Chapter 13: Desperate Measures.

“I’m going alone,” Dave stated clearly as he looked at Luna and Celestia. “See if the portal back can be altered so only Nox and I can get back.”

Celestia and Luna looked at each other before staring at Dave, “You are not going alone.”

“W-why not?” Dave pointed at Celestia’s horn. “You are gonna be seen really easily with those things and neither of you know how Earth works.”

Mike cleared his throat and raised his hand. “I could go with you.”

Dave frowned as he looked at Mike, “We don’t know if you will trick us, you are still wounded and you don’t have any special powers like my regeneration.”

“OBJECTION!” Odio yelled as he burst open the throne room doors and floated in followed by Strong Shield and Flux. “When healing Mike I poked into his brain and saw that he still had the knowledge on how to use swords and battle-axes due to the fact he had them summoned when his power was taken.”

“Are you trying to annoy me?” Dave yelled at the fog.

“I don’t try,” Odio smirked. “You are already annoyed.”

Dave rubbed his eyes as everyone looked at him. “Alright listen; I don’t want anypony or anything coming with me on this trip.”

“Psst, I think he was talking about you,” Odio whispered into Mike’s ear before floating to Dave’s side. “So me and Dave will only be a few hours at most, see you in time for dinner.”

“You aren’t coming,” Dave said plainly to Odio’s happy face. The fog’s eyes visibly saddened as he floated away. “You are needed here to keep the portal open and to make sure Mike doesn’t do anything while I’m gone.”

“You still don’t trust me?” Mike and Odio asked in unison before glaring at each other.

Strong Shield rubbed his eye before stomping his hoof, “Now let me be clear, I am assisting you as I have vast experience in espionage and infiltration.”

“Dad I can’t have a talking unicorn following me around,” Dave looked across and saw Flux was raising her hoof. “And mum you have wings which aren’t normal for ponies of Earth.”

“Oh for Celestia’s sake Dave!” Strong Shield rolled his eye before bowing to Princess Celestia. “No offence.”

“None taken,” Celestia bowed in response.

Strong Shield glared up at Dave, “You are too emotionally involved to think about this clearly so I vote Dave sits outside while we discuss who shall come along and who shall stay.”

All the ponies raised their hooves; Mike placed a hand in the air and Odio’s fog made a twisted tendril that rose up. Dave looked amongst his family and friends and gave a low groan, “Fine, I get the message.”

Dave left the throne room, shoving his hands in his pockets as he heard the door slam shut behind him. He looked around the abandoned corridor before removing his sword and sitting on the floor beside the great wooden door.

The human sat in silence for a few minutes before the doors opened long enough for a pair of annoyed guys to leave the throne room. Mike and Odio glared at the floor as the doors slammed shut again.

“So why are you both out here?” Dave asked as Mike sat beside him and Odio floated above their heads.

“Well they said that due to my previous history regarding Hank and the others I was under suspicion and so they want me to stay here in the castle so they can keep an eye on me,” Mike shrugged. “I guess they have every right to be concerned.”

Dave looked up at Odio, “What about you?”

“They said I was annoying and they would rather not spend any time around me,” Odio growled before looking down at Dave. “You guys don’t think I am annoying do you?”

Dave and Mike looked at each other before nodding at Odio. The fog pouted and turned away in a foul mood. The two humans sat in silence as the fog continued to stare at the wall in anger.

Mike glanced at Dave and noticed that he had his eyes shut; probably resting after the stress the past few days have had on him. However Mike couldn’t figure out why Dave was so relaxed around him. After all Mike did help the other humans steal his son, but maybe Dave believed him when Mike admitted he would help.

The guilt Mike felt was real and he was more than appreciative that Dave helped save him. And unlike Hank making demands, Dave merely asked a few questions before allowing him to make his own decisions.

The throne room doors opened once again and Strong Shield stepped into the corridor, “Dave, come in.” The unicorn ordered and Dave quickly got to his feet and followed him into the throne room, leaving Mike and Odio behind as the doors closed again.

Dave followed Strong Shield back over to the throne where Flux, Celestia and Luna were sitting. “So what have you all got planned?”

“We have agreed that all of us gathered here are the best choices for the trip,” Celestia nodded as Dave looked at the ponies around him. “Luna and I are the most powerful magic users, Strong Shield and Flux have outstanding infiltration skills and you have knowledge of Earth and combat skills.”

“What about your duties in ruling Equestria?” Dave protested. “Mum and Dad are getting older now so they might get injured easier.”

“We are only going to be on Earth for a short amount of time,” Luna sighed. “Your parents are going to be fine and we have considered our duties.”

Everypony could see the agitation on Dave’s face, his constant silence about his life back home was something they all respected but now Dave had to choose between protecting his own family or his silence.

Luna walked over to Dave and gently nuzzled his cheek, “We know this is going to be strange but Odio is confident that he can operate the portal in such a way that Celestia and I can still control the sun and moon while teleporting us close where Nox is being held.”

Dave wrapped an arm around Luna’s neck and gave her a hug, “I guess I can’t so no to you can I?”

“And as for public appearance we have already considered that possibility,” Celestia smiled deviously. “We shall use all of our resources regardless of cost.”

“We need you to convince Mike to appear to be Princess Celestia’s personal guard,” Strong Shield looked at Dave with his emotionless eye. “He will slowly gain a reputation and this will be a test to see if we can trust him.”

Dave was confused by the request, “Why is he going to be her guard if she is coming with us to Earth?”

“Oh I have sent a letter requesting somepony to impersonate me during the days we are away,” Celestia smiled sweetly. “We just need you to convince her to do this favour.”

“Her?” Dave asked.

A few hours later…

Dave and Mike sat side by side as they looked at the member of royalty opposite them. Her black body was accented by a long, sleek, dark cerulean mane. Her long jagged horn made Mike wary of her intent but the most concerning point was her pair of sharp fangs she had on display.

“Well Dave is certainly has been a while since we last met,” The queen smiled before glancing at Mike, sending a chill down his spine with her serpentine eyes. “And I see you have a new friend.”

“Mike this is Chrysalis, she is the Queen of the Changelings,” Dave introduced the pair to each other before leaning forwards. “Now listen, we need a favour.”

Chrysalis hummed as she rubbed her chin, “Well this is interesting, you coming to me for help.”

“We need your… abilities to impersonate Princess Celestia for a few days; in exchange we shall provide assistance with the Gryphons that are building more outposts on the edge of your territory.” Dave stared at Chrysalis as she hummed; her devious actions in the past were keeping Dave on edge.

“Well the Gryphons have always been rebellious and they constantly put strain on our agreement,” Chrysalis stared at Dave before smiling. “But what is stopping me from simply taking over while you are gone? You are basically giving me Equestria on a silver plate.”

Dave glanced at Mike, “Mike here will be publically appointed as your bodyguard, he will be at your side at all times and all the guards shall be informed of your true identity.”

“You mean to say that I am to be stalked by this human?” Chrysalis glared at Mike. “Sorry but he doesn’t look that impressive.”

“He managed to hold his own in a fight against me,” Dave frowned as Chrysalis turned her head away. “Please, we need your help.”

Chrysalis began to laugh, her evil voice echoing off the white walls of the dining room. “HAHAHAHA you are begging for my help now? This is priceless!”

“THEY TOOK MY SON!” Dave bellowed as he slammed his fists into the table, the stone cracking where his fists impacted. “Some evil humans have taken Nox to Earth and I can’t save him unless you help.”

Chrysalis’ smile faded as she saw Dave’s anger, “Well now you are forcing my hoof in all this.”

“So will you help us?” Mike asked as Dave took a moment to calm down.

“Dave once helped me and my sister during a tough time,” Chrysalis sighed before rolling her eyes. “Fine I’ll help but I demand you get Ambassador Adamas to intervene as soon as possible.”

Dave gave a sigh of relief, “Phew, thanks for all this.”

“Please Dave, you have done plenty for me in the past,” Chrysalis’ smile turned into a frown. “But don’t think that you can pull this trick again.”

“We won’t,” Dave sighed as he pulled an envelope from his pocket. “This letter shows all the arrangements and preparations for your stay and Mike has been informed of everything so you may ask him any questions.”

Chrysalis hummed as she looked at Mike, “I hope his attitude is better than yours has been these past few months.”

“Mike will assist you with anything you need while we are away,” Dave slid the envelope across the table to the queen. “We shouldn’t be more than two days according to Odio’s predictions.”

Chrysalis hummed as she looked at the letter, her eyes scanning each piece of information. “Well I can see you have been thorough with this considering the time you are leaving for.”

“We need to make sure other problems don’t arise in our absence,” Dave smiled as he stood. “Now excuse me as I have some final preparations to see to, Mike here is now at your disposal.”

Dave left Chrysalis and Mike alone as he made his way out of the dining room and out of sight. Mike gave a small smile to Chrysalis and the queen responded with a sneer, “I hope not all humans are like Dave.”

“I don’t think any human is like Dave,” Mike sighed. “Do you and Dave have a history?”

Chrysalis scoffed at the comment, “Well I guess you could say that he was once a lost soul in this world, he made friends and enemies and eventually found love with the Princesses of Equestria.”

“And how did you know him?” Mike asked out of curiosity.

“Well Dave was lost one day and he allowed me to extract some love from his body and feed it to my sister,” Chrysalis sighed.

“Uh is that a metaphor?” Mike rubbed his head. “So was he romantically involved with you before Celestia and Luna?”

Chrysalis looked at Mike before realising he was not used to Changeling customs, “Oh you are thinking about some bodily function aren’t you?”

Mike blushed slightly as he cleared his throat, “Ahem, I apologise for being dirty minded.”

“Apology accepted,” Chrysalis sighed before dropping her head on her hoof in boredom. “If you are going to be this useless then I may have to reconsider this agreement.”

“I am curious about one thing,” Mike turned back to being serious. “You said that Dave’s attitude has been different these past few months, what did you mean by that?”

Chrysalis sat in silence as she narrowed her eyes at Mike, making the young human nervous. This Changeling Queen was meant to be a criminal and yet Mike felt like the bad guy between the two of them.

“I suppose if Dave is leaving you in my care then he must have prepared for me to share some secrets,” Chrysalis hummed before placing the letter down and turning to face Mike properly. “Well a long time ago Dave was abandoned by the Princesses of Equestria and he fell into the Changeling Hive.”

“He was abandoned?” Mike was already confused. Ever since coming to Equestria Mike had seen no problems in Dave’s relationships to the princesses. But the way the Changeling Queen smiled made Mike believe her, the sharp fangs a visible sign of her vicious side.

“Dave willingly gave us some love to feed on but the amount he had was quite something,” Chrysalis looked at the holes in her hoof. “While he was around good things happened to the hive.”

Mike scratched his head as Chrysalis continued to browse over the letter. “So why did it sound like Dave doesn’t appreciate having you around?”

“Well it could be the invasion of Canterlot I orchestrated,” Chrysalis hummed before laughing. “No it was probably the playful flirting that he didn’t like.”

“You flirted with him?” Mike gawped. “Why would you do that when he is married to a rival nation?”

Chrysalis sighed, “Being a creature that feeds on love you end up flirting a lot.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Mike looked down as Chrysalis passed the letter back to him. “Uh what am I meant to do with this?”

Chrysalis sighed as she looked at the human, “Well you are meant to be my personal servant.”

“Bodyguard,” Mike corrected.

“Whatever,” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Anyway, it was just before Dave’s wedding that he went through a very tough ordeal.”

“What happened?” Mike asked as he placed the letter in his pocket, realizing he was probably going to be more like a slave than a bodyguard.

Chrysalis smiled, “Well he was a guest in my hive, we had something to eat, retired for the evening and then he got this odd burn on his arm, the one he keeps bandaged.”

“I saw that,” Mike recalled seeing the bandage on Dave’s arm only a few hours ago. “So what was done to him?”

“I assume you know of Dave’s strength,” Chrysalis waited until Mike nodded before continuing. “Well originally it was Odio helping provide strength but when Dave and Odio separated Dave’s strength should have returned to normal.”

Mike remembered how hard Dave’s attacks were during their fight and he heard how Dave managed to fight Steven’s dragon. “So is something else inside Dave?”

“The opposite,” Chrysalis smiled. “We found out that Dave’s regeneration caused his survival instinct to go dormant but when his brain was damaged it became its own sentient being separate from Dave.”

“So his strength comes from having all his suppressed strength being released,” Mike realised as Chrysalis’ horn began to glow and her thin black body turned white as she shifted into the perfect appearance of Celestia.

Chrysalis stood up and walked around in her disguise, “So, how do I look?”

“Like Princess Celestia,” Mike shrugged. “To be honest I prefer how you look normally.”