Chapter 72: Aerie's Summer Vacation
It was just one of those mornings… Aerie had been having a pleasant dream but it eluded her now. Was there even a reason for her to get up? Not really. Let’s see, Kreacher was dealing with Dobby, the CMC was at a weekend sleep-over with Aurora… And that was technically Mrs Silverwood’s CMC even though she and Aurora had become Scootaloo’s guardians. Now why had she unleashed those three on London? Oh, right, the shield over Canterlot. That’s right, she’d contrived the trip to get the three well out of harm’s way, had left her purse behind, and given Kreacher orders not to let anyone in from Equestria without the password that she’d devised. She’d even gone so far as to give Scootaloo her amulet so that she’d have Moonie to watch over her. The next plan was to go to Canterlot with Twilight as she’d a mind to take a leaf out of Dumbledore's book and make sure things turned out the way they were supposed to. She’d even sent a royal decree, signed by her Luna, Her mom, to the Night Fighters in Hollow Shades inviting the entire corps to the wedding. Sure they were troublemakers and brawlers, but that’s what she was hoping for.
Probably should get up…
Hang on, wasn’t she already in Canterlot? In truth she could have been back in her home world where she was an honorary member of the CMC and within the same physical age bracket. Things were a lot different in that world and had been ever since they’d corrupted Idol. Reformed the ling was what they’d done, but she preferred to say they’d corrupted her. Her, because he’d turned into a queen. No longer needed to feed on love to survive, Idol had set about recruiting all their fellow outcasts and had started in on the collectors from Chrysalis’s hive and Chrysalis would soon be marginalized and redundant. Not so where Aerie was at right now.
“Son of a Minotaur,” Aerie said softly to herself on the realization that she was presently hanging upside down. She’d been blindsided, ambushed even, a lump on the back of her head bearing witness as to how they’d done it. Of course, the lings would want to be rid of a fox pony the first chance they got along with any local leather wings. Both of them were natural enemies of changelings thanks to their ability to out them. Fox ponies had their magnetic Geo positioning that showed them the true aura of the things around them, and the echolocation of the bat ponies not only did the same it caused the changeling to lose grip on their false form. And of course, any pony capable of teleportation could sense the true form of everything in their vicinity, the what along with the where up to the range of their ability, it just took time and effort. Granted that most teleports were accomplished by making a cursory scan of the intended target location to make sure they weren’t about to materialize into something or someone, and not a full scan of their surroundings. And that included Twilight. Twilight was every bit as good as Nova when it came to teleportation and it wasn't just Cadance's behavior that had set off the warning bells in her head. Her keen magical senses were telling her that Cadance wasn't Cadance.
Aerie was cautious to keep her eyes closed as she scanned her local area and it was thanks to her dream-walking ability that she'd even been able to break the hold on her mind.
Deep in a cave, possibly underneath Canterlot judging by the crystalline walls. There were other cocoons near hers. One of them definitely held Cadance and Twilight would likely be in another. Lings locking their victims in a cave and ignoring them so the captives could escape was not happening here.
Was there anything nearby that she could use? That she could draw to herself?
So much for strategic thinking, or where the lings really that overconfident? Not only had they placed her, a dream walker, in a room full of weapons they'd completely missed the presence of her horn. Add to that was the fact that she was a full-grown adult alicorn in this reality.
Aerie and the others were in an ancient forge. An Armory to be exact and given her present homicidal mindset she was as excited as a kid in a candy store with an unlimited budget. There were long swords a plenty, as well as spears… 'Ah yes, hoof daggers, armor, and ho-goody, smiting hammers' she thought to herself. One of which must surely have been for heavy work given how large it was and quite possibly made from Uru as the metal was favored among the smiths of old. The weapons and armor must surely be made of true silver she thought. Nothing showed any sign of decay. All she needed now was her tunes. Why yes, she had brought her tunes with her.
There was one ling in the room watching, and the unlikely sound amplified by magic coming from one of the cocoons hadn't startled them so much as baffled them. Was that a heartbeat? Singing?
“Hell, hell, what's the matter with your head, head…”
The ling moved closer.
“Hell, hell, what's the matter with your mind and your sign and a ohohoh…”
The ling moved closer.
“Hell, hell nothin' the matter with your head baby find it, come on and find it…”
The ling moved closer completely missing the drip coming off an invisible horn that was protruding from the bottom of the pod.
“Hell, with it baby cause you’re fun and your mine and you look so divine…”
Now the ling was right up next to the pod. The creature inside looked like they were still sleeping. Hang on, wasn’t that a pony? Fear swept through the ling’s body as the creature opened its mouth displaying teeth that put a ling’s fangs to shame.
The ling didn’t see the dagger flying through the air, and the last thing they’d see was those eyes and those eyes would be the last thing they’d telegraph to the hive mind. They'd brought a killer into their new hive.
“Come and get your love,” sang the music as the ling dropped. The cocoon was sliced open a moment later, and the creature, some sort of fox-human-pony hybrid slid out.
Aerie had abandoned her pony form in favor of the form of a Kitsune anthro morph. She took but a moment to cough the ling fluids from her lungs stood up on her hind legs, and began summoning things to herself. First the padding for the armor, then the armor, made of the finest chain male weave that had been anodized black and had golden bronze chest, shoulder, and arm plates, all of which she morphed to fit her present form, and then slapped the armor plates into place like how she’d seen it in an Iron Man movie. Next came the daggers strapped to her forearms, a goggled helmet for her head, also black, and finally the hammer.
Lings were pouring into the chamber now, to be answered by Aerie slinging the hammer at them, catching them in mass, and driving them from the room. Quickly now, she cut free the bat ponies in the room, barked orders at them to free the rest, and follow even as the hammer was slapping back into her claw-like hand.
“What… what are you?” one of the bat ponies asked.
“I’m a night Princess. I’ve willed myself to go nightmare so that I can meet the enemy head-on. Fear me not but do not approach.” That seemed to be explanation enough.
Aerie started forward, the sound of lings marshaling outside the room, and stopped by the forge. There on the anvil was a single miner's lance. It was about the shape and size of a crossbow bolt and had in antiquity been used by unicorns to pierce through solid stone. She picked it up in her telekinetic field and launched it straight at the hoard of Lings rushing the door.
“Come and get your love…” continued the song even as Aerie stepped through the door.
Lings that were close enough to rush her were met with blade and hammer as she entered the cavernous hall beyond the smithy. Others were brought down by the lance which she flung about the room in her telekinetic grip. Lings tried to mimic her form, but couldn't. Lings tried transforming into ponies to no avail. Aerie slowly made her way through the room to the tone of Redbone - Come and get your love.
Fox on the Run was the next song in the lineup. Yes, she’d made her own mix tape.
A mass of lings had rushed in from the entrance, too many for the lance, Aerie launched the hammer at them and lings went flying.
Keeping two items in the air flying about at deadly speed proved far easier than Aerie had thought it’d be. After all, Rarity often had dozens of things in the air at once. The lance would go right through lings, the hammer mowed them down, and Harmony help any that got close enough for a kick or a dagger.
Progress was slow as she fought her way from one chamber to the next. Nor was she completely alone now. “Keep your distance!” She shouted at the Leather wings. “And stay tight!” They’d freed several day guards, Twilight, and Princess Cadance, and were at this point mopping up any lings Aerie had missed who dared to challenge them. Most of the stragglers were fleeing in terror at this point, which was causing no end of confusion in the changeling ranks.
By the time Aerie made it to the entrance to the mines the tape had run out. She took a moment to flip the tape, looked out into the sunny day, and transformed back to her Alicorn form. High overhead she could see the Night Fighters mixing it up with the invading hoard, doing what they did best, brawl. Before her, a mass of lings was heading right at her. Little good it’d do them now that she had plenty of open skies.
Immigrant Song began playing, Aerie amplified it with magic, lept into the air, hammer in her hoof grip arched up, and followed through by diving down on the mass of lings rising to meet her like they were the anvil.
The ground shook at the impact of the hammer, lightning struck, and lings went flying never to get up again. Airborne once more, Aerie flew through the hoard like they weren’t there as she headed to the Sun Palace of Princess Celestia. Lings at the door were pushed aside like cardboard cutouts, I’m Back in Black playing as the door crashes inward with a mighty boom.
Aerie stopped at the doorway to catch her breath. Queen Chrysalis, silhouetted by stained glass windows, looked on in confusion and fury. At first, neither side did anything. The song played out, and the room filled with an odd silence. Lings had already begun to string up the ponies within in preparation for cocooning. Celestia and the element bearers are unconscious.
The next song on the queue… Thunderstruck.
“What’s this? Another little alicorn? A little god want-to-be?” Chrysalis scoffed. “Tell me then, what was it you were the god of?”
“I am the god of thunder and storm! Princess of Air Superiority!” Aerie shouted as she threw the hammer with all her might!
For whatever reason it never occurred to the Queen of the changelings to dodge that projectile headed right at her with alarming speed. She hastily threw up a shield around herself and felt the impact, the sound of cracking chitin, the sensation of lifting off her hooves, the impact of the window, and the shattering of glass filling her senses.
Aerie wasted no time in following Chrysalis, only to be slammed back by a powerful bolt of energy. Quickly, she scrambled to her hooves and rushed forward with renewed resolve blasting with her horn as she went out through the window, and Chrysalis, having overlooked the hammer, was dashed down as it returned. A moment later Aerie is high in the air, hammer in hoof, electricity crackling about her. Chrysalis flew up to meet her foe, bolts of energy coursing from her horn, the hammer blocking each bolt of energy. Aerie returned bolts of magic, and bolts of electricity followed up by throwing the hammer whenever she thought she'd a good shot.
With blow after blow, they try to break each other's resolve. Each tries to get past the other’s defense as they dart about the sky. Each takes hit after hit as they race about in an epic battle. Indeed the bolts of energy they cast at each other probably did more damage to the city than to each other. One moment a combatant is in the air and the next driven into a building or pavement. Each time the downed combatant would launch themselves right back into the fray. Now high overhead, now racing between buildings heedless of anything beyond the other. Both intent on destroying the other at all costs.
Aerie hadn’t expected to be swept outward along with the lings with the pulse of pure love-driven energy. Granted that at that moment she was no pony’s friend such was her blood lust. Even so, she could at least take solace in that it meant the lings were defeated. Cadance and Shining Armor reunited.
But no, she would not be denied her prey. Aerie had never cut loose like that and it felt good. Oh God, it felt good.
It didn’t take much for her to regain control of her flight, twist herself around, make her body into a missile, use her magic to force herself forward, and redirect her flight to intercept as a vapor cone formed in front of her.
Down she struck on the helpless form of the changeling queen.
Changeling wings simply couldn't handle those kinds of speed, Chrysalis’s attempt to regain control had ended with her wings being ripped off. Nor was one small determined pony bringing the hammer of the gods down on her something her worm-eaten mind could cope with. And now… Chrysalis lay in the bottom of a crater somewhere in the Everfree. Her assailant standing on the edge looking down at her. Where had this pony come from? A fox pony. Curse their entire race.
“Finish it!” Chrysalis shouted followed by coughing up green blood. The pony looked away. “Typical…” That was Celestia’s weakness after all. She simply didn't have it in her to do what had to be done if it should prove unpleasant.
No, she wasn’t turning away. A powerful beam of energy erupted from Aerie’s horn slicing through a tree trunk. Only when it was clear the tree would crush Chrysalis did Aerie truly turn away.
Chrysalis, her final thought was of her lings, her children. Somehow, somewhere deep inside her a well of love bubbled up and spread out to nourish any and all lings close enough to receive. Chrysalis gave all her love, without reservation, without holding back. The forest filled with light followed by the thunderous sound of the tree crashing down.
The silence was followed by weeping.
Aerie turned back to see a white alicorn with a long flowing pink mane crying where Chrysalis had been.
“Princess Amore?” Aerie was dumbfounded. Yes, she knew that mare and knew it wasn’t a changeling trick. And no, the tree hadn’t crushed her. Thanks to the crater. Aerie threw off her helmet and slid down into the pit. “All this time… it’s alright, everything is going to be alright.” Aerie tried her best to comfort the stricken mare.
“My own daughter,” Amore wailed as Sounds of Silence softly emanated from Aerie’s player, the amplification spell spent. “I cocooned my own daughter!”
“She’s free. Everything will be alright now…” Aerie’s words trailed off as the day grew dark. She looked up out of the hole to see the form of a large black dragon and shut off her tape player.
“Sirius Black, is that you? Please tell me that’s you.” Aerie was a little worried that she might be wrong. She’d lost the lance in the fighting, she still had everything else but wasn’t sure if she had enough left in her for another fight.
She was spent. Both had fought all out. Without reservation, neither gave the other any quarter.
“I am. Care to explain what just happened?”
“That might take a while, and I don’t think I’ve enough left in me to get out of here.”
“Fine,” he replied, grabbed the tree with his jaws, moved it, and then ordered the two ponies to climb up onto his back.
Amore was in one piece, physically, but she was just as spent as Aerie, more so, and emotionally broken. She was going nowhere on her own power. Sirius let out a sigh, picked each up in turn to deposit them on his back, and with surprising agility and grace lifted his great bulk up into the air. Together they glided silently over the Everfree.
It had taken less time to get to the Everfree from Canterlot than it took for Sirius to take them to the silver grove that marked the location of the portal to the islands of Akkadia. The grove was protected by a wall and a magical barrier, invisible to most observers that kept the creatures of the forest out. Unlike the creatures of the forest, Sirius Black was allowed in. He landed in a small clearing within the compound and unloaded his passengers in sight of several concerned guards. Sirius transformed to his pony form and folded up his wings.
“Remind me to never get between two alicorns when they fight,” Sirius offered as Aerie closed the gap between her and Amore.
“You were under a curse. She’ll forgive you. In time,” Aerie reassured Amore once more.
“You… you were going to kill me. What kind of pony are you?”
“Fox pony. And yes. Considering what you’d become can you blame me?”
“Well, no. I suppose not. Chrysalis certainly would. Still though. I never imagined… that there were ponies who…”
“Fox ponies are just wired differently. We only kill out of necessity but when called to do it we don’t hesitate. We become emotionally detached.”
“I see.”
“It was the curse that drove the mad queen’s actions. What you, what she did was contrary to order. Something Lings live by. Even if you had succeeded, it would have ended in disaster.”
“Pony society would have collapsed, the hive would flourish at first but there would be fewer and fewer ponies for lings to feed off of. Other races would guard their borders against all outsiders. With more lings than ever, it would be impossible to feed them all and then the hive would collapse. I just can’t understand why I couldn't see that?”
“Do you remember anything from before you became Chrysalis?”
“Chrysalis?” Sirius asked in an apprehensive tone. Sure, he’d seen a good deal of the fight, but he wasn’t close enough to see who was actually fighting. And yes, he’d heard tales of the Changeling queen.
“She’d been under a curse,” Aerie told him. “She wasn’t fully in control of her actions. She’s free of it now.”
“Sombra crystallized me in black crystals and dumped me in the swamp where he dumped all his rejects, along with all the other lings who lived in the Crystal City. Yes, I remember it. I remember every agonizing moment as though it happened yesterday. It was the lings who serviced the Chrystal heart. It was their lifeblood as well as our protection. We lived in symbiotic harmony.” She took a moment before adding, “He cursed us all. But how am I free of it now?”
“You must have tried to give your lings your love at the moment. A moment that should have been your last. That’s what breaks it. Doing something that is truly unselfish.”
“Hi, we’d like to help the two of you to our care facility,” offered a white unicorn with a nurse's hat on.
“About all I need is food, a nap, and then more food,” Aerie offered as she got to her hooves. She found that she was a bit on the woozy side. “Mr Black, if you could fetch my Luna, my mom. I might be in need of a little boost. And possibly let Twilight know that I’m alright.”
“You really went all out, didn’t you? You took a big risk. What if something had happened to you?”
“If you mean my quest, you know enough that you’d be able to finish the job. That and something did happen, I’d been captured. It was all or nothing. I’m just going to have to hope that everything I did was supposed to happen.”
“I see. I know about the ring, but you haven't said what else you are looking for.”
“A book. Riddle’s diary from when he was in school. His first. That’s when he killed Myrtle Warren. With any luck, it’ll fall into my hands in the coming school year. I didn’t want to say anything to anyone because if the person who had it got wind we are looking for it they might not follow the plan. Oh yes, there was a plan. The book was intended to be sacrificed. Or so my source said. This tells me just how much hubris that man had. It’d be the biggest chunk of his soul. It may well be the most dangerous piece, and if I don’t find it in time things could go horribly wrong.”
“You’re not talking about Sombra, are you?” Amore asked as she was helped to her hooves. “That sounds like the sort of thing he’d do. Break his soul into pieces. Why I ever took that ungrateful foal in I’ll never know.”
“No. Someone like him. A person bent on using unnatural magics, dark magics to indefinitely forestall death. And you took in Sombra because you are a good and kind pony.”
Aerie and Amore were escorted to a moderate-sized building with a wrap-around porch. Within there was a small waiting room, a couple of examination rooms, an office, a dozen double-occupant rooms, a bath, and two toilet facilities. The two were taken to one of the double occupancy rooms, and given a pitcher of water each. Aerie downed her water in one go right from the pitcher, and then removed the daggers and armor she had on. Amore had used the cups that had been brought but found that she’d been nearly as dehydrated.
“Hi, I’m Doctor Smock,” Offered a gray Pegasus on entering the room.
“Aside from some bruises, and over-extending myself, I’m fine,” Aerie offered. “What I need, what we need right now is food. Good rich food to replenish our bodies.”
“I… I seem to be fine,” Amore offered. “I… I literally had my wings ripped off only to be made whole and unharmed when the curse on me was broken. Other than that, I am hungry. I feel like I’m a brand new me. Except…”
“She’s going to need counselors.”
“And you don’t?” Doctor Smock asked.
“I’m not the one who enslaved a whole race. - Amore, don’t beat yourself up over that one, that was probably a good thing.”
“I imprisoned innocent ponies, drained them, and cast their husks out like trash. I imprisoned my own daughter and manipulated her colt friend... I invaded Equestria.”
“I see,” Doctor Smock replied as Aerie went to give her a hug. His eyes landed on the hammer. Aerie had placed it on the bedside table and out of curiosity he attempted to pick it up. It wouldn't budge. “Mr Black went over to the cafeteria to bring you some food.” He gave up on the hammer. “Anyway, I’ll still need to do an examination.”
“How can you be so…” Amore said as tears began to flow once more. “How can you forgive my actions so readily.”
“That wasn’t you. I forgive you just like Princess Celestia forgave Princess Luna. You are not Chrysalis any more than Princess Luna was Nightmare Moon.”
“Princess…”
“Nova (Aerie Potter) Moon. Let’s just stick with Aerie for now.”
“Princess, If I can just get you to look into this light…”
“Owe, I’m a night pony! I’ve got sensitive eyes.”
“Sorry, I’ll just turn it down a bit.”
“And…” Aerie prompted a few minutes later. “You done poking and prodding me? And yes, I’m probably going to be all stiff and sore in the morning.”
“You are covered in changeling slime, you are sweaty, your mane and tail are matted with mud, and Harmony knows what else that soaked through that armor you've dumped on the floor.”
“Changeling blood I’d imagine. I’m fully aware that I stink. I coughed up a lung full of Embryonic fluid this morning from being in one of those damned pods. We were nothing more than meat to be hung up, to them. I wasn’t pulling any punches.”
“And you’ve still a little fluid in your lungs. I’m amazed that you could do what you did at all. I’m going to have an herbalist make up a potion to clear that out, and the orderlies will get you cleaned up.”
“Ah, there you are,” Sirius offered from the doorway. “Food is on order, and we’ll get it to you shortly.”
“Well, Princess Aerie, I’m done with you. Princess…”
“Amore. She’s Princess Amore Krystallos of the Crystal Empire,” Aerie offered as an orderly beckoned her to follow them. - Princess Amore, you are going to be alright. And sorry about getting my muck all over you.”
“That… um… that’s alright.”
The doctor waited for her to leave before turning his attention back to Amore. “OK, I’ll need you to look into the light.”
“I feel fine… physically at least.”
“That hammer she’s got. Did she hit you with it?”
“Multiple times. Why?”
“Written on that thing in among the fancy designs it says in an ancient scrip, ‘Whomsoever doth wield this hammer, by Royal decree of his Highness King Tiwaz, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thunor.’ just thought you might like to know just how lucky you are to be in one piece.”
“She slammed me into the ground hard enough to create a crater and dropped a tree on me. I’d had my wings ripped from my body by the force of the wind, my body broken, and if not for the enchantment returning me to my true body… she fully intended to kill me and I don’t blame her.”
“I see... You are definitely going to need to see a counselor who specializes in trauma.”
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Chrysalis being her mother isn’t the weirdest thing. I remember on story where she was her sister. Apparently alicorns in that story are born in pairs. Needless to say once Twilight tells her friends she makes sure to tell them that they need to keep an eye on her because her brother hasn’t been showing the signs of instability, she has been.
awesome chapter.
i do not know the first song.
and you had me go digging threw my vinyl for my old sweet LP
there are so many good songs on the old gold.
this chapter was more awesome than Rainbow Dash
11758960
I think he wanted to get rid of his guilt for putting his wishes before his sister and since the only person who could end the guilt of what happened was his sister who was dead he believed that by using the hallow he could be free. He was forced to accept that you can't escape your conscience so easily.
11758737
If you've seen Guardians of the Galaxy, you should be familiar with it.
Now picture Lings getting slaughtered to the chorus of Come and Get Your Love. We are talking about some serious dark humor.
11758968
ok now i feel like a idiot how did i miss that one.
Cool, hope to see more of Amore.
Just an FYI. In the comic books Chrysalis was born from the rotted seed of a pony eating plant that fell into an underground lake of pure magic that was located underneath a graveyard that catered to all 3 pony tribes. She was then released from the underground chamber when Starswirl nailed a sign into an old, dead, tree causing it to split open and exposing her to sunlight for the first time. . . Now that I type it out, I have to wonder if Discord had anything to do with her birth.
11760248
The premise I'm working with is that King Sombra dumped Amore into that lake after she'd been turned into crystal. It's not a huge stretch to say that she was reborn as Chrysalis. And yes, I pretty much blame Discord for just about everything. Even so, King Sombra using that pool as a dumping ground would go a long way toward explaining the pool.