Thread 69: Stories 46-60

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>Here is your seeing eye dog. His name is Spot, treat him like your own brother.

"Hold up, I want to see him."

>EIGHTY EIGHT NO!

"EEEEKKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEK!"

>...

"...He looks cute!"

*woof?*

"What's wrong?"

>Dogs have really sensitive hearing.

"Oh.... ohhhhhhhh.... shoot."

>Well, I guess we didn't get him for his sense of hearing...

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 >42
"88"
'77'
~~~

>...You know, we never really talk. How are you? Have you been adjusting well to your new home?

"Has a real nice look to it."

>...I see.

"Wish I could say the same."

>Well, it is good that you are keeping your spirits up.

"You know what they say, 'always look on the bright side of life'... but I had to wait for someone to point me first."

>Hrm... well, at least you are here, back again with us. That has to be nice.

"Yeah, I bet I'm a real sight for sore eyes."

>Your hive is glad to have you back.

"Good thing too, now I don't have to worry about looking over my back anymore."

>Chrysalis is happy you survived.

"I could tell just from the look in her eyes."

>...Has she been doing this a lot?

'CONSTANTLY!'

"Well I'm sorry, everything's a bit hazy right now and I need to keep my eye on any opportunity to get better. So when it looks like one is coming along, I have to lock on like a hawk and go for it. Because as far as bad shit goes, not a lot know better than eye."

>...

"...That last one was spelled E Y E."

>A part of me knew that, but didn't want to.

'You know, Twilight says you're going to see again EVENTUALLY, right?'

"That's why I have to do it now!"

>Well, at least we can say you're looking towards the future.

'...'

"...YOU ABLEIST FUCK!"

>I have no idea what that means, do you know where I can look it up?

"NO! BAD!"

>I'm being serious. Look me in the face and tell me I'm lying.

"...You suck. You just go suck all the dicks."

>Me? Never. Haven't you heard?... They might put your eye out.

"HOLD ME BACK!"

'SISTER NO!'

*WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM*

"EAT SHIT YOU ROCK HARD ASSHOLE!"

'That's a GUARD!'

"...Whoops."

>What a shame... he never saw it coming.

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 >Chrysalis
"??"
~~

>...Have you seriously been sitting here all night?

The smaller changeling lying in front of the crystal door jerked awake, flopping about like a beached fish for a brief stint before scrambling to his hooves and saluting her as best he could.

"M-Majesty!"

>Didn't answer my question.

"Ah... what question was that?"

>...How long have you been here, Jugglejack?

He looked down, a bit of shame creeping on his face.

"S... since yesterday evening. I tried staying up, but I guess I dozed off."

>Unsurprising, since you haven't once slept since we came over here.

"Y-yeah..."

>...I take it you want to go back to Canterlot?

"J-Just to visit, Majesty! Just to... you know..."

>He is likely fine, Jugglejack.

"Oh, I know, I'm sure he can handle himself, he did before, but..."

>...If it was that big of a concern, you should have brought him with you.

He looked up to her, honestly, truly and sincerely stunned.

"You... would have been okay with that?"

>It would have annoyed me, but I wouldn't tell him no.

He nodded, not as surprised as she had hoped, before looking away.

"...He wouldn't come when I asked."

>Then he made his choice. To stick with them, not you.

"Y-yeah... I guess."

>And of course you will be more hated than ever if you go.

"I will... but..."

>...Very well. You have a few hours, make the most of them.

He perked up immediately, all smiles and joy in the blink of an eye.

"T-thank you, your highness! I was worried that..."

>I'm not mad about what you did, Jugglejack. You used deception to further your hive, that you got caught was my only issue. Do be more careful in the future.

"Of course! Yes your Majesty!"

>Good.

She sighed as he scampered towards the portal, waiting with tail wagging like an excited dog, holding onto his juggleballs like they were his heart medication.

>...Damn it, why did one of my most loyal subjects have to be such a dumbass.

"What's that, Majesty?"

>Nothing... nothing at all.

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>DT
"Daw"
'Pommel'
~~~

>...

"..."

>...

"...Well, lay 'em on the table, sissy, 'less yer' afraid you're gonna lose."

>Fine. Full house.

"HAH! Certainly don't beat my four of a kind!"

>Oh, I'm sorry, did I say full house? I meant ROYAL FLUSH! Get it? Royal... because I'm-

"Pfft, yer' royal flush ain't nothin' to my five of a kind!'

>Only five? Amateur! Seven of a kind, read it and weep!

"Royal straight flush with a five of a kind, ya' little shitter!"

>Only thing shit around here is your skills next to my TEN OF A KIND ROYAL FLUSH!

"PFFT! Ya' make me laugh!"

>Oh yeah!?

"YEAH!"

>OH YEAH!?

"BRING IT YA' BLOODY MIDGET!"

>YOU WANNA MESS WITH MY ROCKETS!?

"HAH! Never saw a FILLY compensatin' for somethin' before!"

>Awww, don't be afraid, I'm sure you've handled bigger, and for sure more than one at the same time!

"YOU LITTLE FUCKIN'"

'GIRLS!'

>...
"..."

'...I... I still have to deal the cards.'

>...Cards?

"Oh! Fuck, right, we were gonna do a thing."

'...'

"...Gonna shuffle 'em?"

'Will it matter?'

>...
"..."

'...Didn't think so. Let me just put on my armor real quick..'

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Non-Canon
>Pinkie
"Luna"
~~~~
>Welcome to Not Late Night /pa/ with your host Pinkie Pie! It's during this time that content does matter and we work things out! Now for our main guest...PRINCESS LUNA!!!

"We're not quite in the mood."

>But it's day time and everypony else is awake. I need somepony to do the routine with. Pleeeeese?

"Fine."

>Great! How them dreams eh? Does Celestia dream of anything good?

"There has been that liquid cake that-"

>And that's the end of our show!

"and that's why we prefer-"

>I'll be seeing you again Luna! Until next good bye everypony!

Luna wakes up to the setting sun.
"...this is not how we want to start our nights."

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>Chitania
"Prostimare"
~~~

>...

"..."

>...

"..."

>...What.

"I didn't say nothin'."

>You want to ask me something.

"Ya' can just tell that by lookin' at me? Or... holy smokes! Are you readin' my mind!? Don't be doin' that!"

>I do not need to read your mind, you are twitching and looking over at me with a side glace every few minutes. Your mouth will move, you won't say anything, then you'll look away. That's just basic.

"...Oh! Cool!... Please don't actually read my brain."

>There is nothing up there I want, I assure you... and I am rather poor at that.

"Phew!"

>...Sigh.

"But since ya' asked-"

>I can still take it back.

"-I was jus' wonderin'... why'd ya' turn her down?"

>If you are referring to that weird mare who offered me one million bits for a night alone with her, I am going to have to hit you-

"No no! Not her!... Freakin' prissy skank, telling me to get lost."

>...have you been getting more insulting lately?

"Have I?"

>...Nevermind. Fine, her aside, what offer did you mean?

"That one with the freaky hair. Why'd you turn her down?"

>...When she said she wanted my Titan Power?... Did you hit your head?

"Nooo! You said the part where you shrink is a different magic!"

>Well, it only kind of is, it's still linked intrinsically to... look, point is, I'm not sharing any of my powers with her.

"Why not? If it ain't gonna help her grow giant and fight you-"

>Not that it would matter.

"See! That's my point! Ya' could like, ask for a whole mansion, or a castle, or anything!"

>...Why would I want any of that?

"Cause castles are awesome! Ain't you seen that one over there? It's like... so big! It's so big, and sparkly, and pretty, and you could just be like 'if this magic's so dang important, than you gotta PAY for it honey!' ya' know?"

>I don't want a castle.

"Oh... well, ya' could just ask for a house-"

>Any housing will be rendered pointless soon enough, I have no desire for it.

"...Really?"

>Soon, none of this plane will matter. I'll be... too big for it. Ultimate power is drawing closer to my grasp.

"Oh... oh. So, uh, you're not gonna need to eat?"

>Presumably not, among other things.

"Oh..."

>...What.

"I didn't say nothin'."

>You were thinking something.

"Don't be reading my brain."

>...Fine.

"...Hey, since ya' ain't gonna need it in a bit, why don't ya' just give it to them anyway?"

>Come again?

"If you're just gonna be all... whoooom, why not just tell her? She'd be happy."

>You presume I want that annoyance to be happy.

"Well, bunch'a other ponies would be happy too."

>You presume I want those other ponies to be happy.

"..."

>...Now what.

"Nothin'."

>Fine, I don't care anyway.

"..."

>...

"...Ain't there anythin' you want, really? Anything at all?"

>...Just one thing, and they cannot give it to me.

"But if they could?"

>...They can't.

"Oh... okay."

>...

"..."

>...I might still need food after I reach the next plane, I don't know how it works.

"Really?"

>I'll burn that bridge when I get there.

"...Kay."

>...

"...Can I have some bits for-"

With a CLINK, another pile was put on the table.

"Thanks!"

>Mmmn.

"You want some-"

>Yes, might as well enjoy it... while I still need it.

"Yeah... enjoy it while it lasts..."

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NC

"If your child ain't all he should be now
"Bereft of laugh or light
"Could be he's seen a ghastly gal
"Who gave him quite a fright

"She's the changeling - The Insect Queen
"A word before we start
"She's the changeling - She's guranteed
"To tear your soul apart

"Hear the boom, the distant roar
"It belies an evil guile
"Her victims aren't our own no more
"Taken by one so vile

"She's the changeling - The Insect Queen
"She's damned good at her art
"She's the changeling - She's guranteed
"To drain the purest heart

"Gather your boys, and hold on fast
"It'd do them bad to roam
"For when this evil beast is through
"They'll never return home

"Her work is done now look at him
"He barely looks alive
"His beak it clacks, his talons clutch
"But it's all a bloody lie
"She's the changeling - The Insect Queen
"We'll never see this end
"She's the changeling - It's guranteed
"If on ponies we depend."

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Meta-NC
>DT-Anon
"Pommel-Anon"
'???'
{???}
~~~~
>There's a Pommel in my DT story.

"There's a DT in my Pommel story.

>...actually this is kind of funny.

"It totally is."

>...you know, Pommel has some merits.

"I guess DT's not that bad..."

>Oh anon, let's never fight again!

"Kiss me you fool!"

'Mwah mwah mwah'

{Pinkie, are you playing with puppets?}

'What? Ah no...well yes. I'm bored. This is a long train ride.'

{Um...okay. Enjoy yourself.}

After Twilight walks away. Pinkie whispers loudly.
'It's okay. I can keep a secret!'

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>Granny Smith
"Applejack"
'Big Mac'
-Applebloom-

>Applejack, we all appreciate all the help, but ah think you might be over doing the uh..."overdraft" of trees that need bucking

"But Granny, Ah don't wanna give Big Mac too much trouble, and ah haft make it up to y'all, Dang Bugbutt is still giving me headaches even after she left, now everypony else is taking her place."

>Uh huh, sure, but I think you need to git a grip on yer magic, ah don't think I've seen trees bend that way before

"Ah was jes' trying that levitation spell Twi did before, but then ah, well, didn't "feel" right, so I just went back to buckin' em"

>With yer magic legs?

"They ain't magic Granny, just...underworked?"

-Sis? Some of the trees got these plants comin; out of 'em, same one's you kicked and kinda...bent-

'Ah think y' should talk to somepony about that'

"Oh don't you give me that jib, and why's your mane growing out like that? Are y' tryna spite me, brother?"

'Nnnnnnnope'

-Ah think he looks pretty with it-

'Eyyyyyup'

>An' try to git this leg stuff fixed, yer learnin' somethin' you half-don't understand

"Musffrasmlfrassmm...."

>Aaaaan' don't you go speaking beneath yer breath to yer elders!

"OW! Granny! I- Ouch!"

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NC
>DT
"Pommel"
'SS'
~~~

>Okay, so first off, what is absolutely vital is-

"Still haven't spoken to Applejack, in the... what, two hours since you left?"

>Pay attention! This is important!

'Do it or she will never stop.'

"The scary part is, you say never in the metaphorical, I'm starting to think you're being literal."

'I am.'

*BOOOM!*

"...And there goes my favorite snowglobe. I loved that snowglobe, I want you to know."

>I will destroy all you love if you don't pay attention!

"...You, little silver filly, go find a blue pegasus and tell her not to come into the room until the explosions have stopped."

'I'm not leaving her in the room alone. I fear I will have to help her bury a body.'

>Pfft, as if I would need anything more than a ziplock.

"...She's never actually killed anyone, right?"

'No. She tried to blow up the cyborg, though.'

>I exploded a clown!

"...Clarify."

'She's sort of right, she lit up the sky for a solid minute. Something got exploded, but it was a chaos creature.'

"Now, see, that totally changes the concept of this story. This is like I said "I killed a fish" when in reality it was a mutated pony driven mad by a dark god."

>...Meh.

"Fuck you, no, you do not meh at that."

>It's not that weird in comparison to a merrigoround with living ponies impaled on the poles.

"..."

>Don't worry, they weren't bleeding or anything.

"...Not... not better."

'It gets weirder.'

"You know what? Don't want to know. What were you going to tell me?"

>...FUCK! I forgot! What was I saying!?

"..."

>THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!

"You know what? I accept this."

'And thus I can put away the zipper bag. Good call.'

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>Siegfried
"Gwen"
~~~~

>...Seriously? Making me sit in the corner? What am I, six?

"Shut it."

>No, really, why don't you just take away my supper while you're at it.

"Be silent."

>No playing for a week! This seems more- OW!

"I said be silent!"

>....

"..."

>...If it makes you feel any better, I didn't use the treasury.

"Did you use the money I gave you for schooling?"

>...

"..."

>...Please don't hit me again-OW OW OW OW OW!

"..."

>...Talk to Zephyrious ye-OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWO

"..."

>...

"...You're learning."

>Thanks-OW!

"But not fast enough."

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>Twilight
"Vekir"
'Watchdog'
-Daw-

>Alright, back in the old lab, now, agenda for the day...one, figure out why I have a note from 32 imploring me to recommend a good speech therapist. Ooookay...two-

-YOU POXY FECKIN' CURS! YER STAYIN' IN THERE 'TIL I FIGURE THIS OUT IF I GOTTA WELD THE DAMNED DOORS SHUT! ...I KNOW it's bloody unlikely you'll get out again if I do that! That's the point! I'll find a way to get in there, don't you worry! No I won't be trapped then because if I can get in I can get out, ya idiots! No, ya see, you won't be able ta get out too because I'll have shanked ya for tryin' me feckin' patience! ...I KNOW MY LOGIC IS SOUND! THANK YOU!-

>...whatever the heck's going on over there, putting a pin in that. Aaaaand three-

"Hallo Twience Princess!"

>Vekir, great, have...have you been in the corner this whole time?

"Vekir's obedience knows no bounds! ...Vekir is very hungry, though, the chocolate bar did not last as long as she thought. Her stomach grumbles for delicious foodings that Vekir is uncertain she can reach in time-"

>Have another chocolate bar.

"Your generosity will be the subject of song, Twience Princess."

>Right, so this brings us to...

Twilight looks up at Watchdog.

>You.

"...can he hear us, Twience Princess?"

>No, he's still asleep, which is good because if he wasn't, this would hurt. A lot.

"Do robot dogs dream of gems?"

>...maybe.

"Howfor will Twience save my bodyguard, smartest of purples?"

>Well you see Vekir, the process is very complicated, I need to replace the parts that are breaking down, salvage the ones that aren't beyond repair, and figure out a way to completely overhaul his pseudo-organic power systems...oh, and cover up the big dumb glass window to his heart, who thought THAT up?

"...Vekir understood very few words there, Princess."

>No, yeah, that's my bad there. Just trust me, it's extremely delicate.

"So corner sitting, yes?"

>Very yes.

"Can I have another chocolate bar?"

>Sure.

"Hurrah!"

>Now...Mr. Dog...

Twilight's horn lights up, a look of determination crossing her face.

>Let's save your life.

~~~~

'Ohhhhhhh, don't go messin' with a Diamond Dog!
'A Diamond Dog! A Diamond Dog!
'Don't go messin' with a Diamond Dog!
'Don't mess with a Dimaond Dog!'

The creature called Watchdog stomped along the forest path, a smile across his muzzle and a song in his heart...well if one could call the sounds coming out of his mouth a 'song'.

'Oh when I was a little bitty Gem Puppy
'I cut my teeth on a big 'ole tree
'Mama filled my bottle from a moonshine still
'My first meal was a bass she kill'd
'Bass she kill'd a bass she kill'd!
'My first meal was a bass she kill'd!'

~~~~

>Right, got to be careful, the arms have wires feeding in from the shoulders...for what purpose, I have no clue, but I doubt it'd be a good thing to yank them apart.

"Mmph hmmph?"

>Yes, same principle as the...'Many Legged Thruster'? No, no, focusing on the task in front of me here. Aaaand...gently...got it!

~~~~

'Well I grew and I grew
'Now look at me, bud
'I'm six yards tall
'And a stud among studs!'

He kept going, loping along the path with his large hairy arms, his gait almost gorilla-like as he rambled on...growing accustomed to the sound of instruments in the distance.

~~~~

>Alright, the limbs and body should be a bit sturdier now and I'm beginning to see what was preserving the few organic bits of him he had left. A simple set up, but it's pretty obvious finesse was out of the question. I think...yeah...yeah, I think I can work something here.

"Wushat?"

>Well the heart is essentially an engine for your body, I wonder if a little work I could turn metaphor into reality.

"Hrr-rrh?"

>Not yet, not yet by a long shot.

~~~~

'Oh I love my work
'And I love my play
'An' I hate the fool
'That'll get in my way!
'Get in my way get in my way
'Hate the fool that'll get in my way!'

The music was getting closer, primitive, rustic, familiar.

He was remembering this path...

It was the path home.

~~~~

>Come on...come on...brain activity's slowing down, I'm losing him. His heart isn't strong enough!

"This is bad."

>If I can just...heh...oh heh heh heh, I got it! I just need to get his heart going with a hard enough jolt, it'll domino its way down to restarting the other systems!

"Vekir understands slightly more than before!"

>C'mon...live!

~~~~

'Well if you go messin' with Diamond Dog
'A Diamond Dog! A Diamond Dog!'

His verses were getting echoed now, someone was singing back, a lot of someones, it seemed. They were close now, so close...

'If you go messin' with a Diamond Dog
'Here's what'll happen to-'

BOOM!

Thunder...a storm was gathering overhead, above the canopy of the forest. He blinked. He needed to go faster, otherwise he'd be left out in the rain.

He smelled bad when wet.

'You'll be bitin' off a hunk too big to chew-'

~~~~

>Wake up...

~~~~

BOOM!

Another thunder clap, closer.

But all that stood between him and home was a mere hill. He began to climb.

'Big to chew-'

~~~~

>Wake up!

~~~~

BOOM!

He was close, just a little bit more...

The trees were falling away as the storm grew more intense, leaving nothing but the bare hill for him to climb. His claws dug into the ground as he pulled himself.

'Big to chew...'

~~~~

>WAKE UP ALREADY!

~~~~

BOOM!

'-whooooa...okay, that was close.'

Lightning, striking right in his path, blasting away dirt. He scrambles up, reaching the zenith of the hill...

'That's what'll happen to...the hell is this?!'

Watchdog glares down at what's below...an idyllic village where Diamond Dogs are going about equally idyllic activities.

'THIS ISN'T MY HOME! WHERE'S ALL THE TREASURE!? WHERE'S THE BRAWLS!? AND SINCE WHEN DID I LIKE HILLBILLY MUSIC ANYWAY!?'

>WAKE UP!

'...ohhhh, it's a dream, duh, boy, I feel like an idi-'

BOOM!

The lighting smashes right into him.

~~~~

'Blblblblbl!'

>...it worked! Ha! Hahaha!

"Hurrah!"

>Hurrah!

>"Hurrah!"

'Blblblb?'

>Yes, yes, Watchdog, we've fixed you.

'BLBLBLBLBL!?'

>Wha-NO! I mean I fixed you up...I'm pretty sure. We'll need to run some diagnostics and tests to make sure, but it would seem you're back in working order and less likely to fall to bits.

"Hurrah!"

'Blbl!'

>Hurrah!

'Blbl?'

>Oh, right, let's get you out of there!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 >SA
"Spitfire"
~~~

>...Sooo, any progress?

"Have they just never flown? Is that it? Are they just afraid of the sky?"

>...Uh...

"...Oh, right, shit. Uh... guess they weren't allowed much... roaming?"

>I'm gonna say no. When you have slaves, one thing you don't want to do is give them the ability to fly away. That's a priority.

"...Fine, point, fair enough, but we need some more than just the forty or so guys we have total."

>Can you wait, like, eighteen years? Pretty sure my population is going to reach crazy levels by that time.

"..."

>Land of 'love' apparently also mean 'love that we're alive and not under the control of a crazy mad king, and we are going to show this love with boning. Lots and lots of boning'. I have the highest pregnancy rate of any city, period. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find one who wasn't pregnant to look after the lings? Took forever. Seriously, it's a problem.

"So... everyone's getting some... exceeeeept-"

>Don't.

"Exceeeeppppt-"

>Doooooon't.

"...Except for you."

>There it is! Back to 'Shiny never has sex'!

"Well, not anymore."

>...Change the topic.

"Okay, it's weird that the evil kind who caused all of this is occasionally floating around the castle."

>I have a changeling Queen who slept with me disguised as my wife currently digging into my cornflakes, I think I'm a little messed up.

"..."

>...

"...I'm starting to think you have a temptation personality. You like tempting the idea something bad is going to happen."

>...No comment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

~~~~~~

While the discoveries Sunset Shimmer had made by accessing Twilight's research behind her back were plentiful, it still stood to reason that there was more. But with that lead going nowhere for now -the other being stupidly resistant to analysis or persuasion- she turned to the most obvious if dangerous alternative.

She just needed some time, space and preparation to make it work.

Finding the Tower of Magi in a desolate, abandoned state later that day had been a sobering sight. Sunset clearly recalled it as a place bustling with talented unicorns of all castes working in unison to discover new applications or interpretations of everyday magic. While Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns still persisted to this day, it seemed as if experimental metamagic was less in demand. All that remained were locked doors, dusty floors, long-forgotten tomes and tools few knew how to use.

It felt strangely exciting to break into the place, but she sincerely hoped it wouldn't become a habit in the future. Princess Celestia didn't raise no burglar.

The room she sought, The Summoning Chamber, was a hermetically sealable, circular tube, walls lined with thaumatic repellents to prevent the escape of anything evokers or summoners might cast in here. Even after years of neglect, the runes on the walls and circles on the ground were still active, radiating latent power.

Sunset was on her own, without supervision, only the Gem of Dreams keeping her company. And what an eerie company it was. Whatever had been locked inside managed to bleed into the environment at this point. She would have preferred to wait for either Twilight's or Applejack's return and do this with proper support, but she doubted they would approve of this either way.

Celestia still wasn't an option. She didn't want to upset her old mentor again.


Setting up all the necessary shields, abjuration spells-loops and protective circles, the prodigious unicorn turned her attention to the mysterious contents of her artifact. Maybe she could gleam some new information or at least clues for further investigation in the dreams of Changelings. If it could give her access to Chitania's cooperation in the future, it may be well worth the trouble.

Channeling her magic into a single, tightly focused beam, Sunset wills the artifact to release it's contents and project them into the air.

#-,+&~/!§

Discord was restless.

There was no better way to describe it, though he usually eluded description like that.

Despite being an embodiment... no, rather a conduit of Chaos, his current intentions might boggle the average pony more than usual. Too much Chaos meant pure Chaos, and Purity contradicted Chaos.

Too little Chaos meant Order, and Order contradicted Chaos.

As such, after the little episode with the Element of Generosity's younger sibling where he had taken direct action, he had shifted the scales too much into one direction.

Balance was needed. Or unbalancing. Giving name to concepts wasn't his strength.

But things needed to be evened out once more. Luckily, he found a swirling vortex of potential Chaos just nearby that he could influence enough to make things interesting.

A passing glance told him all he needed to know. Honesty's newly appointed student, formerly Celestia's, conducting a secret magical experiment on something that just reeked of Changeling.

Nothing volatile or deadly, from his perspective. A little nudge, to sway the scales in one way, and he would be off to watch the fireworks.

With a small, echoing chuckle lost in the ether he was hiding in, he gave the gem Sunset was directing her power into a tiny, little slap with the tip of his tail.

Just enough to disrupt the arcane energies and inject his special brand of Chaos into the mix. It'd likely create a fun mess the princesses would have to clean up later.

What he didn't expect was the gem to rip and tear at his essence the moment he released some of it, turning the mere disarray he intended into undiluted pandemonium.

#-,+&~/!§

One moment, everything was in her complete control. The nebulous, green substance was oozing out of the crystal and literally dripping onto the floor, the vague scenery of a dream depicting several shadowy forms congregating projected into the air..

The next moment, she lost her precious, necessary control. Control another unicorn could have reasserted. But she was alone.

Something tore painfully at her horn and magic, disrupting her focus for just an instant and causing a lance of raw arcane energy to strike into the crystal. Like a lens, it focused her energy and tore out into the opposite direction, headed for the rune-covered wall. Unexpectedly, it struck a shimmering resistance before it could hit the wall.

And with a cloud of smoke and sparkles, a single, potted plant – a Diascia, Sunset's subconscious informed her helpfully – appeared. She could have sworn she heard a male voice utter an exasperated, 'Not again' before it got caught by gravity and fell towards the floor, breaking upon impact.

Her attention was swayed from this random occurrence by the high pitched whine her Gem emitted for a split second as it shot towards her. It was a deadly bolt, trailing a vortex of toxic green of the Changeling's energy, her arcane aura and a multi-colored, chaotic hue behind.

All of which dispersed when her body jerked backwards upon impact. When it struck her chest she initially felt no pain, but when she glanced down to her breast to see a horrible, gaping wound, she understandably started to scream.

Pain washed over Sunset the instant her brain registered she had been wounded, and yet no one outside would hear her due to the isolated nature of the summoning chamber. Her legs buckled, her breathing hitched. Her head was pounding painfully, her vision swimming as whatever unholy matrimony of energy enveloped the Gem tore through her body and did something beyond her control to it.

As her body dropped its side without a sound, she saw her own red blood start to spill on the floor. It was getting harder to breathe, each precious gasp drawn with less sustenance for her lungs.

“Help... please, help... any-anypony...”

Her voice was merely a strangled croak and the burning sensation behind her eyes that made formulating coherent thoughts increasingly difficult. All she could hear was a white noise, a hiss in her ears that steadily increased in volume

“N-not...not... like... this... please...”

Sunset's last thoughts were on Applejack. Not the princess, nor the pony. Her last, true friend. The honest, down-to-earth blonde back beyond the mirror. The one she, despite trying, never truly saw beyond superficial similarities in Princess Applejack. And the one who she wished was here right now.

“...”

All fell silent in the circular chamber as Sunset Shimmer's eyes lid one final time. Her clouded, sightless gaze was aimed at the door as if hoping somepony would enter, looking for her. The pain was fading.

She stopped breathing a moment later.

~~~~~~

Those NOISE. So much noise.

The noise that surrounded Sunset Shimmer was constant. An on-going, deep drone that vibrated through her very core and into every fiber of her being, filling her with the sound of THE MANY.

If she were pressed to describe what she was hearing, she would liken it to music in the form of words. A confusing babble of a million mouths continually rattling passages of text that had neither end nor beginning. It was mind-numbing and all-consuming, washing away any manner of coherent thought. She was but a single drop of rain, and they were the storm.

It became harder to remember who she was. What she was. Her purpose. It was all being thinned out, slowly grated down. Like a rock on the shore of a beach being hollowed out by the crashing of the waves. It wasn't painful or frightening. Just a gradual loss of conscious awareness as her entire being became one with THEM.

Like Sirens, they were beckoning for her to fall deeper into the Abyss. To them, she was but a single thought. But they, they were THE MIND. Their UNITY was far greater than a tiny individual like her could even begin to conceive.

Just as her last thoughts and associated images she held onto slowly blurred and tore apart, something pulled her back. An icy spike of pain lanced through her chest. She jerked, once, and her awareness returned for a brief moment.

Whatever had been reaching for her soul stopped cold, then tore away when the remembrance of her final moments were laid open. Linked as she was to the WHOLE as she was, she knew why. They didn't know death. It was inconceivable to them. They only knew CHANGE.

Holding onto that knowledge, Sunset curled up around the gaping wound she knew must still be in her chest. She would not lose herself. Not again. Never again.

Those thoughts, and her indomitable will behind it resonated throughout the void around her. And the SONG became silent, muted.

Maybe now she could rest...?

~~~~~~

Celestia's former student was at a loss.

She had awoken from her slumber so very long ago. Time was meaningless in this place. Whether by being relocated, summoned or trapped, she was now in a seemingly endless expanse of darkness without light. Without any form to measure time, she quickly lost track how long she had been here.

She could barely recall how she had awakened.

If she were asked to draw a comparison, she'd say she was inside a protective bubble that was lost in the void of space. Flecks of light shone and glimmered in the distance. Some of them were like distant stars, others glowed brightly like suns, immeasurably far away.

Everything seemed to move independent to one-another, yet there was something that kept them all focused in a vaguely coherent form. It felt like she was on the edge, far out, while everything else was moving around a single focal point in the middle. If she were to keep with the analogies of astrology, she was witnessing the movement of solar systems around a single, super-massive black hole. A spiral galaxy.

The fact that she had no physical form to speak of was disconcerting, as was the fact that the shimmering shield that separated her from what laid outside was shrinking.

In a brief moment of desperation, she had dared venture outside, only to be immediately assaulted by the howl of countless, murmuring voices seemingly trying to consume her sanity and mind. It was a harrowing experience, and she doubted she would last long if exposed to it without this shield around her.

In here, she was warm, safe, able to observe. Outside, only madness awaited.

As she moved in ways she would rather not think about for too long, she noticed something unusual. Like actual stars that would cast their light endlessly into space even long after they were gone, so too would those distant, blinking lights cast shafts of light through the void.

They weren't always visible to her. Like the fine thread of a spider's web, she would see them shimmer briefly before vanishing again from whatever perception she was using right now.

It was by pure chance that one such visible thread suddenly intersected with her small space. It shone, simmered before her like purest silver, mesmerizing and beautiful beyond anything she had seen before.

Sunset realized she had nothing to lose long ago. Part of her feared that she may have died, cold and alone, and was now witnessing her personal purgatory.

Partly out of desperation, partly out of inquisitiveness, she touched it the ray of light.

>”Raze it to the ground. All of it. Leave none alive. I command it.”
>They all saluted, obeyed. Not just physically, but also through their shared bond.
>”Your Queen has spoken.”
>Screams. Fire. Cries for help. None were left alive by her chitinous hoof. All fell.
>Even those who loved her.
>No, not her. What she made herself seem to be.
>Soldier. Drone. Infiltrator. They all destroyed.
>And her Queen's joy brought her joy as well.

Sunset Shimmer backed away, concentration broken by her sheer terror. She had witnessed something horrible. Not just from afar. She had seen it as if she had been there, felt as if she had been one of those involved. She still felt the phantom-sensation of warm pony blood on her hooves, the pleased murmur of a sinister, commanding voice in her mind.

It was pure chance that another thread appeared behind her, and she moved straight into it. Another vision. Another horror from long ago, lost in time. But not to THEM.

>”I love you.”
>”I love you too.”
>Sweet. So incredibly, immeasurable sweet. His love was intoxicating. More. More. She needed more.
>”I must be the luckiest stallion in Vanhoover to have met you. You are a gift from above. A gift that keeps giving.”
>”Oh, sweetheart.”
>Delicious. His love was thick like syrup, and tasted like fine wine. She could feast on him for hours, and he preserved.
>”Let us take a trip tomorrow. I know just the place.”
>”Wherever you want me to be.”
>So easy. The Hive would feed for a long time on this one.

Realization came, when Sunset emerged from this daydream. She finally understood what was happening. With the memories she stole came knowledge. With knowledge came certainty.

“You... monsters... you are connected. All of you. You are all connected! That's why I couldn't analyze her, you are protecting one-another! You are covering each other! B-but how... why am I here?”

This time, she didn't have to wait for one of the threads to appear. In her manic attempts to make sense of her current surroundings, she exerted her will over the lesser strobes of light nearby. A pulse that stated mere puzzlment went through the MIND.

And it complied.

>My Queen.

>I am invincible!

>Drain them, all of them!

>It's coming closer, seal the tunnels, seal them!

>Weak. You are not my daughter. Just die already.

>I can't.... I can't! Make it stop, please!

>With this power, I can finally best them all!

>Don't fight it.

As Sunset began to impress her will onto her surroundings, they responded instinctively.


She wasn't aware of the clear, shining light she emitting into the darkness, rivaling those distant stars. She didn't notice that in her search, her small island of safety was drifting closer to the core due to her plucking those distant lights for their knowledge, their memories. She didn't see a pair of suns shift, move and approach her at rapid speeds.

She never saw that those suns actually were eyes radiating raw power.

What she saw was the vision they granted her when their spotlight-like glow bathed her in their radiance.

>The view of a snow-covered town. And a single, massive Changeling Queen staring at her with wide eyes. And the sound of a sneering, malicious voice that she realized was her own.

>Aren't you satisfied? I have infiltrated the village, usurped they mayor and sheriff. As we speak, they and their families are laying in the snow, growing cold! I have done what you couldn't do in weeks! Aren't you happy?! AREN'T YOU GLAD!? ANSWER ME!

A mind vastly more ancient than hers started to home in onto her existence. Its mindpower was beyond hers. A mind full of malice, sinister intentions and selfish hatred for all others like her.

>The disguise of the Mayor's wife was falling away, her body twisting, contorting. Growing. Muscles were bulging, her form looming over the other Queen's. The Queen's whose knowledge and secret she had stolen. And in triumph, she roared loud enough for her voice to carry across the vast mountains surrounding them.

>CHITANIA!

>And the Titan responded with a roar of insane fury.

~~~~~~

The previously still body on the ground suddenly seized up, all muscles locking. Intense shudders went through the form of the mare, flames of purest emerald washing over her form. The blood on her fur was evaporated, the horrid wound slowly closed by pink flesh and sealing the source of the fire inside her breast.

A faint growl came from the drooling mouth of the unicorn, and her eyes snap open, darting around wildly. Her throat started burning when a scream tore out of it from the deepest pits of her anguished soul. It echoed off the walls, dragging on until her voice gave out.

Sunset Shimmer slumped to the ground, curled up and started dry-heaving. Tears were running down her snout, her mind awash with a thousand memories, a million thoughts. She was barely able to cling onto her own identity, the song of the Changelings singing its sweet, mind-numbing melody to her from afar.

When the pains, shakes and fears left her, she slowly rose, her hindlegs quivering, almost giving out now and then.

“...finally...”

Hunger. Hunger plagued Sunset's every thought. A burning, insatiable pit in the core of her being that yearned for filling was driving her every step towards the the sealed doors. Leaving the Summoning Chamber carelessly behind with only a broken flower pot, the traces of her seals and wards and a puddle of blood on the ground.

Had she passed by a mirror, she would've been startled by the sharp, green glow in her eyes and the washed-out colors of her mane and coat.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Omakes!
"Changeling Queens"
~~~

"GODDAMN IT!"

"Just had to brag, Geeridea! JUST HAAAAD TO BRAG!"

"I'm sorry! I'm very proud of what I did!"

"We could have told her so much! WE COULD HAVE TOLD HER WHAT HAPPENED TO CHITANIA'S KID!"

"Oh please, like anyone wants to know that anyway."

"It's not a very interesting mystery."

"Fine! We could have told them our cure for cancer!"

"I think they already know that one."

"We could have told them how to fix the Canterlot and Changeling relations!"

"...How... how do we know about that? Nobody's died since then."

"Thirty Two mentioned it."

"Ah, right."

"...Hey, has anyone seen Variolus?"

"Did you check the shame corner?"

"Checked and double checked."

"Well, where the fuck is she gonna go? We're all in a... oh us damn it."

"MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Did someone call for me?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP EPHEMEROPTERA!"

"Fine, jeez... just go back to what I was doing... which was my-"

"WE FUCKING KNOW!"

"...So! What are the odds Variolus isn't going to screw this up and doom pony and changeling relations forever?"

"...."

".....Fuck."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________