Chapter 10 - I reenact the Battle of Manhattan, except with ponies instead of demigods. -Percy
Man oh man, did everything get serious in a hurry. One minute we were exchanging pleasantries with some of Twilight's friends, and testing out the copy Jetstream and Luna made of Riptide, and the next we're scrambling all over Ponyville and Canterlot because Sombra and Chrysalis sprang a surprise attack on the Crystal Empire. Talk about impatient, Kronos still wasn't due to rise for two weeks' time. Honestly that was the only plus side to this whole thing. I we could beat Chrysalis and Sombra before Kronos would rise, then we could focus entirely on beating him.
All these thoughts buzzed in my head as I flew to Rainbow's cloud house. Luckily, the wind from the other day blew the floating construction closer to Ponyville, so it didn't take long to get there. As I landed with a soft poof on the cloud, I called out:
"Hey Rainbow! You there?"
Her head popped out of a window on the second floor.
"Over here, Percy!" she called as she jumped out and landed next to me. "So what's up?" she added.
"You heard Jetstream's call to battle right?" I asked.
"I was taking a nap, but it did wake me up. So the war's started, huh?"
I nodded. "And she wants me and Twilight to fetch the other Elements and Annabeth and bring them to Canterlot. You're my first stop, followed by AJ and Fluttershy. We'd better get moving, 'cause we don't have much time."
"Right." Rainbow agreed, and we took off.
Reaching Sweet Apple Acres didn't take as much time as finding Rainbow's cloud house did, considering it was always in the same spot, unlike Rainbow's pad. Applejack was already packed up and apparently arguing with Granny Smith.
"Ah told ya, Granny, Ah gotta go help Twilight! Ah'm an Element 'o Harmony for pony's sake! It's mah duty to help protect Equestria!"
"Oh, be reasonable, yung'un! Yer an Earth Pony, what good could you do for big and powerful Princesses? They've got all the magic they need to win this thing. 'Sides the Elements are gone! Ya told me that you had to give 'em back to the Tree to free the Everfree Sisters!"
"And Princess Jetstream discovered we could still use the powers from our Elements without having them! We don't jus' carry 'em anymore, Granny, we are the Elements now!"
Just then, Rainbow and I landed.
"Percy, Rainbow! Thank goodness y'all are here. Could'ya talk some sense into Granny Smith for me? She jus' won't listen!" Applejack said.
"Granny," I said, "this is an order coming from Princess Jetstream herself. We have to go fight this war, we just do. She sent me and Twilight to fetch the other Elments and Annabeth and to head back to Canterlot. We don't have a choice, Granny. If it were up to me, I'd be the only one going, but Jetstream wants all of us, so we all have to go."
The old pony seemed torn between the fate of Equestria and her own granddaughter's safety. Finally, she came to a decision:
"Fine. Go fight yer Changelings an' monsters. Jus' promise me this, will ya? Come back safe."
"Will do, Granny." Applejack said, before turning to me and Rainbow. "We'd best get movin' then. Who's left?"
"We still have to stop by Fluttershy's cottage. She's obviously gonna need convincing if we're going to bring her to Canterlot." I said.
"Oh boy. Fluttershy's gonna need more then convincing to get her to go to war. We'd better get going then."
Running to the cottage took less time than expected. It was surprisingly close to the farm compared to Ponyville itself.
I walked up to the door and knocked. Fluttershy was quick to answer.
"Oh! Percy, I didn't expect you to be over so soon. I only just finished packing..." she said.
"Packing? Fluttershy, you're actually coming with us without a struggle?" Rainbow asked, disbelief on her face.
"Well, yes. I know I'd lose anyway so I might as well just get ready to go. I'll probably help with medicine and injuries rather than fighting anyway." the yellow pegasus replied.
"Well we should head back to Twilight's now. We've only got about an hour and a half left." I said.
* * *
The eight of us were gathered in the Library, all ready to go to Canterlot.
"Alright everypony, brace yourselves. This is going to be a rough ride." Twilight warned, her horn starting to glow.
With a flash of purple light, we immediately found ourselves in the private audience chambers in Canterlot Castle. Celestia was standing by her throne, talking to Cadence. The two Alicorns turned to face us.
"Glad you could all make it." said Cadence. "Aunt Tia and I were going over our plan of attack. Jetstream is in the courtyards with Shiny rallying the troops, and Aunt Luna is meditating in her chambers.
About an hour later, Jetstream mentally called us to the courtyards.
"Good, everypony is here. We depart in fifteen minutes. I already contacted all the commanding officers of the Equestrian Army throughout the land and informed them of our imminent departure. When the fifteen minutes pass, I'll make a quick check to makes sure they're all ready to go, and I will transport each and every last one of us to the Crystal Empire with Divine Magic." she announced.
"What about your plan to convert the enemy Changelings?" I asked.
"I've made all the preparations I need for that. All there is left to do is execute it."
We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing the battle plan with Celestia, Cadence and Luna, who had all shown up in the meantime.
"The time has come. We shall depart immediately." Jetstream said.
She spoke a few lines in the Ancient Language, which I still couldn't understand, though Annabeth was starting to get the hang of it.
Soon after she finished chanting, the entire courtyard was flooded in a golden light, and with a flash, everypony there, save Twilight, Jetstream and myself, had disappeared.
"Uhhh, Jetstream?" I asked, "Shouldn't we have gone with them?"
She nodded. "Yes, we should have, but somepony seems to have tampered with the spell and kept us here."
A higher-pitched voice came from behind us:
"Well, we had to stop you somehow."
All three of us spin around to confront the one who said that. It was none other than Nyx and Screwball.
"Nyx? And Screwball too? What are you two doing this time? This is no time for games, girls. We have a war on our hooves and Equestria is counting on us!" exclaimed Twilight.
"That's exactly why we held you back, Mom. We want to go with you, and help in the war." Nyx explained.
"That's out of the question, Nyx! A warzone is no place for two foals, no matter how powerful they are! I'm sorry girls but it's just not right for us to bring you along!"
"Mother, you once told me it was your greatest duty to protect Equestria in any way you could. Now it's time for you to stay true to that. I want to help you in this task, and you know that we can make a difference." said Screwball.
"I... It is indeed my ultimate goal to keep Equestria out of harm's way, Screwball-fanëarel, but as Twilight-drottningü has just said, a warzone is no place for two foals, even as powerful as you are. I do not think we could, in good conscience, bring you with us." Jetstream replied. The fillies' expressions changed from defiant to sad.
"However," their faces lit up with hope, "if you truly are dedicated to aiding in our war effort, then you can prove it to us by making your way to the Crystal Empire by your own means. I know the two of you are crafty and smart enough to find a way to join us, whether we want you to or not. So here's the deal: If you can get to the Crystal Empire on your own power, you'll be more than welcome to help us out. Understood?"
Twilight looked at Jetstream for a second, doubt on her face. Jetstream muttered something to her in the Ancient Language, and Twilight's expression changed. She smiled and nodded.
"For now, we must go. But I'm sure we will see you both later." Jetstream concluded, her horn glowing silver, followed by a flash of light.
When the light was gone, we found ourselves in the middle of the Crystal Throne Room. Cadence, Annabeth, Luna, Celestia, and the rest of the "Mane 6" were there.
"Where have you three been? Everpony got worried when you didn't appear along with us!" exclaimed Rarity.
"We were... Shall we say, held back? Nevertheless, what is the status of our situation?" replied Jetstream.
"So far, our position is favorable. The magic field generated by the Crystal Heart is keeping any and every threat at bay. However, keeping our enemies out is unfortunately the last thing we need, as we would simply be buying them more time. Time which, considering what's on it's way in two weeks, we cannot afford to waste." Celestia said.
"Then we must do the honorable thing. We must fight." concluded Jetstream. "However, common courtesy and honor dictates we meet the leaders of our opponents first and hope to settle this conflict peacefully. Therefore we must bring but a hoof-full of our more important individuals. Percy, Annabeth, Twilight, Luna, Celestia, Cadence and Shining Armor will come with me for this. Also the Changelings who fight with us will be arriving shortly. If we can, we should wait for Queen Dianthia before we confront Chrysalis and Sombra in person."
"Then what should we do in the meantime?" asked Shining.
"For now, tell the troops they can rest. I expect it to take a while before our Changeling allies arrive. I will probably be working on perfecting my understanding of my hivemind with the Thunder Guard. When she gets here, tell Dianthia to contact me and I will be with them shortly afterwards."
Shining nodded and headed off.
"We're going to need the Elements of Harmony to gather around the Crystal Heart to synchronize their energy. Twilight, you and the others should go do this." Celestia suggested.
"It's a great idea, Princess, but how? Could you show us?" Twilight replied.
"Luna and I certainly can. We've wielded the Elements ourselves and understand more or less how they worked. But remember: you need not rely on jewelry anymore, Twilight. You are all bound together by the last spell you had cast as a unicorn, the very same one that made you become an Alicorn."
"The proper term, Tia, is Destiny Bind." said Jetstream, "And I've already explained it's effects."
That was true. Jetstream had explained to Twilight and the other Elements in great detail how the so-called Destiny Bind worked. Apparently they could now use the powers of the Elements without actually having them on, and that as long as Twilight would be alive, the others would share her lifespan. They'd stop aging until Twilight died, if ever that did happen. Alicorns live forever, meaning that all six Elements would too. It also gave Twilight a mastery over Harmony Magic, according to Jetstream. It was apparently also because of the Destiny Bind that the Element of Magic worked for Twilight in the human world, despite it being the only Element in that dimension. According to Jetstream, the Destiny Bind shifted across the dimensions with the Element of Magic and the human versions of the other Elements received their power.
"Nevertheless, Jetstream. By combining the power of Harmony with that of the Crystal Heart, we will reinforce the barriers portecting the Crystal Palace, and, through the Elements, control what can and cannot come in. That way, we will be able to face our enemies without having to fight the Arctic cold that is so common to the Great Cantadian North." Celestia replied, before walking off with Luna and the Elements in tow.
Jetstream turned to Annabeth, Cadence, myself, and, as I just noticed, Spike.
"What will you four do?" she asked.
Cadence started towards another hallway, the same one Shining took to leave.
"I have to see to the well-being of our wounded. I have to oversee the medical tents and make sure everypony is ready. If you're looking for me, that's where I'll be." and she was gone.
Annabeth turned to where Celestia and the others had gone.
"I've read so much about the Crystal Heart, and Twilight's told me even more. To see them combine the powers of the Elements and the Heart, this I gotta see." she said before she bolted into the hallway.
Jetstream looked at me and Spike.
"And you two?"
I looked nervously at Spike, and he returned the expression.
"Guess we'd better follow Annabeth, for now. I'll see you later, Jetstream." I said, before grabbing Spike with a wing and dropping him on my back, and trotting off after Annabeth. The little dragon didn't even protest, and just held onto my mane.
"I think I'll stick with you during this war campaign, Percy. Twilight looks like she completely forgot me. Again." he sighed.
"Hey, don't be so down on yourself. I know they tend to forget you often, but I know I won't. You're the one who retrieved the Crystal Heart in the first place, remember?"
"Twilight's the one who found it, I just carried it because she was trapped." he replied glumly.
"That doesn't matter, Spike. You're still the one who brought it back, and saved the Crystal Empire with it. That's what counts in my opinion. I'll be glad to keep you with me for the war. You could be a huge help when it comes to fighting." I said, hoping to reassure him. The little dragon's face seemed to light up a little as we arrived level with Annabeth.
"Took you so long, Seaweed Brain?" she poked.
"Got delayed a little. Pep-talking for a passenger and whatnot." I replied. Spike chuckled on my back and Annabeth giggled as we kept walking. It wasn't long before we found the crystal transport that would take us to the Heart. As the blue light faded, we found ourselves standing not too far from the Everfree Sisters and the Mane 6, all gathered around a glowing artifact. I'd seen the Crystal Heart a few times in the show, and in some of Twilight's books too, but this was the first time I'd seen it in person. As we got closer, I could hear Celestia talking.
"... and once the power of Harmony is synchronized with that of the Crystal Heart, it's power will not only by enhanced, but it will be controllable as well. With your mastery of Harmony Magic, and your link to the Elements themselves, Twilight, you will be able to control the force field that surrounds and protects the Empire."
"But what am I supposed to do with that power?" Twilight asked. She sounded worried, because her voice was shaky.
"When the time comes, you will reduce the force field's radius to encompass strictly the Crystal Palace, but keep it's passive area effect to it's standard size. Therefore, the field will keep our enemies from reaching the Heart itself and the Palace, but the clear weather and warmth will remain in it's usual size." Luna explained.
"How am I going to do that? I've never controlled so much magic before, and Shiny was the one in the family who could do force fields well, not me!" Twilight panicked.
"Becalm yourself, Twilight Sparkle. You can do this, you know you can. Do not let doubt fill your mind. You are just as gifted in force fields as your brother, only less practiced." Luna reassured her.
"But how will I...?" Twilight protested.
"The same way you'd do anything with the Elements, only you'll use your horn instead of a tiara. Call upon your Harmony Magic and feed a steady stream of energy to the Crystal Heart. Try to match your magic's frequency with the Heart's, and when you succeed, you will know." Celestia interrupted.
Twilight swallowed and nodded, turning to the Crystal Heart and lowering her horn, a rainbow light coming from the tip. The rainbow stretched out and connected to the other Elements, Pinkie and Applejack by their hooves, Rainbow and Fluttershy by their wings, and Rarity by her horn. The rainbow coming from Twilight intensified as a bright beam shot out of her horn and connected with the Heart.
We stood there for a few long minutes, Twilight was apparently struggling to find the right frequency. Then, it happened. The Heart started to glow as it spun faster, it's color shifting and slowly changing to the same rainbow as the Harmony Magic Twilight was using. Suddenly, the rainbow connecting the others to Twilight shot back like rubber bands, and the spell ended. Twilight crumpled to the floor, out cold, and the Crystal Heart, still rainbow-colored, stopped spinning.
The other Elements rushed over to Twilight, but were stopped by Celestia.
"There is nothing you can do for her, except letting her rest."
"But princess, did it work?" asked Rarity.
"It did. Look at the heart." Luna said.
A pink star surrounded in smaller white stars appeared on the rainbowed Crystal Heart. Twilight's cutie mark.
"That means the heart is under Princess Twilight's full control. But for now, she needs to recover. In the meantime, we should go check on Shining Armor and the troops. Fluttershy, if you wish, you may join Princess Cadence in the medical tents." Celestia said, picking up Twilight with her magic and placing the unconscious lavender Alicorn on her own back, right between her wings, her head resting on the Solar Alicorn's neck.
Celestia smiled.
"I remember doing this for Twilight every day when she was little, as she would always wear herself out practicing magic when she lived in Canterlot Castle, learning directly from me. The poor filly kept burning herself out, she was so dedicated to learning. I told her over and over again not to push herself so hard, but she insisted, because learning was her passion, and it still is to this day."
"And each time, she'd wake up as I was setting the sun and raising the moon." The Sun Princess added, looking at her sister with a sad look.
I pawed the ground nervously. ADHD was a pain in the flank, even as a pony.
"I hate to interrupt something as nice as this, but shouldn't we get moving?" Annabeth asked. Apparently her ADHD was bugging her too.
Celestia nodded.
"Indeed we should. However there is nothing we can do for the time being, at least until Twilight wakes up. You are all free to do as you please for now. However you should stay close. I sense Twilight will be needing her friends to keep her spirits high throughout this war." she answered, and everypony went their separate ways.
"I'm gonna go have a closer look at the Heart." Annabeth told me, and she was gone.
I stood there for a second, completely alone, except for Spike, who was still sitting on my back.
"Hey!" he cried, "Percy, look over there!" The little dragon pointed a claw. Green fire was erupting in a courtyard not far from the palace. After the first green flare faded, the rest followed, and the horizon was no longer the green grass, but a buzzing sea of black. The Changelings had arrived.
"Hang on, Spike." I warned, and I took off to meet the High-Queen, who stood a good two feet taller than her subjects.
"Percy Jackson, and Spike the Dragon. It is good to see you both." Dianthia said.
"Queen Dianthia." Spike and I replied in unison, with me lowering myself in a bow.
The queen giggled.
"Rise, young pony. You are no subject of mine, and though your respect is appreciated, it is nonetheless unnecessary for you to bow to me."
"I'll get right to it then. Jetstream wanted us to tell you, whenever you arrived, to contact her telepathically. She said she was working on "perfecting her knowledge of the Hivemind" and she wandered off somewhere." I said.
"Thank you, Percy. I will contact Queen Jetstream right away." Dianthia replied, before returning to her subjects. I could barely make out the other four Queens with their hives. Regular queens stood only about a foot taller than their subjects, reaching Luna's height. Dianthia, however, was as tall as Celestia. The number of Changelings gathered in the courtyard was massive, and the buzzing noise that come from them was driving me nuts.
"Let's get outta here." I said. "Maybe we can go check on the Medical Tents." Spike nodded, and grabbed my mane as I spread my wings and took off.
It only took a few minutes to find the tents. It's kinda hard to miss a giant brown fabric box in a bright and colorful place like the Crystal Empire. I landed by the main entrance and stopped to catch my breath. Flying with a passenger wasn't as easy as flying alone. That and the fact that there were no clouds, or even any humidity in the air at all, to keep me energized thanks to my water powers, so the flight had me pretty worn down. As I recovered, I started to walk in the tent, when I felt something brush against my mind, followed by a voice.
"The time has come. The following ponies must gather near the south end of the force field: Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Dianthia." I realized it was Jetstream's voice, and turned around to walk out, only to be stopped by Cadence.
"You heard it too?" she asked. I nodded. "Allow me." her horn glowed cyan and we instantly found ourselves with all the ponies (and the one Changeling) Jetstream had called for. Twilight was wide awake, though she stayed close to Celestia. She looked worried and tired, but otherwise she was fine. I could feel Spike tensing on my back as he noticed her too.
"Hey, it's all good. Don't worry about Twilight. She's a strong one, and she'll be fine." I whispered, trying to comfort him.
"It's not her physical state I'm worried about. Look at her legs. She's shaking. I know she's trying to hide it, but Twilight's obviously scared out of her mind. I know that physically, she'll recover, but mentally..." Spike trailed off as Jetstream appeared in the middle of the group.
Everypony's attention turned towards the Princess of Lightning as she calmly walked towards the barrier separating the Crystal Empire from the Arctic wastelands around it. Looking behind us, I notice that Jetstream's Thunder Guard had followed her: about five hundred Changelings wearing Jetstream's colors stood at attention, a few of them holding white banners of peace.
"This all looks a little too familiar." I deadpan.
"You thought of Prometheus too, didn't you Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth said, I nodded.
"Who's Prometheus?" asked Spike.
"Prometheus is the Titan of crafty counsel and forethought. He's known for giving humans the gift of fire. He's also the son of Iapetus and Clymene and the brother-in-law of Pandora." Annabeth said in a matter-of-fact way.
"Iapetus..." I chuckle. "Don't you mean Bob?"
Annabeth bursts out laughing, with me quickly joining her. Jetstream stares back at us for a second, and goes back to staring at the barrier.
"It is time. Princess Twilight, If you will, shrink the barrier to the agreed size."
Twilight gulped and nodded.
"Wait." I said, walking up to Twilight. "How about you create a kind of tunnel? An opening in the barrier that stops before the palace? That way we won't have to worry about getting taken from behind or flanked in the fighting."
"That sounds like a better idea indeed. Care to give it a try, Twilight?" asked Celestia.
"I-I-Yes. I can try." she shakily replied.
"Hey, it's OK. You'll be fine." I say, putting a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"It's just... This feeling I'm getting. Like we're missing something. I can sense everything that's happening in the Crystal Empire and within a five mile radius around the barrier. All of Chrysalis and Sombra's forces are massed at this end, only a few dozen feet ahead of us. Discord is there too, spying on them. But even with all of that, it still feels like something is missing."
"Kronos? But he's still in Tartarus, re-forming bit by bit." I said.
"I know, but there's something else. I can't put my hoof on it, but I have a feeling Kronos isn't going to be our only problem after Chrysalis and Sombra are dealt with..." Twilight admitted.
"Indeed? That is concerning news, Twilight. But for now, let us focus on the task at hoof, shall we?" said Luna.
"Right." Twilight said, a little more confidently. Closing her eyes, I see the air ahead of our group ripple and a strange tingle running down my spine.
"What was that?" Spike asked.
"That was the barrier retracting. Look over there." Jetstream pointed.
Along the horizon, thousands of monsters and Changelings were lined up. At the head of the pack, stood a taller figure. Chrysalis.
A confident expression on her face, Jetstream started walking towards the fallen Queen. As the rest of us followed, Discord appeared to my left. In the back of our group, Dianthia frowned. She was either not happy to see Chrysalis, or she was already working on freeing the brainwashed Changelings. Probably both.
A look of disbelief was on Chrysalis' face.
"Jetstream Shimmersky... It has been two millennia since I last saw you. Where have you been hiding all this time?" she demanded.
"That is of little concern at the moment, Chrysalis. We are here to parley, as such, let us do so." Jetstream coldly replied.
"So be it. What are your terms?"
"Our terms are as follows: You will release your subjects from the mind control you placed them under, as it is a violation of Changeling Law, and you will abdicate your crown, which will fall under my rule until a suitable replacement is found. Your subjects will be absolved of their crimes in time, but you, Chrysalis, have dug yourself too deep. You will be stripped of your power and executed for your crimes. If you choose to deny our terms, the we will be at war, and you will be destroyed. Not even Sombra can help you here. Those, are Equestria and the Changeling Nation's terms."
"You call those abominations terms?" Chrysalis spat. "What will my hive receive? What is the benefit for us, if we surrender?"
"Your subjects will be free of your tyranny and will prosper under my rule, and under the rule of the hive's chosen successor afterwards. You, on the other hoof, deserve no benefits. You are a murderer and a traitor, and a thief no less. You've sold your mind, body, and soul to a dark spirit, and your are beyond our help. The best thing we can do for you now is kill you, Chrysalis." Jetstream said.
The fallen Queen broke out in a fit of maniacal laughter.
"'The best you can do for me now is kill me'? Then to Tartarus with your terms, Jetstream! You've no idea what I've had to go through over the past two thousand years! I've tried and tried to maintain YOUR treaty, and every time, I was ignored! I even tried contacting the Cantadian government for help! My hive was left to die of starvation! I had to do something! For two millennia I have been fighting to stay alive, fighting to keep my subjects alive! And when I heard that the Princess of Love was getting married, I knew that was my only chance to properly feed my hive, and to make myself noticed by Equestria!"
"There were alternatives! You could've sought a private audience with me, and you could also have moved your hive further south, closer to ponies who would agree to feed you!" Celestia retorted. "But instead you decided to invade our kingdom, infiltrate our capital, foalnap and impersonate not one, but two of our rulers, and launch a full-scale invasion upon our city, during which you've caused massive amounts of pain, destruction, and grief to our civilians!"
A wave of power shook the air around us and Chrysalis shuddered.
"Enough. You are wasting our time at this point. We reject your terms, and you will all die. This Empire was once mine, and mine it shall be once more!" she said. Sombra was speaking though the Queen.
"You've made your choice." said Jetstream, "And now we will take what is rightfully ours." her voice intensified in volume as she used the Royal Canterlot Voice (or as I called it, the Royal Capslock Voice). "Come, dearest subjects! Leave this wretched excuse for a Queen and join us! You are now free of her! Come!" and as she turned to leave, a Changeling rose from the enemy crowd. And then another one, and another, and more flew after her by the dozens, then the hundreds, and finally the thousands. They all joined the Thunder Guard in following Jetstream, as she chanted in the Ancient Language, and they all disappeared in a golden light.
"WHAT?" Traitors! How could you abandon me like this!" Chrysalis called after them, even if they were gone.
"You can't betray someone you're enslaved to. That is the difference between being a leader, and a tyrant like you." Jetstream coldly replied, before teleporting the lot of us away in a burst of silver magic. We were surrounded by Changelings who wore Chrysalis' colors: turquoise carapaces and cyan eyes. A ripple of green magic passed over them as their eyes turned yellow and their carapaces turned silver. Suddenly, they all bowed in unison.
Celestia waved at the rest of us to back away and to let Jetstream and Dianthia handle the situation.
"Shining, ready the troops. I fear Chrysalis will begin the attack now that we've taken almost seven eighths of her hive from her." the Solar Alicorn said, "Cadence, return to the Medical Tents and warn them all that the fighting is about to start. The rest of you, follow me."
As I turned to leave, Jetstream called out:
"Wait, Percy. Stay here for a second. I have a mission for you."
I walk over to the Lightning Alicorn and wait for her to tell me what she wants, but Jetstream's attention was already turned to the Changelings.
"I wish to speak to the one whom can speak on all of your behalves. May whichever one of you who can do this come forward, please." she called.
A small black shape detached itself from the sea of black in front of us. When the Changeling landed, I could easily tell it was much smaller than the others.
"Disgusting." Dianthia said, "Chrysalis made even the younglings fight."
Jetstream nodded grimly. "Indeed. What is your name, little one?" she said gently to the young Changeling.
"A-Asbeth, your highness..."
"Asbeth? It is a pleasure to meet you, Asbeth. Tell me, what is it that makes you the one to speak for the hive?"
"I-I... I was the one chosen to succeed to Chrysalis if.. If ever anything happened to her." the miniature bug-pony said. It was shaking, and obviously terrified of Jetstream. The poor thing.
"You were her successor." Jetstream repeated. Asbeth nodded, and gulped, still shaking.
"Come now, youngling, do not be afraid," Dianthia cooed, "we mean you no harm. We are here to help you. Chrysalis has done many a bad thing to others and she must answer for them. You are not in the wrong here, and that's because she was controlling you." Asbeth stopped shaking, but fear was still very visible in the young changeling's eyes. I felt bad for the little guy. It probably spent it's whole life living in fear, with Chrysalis twisting it's mind and feeding it lies.
"Very well Asbeth. I hereby declare you my second-in-command." Jetstream announced, "But I refuse to let you fight. 'Tis not right for younglings to have to fight in a war. Tell me, are there others?"
"No. I was the only one. Though there are plenty of other younglings back at the hive." Asbeth replied.
"I know where Chrysalis' hive used to be. When this is all over, I will see to it that they are all cared for." declared Dianthia.
"But for the time being, we must get you to safety, youngling. Percy, I want you to escort Asbeth to the Medical Tents. Cadence or Fluttershy will know what to do with... I forgot to ask. What gender do you identify yourself as, Asbeth?" Jetstream said.
"I... never really thought about it." the Changeling replied.
"For the moment, we mean. which do you feel is more appropriate for you right now?" Dianthia asked.
"Well... if I'm in some sort of leadership role, I guess I'd identify myself as a male. Soldiers are usually the higher-ups in Chrysalis' hive, and they're all male. At least... that's what I see myself as right now. I could change my mind." Asbeth said.
"Very well. To rephrase my order: Percy, may I ask you to escort Asbeth to the Medical tents? Fluttershy or Cadence will know what to do with him."
"Sure. All right, c'mon little guy, we should get going." I say to the little Changeling.
He doesn't budge.
"Asbeth, it's all right. Ponies are not your enemies, they are your friends. Percy is a strong and brave pony, he will keep you safe." Jetstream reassured him.
Asbeth edged closer, and I crouched to match his height. He wasn't much taller than Scootaloo was. The Changeling stared into my eyes. I slowly open my wings, careful not to knock Spike off my back. Asbeth mirrors my actions, opening his tiny bug wings. As he walks closer to me, I notice Asbeth isn't captivated by my wings, but rather by my scale-mail shirt. I let him have a closer look.
"What is this?" he asks.
"This is a scale-mail armor shirt made of Celestial Bronze. It helps protect me from attacks." I explain.
"You're going to fight?"
"I have to. We gotta protect Equestria somehow. Anyway, c'mon, we should get going."
The Changeling nodded and we got moving. Along the way I try to keep up some small talk with him.
"So uh, how old are you, Asbeth?" I ask.
"Nine years old, and you?"
He's younger than Nyx, but older than Screwball. Still way too young to be sent to war though...
"I'm seventeen."
Spike also tried talking to him, with a little more success. As we walked, the little dragon kept Asbeth entertained with a few stories of his adventures with Twilight. I'd seen some of them in episodes before, but some others obviously never made the cut. It was as we neared the Medical Tents that something stopped me.
"Psst! Percy! Over here!" a voice whispered loudly.
I turn to the source of the noise.
"Asbeth, stay behind me." I warn. Whatever was calling for me, I wasn't gonna take any chances.
"Come here, Percy!" the voice said.
I edge closer to the source of the voice. Suddenly, two foals pop out from between the houses we were walking past.
"Nyx and Screwball. What took you two so long?" I deadpan.
"Hey, getting here wasn't really easy, you know. We had to teleport in jumps to make it over here." Nyx protested.
"We've been in the Empire for two hours, now. You can't have taken that long. You're used to long-distance teleporting, what with all your trips between Ponyville, Canterlot, and Whitetail Meadows." I said.
"Yeah, but never so far north as the Crystal Empire!" Screwball chimes in. "We probably sat for, like, half an hour, just to get enough breath back to stand up."
"And now you're here." I said. I turn to Asbeth. "It's okay, these two fillies are friends of mine. Screwball here is Jetstream's daughter."
He didn't look too impressed. Then I remembered: Changelings are usually all children of the Queen. I lean in close to Asbeth and whisper:
"Ponies tend to raise families with only a few foals. Screwball is Jetstream's only child." Asbeth's eyes widen a little. A better reaction than the first one, at least.
"Hey Percy, who's that?" Nyx asked.
I gently push the young Changeling in front of me.
"This is Asbeth. Princess Jetstream asked me to escort him to the Medical Tents."
"What for? He doesn't look hurt." Screwball noted.
"Your mom made Asbeth her right-hoof-Changeling after taking Chrysalis' hive as her own. He was meant to replace Chrysalis if anything ever happened to her, but seeing as he's a little young to be fighting, she wanted me to bring him here for Cadence and Fluttershy to watch over him." I replied.
"We can keep an eye on him." Nyx offered.
"Yeah, and maybe make him our friend!" Screwball added.
That sounded like a much better idea than leaving Asbeth with Cadence and Fluttershy. Don't get me wrong, I like them both, it's just that Cadence is busy what with being the Head Medic in the tents, having an unborn foal to care for, and, though she doesn't like to admit it, a slight phobia of Changelings. Fluttershy on the other hoof, would either freak out and overload him with love, what with being a young Changeling and all, which would probably scare him, or she'd freak out and hide away in fear of him. At that point Asbeth would sense Fluttershy's fear and it would probably amplify his own terror of ponies.
Meanwhile, if I left him with Nyx and Screwball, the three of them would keep out of trouble, and probably become friends. The Chaos filly and Nightmare filly would make for an interesting trio with a young Changeling. And they'd probably teach Asbeth to not be scared of ponies, too, which would be a big plus for everypony involved.
"Alright then. Asbeth, you should go with them. Don't worry, they'll keep you safe, and maybe even entertained. War isn't a place for younglings like you three, so maybe you'd be able to help out in some other way." I say.
The Changeling nodded and walked over to the two fillies.
"On the subject of helping out, Percy, we have something for you." Screwball said.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, check it out!" Nyx said, pulling a pair of... silver claws? A pair of silver claws out of her saddlebags. They looked big enough to fit my hooves.
"Try them on!" Screwball urged.
I look at the claws for a second. How was I gonna get them on my hooves? Then an idea popped into my head.
"Spike, help me out?" I asked. the little dragon hopped off my back and picked up a claw.
"These look familiar... Nyx? Are these what I think they are?" he asked.
The Alicorn filly had a guilty expression on her face. "Yes..."
"You know Twilight's not gonna be happy when she finds out you just gave your Playing Claws away, right?" Spike insisted.
"I know, but right now Percy needs them more than I do!" Nyx protested.
"Playing Claws?" I ask.
"Just try 'em on. You'll get it when you use them." Screwball said.
I stretch out a hoof for Spike to secure the Claw on it. A perfect fit, and as soon as the Claw was in place, blue lights started passing over it. The Claw's fingers immediately curl into a fist. Struggling to keep my balance on three legs, I sit down.
"How does it work?" I ask.
"Try moving the claws as if they were part of you." Spike suggested, demonstrating with his own little hand.
I concentrate for a second, and will for the Claw to open. Instantly, they respond. Cool.
I spend the next minute or so trying out my new mechanical hand, before leaning forward to grab the second Claw and put it on. the same blue light glows from the second Claw and I try to move it, with happy success.
"Good," Nyx said, "the Claws are calibrated to you now. But you won't be able to walk with them like that. You can retract the claws by thinking the words "transport mode".
I give it a shot, and the metal fingers retract, turning the things into a pair glowing silver bracers.
"And to bring the claws back out, think "playing mode"." Screwball added.
Again, I try it, and it works. Then I got an idea.
I spread my wings and flap them a few times to get some air, and land on my hind hooves, keeping my wings open for balance. Then, I reached for Riptide and grasped it with a Claw, pulling it free from the scabbard. I give the sword a few test swings, careful not to touch the foals. All three of them, along with Spike stared in amazement as I practiced a bit of human-style swordplay, modified to accommodate my wings and the way my forelegs bent compared to arms. With only a few differences, I could fight almost exactly like before.
"You two are freaking geniuses." I exclaim. "Oh.. uh.. don't tell your mothers I used that one word, by the way."
The two fillies nodded in unison.
"We're glad you like them, Percy. Playing Claws are very rare and expensive. They're used by non-unicorn ponies to manipulate objects easier. Usually to play musical instruments or grip small objects. I don't have any use for them anymore, seeing as I can use magic and I don't play music. But please Percy, take good care of them. Mom would kill me if she found out I gave them away, and they ended up breaking." Nyx said.
"I promise. No, I Pinkie Promise." I said, doing the gestures with my new "hands", careful not to poke my eye out with a finger. Deep down in the corner of my mind I hear Pinkie saying "Forever!" with a threatening look on her face. I wonder if that always happens when somepony makes a Pinkie Promise. Noting to myself to look into it later, I sheathe Riptide and leave the claws in Transport Mode.
"Well, I should really get going. The fighting's gonna start any minute now, and we should really be there to support the others. Hop on, Spike." I said, and the little dragon takes his seat. I take one last look at Asbeth, who waves with a hoof and smiles, and I take off.
I can see our forces massed along the battlefield, and the barrier shimmers ad it keeps our enemies out. I quickly land next to Luna and Annabeth, who flashed me a quick, confident look. then the barrier slips further behind us, and I can see our enemies again. The Battle for the Crystal Empire had begun.
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Welp... ONTO THE BLOODSHED!!!
4419850
uhhh... monsters don't bleed. they turn into dust.
4420477 4.bp.blogspot.com/-YRh7nuvouwI/U01O_ZG0D8I/AAAAAAAAcRE/0xfAo75V3wU/s1600/1044864_611431632224490_1431600901_n.jpg
smell the demented rainbow! this fic is awesome
OMFG, YOU DIDN'T! A quote from Bionicle: Web of Shadows?! SWEEEEET!
As soon as the playing gloves I thought wolverine!!!!!!