New Moon Rising

by rainbowPOOTIS

First published 18th of August, 2014

Let's just say that voices in your head, and toasters, lead to Weird Things.

First I hear a voice in my head. I thought i was going crazy. Then I woke up as the one pony Equestria hates more then Hitler.

The funny part is, this is only the second weirdest thing to happen to me.

Go figure.

Now crosing over with just another rouge: of shadows

Chapter 1

'I will never trust a toaster again... And I think that thing has been stealing my Mountain Dew.' Those were my final thoughts before i faded into unconsciousness. I should have know something was up when my television randomly turned on to that weird pony show on the Hub.

Oh, I've heard of the fandom, but I never really cared one way or the other. Hell, I hadn't even watched a single episode.

Now then, let me explain how I'm laying on the kitchen floor dieing from being electrocuted.

Five minutes earlier.

My little pony, my little pony...

"The hell?" Did I sit on the remote again? I feel under the couch cushions, but theirs nothing there.

Hehehe... soon...

The fu-

*Gurgle*

Oh, hello stomach, come to demand another peace offering, I presume?

*Gurgle*

Toast it is...

My little pony, I used to what friend ship could be. Okay, seriously, now the volume has turned itself up obnoxiously loud?

*Sniff* Whats burning... Crap! My toast!

What I did next, I would regret dearly.

I used a knife to try and pry the toast loose, WITHOUT unplugging the toaster.

It is ready.

Considering I could clearly make out the voice this time, I understandably freaked out.

Sending the knife into the still electrified elements.

Next thing I know I'm on the floor, smoking, with what can only be described as the taste of a 12-gauge platypus hummer in my mouth.

Right before I blacked out, my body felt like it was being pulled in a direction I couldn't comprehend.

...
...
And then I heard the voice.

You shall make an excellent host, after a few... Adjustments.

Author's Notes:

So yes, I'm trying out writhing a fic that isn't a spur of the moment thing.

Chapter 2

Equestria.

Luna sat there, shocked. "B-b-but... Tis impossible! The Nightmare was vanquished!"

Sitting across from her Celestia sadly shook her head. "No. The Elements were not fully in sync yet, and were only able to banish it to the void between worlds, stripped of most of its power."

Luna was trying her hardest to not start running around like a filly with her mane on fire. "That doesn't explain how it was able to take a corporeal form without a host!"

Celestia sighed. "That's the worst part, sister, it dragged some poor soul across the void to transform into a suitable host, and considering that it lacks our levels of power, it has most likely been irreversibly enslaved to the Nightmares will!" Her facade of calmness shattered, leaving a scowl on her face. "Gather the Bearers, we must make sure the Nightmare is truly destroyed this time!"

Luna could only steel her resolve for what was to come.

Everfree Forest, abandoned castle, throne room

Even after the Nightmares banishment, wildlife had avoided these ruins due to the massive amounts of dark energy that even to this day, hung in the air like a miasma. Said miasma had begun gathering, gravitation into a vortex of raw, unadulterated, dark power. With the sound of what could only be described as the fabric of reality being simultaneously pierced and torn, a body fell out of the vortex, a human males body, to be precise.

It didn't remain that way for long...

The miasma slowly began to seep into the body, as it did, his face began to change, to stretch, until it became a muzzle, meanwhile, his ears began shifting upwards reshaping themselves to better pick up sounds. His canines elongated, now resembling fangs, while his neck elongated, becoming swan-like. His limbs began to grow with sicking pops as bones and joints were rearranged, while his fingers and toes receded into large lumps of keriten, or hooves as they were more commonly called. With a loud rip, wings, leathery and bloody, emerged from his back, while new nerves began to form near the end of his spine, before it extended slightly forming the beginning of a tail, as ethereal hairs began sprout from both this and his head, whereas the the hair that began growing over the rest of his body, was colored a black that could only be described as so empty, that the color black should not even exist as a concept. His brain was subtly shifted, rewiring itself to integrate these changes, as well as a few more. With the sound of an over ripened pumpkin being impaled, a horn, long ad spiraled, erupted from his head.

Unseen to outside observers, several other changes began taking place. Such as beneath his eyelids, where his irises began to narrow, becoming long and catlike. Unfortunately for him, there was one more change that took place. This one change would shock her more then all these other changes combined.

Its job done, The remaining miasma began to take on several solid forms before with a clatter, pieces of azure armor dropped to the floor.

The sound however, brought the Nightmare into the waking world. Stretching like a cat to readjust herself to a corporeal form, her eyes roamed the room, searching for something, before homing in on the scatted pieces of armor. With a smirk full of malice, she levitated the armor to her, before donning it and returning to her former glory.

However, the Nightmare still needed to sort through its newly acquired memories, which turned out to be quite informative, then again, when you have magic, you can usually imitate 70% of the stuff you see in video games in some form or another.

It was about this time that Celestia, Luna, and the Elements teleported in.

Luna was the first to speak up. "NIGHTMARE MOON, FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST EQUESTRIA, YOU ARE HEREBY SENTENCED TO DEATH!"

The Nightmare only chuckled at that. "Ponies... What is a pony, really, but a miserable little pile of friendship. But enough of that. HAVE AT YE!"

My mindscape.

I ducked another blast from that demonic pegacorn. (unises?)

"I WANT TO LIVE THANK YOU!"

"When I finnally kill you, I will have full control of my corporeal form, and then I shall plunge Equestria into eternal night!"

Like hell I'm letting you do that.

Reality.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" The Nightmare taunted.

Celestia unfortunately took the bait. "I KNOW I can beat you."

Smirking, the Nightmare only egged her on further. "Let us find out then, shall we?" and with that she charged Celestia, hoping to gore her on her horn. Celestia shot off a beam of magic, thinking she would stop to put up a shield, but instead, with a flap of her wings, The nightmare pushed herself out of the beams path, all while maintaining her charge towards Celestia. Upon reaching her, the Nightmare teleported just before impact, leaving a frantic Celestia searching for her.

Behind me? No. Can't come from below, so that only leaves... ABO-

*CRUNCH*

Several cries of "Celestia!" rang out.

The Nightmare had put her entire weight into a single stomp on Celestia's head, K.O.ing her instantly.

Luna, as well as the Bearers, were left slack jawed at the fact that the Nightmare had effortlessly taken out Celestia, and without taking a single hit.

The Nightmare turned towards the bearers, gathering massive amounts of energy into a roiling sphere of power at the tip of her horn, and then she spoke. "Thus the blood moon eclipses the sun, and darkness reigns again." Sensing that this would certainly kill the Bearers, Luna shot of a beam of magic hoping to distract the Nightmare, it worked, too well.

Still maintaining control of the orb of death, the Nightmare turned towards Luna with a snarl on her face. "You shouldn't have done that..." releasing control of the point farthest from her, the Nightmare fired a beam of super-condensed energy at Luna, the backlash tearing up the ground behind her.

Luna didn't even have to to realize just how powerful that beam was, before it plowed into her with the force of a meteor. Her screams, even use the Royal Canterlot Voice, were drowned out by the sheer energy buzzing in the air.

When the last of the ray of death had washed over Luna, what emerged left the Bearers in shock.

Her armor had been vaporized, with every part of her body facing the blast having the fur burned off. With a wheeze, the Princess of the Night toppled over, unconscious.

At this sight, Rainbow charged the Nightmare, snarling like a rabid animal...

Only for the Nightmare to duck under it, and using her wings, propelling herself upwards, while dealing a brutal uppercut to the cyan pegasus sending her flying into the ceiling, where the impact broke one of her wings, before she plummeted down and broke one of her legs.

suddenly, the Nightmare turned, and shot a weak beam of energy at Rarity, catching her completely off guard, before it knocked her into Applejack, stunning both of them.

Hearing the sound of magic charging up, the Nightmare spun, finding Twilight preparing some kind of directed blast spell, with enough energy that if left undirected, would level the entire castle. Much to Twilight's surprise, instead of a counter-spell, the Nightmare battered her aside with condensed pieces of telekinetic energy, before slamming her into a wall, dazed.

The Nightmare smirked, before going over the events in her head. "Now then now that that's out of the wa- Wait, wasn't there six of those annoying foals?" Upon opening her eyes again, she was met with what could only be described as twin orbs of hellfire, attached to a butter yellow pony's face, boring into her mind.

"I know your in their. You must fight it! Do not let her boss you around in your own mind, you're in control there!"

These words triggered something. As the Nightmare dropped to the floor, squirming in pain.

Mindscape

Ohcrapohcrapohcrap, I'm cornered! I don't want to diiiiieeee!

That demonic pegacorn closed in on me, with a grin that would make the Devil himself weep with joy at the misery to come.

"I know your in their. You must fight it! Do not let her boss you around in your own mind, you're in control there!"

Wait, that right, this is my mind! AND YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!

"Ohhhhh laaaadyyyy!"

Oh, she's in for it now...

After all, one does not simply suddenly understand the entirety of the internet at once.

Reality

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrg"

I woke up. Body feels weird but don't care must warn those, ponies, I guess, to stop me now, before that demonic thing takes control back. They were floating in the air, surrounded by pure energy, but they were hesitating.

"Whatever you're going to do, do it NOW, before she regains control!"

Suddenly, rainbows.

Chapter 3

Mindscape.

Darkness was all I could see.

"Well, at least that demonic pegacorn thingie is gone." Yeah, I'm talking to myself in my own mind. I'm definitely going crazy.

"True, the Nightmare is finally dead, but their are still other problems you will have to deal with, and it's alicorn, not pegacorn."

I spun around so fast I would have given myself whiplash if this wasn't a dream, only to be greeted by another 'alicorn', judging by it's voice, it was female.

It being my mind, a giant red "!" appeared over my head briefly, before I started glaring at this newcomer. "You've got ten seconds to explain this before I drop-kick you're pony ass into Warp 5."

All she did was raise an eyebrow. "Very well, as you might know, after the Nightmare dragged you across dimensions, it altered you're body to be the perfect host for it."

I sighed. "Let me guess, the alterations are permanent?" She nodded. "And what, pray tell, are the extents of these alterations?"

She sighed, slowly shaking her head. "For all intents and purposes, you my dear..." She trailed off. "You know, I never did get you're name."

Now, it was my turn to shake my head. "Is there even any point in telling you, if I am most likely going to have to come up with a new one?"

She nodded. "True, true..." I raise my hand, about to ask her her name when she speaks again. "To answer the question I suspect you're about to ask, my name is Princess Luna." I lower my hand. "But anyways my good sir, to answer your question on the extent of these alterations, you are, for all intents and purposes, an alicorn, like me or Celestia, my sister, with a few modifications."

I blink. "Such as?"

Luna seemed to grimace a bit. "Let's just say it altered you to allow for a more nocturnal lifestyle, and to have a more... varied, diet."

I shrugged. "So? I was never a morning person to begin with, And my species was already capable of eating meat." Luna blanched at that, before she suddenly found the darkness below us, very interesting.

"Well there is one last thing you should be aware of..."

I laughed. "I honestly don't see how my masculinity could be destroyed any further, so come on, lay it on me!"

She winced at that. "About that..."

Oh, you've got to FUCKING KIDDING ME! I face palmed. "Fuck you multiverse. Fuck. You. With. A. Cactus. Full of rusty nails. On fire. Repeatedly." Luna just stared at me, clearly disturbed by such vulgarity.

I sighed. "So how do I wake up? I would rather get this over with sooner then later."

Luna smiled. "Oh but you already are..."

Then everything faded to white.

Reality, Canterlot castle, medical wing.

I opened my eyes, only to be greeted with an absurd amount of light. squinting while hissing in pain, I felt something that I had never felt before. It felt like my irises were contracting horizontally, eyes are not suppose to do that! When they finished though, the light was at a bearable level.

"So." Turning my head towards the voice, I was greeted by a white alicorn, presumably this 'Celestia' Luna mentioned.

First things first. "How long was I out?"

"About a month, miss..." Oh, yeah, I need to think of a name. Of course the first thing that popped into my mind was Blood Moon, but I realized that it didn't quit roll off the tongue right. Calling upon my years of watching subbed anime, I quickly came up with a translation.

"Chitsuki... call me Chitsuki." Celestia tilted her head.

"A rather strange name, yet it sounds so... Ominous." I giggled, of course ponies wouldn't understand Japanese.

"It roughly translates to Blood Moon, a fitting name if I say so myself." Celestia winced upon hearing that.

"Why would anypony name themselves after something so... Foreboding?" I could tell her query was out of morbid curiosity.

At this point someone else walked into my field of view. It was Luna, albeit her coat was rather uneven, as if she had been hit by some kind of energy beam.

Turning back to Celestia, I decided to explain. "Oh, but watching one rise is a most beautiful sight. Watching as it glides into the sky, back-dropped by thousands of stars, before it casts it's eerie glow upon the land, stirring the creatures of the night into action. It simultaneously announces the beauty of the night, while also warning of the savagery of it denizens. It is truly a sight to behold."

Luna promptly burst into a teary applause.

"It's... It's beautiful..." I spun around so fast I rolled out of the bed. Upon regaining my bearings I was greeted to the sight of six ponies standing at the doorway, laughing.

"Owwww... Just give me a second and I'll be right with you." Standing up couldn't be that hard, could it? Unsteadily pulling myself to my hooves, I saw the purple one give me a look of confusion and concern.

"You don't seem so well, are you sure you should be up and about yet?" I can understand her concern, consider she most likely doesn't know that I used to be a human.

I sighed. "Now if I were anyone else, you would be correct, my equine friend. But for me,it's more of an issue that I wasn't even a quadruped before all this, let alone an alicorn." The look on her face suggested that she had just stepped on a landmine.

Quickly trying to backtrack, she introduced herself and her friends. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. My friends over there, going from left to right are: Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and... Where did Fluttershy go?"

It was about this time I noticed a butter yellow pegasus quivering under Celestia. I couldn't help but give a blank stare. "Do I really look that scary?" Luna sadly nodded.

Attempting to walk up to the window wasn't actually that hard, it's like crawling, except you keep your legs straight. Looking at my reflection, I noticed several things; one,my eyes resembled those of a cat, which explains why I felt my eyes moving in weird ways earlier. Two, I had fangs. And three, my wings resembled those of a bat's or dragon's.

Yeah, I can see that setting off all kinds of 'predator' alarm bell in a pony's head. Turning back to face them, I gave a very slight smirk. "Yeah, I understand that I probably frighten you on an instinctual level, but at the very least, the fangs make for a nice built in letter opener." This was the right thing to say, as several ponies chuckled at that, including Fluttershy.

It was about this time Celestia spoke up. "Now that we have introductions out of way. I will need my sister, Twilight, and Chitsuki to stay here for a more private conversation, the rest of you may leave."

And leave they did. After Celestia shut the door with magic, before she turned towards me. "Now then, let us see how well you can utilize your magic."

Huh? Magic?

Celestia swiftly interrupted my musings. "Now then, first of all, you must find your magic. What I need you to do, is focus and feel deep inside yourself for it."

Ah, okay. I just need to relax and feel for something that wasn't there before.

Wait, what?

"Uhhh, Celestia? Am I supposed to be feeling more then one?"

Luna took a turn to explain it. "Yes actually, considering you are an alicorn, you have the abilities of all three types of ponies, which includes access to their unique forms of magic."

That's only marginally helpful. "So I should be felling three? Well I'm not... I felt four."

Luna sharply inhaled. "Explain."

I complied. "Well the first one felt ancient, yet full of life, like the planet itself. The second one I didn't feel, so much as see. It was an eerie greenish blue, yet when I looked at it from the right angle, It turned a dark crimson, almost like dried blood. The third felt like a light breeze, yet it was crackling with energy."

Celestia nodded. "Yes. You did just describe how the magic of and earth pony, a unicorn, and a pegasus feels. And the forth?"

"The forth, it well, felt cold, yet also like an extension of my very being, moving in perfect sync with my thoughts."

Twilight however, wanted to learn more. "Why don't you try and draw it out? I would like to get a reading of it."

Eh, why not? Reaching inside myself again, I let that icy feeling flow through me. before I could do anything with it, I was interrupted by several gasps.

Opening my eyes, I was greeted to a deep blue, borderline black, cloud of... Something, filled with pinpricks of light, flowing out from under me, before gathering about six feet from my head. Twilight promptly stuck her hoof in it out of curiosity. Upon doing that, I felt a shiver course through my body. It felt like someone had literally stuck a hoof inside of me.

"Don't do that! I can literally feel you putting your hoof in me!" Twilight recoiled in shock, staring at it.

"W-w-well you said it felt like an extension of your very being, maybe it actually is?"

That sounds like an idea. Feeling for it again, I felt it probing me, to be precise, it felt like it was probing for a form I would be comfortable with.

Their was only one appropriate response. "What the absolute, Fruitlooping, fuck?"

Luna gave me a concerned look. "What exactly happened?"

"What it did, was scan my mind to find compatible form I was familiar with!" Yeah, I was slightly panicked.

Thankfully Celestia took the opportunity to give me some advice. "Why don't you try experimenting with it?"

Yes, that would be a good idea.

As the orb of power probed my mind, I poked back to get a good feel for it. As I realized what it was trying to do I tried to feel it, to read it so I knew what it could do. It was a jumbled mess and too hard to read. So I tried to focus on one part that felt protective, and decided to bring it forth.

Opening my eyes, I saw the... miasma, for lack of a better word, enshroud me, before condensing into solid forms, while the Princesses and Twilight stared at it, horrified.

As the remaining miasma flowed back into me, leaving me coated in azure armor, I noticed Luna getting ready to blast me.

"WHOA, WHOA, HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Luna at least didn't vaporize me, but she still kept that spell at the ready. "If you're wondering how I made the armor so easily,I simply tried to bring forth the part that felt protective, and this is the result. I wasnt expecting this any more the you!" Both the Princesses stared at me like they didn't know what the hell i was talking about

Twilight however, looked at me suspiciously. "Explain."

Called it. "It felt like a jumble of info, but it was too scrambled for me to understand, so I simply focused on the part that felt like it was meant to protect, not destroy, and pulled it forth." Twilight pouted, like she was hopeing for some kid a fact that would revolutionize magic.

I interrupted her little moment of adorkableness. "We never did get to using unicorn magic, did we?" She stopped pouting.

Looking at the billow on my bed, I decided to wing it. Imagining the pillow floating into the air, I was surprised to find it actually worked, it was floating about a foot from my face, coated in an ghastly greenish blue aura.

Fuck logic, I have magic. Your argument is invalid.

"Well considering I at least have a handle on the telekinetic part of magic, that leaves two questions. What do the two other kinds of magic do, and how do I keeps ponies from freaking out when they see me?"

Celestia spoke up. "Excellent questions, Chitsuki, to answer the first, pegasus magic will allow you to walk on or manipulate clouds as well as give you a major resistance to temperate extremes and lighting. While earth pony magic will basically make you stronger and more durable. As to the other question, I have no idea."

I yawned. "well I'll think of that later, right now I'm going to sleep."

And by the time I finished that sentence, I was already fast asleep.

Author's Notes:

Chitsuki - blood moon

Whew, that was a long one.

if i got the syntax wrong on the japanese, feel free to correct me

More Then Meets The Eye

Upon waking up, I was greeted to an excited Twilight. Yeah, she couldn't wait for me to at least eat before pestering me about my armor...

Still half asleep, I formed another piece of that stuff my armor was made of, and plopped in front of her. "There, go do you 'Science!' now then. Fooooood..."

Two flights of stairs, and one verbal beat down to a guard that would make a drill instructor proud, we reached the kitchen where both the princesses, the other five ponies, who along with Pinkie, I had decided to call their little group the Mane Six.

Still in my hunger and sleep induced daze, I grabbed the nearest piece of food and bit into it, electing several gasps. looking at what I had grabbed, I was surprised to see it was a piece of steak.

"You got a problem with the fact that I eat meat?" several ponies nodded.

Finishing off the steak and grabbing some assorted fruits much to the majority's disgust, I sat between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, considering they where the only two ponies, minus the Princesses, that weren't grossed out when I ate that steak.

Then this stallion walks in acting like a complete asshat and upon seeing the Mane six, started whining. "Auntie Tiiiiaaaaaa! What are these filthy commoners doing in my kitchen!"

I need coffee before I can deal with this kind of shit...

I had to ask. I leaned over to Dash and whispered. "Hey, who's the smug assclown who acts like he owns the place?" Dash giggled at that.

"That 'assclown is Prince Blueblood."

I nudged her "Watch this."

*SLAM* Bringing my hoof down on the table, I made Blueblood jump in fright, before looking me in the eyes.

"Hey Bluebitch, your mother was a narwhal, and your father was lame, now shut the FUCK up so I can get some coffee... Because when I don't have my coffee, I get grumpy, and when I get grumpy ponies who annoy me tend to get vaporized... or liquified. But YOU. You have pissed me off... you know what that means? by the time im done with you..." I gave him a feral grin, licking my lips. "All that will be left of you is blood stains..." And then I got up, and oh so slowly walked towards him, cackling madly.

Blueblood ran out of theew faster the Sonic the Hedgehog. At about that time me. Dash, and Pinkie, all fell to the floor laughing, while Rarity applauded my acting, Twilight turning green in the facem and Luna smiling like she had seen the most wonderful thing. "Twas wonderful, it was about time somepony put him in his place."

It was about this time Twilight managaed to hold down her food. "So Chitsuki, did you hear that they brought Ponyvilles blacksmith here to try and figure out what your armors made out of?"

"No, but i really want to meet this pony." I promptly go up, and started walking in a random direction.

Finding the blacksmith wasn't that hard, I just hat to follow the sound of clanging metal... Oh who am i kidding, I spent the last 11 hours wandering around before I actually heard the sound. I swear this castle is a fucking Tardis! Upon entering the shop, I saw a tan pegasus banging away at something on her anvil. She appeared to be working diligently on something.

I cleared my throat. "Hey, your that blacksmith I heard they called in to study my armor!"

She turned, and froze, staring at me with wide eyes... Crap! I haven't scared a pony this badly before! "Something wrong?" I tilt my head in confusion.

*Fwoosh* She spontaneously combusted into green flames.

Now I managed to maintain a poker face but, on the inside I was flipping my shit going something along the lines of 'OHMYGODWHATTHEFUCKBARBEQUESAUCE!'

When the flames cleared, in the pegasus's place, was some kind of... bug pony for lack of a better term

"A shape shifter? Fascinating..."

*CLANG* The hammer had dropped out the bug pony's mouth and clattered to the floor, before it flipped the fuck out. "Don't eat me! I don't taste good!" it fucking bolted, only to trip over the hammer it dropped and faceplant.

I gagged upon hearing that. As I stared at her, the only thing going trough my mind was are you fucking kidding me. "Ewww... Why would I eat something capable of rational thought?"

Moving to block the doorway out of concern for it's well being, as I knew a shapeshifter would probably be captured, or god forbid, killed, on sight. It slowly backed away until it bumped against the anvil. It started wailing. "Please don't kill me-he-heee!" I slowly apply hoof to face.

"Wow, just wow. even the foreigners think I'm some kind of monster." I sigh, sit down and motion for it to do the same. "Can we please talk about this like rational beings?"

The bug pony sniffles, tears forming in its eyes. "I-I am, that's why I'm b-begging for my l-life."

*WHAM*

Head, meet floor. Strangely, that didn't hurt."For the love of god. I do not intend to hurt you in any way."

"Y-you're not?"

"Correct"

"But, why?"

"I'm not that so called Nightmare Moon, I may look like her, but that was because she turned me into a 'Perfect host.'"

I swear, from the way its chest was heaving, I thought something was going to burst out of it in a shower of gore, like a chestburster from that one movie i can't remember the name of. "S-so you gave me that metal plate?"

"Yeah that was me. I actually condensed my miasma, for lack of a better term, to form it."

"Miasma?" it tilted it's head in confusion. which by the way looked frigging cute.

"I would show you, but you need to promise me you won't freak out, because even to me it's kinda creepy"

"I've seen a lot of creepy" heh, don't say i didn't warn you...

"very well." Letting a portion of miasma flow from me, I made it coil at the tip of my hoof, before compressing it into a sphere. With a 'shink' the orb broke, leave a ball of azure metal resting in my hoof. I set the orb down on floor gently.

Looking up, I noticed the bug pony trying to hide behind the anvil, looking like it had seen the Grim Reaper itself. upon realizing it was over, it looked at me and said "That was very creepy. Please don't do that again."

I smirked. "I told you you so."

...

...

...

The bug pony spoke up first, breaking the silence like Pinkie apparently breaks logic and physics. "If you're not going to kill me, can you not tell anypony about my? I don't want to start over again."

I nod sympathetically. "Certainly, why would I throw my only friend here out to the hounds?"

I swear a I look of WTF on its face for the briefest of moments before it returned to a neutral-sad look, suddenly finding the floor interesting. "Most ponies think of Changelings as... parasites."

I immediately think of Bluebitch. "Most ponies are raciest bigots. they fear anything different form themselves."

"It's not JUST the ponies. Griffens and dragons try to... to eat us..."

What... The... Fuck! I barely managed to repress my urge to vomit down to a gag. "That's disgusting! Eating a fellow sapient
is unforgivable! Why, when find those glorified pigeons, I'm going to make them WISH I'd killed them. and those flying iguanas? When I get my hooves on those asshats, there will be blood, lots of it, all of it theirs... Oh how I wish I could just nuke the bastards..."

"How did you not know any of that? I mean, I know Changelings are a rare myth for ponies but..." the Changeling seemed unwilling to go any further.

Do I tell it, and risk being called insane, or do I bullshit my way out of this and risk betraying its trust?

That's not really much of a choice...

"Tell me, what do you know about the Multiverse theory?"

"Multi-what?" It asked with a look of disbelief on its face.

"There are an infinite number of universe, every one ever so slightly different from the next" I paused, making sure it was listening. "I was from one of those alternate universes until the Nightmare decided to drag me across the space between them, to here, where she warped my body into what you see now."

The Changling fixed me with a look of 'what is this I don't even...' on its face. "... I've heard crackpot theories before, but that's pretty hard to believe." it paused. "It would be easier to say you have amnesia."

I already had counterargument for that. "That wouldn't explain how I can't figure out how to use my wings, I don't believe that’s something you can just forget."

the changeling gave me a smug look. "If you're an alien, and not really an Alicorn, you shouldn’t be able to use magic either right?" Oh God! it's using logic!

"Magic doesn't require extra limbs, and so far I've only been able to use telekinesis. and anyway..." I'm bringing out the trump card. Yes, I tried to explain the internet to a Changeling.

It stared at me like I'm beyond batshit insane. Then before I could mention what the the internet was REALLY used for, it cut me off. "OKAY! You either insane like the Queen or you really are telling the truth. I'll believe you for now."

"Queen?" Why is the first thing that pops into my head an Xenomorph?

"Kind of like Celestia for Changelings. I've, kind ah turned rogue and ran. That's why I don't want to start over."

Does not compute, why would it run away from someone like Celestia, unless... "She's a power hungry maniac bent on world domination isn't she?"

"The Queens before her were better. Much better."

"Sounds about right." Then it hit me, I had never introduced myself to this Changeling. I giggled at my stupidity. "Say, I never did introduce myself, did I? my names Chitsuki."

"Drone scout number 2-27," With a flash The Changeling re-donned its disguise. A pegasus with a tan coat and a now messy two-tone light and dark gray mane and tail. "Also know as Tattered Ribbon."

Before anything else could be said, the sound of hoofsteaps echoed down the halls.

Ribbon turned back to her work. "You should go now, I have work to do."

Stopping at the door, I bid my farewells. "Hope to see you again sometime Ribbon!"

just as I was about to step out, I noticed the sphere I had created earlier, and gave it a subtle kick so that It rolled towards Ribbon.

Stepping out the door, I passed by Celestia and Twilight. Twilight turned to me with a smile. " I see you've met Ponyvilles resident blacksmith, Tattered Ribbon."

I Smiled knowingly. "Yes I did, and she was quite a fascinating mare..."

I need some sleep...

well this is awkward...

I woke up still sore from all the searching I had done, before finally finding Ribbons workshop the other night. Frankly, she was quite a nice mare (or Changeling? mare sounds less awkward…) and I wanted to visit her again…

Remembering the path I took to get back to my temporary living quarters, I trotted off backtracking towards the forge…

Did I just think trotted…? I did, didn’t I? Apparently ponies can ruin your vocabulary.

Apparently the guards had caught word of the verbal beat down I gave Ponce Blueballs, and had actually stopped glaring at me. hell I think I saw one salute me!

Reaching the blacksmith’s room. I knocked on the door, only to be greeted by a panicked “don’t come in!”

“Ribbon, calm down, it’s me Chitsuki!”

a brief moment of silence occurred, before I heard her reply. “...Ok, come in quick.”

I walk in, shutting the door behind me, only to be greeted to a sight that left me dumbfounded.

Ribbon, in her Changeling form, Appeared to be trying to cut herself with a knife… the first words out of my mouth where “ The fuck are you doing?!”

She points at the large scratch on her body. “ I need you hit me right here.”

Wat… “Whhhhy?”

“I need you to break my plate so it will grow.”

Oh. OH! apparently Changeling are more insect like then I first thought…

I comply, winding up and giving it solid hit, the plate moving getting jarred loose, and leaving Ribbon wheezing.

“SHIT! That was a bit too hard, wasn’t it?”

She coughs a couple times. “Maybe, not that hard.” She then pulls the plate off and… sets it on fire…

“Why are you doing that?”

“I can’t just leave it here.”

that doesn't explain th- “And don’t worry about the fire.”

“Bu-but you SET. IT. ON. FIRE.”

I throw my forehooves into the air utterly aggravated by the lack of sense this is making.

"Changeling fire only burns us. we use it for transformations, attacks and getting rid of evidence."

"Changeling fire only burns us... Did you mean to say it like that, because it seems to make little sense.”

"No I said that right 'It burns us' but it doesn't hurt us, try doing hoof to hoof with somepony who can set themselves on fire."

Must resist. Urge to. Make. Falcon. Punch. References.

"Okay, now it sounds awesome. but wouldn't that much light make you a sniper magnet?"

"What's a sniper?"

Okay, now I get why that wouldn't get you killed here. "Someone who attacks from extremely long ranges, usually aiming at targets of strategic importance, like commanding officers or enemy snipers"

"Whoever manages to do that must be very lucky or has especially good accuracy with a bow"

I stare at her. Your fucking kidding me, they don't even have muskets?! "A bow... Snipers don't use a bow, they take you out from over a mile away with a sniper rifle!"

"Again what's a Sniper rifle. The most I've ever seen a pony use is a cross-bow and those are illegal."

Joy, more explaining. "Basically they use gunpowder, you know what gunpowder is right?"

“Yea good for making small bombs, not real useful through."

“Basically they use gunpowder to propel small bits of metal at ludicrous speeds, ripping a hole in the other guy, usually through the head."

"That sound... very messy. wouldn't it be easier to teleport a vial of poison into his chest?"

"That sounds pretty energy intensive though, all you need to do is point and pull the trigger and BOOM, other guys dead with his brains all over the place."

"And what if he's wearing a helmet?"

"I don't think that would protect him from a pointy object traveling faster than the speed of sound, and beside, why teleport poison if you can teleport explosives, and turn the guys ribcage into shrapnel, potentially getting multiple enemies. Can you think of the mass amount of panic it would cause in their ranks if their comrades started randomly exploding?”

Ribbon seemed to take a moment to absorb that before replying. "That maybe so, but getting attention is the last thing I want. I have to be careful, low profile, out of the way. I did tell you before we're eaten by some and starved by the rest."

Oh yeah, derp, shapeshifter, more suited to infiltration then direct combat... "Stealth was never my strong point, i always focused on taking the other guy out in fastest most efficient way possible."

I pause mulling over things a bit. "Although psychological warfare, that I had some brilliant ideas about." probably from watching every horror movie I could get my hands on…

Ribbon tilted her head. "I don't know really anything about psychological warfare, I was just a scout, whistle blower and if need be? the one to get caught"

"I'm guessing the queen decides that you've gone rogue if you get caught, giving her plausible deniability?"

"Normally we don't, but Scouts are mostly used a cannon fodder, we die so others don't have too" She stares at the ground, depressed. "I didn't like being hatched as a scout. it pays to be as fast as you can if you're a scout." dammit! its like watching a sad puppy, you have this irresistible urge to go over and hug it.

I gave in to that urge, walked over and hugged her. "Confound you Ribbon, why must you be so adorable!?"

She blushed… Hucking green? How the fuck do you even blush through chitin? "Adorable!? I'm not adorable I'm a love sucker!"

Wait, it just occurred to me, I'm now hugging a naked Changeling… This is totally awkward.

I hear Ribbon snickering. “You, uh, having a little trouble?”

Wuh? “What do you mean?” Ribbon points behind me.

My fucking wings are sticking up like a bo-… well fuck…

“Quite. Now how the nuck fuggets do I get these back down!?!”

She speaks with slight disbelief in her voice. "You never had this happen before? Uh just calm down."

Okay, inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. I slowly feel it working as my wings slowly return to their original position of their own accord.

“Let us never speak of this again.” releasing her and getting myself back on my hooves, I had the weirdest feeling I was missing some unfortunate implication.

"that would be best. you probably don't want others to know you have jollys for Changelings" wait… did she just imply…

A little voice in my head screamed ‘Ship it, SHIP IT LIKE FEDEX!’ but I nuked it.

Putting on a godlike pokerface i tried not to burst out laughing. “I am neither pleased, nor displeased, by this occurrence.”

we stare at each other, before laughing at the awkwardness of this insanity. after we both recovered from our laughing fit.

“So, what did you come to see me for?”

"I wanted to get to know you better."

She seemed slightly surprised. “what did you want to know?”

“When we first met, why did you flip out like I was Death itself?”

“Stories of Nightmare Moon being a cannibal.”

I nod. “Yeah, that would make a lot of sense. Although, I’m curious, what is it like being a Changeling?”

"Not much different then you really. Hated by all, looks terrifying, except I'm also hunted for meat."

Damn, that killed the mood.

It was about this time that the patriotism in me sparked up.

“So how badly would you want to overthrow this Chrysalis, and bring the empire ‘under new management.’”

"None. Chrysalis still needs to have a princess to pass the crown."

Damn, that puts a dampener on that plan…

It was about this time Ribbon seemed to notice something, and hesitantly asked, “Hey, have uh… you been feeling extra tired lately?”

“Not at all, why?”

“Oh,Uh, no reason.”

No reason my ass, a shapeshifter would only infiltrate a society if they had something that could not be acquired by normal means. Spiking my emotions with a fuckton of suspicion, I watched as Ribbon flinched.

" I thought so... it explains why ponies would fear you, and why you are so skittish all the time... and why you would infiltrate a pony society, they have something that you cannot acquire normally. But it makes no difference to me."

Ribbon seemed to be beginning to panic. "NO, WAIT! Its not like I snuck into your room to feed on you, I don't do that like the others!"

where did she get the idea that i thought that?

"Huh? No! i didn't mean it like that, I'm saying that I don't mind if you feed on my emotions!"

She, tilted her head. Still as fucking cute as ever...

"I know that you don't really want to, but you need to do it to survive, don't you? I can't blame you for that." I was oozing compassion for the poor girl.

Her eyes widened “Y-you don't care that I'm f-feeding off your love?"

“And besides, do you really like ‘feeding’ on ‘love’?” Yes I did that with air quotes. I couldn't resist.

She grins. “It tastes different from pony to pony.”

Oh, yes… “Finally someone who understands my sense of humor!”

"Changelings aren't really hatched with a sense of innocence."

“So anyway, I’m curious, Is that transformation thing a spell, or an inherent ability of your race?”

"I think it's both, since I haven't seen a unicorn do anything close to it. But I can't be sure, I don't have access to the knowledge anymore."

"Can you try to explain to me how, because i REALLY want to see if i can do it."

"Build up some power, the bigger or smaller I need to be the more power I need, picture what I want to look like and release."

So I tried feeling around in my mind for something malleable a- BINGO!

Now I was focusing on turning into Ribbon, picturing her in my mind and releasing the energy. my body seemed to dissolve, before reshaping and solidifying itself into the new form i had chosen.

Transforming feels… like getting a bucket of liquid nitrogen dumped on you while being bathed in lava, its essentially your body screaming ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING’

Opening my eyes I was greeted to everything having moved a foot or so to the ground.

While Ribbon just stands there, wide eyed and unmoving…

“Wha- holy shit my voice is fucked up” My voice was multi toned and seemed to echo off the walls.

It was about that time that my senses told me I was standing on two legs. I immediately look at my ar- What. The. Fuck. “Okay, exactly how badly did I fuck up?”

“A lot?” Could you be any less descriptive..?

I immediately run over to the cooling basin and stare at my reflection, only to be greeted by some Tyranid-Changeling-Zerg monstrosity…

"Holy shit I look badass! I am soooo gonna reuse this at some point."

Then it hits me. "Now how the hell do I undo this?"

Ribbon decides to be helpful now. "Remember what you looked like before"

Reaching into my magic again I was relieved to get the feeling of a tensed rubber band, letting it snap back, I immediately resumed my previous form. "Damn, now I know how a rubber band feels."

"I've never felt like that before just, warm. That also looked a lot different too, doing it my way -which I'm surprised worked- may not be all you have to do."

There was a flash of light, and then, absolutely nothing?

It was about this time something occurred to me. “Ribbon, why are we standing on the ceiling? And why is everything purple?”

trolls, why did it have to be trolls...

It was about this time a guard burst into the room yelling. “Everypony get to safety, Discord has broken loo- Well, buck… I see I was a bit too late…”

I see Ribbon shushing me but i have a plan. I mouth ‘I got this’ before jumping from the ceiling and landing on the floor letting my military training take over.

“Name and rank soldier!”

He salutes. “Captain Shining Armor ma’am!”

I catch a flash of green fire in the corner of my eye, and see that shining has too. Ribbon had apparently re donned her pegasus disguise. I see Shining getting ready to hit her with a spell, bet before he can do that, I stop him. “STAND DOWN SOLDIER, SHE’S A FRIENDLY! NOW GIVE ME A SITREP ON THIS!” ...holy shit thats loud!

He nods his head quickly before dissipating whatever spell he was readying. “Ma’am yes ma’am! Discord has broken free of his imprisonment and is currently terrorizing the any civilian in the gardens!”

A. Fucking. Terrorist…. Must... Dispense... High-yield…. American… Justice! "How fast can you get us there?!"

Shining immediately responds. "I'll teleport us there." his horn glows before my vision is filled with a flash of pink before i felt like i was being shoved through a fold in space.

When my vision cleared, I was greeted to…

Fucking. Chocolate. Rain. Oh and some monstrosity that looks like a mutant platypus drinking a glass of chocolate milk, which then refills from the bottom.

What… Just… Wat… I sigh. “Well this just made number seven on my list of ‘weirdest shit I’ve ever seen.”

"Why did I have to come? I was safe in my room!"

"But wheres the fun in that? All tucked away like a cuddle bug waiting for Moony to come back."

WHATTHEFUCK! I whirle around only to see Discord standing next to Ribbon. Like fuck I’m giving him the chance to do anything. I let a feral growl escape from my throat.

"Leave my friend out of this, your fight is with me..." Oh how i’m going to enjoy listening to him squeal…

Discord makes a sarcastic scream of fright, before laughing. "Little Moony thinks she's all tough now!" He snaps his… talons? and suddenly everything was five feet taller. "No, I think I'll bring her into this all the same, Don't want to leave anypony out now do I?" Before he picked up Ribbon and started laughing even harder.

“Wha-” Oh god i sound like a five year old… He is a troll, must buy time by counter trolling. “Why thank you, now I’m just harder to hit.” I gave him my best troublemaker grin.

Discord just seems to smile. "Finally somepony who understands! Now what to do to your friend?"

Fuck this. Feeling into my magic and snapping my self back to my original form, I glare at him like a rabid dog. "Fucking. Hurt. Her. And. You. DIE."

I begin closing the distance between the two of us.

"My, my, how violent. No I'm not going to hurt her" he snaps his talons, causing Ribbon to revert to her Changeling form. "She looks MUCH better without a mask on, don't you think?" he holds her in front of him, taunting me.

Bro. You just signed your death warrant. I formed my armor around me, miasma leaking from below me as my rage intensifies. “Let her go, NOW!”

He frowns. "Oh fine, Be that way. Ruin all my fun way don't you." He prepares to snap his talons. "But before I go, one last thing." He snaps them. Immediately, I feel a sucking sensation, before I begin to gravitate towards Ribbon. "If you're going to be so violent I can't just let you roam around, so you can stay in her head till I'm done. Tah tah." As I get closer to Ribbon, I feel something in my mind stirring almost as if it trying to take over her… NOPE. NOPENOPENOPE. ALL OF MY NOPE. I try to stop whatever it is before I wind up taking Ribbon over, but I only partially succeeded.

My skin burns. It feels as if an unfathomable amount of power is flowing through my veins. my vision clouds with what could only be described as liquid shadows, before they seem to hesitate, and and become somewhat transparent. it felt like those shadows had formed a second or third skin boiling with power.

‘Ribbon, are you there, Ribbon, please answer me, I d-d-don’t want to be alone agaaain’

‘C-Chi? is that you?’

‘Oh thank God, you’re alright, I thought discord had effectively replaced your mind with mine!’

‘Th-the power… It hurts…’

‘What? I notice what can only be described as a massive amount of my magic being pushed through Ribbons body. I immediately tried to lessen the flow of power until it no longer was meeting resistance. ‘I think our only option is to take down discord, because I have no clue how to undo this, and I don't think your body can take this much energy for very long before side effects begin cropping up.

‘B-b-but how do we fight him like this?

look, it is taking too much of my focus keeping my power down to levels that won't irreversibly damage your body, to control anything. At the most I can give you suggestions on what to do, but you have to carry them out.

’Bu-but I don’t know how to use it!’

‘I don’t know! use it like you would use any other magic!’

I-i can’t!

I can only think of one way then, repeat after me “We are many, but we are One” ‘

‘We are many, but we are One’

‘We are many, but we are One’

‘We are many, but we are One!’

And then, something magical happened...

We opened Our eyes, and saw the chaos Discord had wrought. We could not let it continue. Shifting Our form to that of a sky dwelling pegasus, We took to the air in search of him. We followed the foul stench of his magic, only to be greeted by a sight that horrified Us: Discord had corrupted the Elements, leaving himself unopposed. We would not be able to maintain Our disguise. Direct intervention was necessary.

We touched down, looking him in the eyes, unwavering. We spoke. “You shouldn't have done that…”

He blinked. "Shouldn't have done what my dear?”

"You forced the Blood Moons very being, into the Rogues body, hoping to remove a threat. Instead you created Us, and incited Our wrath." We shed Our disguise, allowing it to burn up in the roiling field of energy surrounding Our being. At the sight of this, Discords eyebrow rose off his face.

“For We are neither Chitsuki, nor are We Tattered Ribbon. We are, Concordia.” Our name seemed to strike something buried deep within Discords mind, as for the most fleeting of moments, true fear appeared on his features. We capitalized on this fact by releasing a surge of undirected power, driving Our point home. “And We will teach you the meaning of FEAR! ”

Discord didn't even take the time to laugh, and instead rushed Us, intent on delivering a flaming uppercut. "Our power... moves worlds..." channeling large amount of miasma and magic, We struck the ground in front of Us, creating a shockwave of dark power, and launching Discord high into the air, shocking him. With a flap of Our wings, We pursued him. Before We could connect, Discord teleported behind Us, and axe kicked Us into the ground. Emerging from the crater coated in dust. "We voiced Our rage. "Our wrath… rends time itself..." Discord gave Us a confused stare. We rushed up to him, focusing every ounce of rage into Our hoof. "Dāku..." Our hoof met his gut. "Shōryū..." We launched our other hoof into his jaw. "KEN!" The impact sent him even higher into the air, before he plummeted back down to earth, while We landed in front of him.

Discord got up, wavering slightly before sighing. “It appears I made a mistake, joining your consciences.” He tightened his paw into a fist. “But that can be easily fixed.” We blinked, and he was right in front of Us. He delivered a punch to Our mid-

* CRUNCH! *

…

…

upon regaining consciousness, I quickly took in my surroundings, anticipating a surprise attack. The first thing I noticed, was the Mane Six, sitting there, staring at something behind m-

Ribbon had been sent flying into a wall by the punch, before being buried in a pile of rubble.

I felt something stirring in me, instincts that felt almost like that of the Nightmare.

…

They screamed for vengeance, for me to inflict as much pain as inhumanly possible.

...

And I gladly gave into them...

I looked Twilight right in the eyes, pure fear having since broken her free of whatever Discord had done to her mind, and said a single word. “Run…” and run they did. Turning my glare to Discord, I walked up to him, radiating unrestrained bloodlust. Channeling both pegasus and earth pony magic through my entire body, I spoke.

“You hurt my Ribbon. Prepare to die.”

“And what makes you think you can possibly harm m-”

* KRA-BOOM *

[size = 0.25 ] “I regret everything… I regret everything i've ever done!” [size]

"You hurt my Ribbon. Prepare. To. DIE!"

The combination of magic, adrenalin, and unadulterated rage, caused me to perform a double hoofed nutshot, that broke the sound barrier. And that was only the beginning…

At this point, I lost myself in the screams for vengeance, and couldn't remember a thing after. when I finally did regain control, I was standing over a bruised and battered Discord, who was muttering “Not the kittens… not the kittens…” under his breath repeatedly. he deserved it, after what he did to Ribbon-

Wait, RIBBON! Rushing to the pile of rubble, I quickly glanced around, making sure no one would see her, before using telekinesis to throw the debris out of my way. I was horrified to see the state she was in.

Her horn was spiderwebbed with cracks, the chitin around her barrel had shattered, leaving her bleeding flesh exposed, and her breathing was fading fast. at that last revelation, three things happened; I grabbed her in my telekinesis, an image of the hospital room I first woke up in appeared in my mind, and I was urging my magic to get us there NOW. My vision was suddenly flooded with the eerie greenish-blue i usually associated with my magic, before we were deposited in the hospital room…

Question teleporting later, save Ribbon NOW.

I did the only thing I could think of. I flooded my emotions with concern, sorrow, and… love? yet nothing was happening… I poured my soul into it, and felt unconsciousness starting to claim me, before i blacked out, however, I was rewarded with a relieving sight. The bleeding had stopped, and her breathing was stable...

katanas are just better

“To quote you,” eh? that you Ribbon?

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!”

“OH GOD I’M U-” *Whump* “Owwwwch…” I think I just tried to backflip while forgetting to jump.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!!!" Wha- oh... SHIIIIIIIIT.... Ribbon had grown rapidly, reaching my height. Her, frill? Had fallen out and been replaced by a mane of purple, almost exactly like mine, her chitin had changed from a matted black to a much darker shade of it, and her eyes, were now double ringed slits. She basicaally looked like a changeling version of me...

"Uhhhhh... Ribbon, I think you evolved..."

"YOU THINK!!"

"Calm down before someone calls a guard!" Ohhhhh this is bad... As if to humiliate me, a doctor walks into the room.

"Do you mind, oth-!" He slowly backed out of the room with a 'what the fuck' look frozen on his face.

Ribbon gave me an embarrassed look. "I should... probably put on a disguise, huh?"

"Well, crap. Might as well brace for the inevitable shitstorm, and yes, yes you should." Heeding my advice, Ribbon resumes her pegasus disguise, and almost immediately after Celestia teleports into the room. I eyed her suspiciously. "Why exactly, did you take the time to visit us personally?"

She looks me in the eyes. "I sensed a new power growing." Her gaze shifts to Ribbon. "And I wanted to see it myself. A being coming to power."

I turn to Ribbon. "Well shit, I guess the jig is up..."

Ribbon begins to look around frantically "what jig? I thought I was recovering from a broken rib?"

"She KNOWS Ribbon... I can tell by how calm she is... shouldn't she be worried about her ponies well being? See where I'm going with this?" I focus my gaze on Celestia. "If you so much as harm her, then by Asura, I will smite you where you stand..."

Ribbon turns to look at me. "I blame you for this..."

Celestia smirks. "Now,now, I don't intend to do anything, I am merely curious as to the power that spiked in my castle."

I pull Ribbon into a hug. "You're just wasting energy cuddle bug, she knows for certain."

Ribbon blushes and stares at me. "...did you just call me cuddle bug?"

I feel my face morph into the shit eating grin infamous on so many forums. "Problem?"

Ribbon continues to blush. "You did that on purpose."

"Your point is?"

Ribbon points to Celestia.

I've had it. "Screw subtly!" I pull Ribbon into a passionate kiss. As I did so, I briefly felt a warmth come from Ribbon. After her moment of shock struggling wore off she started to relax and I broke the kiss to see Ribbon with the biggest green blush on her natural face.

"I umm... ah... wow." Both me and Ribbon turn to face Celestia at the same time. She was standing there, blushing, with a massive wingboner.

"I blame estrust!"

Celestia just snickers. "That won't happen until later in fall."

I glare at her. "not another word. Sunbutt..."

She simply brushes it aside. "Very well. Now about you."

"Yesss? Abou-"

"I'msorryIdidn'tmeantofeedonyourponiesIwasjustsohungryandIcouldnt-" Ribbons freakout was intturupted by Celestia placeing her hoof on Ribbons muzzle.

"I've already said I would not do anything to harm you, so there is no need for fear."

It was around then I cut in. "So what did you really come here to talk about?"

"I had thought Discord was behind this, I see I was wrong. as long as you remain out of sight and don't cause trouble I see little reason to intervene here."

My ears perk up in interest. "Discord? You mean that asshat that I delivered the mother of all nut busters to?"

Celestia nodded. "Yes, I believe so, now if you'll excuse me..." she teleported out.

"Hey Ribbon, I'm bored, what do you want to do?"

"We're not going to talk about what just happened!?"

"Talk about what?"

"About Celestia, she knows and she doesn't care, and she KNOWS. And what was the kiss for?"

I mumble. "I'm in love with you..."

"What was that?"

I mumble louder. "I'm in love with you."

She stares at me, dumbfounded. "I've known you for all of two days."

"And you've been more caring than most people that i've know for the last twelve years..."

"Twelve years? what type of ponies of you been" she paused, realizing her mistake."Nevermind, I wouldn't understand anyway."

"You know what we need? A commemorative item to celebrate this event!"

Ribbon mumbles under her breath, thinking I can't hear her. "You sure move along quickly." Yes I do... I still haven't let this all sink in, if I stop moving forward, it will all come crashing down on me...

"I heard that!"

"So what did you what to celebrate with?"

"A particular weapon I've been hoping to make. Did you know it's possible for an iron blade to cut a steel one?"

"Steel? that's some pretty hard to get stuff, the minotures that make it refuse to let the secret of how they make it get out. And of course it's possible for iron to cut steel but That's a also a pretty expensive enchantment."

"Lucky for you, I know how to make steel, and a way to cut it with an UNENCHANTED iron blade..."

Ribbon appears to have ignored that nugget of info. "And that's not even counting the new stuff that you make. I've yet to fully test it's abilities or have the enchantments tested."

"Good point... TO THE FORGE!!!" I grab Ribbon, and feel the heat of her transformation, before galloping off in the direction of the blacksmiths workplace.

"Hey hey hey, I can walk you know!"

Derp! Setting Ribbon down I proceed to chastise myself. "Bad Chitsuki, you're not a five year old in a candy store!"

Then from nowhere, Pinkie! "Did somepony mention candy!?"

"AHHH! Pinkie, don't do that!

"Oh sweet jesus, a pony Deadpool." Suddenly, I have an insane idea... "Hey Pinkie, DON'T go prank Celestia, okay?" She immediately stops whispering to Ribbon and puts a hoof to her chin in thought.

"I have the strangest urge to prank Celestia... Gotta go bye!" Annnd she's gone.

"You're going to get Pinkie in a lot of trouble, aren't you?"

"Celestia will know it was my revenge for making that incredibly awkward moment."

"That was you, not Celestia."

I laugh maniacally. "And thus the shitstorm begins..."

"I'm going to be dragged into this aren't I?"

"Along with everyone else in the castle..." We reach the forge. "Now, we make art... sweet, deadly, art..."

"So what did you want me to make again?"

"A katana... in essence the blade is two pieces of metal, one hard, composing the cutting edge, and one soft composing the rest of the blade, folded together, creating an absurdly sharp blade."

"Ok, I think I can do that. any specific design style?"

"Simple, no fancy adornments and as a matter of fact, I can supply the 'hard' metal." Focusing I shaped my miasma into a large block of metal, before dropping it in front of her. "Well then, let's begin."

*FIVE HOURS LATER*

With a satisfying hiss of steam, the blade reached room temperature for the last time. "Finally, she is complete! All that is left now is a name..."

"It looks like its made of shadows..." it truly does. With a crimson handle, a deep purple blade with a midnight blue edge, and a sheath to match the deep blue, she truly looked like the shadow of a Nightmare...

"That's it! I shall dub thee Kage no Akumu, Shadow of the Nightmare!"

weaponcraft

"Now, what else shall we make?" I was getting pretty excited. I finally get to make some cool toys.

"I don't have any of my stuff, so I'm a little limited."

"You know what you need? Claws..." Yes... a shapeshifting, pony, Wolverine...

"Claws?"

"Yeah ya know spring loaded so they pop out and let you slash stuff."

"Like the ones used by the Night guard?" Wait, they have a night guard? I'll need to see if I can meet one of them.

"Yeah, except longer and sharper."

"They have a twin claw attached to their shoes, I'm not so sure I can make it spring loaded though" Ribbon shifts from hoof to hoof. "And I have a bigger problem I didn't have before. I have two different hoof sizes now."

"So why don't you make them out of something stretchy?" Like latex...

"They'd be a tight fit fit for sure."

"Better then nothing." Brain, why are putting images of Ribbon in latex stockings in my head? Brain, stahp.

"Alright, I'll ask for a pair from the barracks and have a look at them."

"Now then, I've got an uber-cool blade, but from what I've heard from Pinkies tales, hydras are real here, and bladed weapons do not mix with hydras..." well unless you get it to grow so many heads that it's heart can't meet the blood demand...

"No, no they do not. It'll work on everything else though."

"True, true." I slowly nod my head... "still, the last few days have been insane, haven't they?"

"Yea, I'ed sure like to relax. Maybe I'll go shopping."

"meh, why the hell not?" No seriously, I don't see any problem with shopping. My manliness had left me about the time I made out with Ribbon in front of Celestia...

"I'm only going to go buy some new tools."

"You can do that, I'll go troll bluebutt..."

Ribbon chuckles at that. "Have fun!"

I couldn't help it. "Oh, I will..." I put my forehooves together, and chuckled like a Bond villain.

At this, Ribbon was inching towards the door, more than likely not wanting to get dragged into a prank war. "Sure, uh. I heard from Rarity he has a thing about being covered in cake."

"Like maybe, Celestias cake?" Everyone knows Celestia loves her damned cake… The guards won't shut up about it!

Ribbon simply decided to go, before this got any weirder in her tastes.

*sigh* I miss my video games, I never did manage to beat Masked Dedede and his giant electrified hammer...

Ideaaaaaa!

But first, how would I enchante it?

TO THE LIBRARY!

Which of course... is at the other side of the castle... along with my 'temporary' room.

Another idea! Maybe if I can recreate the feeling of urgency, I can teleport...

Picturing my new room and he feeling of 'get me there now!' My vision was flooded with that spectral greenish-blue hue of my magic.

And promptly teleported three feet over the floor of my room and upside down...

"Aww cra-" *Wham* "Owwwwch."

"Hello, wha- Oh hi Chi, what happened?"Heh, just the nerd I was hoping to find.

Can't talk, just realized can teleport. "I just figured out how to teleport, on purpose this time..."

Twilight stared at me. "This time..?"

"Remember that mare Discord punched into a wall? After I gave into my body's instincts and beat the everloving shit out of him, I kinda dug her out of the rubble, and seeing the state she was in, wanted to get the two of use to a hospital room right that instant…”

“Yeah, that sounds like basic teleportation, most ponies just picture themselves being moved to the desired locat- ohhh, what's that, I’ve never seen a sword like that before…”

Adorkable. Levels. Rising… “Well my dear Twilight, first of all, it’s not a sword, its a katana, and second of all, it was a collaborative effort between me and Ribbon, and no I’m not going to tell you how it was made, for the time being I’m considering it a trade secret.” Oh god she’s pouting… Must divert her interest. “But anyway, I was wondering, is it possible to enchant something to deliver a high-voltage electrical charge upon impact with something?”

“Uh, yeah, all it would take is a high quality thunderstone and a magical circuit. Why did you want to know?”

“Sometimes, you just need to bring the hammer down…” I said cryptically. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go troll Blueblood.”

“Oh… Joy…” Yeah, Twilight doesn't want to get involved in this either.

no, you know what, i'm going to wait until Pinkie shows up, and then we will double team him… Ohhh that will be fun. but anyway,I got what I came for, now back to the forge!

“Oh… it’s you…” or not… Fucking bluebutt.

I whirl around. “You got a problem with that?” My sudden motion made him jump. “Because if you do…” wait for it… “I would prefer that we settle it like civilized ponies.”

His eye twitches. “Very well. What I want to address, is that awful fiasco at breakfast.”

“Dude, I was sleepy, and I hadn't had my coffee. I tend to get a little insane when I’m like that.” No, I meant every last word…

“Oh, wow, that makes you worse than Luna in the morning, or Celestia for that matter… I still remember that one time she spiked my cake with liquid rainbow.” wait, Celestia’s a prankster?

“Liquid… Rainbow? Sounds fruity.” How the fuck does that even work?!? wouldn't the colors just mix?

“You would think that, wouldn't you. It is actually the spiciest thing know to pony kind." Oh. Wow! I may just have to start calling Sunbutt Trollestia.

"Owch..." I winced in sympathy.

"Owch indeed." He nodded.

"Well see you!" And my vision flashed with the now familiar color of my magic.

Ohshi- *Whump* only to teleport a few feet above Ribbon and crash into her...

"Well at least I wasn't upside down this time..."

"Yes that's great and all but, uh. One question. Why are you mounting me?" Wait what?!

*flump!* "oh, crap!" I immediately disentangle myself from her. "Why must these things keep happening to me?!"

"Happening to you? seems to be happening to me just as much." She says as she picks up the tools she dropped.

"True, true... But anyway, I know what I'm going to make next, a giant, electrified, hammer!"

Ribbon sighs. "Which means more work for me. Do you want it made of the same stuff?"

"Okay, but I want to help, I don't feel like being useless."

"But you're not trained, you are useless. Unless don't want it made quickly, you just want it made?" We have a winner.

"Exactly. I want to learn your trade." Gonna need to know this if I'm gonna make guns after all...

"Well, it'll take more than one build you know."

"I know. But I actually want to be a productive member of society."

"And you can't do that now? You already generate alloy's from your body" Wow, you fail economics forever.

"Supply and demand, make too much and it becomes worthless."

"Then only make so much. you can start by asking for compensation for the stuff you've given to the Princess."

"Now why didn't I think of that..."

Ribbon give me one of her 'i am now being sarcastic' smiles. "As I said, You're useless."

I did my best impression of a sad puppy. "But then I get to spend more time with you..."

She couldn't resist and had to look away. "You said you wanted an electrified hammer?"

"Yes..."

"This means I have to break off more plates, huh?"

I smirk. "Why, do you need a hand with that?"

"Unlike you, my chitin plates are limited so I can't just keep breaking them off. I need them." You don't say?!

I roll my eyes "I know, that doesn't mean we can't make the other parts though."

"Wait, you meant 'hoof' right?" Why must she look so cute when she tilts her head?!?

"Derp, that's what I meant to say."

"Okay. We'll make the fill for the hammers core, it's soft, rectangular and doesn't need to be perfect, a good place to get used to a weighted hammer. Though I'd rather start you on something else." She paused for a moment. "And you're not using my new one."

"Well, what are we waiting for! Let do this!" And so we began.

*One montage and two days later...*

"Now all that's left is waiting for you to shed..."

"Could be awhile, it's not like I need to do it every week, month, or year. Only when I'm hurt and need a new one or if I grow."

Hopefully before she has to return to Ponyvi- annnnnd sadface. "Poo, and you're probably going to have to return to Ponyville soon..."

"And the princess wouldn't just let you out either, the public would freak."

That's only if they see the real me... wait... I Slowly apply hoof to face. "DERP! Forgot I could shapeshift as well..."

"Do you really think the Princess would just let somepony as powerful as you go unchecked?... then again the elements live in Ponyville so you wouldn't be completely unchecked. Talk to her."

"Shouldn't we come up with a disguise for me first?"

"Shouldn't we know you can leave before we commit?"

"Hey, even if I can't, it would be useful so I didn't have to sneak around the castle."

"Alright Well, we know you can only turn into a dark or twisted version of whatever it is sooo, don't change anything." Wat...

"I mean stay as you are and just shrink down and loss the wings, or the horn." Oh...

Focusing on a smaller form without a horn, I feel my miasma swirling around me, and my body shrinking...

When I emerge, I am slightly smaller than Ribbons pegasus disguise, and... have Pinkies mane!? Well except a dark purple. Because fuck logic, I'm a pony.

Doing my best Spy imitation. "Gentlemares." What... I couldn't help it.

Ribbon chuckles before copying my accent. "You look good madam, just like a thestral."

"Now then, to Sunbutts lair!... which way is that again?" No seriously, this castle is a freaking maze.

"I dunno, I think it's the tower." Okay then...

"To the tower!"

"You go to the tower. I'm not going near her." Wuss...

"Please, if you get to nervous, we can always make out in front of her again..." I give her a sly grin and a wink.

She blushes the deepest shade of green I've seen yet. "... I think I'll stay here..."

Suddenly my ears pick up the sound of hoofsteps. Ribbon promptly transforms into her pegasus disguise, just before Celestia and Luna walk into the room.

Ribbon adiably gulps. "Hello princess Celestia, Luna..." oh shit, don't have a panic attack Ribbon.

Luna looks at me in curiosity. "And who, pray tell, is this?"

"This is, uh. she's..." Dammit Ribbon...

"Its me, Chitsuki how do you not recognize me? Or do me and Ribbon have to embarrass you again Celestia?"

I hear Ribbon whisper "Please don't."

Celestia goes wide eyed at my remark. "So it is you, well that simplifies things greatly."

Luna continues. "We were planning on relocating you to Ponyville, where the Elements could keep an eye on you, but we couldn't figure out how to get you there unseen."

SUPERHAPPYBOUNCYTIME! "yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes! I get to stay with Ribby!"

"What!?" Well, at least Ribbon isn't panicking about the princesses.

Celestia giggled. "Well it was either her, Derpy Whooves, or Pinkie Pie."

"What about Twilight?" Uh, no!

"Do you WANT me to be turned into a science experiment!?!" I wouldn't put it past her to do that, although introducing her to drunk science would be fun.

"It's better than Ponyville being turned into a battle field if you move in with Pinkie."

"As opposed to me getting Twilight drunk, and causing her to somehow make the magical equivalent of a thermonuclear warhead and completely level it?"

"I don't think I know what that is so, no?" She gives a confused and embarrassed look. "Fine, you can stay with me."

Cannot. Resist. Urge. To. Glomp! "Yaaaay!" Annd impact.

Ribbon yelps, before blushing intensely.

*pomph=3* "Sister, I didn't know you were into that kind of thing?!?" Yes, Luna said that with a shit eating grin...

Celestia would have none of it. She levitated a pair of tickets and drops them at our whooves, before speaking in an incredibly flustered voice. "Tickets. Train. Ponyville. Five o'clock. Goodbye." She then teleported out, presumably to do something about her wingboner.

Luna gave me a grin. "You should probably get going, it's already four o clock." She then teleports, more then likely to go annoy her sister.

"Uhh..." my thoughts exactly, Ribbon.

I haul myself off of Ribbon. "Well, let's go, we don't want to miss the train now do we?"

She nods. "I'll pack up my new tools."

ponyville

After a good walk, we arrive at the train station only to be greeted by Twilight. She takes one look at me and hesitantly speaks. "Please tell me I'm not seeing a Thestral version of Pinkie..." oh god. This is the perfect setup.

Channeling my inner 5 year old, I announce myself. "Yupperoonie! names Night Sight!" I can literally see Twilight having a breakdown.

"Oh sweet celestia there's two of them, Equestria is bucked, in's the apocalypse, WE'RE ALL GONN-" Ribbon cuts her off by jamming her hoof in her mouth.

"Twilight calm down! She's not like Pinkie, trust me I know. She's not innocent enough to be Pinkie." Must continue the joke.

"What is this 'innocence' you speak of?" Oh the look on twilights face...

"See?" Now to finish it.

"Because I'm the goddamn Batmare!" And presto! Twilight has suffered a logic error and must now reboot! Upon completing said reboot, Twilight curled into a ball muttering repeated "nope!"s.

I turn to Ribbon. "I think I broke her..."

"Get on the train, I'll deal with her, and act normal from now on please." Awww...

"Fine..." but only because you asked.

Upon boarding, I was greeted by Pinkie Pie. "Wowzers, even I've never been that random before!"

"That my dear Pinkie, was the internet in a shellnut. And that isn't even the craziest thing I've done! Did I ever tell you about the time I sacked Discord so hard I broke the sound barrier?" I swear I just felt every stallion within 20 miles cringe in pain... and a few mares...

Pinkie then pulls a cupcake out of her mane. It was rainbow colored and dripping red. I grabbed it and took a bite out of it... DAMN THAT IS SPICEY! It felt like a nuke just went off in my mouth... Me gusta. "You like it? I call it the Cupcano!" I promptly scarf down the rest of it, before smiling stupidly. I was greeted to gasp of shock from the other four ponies in the car.

"Oh... My..."

"Tarnations, and I thought Rainbow lacked common sense..." A.J looked at Rarity with a look of 'please god no.'

"Buddy, you must have a cast-iron stomach to do that and not flinch..."

"How unladylike!" And dramatic marshmallow...

"Best. Cupcake. EVER!" Pinkie smiles at that.

"You're going to regret that VERY soon. give it 10 ta 15 seconds..." oh, Ribbons here.

*gurgle!* oh boy, here comes a big one... "BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAP" Wat. I belched RAINBOW FIRE. And it felt good. Fuck logic. I turn to Pinkie. "You wouldn't happen to have another one, would you?" I see everyone's jaws drop. Hell, Rainbow drops out of the air because she had forgotten to keep flapping!

"Pinkie, don't give her any more." Ribbon turns whisper to me."Trust me."

Pinkie shrugs. "It was the only one I brought..."

"Pinkie, you never just bring one. You bring twelve." Really, where!

Pinkie looks around nervously. "I may have left the other eleven with Celestia's cakes."

I smiled at that. "I approve."

"I'm sure you do." Snarcastic Ribbon is best Ribbon!

Twilight facehooves and groans loudly. "Why Faust. Whyyyyyyy?"

"Twilight let it go." Ribbon tries to comfort Twilight. It didn't help.

She throws her forehooves in the air, before loudly announcing "BUCK THIS!" Grabbing a bottle of cider from somewhere, chugging it down, and then going and curling up in a corner, before falling asleep.

"Fluttershy stop hiding, and help Twilight." Wait, when was Fluttershy here? Oh she was hiding under A.J.

"Am I really that ugly?"

Rarity is still sitting there, with her jaw on the floor. She shakes her head. "Ugly? Heavens forbid no, but I will admit you look quite... wild." At this point Twilights snoring echoes throughout the car.

I turn to Pinkie. "You wouldn't happen to have a can of whipped cream and a feather on you, would you?" Rainbow snickers. I guess she knows this prank...

Pinkie pulls said objects from her mane, before giving them to me. "Do it..."

Applying whipped cream to Twilights hoof, I tickle her nose with the feather...

*Splat!* Twilight is now glaring at me, whipped cream all over her face. So I do the most random thing I can think of. I lick it...

Cue Twilight and Rarity 'ewww'ing, Fluttershy going 'meep!' And Ribbon telling me I have no shame, while everyone else laughs.

"Tastes like the worlds worst romance novel..."

"Everypony this is Night Sight, she'll be moving in with me." Wow, took long enough Ribbon...

Rainbow flies over to me. "Me, you, and Pinkie really need to get together sometime, so we can prank ponyville like never before..."

Pinkie gives me a knowing look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I think I am...

"That depends, where would we get enough glow in the dark paint to coat the entire town, and a container big enough to launch it from?"

Cue an "oh Faust why?" From Twilight. And a "Let the battle field be made." From Ribbon.

I turn to her "just for that, your place is ground zero."

Ribbon sighs. "Wonderfull..."

"Be thankful I'm not useing drunk science. I once turned my car into a radioactive wreak with that, beer, and duct tape. And no, I just don't know what went wrong either."

*Wham* the fuq, a blond wall-eyed peguses just flew into the side of the train car. "That's my line!"

Ribbon groans and sinks into her seat. I look at the mare plastered on the window. "Do you know her?"

"That's my friend Ditzy. Everypony calls her Derpy." Oh, damn, she does look like that derp face meme. Poor girl.

"Should I let her in?" Ribbon shakes her head.

"Probably not," she look at the mare currently doing an impression of a fly meeting a windshield. "Go home Derpy! I'll talk to you later!"

"I'm gonna take a guess that Ponyville is a magnet for all kinds of weird shit?" Please say yes...

"Very, and you'll love it all the same." Yay! "Not a week goes by without something happening, and you get to be the new pony." Double yay!

"Sounds like like my collage, not a day goes by without someone doing stupid shit while drunk..." I still remember how Jeff made impact fused potatoes, the shot them out of Larrys potato cannon.

"Lets hope you're still not like that..." Good thing I got decent self control.

"I only got drunk the one time. After that I never went past tipsy out fear of a repeat." Its true. "Are we there yet." Boredom, boredom everywhere.

"Look out the window." Oh, well damn, we're just pulling into the station.

"Oh good, we're here." Taking my first steps into Ponyville I was surprised by how qui-

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER TOUR GUI- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Oh great, children... to be precise what look like a miniature Rarity, a yellow pony with a bow on her head, and orange one with a purple mane.

"Owch... my ears. Which one of you just wailed like a banshee?"

"Coooool..." "IT WAS SWEETIE BELLE!"Was the orange and yellow ones responses.

"Impressive..." No seriously, who knew a pony could make such loud noises? I have no idea how to handle this... I give Ribbon a pleading look.

"Good luck with the foals I'm going home with my new toy's." Well shit. Only one thing to do...

"HEY LOOK, A DISTRACTION!" When they look away, I bolt after Ribbon before latching onto her.

"WHOA! you are very attached, aren't you?" She exclaims in surprise.

"Yeah well there's a banshee marshmallow after my soul!" Go home brain, you're drunk.

She looks at me like I just described the inside of a black hole in perfect detail. "Marshmallows are trying to eat you?"

"Did you hear how loud that thing screamed!" Seriously, that thing puts even Beiber to shame.

"Which thing there was three of them... Right the marshmallow one, stupid question. You'll be safe at the house at least." Good point, getting off of her I looked around.

"So where is your place anyway?" Do not want to get lost and ambushed by the marshmellow...

"Near the Library. Guess what I do for a living." Umm bagels?

"Blacksmithing obviously." Why else would she have been summoned to Canterlot in the first place?

"Correct, now guess how big my house is." Ummmm...

"House sized?" I grin like an idiot.

"Clever... we're here. I'll go shopping for food later while you hide from the 'marshmallow'." Oh woooow that's a big house.

Walking inside, I immediately go looking for food. That was, until I realized I still didn't know how to fly. Of course I had a crazy idea...

Feeling inside of myself, I looked for repressed Instincts, I found some that weren't mine or the remnants of the Nightmare. Bringing them out, I eventually realized I wasn't on the ground anymore, and could hear a steady flapping sound immediately behind me. Opening my eyes, I was greeted to the sight of the ground a few feet further than it was before. Tilting my wings forward, SLIGHTLY, I wasn't that stupid, I slowly moved forward. Now come turning... tilting to left, I began my turn. "Oh my god, I'm actually doing this. I'm actually doing this, I'm actul- OHSHI-"

*bump* Thank god I was going slow enough to not damage anything. Now how the hell do I land? Floating over to the couch, I slowl-CRAP! *whump* and there was the reason I tried landing over the couch. I sit there, a dopey grin on my face, before I realize Ribbon was standing at the doorway.

"No flying inside. You lucky I don't own anything breakable... Faust knows I learned that lesson from Derpy and Rainbow."

I start bouncing like a five year old on a sugar and caffeine high. "But I flew Ribby, I FLEW! It was the greatest feeling, know you can just go 'screw gravity!' And take to the air!"

She grins at me. "Well you do have wings 'Nighty'." I couldn't help it, I was so excited I reverted to my normal alicorn form, before grabbing Ribbon and pulling her into a big, sloppy kiss, the shock causing her to revert to her changeling form.

"Ewwwww-oh, buck..." my head whips around so fast I swear I felt my brain spin. There in the doorway, was the orange pegasus from earlier today.

"Well... Shit..."

The filly dashed right under my legs and dove behind the couch. "DONT EAT ME!"

"Wow, deja vu much?" I whisper to Ribbon.

"She's not scared, if she was she wouldn't run into the house." Ribbon closes the door to make sure none else see us.

"Or she has experienced this before... running towards an obvious threat will usually surprise them, giving you time to make a break in the other direction."

"Huh, I never thought of that. Then again she was in the doorway to the public and now she's behind the couch. I can also smell her curiosity."

I slowly approach the couch, only to hear the filly whimpering. "They already got my parents, now they're coming for me. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. THIS ISNT HAPPENING!" Wait. By they she can't mean me and Ribs, so that means it must have been... my rage flashed into a burning star of hate. My cold fury leaked from every pore of my body.

"Chrysalis. You. Motherfucking. BITCH! I'LL RIP YOUR SPINE OUT, I WILL DESTROY YOU SO UTTERLY YOU WILL HAVE NEVER EXISTED!"

"Chi, calm down you're going to make Scootaloo worse." She's right.

"Okay, what the hell do I do, I'm no good with children, but she's obviously irrationally afraid of you."

"she's afraid of me, not Ribbon. Go upstairs, I'll follow, Ribbon can deal with her!" She says this loud enough for Scootaloo to hear. She however has other ideas.

"I know that you're Ribbon!" Well crap...

"Never mind, she's all yours. I'm going to get something to bribe the filly with."

"Try chocolate." What, it works with hormonal women.

"Never underestimate the power of candy and bits." True.

"And stupidity." I couldn't help but add, as she disguises herself before walking out the door.

Now how do I get her to open up to me... well here goes nothing... I managed to shapeshift in a filly sized version of me minus the fangs. Before walking around the couch and laying down in front of her. She stares at me, have seen my miasma at work. "Talk to me, why are you so afraid of me and Ribbon? And what do you mean by 'they already got my parents.'?" I can see the look of weakened apprehension, so I go in for the kill. "I just want to help..." I did it complete with the sad puppy eyes and even a whimper.

She cracks. "You don't understand, those bug monsters killed my parents, they nearly killed me! And they claim it was because the queen needed 'genetic material'..." WHAT! I do my best to remain calm. They.... those monsters!

"No wonder you're scared shitless by them... but I promise you, Ribbon is not like those... vermin. She cut all ties with them, becoming independent, not letting others tell her what to think or how to do things. She... she was the only thing keeping me sane when I finally broke free from the Nightmare. The flames of my wrath are the very same ones that burned in Asura, so many years ago, and as I turned them on the god of chaos himself to protect my one true friend, so would I turn them on any who would wish to harm you. And may God have mercy on their souls, for I fucking won't." At that, Scootaloo burst into tears, before burying her head in my side.

The poor thing, having her parents taken from her, and then their bodies desecrated for some sick science experiment. Realizing the crying had stopped, I noticed that Scootaloo had cried herself to sleep, her head still buried in my side. Realizing that I couldn't get away, I joined her in the dream realm, but not before feeling a sensation that could only be described as her mind brushing against mine...

this, doesn't feel like my mindscape...

I was standing in a large forest, that should be full of life, bet instead felt foreboding.

"Heeeeeelp!" Wait, am I in Scootaloo's dream!?! This must be a nightmare... I wonder, if I focus hard enough, can I influence it... forming an image of something in my... mind? I tried to impose it upon this dreamscape.

*thunk* A sign with a giant 'YES' on it plopped in front of me. Well that Answers that question. Now then, how to 'save' her, without her becoming dependant on me, or it turning it into an even worse nightmare... manifesting a ball of light in front of Scootaloo, I lead her to a mountain of my own creation, where the ball dissipated, before flowing into her.

"Their she is!"

"Get her!"

She smiled as the words came to her like a message from the gods. "In the span of a single night, a star was born and died." More of the creatures emerged from the forest. "From it's ashes, rose a life." They hissed, baring their fangs. "The apex of ages long, long past." They took to the air, mesmerised by her chant. "Crowned by the herald of a nuclear era." They began circling. "Today, the Night has deemed for it to rise." Their buzzing reached a fever pitch. "And protect its charge." The beasts closed in, wishing to further her nightmare. She grinned a manic grin. "Awaken, Godzilla, King of Monsters."

A roar, one filled with the rage of a nuclear fire, tore across the dreamscape. Then, behind her, the mountain shifted, and began to rise. A creature that could only be described as a wingless dragon, revealed itself, as its massive dorsal fins, mistaken for the mountains themselves, sliced through the clouds. Peaking at over 400 meters, it let out a second roar, before opening its mouth, and spewing atomic death upon the changelings, instantly removing them from existence. Turning to Scootaloo, and without giving her time to panic, it nodded, before it dissolved into orange and purple light, before flowing into the filly, with a message echoing in her mind, telling her that if she were ever in such peril again, it would be there, ready to defend her.

"Bravo, Chitsuki, bravo. Your prod, allowed Scootaloo to finally form a defence against these nightmares, ones even I have been unable to stop." I spun around, ready to draw Akumu, only to be Greeted by Luna.

"When did you get here?" I ask, surprised.

"Almost as soon as the nightmare started, but I must ask, how did you get here?"

"No clue. All I know is that Scootaloo cried herself the sleep in my side, shortly before I drifted off as well." Judging from the look of surprise on her face, she now knows.

"Ah, a contact synchronization. When a dreamwalker and another subject in physical contact with them, fall asleep around the same time, the dreamwalker will be deposited in the subjects dream, the moment it starts."

I shrug. "Cool story, but how do I wake up?"

She smiles. "You already are, all you need to do is think of waking up, and you will..." as she finishes, everything fades to white...

"Daaawwww..."

The sound of the door closing and Ribbon receiving concentrated cute woke me. I smell chocolate...

*grumble* And the sound of my stomach grumbling woke Scootaloo. "That was the best dream I've had in a loooong time."

I smile a knowing grin, much to Scootaloos confusion. "Did it involve a colossal lizard, raining down an unholy firestorm upon bug monsters?" Gojira, the King of Monsters, the Kami No Metsu, and now, Scootaloos guardian.

"How did you know?!" Well i'd rather not tell her I was in her dreams but I don't want to lie to her...

I smirk. "I'm just that awesome..." Turning to Ribbon I notice what she's carrying. "I smell... chocolate..."

Upon hearing 'chocolate' Scootaloo immediately perks up. "Chocolate, WHERE!?!" Before appearing to teleport to Ribbon. Damn, she moves fast when motivated.

"Slow down and I'll give you chocolate." Ribbon hands Scootaloo a bar, which vanishes within a tenth of a second. "Here." Yeah. Scoots devoured that before Ribbon could even finish talking.

Now that Scootaloo was off of me I returned to full size, before resuming my thestral identity. "Ribbon, we need to talk, I've stumbled upon some rather disheartening information..."

"Sure, you can help me put this away. Scootaloo I'll give you more chocolate if you don't leave."

Upon hearing the words 'more chocolate' Scootaloo jumps and latches onto Ribbons face. Is she a headcrab? "chocolate? Chocolate. Chooocooolaaaate. CHOCOLATE!" Jesus! A single bar of chocolate sent this filly into a sugar rush!

"AHHH! Get off me, Chi help!" Ribbon starts flailing about.

Thinking quickly, a grab another bar and open it the sound causing Scootaloos head to whip about at what I swear where FTL speeds. "See the chocolate? If you let go of ribbons face, its your-" she's already there sitting in front of me. I drop the bar out of fright, before she grabs it in her mouth, and spitting out the wrapper. She then begins running around in circles at absurd speeds.

I turn to Ribbon. "Just wait a few minutes for her to crash."

Ribbon shakes her head. "I'm never giving that filly chocolate again." Before getting up and heading for the kitchen.

Now I have to wonder. "Now what would happen if I gave Pinkie coffee?..."

Cue a horrified "NO! Not that again, Some of the residents are still sore!" From the kitchen.

Scootaloo actually stops running, and stares at me. "We do not talk about Surprise Pie... EVER!" Before resuming running in circles for another minute, then simply collapses on the floor, asleep.

"Okay Ribbon, it's safe now!"

"She crashed quickly, that good. Now what is it you wanted to talk about?" You're not gonna like this...

"Her parents were killed by changelings, and I quote 'their queen wanted to use them for genetic material'."

"What!?" She walks out of the kitchen "Genetic material would probably mean she's sterile, that's good and bad." Uhhhhh... does she mean Chrysalis was going to put eggs in th- brain, stop. You're scaring me.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Please don't mean convers-BRAIN, STOP IT! YOU'RE SCARING ME!

"She's using ponies to breed more Changelings, that means she could lose her throne." Wat...

"And how exactly, does that work?" The confusion and disgust were evident in my voice.

"Conversions, it's energy intensive and hard to do." Shit, those poor ponies...

My worry is quite obvious at this point. "Is it reversible? Or can we at least free them from Chrysalis grasp?" This. Is. UNACCEPTABLE!

"I will find them, I will free them, and I shall rain down an ungodly fucking firestorm. I am talking scorched earth. I will massacre her. I will fuck. Her. Up! " of course at this point my anger had dried up, and left me tired as fuck, so I curled up into a ball on the floor and fell asleep...

fun

I had the weirdest dream last night... Scootaloo was Colonel Sanders, and chicken happened...

Yawning, I got up off the kitchen floor, before stretching. Feeling several joints pop, I let out a relieved sigh, before walking back into the living room. Scootaloo was still sleeping off the crash. Now where is Ribbon?

I wander upstairs, only to Find Ribbon staring out a window. "What's so interesting?"

"Why don't you take a look for your self. Twi's gone crazy." Ohhh... mad science...

I walk up ready to see the carnage. "Dis gonna be go- is that a doll? And why is everyone fighting over it?"

"I have no clue, though there are a few who don't seem affected."
"Knowing how powerful Twi is, that shouldn't happen... unless they're not actually ponies..."

"Changelings don't normally work this far out, and even then I've tried to scare off other rogues. Unless somethings changed."

I face Ribbon. "Think they're converts?"

She turns to face me. "If Chrysalis was a perfectionist, no, but she's far from that. Makes me wonder how many Changelings I've scared off, and who they really were."

"Think we should round a few up?"

"I'd rather not let them notice me, it was bad enough before. I was just a scout the weakest of the weak, all I really had is speed. Now I'm an actual threat if she found out."

"Dammit, I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"We might have to, for now anyway. I'll scare them off, make them think a different hive own this place and pray they're not a different hive."

"Let's."

"lets do something or lets scare them?"

"Both."

"I'm going out there with you aren't I?"

"Eeyup."

"If you're going to kill me or off me, just do it." she follows me to the door, after checking on Scoots.

I glare. "Why would you even think that?!"

"Got me out of my disguise in front of Princess Celestia and Scootaloo for a start, in the two years I've been here that three more than I wanted."

"Three?"

"I, uh. Pinkie found out..."

"Figures... But Ribbon, think for a moment. I saved you flank from Discord, and pumped you full of emotional energy to keep you from dieing. If I wanted you dead, then why would I have done that?"

"Yea I know, and I'm thankful. But now I'm a bigger threat than ever if I'm outed and I don't know how to use magic to defend myself if needed.''

"Remember what I said about psychological warfare? We use the rumors about me to our advantage."

"Normally I just leave a letter saying it's another hives territory, and to leave quickly."

"They will be scared enough to believe anything i say, so if I tell them I know how to track them through the hive link, they won't use it... then, we disconnect them."

"But that sounds cruel and Chrysalis may feel it happen. However, if they've already broke free of Chrysalis, then the deed is already done."

I sigh. "You're right, but we need a way to keep track of them until we can confirm their free." Suddenly I have an idea. "Ideaaaa. Why not recruit other rogues, and form a collective of outcasts?"

"how would we contact them?" Oh she likes the idea.

"A newspaper ad, 'a Rogue, with a love of the night, looking for fellow outcasts and exiles, to bring about change.' With emphasis on rouge, love outcasts, exiles, and change."

"Seems kind of open, what if other Changelings notice?" I was getting there.

"That's why I worded it the way I did, someone who hasn't experienced it themselves would not see the deeper meaning."

"Alright can I trust you to do that? I have some thing I need to work on."

"Kay." At that Ribbon nods and heads for the forge.

I sense a shitstorm brewing, and its heading straight for you, Chrysalis.

legion of exiles

A day had passed since I put the ad out. I was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper, and waiting.

They arrived around midday. "Hey Ribbon we got company!"

"Did not expect it to work that fast."

"Scootaloo, you should head upstairs."

"Why?"

"Because chocolate." And with that, she bolted up the stairs. Turning to Ribbon, I noticed her glare. "What? I was only going to give her a piece instead of a bar this time."

Donning my alter ego Night Sight, I opened the door, and was greeted to four ponies, the first of which was a white unicorn with neon blue hair, wearing purple shades over her eyes. The second was also a unicorn, but mint green and was staring at one of her hooves muttering 'hooves, how the buck do they work' before snapping to attention. The third was an earth pony, a deep purplish red, and chugging a bottle of cider. Oddly, I didn't smell any alcohol on her breath. The last one was a white pegasus, who wings were tiny compared to his body, but somehow kept him airborne.

"Greetings, the names Night Sight."

The white unicorn spoke up first. "Names Vinyl Scratch, and this is one awesome pad!"

The green one spoke up next. "Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings, and our drunk friend over there is Berry Punch." She pointed the red mare.

"If we weren't both mares, I would... I would kiss ya!" Wow, easy there casanova.

The last one, and the only stallion in the group, technically, -i'm still male mentally ya know-, announces himself. "The names Snowflake! And don't you forget it!"

After shepherding them in and closing the door, I turned to Ribbon. "Their all yours."

Clearing her throat, she began reading the speech I wrote. "N-now I believe we've all hàd the misfortune of meeting the cheese-legged b-bitch queen know as Chrysalis?" Upon taking in the shocked looks on their faces, she continued. "So you may cut the acts, as I am in the same p-position you are..." shedding her disguise she waited for the shock to wear off. The shock apparently caused the four ponies to drop their disguises.

"No..." Lyra's chitin was the same mint green as her coat was, and her fangs were longer and slimmer, like they were meant to deliver poison.

"Impossible!" Snowflake was a bulky drone somewhere between me and Ribbons pegasus form in size.

"A motherbucking Proto-Queen..." Vinyl kept her neon blue hare and awesome shades, but other then that looked completely mundane.

"Bloody hell!" Berry, she was battle-scarred, and missing an eye, which would explain why she acts drunk, ponies will simply mistake her blindness for inebriation.

Ribbon resumed. "Alone, we may be weak, but if enough of us join forces, we could b-bulldoze Chrysalis into the ground."

At this, Berry brought her hoof down. "And what makes this any different from any other failed attempt?"

Showtime... "That my friends, would be me..."

Berry snorts. "A bucking thes-" returning to my alicorn form, I smiled. Everyone there, minus Ribbon, looked on in horror.

"Mother of Faust..." Vinyl's reaction was the most tame of the groups, her shades dropping down and revealing blood red draconian slits for eyes.

Berry seemed to size me up. "The Mare in the Moon and a Proto-Queen? We might just stand a chance..."

Lyra and Snowflake stand there, slack jawed.

"So, how about you tell us about yourselves?" Now we begin the introductions...

Lyra was the first to speak up. "I am experimental hunter-gatherer drone number three, currently known as Lyra. Now posing as a scientist. Unfortunately, I was deemed a failure because I thought of ponies as more than just food." Damn! She got it rough. Ribbon appears to show sympathy for her as well.

Berry began her tale. "Now, most of you wee lasses probably thought I was a mare, well you're WRONG. Now tell me, have any of you heard of Tavish Degroot?" Well shit, the she was a he! He shared his name, voice, and mannerisms with TF2's Demoman! Sweet!

Vinyl gasps. "You mean YOU'RE the stallion that is wanted after accidentally blowing up the Manehatten distillery and losing an eye?"

He nods. "That's me! Tavish Degroot! Second to none in terms of explosives, and rivaled only by the Apple family in terms of alcohol!" SWEET, BEER AND EXPLOSIVES, BEST COMBO EVER!

Vinyl began her history. "Vinyl Scratch, convert, and DJ of the Wub Shack, as well as a part time detective." Cool...

And finally, Snowflake. "Snowflake, also a convert, and former fighter. Currently the Wub Shack's bouncer."

I clear my throat, and everyone turns to look at me. "My name, is Chitsuki, -which translates to Blood Moon-, and I was the former host of the Nightmare, before it was evicted... permanently." That seems to catch Tavish's attention.

"Oi! I'm guessing you didn't always look like that she-devil?" I nod.

"As a matter of fact, Tavish, I wasn't even a mare before." Or a pony... at that, both Tavish and Snowflake winced.

Vinyl decided to pitch in. "We need a name for our group, do we not?"

Lyra is struck by inspiration. "The Legion Of Exiles."

Niiice... "All in favor?"

Everyone raises their hooves.

Suddenly I hear knocking. Immediately I resume a cover as Night Sight, while everyone else resume their disguises.

Opening the door, I am greeted to... an actual thestral? That was carrying a sword on his back, and had the image of a crescent moon on a shield for his mark.

"Hello, and who might you be?" I ask, hesitantly. He seems to tap his forehooves in some kind of pattern... is he mute? "Uhh, do any of you know sign language?" I let him in, where he stands waiting.

Lyra perks up at this. "Yes, actually. And they said I was learning useless things..."

"Can you translate for him?"

"Certainly." The thestral walk over to her, sits down, and begins tapping again. "He says his name is Silent Courage..." more tapping. "He says he is a wandering swordspony..." tapping intensifies... and Lyra's eyes widen. "And he says he wants to join us changelings in overthrowing Chrysalis..."

Ribbon freaks. "Was he listening to us from outside?!"

He taps with a smile on his face. Lyra face hoofs. "We just told him.." cue cries of 'what...' even more tapping. "He says he wants to see what we REALLY look like."

Vinyl sighed. "Might as well, he already knows we are changelings..." cue disguises going up in flames, Courage takes in their appearances without even flinching. Me and Ribbon, however, chose to remain disguised, me because I was still kinda wary of how he would react to seeing the flapjacking Mare in the Moon, and Ribbon was more than likely having a panic attack.

I turn to Ribbon. "Think I should show him?"

Her face and voice show her panic. "You can. I'm not." Thought so.

Allowing my form to snap back to its default shape, I watched as Courage's eyebrows rose.

He taps some more as Lyra translates. "He says that this is new..." more tapping, Lyra does a double take. "You're right I didn't even see the sword until you pointed it out, and I have to agree, it the perfect place, under her wing, where her mane hides the hilt, but she can still grab and draw it quickly." Cue the others doing a double take as well. Damn, and I was wondering why most ponies didn't notice Akumu... now I'm curious.

"Do any of you changelings have weapons?"

Tavish raised his hoof. "Aye, I still got me old battle axe laying around in me basement." No one else raises their hoof.

"Uhhhhh... please let this be a nightmare and not changelings invading Ponyville..."

Everyones heads whip to the staircase, where Scootaloo stood, wide eyed...

Aww crap, time for plan B. I give her the most deadpan look I can. "Scootaloo, everyone here has the same goal; wipe Queen Bitchalis off the face of the planet." Ribbon chuckles nervously at my new nickname for the hag.

Tavish begins laughing. "That we do lass, that we do... and might I mention that that was single most bloody hilarious name somepony has called that hag in the five years I've been here?"

Vinyl and Snowflake turn to him. "Really? Five years? We only got here a year and a half ago and Lyra maybe only five months! How did you avoid the purge four years ago?"

What? "Purge..?"

Tavish take a large swig of... whatever that drink is... before beginning his tale. "Yes... the Great Equestrian Purge, we call it. It began after guards found a hive in the caverns under Canterlot, and discover several ponies of important political position, cocooned there, including Prince Blueblood." Well that would explain why he acts like an asshat... he's afraid to let anyone near him out of fear of a repeat performance. "After the guards freed the ponies, they confronted the imposters... it did not end well for the changelings. After the Princess discovered what was going on, she had a large amount of hoof picked guards begin looking into to history of nearly every pony in Equestria. I was actually found out by a guard, Shining something or other, but as luck would have it, one of Chrysalis's lackeys didn't want to go down without a fight, and nearly killed the poor fellow. Knowing I had a chance, I took the roach down a well placed horn through the eye..."

"Let me guess, your actions caused him to give you the benefit of the doubt, and let you explain yourself, and after a long talk and a promise of free drinks, he 'conveniently' forgot about you, and simply passed you over as the town drunk?"

Tavish chuckles. "You be surprised how fast ponies become friendly if you offer them free booze... funny story actually. Ponyvilles mailmare, Ditzy, actually becomes less clumsy the more drunk she is... amd between all of us, she actually out drank both me and Big Mac back to back, before, as I later heard, 'she began acting like a proper gentlemare'... unfortunately, nopony would dare to let that happen again, after she invited Pinkie over for cakes and coffee..."

I gigged at that. "Ditzy, Master of the Drunken Derp..." my explanation for her skill is... Shark Week... yeah I dunno why I thought that either.

It was about this time Scootaloos brain got past 'changelings, changelings everywhere.' And realized who they looked like. "Lyra is a changeling? That explains soooo much..."

Yawning, I looked out the window. "Damn... it's getting late, you guys should probably head home..."

After the changeling had disguised and left along with Courage, I curled up on the couch, and and drifted of to sleep...

sorrow and hatred

I had the nicest dream... I was chasing cake...

"Mmmm"

What? My eyes snap open and I realize I had somehow gotten into Ribbons bed, and was now snuggling her like a plushie... she's soooo... "fluffyyyy..."

Ribbon seems to jolt, before she inhales sharply. "AHHHHH! What are you doing in my bedroom?!" And leaps out of the bed.

I look around, still half asleep, and holding my hooves in front me for emphasis, give her the only explanation I can think of. "Shark week." The deuce did I just say!? I shake my head back and forth, before giving an actual answer. "Did I sleepwalk again?"

"Apparently. Now get out! Getoutgetoutgetout!" She frantically points at the door.

"I'm going, I'm goin- oh hey Scoots." Walking out the door I saw a snickering Scootaloo. She goes and peeks in Ribbons room and begins snickering even louder.

Screw this, I want my coffee. Going down the stairs, I head for the kitchen, thinking about how hectic my first week in Ponyville had been.

It has been a nice week though, especially when Luna came to town. I mean, she broke down laughing when the one pony not afraid of her screamed like a bitch at the sight of Sweetie Belle (if I had known her name sooner, I would have tried to convince Rarity to make her a taco costume, get it, Taco Belle?), as I would later find out, before hiding behind the Princess and begging for her to 'save me from the demonic banshee marshmallow!'

... yeah, that was me. On the bright side nobody could remain scared of Luna after that, not even Fluttershy.

That sisterhooves social was fun as well, I broke down laughing when Sweetie found out it was RARITY who crawled out of the mudhole, it must have taken a tactical guiness to pul- nope, dead joke is dead, not pulling it.

Now when Applebloom got 'Cutie Pox' I was just plain futhermucking confused. Thank god Zecora knew how to cure it.

Oh yes, and there was that time I was invited to Rarity's, because she wanted to do something to make up for scaring me so badly, so she made toast... in a cup. Still better then what happened to me that one time, because she was impressed when I told her how 'I somehow created a self aware peanut butter sandwich, that rambled on about the secrets of life, and exploded, INTO NUTELLA, right before it could tell me the REAL meaning of life, the universe, and everything...'

...

Don't ask... it happened during a monday.

*poke* I felt a hoof prodding me.

"Huh?" Scootaloo had interrupted my reflections on the last week..

"Rainbow Dash is organizing some kind of race to find a good pet for her!"

"God... Dammit... Rainbow..." donning my Night Sight identity, I head out to find her, and tell Scootaloo to stay with Ribbon, knowing this will likely end in stupid.

Walking to the town square, I over hear Rainbow talking to Twilight. "... and that is why you could never be my pet."

"Kinky..." and of course they both squeak and blush. "You know you want to..." and yes, I said that in as husky a voice as I could.

Twilight facehoofs. "Why Faust? Whyyy is this myyyyy liiiiiife?!?"

Rainbow promptly flies off, starting the race, as she more than likely doesn't want any further embarrassment.

I turn to the others. "I'm gonna follow her and make sure she doesn't do something stupid. Okay?" The five of them nod. As well as several other of the gathered ponies. With that I take off,still a bit unsteady in flight.

Following the rainbow trail, I was flying over the Everfree before I lost sight of it.

*Thwack!* the sound of flesh impacting wood at a high velocity, followed by a roar. Fuck, she probably pissed something off.

Heading in the direction of the noise, I find a manticore attacking something. Dive bombing it, I discovered that it was not attacking rainbow, but a bunch of wooden wolves, and had just finished the last one off.

*sniff* shit, its got my scent, and it looks HUNGRY. Can't leave, it would just follow me. Guess I have to fight it.

Landing, and drawing Akumu, I stare it in the ey-

*THUNK* WOAH! Note to self: tail is fast! That was too close for comfort, that things got way too much mass to parry when I'm this sma- Derp.

Returning to my alicorn form, I shifted Akumu from my mouth to my telekinesis.

It pulls its tail from the ground, and tries again.

*CLANG!* soooo glad I took up sparring with Courage. What? No I'm not going to kill it, that would make Fluttershy cry, and for some reason even thinking about that make me feel like a heartless bastard. "You're one ugly mother fucker..." OHSHI-

It swings its paw at me, knocking me into a tree... Fucker just pissed me off... Oh... I just had a brilliant idea.

Focus on a sound instead of a shape, I felt a tingle in my throat, before coughing up a bit of miasma. Well I think it worked...

The manticore chose to roar in my face... I roared back, doing a perfect imitation of the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. The manticore's mood went from angry to scared in a tenth of a second, before bolting like the pussy it was. God that hurts my throat, i'm gonna need to work on that. Now that it had fled, I resumed my disguise and resheathed Akumu.

*wimper...* eh? Watching as the body of one of the wooden wolves shifted, something crawled out from under it...

Incredibly. Conflicted. So. Cute. Yet. So. Badass. Wait, does this make me a treehugger?

A puppy version of one of those wooden wolves, this one looking like it was made of oak, MOTHERFUCKING OAK, looked me in the eyes, before hesitantly walking up to me and sniffing at my hoof.

"Yip! Yip!" It started wagging it's tail. I think it likes me... picking up the poor guy, I put him on my back, before trotting back towards Ponyville.

Nothing of significance happened on the walk back, other then seeing Rainbow being carried by a tortoise... wait, what?

Emerging from the forest, i notice Ribbon and Scootaloo had joined the crowd, I attempt to catch everyones attention. "I'm baaaaack!" Everyone stared at the pup on my back. Ribbon pointed at it.

"Uhhh Night, what's that?"

"Oh, you mean Gary?"

Rarity blinked. "It's name is 'Gary'?"

I snicker. "I was gonna call him Woody but that would have been too obvious."

Derpy pipes up. "I get it!"

Applejack shook her head. "And why is that varmin ridin' on your back?"

I give her a deadpan stare. "Do you even sympathy A.J? Por guys entire pack was wiped out by a manticore!"

Shy seems to perk up. "But their so violent, and wild." Isn't that every COD player in a nutshell?

At least someone gets it. "Kinda like me, no?"

"How are you going to feed him? he's a carnivore." Derp...

"You're friends with a BEAR Fluttershy, of course you would know where to find food." Not only is she friends with it, SHE WRESTLED IT.

"B-but Mr. Bear gets his own food." Piss, what do I do now? Its not like there's a griifon here I can moo-

I turn to Twilight. "You wouldn't happen to know if there is a restaurant that caters to griffins here would you?" Please know a place...

"I don't but Rainbow might." Oh right, Rainbow was friends with one. Albit from what I've heard, Gilda was an asshole of the highest magnitude.

Rainbow nods. "There was the one that Gilda went to, it might." Score!

"Lead on, I'll see if I can't buy the parts they don't use off them cheap." Seriosy, restraunt will gladly give you the parts they don't use for dirt cheap.

Following Rainbow, Gary still happily riding on my back, we eventually reach an out of the way place called the Buckbeak Diner. "Yeah, this is the place."

Walking in, I was stared at by a few griffins, mumbling things like 'A thestral with a pet timberwolf, now I've seen everything.' Or 'What is tiny pony bat doing here?' Wait, that sounded quite Russian, does that mean they have vodka? I will have to come back here and see if they serve vodka. Because vodka is second only to bacon...

I walk up to the counter, and the waiter stares at me. "Pardon me ma'am, but you do realize we only serve meat here, correct?" Wow, French accents to? They must have both ends of the scale here, cheap vodka, and fine wine. I'm really starting to like these guys...

"Yeah, I know, I was looking for some to feed my buddy Gary here." I motion to Gary. "And was wondering if I could buy the parts you don't use in meals off you talons?" Judging by the impressed look in his eyes, I used the correct terminology.

He goes around back to get something and brings a sack of- no way, is that pig belly?! "Pony, you're saving me money just by taking this stuff of my talons, nogriffin wants this stuff, too much fat. Take it." Mah god, I can make bacon... he notices how I stare at it hungrily.

"Ah, you more than likely didn't know, but thestrals are fully capable of eating meat, they just don't NEED to eat it, and so avoid it out of peer pressure." I give him a fanged grin, and nod. "Your kindness shall not be forgotten, comrade." Before grabbing the sack, and leaving him twenty bits anyway.

I walk out of the diner with a massive grin on my face. Dash seems a bit apprehensive about it. "Okay... you should not be that happy from getting meat..."

Quick, think up some bullshit. "Because these griffins actually have some culture unlike that asshat Gilda you mentioned." Rainbow seems to buy it. "Well, see yah." Taking to the air, I flew to Ribbon's, Gary sticking his head over my shoulder and letting his tongue flap in the wind.

Landing, I pushed the door open with my head, before letting Gary hop off. Grabbing yesterdays newspaper, I set it on the floor before dropping a piece of pork on it, Gary ripping into it.

Now, bacon.

Heading to the kitchen, i began. Grabbing a large piece, I cut it into strips, smothering them in salt, before plopping them in a frying pan, my anticipation rising as they sizzled.

I hear the door opening, followed by sniffing and a soft moan. "Mmmm, What is that? Chi, is that you cooking?!"

"Yes, its me, and you are smelling the ultimate American meal... bacon!"

"Bacon?"

"Yeah bacon! Can you believe the griffons don't know about this!?"

Ribbon walks in, and spots the meat bag. "You're going to eat that too?"

HERSAY! THE HERETIC MUST BE PURGED! My voice goes flat. "One does not simply question bacon."

She stares. "... You're creepy when your happy. C-could I have some of t-that?"

I grab a few strips and drop them on a plate, before handing t to her. "Here, go ahead."

"O-ok." I see a brief flash of green flames in her mouth, revealing her fangs. She takes a bite out of a strip and shudders in ecstasy. "It's good..."

Did I mention that bacon is to me, as ramen is to Naruto? Yeah, I basically worship bacon. More Bacon for the Bacon God!

"So, when do you think we should schedule the next meeting?"

"In a few days from now, I'll be finishing my order for the month, unless another one comes in. I swear, Derpy is the one reason I stay in business."

"I feel sorry for Ponyville if CMC Mailmares happens." No seriously, the level of destruction that could cause is scary.

"I'd probably be the only happy pony in Ponyville." No shit. to mention rich.

"Would there even be a Ponyville after that?" I have absolutely no idea.

"I'm not sure if there would be an Equestria after that." She begins laughing.

Something occurs to me, and I begin laughing. "oh god, CMC draconess slayers, just picture it!" I doubt even /b/ could be that chaotic.

"That would be funny, and I'm sure Discord would have a blast. Hey, what happened to him anyways?" All I know is that he now is terrified by kittens.

"You mean before or after I bucked him in the nads hard enough to cause a sonic boom?"

I heard Gary whimper. Ribbon winces. Yeah, I think that has become one of those things that will ALWAYS get a reaction.

"Uh, after."

"Last I heard,you can still hear the whimpers of pain coming from his statue."

"Whoo-hoo!" Suddenly Gary comes running through the kitchen, with Scootaloo riding on his back, before vaulting over the table, between me and Ribbon, and running back out. Oh how I miss being young...

Ribbon appears to be trying to decide on something. Upon finally working up the courage, she asks, "I've been wondering, why is your train of thought sometimes incredibly violent like a minotors instead of a ponies? It can actually be a b-bit unnerving..." she seems to flinch, as if expecting to be hit. That wounds me Ribbon, that really wounds me that you would think such a thing.

*sigh* how do I explain this? "War..." this can only end badly.

"B-but the last war hasn't been for hundreds of years!?" Equestria, I envy you.

"Where I'm from, it hard to tell where one war ends, and the next begins... War, war has given birth to monstrosities, weapons of immense power..." the scientists who created these monstrosities also were shocked by their power.

Ribbon seemed skeptical. "I doubt any weapon could cause more damage than a rampaging dragon, or even take one out for the matter..."

"Conventional weapons, you'd be right. Nuclear however..." this is what makes me be ashamed to be American.

"W-w-what's a nuclear weapon?" She just had to ask.

"A monument to humanity's sins, something that would vaporize Canterlot entirely, reducing the surrounding area to rubble, as well as rendering most of Equestria uninhabitable from radiation... We bastardized the force of the very thing that gives us life, and turned it into an instrument of death..." I refuse to go into further detail, and MAYBE Celestia would know what I'm talking about, as she apparently moves the giant nuclear furnace known as the sun around.

Ribbon was in absolute terror. "W-w-why would p-p-ponies m-m-make something like t-t-that!?!" She was staring at me in fear.

"'Peace through superior firepower,' and eventually mutually assured destruction on a planetary scale, irradiating the entire planet and throwing into an everlasting winter..." and this isn't even touching bioweapons...

"Wh-wh-why would ponies want something like that? Why can't they try peace?" I wish we could, Ribs, I really wish we could.

"Unlike ponies, humanity is an omnivorous, leaning towards carnivorous, species, meaning violence come instinctually to us. All we really are are monsters that have deluded ourselves into thinking we are civilized. I still feel ashamed to have been a part of that cycle of bloodshed..." I can't help but rest my head on the table and sigh, trying to force back down a certain memory of my time in the military that I never want to see the light of day again...

I'm sorry Maria, I just wasn't fast enough... I refuse to let the same fate befall Ribbon. I would rather face Death then let it happen again...

"Chi? Are you okay? You suddenly seem really depressed..." I look up to her, and see a extremely concerned look on her face.

"Just memories of events better left forgotten..." she doesn't need to know yet. Getting up, I wander towards the couch, my energy having left me. "I'm going to sleep..."

Plopping myself on the couch, I curled up into a ball, letting sleep claim me...

"let her go you basterds!"

"Just go! Go without me!"

"No! I refuse to leav-"

CRASH

"We've breeched thedoor, I re-"

BANG!

"MARIA!"

"No..." it's been a very long time since I've had that nightmare...

Hearing the sound of Ribbon coming down the stairs, I curled up even tighter, not wanting to show weakness...

"Chi? Are you okay? I heard crying..." she was concerned for me, like Maria was...

"J-j-just go a-a-away!" My sorrow was evident, as I was on the verge of a complete breakdown, my body was trembling uncontrollably as I was wracked with grief. Ribbon had walked over to me. "Why Maria, why couldn't it have been me instea-a-ad!" At this point, I had broken down into a sobbing wreck.

*SMACK* pain shot through my cheek. "Get ahold of yourself, Chi!" Ribbon grabbed and held my face inches from hers. "This couldn't possibly be what she wanted! Live your life, Faustdammit! You don't net to forget, but you do need to accept that what's happened has happened!" She was panting rather loudly, while I was staring in shock at how aggressive she had suddenly become. She seemed to have realized this as well as she suddenly panicked. "O-oh Faust, i-i-i didn't m-mean f-for it to co-" her frantic apology was interrupted by me pulling her onto the couch and into a hug.

"N-no you're right. She wouldn't want me to keep mourning her years after it had happened, she would want me to find resolve, a purpose, in it, to drive me forward with conviction." After a couple minutes of silence, I heard a light snoring coming from Ribbon. Finding solace in the steady rising and falling of her breath, I joined her.

I was in some kind of cave network, the walls coated in some kind of green film.

"Now then 2-27, I've finally found you..." a voice, multi toned and rather displeased, echoed through the tunnels. Wait... 2-27? Isn't that Ribbons designation?

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Holy fuck, Ribbon! Bolting in the direction I heard the sound from, I could hear the voice monologuing about something.

"Now you're going to tell me where your little pony friends are, and then maybe, I'll grant you a swift death..." more screams of pain rung out. My rage was boiling over...

yes... kill them...

Upon reaching the source, I saw an alicorn sized changeling, i'm assuming it's Chrysalis, standing over Ribbon, who had been adhered to a rock by more of the slime.

KILL THEM ALL!

Spikes of black crystal erupted from around me, impaling several changelings.

bathe in their blood...

More spike of crystal erupted, skewering Chrysalis through the legs, before I walked up to her, and looked her in the eyes, my voice utterly monotone. "You hurt Ribbon, your life is forfeit." Before a single crystal pierced Chrysalis's head, killing her instantly.

Using my magic to remove the blobs of slime from Ribbon, I noticed something weird with it, it was now a deep crimson, borderline black, with blobs of an unhealthy shade of yellow or green flowing through it. Looking at my reflection in one of the crystals, I was alarmed to find my eyes a solid black, the iris, the pupil, EVERYTHING was black, and they were leaking tears of blood... as I stared, my magic and eyes slowly resumed their natural color. I slowly turned to Ribbon mouthing 'what the fuck just happened?'

"Nope, that did not just happen, nope, nada, negatory, didn't happen..." shiiiiiiit... looking around, it was about this time I noticed an ethereal... node? Floating in the middle of the room, and I had the most bizarre urge to poke it, and poke it I did...

The moment I touched it, I felt electricity shoot through me, and moments before I wa ejected from the dream, it almost felt like me and Ribbons minds were brushing against each other...

rule 19 and learning

"OHGODWHATTHEFUCK!" I literally spasmed off the couch before landing on the floor wondering what the bloody hell just happened.

'What in Celestias name?' Great, now I've gone crazy...

"Who said that!?" Ribbon whirled around, looking for an unseen intruder.

-It appears I'm not the only one going postal.-

Ribbon turns to face me, a panicked look in her eyes.

-Stop staring at me, stop staring at me, stop staring at me...-

"Chi? Am I hearing your thoughts?"

"I think so... and I think I heard yours..." -wanna go mess -

"With Twilight? No, but I really, REALLY, thin- what, did that really happen?" I get the feeling she is referring to the whole 'crystals and evil eyes' thing in the dream.

I nod my head. "If you're talking about what i think you're talking about, then yes, yes it did..."

Ribbon stared me in the eyes. "You, Twilights, now!" It's only 6 in the morning, but screw it, this is important.

Focusing on the area in front of the library, I let my disguise drop momentarily is I use my magic to teleport, before redisguising... and I stick the landing this time!

"Ommph!" Except I accidentally teleported Ribbon as well. "What th- did you just teleport me?" I nod, shrugging my shoulders in a 'I have no idea how either' gesture.

Walking up to the door, I start banging my hoof against is. "Hey Twilight! This is kinda important!" The moment i finish that sentence, the door opens. She must have been pulling an all nighter.

She couldn't help but to inquire our situation as she waved us in. "What could be so important to teleport here at 6 in the morning? And yes Chi, Celestia sent a letter explaining your situation and alias as 'Night Sight' and yes, I'm still annoyed with you for makeing me think there was a second Pinkie..." after she shut the door, I let my disguise drop, relieved that I didn't have to explain that.

"Twilight, I think I accidently dark magic..." and possibly Dark Energon, but that's not certain.

"YOU WHAT! I'm getting Celestia AND Luna here, right now... SPIIIKE! We've got a situation C-19!" Wait, she was actually prepared for this? Twilight is apparently Batman levels of prepared.

Within five minutes, there was two flashes of magic, and then Celestia and Luna arrived, looking extremely concerned and worried. "Explain, now." Celestia was curently in no nonsense mode, and so was I.

"After irrelevant drama involving my past, me and Ribbon had fallen asleep together, causing another one of those contact synchronizations, I think Luna called them, and I was deposited in Ribbon's nightmare, where after events I am not at liberty to discuss, I became enraged enough to attack the cause of Ribbons nightmare, when suddenly black crystals began erupting from all over the place, among other things..."

Luna glared at me. "That is indeed dark magic, how did it not corrupt you?" Corrupt?

"If by corrupt you mean make you magic look... wrong, and your face look like something from the pits of hell, I got better..." both Celestia and Luna looked at me like I had grown a second head.

Luna put a hoof to her chin in thought. "It makes sense, in a twisted way. Nightmare Moon was a manifestation of my inner darkness, meaning she was already dark and corrupt, and considering you inherited her body, as well as your... different, mindset, would more than likely keep you from becoming permanently corrupt unless you used a large amount of dark magic in a short period of time. You've essentially found a shortcut to acquiring the resistance me and Celestia achieved through pure willpower." She turns to Celestia. "Sister, do we require a demonstration from our friend here?" Celestia nods.

"I'm warning you in advance, this is creepy as hell..." focusing on the ground in front of me, i try to pull up that same feeling from before.

... come on...

...getting impatient...

...WORK DAMMIT! With that internal exclamation of rage, the floorboards broke, and a large black crystal, with the occasional segment of what could only be described as a dark unhealthy green or nearly black infected yellow, about the size of Celestia, burst from the ground. Letting the urge to smash stuff pass, I looked back up a Twilight and the princesses, only to hear them gasp. "I'm guessing its the eyes?" They nod. I slowly back up, before bumping into Ribbon, who make a sound similar to a rubber duck. I honestly could not take this much attention, and wanted to sink into the floor.

Ribbon gasped, and why did everything get so tall?

"Uhhh Celestia? Where did Chi go?"

I try to tell them i'm right in front of them, but they don't here me.

"Uhhhh, I Think Chi just sunk into my shadow..."

-really?!-

'Yeah really, its freaky, stop it!'

-we've really got to figure out why we can suddenly talk telepathically- maybe if I climb out? Reaching up, i hear more gasps. After I get myself about ha- WOAH, I'm still halfway inside Ribbons shadow, and i can't see that half! "Dude, this is freaky..." pulling myself out, I look at the crystal. "How do I get rid of that anyway?" Celestia blasts it with a beam of light, disintegrating it into dust. "Or you could do that..." Note to self, do NOT piss Celestia off…

Celestia slowly shakes her head. “To discover THAT magic, of all things…” She pauses, noticing me stretching in a cat like manner.

“What? I havent had my coffee this morning, quit staring at me!” Stop it! I dont want your attention! “And seriously, how do I get rid of those crystals when you aren't around?”

Celestia seems stumped by that. “What we do need, however, is for you to get a better grasp on your magic, before you have another outburst.” Outburst? Oh riiight, in the dream… Yeah, I can see why I would need to get better knowledge of magic, because if that had happened in reality, there would be a lot of damage.

“I’m guessing I’m going to be taking lessons from the Sparkle then?” both Twilight and the princesses nod. -Poo, I don't get to spend time with Ribby…- I hear Ribbon squeak quietly.

Celestia looks to Luna, who nods, before with a flash of light, they are gone, having presumably teleported back to Canterlot.

I turn to Ribbon. “You should probably head back and make sure Gary is fed, as well as keep Scoots out of trouble.”

Ribbon blinks. “You’re probably right.” Before walking out the door back to her house.

I turn back to Twilight. “So whats first?” Twilight seems to ponder herself for a moment.

“Tell me what you can do with magic currently.” Good a starting point as any.

“let’s see, I’ve got the telekinesis down, teleporting is still a bit buggy-I can get the location right, its just the orientation that i keep getting wrong. and then theres that dark magic i just discovered, but I think we’re going to avoid that for now, aren't we? And yes, I know thats all of three things, but the whole shape shifting thing I’m attributing to the miasma, as well as the shadow thing I did.”

Twilight starts mulls that information over, before sighing. “Knowing you, you’re going to need more than telekinesis and a blade to defend yourself…” So what do I get to learn?

“You’d be surprised what can be done with only telekinesis, for example, a brick thrown at a quarter the speed of sound is going to inflict some major blunt force trauma…” Not even going to TRY telefragging, I want to live, thank you.

“Well, the first thing we should do is get your teleporting problem under control, have you even bothered specifying the orientation?” Wait, I’m supposed to do that?”

“Well no wonder I kept crashing…” taking Twilights advice, i try teleporting two feet to the left, and actually land correctly this time. “Really brain? it was that simple!” Derp derp is derp.

“Now, about your shapeshifting… how did you figure that out anyway?” Oh bollocks, need to think of something quick.

“Discord happened, do I really need to say more?” please buy it…

“Okaaaay, moving on, can you show me how good you are with it?” Cannot. Resist. Opportunity. to. Troll. Letting my form dissolve into miasma, I reformed myself into a familiar shape, hoping it didn't turn out like the first time I tried, before channeling my inner five year old.

“This is fun!” yeah, Pinkie Pie.

“Oh Faust why…” Priceless… Turning back to normal, I decide to show Twilight my other little trick with shapeshifting, luckily this time I didn’t cough up any miasma doing it.

“Oh Faust why...” I say in a perfect imitation of her voice. Oh god, her reaction, it's a perfect imitation of the Surprised Patrick meme. I wish Ribbon could see this, its hilarious. Clearing my throat, and letting my voice return to normal, I try to stop her from having a BSOD. “So, you were saying something about need more than just telekinetics and a katana?” This does the trick, as Twilight shakes herself out of her stupor.

“Yes actually, you should at least know the three basic combat spells.” Lemme guess, an attack spell, a shield spell, and a healing spell of some sort? “We should start you on simple kinetic burst spells, before moving on to barriers, and eventually, healing spells. There is also one other I think you should know, considering you can apparently dreamwalk.” Ohhhh, a sleep spell? Yes please.

“So when do I get to start blasting stuff?” this gonna be good...

“Just a moment, SPIKE, DID YOU SET UP THE TARGETS!?” ohhhh, target practice.

A sigh echos from upstairs, before spike walks down carrying a bunch of bullseyes and a few skeet thingys. “Follow me, I know a place where we can do this without any collateral damage.” My FUN sense is tingling…

After redisguiseing as Night, the three of us trekked up this mountain, that apparently used to be a dragons nest, before FLUTTERSHY of all ponies, scared it out. Twilight teleported a few targets to random distances, before firing a beam at one of them to demonstrate the spell to me. “The basic kinetic burst spell, which is essentially focusing energy to your horn and releasing it, can be used in one of two ways; charge a single powerful blast of energy, or fire several weaker beams to maximize the chance of hitting something.” okay so it can do either a wave motion gun or moar dakka, good to know. “Now you try.”

“Here goes nothing…” I began focusing energy into my horn, watching as a sphere of energy forms at the tip… And then beams begin spewing from my horn like a fucking gatling gun!

…

Wow, I missed every single one of the targets… Maeby if i try it the other way?

Gathering more energy in my horn, this time not firing it, and instead let it build. And build… When I felt a migraine coming on, I released the pent up power, and my vision went white.

…

…

*IIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNnnnnnnngggg….* Oh, my hearings back. As my vision cleared, I was greeted to a large trench cutting through the landscape, going all the way to the Everfree.

…

I did that… And then the fagite hit me. I fell to the ground, breathless, and suffering the mother of all migraines.

Twilight walked over to me. “Are you oka-” I don’t know what came over me, but I hissed like a cat, before diving into Twilight's shadow, trying to get away from the light. “No more demonstrations, you’re sticking to books from now on.” What she didn't know, was that I had fallen asleep in her shadow.

countdown to extintion

Well, this last month has been batshit insane…

After brainstorming with Ribbon, we had deduced that somehow, after I was in her dream, I was connected to the Hive Mind. It was fun seeing her try to comprehend the internet, and yes, I kept her away from the darker side of it.

I had gotten the hang of my magic, and was now capable of using the spells Twilight had taught me with little to no setup. Me and Ribbon had also gotten the members of the Legion of Exiles, hooked up with some goods. Me and Tavish managed to build a makeshift rocket launcher. (Nitroglycerin with a gunpowder propellant). Tavish had also gotten his battleaxe improved, making it lighter and sharper. Snowflake was the kinda pony who would just beat you dead with his own whooves. Vinyl got a large claymore, which she claimed was 'gnarly'. Lyra, she had only ever used a small dagger, and seemed to CQC on the same level as Solid Snake. Ribbon, she finally got the gauntlets done, and now had a weapon at the literal tip of her hoof. She had also made herself a crossbow. Unfortunately, my hammer was still unfinished, as Ribbon had yet to shed again.

Grabbing a cup of coffee, I went over this last months insanity in my head.

The Mare Do Well incident was entertaining, especially when I got to watch Rainbows ego shatter.

Now, when Twilight and co. went to Canterlot to meet with Rarity, I later found out that Pinkie finally got to host a kegger… Yes, I explained what a kegger was to her, as well as raves and frat parties…

You know whats funny? I scared a dragon… even if it was a greed fueled Spike and I hadn't had my coffee yet. of course, when he finally shrunk, I went back to sleep, having been exhausted from so much raging.

Still, when Granny Smith went loco making Zap Apple jam, I couldn't help but pull a Soldier and start screaming at jars like they were new recruits… What? I can be crazy when I want to.

When Pinkie had to babysit the Cake twins, the only bit of advice I had was to get them hyped up on sugar, and wait for them to crash… It backfired, horribly.

So when the Hearths Warming Eve came around, I actually slept through the whole thing.

Applejack went to the Equestrian Rodeo in Canterlot, but not before Derpy happened. another one I slept through.

Then these two con artists named Flim and Flam showed up on some bizarre machine that was essentially a car... that made cider. Logic. It is dead. Anyway, they were dumb enough to turn off the quality control, and the result tasted like piss.

I know Rainbow is accident prone, but she managed to land herself in the hospital, where she was bored out of her mind. Apparently they had pony version of Indiana Jones, and Rainbow got hooked on it... I had camped out by the window, knowing she was going to call herself an egghead, and when she did, I shouted 'NEEEERD!' For the lolz.

When the Crusaders managed to make a goddamn love potion, and hook up Big Mac and Cherilee using it, direct intervention was necessary. After I put both of them to sleep with the spell I got fruom Twilight, she beat me to giving them major chewing out.

I didnt ever bother trying to understand what happened between Pinkie and this donkey named Cranky Doodle, and just went back to sleep. Ribbon seemed to eat up her story, though she may have been actually eating seeing as Pinkie left QUIETLY. .

When Fluttershy went Alpha Bitch, well that got reaaaal weird... She kept hitting on me... DO NOT WANT. Lets just say afterwards I went Drill Sergeant Nasty on that minotores ass.

Now when I walked in on two Twilights, strangely, the first thing that came to my mind wasn't 'changelings' it was 'stable time loop' THAT took a bit of explaining, but I think I saved Twilight a whole lot of trouble.

The dragon migration was a shitstorm... Spike ran away to discover his true self, and I had to try and keep Twilight from ripping the place apart trying to find him. Ranting, so much ranting. At least Spike got a pet phoenix.

I heard from Twilight that I slept though the part where Pegasuses created a tornado. Yes, I can sleep that deeply at times.

Now when I heard from Scoots that her and the Crusaders were part of their school newspaper. The first two things I suggested was to look at things from the most absurd view possible, and the other was recounting their Crusading adventures. They did the first one, and in a typical Crusader fashion, failed so epicly it became a win. I'm serious, the first thing they did was meta their own column.

And just a few days ago, Pinkie made a bigass cake, and somehow shanghied Big Mac into helping her get it onto a train. Considering Pinkie was involved, I promptly fell asleep to preserve my sanity.

We had another LoE meeting today, and Tavish seemed happy, and I don't mean the 'I'm so drunk everything is funny' happy, holding a piece of mail as if it was the most wonderful thing.

"Get a load of this yah wee lads, ol' Shiny finally got himself hooked up, and the weddings happening... TOMORROW!?" What.

"Why such short notice?"

Lyra grabbed the message. "Says here the lack of forward was for security reasons, as several threatening letters have been found all over the castle." I turn to Ribbon, alarmed.

"Shit, Ribbon, you think it's her?" Ribbon nods, slowly.

"P-possible, Chrysalis is lazy in her planning and likes to be the f-first, so she could be there without her army or have it just o-outside. Plus she's a massive show off and this is a big s-stage."

Vinyl raises her hoof. "We're gonna have to look after the Bearers, aren't we?" Everyone there nods in agreement. After about an hour of debate, we reached a decision.

"Alright, here's the plan, me and Ribbon are going to keep an eye on Twilight, as shes more than likely going to be their first target. Snowflake, you're with Rainbow, she isn't going to stay put for long, so don't lose sight of her. Lyra, you're with Pinkie, I doubt anyone else could put up with her chattering. Tavish, you're with Applejack, try not to get too drunk. And Courage, you're with Fluttershy and Gary, the three of you will more then likely go unnoticed, and I believe you can handle the ones that do notice you. And Vinyl, that leaves you keeping an eye on the Crusaders, Chrysalis will more than likely try to get at Rarity and Applejack through them. Remember who you're watching, and be at the station first thing in the morning, okay?" They all nod. "Well then, see you tomorrow. " they redisguise, and funnel out the door.

"You do realize Chrysalis will see right through your disguise right?" I nod.

"That's why I'm gonna do the shadow thing, and hide in your shadow. I'm physically impossible to notice unless you actually see me enter the shadow." I decide to see if there is something on Ribbon's mind. "I can tell you want to ask me something..."

"Why you?" She seems to shake her head in frustration. "I mean, why would the Nightmare use you as a host, when it could have chose somepony with goals similar to its own? It makes no sense whatsoever!"

"That... Is actually something I have no clue about either, perhaps the Nightmare was merely a cog in an even more powerful beings plans?" Can't brain, think tired. Snuggling up against Ribbon, I drift off to into a dreamless sleep...

fears, and zero hour

My eyes shoot open at the first rays of dawn. It begins... heading for the kitchen, I grab a piece of pig belly to feed tuo Gary, who gleefully rips into it. After cooking and eating some bacon, I return to rouse Ribbon, Scootaloo having gotten up at the crack of dawn as well, to remind her that we have a train to catch. So I poke her on the nose. "Boop!" And smile at the adorable glare she gives me. "No time Ribs, we have a train to catch, remember?" Her eyes widen in realization, before she hops out of the bed, and follows me, Scoots, and Gary out the door.

Reaching the station, I was relieved to see we made it in time, and also noticed the Bearers chatting with our fellow Exiles. Not wanting to be in the middle of such a large group, I sunk into Ribbons shadow, hoping to remain unseen.

"And then I said 'oatmeal? Are you crazy!?'... Oh hi Ribbon! Hi Scootaloo!" Pinkie didn't notice me, good.

Of course, the first Thing Gary does is run over to Fluttershy, and began rubbing up against her like a flipping cat, much to Rarity's amusement.

Twilight waves. "hey you two, isn't Night coming along?"

Rarity seems somewhat upset. "Oh I was so hoping to see her, it's almost as if she avoids me."

Ribbon nods. "She's here, she simply said she'd be watching from the shadows, as she really doesn't like large groups." As she says this, she gives a subtle nod to her shadow, at which Twilight 'ooohhh's alongwith the other members of the Legion.

Of course I finally noticed Pinkie was looking AT me, before she winked. Of flipping course...

Scootaloo had walked over to join the rest of the Crusaders, plus Vinyl. "How do you even FIND, let alone get covered in tree sap, diving? On second thought, I don't want to know..."

"C'mon now, show me your warface!" Damn, Dash would make a good drill sergeant...

"YEAAAH!!!" This isnt CSI Miami Snowflake....

Rarity had begun chatting with Lyra and Pinkie. And Gary had taken to following Rarity around... Derp, I had completely forgotten about her the other night, this solves that conundrum.

Fluttershy was fussing over Courages lack of vocalization, much to his annoyance.

-hey Ribbon, wake me up when we're almost there.-

'Okay' and with that, I took a nap.

' Chi, Chi wake up, we're nearly there.'

-I'm up, I'm u- Bloody hell, thats one big shield...- Canterlot was surrounded by a giant pink bubble. As it washed over us, I noticed every changeling in the car cringed in pain ever so slightly.

-fuck it, wake me up when shit goes down... And your shadow is actually quite comfortable.- Ribbon squeaked at that, blushing. Now then, more napping.

' CHI? I BELIEVE THIS MEETS YOUR DEFINTION OF SHIT HAS GONE DOWN.' the fuck?

...

Oh, Twilight figured out the bride was Chrysalis. Not big surprise. When the Bitch Queen trapped the three of us in a dome of green fire, and made us sink into the ground, THEN I was surprised. It deposited us in cavern made of crystals, where Twilight and Ribbon woke up, have passed out in fright thinking they were being buried alive.

"Hello? Is anypony there?" Twilight wa scared as all hell. Especially when this freaky laugh echoed through the cavern, upon hearing it, Ribbon literally dived under Twilight, shivering uncontrollably. Everything was suddenly barked in a green light, and Chrysalis, still disguised as the bride, appeared in every reflective surface, and began gloating. I ignored her ego stroking. Twilight eventually began blasting shit, until one of the walls she blasted revealed the real bride, looking rather beat up. Of course Twilight thought she was Chrysalis, until...

"Sunshine sunshine..." upon hearing that Twilight perked up, and, walking over to her, began clapping hooves with her...

' Are they? '

"Ladybugs await."

-They are...-

"Clap your hooves..."

"Oh Faust no..."

"And do a little shake!" And then they bumped butts...

-Who is she anyway?- I slept through the introductions after all.

"Cadence! It is you!" Ah, never mind then, unknown to Ribbon, I had changed my shape, preparing to give Chrysalis a nasty fright when we got to her.

"This day was goi-"

"Is this REALLY the time for a musical number?" Cadance blinked, and picked up speed.

Then, a fracking minecart. Is it bad that I'm thinking of Donkey Kong Country right now? OHSHITRAMP!

After landing, we eventually reached the exit, where Twilight teleported us to the entrance of the throne room.

I had zoned out, But when the fake Cadence erupted into a pillar of emerald flames, I started paying attention. The moment Chrysalis began her evil monolog, Ribbon threw a knife at her, hoping to get her in the eye. Chrysalis ducked it, and before she could retaliate, Celestia FINALLY decided to do something. Only for Chrysalis to win the beam-o-war, and knock her out.

"We need to get to the Elements! Its our only hope!" Clever girl...

-Ribs, repeat after me.-

"Exiles, transform, and ROLL OUT!" Much to twilights horror, three of her new compatriots, as Vinyl was watching the CMC, and Courage was just a thestral, went up in flames.

"OI! Quit gawking and move it! Or would you rather your brother get turned into an incubator!" THAT snapped Twilight out her shock, as well as the rest of the bearers, and, understanding the implications of that, bolted out, being followed by Lyra, Snowflake, Tavish, and Courage, the four of them ready to fight.

Chrysalis began laughing. "This weding shall become my coronation as the ruler of Equestria!"

Then to my surprise, Ribbon transformed, revealing her true self, gauntlets at the ready to begin slashing. With me coaching her, Ribbon managed to keep any trace of fear out of her voice. "Coronation Chrysalis? This is bad comedy..." Chrysalis looked at her in shock.

"I thought I got rid of all of you to secure my position... But no matter! With this much love, I have become more powerful than Celestia herself! Not even you, my fledgling Queen, could prove any threat to me!" Oh, did you not know I've been WILLINGLY giving her love for over a month? Ribbon simply threw another knife, and unlike Celestia, dodged the retaliatory beam, before closing the distance and reared back a hoof...

*snkt!* the claws extended from her gauntlet, before she swung at Chrysalis, who barely dodged, getting a portion of her mane lopped off. "You impudent whelp! DIE!" Chrysalis fired a extremely large burst, knocking Ribbon halfway across the room, and in front of a cluster of bystanders, before she charged up a massive beam of energy, forcing Ribbon to retaliate with her own or let the civilians get hit. Holding it off long enough for them to get out of the way, she cut the power to it, and jumped the beam.

-she just made me VERY mad Ribbon.- I reached into my magic, and felt for a part that was VERY far away, and forced it to move, while watching as it turned red. To everyones surprise, day became night, and a blood moon rose. Coaching Ribbon, I prepped her on what I was about to do.

Ribbon began laughing. "You woke HER up, Chrysalis..." Channeling dark magic, I caused crystals to erupt from the walls around us.

"Who!?" I could see Chrysalis getting nervous.

"My dark side, the Bloody Nightmare..."

"Chrysalis..." My voice currently sounded exactly like a Reapers, useing the RCV to match the volume. Letting my bone white and hole filled hoof rise from Ribbons shadow, I watched as both her and Chrysalis, as well as any ponies watching, recoiled in fright. Slowly pulled myself out, I let Chrysalis stare into the bleeding voids of my eyes. To her shock, an albino changeling had risen from Ribbons shadow, looking almost zombified, and ws now staring her in the eyes."You REALLY, shouldn't have done that..." I licked my lips, drawing Akumu slowly, and seemed to shudder, appearing to savor the violence to come.

"Faust save us all..." well Celestia had woken up, and was literally shivering in fear... She GRABBED Twilight, and pulled her into a death grip.

And then, I lunged, catching Chrysalis off guard, and taking one of her wings clean off with Akumu. My voice went from a booming echo, to a sultry hiss as I licked the blood from the blade. "Let me bathe in you blood, Chrysssalisss..." even Ribbon was trembling in fear, and I had told her what I was going to do.

"Wh-what are you?!" Chrysalis when clutching the bleeding stump that was once her wing. Oh, I had her now...

"I am, a monument to all your sssinsss..." I began cackling madly, slowly approaching her "I am, Fear Incarnate..." I grabbed her, and held her face up to mine. "Now, go, TO, SLEEP!" with a sleeping spell, Chrysalis eyes rolled into the back of her head, and I pursued her into the depths of her mind, intent on thoroughly breaking her.

Upon rejoining the waking world, I was greeted to Chrysalis, curled up into a ball, muttering 'no eyes, but always watching...' repeatedly. The sun had returned to the sky, and Luna, Celestia, Cadence, Shining, the mane six, and the Exiles were all staring at me. Looking around I noticed with Chrys out of the picture, the few high ranking Lings are now fighting each other for dominance, since they believe the Proto-queens are dead. But Ribbon became one, didn't she?

Oh, oh god. Ribbon doubled over in pain, clutching her head, struggling against an invisible foe, until she couldn't take it and screams, both in her head and out loud, for them to "SHUT UP!" Every single changeling freezes, before slowly turning and facing her.

I pick up a few whispers and snippets like 'how did she survive?' Or 'Is she taking over?' While Ribbon lays on the floor, whimpering. Unable to stand her looking like that, I drop my disguise, and ignoring the gasps of everyone, walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. Slowly patting her on the back. Rainbow approches to say something, but I give her a glare that could melt fire, the dried blood on my face adding to the effect. I feel Ribbon go limp in my grasp, having fallen unconscious.

"I knew there was something up with her!" Fuuuuuuu... "to think the Ponyville blacksmith was a changeling..." Twilight pointed an accusing hoof, but I cut her off.

"If you so much as THINK of hurting her, I will kill you where you stand... I don't care that you're the student of Celestia herself! LAY A HOOF ON RIBBON AND I WILL END YOU!" Every single pony in the room, princesses included, recoiled from the venom in my voice. Tears began flowing freely from my eyes. "She was the only one who understood me, consequences be damned. I. LOVE. HER." Jaw drops, jaw drops everywhere, from ponie and changeling alike. Twilight slowly backs down, utterly shocked, while I see every single changeling nod, before a few burst into tears of joy and hug who ever was beside them. Celestias face when one hugged her was WTF incarnate.

I felt Ribbon shift. "I, uh. Love you too... And that really hurt." Yoda green, her face is.

Suddenly, one of the changeling shouted. "The tyrant has fallen! Long live the Queen!" It was met with a resounding chorus of agreement, and at least one 'you had to ruin the moment, didn't you...' this seemed to snap Celestia out of her gawking, and she shook the changeling hugging her off, much to his disappointment.

I turn to Celestia and give her a questioning look. "Can we try peace now?" My body is filled with dread at what is about to transpire, for it is the one thing more complicated than rocket science.

She nods. "Very well, we will discuss this in my personal chambers."

...

Politics...

Author's Notes:

Jesus, i scared myself with this....

polotics and meet the team

"Go ahead you two, make yourselves comfortable, as this may take a while." My brain is already trying to asplode... Luna enters the room, and takes a seat on a cushion... damn those things are comfy...

"Now that we're all here, we may begin." Oh joy...

"Sooo, how do we do this?" It appears Ribbon knows less about politics than me, and I know somewhere between jack and shit on the subject.

"We'll start by setting some laws and guidelines for both Changelings and Ponies, starting with-" ah, I know this shtick.

"The more important issue." Oh god, my braiiiiin, it burns...

"Yes, like keeping track of my little Ponies, and your... food supply." Luna nods in agreement.

"Agreed, we must insure our Ponies safety" Are you fucking kidding me... Ribbon seems to share my anger, as she gives her a stare of equivalently 0.9 Fluttershys.

"If those are your most important items then let me share mine. I want you ban the hunting of Changelings in Equestrian borders and to officially recognize Changelings as sapient creatures." This shuts up both Celestia and Luna.

Sunbutt speaks first, rather shocked. "Who would hunt changelings, and why?"

Knowing this was something Ribbon REALLY didn't want to talk about, I spoke up. "She told me that dragons and griffons hunt changelings, for FOOD." Celestia looks about ready to blow chunks, and Luna's jaw dropped. -anymore information would be much appreciated, Ribbon.-

'diamond dogs value us quite highly as slaves, until we stave.'

"And diamond dogs, don't even get me started on those mutts. They use changelings as slave labor, until they starve to death!" Ummm, is Celestia supposed to be smoking? Judging from Luna's reaction, I think not.

"Unacceptable..." ohhh... She's PISSED... "I will not allow such practices to occur within Equestria's borders!" Luna looks at Celestia with hesitation.

"Are you suggesting a raid, sister?" I like where this is going...

I nod in agreement. "I'm in, this could help build relations between ponies and changelings, as well as provide a chance to compare military stratagems. If we're going to be working together, we need to know this kind of thing, to allow for maximum efficiency with groups of mixed units." Politically retarded i may be, but not militarily.

Luna shakes her head. "And give the griffons a reason to declare war? I think not..." well then that leaves only one option...

"Covert operations..." seeing the confused looks on everyone else's faces, I begin an explanation. "What I'm proposing, is to train a small mixed unit of about half a dozen ponies and changelings in various forms of warfare, so that they can get in, get the job done, and leave without anyone being the wiser... all of this will be 'off the records' of course. You with me so far?" Ribbon and celestia nod, while Luna makes a 'go on...' gesture with her hoof. "We need to take the best of the best, and make them better, we need to make our foes afraid of incurring apparently divine retribution. Divin... Thats it! We need to form a Tenchu squad." Its takes a few moments to sink in.

Celestia nods, before turning to face Ribbon "And you would agree to this, Ribbon?"

'er, whats a tenchu?'

-divine retribution in Japanese.-

'oh.' "Uh, yes, it's a good idea." Ribbon slowly nods her head. "How long would it take to gather the necessary ponies? With the Hive Mind, we should be able to gather the required changelings within a few days... and we also know some changelings who could help train them."eh? Oh...

"Oh, you mean the Exiles, don't you?" Ribbon nods her head. "Yeah, we can get Lyra to teach them close quarters combat, Tavish can show them how to make and defuse explosives as well as show them proper safety procedures, and Courage, he's just a thestral, can show them how to properly use a sword."

Celestia nods. "A week, a week and a half maximum. We have a few 'quirky' ponies who have shown exceptional battlefield capabilities." Sweet, I get to work with the nutjobs.

Ribbon suddenly flinches. "You think you have 'quirky'? We've got a changeling version of Pinkie who turns into a sadistic war machine in combat!" I let out a whistle at that. I must introduce them to each other...

Luna hesitated for a moment, before speaking up. "There is one other thing we need to talk about..." uh-oh... "You were absolutely brutal in your fight with Chrysalis, never in all my years, have I seen anypony fight so ruthlessly. From what heard from Celestia, you had HER afraid that you had become something worse then the Nightmare could ever hope to be..." I saw Luna and Celestia shudder.

"You can just call me a monster and get it over with, I embraced that fact long ago, I CHOSE to become one after the Discord fiasco, and became one with my primal side, so that others would never need to..." The looks on their faces softened. "Because sometimes it takes a monster, to stop a monster." To be precise, it takes a civilized monster from another dimension, that has had it's body reformatted to resemble the local sapient's, to stop a monster. I do believe the invalidity of your arguments invalidity is now invalid.

Meanwhile, Ribbon had begun scratching at herself uncontrollably. "You're getting ready to shed, aren't you..."

"Shed?" Derp, the princesses don't know about that...

"Yeah, pieces of her exoskeleton fall off, allowing her to grow larger."

Ribbon nods. "Indeed, I'm either going to need a good beating or a pod to sleep it off."

-Pod?-

'Makes the chitin soft and puts me to sleep, Chrysalis used them to house ponies but that's not what their made for...'

"Well then, I believe we can adjourn this meeting." Luna, you just saved my sanity, I thank thee.

"To the embassy!" I forget to mention that Celestia let the changelings set up a very small hive structure in the caverns, only big enough for 10-20 changeling, didn't I?

I watched as Ribbon was deposited in a pod, and slowly drifted off to sleep. So I sat down, got comfortable, and watched the process out of morbid fascination.

Not much happened on the first day, other than Ribbons body swelling slightly. It was the second day that the changes took place. Pieces of her chitin slowly peeled off, before drifting to the bottom of the pod, leaving a layer of a deep purple in its place. I watched as her mane slowly turned a midnight blue, I swear she was turning into a Changeling version of me, except slightly shorter and skinnier, which I found incredibly attractive.

When she woke up, I noticed her eyes were now the same color as mine, and looked reptilian to boot. She used her horn to cut her way out, before I hugged her. After a few moments of affection, I realized something. Walking over to the pod, I grabbed the shed chiten in my magic, and smiled. "Hey Ribbon, I do believe we can finish that hammer now..."

"You're right." Her voice hadn't changed, thank god, I liked it the way it was, the sound she makes when she's embarrassed is f-cking adoarable! "How do I look, anyway?"

"Ummmm... like a changeling version of me..." please don't freak, please don't freak.

"If I look like you, I must look pretty good. Right?" What... My train of thought had just turned into a jelly donut.

I stare blankly, blushing slightly. "Did I just get trolled, or are you being serious?" She giggles. "Clever girl..." I pause, seeing all the changelings piling in to get a look at their new Queen, realizing how the changelings looked different from each other. "Say, why do all the changelings look different from each other, I mean, I can see one with CLAWS."

Ribbon chuckles. "Yes, I guess I should explain about the different kinds of changelings... first theres scouts, like I used to be, incredibly fast, but don't have anything else going for them. Then there's diggers, the ones with claws, they expand the hive. Next is the Converts... we aren't going to do that anymore... they tend to be as varied as the ponies they originally were. Continuing, we have warriors, they have harder chiten and more strenght. Hunters are extremely agile and have venom strong enough to knock out several ponies, or kill in large enough amounts. Then there's proto-queens, thats what I was for a while, they require less energy to function and tend to be rather strong magically. What I am now is a full fledged Queen, I require next to no energy, am incredibly strong magically, and also very mobile. And finally there's the Hive Guardian, which protects the hatching chambers, something capable of going head to head with a manticore and winning, it is absurdly strong, and has extremely dense chitin. It runs on base instinct and Hive Mind commands. And dont worry, its not here, and I already told it you're not a threat." Wow, thats a lot to take in...

"Wait for me Gary!" What?! Well damn, Gary and Scootaloo followed my scent. "Whooooooaaaaaaaaaah... Thats a lot of Changelings... Oh, hi Chi!" Its good to see she's not afraid of them anymore. Gary ran up to me and began barking happily.

Ribbon seems to have noticed Scootaloo's lack of recognition. "Hey Scoots, I got upgraded!"

Scootaloo stares at her, before bouncing around excitedly. "Cool! You look like a changeling version of Chi!"

Suddenly, Ribbon clutched her stomach and began groaning, before bolting off, more than likely looking for somewhere to relieve herself.

'ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ijustlayedanegg... CHIIIIIIII!!!' Oh... Shiiiiit... it appears every single changeling heard that as well, as they parted to give me a clear path.

Bursting into the lavatories, I wa greeting to Ribbon, wide eyed and hyperventilating, holding an egg in her lap. "That sucked!"

Waiiit... "does this make me the crazy aunt?"

Ribbon giggles. "If thats what you want to be. Now I have half a year to think of name." Ideaaaa!

"Shinkirō." Ribbon tilts her head. "It translates to Mirage."

Ribbon nods. "It's perfect. We need to get this to the main hive though."

"Wheres that?" I get to visit the hive, sweet!

"Remember that cave Fluttershy chased a dragon out of, and you fired a massive beam from? We moved it there." Nice, close to Ponyville, means we can visit Twilight and co. whenever we want.

The two of us walking out, Ribbon carrying the egg gently, before i levitated Scootaloo and Gary onto my back. "Road trip!"

The main hive was actually pretty nice for something hewn out of the side of a mountain, while we had been gone, several changelings had moved everything in Ribbons house to her chambers in the hive. Meeting the Hive Guardian was fun, that thing was one and half times the size of Celestia,and had no wings, and after it started growling at Scoots, I hissed at it in a 'touch her and I will fuck you up' fashion, and it wisely backed down, much to the shock of every changeling watching. I must have looked extremely intimidating when I did that.

A week had passed since the four of us (me, Ribbon, Scoots, and Gary) had moved into the hive, we had Gotten my hammer finished, and I decided to name it Kaminari. Suddenly, one of the scouts burst in. "Their here, the group of ponies and changelings are here."

"Hey Ribbon, you coming to?" My FUN sense is tingling.

"I could use the entertainment." With that, I charged up my magic, and telepoted us to the station.

When the light cleared, their was a red headed scout hovering about an inch from my face. "Hi! I'm Wendy! Who are you? You Look like the Queen! *gasp* Are you rel-" thankfully another changeling, this one a drone, shoved his hoof in her mouth.

"Names Larry, sorry for Wendys behaviour, she never shuts up outside of combat, and she tur- EWWWW, SHE'S LICKING MY HOOF!" He yanked his hoof away.

"Awwww, it doesn't taste like cheese..." She pouted.

It was about this time that i noticed I was being hugged by a yellow unicorn with neon green hair. "Who are you, and why are you hugging me?"

"Names Impulse, and why the buck not?" Fair enough.

I noticed a warrior changeling, who was currently burning a piece of wood, he took notice of that, and turned to face me. "Hehe, names Flint, and it is such a pleasure to bur- er, meet you..." oh joy, a pyromaniac.

Turning to see a thestral, we made made eye contact. "Rushdown." Before he went back to using one of his clawed gauntlets to dislodge something from his hoof. Oh god, its the pony equivalent of Emoticus Duckbuttius...

"Oh... my..." until I heard her voice, I didn't even notic- Is that a kirin? It was a pony covered in scales, and had a serpentine tail and batlike wings, as well as a pair of backwards pointing horns.Upon her noticing me, she 'eep's and hides behind Flint. If it weren't for her personality, I would have labeled her a Mary Sue on the spot.

Hear that? That was the sound of my brain imploding from something so awesome and badass acting so cute and adorable. I sit down, hoping to appear less intimidating. She slowly inched out from behind Flint. "I-i-i'm D-d-dovah... S-s-sorry for being s-s-scared of you..." dawwwwww. Oh jeeze...

"Uhhh, Impulse, can you let go now? I'm losing circulation in my leg..." he obliges.

"Oi! Sorry it took us so long to get here, Lyra was busy 'playing' with Bo-"

*Smack!* "You are not dragging my sex life into this, Tavish! Even Courage agrees with that!" I turn to see Courage nodding in agreement. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Say, wheres Vinyl and Snowflake?" They were also suppose to be here, weren't they?

"Their busy running the Wub Shack, it full of ponies AND changelings now..." oh boy, I don't think they're going to be joining us...

Suddenly, I am overcome with a feeling of dread. Two loud gasps rang out, which could only meen one thing...

Pinkie had met Wendy...

Larry facehoofed. "Let the stupid commence..."

...

And commence it did.

I was still trying to get the caramel out of my mane... as well as the ash... Damit Tavish, you just had to give Flint fireworks, didn't you... Lyra and Rushdown got into a fight, that only ended when they were both about to literally rip each others throats out. Larry got along well with Twilight, saying that they were the only sane pony/changeling in town. When Dovah meet Fluttershy, it was hilarious, Fluttershy saw she looked like like a dragon, and started screaming, which frightened Dovah, and made her start screaming, which made Fluttershy scream louder, and so on and so forth, until they both passed out from fright. Impulse, Wendy, Pinkie, and Rainbow, or the Chaos Quartet, as we now call them, went on a pranking spree that would have made the devil weep with envy, it got worse though, CMC pranksters happened... I take full responsibility for giving them that idea... When we got back to the hive, Impulse managed to piss off the Hive Guardian, who knocked him into a wall, before Dovah went Hulk on it, and literally plowed it into a wall. Watching someone with Fluttershys personality body check something nearly thrice her size and pin it to a wall, before roaring in its face and spraying embers everywhere, was a sight to behold. After she snapped out of her frenzy, she ran over to Impulse and checked him for injuries, before shaking him awake. Boy did he get chewed out for that, yet he claimed it was 'totally worth it.' If he's this stupid sober, remind me to never get him drunk, he might just forget physics apply to him and start flying with the power of ignorance. I managed convince Dovah to take Kaminari, after seeing how brutal she can be, by telling her at the very least it would make a great defibrillator.

I swear, Tavish knew this was going to happen, as he gave me a bottle of the strongest stuff he had when the Chaos Quartet started throwing caramel everywhere. Unfortunately, it appears alicorns have über-livers, as I barely felt a buzz from chugging the whole thing. When I asked around for something that could get me drunk, I kept getting told 'we don't need a repeat of the Molestia incident'. Damn, Sunbutt's decency goes down the drain when she gets drunk.

Still, I slept like a corpse that night.

training and a raid gone wrong

So, Shining Armor had come to help train the troops, but I told him to let me show him how to do it, American style. Putting on a snarl, I began pacing in front of the newbies to my training course from hell.

"'If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight! Even if your ruler forbids it.' Sun Tzu said that, and I'd say he knows a little more than you do pals, because he wrote the book on it! And then perfected so that nothing could beat him on the field of battle! When I'm through with you sorry sacks of scum, you will become an instrument of divine retribution, and rain down judgment upon our enemies!" Shining had pulled out a notepad and was writing down my speech.

Wendy raises a hoof. "Whats a zoo got to do with this?"

I give her a flat glare. "What you just said, is the most insanely idiotic thing I have ever heard. Everyone here is dumber for having listened to it. May Celestia have mercy on your soul." She visibly deflated. "Now the first thing on our agenda is psychological warfare, do any of you maggots know what that is?" Silence. "You scumbags are more hopeless than I thought! Sometimes, your greatest weapon, is your foes own imagination. The phrase nothing is scarier, is more literal than you think! By remaining unseen, you can neutralize targets, and leave your does scrambling to figure out what the fuck just happened! And then you can isolate them, and use their worst fears against them, to obtain whatever info you need, as well as leave a quivering husk of their former selves for their allies to find!" Surrounding myself with miasma, I took the form of what I had beaten Chrysalis with. "Let their nightmaresss come to life, and watch assss they sssscream in absssolute fear..." before turning back, and savoring the looks of absolute terror on their faces... Before Wendy began laughing, her mane having visibly deflated, and her eyes narrowed psychotically.

"Hehehe... oh, we are are going to have so much FUN together... ravaging both their bodies and their minds until they WISH we had killed them... It fills my heart with joy..." I heard a faint 'buck she went Wendygo again' but couldn't figure out who said it.

Turning to Lyra I smirked. "Their all yours..."

She smirked back knowing where this was going. "With pleasure... So which one of you punks is gonna fight me first?" Impulse, predictably, was the first to step up... and got wrecked within twenty seconds.

Wendy, or i guess Wendygo right now, leapt at Lyra, and dodged the first few blows, before falling for a feint, and getting destroyed within a minute.

Flint lit himself on fire and bum rushed her, hoping to catch her off guard, only to be knocked out by a buck to the face.

Larry shook his head, and attempted to attack from the air, but was grabbed and plowed into the ground.

Rushdown charged her, and LET himself be hit, before spinning and delivering a cross counter to Lyra's gut, causing her to double over in pain, and then uppercutting her, only for Lyra to use the momentum to flip, and deliver a double hoofed kick to the chest, knocking the breath out of him, before pinning him, and placing a hoof on his neck, saying "you're dead."

Lyra rushed Dovah, who steeled herself, before launching a crippling counter offensive, striking Lyra in every join she could reach, and leaving her moaning on the ground. She hefted her up gently, before putting her on her back. "It should take about twenty minutes for the pain to subside, you'll be perfectly fine after that." Damn, she's a kirin, and a COMBAT medic! I watched as she gently roused the others who had been knocked out, and applying some kind of salve to their bruises, all while humming a happy little tune that reminded me of rainbows and pop tarts. I couldn't help but 'dawwww' at the sweetness of it. How can she be so cute, yet so badass.

"At least SOMEONE can defend themselves in hoof to hoof, unlike the rest of you nutjobs, and Larry..." Larry raised his hoof to object, but then realized what exactly I had said, and kept quite. "Now then, lets really begin..."

So after a month doing the training from hell, which included waking up at two in the morning, and running through the Everfree...

"ALLRIGHT CHUMPS, GET YOUR SORRY FLANKS UP AND LOAD UP, WE'RE GOING FOR A RUN!!" My declaration was met with multiple groans. "QUIT WHINING AND START RUNNING, OR DO YOU WANT TO RUN A SECOND LAP THROUGH THE EVERFREE?" They shut up after that.

as well as an explanation to Shining...

"Chi, don't you think you're being too cruel?" Shining had become rather concerned over my training method.

"Thats the point, they will put aside their difference and unite over their hatred of me." Shining paused for moment.

"I never thought of like that... it's bloody brilliant!" He began scribbling down more notes, muttering about putting Blueblood though this, which i agree with wholeheartedly.

And that was just me. Lyra's sparring sessions usually ended with dislocated limbs.

God, Lyra can be vicious when she wants to be, so far I've seen her dislocate Impulse's front right hoof, dropped Flint onto her knee hard enough to leave him crying, and she REALLY hates Rushdown, she sacked him AND THEN dislocated his left wing,and twisted it to inflict even more pain. Dovah still won against her half the time, using her anatomical knowledge to her advantage, not to mention she could tell what was dislocated at a glance, and not simply sprained.

The sword training with Courage resulted in a lot of cuts, especially after Wendy stopped using a sword and started using a hatchet, that she dubbed 'Mr. Choppy.'

Wendy was nuts, she had tossed aside her sword, and was laughing. "Ohhh Courage... Mr.Choppy would like to have a word with you..." and then pulled a hatched out of nowhere, and started going at him with exponentially more skill than she did with a sword. They kept going, and going, until they both collapsed, covered in cuts, from exhaustion, much to everyone's shock.

And lets just say that letting Tavish, Impulse, Wendy, and Flint work together resulted in the training field looking like the result of a Michael Bay movie.

"You're saying that you made an incendiary cluster bomb? And set it off in the middle of the goddamn training grounds?!" They all smile innocently.

"Because why the buck not, we did it for SCIENCE!" Oh god why... At this point Larry walked in, and upon seeing the destruction, walked over to wall and began slamming his head into.

"Why *slam* do I *bam* put up *wham* with you *smack* PSYCHOS!!!!" *CRACK* he had headbutted his way through the wall, and was now unconscious.

"Uhhhh, someone should get Dovah..."

This torment had finally gotten our little group up to snuff, and we were preparing for our first raid, on a den disturbingly close to Ponyville. For some reason I swear I heard someone doing a Vader impression.

Larry had become unbelievably snarcastic, and had started using a short sword as well as throwing knives. Dovah had developed a bit of a sadistic streak, as she claimed she made her first aid hurt 'so they would think before doing it again.' Wendy had apparently developed a seventh sense, that seemed to warn her of incoming attacks moments before they happen. (fun fact, changelings can sense emotions.) Rushdown had dedicated himself to close quarters combat which combined with the clawed gauntlets he wears, allows him to fight like goddamn Wolverine, and stealth, as he was now able to sneak up on Wendy and Pinkie without being noticed. Impulse could use nearly anything as a weapon, be it a wooden 2X4, a frying pan, or even a sandwich. (you do NOT want to know...) Flint had apparently managed to start delivering flaming punches shaped like a phoenix, at which I told him was a very good thing, as it meant his masculinity was so awesome it caught fire.

It was around this time that Spike burst in, hyperventilating. An incoherent stream of words flew from his mouth, before I placed my hoof over it. "Now when I remove my hoof, you are going to speak calmly and clearly, okay?" He nodded rapidly, and I removed it.

"Rarity... Gem hunting... Diamond dogs... Captured... Again..." he was still breathless from running all the way here. Well that both simplifies and complicates things.

"Changelings and gentleponies, there has been a change of plans, the diamond dogs have gotten one of the Bearers. We're moving out tonight!"

-Ribbon, things have taken an unexpected turn, the mutts got Rarity. I'm going to have to mobilize Tenchu squad early.-

'Rarity? She was one of my best customers. I haven't heard anything from her since the wedding.'

-More than likely trying to figure out what a changelings idea of fashion is.-

'We don't have one, we can change size, weight, and color. No, I think she is maybe avoiding us.'

-Perhaps after, we can sit down with her and talk about why she's been avoiding you.-

'I know why. I was feeding off her and her sister for... awhile, and she knows it. every Spa visit, every sitting for Sweetie, and every time I gave her an order she liked. '

-Well, shit, that makes it very complicated, at least with me around that isn't a problem for you anymore.-

'I wonder how Ponyville has been since Pinkie's full of energy again.'

-Everything she bakes is somehow imbued with happy. And no, I have no idea how she does it either...-

I get no response. I think Ribbon just BSOD'd.

The moon had begun rising, it was time. "Okay, heres the plan, Dovah, you work on freeing the captives, and providing them medical attention, Flint, I want you to keep the diamond dogs off Dovahs back. Impulse, Rushdown, and Larry, you three make sure that the captives get out safely."

Larry piped up. "What about you and Wendy?"

The two of us smiled wickedly, and shifted my form to bone white changeling that had destroyed Chrysalis, managing to get the black eyes without using dark magic this time. Meanwhile, Wendy had changed into the form I had told her about, she had taken the form of an apparently, petrified pegasus, covering her face with her forhoofs, before with the sound of stone grinding on stone, they fell revealing her face twisted into a demonic snarl. Heh, seventh sense that allows you to tell, among other things, when you're being watched, and the ability to shapeshift, means you can do a spot on impression of a Weeping Angel. "Letssss jussst sssay we're going to sssstir up a ssshitssstorm...."

-hey Ribbon, how do you walk on walls, because I just had a crazy thought. If I transformed into a changeling, would I be able to walk on walls like you do?-

'Uh, if you thought to give yourself that then, I guess so. among other things.'

-Among other things... You have my interest...-

'Well, what do you think your basic drone can do? I can tell you if you're right or missing something.

-What about that gel stuff? It might come in handy.-

'Alright, Changelings, instead of a 'normal' stomach, have sac used for gel. Anything we eat is turned into gel and kept there. If the sac needs emptying, we throw it up.' meh, could be worse, it could come out the other end. Letting my miasma enshroud me, I made the necessary changes, before letting it dissipate.

We made our way to the gem fields, where after me and Wendy out of sight, Dovah slammed the ground with Kaminari, trying to get the dogs attention.

It worked, and a paw rose from the ground to grab Dovah, before Rushdown grabbed it, and yanked the dog out, before slamming it headfirst into the ground, K.O.ing it. Now that we had our entrance, the pony jumped down, while me and the changelings simply walked down the sides of the tunnel. After everyone got out of the way, Wendy plummeted down, before landing on the ground, and kicking up dirt. With the plan already discussed, me and Wendy went on the prowl, Wendy leading while I followed on the ceiling, looking for someone to interrogate.

When Wendy suddenly froze, I pulled myself up against the ceiling, where I was hidden by the shadows. Three sets of footsteps echoed down the corridor. "We got whiny pony again, this time we muzzled it, so no annoying sounds." The voice was coming from the large black one. They must be talking about Rarity.

"Hey Lupin, when we get pony statue?" This one, small and brown, turned to the black one, looking confused. Using telekinesis, I made a rock tumble from the wall behind them, causing them to spin around in fright...

Wendy bolted up to the third one, this one lage and grey, before audibly snapping his neck. The noise caused them to spin around again, just as I positioned my self over head. "Wha- IT KILLED FANG! IT KILLED FANG, GROWL, IT KILLED HIM!" Lupin screamed, causing the one named Growl to begin trembling. Lining it up, I dislodged a small portion of my glands contents, which felt weird as all hell, and hit Growl in the eyes. "ARRRRGH, MY EYES!" Lupin spun to look at try and get it off him, but Wendy was upon him almost instantly, and with a feral snarl on her face, she broke Lupins neck, before Growl managed to pel the gel off. "NOOOO IT GOT LUPIN!! YOU MONSTER!!!" I channeled a small amount of dark magic, not enough to form any crystals, but enough to cause the bleeding eye effect.

*Drip* A droplet of blood landed on Growls snout, and his eyes widened greatly. I motioned to Wendy to leave this one to me.

*drip* Growls head slowly turned up. Upon make eye contact with me, I hissed, and pounced, putting him in a chokehold before he could scream, and waited until he passed out before releasing him. Holding him against the cavern wall, I regurgitated more of the glands contents, shuddering as I did so, and adhered him to the wall. Wendy made sure to stand right over my shoulder, before covering her face, while I slapped him awake.

"Huh, wha-" he froze, noticing me and Wendy, and struggled momentarily before realizing he was stuck to the wall.

I began laughing madly. "Now then..." I gently caressed his face with one of my forehooves. "You are going to tell me where you're keeping the poniessss and changelingssss you've abducted." I began crushing his face against the wall. "And I may jusssst let you live, otherwise..." to prove my point, i caused a spike of crystal to erupt close enought to his face to cut him slightly. I lean in and lick the cut, faking a shudder of arousal. "I going to have sssso much FUN with you..."

"I TALK, I TALK! THE ENTRANCE IS IN IN THE ALPHAS DEN, ITS CONNECTED TO THE CENTRAL CHAMBER!" Having gotten what I wanted, I ripped him loose, and held him up to my face, and roared, before dropping him and watching him flee.

"Run little mutt, run! Tell them that the Blood Moon has risssen, and will rain divine retribution upon you for your crimessss!" I began laughing, and watched as Wendy laughed silently, before reverting to her changeling form, out of breath.

"That took... A lot more... Energy... Than I... Expected... Needed... A lot... Of extra... Mass... For something... My size... Totally... Worth it... Though..." she paused, letting her breathing calm, before resuming. "We know where they are keeping the captives now, we need to tell the rest of Tenchu squad." I nod my agreement, and we walk up to the ceiling, and began trekking back to inform the squad on the captives whereabouts.

Upon getting back, Wendy dropped from the ceiling, and moved down to meet them. "We got the captives location everyone, behind the alphas den, which is connected to the central cavern, lets move it!"

We met no opposition on the way there, because as it turns out, every last diamond dog was there. Our strategy was simple, we would go for shock and awe, hopefully scaring them into surrendering. The plan is simple, once we determined who the alpha was I was going to go old-school on their asses. "Guys, when I transform, I want you to get on my back, and start blasting stuff." They gave me looks of 'what the deuce?' "You might want to back up..." when they saw the amount of miasma I was surrounding myself with, they backpedaled rapidly.

From the cloud erupted a beast the likes Equestria had never seen. When I said old-school, I meant old as in 65 million years old... I was now a motherfucking T-Rex. Seeing what I was going to do, they clambered onto my back, before I began charging.

*THOOM* every single diamond dog turned towards the source of the noise, confused.

*THOOM* when they realized It was getting louder, they began panicking.

I came barrling from the shadows, roaring, Dovah adding her own roar as well. It was abouyt now I realized that I was tiring extremely quickly. Following the sound of screaming ponies and changelings, I plowed through the rather narrow entrance to the alphas den, before bulldozing my way through like a freight train hitting motorcycle, not even slowing before reaching a large cavern full of cages, contain ponies, and changelings alike. Unable to take the strain any longer, I reverted to my normal form, me and Impulse skidding along the ground, while the others simply hoverd. Dovah immediately got to work, and began bringing Kaminari down on the cages locks, breaking them, and setting their occupants free. Larry looked down the tunnel we had emerged from, and froze.

"Oh buck! That has got to be the entire pack!" Crap! And I'm nothing but dead weight right now! I can even lift my head... I could feel darkness encroaching upon my vision, when I heard the sound of crying, children crying... Something in me broke, and an inferno of hellfire flooded my body. I HAD to get these ponies and changelings to safety, even if it kills me... When I opened my eyes, I was viewing myself, yet when I tried to move, nothing happened. I watched as the very shadows of the cave flowed towards my body, before puddling around it, and seemed to disappear. My body rose off the ground, floating.

That was when things went to hell.

My eyes snapped open, bathing everyone in the same bluish-green as my magic, and a wraithlike scream emerged from my throat. Ponies and changelings were enveloped by the glow of my magic, before disappearing. When It was just me and the diamond dogs, my screaming intensified, and my body arced, pain beyond pain shooting through my body, and I released a shockwave of magic, knocking the diamond dogs over, before releasing a second shockwave of dark magic, causing crystal to erupt from every available surface, impaling a large majority of the dogs.

*Rumble* nooooo, not good, not good at all. Suddenly, pieces of the cavern ceiling began tumbling down around me. This is very bad, I don't want to get crushed... I had no magic left in me, and was on the verge of blacking out, when I saw the weirdest thing, my body seemed to dissolve into miasma, and the cloud just hovered there, as I felt rocks and dirt pass through me, scattering me, it did feel weird, but it didn't hurt. I finally passed out after that, the stress and fatigue finally taking its toll.

God... I feel like an overstretched rubber band, really overstretched. I could FEEL multiple forms moving within me, as well as spikes and what felt like a pile of something, suddenly, one of the forms bolted to the pile, and began digging at a frantic pace, before the other forms swiftly joined it. When they didn't find what they were looking for, the first form collapsed to the ground., and appeared to begin crying. Goddamit Chitsuki, pull yourself togeth- suddenly memories of the cave in came rushing back, I had dissolved into a cloud of miasma, and had been more than likely scattered by the falling rocks. I literally needed to pull myself together... focusing on my original form, I felt myself beginning to shrink, and heard a familiar gasp from the sobbing form. It was Ribbon! She must have been looking for me! As I shrunk to my original size, things began becoming clearer, as I began solidifying, upon finishing the process, I was Glomped by Ribbon, and but in an ungodly strong death grip. Can't breath!

"Too tight... Need air..." can't oxygen, need think...

"Don't... Care." She slackened her death grip, and I inhale sharply, before the pain hits.

"Ohhh gooood, my heaaaaaaaad..." I clutch my forehead, right below my horn.

Ribbon gives me a sympathetic look. "Magical exertion will do that. Come on, lets get you out of here."

where light fears to tread

I awoke to the mother of all headaches, and staring Ribbon in the eyes, she looked rather startled. "What, is there something on my face? Oh god, its a spider, isn't it... GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETI- Ow!" In my panicked flailing, I had whacked myself in the face.

"I-it's not a spider. Your eyes are red!" Wait, what? Bolting upright, I get out of the bed and slowly walk towards tuo bathroom, before looking in the mirror, and lo and behold, they were indeed red. Freaky...

*Grumble* ohhhhhhhh... shiiiiiiiiit... got up to fast... SHE'S GONNA BLOW!!! I immediately bolt to the toilet.

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURGE! Oh go- HUUUUUUUUUURGE! Whyyyy- HUUUUUUUUUUUURGE!" After my stomach had finished with its explosive expulsions, I turned and saw Ribbon standing in the doorway.

"Maybe you should stay in and rest. I'm going to check with Twilight about your eyes." Please do.

I groan, still in pain. "you go do that." I dry heave.

Ribbon grabs a rubber band from somewhere, and uses it to put my mane into a ponytail (puns, it burrrrns) to keep it out out of my face. "If you need anything ask one of the guards."

I nod, before shambling back to the bed, and collapsing on it. I curled up into ball even wrapping my wings around myself, before falling asleep.

"Chi. Chi wake up. I need to do a few tests, OK?" A faint whisper woke me from my slumber.

"Snargesblarfuful... Just five more minutes mom..." I want my sleep dammit.

"Chi, I need to check you magic, to see if its corrupted at all." Someone started nudging me.

"Alright, alright. I'm up, happy mo- oh... Hey Twi..." my eyes flicker open to the sight of Twilight giving me a WTF look, before getting back on track.

"Your eyes are red," She scribbles something down on a notepad. "I need you to sit up please."

"Allright..." I get up slowly, not wanting to start vomiting again. "What's the diagnosis, doc?"

I feel a cold helmet get plopped on my head, with dozens of wires leading to some strange machine. "I'll know in a second."

"Are you sure you're not a mad scientist?" I swear, if she shouts 'I have no idea'...

I was completely ignored. "No, thats not right." She keeps glancing back and forth between me and the data. "Mmmm..." suddenly, everything is purple, even the purple is purpler. The glow fades, and Twilight is staring at me like I'm some kind of freak. "I-i-imposs-s-sable!! H-h-how can you n-n-aturally p-p-prouduce d-dark m-magic!?"

"Maybe because I 'inherited' the Nightmares magic and body? It was the manifestation of Lunas 'dark' side after all." It made a twisted sort of sense, if you thought about it.

"Ok, ok. I have to tell, Princess Celestia about this. SPIKE!!!"

"I'm right here, you didn't need to yell." He steps out from behind the machine, before writing something down, and igniting it.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much of a shitstorm do you think this will cause?" I would like to be prepared for the worst.

Twilight prepares to answer , only for Ribbon to walk in. "I'm guessing by the expression it's not good?"

I pull the helmet off. "Apparently I can produce dark magic naturally."

"So, not good then. I'm guessing more training will be involved?" Twilight nods.

Something hits me. "Wait, does that mean every time I've used my miasma, I've been using dark magic?"

Twilight nods. "Yes, so you should probable stop using it."

Ribbon face hoofs and quietly mutters. "I doubt she will."

"Correction, I should stop using the bastardized version I used to make crystals, wich was normal magic fueled with rage, as I've never shown any signs of corruption from using my miasma." Logic!

Twilight scribbles more down. "That's not the problem. If you keep using dark magic like that, your normal magic will become corrupted, right now the two balance each other, but that'll change if you over do it."

"I have to ask, what would happen if I used normal and dark magic at the same time?"

Twilight gave me worried look. "Nothing good, you could expose your pure magic to the dark magic and corrupt it instantly... or it could do nothing at all."

Ribbon seemed to space out for a moment, but I knew better, and could tell she was communicating with the Hive Mind. "A chairet just showed up, I'll have the Princess escorted here by one of the drones."

"Remember to tell the Hive Guardian their safe, we don't need the princesses reenacting the incident with Impulse and Dovah."

"He's fine" Twilight looks at Ribbon expectantly "No, you can't see him, yes I'll tell you later, and ask Impulse if you want to know what he did."

This its perfect. "To quote Larry, 'stupid commenced.'" The look on Twilight face. Priceless.

"Why do we have to work with the crazys".

I smirk, and prepare a witty response, only for Celestia to walk in. "I came as fast as I could when I got the message." Of course you did... Molly. She saw me looking at her, and gasped upon seeing my changed eyes. "Oh my, I can see why you sent for me."

Twilight gave Celestia a worried look. "Princess, she's naturally generating dark magic..."

Celestia glares at me. "Oh? And why would that be? How many times have you been doing this Chitsuki?"

I glare back. "That depends, do you mean the bastardized version, which is actually normal magic fueled by my rage, or do mean the true version, that i realized I've been doing ever since I woke up in this body?"

Celestia blinks. "Either one is cause concern."

Twilight begins pacing. "Princess, she has two wells of magic, one is corrupted, but the other is not. What should we do?"

Celestia stops to contemplate this for a minute, before Ribbon has an idea. "Teach her..." Everyone stops and stares. "Teach her to use her normal magic and her dark magic separately. Twilight said that her two powers were balancing each other, so if she learns to use the dark magic and her magic separately, shouldn't she be ok?" Ribbon, I think you just out-logic'd a politician... I'm so proud...

"If we're done discussing this, I'm going back to sleep." I curled back up into a ball, and dozing off.

A couple of days later, Celestia returned, and after make her why to me and Ribbons room, began showing slight signs of excitement.

"So this is what you're going to learn, you're going to learn how to use your two magical wells independently of each other." Celestia was pacing in front of me like a drill sergeant, which actually creeped me out.

"So you're basically saying that if I filter out my normal magic from my umm, shadow, magic, I can avoid cross contamination, right?" Celestia nods, albit with a confused look on her face.

"It sounds simple in theory, but it is actually much harder... And 'shadow' magic?"

"Have you noticed how when I use my miasma, the area around me gets colder? That doesn't happen with dark magic, and building on that, when you first had me try to find my magic, and I found four different sources? Twilight said I was producing dark magic, but shes incorrect, as my miasma actually comes from that fourth source, meaning I couldn't be producing dark magic, I'm actually producing shadow magic, which I'm beginning to believe is essentially dark magic without the corruptive side effects, you with me so far?" Frankly, I was surprised that she kept a straight face through that. After a couple moments of silence, she blinked.

"You've put some some thought into this, haven't you?"

I give her a 'no shit' look. "I've spent the last few days either sleeping, or staring at the ceiling. Yes I've put a lot thought into this."

"Oh." Celestia pauses, seemly trying to formulate a response. "So, if you used your 'shadow' magic in place of dark magic, would it effect the spell in any noticeable way?" She was looking at me expectantly, and had levitated a notepad out from somewhere.

I snickered. "I see where Twilight got her study habits from." Celestia nods, proving my suspicion. "I'm guessing you want a demonstration?" Another nod. "Just give me a second..." reaching inside of my self, I tried to channel magic, but instead of drawing from my unicorn magic, I tried to draw from my shadow magic.

"Interesting..." opening my eyes, I noticed my horn glowing a deep scarlet, instead of the supernatural greenish blue it normally did, as well as feeling rather cold. Focusing on a spot on the floor, and willing it, I caused a hoof sized lump of crimson colored crystals to emerge, before the headache returned, and I cut power.

"Ow, shouldn't have done that, the headaches back." Celestia nods in understanding.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew. Nope, all the nope, I did not just see that..." Twilight had apparently just seen something gross.

"Isn't nature fascinating?" And Fluttershy was completely unfazed. Wow.

-Ribbon, why is Twilight freaking out?-

'I told her something gross hoping she'd leave me alone for a bit.'

-How gross? And why is Fluttershy not disturbed in the slightest by it?-

'Remember when I layed an egg? Yeah, we don't reporduce asexualy, so I showed her the hatchery, and Fluttershy tagged along.' I do NOT want to know.

Watching as the duo walked away, I saw the confused look on Celestias face. "Are you alright Chitsuki? You spaced out for a moment." Oh crap...

I shudder. "It times like this I hate having an overactive imagination, I just HAD to picture what grossed her out... and trust me, you don't wanna know what I thought of..."

She nods. "If that's all, I will be taking my leave." After she walks out, I notice pink in the corner of my eye.

"Hey Pinkie, what brings you here?" When I blink, shes gone, and a box of cupcakes are in her place... THAT was creepy, normally she won't shut up. Opening the box, I saw about a dozen assorted flavors.

"Pardon me darling, am I interrupting something?" Oh, Rarity actually came?

"I don't think its possible to interrupt Pinkie happening."

"True."

"I'm guessing you only came here because everyone else did?" She blinked, surprised.

"Was I really that obvious?" Yes Rarity, you were about as subtle as a neon sign.

"Yes, yes you were. Now could you please tell me why you've been avoiding changelings at every opportunity, and Ribbon in particular?"

-Ribbon, I've got Rarity in here, and I'm trying to talk her though why she's been avoiding you and changelings in general, think you could get Scoots to come here syo we can explain how we met, and got her over her fear of you?-

"Ribbon had been looking after Sweetie Belle, without me knowing she was a changeling! What if she's been feeding off he-"

"Stop right there, Ponyville is so full of love that she didn't need to feed of anyone, and I was perfectly fine with her feeding off of me anyway. I will not let you go and badmouth Ribbon. Do I make myself clear?" She nodded, silenced by the look I was giving her.

'Sure, though I doubt she'll come here but I have been wanting to go back to Ponyville again. I've been avoiding my house since the... mail monster incident.'

-What happened this time?-

'Assassination attempt or prank gone bad, I'm not sure, but apparently all of Equestria knows that, Tattered Ribbon, Ponyville's primary blacksmith is now The changeling Queen.'

"B-b-bu-"

"Look, if you're going to let your prejudices get in the way, just go home, and I'll see about discussing this in a setting you're more comfortable with." As I finish that sentence, I grab a cupcake and bite into it.

-well shit, better brace for the inevitable political shitstorm.-

"Perhaps that would be best..." she slowly trudges out, still quite nervous from being here.

'Do you think Fluttershy would make a good nurse? because she won't stop asking about the egg.'

-Definitely, she second only to you in keeping the CMC under control after all, not to mention she's looked after practically every type of creature at some point or another.-

Silence. She must be dealing with Fluttershy... OHHH, this one tastes like bananas! Wait, did I just eat the whole box? Yes, yes I did.

Spam, Spam, Spam, Ohhh, an Invite!

After another several days of resting, I was able to use basic telekinesis. To celebrate my recovery, me and Ribbon returned to Ponyville to relax for a while. Ribbon however, seemed to be experiencing a feeling of dread. “Hopefully your mail problem isn’t as bad as you made it out to be…” unfortunately, when the door to her house was opened, I was proven wrong. Spam, spam everywhere. "And I thought paperwork multiplied quickly..."

"There might be some that in here too." oh, joy… Grabbing a letter, I open it to see what kind of spam it is, only for it to be… a foals drawing? that wasnt even the most confusing part, the drawing was of me and Ribbon riding either a very badly drawn dragon, or SCP-682. either way, still pretty badass. I smile at the levels of awesome that would be if it was real, before showing it to Ribbon.

“Well, at least it’s not all hate mail, you’ve got fans.” that doesn't seem to cheer her up.

"Yes. I went from nopony, to Changeling royalty and Equestrian celebrity in just a few days." Oh, OH… she doesn't want so much publicity period.

“Look at it this way Ribbon, you’re on the map now, you should use this to try and get changelings recognized as sapient beings across the globe.” Ribbon sighs.

"Maybe. The only beings that really knew of us were the griffons, and as, Celestia said. They're edgy as is, and Diamond dogs will always ignore the law, they always have."

As we continued talking I grabbed and opened another letter and rea- wow, this is more colorful than Rainbows mane... I toss it over my shoulder muttering 'haters gonna hate.'

"Hey Chi, Ribo- wait, what?" How the? I think we just got ninja'd by a half asleep Scootaloo. She shakes her head, before a stupid grin appears on her face. "CHI!" She then glomps me.

*Bark!* ah, theres Gary. He follows Scootaloo around wherever she goes, which is actually kinda cute. Still, I wish I could have seen everyones faces that time Scoots rode him to the schoolhouse.

"Hey Chi, Ribbon, I've been wondering, do you mind if I introduce you two to my classmates?" She does this complete with puppy eyes.

"Hmmpf, fine. They don't know yet, do they?" How... I just showed you a foals drawing of me and you riding 682/a dragon! How do you not know?!

"Yeah, they know, and want to see anyways." Entertaining children is always fun.

Ribbon blinks. "They want to see me? I'm not doing any tricks."

I can't help but roll my eyes at that. "Ribbon, their children, they find anything out of the ordinary fascinating."

"I don't care, I'm still not doing any tricks." You don't say. After the two of us disguised, we followed after Scootaloo, who lead us on a short walk, until we reached the schoolhouse where every single foal stopped what they were doing.

"Hey, Ms. Cherilee, I brought them!" Wait, isn't she one of the ponies involved in what I like to call the 'CMC shippers' incident?

"I... see what you mean about them not drawing attention..." I can't help but chuckle at Cherilee's look of disbelief.

As we walked into the schoolhouse, the foals following behind Cherilee, before we reached the classroom. "Uh, Ribbon? Which one of us should go first?"

She sighs. "I might as well..." when she transformed, I couldn't help but smile as the foals 'ohhhh'ed and 'ahhhh'ed at her changeling form. Several of them walked up to her and started looking at her from every available angle. Ribbon suddenly flinched, before turning and looking at one of the foals. "Don't do that, their sensitive." The culprit was... a miniature, unicorn version of Derpy. Oh god, she's multiplying, the Derpocalyps has begun...

"Why are you purple? All the Changelings I've seen are black with green eyes, not purple with blue ones." That was the small purple earth pony, who reminded me of Tavish's disguise.

"Well, miss..." she trailed off waiting for a name.

"Ruby Pinch."

"Well Ruby, I honestly have no clue, maybe it was Because I've been feeding exclusively off of Chi since before I became a Queen?"

I shrug. "Seems legit. Anyway, my turn. A bit of warning, this will more then likely creep you out." Allowing my form to shift back, I was greeted to stunned silence... OH, DERP! They didn't know about me being an alicorn. I hear Ribbon sigh in relief, she really doesn't like all the attention.

"Cool!"

"She has fangs!?"

"Another princess?"

"Look at her eyes..."

Seeing the look in on of the foals eyes, I realized she was plann-

"Of course the freak filly would hang out with bug monsters..." I hear Scootaloo muttering how 'I'll get you for that, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon...' "Maybe that why you're a black flank, maybe you and your friends are really changelings!"

"Yeah, gross bug monsters!" Oh god, and she has a cronie, that must be the Silver Spoon Scoots just mentioned... those motherfuckers!

'No! Don't do something stupid!'

-can I at least make fools of them?-

'As long as it isn't physical, yes.'

"This right here ponies, is a prime example of trolls!" Everyone responded with a unanimous 'wat'. "Now the important thing is that trolls want to get a reaction out of you, and once they do, they'll keep coming back for more, like what happens if you feed a seagull. Thus the important thing to remember, is do not feed the trolls, do not argue with trolls, as it means they won, by getting a reaction from you. And under no circumstances, hate them, as it will only make them stronger." Nearly everyone in the class burst out laughing, while Diamond and Silver stood there, with an 'oh crap' look on their faces. "I do believe my work here is done, see ya Scoots." Turning to Ribbon, I sigh. "We've still got all that mail to sort, don't we?" Its times like this I wish I could use Shadow Clones...

"Yeah. We can grab Lyra, get her to help. All she does is sit around ponyville and mooch off Bon Bon." Ribbon chuckles.

"Yeah, well, see ya Cherilee, class!" I was meet with numerous 'bye's. The two of us redisguising, we set off to find Lyra, only for Twilight to find us first.

"THERE you two are, I've been looking all over town for the two of you!" Oh joy, its Nerdzilla!

"What is it this time?" That mare, I swear she will break reality someday... it get real annoying real fast.

"Hey, Twilight." Well, apparently Ribbon doesn't find it as annoying.

"I just got a message from princess Celestia, you two, me, and the rest of the Bearers are wanted in Canterlot, something about it being to sensitive to mention in a letter." Okay, if she can't mention it in a letter more than likely sent via Spike, it MUST be important."

"I'm never going to clean out my house. Maybe I should just throw changelings at it, that worked before." Worth a shot.

"It'll have to wait, the others are waiting for us in town square." We promptly follow Twilight, and get there within three minutes. Of course, before we walk into their line of sight, I remember that they don't know that Night Sight is my disguise, so I revert to normal, not wanting to ruin its integrity any further. As well as getting ready to do something stupid...

"I've got them girls, we can head for the station now!"

"Why in tarnation would we be needed as soon as possible any-"

Everything flashed the color of my magic.

"WAH-HA-HAAA!"

"Weeeeeeee!"

"Oh, bu-"

Before we promptly crash landed on the floor in front of the throne room, covered in ash.

Twilight and Rainbow had landed on top of each other, in the most suggestive of positions, Applejack was sandwiched between Rarity and Fluttershy, and Pinkie... was on my head.

Ribbon was the only one who saw this coming, and had started hovering right before I teleported them.

After Pinkie jumped of my head, I shook the ash out like a wet dog, much to everyone's annoyance.

Twilight huffed in frustration, and after getting off Rainbow, released a spell that got rid of most of the ash.

*Thump* Everyone spun around at that noise, to see Blueblood passed out on the floor.

One of the guards on finally gotten over their shock, and spoke to us. "Chitsuki, Twilight, the princess wanted to speak to you two personally." Nodding, I lead the way into the throne room, to see a worried Celestia, whose face quickly morphed to one of surprise.

"When did you get here?"

...

Did you not hear the commotion outside? "I teleported us, although the landing was rough..." she raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"That's rather impressive. How long have you been practicing long range?" Ummm lemme think here...

"About 2 months, why?" Teleporting is fun once you get the hang of it, not as fun as flying, but you get the idea. Twilight looks at me with a WTF look on her face.

"It's no wonder we were singed and covered in ash!" She give me a glare, but it doesn't faze me.

"I'm guessing this is of utmost importance, if you didn't even mention it in the letter. Pleeeease don't tell me Discord got free." I hate that Q wannabe's guts, he hurt Ribbon! If he does get free, me and him are going to have a little talk...

"No. An enemy far worse than Discord has awoken. Even Discord had morals, he never outright killed and always made a game so you could win, even if he stacked it against you." Celestia grabs a crystal from a podium by the throne. "I'm afraid the Crystal empire has returned, and with it, the most vile and hateful enemy my sister and I have ever faced." Okay, that does sound bad, makes this guy seem like a vicious supervillain.

"Yeah, he's gotta be powerful to prove a threat to you AND Luna... What did this guy do anyway?"

"He single handedly enslaved the entire Empire, and when we defeated him, he cursed the Empire to vanish. For a thousand years I thought it was gone forever. Twilight I want you and your friends to go to the Crystal empire and find a way to protect it from his dark magic."

Twilight nodded. "I'll do what I can, Princess."

"Lemme guess, while Twilight and co. focus on defence, you want me and Ribbon to take this guy out?" Oh yeah, this guy has pissed me off enough to terminate him with extreme prejudice.

"That might not be necessary. The Empire used to be a place of love and peace." Celestia shines a beam of light from her horn, into the crystal, the diffraction revealing a city of white and pink. "For as long as he can not reclaim what was taken from him, the city may force him out. But if you fail," Celestia uses a bit of dark magic to turn the crystal black, causing black and gray crystal growths to emerge in the refraction. "This is what may befall the empire." Yeah, that is a Bad Thing.

"Then what DO you want me and Ribbon to do?"

"The same as my student. I want you to help in finding a way to protect the Empire long term. Now go, princess Cadence and Shining Armor are already there, and good luck my little pony." And that was my cue to leave.

- You get that Ribbon? -

'I got it. But can you see why everypony's been acting the way they have about your dark magic?' damn, she's right.

Walking out, I interrupt Twilight before she can explain.

"Road trip!"

...Won't Stay Down

"...And that's how Keith wound up with third degree burns over 90% of his body, a broken leg, and three fractured ribs."

Rainbow and Pine were rolling on the floor, laughing, while Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Ribbon were all giving me WTF looks.

"Ahm confused, how in tarnation did he do that, with a beer, a handgun- whatever that is, a lighter, and a wooden 2x4?"

"Applejack, I have no idea, and that was only the SECOND most stupid thing he's done, and no Pinkie, we do not talk about trying to weaponize bread and a homemade teleporter." Everyone here but me, Rainbow, and Fluttershy were wearing scarves, and Ribbon was decked out in a coat and boots because as she put it 'Changelings do not like cold' "So Twilight, are we there yet?"

"How am I supp- WHAA!" The train stopped and tossed everypony out of their seats, while I face planted HARD.

"What the bloody deuce gives?" I get up, ready to go and see what the hell happened. Upon opening the door, I was greeted to a wall of cold. Exiting the car, I realize the train had plowed into a deep bank of snow, and wouldn't be getting out anytime soon. Returning to the car, I announce our run of bad luck. "Bad news everyone, trains stuck pretty good, we got no choice but to hoof it!" My announcement was met with unanimous groans.

Ribbon was already shivering from the cold. "Th-this is why I stay ind-doors." What? Its just frozen water...

"The sooner we get there, the sooner you ponies can get some hot chocolate!" That was met by total agreement.

Leading the group, we follow the tracks after finding them on the other side of the snow drift, and set off towards the Empire. I keep getting this ominous feeling though, like somethings stalking us... "Do any of you feel like you're being watched?" ...and everyone ignores me... how nice.

"Twily!" Oh, Shinings here. We both give each other a quick salute. "I was wondering why you hadn't arrived at the station yet!"

"Well as you can see, we hit the mother of all snow drifts, and had to start hoofing it." Suddenly, that ominous feeling intensifies, and I hear Shining gasp. Whirling around, I saw a black cloud beelining towards us. "DOUBLE TIME IT, PONIES!" They didn't need to be told twice.

As we approached the Empire, me and Shining realized that we weren't going to make it. "GO! I'll hold it of-" only for me to step in front of him, Akumu drawn, with a vicious snarl on my face.

"Like hell you will... FOR EQUESTRIA!" Whatever that cloud was, it was not expecting me to charge it head on, and stopped for a moment, during which Shining fled towards the Empire, trying to get behind it's barrier.

Charging into the cloud, I started firing blasts of magic and swinging my blade like a maniac, only for a sinister chuckle to echo somewhere in the cloud. Quickly shifting to my albino changeling form, which I had dubbed Inago, I heard a voice echo.

"Another dark magic user? This is... unexpected. I cannot allow you to interfere with my plans... Begone." a bolt of magic struck me from somewhere, and the next thing I know, I'm watching my body topple to the snow, unable to control a single muscle... I could already feel the cold due to my change of form, and knew that if I didn't get up soon, I would sucumb to hypothermia.

-Ribbon!!! Why can't I move anything!?!?-

'I'm coming. Hold on!' I feel Ribbon's magic lifting me into the air, before hurling me towards the barrier, but undershot slightly, so my body rolls inside.

-I felt that! Why am I not able to move?!?!-

Twilight ran up to me. "Chitsuki!"

Her brother showed equal concern. "What happened?"

Ribbon began searching over my body, looking for something out of the norm. "I don't know!" The panic in her voice was palpable.

-all I know is that cloud thingie spoke, before hitting me with some kind of magic beam.-

'I'm going to have to tell them about, this, aren't I?'

-Yup.-

'Shining's not going to be happy if he didn't already know about me' She takes a deep breath. "Ok where do I start? Uhh. You all know about me being a changeling, yes?" Cue several affirmative responses, and an uncomfortable look from Shining.

"And this is relevant how?" He glared at her, warily.

"When is something not relevant? Few months ago before I was connected to the main hive again Chi went poking around in my head, she did this by accident, but she ended up 'touching' the hivemind. Now she has a connection to me, just me. She may not look it, but she is awake right now."

-Twilight is going to ask for proof, so tell her about Rainbow giving her a bunch of reason's why she couldn't be her 'pet'-

"Prove it." Prediciatable Twilight is predictable.

"When Rainbow wanted a pet, she gave you a bunch of reasons why you could never be her 'pet'." Twilight immediately squeaked in fright, as a massive lush formed on her face, while Shining glared at Rainbow, who busy laughing. Everypony else was staring at me in horror, more than likely frightened by the fact that if I couldn't talk to Ribbon, I would be unable to interact with the outside world.

"Yeah, I believe you now..." Twilight was resisting the urge to pull a Fluttershy and hide behind her mane.

"Ok, uh. How do I say this? If a changeling is sick. No thats not right. If a changeling is to low on energy to move, or if they pass out, the Queen can take control of their body and more move them" She gives me a look. "but I need consent to do it now."

-My body is ready.-

'That sounded kinda creepy.' I feel a weird tingling sensation run through my body, before I watch as it somewhat jerkily, stood up, and reverted to my alicorn form, as everypony watched in shock. Then I noticed my eyes had a green glow to them. Wait, why the hell can I see myself?

-that tickled, and why am I seeing things from two viewpoints? Its creepy.-

'I don't know how to sort through all your senses and your body is confusing to move. the longer I have control the better I'll get and the more I can sort through.'

-This is weirder than that time I woke up and thought I was an octopus.-

Of course, I just get Ignored, and my body drunkenly follows Ribbon and the girls towards the large castle made of crystal. Luckily, the stumbling slowly subsided, as Ribbon figured out how to walk like a sober pony.

When we finally got to the throne room, my body was actually walking normally. Of course, then I had to watch Twilight and Cadences little 'greeting' when she looked at me however, her eyes widened and she backed into a corner, hyperventilating. "No, please Faust no! No! NOOOOO!" She was flipping out at the sight of- oh, the eye glow, like when that bitch mind controlled Shining.

-Ribbon, I think she's having a flashback.-

"Oh, Right. We should leave until she calms down." Ribbon walks out of the room, my body following her.

Overhearing something about a tyrant named Sombra, and how he hid away his only weakness, I started thinking. Now if I were a genre savvy villain, where would I hide my only weakness? Wait, idea!

-Ribbon, they said that Crystal Heart thingie is powered by love, right? Shouldn't you be able to determine the location of such a large concentration of love?-

"This whole place feels like an ocean of love to me, except the ponies that live here. If the Crystal Heart is still here, I'm not close enough to feel it in this place."

The doors swing open and Twilight and co walk out. "Chi, Ribbon, you two help me look for the Crystal Heart, the rest of you girls try and show them how to hold a fairly, Ponyville style."

We both follow Twilight, when Ribbon voices our concerns. "Was Cadence alright?"

Twilight shakes her head, sadly. "no, apparently Chrysalis affected her worse then we all thought, just seeing Chi like that caused her to have a flashback, and nearly pass out from fright." Shit... what the hell did that monster do to her?

"Knowing I'm in the city probably isn't going to help either." No, really?! The barrier started to flicker, each pause between going down and back up ever so slowly increasing.

-Ohhhh this is bad...-

'Very bad.' "We should hurry!" We rushed out of the castle, only to see that cloud from earlier waiting just outside of the barrier, somehow having formed a face, and was grinning wickedly. That cloud was Sombra?! He managed to slip a beam in between the flickers, and it was headed straight for Ribbon! Shit, and she can't dodge it without letting Twilight get hit! I watch in horror as it impacts with Ribbon, who was sent into Twilight knocking them for a loop and causing Ribbon to lose control of me. I immediately toppled to the ground, when I realized, THAT MOTHERF****ER HURT RIBBON!

I felt something in my head snap, and my limbs began moving under my own will again. "HEY SOMBRERO! YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME!" I slowly marched up to the cloud, shadow magic at the ready. I didn't care at this point if ponies got scared, I was the goddamn nuclear option! "WHATS THE MATTER, TOO SCARED TO FACE A MARE ONE ON ONE?!" That had the desired result, as it slowly took the form of a black stallion, with a curved red horn, armor, and fangs. He was literally frothing at the mouth in fury, guess I pissed him off real good. His eyes pretty much said he been corrupted by dark magic, and when his horn took on the same color and caused pillars of black crystal to erupt from the snow around us, I just smirked.

-Ribbon, take Twilight and go, I'll hold him off!-

Not even bothering to draw Akumu, I instead summon a pillar of blood red crystal about the size of a pony, and tore it from the ground, brandishing it like a club, while Sombra's eyes widen at my casual use of such magic. "Ya'll bout to have a real bad day..." I use the club to block his preemptive strike, grinning like psychopath, only to fall for the follow up, and get flung to the snow, while Sombra begins cackling.

I pull myself back up, ignoring the swelling of my face, and glare at him. Creating a shockwave of crystal pillars, I wait for the smoke to clear, only to see him reforming from his cloud from, atop one of them. I teleport above him, and try to bring my mace crashing down on him, only for him to look up and leap out of the way. Crystal met crystal, and I was at the epicenter of the shrapnel storm. Rising from the dust, I continue to glare at him, and finally draw Akumu. Channeling earth pony magic, I kick the ground, and launch a bolder into the air, before blasting it with magic right before it hits the ground, turning it into a makeshift shotgun blast, which is blocked by a wall of black crystal. Not even considering if it would work, I charge and swing Akumu at the wall, cutting about a quarter into it, despite it being made of CRYSTAL. When I try to wrench the blade free, a pillar of crystal erupts below me, and clips me as I try to dodge it. Unfortunately, it slices into my left wing, momentary crippling me with pain, before another blast of magic sends me flying into one of my own crystal spikes, the pain from the impact sending lances of hellfire through my body. With me temporarily immobilized by pain, Sombra walks up to me, before ripping Akumu free, and gazing at it. His gaze eventually turns to me.

"You, you are quite resilient, aren't you..." he swings Akumu through the air a few times, before grinning wickedly. He suddenly stabs it into my uninjured wing, piercing the membrane and causing me to finally cry out in pain. "But even you have limits..." He rears back to try and crush my head, but dodge to the side, even as Akumu shreds my right wing, before biting down on one of his forehooves, and pull back, ripping a chunk of flesh free, before spitting it out.

"..ain't dead yet, you Ganondorf wannabe..." he gives me a slightly confused look for a fraction of a second, before his face set back into the grim snarl from moments ago.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" He ripped Akumu free from my wing, and stabbed it into my leg, thankfully missing any major arteries. He removed it again, when something caught his attention.

"...it triggered! I have no time for you..." he stabbed Akumu into my abdomen, before conjuring a massive spire of crystal underneath himself, and rode it towards the peak of the castle... RIBBON!

Fighting though the pain, I try to remove Akumu, even as every motion sends pure agony through me, before with a sickening squelch, the blade comes free. I shakily raise from the ground, and began limping towards the castle. "Won't... let you... hurt... Ribbon..." I refuse to give up, we still have Scootaloo to look after... "I won't... let you... experience... that... heartbreak... again..." I stumble and collapse to the ground, the murmurs of several crystal ponies barely audible to me. Forcing myself back to my feet, I feel something wet dripping from my eyes, and realize its not blood. "I... won't... fail... you... again... Maria..." losing feeling in my left rear leg, I collapse again. This time I'm unable to get up... is this... the end..?

...

...

...

"Don't stop." I feel something nudging me, and open one of my eyes, discovering that what was nudging me was a small crystal filly, with tears in her eyes. "Don't let him hurt her like so many others..." she was trying to push me back onto my feet, with minimal success. Several other crystal ponies began coming out of hiding, when one of them draped my foreleg over his shoulder, and pulled me to my feet.

"Your time has not yet come, Jack." Maria...? I watch as a wave of energy radiates from the spire of the castle, Sombras form falling and shattering, before everything goes black.

Why Does This Keep Happening to Me?

Ribbon.... is that you...?

Forcing my eyes open, I discovered I was in a hospital room, with Ribbon, undisguised, slumped onto the edge of my bed, crying. Looking at my forehoof, I noticed both it and Ribbon where costet in a crystalline sheen, making the tears on Ribbons cheeks all the more sad.

"...Ribbon...?" Simply saying that one word sent a tsunami of pain crashing down on me, my body spasming from it, sending further aftershocks through my being.

Ribbon slowly looked up, and when she looked into my eyes, her tears of sorrow, became tears of joy. "CHI! You're awake!"

I smile sadly. -It hurts too much to talk... And do you really think such a minor setback like that would keep me from you?-

"I would hope not. Just hold on, Dr. Feelgood will be back with a sedative."

-I'm not sure if it was the blood loss, but right before I passed out, I thought I heard Maria, telling me 'it was not yet my time'...-

"No, I heard it too. I thought it was you, in the link you can make your voice sound like anything." She tilts her head, puzzled. "But who's, Jack?"

-The name I went by before I was 'relocated and reconfigured' by the Nightmare.-

"So that wasn't you then?"

-No, it sounded like... Maria...-

The door swung in, and gray crystal pony wearing a labcoat walks in, carrying a syringe. After measuring the right amount, he injects some kind of sedative into my bloodstream, and I negen to drift off...

When I wake up again, the pain had lessened slightly, and I could overhear Ribbon talking to someone.

"She's only ever gotten truly angry when I've been hurt, and trust me, when she does get angry, it feels like all warmth has left the room, until shes right on top of you, and spewing dragonfire down your back!" That would be Ribbon.

"That, is both heartwarming and rather concerning... she's more protective of you then a dragon is of its hoard..." opening my eyes, I discover the other voice was Cadences.

I groan. I hurt in places I didn't even know, or WANT to know, I had. "So how long have I been out for?"

"A day now. How do you feel?" Like I was dumped in flaming acid.

"Better than before, that's for sure." I notice that Cadence isn't freaking out. "So I see Cadence isn't irrationally afraid of you anymore."

"Yea, she came by before and apologised." Thats sweet, but now isn't really the time for chit-chat, oh who am I kidding.

"So, Cadance, how is the Empire running now that Mr. Ugly is gone?" She gives me a smile at that.

"Better, ponies are starting to remember who they once were. And I don't have to keep the shield up." Ribbon seems to smile at that as well.

"Either of you two got any idea how long i'll be stuck here for? I took one hell of a beating after all." Cadence raised a hoof.

"You were stabbed several times, You're not leaving in just a week, you could be here for awhile." Shit, and I thought that sucked for Rainbow. Hello karma, I believe we've met before?

"I can at least wander around, right?" Ribbon suddenly gets an idea.

"I'll ask the doctor when you can be up and walking." She gets up and heads out in search of him.

After Ribbon walks out, I voice my confusion. "Other then the doctor, I haven't seen a single pony, are they really that terrified of me?"

"You mean Twilight and her friends? they're just busy helping the crystal ponies get their lives back."

"I ment the crystal ponies."

"Oh. maybe they are. Red eyes are rare and and your wings leathery, darker coat, fangs..." yeah, I get it, I look demonic. It was about this time that I heard hoofsteps echoing down the hallway.

"Mommy, she's nicer than you think! She kept going after everything the bad pony did to her, to keep him from hurting her friend!" No bloody way! Its that filly from when I was limping towards the castle. When the small brown filly walks in, dragging a gray, full grown mare behind her, I couldn't help but chuckle. "See mommy? Princess Cadence is with her, so she can't be bad!" The mare gives an audible sigh of relief. "Hi Princess Cadence! Hi, ummm..." The filly finally realizes she never asked my name.

"Chitsuki, or you can just call me Chi if thats to hard to pronounce . But anyway, what's your name, you adorable ball of fluff?" She gives me a huge smile at that, and her mother smiles slightly as well.

"Its Prism, Miss Chi! And my mommys Diamond Dust!" I can feel Prism's infectious smile spreading to me and Cadences face's.

I notice Ribbon walking in, and freezing when she notices the crystal ponies. I point to her, "Prism, Diamond Dust, meet my friend, Tattered Ribbon." The two crystal ponies spun around, Diamond Dust jumping back in fright, while Prism walked up to Ribbon and poked at her legs.

"Miss Ribbon? Why are you hooves cheese?"

"Hehehe, My hooves aren't made of cheese, my hooves just look like that." I watch as Diamond Dust gets her breathing under control.

"Okay, just WHAT are you?" The way she phrased that pissed me off enough to give her back the middle... shit, I've got hooves, can't flip people off anymore... letting my hoof drop back to the bed, I settled for glaring at the back of her head, when I feels my eyes subtly shift, and the room darkens slightly.

"She's my friend, and I would appreciate it if you didn't disrespect her." Diamond Dust turns to give me some kind of snappy comeback, but reels back in fright. Ribbon shuffles a bit nervously.

"I-i think that angriest I've ever seen you." Well yeah, the angriest you've SEEN me. Slowly tilting my head around, I gaze into my reflection on the crystal wall. My irises had narrowed to needle thin slits, and with my eyes being red, it looked intimidating as all hell.

"Wow, I do look angry..." forcing myself to relax, I watch as my irises return to their default width, and the room returns to normal levels of brightness. Turning to face Ribbon and co, I notice Cadence slowly shaking her head. "Sorry about that, I get extremely protective of Ribbon..."

Diamond Dust makes an audible gulping noise. "I-it's okay..." Kuso! I frightened her pretty badly...

Ribbon turns to Cadence, confused. "Crystal ponies don't know about changelings?"

"No, Changelings were a myth until now. It makes sense they wouldn't know."

Cadence shakes her head. "I think we should leave now, Ribbon and Chitsuki deserve so time to themselves." Her and the two crystal ponies file out of the room, before shutting the door behind them.

"So, uh Jack? I thought you were just insane. Now I'm thinking I should know how far this goes." Ohhh boy, this is going to be awkward to the Nth degree. Thank god I already explained the multiverse theory to her.

"At this point, I'm starting to wonder if it was more than just chance that brought me here, and gave me this form... but anyway, I wasn't always what you see before you, I was once an average human male-" Ribbon winced at that. "-named Jack, who after serving in the military, retired to a beach home, and planned on spending the rest of his days with Maria... until..." my èyes started to tear. "Until..." get ahold of yourself, dammit! I take several deep breaths, calming my nerves. "Until we were the victims of a robbery gone wrong. When the police showed up, they took Maria hostage... The cops tried to breach the door... and... and... I wasn't fast enough to save her Ribbon! I failed her! And it's haunted me ever since..." I finally break down into tears, unable the stand the anguish from recalling that event.

Ribbon leans in and hugs me, slowly patting my back. "Its alright, let it out..."

"I was useless Ribbon, Useless! I failed her! Why cou-" Ribbon grabs my head and pull me up to her face.

"Shut up and kiss me..." and kiss we did. It was the most amazing feeling...

*POMF* we quickly disengage, and turn to see Celestia, blushing and wings sticking out straight, in the doorway.

"You have bad timing." I snicker.

-I think she's doing it on purpose.-

'Maybe she's jealous? I don't think she's ever had anypony.' Ouch! Thats a lot of unresolved sexual tension!

"So, Celly, what brings you here?"

"The Empire is being recognized as part of Equestria, so I'm here to sign some papers and thought I would see how you're doing. I heard how badly you were hurt." Seems legit. But then again, I avoid politics like the plague.

"Heh, you should see what left of the other guy.... if there is anything left..."

"Supposedly, there was, but we've yet to find it." Greaaaaat, so he'll more than likely be back, and have a score to settle with me and Ribbon...

I give Celestia a 'you don't say!?' Look. "Considering how crazily prepared he was, i wouldn't be surprised if he had a way to resurrect himself if he died."

"Let us hope not." She turns to leave before pausing. "Oh, and uh if you want, I'll put up a sound proofing when I leave." I nod. Celestia closes the door after herself. That troll.

"So, you never did tell me when I'd be able to leave this bed."

Ribbon is currently blushing a brilliant emerald at the implications of what Celestia said. "You should be up in a few days, but you're here for a month at least."

I yawn, just staying awake had taken a lot of energy. "Night Ribbon..." before falling asleep

Recovery

It had been nearly two weeks since my battle with that Ganon expy, and other than my right wing and abdomen, my injuries had healed completely. The locals at least weren't afraid of me.

"I'll raise."

Shining stares back and forth between his cards and my face, smirking. Well...

"All in..." he raises an eyebrow. Ribbon and Cadence had long since ran out, and were now spectating.

"All in, aright, show em! Straight flush, sucker!" Is that all?

"Royal flush..." the perfectly deadpan voice I say it in drives Shining over the brink.I had spent the whole game playing conservatively, waiting until I had amassed a hand and enough chips to force Shining into a corner.

"MOTHERBUCKER!"

"Shining!" Oh, Shinings in trouble now. Cadance walked over, and grabbed Shining by the ear, before dragging him of somewhere to 'talk' about what he had done. Picking up a few potato chips, I began munching on them. Ah, the spoils of victory.

Ribbon smiles. "So what are you going to spend your winnings on?"

I smile back. "Potato chips... oh wait, I already have!"

She cutely tilts her head. "What?"

I levitate a couple over to her. "these things are good, want some?"

"Sure." She plucks them out of the air, and eats them. The sound of hoofsteps echoed through the halls, before Dr. Feelgood walks in.

"Good news, you've been given a clean bill of health, and can leave at anytime, all thats recommended is that you check in at whatever local hospital there is once a week, to make sure those wounds to you wing and abdomen stay clean until they've fully healed. And might I add, that your recovery rate is astounding, your nearly back to perfect health in half the projected time!" About damn time. I hope Scootaloos okay.

"Waaaait..." I turn to Ribbon. "Please tell me you got some drones to take care of the mail while we were gone...?"

"It's sorted into three piles, don't worry" oh thank god.

"Lemme guess, spam/hate mail, fan mail, and stuff we were actually expecting?"

"Nope, I never really got any mail so it's fanmail, job offers, and Flint." Yes, all of my yes, spam shal be killed with fire!

"Speaking of Flint, what is the rest of Tenchu Squad up to, anyway?"

"There just on stand by, training and setting up shop" Ribbon pauses, probably listening to the hive. "Flint's working at Tavish's bar. the others have taken similar jobs." A pyromaniac, in a goddamn bar, what the hell!?

"You do realize alcohol is highly flammable?"

"Yes I know, but I trust Flint not to blow his cover." More like blow it up.

"To the train station!" I walk off as fast as I can, not wanting to damage anything by running.

"Alright, let's go!"

The ride was uneventful, and after arriving in Ponyville, I had hunch of what would happen as we stepped off the train. Looking around, I couldn't help but tell Ribbon that "My Scootasense is tingling..."

"Should we g-"

"RIBBON!" Called it, suddenly, SURPRISE SCOOTAGLOMP! I heard the sound of barking, and took a Gary to the face, who began trying to lick me to death. Boy, he's grown, he's now about halfway between a normal pony and Scootaloo.

"Alright, alright, I love you too Gary, now would you please stop licking my face?" He obliges, and backs off of me as well. I'm thankful that didn't hurt anything. I did notice paper stuck in his teeth though.

"OHMYGOSH, CHI, WHAT HAPPENED!" Scootaloo finally noticed my injuries, and was immensely worried over them.

"Pony Ganondorf happened, thats what, but I got better."

"An evil pony tried to take over an empire, So we were sent to stop him." I held I my hhof, wanting to add to that.

"I got to be a distraction!" Both Scootaloo and Ribbon gave me a WTF look.

Ribbon delivers her response in perfect monotone. "You got to be in the hospital."

Scootaloo blanches at that. "Ewww, you had to eat hospital food?!"

"In my defence, MREs taste worse, and the hospital food there actually tastes GOOD, believe it or not..." I notice one of the local guards nodding in agreement. "Speaking of food, I'm starving! To Sugarcube Corner!"

"I think Wendy's working there now." Wendy... and Pinkie... working at the same place... I slowly apply hoof to face...

"And the Cakes stayed sane HOW?"

"I think they left on vacation." That makes sense...

Scootaloo giggles. "Yeah, they left shortly after Pinkie and Wendy somehow cloned themselves..." she shudders. "Never again..."

We began our walk to Sugarcube corner. When we got there, I was surprised the place was still standing. "Is it me, or is it MORE unnerving that the place hasn't collapsed?"

Ribbon shakes her head. "Nope, just you."

Walking up to the door, I open it...

"WELCOME BACK!" OHGODWHATTHEFU- oh, surprise party. I don't know how, but EVERYONE was in there... wait no, there's no sign of Rainbow. Ribbon gives a small jump of fright, but I can tell she's just putting it on for Pinkie.

"Oh, my..." okay, THAT was kinda creepy, listening to Fluttershy AND Dovah say the same thing, at the same time.

"Tarnations Chi, what in the hay happened to you?" Applejack, you concern is appreciated, but I'm doing fine.

"The cloud thing was some kind of evil unicron, who was thoroughly corrupted by dark magic... I had to fend him off to bye Ribbon and Twilight time."

-how did you find the Heart, anyway?-

"While Twilight and I were searching the throne room for clues, I noticed all the love being directed to the top of the castle." Okay,

I look up, and see Wendy clinging to the ceiling, about to drop party hats on our heads. "Hey Wendy."

"Awwwww."

"Hey Pinkie, how'd you get this set up so fast, anyway?"

Twilight groans and face hoofs. "Don't remind me..."

Pinkie, had a grin that should only be possible on a hyped up five year old. She pulled out a remote from somewhere. "Just let me fire it up..." suddenly I hear rather heavy footsteps, and watch as... what...

A pink, pony sized, Metal Gear REX, walked out of the back room... of course, it's railgun was now a party cannon, and its radome had a giant smile on it.

Pinkie giggled. "This is why drunk Twilight is FUN! Oh and Tavish, Impulse, and Wendy helped too!"

'Should I have it sabotaged so it doesn't work?' Why would you even suggest ruining something so beautiful?!

-Hell no, this is the single most awesome thing I have ever seen!-

"Still haven't thought of a name for it though..."

I raise my hoof. "Party. Gear. REX. We need to get Twilight drunk more often if it results in stuff like this." Twilight face hoofed at that.

"I'll be hiding in my cardboard box of shame..." she promptly teleports out, while the majority of the ponies gather around Pinkies new toy.

Walking up to the refreshments table, I stumble, suddenly feeling lightheaded. And the headache, don't forget the headache.

"Chi, what's wrong?" Pinkie walks over to me, concerned. I don't hear her however. A sudden wave of pain runs through me, before concentrating in a spike of agony, wedged in my head. I feel magic I didn't even know I was doing dissipate from my body, before small spasms run throughout it. Pinkie gasps, and looking at the floor, I realize I have a nosebleed. God, this feels like the time I ran out of magic, except worse.

"Oh my gods, oh my gods. Out of the way, we need to get her back to the hospital!" I notice a flash of green on Ribbons head, revealing a horn, before everything flashes green, and me and Ribbon are teleported to the hospital, where Ribbon makes her horn disappear. The floor rushes up to greet me, and my muscles begin contracting and relaxing uncontrollably.

"WE NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!" There is a sudden commotion, followed by a doctor rushing over, before I feel something pin my limbs down, and am forced to endure the pain of my spams tearing several of my wounds back open. Everything starts fading, and I black out.

Awww piss, I'm in another hospital room, aren't I?

"We didn't even HAVE fourth degree magical burnout until now!" Shit, thats what I had? Oh joy... everything hurts like hell again. At least the headache is nowhere near as bad. I groan in pain, before trying to speak, only to get a stream of random syllables.

"Doctor, I think she's waking up."

"You don't say..." oh jeeze, that hurt.

"Try to not talk. Your body is using too much magic trying to heal itself, we had to give you a magic transfusion to counter the burnout." Why must I be the universe's chewtoy?

"Don wanna deal with dis shit." I let myself return to dreamland, trying to ignore the pain.

When I next wake up, I'm greeted to a very tired looking Ribbon, laying in a bed next to mine. "You don't look so well..."

Ribbon gives a small yawn. "You should look in a mirror."

"But seriously, what's wrong?"

"Doctors didn't have enough magic in their staff to counter the burnout, so I offered mine." She chuckled. "Heh, the look on the nurses faces when they saw the green flame was funny."

Still confused. "How did I even get magical burnout, anyway? I haven't used much other than the occasional levitation spell."

"You were using it subcounty. The doctor said your body was trying to heal itself, but didn't know how so it was just using magic to heal all of you." Well... piss.

"How long was I out?"

She gives an awkward chuckle. "Uh, I don't even know what time it is. I fell asleep after the transfusion." Great, just great. Looking out the window, I notice the sun rising. Ribbon suddenly climbs out of her bed, and into mine, snuggling up against me. Soooo cute...

Goddammit, this takes a lot out of me... both me and Ribbon slowly drift off to sleep.

Did You Just Tell Off Discord!?

So, I wound up spending another two weeks in the hospital, rather uneventfully, before I had finally finished healing. Of course, the first pony to greet us when we walked out the door was a worried and out of breath Twilight.

"Twi, calm down, and tell me what has you so worried."

"Princess... Celestia... Wants... To reform... Discord..." that... is crazy enough to work...

"Calm down. Deep breaths." Ribbon was trying to keep Twilight from hyperventilating and passing out.

"Lead the way..." oh, is Discord in for one hell of a surprise... I have to resist the urge to cackle, lest I give away my plan...

"You're far too excited for this."

"Excited? No, I've just been wanting to have a little-" I crack my neck, watching as Twilight and Ribbon flinch. "Talk with him..." Ribbon quickly becomes worried.

"Oh, my... Leave me out of it then."

"I was just going to set down some ground rules, and get him to apologize to you, it's not like I was going to beat him up..." not unless he tries something, anyway. She hums in approval at that. We eventually reached the outskirts of town, and met up with the other Elements, and noticed Discords statue. I smiled, and positioned my self behind it, Ribbon hiding behind me.

"Fire when ready!" I watched as Twilight and co rose into the air, and fired their rainbow beam of FRIENDSHIP! Which then struck Discord. After several seconds of nothing, several cracks appear, and begin spreading, while his obnoxious laugh is heard echoing from somewhere, before his stone prison crumbles to dust.

"Really now, after all that effort you six went through to imprison me, useless effort I might add, you release me?" He snaps his talons, turning the grass burpale... no, I don't know how it's burpale, but it is.

"No Discord, you need to learn the error of your ways. Chaos is not the answer to everything..." Fluttershy suddenly found her resolve, and had started chewing him out, even giving him 'The Stare'...

He laughed, and poked Fluttershys nose, causing her to 'eep!' and scoot away from him. "Besides, where's your little miss Nightmare, and her succubus friend anyway?" He did not just... HE DID! I felt my eyes shift slightly, and the area seemed to get a bit darker. Must. Suppress. Urge. To maim! I trot up behind him, and breath down his neck.

"Right behind you..." Discord yelp, and teleports behind Fluttershy. While Twilight and co take a few steps back, no doubt startled by my glare. He raises his paw to say something, but I'm having none of his bullshit, I walk up to him, wings spread and fangs bared. "Now listen hear buster, before we try ANYTHING, there are a few things we need to set straight. One: I believe you owe Ribbon an apology, both for last time and for what you just implied." I tilt my head towards Ribbon, before resuming burning a hole in Discord with my eyes. "Two: I may like raising a little hell once in a while, and I can respect your tendency to cause chaos, but when you do it without any consideration for the beings it would effect, well, I have to draw the line. Three: Don't think I'm going to just forgive you for what you did to Ribbon, and be all friendly. Four: you are on VERY thin ice right now, and if pull some kind of stunt, well... I can get a LOT more creative then the nutcracker. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"

...

*Thunk*

A brick had appeared on the ground directly beneath Discord. And he nodded rapidly, truly afraid. Relaxing, the lighting returned to normal, and I put on a slasher smile. "Remeber... I'll be watching you..."

"Oh, my..." Fluttershy was shaking like a leaf, more than likely scared out her wit.

"Tarnation..." Applejack had actually taken off her hat, and was holding it up to her chest.

Rarity was just standing there, slack jawed.

"I just... Wow...." Twilight was at a loss for words, stunned by my performance.

Pinkie... Had been taking pictures of the whole thing... too bad they don't have Youtube here...

"That... was... BEYOND AWESOME! I cannot find words to describe how much awesome I just witnessed!"

I couldn't help but smile. Mission accomplished! Now to let Fluttershy talk him to death.

Getting Discord to reform was actually rather easy, what with me looming over him. We did however, FINALLY sort the mail... and gave the spam to Flint.

The sound of knocking interrupted me from my morning coffee. Who'd be up at 5 in the morning, anyway? Making sure to not wake up Ribbon, Gary, or Scootaloo, I walked to the door, and was greeted to an excited Twilight.

"Shhhh... everyones still asleep. Why are up so early anyway?" She had that grin on her face that could only mean one thing... SCIENCE! I was quickly teleported to her lab, where she started bouncing around.

"Ohhh yesyesyes! Celestia wants me to study your 'shadow' magic, and I sorta needed you to do that..." she stop bouncing, and collects herself, before pulling out a notepad. "What I want you to do, is try and form your shadow magic, but slow down the process considerably, I want to get an accurate reading of the process." As she says that, she plops that weird helmet thingie she has in her basement on my head.

Uhhhh... okay... Drawing on my shadow magic, I force it to slow down, and am greeted to a plethora of weird feelings. For one, i feel my shadow magic flowing through my normal magic, leaving behind what feels like... sludge, i guess, wich is dropped into my miasma... I hear a loud gasp. "Chi, you ARE producing dark magic, it been being filtered through your unicorn magic, removing the corruption! Its brilliant!" She quickly began scribbling things down, before looking between the notes and me... oh, no...

"Teach me! Teachmeteachmeteachme!" Uggggggh, fiiiiiine.

"What are you going to use as a filter though?" I watch as she becomes depressed, before she has an idea. She quickly bolts upstairs, and the sound of rummaging is heard, before she trots back down, her Element of Harmony firmly on her head, smiling.

Okay... that works... "Honestly, other than making crystals, everything is either unicorn magic, or my miasma... well you basically focus the magic on the spot you want it to grow and-" a silver spike of crystal emerges from the floor, and I see Twilight giggling like a schoolgirl. "That... went faster than expected..." decided to try something new, I launch a kinetic blast at the crystal, but use my shadow magic instead of my normal magic, and watch as the crystal shatters.

"Why are mine silver...? Chi, think you can make one so I can run some comparisons?"

"Okay, just gimmie a sec..." focusing, I conjure a small spike of blood red crystal, and wrench it out of the floor. Twilight grabs it out of my hoof, and after she creates another small clump of silver crystal, pulls it out of the ground.

"This is so exciting!" When she picked the silver crystal up, to both our surprise, it started glowing. "It... glows?" She hit it with a small bam of magic, and it began giving off warmth. "... and it holds an enchantment really well..."

"Hey Twi, Chi, what are you two doing?" Oh its Spike.

"Spike! Wassup!" While he was ignoring me, he had picked up one of the pieces of Twi's first crystal, and ate it.

"Minty..." both me and Twilight stared at him.

Idea! "You do realize Twi made that with shadow magic... now I have to wonder what mine tastes like..." conjuring a small clump, I rip it fee and pass it to Spike, who pops it in his mouth, before scrunching his face up in disgust and spitting it out.

"Gross! Tastes like copper and rusted iron! I hate those!" Copper and rusted iron... I've taken enough abuse to know when someones talking about the taste of blood...

"Can I go now, my coffees probably gone cold..."

"Yes, Chi, you can go now." I immediately teleport back to the house, and am greeted to a sad tune echoing throughout it... Is somepony playing the Lavender town theme on a violin? Finding my coffee was at least lukewarm, I downed the rest of it, before following the music to the living room, where I found Ribbon, playing a violin.... I can't help but choke down a sob.

"Its... beautiful..."

"Wha!" She misses a chord, instead making a piercing shriek. "You scared me!" Ribon, why do you seem sexier than normal? Just looking at her was making me feel hot and bothered... my face morphed into a look of horror.

"Oh no..."

"What?"

"Ribbon, I think I'm going into heat..."

(clop) Oh, F*** Me...

Oh god, oh god, OH GOD! I'm a mare physically, but a dude mentally, what the hell do I do?

Ribbon puts down her violin, and walks over to me, before grabbing my face and pulling me into a kiss. When she finally break, it she looks me in the eye... "Isn't that what I'm here for?"

"You're... actually willing to go that far?" Oh god! Want, but do not want! Incredibly conflicted!

"Of course. Despite all your jokes, I know you're the hesitant one. and I know why" she pulls me into a long, passionate, kiss. "Just because you're not a stallion anymore, doesn't mean you can't have me." This, is eerily calming...Ribbon gestures to the couch, and I comply. Walking over to the couch, I lay down, efore Ribbon mounts me... oh god! Just her rubbing against me feels so GOOD!

"Oh god yes! YES!" Ribbon seemed unsure what to do at this point, and my body started running on autopilot. My rear hooves wrap around her midsection, and pull her against me.

"Oh my, don't tell me you haven't even explored yourself." No I havent... but forget that!

I pull Ribbon into a passionate kiss, and start grinding against her, every motion sending a wave of ecstasy through me.

'I guess I really AM the first one to touch here, huh?' I feel a tingling in my nethers, and an even stronger wave of pleasure washes over me, causing me to grind even harder against Ribbon.

Her stomach lurched for a moment, and I feel something dripping from me and Ribbons lips, before hardening... I wrap my forehooves around her, pinning her forelegs against her sides, and feel her moan into my mouth... -YES! Take me!-

The fire in my nethers reaches a breaking point, and a wave of pleasure washes over me, causing me to shudder, as I scream into Ribbons mouth. In my throes of ecstasy, we had rolled off the couch, and onto the floor, where I was now on top. Still twitching occasionally, I shuddered as a second wave of pure bliss flowed through me. I could feel Ribbons chest expanding and contracting against mine, and the hot breath from her nose buffeting my face... resuming the grinding, I feel Ribbon moan into my mouth in pleasure, the intensity slowly increasing as she reached a peak, before she spasmed in my grip, her salvia eating away at the gel binding our mouths together... my body instinctively starts trying to thrust, despite the lack of a certain organ. The sensation, however, feels just as good. My bodys spasms begin again at about the same time as Ribbons. I pull up from the kiss unable to contain it any longer, as the throes of a second orgasm hit me. "YES! TAKE ME, RIBBON!"

"Ahhhhh..." the sound of Ribbon panting reaches my ears. Suddenly everything goes white for a moment, and I realized that it was a camera flash.

"Oh poo, and just when it was getting good..."

I disentangled myself from Ribbon, and glare death, at Discord, my eyes burning with a rage comparable to antimatter nuclear hellfire, while Ribbon scrambled to compose herself.

"Oh Discooooord, why don't we step outside and talk..." I grabbed him by the antlers, and dragged him outside. "To quote a pink haired, emo-loving banshee-" I spun around and deliver a gut kick of titanic proportions. "CHAAAAAA!" And send Discord rocketing in the general direction of Canterlot. My work done, I walk back inside, only to notice Ribbon at the door, looking at the polaroid Discord dropped.

Well that was awkward...

You Came to the Wrong Neighborhood, Motherbucker

After we had cleaned ourselves up, we tried to resume our day as normal, but a lot of ponies were giving us the stink eye for the noise we made this morning. Ribbons eyes suddenly widened in shock, and I gave her a concerned look. Se must have just gotten an emergency message from the hive "Is something wrong?"

'GRIFFON HUNTING PARTY!' y eyes widen in horror.

-Where, how many, and have they captured anyone!?-

'Two drones, about seven griffons, their at the bottom of the the mountain!'

-I'm teleporting us in airborne, get ready- Firing up my magic, I teleport us into the air over the mountains. We both already had our wings open, and only dropped about 3 feet before we started hovering. Taking a look, I noticed three were armed with spears, two of them had both a sword and a crossbow, one had both a sword and shield, and the last had a what looked like a single shot rifle...

"Can you take them all yourself? you know I'm not a fighter."

"Exactly, I get their attention, you get the drones out, and then I can neutralize them."

"Ok," Ribbon inhales deeply. "Ok. Lets go."

This was going to be tricky...

Diving, I zeroed in on the griffon closest to the drones, the one with the sword and shield, and came crashing down on him, knocking him out instantly.

"What the pluck!?"

"There's a fourth one!?"

"Its just another changeling, get it!" Three of the griffons charged charged me, and I had to leap back to avoid getting stabbed. Then I noticed the rifle being pointed at me... DO NOT WANT! Right before it was fired at me, my urge to not get hit caused my body to dissolve into miasma, and the bullet to fly right through me.

"What in the name of god..."

Focusing on reforming myself, I somehow glared at them despite being a cloud. Still seriously outnumbered... I really wish there was two of me right now... at that thought, I felt myself split in two, and began reforming... into two of me?!

"Oh god..."

"That feels weird..."

"As all hell." My brain was running in overdrive, trying to figure out how to use two bodies at once, as well as process two sets of senses. It hurts too much, please turn back... feeling both my bodies dissolving and rejoining into a single cloud, I let out a mental sigh of relief, before focusing on reforming into a SINGLE body.

The two drones had been freed by Ribbon while I was trying to process two sets of inputs, and were now tackling the griffin with the rifle, interrupting his reload. Meanwhile, Ribbon had inned one of the ones with a crossbow down, and was spitting up gel to trap him.

A sudden lance of pain ripped through my backside, and nearly caused me to collapse, before I turned and caught sight of an arrow burrowed into my flank. Before I can even blink, Ribbon had teleported over to the griffon, and BIT him, before he went limp and collapsed to the ground.

That left the three spear wielding griffons, who had backed up against each other, trying to avoid getting blindsided. Time for some fun.

Shifting into Inago, I smiled wickedly as they cowered in fear of a supposedly demonic alicorn, turned into TRULY demonic looking changeling, my bleached chitin and black, soulless eyes leaving them trembling in fear, before I let out a long, snakelike hiss. Collecting magic in my horn, I couldn't help but say it. "Go. To. Sssssleep!" before hitting all thre of them with a sleep spell.

Returning to normal, I gripped the bolt that was lodged in my ass with my magic, and pulled it out.

"Careful now." Ribbon walked up to me, showing concern.

"I'd rather not have a stick up my ass."

"You mean like most of Canterlot?" I couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Minus Blueblood, he's got the whole damned tree stored up there!" Ribbon bursts into laughter at that. I turn to the two drones. "You two alright?"

They nod. "We're fine."

"Thank you."

I notice that Ribbon seems to have an idea in mind. "Why don't you two take all of the supplies they had back to the hive?" The drones nod, and begin gathering the scattered weapons.

"Shouldn't we hold onto the griffons until we can get one of the princesses to deal with them?"

"Yeah, Drag them into a pile so it's easier to teleport them." She grabs two of the K.O.ed griffons in her magic, and drags them over to us. Turning to the one who had been glued to the ground, I cast a sleep spell on him, before Ribbon freed him, and added him to the pile. Meanwhile, I had grabbed the three i had hit with the group sleep spell, and dropped them in the pile as well.

The two drones had gathered up everything, and had dragged their weapons and the last griffon over to us.

Firing up my magic, I prepared to teleported us to the hive, when Ribbon flicked my horn canceling the spell, and causing my body to involuntary shudder. "You recovered from magic burnout a few days ago, I'll teleport us." With a flash of green, we appeared in the hive, several drones waiting to haul off the griffins.

As the griffons were dragged off to somewhere, I noticed Ribbon spacing out, likely communicating with the hive. When she refocused, she turned to me and nodded. "I' let Twilight know we had a problem, she's writing a letter now."

I raise my hoof, unsure of what to do next. "So, what do we do while we wait for the princess to get here?"

She turns to the pile of assorted objects. "Wanna go through their stuff?"

"Heck yeah." Looking at the pile, I grab the rifle, and take a closer look. Bloody things muzzle loaded, doesn't even use casings, let alone have semi-auto capabilities... well, I know what to get Tavish to do.

"You're awfully interested in that griffon side arm."

"Ribbon, remember what i said about sniper rifles?"

"Yeah."

"This is basically a simplified inaccurate version."

She doesn't seem to care. "Hmm. look at this." She holds up a weathered book. "It's a log, it says what their doing. timberwolf wood, manticore teeth and venom. their poachers."

"Wow."

"A lot of the stuff thats checked off isn't here. they must have it stashed somewhere." Oh... gonna need to find out where. But anyway, need to figure out how to turn this rifle into a proper firearm...

"You really want that sniper thing, don't you?"

I smile. "Oh yeah, and I know how to modify the design of this to turn it into one."

"Then you might want to hide it. After all, a crossbow is illegal, unless you're a guard. How do you think she'll react to that?"

"Tell her I'm only supplying Tenchu squad with it, and not sharing the designs with anyone."

"I still think you should hide it. She had my cross bow taken away after the wedding."

No! You can't have it! Holding the rifle against my chest, I tried to keep it safe.

"The Princess is here." Doing a double take, I confirmed that it was Luna, not Celestia, who had teleported in. She took a look at what I was doing, and raised an eyebrow.

Luna clears her throat, before speaking. "Celestia is busy dealing with Blueblood, I came in her place... has anything transpired between sending the letter and now?"

"No, their unconscious right now. I did find a log of what they're doing though." Ribbon levitates the book over to Luna, who opens it, and frowns.

"We must ascertain the location of these supplies, and secure them..."

"We didn't even know they were here, until they captured two drones." Yikes, they're rather stealthy when they want to be...

Setting down the rifle, I raise my hoof. "I have ways of making them talk..."

"I heard of the training ideals you gave Shining Armor, and would like to watch this." Oh yes... this will be fun.

Ribbon nods. "I'll take you to them." We follow Ribbon to a completely empty room with four guards "Cut one of them out, please." One of the guards complies, and flies up to the ceiling, were the griffons are being held in pods. After cutting one loose, and lowering him to the floor, the guard returns to his position.

Focusing, I morph to Inago. -You try to act like the reasonable one, he will be a LOT more willing to talk to you if the alternative is a bloodthirsty, demonic changeling.- I notice Luna cast some kind of invisibility spell, and vanish into thin air.

Ribbon slaps the griffon awake, before I take the lead walking right up to the griffon with a fang filled smile, I watch as his eyes flicker open, and look into mine, before narrowing to pinpricks. He immediately begins struggling against the gel holding his talons together.

"I have sssseeen you ssssoul... and it mussst be clensssed, in the flamesss of tarterusss... it may claim your sssoul... but your flesssh will be mine to devour..."

-It would more effective if you act like I actually AM a changeling.-

'I-if you're sure.' "Back down!" I comply, but not before biting the air an inch from his face, causing him to scream in fright, before backing away, growling.

"Sorry about her, she prefers fear over love. What's your name, and why are you here."

"H-h-hawkeye R-ravenclaw! All I was told was this was a hunting expedition!" Yeah... NO!

"Liesss... you go through the motionsss... but I sssmell no fear..." -This guy is TOO scared... A rookie wouldn't know to fear for his life... he'd at least try to act tough...- The whole time this is happening, I've been circling Ribbon and Hawkeye, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike...

"Why don't you try again. If you give me a good reason, I might just give you over to the Princess, instead of her" I grin, fangs dripping saliva, and lick my lips.

"Alright! Just keep that THING away from me! The boss! He said he wanted more slaves, and changelings don't need to be fed, meaning they fetch a really high price!" It took all my willpower not to kill the bastard right then and there... Slavery?! And if the implications are correct, there using changelings as SEX SLAVES!?

"It's not as if we're all linked together, or could come to each others aid, right? I'll tell you what, if you can give me something of value. I'll just, let you go." 'Not really~' I hear her sing song in our heads.

"The Everfree castle! We've got everything stored there! Money, weapons, schematics, you name it!"

"Why, think you. He's all yours Princess!" His eye bug out as Luna comes into view, before they refocus on me, as he had felt the palpable amount of rage coming off me, as I walked towards him, and held him up to my face. It took every shred of willpower to not eviscerate him on the spot.

"if you EVER try to capture another being again... I will not hesssitate to SSSTRANGLE YOU WITH YOUR OWN INTESSSTINESSS!" miasma was spewing out of my mouth as I said that, its coldness contrasting my white hot fury, giving the feeling hell had frozen over... Hawkeye's eyes rolled into the back of his head, as he fainted from pure terror... dropping him to the floor, I heard the sound of hooves clapping, and saw Luna applauding me and Ribbons performance.

"Bravo, bravo, literally scaring the information out of him!"

"Cut the rest of them down, please." Two of the guards fly up, and after extracting the griffons from the pods, lay them on the floor, where Luna teleports herself and the seven griffins out.

Ribbon seems to notice exactly HOW angry I am. "Relax, Chi, they'll have a hard time capturing us, now that changelings know screaming for help works."

Today is not my day, not only have ponies been giving us the stink eye, we had to deal with a bunch of griffon slavers, AND DISCORD INTERRUPTED ME AND RIBBON!

I can't help but eye Ribbon like candy. "I believe we have some unfinished business, thanks to Discords interruption..."

She blushes. "Maybe so, but I got something out of it." Before smiling. "And we can stay in the hive so Ponyville doesn't have to hear..."

It Must be Monday...

All I can remember was howling, and liberal application of changeling gel... still, best. Sex. EVER! Still, why does Ribbon look even sexier than before? I noticed Ribbon was laying on the floor beside me, in what looked like the equine equivalent of that 'draw me like one of your french girls' meme...

*Fwoosh* Ribbon went up in flames before revealing... herself? Albeit not as sexy looking as bef- ...Clever girl... she raises her eyebrow. "You might want to change back to normal before we go."

I get myself up off the floor, before allowing myself to return to normal. "So uh, think we should go grab that stuff from the castle?"

Ribbon gets up off the floor as well. "Might as well, if the princesses haven't got to it first."

"We bringing backup? It could be a trap."

Ribbon nods in agreement. "Of course we are. Even if its not there's still all manner of monsters." I couldn't help but bound and grin as I followed Ribbon, not caring if I looked like an idiot. We hit the armory, where Ribbon grabbed a few daggers and throwing knives, as well as a bow and a crapton of arrows.

When we reached the exit, we were greeted by nine warrior class drones, who fell in line with us as we headed into the Everfree.

After about an hour of walking, we reached an area where it appeared a path had been plowed through the trees, and several large footprints. I hear the guards beginning to mutter amongst themselves, and I catch the word 'hydra' being mentioned. Ribbon turns to one of them. "Old or fresh?"

He give the tracks one last glance. "Fresh, my Queen."

I notice the water in one of the footprints ripple for no reason... shit! Like in Jurassic Park! "Oh, piss..."

Ribbon turns to me. "What is it?"

a very light 'thoom' is heard, and I feel the ground shake beneath my hooves, and Ribbon, as well as the guards hit the dirt, me following after them.

The stomping stops, before resuming at a faster pace, and heading right for us!

A roar rings out, and my body goes into overdrive, dissolving into a cloud of miasma, before beginning to solidify into something bigger.

"IT HAS US, MAKE IT BLEE-" the guards notice the shape I'm taking. "Nevermind, GET CLEAR!"

The hydra emerges, and one of the heads spots Ribbon, and lunges for her..

Only to get denied by my foot, having finished taking on the form of a T-Rex. Ribbon takes the opportunity to shove a knife in the heads eye, before bolting joff with the rest of the guards. Biting down on its neck, I took the opportunity of its shock tuo raise and stomp my foot down in its skull, being greeted to a satisfying crunch. That leaves three heads, and I'm already starting to feel the drain... two of the heads lunged at me, grabbing my legs and tripping me, but not before I managed to grab the third head in my mouth and pull it down with me, dragging the whole hydra down to floor. Rolling back onto my feet, I saw the hydra trying to get back onto its feet, and ran over to it, and bit down right behind where its necks joined, before pulling with all my might, and hearing something snap, before I ripped its spine out, killing hit...

Looking at my work, I let out a massive roar, before feeling my form revert to normal, and I flopped to the ground, exhausted. "Chi, are you alright!?"

I shakily pull myself to my hooves, before trying to rip the knife out of the head Ribbon stabbed, only to be met with large amounts of pain. "My heaaaad...." I held my head in my hooves, hoping to make the pain stop.

"Hold still." Ribbon holds her horn up against mine, and I feel a shiver run down my spine, followed by an odd warmth. I noticed that guards had looked away during this, but didn't really care. "You used too much magic again. The Doctor showed me how to do magic transfusions..." She pulls away. "Feel better?"

I nod. "Good enough to continue." I didn't realize I had flopped to the ground a second time when I tried to magic the knife, until Ribbon pulled me up to my hooves.

"Then lets go." I followed after her, before she eventually stopped, and I bumped into her. What lay ajead of us was a large patch of blue flowers.

"Why are we stopping?"

Ribon points to the flowers. "Because of those."

"Whats so bad about flowers? Changelings allergic to them or something?" I tilt my head in confusion, waiting for an answer.

"Those flowers are a disgraceful trick. Everything is allergic to them."

"So it makes you all itchy?"

Ribbon begins a long winded explanation. "These magic flowers are called Poison joke. And are do just that, play a joke worse than Discord. Twilight and her friends touched these and she lost her magic for a day, Fluttershy's voice became deeper than Big macs, and Rarity's coat grew out ten time longer."

Natures attempt at trolling, got it. I open my wings. "Guess we go over it?"

"Don't. Fold them back in carefully, its the pollen that does it. We'll go around." I slowly fold my wings, and follow Ribbon around the field of Poison Joke. I see the top of the castle raising in the distance, when I notice something off about the ground...

"Hold on a sec..." I grab a branch in my hoof, and poke the ground in front of ribbon, only to trigger the pitfall trap, rendering it useless.

"Thank you." Ribbon turns to the guards. "Watch the ground for pitfalls and wires." With that, we begin maneuver through the trees, avoiding or setting the traps off prematurely.

Walking up to the doors, I couldn't help but mutter. "This is where it all started..." opening the doors, we were greeted to boxes, boxes everywhere.

"Search every box, find anything that useful!... Is something wrong, Chi?"

-This is where I entered this world, while I was still possessed by the Nightmare, and barely managed to fight it down long enough for the bearers to use their Elements on me...- I did in fact eventually get told what exactly transpired, but it makes me feel even worse knowing it did that with my body...

'So, this is a place of great emotional trauma?'

-Yeah... it still scares me what could have happened if things had gone differently...- something caught my eyes, and upon taking a closer look I realized it was... "You..." That damn toaster followed me here! I couldn't help but glare fiery death at it, as it's mere presence mocks me...

"What, a toaster?" I turn to look at Ribbon, and nod, before turning back to the toaster, and picking it up, before turning it over and shaking it, dislodging an extremely old piece of burnt toast, and a fork. Ribbon walks up and pokes the toast with her hoof.

"That was what I was preparing to eat, before the Nightmare surprised me, and caused me to electrocute myself..." A very horrifying thought hits me. "Please let this have been pulled through with me, and not be the sign of cross dimensional leakage..."

"I don't sense anything here." Wait, you're saying this has happened before?! On second thought, I don't want to know...

"My Queen, we have found something you may wish to look at!" One of the guards had rushed in an excited look in his eyes, carrying a chest full of blue paper... no way, blueprints!?

"Dibs!" I quickly retrieve the chest from the guard, and begin looking through the blueprints. Lets see, buildings, traps, armor... OHHH! Rifle schematics, and ones for a pistol as well! I couldn't help but grin like a maniac, and rub my hooves together like a Bond villain. "Soon..."

"Soon, what?" Ribbon had walked up to me, a trolling grin on her face.

Showing her the schematics, I grin even wider. "We can dramatically improve these, into a reliable weapon..."

She tilts her head, confused. "I mostly work with melee weapons, this is griffin design. how are we going to improve it?"

"You want the long version or the short version?"

"Short now, long later."

I grin even wider. "Make it much more accurate, improve the ammunition, and allow it to fire multiple shots before reloading."

"How?"

I inhale, preparing for a long explanation. "What we need to do, is build this with better materials, lengthen the barrel, add spiraling grooves to the barrels inside- that improves accuracy, add a scope, design bullet casings- basically it holds the bullet and some gun powder, and when you pull the trigger, it hits the back of the casing, igniting the gunpowder, and launching the bullet, modify the rifle design so that the spent shell can be ejected - we'll do bolt action at first, but we can eventually make it so the blowback from firing ejects the spent shell, and add a magazine, so when the spent shell is ejected, a fresh bullet is pulled up and into the firing chamber..." Ribbon just stares, her eyes beginning to drift until she is staring at me like Derpy. I'm American, I can be a gun nut if I want to.

"Uhhh Ribbon, you there?" I wave my hoof in her face, trying to get her attention. She shakes her head, and her eyes realine.

"What? Huh?"

"Did you even get what I said?" She shakes her head.

"Uh, no. What did you say?"

"First, we need to make better ammunition."

"Alright. What do we need for that?"

"Bullet casings- basically it holds the bullet and some gun powder, and when you pull the trigger, it hits the back of the casing, igniting the gunpowder, and launching the bullet." I pause. "Also, make the bullets more aerodynamic, spears don't work as well as you think they would."

"Not what I meant, Like copper, lead, iron?"

"Iron for the casing, the actual bullet is copper with a lead core. And gunpowder as the propellant, obviously."

"I'll stock up. I hope my supplier will still sell to me."

"Worse comes to worse, I can make my own materials, remember?"

"A hard, cold enchanted, material."

"This is important, we also need a way to eject the spent casings." I wish I could just show her... oh. I apply hoof to face. "Can't I just send the information over our link?"

"I forget we can do that. Because you're a pony I don't think of it."

Okay, bullets, bolt action rifles, full auto feed systems, basic firearm designs, and specifications on my favorite sniper rifle. I think thats everything I need to send...

"Uhhh. That's what you're going to make?"

"Trust me, this thing can punch through two or three feet of solid steel, and still be incredibly lethal... and we couldn't enchant stuff..."

"Peace through superior firepower?" The worry in her voice kills my excitement.

"Hey, I chose that one, not only because of its power, but its weight and recoil would make it incredibly difficult for most ponies to aim, let alone fire."

"But, look at the trigger," she holds up the rifle designs. "Most ponies already can't use it."

"Exactly, I don't mean to mass produce it, I only plan on making one."

"As long as we only make one. Something like this could take down a dragon."

I smile. Some think they can outsmart me... maybe... maybe... But I have yet to meet one who can outsmart bullet... "any idea on how long it will take?"

"I'll need to work my way up to it. I'll start with the, uhh, bolt-action." She closes the chest. "I'll work on this later once I get a shipment. The changelings have got all the valuables."

"What now?" So boredom, we meet again...

"We go back. I want that Poison Joke." Eh?

"For what, pranking Rainbow?"

"Something like that." I follow after Ribbon, thinking about what to do tomorrow.

When we return to the patch of Poison Joke, Ribbon levitates a jar from somewhere, and levitates a single flower into the jar, before sealing it. "Alright, got it. Ok, this is going to be my longest teleport, so hold onto your guts." Everything flashed green, and we arrived in the hive, my stomach threatening to evict its contents if disturbed any further.

Ribbon was panting from overexertion. "Everyling okay?" The guards all nod, before hauling the loot of to somewhere. My stomach settling, I yawned.

Ribbon nodded in agreement. "Come on, it's been a long day."

I look up at the ceiling, the massive amount of pods bringing a question to mind. "I've been wondering what its like to sleep in one of those..."

She tilted her head. "You want to sleep in one...?"

"Yeah, they look comfy..."

"See you in the morning."

Three drones walk over, and escort me to one, where I climbed inside, feeling myself sink into the gooey insides, and watched as I was sealed in and hung from the ceiling... If it weren't for the shift in gravity, I would never have been able tell that happened, as when the pod had sealed, all outside sound was cut off. I then realized that I was still breathing despite being completely immersed in this gel... Not gonna question how I can breath this goop. It felt warm, and I slowly drifted off to sleep...

Cheesy Romance

I awoke still hanging from the ceiling, feeling better rested than I had in years... maybe a few more minutes...? Dozing off, I smiled at relieving some of my fonder childhood memories...

I wake a second time, feeling the pod shifting, before being set down, and a horn punctures it, before tearing it open like a boxing knife, hitting me with a rush of cold air... I crawl out, landing on the floor with a splat. Sleeping in those things is therapeutic... I can't help but gaze at the ceiling and floor as I smile dopily.

"How did you sleep?"

Focusing on Ribbon, I smile. "Better than I have in a long, long, time."

"I'll bet, pods are meant to help grow eggs, and with shedding. Stand up if you can, you'll want the slime off before it hardens."

Getting up, I shake myself off like a dog, splattering slime everywhere. Ribbon gets some in her face, which she wipes off. "Really?"

"Yeah really... I have soooo got to learn how to do that when I shift into a changeling, its freaking cozy..." I smile dreamily.

Ribbon just laughs. "It takes more than one changeling to make those pods, I mean look how big it is." True, but...

"Remember, I duplicated myself during that fight with the griffons? Speaking of which..." I smile, about to fulfill one of my childhood fantasies, up there with the Kamehameha, and Falcon Punch. Crossing my forehooves, I say it. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" I feel myself dissolve into miasma, before splitting in two and forming into two separate entities.

Ribbon looks back and forth between the two me, unsure of who to focus on. "Ummm..." I try to walk both bodies around, but only succeed in stumbling around the room, not used to managing eight limbs or two separate sets of input. Ribbon just laughs at how I'm making an idiot of myselves. Slowly managing to differentiate between the two bodies, I focus on getting one to speak.

"Is this wor- yup it is, I'm not finishing my own sentences." Thinking, I realize something. -hey Ribbon, got any tips on how to multitask between two bodies?-

She shakes her head. "Nope. Just get used to it, you'll figure it out." Still walking, I finally manage to get my bodies organized, and was no longer stumbling. I start going through all my sense, and after moving each muscle, mentally label them with a one or two, trying to keep them separate from each other so I could control the bodies properly.

Getting frustrated, I form back into a single body, before turning to Ribbon. "Ponyville?"

She nods. "Sure, I want a shower anyway." Firing up my magic, I teleport us there. When we arrive at the town square, we were surprised to see Celestia.

She notices us, and after approaching, catches a whiff of something. "I see you two have been having fun..." Ribbon immediately blushes a deep emerald, and whimpers.

"Yeah, we were just heading to our place to shower..." I couldn't help but make an embarrassed grin. Quickly shepherding Ribbon back to our house, we showered, and I was rather surprised Scootaloo slept through that.

Suddenly, I feel something ominous pulse from the direction of Twilight's library... Ribbon looks at me, worried.

"All I know, is it came from Twi's..." I teleport us to the library, where to our horror, a dark orange cloud, interlaced with streaks of red and pink, leaked out of the entryway, Spike standing beside it, coughing violently.

"What in the name of pringles happened here!?"

"Twilight Invited *cough* Princess Celestia over to show her how to *cough cough* use dark magic safely, but it's not safe at all. She made some crystals pop up just fine, but then she started coughing up this smokey stuff!"

I charge in, ignoring Spikes warnings, and pick up the sound of Twilight coughing. Following the sound into the basement, I found Twilight spewing smoke from her mouth, and convulsing on the floor. Her coat had become much darker, and her hair wilder as well. Her eyes suddenly flew open, revealing silver draconic slits, and she began screaming, her fangs clearly visible now. I watched in horror as something in her back begun moving...

'Chi, what's happening to her?' the panic was evident.

-Tell Celestia I have a theory, Twilight has developed her own dark magic core, and is... 'adapting' to it... which somehow involves growing wings if the bulges in her back are any indication.-

'Celestia just ran inside' I hear her come running down the stairs before she arrives at my side and stares at Twilight, despite the smoke making her wheeze...

"Dear Faust..."

With the sound of tearing flesh, a batlike wing erupted from Twilights back, covered in blood, before her convulsions intensifie, and I bolted over and pin her down, trying to keep her from hurting herself.

'Isn't there something you can do to help her?!

-already doing it.-

With a ripping sound, the other wing burst free, and the screaming subsided, before Twilight went limp, the only indication she was still alive being the slow rise and fall of her chest. The wounds from the wings emerging were already beginning to seal...

"You should get out, I'll carry her up myself." I levitate Twilight onto my back, and use my wings to try and hold her in place.

"Alright." She quickly trots up the stairs, before looking back down to see me steadily climbing the stairs, trying not to drop Twilight. Following her back to the door, she exited first, followed by me.

I heard everypony whispering, and noticed that Rarity had fainted, before Rainbow zips up to my face. "You have something to do with this! don't you?!"

I glare at her, pissed that she would accuse me like that. "look, I had no goddamn clue this was going to happen either! Now, is anyone else going to start throwing accusations, or are we going to try and figure out what the hell happened!?" Rainbow slowly backs away, but doesn't break eye contact.

Thats when a sharp hiss is heard from my back... "Owwww... what happened...?" Bloody hell, she's up already!? Waiting a few moments to let Twilight regain her bearings, I let her get off of me. "Why is it so bright?" and watched as she took in the fact that everyone was staring at her. "And why is everypony staring at me?"

-Should I tell her, or do you want to?-

Ribbon whispers to AJ. "What? I ain't gonna say nothin'!" Twilight begins panicking upon hearing that.

"What? say wha-!" She then notices her new wings, and screams.

Celestia tries to calm her... "Twilight, please, calm down. We'll find out what happened." But suddenly, Discord! He had appeared in front of Twilight, holding a mirror. Twilight took one look at her reflection, and screamed loud enough for the mirror to crack.

Fluttershy immediately scolds him. "That wasn't very nice..."

Discord chuckles. "But Fluttershy, I can't just ignore my instincts. At least I'm not making it rain Pinkies."

Fluttershy gives him a look. "You should still apologize."

"CHEESE FOR EVERYPONY!" He snaps his talons, and vanishes, before I realize everyone here now has a party hat on their head, a party hat made of cheese... except me and Twi, we had helmets made of cheese. Did we just get Sheogorath'ed?

Everypony had already taken the hats off, and begun munching on them. Removing the helmet, Pinkie grabbed it and ate it in a single bite, before, grabbing and eating the one on Twilights head.

Twilight suddenly bolted into the library, the smoke having cleared when she stopped exhaling it, and ran up the stairs, before locking herself in her room. Spike cut off any attempts to follow. "Don't even bother trying to follow her, she has that room warded against everything imaginable, teleportation included. Even Discord couldn't get in there, and he tried."

Ribbon points out an obvious solution. "So we just wait for her to get hungry?"

Spike raises a claw. "She stocked food in there... as well as water, medical supplies, and other things, something about 'being ready for the end of Equestria as we know it.'"

Rainbow grumbles. "Then what do we do?"

The room can't be air tight... and a filtration system would probably not affect miasma... heh. Letting my form dissolve into miasma, I float into the library, and up the stairs, before seeing the door. Pushing myself against it, I felt myself slowly slipping through. When all of me had gotten to the other side, I reformed, and saw Twilight hooked up to one of those things she had used to analyze my magic.

"Hey Twi." She started screaming, before I walked over and put my hoof over her muzzle. "Please stop." She nods, and I remove my hoof from her face.

"How did you get in here!?"

I had to say it. "Magic..."

"But I protected this room so well, where did you get in?"

"I can turn into a cloud of miasma, and your air filter doesn't work on it."

She blinks. "Not gonna question that, you can be almost as bad as Pinkie at times... but what, in the name of Faust, happened to me?!"

"You're a Night Terror now, Twilight." Her eyes widen at that. Yes, I've decided to call what I am a Night Terror, as I can be more scary then the Nightmare at times.

"I'm like... you...?" I nod.

"At least you didn't have to go through a demonic possession and get tossed across dimensions to become one." Despite being so high strung, she burst out laughing.

Disconnecting herself from the device, she smiled at me. "True, and I really needed that, thank you."

I put a hoof to my chin. "So, where do we start... Aha! You have a second magical core now, Twilight, one composed of dark magic."

Twilight takes a quick look at the readout from the machine. "It would appear so."

"Remember how you had to run the dark magic though a second source to filter the corruption out? You can use your normal magic as that filter now. As for what is filtered, why don't you try and find it in you, and draw it out?" She closed her eyes, and focused. After several minutes, she began exhaling the same dark orange cloud, interlaced with streaks of red and pink, that had been filling the library, except without the violent coughing fits this time. So it IS her miasma... Upon opening her eyes, she sees the miasma, takes a deep breath, and exhales more. "Congratulations, you've discovered your miasma." Twilight tilts her head in confusion.

"How do I use it now?"

"Well first, you should feel for the very core of it, it should feel like... you, but malleable." When she opens her eyes again, they were glowing blue.

"Chi? This is not what you described... I can see you, but also this red and blue orb..." wait a minute...

"Describe it."

"Its huge, exerting a massive pressure, a sphere if calming blue, surrounding a core of fiery red. Wisps of it keep getting blow away, all in the same direction..." the glow fades, and she points. I realize thats the same direction as the hive. Could it be being blown towards Ribbon?

Twilight yawns, before pushing the door to her 'bunker' open, and leading me out. "This is really tiring, you should go so I can catch some sleep." Leaving, I became curious.

-Hey Ribbon, where are you right now?-

'On my way back to the hive. why?'

-This may sound insane, but I think Twilight can see ponies souls, and mine was gravitating towards the hive, or I think more specifically, you...-

'Souls? are you sure?'

-It was a pretty basic description of who I am, so yeah.-

'Take you time'

'Freaky. What did she describe you as?'

-A huge sphere of calm blue, with a fiery red core, that exerts pressure on its surroundings. And wisps of it are constantly blown off it... in your direction.-

'Sounds about right. Anyway, I'll have a surprise for you at the hive.'

-ohhh, surprises, I like surprises, I'll be there momentarily.-

'Take you time.' Taking to the air, I fly in the direction of the hive, a dopey grin on my face. I have a wonderful feeling about this. Then a thought hit me... Twilight now looks like a vampire... and not the Cullen verity... She might just redeem the name Twilight... When I did reach the hive, I headed for our room, and found Ribon had installed a door, albit a crappy one. Opening it, I was greeted to the warm glow of candlelight, and the smell and sight of flower petals, which had been scattered around the room. Looking towards the bed, I noticed Ribbon, spread out and giving me bedroom eyes...

(clop) Too Horny for my own Good

"Uhhhhhh..." my brain was currently producing 1.21 gigawats of confusion, pleasant confusion. Why is Ribbon suddenly coming onto me like this...?

"Are you just going to stand there?" Snapping out of my trance, I walk over, curious as to what is going to happen.

"I see what you meant by surprise..." She leans up to me, and pulls me into a kiss, much to my pleased shock, before pulling me into the bed, leaving us beside each other. I feel her nuzzle me for a bit, before nibbling on my ea- HOLY! That feels so good! I moan in pleasure as a pulse of arousle spreads through me, before feeling her start nuzzling my horn, sending waves of pleasure through me, causing me to moan louder and twitch a little. Then she licks it, the sheer plesentness causing me to nearly orgasm on the spot. BODY, Y U SO SENSITIVE! She licks the entire length of it, before beginning to suck on it, rocketing me into climax. Feeling something building in my horn, I lean back as Ribbon lets go, and watch as a fountain of sparks erupt from it.

"We're going to have to work on your endurance." I notice that Ribbon is reaching behind me, before grabbing one of my wings, sending another shudder of ecstasy through me, causing me to moan again. I hear her whisper huskily into my ear. "Or maybe it's just because if your heat." She begins licking my horn again, while trailing a hoof down the leading edge of my wing, causing them to shoot out straight, and refuse to go back down. She stops licking, confusing me, and pulls me into a VERY slimy kiss, licking my lips as she pulls away. I try to retort, but discover she gelled my mouth closed. "Can't have you screaming in the Royal Canterlot Voice, it'd bring the ceiling down." Yes... make me yours... She then resumes licking my horn, while I am only able to make a pleased moan. I feel her tongue wrap around my horn, not bothering to question why she would have such a long tongue due to being in so much pleasure. By this point my body had stopped listening to me, and gone limp. I feel Ribbon uncurl her tongue from around my horn, making a loud slurping noise, before lightly biting the base of it while squeezing the base of my wing, causing me to spasm in release as I came again, moaning loudly into the gag, while another fountain of sparks erupted from my horn.

After going limp, Ribbon licks away the gel binding my mouth, before giving me an amused look. "Thats twice, and I didn't even have to touch your marehood..." thems fightin words. Leaning in, I start running my tongue against one of the holes in Ribbons horn, causing her to inhale sharply, before moaning. Reaching behind her, I slowly run a hof down her back, which causes her to arch it, and push her chest into mine. Moving on from her horn, I began licking her behind the ear, and she twitches a little, before tilting her head to give me better access. I slowly climb on top of her, deliberately rubbing against her as much as possible. I feel her hind legs wrap around me, pulling me against her, her breath heavy with lust. The sudden sensation causing me to moan, I pull her into a kiss. I feel her forelegs wrap around me, pinning mine to my sides, as she begins to rub my wings again, while I was unable to stop her. I could feel her tongue spreading something that tasted like lime jello in my mouth, before I felt it harden at the edge, and realized she had gelled our mouths together. All I could do was moan as she continued to rub my wings, while holding my forelegs against my sides. Unable to take it any more, I began grinding against Ribbon, and felt her moan into my mouth, before grinding against me as well, timing it so that her motion started, just as mine ended. It eventually built to the point I came, just as Ribbon did as well, and we moaned into each others mouths, shuddering with delight. I felt Ribbons drool eating away at the gel, and when I pulled away, we both cuddled up against each other, before passing out from exhaustion.

And I must Scream...

I woke to the sensation of rolling down a hill... opening my eyes, I was greeted to everything spinning. "Did I get drunk and wind up on the ceiling fan again?"

"Nope." Oh, hi Ribbon.

"Can you put me down please...?" I feel myself stop spinning, and am slowly lowered to the ground.

"Thank you."

"Hmmmmm..." I notice Ribbon staring at me intently.

"What?"

"I was thinking about your miasma, why it's so terrifying. Twilight was breathing the stuff, but yours flows out of you mane."

I take a good look at my mane. "Are you saying my mane is made of miasma?"

"Well it's certainly in it." Okay now I have to wonder, can I manipulate it? Feeling for my miasma, I don't release it, but instead follow its path to my mane, and feel the miasma in my mane itself, before manipulating it, and feel my mane twitch a bit. When not much else happens, I can't help but scratch my chin and try to figure out what I did wrong. I hear Ribbon snickering, and look at her, before realize I still have all four hooves on the ground... then what am I scratching my chin wit- I notice that my mane has been scratching my chin, and how I can FEEL it scratching my chin.

"Aright, my mane counts as a limb, go figure."

"What about your tail?"

Good point. Feeling towards my tail, I receive the same twitch and feeling, before arching my tail.

Ribbon begins laughing. ""It's a good thing I put that door there, or you'd be flashing the guards!" After getting her giggle fit under control, she resumes. "Maybe don't use the tail." I nod, before an idea hits me.

I smile. "You know, if I could become indistinguishable from a normal changeling, I don't think griffons would eve try to capture one again, out of fear that it might really be ME."

"You think it's worth trying? In that case, I'll be right there to bail you out when you're caught." I immediately feel something get put in my brain... ah, changeling biology, interesting... a silk spinner under the tongue? Did not know about that, at least Ribbon told me how they stick to walls and produce gel. Hunter class... interesting, venomous fangs. Okay, If I'm going to look like one, I need a distinguishing feature... oh yes, that will do nicely. Focusing, I transform, but my eyes remain unchanged, other than a second pair of transparent eyelids, that mimic what a changelings eyes normally look like, and open vertically instead of horizontally. "You did good, for your first try. You look like any other hunter." She looks me in the eyes, and I open the inner pair of eyelids. Ribbon jumps back, surprised. "Now you look like a Proto Queen..."

"Apparently, my eyes don't change when I shapeshift, so I had to improvise the second pair of eyelids as a workaround."

"Clever, and you could use it to trick others into think you ha-" something catches Ribbons attention, and she looks off to the side, smiling.

"What?"

She hums, something having earned her approval. "Nothing." She looks me in the face. "You did a good job on your disguise."

"So, what do you wanna do?"

"Wanna just go for a walk?"

"Works for me."

Following Ribbon, I made sure to close the inner pair of eyelids, and kept close to her, as we trotted off in the direction of Ponyville. Upon getting there, we were greeted by Lyra and Bon-Bon.

Lyra is quick to point out my apparent absence. "Oh hey Ribbon, wheres Chi? I've practically never seen you without her nearby."

Ribbon quickly bullshits her way out. "I'm supposed to get out more."

"Fair enough, whos your friend there?"

I snap to attention and give Lyra a salute. "Juri, ma'am!" Hehe, didn't think I could be serious, could you?

Bon-Bon tilted her head in curiosity. "Why do you even bother? Everypony knows, and you've even got a guard with you..."

"Ponies are more likely to notice the guard, but not who she's following." I swear, she's gonna start pulling tanks out from behind lampposts with that kind of tactical brilliance.

"Hey Ribbon! Who's your friend?" Ah, that be Dash. While shes busy talking to Ribbon, I formulate a plan.

"Lean and firm, just how I like em..." I lick my lips, giving Rainbow a lusty look. "Names Juri cutie, and we might be having some fun later..." Rainbow literally drops to the ground blushing and trying to force her wings back down.

Ribbon barely manages to suppress a laughing fit, and turns to Lyra and Bon-Bon. "This is why I brought her." By this point, Rainbow had run off to hide in shame.

Lyra coughs into her hoof. "Well, that happend..."

-Think we should go see Scoots?-

'Yeah, she's been staying at our house instead of the orphanage a lot lately.'

-I feel for the filly, I really do.-

'... You gave her a key, right?'

-More like made a dupe out of that metal I can make, THAT took a lot of concentration to get the shape right.-

'I can bet.' The house came into view. "The house is still standing, so no Cutie-mark crusaders: house sitters has happened."

-But what about interior designers?- Ribbon quickly picks up the pace, worried.

When we enter, theres no horrible furniture or eldritch abominations, Just Gary, curled around Scootaloo, both of them sleeping peacefully.

"Aww, do you think the smell of food will wake them up?"

At the mention of food, Scootaloo bolts upright, with Gary still curled up on the floor. "FOOD! WHE- Oh hey Ribbon."

"Nevermind then."

Scootaloo looks at me intently. "Who's this?"

"Its just Chi, Scootaloo." When Ribbon said that, I opened my inner pair of eyelids, causing her to stare at me in awe.

"Woooooaaaaaah."

I chuckled. "I know, right?"

Somepony starts knocking on the door, and Ribbon goes to open it, only to be greeted by a worried Celestia. "I am sorry for the unannounced visit, but this was too sensitive to even reference in a letter."

Ribbon appears incredibly nervous. "What about?"

"There is something wrong with her, ever since we put her in confinement, she hasn't moved except to breath, and recently she has begun showing signs of severe malnourishment despite being fed via tube."

-I thought she was dead?-

Ribbon quickly glances to me and then back to Celestia. "Food is only used to make gel. H-how is she still alive if she doesn't move?"

"Thats why I needed you Ribbon, and Chi as well." She glances at me when she says that.

"Uh, yeah. I guess we can try and help. You said she can't move right?"

Celestia nods. "I'll teleport us there myself." Her horn cast a golden glow, before we are teleported to Canterlot. When the spots disappear from my eyes, I close the secondary eyelids, and notice that we are just outside a padded room. Looking in the small window on the door, I spot and unnaturally thin Chrysalis, tied to a bed, with several tubes leading into her body, as well as a heartbeat monitor. There was some kind of ring on her horn, I guess to suppress her magic. If it weren't for the monitor and the rise and fall of Chrysalis's chest, I would have assumed she was dead, as her eyes had not only turned a dead icy blue, but were no longer reptilian, and instead looked like a drones.

"Oh, my. She looks absolutely starved."

Celestia sadly shakes her head. "We tried feeding her. Tube, IV, nothings worked."

"Again, we only eat so we can make gel. She needs love."

-I think she needs a love transfusion, Ribbon. You're probably going to need a lot of love to do that.-

'Pretty sure I'm good on love.' Ribbon gulps, loudly. "Could you let me in?"

You ain't going in there alone. "I'm going in there with you."

Celestia nods. "Very well." She uses her magic to unlock and open the door. We walk in, and stand on either side of Chrysalis, who hasn't moved an inch. Ribbon audibly gulps, before several tendrils of pink magic flow from her horn, and into Chrysalis, who's breathing slowly becomes steadier and deeper.

"That answers the malnourishment, but what about how she hasn't moved?"

"All changelings have a hivemind, even rogue changelings. The stronger the connection the clearer our eyes are. she's a Queen type, but her eyes are still foggy. I don't know if her connection to her own hivemind is just that weak, or if it's gone. if it's weak, I could move her around like a puppet, because I'd be stronger than her. But if its gone..."

Celestia had walked in behind us at some point. "What do you mean 'our eyes become clearer'?"

"If its gone...?" Yeah, thats the more important question.

"She'll be stuck in this bed until... until she dies." Oh my god... both me and Celestias faces morph into a look of horror.

"Try and move her then."

"I'd need to connect to her." .Ribbon takes a deep breath. Soon, Chrysalis' eyes slowly turn from blue to green, and she lifts one of her hooves... Ribbon backs off and Chrysalis' eyes turn blue again. "She's not weak, she's very strong but her hivemind still does what I want."

"Why would it do that? I would think she would fight you tooth and nail."

"I-i don't know. It's like she wasn't even there." She's practically in a waking coma...

"She's locked herself in the depths of her own mind." I paused thinking of what I could do to get her out of there. AHA! "Ribbon, I have an idea, I'm going to use the sleep spell to put her to sleep, and enter her dream."

"Just be careful. You're giving her the advantage."

"I dont care, I wouldn't wish her current fate on my worst enemy." Casting the spell, I watch as Chyrsalis's eyes close, and her breathing slows. Holding a hoof to her forehead, I close my eyes, and let myself drift...

I was standing in an empty expanse of whiteness. Choosing a random direction, I began walking. After what felt like hours, I heard a faint crying. Trying to locate its source, I eventually discovered a small black pinprick in the endless sea of white. Approaching it, I heard faint whispering. When I reach it, I absentmindedly poke it, causing a small series of cracks to spread from it.

A huge blast of wind hits me, and in it I hear a multitude of voices, while two particular phrases stand out from how many times they are repeated. 'Ponies are food and enemies, and that is all they are.' and 'A Queen never shows weakness.' As well as an intense feeling of sorrow. Before the wind increases tenfold, and everything fades.

I reel back, feeling like I had just been punched in the gut, and watch as Chrysalis blinks and twitches a few times, before beginning to stare at Ribbon, who was too afraid to look away. "Chi, what did you do!?"

"I poked the one thing in the dream that wasn't an endless void of white, and it spread cracks, before assaulting me with what I think were memories and emotions... I'm starting to think Chrysalis was conditioned to be the way she was, as that emotion was sorrow and intense regret, while the two phrase from the memories that stood out to me were 'a Queen never shows weakness', and 'ponies are enemies and food.' I think what I did in my confrontation with her finally got through to her, and the guilt of what she did was too much."

"So you woke her up? Then why are her eyes still glazed over?"

"It wasn't that big a crack, and I think her consciousness is behind it."

"So she's only a little bit there."

"Yeah."

She stares back at Chrysalis, curiosity in her eyes. "Are you there, Chrysalis?" Chrysalis opens her mouth, and a long, low gurgle escapes from it.

Wow. THAT little got through!? "I'll take that as a yes..." Crysalis just continues to stare blankly at Ribbon.

'Why is she staring at me?'

-I have no clue.-

"S-stop staring at me..." upon Ribbon saying that, Chrysalis slowly rolled her head so she was staring at the ceiling instead.

"Now what do we do with her?"

"We can't just leave her like this..."

"... We could put her in a pod. If I'd known she was in this bad a condition, she'd already be in one."

"One question, how would the hive react to this?"

Ribbon sighs loudly. "Not well. looks like you're about to learn of to make a pod."

We eventually got the pod containing Chrysalis into the basement, once again confused as to how Scootaloo slept through such racket. Ribbon was just finishing hanging it, when I felt a familiar sensation in my nethers...

I hate heat...

...

(Extream Clop) You Gel-ly?

Author's Notes:

Warning! The following chapter contains :bondage, oral, marecum inflation, orgasm denile, and sensory deprivation.

You have been warned...

Now on to Chi and Ribbon fucking each other sensless.

I had reverted to my normal form, unable to focus on keeping a disguise up. Ribbon had noticed my 'heated' look and I couldn't help but close my eyes and grin in embarrassment, not wanting her to see me like this for a third time, starting to give in to primal ur-

*Splat!* something slimy just splattered in my face, and when I went to it off, I discovered Ribbon had launched a blob of gel in my face. I could already feel that fire stirring... "I like where this is going..."

'Lets see if you stay in heat after this...' I hear her walk up to me the sound of hoofsteps echoing, before I feel my ears get pressed down, being bound in place by more gek, effectively cutting off my hearing. I suddenly felt Ribbon kiss me, and felt more gel get spread on my lips, sealing my mouth shut. I couldn't help but moan, delighted in the feeling of my now nearly featureless face. Yes Ribbon! Make me your bitch!

Feeling myself rise off the floor, I could no longer tell what direction down was, and whimpered in pleasure at my helplessness. The tingle of Ribbons magic only intensifies the feeling. I suddenly feel something on my flank, holding onto my hips, as a hot breeze assaults my marehood. Then something slimy slowly snakes its way in, sending waves of painful pleasure through me, and then pulls out, leaving me wanting more as I whimper.

Feeling myself get placed back down on the ground, I feel Ribbon pulls my legs away from my body, before glueing them in place with gel, leaving me spread eagle on the floor. Feeling something slimy press against my folds, I realized Ribbon had decided to make certain she had control, as she gelled her lips to my marehood, and started working with her incredibly long tongue, even as I could feel her torso against my chest, and smell the musk of her own marehood. She abruptly pulled her tongue out again, making me moan and whimper as I begged for release. When she dove in again, she slammed her slit into my face as well, burying my snout inside of her, and forcing me to inhale the suffocating scent of her lust. Moments before I would have orgasmed and passed out, she pulled both out, leaving me sharply inhaling fresh air through my nose, and practically screaming at her to make me come already, when the near peak had almost faded, she slammed her marehood back in my face, and dove in again, repeating the cycle anew. She kept this up for what felt like days, but could have easily been a few hours, until I was ready to come at the slightest touch of her tongue. I had a building sense of dread when I felt her lips smirk. Her tongue dove into me like a viper, and dug deep, before pressing up against something, and I felt the motions of my orgasm halt, but the pleasure continued to build, when I felt the tingle of her magic against the back of my ears, my horn and my wings... and it began rubbing them, practically making me cry in a painful ecstasy. Then, her marehood came crashing down on my snout again, but this time began grinding against it as well, rocking my head back and forth with it, my nostrils occasionally peeking out enough for me to grab a quick breath of fresh air, before sliding back under. The lust was starting to get to Ribbon, because her lips began quivering in what I suspected was a moan of pleasure, her tongue vibrating inside of me, adding yet another layer of blissful torment to my isolated world of sensual suffering. Just when I thought there wasn't anything more she could do, I felt her magic grab a point inside my folds, and began tugging and vibrating it, sending even MORE agonizing lust through me. I had only now registered the fact that something had been sliding down her tongue, and pooling against whatever she was pressing to deny me, finally finished hardening, leaving her tongue free to do other things, as it felt around inside me. By now, I was vibrating against her, my body wanting to finally come, only able to make a constant, high pitched moan as I tried to beg, scream, and outright demand she let me peak, but was foiled by the gel against my mouth. This continued for what seemed like hours to me, Ribbon seeming to enjoy my pain.

Then, it happened. Ribbon suddenly doubled in intensity, as her high pitched moans heralded a flood of sticky liquid splashing me in the face, and when she finally finished coming, she lick the blob of gel she had placed inside me, causing the dam holding me back to break. My moan became a death rattle, as an explosion of pleasure more powerful than the Big Bang rippled through me, causing me to convulse uncontrollably. My marehood filled near instantly with my juices, and overflowed into Ribbon, who began rapidly swallowing. She was only able to make a pause long enough for a what I assumed to be quick gasp through her nose every thirty or so seconds, and appeared to be shuddering in agonized ecstasy as she was filled up by my geyser like orgasm. After it continued for several minutes, I felt something drip against me right above Ribbons mouth, and theorized she must be spilling over. It kept going like this, slowing just enough for Ribbon to take in the occasional gasp of air, and every time she did her lips quivered against my slit, enhancing my orgasm further, and continuing this vicious cycle. It was another few minutes before I begun slowly petering out, leaving Ribbon against me, her stomach bulging. Unable to think clearly, I just laid there, not even struggling against my bonds, and let exhaustion claim me...

I woke up to the feeling of something trying to pull away from my marehood, and open my eyes to take a look... or at least I tried to... trying to move, I found my limbs immobile, and tried to scream for Ribbon, only to make a loud moan as I discovered my jaw was sealed shut by something, all while I felt something building in my nethers... then the events of last night hit me. Ribbon was still adhered to my slit, and I was still bound, blindfolded, gagged, and earmuffed by her gel. I felt the still increasing feeling in my marehood, and realized Ribbon trying to free herself was pushing me towards another orgasm.

'I'm sorry. I'm trying to lick the gel off quickly, but theres nearly an INCH of your solidified mare juice in the way.' I abruptly came, forcing even more juices into her, causing her to thrash against me, and moan, beginning the cycle again, as more of my fluids dripped onto me from where her nose would be hovering over. At some point, I regained focus, and felt that I was out of 'juice', and only going through the motions. Finally able to focus on freeing her mouth instead of swallowing more of my fluids, Ribbon growled against me. 'Soon, it will be your turn... did you know changelings can suppress their orgasms? Of course, doing so only delays them if there already happening. I held back most of mine...' she managed to get her mouth free at last, and as she climbed off me, I could only whimper at what she was going to do to me, yet at the same time, wanted it so badly. Feeling something run across my mouth, I was relieved to finally be able to speak, and started trying to get more oxygen into my system.

From nowhere, I felt something slimy press against my lips, and a pair of limbs wrap around the back of my head, pressing it into it until I could barely breath, before drawing it forwards, as Ribbon sat down on my chest, my face jammed in her slit. 'Did you know changelings can get off on lust? And you are so full of lust right now, that this will match, if not exceed, yours...' I felt something being drained from me, and she begun slowly rocking against me. This continued for what seemed like a week, before she seized, and begun quivering against me...

It was like a goddamn fire hose! There was no time to breath, only swallow the sickeningly sweet liquid. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, the flow abruptly halted, and I inhaled greedily. When I regained my breath, Ribbon pushed me back into her, and it resumed, forcing me to keep on gulping down her juices. This pattern repeated multiple times, even as I felt her fluids began seeping out my nose from how much it had filled me... just as I thought I was going to drown in it, her orgasm finally petered out, and my stomach felt like it would explode. I passed out after that, unable to form a single coherent thought, even as Ribbon began working on getting me free...

Countdown to Insanity

It had been three days since we hid the pod containing Chrysalis in our basement, and nothing of interest had happened since then.

"-and that is why animatronic bears are VERY bad news." We were currently walking around Ponyville, Ribbon in her pegasus form and me disguised as Juri.

"And this is a game?"

"Made by one guy, composed of about 600 images, 60 sounds, and some DAMN good A.I.... did I mention there's a sequel?"

"I don't think I'd ever want to play that, why would anypony want to play that?"

"Because its horror done RIGHT! You can't run, you can't fight back, all you can do is stall them until 6am. You haven't experienced fear until you've played this at midnight, after getting no sleep, on 4/20 mode, the hardest difficulty there is. Knowing how a single wrong move will get the crap scared out of you gets to you..."

"That's horrible. And you played this?"

"Yeah." From nowhere, a golden teddy bear lands on Ribbons snout, its soulless eyes staring into me.

IT'S ME

I start screaming, causing Ribbon to scream as well, sending the golden abomination to the floor. We were not ready for mini-Golden Freddy, and I was having a flashback. Dammit Keith, why did you have to go buy a giant stuffed teddy JUST to leave it behind me after I found that easter egg!?!? I don't wanna get shoved in a suit!

"Chi, it's alright!" Huh? Oh thank god... I'm not going to die. Wait, where'd that thing go anyway? At that moment, I thought I heard Discords laughing.

My chest feels like it will explode, so I hold my hoof up to it. "I think my hearts going to explode if I get frightened like that again."

"Why don't you lay down for a moment?" I dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks, still trying to control my breathing, even as my heart continued to try and forcibly eject itself from my ribcage. "Um, you might want to put your disguise back on too." Note to self: extreme fear breaks my disguises... quickly resuming my changeling disguise, I go limp on the ground, the adrenalin rush having left me.

"Ribbon, out of curiosity, exactly how much information have you skimmed from my memories via our link?" I've been meaning to ask her that, but never did get around to it until now.

She sighs and sets herself down beside me. "Only what you've given me. Our link, unlike the hive, gives both of us equal power, that's why I had to ask to control your body in the Crystal Empire." That is VERY relieving to hear...

But the nuggets of info I've been giving her more than likely left her wanting more. "You want what I know, don't you?"

"Well, sure I do, but you don't have to tell me."

"Ribbon... you deserve to know. Your hive mind will be able to keep the info alive even after I pass away..." I smile sadly at that. "What i propose, is an exchange of information." Ribbon seems shocked by that revelation.

"Wait wait wait, pass away? But you're an alicorn, I thought you were immortal like the princesses?"

"What..." I could feel my eye start to twitch. Celestia and Luna neglected to tell me about something THAT important?! We're going to have to have a chat about what else they neglected to tell me.

"You didn't know? Their both over a thousand years old."

"Can we NOT talk about that? Trying to figure out how it even works is making my brain hurt." No seriously, it was starting to hurt from the crazy. All I could figure out was that this was definatly not salmon.

"Sure."

"So, do we swap info?"

"Sure. Do you want me to go first?"

"Yeah." This is gonna hurt, isnt it? I immediately feel something worming its way into my brain, and am assaulted by information, like how Ribbons an introvert, and afraid of social conflict. Really Ribbon, you're afraid of worms? Waitaminute... you LIKE having control over me when we make out? Me gusta...

I honestly have no idea where to start... maybe I should just let her into my head? Quickly stuffing certain things that were of absolutely no importance, namly certain parts of the internet, into corner and slapping a mental label of 'this WILL scar you mentally' on it, I imaged our link as a door, and opened it...

I feel Ribbon worm her way in, before she abruptly clutches her head in pain. "Too much, it's too much!" The feeling quickly leaves, before Ribbon wavers slightly. "I'm going to try a different way." The feeling that followed was like my brain had been copied and pasted.

"What just happened?"

"I copied your mind, I'm sorting through it carefully now." She suddenly blushes intensely.

"What?"

'I, uh. I may have found your 'preferences'... you like being on top?' oh... OH!

-No, I like YOU on top...- I suddenly get another packet of info... so, she likes it both ways, huh? I snigger a little when her blush intensifies.

"Oh, you naughty mare, and I thought Twilight wanted to be Rainbows pet..."

Ribbon immediately hushed me. "Quite, rumors spread quickly..."

-I'm wondering, the Nightmare was an evil clone of Luna, and it turned me into its perfect host, more than likely rewriting my DNA to resemble hers... this make me Lunas daughter in law?-

'But wouldn't that be more like twin sister, if your DNA was the same as her?

Then, Pinkie happened. "OH MY GOSH! There you two are, I was wondering where you went..." I quickly tuned her out, not really wanting to deal with her insanity today. She suddenly drops two tickets at our hooves. "Here, Twilight got a bunch of invites for a royal dinner, and told me to give you some!" By the time I realized what just happened, Pinkie was gone.

"Well... that happened..."

"You weren't paying attention, were you?"

"Not a damn bit until she gave us the invites."

"Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are in Canterlot, so Princess Celestia invited us and the the others to dinner."

Oh, I just had the most wonderful idea... "Wanna mess with Blueblood while we're there?"

"Oh yeah. He actually thought a 'common mare' like me would bed any stallion." She giggles excitedly. "Of course I said no, and when he told the guards about me, they just walked me around the corner!"

Challenge accepted. "He caught me before I had my coffee..."

"Oh? what did you do to him?"

-I implied I vaporize ponies that annoy me, before implying he pissed me off enough that I was going to eat him... and yes, I slowly walked towards him cackling evilly... He ran faster than Rainbow flies!- yeah, ponies would have flipped if I had said that out loud.

'I'm sure you did those stories of Nightmare moon proud.'

"Heh, just imagine his face when he thinks theres TWO of me..."

"He'll flip and probable cause trouble for Celestia's court." She does a whiny impression of the jerkwad. "'I demand you imprison them immediately, there a danger to us all!'."

"I think Discord would want in on the amount of trolling we're going to do..."

"I don't know how we'd invite him, though."

"Its Discord, he'll more than likely invite himself."

"True, he probably will."

"So how long until it happens?"

Ribbon takes a quick look at the invite. "Three days." She opens it, causing it to spray confetti everywhere.

"Pinkie..." I take a deep breath, and get up off ground, shaking my head "We should probably head home, I need to figure out what to ask Celestia and Luna, now that I suspect they've been holding back information..."

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the short chapter, the next one is going to have feels, plot advancement, and backstory...

Oh, don't forget Blueblood bashing.

questions

I had quite a lengthy list of things to ask the Princesses after three days of thinking. Stepping off the train, I took in the multitude of ponies staring at me. They looked away when I looked them in the eye, however. My currently rather imposing presence drew attention away from Twilight, who appeared quite thankful for that. Leading the group, I marched straight for the castle, Ribbon trailing at the rear.

"Uhhh... Chi? Why do you seem so angry?"

"Because Twilight, I have reason to believe the Princesses held back some rather important information about what I am, and I want answers..." Twilight flinched back at the tone of my voice, as I sounded exactly like her.

After walking in silence for several minutes, we reached the castle gates, where the guards let us through without incident. We had just walked around a corner, where we encountered Shining and Cadence, whose eyes widened upon seeing Twilights new form.

"What did you do to her!" Dammit Shining, I am not in the mood for this! Focusing my glare on him, I smiled evilly as he squirmed under it.

Meanwhile, Cadence had walked up to Twilight. "Twi, what exactly happened?"

"I've, sorta been experimenting with dark magic, and used the elements to keep me sane, until... Yeah." She unconsciously began rubbing the spot her wings erupted from.

By now, Shining was sweating profusely, and breathing rapidly, as he could not bring himself to break eye contact. When I decided he had suffered enough for his transgressions, I broke it for him, and grinned wickedly as he waved, before resting himself on the wall, panting heavily.

"Why is she so angry? I've seen her in an undirected frenzy, but this is cold, focused fury..." Cadence had apparently walked over to Ribbon, and was trying to figure out why I was pissed off.

"She thinks that the princesses are withholding information about her..." she leans in to whisper the next part, but I knew what she was saying. "like if she is immortal..." Cadences eyes widen at that, she either didn't know as well, or realized the princesses made a very stupid mistake.

Satisfied that they understood the severity of the situation, I marched onwards, heading for the dining rooms. "I remember you!" That voice... Blueblood had found us in a joined corridor, and was advancing towards Ribbon, completely unaware of my presence. "You thought you we're too good for me, well guess what, you're just a mis-" he jumps back when Ribbon goes up in flames, revealing her in her true glory.

"'That miserable whore', happens to be Queen of the changelings." Blueblood a look of terror on his face, pure, delicious terror. but Ribbon wasn't done yet. "Not only that, but I have contacts with several alicorns..." I don't know how, but I could taste the fear coming from him, and it left me watering at the mouth, wanting more... "Two of which I know personally..." I begun slowly inching towards the unsuspecting prince, licking my lips in anticipation. "And one of which is my lover..." I heard several choaked gasps, as my observers were unable to speak clearly over the feeling of impending doom. "I believe you have met her before, Blueblood, and got on her bad side..." I begun cackling internally as the poor, poor fool realized how grave a mistake he had made. "And not only is she here..." he felt my breath against the back of his neck, and froze.

He oh so slowly turns his head to meet me, my fangs glistening with saliva, and my eyes promising levels of pain that converged on an infinite zero. "But I hunger..." unable to look away from me, he could only watch as I nipped his ear, drawing a few drops of blood. He could only twist his head to maintain eye contact with me. "Oh how I wish to make a meal out of you. The plump, spoiled ones are always the tastiest..." I watched as he begun trembling, tears begging to form in his eyes as I caressed my fangs with my tongue. "But that would be to easy..." he shivered as I made my hair slowly stroke his spine. "Now run, run as far as your legs can take you, mortal, and pray to your gods that I never find you..." by now, he was so pale he should be dead. The absolute terror he was emitting left me feeling stronger than ever, as my voice took on a sultry tone. "For there are fates much worse than death..." I cackled madly as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he slumped to the floor, dead to the outside world.

Cadence's jaw had hit the floor, and Shining was glad to still be alive after earning my ire. Rarity had a grin on her face that spoke volumes about how much she hated the bastard. I noticed that at some point, Fluttershy had begun cowering behind Ribbon, who was repeatedly 'nope'ing, and Rainbow was hiding behind her... Pinkie was just standing there, her jaw open, not moving at all, while Applejack poked her head out from under her hat. Twilight was standing there, her hoof covering her mouth, with Spike gripping her leg like it was the only thing in the world.

After waiting for everyone to come to terms with what happened, I stomped towards the dining rooms once again, intent on getting answers from those royal imbeciles. Those foolish ponies think they can withhold information from ME!?

I feel... warm? Like someone had thrown a soft blanket over me and was telling me everything would be alright. the hate slowly drained out of me, and a relaxed, no longer feeling the need to look intimidating. I allowed it to fully embrace me, and became dulled to the outside world, faintly aware of Ribbon nuzzling my face. I barely even registered that I was walking...

*whack!* I shook off the fuzzy feeling after walking into a door. "Are you alright? you walked right into the door." No... really!?

I try not to sink back into the warmness, and nod. "Yeah, I just got lost in thought..." opening the doors, I was greeted to the princesses, who were busy talking to a guard. When he left, they gave me a worried glance.

"Well, take a seat." Heh, Luna knew what I was thinking. We all walked over, and took our respective seats, Cadence and Shining sitting next to Celestia, while I sat directly across from her, with Ribbon and Twilight at my sides. It was only now I became aware of the fact Discord was sitting beside Fluttershy.

Putting on my game face, I forwent any formality, and cut straight to the chase. "Look, Celestia, Luna, I have reason to believe you've been withholding information about what I am, and I want answers..."

They quickly traded glances, before Luna spoke up. "We knew you'd find out eventually..."

Celestia gave a sagely nod. "We were just trying to let you get used to your new life first." I could still feel that blanket of warmth, keeping me from becoming infuriated with them.

"What am I, really? I can freely manipulate my form, have a fourth source of magic, and wasn't even an alicron until i wound up in this reality!"

After a short pause, Luna hesitantly speaks up. "You're a spirit, You're only loosely bound to the physical plane." WHAT!? You mean I'm not even real!? No, this isnt happening... I slowly feel my worry dissipate into that warm blanket of comfort... a spirit... loosely bound to the physical realm... that might explain why I can shapeshift, I am disconnected enough that my form is not held in a single shape.

Ribbon's extremely worry caught my attention. "Wait, you mean she's dead?!"

"No, we tested that when she was unconscious, after the elements were used on her. she's not dead." Oh thank god...

Rainbow raised a hoof, a concerned look on her face. "So she's a ghost... does that the mean she can posses ponies?" I think I did with Ribbon once, but Discord was involved... So I'm not sure if it counts.

Celestia holds a hoof the her jaw, thinking. "It's possible, as she inherited her power from the Nightmare. We couldn't test what her magic could do, only that she had it and how strong it was."

"Could the Nightmare also feed on emotions?" Oh shit, Ribbon just pulled that out of left field.

The first one to respond to that whopper was Luna. "Why do you ask? do you believe Chi is doing so?" Ribbon nods.

"When she had Blueblood scared out of his wits, her magic begun fluctuating in a pattern almost identical to a feeding changeling..."

"That explains why I felt refreshed after scaring him unconscious..." ohhhh boy, I'm a shapeshifter that can feed on fear... a literal Nightmare...

Celestias eyes widen. "Of course! It makes sense! Nightmare Moon overpowered me so easily because she had been feeding on Lunas negativity the whole time they were on the moon!" Shiiiit... that backfired on you badly, Celestia.

"Speaking of the moon, I've noticed every alicorn represents something... Cadence is love, Celestia is the sun, Twilight here is probably friendship or magic, and you, Luna, are the moon... so what am I?"

Luna hums in thought for a few moments, before replying. "You can hide in the shadows, you can feed of the darkness in a ponies soul, and take the form of their darkest fears. You can use dark magic rather skillfully and without consequence, and you even once forcibly moved the moon, darkening the sky... the only logical conclusion is that you represent darkness itself..."

"Now then, I heard from Ribbon that Alicorns are supposedly immortal... is this true?"

I am greeted to a synchronized "Yes." Several horrifying revelations occurred to me at that moment.

...

...

I have stand by and watch as everything I know and love fades to dust...?

...

...

I will be forced to bear the pain of Ribbons eventual passing...?

...

...

I have to bear the pain of ALL my friends eventual death...? Very well... I will spare myself such torment and drive them away... I shall become the successor to the Nightmare...

I slowly pull myself to my hoofs, barely aware of my tears dripping to the floor, even as I feel my features harden.

"Chi?" Ribbon, you and Scootaloo were the only two who truly cared for me.

I feel myself begin to slowly laugh, as the irony of my torment dawns on me.

"Chi, you're scaring me here. It'll be alright." No it won't, Ribbon, I've been doomed to fate worse than death...

"I-i-its... its j-just... just s-so..."

"Chi, calm down, the oldest Queen I know of lived to be over 300 before she was killed." 300 years is but less than a blink in the grand scale of things...

"ITS JUST SO GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING HYSTERICAL! I HAD FOUND TRANQUILITY IN DEATH, BUT NOW, NOW I HAVE BEEN ETERNALLY DENIED MY FINAL SLEEP, FORCED TO WATCH AS ALL I KNOW AND LOVE FADES TO DUST!" My tears began to run free... "Is this hell...?"

Celestia just looks me in eyes. "This is why we didn't tell you anything. Immortality can be cruel to those that are not born with it."

I could not stand these ignorant cretins presence any longer, and fled towards the gardens. Somehow, my body knew where to go, as I weaved through the corridors, dodging guards and staff in my sprint. When I got outside, I was still not feeling secure, I felt vulnerable, like one of those mortals could attack me from any angle... That was unacceptable. I instinctively wrapped myself in my miasma, forming armor that I hadn't used for quite some time, and letting out a relieved sigh, now that I had some form of protection to comfort my insecurity. Bolting into the hedge maze, I made my way to the center, where I curled up into a ball trying to block out the outside world to no avail. After lying on the ground for a few minutes, crying, I heard hoof steps.

"Begon fool, and forget what you have witnessed, least you face my wrath..." when I was ignored, I braced myself for the coming torment.

"I understand how much of a curse Immortality can be." I shoot Luna a glare that would have stopped a lesser ponies heart. She had the gall to follow me!? "The reason the Nightmare was able to possess me was not because our subjects shunned me, but because I shunned them. I locked myself away because I didn't want to be hurt and it made me weak, and now I feel responsible for what has happened." So I'm not the only one...

"I'm scared, Luna, I'm scared that when Ribbon passes, there will be nobody left to keep me from falling into the depths of madness... I am already a formless shadow of you, that spreads fear and carnage wherever I go, I don't want to think of the monster I would become if I lost it, and fully gave in to this body's instincts..." and I would be trapped in my mind, forced to watch as everything burned, burdened with the knowledge that I did that, for the rest of eternity... The tears return, threatening to turn into a flood.

She walks closer, a sad smile on her face. "But you won't. I'm sure you won't, you have already taken steps towards making this body yours, who is to say you will not take more. And regardless, Ribbon will not be going anywhere, any time soon, Chi, she is right here, right now. She said the oldest Queen she know was over 300 years old before she was killed, Ribbon could live longer still." She may be with me for while, but anyone else minus the Princesses, and possibly Discord and Twilight, will be gone in the blink of an eye... I notice her features harden slightly. "Contrary to what ponies say, me and my sister are not truly immortal, we are eternally youthful. I do not wish to say this, but if it will bring you peace of mind than I will. If when Ribbon passes away, you still wish to die, you need only a blade." I... I still can at least choose... no. I will not sink so low as to end myself when Ribbon passes, she would want me to live.

With a newfound will to live, I slowly pull myself to my hooves, and pull Luna into hug, only able to mutter a choked "thank you..." before crying uncontrollably into her shoulder. Thank you, Luna... I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

"...Chitsuki?"

I disengage from Luna, and turn to see Ribbon, looking me in the eyes, worried. Walking to her, I could feel tears of joy in my eyes. "Its not immortality... I am merely unaffected by time, and will never age... besides that, I am as mortal as any other pony..." I pull her into a hug, tears flowing freely, as Ribbon hugs me back. We stood like thi for several minutes, before disentangling and allowing Luna to lead us out of the maze.

As we neared the exit, I steeled myself, not wanting to let ponies who were unknowns get too close to me, and harden my features into a look of distaste, while my posture becomes one of absolute authority. I feel the same warmness from before, blanket me, and turn to Ribbon, confused. She gives me a fanged grin in response, confirming that it was indeed her, who had been causing that reaffirming warmness in my mind. I gave her a nearly imperceptible nod, before we stepped out of the maze, and were greeted to everypony else, most of them backing up a few steps upon seeing me being as intimidating as possible.

"Buddy, why are you suddenly wearing armor?" Rainbow flinches back at my displeased look.

"It is of no concern to you, and I am not your 'buddy'..." my distaste with the mare had everyone taken aback, even Celestia herself was shocked by my change in personality.

"You certainly seem... intimidating." I GLARE at Celestia, my hatred suddenly spiking even through the reassuring warmth Ribbon had wrapped around my mind.

"Chi. Stop that, she didn't do anything." You wouldn't understand Ribbon, you wouldn't understand how this impudent welp manipulated me...

I bare my fangs at Celestia, my voice full of spite. "Be thankful she deems there has been no transgression..." Composing myself, I break eye contact.

A certain polychromatic pegasus decides to interrupt. "Can we eat now? I'm starving." I had to reluctantly agree with that, as I nodded my head.

Celestia leads us back the dining hall, as I fell into step behind Ribbon, wanting to keep her as close as possible, worried that something might try to take her from me. I could still feel Ribbon trying to comfort me, but I couldn't keep my anxiety at how vulnerable she was from clouding my thoughts. I was jarred to full attention by multiple gasps and discover I was slowly dissolving, and realized my miasma was starting to blanket Ribbon, before settling and acting like it was part of her.

"Chi stop, what are you doing?!" I would have replied, had I not already fully dissolved, and covered Ribbon, before everything shifted, and I was viewing things though Ribbons eyes, and noticed as she looked herself over that she looked like a silhouette of me, her face featureless except for her eyes. It was then that I realized I was not only seeing through her eyes, but using her other senses as well. Wait, that explains why I can tell Celestia isn't absolutely terrified, and is CURIOUS, unlike everypony else, I've tapped into Ribbon's emotion sensing ability!

"Ohhh... you're cold..." her voice sounded like a fusion of hers and mine, sending shivers up several ponies spines.

(Ribbon? Are you alright?) I tried to speak, yet no sound was made, even as I felt that I had indeed sent a message.

"I'm alright, but what did you do?" Everypony looks at Ribbon like she's gone insane, much to my annoyance.

(What I did? I think I possessed you, but let you remain in control. Why I did it? I just wanted to keep you as safe as possible. How I did it? I have no clue, other than dissolving into miasma and wrapping around you... also, you might want to inform your audience that you're not going crazy.)

"I'm not crazy! you know we have a link." Her words didn't have much effect.

Rainbow gives her a suspicious leer. "So you're saying she's talking to you from inside your head?"

"Yes..." THAT, however, did relieve everypony's worries. Feeling like my beloved was safe enough, I let myself wind down, and simply observed...

"No wait! Don't fall asleep on me!... she's asleep." Everypony chucked nervously at Ribbons situation, even though I wasn't asleep, so much as completely inactive.

Rainbow was the first to work up the nerve to ask something. "You're stuck like that until shes wakes up, aren't you..."

Her nervous chuckle echoed of the walls. "...maybe."

"Well then, you might as well see what you look like!" Discord hd pulled a mirror from somewhere, and was now showing Ribbon her reflection. She looked like a silhouette of me, with two orbs of teal blue for her eyes. Her mane and tail looked exactly like mine, flowing in an invisible wind. She spread her wings, and found them to be shaped like a bats. But the single most disturbing feature, was the lack of any. Other than her outline, mane, and eyes, everything flowed into everything else, making her body look like a shadow in three dimensions. When she closed her wings, they seemed to vanish into her sides, her face was an expressionless mask, her eyes the only way of telling her emotional state. and she ran a hoof against herself, feeling her chitin beneath the inky blackness. It was then she, and by extension me, became aware of how the blackness felt... safe, and cool like a summer breeze, instead of the icy feeling my miasma usually had.

Upon clearing her throat, she seemed to completely ignore what had just happened. "So, dinner?" You're kidding... You're kidding, right? Everyone, even Discord, jaw dropped at her indifference. After several minutes of walking in silence. We finally reached our destination. Throwing the doors open, we filed in, everypony taking a seat, with Twilight and Rainbow sitting beside Ribbon. The food had been laid out before we got back, and Ribbon grabbed an apple in... oh god, It just floating there, no aura whatsoever! Note to self: find out exactly how things work when I'm attached to someone like this. Anyway, she levitated it over, and bit into it, causing a portion of it to blink out of existence to an outside observer. So thats what an apple tastes like to you...

The rest of the night was a blur of boredom, as even Discord was somewhat creeped out when Ribbon gave him the stink eye for turning the pear she was about to eat into a potato. When everypony had finished and said their goodbyes, Ribbon had an idea. My magic begun charging, and we teleported, reappearing with no flash or sound whatsoever, just 'poof', we're now in the basement of our house.

Finally alone with Ribbon, I muster enough will to become 'active', catching Ribbons attention.

"Welcome back." I never left...

(I wasn't so much asleep, as inactive and observing. But anyway, do you like this?)

"Heh, It feels cool, like a calm breeze."

(So is there anything you want to try before I work on undoing this?)

"I wanted to try the mane thing."

(Feel that source of power that wasn't here before we merged? Follow it to your mane, and will it to move.)

After a few moments, 'her' mane floats in front of her, and splits into four tentacle like limbs. She's better with this then I am!

(Impressive.)

They float back together at Ribbons side. "You should practice with you magic more often, you'd get better a lot faster."

I let myself relax, and pictured me splitting from Ribbon, before I felt myself moving and eventually returning to my default form, complete with armor. From nowhere, inspiration struck. "I have a plan... I could posses Chrysalis, and work on freeing her that way, and contain any backlash."

"Are you sure you're fit to help her right now?"

"I can relate to her now, I'm more fit than ever."

"If you're sure." She walks over to the pod, and cuts it open with her horn, before dragging Chrysalis out. "Get up" Chrysalis slowly gets to her hooves, where Ribbon uses a spell to remove the goop that clung to her. "Go for it."

I let myself dissolve, and instead of wrapping around her, flowed into her. My vision suddenly shifts, and I feel myself twitch a couple times. "Trippy..." laying down, I close my eyes, and focus...

Undieing Loyalty

I quickly relinquished control of Chrysalis, before allowing myself to reform, pure 'wat' running through me. "What did I just see!? All I can tell is that it's not salmon..."

"So it didn't work, I take it." Her eyes widen in shock when Chrysalis scoots over to her, and begins nuzzling her leg, while purring like a cat. "So... it did?" This is...

"Dawwwww. Is so cute!" Ribbon gave me a 'what the hell' look.

"It's not cute, a tyrant is purring and nuzzling me and I don't know what to do about it."

"Back in the pod?"

"Back in the pod." Ribbon takes a whimpering Chrysalis and puts her back in her pod, where she quickly falls into a induced sleep. With that out of the way, I can finally see what's happened while we were gone.

"I'm heading topside." With that, I teleport to the other side of the door, before trotting upstairs, where Scootaloo is somehow still asleep. Before I walked outside, I steeled myself, knowing I could not show weakness. Opening the door, I was greeted to Ponyville overrun by long, thorny vines.

-Ribbon... you're going to want to see what's going on up here...-

'what, did Derpy break my mail box again?'

-... Thorny tentacles. That is all.-

With a flash of light, Ribbon teleports upstairs, where she walks over to the door, and takes a good, long look at this mindfuckery... before closing the door, and looking me in the eyes. "The world is dead to me..."

Wait... Opening the door again, I realize the sun and moon are in the sky, and several vines had inched closer to the door, cuing me to slam it with a mental 'nope!'

"I'm not going out there." I notice Ribbon heading to the forge, but when she opens the door to it, several vines springe out and fall inches short of her, before retracting back into the forge. She promptly slammed the door, before once more meeting my eyes. "Alright, Lets find Twilight, maybe she knows something..."

Those things tried to attack you! "You want me to do the thingie where I became part of you again? I don't want those things getting you."

"Yeah, I felt strong when you were doing that."

"Okay, here go-" I had dissolved into miasma much more rapidly this time, doing it deliberately instead of by accident. Flowing around Ribbon, I waited for the shif- there we go.

'How does this feel to you? To me it feels like a cool breeze.'

-Same.-

After taking a few steps towards the door, we both noticed something. Ribbon had'nt made a single noise. She paused for a moment, before feeling her chest, confirming she was indeed still breathing, yet no sound was made. Stomping a hoof on the ground yielded the same silence.

-Thats some ninja shenanigans right there.-

After Ribbon opened the door, she caught sight of a bright light on the dark half of Ponyville. "Good enough place to start." Ribbon flinched a bit from her own voice, before heading towards the light. Spreading her wings, she took to the air, silent as ever. We did notice several ponies start to panic, but the moment they looked away, they seemed to forget what had them frightened. When we approached the location of the light show, we saw Twilight had drunk some kind of potion, and was standing stiff, her eyes glowing, with her friends watching.

Ribbon smirked as a mischievous idea came to her. Setting down behind them, just as Twilight recovered from whatever she was experiencing, Ribbon cleared her throat. "Gentlemares..." everypony spins around in fright.

"...Ribbon?" Neither of us was expecting Fluttershy to speak up first.

"Yes?"

Shy sighs in relief. "Oh thank goodness, it is you..."

"Who were you expecting, a shade?" Fluttershy hides behind her mane in embarrassment. Waitaminute...

-You found internet memes, didn't you...-

'... Maybe.'

After our brief mental exchange, we noticed Fluttershy stop hiding behind her mane. "Ummm. What was I hidi-" she notices us. "EEP! W-when did y-you get here!?"

"I'm confused, you and were just talking." Hmmmm... this is rather interesting.

"W-we were?" If this is what I think it is...

-Ribbon, I have theory I want to test, you need to get them all to look away.-

3... 2... 1... "DISTRACTION!" Ribbon points at a random object, diverting everyone's attention, where they stare for a few moments...

"Dash, why were we staring at that again?"

"I have no idea Pinkie."

Everypony began looking around, and passed us over several times. Curious, Ribbon used my magic to levitate a rock, the lack of an aura still confusing me.

"What in tarnation!?"

"EEEP!"

Everypony had begun flipping out at the floating rock. It was amusing watching them panic for a while, when I realized something.

-Okay, they don't notice us unless you draw attention to yourself, they forget you were even here the moment they look away, you don't have an aura, and you are completely silent unless you speak...-

Ribbon drops the rock, preparing to presumably troll the hell out of them. "I am a shade..." Fluttershy and Rarity fainted on the spot, Rainbow immediately gave us a challenging glare, Applejack just stood there, waiting for us to make a move. Pinkie was just staring at us, confused, while Twilight looked ready to shoot first, ask questions later.

Ribbon audibly gulps somehow. "...be gentle." Ohshitohshitohshit! I desperately try to somehow put something in between Ribbon and Twilight, and feel her mane twitch just as Twilight releases her spell, and everything goes black as Ribbon reflexively closes her eyes in anticipation.

I felt her mane shoot up in front of her just before the spell would have hit, and feel the spell hit it, none of it actually reaching Ribbon. After several moments of nothing, Ribbon opened her eyes, and we found her mane had moved itself in between herself and Twilight, and ribbon was shocked she wasn't dead.

-Excuse me while I deal with this...- steeling myself, I peeled myself off Ribbon, much to everyone's surprise, and reformed in front of her. "Her statement was merely a joke, you insufferable simpletons! Be thankfull I do not wish to seek retribution..." everypony rapidly backed away from me and Twilight, expressions of 'oh crap' on their faces. My anger quickly zeroed in on Twilight, as I focused my glare on her, causing her to squirm under it.

I suddenly felt a slight tap on my side, and swifty pivot my head towards the source, and teach the fo- Ribbon? I felt my fury evaporate, as she swiftly withdrew her hoof up against her chest, 'eep'ing from the glimpse of my glare she caught.

"My apologies, I did not mean for you to see that."

"It's ok. We probably shouldn't do that shade form again."

"We must find the source of this foul growth, post-haste..."

Twilight was the only one up to the task. "I know what we need to do, I think."

"Please do go on?" You have my interest Twilight, do not waste it.

"We need to go back to the castle in the Everfree." Not that place again... do we even NEED to go there.

-did you ever get those traps cleared out?-

'They were very thorough and took all the poachers stuff.'

"I do not see the relevance of that place... do please inform me of what I am missing."

"We need to find a crystal tree, the princesses took the elements from it."

"Discord was involved, I presume?" Wait for it...

"Why does it always have to be me, Can I not be innocent?" And from nowhere, Discords in a lawn chair eating chips, wearing a pair of sunglasses as he watches everypony panic.

A wicked grin emerges on my face. "I never said you were guilty Discord, merely involved. Thank you for admitting to it though." He just continues to shove chips in his mouth.

Now how to motivate those fools... yes... that will do nicely. "Ponies... tonight, we march..." everypony in our little group turned to look at me.

"Dear Faust no..." ah, Ribbon knows where I'm going with this.

Drawing Akumu, much to everyponies surprise. Pointing it towards the Everfree, I marched, everypony in our little group following behind me.

As we headed into the forest, I overheard Twilight talking to Ribbon. "I'm confused, why has she become so cold and spiteful after the dinner in Canterlot?"

"I'm not entirely sure, But she feels almost, insecure or afraid now. She said before that you can see souls or something, has it changed at all?" There were a few seconds of silence as Twilight activated her soul vision, before she gasped.

"Its... its so full of cracks that the slightest jolt might shatter it, and it looks like it might implode..." I get the sense that she's examining it closer... "Ribbon... her soul... its... bound itself to yours, and it feels like thats the only thing keeping it, however loosely, anchored to the material plane!" Wait, what!? Is she implying that when Ribbon passes away, I'll fade into nothingness? It makes sense, in a twisted sort of way. A shadow cannot exist without an object to cast it... Ribbon is my cster

"Its what? you mean she's attached to me, literally?"

"Its a strong link, a VERY strong link. I get the feeling Chi simply will not leave you, and NOTHING will keep her from staying at your side..." unless you destroy what casts it, a shadow can never be destroyed, only made to vanish for a time...

'Do you think maybe you really are immortal so long as I'm alive?' I... I think it might just be so.

-As long as the caster exists, the shadow cannot be destroyed...-

'Can you maybe word that better? It makes me sound like a necromancer.'

-I am your shadow... so long as you live, I will not die...-

'Better, but it would be better not to risk it.' Ribbon, I can still feel pain, so of course I'm not going to try it... Wait. That vine wasn't there before... oh shit! Their moving! Almost immediately, Twilight begins blasting them, while Ribbon sets them on fire. I begun hacking away at any that got close, Akumu cleaving through them like paper.

One of the vines got the drop on me, and quickly wrapped around my torso, sending spikes of pain through me as it impaled several locations. Knowing things were about to get ugly, I tried to get them going. "Run, you fools!" And boy, did they run. Twilight literally dragged Ribbon behind her, as they fled towards the castle. Swinging Akumu wildly in my magic, I chopped through vine after vine, even as the one around my chest continued to tighten and puncture me, lifting me into the air. They wouldn't stop coming, after what felt like hours, the familiar headache of magical faguiet begun setting in.

Turning to the mass of vines beneath me, I spat at them. "Do your wors-*urk!*" one of the vines had wrapped around my neck. The shock make me drop Akumu, and I couldn't focus enough to pick it back up. I was now both suffocating and bleeding like a stuck pig, but I still struggled as more vines begun flailing at me, the thorns ripping into me. Is this how I end? Feeling one wrap around my horn, every thorn sending shockwaves of agony through me, I felt it begin to pull. My body spasmed in agony, even as the vine kept pulling, until with a loud crack and a volcano of pain, I watched in horror as my horn snapped clean off. I tried to scream, but only the sound of gurgling emerged, and several trails of blood dripped from my mouth.

Things were starting to shut down, as my limbs rapidly went numb, the pain no longer a problem. Soon the numbness spread all over me, and one by one, my legs went limp. More vines begun constricting me, until only my face was visible. I could feel my heart slowing, as I lost all control of my body... as I closed my eyes for a final time, my only thought was how I failed Ribbon. My heart gave out, yet still my conscious lingered, something keeping me from fully leaving this realm. My senses finally gave out, and I was left alone in my mind...

I had been wandering this infinite blackness for days, drawn inexplicably to some unknown point. I dared not stop moving, for it felt like something was following me, and if it caught me, I would be consumed by the nothingness, and cease to exist. Hearing sounds that should not exist, I begun picking up speed, feeling that un-thing drawing closer. Looking behind me, something that I cannot remember was but a few feet from me, causing me to nearly drop from the shock. By now I was at a full gallop, and was praying something would help me.

'The light, Jack! Head for the light!' Maria? In the distance, a faint light appeared, and I altered course to head for it. Whatever was chasing me was still gaining, and as the light grew brighter, I put on a desperate burst of speed. An ungodly scream of pain rang out as the thing behind me was repulsed by its brightness, the glow enfluging me.

I awoke in a white void, a sense of relief washing through me as I realized that thing could no longer get me. Getting onto my hooves, I looked around the vast emptiness, confused as to how I wound up in this mess. Am I truly dead this time...?

"No Jack, you are not dead... not fully, anyways." Whipping my head around, my eyes settled on a eggshell white pegasus, and widened.

She stood there with grace, her wild red mane moving like a flame every time she shifted her head, stirring memories within me. But it was her eyes that brought those memories to the forefront, those beautiful cyan eyes, glinting like ice, yet holding an inviting warmth.

"Hello, Jack..." that voice... it can't be her, can it?

"Maria..." she slowly walked up to me, pulling me into hug.

"I'm sorry, Jack, but its true, you are immortal, so long as Ribbon lives. I was told so by her, the one from whence Equestria came." I could feel her tears on my back, even as tears of my own begun falling.

"I... I-i'm sorry... I failed you Maria... I j-just was-"

"There is no need to apologize, Jack, as no fault exists. But even then, I forgive you." My tears slowly subsided, as I held her close, refusing to let go, when I saw flakes of light rising from her, even as she gave me a sad look. "My visit, it seems, is nearing its end..." I became aware of a tugging sensation in my chest, and saw, through Maria's now fading form, a thread of green and teal blue, leading from my chest to somewhere far above us. "Look over her, Jack, for you are both destined to do great things..." I felt myself yanked in a direction I couldn't hope to comprehend, and 'woke up.'

I became 'aware' of my surroundings, yet I could still not feel or move my body. The vines are gone, thats a plus... The sound of sobbing finally registers to my senses. Ribbon is crying for me...

I hear the sound of somepony landing. "I-i-i can't believe it... why didn't I stand and fight by her side... even I couldn't be that loyal to somepony I only knew for less than a year..." Rainbow, you're too kind...

Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy had begun crying rivers.

"Tarnations... there are no words..." Applejack was utterly dumbfounded by how I hadn't thought twice about sacrificing myself.

"Ribbon... I'm so sorry..." Twilight had draped a wing around Ribbon -albeit awkwardly, considering Ribbon was the same only slightly smaller than me- in an attempt to comfort her. Ribbon leaned into Twi's shoulder, and begun bawling.

I felt something click, and was shocked when magic begun building despite my horn being broken. I watched in fascination as shadows begun coating me, and everypony else started freaking out. Skin and fur begun growing, and I screamed noiselessly as something erupted from my skull, revealing a new horn. I felt the damage to my throat healing. I sensed myself filling with blood, as functions resumed. Gasping, sweet air filled my lungs, and I forced myself to stand, even as pieces of the shadows covering me broke off, and my headache intensified. Just as the last pieces fell off, I got glomped by Ribbon.

Blowing my mane out of my face I- wait, what?! My mane was no longer the same deep, star filled blue Lunas was, instead it was beyond black, to the point it looked like it had been cut out of the fabric of reality, leaving a void in its place... also, it had a few holes in it, making it look like an old towel.

-That HURT. And I think I have magic exhaustion...-

'Of course you do, and I'm not fixing it this time.'

-uhhhhh... I think Twilight is about to go crazy like during that incident with the doll.- She takes one look at Twi, mouths 'oh buck.' And quickly teleports us home, before Twilight decides to try SCIENCE!

We arrived in the basement, where I discovered Ribbon giving me a lusty look. "You look like you could use some stress relief..." yes, I just died, and I wanted sex, sue me... giving Ribbon the best pair of bedroom eyes I could manage, I was already imagining what she would do to me...

"You're going to pay for dieing on me."

(Extream Clop) Make Me Your Bitch

Author's Notes:

Warning, contains denile, domination, and other cloppy goodness.

This is gonna be the last clop chapter for a while as things are about to go south

"You're going to pay for dieing on me." Oh boy... "You like it when I make you my bitch? Then I'll make you one..." I gulped, this was gonna hurt good, wasn't it?

Watching as she ran her slim coated tongue around my neck, She flipped me onto my belly, and continued around the back of my neck as well. Hearing her giggle, she flipped again, before completing her lap of my neck, and pulled away, leaving a thick thread of silk trailing from my new collar to her mouth. After winding a few lengths around her hoof, she bit the end off, and smiled, before giving my leah a quick tug, pulling my head up to her face. "If you so much as come once, I'll make it painful..." she pulls me even closer, whispering into my ear. "The safety word is 'metal' if you want it to stop." This was going to hurt VERY good.

"Yes... mistress." Her smile grows. Heh, first two things she got from my memories was porn, and memes.

"Very good. I didn't even have to tell you to call me that..." she slips on of her hooves into my marehood, sending a shudder through me, as she ever so softly puts my whole ear into her mouth, sending a second shudder through me as her teeth slide along it, while her hoofs movements inside me cause me to whimper. I can feel the flames in my nethers beginning to smolder, sparking into existence much too slowly for my liking.

'You don't seem so sensitive now, that's good.'

"All the more time to toy with me, mistress..."

I can hear her humming, the ear in her mouth being vibrated by it, and watch, as she removes her hoof from me, lets go of my ear, and licks my fluids off, smiling evilly. "Get up." She uses my leash to pull me into a sitting position, where she gazes into my eyes. She lays down, exposing herself to me. "Lick, do a good job and I might reward you..." feeling another pull, she reels me in, forcing my face into her open legs, where I begin eagerly licking, starting with her lips. I hear Ribbon hum in pleasure, before feeling something on my head. Looking up, but not stopping for a moment, I notice Ribbon had placed a hoof on my head, and was busy licking the holes in her other forehoof. As I began working my way inward, Ribbon begins moaning, my efforts obviously working. Inhaling deeply, I dive in, working my tongue to the very back of ribbons marehood. Ribbon gasps as my tongue fully penetrates, and begins moaning louder. I keep licking, not bothering to come up for air, as my oxygen deprived brain adds fuel to the fire in my nethers. When I finally felt like I was going to pass out, I pulled back just enough to inhale through my nose, all while still licking. Ribbon, teetering on the edge, lets her hoof drop to her side. "S-suck on my... my clit, pet." Smiling obediently, I begun sucking on her nub. When her muscles began spasming, I let go, causing her to moan as she came, before resuming, turning her moan into a scream. I braced myself, knowing I would have to let go sooner or later, and when I did, I would get a facefull. Unable to wait any longer, I let go, before being assaulted by Ribbons juices. Smiling at her bliss, I felt my own folds begging for release.

I sat there, waiting for Ribbon to finish, occasionally getting yanked forward as she pulled my leash in her spasms. They eventually subside, and she looks at me, pleased. "Want your reward now, pet?" I nod energetically, anticipating what would happen. "Say 'please'."

"Please, mistress..."

"Thats better..." she gets up, and when I try to raise as well, she pushes me back down, onto my stomach. She then straddles my back, and leans forward, slowly running her long tongue along my horn, nearly sending me over the edge, as my eyes roll back in bliss. I then remember her order to not come, and try my hardest to keep from peaking. Ribbon slowly takes the top few inches into her mouth, before pulling it up, taking my head with it, bobbing me up and down. I can feel my fluids starting to leak from my clenched folds, as I was but inches from my peak, trying my hardest not to, lest I be punished. I feel Ribbon grab my wing, and began massaging it, sending me over the edge, causing me to whimper, knowing I would be punished, while a puddle of my fluids forms beneath me. She lets go of my horn, as well as my wing, disappointed. "Tch, tch, tch. I told you not to come, didn't I?" I am so screwed... "Well?"

"Yes, mistress, I am a bad pet, and must be punished."

"Yes, you are a very bad pet. Roll over on your back." She gets off of me, letting out a bit of leash, before pushing on my side. I comply, and roll onto my back, where she positions herself between my spread legs, her long tongue ready to burrow into me at a moments notice. "Takth a good loog look peth." She winds more of my leash around her hoof, forcing my head up until I had a clear view of what she was going to do.

Like a cobra, her tongue lunged into me, causing me to gasp, as is rooted around in me, rapidly sending me into another climax. Just before I was going to orgasm, I felt her tongue withdraw, and a torrent of slimy gel fill me up completely, leaving me unable to come at all, as I saw the sadistic glint in her eyes. After a few moments, she pulled away, revealing she had let the gel overflow into her mouth, and now left a phallic pillar of it sticking from my marehood. She then spat two globs of gel, pinning my forelegs to the ground, and begun giggling at my helplessness. She mounted me, and begun using my new additon to get herself off, still pulling my head up with the leash, leaving me unable to look away as she got off, each motion moving the blob inside me, increasing my pleasure, as my body begins instinctively thrusting into her. A moan escapes from me, as Ribbon continues bouncing and moaning on top of me. I feel something being drained from me, and Ribbon begins coming, having used my lust to peak. After coming down from her high, she begins magically massaging my wings. I couldn't take it any longer...

"Please mistress! Let me come!" The sadistic glint returns.

"Oh, so we're begging now? Why should I?"

Ohhhhhhhhhhh... my vision vanishes as a feel my eyes roll back, and a low, constant moan escaped from me, before Ribbon begens massaging my hor- ohhhhhhhhhhhhgodyesgodyesgodyes... something poked my shoulder, but I was in so much pleasure, that I didn't know what, before I felt myself slowly fall asleep, even as the glob inside me slides out, and I feel the first motions of an orgasm before fully falling asleep...

Interlude - Demon

He had stirred, and took in his surroundings, a forest, before smiling viscously. His mind, finally free of the last shreds of his former self, could now think clearly. "One cannot kill a demon..." tightening the rope keeping his tattered shorts from falling, he glanced at his newly discovered equine form with indifference, muscle memory having been morphed to match his form. "This world shall burn..." channeling his murderous intent, he watched as his forehoof glowed yellow and steamed from the raw power, before punching a tree, shattering it. Taking to the sky, he came across a city, Dodge city, if the sign was correct, and grinned at the slaughter to come. Landing in an alleyway near the center of the city, he begun focusing power, as the ground began shaking, his blue coat being consumed by shadows, his hoof glowing a bright white. Channeling but a portion of his murderous intent, he brought his hoof down, and this world witnessed the power of the kongou kokuretsu zan for the first time...

Author's Notes:

Things are going to get dark, as theirs a storm brewing.

Can you guess who it is?

The Joy of Life

Both me and Ribbon awoke to the ground trembling violently, and without a second thought, we teleported upstairs, where Scootaloo and Gary followed us outside. The sight that occurred will forever be etched in my memory.

On the other side of the Everfree, a massive bolt of energy came crashing down from nowhere, causing several vertical blades of an energy so full of murderous intent that it could be felt from here, to erupt from the ground. Ribbon and Scootaloo simply stared, shocked by absurd level of power need to perform something like that. I believe I spoke for both of them when I voiced my mind.

"Holy. Goddamn. Shit."

That snapped Ribbon out of her stupor. "What could do that?"

"I swear I've seen that before, back in my gamer days, but where...?" Feeling something gripping my leg like a vice, I notice Scootaloo clamped onto me, shivering in fright.

"I-i-is it o-over...? I-i-i'm scared..." coaxing her off my rear leg, I pulled her up to my chest in a one legged hug, somewhat rattled myself. Scootaloo seemed to sense my fear, and wrapped her forelegs around me, whimpering into my neck.

I took a few moments to calm myself down, and wrapped a wing around the filly's quivering form, even as Twilight showed up, panicking.

"What the buck was that!?"

"Thats what I'm trying to remember... I know I've seen it somewhere before..." and I feel like I'm woefully unprepared for whatever caused it. Because if it gets through me... Ribbon and Scootaloo won't stand a chance...

"I might need to rush order your new rifle."

"Rifle?" Awww crap, Twilights interested.

"Nothing!" Twilight actually bought Ribbons attempt at a cover up! How gullible can you get?

"I'm surprised more ponies aren't freaking out..." idle chitchat while I converse with Ribbon. -We're gonna need to learn to defend ourselves if theres something like that out there. Attacking like a lunatic can only get you so far...-

'Luna and Celestia can probably teach you how to fight, and while you're in Canterlot I can work on the rifle.'

Twilight had apparently finished running some calculations in her head, and gasped. "Whatever did THAT must've done more damage the Discords plunder vines."

"Wait, Discord made those things?! Ohhh... when I get my hooves on the bugger..." If I weren't holding Scootaloo right now, I'd be wringing his imaginary neck...

"Apparently he planted them right before he was turned to stone a thousand years ago." Motioning to Gary with my free wing, I wait for him to come over, and lightly set Scootaloo on his back, where she begins gripping him tightly.

"They were supposed to grow a year after being turned to stone, but the tree of harmony kept them from growing until it got too weak, me and the girls had to give back the elements to he... oh, buck." No shit Twi, we just lost our super weapon when there is something obscenely powerful running around Equestria, good job... I applied hoof directly to forehead, unable to believe my luck.

"That means we actually have to fight what ever did that, huh?" The look Ribbon gives me just confirms my fears... I am now the first line of defense...

"Yeah, and I'm gonna need to learn how to actually fight, not just attack like a rabid animal..." I'm a quadruped now, whatever fighting styles I may have learnt are invalid. "Twi, do you know anyone who can teach me to properly defend myself?"

"Well, I guess I can teach you some more magic." This, is why I respect her, she not only has the drive to learn, but to TEACH as well.

'Uhh... between me and her, I think we can adapt some of the techniques in those 'fighting games' you've played.'

-That... might just work.-

"How good are you with magic now?" And back to Twi.

"Uh... not much more than teleportation, telekinesis, and the occasional force blast, oh, and the sleep spell."

"So you haven't learned anything new? Then how's your control?"

"My control sucks, I just put as much power into the spell as possible." ev

"Then we'll work with a few ice spells and while we're at it, we'll work on your control."

Ribbon, sensing an opening, took the moment to butt in, so she could bug out. "I guess I'll go work on the uh, thing."

Twilight turned to face me again. "Is right now good?"

I slowly nod. "Very well." With a flash of lavender, Twilight deposited us in her library. Looking around, I decided to skip any pleasantries. "So, where shall we begin?”

Twilight quickly pulls out five or so books, quickly looking over their titles. "I'd say we start with the basics, but if there's a new villain we'll skip it." She seems to stop and think for a moment, before resuming. "Anatomy, so I can teach you better healing spells, basic and advanced magic theory."

"Basic theory would be an acceptable starting point, I presume?"

"Yes, read through those and we'll work on ice magic and your control."

"You want me to take these home and read them, correct?"

"Yeah, just bring them back when you're done."

Giving her a nod of confirmation, I grabbed the books in my levitation, and walked back home to meet up with Ribbon. It was a rather uneventful walk, and when I got there, I was curious as to how far Ribbon had gotten on the rifle.

Yawning, I realized I was still actually rather tired, after last nights events and getting woken up early. Opening the door, I suppressed a second yawn, and after smacking my lips, let the door shut behind me. Setting the books Twilight gave me down on the kitchen table, I walked to the bedroom.

Noticing Ribbon, in her pegasus form, apparently trying to sleep, I plopped myself onto the bed beside her. "Hey Ribbon, you-" A loud yawn escapes from me. "-still tired as well?"

"From last night, yeah. Being on top is exhausting."

I wrap a hoof around Ribbon, pulling her closer to me, before manipulating my mane over my eyes, in an attempt to block out the sunlight filtering into room. "You know Ribbon, if it weren't for you, I probably would have lost it a long time ago..."

"I'd say you would have found somepony. but you never did, you found someling instead." I chuckled at that.

"And it took me slamming my head into the floor to get you to stop panicking and listen to what I was trying to say."

"Hey, I thought you were going to eat me, I wasn't panicking without reason. And at the time I thought ponies were an enemy."

"And look at you now... your a Queen, you've united ponies and changelings and you have a violently protective Night Terror as a lover."

"Lets not forget about the egg that'll be hatching soon."

I actually stop as what Ribbon said registers. "Wha... oh, right, I keep forgetting you're more insectriod than mammalian in nature."

"Not sure how you could forget." She chuckles. "... What do you think she'll be like?"

"I have no clue, but she will be cute, thats for sure."

"Of course she'll be cute, she'll be a Proto-queen."

"Do you think any other hives will come out of hiding?"

"They might, eventually. I'd like to think they will, but I also know they won't agree to Celestia's conditions for moving into Equestria. If they want to."

This piqued my interest. "What conditions?"

"I gave my crown to Celestia, mostly a superficial thing, I'm still a Queen."

"In other words you only handle internal issues, correct?"

"Yeah, she handles the law and I keep changelings out of her day court."

I giggled, before pulling Ribbon up against me, her back touching my belly, and draped a wing over her. "Well it just means you get to spend more time with me, my little cuddlebug."

She hums, content with the feeling of my warm body. "And I have no need for a court, I can do it all remotely via the hivemind."

I hummed in agreement, before shifting my head so it was against the back of hers, feeling at peace.

"You used to be warmer, I have noticed you trying to push the others away."

I knew she was going to ask me this sooner or later... "I-I just... When you and Scootaloo pass away, the sorrow will be unbearable. I-" Despite my efforts to remain calm, I felt my breath hitch, and my body start to tremble. "I d-dont want to lose you, or Scootaloo... Adding other friends to the list of ponies who will fade in the sands of time, is just too much for me to bear..." I pull Ribbon in even tighter, like she could vanish at a moments notice. "I-I-I d-don't want y-you to g-g-go..." Tears began to form, regardless of how hard I tried to hold them back.

I could feel Ribbon pat one of the legs wrapped around her body reassuringly. "It'll be ok. When Scoots passes, I'll be here, and when the others pass, I'll still be here." I could feel her shifting around, trying to turn and face me, but my grip left her no wiggle room, she eventually gave up on that course of action, and resumes patting my leg in an attempt to comfort me. "I'll be here, grieving for our lose, and so will Twilight now. You won't be alone."

I slowly curled myself around Ribbon, until she was completely hidden from the outside world by either my body, the wing still draped over her, the bed, or my mane being manipulated to cover her face, her warmth comforting me. All that I could manage to say without bursting into tears was a soft "Thank you..."

"I'll be around for a long time. Now try and get some sleep." Smiling, I did just that, basking in the warmth coming from her.

I was in a void, floating aimlessly, when I heard a scream… MY scream, coming from below me… looking down, I saw a haunting sight… I was standing over the corpse of Ribbon, glaring at some unseen monstrosity…

that was when the other me spoke. “You killed her… y͠ou ̀m̧o̴nster͟.̵..” I watched, horrified, as this other me’s eyes glowed an ominsly intense white, and shadows begun coating its being, an aura of dark energy wisping off its body. “Y͠͏ou̶̧͟ ̢d̶͢o̡̕ ͞n͞o̶͡ţ̡ ͜k̕n̕͡o̸̶w̴ w̸̸h̶a̴҉t̵̴ ̵y͏̷͟o҉ú̀ h̶͘͞á͜͝v̧e ͟d̸o̷ń͡e̡.̶͢.̶̀.͟͞” its jaw seemed to open wider then physically possiable, revealing row upon row of razer sharp teeth. “Ì͘҉ ̡̀͠͡w̸̵̧͢i҉͡l͝҉҉̨̛l̷̷͝͝ ̀͜͢d̸̢e̵̷ş̷͝t̷͢͟͡ŕ̛o҉̢y̛͞͞ ҉̨̨y̶͞ớ̶̧u̡͘͢͡!̛́” the entire void was filled with a light somehow darker than the void itself…

I awoke to the sound of a cute sneeze, leaving my still half asleep and horrified brain confused. “Huh!? Oh, morning Ribbon.” Finding myself still tightly curled around Ribbon, a smile slowly crept across my face, relieved she was still there, while I tried not to think of the contents of my dream.

"Morning. I got to meet Maria, she's quite the voyeur." of course she wo- waitaminute…

"wait, so it WASN'T a near death experience?!"

"I blame you being a spirit, linking you soul to me, and letting me see dead ponies in my dreams." I felt a stab of terror at that, but managed to suppress it before Ribbon noticed, judging by her lack of reaction.

"At least things never get boring around here."

"Thats true. And I'm going to have to make sure to put on a good show next time if she's watching."

My cheeks light up like a stoplight, and I squeaked in fright, realizing Maria saw just how crazy we got.

"Oh ho ho, did I find something that embarresses you? Maybe I should set up camera too?"

"Please don't... Pinkie would probably figure out Celestia likes watching that kind of thing, and show it to her..."

"Fine, I still have the picture anyway." She starts trying to wiggle out of my grip. "Come on, can't stay in bed all day."

"Don't care, too soft and cuddly." that was a lie, I was absolutely terrified, fearing she might disappear at any moment.

She kept struggling, however. "Come on, I have to work on your rifle." Please stay… I need you...

I slowly trace a single hoof across her stomach, trying to convince her to stay. “But you’re so fluffy and tense, stay a while, and relax…” she seems to enjoy it, as she stops struggling and relaxes, a dopey grin on her face.

"Can't. resist. alluring. voice. Ohhh, fine, just a little longer." We just layed there, content, for several minutes, while I managed to regain my composure, before Ribbon tried to wiggle free of my grip again, and I relented, albit reluctantly. "Ok, I'm going to work on the rifle and see if my shipment came in yet. But first, there's someling I want you to meet, so come on out of bed. She'll be out in a few hours."

wait… come out in a few hours… didn't we talk about the egg before we went to sleep? "You don't mean..."

"Mhmm. Back at the hive, few more hours." oh, yesyesyesyesyesyes, I am so hyped, so, so, SO HYPED. I could feel a grin of ungodly proportions slowly make its way onto my face, as Ribbon laughed nervously. "You might want to be careful around her if you're going to be this happy."

Deep breaths Chitsuki, deep breaths… Reigning in my excitement, I clambered out of the bed, and proceeded to stretch my back and numerous joints. “How fast can we get there?”

"I don't want you using too much magic yet since… yesterdays incident... So I can teleport us, still a little iffy at long range though. Or, I think we have time to just fly there.”

“Eh, I could use the exercise... Flying it is." Ribbon give me a quick nod, and with a flash of fire, her mane and coat are no longer scruffy and ragged.

Why Must She Be So Cute!?

The hive was now in sight, and I could feel my excitement rising. “Oh, this is sooo exciting!”

RIbbon laughed in agreement. “I know, the whole hive will be celebrating this.”

"Really? What is a changeling celebration like, anyway?"

She pauses, deep in thought. "I, I don't really know. I was always out in the field, so I celebrated like a pony, the few times I did celebrate."

"That sucks..."

"With Chrysalis in charge we never really celebrated anything. When she fell there was a bunch of it, so I heard. But all I did was rest after that and get used to being at the hives center."

I couldn't help but giggle at the mention of Chrysalis, after she acted like a feline.

“Whats so funny?”

“Chrysalis, she acted like a cat the last time we let her out…”

her mirthful giggling was music to my ears as we neared the entrance. “Yeah, she did, didn't she."

When we reached it, I was overjoyed at the miracle of life I was soon going to witness.

Making a beeline for the hatching chambers, I grinned like a madman. Upon getting there, I saw the pod containing the egg had already been brought down from the ceiling, and my grin spread further, before I forced myself to remain calm.

"She's becoming a little more active now, shouldn't be too long." Deep breaths, deep breaths, I don’t want to look like a complete idiot. After getting myself under control, I notice Ribbon is now Grinning as well. “Here it is! she’s hatching!”

walking over to the pod, I tried my best to cheer the newest member of the on. “C’mon little dudette, you can do it!” cracks begin spider webbing around the egg, before a hoof punches through the shell.

"That's one. Come on, where's number two?!"

I squealed, before pulling Ribbon into a massive hug. “THIS IS SO EXCITING!”

"Can't... breath..."

I quickly let go, blushing in embarrassment. “Hehe, sorry…”

after a brief fit of coughing, she smiles. "I'm alright." she looks up, and gasps. "Look, she got half way out already."

I couldn't really tell her colors through the pod, but I held my hoof to my chest as I nearly had a heart/diabeetus attack from how cute she looked. "Hnnnnnnnnng! Too much cute!"

After the nymph had crawled all the way out, Ribbon grinned. "Lets get her out!"

I watched, overjoyed, as Ribbon pierced the pod with her horn, and tore it open, before extracting the nymph. Errrr… “Why does she have so many similarities with me?" The nymph had a midnight blue carperace, blue eyes, and a purple mane and tail, like me before my changes took place.

"I don't know, maybe you're the father?" Low blow, Ribbon, LOW, BLOW. I may have gotten used to being a female, but that doesn't mean you get use that as ammunition against me...

"How does that even work!?, we didn't do it until AFTER you laid the egg!"

"Yes, because THAT'S the question you should be asking, completely ignore the fact that we're both mares." You copied some of my traits when you ascended Ribbon, don’t ques-...

"Ribbon, remember when you became a proto-queen?"

Her response was a very slow "Yeeeeeaaaaah?"

"And how you copied some of my traits?"

"Yeeeeeaaaaah?"

"I think that may have been more than just cosmetic... It may be deeper…”

"Do you have a point?"

Watching the nymph crawl on Ribbon, I remembered a discussion we had quite a while back about her name. I couldn’t help but smile and wave at Mirage, causing her to look at me and chirp. Resisting the urge to ‘dawww’, I responded to Ribbons inquiry. "I think you might have absorbed a part of my very being..."

"Wait, you think I'm absorbing your soul?"

“Absorbed PART of it, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now, it would explain how I survived Sombra and the Plunder Vines, how I’m able to merge with you, the telepathy..."

"I don't like it. What if I absorb more of you? What if I already have?!"

“That… Is a very good question…”

"Think Twilight could help?"

"She can see souls, its worth a shot..." Mirage chirps again, and holds her forelegs out towards me, looking hopeful.

"I think she wants you to pick her up." Why must they be so adorable!? Walking over, I bent down and scooped Mirage into my waiting foreleg, before standing back up with her held to my chest.

"I never knew changelings could chirp like that... Its sooo adorable!" Looking down, I noticed Mirage nibbling on my mane, and nearly dropped dead from the cuteness of it.

A louder, slightly deeper chirp brought my attention back to Ribbon, who was slightly blushing. "Really? I thought I already gave you that info..." She then chirped a second time, causing Mirage to chirp back.

"Too... Much... Cuteness..." Ribbon blushes even deeper at that, unsure of how to respond. Luckily, she was spared by Mirage letting out a cute yawn, before slowly dozing off against my chest. I looked back and forth between her and Ribbon, before deciding to use my mane, to lift Mirage out of my grip, and deposited her on the back of my neck, where I used my mane to keep her from falling off. “Getting out of that egg must have been quite tiring…”

"You would be too, if you had to break out of an egg." She pauses, a slightly perplexed look on her face. "And you've taken care of feeding her, I'm surprised you didn't notice." At that moment, I let out a loud yawn. well that explains why I feel so tired.

"Oh, I thought it was just the hype wearing off..."

"Nope, that was her. Now you know how it feels to be Pinkie when she visits." Completely ignoring what Ribbon had said, I could only stare longingly at the pod Mirage had been extracted from. Ribbon notices my stare, and remembers the last time I slept in one. "What? Do you want to sleep in one of them again?"

I sleepily nodded my head. "Yes... I was also wondering if you would like to join me...?"

"Their not really meant to have more than one in them, but since it would only be for one night it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Sure."

"So... where will Mirage be sleeping...?"

"In her crib, where else? Though it's mostly for decoration since she'll probably be climbing the walls when she's awake." Feeling Mirage being lifted from my neck, I turn and see one of the changelings from the hatchery giving me a slight smile, before setting Mirage on her back, and heading in the general direction of me and Ribbons usual sleeping chambers.

"So, where will we find a *yawn* pod big enough for the two of us?"

"We have some bigger pods meant for buffalo and griffons, we can use one of those."

"Lead the... *yawn* way..." after following Ribbon through three chamber, and down a hallway, we arrived in a room with several large and empty pods, several of which showed scars from repeated use.

Ribbon, using her magic, got one of the pods down, and propped it against the chamber wall. She cut it open with some effort, before changing into a pegasus, and beckoning towards it. "You first." Walking over to the now open pod, I turned around, and let myself sink into its gooey interior. When Ribbon entered after me, I swiftly pulled her into my protective embrace, wrapping my wings around her, and felt her curl up into a ball, her head against my chest, while her hooves wrapped around my midsection.

The moment the pod sealed, the buzzing of the hive abruptly ended, leaving me with the sensation of Ribbons heartbeat and breaths against my chest.

Children...

I awoke to the sensation of falling, before both me and Ribbon splattered on the floor, the pods interiors still coating us. The impact caused me to reflexively tighten myself around Ribbon, before whipping my head around to figure out what just happened, when my eyes settled on… “Wendy…”

"HIA! I happen to see you guys in a pod but I thought we weren't doing that anymore, but then I thought maybe someling put you guys there 'cause there isn't supposed to be two ponies in one pod. So I thought I'd let you out and ask 'Why are you two in a pod together?'!.” Oh… Joy. Did she find coffee somewhere? wait… I felt my cheeks rapidly heat up, the weirdness of our situation dawning on me. Wendy was effectively watching me and Ribbon snuggle, while we were covered in slime…

"I was standing there for like, five minutes trying to think of what I should do." Oh sweet lord… I could feel my blush intensify, as I felt Ribbon squirm around in my embrace, before settling back down.

"Wow, your face is like, SUPER red. Are you feeling ok?" Why God… WHYYYYYY MEEEEE!

“Shhh… Can’t you see Ribbon is still asleep? She deserves a nice long rest, don’t you think?” is it me, or is it getting rather hard to move…?

It was about that time I heard a husky, muffled voice moaning from between my wings. "D-dont... stop..." Is… Ribbon really dreaming about doing that with me?! When I looked back up, Wendy had vanished, leaving my rather creeped out. after calming myself down, I just sat there and basked in the warmth of Ribbon, and the gel still coating me, as it slowly oozed down my face…

when I finally decided to let go of Ribbon and get up, however, I realized several things. One, the reason I was starting to have trouble moving, was because the gel I was covered in had started hardening. Two, that gel had now fully solidified, leaving my stuck wrapped around Ribbon like a cocoon, as well as sticking my mouth and eyes shut. And three, Ribbon would be in the same predicament as me.

I begun hearing extremely muffled moans coming from between my wings, and realized Ribbon had woken up.

-Hi Ribbon... This is the single most awkward way I have EVER woken up… Also, we’re both kinda stuck.-

'Why can't I move? What happened to the pod?'

-Wendy decided to let us out… and I was… Kinda too busy basking in your warmth to realize that this gunk was hardening…-

'... I'm never sleeping in a pod again.'

-Agreed.-

'H-hold on, I might be able to... to do it myself.' A green flash originates from beneath my wings, and I soon find the gel flaking off, and I slowly spread my wings, working out the stiffness.

“Did not know there was a spell for that.”

"Takes more energy though."

A soft grin emerged on my face, as I internally chuckled at that. "I dont think thats a problem for you, considering you have me."

"Yeah, I might have food source, but not all of us... " She quickly realizes what she just said, and backpedals in an attempt to avoid causing a problem. "I'm sorry, I should have worded that better." I couldn't help but chuckle at how she awkwardly tried to get out of her presumed situation.

"Its okay. besides, haven't I given you an 'all you can eat buffet' before?"

"Yeah, You did."

I felt my ears twitch as I picked up the steadily growing sound of chirping, Turning to Ribbon, I noticed she had heard it as well. the chirping abruptly cut off, leaving me staring intently at the only entrance to this room.

I blinked, and the next thing I knew, Mirage was pouncing at Ribbon, delivering the cutest glomp I had ever seen, causing Ribbon to wince at the impact. “You certainly are fast."

Yeah, but, how do we keep her safe from all the trouble that comes looking for us…? I would NEVER forgive myself if Mirage or Scootaloo got caught in the crossfire…

"I'm going to go make sure she's got someling to play with."

“Good idea.” I need something more advanced than just charging headlong into the fight… wait… how have I not thought of this sooner? quickly trotting after RIbbon and Mirage, I voiced my curiosity. "Ribbon, I know his seems out of the blue, but how would one go about performing a partial shapeshift? I mean, I know that my shape shifting works differently from yours, but at least I would have an idea of where to start.”

“Umm... hmm. Try a full shift but only change one thing. Do that a few times to get a feel for what changes and then only change that part. That's how I learned how to do a partial shapeshift." Of course, there is no way I would do that around our little Mirage… if my miasma terrified Ribbon the first time she experienced it, then it could traumatize Mirage, something I would never forgive myself for… wait. where did Mirage get to anywa- ”Ah!”

Mirage had somehow scrambled onto Ribbons back while we were conversing, and had managed to make her way onto her head, where she begun cutely nibbling on Ribbons ear, which she was quickly removed from.

“Little ninja we got here, don’t we?”

Ribbon simply looked unimpressed at Mirage’s stealth feat. "I'm not really surprised, we are kinda made for it."

“True… True… So, uhhhh, what were you dreaming about earlier... it sounded pretty..." -Naughty, if you catch my drift-

"I, uh, was t-talking in my sleep? W-what did I say?"

-You said 'don't stop' and pretty huskily, at that.-

'Oh my' I could tell by the look on her face that it was something that she thought I would disagree with. she must think I’m the type who would get jelly about her dreaming of doing it with somepony else.

-So... who was it?-

'You, who else? she says this with a slightly guilty look on her face, and hint of worry as well.

-Oh c'mon... who was it REALLY? ...you think I'm jealous, don't you...?-

'No, and why would I? It's not like I was dreaming about anypony in particular.' by now, she looked ready to pass out in fright, she knew that I knew that she wasn't telling the truth.

-Come on, I can shapeshift, if you tell me I might make it a reality~.-

She pauses, before looking at the ground, contemplating on telling me.

'C-c-chrysalis and Nightmare moon' Somehow, even over our link, that sounded hushed, Ribbons face turning a spectacular shade of emerald.. 'With... wing binds and, uh... collar and leash

-Wow... I could see why you wouldn't want to wake up from a dream like that when you had ponies like those two serving you.-

Ribbon gulps, much to my confusion. 'About that part... I was wearing the collar...’

oh… OHHH! *Fwump!* oh goddammit… not the wings again… WINGS, Y U GO HAPPY GO GO FUN TIME! I could feel my face heating up immensely, both at this situation, and at the stupidity of what I just though.

We just stood there, staring for several minutes, before Ribbon broke the silence. "Should I buy the collar, or will you?"

"Uhhh you can..." I… I don’t even…

As if we didn’t already get kinky enough…

Why am I strangely okay with this…?

Wait… Mirage dissap- OHHHHHHH! I slowly slid to the floor as Mirage nibbled on my ear. BAD CHI, THIS SHOULD NOT FEEL LIKE THAT!

"Come on you," with that, the sensation ended, as Ribbon had grabbed Mirage in her magic. "I'm carrying you in my magic from now on."

I could feel my wings slowly folding back down, as I followed Ribbon, towards the caretaker chambers, which served as both the infirmary and the changeling equivalent of daycare. several drones were buzzing around, trying to keep nymphs from running amuck, and having to pluck several from the walls and ceiling. Of course, the first thing Mirage does is walk up to another nymph and ‘boop’ them on the nose, causing him to scrunch his nose, before running over to me and hiding behind my leg, giggling.

suddenly, the entire room went deathly silent, as every nymph, all turned to face me at the same time.

-Ribbon... why are they all looking at me like that?-

'New food source. I'd put up a shield if I was you.'

-But I've never used a shield... spell...- "This is gonna suck..."

They all charged at me, an oncoming ebony tide of buzzing and chirping changeling nymphs, hellbent on turning me into snack. Once they got close enough for me to make out details on each one of them, they crashed into a shield Ribbon had put up around me, after she had realized my complete inexperience with such spells.

-think i should leave before you tire out?-

'Yeah.'

I quickly fired up my magic, a destination already in mind. when the light faded, I was in our bedroom here at the hive. I slowly trotted towards the bed, and as I reached under it, felt just what I was looking for.

Excellent… Pinkie got them here… Opening the box, I was greeted to the sight of half a dozen Cupcanos, still as fresh as the day they were made, thanks to Pinks getting Twilight to enchant the box… I am one devious motherbucker. I grabbed one in my hoof, and downed the whole thing in a single bite.

“Ohhh that hits the spot…” I waited for a few moments, and felt the heat well up in my stomach. *BUUUUURP!* Rainbow fire… that will never get old.

"How are the Cupcanos I made?"

“Damn good, Pinkie. Daaamn good.” I had genuinly gotten used to Pinkies randomness quite a while ago… It never fails to amuse me when shes around, however.

Grabbing another cupcake, I scarfed it down, smiling happily.

"Glad you like them" She said as she crawls out from under the bed with marshmallows in hoof. I saw the marshmallows, and knew what she had planed, as she reached behind her and pulled out a stick.

she impaled about half a dozen of them on the stick, and held it in the air as I prepared to release another polychromatic belch of fire.

"Pinkie, when did you..."

“Oh hi Ribbo- BURRRP!” and there we go, half a dozen marshmallows grilled to perfection.

"... She brought rainbow cupcakes did she?"

“Yepperoni!”

“OF COURSE!” yes, the ham is strong with me today…

"Can I have some of those?" she points towards the marshmallows Pinkie was currently holding.

“Okey dokey loki!” the next think both of us knew, Ribbon had marshmallows stuck into the holes in her hooves, and Pinkie was gone, leaving a flummoxed Ribbon trying to dislodge the marshmallows, until she tried sucking one out, causing her to moan at the sensation.

"I think she knew you were sensitive there..."

"You think? First foals at Cheerilee's class, and now Pinkie puts marshmallows in them." Gulping down the fluffy sugar, she sucked out another one, trying not to twitch at the sensation of it sliding out of her hoof.

Ribbon chews and swallows it down, to my amusement, as she goes for a third. "You doing this for the taste or because of how good it feels?"

"I can't leave them, it's embarrassing…” she swallows the third and starts on the forth. "Ok, maybe there's two reasons."

“I bet.”

“Not helping.” Once the fourth marshmallow was gone she reached for the last one, but couldn’t seem to reach it. “A, uh. Little help?” umm.. you can just pull it out with mag-

"...Why did it only now occur to me you could have used magic to pull those out?"

Ribbon glared at me, and then at the marshmallow, before turning back to me. "You couldn't tell me that four marshmallows ago?"

"Didnt think of it until now."

"Want the last one?" she hovered the last marshmallow over to me.

"sure, why not." I grabbed it in my magic, and quickly ate it.

“So now that the Marshmallows are gone. And Pinkie, I guess. Should we go back to ponyville? I still need to work on your rifle."

“Probably a good idea. I still need to read through all the books Twilight gave me.”

Never did find out about what caused that explosion either...

gonna need a bigger gun.

’For more information on advanced uses of ice magic, see chapter 35, or see chapter 36 for co-’

*BANG!*

I didn't even think, the moment I heard a gunshot, I teleported straight to the forge, fearing that Ribbon had accidentally shot herself.

The lack of blood didn't do much to soothe my fears, considering Ribbon was nowhere to be found. “Ribbon!? Are you alright!?”

I heard a moan coming from behind the anvil, and saw ribbon curled up behind it, clutching her ears.

-Ribbon? you're not wounded, are you?-

'I'm fine, ahhh, but my ears hurt. Don't touch the crystals, I used the wrong enchantment.'

looking at what was on top of the anvil, I several silvery white crystals, pulsing an ominous red.

'I don't know how to make the primers from you world, so I'm trying to use enchanted crystals.'

-What enchantment did you use?-

'I used an explosive enchantment, I didn't think such a small piece would be so strong.'

-I can see that...- I helped her get back to her hooves, were she leveled a fierce glare at the crystals that harmed her.

'It sounded like the right enchantment, back when my ears worked. I'll have to try a different one.'

"Any idea what went wrong?"

"Wrong enchantment and the wrong size crystal. Luckily I made several. I'll try a shockwave next time."

"Judging from the size, I'd say you were making a 50.cal round... isn't that a little excessive for a general purpose firearm?"

I was hoping to skip using black powder and just use crystals but, I can't control what direction the crystal explosion happens in. I'll need to use powder."

"that is probably a good idea..."

"Mhmm. Want to see the rifle?”

I immediately grinned like a five year old on Christmas morning. "ohhh yessss..."

Ribbon walked over to the weapon rack, takes something covered in cloth down, and placed it on the anvil for me to look at. She threw the explosive crystals away, with a sour look on her face. She then picked up the bundle of cloth, and slowly unwrapped it, revealing what looked like a modified 1873 Springfield rifle…

"Here it is, the R-1 model. Still a prototype but it's in working order, hopefully. I still need to make the ammunition to test it. It has a door on breach to load it and an internal trigger so only a unicorn could use it.”

I felt myself shed a single tear in awe at her crafting skills. "Its... its beautiful..."

"It's good to know that you like it. I'm putting a lot of work into this, as a lot of it I had to do manually with magic. I'd ask Celestia about getting her universities Matter Manipulator, but I'd have to tell her what I'm using it for."

"I for one, firmly support the right to bear arms..."

"You also lived in a more violent world, this world is relatively peaceful."

"correction, EQUESTRIA is relatively peaceful…”

"More so now than ever. But I see you point... I see if we can steal that matter manipulator and get a few changelings working on this with me."

"Sounds risky..."

"I have confidence in them, they can do it."

"Don't tempt murphys law..."

"Who?"

"Murphy's law states that anything that can go wrong, WILL go wrong..."

"Oh, don't worry. We've managed just fine on our own for a long time. Now out, I have more crystals to work with.”

“Awww... “ I put on the best pout I could muster, trying to use the power of cuteness against her…

“Nah hah, I don’t want your icy shadow magic killing my forge. And those eyes only work when you’re tiny.”

Tiny… Aha! like that time we first met Scootaloo, and she hid from us… You want tiny and cute, you’ll get tiny and cute!

I soon felt myself shrinking, until I was the same size as a filly…

“Pwetty pwease?” Dammit brain…

“Hnnng… Fine, you can stay. Just stop with the eyes!”

...Its super effective!

“Yaaay!” I quickly hugged Ribbons leg, a huge smile on my face.

“You do know I can do that too, right? I’ll will get you back for this.”

Worth it! *squee*

…

Wait, did I just make that squeaking noise Fluttershy usually makes?

I did… I must look adorable right about now… Without warning, I was swept off the floor as Ribbon began squeezing the life out of me. My cheeks bulged out from me trying to keep the air in my lungs so she couldn't crush my ribs, but there was no holding it in. All at once, the air in my lungs was squeezed out, but instead of the sick crunching sound I was expecting, I squeaked like a rubber duck. How embarrassing.

Ribbon loosened her hold on me, allowing sweet, sweet air to return to my lungs, but didn’t let go. “What was that?”

“That was me… and no, I don’t have any clue how I did it either…” Man, I forget how soft chitin really is because it’s, well, chitin. Like snuggling against a blanket fresh out of the dryer, except she’s always warm.

“Hmm? You like being tiny, don’t you?”

“...maybe…” Great, I’m blushing, aren't I?

…

Oh screw it, I could get used to this… I felt myself curling up against Ribbons chest, trying to get as close to the warmth as I could… “And the next round of crystals are ready.” I looked back over to the anvil, and sure enough there sat three new very small crystals with an alternating orange red glow. “Hooray for multi-tasking! Now to test them...”

A hammer, coated in Ribbon’s green magic, floated over the crystals. And then she dropped it on top of them, making the hammer jump and setting the the top of the anvil on fire. “Cool...”

“Mhmm, that should work.”

“What did you do, anyway?” Seeing as I was still a filly sized lump of cute, that sounded much more adorable than curious…

“Instead of an explosive enchantment I used a shockwave and a fire enchantment.”

“Seems legit…” I abruptly yawned, the combination of my late night reading binge and the excitement from the misfire, catching up with me...

“If you’re tired, take a nap. I’m just going to load these new primers into the casings I’ve made.”

“Mhmm… you do that…” Who knew this room was so cozy and warm!? I could feel myself drifting off to sleep in Ribbons forelegs, a smile on my face…

“Chi, Chi wake up! I’ve made almost 30 rounds for testing.”

I was up faster than she could blink, before I realized something… Why is everything so big? “Ribbon? when did I shrink?”

“A few hours ago you turned into a filly, remember?”

“Oh… Just gimmie a sec so I can turn back.” Quickly rolling onto my hooves, I felt myself shift as I returned to my normal size. “You said something about testing?”

“Yes, I’ve made about 30 rounds. I figured from your memories that was a pretty good number to stop at.”

“Yeah, I’d say thats a good point to stop for now.”

“Good. We’ll test these at the hive, away from prying eyes. This is illegal after all.”

“Anything you want to do before we head back to the hive?”

“I think Scootaloo’s with her friends, Chrysalis should be fine for now. Nope, not really.”

“Should I teleport us there?”

“Do you want to test the gun now, or later?”

“Right, stupid question…” Taking a few deep breaths, I felt my magic gathering, our destination already in mind, as it wrapped around me and Ribbon. When the light cleared, we were in Ribbons bedroom, the familiar buzzing of the hive music to my ears. “So, we testing it outside?”

“Obviously. I’d rather not blow out the ear drums of every changeling here.”

Soon… “Lead the way, I can’t wait to try this out!” Ribbon lead the two of us up through the hive and past a few new rooms being dug out. What confused me was there was a pretty strong light coming from two of them. Maybe they dug too far?

Anyway, once we reached the main entrance, we flew down to the bottom of the mountain. Where to my surprise, there was a changeling waiting for us. “This is Cloak, she’s interested in turning the griffons own weapons against them.”

Oh… oh joy… Deep breaths Chi, deep breaths… I felt my mind slowly shift gears, not wanting to make a fool of myself in front of a potential unknown...

“H-hello.” The momentary stutter in her voice, combined with the slightly panicked look in her eyes, told me everything I needed to know… She was scared of us… And I don’t mean the ‘unexpected visit from a superior officer’ kind of scared, She looked like she was fearing for her life...

“Is something troubling you?”

-Do I really look that terrifying?-

’Do you want the truth, or a lie to make you feel better?’

-Truth please.-

’Even I’m having trouble looking you in the eyes when you’re like this.’

Jeez… I really am driving ponies away from me, aren't I?

Perhaps a few minor alterations would make me appear less intimidating…

I closed my eyes, as I focused on what I wanted to happen, and felt an itching sensation begin to build, as my fangs receded. Opening my eyes, I noticed the light had become somewhat brighter. I no longer had the eyes of a predator, instead, they looked like anypony elses.

“There is no need to be afraid, little one.”

My sudden changes at least caused the changeling to stop staring at me like I was going to rip her throat out, and actually look me in the eyes. “T-thank you… Ma’am.”

-Perhaps I should try to keeps these changes, no?-

’Maybe. Just keep in mind that they aren’t permanente and you might need a break. Extended transformations can be bothersome.’

“We came here to test our new weapon, did we not?”

“We did, Cloak, can you go set up the targets, please?”

“Y-yes my Queen.”

I was a bit surprised at hearing that. “Queen?”

“Despite my protests, they still call me by title and I am very much a queen to them, even though I gave the crown to the Princess.”

“It means they look up to you.”

“I guess, we did defeat Chrysalis.”

“...Yeah.” after I effectively mind raped her for hurting you. I still feel ashamed for doing that… I was pulled from my thought by Cloak, who finished putting up all targets.

“Targets are ready. Now we can see just how well your new weapon performs.”

“Here you go.” She stated as she levitated the weapon over to me, still wrapped in its cloth followed by a box I hadn’t noticed before.

I slowly unwrapped the rifle, struggling not to fangasm at the sight of it. Popping open the breech, I checked to make sure it was empty, before using my magic to feel for the trigger.

“Ah! there it is.”

Opening the box, I was greeted to little over two dozen rounds, each one slightly glowing with a magical change from the primer. Pulling one out to inspect it, I noticed the light blue tip hinting at the use of miasma. To say I’m interested in what this will do would be an understatement.

“Alright, we’re using live rounds here Cloak, so stay behind me, and brace yourself for some very loud noises.”

I deposited a round into the breach, before closing it and pulled back the hammer. Slowly lowering myself to the floor, I took aim at the first target, a clay pot? I took a deep breath, waiting for the rifle to stop trembling in my grip, and tuned out everything but the target…

Careful…

Steady…

…

*BANG* *SHATTER*

“AHHHH! MY EARS!” That would be Cloak, who was now hunched over clutching her head. Ribbon seemed to be expecting it. Of course, I was running on autopilot, and quickly chambered another round, before taking aim and breathing out…

*BANG* *SHATTER*

Reload.

*BANG* *SHATTER*

Reload.

*BANG* *SHATTER*

Reload.

I had gone into sniper mode, waiting for something to pop out from behind an outcropping of rock, and was minimizing my movements, breathing only when absolutely necessary, and remaining still enough to look like I had been chiseled from the surrounding stone…

“M-my Queen, does she normally do that?” I had tuned out the constant buzzing of the hive, as well as the rhythmic breaths of Ribbon and Cloak, and was listening intently for something else...

“No…” Ribbon walked over to investigate my stillness, and begun waving a hoof in front of my face.

quickly making a slashing motion with my hoof, I spoke to Ribbon through or link. -Be quiet, we are not alone…- Judging from Cloaks gasp not five seconds after I said that, Ribbon had passed it on to her via the hivemind.

After listening for several minutes, I pinpointed the source of our uninvited guest, and took aim at the top of a particularly large outcropping of rock, and fired, blowing the very tip of it off, and causing two someones behind it to yelp.

I tried to shout at them, but no sound came from my lips, even as I attempted to use what the Royal voice, until Ribbon poked me.

“Chi, you’re forgetting to inhale and its kinda freaking me out…”

So I was… Huh, I did not feel the burning sensation in my lungs typically associated with oxygen deprivation. Sharply inhaling, I tried again. “Alright, whatever you are! Come out with your forelimbs in the air!”

“Mother Plucker, shes onto us Cainus!”

“Hawkeye, you said changelings were dumb, and yet, here I see them using GRIFFON firearms, and ontop of that, they caught us.”

Hearing that name filled me with unbridled rage, as I reached behind the outcropping with my magic, and yanked the offenders out from behind it, revealing that same damned griffon, and a large diamond dog, who looked to be a cross between a Rottweiler, and a German Shepherd… Yeah… Even though I was an alicorn, I was NOT getting near him without a sleeping spell ready… Dude was as big as ME, and his muscles looked dense enough that he would stand a decent chance if he went toe to toe with a Hive Guard not to mention he looked strong enough to dig through bedrock like it was styrofoam, which explained how they got into the hive in the first place.

-Ribbon, we may need to do a full sweep of the hive, make sure no other entrances have been created… And we may need the Hive Guard on hand in case El Bruto here decides to make a break for it, mutt looks strong enough to take on a manticore!-

“Oh pluck, oh pluck, oh pluck! I don’t wanna be strangled with my intestines!”

’I’ll have several groups search the mountain.’

“Pardon my griffon, but this turned into a total clusterflock.” Oh, a smartass are we?

“Buddy, theres an acronyms for your situation where I come from… F.U.B.A.R… Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition/Recovery.”

“Please! have mercy! Don’t give me to that mutant Changeling!”

”Oh, you mean me? -Ribbon, make sure Cloak knows that what I’m about to do is only an act.-

“Oh Sweet Ziz! That monster is actually the freaking spawn of Nightmare Moon herself!?” hawkeyes words caused me to grit my teeth in frustration, as I let my minor transformation drop, my true eyes, as well as fangs, now showing.

“Do not compare me to that plebian… I am much, much worse…”

“And if you think we’re just going to hoof you over to Princess Luna again, you’d be mistaken.” Ribbon pitched in. “It’s clear I can’t rely on Princess Celestia for everything. This hive is about to become a lot more dangerous.”

“Now then… What to do with you…” The malice in my voice surprised even me, as I could feel my features slowly shifting into a snarl, my anger quite visible.

“We could always stuff them in a pod and feed off them, what’s the saying? two birds, one stone?”

“I doubt he has much love in him…” The fear coming off the griffon was intoxicating, and left me wanting more. I gave him a large, fanged grin. “all it would take is a single bite, and a quick yank, and it would be over. But that would be too good for you…” That was enough to cause his partner to start sweating nervously, as the implications of what I said sunk in.

“Hmmm, I didn’t say I would the only one feeding off them, and from the looks of it, you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Ohhh yesss.” I was getting far too into this, as I could feel my magic shifting around on its own. “Escape is futile. I could be lurking in any shadow, waiting for you…” by now, the griffon looked like he was going to have a heart attack, and his diamond dog accomplice was sweating bullets.

“And my changelings and I could be anypony you love, and you would never know until the knife was six inches deep.” ’Oh, the love is just pouring off of you.’

“Now, if you tell us everything, you might just come out of this alive…”

-He’s all yours Ribbon.-

“Chi, hold the dog down.” I quickly applied more pressure with my magic, curious as to what Ribbon had in mind. She swiftly bit him on the shoulder, causing the mutt to whimper a few times, before becoming limp. I watched, satisfied, as the griffon begun struggling with renewed effort, fearing he was next. Ribbon saddled right up to the griffon. “What are changelings to you?”

What an odd question to ask right now, unle- Clever girl… throwing him for a loop, are you? It worked, the griffon… Hawkeye, right? Whatever, he stopped struggling and just sort of stared at Ribbon for a moment before answering her. “You’re parasites, monstrous parasites.”

He didn’t… He did not just call Ribbon a parasite! A faint rumble rose from my throat, my displeasure quite audible and visible as it caught his attention. “Don’t look at her, look at me. I’m the one that holds your life in her hooves right now. Now, why do you dislike us? You could have just left, we wouldn’t have chased you.”

The look in the griffons eyes shifted from one of terror, to an almost religious zeal, as he begun smirking. “You fool, griffons are the ones truly meant to rule all!”

“What?” all three of us said in unison. apparently, Griffons have the same ‘master race’ shit going on as germany did in WW2… this is a time bomb waiting to explode, and when it does…

“Oh, this is bad… very, very bad…” How did Celestia not know about this!? First we have whatever the hell caused that explosion, and now we have a bloody war brewing!? The hells next, something crawling out of the pits of hell!? but, why did he suddenly become so confident... unless…

-Ribbon? I think they have a whole freaking army right under the hive…-

’You know we’re moving the hive again after this, to Canterlot.’

Then, it started. The entire hive begun rumbling as the sound of dogs and griffons could be heard. the bastards were literally coming out of the walls! I immediately grabbed Ribbon and Cloak in my magic, and pulled them close to me before erecting a barrier spell, trying to come up with a plan to get us to safety.

“The boss knew it would work!”

by the time other changelings had gotten to the scene of the disturbance, we had been surrounded by dozens of dogs and griffons, and I didn’t know if the barrier spell would hold them off long enough for us to be rescued…

To my horror, this nightmare was far from over. One of the diamond dogs came forward with a sack slung over his shoulder, before he dropped its contents onto the floor, revealing Mirage, tied up and chirping in panic. Hawkeye picked her up, and begun examining his talons, a truly diabolical look in his eyes. “Now are you going to come peacefully, or are we going to have to take more drastic measures?”

I slowly looked into Ribbons eyes, and we both understood that we had no out this time…

With a nod from Ribbon, I dropped the shield, and slumped to the floor, trying not to cry, as I curled up into a ball, unable to bear how similar this was to Maria's death… those were my last thoughts before I felt something being jabbed into my shoulder, and everything begun feeling fuzzy...

Ugh… what the hell happened.

as every slowly came into focus, I felt a rising sense of panic. I was in some kind of cage, surrounded by griffons and diamond dogs, being taken to god knows where, and Ribbon, Cloak, and Mirage were no where in sight.

“So, the Princess finally wakes up.” that voice!

“HAWKEYE YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” I whirled towards the source, and launched a blast of magic, only for it to fizzle out before it even got between the bars. I call hax.

“Hehe, so glad we found out adamantium has anti magical properties, as well as being nigh indestructible. You aren't going anywhere anytime soon.”

“I swear, if you hurt them, not even divine intervention would be able to stop me from destroying you!”

“So long as you cooperate, that won’t have to happen now, will it?”

“What do you want with me, anyway?”

“Boss’s orders. Said ‘the unknowns must be taken care of.’”

Checking under my wing, I confirmed that they had in fact, taken Akumu, meaning I really was defenseless right now.

-Ribbon? can you hear me?-... Nothing, I hope she’s alright…

How did they know where the hive was? we made sure the griffons were knocked out when we brought them there, and yet they found the place!

I closed my eyes, focusing on trying to find Ribbon, an inexplicable sense of fear slowly building in me, threatening to turn into full blown panic. Please be okay… There, I can at sense it. She’s alive at least. I diverted all my attention towards that sensation, blocking out the waking world as I tried to reach out to her.

-Ribbon…?-

’Please don’t be hurt.’

-Ribbon! I’m fine, how are you?-

’I can’t see or use my magic.’

-Are Cloak and Mirage okay?-

I can hear her chirping, but I don’t know about Cloak.’

a wave of relief washed over me, knowing they were unharmed. -Can you contact the hive?-

’I’ve done one better, the princesses are going to be angry about this, but I had a changeling they didn’t know about in the guard and had him tell them what happened.’

-How long until help arrives?-

’I don’t know where I am, so no. But I can still tell them where you are, do you know?’

-I have no clue… wait, remember when you ‘borrowed’ my body after that attack by that dark magic wielding unicorn?-

’Sombra? yeah’

-You could see what I was seeing, right? maybe you know where I am? cus all I know is that it looks like an orchard or a forest...-

’Ok, hold on.’ My eye snapped open of their own accord and I looked around. The griffons were cutting down a few maple trees and there was a river near by. ’Whitetail woods maybe. That place is supposed to be protected, ponies can’t go there without good reason. I’ll let Princess Celestia know.’

As the griffons traveled deeper into the forest, the sounds of wildlife faded leaving an eerie silence.

“We’re here, set it down, he should be here shortly.”

The sudden drop caused Ribbon to fumble a bit with my body, before she managed to regain balance.

I picked up the sound of hoofsteps, and we turned to see a red centaur emerging from the depths of the forest.

-Who the hell is that guy?-

’I have no idea.’

“So, the fourth alicorn princess…”

“Who are you?” Ribbon spoke for me, making her anger quite clear.

“I am Tirek, soon to be ruler of Equestria! and now, your magic is mine!”

A ball of boiling energy gathered in between his horns, and I felt my magic trying to escape me, as it flowed towards him, causing me unimaginable pain as it did so. I struggled, trying to hold on to the smallest bit of magic I could, but it’s no use, I’m not skilled enough with my magic to even try and keep it. As I felt the last of it leave me, my connection with Ribbon petered out, before I felt myself being lifted, and saw some kind of portal being opened in front of me, revealing an island in a lake of fire, several specks dotting it, before I was tossed into it.

welcome to hell, heres you accordian

The impact was swift, and painful. I basically was flung face first into solid rock, and as I got up, tried to shake the fuzz from my vision, to no avail.

I could barely make out the sound of panicked chirping over the bubbling lava around me, and slowly turned towards the source, no sooner do I turn too see I was being rushed by several chains quicker than I could react. They wrapped around my neck and yanked hard, pulling me towards where they came from, before they finally stop dragging me across the floor.

“So this is what Hell is like.”

“Chi, is that you? Can you help get these binds off?”

I turned towards the source of Ribbons voice, and found her tied up and blindfolded, the same chain around her neck. Mirage trying to gnaw through the ropes, but her tiny fangs weren't doing any good.

I dragged myself across the floor to reach Ribbon, thankfully that the chain was long enough. “Lemme see what I can do.”

The first thing I begun working on was the blindfold, Which actually ripped pretty easily after I got a good grip on it in my mouth. I recoiled in shock upon seeing that the color had faded from Ribbons eyes. “The hell happened! who did this to you?!”

“The same that happened to you, apparently. You look kinda bald.”

I turned around to confirm that yes, my mane and tail had indeed gone missing… magic hair, how the fuck does it work?

“I’ll have time to complain about it later. Right now, I kinda need to focus on getting you untied.”

With that, I begun working on gnawing through the ropes, trying to ignore the taste.

After about an hour, I had gotten the last of the ropes off Ribbon, and was now hugging her tightly, glad she was uninjured.

“I’m so glad you’re not hurt, you do not know how worried I was when I couldn't reach you at first!” I was letting my tears run free, not caring if I made a fool of myself.

“I’m glad you’re alright too. I was afraid they were going to kill me or use me or send me off to who knows where.” She begun crying into my shoulder, leaving me cursing how I was unable to protect her.

“I’m here now…” I slowly wrapped my wings around her, letting her hide herself from the outside world, as I faintly sobbed alongside her. Mirage managed to squeeze herself in between me and Ribbon. When a thought occurred to me, and nearly made me break down into a crying wreck.

“Ribbon? I-if you can’t use magic, h-how are you going to feed?”

“I-i don’t know.”

“At least we’re together.”

“Togwether!”

“Sweet tap-dancing raptor Jesus on a stick, Mirage just said her first words!” I needed that, got me out of my funk. She really did have a knack for distracting people at the best of moments.

“Aww, That’s right, we’re all here. All three of us.”

=====Three Days Later=====

The sound of screaming grabbed my attention from my musings, just in time for me to watch Celestia, Luna, and Cadence impact the ground, watching as they got up, I could tell they had been drained as well.

“Nice of you to drop in.”

I saw Celestia’s eye twitch at my pun, clearly I was doing something right. “How can you be making jokes at a time like this!?”

3… 2… 1… cue the chains.

Fun fact, It turns out the Royal Canterlot voice isn't magic, because Luna damn well near burst my eardrums.

“So, Tirek got you ponies too?”

“Yes, however, we planned ahead, and gave Twilight our magic.”

The sound of chirping interrupted any retort, and left me snickering at the confused looks on their faces.

“Hey Ribbon, they haven't met Mirage, have they?”

“Nopony has, she hasn’t even left the hive until now.”

“Oh yeah.” It was that moment Mirage decided to poke her head out from behind Ribbon, and chirped happily upon seeing our new guests.

“she does somewhat resemble you, Chitsuki, care to explain?” I could tell Luna and Celestia were just poking fun at me, but Cadence seemed genuinely curious.

I had to resist the urge to cackle madly, and shout ‘I HAVE NO IDEA!’, instead, I just held my forehooves in front of me, making a damned good poker face, and told them my theory on it. “Magic.”

“Magic?”

“The hell if I know.”

“Why does nopony say she looks like me?”

“Because everypony thinks that since you’re the Queen, EVERYLING is related to you.”

“We aren’t all related, we’re a community not a family.”

“Queen, changelings do kinda resemble insects, I think you can see where most ponies trains of thought go from there.”

“I hate pony brain trains.”

“Be thankful they thought that way, and not the whole ‘laying eggs inside them’ route. That would not have gone over well.” Aaaaand now I have that image stuck in my head. Just great. And from the twitch in her eye I’d say she has it to.

“Yeah… shutting up now.”

I watched as Mirage walked up to Luna, and held her forelegs in the air, giggling. “Woooona!” The look on Luna’s face was a cross between ‘dawww’, ‘wat’, and ‘brain.exe has stopped working’

“I think she broke you sister, Celestia.”

“I think so as well.”

“...Why is Cadence making baby noises?”

“She does that…”

“...So why does Tirek want to take over Equestria anyway?”

“Revenge.” Revenge? for what?

“Revenge, for what?” Way to read my mind, Ribbon.

“For events from before Discords original appearance, events that predate even us.”

“He’s older than you?” Stop reading my mind dammit!

“There are few who are, but yes, he is.”

“No wonder he had everything planned so well.”

“Is there anyway out of here? Mirage and I can’t feed without our magic to help us.”

“Not without magic, or a force strong enough to break these chains and get past Cerberus.”

“So our only choice is to sit here and hope for rescue.”

“It’s all we can hope for.”

=====One week later=====

I couldn't take it any longer, watching Ribbon and Mirage writhe in pain. Damn this place… it turns out it’s impossible to die here, meaning Ribbon and Mirage were forced to constantly feel the pain of starving to the point one should have died from it, and the princesses were feeling it too. at yet, I hadn't felt the slightest pang of hunger or thirst. Luna had taken to trying to calm Mirage, so she wouldn't constantly cry in pain.

I pulled Ribbon up against me, trying to help lessen the pain, to no avail, when I felt it. Looking up, I noticed several wisps of energy floating towards us.

“So. Tirek has been defeated, and our magic has finally slipped through the doors of Tartarus.”

The wisps seemed to pause in midair, before rocketing towards us, and flowing into us.

As they did so, I felt a familiar strength return to me, as well as the comforting presence of my connection to Ribbon. When I looked back to her, I noticed her staring at me with a look of hunger in her eyes.

As soon as a green beam of energy hit Ribbon, I was on the floor With her on top of me, feeling the sensation of her feeding off me, except much more intense. When the feeling finally stopped, I felt exhausted, and couldn't even will myself to get up, a dopey grin on my face as I realized we might just make it out of here. My magic still felt incredibly weak, but it was there.

Lunas labored breathing alerted me to the fact that Mirage must have latched on to the nearest source of strong positive emotion she could find, which just so happens to be holding her.

I felt Ribbon slump down on top of me, somehow managing to latch onto me in a way that left me pinned to floor, before she seemed to fall asleep, more than likely from finally being full after starving for so long.

I was perfectly okay with that.

“So wait, you said the doors to tartarus had been opened?”

“Its possible. Our magic may have been able to slip through regardless.”

“Uh… does anyone else here smell burning fur?”

That was the moment I saw a flaming Cerberus come running out of a side tunnel, followed by a loud roar, as Dovah, the rest of Tenchu squad, the Elements, and the remaining members of the legion of exiles, come out of that same tunnel. It was who was leading them that caused my jaw to drop.

Motherfucking Scootaloo, riding Gary motherfucking Oak who got very, VERY BIG! as in, manticore sized!

-Ribbon, wake up!-

“Nah, leave… Leave your... queen alone.”

-Our rescue is here, and you won't believe who appears to have spearheaded it. No seriously. wake up!-

’Fine, I’m awa- what?’

“That right, we came here to kick flank and take names!” holy shit, Scootaloo's a badass.

Twilight, still supercharged from the Princesses, teleported the non changeling or pegasi members of the group over to our little island, where to my shock, Gary actually bit through the chains.

Is my badassery contagious or something?

“You're okay!” I promptly took an orange projectile to the chest, as scootaloo glomped me.

“how did you guys get in here anyway?”

Impulse was the one to answer that. “Remember what happened to the training field? we made a bigger one.”

“So you’re basically saying, you bombed the gates of hell open. Michael Bay would be proud. Still, was setting Cerberus on fire really necessary?”

Flint stepped out from behind the rest of the group, holdin- is that a jury rigged flamethrower!? “What else was I supposed to test this on?”

I then heard the simultaneous delighted squeal of Dovah, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. “Its sooo cute!” ah, they found Mirage.

“Ah, I see you've met Mirage.”

“It?” Ribbon is growling? Wow, never call Mirage, it.

“Celestia? why is Luna passed out on the ground?” way to point out the obvious, Twilight.

“Let me answer that, one does not simply cuddle a starving changeling, and not expect to get fed on.” It was around then that I noticed something on Twilights back. It was the rifle Ribbon had made. “Twilight, where did you find that?”

“Somewhere between the hive and Whitetail Woods, why?”

-Ribbon, we have a problem.-

“The hive!” Ribbon turned her attention to Celestia “Did you inform the guard about the griffons?”

“Yes, but by the time they had gotten there, the hive was deserted, and the group that went to check the Whitetail Woods hadn't been heard back from when Tirek attacked.”

Oh shit… Ribbon’s pissed! “That was a large scale attack on us, and they just get away with my whole hive?!”

“Fucking tunnels! they were in cahoots with the diamond dogs, remember? They more than likely got away underground!” Yeah, I was pissed as well, very pissed. “Fucking birds just signed their death warrants…”

“Chitsuki, I hardly think that such ext-”

“Can it.” everypony gasped at my blatant disrespect. “Do you even know what happens to captured Changelings?”

“I’m afraid to ask. No, we don’t.”

“Sex slaves. you heard me right, sex slaves. and the worst part? It is entirely possible for a changeling to feed off of lust.” The look of horror on Celestia, and everypony else for that matter, showed that they now understood just how bad it was for them.

“And it will take forever to find them all, even with the hivemind. It’ll be too late.”

“Those bastards took the Whole. Damned. Hive. I swear, I will make them pay...” The amount of malice in my voice caused everyone, pony and changeling alike, to rear back in fright.

“We shall, Chitsuki. But first, we must leave this place before Cerberus returns with his owner.”

“Owner?”

“Lord Malice, And I would rather not be here when he arrives.”

“And knowing my luck, he’s already waiting for us… Fuck my life. How do we take him down?”

“You don’t, you beat him in a challenge.”

“Well… might as well get this over with. hit it Twi.”

With a flash of lavender, we were all deposited on the shore of the molten lake.

“So what does this Malice guy look like, anyway?”

“We’ve never actually seen him” Said Celestia. “He only ever asked to be told what’s happening in the rest of the world.”

After half an hour of walking, we finally reached the exit. “Finally!” Yet we hadn't seen a single sign of this Malice guy. Walking right up to the hole in the ironically wooden gates to Tartarus, I walked face first into a barrer.

”You aren’t leaving just yet.”

“Oh. Hello! Who might you be, oh mysterious voice?” Who almost broke my nose.

”I am the master of this place.”

“Lord Malice I presume?”

”Indeed, Princess Luna.’

“If you know who we are then you will let us leave!”

”I can not. But I can offer a deal. A demon had escaped with Tirek, find him and bring him back to me.”

“How are we supposed to find him out in the wide, wide world.” I asked. How are we supposed to find one demon.

”He is attracted to violence and you will know him by his murderous intent.”

“You have my attention.”

A bright red light caught my attention and made me look down. A glowing sigil had appeared on my chest. ”Return him to me and I shall remove my presence over you. Fail, and I will drag you back.”

wait a minute… demon… that explosion… Now I know where I’ve seen it before! “Akuma… how did he get here!?”

”He was sentenced here for his crimes”

“Not what I meant, how did he get to this realm? I know I was dragged across dimensions, but what’s his excuse?”

“Do you know him?” Asked Ribbon

“Street Fighter. Not to mention he has a way to kill me permanently...” The shocked silence that followed my statement was almost painful. “Resurrection based immortality isn't going to save you from an attack that destroys your soul... and thats not even getting into what could happen if he was consumed by his own power…”

”That is why he must be returned to this place. I am not a judge nor jury, but a warden.” The sigil on my chest faded, but I have a feeling it’s still there, and the barrier keeping us here vanished.

“Great… We have to fight a guy who has fought the God of Wrath to a standstill.” Annnd Fluttershy just fainted. I’m surprised she made it past the ‘getting your soul destroyed’ part. “At least finding him won’t be much of an issue. He would never turn down a challenge.”

“You’re not really going to fight him are you?”

“Ribbon, I don't have much of a choice.”

“But, you’ve already died once. I don’t want you to die again. Permanently.”

“Don’t think you want me spending the rest of eternity in hell, either.”

”Tartarus.”

“To-may-to to-mah-to, same difference!”

“Fine, if you’re going to fight that guy you are NOT playing fair!”

“Ribbon, have I ever played fair? I freaking nut shotted Discord for petes sake.”

“I… think you’ll need to do better than that.”

“As long as I avoid that one attack, I should be fine.”

“Regardless, it would make me feel better if you let me outfit you with some new tricks.”

“Like?”

“Needles, hidden blades, duplicates, some flight tricks, and I’d like to make some armor pieces.”

“Armor? Can’t I already do that with my miasma?”

“Good point, you can probably make that yourself.”

“But yeah, the other stuff sounds like a good idea.”

“Are you girls just going to stand around in Tartarus or can we go? Pinkie wants to throw a ‘we escaped Tartarus’ party!”

“And a ‘we beat Tirek’ party, and a party for Mirage.” Dammit Wendy! Ribbon glanced at me in concern. Understandable, that’s three parties at once. With Wendy, and Pinkie.

“Thats why I still have my party mecha!” Oh god, I completely forgot about that. This is gonna be good.

“A wise man once said, ‘one does not simply party, one PARTYS HARD!” I’ve always wanted to say that, and judging from the look in Pinkies eyes, I just gave her an idea.

-So we have to take that bugger down, find everyling, and try to prevent a goddamn war.-

’If he’s attracted to violence the war would bring him out.’

-I hate mondays.-

Hardcore Dodgeball

Ugh, what did I do last night… oh… yeah. last night came rushing back, and the first thing I remembered was Pinkie somehow figuring out how to get me drunk, despite having a super liver. I think it involved fire, and a potato. I was not happy when the sun decided to make itself known by shining in my eyes. “Curse you Celestiaaaaa.”

*Whump* I rolled out of bed, trying to escape the sheets, and impacted the floor. Goddammit all.
Standing up with a groan, I knew the way to get rid of this was tons of water and food. After hauling myself to the stairs, I cringed, knowing my luck, this was going to be painful. Three steps down, I felt my weight shift. “FUUUUUU-”

*slam!*

*Crash!*

*Crack!*

“Owwwwwwch.”

“Are you alright?” I turned my head and glared at her, standing in the doorway to the kitchen

“I’m hungover, I just got out of bed, and fell down the goddamn stairs. So no, I am not alright.”

“I made pancakes if it makes you feel better.”

“Fooooood.” Already I could smell it. Fluffy pancakes, butter, and lots of serup. Picking myself up off the floor, I dragged myself into the kitchen and plopped my head on the table, awaiting the food.

“Wow Ribbon, you're right. Chi did get wasted.” Really Scoots? really?

“Just try and talk quietly for her.”

“Feeeed meeee.”

“Alright, alright... Here.”

The moment she set the pancakes down in front of me, I attacked them. it was sift, it was brutal, and there were no survivors. “Soooo gooood.”

“Chi, I think you got more on your face then in your mouth.”

“If you want help with that hangover, I could take care of that?”

“Yes please.”

Ribbon walked around the table and sat next to me. “Ok, close your eyes.” I did as she asked, expecting it to feel weird.

“Hit me.” A sudden feeling of falling hit me and made me lose my balance, I felt dizzy and nauseous like I was going to throw up. And then it just stopped.

“Feel better?”

“Much.”

“Good. Now I have to take Mirage over to Fluttershy’s, then I’ll make preparations for your avoidance training.”

“Yes, and I can take the time to think up a better armor design. Because what armor I do have doesn't cover much more than the critical areas.” Dude could probably liquify my bones if he hit me with that one attack… he freaking destroyed an island with it! his two most deadly attacks, the Kongou-kokuretsu zan, and the Raging Demon. The latter is the one I’m truly scared of. If I get hit by that attack, its game over.

“Will you be alright?”

“I… I don’t actually know. But I’ll be damned if I don't go down swinging.”

“Alright. I’m going to go grab Mirage.”

And if he shows up in the middle of the battlefield, the collateral will be unimaginable… no, I will not let it come to that!

“If you need me Scoots, I’ll be upstairs.”

“O.K!”

Slowly trudging back up the stairs, Several thoughts raced through my mind. The untold destruction Akuma could cause if I fell to him. How Ribbon would be devastated if I did, the fact that I would have failed Ribbon, just like I did Maria… and what monster I might become, the carnage I might reap until I faded away, If Ribbon fell… Just the mere thought of that filled me with unbridled fury. I had to resist punching a hole in the wall right then and there.

As I walked into the bedroom, I slowly formed my armor, before looking at my reflection in a window, my draconic eyes showing both sadness, and rage. It was the sudden sensation of a familiar weight at my side that confused me. Lifting my wing, I blinked several times in shock. there was Akumu, sitting snugly in its sheath.

“But, I thought I lost this after being captured by the griffons…” unless… despite being partially made of Ribbons shed chitin, it could be formed from my miasma at will! No wonder Nobody ever notices it! It was never there unless I needed it! Ribbon was going to shit bricks when she hears about this!

Annnnd I’m getting distracted. focus on the armor Chi, focus on the armor. I needed something that would not impede my mobility -Do not want to get hit by the Raging Demon.- but would still offer me excellent protection.

’Isn't that why I’m going to show you how to dodge properly?’

-Ribbon, if that attack connects once, its all over, I can’t take any chances.-

’That’s why we’re going to play a very intense game… of tag. I just dropped off Mirage, start running.’

“...fuck.” I teleported myself outside, and bolted. -Please be gentle…-

’I’ll be as gentle as’ “ my own instructor was!”

“OHSHI-” I ducked just as Ribbon whizzed over my head. Full contact dodgeball, much? I could already feel my heart pounding, adrenaline beginning to flow, and the world around me seemed to slightly slow. I spun around, but Ribbon was no where to be found… that left… ABOVE! I quickly leapt back, and in the nick of time, too. Ribbon hit the ground hard enough to leave dents in the ground. I panicked for a moment, but then remembered how the changelings did something similar in Canterlot. She was fine, and OHSHITGOTDISTRACT- I slid under Ribbon as she pounced at me, quickly getting back onto my hooves as I tried to conserve my momentum.

“Never think a trick to cheap to use. If you can’t find an opening. Make one!” Ribbon went right at me, trying to ram into me with her shoulder, only for me to realize I was standing in the house’s shadow. I let myself drop back, and sink into it momentarily, as Ribbon passed over me, before getting back out, and running for it. Too close!

*BRRZT*

“Ah HELL nah!” I dodged, ducked, dipped, dived, and dodged every spell Ribbon shot at me. Several of them just barely missing. If this was her ‘not good’ at magic then I must really suck. I ran past several buildings, took several turns before Ribbon changed tactics on me. The next turn I took I was blocked by a green barrier.

“...I call hax!”

“I call fair game!” Ribbon was going for close-quarters again, only for me to dissolve into miasma and reform behind her. She turned to face me and spat gel in my direction, but a flap of my wings got me airborn. I can probably out speed her, but her wings are designed for much more maneuverability than mine, meaning I had to get out in the open, which I doubt she was going to let happen. an idea occurred to me, and I released an undirected flash of magic, before using my shapeshifting, not change form, bit change color, so that I perfectly blended in with the sky.

-Never underestimate human ingenuity- Ribbon finished rubbing the spots out of her eyes and looked around for me, but became confused at my disappearance. how did I not think of this sooner? Heh, she looks kinda funny bobbing her head around like that.

*BRRZT*

“Woah! How did you see me, that’s not fair!”

“Try watching an owl hunt mice, or any other predator hunt. You might just learn something.” Time to put a twist on an old classic.

“Dammit, your go- what. the. fuck. is. that.” Of course Ribbon fell for it. The moment she looked away, I teleported into the leaves of Twilights treebrary, and once again abusing my shapeshifting, matched the color and texture of the leaves, even taking the time to try and mimic their swaying in the wind, and stilled my breathing until it was non existent. Empty my mind, she can sense fear… Thank you Metal Gear, cardboard boxes weren't the only trick I picked up from playing that series.

I watched as Ribbon approached, coming within a few feet of me, allowing me to hear her muttering. “She’s sloppy, but learns quickly.” An unusually strong gust of wind blew past, blowing Ribbons tail away and giving me a clear view… HOT DAMN!

…

Aw crap. Ribbon spun around, a evil grin on her face. “What did I say about being Sloppy!” Ribbon dove right at me, giving me time to properly react.

I went to fly up and out of her way but my hoof got caught in a branch. “Shi- AH!” With me stuck, Ribbon hit me like a battering ram, sending us both down into the tree and through one of the windows in Twi’s house, where we landed on the floor with Ribbon pinning me down.

“Uhhhhh… what happens now?”

“Now we start over until you’re exhausted or I’m bored.”

“Rainbow! how many times do I have to tell you, there’s a door for a reas- oh.” Twilight had walked in, intent on berating a certain polychromatic pegasus, only to find me and Ribbon instead. “Do I even want to know?”

“Intense game of tag?”

“What Ribbon said.”

Twilight slowly begun blushing. “Thats… not what it looked like to me.”

Yeah, Ribbon does kinda have me pinned to the floor… And now I can’t get the image of me and Ribbon doing it out of my head. Ribbon glanced down at me for a moment before her face turned green with blush too. Ribbon jumped off of me. “We’ll be on our way. K, thanks, bye!” And like that she was gone, leaving me to deal with Twilight.

-Why the sudden hurry?-

’Nothing. I’ll be in the basement, come get me when you’re done talking to Twilight.’ What would she be doing in the basement, the only things we do down there is rehabilitate chrysalis, and well… bang.

“Something on your mind, Chi?”

“Yes, I’ve been trying to figure out how to improve my armor, without restricting my mobility.”

“Oh yeah. Because you have to fight that demon at some point, right?”

“Bingo.”

“I think I might have the desing your looking for…” She begun rapidly scanning through books, until she stopped on an old, tattered, red one, that lacked any title.”You probably didn’t know this, but there were actually a few ponies who supported Nightmare Moon. The book I have here, is a notebook of one of those ponies, a blacksmith to be precise. It was his job to to make all the armor that the cult wore. Ah, here’s the entry I was looking for.” She turned the book around so I could see it.

“That, is a damn fine piece of art, and it looks perfect as well.” A sudden idea popped into my head, a rather cheesy idea. “Now I must go, my Ribbon needs me.” With a quick teleport, I arrived in the basement of our house. “Oh. My…”

the awakening

“Oh. My.” It was Chrysalis’s pod… She was thrashing about inside of it, while Ribbon just stood there, unsure of what to do. “Is this normal?”

“Not really.” Bloody hell, this can’t be good.

“Should we let her out?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe knock her out first, do that thing and go in her head.”

“Too risky, I do not want to see what’s going on inside her head if shes spasming like this.”

“I don’t want to let her out, she could hurt herself, or us.”

*Splurch!* Chrysalis had just stabbed her horn through the pod, and her convulsions were causing her to rip it open. “Don’t think theres much of a choice now. When she’s out, I’ll pin her down until she stops flailing.” Why was this happening? and now of all times?

With a wet splat, Chrysalis landed on the floor, where I used magic to hold her down, while looking at Ribbon in confusion. “Do you have any idea why this is happening?”

“I donno. She wasn’t like this when we came back from Tartarus.”

The ex-Queens spasming slowly subsided, until eventually the only motions were her breathing. “Chi, we have a problem.” I looked at Ribbon, fear clearly shown on her face. “She’s waking up.”

“Not necessarily a bad thing, for all we know she’s changed since the wedding.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know and I don’t care. You can de-”

“Ribbon?” Ribbon had just stopped, when I noticed Chrysalis slowly opening her eyes, before she begun staring at me in absolute terror.

Still holding her in my magic, I took a few steps back, looking at Ribbon for guidance. -Shit, now we have her to deal with in addition to rescuing most of the hive.-

“I’m going to go get Twilight. Keep holding her down.” Ribbon vanished in a flash, leaving me alone with Chrysalis, who now looked even more terrified than before. Getting fed up, I tightened my magics grip, leaving her immobile.

“STAY THE BUCK AWAY FROM MEEEEE!” I immediately clamped her mouth shut with my magic to keep her from screaming again, because I was not in the mood for shit like this.

“Oh for the love of… This is my first encounter with Ribbon all over again… except she wasn’t indoctrinated into believing whatever ancient changeling propaganda you were.” I noticed that Chrysalis’ rapid breathing and futile struggles lessened. “And no, I’m not going to say anything more on that. I’ve probably said too much already. What I can say, is that I do not intend to harm you. Yes, I will fully admit I went overboard when you hurt Ribbon, and turning you into a vegetable was not the best thing to do, but I react extreamly violently when someone I care for is hurt. Now, on that topic, I believe you tried to take over Canterlot, because you and your fellow changelings were starving, correct?”

She nodded rapidly, unable to do much else.

“Good… Now, I’ve seen tiny bits of your memories, and judging by them, you faked taking Canterlot over for more power, because doing so due to you and your people starving would make you appear weak, correct?”

She nodded again, having calmed quite a bit upon realizing she was not going to die.

“So I’m guessing you’re actually glad you’ve been overthrown, and no longer have hold up that facade?”

Her eyes widened, and she slowly nodded.

“Now, I’m going to let you talk, and you're going to remain calm, and not scream, okay?”

She nodded once more, before I released my magics grip on her mouth.

“You… You were in my head?”

“Would you rather have remained in a coma?”

“...No.”

“Then stop complaining, at least you’re in semi-friendly territory.”

“Huh?”

“...I don't know how they found it, but the griffons, with the diamond dogs assistance, ransacked the hive, and got everyone there…”

“They what?” There's the spiteful voice I remember. “And you didn’t do anything about it!?”

“They got me and Ribbon as well, and took us to some weird centaur guy named Tirek, who drained us of our magic, before tossing us through a portal to hell.”

”Tartarus.”

“Same thing, two different names… What?” I looked down to see the glow of the sigil that Lord Malice placed on my chest fade away. Is he really going to try and correct me every time? “Don’t ask… As I was saying, after getting chucked into Hades, and eventually having the Princesses join us, well… I’d rather not talk about what happened after the first week in there…”

“And you got out how?”

“Our standby spec. ops squad, the remaining members of the Exiles, and the Elements, raided the underworld… After bombing the gates open. With a filly riding a manticore sized timberwolf spearheading the group. Although in order to get out I had to make a deal with the resident warden, and bring down a demon who escaped… And possibly came from another dimension, but thats besides the point. All in all, typical Monday.”

“That’s ‘typical’, what else has been happening?”

“Well, there was that one time I fought the god of chaos, and nut shotted him, I fought a thousand year old unicorn corrupted by dark magic, fought a hydra, died, and had to deal with Ribbons hatchling.”

“You died!?”

“...I got better.”

“It’s not like a sickness, you don’t just ‘get better’!”

“Yeah well, apparently when you’re part spirit, and are using someone else to anchor yourself to the material plane, that can happen.” It seems Chrysalis is a little uneducated about souls, as my explanation left her fairly confused. “Basically, resurrection based immortality.”

“You mean… you’re a lich?” Her expression turning towards fear again.

“No! I can die, I just don’t stay dead. Kinda like a shadow, you might be able to make it go away temporarily, but it will keep coming back so long as there is still an object to cast it.”

“You’re not really convincing me here.”

“Look, I think its because I don’t fully exist on the material plane.”

“What do you mean ‘fully’?”

“Lets see, I can dissolve into a cloud of miasma, and reform myself into just about anything, of course it really drains my magic to turn into something bigger than myself, then there's the fact that I apparently don’t need to eat, drink or breath, although I still do that because i’ve been doing it since I was born, oh, And I can apparently sense and feed on fear.” I’m essentially a giant walking ‘fuck you’ to physics.

Chrysalis opened her mouth to respond but a flash of light caught our attention. Both Ribbon and Twilight had teleported into the room, upon seeing Twilight though Chrysalis was freaking out again and I had to clamp her mouth shut, again.

-Crap, she didn't know about how I accidentally caused Twilights transformation!-

’Aw ponyfeathers...’

“Wuh, buh, huh!?”

“Twi, calm down.”

“Explain. Now.”

“Okay, so during the wedding, I had rendered Chrysalis here a vegetable in a fit of rage after she hurt Ribbon. Celestia tried to keep her locked up, but she didn't know that changeling get nutrients exclusively from emotions, meaning she was wasting away. Frankly, I took pity on her, because being trapped in your own mind as your body wastes away is a fate I wouldn't wish on my greatest enemy. After a bit of dreamwalking, I managed to start the process of getting her out of her mind, and she just ‘woke up’ a few minutes ago. As to why she’s freaking out? remember Twi, you weren't a Night Terror back then, and considering I put her in that coma in the first place for hurting Ribbon, shes more than likely afraid that you were going to do worse after what she had done to your foalsitter and big brother during the wedding.”

“I was wondering what happened to her, but a coma? I thought she was just in jail.”

“Yeahhhh, I may have broken her mind at the time, after she hurt Ribbon, by showing her things nobody was meant to see…”

“Well she looks fine now.”

“Well, after a bit of dream walking, I managed to kickstart the recovery, and it turns out she wasn’t invading canterlot for the power, she just said so because saying her and her people were starving would make them appear weak.”

“Did she even bother to learn about her… food? we would’ve helped.”

“Theres the other thing, she was kinda indoctrinated into believing some old changeling bullshit propaganda about ponies being nothing more than enemies and food.”

“As a scout, I wasn’t really in the hive that much, I was with ponies. For the most part, all I did was watch the guard movements.” Ribbon finally decided to add her piece, which actually made a bit of sense, as I was starting to wonder why she didn’t think so as well.

“Ribbon, look at it this way, she’s actually glad you overthrew her, as now she doesn’t have to hold up that facade of being power hungry.”

“So, she doesn’t care? I would of assumed she’d want the throne back.”

“You’re right that she doesn't want it back, but what she IS pretty pissed about the griffons getting most of hive.”

“Regardless, she still tried to invade Canterlot.” Said Twi. She’s right, we can’t just let her off the hook, but we can’t just give her back to Celestia either.

“Maybe so, but we can’t just lock her up, she’ll starve.”

“Which means I need to let the others know about her. Remember we have an outpost in Canterlot now, the old crystal mines. We could lock her up there.’

-Or assuming there's some way to keep her from teleporting out, we could keep her here.-

’Well I sorta kept that magic canceling ring the griffons made you wear. I intended to use it for... something else, but we could use it on her.

-That could work.- Ribbon disappeared in a flash and came back a minute later with a greenish looking ring.

Twilight gave her a bit of a hesitantly confused look. “Why do you have one of those in the first place?”

“This.” Ribbon placed the ring on Chrysalis’ horn. Chrysalis tried to back away but I kept her from moving.

“Now then, I would like to have a talk with our guest here in private.”

“Uh, alright Twilight, you do that.”

Before me and Ribbon teleported back upstairs, I released Chrysalis from my magics grip, knowing that Twilight could handler her if she tried something. With a flash of light, me and Ribbon appeared in the kitchen.

“I managed to get the rifle back, Twilight gave it back. Though, it’s a shame the griffons got Akumu, guess we’ll have to make a new one, huh?”

“Actually…” I lifted a wing, and watched as a cloud of miasma formed into Akumu, complete with its sheath. “It turns out it works on the same principle as my armor. I can form it at will, which still confuses me since we did use some of your discarded chitin to make it.”

“That is confusing. But that’s good, we didn’t lose our weapons. AND, the outpost back in canterlot managed to” She lend in and whispered. “They managed to steal the matter manipulator while we were in Tartarus.”

“Sweet.” So now we can eventually upgrade, that will be something I’ll be looking forward to. “But still, we’ve been avoiding it for long enough. How are we going to rescue everyling?”

Ribbon sighed, “If they’ve already been… sold off, we’ll need to do it one by one. But that’s a lot of changelings, there’s no way they managed that yet.”

“At least it would be fairly easy to get in undetected. We have the shade form, remember?”

“Yeah, finally a good use for it. The first few rescues should be easy, until they realize what’s happening.”

“If you remember, unless they saw us merge, we were unnoticeable unless we drew attention to ourselves, made no sound other than when we spoke, and the moment they looked away, they completely forgot we were even there.”

“True, but it would still go faster if we had help and they can’t all use that.”

“Well, there is Rushdown, He can sneak up on Pinkie of all ponies!”

“Then we have two, you and me, plus Rushdown. We need a lot more. Once we’re at the Griffon Empire we’ll need to set up shop, a safe place that we can guard and get changelings out. And there’s a lot of different city’s we’ll need to check. Who’s to say my changelings are the only ones they have, what if they took others?”

“Remember, the diamond dogs were in on it too, and they are an unorganized bunch, I think we should try to get them first, so we know what to expect when we hit the griffon empire.”

“And they’ll be the one in the most amount of danger, and we should save them soon. Just one problem, which pack helped the griffons?”

“Simple, Gary can sniff em out.”

“If the scent isn’t too old by now. It’s been a long day and I think Twi should be leaving, having finishing up with… whatever she wanted from Chrysalis. We’ll head out in the morning. I’ll have a larger group of changelings come down from the Canterlot outpost, that was a big pack of dogs, we might need the extra numbers.”

“Not too many though, I’d rather get in there and get out with our fellow changelings unseen.”

Our conversation went on as Ribbon started talking about outfitting some changelings with armor. Their natural armor was better than nothing, but if it broke it was very painful. Eventually Twilight had left and Fluttershy dropped off Mirage. I scooped up Mirage and brought her upstairs to the bedroom, Ribbon had already made a new crib, she was probably due for a new one anyway, she’s gotten much bigger.

mutt hunt

We were at the hive, where Rushdown had joined us, and had been waiting for Gary to pick up the dogs scent. Just being here had caused Ribbon to become depressed.

“So I was told you wanted me specifically, this must be pretty important.” Rushdown's inquiry derailed that train of thought, causing me to blink a few times as I collected my thoughts.

“It is, Rushdown, we needed you in particular because of how stealthy you can be.”

“I’m listening.” He gave me a 'go on' gesture with his hoof, clearly interested.

“So the plan is to have Gary sniff out the diamond dogs that were part of the raid on the hive, and from their, me, you, Ribbon, and a few other changelings are going to sneak in there, and free everyone.”

*BARK!* Finally! Gary dashed into a rather large and uneven tunnel.

“He’s got the scent!” I quickly bolted after the oversized timberwolf, a sense of anticipation building, as Gary led us down a tunnel, following his nose.

It looked different from the normal tunnels of the hive, Changeling diggers did a good job of making everything smooth but these dogs didn’t care. Soon, the tunnel began descending at a sharp angle, the air heavy, carrying with it a sensation of unease.

-I got a bad feeling about this.-

’I don’t like this either, even the air in the hive was never this thick.’ The tunnel eventually exited into a sort of hub, lots of different paths connected to one room. Gary sniffed around for a bit and went down the biggest tunnel. Several veins of minerals dotted the walls.

After an hour of walking the heavy air about this place started to lift, alongside our altitude, it was easy to see why. The tunnel was starting to widen and I could see a light. When we exited, I took a deep breath, glad to be out of that cramped tunnel. Looking back, our little group was quite far away from the mountain that held the now abandoned hive. What lay before us was a vast expanse of grassland, the tall grass easily hid the hole we came out of, especially in this late hour.

"We should probably set up camp here."

“Alright. Cut down some of the grass, and see if we can make a fire!”

Ribbon soon found a large amount of grass hovering in her face, as I had pulled a bunch out of the ground with my magic. She swatted at it like a fly that was buzzing around her.

"Hold up." Rushdown suddenly bolted upright, his ears swiveling in search of something. "Does anyone else hear flapping?"

He's right, I do hear it... "Sounds too big for a bird, or even a griffon..." We all listened intently, until Ribbon suddenly shouted in panic.

“Dragon! Get down, hide!” Upon the word 'dragon' I was already hitting the deck, hunkered down right beside Ribbon. Her breathing had picked up rapidly, and her eyes had shrunk to pinpricks. A large shadow passed over us, and when I looked up, I felt my breath hitch.

A large brown wyvern sailed over us, as Ribbon begun whimpering in absolute terror.

-Ribbon, are you okay? If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were having some kind of horrendous flashback right now…- As the dragon flew off, I scooted closer to Ribbon, before draping a wing over her, trying to comfort her. She was practically as scared of dragons as Fluttershy was!

“Those things shoot fire! Why wouldn’t I be scared?!” Ribbon whisper yelled at me. Okay, that is actually a good point, that would hurt like hell.

"But what would a dragon be doing here?"

“I don’t know. Chances are, we’re going to find out and I don’t like it.”

"Neither do I... fighting a hydra was one thing, but a dragon!?" The only good part about this was at least it wasn't Ridley or Alduin. Now that would be bad. "Wait. Thing?"

"Yes, thing, monsters.” Ribbon turned to address everyone. “Everyling, forget the fire, we’re sending the night in the tunnel. We don’t need to be attracting any attention.”

“Monster? I know they can be greedy, but monsters?”

Ribbon walked past me, towards the tunnel. “Not all treasure is silver and gold.” The implications of that sentence hit me like a freight train.

"What, Happened?"

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

"I can see that whatever happened is quite the sore spot for you."

“Just. Drop it, please.”

"Alright, I'm dropping it."

I watched as as the other changelings finished concealing the tunnel entrance, and sat down beside Ribbon, draping a wing over her. I could tell that dragon had left her quite rattled, especially due to the incident she brought up, but refused to elaborate upon. I soon felt something clutching my side, and found Ribbon holding onto me like I was the only thing that mattered to her.

As I felt her breathing slow, I couldn't help but wonder what was in store for us.

When I awoke, I could no longer feel Ribbon against me, and instead found her standing by the entrance to the tunnel, staring out into the sky as the sun rose.

Taking care not to disturb her, I slowly got up, and made my way over, unsure of what was going on in her head. I could hear her mumbling under her breath, but couldn’t make out what she was saying.

"Ribbon?" Ribbon yelped in surprise. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok… You’re the first one up, the others will be getting up shortly.”

"Somethings been troubling you, hasn't it? Other than the dragon, I mean."

“Yes. This hive was attacked, and we failed to see it coming. Even if we rescue all the changelings that were taken from me, where will we go? We can’t just go back to that hive, it’s known, it’s one thing for the ponies to know, at least now. But, now the griffons know.”

"I can think of two places, we either colonize the Everfree, or we try to convince Celestia to let us use the Canterlot crystal mines."

“The Everfree has to many creatures in it, we’d have to show up every hydra and manticore. As for Princess Celestia, she's not really a problem, it’s the nobles and the hissy fit they’ll throw. If we did make it into Canterlot, it wouldn’t matter if we’re known. But that still leaves the problem of the diamond dogs, their made to dig, and we need a way to protect ourselves from them.”

"Ribbon, the dogs were too stupid to have done that without the griffons help, and I doubt the griffons would be dumb enough to do that if we were in Canterlot."

“Attacking us there would be a declaration of war, and Equestria as a lot of allies.”

"But do the griffons have allies?"

“I don’t know, they might.”

"And thats what worries me, if the griffons were dumb enough to do it, we could have a world war on our hooves."

“I saw from your memories, sounds horrid. Though, I doubt it would be that catastrophic here… at least for Equestria.”

"You may think that, but wouldn't that make nearly everywhere a prime target for those, windigos, I think they were called?"

“If their are any still alive, yeah, they’d be a problem.”

"Sorry to interrupt, but everyones ready." Gah! Damnit Rushdown, don't sneak up on us like that!

“Good, lets go.” Ribbon went up in flames, she’d turned herself… green, still covered in chitin… but green, as did the others. Needless to say, I was confused at first.

"Camoflauge?"

“I suggest you do the same. Rush can hide under Gary, and Gary, well, who’d want to eat him?”

"Killer beavers? And if you want to stay hidden, there's always the shade form."

“Aside from the legendary killer beavers, I think he’s fine. Now give me the shade form.”

I obliged, and allowed myself to dissolve, before flowing over Ribbon, and settling against her chitin, leaving her coated in familiar inky shadows. The transition to using Ribbons senses was still somewhat jarring.

Ribbon still poked her head out and looked around, and after seeing nothing moving, she left the tunnel behind. The others made a quick dash for the tall grass, while Rushdown just walked out with Gary right above him. Okay seriously, what did Scoots feed him? Fertilizer?

-Coasts clear, for now, anyways.- It felt nice, being wrapped around Ribbon like this, like this was were I belonged, keeping her safe, and invisible to prying eyes. I guess its one of the quirks of us being so closely linked.

We kept walking for hours with little change in scenery, at least it’s more pleasant than that cramped tunnel. It gave me plenty of time to think. One thing I’ve come to realize is that it seems every sapient race has had it out for changelings at some point or another, yet they adapted to their impromptu trial by fire. An almost... human, quality. Perhaps… Perhaps I was meant to be here? If not for that one chance meeting with Ribbon, they might still be in that fire.

One thing that did slightly worry me, was how I had seemed to have developed a hair trigger temper against any perceived threat to Ribbon, or the rest of her hive. It actually scared me that I felt satisfied after incidents like that, like I wanted to fight. Maybe, that’s why I joined the military years ago, back on my world, and I’m only noticing it now. Or is it something left over from the Nightmare?

’Chi? I can hear them. We’re close enough, I tell where they-

*ROAR*

-Aw crap.- Ribbon was on the ground again in seconds. Even if nothing could see us, it still seemed to scare her.

-Ribbon, get up! it might not be able to notice us, but what about the others!-

’NO! I don’t want to be caught again, I don’t want to go back.’

”Damn dogs, you kept me waiting and this is all you have to show?!” A small puff of flames ahead of us caught my attention. There must be a drop off ahead of us, that must be where the diamond dogs den was, and the dragons attacking it. That’s good, we’re out of sight and it’s too enraged with the dogs to notice anything else.

-Look, we aren’t even in sight of it yet, we’re fine so get up.-

’Everyling, dig. We’re digging our way into the den. Don’t let that dragon even have a chance to see you.’ I stayed silent, not wanting to disturb Ribbons concentration, and instead considering how to approach her about her previous experience with a dragon. It wouldn’t be easy. I really hoped it wasn't what I thought it was, because if it was, I would personally hunt the fucker down, and skin him alive.

-Ribbon, I know you're absolutely terrified right now, but if that dragon kills all those dogs, we might lose any chance of finding the griffons and the changelings they captured.- I just couldn't find it in me to leave her when she was this shaken up, I was afraid my presence was the only thing keeping her from having a complete breakdown. -Ribbon! You need to focus!-

’I am focusing, I’m focusing on digging!’ She actually was, I had become so focused on trying to keep Ribbon from losing it, that I hadn't noticed her join the tunneling effort. She was digging far faster than the others were, using my miasma to move large amounts of dirt at once.

The bottom of the hole we were digging gave way and Ribbon fell through into the dens tunnels.

breakdown

Turns out the dragon was too big to fit in the dogs den, and had gotten stuck at the entrance, so we didn’t need to really worry about him while we’re in the den. As soon as we broke through the dirt, there was a jet of flame behind us. Ribbon peeked around the corner to see the trapped dragon cursing the diamond dogs.

Now we were running down the halls. Ribbon and I went one way, Rushdown went another, and the rest of the changelings split up evenly. The hivemind was actually somewhat useful when we were in shade form, as it somehow allowed the changelings to still see and remember us. That’s two ways we can be seen, changelings via the hivemind, and those that see our transformation happen.

We raided several rooms, Ribbon depatching the diamond dogs in a non-lethal manner before breaking the chains on any prisoners. Mostly our changelings, but there were a few that were different. They had a gold carapace and yellow eyes, and their fangs weren’t as pronounced as Ribbon’s hive. They weren’t able to see Ribbon and me either. The few we encountered seemed quite startled by having his binds just break off for seemingly no reason, but followed the others out. Couldn’t be helped, they’d just forget anyway.

One of the dogs however, didn't go down quietly, and we soon had several pointing spears at us, the perception filter broken, and Ribbon not really a fighter. -Just great.- Ribbon ran back down the tunnel we came from. Being in a cramped space, Ribbon wasn’t able to fly and the dogs were keeping pace. Clearly the other groups agroed the dogs as most of the tunnels are collapsed, no doubt trying to slow us down.

A lot of collapsed tunnels and a few turns later, the diamond dogs still right behind us. Until a jet of fire told me what was up ahead. Ribbon skidded to a halt and faced the dogs, I think we attracted even more attention. The dogs, turned wall of spears were threatening to skew if Ribbon didn’t keep moving and were slowly forcing us back.

The spears forced Ribbon into the tunnel the dragon was stuck in. ”Worthless mutts, if you want me out of your den you need to dig me out.” Maybe he doesn't see us? so it’s only the dogs.

“We brought shadow creature that attack us.”

”What creature?” Cool, he really can’t see us yet.

“Shadow creature in front of us.” The dog that spoke poked Ribbon in the flank with a spear, while she was busy staring at the dragon in fear, causing her to yelp, before the dragons eyes narrowed. So much for that.

“Oh buck.”

”Interesting. Consider your debt paid in full, now dig me out!”

”Please, no.”

-Ribbon, calm down we’ll be alright.-

“We dig you out and you leave?”

“I don’t want to go back.”

She’s not listening to me. -Ribbon, it’s okay. As soon as they dig him out, he’ll turn around and forget while we run away, alright?- I could feel something being drawn from me, for what purpose, I had no clue, but it might have something to do with Ribbons freakout.

”Yes I’ll leave, and I’ll take the creature too. Now dig-”

”I don’t want to go back!” Holy schnapps. Ribbon turned on the dogs and impaled them with crimson crystal spikes, killing and pinning them all to the ceiling as she ran! Leaving behind the stuck and now confused dragon behind.

Ribbon ran down the tunnels, the dogs we past didn’t even notice. When she finally slowed down, she leaned on the wall, breathing heavily. -Ribbon, what in the name of god happened back there?!-

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just freaked out! I just… I just can’t deal with dragons.”

-This has to do with what you mentioned earlier, doesn't it. About ‘not wanting to go back’-

“It was humiliating and demeaning, what he made me do. I don’t want to talk about it.”

-Ribbon, this is serious, what the hell are you going to do if a dragon comes after the hive? freezing up like that is not an option.-

“We’re moving the hive to Canterlot, Princess Celestia can deal with it.”

-And if she fails?-

“If the sun goddess can’t take down a dragon what makes you think I could?”

-Ribbon. What did that dragon do to you!?-

“He had me in his hoard for over two years! It was torture, he dripped iron on me when he was bored and made me… do things, to him and in front of him. Please don’t make me talk about it!”

-HE DID WHAT!?- I felt a fury stronger than any I had experienced course through me. I felt Ribbon flinch at my sudden anger. Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, wait, was it me or Ribbon breathing? Whatever, bigger issue first. -Ribbon, from what I’ve just heard from you, such experiences would break a lesser mare. You’re stronger now, and not alone, either. And either way, a bit of fear is good, but not on the levels that you’re showing. You’re scaring me, Ribbon, it’s like I’m the only thing keeping you from having a complete breakdown right now.-

“Can we just save the others and leave, please?”

-We’ll continue this someplace private.-

Ribbon made sure to take down ever dog this time, with a lot more force than before. Though, not as much as when she was faced with the dragon, but still a lot. Once we got all of our changelings we headed topside. As soon as we were out of the den, our changelings swarmed around us, to the confusion and bafflement of the changelings belonging to other hives. -How badly do you think they'll react to us seeming to appear out of thin air when I separate from you?-

“My queen, we felt that you were distressed. Are you alright?”

’Probably not well.’ “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Really Ribbon? You can't just say 'I'm fine' after having something damn close to a PTSD flashback. Oh, great, they're all staring at us now.

-Uhhh... You do realize the others have noticed you now that you spoke.-

’You should probably reform youself.’

-Good idea, one sec...- I slowly peeled myself away from Ribbon, before I settled into my natural form, only to notice that the foreign changelings were all huddled together in fear of this new queen and an alicorn. I hate it when people are afraid of me for no reason, I mean, sure I look downright terrifying, but I'm actually pretty nice so long as my friends aren't in danger.

Ribbon walked up to the yellow changelings and stop a good distance away. “Do you all know where your hive is?” They all nodded vigorously. “Then go back to your home, and let your Queen know that the Equestrian hive is not here for your territory. I just want my changelings back, the ones that the griffons kidnapped, and any help would be much appreciated.” They just stood there. “Well go on. Shoo.” Ribbon made a motion with her hoof and all the yellow changelings scrambled to leave.

-Hey, is Cloak amongst the changeling we got out of there?-

’No, and I’m not surprised. We have a lot more to go.’

-We might need to set up some kind of outpost, somewhere the changelings we free can rest before resuming their journey to the hive.-

’We’ll also need to make sure we have a supply line for love and anything else we might need.’

-sounds good.-

The rest of the trip was pretty mundane. After crossing into griffon territory, we needed to find somewhere to bunk for the night, where we wouldn't be seen by any griffons.

We were passing through some kind of canyon, several waterfalls dotting the sides of it, connecting to a large river at the bottom. The constant spray from the waterfalls made the plantlife grow all over the canyon walls, and I had no doubt that if the sun was a little higher, there would be a rainbow from waterfall to waterfall. The area felt... saturated, for lack of a better term, and not with water.

As soon as we had entered the canyon, Ribbon sent everyone out to find a place to stay for the night.

"Quite the breathtaking view, isn't it Ribbon?"

“It sure is. What I would give to have the hive in a place like this.”

"So, any luck on finding somewhere to hunker down for the night?"

“Not yet, their still looking.”

"So, what happened with the dragon? You freaked out and rather brutally killed quite a few diamond dogs, before running away."

Ribbon sighed hesitantly and was quiet for a moment. “It was maybe my third or fourth mission. I was supposed to go to an outpost near baltimare and get something... That didn’t happen. instead I got caught by a dragon and instead of just eating me like you’d think he’d do, he took me with him, added me to his hoard since I was the first changeling he ever caught. Naturally I tried to escape the first night, all he did was chain me to the floor, instead I taught him I could use magic, and he punched a hole in the wall. Actually he punched the wall several time and made an alcove and put me in it before he blocked it with a massive boulder.” she paused to take a breath “The next day when he moved the boulder, I ran and immediately he breathed fire on me and singed my wings so I couldn’t fly, along with the rest of me. The second time he let me out, I found out what he was going to use me for… They found a cave, it’s behind one of the waterfalls. Should we go have a look?” I could tell Ribbon was trying to desperately change the subject, so I let it drop for now.

"A cave behind a waterfall? Sounds like the perfect place for our outpost, and just an outright nice place to rest." I followed Ribbon, who headed towards one of the larger waterfalls, before swinging around the cascade of water. The changeling that found it was standing proud outside, while we went to have a look.

The sight that greeted me was stunning. The cave was deep, and full of moss... glowing moss, and several geodes of a nearly transparent crystal spotted its interior, and the place held an aura of tranquility about it. I could swear the moss was slowly pulsing between a emerald green and sapphire blue glow. "This... This is... Words fail to describe this place..."

“Amazing.” Ribbon seemed quite taken by the moss, while I explored further into the cavern. Taking a good look at the crystals embedded in the walls, I hummed in thought.

"Just, what are these? I've never seen anything like them before." Grabbing one in my magic, I was shocked when it quickly begun glowing the same eerie greenish blue as my magic. "Ribbon? Do you have any clue what this stuff is?" When she didn't reply, I turned to see her with a mouth full of the moss. "Ribbon?"

“I couldn’t help it.” She quickly spat it out and smiled at me and made a squee noise as she blushed from embarrassment. Urge. To glomp. Rising.

I chuckled at that, and decided to humor her. "Well, does it taste any good?"

“It’s, uh, Better than the mushrooms at the hive.”

"And it glows as well, kinda like this piece of crystal I picked up." I held the still glowing chunk of crystal in front of me for Ribbon to see. Ribbon took the crystal in her own magic and was surprised by the color change.

“It looks a little like Twilight’s crystals, but these are a good bit weaker than hers. Come on, let us see what this place has to offer.” She put the crystal on the ground and we went deeper into the cave, the occasional geode becoming more frequent veins, as we delved into the depths of the cave. When the cave eventually opened up into a massive chamber, we were awestruck at the hidden beauty. The glowing moss had grown all over the floor, the low parts of walls and even on the stalagmites, with mushrooms growing here and there. Above us, geodes speckled the ceiling and gave a starry look to it. And in the center of the chamber was a large body of water with steam rising off of its surface.

"Amazing... never in my life have I seen something like this."

“Yeah, I sure wish I could rebuild the hive here, if it wasn’t so close to the griffons, I would… Want to go for a swim?”

"Do you even need to ask?"

Glowstone cavern

The lake was actually quite nice and toasty, like a hot tub. "We need to come back here sometime, even if this is in griffon country."

“Maybe we can find a way to make a hot spring at Canterlot, there’s a waterfall there, we just need to find where it is underground.”

"It just wouldn't be the same. Look around you Ribbon, this place is peaceful, and serene. The glowing moss, those crystals, and then theres the ceiling, its like the night sky."

“That doesn’t mean I can’t try to recreate it. if we can, it might even bring in some money.”

"Yes, I like that idea. Where is everyone, anyway?" I let myself sink until only my head was above the water, a content look on my face.

“At the entrance. They’re respecting my privacy. I told them to join us, but they said ‘It would be improper my Queen.’ and it got a little hard to argue.”

“Really? I mean, who would turn down something like this?”

“Imagine if Princess Celestia was here, do you think anypony else would be?”

“Pinkie, nuff said.”

“Wendy, nuff said, and even she’s staying out.”

“...how the fuck was she with our group without me noticing?”

“You didn’t notice? How could you not? She kicked the dragon in the rear before we left.”

“Wow, I really need to pay more attention to what's going on around me.” Ribbon chuckled at that before she yawned. It was probably pretty late. She stood up and climbed out of the water.

“I’m gonna get some sleep.” Once she was out, she shook all the water off. I felt too lethargic to get out and follow her, and instead just laid there staring at the ceiling.

I awoke to the feeling of being underwater, and something pulling on my torso, dragging me. Opening my eyes, I realized, I had fallen asleep underwater. Not needing to breath really does have its benefits, doesn't it? Whatever was dragging me let go, as I turned around and stood up, being greeted by a frantic Ribbon.

“...” oh, right, I need to breath first. “What?”

“Stop scaring me like that! Were you asleep in the water?!”

“Apparently, yes.”

“Well, stop! I keep forgetting you do that and it freaks me out.”

“sorry…” Ribbon gave a heavy sigh, and fell over into the water. I hope she’s not turning into Rarity. “Uhhh… You okay?... Ribbon?” I quickly went over to her and pulled her head out of the water, when I pulled her up she blew water in my face.

I gave her an unamused look as she laughed.

“I think I have ousted Rainbow as the most extreme sleeper, also...” I poked her snout. “Boop!”

She chuckled for a moment. “Come on, lets get the others.”

“One sec.” I shook myself off, spraying water everywhere. I was still damp after, but at least I wasn’t dripping water everywhere. “Now I’m ready.” She glared at me, as she was now rather wet, having been standing right beside me. “Really? You didn’t see that coming? I’ve been soaking in there all night, of course I’m going to want to get at least somewhat dry!”

She shook the water off and we went up to see the others waiting for us. Rushdown, however, was giving us a look that could be best summed up as ‘what the absolute fuck’

-Why is he staring at us?-

’How should I know.’

“Ribbon, Chi, what the Tartarus happened down there?”

“I… uhhh… Kinda… fell asleep underwater.”

“Sometime Chi, you make less sense then Wendy.”

I gave him a shit eating grin.“I try.” He gave a ‘why do I even bother’ look, before resuming whatever he was doing earlier.

I turned to Ribbon. “So, whats the plan when we hit our first griffon city?”

“First. There’s a trade caravan with over thirty captive changelings, that’s first. Second, we’ll enter the city through the water drainage system. Once we’re in, we’ll hit two major houses at once. Rushdown and five others will enter the Caw household. Wendy, I want you and the others to enter the Nin house. Chi, you and I will be making a distraction at the barracks by setting fire to the store houses before rescuing the changelings at the whore house. Once we’re done, we leave the way we came in. If you’re found out, we’ll all leave and try again the next night”

“Think like Flint, got it. And how the hell did you think of this anyway?”

“Most tacticians work solo, being the best they can be. With a hivemind, I have over a thousand minds working on one problem with about two hundred moles leaking information, the captives are still connected to me after all.”

“...Brilliant, bloody brilliant! Ribbon, you magnificent mare!” Ribbon blushed at my compliment, even as I pulled her into a hug, a small ‘squee’ escaping her.

’Please, stop embarrassing me!’

-Never!-

’... I love you.’ I felt Ribbon hug me back.That’s only the second time I’ve heard her say that, and it made me feel warm inside.

-We've still got to free those changelings though, and I think we need to send a message that the changeling race has had it with what griffons have done to them.-

’Right.’ Ribbon made some crude drawing in the dirt that resembled trees and the Blob. “For the sake of the two non-changelings here. We’ll have three changelings here and here, blast the griffons in the rear on my go.” She points the part of the road closest to the ‘city’. “Rushdown. You, me, and Gary will be here, and I want six more changelings here, we’ll all attack the caravan at once.” She pointed to the sides of the road closest to the griffon blob. “Chi, you’ll turn into a griffon and play dead here, with two changelings for support.” She finished pointing at the end of the road. “Is that clear?”

“Fast, brutal, and efficient. I like it.” Rushdown gave a satisfied grin, while Gary barked in agreement.

“Understood my Queen!” Wow, they all spoke at once, that still catches me off guard when they do that.

This was going to be good.

I could hear them approaching. Taking the opportunity to still my breathing, I closed my eyes and waited… It was taking forever for them to come down the road… Finally! they stopped.

“Gena, go check it out.”

I heard wings coming closer. When she landed, she walked all around me before laying her head on my chest. I heard Gary smash into the other two griffons, and my eyes snapped open, before I immediately plunged my claws into the griffon's chest, surprisingly going quite deep, a look of surprise frozen on her face.

I took my claw out of the female griffons chest as she fell to the ground. Everything was quiet. I looked over to the caravan and noted that the griffons in front were the only ones dead, the others were K.O.ed by the changelings. Meaning we had three hostages and three dead. Letting my form revert to normal, I took a moment to arch my back and work out the stiffness from laying on the ground like that.

-Did anyling get hurt?-

’Nope, all good. Griffons didn’t even have time to yell ‘Ambush!’’.

-Good. So, we gonna try and get some intel from our 'guests'?-

’Do you want the first go?’

-I think you should try.-

’I’ll give it my best shot.’

We loaded up all the stuff we could use while the others stayed to clear away the evidence of anything even happening. Swords and leather armor, but food made up the most of what we got. Once the roads were cleared and the dead buried, we headed back to the caves with the griffons in tow.

I admit, I’m curious about how Ribbon will go about interrogating them.

I had positioned myself in the shadows so I could watch Ribbon without the griffon seeing me, and was now simply waiting for him to wake up. His arms were bound behind him, as was his wings.

“Wakey wakey, sleepy head.” Ribbon rocked the griffon back and forth, trying to wake him. He groaned as he awoke and immediately his eye shrunk to pinpricks. “Oh no no. Don’t be scared, you’re quite safe here, as are… most of your friends.” Said Ribbon as as she stroked the side of his face in a caring manner. Was she going to try and befriend him?

“What are you going to do to us, bug!? Going to prepare a grand feast!?”

“It can hardly be grand when nearly my entire hive is in slavery. And besides, you’re far more useful alive. Please, won’t you tell me about the bigger picture here.” Ribbon walked around him, trailing her tail under his chin, when she was behind him, she held him. “Please, tell me who ordered the attack on my hive when we were minding our own business in Equestria?” She said in a sensual voice. She wasn’t going to befriend him, she’s going to seduce him!

... Is it bad that I find this incredibly hot?

“I’ll tell you nothing, you rouch! You’ll get nothing from me or my comrades.”

Ribbon backed away a little at his insult, but didn’t stop touching him as she held his shoulder. “Oh, don’t be like that. Maybe we can trade, question for question? Answer for answer? If not, how about money? Everyone wants a little more coin.”

“I'll never tell you, parasite! Keep your money."

Must. Resist. Urge. To kill. Ribbon just giggled at his reply and seemed unfazed, as long as she isn’t upset by it. “I won’t deny what I am, and we’ve been called far worse. But, if we’re so bad, why not kill us off, why bother keeping us around, much less enslave us? All you needed to do is ask, there’s always one changeling in need of a meal.”

“...”

Ribbon laughed at his lack of a reply and let go of him. Circling around to face him as she talked. “Come now, no need to be shy. There was a reason I wanted to talk to you first. The elegant dress, the small stature, she’s a beautiful young scout, isn’t she?” What?

“How did you know!?” A look of disbelief appears on his face. Wait, the hivemind! But that means... Oh, he is dead when I get my hooves on him...

“Don’t be so surprised, she’s one of mine, and you did order her, didn’t you? I can hear everything they can… Tell me, why hold us against our will and force us to have sex with you if we already do so to survive, well some of us. We do have preferences and feelings.” Oh god, this is really starting to turn me on.

“...” He didn’t say anything, but looked at her curiously.

Ribbon saddled right up to him, her face mere inches from his. I can only hope she won’t take this too far. “What’ll it be ‘big wings’. That’s what you wanted her to call you, right? Big wings?
Will you answer my questions and enjoy your stay?” She moved in closer to whisper to him, his eyes wide. If I strained myself I could still hear her. “Or do we need to get… creative? I’ll get my answers which ever way you chose. Either way, I hope you have a nice pair of lungs.”

“...”

When she still didn’t get an answer from him, she pushed him over and straddled him, giggling as she did. “Come on Big wings, what do you say? You could still get... something out of this.” She gave him a half lidded stare, waiting for him to reply.

Goddamn Ribbon, are you trying to get me to jump you?!

“I'll talk, just stop! This is too Ziz-damned creepy!”

“I try my best!” Ribbon removed herself from him and pulled him up into a sitting position, and gave a truly innocent smile. “Now tell me, who told your higher ups where my hive was?”

“You’re creepy, and I don’t know but my employer might! I’m just a guard, I do my job and I don't ask questions! Find a griffon named Stel Singer, He might know!”

“Thank you, and please understand, I just want to protect my changelings. This might sting.” Without warning, Ribbon bit his shoulder. He slumped over soon after. “Hey Chi? does my flank look good from the shadows?”

*Meep!* "I-its not funny."

“No, but apparently it’s hot.” *growl* Ribbon held her stomach and blushed a heavy green.

I think we both knew what was happening next.

(clop) my turn

"S-somelings hungry..." Dammit, keep it together Chi, you can wait a few minutes before fucking her brains out.

“I did say we all have our preferences, I like spicy food.”

"Spicy...?"

Ribbon stepped right up to me and sniffed the air right in front of me. “Spicy...” Enough with the teasing!

"T-then what are you waiting for?!"

“I wanted to see how long it takes your lust addled mind to start screwing me before I even do anything.”

“J-just no more teasing… p-please…”

“Sure, just let me ask one thing.” She walked over to her bags by the lake. I heard a clicking sound and she stood up, with a leash in her hoof leading to a red collar. “Who’s the proud owner of a succubus wannabe?” Shes really doing this? Fucking. Hot. She walked back over to me and hoofed me the leash “Well, mistress. What would you have me do?” I looked at the tag that read ‘Property of Chitsuki’. An idea finally came to me.

“Lets see what else you brought, hmmmm?” I walked her back to the bags, only letting enough lease out so that she would be right up against me. Upon seeing the… ‘equipment’ Ribbon had brought, I smirked. “Oh you naughty girl…” Looking into her bags, I found two particular items. A blue rubber ball with straps on it and a pink box with a velcro strap and a wire going to a large pill, as well as a second, smaller box separate from the other, that had three sliders on it, ‘Strength’ ‘Length’ and ‘Pulse’. Levitating the two wonderful toys out of the bag, I gave Ribbon a playful smirk, before hanging the gag around her neck for now.

Ribbon glaces at the ball and looks at me holding up the pink box. “Should I use it on you? or are you going to use it on m-me?” The pill and its connected box hovering closer to her answered that question. She soon found it inside her, as I strapped the box portion of it to her leg. looking to the remote, I moved the sliders around so that it would give her a 5 or so second pulse at maximum strength every 30 or so seconds.

With a bit of focus, I soon had several tendrils of my mane snaking around Ribbons limbs, as I grinned. “You like it, don't you? The pleasure. The helplessness…”

“Yes mistress, I love AHNNNG!…*pant* Use me, beat me I can take it.” She quickly found herself forced into a sitting position, and the gag put into place, as I sat down beside her.

“Oh, I’m gonna watch you squirm…” I inverted the length and pulse settings, leaving Ribbon with little breathing room between the half minute bursts of pleasure. Her hind legs shifted around. A devious idea hit me, and Ribbon soon found that instead of the tendrils of miasma wrapping around her limbs, they flowed through the the holes in her hooves. Her eyes popped open wide and her ragged breathing hitched, followed by loud moans as her eyes rolled back and she fell over. Now she really was writhing on the floor, even during her short respite. Letting more miasma flow Ribbon was soon inside a cocoon of it, as I turned the vibrator off and waited.

After a minute, I heard Ribbon trying to talk. I obliged and removed it for a moment. “Mistress, what’s wrong?” If she had caught her breath, then it was time to wrap this up. She found the gag quickly put back into place, and the Vibrator turned up to maximum with no pulse or length, just always on, used my miasma to massage every hole in her hooves, horn, and the base of her wings. Her moans rose to a fever pitch as I felt her squirm inside the shell of miasma.

It wasn’t long until there was a splash of liquid, but the screaming moans stopped. Even with the vibrater on max. Curious, I unwrapped her from my miasma and found her passed out asleep. I turned off the vibrator and removed it, as well as the other equipment from her. Considering I was still horny as fuck, I might as well make myself ‘comfortable’ while I wait for Ribbon to wake up. Taking a good look at the collar, I wrapped it around my neck and heard it ‘click’ shut. Levitating the gag into place, I soon gave a pleased moan, before setting my sights on the vibrator. Strapping the box to my leg, I squirmed as I stuck the pill inside myself, and took the opportunity to levitate the remote into Ribbons hoof, before sitting down. The sensation of the vibrator inside me was weird… weird, but good.

As I got used to the feeling, I heard Ribbon waking up. She glanced around as she sat up and dropped the remote, her back turned to me. She noticed it and picked it up before hesitantly turning it on low. A low moan from me made Ribbon turn around with curiosity in her eyes. That curiosity quickly ignited into a fire as she glared at me. She turned off the vibrator and I whimpered at the lost feeling. “You’re going to have to earn that kind of finish from me.” I whimpered, excited at the prospect of what she was going to do to me.

She walked up to me and pulled on the collar, forcing me into a sitting position. “I think you went a little overboard.” I moaned and tilted my head in response, wondering why she was thinking that. Then she punched me in the stomach and forced me back to the ground. “Maybe some lessons are in order.” Well damn, this is gonna be fun, painful but fun. I moaned again, clearly aroused by Ribbon abusing me.

I weakly tried to pull away from her, but was quickly pulled back when she yanked on the leash again, and forced me to sit up. She took the gag off and slapped me, then she kissed my cheek. “Now, do you know what you did?”

“No?”

“No, you don’t. You screwed my brains out and I barely got to eat. Now that you know, repeat after me, ‘I won’t fuck you unconscious any more’.”

“I w-won’t fuck you unconscious any m-more.”

“Good girl, but I’m still hungry and you need some proper punishment.”

“But mistremph.” Before I could say anything, Ribbon shoved the gag back into my mouth.

“Even if I take the gag out, you don’t get to speak unless spoken too.” I softly moaned, weakly tugging at the leash. Only to be yanked back. “No pulling. Now lay down on your stomach.” I did as she commanded, moaning as I felt the still inactive vibrator shift around inside me. “Good girl, keep this up and I might let you be on top again.” I eyed her rather pleadingly, the combination of lust and my current predicament leaving me wanting to hump something. She saw my eyes and pouted right back at me, then chuckled at me.

Ribbon started rubbing one of my flanks, then slapped it hard causing me to yelp. I could feel myself getting more and more desperate, and whimpered, wanting relief. After two or three more hits, Ribbon must have felt that was enough, because then I felt the vibrator come to life. My moans quickly raised in volume, but the slight buzz did very little to appease the building urge for release. Again Ribbon spanked me, timing it with the bursts of activity from the vibrator. Again and again she spanked me and I knew I’d be sore after this. I moaned loudly with each strike, feeling pressure begin to build in my nethers.

I felt one of my hooves slowly making its way towards the source of said pressure, in a desperate attempt to relieve it. The hoof barely did anything before Ribbon pulled it away. “Tch tch tch. I won’t have any of that.” She removed the gag and moved the hoof to my muzzle. “If you’re so interested in it, then you can taste it.”

Giving it a hesitant lick, I got a flavor I couldn't pin down. Giving a more thorough taste, I soon found I liked the taste. “My, how eger. Maybe you’d like a better taste?” Ribbon used her magic to flip me over, her head between my legs. “Not before I get one.” She gave a long lick of my marehood and plunged her long tongue into me without warning. I gasped at the sudden pleasure and felt her tongue moving around the vibrater as she turned off the pulse and length, letting it buzz non-stop.

“Gah! M-more! It f-feels so good!” Ribbon made a lewd slurping sound as she pulled away from my nethers. She came up to me, eye to eye and glared at me. I shouldn’t have talked. She punched me again, and when I gasped at the pain, she shoved her tongue in my mouth and kissed me, making me taste myself again.

When she pulled away, she continued to glare at me “Speak out of turn again and I’ll make you regret your quick healing.” Ribbon quickly used her magic to put my forelegs tight against my chest and spat gel onto them before she put the gag back so I couldn’t speak.

Ribbon looked at the vibrators controls and grinned evilly. I felt the vibrator increase in strength, and moaned as I wiggled on the ground trying to something to either make it stop, or push me over the edge, until I eventually managed to push myself right up against Ribbon, with no way to back up. I felt her grab my flanks and plunge her tongue into my marehood again, her tongue wiggling around the vibrater, as I moaned loudly, using my hind legs to try and keep her from pulling away before I could come.

And then everything stopped, the buzzing of the vibrator and Ribbon’s movements stopped. Ribbon used her magic to move my hind legs and pulled away from me. Whimpering as I got so close and was denied. I looked down at her with the wire hanging from her mouth, like she was savoring a candy. She popped it out of her mouth and smiled. “Really now, I said I was hungry. What made you think I’d let you finish and have all that lust vanish into relief?” She removed the gag so I could reply.

“Please mistress, I’ll be good! Just let me come!”

Ribbon shoved the gag back into my mouth, roughly. “You dare ask me to let you finish? I let you be on top and I didn’t get to eat. Such behavior won’t be tolerated.” Ribbon turned the vibrator back on, still holding it in her magic. “If you don’t want to be tortured like this, then make sure our lovemaking sessions last longer.” I moaned and nodded my head, hoping I would soon get sweet relief.

Ribbon, using her magic, slowly pushed the buzzing pink pill back into my nethers. She pushed it in deep and slowly pulled it back out and rubbed it on my clit roughly before pushing it back in. My hind legs flailed weakly as I squealed into the gag, thrusting against the air in an attempted to speed things up. I’m so damned close, yet it wasn't enough! And with my forelegs stuck against my chest, it was impossible to find a way toss myself over the edge!

I gasped when Ribbon kissed my clit. “I think I’m full now.” Ribbon kicked the vibrator on full and snaked her tongue in and around the vibrater, moving it back and forth. I screamed into the gag as Ribbon worked, writhing on the mossy floor. Being so close for so long, I was quick to douse Ribbon’s tongue in my juices. I wrapped my hind legs around her head as I came, splattering her face, though she seemed not to care.

When I come down off my high, I released Ribbon’s head. When she pulled out, she took the now quiet vibrator with her and popped it out of her mouth and undid the box strapped to my leg. I fell asleep as she was undoing the collar.

Our name is legion.

I woke up feeling sore all over, no doubt from our activities. Getting onto my hooves, I begun thinking, not of what was about to happen, but the repercussions of it. The three griffons we had killed would most likely not be traced back to us, as Gary had mauled two of them, while I had stabbed one in the chest while in the form of a griffon. Then there was the fact that there was apparently somepony plotting against the changeling race, and just to top it of, a freaking demon on the loose.

Walking towards the lake, I watched the light from the moss refract in it, the water seeming to light up, send the occasional refracted ray of light up tuio the ceiling, where it seemed to make whatever geode it hit glow brighter for a moment, like a twinkling star.

All those times I had done a 180 and became a bloodthirsty monster, were in the defence of Ribbon. One of the few ponies who I truly relax around. Ever since I defeated Discord, I had become more aggressive. Against Sombra, I was reduced to a vicious beast, driven by nothing but bloodlust and instinct. Both times, I had been willing to destroy anything in my way to protect Ribbon. It worries me. What if I don't calm down? What if I continued to rampage? I would become something worse than Nightmare Moon. And the worst part? I would keep. Coming. Back. Time would have no meaning, and if I was patient enough, I could reverse engineer anything I knew of. Even Nuclear weapons. The potential fallout if became evil was staggering. I was long past being a monster, and merely steps from becoming a complete monster. The information I possessed could bring about the end of the world as we know it.

"Just... what have I become?"

I've been walking a fine line this whole time, and I've only now realized how easily I could slip and fall.

A slight groan from back in the cave brought me back to the present. Turning to look back in, I found Ribbon tossing and turning as she slept, a pained look on her face. Walking over, I layed down beside her. Ribbon... you've always been there for me, ever since we first met. You've kept me sane, even after Celestia's revelation of my immortality nearly broke me.

I was soon snuggling against Ribbons side, yet something kept nagging at me. It had had violent moments as a human, but none anywhere near the caliber of my fights with Discord or Sombra. Had becoming what I am now changed me somehow?

Enough dwelling. Theres still changelings to rescue, and I don't want to be distracted when it comes time to bust them out.

The sensation of someone rubbing my back woke me from my slumber. The first thing I noticed was how wet my cheeks felt. Had I been... crying? "Ribbon? Is that you?” My brain was still nine tenths asleep, And I couldn't even find the energy to open my eyes.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

"Its all finally hit me, just what I could become if I truly became lost to the dark side... And it scares me."

I heard Ribbon sigh. “What do you mean?”

"Just think Ribbon, I just won't stay dead, and I know things, things that if I had the time to reverse engineer from what I know of them, could bring about the end of the world as we know it... or worse, what if I went crazy and didn't calm down? It scares me, Ribbon, just how easily I could become a complete monster."

“But, I thought the only reason you’re alive is because of me. If I died so would you. And I know everything that you do, well most of it, and I have to say, there are a lot of things, resources, that just aren't here.”

"Ribbon, you're the only thing keeping me from giving up hope. I can tell that nearly everypony is still secretly terrified of me, and it hurts. To be feared for actions not my own..."

“But their getting better. What about Twilight, She’s all over Ponyville and so they’re getting used to the new look, and you don’t really look like Nightmare Moon anymore. Your mane turned black, your eyes turned red, it wouldn’t surprise me if your coat turns green. And my changelings, they don’t fear you.”

"I... I just can't bare being compared to her, I've tried dammit, and yet almost everypony loathes and fears me. Knowing you and your people accept me helps, but it doesn't change what ponies think of me."

“You’re only looking at the negatives, plus Twilight and me are in the same boat as you, and either of us care two bits worth what others think. They say Twilights been ‘infected’ and that I’m Chrysalis’ daughter, we both know that’s not true. Twilight did that to herself and I used to be a scout.”

"Its true... it may not be much, but we both have the ponies in the Crystal empire accepting us. We did save them from Sombra after all."

“That’s right, And you might be mad at them but, the princesses have been supportive too, that includes Cadence. She made sure the crystal ponies got the story straight and that any rumors were silenced.”

"Yeah, but who knows how many nasty rumors Blueblood has spouted, he more than likely has it out for me after I scared him shitless... even though the wanker deserved it."

“Ohhh, he deserved it. But most of those rumors will never leave Canterlot. I mean, outside his little bubble of ponies, nopony even knows who he is.”

"True... There is still so much to learn about this world, isn't there? Keeps me focused on things other than myself." I sighed. "I love you, and I don't know what I would do without you."

“I love you too, I’ll always be here.” I finally got up, and pulled Ribbon into a tight hug. “You need a bath.”

Taking a good whiff if myself, I noticed, that yes, I did smell of our 'activities' and Ribbon smelt of it as well. "You need one as well."

After a nice long bath, with me and Ribbon washing each other off, we waited a few minutes for everyone else to get up and prepare themselves. As they were preparing, I tried to think up a plan B in case things went south, but kept coming up blank, meaning things could get real ugly if this didn't go as planned. “you ready Ribbon?”

“Sure, slight change of plans though. After you and me set fire to the store houses in the barracks, we’re going after Stel Singer.”

“Roger that. Lets do this. Get in quick, create the diversion, get that griffon, and bust out our fellow changelings.” Closing my eyes, I took the time to focus, bringing the design from the book Twilight had shown me to the forefront of my mind, and using my miasma to turn it into a physical mass, protecting me. Seeing this armor made physical for the first time, I noticed how it felt… natural, more so then what I had used before. “What do you think RIbbon?”

Ribbon looked in awe of my new armor and inspected it carefully. “Impressive, but how did you come up with the design?”

-Twilight told me there used to be a cult worshipping Nightmare Moon, and some of the members had secretly worked on armor they deemed worthy of her… Twilight apparently had the diary of one of those members, and it had complete blueprints for that armor. Thus what you see before you. Its actually quite comfortable to boot.-

Ribbon went over every piece, inspecting it from the links holding it together to the gaps filled with chainmail. “Was it difficult to make? I’ll bet it took awhile.”

“Yeah, It takes quite a bit more time and focus to form then the minimal amount of armor I had before.”

“You said Twilight had this? It’s very intricate, the prints mustn’t have been too hard to read.”

“Reading and remembering the prints was easy, envisioning them in three dimensions? Thats a whole nother ballgame.”

“I’d like to see the diary that had this in it. No doubt the Princess hide it for a reason. I wonder though, she use any of the prints to influence her current guards armor?”

“That would actually be deliciously ironic. The Royal guard, using Nightmare Moon’s armor designs. But we’re getting distracted, we have to rescue the changelings, remember?”

“Right, yes.” Ribbon turned to the others. “Are we ready?!” Again they all answered ‘Yes my Queen’. It was still creepy as hell.

As we made our way out of the cavern, I tried to clear my mind and focus on the task ahead of us, instead of dwelling on things that would just wind up putting others at risk due to my indecisiveness.

Once we were at the city it was getting dark. It took a few minutes to find an entrance to the drainage system, and after getting past the grate, we made our way into the griffon city, where we split up to head for our objectives. Leaving Ribbon and me, alone. “You have the spies everywhere, I’m flying blind here, so you lead.” Finishing my sentence, I let my miasma flow over her so we could enter our shade form.

Ribbon seemed lost as she looked about, for a second. I felt her smile through the miasma and she took off, carefully running around the few griffons that were out and about. It did not take her long to get to the barracks. “Ok, here’s where my knowledge ends for now.”

-So they aren't complete idiots then.-

Entering the barracks wasn’t much of a problem, the guards couldn't even see us. The only way I could think of this going wrong was if we walked into a griffon rounding a corner… ah crap, please tell me I didn’t just jinx it. I didn’t say it loud, so maybe it won’t count? ’Is something wrong?’

-Nothing, I’d rather not jinx this.- We soon made it to the living quarters of the barracks, where we were shocked to discover several changeling chained up, none of them were part of ribbons hive, which explained why she had no intel on this place. and judging by how beat up they looked, they had been used for ‘stress relief’ quite a bit.

-Fuck causing a fire, lets bust these poor saps out!-

’Agreed, and more brownie points with this hive.’ Ribbon softly touched one changeling on the head and woke her up. Her panic was quickly shushed and Ribbon pointed to the sleeping guards. Ribbon leaned in to whisper. “You must leave quickly, you might not get another chance.” with that, Ribbon pulled the greenish ring off all of their horns and broke the chains.

She whispered “Thank out.” back to us and ran, with the others following her.

-We still need to find Stel Singer, and then we can hit the whorhouse and free everyling there.-

’Don’t worry about Stel Singer, he won’t be a problem.’

-Why, did one of our other groups find him already?-

’He just past the whore house, I think he’s going towards Wendy’s group.’

-I pity the fool… so how badly do you think Wendys gonna mess him up?-

’Not sure, though ‘maimed’ seems like a good guess. We should hurry, the others will be needing the distraction soon.’

-Right. So how are we going to start the fire anyways?-

’All changelings are fire adepts, I just wasn’t strong enough magically to really cast anything before.’

-Ah, well, thats not really a problem anymore, now is it?-

’Hasn’t been yet.’ After a while of searching several buildings, we found the store houses. Most of them were filled with either rations or gun powder. With guards at the front, we went through a window into the building that held the powder. Ribbon picked up one keg and poured out a neat line, making sure to end the makeshift fuse at the largest group of kegs.

-Light this joint and run like hell?-

’That’s the idea.’ Ribbon lowered our head to the end of the fuse and a small… blue flame jumped from our horn? Ribbon seemed confused too, but it was short lived as she bolted back out the window, flying high into the night sky where we could see the explosion easily.

I really should figure out if I should use first, second, or third person when in this form.

-Distraction created, now for the actual rescue.-

It wasn’t that difficult to find the whorehouse, considering Ribbon basically had the whole city mapped out in her head, it did take us a while to get there, but once we did, it soon dawned on us just how much of a challenge it would be to get that many changelings out undetected, even with a distraction.

-Ribbon? with that many changelings, we might need a bigger distraction… one that demands constant attention.-

’You don’t think a fire and an explosion was good enough?’

-For a few dozen maybe, but a few hundred?-

’Right. If there was a bigger, more demanding threat the griffons wouldn’t notice us.’

-Perhaps a ‘dragon’ attack is in order? I can shapeshift too, remember?-

’Can... Can I at least get inside first?’

-Yes, once I separate from you, run for it.- Giving Ribbon a few moments to prepare herself, I peeled my form free of her, and begun taking on much larger form, as she bolted inside. I soon reached the required size, and my form begun solidifying, scales of a midnight blue forming around me, and a long whiplike tail emerged from the cloud of miasma. followed by my arms and legs, talons gleaming in moonlight. My head and wings emerged from the cloud last, as a cloud of what appeared to be more miasma spewed from my mouth, causing black ice to form on the ground. The drain was there, but not as intense as when I had turned into a Tyrannosaurus. perhaps because this form was native to this world?

The sound of me roaring more than likely caught the attention of everything within a few miles, meaning I would have just about every damn griffon here after me, giving Ribbon the perfect opportunity to get everyling out undetected.

I exhaled plumes of freezing darkness, causing black ice to form over several buildings, before roaring a challenge to the griffons that had amassed just out of range. I could feel their fear, and I let it strengthen me as I swatted several griffons that tried to get close out of the air, before freezing them solid.

Bellowing another roar, I gave a swift flap of my wings, blowing a large group of griffons back, and into a wall. Spewing clouds of frigid shadows everywhere, the area soon begun to look like a localized ice age had occurred.

-Ribbon! How much longer do I need to keep these birds attention for?- I did a quick 360, knocking the griffons that had begun collecting around me away.

’Just a little longer, I’m getting the last of them out now.’

A giant bolt flew over my head, and when I turned towards its point of origin, I noticed they had set up a ballistia at some point, meaning I had to haul ass, because I did not want to find out if I was protected against that. Taking to the sky, I was forced to keep dodging bolts, especially when I noticed they were aiming for my wings.

-Anytime would be good now! They brought out the big guns!-

’You froze over the waterways, we have to go a different way. Go ahead and start making your way out.’

I spewed out a massive cloud of darkness, before reverting to my normal from, and quickly teleporting to the ground, where I tried to pinpoint Ribbons location. Upon finding it, I teleported again, and arrived in front of Ribbon, inside a giant tunnel, with what looked like hundreds of changelings staring at me. I made what could only be described as the sound of a choking rubber duck and put Ribbon between me and the massive group... And then hid in Ribbons shadow.

Ribbon kept running and met up with Rushdown’s group. When we made it to the exit, we were all the way back at the to valley. It seemed there was a tunnel that lead to the city we could’ve used. We went back to the Glowstone Caves where we saw Wendy was already there, looking rather... gleefull. She really must have let loose on Stel.

When most of the changelings had entered the cavern, I finally emerged from Ribbons shadow and startled quite a few of them. Ribbon immediately went to address the yellow changelings we rescued. They seemed understandably nervous. “Fellow changelings, are any of you close enough to speak with your Queen?” It took them a moment, by they all noded their heads. “Good, if you can inform you Queen that, now that I have a good amount back, I will be leaving her territory, I would like to avoid fighting. If you would also inform her that my changelings will be raiding the rest of the griffon cities, so if she wants to rescue any of her lost subjects, now’s her best chance. And if she wishes to speak with me, I will be rebuilding my hive, hopefully, in Equestria’s capital. In the mean time, you’re safe with us.” Having finished her speech with them, Ribbon turned to me. “With over four hundred changelings here, you and I can go back to Ponyville now. I can stay out of harms way, and manage everything over the hivemind. And I have something special for you.”

Considering how she tended to use ‘special’... “I like the sound of that. Lets get there quickly, no?”

It was an uneventful flight, but Ponyville was now in sight, and I was greatly anticipating the surprise Ribbon had mentioned. “Ponyville, the weirdness capital of equestria, am I right Ribbon?”

“Sure is. I blame Twilight. It used to be a calm little place, then Twilight moved in and the whole place got a lot livelier.”

“And then, I came here and the whole place went to hell.”

”Tartarus.”

“Goddamit. Hell, Hades, Tartarus, Chicago, its all the same thing!” I took a moment to compose myself. “So about that ‘surprise.”

“Ah ah ah, no spoilers. I need to get it ready anyways.”

“Hey, is that Pinkie?” It had to be, considering I don't know anypony else who would be that shade of pink, and up in the middle of the night, conveniently under our flight path, waving at us. I swear, she knows these things before they happen, and breaks physics when it pleases her. Kinda like Deadpool, but kid friendly. “Go ahead and get your surprise ready, I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

Flying down to greet pinkie, I noticed how she had a very knowing grin. “Hya Chi! Did ya… *hic* did ya like your surprise?”

“Pinkie, Are you drunk?” And how did she know about what me and Ribbon did!?”

“Applejack can’t even handle me right *hic*... now!”

“How much did you drink?”

“Not enough! Never enough! I won't stop until I taste the rainbow!... Can I join you?”

I felt my cheeks flush at that. She wasn't talking about Skittles. "Pinkie, you're drunk, go home."

"I'm not drunk, just watch! I can count to potato! Uhhhh... Pineapple?"

"Pinkie, I can smell the alcohol on your breath from here..."

“But I got all the thingys for you!"

Wait, what! She got Ribbons presents!? Gotta distract her! "I heard Rainbow gets really 'testy' when inebriated..."

"Really!? Kay thanks bye!" She bolted, obviously Rainbow was going to be in for a surprise.

-Ready yet?-

’I’m waiting on a fluffy new cloud bed for you. And that’s not the surprise, just a bonus.’

for we are many

After a wonderful night, We got up proper, I noticed how Ribbon seemed exceptionally happy and loving. Despite being sore. Once she felt she could walk, she made me lunch, she’s said ‘I love you’ three times today, and now she’s just been laying next to me as I read the books I got from Twilight.

With as happy as she is, maybe now’s a good time to ask about that dragon again, won’t affect her as badly. "So, Ribbon. You did seem awfully hesitant when I mentioned turning into a dragon to provide a distraction. I know you mentioned having a bad experience with one, but now I'm worried just how bad. You nearly broke down crying when you tried to tell me."

Ribbon stiffened up when I mentioned it, but tried to shrug it off. “It’s such a nice day today, why should we ruin it with a sob story?”

"Ribbon, you can't just keep brushing this off, I'm worried for you."

Ribbon groaned in frustration “Yeah, I know. I just… Don’t like thinking about him. What have I told you so far?”

"You got up to the point where he punched a hole in the wall and made an alcove, and he breathed fire on you and burned your wings.”

“Ok, well. Before I tell you anything else. I want to say he was big, really big. The dragon that was at the Diamond dogs den was much smaller than this guy. More like the dragon you turned into. That being said, this could have been a lot worse as he wasn’t able to do a lot with me, so when he let me out a second time he said he wanted me to… ‘entertain’ him. I said no and he flicked me with his claw, and with how big he was it was all he needed to do, to send me flying. He even threatened to pour iron on my stomach before throwing me back into the alcove. Have I said enough now?”

I could feel my teeth grinding against each other as I tried to remain calm. "Ribbon, now I need to know. I have to know just how badly this has affected you." Ribbon hesitated, but she continued.

“When he let me out, again, I said no. And he smiled at me. He grabbed me and took me into a room in the cave that had a small pool of water and a divot ground. he told me he would get use out of me one way or another and held me down with one claw in the divot. Then… what happened next…” Ribbon was starting to get worked up, I wrapped my wing around her to calm her so she could continue. “He… h-he started m-masturbating in front of me. At first I was in awe of his size, then shock from what he was doing, I failed to realize what he had planned until it was too late. I begged for him not to do it but he didn’t listen a-and he... c-covered me in his… s-stuff, f-from horn to hoof... That’s what the water was for, so I could bathe afterwards. How about now?”

I took a deep breath, trying to not lose my cool in light of this information. “Ribbon...”

“Alright… So, again, when he let me out of my alcove I told him no. This time he followed through with his threat from before. He grabbed me and a bit from his pile, he put the coin in his mouth and took me into the room again. He put me on my back and opened his mouth so I could see the melted gold. As soon as I saw it, I was afraid he’d do it and I begged him not to, told him I’d do it this time. Again, he didn’t listen.” Ribbon held a hoof up to her chest with a pained expression. “He dropped it right onto my chest. If it wasn’t for my chitin, the gold probably would’ve burned right through to my organs, but instead it stayed there and he held me down as I screamed. He held me to the ground until the gold cooled off and then flipped me over into the water, cooling it off even more and guaranteeing that would stay there.”

Just... even for a dragon, thats messed up! I was damn well ready to personally hunt the bastard down!

I look down at her, tears had started to ran down Ribbon’s checks as she started crying while she she told me her story. “The next time he opened my alcove, I just did it, and I didn’t question him when told to do it in his claws or on his tongue…” I couldn’t stand to see Ribbon like this, it broke my heart to see it. “I only said no one other time, when he told me told me to… to go in the d-divot again.” Ribbon gave in and I held her as she cried the pain away, but continued. “He got another piece of gold and burned me with it! I just did whatever he wanted after that, the humiliation was better than the pain! He had me as his plaything for so long I started enjoying it!”

It hit me like a meteor. Oh my god. That explains why she liked being treated like that during our sessions. I literally wanted to puke, because it felt like I had been taking advantage of her. “Chi?”

"Yes...?" She hates me now, doesn't she? I'm a monster...

“... I still love you, so please, don’t feel bad about yesterday.” thats just the afterglow talking...

"Ribbon, why didn’t you tell me this sooner? I feel so... disgusted with myself, that I was basically doing that to you, without knowing that there was such a horrid event explaining why you wanted me to."

“... Do you hate me… for using you like that?”

"No, I could never hate you. It was my fault for not asking sooner. Sometimes, the deepest of wounds aren't physical. To think that you suffered like that... I don't care if I didn't exist here at the time, I wish I could have done something about it! Anything!" Ribbon hugged me, her crying having slowed down.

“I should... probably get rid of the straitjacket and the collar, huh?”

"Keep them... I just won't use them on you anymore..."

“You know, you’re the only one that managed to turn me on by humiliating me, I found that out when you kept embarrassing me in front of Princess Celestia. That’s something the dragon never managed to do.”

"Really? So you honestly, genuinely, wanted me to do that to you, and not because of your past experiences?" I hoped against hope that I was right, and she had me treat her like that of her own violation, and not an urge forced onto her.

“Maybe, yeah. I hated that dragon, but I love you.”

"You... you don't know how much that means to me." So, I wasn't forcing her to relive it every time she had me act like that towards her?

“Of course, and we have our safety word, if I really wanted to stop I’d of said it.”

"...I love you, Ribbon."

“I love you too, Chi… And I love the straitjacket, will wearing it make you feel better?”

"Yeah, its nice and tight, makes me feel nice and safe." I forced my size to shrînk to match Ribbons, so that it would fit.

“We’re both a pair of masochists aren’t we.” She got up, and headed for the bedroom.

"More then likely." Getting up myself, I followed her, already feeling slightly happier. "I look really huggable in it, don't I?"

“You sure do.” She pushed the bedroom door open, and soon had the straightjacket ready.

"You want to wrap me up?" Ribbon just smiled. The jacket flew over to me and carefully wrapped around me. She took her time to make sure I was comfortable, before finally tying the back up, and then begun tightening each buckle individually, before giving them all a final pull to get every last bit of space out. The jacket was so tight it forced the air out of my lungs, and left me unable to even flex a muscle, before she picked me up in her magic and set me down on the bed.

-Perfect... Its so tight and comforting...- My mute moan left Ribbon giggling.

“Awww, you can’t even talk now, without our link."

-Just how I like it, and you managed to make it even tighter!- Ribbon climbed into the bed next to me and held me, causing me to blush. -Am I really that adorable like this?-

“You’d look even more adorable with a helpless expression on your face, but I’m ok with this.”

-Maybe you should get a second one then? Along with that blindfold you mentioned wanting?-

“I’ll have Pinkie get it, she’s good at getting weird things.”

-I know... she was drunk, and wanted to join us.-

“Oh my, she must of been truly wasted, and I’ve seen her drink Applejack under the table.”

-Wow, and she outright said she got your, and I quote 'thingys'.-

“Did she try count the alphabet? that’s what she did last time she was drunk.”

-more like, 'I can count to potato! Uhhh... Pineapple?' She was frigging plastered!... Ribbon?- I tried to crane my neck to see her face buried in my mane, fast asleep. Wow, she was still pooped from yesterday, wasn't she? I scooted closer to her, letting her bury herself in my mane. I could let myself out, but where'd be the fun in that? Especially after Ribon went through the trouble to wrap me up extra, extra tight? I was staying like this for a while. I just realized, I've been going and going the last few days, and it hasn't been enough. Am I going into heat again, without even realizing it?

The sound of Ribbon sneezing woke me. "Morning sleepyhead." Well, Ribbon had gone back to being all lovey dovey

-Morning.- I wiggled around until I was face to face with her.

"So, want out now?"

-Nope! I love this, and I'm gonna enjoy it!-

"Are... are you sure?"

-I'll still have magic, I can let myself out if I get desperate enough.-

"If you're certain, I won't stop you... I might watch though."

-Goodie!- I managed to get my head over her shoulder, in an armless hug.

"But how do I know you won't cheat with magic?" I noticed her levitating the suppression ring, and made a silent moan as she slipped it over my horn. "There we go, now you can't cheat! Scootaloo will have left by now, so why don't you make yourself breakfast?"

-Mmmmm, breakfast...- Now, unlike when Ribbon was wrapped up, I wasn't 'distracted' by 'other things', and could think clearly about how to get around without the aid of magic, or forelegs. Pushing myself to the edge of the bed, I turned myself around, and slid down onto my hind legs, before letting the rest of me slide down. Turning myself around again, I made my way to the door. Pushing myself against it, I got myself up to the doorknob, and held it in my mouth, before turning it, and leaning back.

I got the door open, and then fell on my rump. -I'm okay!- Getting back onto my belly, I pushed myself through the doorway, and made my way to my next challenge... Stairs.

I made my way to the top of the staircase, and after turning around, backed myself down a few, before turning over, and grinning madly. I then slid down the rest of the stairs on my back. -Weeee!- after coming to a rest at the bottom of the stairway, I turned myself around, and scooted towards the kitchen. By now, I had begun to mutley hum to myself, feeling much happier, and enjoying every minute of being so tightly confined and helpless.

I think I’m starting to understand why Ribbon was so happy. Except unlike Ribbon, I now have Scoots staring at me. She immediately started to panic. -Uhh... Ribbon? Scootaloos still here...- I could feel my face light up in embarrassment.

Ribbon came down stairs right as Scoots unleashed a flurry of words. “OHMYGOSHCHIWHATHAPPENEDWHODIDTHISAREYOUOKDOYOUNEEDHELPHOWDOIGET-”

“SCOOTS!”

“Huh?”

“She’s fine.”

“What do mean ‘she’s fine’? she’s stuck.”

“She asked for it.”

“Why would she ask to be stuck?”

“She, um… Enjoys it?” I nodded in agreement, not really able to add much more of an opinion then that due to my current lack of breathing.

“I don’t... think I understand.”

“Ok. You... You know that weird feeling of helplessness? Well, she likes that feeling.”

“She… likes that? Really?” She looked at me for that last part, sadly I was unable to answer.

“She can’t talk right now.”

“How come?”

“How am I going to explain this?... Uh, you know I don’t eat normal food? well, she doesn’t need to breath, and she wanted it really tight.”

-So... I got caught. Does that mean I need to be 'disciplined'?- I giggled silently, feeling very happy by now.

Ribbon’s face grew a shade of green as she blushed. ’Yes, later.’ “Shouldn't you be in school right now anyway? Or is it friday already, I sort of... lost track of days.” Well, you were basically left in a 'bind' for a whole day.

"Its a Saturday. Speaking of which, I've got some crusading to do, so you two go back to whatever weird stuff you were doing." Scootaloo promptly headed for the door, and left.

"Now I believe you mentioned something about needing to be disciplined?" I gulped.

-I'm a bad pony, and must be punished!-

“You sick masochrist. You like being punished, don’t you?”

-Not so much the punishment, as the feeling of helplessness, of having no control.-

“Well then, why don’t you just hang here for a bit while I go see Pinkie.” Ribbon pick me up in her magic and floated me upside down, up to the ceiling, where she spat a glob of gel at my hind legs so I was just hanging there, and then pushed me a few times like a cat pawing at a ball of yarn while giggling at me.

-Ohhh, what are you getting from her this time?-

“Blindfolds and a another straitjacket.”

-Go ahead, take your time, I'll just be hanging around.- I mutely giggled at my pun, and decided to just rock back and forth.

After an... interesting next few days, I finally was no longer in heat, and could think normally. I was still a tad bit upset about not finding out about Ribbon's experience with the dragon sooner.

"We're back!" Speak of the devil. Ribbon walked in the door, Mirage happily riding on her back.

"And you brought Mirage! Does that mean shes coming to Canterlot with us?"

“Yeah, I’m thinking she’ll be safer there.”

“Canterlot!”

"Okay, I say it once in front of her, and she perfectly pronounces it. Shes gotten bigger, too. What gives?"

“She’ll be fully mature once she’s 3 years old. Changelings grow up quickly and learn just as fast.” Really? Thats goddamn fast. Now I'm curious.

"How old does that make you?"

“Umm… 20 years old, why?”

"Wow, if my math is right, then scaled up to the average time it takes humans to mature, you'd be effectively 120 years old. You aged well."

“Oh, please. 120 years. I age faster than rotten milk to you? Huh? We “Mature” quickly, I’m still 20.”

"Now I just feel stupid for asking."

“Granted, once she’s 3 years old she’ll have the body of a 14 year old and the mind of one. And before you ask, I said ‘Mature’ not ‘legal’. after that she’s age normally. Then again, I have no idea if being a Proto-Queen will affect anything.”

"I... I have no idea how to respond to that."

“Well just, relax. Besides, The hivemind teaches her everything she'd ever need to know as she needs it, so the sex talk won’t be needed.”

“What’s that?” Oh god. Abort conversation!

“You’ll know when you’re older!” Yeah, this is awkward.

“Awww.” No! Don't you try the sad face on me!

"Seriously, I'm not telling you about that until you're older. Now please stop trying to guilt me into telling you... or do I have to hug you?" I gave our little nymph a mischievous grin. The eyes got worse. "Hugs it is!" I scooped Mirage up and held her close to my chest, giggling.

“Mirage, don’t drain her, only light feeding.”

“I know!”

"Light fee-... Am I really that easy to manipulate?"

“By a nymph? yes. By me? yes. By anypony else? not that I’ve seen.”

"Then again, I can think like Pinkie..."

“I doubt that.”

"What if I told you, that this was all some fiction on the internet?"

“I’d say you have an unfair advantage, Pinkie doesn’t know about the internet.”

"I need scissors! 61!" Haha, the look on Ribbons face! Her eye started twitching at that, before she realized something.

“Pack! We need to pack!”

"...Pack what?"

“My tools, I want my blacksmithing tools and my unfinished projects.”

"Oh. What kind of projects?"

“All kinds. Unfinished potions plus my equipment that I hid in the walls. Gun pieces, ammunition, armor parts, and equipment. Lastly my enchantment projects, tests pieces, crystals, not to mention the box of them I got from Twilight. There’s a lot of things I need to get before we leave.” Damn! We had a freaking lab right here the whole time!?

"Wow. That is a lot. You need some help with that?"

“Of course, any help would be appreciated. I want my work to be protected, weather the princesses know it or not, I’m moving my more major projects to the outpost there.”

"Sure, I'll help with that. Where do you keep this stuff?"

“In the basement behind a wall.”

"...And you only told me this now?"

“It’s well hidden, the only way to find it would be to break down the wall and I’ve never needed anything that’s in there. Never the less I still want it.”

"What do we do about our resident basement dweller then?"

“Take the ring off, have her turn into a unicorn and put the ring back on, then she’ll be stuck that way, and take her to Canterlot. It’s time we put her to use.” Goddamit brain, not like that.

"Well then, I guess we can unseal the basement." I headed over to, and then down, the stairwell, looking at the door that was sealed shut by Ribbons gel on the other side. Ribbon cast the spell and soon the wood started to groan, when it stopped, I gave the door a test jiggle, it seemed loose. Pushing the door open, I saw Twilight sitting there and chatting with Chrysalis.

"So, you're saying, anypony with good enough magical control can do that, not just changelings? I've never seen it mentioned in any books, even in the royal archives! To think its that easy to subvert sompony free will! What kind of monster would come up with a spell like that!?"

“I have no idea who made such a spell or why. But, such magic is banned in Equestria.”

“But then... what happened to Chitsuki when we were in the Crystal empire? Its not like Tattered Ribbon would do that to her... is it?"

“I thought I explained it before.” Both of them turned towards us, surprised. “A queen can take control of lower hive members if they’re in danger, the connection I have with Chitsuki requires I have permission for it to work.”

"Wait. You have a hivemind link. With a pony?" Chrysalis seemed rather annoyed at the concept. "How did she not turn into a vegetable from exposure to the rest of the hivemind?"

“It’s… not a hivemind. It’s a separate link she created with me, not the other way around.”

Chrysalis shifted her gaze to me. "Hey, all I know was I poked some transparent weblike thing in her dream. Then bang, we're hearing each others thoughts... and no Twilight, entering dreams is more than likely, only something Luna could do, the only reason I can do it is due to… Yeah” I finished, gesturing to myself. Twilight got what I was implying.

"Ohhh... because of her."

"Who?" No. I don't want to talk about it. I gave Chrysalis a sad look and shook my head.

"Twilight, you're going to need to leave. We need to talk to Chrysalis alone about some things."

"Oh. Okay." She got up and soon walked out, not questioning it, more then likely because she had somewhere else to be.

"So, Chrysalis, heres the deal. I'm going to take the suppression ring off, you going to turn into a generic unicorn, and I'm going to put the suppression ring back on you. Then, we're going to take you to Canterlot, and if you try anything... well, I've always wondered what would happen if I pulled someone into a shadow with me. Would they, disappear?" Ribbon gave me a rather curious look. -What? It's something I've been wondering about.-

Chrysalis scooted away, scared. "I-I'll be good! J-just don't send me there! Anywhere but there!" She was obviously scared of the prospect of being dragged off to where she more then likely believed I came from.

The sound of grinding stone caught my attention. I looked over to see the wall cracked open, one rock in the wall was coated in Ribbon’s magic. On the other side of the stone was a metal door, disguised by the stone. “Can we get my stuff now?”

“Sure, give me a tour of your lab while we’re at it.”

Ribbon moved the stove door with no problem, but when she tried the metal door, it wouldn’t move. “It’s rusted shut.” She tried again, but with more force and the door groaned, more force was added and she ripped from it’s hinges.

"What the heck happened to quality control these days?"

“I haven’t been down here in a long time.” Ribbon walked in first with me behind her, Chrysalis was just poking her head through the doorway.

"Don't even think about it." I gave Chrysalis a sharp glare and caused her to back out of the room and wait in a corner.

Looking around the room, I was amazed by all the test tubes with something either dried up or dead, and the cauldron in one half of the room. Was Ribbon taking classes with Zecora? On the other half, what looked like armor pieces, several weapons, one of them I recognized as the mini crossbow she used at the wedding, she must of made a new one and forgot about it. “I doubt I need to give an actual tour, it’s just the one room. But if you still want one, potions on the left, workshop on the right.”

"Is that a... Is this legit? A freaking skull?" Yeah, I noticed a ponys skull on one of the tables, a unicorns to be precise.

“That’s… I’m not proud of that. I think I was 11 when I did that. It was after I escaped the dragon and I hadn’t returned to the hive yet.”

"Sounds like there's a story behind that."

“He broke in where I was staying and… like I said, this was soon after I escaped the dragon so I was pretty distrusting. Anyway, He rushed me and I blacked out. I woke up with him dead… I never found the rest of him either. My place was covered in as much blood as I was, and I could taste it… It took a while to clean.”

I actually felt my stomach try to abandon ship. Did she... she went batshit insane and I think she ate the guy. “Luckily, that was the only time something like that happened, and it was before I returned to the hive and long before I came here to Ponyville… You feeling alright? you look sick.”

"I think... I think I figured out what you did to the poor sap..."

“What do you mean? how can you know, I don’t even know.”

"You said you could taste the dudes blood, you were coated in it, as well as the rest of the place... where there... bite marks on the head?"

“Not that I remember, it was a long time ago. Why?”

"I think you gave into more... primal, instincts." Poor bastard never stood a chance. At least Ribbon can definitely defend herself if I'm ever unable to.

"Baka-Chryssy!" Wait. MIRAGE!? I turned around and headed back out into the basement to see Mirage pointing at Chrysalis. "Baka!"

-Ribbon? You hearing this?-

’How can I not, Mirage’s calling Chrysalis an idiot.’ Chrysalis gave me a very confused stare.

"Please explain how she looks likes you, I know for a fact that there's no way you could have reproduced with each other."

"Hell if I know."

”Tartarus.”

"WHO GIVES A DAMN! *ahem* as I was saying, I got no clue... Ribbon laid the egg first, then we did the deed."

“Why doesn’t anypony say she looks like me, I’m purple too!”

"Because they notice she has that same look in her eyes as me, ready to start trouble at a moments notice."

“Don’t ignore me, how did this happen?!”

"Baka-Chryssy!" I had to resist laughing at how Mirage kept calling Chrysalis an idiot.

"Chrysalis, you won't believe the only theory I've been able to come up with."

“Which is?”

"I fed Ribbon a part of my soul by accident, after an altercation with a certain chaos god that almost killed Ribbon, and Mirage was born with a copy of it.”

“... what?”

“Both Ribbon and Mirage have a piece of my soul.”

“You’re right, I don’t believe you.”

"Baka!" Must... not... laugh...

"Yes Mirage, she is a baka."

“What is that, why does she keep saying it? Surely she’s old enough to talk normally.”

"Its called speaking japanese. And you'll have to find out for yourself... baka." Chrysalis glared at me as I just smiled at her. "Problem?"

“I hate you.”

"Awww. Love you too."

Ribbon come out of her lab with a bag full of stuff. “Stop making fun of her and help.”

"Gimmie a sec." I turned back to Chrysalis. "Okay you know what to do. Turn into a unicorn when I take the ring off.” She nodded rapidly. The moment I removed the ring, she went up in flames, revealing a snow white unicorn, with emerald eyes, her mane color unchanged, and a green crystal heart as her cutie mark. I put the ring back on, and gave her a light pat on the head. “You look kinda cute like that, Chrysi." Chrysalis growled at my compliment. "No, I'm serious, if Maria were a pony, you could probably pass as her sister."

“I don’t know who that is, and I don’t thi-mph” Chrysalis was interrupted by Ribbon shoving a hoof in her mouth, and whispered something to her. Chrysalis’ eyes widened, and she nodded her head.

"So, what do we call you in this form?" I tilted my head. -hey, Ribbon? Is it possible to apply an illusion spell to that suppression ring?-

“This form got a lot of use a long time ago. Loveless. With a name like that, and a face like this, it was easy getting love before I was given the crown.”

’It might, it’s a suppression ring, not a canceling ring.’ Ribbon cast a spell over the ring and it slowly fade away. “There, now nopony will ask why you’re wearing a suppression ring.”

"So, Loveless. Sounds like the name of a hopeless romantic."

“All it usually takes is a few words, the right name, and a pretty face to get a stallion to do whatever I want.”

"Hey! I take insult to that! I used to be a guy before becoming a host for the Nightmare.”

Chrysalis whispered to Ribbon, but I heard it clearly. “Is she delusional?”

“No, in fact, it’s true. Chi used to be a male.” Ribbon didn’t even bother whispering back.

"Baka!" Mirage, you really are trying to get me to laugh, aren't you?

"Okay Mirage, you can stop calling her a baka now... even though she is one."

"Awww..." Mirage tried to use the puppy face again, but I had a plan for that.

"Boop!" I poked Mirage on the snout, causing her to giggle, and clap her hooves happily. “Whos the cute little nymph?”

“Is she?... She is.” Chrysalis was dumbfounded by my sudden display of affection, not used to seeing me as something other than a monster or her captor, rather than Ribbons affectionate lover, and the closest thing Miage would have to a father. God have mercy on the poor colt who tries to date her, because I sure as hell won’t.

“Hugs!” Mirage held her forehooves in the air, looking at me cutely.

“How can I say no to you when you're so cute!” I scooped Mirage up again, and then it occurred to me, at the same time the slight draining sensation started. “How? How do you keep playing me like this? You could just ask me to feed you, but instead you toy with me?”

“Yep!”

“...Impressive. Mirage, I am proud.” I hugged her tighter. shes already got a manipulative streak, and shes not even a year old! Even Chrysalis looked somewhat impressed by that revelation. “You're going to be a fine schemer when you grow up. might just join me, and the Chaos Quartet in pranking sometime.” Ribbon shuddered at that, just imagining the chaos the six of us could cause. “But anyways, don't we have a train to catch?”

“And a lot more packing to. so, help me!”

Loveless Nova

“Mama!” Something just poked me in the face. “Chi!” Another poke. “Wake up!”

“Allright, Allright, I’m up.” I blinked a couple of times to clear the sleep from my eyes, and saw Mirage standing an inch from my face.

“Mama!”

-Uhhh… why is she calling me ‘mama’?-

’Because you and me are together. She goodbye to the rest of your manliness, because she’s decided she has two moms.’

-Ain’t gonna stop me from chasing away the colts from her when shes older.-

’I’m not even sure changelings and ponies can have foals.’

-Don't care, not letting just any colt have our daughter.-

’And that’s why she calls you Mama. You called her our daughter.’

-...I did? So this is what parenthood feels like.-

’So it is. Come on, we’ll be pulling into the station soon and we’ll have some help carrying all of my stuff.’

"Wheres Chrys- err Loveless anyways?"

“In the next car over, trying her best to get at some stallion.”

"Hey, she needs food too, I can't blame her."

“She’s fine, I’m sure.”

The train lurched slightly, as it begun slowing down. Mirage gave an excited chrp before she began bouncing up and down. "Canterlot!”

“Why don’t you go get Loveless, I’ll go get my stuff off the train.”

"Sure, why not?" I slowly got onto my hooves, and stretched. I then headed into the next car to see Chrysalis chatting with a stallion, who had an axe cutie mark.

"It truly is a wonderful sight, Isn't it Leaf Cutter?" Chrysalis had her head resting against the stallions side, a slight smile on her face..

"Yes it is. Truly, Canterlot is a majestic sight."

"Hey, Loveless."

She jumped when I called to her, and the stallion had a terrified look in his eyes. “Y-yes Chitsuki?”

'Ribbon sent me to come and get you." I gave the stallion a small nod. "I can sense your fear, and it is unfounded, its not like I was angry with you or something."

“Okay.” He visibly relaxed. Geeze, do I really scare ponies that badly still?

"Anyway, follow me Loveless." The train came to a complete stop, having pulled into the station. Leading Chrysalis back to Ribbon, I smiled upon seeing how happy Mirage was, as she was playfully batting at Ribbons mane. "Well Ribbon, I brought Loveless, and we're here now."

“Good. I have several changelings helping to get all of the stuff to the outpost.”

“You have an outpost here? Do the Princesses know about it?” Chrysalis tilted her head in confusion, and a slight bit of worry.

“Of course they know, they gave us the crystal mines, the very one Chrysalis put Princess Cadence in. We’ve been mining them out and selling the crystals, since ponies don’t seem to care.”

I picked up one of the bags full of stuff Ribbon had brought, levitating it over to me. "Well? What are we waiting for?" Mirage stopped toying with Ribbons mane, and walked over to me.

"Up!" Up? Oh... she wants up on my back, doesn't she? I obliged and scooped her up, letting her nestle herself in between my wings. She soon started batting at my mane, which caused me to chuckle at her perpetual happiness.

"Well Ribbon, Loveless, lets get going." I walked off the train, the other following. Soon Ribbon took the lead, taking us up to the outpost. I saw a bunch of unicorns offloading the boxes, and several more black coated unicorns taking them, changelings maybe? Probably staying out of sight, but still noticeable.

As we began our trek towards the mine entrance, I could overhear several ponies talking about us.

"She has a foal?"

"They should be removed from Canterlot."

"I heard she infected the Princess' student with dark magic."

"How can the Princess just let them walk freely?"

"She's a walking time bomb."

"Look, there's another one. First one tries to invade, and now there's two of them."

"Why doesn't the Princess do something about them."

These ponies are a bunch of racist bigots, I saved theirs asses from Chrysalis when she was still evil, and yet they think I'm still bloody Nightmare Moon! Ungrateful bastards.

“Don’t let them get to you, it’s Canterlot, they’ll always tell false rumors and backstab others to make themselves look better to each other. Don’t play their game.”

I took a deep breath to calm my nerve. "Honestly? I can live with them spreading rumors about me, its when they start badmouthing you and Mirage that I want to strangle someone."

“That’s why I stayed in Ponyville, so much weird happens that I look like I belong there. But with the Griffons being a problem, I don’t want to risk Mirage’s safety, for comfort, so I’ll probably avoid the general public, let alone the nobles. At least the princesses are good company, you should try starting over with them.”

"Just thinking about the stunt Celestia pulled about certain 'quirks' I had due to being an alicorn, is enough to get my blood boiling."

“Maybe so, But is it really their fault? Weather they told you or not, did it matter?”

I sighed. "You're right, maybe I should give her another chance. Now can we drop this? I don't think Loveless needs to hear my life story."

"I was hoping you'd forgotten I was here." Chrysalis was busy alternating between listening to us, and shooting anypony who insulted Ribbon a rather nasty glare, no doubt because she wanted her 'successor' to 'get the respect she deserves'.

The mine entrance was now in sight. After changelings had taken up residence, it seems they decided to smooth the place out. I noticed that Chrysalis seemed a tad bit nervous about walking into what would hopefully be our new hive soon.

As we traveled deeper, the familiar sight of what I had dubbed Glowshrooms greeted us, illuminating the mineshaft. "Can't wait till we have this place looking like glowstone cavern, right Ribbon?"

“Yeah. Crystal walls, ceiling, floor, doesn’t matter. We’ll figure out a way to do it, even if I have to contract somepony to help make it.”

"Glowstone... Cavern? Can't say I've heard of a place like that before." Chrysalis was now quite interested in our little hideaway/Forward operating base.

“On the edge of a griffon city, there’s a small cave hidden by a waterfall that leads to a massive cavern filled with geodes and an underground lake, the lake is hot enough that steam comes off of it. And the walls and floor are covered in some glowing blue moss.”

"The ceiling though, that was a thing of beauty. Watching as the light reflects off the water and into the ceiling, causing geodes to light up like stars. Words cannot do it justice." I sighed. "I wish we could go back there sometime."

“Unfortunately, it’s in griffon territory, that’s why we’re going to try and copy it here at the hive, hopefully. We still need to talk to her about that, and about the mole that tipped off the griffons.”

"What!? You saying somepony TOLD the griffons where the hive was?"

"Yes Loveless, yes they did." I made sure to place extra emphasis on Chrysalis cover name, trying to keep her from getting recognized.

Chrysalis scrunched up her face, she knew she made a mistake. As we traveled deeper into the mines, I noticed how Chrysalis' anxiety increased ever so slowly, and as the actual outpost came into sight, I sensed the smallest amount of fear.

There were several small rooms carved into the crystals, with an entrance to a much bigger room all the way in the back, glowshrooms lighting the area. "So, care to show me some of the stuff you've been working on once we unpack everything?"

Ribbon had just pulled out a large black cloak, and was busy securing it to herself.

"So, whats it supposed to do?"

“Most ponies who don’t want to be seen, usually wear a cloak. This one actually hides you, but it only works when you’re standing still and you’re in a dark place. See the clasp here?” I nodded. Seeing the simple silver clasp with a small jewel. “This is what actually holds the enchantment, one of Twilights crystals.”

"Cool! It might be highly limited, but its still essentially a freaking invisibility cloak!"

She put the cloak away and pulled out a ring with the same small gem. “This, is supposed to hide a unicorns magical aura when casting a spell, that’s what it’s supposed to do. Instead,” Ribbon put the ring on and instantly her horn lit up. “it shows the arua clearly and constantly, even when I’m not casting a spell. And it itches like crazy.”

"Well, that ones a bust."

She took off the ring and put it away. The next thing she pulled out was a large green looking crystal. “Again, another one of Twilights crystals. This one has been charged with a large amount of energy. It’s meant to hold and store love energy, except the enchantments meant to hold the energy is instead feeding off of it. I’m thinking, maybe using runes will give a better result. This one has been corrupted by changeling magic and can’t be used for anything now.”

"Wait, changeling magic can corrupt those?"

“Well, maybe ‘corrupt’ is the wrong word to use, more like, stained. Normal gems, when enchanted, don’t glow and don’t change color, Twilights crystals are very different that way, and I can’t take the enchantments off now, so the only thing this one’s good for now would be an energy trash can.”

"Oh. That makes sense."

“And I don’t intend to just throw away love energy, that’s just wasteful.”

"I got all the love you could ever need right here, cuddlebug." The sound of Chrysalis retching caught my attention, she had peeked in through the entryway and saw me being sappy. "You're just jealous!" I stuck my tongue out at Chrysalis. Hey, just because I've become an ageless embodiment of darkness, doesn't mean I can't act immature if I want to. I walked over to Ribbon and hugged her, feeling happy that she would never have to go hungry. Then, inspiration struck! "Say, that gem might not be good at storing magic, but what about dispersing it?"

“Like what?”

"If you linked it to something that absorbs magic, you'd have a way to block magical attacks for non magic users!"

“Like a heat sink, link a shield spell to it and use this one to drain off magic from spells that hit it."

"Exactly!"

“This one’s still useless, but now I know what it could be used for!”

I grinned. “Still, perhaps its time we let Mirage see the sights of Canterlot? Along with Loveless, of course.” Can’t let Chrysalis slip away, now can I?

“Good idea. We can start with the stained glass windows in the castle, since we’re going there already.”

“Good a place as any, now to wait for Mirage to wake up.”

When I said her name, Mirage shifted on my back where she fell asleep and mumbled. “Fluffy… Mama…”

“Awww…”

As we walked out, Mirage on my back, I couldn't help but wonder...

-Ribbon? What else do you know about... her? What exactly did she do, besides be a monster and try to cause global extinction?-

’I don’t know, I’m not really an expert on history and I only saw her for three minutes when she returned.’

-Should I maybe ask Luna about this?-

’You can, she’d probably know more. But, it might be a bit of a sore topic for her.’

“We’re here.” The castles gates loomed over us.

“Whoa.”

“Mirage, do you remember Princess Luna?” Mirage chirped. “She’s the one that took care of you in Tartarus, this is where she lives.”

“Woooooona.”

“Close enough. Come on, lets go inside.”

As we walked inside, I noticed Ribbon gazing around, she was able to soak in the sight of this place without having to constantly look over her shoulder for prying eyes. “This place is big, and there’s a window every five feet. There’s like no wall.” Ribbon was pointing down one of the hallways, there was a lot of windows.

“I know, not to mention its on the side of a mountain, so it’s got a damn good good view.”

“Mommy!”

“Hmm? wait, is Mirage referring to me, or you?”

“No. You’re Mama. On the train she was calling me Mommy.”

“Mommy, Mama, Baka!” I to Mirage to see her pointing to a stained window. it depicted Ribbon on the right with her shadow stretching out towards Crysalis on the left, and me coming out of Ribbon's shadow in the center, looming over Chrysalis.

“How dare they, if I had my ma- OW! what was that for?!”

Ribbon had kicked Chrysalis. “Calm down!” Ribbon all but growled at her. Chrysalis glared at her, but held her tongue.

“Holy crap, did I really look that scary?”

“No… You were much, much worse during the actual wedding. This is more like a foal friendly version.”

“Damn… I really went nuts, didn’t I?”

“You always go above and beyond. Even when you fought Sombra, I’ll never forget that. Ripped wing, Stabbed through the gut, and several other wounds that should have killed you, or at least crippled you. He even did it with your weapon, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, and it hurt. a lot. At least I ripped out a chunk out of the basterds foreleg when he thought he had me beaten.” I stuck my tongue out, remembering that horrid taste.

“Y-your fangs are just for show, right?”

I looked to Chrysalis, grinning and exposing them for her to clearly see. “No, these are the real deal. I’m a full blown omnivore.”

“That d-doesn't make you look any better.”

“As much as I want to fit in, I’m basically a wolf in sheeps clothing. You’ve witnessed firsthand how protective I can be of Ribbon, and I was still lucid that time.”

“Alright, enough teasing Loveless.” Ribbon was right. Chrysalis looked about ready to shit her metaphorical pants. “Princess Celestia just ended court.”

Chrysalis looked uneasy. “How do you know?”

“I have a guard stationed inside the throne room every day, just incase the incident like after the hive was attacked happens again, or she needs somethings. So I had her informed that we were here.”

“So she’s just waiting for us? She doesn’t know about me, does she?” Chrysalis was radiating fear by now, which actually amused me somewhat. She knew she was completely helpless.

“Yes she is, and no she doesn’t. She still thinks you’re in Ponyville, no doubt Twilight has told her you’ve woken up.” Ribbon walked back into the entryway and towards the large doors. The guards all either side powered up their magic and opened the doors for us. There, on her throne, was Celestia, with Luna sitting just off to the side.

Immediately, Mirage took off and went right for Luna. “Wooooona!”

“Hello little Mirage.”

“Hello Chi, Ribbon. I see you brought a friend with you.”

“H-hello Princess.” Just then, as Celestia came down off her throne, I saw Chrysalis do something I didn’t think she would do. She bowed to Princess Celestia.

-Did… did I just see what I thought I saw!?-

’You didn’t see her during the wedding and the days before, she’s very good. She made herself look cruel to Twilight, and only Twilight, while she made herself look good to everypony else. It made Twilight snap at her friends and Princess Celestia said she was disappointed in her. It crushed her. Then again you slept through all of it.’

-That… was actually a pretty stupid thing to do. why would she go out of the way to make it more likely she would be exposed?-

’The elements of course. When the enemy has a weapon that could turn you to stone, you try and make sure they can’t use said weapon. Taking Twilight out of the picture like she did was an incredibly smart move.’

-True…-

’And once she manipulated Twilight into snapping at her and her brother, she was uninvited to the wedding, so nopony would question why she wasn’t there.’

“Rise my little pony, and tell me. Why are you wearing a suppression ring?”

“Its Chrysalis.” Ribbon just blurted it out for all to hear.

“Baka!” Mirage pointed at a rather horrified Chrysalis and laughed.

“The suppressor ring forces her to hold the form we had her take and keeps her from using her magic. I assume Twilight told you she woke up?”

“Yes, my student informed me of such.” Chrysalis went from bowing to cowering. “She can stay under your care, since I trust your more powerful than her, thanks to Chi. And we can always rely on the elements if she gets out of control.”

“Very, and I have the backing of the hive if she tried. But, might I suggest she stay with Twilight?”

“And why is that?”

“Because she acts a little more... friendly, with her.”

-Wait, she is? Twilight must have been popping in to see her a lot more than I thought.-

’You didn’t notice? She was acting nicer to Twilight than she does you. I’m still nervous with her, and you just poke at her, Twilight’s the only one willing to give her a chance so far. And if she told Princess Celestia, she probably told her friends, and have any of them been over?’

-Well, now I know why Chrysalis wasn’t so snappy around Twilight. Stockholm syndrom.-

Ribbon paused for a few moments, more then likely looking through the copy of my memories she had, trying to find out what that meant.

’You think she’s mentally ill? Should we… encourage it?’

-Yes. if we do, Chrysalis might just realize on her own that ponies are more than just a source of love energy.-

“Are you alright Ribbon?”

“Huh? Yes, just going over some things. What did you say?”

“I said that, if Twilight agrees, Chrysalis may stay with her. But, do check on her for me.”

“Of course.”

“As for you Chrysalis, be on your best behavior.”

“O-ok.” my god, Chrysalis looks so pitiful right now, like a wounded puppy.

“Lastly, I was hoping the hive could be moved here, to Canterlot, would that be possible?”

“You could, but I want a favor in return. I’ll be hosting a dinner tonight for a large group of nobles, they’ve been rather insistent that they want see you and I’ve been putting it off for your sake. But, I would like it if you were there.”

“Great. If it gets my hive into Canterlot, where they can be better protected, so be it… Now that that’s all taken care of, I’m afraid I have more concerning news. It seems the griffons that attacked the hive were told where we were, by a pony. We don’t know by who yet, but the only ponies that knew where we were hiding was you, your sister, and a few of your staff. I think somepony here wants us gone.”

Luna, who had been busy playing with Mirage, finally spoke her piece, looking quite infuriated at this sudden revelation. “To think somepony would perform such a despicable act, out of there own petty hatred. Something must be done about this, immediately!”

“I know. As much as I would like to put whoever was responsible for this six feet under, we have to find the lowlife first!” Oh what I would do to the bastard who organized this clusterfuck. I swear, just my sheer contempt for the asshole was causing the room to darken. I mean, even Celestia and Luna looked a bit apprehensive all of a sudden.

“Chi, your eyes are doing that thing again, like they did in the empire.”

“This has happened before, Miss Ribbon?” Asked Luna.

“Yeah. Why? is it bad?”

“I am unsure, but it may be because of her dark magic. Dark magic feeds off anger, hatred, and other negative emotions, while a normal unicorns magic is more peaceful.”

“That… That might explain why I completely flew off the handle when I fought Sombra, unlike every other time, where it was more... focused.”

“That would make sense, yes. Dark magic is more instinctual than what is normal, if you don’t have proper control, it can take over. Sombra had perfect control over his magic when my sister and I fought him a thousand years ago. Chitsuki, if you continue to let your magic get the better of you, you may become a threat.”

“I came to that conclusion myself, and it scares me. I was fighting him like a rabid animal, the only two thoughts on my mind being to keep him away from Ribbon, and to brutally dismember him. I even bit a chunk out of him, I was that far gone to bloodlust.” I hung my head in shame, unwilling to look the Princesses in the eyes after saying that.

“You will need to learn how to control yourself and your magic Chitsuki, You must not let something like that happen again. In the meantime, it may be wise to suggest Tattered Ribbon stay here with her hive and out of danger, as it seems your more frenzied outbursts happen with her around.”

“But Chi’s my primary food source. Just because I have enough energy to last me years, doesn’t make the daily hunger pangs go away. I just got used to not ever having them.”

“I am are not saying we should separate you, just that you should stay with your hive, here.”

“Oh thank god. I don’t think I’d be able to handle being away from Ribbon and Mirage for such an extended period of time.” Just the thought filled me with unease, like we were talking about removing a piece of me. I didn’t want to leave Ribbon, because I felt that since my soul was linked to her, I had inadvertently painted a target on her back.

“Don’t worry, once we set up shop in the crystal caverns and all the changelings are freed from the griffons. I intend to stay.”