Episode 8: Generosity's Capture Part 2
Episode 8: Generosity's Capture Part 2 – Changeling Hive
Ganondorf stared up at the city of Canterlot with a hard expression, examining the protective shield that encased the entirety of the capital city. Behind him waited an army consisting of thousands of monsters from all walks of life, from Stalkin and Lizalfos to Blins and Darknuts. There were even a handful of his elite Iron Knuckles, Darknut-sized suits of Gerudo armor animated by the enslaved spirits of the past Gerudo kings that wore them, amongst his forces. He could see a handful of Equestrian guards eyeing him warily from behind the safety of the barrier as they guarded the only entrance to the city by foot.
He had just returned from the Griffon Empire, having forcibly deposed their king and left his fused mothers, Twinrova, and a detachment of Blins in charge of keeping them subdued, as well as guarding another Element. Another was now in the hands of the Wizzrobes occupying the city in the sky the locals called "Cloudsdale". The last Element, however, the one that resonated more power than the rest, he had, for the time being, kept for himself. As powerful as they appeared to be, he had deduced that they were useless unless all of them were together. Such a glaring weakness, Ganondorf thought to himself. How could such a power have sustained this world for so long?
The Dark Lord shook his head, his thoughts returning to the city he was about to lay siege to. Seeing as most of his troops couldn't fly, Ganondorf knew their only option was to march up the mountain pass, an option he did not like as it meant his army would be forced into a bottleneck, preventing them from taking advantage of what he was certain was their superior numbers. Which meant he would have to lead from the front and clear out whatever defenders stood at the gate so that his forces would have uncontested access to the city.
But first, that magical barrier needed to be dealt with.
Ganondorf raised his fist, gathering power into his hand as the Triforce mark on his wrist lit up. The monsters closest to him hurriedly backed up as their leader charged up his attack.
"MRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!" Ganondorf bellowed as he unleashed a condensed swirling mass of pure annihilation at Canterlot's protective bubble.
The resulting explosion shook the ground for miles around and left their ears ringing uncomfortably. The effect was immediate; the entire barrier shattered as though it were made of pink glass, the shards disintegrating as they fell towards earth. He could see the guards react with shock at how the shield had been destroyed so easily. Ganondorf smirked. Good; they should be afraid.
He then turned towards his gathered forces. "We go to battle! I shall lead!"
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As soon as they saw Ganondorf at the head of his forces as his army emerged from around the bend, the gate guards knew it was time to go. They turned and bolted, vanishing into the city. Ganondorf's smirk widened. A wise move, cowards.
And yet, as they marched into the streets of Canterlot, Ganondorf could not help but notice that the whole place seemed eerily empty. No guards, no frightened civilians attempting to escape, nothing. Ganondorf narrowed his eyes as his soldiers glanced about warily, expecting an ambush. Without a word, Ganondorf reached out with his magic, searching for any signs of life in this place. It was with great surprise that he discovered that Canterlot had been fully abandoned. "Damn!" he snarled. "They tricked us into thinking they were still defending this place!"
"They're gone?" one of the Moblins stupidly asked.
Ganondorf gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Yes, they're gone, you fool! Their leaders are still out there, which means the natives will continue to resist us!"
He glanced up at the main castle that overlooked the rest of the city and said, "Come; the castle is ours for the taking. I want two hundred of my men with me! The rest of you, secure the perimeter! Make sure there is no one here, in case someone managed to mask their presence from my spell!"
Two hundred of Ganondorf's best soldiers followed the Dark Lord as he continued onwards towards Canterlot Castle while the rest of his army began to spread throughout the rest of the city, kicking down doors to inspect the houses. Ganondorf was already nearing the castle when it began, and thus was unaware of the many traps that spontaneously began to spring up.
Monsters combing the streets suddenly found the cobblestones below them transformed into wet soap, causing many of them to tumble to the ground in a heap. Monsters struggled to stay upright, but could not take a single step forward without slipping and falling. The monsters that had already entered the houses abruptly fell under attack by flying books that had spontaneously sprouted needle-like teeth. Flowerpots and vases used their flowers as legs to crawl across the floor to entangle the hapless warriors of Ganon as they fended off the attacking books.
And then the furniture started to move.
Chairs and tables kicked at the confused and disoriented monsters, forcing many of them out into the streets, where they immediately fell victim to the soapy roads. And the coup de grace came in the form of the beds and sofas charging out the doors like a herd of rampaging buffalo. Either their enchantments protected them, or their four legs just worked better in such an environment, but either way, the furniture had little trouble traversing the slippery streets as they bucked and stomped on the hapless monsters. Moblins squealed and Darknuts cursed as the Wizzrobes desperately attempted to nullify whatever spells were causing these strange events, to little avail. Monsters swung their weapons to ward off the attacking objects, and while this successfully managed to destroy some chairs and smaller objects, the larger beds and sofas were barely fazed. As the Wizzrobes floated above the mess, trying to undo the rampant magic or flinging their own attack spells at the animated household appliances, they suddenly felt rain begin to pour down on them. Only it wasn't rain; it was chocolate milk, coming from pink clouds that had situated themselves perfectly over the Wizzrobes' heads. Losing their patience, the Wizzrobes fired spells to dissipate the strangely-colored clouds.
Big mistake.
Numerous explosions later, the entire city of Canterlot was an ungodly mess of splattered cotton candy, soap, broken furniture, and disoriented monsters sprawled all over the place. One of the Wizzrobes shakily stood, surveying the carnage. "Ugh…what in the Dark World just happened?"
"What in the Dark World are you wearing?!" another nearby Wizzrobe called out.
The Wizzrobe looked down at himself and saw a rather garish-looking tutu attached to its waist.
"W-what in the Goddesses…?!" the Wizzrobe screeched, trying to pull off the tutu, but for some reason it wouldn't come off.
As other monsters began to recover, they too noticed that a number of them were now sporting ballerina outfits and various other less-than-manly apparel. "GRRAAAH! What insanity is this?!" a Darknut bellowed as he attempted to pry a wreath of strange blue flowers off his helmet.
As other monsters began attempting to free themselves from the strange, offensive clothing, those who had been spared then noticed something the other monsters were too frustrated to.
Their weapons, every last one of them, had turned into pool noodles.
It was utter chaos.
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Inside Canterlot Castle…
Ganondorf and his entourage swept through the empty castle, making sure there were no enemies waiting in ambush. Many of the stupider monsters were so focused on their task that they did not realize this until one of the Wizzrobes abruptly spoke up as it emerged from a door it had just entered, "Wait a minute. How'd I end up back in here?"
Before Ganondorf could open his mouth to demand an explanation for this stupidity, he heard the sound of a door opening above him, followed by a surprised shriek as a Lizalfos abruptly fell from above and hit the floor with a resounding thud. Ganondorf and the monsters still in the main hall looked up just in time to see a door on the ceiling close and vanish into thin air. The Darknut that had just been about to follow that Lizalfos looked at the door, then back at his groaning comrade, and shook his head violently as he tried to make sense of the situation.
"S-sire! Something's wrong with this place!" a Wizzrobe cried in distress as more and more monsters began to get lost in the castle.
Ganondorf gritted his teeth. "This must be some sort of elaborate system of traps. But all it's doing is turning doors into random portals. How utterly juvenile. Stop making yourselves look even more foolish, and let me handle this nonsense!"
The monsters quieted as they eagerly waited for their master to fix this mess. Ganondorf brought his fist up, awakening the Triforce of Power within him. Willing this idiotic magic to dissipate, Ganondorf unleashed wave after wave of dark energy, shattering the various traps and spells throughout the castle. When he was certain that all of them were nullified, he lowered his hand and glared at the big oak doors that likely led to the Throne Room. With a dramatic flourish of his cloak, Ganondorf strode up the flight of stairs and roughly thrust open the doors, which groaned in protest. Ganondorf spied two thrones at the opposite end of the room and marched towards them. As he approached, he took note of the fact that one throne was situated at a higher level than the other. The higher one was gold, and bore an image of the sun. The lesser throne next to it was black and decorated with a crescent moon symbol. For a very brief moment, Ganondorf was reminded of the age-old symbol of his people, the star and crescent moon, and with that moment came the fleetest sensation of something that had almost become foreign to the King of Darkness.
Regret.
But it was gone as quickly as it had come, before Ganondorf could even have time to register it. So, the princess affiliated with the sun places herself higher than her moon-affiliated sister, he noted in his mind. How amusing; the lesser one probably worships the older too much to take note of her own political inferiority. Perhaps I can find a way to use that if the situation presents itself…
The idea of possibly turning the Lunar Princess to his side was a tempting one. But before he could think on this matter further, he realized he had reached Celestia's throne, and blinked as he saw something sitting on the chair.
A freshly-baked pie, with a sticky note attached to the tinfoil pan.
Ganondorf's brow furrowed. Was this another trick? He had dispelled all the wards that had been impeding his progress; surely whatever spell this had been booby-trapped with had been similarly nullified. Ganondorf cautiously picked up the pie, tore off the note, and read it.
Scrawled in big, bolded letters were the following words:
SOOOEY! PIG-PIG-PIG-PIG!
"What?" Ganondorf uttered in confusion.
His answer came in the form of the pie flying out of the tin and splattering all over Ganondorf's shocked face. As the ruined contents dribbled all over his face, hair, and armor, Ganondorf just stood there, stock-still, an expression of utter shock and incomprehensible fury on his face, still holding the empty pie tin and the now-ruined note.
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Canterlot Caverns…
Discord couldn't contain himself any longer; the chaotic spirit burst into a fit of hysterical laughter as he observed his beautiful chaos on various crystal walls that were acting as viewing screens of sorts that monitored the entirety of Canterlot. "His face! Oh sweet Faust, his FACE!" Discord cackled in between breaths.
The final prank he had sprung on the uptight King of Darkness himself had been Discord's favorite part of the whole incident. And now that the monsters' weapons had all been rendered useless, (well, save the ones in the castle, but who was counting?) it would be quite a long time before they could mount any sort of offensive on the rest of Equestria.
Which suited Discord just fine, because he was just getting started.
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Ponyville…
From atop one of the guard towers, Maulgrim grimly watched as the distant capital of Canterlot fell to Ganon's invading army. The two Bokoblin archers stationed in that tower watched alongside him, all of them knowing it was simply a matter of time before Ganon turned his attention towards them.
Maulgrim's ear twitched as he picked up the sound of someone climbing up the ladder behind him, the newcomer clearing his throat to announce his presence.
"Well, I sent the kid off to school," Nigellas said. "She seemed a little out of it, though. Must not be getting a lot of sleep, considering everything that's been going on."
The Wizzrobe then noticed how Maulgrim was looking towards Canterlot with a grim expression. "What's got your attention, Grim?" he asked, using a nickname he knew the Darknut loathed.
"Canterlot has just fallen," Maulgrim answered without looking away, his arms folded, the situation too grim for him to acknowledge the admittedly-appropriate moniker. "I just saw the shield collapse and Ganon's forces enter the city."
Nigellas's expression hardened as he joined his old companion. "So the old bastard's making his move, is he?"
"Looks like it," Maulgrim replied.
Nigellas sighed. "You know what this means, don't you?" he asked solemnly.
Maulgrim finally turned away from the sight of Canterlot and headed towards the ladder. "I will speak with Mayor Mare and organize a town meeting. The time has come; we must prepare these ponies for war."
"I'll go double the town watch," Nigellas offered, following Maulgrim down the ladder. "If Ganon sends troops after us, we'll see them coming from miles away."
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Ponyville Elementary…
Scootaloo could barely focus on Miss Cheerilee's lessons, rubbing her eyes and yawning tiredly. The events of last night had eliminated any possibility of sleep for the young pegasus, and now she was suffering the consequences. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both shared concerned looks as they observed their exhausted friend. As soon as the recess bell rang, and the foals all got up to go play outside, the two of them accosted their friend before she could even rouse herself enough to stand up.
"Scoots? Are ya alright?" Applebloom asked. "You don't look so good."
"Did you not get any sleep last night?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Scootaloo shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. "Yeah. Just a bad dream. I'm fine."
Applebloom narrowed her eyes. Having been raised by Applejack, a pony who could smell a lie from miles away, Applebloom knew that Scootaloo wasn't fine at all. Whatever bad dream she had, it had really messed with her. But why was she trying to hide it?
"Scootaloo, you're not fine," Applebloom plainly pointed out. "Ya look like you're 'bout ready t'fall over. We're your friends; we don't keep secrets from each other, do we? Tell us what's goin' on."
Some friend you are, in their eyes. After all, you did not ever tell them about your late father, did you?
Scootaloo released a shuddering breath as she heard his voice in her head. And the truth of his words stung; she had kept her past a secret from her closest friends until Vaati had exposed it. What was one more secret to keep? Especially if it meant keeping her friends safe…
"C'mon, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle pressed. "Tell us what's going on. We want to help you."
"Well, you can't, so can't you just drop it?!" Scootaloo suddenly snapped angrily, slamming her hooves down on her desk.
The noise made her friends jump, their eyes wide with shock and hurt. Scootaloo took advantage of their silence by standing up. "Just…leave me alone for right now, alright?"
Scootaloo began walking towards the door. "B-but, Scootaloo…" Sweetie Belle stammered.
"I SAID I NEED TO BE ALONE, FAUSTDAMMIT!" Scootaloo screamed angrily as she turned towards them, barely fighting back tears.
Without another word, Scootaloo took off, leaving two confused and distressed friends behind. As soon as Scootaloo was gone, Sweetie Belle started to cry. "W-what's going on, Applebloom?" she whimpered, choking back a sob. "Why i-is she s-so mad at us? What d-d-did we do?"
Applebloom hugged her sobbing friend, fighting back her own tears for her sake. "Ah don't know, Sweetie," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "There's somethin' she ain't tellin' us, and we're gonna find out what."
"B-but she said she w-w-wants us to leave her alone!" Sweetie Belle sobbed.
"We're her friends. She needs us, whether she wants t'admit 're not. C'mon, Sweetie. Let's go find her."
Meanwhile, Scootaloo hid behind a bush, a spot that none of the other foals knew about. It was her own personal hidey-hole, and right now, she desperately needed it. As she hunkered down in her hiding place, her thoughts strayed back to the events of last night, cruelly taunting her.
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Last night, Palace of Winds…
Majora.
Majora had found Equestria.
The moment she realized that, a cold feeling of dread washed over her body. Scootaloo remembered what she had read about Hyrule's dreaded God of Evil. Ganondorf was small-time compared to him.
But how had he found it? And why was she the only one that knew about it?
And then it hit her, and the young filly threw off her covers and approached her closet, flinging it open. Right where she remembered putting it was the replica of Majora's Mask she had worn for last year's Nightmare Night. He was here because of this. It had been made because she asked for it.
This was her fault.
But now was the time to make it right. Picking up the mask, she flapped her wings and rose into the air, hovering through the darkened, silent corridors of the Palace over to the front doors. She tried to be as quiet as possible, but the heavy oak doors still creaked audibly as she gingerly nudged them open. A cool rush of nighttime air swept over her small frame as she flew around the Palace all the way to the back. She raised the mask over her head, intending to chuck it into the Everfree Forest below her, where it couldn't bother her again.
Are you prepared to face the consequences of what you are about to do?
Scootaloo's blood ran cold as she realized that the mask was talking to her, and she was frozen in place out of fear.
You think merely tossing this mask into the bowels of this forest will rid you of me? Stupid, ignorant child. There is no escape from me.
Scootaloo finally found her voice again. "Y-you're bluffing…"
Am I?
Scootaloo was silent.
Are you willing to take that chance?
Uncertainty clouded her mind.
Answer me, child.
Scootaloo slowly lowered the mask.
I thought as much.
Scootaloo gritted her teeth in anger. "I swear, I'll find some way to get rid of you!"
Even if it means your friends' deaths?
Scootaloo's heart nearly stopped. "W-what…?"
You are mine now, child. If you attempt to escape me, I will destroy them. And you will watch them die.
Scootaloo didn't know what to think. She wanted to escape this nightmare so badly, but to do so would endanger her closest friends. "What do you want from me?!" Scootaloo demanded tearfully.
I want you to see the truth. The truth that your self-appointed idols have hidden from you. The truth of your world and your false gods.
Scootaloo fell silent, confused and afraid.
My time is coming, child. If you wish to spare your friends a terrible fate, you will heed my will and renounce all the bonds you have made in this world.
Scootaloo shook her head. "I-I won't abandon my friends!"
Then they will die.
Majora had spoken this so matter-of-factly that it terrified her.
Your bonds of friendship must be sundered. For their own good.
Tears leaked down Scootaloo's face as she sighed heavily. "You win."
A wise decision, child.
Suddenly, a fierce look of determination crossed her features. "But I will fight you. I swear I'll keep resisting you as long as I can."
I have broken far greater minds than your own, child.
Majora unleashed a hideous laugh as Scootaloo fell to her knees in despair.
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Present…
Scootaloo was jolted out of their thoughts as she heard her name being called. "Scootaloo! Scootaloo!" Applebloom called out, searching for her friend.
No.
"Scootaloo, where are you?" Sweetie Belle cried.
Please…
"C'mon, Scootaloo, we can't just leave ya alone like this!" Applebloom pleaded.
You have to…please, just go away…
After several moments of silence, Applebloom sighed sadly. "It's no use. She's gone."
"What're we gonna do, Applebloom?" Sweetie Belle tearfully asked. "I f-feel like we're losing her…"
Applebloom's voice cracked as she answered, "Ah don't know."
The end-of-recess bell chose that moment to ring, and the fillies and colts all began to head back into the schoolhouse. Scootaloo, however, stayed behind, hidden, not wanting to return to the classroom. She couldn't bear to see her friends again. It would only make things harder for her. She didn't want them to get hurt; like it or not, she knew what she had to do.
"I-I'm so sorry, girls," Scootaloo whimpered as she cried to herself, alone and vulnerable.
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The Badlands…
For a short while, Vaati had repeated the act of carrying those who could not fly while he and those that could did so. However, about halfway across the desert, Vaati said, "We need to travel the rest of the way by foot. Otherwise, the Gohma will certainly see us coming, and it would be preferable to retain the element of surprise."
With this in mind, he, Chrysalis, Rainbow, and Fluttershy all lowered themselves to the ground, Vaati returning to his Hylian form as he released his passengers. Rover was naturally panting like, well, a dog, as he took a swig from his waterskin. Rarity wiped the sweat from her brow as she whined, "Ugh, it's so unbearably hot out here! All this sweat makes me feel so unclean! It's certain to ruin my makeup!"
Rover put his paws over his ears and whimpered, "No, please, no…"
Rarity suddenly realized what she was doing and coughed in embarrassment. "Ah, sorry, Rover, dear."
"Oh, just suck it up, will you?" Vaati snapped irritably. "This is a quest! You can't go on a quest and expect to stay perfect and pretty through the whole thing!"
Rarity fought the urge to pout, as she knew the sorcerer was right. Didn't mean she had to like it, though.
The group began walking across the barren wasteland towards a lone mountain in the middle of the Badlands. Not ten minutes later, though, a sudden rumble caught their attention, causing them all to stop. "Did any of you feel that just now?" Vaati asked.
"Strange," Twilight replied. "I don't recall there being any fault lines near the Badlands. Earthquakes shouldn't be commonplace around…"
However, before she could finish her sentence, the ground exploded in front of them as something forced its way out. They all cried out in surprise as they saw a large, sandworm-like beast rise into the air. While its body was worm-like, its head bore a resemblance to the head of a fly, with two large compound eyes situated on either side of its head. "What the?!" Rainbow cried. "What is that?!"
Suddenly two more exploded out of the ground and joined the first one in the air as they circled the group like a trio of vultures. "Oh, this is just incredible," Vaati seethed as he watched the monsters circling overhead. "It just had to be freaking Lanmolas…"
"Vaati, what are these things?!" Twilight cried out, readying an offensive spell as the creatures broke off and tunneled back into the ground.
"Lanmolas," Vaati answered. "Sandworms native to Hyrule. Ganon must have brought them here to impede our progress across the desert. Be careful where you step! They'll try to pop up right underneath you!"
"I never encountered these creatures during my own journey across this wasteland!" Chrysalis pointed out. "Why are they appearing now?!"
"Waiting for us, most likely," Vaati replied.
Just then the sorcerer felt the ground vibrate beneath him. "SCATTER!"
Everyone dove in random directions as the Lanmolas emerged once more from the ground, emitting a clicking, insectoid hiss. One came right at Vaati, its mandibles opening wide. Vaati promptly blasted it backwards with an intense gust of wind, knocking the Lanmola out of the air. The creature flailed on the ground in confusion momentarily before tunneling back beneath the earth. Another came at Chrysalis, who snarled in anger as she let loose a stream of green flames that washed over the Lanmola. Chrysalis stepped aside as the screeching sandworm fell to the ground, writhing in agony as it was consumed by the eldritch flames.
"Remind me never to piss bug-pony off," Rover plainly stated.
The third Lanmola zeroed in on Twilight, who reacted by enveloping the monster in her magic and throwing it against the ground. As she struggled to hold the monster in place, Rover came up and crushed its head with his mace, splattering bug juice all over the place. Twilight's eyes widened almost to the size of saucers as she felt some of it hit her face and chest.
Blood.
I'm covered in blood!
And then the flashback hit her.
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Streets of Canterlot, two months ago…
Chaos reigned in the streets as ponies, monsters, and Changelings battled, with the Changelings clearly on the losing side. Twilight tried to stay close to her friends, but they were soon lost in the throng of struggling bodies, and she was all alone. Suddenly she saw a Changeling right before it crashed into her, pinning the unicorn against the ground. Twilight yelped as the Changeling snapped at her face, trying to push it back with her hooves. Glancing about in panic, Twilight noticed a broken Moblin spear nearby and quickly seized it in her magical grip. Survival instinct quickly taking over, she pulled it towards her and plunged it into the Changeling's shoulder, the spearhead punching all the way through the other shoulder.
The Changeling shrieked in agony as its grip slackened, its green blood squirting all over her body and face as she pushed it off. She struggled to her hooves and watched as the Changeling spasmed on the ground. She dared to look into its eyes, and in that moment, she did not see a mindless monster; she saw a sentient being that was dying, and pleading to whatever god it had for the life that was even now leaving its eyes. That fearful expression soon became frozen on the Changeling's face as its body ceased twitching. Twilight then saw her reflection in a piece of broken glass from one of the shattered windows of a store; she was covered in the Changeling's blood, the Changeling she had just killed.
She stumbled back and fell on her haunches as she released a choking sob, her eyes never leaving the face of the dead Changeling, unable to tear her gaze away from that empty, fearful expression forever staring into nothingness.
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Twilight, overcome by the memory of the Canterlot Wedding Battle, began to hyperventilate as tears spilled down her face. She began wiping at her face frantically, trying to wipe off the blood but instead smearing it all over her. "Get it off me! Get it off me! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!" Twilight repeatedly shrieked in panic.
Vaati snapped his head in Twilight's direction as she utterly broke down, eyes widening in worry. "Twilight? Twilight!" Vaati cried, starting towards her.
However, the remaining Lanmola chose this moment to resurface, bursting out of the sand between the sorcerer and his traumatized friend. Vaati gritted his teeth angrily as he quickly assumed his demon form. "I don't have the patience for this! OUT OF MY WAY!" he roared, seizing the sandworm in his talons and unceremoniously snapping it in two like a twig.
Vaati cast the broken corpse aside before returning to normal as he rushed to Twilight's side, the rest of the Mane Six not far behind. "Twilight! Twilight, what's wrong?" Vaati demanded, placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
"NO! NO! PLEASE! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!" Twilight screamed, desperately trying to get the blood off her face.
"Twi! Twi, calm down! Calm down, it's alright!" Applejack said, enveloping her friend in a hug. "It's alright, sugarcube, yer alright…"
Vaati and the others quickly joined in as Rarity fished a kerchief out of Twilight's satchel and wet it with some water. "It's alright, dear, just hold still," Rarity soothingly said as she began wiping Twilight's tear and bloodstained face.
"What in Tartarus is wrong with her?!" Chrysalis demanded, annoyed at this turn of events.
Rarity shot the queen a pointed look as she finished cleaning her blubbering friend's face. Confident that the others would see to her well-being, Rarity broke off from the group and walked past Chrysalis, jerking her head in a motionless request to follow her. Chrysalis huffed but complied as she and Rarity trotted a safe distance away so Twilight could not overhear them.
"War is hell, Chrysalis," Rarity began. "You're not the only one who realized it that day you attacked Canterlot."
Chrysalis repressed a shudder at the reminder of her greatest blunder. "What are you talking about?!" Chrysalis snapped haughtily as she attempted to suppress her emotions.
"I know the implications of this will probably go right over your head, but during the battle, if any of us could even call it that, Twilight killed someone for the first time. She was defending herself, yes, but she watched a Changeling die at her hooves. Its blood was all over her. She saw that it knew it was dying and that it was scared. Can you even begin to imagine how that affected someone as caring and friendly as Twilight?"
"And what does that have to do with what happened here?" Chrysalis asked, uncomprehending.
"Flashbacks, Chrysalis," Rarity answered. "When that sandworm's blood got all over her, she had a flashback, and she experienced that trauma and pain all over again. What she saw on that day is going to haunt her for the rest of her life. Now do you understand?"
Realization slowly dawned on the Changeling queen as it hit her. "You ponies have a name for it…" she spoke.
"Post-traumatic stress disorder," Rarity confirmed grimly. "How did you know about it?"
"Do you honestly think Canterlot was the first time I've been to Equestria?" Chrysalis replied. "I've lived a long time, pony. Not as long as your princesses, but at least a few centuries. I spent a great deal of time studying your knowledge and ways."
Both their ears pricked as they heard someone walk up to them.
"Why wasn't I told of this?" Vaati softly asked, having heard their conversation with that extra-sharp hearing of his. "Why didn't she tell me?"
Rarity turned to look at him. "Do you really think she wanted to relive that experience, Vaati?" she pointed out.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have been so adamant about all of us coming," Vaati responded.
Rarity shook her head. "No, Vaati. You made a very good case when you insisted we all go. Besides, the six of us always stick together. That's what makes us strong."
"How touching," Chrysalis scoffed. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to save my people, if that doesn't bother your little bonding session too much?"
"We're not going anywhere until Twilight recovers," Vaati proclaimed, turning on his heel to help see to Twilight.
It took several minutes for Twilight to finally calm down. When she did, she made numerous apologies for holding them up like she had, and they finally continued on, leaving the ruined corpses of the Lanmolas behind. The rest of the trek through the desert, thankfully, passed without incident, and all too soon they had reached the lonely mountain that contained the Changelings' lair. A narrow path wound its way up towards the peak, where a large cave was barely visible. Vaati stopped and turned towards his entourage.
"Alright, this is it," he announced. "When we penetrate the Gohma's lair, all Tartarus is going to break loose. Our first goal should be to locate any surviving Changelings that have been imprisoned and free them so that Chrysalis can empower them. After that, we need to find the Queen's chamber, which will likely be the same chamber Chrysalis once occupied, and destroy the Gohma Queen. The queen is likely the one holding the Element of Generosity hostage, and her death will remove the rest of her brood as a threat. Unfortunately she'll likely be under heavy guard. Chrysalis, how big is your personal chamber?"
"It could comfortably accommodate two adult dragons," Chrysalis answered. "Why?"
"Because the bigger the chamber, the likelier it is we'll be confronting at least one Armogohma once we reach it. They're gigantic, so they'll probably stay in the area they have the most freedom of movement in. Armogohmas should also be priority targets; sometimes one can assume the role of secondary queen if the main one dies, as Armogohmas are the only Gohma besides the queen that possess the ability to lay eggs."
"In either case," Chrysalis maintained firmly. "I wish to dispose of their wretched queen myself. This is my hive, and she is intruding on my territory."
"Ah, Chrysalis," Rarity spoke up. "As much as I understand where you're coming from, remember that this is my Element at stake here."
"Ah wasn't th' one that took down th' Stallord, remember?" Applejack pointed out. "If she wants t'take down this other queen herself, Ah say let 'er. Ain't no harm done."
"Before we begin, allow me to say," Zecora spoke, fishing out a potion from her satchel. "This potion should be useful for keeping bad bugs away."
"Will it affect my Changelings?" Chrysalis demanded.
"I'm afraid so, but do not fear; I will not use it when your people are near."
"The Gohma will likely be keeping all the imprisoned Changelings together in one place," Vaati advised. "Keep a sharp eye out, and remember; all Gohma can be quickly slain if you target the eye. So, with all that aside…is everyone ready?"
Twilight gulped and nodded, hoping that the coming battle would not induce another fit.
Pinkie bounced up and down as she hefted her candy cane axe over her shoulder. "Yep yep yep!"
Fluttershy reluctantly armed her crossbow with a gulp.
Rainbow gripped her lance tighter and said, "Looks like it's time to call an exterminator!"
Rarity readied her saber with a grim expression.
Applejack adjusted her hat. "Let's squash some bugs."
Zecora placed her insect-deterring potion in her mouth, ready to throw it at a moment's notice.
Rover smacked his mace against his paw, growling in anticipation.
Chrysalis's wings buzzed in agitation as she glared up at the mountaintop. I'm coming, my children, she projected with her mind, feeling the surprise and mounting hope of her subjects as they heard her. Just hold on; Mama's coming.
"Then let's do this," Vaati intoned, summoning his rapier as he led them up the mountain pass.
No words were spoken as they traversed the pass, all of them anticipating what was certain to be a tough fight. By the time they had almost reached the entrance to the Changeling Hive, Twilight, Rarity, and Zecora were quite winded. Vaati abruptly raised his hands, signaling them all to halt. "Few minutes to rest," he explained. "Once we've all caught our breath, we move in. The entrance is just up ahead."
They all nodded and did as he suggested, drinking water and relaxing for a brief moment. Once everyone had sufficiently recovered, Vaati peeked over from behind a boulder at the mouth of the cave. Two Pincer Gohma, which the Equestrians remembered as being the soldier caste, stood guard, their ponderous, singular eyes scanning the environment for any possible threats. Vaati looked over his shoulder and gestured at Fluttershy and Rarity to join him. "We'll need to eliminate them quickly," he whispered. "Unfortunately, no matter how we do it, killing them will alert the rest of the hive to our presence. So we'll have to do this quickly so we can get as deep inside their lair as possible before they rally. I want you two to do it. You know where to aim, right?"
Both of them nodded. Seeing Fluttershy's pained expression, Vaati sighed. "Fluttershy, don't feel bad about this. The Gohma are mindless automatons. They're soulless monsters that exist solely to devour and eradicate other species. Compassion is a wasted effort on these creatures. They don't feel fear, anger, or happiness; only hunger."
Though that didn't offer much comfort to the timid pegasus, it at least assured her that this was the right thing to do. Vaati stepped back to give the two of them some room. "I'll take the closer one," Rarity advised as she telekinetically readied a sharpened throwing gem. "Alright, dear?"
Fluttershy nodded, aiming her crossbow at the Gohma Soldier furthest from her. After a few moments' hesitation, a bolt and a gem both flew, nailing each Pincer Gohma in the eye. The creatures shrieked and fell writhing to the ground. Moments later, their legs curled in on themselves, and the soldiers went still. Vaati immediately rushed forward, pointing at the cave. "Go! Go!" he yelled.
With a chorus of battle cries, the ponies, Diamond Dog, zebra, and Changeling all followed the sorcerer into the Changeling Hive. A handful of Gohma Larvae immediately turned to face them, chittering with surprise and ill intent. Chrysalis promptly blasted one in the eye with enough force to blow it to smithereens. Vaati stabbed another one with his sword, while Rarity expertly nailed the remaining ones with more of her throwing gems. "Come," Chrysalis bade, taking the lead. "I know where my people are being held."
The Changeling Queen led them through the winding tunnels as the sound of mobilizing Gohma began to get louder. A Pincer Gohma abruptly blocked their path, flanked by a number of Larvae. "Come and get some!" Rainbow cried, diving down at one of the Larvae and impaling it with her spear.
Vaati sidestepped as one of the Larvae lunged at him with a chirp, stabbing it as it turned for another assault. Chrysalis, overcome by rage, vengeance, and a lust for battle, immediately went for the soldier, firing another beam of green energy at its eye. However, this time the Gohma soldier protected its eye by shielding it with one of its ponderous claws. It then retaliated by shooting several small spheres of energy out of its eye at Chrysalis, who promptly raised a shield to ward off the blasts. As she was defending herself, Rover rushed forward, his mace raised high. The Pincer Gohma had no time to react, and was helpless to stop the Diamond Dog from utterly crushing its head with a sickening crunch. Another Larva lunged at Rarity, who promptly stopped its attack cold with her saber. Pinkie slew another with a well-timed swing of her axe, while Fluttershy took down another with her crossbow. As soon as the last one fell, Chrysalis hurriedly continued onward. "This way!"
Soon they found themselves in a large chamber. While it was not the queen's chamber, it was still rather large, and lining the ceiling and walls were multiple cocoons holding imprisoned Changelings, which began to struggle against their bonds with much more ferocity as they saw their queen return at last. However, a large group of Gohma Soldiers was also waiting for them, which glared at the intruders with their bulging, creepy eyes. Twilight struck first by enveloping the entire swarm with her magic, lifting them into the air, and smashing them against the ground to disorient them. As soon as the soldiers were downed, Vaati and his entourage fell upon them with bloodthirsty zeal, eliminating them before they had a chance to right themselves.
Once the soldiers were dispatched, Vaati took note of the Changelings trapped in the chamber. There were at least several hundred of them trapped here; nowhere near what their numbers had been during the wedding incident, but still a little more than what had ultimately survived that bloodbath. Changelings must mature quickly, Vaati thought to himself. Though, considering their insectoid nature, I suppose it only makes sense.
Chrysalis stepped forward, smiling as she was reunited with her subjects. "The time has come, my children," she intoned, her horn glowing with the positive energy she had gained from the Red Potion. "The Gohma scum have overstayed their welcome here. Now is the time to take back our hive!" Her love energy washed over the Changelings, strengthening them. "Feed, my darlings! Feed, and vengeance will be ours!"
Newly empowered, the Changelings began to force their way out of their prisons with squelching sounds, chattering as they swarmed in the air like a horde of enraged locusts. Suddenly, the chittering of approaching Gohma joined them as the monstrous invaders began pouring into the chamber, intent on preventing the Changelings from escaping. Hundreds of larvae and soldiers rushed forth to meet them, their blue bioluminescence clashing with the green bioluminescence of the Changeling Hive. And without a moment's hesitation, Zecora unleashed her potion, a yellow cloud enveloping the Gohma horde, eliciting a chorus of shrieks and hisses as the monsters recoiled.
Chrysalis's grin was terrifying. Her Changelings shared her animalistic smile as she reared and yelled, "CHARGE!"
And the battle began.
The Gohma swarm charged as the Changelings flew over them, firing countless blasts of energy at their enemies, directed by Chrysalis's newfound knowledge of their weaknesses. Dozens of larvae and even a few soldiers collapsed under the deadly rain of Changeling energy beams, and the Gohma advance momentarily buckled under the assault. It was then that Vaati and company joined the charge, Fluttershy flying up to join the swarming Changelings as she took potshots at the Gohma army. Vaati assumed his demon form with a bloodlusted roar, tearing into the Gohma with his mighty claws and flinging multiple balls of electrical energy into the horde of monsters. Twilight held back and shot an energy beam at any Gohma that broke off from the swarm to get at her, willing herself not to have another episode by continually reminding herself that these creatures were not sentient.
Rover swung his mace with a battle-crazed howl, smashing Gohma left and right, with Pinkie watching his back and lashing out with equal zeal. Rarity and Rainbow also stood together back-to-back, decimating any Gohma that dared approach them. Applejack bucked and thrashed with all her might, knocking countless Gohma away from her, with Zecora close by doing the same. As soon as the potion's effects wore off, the countless hordes of Gohma began to recover, the Pincers glancing skyward and shooting dozens of energy balls in answer to the relentless Changeling assault. Some of the Changelings were hit, unfortunately, cutting their lives short. The Gohma swarm finally began to push back, forcing Vaati's group further back into the chamber. Many of the Changelings responded by landing on the ground and firing a salvo of energy beams at the approaching Gohma horde, felling many more. But their numbers were seemingly endless, and the Gohma relentlessly pressed on.
Realizing that fighting at a distance was no longer an option, the Changelings hissed their battle cries and charged, horns lowered to act like a wall of spears. The two insectoid swarms smashed into each other with a thunderous crash. While a number of Changelings were still fighting from the air, most of them were now on the ground. Still, the initial assault had yielded promising results; the Gohma swarm was significantly reduced in number, and now the two armies were of roughly equal size and strength.
Vaati roared as he felt a salvo of Gohma energy balls strike him from behind. He turned to see a trio of soldiers advancing on him, their eyes aglow in preparation of another attack. Vaati did not give them the chance, summoning a horde of stone eyes that spat a continuous stream of white-hot lasers at the arachnids, eliminating them. He then enveloped the stone eyes in dark energy and sent them hurtling into the swarms of Gohma still pouring into the chamber. Satisfied with the results, Vaati saw a Larva crawling towards him and promptly smashed it with his fist.
Chrysalis reveled in the fight, unleashing every attack spell she knew into the Gohma hordes. Several soldiers, recognizing her as a priority target, shot energy balls at her, but Chrysalis dodged and retaliated with larger energy balls of her own, reducing the attackers to mush. She fired beam after beam into the swarm, each one easily slaying a foe. The Changelings still hovering in the air rallied around her, continuously raining death down upon their loathsome enemies. Many Gohma were too distracted by the Changelings assaulting them from the ground to turn their attention towards the fliers. Even with their superior numbers, it was clear that this fight was beginning to turn against the Gohma's favor.
The combined assault of Changelings, demon, ponies, Diamond Dog, and Zebra began to whittle down the Gohma's numbers, though in their mindless existence, the thought of retreat never once entered into the arachnids' collective minds. Thus, they kept coming, determined to wipe out as many foes as they possibly could. Vaati unleashed an eye beam into the onrushing Gohma, leaving nothing but greasy smudges on the floor. With the fresh energy flowing through their veins, the Changelings were putting up a much greater fight than before, and now the tables had been turned on their predatory conquerors. And with Vaati, the Mane Six, and a Diamond Dog amongst the Changeling onslaught, the Gohma ultimately stood little chance.
What for the longest time had been a continuous stream of Gohma attackers finally began to slow to a trickle, until the last of them finally came skittering into the chamber. The Changeling swarm pushed against the remaining attackers, continuously thinning their ranks. And after a few more minutes of intense fighting, the last Pincer fell, Rainbow's lance lodged in its eye. The chamber fell silent as the survivors took note of their losses. Vaati and his entourage all breathed a sigh of relief at seeing that all of them had survived. Chrysalis was not so enthused, observing the silent battlefield with a grim, saddened expression. Numerous Changelings both dead and dying lay scattered amongst the broken corpses of Gohma. At least a hundred more of her children had perished in the fighting, but she strengthened her resolve by reminding herself that they had gone down fighting for her and each other, in defense of their homes, rather than as meals for the Gohma.
"It's not over," Vaati said, returning to human form. "The queen is still in her chamber, and there will be more Gohma waiting for us there."
Chrysalis nodded in acknowledgment. "I will lead you there. Let's end this."
At her direction, the surviving Changelings joined Vaati's party as they navigated through the winding passageways of the hive. No more Gohma came forward to assault them, likely because all of them save for the Queen Gohma's personal guard had perished back in the prison chamber. Very soon, they reached the queen's chamber, and stopped cold at what they saw.
A huge swarm of Gohma Larvae and Soldiers awaited them with nasty, hungry glares. Towering over them were two massive spiders large enough to go toe-to-toe with an adult dragon. And where Chrysalis's throne once sat was the Gohma Queen, a twisted abomination of claws, pincers, and segmented legs, sitting atop a large cluster of eggs that even now was growing in number by the minute. Queen Chrysalis stared down her Gohma counterpart with a fiery hatred and righteous anger. The Gohma Queen unleashed a guttural growl as she directed her remaining swarms, glaring back at Chrysalis with equal hatred. The Gohma began to slowly advance, ready to devour the rebellious intruders. Chrysalis gritted her teeth, her heart burning with vengeful fury as she abruptly took to the air. "YOU'RE MINE, BITCH!" she roared, lithely dodging all the Gohma projectiles sent her way in her rush to get to the Queen.
"Go! Attack! ATTACK!" Vaati commanded.
"To the queen!" the Changelings chorused out loud, surprising Vaati and the Equestrians, who had not known that regular Changelings could actually speak.
Again, the two swarms collided with the force of an earthquake, both sides continuously firing volleys of their corresponding energy beams at one another. The Armogohmas stalked forward, ready to crush the Changelings flat with their mighty legs. Vaati assumed demon form again and yelled, "Come on! We'll deal with the Armogohmas!"
As Chrysalis flew towards the Gohma Queen, her monstrous arachnid nemesis detached herself from her egg sacs with a hideous roar, rearing back as she snapped her claws threateningly. "Did you truly think I would simply stand idly by and allow my children to suffer?!" Chrysalis challenged. "This is MY hive! I am Queen! I will kill you here, filthy usurper!"
The Gohma Queen roared as Chrysalis fired an energy beam at her eye. However, the Gohma Queen closed her eye, Chrysalis's attack deflected by her enemy's thick eyelid. And when the Queen opened her eye again, she immediately retaliated with a beam of her own that Chrysalis swiftly dodged. The Gohma Queen then leapt into the air towards Chrysalis, an attack she had not been expecting. The larger queen knocked the Changeling broodmother out of the air, pinning her against the ground. The Gohma Queen let out a gurgling growl as she glared at her counterpart, ready to devour her. However, Chrysalis recovered quickly, enveloping the Gohma Queen with her magical energy and flinging her against the wall.
Meanwhile, Vaati tussled with one of the massive Armogohmas, pushing against the monster with his enhanced strength while simultaneously sending multitudes of wind and darkness spells at the massive spider, which, alas, merely exploded harmlessly against the creature's thick carapace. Of course, Vaati wasn't trying to kill it; he was merely distracting its attention away from the ground, where Pinkie and Rover were sneaking up on its thrashing legs. Suddenly the Armogohma felt two of its legs give out as Pinkie And Rover simultaneously bludgeoned them with their respective weapons. Losing some of its leg-power, the Armogohma was helpless to stop Vaati as he abruptly tugged at its front legs, forcing the massive arachnid to the ground. Rainbow wasted no time in dive-bombing it and driving her spear into the huge eye on its back, silencing the beast.
The other Armogohma unleashed a stream of fire from the eye on its back, roasting a number of Changelings that had been unfortunate enough to be flying overhead at that moment. Suddenly it felt its legs freeze up as two magical auras enveloped them. Twilight and Rarity simultaneously pulled all its legs outward, dragging the Armogohma screeching to the ground. As soon as it was grounded, Rarity flung a multitude of sharpened diamonds into the monster's eye. "Good work, dear," Rarity commended Twilight, who gulped as she nodded.
The both of them looked towards where Chrysalis and the Gohma Queen were fighting and pondered whether or not she needed any help.
Chrysalis flung energy balls at the Queen, but they were unable to penetrate her tough exoskeleton. The Gohma Queen lunged at Chrysalis again, but this time she was expecting the attack and flew out of her opponent's reach. The Gohma Queen crushed an unfortunate Changeling beneath her impressive bulk as she made landfall. Chrysalis's heart swelled in anger at this as the Gohma Queen turned to face her as though the slaying of Chrysalis's kin wasn't even a matter of concern. Chrysalis also chose to make landfall, glaring at the Queen Gohma with narrowed intensity. The Gohma Queen stalked menacingly towards her, emitting that strange gurgling noise again. With a furious yell, Chrysalis charged forward and threw herself against the Gohma Queen, using her magic to augment her strength. The Queen uttered a shriek of surprise as she actually felt herself being pushed back by the smaller queen. Chrysalis then touched her horn to the Gohma Queen's chest, sending thousands of volts into her body.
The Gohma Queen roared as she threw Chrysalis off of her. But Chrysalis was not down and out just yet. Baring her teeth in a snarl, Chrysalis once more enveloped the Gohma Queen in her magic and flung her nemesis into the wall again and again before smashing her against the ground. The Gohma Queen snarled as she righted herself. But Chrysalis was already upon her, and the Changeling Queen struck the Gohma Queen with more volts of emerald electricity.
It was too much for the Gohma Queen.
Chrysalis's rage-fuelled assault was just too strong. The opposing queen hissed as she struggled to remain standing, her eye opening as she glared at Chrysalis. Seeing her chance, Chrysalis ceased her attack and glared right back. "Are you in pain?" she spoke coldly. "Good; it is paltry compared to the pain you put my hive through. This is for every Changeling you tortured and killed, you filthy wretch!"
Chrysalis, channeling the rage and sorrow of her people, unleashed a mighty yell as she drove her jagged horn right through the Gohma Queen's eye, sending more of her magic through her convulsing body for good measure. The Gohma Queen shrieked as she was consumed by emerald flames that burned her from the inside out. By the time Chrysalis dislodged her horn, the Gohma Queen's smoking body collapsed into a pile of hideous-smelling ashes.
The effect was immediate. The remaining Gohma swarms went absolutely berserk, overcome by the pain of the loss of their collective consciousness. The Changelings and their allies immediately backed off as the Gohma succumbed to their madness, ravenously tearing one another and themselves apart. Rarity shielded Fluttershy's eyes from the gruesome sight as the Element of Generosity materialized around her neck, while the Changelings looked on with grim satisfaction. At last, their hive had been reclaimed.
XXXXXX
Thirty minutes later, outside the Changeling Hive…
While a funeral pyre burned for the nearly two hundred Changelings that had fallen in battle, the survivors chucked the broken remains of the Gohma invaders over the cliff to serve as a warning to any who dared to attempt to threaten the Changeling people ever again. Chrysalis observed the funeral pyre with a saddened expression, while Vaati's party busily cleaned their weapons. Without turning away, Chrysalis spoke up, "I wish to accompany you on the rest of your journey. Ganon must pay for the horror he unleashed on my subjects. And yet, my children cannot survive in this harsh climate without me."
Vaati and Twilight shared a look, knowing how to solve this but uncertain of whether the potential consequences were worth it. "Well," Twilight hesitantly began, "there is the Crystal Empire."
Chrysalis turned around to face them. "Crystal Empire? What are you talking about?"
"It's a kingdom of sorts up in the frozen north that is probably full of more love energy than the entirety of Equestria," Vaati explained further. "The Crystal Ponies there use an artifact called the Crystal Heart as a method of protection. It's powered by intense love magic, so much so that its former ruler, King Sombra, a unicorn who was basically a living embodiment of hatred, was quite literally blown to smithereens when it was used against him. From what I heard, even the Elements of Harmony could not have done that to him."
"And who rules this Crystal Empire now?" Chrysalis asked suspiciously, though inwardly hope swelled in her veins.
Vaati and Twilight glanced at each other again. "Princess Cadance and Shining Armor," Twilight reluctantly answered.
All hope evaporated from Chrysalis just like that. "My people would be banished from there long before we could even set foot in it if that is the case," she snapped. "Need I remind you that it was their wedding I almost ruined?!"
"Need I remind you that they were the ones who convinced me to spare your life?" Vaati coolly countered.
Chrysalis fell silent, realizing that the infuriating sorcerer had a point.
"It wouldn't hurt to try," Twilight offered. "The Crystal Heart can feed your people just by being there. And as long as the Crystal Ponies are happy, the Heart's magic is self-regenerating. The Changelings would never go hungry!"
Chrysalis weighed the options in her mind. She did not like it, but this "Crystal Empire" offered the greatest hope for her people's protection and survival. "Very well," she finally said. "But how will they find the Empire? And how can you guarantee that my children will not be killed on sight?"
Vaati waved his hand, summoning an Eye Sentry. "This Eye Sentry bears my memories. Order your Changelings to follow it, and it will lead you to the Empire. Once it does, it will contact me and I will converse with Cadance and her dithering idiot of a husband."
"Hey!" Twilight complained indignantly. "Don't call my brother names!"
Vaati rolled his eyes. "In any case, we'll need to rest for a while. Hopefully the location of the next Element will reveal itself while we sleep."
Rarity gulped at that. While she knew that resting was necessary if they were to find the locations of the remaining Elements, she knew that it was a very likely possibility that she would have a nightmare tonight, and she was not certain she was prepared to deal with it, if her friends' reactions to their own were any indication. Twilight saw this and put a reassuring hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Rare," Twilight said comfortingly. "No matter what happens, we're all here for you."
Rarity smiled. "I know."
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I was checking my tracking list for updates and this showed up as I was going to page 2.
AWEEEEESOOOOOMMMMEEEEEE
Daring Do?! Hooray!!
Halfway there
And I'm guessing it's gonna be Rainbow's element next, hm?
I can definitely imagine the changelings taking residence in the Crystal Empire and possibly coexisting with the crystal ponies
Also, Discord's trolling was excellent
I knew it was him the moment the cobblestone changed.
OHMYGODYOUPOSTEDANOTHERMASTERPIECEOFAWESOMENESSTHATNOWORDSWILLEVERGIVEENOUGHCREDITTOOITISSOAWESOMEILOVEYOURWORKANDWILLFOLLOWYOUFOREVER!!!!
BTW, those pranks, such a Dischord thing to do. Well done, as usual.
once again you have given us an amazing chapter.
keep up the good work as always
Good to know that Vaati STILL dislikes Shining Armor.
Humm Loyalty-
This is gonna be fun.
Also, I just had the strongest Skull Kid vibe when I was considering that scene with Scootaloo and Majora's whispers.
...In before Majora possesses Scoots and tries to drop Luna's moon on Equestria.
Mind you, that plot thread will likely play out differently, but I suspect something possibly similar.
It seems that we get a new party member for each element acquired:
Zecora,Rover and Chrysalis.
So I am going to guess who we get from the other places.
Daring Do in Griffin kingdom because of the teaser at the end. (could also be gilda)
One of the wonderbolts (guessing spitfire) from cloudsdale
The last I don't know because we don't know the location yet. REALLY wild guess: one of the teen dragons because he puts the magic element in the dragons land.
Onward!
*hugs Scootaloo* I swear, I hope we get to see Vaati rip Majora a new one for everything he's put Scoots through. But I know Applebloom and Sweetie Belle won't abandon her, no matter what she does!
Nice liberation of the changelings, I hope things go well with their journey to the Crystal Empire... but Shining would have to be a total idiot to turn down the Changeling advantage of flight and magical assault at the same time.
5668223
Heh. You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to writing that.
5668390
Dude, calm down before you hurt yourself.
5668564
But of course. Goody two-shoes will rustle even the jimmies of reformed villains.
5669100
Yep; party members instead of dungeon items.
5669329
Let's hope Shiny isn't that stupid.
I loved the battle song.
5669882 TOO LATE!!!!!!
The start XD Discord for pres. He is so much fun, he could be the King of the world and i wouldn't mind it XD.
Yea, Scoots you in BIG trouble. Maybe you should speak with someone that know what you should do.
OK this was awesome. And... YEA MORE CHRYSALIS IN THE FUTURE!^^
And the Changelings don't need to die ^^. It is great to see a story where they aren't killed of or shown as monsters.
Why did the worms bleed? Didn't they just go of in smoke? was this not explained wit a curs? Or did i miss some thing?
Pinkie Pie's strategy of laughing at fear is quite brilliant. Whenever there's a scene in a book like this that happens to be particularly grim, I imagine overpowered versions of the characters taking over and completely wrecking everything. It helps lighten the mood before I read the actual scenes.
Your massive battles are just beautiful to read. Please please PLEASE put a massive battle between good and evil at the end of this fic or i fear you talent may be going to waste
5670869
They're just animals, rather than cursed monsters. It works on slightly different aspects.
5671524
Oh, there will be plenty more by the time we see the end of this series...
For scootaloos issue, it's like no one ever thinks about the fact that by giving in to the bad guys demands, they're giving him exactly what they want! if he starts threatening your friends all of a sudden, right before you get rid of the mask, then obviously your on the right track! seriously, she let's the fucking thing stay, and they all eventually die, or she dumps the thing in the forest, and her friends might die. at least the second option has a chance of success!
...Why does the the beginning with ganondorf remind me of hyrule warriors? oh well.
Majora, if you mess with scootaloo like I think you will, I will rip down the fourth wall and beat your f
ing arse.
ps.LOVED the ghoma fight!!
Nyu~!
5680062
Considering this mask is capable of movement too, Scootaloo definitely would have gotten her friends killed had she not complied. If you're being threatened by a freaking god with abilities you don't even know the full extent of, a god who is well-known for possessing objects and people as vessels for his uses, what would you do?
5682010
Unless you want to get reduced to a greasy smudge on the floor, I would advise against it.
5682899
Joke's on him, I have the fierce deity mask! TASTE MY HELIX SWORD MOTHERBUCKER!
Ps. great story so far, keep it up!
Nyu~!
5682899
There really was no way for Scoots to win in that situation. Lose the masks, lose her friends. Keep the mask, lose her friends. If the world was ruled by pettiness, as I sometimes think it is, the act of spitting in the eyes of an evil god would be a reward unto itself. At least, it would be, before said god commandeers your body and uses it to murder everyone you love.
Nothing like a good bug hunt.