22: The hunt never ends...
It’s been three days since Eight’s showdown with Battlecry, and considering the dwarf trainer hasn’t disappeared into a cellar only to be found bloated with changeling eggs many days later, I strongly believe there are no hard feelings between those two. Five took to daily physical and weapon training with Battlecry in the same way she does everything - simply do her best and not be bothered by how things turn out in the end. Same thing can’t be said for the others, though.
I was surprised how difficult it was to persuade Three to at least do the physical exercise, because every time I mentioned weapons he gave me his unique pleading look meaning “I will do it if you order me, but I really don’t want to hurt anypony“. In the end, I gave up. However, I signed him up with Five and Six to join Hard Reset’s crash course in technology. As for the physical exercise, while he didn’t want to train to be able to outmuscle somepony in danger, when I told Three he’d be able to hug ponies tighter he agreed immediately. I was surprised when he called his trainer ‘auntie Battlecry’, but he considers everyone who’s nice to him part of our big family, changeling or not. When not doing his duties, Three’s moved away from mining, or at least he doesn’t do it too much anymore, and has been spending a lot of time in the hospital for some reason. Dwarves like him there, and he always has more love to share with us afterwards, so I don’t mind.
Two took a lesson from Five, and after some grumbling about it being pointless and robbing her of precious study time she simply shrugged and agreed. To be honest, she’s been doing pretty well actually, much to the surprise of everyone, and when she gets going in the heat of the fight, she can even make Five take her seriously. Not that she’s winning, no, but she doesn’t seem to be bothered by it anymore. I guess her mom’s genes are way too strong to be ignored. Otherwise, she’s been holed up in the castle library most of the time with Seven and Five. Recently, the two have also been the most successful in bringing in love. At least in quantity if not quality, that gold medal still belongs to Three.
Six has been failing the combat training hard, which is something I can’t fault him for. Drones simply aren’t built for crazy agility, constant awareness of all angles, and strength, but the one least bothered by it seemed to be Battlecry herself. Granted, it’s more than likely she understood that in comparison to all other rather monstrous changelings, not counting Three, Six was the closest one to a dwarf starting to learn everything from scratch. However, he’s the only one more comfortable with dwarven melee weapons than changeling skills. It makes sense in a way, because he simply isn’t and won’t be able to use the skills I, Eight, Five, or even Two can, but he could still shift his leg holes to his fetlocks into which he put the dwarven straps allowing them to use weapons with their forelegs instead of their mouths like ponies do most of the time. As for his private time, he asked Five for ‘remedial lessons’ so while I think Six is progressing the slowest, he’s gaining the most general experience in terms of threats he can face. On top of that, his love reserves have increased significantly as a result in comparison to others. It’s still ‘significantly for a drone’ but he’s not fragile by any means anymore.
Seven… Seven was a problem. Not that he resisted as such, but because whenever Battlecry talked to him, he started stuttering, dropped his weapon, or lost his concentration. An infiltrator who is bad at talking, geez… although it somewhat makes sense considering he came from Eight’s egg that his infiltration instincts won’t be the best. The thing is, he’s not terrible when he’s disguised, but when he’s as himself or with someone who knows who he really is, he just folds. And mares only triple the effect. Somepony like Battlecry makes him melt, and she damn well knows it. She quickly discovered, and I confirmed it, that infiltrators are baseline the physically weakest kind of changeling, rulers being a strange exception, and accepted that Seven’s combat style would revolve around magic rather than weapons… after some explanation about how magic works. HOWEVER she also as quickly discovered Seven’s weaknesses in concentration. All she had to do was simply brush her hips against his side while he was gathering power for a spell, purse her lips in the right way, breathe into his ear, or simply mention something untoward, anything to tease him. Seven was clearly used to do his magic in private or from the shadows, which also explained how it was possible that someone like Two won a direct fight against him. I made sure I sent him out alone in disguise in the evenings to gather love, and it was much better than when he tried as himself, although he’s still definitely on the bottom of the list.
As for me… I don’t know what to say, really. I’ve been training with Battlecry with utmost care due to my love weapons, sparring with Eight a little more, and generally adding more physical exercise with her later at night, although nothing as wild as before. As it turns out, now that Eight’s fear accumulated over the years is gone and lust for me is being quenched on regular basis, she’s more an oversized cuddlebug than anything.
Now, don’t forget - I’m not supposed to tell the last part to anyone.
In short, past three days have been full of activity but also peace. Brauheim is working well, dwarves are returning to their homes successfully, everything is mostly fixed, and we’re building a life. Even Scream has been gone most of the time, and when she appeared it was only to get a massage from Three. I haven’t breathed this freely since… ever, really.
One thing doesn’t seem to change, though, and that is my required presence on the late morning council meetings despite me being there mostly to give the council more gravitas. I don’t usually veto or propose new changes myself anymore unless the guys are talking about something that feels impossibly silly to me.
As usual, since it’s after my practice with Battlecry, I’m drifting off a little, and leaning against Eight in the same comfy chair pushed right next to mine. Thankfully, she’s completely awake, and if the dwarves raise any important point, she’ll mentally poke me.
What wakes me up, however, is a completely different species, as Steelback enters the council room with a large backpack on his back. Come to think of it, I’ve barely seen him since the “end” of the “civil war”.
“Steelback!” standing up, I shake the minotaur’s hoof- hand, “Where have you been?”
“You know, king. I took a year away from my life and work, so it takes time to get back into those old boots. I’ll be away more often than not now aside from my ambassador duties. Speaking of which,” he pulls a huge binder filled with documents out of his backpack and puts it on the main table for all council members to see, “I’ve got a new set of proposals for trade contracts. While the ones from before my disappearance were still better than nothing, our situation has changed drastically, and there’s a world of difference between what we needed than and what we need now.”
“I motion that you examine those instead of… what are you even talking about right now?” I raise an eyebrow.
“The annual Beerfest is coming, and we’re pondering which attractions or activities are a little too much. I’m rather curious about the new drag race, actually,” explains Iron Rose.
“What’s that?”
“One of the dumbest and most pointless ideas I’ve ever heard...” grumbles Granite. Hard Hat shows his agreement by a vigorous nod.
“Stallions dress up as mares, and then race each other at who can drag a quarter ton boulder around a city block faster,” Iron Rose shoots them both a dirty glance.
I’m bored just listening to her explain it.
“Permission granted,” I roll my eyes, “They can hook the weights by their balls if they want. Now go get to studying Steelback’s trade proposals.”
The minotaur leans to my ear, and whispers:
“Some of the business deals are a little on the minotaur side, so if I can cash in a favor for helping you get this far, it’s now. Wink wink.”
“I don’t know much about trade, but I hope all of you take Steelback’s role in the events leading to the reunification of Brauheim to mind while discussing the offered deal, hmm?” I give each member a meaningful look. Of course it’s Hard Hat for the miners to try to win a staring contest with me, but I’ve got a natural advantage over him - changelings don’t need to blink. Eventually, when his eyes start watering, even he nods.
With the council busy, I take Steelback to a corner table of the large room, and offer him a drink. Eight remains sitting by the big table with the council to present to the two newsponies from “Council - SPecial ANnouncements” always in the other corners the proper image of their ruling class.
“What’s up, king?” Steelback relaxes and takes a sip from his mug, “Ahhh, I must admit, dwarves know how to make moonshine. Apples?”
“Apples, moss, and flame spider venom,” I nod, “I can’t drink that specific one. I did try two days ago, but when I spat out the enhanced goo, it melted through the floor into the maintenance tunnels. Hard Reset’s engineers had to use some special equipment from the deep core mines to scoop it up and throw it into lava. Made for quite pretty fireworks, I must admit. Anyway, I’ve got a question - are you a good fighter?”
Steelback raises an eyebrow.
“Quite so, despite my chosen profession. We minotaurs tend to be as a rule, although if you want a true expert, I’m sure I can find someone better. Why do you ask? Trouble?”
I shake my head.
“No, for once no. I’ve signed my guys up for physical and combat training just in case, and I’m looking for some variety to add to the sessions. Our dwarf trainer is great, but her style is a bit too… reserved and defensive.”
“So you want someone who can bash stuff really hard and isn’t afraid to get rough,” Steelback grins, “Well, I could certainly use the exercise, but it’ll have to wait. As I said, I’m very busy back in Rift, and it’ll take some time to fix everything. As it turns out, warlord Darkhorn has been a little overwhelmed for the past few months by relations with Equestria.”
“Any trouble?” the first thing that comes to my mind is Scream saying that she’s trying to prevent the end of the world. Come to think of it, dark priests have a strange end of dwarf race prophecy, an irritating alicorn is around, talking about her own role at stopping the end of everything… I’m starting to think there might be something to it. What could it have to do with dwarf morals and clothes, though?
To my minor relief, Steelback just waves his hand dismissively.
“The founding of Rift under Dark Prophet’s protection hasn’t been without hiccups, and we played a role in certain related events which not everyone remembers fondly, especially the crystal ponies. But don’t worry, king, this is strictly Rift business, and I’m helping wherever I can while trying to reconnect to my old friends.”
Thank the great hole in the ground and the sky it’s nothing serious!
“Oh, one thing, though!” Steelback snaps his fingers.
Shit… I spoke too soon, didn’t I?
“Yeeeees?” I brace for whatever he’s about to bring up.
“I recall you talking about Equestrian paladins-”
I freeze.
“-Two of them arrived in Rift three days ago, accompanied by a zebra.”
When did I stand up?
“That bad, huh?” Steelback nods to my forelegs on the table which is beginning to smolder under my hooves.
“...if the murdering sunfucks found us again...” I let out a growl which surprises even me with how quiet and reserved it is.
”Everyone, focus on gathering love immediately. I don’t care if you need to poison and fuck half of the city, I want ALL OF US so full of love and lust that we’re sloshing when we walk!” I order. There must be something in my mental voice, because no one says anything, and I feel only everyone obeying orders.
Eight glances my way, but knows to not leave the council table. What information we let out to the dwarves is still under consideration.
One dwarf, however, leaves the heated debate, and walks over to Steelback and me. Of course it’s Granite. Being a loremaster AND a soldier, it’s in his nature to be perceptive.
“I’m more interested in security than trade, so as long as the proposals don’t endanger us in the long term, I’m more of a veto dwarf. Current table discussion is more Hard Hat’s job,” he starts, “What’s happening here, though, seems way more like my territory.”
“Why do you think so?” I ask.
He looks down.
“You’re burning green holes into the carpet and the table.”
I sit down and cross my forelegs on my chest. Four hoof marks still softly burning with green fire remain where my legs were.
“Paladins in Rift...” I scowl.
“Should I increase security?” asks Granite, “I can explain it to everyone by using Beerfest and possible dark priest sabotage of such event as an excuse.”
“It’s still a very real possibility that the paladins are just emissaries to Rift, king,” says Steelback, “As I said, we’re not on the best terms with Equestria yet.”
“Do you know anything else, Steelback? Names, how they looked, anything?” I press the minotaur.
“I’m afraid I don’t,” he shakes his head, “I haven’t met any of them, and they had dealings only with the warlord himself.”
“Grrrrhghh...” my eye twitches. I can’t even form a coherent order. My growl is just frustration, hate, rage, and fear balled into one low noise.
“I will double the patrols and set new routes as well as reporting rules,” Granite, thankfully, is the calm one.
“Thanks,” I breathe out, “No, Steelback, I don’t believe it’s a coincidence. I can’t afford to believe it. Last time I thought we were safe, we all nearly died,” I sigh and hang my head, “Damn it, damn it, damn it...”
Without another word, I simply turn away and return to the council table where I sit down next to Eight. A moment later, Geode approaches me while the others are still arguing about trade, and by the looks of it will go on for hours, and clears her throat. I’m not in the mood for any dwarven nonsense at this point, but I grit my teeth and grant her an audience.
“Yes?”
“King, there’s a… problem I’d like to raise with you. None of us know how to solve it, because we haven’t been in an even remotely similar situation before.”
“Yes?”
“We… well, there aren’t any dark priests around.”
“And that’s a problem because...?”
“Marriages aren’t official unless the ceremonies are conducted by dark priests. Plus, everypony is setting up shops and activities all around the city for Beerfest, and the celebration can’t kick off without a dark priest’s official blessing. Your and queen’s aggressive sentiment towards them seems to have made them all return back to their enclave and, well, this was about to happen sooner or later...”
Paladins are on our backs again, and I have to deal with THIS SHIT?!
“You might have missed,” I hiss at Geode who backs off, eyes wide, “that those dildo heads with beards tried to cause a civil war or that they took water and heat away from you and watched you freeze. If you dwarves want to go back to how things were under dark priests’ solid control so much, then you can have that! You’ve been playing things safe on both sides all this time, and I don’t have a reason to fight for you anymore. You limited royal power so that you could have control over your city, then take the responsibility as well. To me it just looks like you want more civil freedoms while keeping what those that want to take them away offer you. You can’t have everything! You can’t just sit quietly while hoping and praying someone else will solve all your problems for you. We have our OWN problems AND THOSE ACTUALLY THREATEN OUR LIVES!” I slam my hooves against the table, “If your love or enjoyment needs some bullshit paper and few murmured words by some ancient dwarf with stick so far up his ass that you might mistake him for a unicorn, then you can fuck right off!”
Everyone is now staring at me, shocked. I’ve made tomorrow’s news, that’s for sure. Maybe even today’s, really.
Gritting my teeth, I force my anger under control, and let out a long breath.
“Alright, alright. Do you know any dark priest who isn’t a total asscunt, or is that a prerequisite for the job?”
“Well, I do,” Black Soil gives me a bashful look, then nods towards Granite, “Granite here. As loremaster, he knows a lot more than other dwarves, and has access to knowledge none of us do. He’s a step under dark priests, am I saying it right?”
Everyone looks at Granite who shifts uncomfortably.
“It’s true that I tried to become a dark priest a long time ago. My curiosity about our lost past led me to it, but I failed.”
“Did they want you to sacrifice a foal to the darkness or something?” I joke to ease the tension and fail miserably, because Granite lowers his head.
“I don’t want to talk about it, if you don’t mind. Let’s just say that their doctrine is that to become a true dwarf, you need to throw away everything that makes you a lesser one. I couldn’t do that,” he shakes his head.
“Do you know how to bless this… Beerfest or whatsitsname?”
“I know the basic rites, yes, but it won’t be enough-”
I raise my voice.
“Granite will bless Beerfest. If anyone complains, kick them in the nuts- no, tell them to go complain to Eight personally. My point stands - if you’re so insane that you need those religious fanatics to have fun which is this whole thing supposed to be, or to love each other, then… I think I already screamed my opinion on that subject in your face enough,” I lower my forelegs from the table, and turn to Eight, “I’m going for a walk, Eight, because I doubt anything I could say right now would do us much good. Stay here so that we don’t miss anything.”
She nods, and I leave the council room, randomly walking throughout the castle while my angry mumbling occasionally surprises the posted guards.
“...how DARE they…?”
“...paladins are here again, and these… these… these earthponies who got stepped on by an elephant don’t bother even trying to stand up for themselves...”
“...should freaking cocoon all their priests and we’d see what those idiots would do then...”
“...Star Trail...”
“...if Eight or Chrysalis were in charge, they wouldn’t tolerate this nonsense for a second...”
“...should punt the next dwarf who says something even remotely dumb right in the balls so hard we’d purge their gene pool from this religious idiocy...”
I stop when I notice a dwarf standing in front of me, not to the side like sentries usually do. I immediately bare my fangs when I take in the fact that his head is completely bald, and he’s wearing a black robe with faint golden sigils sewn on it.
“What do you want?” I do my best to remain civil when faced with a dark priest, but in my current mood it’s certainly taxing. The only reason I’m not putting my practice with Battlecry to good use is because he’s not moving, only staring at me.
“I come here with a deal… king,” he glares at me when he says the title, “You can’t rule Brauheim without us. Tradition won’t allow it. For you, it is unrest waiting to happen. For us, it is… a minor although possibly long-term inconvenience.”
They must have known this would happen eventually with my and Eight’s position regarding them. I bet they helped it too. I bet they messed with dwarves’ heads for so long that the idiots can’t even imagine life without stupid rituals masquerading to be the blessing of whatever they pray to.
“Dwarves were doing fine during the year of Eight’s rule,” I object, still waiting for the dwarf to try something. He might think I believe he’s here just to talk, but changelings have naturally good memory and awareness of surrounding area, and I KNOW all the guards have left this floor of the castle.
“The… queen,” in a way, it’s fun to watch him force himself to call us rulers, “did indeed close some doors to us, but she never made us public enemy like you did.”
“You threatened lives of almost everyone by calling for open war!”
“For the greater good,” he says immediately and with fanatical certainty, “We survived an apocalypse our ancestors contained at the cost of their lives, and we will survive you, changeling, even though the city dwarves here might not. Of course, we prefer things to be more peaceful and stable. So, our offer is simple - you will allow our free movement inside Brauheim, and you will abide by our traditions. Our representative will have a place and veto power on your ‘council’. In return, we will fulfill our duties, and you will be free to feed and multiply within reasonable boundaries. No unrest, no needless conflict.”
I probably should think about it, but I’m really mad right now, and I don’t believe that talking door knob as far as Eight could throw him. Huh, bad analogy.
“No,” I say firmly and take a step towards him, “I’m absolutely sure that the moment I let you cockroaches back, you will start working on getting rid of every single changeling in the city as well as all freedom and social progress the ‘lesser dwarves’ gained under me or Eight. You will all get out and won’t enter city limits unless it’s with a written and signed proclamation that you won’t pressure anyone on how to live their lives anymore. Sense will prevail over tradition, even though it might take a generation or two. I won’t sell out the city dwarves to you for a fake promise of slightly easier times for MY kind.”
The dark priest sighs.
“And here I was trying to be reasonable,” he points his hoof at me, “but I guess it’s pointless to negotiate with insects.”
With several blasts, projectiles from the dark priest hoof gun harmlessly clink away from my chitin as I close the distance. Before the last shot, he aims his hoof directly at my head point blank. My neck twitches a little with the boom, which is the only reaction he gets before he turns around to flee. In response, my love blade slashes his hind leg open up to his upper thigh, and he falls, immediately rolling on his back.
Towering over him, I put my foreleg on his chest, lean down, and growl:
“Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. City!”
The dark priest grins.
“My words… exactly!” he thrusts his foreleg upwards…
...and I lose control over my body almost instantly from sudden burst of biting agony, collapsing to the side as he kicks me away while all I can do is stare at a shard of metal that pierced my bulletproof chitin.
As if fire and acid spread from the wound, it gnaws at my insides. Tiny worms must be ripping my flesh under my chitin from that single stab. I can’t focus, it hurts so much. I can’t heal. Nothing I’ve ever felt before even remotely compares to this excruciating pain.
I don’t see anything, I can’t think, I can’t do anything. There’s only infinite pain.
The dark priest starts limping away as fast as he can.
“One bug down,” he chuckles.
***
In the council room, sudden explosion of noise announces Eight’s instant departure from the chair which flies off. Only Steelback and Granite are in the loop enough to understand something is completely wrong while the others only look at new Eight-sized hole in the heavy door leading out.
The loremaster and the minotaur can’t follow Eight’s speed, but they can easily track her by the shredded hallway carpets from the heavy stomps of her hooves and claws, as well as deep scratches in the corner masonry whenever she tried to go around without slowing down, and simply stabbed her claws into the stones.
When they find her, however, the feral beast has given way to a huge, trembling changeling, cradling quiet but occasionally shaking boss.
“Wh-what? What happened?” Granite approaches Eight carefully, slowing down when she snarls at him. She realizes what she did a second later.
“I… I don’t know. He’s in so much pain even I can’t get inside his head. He’s barely breathing. He doesn’t react to anything,” she looks at Granite with pleading eyes, “You’re the smart one here. Do something!”
The loremaster leans down to the king’s body, and with Eight’s help he manages to uncross king’s forelegs spastically clamped to his chest.
“Oh by Muradin’s life cut short...” he breathes out, “No...”
Surprised by the shock and helplessness in Granite’s voice, Eight’s breathing grows heavier.
“What? WHAT?!”
Granite points at the strange metal shard embedded in king’s chest.
“This is a molecular blade- DON’T TOUCH IT!” he yells when Eight moves her claws to pull it out, “Those can supposedly pierce any material, but are notoriously easy to break by side pressure.”
“A cut wouldn’t make him like this, even if it went through the heart!”
“No… it’s not that,” Granite sighs, “See the brown mark around the wound? It’s easier to see than it would be on a dwarf due to the green blood. That’s Brass Spike poison residue, the deadliest substance in the face of Equus. Only dark priests know how to make it, and by definition, there is no antidote. The ancestors used it to protect our lands from dragons and threats from the depths, ancient alicorn experiments and even evil alicorns themselves. The poison adapts itself to the target’s biology, and even the most powerful dragons die within hours. The only problem against heavily armored targets was always how to get it into their bloodstream, which...” he points to the molecular blade, “is what this thing is for. There’s nothing anypony can do. The king... is going to die, and soon.”
Eight screeches so loud the lamps all over the hallway shatter, plunging it into darkness like her own soul. Granite and Steelback stumble before covering their ears to very little avail.
She sniffs the air, and it looks as if she just now noticed the trail of blood leading away from boss’ body. She sniffs the air again - dwarven blood.
“Granite,” she hisses, ice crystals now appearing on her breath, “Every dark priest is to be killed on sight. Everyone refusing to do so will be taken away by my changelings and used as food or a breeder, and so will everyone helping dark priests in any capacity. I will find the dwarf responsible for this.”
Never before has the word find had such a final and brutal meaning.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Eight starts walking away, following the splatters of blood, “If anything even remotely similar happens to any other of my changelings, I will breed and then kill all of you. Every last dwarf stallion, mare, and foal will be a resource to fuel my army with which I will purge this underground of all life, and no bald fanatics will hide from me within their fortress.”
“Queen, we don’t-”
“I am not the boss, dwarf. I have no qualms with becoming the fangs of genocide.”
When Granite and Steelback blink, she’s gone.
Scream watches as the minotaur takes king’s body into his arms with as much care as possible, and clicks her teeth.
”A massacre like this would bring sooo many powerful souls into Void’s domain, but judging from what he’s doing, he knows it wouldn’t be enough to win. No, as much fun as it would be to watch dwarves realize that punch bug would be far more dangerous enemy than Cryo ever was… I doubt this is the way for things to happen if I want them to end as they should,” floating around Steelback, she looks at boss and sighs, “It looks like there’s more of us who won’t see the end of this war, all we can do is sow seeds and hope they grow in time. What war, I hear you ask, boss bug? Not with these armored fleshlights, no. Something way beyond your understanding, beyond ponies or changelings, and beyond time,” Scream chuckles, ”Punch bug wants to murder few religious fanatics. I, dear boss bug, am about to orchestrate the death of a god. Somehow.”
Aaand the fun and relaxing part of the story is over.
Btw who got the brass spike venom reference has an excellent taste in books.
And yes, I made a C-SPAN reference. I think they need the exposure 
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oh...... shit just got real... then it went sideways... and has now reached supersonic speeds and is still accelerating!
i have a sneaking suspicion that eight might be just a tad unhappy... i also think that the cleanup crew needs to be preemptively assembled for a massive mop up...
Fuckin knew It
Also congrats on your 100k words
9538793
The most interesting changeling in the world.
9539190
There certainly will be some cleaning next.
9539404
It obviously couldn't be that easy and happy.
9539406
I really should start looking into that whole "quality over quantity" thing. Until then, though, many many words.
i sense a 'hive-mind shenanigans' in the future. a 'changelings are harder to kill then you think' moment. a 'three is a cure all' or a 'boss dies and eight becomes an extinction level threat.' whatever happens... the next chapter is sure to be exiting!
"you fool! you know not what you have done! you know nothing of the unspeakable horror you have unleashed upon us! I should kill you myself, if for nothing else then to be ride of your stupidity. But there is no method I can devise that will be worse then what that monster will do to you when she finds you..." quot from a high priest minutes before an enraged monster the likes of witch dwarfdom has never known, leveled the dark priest enclave... there where no survivors, nore is there any trace that the building was ever there. rumors have spread that this monster was the former queen, but there where know living witnesses to attest to the identity of the attacker.
9539835
Nah, I don't think he will kill him. There always must be a bug king. But i'm pretty sure someone will be killed, or he wouldn't be he
9539857
Well... dieing hasn't stoped blazing. This has been quite vexing to the ones trying to kill him as well as blazing himself.
9539864
Yeah, but I don't think it will work here. At least it doesn't work for me like that. I think there supposed to be a different solution of this problem. But who knows...
9539835
You are so close, and yet so far actually.
9539857
Who knows? Maybe 3 will take boss' looks and place, considering he's been the most affected by his teachings. And he'll get to bang 8.
9539864
Blaze is/was alive mostly because he was of use to gods and other entities like Scream until they became incapable of killing him.
9539875
I can easily say that resurrection by a god is not going to happen to the boss.
9539952
No, he'll not. Three, you motherbucker, come here! King is hurt! Hug him! Hug him harder! Hug him until he will gets better! Good boy!
Well, that what i'm talking about. Even if you will bring him from the dead (i'm sure you can) it suppose to be a different way.
9539952
Well... i listed a few of my less wild ideas... the baseline i can see is that the boss survives this. Or he dosn't. And who knows. Maybe the extinction level event isnt eight... but three? wouldnt that be a shocker? The death of the boss turned the nigh indestructable three into an enraged murder machine that makes even eight feel eight feel uncomfortable. Wouldnt that be something....
9540157
Hug em till they die and then keep going!
9540188
Or, or three could make scream give boss some love. I mean the logic seems sound. Cream is the alicorn of lurv and lust is she not? It stands to reason that she would be able to funnel some pure changeling food into the boss. (Even if thats not how that works) that sounds like something three might infer based on limited knowledge. and all he would have to do to break scream is sit on the floor, curl his tail around his legs, cock his head to the side, lay one ear down. Put on the puppy dog eyes and trembling lip. Throw in a pitiful whine and i think he could get anything he wanted
"better watch out, he's a hugger."
"But he's coverd in spikes!"
"Thats why i said watch out..."
9540540
Nah, Cadance is love. Scream is only lust, which isn't extra healthy for lings in the long run as established before.
As for the Scream giving boss love/lust thing, while she technically can do that, she's too busy with different stuff, and she's the manipulator, not the one manipulated. Though I might add a scene with Three trying "the wibble" on her. On the other hand, it's not like she can heal boss anyway without a ton of research beforehand anyway.
9540742
then there's that 'mysterious stranger' that has been sighted in earlier chapters. maybe their intentions aren't as malicious towards bosses little changeling as i first assumed. they might be a 'good' guy (or at least not an enemy). or maybe boss survives because changelings are in fact, quite difficult to permanently kill.
or even better, he survives by the shear power of "fuck you!" just to spite the dark priests assassination.
i actually know people who lived through something that should have killed them by shear force of will. its amazing what you can live though...
9541188
In a way, yes.
9541543
I personally think I'm alive out of sheer spite at this point.
"Genocide is low-key cute."
-my friend
DRAG. RACE.
I guess laughter IS just a letter away from slaughter. Because I just died laughing.
Oh god.
THAT ENDING OH GOD
Ten bucks says that Three's hugging is the antidote.
9544299
Now, is it painfully obvious that Scream is evil and our little hive will inadvertently cause the end of the world?
9544301
Now THAT almost insulted me. I always try to at least be somewhat unpredictable and to avoid deus ex machina. Threeus ex hugina would be too easy and would leave everyone including me dissatisfied.
9544347
Well if we're going with unpredictable... the paladins are good guys and the zebra will heal the boss? I'm not good at predicting the unpredictable.
9544361
Religious fanatics are never the good guys.
Boss u better be ok or else eights gonna kill everyone
9545593
Unless someone kills 8 first.
Dun dun dunnnnn!
9546023
boi u better not
shes a good cuddlebug even if she want to kill everyone
Genocide. The killing of a genome, race or ethnicity.
Xenocide. The killing of an entire species.
i wont commit genocide. No genocide does not discribe my future actions. I will kill off your entire species. That, my dear, is xenocide...
9547365
Well, changelins was ponies, so...
9544301
Exactly
I saw the first part coming, should have seen the second. Bravo author. Few things manage to catch me even partially unawares. This is one of the few.
9539864
Shepard and Garrus (if I remember correctly) put it nicely. Note that I never got to this part so I might have to paraphrase.
Shepard: *contemplating the coming conflict* "What do you think our odds are?"
Garrus: "Well, they managed to kill you and all that did was piss you off. So 80-20."
Shepard: "I like them odds."
9541543
Or our old friend Four???? Comes and pulls a "Daddy? Daddy don't die on me, please!" Daughter thing on him. It doesn't always work but when it does it is for some obscure but awesome reason.
9542203
I am literally alive out of sheer spite and determination. Life decided to kill me with a Sedan and I gave life the figurative middle finger.
9544450
Unless it's Ten. I can see him agreeing to clean them up just cause sunbutt said do it.
9547365
I would say that dwarves are a subspecies of ponies, so either genocide fits or I'm misunderstanding it again.
9547723
Even I hit a good ball one of a thousand times.
9547765
Because of Blaze, the underworld had to install a revolving door.
9547776
Considering she ended up with One in her head, it would be more like:
"Spank me, daddy! Ahnnnnngg!"
9547781
Yeah, for me it was a bus, one russian car, then a suicide attempt. At this point I just think even hell doesn't want me
9547784
Or Sunny Buns just wanted him away because she couldn't handle his attempts at getting to her booty anymore.
9547971
the devil has a restraining order out on me. i would get in trouble if i so much as pointed a wet sponge at the gates. also, i think you misunderstood one word i said. when i said them i was referring to the paladins not our favorite hive.
If dwarves are a sub-species of pony. It would be genocide. If they where a defferent species entirely, it would be xenocide. (At least thats how it was explaned to me... just one of the things they dont teach in shool...)
"heaven dosn't want me. And the devil's afraid i'll take over."
Cryo? Elemental Alicorn of Cold and Darkness sealed in the depths?
I wonder how the city of dwarves will cope with the future. Harmony's valley had a concerted, guided effort over a century to dig the through the bedrock of their mines. If they are deep enough underground, and aren't discovered, they could be safe in their subterranean city network.
And poor boss, perhaps only Three can save him now!
9549092
Hmmm...
Cryo wasn't an alicorn.
"Harmony's valley", if we mean the same thing, is waaaaaay southwest.
Boss' poisoning is beyond Three's knowledge. Some things even he just can't hug out
...
...
...
yet.
Beware, dark priests. The darkness has come, and she has no intention of showing mercy.
9807579
Spoopy.
Dang magic poisons and their insanity. Not fair to have a god-killer readily available like that...
Hm I was waiting for something like this…
Why is it so difficult to think that the unimaginably old cabal of ponies hoarding incredibly old archaeotech who ruled everything till yesterday might be pissed of being thrown out AND have a LOT of nifty things that can be dangerous? And so should NOT be let stew in their secluded fortress of science?
You know as long as Boss has a source of love or just three he should be able to survive the poison because changelings are extremely adaptable by design so he could outlast the poison especially with whatever new healing abilities Three acquired considering he managed to seemingly partially heal a dwarf suffering from cancer
11216627
My memory is a bit hazy regarding this point of the timeline and what was already said, but the poison was specifically crafted to kill targets like this. As for Three's healing powers, I can't recall if he ever learns to use them at will.
...why did it take me till just now to realize why they would think positively about something dark, is that they live underground and dark is more normal for them?
11484713
Hehehe