Best laid plans
Chapter 10
Best Laid Plans
“Shining Armor?” Twilight yawned groggily walking down the stairs, “what are you doing up so early?”
“Sorry didn’t mean to wake you sis,” He replied as he closed the book, “was just looking at some of the reading material you left out.”
“What?” She walked over a perplexed look on her face, then got a good look at the book it was one of the beginning reader books Stigandr had left out. “Oh, that’s not mine, somepony left it out by mistake.”
“Really who? Some little filly trying to get a head start at school?”
“Nothing that normal,” She said smiling, “I’ll tell you over breakfast.”
“What we having?”
“Pancakes sound good?”
“Depends who’s going to make them, you or Spike?” Shining Armor teased.
“Very funny, I’ll have you know that since coming to ponyville my cooking skills have gotten far better.”
“Well Twiley, that’s the only way they could’ve gone.”
“Do you want breakfast or not?” She replied, a few moments of silence passed, “that’s what I thought, now get ready cause I’m fixing to blow your taste buds away.”
“There is no way this will work.” Scott whispered from the back of the cart full of clean linens as they neared the entrance to the caves.
“Yeah it will,” Stigandr replied confidently, completely aware of the cliché insanity of his plan. “They’re probably thinking nopony would break into a prison.”
“So…do we have any idea where he may be?”
“Maximum security,” Stigandr replied in a more serious tone. “We’re going to try to sneak in as far as we can, maybe negotiate a bit, and then if that fails fight our way in, than out.”
“Stigandr thank you for reminding you of our elaborate attempt at suicide.” Scott said rolling his eyes. “Let’s just hope we don’t into the pony equivalent of Bundy or someone during the riot.”
“Could you be anymore pessimistic?”
“Stigs, I’m an eagle lion high-breed, been teleported to the universe of a girls tv show where clouds are tangible, and I haven’t seen a pair of pants since I got here,” Scott said not hiding his stress, “I really miss pants.”
“Look we’ll have somepony make you some pants when this is done but for now shhh.” Stigandr said urgently as the elderly earth pony came hitched himself up to the cart and with a grunt walked off.
The changeling commander hooked himself up to the cart and began walking on his usual route to the prison granted this would hopefully be the last time he would perform this task. It would be easier if the cart wasn’t so much heavier this time. The changeling wandered if his sudden weakness meant the wife was catching on; he’d have to come back for her, no loose ends after all.
Meanwhile at the prison the nine changelings were making final preparations almost gleefully, still keeping their facades up. In the kitchen pantry a large room designed to feed the entirety of the prison and its staff for extended periods of time. The brother and sister threw the jar of fifty parasprites that they had gotten from fillydelphia and quickly shut the door.
“You ready?” Specs said unable to contain the unease in her voice.
“As ever, so we still move at 12:30 right?” Shift asked anxiously
“Yeah, should’ve given those little fuzz balls all the time they need to spread throughout the ventilation systems.”
“You put the food in the vents right?”
“Yes, everything is taken care of.” She said putting a hoof on her brother’s shoulder and soaking up some of his anxiety.
“Thanks, I needed that,” Shift said relaxing slightly.
“That’s what I’m here for, if what else than to take care of you?” She chuckled.
Ancro paced inside his bubble if he had things to pack he would’ve already packed in a haphazardly suit case with a sock hanging out.
“Know any good riddles?” Ancro asked wishing for a clock or for Discord to at least give him some kind of countdown.
“What’s going to happen in a few hours?” Discord said ominously.
“What?”
“Now if I answer it what’s the point in it being a riddle?”
Ancro took several moments to think it over and it did seem logical, what would be the point of the riddle if he didn’t figure it out. “Okay, point.” He replied sitting down and thinking hard about the riddle, not that he particularly cared, it was just a way to pass the dreadfully slow amount of time, he was not the type to do nothing unless that nothing was with his friends.
Princess Celestia sat in her study during the break while her carriage was being prepared. She had elected to read several of the history books some of the changeling’s questions had gone into areas that she hadn’t thought about in several hundred years. She hadn’t forgotten she just wanted to remind herself.
The princess of the sun put up one of the older history texts that she had helped author when as she pushed it back into its spot on the shelf a dusty old tome fell out. She picked it up slowly and somberly, having completely forgotten about the books existence. She placed it on the table and smiled as she flipped it open on the first page, a portrait of her, Luna, and a bearded unicorn wearing an unusual assortment of robes decorated with bells. She thought back to when it was painted the summer day was hot, painfully so they were sweating and tired, the picture showed the sun setting in the west over the mountain that would one day hold the capital. A small laugh left her throat and a tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the portrait of her old mentor and first friend. He kept complaining that the artist didn’t get the number of bells on his robe right, Starswirl made them stand regally all day.
“Where did you disappear to old friend?” She asked the picture.
“Your highness.” One of the palace guards said knocking on the door.
“Yes?” She replied not showing a hint of the sadness she had portrayed moments ago.
“Your carriage is ready to take you to Fillydelphia.” The guard groaned the last part of the statement.
“Thank you,” she sighed leaving the book open on the desk.
Princess Cadence and her two guards approached the cell that contained Ancro. The six guards at the doorway stood rigidly at attention as the alicorn and her two guards walked through unopposed. Half of them exchanged a glance and looked towards the clock at the on the wall, she was early. Their plan would still work regardless.
“Hello Princess Mi Amore Cadenza I thought I felt your presence, how are you feeling today?” Ancro asked pleased to see the pink princess. He also looked over at her guards both of them wearing a pink breastplate and helmets. He looked them both over and could’ve sworn that he recognized the orange pegasus from somewhere.
“Fine,” her reply was bland and vague. She charged her horn and a small heart floated out and through the bubble and into Ancro.
“Sorry you couldn’t go see Twilight with Shiny.” Ancro apologized feeling that may be part of the problem. He was always fairly apologetic when someone was upset even if it wasn’t his fault, unlike this time where it was his fault entirely. “Who are your friends by the way?”
“They are my personal guards,” She replied not even acknowledging his apology. Ancro was okay with it though she had every right to be slightly agitated at him.
“They look tough.” He said sizing them up then turned to the stallion. “How are you doing, my name’s Ancro, what’s your’s.”
The red earth pony with a round shield cutie mark stood there still as a statue.
“Hey don’t know if anypony told you but you’re allowed to talk in here, Shiny does it all the time.” Ancro said staring at him intently. The changeling apparently struck a nerve even though the earth pony wasn’t showing it. He didn’t have to he could taste it in the air. “Granted they are threats most of the time, but still its conversation.” Ancro said trying to lighten the mood with humor. He frowned when it only seemed to grow the earth pony’s agitation. He looked to the other one a pegasus he swore looked like Spitfire, he wasn’t sure however so he decided to ask.
“Are you related to Spitfire?” He pointed to her. She showed an immediate sign of agitation, her eyes narrowed and her face blushed a bit. “Well what is it yes or no?” He asked after politely waiting a second.
“Ancro, I would like to ask you about your friends.” Cadence said interrupting the stimulating conversation.
“What about them?”
“They are not changelings are they?” She replied.
“Whatever would make you think that?” He asked narrowing his eyes.
“Well nopony has turned up missing.” She said and watched as Ancro connected the dots. “How long have you hypnotized them?”
“Clever, but no, I have never hypnotized any pony. Just wouldn’t be me.” Ancro replied. “Have you gone to Celestia with this yet?”
“No, I plan to though,” She replied, “now that you’ve confirmed it.”
“Mi Amore, she’s over a thousand years old,” Ancro said, “you’re just telling her something she probably already has a theory or two about.”
Ancro sat intently and stared into the alicorn’s eyes awaiting her reply. Cadence silently turned around walked out her two guards followed suit as she walked out of the cell.
As they started to leave maximum security one of her guards spoke up. Firecracker an orange and red pegasus who bared a shocking resemblance to Spitfire and to point that she died her mane green once so ponies would stop trying to get her autograph. “Was he like that last time?”
“Yes he was,” Cadence replied, “Shining Armor said that he is always like that even when he was starving.”
“Not sure about you Crackers,” Hoplon spoke up from his typical silence in his gruff voice. “but I want to buck him.”
“So do I,” She replied glaring back at the cell door. “Like I don’t get enough of that Spitfire nonsense when I’m off duty.”
“Well you do look li-“ Hoplon was cut off by a glare from Spitfire. “I mean how dare he?”
“Nice save there Hoplon,” Cadence chuckled as they approached the security checkpoint that separated the maximum to regular high security. All things considered she thought that the ponies up ahead should be locked up under more security than Ancro. At least the same level of security.
“Halt, who goes there?” An earth pony stallion bellowed.
“Relax, Paldron it’s only me.”
“Lancer?” One of the guards said looking towards the approaching pegasus, “what are you doing here, your shift doesn’t begin for another half hour.”
“Yeah, I got here early figured I’d give you a break.”
“Thanks, but I don’t want either of us to get in trouble.” He chuckled towards his childhood friend.
“That’s okay, hey how long have we known each other?”
“Shoot that’s going way back, at least since before we got our cutie mar-.” The guards sentence was cut off as he felt a sharp pain in his chest, trembling he looked down and saw a black claw in the place of his friend’s hoof and watched in horror as he transformed into a changeling.
“No, we’ve only known each other for a few weeks,” He smiled as he twisted the claw around inside the shocked earth pony tasting the terror of the realization hitting him, “that’s right, Lancer has been dead for weeks, and you didn’t even notice.” The changeling’s smile was cold as the light fled the guard’s eyes. He tasted and drank every ounce of fear the pony let off, purposefully drawing out the suffering. Finally when he was full he withdrew his claw and turned back into a holed hoof. “It’s okay, your sister didn’t even notice either, and she was Lancer’s wife.”
Paldron’s teary eyes faded as he watched two more changelings descend from the ceiling and start unlocking cell doors.
The thunder crashed outside as Twilight and her brother relaxed to sit down and eat while the library aired out. Twilight paid the waitress at the restaurant where they had stopped for brunch, it was too late for breakfast and Twilight had blown away everything but their taste buds.
“So,” Shining Armor said taking a bite out of his sandwich, “what’s up with the books?”
“Well, you’re not really going to believe this,” She said rolling her eyes, “but if you really want to know, we ran into a stallion at the hospital who needed some help.”
“What kind of help?”
“It’s a long story but the weird thing well, weird thing other than Pinkie Pie having a new Pinkie sense about them, it was that he couldn’t read.” Twilight said leaning over and taking a sip, “neither he or his friend, a griffin knew how to read.”
“…what?” Shining Armor said stopping mid bite.
“Yeah, they said that they had to go to Canterlot,” Twilight responded not noticing her brother’s pupils start to shrink, “to meet up with a friend.”
“Did they say their friend’s name?” Shining Armor said hoping that it was still coincidence.
“Surprisingly it didn’t come up in conversation,” Twilight replied and Shining Armor let out a small sigh of relief. “but I think I overheard them talking it was something that started to an ‘A’, Amcor, Ancor.”
“Ancro,” Shining Armor said trembling.
“Yeah that may have been it” Twilight said absently than felt herself become weightless as her sandwich faded into the distance. The unicorn turned to her rapidly running brother who was magically carrying her, “Shining Armor put me down, what are you doing! I haven’t even paid!”
“Pay later we need to get a letter to princess Celestia, Canterlot is in danger!”
“What how?”
“Those two, the pony and the griffin, the illiterate ones you were telling me about.” Shining Armor said darting into the library, Twilight nodded as she almost hit her head on the door frame. “Neither could the changeling, he also said he expected his two friends to come for him.”
“Couldn’t it be a coincidence?”
“The changeling said none of them knew how to read.”
“Get me a quill and some paper.” Twilight said realizing the situation.
The two ‘guards’ left the cafeteria and started heading towards maximum security. They had spent many nights researching the route in their shared apartment. The plan was to wait until the parasprites had gotten everywhere then they were going to dig under the shield and sneak him out through the laundry chute. They tested the first part of the plan during the attack on Canterlot when they had been forward observers, and the second part when shift tripped and fell down the laundry chute and nopony had noticed, except an old stallion working in the laundry room but even then that was a good half hour later when they found him.
“Have you seen any of them?” Shift whispered towards his sister as they walked past another guard station.
“No, I haven’t.” She replied equally as quite. “But it’s okay, they don’t know we’re here, otherwise…”
“Otherwise we would’ve already been dead.” He finished. He glanced as an air vent and saw a pair of wings flap by and was instantly comforted. They were going to make it through this after all. Alarm bells started to go off and it startled Shift to the point of which he almost dropped his disguise and ran. He surprised himself with his own steadfastness.
“What’s going on?” Specs asked as they took off running towards maximum security.
“I have no idea.” Shift shrugged as an explosion echoed down the hall.
“The front gate’s caved in!” Somepony shouted.
“Prisoners are on the loose!” Yelled another.
“Get to the armory and man your posts, we need to get this situation under control,” The warden, a big burly griffin shouted, “You two halt.”
The two changelings in disguise froze and saluted a griffin. On the outside they had a calm exterior but inside they were terrified. They kept glancing down at his talons waiting for him to rip them apart.
“Princess Cadence was inside maximum security, go find her and let her know what’s happening.” The two saluted and darted off thankful they could catch such a break when the rest of the plan had taken a terrifying turn.
“Stigs,” Scott rasped as he struggled to fit into the armor. They apparently had several griffin personnel on base or somepony just like to have griffin armor lying around. “Sitgs, help.”
Stigandr looked over at Scott who was trying to slide the armor on over his head instead of snapping it around his torso by undoing the latches along the side. The sandy brown unicorn used his magic to unlatch the armor and close it around Scott. “Thanks bro.”
“No problem.” He said levitating the helmet onto his head. “Let’s rock.”
They had managed to duck into the locker room without getting noticed when their exit was collapsed. The duo casually walked out of the locker room and into the mayhem that was rapidly descending over the prison.
“Why are there crystals everywhere?” Scott asked.
“We’re in the crystal caverns,” He replied, “It makes sense that there would be crystals.”
“Well, I know that, but why don’t they, y’know magic them away?” The griffin said as the unicorn started to pick up the pace as they made their way to maximum security.
“I don’t know,” He said sighing, “why don’t you ask them when we are done rescuing Ancro.”
Three of the guards on Ancro’s cell turned to each other and nodded upon hearing the signal, the plan was to collapse the statue which would trap everypony inside. Blocking the exit giving them plenty of time to work and make their way to the drainage. Suddenly and without warning the three changelings lunged at and quickly overpowered the other three pony guards. They transformed and without so much as a word darted into Ancro’s cell.
“Well it started sooner than I thought it would.” Discord said noticing the slight rumble. A true testament to the size of the statue. Ancro stood silently trying to go to sleep. The changeling didn’t know why he tried; he never slept well on a full stomach. He lazily glanced up a Discord who smiled knowingly down on him.
The door burst open with and green flame blasted into the room. When the smoke had cleared three changelings darted in and immediately started tackling the shield. ‘okay,’ Ancro thought, ‘definitely not what I was expecting.’
It wasn’t long before cracks started forming in the shield from the changelings’ efforts.
“Got yer message Twahlight,” Applejack said running into the library soaking wet from the rain, “what’s the emergency?”
Applejack was the latest arrival, Fluttershy, Rarity, and all her friends had come because they all had some part in what had happened.
“Girls, you may want to sit down.” Twilight said taking a deep breath.
“Whatever is the matter dear?” Rarity said taking a seat on a cushion. She looked upstairs and saw that Shining Armor was putting on his royal armor.
“We may have helped the changeling that attacked the library.” Twilight said then noted the confused and shocked expressions on her friend’s faces. “Those two the griffin and the pony, they were likely his accomplices.”
“What?!” They cried out in unison. Except Fluttershy who said ‘oh my’. Twilight explained the evidence to them and how they were likely under his spell.
“So it’s not their fault they probably have no idea what they’re doing right now.”
“Have you tried contacting the princess?” Rarity toned in trying to calm the situation down.
“Yeah, Twi, send a letter to Celestia so she can go down there stop him and show this changeling who’s boss.” Rainbow Dash announced.
“I’ve tried but so far haven’t gotten an answer from her.” She replied hanging her head.
“Is there anything we can do to help sugar cube?” Applejack said resting a hoof on her friends shoulder. Shining Armor came downstairs in his full military armor.
“Twilight, I’m ready, do you have the teleport spell prepared.” He said in a soothing voice.
“Yeah. It’s ready.” Twilight paused and took a deep breath. “I’m going with you.”
“No, we talked about this; you are going to just send me there.”
“You don’t know what’s going to be waiting for you when you get there, it could be a massive attack!”
“All the more reason for you not to go.” Shining Armor replied.
“I’ll just send you there and teleport after you.” Twilight answered. Shining Armor opened his mouth as if to say something but then hung his head realizing the futility.
“Just promise me you’ll stay safe.” He said.
“Of course bbbff.” She turned to her friends. She stopped to charge her horn but was startled when she heard somepony say ahem from behind her.
“My dear, you of course did plan to bring us along right?” Rarity said raising an eyebrow. She looked at the determination that was in her eyes. Behind her Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and even Fluttershy stood with a determined look in their eyes.
“Thanks girls.” Twilight said as she charged her horn and the soft lavender glow of her magic enveloped the group.
(Thanks goes out to my editor/artist Sara for putting up with my awful grammar and run-on sentences. I’d like to thank my friends who inspired the characters of the triumvirate and for being such great friends. Feedback, comments, and suggestions are excepted, anything that can make this a better story. This concludes the buildup chapters next is the crescendo. Thanks for reading if you fav it like it.)
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EVERYBODY HIT THE DECK!!!
SHITSTORM INCOMING!!!
I already feel sorry for the changlings with what's possibly coming their way.
"IT'S A TRAP!!!"
-Admiral Ackbar
-wargod
The you know what has hit the fan. I wonder who these two group's of Changelings serve. Will Discord end up breaking free soon? What will happen to our three heroes? Will they end up working for Discord and become enemies of the mane six?
Que gambit pileup in three, two, one...
@nightmaster0
-announcer voice- Stay Tuned and fInd out in the Next Episode of THE TRIUMVIRATE!
But first a word from our sponsors. :P
>>>“Shoot that’s going way back, at least since before we got our cutie mar-.” The guards sentence was cut off as he felt a sharp pain in his chest, trembling he looked down and saw a black claw in the place of his friend’s hoof and watched in horror as he transformed into a changeling.
“No, we’ve only known each other for a few weeks,” He smiled as he twisted the claw around inside the shocked earth pony tasting the terror of the realization hitting him, “that’s right, Lancer has been dead for weeks, and you didn’t even notice.” The changeling’s smile was cold as the light fled the guard’s eyes. He tasted and drank every ounce of fear the pony let off, purposefully drawing out the suffering. Finally when he was full he withdrew his claw and turned back into a holed hoof. “It’s okay, your sister didn’t even notice either, and she was Lancer’s wife.”>>>
With this, Alondro instantly becomes SSJ9001 and with, a single thought, every changeling in every dimension ceases to exist.
Things are going to go DOWN next chapter.
2208828 Yeah Man
They Gonna Bring Da Hood And Leave Em Lying In Chalk Foo'
(Weird Impersonation)
Is that a bad thing or a good thing...
lol
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7437293
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Revolutionary!
(They're quite fun
Oh God everything's twisting around each other and I'm afraid to press next chapter!
This is really good!