Intermission - Set Me Free II
This chapter was edited with the help of these wonderful people
Piercing Sight
The wind king
Halusm
Dazzling Flash
Queen Chrysalis flew with mild urgency towards the training grounds. Her expression was a mix between anger and bemusement, a reflection of what was happening in the hive mind. Such an amount of activity was not something she was accustomed to - it was a mental racket that bordered on being an insufferable migraine. As she came closer, the noise in her head started matching that of her surroundings - shouts, crashing sounds, explosions and yelps. What the Queen didn’t expect was the cocktail of smells that assaulted her nostrils the moment she came out of the shade and into the wide arena of the training grounds.
To say “it was a mess” would be insulting to the carnage at hoof. Chrysalis had to squint and resort to moving on hoof to avoid the amount of dust, ash and small gravel that flew through the air. Everywhere she looked there were potholes and splotches of green amongst the singed bare rock. A couple of the obstacle courses were outright gone, small craters left in their wake. With a grim expression the likes of which would freeze lava, she focused her attention near the generals’ quarters, where the cacophony of smells, sounds and colorful explosions were currently happening.
Chrysalis was truly at a loss for what to do. On one hoof, Dagaal was pretty much a maelstrom of pure fury, blanketed by an exhilarating feeling of accomplishment. Although obscured to her eyes in the cloud of dust, she could tell he was giving it his all, fighting the ponies, his siblings and the soldiers under their command. In her opinion, there was no better way to test everylings’ mettle than actual combat. Dagaal acted out the idea the Queen already had, but was hesitant to enact due to the casualties that would occur. As they say, the die had been cast though, and she was mildly pleased that her strongest son was holding back the others through a combination of raw power and, surprisingly, the minions under his command.
On the other hoof… the lumbering giant was destroying her property. He ignored her commands to stop. Granted, “Dagaal, darling, could you please stop bothering your siblings?” didn’t sound as regal as it should, but it carried the hallmarks of a command nonetheless. For some reason, the impulse to obey was ignored by the giant. And that was the worrying part that made the Queen show up in person.
Snaking her magic out into the melee, Chrysalis locked everyling in her magic and kept them still. Following up with a gust of wind to clear her view, she took stock of the damage. Most of the face of the valley was pocketed with holes, the debris laying about in jagged pieces. The ground itself was uniform green, peppered with parts of chitin on slimy guts, a rare larger chunk of a drone being found here and there. Chrysalis’ chosen children were floating slightly above the ground, save for Primo who was mid-air when she caught him.
The first general had a stern face, looking down at the battlefield, his rigid body covered in dust, but not a sliver of chitin missing on him. Boulder, on the other hoof, stood in a wide stance dead-center in the action. He had part of his faceplate missing, wetted with dull green and dust. His armor had crisscrossing patterns of lacerations, with a giant chunk of it missing on his flank.
Wildstar was poking her head out from a cave, her face twisted in a vicious snarl. There was a small stream of blood oozing from her nose, and her horn looked like it was cracked at the tip.
Now, Dagaal-
* * *
Freedom, freedom, FREEDOM!, struggled Dagaal, exerting all the magic he could against Chrysalis’ magic. It was nothing like the signature used by Primo or his other siblings - it felt even more elusive, a precise grasp that kept him rigid still.
You idiot!, hissed the lesser spark, stop struggling or you’ll get us killed! It is a miracle we are still in one piece as it is!. The weak consciousness was mortified, to say the least. He felt the dark clouds brooding over the hive mind, a silent promise of impending judgement. Maybe he could talk Mother down? If anything, she would surely know surely know it was none of his fault. He had no control! She doesn’t look too happy. Not at all. Dagaal, please, for the love of life itself, just submit!
But, alas, once tasted, the brute didn’t wish to let go of the concept of being free. It was… something else. For all his life, Dagaal always bumped into walls. Rules, restrictions, the desires of others. The Queen wanted something, Primo wanted something, even the ponies, who he was supposed to be better than, were suffocating his space. Strangling him into a mold he refused to take. Suddenly breaking away, rending all the walls asunder, it was like surfacing in the middle of the ocean, feeding your starving lungs with crisp air. He wanted to breathe more. He needed it.
Now, he was being dragged down under again. The Queen held him in a tight grip, suppressing his will. In his mind’s eye, the light of the surface was slowly fading, as the dark ocean shackled him down into obedience once again. He didn’t want that. No one should ever want that! It was… scary. He didn’t want to go back to the way it was. It would never be the same if he knew that the walls containing him were thin. He didn’t want others to decide for him.
So he struggled. His horn shone brightly, burning with the entirety of the magic at his command. He took from his drones, he tore from the hive itself, fueled by rage and fear of loss. He grasped at the mana binding him, focusing all that he could on the tendrils leading back to the caster. From the corner of his eye, he saw his mother, Chrysalis, surveying the carnage he had caused. Slowly, she turned towards him, her brows furrowing slightly more. The eyes of the captor.
Dagaal focused. He went all in on her stone-cold stare. As much as he could, backed by the savage will of his spark, he lashed out at the Queen. And it worked.
* * *
Chrysalis felt like a mental freight train hit her. She didn’t even manage to yelp as she was knocked down to the floor, her horn throbbing with magical feedback. For a second, she didn’t know what had happened, confused and dazed. Her very first thought were of the traitor - had he come back? Did he somehow sneak his way back into the hive?!
No, it wasn’t that. In her blurry vision, she saw all the changelings held in her magic fall to the ground, panting. All except one - Dagaal. The brute stood in a rigid stance, his head nearly touching the ground as he panted.
Mother, please, I’m so sorry! I didn’t, I couldn’t stop him! He’s beyond control! Please, Mother, yelped a faint voice in her mind. She shut it out, her vision focusing on the giant changeling in front of her. He looked back at her, hatred plain in his eyes. She could feel the stench of hate, but it was not the unfocused feeling that always permeated the giant. It wasn’t the same sensation she always felt between him and Primo. It was directed at her.
As regally as she could, her head still swimming slightly, the Queen picked herself up, never looking away from Dagaal. Her thoughts were scrambling back into order, emotions rolling through the hive mind like a tsunami. King amongst them was the feeling of betrayal. Her own child rose a hoof against her?
Mother, please, I can explain, mewled the other Dagaal. She shoved the conscience away, lowering her head at the body it resided in.
“Dagaal? Explain yourself,” she spoke in a chilling voice.
Rather than speak, the giant changeling snarled and, hoof by hoof, started dragging himself towards the Queen. He was spent, and by all accounts should be lying in a semi-conscious heap like his siblings.
“I said… EXPLAIN!” commanded the Queen, seeking out the rogue changeling’s connection and clamping down on it. The brute froze for a second, shaking in place. Chrysalis felt a great strain fight against her, not helped in the least by the shadows dancing in front of her eyes. Surprise joined her hurt feelings as the spark of Dagaal mentally rebuffed her, a feat that should not have been possible.
With determination beyond changeling comprehension, Dagaal took another step towards the Queen. His entire world were her acid-green eyes. His ears picked up only static. He didn’t feel his body all too well, and his horn felt like a lump of coal on his skull. The feeling of being oppressed by the Queen returned, but he would not yield. It was a flimsy pressure that tried to have him stand still. He struggled against it, flailing mentally to the point of his muscles twitching under the thick carapace. It was his body, his mind, all his, noling else’s! With a mighty thrust, he managed to knock Chrysalis away, taking another victorious step. He was a steam engine, chugging forward on pure fighting spirit. And hope. With each shuffle of his legs, his hope for freedom soared. If he could best the Queen, he knew he’d be the strongest. Everything else be damned, he would be on top, and then fly away!
My Queen, please, stop him, bawled the lesser Dagaal, barely heard over the confused static in Chrysalis’ mind. It was strange to her, feeling so drained. She was old, ancient even, yet she never considered that to be a factor in her power. With nary a push she sent the small spark careening back into the web of the hive, her hazy vision refocusing on Dagaal. Fear crept into her boiling pot of emotions, overpowering all the other tastes. The brute was only a few feet away now, his vibrant blue eyes only on her. It was the gaze of a predator, and it terrified her. She was no longer the majestic and cruel queen of the changelings - she was prey in front of a hunter, one that she had to stop!
Exerting one last effort, the Queen hastily sought out the connection to Dagaal. Her dulled senses felt the familiar thread with a split tip - one brimming with strength and determination, the other reeking of fear and helplessness. For a second, Chrysalis was confused - her mind was painfully sluggish in reminding her of what the creature was. If she snuffed out the beast, her other son would be ruined as well. She’d lose two of her children. Her children.
Chrysalis no longer felt in control of herself. She was but a vessel filled with hurt, sorrow and fear. On instinct, she severed the link, throwing it away into the void. The brute in front of her stumbled and fell onto his side, his face slackening. But those eyes. The eyes filled with hate - they burned on and drilled into her fear. A leg twitched towards her, dragging itself towards her own appendage.
The touch was too much. It didn’t hurt nor sting. Just a tap on her fetlock. Dagaal managed to touch his Queen.
Chrysalis shrieked, lashing out with the first spell that came to her panicked mind.
In a bright blue flash, the changeling disappeared. A small wisp of smoke was all that remained.
Silence came over the link of changeling minds, swimming in a slowly settling storm of emotions. On the surface, she felt her other children, one by one, as if she was discovering new lands. In desperation, she hugged the links, her eyes becoming blurry once again. Her legs gave out from under her and she fell, her tears staining the dust below.
Chrysalis hugged her children's sparks, drinking in the comfort their unfocused minds provided. Slowly but surely, the fear melted away, the adrenaline in her body washing out in lazy waves. Soon, she fell into an uneasy slumber, surrounded by settling sparks.
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*insert 'Its alive.gif' here*
Yay!
Hey~
Yeah Dagaal goooooooh...
Hey Wing, how are you? Been a while.
7818381
Better, most likely. Got a good job, found the strength to write again. Can't complain
It lives, IT LIVES!!!
The little sparks, some burn bright, some fade away. And this one chose to burn.
An amazing chapter. Welcome back.:D
7818714
Thank you! Hope to stay for a while as well
Poor brute. Made his momma cry.
7818748 And now, she truly knows how it feels like to be betrayed, like what she has done in turn to the one she thinks is a traitor.
Yeah it is alive, one of the best holiday gifts this year
Glad to see you still writing this.
Cherngelerngs...
They've returned. Time to stock up on Raid once more!
7822249
I...don't even remember why I typed that. xD
did he dieded?
Oh chryssy...you still have NO IDEA. Still, I hope that maybe, just maybe, your mistake here leads you to at least begin to understand where it is that you fucked up.
7830743
Whenever I hear this, I have flashbacks to Neon Genesis Evangelion
7830807
when is the next one?
8403476
I love changelings a lot, my favorite usually is whichever one I'm currently reading and then when I'm reading about them again.
8405628
I still plan on writing it. Will probably update the Changeling Doll around the time this gets updated.
Just caught up, hope this continues!
Damn looks like this story is dead.
Love the story hope it makes a come back
Gee, man that was good. This book is funny, touching and interesting at the same time. It's fluent, although likes to jump time too much. And intermissions it's a bit to long, it's h to many of them at once, progressively into the story. Yet, I would be very happy to continue reading it.
I really hope this story will reach its conclusion. Because its a really entertaining read.
"surrounded by sparks" so that's all she had to do to expose them?
At the very least she'll be distracted from grief for some time. And time is something the ponies really need...
Keep going! ;)
Damnit, I reach the end only to find it hasn't been updated in 4 years. Just great. Another masterpiece for the scrap pile.
Sooo is this one dead then?
11261760
Good to know I wasn't the only one.
Finally, I started this reading this several years ago, but wasn’t able to find it when I returned to mlp and finally created an account.
Seems like there’s two or three big arcs left to this story: investigation of Silverline, mobilization and invasion of Equestria, and the aftermath and resolution of the changeling question. There’s also the side stories that deserve more attention for conclusion: Chip’s siblings, Silverline’s original unit, Twilight’s romance, Shining Armor’s defense of the city, development of a changeling detection and feeding system, Silver Leaf, and the reunion of Chip and Chrysalis.
Please come back, author!!