15. The Skies Before Equestria
Dud eyed the amber wall of clouds as they approached, painted by the dawn's light. Occasionally a bolt of lightning would escape the fabricated barrier between The Badlands and Equestria. Thunder was constantly greeting them, and it was only getting louder with their approach. Seeing where they needed to go, Dud veered to the west, the others exchanging looks as they followed after him, leading them on a path parallel to the storm-wall.
“Thundercloud's this way?” Chrys asked with a raised eyebrow, getting a nod from the pony.
“The clouds are traveling east,” he indicted with his hooves, “Thundercloud is their source, so the city will be to the west. We just have to follow this till we spot it.”
“How long will that take?” Aegis asked impatiently. “I thought Her Highness was intending to reach Canter Town?
“She is,” Dud quickly replied, “and I'm guessing it'll be a few hours at most. Heading to Thundercloud first is the safer way,” he added, his point punctuated by a crack of thunder.
“Agreed,” Chrys affirmed. “That mess looks even worse than what we came through,” she added, glancing back to the rolling clouds over The Badlands.
“Just was is that?" Momo asked, making Chrys and Dud share a look.
"When Mantis took Thundercloud," Chrys began, "he did something to it, making that storm to keep the ponies out during winter."
"Oh," Momo replied, frowning at the mention of Mantis, "So what's going on in there?” she asked, eyeing the storm apprehensively.
“If I were to guess, it's a nasty blizzard,” Dud offered, “One full of lightning, snow, sleet, and maybe even freezing rain.”
“Freezing rain?” Chrys and Momo repeated in unison, getting a nod from him.
“It's rain so cold, it becomes ice when it lands,” he replied, a troubled look on his face. “I've never seen it myself, only heard of it. It's very dangerous, even to a pegasus.”
“Y-Yeah,” Momo began with a sheepish look, “so I'm completely on board for not going into that.”
“Same,” Dud replied, eyeing the the wall of clouds for several moments, before he decided to give his attention to the royal guard. “And speaking of 'going into that',” he began with a beaming grin, “Aegis, I've got those questions you owe me!” he added, getting an uncomfortable sigh from the guard. “Sooo, what happened before you pried me out of the barrel?”
“Barrel?” Chrys asked with a raise eyebrow, “You were trapped in the barrel?”
“Yep!” he declared, sounding quite proud with himself. “Sledge was smashing the tunnel, trying to squish me. Caused a cave-in, so I used the barrel for cover. But, I got stuck inside,” he explained, his smile faltering for a moment before looking back to Aegis. “Soooo? What happened?”
“...I woke up to an unsettling smell. It was the lamia's, the one that's been following Sledge and I since it first attacked us,” he hesitated for a moment, glancing to the side. “Its smell is noxious. More so to Sledge than myself.”
“It always smelled sweet to me,” Chrys pointed out curiously, before looking to Dud, “Why's that, Mr. Creatures Expert?”
“Rare creatures,” Dud pointed out, almost sounding offended, before giving her an amused smile. “If it's the same one that kept Mantis from getting Chrys the first time, then that was probably Ssarah's mate, Snare.” He then adopted a more sagely pose, turning towards the others as he started flying backwards, “Snare is a slithering type of lamia, which means he can camouflage, has a poisonous bite, and noxious gas. From what I've read, a lamia's poisonous fumes are tailored towards a specific foe, so as not to inversely affect unintended targets. It smelled worse for Sledge, because that's the one Snare was hunting.”
“Why is he hunting Sledge?” Momo asked, “Why not Aegis too?”
“Ssarah told me he has a rare condition. He must have gotten a taste of Sledge's blood. He's driven towards drinking all that's left.”
“Yes. That must be it,” Aegis replied, looking off to the side as he did.
“So then what?” Dud asked, “You woke up, aannd..?”
“They, were fighting...”
~~~~~~~~~~
Aegis stirred as another explosion wracked the chamber, debris bouncing off of him as his eyes opened. The crater he lay in had lost its fiery glow, but the cavern was lightened by a pair of new craters in the cavern's left wall. There were cracks snaking out from those impacts, and with another thunderous boom, Aegis saw those lines crawl further into the ceiling.
Looking to the source, he saw Sledge constantly moving, crashing and smashing into anything that he was close to, as if he were fighting an invisible foe. The almost nauseating smell in the air tipped Aegis off to the unseen monster, and he could see the fume's effects on the frantic royal guard. He wasn't just attacking at nothing. He was delirious, and afraid.
Aegis got on his paws, shrugging off the pain, his keen sense of smell making it easy to pin down where the lamia was. It was keeping within tail's reach of Sledge, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Thanks to the guard's erratic behavior, it was presented with plenty of chances, weakening Sledge, blow after blow. Because of Aegis' senses, he was able to pick out something that at first troubled him, before that worry shifted to relief.
He couldn't smell the princess.
Before he could start acting on this knowledge, Sledge started to charge, seemingly in a random direction. As he gained speed, his body was wreathed in orange flames, and another fiery explosion wracked the cavern as he plowed into the wall opposite of the other craters.
Aegis raised his tail as he stepped back, sensing the snake coming closer as Sledge started to recover from his attack. Aegis then paused when the lamia revealed itself to him, its camouflage melting away as their eyes met. The guard's mouth fell open, but a brief grunt of pain from Sledge made him close it, the manticore and lamia turning towards the delirious guard in unison
Aegis noticed the cracks of the new crater spreading across the ceiling at an alarming rate. Rocks started to fall from those wounds as Sledge turned towards them. Aegis wrapped his tail around the lamia, catching the snake off guard as Aegis started running towards the room's entrance.
His reasoning was simple. He couldn't smell things that were downwind of him, so the princess must have left through the room's entrance, making her downwind of the gust they'd followed to this chamber. He also saw the cracks of the new crater snaking towards the ones on the opposite end, and had a good guess at what would happen when they connected.
Indeed, as Sledge gave Aegis a surprised look, the ceiling started to come down behind them. Aegis adopted a small smile as he saw the traitor become buried in an instant. With the lamia in tail, the two stopped at the room's entrance as the cave-in pattered to an end. Everything went dark for Aegis, the only source of light now gone.
~~~~~~~~~~
“You saved Snare?” Dud asked, a little surprised, “That sure was nice of you! We'll need to let Ssarah know next time we're in the neighborhood.”
“Why'd you save him?” Chrys asked, making Aegis blink, before glancing to the side.
“He was the one fighting Sledge, instead of you, Your Highness. I owed it to him.”
“So what happened after that?” she eagerly pressed, “He didn't turn on you, did he?”
“No. He left my grasp, and disappeared into the caves. I searched as best I could for several hours, but when I never found even a hint of your scent, I returned to the caved-in chamber where Sledge fell.”
“How'd you see in the dark?” Chrys asked.
“I followed my nose and ears, and occasionally shifted forms to briefly light the way, Your Highness,” he explained, “I tried to move the rubble. I recalled a closed tunnel in that room, and guessed that you made your escape through there-”
“You'd be right,” Momo interjected.
“But I couldn't get through the debris. The cave seemed content to pile on more as I tried to clear it. So I turned around and made my way out to find another means inside, finding him in the process,” Aegis concluded as he pointed to the pony.
“Huh,” Dud replied, “I thought the longer version would be more exciting,” he added, getting a slightly miffed look from the guard. “Next question! Does Sledge have something against shapeshifting? I wanted to see some cool creature while fighting him,” he said, before rolling his eyes, “but he was nothing but a let-down.”
“Dud,” Chrys began, “you have an obsession, and it's not a healthy one.”
“You think there are healthy ones?” he asked as he tilted his head, getting a flat look from the princess, before she looked back to the guard. Aegis eyed the pony for a moment, before addressing the question.
“Sledge is the youngest of the Royal Guards,” he pointed out, “I suspect Mantis hasn't given him the chance to go out and learn a new form.”
“Go out?” Chrys asked, before appraising the manticore, “Aegis, where did you learn that form?” she asked, and Dud looked like he was about to answer for her, but stopped himself, before he stepped on Aegis's paws.
“The Queen has always had two guards. She intended for you to have two as well, and she'd already set you as Bulwark's charge, which he eagerly accepted,” Aegis said, a hint of pride in his voice, “However, before Sledge hatched, Mantis convinced The Queen that he was important enough to have a guard of his own.”
“Okay, and how does that lead into you going out for a new form?” Chrys asked impatiently, the idea that Sledge having been originally intended to be her guard being discarded by the mental image of the bottom of his hoof.
“The reason for two guards, is so one can go out and find new forms, while the other can stay behind and protect Her Highness. We may be Royal Guards, but we're also changelings. Our greatest power is taking shape and using abilities of other creatures.” He then nodded to his wings, his tail swinging in the air for emphasis. “As a manticore, I can fly faster than a pegasus, and I can paralyze my enemies with just a sting. This was because I went on a journey long ago to find a monster, and learn its form.”
“And you found it in the Everfree Forest!” Dud let out, unable to keep it in any longer.
“The Everfree?” Aegis asked, “That- That must be the pony name for it. Bastion called it the Dark Forest. There are all kinds of strange and powerful creatures there that suit our needs perfectly,” he stated, before eyeing the wall of clouds. “Bastion made the journey long ago, before I hatched. Bulwark and Sledge haven't had the opportunity to make it.”
“So if Sledge is the youngest,” Dud began, “why is he able to stand hoof-to-hoof with Bulwark? Or you?”
“While he may be lacking in versatility, he did spend most of his life with Mantis. While Bastion and I stood stoically close to Her Highness, Sledge trained. He knows how to fight the way Mantis does, and he's very proficient with the fire-blitz technique. I believe Bastion is the only one of us that's stronger than Sledge.”
“Huh, isn't that something,” Dud said, glancing to the clouds as he did.
“Dud, what exactly are we looking for?” Momo asked, catching him before he asked another question.
“Huh?” he replied in a confused tone, “Uhh, Thundercloud?”
“Yes, I know that,” she replied flatly, “I meant, well, what does Thundercloud look like?”
“Oh. You'll know when you see it. It'll look like five clouds held together that don't look like clouds.”
“Five clouds held together,” she repeated, before giving him a nod.
“Aegis,” Chrys began, adopting a frown as she glanced to the side, “You know how to freeform, right?” she asked, getting a nod from the guard, and confused looks from Momo and Dud.
“Freeform?” they asked in unison.
“It's a kind of shapeshifting only The Queen and Royal Guards are capable of,” Aegis replied, before giving Chrys a curious look. “Why do you ask, Your Highness?”
“Because I wanted you to teach me how to do it. It was my intention to learn it while we were traveling together through The Badlands,” her face then darkened a little as she gave him a small glare, “but, someone, went and ruined that!”
“I-I, that is-” he stammered, “I mean, Queen Amber never taught you?”
“She wanted to teach me after I 'grew up', but with the sudden need to not be in the hive anymore, there wasn't enough time to pick it up. What with learning new spells and worrying about Momo and Bulwark and planning my escape and...” she let out in a heated rant, before glancing to the side.
“My apologies, Your Highness. I'll teach you right now, if you wish.”
“...After we find Thundercloud.”
“So once again, what is freeform?” Momo asked, getting an apologetic look from her clutchling.
“Aegis, show them,” Chrys ordered, getting a brief salute from the manticore, before his form was wreathed in amber flames. Instead of turning back into a changeling, his body shifted, appearing different from before. His mane was darker, his claws longer, his waist thicker, his legs thinner.
“Ooooh~” Dud let out energetically, “Freeform means you can change the attributes of your form? You don't need to simply mirror someone you've seen?”
“That's right," Aegis replied, "It takes a small amount of practice, and guidance, but once you've got it down, you can shift your look as I did,” he then glanced to the side, before letting out a sigh, “Or do something a little more ... undignified,” he added, before shifting again. Everyone's eyes went wide as they took in his new form. He was a sky blue pegasus with a golden mane. Only he was still the same royal-guard-size. He was a really big pony, and he was unexpectedly handsome.
“Well, aren't you a looker!” Dud let out, “Silly size aside, pretty sure there are a number of mares in Equestria that'd fall for that face,” he added, making Aegis blush at the notion, before he shifted back into his manticore form.
“Why manticore?” Momo asked curiously, getting an odd look from the others, “I mean, isn't that like why I'm always a pony, to stay warm? I thought the cold didn't bother royal guards.”
“It doesn't,” he replied curtly, “Truth is, I prefer this form more. I feel I can better protect Her Highness like this,” he added as he glanced to Chrys.
“But doesn't that make you hungry faster?” Momo asked.
“It does, but it's just a minor annoyance. Like this, I won't need to eat for at least another week, before my body starts to weaken,” he explained, before raising an eyebrow, “I grew up in the time before Mantis's boon. Bastion and I were no less touched by hunger than rest of the hive. I've grown used to tolerating it.” He then adopted a small smile, “Hearing Sledge complain over the last few days about his hunger, was satisfying.”
“Well, this is nice~!” Dud let out, getting a confused look from the others, “I mean, hunger is bad, but since he can turn into a really big pony, that means he can eat pony food!”
“You're right!” Chrys said wide-eyed, before adopting a small smile.
“That … is right,” Aegis replied, as if he never considered the possibility before. He then gave the pony an odd look, “Why did you say that? You could have kept that to yourself.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I threatened you?”
“Pfft,” Dud said as he rolled his eyes, “Like you're the first to ever do that,” he replied as he waved a hoof dismissively.
“He's just nice like that,” Momo added as she gave Aegis a small smile, “So Dud, what're we gonna do if Thundercloud is up there?” She asked as she pointed up, at the very top of the wall of clouds, “You once said that it's dangerous to fly that high.”
“Thundercloud won't be up there.” Dud replied confidently, before adopting a serious expression, “And it is dangerous. Don't ever fly that high.”
“Why?” Chrys asked.
“It gets harder to breath the higher up you go. Up there, it's hard even for pegasi. You could pass out, and enjoy sleeping through a long and intimate journey towards the ground.” He then eyed Momo, before adding: “That, and Momo would likely freeze over.”
“W-What?” Chrys asked in surprise.
“Momo taught me something new,” Dud replied, getting a confused frown from the princess, “Did you know that part of a pegasi's natural magic includes tolerance to cold weather? Apparently, it's colder the higher up you are,” he added, pointing to the white peaks of the mountains nearby, “And pegasi aren't bothered by that cold.”
“But Momo is,” Chrys continued, “because she can't use pegasi magic,” she finished, eyeing her clutchling, who was wearing a bothered look.
“Yep,” he replied, “She's got the warmth of a pony, but that's not enough to tackle winter-cold. Not without wearing something heavy anyways.”
“You mean clothes?” Momo asked, before her eyes widened, “Wait, were you planning to get me clothes when we reached Thundercloud?”
“The thought did come to mind,” Dud replied, “We need food, but that doesn't mean we can't get other things we'll need while we're there.”
“...So are you gonna talk about your home now?” Momo asked, getting a brief, bothered look from the pegasus.
“Well, what do you want to know?” he asked as he gave her his typical smile.
“What's it like, a pegasus city?” Momo asked.
“It's cloudy,” Chrys replied, “Like, it has buildings, but they're made of clouds,” she added, getting a surprised look from her clutchling. “What? I used to feed from the cocoons, after all. I saw the homes of pegasi in their dreams.”
“Did you see Thundercloud in those dreams?” Dud asked, making Chrys frown.
“I … don't think so. I vaguely recall this one mare who was from someplace called ... Cloudsdale?”
“I like Cloudsdale,” Dud replied with a nod, “It's small, but welcoming. Thundercloud... well, how about a story!” he let out, getting looks of anticipation from Chrys and Momo, which earned a curious look from Aegis as Dud cleared his throat.
“A long time ago, the three kinds of ponies were divided. Each race thought they were the best, and that the other two were trying to take advantage of them! Well, after one particularly bad winter, things got worse. But, three ponies, one of each tribe, opened their hearts to each other, and together, worked to unite the tribes under one banner in a new land; Equestria!” Dud explained as he spread his legs out in emphasis, before adopting a more serious look, “However, nopony changes overnight, and pegasi can be really stubborn. So, time passed, unicorns and earth ponies started making homes in the newly founded Equestria, however, Pegasi didn't need to make new towns. They could simply move their old ones across the sky! Though ... because of the winter, only one of their cloud cities survived well enough to bring to our new nation. That city, was Thundercloud.”
“So Thundercloud is really old?” Chrys asked, recalling the Violet Hive as he nodded.
“It really is,” he added, with a small frown, “Old, like an ancient grumpy stallion who doesn't like foals playing on his cloud.”
“So when you said pegasi were stubborn...” Momo prompted.
“Oh, right! You see, there were many pegasi in Thundercloud that held onto their belief that they were the best. Over the many years, that belief grew weaker, but there were ponies, powerful, rich ponies, that passed it down to their foals...” Dud then paused, taking a contemplative look. “Short version: Thundercloud was home to a bunch of bigots that looked down on just about everypony but other rich bigots.”
“Rich bigots?” Chrys asked, her confused look matching Momo's.
“Uhh, they're ponies with a lot of power that they didn't really earn that think they're better than other ponies, because of that power.”
“So they're like a princess,” Momo stated, getting a dark look from Chrys, which Momo countered by sticking her tongue out, “Just teasing Chrys.”
“She's is a lot better than those ponies,” Dud replied flatly, “she cares about others.”
“I don't want to be compared to these 'bigots',” Chrys replied, before focusing her attention on Dud. “Where are you in all this?”
“I'm right here, flying with a group of friends off on a journey to save their hive.”
“R- Right,” Chrys replied with a brief blush, “but I meant back before all this.”
“I'm … still not in the mood to talk about it. Maybe later,” he stated, getting curious looks from the others, that went unanswered. “So Aegis, anything fun happen on your journey through The Badlands?” he asked curiously, and Aegis looked to him for a moment, before giving a small nod.
Time passed as they exchanged stories, and in the process, Aegis opened up. He was quick to answer Chrys and Momo's questions, and hesitant for Dud's, but after a while he saw why the others trusted him. Not that it made him any less suspicious. He let trust put the princess in danger once, and he didn't intend to do so again. However, he did find Dud's presence, tolerable.
~~~
After flying for most of the day, it looked like they'd be leaving the mountains behind them before finding Thundercloud. With the white peaks now on the horizon to the south, their pace quickened when they spotted something odd ahead of them.
Sticking out from the wall was a collection of grouped clouds, small in size by the towering wall it was attached to. From this far out, it looked like the wall was being sucked into that small grouping, like a funnel. Dud knew that it was actually the opposite, the storm was being fed by that funnel.
Where that cluster connected to the wall, was a giant rift, something like a dark divide that cut the entire wall in two from top to bottom. Dud let out a low whistle as they got closer; lightning was crossing the rift every other second, the faint echos of their rumbles brushing against the breeze.
“What- What is that?” Chrys asked apprehensively.
“That, is Thundercloud,” Dud replied. “Now I can see why Luna's Shadowbolts couldn't reach it,” he added as he pointed towards the divide, “The clouds are being made there, feeding that massive storm, one side traveling west, and the other east. I don't know how far the western half goes, but it's probably just as long as the side we've been traveling along.”
“So those clouds to the side are the city?” Momo asked, getting a nod from him, “Isn't this a bit much?” she asked as she pointed to the rift.
“Can't say. I'm not an expert weather pony. I mean, Princess Luna told me about the Weather Orb, so maybe this is what happens when it's left to deposit a nation's worth of winter into one spot?” he suggested speculatively.
“We are not flying into that,” Aegis said stalwartly, “I can protect Her Highness from any manner of beast, but, that?” he said as he took it in.
“We don't need to go into the rift,” Dud pointed out, “The city is outside it. We just gotta turn off the weather factory and let the storm die on its own.”
“What was that about a weather orb?” Chrys asked.
“Huh? Oh! It's an old relic that used to be wielded by unicorns to help move the sun and moon,” he explained, “Then Princess Luna appeared, so the orb was retooled for the pegasi of Thundercloud.”
"Really..." Chrys said, wondering how true that was. An orb that helped ponies move the sun and moon? There must be some truth to it, considering the massive squall this orb was now feeding.
“Is it safe,” Momo began, “being that close to the storm?”
“Uhhh...” Dud replied, before adopting a sheepish grin, “I can't say. Guess we'll find out shortly,” he added, his eyes looking to Thundercloud, his smile gone as they continued on.
As they got closer, the changelings came to understand something. Distance is misleading; Thundercloud was in fact quite large. Composed of five cumulus clouds tied together by white chains, the four of them saw the damage that'd been wrought by Mantis' attack on the pony city a month prior.
Holes.
Buildings, statues, streets, nearly everything had drone-sized holes driven through them. A statue of a pegasus general standing tall on his back hooves, a hole where the hind legs were, leaving the statue floating limply near its base. A cloud home floating on the city's outskirts, a hole drilling straight from the roof through to its base. Several of the chains that linked the five clouds together were broken, the ones intact stretched out and strained against the weight of keeping the city whole. The entire city was damaged.
Going through the ruins, they crossed the first of five sections. It had many tall spires that were lined with balconies. Pegasi homes. The clouds the towers were made of were given sharp shapes, angular roofs and lofts being supported by pillars, giving the illusion that the entire cloud was made of white stone. The spires were just as hole ridden as anything else they saw, and as they flew past, it became pretty clear that the entire city was deserted.
Chrys and Momo looked on, wide-eyed as they flew by. Dud looked through distant eyes, as if he was seeing it, but wasn't taking it in. A fact that made Chrys and Momo share a worried look for him. Dud guided them through all the same, flying towards a certain place with purpose, leading them to a segment of the city that had shorter structures, spaced out around roads and paths.
“The whole city is made up of five segments,” he explained, “four of them were made for pegasi only,” he added as he approached the road, motioning the others close as he followed it, “This section, referred to as Tradencloud, is for visiting earth ponies, unicorns, and occasionally other non-fliers. It was for trading and socializing,” he said with a hollow smile.
“Dud, are you alright?” Momo asked, making him blink, before he glanced to the side.
“I've never liked this city. I'll be fine. It's just a bunch of clouds,” he added as he motioned around, “Everypony that was here is either in the hive, or in Equestria. So they're all safe, and that's what's most important,” he said, his face still distant. Momo looked like she wanted to press him, but she hesitated, glancing to the side before looking around.
“So, the other segments don't have roads?” she asked, settling on changing the subject, for now.
“What does a flier need roads for?” Dud asked.
“Good point,” she replied as she eyed their ransacked surroundings. “Are we looking for supplies here?”
“In a minute, there's a welcoming station at the center square we'll want to hit up first.”
“Why's that?” Aegis asked suspiciously.
“So you two can walk on clouds,” Dud replied, eyeing Momo and Aegis.
“I can do that just fine,” Aegis replied, shifting into a large pegasus. The colors were different, but he was still unexpectedly handsome, getting a small smirk from Dud.
“Right, but there's a way that'll let you do it as a manticore,” he explained, “Ah, and there it is,” he added as he pointed forward, the path opening up into a large circular clearing.
The circle's outer ring was lined with stalls. Most made of cloud, but there were a few made of wood and cloth. In the circle's center was a tall solitary building, which Dud had pointed to. The building was just as ruined as the others, making Dud fly in through one of the holes in the front side. Momo followed after him, but Aegis paused, too big to fit in.
“H-Hey, wait a second!” Aegis let out indignantly, making Dud pause, looking back, before letting out a small laugh.
“It's just a cloud, Aegis. You can fly right through,” he pointed out, Aegis adopting a surprised look, before his face flushed.
“Won't that make another hole?” Momo asked, blinking as Aegis flew through the cloud, the wall reforming as he entered. “Wait, huh?”
“I think it was that fire-blitz trick that made the holes,” Dud said, a small glimmer of wonder in his eyes, “It's something drones can do, right?”
“Right,” Momo replied, getting a satisfied smile from him as he lifted up a turned over desk made of cloud, shuffling some debris aside as if looking for something. Momo watched him as he did, and her eyes widened when she saw some of the non-cloud items disappear into the floor.
“Dud, why are some things falling through the floor?” she asked, making him briefly glance over his shoulder, before he continued his search.
“Lack of magic. Unicorns have a spell that can let items and ponies rest on clouds like a pegasus. However, it needs to be refreshed every once in a while, or it'll wear off.” He then picked up a quill, and placed it on the turned over desk, where it rested. “This isn't enchanted, but the desk is, to keep things from falling through.” He then blew the quill off the desk, and they watched as it fell through the floor without even pausing to consider the trip it was about to undertake.
“Now,” he began as he returned to his search, “I'm trying to find- A-ha! Jackpot!” he let out with a satisfied grin. He then turned to the others, showing several, identical necklaces, each with a smooth white rock at its center. “These are Cloudstone Amulets. They let visitors walk on the clouds,” he explained, quickly placing one over Momo's neck, “Try it!” he added. She eyed the necklace briefly, before gingerly landing on the cloud, her eyes widening when she didn't plummet through it. “And one for you,” he said as he presented one for Chrys, who grabbed it in her magic.
“So I don't need to be a pegasus if I'm wearing this?” she asked curiously, seeing the smile her clutchling was wearing. She then donned the necklace, before hopping off Momo, landing on the cloud as if it were solid, puffy ground, making her smile too. “We can keep these, right?”
“I don't see why not,” Dud replied, eyeing the two amulets he had left, presenting them to the royal guard. “Here Aegis. You're a bit big, so it may take two to keep you on top,” he said, and the guard eyed the pendants for a moment, before placing them around his paws. His form then shifted briefly, making his paws a bit bulkier past the amulets to keep them from sliding off. He then landed, adopting a brief smile, before looking to Dud.
“Thank you.”
“Don't mention it!” he replied, before looking to Momo and Chrys. “So now we just gotta find supplies, and then head to the weather factory."
“Okay,” Chrys replied, before moving towards Aegis' side. “There's something I want to talk to Aegis about, I want you two to look for supplies while I do. Okay?” she asked, making Dud and Momo share a confused look.
“Are you going to...” Momo began, a tree coming to mind as she got a small nod from Chrys.
“...learn freeform?” Dud finished, making Chrys blink as she looked to him, before giving him a nod too.
“What about Sledge?” Momo asked.
“Did anypony see him tailing us?” Chrys asked, getting a 'no' from everyone.
“He's not going to be heading our way,” Aegis replied confidently, “Unless he somehow spotted us as we turned west, he'll assume we've gone north, into the storm.”
“What makes you sure?” Dud asked.
“Because that was the plan, before we ambushed you. We knew you were heading to Equestria, and I can follow your scent when you're close. It was my idea to wait at the valley for you,” he added, before adopting a guilty look, “Sledge hasn't a reason to think we'd come this way. I didn't even know you were intending to head towards Thundercloud till earlier today.”
“Sounds good to me,” Dud replied, “Momo and I will return before sundown, and we can call it a night before tackling the Weather Factory tomorrow. Is that the plan?”
“Yes,” Chrys replied, before giving Dud a small frown, “Now get moving, I'm getting hungry.”
“Oh. Right!” Dud let out, “You won't be able to practice if you've got pony food in your system, since shapeshifting like that will make you sick,” he said, nodding sagely before turning to Momo, “Well, we're up! Let's find what we can!”
“Right!” Momo replied with a firm nod, and with a beat of their wings, the pair flew out of the building. As Chrys watched them fly out, she stepped out after them, watching them circle around the area for a moment, before disappearing into the surrounding clouds. She then turned toward her guard as he came to her side.
“...Aegis, if this is the moment where you betray me, I swear on my mother there will never be another royal guard born for as long as I live,” she stated as she looked to him, making the guard look flustered as he took a step back, kneeling down, nearly placing his forehead on the ground.
“I would never dream of it, Your Highness! I swear, your word is my command,” he added, getting a small sigh from Chrys.
“You're more uptight than Bulwark,” she stated, a sad look in her eyes as she looked off in the distance. “I wonder how he's doing...”
“He's doing fine, Your Highness,” Aegis said confidently.
“How can you be sure?” she asked, and he hesitated for a moment, before nodding to himself.
“Because he's determined. He's probably already left the hive, and is flying to Equestria as swiftly as he can for you,” he said, and Chrys eyed him for a moment, before adopting a small smile.
“Yeah, he probably is,” she replied, walking around the guard as she took in the ruined marketplace. Her eyes then went further up, seeing another section of the city blocking her view of the stormy wall beyond, muffling the torrent of thunder it birthed.
She then paused, her eyes fixated in that direction. She could feel … something. It felt like a pulling sensation. But it was fairly weak, barely noticeable even. Was it the storm? The weather factory?
The wind shifted direction with a sudden gust, making her take an unexpected step back, the wind's chill briefly overpowering her enchantment. Aegis moved in front of her, cutting the breeze off, only it was a little late for that, as the gust was short lived. She looked to the figure towering over him, before her eyes widened.
The breeze brought something she'd only seen in the dreams of ponies. Little flakes of white; snow. She raised a hoof, catching a snowflake, which quickly melted in her grasp, making her consider the drop of water for a moment, before looking to her surroundings.
With the passing gust and the snow, Chrysalis was made more aware of how quiet this place was. It felt eerily similar to the caves she awoke in this morning.
“Dud said this place was old,” she began, her ears falling as she looked to Aegis, “And we destroyed it.”
“Highness?” he asked, confused by her dower expression.
“Aegis, what would you think if I told you none of this needed to happen?” she asked as she indicated the empty square.
“I don't follow, Your Highness. This is a pony city. They've lived their entire lives not knowing the strife we've suffered,” he said, before pausing, “I mean, the strife we endured before your time,” he added, before taking in the city.
“You don't feel anything, seeing an old place like this ruined by our hooves?”
“I feel ... out of place,” he admitted, “I feel there is something dangerous here. I feel a need to stay close to you, and protect you. All this, it's just clouds to me, Your Highness.”
“That's what Dud said...” she stated, pausing for a moment. “So, is our hive just a bunch of tunnels then?” she asked, adopting a small frown as she eyed him.
“That is...” he began, his mouth hanging open as he considered her words, before his ears fell. “Her Highness, Queen Amber, she wanted to keep you out of the feeding chambers, and now I see why. You've grown attached to ponies.”
“And is that bad?” Chrys asked in annoyance, not afraid to corner him on the claim.
“They're our food-”
“But what if they don't need to be?”
“I'd say that sounds like wishful thinking.”
“But, what if there was a way!?” she asked impatiently, giving him a fiery look that made him pause.
“Then, I guess we wouldn't need to war with the Moon Princess. But, wouldn't that also make all this, wasted effort? We've destroyed four pony towns to secure food. If there was an alternate means all along, what does that make our actions?” he asked, making Chrys' eyes widen, before she glanced to the side.
“Warmongering,” she replied, before looking back to her guard. “Aegis, I've found another way,” she stated, the look she gave him leaving him little room for doubt.
“I, I see... I'm sorry to say, Your Highness, but it may be too late for an alternative. We're committed.”
“I know. We're already committed. That's just the way it is,” Chrys replied, not liking it one bit. “Mantis will get in my way if I go back, and the means I found isn't strong enough to feed the entire hive. But, I have this feeling, that if we move forward on Canter Town, we'll be making a mistake we can't back away from.”
“May I ask why?”
“Dud. He's confident about Equestria's strength. I didn't see what he saw,” she said, before glancing in the direction of the storm-wall, “The ponies are capable of something like this, and our little hive is looking to pick a fight with them. Even if we capture Luna, it may not be enough,” she added as she indicated their surroundings. “How many ponies do you think lived here, before we cleared it out?”
“...About twice our hive's number,” he guessed.
“Aegis, do you think Mantis knows what we're up against?”
“Well, he did manage to clear this city out. You should have more faith, Princess, in what we're capable of,” he replied, making her consider his words for a moment, before shaking her head.
“Dud knows what we're capable of. He knows what Equestria is capable of, and yet he's certain we'll lose if we attack Canter Town.”
“Then he must know something you don't,” Aegis replied, giving her a fiery look of his own, “If you truly think he's worth our trust, then you must find out what that is.”
“Yes... You're right,” Chrys replied, looking in the direction Dud and Momo flew off in.
She had grown attached to ponies. Even now, she was thinking about how Dud felt, seeing this place like this. He said he never liked it, but it was clear that it still ate at him. Still, he knew something she didn't, and she found herself more worried about how this place was affecting him. A realization that made her frown at herself.
Aegis was right. When she next saw Dud, she intended to press him on what he knew. Thinking this, she glanced to the side, before adopting a determined look.
She then shifted into the form of Star Shell, the old stallion's grandfilly, who was a light blue earth pony. She found her new colors oddly matching with the cloudy environment, as she turned to her guard. It was time to learn freeform.
Return of the Exposition: The Returnening, episode 3, part 1.
The 'Reaching Equestria' part of the story is almost done!
Thanks as always for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. 
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Gah! I'm torn on how I want this to turn out. Chrys and Momo are clearly good changelings, but their people have done terrible things to ponies, even if in the interest of survival. I suppose I want them to secure a peaceful resolution in the end, but not before Mantis and their hive's efforts to conquer Equestria ultimately fail. I want them to fully grasp their mistakes, and endure the consequences of them before things get better. Great chapter.
Excellent chapter.
Ch15 The skies before equestria
Thunder was constantly greeting them, and it was only getting louder with their approached.
approach.
Chrys asked with a raise eyebrow, getting a nod from the pony.
raised
“Right,” Momo replied, getting a satisfied smile from him as lifted up a turned over desk made of cloud,
as he lifted
she asked, making him briefly glance over his should, before he continued his search.
shoulder,
Another great chapter! I'm liking everything about Thundercloud so far, even the eeriness
Good chapter
I think this sounds better in this order: "expert weather pony".
I thought only queens had magic, that is why Chrysalis caught Sledge off guard when there was the fight in Lore's room.
Missed a closing quotation mark here.
She wants them to stay and watch her or go look around?
This feels like it is missing some words.
How much energy would it take to keep her contained as well? They keep the ponies in the cocoons asleep but Princess Luna can communicate through dreams. I get the feeling she would just cause havoc.
6611574
About fifteen hectacasts. Unless they're using a love-cast bypass. If that's the case, then her love-quotient should be sufficient for self-containment.
Naturally, containment would be a nightmare.
6611611
MrAlterad uses Magic Jargon.
It is mildly befuddling.
orig08.deviantart.net/aa85/f/2015/268/0/e/thenightmare___animated_by_lionheartcartoon-d9avwti.gif
I imagine is something did cause Luna to go Nightmare Mode, shit would get infinitely worse. Everyling would be like, "Mantis, the fuck where you thinking?!"
I love it when a story has a sense of scale. Great job establishing the location. Thundercloud almost seems real.
I believe you meant Mantis, considering Sledge is currently buried in a cave... and HOPEFULLY dead...
6629831 Not intended. Since they're names are so similar, I went and goofed.
Thanks for pointing that out for me.
Gah... I hope they manage to stop Mantis and secure peace with Equestria before the Attack, which will certainly involve many casualties on both sides.