• Published 24th Apr 2015
  • 2,676 Views, 127 Comments

A New Life - Lunafan1k



A changeling survives a traumatic event at the cost of his memories, and his sanity. He makes new pony friends who try to help him, unknowingly making his condition worse.Takes place prior to the changeling invasion.

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Pursuit

Faina and the Captain as well as the other guards flinched back as the two monsters that Sigma had with him belted out a warcry and took off at high speed through the halls of the castle.

“Well, that was strange.” She said.

“I’ll be hearing about that in a few hours. In any case, I’ll take you to the field medic to patch you up before we go. Will you be needing anything?” He asked her.

“Naw I’ve got all I’ll need. Let’s hurry this up a bit though, I want to explore around a bit!” She grinned.

“Alright then, follow me.” The Captain said, shaking his head as he started leading her through the troops setting up ‘investigation’ and ‘keep out’ banners around the area.

“Hey Cap, you got a name?” She asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?” He replied.

“Because calling you Cap is getting old.” She said.

“Well I am Captain Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard.” He said proudly.

“Nice to meet you in a moderately official capacity then, Captain Armor. I am Grand Faina Night-Steel of clan Fang, Grand Elder in training, currently the acting ambassador between my clan and Equestria, and I’m also the head of security back home, a ‘Captain of the Guard’ so to speak.” She proudly proclaimed.

“Wow, that’s quite a lot of responsibility. How old are you?” He asked.

“I’m twenty-two.” She said. “Why do you ask?”

“Just that you’ve accomplished a lot and your life is just starting.” He observed.

“Let’s just say I had a head start and a lot of motivation.” She said evasively.

“Alright fine, don’t tell me.” He said as they approached a mare with a red cross on her uniform.

“Who’s this? She’s not a guard. I don’t work on civilians, go find a real doctor.” She grunted when she was them.

“Relax, she’s an ambassador who was wounded in the attack. Please just look at her?” He asked.

“What do I care about some snotty bureaucrat that chipped a hoof. Screw it, fine. Let me see the boo-boo so I can kiss it.”

“While I appreciate the offer to kiss it I think I would rather just have it wrapped.” Faina said with a coy smile. She turned around and moved her cloak aside, showing her rump to the mare.

The medic whistled at the sight of the wound, “This looks worse than it is.” She said and got to work cleaning it. Faina winced a bit at the disinfectant but the medic was able to apply a bandage to the area. “It’s not too deep so it should heal up just fine. Now go away I’m busy.”

Faina reset her cloak to cover her rear again, “Thanks.” She said.

Shining nodded and started to lead her outside the castle. “Now that that’s taken care of, we can get this operation underway. Blueblood owns a mansion just to the east of the castle. In all likelihood the staff and servants will try to prevent our entry without proper authority.”

“So you want me to ‘mysteriously’ find my way inside?” She asked.

“No, I’m saying it could take some time for the guard to get in and our searching may be impeded.” He said.

“Oh, well hurry up, I’m not waiting all night.” She said and walked off. Shining chuckled as he gathered the troops into formation.

Faina casually cantered around the castle to where the mansion in question was. She found it fairly quickly as it was enormous and had his cutie-mark all over it, as well as a large ‘Blueblood Manor’ gate. She easily flew over the tall fence and made her way around to the side of the building.

She peeked into one of the windows to see that much of the entryway took up the ground floor, with lots of posh decor and a number of maids doing busywork under the watchful eye of a butler in a fancy suit.

She moved away from the window and pressed her forehooves against the brick wall, then using her wings she was able to lightly pin herself to the wall, allowing her to slowly ‘walk’ up the wall silently. She made it up to the second floor window and peeked inside, the coast was clear.

She pressed a hoof against the window and it opened easily, swinging inward. She hoisted herself over the edge and hopped into the room. She closed the window behind her and snooped around the room.

“Let’s see… If I was a tunnel I would be on the ground floor. Time to explore~!” She giggled quietly to herself. She pressed her ear up to the door and listened, there was one set of hoof steps walking away from her position. She slowly opened the door and peered out, there was a maid halfway down the fall, humming to herself as she dusted the various figurines on a table.

Faina snuck out into the hall and softly closed the door behind her. She moved swiftly and silently up behind the mare, keeping low and to the shadows. Once she was in position crouched under another table with a large plant on it she cast her gaze about searching for a way down.

The maid in front of her turned around and started fiddling with the plant, not noticing that Faina was there hiding. She hummed away as she gave it some water and spruced up its leaves. Faina waited patiently for her to finish what she was doing.

After several more minutes the maid sighed and walked further down the hall and entered a room near the end of the hall, past a grand staircase. Faina waited a moment longer before going to look over the staircase balcony. It led back to the main entrance where most of the maids were rushing about, but what caught her eye was an open door to the right of the staircase. It was decorated in gold details of swirls and shapes.

Thinking it might lead someplace she waited until they weren't looking towards the door, and then swooped down through the opening to land on all fours. She was about to congratulate herself on her stealth abilities when a number of voices shouted out.

“Who the devil are you?”

“What are you doing in here?”

“Who let this filth wander in from the street?”

“Guards!”

Faina looked up to see a large table with a number of nobles seated around it glaring at her as they shouted in anger. The door behind her burst open as the private security rushed inside. Faina cursed herself as she was quickly surrounded. She looked around frantically but there wasn’t an opening.

They shouted at her to do something, she wasn’t familiar with the word, but she might be able to catch them off guard. She lashed out, the claws of her gauntlets springing out and slicing off the tips of their spears as she twisted around. While they were stunned she flew over their heads back out the door where she quickly dove into the nearest room. Once out of sight she flew up to the dark corner in the ceiling of the room and wedged herself there, waiting.

Thunderous hoofsteps rang out as the guards frantically searched the area, four of them throwing open the room she was hiding in. She held her breath and watched, daring to not make any sound as they searched under the tables and in the closets, but not finding a trace. None thought to think to simply look up as they quickly departed to search elsewhere.

Once the door closed she let out a breath and flew down to the floor. No longer under the threat of discovery she looked around the room. There was a fine number of decorations including an over-sized painting of the Princess and Blueblood behind a very large and ornate desk.

“Looks like I found it.” She said to herself. She went up to the painting and pulled the bottom right corner. It swung outwardly easily, revealing a large safe with a combination lock.

“... I can’t pick this… How does this work anyway?” She muttered as she examined the dial. She twisted it around a bit experimentally until it landed on two, followed by a very small ‘click’ her sensitive ears were able to barely perceive.

“... Or maybe I can!” She pressed her ear up to the safe and kept spinning to the left, but there were no other clicks. She stuck out her tongue and repeated the first step, spinning a lot until landing on two, then spun the other way. She stopped when she heard it click again and looked at the number it pointed at. “...Two again?”

She spun it to the left again, this time a loud series of clicks and clunks rang out as the dial locked in place, again on two. “Seriously? The code is two two two?” She asked out loud at the ludicrous combination as she pulled the safe handle. It opened smoothly but heavily as it revealed its treasures stored inside.

Faina looked over the pile of gold and gems with a bored expression, “Is this stuff really worth a lot?” She asked as she appraised the gems and gold bars.

“Quite a lot actually.” A voice spoke from behind her. Faina jumped a bit and spun around, ready to fight, but relaxed when she saw who it was.

“About time you made it here Shining.” She said as she tossed a priceless gem back into the safe, breaking it into pieces.

“We we’re held up as expected but when you caused a scene we offered to ‘help’ capture you and they let us in. Also you broke a gem worth about 300,000 bits, they are not going to be happy.” He noted as he looked inside. “Wow, I knew he was loaded but still, to see it all like this.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“... Really?”

“Uh, yea? Is gold not a valuable for your clan?”

“No, it’s worthless. Yea it’s shiny and malleable, we use it a bit in decoration but we have an entire vault dug out that we just dump it all. What’s really valuable is the gems, we can use them in runic magic and store a load of power for the mechs as well as used in rituals to speak with our god and give him offerings of only the finest gems. We have other uses as well but we can’t give that out.” Faina explained as she began shoving things around as she peered inside.

“That’s… I guess now that I think about it that’s kind of expected. Fifteen hundred years of mining would probably grant a load of gold.” He remarked.

“Exactly. Ah, here we go.” She said as she found the hidden lever and gave it a pull.

Shining jumped aside as the floor under his hooves suddenly dropped out and formed a hidden staircase. “That’s something. Wait here, I’ll gather my guards.” Faina nodded as he went up to the door and stuck his head out and whistled. The royal guards under his command dropped what they were doing and formed up in front of the door.

“We found what we we’re looking for. Amethyst, Garnet, you two make sure nopony enters. The rest of you get ready, Faina and I will lead the way.” A chorus of ‘Yes Sir!’ rang out as they saluted and filed into a line in the room as two others stood guard outside. He joined Faina at the top of the steps, “Ready?”

“Yep.” She said with a nod. “Also sound travels far in a cave so try not to be so loud, it’ll interfere with my tracking and would alert the enemy of our approach.”

Shining armor cast a spell that enveloped the other guards in a pink aura before fading a moment later, “There, a silencing spell.” He said with a nod. “Let’s get going, there’s no telling what we’ll find so be ready.”

Faina nodded and descended into the darkness first, followed by Shining and the other guards. They made it about twenty feet before Shining voiced a concern, “I figured you would have dark vision like the night guard trainees, but is it alright if I light up a torch?”

“Yea it should be alright, keep it behind me though. When we get close you’ll have to put it out, this cave goes on for…” Faina clopped her hoof down hard and listened to the echo, “For about a mile, maybe more, so some light wont hurt.”

Shining nodded and lit his horn, casting a dim glow around the cave. Faina had moved farther ahead and was just on the edge of the light. “Ready?” She asked.

“Good to go.” Shining replied. She nodded and set off at a brisk trot, her hooves clopping softly on the stone floor as her ears traced the music of the cave. Unknown to many who’ve never lived in a cave or a mine system, the earth and the mountains themselves speak in many ways. From the flow of underground water to the deep bass of the mountain itself to the skitter of other small creatures, listening to the sounds merge together in a form of harmony assists those navigating through unknown areas. Here, a path that leads to water. There, an old cave long collapsed. Ahead, a very large cavern.

Faina slowed to a halt as the cave turned from stone to crystal, “Put out the light, we’re getting close.” Shining cut his magic, shrouding them in darkness. But in the darkness the crystals of the cave they were entering seemed to softly glow on their own. They offered just enough light to navigate further ahead.

Faina and Shining crouched low, followed by the other guards as the cave opened into a large cavern. All around were various furnishings from sofas and chairs to combat dummies to sparring arenas and equipment, but there wasn’t a trace of anypony.

“Looks like they received word of our arrival somehow. Everypony fan out and search the area. Faina, are you able to tell anything where they might have gone?” Shining ordered, the guards began to search around in pairs as they searched the caves for any trace of whomever lived here.

Faina took a moment to observe the cavern and listened, “There are multiple exits and I think they lead to the surface, but there is one that sounds different. That one.” She said, pointing to a tunnel that was well decorated.

“Alright, come with me we’ll check that one out for anything.” Faina nodded as they made their way to the smaller cave. It was rather short, ending in a beaded doorway. They moved them aside and entered what appeared to be a lavish living room. All around the walls were the heads of various ponies with a plaque reading their name and what they did to deserve such a fate.

Faina and Shining looked a bit sick as they searched around, slowly making their way to the large fireplace that lit the room. On the floor in front of it was a single sheet of paper.

“Hey, what’s this?” Faina asked as she approached it.

“It could be a note from whoever sent the attack, what’s it say?” Shining asked as he went through a closet.

“Let me check.” Faina grabbed the note and lifted it up, but instead of words there was just a strange symbol, a symbol that started to glow.

The cavern’s silence was broken by screams of unimaginable pain as Faina flailed wildly on the ground, the symbol fading from the paper as Shining rushed to her aid and called out for the medic.

Author's Note:

This chapter delved into the investigation of the villain, I'm glad I was able to show how Faina's people are able to navigate the mines of their home.

A bit about the Thestrals and Bat Ponies: No, thestrals do not have echolocation, but the bat ponies who become the night guard do. Both bat ponies and thestrals have dark vision, both species have spider climb abilities. Bat ponies don't eat meat while thestrals do, thestrals come in all sorts of colors while bat ponies are generally very dark.

What was on that paper? Here it is:

Symbol of Pain: each creature within the radius of a symbol of pain suffers wracking pains that impose a –4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks. These effects last for 1 hour after the creature moves farther than 60 feet from the Symbol.