11: Wounded Mind
Doctor Arvatus was no stranger to damaged minds. Convincing Twilight Velvet to allow him inside her mind after passing her lemon test was child’s play. However he only had real experience with the eddies and flows of sphinx minds, so Velvet provided a particular challenge that he tried to prepare himself for. Sadly, most of that consisted of chanting I think I can. I think I can. repeated to and from the cafeteria. At present, his consciousness swam through a torrent of images and voices crowding around him so densely it was nearly impossible to sort through all of them.
“You have one of those things for a daughter?” chided an unfamiliar arrogant voice across Arvatus’ right ear. “Royalty or not, your family’s not welcome in my establishment.”
“Well, one can hardly expect a changeling to speak the truth now can you?” scoffed a haughty stallion. “All they are capable of are lies. Makes me wonder how much of a saint the Element of Honesty could actually be to do business with the little devils.”
“Did you year that one of Baltimare’s city councilmares revealed herself to be a changeling!” exclaimed another haughty voice. “As if you needed any more proof they know nothing but duplicity. I heard she shut down the ban on salve products. Typical self serving-”
“They’re everywhere!” shouted a thready and frightened voice, cutting off the last one. “Mark my words, they’ll put us all into pods, just like the wedding!”
A nonverbal tsk of disapproval brought his attention to the left where Arvatus saw a ghostly unicorn mare looking through him. “Don’t worry too much, Velvet, at least Shining Armor is still a proper heir to the family name.”
“Well of course the princesses are going to justify Twilight’s ‘rebirth’. You really think they’d wage war against an enemy that are natural infiltrators who couldn't care less about dying?”
“I fully understand your pain,” another voice called out softly to Arvatus’ left. As he waded deeper into Velvet’s mind, the voices were starting to be matched up with spectral images of their owners. This time it was a sympathetic looking stallion with a blue coat and mane, but his image was too fuzzy to glean anything else. “My Shimmer Skies was replaced by one of those things. I didn’t need the Guard to take care of that body snatcher. Even though the princesses have to play to diplomacy to avoid war, I know with all my heart that they are relying on the citizens of Equestria to act where they cannot.” He reached out a hoof as if to pick Arvatus up from a seated position. “I know of a group who could help you. They will denounce us, strip us of our possessions, and our freedom, but I know that they will secretly thank us.”
The next part of the foggy memory surprised Arvatus since it was the first time he’d hear Velvet speaking back. “And what if we fail? If we can’t free Twilight from that living hell, I…” she shuddered, unable to continue from her grief.
“We have to try,” the nameless stallion replied definitively. “Once she is free of Cadista’s influence and the slavery of her changeling instincts, I know for a fact that Twilight would vindicate our actions to the princesses. Once Cadista can no longer control her, the princesses will finally have a free hoof to deal with Cadista and the rest of those vile creatures as they deserve.”
Arvatus tried to stabilize the memory so he could see the stallion more clearly, but the memory was snatched away, as if trying to hide itself. Cursing his loss, Arvatus created a momentary bubble of silence around his consciousness to think. It would be impossible to shift to each and every memory that caused Velvet to turn against Twilight. Besides, I’ve seen this sort of insanity before. The real Twilight Velvet is buried under so much noise and doubt that she can’t reach the surface anymore. If I can find her core and rid her of all this clouded vision, I just know she’ll give up the PCE. I have to go deeper.
Even in his line of work, Arvatus rarely had to work with a mind that was burying itself so completely in its own hysteria and paranoia. Layers upon layers of memories tried to confuse his path to the point where even his experience was at its limits. I need to find the right threads. Something the core personality would cling to.
It took several moments, but he had an idea as to what to look for. Lost in the maze of agonizing memories of changeling Twilight was a dream of a young purple filly in a classroom. Arvatus saw a Twilight as a filly jumping around Princess Celestia cheering for her newly acquired cutie mark. Yes, this should work.
Mentally taking ahold of the memory, Arvatus located several threads connecting the memory to dozens of parts in Velvet’s mind. Only one of them caught his eye as it pulsed far more regularly. Just as I suspected. She’s clinging to the happiest parts of Twilight’s pony life.
Following the brightest thread, Arvatus plunged into the increasingly dark and rage filled thoughts that were colored by depression, regret, and defeat. They rolled off of him like molasses, trying to muddle his mind the further he went. Even his vision of the mindscape was clouded with countless images and sounds. It pained him to continue. Every inch along the glowing tether was paid for in headaches both dull and stabbing. These ponies may not be psionic, but their innate magic makes mind walking against the mad or unwilling dangerous.
In his real body, Arvatus felt something wet drip on his lip and a copper taste entered his mouth. She has such a powerful mind! I have to reach her soon, or I’ll be forced to retreat. I can’t deflect any of it until I see her core personality.
The fear, sadness, and hate filled memories swirled around him like thick viscous tar yet were too rapid to see them as anything other than a mass of noise and color. The single thread was nearly lost in the maelstrom again and again as phantom memories and nightmares roared at him with abandon.
Arvatus’ pounding headache intensified even further when he at last saw the tether ending in a recreation Twilight Sparkle as a unicorn. Unlike the memories, which were either flat images or spectral beings, this Twilight Sparkle looked solid and real.
Twilight Velvet’s core manifested itself as her outer appearance as she embraced her unicorn daughter, unspoiled by changeling magic. Twilight Sparkle was hugging her back, both mares crying out of joy. “You freed me, momma. Spawning those horrid abominations and liking it was a living hell.”
Velvet started petting her scared daughter’s mane with all the care a mother could have. “I know, honey, I know. Now that’s your free, the princesses can finally act to their true intentions.”
Now that he could see the threads’ destination, Arvatus was at last able to form a psionic barrier around him and then extended it to envelope Velvet. He stepped back in shock when Twilight Sparkle’s doppelganger was not dispersed by the act.
However, the act did draw the attention of both mares to the intruder. Velvet was the first to act by interposing herself between Arvatus and Twilight. “Doctor!? You lied to me! Only a psyker could reach me here, and all of them love that queen.”
Twilight Sparkle cowered behind her mother’s protection whimpering in fear. “Please don’t let him take me. He’ll turn me back into a changeling, I just know it!”
“I am not here to harm anyone. My name is Doctor Arvatus, and yes, I am a Psykira.”
“I knew it!” Velvet growled, seeming to fall into her outer self’s paranoia. “You’re working for that insect that claims to be my daughter!”
Arvatus saw several darker memories start to swirl into Velvet and used a mental spike to slash them away. Velvet shuddered from the act, but held her ground. “I admit I have found work in Queen Twilight’s hive, but I am here on my own volition. She does not know I’m here.”
Some of Velvet’s thready tone shifted back to normal. “And why should I believe you? You’re probably here to kill me, or at least make sure I never leave this hell.”
Arvatus studied the stormy mindscape around them. Velvet and the rest of them were floating in a void of blackness, yet they had no problem seeing one another. All in all, it was a grim sight that worried Arvatus greatly. “Miss Velvet, if I was here to kill you, I wouldn’t go through all the trouble of entering your mind. If I wanted you to remain in the asylum, I wouldn’t have to do anything at all.”
“Lies! The P.C.E. will free me,” Velvet spat venomously. “If not by an agent, then when they free my daughter.”
Understanding dawned on Arvatus like. The Twilight hiding behind her isn’t some delusion, it’s her vision of an ideal and unaltered Twilight Sparkle.
“Perhaps they might,” Arvatus conceded to Velvet's mild surprise. “Tell me, Miss Velvet, just to clarify things, you do not see Queen Twilight as your daughter?”
“She is a mockery!” Velvet held the unicorn daughter tightly as if she was afraid Arvatus would tear her to pieces. “My Twilight would never kowtow to them, let alone birth more of them!” Velvet spat as if the very words were toxic.
“I see. Then I know what to do.” Drawing upon his vast experience and mental fortitude, Arvatus drenched Velvet’s mind with his power. The torrent of oily memories swirling around them thinned and dispersed, leaving them in a white space devoid of landmarks. Velvet cried out in pain and curled into a fetal position as Arvatus cleared the storm away.
Twilight Sparkle’s phantom remained, trying to rouse Velvet from her catatonic state. When at last the white space was cleared of blackness, all that remained were various clear windows into more tame memories. Velvet rolled to upright herself and stared at the sphinx questioningly. “What - what did you do to me!?”
Though he didn’t show it to her, Arvatus’ physical body was sweating profusely and his temple was throbbing heavily. “I shoved all the outside influences that people have had on you about changeling Twilight aside. Now, it is only you, and her. No friends, no enemies, and no family to get in the way.”
“And what is that going to prove?” Velvet demanded heatedly.
Arvatus shakily pointed at one such memory with Queen Twilight. “See for yourself.” With a swipe of his claw, he pulled the memory down for her. He didn’t know which memory it was, but ultimately he was betting that it didn’t matter. Velvet kept her phantom Twilight close, and kept one eye on Arvatus and the other on the memory.
The memory was nearly a decade ago. Queen Twilight Sparkle was playing a game with ten of her nymphs in the library of Sparkle Manor. The fillies were easily the size of seven year olds, and were playing an old game Velvet never thought she’d ever see again: find the book.
Twilight had all her nymphs lined up in front of her while the memory’s point of view remained hidden away near the door. “Alright, girls, clue number one: I have spells and mysteries. Clue two: I was written by somepony who doesn’t know a thing about magic.”
Before she could list a third clue, three of the nymphs leapt up into the air, their tiny wings buzzing with a high pitch. “Oooo! I know where it is!” “Nu uh, I do!” “I’ll get the book first!”
The other nymphs either chased after their kin or scrambled up to their mother for more clues. The real Velvet’s impatience and ire grew, but she stopped short of lashing out. The longer she watched the memory, the less revulsion she felt for the purple changelings. Twilight’s mannerisms, her posture, her loving tone of voice, even the way she doted on each nymph reminded Velvet of how she used to care for Twilight.
Arvatus saw the confusion and misery well up on Velvet’s face along with the mindscape turning a murky brown. He picked another memory at random and flung it over to Velvet’s opposite side to make sure the two memories didn’t interfere with each other, inadvertently resulting in phantom Twilight yelping in surprise.
Velvet turned around at the noise to find a memory of Queen Twilight bearing down on her with a fierce scowl. “How dare you keep asking me that! To go back to being a unicorn and abandon my children just to satisfy the status quo? Can’t you see how hypocritical that is, especially coming from you mother?!”
“I - but-” Velvet’s automatic reply died on her lips. For the first time in her life, she didn’t see the changeling clinging onto her daughter’s soul, but her daughter fighting to keep her children.
Renewed fury crossed her face and she swept a hoof across the queen, dispersing her. She refocused on Arvatus. “What trickery is this? You think you can so overtly toy with my mind and think I’ll magically see things your way?”
Arvatus paused before bringing a third memory forward. Instead he closed the distance until he was face to face with Velvet. “The only trick I’ve done here is remove the noise.”
“What noise? Don’t toy with me with cryptic words.” She got up in his face wanting to cast him out, but her mental focus wasn’t what it once was, and he firmly held on.
“Your reality is all based on perspective, but people can change your perception on others. Here, now, there shall be no one from the P.C.E, no one from Queen Twilight’s friends, no anyone. Just you and those memories. Just like the ignorant bigots of my homeland, you have let others control you through their own mistrust and hatred.”
A vile sneer plastered over Velvet’s muzzle. “So that’s the real game. You’re an outcast who found somepony willing to give you a roof over your head instead of killing you on sight? You’re no different than the changeling posing as my daughter.”
Arvatus looked upon the hate filled mare with sympathetic pity. “You are just like how I used to be. You’re so used to hating her that you’re incapable of understanding and acceptance.”
Velvet slapped him as hard as she could across the face. Though the attack caused pain, there was no blood in the mindscape. The phantom Twilight poked her head out from behind her mother and glared at him. “Momma’s nothing like you! She only wants to free my body so I can come back!”
“Isn’t she?” Arvatus challenged calmly. With a paw, he reached into his chest and pulled out a small globule of himself and threw it at Velvet.
The shocked mare tried to shield herself with a foreleg but instead of any pain, her world was completely replaced by an sun-lit alleyway. The mindscape was only visible from above and the two ends of the alleyway. Surrounding her were three sphinxes in the white and gold robes of the Order. She looked down at herself to find she was wearing the same attire. There was a cowering adolescent grecian tom looking at each of the monks with terror in his eyes.
One of the jane monks spoke in a mechanical manner, as if she was reading him his rights. “You bear the mark of the Psykira, an enemy of the state and our very way of life. Do not resist and your entry into the Great Cycle may reward you with a better life.”
“I’m not a Psykira!” the tom cried out. “Bertha Ultsis tattooed this damn mark on me against my will! I don’t even have psychic potential!”
A second monk spoke up with a snarl. “You disrespect the Ultsis family by even uttering their name, profligate. You know full well we can’t test you for the cursed ability while under a city’s dampening field.”
“W-what about those testing chambers you Order people have? You could take me there.”
This time, the voice came from within Velvet although she easily identified it as a younger Arvatus. “Felsgrad doesn’t have an Order temple large enough to have one, and as my brother said, it’s too dangerous to take you outside the field.”
With the memory being so personal, Velvet felt Arvatus’ sick satisfaction grow enormously as she raised a loaded crossbow and leveled it at the accused. “May the cycle restore you to a better life.”
The psyker tried to fly away, but he never had a chance against crossbow bolts. One sank into his chest, another into his right wing, and a third hit his neck in rapid succession. The other monks stepped back and started chanting on the evils of the Psykira while Arvatus dropped his crossbow and stepped towards the crippled sphinx. Velvet tried to pull herself away from the memory, but the real Arvatus pushed all of his will into making her watch.
Velvet couldn’t stop herself from leaning over the Psykira’s head and whisper with cold murder in Arvatus’ tone. “I hope disgraceful filth like you come back again and again as worms to be crushed under paw like the insects you are.” Shifting one paw into a hand, Arvatus and Velvet ripped the bolt out of the victim’s neck and started stabbing. Eyes, chest, neck, anywhere there was soft, yielding flesh.
After ten stabs the tom was still. The memory vanished with Velvet shuddering at the violence of it. Phantom Twilight was painfully silent as Velvet finally tore herself away from the imposed memory. The monks and alleyway vanished, but the bloodied and broken body remained.
“I was barely an initiate back then, long before I was tested for psionic potential. It took decades and my own awakening to see the monster I had become,” Arvatus said as he moved between Velvet and the corpse. “He was my first murder, but he certainly wasn’t the last Psykira, proven or otherwise, that I killed in the name of societal preservation.” He watched Velvet trying to shake off the horror of what she witnessed. “This will be the fate of Twilight Sparkle, and all of her children, if the P.C.E. should ever succeed. Is that truly what you want? To murder your own daughter in cold blood to ‘save’ her?”
Velvet found her strength again and ran over to tackle him. He was surprised she actually could assault him, allowing Velvet to wrap her forelegs around his neck and shove her face into his. “You self-righteous foal. Awakening with new abilities is one thing, being forced to become a different species is another! The only thing I can do for my daughter now is to kill that Queen and free her soul to the peace of the Elysian Fields. That thing isn’t my daughter anymore!” she screamed with all the festering heartache of the past decade.
“I beg to differ,” Arvatus countered harshly as he pointedly looked back at the corpse. Velvet glanced up to follow his gaze, only to find the bloodied corpse was now the dead remains of Queen Twilight laying on the monastery grounds near Canterlot. In that moment, she expected to feel elation, or at least relief at seeing what she had been wishing for so long.
But that was not what happened. Stripped of the outside influences of the past twelve years, the only thing Velvet saw in that moment was her Twilight Sparkle lying there dead. Her horror was redoubled when the bloodied and broken crossbow bolt was now held aloft in her magic.
Phantom Twilight’s voice sniffled from behind Velvet. “Why momma? Why did you kill me?” Velvet pushed herself away from Arvatus, and spun around to see phantom Twilight appeared just as she had when she first returned to Canterlot after her rebirth. “I’m sorry I’m not the same anymore, but I just wanted us to be a family again.”
Velvet’s mindscape clouded over with startling rapidity. She dropped the crossbow bolt and wept into her hooves. Phantom Twilight remained nearby repeatedly asking what she had done to lose a mother’s love. It was more than Velvet could handle. The typhoon of emotions returned in full force, ripping at Arvatus with returned hostility. Before he could lose sight of Velvet, he expended the last of his mental strength in forming a protective shield around her, so her mind would not break again, and that the separation of outside influences on Velvet’s perception would hold out for at least a day.
He snapped back into the physical world and collapsed to the floor next to Velvet’s bed. He gulped air as if he been drowning, his heart was pounding, and blood caked everything from the nose down, and dripped on the floor. Velvet was weeping into her pillow muttering too softly for Arvatas to hear what she was saying.
After recovering his wits, Arvatus grabbed a washcloth from a large pocket in his coat and started cleaning himself up as best he could. That was more violent than I expected, but she had the reaction I was hoping for. Few people are naturally hateful, and from what I’ve heard, Velvet was not one of them.
Noting the blood on the padded floor, Arvatus pressed his cloth tightly over his nose and stumbled for the exit. He fought against lightheadedness and a stabbing headache as he left the cell, only to find an orderly and Doctor Clear Mind waiting for him. Both ponies jumped to his aid with Clear Mind lifting Arvatus up from his front left side while the orderly gave him a replacement wet cloth for his nose. “Heavens, Doctor, you look like you went ten rounds with a minotaur cage fighter.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Arvatus nodded in thanks to the new cloth. “Sorry to trouble you son, but I left quite a trail to clean up.”
“No worries, doc,” the peppy orderly said. “Can’t be any worse than what most spill around here.”
The orderly ran off to gather the cleaning supplies while Clear Mind wanted to check on Velvet, yet Arvatus had to come first. “Did you make progress?”
“I think so,” Arvatus replied nasally. What I’d give for a cold compress for my head right now. “I was right about her. The patient’s criminalistic paranoia stemmed from the company she kept, outside of the family. I have no doubt that over time, she had listened to enough anti-changeling fearmongering that she lashed out as she did. I’ve seen and experienced this countless times in my homeland.”
“She certainly let herself go off the deep end after arriving here,” Clear Mind commented with a sad shake of his head. “What is it that you plan to do, should you cure her, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Arvatus stopped and blankly stared at the opposite wall. The howling wind reflected his troubled thoughts after dredging up his own painful memory. “I want to give her a chance to atone. The same chance that was given to me a long time ago.”
Today was the day. Lyra fidgeted nervously in a back room near the Canterlot Castle’s primary news reception chamber. It was early morning, barely half an hour past breakfast. Bon Bon was at her side gently rubbing her back while giving her friend brief nuzzles. A pair of filled memory crystals laid on the cushion with her, both filled with highlights involving Bon Bon.
All four of the royal changelings were present, Twilight and Rainbow puppeting their respective diplomats. If it was just speaking to a crowd, Lyra would be in her element after all the concert tours she’d been on. Her only real source of fear was the threat of violence that was sure to erupt either during or right after the press conference.
Lyra used her old meditative techniques to calm herself as she had done early in her music career. Aegis and Rainbow Dash quietly snorted in amusement every time Lyra would hum aloud. And here I thought Tree Hugger was the only one who did that, Rainbow mused.
Rainbow stuck her head out of the large curtain separating them from the gathering reporters. Even though Canterlot was the cosmopolitan capital of Equestria, there were still only fourteen reporters awaiting them. <Aegis, how’s the security looking?>
<Well let’s see,> Aegis started as she counted with her fingers. <The Royal Guard are stationed at their customary positions, and in eight additional positions around the room. Luna helped me fashion a mana depletion array hidden on the ceiling in case of an attack by unicorns. I also have Intel and Ferrum posing as out of town reporters. To top it all off, a contingent of the Dusk Guard is waiting in the next room incase somepony gets physical.>
<Good work,> Rainbow replied with a heavy dose of pride. <I’m sure Captain Whirling Blade can handle everything else.>
Twilight saw Lyra come out of her meditation and shared a few quiet words with Bon Bon. She trotted over with a reassuring smile. “You feeling ready for this?”
Lyra squeezed Bon Bon’s hoof and nodded. “About as much as possible.”
Twilight was happy to see the pair had such a strong relationship. I better make sure they get a chance to keep that after the rebirth. “Well you’ll be pleased to know that mother’s given me the trick to keeping your mane and coat color, it should help with your memory retention.”
Bon Bon sighed in relief with Lyra doing the same. “You’re going to do great, Lyra.”
The rear door opening brought everyone’s attention to Celestia’s entry. Ever the morning person, she looked immaculate. “Good morning, everypony. Shall we begin?”
Twilight wished for nothing more than to hug her old mentor, but Bon Bon and Lyra’s presence made her shy away from doing more than beaming a smile. Rainbow Dash pushed herself away from the curtain. “As well as possible on our end.” She turned to Lyra. “Just do your bit and follow Aegis’ lead if things get hairy.” Without further preamble, Rainbow departed Blue Flare’s body, leaving the mare in front of everyone, and suffering from post-puppet arousal.
<Mother!> Flare cried before racing to the restroom under a dense fog of embarrassment.
Twilight sensed Rolled Scroll fearing a similar faux pas, and gave him wordless reassurance. “Thank you for heading this up, Celestia, as much as I trust Aegis and Blitz,” she shot both proto-queens approving smiles, “I think the public will be far more tolerant with you presiding over the conference.”
“It’s only natural,” Celestia replied. “I was the first to sign her letter of acceptance.” She turned to the mare of honor. “Are you ready to proceed?”
Trying to shore herself up as if it was just another concert, Lyra puffed out her chest. “Of course, Princess. A-after you.”
With a curt nod towards Lyra, Celestia wordlessly motioned for the others to follow while Twilight departed for the same restroom as Blue Flare before leaving her son to… recover.
Intel yawned loudly and scratched herself as she sat in the midst of the reporters. Her disguise was that of a portly yellow unicorn, and she was loving every second of it. She nudged the thin stallion to her left with a fat elbow and a greasy hay burger dripping with manennaise, (which is totally different from mayonnaise), ponyradish, and mustard in her magic. “Yo, String Bean, you look like your life sucks.”
The stallion shuddered in disgust at the sandwich and the collection of four soiled wrappers and crumpled napkins. The slathering of sauce over Intel’s muzzle nearly caused him to gag. “And what could give you that idea, lardo?”
Intel chuckled a belly laugh and slapped him heavily on the back. “You ain’t got no meat on them bones, but you’re a funny one, I’ll give ya that!” She waved the burger in front of his muzzle, making him shy away from it. “Come on, take a bite. It’s good for you.”
He didn’t even want to touch it with his hoof and pushed away from it, irritating the reporter beside him. “I’d rather not clog my arteries with trash, thank you.”
“Too bad.” Intel shoved a chunk of it in her gullet and moaned noisily in culinary delight. “Omf mmff Celesmma, tiff is-” she took a long moment to simply enjoy it and leaned her girth towards him. As soon as she cleared her mouth she let off a long, heavy, onion scented sigh of satisfaction. I am going to have to run fifty miles to burn off just one of those things, but it was worth every bite.
One of the earth pony Guards walked up to the side of their isle and spoke with the tone of authority. “Is there a problem here?”
Before the stallion could say a word, Intel waggled the dripping burger at him. “Yeah there is, I’m running out of food, could you be a dear and get me another quadruple bypass whammy burger?”
“She’s being intolerable, and she smells like unwashed socks,” the stallion protested, only to get a sly wink from Intel. “She is an insult to journalist everywhere, and I demand she be removed.”
The guard took one look at the obese mare rolling in her chair stuffing her face with the remnants of the sandwich. “I’m going to have to ask you to remain orderly. The conference will begin shortly.”
“You lot are no fun. Now Trottingham, they know how to keep the sticks out of their plots!” she rambled with a wide sweep of her hoof and spittle flying everywhere.
The guard would have said more, but Celestia entering the room making the Guard snap to attention and the various reporters to stand in respect. Playing her role, Intel fumbled to get off the chair to do the same.
Striding in behind Celestia were Aegis and Blitz, walking on two legs as always, with Lyra and Bon Bon bringing up the rear.
The gathered reporters started taking pictures immediately, but all of them were professional enough to withhold questions for the moment. Celestia took her place at the podium and wove a spell to enhance her voice while the others stood behind her. “Thank you all for coming.” She briefly studied each reporter’s expression, barely hiding her smirk at the sight of Intel. So she lets her hair down while in disguise, eh? “Thus far, there have been over sixty individuals requesting to be reborn into the Phoenix Roost hive. For various reasons, all of those requests have been denied.
“Due to extenuating circumstances however, Miss Lyra Heartstrings, here,” Celestia extending a wing at Lyra who waved at the reporters taking pictures, “is the first to be granted her request. I will leave any questions to her and proto-queens Aegis Altair and Blitzkrieg.”
Blitz almost groaned at her full name, but managed to keep it down. She stood up along with Aegis and Lyra and replaced Celestia at the podium.
Almost immediately, a news mare shouted a question. “Miss Heartstrings, is it true you’ve always had a fixation on polymorphed states and are using the changelings to get what you want?”
As Celestia took her seat, she expanded her voice spell over the others, giving Lyra the chance to be heard clearly. “Isn’t everything we do, an act to get what we want?” The crowd quietly murmured in agreement. "As for my interest in physical transformations, yes, that’s true. I have never made that a secret, especially to my fans.”
Huh… I didn’t realize she had such integrity. Aegis glanced at Blitz and found no surprise in her aura. That’s what I get for not paying attention to things outside of security.
Intel felt it was a good idea to put in her two bits. “Miss Strings, this all seems pretty sudden and permanent, have you given this much thought at all?”
“My friend Bon Bon made me agree to a two year waiting period to see if this is what I really wanted to do before approaching the two royal families for permission.”
The reporter sitting next to Intel wasn’t in the slightest interested in what Lyra’s quirks were. “Queen Blitzkrieg, Notepad CBY News, your hive has turned down rebirth applicants who were terminally ill, under death threats from various persons, or crippled beyond medical assistance. Why did you suddenly accept Miss Heartstrings?”
Blitz quietly cleared her throat. “Until recently, we did not believe the political climate was appropriate for such a move. In addition, we have to be very selective even within our own tribe, because rebirthing anypony is exhaustively expensive. We simply can not use rebirthing for cheating death on even a small scale.”
“You talk of political climate,” Notepad jumped in before another could speak, “and yet your flagship was crippled just barely a week ago. This hardly seems like wise timing.”
Aegis frowned in pensive anger and stepped forward, barely letting her mother’s political stoicism take hold. “It is true that just before accepting Lyra’s request we were attacked, but we are not going to be intimidated by cowardly terrorists.” Celestia and Blitz questioned where Aegis was going with this line of commentary, and had to exert effort to remain quiet for her. “Yes, we have flat out refused everypony who has come to us, thus far, but that was due to several critical reasons, chief among them being the complete memory loss that those undergoing drone rebirth would experience. Now that we’ve corrected that issue to some extent, we’ve decided to start a trial period. If Lyra settles well, we might look into accepting others.”
<Good spin on that,> Blitz said with a quiet sigh of relief. <I thought you were going to say something stupid.>
<Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Blitz.> Aegis stepped back to be in line with her blue counterpart.
<Can you really blame me after those ‘lyrics’ you serenaded to Burny last->
<Paying attention to the reporters now!> Aegis cut off abruptly using a touch of disguise magic to hide her flushed embarrassment.
A different reporter butted in, keeping Notepad from hogging the speaking time. “Leaking Presses, Canterlot Times. Is it true this whole thing is one big stunt to antagonize the P.C.E? and if so, are you condoning the endangerment of innocents just to force a conflict with them?”
Blitz wasn’t expecting such a direct question on that topic, but she answered smoothly. “We are not forcing any conflict here. We are simply giving word about Miss Heartstring’s rebirth because it is the first time this has happened outside of an accident, like my mother, or extenuating circumstances in regards to Queen Twilight Sparkle. There was the threat of open war between Equestria and the changeling hives of the jungle had Twilight Sparkle died.”
“Isn’t Equestria not already under threat of a civil war?” Notepad rebuked with heated undertones. “Not only is there a stunning disparity between the PR navy and that of Equestria itself, but the common pony can barely tolerate your kind. You really think this little stunt of yours will convince people you’re still just trying to ‘coexist’?”
This time, it was Celestia who answered after rising to her hooves. “Since we are at peace with our neighbors, Mister Notepad. There has been no need for the Equestrian military to modernize to such a degree. What Phoenix’s Roost does with it’s own military’s advancement is their prerogative, and theirs alone.” He tried to speak up, but Celestia kept speaking over him. “As for the common pony’s well being. That has always been at the forefront of my mind for centuries, and I see the same goals in our ally’s royal family.”
Lyra, Blitz, and Aegis cowed a little under Celestia’s frigid tone. Even when she was speaking to their credit, Celestia’s tone produced no small amount of fear in all who heard it. “I make sure to stay in touch with my subjects, and public opinion of our changeling allies is at a record high. So I would very much like to know which ponies you’re referring to, Mister Notepad.”
“The good ponies of Saddle Arabia, your highness,” Notepad replied with quickly fading distaste. “It is no secret that tensions there are strained at best.”
Blitz scowled heavily at the presence of an Arabian. Strained is too weak of a word. Since those guys boarder the changeling jungle’s eastern side they’ve always feared going in because it always ended in death. Ever since granny and Sticky Spit revealed our species, the Arabians finally have a face to blame for generations of explorers and families disappearing.
Aegis saw Blitz forcibly trying to mask her scowl. <Hey, aren’t those the guys who think alicorn rule is poisonous to the rest of ponykind?>
<And that we lings are a cancer on society, yes. I have no doubt that the P.C.E. is funded by them.>
Oblivious to the changeling conversation, Celestia afixed a stony smile at the foreign reporter. “I’m sure your king has a very different opinion, Mister Notepad. Now, why don’t we all return to our questions under amicable terms?”
Seeing a need to defuse the situation, Intel raised a hoof. “Well said your majesty. Miss Heartstrings, it has been said that memory loss is a chief problem with non-royal rebirth, given the real danger of personality death.” Intel had to sound like a cutthroat reporter at least. “How are you going to still be you?”
Pleased that the situation had been defused, Celestia stared Notepad down until he retook his seat. Once done, she too reclaimed her seat as Lyra answered the question, although Celestia didn’t listen as she already knew the answer. I suspected as much. The P.C.E. isn’t stupid enough to attack an obvious trap right here in the palace. Their image was already damaged enough by destroying two Equestrian troop transports and all of the soldiers along with it. Assaulting the palace would have been too much, even for the radical element.
That would probably leave only the most fanatical members, and likely expose the ringleaders if they were captured. It looks like we’ll have to have a much more subtle trap if we’re to catch more than recruiters in a hotel.
Celestia kept a close eye on Notepad for the duration of the conference. He kept his mouth shut the entire time, only condemning him further in her eyes. I think he realized his mistake in naming Saddle Arabia. I’ll have to get Whirling Blade to tail Notepad, and see where he goes. Perhaps this trap wasn’t a failure after all.
Grogar never claimed to be an overly patient being, and yet Polybia still found ways to shorten his fuse. He struggled in vain against the restraints of his half-cocoon as Polybia’s body reformed itself from her latest assault on the rival hives. He had a pounding migraine and black blood dripping from his ears and nose from a mental battle with her that had ended as little more than rout for him.
As for Polybia, she was recovering from her body’s destruction faster and faster with each ‘death’. Grogar glared at her as Polybia pulled herself out of the muck of the quickening pool. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were getting off on dying all the time.”
Polybia ignored the verbal jab and took a long moment to finish letting her new body reform. The instant it was done, Polybia raced towards Grogar faster than his dead eyes could follow. She gripped one of his curved horns in her hoof and gripped the other in her magic. “You malevolent snake! Did you honestly think I wouldn’t sense your attempt to switch bodies with me during my recovery?” she purred in his ear. “I paid handsomely for information on you, ram, and your plan was obvious right from the start.”
Grogar grunted in dull pain as Polybia started draining his mana. “No amount of psionic defense could have held me back. With all the mana you’ve stolen, your body should be under my control regardless!”
Polybia lashed out with a lance of cutting magic and started slicing at grogar’s left horn near the root. “Fool. I only kept that power in myself at the beginning. I’ve been dolling that power to my drones for a while now. Your power of control is too diffuse to take me directly. Not that I allowed you to sense that.”
Grogar refused to express any further pain from his horn getting slowly cut off. “I’ll tell you this now. You better utterly destroy me right here and now, Polybia, or I will make my revenge so unending, you’ll forget you were ever anything other than my plaything.”
At that, Polybia stopped cutting the horn halfway and decided to rip the rest of it off with multiple tugs from her magic. Grogar’s pain tolerance, even as an undead, had it’s limits and he roared in pain as the horn was torn free from his head. He glared pure malice into Polybia who examined the detached horn with a critical eye. She spoke without looking at him in a clear sign of disrespect. “Oh don’t worry, Grogar, I plan to make sure your essence is completely destroyed when I’m done with you.”
She afixed an arrogant sneer on her face and waggled his severed horn at him. “I will tear you apart, piece by piece, purify your mana so that it has no connection to you, and then by this war’s end, you will be nothing more than a stain upon the world’s history.”
“Wars are never quick, Polybia,” Grogar chided. “I’ll rid myself of you long before it’s over.”
“You will try, I’m sure.” Polybia started walking off with his horn. “For your attempt on my life, I’m taking your horn. I might find a use for it.”
Grogar’s fury boiled unchecked at the mutilation and failure. The halls of Polybia’s hive echoed with his howling unholy rage. So loud in fact, that Polybia was forced to have several drones erect sound dampening spells to keep from giving the hive’s position away. “I swear you will suffer an eternity for this, Polybia! I will have satisfact-”
Any further yelling was halted by Grogar’s cocoon stretching and wrapping over his mouth, leaving only muffles to fill the single room. Demons are slaves to their nature, but you, Grogar. You chose to become one. You deserve neither pity or mercy. Besides, I need to work on something special for when Twilight arrives with her new warship.
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If that dude wasn't a changeling infiltrator purposefully radicalizing Twilight's mother I'll eat my emergency edible hat.
Woah, that actually looked like progress towards getting Velvet back into the land of the sane and unhateful. Here's hoping.
Man, I still think this conversion of Lyra is such a bad idea.
That's a good question, because it feels like that's exactly what is happening.
Polybia is so going to get horribly killed by Grogar at some point. She's playing with a nuke.
Polybia doesn't know what she's doing. She's arrogant and soon enough this'll come back to bite her in the flank. Then tear it off her body before proceeding to shred her like paper in a paper shredder.
yay
6276298 I'm thinking she'll get better, go home, and then find out about Polibia's baby and freak out. After that, I think there are two possibilities: she relapses to anti-changeling, or rallies the PCB to beat the ever loving crap out of all the queens that essentially raped her grandfoals. Considering that's all of them not in Phoenix Roost, that could be pretty helpful.
6276298
Good idea, really bad timing. For the P.C.E. that is anyway.
As for Velvet, I've always suspected changeling influence at some level. It might even be something that Chrysalis set in place before she promised not to interfere, though I doubt that. Chryssy was too involved in getting information on Celestia to go after Twilight.
What's more likely is that it was Silvarius, who I also suspect was involved in that damn circlet that turned Rainbow Dash into a changeling. Boy, did that plan ever backfire.
I know I'm a chapter late, but why didn't Lyra want to tell Aegis about her uncle being a sniper?
Polly Polly Polly, your playing with the nuclear cluster time bomb that is Grogar.
And I'll be eating a bowl of popcorn when it all blows up in your face.
And there may still be a chance at redemption for Twilight Velvet.
6276298
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6276615
She's like that cliche villain who declares himself invincible, right before the explosion.
Thus far we have no evidence that Grogar is in any permanent danger; painful and degrading perhaps... but not permanent. Poly seems to think it is though...
I don't believe there has been mention of his phylactery.
We know he wears others bodies like armani suits, and he was summoned. Poly is torturing and draining him, but eventually she is going to feed a minion too much of his power and he will drop swap... She likely isn't considering that he would possess a mere mindless drone...
He can afford to wait, to play the long game... he only needs to have those drones survive long enough to "fill the tanks" so to speak...
Grogar with a changeling's body...
I suppose it will be a new experience for him at least...
6276409
She doesn't exactly have a home to go back to... Night Light divorced her on grounds of Crazy Bitch. He also remarried.
It will be interesting to see what comes of this, especially when Velvet realizes the sphinx was bleeding his brains out to help her...
I don't like quick fixes, but resolutions that are at least on the positive side of the chart are always promising...
LAP you forgot one in the author's notes. Will Pinkie Pie ever make sense?
Also the Saddle Arabian thing. never guessed that one. Very interesting.
You know, I don't think I've every seen it explicitly stated about Celestia being a morning person, but it just makes sense.
Also, the bit with Intel hamming it up was hilarious. 
6276476 If you're referring to her cutting herself off halfway through mentioning it, I think that was just a matter of her suddenly realizing that she could offer the bullet as payment instead of the drawings.
Something went missing here.
Missing quote (bolded and underlined).
I'm hoping she ends up with fractal hands. Hands on her hands on her hands on her...
Super hands . . . HAHHAHAH.
Oh god I love that. hehehehe.
I hope Twilight's mother sees reason. It would be unexpected and less cliche than if she escapes.
6276811 Either way, she is playing with a WMD.
My favouritest story had an update... yay...
So much for sleep...
*chided
Didn't expect a chapter so soon after finishing this series up to its current point, a measly four days!
Brilliant timing!
Now that you're free
Atone
This is still one of my favorite ongoing series at the moment. Keep up the good work.
That was one heck of an exploratory session, and quite risky to go that deep unprepared. It seems that it might have paid off though. Time will tell!
Keep going! ;)
Aw yes, Psycho Momma might become Twilight Velvet once more. All will end well!
....Unless LAP inovkes a Break The Cutie/Heroic BSOD, and kills her just as the estranged family reconciles, by pulling a Redemption Equals Death! You Monster!
So, uh yeah, I got lost in TVTropes again guys.
6276720
She has at least two places to go to: PR and Crystal Empire.
your*
6276811 My first thought was "playing with fire", but that didn't really feel like it had enough weight.
"As for my interest in physical transformations, yes, that’s true. I have never made that a secret, especially to my fans.”"
There appears to be a missing quotation mark there.
"make sure you’re essence"
"your"
Saddle Arabians funding the PCE
"It's painted with the blood of changelings?"
No, ew! There's cinnamon sugar swirls in every bite!
Needs end " marks.
__________________
I'm glad that Twilight found out how to keep mane and coat color. It'll definitely be a boon for Lyra's relationship.
I just bucking love
your stupid/witty outros 
hilarious!
That was a great chapter
I really like the first half here is hoping that Velvet can get over her insanity 
Also great press conference who would of expected Saddle Arabia 
I WANT MOAR SOON! 
If that is alright with you. 
Lol Saddle Arabians
I hope and sorta dont hope that this thing with the saddle Arabians is going where I think it might be going
someone remind me, the Deception is a frigate right? I keep thinking its a battleship.
6301484
The Deception is a frigate, yes, but it has the benefit of being able to mount guns on both top and bottom, so it is more heavily armed than a water frigate would be.
6302268 well ya there airships, just checking my facts, I dig this "changeling steampunk" I guess would be a good description you went with. now that there going with oil I suppose its more after ww1 given the bi planes and carriers.
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
well, that was good. Velvets on the road to recovery and the P.C.E. (Pony Central Equestira? remind me plz) and I see Chrysalis is holding her own BAERLY. Well then I suppose among other things that just leaves Polybia. speaking of witch not that through lack of trying but how many queens are left? feel like asking cus of what the Jusacar said seems relevant at this point or in the future.
Nitpicks:
lay
Grogar's
doling
its
affixed
6308945
Ponies for the Conservation of Equestria
6309113 TY
Finally got to the end!
Have to say, really like this story(these stories?). Very interesting take on the changelings as a whole.
This will possibly be the very first question in the author's notes that will get answered. Might want to change that, since you already had us agree to not getting answers to any of them.
First time remembering to write down some misspelling.
pkyser
Avatus
second last sentence: neither _or (missing the n)
(Please, tell me if you don't want to be corrected)
6276471
There is having a plan backfire, and then there is being eaten alive by our own feral children. A fate that is far too kind for Polly Pocket here. Maybe Grogar should have a staycation for the next thousand years and break in his newest acquisition? I mean, sure, it doesn't feel right to be rooting for a demon, but he's kind of turning into a woobie here.
Terrorists funded by Arabia? That is awfully political.
6935318 An almost perfect parallel to reality. The only real difference is that Iran is the nation that we all know to be backing the terrorists.
7457883
http://www.terrorism-research.com/state/countries.php well there's more than them. And there are quite the amount of nations.
And that's not counting banks that fund terrorism.
I really like the chapters with Twilight Velvet. Not 100% sure why. Maybe it's cus I like her portrayed as a crazy person who's getting help than a despicable mother? Still love it though.
Surprised Lyra didn't go for mechanical prosthetics while rebirth was off.
Corrections offered without malice.
recreation of
envelop
muffled noises
I'm seeing a few tie ins to chaotic touch of harmony, first twilight uses Loki as a fake name, the dusk guard is mentioned. Speaking of which, I kinda miss those books...
This is no mystery, everyone loves Cinnamon Toast Crunch. He's a great pony!
8097374
I wish LAP would continue with the sequel to the sequel; it's been on hiatus for yonks.
Then again, I really don't have much room to talk as far as that's concerned.