Spark

by Fyn16

Metamorphosis: Part I

Metamorphosis: Part I

The Changelings continued their advance, staring down Nimbus and Storm Runner. The Pegasi were shocked, unable to move as dozens of copies of their old friend, Sun Blaze, bore down on them.

“Why, Nimbus?” Storm Runner whispered. Nimbus looked back; his friend was shaking uncontrollably, and his face was pale, “why her?”

“Because he knows we won’t fight her,” Nimbus whispered back. “Storm, if we’re going to get out of this alive, you’re going to have to do something I’d never ask you to do otherwise- you’ll have to fight back against these things.”

Storm Runner shook his head violently, “no- no, I won’t do it!”

The Changelings were less than ten feet away now and Nimbus prepared to launch. It was now or never.

“Storm!” he hissed, “snap out of it! Bright Future’s exploiting your greatest weakness! Sun Blaze is gone, Storm. These pretenders are trying to compromise you.”

“Don’t listen to him, Sugar,” one of the Changelings said seductively, “you can still be mine if you-“

Storm Runner’s left eye twitched. “Sugar… Sun Blaze would never have called me that.” His body began to shudder even more and he bent his head down towards the ground. This was it. Storm's wings twitched slightly, and anypony who had flown with the guy before would know that something big was about to happen. The pony's legs tensed, and his mouth contorted into a snarl. Without warning, Storm Runner snapped his wings open and rocketed into the air above the Changelings. “Sun Blaze never called me that!” he yelled, diving down and firing his CAL-2 into the mass of creatures below. Nimbus had to duck to avoid taking a hit himself. “Get out of my way, freaks!” Storm Runner yelled, rolling as a few Changelings took off after him, “you disgrace her memory!”

As two Changelings nearby collapsed, convulsing as Storm Runner shocked them, Nimbus saw his chance and flung himself into the air off Storm’s wing. Trying to catch up with his friend was like trying to stabilize oneself in a raging river. Storm was everywhere at once, firing and swooping wildly, and Nimbus began to wonder if his friend was being more of a danger than the Changelings were. After failing twice to keep up with his friend, Nimbus broke away to pursue another Changeling diving towards the cave floor. His CAL-2 had finally built up enough pressure to arm, and he let loose with a barrage of bolts that sent the Changeling reeling. Rather than standing back up and returning to the fight, however, the creature chose to retreat into one of the holes in the wall. The rest seemed to be doing the same.

Storm Runner ripped by overhead, shooting to kill. He’d already managed to drop five Changelings to Nimbus’s one, and was working on a sixth and seventh.

“Storm, wait up-“

“Get out of my way!” he snarled at Nimbus as he barely avoided the orange Pegasus. Nimbus recoiled, shocked by his friend’s sudden hostility, and focused on picking off some stragglers with a few well-placed shots. Teamwork apparently wasn’t going to be an option here. As Nimbus turned to engage another, he felt hooves on his back and plummeted to the floor. Flipping around on the ground, he came face to face with Sun Blaze. As he watched in horror, the mare’s face shifted, contorting back into the deformed, insect-like face of a Changeling. The creature lowered its head to Nimbus’s and hissed, spraying spittle over his face. Nimbus gritted his teeth, struggling under the adversary’s weight, all the while warily eyeing the sharp teeth in its mouth. He bucked upwards, catching the creature off guard, and rolled to his hooves just in time to be tackled by two more. They pinned him, forcing his face into the cave floor. Nimbus was breathing in dirt, trying desperately to cram air into his lungs, but he knew he couldn’t fight back against these two.

“Storm,” he wheezed, “help me!”

Storm Runner snapped his head around to where Nimbus’s voice had come from. With a cry of rage, he bashed a nearby Changeling into the wall and took off like a rocket towards Nimbus. The two Changelings never knew what hit them. Storm Runner was traveling just under Mach 1, and the sickening crack that resounded through the cave was something Nimbus knew he’d never forget. Storm stopped just a few feet short of a wall and turned around. Only one Changeling remained standing, still disguised as Sun Blaze. Nimbus got to his feet just in time to see Storm Runner leap towards the impostor, pinning it mercilessly to a wall by the throat.

“You impersonate my friend, and you mock her memory." His face held no forgiveness now; Storm had lost it completely. His eyes were wild with fury, and his face was only a few inches away from the impostor. "There are so many ways I could kill you right now, but I’ll take my time picking the slowest one possible.”

“Wait-“ the fake Sun Blaze choked, “there’s more than you know to this story.”

Storm Runner pressed harder on the Changeling’s neck. “What are you talking about, you wretched piece of filth? I think things are pretty cut and dried here.”

The Changeling shook its head, regardless of the pain it must have been feeling. “Did Nimbus ever tell you who actually killed Sun Blaze? Did you ever stop to think it might have been him?”

Nimbus froze, heart pounding. Now really wasn’t the time for the truth to be heard. Thankfully, Storm Runner didn’t seem to buy the story.

“You’re lying,” he growled, “Nimbus would never lie to me…” he turned towards his friend, “isn’t that right, Nimbus?”

Nimbus gulped, trying to think of what to say, but the Changeling cut him off.

“Think about it- run the facts through that thick skull of yours. Sun Blaze disappeared the night of the Summer Sun Celebration- the same time Nimbus fought a pony whose identity was never recovered above Canterlot. The only pony whose word you have that the one he fought wasn’t Sun Blaze is him.” The Changeling nodded at Nimbus, and Storm released pressure a bit, turning towards his friend.

“You can’t honestly believe what that thing is telling-“ Nimbus began.

“Is it true?” Storm Runner said, “Nimbus, look me in the eyes and tell me you didn’t kill Sun Blaze that night.”

Nimbus hesitated, sighing. He traced a random pattern in the dirt with his hoof and brought his eyes up to meet Storm Runner’s. The Pegasus’s eyes were desperate, almost pleading that his demands could be answered. He opened his mouth, attempting to keep the lie alive, but he just couldn’t. Within a second of meeting Storm Runner’s gaze, Nimbus dropped his head back down.

“I just wanted to protect you, Storm…” he said softly.

“Protect me from what, Nimbus?” Storm Runner said softly, releasing the Changeling and turning around to face his friend. “The truth? I thought we were friends, ‘buddy.’ I thought we could trust each other to tell the whole truth, so when you tell me that Sun Blaze was killed by an Awakening ace, I fully expect you to be telling me nothing but the facts. Now I’m supposed to believe that this whole thing was a lie?!” Storm Runner’s face was gradually contorting into a snarl, and Nimbus was truly becoming frightened now. “Nimbus, was Sun Blaze a part of the Awakening? Was she the one who you fought that night?” Nimbus was silent, looking down at his hooves and unable to meet the gaze of the pony whose trust he’d just shattered.

“Answer me!” Storm Runner barked, and Nimbus jumped a bit. He’d uttered the same last words that Sun Blaze had. The truth had finally come full circle.

“Yes,” Nimbus whispered, “if that’s what you want to know, Storm Runner, then yes. I killed Sun Blaze. But you have to understand, she was-“

“I don’t care about your explanations!” Storm Runner roared, advancing on Nimbus, “you were with her; you should have found another way!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Nimbus noticed that the final Changeling hadn’t left. Instead, its horn was glowing green, and it was pointed at Storm. As he watched, a glowing green glaze seemed to form over Storm Runner’s eyes. “Look, Storm. If you want my apology, you’ll have it. But can’t you see that this is exactly what Bright Future wants? He’s turning you against me!”

Storm Runner yelled, charging forward and catching Nimbus in his stomach. Unprepared to fight back, Nimbus was helplessly pressed into the dirt as Storm Runner’s hooves closed around his neck. The stallion’s eyes were blazing with green light now; he was gone.

“I don’t want your Luna-damned excuses, Nimbus!” Storm Runner shrieked, “there is nothing you can give me that will make up for her loss, do you understand me? Nothing!”

Losing air quickly, Nimbus knew he had no other choice but to act. Storm Runner was stronger than him, and far better in hoof to hoof combat. Still, he was blinded by rage and… whatever was controlling him right now. There was a slim chance that he might be vulnerable to an unexpected counterattack. Anything was better than nothing.

Gasping for air, throat nearly closed now, Nimbus bucked upward with his back legs, impacting Storm Runner’s soft, unprotected belly. Storm instinctively recoiled, letting go of Nimbus just long enough for him to dart away, wheezing as he backed towards the other corner of the cave. Storm was already recovering, and he’d be back at him again. Nimbus had to act fast.

“I won’t fight you, Storm!” Nimbus rasped, “you’re my friend!”

“Friend?!” Storm Runner growled, darting forward and smashing into the wall as Nimbus deftly sidestepped him, “you use that term so loosely it means nothing to you!”

Nimbus jumped up into the air, holding a hover once again opposite Storm Runner. “It means everything to me! I knew you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you knew Sun Blaze had betrayed us, so I did what I thought I had to do to protect my best friend!”

Storm Runner launched himself into the air, catching Nimbus’s wingtip this time and forcing him to spiral violently down into the cave floor. Storm landed, panting. “If that’s what you think, then that makes you no better than you say she was.”

Nimbus rolled to his hooves, coughing. One of his ribs felt cracked, but he tried not to let it show. Stepping back, he winced, however, nursing his side. Storm immediately caught on to the visual cue and charged forward again, driven by rage. Nimbus was too tired to move, accepting the pain as he was smashed bodily into the cave wall. A loud snap confirmed that the rib was now broken, and white hot pain flashed before his eyes. The fight was ending after it had only barely begun, and even if he’d been capable of fighting back, Nimbus wasn’t sure he had the will to do so. The Pegasus lay on the cave floor, trembling with pain as Storm Runner’s green-glazed eyes glared down at him. Perhaps he deserved this, he thought, but regardless of whether or not this was so, the truth was finally off his chest. If he was to die here, he’d die knowing that his conscience was finally clear.

…

“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Octavia asked as Silky Sunset turned down yet another dark corridor.

“No,” Silky admitted, “I don’t, but I know for certain that we’re not going back the way we came, which is better than nothing.”

Octavia nodded, ducking to avoid a slimy, dripping stalactite. “I must admit- this is not where I saw myself being today when I planned my week out only a few days ago.”

“I’d rather not reflect on what I was thinking a few days ago,” Silky said, “still, I’m with you in that I certainly didn’t expect this.”

The two mares froze as a loud booming noise echoed through the passage. Something had impacted the cave wall a short distance ahead.

“I guess we’re not alone,” Silky whispered, ducking down, “keep low- probably some more Changelings ahead.”

Octavia ducked behind a rock, clenching her mouth shut as she made an effort to keep quiet. Barely breathing, she watched as Sun Blaze peeked her head over cover.

“What is it?” Octavia breathed.

“By Luna’s stars…” Silky Sunset gasped, “it’s Nimbus and Storm Runner… they’re fighting!”

“What?” Octavia moved up, resting her hooves on the edge of the rock, and peered over just in time to see Storm Runner lift Nimbus up and send him hurtling into the cave floor.

“What’s wrong with his eyes?” Silky whispered, seeing Storm Runner’s eyes for the first time. Octavia bolted out from behind cover, heading for the fight.

“Octavia, wait! If Storm Runner’s compromised it might be dangerous in…” Octavia was already long gone, and Silky sighed, “…there. Okay, Silky. You’ve stuck your neck out, put a lot on the line recently… what’s one more time, right?” Before her practical side could say otherwise, Silky ran around the corner, galloping after Octavia. Nothing like an almost guaranteed fight with an Aviator to make one’s day complete.

…

Nimbus wasn’t sure how much more he could take. His ribs were now the least of his concern. His entire body was like one big nerve ending now, and he didn’t dare try to think about how many bones he’d broken. And yet despite the pain, despite everything that was happening to him, he still couldn’t bring himself to fight back.

“Why don’t you fight me, Nimbus?” Storm Runner roared, kicking Nimbus as the Pegasus fell to the floor again, “I’m giving you more of a chance than you ever gave Sun Blaze!”

“I told you, Storm,” Nimbus coughed, dragging himself away, “you’re my friend. I’d never hurt you.”

“Yeah? I thought Sun Blaze was your friend once, too!”

Nimbus doubled over in pain as Storm Runner kicked out again, catching him in the stomach. He snapped his head back as air rushed out of his lungs, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw a mare standing nearby, frozen in horror. Through eyes blurred by pain and exhaustion, he could swear he could make out Octavia.

It’s a hallucination, he thought, brought on by the pain- nothing more. He blinked, trying to drive the image away, but the pony just moved closer, speaking hesitantly.

“Storm Runner, stop this!”

“Octavia?” Nimbus groaned, “wha- what are you doing here?”

“Storm Runner,” Octavia said hesitantly as the blue Pegasus shifted his focus away from Nimbus, “please, stop this. There’s something else going on here…”

“I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on here!” Storm Runner bellowed, moving towards Octavia now, “this pony-“ he pointed at Nimbus “-has betrayed our trust! He’s nothing but a spineless liar, and a coward! And if you’re going to side with him, then that makes you my enemy, too!”

“The Changeling…” Nimbus choked, nodding towards the creature disguised as Sun Blaze behind Storm Runner, “distract it.”

Silky took her place next to Octavia now, glaring at Storm. “Pull yourself together, Aviator. You’ve become a liability. We’re getting out of here, all of us, but we can’t do that if you won’t cooperate.”

“I deserve justice!” Storm Runner screamed, “I just want things to be right, don’t you understand?” The Pegasus charged straight for Silky. Luckily, Silky was ready and stepped aside, taking aim at the Changeling with her horn. One bolt of magic was all it took to break the creature’s concentration. As the light from its horn died out, Storm Runner collapsed to the cave floor and Octavia rushed to his aid. Silky closed in on the Changeling, pulling it away from the hole in the wall it was about to use to escape.

“Oh no,” she whispered, voice full of silent rage bottled up from the torment she'd been through earlier, “there’s no easy way out for you this time.”

Storm Runner’s eyes fluttered open and he found himself gazing at Octavia. “What… happened? I could have sworn I just attacked-“ he shifted his gaze around, and his eyes widened in horror as he perceived the crumpled form of Nimbus on the ground.

“Oh Luna, no…” he whispered.

“I’ll be fine, Storm,” Nimbus croaked. Not answering him, Storm Runner got to his hooves and walked over to the cowering Changeling, which had now taken on its true form.

“It was controlling you,” Silky said, “making you fight Nimbus.”

“I know,” Storm Runner replied, lifting the creature to its hooves and pinning it to the wall by the throat. “I’m sick of being an accessory,” he whispered, rage seething behind his quiet tone as he addressed the Changeling, “I’m done with the lies. Yes, I’m sure you must have played off of some existing feelings, but you made me hurt Nimbus. Flawed as he may be, he is…” Storm Runner winced, “he was my friend.”

“Was he really?” the Changeling hissed, “if he was really your friend, would he have hidden that truth from you?”

Storm Runner looked down at the ground. The Changeling was trying to work its way back into his mind. There was no doubt that he wondered about the same thing it had just told him, but that was a problem for him to deal with, on his own time.

“Maybe, maybe not,” he sighed, “but if there’s an issue here, it’ll be discussed between us- nopony else!” Storm Runner’s voice became tense again, and Nimbus prepared for the worst. The Pegasus’s anger was directed elsewhere though. Storm Runner released the Changeling briefly, then smashed its head into the wall behind it, leaving cracks spider-webbing over the stone.

“Now leave-“ he drove the creature’s head into the wall again, “-my friends-“ again he drove his hooves forward, “-alone!” he slammed the Changeling down into the ground. As the light left the creature’s eyes, Nimbus saw the colors of the room begin to swim around, blurring into one another as his vision lost focus. He opened his mouth to ask if anypony else was seeing what he saw, but no sound came out. The pain was leaving his body, his world was fading to black, but he didn’t feel the sensation of losing consciousness. This was something else.

…

When Nimbus’s world returned to color, he became aware that he could no longer move his wings and legs. As things became clearer, he noticed that, like before, they were in a large cavern. The only difference was that this time, the cave was clearly lit by green, bioluminescent veins running along the walls. He, Storm Runner, Octavia, and Silky Sunset were pinned to the cave wall, held by magic in the same order they’d been in when Bright Future trapped them earlier. It made no sense.

“Welcome back, ponies.”

Bright Future was back, standing with a smug grin on his face in front of the four. Behind him was a tank similar to the ones they’d seen in the main lab, only this one was much larger, and was covered with black growths. Something was inside, but exactly what it was, thus far, was unclear. Noting the looks of confusion on the ponies’ faces, Bright Future laughed; his tone a dry rattle that was beginning to sound unlike any sound a pony could create.

“Did you like it? My little world for you? It wasn’t a challenge to create my own, small mental plane of existence for you four to frolic through. And your memories… such strong emotion contained in them. I haven’t felt this young in millennia.”

“What are you talking about?” Storm Runner said, straining against the magical bonds that held him.

“Well, everything you just experienced happened in here-“ Bright Future tapped his hoof on Storm Runner’s forehead, withdrawing it quickly as Storm Runner tried snapping his head away, then turned around and paced towards the tank. “The memories were very real, however. Everything you said, everything Nimbus confessed to, all of it real.”

“You had no right to go digging around in our heads like that!” Nimbus called out.

“Shut up, Nimbus!” Storm Runner hissed.

Nimbus shrank back; he’d almost forgotten that Storm Runner knew about Sun Blaze now. Keeping silent was probably the wisest course of action right now.

“Ah, but the emotions all of you released- the strong, developing bonds of friendship between Silky and Octavia, the seething hatred unlocked in Storm Runner at Nimbus’s betrayal of trust- they’ve helped me so much.”

“When you said you haven’t felt this strong in millennia…” Octavia said slowly, hesitantly, “what did you mean? You’re a Unicorn, mortal like the rest of us. What you’ve just told us makes no sense.”

“And what if I told you, my dear, that everything you’ve seen so far was a lie? It wouldn’t be the first lie you ponies have experienced on this little adventure of yours.”

“What are you getting at?” Silky said, “I watched you as you were taken into the darkness by… something- some force. You can’t just tell me that never happened!”

“Smoke and mirrors, little revolutionary. You can’t tell me you’ve never seen a magic trick. Slight of hoof is an art form, you know, something my… race has been practicing for a very long time.”

“Who are you?” Nimbus asked, almost afraid to hear the truth.

From the tip of his horn, a green spark traveled lazily down Bright Future’s face, disappearing into his mane. His smile began to twist, contorting into a smirk, “I could tell you,” he said softly, his voice beginning to change as its pitch increased, sounding almost feminine, “but perhaps I’ll show you instead.”

More sparks began to play about Bright Future’s body, sinking into every pore of his skin until he disappeared completely behind a wall of green magic. Nimbus squinted as the flashes of light lit up the cave in direct contrast to the darkness around him. “Silky,” he groaned, “is that some kind of spell?”

“No,” Silky said, “or at least not one I’ve ever seen.”

Through the light, Nimbus could make out the faint outline of Bright Future… only now he wasn’t entirely sure he was looking at a pony at all. The stallion’s legs were growing significantly in length, but his body itself seemed to be growing thinner, as appendages sprouted from the sides. The mane and tail were growing out, and the horn became more pronounced, looking jagged. The light vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving in place something much more different than the pony they’d all seen only seconds ago. Tall, with insect-like wings and a spiky, flowing mane, the figure looked up from the ground, towards the trapped ponies. The dark creature fixed its glowing green eyes on the group, and its mouth split into a horrifying smile.

“That’s her- that’s the one,” Sunset whispered, “Project Spark.”

The tall Changeling approached the four ponies, and a dark, spiked crown materialized atop her head. “My future subjects,” she said, voice layered as if two ponies were actually speaking, “I’m so pleased to finally meet you face to face. Perhaps you’ve never heard of me, but rest assured- that will change. I am Chrysalis, queen of the Changeling race, and you will bow before me.”

Nimbus felt his body move beyond his control as he and the rest of his companions were forced onto the hard, dusty floor. Unable to do anything but watch as green magic enveloped his body, Nimbus bowed down along with his friends, under the shadow of what, until now, all of Equestria had believed a myth. The shadowy figure grinned.

“Soon, all of Equestria will be in your position. You will all bow, and there’s nothing anypony can do to stop me.”