55. Search and Rescue
It's completely quiet in the hive, the silence broken by nothing other than the sound of hooves squelching into the black substance on the ground. Everything is bathed in that eerie green glow, to the point where it seems like I'm using my magic, even though I'm not. You know, since everything seems to go green when I do that. At some point, I need to look in a mirror to see why that is.
Yeah...the path soon splits into five different paths. That's more than we have teams, since there's only three teams. Our group stops, but since the path is too narrow for us to group up, we're basically just standing in a line.
“It's time to split up. Pick a tunnel, and keep your crystals close at hoof,” Iron commands. You know, it's weird how he's always calling all the shots. Spitfire and Blades are here, and they outrank him. I wonder why they don't mind if he gives them orders? Maybe I'll ask Blades myself once we go into our own tunnel.
“Good luck, Commander,” Spitfire calls after Iron and Fleetfoot as the two of them disappear into the gloom of the first tunnel, on the far left. The line moves forward, and then Spitfire and Rose move into the next tunnel.
That just leaves the last team, consisting of Blades, Rainbow, and I. Blades is standing in front of me, so I guess it's his choice on what tunnel we choose.
“Three choices...awright, we're goin' down this one,” Blades determines, seemingly at random. With a sigh, I follow him into the tunnel. It seems much quieter with the others gone. The silence is almost oppressing. I honestly can't take it, so I decide to break the silence.
“So Blades, why are you okay with Iron giving you guys orders all the time?” I ask. Even though I'm talking, I make sure to keep listening in case there's any changelings nearby.
“Huh? Oh that boy ain't givin' me orders,” Blades responds with a bit of a chuckle. And he just called Iron a boy. Maybe I just can't tell ages in ponies. Come to think of it, I don't even know how old Rainbow is.
“Uh, it sounded like he was giving orders to me. I didn't hear a please or thank you in there,” I point out dryly.
“Look, boy, I ain't so hung up on pride that I won't listen to a good idea when I hear one,” Blades explains. And now he's calling me a boy. How old is this guy? “What would I say anyway? 'Iron, remember who're yer dealin' with. I outrank you, I give the orders. Split up!' What would that accomplish?”
“Absolutely nothing. You're just saying the same thing while stroking your own ego,” I answer confidently. Blades nods with a grin.
“Exactly. So he ain't givin' orders. He's jus' bein' sensible. Authority ain't about getting' all stuck up if somepony says somethin' sensible other than you,” Blades explains. “Besides, Iron's young. If he has a good idea, I'm gonna encourage it.”
“I see. Also, you keep commenting on our youth. How old are you anyway?” I inquire, stepping over a furrow in the ground that I almost trip over in the dim green light.. Though what he's said makes sense. Except you don't see humans in my time being like that. I've heard from Adam once that one of his coworkers got fired because he was too good; the manager got jealous and got rid of him, perceiving him as a threat. You know, instead of giving the guy a damn promotion.
“You can't tell? I've been livin' fer over sixty-two years now, and there ain't a lot I haven't seen,” Blades reveals as we turn a sharp corner. I quirk an eyebrow at that. Sixty-two? He's that old, and he's fighting on the front lines? Actually, come to think of it, horses don't have lifespans that long. If I remember right, they're lucky to live up to 30, yet this guy says he's 62. “I've been servin' Equestria for most of my life; What about you, son? How old are you?”
“You know, that's the first time anypony's asked me that question,” I say, realizing that particular fact with a start. We keep our voices low as the path narrows, and I'm forced to sidle sideways to get through a slim gap. So far it doesn't seem like we're running into any changelings. I'm guessing they all up and left. Or at least, I hope that's the case. “I'm twenty two.”
“Ah, yer still a pup, then,” Blades says with a knowing chuckle. Rolling my eyes at his choice of words, I turn to Rainbow.
“Okay, now that we're discussing ages—Rainbow, how old are you?” I ask her curiously, wondering why the hell I'd never asked her before now. I feel like it should be something I should know.
“You can't tell?” Rainbow responds, looking somewhat shifty.
“Of course not. You're fucking ponies. How do you expect me to tell the difference in age between you and any other goddamn pony?” I remark. Really, Rainbow? “Don't tell me you have an age button, too.”
“A what?” Rainbow just looks confused. I realized then that I'd been thinking aloud.
“Skip it. Just answer the question.”
“I'm twenty. I'm been living in Ponyville for over half a year now,” Rainbow answers at last. Ah, so she's two years younger than me. Though I still don't understand how the hell these ponies live to be so old. At twenty years old, a horse in my time would be close to the end of its life. Except now we have Blades, who is over 60 and is still looking as strong as ever.
“So young...” Blades repeats, glancing over his shoulder to look at me. “I guess that explains why you have so much trouble comin' to a decision then, hm?”
“What are you talking about?” I say sharply. Is he finally bringing up the subject of my issues with Chrysalis? Now, in the middle of this important mission? Though, I guess now's as good a time as any, considering we're just making small talk anyway.
“I'm talkin' about the changeling queen. She gave ya a mighty good offer, I hear.” Blades's words don't seem angry despite the fact that I could have gotten him killed as a result of my late decision.
“What, are you going to judge me for that now too?” I grunt irritably, the three of us navigating down a steep slope in the tunnel.
“Life's too short to judge, boy,” Blades says with a sigh. Just as I'm about to reply, I stumble over a ridge in the path that I hadn't seen. Blades reaches out a hoof to help steady me, which I take gratefully. I'd rather not have another face full of slime. “By all rights, I woulda expected you to take her offer. Yer not from this time, right?”
“Yeah. I assume Celestia included that bit of information in the incident report,” I affirm. I'm annoyed. I wish Celestia hadn't given out reports to the military without warning me first. I would have been more prepared for Rose to be more of a bitch than usual.
“Yup. That being said, I'm shocked you didn't take her offer. You really have no obligation to help us, since this ain't yer time.” Blades reminds me.
“Yeah...I don't,” I repeat. I've said that to myself and to other ponies many times since arriving here. I really don't have any obligation to help these ponies. I mean, it shouldn't have been my problem at all whether or not some ponies died in the future. And in the end, there really was no right decision back then. I just went with the one that would allow me to live with myself.
“Well, I won't ask you why you chose your decision. That ain't my business,” Blades continues, giving me a grin. That's right, it really isn't. “Honestly though, couldn't you have made it faster?”
“Pardon?” I emit, not sure I heard him right. Blades chuckles at my response.
“Your decision. Couldn't you have made it faster? I mean, that's the only thing I can criticize,” Blades says, his smile dropping. He looks serious now, which means he's not completely accepting of what I did. “Listen, boy. Life's full of hardships and temptations. I doubt you need me to tell you that. When you encounter hardship, endure it. When you're tempted, make a decision quickly and stick with it. The time you spend being indecisive can end up hurting you or the others around you.”
I'm quiet, mulling his words over in my head. It's doesn't seem like he's judging me at all, really. It's more like he's criticizing how I made my decision, rather than the decision itself.
“Hey, this sounds like good material for another friendship letter!” Rainbow pipes up, ruining my inner contemplation and causing me to facepalm.
“Goddammit Rainbow, I'm not writing fucking friendship letters!” I snap at her exasperatedly. Rainbow finds this the most hilarious thing, as she promptly starts laughing her ass off. I shake my head with a sigh. Fucking Rainbow and her...
“Hold up...I'm getting' something,” Blades says, stopping. A split second after he says that, the crystal in my hand lights up a ruby red color. “We got trouble.”
“Red. That means one of the teams ran into changelings, right?” Rainbow asks, her muscles tensing up. Blades nods, and we proceed forward slower and more careful than before. “I wonder how many we're talking about.”
“Even one's a problem. Because in all likelihood, that means that changeling queen still views this as a place worth protecting,” Blades warns her.
I curse quietly as we continue forward. Just up ahead, the path widens up once more into a four way split. Once we reach it, I notice that there seems to be no order to the way the tunnels are arranged. Like, on of the tunnels cuts back across and below where we came from, another is directly to the right, and another is just next to that one, heading upwards.
“We can't split up. So what now?” I observe, looking through each of the tunnels for a sign of anything other than blackness.
“I'm thinkin' we should pick one and keep movin'. Yer right, we should stick together,” Blades answers as I peer into the tunnel that heads downwards. I squint, trying to make out what lies beyond the thick curtain of darkness.
I take a step closer. I feel a pinprick in my mind, a faint tinge of foreign magic emanating from somewhere deep within the darkness ahead of me. I blink once, and just as I figure out what I'm feeling, a green surge of changeling magic shoots out of the tunnel and rams into my bare chest, knocking me clear off of my feet. “Son of a bitch!” I curse, feeling the affected skin peeling from the magical power.
“Seth! Where is it, I'll crush it!” Rainbow growls, scuffing the ground with her hoof. Blades turns as well, hearing the sound of hissing. Several changelings swarm out of the lower tunnel, firing streams of magic from their twisted horns. Rainbow immediately leaps into action, taking to the air and slamming a hoof into the first changeling she reaches, knocking it unconscious. She dodges the hooves of another changeling and then sends it into the ground with a double hoofed strike. “Yeah! Drop down!”
I'm not that hurt, but my chest is stinging. I should have reacted faster. As it is, I'd barely had enough time to bring up some manner of magical defense before getting struck. Fucking...why did the changelings have to be in the tunnel I was looking at?
I leap to my feet, summoning my magic. My rifle becomes a pistol, which I then use to take potshots at the changelings, as I don't want to get anywhere near that whirlwind of steel that's Captain Blades. By that, I mean the guy's got at least a dozen daggers hanging in the air around him, spinning around his body like a tornado.
The next changeling to come out of the tunnel transforms into Rainbow, and the next turns into Blades. I lower my pistol in confusion as suddenly every changeling turns into either Rainbow or Blades, so I can't tell which one is the real one.
Well...except for the fake Blades. They keep trying to use their magic, which is green no matter what form they take. I take aim at one of the Blades that is glowing green and open fire. The bolt of magic shoots right through the changeling, causing it to revert and fall over, bleeding profusely from the point of impact.
“Take that, me! I mean...you!” Rainbow cries, cracking a copy of herself atop the head with a hoof. The next one she targets backs away from her. “Hey! I'm not going to let me get away! Wait...augh, this is confusing!”
Despite the numbers of changelings that assault us, it isn't long before no more of them emerge from the tunnel. Rainbow touches the ground and flips back her mane, grinning. Blades lowers his daggers and sheathes them with a satisfied grunt. “That takes care of that. But, thankfully, they've told us exactly where to go,” Blades determines.
“What, so because they came from there, that's likely where they're keeping whatever it is they want to protect?” I reason, looking to the captain for confirmation.
“Exactly. I'll go first, then. Follow me, you two. There will likely be more,” Blades confirms. Leaving two daggers unsheathed and floating in front of him, he walks into the tunnel from where the changelings attacked.
“Are you all right?” Rainbow asks, poking my leg to get my attention. I look at her in confusion, and then remember the newly gained injury on my chest.
“Yeah, it's not that bad. These drones are weak as fuck,” I say uncaringly, looking down at my peeling chest. It feels like a sunburn. Fucking changelings, attacking me before I could get my guard up. Well, I guess it's my fault for not keeping my magic activated, and for staring like an idiot after sensing their magic to begin with. I reach over and poke Rainbow in the side. “And quit poking me.”
“I was just trying to let you know it's you I'm talking to,” Rainbow explains, but then she grins and pokes me again. “Though if it annoys you...”
“Not the time, you two,” Blades calls back to us gruffly. Rainbow lowers her hoof with a pout, and the three of us continue on our way in silence.
A few minutes later, as we descend deeper into the depths of the hive, the tunnel opens out into a much larger chamber. And by much larger, I mean fucking massive.
It looks a lot like the wedding hall, in that it's constructed almost like a cathedral in how it's mostly rectangular with an arched ceiling, though there are several black stalactites hanging from the ceiling. And...well I say rectangular, but the walls are curved and covered with roundish white objects. In fact, those white things are all over the place; covering the ground, the walls, and the ceiling.
“What are those things?” Rainbow asks, her voice echoing throughout the large chamber. She walks near the whole, lowering her muzzle and sniffing at one of the white objects. I walk up next to her, peering at the thing myself.
Against my better judgment, I place my hand against the white object. It's warm, and I can feel something pulsing inside of it. Strange green veins run across the surface of the object. Heh, I know what this is. It seems like I was right. “I think they're eggs,” I reason. Rainbow blanches and recoils, and even Blades looks around at all of the eggs in alarm. “This is probably where Chrysalis hid while building up her army for this assault. After all the changelings came from both inside the city and outside.”
“I think you might be right. And if that's the case, there's enough for another assault in here,” Blades observes.
“That's not good. So what do we do?” Rainbow asks, poking one of the eggs herself. Blades sighs and orients his daggers so that they're facing one of the eggs.
“I don't think we have much of a choice. We should wipe 'em out before they can hatch,” Blades decides. He then looks at me, just as I'm concentrating magic in my fist. “But be careful when you break them, Seth. You don't want to bring the whole place down.”
“It's not like I was going to use full power,” I return with a scoff. Blades nods, and then he prepares to destroy the first egg. I follow suit, aiming my pistol at one of the eggs. Just as I'm about to pull the trigger, I sense changeling magic once more.
I leap back just in time, as a thin beam of magic crashes into the ground where I'd just been standing. Blades and Rainbow also have to quickly dodge, as two more beams were aimed at them as well.
A mushroom like construction like the one I'd seen in the wedding hall emerges from the ground on the far end of the chamber. For one panicking second, I think that Chrysalis is back and we're all about to die. I heave a sigh of relief when I see that it is not Chrysalis, and is instead one of the larger changelings, like the one that had become a Scorpios during the battle. Good. This one I know I can trash easily.
“I won't let you touch a single egg,” the changeling hisses. Okay, so this one is sentient, like the Infiltrators. The changeling leaps from the mushroom and lands on the ground, baring its teeth. “My name is Mantis, consort to the queen and defender of our larvae. I'll fight you to the death to protect them!”
“Consort to the queen?” I repeat, bemused. I mean, yeah, these eggs had to come from somewhere, but if this was Chrysalis's consort, was she really meaning to drop him if I had agreed to her offer to be king? “Well then, Mantis, did you know Chrysalis planned to replace you?”
“Of course I did, pale being,” Mantis admits, looking somewhat sad. “But she is my queen. If she one day decides that another can satisfy her needs better than I can, then it would be my pleasure to step back. Now then. Step away from these eggs, or I'll have to kill you.”
“You realize what yer up against, right?” Blades responds, unsheathing every dagger he possesses so that they're floating in the air around him like a cloud of deadly steel. “You can't win.”
“Maybe not. But if it comes to it, I'll die before I let you touch them,” Mantis says, his horn lighting up. “Lay one hoof on those eggs, and I'll make you regret it.”
“Oh really?” I say, smirking slightly. Mantis's eyes widen when I point my pistol at one of the eggs. “Do you think you can stop me before I blow this thing apart?”
Suddenly, a massive claw slams into my chest, knocking me clear across the room until my back hits the wall painfully. Mantis stands in the center of the room as an emerald dragon, his wings spreading out to either side. Mantis opens his jaws and roars, announcing his challenge to the three of us.
I land on my feet, and materialize the pistol back in my hand, as I'd dropped it when I was hit. Well, Mantis is faster than I expected. It's probably because I haven't powered up all the way to what I was when I took down the other changeling at this level.
While I'm recovering, Mantis launches himself at Blades, swinging his muscle bound arms at the captain in an attempt to slice through his body. Unfortunately, Mantis is dealing with a captain that more than likely outmatches him. Each time Mantis's claws get close, Blades manipulates the swarm of daggers around him to form a makeshift shield that fends off any potential damage. Each impact forces Blades back, however.
Rainbow slams both hooves into Mantis's neck, attempting to deal some damage. Mantis recoils, and then snakes his head around and breathes a stream of emerald magic towards the pegasus. “Whoa! Too close,” Rainbow emits, zooming around the attack. “This guy is tough!”
“Not really,” I remark, changing my pistol to the long ranged rifle. I take aim at Mantis and fire a shot right through his wing and into the wall on the other side, breaking one of the eggs there. Mantis roars in pain and anguish, which is amplified once he sees the broken egg on the other side. “I'll just shred him to bits and then smash these eggs.”
Mantis transforms into a large serpent of some kind and shoots his body directly towards me, intent on getting revenge for the broken egg. His jaws open in a hiss, but just as he's trying to close them around me, I drop my rifle and hold his jaws open with magic infused hands. “Bitch, I helped beat down your queen. You can't do shit to me.” I remark, and then I spin around once and use the generated momentum to toss Mantis clear across the room. “Give up. We're just going to kill you if you keep fighting.”
Mantis reverts to his original form, panting hard. He reaches up with a perforated hoof and rubs his chin, which likely still smarts from where I hit it. He grits his teeth and looks between the three of us, no doubt realizing that he can't beat all three of us. Or even one of us. “That...doesn't matter. I won't let you touch these eggs,” he asserts, once again taking up a stance.
“Look, what the hell did you expect to happen to them? Your kind lost the battle, and they're right beneath Canterlot. You should just cut your losses and run,” I point out to him. Suddenly, a thought strikes me. If he's still down here, it must be under Chrysalis's orders. And she's know fool. “Face it, Mantis. Chrysalis left you to die.”
“She didn't, actually,” Mantis grunts. Okay, so unless he knows something I don't, he's just in denial. “We had a plan to get all of these eggs out of here. You three just showed up sooner than I expected.”
“What plan would that be?” Blades asks curiously, stepping closer to Mantis.
“What does it matter? Let's just beat him down and smash all these eggs,” I say callously. “They're just insects. It's not like they can think for themselves.”
“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” Mantis warns me as I lift my pistol once more. “Your princess no doubt wants her niece back, right?”
“Do you know where Cadance is?” I demand, stopping my finger just short of pulling the trigger.
“Yes, I do. They're here, actually, beneath this chamber,” Mantis reveals, tapping the ground with a hoof. “The queen told me that if our plan was threatened, I was to kill both Cadance and the captain, Shining Armor.”
“What?! That's downright dirty,” Blades snaps, looking furious. “Do you plan to hold them hostage?”
“It seems I have to. Let me just make things clear: if you break even one more of these eggs, or make any attempt to harm me, I'll collapse this chamber and bury those two in rubble,” Mantis says calmly. “So what will it be?”
“He's bluffing! He's all the way up here, and Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are beneath us! He's too weak to collapse the floor!” Rainbow accuses. I curse and lower my pistol. While I don't particularly care for either of those two, I'll get screwed for sure by Celestia if I let either of them die. But on the other hand, if all of these eggs get away, Chrysalis will have the makings of another army.
“And if we let you escape with these eggs? What will happen to the hostages then?” Blades questions calmly.
“All my queen told me is to kill them if my plan is threatened. Therefore, any further action is at my discretion,” Mantis explains. Great. Well, this is a lovely situation. “Here is my offer: if you let me leave with all of these eggs, I'll return Cadance and Shining Armor to you. If not, then you condemn them to death.”
“Blades, we can't let him go. If we do, Chrysalis gets another army, and she seems like the type to hold grudges,” I warn the captain, since I guess it's ultimately his decision. Blades nods, to show that he understands.
“That's right! Though...she said she wouldn't be coming back to Canterlot for a while,” Rainbow reasons. “But even if she does, Celestia will defeat her!”
“That doesn't mean Chrysalis can't make our lives miserable. Besides, she's extremely smart, if I had access to an army of shape changers, it would be easy to slip agents into every town, replacing the citizens,” I explain to her. “In a nutshell, Chrysalis is a brilliant tactician. If she plays her cards right, there's nothing stopping her from screwing us over a second time.”
“Thank you, Seth, Rainbow. Yer input is valued, but I've made a decision,” Blades declares. He walks forward so that he's only a few paces away from Mantis. “I'm not the kind of pony that would kill all of these young if I had any other choice. I'm going to trust you, changeling. Will you take all of these eggs away from Canterlot?”
Mantis smiles, and it's not a devious one. He seems relieved, almost, as if he's happy he doesn't have to kill the hostages after all. “Thank you. Because of your lenient judgment, everyone gets to live today,” the changeling expresses. “Yes, I promise we will be gone as soon as the preparations for the teleportation spell are complete.”
“Good. And what about Cadance and Shining Armor?” Blades presses. Mantis turns and indicates one of the tunnels branching away from this room.
“Take that tunnel, on the far end of this chamber. Follow it, and it will take you to where the queen is keeping the hostages,” Mantis directs us.
“This is a bad idea, I'm telling you,” I grumble, crossing my arms. I swear, if this turns into a war with the changelings (if it hasn't already), I'll be annoyed, because I'll be smack dab in the center of it. And since Rainbow will more than likely get involved because of her status as an Element of Harmony, I'll be stuck having to fight, if only to keep her from getting killed. Fighting is hard, and I'm lazy.
“Very well. Seth, would you and Rainbow grab them? I need to stay here, in case one of the other teams comes here and has the same idea we did,” Blades requests. Ah, I guess that makes sense. One of us should stay behind, and it can't be me, since no doubt if Rose showed up, she wouldn't listen to me at all. And Rainbow isn't strong enough to stop the others if they decide to break the eggs anyway. Blades is the most reasonable choice. I sigh, and then nod. “Excellent. Signal green if you find them, and red if you don't.”
“Good idea. Well, I guess we should get going then,” I say, looking at Rainbow. Once she nods, I turn on my heel and stalk past Mantis, who watches me pass with a neutral expression. I don't think he likes me. Whatever. He's odd for a changeling, though. I guess I really do know nothing about this race apart from what Chrysalis has showed me.
Rainbow and I leave the chamber through the tunnel indicated to us, descending into the grim darkness. The tunnel spirals downwards, with several other tunnels branching off. Mantis said to just keep following this one, so I ignore the offshoot tunnels.
“I thought changelings were insects. How come some of them are reasonable?” Rainbow asks me, sounding a little worried for some reason.
“Hell if I know. I know as much about them as you do. I don't trust that Mantis guy, and I certainly don't trust Chrysalis. If she gets these changelings, who knows what she'll do with them,” I reply. I feel uneasy about this whole situation. I wish there had been a way to save Cadance and Shining Armor as well as smash all of those eggs.
“That wasn't what I was asking. You know all of those changelings we fought, right? They were mindless, right?” Rainbow continues, her voice sounding almost pleading. “Could they really think for themselves?”
I think I see what she's worried about. I don't think she killed any of them herself, but I know I certainly did, as well as the other soldiers that had been fighting with us. Still, she's never been in a fight, and meeting Mantis basically told her that she'd been harming creatures that could think for themselves. “I know the bigger ones can. I don't think the typical drones can,” I say honestly. “Though it doesn't really matter. This is a battle, and there's always going to be casualties. Come on, Rainbow. You helped me get over my own guilt. Don't start developing some of your own.”
“I...I'm not! It's just...I think I agree with not breaking the eggs, now that I think about it. If some of them will eventually hatch and think for themselves, it would be horrible to take away their chance to live,” Rainbow admits. Right...that is a very emotional way of thinking about it. Unfortunately, war isn't emotional. Any commander worth their salt would know that if there was a way deprive the enemy of valuable troops, it was worth doing. Blades knew that, but I suppose he decided it wasn't worth losing one of the princesses over.
“Well, there's no point in thinking about it now. The decision's already been made,” I remind her with a sigh. “Even if we end up regretting it later.”
“I guess,” Rainbow says uncertainly. We walk in silence for a little bit longer, continuing to descend into the depths of the hive. Not for the first time, I wonder how long Chrysalis had been down here, hiding from Celestia.
Just as Mantis had told us, the tunnel opens out into a decently sized chamber, about a third the size of the hatching chamber. It's constructed in a similar manner, except without any eggs. Instead, there's slimed ponies all over the place. Likely ponies that were too smart or stumbled upon Chrysalis by mistake. Most notably, I spot Cadance and Shining armor trapped in slime at the very back of the room, hanging from the ceiling.
“There they are! Let's get them down,” Rainbow exclaims, taking off and flying over to the trapped ponies. Before following her, I lift out the signal crystal and tap it with a little bit of magic concentrated in my finger. The crystal lights up green, letting everypony in the search group as well as Celestia herself know that we've achieved our goal.
But sheesh, I'm not telling these two a thing until after they've recovered. Or they find out from the military report. Because I think one or the both of them will try to rip my heart out.
Heaving another sigh, I fly up to the ceiling as well, hovering opposite Rainbow and in front of Shining Armor's slimed form. Without another word, Rainbow and I break through the thick strand of slime holding them to the ceiling with hoof and fist. We realize simultaneously that we hadn't really thought this through.
“Uh-oh. Oh... dear Celestia!” Rainbow grunts as she barely manages to keep Cadance from falling to the ground by holding on with all four hooves. I would laugh at how ridiculous it looks to see how fast her little wings are flapping to keep herself airborne, if I wasn't fumbling with Shining Armor.
With some difficulty, we lower the two to the ground. “I guess we better get them free. They're not civilians, so they won't freak out...much,” I reason hopefully. Shining Armor is military, so I don't think he'll cause too much of a fuss once he gets free. Not sure about Cadance though.
“And by 'we,' you mean 'you', right? You need magic to get those cocoons open.” Rainbow points out.
“Ugh, fine. Stay there, I'll have them out in a moment,” I say, concentrating magic in my hands and plunging my fingers into the slime surrounding Shining Armor. “Make sure they don't freak out after they wake up.”
After doing this more than once, it's easy to peel the slime away from the pony inside. Shining Armor immediately opens his eyes after getting freed, and for the first time since the wedding, the green film is absent from his eyes. Which means he's in his right mind. “Good, you're awake. That'll make things easier. Now stay still as I free your significant other,” I tell him.
I turn my back on Shining Armor as the captain rises to his hooves, groaning and rubbing his eyes. “Ugh, I feel like I've been napping for days. What's...what's going on?” Shining Armor asks, and then his eyes focus, and he notices who he's staring at.
Just as I'm turning to fix Cadance, a growl sounds from Shining Armor's throat, causing me to look at him in worry. He's giving me a vicious glare, anger evident in everything from his expression to his stance. Wait, what the hell is his problem?
Before I can think things out, Shining Armor lowers his horn and a magenta convex barrier forms in front of him, and then surges forward, catching me in the middle. Air rushes out of my lings as the barrier's momentum carries me across the room and into the wall, where it presses me there painfully with so much force that I can't help but cry out.
“Shining Armor, stop!” Rainbow exclaims, but she's ignored as the captain steps forward.
“You...I remember now,” Shining Armor snarls, scuffing the ground. Shit, does this mean he remembered everything while he was controlled? “I was under that witch's control, and you were working with her!”
It's getting harder to breathe. That barrier is pressing against me so hard that it's restricting me from getting enough air. In turn, that means I can't say anything against him either.
“You played me like a fool, but now I see what you truly are: an enemy of the state, and my own personal enemy,” Shining Armor growls, stepping close to me. “I'll crush you here, for daring to raise a hand against my family.”
Rainbow stands there helplessly, watching this whole scene with an agonized expression. She looks between me and the Shining Armor. She clearly wants to help me, but she also knows that she'll be in deep trouble if she does anything to Shining Armor. “That's it!” Rainbow shouts, and then she takes Shining Armor by surprise with a hard punch to the side of his muzzle, which causes him to yelp in shock and lose concentration on his spell.
I hit the ground and breathe in sharply, sucking in as much life-giving air as possible. Shit, I almost passed out there. Damn, I'd hoped Shining Armor wouldn't have remembered anything, but I guess he had been conscious that whole time, even while under Chrysalis's control. This is going to make things very complicated.
“Back off!” Shining Armor says, knocking Rainbow aside with his magic. “I have no quarrel with you. But by collaborating with Queen Chrysalis, Seth has shown where his loyalties truly lie.”
Shining Armor once again hurls another barrier at me, but this time I'm ready for it. Powering up, I catch the barrier with both hands. There's so much force behind it that I find it difficult to hold it back, but he's nowhere near as strong as Chrysalis, so after concentrating my magic, I deflect the barrier completely, diverting it into the opposite wall.
“Calm down, captain. You don't know the full story yet,” I tell him, but he seems too angry to care. Well, if he keeps trying to kill me, I'll have to fight back, and things will get messy very quickly.
“I know what I saw, Seth. You can't explain your way out of this,” Shining Armor states, unperturbed that I'd deflected his magic.
“Maybe he can't, but it's not your place to render judgment upon criminals, captain.” To my surprise, Blades, along with Iron and Fleetfoot, walk into the room. Blades is glowing with magic, showing Shining Armor that he's very willing to fight if the situation calls for it. “Don't you remember? All criminals are to be brought before Princess Celestia or Princess Luna for judgment. Certainly not by an ignorant captain with a grudge. Stand down, Shining Armor.”
Shining Armor looks at Blades, and then back at me. With a growl of frustration, he powers down. “Very well. But I'll be damned if I let him near my bride-to-be,” he declares, and then he reaches down and lifts the cocoon holding Cadance into the air with his magic. Finally, he storms back out of the tunnel, where Iron soon follows along with him, no doubt to help him out of the tunnels.
“Well, fuck. So that just happened,” I say, rubbing my forehead. I should have known that at least one pony would try to kill me for my decision with Chrysalis. If all Shining Armor remembers before being slimed was me confirming my partnership with Chrysalis, then yeah, I can understand why he'd want to kill me.
Still, this is going to be a pain in the ass to deal with.
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Oooh, can't wait to see the end of this arc (not that it's bad, but I can't wait to see what happens).
My only complaint is that I wanted to see Cadence get mad. I've always wanted to see that. Will she get mad?
Maybe Rose and Shining can start a club, complete with 'I hate Seth' shirts. They could even have a super secret hoof shake. Maybe they could rip off the Ladybug dance.
And now I want Shining to hook up with Rose and Cadence to join Seth's herd.
5042559
Suddenly I'm picturing this. You cruel cruel person,
5042751
Yeah I read that part a couple chapters later where Applejack makes that exact same suggestion. Never mind.
This was a good chapter
Starting off we have Seth and Rainbow teaming up with Blades as the group navigates the tunnels. We haven't had as much exposure to Blades as we have with iron, but personally I like the guy. Gives off a sorta mentor feel. I hadn't actually worked out who was older, Blades or Iron (though I think it was specified earlier and I just forgot I suppose) but between the two, you have definitely created some fun characters. Iron is the younger but he has a gruff no nonsense attitude, while Blades is like the baddass grandpa of the group showing up the youngins and cracking jokes. Like Iron, I'm not sure how much we'll see of him once this arc is over, but he is certainly a fun one. It was interesting to discuss ages as well. Blades being 62 poses the question of how old do ponies generally live for, as a 62 year old human certainly wouldn't have the kinda of strength and skill that Blades demonstrates. Rainbow being 20 fits her quite well. Canon has never confirmed her age, but due to her being outside of school and having a full time job seemed to indicate she wasn't a teenager (as a lot of fans have speculated. Personally I disagree but with nothing to dismiss it comes down to personal preference). I always figured she was younger then Seth though (probably based on maturity levels, but then again, the world of Equestria is far more peaceful then Earth so a little immaturity should be expected).
We had two brief fights this chapter (which suited as the main conflict has already passed and it doesn't really give the impression of a second attack). First was the brief skirmish with the drones. Having them all transform into either Rainbow or Blades was clever, as the biggest threat was clearly Seth, but he would have far more difficulty distinguishing pony bodies then the ponies would. The tactic falls flat though when we have Rainbow as the far superior air support and Blades going on a massacre with his blades. Gotta give the changelings credit though, they do not know when to quit. The next fight was with Mantis in the hatchery as he attempted to defend the eggs. His confident tone was hilarious after we previously read how quickly Seth and Luna annihilated the last giant changelings. Having him tossed into a wall like he was nothing by Seth probably scared the crap out of him, but he was certainly being a good Dad and trying to protect his brood. His ploy to exchange the prisoners for the eggs worked (he was god damn lucky Seth hadn't had a decent aim at him or he'd likely have taken a bullet between the eyes and been unable to make good on his threat) worked for him and Rainbow and Seth go to get Shining and Cadance. Rainbow's sudden anxiety about whether she actually killed sentient beings was interesting. Neither were in a good position to talk about it, but this topic has likely not been forgotten. Rainbow is a character that is pure at heart, and while she is prepared to go to any lengths to protect her friends, killing is something she can barely comprehend. Seth has been able to rationalize his own kills due to his need to protect Rainbow and keep his promise, but for Rainbow she is likely shocked that the changelings may be intelligent. We'll see what happens, but I can forsee this being another sensitive topic that Rainbow and Seth will discuss together.
Shinning Armour's reaction was very predictable. He had no idea what decisions Seth was faced with and he saw nothing of the battle that took place. All he saw was Seth willingly working with Chrysalis in a plot to not only take over Equestria, but kill his sister and her friends as well. Once he learns the truth about what happened and Seth's choice to help he may change his mind. Shining is heavily motivated to protect his family and learning that Seth had to give up his to protect Rainbow may cool him off a little. Cadance will be an interesting reaction, as while she was never as close to Seth as Rainbow and the other elements, the two did have a good time together at the opera and her loving nature is far more inclined to forgiveness then hatred. That being said, Twilight and Shining were endangered by his actions as well as the cities populace. Her reaction will be interesting.
I am excited for the next chapter and getting to see the final reactions. The changeling arc has been awesome, but moving on to the next one will end up moving us back to Ponyville where we can see how word has spread about his actions and what the general populace thinks of its resident human. Great work
Blades is best pony
His motto is effectively: "Do shit." How can he not be badass.
Also, please make him keep saying things lime, "I'm too old for this shit." Then he will officially be bestest best pony.
Anyway, my guess is Shining overreacted quite a bit due to how close he was to dying (basically, if someone's close to death they snap out at everything, especially if they didn't expect it to happen). Sure he hates Seth but my guess is he'll probably be more neutral after hearing from RD, Blades, and reading the reports. Rose is just a bitch that doesn't understand that Seth's alligence was to his old home in the past.
Actually, technically Seth didn't commit treason because he isn't (wasn't) a citizen of Equestria and stuff. He's basically a 3rd party who chose to abstain from the fight to begin with if you ignore Chrissi's deal. With the deal he's just a standard enemy. He only betrayed a trust that he didn't want (well he did want it a bit from a few select ponies) or sign up for.
I'd call the Sentient Changelings Reavers. That sounds like a fitting name.
Ave Luna Princeps!
At this point if the story was following any sort of real logic they should have just attacked and killed him on the spot. He revealed where the hostages are and that it is him who is supposed to kill them, why wait and talk more instead of shooting him down? Ugh, bucking anime logic.
Letting an entire hostile army that killed hundreds civilians and military slip away when all that is standing between you and them is a single beat-up changeling? That's just downright biased towards changelings if you ask me. It's a shame too, this story seemed to be making much more logical sense at the beginning but now there seem to be more and more plot devices and deus ex machina involved. They should have killed them all and be done with it. I see no real reason to save them unless you want to bring Chrysalis as a good guy in the future, which will honestly look kinda dumb after everything she said and done.
There was. Based on how long you are walking I assume the hostages were waaaay underground. There is no way that one changeling could have channeled something powerful enough to collapse this many floors unless given time and opportunity to do so. Sudden attack would 99.99% leave him helpless and they could have taken him out on less than 10 seconds. After that it would be just a simple matter of killing the enemy and finding the hostages in an abandoned facility. It is much less risk than trusting the enemy when he has such a prominent reason to lie.
Aaaaand there it is. Every single HiE author on this entire site just HAS to make Shining Armor a dick.
6692435 At least this way makes sense. Think about it. Shining Armor was nice to him. Before the invasion. At the invasion he was taken away before Seth explained why he was on Chrys's side. Shining is also in the Changeling Hive right now and with Seth being the first thing he saw when he woke up after seeing Seth team up with Chrys sent him over the edge. He is a soldier. He is trained to act on any threat on demand.
Kinda sucks how for the rest of the story, shining despises Seth. Never forgives him really despite trying to make amends