Peace at Last?

by Prince_Staghorn

The Season of Spirits, Part 3

INTERLUDE: THE SEASON OF SPIRITS, PART 2

THE CHANGELING CASTLE…

It was almost midnight. Twilight and Pinkie had left hours ago, and most of the changelings had partied out. The three diamond dogs had somehow ended up on the chandelier (with Rover in a stereotypical lampshade hat), and Staghorn was passed out on a pile of empty Dr. Whoover Golden cans. Hope was in a similar situation near the tub of cider, and Chrysalis was between them. Double sighed, shaking her head. They acted regal when they needed to, but if it was a party with alcohol, the three usually managed to pass out after several hours. Stag was a good husband, as well as a good father, but he could get carried away sometimes. At least he wasn’t as bad as Chrysalis. Double smiled, remembering the story Stag had told her about dragging his unconscious mother by her tail from Neighagra Falls to Appleoosa. She also remembered the revenge she had taken on him. Chuckling, Double looked to her left. There was a worker changeling with red eyes and wings that identified him as a Vanisher, a changeling capable of becoming invisible. This was Trace, the royal bodyguard. He was covered in scars, the most prominent ones being from his “initiation” to the honor of royal bodyguard. Like all the bodyguards, he was a gelding, so as not to be distracted in the line of duty. This was only required for bodyguards, not military officers like Double or Commander Shifter. Double winked at Trace.

“I take my husband, you take the queen?”

Trace nodded, grabbing the queen in his magic aura. Double placed Staghorn on her back. He mumbled.

“I love you, Double. I… *hic*… I know I don’t say it much, bu… *hic*… but it’s true. You and *hic* the kids are the world to me. You… *hic*… you remember the night we made that happen, right?” His eyebrows wriggled suggestively.

Double blushed a bright red. “All right, Stag, You’re drunk. Let’s get you up to the bed.”

“Oh, *hic* I see where this is going…,” Stag laughed before passing out. Double sighed.

“Sometimes you’re such an idiot.” She smiled and kissed him gently. “But I love you too.”

Staghorn snored softly in reply.

…

PONYVILLE…

Lyra looked out the window over the pristine snow. It was a full moon, and the snow was gleaming. She sighed.

Using a spell, she carefully changed the shape of her front hooves. Soon, she had a pair of well-developed hands. She had studied this spell as part of her research. Twilight knew the essentials of the Morphic Spell, but she had never actually practiced it. Lyra, given her interest in primates, had used it to figure out how hands worked. Now, she did it in her spare time, but only when she was sure no creature besides Shift was around. Now she turned to her lyre. Carefully picking it up, she played a serene song. The notes and her voice wafted out into the chill winter air.

The wind came down from the mountains cold,
And like a tide it roared and rolled,
The branches moaned, the forest groaned,
The leaves were laid upon the mould.

It passed the lonely mountain bare,
It swept above the dragon’s lair,
There black and dark lay boulders stark
And flying smoke was in the air.

It left the world and took its flight
Over the sea of Luna’s Night
Her moon set sail upon the gale,
Her stars were fanned to leaping light.

She knew it was merely a revised version, but she found the full song to be too long. She smiled. She put her hooves back to their proper shape, and went to her bed. Outside her window, an ash-grey shape moved past.

*

Skaar looked at the castle. He was a young Krampus, barely sixteen, and this was his first year visiting the changelings. He tightened his grip on the reins of his sleigh. Taking out his whip, he gave it a sharp crack. The seven Tundra Timberwolves shook the snow out of their pine-needle fur, and then took off, pulling the sleigh behind them. Behind the sleigh, the thirty Draugrs of Red Rimefrost’s elite guard rushed, silent as a northern wind.

The Draugrs could not cross the thresh holds of the doors, nor could they enter the windows. What they could do was some “house-riding.”

They jumped on the roofs and ran around screeching. The noise did not disturb the citizens of Ponyville, who were too far away to hear.

Skarr, however, simply got out of his sled, jumped to the top of the main building, checked his map of the secret passageways, walked up to the chimney, jumped straight up, performed a triple flip in midair, and did a perfect swan dive into the chimney.

…

SWEET APPLE ACRES…

Applejack looked up at the strange noise coming from the direction of the changeling castle. She grumbled. It was midnight, and there was a noise like… like…

“Now, don’t go foolin’ yerself, Applejack,” she muttered to herself. “That play’s just gettin’ ta you is all.”

She sighed. This holiday brought up mixed feelings for Applejack. She remembered the early years; Dad giving her presents, mom sitting on the couch and bouncing Applebloom on her knee, and Granny Smith making her special Hearth’s Warming apple pie.

Then the Chimera came.

*

10 YEARS AGO…

Applejack looked at the tree. Turning around, the little orange blank-flanked filly bucked the tree as hard as she could. Only a few apples fell, but she smiled nonetheless. Not far away, Granny was watching Applebloom, with Winona’s help. Mac was over near the forest, helping Mom and Dad.

That was when the roar shook the fields.

It was pure pandemonium. She heard Mom yelling to Mac to get her inside. There was fire, and a huge monster that looked like a Manticore, but with a head like a tiger with big fangs, a snake for a tail, a goat head coming out of its left shoulder, goat back legs, and something more intelligent than pure animal instinct in its eyes. She was frozen in fear as Mac scooped her up.

The three Apple children and their grandmother hunkered down in the cellar. They heard the screaming and roaring, as well as the sounds of hooves hitting flesh and breaking bone. When it was quiet, they all came out. There was the Chimera’s body, covered in hoof-shaped bruises and farm supplies. The family plow was wedged in its head, and various hoes, shovels, and scythes stuck out of its body. However, near the grove lay two still bodies.

Applejack screamed for three whole minutes, and then cried for an entire week, then just spent a month without saying a single word. When she came back from Manehattan, she took her dad’s hat, and simply put it on. She spoke three words.

“Ah’m ready now.”

*

Applejack sighed. She was only really scared of two critters: Chimeras (for obvious reasons), and Windigos. The screams of the Windigos… sounded like her mother’s death screams.

Applejack looked up at the sky. The screams had stopped now, but a small tear rolled down her cheek.

Two shooting stars appeared in the sky, as they always did when AJ was sad. She sniffled and wiped the tear away with a smile. Why was she moping? It was Hearth’s Warming, and her parents would have wanted her happy.

She smiled, and went back to sleep.

…

Skaar moved through the ducts used to cycle the cool air from the caverns into the castle, looking through the vents. First, a room with two royal changeling foals. Not what he was looking for. Next, he came to the room where he was informed the prince and his wife slept. He peeked through the vent, and then turned away, his face flushed red. That certainly was one way to celebrate the holidays. He continued onward.

He came to Chrysalis’s room after a several hours. Smiling, he burst through the wall. Chrysalis woke up and saw as the young Krampus waved his hand behind him, putting the bricks back into place. He turned to her.

“Attacking Canterlot, eh? Naughty Chryssie, ye should’ve known better than ta do a stupid thing like that!” He raised the Birch switches.

THWACK!
THWACK!
THWACK!

Chrysalis rubbed her flank in pain. Skaar smiled and took some still-burning coals from a special sack and placed them on Chrysalis’s windowsill. Then he was gone.

The sun rose on what promised to be a Happy Hearth’s Warming day.

Author's Note:

This is the final part of the Interlude. Stay tuned for part 2 of the fic!

Drunken Staghorn, Hope, and Chrysalis, as well as Stag's story about dragging his mother, the Dr. Whoover Golden cans, and Double's revenge are based on a fic by PrincessLuna11 called Discord Day Party, which features my characters.

Comments

[Prince_Staghorn]

And Here it is!

[The One With The Crystal]

poor Applejack. I still didn't cry.
ahahahahahahahahahahaha. Chrysalis had that coming to her.

[Prince_Staghorn]

2205356 I cried just writing it.
and yes. yes she did.

[Perteks]

Dah, there is somekind stupid bug what don't show yours new chapters in favorites messeages :/

[Prince_Staghorn]

2208708 Is that what the problem was? Hmmm... Well anyway, how do you like the holiday interlude?

[Caldoric]

The wind came down from the mountains cold,
And like a tide it roared and rolled,
The branches moaned, the forest groaned,
The leaves were laid upon the mould.
It passed the lonely mountain bare,
It swept above the dragon’s lair,
There black and dark lay boulders stark
And flying smoke was in the air.
It left the world and took its flight
Over the sea of Luna’s Night
Her moon set sail upon the gale,
Her stars were fanned to leaping light.

I'm sorry, I read this to the tune of the dwarves' song in the first Hobbit movie... It works rather well!

(Far o'er the misty mountains cold,
Through dungeons deep, and caverns old.
We must away, 'ere break of day,
To find our long forgotten gold...)

[Chucknorrissister]

“That certainly was one way to celebrate the holidays.”
Lmao