With Sebastian flying as fast as he could, it didn't take him long to carry his Charge back to Applewood and their place there, even weighed down by their luggage. As soon as he landed, he shifted Scootaloo to a seat before immediately checking the entire building for possible enemies. Seeing just how intense he was, Scootaloo remained silent until he calmed down. Thankfully, his chosen precautions took less than a minute. Once he was done, he returned to her side and began helping her out of the uncomfortable black gown. "Forgive my rudeness, My Lady," he murmured softly, plainly ready for a reprimand.
"Experts are very expensive to hire," Scootaloo replied simply. "Much more so if you ignore their advice. Though I do want that explanation now. What did you see that set you off like that?" Her eye widened as she noticed Sebastian's talons freeze momentarily with her veil. "That bad?"
"I believe it will be...especially difficult for you to hear," Sebastian offered gently. "I am uncertain how best to...soften the blow."
"Don't," Scootaloo ordered simply. "Give it to me straight. What happened atop the Tower of Life?"
Sebastian decided to give what he believed she would see as the most important information first. "The reason the stallion seemed to be in pain as he walked is because pieces of his living flesh had been surgically excised, replaced with bits of stitched on dead flesh, including a set of dead wings to complement his unicorn horn." He watched carefully as Scootaloo's entire body stiffened to the point fabric tore. "Sound familiar, My Lady?"
Scootaloo closed her eyes, clenching her teeth against the onslaught of memory. The unnatural silence in the manor. Deik-Beck malfunctioning. The scent of smoke and death. Her father's horn, her mother's wings...one corpse...and then the dark hooves seizing her, and a blinding green light...
"My Lady?" Sebastian coached, gently booping her nose to snap her out of her fugue.
Scootaloo shivered as she opened her eyes. "Yes...that sounds very familiar..." She took a few calming breaths, holding the memories in the calm part of her mind, where she kept her burning rage and hunger for vengeance, so they did not consume her mind and heart. Finally, a clue... "Go on."
"He went into the green fire and was consumed," Sebastian continued calmly, pleased to see Scootaloo had found her drive. "From out of the fire, something arose that wore his face, but appearing to be a rejuvenated alicorn. That is when I turned and withdrew as fast as possible."
Scootaloo nodded as she took it all in. "And why did that say we should run?" she inquired.
"There are very few beings in my experience that wear the faces of other beings," Sebastian explained calmly. "Fewer that do so after slaying the original wearer. Fewer still who can survive unharmed in magical fire that can consume magically charged mortal flesh. Of those that remained, this left two possibilities. Either the Order was enacting summonings on a grand scale, or the Entire Order are these creatures in disguise. While I would be fully capable of killing every living thing in that Monastery should you order it, I would not be able to do so while simultaneously protecting you from them. They would be able to get past me through sheer force of numbers...and if they killed you, the power of my Contract would break, and I would be banished."
Scootaloo nodded. "I suppose there is the possibility that you are right...but there's a more local possibility you hadn't considered."
Sebastian smiled softly. "I admit, my knowledge of this world's creatures is somewhat limited."
"Changeling magic manifests as green fire," Scootaloo explained. "Changelings feed off emotion. One hostile hive that attacked Equestria before fed off love. If these are Changelings, they appear to be feeding off grief and hope...and they've created a dangerous way to harvest all they could possibly want. They promise reunion with deceased loved ones, and being reborn with them as immortal alicorns...and enough individuals have seen these 'transformations' that rumors have spread and influenced the nobility." She frowned darkly. "And while the Nobles would feel it their duty to report threats...there isn't a noble alive who isn't envious of the Princesses and would pay anything for their power and immortality. It's the ultimate bait to infiltrate and claim Equestria for their own."
"You think this is the same hive?" Sebastian asked curiously.
"No," Scootaloo countered firmly. "Chrysalis was a genius tactician, but Dinky could beat her out in strategy. If she'd had half a brain, she'd have known trying to conquer a country was the worst way to nurture love to feed on. From the 'love is food' perspective, Equestria would have been a dead husk within a month if she'd succeeded, and she'd barely be able to reclaim the power she expended in the attempt. Admittedly, she did an excellent job following her plan through, even if said plan was utter folly." She turned to gaze out towards the desert. "This strategy is exceptionally well thought out, and we already know there are several outposts of this 'religion' working their 'wonders' on the ponies of Equestria. This isn't Chrysalis' MO."
"So it's another hive of Changelings," Sebastian concluded. "Should you not then report it to the Triarchs to deal with?"
"That's the last thing I should do," Scootaloo countered coldly.
Sebastian's crimson eyes narrowed as a wide grin crossed his beak. "Oh?" he inquired wickedly.
"And not just because it's the first lead I've had on what happened to my parents since I bound you to contract," Scootaloo pointed out. "Not all Changelings belong to hives. I should know, some work for the Wingshadow companies. But if it's known two Changeling Hives have made war on Equestria, any chance of peaceful Changeling integration goes right out the window. It would become enough of an active threat that it would become a witch hunt. That's the last thing a land founded on Harmony can afford." She turned to face Sebastian head on. "As such, the first step is to confer with the rogue Changelings in the companies, find out what they know both about this Hive and Hive structure...and then find a way to eradicate this Hive with none the wiser. Is that understood?"
Grinning widely, Sebastian went into a low bow. "Yes, My Lady."
Shoulda figured things are Changeling it up now.
A valid point, and ought to be fun to see the way her little ensemble does things.
8185550 Yeah. Well at least we now know what "bugged" Sebastian so much.
Also,
A matter of perspective.
8185569
The point raised in that video is that Chrysalis is a tactical genius, meaning that when it comes to battlefield decisions she's exceptional. I did not dispute that.
My point in story was that her strategy was fundamentally flawed, strategy being long term planning. Taking over Equestria via a war destroys the very resource she sought to harvest.
In essence, Chrysalis could win any single battle, but never ask her to plan a long campaign.
8185581 That makes sense, i suppose. Essentially she would have won the battle but lost the war. I get it.
iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/125926__UNOPT__safe_animated_apple-bloom.gif
8185591
Whereas this Hive's plan - if it succeeds - will let them win the war without ever engaging in a single battle.
Wait a minute... CUT!!!
Deik-Beck! You're on the wrong set! Go and find Coco and the Coopers!
Let me guess, when they confront the boss changeling it's going to go something like this....
C: "No, it can't be! He (or She, depending on whom the main antagonist will be) said this plan couldn't fail!"
Se: "What do you mean, who is He"
C: "I-If I talk, can you guarantee my safet-" *cue the ling dying, either through magic or sniper round*
Yeah, that whole chrysalis thing would have never worked. Nice job pointing that out
Wow, Sunrise's reasoning really showed her experience in handling this kind of situation. Twilight should learn from her.
8185711 even a changeling sympathizer like me sees that it was just plain wrong in practice.
8185812 you will literally get the polar opposite of love by taking over a kingdom by force and destroy their national heroes as well as their leader. (Unless its the crystal empire since the heart produces love)
Sunrise/Scootaloo you are scaring me here. That is a well thought out plan and one that shows your true intelligence. I hope somehow you keep up your end of the bargain, but keep on living.
8185858 but even the heart would not work, because the changelings would be attracted to it and end up drunk on its overflow of love. besides, it doesn't produce it, it magnifies the emotions os the empire over the population
8185879
It was made clear Chrissy lied to her hive about the nature of how they fed, as freely received love sustained them with out side effects and they could feed one another with positive emotion.
Taking over Equestrian was never about feeding her Children, it was all about power, gaining the power Equestrian has in the wider world. It actually makes Chrysalis more evil, she manipulated her hive and did everything to keep them as little more than slaves.
Another Queen could easily be Equally or even more evil, especially if she fed on negative emotions. Being such she could go to even more monstrous lengths to gain and keep power. The bigger question is do her workers, soldiers, sentries and drones(decided to refer to the classes the newest expansion of the MLP Gameloft game uses) NEED to feed on the same emotions?
How interesting would it be if Sebastian had been right and it was "Scootaloo" who was mistaken?
Yay! A foal just commissioned a black ops genocide!
8186051 true, but that still leaves other issues above the rest. And besides, Chrissy is insane, even I can see that.
8186153 no, a genoside is what Scoots is trying to avoid, this is just the eradication of a single Hive, not an entire race
8186381 An entire genetic line is being systematically eradicated, therefore, genocide is being ordered.
*prepares korps company for battle*
static4.fjcdn.com/comments/Good+_7960881d76f5a5084b3ce4a16baecc7d.jpg
8185879 could changelings die from getting too much love? Would they pop? Or simply fall over dead
8186767 my guess/opinion is it causes them to be put into a drunken heat, plow like rabbits without a care of where there at.
Okay... wow... literal unholy shit.
I think this is one of your stories that I'm just going to have to wait and binge read it to get through the, "WTF factor" of it.
8186994
[youtube=6nSKkwzwdW4]
I get a lot of mileage out of this video...
8185863
8185863
Sunrise/Scootaloo does have a loophole.
She specified in Sebastian's contract that she would have revenge in 'any way, shape or form to her satisfaction.' The cultists tried to destroy her life, so living a good, long, peaceful life to the full would be a passive revenge. Basically, Sebastian can't take her soul until she dies of a happy old age.
8185581
Now I can't stop thinking of Chrysalis as CREED
8191256
CREEEEEEEEED!!!!!!!!!!
8185765 Absolutely. Doesn't even have her mark yet, and she's already planning strategy capable of affecting the future of the nation.
Also interesting in that this may actually be a deeper function of the Wingshadow clan; to assess and take on threats to the nation which Royalty would not only appreciate having plausible deniability about, but which might actually be dangerous for Royalty to even actually know about, at least while the threat is active. That's a world of trust and responsibility to place on any House, let alone a single foal.
Vengeance tempered with wisdom becomes justice. Scootarise is a very wise filly.