10. The Rain, the Sun, the End of the Run
“So that's it, huh?” Pumpkin kicked a rock into a pond. “We just wait and watch as Equestria throws itself into a war between ponies and changelings?”
Happy had gone over the events that led to the present from the Canterlot invasion to running away from home. He told everything—Queen Chrysalis’s plans for a coup and Nymph’s role as the pony face for changelings once the Equestrian throne has been seized.
“It will likely happen,” Happy said. “Now with Nymph missing from the hive for so long, I don’t know what my Queen will do.”
Pound shook his head. “Is there anything we can do? Anything you can do?”
He shook his head.
“So you just sit here and let the other changelings take over Equestria? Do you even care about Nymph or is she just a snack for you changelings?”
Happy stared hard at them. “Do you think I want this to happen?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “The only thing I gain from this is the hope that we changelings get to see another day without going hungry. But if changelings don't come out of this as winners, you might be witnessing the start of a slow extinction.”
New feelings welled up inside him. It twisted his insides like a red hot knife.
“I know she’s only a filly! She has nothing to do with our pain! She doesn’t deserve to be chained to the punishment we bring ourselves!”
Without looking at them, he could tell what faces they were making. Sympathy oozed out of the two ponies. Whether it was for their lost friend or the dire situation of changelings, he didn’t know. Even if it was for him, it was underserved—he was a changeling and they were ponies.
He continued: “That little filly is the hope that things will be different for the better because she is the only pony that could ever understand a parasite like me.” He thought he felt something wet slide down his cheek. “That's why I need to find her.”
After a long silence, Pumpkin stepped forward. “Nymph is our friend. We’ll help you, Happy.”
“What can you do?” Happy asked.
“The only thing we can do,” she said. She stood up and looked at Happy and then Pound. “Be there for her.” She began walking with Pound following beside her.
The changeling stomped a hoof. “No! It’s too dangerous for you two,” he said. “You’ll be risking your lives by getting caught up in this fight.”
Pound and Pumpkin trotted ahead, ignoring the changeling’s warnings. “How do we get to her?” Pound asked. “Ponyville is a long way from here.”
They neared the entrance to the castle as they aimlessly walked. Happy grew more anxious the closer they got. “Are you two even listening to me?!”
He nearly bumped into the twins as they suddenly halted. “Wait… Isn’t that...?” Pumpkin began.
Trotting towards the main doors to the castle was a small pony—a black speck escorted by immaculately white guards. “Holy moly! It is!” Pound shouted.
The twins sprinted towards the gates. “Nymph! Nymph, wait!”
A guard armed with a spear blocked their passage. “No entry without an appointment.”
“But that’s our friend!” Pumpkin shouted, trying to see past the guard.
“An appointment is still required,” he said resolutely.
“But—”
A pair of hooves wrapped around the foals’ shoulders.
Happy smiled to the guard as he held them. “So sorry to have bothered you. You know how easily excited kids are.” He started pushing them away from the guard. “Come along now, dear niece and nephew. You've had your fun. Leave the guard to his duties.”
They felt an uncomfortable squeeze on their shoulders as Happy led them away. They strode away from the castle, heading into an alley away from public view with Happy still holding the two ponies.
When they had reached a dead end, Pumpkin swatted away Happy’s hoof. “Where are you taking us? Nymph is back at the castle!”
The changeling let out a sigh, giving an annoyed look. “You two have a lot to learn about changelings,” Happy scolded. “The first thing to know about changeling infiltration is that there are always other ways to get in.”
He walked over to a sewage cover, popping off the lid leading into the sewer.
Pumpkin wrinkled her nose. “Gross, we’re going down there?” she asked, but Happy had already begun climbing down the ladder.
Pound and Pumpkin gave each other a look before descending after the changeling, allowing the darkness to swallow them up. A light blue glow surrounded Pumpkin’s horn as she concentrated. What little illumination they had gave them enough light to see. The entire sewer system was built from stone. Something had scurried in the corner of their vision, escaping the reach of their light.
Happy continued to trot ahead even as they scrambled to keep up. The repulsive smell was almost enough to make the ponies lose their lunch.
“Agh! It stinks!” Pound shouted, covering his nose.
“You don't have to follow me,” Happy said.
“We’re going,” the twins both stated with absolute finality.
Happy grunted to himself, knowing he was dealing with children.
“So…” Pound began. “What's the second thing we need to know about changelings?”
The uniformly layered stone bricks changed as soon as they turned a corner of the sewer passage. Along the stone wall was a large gaping hole leading elsewhere. The light from Pumpkin’s horn couldn’t reach the end of whatever lay beyond the entrance.
“The second is knowing your way around a cave,” Happy said as he trotted into the dark opening, like a great open maw of a horrific beast.
Pumpkin swallowed the lump in her throat. “No turning back,” she said.
Pound placed a hoof on her shoulder. “No turning back,” he said as they cautiously entered.
The path had narrowed considerably the further they walked until it was only as wide as a grown pony. Like the catacombs described in only Daring Do novels, it seemed to keep going on as a long winding path, occasionally branching into others. However, the path eventually widened as rocky walls revealed embedded crystals of varying sizes, glistening in Pumpkin’s light. Pound and Pumpkin let out sounds of awe when they entered a spacious opening.
“How long has this been here?” Pound asked.
Happy began climbing atop a pile of rocks that sloped towards the ceiling. “Since the last invasion,” he said, tossing a couple of stones and giving a few knocks on a particular spot. “The cavernous mines are like a maze. To the unprepared pony, they will be lost for a while. But if you’re a changeling that knows its way around secret passages like me...”
He pushed against a large stone. Gravel and loose dirt fell as he dug his way up. His efforts were rewarded when light poured into the dark tunnels, reflecting off the crystals. Pumpkin and Pound followed after Happy through the opening.
“Are we in?” Pound asked as he peeked outside.
Pumpkin shoved him out and looked around with a disappointed frown. “This just looks like an old shed.”
“Because it is an old shed,” Happy answered, pushing a crate to cover the hole. “It’s used to keep tools to maintain the castle’s garden and pristine outer appearance.”
“Why are we in some old shed?” Pound asked.
He peeked out the door. “Just one of the many unused routes of the invasion plan,” Happy said. ”Of course, my Queen will never enter a pony’s place like this. Too undignified. She will try to find another way while harvesting love for herself.”
Seeing no other pony around, he walked out, motioning to Pound and Pumpkin to do the same.
They sneaked through the castle gardens towards the main building. As they moved, Pumpkin gave another look around. “Have you noticed the lack of guards around this part of the castle?”
“Yeah, where are they?” Pound added.
Happy muttered to himself under his breath. “No guards…” Realization struck him as a sense of dread washed over his features. “It’s already started. We have to find Nymph before things get worse!”
“What's happening?”
“From what I can assume, the guards are heading right into a diversion. With no warning, they'll be thrown into a state of panic and chaos. The changelings will start attacking!”
“Hey, look up there!” Pumpkin pointed towards the sky.
“Looks like a fight.” Pound squinted his eyes. “Is it just one changeling? I think it just fell.”
“Oh, horseapples! It’s Nymph!” Pumpkin shouted.
“Happy, we have to save her now!” Pound yelled. But there was no response from the changeling. “Happy?”
When they turned to the changeling, he was no longer there and had already gone ahead, flying towards Nymph as fast as he could with his pegasus wings and catching her with open arms.
They watched as their friends fell to the earth, watched their friends plummet to the ground like a raindrop. Nymph—a droplet of a filly and wondrous amazement, held in the arms of a thimble of a changeling.
~~~~~~~
Moments before...
Another grand set of doors stood before me, just as large as the other.
With a pegasus guard beside me and another guard gone to announce the princess of my arrival, I couldn’t help but tremble. My legs felt too heavy to move.
“Nervous, kid?” the pegasus asked. As with most of the guards, his coat was white, but the differences between them were more obvious than between changelings. “It’s usually like that at first meeting with Princess Celestia, but it’ll be alright.”
I didn't say anything, only nodding my head at his words.
The doors opened, revealing a large room with a long red rug and high ceilings held by pillars. Stained glass windows covered the walls from floor to ceiling with pictures of ponies, most of whom I recognize, especially the purple mare.
My hooves echoed as I crossed the room and stood before the throne. A mare stood by it with a paper and quill ready, and sitting there, the princess watched with a patient smile. The pony who sat before me must have been at least three times my size and at least a full head taller than most of the ponies I've seen. She could probably stand as tall as my mother. Maybe taller.
Like Princess Twilight, she had a horn and wings. Her long mane stood out the most with the way it flowed in a nonexistent breeze. It's almost hypnotic. Her face practically radiated in the sunlight.
She reminded me of someone, strangely, but I couldn't quite remember where. Someone darker? Maybe someone in a crowd. When I saw her, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.
“Wow, you must be the biggest pony I have ever seen,” I said.
One of her ears twitched, but her face didn't show any reaction. It was like she was wearing a mask—no real show of her feelings. She might as well have been those pony statues from Rarity’s boutique. Nothing about her expression was right. She's had too much practice trying to hide her real expression.
“Hello, my little pony,” she greeted.
The way she said that sent a shiver down my back like a trickle of cold water. Standing before her while she sat on her throne, I felt very, very small.
“For what reason have you come seeking my audience?” she asked.
“Are… Are you the princess?” I hesitantly asked.
She allowed a small grin under her mask and nodded. There was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. Maybe curiosity.
“For over a thousand years, I have ruled the lands of Equestria and risen the sun each day.” Her great white wings flared to their full span in a dramatic show before nestling at her sides. “To answer your question, yes, I am.”
Unsure of what to do, I kneeled before her. “Princess, my name is Nymph, and I need your help.” This was it. Everything I’ve done has led me to this moment. My eyes met hers. “My friend is in danger. If there's one pony who ponies will listen to, it’s you, isn’t it? Princess Twilight will surely listen to you.”
One of her brows raised slightly. “Twilight Sparkle? She has been my faithful student for a very long time. What has happened?”
I felt my bravery start to crumble, but I pushed through.
“A lot of things happened. She hurt my friend and has him right now. I need your help, please!”
The princess allowed a frown on her face. “That doesn't sound like Twilight at all. What was the cause of her actions?”
“Er… uh, because…” I was stammering, trying to find a good way to phrase my sentence. I couldn't even look her in the eyes.
“A changeling…” I mumbled quietly.
One of her ears twitched. “Excuse me? Care to repeat that?”
I swallowed my saliva to ease my dry throat. “Because of a changeling.” I cringed at the last word.
All sound in the room vanished.
A veil of uneasiness had settled into the room. The pony that had been recording the exchange stopped writing after I uttered those words. The guards grew stiff, judging by their tense faces.
Lastly, there was the princess. Her face seemed to harden, though it was very hard to tell. There was a change in her expression that could've gone unnoticed if one wasn't paying close attention. The slight furrow of her brow. The brief falter in her otherwise calm demeanor. The muscles in her jaw tightening.
The radiance that once came from her seemed to cast a shadow around the features of her face, and that face held a hidden tiredness.
She pushed the conversation along, nevertheless.
“My, how awful,” she said, giving me a pitiful look. She gave me an assuring smile, despite the tension in the room. “I have recently received a report of a changeling in Ponyville by my former student, but do not worry. We will find where the changeling has taken your friend and safely return him.”
I shook my head. “No no, you don't understand. My friend wasn’t taken by a changeling. He is a changeling,” I said. My hooves found themselves clasped over my nervously beating heart. “Please. My friend has always been a changeling for as long as I’ve known him, and I need you to tell Princess Twilight to let him go.”
I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, and it made me wish I was anyone else but me right now. I felt like a freak, like I didn’t belong even though I looked more like them than any changeling I’ve met.
Judging by the look on Princess Celestia’s face, she hadn’t expected to hear those words coming from me. Her smile had cracked, revealing her shock and confusion. I had honestly expected anger or even disgust, but she looked like she couldn’t understand where I came from, as if a filly from an unknown world dropped in front of her.
After some time thinking and perhaps carefully choosing her next words, she asked, “Why have you befriended a changeling?”
I glanced at my hooves, if only to avoid looking at the princess in front of me for just a moment. “Well… I live with them. My whole life actually. This is my first time seeing Equestria, you see.”
Her horn glowed briefly, and her eyes widened slightly. “You aren't a changeling.”
I nodded slowly. “I know.”
She held a hoof to her chin. “Tell me. Where are your parents?”
Hesitation gripped my tongue. She means my real parents. My pony parents. The ponies who only came to my world’s existence in these short few days.
“I don't know.”
She nodded slowly, holding a hoof under her chin. “This is quite serious.”
“Princess Celestia?” I asked. What is she planning?
Princess Celestia gave two stomps of her hooves. “Guards!” she bellowed, causing the guards in the room to stand at attention. “Take her to the castle infirmary for medical examination.”
My eyes widened as the guard marched to my side. “What about my friend?”
She forced a smile on her face, as if trying to dismiss the tension in the room. “I will meet with my student about the changeling matter. For now, we will make sure you’re healthy. Then, we will find your family for you. Doesn't that sound nice?”
Even though I heard the words, I just couldn't believe it. “No…” I shook my head. “No, you can't do that!” I pleaded.
There was a frown, which I imagine comes from how rare someone challenges her authority. ”I’m sorry, but this discussion is over.”
“Come on. Let’s go,” the pegasus whispered to me.
I ignored him. “I don't want a new family! The changelings are already my family!”
Pitiful eyes look down on me. “You're confused. Your real family isn't with them.”
“I know who my family is!” I shouted back. "The one I've known all my life, the one who has raised me to be a respectable princess is my mother—Queen Chrysalis."
A gasp came from the mare beside the princess, but the princess made no reaction.
My body trembled, either in anger or in fear. Maybe both. But I had to stand up for the changelings and my mother. If I don't, who will?
Princess Celestia's lips moved. "Do you have any idea what happened years ago, here in Canterlot?"
I let out a shuddering breath. “I know about the invasion, and I know they eat love. I can also put together how they get their love. But after all those awful things they did, don’t you think maybe they can change?”
“People can’t change that easily, Nymph,” she said.
“But not impossible,” I added.
She stared at me for a while with the same pitying look on her face before closing her eyes. “I think some rest will help clear your mind.” She looked at the guard. “If you would, please.”
I stomped a hoof. “Don’t do this! You’re making a big mistake!” A firm hoof touched my shoulder to lead me away, but I swatted at it. “They're all I have left!” I bawled on the floor as the stallion picked me up and carried me away on his back. “Don’t do this…”
What I needed most right now was for somebody—anybody—to listen to me. But no adult would listen to a child’s words. Even if they did, how could anyone possibly understand what I’m going through right now? When your confidence is shaken and your world is shattered, you can’t help but cry and wish things were better.
So that’s what I did.
The stallion carried me out of the room as the princess began a hushed discussion with her advisor.
“The princess will find you a nice home,” he said reassuringly. “You'll see.”
I couldn’t find the right words to say and whimpered miserably.
We walked the halls, which were strangely empty of the guards that once dotted every corner and door like statues.
“Where is everyone?” he mumbled to himself.
Another pony, this time a unicorn, ran by us. She’s wearing a black dress with a frilly white apron.
“Hey, where are all the guards?” he asked her, while I kept my gaze on the ground.
“A changeling was spotted in the castle maze! Guards are being relocated outside to capture it before it reaches the princess. I've been notified to tell any remaining guards to keep Princess Luna locked in the safety of her room.”
The guard nodded. “Let me bring this filly somewhere safe, while you find someplace to hide.”
“I will, but I first need to warn Princess Celestia,” she said.
When I finally spared a glance at this new pony, I couldn't believe what I saw. For a moment, I caught a glint in the pony’s eye when she looked at me. I could already see those sharp green eyes being on a tall changeling’s face.
She knew. I knew. She and I should have reached the same thought: What are you doing here?
We both stared at each other until finally, the mare broke away.
“I have to go now,” she said hurriedly and galloped away out of sight.
The guard brought me to a nearby room filled with beds surrounded by curtains.
The stallion put me on the bed and began closing the curtains around it. “Stay in here and hide. Don't come out of hiding and don't open the door to anyone else. Got it?”
I blinked and nodded wordlessly.
He left in a hurry and closed the door.
I slowly walked to the door and put my ear against it, listening to his fading hoofbeats. When all was quiet, I opened the door just a crack. The hall was empty both ways. I took that as my cue to leave.
That was Mother. I was sure of it. But, what should I say to her? There were so many things to talk about, and to do that, I have to go back to the throne room. There was just one problem. The castle was very large, and I had no idea where I was in it.
It was while I was wandering down the hall that three earth pony guards rounded a corner.
“You there! Halt!” one of them shouted.
Uh oh. I turned and ran.
They gave chase. “Stop!”
Being bigger than I was, they were going to catch up to me. I ran through a door and up a spiraling staircase, leaping five steps at a time. My wounded leg still ached, and my breath was ragged. All the excitement and traveling was catching up to me.
When I got to the top, I threw the door behind me. There wasn’t anywhere to run up here. I was on top of a tower overlooking all of Canterlot. With my hooves leaning on the railing of the balcony, I could see all of Canterlot too. The ponies below looked like ants. It looked like a fight was going on at the castle entrance. Ponies fighting each other from the looks of it. What was going on? Thundering hooves could be heard behind the door.
The door flew open with a bang.
Before I could turn around, a heavy weight pressed down on my back and a pair hooves wrapped around my chest and neck.
“Hold its legs! We don't want this one to escape!”
“Let go!” I screamed, kicking and squirming. I was scared. They were hurting me. My teeth latched onto one of his hooves, and I bit down hard. There was a shout. His grip loosened, and I took that chance to butt him with the back of my head and kick him between the legs.
I was free of the weight pressing on me as I pulled myself out from under the guard. But my hooves couldn't find a railing or ground. There was nothing solid around me.
Realization sunk in quick. I was tumbling in the air and very much falling like an apple bucked from a tree. My mane whipped in the wind, and the world was spread out below me with lands as vast as the sky. Without the fear of plummeting to my death, I imagine this was what it was like to fly—hovering between the world below and the sky above.
I'm falling… I thought. I tried my best. There was still so much to do and so much to see. I only came across a fraction of Equestria, still yet to visit more. I thought it would be even better to have seen Equestria with Chrysalis. Eyes closed, I waited.
Caught by surprise, I slammed into something, knocking the wind out of me. A pair of hooves wrapped around my body. My eyes opened. It was a black pegasus. Even when he made himself look older, I could recognize him in an instant.
“Happy!”
He was struggling to keep us in the air as we hurtled towards the ground in an uncontrolled spiral. “Hang on tight!” he yelled over the rushing wind.
My hooves were losing their grip around his barrel. “I’m slipping!” I cried. “Happy, I can't hold on!”
“Nymph, look at me!”
My eyes were shut, too scared to watch the ground growing closer. “I can't!”
“Look at me!” he screamed.
I opened one eye towards his face.
“You’ll be fine,” he said. “I won't let anything bad happen to you.”
Both eyes were open now to see his warm toothy smile.
He glanced below and tightened his grip. “Hold on!”
The sound of branches ripping as we tore through the leaves filled my ears. We smacked through every tree branch on the way down until finally landing in a bush. My head and everything hurt. But I was alive.
A hoof prodded my side. “Nymph...” Happy called.
When my eyes fluttered open, Happy threw his hooves around me, stroking the back of my head as he held on. “Don't you ever scare me like that.”
As much as I wanted to hold him, I shoved him away and threw my head behind the bush. Horrible sounds came from me as I emptied my poor tummy. My heart was still racing, and everything felt terrible. With watery eyes, I finally threw my hooves around Happy.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked, burying my face into his chest. “I’m sorry...”
He looked unsure what to do with his hooves before finally settling on patting my back. “I should be the one apologizing for putting you through all this.” A sigh escaped his lips. “I’ve failed as your guardian.”
“No, it’s my fault,” I said. “You did nothing wrong. It was all my idea. I should have been more responsible.” I held onto him a little longer until finally saying the thing that had been on my mind: “I talked to the princess about changelings.”
He stiffened.
"Why…?" I asked.
“It’s the life of a changeling… I’m a fraud,” he said. “We don’t feel things the way normal ponies do. It’s all an act. A skill in survival.”
“But haven’t you ever wished you were wrong and that all those things you feel are real?”
“All the time,” he answered.
"And what about me? Were you ever my friend? Or was that a lie too?"
A look into his eyes told me the truth, but he said it anyway. "Our friendship is not a lie nor will it ever be."
Tears began gathering in my eyes, which he brushed away with a hoof. A smile made its way to my lips. Despite all the things I had been through, I was glad there were some things that stayed the same.
Our tender moment was interrupted by a pair of bodies tackling me to the ground.
“Nymph!”
Even with my body still aching, I still managed a smile at seeing the two ponies I had come to know recently. “Pound! Pumpkin! You're here! I thought you were in Ponyville!"
Pumpkin gave me a squeeze. “Well, we were but then you ran away, and we knew something was wrong!”
“I don’t understand. How did you find me?” I asked.
My eyes drifted towards Happy, who only gave a heavy sigh. “It’s a long story.”
Their explanation was incredible to say the least. Running from the princess? Magicians and secret passages? Now that we were together again, I couldn’t help but laugh, which had felt like something I hadn’t done in a long time. It was just good to see them again after all that I’ve been through. Even though I had known Pound and Pumpkin for only a short time, they had done so much to find me.
“I'm so glad to see you again,” I said, wrapping my hooves around them. “I'm so sorry for running off without telling you what was going on.”
“It’s fine, Nymph,” Pound said, giving me a comforting pat. “It’ll be okay once we get back to Ponyville.”
I broke up our hug. “No. We have to go to the throne room where Princess Celestia is.”
“Are you kidding me?!” Pumpkin shouted. “After all we went through?! If you haven't noticed, there is a fight going on! Getting further in isn’t going to be easy.”
“Well, getting to Canterlot wasn’t easy for me either,” I said. “I've crossed a desert, fought monsters, nearly drowned, and fell out of a tower just to get to where I am now. Nothing stopped me then. Nothing’s going to stop me now.”
Pumpkin shook her head. “This is crazy…” she mumbled.
“Well, maybe it is. We have to help my mother, even if she’s a changeling.” I blinked the tears away, trying desperately to wipe them away. “I need to save her."
Happy moved between me and Pumpkin. “This isn’t your fight. Changelings and ponies are destined for conflict. Nothing you can do can change that. You’ll only get hurt.”
“I have to do this,” I said. “There are people that need my help. It doesn’t matter who they are.”
Happy closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, so full of conflicting feelings. Pitiful eyes finally opened to look at me, searching for hope. “What can you do? You’re only a child.”
In those eyes, I saw myself for what I was—a ragged, tired little filly who has seen and been through so much. “I know that… I know I’m a child. That’s all I ever was to begin with, and not much has changed since I left the hive. I never understood anything, and it was because I was still a child.” A small smile slipped from memories of my time in Equestria. I thought about how a changeling queen felt about her place in a world of ponies and how lonely she felt, and I thought about how less lonely she must be when I came into her life. “But still, it's my duty as a princess and her daughter. It’s a chance to do something right for once.”
A heavy sigh left his lips. “You know there’s going to be another confrontation between the princess and the queen, and there is going to be a winner and a loser. What makes you so sure you’ll make a difference?” he asked.
I smiled, trying to copy the grin he always gives me. “Things’ll be different this time. It has to.”
For what felt like the first time in ages, he chuckled and then I saw him smiling that smile of his. Even as a pegasus, two of his teeth still seem to stick out as he smiled. “You ponies are always too optimistic for your own good.”
“But you like them just the same,” said Pound.
Coughing behind a hoof, Happy tried hiding his embarrassment. “I do not,” he stated.
Pumpkin bumped her flank against him. “Do too! You care about Nymph and to some extent, I think you even care about us,” she teased.
“Nymph fell under my responsibility. She would be sad if anything had happened to you two.”
“Say all you want, but deep down you care about us, too.”
His eyes fell on me with a softened look. “Perhaps,” he said. “It’s not often a changeling puts its trust in a pony. But if there is one pony I should place my trust in, it’s Nymph.”
A grin made its way to my lips. “I love you too, Happy. You and Mother and every changeling in the hive.”
He furrowed his brows.“Careful when saying that to a changeling.”
“Why not? Love makes life worth living.”
~~~~~~~
In her throne room, Princess Celestia was in the middle of discussing with her aide, Raven Inkwell, of the matter about the little filly that had been escorted out of the room by one of her guards.
“Would you like me to send a message to Princess Twilight Sparkle about the missing filly, Your Highness?” Raven asked.
“No, I will personally write to her. I would like to hear what my former student has to say about this.”
A knock came at the door before opening to reveal a lone earth pony mare. Her attire showed her occupation as one of the castle’s maids.
“Raven, would you please excuse us? There’s something I need to talk to Sundance about.”
The pony looked between the princess and the new arrival unsurely before leaving the room.
Celestia glanced at the guards in the room. “Guards, would you please escort Miss Inkwell safely to where she needs to?”
The guards in the room left without a word, leaving Princess Celestia with the earth pony, whose expression morphed into a frown once they were alone.
The alicorn’s eyes held a sad look as she stared at the pony. “I hope you’ve come here to talk things peacefully.”
“I’m afraid not,” she replied.
The distance between them closed as Celestia stepped off her dais and the mare walked forward. There wasn’t a hint of fear or uncertainty on either of their faces nor was there falter in their steps.
“We’ve clashed once before. There will probably be many more conflicts to come.” A heavy sigh left Celestia’s lips. “There really is no other way, is there?”
The mare’s eyes bore into the princess—a look of pure wrath, harbored over the years and soaked in the desire of vengeance.
“No.”
Celestia matched her stare with her own unrelenting resolve. “Is this really worth it?”
The mare’s outfit caught fire, burning the pony’s fur and flesh away, leaving behind charcoal skin. There was no scream of pain but instead came laughter brought by some twisted, dark humor. It filled the great hall, where once an alicorn lay crumpled before a changeling.
When her laughter had subsided, the changeling queen looked at her pony equal without a hint of a smile on her face. “For my changelings, love is worth dying for.”
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The last part confusing me
9802141
If it is, then it's probably because it's the least looked over/edited part for me.
Well, they're back together at least!
Now that they have a changeling escort progress back to the throne room should be a cinch, no?
It's a little odd how dismissive Celestia was of her apparent lack of parents and assumption that she would be satisfied in foster. Like, barely two sentences of consolation or assurance other than "well fix it, don't worry your brainwashed mind".
It's also odd that a maid telling the guard to sequester Luna away. We suppose panic and being off-guard (heh) let that faux pas slice by unnoticed.
It's too bad Nymph didn't get in any healing. Everyone's gotta be so tired after all the activity they've been doing today...
Keep going! ;)
Well, quite the enjoyable story so far. Just came across it a bit ago and now I’ve caught up. Looking forward to how little Nymph solves this conflict.
It's alive!
Hopefully it doesn't go dormant again, that's quite the cliffhanger!
I have forgotten this story even existed, it wonderful to re-read this story again, here hoping that we won't have to wait for months for an update
Will we be getting the next update anytime soon?
9820144
Been having a busy month so far. If I can get 2-3 all-nighters, I might be able to finish this.
Whats the word, hmmm... Ah, yes.
MOAR!!!!!
When next AWESOME chapter!?
How soon until the next chapter comes out?
9876764
Working on the last chapters. I'm trying to finish within the week of the series' finale ever since I heard about it. Been busy for the past months but I managed to get some free time for the next few days.
9877273
I await the conclusion!
Ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny!
here it is the boiling point, the point of no return, the moment of approaching the finale of a good story