The Pocket Watch.by xXCondemnedSoulXxChaptersTurning Time.Setting the Stage.Brains and Brawn.Dinner Plans.Defying Orders.Double Vision.Setting Plans.Risk all, even that.Turning Time.The author strode into the main hall as both him and Dark entered from the front door. “Ah, it feels good to be back again.” Condemned stated as he slipped the hood off of his head, leaving it to rest upon his shoulders. With a deep exhale, Dark looked to Condemned with a smile,“Yeah, that it does brother. That it does.” Dark reached into his pack and pulled out a small rusted watch and glared down upon it. “Do you know why Celestia asked for us to retrieve this? It looks like a piece of useless junk.” He chuckled. “Well, I can’t say for sure.” Condemned said as he approached Dark to get a better look at the watch. “Does it do something magical like the rest of the stuff we find?” “I don’t know. On the walk back, I was trying to see if I could find out what it does, or did, but nothing.” Dark continued to twist and turn the watch around to find anything of importance, but once again, nothing happened. “Here, let’s see that for a second.” Condemned voiced. Dark tossed him the rusted watch and he began looking it over. It seemed like a normal pocket watch. The once ticking arms seemed to have stopped moving and its once rich, golden coat had long since faded. “You have to admit. It’s in pretty good condition, considering where we found it.” “I thought we were on a wild goose chase trying to find this, but how did it wind up in that volcano of all places?” The elderly guardian called,“Seems like someone was really trying to hide it.” “In either case, it’s here now. So, let’s figure this thing out before Chrys picks up that we’re..” A loud slamming door could be heard as Condemned tried to finish speaking. “..back. Too late I guess.” “And where in the world were you two of to? Without telling me as well to top it off!” The ebony queen yells. “And in the middle of the night! A week ago! You two are in a hell of a lot of trouble!” Dark tries to step in and calm his raging wife,“I’m sorry dearest, we got a mission from Celestia and Luna to retrieve an artifact of some kind. But we’re home now, we’re safe, and nothing’s gone wrong. Everything’s fine.” Dark reaches over and slowly pulls Chrys into a rather intimate hug. “I’ve missed you, love.” Through half lidded eyes, the changling queen speaks,“I’ve missed you too dear.” Just before their lips could connect, Chrysalis placed her hands against Dark’s chest and pushed him away slightly. “But next time you two plan on going somewhere, you guys tell me instead of leaving an uninformative letter!” Dark looked to Condemned and gave a lopsided smile. “I told you it would need to be more than that.” Condemned smiled. Dark looked back to Chrysalis and raised an eyebrow. “I thought it would be enough.” With his words spoken, the ebony queen pinched the bridge of her nose. “What?” He asked. “If you’re going to leave a letter telling me that you’re going on some random adventure and might be away for a few days or longer, tell me that rather than simply writing,‘We’ll be back’. Do you know how much I worried for the two of you? A lot! Next time Dark, next time!” Chrys seemed a bit steamed. “Well, it’s good to know that you missed us Chrys but if you don’t mind... I have a date with a pretty amazing specimen.” A smirk cut across Condemned’s face as he was about to stroll into the dining hall. “Off to go see my granddaughter are you?” Dark smiled. Condemned looked to him with a puzzled expression until he thought for a moment about what he had said. The author gave a small chuckle and spoke,“Oh Dusk! I was actually thinking about paying a visit to the kitchen, but yeah! I should check up on her after I grab something to eat.” Condemned gave a few approving nods to his own idea. “Yeah, sounds like a plan.” The sound of his stomach roared as he place his hand across his torso. “Well, If you’ll excuse me.” After getting some food, consuming, and then paying a visit to his beloved Dusk, the sun had set and the castle lay quiet. All were sleeping within the castle walls, all but one. Condemned sat within his room on his desk and continued to look over the pocket watch. Trying to find the secrets held within. What did it do? What was its purpose? How can it be fixed? These questions, he didn’t hold a single answer for. “Well, the arms aren’t moving. Maybe the batteries are dead?” He assumed as he gazed upon the watch. The author turned the watch over and looked for a way to open the contraption, but couldn’t seem to find one. “Damn it!” He whispered to himself. “Well, maybe it doesn’t take batteries. Maybe it just needs to be wound up?” Once again, he turned the watch over and lightly placed his finger beside the hour hand. Very slowly, Condemned began winding the watch back. He wasn’t sure if it would work, or aid in its destruction further, but once he finished turning the hands back, it began to tick. “And the world can thank me later.” Condemned whispered to himself as he smirked, setting it down onto the desk. He looked to the watch but saw that it was ticking counter clockwise. “And... this is the part where things go wrong. Damn.” Assuming that the watch must have been broken.. further, he picked it up from the desk once more. But as he grasped it, things began to feel weird. “What the..” His mind began to darken and things began to spin. “I hate my life...” “Headache.. Great. I was wondering when I’d get another one.” Condemned said as he sat up from the morning dew grass. “What?” He looked around and found that he wasn’t in the Hive. “Where in the...” “Hey! Are you ok?” Called someone across the field. The author stood from his resting spot and tried to assess the situation. ‘What’s going on?’ He thought to himself. ‘I was in the castle, in my room, winding the pocket watch and then... wait a minute! The watch!’ Condemned frantically searched his pockets for the watch, but couldn’t seem to find it. “Oh, of course! How wonderful, this is just too perfect.” He was so busy lost within his own problems that he didn’t even notice that the strange from across the field was now mere feet away. “Are you ok?” He asked. Confused, Condemned looked to the voice and found him, stumbling back in the process. “Holy Shi....taki.. mushrooms.. Don’t go sneaking up on people like that. It could get you beat!” He grumbled. “I was just checking to see if you were ok, but if you’re just going to be an ass about it... you know what. I’m sorry. It’s just that. I’m new here. But I’m thankful I found you though, at least I’m not the only one around.” The hooded stranger smiled. As Condemned narrowed his eyes on the stranger, he asked,“What do you mean... ‘Not the only one’?” The stranger took off his hood and held out his hand. “Well, human. The name’s John Dixon, but most around here call me Darkmoon’s Crescent.” A large mix of feelings washed over Condemned. It was but a whisper, but he asked,“How old are you... Dark?” “Twenty eight. Why?” Dark asked. “So that’s what it did. Huh.” He quickly shook his head and took Dark’s hand and gave it a good shake. “Well Dark, It’s a pleasure meeting you. The name’s Condemned.” ‘This is going to be one hell of a ride.’ Condemned thought to himself. “You’re strange... I like that. Nice to meet you Condemned.” Author's Note Back up and writing, Proud of myself... a tad. Anyways. Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed our time together thus far, leave a like, or dislike, comment, or not. Damn. I'm not the most sociable person, ok? ANYWAYS. Keep it cool, Condemned. Setting the Stage.As the two walked through the ever stretching fields of green towards the Mystic Mountains, Condemned began asking a few questions about Dark himself. “So, what have you done since you first came here Dark?” The bewildered author needed to assess the situation as best he could, to see just how far the watch had actually sent him. “Well, let’s see. I had a pretty good night over at my friend Zecora’s, I met a small black fox that turned out to be my brother. By the way, I found that out during a shower, pretty awkward. I just finished coming from the library in Ponyville and off on some wild goose chase to find a changling kingdom to solve some dispute. Apparently, the princess Celestia wants me to find this place called ‘The Hive’ and have the Queen sign a treaty.” Dark seemed to have a light glow about him as he spoke of the hive. “What do you think this queen will be like?” He asked. Condemned thought to himself for a moment,‘if I tell him the things I know, then that could be relatively bad... maybe... I’m not sure but I don’t want to test it.’ The author cleared his throat before he spoke. “From what I’ve heard, she can be a little.. off. But she seems to be a pretty ok kind of pony.” Darkmoon gave him a confused look,“So you’ve met with her before?” “Umm.. yeah, but I bet she doesn’t even remember me. I’m not all that important.” Condemned stated as he rubbed the back of his neck. In an attempt to change the topic, he spoke up,“Hey, tell me a bit about yourself Dark, if I’m going to be your guide for the time being, I should probably get to know you a bit.” With a shrug, Dark said,“Well, what is there to tell? Let’s see. I have a little brother named Nicky back on earth and my mother Jenns. I’m the replacement guardian for my father ‘Senior’. Um.. I don’t know, you’d just have to be around me to actually get to know me.” He gazed over to Condemned and raised an eyebrow. “What about yourself? Where’d you get a name like ‘Condemned’ in the first place?” “Well, the name Condemned came from... well, from me. It’s not the name that matters, but the deeds that are done behind the name. So my name doesn’t really matter, it’s just what you can call me. As for who I am and what I do, I’m a bit of a writer but not all that good. I’m a mediocre writer, and a master of cooking... breakfast. Other than that though, I’m just a regular guy doing regular things.” “Nice, maybe you’ll find something you’re good at on our adventures?” he gave Condemned a quick look over. “Maybe.” “Oh, thank you for being so reassuring. Just.. wow.” “No problem.” Dark gave a few laughs at Condemned’s expense, but it didn’t really seem to bother the guardian in the slightest. “More than likely, you’ll learn a thing or two from me. Yeah, that seems more likely.” Condemned stated with a smirk. “You’ve got a long way to go, kid.” The long walk to the Mystic mountains was a fairly talkative one, mostly Dark telling stories about any little thing that could come to mind. But as they came to a ridge of the mountain overlooking the east, there they found the hive. “You ready, kid?” Condemned asked the guardian. “Why do you keep calling me a kid? I’m older than you!” “Coming from the guy complaining like a child, why yes. You’re certainly older than I, this I assure you.” With a irritable groan, Dark brushed off Condemned’s annoying claim. “Alright, Let’s get down there and check this place out.” Condemned looked over the edge of the steep mountain and seen the ground much farther than he expected. “Maybe.. we should fly down.” “Wait a second, you have wings too?” Dark asked with a hint of interest. “No, but you do. you should be able to use them, right?” He asked. At this, Dark took a small step towards the author and began questioning him. “I didn’t tell you that I have wings, how would you know this if I haven’t told you?” With only a second of thought, Condemned gave him a small smile and said,“Well, The old guardian Senior had wings, and you have his armor, so you have their enchantments, so you have his wings... or more so, your wings.” Dark just glared at Condemned for a moment and thought about his claim. “Alright, a lot of people seem to know more about my dad than I do, so who am I to argue, right?” He gave a small laugh but a thought rung in the back of his mind,‘I better keep an eye on this one. He seems to know a lot more than he lets on.” After an adventure down the mountain and coming within sight of the changlings, the two adventurers were quickly surrounded by a small army of soldiers. “Halt!” Cried a one of the guards. “Who are you and why have you come here?” Dark was about to draw his sword when Condemned placed the palm of his hand against Dark’s Chest. “Don’t do that, you idiot! We’re completely surrounded and you have little experience with it! Just leave it to me..” Condemned shot to his thoughts for a moment,‘Well, this wasn’t how the story was supposed to go. Wait a second.. let me think.. Alright, so at this part, Shadow and Dark are supposed to be here, but Shadow’s not here at the moment.... That’s why! Shadow was supposed to keep Dark’s focus on that shapeshifting spell, and since he’s not here.. damn. Alright.’ “Well, speak!” Dark said with an irritated tone. One could clearly see that this wasn’t how he had planned this treaty signing to go. “Alright! Alright. Just wait a second.” Condemned rolled his eyes and turned towards the guards. “Well, Gentlemen. This is some predicament, wouldn’t you say? We mean you all no harm, and we only wish to speak with your Queen. May we pass?” Condemned asked with a smile. Author's Note Chapters coming like wildfire. I'm in the mood to write a storm! Just so.. awesome. Thanks to AHugeAcidTree for proofreading. For both this chapter and the last. Keep it cool, Condemned. Brains and Brawn.The chains rattled as Darkmoon tried to shake free of his bindings. “You. You my friend, have a way with words.” He grumbled. Condemned hung on the wall opposite of Dark within the small cell. “Well, I only had a second to throw something together. And it could’ve been worse you know.” “Your idea was just brilliant, let’s just walk up to the guards and ask to see the queen! Oh, and maybe throw in a couple trips to the spa for free, would you? Oh that would be wonderful.” The guardian continued to fidget as he threw condescending insults towards the author. A weak smile plastered across his face. “Oh, come on. Like you’d do any better than I did. And stop shaking those chains! You’re giving me a headache.” “Am I?” He asked. “You mean.. When I shake the chains like this?” In a hurried manner, Dark began shaking the chains as fast as he could, all in an attempt to aggravate Condemned further. “Stop it!” The author yelled as he tried brushing off the pain. “You’re such an ass!” He cried. “Am I? I’ve known you for the past.. what was it, day and a half and instead of getting a treaty signed and going home, I wind up in a dungeon cell with you!” “Just stop being an idiot and let me think! I can get us out of here, just.. stop being.. you!” “Oh, and you expect me to believe that you’ll manage to think of a way out of here? You’re the one who got us in here in the first place!” “Just. Stop.” Condemned retreated to his thoughts for a moment, scanning his surroundings and trying to piece together an escape route. ‘Alright.’ He looked around the room and found a couple of beds hung to the wall on the far left of the room, a chair of sorts within the right corner of the room, and a bucket. ‘Please tell me that’s not the toilet.’ He thought to himself. ‘Ah! Stay focused!’ He continued to search the room until he managed to catch sight of Dark’s gauntlets. “Hey! There’s our key to freedom!” “What are you talking about?” Asked the guardian. “They didn’t take your gear, and you can use your magic to set us free.” Condemned smiled as he came up with a flawless plan. “Huh. How stupid can they be? Wait.. I can still use magic..” Dark trailed off as he got a thought in his mind. With a bit of concentration and a quick flick of his fingers, Condemned’s boot caught on fire. “Holy sh. ahah!!” Condemned cried as he tried to stomp out the fire. Once he had finally managed to and turned his attention up to the guardian, he shot him a glare that was more than cold. “What the hell?! I promise you freedom and you light me on fire?” Dark was in no place to listen to the angered author being lost within a fit of laughter. “Ah.. that was a good one!” Dark smiled. “Anyways, let’s get out of here before they...” Condemned grew confused by the lack of Dark’s unfinished sentence. “What?” He asked. But he soon grew to understand as to why Dark didn’t speak. The sound of a metallic door chimed open and two changling guards entered the room, standing on either side of the door. Soon followed the one they had first set out to find. Queen Chrysalis. The ebony queen strode into the holds of the cell and stared between the two prisoners. “So, you wished to speak with me and now I’m here. Why have you come here and what is it you want?” She asked in a rather cold tone. Dark looked to Condemned and looked for some form of answer, unsure of what to say. The author rolled his eyes and looked to the changling queen. “Well, you see. Me and my friend..” “Acquaintance.” Stated Dark. “Alright, Me and my ‘Acquaintance’ Darkmoon have come here to have a treaty signed between the changlings and the equines of Equestria. Celestia wishes to stop these fights and disputes between your two races, and seeks a mutual bonding. In return of peace and security, Celestia and Luna are willing to let you feed.” Condemned turned his attention over to the guardian. “Off him to be exact.” “What?” Dark asked with a worried expression. “The princess’ know that you are only looking to feed your children and continue through life like the rest of us but that isn’t possible without having to feed off another’s emotions. My ‘Acquaintance’ is more than willing to help one such as yourself with this minor problem, seeing as how the human body is just full of emotions and more than plenty to feed your kingdom.” The queen looked over to the hanging guardian and looked him over. As he hung there helplessly, awaiting his future to unfold, he gave her a light wave and a small grin. “And what say you? Do you agree to these terms? Are you willing to accept his offer?” She asked. “Well. I..” He stopped speaking as he looked over to the author, who gave his a facial gesture to accept. “I.. do? Yeah.. I mean, I do. It shouldn’t be so bad, right?” “You, the guardian, why is it you look to your lesser for advice? Should I speak to him rather than you?” She asked. Before Dark could speak, Condemned jumped in to finish for him. “Well, we’re partners of a sort. He’s the adventurous, barrel chested hero. A little on the thoughtless side thought. Me, I’m the brains. I’m a bit of a writer and words come to me a little easier to me rather than him. So when it come to negotiations such as these, it’s mainly me talking rather than him, for safe reasons of course. One wouldn’t want to upset the Queen of Changlings, would we Darkmoon?” The guardian looked to Condemned and tried to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation but with the chains in place, his efforts were fruitless. “Right..” “If this is the case, then maybe it be best that I speak with you for now, until Sir Darkmoon collects his own thoughts. And you, of what race are you?” She asked as she tried to look past the shade of Condemned’s hood. “Oh, I forgot they left it on. I’m just more used to the dark than anything. Here.” The author flipped his head back and his hood fell to his shoulders. He looked to the queen and gave her a smile,“Human. Just like him.” “Wait a second.” Chrysalis said with a bit of wonder. She walked over to Darkmoon and removed his hood as well, then began looking between the two. “You look strikingly similar, almost like twins.” She said with a bit of fashionation. “Well, changlings are plenty alike, so the sight isn’t too uncommon.” Condemned said with a small chuckle. “This I know, but most changlings have their slight differences. But the only differences I can see on the two of you is the age.” She turned towards Dark and asked him,“How old are you, Sir Dark?” He looked to his feet for a moment and then looked to her with a cheeky smile. “Twenty eight years, madam.” She turned to Condemned and asked the same question, to which he responded,“Eighteen.” “Huh.” The queen seemed to be interested with the two twins. “Well, let’s get you two out of this dirty cell and get you two something to eat. You both look starved. But you both should get cleaned up before dinner is made.” Author's Note Another chapter in the story, in one day I might add. Thanks to AHugeAcidTree for proofreading and I'll see you guys in the next chapter. Keep it cool, Condemned. Dinner Plans.“Dark, you dress yourself to impress.” The ebony queen smiled. Condemned and Darkmoon stood at the end of the dining table dressed in fine tuxedos. Darkmoon wore a blood red dress shirt, black tuxedo pants, black and red vest and tie, slightly covered from his overcoat and slick black dress shoes. She turned her attention towards the author, for Condemned’s attire, it consisted of bright white dress pants, red dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a white vest, white tie, and last but not least, black work boots. “Kind of different, but that somehow looks good as well.” She chuckled. Both of the guys smiled at her compliments and thanked her. Almost simultaneously, they sat down near the queen. She looked to one of the changling guards and signalled for the meal to begin. Instantaneously, numerous chiefs came barreling out the kitchen doors, serving out fine dishes. To Condemned’s surprise, he found some dishes that mainly consisted of different types of meats. Pork, beef, chicken, lamb, everything. He could barely contain himself at the sight, being stuck in a world of vegetarians. He gulped,“Queen, is that... what I think it is?” She looked to Condemned with a wide smile,“Don’t you worry, it’s a meat substitute. There is no trace of real meat from an innocent creature. Us changlings do not feed in this manner, but off of emotions as you are no doubt aware.” The author thought to himself in silence,‘Damn it. So, so, so close.’ He turned his attention away from the food and focused on Dark. He had noticed that the guardian was being rather quiet. “Do you have anything to say? Any questions you’d like to ask the Queen?” He asked. “Well, what’s there to ask?” He said with a lopsided smile. “Come on, just say something. Tell her about yourself, or ask about her.” Darkmoon looked to the queen with a small smile and asked,“Would you like me to... tell you a bit about myself? That’s.. if it’s ok with you, that is.” The ebony queen gave a little chuckle at the uneasy tone of the guardian. She leant against one of her hands with her elbow resting against the table,“I would love to.” “Alright.” His smile grew a little bigger,“I’m from this place called,‘Earth’. and...” As his story grew on, Condemned noticed that with each changing topic, the queen drew herself that much closer to the taletelling Darkmoon. She moved from her chair at the end of the table, to the next chair, and then the next, but she stopped as she finally reached the chair right beside his. Their smiles, their laughs, and their words mixed together so perfectly. The very sight of them together once again in the eyes of Condemned brought a more than cheerful smile upon his face. Their continuous storytelling continued until they both glanced over to the author as he was taking large bites out of a false steak. “Having a good time are we?” Asked Dark with a grin plastered across his face. After swallowing his food, he looked towards Dark with a disappointed sigh,“It’s.. just not the same.” The queen spoke up,“So, both of you are carnivorous creatures then?” She asked, achieving a nod from the both of them. “Is this a common thing on your ‘Earth’?” Once again, a nod. Dark looked to Chrysalis and said,“But we’re not all carnivores. Most of the worlds inhabitants are a varied bunch. Some prefer meat, others vegetables, and then a mix of both.” “Oh.” Once the dinner finished and the dishes were lifted away, Darkmoon and Condemned were lead to the inner garden of the castle. The sights were incredible, the soft, lush grass, the clear night sky with the glimmering stars hanging within it, and the sight that only Condemned seemed to notice. The Mystic Mountain. The very sight sent a small sensation of sadness throughout his mind as he remembered a memory. “Just a little further.” Daylight whispered into Dusk’s ear as he lead her towards their destination, his hands covering her eyes as he guided her along their way. “Are we almost there?” She asked with a bit of excitement as she was lead, a grin plastered across her face. “Almost.” As they finally arrived, Daylight lifted his hands away from her eyes and said.“Here we are.” The mare looked around and seen a small picnic blanket laid across the grass. A bottle of wine and two wine glasses rested within a picnic basket as a rose sat in the middle of the blanket, waiting to be picked up and to top it all off was the sun as it was just kissing the horizon, bringing about the night. She glanced around and seen that the area looked somewhat familiar when she caught sight of the hive beneath them. “It’s our one year anniversary, I wanted it to be special. So what’s more special than a glass of wine, with a rose for a pretty lady on a mountaintop as they watched the sunset?” She looked to Daylight with a bit of tears in her eyes. “Is something wrong?” “No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that... this is so perfect.” She buried her face within his chest and she wrapped her arms around him. A smile came over the author as he held her within his embrace, cherishing each moment as they stood holding each other. As Condemned’s memory was set to the side, he caught Chrysalis staring at him. Lost in thought. He had no knowledge as to what he had done to earn her gaze, so he asked. “Is something wrong, my queen?” “Not for me, but it seems for you. What’s wrong?” She questioned. “Ah, nothing. I was just thinking.” He told the ebony queen as to subside her curiosity. She looked to him for moment longer before speaking again,“Something is wrong, or else there wouldn’t be fragments of tears in your eyes.” “Just thinking on the past, I guess.” To the queen it was just a statement, but to Condemned, he himself wasn’t to sure. Being sent into the past but remembering something that happened within the future was rather confusing. Was it a memory? Or just a thought? But this didn’t mean anything to him. He was there, and most importantly, she was too. It was real, to him. As the night drew on, Dark and Chrysalis stood side by side as they leant against the guardrail, overlooking the dark field before them. They sent playful jokes towards each other, and laughing at the others small playful gestures towards the others. Condemned rested upon the wooden bench that sat near the two, his eyes were slowly growing weary. “Sir Condemned, join us, would you?” Without any say, the author stood from the bench and joined their small conversations. The chats they shared for the next ten minutes were menial but enjoyable. Even he began to warm up to the both of them, but to him it just wasn’t the same. The two that stood before him, he knew them, but the old them is who he knew. But as they talked between each other, Chrysalis caught a glance at something within Condemned’s vest pocket. “What’s that?” She asked as she pointed towards it. The author took hold of the watch that lead him back through the fabric of time and held it out towards the ebony queen. “This? It’s just a watch.” But something seemed off as he held it. He didn’t pick it up before as he got dressed, but something was different with the watch. It wasn’t the motionless, rusted piece of junk he had before, but a shining, golden watch that’s tick seemed to echo throughout the air. “...Strange.” “What’s strange?” Dark asked as he watched over Condemned. “It’s...different.” Author's Note Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next! A big thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proofreading again. Keep it cool, Condemned. Defying Orders.Condemned sat within his room, high within the dark castle in one of the towering pillars. As he watched over the clock, inspecting the differences between his memories. Shining a shimmering gold instead of a chipped, tainted and stained bronze. The hands of the clock a solid black with a white trimming in the middle of each hand. It’s rhythmic turning hands filling the quiet of the room with it’s rhythmic beats. He sat on the desk chair, eyeing the ticking watch. Thinking to himself, thoughts and questions weaving around his mind as if spiders wrapping its prey tightly with its fine silky webbing. the author couldn’t seem to grasp onto his own thoughts as he was hypnotized by the constant ticking from time to time. He thought about the future, and the past. And the thoughts of this sinister watch. Taking him from his life, and sending him into a new one. He dare not think further, for his heart couldn’t take it. He wished that he could find some way, somehow, to return to his old life and be happy. But even if he were to return, with the slight differences he has made to the story timeline, it could spell disaster for his and everyone’s future. He needed to fix the things he has tampered with before finding a way back through time, though this would be no easy task. He has already set the groundwork for Darkmoon and Chrysalis’ relationship, and from the signs that she’d been throwing him the entire night, it was safe to say that there was nothing to worry about with that anymore. To him, it could have been enough, but even with the smallest of changes, he could have tampered with the story further than he intended. Before Condemned could even consider returning to his own time, he needed to make sure that everything went according to the story plans. His thoughts were quickly interrupted as a faint knock could be heard at the door. Curious as to who could be knocking at his door at three o’clock in the morning, he stood from the comfort of the desk chair and slowly made his way over to the door. He slowly creaked the oak door open and gazed out into the hallway, but to his surprise; he didn’t see anyone standing at the door. ‘Maybe I’m just hearing things.’ He consciously thought to himself. Instead of closing the door behind himself and leaving to return to his own thoughts, he leant out of the door and scanned the hallway. The hall was dark, but with the faint light managing to poke through the hall windows, he did manage to catch the sight of a familiar figure. The person was hard to make out, but as he narrowed his eyes, the figure started to come into focus. “Hello?” He whispered. “How can I help you?” He asked. The unknown figure seemed to be walking the other direction, as if trying to leave. But as he called out to grab their attention, the figure came to a complete halt. Without a word, the unknown wanderer began to turn around and slowly made it’s way towards Condemned. As it walked, he seemed to notice that it walked with a certain sway, as if trying to catch his attention. Somewhat confused, the author looked to the supposed mare and asked for her name, but once again, received no answer. Without any form of a warning, she placed her hand upon his chest and began slowly pushing him into his room. “What are you..” He was cut off as she planted her lips upon his, lightly caressing his cheek with the palm of her hand. Instinctively, he placed his hands on the mares shoulders and edged her away. She asked in a worried tone,“I did not offend you in any form, have I?” But something within the author’s mind clicked as he heard her voice. Something he didn’t wish to hear. The voice was all too familiar. “Chrys?!” He grabbed the hood hiding the mare’s face and pulled it down. With her face revealed, he bounced back and tripped on the desk chair, landing him on the edge of the bed. “What are you doing?! Darkmoon! And you! That’s supposed to... you’re supposed to.. What?!” His mind was swimming in circles, the experience leaving him both breathless and confused. “I.. I do like Darkmoon, and he treats me as a queen. Though thoughts have been stirring in my mind, ever since I watched both you and Darkmoon get ready for dinner. Naturally, I’m much too. They have informed me about your thoughts. Always asking Dark as to what he thought of me, telling him some things that only one such as I should know, and telling him other more personal information about me. So I ask you. How much do you know about me? Why is it you seek my attention? Have you fallen for me? And why are you using Dark to get to me?” She asked with a large cheeky grin on her face, through half lidded eyes. “Tell me, Condemned. Why must we play this game? I see all the little glances you make towards me while I’m with Darkmoon.” The ebony queen slowly made her own way towards the edge of the bed, a faint smile on her lips. I stood to my feet, just to make sure she wasn’t about to try anything. After I managed to collect my own thoughts, I spoke. “I wasn’t staring at you while you were with Dark, I was watching the both of you. You both are perfect for eachother and I know this to be true.” In spite of the queen’s actions of before, I sat and rested on the desk chair once again. Simply collecting my thoughts. She quickly rested on my bed, her seductive look growing more intense as she glided her hand lightly across her body. “And how would you know this? This is the first I’ve even heard of the two of you, you would have to be able to see into the future to be able to see something such as that. And what do you see in me that would interest me in Darkmoon?” She asked, curious as to what the author knew. Sighing in defeat, and with a small yawn, Condemned looked to her. Holding nothing but a serious expression as if he were about to commit a serious crime, and the more he thought about it, technically he was. “I know this because... I’m from the future. Your’s and Dark’s future. I’m a bit of a.. writer. And to even try this with my best friend’s wife is a definite ‘No’. I’m sorry my queen, but I need to ask you to leave.” The heart within the author’s chest seemed to pound as he defied Chrysalis’ wishes, but knowing that he was attempting to work Chrys’ attention away from him eased his thoughts. Being denied her own bidding, she lifted herself up and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the author. “You dare defy my orders? You do realize that you are in “My” castle, under “My” rule. So Let me tell you something Condemned. The next time I say jump, I want you to say,‘How high?’. Do you understand?” She asked, angered by his actions. “I understand this Chrys’. I’ll do anything you ask, but when it comes to things like this, it’s not going to happen. You and my best friend belong together, and I’m not going to ruin that.” Smiling, the ebony queen stood from the bed and made her way towards the door. Once again, she hadn’t spoken until she was standing outside of the room, hidden with the dark of the dimly lit hallway. It was hard to pick up, but once he heard it, he knew he was in trouble. As she stared back into the room, peering over Condemned with a false smile, she said,“I’m going to have a lot of fun, for the next few days. But I’ll leave the choice entirely to you. You can either choose to be with me, or suffer as I have you perform strenuous tasks around the castle for the rest of your days. These tasks will be no easy feat, this I will make sure. Your body will slowly destroy itself from the inside until there is nothing left but a pile of bone, ground up and left as dust, and a shapeless husk of a body. So, it’s your choice. Now choose.” Before closing the door behind himself, Condemned gave it a quick thought. “I’ll see you in the mines then.” After the door had closed, his mind spoken, and his fate chosen, he laid onto the comforts of his bed and slowly began to fall into the sweet embrace of sleep. He quickly shot up and ran towards the door. Rushing at his own thoughts, he turned around and grabbed the desk and blocked off his door. “At least I’m safe, for now at least.” Once again he rested against his bed and fell asleep. Author's Note A big thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proof reading and another thanks to Mikevae also, me here, just feeling super special awesome for having proof readers now :3 Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, make sure to leave a like, dislike, comment, or.. anything really. If you do happen to dislike, can you please leave a comment telling me as to why? If you do, we can both grow from this experience. Thanks and have a great day. Keep it cool, Condemned. Double Vision.“Alright, get up.” Called a changling guard as he kicked the side of my bunk. The shock from his hooves impact knocked me from the top bunk to the irritable drop to the dirt floor. “Time to get to work, now let’s get going.” I gave a quick sigh and lifted myself off the ground, brushing the light coat of dust off my clothes. “So, where we off to today?” I asked, taking a brief yawn as I stood to my feet. “Patrolling the castle grounds today. And after lunch, the queen’s asked for you specifically to clean the stables. Normally, it’s cleaned by the stable boys, but she’s given them the day off.” “Of course she did. Well, I'll get it done.” I turned to the guard and felt my stomach rumble. “Let’s get some breakfast, eh?” I shot him a smile and he returned it in full. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all morning. I’m starving.” We turned and made our way towards the mess hall to join the other castle guards and workers. As we made our way towards the cafeteria, I turned to my thoughts on how I wound up in this whole “slavery” business. After turning down Chrysalis’ offer, she had a couple of guards “escort” me to the barracks to work my time away until Dark had finally managed to convince her to sign the treaty. They arrived as I slept. They managed to sneak into my room, tie a rag across my mouth so I couldn’t call for help, and threw a black bag over my head and dragged me through the halls until they tossed me inside the barracks. Normally one would have struggled and tried to escape, but I had already seen this coming. I’ve been working around the castle with the others for the past few days now and I’ve managed to keep in contact with a trusted guard. He keeps a watch out for me to see how close Dark is to convincing the changling queen into signing that treaty, and thus far, he’s only made a bit of progress. If I were there to help him, the treaty would have already been signed by now and we’d be off back to Ponyville so he could meet with the others, but sadly, I’m here. Toiling my body’s energy away for absolutely no reason. Though my body ached, and my mind fried from the long and unforgiving hours working under the bright sun’s rays, it would all be worth it. Even if she were to break my spirit and crush me into the dirt like an ant, I’d still have the memories of Dusk keeping me afloat. For her, I’d work myself to the bone just to see her again. We finally arrived at the cafeteria and after taking our fill, we began making our way to grab our gear to begin patrolling. As we made our way down the hall, my changling friend named Toothless turned to me and asked,“So, what’d you do to piss off the queen?” I looked to him and gave a shrug,“Well, she asked me to do something I didn’t want to. I said no, and now I’m here.” “What about that other guy? Darkmoon? That’s his name right? Is he your brother or something? You two look really similar, accept the age part.” “We’ll you could say that we’re like brothers, I’m the brains and he’s the brawn. I know more about that guy than anyone else.” “How?” He asked, slightly confused. “Didn’t you say that you two met last week?” I thought back to the past and shrugged it off. “I’m just really good at reading people, and he’s a talker... though without me, he’s not really good at it.” “Coming from the guy who got himself thrown into a mess like this?” I stopped mid-step before continuing. “Touché.” The rest of the walk was calm and quiet, and after collecting our gear and strapping it on, onto the patrol we went. Just like the days before, nothing too much of interest happened. And once our patrolling was over, I dropped my stuff off in the barracks and made my way towards the stables. After I arrived at the stable, I grabbed a shovel and a pair of gloves. ‘I hope that Dark gets the treaty signed today, we need to get this story on the road.’ I thought to myself as my shovel dug into the waste within the pen. The day’s light faded into the distance as the sun began to set. Within the day me and my changling friend Toothless had finished our rounds and figured it was time to finally call it a night. We sauntered back to the guard barracks and sat around talking to each other. I looked to him with exhausted eyes and sheepishly smiled,“I wish Dark would be finished with this, we need to get to Ponyville to meet the others.” As the sentence finished, the words were replaced with a grandiose yawn. “Damn I’m tired.” “I hear you, I could use a break.” Voiced Toothless. “Too bad you couldn’t be in two places at once, being able to help Dark along and patrolling with your buddy Tooth. But that’s not likely to happen.” He gave an outrageous laugh but quickly changed his tone as he rest his eyes upon the man across the table, a large grin plastered across his face. “What are you smiling about?” He asked. Lightly chuckling to himself, Condemned looked to Toothless. “You’re a genious Tooth. I don’t know how I didn’t think of this before!” Quickly thinking to himself, a vision came into reality right before Tooth’s eyes. An exact replica of Condemned. With a twinge of fear, he unsheathed his blade and aimed it for the replica,“Hold foul demon! Or be cast into oblivion!” Cried the frightened changling. Opening his eyes, the author gently pushed the tip of the blade down towards the floor. “Calm yourself, Tooth. I know a bit of magic of my own and this is going to help me! With his help... my help..” Confusion riddled the author’s mind but was quickly shaken away. “Anyways, with this replica, I’ll be able to work out in the fields with you and be able to help Dark.” Without warning, Condemned’s vision began to change. He could see through his own eyes, but also the replica’s as well. The sudden change was a bit too disorienting, so he quickly sat back down. “Damn it...” Condemned groaned. “This is going to take some practice.” Author's Note Well, back on track and feeling good. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and can't wait to see you in the next. Thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proofreading the chapter for me. Keep it cool, Condemned. Setting Plans.“Ok, I have a plan. I’m going to sneak past the entrance guards somehow and get into the castle, then I’ll work my way towards Dark so I can speed this process along so the treaty can be signed. Then he and I can get back to Ponyville to meet with the others.” Thinking to myself, the plan wasn’t all too thought out, but the refined details would be worked out along the way. “Do you have any ideas as to how I could get past the guards?” I asked. A tinkle lit within the changling’s eyes as an idea came to mind. “It’s almost too simple. We’re in the barracks, just borrow one of the castle guard armor sets and you’re set. But you’re also going to need to try and find a way to mask your face. While the armor covers your body, you don’t have our ears nor muzzle. And I’m no good at paper mache.” The cheeky changling declared, a small chuckle escaping his smirk. If you have enough magic to make a clone, then you should be able to conjure up some kind of plan for that.” He turned to his bunk and reached over to grab a small barrel of ale. “Hmm. This is going to feel weird, this I know to be true.” I clenched my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. A tingling sensation filled my body’s whole to the brim as I channelled my magic into a spell, sending unwanted feelings flowing all throughout it. As the chills and tingling had calmed down to a minimum, I spoke, though my eyes wouldn’t seem to open. “Did anything happen?” Silence hung in the air, “Hello?” “That... are you... What are you? I thought you were human, but maybe you’re a changling too?” “Wait, what?” I managed to take control over my eyes once again and gave my body a quick inspection. “Holy... shnikeys.” Where my feet would have been were tattered, sullen black hooves. Following up my legs and upper body, I could see nothing but a leathery, darkened worn encasing of skin. Holes covered my torso as well as my upper arms. I placed my hands against my face and felt major changes in my facial structure as well as definition. My nose had become a muzzle, and my jawline became larger. I worked my jaw around for a moment to get a feeling for it, and it seemed to be rather irritating. Next, I checked the sides of my head for human ears, but found them replaced with that of an equines. “Ahh.... I was only trying to summon a mask, but this? I have to change back!” I shook my head speedily in disapproval. “This just feels too weird, I can’t.” Once again, I closed my eyes and imagined myself human again. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Alright, we need to come up with another plan.” “Well change back then, I thought that was what you were trying to do.” Tooth stated. I gave him a look of confusion. “What?” He asked. “What do you mean change back? I thought I did!” I looked over my body and none of the features had changed. “What the..” I quickly redone the changing process, but once again, nothing happened. “Oh no... Oh no, oh no, oh no..” My breaths became quicker in pace, as many thoughts rang about my head. “This can’t be happening!” I placed my head in my hands and fell back into the chair. “Whoa, it’s ok. Being a Changling isn’t all that bad, it’s almost better. Think about it, you won’t have to eat regular food, and you’ll have a constant connection to Queen Chrysalis, so it’ll make figuring out her plans and whereabouts easier, right?” He rested his hand against my shoulder, calming my frightened senses. “It’s going to be ok. I’m sure you’ll figure out some way to return to your normal self somehow, but just remember what you have to do, and what’s at stake. From what you’ve told me, it’s all a matter of getting back to Ponyville. From then on, you’ll have all the time in the world to figure this out. Just stick to the matter at hand for now. There’s a spare castle guard armor set over on the stands. Now go, I’ll just take your human copy with me tomorrow when my shift starts at four o’clock. But since it’s nearly ten in the evening, you should probably start heading for the shift change. It’ll be soon too, so get that armor on and get going!” I looked to him and nodded, “Alright, you’re right.” I stood from the chair and made my way towards the armor stands, but stopping half way. Turning around, I looked to Toothless once again, “Thanks, if it weren’t for you... I don’t know what I would have done. This may be my last night here, so I hope I see you again someday.” “That you can count on, I’ve been promoted to another position, a field ranger. It’s much different than what I’m doing now, I’ll be out there in the world exploring to find other sources for us to feed and other places to construct more castles and expand on our way of life. Maybe when we see each other again, Queen Chrysalis will be so happy with my work, she’ll make me a king! Probably not, but who knows. You need to be going, and good travels Condemned. I hope you find this ‘Dusk’ you speak of so frequently. She’s a lucky girl.” With that, Toothless sat down at the table and poured himself a pint of ale, taking a sip and relaxing. A small chuckle followed by a grin emanated on his face, “Hail to the king.” He downed the rest of his glass and looked to the replica, “You’re staying with me. I’ll need a friend in my travels also, but we’ll need to separate your vision from his. Somehow.” Standing up, Toothless grabbed glass and poured another pint of ale. Handed it over to the replica, he said, “Drink this.” Silent, he did as told and drank. A burning sensation filled my eyes for a moment as my vision began to blur. Pouring another glass, he once again handed it over. Silent once again, the replica downed the rest of the glass and closed his eyes. As his eyes opened once more, my vision became my own. Much clearer than before. “Whoa, my sight is normal again. What’d you do?” I asked. He looked to me and shrugged. “I don’t know, I just wanted to see if he had a buzz going on, maybe you’d be forced to focus on your side more than his, but it worked either way. I’m a genious.” Author's Note Thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proofreading for me and I hope this has preoccupied your time with a fill of entertainment. I'll see you in the next chapter and thanks for reading. Keep it cool, Condemned. Risk all, even that.Closing the doors behind me, I quickly made my way towards the entrance to the Hive, uncertain of how to approach nor where to go. Contemplating my new changling body and connection to the queen, I focused my thoughts on her. A flash of light blinded my vision and I could see faint glimpses of both her and Dark sitting somewhere within the castle, from the looks of the environment, I could see plants and a balcony in the background. “That could be anywhere! Focus!” I whispered to myself. Peering back into the visions, I could see the night sky above and the a tattered gazebo. ‘There you are!’ I thought. From what I could see, I assumed that they were in the gardens. Making my to the entrance, I found two guards blocking my path but they quickly caught sight of me. One of the entrance guards called out, “Hey you! What are you doing?” I was surprised, and a bit worrisome. ‘They know I’m a fake, they know!’ I chimed within my mind, sure that I had been found out. I looked to him, my face growing pale. “Umm.. nothing?” Taking a step forward, the guard gave me a glare. “I know that! You’re hall patrol, right? Then get your ass in here! You’re going to get us in trouble, you know that!” I was dumbfounded. They couldn’t tell me from any other changling, making this plan seem more solid with each second. I cleared my throat, trying to casually play it off. “Y-yeah. I’ll just going inside then. Sorry, just kinda overslept. It’s been a rough few days.” My hands were trembling from the being surprised at first. “Yeah, yeah. Spare us your life story and get to your position! I’m not losing my rations because of your ‘tender sensibilities’. Now get a move on!” He stated heatedly. “Alright, alright. I’m moving! Geeze, guy.” I quickened my pace and passed the guards. Though my heart seemed to skip a beat as he stopped me just as I passed. “Wait a sec.” He called. “You smell different.” I could feel my hands begin to shake again, but tried to maintain control of them. “You smell terrible! So you were stuck in the stables, eh? Believe me, I hate when I’m told to do it. Just make sure you take a shower next time before your shift. Alright then, get going.” ‘Holy... shit.’ I took a calming breath, as to ease the stress this changling was giving me. My voice cracked as I spoke, “Y-yeah.. ah. That was my fault. I was too tired to take a shower, and just collapsed on my bed last night. Sorry if it smells in the barracks when your shift is over. I’ll air it out when I’m done and take a shower. Queen knows I do.” I took a calming breath as I took reassurance that my permanent disguise was working. “Have a good one.” I strolled down the halls, passing by guards and searching for the Hive’s gardens. Feeling more than lost, I approached a kitchen servant as he was making his way to the kitchen for his shift. “Hey, I need to ask you a question.” I called. He looked to me with large gaping eyes and swallowed hard. As he spoke, his voice seemed to shake, “Yeah? How can I help you? I’m... I’m not in trouble am I?” I could see droplets of sweat coming down his forehead. He seemed more than eager to leave. I looked to him, then looked around. Bringing my attention back to the changling, I said, “No, I was just looking to see if you knew where the gardens are. I’m still learning my way around the castle. But why are you asking if you’re in trouble? I haven’t seen you do anything, so you can calm down if you want.” I pondered what had the servant so on edge. “Oh, that’s all? I just thought that I was in trouble again, I can’t have another demerit on my head. I’m this close to becoming the permanent bathroom janitor. I can’t lose another job, so I’m sorry if I seemed kinda sketchy. Ok, since you’re looking for the gardens, it’s down the hall to the left. Make a right after the third hallway and once you’ve come to a set of three windows on your right hand side, you’re right beside it.” He sighed in relief. “Thanks for the directions, and I hope things pick up for you. Anyways, thanks again and have a good rest of your night.” I nodded my head and sent him a smile. “Oh yeah, don’t worry. It’s just things are crazy at the moment, and.. wait.” He paused for a moment and looked to the ground. I could tell he was staring out into space, lost within his train of thoughts until he raised his eyes and gave me an offset stare. “How don’t you know your way around the castle? You’re a guard, you’re supposed to know these kind of things, right?” He asked. I shook my head, rolling my eyes in the process. “I know I’m supposed to, but I’m usually stuck outside patrolling the fields. Since that new human showed up, he’s taken my place and I’ve been given hallway patrol. Still learning the general layout of the Hive.” He stared blankly at the walls, his eyes shifting once every five seconds. He looked to me for a second, his mouth agape but quickly coming to a close. “But you were born here right? You should know...” He said with a questioning appeal. “I’m a new transfer from another Hive. One to the far north, and I’m still trying to adjust to the new change.” I said with a hint of worry lingering my mind. He tilted his head back and exclaimed, “Oh, ok. That explains everything. Alright, I gotta start heading to work. Catch you around, yeah?” He smiled. I nodded and grinned. “Wait, what’s your name?” He asked. I needed a stage name for now, so I quickly thought and spoke, “Oh, name’s Figit. I’ll catch you around.. and yours?” “Yeah, it’s Norm. Norm the servant. Hopefully it stays that way, and it doesn’t change to Janitor.” “Well, Norm the servant, you better get going before your nightmare becomes a reality. Catch you later.” He sprinted off down the hall and disappeared from sight. With the directions to the Hive’s gardens, I began to make my way through the seemingly unending halls. After a few minutes of walking, I finally arrived at my destination. Peering out the window, I found the two standing out in the night air, looking out into the stars. I could see them chatting about something, but I couldn’t quite make it out. I turned my attention away from the two and began to think of a way to get Dark alone without having Chrysalis to tag along. “Hmm..” I mumbled to myself, I looked around my environment and found a table with a bundle of scrolls with a quill to write. “They’re just making this too easy.” I began writing a letter to the clueless guardian, explaining my situation and what my plan was. Sealing it with a stamp, I stood from the table and began working my way around the halls, finally reaching the entrance to the gardens. I stood there for a moment, and looked to my feet. I could tell that my presents didn’t catch their attention, so I cleared my throat, forcing their attention upon me. The ebony queen looked to me, as did the guardian. I could tell that she was a frustrated with my interruption. “My queen.” I swallowed, “A message has arrived for Darkmoon, and we haven’t been able to tell who it’s from, but I’ve been told its crucial for the guardian to see. It’s also been instructed for guardian’s eyes only.” I bowed and presented the letter. He sauntered over at a brisk speed and took the letter, “I wonder if it’s from Condemned, kinda surprised that he needed to leave so urgently like that. But it’s his life I guess.” He opened the letter, standing mere feet from me. Gazing at the letter, his eyes tilted downward and his mouth seemed to say something, but no words were formed. He looked to me for a moment and squinted. With his attention focused on me, I gave a brief nod and turned away. Leaving the guardian behind as I exited the gardens. Within the note, I told him to meet with me in the barracks that night. Then we would discuss further on both the subject. With my knowledge and plans given to Darkmoon, I made my way back to the entrance of the hive, but my plans came to a halt as the two guarding the door wouldn’t let me leave. Angered by this, I needed to find another way out. It wasn’t the best of plans nor the worst, but it would be one that I would regret long into the night. After I arrived at the barracks drenched. I opened the door and wandered in, leaving droplets and footprints behind me. Catching the attention of Toothless and my clone, he quickly made his way over to me. “Hey!” He cheerfully exclaimed. “How’d it go? Did you... Holy!” He took a step back, covering his snout with his forearm, lightly heaving at the smell. “Why do you smell like you’ve been swimming in a sewer?” He began to distance himself from both me and my aroma. I looked to the stallion, a more than displeased expression plastered across my entire being. “That’s because I was. It was the only way I could find out of the castle without grabbing the attention of the other guards.” I wasn’t proud out what I did, but it was necessary. He looked to me with a snicker escaping his lips, “You do know that you could’ve gone through the larder and used the hidden escape hatch, right? All you would’ve needed to do is ask some of the kitchen staff.” I glared fiercely at him, my eye twitched as a small pool formed beneath my feet. “And this is something you could’ve told me before I went inside! I’m going to have nightmares about this for years now! I hate you, so much right now.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, frustrated from the whole ordeal. Without pause, I quickly removed my hand away from my face as a more than unpleasing smell overwhelmed my senses. “Oh god! Why?” I cried. Gazing at me from the far end of the building, laughing hysterically at my misfortune. Author's Note As always, thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proofreading the chapter and thanks for always being there. You're a true bro. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next time. Sorry for being away for so long. Keep it cool, CondemnedSoul.
Turning Time.The author strode into the main hall as both him and Dark entered from the front door. “Ah, it feels good to be back again.” Condemned stated as he slipped the hood off of his head, leaving it to rest upon his shoulders. With a deep exhale, Dark looked to Condemned with a smile,“Yeah, that it does brother. That it does.” Dark reached into his pack and pulled out a small rusted watch and glared down upon it. “Do you know why Celestia asked for us to retrieve this? It looks like a piece of useless junk.” He chuckled. “Well, I can’t say for sure.” Condemned said as he approached Dark to get a better look at the watch. “Does it do something magical like the rest of the stuff we find?” “I don’t know. On the walk back, I was trying to see if I could find out what it does, or did, but nothing.” Dark continued to twist and turn the watch around to find anything of importance, but once again, nothing happened. “Here, let’s see that for a second.” Condemned voiced. Dark tossed him the rusted watch and he began looking it over. It seemed like a normal pocket watch. The once ticking arms seemed to have stopped moving and its once rich, golden coat had long since faded. “You have to admit. It’s in pretty good condition, considering where we found it.” “I thought we were on a wild goose chase trying to find this, but how did it wind up in that volcano of all places?” The elderly guardian called,“Seems like someone was really trying to hide it.” “In either case, it’s here now. So, let’s figure this thing out before Chrys picks up that we’re..” A loud slamming door could be heard as Condemned tried to finish speaking. “..back. Too late I guess.” “And where in the world were you two of to? Without telling me as well to top it off!” The ebony queen yells. “And in the middle of the night! A week ago! You two are in a hell of a lot of trouble!” Dark tries to step in and calm his raging wife,“I’m sorry dearest, we got a mission from Celestia and Luna to retrieve an artifact of some kind. But we’re home now, we’re safe, and nothing’s gone wrong. Everything’s fine.” Dark reaches over and slowly pulls Chrys into a rather intimate hug. “I’ve missed you, love.” Through half lidded eyes, the changling queen speaks,“I’ve missed you too dear.” Just before their lips could connect, Chrysalis placed her hands against Dark’s chest and pushed him away slightly. “But next time you two plan on going somewhere, you guys tell me instead of leaving an uninformative letter!” Dark looked to Condemned and gave a lopsided smile. “I told you it would need to be more than that.” Condemned smiled. Dark looked back to Chrysalis and raised an eyebrow. “I thought it would be enough.” With his words spoken, the ebony queen pinched the bridge of her nose. “What?” He asked. “If you’re going to leave a letter telling me that you’re going on some random adventure and might be away for a few days or longer, tell me that rather than simply writing,‘We’ll be back’. Do you know how much I worried for the two of you? A lot! Next time Dark, next time!” Chrys seemed a bit steamed. “Well, it’s good to know that you missed us Chrys but if you don’t mind... I have a date with a pretty amazing specimen.” A smirk cut across Condemned’s face as he was about to stroll into the dining hall. “Off to go see my granddaughter are you?” Dark smiled. Condemned looked to him with a puzzled expression until he thought for a moment about what he had said. The author gave a small chuckle and spoke,“Oh Dusk! I was actually thinking about paying a visit to the kitchen, but yeah! I should check up on her after I grab something to eat.” Condemned gave a few approving nods to his own idea. “Yeah, sounds like a plan.” The sound of his stomach roared as he place his hand across his torso. “Well, If you’ll excuse me.” After getting some food, consuming, and then paying a visit to his beloved Dusk, the sun had set and the castle lay quiet. All were sleeping within the castle walls, all but one. Condemned sat within his room on his desk and continued to look over the pocket watch. Trying to find the secrets held within. What did it do? What was its purpose? How can it be fixed? These questions, he didn’t hold a single answer for. “Well, the arms aren’t moving. Maybe the batteries are dead?” He assumed as he gazed upon the watch. The author turned the watch over and looked for a way to open the contraption, but couldn’t seem to find one. “Damn it!” He whispered to himself. “Well, maybe it doesn’t take batteries. Maybe it just needs to be wound up?” Once again, he turned the watch over and lightly placed his finger beside the hour hand. Very slowly, Condemned began winding the watch back. He wasn’t sure if it would work, or aid in its destruction further, but once he finished turning the hands back, it began to tick. “And the world can thank me later.” Condemned whispered to himself as he smirked, setting it down onto the desk. He looked to the watch but saw that it was ticking counter clockwise. “And... this is the part where things go wrong. Damn.” Assuming that the watch must have been broken.. further, he picked it up from the desk once more. But as he grasped it, things began to feel weird. “What the..” His mind began to darken and things began to spin. “I hate my life...” “Headache.. Great. I was wondering when I’d get another one.” Condemned said as he sat up from the morning dew grass. “What?” He looked around and found that he wasn’t in the Hive. “Where in the...” “Hey! Are you ok?” Called someone across the field. The author stood from his resting spot and tried to assess the situation. ‘What’s going on?’ He thought to himself. ‘I was in the castle, in my room, winding the pocket watch and then... wait a minute! The watch!’ Condemned frantically searched his pockets for the watch, but couldn’t seem to find it. “Oh, of course! How wonderful, this is just too perfect.” He was so busy lost within his own problems that he didn’t even notice that the strange from across the field was now mere feet away. “Are you ok?” He asked. Confused, Condemned looked to the voice and found him, stumbling back in the process. “Holy Shi....taki.. mushrooms.. Don’t go sneaking up on people like that. It could get you beat!” He grumbled. “I was just checking to see if you were ok, but if you’re just going to be an ass about it... you know what. I’m sorry. It’s just that. I’m new here. But I’m thankful I found you though, at least I’m not the only one around.” The hooded stranger smiled. As Condemned narrowed his eyes on the stranger, he asked,“What do you mean... ‘Not the only one’?” The stranger took off his hood and held out his hand. “Well, human. The name’s John Dixon, but most around here call me Darkmoon’s Crescent.” A large mix of feelings washed over Condemned. It was but a whisper, but he asked,“How old are you... Dark?” “Twenty eight. Why?” Dark asked. “So that’s what it did. Huh.” He quickly shook his head and took Dark’s hand and gave it a good shake. “Well Dark, It’s a pleasure meeting you. The name’s Condemned.” ‘This is going to be one hell of a ride.’ Condemned thought to himself. “You’re strange... I like that. Nice to meet you Condemned.” Author's Note Back up and writing, Proud of myself... a tad. Anyways. Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed our time together thus far, leave a like, or dislike, comment, or not. Damn. I'm not the most sociable person, ok? ANYWAYS. Keep it cool, Condemned.
Setting the Stage.As the two walked through the ever stretching fields of green towards the Mystic Mountains, Condemned began asking a few questions about Dark himself. “So, what have you done since you first came here Dark?” The bewildered author needed to assess the situation as best he could, to see just how far the watch had actually sent him. “Well, let’s see. I had a pretty good night over at my friend Zecora’s, I met a small black fox that turned out to be my brother. By the way, I found that out during a shower, pretty awkward. I just finished coming from the library in Ponyville and off on some wild goose chase to find a changling kingdom to solve some dispute. Apparently, the princess Celestia wants me to find this place called ‘The Hive’ and have the Queen sign a treaty.” Dark seemed to have a light glow about him as he spoke of the hive. “What do you think this queen will be like?” He asked. Condemned thought to himself for a moment,‘if I tell him the things I know, then that could be relatively bad... maybe... I’m not sure but I don’t want to test it.’ The author cleared his throat before he spoke. “From what I’ve heard, she can be a little.. off. But she seems to be a pretty ok kind of pony.” Darkmoon gave him a confused look,“So you’ve met with her before?” “Umm.. yeah, but I bet she doesn’t even remember me. I’m not all that important.” Condemned stated as he rubbed the back of his neck. In an attempt to change the topic, he spoke up,“Hey, tell me a bit about yourself Dark, if I’m going to be your guide for the time being, I should probably get to know you a bit.” With a shrug, Dark said,“Well, what is there to tell? Let’s see. I have a little brother named Nicky back on earth and my mother Jenns. I’m the replacement guardian for my father ‘Senior’. Um.. I don’t know, you’d just have to be around me to actually get to know me.” He gazed over to Condemned and raised an eyebrow. “What about yourself? Where’d you get a name like ‘Condemned’ in the first place?” “Well, the name Condemned came from... well, from me. It’s not the name that matters, but the deeds that are done behind the name. So my name doesn’t really matter, it’s just what you can call me. As for who I am and what I do, I’m a bit of a writer but not all that good. I’m a mediocre writer, and a master of cooking... breakfast. Other than that though, I’m just a regular guy doing regular things.” “Nice, maybe you’ll find something you’re good at on our adventures?” he gave Condemned a quick look over. “Maybe.” “Oh, thank you for being so reassuring. Just.. wow.” “No problem.” Dark gave a few laughs at Condemned’s expense, but it didn’t really seem to bother the guardian in the slightest. “More than likely, you’ll learn a thing or two from me. Yeah, that seems more likely.” Condemned stated with a smirk. “You’ve got a long way to go, kid.” The long walk to the Mystic mountains was a fairly talkative one, mostly Dark telling stories about any little thing that could come to mind. But as they came to a ridge of the mountain overlooking the east, there they found the hive. “You ready, kid?” Condemned asked the guardian. “Why do you keep calling me a kid? I’m older than you!” “Coming from the guy complaining like a child, why yes. You’re certainly older than I, this I assure you.” With a irritable groan, Dark brushed off Condemned’s annoying claim. “Alright, Let’s get down there and check this place out.” Condemned looked over the edge of the steep mountain and seen the ground much farther than he expected. “Maybe.. we should fly down.” “Wait a second, you have wings too?” Dark asked with a hint of interest. “No, but you do. you should be able to use them, right?” He asked. At this, Dark took a small step towards the author and began questioning him. “I didn’t tell you that I have wings, how would you know this if I haven’t told you?” With only a second of thought, Condemned gave him a small smile and said,“Well, The old guardian Senior had wings, and you have his armor, so you have their enchantments, so you have his wings... or more so, your wings.” Dark just glared at Condemned for a moment and thought about his claim. “Alright, a lot of people seem to know more about my dad than I do, so who am I to argue, right?” He gave a small laugh but a thought rung in the back of his mind,‘I better keep an eye on this one. He seems to know a lot more than he lets on.” After an adventure down the mountain and coming within sight of the changlings, the two adventurers were quickly surrounded by a small army of soldiers. “Halt!” Cried a one of the guards. “Who are you and why have you come here?” Dark was about to draw his sword when Condemned placed the palm of his hand against Dark’s Chest. “Don’t do that, you idiot! We’re completely surrounded and you have little experience with it! Just leave it to me..” Condemned shot to his thoughts for a moment,‘Well, this wasn’t how the story was supposed to go. Wait a second.. let me think.. Alright, so at this part, Shadow and Dark are supposed to be here, but Shadow’s not here at the moment.... That’s why! Shadow was supposed to keep Dark’s focus on that shapeshifting spell, and since he’s not here.. damn. Alright.’ “Well, speak!” Dark said with an irritated tone. One could clearly see that this wasn’t how he had planned this treaty signing to go. “Alright! Alright. Just wait a second.” Condemned rolled his eyes and turned towards the guards. “Well, Gentlemen. This is some predicament, wouldn’t you say? We mean you all no harm, and we only wish to speak with your Queen. May we pass?” Condemned asked with a smile. Author's Note Chapters coming like wildfire. I'm in the mood to write a storm! Just so.. awesome. Thanks to AHugeAcidTree for proofreading. For both this chapter and the last. Keep it cool, Condemned.
Brains and Brawn.The chains rattled as Darkmoon tried to shake free of his bindings. “You. You my friend, have a way with words.” He grumbled. Condemned hung on the wall opposite of Dark within the small cell. “Well, I only had a second to throw something together. And it could’ve been worse you know.” “Your idea was just brilliant, let’s just walk up to the guards and ask to see the queen! Oh, and maybe throw in a couple trips to the spa for free, would you? Oh that would be wonderful.” The guardian continued to fidget as he threw condescending insults towards the author. A weak smile plastered across his face. “Oh, come on. Like you’d do any better than I did. And stop shaking those chains! You’re giving me a headache.” “Am I?” He asked. “You mean.. When I shake the chains like this?” In a hurried manner, Dark began shaking the chains as fast as he could, all in an attempt to aggravate Condemned further. “Stop it!” The author yelled as he tried brushing off the pain. “You’re such an ass!” He cried. “Am I? I’ve known you for the past.. what was it, day and a half and instead of getting a treaty signed and going home, I wind up in a dungeon cell with you!” “Just stop being an idiot and let me think! I can get us out of here, just.. stop being.. you!” “Oh, and you expect me to believe that you’ll manage to think of a way out of here? You’re the one who got us in here in the first place!” “Just. Stop.” Condemned retreated to his thoughts for a moment, scanning his surroundings and trying to piece together an escape route. ‘Alright.’ He looked around the room and found a couple of beds hung to the wall on the far left of the room, a chair of sorts within the right corner of the room, and a bucket. ‘Please tell me that’s not the toilet.’ He thought to himself. ‘Ah! Stay focused!’ He continued to search the room until he managed to catch sight of Dark’s gauntlets. “Hey! There’s our key to freedom!” “What are you talking about?” Asked the guardian. “They didn’t take your gear, and you can use your magic to set us free.” Condemned smiled as he came up with a flawless plan. “Huh. How stupid can they be? Wait.. I can still use magic..” Dark trailed off as he got a thought in his mind. With a bit of concentration and a quick flick of his fingers, Condemned’s boot caught on fire. “Holy sh. ahah!!” Condemned cried as he tried to stomp out the fire. Once he had finally managed to and turned his attention up to the guardian, he shot him a glare that was more than cold. “What the hell?! I promise you freedom and you light me on fire?” Dark was in no place to listen to the angered author being lost within a fit of laughter. “Ah.. that was a good one!” Dark smiled. “Anyways, let’s get out of here before they...” Condemned grew confused by the lack of Dark’s unfinished sentence. “What?” He asked. But he soon grew to understand as to why Dark didn’t speak. The sound of a metallic door chimed open and two changling guards entered the room, standing on either side of the door. Soon followed the one they had first set out to find. Queen Chrysalis. The ebony queen strode into the holds of the cell and stared between the two prisoners. “So, you wished to speak with me and now I’m here. Why have you come here and what is it you want?” She asked in a rather cold tone. Dark looked to Condemned and looked for some form of answer, unsure of what to say. The author rolled his eyes and looked to the changling queen. “Well, you see. Me and my friend..” “Acquaintance.” Stated Dark. “Alright, Me and my ‘Acquaintance’ Darkmoon have come here to have a treaty signed between the changlings and the equines of Equestria. Celestia wishes to stop these fights and disputes between your two races, and seeks a mutual bonding. In return of peace and security, Celestia and Luna are willing to let you feed.” Condemned turned his attention over to the guardian. “Off him to be exact.” “What?” Dark asked with a worried expression. “The princess’ know that you are only looking to feed your children and continue through life like the rest of us but that isn’t possible without having to feed off another’s emotions. My ‘Acquaintance’ is more than willing to help one such as yourself with this minor problem, seeing as how the human body is just full of emotions and more than plenty to feed your kingdom.” The queen looked over to the hanging guardian and looked him over. As he hung there helplessly, awaiting his future to unfold, he gave her a light wave and a small grin. “And what say you? Do you agree to these terms? Are you willing to accept his offer?” She asked. “Well. I..” He stopped speaking as he looked over to the author, who gave his a facial gesture to accept. “I.. do? Yeah.. I mean, I do. It shouldn’t be so bad, right?” “You, the guardian, why is it you look to your lesser for advice? Should I speak to him rather than you?” She asked. Before Dark could speak, Condemned jumped in to finish for him. “Well, we’re partners of a sort. He’s the adventurous, barrel chested hero. A little on the thoughtless side thought. Me, I’m the brains. I’m a bit of a writer and words come to me a little easier to me rather than him. So when it come to negotiations such as these, it’s mainly me talking rather than him, for safe reasons of course. One wouldn’t want to upset the Queen of Changlings, would we Darkmoon?” The guardian looked to Condemned and tried to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation but with the chains in place, his efforts were fruitless. “Right..” “If this is the case, then maybe it be best that I speak with you for now, until Sir Darkmoon collects his own thoughts. And you, of what race are you?” She asked as she tried to look past the shade of Condemned’s hood. “Oh, I forgot they left it on. I’m just more used to the dark than anything. Here.” The author flipped his head back and his hood fell to his shoulders. He looked to the queen and gave her a smile,“Human. Just like him.” “Wait a second.” Chrysalis said with a bit of wonder. She walked over to Darkmoon and removed his hood as well, then began looking between the two. “You look strikingly similar, almost like twins.” She said with a bit of fashionation. “Well, changlings are plenty alike, so the sight isn’t too uncommon.” Condemned said with a small chuckle. “This I know, but most changlings have their slight differences. But the only differences I can see on the two of you is the age.” She turned towards Dark and asked him,“How old are you, Sir Dark?” He looked to his feet for a moment and then looked to her with a cheeky smile. “Twenty eight years, madam.” She turned to Condemned and asked the same question, to which he responded,“Eighteen.” “Huh.” The queen seemed to be interested with the two twins. “Well, let’s get you two out of this dirty cell and get you two something to eat. You both look starved. But you both should get cleaned up before dinner is made.” Author's Note Another chapter in the story, in one day I might add. Thanks to AHugeAcidTree for proofreading and I'll see you guys in the next chapter. Keep it cool, Condemned.
Dinner Plans.“Dark, you dress yourself to impress.” The ebony queen smiled. Condemned and Darkmoon stood at the end of the dining table dressed in fine tuxedos. Darkmoon wore a blood red dress shirt, black tuxedo pants, black and red vest and tie, slightly covered from his overcoat and slick black dress shoes. She turned her attention towards the author, for Condemned’s attire, it consisted of bright white dress pants, red dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a white vest, white tie, and last but not least, black work boots. “Kind of different, but that somehow looks good as well.” She chuckled. Both of the guys smiled at her compliments and thanked her. Almost simultaneously, they sat down near the queen. She looked to one of the changling guards and signalled for the meal to begin. Instantaneously, numerous chiefs came barreling out the kitchen doors, serving out fine dishes. To Condemned’s surprise, he found some dishes that mainly consisted of different types of meats. Pork, beef, chicken, lamb, everything. He could barely contain himself at the sight, being stuck in a world of vegetarians. He gulped,“Queen, is that... what I think it is?” She looked to Condemned with a wide smile,“Don’t you worry, it’s a meat substitute. There is no trace of real meat from an innocent creature. Us changlings do not feed in this manner, but off of emotions as you are no doubt aware.” The author thought to himself in silence,‘Damn it. So, so, so close.’ He turned his attention away from the food and focused on Dark. He had noticed that the guardian was being rather quiet. “Do you have anything to say? Any questions you’d like to ask the Queen?” He asked. “Well, what’s there to ask?” He said with a lopsided smile. “Come on, just say something. Tell her about yourself, or ask about her.” Darkmoon looked to the queen with a small smile and asked,“Would you like me to... tell you a bit about myself? That’s.. if it’s ok with you, that is.” The ebony queen gave a little chuckle at the uneasy tone of the guardian. She leant against one of her hands with her elbow resting against the table,“I would love to.” “Alright.” His smile grew a little bigger,“I’m from this place called,‘Earth’. and...” As his story grew on, Condemned noticed that with each changing topic, the queen drew herself that much closer to the taletelling Darkmoon. She moved from her chair at the end of the table, to the next chair, and then the next, but she stopped as she finally reached the chair right beside his. Their smiles, their laughs, and their words mixed together so perfectly. The very sight of them together once again in the eyes of Condemned brought a more than cheerful smile upon his face. Their continuous storytelling continued until they both glanced over to the author as he was taking large bites out of a false steak. “Having a good time are we?” Asked Dark with a grin plastered across his face. After swallowing his food, he looked towards Dark with a disappointed sigh,“It’s.. just not the same.” The queen spoke up,“So, both of you are carnivorous creatures then?” She asked, achieving a nod from the both of them. “Is this a common thing on your ‘Earth’?” Once again, a nod. Dark looked to Chrysalis and said,“But we’re not all carnivores. Most of the worlds inhabitants are a varied bunch. Some prefer meat, others vegetables, and then a mix of both.” “Oh.” Once the dinner finished and the dishes were lifted away, Darkmoon and Condemned were lead to the inner garden of the castle. The sights were incredible, the soft, lush grass, the clear night sky with the glimmering stars hanging within it, and the sight that only Condemned seemed to notice. The Mystic Mountain. The very sight sent a small sensation of sadness throughout his mind as he remembered a memory. “Just a little further.” Daylight whispered into Dusk’s ear as he lead her towards their destination, his hands covering her eyes as he guided her along their way. “Are we almost there?” She asked with a bit of excitement as she was lead, a grin plastered across her face. “Almost.” As they finally arrived, Daylight lifted his hands away from her eyes and said.“Here we are.” The mare looked around and seen a small picnic blanket laid across the grass. A bottle of wine and two wine glasses rested within a picnic basket as a rose sat in the middle of the blanket, waiting to be picked up and to top it all off was the sun as it was just kissing the horizon, bringing about the night. She glanced around and seen that the area looked somewhat familiar when she caught sight of the hive beneath them. “It’s our one year anniversary, I wanted it to be special. So what’s more special than a glass of wine, with a rose for a pretty lady on a mountaintop as they watched the sunset?” She looked to Daylight with a bit of tears in her eyes. “Is something wrong?” “No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that... this is so perfect.” She buried her face within his chest and she wrapped her arms around him. A smile came over the author as he held her within his embrace, cherishing each moment as they stood holding each other. As Condemned’s memory was set to the side, he caught Chrysalis staring at him. Lost in thought. He had no knowledge as to what he had done to earn her gaze, so he asked. “Is something wrong, my queen?” “Not for me, but it seems for you. What’s wrong?” She questioned. “Ah, nothing. I was just thinking.” He told the ebony queen as to subside her curiosity. She looked to him for moment longer before speaking again,“Something is wrong, or else there wouldn’t be fragments of tears in your eyes.” “Just thinking on the past, I guess.” To the queen it was just a statement, but to Condemned, he himself wasn’t to sure. Being sent into the past but remembering something that happened within the future was rather confusing. Was it a memory? Or just a thought? But this didn’t mean anything to him. He was there, and most importantly, she was too. It was real, to him. As the night drew on, Dark and Chrysalis stood side by side as they leant against the guardrail, overlooking the dark field before them. They sent playful jokes towards each other, and laughing at the others small playful gestures towards the others. Condemned rested upon the wooden bench that sat near the two, his eyes were slowly growing weary. “Sir Condemned, join us, would you?” Without any say, the author stood from the bench and joined their small conversations. The chats they shared for the next ten minutes were menial but enjoyable. Even he began to warm up to the both of them, but to him it just wasn’t the same. The two that stood before him, he knew them, but the old them is who he knew. But as they talked between each other, Chrysalis caught a glance at something within Condemned’s vest pocket. “What’s that?” She asked as she pointed towards it. The author took hold of the watch that lead him back through the fabric of time and held it out towards the ebony queen. “This? It’s just a watch.” But something seemed off as he held it. He didn’t pick it up before as he got dressed, but something was different with the watch. It wasn’t the motionless, rusted piece of junk he had before, but a shining, golden watch that’s tick seemed to echo throughout the air. “...Strange.” “What’s strange?” Dark asked as he watched over Condemned. “It’s...different.” Author's Note Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next! A big thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proofreading again. Keep it cool, Condemned.
Defying Orders.Condemned sat within his room, high within the dark castle in one of the towering pillars. As he watched over the clock, inspecting the differences between his memories. Shining a shimmering gold instead of a chipped, tainted and stained bronze. The hands of the clock a solid black with a white trimming in the middle of each hand. It’s rhythmic turning hands filling the quiet of the room with it’s rhythmic beats. He sat on the desk chair, eyeing the ticking watch. Thinking to himself, thoughts and questions weaving around his mind as if spiders wrapping its prey tightly with its fine silky webbing. the author couldn’t seem to grasp onto his own thoughts as he was hypnotized by the constant ticking from time to time. He thought about the future, and the past. And the thoughts of this sinister watch. Taking him from his life, and sending him into a new one. He dare not think further, for his heart couldn’t take it. He wished that he could find some way, somehow, to return to his old life and be happy. But even if he were to return, with the slight differences he has made to the story timeline, it could spell disaster for his and everyone’s future. He needed to fix the things he has tampered with before finding a way back through time, though this would be no easy task. He has already set the groundwork for Darkmoon and Chrysalis’ relationship, and from the signs that she’d been throwing him the entire night, it was safe to say that there was nothing to worry about with that anymore. To him, it could have been enough, but even with the smallest of changes, he could have tampered with the story further than he intended. Before Condemned could even consider returning to his own time, he needed to make sure that everything went according to the story plans. His thoughts were quickly interrupted as a faint knock could be heard at the door. Curious as to who could be knocking at his door at three o’clock in the morning, he stood from the comfort of the desk chair and slowly made his way over to the door. He slowly creaked the oak door open and gazed out into the hallway, but to his surprise; he didn’t see anyone standing at the door. ‘Maybe I’m just hearing things.’ He consciously thought to himself. Instead of closing the door behind himself and leaving to return to his own thoughts, he leant out of the door and scanned the hallway. The hall was dark, but with the faint light managing to poke through the hall windows, he did manage to catch the sight of a familiar figure. The person was hard to make out, but as he narrowed his eyes, the figure started to come into focus. “Hello?” He whispered. “How can I help you?” He asked. The unknown figure seemed to be walking the other direction, as if trying to leave. But as he called out to grab their attention, the figure came to a complete halt. Without a word, the unknown wanderer began to turn around and slowly made it’s way towards Condemned. As it walked, he seemed to notice that it walked with a certain sway, as if trying to catch his attention. Somewhat confused, the author looked to the supposed mare and asked for her name, but once again, received no answer. Without any form of a warning, she placed her hand upon his chest and began slowly pushing him into his room. “What are you..” He was cut off as she planted her lips upon his, lightly caressing his cheek with the palm of her hand. Instinctively, he placed his hands on the mares shoulders and edged her away. She asked in a worried tone,“I did not offend you in any form, have I?” But something within the author’s mind clicked as he heard her voice. Something he didn’t wish to hear. The voice was all too familiar. “Chrys?!” He grabbed the hood hiding the mare’s face and pulled it down. With her face revealed, he bounced back and tripped on the desk chair, landing him on the edge of the bed. “What are you doing?! Darkmoon! And you! That’s supposed to... you’re supposed to.. What?!” His mind was swimming in circles, the experience leaving him both breathless and confused. “I.. I do like Darkmoon, and he treats me as a queen. Though thoughts have been stirring in my mind, ever since I watched both you and Darkmoon get ready for dinner. Naturally, I’m much too. They have informed me about your thoughts. Always asking Dark as to what he thought of me, telling him some things that only one such as I should know, and telling him other more personal information about me. So I ask you. How much do you know about me? Why is it you seek my attention? Have you fallen for me? And why are you using Dark to get to me?” She asked with a large cheeky grin on her face, through half lidded eyes. “Tell me, Condemned. Why must we play this game? I see all the little glances you make towards me while I’m with Darkmoon.” The ebony queen slowly made her own way towards the edge of the bed, a faint smile on her lips. I stood to my feet, just to make sure she wasn’t about to try anything. After I managed to collect my own thoughts, I spoke. “I wasn’t staring at you while you were with Dark, I was watching the both of you. You both are perfect for eachother and I know this to be true.” In spite of the queen’s actions of before, I sat and rested on the desk chair once again. Simply collecting my thoughts. She quickly rested on my bed, her seductive look growing more intense as she glided her hand lightly across her body. “And how would you know this? This is the first I’ve even heard of the two of you, you would have to be able to see into the future to be able to see something such as that. And what do you see in me that would interest me in Darkmoon?” She asked, curious as to what the author knew. Sighing in defeat, and with a small yawn, Condemned looked to her. Holding nothing but a serious expression as if he were about to commit a serious crime, and the more he thought about it, technically he was. “I know this because... I’m from the future. Your’s and Dark’s future. I’m a bit of a.. writer. And to even try this with my best friend’s wife is a definite ‘No’. I’m sorry my queen, but I need to ask you to leave.” The heart within the author’s chest seemed to pound as he defied Chrysalis’ wishes, but knowing that he was attempting to work Chrys’ attention away from him eased his thoughts. Being denied her own bidding, she lifted herself up and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the author. “You dare defy my orders? You do realize that you are in “My” castle, under “My” rule. So Let me tell you something Condemned. The next time I say jump, I want you to say,‘How high?’. Do you understand?” She asked, angered by his actions. “I understand this Chrys’. I’ll do anything you ask, but when it comes to things like this, it’s not going to happen. You and my best friend belong together, and I’m not going to ruin that.” Smiling, the ebony queen stood from the bed and made her way towards the door. Once again, she hadn’t spoken until she was standing outside of the room, hidden with the dark of the dimly lit hallway. It was hard to pick up, but once he heard it, he knew he was in trouble. As she stared back into the room, peering over Condemned with a false smile, she said,“I’m going to have a lot of fun, for the next few days. But I’ll leave the choice entirely to you. You can either choose to be with me, or suffer as I have you perform strenuous tasks around the castle for the rest of your days. These tasks will be no easy feat, this I will make sure. Your body will slowly destroy itself from the inside until there is nothing left but a pile of bone, ground up and left as dust, and a shapeless husk of a body. So, it’s your choice. Now choose.” Before closing the door behind himself, Condemned gave it a quick thought. “I’ll see you in the mines then.” After the door had closed, his mind spoken, and his fate chosen, he laid onto the comforts of his bed and slowly began to fall into the sweet embrace of sleep. He quickly shot up and ran towards the door. Rushing at his own thoughts, he turned around and grabbed the desk and blocked off his door. “At least I’m safe, for now at least.” Once again he rested against his bed and fell asleep. Author's Note A big thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proof reading and another thanks to Mikevae also, me here, just feeling super special awesome for having proof readers now :3 Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, make sure to leave a like, dislike, comment, or.. anything really. If you do happen to dislike, can you please leave a comment telling me as to why? If you do, we can both grow from this experience. Thanks and have a great day. Keep it cool, Condemned.
Double Vision.“Alright, get up.” Called a changling guard as he kicked the side of my bunk. The shock from his hooves impact knocked me from the top bunk to the irritable drop to the dirt floor. “Time to get to work, now let’s get going.” I gave a quick sigh and lifted myself off the ground, brushing the light coat of dust off my clothes. “So, where we off to today?” I asked, taking a brief yawn as I stood to my feet. “Patrolling the castle grounds today. And after lunch, the queen’s asked for you specifically to clean the stables. Normally, it’s cleaned by the stable boys, but she’s given them the day off.” “Of course she did. Well, I'll get it done.” I turned to the guard and felt my stomach rumble. “Let’s get some breakfast, eh?” I shot him a smile and he returned it in full. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all morning. I’m starving.” We turned and made our way towards the mess hall to join the other castle guards and workers. As we made our way towards the cafeteria, I turned to my thoughts on how I wound up in this whole “slavery” business. After turning down Chrysalis’ offer, she had a couple of guards “escort” me to the barracks to work my time away until Dark had finally managed to convince her to sign the treaty. They arrived as I slept. They managed to sneak into my room, tie a rag across my mouth so I couldn’t call for help, and threw a black bag over my head and dragged me through the halls until they tossed me inside the barracks. Normally one would have struggled and tried to escape, but I had already seen this coming. I’ve been working around the castle with the others for the past few days now and I’ve managed to keep in contact with a trusted guard. He keeps a watch out for me to see how close Dark is to convincing the changling queen into signing that treaty, and thus far, he’s only made a bit of progress. If I were there to help him, the treaty would have already been signed by now and we’d be off back to Ponyville so he could meet with the others, but sadly, I’m here. Toiling my body’s energy away for absolutely no reason. Though my body ached, and my mind fried from the long and unforgiving hours working under the bright sun’s rays, it would all be worth it. Even if she were to break my spirit and crush me into the dirt like an ant, I’d still have the memories of Dusk keeping me afloat. For her, I’d work myself to the bone just to see her again. We finally arrived at the cafeteria and after taking our fill, we began making our way to grab our gear to begin patrolling. As we made our way down the hall, my changling friend named Toothless turned to me and asked,“So, what’d you do to piss off the queen?” I looked to him and gave a shrug,“Well, she asked me to do something I didn’t want to. I said no, and now I’m here.” “What about that other guy? Darkmoon? That’s his name right? Is he your brother or something? You two look really similar, accept the age part.” “We’ll you could say that we’re like brothers, I’m the brains and he’s the brawn. I know more about that guy than anyone else.” “How?” He asked, slightly confused. “Didn’t you say that you two met last week?” I thought back to the past and shrugged it off. “I’m just really good at reading people, and he’s a talker... though without me, he’s not really good at it.” “Coming from the guy who got himself thrown into a mess like this?” I stopped mid-step before continuing. “Touché.” The rest of the walk was calm and quiet, and after collecting our gear and strapping it on, onto the patrol we went. Just like the days before, nothing too much of interest happened. And once our patrolling was over, I dropped my stuff off in the barracks and made my way towards the stables. After I arrived at the stable, I grabbed a shovel and a pair of gloves. ‘I hope that Dark gets the treaty signed today, we need to get this story on the road.’ I thought to myself as my shovel dug into the waste within the pen. The day’s light faded into the distance as the sun began to set. Within the day me and my changling friend Toothless had finished our rounds and figured it was time to finally call it a night. We sauntered back to the guard barracks and sat around talking to each other. I looked to him with exhausted eyes and sheepishly smiled,“I wish Dark would be finished with this, we need to get to Ponyville to meet the others.” As the sentence finished, the words were replaced with a grandiose yawn. “Damn I’m tired.” “I hear you, I could use a break.” Voiced Toothless. “Too bad you couldn’t be in two places at once, being able to help Dark along and patrolling with your buddy Tooth. But that’s not likely to happen.” He gave an outrageous laugh but quickly changed his tone as he rest his eyes upon the man across the table, a large grin plastered across his face. “What are you smiling about?” He asked. Lightly chuckling to himself, Condemned looked to Toothless. “You’re a genious Tooth. I don’t know how I didn’t think of this before!” Quickly thinking to himself, a vision came into reality right before Tooth’s eyes. An exact replica of Condemned. With a twinge of fear, he unsheathed his blade and aimed it for the replica,“Hold foul demon! Or be cast into oblivion!” Cried the frightened changling. Opening his eyes, the author gently pushed the tip of the blade down towards the floor. “Calm yourself, Tooth. I know a bit of magic of my own and this is going to help me! With his help... my help..” Confusion riddled the author’s mind but was quickly shaken away. “Anyways, with this replica, I’ll be able to work out in the fields with you and be able to help Dark.” Without warning, Condemned’s vision began to change. He could see through his own eyes, but also the replica’s as well. The sudden change was a bit too disorienting, so he quickly sat back down. “Damn it...” Condemned groaned. “This is going to take some practice.” Author's Note Well, back on track and feeling good. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and can't wait to see you in the next. Thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proofreading the chapter for me. Keep it cool, Condemned.
Setting Plans.“Ok, I have a plan. I’m going to sneak past the entrance guards somehow and get into the castle, then I’ll work my way towards Dark so I can speed this process along so the treaty can be signed. Then he and I can get back to Ponyville to meet with the others.” Thinking to myself, the plan wasn’t all too thought out, but the refined details would be worked out along the way. “Do you have any ideas as to how I could get past the guards?” I asked. A tinkle lit within the changling’s eyes as an idea came to mind. “It’s almost too simple. We’re in the barracks, just borrow one of the castle guard armor sets and you’re set. But you’re also going to need to try and find a way to mask your face. While the armor covers your body, you don’t have our ears nor muzzle. And I’m no good at paper mache.” The cheeky changling declared, a small chuckle escaping his smirk. If you have enough magic to make a clone, then you should be able to conjure up some kind of plan for that.” He turned to his bunk and reached over to grab a small barrel of ale. “Hmm. This is going to feel weird, this I know to be true.” I clenched my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. A tingling sensation filled my body’s whole to the brim as I channelled my magic into a spell, sending unwanted feelings flowing all throughout it. As the chills and tingling had calmed down to a minimum, I spoke, though my eyes wouldn’t seem to open. “Did anything happen?” Silence hung in the air, “Hello?” “That... are you... What are you? I thought you were human, but maybe you’re a changling too?” “Wait, what?” I managed to take control over my eyes once again and gave my body a quick inspection. “Holy... shnikeys.” Where my feet would have been were tattered, sullen black hooves. Following up my legs and upper body, I could see nothing but a leathery, darkened worn encasing of skin. Holes covered my torso as well as my upper arms. I placed my hands against my face and felt major changes in my facial structure as well as definition. My nose had become a muzzle, and my jawline became larger. I worked my jaw around for a moment to get a feeling for it, and it seemed to be rather irritating. Next, I checked the sides of my head for human ears, but found them replaced with that of an equines. “Ahh.... I was only trying to summon a mask, but this? I have to change back!” I shook my head speedily in disapproval. “This just feels too weird, I can’t.” Once again, I closed my eyes and imagined myself human again. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Alright, we need to come up with another plan.” “Well change back then, I thought that was what you were trying to do.” Tooth stated. I gave him a look of confusion. “What?” He asked. “What do you mean change back? I thought I did!” I looked over my body and none of the features had changed. “What the..” I quickly redone the changing process, but once again, nothing happened. “Oh no... Oh no, oh no, oh no..” My breaths became quicker in pace, as many thoughts rang about my head. “This can’t be happening!” I placed my head in my hands and fell back into the chair. “Whoa, it’s ok. Being a Changling isn’t all that bad, it’s almost better. Think about it, you won’t have to eat regular food, and you’ll have a constant connection to Queen Chrysalis, so it’ll make figuring out her plans and whereabouts easier, right?” He rested his hand against my shoulder, calming my frightened senses. “It’s going to be ok. I’m sure you’ll figure out some way to return to your normal self somehow, but just remember what you have to do, and what’s at stake. From what you’ve told me, it’s all a matter of getting back to Ponyville. From then on, you’ll have all the time in the world to figure this out. Just stick to the matter at hand for now. There’s a spare castle guard armor set over on the stands. Now go, I’ll just take your human copy with me tomorrow when my shift starts at four o’clock. But since it’s nearly ten in the evening, you should probably start heading for the shift change. It’ll be soon too, so get that armor on and get going!” I looked to him and nodded, “Alright, you’re right.” I stood from the chair and made my way towards the armor stands, but stopping half way. Turning around, I looked to Toothless once again, “Thanks, if it weren’t for you... I don’t know what I would have done. This may be my last night here, so I hope I see you again someday.” “That you can count on, I’ve been promoted to another position, a field ranger. It’s much different than what I’m doing now, I’ll be out there in the world exploring to find other sources for us to feed and other places to construct more castles and expand on our way of life. Maybe when we see each other again, Queen Chrysalis will be so happy with my work, she’ll make me a king! Probably not, but who knows. You need to be going, and good travels Condemned. I hope you find this ‘Dusk’ you speak of so frequently. She’s a lucky girl.” With that, Toothless sat down at the table and poured himself a pint of ale, taking a sip and relaxing. A small chuckle followed by a grin emanated on his face, “Hail to the king.” He downed the rest of his glass and looked to the replica, “You’re staying with me. I’ll need a friend in my travels also, but we’ll need to separate your vision from his. Somehow.” Standing up, Toothless grabbed glass and poured another pint of ale. Handed it over to the replica, he said, “Drink this.” Silent, he did as told and drank. A burning sensation filled my eyes for a moment as my vision began to blur. Pouring another glass, he once again handed it over. Silent once again, the replica downed the rest of the glass and closed his eyes. As his eyes opened once more, my vision became my own. Much clearer than before. “Whoa, my sight is normal again. What’d you do?” I asked. He looked to me and shrugged. “I don’t know, I just wanted to see if he had a buzz going on, maybe you’d be forced to focus on your side more than his, but it worked either way. I’m a genious.” Author's Note Thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proofreading for me and I hope this has preoccupied your time with a fill of entertainment. I'll see you in the next chapter and thanks for reading. Keep it cool, Condemned.
Risk all, even that.Closing the doors behind me, I quickly made my way towards the entrance to the Hive, uncertain of how to approach nor where to go. Contemplating my new changling body and connection to the queen, I focused my thoughts on her. A flash of light blinded my vision and I could see faint glimpses of both her and Dark sitting somewhere within the castle, from the looks of the environment, I could see plants and a balcony in the background. “That could be anywhere! Focus!” I whispered to myself. Peering back into the visions, I could see the night sky above and the a tattered gazebo. ‘There you are!’ I thought. From what I could see, I assumed that they were in the gardens. Making my to the entrance, I found two guards blocking my path but they quickly caught sight of me. One of the entrance guards called out, “Hey you! What are you doing?” I was surprised, and a bit worrisome. ‘They know I’m a fake, they know!’ I chimed within my mind, sure that I had been found out. I looked to him, my face growing pale. “Umm.. nothing?” Taking a step forward, the guard gave me a glare. “I know that! You’re hall patrol, right? Then get your ass in here! You’re going to get us in trouble, you know that!” I was dumbfounded. They couldn’t tell me from any other changling, making this plan seem more solid with each second. I cleared my throat, trying to casually play it off. “Y-yeah. I’ll just going inside then. Sorry, just kinda overslept. It’s been a rough few days.” My hands were trembling from the being surprised at first. “Yeah, yeah. Spare us your life story and get to your position! I’m not losing my rations because of your ‘tender sensibilities’. Now get a move on!” He stated heatedly. “Alright, alright. I’m moving! Geeze, guy.” I quickened my pace and passed the guards. Though my heart seemed to skip a beat as he stopped me just as I passed. “Wait a sec.” He called. “You smell different.” I could feel my hands begin to shake again, but tried to maintain control of them. “You smell terrible! So you were stuck in the stables, eh? Believe me, I hate when I’m told to do it. Just make sure you take a shower next time before your shift. Alright then, get going.” ‘Holy... shit.’ I took a calming breath, as to ease the stress this changling was giving me. My voice cracked as I spoke, “Y-yeah.. ah. That was my fault. I was too tired to take a shower, and just collapsed on my bed last night. Sorry if it smells in the barracks when your shift is over. I’ll air it out when I’m done and take a shower. Queen knows I do.” I took a calming breath as I took reassurance that my permanent disguise was working. “Have a good one.” I strolled down the halls, passing by guards and searching for the Hive’s gardens. Feeling more than lost, I approached a kitchen servant as he was making his way to the kitchen for his shift. “Hey, I need to ask you a question.” I called. He looked to me with large gaping eyes and swallowed hard. As he spoke, his voice seemed to shake, “Yeah? How can I help you? I’m... I’m not in trouble am I?” I could see droplets of sweat coming down his forehead. He seemed more than eager to leave. I looked to him, then looked around. Bringing my attention back to the changling, I said, “No, I was just looking to see if you knew where the gardens are. I’m still learning my way around the castle. But why are you asking if you’re in trouble? I haven’t seen you do anything, so you can calm down if you want.” I pondered what had the servant so on edge. “Oh, that’s all? I just thought that I was in trouble again, I can’t have another demerit on my head. I’m this close to becoming the permanent bathroom janitor. I can’t lose another job, so I’m sorry if I seemed kinda sketchy. Ok, since you’re looking for the gardens, it’s down the hall to the left. Make a right after the third hallway and once you’ve come to a set of three windows on your right hand side, you’re right beside it.” He sighed in relief. “Thanks for the directions, and I hope things pick up for you. Anyways, thanks again and have a good rest of your night.” I nodded my head and sent him a smile. “Oh yeah, don’t worry. It’s just things are crazy at the moment, and.. wait.” He paused for a moment and looked to the ground. I could tell he was staring out into space, lost within his train of thoughts until he raised his eyes and gave me an offset stare. “How don’t you know your way around the castle? You’re a guard, you’re supposed to know these kind of things, right?” He asked. I shook my head, rolling my eyes in the process. “I know I’m supposed to, but I’m usually stuck outside patrolling the fields. Since that new human showed up, he’s taken my place and I’ve been given hallway patrol. Still learning the general layout of the Hive.” He stared blankly at the walls, his eyes shifting once every five seconds. He looked to me for a second, his mouth agape but quickly coming to a close. “But you were born here right? You should know...” He said with a questioning appeal. “I’m a new transfer from another Hive. One to the far north, and I’m still trying to adjust to the new change.” I said with a hint of worry lingering my mind. He tilted his head back and exclaimed, “Oh, ok. That explains everything. Alright, I gotta start heading to work. Catch you around, yeah?” He smiled. I nodded and grinned. “Wait, what’s your name?” He asked. I needed a stage name for now, so I quickly thought and spoke, “Oh, name’s Figit. I’ll catch you around.. and yours?” “Yeah, it’s Norm. Norm the servant. Hopefully it stays that way, and it doesn’t change to Janitor.” “Well, Norm the servant, you better get going before your nightmare becomes a reality. Catch you later.” He sprinted off down the hall and disappeared from sight. With the directions to the Hive’s gardens, I began to make my way through the seemingly unending halls. After a few minutes of walking, I finally arrived at my destination. Peering out the window, I found the two standing out in the night air, looking out into the stars. I could see them chatting about something, but I couldn’t quite make it out. I turned my attention away from the two and began to think of a way to get Dark alone without having Chrysalis to tag along. “Hmm..” I mumbled to myself, I looked around my environment and found a table with a bundle of scrolls with a quill to write. “They’re just making this too easy.” I began writing a letter to the clueless guardian, explaining my situation and what my plan was. Sealing it with a stamp, I stood from the table and began working my way around the halls, finally reaching the entrance to the gardens. I stood there for a moment, and looked to my feet. I could tell that my presents didn’t catch their attention, so I cleared my throat, forcing their attention upon me. The ebony queen looked to me, as did the guardian. I could tell that she was a frustrated with my interruption. “My queen.” I swallowed, “A message has arrived for Darkmoon, and we haven’t been able to tell who it’s from, but I’ve been told its crucial for the guardian to see. It’s also been instructed for guardian’s eyes only.” I bowed and presented the letter. He sauntered over at a brisk speed and took the letter, “I wonder if it’s from Condemned, kinda surprised that he needed to leave so urgently like that. But it’s his life I guess.” He opened the letter, standing mere feet from me. Gazing at the letter, his eyes tilted downward and his mouth seemed to say something, but no words were formed. He looked to me for a moment and squinted. With his attention focused on me, I gave a brief nod and turned away. Leaving the guardian behind as I exited the gardens. Within the note, I told him to meet with me in the barracks that night. Then we would discuss further on both the subject. With my knowledge and plans given to Darkmoon, I made my way back to the entrance of the hive, but my plans came to a halt as the two guarding the door wouldn’t let me leave. Angered by this, I needed to find another way out. It wasn’t the best of plans nor the worst, but it would be one that I would regret long into the night. After I arrived at the barracks drenched. I opened the door and wandered in, leaving droplets and footprints behind me. Catching the attention of Toothless and my clone, he quickly made his way over to me. “Hey!” He cheerfully exclaimed. “How’d it go? Did you... Holy!” He took a step back, covering his snout with his forearm, lightly heaving at the smell. “Why do you smell like you’ve been swimming in a sewer?” He began to distance himself from both me and my aroma. I looked to the stallion, a more than displeased expression plastered across my entire being. “That’s because I was. It was the only way I could find out of the castle without grabbing the attention of the other guards.” I wasn’t proud out what I did, but it was necessary. He looked to me with a snicker escaping his lips, “You do know that you could’ve gone through the larder and used the hidden escape hatch, right? All you would’ve needed to do is ask some of the kitchen staff.” I glared fiercely at him, my eye twitched as a small pool formed beneath my feet. “And this is something you could’ve told me before I went inside! I’m going to have nightmares about this for years now! I hate you, so much right now.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, frustrated from the whole ordeal. Without pause, I quickly removed my hand away from my face as a more than unpleasing smell overwhelmed my senses. “Oh god! Why?” I cried. Gazing at me from the far end of the building, laughing hysterically at my misfortune. Author's Note As always, thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proofreading the chapter and thanks for always being there. You're a true bro. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next time. Sorry for being away for so long. Keep it cool, CondemnedSoul.
