25: The Trapdoor Falls Away
The Tantabus surged towards Polybia, expanding out into a blanketing shroud. Polybia dispelled her psionic ribbon in favor of empowering her barrier. She caught the Tantabus fully, and tried to enclose the Tantabus inside a ball. The instant Polybia’s counter attack severed the last puppet string, the living manifestation of dreams stopped resisting being crushed. Polybia’s confusion was dismissed several seconds later when a jagged white tear in reality opened near Luna’s moonbeam with the Tantabus stepping out once again.
Polybia conjured up three ribbons, and primed herself for Luna to strike out again. Luna didn’t keep her waiting. She matched Polybia’s defense by splitting the Tantabus into three smaller versions, each with two puppet strings attached. Fool. You think you can best a changeling in a battle of numbers!?
Luna tried scattering the Tantabus puppets in all directions, trying to slip one inside Polybia’s guard. The assault along the floor was cut short after Luna attempted to block an incoming ribbon, and the small Tantabus intercepted it, only for the tip of the ribbon to dance past ad cut the puppet lines. That Tantabus dissipated into thin air. At the same time, Polybia directed two more ribbons at the flanking Tantabus. However, Luna didn’t have the ability to split her focus as a queen did, and couldn’t react in time to save those puppet strings.
The last Tantabus sailed above them all. Polybia smirked in satisfaction as all four ribbons converged on the creature, shredding the final Tantabus like so much cloth. Polybia drew her attention back to Luna right as the moonbeam flashed. Again, a tear opened to allow the Tantabus to walk through with strings attached. Only now, Luna was more cautious, and had the Tantabus prowl in front of her, baiting Polybia to make the first move.
In this moment of respite, Polybia realized Luna had yet to say a word since the fight started. Chancing a brief glance at the collection of other ponies still present, Polybia noticed they were too busy guarding the exits, and Kreesus who apparently had surrendered herself to the ponies. How kind of them to save me the effort of trying to find her. Maybe I should leave those ponies alive to hunt down Grogar after all. I can use Luna as leverage against the Sisters.
Movement from the Tantabus and Luna pulled Polybia back to the present. The holy radiance of the moonbeam quintupled in its brilliance as if a doorway into the heart of the Silver City itself had been thrown open. The holiness of such light scarred what was left of Polybia’s deadened eyes watching the impossible: the moonbeam was moving towards her.
Luna landed on the ground while remaining dead center of the beam. The Tantabus however, remained in the air, seeming to desire to ward its master. Luna took a step forward, and the beam moved with her. The corrupted earth of the hive between Luna and the moon above split apart to make way.
Polybia lashed out with her ribbons. The Tantabus kicked two away and cast a psionic bolt that severed a third, but the fourth one struck true, cleaving Luna in half from her left shoulder to her right thigh. Polybia hissed in surprise victory upon seeing open air between the two severed halves. “A shame holy magic is even worse than arcane at protecting one from psionics, Princess.”
Luna’s two halves didn’t fall to the ground, nor did the moonbeam falter in the slightest, making Polybia hesitate in turning her attention towards the ponies in the distance. Yet the Tantabus seemed to die however, instead of dissipating, the creature keeled forward and hit the ground so hard it burst into a large shallow pool of star dust that started to drain away from Luna.
With that threat gone, Polybia refocused on Luna. Strangely, no blood was spilled, and instead, Luna became incorporeal and wisp-like. Soon her body reformed entirely into a floating sphere of the night sky. Polybia readied a second attack, and waited as Luna reformed back into her normal pony self.
The instant she was whole again, Luna found herself surrounded by all four ribbons. She only had a split second for the shock to register on her face before two ribbons bound her legs, the third wrapped around her torso to bind her wings, and the fourth grasped her horn. Then a torrent of pain rocketed through every nerve of Luna’s body, causing her to scream behind clenched teeth. Her moonbeam flickered wildly before dimming to a mere fraction.
The ponies that remained in the throne room, mostly Lunar Guard, were quick to realize the danger their princess was in and charged to aid her. Polybia pulled Luna away from the guard and sent a quick repulsion spell to break their charge. “Back off, ponies, or your princess will die here and now!”
While the PCE stopped dead in their tracks, the Lunar Guard kept going with blades drawn. It was only when Polybia squeezed Luna enough to get her to cry out that the guards finally halted. “There. Now, one of you, go back to that ship and tell-” Polybia’s demands cut short when she felt a vengeful presence directly behind her throne.
She pulled herself away, and risked dividing her power further to make a fifth ribbon, but there was nothing. Only her drones and the organic amplifier. Using the eyes of those drones to verify that no one or no-thing was hiding there, she returned her attention towards Luna who had passed out. The alicorn’s psionic shroud faded, leaving only her damaged armor, and unconscious form remaining. Seems like whatever distraction she planned activated too late.
“So much for the venerable Dreamer.” She turned to address the reluctant ponies. “What are you waiting for? Go, now!”
In the waking world, Luna easily pulled herself out of the unbecoming position Polybia’s ribbons had placed her in and dismissed the moonbeam, allowing the lighting to return to its dark shadows. Her armor was ruined by the cut, but it would have to do for now. She looked up to see the Tantabus had reformed behind Polyia with eight tendrils latched onto the queen’s head and spine while a dozen more were connected to the drones tending to the massive brain.
Luna’s Guard Captain rushed forward and gave her an inspection once over, an act made easier by the bat pony’s naturally strong night vision. “Princess Luna, are you alright?”
A few bones popped and cracked as Luna resumed a fully corporeal form again. “It takes a bit more than that to do me any lasting harm, Captain Silver. I’ll be fine.” Captain Silver barked orders at the rest of them to resume guarding the exits. Luna took the moment to finish recomposing herself before adding, “and have Kreesus brought before me.”
“As you wish, your highness.” Silver bowed curtly before moving off to do as commanded personally.
That took more out of me than I wanted. I can only hope I can somehow extract some information about Grogar out of Polybia before she realizes what happened to her.
Luna sighed out some of the stress as the PCE brought out the extinguished torches they had originally brought with them. By the time Kreesus had been brought forward, the torches cast the throne room into usable light. The scaly queen had burn marks from spellfire, and quite a few lacerations with one particularly bloody one running across her neck and a second on her chest. She was also sporting a black eye and a limping rear leg. Lastly, and probably the most noticeable to Luna, was the murderous spiteful glare she was giving everyone around her, particularly the two PCE guards that prodded her forward with their spears. “Princess Luna, I must protest this horribly disrespectful treatment of what I thought to be an ally. I am aware of your group of terrorists not being the most friendly to my kind, but this!” she waved a hoof at her wounds while focusing on her neck and chest cuts. “This is absurd.”
“Then you should count yourself lucky they showed such restraint,” Luna commented testily towards the two PCE, including Sea Breeze, who only looked chastised because it was expected of them. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you, though. The geas on the non-guard only keeps them from willfully attacking those of Twilight’s bloodline.”
Luna turned fully away from Polybia to study Kreesus and her injuries with a critical eye. “Sea Breeze, get a medic over here pronto.” After the snappy response and the two PCE members departing and being replaced by three members of the Lunar Guard, the dark alicorn fixed kreesus with a pensive look. “Rather convenient that you show up like this. From what I understand, Polybia was already fighting someone when the horn sounded, and I can think of only one other person she’d be engaged with.”
Kreesus freaked a little and backpedaled only to bump against a testy guard. “I know it sounds convenient, but I am who I say I am. You can test me with holy magic if you insist.”
“I do.” A dash of paranoia skirted Luna’s mind. I haven’t met a demon yet that could stand within the Light of the Moon and survive, even if they are possessing a mortal… But I shouldn’t use its full power in any event or I’d banish him back to his phylactery. “Guards, prepare yourself should this prove a ruse.”
Kreesus stood firm, not wanting to give the guard any satisfaction in seeing her squirm. Luna tapped into her powers and cracked open the door to the Silver City, bathing everyone around her. Kreesus’ eyes seemed to come alive with new vibrancy, her scales shone from beneath the dirt, and she breathed easier. However, there was a singular dark point hidden in Kreesus’ hair that rebuffed the light. That alone set Luna on edge, but she decided to play it smooth. “So. Do you happen to know where Grogar ran off to?”
Kreesus glanced back from where she came, but couldn’t see much outside of the bright moonlight. “Probably hiding as a rock somewhere in here.” She turned back to Luna who flashed momentary surprise. “I hate to admit it in front of present company, but I had to exploit him to keep Polybia from capturing me again.”
Feeling secure in her holy light, Luna jerked a nod at the guards. “Leave us.” The two guards knew her true meaning and simply turned about face while Luna cast a small zone of privacy. She gave Kreesus a hard glare while subtly intensifying the power of the moonbeam. “One does not simply exploit a being as ancient and powerful as Grogar. What deal did you strike with him?”
Kreesus was acutely aware of her precarious position, and had no loyalty towards Grogar in any event. She cast her eyes down with nagging fear eating away at her. “Grogar wants me to give him a new body in exchange for his protection.” She reached into her hair with a hoof and dragged out the bell. The object was completely encased in a shell of dark magic, shielding it from Luna’s holy magic. “And he wants Polybia’s soul taken by this upon her death. If I don’t deliver both, he will take mine in its stead.”
Out of everything, Luna half expected Grogar’s desire for Polybia’s soul. Undoubtedly for some measure of vengeance, I’m sure. “A new body? Did he say what for?”
“Not directly,” Kreesus admitted, thankful that Luna wasn’t decrying her out of hand. “Technically I’ve only agreed to come to an arrangement for said body. We weren’t exactly in a good place to hammer out a well written contract after all.”
Luna considered the facts she knew. Interesting. Keeping Kreesus close will ensure that Grogar will be forced to show himself. Just what game is he playing at though? “He is sworn to protect you?” Kreesus nodded. “Interesting… I’ll deal with that in a bit.” Luna canceled the privacy spell and the moonbeam. “Come. The sooner we get rid of Polybia’s swarm, the sooner we can focus on Grogar.”
Kreesus returned the bell to her mane and joined Luna in flying up towards Polybia. The fallen queen looked even more diseased up close. Her chitin was crumbling to dust around several patches of blackened necrotic skin. Her milky white eyes stared blankly ahead as though she was focused on distant control. She sat in stark contrast to the fleshy yet still healthy colored brain that was fused to her head and spine. Up close, the Tantabus appeared to be a creature of haunting nightmare to Kreesus, like a parasite that was feeding upon Polybia. It was a fate that pulled upon a deep seated primal fear in Kreesus, that of not only becoming a hideous parody of herself, but assuredly being rendered barren. Grogar’s influence must be great indeed if she’s not willing to commit suicide because of that.
“The Tantabus is good,” Luna began as she appraised the waking dream Polybia was trapped in. “But I am not going to risk Polybia becoming wise to what happened. Do what you need to do, and quickly. We’ll discuss the matter with Polybia’s soul afterwards.”
Kreesus gave Luna a slack jawed stunned expression before shaking herself to focus. “Very well.” While hovering in place, Kreesus placed her forehooves on either side of Polybia’s skull. The feel of the flaking chitin sent a shiver of revulsion through her spine. Then she started easing her control over Polybia’s hive mind, slowly supplanting her as its master. A task made easy since she no longer had any drones of her own to divide her focus anymore.
“Will this take long?” Luna inquired while glancing nervously at Polybia twitching her face. “She might sever the connection entirely if she figures out what’s happening.”
“I don’t know,” Kreesus snapped testily at being distracted. “I’ve never actually done this before. It’s not exactly common to capture a queen with a still intact hive.”
That’s encouraging. Luna decided to leave Kreesus to her work for the moment and noticed Sea Breeze had showed up with more than her fair share of injuries and coated with ichor and blood. She also had a bad limp on her left front leg. She and the Guard Captain finished speaking with each other, allowing him to break off to meet with Luna.
“Your Majesty, reports say our penal brigade has finished combing the upper tunnels, and are sweeping their way down. Most of the drones were already dead upon arrival, much to Sea Breeze’s irritation.”
Luna huffed and glanced at the badly wounded mare. “Seems she underestimated what few she did find. Have her and any other casualties taken back to the Steamrunner for treatment. Felons or not, they’re still my subjects.”
“As you wish, princess.” Captain Silver was about to fly off when Luna tugged him back with a bit of magic. “And tell the rest of the Guard and a squad of Wonderbolts to deploy in the tunnels immediately surrounding the throne room.” Luna spied a look at Kreesus who was entirely engrossed on Polybia if the sweat on her brow was any indication. “I have a feeling I can draw Grogar out of hiding. Oh, and before I forget, tell Twilight and Rainbow that Polybia is incapacitated, that should annul their deal.”
“I’ll let them know immediately, your highness.”
Luna watched the guard leave for a moment before returning her attention to the Tantabus and Kreesus. Given that Kreesus had yet to voice any complaints about the Tantabus, Luna assumed she could keep it in place. “Any progress?”
“...There I suppl-” Kreesus’ eyes went wide with horror and she scrabbled away from Polybia and fell out of the air. She started jumping at sounds Luna couldn’t hear, tossing her head back and forth. “What? How? This - This is wrong. She’s totally mad!”
Luna flew down to give Kreesus some comfort, but stopped short after remembering that queens didn’t like to be touched, well, the ones without fur anyway. “What happened!?”
“The voices! So many voices all at once!” Every fiber of Kreesus’ being wanted to sever the hive mind then and there. Her speech started to waver and dip and rise in pitch as she struggled to resist that hard-wired instinct to sever or at least forcibly silence the voices of the quasi. “It -it feels like hundreds, no thousands of quasi! How can she live like this!?”
If there was one thing Luna secretly enjoyed, it was knocking sense into people. So it was with no small amount of pleasure that Luna thwacked Kreesus upside the head with a wing. “Get ahold of yourself!”
Kreesus blinked and held the side of her muzzle that had been bruised. How dare she slap me! Biting her dignity, Kreesus used the pain as a focus center. “The voices are too strong, Princess, and far too numerous. I don’t think they’d obey me if I told them to kill each other.”
Luna rubbed her chin as she thought over the issue. Kreesus was too busy trying to ignore the tidal wave of noise over the hive mind. Without Polybia’s amplifier and experience to understand them, the best Kreesus could do was drown it out until all that was left was nothing but static like an out of tune radio.
“Is there anything you can do?” Luna asked after drawing a blank on a new plan and was about ready to go with her original idea.
Kreesus bit down a scathing retort, if only so she could sever the link with so many intelligent mind just a few seconds quicker. “I could - I think I can at least tell them where to attack at least. Change what Polybia’s final target should be if she is killed. Anything else might cause them to become suspicious.” In truth, Kreesus was grasping at straws trying to justify her importance, and was unsure if it would work at all.
“That’s something at least…” Luna didn’t need to think for long, for there were only two forces that could stand a chance at defeating such a force with minimal collateral damage. “See if you can split the swarm in two. Chrysalis said her defenses could withstand a hundred thousand last I heard, so send that many to her. Spin a lie if you have to.”
“And what of the rest of them?” Kreesus asked rhetorically. She knew what Luna was going to say, but felt the words had to escape the alicorn’s lips first.
“...Send them against the fleet still holding around your mountain hive.” Luna answered with a haunted grimace. “They’ll be the ones who can end this.”
Nodding slowly, Kreesus started to formulate how exactly she was going to order hundreds of thousands of intelligent minds. Her current saving grace as to why she wasn’t getting overloaded with so many connections was that she was keeping a very hooves off approach to command at the moment. Trying to puppet anything right now could kill me, and I am not plugging myself into that amplifier. She looked up at the massive brain and shivered at the sight of it. It’ll just have to be a general announcement. Maybe say this amplifier brain is killing me so they don’t question it.
The very idea of anyone in her hive mind questioning her disturbed Kreesus to her core, which wasn’t helped by the noise. Unlike the Link between Twilight and family, there was no love, no light hearted joy, none of the familiarity that bonded that hive mind together. Here there was only fanatical devotion to one queen, along with hatred and anger spurred on by the lies Polybia had told her quasi to make them even more vindictive in combat. All of it made the Link miserably painful to her. So much so that she didn’t even notice Grogar’s bell fall out of her mane and jiggled and bounced on the ground.
Luna, who had been communing with the Tantabus, heard the bell drop and roll over to rest against the throne. Though it was no longer masked by its shield against her holy moonlight, Luna knew what it was. Outwardly, the bell looked old and rusted, like it had been left to the elements for ages. What perhaps unnerved her most was that she could see no reflected light from the slits in the bell, just plain darkness.
Luna’s horn brightened with silver light with intent to destroy the unholy object. Yet before any spell could fly, a deep voice akin to crunching gravel danced from ear to ear. “Now, now, let’s not do anything rash.”
The hairs of the back of Luna’s neck raised up, and she whirled around to wing-slap Grogar away, only to find no one there. She cast her gaze around looking for the source. With Polybia still locked within the Tantabus’ dream and Kreesus becoming increasingly comatose to the outside world, Luna had no illusions as to who was speaking to her.
“Show yourself, Grogar!” Luna pulled away from the throne to give her space to fight. Her horn burned with holy fire.
“I am not here to fight you, Princess Luna, daughter of Lūn and Sweva the Dreamer.” Luna’s eyes bulged at the mention of her origin. “I am here for the same thing they were given.”
Luna was caught flat-footed by the barely noticeable sorrow in his otherwise neutral tone. “Which is…?”
“To have a new life.” Luna followed Grogar’s voice and found the hornless demon standing not ten meters away from her towards the center of the chamber. “To wash myself of my current existence.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Luna retorted as she fell into a loose combat stance. She lit her horn in holy silver, but Grogar remained impassive. She searched his eyes for truth, but the solid red glow made reading him nigh impossible.
“What I expect is an individual of your… aged wisdom to hear me out before trying to cast me back down to Tartarus,” Grogar stated dryly. “Things would go much smoother that way for both of us.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Luna saw Captain Silver pressing himself against one of the exits. He nodded to her, signaling he was waiting for her signal. With her position of power more secure, Luna felt a touch more accommodating. “The old stories say you are a pony who gave up their soul to become a powerful demon and now you lord over a section of Tartarus. Why would someone like you give that up?”
Grogar felt nothing, but managed to fake a snort of contempt. “Rule? No one rules in Tartarus. There is no real civilization, no laws outside of contracts. It is a realm completely devoted to the survival of the fittest. I ‘rule’ simply by the fact that no one dares move against me anymore.”
“Is it not still a life you chose willingly?” Luna countered, not really buying it. I at least have to buy time for Kreesus to give Polybia’s swarm new orders before things get messy.
“Partially,” Grogar admitted freely. “I lived in a time, in a culture whose people’s faith was one that had no afterlife. We existed and then we died, our mind and spirit decayed to be recycled like our bodies. A complete loss of self. I chose demonhood to escape that fate. Only to my everlasting disgust, I was turned not into a pride demon as I had expected, but a succubus instead. I became a slave to unslakable lust until I was summoned by chance into a necromancer’s service. To my fortune, he was wanting to create a demon-lich hybrid. I won’t bore you with anymore of my life story, save for the fact that while undeath has freed me from the shackles of my succubus nature, I feel little. No joy, no satisfaction, only hate, anger. Having a second life as a royal changeling would rectify that particular irritant.”
The holy glow on Luna’s horn disappeared, but her suspicion remained strong. Her piercing gaze still couldn’t get a read on him. “If you wanted a normal life again so badly, why not just possess a mortal? I’m sure someone of your age and power could pass unnoticed.”
I doubt the Dreamer is so ignorant as to actually believe that. Grogar knew from the start this would be a hard sell. “That could never work. The moment I inhabit a living body, I would revert back to a nymphomaniac. I would rather face oblivion than return to that existence.” It was tiny, but some small part of Luna started to think he was being genuine. “That is why I need Polybia’s soul; to purge myself of demonic essence.”
“I’d be lying if I said I was not intrigued,” Luna stated carefully. “But why a royal changeling?”
“Hedging my bets,” Grogar replied with a slight head tilt. “Not only do queens live a very long time, but they also possess rebirthing techniques. My old mortality was the chief reason I willingly became a demon.”
Part of Luna couldn’t help but to agree with him on that point. She was aware she was not so humble that she would gladly accept reincarnation into a comparatively short lived pony either. But there’s no way I can trust a demon. He’d betray us the instant he thinks he can get a better deal from some other- Wait. A deal, eh? Luna fixed Grogar with a calculating stare. “You demons are bound by whatever contract you sign, is that fair to say?”
The idea of a contract had only partially crossed Grogar’s mind, yet he was surprised Luna voiced it first. He nodded. “Unlike mortals, we can not willingly break a contract.”
“If that is your true reason for all of this, then sign a contract over it. You agree to give up all your power and purge yourself of demonic influence, and in return, we don’t destroy the egg you’d put the fragments of your soul into. Deal?” Luna added, fully expecting a trick.
“I would prefer a fully defined ‘we’, and some other bits and pieces, but I find the general idea of that contract agreeable.” Grogar waved a hoof, causing a blank piece of parchment to materialize in a flash of hellfire. “I’ll write up a nice and proper contract, and you can spend all the time you like to read it.”
Before Luna could respond, several purple and blue changelings dropped in from above, and surrounded Grogar. “Hope we’re not late to the party,” The leading purple changeling called out with a mix of fear and bravado at seeing Grogar. Half their number readied flamethrowers while Grogar carefully moved into a combat stance while watching Luna for her next act.
If we struck now, I’d wager Grogar would simply destroy his own body to flee back to his phylactery. He’d probably get his new body out of our sight, leaving us with nothing. But… Luna used her magic to push the barrel of the flamethrowers up and off target. “Hold your fire!” As one, the changelings first gave each other, and then Luna incredulous looks of disbelief. “We have a chance to end this with less bloodshed.”
Captain Silver and his squad remained behind cover just to be sure, while the platoon leader of the changelings lowered his rifle. “He’s surrendering?”
“In a matter of speaking,” Luna replied cryptically. The arrival of the changelings prompted Luna to grin at her good fortune. “You,” she pointed at a random blue changeling, send a message to Ambassador Rolled Scroll to have my best lawyers ready to read and amend a contract.”
When the drones lowered their weapons, Grogar ignored them and started to pen the contract. This one would not be a hasty and simple agreement, but one to ensure his chosen future. It was only after he wrote the first line that he remembered something important. “Princess Luna. I still require Polybia’s soul in particular. Shall I slay her or you?”
Luna glanced at the rotting queen upon her throne. The Tantabus still trapping her inside a dream world where everything was coming up Polybia. While Luna was aware of her crimes, the thought of allowing a demon to toy with her soul was too much. She gave Grogar a stony glare. “Polybia is to be tried by the laws of the queendoms. Not you.”
Mortals never fail to be squeamish. Hmm, some Immortals too I suppose. Grogar put the parchment down to level an uncaring look at Luna. “It is by those very laws that Polybia has already damned herself, or have you forgotten she was declared rouge by the other queens?
“She is going to Tartarus to become a demon’s plaything no matter what happens now. You can choose to waste her soul on that, or you can let me take what is mine and put her to use in the ritual to excise my demonic nature.”
A troubled grimace marred Luna’s face. Even the changelings pointedly removed themselves from ear shot and Captain Silver inwardly already forgave Luna. “I should mention, Princess,” Grogar added just to add in more weight to his argument, “that if you act to stop me, I would instead take Kreesus’ soul in place of Polybia’s. As per our contract.”
Dark thoughts troubled Luna over the issue, and she saw no good answer now that Kreesus was at risk. With the scaly queen still completely distracted by directing the massive swarm towards the fleet, she was unaware that Luna held her fate in her hooves.
“Captains!” she barked loudly. “Get everypony back to the ship, we’re done here.” Luna stared at Grogar with mild hostility as the troops vacated the primencies. Once it was down to the two queens, one demon, and a dirty feeling Princess, Luna exhaled. “Fine. Take her.”
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Good to see that as proto-gods or something (the mythology of your verse is a bit confusing), that Luna is more than just a strong pony. One would think that even empowered, and naturally powerful as a changeling queen is, that Luna/Celestia being gods of a sort would be stronger still... granted, how does Cadence and what Twilight would have become fit into this?
Some more background on the various divine spheres, the Silver City (which seems to play into multiple races) and more would be interesting.
I can sleep peacefully tonight
Hmm, I got to say Im curious why Kreesus didnt try share the burden of Poly's hive. Im sure Twilight chould have handled a bunch of free thinking Quasi. Yet in her ploy to be "helpful" maybe she was biteing off more than she could chew. Im fairly sure if a good number of Quasi were former ponies saving them would buy favor with Equestria. Kreesus's pride might end up hurting her more in this.
> “It is by those very laws that Polybia has already damned herself, or have you forgotten she was declared rouge by the other queens?
The highest crime in changeling society is to turn oneself into makeup. Rouge is the most diabolically evil of all makeups. FEAR IT.
and here we were expecting Twilight to puppet a drone and offer mental support assimilating the insane hive. Oh well, not enough time.
Is that why what's-her-face was being weird back in Canterlot? Hmmm...
Grogar's true goal is revealed! He's been very cordial, though it's possible it might still be a trap, it's very believable.
Hey, maybe he can design the first ever King class? Definitely don't mix in Twilight's love-production abilities, that's just asking for trouble...
Keep going! ;)
who is her. Is it Kreesus or Polybia and this story keeps on getting better and better.
7842100
that is luna telling grogar to take polybia.
Anoher exciting chapter. There is one uncapitalised "kreesus" ("fixed kreesus with a pensive look"), and a "rouge" that should be "rogue". Finally I think "primencies" is meant to be "premises".
Dual pov... interesting way to sow confusion. Can't really be sure whether Grogar is being truthful or not. His me tion of it being "a hard sell"can mean that it's a difficult lie to sell, or a difficult truth to sell because of what and who he is.
7841558
Truly a horrendous crime. All knows that to be anything but purple is a inherently wrong!!
He won't be bound by contracts after he becomes a changeling, will he? And as a royal changeling he will be quite powerfull. But I guess that is future Luna's problem...
7842180
Ok makes more sense now.
7842634
Conversely, Grogar will be bound by Changeling Law, and (s)he has no plans on following Polly Pocket's horseshoes on this matter.
And speaking of "The Queen is dead, long live the Queen", it would seem that we'll be returning foccus to Poly Pocket 2.0 in Canterlot very, VERY soon.
7842634
But he wouldn't be a lich-succubus any more, at least.
7842519 Purple AND Blue. Don't forget the awesome Rainbow Dash.
You know buddy, I've gotta say. What you've written is amazing.
I found your 'Hive' series just over a week ago now, and started reading it not long after. I've tried to do other things in my spare time but somehow the universe that you have created has had such an impression on my ind that I really just can't do anything but seek a conclusion to the questions you've raised in each previous chapter, no matter how final the happenings in one chapter are I can't help but seek the adventures and expansion of the universe of the next.
And so here I am, having caught up on every story so far in the series, just now finishing chapter 25 of 'Reformation of the Hive', having loved every moment up until now.
You have aspirations of making a career in writing? My friend, you've already done so with this master piece. Keep up the universe-scaping words that enthrall my life and no doubt many others, I'm sure you'll make it big if you do.
7842050
Heh, a succubus necromancer becoming an egg-laying queen mother addicted to expansion. There is no way he won't thrive as a queen. Feeding on love would do things to him that a sick, twisted mind could only imagine.
7844605 Ha Ha welcome to the club. I've reread it at least 3 times and keep checking for updates. It's one of the best series I have read and keeps my faith in Fan Fiction alive.
7845510
Damn, thanks for the welcome. Although it definitely feels like something I was dragged into and didn't really have a choice, not that I'm complaining ^^'
I hope one day there's a chance to get hardback copies of this, it's just too damn good for anything less.
Grogar is going to love being a queen. An infinite supply of minions, a method for immortality, a superior body: all at the expense of laying eggs. Heck, maybe a life of a queen would soften him up. Having children may be exactly what he needs to love for once.
I have a lot to say but I merely want to type these to save time. I really love how you depicted the workings of the changeling and the hives and how different they are from each other for their constant changes. The path in which you are taking this story may not end here for there are a lot of content that awaits the Lavender and Blue hive as their history seems to be really vast. I also like how some of your crazy question indirectly spoil the next chapter, it is funny yet intriguing.
Sad, that I got to catch up in just two days but the ride was fun, nonetheless. I got to pressure you on writing more! I also wish you safety and good fortune for the calamity that seems to have befallen your place here on earth.
May the force be with you,
Xoxo
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Even if Twi or RD had puppeted a drone, they would not have been able to help Kreesus because I queen needs to be directly next to a drone/quasi to take control of it, or next to a queen to take more than 1. A puppet proxy can't bridge that transfer.
7843217 2.0 is best .0
However, I'm going to close this book soon and let the slice of life stories take over in the next book.
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Thanks for the kudos. Always good to see well entertained readers.
You 3 guys be interested in my other recent work Right here. I've been working on that when I wasn't on the hive series.
7850069 figures, some things just have to be done in person!
7850069
...so, the sub plot with the Fallen Apples is being held back for another two books?
7850179 no, I mean I'll address them in the more slice of life sequel.
needs beginning " marks.
____________
This so far is freaking amazing. I actually look forward to a Grogar Royal Nymph. The over all battle and set up was rather well done ^_^. Although I don't like the looks of the Quasi being told to go after the Pheonix Roosts ships, not with AJ's parents being Quasi in Equestria ... hopefully things go well with them in the long run when everyone finds out that the Nanny is really AJ's long lost mom ^_^.
7850321
What a chapter or two in "Life in the Phoenix Roost"?
7850778 I only advise, not write Life in the Phoenix Roost
7850812
I know you don't. But I was merely stating that it could possibly be a chapter ^_^. Rather than it's own separate sidequel.
Btw, I hope everything's going okay with you after the tornado hit.
So ends the climax of this arc. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
I know this has nothing to do with the current chapter but does anybody remember what chapter LAP told us where this series side stories were. There was an EqG one that I forgot to mark and I'm trying to find it
Whew, just reread this whole series again to catch up and read new things. Really curious to see the future of this new deal.
One thing I noticed. In the most recent few chapters you've been spelling Rorke differently than before, where it was spelled Rourke.
hello 7850812 I hope you are well. Question who whill protects Grogar's eggs while he o she is incubated.
7842634
While true, it prevents him from doing anything stupid while he's still a demon. Should he honestly be sick of his existence as such, then this won't really be an issue at all.
I'm currently giving the old goat the benefit of the doubt.
Had these storys in my read later list for a while. finally got around to it, have to say, im upset with myself for not reading it sooner. Read the whole damn thing in a week. KEEP 'EM COMING!
hello 7850812 The hives of your story are they something like this
Everytime I get a notification for a new chapter of a story I genuinely hope its this one
You're missing an opening double quote in there
Also, I'm pretty sure that I saw a lower case 'kreesus' in there somewhere.
Wait, what? Luna is a pony so why is she calling on the changeling holy land instead of Elysia like every other pony?
8063490 Because of her connection to the moon, which was the principle object of worship in the old Rookhaven Empire, and her being the fusion/daughter of two night-based spirits. Hence, she has always been in tune with the Silver City right from the start, rather than Elysia. This is true for all bat ponies and changelings because they share the same ancestry and beliefs. Well... more or less as far as the Silver City itself is concerned at least.
By contrast, Celestia is not tied to the City. Even though her original self originated from the same empire, due to the fact that her alignment centered on the sun and more towards the (worship it because we think we have too) side of the old imperial religion. Her reincarnation and already tenuous connection to the SC was severed and replaced by one towards Elysia when she re-grew up in a non-bat pony body and society. This is ultimately what led to early ponies fearing Luna before her downfall into NMM because Luna still held onto the Silver City and one look at real history can demonstrate how little it takes in a difference in faith to make others fear and shun you.
In addition, the refugee bat ponies from the empire were not discovered by the new Equestria until after her fall.
I know I leave quite a bit out for the interest of a lesser word count and story flow, so I try to leave hints that can be deciphered by reading between the lines.
And so the rougue queen ends ... now ... clean up ...
Category 1:
'and', 'strings'
Kreesus
'fleshy, yet still healthy-colored, brain
missing comma
minds
redundancy, drop one
notice as Grogar's bell fell out
two things here: this needs to be plural, seeing as there are multiple flamethrowers and flamers don't have barrels, they have nozzles
earshot
Now, to clean up this mess ...
Very unexpected end... Yet some things come to mind: