Revenge of Fury

by Sharktopus117

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Adventure
Length: 18874

Sequel to Shadow of Fury. Changeling war is imminent, and it's up to our heroes to stop it.

Sequel to Shadow of Fury. Read that beforehand, or this won't make any sense.

A month has past since Ironfeathers the Griffon Warlord was defeated. Now, a new threat has emerged. Equestria is closer to war with the Changelings than it ever has been before. As political tensions rise on both sides, Willus, Lightning Hawk, Shamrock, and the Mane 6 try to diffuse the situation. But Reaper has plans of his own. And when personal vendetta clashes against the rage of the masses, everything that once was is plunged into chaos.
But an even greater threat looms on the horizon…

Rated Teen for violence and minor swearing.

Amazing cover art by basher5time. You can find his deviantArt page here.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-30 04:56:47 UTC

Chapter 1 - So It begins Again...

Revenge of Fury

Chapter 1

So It Begins Again...

There was a knock on the door. Pinkie Pie opened it with a smile on her face. "Hi!" She chimed, chipper as ever.

Standing outside was Lyra. "Oh, hey Pinkie. Is Reaper here? I had an appointment scheduled for today,"

"Sorry, Lyra, but Reapy's still out of town!" Pinkie said. "I can reschedule your appointment for you, if you'd like!"

"Really? That'd be great," Lyra said.

Pinkie waved as Lyra left, before shutting the door. She sighed. Three days. It had been three days since Reaper the changeling had left. She didn't know where he went, or for how long. He simply said he had business to take care of out of town. He had instructed Sputnik to stay, but that didn't last on. The day after, the robot had already disappeared. That left Pinkie Pie alone in a big, empty house.

All alone. With nopony to talk to. Nopony to care about. Just her and the silence.

It was awful.

Today was Saturday, which meant she didn't have work to keep her busy. Everypony else seemed to be busy, though. She sighed again. Boredom really sucked. She hoped Reaper would come home soon. She missed him.

She certainly hadn't been without work though. Reaper had left with quite a few appointments already scheduled. Lyra was the fourth pony so far she had to turn away and reschedule. She looked at the book of appointments, contemplating if she really felt like rescheduling Lyra's right now. What could possibly be so important that Reaper would leave all of this work without an explanation? It just wasn't like him.

She sighed again, when suddenly there was another knock on the door. Suddenly, she felt excited. Was Reapy back? She rushed to the door.

Pinkie opened it, only to be greeted by Rarity. Pinkie sighed, disappointed. "Hello, Pinkie. Just wanted to check up on you," Rarity said.

Pinkie smiled. "Hey Rarity. I'm fine, thanks for checking,"

"May I come in?" Rarity asked. Pinkie nodded, letting her in before closing the door behind her.

"So how have you been?" Rarity asked.

Pinie shrugged. "I've been fine. I really miss Reapy, though," she said.

Rarity smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back soon," she said, before looking around the house.

Ever since Pinkie Pie had moved in with Reaper, there had been significant changes. Before she lived there, the house was fairly bland, with only the bare necessities. Once she got there, that had all changed. The house now lived and breathed with an energetic and warm atmosphere. Luckily for Reaper, Pinkie hadn't gone overboard with the color pink. As a matter of fact, Rarity was quite surprised by how well Pinkie had matched colors here. The walls were a light blue, and there where white window frames and doorframes. There were now a few pink and green vases in a few areas, each with flowers in them. Who would of guessed interior decorating was Pinkie's forte? Then again, nobody ever seemed quite able to pin the pink mare down, anyway.

"So, have you told anypony yet?" Rarity asked, breaking the brief silence.

Pinkie was confused. "Told anypony what?"

Rarity smiled. "Why, your feelings for Reaper, of course!" she said.

Pinkie blushed brightly. "Wha-what do you mean my feelings for Reapy?"

Rarity smiled again, rolling her eyes. "Pinkie, you haven't exactly been subtle. I picked up pretty quickly that you really cared about him,"

Pinkie shuffled awkwardly, not sure how to react. "Don't worry, dear, your secret's safe with me. But if you ever want to get anywhere, you're going to have to tell him," Rarity continued.

Pinkie nodded. "Thanks Rarity," she said.

Rarity placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry Pinkie. I'm your friend, and friends are always there for one another," she said, before chuckling.

"Who knows? Maybe he feels the same way about you?"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Lightning Hawk pushed the last cloud into place, before wiping the sweat from his brow. Another hard day's work complete. He looked out at the sky, stretching out over Ponyville. Ever since they had returned from their adventure, Lightning had enlisted as a weatherpony. After all, he had to pay the bills somehow.

Today was a wonderful cloudy day. The sky was grey, and the air had a nice, brisk breeze to it. The faint smell of rain told him that the southern division were already getting started with the night's shower. He smiled. This was life. No worries, no problems. Just enjoying the day, in a town he loved surrounded by the ponies he loved.

He took a deep breath, before he heard somepony calling his name. "Lightning! You done daydreaming?"

Lightning turned around to see Rainbow Dash, a few dozen yards away, pushing another cloud into position.

"Hey Rainbow," he replied. "Think we're almost done here?"

Rainbow Dash examined the cloud, making sure it was aligned perfectly. "Yeah, just about," she said.

"That's good," Lightning said, looking up at the sky. It was the afternoon. The sun would be going down soon.

Rainbow shrugged, flying closer to him. "Got any plans for tonight?" she asked.

Lightning nodded excitedly, grinning widely. "Yup! Gonna spend the night with Twilight. We're probably just going to hang out, but that's fine by me!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Is it even physically possible for you two lovebirds to spend more than 24 hours without seeing each other?" she asked.

Lightning chuckled. "You say that like it's a bad thing," he said.

Rainbow huffed. "Come on, let's go back to headquarters. The sooner you checkout, the sooner you can get back to your kissy kissy, googoo stuff," she said.

As the pair flew back towards Cloudsdale and the WeatherHub, Lightning reflected on how life had changed for him ever since he got back. He was now in a relationship with Twilight Sparkle, the mare of his dreams. He had a job as a weatherpony. It was nothing glamorous, but it had its purpose, not to mention a few plusses here and there, like getting to stretch his wings regularly. And finally, there was no stress. Ever since they had saved the world, everything had been just fine. He loved it.

He sighed happily as they neared the building in which they both worked. He couldn't wait to get to Twilight. She'd be so happy to see him.

Absolutely nothing could ruin today.

*  *  *  *  * *  *  *  *  *  *

"Are you kidding me?!"

Derpy flinched as her boss yelled at her. "S-sorry, boss," she whimpered.

The mailcolt only glared at her. "Sorry? Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it, Miss Hooves! This is the fourth package you've broken this week!"

Derpy continued to whimper. "I-I just don't know what went wrong," she said.

Her boss continued to scowl. "Oh, I know what went wrong! I hired you!" he shouted.

Shamrock watched silently from behind the counter. He stamped a package, before giving it to the pony in line. "Here you go," he said, distracted. Ever since their adventure had ended, he had gotten a job at the post office with Derpy. Unfortunately, the manager there was crabbier than Reaper without sleep. Shamrock really despised him. Had it not been for his calm demeanor, he would have lost it long ago.

"B-boss, I promise I'll do better next time!" Derpy pleaded.

But the mailcolt ignored her. "I've heard that before," he said sarcastically. "But not this time, Derpy!"

"Boss, what are you saying?"

And then he said it. The two words that made Derpy's world come crashing down.

"You're fired."

Derpy was shocked. She didn't know what to say. "But....But...."

"No buts. You may gather your things and go,"

Derpy's heart sank, as she fought back tears. She hung her head low, before grabbing her uniform and walking out the door. Shamrock watched her until she was gone. That's it. "Excuse me," he said to his client, before following Derpy outside.

He found her sitting, a small puddle of tears underneath her. "Derpy! Derpy!" he called.

Derpy looked up. "Oh hey, Shamrock," Derpy said sadly.

"You okay?"

Derpy sniffed. "Yeah I'm fine," she said, lying.

Shamrock gave her a look. "Are you really?" he asked.

Derpy sniffed again, before breaking out bawling. She hugged Shamrock fiercely, crushing his lungs.

"What am I gonna do? How will I pay the bills? How will I pay for Dinky's school? Shamrock, I'm doomed!"

Shamrock coughed, struggling to breathe as he patted her on the back. "It'll be okay, Derpy, I'm sure of it," he said.

Derpy looked at him, tears staining her eyes, and smiled. "You really think so? But how?"

"I'll help pay for your needs, that way you can just focus on finding a job,"

Derpy was shocked. "Shamrock! How could you do that? You really don't need to!"

"No, no, no, it's okay. After all, what are friends for?" Shamrock asked.

Derpy hugged him tightly again. "Oh, thank you so much, Shamrock!" she said.

Shamrock choked, but smiled. "No problem, Derpy,"

Derpy let go, as the pair looked into each other's eyes for a moment.

"Well, I guess I should get going," Derpy said.

"Yeah," Shamrock agreed, suddenly feeling awkward.

"See you around!" Derpy said, before taking to the air and flying away.

"You too!" Shamrock called after her, watching her fly away.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Willus was bored. And when an ex-psychopath is bored, nothing good can come of it. Terrence sat on a perch, chirping occasionally. Willus twiddled a pencil with his magic. What a slow day.

Willus was alerted by a bell ringing, signaling that the front door of his bookstore had been opened. He looked up, to see Fluttershy trying to get the bell to stop ringing. "Oh, hi Willus. I'm sorry if that was too loud," she said.

"No, it's not a problem, Fluttersy," he replied. "How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been fine," Fluttershy said quietly. "I brought that birdseed you needed,"

Terrence perked up at the word "Birdseed." He chirped loudly, demanding attention. Fluttershy smiled and hovered over to him. "And how are you doing today, Mr. Terrence? You want some birdseed? Who's a cute little birdy? Yes you are! Yes you are!"

Willus was amused by watching Fluttershy treat Terrence as though he were her own child. What a funny mare. "Thanks, Fluttershy. You know, you really didn't have to come all the way over here just to deliver it. I could have gotten it myself,"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, Willus, really!" Fluttershy responded, feeding Terrence a bit of birdseed. "Besides, I always love checking up on critters that don't live with me anymore!"

Willus smiled.

As Terrence finished eating, he hopped away, to wander the bookstore. Whenever the bird was bored, he would simply hop around, not really in search of anything, just entertaining himself with the sensation of movement. Fluttershy and Willus watched him until he disappeared behind a bookshelf.

"So, how have things been for you?" Fluttershy asked.

Willus shrugged. "Ok. Everything's been kinda boring, lately. Business as usual, nothing exciting," he said, picking up an apple from the small basket he had for sale and taking a bite out of it.

"How are things with Applejack?"

Willus thought that was an odd question. "Good, I suppose. Is there a reason they shouldn't be?" he asked.

Fluttershy suddenly shrunk back. "No, no reason," she said.

Willus eyed her suspiciously, but didn't say anymore. "Anyways, do you know if there are any plans for the week?" he asked. "Like, is everypony gonna get together for lunch or something?"

Fluttershy shrugged. "I dunno. Twilight usually does all that organization stuff. But I haven't heard from her all day,"

Willus nodded. "Can you believe that Lightning and Twilight actually got together?" he asked.

Fluttershy nodded, too. "I know, right? Who would've thought?"

"I wonder what their relationship name would be. Lightlight?"

"No. Maybe.....Twining?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, then laughed. "Nah, they don't work for that at all," Willus said.

"Yeah," Fluttershy agreed. "I wonder what they're up to right now?"

Willus shrugged. "Well, it's about 3 O'clock. Lightning is probably finishing up work, and I'm sure Twilight's just getting worried about something that's not really important," he said.

Fluttershy chuckled. "Yeah, she does have a tendency to do that,"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *   *

Twilight paced through the library, worried. She flipped through books, tossing them behind her when they proved unsatisfactory. "Oh, how could this happen?" she muttered to herself.

She was interrupted by a loud knocking at her door. She opened it with her magic, not looking up from the book she was reading. Applejack walked in. "Hey Twilight. You wanted to see me?"

Twilight flipped through the book, before groaning. "Useless!" she exclaimed. She tossed the book behind her just like the rest, almost hitting Applejack.

"Hello to you, too," Applejack muttered, dodging the book.

Twilight groaned again, before turning to Applejack. "I'm sorry, AJ, but I'm just really stressed right now," she said.

"What's on your mind, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, picking up the book that head been thrown at her. She read the cover. A Mare's Guide to Relationships - Unicorn Edition. Applejack smiled, chuckling inwardly. Twilight always knew just what book to read for the given situation.

Twilight sat down, groaning. "Applejack, what I'm about to tell you is incredibly important. You have to promise that you won't tell anypony - especially Lightning," she said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Ah guess, but why me? Why not tells Rainbow, or Rarity, or somepony?"

"Applejack, you were the first pony I met when I came to Ponyville. Well, technically Pinkie was, but that doesn't really count since she just kinda saw me and gasped really loudly and then left. But my point is that I know that I can trust you with this, and more importantly, I know that you're the only one of us who can keep it secret. Right Applejack? Promise me you won't tell anypony,"

"Well, yeah sure, but what is it?"

"Say the words, Applejack. Say the words!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ah promise, Twilight, not to tell anypony about this big bad secret you're about to tell me. There, happy?"

Twilight nodded, as Applejack took a seat opposite her. Twilight took a deep breath, as she got ready to speak. "Are you absolutely positive you won't tell anypony?"

"Yes, Twilight,"

Twilight sighed. "Okay, here I go," she said.

Applejack leaned forward in anticipation.

"Actually, maybe I should just wait a bit. I might be wrong and -"

"For Celestia's sake, Twilight, just tell me!"

Twilight Sparkle flinched at the outburst. "Fine, fine," she said. Applejack rolled her eyes.

Then she said it.

"Applejack...I'm....I'm.....I'm pregnant,"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Reaper sat in the branches of a tree, looking up at the night sky. The moon hung poetically over the scrubby desert, illuminating what little vegetation there was. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

He had left Ponyville a few days ago. He had brought only what he could fit in a small bag, which was a box of matches, a map, a book on psychology, the black sword he had won from the battle with Ironfeathers(which he had appropriately named "Regicide"), and one other thing. A very special book. When he had first found Sputnik, he had found him with the journal of a pony named Sickle Star. He had never really read it, but ever since the discovery of Sputnik's true power, he decided to give it a look. Who knew what secrets were contained within?

And that's precisely what kept him from reading. He feared what he may find in that book. Perhaps he was not ready - perhaps the world was not ready. For this reason, he didn't dare read it.

In regards to sustenance, Reaper had more than enough. Changelings were capable of storing the emotions they fed on in a sort of bubble around them. It was invisible, and could only be detected by other changelings. Ponyville was overflowing with emotions. Reaper taking a few to feed on during his journey was not a problem.

He sighed. He had given Sputnik very specific instructions. He could only hope that the robot came through. For a moment, he wondered how all the ponies were doing back home. He wondered if he would ever see them again. He banished the thought from his mind almost immediately. He had a mission. He couldn't allow for anything to get in the way.

He smiled. He had a plan. Oh, how sweet it would be to finally get his revenge. 3 months. It had been 3 months since his exile from the Changeling Hive. Chryssie had it coming. He grinned as he dreamt up horrible things.

And then he remembered Phasmi. The smile left his face immediately. He slipped into a melancholy mood as he remembered their happier days. What was he going to do when he finally saw her again? Suddenly, anger overtook him. She deserved nothing less than her mother. He would spare her no mercy.

Suddenly, he heard a noise, in the distance.

Voices.

Changeling voices.

He hovered down from his spot in the tree, his wings buzzing softly as he descended. He cloaked, creeping up towards the source of the noise. Then he saw them, two changeling guards. They were talking to each other, while walking towards a large plateau. Reaper recognized that plateau anywhere. He had found it. After all this time he had finally found it.

The Changeling Hive.

Reaper grinned, ignoring the conversation of the two guards. He failed to notice the sound of hoofsteps behind him. Suddenly, there was an explosion of pain in the back of his head, and everything went black.

Chapter 2 - Trapped

Chapter 2

Trapped

Applejack was shocked. Her mouth was left hanging agape, as she searched for something to say. Ultimately, she gave up.

"Pregnant?" she asked in disbelief.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah," she said, feeling awkward suddenly.

Applejack shared the feeling. "Is it Lightning's?" she asked without thinking.

Twilight seemed offended by the question. "Of course it is! Applejack, what a question!"

"Sorry, Twi, just makin sure," Applejack said, guilty.

Another awkward pause followed. "So...does that mean that you and Lightning....you know..."

Twilight nodded. Her facial expression was perfectly flat, save a deep blush. Whatever experiences she had had when Spike wasn't home, she wasn't about to reveal.

Applejack simply nodded and swallowed, looking away. "Well then,"

"Applejack, what am I gonna do?" Twilight pleaded.

"Well, obviously, you have to tell Lightning,"

"NO,"

Applejack was surprised by the sudden outburst.

Twilight stammered "Uh-I-I-I mean-uh, I'm n-not ready," she said.

Applejack eyed her. "Twilight, you realize you're gonna have to tell him eventually,"

Twilight sighed. "I know, Applejack, it's just....what if he gets scared? What if he leaves me? Applejack, I'm scared enough as it is, I don't think I could handle Lightning leaving me!"

Applejack placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry Twilight, Ah'm sure everything will be just fine. Just relax. You can tell Lightning and everypony else when you're ready," she said.

Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Applejack. I knew I could trust you,"

Applejack smiled back. "No problem, Twilight. Now, if ya'd excuse me, I have to get home. Granny Smith's been sick, and needs attention,"

Applejack made her way to the door, opening it to leave.

"I hope she gets better!" Twilight said.

Applejack waved at her. "Thanks. I do, too,"

And with those words, Applejack closed the door, and left. Twilight exhaled deeply, sitting down. She shut her eyes and leaned back, trying to rest. She was about to fall asleep, when a loud knocking snapped her back In reality. She groaned. When she opened the door, she smiled. "Hey, Lightning," she said.

Lightning floated outside. "Hey, Twilight!" He said, hugging her immediately. Twilight hugged him back, happy to be in his warm embrace. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Good, good," Twilight lied.

Lightning looked at her. He never ceased to be amazed at her beauty. She looked at him, seeming to care more about him then than ever before. They moved to kiss, when suddenly the door slammed open again.

"Twilight! Twilight!"

Lightning and Twilight both turned in annoyance. Spike barged in, a scroll in his hand, with a look of guilt. "Oh, sorry guys! Am I interrupting?"

"What is it, Spike?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight, this letter just came in. It's urgent, I think you should see this!"

"Twilight grabbed the letter with her magic, and opened it.

To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

As I am sure you are aware, our situation with the changelings has been reaching a boiling point. Ever since the Canterlot Invasion, we have been on alert. Luckily, as you are aware, we were able to capture one of their spies. Sadly, the spy died not long after being captured, but not before informing us of the location of the changeling hive.

Twilight, I require that you and your friends see me at once. I must discuss with you more. There is much to say, but I cannot risk saying it over an easily intercepted message. Even with the best guards, one can never be too careful. Just be sure to bring that changeling friend of yours.

Your teacher, Princess Celestia

Twilight finished reading it out loud. Lightning smirked. "Well, she's gonna be disappointed. Reaper's been gone for days, now," he said.

Twilight nodded. "I'm sure she'll understand," she said. "Go get everypony, and meet me at the train station in twenty minutes," she said.

Lightning nodded, before zipping out the door.

"What about me?" Spike asked.

Twilight looked at him, and gave him a kind rub on the head. "You just stay here. Help yourself to whatever's in the pantry. I won't be gone long," she said.

Before Spike could protest further, Twilight had grabbed a bag of supplies and had disappeared out the door.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Rarity sighed, closing the door to Carousel Boutique behind her. She sat down, looking across the room into a tall mirror. She smiled. Things certainly had been good for her. She smiled as she thought of how happy Lightning and Twilight were. She smiled at the thought of how happy Reaper and Pinkie would be.

And they weren't alone. She smiled as she thought of all the ponies whose romantic tension was reaching its boiling point. And then she stopped smiling. Then she frowned. How was it that this was possible? How was it that she, Rarity, the most beautiful mare in all of Ponyville - neigh, all of Equestria! - had never felt the joy of love, or to be loved?

True, she had had girlish crushes before, but she had never actually been in a relationship. How was it that Twilight, the socially awkward mare who never even gave colts a thought before Lightning, had gotten one before her? And what of the others? Certainly they had been romantically involved with somepony before.

Rarity looked at herself in the mirror. Was it her fault? Was it possible that she, who had always tried everything she possibly could to make herself as beautiful and inviting as possible, had actually pushed colts away with this action? Was her personality not likeable? She thought deeply. True, she was high-maintenance, and she was indeed an opinionated mare. Perhaps it was these qualities, though superficial, that prevented anypony from seeing her more inviting traits.

She was passionate, artistic, generous, and caring. But could it be that nopony had ever bothered to check? Rarity was deeply bothered by this revelation. She looked at herself in the mirror again, envisioning her perfect colt.

He was strong, caring, polite, and very handsome. He was taller than her, but not too tall so that amorous endeavors would be a chore. Color didn't matter, so long as he wasn't green. Or brown. Or red. On second thought, color may matter just a little. And most of all, he shared her passion for fashion - or was at least open to it.

Rarity thought long and hard about the colt, before coming to a conclusion. He didn't exist. Rarity realized that she had set the bar too high. It seemed obvious now - it was no wonder she had never been in a relationship, her standards were impossible to meet!

Rarity took on a face of determination. By the end of the month, she swore, she would have a coltfriend. She sighed, until she heard a knock at the door.

"Rarity!" Lightning's voice called from outside.

She opened the door. "Yes, dear?"

"Twilight needs us all to go to Canterlot. Meet us at the train station in twenty minutes," he said, before flying away in a golden flash.

Rarity sighed, writing a note to Sweetie Belle explaining the situation. She packed her things, and went out the door.

*  *  *  *  *  *   *  *  *  *  *

Derpy sat on her couch. She sat, thinking. Most ponies assumed that just because of her odd eyes and her natural clumsiness that she was stupid. This was not the case. Derpy was actually quite intelligent - albeit, not always in a practical way. She thought, thinking about what would happen next.

Shamrock had offered to help support her. She knew full well that he would be unable to do so. Although she greatly appreciated the gesture, she doubted his capability to support her in the long-term. She would have to find a job. That's when Dinky noticed her sitting, thinking solemnly.

"Mom? Is everything all right?" she asked.

The following thoughts blurred through Derpy's mind like a freight train. Dinky was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her. She cared about nothing more than Dinky. And never in her life had she ever lied to Dinky. There were no secrets between them. If something was wrong, Derpy would always tell her. But today, it was different.

"Yes, dear, everything's all right," Derpy lied.

Derpy felt terrible. But it had to be done. Dinky was getting older, more mature. She would fully understand the plight they were in, and that would cause her undue stress. The guilt was unimaginable.

Then she heard a knocking at her door. She opened it to find Rainbow Dash. "Lightning told me that Twilight needs all of us at the train station. Come on, we gotta go!"

Derpy nodded.

"Mom? What's happening?"

Derpy smiled at her daughter, and hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Dinky. Mommy's just gotta go do some work. I'll be back before you know it," she said, before kissing her daughter on the forehead. They smiled at each other, before Derpy went to go gather her things.

Once she finished, she met Rainbow outside, and the pair of them flew towards the train station.

*  *  *   *  *  *  *  *  *  * *  *  *  *  *  *  *   *

Reaper woke up groggily. As his eyes forced their way open, he looked around his new surroundings, ignoring the pain in the back of his skull. He was not surprised by what he saw.

He was in a cell. Black, iron bars held him in. The room was small. It's only ornamentations were a lumpy, shoddy bed, and a toilet. He got up, groaning. A guard noticed him waking up. "He's coming to," she said to her partner.

"Finally," The other replied.

"Go alert the Princess,"

The second guard nodded before disappearing out of a doorway.

Reaper walked up to the bars, leaning against them. "My, my, the cells here are just as unpleasant as I remember them!" he said cynically.

"Shut it, prisoner,"

"Oh, you may hold me in these bars, but you have nothing that can prevent me from speaking, now do you?"

"I could go in there and beat the snot out of you,"

Reaper gave a short laugh at that. "Can you? Can you really? I, an exile, have returned for unknown reasons. Not only that, but I have returned as you are on the brink of war. You can't tell me that the Queen isn't a little curious, now can you?"

The guard would never admit it, but Reaper was right.

"And how would she react if she found you had beaten me to the point I no longer would speak?"

The guard gave up. "Fine, talk. Just don't be so annoying,"

Reaper grinned, but remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke up again. "So, tell me, what is your name?"

"My name?"

"Yes, your name,"

"Why does it matter?"

"Just trying to be courteous,"

The guard sighed. "My name is Vertigo," she said.

Reaper grinned again, grinning like a snake that had a mouse in its coils. He got his first good look at Vertigo. She was built like any other drone mare, slimmer than the males, longer, curlier tail, and more feminine overall. She lacked the eyes or mane that royal changelings like Phasmi or Chrysalis had, but she did have color. Her back carapace was purple, as were her eyes. She looked at Reaper with a hint of annoyance. "Are you done?" she asked.

Reaper merely smiled warmly, a fake gesture. "I suppose. Though, do tell me Vertigo, how long has it been since you last fed?"

Vertigo said nothing for a moment. Then she finally responded. "Five days," she said.

Reaper feigned surprise. "Five days? You must be starving!"

Vertigo nodded.

Reaper grinned his snake grin again. "You know, I have been very well fed lately. Being exiled was the greatest thing that ever happened to me,"

Vertigo said nothing.

"I have too much to feedf on, you might say. So much excess, he said,"

Ah, there it was. He sensed it. Vertigo was getting jealous. Perfect. "You know, I could give you some. That is, if I want to,"

Vertigo may have been hungry, but she would not resort to begging a prisoner. In the same way that changelings could store emotions, they could also transfer them to other changelings.

"Do I want to? That is the million-bit question, isn't it?"

Before Vertigo could react, she realized that Reaper was giving her emotions. Not many, but enough for her to immediately begin feeding. Reaper watched her complexion switch from surprised to animalistically hungry. He grinned. "You know , Vertigo, you seem familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

Vertigo nodded, suddenly more complacent. "My brother is a general. He served under you," she said.

"Did he now? Tell me, what was his name?"

"Ajax,"

"Ajax? I always liked Ajax. Such a bright one. A shame he wasn't a little more independent,"

Vertigo nodded, as Reaper leaned in close.

"Listen to me, and listen closely. This cell is quaint and all, but I have no intention of staying here much longer. What I gave you was but a mere taste of what I can offer. If you wish to help me in my quest, bring yourself and your brother to Tyrant's Gorge. I will be there, waiting. I will wait two days, then I will assume you have decided against it," He said.

Vertigo said nothing.

"Think about it," Reaper finished.

Finally, the other guard returned. "I got it from here, Vertigo. You are dismissed," He said.

Vertigo breathed a sigh of relief, before rushing out the door, a million thoughts zipping through her head. Reaper waved her goodbye, smiling at his victory.

As Vertigo left, Princess Phasmi took her place. The princess walked in, her figure dominating the room outside Reaper's cell. He smiled a cold smile. She had certainly changed since he saw her last. She was taller now, though not quite as tall as her mother. Her mane and tail were still short and messy, reminiscent of Rainbow Dash's now that he thought about it. Her horn had grown, and its first crook had appeared.

The two stared at each other for about 3 seconds. Then she spoke. "Leave us," she said to the guard. The guard obeyed, and the two ex-lovers were left alone.

"Hello, Phasmi. Did you miss me?" Reaper asked.

Phasmi was not interested in games. "Why are you here, Reaper?"

"Tut, tut, princess. Didn't your mother teach you manners? It seems she failed in that endeavor as well,"

"Why are you here?" she repeated.

"Well, if you insist. I am here to take back what is mine. I am here to become the new king and lord of the Changeling Empire,"

"Take back what's yours? Reaper, you're the one who tried to overthrow the Queen!"

"I tried to do what needed to be done!"

Phasmi sighed.

"Now that we got that out of the way, it's my turn. Tell me, did you ever replace me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you ever find another high general?"

Phasmi nodded. "Silicon was promoted shortly after you left,"

Reaper's face contorted with rage. "Silicon? That fool who came up with the plan to invade Canterlot? How insulting!"

"Silicon is good at what he does, and loyal,"

"Loyalty. What do you know of loyalty? I'm certain you've replaced me in other ways, as well,"

Phasmi remained quiet, averting her eyes.

"Yes, don't play coy. Tell me, who's the lucky colt? Unless the tradition of sleeping with the high general hasn't changed,"

"It's not like that. Silicon and I aren't together,"

"Lies. You were never good at them, Phasmi,"

Phasmi said nothing, as Reaper leaned back and sighed. Then he noticed something terrible. "My hat. Where's my hat?" He said, panicking.

Phasmi was confused. "It's with the rest of your belongings, in safe containment," she said.

Reaper hissed. "I need it. Now,"

"No,"

The two stared at each other for some time. Finally, Phasmi broke the silence.

"Mother wishes to see you. You'll be having your audience with her in a few hours,"

Reaper smiled, his rage disappearing in an instance. "Good. I have so wanted to speak with Chryssie again," he said.

Phasmi looked at him for a moment, before walking away. Just before exiting the room, she half turned. "If it means anything to you, yes,"

"Yes? Yes what?"

Phasmi paused. "Yes. I did miss you," she said, before leaving.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Vertigo sighed, closing the door to her home behind her. She felt conflicted. Her brother appeared. "Hey, sis. How'd it go?" he asked.

Vertigon paused. "Good," she said. "Listen, you remember Reaper, right?"

Ajax nodded. "Yeah, he used to be high general before getting exiled. What about him?" he asked, standing up.

Ajax was a big changeling. He stood taller than the average changeling, and was stronger too. His eyes and carapace were both dark orange. Vertigo sighed. "Well, he's back. He's been captured. But, he talked to me,"

"Talked to you? What did he say?"

"He said he would be escaping soon. He said that if we wanted to live, we would meet him at Tyrant's Gorge,"

"What? How could he say such a thing,"

"Listen, brother. He wasn't hungry. He had so many emotions to feed on, it was unbelievable. He gave me some," she admitted guiltily.

Ajax said nothing.

"Look, you have a lot of soldiers under your command right? Why don't we go meet him there, and help him out? After all, all he's doing is in out best interests," she said.

Before Ajax could respond, a messenger opened the door. "General Ajax, the queen requests your presence. Be at the throne room in three hours," they said, before closing the door again.

Ajax sighed. "Look sis, I'll think about it. But no promises," he said.

Vertigo pouted, but didn't protest as her brother left.

*  *  *  *  * *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Phasmi returned to her quarters. Silicon was waiting for her. "How did it go?" he asked.

Phasmi sighed. "Not well. Reaper's changed. He's not the same,"

"Exile will do that to anyling, I imagine," he replied.

Phasmi nodded.

Silicon moved closer to her. "Look, I know things haven't been great since the invasion failed. But things will get better, okay? I promise," he said, holding her tight.

Phasmi rested against him, happy to have someling to care about.

Chapter 3 - A Royal Audience

Chapter 3

A Royal Audience

Twilight and the others entered the Throne Room. The train ride had been short and uneventful. Everypony had one question on their minds - what did Celestia want that required all of them? A few had guesses, but nopony was fully sure.

Celestia stood staring out the window. She turned to Twilight and smiled. "Twilight. I'm glad to see you got my letter,"

Twilight nodded. "I got everypony and we all came as fast as we could," she said.

Celestia's face slightly darkened. "Where is your changeling friend? Reaper, correct?"

Willus nodded. "Yes, your highness. Reaper left a few days ago, we don't know where. He said he had personal matters to attend to,"

Celestia nodded. "A shame. His counsel would have been invaluable now," she said.

"But, your highness, we still don't know why you brought us here!" Rarity said.

Celestia nodded. "I suppose it is time I told you," she said. She began pacing.

"Ever since the Canterlot Invasion, as you are aware, we have been on high alert. The changelings could attack at any time. To be honest, the only reason your friend Reaper wasn't immediately detained and interrogated was because I trusted your judgement," she said. The ponies present felt a little uncomfortable.

"Nevertheless, we haven't been 100% effective. As you know, we captured a changeling spy a while back. Perhaps a month or two ago. They died later, unfortunately, but we now know where the hive is located. That is where you come in,"

"Princess, what is it you need us to do?" Shamrock asked.

Celestia sighed. "War with the changelings is closer to us than it ever has been. I can't afford that. War is a terrible, unnatural thing. Equestria hasn't had a war since before Luna became Nightmare Moon. I have done everything in my power to ensure that war never happens again - at the very least, not with Equestria. Twilight, there are no winners in war. The only victor is Death. However, the Queen has decided that war is the only option. I don't know what she wants, or why she's doing this, but I do not want to be forced into a war. Although it's true that no formal declaration has been made, the signs are obvious. Some of my more zealous advisors believe that we are already at war. I don't believe them, but I do believe that this war is coming. I have no intentions to start it, but if need be, I will end it. So, I shall give Queen Chrysalis a chance. I am sending you to the Changeling Hive. I want you to convince her against this act. With any luck, you can prevent this war before it begins," she finished.

Twilight nodded. "You can count on us, Princess," she said.

Celestia smiled. "I knew I could, Twilight," she said. She suddenly took notice of Lightning Hawk. "Ah! You must be Lightning. Twilight has told me a lot about you," she said, winking.

Twilight blushed deeply, as did Lightning, causing Celestia to chuckle.

Shamrock gave Lightning a friendly punch. Lightning looked legitimately frightened. Shamrock shrugged, and continued the conversation. "Your highness, where exactly is the Changeling Hive?" he asked.

Celestia stopped chuckling, once again taking her serious tone.

"The hive is close to one of our outlying towns. You may have heard of Appleloosa?"

Applejack gasped. "Appleloosa? But that's where cousin Braeburn lives!"

Celestia nodded. "I am sure your family will prove instrumental in this endeavor, Applejack. Now, go. The train is ready for you," she said.

Twilight nodded. "Understood, Princess," she said. And the group ran out the doors. Celestia sighed, and wondered what would happen next.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

"Your highness, I implore you!" the changeling said.

Chrysalis sat and sighed. "Ganglion, I have already made my decision. As much as it pains me, it's too dangerous to send you into the pony lands for medical supplies,"

Ganglion groaned. "My Queen, our race is dying left and right. You know just as well as I do that this hunger is going to drive us into extinction if we don't do anything about it!"

"Enough! Ganglion, I respect your opinion, but you are a doctor, not a strategist,"

Ganglion nodded, bowing. His carapace and eyes were crimson red, and his expression was cold and unfeeling. "Of course, your highness," he said. He turned to leave.

Chrysalis sighed. "We haven't had a real strategist since he was exiled," she mumbled to herself.

Ganglion walked out of the throne room, returning to his clinic. At the same time, two guards were bringing Reaper in.

The two guards roughly threw him to the ground. He got up, coughing, and smiled cruelly at Chrysalis.

"Hello, Chryssie. It's been a long, long time," he said.

Queen Chrysalis showed no emotion, and said nothing. She looked him over, sitting in her throne. Reaper smirked. "What? Too stunned by my presence to even say hello?"

Chrysalis got up, and walked in front of him. She looked him up and down. "Reaper..." she said.

Reaper said nothing, but continued upholding his arrogant attitude.

"Reaper, what happened?" she asked, expressing genuine concern.

"Well, after you left me to die, I lived. Or did you want a more complex answer? And when do I get my hat back?"

Chrysalis was sad and confused. "Reaper, why did you do it? Why did you try and take over?"

"You were doing a poor job, and I see you continue to live up to those expectations,"

Chrysalis said nothing, averting her eyes for a moment.

"Oh yes, I noticed. Did you think I wouldn't sense the despair in the air? The feeling of hopelessness? No, I can. And I know exactly why that is," Reaper continued.

Chrysalis spoke again. "I've tried, Reaper. But why? Why are you here now? What made you return?"

"It's simple, you denied me my right, and I've come to take it back!"

"Reaper, I wanted none of this!"

"Oh, I'm sure you say that now! Now that war and death are at your door!"

Chrysalis sighed. "Reaper, I'm not going to lie to you. You know that starvation is killing us. All of us,"

"Not me,"

Chrysalis shot him an angry glare, but kept her composure. "Reaper, please. I don't even care about what happened anymore. Our military is in shambles, just like the rest of our empire. We have no hope of winning this war. Reaper, we - I need you back!"

Reaper scoffed. "Of course not, Chryssie. You dug yourself into this grave, you should have guessed this would happen. I warned you, but NO! You HAD to listen to someling else, didn't you? And look where you are now! No, Chrysalis, the time for listening to me has long passed,"

"Reaper, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry. I honestly believed we could win. I didn't choose this!"

Reaper laughed once. "You chose this Chryssie, when you defied me! All of this is your doing!"

Chrysalis sighed. Silence filled the throne room for a moment. "So, what are you going to do then?"

"Simple. I'm going to kill you. And then I will take back what should be mine,"

Chrysalis nodded. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, Reaper. I really am," she said.

Suddenly, a guard rushed in. "Your highness! This...this...thing! It's broken in! It's rampaging through the hive! It's coming here!" he shouted.

"How close is it?" Chrysalis asked.

There was a deafening boom. A large chunk of wall next to the guard exploded. The guard was flung across the room and instantly knocked out. Smoke filled the area. A large, light blue light glowed through the dust. Two piercing light blue lights were above it. Chrysalis felt her body tighten with fear. Reaper smiled.

The smoke cleared, revealing Sputnik in combat mode. He was suspended by his spidery legs, and one of his cannons was drawn. In one claw, he held Reaper's things. With the other, he waved.

"Hi boss!"

All of Chrysalis' fear instantly disappeared. "What is that thing?"

Reaper ignored her. "Ah, Sputnik. Your timing is impeccable as always," he said.

Sputnik nodded happily.

"Well, Chryssie, it's been fun, but I'm afraid it's time for me to make my leave," he said. Sputnik gave him his hat, which he proudly returned to its rightful position.

Vertigo, Ajax, Silicon, and a few other changelings came running in. "Stop him!" Silicon shouted.

Reaper smirked, looking Vertigo dead in the eyes for a moment. "Sputnik, would you be so kind as to make an exit?"

"On it, boss!" he chimed. Sputnik's cannon hummed, and with a large blast, there was a new hole in the wall of the throne room. Sputnik's legs and cannon retracted, and he returned to his normal size. Outside was a steep drop, straight into the scrubby badlands that surrounded the hive. The sun was setting outside. Reaper grabbed him, before hovering outside the hole.

"Time to go. But believe me, we'll be seeing each other again. Very soon," he said mockingly.

And then he flew away.

Silicon raged. "My queen, may I lead a search party to find him?" he asked.

Chrysalis nodded, deep in thought. Silicon snorted, and turned to the nearest changeling. He had a yellow carapace and eyes. "Copperhead, you know  what I'm thinking, right?" he asked.

Copperhead grinned at the silver-plated changeling. "When don't I?"

The two generals ran off, and went to gather their soldiers.  As they exited, they bumped into Princess Phasmi. Silicon bumped into her, to be exact. "What's going on? What's happening?" she asked.

"Reaper's escaped. We're going after him," Copperhead said.

Phasmi shot Silicon a look. The silver-backed changeling sighed, before turning to his partner. "Copperhead, go on ahead. I'll catch up," he said. Copperhead nodded, and left.

The two looked at each other. "Silicon, let me go with you," Phasmi said.

Silicon shook his head. "No, no, that can't happen. You're royalty, and it's too dangerous,"

"Silicon, I need to do this. You know just as well as I do that Reaper's not going to stop until he gets what he wants,"

"So? Do you think you can just walk up to him and persuade him against it?"

Phasmi sighed. "No, it's just..." she paused. "I want - I have to believe that at least a little of the colt I fell in love with is still there," she said.

Silicon stared her straight in the eyes. He sighed. "Fine," he said. Phasmi smiled, and hugged him.

"Thank you," she said.

Meanwhile, Vertigo looked at Ajax pleadingly. Her brother thought a moment, then sighed. "Your highness, may I lead a different search party?"

"Why separate?"

"High General Silicon and I operate differently. It's better this way, believe me,"

"Mmhmm," she said absently. That was enough of a yes for them. Ajax and Vertigo left the room.

They traveled towards the barracks, at least the ones that were under Ajax's control. "Vertigo, why are you so set on following this guy?" Ajax asked.

Vertigo sighed. "Brother, you know how hard it's been. We've both been hungry. Really hungry. Reaper says he can feed us. He even fed me a bit. I wouldn't believe him, if he didn't show that he was capable of living up to his promises. You saw him. Couldn't you sense the huge amount of emotions he had? Or how healthy he was?"

Ajax indeed had detected these signs. Was Vertigo right? He sighed. His sister was no idiot. She could've made a great general herself, with the proper training. She could judge things well for herself, and he trusted her judgment.

"Fine," he said, as they entered the barracks.

All of the soldiers inside turned to them. "General!" One of them shouted, and they all stood at attention.

"At ease," Ajax said, looking at them. He looked them all over. "Is someling missing?" he asked.

One of the soldiers nodded. "Yes sir, Phobia. She died a few hours ago. Hunger, as usual," the soldier said.

That was the last straw. The decision was made.

"Alright, listen up! What I'm about to say may sound crazy. As some of you may or may not know, the ex-high general Reaper recently returned. He was captured, but has already escaped. However, he offered us a chance. Reaper has discovered how to gather emotions consistently, and has offered to feed us. There is only one condition. We must help him in his mission of retribution, and help him accomplish his goals. I don't know about all of you, but I don't want to go hungry anymore. So, I'm going to help him. If you want to help me help him, that's up to you. It's been an honor leading all of you, but now, the decision is yours," he said.

There was a long pause as the soldiers absorbed the information. Finally, one spoke up. "Sir, we will never abandon you. You are the greatest leader we could ask for, and our loyalty is undying. Of course we will assist you," he said. The soldiers began to cheer. Vertigo smiled.

Ajax smiled too. "Good. Now let's go. It's a long walk to Tyrant's Gorge," he said.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *   *  *  *

Ganglion entered his clinic. As usual, he had many patients. A volunteer came up to him, a kind mare by the name of Phobos. She had lost her brother, Deimos, a few weeks ago. "Doctor! I'm so glad you're back, we have so many patients that need seeing!" she said.

Ganglion sighed. "Can't Ampulus handle it?" he asked.

Phobos flinched, averting her eyes. "Doctor Ganglion, I'm afraid Doctor Ampulus died a few moments ago," she said sadly.

Ganglion's expression was flat. He showed no reaction. "So, that makes me the last changeling doctor, doesn't it?"

Phobos nodded.

Ganglion sighed, annoyed. "Then we better get to work. There's a lot to do, and not enough time," he said, before entering the emergency room - a room of decay, death, and sorrow.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Chrysalis was left alone, and she sighed.

The past few weeks had been stressful. Hunger had proven to be the greatest threat the changelings had ever faced. Chrysalis herself hadn't dealt with it too much, but that was only because she was royalty. Although she herself didn't believe it, her subjects considered her above them, like a goddess. They made sure she was fed.

But at what cost?

The death toll was higher than ever. Most of it was due to hunger, some to suicide. Some changelings just couldn't handle the card that fate had dealt them. Chrysalis sighed. She levitated over a picture frame. In the frame was a picture of herself, Phasmi, and Reaper. All were smiling. She sighed sadly as she remembered the old days. The good days.

She sighed, and began to sing sadly. (link)

Chrysalis: I dreamed a dream in time gone by,

When hope was high and life worth living.

I dreamed that love would never die,

I dreamed that fate would be forgiving.

Then I was young and unafraid.

Then dreams were made and used and wasted.

There was no ransom to be paid.

No song unsung, no wine untasted.

But, now hunger's come at last,

With a voice as soft as thunder,

As it tears our hope apart,

As it turns our dreams to shame.

He spent a summer at my side,

He filled my dear with endless wonder.

He took my daughter in his stride,

But he was gone when autumn came.

But still I dream he'll come to me,

That he will live the years beside her.

But there are dreams that cannot be,

And there are storms we cannot weather.

I had a dream my life would be

So different from this hell I'm living,

So different now from what it seemed!

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

Chrysalis stopped singing, staring out the hole left by Sputnik. She watched the sun set with tears streaming down her eyes.

Chapter 4 - Mild West

Chapter 4

Mild West

The train arrived in Appleloosa the next morning. Most everypony had slept on the ride over. Groggy eyes and loud yawns greeted the sun as it peeked over the horizon.

As the train skidded to a stop, everypony grabbed their bags. Everypony was tired, a few were stressed. They got off onto the platform, and made their way towards the exit. Applejack sighed. "C'mon, everypony. Let's go find Braeburn. Maybe he can help us," she said.

Nopony objected to that course of action.

Rarity stood at the edge of the steps, looking down. Dirt. Her greatest enemy. Call her a neat-freak, but Rarity hated dirt. Absolutely, totally hated it. The fact that it existed alone caused her to cringe in disgust. But, she was trying to change right? And colts liked dirt, and getting messy and filthy and disgusting, right? Right?

She sighed, before stepping in the dirt. She cringed as she felt it touch her hoof, tarnishing her. Alright, she would step in it, that didn't mean she had to enjoy it. Pinkie noticed her discomfort. She shrugged, turning to her own thoughts as she bounded along.

To the casual observer, nothing unusual could be spotted about Pinkie Pie's actions. She seemed as chipper as ever, and had a big smile on her face as she bounced along the road. But internally, Pinkie was the living definition of worry. She fretted about Reaper. Where was he? Was he alright? Why hadn't he sent any form of communication to them? Why didn't he tell them where he was going in the first place? What if he showed up in Ponyville and they weren't there?

Pinkie's worry continued to rise, with nopony noticed. She exhaled, not unhappily, so as not to draw attention. Nopony needed to know about her problems. After all, she was the moral support of the group, right? It was her job to make sure everypony else was happy. And if she was upset, how could anypony else be happy? No, for the sake of her friends, she had to stay happy.

No matter how much she really wasn't.

*  *  *  *  *  *  * *  *  * *  * *

Ganglion sighed, leaning back against the wall. Number thirty seven. That was the thrity seventh operation for the day. There was a knock at the door to the operation room. He groaned. "Yes, Phobos?" he asked.

"Doctor, it's an emergency! Someling's leg got crushed by falling rocks!" she shouted outside.

Ganglion grinned. Finally, he could treat something other than hunger and depression. Neither of those were really treatable, anyway. Not without food, at least. He removed his dirty apron, replacing it with a fresh, clean white lab coat. "Send him in!" he called out.

Phobos, the dear soul, came through the door. The patient was already on a mobile bed, which she pushed in. On of his forelimbs was crushed at the shoulder and upper limb. Bits of rock were embedded in parts of the exoskeleton.

"Hmm," Ganglion mumbled. "Phobos, go check if we have any new patients, and contact the family of this one. I'll be done shortly,"

Phobos nodded, before walking out.

The patient was groggy. "Doc? How bad is it?" he asked.

Ganglion looked at it. "Well, I won't lie. It's terrible. You're in fairly bad condition. How did this happen?" he asked.

The patient gulped, and coughed. "Construction accident," he said.

Ganglion just went "Hm," before levitating a bone saw. He grabbed a pair of goggles, and positioned them over his eyes.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to amputate it," he said.

The patient practically jumped. Luckily, Phobos was smart enough to have restrained him sufficiently. "Wait what?" he asked, once he calmed to an extent.

Ganglion nodded, levitating a rag into the patient's mouth. "You may want to bite this,"

The patient's eyes filled with fear. "Whuh abouth anethteticth?" he asked, his voice slurred by the rag.

Ganglion shrugged. "Hard times, friend. No anesthetic left," he said, before lining up the saw.

Phobos jumped at the screams coming from the operation room. Her ears fell as she realized what was happening. She sighed, levitating a pair of earmuffs she kept for situations like these. As she placed them on her head, the screaming was gone.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The group arrived at Braeburn's ranch at about noon. Normally it would not have taken so long, but spending so long on a train with no stops meant that everypony needed a bathroom break, and they had also stopped for breakfast. Applejack knocked on the door to Braeburn's house.

The light yellow colt opened the door. He immediately beamed upon recognition of the ponies outside his house. "AJ! Hey, cuz!" he said, embracing Applejack.

"Hey, Braeburn," Applejack replied, smiling. He then took notice of the rest of the mane 6.

"You brought your friends! Hey, ya'll!" he said.

Twilight and the rest smiled and waved. Braeburn then took notice of Lightning, Shamrock, Willus, and Derpy. "Ah'm afraid Ah don't recognize you folk. Ya'll friends of AJ's?" he asked.

They all nodded, Willus a little more vigorously than the rest.

"Ah see. Well, welcome to Appleloosa!" he said.

"Thank you," Shamrock said. "No, could you be so kind as to direct me to the nearest saloon? Out long ride has me thirstier than a....." he paused.

Derpy looked at him expectantly. He shrugged. "I got nothing. I'm thirsty, that' s my point,"

Braeburn chuckled. "Of course, partner! Just head into town and take a left. Ya can't miss it!" he said.

Shamrock thanked him, before leaving to go find the saloon. "You know what? I'm thirsty too," Derpy said, before following him.

There was a slight pause. Then, Fluttershy leaned close to Braeburn and whispered, "They don't happen to sell hard cider there, do they?" she asked.

Braeburn looked surprised at that, looking Fluttershy up and down in shock. Then he smiled, and nodded. Fluttershy let out a quiet, "Thank you," before following after Shamrock and Derpy.

After they left, Braeburn led them inside. As everypony walked in, he pulled Applejack to the side. "Hey cuz, Ah just wanted to say sorry 'bout Granny. Ah hope she gets better," he said.

Applejack smiled weakly in appreciation. "Thanks cuz. It means a lot to hear you say that," she said.

Braeburn smiled, before turning to Twilight Sparkle. "So, what brings ya'll here anyway?" he asked.

Twilight sat down, sighing. She noticed that she got tired more easily than usual. She took a deep breath, before speaking. "Princess Celestia sent us. We're just stopping by, as we're on a very important assignment," she said.

"Oh really? How important?"

"Fate-of-Equestria important!" Twilight said.

"So, the usual," Rainbow added.

Braeburn chuckled, especially at the glare Twilight gave Rainbow for interrupting.

"Anyway, I'm sure you remember hearing about the fact that the Changeling Hive's location was revealed? More importantly, that it's only a few hours' walking distance from here," she continued.

Braeburn nodded. "Yeah, folks got real on edge after we got the papers for that. Lucky for us, nothin's happened yet," he said.

"That's odd," Willus noted. "You'd expect a species on the verge of war to at least do a little reconnaissance. Why has none been reported?"

"Maybe they're just that good," Lightning suggested.

"Or maybe there's something we don't know about," Rarity added.

"We won't get anywhere by making conspiracy theories!" Twilight interjected. She took another deep breath, before continuing. "Anyway, Princess Celestia sent us here to see if we can discuss a peace treaty with the Queen. But to do that, we need to get to the hive first," she said.

Braeburn nodded. "Well, Ah can't help ya," he said.

Everypony's heart sunk. "But Ah know who can," he finished. "Go into town, and find Sheriff Silverstar. He knows where the changelings are, and he can give you some pointers as to how to find them," he said.

Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Braeburn. Everypony, stay here and rest up. I'm going to go find this sheriff and get some directions," she said, before heading towards the door.

"Woah woah woah," Lightning called out, causing her to stop. "You're crazy if you think I'm letting you go alone," he said.

Twilight blushed. "Lightning, I won't be gone long," she said.

"So? We're a team, Twilight! I can't just let you go off on your own in a dangerous place!"

"Actually, Appleloosa is incredibly sa-"Applejack was cut off by Rarity.

"Ssh! I want to see what happens," she said.

Twilight sighed. "Fine, Lightning. Let's go," Lightning Hawk beamed before following her outside.

The rest of the group relaxed. Applejack got up. "Ah'm gonna get some fresh air," she said.

She stepped outside. There was a long pause as everypony rested their hooves in anticipation of the long trek ahead. Finally, Willus broke the silence. "I need some air too," he said, before rushing outside after Applejack.

Applejack sat on a porch, looking out over the desert. She had the katana Reaper had given her, and was absently twirling it slowly with her hooves. Willus sat down next to her. "Something on your mind?" He asked.

Applejacks sighed. "It's Granny Smith. She's been real sick for a while now, and it's got me worried," she said.

"How sick?"

"She coughs every night. Ah can hardly sleep at night, it's so loud. She's getting weaker and weaker. The doctor's not sure if she'll be alright,"

Willus nodded. "That's tough," he said.

She nodded back. There was a moment of silence. "Look, AJ, if you ever need somepony to talk to, I'm here for you," Willus continued. Applejack looked at him and smiled. She set aside the katana, before hugging him close to her with one arm. He returned the gesture, as they looked out over the scorching plain.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Fluttershy slammed the door to the saloon open, alerting everything inside to her arrival. Everyone turned to look at her. She stood heroically, but just for a moment. She immediately returned to her timid state. "Sorry, too loud?" she managed to force out. Shamrock and Derpy appeared behind her, the former rolling his eyes. There was a murmur for a moment, and the crowd inside the bar returned to their respective business.

The three made their way to the counter. "Two waters, please," Shamrock asked the bartender. "And one hard cider, also, please," Fluttershy added. The bartender gave her a strange look, surprised. But he said nothing, and with a grunt left to go retrieve their drinks.

The trio sat, and Shamrock looked around the bar. It was small, mostly wooden and humble. Most of the customers were cowponies. Except for one group, at the far end of the bar. Sipping on some hard ciders was a small troupe of Minotaurs. They were all dressed in armor, and were heavily armed. One stood out. His armor was gold, and he wore a helmet. He also had a simple red cape the flowed behind him. While the others drank, he simply sat, sitting. Shamrock couldn't help but feel oddly familiar with this minotaur.

The minotaur noticed, before huffing. The simple, quiet action was enough to get the attention of his subordinates. He rose, and they followed. The bartender returned, before eyeing the minotaurs warily. The golden armored one brushed past Shamrock. "Stay out of our way, ponies. We have a job to do," he said in a tone that didn't sound threatening - which only made it more intimidating.

Shamrock glared at the minotaurs as they left the saloon. Derpy huffed. "What's their problem?" she asked.

Shamrock didn't answer, absently grabbing his drink with his magic, trying to remember the golden minotaur.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * *  *  *  *

Twilight and Lightning walked through Appleloosa. "So, you okay?" Lightning asked.

Twilight was lost in thought. She hardly noticed him, thinking. What was she going to do? Now that she was pregnant, that changed everything! What would Celestia say? What would her friends say? What would Lightning say? What if he left her? What if he didn't want to be a father? What if he disappeared overnight and she had to raise the foal all on her own?

"Uh, Twilight?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she suddenly responded, snapping out of her train of thought.

"You okay, Twi'? You've been really out of it lately,"

"Oh, I'm fine, Lightning. Thanks,"

Lightning Hawk eyed her. "Well, if you ever need to talk or anything, I'm here for you," he said.

"Hmm," Twilight replied, once again getting lost in thought.

They walked on for a little longer, silence passing over them. Finally, Lightning extended one of his wings, and hugged her. Twilight smiled at him, for a moment, some of her worries slightly abated. They kept on walking, until they reached the Sherriff's office. Twilight broke from the light embrace, and the pair walked inside.

A colt with a noticeable mustache wearing a Stetson sat behind the counter. "Sherriff Silverstar?" Twilight asked.

The Sherriff looked up at her. "Twilight? What brings you to our little sandpile, little lady?" He asked. "And who's this fine gentlecolt you bring with you?"

Twilight blushed. "Oh, this is my coltfriend, Lightning Hawk,"

Lightning waved. Silverstar winked. "You're a lucky guy, Lightning," he said.

Lightning nodded. "I sure am!"

Twilight decided to return the conversation to it's desired outcome. "Sherriff, we were sent here on a mission. Do you have directions to the changeling hive?" she asked.

Sherriff Silverstar's expression darkened. "The Hive? So war really is going to happen, ain't it?"

Twilight nodded. "Unless we can stop it. Princess Celestia wants a peaceful solution, so she's sending us,"

Silverstar nodded. "Well, it's not too far from here. Less than a day's walk. But be careful. There's treacherous terrain between here and there, and Tyrant's Gorge is something you'll have to go around completely," he said.

Twilight rose an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked.

Silverstar was quiet. "It's a bad place. Let's leave it at that," he said.

Twilight nodded. "Well, thank you," she said.

"Would you like some water before you go?" he asked.

Twilight nodded. "Sure, that'd be great," she replied. He placed a glass of water on the desk. Twilight levitated it. Or tried to at least. The glass was unnaturally heavy. With great effort, Twilight lifted it an inch. She was sweating profusely by the second inch. Panting, she dropped it. "Are you sure that's water?" she asked.

Lightning lifted the glass. "Yeah, just ordinary water. You okay Twilight?" he asked.

Twilight began to worry. "I-I'm fine. Let's go," she said, getting up abruptly.

Lightning shrugged, but seemed a little distressed.

The pair left the building, returning to Braeburn's house.

*  * *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * *

Reaper stopped running, panting. Sputnik stopped next to him, also wheezing mechanically. "So boss, how ya been?" he asked.

Reaper chuckled. "I've been just fine, Sputnik. I see my orders were followed to the letter,"

"Yup! Wait exactly eighteen hours, then find you! Just like a game of hide-and-seek!"

Reaper nodded. "Yes, just like a game of hide-and-seek. Congratulations, Sputnik, you won,"

Sputnik leapt for joy, cheering. "So now what, boss?"

Reaper sat down and sighed. "Well, we really should get to Tyrant's Gorge. I've worked my magic, and we should have a few allies at this point. That said, I'm sure Chryssie has the army hot on our tails,"

"So should we get going?"

Reaper shrugged, leaning against a scraggy tree in the desert. "Well, they're probably scrambling around, both sides trying to get organized. The way I see it, we have about a half hour to rest,"

"Okay!" Sputnik chimed, plopping down. "Also, I found a really cool surprise for you boss!"

"Oh? What is it?"

"I can't say! Then it wouldn't be a surprise!"

Reaper rolled his eyes. He levitated a book, the journal of that pony. Well, as long as they were waiting, he may as well do something productive. He opened the first page.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The Journal of Sickle Star

January 5th, 991st Year of Celestia's Reign

My comrades and I have found a bunker in the Everfree Forest. It is old, and seemingly infested with vermin, but it will serve our purpose well.

We have found the remains of a cat nearby. Our research into necromancy suggests that for our experiment to work, it must still have tissue. I can only hope we can fabricate a new body for it before the process of decay sets in.

Food provisions are at a sustainable level, and morale is high. It is likely that with this new weapon, we can finally topple Celestia's regime, and persuade her to a new, socialist regime.

I can only hope.

*  *  *  *  * *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

January 20th, 991st Year of Celestia's Reign

We have begun fabrication of the robotic shell our weapon will inhabit. We have also used the rats in our compound to our advantage, killing a few and using their corpses as test-models for our ultimate weapon. The tests have proven difficult. The Necromancer has been able to resurrect the robotic vermin, but not for much longer than twenty minutes. He says that it may be necessary to harvest a living brain from something sentient for our weapon to work.

I look at my comrades, and I know that they would all gladly give themselves to the Cause. I pray it will not come to that.

*  *  *  *  *  * *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * *

February 17th, 991st Year of Celestia's Reign

Something extraordinary happened today. Today, my longtime colleague, Hammer Hooves, arrived. He had been in the west, exploring. He sympathizes with our cause, and offered assistance. Not only that, but he provided the missing piece of the puzzle - a sentient being with a brain ready to donate. And alive, at that!

The being is a changeling nymph. I had never known they even existed, although I had heard stories from travelers in the west for many years. A few griffons and minotaurs I've spoken to have also been familiar with the beasts. All have agreed that they are vermin - sentient vermin, but vermin nonetheless. I have no regrets for the procedure it will soon be placed under.

The thing calls itself "Marauder." A fitting name, for one whose sole purpose is to bring misery and despair. It whines and cries continuously. I am looking forward to finally ending its misery under the needle.

The robotic chassis has been completed. Our fears that we would require organic tissue were slightly unfounded. The flesh and skin have all decayed away, but it would seem that the skeletal system is sufficient for the project. We have codenamed the creation, "Sputnik."

Of course, this is just an experiment. A proof of concept. We have found something powerful, and if we can achieve the desired results, not even Discord himself could stop us.

An new day is on the horizon.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Reaper paused. Marauder? Why did that name sound so familiar? Reaper tried to figure it out, but couldn't. He had to admit, he was surprised at the fact that technically, Sputnik was a changeling. Well, sort of. He kept reading, his curiosity forcing him to dive deeper into the rabbit hole.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

February 19th, 991st Year of Celestia's Rule

What have we done? This thing - no, this abomination! It's come to life. It's worked beautifully. Horrifically beautifully.

The changeling was dealt with easily enough. A bit of anesthetic, and we were able to remove the brain without incident. We transmutated the brain matter into a form that would be compatible with Sputnik. We wired it, and powered it up.

At first, Sputnik worked like a charm. It followed our directions, and hunted down vermin with alarming efficiency. We all had hope. We had programmed it to be the perfect killing machine.

What fools we were.

Today, it turned against us. Hammer Hooves was the first to go. The Necromancer followed soon after. None of my comrades remain. I am all that is left. Luckily, I was able to disconnect it's main calibration chip. But I am mortally wounded. I will not survive the night.

Let me pray, that if others find this manuscript, and what we have done here, that they put caution before audacity and see that it meets no other eye.

Celestia have mercy on my soul.

*  *  * *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The rest of the pages were blank, save a few bloodstains here and there. Reaper huffed. Not surprising. Wasn't it known that one should not mess with death? Messing with death never ended well. No wonder Sputnik had turned against his creators. He himself had seen the destructive capabilities of the cat-bot on more than one occasion.

But he was still bothered by the name. Marauder. Who was it? He recognized it from somewhere, but he still couldn't figure it out. It was really bothering him. "Sputnik?" He asked. "Does the name Marauder mean anything to you?" he asked.

Sputnik shrugged. "Can't say it does, boss," he said, before resuming picking flowers.

Reaper grunted in acknowledgement, trying to solve the riddle. Then it hit him like an angry Rainbow Dash.

He remembered. Marauder was his twin brother. Long ago, when they were but nymphs, he had disappeared. He had never been found.

Reaper eventually forgot about him, but now his fate had been revealed.

Which meant that therefore....

Reaper couldn't believe it, but that meant that Sputnik was his brother.

Chapter 5 - Hunters and Hunted

Chapter 5

Hunters and Hunted

The group of ponies met at the outskirts of town. The group had everything they needed for travel. They stared out at the desert, ready to plunge headfirst into the direction of the changeling hive. None of them knew what awaited there. Some were scared. Some were excited. And some just wanted the whole ordeal overwith.

A deep sigh escaped from Shamrock. "Well, I suppose we should get going,"

Pinkie leapt for joy. "Yay! I'm so excited! I love desserts! They're so sweet!"

Rarity gave Pinkie a look. "Pinkie, that's desserts, not deserts," she said.

Pinkie just smiled. "I know!"

Rarity groaned, and the group was on their way.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

"On second thought, I don't love deserts," Pinkie panted, sweating under the hot sun.

They had been walking for an hour. Already, they were all exhausted. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Hawk had flown early on in the trek, in an effort to spare their hooves the pain, but the heat eventually got to them. They now used one wing as shade, and the other to fan themselves.

"So, Twilight, you're the navigator. How much longer til we get there?" Lightning asked.

Twilight looked at the map she had, pulling it out of her bag with her hooves. She had forgotten how clumsy it was to use hooves, she had been so used to using magic. She had tried to levitate the map earlier, failed, gave up, and put it away. Her memory was photographic anyways, so she didn't need the map too often.

Pulling it out, she analyzed it for a brief moment, getting her bearings. "It should be at least another hour's walk, everypony. I suggest we find some shade and get some rest," she said.

"That shouldn't be too hard," Willus said. And he was right. Their travels had brought them in front of a large patch of trees in the desert. A few scraggy bushes obscured the inside of the pocket forest, making it seem dark and foreboding. A sigh of relief passed through the group.

"Well, let's go inside, then!" Applejack said.

As the group rested in the shade, they heard the sound of leaves rustling. All heads turned towards the source of the sound. They were surprised by what they saw.

It was the minotaur squad that Shamrock had seen at the bar back in town. The soldiers filed out of the bushes, when the golden armored captain followed after them. His red cape billowed in the light breeze, his tan coat slightly swaying in rhythm with it. He noticed them immediately, specifically Shamrock.

"You! Ponies, I thought I told you not to follow us!" he said in a booming voice.

Lightning immediately flew up in front of the titanic minotaur's face, with no regard for his own safety. "Told us? We don't even know you!"

The minotaur huffed, pushing Lightning away. The golden Pegasus hovered back behind his friends. The minotaur looked directly at Shamrock, and glared a soul-piercing glare.

"We warned this one. He and I know each other very well," he said.

Shamrock's eyes widened, as all the ponies turned to look at him. He was suddenly hit with a wave of recognition. "You? It-it can't be!"

"Oh, but it is, Shamrock. You've come quite a ways, haven't you? From murder and theft to...whatever this is,"

Derpy pulled Shamrock away. "Shamrock," she said. "Who is this minotaur?"

Shamrock gulped, as the two looked into each other's eyes. "Remember all the terrible things I did during my stay in Minos? This minotaur is the leading soldier who investigated my crimes," he said.

The minotaur nodded. "Indeed. Shamrock eluded capture longer than any other criminal I have ever had the pleasure of hunting. In a strange way, he has my respect for that. But you are still a criminal. Were we not in Equestria, and at high risk of causing a diplomatic situation, I'd have killed you myself by now,"

Shamrock glared back at him. "What are you doing here? If you're not after me, then what?"

The minotaurs under the officer's command shuffled uneasily. He raised his right hand, causing them to calm slightly. "If any other being were to have asked me that question, I would have gutted them on the spot," he said, walking up to Shamrock, his intimidating frame shadowing the colt. Shamrock held his ground and showed no emotion, but was terrified nonetheless.

"But you are not any other being, Shamrock. And out of respect to you, I will tell you exactly what we are going to do. Because there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop us,"

The minotaur leaned back, walking away from Shamrock. "We are here on a simple mission. I should thank you ponies, really. Without you, this would have been impossible," he said in a booming voice, his velvet red cape billowing in the wind. "The changelings are vermin. They have infested our kingdom before, and they will only continue to infest other kingdoms as time goes on. Some say that we should ignore them, others that we should find out what they want. I say we should do to them what we do to all other things that dare oppose us - destroy them, without hesitation, prejudice, or mercy,"

A gasp rang out from all the ponies. "That, is what we are here to do," the minotaur said.

"But...but...that's genocide!" Twilight shouted.

"Foolish unicorn, 'genocide' implies we are killing things that matter. Things that have rights, or even count as beings. They are vermin, completely and utterly. This is no more genocide than to rid a house of rats or cockroaches,"

"Of course it's genocide! You may have nothing good to say about changelings, but we do! And we have every right not to! Why, if Reaper were here..."Twilight trailed off.

"Indeed, what Twilight says is true. Changelings may not be perfect, but they are no different than you or I," Willus added.

The golden-clad minotaur snorted. "Idiots. I expected nothing less. I will not let you stop our crusade. And I, Thunder Horn, will ensure the victory of our party over any adversity,"

Before any further retorts could be said, the minotaurs drew their weapons. The ponies all took a defensive stance, when they were interrupted by the sound of something crashing through the bush. Everyone turned.

Reaper picked himself up off the ground, panting, placing his top hat back on his head.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Earlier....

Reaper shuddered, coming to full realization with the horrid revelation. Sputnik was his brother. His flesh and blood. Well, not flesh and blood, more bone and metal. But still - deep in that moronic head was the soul of a brother he had practically forgotten he had.

He couldn't believe it. Was it really true? He felt as though he were in a dream, it was all so surreal. Reaper struggled to come to grips with the new fact. This changed everything didn't it? Every horrid threat he yelled at the robot...was directed at his own brother. Reaper knew he had to change. He would have to be kinder, to at least try to be a bit more understanding.

Understanding.

For a moment, Reaper understood. He understood why Sputnik acted the way he did. He wasn't stupid - he was just young. Probably barely two years old. Reaper could hardly imagine it. To be trapped as a grub forever. It seemed a fate worse than death. Then again, ignorance, he supposed, was bliss. Sputnik had no idea.

Reaper decided that he would continue referring to him as Sputnik. To suddenly call him "Maurauder," would be weird. Sputnik probably had no idea about his name, or origin in any case. Reaper sighed. This was all too much. He would have to think about it more later. For now, the time for rest was over. "Come, Sputnik. We better get moving," he said.

Sputnik saluted. "Sure thing, Boss!" he said. The pair of them got up, when Reaper heard crashes in the bushes behind him. "I think they went this way," he heard a voice yell.

"Damnit all," Reaper muttered.

They had found him.

Suddenly, a changeling burst through the brush. He saw Reaper, and for half a moment, their eyes locked. Finally, the silence was broken.

"He's here!"

Reaper hissed, blasting the changeling with magic. He grabbed Regicide, and began to run. "Sputnik! It's time we made our leave!"

Sputnik nodded, following his master faithfully. Then he stopped. "Boss! My big surprise is right nearby! I'm gonna get it!"

Reaper turned and looked at him. "Sputnik, now is really not the ti-"

But Sputnik had already disappeared.

Reaper groaned. Why did he even bother? He stole one last glance behind, to see the oncoming horde of changelings, before running into the brush.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Even Earlier....

Phasmi, Silicon, and Copperhead walked side by side. A regiment of changeling soldiers marched behind them, keeping a keen eye out for their quarry. "Princess, you really shouldn't be here," Silicon said.

Phasmi huffed. "Silicon, you know very well that I have every right to be out here,"

"Your mother will not be pleased when she discovers that you came without her accord, you know," he said.

Phasmi rolled her eyes. "And what will she do? Scold me?" she chuckled.

Silicon chuckled a bit, too. That's when Copperhead spoke up.

"High General, what are we going to do when we find Reaper? Do you want us to take him alive?" he asked.

Truthfully, Silicon would rather have the treacherous changeling killed. He seemed much more trouble than he was worth. But one look at Phasmi's face stopped him cold. "Yes, Copper. Take him alive, I don't believe we're quite through with him," he said.

"Very well, sir," Copperhead replied, before going to relay the information to the others.

The Princess and High General walked silently for a moment, before Copperhead returned to their sides. "So, Silicon, what exactly are we gonna do to the slimy maggot once we get ahold of him?"

Silicon thought for a moment, choosing to ignore the slightly hurt expression that took hold of Phasmi's face.

"Our first priority is his capture. I don't know why, but the Queen wants him. However, she never stated what condition he had to be in," Silicon added cruelly.

Copperhead nodded. "Sil, buddy, I like the way you think!"

Copperhead punched the High General playfully in the shoulder, causing a slight smile to appear. The two friends shared a chuckle. Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"He's here!" they shouted.

All heads turned in the direction of the shout. Soldiers drew their swords, ready for battle. Copperhead drew his sword, running forward. "Well, don't just stand there, you morons! Let's get this worm!"

Before Silicon could offer a single word of protest, Copperhead and a large amount of the soldiers had disappeared into the brush. Silicon and Phasmi sighed, before joining into the chase.

"Let the games begin," Silicon muttered.

*  * *  *   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Now...

A moment of stunned silence fell over everybody present. Eyes shifted from the minotaurs, to Reaper, to the ponies, and back to the minotaurs. Finally, Twilight broke the silence. "Reaper?!" she asked, stunned.

"Twilight?" Reaper asked, equally shocked.

"Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie shouted, garnering a few facehoofs.

"Reaper, what are you doing here?" Willus asked. Before Reaper could answer, a yell broke out from the minotaur ranks.

"Changeling!" the voice shouted, the soldier behind the voice pointing at Reaper. Reaper's eyes widened, and his wings buzzed as he darted past his friends.

Thunder Horn roared. "Kill it! And kill the pony conspirators as well!"

The ponies were torn. Half of them wanted to take after Reaper and get to the bottom of the whole situation, while the other half wanted to stay and fight. In the end, once the minotaurs brandished their long spears, the group unanimously chose the option to flee. They all ran off after Reaper when something unexpected happened.

Out of the brush burst a large group of changelings. Reaper stopped dead in his tracks, looking back at them. "Ah, damnit," he muttered in frustration. "Can't a revolutionary escape in peace?"

Copperhead caught sight of Reaper. "I see the traitor! On him!"

Chaos ensued as soon as the minotaurs saw the changelings. Thunder Horn snorted. "Kill all the vermin! Leave no survivors," he ordered. The minotaurs charged forward, intercepting the changeling soldiers. Most were able to fly out of the way before they were hit, but some were not so lucky. A few soldiers speared the soldiers, impaling them with the tips of their weapons. The changelings that did not die instantly were scraped off the spears by the minotaurs, and promptly had their heads crushed by their great hooves.

The rest of the soldiers were fueled with rage by the loss of their compatriots. Copperhead barked orders, but in their anger the changelings hardly noticed. They charged forward, intercepting the minotaurs. The changelings hovered, trying to use their flight to their advantage in combat. Copperhead gave up on trying to coordinate the combat, trusting his soldiers' instincts. Reaper grinned in malicious joy, ignoring the looks a few ponies gave him. He could hear them now.

On queue, another group of changelings burst through the brush, led by Ajax and Vertigo. Reaper's wings buzzed as he lifted off the ground. "Ah, just as planned," he said. The ponies looked on as the new changelings appeared. As the second regiment charged forward, Ajax and Vertigo approached reaper.

"Your highness," Vertigo said, bowing before Reaper. "My brother and his forces are prepared to sacrifice themselves in your name. You are truly the rightful king!" she said.

Reaper smiled, adjusting his hat. "I thank you for your noble service. I trust you can handle the rest of the situation?" he asked.

Vertigo looked back at what was happening. The minotaurs had gone on a rampage. The floor was littered with blood, bright blue from changelings and murky red from minotaurs. The group of ponies watched on in horror as the carnage unfolded. That's when two more figures arrived.

Silicon and Phasmi stopped in shock as they saw what was happening. Silicon drew his sword, pushing Phasmi back. "Get out of here. Run. As fast as you can," he said.

Phasmi was speechless, and only nodded.

And yet, despite all that had occurred, the surprises were not over yet. Everybody paused for just a brief moment when a loud noise was heard.

Thump.

Changeling, minotaur, and pony alike turned in the direction of the sound, with a mixture of fear and confusion.

Thump.

Trees rattled and the ground shook, as whatever made the noise drew near.

Thump.

Thump.

The final trees broke and bent out of the way, revealing the source of the noise. The titanic thing towered over them all, blotting out the sun. A deafening, screeching metallic roar pierced the air. It was huge. At least five times taller than any minotaur. It was something that all beings feared. It was one thing that always caused death and destruction wherever it was found.

It was a dragon.

Or rather, what was left of a dragon. It was a dragon's skeleton, to be precise. Augmented with metal. A massive engine contained in it's ribcage. Its eyes glowed blue. There was another roar, knocking over a few of those with weaker legs.

Reaper couldn't believe it. For the second time today, his mind had been blown.

Sputnik was controlling the dragon.

This must have been the ultimate weapon that Sickle Star referenced in his journal. Clearly, the machine had yet to have an artificial intelligence implemented. That must be how Sputnik was controlling it. For an idiot, Reaper was impressed by the little robot's improvisation.

Sputnik roared again, shattering eardrums. The minotaurs briefly ignored the changelings, ready to take on the larger threat. Vertigo stepped back, afraid. Reaper placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Fear not, Vertigo. It's on our side," he said. Vertigo grinned a bit, and Ajax adjusted his helmet. "Do you have orders, your highness?" he asked Reaper.

Reaper caught sight of Phasmi, who was walking away slowly. Silicon made sure she was in retreat before charging forth into the battle. A beautifully horrid idea hit Reaper's mind just then.

"Fall back, Ajax. You and all the soldiers," he said.

"What? Your highness, if we strike now, we can take out the Queen's primary forms of defense!"

"I am well aware of that, Ajax. Have you already forgotten my years of training and service as general?"

Ajax was taken aback. "N-no sir!"

"Good. Withdraw, and meet me at Tyrant's Gorge, as planned. Sputnik will cover our retreat, and I shall arrive shortly,"

"Would it not be better if we traveled in a body, sir?"

"Go. I will catch up in due time,"

Ajax wanted to press for more questions, but a changeling sailed past him, mortally wounded. Now was the time to go. He bowed. "Your words are my command," he said, before rallying his troops and disappearing with Vertigo into the brush. Reaper spread his wings, and buzzed into the brush in the direction that Phasmi had gone.

The ponies were dazed and confused. In all the chaos, they had been attacked by minotaur and changeling alike. They had fought back successfully, all making sure to use nonlethal force. Except for Twilight, who, although usually capable of holding her own, seemed unusually helpless in the battle at hand, trying hard to generate some sort of spell, but only managing to make her horn spark pathetically.

Magical blasts flew through the air, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Hawk literally flew through the air, Shamrock and Applejack fighting hoof to hoof, and Fluttershy was hiding. Pinkie Pie watched as Reaper flew away. "Wait! Reapy! Where are you going?"

Reaper paused for a moment, glancing back for a moment. Briefly, he almost seemed to show regret. But that expression was quickly replaced with one of determination and hate, and he disappeared into the brush.

"Pinkie, now is not the time to wor-" Rarity was cut off from finishing her sentence when Thunder Horn suddenly grabbed her from the group, covering her mouth with his hands. His golden armor was stained with blue blood, and he looked Shamrock dead in the eye.

"You killed a lot of minotaurs in our lands. It is only fitting I return the favor," he said. He drew a knife, and plunged it into Rarity's side.

Rarity's screams were muffled as blood began to flow from the wound, staining her white coat. Her eyes rolled over as she passed out immediately, and Thunder Horn dropped her immediately onto the ground. The ponies were shocked, unable to react. But they didn't need to.

During the whole ordeal, Sputnik had been fighting the minotaur soldiers all his own, and proved to be the only one effectively dealing with them. His bladed tail cut through them like butter, and his massive jaws tossed them about like rag dolls. He saw Rarity get stabbed, and suddenly felt something.

Anger.

The anger manifested itself as his light blue eyes flashed red for the briefest of an instant, and suddenly a fireball was expelled from his throat. The ball of flame almost missed Thunder Horn. Almost.

Although he was just grazed, the searing heat was enough to fuse the metal in the armor of his right arm to fuse with his flesh. He screamed in pain, clutching his arm in agony. "We are done for now! Retreat!" he ordered his soldiers. They did not retort. Sputnik saw that victory could be close - but he had orders. He turned as well, making his way towards Tyrant's Gorge.

As the minotaurs tried to escape, Copperhead had an idea. "They're in retreat! Get them!" he ordered.

Soldiers charged forward behind him, but stopped dead in there tracks when a massive minotaur grabbed the general by the throat. Copperhead struggled, but couldn't free himself by either physical or magical means. Silicon could only watch in horror as his best friend was impaled with a spear.

The minotaur dropped the body to the ground with a huff, before following Thunder Horn and the rest in retreat. Changelings no longer followed them.

The ponies looked over Rarity. "Is she okay?" Willus asked Fluttershy, who was determining the health of their friend.

"She's alive, and breathing normally. It's odd, really. The knife didn't even penetrate any organs. Why would a soldier use such an ineffective weapon?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter, just make sure she's okay," Rainbow Dash said. Fluttershy nodded, returning to tending for the white unicorn.

Meanwhile, Silicon rushed to the aid of his longtime colleague and friend. Copperhead coughed up blue blood as Silicon tried to sit him upright. "Copper? Cop, buddy, we're gonna get you out of here, you hear me? You're going to be just fine, just hold on!" Silicon shouted in a futile manner.

Copperhead flinched. "You don't have to shout, I'm right here," he managed to force out, coughing violently some more.

The ponies watched as the event played out, unsure of how to react or respond.

"Look, just stay awake, okay? You'll be fine, you'll be fine, you'll be-"

"Silicon....shut up," Copperhead said.

High General Silicon obliged. "Look.... I haven't got much time left. Just make sure...." he coughed violently again, bright blue fluid staining the ground. "Make sure...make sure that this gets finished....don't let the hive die...."

"Copperhead, don't go! We've been through it all, we'll make it through this too!"

Copperhead chuckled, wincing from the pain it caused. "Yeah, we sure have. I...I'm just gonna close my eyes for a second....take a little nap....wake me up....when there's something to eat...."

Copperhead coughed violently one more time, and then his body went lime. "Copper? Copper?" Silicon asked feebly, shaking the body in an effort to wake him up. It was no use.

General Copperhead was dead.

* *  * *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Phasmi panted, running through the bushes. She was horrified by what she had seen. Changelings, her subjects, slaughtered like rats. And then there was that thing. It was huge, and incredibly powerful! And Reaper was controlling it!

Then, she heard a twig snap.

She immediately turned around, trying to find the source of the noise. But nothing was around. She was all alone. For the first time in a long time, Phasmi feared for her life. Panting, she turned around.

"Hello, Princess," Reaper said, standing practically two inches in front of her.

Phasmi screamed, jumping back. Reaper merely advanced, drawing Regicide from its sheath. "What's wrong, dear? Did you not miss your old friend?" Reaper said the last few words as though they physically hurt to say, spitting them out like poison.

"Reaper, please! Don't-"

"Don't what? Kill you? You insult me. I won't kill you. I will make you suffer. Suffer like I did, and then and only then will I allow you to die,"

Phasmi couldn't take it anymore, and ran. She ran as fast as she could - not seeing a sudden drop. She fell down the ditch, causing a minor rockslide. She tried to get up again, but something stalled her. She looked down. Her hind legs had been pinned by rocks. She struggled, trying to get free. Then she heard the buzzing.

Phasmi looked up, and the last thing she saw was Regicide's hilt smashing into her forehead. Then it all went black.

As the changeling Princess fell over limply, now deeply unconscious, Reaper looked at the black sword he had taken. He frowned, looking at Phasmi. Her closed eyes seemed to be resting, as if she had no stress at all. Reaper levitated the rocks off of her legs, before picking her up himself. He balanced her on his back, before walking in the direction of Tyrant's Gorge.

Soon, she would awaken. And soon, she would wish she were dead.

Chapter 6 - Tyrant's Gorge

Chapter 6

Tyrant's Gorge

Red.

That was the only color Rarity could see. She began to panic. What was happening? Why was everything red? Where was she? What happened? Suddenly, a crack of blinding white bifurcated the redness.

"She's coming around,"

"Is she okay?"

Everything sounded muffled. She couldn't even identify the voices that were speaking. Slowly, things came into focus. She could see Fluttershy and Twilight looking down at her, worry in their face. What could have them so worked up?

A sharp pain in her lower abdomen immediately told her why. She yelped out, waking up fully. Everything came back to her in that moment.

The minotaurs. The battle. The blade.

The pain.

Rarity gasped out, everything coming into focus. Standing over her were Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Willus, all apparently relieved to see her awake. She tried to sit up, but Fluttershy immediately held her down.

"Don't sit, Rarity, we still haven't bandaged you yet,"

"What happened? How long was I out?" she asked.

"The minotaurs escaped, Reaper's disappeared, and I think one of the changelings died," Rainbow Dash said, catching her up to speed.

Fluttershy wrapped the cloth gauze around Rarity's torso, trying to apply pressure to the wound. "You should be fine," she said. "It's weird, really. The wound isn't even that bad,"

Rarity tried to stand up, slowly getting on her hooves. Already her strength was returning. "Well, at least I'll be able to make it to the hive now," she said.

In the past, Rarity would've given up at this moment. But now, something drove her onward. She wasn't quite sure what, but perhaps it was just her desire to change. She was tired of being the damsel in distress. It was time for her to show that she could press on, just as hard as Rainbow Dash or Applejack, or anypony else. She looked to her left, to see Twilight talking to a changeling with a silver carapace.

Well, not so much "talking" as "arguing."

"What do you think you're doing here?" the changeling demanded.

"We're on a peacemaking mission for your sake! We demand to see the Queen!"

"You will do no such thing! Because of you, good soldiers died here today!"

"Because of us? We only fought in self-defense, it's the minotaurs that killed your soldiers!"

The changeling grumbled. He would never admit it, but the mare was right. The ponies had no part in the slaughter, that was entirely the fault of the minotaurs. "And what? Just because of that, you think that gives you free reign to come lording yourself over us?"

"I'm not trying to lord myself over anypony or anyling, I just want to talk to the Queen!"

The changeling stopped. She had said "anyling." A simple thing, but it bothered him. She was a pony. There was no way she should know a word meant for changelings, right? That meant one of two things. Either she really did want to help the changelings, for whatever reason, or she was working with Reaper. There was no way for him to tell which, so he decided to play along.

"Very well. Your request is not demanding. We will take you to the queen," he said.

Twilight sighed in relief. "Thank you...uh..."

"Silicon," the High General replied.

"Thank you, Silicon. I am Twilight Sparkle,"

"Did I ask?"

Silicon walked away, returning to his soldiers. The carried corpses with them, and they all seemed as though they had just been through Tartarus. Twilight didn't blame him for his harsh demeanor. She returned to her friends, before noticing that she was incredibly tired. Walking just felt so difficult. She sat down, panting. Lightning walked over to her, casting a furtive glance at the changelings. "Twilight, are you okay?" he asked.

Twilight smiled at him. "Yeah, Lightning, I'm okay. Thanks for asking,"

"You know I don't believe that," he replied.

Twilight's smile disappeared. He continued talking. "I mean, first you couldn't use your magic in battle, and now you're having trouble walking. And let's not forget how you couldn't even pick up a glass of water back at the sheriff's office. What's going on?"

Twilight sighed. "It's nothing, Lightning, don't worry about it. Just stressed, is all," she said.

Lightning eyed her, not sure if he believed her. "All right, but if you ever need anything, just tell me, okay?"

Twilight nodded, and he left.

Silicon watched as his soldiers carried away the bodies. One approached him. "Sir, we won't be able to carry them back to the hive. We will have to bury them here," he said.

Silicon looked over the corpses, stained with bright neon blue blood. His face in stony expression, he replied to the soldier without turning. "Fine. If that is what is necessary, do it. What of Reaper?"

"We lost him, sir. We don't know where he went,"

At the sound of Reaper's name, Pinkie Pie perked up. "Reaper?" she asked.

The changelings turned to her. "What do you know of him? Do you know where he went?" Silicon asked.

Pinkie shook her head. "No, your guess is as good as mine. Why were those changelings fighting you guys? And why were you chasing him?" she asked.

Silicon thought for a moment. "Has Reaper never told you why he was exiled from the hive?" he asked.

Pinkie shook her head. "No, the most he's ever said was that he once was in charge of the military," she said.

Silicon chuckled. "Well, he didn't lie, so there's that," he said.

Pinkie was confused. Silicon cleared his throat. "Allow me to enlighten you," he said, before beginning to tell the story of Reaper and his exile.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Vertigo, Ajax, and the miniature army made their way into the gorge. The rocky formations were mostly in the shadows, with a few rays of dark orange light penetrating the darkness. It was odd for a location to have such poor lighting, especially at noon. Ajax pondered over why Reaper would choose such a location as his base.

It didn't take long to come up with an answer. About a decade ago, there had been a small rebellion against Chrysalis. These rebels had hidden in Tyrant's Gorge, taking advantage of the low light and uneven terrain. This had been the place of Reaper's greatest victory. He was placed as second in command when that occurred, and had to work for what was then the high general. The high general of the time was an old fool, and had deemed it a good strategy to send all of their forces in at once into the gorge. The rebels had been anticipating this, and attacked the main forces from higher altitudes. The high general was killed, and Reaper was forced to take charge.

He ordered a full retreat by flight, and the army escaped with only about two thirds of their forces. This time, Reaper made a new plan. A small group of soldiers were to travel along the bottom of the gorge, acting as decoys. Meanwhile, the rest of the army would cloak themselves and sneak up on the hidden soldiers in the walls of the canyon.

The plan worked flawlessly. The insurrection was quelled, and Reaper had acquired his new rank of High General.

Ajax had been quite young at the time of that battle, only a year old. He would hardly remember it if the story hadn't been told as much as it had. Reaper had always been theatric. It made sense, in a convoluted sort of way, that he would wage a war from the location that he started. That's probably what Reaper thought. That everything he had been through, all of the suffering and hate Ajax assumed he had endured, started here on that day in this gorge.

The force moved along the ground, when Reaper appeared. Behind his was the metal dragon that had saved them earlier. "Well, I think that went rather well, don't you?" he asked the group of soldiers.

The miniature army cheered, having suffered no casualties. All of the changeling losses had been on the side of the Queen's loyalists, and Reaper's revolutionaries had escaped mostly unscathed, save for a few wounds here and there.

Ajax and Vertigo bowed. "Your highness-"Ajax started before Reaper spoke.

"Your Highness! I do like the sound of that! King Reaper, lord of all changelings, savior of the hive!" Reaper interrupted, briefly lapsing into an egotistic monologue. "Or perhaps Emperor Reaper? It does have a certain refinement to it,"

"Your highness, I must ask," Ajax started again "Why did we retreat? We could've won the war before it started. We had the element of surprise," he said.

Reaper nodded. "Indeed, Ajax, what you say is true," he said.

"Then why retreat, sir?"

"Ajax, what you fail to realize is that I'd prefer if this revolution occurred with as little changeling blood spilled as possible. Those that need to die will die, but those who are merely mindless peons who simply follow orders do not have any reason to be killed. Not to mention, by retreating we have accomplished something far more valuable,"

"Which is?"

"Soon, panic will spread. The minotaurs will march on the hive, and kill those who oppose us for us. Then we will appear, saving the innocent lives within. Not to mention, we now have something very, very valuable. Hidden away in this gorge is a military compound, where we will make our base. Deep inside, we have a very special prisoner. Princess Phasmi!"

There was more cheering, as nobody bothered to ask where or how he had captured such an important figure. Vertigo spoke up. "So when shall we attack, my lord?"

Reaper was not paying attention, levitating something towards him. He placed the object, which was out of view, and placed it on the ground next to him.

"We attack tomorrow morning. We will take a tortoise formation, and march to the hive. Then we-"

"Uh, sir?"

"What?"

"What's the 'tortoise formation?'"

Reaper silently stared at the soldier who had spoke. He blinked.

"Excuse me?"

Silence rang through the army. One soldier coughed. "Well, yes sir. What's the tortoise formation?"

Reaper frowned, clearly angry. "Soldier, do you have no education in regards to basic combat formation?"

"Uh.....no?"

Reaper hissed. "How old are you?"

"Three, sir!"

Reaper blinked again.

"Ajax..."

"Y-Yes sir?"

"Are you aware," he began slowly, quietly. "That when someone needs an army, you supply them with adequate soldiers?"

"B-But sir-"

"You gave me schoolnymphs. Schoolnymphs, Ajax!"

"Sir, they have more heart than you give them credit!"

Reaper growled. "They are fit for maintenance, like all the other schoolnymphs! Not combat!"

"You saw how they fought, sir! They will do you well!"

Reaper sighed. "Very well. But..."

Reaper: I know that you're powers of retention

Are as dim as the light is inside.

But thick as you are,

Pay attention!

My words are a matter of pride.

It's clear from your vacant expressions

The lights are not all on upstairs.

But we're talking kings and successions,

Which means you can't be caught unawares!

So prepare for the chance of a lifetime!

Be prepared for sensational news!

A shiny new era

Is tiptoeing nearer!

Soldier: And where do we feature?

Reaper: Just listen to teacher!

I know it sounds sordid,

But you'll be rewarded

When at last I am given my dues!

And injustice deliciously squared!

Be prepared!

Cheering rang through the crowd. "Yeah, be prepared!" Vertigo shouted. "We'll be prepared! For what?"

"For the death of the Queen,"

"Is she sick?" A soldier called out.

"No, fool, we're going to kill her. And Phasmi too,"

More soldiers cheered. "Yeah, great idea! Who needs royalty?"

"No Queen! No King! La La La La La La!"

"Idiots! There will be a king!"

"Hey, but you said-"

"I will be king. Stick with me, and you'll never go hungry again!"

"Yeah!"

"Alright!"

"Long live the king!"

"Long live the king! Long live the king!"

Army: It's great that we'll soon be connected

With a king who'll be all-time adored!

Reaper: Of course, quid pro quo,

Your expected

To take certain duties on board.

The future is littered with prizes,

And though I'm the main addressee,

The point that I must emphasize is

You won't get a sniff without me!

So prepare for the coup of the century!

Be prepared for the murkiest scam!

Meticulous planning,

Tenacity spanning

Decades of denial

Is simply why I'll

Be king undisputed,

Respected, saluted,

And seen for the wonder I am!

Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared!

Be prepared!

All: Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared!

Be prepared!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

"And that's how it happened," Silicon finished.

By this point, all of the ponies had gathered around to hear the story. None of them truly knew why Reaper had been exiled, and now that they did, his secrecy was made obvious. He clearly had a perfect life at one time, and he threw it away. But that wasn't how he saw it. He thought that it had been taken for him. So when Silicon explained that Reaper was leading a revolutionary push fueled by his own lust for vengeance, they were only a little surprised.

"Well, I think it's obvious what we need to do now," Willus said. "Somepony has to find Reaper and get some sense into him!"

"Ah agree, this is something we gotta do," Applejack added.

Twilight shook her head. "The Princess sent us to make sure that a war doesn't start with ponies and changelings. I think we need to handle that first before anything else,"

Shamrock nodded in agreement. "Not to mention the threat of the minotaurs and Thunder Horn, which is probably much greater than Reaper," he said.

The disagreement between the ponies probably would've exploded into a larger debate, had Rarity not suddenly been washed with a feeling of intense weakness. Staggering, she slumped forward, her breathing labored.

"Rarity! What's happening?" Fluttershy exclaimed.

Rarity focused, trying to bring back her strength. As soon as the attack of her internal systems began, it ended, and she stood up. "I...I don't know. I just suddenly felt really weak,"

Silicon gestured to one particular soldier. "You. Scan the white unicorn," he said.

The soldier nodded. As his horn glowed, so did Rarity's entire body. The changeling's eyes widened.

The changeling cleared his throat. "Poison, sir. The minotaur must've been using a poison blade," he said.

Then it all clicked for Fluttershy. No wonder the blade itself had done minimal damage, that had been the intention all along! Thunder Horn didn't want Rarity to die quickly, he wanted her to die slowly and painfully, suffering so Shamrock could see what he had caused. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked.

The changeling nodded. "The poison is too severe to treat here. She has only a few hours to live. If you want her alive, we need to get her to the hive, to a doctor," he said.

"Well, you heard the guy! We need to get to the hive now!" Lightning Hawk said.

"You guys do that, we need to go have a chat with Reaper!" Rainbow Dash said, clearly quite upset about the whole situation.

Pinkie Pie nodded. "If we don't talk to Reapy, there's no telling what he'll do!" she said.

The changelings all visibly shuddered at the sound of the name "Reapy."

And so it was decided. Twilight, Lightning, Shamrock, Derpy, Rarity, and Fluttershy were to go to the hive. Meanwhile, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Willus, and Applejack would go try and find Reaper.

If they acted quickly enough, perhaps they could diffuse the situation.

Perhaps life would be normal again.