Stories in Stone, Lost Empire

by TDR

The Final Countdown [25]

Stories in Stone
Lost Empire
By TDR

The Final Countdown

[ Crystal Empire, Monday , 1500 hours. ]

The reaction to Luna's emergence as a Changeling was as sudden as it was unexpected. Only one of them could do anything but stare slack jawed at the figure before them with shock, worry, and fear.

A golden glow wrapped around the Changeling Locust, yanking the mare off her hooves, swinging her flank over legs to smash into the wall at the end of the stairs. The impact punched through the chitinous mass covering the wall and splintered the stone that was behind it, flecks of stone and hardened icor showered the room as Locust barely managed a pained yelp from the impact as her breath was knocked out of her and her chitin splintered.

“How could you... after everything we have done..” snarls Cadence. The pink mare advanced on the changeling in the wall her horn glowing brightly as her magic crushed Locust harder constricting tighter around her neck the sound of cracking coming from the pinned changeling as her throat was crushed. “After we let you stay here, after all that we have set up so your kind could be accepted despite everything you did? This is your way of paying us back for that? I should have killed you when you first showed up like I wanted!”

“Dayamn gurl calm yer teats.” Bleu snaps, “We have a bigger issue than …..”

“SHUT UP BLEU!!” Cadence snaps, her lavender eyes burning with a barely contained anger.” I am no longer in the mood for the banter and my tolerance is fully gone with her. I've had to look past the attempt on my life, my husband, my home before, and then do it all over again. Even after all that I looked past it because of what I saw, what I felt, and the moment I feel comfortable again she ruins it. That will NOT happen a third time.”

Cadence glares back at Locust only for a multi colored shield to form between the pink alicorn and the Changeling mare cutting Cadence's spell off completely. Locust gasps, falling from the crater she had been put into, collapsing to the ground in a heap, coughing up green blood onto the floor.

Cadence whirls looking up at the towering form of Luna as the newly converted mare shakes her head slowly.

“I asked them to do this Cadence. No one forced or tricked me. If you are going to blame any one for this then blame me, but I need her alive for now.” Luna states. “If it calms you any, she had no plans to do anything, then Tirek showed up.”

“It does not calm me Luna. Do you know how much effort it took me to let her care for Shin, let alone Glimmer? To let her any where near them?” Cadence snaps back glaring up at the taller mare.

“Then why did you?” Luna asks.

Cadence winces, her ears flattening to her head as she turns her eyes down cast. “Because I felt the love they shared..... And I'm not cruel enough to take a foal from his mother.....”

“Okay wait, no, time out!” Starfall snaps interrupting. “What the buck is going on here? Why in Tartarus would you want .. what ever this is Princess.. Queen whatever? And what's the deal with the Changeling and Cadence?”

“I studied the Sparkle's research notes and was given some books from what I assume was another hidden library of Sombra's that hadn't been found yet.” Luna looks to Shining. “Turn right at the bottom of the main staircase and circle the third pillar three times and a door will be in it. There are a number of things Sombra hid in this place and I now know most of them.”

“Including the armory?” Locust coughs as Luna gets a dark grin on her face.

“More things she kept hidden when we asked about them.” Cadence snaps. “For what purpose?”

“A valid one, though it's information we could have used when Tirek first showed up. She didn't know he was back until after Gallopagos fell. Interestingly enough when she did bring the information to me I was in a unique situation where I could simply ask Starswirl's echo about it. Everything she told me was the truth, but she does not know everything.” Luna states.

“I was never meant to be Queen...” Locust mutters.

“What do you mean Queen, what the heck is going on here? Cadence what is this?” Shining snaps glancing over to Cadence as her ears flatten again.

“Shining honey I know you can be a bit dense sometimes, but I really had hoped you would have figured this out.” Cadence snaps rolling her eyes.”

“Tell them everything.” Luna commands to the sputtering Changeling mare. “I have far to much to do to be bogged down in questions.”

Luna pushes past the small group and up the stairs. Bleu and Starfall look at each other then at Locust before they follow after Luna.

Locust watches them go and sighs sitting up with a wince.

“I knew this was going to be a pain, but I didn't think it was going to be this bad. Should have guessed you would know Cadence. That talent of yours isn't far from what I used to have.” Locust mutters earning another death glare. “ Fine what do you want to know?”

“Everything.” Rose grumbles.

“You will answer anything we ask, or else Chrysalis.” Cadence snarls.

“As you wish.” Locust/Chrysalis mutters.

===================================================

[Whitetail Woods 1500 hours.]

Daring Doo flinches a little as Applebloom checks over her wing. The farm pony frowning at the blood seeping out of her wing tip. Scootaloo looks over her friends shoulder at the injury with a flinch. Doo for the most part was more interested in looking over the book before her then the damage done to her wing by the tiger.

“This looks pretty bad.” Applebloom mutters. “I know some birds can't fly at all after their main feathers are clipped. Does it work like that for pegasi?”

“Near enough” Scootaloo grumbles. “It'll grow back, but it takes a long time and there's a chance you won't fly right again until you adjust to the new feathers.

“Kid I've not flown right since I had both my wings broken ten years ago.” Doo comments. “A couple months grounded won't mean anything more to me than to remove a distraction so I can get some writing done. This book should be good too, particularly with an idol singer, a phoenix, and a lost prince helping me out. Not sure what to do with you yet Miss Bloom, sorry”

“I'm not lost.” Pip mutters adding some more dead wood to the fire on the small rise before the large root building.

“OOOh I'm gonna be in a Daring Doo book!” Sweetiebelle giggles.

“That ain't exactly truthful. “ Applebloom mutters.”Are all yer books just lies?”

“All of them are based on my adventures, but if they are wild enough for every pony to think they are just stories so much the better. Given half my job is spent in libraries studying things I don't see how a little embellishment here and there hurts. No one wants to read a book titled, 'Daring Doo and the Dewy Decimal system' Besides this stuff funds my digs any way.”

“Ah ken think of one purple pony that would like a story called that.” Applebloom comments.

“So have you translated any of that yet?” Pip asks pointing at the book.

“Quite a bit. The translation is easier than I thought. It's written in only one language. This is a bit odd in itself when you consider that nearly everything important before the Exodus of the Three Tribes is written in three different languages representing each of the three tribes. This is written soly in ancient runic Unicorn.” Daring Doo smiles. “But there's a reason and that makes this find even better.”

“What's that?” Applebloom asks spreading some mixture over the pegasus' wound.”

Daring do closes the crystal book, lifting it up before the fire. The crackling flame does little to the crystal book despite the heat from it, though the light shines though the book, the etching inside blocking the light in certain spots. The shadows cast by the words form an image that shown onto the root pillar behind the tan mare.

The others look up at it as Daring Doo turns and shifts the book a little, adjusting the angle until the light glowing through the book formed into a symbol that at least three of them recognized.

“Is that?” Sweetiebelle asks looking at the image.

“Well that's one way to sign your work.” Pip nods.

Scootaloo and Applebloom look at each other then at the symbol on the wall. It was a loose open clockwise spiral with a number of stars dotted around it. The image cast an odd silverish tinge that didn't match with the orange glow of the fire light.

“This book on Changelings was written by Starswirl the Bearded. Want me to read it out loud?”” Daring Doo grins as the groups nods.

==========================================

[Crystal Empire, Monday , 1520 hours.]

Luna flinches a little as she heads up the stairs. There were so many voices, she could hear them all. Faint mutterings, shouts of panic or joy. Fear however was the predominate response. There was a new Queen, would she bring salvation or ruin? She doubted any of them knew she could hear them, and in truth it mattered little to her. If any of the ones who were still awake wished to join her they could. She would not force her will on those who had minds of their own. The sleepers however had no such thing at the moment. She could feel the first stirrings of them as her very presence spurred them from their slumber. The ones force-ably changed, made into slaves and servants, mere drones for the previous Queen. She could feel what they were before, locked away inside them and that worried her.

She could let them out, let them be the ponies and griffons and other things that they used to be. She could let them remember themselves, to be of their own mind again. She never expected she could do it and a small part of her wanted to do just that. Let the sleeping Changelings wake to what they once were, let them return to friends and family's that thought them lost, she could not change them back but she could let them live.

Luna knew she could not do that however. Not yet any way. She needed the army, needed them to make sure Tirek's threat was ended. If any survived she would let them return, let them live their lives as they wished, but for now she could not. She wouldn't do like Chrysalis did, throw their lives away for nothing. She had no plans to make more Changelings like them and thus they were a finite resource. She needed a loyal army that would not question her as she was now, and the Changeling drones were the only ones who would do that.

Stepping into the hive she was staggered again, though this time not by voices, but a weight landing on her back. Luna turns her head coming face to face with a very annoyed looking little blue dragon.

“Have you put on weight?” Luna comments noticing Bleu's wings twitch.

“Leave the comedy to the professionals. You got some splanning to do Loony.” Bleu snaps.

“I told Chrysalis to explain it.” Luna sighs glancing to her side and down at Starfall who seemed miffed that she was even shorter than Luna now, her head barely coming up to the transformed Princesses chest.

“That's nice, I want to hear it straight out of the horses mouth... namely yours. First off why the transformation? Some hidden super power or such?” Bleu asks.

“Tirek cannot steal power from Changelings. I've effectively locked the power of two gods and the sun and moon out of his grasp.” Luna states. “There is some boost in power fueled by emotion and the knowledge of thousands of Changelings past and present available for my use. Not exactly a hive mind, but more a hive memory.”

“So what, you feed on love now?” Starfall questions following along with Luna as she approaches the broken door.

“Not just love. Fear, anger, sadness, all have their differing strengths and flavors, love is most sought after due to the taste of it. I can draw power from it the easiest. And in the center of the Empire lies an artifact packed with years of built up power a wealth of stored joy and love that I can use.” Luna comments looking out across the Empire from the door towards the palace.

“So tactics.” Starfall nods. “That makes a sort of sense, so why didn't you tell us?”

“Would you have agreed? I've lost nearly everything and I'm willing to do anything to save what I have left even if it means I still lose it in the end.” Luna mutters

“Your foals.” Starfall nods.” They are not going to like this.”

“All but Dawn are old enough that perhaps they will understand. If they do not they are old enough that they can move on without me. I will ask Cadence if she can care for Dawn after this, if the change is too great.” Luna sighs. “ I certainly hope she is young enough to still accept me after this is all over.”

“You are being seriously far to melodramatic.” Bleu snorts. “ At least you're not being suicidal. That's a plus.”

“I have lost two of the only friends I have had in centuries as well as the love of my life for a second time or third... maybe fourth, I lost count. I did this so I might face Tirek on even ground and stop him. There are no statues I can go to speak with to calm myself this time. Some of my..., our friends, are truly gone.” Luna mutters her ears flattening. Starfall flinches looking away as well.

“Now well..... not all of that is exactly true.” Bleu comments. “Boss ain't exactly dead yet....”

Luna and Starfall both turn looking back at the dragon who was rubbing her head spines.

“What are you talking about?” Luna asks.

“It's complicated. But I've been looking for your flank all damn day to tell you. Troph is here and he's definitely in Boss's body.”

Luna's eyes widen, the mismatched glow brighting and nearly blinding the small dragon at the intensity.

“This...... this will change quite a lot of my plans. Take me to him.” Luna gasps.

======================================

[Crystal Empire, Monday , 1530 hours. ]

“So this is the Crystal Empire? Never thought I'd be seeing it this way.” A mint colored unicorn sighs leaning back against the bench, her forelegs sitting on her barrel and her rear legs dangling over the edge of the seat.

“Must you sit like that? It hurts my back just looking at it.” A cream colored earth pony mare with a two tone purple and pink mane and tail sighs rolling her eyes. “Yeah, It's been a while since I was here. I thought you and Princess Cadence were friends, and you never came out here Lyra?”

“What, it's comfortable....” Lyra sighs looking at the sky. “ Nah, been meaning too but after that whole thing getting mind controlled at the wedding I'm a little worried about what she might think...”

“Lyra that was over ten years ago and you weren't the only one who had issues with the Changelings.”

“I suppose you're right Bon Bon, still she hasn't tried to contact me either so I'm still kinda leery.” Lyra comments.

“Of course I'm right, I bet she's so swamped with idiots complaining right now she'd love to set some time aside to talk to a friend.” Bon Bon waves a hoof before gasping as a pair of mint hooves suddenly wrap around her in a hug.

“Thanks Bon Bon. I needed that bit of a boost.” Lyra says pressing her face into Bon Bon's mane. “ Hey wait, have you been using my shampoo again? You smell like mint.....”

“Ummmm...” Bon Bon stutters.

“Ah hope ah am not interrupting anything here.” comments a voice.

Looking up from each other the two of them saw a couple of ponies on the path nearby. The first was a scarred zebra mare with a rather large unlit cigar hanging from the corner of her mouth. She was dressed in a Royal Guard uniform, though it was devoid of any rank. Her dark, sandy-blond mane and tail were slicked back, leaving her piercing green eyes to look over the pair. Next to her was a light blue unicorn mare with a two tone white and dark blue mane and tail dressed in Royal Guard armor marked with Princess Cadence's cutie mark.

“ Umm can we help you..?” Bon Bon questions hesitantly as she untangles herself from Lyra.

“Drop tha act Agent Sweetie Drops. Yer operation has been canceled in light of recent events and we are pulling ya ta full active again.” Moaskau states. “Head to tha palace and get yer self suited up. Major Peach Blossom will brief you.”

“Guard Captain I was placed under the jurisdiction of General Pelt while in Ponyville I understand the issues going on now, but my mission was covert, why has it changed?” Bon Bon states in a darker tone.

“Wha? What's going on here?” Lyra stammers.

“Rhedeic Pelt is dead. Your command has been returned to the Six Sixty Sixth Monster Hunters. With the loss of Ponyville and and New Canterlot there is no need for your operation any more. We need your skills in other areas Sweetie Drops.”

“Of course Guard Captain.” Sweetie Drops sighs.

“Wait a minute you're a secret agent?” Lyra mummers. “Why didn't you tell me? Are you saying our whole friendship was based on a lie?! ”

“I'm sorry, Lyra! I couldn't tell you for your own protection!” Sweetie Drops sighs. “ I was sent in to deal with the monsters that attacked Ponyville, then the Element Bearers showed up and I was on damage control mostly.”

“B-b-but the lunches! The-the long talks! The benches we sat on!Your grandmothers shop!? None of that was real?! “ Lyra comments tearing up.

“It was all real. You're my very best friend. “ Sweetie Drops sighs. “ I have to go Lyra.”

“Seriously are you done now?” The blue mare next to the zebra asks. “ Do I need to get you a drama couch?”

“Colgate what are you doing here and in armor....” Sweetie Drops asks.

“It's Minuette. Sweetie Drops.” the blue mare corrects.

“Aww crap.” Lyra mutters slapping her face with her hoof.

“ Captain Heartstrings I am here to reinstate you to Princess Cadence's Inner Guard.”

“Damn it, couldn't I have gotten another ten or twenty minutes of complaining about her keeping secrets before you said anything?” Lyra snaps.

“What?!” Sweetie Drops asks.

“What? You never thought it odd that a musician from Ponyville was friends with a Princess enough to be one of her bridesmaids? “ Lyra sighs. “ It's no wonder you never found out who ate your imported oats. And you're supposed to be a secret agent?”

“Well excuse me I didn't think I needed to investigate my best friend!” Sweetie Drops shouts back glaring at the lime colored unicorn. “ And I knew about the oats, why do you think I was using your shampoo?!”

“Hey that shampoo costs twice what those oats did!” Lyra snaps.

“Yeah and you ate them all twice when I ordered them!” Sweetie Drops snaps back.

The pair of them continue to bicker as Minuette and Guard Captain Moskau glance at each other with a sigh. The zebra winces as Lyra tackles the earth pony and the pair roll around on the ground still arguing and mane pulling as they fight.

“You're going to put them both in my unit aren't you Guard Captain?” Minuette mutters.

“Yup” agrees Moskau.

“Greaaaaaaat.” Minuette sighs.

“That stupid hand obsession has clearly rotted your brain!” Sweetie Drops yells.

“At least I don't keep changing the sound of my voice to try and sound all mysterious and crap!” Lyra rants.

=================================================

[Crystal Empire, Monday , 1530 hours. ]

Chrysalis coughs again holding her throat with a hoof, a few splatters of green blood striking the floor.

“Are you going to start telling us what's going on?” Rainbow Dash demands.

“Well I would like to, but it's rather difficult to talk when you're recovering from having your throat and chest caved in.” Chrysalis snaps back glaring at Cadence.

“Noted, next time I'll start by removing limbs.” Cadence comments.

“Damn, this is new, when did tha Princess git this violent?” Rose asks.

“What do you mean new?” Shining asks. “When she gets set off she's almost on Major Kaisur's level. Lucky for us it takes a bucking lot to get her to this point.”

“Guess that explains why yer so keen on remembering dates and such. Hate tah miss an anniversary with her.” Rose shudders.

“I doubt she'd get this mad if I forgot, but I don't want to take the chance.” Shining agrees.

The group of them were still in the basement, though the few other changelings that had been with Luna tending her pod came back with chairs and were offering drinks or anything else in an effort to try and placate the group, Cadence in particular.

“Ease up Princess. We don't wanter dead.” Applejack points out.

“Says you.” Cadence growls. “I don't even want to think what would happen if she tried anything with the foals.”

“Okay one, I wouldn't have tried anything with the foals....” Chrysalis grumbles.

“Not tha best track record fer us ta believed dhat. “ Rose grumbles.

“Yes well excuse me for being a revenge fueled monster driven mad by the Books of Orbsah. Then there was betrayal of my sister, who by the way, also poisoned me and my husband, who was her son. Then I get locked in a dimension of nothing but wasteland and starved for several millinia before being released randomly into a world that didn't even think my kind existed. I then come to find out my husband and father in law were supposedly killed, and my sister and her little helper were still alive and one of them was ruling the place.” Chrysalis snaps. “Oh yes lets all forget and forgive the last mare who went mad and tried to destroy everything, but not the one who lost everything trying to bring the real mad mare to justice.”

“Yeah well Luna's done some shit in the past, but she also has done a lot of good things as well. It doesn't balance out, but it makes forgiveness a bit easier.” Rainbow Dash points out.

“Oh yes of course, hero of the wars and all that. Please continue to ignore the facts that I brought about the proper unification of the three tribes, the exodus to what is now Equestria , AND the installation of the Princesses to power to keep the three tribes from falling back into war.” Chrysalis growls. “Oh yes, also I was a pony Princess long before Celestia, or Aviana were even twinkles in their great grandparents eyes. I helped create the Crystal Empire and was one of the reasons Tirek and Scorpan didn't destroy everything when they were running amuck the first time. But yes please focus on a nearly ruined wedding and a one day war brought on by madness and pain, while ignoring how bucking hypocritical you all are and how many Luna killed in her years as Nightmare Moon.”

“Jus so yah know, I voted against any of that lot gitting loose. So ah ken still point out yer failings without being hypocritical. However ah'm holdin mai tongue, mostly cause ah can't figure out that other stuff that ah'm feeling. “ Applejack mutters. “ Like why ah wanna help Cadence smash yer head in, and why ah felt like that even before ah knew who yah were, when yah were jus Locust.”

“Simple answer. I'm corrupted Honesty. It's no wonder you have a revulsion.” Chrysalis chuckles.

“Well that explains me an Jer'rahd pretty well, though not Luna and Twilight, or Discord and Pinkie.” Dash mutters. “ Though even my dislike of Jer'rahd went away after a while.”

“After he was cleansed by the Elements of Harmony, Something that never happened to me.” Chrysalis comments. “ I have the same feeling towards you and the gray mare who just left.”

“So why tha deception pretending tah be Locust?” Rose mutters.

“And how are you still alive after I saw your corpse.” Shining adds.

“Do you really think I would have been let any where near my son as I was?” Chrysalis comments.

“You were despite what you were.“ Cadence adds in.

“Well you kept rather quiet, so I actually thought I fooled you.” Chrysalis sighs “As for the body, that was me. I didn't recover well from the fight with Avianna. Having Shin was too much and I died. Still not happy with his name being changed mind you, though this fits too I suppose.”

“Metamorpo sounded like a supervillian from a comic.” Cadence snarks. “And that doesn't answer how you are still here.”

“I transferred my mind into a brain dead drone. Not a hard task, still if I hadn't been preparing to do it since I was injured I never would have been able to do so as I died.” Chrysalis sighs. “Solomon didn't believe I had done it and went mad with grief before convincing Shining there to kill him. If not for Shin I would have followed.”

“So you took over some one elses body and life. Yeah, no, that's not better.” Rainbow Dash grumbles.

“It doesn't quite work like that. If she ever came back to herself my presence would be washed away like a bad memory and I would be truly dead. Granted I only expected this to last maybe a year at best. It's an old spell, one that we used in the past for scouts. Some ponies where left intentionally blank when changed, so if a scout was killed they could transfer back to tell us what they found before they passed on fully.”

“That's horrible. Right?” Dash winced glancing at Shining and Rose who had gone quite mulling over the tactic. “ Right?”

“So yah didn't expect tah be alive long. Why do it at all?” Applejack asks.

“Shin.” Cadence adds. “She wanted to make sure he would be treated correctly and sensing the connection I made her the nanny. Like her cover was supposed to be.”

“Rather trusting of yah?” Applejack comments.

“Given how closely I was watched for a year plus, not really.” Chrysalis points out. “Still I was allowed more than I expected.”

“You were useful. And I had more than enough tracking spells placed on you that if you tried to run or do anything I could have easily found you.” Cadence states flatly.

“Not tah interrupt the how and why, but most of this sounds like pure bullshit to me.” Rose grumbles.

“Nah. She ain't lying. She's being straight, which is why ah'm willing tah listen this long instead forcing her tah get to tha point.” Applejack states. “ She ain't said why she didn't tell us this earlier.”

“Also who are Tirek and Scorpan.” Shining adds.

“And how do we kill him.” Rainbow Dash smirks.

“I am telling you everything because the Astral Queen told me too. Given I'm little better than a drone at the moment I can't exactly go against her will if she forces it. Given my current ghost parasite state I doubt I would last long. ” Chrysalis grumbles.

“Astral Queen?” Dash asks.

“Princess Luna.” Shining explains. “Odd title though.”

“Would you prefer Queen of the heavens? Princess of the Sky? “Chrysalis sighs. “ Also killing Tirek is the last thing you want to unless you've already written those under his power off as dead. Because you kill him and they will be dead before his body cools.”

“Alright you had better explain everything.” Cadence sighs.

“I was going to. Though it's gonna be a bit of a history lesson. Applesnack there can keep you updated on if it's true or not, but it's a little to late for me to lie.” Chrysalis snarks.

“It's Applejack.” Applejack corrects.

“Given what we eat and how you are around that little pink maned mare friend of yours, I stand by my statement.” Chrysalis grins.

“Rude.” Applejack snorts turning a bit red.

“You already dislike me for no reason, might as well give you a reason.” Chrysalis chuckles. “Now then, I suppose I should start with why Changelings were even made....”

======================================

[Crystal Empire, Monday , 1530 hours. ]

“It's weird as hell how you do that.” Starfall comments, her hooves clicking on the tile of the Crystal palace as they moved through the halls. “Also that form is creepy as buck.”

Starfall glanced back at the gray unicorn mare with an amber mane and tail, one green eye and one red eye. Her cutie mark was a silver shield with a black chess knight in the middle of it. Her height hadn't changed and her mane and tail were much longer than Jer'rahd's, but other wise she was a near perfect copy, right down to the little blue dragon sitting on her back.

“Sorry, but I am not used to this all just yet. Having the knowledge and putting it into practice is difficult. So I simply changed to something I am familiar with that would not attract the attention I would have as a Princess.”

“Makes sense.” Starfall sighs. “ Still creepy and why is everything taller than me!!?”

“What does not make sense is how you and Bleu both seem to have no issue with this. You are also both rather trusting that I have not been changed.” Luna comments.

“You smell the same and you feel the same.” Bleu shrugs humming something to her self. “ You saying we shouldn't trust you?”

“You have yet to lie and your goals haven't changed.” Starfall adds. “Not to mention this is not the strangest thing we've ever seen. I was there for the noodle incident remember?”

“Also it's not like Boss wouldn't do the same thing. Particularly if you were in trouble.” Bleu states glancing over at Starfall who nods. “Heck he'd probably do it just to take revenge for Velkorn and Rhede.”

“That played a good deal into my decision.” Luna snorts. “What are you humming?”

“New song idea, about how you are now.” Bleu comments.

“I am afraid to ask.” Starfall growls. “But you're going to try and sing it for us any way.”

“She's a killar.... queeeeeeen, Gunpowder and ,geletine, Dynamite with a laser beam.......” Bleu sings stopping suddenly. “ Hey you still do that unicorn energy blast thing with your horn right? “

“That is a spell Bleu. Yes, I can still cast spells......” Luna sighs.

“What's Geletine?” Starfall asks.

“ I'll be sure to keep that part then. Any how we're here.” Bleu states hopping off Luna's back as the pair stop before a door in the palace. The dragon shifts her size to match Luna's and pushes open the door moving inside.

Luna glances to Starfall and the pair follow.

“What is this place?” Starfall asks looking around at the tile lined floors and walls taking note that even the ceiling was covered with small tiles. The room was lined with lockers and benches, an awning on the far side of the room opened up into a large room filled with showers and a thick door on the far side of the showers that was partial open with steam billowing out of it.

“Sauna and shower area for the troop barreks further down the hall. I put him in here for the sauna, it's cold this far north and not many dragons are used to it.” Bleu states pushing open the door on the far side of the shower room, a large blast of steam billowed out as the door swung inward.

She looks back at the other two noticing Luna's eyes were on the tile floor, and the splatters of blood covering it.

“Bleu?” Luna asks a rather worried tone filling her voice.

“It's not good, but it could be worse and it's why he's in here relaxing, better you ask him what's wrong.” Bleu frowns. “I don't think he gave me a proper response.”

The two ponies look to each other before following Bleu into the sauna.

=================

[Crystal Empire, Monday , 1540 hours. ]

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! YOU BUCKING FUCKS! THIS IS TOURTURE HOW THE SHIT DO YOU CALL YOURSELVES THE GOOD GUYS!?!?!”

“You tried to take over my sons body. “ Twilight Velvet states flatly as the Jade scroll lands with a dull thud before her.

“You tried to take me over and I had to have my arm cut off.” Spike states just as monotone as Twilight Velvet. “It itches a lot, do you know how hard it is to scratch scales?”

“Also you are a book, there is no moral issue for damaging an inanimate object, even if it does have a dead griffon inside of it.” Nightlight explains offering a drink to his wife from a tray one of the maids brought, moving over to Spike and giving him the other glass.

“This Daring Doo stuff is rather interesting.” Spines adds not even paying attention for the most part as he thumbs through a book. “So she's a real pony?”

“How the buck are you just sitting there watching your supposed leader torture someone” the Jade scroll screams as Spike picks the book back up off the ground with his newly regrown arm.

“Well... I'm not about to go against what others who actually study this sort of thing say. Though from what I've been told you are pretty much the source of all this trouble. You made the thing that trapped that first dragon and his mate in Tartarus bringing about the series of events that had him kill my friends. I could blame him for killing them or them for attacking him, but it's much easier to focus that blame on you.” Spines explains.

“Told you he was bright. He's theorizing the Butterfly effect and put it into proper practice.“ Spike grins, breathing a jet of green flame onto the screaming book again, turning it to ash.

“A few more times and perhaps it will be willing to tell us what we want to know.” Night Light grumbles.

“Like how to cure my daughter.....” Velvet glowers as the book reforms before her screaming still.

“For fucks sake, fine, FINE!!! I'll tell you about the damn Tirek!! JUST STOP WITH THE FIRE!!” the Jade Scroll wails.

“Then start talking, I've got more than enough flame left to do this for the rest of the day and into tomorrow.” Spike growls.

==============================================

[?, Monday , 1540 hours. ]

The Silver Script screamed out in anguish before she went silent aside from the soft chuckle of the monster standing before the dais. The drained book fell from the creatures grasp, thudding heavily to the ground in the pile with the others,pages falling free of it's broken spine, the mud and troll blood quickly soaking into the fallen pages.

Despite a number of wounds, missing fingers and a broken horn, the massive red and black form of Tirek was still a monster to behold. A soul stealing monstrosity with an unlimited appetite and no morals to speak of. A creature that heralded the doom of everything in one way or another.

The Gray Grimiore was not impressed.

“You realize you have set me back considerably. This has already been a bad decade with the removal of the Crystal Chronicle from this world. And now there is this.” The Gray Grimoire sighs. “That damned griffon has a great deal to answer for. I am almost angry.”

“I would not worry yourself about that one. I will be devouring my creator soon enough.” Tirek grins picking up the last book off the alter. “Of course you will not be around to see that.”

“So his creature is as flawed and stupid as he is. You have no idea what you are even trying to do now.” the book comments.

Tirek grins, though that grin slowly turns to a frown, then a scowl as the Gray Grimoire remains untouched by Tirek's power.

“What is this?”

“I created the others including your bumbling creator. I created everything, there is no way you would be able to ever claim even a fraction of the power I hold.”

“Impossible, drawing the power from the other Books should have afforded me more than enough energy to circumvent anything you could stop me with.” Tirek growls. “ Once I took your power the Element's would be easy to claim.”

“Much as I dislike what my sister has done, you cannot destroy the Elements nor take their power any more than you are taking mine. The six first gods gave up their lives just to be almost equal with what I had become. Do you really think draining my minions means anything?” The Grey Grimoire laughs. “Look at the memories you took from them. All you acquired was the power of a lazy Dragon, a slutty pegicorn, an angry Diamond Dog, and a egg headed zebra. All you would need is a jealous griffon, and a greedy unicorn to complete the set. You gained nothing of importance from them and in time the power I shared with them will return to me. All you have done is set me back by a few decades. Annoying, but far from anything I should be concerned about. I am the first god little creature, your powers are nothing to me.”

Tirek snorts slamming his hoof down, the impact obliterating the ancient books on the ground below him. Bits of old pages and muddied leather covers puffing out of the impact like confetti. The great beast tries again to absorb the Books power and fails each time. Tirek's eyes narrowed as the Gray Grimoire started to laugh at him. He yanks the book open seeing nothing but blank pages. Grabbing them he attempts to rip the book apart finding he is unable to even tear one page free. The monster slams the book back onto the stone alter, cracking the surface of the hewn rock table.

“You vex me book. Though I know where you are now, your minions are dead. Once I have the others and the Element's I will return and claim you. Until then, enjoy you tomb, your laughter annoys me, perhaps hearing it echo back for a century or so will make it have the same effect on you.” Tirek snaps turning away moving through the stone arch, flanked by two of his clones, one of them chewing on part of the Red Tome's binding.

“Do you really think you will even win? These fools have given me pause at least three times in their short lives, and you are a far inferior thing than I.” the Gray Grimoire taunts.

Once Tirek is through the arch he gestures back over his shoulder firing a blast that slams into the archway, collapsing it and sealing the cackling book in the cave.

The Gray Grimoire stops laughing as the last few rocks tumble down over the collapsed entrance. After a time he could no longer feel Tirek's power nearby. The book lets out an exasperated sigh as it regards the remains of the other Books of Orbsah.

“What a pain. Still it is a small surprise that the bird figured out even this much. I need to endeavor to make sure something akin to his creation never happens again.” The Gray Grimoire chuckles softly as the spines and pages of the crumpled books turned to ash and then to nothing as the power from them flowed back into the first book.. “Still the construction of the beast is quite impressive, pity it has so many exploitable flaws.”

The book cackles softly for a moment after drawing back the power, before it simply was no longer on the alter.

=====================================================

[Crystal Empire, Monday , 1540 hours. ]

>”Interesting new smell you have there dream walker. I'm sure my host would greatly appreciate the new look too.”<

In the billowing steam of the room it was hard to tell where the voice came from at first until the faint glow of six red eyes was noticed. Starfall hisses a little as the form rises, towering over her and standing as tall as Princess Luna had been before her current change.

“Troph.” Luna states.

>” Let us dispense with the pleasantries. You need to reopen the gate of Tartarus or Grace will die.”

“That is not something I know how to do. Tia was the only one who had any experience with Tartarus. Even though they dwelt there none of the memories from the Hive have any knowledge of how to reopen the gate either. I am sorry. But all of the ponies who might have known what to do are incapacitated......... Why are you in Jer'rahd's body?....” Luna gasps. “What have you done to him....?”

The figure approached closer stepping out of the mist with a clack of claws on the tile. The figure's torso and neck were still gray furred with patches of scales of a mixed blue and orange showing here and there dripping with water. It's face had lengthened displaying a full set of sharp fangs in a much wider mouth. The curved horn that had grown from the stump of the spiraled horn had smoothed out and grown longer than even Luna's horn, the splintered horn that it grew out of had thickened and splintered, looking more like a crown of spikes around the main horn now. The amber mane had mostly fallen out and a series of spikes of the same coloration had replaced most of it. A ridge of spines ran along his back to where the scaled dragon tail began. Both his front and rear legs ended in wicked claws and he seemed far more a dragon than a pony now. Even the fur around his form seemed more like a misfitted suit rather than actual flesh.

>” I am the first dragon god Dream Walker. That my host's flesh is able to contain me at all is miraculous and likely a product of his birth and the magic that bound me to him. But it is not meant to be. If the gates of Tartarus are not opened, and I am not removed from this body again eventually it will no longer be able to contain me and it will destroy itself trying to adapt, killing me and any chance you have of restoring my host.”< Troph states coldly. >” I certainly hope you have a plan to either defeat the monster that did this, or open the gates very soon Dream Walker, I am not sure how much longer this body will last.”<

Author's Note:

The Final Countdown by Europe

Comments

[SilentMech]

Ooh. So now it's a race against time for Jer'rhad, meanwhile, the gray grimoire is making lofty claims about his status, and the jade pamphlet continues to be lit on fire because screw it. Oh well, guess we will just have to reverse Tireks ability real quick, then kill him once he has ran out of magic entirely. Let the world sort out what magic goes where, wait for Jer'rhad to take back his body while Troph goes off to be happily wed to his love since the beginning.

[Akantia]

"Applesnack" is that a reference I spy or just a coincidence? XD
I do like the title Troph has given Luna "dream walker" highly appropriate :3

[Kevin Lee]

The Lyra & Bon Bon scene

[treos]

Minuette, haven't played her game in quite a while. was a pretty fun platformer iirc.

[TDR]

6074862
6088494 Ummm ooops.....

6088688 He's just mostly dead, mostly dead we can work will , all the way dead... not so much.

6111288 Indeed,
Those are not lofty claims, that book is bad news.
Don't worry the Jade Scroll's the most evil out of all of them, he deserves it.
Yeah.... about that...... [REDACTED]

6111440 Nah i just thought it was funny.

6111653 Thank episode 100 for that it was so perfect i had to use it.

[SilentMech]

6123271 ... So Tirek isn't a magical imbalance that can be happily corrected with a couple dozen sharp pointy things shoved through sensitive bits? He has to get dragged to Tartarus? Convenient then, that Troph is partially there.

[TDR]

6123428 ... He wasn't in Tartarus..........

[SilentMech]

6123477 Any other convenient prisons around? For something like him at least?

[stag the story teller]

was the explanation of where the title was taken really that necessary? I highly doubt that anyone reading this won't actually know that particular song