> Changing White > by Nighthunter13 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue "End and a new start" > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prolog: My name is Peder Fenrisson mid 30-ish Swedish man with blond closely cropped hair, deep blue eyes, whiteish skin. Cloth in blue jeans, steel toe work boots, black M90 jacket (Swedish military jacket) with a black/white camo backpack with pins like ' i'm not weird, i'm gifted. nukleare/chemical varning signs. nat 20 with a 20 side dice'. Yeah i'm live and breath roll playing game like dnd, 40k black crusade and more, i'm also a brony but that's not as openly shown well my friends know I am one. I'm on my way to work early in the morning 5 am to get to the train station, f-ing first shift work well the pay is good. Greyish cloud cover hang heavy in the sky with light rain. 'Might rain heavy later hopefully I'm on the train before it starts'. I though for my self. As my eyes scan the sky and lower the to look at the train station I see the train its purple color cutting the greyish gloomy world. As I come to the crosswalk I take out my smart phone as I stop to look at the time I'm meet with a background of Princess Luna in a black hoodie and a black mug hover with her magic, a faint smile crosses my face until I see the time 'Shit 5.14 am, the train roll out at 5.20 am' a bit of panic fills my body with a quick look right to left to see if there are cars coming, with none in sight I dash over the crosswalk and start crossing the parking lot to head to the rampart for the train platform. That's how everything change with a revving engine I lock my eyes on a white BMW headlights at full speed moving at me, I throw my self forward to get out of the way but it turn against the same way 'fuck' was the last thing that went through my head as felt my body bend in a bad way and my head hit the hood of the car and everything goes black. _______________________________________________________ Lauren has laid herself down on the stomach like a pony-loaf and is listen on my explanation on the television and the basic knowledge of the show for her, she has been asking some questions about her daughters 'Celestia and Luna' and I tell her what I know by the show and comics. "- and so Twilight takes over to rule Equestria and both Celestia and Luna goes into pension." I end my explanation. She looks at me with her eyes filled with motherly love and happiness. "It's wonderful to know that they treasure each other." Then she hmms as she looks me over. "I don't know exact time I can send you. But I will send you close to that timeline and you can help my little pony's." she gives me a nod, I respond in kind. "Thanks Lauren." Lauren rises to her hooves and her horn light up with a golden magical aura and I start to glow in the same golden aura. "Good luck and have fun and tell my daughters that I love them." I start too feel dizzy and with a flash and boom i am gone from limbo. > 001 New world, new me. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I open my eyes. It's dark but still some dime light with bit of redness that seem too be filtered by some sort of fine skin. My body is stiff with a comfy warmth, try moving my body is slow Like a brick moving through thick honey, I guess I am in a pod or something. I think, then I start moving slow, really slow but what comes out of my forehead gets in contact with the skin the pressure on the tip and my head feels heavy but I need to push and push I did. The skin is starting to give and give it did with a ripe and flush I hit the ground hard. The red goo did little to stop me from hit it really hard, I start to cough launching the red goo from my lungs and tears flow form the eyes now shut because of the pain. After an 5-6 minutes later I have calm down the pain a distant memory. Opening my eyes I seem to be in a room, the light is dim like i lighting is set on the lowest setting, on the floor where I lay the red goo is mixed thick layer of dust. "That is not a good sign" I say to myself hearing my voice for the first time, yeah I'm a young girl with a two tone voice, about early teen years I might be a nymph, well then am I really a princess?. My eyes look at a pair of ghostly white arms (fore legs), well they are equine changeling legs with hole and all with patches of red goo sticking to it. But why I am I white shouldn't they be black. Leaving the color to the back burner I start to pull my legs close to me and try to rise, with the goo under me making is a bit of a challenge but with work and focus I become standing. "Good, now that's the first part. Now to start moving." I say to the silent room. I think back to how the equine move right fore leg then left back leg. Let's try is out as I move my legs with the focus of trained master I slip, letting out a scream totally girly scream that ends instant as I hit the floor hard, with a pain spreading on my right side I lay there in the silence. As the pain fades, I roll back the my stomach and try again. This time I shuffle my legs not lifting them and so I move to the end of the goo pool. As I set my hooves on solid dusty floor I start look around. I'm in a oval big room wall made out of dark grey rock with a dull shine hoof made, the roof seems to be the same but in a dome form with big white crystal in the center that give off a dime light, I turn my head right ta the end of the oval there are two doors the left one close, the right is standing ajar. 'Hm, is that a bathroom I see behind the right door? I thought to my self, as I focus I can see a circular thing on the floor might be a bath. Well I look at that later. Turning my head left I see three bookshelf on the right wall 2 meter high filled with books, at the end of them is a door with a bookcase blocking it. As my eyes continue left I see oval shape mirror, then my eyes lock on a throne like chair sits a dry husk of a dead changeling queen behind her is a desk with a chest on it. I start walk slowly towards the dead queen slow with a steady focus my eyes never leaving the queen. As I get closer I see a red crystal between her back legs like its resting on the seat waiting for something, I let my sight wonder up and down her body she is covered in a layer of dust. That don't hide her colors, she looks like Chrysalis same size, black chitin but with red mane and tail both reach her knee, her wing cover is in the same color her head is laying back on the backrest eyes shut mouth open. As my eyes lock it's sight on a hole Is that a hole in her chest? What killed her? I turn my head right of her and lock eyes on the bookcase that blocks the door. And is she the one that made the bookcase to block the door? Was she locked in here? and why? I turn my sight back to her then the red crystal, I lift my right hoof the touch it as I do it starts to glow. I back peddle in panic and hit bookshelf behind my and few books fall to the floor, one hit my head then the floor but I didn't care as my eyes where lock on the red crystal as it glow stronger. A hologram comes alive it's the queen in all her glory she stands tall, prideful eyes sharp with a determination, then they change to a motherly love as she speaks. "My name is Tek'nistar (spoken as Tech ni star) I am queen of the Everfree hive 'She tsk her tongue'. "Former queen, My child, my daughter. As you wake up and is listening to this message I am long dead as I stored all the love I had left in chest on the desk then toke my own life so I wouldn't go feral and attack you. 'She takes a deep breath and her eyes look sad.' "Sorry I can't be there for you and guide you my child but you're probably the only one left alive in the hive" 'She turn her head left as her horn glows the sound of something crashing as she turn her head fowards she continue.' "Sorry my child it seems that dose things tried to enter my room. You will have questions and many of them. But I can't answer them I will tell you what happened in the hive." 'She takes a new deep breath' " 6 weeks ago one of my changeling hunter found a blue and white mushroom and toke them back the hive, we analyze them but didn't hind anything wrong with them. So one of the drone ate some the see if we can live on them." 'With a sigh she continue.' "It only toke three days and the drone was gone and lost from the hivemind. Then more of them vanish without a trace. That's when we found them they had been corrupted by the blue mushroom as it was growing from their body, eyes changed color form red to blue. We tried to use all we could to stop them but they didn't care if they got hit by weapons or magic. It's like they where walking corpses no blood no life." 'She sags a bit then straitens and focus again.' "We lost the hatchery, so I commanded your pod be moved from nursery to my personal quarters so I could save you. I also send for help from other hives but none returned, don't know if they didn't get pass those things or left us for death." 'The queen spits the last part. Then she lock eyes with me or is that a play of the hologram?' "My child. This crystal will transfer all my knowledge to you, you will be in pain. But fight through it, your my child a princess of this hive and my heir. With that I will give you a strong name. Your name shall be "Tec'ondra" it means strong flame, wear the name well my daughter." 'the queen eyes my mothers eyes are filled with sad motherly love as the hologram starting to disappear my head explode with pain the headache make me scream, scream tear the throat sore and the world becomes dark. ________________________<-->______________________ I woke up with a sore throat and eyes I push my self to a sitting position. Headache still strong I automatic put my right hoof against my head rubbing it. I sits there quite until the pain lessen, looking around I lock sight with the mirror and stagger forward against it. I sits down before it and wipe the layer of dust from it. I see a young changeling queen a nymph by the new memory I have it says that I'm about 1 year old molted once. My chitin is ghostly white the same with my mane and tail, but the eyes are ruby red a powerful red with a shine and a understanding that I am not a normal changeling, red goo tainting my chitin. 'It seems that I am albino or something like it. Odd I don't know if it will be a problem in the future. I break from the mirror and look at the desk or more specific the chest about 3 wide, 1,5 deep with a height of 2 decimeter of dark wood. I activate my magic as a season veteran, an red and silver magic aura takes the chest and levitate it towards me. I reach out my hooves as I takes it from the magic. I hold it out and and look it over, over the bronze lock in the center of the chest is a mark, my memory says its my mothers mark (my mark), it's a diamond form with a tree into it split in two right side looks normal, the left side seems like a burning tree burning with magical power. I open it and inside on a bed red silk are 12 red dark crystals pulsing with power of love, my food for the next days. I take out one and absorb the love inside. The feeling that fills me is the love of a mother doing everything for her daughter even her life. After the crystal have lost it glow I replace it in the chest. I close it and hugs it against my body a few tears fall from my eyes and drops down on the chest and stain the dust. A few minutes later I walk over to the other side of the room I open the door that's ajar as the door open the light in the roof a crystal like the one in the main room. It's the bathroom a circle room about 3 meter in radius in the center is a circle with about 1,5 meter diameter about 0,5 meter deep I am surprise how clean it is. I put down the chest and activate my horn and manifest water until the tub is almost full then I use fire so the water gets hot enough. With the bath ready I take a long relaxing bath. After the bath is done I drain the water with magic and then I take the chest and walk into the other room as my new memory tells me this is the bedroom. As I enter the light starts to glow another circle room with a big circle bed that almost fill the room, with 2 big pillows at the head on the bed with red like color, a red duvet is covering the bed. I move the duvet and jump onto the bed, lay down and cover my self with the duvet as I hugs the chest I let the sleep take me. > 002 The horror and The great outdoors > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- <6 days after waking up as Tec'ondra Princess of the hive, queens quarters Everfree hive> 'I let out a heavy sigh.' I been stuck in this room for 6 days and my itch to get going is growing stronger day by day. I have read all the book here, learn what I can and trained my magic. It was a lot harder than I thought, but I found out that when I think about the magic energy as the force from "star wars" or like psychic power "warhammer 40k" I could easier control my magic, still it's hard to use advance spells but all the basic spell I can use without thinking about it. Luckily all changeling abilities have been a cake walk after I got my mothers memories I have experimenting with walking on wall/roof, shapeshift. The bigger the change the more energy is used, I learned that I can change different body parts separate. I made my own pony form a white coated unicorn mare with red mane and tail with streaks of orange in it with red eyes, the cutie mark is an opal with fire behind it and I name her Opal Flare. Flying have been hard as I can only fly about 6 meter to fly in this oval room until I hit the wall "first day problem." 'It hurt a lot'. I notice that I have 4 wings just like a dragonfly but with no veins and they are transparent when the light form the roof shine on them they have a pinkish color to them. On second day I put my mothers corpse in bit of cloth I found stashed under the desk, I moved her into the bathroom and put her body on the floor level so I can still take baths if needed. Beside the cloth I found saddlebags it's a dark brown color with my family mark on them, with luck I could enchant it to be a type of 'bag of holding'. It work as long I can fit the item in the opening, the bag will shrink the item and minimize the weight. 'I will follow the rules in DnD, don't put sharp item in it as it can destroy the bag'. While I was looking through my mothers memory. The hive is young about 200 years old, she moved to this location after her mothers hive was attack and destroyed by an other hive (she found out that it was Chrysalis that ordered the attack). There where not many changelings that survived the attack (72 survivors) and at the fall of the Everfree hive there were about 542 changelings including the grubs and cocoons, all now dead as the hivemind is silence. I go through what happened too the changeling that ate the blue and white mushroom and the reaction reminded me about. I stop my train though as panic set in The horror that I am stuck underground in a dead hive low on food a mushroom is some sort of parasitic one, with air that might filled with spores and changeling body's claimed by them. "This is bad, really bad" I say with horror in my voice to the room. Looking over the chest with love crystal in it, there're only 7 full left with all the training I have done. I shut my eyes and place a hoof at the base of my horn and try to calm myself, with a few breaths and counting to 10 up then down. After I calmed down. I starting to go through my old memories of my human life. Especial my old 'role playing games' when I was 'game master'. I know I have put my players in a the same situation in a adventure, how did it go and what item did they use. I start write down what I can remember on a list with ink and feather pen I found in the desk with some scroll: Weapons explosive environment sealed suit with air tanks and a mask rations with water rope backpack lights flamethrowers 'I look over the list with a sad face.' Seems I can't find any of the items in this room. I starts to go through everything. "I most find something I can use to help me escape this place." I mumble under my breath as the room gets turn upside down in search for anything that can help me. With 3 hours of searching I only found bedding and covers for the bed, some towels, a letter knife, sewing kit with threads 'seems mother like to sew in her free time'. I also found more scrolls, more ink and feather pens. 'I sigh heavily'. I let myself fall on my back and shut my eyes as I try figuring out what to do. As I open my eyes again I lock my sight on the light crystal, It dim glow lighting up the room. 'Hmm, how dose that crystal work, it's some kind of magic and It react to movement' I think for my self as memories from mother comes to me how the crystal operate. 'Blinking in surprise a few time.' I realize I can overload the light crystals and they can become explosives, I can probably use enchantments to make a trigger. Also I can sew a suit that will cover me and with the use of an love crystal and enchantment I can make something that will protect me. 'A goofy smile split my muzzle as i sit up and start working.' <9 days after waking up as Tec'ondra Princess of the hive, queens quarters Everfree hive> "Today is the day I get out of this hive." I say as I try to hype myself. I been preparing for the 3 days. Making the explosives was problematic I destroyed 2 of the light crystal a least they didn't explode in my face. I saved the shared's in a towel, that got from my failed attempt. So I ignored to go through with that plan. Sewing the cloth was a lot more easier but as I am not an expert at it, but in the end it was finished and it looks like dollar store knock off of 'mare do well' but with no hat or cape and in the color dark red with black socks, at the front of the suit where the 'M' should hang is a enhance love crystal that will take the damage I receive until its empty, hopefully the crystal don't get overloaded to quickly. On the left fore leg I made a pocket for the paper knife (that's been sharpen as good I can with basic knowledge I have). After packing every book, scroll and ink into my saddlebag and checking so my suit is on with no exposed area, I also tied towel with shards on my back with another towel. With my magic I move the bookcase away from the door that lead out to the hive. 'Looking over my shoulder' I say. "Goodbye mother, give me luck." I open the door towards me looking out left down a black corridor 'Empty good', looking right I almost jump out off my chitin as a dead changeling stand there leaning against the wall. It's standing on all four, the face close to close I see it's eyes are gone only leaving abyssal holes, mouth hanging open with blue goo dripping from it, looking down I see that the legs are cracked with some sort of roots that have broken through and dig into the floor of the hive. 'With a hard sallow' I go out left keeping my eyes on the changeling, in this new angle I can see it's back. Cracks, with 7 mushroom growing up, they are white stem and gills with a blue cap with white dot on them. 'They look like a blue fly agaric' I think for my self. I turn my back to it as I am a few meters away and start walking down the left corridor to exit the hive. 'Thanks the great hive that changelings can see in the dark.' Something catches my hearing. I look at the direction where sound came from. It's the dead changeling. 'Did it just move or was it only falling apart.' As I look at the dead changeling, It start cracking and shiver pieces of chitin falling to the ground. 'Oh, fuck it's moving, are they like the clicker from "the last of us".' Feeling fear deep inside me, I make the a quick decision to climb up the wall onto the ceiling and start moving as quickly I can while I focus my hearing if I meet a threat. After a time when I stop looking around letting my eyes and ears to focus if anything might be moving. 'Silence, only silence. This is mad.' I need to be careful I go down to the floor, letting my ears going in all direction. The dark corridor with smooth wall and ceiling few tree roots hanging the ceiling, the floor is in a beautiful hexagon pattern tile. From this main corridor there're many tunnels split off leading in all directions. After hours or it feels like that. The sound of cracking and shuffling break the silence. Concentrating I try to figure out how many I could hear. '5 no 8 but I can't find in witch direction they come from.' Slowly I climb up the ceiling again standing still I wait. As I wait I see 2 coming from the tunnel on the right slowly shuffling in dripping blue goo on the floor, 4 coming from the tunnels on the left they all look broken weak. Suddenly 1 fall from a tunnel in the ceiling hitting the floor hard and explode on impact, the chitin shatter and blue dust fill the air where it landed. That most be spore dust. At my distance I shall be save. WAIT ONES MISSING. I feel something, a presence behind me, looking back I see the last one its climbing on the ceiling its not making a sound. Moving out of the way, hoping that I don't make a sound I miss step and lose my grip on the surface and falls. Hitting the ground hard landing on my back, feeling burning pain on the back it feels like many knifes piercing my back. That's the shards, just my luck. I panic as one of the shufflers land on top me starting to bite me with it's mouth, but all it did was smear blue goo on me. Full of panic and fear I on instinct I grab it with my magic and throw it against a wall, hitting the wall hard it break and spilling out roots and chitin marking the wall with blue goo. Rolling onto my hooves looking at the mob shuffles against me. 10 meters safe from the dust I open fire with a few blast of magic there gone only leaving blue dust and broken chitin. As all become silent I stand still waiting. 'Nothing'. letting out a sigh I am reminded that my back is hurt, looking at my back I see red blood on the underside of the towel. Might as well fix.... My thoughts was interrupted as the sound of something coming at me fast. I didn't have time to react as I get hit by something hard and is thrown and hit the wall. Becoming dazed, vision blur. A growl gets my a attention, looking what hit my I see a timberwolf, but somethings odd about it, it's eyes are blue (not green) and there are blue/white mushrooms growing on its back. It jumps at me, rolling backwards it misses. I light up my horn and fire a magic blast at it. It hit true and destroying it. As the silence once again fill the corridor I start moving and winces as I feel the pain of my wounds, 'focus on getting out.' Pushing away the pain aside I starts moving with a limp. Waking long time with pauses at times to regain my strength, I starting to see light 'Light finally a way out, an exit.' That's when I heard it. Shuffling a lot of it and thunders heavy steps. 'I most hurry move, move, run.' I stumble the sound comes closer, my panic rises. Reaching out my hoof to the light I falls over and eat dirt, then extreme pain shots up my left hind leg, looking down I see a shuffler biting deep. 'Screaming, I light up my horn and blast it' "FUCKING DISAPPEAR" With a boom it's gone, full of panic a scramble out into the light. The sound of the monster getting closer with every second, glaring at the entrance I see them hordes. Panic and dread fills me. 'I can't let myself die like this. I CANT.' Gathering my magic energy, I throw the strongest spell I have. Whispering the name of the spell I end the casting. "Immolate." And a flaming hell takes over my vision. Celestias siting on her throne listening on a noble with the name "Gilded Shoe" a white coated stallion unicorn with emerald green eyes, his mane and tail is blond, his cutie mark is a golden horseshoe. He's been droning on and on about his reason why he should be aloud to build a privet swimming pool at his house with the treasures funds. With my smile I look at the stallion thinking. 'I'm so bored, why do I have to sit and listen on.....what was his name? ah, Gilded Shoe son of Ruby Shoes, an old friend always good to his fellow ponys. Why did is son turn out like this? Should I let my agents look if he up to no good-' Her thoughts were cut off by a great magical signature manifesting in Everfree forest. 'hmm, seems I can get out of court early.' The throne room doors open and a unicorn Royal guard rushes in. He bows waiting to be allowed to speak. Gilded Shoe huffs. C: "Rise Strait Shot. I'm so sorry Gilded Shoes, it seems something have happened. Will you come first thing in the morning so to continue our talk." Gilded Shoes bows. "As you wish Princess." He turns and glares at the guard before walking out. As Gilded hooves leaves and the doors closes behind him, Celestia turns to Strait Shot. "Report Strait Shot." SS: "Yes your highness, the arch magus "Pin Scroll" have sensed a high level spell being cast in the Everfree forest." C: "Yes I sensed it too. Send 3 squads Royar guard to Everfree and investigate the Spell I will talk with Pin Scroll." I used my magic to a make an order form and levitate it to Strait Shot. "Give this to Captain Thunders Hoof. You can leave." SS: "Yes your highness." Strait Shot gave salute and left the throne room. Celestia rises from the throne and starts walking to the magus tower. "Cancel the rest of morning court." Opening my eyes. 'Did I over do it.' Coughing I look around. Everything within 30 meters burned, leaves gone on trees, trunk darker, grass turned to ash and the entrance to the hive was gone only a pile of rocks. "Well I totally over did it." I cough out. Rising to my hooves I winces as at my left find leg, looking at the devastation, I am missing most of the cloth I had burned away by the spell. Seeing my leg my mind freezes for a second. 'Shaking my head.' Fuck I am infected. Blue lines spreading from the bite mark and have reach my knee. "Fuuuuuck." I scream out my mind spinning, panic run wild I start looking for the paper knife. It's not in the pocket made for it, there it is. 'Grabbing it with magic I angle it at the leg before I stab myself.' I freeze. 'I am really going to cut of my own leg off with a paper knife.' After looking between the leg and the knife, I disinfection the knife with fire and stab myself. 'I scream, like there is nothing more in the world, tears start running down my muzzle.' I cut as good a paper knife can do, with quickness that even I think is wrong I cut of my leg. Blood start flowing and pooling on the ground. 'okay I am starting to lose focus.' blackness taking over the corner of my vision, as I finish I slap myself. 'The spell, I need to regrow my leg.' I light up my horn and cast it on the leg feeling almost all the energy I have left getting drained, a tingling feeling on the leg that starts regrowing. Holding the spell as the darkness dancing over more of the vision. As the spell fades, I take out the last love crystals that are left to restore my body. 'Letting out a sigh of relief.' "With my luck I would a have. I thought they would all be broken." I say to my self. After refilling my energy I lay down resting, letting the darkness take me. My squad of 4 me included are walking to our area to search. We don't know what we're looking for but for the civilians safety we were sent out here to look for whatever threat or thing that used a high level spell. "Do you think it's a monster Rosi?" Ask Private 'Cloudy Falls' with a soft voice, A young pegasus mare that recently joined the Royal guard. 'I sigh' "Private Falls it's Sergeant or ma'am. And I don't know if its a monster, a unicorn or by Tartarus a bucking demon. Its our job to locate it and see if it's a threat. Do I make my self clear?" 'Turning my head looking at her.' 'Private Falls gives me a sheepish look.' Making her light pink coat more red on her muzzle a sharp contrast against her sky blue eyes and dark pink mane with yellow stripes in it (2 grey clouds with a waterfalls as a cutie mark). "Sorry Sergeant, I'm just so excited be out on my first mission, Ma'am." 'Shaking my head I return it forward.' "Don't be hard on her Sergeant, we all get excited on our first mission." Comes the deep voice of the earth pony stallion 'Private Smith Strike.' A prime example of a earth pony, big muscular quick on his hooves and one of the oldest in the group (well except for me). His dark grey coat and brown mane and tail tells a tale he's from a advent iron smith, his eyes are orange. (an anvil and smith hammer as his cutie mark). He could have been Sergeant but he said to his officer. "I'm to slow in the heat off the moment to give out orders to other." Well it's true he can save him self but giving orders is not something thing he's good at. "Yeah Sarg, you know how I was to giddy that I couldn't sleep the day my first mission." Comes the singsong voice of our spell expert 'Private Meteor Storm' this unicorn mare are energy in a mare form, always doing something never stand still. Her light blue coat and dark purple mane and tail, her magenta eyes always scanning, looking (cutie mark is three meteors falling with fire trails after them). 'Snorting' I answer."Yeah and you still was so full of energy that you run circles around the squad and don't give my a nickname." 'She Giggles' "Ah, Sargy you now that's how I show I like some pony." I was about to retort her when I was stop by scream of pain. We all look at each other and start running against the sound. Minutes later we found our self in a clearing or I could say it's a clearing now after somepony use fire to burn the area clean of vegetation tree bark burned black. Looking around we spot a white pony sticking out and the black ground. She's crying in pain as we are to rush to her we're stop by Private Meteor Storm magic shield. We all look at her. Storm: "We should wait I think she's the target, she has a big mana pool." Falls: "But shes hurt and crying." Rosi: "Private Storm, explain." Storm: "As I said she has a big mana pool, I believe shes the one that cast the high level spell." Smith: "So what are we going to do just watch?" Rosi: "Okay, you are the magic expert, but we can't stand around let hide at the end of the clearing and prepare medical supply." 'They all salute.' We walk to the edge. Private Smith and Falls start prepping medkits for use, Private Storm uses her magic to camouflage our presence. I take out a pair of binoculars and observe our target. Watching I see it a small pony shape creature is in the size of a foal about 4-6 years old and with horror I see this "pony" is cutting it left hind leg off with a small item, screaming and crying, the screaming is making my heart fall as I can only watch. After she is done with her self mutilation it slaps it self then her horn light up with a red silver aura. "She casting another high level spell." says Private Storm. As the minutes tick by I don't see any changes to the "pony." "I don't see any changes." I inform my squad. After some time her horn stops glowing and start rummage through her saddlebag and takes out 2 small Items. Then passes out. Putting away the binoculars I say to the rest of them. "She seems to have past out. Lets go over and see what she is." 'Hearing Yes Sergeant.' We all walk slowly out to this "pony." Upon reaching this "pony" we see a foal size pony-bug creature white as snow chitin with torn red cloths and holes in its legs but she not bleeding from them, mane and tail the same color, a zigzag horn from its forehead, she looks almost starved. A red pool of what I guess is blood around the hind legs. Dark brown saddlebag strapped on, behind her is a burned towel with small shards in it. I and Smith start looking at it. While Storm uses her magic to analyse the leg to see why somepony would cut their own leg off. Private Falls is standing guard. "Sergeant, This leg is infected with some kind of parasite." 'I look at her and gives her order to.' "Bag and tag it, send it to mages tower." Looking back at the creature I asked Private Smith. "I she okay?" 'He nods in response.' "Yeah, she alive and okay just lost a bit of blood form her. Eh, self mutilation." 'I nod.' "Lets put a null ring on her and a sleep spell then strap her stretcher lets take her to Canterlot." 'With the approval of the others.' I look up at the sun wondering if this will become a problem. Celestias POV. After Entering Arch-magus Pin Scroll lab I have been navigating carefully through the stakes of books that tower over me that fills this room as an maze. I come upon a opening where I see my old friend an unicorn stallion in his 70-ish light grey coat, white mane and tail his wearing his purple magus robes with a golden trim at the edges, mark with his title, rank and cutie mark (A scroll with magical pin sticking in place). It's a bit worn out at its end. His ear flicker as I approaches. "Took your sweet time." he comments with his dry voice. Smiling at his back. "Oh, you know me love taking a walk through the gardens so I can relax." 'At that scoffs and smacks his lips.' PS: "Hear I though you just toke a detour passed the kitchen to get some cake. I still don't understand how you can eat those cakes." 'I giggle at that.' I have always like how he acts against me, he doesn't care about my statues or that I'm immortal. "You have only tried one piece of cake and you didn't like it, there're so many more kinds of cake Pin Scroll." 'At that he turns and look at my direction with his blind white eyes and scuffs.' "I said it once and I will say it again, your sweet tooth will kill a normal pony Celestia. But we're not hear to question your cake habits." C: "Your right, it's about the magical energy that exploded in Everfree." 'He nods.' PS: "I know you felt the surge of magical power." 'I nod and keep quiet as he continues.' "I managed to analyse the spell that was used, here is the diagram and power level off the spell." 'He levitate a scroll over to me.' PS: "As you can see it is an old battle spell that was used fire element as it base, I think it's called "Immolate". An spell that gives out an blast of fire setting ablaze every thing in the effect zone." 'I confirm this by reading the scroll.' PS: "But that's not all, this spell was been modify with lower level explosion to give an faster spread of the blast. Then we have the magnitude that was used, based on my calculation this creature is 2/5 as strong as you that's three times as strong as me, but I can't be sure until its found." 'At this my eyes go wide.' C: "Are you sure about that?" 'He nods.' 'He turns to resume his work as I start walking out with the scroll under my wing.' As I exit the lab I see a Royal Guard waiting for me. 'He gives a quick salute.' "Your Highness, the squads have returned with a creature that is thought to be the one that used the spell, It's in a secure area of Red site with guards and Dr. Ever Hoof is analyse the creature." "Thanks Spear Point, I will head there myself, I want to see want manner of creature it is." 'I start heading to red site.' > 002,5 Examination Subject "White" > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Medical examination. Examiner: Dr. Ever Hoof Monitor 1: Nurse Green Side Monitor 2: Xenologi knowledge Night Tracker Scribe: Love Write Name: Subject White "Tec'ondra, Tec for short. This info was given by subject after it woke up." Race: Changeling "This was corrected later form bug-pony on full report." Medical Examination: Weight: 35 kg, Length: 1.22 meter (horn to flank), Height: 0.82 (top of head). physical looking age: about 4-6 years old Sex: The subject seems to be Hermaphrodite, with stallion hood and mare hood but no tits. There looks like the subject has a ability to lay eggs like a chicken (when of age). The subject looks like a equine crossed between a pony and a insect. Body is covered with a white chitin that seems to be flexible for movement, but also works like an armor more tests most be done to see it's function and resistance. The chitin have marks of fighting cracks from crush damage on the right of body height ribs and stomach. Left hind leg have a zigzag circle damage made by a small dull blade. "By the report provided by Sergeant Corvos Rosaria of the royal guard squad 13 it was an act of self mutilation." The back has marks of small stabs most likely shard found by the subjects side. What was also found was that the back has three groves, these are part of a carapace that protect four wings. Mane/tail as chitin it's white have all the same function as a mane or tail of a pony, with the added function of release a pheromone that is hard to detect with an unknown function until it's tested. "Nurse Side was the one that notice this." Eyes are ruby red with the shape of a snake or cat, have the function of seeing in the dark. Wings: There are four bug like wing, transparent with a light pink color. Horn: There's a zigzag horn on it's forehead has the same function as a unicorn horn. Teeth: There are 1 set of teeths in the subjects muzzle. There seems to be a mix of teeth some for crushing, tearing and more so it was concluded that it is a omnivore. "We got info that they are indeed omnivores, but they must feed on emotions to stay functional." Subject has 4 fangs 2 up and down, larger once on top they have a venom that can be release to paralyzed its prey. "Potency are tested." Legs/hooves: The legs have holes of varies sizes, legs seems fully functional. We don't know the reason for their existence, what we found out was that they have a silencing function. Hooves are hard like an equine on the underside it have a function to stick on other surface. Internal organs: The organs are similar to that of a pony, expect it's double set with lungs, kidneys and an organ that produce a red like goo. Blood is like pony in ways of minerals, but it has low magical residue like its consume magic. "As the tests later shown." Red goo: The red goo the subject produce has many property's. It hardens in contact with air, can work as a building material, glue and many more. "More tests are planed for the future." These examination has been conducted by Dr. Ever Hoof. Date: Year: 975 Celestial era, month: August (8), Day: 25 Monday Start Time: 13.35 (1.35 pm) End Time: 14.45 (2.45 pm) Magical examination: Examiner: Dr. Ever Hoof and Arch-magus Pin Scroll Monitor 1: Nurse Green Side Monitor 2: Xenologi knowledge Night Tracker Scribe: Love Write Mana reading: Arch-magus Pin Scroll scanned the subject circuits and mana pool. The subject haves strong circuits to use highest level of spells, it seems that the subject same circuits as a Alicorn (hooves, wings, eyes, horn.) "This was later confirmed by Princess Celestia."The mana pool is 3 times as big as the Arch-magus Pin Scroll and has the ability to grow stronger with training. "It was decided to use the strongest Null ring (level 10) as possible for our safety." Magical trace: There are 3 types of magical residue on the subject: 1) Are the subjects own magic. 2) Are unknown but are traces all over the body and inside. 3) The last one seems to be deep inside the body of the subject "only Princess Celestia found this one." Chitin test: Chitin that're infused with magic becomes hard as armor. "Later test show it's armor property are as strong as the royal guard armor." The chitin resistance are as following: heat, venom, poison, magic (this is low because of the Null ring). The Body of the subject can cast an illusion on it self and at it's own kind. "This explain its teeth." Horn: Function like a horn on a unicorn or alicorn. Mane/tail: The pheromone is magical in nature is seems to have 2 functions. 1) Mimic the smells of the creature is masquerading as to cover its own smell. 2) To lure a target to release more loving emotions and rise an sexual arousal on its prey. "This is lower by the Null ring, we are guessing that this can be controlled by the subject. Future tests are needed here." These examination has been conducted by Dr. Ever Hoof and Arch-magus Pin Scroll with the aid by Princess Celestia. Date: Year: 975 Celestial era, month: August (8), Day: 25 Monday Start Time: 15.30 (3.30 pm) End Time: 19.34 (7.34 pm) > 003 The first meeting, dark past. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three bipedal creatures in a dark room are surrounding a round table. These creatures are wearing bulky armor with the markings of war, markings of defeat, their armor are not quiet. Growling with damage and energy that spark out on sometimes flashes the room. Skull masked helmets with red wings that crests their helmets, red eyes watching the table. 'Glowing cyan slit-eyes watches the scene play out.' "Three of us." one said "Three of us survived." "There may yet be more." said another. The first scoffed at the notion. "There won't be any more. Have you been blind for the last nine hours? Did you not see what just happened? How many ship did we lose? The third leaned on the edge of the table, tilting his head he regard his kindred. "We cannot know. Not until the fleet masses again. I saw the Praxis Mundi break apart and take out seven of her escorts. The Lady Sapienta died before her. The Aeternum Dread. The Throneless King. The Obfuscate. Those are merely the cruisers I saw die. I cannot speak of how many frigates and destroyers. Too many to name." "What of the Nightfall?" The third shook its head. "Aflame within and breached without. The flagship cannot have escaped. The Dark Angels went for her throat as viciously as the Lion went for Lord Curze’s" He pauses for a moment taking a slow deep breath. "The Nightfall should have been the first ship to run. I can’t comprehend why she stayed. What profit was there in trading firepower with the Dark Angels fleet?" "I heard the reports." Says the first. "Sevatar ordered the flagship to remain in-system, while he recovered companies from the surface whose vessels had already fled." The third snorts at that. "How very noble of him. So he killed himself and lost the flagship at the same time. MARK my work, his name shall be scorned by the survivors. How did the Dark Angels organize that ambush, that's be on anything I've seen." "The Legion must regroup at the fallback point." Agree the second. "We can recommence attack once we have our bearings." "Aye." Agree the first. "There speaks wisdom. It might be weeks, it might be months, but we are far from finished." The others nod. "the truth is cold, we most face it. We lead the legion now." They tasted the truth in a silent moment, it was interrupted with a speaker crackling and a starts speaking. "My lords. Another four ship has entered the space." "Name them." Says the first. "Auspex tells us it is the Quintus, Dusk’s Daughter, the Covenant of Blood, and… and the Nightfall." 'The Blue eyes watch with interest.' Short while later the bulk doors open filling the room with a red light. In the doorway stands a 4th warrior like the others, but this once armed with a spear leaning on its shoulder. "I hope you’ll forgive me for being late. There was an ambush. You may have noticed it. Not all of us could just light up our engines and run for the deepest black." He enters the room joining the others at the table. "Good to see you Sevatar." "I'm sure it is." answers Sevatar as he glances at the hololith ships drifting in the air above the table. He speaks again. "So these is defeat. Now we know how the Raven Guard and Salamanders felt." "We have mustered close to 21 ships. We're wounded, but not dead." "You three did well to evacuate the primarch. Have you been in contact with the rest of the Kyroptera?" "Only to confirm the death of Jexad, Shoma and Ithillion." Replied the second. "So three of the seven are dead," Sevatar mused aloud."and the primarch is wounded." "The primarch is dying." Corrected the second. "We lead the legion now." "We'll see. Anyway the future is grim." Sevatar put down his spear on the table, making a clang of metal on metal sound. "This won't do at all. Of the seven, you three are the once you dislike the most." Says Sevatar. "Be serious Sevatar." Replied one of the others. Sevatar smile under his helmet. "Am I to assume you brave souls have a devised a plan?" "We have." Answered the first. "Once the fleet's strength back, we will strike back, the question is where?" Sevatar clears his throat as this needs a level of subtlety. "Already, you 're taking us down a path we shouldn't walk. You speak of vengeance, of a counter-attack on a foe that out matched us." The others hesitate. "Of course, What else is there to do?" Answered one of them. The warriors starts to argue between them. The 3 wants to take revenge against the Dark Angels while Sevatar wants to join Horus at the crusade against Terra. Sevatar walks away from the table and says: "I am finished with the Thramas Crusade. I am taking my companies to Terra. I plan to see the real war before the final day dawns. The rest of the Legion should come with me. I may lose my temper if you try to keep fighting this meaningless war." One of the warriors looks at his Sevatar in raw disbelief for a moment. ‘Are you mad, Sevatar?’ "I don't think so, I feel fine." "How would you stop us from staying?" asked another "I'd kill you, of course. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Emotions are running high, and my spear is all the way over there." Sevatar gestures to the spear. Sevatar leaves as one of the others ask. "What about your spear?" "I will come back for it soon enough." One of the warriors watches the resting spear on the table , then runs towards the door. In a flash of light heavier armor clad warrior appears and start shooting with thunder and flashes. 'The cyan eyes widen and scream, as she dispel the dream scene.' "ENOUGH! We grow tired of dis farce, show thy self dreamer." In it's wake stands a tall alicorn with near pitch black fur clad in armor, mane and tail is in dark violet with nebulous star flowing in an non existent wind. Nightmare moon spots a small pony laying on the ground, she grabs the pony with her magic dragging it to face her. As she holding the pony face to face, she sees that this pony is unlike the ponies she known of. "What are thee? Tell us now." Red eyes meets her cyan, the red widen and the pony starts to shiver and ask. "Where am I?" "Tho is dreaming. Tell us what tho are? What was that dream thee shown us?" Replies Nightmare. The Shaking pony stills in the magical grip, herself her eyes focus on Nightmares. "Sorry, sorry I'm a changeling the names Tec'ondra, Tec for short. The dream you saw is part of a fictional story form where I come form." Nightmare eyes the changeling. "Where those thee come from?" The Changeling gives of a small giggle. "You might not believe me, but I came from a other dimension from a planet called Earth or its other name Tellus, Terra, Gaia. Before you ask, I died and got reincarnated as an changeling princess with the help of an alicorn named Lauren Faust." Nightmare eyes widen, then glare at the changeling. "Tho don't lie, why are tho not afraid of us?" Something dark and sad passes over the red eyes. "I'm not afraid of you because we are the same and I don't have a problem with what your plans are for me, if we can come up with a deal that help us both I would be more than happy to share." Nightmares looks confused. "What do tho mean we're the same? What do tho know about our plans for thee?" Tec looks sad almost defeated, then sighs. "I know how it feels to be abandon, be ignore and when you ask for help, for someone to listen but they says your the problem." Tec pause before continue. "And I know what it feels like to lose yourself to the darkness." Red eyes refocus on the cyan, a sad smile comes across the muzzle. Nightmare feels the emotion and the pain as she is connected to her dream magic. She sets Tec down the floor and sits down looking around. "How do thee know how it is to be abandon?" The changeling looks down and sighs, the dream shivers cracks start to appearing. Dark clouds start to pouring in they and taking on colors 'Red, Dark purple, Blue'. Echos of the past start talking at the same time. Nightmare eyes darts around ears laying flat against her skull. Dark Purple 'disgust': "Why are they ignoring me, what have I done. I hate my self and I don't know why." Blue 'sadness': "I'm so lonesome, family only care about my sister. Relatives ignore us." Red 'anger': "How do they think they're, do they think they are better then me. I been fighting for myself for so long." Nightmare sense her power grow stronger by the negative emotions, but also disgusted by them. Using her magic she dispel the nightmares. With heavy breathing she lock her eye on Tec and speaks. "What have thee been through? To have those dark emotion?" Tec looking at the floor starts laughing that turns to crying. "I have had a shit life until my late 20ish, 'hiccup' born with metal illness. As it was early in the progress of the illness so they didn't know what to do with me." Tec looks up to Nightmare tears streaming from her eyes. "My parents didn't know what to do with me, they got help from doctors and specialist. But with a father that mistreated my mother and was an alcoholic. My mother was so deep in her own grief that she couldn't help me at home. In school I was put in a special classroom to help me 'HA' that only isolate me more. And children/foals are monster. I became the foal that was an outcast. Slow down my social education." "Then on the year I was about to turn 6 my sister was born. She was sick really sick, she has gluten allergy, her body couldn't use gluten and she was dying. So all focus was on her I understand now but as an 6 years old it's not so cut and dry. I felt abandoned." "At the age 4 she became really sick and was sent to the hospital, her appendix had burst almost killing her and that's when we learned she has gluten allergy. With an operation and right diet she got better. But my parents didn't stop pampering her. It was always "It's so bad for her. She's so sick. Can't you show more sympathy for her." That what I always heard, when I wanted help they ignore me. When I started argue with my sister my parents blamed me." "The Years went on. I was about 14 years old when my parents decided to divorce (My mother had finally found a way out). The divorce was hard, the pressure was to hard for me so I starting to act out. My illness flared up and I stared hearing voices the talk down to me, to put me down. I started roaming the night, still going to school but was sleeping at the afternoon." "I spend time with some unsavory people, started fighting with others and became some sort enforcer. 'sad laughter escape Tec and a shake head.' I had some damn luck I never got captured by the police." "Well that was until I turned 17, I was finally taken in by the police for an attempt to steal money from a convenience store. Here my luck kicks in again I didn't go to jail but was forced to join help program. There I finally got all the help I needed to get my illness under control. I got medication, started speaking with a therapist. I got better a lot better." "Still ignored by my parents and relatives I stopped meeting with the unsavory people. I thought they was going to silence me or something. But after I left the help center I learned the most of the people I spent time with was lost to another gang." Nightmare moon just stands there in shock listening to the past of this small changeling. Tec just looks sad almost broken. "I got friends and started spending time with them, they woke my fascination with roll playing games we started as with small group 6 people if I remember correct. We play "Dark heresy 1st edition" it was fun. After some time more joined some moved away, started playing other games 'Death Watch, Black Crusade, Rogue Trade and Vampire the requiem,' and some other games that we tried out." "Then one of the original members started to take control it was he's way or the to Tartarus with us, we lost member after member. That's when I toke over as an Game Master because he didn't want to be one." 'Shaking her head Tec sigh.' "That became his downfall, I became a great GM the games became more fun, more creative and more structure. The other though so as well." "The years went on and the ass tried to do all he could to get back his power. But nope he couldn't. In the end we stopped invite him. That's when all broke down. Love and use of sexuality to gain favors. I didn't fall for it, but it made a rift in the group and we split. Some went back to the ass, other stuck with me until we where only 4 left." "I played with them as much we could. But as they say all good thing most come to an end we started working. I started working 3 shift work and lost most all the free time I had. The we meet up less and less, I became depressed and started going other things as I was in the darkest dark I found the light a show that made me feel happy again. The show was 'My little pony: friendship is magic." that's based on your world Nightmare moon." Nightmare moon blinks and stares at Tec, she gulps. "Thee have told us of a sad past Tec, why share this with us?" Tec shrugs "You did ask and I told you we're the same." Nightmare looks at Tec. "What about the show tho speak of? Why is this based on our world?" Tec tells Nightmare about the multiverse theory and what happens a bit in the show. Nightmare listen silent just asking some questions here and there. "- and with that you are here means you have not returned to Equestria yet meaning I have come here before your 1000 year banishment ends." Nightmare nods. "Tho are correct about that. its 25 years until we are free." "Hmm, 25 years until you're free. That's good and bad. Good I know where time I am in. Bad my presence can change history as I know it for the show." Tec lets out a heavy sigh. "Well thanks Nightmare for telling me, do you know why I haven't woken up yet?" Nightmares horn lights up with magic. "It seems that you where put under a sleep spell. You shall wake up shortly as they have removed it." Tec nods. "Thanks again Nightmare you and Princess Luna was always my favorite." In a flash of movement Nightmare grabs Tec with in a hug and hold her tightly. "We thank thee for thy words. It makes us so happy." Tec laughs. "Okay this is a bit strange. But only because I never thought I was going get a hug from you." Nightmare release Tec with a sheepish look on the muzzle with a pink color. "Oh, it seems Tho sleep is over Tec, We hope we will meet again." Tec fades and the dream ends. 3 days after the changeling got taken to the red site. Celestia sits in her office going over paperwork. As she thinks on the little changeling that was found 3 days ago. 'Where did she come from, how is she so strong, why dose she have the strange magic on her that is so familiar? So many questions and the examination didn't help alot. A knock at the door stops her thoughts. "Yes enter." A royal guard enters and gives a salute. "Your highness the changeling is waking up." "Good let's meet this changeling so we can learn more about her." They leave for the red site. > 004 What do you want? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canterlot, Red site under the mages tower. Opening my eyes I flinch at how bright the room is, sitting up blinking they adjust to the light. Looking around it seems I am in a white room on a hospital bed 'soft enough to not hurt'. On the opposite wall in front of me is an mirror. 'Is that a one-way mirror?' The right side of the room is a iron door with no handle on this side. On my left side is a table seems to be some kind of oak with one chair with a cushion on it with green color. 'Heavy clunk sound comes from the door and the sound of hooves steps getting closer.' Looking over I see the door open and an earth pony mare is walking in. She has a pink coat, green medium length mane and tail (mane put in a bun). Her cutie mark is a thermometer standing upright with a band aid on the left side of it and a green field on the right side. She's wearing a nurses cap and holding a tray in her mouth. She puts it down on the table and turns to me and start speaking in something that reminds me of and British accent. "Morrin to ye sweetheart, I'm here with your brunchen. My name is Green Side." "Morning to you Nurse Side. My names Tec'ondra but you can call me Tec and I guess I am in Canterlot?" "Yes, your righty there sweet cheeks. Sergeant Rosaria squad was the one that found ye, sorry for this." She said and grabs me and puts me in the chair. 'That was a bit strange is she not afraid off me?' Looking over the tray I see 2 of my mother love crystals filled with a new love I take one of the and drain it quickly. There are an apple, a bowl of oats and a glass of orange juice. 'My stomach growls in hunger.' I devour the breakfast with joy, the apple is crunchy and savory, the oats was a bit bland and the juice I force down with an shiver. "Can I get something else then orange juice next time I have never been a fan of it." "Well of course sweetie. Is there anything else you don't like?" Humming I respond. "Yeah, bananas. I like the taste but not the texture." "That's good to know sweetie. Now finish your breakfast so the doctor can do a check up." At that I take the last crystal and drain it." Nurse Side puts me back on the bed. "Now sweetie I will be right back with the doctor, so sit tight." I nod. I watches as the nurse takes the tray and leave, the door shuts with a heavy clunk. Sitting on the bed I let my eyes focus at the mirror and stare. 'That is a one way, they're monitor me. Is that emotions (fear, uncertainty, calm.) It seems I can still feel emotions. That's good to know. A Clunk from the door breaks my concentration looking over I see Nurse Green Side and a unicorn stallion with a doctors robe enter. He has a beige coat, mane and tail is medium length, mane combed back with (hair) mane gel, both black with a silver trim. He has brown eyes with round small glasses and a stethoscope hanging around his neck. As our eyes meet he speaks with a German accent. "Good too see ya up, I will do a basic checkup on ya." I straiten my ears and look at him. "Of course doctor, er." "Ever Hoof, Dr Hoof if you please." I nod. "Good, good Dr Hoof, before we start can you do me a favor?" He and nurse Side share an odd look before answering. "Well, that depends on the favor." "It's not much can you say? 'Let's practice medicine.' " I give them a smile. Dr Hoof looks at me then clear his throat. "Let's practice medicine." He says with weakly. "No, no with more vigor, more power." "Let's practice medicine." With that I get a large smile and starts laughing. I meet up with Pin Scroll, Srg Rosaria and her squad at the entrance to the Red Site. We do our greetings and start heading deeper into the Red Site, we are holding Pin Scrolls speed even with is magic to guide him, he still walks slow. As we are getting closer, I see the 4 guards at the room with the changeling in it and a girlish laughter filling the corridor we look at each other then enter the room. What we see is the changeling foal laying on the bed laughing as if the world is nothing more then a joke. Dr Hoof and nurse Side is standing there frozen with their mouth hanging open. "What's so funny." Pin Scroll ask and the room goes quiet. The changeling sits up strait and watches us, the strange thing is that she looks like she was waiting for us. She speaks with a soft voice, there is a weak hint of 2 tone to it. "Oh it's nothing special, just something funny if you know about it." "I don't know what so funny with me saying 'Let's practice medicine.' " Dr Hoof says in an sarcastic tone. The little changeling get a new giggle fit at that. I shake my head. "So doctor how is she?" "I was to do the checkup when she asked me to speak that line." Srg Rosaria walk over to the changeling and shouts, before I could stop her. "Quiet down, you're in the presence of the princess Celestia." The changeling stops gets a blank face and stares at Srg Rosaria, it was like all emotions that the changeling had shown vanish. The look she gives Rosaria gives me chills I can feel the others in the room tense up as well. To her credit Srg Rosaria doesn't back down. Then I see a playful smirk across the changelings face, turn to look at me in the eyes. She gives me a mock bow and speaks. "Oh, do forgive me. Oh almighty sun, mover of the astral heavens, ruler of Equestria, slayer of cakes, murderer of sweets, devour of tea. My name is princess Tec'ondra daughter of queen Tek'nistar, leader of the Everfree hive. I give you permission to call me Tec, your royalness." We all was stunned by her change in behavior. Then what shocks me more is that she gives me a playful wink, then return to glare at Srg Rosaria, whom was fuming with anger. I could feel a fight was about to breakout when the tension vanish with the laughter of Pin Scroll. "Ha, that was one of the best thing I heard somepony say in a long time, ha I like this one." I let out a sigh. "Alright every ponies calm down and my little changeling you had your fun." Tec lock eyes with me again and try to hold back her giggles. "What so funny changeling?" I ask. With her giggles under control she reply. "Well as you said, 'my little changeling.' it gives me the wrong impression. that's all." Srg Rosaria "Whats so wrong with that changeling." "That might be something we shall speak about in a more privet setting." Tec reply. Srg Rosaria "Tell us now." Tec sighs. "Well if you want to know, here it is. The way princess Celestia says 'My little changeling' can have more then one meaning." She pauses. "The 1st one is she's my mother, and she's not I already have two of dose. 2nd is that we are in a romantic relationship, dating in other words. we're not that close. 3rd is illegal by Equestrian law, that is shes my owner/slaver." The silence fills the room. I can feel heat on my muzzle with the explanation. I can understand her point of view. We will have to discuss that at a later date. 'I cough'. "Yes, Tec I can see your point. That's not why we're here, I want to speak with you if you're okay with it?" She gives me a happy reply and a nod. Red site After my little outburst and explanation. I got my checkup by Dr Hoofs, with clean bill of health. Celestia teleport in three cushions one for herself, one for Pin Scroll I have learned and one for Dr Hoof who haves a clipboard, paper to write down anything I tell them. "So." I begin "I know you have a lot of questions some of them I will be open about others only in privet with Princess Celestia and they're some questions I will not feel comfortable answering. Do we understand each other?" Pin and the doctor gives me a nod, Celesta gives me a motherly smile. "Okay let me start from the beginning of my story then you can ask your questions." I start telling them most of what happened to me. As I died got a new life with my memory's form my former life. How I woke up in a pod in the queens chambers and how I learned what happened to the hive. To when is passed out form my over use of magic and wounds after escaping. After that I answered as many questions I wanted to. With some on my former life and I tolled them that's something between Celestia and me. From Pin and Hoof I got a lot of questions about my body and magic powers and the magic in the former world. After all questions was ask that I could reply to without problem Celestia ask the others to leave the room and she cast a so no one can eavesdrop. "So I have some questions for you Tec." She begins. "I notice that you avoided all questions about your rebirth and many about your past life. Can you tell me why?" I nod. "Yes, well the part of rebirth is because it involve Lauren Faust. It seems my soul was not meant to be there, but it was and we spoke at length about my world and what she wanted me to do." I pause with a heavy sigh. "And for my past life is not a glories one. I did things that hurt others and mostly myself." I can feel tears trailing down my muzzle. Celestia grabs me in a hug with fore legs and wings nuzzling the top of my head, as I continue speaking about my life before this one (not all of it). I cry into her fur 'it smells like lavender and sunflowers.' After I have calmed down and she let me go, I tell her about the show. Well bits of it, I don't go into detail and I also press that my existence have already change the future and I tell her that I don't know what universe we're in. When's we're done. She says that we need to speak more about this in the future and I have to stay here in the Red site until she says so. (The Red site seems to be some kind of holding block for unique individuals that have a high mana pool.) 'It's a bummer that I'm stuck here but at least it's not a cell in a dungeon.' Celestia promise me she will let me have my bag and books back, not anything that can help me escape. Well this is going to be down right torture, until I can walk around. > 005 The accident > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been about 4 weeks since I first spoke with Celestia, we had a lot of talks after that. Mostly about Equestria and she also borrowed some books on history and more for me. As we talked I found out that it's 25 years before Nightmare Moon return. In this universe there seems to be more than the base ponies known as sub-races: ___________________________ High Unicorn: They are unicorns that live in mountain and cold areas are experts locating gems and minerals. Their character traits are they are taller then the normal pony size (size of Shadow Tempest or Fleur de Lis). Star Unicorn: Unicorns that are highborn like nobles and mages, most of them have high level of magic adaptation. ___________________________ War Pegasus: These pegasus are relatives of strong fighters of the past, character traits are big wing span and are more muscles. Sun Pegasus: These pegasus have more bird like traits like owls, hawks and more. With give them almost silent flight, expert flight ability and more based on their bird counter part. ___________________________ Forest pony: These earth ponies are more in tune with forest and animals as they are more on traveling hooves. Clydesdale: Earth ponies that have more of a impressive physical build, taller then the base ponies and are perfect for heavy work. ___________________________ It seems that this universe there are problem with stallion birth rate, 1,5 stallion per 10 mares. I learned that they are using magic and breeding contracts for foal bearing, but magic is not as reliable and give many stillbirth or miscarry. This is one of the reason they are doing test on me, they have asked about fluid batch to see if my genes are compatible with the ponies. This is not something I wanted to be part off, but Celestia told me I will get rewarded. 'Still don't like it.' I have been meeting Pin Scroll 2-4 times a week where he ask questions about my mother magic books and how technology form my old world work. I could only tell him about things I research for my RPGs. So he was a bit huffy when I couldn't answer some of his questions. Some of the time he's telling jokes and speak about his time traveling. I also meet a new pony other then the guards that's around me 24/7. This mare is an earth pony called "Gear Track", light brown coat, blue eyes and blond short mane/tail (something about not getting hooked on things). Cutie mark is a rail track with a 6 teeth gear in bronze. We have been talking about machines form my world, I have been drawing up blue prints form the once I used and worked on in my former life. (It was my job working in a machine shop). Celestia told me she was okay with me helping develop Equestria, but no weapons. Well of course I'm not going to give guns or magical laser weapons to this world. In my sleep/dream world I have been spending time with Nightmare Moon. For the most part we're just been speaking, every time I tried to bring up things with Equestria and Celestia she goes into a rage filled rampage or just leave. So I stop trying until she's ready to open up to me. As we went through my memories, I showed her movies and games from my world. Now that's all we do at night and eat junk food. On the 3rd week I got to start going out side to the training grounds to move around. (Yeah, not alone Sargent Rosarias squad is with me all the time out side.) The Sargent herself doesn't speak to me that much, well except when she insults me. I do give some back and the funny part is the others in her squad is placing bets on whom will win that day, 6-3 in my favor. Cloudy Falls is timid but makes up for it with her eyes and ears they are scary sharp. When we talk it's mostly about weather control, royal duty or her mare friend. Smith Strike did not say many thing in the beginning but after he over heard me and Gear Track talk about smiting. He wouldn't stop asking me about various types of smiting and metal types. Meteor Storm was the first to be friendly with me, she's like a ball of energy always active, always talking and that's the problem some times. One day on my normal routine of training a group of young noble mares started to bully the squad. Making fun of them for being stuck with a freak of nature. I stop and eyed the group of nobles from afar. They are 2 unicorns and a pegasus. By how Rosaria speak with them this is not the first time. It seems their leader is Light Spark. A unicorn with cream colored coat and golden brown eyes, with blue mane and tail with some green and light green high lights. Her cutie mark is 3 sparks of light in a triangle pattern with the colors blue, green and yellow. Then we have the other unicorn she seems to be Ice Pike, she seems to be more hot tempered. Her light grey coat and Ice blue eyes. Mane and tail is in a white and ice blue color. Her cutie mark is a lance with Ice over the tip. The pegasus name is Thunder Splash, she wants to leave as I can see it. Her blue coat matches the sky, her heterochromia eyes is left yellow, right orange. Her mane and tail is light yellow with dark red high lights. Her cutie mark is a thunder that strike a splash of rainbow colors. I overlook the situation, then walk over to Cloudy Falls. "Private Falls I want you to fetch princess Celestia. Tell her, she will be needed at the training grounds, there might be an accident." Falls nods and look over to at Rosaria then leaves quickly. As I walk over to the 4 ponies I hear Light Spark make a remark to Rosaria. "Your just a bat pony, a blood sucking loser that can't get out of her rank because you're not playing the game of a salt lick." I see how Rosaria is about to hoof plant her. With a cough I get their attention. "Now, now mares. The training ground are for private use at the moment and Sargent Rosaria is on the clock. So want I see is that you all are doing this to get her in problem." The all 4 look at me in a shock, Light Spark is the first to respond. "So want if we're and how do you think you are?" I put a hoof against my chest. "Me? I am Tec a guest of some high ranking noble here in Canterlot. And my provider is the one that has set this time for me." "Witch noble?" she ask. I shake my head and puts down my hoof. "Can't tell, I sworn not to tell for high level security horse apples thing. But I recommended you all leave, we don't want thing to end bad, now do..." I was cut of by Ice Pike. "Whom do you think you are shrimp?" 'She pokes me between me eyes' "And for that matter, what are you?" 'Pushing away her hoof.' "I'm a high level of don't ask, don't tell security." Ice Pike huffs. "Full of yourself aren't you." We glare at each other, when Light Spark pushes back Ice Pike. "Yeah, right more like a treat with that null ring on your horn." With that I give a shrug. "Well I can be when threaten." "Let me get a swing at her. She's making me angry." Says Ice. I smirk at that. "Well we can do a spar, I know I would love to move around a bit." "Yeah, that sound great." Ice reply agreeing. I call over my shoulder. "Private Smith will you bring out some training weapons." I hear him give a salute and a "Yes Ma'am." Training grounds 10 minutes later. This is crazy why would Tec do something so stupid, challenge Ice Pike is suicide. I tried to stop her but that failed. All she said was "it's now or when something worse can happen. We need to put her down like a rapid dog." She had that cold glaze that gives me chills, like she ready to kill. After Smith brought out the training weapons Tec looks over them and to my surprise she take up 2 daggers, she checks their balance. She puts one in a holster on her left fore leg. The other in her mouth. Ice Pike takes her trade mark 1½ spear and short sword, both have no armor. They meet in the middle of the fighting circle. They look at each other and I see that bucking smirk on Tec and she speaks. "Let's make this a bit more fun. The loser is going to be the winners toy. Deal?" Ice looks at the Tec and agrees. "I will love to break you, Tec was it?" I just shake my head and join Splash. I and Splash will act as judges. Ice and Tec chose to go with the rules the first to give up or become unconscious loses. The others sits outside the circle wait for this foolish dual. As I look around I detect the Privet Falls is missing. Ice and Tec are standing ready at each side of the ring, Ice holding her spear with magic in a diagonal downwards. Tec has a dagger in her mouth and her extra in the holster. Splash rise her right wing looking at the two combats and with a cut down motion she shouts. "BEGIN." Ice Pike charges against Tec and use a forward thrust. Tec dodges left and do an quick forward step and do a low kick against Ice fore legs. Ice reacts to it by moving backwards that's when Tec jumps into a tackle hitting Ice in the stomach. Ice falls back unto her back and drops her spear. Tec kicks the spear out of the circle. I'm in shock how quick Tec got Ice on the ground. Smith whistle. "She used her size and speed to her advantage." Ice rise to her hooves and spits on the ground. "Yer quick Tec, but I have something you don't, magic." Ice Light up her horn and shots magic missiles at Tec. Tec dodges and sway. It's looks like an dance as she gets closer to Ice whom draws her sword in the mouth and continue to shot. As Tec gets close, she gets hit by a missile and stumble then gets hit with the sword with a sickening crack and is sent flying. Tec drops her dagger she was holding. Within seconds she up on her hooves. Grinning like a maniac and speaks. "I feel alive, but your wrong about something. And I will prove it." She rushes in again, Ice respond in kind shooting missile. As they gets closer Tec dodges to the left, slamming her fore hooves to the ground and 3 spikes of earth erupts under Ice. Ice gets hit with one them and gets throws up in the air and lands hard on the ground. We're all stunned. Light Spark screams. "How in Tartarus can you use magic with a bucking null ring on your horn." Tec doesn't answer, just keep looking at Ice. With the sound of magic deactivate we all look around. There stands princess Celestia, Pin Scroll and Cloudy Falls. We were about to bow as she stops us. "No need to bow my little ponies the dual is not over yet." says Celestia as she looks over the gathering. Pin Scroll is giddy. "She could do it, my theory about the magic was correct." We all looks over to Tec and Ice. Ice have come up on her hooves, swaying from side to side. Tec draws her backup dagger and starts walk to Ice. Tec stares into Ice eyes then gives her hard kick that Ice try to dodge but fail, it hits the side of Ices head. Whom falls like rag doll to the ground. Tec sighs and walks out of the circle dropping the dagger. "Well I won, le" She was stopped by Pin Scroll jumping forward against Tec. "You need to tell me how you used magic without your horn." Celesta walks close as well. "I wants to know as well, but that can wait until you been checked by Dr. Hoof." Tec nods. "Yeah, that might be good I got hit by a hard ringer." Celestia giggles. "Yeah I saw the full dual. We used invisible spell to see it. But it seems Pin Scroll lost his concentration when you used magic." We join them with Spark Light. "I'm sorry your highness, but how do you know Tec? Princess Celestia." Celestia looks down at Spark Light and reply. "You mean princess Tec'ondra, daughter of queen Tek'nistar, leader of the Everfree hive. She's under my protection, she have already help Equestira together with Arch-magus Pin Scroll and Chief Engineer Gear Track. Even only begin a foal." Spark Lights mouth hangs open and she becomes white as a sheet. Sparks turn to Tec and bows. "I'm so sorry princess Tec'ondra for showing such disgraceful side of me." Tec huffs. "Really Light Spark, now that you know of my status, you and kiss up to me. Well I will forgive you this time, but I recommend you to stop being such a racist about other races and sub-races." Thunder Splash comes over with Ice Pike on her back, Ice looks over. "What the bucking are you." Tec walks over and balance on Splash side with her fore legs. She leans in to Ice ear and whisper something to her. After that we all goes to hospital wing, where Tec and Ice get check up. After me and Ice got medical attention. I got the 3rd degree interrogation. As they all ask me question I lift my right hoof and wait for them to quiet down, as silence join us I lower my hoof. "Okay all, first things first. Is it good for them to hear this." I point over to Ice, Splash and Spark. Celestia nods. "Yes, as I want them to know how important you are." With that I nod. "Well if that's what you want. I look over to Pin Scroll. Okay your question first." "As you know Pin Scroll I just confirmed your theory is that a pony can use the magic even if they're not an unicorn. First we know that both earth- and pegasus ponies use their own magic." I get nods at this." "And we know that all things in the world has some sort of magic in them." I get another nod at this. "So what I did was use the magic form them. And before you ask I can't speak with them." Pin Scroll shuts his mouth at that. "In this instance I have tried to use magic for some time, I could feel the magic move ever time I tried. But never got a out burst/reaction until the dual." 'I lift my right hoof and collect magic energy around it, I add fire the the magic and it burst into flames.' All of them are silently watch the fire on my hoof. Meteor Storm sticks out her hoof to touch the flame, I smack it away. "Don't touch it, it still is fire." 'I stop casting the spell.' With the spell gone they all lock eyes on me. "So Pin Scroll, to answer your question is that I used my control on magic to activate the magic around me. We can test this more when we're at the lab. Okay?" He nods. "Of course Tec, I have many thing we shall test from here on out." He finish with a smile and leaves. "Next question?" Meteor Storm raises her hoof like in a classroom asking for permission. "Yes privet Storm." "So how can you be so good at fighting?" 'I look over to Celestia and back at Storm.' "Well I have my mother memories, about 600 years of experience with battle and more. Is that enough of an answer?" She nods. "Yeah, that gives me some info, for now." I give a quick nod. "So can I get some rest for now, my adrenaline is gone and I feel the pain." Celestia nod. "Yes we will speak more when you been healed." They all leave, leaving me and Ice in patient room. She mutters for her self not that I'm listening, I feel how tried I am and let me self be taken by sleep. Celestia walks back to the castle as she thinks over what have happen in the dual and what she just learn for the little changeling. 'She's become a powerful source, I need to find a way to keep her an ally to Equestria. I will see if I can get her adopted by a family or in worst case I adopt her. Celestia gets interrupted by Sargent Rosarias. "Sorry to ask you, but what is your plans for Tec?" Humming for a bit She answer. "Oh, I don't have much planed, Tec seems to do a lot on her own. But I want to try and have Tec stay in Equestria. I might try to have her adopted into a family." Rosi looks up at Celestia. "Are you sure that will be a good idea? She always talk about becoming a "Sell Sword" and do you think there is a family that would adopt her. She's not a pony and is odd." Celestia nods. "Yes Tec have told me about her dreams to become one, but she can travel the world with other occupation, about a family that will adopt her will be a bit of work. Other wise I will adopt her, It will not be the first time I adopted a child of a different race." Rosi screams out. "What you can't be serious?" Celestia nods. "Yes, but I will be the last resort." They continue walking. > 006 Reports, Adoption talks, dream scape. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestias office It's been four days after the dual between Tec and Ice Pike. Celestia ordered an investigation on the event why three nobles could enter the closed down training arena and how Tec used magic with a null ring on, even if it was a low level earth magic. She has also sent a Social worker to interview Tec for finding the best choice for family. Now four days after the dual they have all gathered to give their reports. We have Pin Scroll with a stake of paper and a small box, Sargent Rosaria and a new pony a social worker "Foals Heart" an Pegasus with sea green coat, mane and tail is in a dark green with white trim and orange eyes, her cutie mark is two foals hugging forming a heart. They all sit around a table, with tea ware with a salted caramel cake and many various cookies on plates. Celestia looks over the ponies and sweets, she pour some tea for her self and a slice of cake then speak. "As you all know that the incident that happen four days ago and I ordered an investigation on it." She takes little of her tea. "And so we're all here to talk about our findings, Rosi you can start." Rosi gives a quick nod. "Yes your highness. We have interrogated the three nobles to see why/how they was got passed the guards." Rosi cough into her hoof. "What we found was that an guard gave them permission to enter the training grounds the name of the guard is Long Shot, but we don't have a guard by that name, so I pressed deeper. What we found was that the guard have disappeared, we have tried tracking the magical signature and much more. But found nothing, so all I can say is that there was an infiltrator, might have been an other changeling. You can read all of this in the report. I have contacted ESS (Equestria Secret Service) to help in the investigation." Celestia gives an neutral stare then sighs. "Thanks Rosi, we might need to ask Tec to help with the search or give advice. What are we going to do with Ice Pike." "Well she's under the rules of the dual at the moment and is owns Tec a favor, she have been released from the hospital. Her family have voiced some concerns about this especial as Tec is royalty of a other kingdom and a foal." "Yes, they have come to me to help Ice Pike, we're still waiting to see what Tec has planed, Pin Scroll what's your report on Tec using magic with a null ring on." Says Celestia. He puts down a big stack of papers on the table and starts speaking in depth on the subject, until Celestia stops him. "Can you explain it in common ponish Pin?" He looks around on all the confused faces and nods. "Sorry about that Celestia, I will try." He uses his magic to readjust the papers. "Yes, there're was two things that made Tec use magic. First: She's been trained her magic even with a null ring on, but after I checked the monitoring report all she's been doing is meditate twice a day morning and night. So I asked Tec when she was able to answer, Tec spoke of a theory an fictional theory. I have the details in the report." He uses his magic to drink a bit of tea before proceeding. "The second thing: Was she pushed herself over here body's limitation with the help of adrenaline and it broke the null ring and almost killed her. As her body couldn't handle the magical transformation form outside her body into it and with this she was risking to not be able to use magic again, but luckily it didn't happen, it's odd that she didn't pass out with all the pain that she should have felt, even Dr. Hoofs said so." Celestia nods, Rosi and miss Heart looks shocked by this. Rosi asks. "So you mean she pushed herself through the null ring by risking her own life?" Pin nods. "Yes, she is suffering from it now and is on bed rest to doctors say so." A meek voice joins in. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but am I suppose to hear this?" All eyes locks onto Foals Heart and Celestia answers. "Yes, miss Heart. This is so you can get more information about the foal you're going to give a foster home to. I have heard that you haven't had much luck with Tec. As if she avoid your questions." Miss Heart nods. "Yeah, princess Tec'ondra have been giving me little in answers and when we get to a subject she doesn't want to speak about her emotions shut down and she becomes cold, like the reports I have read. I believe it's some kind of defense action, to remove her own feelings on the matter." The others nod at this. "So do you have any idea how to get her to open up?" Asked Celestia, miss Heart gives her a sheepish look. "I have an idea how to make her open up but it's better for her to do it herself, if we push to hard she will run away. So I recommend that we put her in a family that can give her a sense of safety and calm." "Have you found a family that take in that odd thing?" Ask Rosi as she gives a disgusted face. "Rosaria you can't call a foal that, you should feel ashamed at yourself." Screams miss Heart out anger filling her eyes, Heart was about to say something but was interrupted by Celestia. "Calm down miss Heart, Rosi only stated what we all think about Tec, she is odd, but you are correct she is not a thing, she's a changeling." Miss Heart calms herself and start nibbling on a cookie as Celestia continues. "We have looked into a family to take care of Tec, but it's been hard as we know so little about her and she has the trend to do thing that's not normal. But we might have found one, if you please miss Heart." Miss Heart swallow her cookie. "Well we have a lot of possible families for fostering her, but as they learned she was not a pony they rejected to take her in." She sighs. "With that we have not found a family for her in Canterlot, so we have looked at settlement close to her even some of the Theastrals families. I have some that taken interest in her and want to meet her." Rosi makes a sour face. "Witch family is interest in her? I hope it's not the Sanguis they have bad rumors around them." "No, no they're not even on the list, it's the Nox that work with ESS (Equestria Secret Service)." Replied miss Heart. Rosi let out a relived sigh and shake her head. "They are a great family, I have served with "Night Wind of Nox". She's a good mare, I don't know much about her spouse but if she could tame Night Wind, she must be a good pony." "Celestia is still on the table for fostering her, as we have Blue Blood that is about the same age as Tec, but as Tec reacts against nobility it can be a future problem." Miss Heart said looking over to Celestia whom nods then speaks. "Yes, she seems to have a dislike to nobles. I was hoping to have her adjust to nobles." The others nods as Celestia continue. "So lets go through what we need to make everything good for the fostering Tec." Tec's Dreamscape. Background music: Benny Goodman Orchestra "Sing, Sing, Sing" Nightmare moon enters a the only dream she can enter over 900 years, as she enter through the double doors, the sound drums and bass instruments fills her ears and smoke irritates her breathing. As she looks around there are many of the bipedal creatures the stallions wears three three piece suit in colors like brown, black, grey and more and they have ties and a white under shirt some even ear hats, the mares are wearing Sequin dresses with radiant colors and feathers. The room is a big rectangle at the far end is a stage that a live band is playing music in front of it there's a dance floor with these creatures dancing, table fills the sides of the room with creatures standing and sitting at tables talking in a language she doesn't understand, at the center is a round bar with seats and two bartenders and there sits the small changeling in a black suit on, as Nightmare starts walking to the bar she looks around. The lights on the roof is mighty chandelier made out of crystal they where dimmed except the stage. The furniture is dark in color or natural, the large windows are covered with thick cloth letting no light through. "Odd I thought that these creatures didn't fear the light of the sun." she thought to herself. As she got closer to the bar she see many various of bottles with strong booze in them. The changeling is drinking out of small glass with ice cubes and black liquid as she is about to open her mouth to call out to the changeling, two bipedal creatures stands in the way their hands on a thing in there inner pocket, one of them say something to the changeling that respond in kind. After a few words the guards walk to the side and let her get close. Tec look at Nightmare with a awkward smile and speak. "Sorry about the guards, they're only thinking about my safety. Come sit." as she pets the seat next to her. Nightmare takes it and ask the obvious. "What dream is this? Is it part of a dream or something else?" Tec Smiles with a warmth in her eyes. "This." Tec move her hoof over the room. "This is a memory from a time spent with my friends, it's part of a live RPG I was part of you dress up and play a live theater with a made up backstory and stats based on it, we're following the rules from "Vampire the Requiem" and this is a place for the vampire to meet and spy on their enemys/friends." Night: "Isn't it a lot of work to do this?" Tec: "Yes, there's a lot of work to prepare, so we normally only hold a bit game like this once or twice a year and it's normally hold on a long weekend." Night: "It's a wonderful to see all so lively, so whats your story." Tec pulls out a paper with name, stats, skill and other things and starts explaining the paper and then is she goes into the story of the world. "This world is based on the 1940's, we vampires are working in the shadows to control governments and many other things to do everything to survive within the rule of the havens and the elders." Nightmare looks confused. "So we are in a haven?" Tec: "Yes." Night: "Why do you have guards." Tec: "Ah, yes that because of roll playing, I'm a leader of a gang the holds the northern parts of the city and a bootlegger. We transport booze that is illegal at the time but that is just a one part of it. We are blood harvesters and sell it to the other vampires for a high prize. Because of that I have some enemies that want to take over my work or just make ash of me." Night: "So want happens next?" Tec smiles and points over to a table. "If you look over at that table, do you see the man in a wheelchair." Night nods as she looks over to a table with four creatures sit at one female and three males, with one of them is an older looking male, greyish stomach long beard and short thinning hair and round glasses sitting in a wheelchair, he has a cloth draped over he's legs and has a grey suit a black tie and a black suitcase handcuffed to his left hand. Tec: "That one of my friends he's going to end this campaign tonight, the suitcase has a deadly virus in it and will be released and destroy the city a large part of the country." Night: "What virus can do so mush damage." Tec shrugs: "It's based on a virus form another game that he's been to focused on an long time. And as he is great friend with the Game master it went through and was accepted. So the game ends after tonight." Night: "That's sad so what are we doing now?." Tec: "We can do whatever you want. Drink fake booze, dance or we can change the dream to something else." Night: "Hmm, lets dance for now, I haven't had a chance to do that in so long and here no one judge me." Tec: "Let's do that then." They rise and heads over to the dance floor and dance the dream away. Celestias office. "So we are in agreement we will have Nox be the foster family if they're willing and she will visit the castle as much as possible to get used to the nobles and will spend time with me and Blue Blood." Says Celestia. "And I and my squad will train with her so she doesn't get in more danger as last time and with that we can use her changeling ability to help us in our work." Rosi says. "I and my colleague will be Tec's therapist and help her get through bits of her problems." Miss Heart agree. "Okay all is done, now all we have to do is to get Tec to go along with this." Celestia end the meeting. > 007 Freedom? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Medical Wing Red Site. My eyes open slowly to adjust to the light in the hospital room a green curtain is around the bed, as I sit up I flinch from the lasting pain after my stupidity. I press the call bottom and wait for a response. A few minutes later Nurse Green Side enters by pushing the curtains aside with a happy voice and a big smile she looks me over. "Morning sweetheart, are ye ready to start your day." Nodding I reply. "Yeah, I think I am, I feel like I can't sleep more, what time is it?" Nurse Side start to check my chitin and with a smile she nods to her self. "Ye looking good the chitin is full heal ye can probably get discharge today if the doctor say it's okay. The time is 7.20 in the morning, did you sleep well ye look a bit tired." Tec: "I do sleep well but I have these dreams that make me a bit confused. It's about my." 'Stopping myself.' "Just weird dreams it all." Side: "Oh sweetie, if you are having weird dreams you will feel better if you speak about them. So tell me what are you dreaming about?" I sigh. "Well, it's not something I can speak openly about, per Celestias orders as it's connected to my past. So I'm sorry I can't tell you anything." "Don't worry your head over it sweetie, I know the princess and you have your secret talks about your past. I just wish to help you." she says as she combs my mane to the side. Tec: "Yeah, I know but the less ponies knows about my past the better." There's a knock at the door. As I look over I lock eyes with Celestia, she's wearing her warm smile as she looks me over. "Rise Green Side." That's when I see Side rising from a bow I didn't see her go into. "I heard you're ready to be discharge today." Celestia says with glimmer in her eyes. I feel a weird chill down my spine, I shake it off. "Yes Celestia, Dr Ever Hoof is going to do a last check on me before I can leave, I'm ready to get back to the routine." At that Celestia's smile widen. "Oh, Tec I have some good news for you, you're going be free to move around the castle and Canterlot." I blink a few times. "What do you mean with that? I thought I was meant to be some type a secret." "You're correct, but after your little dual there needed to be changes, so I and my aids have been holding meetings to see what we can do to with you. And we came to a decision." "What is that Celestia?" I give her a glare, knowing full well she has gone something that will give me problems. The smile she gives me grow wider still. "How is that possible, pony magic? whatever I need to focus." "With how you have adapted to you're situation and have help us with many problems from my aids, even if they against this I made a point to point out all the advantage of this." I tilt my head feeling that weird chill again. "I'm adopting you Tec into the royal family." The room falls into silence at the statement, I can feel my brain stop working and start rebooting. "What is she thinking, is she crazy? I need to know is she serious?" I focus my ability to feel emotions on her, solely on her. I feel pride, determination, happiness and a bit of worry. "F it she serious, how did it become like this?" I pull back my ability and take a few deep breath then lock onto Celestia's eyes, her eyes still glimmering. "Celestia, why would you...." I was cut off by a female voice of a filly. "AUNT, YOU CAN'T BE REALLY THINKING OF ADOPTING THIS THING!" All eyes in the room fall onto this unicorn filly, she's about 6-8 years old with a white coat with no cutie mark yet, hay colored mane/tail and blue eyes. She stands at the door in a battle stands that only make her look more cute than threatening. The feelings radiating form this filly is disgust and hate. But what's more worrying is Celestia's feelings the sadness and disappointment I feel she's overpowering my senses as she speaks. "Niece, I told you not be prejudice against Tec. You did just that and not only that you insults her as is not bad enough I told you she's a ruler from foreign kingdom and have help Equestria with her knowledge and needs our help. Blueblood you have made me very disappointed." The filly's ears falls to the back of her head as she sits down looking at her hooves. I tone out their voices as Celestia start to talk with the filly, my head starts to hurt with all of their emotions filling the room. One thing I get form the storm of emotions is that the filly is really sorry, so I speak up. "Celestia calm yourself your emotions are to strong and don't be to hard on her." Both Celestia and Blueblood looks at me and I feel the pressure to my mind lighten. "Sorry Tec, I lost my self there abit." I wave off her comment and look over to the filly. "Are you okay?" She looks at me and nods. "Good." Looking back to Celestia I continue. "Celestia I know you care for Blueblood alot and try to spend time with her and guide her, but what she just said is not her own thoughts and you know it." Celestia nods at this. "And Blueblood you shouldn't listen to all what you're friends tell you. They might cloud your judgment on others, please meet a creature and make you're own decision on the creature you meet is good or bad." Blueblood is looking at me with wide eyes. "And for you're information I have not made a decision to be adopted by you're aunt and even if I do I will not take away your time with her. I have my own life to live, do you understand?" Blueblood nods and meets Celestia's eyes as she is looking down at her. "So tell me Celestia why did you go down this path? Is it because of my knowledge, pity or is it only to have me in your hooves?" Celestia looks abit sad a my statement, I feel an stab in my heart I sigh. "Sorry Celestia, I didn't mean to hurt you. You know I have problems with begin help, sorry." Celestia comes over to me and hugs me. "I know Tec, that's one of the reasons I chose to adopt you, to give you a chance to accept help and make friends that you can rely on. The second is so you can be safe and not used by the other nobles even if I know you will not be so easily fooled by them." I nod slowly and smile. "But that's not all Celestia is it?" Celestia smiles big. Celestia release me from the hug. "You're sharp as ever, I want you to help you live better with a chance to join ESS so you can explore the world." "Aunt you want her to join Equestria Secret Service?" Celestia looks back at Blue and give her a nod. "Yes, Tec here wants to travel the world as an sell sword, but as we don't have don't have that anymore I thought this would be an great way for Tec to get her wish and to help Equestria until she will reinstate herself as a ruler." She looks back at me with that warm smile I have become accustomed to. "Well that sounds like a plan." I say with a smile on my face. "So where do we go from here?" "Well my plan was for you and Blueblood to meet so you can study together and help both of you to live in the castle, but as Blueblood didn't obey me on this you to can talk as me and Green Side meet with the Dr Ever Hoof." With that they leave, leaving Blueblood with me. We're like frozen in time she standing by the door me laying in bed looking at her. With a sigh she starts speaking. "Why did you help me?" I answer as I let my head flop down on the pillow. "Hmm, help you it's more I helped Celestia and my self, she cares for you but can't discipline you as she would a normal pony because the love she holds for you." Blues cheeks turn a bit pinkish. Blue: "But why?" Tec: "I could feel it, the love and sadness all." I let my eyes meet hers as she walks closer to the bed. "I can feel all the emotions you two spilled out and it hurt me. So the best thing I could do is to help you both. I know you don't fully understand it, but those ponies you spend time with are trying to control you to get to Celestia." Blue: "Why would they do something like that?" Tec: "They want to gain something from you that Celestia will not agree too, but that because you are highest ranking noble except for Celestia. You may not think about it you have power that can change thing around you for better or worse." Blue tilts her head to the side giving me a thoughtful look it's cute. Blue: "So you mean I can change thing around Canterlot with my words and actions?" I nod. "Yes you can and that's dangerous, because you can make problems for others and even hurt them." Blue looks shocked at my words. Tec: "I guess that's why Celestia wants us to be friends, so I can help you see what's right and wrong with what other ponies wish of you." Blue: "Why would she do that for me." I give her a smile. "Because she loves you and wants you to be a strong and rightful pony." Blue looks surprise at my words but smile happy, but it falls as she looks almost sad. Blue: "You're not like what the other said you are, I'm sorry for being angry at you." I reach and pets her head. "You are forgiven, you where blinded by the others word and your own worry about me being adopted. But keep in mind what happened today, so you don't make the same mistake again." She nods and gives me a light smile as I continue to pet her head. We continue to talk about want she like and dislikes and tell her bits about my self until Celestia returns with the doctor and nurse I get my check up and get discharge with orders not to much stress on my body and rest often. We all return to my old room, their I get adoption paper to read and sign. I see that I will have two sub guardian that will take care of my daily needs, their names are Night Wind (Theastrals) and Candy Warp (Unicorn) they're moving to Canterlot to meet and live with me so that I don't put to much work on Celestia. It seems I will live in the castle with guards around me until they arrive. Few hours later Centerlot Castle. We enter the castle with some royal guards, there are not a lot of ponies in the halls as I'm lead to my new room, Blueblood is talking with me as we been friends for life it's a bit irritating but it's better that she sees me as friend than a threat. "It will take time to get over that in this world he is a she. Celestia and me will have to talk about it later if needed." As we get closer to the room I can hear a voice I haven't heard for some time and last time is insulted me and Rosaria. It's Ice Pike she's screaming at a guard that is standing in front of a door I guess is my new room. Ice: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T ENTER THE ROOM!" Guard: "Sorry miss Pike I been given strict orders not to let no one to enter until Princess Tec'ondra see it fit to have visitors." Ice Pike snarls at the guard and is about to say something but was interrupted by Celestia. "My little pony what can I do for you." Ice falls quiet then with a look of horror turn to Celestia and bows. "Sorry your highness Celestia I just wanted to enter Tec'ondras room so I can pay back my debt and this guard wouldn't let me in to the room." Tia: "I know miss Pike, I was the one that gave the orders to the guards for Princess Tec'ondras room to be safe. The guard is only following orders." Ice: "Sorry your Highness." Tia: "You're forgiven Ice Pike, but how did you get the information that this room was going to become Princess Tec'ondras and how did you know that today is the day she enter the castle?" I lean over to Blue and whisper in her ear. "That's one way they can use you and get information on others." Blue nods with the understanding. Ice: "Sorry your Highness I got the information from one off my friends." Tia: "It seems that you have used your family contacts again, Princess Tec'ondra what will you do with her." Ice looks up at me with anger and fear in her eyes. With a heavy sigh walk up to Ice Pike. "Rise miss Pike, so I can see your eyes more clearly." She dose as commanded glaring at me as she does. I let my ability read her emotions to make the appropriate reaction to her as we speak. Tec: "So miss Pike I know you're eager get rid of your debt to me and we both know you have you're pride to think of, am I right." (emotions = angry, hopeful, disappointed) Ice: "Yes, that's why I came looking for you so we can get this over with." Tec: "Okay give me a minute so I can prepare a bit for us, if we're going to speak about this matter it's better we do it in side my room." I turn to look at Princess Celestia and Blueblood give a slight bow. "Sorry your Highness Celestia and your Highness Blueblood it seems I have something to take care of, so allow me to leave first and can we speak more at tea or dinner later?" Tia: "Very well Princess Tec'ondra we will take our leave as well I will send somepony to get you for our meal later." Tec: "Thank you your Highness see you later you to Blueblood." Whom gives a nods and join Celestia as they walks away down the corridor. Looking at Ice we enter the room that have been assigned to me, it's a big room made out off white marble with big windows looking out on the mountain of Canterlot and the city, there's a door to the left that stands slightly open where I see a bathroom. On the right there is a big bed, big enough for four adult size ponies. The sound of the door slamming behind me stops me from looking around the room, as I get grab by an magical aura and is pushed against a wall. Ice: "Okay you little shit I will have answers and you will give them, understand?" Giving her a evil gin. "Can you a least let me sit down at the table so we can be a bit civil?" She levitates me to the small table by the window and puts me down on a cushion, Ice sits down opposite to me and glare with such intensive I could combust on the spot. Tec: "So want your questions." Ice: "Want the buck was that shit you said to me after the dual. What do you mean "I'am going to have fun next time we meet."." Tec: "What do you think I meant with that." Ice becomes a bit red on her cheek and her emotion becomes a wild mix of arousal and anger with a bit of shame. Ice: "I..... I was thought you where going to" She becomes silent and her anger flare up with force as she rise and point a hoof against. Ice: "You did this to me, you made me think of all the things you could do to me, it's your fault I can't stop thinking about you." Ice sits down quiet with tomato red face. Holding back my snicker. "So you have been thinking about me." I say with a playful tone. Ice lock her eyes onto mine. Ice: "And I hate you for it." Letting out a sigh. "Ice Pike, I know you don't hate me, but I can understand how you feel. Well I can taste it." Ice looks at me confused. "What do you mean you can taste it." Tec: "I'm a changeling I eat emotions, I can feel them from all around me. But I block most of them out or I might go crazy with all I would feel." I shake my head slowly and give her a sad smile. Tec: "I know what you really feel. I'm sorry I said that to you that day, a bad habit got the better of me." Ice: "So why did you say it?" Tec: "It's a way for me to scare other to control them, to believe I will do something worse to them the next time we meet. It's bad and I'm sorry." I bow my head to her. As the silence hanged in the air, the only sound in the room is our breathing slow deep breaths. I was all cut by one sentence form Ice. "What buck is wrong with you! Do you believe you can just say sorry and all will be right in the world." My head shoots up and looking at her, shes crying. "No, you're right nothing I do will make things right and I'm ready to pay for it, the world is not a thing of sunshine and rainbows." I rise from my seat and walk over to her, her eyes not leaving me. As I get close she leans away from me but I grab her and hugs her. She tried to struggle in the beginning but stopped and just cried as hugs me back. We sat there what felt like hours holding onto each other. After Ice have calmed down, I hear her whisper. "Are you really just a filly?" I laugh at that and push my self away so I can see her eyes. "Nah, not really, but that's a long story for another time. Are you feeling better?" She nods giving a weak smile. "Yeah I'm better but you still need to pay for what you did too me and I will make it a double." "Yeah, you have all the right to do that." "So why did you make a deal with me in the dual?" "Oh that, I was thinking to have you do some dumb thing for me or something like that, but after the dual as I lay in the hospital bed I thought I was just letting emotion get the better off me. So I actually don't have a plan for you. Sorry." Ice blinks a few times then out off nowhere she kisses me on my lips, my brain goes into overdrive as I get directly feed love, arousal and more into me. My body starts to shake with the new energy given to me, the taste is intoxication sweet like vanilla ice cream with a hint of cookie dough, it's not like the filler crystals I been feed up until this point and their bland taste. As my mind goes blank I feel something shift inside me. After the kiss has ended my mind reconnect and I let out a gasp of air I didn't know I was holding, as my eyes adjust I see Ice looking concerned as she holds me, her voice comes slowly into focus. "Tec are you okay, what have I done. I know it's was wrong to" I put my hoof on her mouth and says in what I think is a normal way but is actually slurring my word as a drunk. "Shh, I'm ok-okay, that waaas some strong stuuuuff, but yoooulu should do thaaaat with other wa-wa-watching, that erm, be not good as I look like a silly filly and mommy Tia might do something to us." I burst out into laughter at my statement. Ice looks more shocked and worry then before, she helps me onto the bed as I start singing a drunkards song she don't understand as she lay me to bed I'm filled with a calm that takes me into the heavy sleep. After I left Tec with Ice Pike and say goodbye to Blueblood, I entered my office and sit down. I activate a spell so I can see and hear what Tec and Ice are doing. As I hear their conversation and how ever thing seems to be fine between them. Then I see something shocking Ice kisses Tec on the lips and it seem like Tec is first shocked then an weird look crosses her face and as the kiss ends Tec gets this goofy smile on her face as Ice's face gets more worry. I rises from my seat and starts running down the hall towards Tec's room spell still active so I can see what's happening in the room Tec's slurring word filling my ears as gets closer to the door I stop before it and as I'm about to throw the door open I hear Tec call me mommy Tia I freeze in shock as the words echoes in my mind. "Is this what she thinks off me, in her drunken state is she more open about what she feels." I get broken out of my thinking as I hear several hooves coming down the hall as the guards most have raised the alarm when they saw me running down the hall. Letting out a sigh I turn towards the 20 or so guards running down the hall. I dispel my magic, raise my hoof. "Guards you can return to your posts. There's no threat." The guard look at each other then give a salute as they return to their posts. As I turn back to the door it opens and Ice Pike exit, she gives me a shocked and afraid. I use my magic to teleport us to my office and I placed her on a seat. "So Ice Pike tell me what happened between you and Tec." Ice is squirming as I glare down at her. "No, I'm letting my emotions flare, I need to calm myself." "Calm yourself Ice Pike your not in danger." Ice looks up at me. "I'm so sorry your Highness I didn't know how Princess Tec'ondra would react like that from a kiss." Tia: "It was not the kiss that made her react like that, it was the emotions behind the kiss that overloaded her. What do you know about changeling?" "Not much your highness." "That's right there is not much known about them, but with the help of my aids and Tec'ondra with have learned a bit about them. Changeling feed on emotion and love is one of the strongest and most nutrition for them." "So that's why Tec'ondra reacted like that." "Yes, but I guess her body was shocked by the love you gave her, as the crystal we have feed her was filled with weaker form of love. They only gave her enough nutrition to keep her going as we didn't know if she was threat to us." "Oh, so she was in a weaken state and I filled her with a stronger version." "That's correct and you will keep this for yourself and I will not throw you in dungeon for kissing a six years old filly." Ice loses all color in her face. "But she said not a filly, she said so." I let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, her mind is that of a adult if that is because of her mothers memories or some else, but her body is that of a six years old." "Oh" is all I hear from Ice. "We will speak about this more in the future, you will be allowed to meet my daughter under supervision until she's of age." "When that will ever be as she's a changeling." Ice looks about ready to be bolt out of her skin. "Yo yo, you mean shes your her mother." I smile at that. "Yes I have adopted Tec'ondra she is my legal filly, but all that will be cleared up in a few days. You can leave now Ice Pike " As Ice Pike leaves I let out a sigh and with a flash I'm back in Tec's room shes laying on the bed. As I walk over to her looking at her she looks like a normal filly well a bug pony filly. I climb up and lay down beside her as I lay my head down beside her I can feel Tec roll over and push her self against me, my heart flutter and it make me happy to see her like this. "Why do I feel like this, I know I'm not her real mother but this feel so right." I shut my eyes and rest beside Tec. > 008 Dreams, the new danger > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia wakes up in darkened hallway with small glowing globes giving off a weak light, she quickly rises to her hooves worry seen on her face. 'Wasn't I resting in bed with Tec? Where am I? Where's Tec?' There're signs of battle on the walls and floor, marks of melee weapons and energy blasts even some explosions. As Celestia studies the hallway she activates her magic to scan the area but she find nothing only emptiness. 'I need to focus, focus on any signs of life or magic.' With her concentration she finds two magical living signs, but she's to far away to know who's who. So Celestia starts to walk down the hallway to get closer to the magic. Walking she finds that the walls, floor and ceiling are made out of cold iron fused with heat magic or something, the ceiling are grated with pipes and cables behind it. It seems that they made this hallways in sections, with a few meters per sections. 'It's interesting how they made these, maybe I can use this for something.' Her thoughts gets cut off as she coming close to a T-crossing and the sound of battle fills the left hallway. Celestia hesitate but chose to get closer to the sound. As the sounds are getting closer, the hall about to change into a big room with a high ceiling, with 6 big pillars in the middle of the room are many bipedal creature fighting. They are wearing boltgun metal colored bulky armor with yellow and black markings and a iron skull on their shoulder, others are a mixed bag some with black armor with silver trim, some wear green colors and many more, they're all bigger then Celesita herself. 'It seems an alliance is fighting the those with an iron skull on them. But why are they fighting. The sounds weapons clashing and thunder that filling the room ends as warriors with iron skulls falls. The allied troops start walking towards a big door, opening it with a press on a bottom, the door sliding open on gears, they all rushes in. Celestia follow suit entering a throne room, it's bare no decorations, no ornaments only a bare room with a throne made out of iron and on this throne sits a giant as it rises from it's seat the size difference is apparent. The other warriors are tall but this warrior king is a half a body bigger then them, his armor is metal in color, so bulky that it only look to be in the way, it was three big pipes on the arms and he's carrying a big hammer almost the size of himself. It sparks to life with electricity power. As the fight is about to start everything turns to black. Celestia looks around and finds a coach with dark red colors. Laying on the coach is Tec sleeping peacefully. Celestia is about to walk over to Tec but freezes in shock as a black/blue mist enter and surrounds the coach and Tec and a voice speaks softly, a voice Celestia haven't heard in almost a thousand, her sisters voice in the form of Nightmare Moon. "My little Tec are you having another one of your weird dreams again. Another memory part of a story you heard?" Nightmare says as she takes her form. Her black fur and flowing mane and tail, cyan eyes with a soft glow focused on Tec. What Celestia realize is that Nightmare is not wearing her armor. Nightmare muzzles Tec so she wakes up. Tec awakens blinking a few times then sits up and stretches herself like a cat. Tec: "Morning Night, did I have another dream?" Night: "Yes Tec, you where dreaming of another story i guess." Tec: "Witch one?" Night: "Don't know, it was another fighting one, like the first one I saw. But with other characters and a giant with big bulking armor and a big hammer." Tec: "What color was the armor black, metal, green?" Night: "Metal." Tec: "Ah, then it probably was Perturabo then they're many battles I have heard of. Anyhow so what's our plans for tonight?" Celestia stands there watching as her corrupted sister and her now adopted daughter talks like they have been friends for some time. Her throat becomes dry, she swallow a few times then clear her throat with a cough. Both heads turn to her. Red eyes turn to shock and cyan eyes turn to shock then anger. Celestia is about to speak when Nightmare throws herself against her manifesting her armor as she dose. Nightmare tackles Celestia to the ground standing over her she screams. "Celestia I have vow the day I can slay you, my dear sister." Nightmare blast a spell against Celestia whom raises a shield. "Sister calm yourself." They start fighting blasting magic against each other, flying, teleportation. Celestia is losing the battle as now she knows now that they are in Tec's dream, so she can't fully use her power. Nightmare use her dream magic to take control of the dream and capture Celestia with tentacles. One around a abdomen and wings, others the legs and around Celestias throut. "Sister are you ready to lose your mind. Become a dead husk in the waking world." Celestia tried to teleport again but nothing happens. "Oh dear sister, we're in the dream realm I can take away your abilities and make you into nothing." "Luna, please don't do this. Stop." "It's Nightmare Moon. Not Luna, Luna is gone." Nightmare charges her magic. "Your still my sister, please don't do this." Celestia's horn lights up but no magic manifest. As I woken up inside the dream realm again by Nightmare Moon, I was shocked to see Celestia inside the dream as well. What more is that Nightmare tries to kill Celestia. I'm frozen in my spot as I see them fighting almost getting hit a few times by stray shots or blast of magic, only to have blue or golden magic blocking the attacks. It seems that both of them are protecting me. I'm in awe at this fight between two alicorns that's until Celestia is capture and is about to be killed. Shaking my head I try to activate my magic, but as this is a dream I can't use it correct. 'Wait this is a dream connected to my mind, I need to concentrate. FOCUS. With a headache starting I succeed change the dream. As Nightmare Moon is about to kill Celestia, something stops her magic and the tentacles that holding Celestia disappears, they hear a gasp the both of them turn to look at whom that made the sound and what they see shake them to their core. Tec is laying on the floor unconscious and beside her stands a tall white alicorn with Red mane and tail, blue motherly eyes looking at them. Both of them starts to cry and shaking, uncertain what to do they speak. Tia and Night: "Mother?" With a shaking voice. Faust: "Yes and no, my daughters. I'm a creation of Pe-erm, Tec's memory as before she came to our world she meet the real me." Faust walks slowly to them, with loving eyes, Nightmare cower back, Celestia is leaning into a hug. After some time Nightmare is dragged in as well, she struggles but loses the will to fight and just accepted the hug, as they released from the hug Celestia and Nightmare dry their tears, looking at their mother. Faust: "My daughters, sweet daughters I have longed for this for so long." Tia: "Mother, but how did you get created by Tec?" Night: "I would like to know that as well." Faust shake her head. Faust: "I'm not sure, but I know she most have forced my creation through dream magic and her memories." Faust activate her magic to levitate Tec towards them laying her between them. Faust: "I asked him, I mean her too look after you if you needed help and it seems this time she called me to help you both calm down." Faust, Tia and Night are looking at this small changeling princess, Faust: "It seems to be the right thing to do." Tia: "Wait so the magic I sensed in Tec was your magic?" Faust: "Yes, as for her soul and new body need to adjust to our world, I needed to use my magic to keep her alive til they are fused together, this might have some effects on her." Night: "What effects?" Faust with a sad face: "She will never live a normal life, her power are stronger then many living creature. The most troubling thing is because my magic is part of her she might live forever, but I'm not confident if that will be the case." All three are watching the small thing between them, unsure if they can do somethings for her. After a time in silence Faust form becomes disturb and blinks in and out existence. Faust: "Seem she's waking up, take care of yourself and this little one. I love you both." With the dream ending they all return to the waking world. I open my eyes only to see the black void with glimmering stars and a grey surface I have seen for so long and in the distance I see Equus and where my new friend is living. "Wait for me Tec I will come and find you and take over Equestria, make the best life for you, for US." Nightmare says into the empty void. Opening my eyes I sits up strait as I see a maid looking worried at me. "Your Highness I'm sorry to disturb your rest but it's time to set the sun." I control my emotions and smile at the maid before me. "Thank you Feather Dust, I will do so right now." I rises to my hooves and walks over to the windows with flick of my magic I do my daily task of setting the sun and rising of the moon. ' I wonder how long have my sister and Tec been meeting in the dream realm, why have she not said anything. I can guess that Nightmare can enter Tec's dream because she's not from this world. Why have she not used Tec to escape maybe she can't. Still I need to keep an eye on her for now, as I can't do anything in the dream realm. Looking back to the bed I see Tec flopping of the bed and hit the floor hard. I feel my world shift as something leave my warm embrace of the bed and the sound of magic fills my ears. As I open my eyes I see Celestia lowering the sun and raising the moon, I try to rise but my head hurts to much so I opt to roll of the bed. With a sudden free fall, I hit the floor hard I feel the air leave my lungs and I whimper as the cold floor chills me. "Are you okay." Celestia ask me with worry. "Yeah, just a headache that is making it hard for me to move." I roll around on the floor so that I face the hooves of Celestias and the maid. As they watches me. "Come here Tec I will take you to the dining hall so you can get some food in you. You haven't eaten anything since this morning and your little snack form Ice Pike." Celestia says teasing me. My Face redden at that, getting a flash back to my first kiss in this body and the overpowering love that came with it. "What you saw that." I ask embarrassed. Celestia uses her magic to put me on her back and starts to walk out of the room down the hall. "Yes and I heard you warn her not to do that or mommy Tia will kill us." She says in a sing song voice, her happy tone irritating me. With a hard smack I facehoof my self with so much force I almost fall of her back. "Please don't tell anyone, erm any creature. I don't want them to know what I said." "It's to late for that isn't that right Feather Dust and Shield Break." I look at the maid and guard that's following us. I give them a death glare and make a motion with my hoof of sewing their mouth shut. The maid just gives me a snicker and guard just stare into nothingness. It seems they will do as they wish and with a body of this size I don't look threatening, with a sigh I lay my head on Celestias back. As we enter the dining hall, I was seated beside Blueblood. We eat and talk til its time to sleep. As I had a long nap in the day I can't really sleep, so I trained my flying skills until I made my wing muscles sore with use and of course two Pegasus guards follow me in my flying. As I entered the room after my training I do a quick shower and hit the bed with a hard time trying to fall asleep. As I lay there my thoughts dancing in my mind I think back to the dream. "How did Celestia enter the dream? How did thing end after the dream Faust became manifested? I will have to ask Celestia next time we meet, I guess she has a lot of questions for me. Sighing I roll to my side and focus on going to sleep. Ice Pike enters her friends Light Sparks home dressed in a fine blue silk dress matching my eyes, with small white gems decorating me. Many nobles has gathered here today to gossip and to make deals, I recognize many of them as its always the same family's that gets together. We have the 'Gilded Hoofs' they are gold miners and they supply Equestria with the gold to make Bits. 'Greed is their name if I could name them. Always finding ways to bend the laws so they can make the most Bits from it'. The 'Clouds' even if they comes from Cloudsdale from the beginning they have set a big presence in the weather team and air ship marked, many in the family have made deals with the wrong ponies and are stuck with them. They're also Thunder Splash family 'I feel bad for her, as many of the mares and stallions want to use them or more correct her, if it wasn't for me and Light Spark she would be in a bad place.'. Then we have the 'Stars', one of the oldest families in Canterlot they have a hoof in every pot there is and are part of the Council that help run Equestria. They're a force to fear. They can get what they want with little to no effort. My family is here as well 'Iron tip' we have a strong hold on iron mines and refineries. With a line of many strong soldiers and guards that have come from our family. Last we have the hosts of to nights gathering the 'Glimmers' they have served Celestia from the funding of Canterlot and knows how to get to the top. 'Light Spark what I have heard is going to be the next head, if everything goes right that is.' There are many minor families here as well. Most are allied with one or more families through marriage or deals I join my two friends and greet them happy. I bow to them and rise directly and with a smile. "Greetings lady Light Spark and greetings lady Thunder Splash, a lovely evening we have. Thunder smiles and gives a weak reply. "Evening lady Ice Pike." Light rolls her eyes. "Oh, please Ice stop with this dumb old greetings. You know want think of that kind of power move." I snicker. "Yeah I know, but it's fun to see you act all stuck up. So want have you both been doing today?" Thunders eyes light up and she starts speaking quickly. "I was with my daddy and we was visiting to airship plant where they're working on the new idea we got from Chief Engineer Gear Track and the work is going really well." And she starts to trail of with high tech knowledge, I can't follow her as it's a bit over my know how. As Thunders stop talking I look over from her to Light. "Thanks for the info drop, want about you Lights. Did you do anything to day." She gives me a cat like smirk. "Oh same old, same old. Train, work do things for my family. But what I'm more interest in your is want for fun things you did in the castle, what fun things have you learned about our new target." I feel my heart beat fast but with my training I keep my cool or I might have been red in my face. "Well." I flag them to get closer to me, as they do. "Well I meet with Tec'ondra and got to speak with her, she can be a great ally or dangerous enemy. Her knowledge how to break a creature is scary." Thunders gives me a worry look, but Lights gives me there's more face. I let out a sigh. "You didn't hear this from me but princess Celestia has adopted Tec'ondra as her own daughter." "WHAT, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Light screams out. All sound in the room falls quiet and eyes turn on us. It was broken by an deep voice. "LIGHT SPARK, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" An old stallion joins us eyes filled with rage, face twisted and red, this is the oldest member of the Glimmers. Sparkling Glimmer his orange coat that has become dull by age, sharp eyes with light blue color, mane and tail in a strong silver that comes with age. He is well groomed wearing a grey suit with a pink tie and a yellow flower in the front pocket. Sparkling rises his right hoof and is about to slap Light, as he go all out with the slap I step in and let it hit me, throwing me to the floor. He clicks his tongue. "Stay out of this lowborn knight. This is between your betters." I get help up by Thunders as I reply. "That might be, but her reaction is because the info I gave her. So if your going to slap somepony it's me." I stare at him with defiance. His redness lighten as he give a quick look around the room as to evaluate the situation, then he return to us. "So what is the information that made her so rattled to make this scene." I look at my friends feeling the slab on my left cheek and the throbbing pain. I lock eyes with him and stands tall. "I got to know that her highness princess Celestia is adopting a new charge." Murmurs quickly starts by the other guests. Sparkling Glimmer anger fades as looks me over to value the truth of my works. "Who told you about this? Ice Pike." Glaring at him I say. "Princess Celestia herself." Somepony in the crowd murmurs grow louder and words like, impossible, what is she thinking, why haven't we heard anything. Sparkling Glimmer raises his hoof and it quickly becomes quiet and he ask. "So whom is this new charge you're talking about as it seems this reaction wouldn't have happened without knowing who it is." Light Spark steps forward. "Great grandfather, do you remember the incident a few days ago. On the training grounds." He gives a nod and grimace, Light continue. "It seems that princess Tec'ondra form the Everfree hive is the one to be adopted. The room explodes in outrage and bewilderment as the various families talk about this up roar to their society, their Canterlot. All of it stops with the roar of Sparkling Glimmer. "Everpony out! Get as much information on this and how that white bitch could hid this from us." He pauses to see if anything moves. "NOW!" all ponies in attendants scrambles to get out of the doors. I to is forced to leave with my family the last thing I hear is Sparkling Glimmer screaming at Light Spark that she should follow her. 'Well this became a shit show. I'm sorry Sparks and I'm sorry Celestia..... Tec I'm sorry but you will have to fight sooner then Celestia planed. > 009 Meeting of the court. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia's office early morning. I'm sitting in my office working on the long day I and Tec have before us, today's the day I announce Tec as my adopted foal. Many of the nobles have tried to irritate me with questions about Tec and the problematic once forced me to open court so they can say their peace. Most of the families are just blowing hot air at me. As I look over the speech for the day I think back on the days until today. It's been six days after the dream incident. I have talk too Pin Scroll and Tec about it and they did some tests to try to figure something out and how I got taken into the dream with Tec. Find something they did. It's seems that Tec don't have the ability to dream walk, she can only react to her own dream. 'What was it called lucid dreaming. She can control her own dream to some extent and know when she's dreaming. It seems that when I and Tec laid in bed, her magic dragged my conscious with her into the dream. But that's not the problem, it's that Tec magical power have grown again and as she tested her magic in the Mages Tower she almost blown out the wall behind the targets, even with the towers powerful magic shield. But thanks to me and Pin Scroll we saved it. No pony knows what happened except the ponies in the room all part of Rosaria's squad as I have made them Tec's personal guard, as they can read Tec's mood. They where all in awe and fear of there new charge. Tec started to say sorry so many times I lost count, she still dose it sometimes when she meet with Pin Scroll. 'It's cute how she can be so adult like sometimes and so foalish other times, it's possibly because her body and soul are still fusing. Me and Tec talked about Nightmare Moon at length and I learned my sister and Tec have spent time together from the time Tec left the hive. My sister are very fond of Tec, that is a problem in it self but I will have to cross that later. It seems Tec has tried to talk Nightmare out of making the night last forever, with no luck as Tec said Nightmare gets angry when Equestria and my self is talked about. The other thing we found out is that the hive structure could block magic so I ask Tec to make some after I asked if the hive was safe to enter and learned that it's not. As the blue fungus that's on Tec's cut of leg is a magical fungus that takes control over it's host and make it go to a location where it can grow and spread it's spore. 'Sighing.' 'It's a new problem I have to fix, or we might get over run by what Tec called shroombis. At least Tec made some hive parts for us to test and Pin was over the sun with all he could test on it. I put Tec in with the same educator as my niece Blueblood, so they can study together and be more friendly with each other. As expected Tec has a great deal of knowledge, I guess it's from her former world and from her bio-mom. There was only two things she's not good at history and pony etiquette as she haven't been privy to learn them, so I hired Fine Tune to train Tec in etiquette. History was no problem as Tec is a fast learner, but. "I let my eyes scan over to the report from Rosaria." Two days ago, nine in the morning music/dance room Canterlot castle. The room is beautiful made with hard wood panel floor with patterns of flowers, sun and moon motives in a rhombus shape. The walls are white stone with the lower half covered with sculpted with a rising sun and lilys on a dark wood panel. On the wall opposite to the door into the room is three tall windows with an oval part at top to let in natural light, looking out towards Canterlot and Ponyville. The right side of the room has all sort of instruments, from a grand piano in the corner to a small recorder. On the left are a big mirror and two bookcases with books form training, music notes, etiquette. In the corner by the window is a Chaise longue couch made of dark wood with gold trim, the cushion is made of velvet in a light beige color. On the Chaise longue couch lays a white changeling reading book with the title "Basics in the ballroom, your guide to succeed as a noble." At either side of the door into the room stands two guards, Rosaria on the right and Cloudy Falls on the left, outside is Smith Strike and Meteor Storm. My new VIP (Very Important Pony) is sitting and waiting for her teacher Fine Tune to come and start her lesson, the VIP is reading one of the books on the subject. I can't understand my luck to have been assigned this job, I don't like it. It's Celestia's orders and my squad is the only ponies that can read Tec's mood, so we where assigned this job. It's Smith's voice break my train of thought as he announces the teacher as the doors open, Entering is an unicorn mare bearing the name "High Light". This mare has a baby blue coat with grey tail and mane, the mane is in a bun hold up with a pin. Her cutie mark is a white pillar with a shining reddish light on the top. The hassle nut brown sharp eyes behind a pair of round glasses lock onto our VIP and she huffs. Tec eyes the teacher closes the book and stands. Then Tec smiles gives a quick bow never letting her eyes leave High Light. Tec: "Hello miss High Light. It's so nice to meet you, but if my schedule is correct miss Fine Tune was suppose to be my teacher for this lesson." HL: "She had double booked and I'am her replacement. AND it's LADY Light for you Tec'ondra." Tec: "Oh, pulling rank are we, for you I'm PRINCESS Tec'ondra." Light is taken aback by Tec's word but regain her composer. HL: "Is that the way to speak to your teacher, for what I learned your a princess of a fallen kingdom." Tec stands there still smiling. 'How can a kid be so creepy, well she's doing the right thing. Tec: "So you're looking down on me for such a thing, I'm still a royal even if my kingdom is fallen. I'm still adopted by Princess Celestia. But what do you care, you seems to think that you're better then Celestia." Tec is using a sickly sweet voice in a calm manner, like talking to a foal. Light seems almost scared by Tec, her horn lights up and with a snap of a whip cracking on the chitin. 'She hit Tec with an riding crop.' To my and Cloudy surprise Tec don't react only to rise her hoof to stop us from crushing High Light. HL: "You shall respect me." levitating the riding crop in a front of her. Tec still smiling putting down her hoof: "So shall we start this SO called lesson. Oh one warning, hit me again and you will regret it." HL: "Or what are you going to do, tell princess Celestia." With that Tec's smile disappear and her eyes became cold. Tec: "Don't underestimate me Lady Light, If you hit me ONE more time I will take your crop break it then I will shove the pieces up where the sun don't shine." Her voice fully using her two-tone voice to make is more threatening. Me and Cloudy shiver at the threat but the oblivious High Light just scuffs at Tec, like a foal can hurt her in many kind of way. But agree to start the lesson. As they start there training it went well to a start, balance with a book on the head, right posture and walking with small corrections. While Light throws barbs against Tec and her not reacting to it. This makes Light more irritated the more she tries to break Tec. I tried to let them take a break at times but Tec gives me a glare with the hidden words: 'Don't do anything.' Three hours pass with no rest, Tec starts to look tired. Me and Cloudy exchange looks of worry with no interference to everything that's happening. Of course Tec drops the book from her head and gets a smack with crop making her head turn as she was hit hard. Silence grows in the room, the only sound is the light hum of High Lights magic. With a flash of red light cut into our vision blinding us. The sound of something breaking than scream off pain that turns into sobbing. It takes several seconds before I can see again and the horror High Light is laying on the floor on the side. Piss mixed with blood around her hind legs, crop broken in two have been shoved up her privets. I see Tec standing by her side glaring down at her, she leans down and says. Tec: "Looks like you didn't heed my warning Lady Light." Her voice cold, emotionless. Only whimper comes from High Light as her answer, Tec activates her magic to move the part inside High lights privets making her whimper and cry. Tec: "Tell me whom sent you, witch noble is it? I will help you if you do. I will take away the pain." High Light whimpering: "it, it's th 'whimper', the Stars family. They told me to make you weak to break you so they can use you." Tec sighing: "And you did this in front of my guards are you that stupid?" Tec pulls out the two pieces witch High Light gives of a new whimper and a light moan. After giving strange stare to High Light, Tec starts to heal her. "Now High Light how many foals have you broken is such a manner?" Tec asks. HL: "What dose that matter? She whines. Tec: "Everything and nothing. It's your choice you can tell me, or I can teach you how it feels to be one of the foals you trained." High Light hesitates but as she has already felt some of what pain Tec can give her, she answer. "I don't remember, I have been hired by many families to train their foals." Tec: "To bad, this is what you call foal abuse, I will make sure you get the price for your transaction." HL: "What, but I did what you told me to do." Tec: "That was the price for hitting me, you will now pay for hurting foals that couldn't do something back." High Light looks defeated almost dead on the inside. Tec light up her horn again and a barrier I didn't notice is dispels and Smith and Meteor runs in. Smith: "Sarg, what happen, their was a barrier stoping us form entering." Tec: "It was me. I put up a barrier that my mother taught me, It's a quick spell that last for a minute or two as an stationary shield. Take this failure to the dungeon." She says as she points to High Light. Both Smith and Meteor look at each other then at me, then back to Tec and giving a quick salute "Yes your highness." Tec: "Oh and send some guards to investigate if Fine Tune and her family is okay, if not rescue them and make sure that the guards we send are not in association with the Stars and their allies." We all give Tec a Salute and a "Yes your highness." Smith gag High Light and put her in chains, he and Meteor drag her towards the dungeon. Cloudy runs of to give orders to the guards. I walk over to Tec as she sits down with a sad face. "Are you okay your highness?" Tec shake her head. "No I always feel bad every time I hurt somepony, even if it's necessary, I don't know why." I look at her a bit confused as I know Tec was once an enforcer in her former life. She looks up to me and give me a reply. "I know what you think, how can you feel bad with your past. It's easy I dislike humans always have and I was filled with rage that's ingrain in my soul for them. But ponies are not as bad, they always try to be good to other ponies. 'Tec shake her head then give me a sad smile.' "That dose not mean there no bad ponies, I know you have meet them." I'm about to answer when she walks over to one of the bookcase and takes out an orb. She hoof it over to me and say. "This is a recorder orb, it have recorded all that happen in this room, Pin Scroll gave some to me to help me. I know you must report this to Celestia." I give her a nod. She's about to say some more but is cut of with a knock on the door and it opens four maids enter together with Cloudy. Three of the maids starts to clean up puddle of blood and piss, the fourth maid walks up to us with Cloudy. "If I remember this pegasus maid is Tec's personal maid 'Ebony Flower'. She's a former military officer, I don't know much about her but she was selected by Celestia herself so she must be reliable. She has a light beige coat, black mane/tail and have emerald green eye, her body is sturdy, tall and muscles like that of an active military member if I look closely I can see scars on her body (with a cutie mark of a black flower with green steam and yellow anthers). She's wearing a prance (france) maid outfit and has a eye patch over her left eye and some white knee socks, she have some hidden weapons in her wings and under her uniform 'Maybe more that I haven't found.'. She speak with a hoarse voice. "Your highness it's time for your meeting with Chief Engineer Gear Track." Tec sighs and nods. "Ah, yes take me to my torturer whom press me with questions of technology from my..." She stops looking at the other maids then back us. "You know." We all nods and walks out of the room down the hall to Tec's room. Sighing I put down the report from Rosaria, take a sip of my cup of tea 'Hmm, It got cold.' Using my magic I reheat it and take another sip. 'This is a problem, if the Stars have taken an interest in Tec already. I need to make it more safe for her or try to get them to hold back.' My thoughts are interrupted with a knock at the door and the voice from my personal aid. "Princess it's soon time for the Court." I put down my cup. "You can enter Red Ink." A white earth pony with red mane/tail enters and close the door behind her. Letting her brown eyes scan over the clip board she says. "Must of the nobles have left reply that they will take part of the in the meeting and the ball afterwards your highness." Tia: "Red Ink, you can call me Celestia, how long have we know each other?" Red: "About 30 years." Tia: "32, how many of them have you worked for me?" Red: "16 years." Tia: "Yes 16 years, I even was there at your wedding and the birth of your daughter." Red cheeks becomes pink: "Yes and I'm grateful for that, if it wasn't for you I might have lost my little sweetie." Tia: "So you don't see me as a friend after all we been through." I say with a fake sob. Red give me a deadpan stare. "Oh, please Celestia you don't fool anypony." I laugh giving her a smile. "So hows your foal Inkwell?" Red: "She just start to walk and exploring, she runs off as soon you look away, she get hooves on anything she can reach. It's so terrifying how fast she is." I laugh again, drying a tear. Tia: "Ah, yes many foal's are like that, there where some that prefer read, but most are active once." Red: "That's right, my sweetie is one of the more active one, but I have seen worse especial unicorns." Tia: "Hmm, the magic surge and pegasus fly and crash against things, it's hard for all parents." Red: "Are you okay Celestia? You look tired. Did something happen." I shake my head. "No, it's just that Tec might have many problems in a near future." Red: "The allied noble, that are full of greed?" I only nod and let out a big sigh. Red: "Why do you let them do as they please." Tia: "They're still doing their work, to help Equestria. I have made some safety feature so they can't take power from me. Red: "Yeah, but that don't mean they can't use your adopted children, I heard from some of the maids that Tec'ondra meet that horrible High Light, what happened there. Is she okay?" Tia: "Tec is fine, High Light hit Tec and she retaliated by breaking the ridding crop and shoving the pieces up her privets and interrogate her, then sent her to the dungeon." Red: "That's scary. It that really okay with you." Tia: "Yes, Tec only defended her self in the beginning and she did heal High Light after she was done. " Red: "Oh, but that's still bad. Do you feel responsible for it?" Tia: "For Tec no, for what High Light did yes. What she's done to Tec is not the first time." Red: "Not the first time?" I take a deep breath. "Yes, what been counted 23 foals and more is coming to light, that High Light have trained." Red Lets out a gasp. "You mean?" I only nod as an reply. We let the severity become a silences that hang it the air. After some time I see Red Ink shake her head and with a warm smile she says. "I happy that the young princess is a strong creature and we could speak more about it, but we most get going or are you going to let your daughter face the nobles herself?" At that I giggle and rises from my cushion, we exit my office making our way to throne room. "You know I should let her fight for her self, maybe then most nobles would stop doing things for them self and stop asking for dumb demands. But I'm afraid most of the families would end up dead or worse." Red Ink freezes at my words but quickly recover. "You can't be serious, can the young princess be that dangerous?" I look at her form over my shoulder and give nod. "I have told you what she did in her former life and how she got here. Don't you think some of her former self remain." I see Red Ink think as we walk, with some time she gives me a nod and I return face forward. We enter court I seat myself down on the throne and Red Ink by my side, we watch as the nobles enter and takes their seats and some reporters walking to the sides all waiting to see this new princess and whisper with each other. I see many good families have come they're here to assist me, some of the bad are here as well, they're only here to protest and try to earn favor from Tec. "Fight my little changeling, I know you can do it. From a side door I see Pin Scroll and Gear Track witch gives me a nod. As all the nobles are seated the doors open and in walks Tec'ondra and then four of her personal guards two in front and two behind her. Tec'ondra herself is walking in with a strength I only see in veterans of the court, walking tall head held high, eyes focused on me with a neutral face. She's wearing a dark red dress with a white under layer and the royal purple and gold accessories. My heart fills with warmth and pride to see her this cute. 'I wish I could take a picture, but we can do that later, now it's the ceremony. Guards split to each side of the throne and so we start the pledge to Equestria. My day started in horror as I was blinded when Ebony Flower open the curtains letting the sun light flood the room. 'What the buck is the sun stronger today.' I roll over to try to get more sleep and to shield my eyes. But in vain I got grab at the scruff of the neck and is lifted unto a chair. Eyes flicker with light spots I barley pic out my breakfast of one red apple, two toasts (one with cheese, other some fruit jam.) a cup of coffee and a glass of blackberry juice. Blinking a few times and rubbing my eyes I think. Why the big rush, whats happening to day? Well at least I got coffee.' I take the cup and start to drink. Ebony voice coming from the bathroom with the background noise of a tub being filled. "Eat up quickly so you can have your bath, the other maids will be here shortly with your dress and to fix your mane." I freezes almost doing a spit take with my coffee. "What do you mean with a dress, Ebony?" She pokes her head out and her neutral face respond. "Your highness it's the day you're shown to the court and the public, did you forget." I let out a whimper and curses under my breath. 'It's bucking today, by the sun how did I forget something this big? Sighing I lift my cheese toast and flip it over the jam one making it easier to eat and tastier, taking a bite I shiver as cheese combine with the berry jam taste hit my tongue. 'Is this some sort of cheddar and the berry jam I can get hint of blackberry, strawberry and there's something more.' 'Ah, buck it I need to focus and don't let my brain wander.' After taking another bite I start to prepare my self with what I must do today and summon three books (one on etiquette, one with the pledge info, the last one is my personal note book.) after the meeting with High Light I gathered all info I could about the nobles with the help of Celestia and ESS at least all they wanted me to know, I sense there're thing they're hiding from me. I continue to eat as I start look over the pledge, not that I don't remember it just to refresh it as me and Fine Tune already went through it all. 'I'm happy to know that Fine Tune and her family is fine as they where only fooled with a simple scheme that Fine Tune's mother was ill and as she lives out side Canterlot they had left to the town. But as they learned she was fine it all click into place for them, that they where fooled and returned. It seems that High Light was going to use an item she had with her that should make me more obedient (not the riding crop). It had no effect on me for some odd reason, Pin Scroll is checking it for the time being. "All be damned." I speak out in irritation. Ebony looks out from the bath room again. "Are you okay your highness?" I shake my head. "No I can't focus on my read through of material, I'm to distracted, as my mind starts to wander when I try to read my books and notes." I hear how the water stops flowing and Ebony comes out and looks over my breakfast and me, then gives me a hug. "It's okay your just nervous.- 'Releasing me from the hug she continue. -May I propose that you finish eating first then take the bath and when all is finished, you can look through all notes and prepare for the day ahead." I only nod in defeat and teleport the books away as she continue to prep my bath. After finishing my breakfast I was pushed into the bath prepared and I get a scrub down of a lifetime, the damned brush get every place I could think of and more. After I'm dried and getting swarmed by maid that get me ready for the day, fixing mane/tail puts on a dress that makes me feel conscious of what I am. Looking at my self in the mirror do a little twirl and a light bow, with the sound of maids ah-ing and o-ing over me. But all I can think of is that I'm a girl for the most part a changeling princess. Still not used to it. From time to time I get these periods where I get self conscious and start to question my self. My thoughts are cut of as the emotions of lust spill over me. Looking at the maids in the mirror I can see one of them ready to pounce but Ebony Flower tells the maids to leave as they're done with fixing me, as they do said maid now with eyes of lust and sorrowful eyes looks back at me before the doors shut. This is not the first time I get the feeling of lust form somepony. I sometimes unconsciously release a form of pheromone that make ponies lust for me. But only a few ponies react to it, it's like my body is trying to say something but I haven't figure it out yet. Not even with my mothers memories can I find an answers, Pin Scroll made me an trinket that suppress almost all of the pheromone but someponies still react. Sitting down on a chair I summon my books again and try to read but I'm to distracted to make any progress. Only thinking about myself, how I react to all around me. Some like the old me cold, aggressive, emotionless from my gang day. Or creative, playful with a hint of teaching others actions have consequences like I try to do in my roll playing with my friends. 'One I failed to follow myself.' The bigger thing I change is that I change a nation with the knowledge from my old life, machines how to implement magical runes with them to make them better and safer, more so then my old world world. Now I heard that they're building a some new airship and trains with some of the ideas I taught them. 'Why did I do that? I do regret it but I can't stop it now. Bucking Pin Scroll for starting to search for metal like mithril and others with magical properties. I don't even know if they exist here. I need to control myself when talking with him, maybe I just miss discuss rpg with someone.' I have changed many thing around me some for the better, some that can be for the worse in a near future, only time will tell. I tried to learn all I can about the world I live in now, all I see is how big of a different this world is compared with the one in the show. Many of the ponies that are colds/stallions in the show are fillies/mare here and that there are so many more things that is different more cities then the shows creators made. Nothing is perfect maybe there are other changes, is Discord worse or better? Is Chrysalis different maybe she's nicer here or a monster? How is Cadence, Sunset Shimmer, all the others, even Celestia is different. I feel so lost right now, there're so many thing that I don't know and all of it is scaring me. I'm WEAK aren't I, my wish to come here changed the love I felt for it. It's a change I was not ready for. It's as they say, it's one thing to fantasize about a place, but it's another thing to live it. Now I'm about to make the biggest change there is, I will become officially part of Celestia's family in front of the court and the puplic all the living creatures and their nations, their rulers. What changes are going to follow this? I'm scared so scared. I freeze as I notice I'm standing in front of the throne room. 'How did I get here? How long was I lost in my thoughts. What am I going to do? 'RUN.' What, no I need to see this through I need do this for myself and for those whom supported my new life here. So lets do this. Shaking my head I straiten myself, tilt my head upwards slightly. Taking a few deep breath as is wait for the doors to open. The doors open with the sounds of light string and brass music playing, I start to walk down the red carpet towards the throne. Hearing faint whispers from the nobles around me. Suns only know what they're thinking. Many emotions run rampage as I keep walking, disgust, hate, anger and many more. Somewhere is the feeling of happier emotions they're few but there, the most powerful emotions comes from Celestia herself, happiness, pride, motherly love. It's like I'm walking into the raging fire all the emotions filling my very being almost blinding, coming closer it's like I put my hand towards the fire, the heat from the emotions burning me. 'Please Tia close off your emotions, please it hurts' I start to feel tears forming when it all stops. As if my prayer is granted the fire calms itself the emotions letting me recover and focus on the ceremony. Kneeling down I rest my right hoof over my heart I start to recite the pledge for Equestria and Celestia. As it's ended I freeze in that position, waiting. Soon the sound of magic comes closer and I feel a weight being placed on my head and the soft voice of Celestia commands me to rise. "Rise princess Tec'ondra today is a new beginning, for today you're welcome into my family and becomes a part of Equestria." I rises looking up at Tia with a smile, she smiles back then looks up towards the nobles and the press, Turning I do the same. "I hear by welcome princess Tec'ondra and will guide and aid her for the future of Equestria." Many cameras goes of and murmurs can be heard, I see one stallion rises from his seat and speak out. "Is that wise your highness she could have come here to destroy Equestria or worse." Many of the nobles nod in agreement. "I know your worry is valid, but I can make sure that your your fear is wrongly placed, as after princess Tec'ondra arrival many new knowledge and ideas have come forth form the crown and do any of you my little ponies know where they all come from?" Celestia reply looking over the crowed. Some of the nobles says the name of Gear Track and Pin Scroll but Celestia shakes her head. "No my little ponies all of those ideas are just moved through them and all have the same origin." She comes up beside me and rest one wing on my back. "From this mind, with her knowledge she have already help Equestia more than many others. Making more jobs, the economy blooming and help our ponies to live a better life." Many of the nobles are in shock and awe as Gear Track and Pin Scroll joins us, I look between them as the look back and gives me a nod. Celestia continues "My little ponies this changeling have help us, why not let her live here with us so we can nurture a mind strong and brilliant as this ones. So my little ponies is it wrong to have her by our side to aid us as we aid her." The murmurs turns into cheers and they start to stomp their hooves in applause. "Now join us in celebrating the new princess in the ball room." Celestia ends it as she lets go of me as the nobles leave the throne room. As the nobles have left she sits down and hugs me hard whispering. "I'm proud of you my little changeling, my little Tec." > 010 Ballroom tango part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a well decorated ballroom, the party is like a smaller version grand galloping gala, ice sculptures, tables with white cloth. There bite size food for nobles to enjoy, punch with the finest of fruits and various types of alcohol fills the tables, waiters walking between nobles with drinks and food like well practiced dance, dodging and alert. There's a live band playing classical music some nobles are listening to the music other dancing, but most are in small groups talking about the days revelation, the young changeling that they all have learned are making big strides in technology and magic. Some nobles are speaking ill of the changeling, some speak in favor many are neutral on the subject. All are waiting for the royals to enter the ballroom so they can size up this new add to the family and maybe use her for their own gain. At one of the many tables stands two ponies. The Theastral in a midnight blue coat with silver mane and tail clothed in a black tail-coat suit with silver bottoms, on her chest is a bronze pin with a set of dark grey bat wings holding a dark crystal. Her emerald eyes scanning the room making a face that says 'I'm bored and want to go home.' She watch the nobles mingle some are throwing glances at her and her companion. Giving a smile she looks over to her, the pink unicorn mare with hay colored mane and tail with specks of rainbow color, she's wearing black and red body tight dress. This mare is 'Candy Warp' her love and tamer of the sugary snacks at this moment she is stuffing her face with everything in sight on the table. With her puffy cheeks full of food she turn and lock eyes with her. She swallows, liking her muzzle. "What wrong, are you bored? or are you thinking of how sexy your wife is?" The Theastral roll her eyes and gives her wife bedroom eyes. "Oh we can do many things, maybe we can sneak in under the table here and have some fun." Candy warp looks shocked then respond with a light jab at her love. "Night Wind you can't be serious saying that we shall sneak a quickie in front of all these ponies." she says in a shocked tone and a big smile. They laugh at their little joke, they kiss and look into each others eyes lost in their own world until Night Wind sighs. "Why did we come here? You know we only been in Canterlot for a few days." Candy Warp is looking hyped shaking in place. CW: "We're here to see our new foal before we meet for the first time. And is it not you who always say 'You can't be to prepared.' hmm." NW: "I do say that but you know that we will meet her tomorrow together with Foal Heart. It's just that my wife was so focused to see her before the meeting." she says with a hint of irritation. CW: "Don't be be like that. I know you are interested in our new member." NW sighs: "Yeah but I put it on the back burner because it involves Celestia." CW: "Yeah, yeah." She waves her hoof. "I just wanted to see the little thing." Night Wind is about to respond when a elegant male voice cuts in. "Sorry to disturb your talk ladies, but are you Candy Warp?" They both turn to see a white unicorn stallion with light blue and pink mane and tail, he's wearing a white shirt covered by a dark grey suit with a purple bow tie, resting on his muzzle is a pair of gold rim half moon glasses behind them are light blue eyes. Candy Warp smiles with a big smile eyes sparkle with joy and reach out her hoof. "Yes I am, are you a fan of my snacks? Mr." The stallion hoof bump Candy's hoof with a smile. "It's Soft Silk. I not much for sweets but my wife is, she's a big fan of your roasted almond with coco powder and always ask me to buy in bulk when we come across one of you stores. It's an nice to meet you." Candy smiles widen. "It's an honor to meet you as well. I'm glad to hear you say that, it fills my heart with joy to hear that my candy brings happiness to others." Candy's smile widen and she looks over to her mate then turn back to Soft Silk. "Oh where're my manners this is my wife Night Wind of Nox family." Night and Silk great each other. "Nice to meet you Night Wind, I have not seen many bat ponies, so I'm sorry if I'm a bit rude. But is it not hard to be up at the day." Night Wind gives a quick wave of her hoof. "No you're not rude, I'm work mostly day time as part of my work, but your right some Theastral are sensitive to sun light and can't be out in sunlight, as we're there are many types of us just like bats there are some that are active when the sun is up. I hope this help clear up some questions." Silk nods and smile. "Thanks for your info, it's nice to meet you. what brings both of you to Canterlot?" "We have just moved here to branch out and to make our family bigger." Candy is quick to answer with warm energy. "It's partly because of my work and an order form the higher ups. So we took this opportunity to expand my wife chain and our family." Night continue. "I see." It looks like he wants to say more but don't know how to do so. "I hope your stay here will be a good one. Whats your choice when adding to your family?" He change the topic. "Oh, oh we're adopting, we are going to meet her foal tomorrow together with Foal Heart." Candy says dances in place. "Good mare that one, always on top of things and well educated. But if I remember there are not a lot of foals to adopt and the waiting list is rather long." Silk laments. "Yes, we have been told as such. It's seems we got recommend as the foal in question is out of the norm." Night Wind explain. They are about to continue their talks but the sound of the announcer cuts every pony off. "I present Princess Celestia, Lady Blue Blood and Lady Tec'ondra." The doors open and the three enters the room the ponies all bow in their presence. "Rise my little ponies." Celestia says. Night Wind can feel Candy Warp shaking in place as they both look at the foal that is going to share there life. "She's so cute, I just want to grab her and hug her until she turns blue." Candy squeal out a bit to loud. Some of the nobles look our way. Night gives them a apologizing smile and starts to calm down Candy. In the corner of her eye she see Celestia smile at them with a small giggle covered by her hoof. > 011 ballroom tango part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walking into the ballroom there's a lot emotions in the room mostly negative some positive. All nobles are looking at us, they all go into bow. They all rise at Celestia say so. Blue Blood gives me a smile. "Sister join me and my friends after you're done with your greetings." I give a smile and a nod, looking up to Celestia she gives me a motherly smile her emotion shining through. Suddenly a squeal gets my attention and the words that follow makes me concerned. 'Did that mare just say she wants to hug me until I turn blue. Is she lusting for me or is it something else?' I ignore it as I see Celestia giggle at the words. Starting to do my duty I walk around and greet the nobles and make pleasantries. Some just greet me, others are more keen to learn more about me, few are actually friendly and I keep in mind who they are for future allies. Everything is going how I planned until I meet the biggest ass I have seen so far. A Stallion in a blue suit with a yellow flower in his pocket walks up to me and gives me a mock bow. "I'm Sparkling Glimmer your highness the elder of house Glimmer, I see you take well to your part as a pony royal. Even with your upbringing." 'sigh, another I'm to good for all of you and I will show it type of pony. Just keep smiling no matter want he says and give the jab back.' "Ah Sparkling Glimmer it's nice to meet you. Thanks for the compliment, well not every pony can become a leader through being a Salt Lick. I'm right Sir Glimmer." His face turn of dark crimson I can feel his wish to hit me through his emotions. I keep smiling with innocent as if I haven't just told every pony that he only became head of the family through have sex with the former head. Through gritted teeth in a low growl. "I see you're not like your adoptive mother. Is this way of speaking what your bio-mother teached you." 'You're still going after my origins. A weak card to play against me, at least his not using I'm older that you, so I'm right/you shall respect me card.' "Well I do come from a group of creatures that are unfriendly with other kingdoms, but we all have nobles that don't know when they meet there match." Turning my head I lock eyes with Light Spark. She's dressed in a lovely light pink dress with white and gold embroidery making forms of flowers and on her hem is the family crest, a shield with six four-pointed stars. "You look beautiful today miss Light Spark, like a flower plucked from the royal garden from a far away magical place." Her cheeks turn pink at my words. She gives me a smile and a quick bow. "It's an honor to meet your highness, I do say your dress looks good on you." My smile becomes true one. "Why thanks you, I was worried that it wouldn't be a good match. But I'm happy you think it looks nice on me." I speak as her family elder is trying to get me attention as I ignore him. Me and Light Spark continue to speak as if her elder is not there, I can see she's worried that something will happen and gives glances to her Elder. 'Seems the elder is an ass to his own family. Good I can use this.' "Miss Spark it was fun speaking with you, but I have more ponies to greet. But may we meet again later without you're shadow so we can relax." I say as I give her a warm smile. "Y-yes princess it would be an honor." Spark gives me a bow as I leave their company, as I walk way I can hear elder Glimmer hissing a whisper argument with miss Spark. I greet and speak with more guests, that's when I meet a stallion and two mares speaking. As they notice me they all give me a quick bow. "Greetings your highness." 'Why do the unicorn mare have such strong emotions. The all of them don't dislike me, but this mare it's like she's in another league.' I give them a smile. "It's an nice to meet you all sir and ladies." The stallion gives me a honest smile. "I'm Soft Silk, it's nice to finally meet you your highness. You don't need to call me sir, Silk is just fine." "Thank you Silk, it's nice to meet you as well you don't seem to be like the other Canterlot nobles, no offence most of them show some level of dislike towards me." He chuckle and shake his head. "My parents are true Canterlot nobles, but they raised me to make my own decision on creature I meet." I nod in agreement. "I like the sound of that, are you living in Canterlot?" He shake his head. "I'm afraid not I live in Manehattan with my wife and son, we're the third generation." He leans in and whisper. "Between you and me Canterlot nobles are to stuck up to see what's good for them and are to stuck in their old ways." As he lean back I give him a giggle. "It's so true, they're a bit stiff, they could learn from you." Nodding he reply. "I hear you, if you ever get tired of the politics here in Canterlot you are always welcome to visit my family." I give him a nod. "Are the rest of the family still in Manehattan?" He gives me a sad smile. "Yes, my wife is at home looking after my business and my son couldn't leave school, I wanted him to come so he could learn about Canterlot nobles." I can feel his sadness, it's so strong. "Are you okay Silk, it seems to be more than just this. Not that I want to pry, but sometimes you need help or somepony to listen when you're down." He's taken aback with my statement, he almost loses him self to the emotions. Shaking his head. "I should be fine, it's just some bad things have happened one after another." he reply with regret. I put my hoof on his shoulder. "If you need some rest I can give you a guest room, and I listen to your problems later, if you're okay with it." He gives me a weak nod, I wave over an waiter. "Can you prepare a room for sir Soft Silk here and let him rest and give him everything he needs." The waiter gives me a nod. "Yes your highness, come this way sir Soft Silk." I watches as Soft Silk leaves and I turn to the two mare, they have been there watching the all that happened. They're looking at me the theastral gives me a understanding smile, the unicorn a proud smile on her muzzle. "Sorry about that my ladies, sometimes you need to help somepony." The theastral is quick to reply. "You don't need to worry, I'm proud that you saw that Soft Silk needed to rest. I'm Night Wind your highness and this is Candy Warp." She points at her companion. I stare at them. 'Wait, wait are we not suppose to meet tomorrow, why are they here? Did Celestia do this to throw me off, this is just like her.' I searches for Celestia, she's speaking with some nobles not looking my way, turning back I stare into the empty space between them. A hoof under my chin takes me back to reality as a light push closes my mouth, that's been hanging open. With a giggle Candy Warp drops her hoof. "Your highness I didn't know you be this cute. I just want to hug you silly." 'Now I know why she show all these emotions, she's going to become my family. Night Wind is not showing her emotions, it might be because of her training.' Shaking my head I respond. "It's nice to see you two, but is there a reason why both are here." I motion them to get closer, as they lean in I whisper. "Did Celestia put you up to this? This is something I can see her do." The stand up look at each other, shake there head and gives off a giggle. "No she didn't put us up to it. My wife here couldn't sit still and wait for tomorrow" Night Wind explain while giving Candy Warp light poke with her wing. "Yes and I was right to do this visit. We got to learn so much about you." she sing out in a sing song voice. We speak a bit to each other, I learned some about them. The been foal hood friends and started dating in their late twenties, they married three years ago their late thirties. Both of them had their ups and down as they mostly focused on career. Night Wind in her service to ESS and was traveling all over, she finally got put on a desk job after she got hurt on one of her mission. Candy Warp has been working on her candy and snacks all her life, finding ways to combine tastes and textures, she been around to find new flavors. Now she owns chains of stores all over Equestira. She ask me what my favorite candy is, it toke my by surprise so I just blurted out "Salt licorice and white chocolate." Her eyes widen at this so she grabs Night Wind and start dragging her out of the ballroom speaking so quickly I only catch. "I need to test this now." as they disappears. I continue to walk around talking with noble, joining Blue Blood and her friends for a short time they're the problem with how Blue Blood is. These children are imitate their parents thinking. I tell Blue Blood as such before I leave them. I take some food and drinks, walking out on a balcony connected to the ballroom I release a tired sigh as I puts down my plate on the railing. Enjoying the scenery of the night sky in it's dark blue colors, star shining brightly and in all it's glory the moon with it's mark 'The mare in the moon.' Eating some of the food it taste great, the portions are to small. 'Well they're Hors d'oeuvre.' I send some time out here in my own thoughts, then it hits me. It's quiet, I scan the area to see I'm alone the doors to the ballroom closed. As I start to walk towards the doors a two waiters walks out from the shadows to cut me off. One of the waiter takes a few steps before the other, his eyes lock onto mine, his gives a flash of green. I freezes in place, my eyes narrowing. The waiter closest to me speaks out. "Princess Tec'ondra daughter of queen Tek'nistar from the Everfree hive, I'm here to speak with you about your choices that have lead you so far." I give a slow nod as he continue. "You have left your hive and been living with the prey, explain yourself." I look around it seems that they have put up an barrier so no one is going to disturb us, letting out a sigh and locking eyes with him I give my answer. "My hive was infested with a corrupting agent that toke out the hive, I survived by being in a pod in the queens quarters, when I awaken. I used my knowledge to leave the hive, barely making it out." I stop and scan the face of this changeling. "As I got out I was in a wounded state and was captured by the ponies, I lived in a cell for unknown time and made a deal with these ponies for my own survival." I hope he can't read my lies. The two changeling in disguise only stand there as statues only blinking occasionally, giving me no hint if I failed to fool them or not. The interrogator is about to give me another question when his eyes changes to that of a queens, green slitted eyes and a dominating voice cut the air. "So your the daughter of Tek'nistar. You look young, but I see you used that to your advantage. Good, good I'm worried that you have exposed our kind far to much young one." I glare at the changeling as I remain quiet, all she dose is laugh. "Calm yourself young-ling, I'm not here to punish you only to give you a warning as your one my friends children." I only glare at the changeling, it gives me a smirk. "Where's my manners. I'm Chrysalis queen of the changelings." Bowing I give her my first reply. "It's an honor to meet you queen Chrysalis of the changelings." I stayed bowed as I hear her humming in approval. "Good young-ling you should know your place. I'm going to keep an eye on you, if you endanger our kin I will personally cut your throat and watch as your life leaves you. Do you understand." She threatens me, I give a quick reply. "Yes queen Chrysalis." As sound return to ears I rises from the bow and look around the waiters/changelings are gone. 'Fuck, fuck it. It seems that I need to be extra careful now.' I walk in and see most of the guests have left the party, Celestia spots me and walks over to me with worry on her face. "Are you okay Tec, you seem to have something on your mind." I nod with a sad smile. "I have a problem I will tell you later, when we're in privet." She nuzzles me, the warmth spreading in my cheek making me feel safe, she stops and straighten. "Okay my sunshine. We will speak about it later." Rest of the party continue without accident. Later in Celestias bedroom we sits and talk about the day and I tell her what happened on the balcony, she almost burst into flames as I tell her what Chrysalis told me, but she keep herself calm only to pull me into a hug. The warmth and love spreading through my body making me sleepy. I let it take me, ending another day in this world. Badlands hive Chrysalis throne room. On the dark throne sits queen Chrysalis a neutral expression on her face, thinking about the talk she had with the young changeling princess. 'There was something weird about that changeling, not only her colors but her calm it's unnatural. She snarls out a command over the hive mind. "Drone Cloak scout out Everfree hive and do it with carefully, if you find what destroyed the hive contain it and bring it to one of the other hives. Let's say queen Ne'eras hive in the north." A quick answer comes over the hive mind. "Yes my queen." Chrysalis leans back on her throne thinking of what ways she can take out the other hives in Equestria. > 012 the new shock > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My morning start with an uncomfortable heat covered in fur, but something is not right. As I remember that she fell asleep in Celestia's hug. 'So what's hugging my back.' With a tired wriggling I turn and see the face of Blue Blood. 'Well that happened. It's seems I'm sandwich between BB and Tia. After trying to wiggle my self free two arms grab me and Blue Blood. Dragging us to her, she hugs us hard and mumble something about shortcake. 'This is nice, she warmer then Blue Blood. But I really need to get to the bathroom.' Feeling the pressure form both the hug and need to let out whatever my stomach wanted let out, I start to wiggle hard to get away from great form of Tia and BB. This only made Tia to hug me harder and the pressure to become greater. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck it's coming out, please don't let me shit the bed with all of us in it. With a pop something left my body, then another and a third. Something warm and slimy is laying between my legs, as I look down all I see is three changeling eggs. 'Syntax error'I scream. Celestia and Blue Blood was dragged out of their slumber as Tec Screaming her lungs out. Blue Blood rolled of the bed with a big thump and Celestia jumps out of the bed landing on her hooves, lighting up her horn ready to fight. At the same time the door flies open as the royal guards runs in weapons and horn at the ready too defend from any-/every-thing. All look around confused, then lock their gaze on Tec sitting in a reddish gel screaming as the world is about to end, tears running down her cheeks. Between her hind legs are three egg shaped forms in the size of hen eggs, there're red with markings of white and silver. All in the room freezes in place not knowing what to do about this situation. "Wow, are those eggs?" Blue Blood voice break the silence all eyes except Tec's look over to her as she looks over the edge of the bed. Then they look back to the eggs laying in the red slime. Celestia snaps out of whatever trans shes been in and hugs Tec and start rocking her back and forth. Tec becomes quiet, tears still staining Celestias fur. As Celestia looks down at Tec, seeing the young changeling mouth is still open wordlessly screaming in silence. "Guards return to your posts and not a word about this to anypony." Celestia gives out order as her eyes lock onto the three eggs. The Guards give a quick salute and "Yes your highness." before they leave the room. Blue Blood sits herself down beside the eggs and look at them in fascination. "They really are eggs and they're warm." she says as she place a hoof on one of the eggs. "Blue Blood be careful, they're newly laid and might be fragile." Celestia warns with a soft tone. "I will take the eggs and Tec to the doctor and see why this happened. You can go back to bed if you like." She continue. Blue Blood only shake her head. "No I will go with you, my sister is in distress and need all the support she needs." Celestia beams with pride over how Blue Blood is thinking of her own family. "Okay Blue come next to me and I will teleport us to the medical wing." Blue Blood those as she's told and Celestia grabs the eggs in her magic and teleport them all. Celestia and others teleport into the medical wing. Celestia puts Tec and the eggs on the table and start giving out orders to the nurses/doctors. Medical wing Canterlot Castle. It's been a few hours of tests on Tec and the eggs and Dr. Everhoof is exit the examination room to see a nervous Celestia who's walk back and forth in the waiting room, Blue Blood is sitting on a bench reading a book. As the doctor enters both materialized before him and start bombard him with questions. Dr. Everhoof rise his hoof too silence them as they do he lower it and take out a clipboard. With a light cough he start explaining. "Your highness, Tec is fine, a perfect picture off health. Well shes a bit over feed." "What do you mean shes healthy?" Celestia asked with worry in her voice. "I'm not done." He stops Celestia from continue. "Yes, she's in great health, bit over feed as I said. Tec dose have some psychologist damage after she laid her eggs, I will recommend a therapist for her." He flips a paper on the clip board. "As for why she laid the eggs is because the over feeding as all the emotions she's been taking in is making her body overloaded with nutrition. So the body did what it can to work through all off it. As to why she laid the eggs them self, it's a changeling survival thing as she's not part of a hive and it makes her stressed by it and might be some other things." He looks up at the two royals "Have Tec been stressed by somethings in recent time?" Both royal look at each other then back at the doctor. "Well I did introduce Tec to the nobles and told them I adopted her. Then she meet them at a party. Nothing unusual." Dr. Everhoofs hums to him self, thinking about what can have made her so stressed. "Oh." Says Celestia "And she told me she meet an enemy that threaten her. That might been it." Dr. Everhoof nods. "That could be it." He looks back down to the clipboard. "Now about the eggs they're fertile and healthy, all twelve of them." "Twelve, there where only three when I toke her here." Celestia scream out in astonishment hoof on her chest. Dr. Everhoof nods and correct his glasses. "Yes, but as we started examine her the other eggs came out one by one." "But don't you need to sleep with another pony to make foals." Asked Blue Blood then she look down at the floor then back up at the doctor and Celestia with a big smile. "Are we the parents with Tec? Are we all doing to get married?" Celestia places a hoof on Blue Blood head and Blue Blood looks up at her with hope and happiness in her eyes. "No Blue Blood, We'rent part of the." Celestia coughs "Foal making you will learn about that later." Blue Blood deflates at the words and looks down to the floor. "Oh, okay auntie." Celestia turn to Dr. Everhoof. "So how come Tec's eggs got fertile?" Dr. Everhoof sighs. "I don't know. All I can do is guess, as you know Tec is a Changeling and as we examine her, we found out that her pheromone she release is to attract a mate. That's why we have found a increase in ponies lusting or longing for Tec. My guess is that they're the most suited for her." He coughs into his hoof "And as she's been ignoring her nature, her body went into overdrive and made changes so it happened." He sighs again. "So here we are. We're doing to make more test in the future. But for now she needs to rest." "Can we at least speak with her before we leave." asked Celestia, but it sounded hollow as her mind is racing about all this new information. Dr. Everhoof give her a warm smile and nods while pushing open the door that leads to Tec. "Of course your highness, I think you three have things to talk about." Celestia and Blue Blood enters a basic resting room. With windows looking out to Canterlot white walls, some paintings with calming motives. In the middle of the room is a bed where Tec is sitting eyes locked on a glass incubator were her new laid eggs are kept. Tec don't even react to their presence, not even her ears react. "Tec, sweetie can you hear me?" Celestia ask in a cautious tone still filled with motherly love. Tec break her stare down with the incubator and looks at Celestia with sorrow and fear in her eyes. Dose eyes tell a story of a weak will ready to fall apart at any moment, tears have been shed that just stop to soon once again start over anew with greater force. Celestia dashes forward and hugs Tec with all her motherly might, wishing to have the power stop all the worry and sadness. Blue Blood jumps up on the bed and join the hug. They stay like that for what felt like hours. "Sweetie...." Celestia stop as she don't know what to say. "It's okay mom, we couldn't predict this would happen." Tec gives of a deep sigh. "Well I thought I would at least have some years before I was going to start my hive." Sadness is filling her every sentence. "Don't worry sis, we can get through this. Did your queen's memory give you a hint how to proceed?" Blue Blood voice ask with hope and joy. They all release the hug and look at Tec, whom closes her eye taking in a deep breath. "Yes. Her memories say, that the egg will need love every second day or so." She pauses. "They will grow into the size of ostrich eggs, then they need about seven to ten days until they hatch." Tec explain with a scrunched up face of concentration. "Ostrich? what's that." Blue Blood ask with wonder in her voice. "Ostrich is a big bird. I can show you when we return." Celestia explain. "What more do you remember."She ask as she refocus on Tec. "Hmm, as the eggs hatch they become grubs or larva with a small horn and fore legs. Their growth are based on how much love they get, when they meet the requirements they will make a cocoon of some kind. In there they will be about two to four weeks. As they break free form there, they will become nymphs. I that state they will be able to interact with the hive mind, before they would only connect to it." "Do you know when and what type of changeling they will become?" Blue Blood cuts off Tec, whom look a bit annoyed. Sighing Tec continue. "Yes I will know if they are forester, warrior, builder, caretaker and more when they are in grub state. Or at least I think so, it's part of the hive mind." Celestia nods at the given information. "How do we take care of them, can we let ponies help." Tec open her eyes in horror waving her hooves in front of her. "No no no no, they are the most dangerous in their grubs as they droll and can spit acid, as nymph based on what type they're they can be aggressive to the point they might kill their siblings." Tec stops waving her hooves and calm down with a big breath. "We can't let anypony to be near them until they understand right from wrong. So maybe one-two month after they becomes nymphs." Tec say. "Hmm, then we need a place to house them so they won't do some damage." Celestia says with one of her hoofs under her chin. They all think in silence until Blue Blood speaks up. "Oh, oh can we make one of the treasure rooms or vaults to a hive?" "Nah, it's to small and we don't know how strong the acid is." Tec reply. "We could use one of the older parts off the castle." Is the idea Celestia gives. "I don't know, that could work, but still might not be a good idea to have them in a place where servants sneak of the play." Tec give as an answer. "What they play in the old part of the castle." Blue Blood complain with envy in her voice. "Now, now Blue Blood. That's not the type of game your thinking about, it's a more adult thing." Celestia give her a warm smile. Tec sits there in the bed thinking. 'Where would be a good place to make a hive. Think you know the answer to this. Then it hits her like lightning from a clear sky. "EUREKA." she jump up on her hooves and point at Celestia. "Tia give me the caves under Canterlot." Celestia and Blue Blood looks at Tec in confusion. "Erm, Tec there's no caves under Canterlot. Not to my knowledge." Tec put down her hoof and shake her head. "There're caves under Canterlot, they're an former crystal mine down there. It's so old that very few maybe no one knows about it." Tec claps her fore hoofs excited. "That's the perfect place to build a hive. And I can build a tunnel to my new home with Night Wind and Candy Warp, down there and make a tunnel up to the castle." Tec pauses. "Wait I don't need too, there's an old well in the gardens that lead to the mines." Tec starts to jump in place on the bed still clapping her fore hooves, until she falls over and just like someone turned off her power and she starts to snoring. Celestia and Blue Blood stare at the sleeping changeling with wonder and confusion in their eyes, they shake their heads and Celestia activates her horn and uses her magic to place Tec in the comfortable position and tuck her in so she can sleep soundly. Hours later after Celestia and Blue Blood left Tec in the medical wing to rest. Celestia gets information that Tec was right about the old mine under Canterlot, to her surprise there's and old well that leads to it. 'How did she know that, is it part of the show she told me about. If so I might have done a disfavor too my self for not believe in what she told me from the beginning. Then is her past life also true? Is she a monster in foals fur? I will need to call extra guards watch over her, so she won't hurt my little ponies. Moons surface. Nightmare Moon is sitting and reading a book she made out of dream magic, she's smiling to her self as she reads the various kinds of spells in this book. 'With this book and many others I found in the dreams and memories of Tec I can become stronger then before.' She hums to herself and looks up to Equus. 'Next time we meet oh dear sister of mine, I will break you and parade you in front of your sun loving subjects.' > 012.5 Mission infiltration (side story) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In an dark abandoned hall with dust covering the hexagon plated floor, lights crystal long burned out. A part of hive wall plating shakes and is slowly pushed out, after a short time the plate comes loss and hangs in strings of green goo. Slow it starts to lower to the ground as it hits a changeling looks out of the hole in the wall checking if there's any threats. After giving a quick command over the hive mind, six changelings fly down too the hive floor and stand in circle formation, all eyes outwards scans too look for movements. One of the changelings with a cloak gives out a command. "Newbie drop a light crystal. This will be our exit point in case something bad happens." All the changelings flinch as Echo repeat the command over their hive mind. The cloaked changeling turn it's head to glare at Echo. "Echo you bug-butt, I told you to stop that. Be happy that the queen haven't killed you yet as you always do this." A changeling with a blue fin on it's head flinches and give a sheepish look back. "Sorry Cloak, I can't help it, i it it's just so all can hear the command." Cloak lets out a disappointed sigh. "If you wasn't my hatch mate, you wouldn't be here. So try to keep it under control." Echo perks up at that. "Yes Cloak I will do my best." Cloak looks over to the newest member of the group, a nymph just into adulthood, he's the smallest of them all and is digging through a saddle bag. "Erm, Cloak?" comes the timid voice of Ziggy the newbie. "What newbie." Cloak ask with a raised eyebrow and irritation on his voice. "A, I, I can't find the crystal." Cloak rolls his eyes "Spider help him." A slender and feminine looking changeling with short light green hair, purrs as she gets close to helps the youngest member of the team. Ziggy's ear flat on his head, he scuffs the floor with a sad look. "Don't worry Ziggy, Cloak might be a hard A, but his always take care of his team. He's only hard on you for you're own safety." She says as she raises Ziggy's head to look at her, she gives him a warm smile at their eyes lock. "Now don't be so down here's the crystal, do you remember how to activate it?" Ziggy nods as he takes the crystal in his hooves make it glow a faint green glow. He places it in a holder on the wall so the light can be seen from all directions. "All done Cloak crystal is placed." All flinch as Echo repeat it. All changeling turn their eyes on Echo whom cower away by their collective stares. Sighing Cloak speaks up. "Okay all we're here to locate what destroyed the hive, everyling has their jars?" All changelings nods in response. "Good, there are threats here so be on your guard, if we get separate we will try to meet up here. If we lose contact with you over the hive mind you will be counted as k.i.a (killed in action) and we will leave your sorry bug-butt here. Do you understand?" Rogers and affermatives ring over the hive mind, Cloak nods "Good, now lets move out Spider and Ziggy take the front, the other of you lose formation and Deadpan you go last as you can shrug off anything that will likely attack us. All the changelings move into the new formation and start moving down the hallway to the right. As they walk down the hall their eyes scan walls and ceiling, the only sound is their hoofs echoing in this empty halls. Spider lets out a whistle. "By the great hive, this are some nice walls, I wish we could take some of it home." she says as she owlish look around. "What was this hive specialist in Cloak?" Sticky asks her eyes wandering the many holes for changelings to move about. "The Queen told me, this hive specialist in Architect and spell crafting, an odd combo if you ask me." Cloak gave a bored reply. "Wait, wait. So your telling me that this hive was killed by hive knows what and they where war-mages, we are looking for what ever this that." Sticky ask with worry in her voice. Cloak roll his eyes. "Yes, Sticky we're looking for what ever toke down this hive and stop using 'Ogres & Oubliettes' terms on a mission. "But I know you like it, you told me that the last time we played." Sticky whine making fake crocodile tears. Cloak stop and give a sheepish look as he walks over to Spider. "Now, now I'm sorry. It's just that this mission is a problem, I don't know what we will face here. So chin up my dungeon master. You can use all the terms you want when we get home." Sticky dry's her fake tears and stick out her tongue. "You promise, now you need to keep it." She gives Cloak a wink. He stammers out. "Y, yo you tricked me." He throws his hooves it to the air. "Fine you got me, but your flanks mine when we get home." They both continue to walk with the rest of the group. Sticky get close and gives sexual whisper in Cloak's ear as she pass him. "Wouldn't have it any other way." Ziggy looks over to Spider as he ask. "Are they?" "Yup, married." a quick answers comes from Spider. Echo shakes his head at their banter and then looks back to see if Deadpan still with them and his gone. So he tries to contact him over the hive mind. "Deadpan are you there? answer me." panic sets into his soul. "Cloak we might have a problem." They all stops and turn to look at Echo. "Deadpan is gone and won't respond over the link." They all try and fail to make contact with him. "You all know the protocol, if we lose contact with someling on a mission they're k.i.a. and Deadpan is the strongest of us all, he fought his way out of a Timber Wolf den all by him self. So don't worry about him." They all looked sad over Cloak's word but they know that's the truth. They all continue walking more alert then ever, with two changelings looking back from time to time so no more will disappear. As they walk they see puddles blue goo on the floor it's dripping from the ceiling, as they stop Ziggy takes out the jar his carrying and scoops up some of this blue goo, smelling into the jar before recoiling in horror and gagging, he quickly seal the jar and put it away. Spider beside him laughs at the stupidity of the youngest member. "Oh by the hive, you shall never ever smell stuff like that." "A warning would be nice." Ziggy stare blankly at Spider. "And miss all the fun. Don't be stupid and think before you act Ziggy." Spider reply with a big grin on her face. They all continue down the hall until Spider put up her right hoof and signal for stop. "I hear something moving, third tunnel on the right." she reports. They all strain their hearing to see if they all can hear it. "Spider check it out, take Ziggy with you, the cover the tunnel. Echo repeats the order but no-ling reacts. Spider and Ziggy enters the tunnel using their night/cave vision to guide them, the three others position them self in a half circle too cover the entrance. Spider is first in the tunnel the sound of movement getting loader and loader as they get closer, at the end of the tunnel it opens up too a big room with wall and floor covered in broken egg shells and blue goo, blue mushrooms growing out of the walls and egg shells. In a circle in the middle off the room is what looks like grub there's not many of them maybe twenty too thirty, but something is wrong with them they have blue mushrooms growing out of their body's. They move around like live grubs but they don't hiss or make any noise expect their crawling. Spider and Ziggy stare at the oddness before them. "Cloak we found the hatchery, it's infected with blue mushrooms." She send over the hive mind, as she did all grubs in the room turn their head towards them, their hollow eyes dripping with blue goo staring into their souls. "This doesn't look good." Ziggy remark, the grubs open their mouths and lets out ear piercing shriek, Both Spider and Ziggy staggers by the attack makes them both fall over with dizziness. Ziggy takes it the hardest as he falls into the room among the broken eggs. Spider gets to her hooves unsteady green blood running from her ears, with a quick look around she sees Ziggy laying on the floor swarmed by the grubs they are tearing into him ripping his body into pieces green blood covering their tiny faces, he's screaming but Spider can't hear a thing."By the hive his already dead." She thinks for herself as she turn too leave she hits something that cracks by her touch she looks up into pair of blue misty eyes of a mushroom timber wolf. Before she can send a warning too Cloak and the others the timber wolf taken hold of her head with it's maw and crushed it, her body hanging limp fore few seconds green blood coming out of every hole before it's drop on the floor. Cloak and the other are standing at the tunnel entrance as they get the report form Spider as they hear the shriek they look at each other, then they hear the screaming of Ziggy before it become quiet as the grave. "Spider what's happening? do you hear me?" Cloak calls over the link, he shakes his head. "I think we should leave, this mission was doomed to fail as soon I got the command from the Queen." "Yes." Echo responds, "I agree, lets move out." Sticky says. They all look at each other and nods and turn too leave, they all freezes. There just out side their field of view stands the horde hundreds of hundreds of changelings if broken body's blue mushrooms growing from them, blue goo dripping from their eyes and mouths, here and there they see timber wolfs with eyes glowing blue also blue mushrooms growing from them. Echo turn his head to look the other way but there's more of them. "Seems we're trapped." He nervously speak out fear dripping from every word. "They most been following us as we entered the hive." Cloak spits out in anger. "But how did they know we were here?" "I don't know but we need a plan." Sticky reply. "Let's take too the air. They might not be able to fly." Cloak sends over the link, as he dose the horde look up as they are waiting for something. Cloak and the other buzzes their wings and start flying to get past the horde, as they get closer all shroom-ling's horns light up with a blue magic with hints of red sparks flashing from time to time, and they open fire hundreds of blue bolts of magic flying into the air with no direct aim only to make a massive wall of magic. The three changelings dodge and weave through the bolt. Cloak releases his cloak to make it easier to fly as it gets hit by the blue magic it explodes throwing green flames down to the floor. Echo looks over to Cloak. "Still having extra mana stones in the cloak?" He ask as he return his eyes forward. "Always." Cloak reply with a grin. As they continue to fly bigger bolt of magic starts joining the smaller once. The shroom-wolf has begin there attack shooting magic from their mouths, one of them flies past Sticky and hits the ceiling and explodes above her, she barely avoids the rubble falling down. "There's the light!" Echo screams out as they're getting close to their exit point. Echo and Sticky is the first to enter the hole as they do a massive changeling tackles Echo throwing them to the floor below, Sticky gets hit but manage to avoid getting dragged down with Echo, she climbs in the hole and starts to move to the surface. Cloak looks down at Echo as he hits the floor hard green blood platters the surface, with a heavy sigh he flies into the hole and joins Sticky. Echo as he's tackled by the big changeling he sees the face of Deadpan his friend, eyes hollow with blue goo flows from them. They hit the floor hard marking Echo to blackout. As Sticky and Cloak exit on the surface they roll a big stone over the hole to hold the horde back for as long it can so they can escape. "My Queen mission failed, we lost four out of six infiltrators, the hive is overrun by, by monsters. Cloak send to the queen. "I guessed as much Cloak, you're failure will not go unpunished, return to the hive with what remain of your squad." "Yes, my queen." Cloak looks over to his wife. "Are you okay, can you fly." She looks up at him and nods. "Just need a minute, then I'm ready to return home." Cloak gives her a nuzzle by her ear. "Take the time you need." After a few minutes they're fly in the direction of the Badlands hive, their home. Unknown to them both a small wound on Sticky's shoulder is spreading small lines of blue. Echo wakes up, something heavy on him. He open his eyes to see his former friend Deadpan eating away on his body, legs are already gone, he looks around in panic and see his saddlebag open with some mana crystal laying outside. With great effort he uses the last of his magic to activate the mana to overload. With his last strength he thinks. "I'm already dead and I will take you with me Deadpan. Sorry Cloak this is my end hatch mate." In a bright explosion of green flames Echo life ends. > 013 Foals Play > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been three weeks after the egg laying event, by the doctors orders I have been speaking with an therapist once or twice a week not much has happened there, only speaking about the experience of egg laying and some past event, some form my time in the hive. Many other things have changed like I moved into the house with Candy Warp and Night Wind. They're nice ponies but I do feel overwhelmed by Candy from time to time she to much like Pinkie Pie well without the weirdness of world bending stuff. Night Wind is schooling my with social ques and how ponies act in friends/romance things, it's harder when you can read the ponies emotions and try not to act on them. Three times a week I join BB and Tia for lessons and spending time together witch is fun, Tia is still foaling with me and make me sit between her fore legs or on her back as we walk around. I can't say I blame her she's just worried and as we don't see each other as often now when I live with CW and NW. I have tried to talk to her about her emotions instability but all I get is "I'm fine." or something like that, but I'm still worried about her. Is she afraid of me, afraid of what I have come in contact with (her sister), am I the one that trigger her emotional stat? I will have to see and help when I can. She also add more guards to look after me, mostly from the shadows to not draw attention to me. Finally I learned to change my coat color, I could only do white before. So to make me blend in more I changed my pony-form to be a bit more light pink in color to match Candy Warp (make me look like her daughter), the rest is the same. I was told to wear it when I'm out and about so less things can happen to me. Lucky for me I didn't miss Mr. Soft Silk before he traveled home, so I could speak with him about some new ideas on clothing and fabric. I gave him the little know how I can on the fabrics not that I was into that in my former life, but I know somethings, He said he will look into it with his wife. I also gave him contact info for one of the agents of the crown to help him with the odd happenings in his workshop. But today is my free day it's Saturday I don't have anything planed so I'm going to look around Canterlot. It's always been a dream off mine to explore it, so loaded with water, a couple sandwiches and a bag of candy from CW in a saddlebag I take my Opal Flare form and leave the house with a call "Be back before sundown." from Candy Warp, I give a "Okay, see later." reply with a smile on my face. My self tour start at Canterlot Castle and move through the noble streets into the main street, I see so many thing stores, creatures, parks after many hours of exploring I end up at one of the bigger parks with a play ground, foals are running around playing. It brings a smile on my face. Sitting down on one of the benches over looking the park I start eating one of my sandwiches (with hard boiled egg mayo and salad and a bit of chili spice), I sit there quietly eating watching foals play a form of "green light, red light" As I finish I feel a need to do something an scratch that's need scratching maybe it's the emotions of all the foals playing. So I light up my horn and start playing the tunes from "Italobrothers - Stamp On The Ground" with a spell I learned from Pin Scroll and a few taps of my hoof I start dancing on the cobblestone, jumping with jump in the song. Italobrothers - Stamp On The Ground "Stamp on the ground Jump, jump, jump, jump Moving all around Tep tep da dow 'I tip toe on my hooves' Stamp on the ground Jump, jump, jump, jump Moving all around Jumping all around Jumping all around Drop the beat Jumping all around We're sending out an invitation To everyone in every nation But don't sleep get on the run Stop thinkin' and have some fun" I only get so far as my left ear flicked backwards, hearing multiple sets hooves behind me, I turn off the spell and turn too see a dozen foals have been following me and a griffin chick. I hear murmurs come from some of them, and asking me to play more of the music. "Can I help you all?" I uncertainly ask the group. A light blue pegasus filly with purple and yellow mane/tail takes a set forward, her light green eyes lock on to my red. She stands strait like she's looking down on me. "Play the music again." She demands spreading her wings to look more intimidating. I just stare dumbfounded at her."Did she just ordered me. What is she thinking, wait she might not think at all she's a foal." "Well I would if you ask nicely, my names Opal Flare. What's your name?" I stand tall to show I'm not afraid of her and her tactics. She gives me a look of uncertainly folding back her wings, 'She go through emotions from certain to uncertain and ends on fear.' She glare at me. "She not showing her fear, she's strong." "I don't care about your name, I haven't seen you around in school or in the city. You must be new and I will take you under my wing." She says with fake confident. I sigh and shake my head then return her glare. "I will have to decline, the reason you haven't seen me in school is because I have privet teachers." I say with smirk, "Why I'm I reacting like this, is it because I interact with foals?" Her eyes becomes pinpricks like she have meet somepony she knows she can't intimidate, her ears fold back on her head she take a step back. 'Her fear strong in the air.' Shaking my head I give her a friendly smile. "Are you okay? I only wanted to point out, if ask nicely you can get more in your life. So what's you're name." I speak in a soft tone. "My names Blue Sky." the filly told me, still uncertain how to react to this new threat. I pull out my bag of candy still having my friendly smile on, asking. "Want some?" She nods accepting the bag and pulls out a piece and eats it. "She's calming down good." 'A emotions of anticipation comes from the other filly's and chick.' I nod "Yes, you all can have some remember to share, okay." They all start to devour the candy like starved wolfs. Emotions running high in all of them. "So you wanted me to play some music?" I ask, all of them nods. "If you're okay with it I have a better idea." I jump up on a close by bench. With a voice of a skilled dungeon master I begin the tale of one of my time gaming with my friends, Making the spell I learn to make noise of sword clashing, spells being cast. "This is a tale from long ago in far away land called Urth there an evil shadow had risen take over the lands, an old unicorn king have summoned four heroes to save this land. First we have the giant earth pony from the frozen north, he was almost the size of Princess Celestia "Rodric the red" he was not the smartest of the heroes but he's was the strongest." "Second we have the griffin "Giselle" the master scout her eyes the sharpest there were, with her trusted crossbow she have made many foes fall, known for her stealth and scouting ability." "The third was unicorn with the name "Arcane Star" a recluse mage from the tower of Nime, so strong in her magic as she was a loner, none could best her in spell casting." "Then there's the last hero not much was known about her not even her name, she wore a cloak with a hood and a mask out of bronze, she had the talent of many skills, but master of none. The nameless jack of all trades." So I start the tale of the four heroes as they fight against the pony of shadows. Hours later. ".....and so the heroes stopped the pony of shadows, made some friends on the way, lost some life and saved many more. What happened too the four heroes only time will tell, but one thing was sure this was not their last adventure." I bow with a smile as I end the tale. I hear the sound of hooves stomping in approval even some cheers. I look up and see many more foals have joined the group even some adults. I give a sheepish smile and bow again. "Thank you for listening to the story I told." As is stand up strait I look over the ponies there, their happy faces smiling at me. My smile becomes wider until I see the sun, it's already setting. "Oh buck, sorry everypony I need to get home or my parents will get angry." I jump of the bench and start running home. Some of the foals try to follow to ask me questions, I quickly leave them behind. As I see my home coming closer the light from the sun getting darker, night is coming closer. Worry fills my heart. "Late I'm getting late. Buck, buck, buck." The door to my home open and I see Night Wind standing in the doorway looking at me a small frown on her face. She move to the side not to be hit by the rocket that's me, with a jump I throw myself through the doorway sliding to a halt few meter in. Panting I word out. "Sa, safe." "Nope." the voice of Night Wind answers. "You where about two minutes late." she continue as she lifts me up on her back. "Ahh, give me a break." I speak out and cross my fore legs and gives the most adorable pout. Few days later Celestia is walking through her school for gifted unicorns, when she hears some foals playing a game. "I'm playing as Arcane Star master spell caster." one of the foals say. "I will be Rodric the Red, the big brute with a kind heart." another says. "I'm the nameless hero whom can change my form and do all sort of thing." a third say "Aaah, no fare I don't want to be a griffin, let's trade." the fourth say. Celestia curious about what this foals are playing she walks over to them. "Hello my little ponies, what are you playing." They all bow and rise quickly. "Princess, princess we're play the four heroes form Urth where they fight against the pony of shadows to save the lands of Urth." they all explain in happy voices. "Oh, that's interesting my ponies where did you find that storybook?" Celestia ask. "It's not a story a unicorn at the park told us, she made sound with her magic as she told the tale." One of the foals explain. "Do you know the name of this unicorn?" Celestia ask with a raised eyes brow. "I think her name was Flame Opal." One says. "No, no Opal Flare." another corrects. "Oh yeah you're right, it's Opal Flare princess." Celestia smiles. "So it was Opal Flare, my little ponies. Seems I need to ask her about this." she says with a giggle. "You know Opal?" one of the foals ask with wonder in her eyes. "Yes, my little pony. She takes lessons at castle time to time." "Can we meet her again? we didn't get a chance to know where she lives or ask her to be our friend." they all ask smiles on their faces. "Yes you can my little ponies, but not today she's busy, but I will ask next time she comes to the castle." Celestia respond with a motherly tone and playful smile. Somewhere in the Crystal caves under Canterlot a white changeling princess that's working on her hive gets a chill of horror that run through her body. Shaking her body she thinks. "What was that chill, is somepony plotting something against me." > 014 Foalnapping part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unknown time and place. "****, are you still alive?" a girls voice breaks the silence. I'm sitting with my back against a crackling force barrier. Around me, is only darkness. Not the darkness of a sunless night, but a blackness so absolute that even my eyes cannot pierce its veil. They're keeping my in this lightless cage. There's only fifteen minutes light a day that's when I'm permitted to eat. They bring me some nutrient-rich slob that tastes like chemicals, I always grin at my captors saying "It's the best that I got, this one better then the last." I have heard many voices they come and go, the voices of the dead. "****, are you still alive?" but not that voice it always linger. I don't know if it's a voice from a dead girl that have die in this cell or something other. "****?" "I am here?" I say to the cold air. there's blood running from my nose, hot, thick and slow. I wipe it with back of my hand. "I'm here ****." "Is it the pain again?" the girl's voice ask. It's takes me some efforts to respond past the grinding of my brain meat, but I force my lie to pass my lips. "I had worse." "It's feels like your dying." I chuckles at that, but doesn't deny it. "I'm still here, what do you want?" "I want to talk, I'm lonely" "I'm sorry to hear that little one." I hesitate, already uncomfortable yet wishing to keep her near for a while longer. 'What is this the fourth or fifth time she has come to me.' The pain in my head make it hard for me to do some mundane tasks like keeping track of time. "Your voice is the only one I welcome, do you know that." "I do not understand, do you hear other voices. Even when your awake? I thought that they only came in your dreams. "Yes and no" I shrug in the darkness, a futile gesture if ever there was one. In a flash of light blinding me a black alicorn with flowing mane and tail appear, with her trademark moon cutie mark, I smile when I see her. "Nighty, I'm I dreaming again." She looks down at me then smile. "Yes, my little changeling, but I do bear bad news." She sighs hear ears fall flat. "You have been moved from your safe haven and been foalnappt." The dream shift around us and I return to my changeling form. "How do you know that Nighty?" She gives me a exited grin with ears returning to normal. "Oh, my little changeling that's simple I have learned new spells from your spell books I borrow from your memories." I feel a cold sweat start as Nightmare Moon tells me this, my mind going hundred miles a minute. "What can she have learned, what is she now capable off. I have various books with spells." But this also exited, that means I can use spell from my memories. She gives me a sad smile. "We have to talk when you're saved, I will force you wake." She walks over to me and nuzzles my muzzle. "Good luck Tec, and stay strong." As she ends her sentence the dreams fall apart and I wake up. Unknown place and time. I wake up in a dark cell made of bricks cold and wet, it smells a bit of mold. Before me is bars made of rusty iron a small lantern by a wooden door is the only source of light here. I turn my head around to see only walls no windows I lay my head down again releasing a deep defeated sigh."I dream about being captured and now I am, that's just sad." I'm bound with rope around my legs and back to prevent me to use my wings, I try to use magic but something blocking it. "Hmm, they most have put a strong null ring on my horn." I see a puddle of water on the floor so I wiggle my self towards it, it takes time and effort but I make it. As I turn and wiggle so I can see my horn in the reflection. "Three null rings, three bucking nulls ring on my horn, how did they know they can't use only one." I also see a ball-gag I glare at it with all my hatred. Shaking my head I force myself to roll over so my back is against the bars. I shut my eyes trying to focus on all the sound around me. In the distance I hear hooves steps. > 015 Foalnapping part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm sitting in my personal dinning room, before me is a plate with my hoof made pancakes with fruits, berries with whipped cream. A cup of coffee stands beside an folded newspaper. A seat down from me is another plate with pancakes with butter and a few pieces of hay bacon. I would normally have pork bacon on when I eat breakfast with Tec, but today I wanted to see if she can taste the difference. There's also a cup of coffee and a glass of juice beside it. I'm so happy she staying in the castle for a couple of days as Candy Warp and Night Wind went on a business trip and couldn't bring Tec with them. I look over towards the door. "Is she late, I know I told a maid to wake her when breakfast was almost done. The door open and a the maid Ebony Flower and Srg Rosaria enter, they have a look on their face that says bad news. Rosaria dose an salute. "Your highness. I bear worrying news, Princess Tec'ondra is missing." I fill my heart sink at the words, worry not so strong that it will show. "Have you checked the cave hive? She like to go there when she can't sleep." Rosaria nods. "Yes, your highness and we found nothing, we have checked her other home as well, she was not there either." Her words make me feel a heat from deep in side me bubbling to the surface, the sound of sparking fire fills the room. "FIND HER NOW, CHECK EVERY GUARD ON NIGHT SHIFT, CHECK EVERY INCH OF HER ROOM! SEND GUARDS TO LOOK IN THE STREETS!" I command in my Canterlot voice. Both of them have back all the way to the door they came in from, terror clear on their face, they don't even give me a answer they just bolt out the door leaving it wide open. Taking a few deep breaths I calm my self. "I can't let my anger take hold of me, I need a clear mind to find what and whom's behind it. I shake my head and look over the room, the table is a flame the breakfast destroyed burned to charcoals, the chair I was sitting in turned to ash and me standing in it. "It seems I got to my hooves in my anger." Lighting up my horn I restore the room to it's former state. Well not the breakfast. > 016 Foalnapping part 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the hooves set clops closer from behind the door, prepare my self to face the music so to speak, eyes closed faking being a sleep. I flinch as the door slams open making the light from the lantern flicker almost extinguish. There's eight hooves no twelve, the last set is more quiet then the rest. "Look she's moved." A mares voice speak out. "How can she be so clam and wait, is she a sleep again." another mares voice point out. "I don't care, just get the information out of her so we can get rid off her." "Now that's a voice I remember, Sparkling Glimmer that vile piece of shit. So he's the one to plan this." The gate to the bars open with a whine and creak two set of hooves gets closer one set walks around me to my left and puts down an item that makes a wooden sound on the stone floor. The other set stops behind me, with the hum of magic I'm lifted from the floor and is placed in a chair. As I open my eyes from my fake sleep. I glare at two mares both clad in black with hoods so I can't see their features all I can see is their eyes, a set of baby blue and a set of forest green. A unicorn and an earth pony, so much is clear. By the bars door is Mr. shit himself Sparkling Glimmer, his clad in a sparkling blue suit with a pink tie. Our eye lock and he gives me a sadistic grin. "So you where awake, seems you know what's going to happen. As your unnaturally calm fits a monster in foals skin." The unicorn mare looks between us. "Are you sure we have to do this? Celestia what I heard care much about the young princess." Glimmer huffs at the sentence. "She just spell charmed by this monster. Get the info out of her, I have better things to do so I will leave you two to it." He says with imperious tone as he turns and leave, closing the wooden door behind him. "Well he didn't lock it, good." I turn my eyes back to the two mare, the earth pony looks so exited to break me, her green eyes scans my body to see were she can do much pain as possible but make no damage. I have seen it before form my old mentor. The unicorn uses her magic to readjust the ropes and bind me to the chair. Lastly she remove the ball-gag. I lick my lips slowly, after a time I close my mouth releasing a sigh, then I let out an assault of cures and threats. "You dumb fucking assholes, that even Tartarus wouldn't what to take........" They both back away from me fear and horror in their eyes, words spoken to them that's never been heard in Equestria word so bad they will have nightmare for weeks. After what I guessed would feel like an eternity for them I end with. ".....and when I get free not IF, BUT WHEN. I will break of your" 'looking at the unicorn' "horn and shove it up in her's" 'looking at the earth mare' "where the sun don't shine." I huff and puff as I have run a marathon, after I have calmed down I glare at them unblinking, waiting for their move. The earth pony is the first to move, her movements uncertain slow as she walk towards me. She stops a half a meter from me, staring at me. All I hear is a huff and a crack as she do a 'one eighty' and buck me straight in the chest with her hind legs, making me and the chair fly and hit the wall, we both breaking. The chairs in pieces, my chitin is cracked pain flowing through my hole body, but I'm grinning to myself in my mind. "Ha, not so tough now foal." the voice of the earth pony breaks the silence. The sound is muffled as she walks closer too me, the pain and beating of my heart dulling my senses. A punch hits my face beside my right eye, then another, more and more, the punches goes lower to my body, my legs many, so many I lost count. Everything stops as the unicorn grabs the earth mare pulling her of me. They speak but I can't hear a thing everything aches everything feels dull. Time passes slowly, I regain some of my wits using my tongue searches my mouth to see if somethings missing. Lucky none are missing, then I feel one of my fangs, letting my forked tongue flick it a few times. "Ooooh, my venom. I can use that only if I can get close enough." I try to move, too grab something, anything and I do. The earth pony grabs me with her left fore leg and pushes me to the wall, balancing on the hind legs holding me in place. I Smile at her as I speak. "Did you know that if you cut the Achilles tendon you will lose the ability to walk." She looks at me in confusion. I bite down on her left leg just high enough to hit the tendon, she screams "Oh, god she screams." I tear off a bit of her fore leg, dropping me to the floor she takes a few steps back until she falls over frothing at the muzzle, I spit out the piece of pony meat. Behind her the unicorn looks shocked, I take this opportunity to spread my wings and charge her. Coming out of her shock she light up her horn to cast magic, in response I throw the piece of the chair I grabbed hitting her on the horn breaking her focus. Tackling her I bite down on her neck releasing the last of my venom. We both collapses to the floor. Her because the venom, me because the feeling of pain from my movement catching up to me I lay there breathing with a ragged breaths, fighting to not lose myself to the darkness in the corner off my eyes. "Fuck you Tec, stay awake your not out of the danger yet." Author's Notes P.S: I was thinking that the buck that sent Tec and the chair flying break releasing Tec from her bindings. Tec human mentor is an older gang member that educated Tec how to be an enforcer. Torture was one of the things he learned. > 017 Foalnapping part 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia is walk in circles in throne room with worry. "It's been almost an full day after Tec vanished, there're no trace of where have she gone." " It's one of does nobles, let's take care of them so we can show them what happens when they mess with us." "Yes, that's sound good. No! they're our subjects, we need them." " Need them! I can say some of them are usable. But most of them let their greed guide them, they want to destroy orphanage to build an entertainment center, some want the crown to use the bits for the state, to build a pool in their own backyard, and so much more. Can you really say we need them." Celestia stop and looks out the window at the sun and the clouds that drift pass. Sighing she says. "Many of them are bad, but I can't rule Equestria myself. I don't have time too take them out right now, I need to find Tec." " Ah yes Tec, the little pet you chose to take in. Do you really love her or are you just using her as an substitute for Luna. " "No Tec is my daughter and I love her." Celestia shakes her head, then hangs her head low. "I wish I could not act weird around her, but something about her brings out so much doubt in my self, I see so much of Luna in her." She sighs "Yet her soul is darker and at the same time brighter, like she living in two worlds." "So you mean you don't trust her and other times you do. You're just weak." Turning around she stares at the throne wings spread wide. "Silence, you're just one part of me, a part that I sealed away." The transparent figure that sits on the throne just laugh, as her mane of wild flames dances in a none existing wind. As she stops laughing she stares at Celestia with her orange eyes. "Please, we both know that your afraid, that she might be wrong that Luna will forever be Nightmare Moon, and you know they speak with each other, where you can't watch them." Celestia is about to respond when the doors open and a royal guard rushes in. "Your Highness." She says with a salute. "We have found two guard that was guarding Princess Tec'ondra one of them is dead he was already dead as we got to him. The other is in the dungeon, ready for interrogation." Celestia faces the royal guard. "Good work Falling Strike, I will speak with this traitor myself." Sparks of fire comes from her mane, as she starts walking folding her wings. In an cell room there sits a brown unicorn mare, mane and tail of gold is now messy after being hoof-handled when arrested, her pinkish eyes scans the room slowly. On the right side of her is a big mirror, one of those one way windows. In front of her is a bulky door of iron, enchanted to great strength to let nothing in or out without the key. Only other thing in the room is two wooden chairs. The one she sits in, on the opposite side of an small table is the other chair, waiting for it's pony to start interrogate her. She lifts her right hoof and places it against the null ring. Groaning she lowers it. There's a flash of light and before her stands princess Celestia anger and disappointment in her eyes, the room gets a lot hot then it was before, the heat coming form Celestia is filling the room. Celestia uses her magic to move the chair closes to her out of the way and sits down on the floor staring at the brown mare. "Double-cross." Celestias word thickens the tension that fills the room, anger barely being held back. Double-cross looks up at Celestia meeting her eyes and flinches. "I didn't do it you're highness." Celestia raises an eyebrow at this. "I didn't say you did anything. Double-cross looked confused at Celestia. "So I didn't get arrested because you think I was part of the young princess foalnapping?" Celestia giver her a neutral face, then shakes her head. "No you have not been arrested for that." Celestia return her eyes to the mare and summon a stack of paper. "You're charged with embezzlement, taking bribes, lying to your commanding officer, tax evasion and the latest charge murder of a fellow royal guard." Double-cross eyes becomes wide as dinner plater. "No, no, no I didn't kill him. It was the other guard the one tha...." She stops herself before reveling more. "My, my so there was another involved, tell me more and I will lightened your punishment." Celestia tells Double-cross with a motherly tone. "What're you doing playing this games, if you want to save your daughter just break this mares mind and pull the information out of the dead husk she will become." Celestia ignores the voice and just waits for Double-cross to break in the silence of the room. Sighing Double-cross starts to cry looking down at the table. "I didn't kill the guard as I told you, it was a pony working for the Glimmers. I got paid to look the other way. 'sniff' I have a lot of debt and the bits they gave me would help me get my foal back to me." the mare continue to speak but Celestia tones her out as she thinks for herself. "So it's the Glimmers. It's time to make them regret putting their hooves on the royal family. "Yes, burn their empire of crime to ashes, make them regret being born." Sighing Celestia raises and leave the cell leaving Double-cross to her punishment. Celestia return to the throne room walking past rows of Royal Guards, sitting down on the throne she looks out on them, there about fifty guards there, ten of them comes from ESS (Equestria's secret service). Their armor look the same as the normal Royal Guard so they don't stand out, but Celestia knows the difference. "Guards I want to all to dig up everything we knows about the Glimmer family, locate every piece of land they own. Find every member and take them into custody, don't let anypony escape. If they resist your aloud to use brute force. DO I MAKE MY SELF CLEAR!" This is the order that got written down in the news papers (Canterlot News) later, as this was the orders she gave to her Guards to erase the Glimmers and stands as a warning to the other nobles that fire and brimstone will fall on any family that went against the crown. In a quick blur all the guards leave the throne room, Celestia place a hoof on her forehead shutting eyes and releases a deep sigh. "Aunty, what's happening?" opening her eyes she sees Blue Blood and Ice Pike standing in front of her: She didn't notice them approaching, putting down her hoof she gives them her public smile. "Blue Blood there's been a minor incident, but it's going to be solved not before long. Did the two of you need something my little ponies." BB and Ice look at each other then back at Celestia, BB takes a step forward. "Yeah aunty, we where suppose to meet Tec so we can go down to the arcade and ice cream bar afterwards. But the guards won't let us meet her and told us to speak with you." Celestia's mask slip making a small frown, before she regain herself. "Blue Blood I'm sorry, but Tec has been foalnapped and we're just learned who's behind it. So don't worry Blue Blood, she will be back soon." BB makes a worry and sad face, Pike on the other hoof look like she just thought of something. "Ice Pike, do you have something to add?" Celestia ask with an raised eyebrow. Ice shakes her head then locks eyes with Celestia. "It can be something, I was to meet Thunder Splash and Light Spark the other day. But Thunder Splash parents said she couldn't meet me, but something was wrong as they said it." She pauses. "It's like they know what happened to her, but couldn't do something about it. When I try to speak with Light Spark I wasn't allowed to speak with her, the guards stopped me." Celestia nods. "Yes, I can understand why you can't meet Light Spark, It seems the Glimmers are planning something." "But if the Glimmers are part of something bad, why would Light Spark be not allowed to speak to me." asked Ice looking like she's thinking. BB spoke up. "What if she notice Sparkling Glimmers plan and locket her up, so she couldn't tell anypony. I know she have been against the Glimmers traditions, the times I have spoken with her." Celestia looks a bit shocked at BB words. "So your telling me that Light Spark might know what happened." BB nods. "It can be that Spark Light notice what's going on and to keep her quiet Thunder Splash was taken, because they're close, there's rumors that they are more then friends. That might explain her parents reaction, I will send some of the ESS to see what happened. Celestia thinks for herself. "I will send some guards to look into it." Then Celestia looks at Ice Pikeand Blue Blood. "I recommend you two stay in the castle until this is all over." Ice Pike shake her head and takes a step forward. "I will help my friends, I can't sit around going nothing when all of them are in danger." BB steps up beside her. "I will help as well, my sister is in danger." Celestia smiles at BB beaming with pride, but shake her head. "Sorry, I can't put you two in any danger. So stay here and be safe." Blue Blood becomes dejected and lower her gaze, Ice Pike gives a salute. "I have been trained from foals legs to become a military mare I will help and you can't stop me." Celestia sighs. "Okay Ice Pike, I will let you help. But only around the castle, you both can help when we got Light Spark when she gets here, okay." They both nods, Celestia rises form the throne. "Come join me in the war room, until we know more." The both gives a salute and follow Celestia. > 018 Foalnapping the escape? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I jolt awake as my body shivers, the cold floor biting my very core. Slowly I rise to my hooves, dull pain aching at every move I make. I open my eyes slowly the darkened cell my only friend. "Ha ha, Hello darkness my old friend" I think to myself. Then it hits I was asleep looking around the room I notice the unicorn laying next to me. I poke her with one of my hooves, she's not moving. I start to check her vitals, her body warm, pules steady, breath slow but stable and I get a hint of something on her, or to be correct inside her. She's still effected by my venom. "Good, don't know how long it will last. What was the doctors estimate three to four hours in a small dose, she got a lot more than that." Flinching I turn to look at the earth pony. She's laying there lifeless a big pool of blood around her. "Well fuck I killed a pony." Well nothing to do about it know and she tried to kill me. Shaking my head I look over to bars, the gate still open. "I wonder if the wooden door is still open." So I start to leave the two ponies when my stomach grumbles. Looking over to the unicorn I look at her with sorrow. "Seems you will be my dinner." Walk over to the unicorn I prepare myself to drain this pony's love for my own survival. As I get close I open my mouth and start sucking out the love form within her, It's a hard task as she's not giving it to me freely. Her completion changes her eyes dulling in color, the little I see of her fur turning grayish. The love tastes sour, like a lemon with a sprinkle of sugar on. The love is getting slower to drain. "I'm getting to the end. Now should I leave her alive or not." I think over as I get closer to the end. Stopping before the last love leave her, I look down at her. "I will give you the chance to change your life, if we meet again I hope it's on better terms." I say to her, "I will presumably regret this later." With my new found strength I walk over the the wooden door, slowly opening it a small breeze hits my face. I open the door more I see a long corridor with a few lanterns giving light. There's doors on the left and right of the corridor four in total two on each side, at the end is a staircase leading upwards. "Hmm, no guards that's weird. I though they be smarter then that." I slowly walk down the corridor my changeling hooves making no sound, as I'm about to pass the first set of doors I hear whimpering. Whimper not that of an adult pony, but that of a foal. Checking the right door it opens to another cell room. What I saw was nightmarish so horrible that I almost threw up. In the cell is six pony foals, two colts and four fillies all their backs are covered in scars and wounds, where their cutie mark was meant to be was only a burn mark. They all where cowering in a corner of the cell. One of the fillies are biting at her fetlock pulling out her fur, leaving it to bleed. "They all have been abused, what kind of ponies would do this to their own kind, their own foal. Monster that's whom and I have seen monster. But those where humans, not ponies. Walking over to the cell I lay down on my stomach just out of reach if this foals are aggressive. "Hello little ponies." I say with a warm motherly tone just like that of Celestia. The foals freeze in place eyes looking at me if I'm some monster ready to do whatever those ponies have done to them. They're about to start crying. "Shh, shh my little ponies. I'm not here to hurt you, I'm escaping and I will take you all with me. I can't leave you all." They all look at me in shock and disbelief. 'Fear and worry in their emotions.' I give them a sad look, and try to reassure them. "I know you can't trust me, but I promise I will get you out of this place." One of the fillies speak up. "Even if you gets us out many of us don't have homes to return to." I look at this filly's her pink coat, mane and tail light green all dirty, her eyes full of hate and fury. "There's a good orphanage in Canterlot that's take good care of fouls." some of the foals start to cry at my sentence. The pink filly growls at me. "Some of us was sold from those orphanages." That bit of info shocked my very core, standing up I feel rage burning through my body. "Those ponies are meant to protect foals." In my rage I push out as much magic I can, pushing harder and harder. "I need to fix this, I need to save them, AND MAKE EVERY PONY PAY FORE THEIR CRIMES!" I scream out in rage as a crack and an explosion rings through the room. Everything becomes quiet the only sound of heavy breathing that's coming from myself. As the smoke clears, I see the bars to the cell is gone, the foals are looking at me in fear. Blinking a few time I see small pieces of black falling from my head, as I follow them to the floor. I notice that's a dull pain in my head and horn. Finding the black pieces laying on the floor before me, I find out that they're the pieces of the null rings that was on my horn. With a slow care I lift my left fore hoof to check my horn, as I touch it I recoil in pain, the horn hot like an iron rod just at the point of melting, the touch made the pain increase and fades to a dull ache as my hoof leaves the horn. Putting it down hoof, I look over to the foals. "I getting you all out and I will speak to my mother about this." One of the foals ask. "What can your mother do? They're all nobles of Canterlot." Turning around I my back towards them I say. "Because my mother is god damned Celestia. And if she will not do anything I will." I walk out to the corridor I see three ponies rushing down the stairs, lighting up my horn the pain flaring up as I cast my spell. With a magical blast the ponies are gone in a mist of red, covering all sides of the corridor. "I didn't feel anything when I killed these ponies, are my emotions dull, or is my anger consuming me?" With a heavy grown of pain I push open the next door, seeing about the same scene as the first releasing these foals I move the next do the same, even the last cell is freed. I continue to push slowly I walk up the through the blood and up the stairs, leaving bloody prints on them, the sound of foals following me. As I look back I see some of them are scared of crossing the blood. "Come we can't stay here, come before more show up." I say to them giving them a confident smile. We enter a big room two stairs leading up to a balcony over looking the room, on the floor we stand on are eight door, looking around I see we exited in the far left corner of this big room. I whisper to the foal behind me. "Stay here and hide, this is a typical place for an ambush." They look at each other and one of them give me a weak nod. I chose cast a scanning spell to see if there's any life form around, of course I count ten, but for what I know there can be unicorns that hide them self with magic. Smiling I walk out into the middle of the big room. As I near the middle all the lights in the room become lit. Sound of two hooves clopping together like a slow clap comes from the up balcony. 'Rolling my eyes at this obvious trap and you will never leave speak that will come.' Lighting up my horn I wait as about fourteen ponies all wearing black cloths and hoods appear surrounding me. As a pony with no hood comes forth on the balcony I ready myself. "You did well to ge..." she was cut of as I blast her head off with magic. "Yeah, don't need to hear that." Looking around at the hence ponies whom all have shocked expression. "I hope you all ponies just walk away or your fate will be the same." I buzz my wings in excitement. Some of the ponies run, few chose to fight. They whom chose to fight, some die a quick death by my magic. As one of my attacks is about to land on another target, when a buckler shield held in green magic blocked the attack. A unicorn mare appear beside it as she teleport in. Pulling of her hood revealing a white coat of fur, mane with blue and yellow, her green eyes meet my red. She gives me a grin as she charges at me with her shield in front. Dodging to my left to avoid her, a slash hits me on that side sending me rolling. Stopping by hitting the wall, I look to my side seeing a line of red. Grimacing I get to my hooves, only to get knocked back down again this time by the shield. Lighting up my horn I do a quick teleport jump up onto the balcony. "Shit she's good, I need to think this through." Raising to me hooves I jump up onto the railing looking down at the Unicorn, she finds me instantly pointing her sword tip towards me she releases three bolts of magic. Jumping to the side I open my wings and start to flying around the room, magic blasting around me, dodging every spell coming my way. But my luck ran out quickly as I'm about to dodge the next set of bolts, a shield hits me from my other side throwing me towards the floor. Pain and fatigue is stopping my body from moving, I remain laying on the floor where I landed. The unicorn walking towards me weapons at the ready. Raising her sword the unicorn is prepared to finish me. Time slowed down, memories form my queen mother battles against strong magic casters flares up in my mind. How she uses faints and overpowering force to break them. Smiling I teleport again, as time returning to normal. The Unicorn looks around searching for my location, when she sees two of me. Lighting up the sword she fires bolts at the two changelings going right through them. Then it hits her a bolt of magic from above her, smashing her into the floor breaking the stone floor and her bones at the same time. Landing before her broken, I give her light bow. Then I blast her head off. "Double tap, always double tap." Looking over the broken room walls with holes, floor with craters, a set stairs is missing and bodies littering the floor. Hearing the sound of hooves I look over my shoulder to see the foals coming up and walking towards me. Letting out a sigh of relief i say. "Lets find a way out, I don't know if there more of them." Nodding they spread out opening doors, as one of the foal opens a door she screams. I with some others walks over to them, well I wobble. In side this door is a small room with only a mattress, on it lies a mare bond and gagged. It's a pegasus mare I know her blue coat dirty with blood, sweet and other fluids, her marehood and the other hole is bleeding. Her cheeks stained with tears, the sound of her still sobbing is making my heart break. I wobble up to her side laying down beside her, releasing her form her bonds with my teeth. When she register that she free she open her bloodshot eyes one yellow the other orange and sees me. Shock and confusion fills her eyes, then she tackles me hugging me hard. I let out a hiss of pain. "Not so hard please." She won't let go of me, so I slowly start hum a light tune, as I hug her I moving one of my fore hoof up and down her back. She falls asleep while hugging me look around. "Can you pony help me out of this?" I ask the foals standing in the door way. They help me get free, using my magic I lay Thunder Splash on my back and start walking, feeling my strength leave me I was surprised two foals one on each side of me, helps me lift the mare. "Seems they trust me a bit now, still a far way to go." One of the other foals have found a way out, so walking down corridors and halls without anything to stop us, I became worried. "I fucking hope it's not another ambush, if it's we will lose." Walking out a set of double doors we come out onto a grassy field, in the distance is a treeline. It's night time the moon shining bright in the sky, like it's saying 'we're here for you.' In front of us is many black hooded ponies, weapons and magic ready. Among them stands Sparkling Glimmer. He laugh at us. "Ah, ha, ha. You fools thought you all can just walk away from here? Guess again." I feel the foals becoming more afraid, they all gather behind me for protection. Glaring at Glimmer I ready magic, feeling the pain running trough my horn stops me from casting. Puffing I hiss in pain, my body rejecting my commands, looking at the foals and Thunder Splash on my back I say to them in a low voice. "I will use the last I have to teleport you all to the treeline, take this mare with you and run. Don't stop until you reach the castle. You got it?" They all look hesitant at me before nodding. "Good." I say with a grin. Starting to cast the teleportation spell with the last of my strength, Glimmer scream out orders to capture us. The pain from my horn becomes so much greater, making me nausea. As I feel the spell fail and the hooded ponies getting closer. My fear for myself and these foals shaking me to my core. So this is it? Captured, tortured and killed and I got these foal to their death."I think for myself as darkness is slowly taking me. When a beam of pure sun light cleaves the night sky burning many of the hooded ponies there. "Mother?" is the last thing in my mind before everything turns black. > 019 Foalnapping the Assault part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been a few hours after Celestia's order to her guards, they have all been running around going through old reports, flies about land the Glimmer have bought and given. Celestia is waiting in the war-room a holographic map over Equestria on display, red marking off pieces of land marking where Glimmers have a hold, Blue Blood and Ice Pike is there watching over the map. Ice is wearing her family armor in a dull silver color with black trim and her family crest on her chest plate and a spear and sword at her side. Celestia's ESS (Equestria Secret Service) have done a good job locating many of these places. It worries her that they have such a hoof-hold in mine lands. With that in mind she called the military officer with their squads she could trust and give them orders to strike almost all the locations at the same time, this is to minimize the chance of anypony escaping. All this could be possible mostly because Tec and Pin Scroll working on, a type of quick response transport. It's a bit unstable as it is now "one use only". This is because the magic consume is so strong that it breaks the engine, so Pin Scroll installed shielding system to protect the passengers. Doors open, an guard enter with Red Ink, They both bow. "Your highness." They both says. "Rise my ponies, have something changed." they both rise and Red Ink takes out a stake of paper from a saddlebag. "Yes your highness, it seems that many of the noble have starting to notice the movement of the royal guards and military, they're concern if something is happening. We have told them per your instruction the it's part of a new training regiment we're working out." "Good, we can't have the Glimmer know what's going to happen or the other nobles. What about you Silver Blade." Celestia turn to look at the guard. Silver blade takes out some papers. "We also got report on the things you wanted us to check. It's true that Thunder Splash is foalnapped as well and we secretly got Light Spark out of the Glimmers house." He pauses "And we have put her in a guest room for now. She was not happy, but she asked to speak with you. Your highness." Celestia nods. "Good Silver Blade and I will talk to her soon, anything more?" Silver Blade shakes her head. "No, your highness." "Good you can return to your duties." Celestia respond. The Guard gives a quick salute and leaves to do other things. Celestia looks over the three other in the room. "Ice Pike and Blue Blood can both follow me and stay with Light Spark, so after we have spoken you can look after her." they both nod. "Red Ink can you keep an eye on the situation until I'm back." Red give a quick bow with. "Yes your highness." Celestia, Ice and Blue leave the war-room walking to the guest room where Light Spark is staying. Light Spark is walking back and fore in the room that has become her new prison, a room in Canterlot castle. This room is like all the others for visiting guest and diplomats, the only thing that's different is the two guards standing inside the room with her. "Why is this happening, if it weren't that I was forced to come here." her thoughts where cut off with a rattle of chains. Sighing she looks down at her fore hooves bond with hoof shackles. "They really are doing everything to keep me lock up." There's a knock on the door drawing her attention, as the doors open it revels Celestia, Blue Blood and Ice Pike. Light Spark see the relief on their faces as they see her, Celestias is neutral in her expression, but her eyes shows a barely contained rage in them a small hint of orange in them. "Light Spark. I have questions for you." Celestia says as she stops looming of Light Spark. Light Spark gulps feeling smaller then she has ever felt before. "Y- yes, your highness I will answer as good I can." Celestia looks over her shoulder at the guards giving them a stare that could melt them on the spot. "Leave us." The two guards gives a salute and leaves the room, Light Sparks eyes never leaving Celestia. As the door close behind them, Celestia return her gaze at Light Spark. "Tell me what Sparkling Glimmer is planing." Light Spark finally break her eye contact, staring down at the floor now. "I can't tell you, if I do. I will lose whats most important to me, and I can't have that." Spark says in a weak vocie. Celestia snorts "Do you really think that Sparkling is going to keep his world, you of all ponies should know him the best." Light Sparks head snaps up in anger. "I now how well of a flank head he is! Don't you think I know he will go back on his words....." She stop as her face changes from anger to sadness, tears starting to run down her face. "But I don't know where Thunder Splash is so I can't save her." she lower her sight to the floor again. Celestia feel her anger fade at the pain of this young mare, sighing Celestia sits down beside Light Spark "This is why you need to help us, so we can save those we care about." Light Spark sniffle and give a small nod. "Only if you can promise me that me and Thunder Splash gets out of our families without backlash." "I promise and I will help you get out and find a place for the both you." Celestia says with a motherly tone. Light Spark looks up at Celestia, sadness and worry in her eyes and she begins her tale. "A few days a go I was coming home after" she pauses. "My date, as I was walking past Sparkling's office and I heard him speaking with some pony." "I thought it was odd for him to speak with somepony with out guards at the door, so I listen in." She stops, looking up at Celestia before she continue. "I heard that the two speak that they have gotten a hold the item." Sparklings voice's comes through the door, the other voice is speaking more quietly so I can't get everything it talks about. "Yes.......her a sleep for a few hours." Mystery voice. "Good, with that I can get her out of the castle with the guard that I own." Sparkling reply. ".......Celestia?" Mystery voice ask. "I don't give a buck about Celestia, she just the bitching mare that is charmed by that monster." Sparkling screams, he pauses. "And she won't be a problem for long, I got in contact with an friend. That gave me a drug that have been put in her highness greatest weakness." "Tec'ondra?" The mysteries voice ask. "NO you fool, cake. Cake is her greatest weakness. A day don't go by without her eating a big account of it." Sparkling tells the other. "......drug do and what about the sun?" the mysteries ask. "Oh not much. I learned that something interesting, Celestia was once a mortal like us "normal ponies". What dose that make her "imperfect" and as an imperfect pony she has faults like the rest of us." "THE DRUG WHAT DOSE IT DO?" The mysteries voice scream out now distinctly female with a hint of insect like buzz and echo behind it. I gasp at the voice as it remind me of Tec'ondra voice but more adult. They stop, knowing that I have been detected, I chose to run. I only came a few meters from the door when it bust open and the sound of magic filled the air like angry wasps, an yellow aura encircle me buzzing hard. Being lifted into the air then I hit by a spell making my senses blurry. I got turned upside down in the air coming face to face with a hooded pony holding me with her magi. Her features hidden only thing that's visual is her crocked horn black with yellow stripes enlightened with yellow magic buzzing, her muzzle black like her horn wearing a wicked smile and her eyes like that of a cat, glowing with a yellow light. "Look what I caught, a rat." She says with a smile that never fades form muzzle. "I will just squeeze a little and I will be rid of you." The magic around me tightened around my neck. "No I still need her." Sparkling calls out, the pressure around my neck lessen. She pauses looking at around the room. "I don't remember what happened after that. I woke up in my room and learned that Thunder Splash had been taken and sent to a place called 'The Maw' and if I didn't stay there she would be hurt." Light Spark ends her retelling. Light Spark flinches as the heat from Celestia overwhelms her, it's like sitting near a furnace. "Aunt calm yourself." Blue Blood scream out. Light Spark looks over to at Celestia whom is sitting where she was before Light Spark told her what happened to her. Celestia's mane is throwing of smalls sparks, eyes glowing orange. Blue Blood throws herself and hugs Celestia, the smell of burning fur and flesh is filling the room. Blue Blood hisses in pain screaming out. "Tia you most calm yourself." Celestia to her credit regains her senses and looks down at Blue Blood, tears starts streaming down her face as she hugs Blue Blood back. "I'm sorry BB, I lost myself there." Celestia lights up her horn and teleport them both away leaving Ice Pike and Light Spark alone in the room. They both sits still in the silence that follow. They stare at each other not saying a word until Ice broke it. "So you and Thunder is dating?" She pauses as Spark gives a slow nod and Ice continue. "I know you couldn't tell you families, but why....." she trails off. Sparks looks down at the floor and sighs. "It's because we didn't know if we could trust you." "Didn't know if you could trust me? We have been friends form foals legs. Are you freaking kidding me?" Ice shouts, Spark cowers away making herself as small as possible, her ears flat on her head. "You didn't think this wouldn't hurt me, you bucking idiot. Do you really think I'm not your friend, I have always stand by you and Thunder Splash." Ice Pike stops her rant panting heavy. "I, I" Sparks try to reply but fail as she can't form words. "You can't bucking answer me." I stomps her left fore hoof on the floor. As Sparks won't give Ice an reply, Ice turn around and heads for the door. Ice exit the room stopping right before the door closes looking back at Sparks. "You know if you two weren't such stupid ponies, I could have help you, and protect Thunder Splash with you." the door closes with a hard click. Light Sparks only sits there in her grief and regret, as tears rolling down her face. Ice walks down the corridor her own tears staining her fur. Celestia leaves medical wing after Blue Blood have been healed form her burns, leaving her to rest and given order to the guards to look for 'the Maw'. She also left blood for some test to see what is in her blood. "Tec'ondra what is happening around us, drugs, betrayal." Celestia shakes her head, lowering her gaze she notice gilded white transparent hooves standing beside her. Raising her gaze she lock eyes with a pair of orange orbs. "Daybreaker." She hiss out through gritted teeth. Daybreaker nods in response. "The one and only. She gives Celestia an knowing smirk. "You know very well why all this is happening, come with me and I will show you. Daybreaker says and starts walking, Celestia glares at Daybreakers back but follows. Daybreaker takes Celestia to an old part of the castle, a part that haven't seen any hooves in over a thousand years, heavy dust on the floor windows covered with curtains letting in little light. Celestia is led into a room she haven't been in until after Luna was sent to the moon. "Why did you take me here of all places?" she says as looks around the room with a sour look. "This is the best place we can use or do you want to teleport down to the castle of the two sisters?" Daybreaker says as she stops before a big cloth covering an old painting. "Why would you want to return to that castle?" Celestia asked shocked. Daybreaker turn her head towards Celestia giving her an irritated stare. "Because your mindset might be triggered by the drug in you're system, but it's only because it has something to grab down deep inside you." Daybreaker return her gaze to the old cloth. "Take that down so I can tell you why this is happening." Walking up beside Daybreaker, Celestia takes down cloth making sure not to stir the dust to much. The cloth now on the floor in a pile reviling an old painting of Celestia and Luna in the old castle. Celestia in the painting is smiling and happy with good lighting, Luna on the other hoof is wearing a frown almost angry, the lighting was a bit darker making it look like Luna is hidden in Celestia's shadow. They both look at the painting, Celestia gets a soft smile on her muzzle like she is remembering a nice memory. "It's a great painting. Me and Luna had to stay still for hours, the poor painter had to be up both night and day." "Is that what you see?" Daybreaker ask. "What do you mean?" Celestia ask as she turn her head looking at Daybreaker. "What I see is a sister filled with light the other put in her shadow. This is how our subjects saw the two of you. You seen at parties, social with nobles showing your face to public." Daybreaker say as her eyes never leave the painting. "And theirs Luna hidden in your shadow in eyes of the public, she whom have been fight against the threat to Equestria with the few ponies that did know her true self. Daybreaker continue with a somber tone. "That's not true, Luna was liked by many of the nobles...." Celestia is cut of as she dodges a transparent hoof that would have hit her in her face. "What's that for?" Celestia ask as she rights herself. Daybreaker growl in irritation. "Take off your pink tinted glasses. You know fully well that none of the nobles cared for Luna and poison your relationship. Daybreaker Points a hoof towards Celestia "And you ignored it, you let it happen and now they do the same with your new daughter. And yet again you let it happen. Lowering her hoof she stare at Celestia. Celestia release a defeated sigh. "Your right I let my own grief and worry. So I let the nobles do as they please." she lock shes with Daybreaker "What would you have me do I was sadden and alone after what happened to Luna." "And you let them walk right over you, they never respected you and you know it. If you let me take control neither of this would have happened." Celestia's eyes widen in comprehension. "You planed this. When I'm at the lowest, you say you would help me only to take over and make things worse." Daybreaker gives a quick deep laugh. "Silly little Tia, if I wanted to take control I would have done it long time ago. Do you really think you could contain me. Daybreaker says with a wide grin. Eyes filled fear Celestia stammers out. "You can't mean, you could take over when ever you wanted." Daybreaker only gives a slow nod grin still on her face. Celestia was about to retort but as open her mouth when the sound of hooves coming from the corridor stops her, Daybreaker fades into nothing grin still on her face. A royal guard runs in and stops. "Your highness, we have news found where 'The Maw' is, we're only need your order and we will assault them." Regaining her Celestia smile looking at the new comer. "Good I will join the attack, to be there for me daughter. Tell the smiths to prepare my armor." The guard stammers out. "Y..Yes your highness." and runs of to do his duty. After the guard have left Celestia looks over to painting, lighting up my horn and destroy it in a blaze of grief, the painting tainted with memories of the time of the past. As the painting turn into a smoldering pile on ash, she leaves for the armory to get ready for a war long time coming. > 020 Foalnapping the assault part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warning: gore/violence and death in this chapter. I'm standing in front of an mirror in my personal armory, I'm suited in my old armor. Gold covering legs and my back all fitted with magic runes for improve defense, under my left wing at my barrel is a gold plated iron scabbard holding a long sword. This sword is my old friend, my second weapon/backup, it have saved my life few times, it's enchanted with fire runes and can melt most weapons it come in contact with. "Luna you gave me this sword as an gift when we first went to war, you said it's for protection." I think for myself sadly. My eyes fall onto a big brownish earth mare, she's wearing a apron for metal work and a green bandana over her mane. In her gruff irish voice she speaks. "Your gear looks good on you, your highness." I give her a warm smile. "You have done a wonderful job at keeping it ready for use Bold Forge." Bold Forge waves a hoof in dismissive. "I didn't do much, just some spite shine and hoof grease, the mages did most of the upkeep with all the runes and all." she says as she puts down her hoof. I giggle into my hoof. "Don't undermine yourself, you have always been a great smith. Is everything ready?" "Iah, everything's ready all guards suited up, your carriage is ready with your personal guard. And your main is right here." Bold Forge says pointing over too a wooden chest begin carried by two unicorns smiths magic. They sets the chest down I front of me, it's a fine hoof carved chest off dark oak wood with hinges and trim in gold, carved on top is my cutie mark. As they bow and backup away from us. Bold Forge walks up to it and opens the chest. Inside on a bed of royal blue silk lays three pieces, two shafts pieces and a great war-hammer head. (the shaft pieces are made of steel and wood with magical runes along it's length, the hammer head is golden with my cutie mark on it's sides and on the front where is hits it target, too leave it's mark on my enemy.) Picking it up with my magic I assemble it, Bold Forge is watching in great fascination at my work. When I'm done with it 'it' stands at the height of 2,5 meters. Holding it with my magic the runes glowing with magical power, the head shines with a combination of my own golden magic mixed with it old magic from when it was made. With a flash of light I teleport it to my carriage. Looking over to Bold Forge I give her a nod and start leaving for carriage landing. Walking outwards I'm joined by six guards two from each tribe all wearing full plate armor covering every part of their body, all in a golden color. They're the strongest of my personal guard trained to be the best 'The Solaris', they are trainer to work in pairs of three to make an all rounding team. As we're coming closer to the landing I see a pony I was not prepare to see, Ice Pike is standing by the door as she spots me, she turn so she faces me. "I will come with you." She states. Not ask, but demands. I can feel my neutral motherly smile spread on my muzzle. "Ice Pike you're more then welcome to join me, but didn't I give you orders to stay by Light Spark's side? She might need you, especially now when Blue Blood is on bed rest." She looks away ears flat on her head. "No." she says. "She won't need me, she might never have needed me." I take a closer look at Ice Pike, her cheeks are wet, she's a bit puffy from crying. "Seems they didn't come to terms with each others feelings." Sighing I walk over to Ice and give her a hug our armors clinking together as we make contact. "You know where I'm going will be the most dangerous place, right?" She gives me a weak nod. "Okay my little pony, do you have everything with you?" She nods again. Releasing her I rise to my full height and we all walk out onto the landing, where three carriage awaits us, two of them are for my personal guards, the last is my personal war-carriage it haven't seen the light of my sun for almost four hundred years when the last war with the griffins was. "It looks almost pristine, even after it got damaged by an ballista bolt, they did a good job on it. I think for myself as board it, Ice Pike by my side. The guards eye her for a bit before resuming their duties. The commander gives me a look through her visors, with a nod to the commander she gives out the order for take off, the six pegasuses that will fly my carriage starts running and flapping their wings in a synchronized way, to make every movement count. With a powerful flap we're in the air, flying towards are battle ground, towards my Tec. It's been a few hours after we all left Canterlot, with my eyes closed as I rise the moon into the sky, I wander in my mind. Thinking about all the possibility that might have happened to Tec. "Is she okay? maybe hurt? or... I choke as I can't even think about her in the worst way. Opening my eyes I look at the moon, looking at 'mare the moon.' "Is the moon shining brighter then usually?" I think as I tilt my head to the side. "It's beautiful." Ice Pike's voice startles me, turning my head I look at her as she lean on the railing, watching the moon intently as she continue speaking. "I didn't know the moon could shine so much." I see her eyes are filled with wonder and a bit of sadness. Lowering her eyes, she gives me a sad sigh. "You know Celestia, I have never left Canterlot. My parents where overprotective they barely let me train to become a guard." She looks up at me. "They said it's for my safety, but look at how safe we really were. We weren't. And now those we care about is taken." I can see the anger on her face say it. Sighing I look back at the moon. "You're right, but things will change, I will not allow things to repeat again." At my word I can sense Ice's confused eyes are on me, I look down at her with my hard sad eyes. "It's a long story and it's nothing you need to worry about Ice Pike." Ice Pike avoid my eyes and bite her lower lip, seems she want to say something but is holding back. The sounds of wings call on our attention, looking up and see one of the pegasus scouts flies up along side our carriage. "Your highness. We are coming close to 'The Maw' and there's a situation." The scout flinches as she ends her sentence as she looks me in my eyes, with a shaky voice she continue. "It's seems to be a group of foals have been trying to escape, but it seems they got caught by Sparkling Glimmer and his goons." I cut the scout off as I ask. "IS SHE WITH THEM?" The Scout drops a bit as she loses balance at my question, she rights herself with a few flaps of her wings. "Yes, your highness she with them it seem she's the cause of the commotion, but she seems battered from some fighting." I don't hear the last of what the scout was about to say as I light up my horn and teleport to 'The Maw'. Appearing over glade I look around, at the distance I see an L-shaped mansion about three stories high all windows are boarded with planks and Iron bars. My eyes widen as I see, by the inner corner of the L is a big group with ponies with black hoods among them is Sparkling Glimmer his pointing a hoof at a group of foals and Tec standing weak on her legs with what looks like Thundering Splash on her back all the foals is standing behind her as if seeking for protection. "She's weak after her escape, I need to reach her quickly. I think for myself as I light up my horn to cast a spell I haven't use in sense the griffon war, my personal magic 'Solarice Beam'. I don't like casting this spell it's too horrible for my little ponies.. As throw the spell it cuts the night sky with the bright light of white and gold, It hits the ground between the foals and their assailants, I make an moving it like an ark I burn and cleave all in it's path. Their screams fill the night air the other looking around for the source of the attack. Summoning my war-hammer I hold it in my magic for a few seconds before throwing it with great strength at the biggest group on the ground, as it hit it's crushes a big part of the group pushing them into the ground, others in the area is thrown in all directions only leaving a crater. With A few flaps with my wings I land beside my hammer, doing a slow turn of my head I lock eyes with Sparkling Glimmer fear and terror on his face, stammering out he gives orders to the others. "Ge..Get her, she's alone." After a few seconds of hesitation one of them charges it's horn and fire a spell at me, only to have it be negated by my armor. With a smirk I charge the attacker dragging my hammer along. "Buck, buck, buck. How in Tartarus did she get, how did she find this place." I think for myself as I look away from Celestias massacre of my men, my eyes lock onto the foals and mare cowering by that monsters side. "That bucking monster most have alerted the bitch to where this location is." I swear to myself. A blast of magic almost hit me so I duck for cover behind a rock. Looking over at Celestia I'm shocked how she so effortlessly kills of all these ponies, her own citizens. "Maybe that monsters grip on Celestia is stronger then I thought." Looking away I swear for myself again. "Buck, I need to do something." feeling over my pockets on my suit-jacket I feel something I don't know what it's, pulling it out I see a scalenocedral crystal little bit bigger then my hoof, it's deep black in color with a dark green core. "Where did this come from?" I think as take a closer look, as I do the core flashes and a jolt of pain runs down my fore leg. I yelp in pain and drop it. I glare down at it at crystal as it cracks into pieces then dust. I suddenly gasp for air as pain flares up in my chest and I lose conscious. Standing among the dead and the dying I see in the that my guard are arriving, the carriages land and guards disembark and spread out checking on the criminals, turning around I start walking towards the foals and Tec. They all look at me with frighten eyes coming close I lay down on my stomach before them, they're all scarred and wounded as I look them over. "What have they done to my young little ponies?" With sad shaky voice I say. "It's okay now, you're all safe now." They look at each other with hesitation, then one of them walks towards me, with a gulp she speaks. "Are you really Princess Celestia? Are you here to save us not only her." Then she points at Tec. "Yes, my little ponies I'm here to save you all." I turn my head to look at sergeant whom is walking towards us. "Sergeant will you take these foals to the castle and start an investigation where all of them come from." I say as I use my magic to levitate Thunder Splash over to an medic. After Thunder is in the hooves of the medic's, I move Tec closer to me so I can hug her and feed her some of my love, nuzzling her I can feel her heart beat and hear her steady but raged breathing, as my muzzle brush against her horn I flinch in pain. "What have she been casting to make her horn so hot." I think for my self as I rise and walks over to an stretcher, laying her down I nuzzle her again and freeze. A loud scream slows down time, with the sound of bones being rearranged and flesh and metal being torn. My eyes fall upon an pony or what becoming something more, it's Sparkling Glimmer as he rises from an stone not long from the crater I have made, he's standing on his hind legs making him almost as tall as me his fur have turned dark many horns like antlers have emerge on his head. His right fore legs has turned into some kind of dragon like hand with four long claws, these are the claws that's piercing one of my guards, it gone right through the armor and the pony underneath blood flowing out from every hole. Glimmer's other fore legs splits in a sickly sound of splitting bones and flesh becoming like the other, with a quick motion he tears the guard into two pieces guts and blood spilling over him getting caught on his horns. Glimmer's scans his surrounding until his eyes fall onto me, with a roar not possible to make with a pony's muzzle he start to charge me eyes glowing with eldrich green. My guards react quickly some takes away the foals and wounded, other charge in to try to stop this nightmarish creature of a pony. But to my horror all that comes in his way is thrown, cut down or even trampled to death, it seems nothing will get in his way until he gets me. Lighting up my horn I throw blast after blast at him, only to have him blocks them from striking true with his arms leaving burn marks onto them. "Dammit, I can't go all out as there're to many around that can be caught in the crossfire." I think for myself as I ready my hammer waiting for the right moment as he can almost reach me, I strike him on the side of his head, so hard that is could see my guards flinch as the hit crunches his head throwing him to my left hitting the buildings wall leaving cracks on it's surface. As he's about to fall over I blast him with an powerful spell pushing him right through the wall into the building, as the building start to crumble around him I throw my war-hammer from above to crush him into the ground, with an small explosion of my hammer hurts him and makes the building implode unto him. The silence that follow is deafening as we all watch the rubble with great interest. We wait for some minutes that feels like hours my heart is beating loud in my chest, with nothing happening we all slowly lower our guards. I take few steps to get closer to the rubble, not truly lowering my guard my horn still glowing with magical power. I stand close to where Glimmer had fallen and my hammers shaft sticking out of the rubble pointing towards the sky. I grab the hammer with my magic and pull it out shifting the rubble slightly, with a bit of force it come lose and levitate it beside me. Turning I can see some of the remaining guards rush towards me, one of them stops in front of me. "Your highness are you alright?" her voice is a bit muffled by her helmet. "Yes, he didn't get to me." I answer ruffling my wings. "What was that thing? I have never seen something like that before." the guard continue. Sighing I nod. "I haven't seen something like that either, but I know it once was Sparkling Glimmer. He most been turned by some magic or something." The guard is about to reply as the rubble shifts, quicker than any of us could react I was grabbed by my throat by Glimmers hand breaking out of the rubble. Raising he stands now taller than me by almost by an meter, he has wounds and cut all over he's body, half his face has joined the other a mark of the sun can been seen on the broken cheek, one of his antlers is missing too. His eyes are radiating with green light filled with anger and hatred, he squeeze my throat glaring into my soul, I try using my magic to break free but to only have it fizzle out and die. "Something is blocking my use of magic." I think for myself as I can feel my conscious starts to fade. Suddenly I'm dropped to the ground with an mighty roar of pain from Glimmer. Shaking away my blurry vision, looking up I see Glimmer thrashing about two spear of ice piercing his back behind him is stands Ice Pike her horn glowing with magic as she creates more ice spears. Jumping to my hooves I blast Glimmer in the face with magic. He stumbling back a few steps, I lifts my hammer swing it in an big ark marking it connect with his chest sending him flying through the rubble of the damage building sending debris flying around, a unicorn guard lights up her horn to create a shield to protect us. Looking at Ice Pike I say. "Thanks Ice Pike, how did you know how to hurt him." Ice Pike not breaking her stare where Glimmer have been sent flying. "I don't know Princess, all I did was hardening my magic and I attack him from his back, for it's the only place I could get a clean hit." She says The sound of heavy hooves steps comes closer and closer we all ready for more battle. Glimmer get out into the light from the moon we're all shocked to see Glimmers body have become swollen to unnatural proportions becoming a bulk of flesh and oozing green/red pus. He takes a step then another then fall forward hitting the ground hard, laying on the ground his body shacking. Suddenly his body is encircle by an red magic glow, with an sicken pop and crunch his head and heart is torn out. As we look at them they explode becoming nothing more then a blood mess of fiber and bones. A weak voice comes from behind us. "Go for the head/heart and always double tap, always double tap." Turning our head we see Tec standing on the stretcher her magical glow on her horn fading, her face full of pain and determination, she laugh at herself and smile big. "Seems I toke the spotlight in the last second." She says as she falls over onto the stretcher. "Buck me" She swears out as she lays there. Me and Ice walk over to Tec as she continue to swear and whine, as I get close I speak. "Sweetie are you okay?" "Yeah? I think so it's just that my horn hurt like a...." She stops herself and gives me a face that says I was about to say something horrible. "Thanks for coming to save my sorry flank." she continues as she stretch her fore legs up towards me. "Can we go home I need some medical attention and a soft bed. "Of course my sweetie, we're going home and your new friends too." I hug her and nuzzle her, she hiss in pain. "Mom not so hard my chitin is cracked on my back and stomach, so please don't hug my too hard." I'm filled with worry as tells my that she hurt, but steeling myself I hold her close to me. "Hey Tec'ondra are you really okay, how did you escape so far?" Ice ask Tec I can hear the worry in her voice. "Oh, a lot happened Ice." Tec begins as she tell us about her daring escape, as we enter the carriage to fly us back to Canterlot. Flying in the air looking through a pair of binoculars a changeling queen laughs to herself. "Look like the magical item worked. Now I can start using it to fight my nemesis and I also killed the only pony that I have been in contact with. Two birds one stone." Putting away her binoculars dose a loop and fly of towards her hive. > 021 Recovery and aftermatch > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been a week after I got rescued, I heard through the wines (mostly nurses talking while working and those whom visit me.) that many of the nobles where in uproar after what have happened Sparkling Glimmer and his family, that's was until all his misdeed with all evidence that have been gathered by the ESS (Equestria Secret Service) and the testimony of some of the unnamed nobles that been under the hoof of Glimmers. This became a warning to many of the corrupt nobles, in a panic they cut all ties with their allies witch is just as Celestia planed. This made it so we learned whom is working with whom, so Celestia used this information to counter many of the dealings. Then we have the corrupt nobles that went with the route of coming before Celestia and ask for forgiveness to lessen their punishment, of course in an officially they where only fined for their crime. Unofficially they were thrown into jail or worse (execution) but all of this have been hidden from the public. "I do hope this won't bite us in the flank later." Celestia seems to become sharper then it was before. I guess something changed with her but I didn't question it as she have become happier. I learned form Celestia that about 12% off all nobles have lost their nobility and all their property have been taken by the crown. Some of this will by given to me and the foals that was rescued, I did question this as an good idea but all I got as an answer was. "We will need new nobles to take up from the once that's been lost, so with the foals that have nowhere to go, we can train to be good nobles. As their loyalty to you and me is strong after you saved them, they can be something that can aid us in the future." This is an great worry for me. "How can they be loyal to me after just one meeting." I'm worried that they see me as an hero or is affected by something, so asking Dr.Everhoof to do a magical checkup on them to see if they're under some control. Every time I meet the foals they look at me with great reverence, as they talked to me it's like I'm already their ruler. I can feel their emotions (strong loyalty, happiness and even love.) some of them even ask if they could become changelings, I was honest with them and with the help of my bio-queens memory I told them. "There's a way to turn you into to changelings, but it's a painful and dangers process. So if you really will go through this I want you to think it thoroughly. If you all are still willing to go through with it when I'm out of the hospital, I will let you go through with it." They where happy and willing to wait, I still feel apprehension to the idea of turning ponies to changelings. So I talked it over with Celestia, Pin Scroll and Dr. Everhoofs. With some discussion we did agree that we will allow them to change under observation and they will have therapeutic help before and after their change so they're really sure about it and to help them with their change, Celestia was a bit sad about knowing that some of her ponies are wanting to chance, but accepted it. Speaking of Pin Scroll, he's been talking to me none stop every time he's been visiting me. Mostly it's about our quick response transport (or QRT) he's been talking about all things it can be of use and how we can install them for safety devices on air-ships and as I called them escape pods or lifeboats he got up with an jolt and rushed out of the room screaming that he will talk to Gear Track about it. Rosaria and her squad have also been meeting me a two times they didn't talk a lot about what they did when I was kidnapped/foalnapped but I learned that Rosaria and her squad was apart of one of the bigger attacks and Rosaria is going to get an promotion. Witch made me happy for her, she deserve it. I also got visited by Thunder Splash and Light Spark, they both thanked me for helping Thunder and they told me this was going to be the last time I will see them as they're going to leave Canterlot with the help of ESS to get a new life else where. I didn't question them on were they're going. I did asked them why Ice Pike wasn't with them and Light Spark only looked sheepish without saying anything. But Thunder explained that she's been avoiding them after she returned from the battle at 'The Maw'. "It seems something has happened between them. I will have to speak with her when I meet her." As I lay and trying to sleep after another day of tests and visits, I get this weird feeling something is tugging at my mind. "What is this feeling? Why do I feel weird? I think for myself until something hits me a feeling of a small voice calling to me, calling for me. With a dreadful realization. "The eggs is hatching!" I say out loud as I sits up in bed, teleporting to the hive I appear standing before the hatchery, walking forward I stumble over a blanket I toke with me in my teleport, looking over myself I notice I also some cables are still connected with me from the medical equipment (heart monitor cables and such). Using my magic I remove them as right myself and run forward towards the hatchery. Entering the hatchery I see one of my eggs shaking I walk towards it look at it with wonder, laying down beside it I watch as the little grub doing it's best to get out. Watching the egg I get this feeling to help it to break free of it's prison, but my bio-queens memory stops me with a reminder that if the grub can't get out by itself then it's not worth living. Shaking my head I continue to watch the egg. Every tense second feeling like an eternity, the egg shakes more intensely, then it's stops dread fills my heart as my mind starts bouncing between help and not helping. With a crack a small horn break the surface of the egg, then it's goes in and with another crack a new hole is made. It continue to make more holes until it breaks through the shell, a black little face with red compound eyes opens and look at me with wonder. Releasing a breath I didn't know I was hold I help the little grub with the rest of the shell, it's watches me with great intent. After getting it free I lift it into my forelegs hugging it nuzzling it, it response with cooing it's feelings is shared over the hivemind. "What shall I name you my little grub." I ask it as if it can respond to my question. Lifting it up so it's about eye level with me, we stare at each other it's cooing and wiggle in my hooves. "Lets see you're a male (for now) and your the first to hatch so you need a great name, a name that will cement the start of my hive, our hive." It smiles at me as if he understand me. "Ah, how can you be so cute." I say as I pull him close and nuzzling him again. "A name, a name. Where's a name generator when you need it." I say to myself with the grub in my hooves watching the other eggs. "Let's see your the first to hatch, you'er a male, you will become a prime guard (royal guard for changelings), so you need a powerful name." I talk to myself hearing the cooing form the grub. A wicked smile appears on my muzzle. "I will name you....." I pause as I raise him before me. "You're name will be 'Roskr Alfa' Roskr it's a old name that means Sturdy and Alfa is because your the first, or shall I be boring and just call you Lion el'jonsson after the primarch of the first legion 'Dark Angels'. I look at the grub, I test out witch name the little grub likes more. After noticing cooing and what I can guess is cheering the name Sturdy (Roskr) Alfa was chosen, putting the grub down I watch over the eggs as more and more start to shake and hatch. I was woke up by my guards saying that Tec had teleported away from the hospital in a hurry, with a quick search we found a nurses heard that Tec talked to herself before she teleported something about the eggs are hatching. So I make my way down underground alone so no pony will be hurt by Tec and her foals. The walk down did take some time as I don't know the way to Tec's hive but I remember she made some marking that react with a special magic that Tec instruct me to use when heading to the hive. After activating the spell small markings start appearing on crystals and floor, guiding me towards the hive. Getting closer to the hive I'm shocked to see the hive have become a great building. "Only by a few weeks she built this hive, it's almost half the size of Canterlot castle. How is it possible, how many night has she spent down here building?" I think for myself as I watch the towering black fortress that goes deep down in the cave and reaching the roof making it to an strong support, I can't really see the top. I walk in through the big arch that leads in to this great architecture that's been built looking at the wall I notice that it's built of the same material that Tec shown me. Walking into a long hall with twenty pillars in same black color as the walls with each one of them have half way up from the floor is an perfect cylinder about an 0,5 meter every pillars have a various colors to it's cylinder. As I continue walking I see many empty rooms lining the walls with signs over them in an language I can't read, coming to the end of the hall I stops before a tall door with an arch at the top, the door is made by some dark iron with magical runes on them. Looking over the door I try read the runes but to no luck. "What's this language? Dose it come form her old world? Or is it a changeling one?" Walking up to the door I light up my horn to open the door/gate. Nothing happens so I push at it with my body, the door is heavy but it's opening. After it's open enough so I can pass through, walk through. As I continue walking I jump as a big bang comes behind me. Looking back I see the door is closed, half way up the door I see an angled arm that's holding the door closed. "Hmm, an self closing door, interesting I will have to ask Tec about it later." I think for myself as I return to the way I was heading, after walking for a long time I comes to the inner sanctum where the heart of the hive is, in the center of a room I see a blanket from the hospital it's laying on the floor in a crumble mess. Sounds of something moving I head towards the middle room, as I enter I see Tec laying on the floor sleeping soundly surrounded by twelve small grubs. They all looks like a cross between changeling and a larva, their head are black with a small horn and red compound eyes and small fore legs that just like Tec's but black, their bodies are white larva looking. Some of them are crawling around, some are sleeping on or by Tec, some few are fighting or playing as they hiss at each other or trying to flip one another over. As I walk closer I see all the grubs that's awake all look over to me some and even hiss at me. As I comes close to Tec I see an grub that is bigger then the others places it self between me and Tec. With a frown it hiss at me and spit a ball of acid towards me, making an shield of magic to protect me. The ball hits the shield and to my horror it goes right through it, jumping back to avoid it I stare at the puddle of acid of the floor. Looking up I lock eyes with the grub and says. "Don't worry my little grub, I'm more mothers mother, your grandmother. And I'm here to take my child back to bed as she still needs to rest." The grub tilt its head slightly to the right, it dose look cute if not for the spiting acid part. "Can I get close to her?" I ask the grub. It gives me a blank stare, then it nods and crawl back to it's place beside Tec, the other grubs return to whatever they were doing. Walking over to Tec I nuzzle her, Tec stirs opening her eyes she looks around until she lock eyes with me. She yawns showing of her teeth hearing some of the grubs mimic their mother make it almost cute. "Did I sleep long?" She ask me. "No, I don't think so. But you need to return to the hospital, you almost made a new incident with you're disappearance." I look down at her. "Oh, yeah I just teleported away." She says as she rises using magic to move all the grubs that is laying on or beside her. "Did I cause a lot of problems?" She ask me, I don't get the chance to respond as she talks down to her grubs. "I will be back in a few hours, don't do anything I wouldn't do. And Sturdy Alfa you're in command until I get back." I see the grub that spit the acid against me perks up and gives of something that looks like an salute. "Good, be nice to each other." We both leaves the room and I take Tec back to the hospital and Tell Dr. Everhoof what have happened, he was so ready to run down into the hive to examine the grub, but I stopped him. Telling him it's to dangerous for him to go alone, so he have to wait until Tec has rested. After saying good night to Tec I return my self to my bed. > 022 The first Nightmare Night > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So, it's almost Nightmare Night?" I asked excitedly as I wagged my tail like a dog ready for a walk. Ebony Flower; who was busying herself fixing my bedding in my castle room, spoke up. "Yes, young Princess, Nightmare Night is in four days. Are you so excited?" "How can I not be excited? I have never celebrated Nightmare Night; not even in my old place," I say jumping up and down in place and doing a little dance. "What you haven't celebrated it?" she asks with disbelief. I stopped doing my dance, I shook my head a few times and said. "We did know what it was, but we didn't celebrate it, it was more a way to say goodbye to those who have passed." Looking up at Ebony Flower I can see the sadness on her face almost like she was fighting her loss. "It's a bit sad living in the past, but it was a time for family, a time for closeness," I say sighing as I look down to the floor feeling a bit sad, sitting there I could feel my old memory coming to the surface. The moment I feel myself being hugged those memories fade into obscurity. "It's okay Your Highness, you have a family now, don't you." Ebony Flower says with a warm motherly tone. "Yeah, you're right," I say weakly, then I perk up. "Candy Warp and Night Wind are coming home the day before Nightmare Night, I bet Candy is going to drag me around to all sorts of events and games." Ebony is giggling. "Yes; I believe Blue Blood is going to ask you to join her, this is going to be your first Nightmare Night." She released me from her hug, giving me a smile that smelled of positivity and happiness. I jump up all excited again. "I need to fix a costume; I have the perfect idea." Running out of my room I scream back. "Thanks, Ebony." Carefully dodging and and evading castle guards, maids, and the few noble ponies that still coming into the castle. Running down some stairs, I slam open a door. "Gear Track! I need your help." I scream as I enter the workshop that's been founded to help me in my endeavors. This is the very place where Pin Scroll and Gear Track design, prototype, and test numerous inventions. The room is littered with a multitude of machines for various purposes such as to make stuff and a lot of tools, there's even a prototype of the new air-ship engine that we have been testing for some time. In the middle of the room is a round table with scrolls, drawings, books, and even a wooden plate with various colors. Gear Track; who was standing at the head of the table, jumped in surprise with a whelp. Papers, scrolls, blueprints, and other various bits and bobs scattered around from her sudden jarring movement and shout of alarm. She stumbles around after her jump of shock, hitting her head on the table and collapsing on the floor, groaning in pain. Walking over to Gear Track, I helped her back up to her hooves, blushing in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry Gear, are you okay? Shall I take you to the medical wing?" Standing up she groans. "I'm going to be okay, I think." She says rubbing her head. "No, Gear. Head injuries are serious, they have the potential to cause internal bleeding; concussions; disorientation; and more. We need to have a doctor check you over for anything serious." In a flash of crisp, crimson-colored magic, I teleport us to the medical wing. After about ten minutes of waiting and an hour of checkups Gear Track is released, walking back she asks. "Why did you barge into the workshop?" Gear Track asked as I looked up at her. “Yeah; I needed help to make a costume for Nightmare Night," I said, shuffling my hooves. She looked at me with a confused expression on her face. "Why would you come to me for that?" She asked, tilting her head towards me, as her eyes turned in my direction, and her ears rotated to better pick up what I wanted to say. I give her a smirk I reply. "Oh, that's because I need you to make a few things for me with your machines." As we walked I explained what I wanted to be made. Returning to the workshop I help to clean up the mess, after I do a quick drawing of what I wanted made after explaining its purpose, I leave her to do her work. I, on the other hoof, make my way down the hive. Wanting to check on my clutch of grubs. On my way, I stop and tell one of the maids to check if there's a tailor available to make some clothes for me and leave them with Ebony Flower for me to retrieve later. With a quick bow from the maid, I get a response of: "Yes, Your Highness." Coming down to the hive I meet with the grubs, I give them food both love and some solid fruit I cut into slices. I do some training and play with them for a few hours to make sure they're nice and tired before I take my leave. The grubs are impressively quick on the upkeep when I teach them new things. I'm always kept on my toes (hooves) with them, so much so, that I’ve collected some foal toys for them to play with, but they get bored with them faster than I expected. It resulted in other tactics like engaging them in finding hobbies and other similar matters of interest. Such as painting, reading books, and plenty of other things of that nature. At first, I was worried they were learning things faster than I could keep up with, but I guess it has something to do with the hive mind or with how much love I gave them. I don't know if they get information from me directly; learn things individually and share it amongst themselves; or it might be a mix of both. Now, I'm excited to give them new items and knowledge. To test just how fast they can pick up and learn new concepts. Sturdy Alfa is the one that's the quickest when it comes to learning things. After that we had Lucy Libris, (a bookworm of the highest caliber), at first, I only gave her the name Lucy but after I learned she likes books I gave her a second name Libris. Almost all grubs have gotten their second names and they all have weird personalities. Some are weirder than others so I keep an extra eye on them. I think it’s an after-effect of my former life, to be more precise my role-playing when I play so many characters, so my theory is that they get their personalities from my characters from the many games I played. "I do so hope I don't get any of my crazy characters. I'm happy they're healthy but I don't want them to make things out of this world." I think for myself as I look over to Kilightus and Grim the two grubs are building with building blocks, and as they're done they tear it down with happy laughter. Then they start over, it gives me a smile to see them having fun. After doing all I can do for my grubs, I return to the surface to speak with Ebony Flower. On my way back I meet with BB (Blue Blood). "Heya Tec; Where're you going?" She asked with a smile on her face raising her hoof. "Oh, nothing special I'm just returning from my hive to talk with Ebony Flower to see if there's a tailor who can take some of my orders," I reply bumping her hoof with a greeting. "What are you ordering? A new dress?" She asks, joining me as I walk back to my room. "Maybe, I will order some hoodies and put in an order for my costume for Nightmare Night," I say thinking about if I can get all the material I need. "So what're you going to dress yourself as?" She probes, giving her a wicked smile as I reply. "Oh, you will have to wait until the day off, to see what I'm going as." She responds to my smile with one of her own. "So is this how you want to play it? So shall we see who has the best costume and have Auntie and the others as judges?" Stopping I look over to her dropping my smile. "Hmm that could be fun, as you wish Princess, shall we make it a bit sweeter and put a small bet into this little game?" Stopping herself she turns towards me with a face of worry. "What do you have planned?" I was about to respond but another voice cuts in. "I have an idea, the loser loses her sweets and has to do extra homework from our studies." Celestia is walking towards us with a wide smile on her face with Red Ink by her side. "Hi auntie/mother, Hello Red Ink." We both are quick to reply. Celestia hugs both of us. "My little foals do you like the little bet?" Me and BB look at each other I can see BB's mind gears working over time until she looks up at Celestia. "But this is Tec's first Nightmare Night, if she doesn't get a chance to experience it fully, I will feel bad." I put my hoof on her shoulder and give a small shake of my head. "No worries BB I will run around and have fun with you and hopefully with Candy Warp. And as you know I don't have much of a sweet tooth well except some things. So I'm okay with the bet if you're alright with you." A smile returns to BB's muzzle. "Yeah, if you say so then it's okay for me. So let the games begin." With our bets made and some ground rules put down we split up to do our own things. I get going to speak with Ebony Flower as I walk down the hall I see a pony I haven't seen in some time. "Ice Pike," I call out to her only to see her flinch and start running not even looking at me. "Well that's an odd reaction, is she avoiding me? Buck no." I think for myself looking as she vanishes out of my sight. Sighing I light up my horn and teleport, in a flash of light I appear before her only to collide with her because I didn't account for her running. With a tumble we fall onto the floor we lay there groaning in pain tangled in each other's limbs. "Why did you do that?" Ice asked me. "Groan' "Why did you run?" I ask while trying to untangle us. After getting free we stood there until I asked again. "Why did you run?" Ice Pike stands there scuffing one of her hooves. "Well, I don't know. I didn't think, as soon I heard your voice I just thought of getting away from you." Looking at her emotions I can feel guilt, uncertainty, and a little bit of fear. "Is she afraid of me? or afraid of how I will react toward her?" I try looking her in her eyes but she avoids my gaze. I let out a sigh. "Ice come with me, you seem to have a lot on you're mind right now. And I guess that I'm a big part of it, so let's sit down and talk like adults." I don't hear an answer from her but I can hear her following me. As we enter a meeting room I tell the maid to bring some chamomile tea and some brandy. The maid was about to protest but I raised my hoof to stop her and say. "It's not for me." Then I point at Ice. "It's for her." The maid walks out to fulfill my order, Ice who has heard what I just ordered gives me a look of disbelief. "But I can't drink, I'm not old enough." sitting down I shake my head a few times. "You will need it and it's not like I'm going to make you drunk or something. We're only going to add it to the tea, it will help you relax." Ice sits down across from me. "But why Brandy?" She asked. I sigh giving her a sad smile. "I found out that they work well together the herbal taste of the chamomile and the burning and sharp feel from the brandy gives a calming sensation." Looking at Ice I can say she wants to ask how I know that, looking down at the table I say. "Let's just say that we all have secrets." An uncomfortable silence until the maid reenters and places down tea and brandy, I give her a quick wave for her to leave. After the door is shut I use my magic I take the teapot and brandy and mix them (about 10% of the bottle of brandy into the tea). Ice looks at me in horror as I pour the mix for both of us. Putting down the pot I take the cup in my forehooves and take a sip, giving a hum of agreement I speak. "So what's going on with you, I haven't seen you since I was foalnapped and you didn't visit me at the medical wing, lastly you and your friends seem to avoid each other." I stop as I take another sip of my cup. Ice swift in her seat taking a small experimental sip of the tea, she gives me an expression on her face that says 'How can this be so good'. We sit there in silence avoiding speaking, I'm waiting for her to get the courage to speak. The silence is so deafening only becoming broken by a sip occasionally. "Well, you see~" Ice begins locking her eyes on the teacup. "I found out about Light Spark and Thundering Splash dating." I nod without answering, and she continues. "I'm happy for them but....." She looks up at me. "They didn't tell me anything, they hid it from me. I can understand that they hide it from others but from me their friend." "And now you don't know if they think of you as a friend or not." I cut her off. "So now you don't know what to think or do, have you tried talking to them?" Shaking her head in response she looks down at the cup again as I continue. "You do know if you don't speak with them you might never have the chance again as they're leaving soon." She only gives me a weak nod. Sighing I rub the back of my neck "Buck I'm so bad at this, I'm the worst Changeling for this. But I know the right pony for this." Jumping off the seat I walk over the the door. Opening it, I look out for a pony that can help me, seeing the maid that was in the room before I call out to her. "Can you do something for me?" She gives me a quick bow and replies swiftly."Yes Your Highness, what can I do for you?" "Can you call Dr. Easy Speak, say it's an emergency, and apologize about it? I need her help. Also, call Spark Light and Thundering Splash to come here and join us as well. Oh, and please bring more tea, teacups, and maybe some sweets. I'm sorry to put this on you. Thank you for your hard work." Giving me a nod. "Of course Your Highness." She leaves and to begin her tasks as I return to the seat I was in. Waiting there patiently with Ice, who hasn't reacted to my movement. She was so deep in thought that she doesn't know I had done something. The silence is hard but I needed to do this for her. After twenty minutes, a knock on the door grabs Ice's and I’s attention. "You can enter," I say with a bit of worry in my voice. The door opens with Light and Splash entering. "You called for us. Your...." Light stops as she sees Ice sitting at the table. All their emotions fill the room giving me a headache. "Please sit down," I commanded with a stern voice, a bit harsher than I intended, but the pain from everypony’s intense emotions was a lot for me to deal with. They obey without a word and place themself between me and Ice. Looking over them all I can feel the tension in the room. I was about to speak when there was another knock at the door and before I could reply the doors opened and a unicorn mare with a brown coat entered the room with a suitcase. "You called for me, your Highness?" She says in a neutral but calming manner, I nod towards her and ask her to sit down with us. Doing so she looks at me waiting for an answer. Her green eyes piercing me, she drags her hoof through her light yellow mane using her magic to place a pair of rectangle glasses on. "Well..." I begin only to get all eyes on me. "I call you all hear because you all need to speak with each other and," I point at Dr. Easy Speak. "She's here to help you all with this. I'm so sorry doctor that I have to do this to you, but they all need your help." Easy Speak looks over the ponies in the room and sighs. "I am happy that you rely on me, but this is not something you should force on some pony." She explains. "Who is this?" Thunder's meek voice asks. Not looking at her I responded. "This is Dr. Easy Speak, she has been my therapist after my egg-laying incident. She has helped me to look at my eggs not as an end." I pause. "Let's just say she's been helping me. And I know you three need help as well, you have all been hurt by what happened in various ways." "I can't help you myself but I can help you to come in contact with those who can help you." I point at Easy Speak. "And she can help you to let the wounds fade. So you won't regret leaving things as they're now." I huff slamming my hoof down on the table making them all jump. Using my magic I grab the brandy and take a few big gulps, slamming the bottle it down I stare at Ice, Light, and Thunder. "And I will not let you all regret not trying to fix this." I point between them anger rising to the surface. "You all are pussies for not mareing up and speaking to each other," I yell out tears running down my face, they all look shocked at my outburst I can feel some pony hugging me then the neutral voice of Easy Speak try to soothe me. "It's okay Tec, it's okay. I will speak with them and see if I can help. But you have done your part, the emotions you must feel are too much for you, You should go and rest, I will take it from here.” With a nod I push myself out of the hug and head towards the door. Opening it wide, I look back at the four ponies and three of them have looks of shock or worry on their faces, and the fourth gives me a nod, as I exit the room. After this, everything became a haze as I woke up the next morning, feeling hungry, and with an uneasy feeling of emptiness in my heart, not knowing how the rest of the day went. I decided to turn over and sleep some more. 4 Days later. I can feel joy, happiness, and excitement in the air because today is Nightmare Night. A day of fun and fright. I can barely stand still "When I do things like this, do I act like a foal?" I think to myself. I stand in a small room with a red drape covering me from the judges, this is so me and BB don't disturb each other when the judges look at us. Looking out through a gap I see BB wearing a long black trenchcoat with a red inside on her hooves she has silver shoes, she's wearing a pair of white bat wings, and a set of fangs. "I guess magic has been used to turn her appearance into that of a Theastral." I think for myself. She's colored her mane and tail black as the night sky. She looks so cute, but also more mature. It's so wonderful to see. Closing the gap as I look over my costume, I have transformed myself into a transparent skeleton with red glowing eyes. I'm wearing a black tattered robe with a hood that's up. In a silver chain around my neck, I have an old small lantern that I have infused runes to make glow green to produce a heavy mist similar to a fog machine. Beside it hangs an hourglass (old and made out of wood and glass), leaning on my right shoulder. I hold a long dark scythe with an aged cloth tied around the blade and handle on it to give it the appearance of being well-worn. (the blade is a piece of wood painted to look like it was crafted out of iron.) All In all, I looked like the pony form of the Grim Reaper. "I know they won't get the reference, I only did it to have fun. I don't care about the bet extra homework and no sweets is nothing to me." I think for myself as I wait until I'm called out. "Tec, you can come out." I hear Candy Warp's voice. Nodding to myself I activate my lantern and wait for it to produce enough mist. Then I enter, walking slowly I walk out with a clonk every time the stick hits the ground it echoes through the room. As I am met with silence, I stop I do an arch with my scythe dispersing the mist making it so I can see their faces. Red Ink and Candy Warp are trying to hide behind Celestia as they all look at me with fear and trepidation. Even Celestia herself looks like she has seen a ghost. "How can her fur be whiter than it already is?" I can see BB's standing a bit from the other her mouth hanging open in awe. "So what do you all think?" I ask with worry in my voice making me feel more meek than before as I break eye contact with them and look at the floor. "It's so awesome." I hear BB's voice before she tackles me with a hug, I'm shocked at the hug at first but I reciprocate the hug. We release from the hug and I hear a cough I can see Celestia and the other join us. "That was quite the show you put up," Celestia says in her motherly tone. How did you get the idea to dress as the Lone Soul?" She asks me. I look up at her baffled. "What do you mean Lone Soul?" I ask, she nods and summons an old book and opens it to show me a page with the pony clad in a black robe, holding a scythe in one hoof, and around its neck hangs a lantern and an hourglass. "It's an old pony tale, older than me." Celestia starts to explain. "Lone soul or Grim as he was called was an old unicorn who lost his family in a plague that ravaged the lands a long time ago. In his grief of losing his family, he looked into the dark art of Necromancy to bring them back from the dead and he succeeded, but as in all things it came with a cost.” As she continued to explain, I nodded along as she caught my rapt attention with the tale. “He warred against the very nature of the world itself. Making his family come back from the dead. This had angered the world so much that the world took them back with force.” I bounced from hoof to hoof, feeling a bit anxious as the tale continued. “They also punished Grim to wander the world for all eternity to guide the souls of the dead, yet is forever denied to ever feel the relief of death, themself. Even now on a misty night when the moon shines brightly, you can see Grim wandering around where his family has long since been buried. If you see him, you will have somepony you care for die; some say that we will all meet him at the end of our lives.” I shivered uncomfortably. “He carries the lantern to guide the souls and the hourglass to know when it's time to collect the souls of the dead and it gave him the nickname Grim Reaper. The scythe is not always a scythe sometimes it's a shovel or a pickaxe based on the story, but it's always a tool for working the field." Celestia ends the story, as we all look at her in awe. "Wow, I didn't know Equestria had its own version of the Grim Reaper.” I think for myself as I wonder what other things will have a cross-reference with my old world. "So which one of us is the winner?" BB asks dragging me out of my thoughts, looking at her I see her being more excited than I am. I smiled as I looked at Celestia, Red Ink, and Candy Warp. They look between us, then they huddle together speaking in a whisper after a few tense minutes they turn to us. "We have elaborated and you both win," Celestia tells us with an amused expression on her face. BB with a question on her face, me with what I can guess disbelief. "Now, let us explain, Blue Blood wins with cuteness and Tec wins with historical accuracy." I roll my eyes at this and tune out the rest as she continues to talk. "Yeah, she just told us this only to make both of us happy." I think for myself as I tune in to the end of the conversation. "....And so both of you win, now the both of you can go out and have some fun." Celestia stops talking giving us a wide smile. Thirty minutes later both me and BB are down in the city together with some of the foals that I helped rescue all of them are wearing many cute costumes but to my surprise some are wearing what looks like Changeling outfits, looking similar to me. "Damn these cute ponies, they're cuter as a Changeling than I am." The thought went through my thoughts as we got to the first set of doors to visit. It seems that here in Canterlot there's not a lot of door-knocking at the noble district, I guess that they don't want to have foals visiting them as we get to the lower districts we get more and more doors. "So much candy, what are we going to do with all this?" I think for myself as we continue our raid. After entering the market area we start to play games like bobbing for apples and many games you can find in the carnival. We started playing games winning some and losing some, as we played bobbing for apples; BB didn't get any. "Ahh, I didn't get one." She says with a disappointed look, giving her a crooked smile I give her some tips. "BB if you want to get an apple you will need to push an apple onto the wall of the basin, then you bite it. Do you want to try again?" She gives me a look that read 'What are you talking about' Then she smiles. "Prove it." She says. Huffing I walk over to the basin. "Sir? Can I show my friend here how to catch an apple?" I ask the stand worker, the worker looks at me and smiles. "Do you know how to do it?" He asks, I only nod in response. "Give it a go kid." He says ruffling my mane. Standing before the basin I lock my sight on an apple I dunk my head in pushing the apple down onto the bottom and into the wall giving a few test bites, I take action and bite down grabbing the apple and pulling out. Rising from the water holding the apple in my muzzle I stand tall and proud. "Wow good job kid, you did a great job getting the apple." The worker said to me. Taking the apple out of my mouth I thanked the worker and told him how I did it, the worker was impressed with my idea giving me another ruffle of my mane. Returning to BB I see she pouts her forelegs crossed giving me a stare. "Ah, don't pout BB, you did challenge me, here take this. I give her half the apple from the game after splitting it. "I heard they come from 'Sweet Apple acres' the best there is. Or so he says." BB looks at the apple and then takes a bit so do I, as I take the bite the crunch of the fresh apple fills my mouth its juices hit my tongue I stop. "It's sweet, way too sweet. How can this be so sweet." Taking it out of my mouth I look at BB who's eating the apple without problems. "Erm, BB is the apple really sweet for you too?" Pausing she looks at the apple and eats the last bit. "Yeah, it's good." She replies. "Okay, you can have the rest of mine." I hoof her the rest of mine, She looks pleased about it for some reason. We do some more games as we are about to leave to pure the candy in front of the statue of Nightmare Moon, I can see BB looking at a stuffed sheep that looks super fluffy. "You want one?" I ask. Looking over she nods. "Yeah, I have tried winning it a few times already, but I can't get the rings to land on the stick." She explains. I look over at the game to see a basic ring-tossing game. "I'm really bad with these games, but maybe I can be lucky." "Miss, how much for a game?" I asked the worker. "It's 4 bits for 5 rings." She replies, I give her the bits and get 5 rings. "How many do I need to land to win the sheep?" I ask. "At least three." The worker says, focusing I try tossing the first ring and miss. Throwing the next ring I land it then the next too. "At least one more ring.” Think for myself to prepare to throw the fourth. With another toss, I miss the ring. Readying the last I throw it, landing it with a satisfying clang that echoes ever so slightly. "Okay, that looks good," I say to myself. Looking over to the worker I ask, “Can I have the stuffed animal?" Giving me a nod she hoofs it over. "Thanks for playing, now you made you're marefriend happy," she says giving me a wink. I give her a deadpan stare. "Why did you have to make it weird, but thanks," I say turning to face BB who has a face of pure joy, giving her the prize I won. "Here let's get going we don't have a lot of time until Tia wants us back at the castle." BB stops me by giving me a hug saying. "Thank you, thank you." Rolling my eyes, I respond. "Calm down BB, it's not the end of the world, it's just a stuffed animal. And you could probably get one from Tia if you asked." "Yeah, you’re right but this means more to me, then to just getting a gift from Auntie." She releases me and we start walking towards the statue of Nightmare Moon. After leaving most of our candy we return to the castle to see Celestia waiting for us. "Did you both have fun?" Celestia asked. BB rushes forward excitedly and tells Celestia what we have been doing. Talking and walking we're taken to our rooms, put to bed so we can meet the next day.