure if she was screaming because of the flames or the Hybrid hot on her tail.
“Two minutes?” Thorax scoffed “Amateur”
Sombra sat quietly in the library enjoying the book he had picked out while he waited for Nibbles to come find him he always enjoyed the nice peaceful games of hide and seek with his friends.
“Have they found us yet?” Mortimer whispered as he leaned his head out from behind the curtains of the large window that covered the majority of the libraries northern wall.
“Not yet” Anguish hissed in response “If I’m lucky they’ll just go back to forgetting I exist and I can hide forever.”
“Shhh” Sombra began “Have to stay quiet to hide” he finished with a chuckle as he returned to reading his book.