Ponies, Pirates and Peculiar Psychopaths

Chapters

Laying Down the Law
You Can Take Your Hat Off
Quantum Molecularization: Science is Magic... and Lasers
Let There be Lasers
I Am From Space and I Have Come For Your Females
It's Raining Ponies! Hallelujah, It's Raining Ponies!
Baths, Bombs and Bad Puns
Schemes and Plots
A Hint of What Comes
Suddenly, Platinum
Keep Rocking On
Lord of The Sea!
A Pun-ishing Conflict

Laying Down the Law

“This ship smells like a barnyard! What the hell are they keeping down he… oh.”

Nigel stopped talking when he reached the bottom of the stairs, the under decks lit by lanterns lining the walls. Large cages filled the spacious cargo hold and inside those cages resided a mass of ponies and what looked to Nigel to be zebras. There was a mix of ages and genders, all of the creatures huddling as far back as they could as Nigel scanned the dimly lit area. His First Mate, Sea Biscuit had followed him down to the lower decks and the mare was examining the cages’ occupants with a frown on her face.

“These slaves aren’t even marketable; their conditions are far too poor. Why is a griffon naval vessel transporting a cargo of slaves that wouldn’t even fetch a hoof-full of golden Talents?”

“Okay,” Nigel began to respond, “Firstly, ‘hoof-full’? Secondly, ‘Talents’? and lastly what’s all of this about marketable slaves?” Sea Biscuit swore that the hull actually lowered in temperature when the Captain said the word ‘slaves.’

“Uh, ‘Hoof full’ is a phrase meaning-“

“I get that First Mate,” the Captain interrupted with a growl, “what I am more interested in are these slaves.” As he said this he leaned in towards the cage, all of the slaves moving as far away as they could from the faceless monster.

“Well, every nation except the newly-formed Equestria-“

“Let me guess,” Chalmers interrupted, “Equestria is the nation where all of the ponies live right?”

Sea Biscuit gave the Captain an inquisitive look, “I thought you said you weren’t from this planet, how did you know?”

Captain Chalmers didn’t say anything for a while, Sea trying to figure out if she had done something wrong. “It was a lucky guess Sea Biscuit, your nation names are so cryptic that I’m grateful I was able to figure it out without having to resort to using the supercomputer that the scientists no doubt inserted into my helmet” the Captain finally said, Sea Biscuit getting a vibe that he was not being entirely honest with her. As she thought about the Captain’s response however something occurred to her.

“What do you mean ‘helmet’? I thought that was your face?”

“Not important right now Biscuit,” Chalmers replied as he held up a hand to silence his First Mate, “What I want to know is just exactly how many nations on this planet advocate slavery?”

Sea Biscuit got the feeling that she was about to start a whole bunch of trouble but she did as her Captain ordered, the mare compiling a mental list of the nations that used slave labour. Which was pretty much every single one that she knew of.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

“Attention crew members and ‘newly released slaves who have nowhere else to go’, new designation pending.” The crew all looked towards the captain who was standing on the aft of the ship somehow amplifying his voice. The slaves, who the Captain had demanded be released from the cages were ambling around on the large deck of the ship which had previously belonged to their captors. They were still incredibly scared of the captain and the pirates in general but everyone were thankful that the strange creature had freed them, even if he did seem a bit… off. They too also looked towards the imposing biped with the aqua unicorn standing beside him.

“It has come to my attention that most of the nations on this back-water planet participate in the vile practice of slavery. Now before I go into my main rant I wish to make a sub-rant.” The Captain gestured beside him, the entire crew gasping in amazement as a glowing blue list appeared in the air.

“Rule number one: no slavery. If anyone on this ship sells, buys or even helps to move slaves I will personally hunt you down and skin you alive while singing ‘Over the Rainbow’. Seriously I will laugh and preform musical theatre while you beg for the sweet embrace of death.” Nigel smiled; he seemed to have the full attention of everyone on the ship. The threat of agonizing death can be quite an attention getter.

“Rule number two: No rape,” Nigel glanced down at Sea Biscuit as the mare nudged his leg with a hoof.

“You know the crew are mostly mares right Captain?” Sea whispered, eliciting a sigh from Chalmers.

“I know Sea, and let me also tell you that if you’re a man and you get locked in a room with several incredibly horny females dressed in leather for three days then you find out that ladies also sink to that level.” Sea Biscuit had no response to that, the Captain upon seeing that his point had been made directed his attention back to the assembled ponies on the ship.

“I know we’re a bunch of murderous, deceitful scallywags but I expect a level of decency that reflects my command. Stallions, if any of you even so much of think of raping something I will cut off your balls and make coin purses out of them which I will send to your mothers. Mares if you rape anything I will be very, very disappointed,” the male crew looked at the Captain like they were about to complain, “also I will cover you in oil and set you on fire.” This silenced any objections about in-equality regarding the no rape rule.

“Rule number three,” the Captain continued, “Obey my every order without hesitation, also First Mate Sea Biscuit here is my second in command so listen to everything she says as well.” Sea Biscuit was about to protest being given that much responsibility but the Captain began to stroll back and forth across the aft deck waving a hand in the air.

“Looting privileges,” every member of the crew perked up at this, “whenever anything is plundered such as supplies, merchandise etc. we will wait until we reach port and when we sell the items the money will be dived up according to rank. In the case of gold chests or other such valuables we’ll get to the dividing once the ship is out of danger. You also have free reign to loot all of the corpses you desire just be reasonable, pulling out gold teeth is a little too far.”

Chalmers stopped his pacing, placing his hands on the wooden rail as he looked out over his new ship, the old one attached to a tow line behind the large battleship. On the main deck sat over forty ponies and twenty-five zebras, the freed captives from the dank hold. All of the prisoners were in varying states of malnutrition and Nigel had already ordered that they be treated the same as crew members when it came to rations. This had caused some murmurs amongst the less tolerating members of the pirate crew, murmurs that had been silenced when the Captain had demonstrated his ability to replay images that had happened in the past. Images of his assault on the griffon ship earlier. Close up. With surround sound so every death scream was able to be heard crystal clear.

“While on the subject of slavery,” Nigel said as he overlooked every attentive face, “due to the existence of slavery in the Griffon Empire, the Zebra Nations, the Minotaur Kingdom and the Diamond Dog Tribes we are now officially at war with these mentioned civilisations, everything that belongs to them we will attack on sight.” The crew were too stunned to react, the Captain continuing on as he advocated all-out war against nighty-percent of the world.

“I know what many of you are thinking, ‘but Captain Chalmers, how will we eliminate the majority of nations on this planet, we are but a crew of sixty with a bunch of freed slaves?’ and let me tell you this!” the Captain bellowed as he raised his right arm towards the sky. A blue glow surrounded it before a large cylinder formed, a bright light emitted from the end.

“I am so drunk on my own ego right now that if God was even paying attention to this grease-ball of a planet I would probably attempt to usurp his throne up there in the sky!” The Captain turned to look at the blue sky, raising his left hand with his middle finger sticking straight up.

“Fuck you God!” Chalmers yelled as a blue bolt of energy flew out of the cylinder in his right arm to the surprise of the assorted ponies and zebras. The bolt of blue travelled straight and true until it was halted by an unlucky seagull, the bird instantly vaporising in a burst of flame. Nigel took a second to ask himself if the annoying flying rats existed at every ocean in the universe before rotating back around to face his crew.

“We shall be unstoppable, our might unchallenged!” Captain Chalmers shouted as he raised a metal fist, “We shall not back down, Wir werden sie zerschmettern! Wir werden sie zerstören! Wir warden…” the Captain paused as the crew attempted to understand what he had just said.

“He he, sorry about that, don’t know what came over me. Back on track, while we may lack the strength to conquer the world for the good of the UIP,” Nigel sighed when his crew all stared at him utterly lost.

“The UIP is the United Imperium of Planets, the giant space empire that I am employed by, keep up with me here,” Chalmers continued as he hopped over the rail surrounding the aft deck, dropping the six meters to the main deck. He strolled over until he was in front of the freed slaves, Stallions clutching their wives and mares hiding their foals. The Captain looked over the scared huddle in the middle of his ship, counting every single pony and zebra. “We will become stronger then you could possibly imagine. Then the world shall be min… ours.

As for you former slaves I will be happy to host you aboard this vessel,” the Captain’s voice lowered in volume a little, relaxing a few of the equines before him. “However you will need to earn your keep. I don’t expect you to fight and kill however I do think some cooking, cleaning and general duties are not unreasonably to ask. There are more than enough bunks on the ship so everyone gets a bed. When we get to port you’re free to go unless you want to stay and help with world domination. That is all so everyone get back to work!”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Nigel leaned back on the small stool, the wooden seat straining under the weight of the armoured human. The Captain’s cabin was quite a swank room, expensive rugs and furniture decorating the spacious area. His speech had gone rather well in his opinion; his crew now knew the rules and Nigel had successfully conveyed his objectives. He had assigned one of the unicorns to steer the ship, granted without his excellent naval navigation skills Nigel doubted that they would reach the nearest Equestrian port as quickly as they would if he was steering but he could make do. Chalmers rested back against the wall and plopped his feet up on the mahogany desk sending the jewellery covering it to the floor. Evidently the former captain was not shy when it came to displaying her wealth.

“Captain Chalmers, can I come in?”

Nigel sighed as the voice of his first mate sounded from outside his cabin. He didn’t mind the mare but sometimes she could just ask so many questions. Questions like ‘So are you a space alien?’, ‘How can you preform magic without a horn?’ and ‘Why do you laugh when you kill?’ silly queries like those. He put up with the tirade of questions because he could understand why she would be interested but she possessed an almost childlike curiosity. Still he couldn’t just ignore his second in command.

“Enter,” Nigel ordered wearily, his first mate stepping into the cabin before closing the door behind her. Sea Biscuit stood in front of his desk, the mare just staring at him. Seriously, she didn’t even blink as her iron gaze lingered on him. Nigel was starting to get really freaked out, was she going to attempt to kill him, try to steal something, attempt to burrow into his chest, rip out his heart and steal his soul? Realising how stupid he was being Nigel cleared those thoughts from his head. He hadn’t married the mare so the whole ‘heart-ripping, soul-stealing’ thing was certainly not going to happen. “What is it Sea Biscuit?” Nigel asked when the unbroken gaze just passed the line of creepy.

“Is that a helmet you’re wearing?” the mare asked, having sat down on her rump with curiosity in her eyes. To say Nigel was glad to hear such a question would be like saying he was a pacifist who was a reincarnation of Gandhi. Complete bullshit.

“Why, Sea Biscuit?” the Captain replied with irritation in his voice, “why do you ask so many questions non-stop?”

He may have overdone it with the irritation; the mare looking incredibly hurt leaving Nigel to wonder just how a mare like her became a pirate. She didn’t like to fight, avoided the other crew and spent most of her time following Nigel around like a puppy. All-in-all not bloodthirsty-raider material in Nigel’s eyes but this was a planet where the equines were all shades of the rainbow so a soft pirate was not really that surprising.

“I-I’m sorry for bothering you Captain,” the mare choked out as Nigel rolled his eyes behind his visor.

“It’s really no big deal I guess, I would probably ask just as many questions if I was in your place.”

‘If by ‘Your place’ you mean standing over your broken body with a mallet in my hand.’

Sea Biscuit looked back up at her Captain, the mare actual sniffling and Nigel swore he saw traces of tears in her eyes. Nigel sighed again as he stood up, the mare watching him as he walked over towards a large heavy chest covered in piles of gold with an extremely large padlock. The Captain retrieved a key from his suit, the Sea Biscuit’s eyes widening as she thought that Chalmers had just reached into his skin. Nigel moved the large key towards the lock, about to insert it before he stopped and turned towards the mare.

“Whoops,” he chuckled. “Almost forgot to turn off the explosives.” Sea Biscuit stared as the Captain extended his hand, a finger touching a small black rectangle hidden under a rug. A loud beep sounded, hundreds of red lines that covered the entire chest appearing briefly before disappearing. Satisfied, Nigel inserted the key into the lock and opened it, the Captain swatting the golden items of wealth off of the chest before opening it.

“Wh-what do you mean, explosives?” Sea stammered, briefly forgetting the reason why she was upset. The Captain seemed to not mind the question, his voice boisterous and excited.

“Well, the system that I just deactivated is a Mavor-and-Watts military-grade personal defence mine. Affectionately called the ‘body-shredder’ by many in the armed forces serving the UIP the explosive incorporates a directive shaped-charge that peppers anything in a one-hundred and eighty degree cone with a combination of shrapnel and concussive force. Nothing biological survives and the fragments can even pierce steel plate.” Nigel lifted a metal box from inside the chest, the Captain walking back over towards the desk.

“Short version,” Nigel continued as his fingers danced across a glowing blue panel, a drone sounding as the box folded open to reveal pieces of perfectly wrapped slices of cheese. “You touch my cheese without my say-so and you get fucked up. Want a piece?” The Captain questioned as he held out a slice towards Sea Biscuit.

“N-no, thank you Captain,” the First Mate replied as she warily eyed the cheese. How did she know that there wasn’t an ‘explosive’ strapped to the slice as well? “I just ate before so I’m not that hungry.” The Captain shrugged as he withdrew his hand, reaching up to his helmet with the other.

“More for me,” the Captain stated as lifted his helmet off with a hand, the Captain shaking his head and popping his neck. Sea Biscuit examined her Captain’s face now that it had been revealed that he did indeed wear a helmet. Captain Chalmers didn’t really seem to have the face of a murderous butchering alien, granted his face was alien but Sea could clearly see a mouth, ears, an outcropping of peach-coloured hairless skin that looked like a nose and icy blue eyes. The Captain’s eyes were smaller than a pony’s and the entire face was topped with straight light-brown hair, the only hair seemingly on the Captain.

“You know, if you stare for much longer I’m going to assume you’re about to propose.” Sea snapped out of her stare, the Captain looking at her with concern.

“You’re looking a bit green there,” he commented as he leaned forward to peer at the slight green tint on the mare’s face. “I didn’t think my face was that sickening.” The green colour vanished as the mare paled, the pony waving her front hooves in the air from her sitting position as she attempted to retrieve the situation.

“No-no-no Captain, I’m just feeling a little ill because of the waves that’s all! You have a very pretty face and it’s just seasickness!”

Captain Chalmers kept his gaze on the panicked unicorn, the mare’s explanation a bit fishy. He found it hard to believe that a pirate could be seasick but he trusted his First Mate. He had only known her for a day but he could sense that she was not the betraying type. The fact that he could probably take down a small inter-galactic empire let alone a small pony also contributed to his confidence in trusting her.

“Thanks for the complement,” Chalmers replied happily with a grin as Sea Biscuit breathed a sigh of relief. “Today has just been filled with so much stress, hate, fear and sadness so that really made my day.” Nigel left out the bloodshed that had occurred during the seizing of his current ship; he wanted the mare to think that her compliment was the only thing that had brightened his day. The mare shifted un-comfortably as all talk ceased, the sound of the Captain eating his cheese filling the cabin as the two stared at each other.
“Any more questions?” Nigel suddenly inquired, the startled mare almost falling onto her back at the query. Sea Biscuit took a moment to gather her wits; it may be the last time the Captain would give her free reign to ask all she desired.

“What are you called? Your race I mean.”

“Human,” Nigel answered with a smile as he ate his cheese. Sea Biscuit made a mental note that buying the Captain some cheese as a gift would probably be a good idea if she ever wanted to ask questions. Something clued her in to his love for cheese, maybe the fact that it seemed to have a calming effect on him, maybe it was the loving look he gave each slice before eating it or maybe it was the fact that the chest that he kept the dairy product in was protected by a magic exploding thingy while all of his share of the loot they had plundered was just thrown around the room un-guarded.

“Is that some kind of hairless monkey?”

“Yes, it is some kind hairless monkey, however the name ‘some kind of hairless monkey’ was too long so we just condensed it down to ‘human’. The Captain responded with sarcasm evident, Sea deciding to just call a ‘human’ a ‘human’.

“Uh, I’ll just go with human,” Sea mumbled, the Captain motioning her to go on. “What did you do before you became Captain?”

“I killed things, except then I didn't wear a pirate hat” came the chirpy reply as Chalmers nibbled on his cheese. “And please just call me Nigel when we’re alone. You’re my second in command and although we have to work together some familiarity won’t kill us,” Nigel looked up at the ceiling in thought, “I think, either familiarity or popping out of cover when a sniper is shooting at the squad you are with is what gets you killed.” Sea Biscuit honestly couldn’t think of what to say to that, she didn’t even know what the Captain meant by ‘sniper’ and ‘squad’.

“What’s a sniper?” Sea Biscuit questioned, Nigel waving a hand in the air as he replied.

“Soldier who attacks from a concealed position with a ranged weapon who prioritises officers and commanders. Often known for being quite anti-social off the battlefield and they tend to avoid direct confrontation.” Nigel had finished eating, placing the remaining cheese in his strange metal box as he leaned back. Sea Biscuit figured that she didn’t have much time left, Nigel leaning back on the tortured stool as he once again placed his feet upon the desk.

“I’ve just go two questions left,” Nigel nodded his head, signalling that she could continue. Sea Biscuit ran her eyes over the Captain’s body causing Nigel to raise an eyebrow. “Is that your body or is it armour that you can take off?”

“It is armour that I can remove, however the scientists who made it said that it just compresses into a breastplate, gauntlets and greaves which I can remove at will.” Nigel looked behind him, staring down at his back. “Still don’t know how they fitted four reactors in there; I really should pay more attention to science that doesn’t involve guns and coffee machines.” Sea nodded, utterly lost at the
word ‘reactors’. Maybe her second question would yield better results, the mare pointing her hoof at the metal box that contained the Captain’s cheese.

“Where did you get that box, did you keep it in your armour?”

“Eh, sort of,” Nigel replied as he tilted his head to the side, “while my armoured suit can hold large items thanks to something called ‘Quantum Mechanics’ or as I like to call it ‘Infina-box, the Magic of Storage’. I made this box about an hour ago after I found that stash of cheese in the galley using my armour. You keeping up here Sea Biscuit?”

The mare really wasn’t but she figured that if she let him continue then he might warm up to her a bit. While he wasn’t as mean as the last captain Nigel seemed to regard his crew with a sort of detachment and Sea Biscuit wanted to find out why. Plus she had to admit that it wasn’t everyday an alien takes over the ship you’re one so this was likely a once in a lifetime chance to find out about alien things.

“Yes Nigel, you made a box for cheese with your suit,” Sea furrowed her eyebrows in thought, “somehow.”

“I really can’t believe it myself,” resumed Chalmers. “I was just sitting here reading the manual and I found out that this suit has something called a fabricator in-built, see?” Nigel raised an armoured arm, the suit shifting and whirring as a large contraption slid over his hand, a wide barrel at the end with four metal arms extending out in a cross shape around it. “My suit provides power from four anti-matter reactors and a small internal mass fabricator provides building material. I’ve only seen a tiny amount but it looks like blueprints for stuff such as full standalone reactors and fabricators, weapons, turrets, vehicles, drones and even a light up LED swivel chair have been included. I’m essentially a walking weapon with the ability to build a base atop of the enemy base that I just blew up; using the remains of the base I destroyed to make more things to blow up more enemy bases. It’s amazingly simple when you think about it but pure genius as well.”

“Simple, okay,” Sea Biscuit answered, as she nodded her head while questioning the nature of existence. No matter what the human claimed Sea didn’t even think the most powerful unicorn could do what he claimed, Nigel didn’t even use magic according to his own admission

“At the current stage I can only make small things,” the Captain continued, “however once we capture a port city I plan to make a base and build a gigantic black tower for my lair. Every planet-conqueror needs a tall black tower to lair in or you’re just going to be dismissed as a newbie. Hell I could probably wack a few generators and fabricators in the former slaved hold, this ship is certainly big enough. We could get some weapon production going, upgrade the ship a little bit, you know with turrets, engines and all the stuff like that.” Nigel re-focused his attention to his First Mate, the mare obviously incredibly confused. He looked outside a window and noticed that night had fallen quickly, Nigel getting so caught up in his chat with the mare that he had lost track of time.

“I’ll tell you the rest in the morning,” he told Sea, “why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll probably do the same.” Sea Biscuit moved to object, Nigel beating her to it. “That yellow unicorn, gold main with white stripes…”

“Her name is Morning Sparkle,” Sea Biscuit supplied, the Captain nodding his head in thanks.

“Yes her, she’s already assigned to watch the ship and she seems to be one of the only ponies apart from you to not crap themselves when I talk so she’s pretty much third down in terms of rank. Apparently there’s an Equestrian port not too far away, we should get there midday tomorrow. I was thinking after the freed slaves are sorted we take the entire crew down to a local bar and treat them to some drinks, give them a day off. That’s all I’ve planned so far but it’s a start.” Chalmers tilted his head back and closed his eyes, Sea taking the cue as she made to leave. The unicorn stopped at the door, glancing back towards the Captain.

“Goodnight Nigel,” the mare farewelled.

“Night,” the human mumbled out, Sea Biscuit stepping out onto the aft deck closing the door behind her. She went over the conversation the Captain had with her in her head as she stood still, something bothering her about the last little bit about the human’s armour’s ability to make things…

“Hang on,” Sea said to herself as her eyes widened.

“Did he really say ‘capture a port city’?”

You Can Take Your Hat Off

“Ah, nothing beats the smell of the ocean in the morning!” Nigel exclaimed as he exited his cabin onto the aft deck, Morning Sparkle turning to look at him curiously from her position at the ship’s wheel. “Well, nothing except the smell of a freshly conquered planet,” Nigel corrected as he walked to stand next to the mare, the unicorn to her credit not flinching as the fully-armoured Captain took up position next to her. “Speaking of conquering, any change to our projected time of arrival at Port…?”

“Quayble, Captain,” Morning Sparkle answered calmly, “and no, we should sight it in a few hours as predicted.” The yellow unicorn kept her eyes looking straight ahead, while she wasn’t overly terrified of the Human unlike most of the crew Sparkle still was uneasy around the strange creature. She figured that he seemed like the sort of boss who would remain civil as long as she did what he ordered so avoiding casual conversation would mean that accidently insulting him would be less likely. The First Mate seemed to get along with him well enough, although Sea Biscuit had always been a little strange and rumours regarding the mare’s fast ascension to First Mate had been circulating around the crew.

“Very well, anything else to report?”

“Yes sir, Quick Stich requested to see you down in the sickbay as soon as you are able. She wanted to ask you a few questions.”
Nigel assumed that the ship’s sail maker, who had been installed as a makeshift doctor due to her experience with a needle, wanted to discuss his treatment of that Earth pony mare the day before. These ponies seemed to be living in a pre-industrial society from what he had gathered and the display of technology would no doubt raise many questions from multiple crew members. The fact that he had used a laser that had emerged from what all of the crew except Sea Biscuit thought was his body must had come as a shock.

“I suppose I have the time,” the Captain stated as he started to move towards amidships, crew members quickly finding something to do as he approached. Morning Sparkle waited until the Captain was out of earshot before she let out a relieved sigh. That exchange had been surprisingly normal and thankfully the Captain had not used any more incorrect naval terminolog-

“Good work cleaning the jib, carry on.”

Morning Sparkle looked over towards the Captain; the human’s back to her as he continued on his journey. A confused earth pony mare was also staring after the Captain, the mare having been scrubbing the capstan that held the ship’s anchor. Sparkle decided that telling the Captain that the jib was actually the small sail at the front of the ship would be a waste of time as well as an un-necessary risk. Letting him have his moment was a small price to pay if it kept the Captain in his current… sane mood.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chalmers entered the ship’s sickbay, the large wooden room covered with various shelving all filled with numerous primitive medical supplies and tools. The centre of the bay was dominated by a sturdy table; brown blood stains evidence of its purpose. Buckets of multiple sizes were stored under the sturdy operating surface, Nigel deducing that they functioned as bodily fluid containers during surgeries. To be honest he had expected the room to be in incredibly disarray but he wasn’t complaining about being proved wrong.

The Captain scanned the room, not finding any trace of this ‘Quick Stich’ that had requested his presence. Nigel walked over to the far end of room, heading towards a door which he had first thought was a part of the wall. Chalmers opted against knocking, he was the captain and this was his ship so he did as he pleased. Gently pushing the door open he pecked his head inside, spotting a slumbering form resting in a hammock to the right while a large pile of canvas was heaped in the corner surrounded by sewing supplies.

Chalmers advanced into the room carefully so as to avoid disturbing the sleeper, as he drew closer he recognized the mare that had been tied to the mast and lashed. Her back was turned to him, Nigel able to see that the scarring had faded even more. The thin white lines were barely noticeable, the wounds healing up nicely with no trace of infection. Chalmers was so caught up in admiring his own medical skills that he didn’t notice the heap of canvas shift, a caramel fore-leg extending out from the bottom as the figure stood up.

“Your stitch work is amazing Captain,” Chalmers froze as a breathless female voice sounded just out his peripheral vision. He silently cursed, in his early morning mood he had forgotten to turn on his helmet’s display. A neural command activated the system, the sensor profile matching a mare showing up to his right side. Nigel slowly rotated his head, coming face-to-visor with a pair of wide orange eyes. The unicorn had a small scar over her left nostril, three sewing needles tucked in her light-brown mane.

“Well, to be fair I used a laser not stitches so I can’t really take all of the credit,” he returned calmly, in truth the human was incredibly unsettled by the mare’s… obsessive stare.

“A ‘laser’ you say?” the mare commented as she sat down and rubbed her chin in thought, “if I was able to use a ‘laser’ on the main sail, hmm, no that would never work. The jib on the other hoof…” Nigel’s confounded expression was hidden behind his facial visor, the fact that the mare was debating the useability of lasers to stich up sails with herself was slightly off-putting. The eccentric sail-maker paused in her pondering as the sleeping mare in the hammock let out a wheeze and rolled over, the Earth pony re-adjusting her position before returning to a more regular breathing pattern.

Chalmers decided that it would be best if the crewmember was left to her dreams, the Captain beckoning the sail maker with a hand as he quietly left the room. The unicorn followed him, successfully interpreting his meaning as the two left the darkened room. The Captain shut the door softly, moving over towards the other side of the operating room as a further precaution.

“So can I have one?” the unicorn suddenly stated, Nigel doing a double-take as the unicorn plopped herself down on the floor.

“A laser?” he responded, the mare nodding her head rapidly, “Hell no, last thing I want you to do is set the ship on fire.” The sail maker’s face fell, a second passing before a look of remembrance filled her features. Noting the rapid mood swings, Nigel made a note to keep an eye on this one in case any further irregularities were observed. Something about the sewing expert was not quite right, who knows what kind of mental issues the mare could have?

“I almost forgot, the reason I asked you down here was because of your stitch work.” Un-expectantly the unicorn slipped into a professional tone, Nigel certain that something was wrong with the pony. “The patient’s wounds are al healed up, there is no disease or decay and the only after-effects have been extreme tiredness.”

“That will just be because of the drugs,” Chalmers replied, “it’ll ware off soon, the dose may have been a bit much for her size.” The sail maker-turned doctor accepted this explanation with a nod. “Was there anything else you wanted?” The Captain inquired; slightly miffed that he had spent precious minutes to discover something he already knew.

“Actually there was!” The unicorn exclaimed in her original upbeat manner. The mare took a deep breath as she thought about how to word her question.

“Is that your head or a helmet?”

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Nigel stormed out of the medical bay into the amidships, heading towards the aft deck where he planned to stop these ‘head or a helmet’ questions once and for all. Crew members scattered out of his way as the human headed straight to the upper deck, the Captain in an unusual haste. The human neglected using the stairs, opting to use his grappling hook to quickly ascend the height. The sight of the Captain clambering over the aft railing drew the attention of the crew, the human stopping as he turned to address the crew.

“Attention crew members and other life forms!” he began, holding his arms up like a preacher. “There is an issue of grave importance that must be settled, something so critical that it is apparently is the most pressing matter on the ship!” murmurs circled the assembled crew, fearful that something terribly wrong had happened. The first mate stumbled out of her cavern; the unicorn afforded her own quarters due to her rank. She stared up at the Captain, still drowsy from sleep as she attempted to decipher what all the yelling was about. The Captain moved his hands down to his helmet, lifting the head gear off as the murmurs grew into excited chatter.

“Behold!” the Captain shouted, “I indeed have a face! No longer shall any of you ask the question mentioned before, least you wish to become a marine biologist and get the opportunity to study sharks up close.” Finishing his tirade Nigel went to replace his helmet, looking down over his crew with Morning Sparkle the only exception. The unicorn had taken a quick look at the human’s un-covered face before returning to the wheel, for some reason the alien’s face not really seeming to be as terrifying as she imagined.

“Now then, any more questions?” A mass of hooves were raised in response to the Captain’s query. The human paused before pointing towards an Earth pony sailor at the back. “The orange Earth stallion at the back with the yellow bandana, ask away.” The chosen stallion cleared his throat nervously as he looked at the Captain.

“Please, please don’t be offended Captain but is that black stuff your skin or is it also like your helmet?” The stallion bowed his head as he finished his question, evidently most of the crew was still terrified by the human.

“The ‘black stuff’ is an armoured suit,” Chalmers answered, making sure that he calmed down a little before answering in the hopes to lessen the fear of the crew. While fear was a useful command tool Nigel’s opinion was that these ponies seemed to respond better to praise, their respect most likely would be gained easily through such methods. If their social instincts worked like normal equines then they would gravitate around the stronger members of the herd for protection, Nigel currently being the strongest thing on the ship. If he could gain their loyalty then his plans in this land would be bolstered greatly, plus gaining an army of pony minions would be hilarious.

“So are you hairless all over?” a mare interjected, multiple sailors flinching at the possibly volatile subject.

“Pretty much, the hairs in most places are too fine to really be noticeable. I don’t really think that detail is going to be very relevant however.” The crew relaxed at the response, the fact that the Captain was proving to be very tolerant of their questions eased some of the tension regarding the alien. Another hoof was raised, a beige one belonging to an Earth mare who Nigel recalled was the ship’s cook, the pony having assumed the position after she had been rescued from the slave hold stating that she had nothing to go back to so she may as well join the crew.

“What do you eat? I know you like cheese but surely you eat other things?”

“I am an omnivore,” Nigel replied, most of the crew adopting confused looks while the more educated, mainly the unicorn members looked at the captain with worry. “I can eat most vegetables and fruits as well as cooked meat,” this the crew understood, nervous murmurs flaring up at the mention of the human’s need for flesh. While Griffons ate meat as well most ponies had an ingrained fear of predators, a trait that was difficult to supress. The cook raised her hoof again, the young mare shaking with apprehension.

“Do… do you eat p-ponies, sir?” she asked, the rest of the ponies ceasing their chatter at the question awaiting a response. Nigel was not really surprised at the question, they were herbivores after all.

“If you’re worried that I’ll start eating you don’t be. You’re sapient, meaning that if I eat you then I break a few laws. Personally I don’t like food that talks so you won’t have to worry about me demanding the flesh of children or whatever you expected me to do.” His reply did the trick, the crew successfully comforted. “Right, last question for now.” A sea-green hoof emerged into the air, the crew parting to reveal Sea Biscuit with her fore-leg raised. Nigel chuckled at the curiosity of the unicorn, pointing at her as a signal to proceed.

“How many humans are there out in space?” she asked, many of the crew surprised at the question. Chalmers wasn’t sure how to answer, informing the primitive equines about the whole ‘we rule multiple universes’ thing would be a bad idea. There was also the fact that there were other humans in existence, making an exact number impossible to tell. He decided to answer truthfully; hopefully it would be enough for them.

“I honestly don’t know,” was the response, “there’s enough for me to lose count so that’s all I can say, sorry for not being able to give you a precise answer.” Sea Biscuit didn’t seem very upset with his vague answer, the rest of the crew glancing between him and her. Nigel was slightly puzzled, he knew that the First Mate was viewed as strange from overheard chatter but he wondered why the crew seemed to act like they thought something was up. Was it possible related to his sudden decision to promote her? That might have to be something to find out later on.

“Oh, that’s okay,” the mare responded sheepishly, “I guess it was a fairly silly expecting you to be able to tell me the exact amount.” The crew looked towards Chalmers, the Captain not sure what they wanted.

“Well that was the last question, everybody back to work, we have a port to reach and then it’s drinks on me!” A cheer rose up from the crew, the offer of free drinks proving to be a great motivator as the ponies all rushed to their stations as the ship sailed on. Nigel leaned forward on the rail, looking out over the ship from his spot on the aft deck as his crew scurried about. Already they had started to trust him a bit more, give it a few weeks and he’d have an army of loyal pony minions to aid him in his conquering of this planet. Everything a good vacation should have.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Easy now, dent my ship and I’ll kill you!”

Nigel was shouting down at the dockworkers pulling in the large ship, Chalmers’s crew having tossed them ropes to secure to the dock. The workers had at first been reluctant to accept an obviously stolen griffon naval ship captained by a strange, loud biped with a smaller vessel towed behind it. Their apprehension had changed however once Nigel threw down some bags of gold, the coins hurrying along the procedure nicely.

The ship groaned as it came to a halt, ropes secured around the dock and the anchor was dropped for good measure. Nigel looked over the side, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered to view the arrival of the large vessel. They were clothed in medieval attire, most of the Earth ponies wearing plain scrapes of clothing while the few unicorns wore more ornate dress, flashes of gold jewellery shining in the sunlight.

The crew and the freed slaves all surged onto the deck, the pirates unable to wait to hit a tavern while the slaves just wanted to be back on dry land. Nigel eyed a particularly large drinking establishment, a sign proclaiming it to be the ‘Saucy Mare’. Figuring that the tavern was both large enough for his entire crew and had a good view of the dock so as to keep an eye on the ship Chalmers decided to visit it.

Gangplanks were lowered, the entire crew disembarking from the ship with the Captain in the lead. Nigel halted as he reached the docks, his crew heading straight to the tavern. After the crew descended the former slaves, those who had chosen to not join the crew that is, thanked Nigel for saving them, the Captain waving them off and wishing them luck. That over, he headed to the tavern to join his crew.

As he approached the front doors he could already hear the sounds of lively conversation, Nigel able to pick out several crew members who he knew. Pushing the doors open he strolled in, the air thick with the smell of alcohol and fried food. The inside of the tavern was huge compared to the surrounding buildings, enough room for at least three-hundred ponies under its roof. The majority of noise died out as the patrons noticed the human’s entrance, only a few members of Chalmers’s crew continuing to talk.

After a few moments of basking in the nervous stares Chalmers began to walk towards the bar, Earth ponies dressed in peasant clothing quickly making a path for the biped. The bartender, a blue Earth pony didn’t seem too concerned about Nigel’s presence, continuing to clean a glass as the human took a seat at the bar.

“Glass of the strongest stuff you’ve got,” Chalmers asked, the bartender raising an eyebrow at the creature’s request. Nigel sighed, withdrawing a sack filled with gold coins from a suit compartment and placing it on the table. “That’s for theirs as well,” he mentioned as he gestured back towards where his crew was sitting. The Bartender hefted the money bag and appraised its worth, evidently enough as he gave Nigel a nod before placing the money under the counter, returning instead with a large glass and a bottle labelled ‘Griffonian ale, triple-brewed.’

As the bartender poured the bottle Nigel took some time to gaze out of the large windows facing the docks, viewing the assorted ships docked in the harbour. Movement near a fat trader ship caught his eyes, Nigel using his helmet’s zoom to focus on the activity on the docks in front of it.

A richly clothed pearl-white unicorn was overseeing the unloading of a large metal cage, the magical pony barking orders to the six Earth pony dockworkers unloading it from the ship. The cage housed a multitude of small black insect equines that had solid-blue eyes and jagged horns, Nigel instantly wanting one. They just looked so cute and evil at the same time; he had to have one as his mascot for his future Empire. Making a decision to acquire one, he reset his vision to normal levels in time to receive his drink from the bartender.

“One Griffon ale, strongest we’ve got,” the Stallion said as he went back to polishing a glass, “you ever tried it before?”

“Nope, just need something after the last few days,” Nigel replied as he removed his helmet, the stallion behind the counter to his credit not saying a word. Chalmers wondered why the barkeep had decided to converse with the most intimidating creature in the entire building, a quick glance around answering that question. Every other bar stool was empty, the patrons having vacated to seats away from him.

“I see you have quite the ship, you don’t look like a Griffon though so one has to wonder how a creature such as yourself managed to acquire it.” The Barkeep idly chatted, Nigel not really minding the insinuation.

“Was quite simple really,” the human responded as he took a gulp of alcohol, “all I had to do was ‘convince’ the previous owners that I was better suited to own it and it worked like a charm.” The stallion, Hard Barley, raised an eyebrow and smirked at the creature’s creative choice of words. He already knew that the group of ponies that had entered previously were pirates and they weren’t too quiet about their new ‘human captain.’ Barley had never heard of a ‘human’ before and considering that he was now talking to an unknown being that was in possession of a Griffon naval ship he put two and two together and came to the conclusion that this creature was a Pirate Captain.

“You don’t have to be coy, this port is pirate friendly after all,” Barley commented as the human took another drink. The biped looked at him with curiosity, the creature fiddling with the strange faceless helmet it held.

“Really, I thought that this was an Equestrian port?” the Captain asked, the bartender shaking his head at the inquiry.

“Nope, Quayble is run by Penny Pincher, one of the most corrupt unicorns in the entire land. Anything can be bought here if you have the right amount; pirates usually have lots of loot to spend so she fully supports your way of life, as long as she profits from it of course.”

“Each to their own,” Nigel placed his empty glass on the bar, re-attaching his helmet as he stood up. “Thanks for the drink; at least this planet has decent booze.” This caught Barley’s attention, he wasn’t the most educated but he was aware that some unicorns believed that there were other worlds out in the heavens. Was this creature from such a world? It was entirely likely when he looked at the evidence, the strange being’s form, its strange body which he assumed was armour like its helmet and the lack of worldly knowledge that pirates tended to possess. The biped nodded at him, Barley returning the gesture as he observed the human walk over to the tables his crew were occupying and converse with a yellow unicorn, the human then exiting the tavern.

Nigel checked his suit’s storage to ensure he had an ample amount of gold as he left the drinking establishment, having already informed Morning Sparkle that he was going to investigate the town. The reason he hadn’t spoken to his First Mate was because he was unable to spot the mare in the bar at all. He had no time to find her however; he had a mascot to acquire.

“Nigel!” speak of the Devil, Chalmers turned back around to view the tavern to see the aqua unicorn exit through the doors as she called out. The Captain waited for the mare, the pair receiving strange looks from the surrounding populace who seemed to avoid coming within ten metres of the human. “Do you mind if I come with you? I haven’t been to Quayble before,” Sea Biscuit asked, Nigel giving the mare a shrug.

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” he answered as he headed towards that transport he saw earlier. “By the way, where were you earlier, I didn’t see you in the bar.”

“I was sitting at another table,” Sea Biscuit replied as she trotted alongside her captain, “I don’t really get along with most of the crew and drinking isn’t really something I enjoy.” Nigel was intrigued by the mare’s opinion that the crew didn’t like her, he knew that some of the other unicorns were doubtful about his decision to promote the often awkward mare but so far he thought she had been doing a good job.

“I’m sure they just need to get used to you being higher up then they are, give it a little time,” Nigel suggested, the mare halting causing him to pause his walking. “What’s wrong?” Chalmers questioned, the mare once again with a green tint on her face as she rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

“Ah, well you see about that,” Sea Biscuit replied, the mare looking around finding no one else in earshot, “the majority of the crew believe you made me First Mate because they think that we are…” Nigel was puzzled at what the mare was getting at, before his eye’s widened in revelation. Did the crew seriously believe that he promoted Sea Biscuit purely because they though he was ‘plundering the booty’ in his free time? He had barely been on the planet for two days and already he was once again involved in a scandal. He could still remember the political backlash that had occurred when that video of him and those two Armonian Princess was somehow leaked to the press. Fucking opportunistic journalists, you’d think a militaristic space empire would have gotten rid of such bottom feeders but no, people still want ‘unbiased’ news.

“Well that is completely wrong,” Nigel responded as he shook his head, “I hadn’t even considered… that. If the rumours continue I’ll have to do something about them, however I’m sure that they’ll die out by themselves.” Sea Biscuit didn’t look convinced, Nigel thinking for a second that the mare actually looked a little disappointed but that would be crazy. It was probably just the alcohol playing with his head. Nigel decided to continue walking, Sea Biscuit following as Chalmers headed towards a gathered crowd where the top of a metal cage could be seen.

The mass of ponies parted quickly as the human approached, Nigel now close to the revealed cage that was placed on the dusty ground, the ten creatures he had seen before chittering away nervously as they glanced at the surrounding onlookers. Chalmers failed to notice Sea Biscuit’s shocked reaction to the contents of the cage.

“Mares and Stallions!”

The voice of a stallion rang out, the ornately garbled unicorn trader from before leaping up onto a simple platform next to the cage. The unicorn flicked it’s golden mane as it pointed towards the cage with a hoof.

“Feast your eyes on these exotic creatures from the far west! After a long travel to the Zebra lands I have returned with many goods; however these are by far the rarest!” The unicorn trotted right up to the cage, the small creatures within backing away and chittering in fear as the trader moved his purple robed body closer to them. “They will make the finest addition to any household’s collection; the best part is that they are still young so training should not be a problem!”

Nigel was just about to ask a price for one, after all one of the creatures would make a fine pet. He was still upset over the death of Mister Tinkers, his Eight-legged Minosopian cat. That day he learnt that un-secured landmines and inquisitive felines do not mix. He was beaten to the punch however, a chubby red-robed unicorn mare pushing her way through the crowd to the left.

“I’ll take all ten, they’ll make great decorations!” the mare offered as she raised a cyan hoof, the crowd erupting into excited murmurs as the trader let out a wide grin.

“I can always rely on you, Lady Penny Pincher! Congratulations on the sale!” The crowd of ponies dispersed, leaving Nigel standing with the stunned Sea Biscuit to watch as the Mayor of Quayble gestured to four Earth ponies dressed like thugs as she hoofed a bag of gold to the eager trader, the Stallion greedily counting the contents. Nigel looked down to his right as he felt hooves tugging at his arm, meeting the worried face of Sea Biscuit.

“You can’t let her take them Nigel!” the mare pleaded, catching the attention of the six ponies near the cage.

“Why not?” the snobby voice of the mayor interupted, the unicorn moving over towards the pair as she shot Nigel a disdainful look, “I have purchased these creatures so they are now mine, I highly doubt that your repulsive companion here will even attempt to do what you ask.”As the Mayor said this the four lackeys accompanying her stepped forward with sneers, Nigel not intimidated in the slightest. Never the less it would probably be for the best if he avoided confrontation with the leader of this town at the current moment.

“While she is incredibly rude, she does have a point Sea Biscuit,” Nigel stated to his First Mate, “unfortunately she has indeed purchased them fairly and even though I did want one sometimes you just have to cut your losses.” Surprisingly Sea Biscuit shook her head, the mare stamping a hoof on the ground as she glared at the trader.

“It’s not right, you can’t just sell children as ‘decorations’, it’s just wrong!”

“You’re acting like they’re intelligent,” the trader cut in, prodding one of the black equines with a horn, “the Zebra chieftain I procured them from assured me that they were just mindless creatures he found wandering into the tribal camp. Not that I normally trust non-ponies but look at these creatures, how can you tell that they’re intelligent?” The trader asked Sea Biscuit as he stepped towards her.
The First Mate looked at Nigel with doubt but when she looked back to the cage she seemed to gain resolve, glaring at the trader and mayor as Sea Biscuit stepped forward and took a breath.

“I know they’re intelligent because I am one!” With this confession a green flash surrounded the mare, magical flames flickering out to reveal a larger version of the caged creatures. Sea Biscuit’s mane was gone and her tail was now black with a grey tint, her eyes replaced with solid blue orbs and a sharp ebony horn was now on her forehead. The six remaining ponies all reacted with alarm, the four thugs leaping out in front of the Mayor in the face of the sudden transformation.

“The plot thickens,” was all Nigel said as he observed the form of his First Mate, his quip an attempt at hiding the fact that he was just as surprised as the Mayor and trader were.

“Get it, whatever it is!” the panicked Mayor screeched to her cronies, the four thugs hesitating before they advanced on Sea Biscuit. Deciding to intervene before things got out of hand Nigel stepped beside his First Mate, Sea Biscuit appearing surprised that he was supporting her.

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” he suggested as he took a stance beside Sea Biscuit, halting the thugs in their tracks. One of them pulled a short knife from a hidden belt in his clothing and waved it at the biped as a warning. Chalmers scoffed at the display. “You call that a knife?” Nigel mocked, an energy-wreathed blade that rivalled the length of the stallion extending out from his left arm. All of the ponies stared at the long sizzling weapon in terror. “This, this is a knife,” Nigel informed them with a strange accent, the stallion wisely dropping his pitiful weapon in the face of such a deadly-looking implement.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Mayor demanded, the mare glaring at Nigel as the trader swept up his gold and galloped away, leaving the cage behind. Nigel simply walked over to the creatures inside the cage, all ten staring at the large monster as they shook with fright. Chalmers patted the prison with a hand as he faced the Mayor.

“The meaning is simple; I’m taking all ten of these creatures here as well as your town. From now on I’m in charge around here,” Nigel stated in a confident tone, the Mayor’s mouth dropping in shock.

“But… but-“

“Be thankful that I’m even letting you live after your previous insults, I was tempted to gut you then and there,” the Mayor and here escorts paled at this. “This port is hereby re-named to ‘Eviltopia’, me and my crew are in charge and if anyone has a problem with it then they can answer to me.” This threat was emphasised by Nigel raising his right arm, a tripled-barrelled object arranged in a triangle shape rising out from his armour as he pointed it towards the ground in front of the Mayor. The barrels spun and glowed red as a hail of crimson energy-bolts spat out of the barrels to churn up the ground before the five ponies in a hail of light and noise.

All five shrieked at the sight of the destructive fire-power as they turned and fled, all of the onlookers who had been watching the prior confrontation also screaming and sheltering in any available buildings. Chalmers surveyed his handy work with a grin; rapid-fire laser weaponry sure was quite the negotiating tool.

Sea Biscuit was rooted to the spot, gobsmacked at the scene she had just witnessed. The Captain had just threatened the Mayor and taken over the entire town in the space of a few minutes, all because she had wanted him to save the nymphs about to be sold. From the looks of things Sea doubted that he even knew what a changeling was, why he was so quick to defend her she couldn’t figure out. She gulped as Nigel turned his attention to her, Sea falling onto her rump as the biped looked down at her, the three barrels of his strange flashy weapon still spinning. She doubted that he would be very pleased with her deception.

“Well, that’s sorted,” Chalmers said to her as he glanced to the cage, the nymphs having closed their eyes and flattened their ears during the brief show of violence. “How about we have a little chat and you explain why you felt the need to hide what you are, Sea Biscuit?” The addressed mare swallowed a lump in her throat; while the Captain’s tone wasn’t threatening she had learnt that he was incredibly unpredictable.

‘I’ll probably have to buy him a lot of cheese to make up for this,’ she thought as she prepared to answer his question, ever mindful of the dangerous weaponry the human was toting and implications of what might happen if she answers wrong.

“Well,” she started meekly, “I guess I should start by telling you that my name isn’t really Sea Biscuit…”

Quantum Molecularization: Science is Magic... and Lasers

“…it’s Chrysalis. Well, it’s supposed to be Drone four-five-seven-one but I really wanted a name so I came up with one.” Chalmers stared down at his First Mate, the mare tapping both of her front hooves together.

‘I knew ‘Sea Biscuit’ was too good to be true,’ Nigel thought as he considered his next set of questions. He had noticed that Se-, Chrysalis seemed to be slightly nervous as she sat on the cobbled ground.

“Relax, I’m not going to kill you just yet,” he punctuated his statement by retracting his weapons back into his suit, the changeling letting out a relieved breath. “So far you have been loyal so I can afford you some leeway; I expect a prompt explanation however.” Chrysalis’s tail swished a little and she resumed her hoof tapping as she thought of how to reply.

“I’m called a changeling, as you’ve seen I can change form to look like ponies and pony-sized creatures. We use this to collect food for our hive which is love, mostly by posing as ponies and leading false lives for short periods of time. I’m only a drone, not an infiltrator however so I was always back at the hive storing the love or doing small tasks.” Chrysalis gazed up at the Captain as she bit her bottom lip.

“I wanted to do more, however the Queen wouldn’t just let a drone become an infiltrator unless it was an emergency. So one day when she had called all of the soldiers in for a meeting I absorbed as much love as I could from the stores and ran away,” Chrysalis’s eyes glimmered as she recalled that day. “I felt so free; I could do anything and see the rest of the world. I hide in a port town near the coast and when the ship,” the changeling gestured to their original pirate ship, “came to town I joined the crew the first chance I got. I managed to get extra love by finding out which of the crew liked each other, waiting until one went away then taking their form for a small amount of time.”

“Seems pretty risky,” Chalmers observed, Chrysalis nodding her head.

“I know it was but it was the only real option I had without actually seducing ponies, as you’ve probably noticed I don’t really do well in social situations,” the changeling smiled a little at her own confession, Chalmers also smiling under his helmet un-seen by her. “It was all going fine, even if I was the lowest-ranking unicorn on the ship. Then suddenly an alien shows up, kills the Captain and takes over the ship. Now I’m sitting in a port city which has just been conquered with ten Nymphs in a cage.”

Both beings turned to look at the prison that sat beside them, the ten creatures within huddled in a group as they stared at the pair.

“About that,” Nigel started, “they’re yours now, happy Eviltopia Foundation Day.” Chrysalis did a double take.

“What?” she asked as she looked back at her captain, “I don’t know anything about Nymphs, I’m not a nurse or queen!” the changeling did not even bother asking why the captain had decided to make a holiday out of the recent battle, nor did she quiz him on his choice of the location name. Chalmers removed his helmet, alarming some of the local inhabitants that were observing the drama from behind cover or through windows. With the concealing armour gone Chrysalis could see the look of befuddlement on the human’s face.

“You expect me to know more?” the Captain questioned as raised both hand to his face and moved them back and forward, “I can barely function around human children let alone changelings! I don’t even know what the Hell you are apart from what you’ve told me,” Chalmers looked back at the cage as he lowered his hands, “did not think this one through, did we?” Chrysalis shuffled uncomfortably, both the Captain and herself were at fault when it came to that. She had asked him to help her rescue the nymphs and he had threatened to shoot the Mayor.

“I couldn’t just let them be used for a pony’s entertainment,” the changeling mumbled as she looked back at the young changelings. Chalmers sighed and ran a hand down his face; this was not going to end well.

“Fine, we’ll keep them okay? Just don’t expect me to be of much assistance when it comes to looking after them, I’ve got a planet to conquer after all.” The Captain turned, replaced his helmet and headed back to the tavern looking over his shoulder as he did so. “Stay here, I’ll explain everything to the crew and organize to have the cage brought onto the ship. I’ll deal with the townsfolk later,” with that he left, leaving Chrysalis sitting alone next to the cage in the middle of the market as she nervously awaited the arrival of the crew.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Chalmers supervised from behind his desk as four earth ponies and Morning Sparkle moved the cage of nymphs through the door of his cabin, the quarters the largest on the ship with plenty of space. The cage was able to be brought in through the double doors of the cabin, Chrysalis observing the procedure as she stood beside the seated Captain.

The crew had reacted as expected to the discovery that she was a changeling. They didn’t know what a changeling was but she did look like a monster to them, in fact her new appearance only solidified the opinions that she was romantically involved with the Captain as a black, evil-looking insect pony that stole love seemed to be a perfect fit for the terrifying alien. They had treated her with caution, avoiding her almost like they avoided Chalmers. The exception had been Morning Sparkle, the mare as always merely observed Chrysalis’s new look with calculated indifference.

The cage was lowered to the floor with a light thud, the bars resting on a red circler rug that covered the floor. The Earth ponies gave a glance to the Captain as they anxiously alternated their gazes from the cage’s cargo to the Captain and Chrysalis.

“You can go in a minute,” Chalmers commented, “I need to sort something out first.” All attention was one him, the nymphs even looked at him as they stared at his un-helmeted face. Chalmers turned to look at Chrysalis, the changeling’s wings giving a little nervous flutter as the human drew focus to her.

“Chrysalis, in light of your new duties regarding our most recent… acquisitions I’m removing you as First Mate. This is not a reflection of any errors on your part, I just need a second-in-command who will be available at all times.” Chrysalis was not put out about this; in fact she was a little relieved that she no-longer had such great responsibility. “Morning Sparkle,” the Captain continued as the mare looked at him in response, “I’ve been observing your behaviour and I’ve decided that you are now the new First Mate. If you continue serving as you have been then I foresee you achieving an even higher command rank.”

Morning Sparkle true to form didn’t smile or grin, the mare merely nodded her head in respect at the Captain causing the human to chuckle at her minimal reaction. The normal crew members all seemed incredibly frightened at the Captain’s laughter, the human waving a hand at them as he calmed down.

“You can go now, you too Sparkle. The cage can be removed later on so feel free to head back to the tavern.” The five ponies all took his advice to heart, the four earth ponies rushing out in a hurry while Morning Sparkle gave the nymphs one last glance before calmly exiting the cabin and shutting the doors behind her. “I swear, that mare is either a master poker player or a sociopath.” Chrysalis declined answering, now that she wasn’t First Mate she wasn’t too sure about how she was expected to act around the Captain. Chalmers noticed this and stood up from his desk.

“Don’t go all quiet on me Chrissy; you’re still high up on the command chain.” Chrysalis was taken aback, not sure of what to make of the new nickname. “A new title is what you need,” Nigel continued as he strolled to the cage, four metres away in the centre of the room. He started to circle it, the nymphs within watching the human uneasily. “How about ‘Super nanny’? Maybe ‘The Master of the Swarm’? Oh, I know!” Chalmers exclaimed as Chrysalis tried to wrap her head around the offered titles, “the perfect one, ‘Brood Queen’. It sounds evil plus you can be royalty, ‘Brood Queen Chrysalis’ really rolls off the tongue!”

“If it’s alright with you Captain-“

“Nigel, please don’t bother with that Captain crap unless where in front of the crew or future minions Chrissy.”

“Okay, Nigel,” Chrysalis continued after the interruption, “is it okay if I just remain Chrysalis?” The changeling quickly waved her fore-hooves in front of her when she caught the dejected look on the Captain’s face. She did not want to find out how he acted when he was sad. “I’m perfectly fine with… Chrissy though,” she said through clenched teeth, her compromise working as the Captain nodded his head.

“Great!” Nigel replied enthusiastically as he eyed the padlock that secured the door of the cage, no key having been retrieved to open it. “How about we crack this open then?” Chrysalis and the nymphs watched in alarm as the human raised his armoured boot and stamped downwards upon the lock, shattering the device with a clang. The young changelings once again squeezed their eyes shut and flattened ears at the noise, the Captain opening the cage door before returning to his seat alongside the curious Chrysalis.

Both adults watched on as the Nymphs one-by-one slowly opened their eyes, all ten gazing at the open door that offered them freedom from the cage. One of them slowly moved towards the exit, sparking vigorous chatters and even some squeaks from its fellows. A small black hoof, the leg covered with holes stepped out of the cage and landed on the soft fabric of the red rug. The owning Nymph glanced at the human and drone watching it, the youngster’s small wings buzzing slightly as it advanced out of the cage fully.

This act of courage prompted the other nymphs to move out from the prison, all staying in a group as they vacated the bars. All of them began to explore the room together, keeping an eye on Nigel the entire time. They moved from the cabin door which they had investigated to the different-sized chests stacked against the left wall, Nigel having de-activated any explosive anti-theft devices before the cage had been delivered. Chalmers and Chrysalis waited patiently as the children roamed, Nigel watching them with amusement while Chrysalis was more intent on studying them intently. She didn’t know a lot about young changelings so she figured that she may as well try to find out as much about them as possible.

The nymphs eventually explored every nook and cranny except for the area around Nigel’s desk, the children still apprehensive about approaching the human. Chalmers looked down at his companion as the nymphs ambled around the room.

“Well then,” he started, “what are you going to name them?”

“I don’t know,” Chrysalis replied as the nymphs looked at the two, the small creatures forming a group in the centre near the cage. “I don’t know where to start, how will we tell them apart?” Nigel looked at Chrysalis expectantly.

“I thought you’d have some sort of ‘changeling-sense’ to tell the difference,” he inquired, Chrysalis nodding.

“Well, kind of. When a Queen is present she can create a ‘Hive-mind’, a way to share information and order around workers in a close proximity. With no Queen however that’s not possible, we’ll just have to find another way.”

Nigel rubbed his chin in thought, “I think I have an idea,” he stated as he turned and smiled at the closest nymph to him. The young changeling noticed the attention and huddled closer to its fellows, Chalmers extending an armoured hand as he slowly left his chair and crouched down beside Chrysalis.

“Come here little one,” he called gently, the addressed nymph letting out some chittering noises. It was smart enough to realise that the big scary monster that had scared off the other, less scary monsters that had been its former tormenters was trying to get it to come closer. The nymph was reluctant, its memories of the big creature consisting of lots of noise and light. There was another creature like itself next to the big scary monster though; the creature reminding the nymph of the other creature that looked like it that had used to always be around.

Nigel waited for a while maintaining his position and was rewarded when the nymph he had chosen started to edge towards him slowly. Chrysalis lay down upon the timber floor, watching as the solitary creature approached the Captain. The nymph paused about half-a-metre away from the offered hand, sniffing the air around Nigel. It seemed to not like what it smelt, Chrysalis guessing that some traces of blood still remained on the Captain’s armour but the nymph resumed its advance.

Upon reaching the out-stretched hand it warily extended its right fore-leg, briefly touching the cool metal before drawing the limb back quickly. Chrysalis was amazed that the Captain didn’t move, the changeling never having seen him sitting still. He was always moving around, attempting to converse with the crew or rambling on about his plans. What also surprised her was the small trace of love that was growing from the biped as the nymph looked at him with slowly growing trust. Chrysalis had always thought that Chalmers didn’t seem to be completely evil, the Captain generally rather passive with his treatment of the crew but she hadn’t ever expected to feel anything akin to love coming from the human.

Chrysalis held her breath as the nymph placed its head in the palm of the human’s hand, the head of the small changeling almost able to fit entirely on the armoured limb. Chrysalis and the nymphs all watched on as Nigel moved his other hand, the armour sliding off back into the wrist gauntlet smoothly and silently exposing peach skin and nail-tipped fingers.

Using his unarmoured hand Chalmers began to scratch the nymph behind the ears and rub its head, the recipient letting out a series of happy chirps as it pushed its head into the soothing digits. The rest of the nymphs started forward, intrigued by the apparent enjoyment that the monster was inflicting on the joyful member of their group. Soon Nigel was surrounded by the youngsters, all of them chattering as they poked him with noses and hooves in an attempt to find out more about the strangely friendly monster. Chrysalis was just amazed that the Captain proved to be quite good around children, she herself soon receiving the same investigative treatment that he had.

“Well what should we call you then?” Nigel spoke for the first time in ages, grasping the nymph he was petting with both hands around the small changeling’s torso. He lifted it up in front of him, the nymph squealing with delight, wings buzzing with excitement as it found itself in the air. Nigel scanned its body searching for identifying features, in particular the lower region to identify the gender.

“Hmmm, a girl then,” he observed, lowering the nymph’s smiling face towards Chrysalis who looked at the suspended youngster thoughtfully. “I was thinking,” Chalmers started, “you and the ponies seem to be named after attributes or mannerisms. This one here is both physically like you Chrissy as well as mentally, she was at first scared of me but now she’s quite happy around me.” Chrysalis hid a blush behind a hoof at the Captain’s words; it was true that she had quickly befriended the human much like the nymph had.

“I think I’ll call you ‘Reflection’,” Chalmers stated as he moved the child back so that it faced him, “due to the fact that you seem to mirror Chrysalis so well.” Nigel placed the child down, Chrysalis repeating the new name to herself and she had to admit that it was quite a good fit. The Captain’s armoured arm glowed blue as the human appeared to close his eyes in concentration, a small compartment opening on the arm which prompted Nigel to focus on it, the human reaching in with his other hand to withdraw a bright red collar with what appeared to be a circular gold name tag. He held out the collar towards Reflection, the child chirping curiously at the sight of the new item.

With care Nigel fastened the collar around the nymph’s neck, the small nametag reading ‘Reflection’ in bold black lettering. Chrysalis was a little confused at this, thinking as she sat and watched the other nymphs gather around the newly-christened child as they admired her new collar. Chalmers couldn’t read Equestrian, having tried to decipher a spell book found in the cabin of the late Sharp Shot earlier with no success. How did he expect to be able to tell the nymphs apart?

The human looked down at his left arm, a small blue object glowing in the shape of a rectangle. Chalmers pointed his arm at Reflection and the device beeped, the human smiling satisfied. He glanced towards Chrysalis, gesturing towards the group of chattering nymphs.
“Well, one down nine to go,” Nigel remarked, already reaching for the next nymph that jumped towards him with glee.

It had taken some time but eventually the duo had named and tagged every last nymph, the ten all racing around the room as their golden name tags jingled and clinked.

After Reflection nine new names had been chosen, Nigel and Chrysalis taking turns thinking up titles for the nymphs. Mirror, Swissy, Cupid, Holey and Joy had all been awarded red collars while Buzz, Shade, Chatter and Keith had all been given blue collars. With six females and four males named the brood was complete, all that was left was to organise where they were going to stay.

“Where are they going to sleep?” Chrysalis asked as Nigel ceased watching the little ones playing to face her.

“At first I was going to say your cabin but I doubt it has enough space for all of them. Considering that I think it’s best if you spend as much time as possible with them and that they are already familiar with this cabin I suggest that you have my cabin and I take yours, while we’re still living on the ship mind you.” Chrysalis was shocked that the Captain would give up his cabin; hers was much smaller and bland in decoration.

“I can’t accept that Nigel,” she responded, “my cabin is not fit for a captain and it’s a lot worse than your current one.” Chalmers chucked in response, his mood having remained incredibly cheery throughout the hours spent with the nymphs. Chrysalis wondered if the human was somehow receiving positive emotion back from the youngsters, she hadn’t heard of it happening with ponies but he was an alien so it was plausible.

“Nonsense, if I can survive on a planet with no atmosphere while under constant artillery attack with three-hundred fellow soldiers sharing my trench for three months then I can handle a slightly smaller cabin.” Chrysalis didn’t understand half of what Nigel had said but she got the hint, he was fine with the change. The Captain got up from the floor, dodging nymphs as he made his way to another door set in the side of the room. He opened it up, Chrysalis able to see that it contained various expensive linins and cushions which Nigel removed and carried over towards the large bed set against the wall.

He arranged the assorted beddings on the floor, the nymphs by this time tuckered out from their play. Nigel stepped back from the linen and cushions the children immediately made their way over towards the sleeping area as if guided by instinct, settling down upon the comfortable materials as they tucked in their legs and wings. Chirping wearily, eyes eventually closed and quiet descended in the cabin only interrupted by faint breathing and the occasional shift of a leg.

“I can’t take any more of this accursed cuteness,” Nigel whispered as he made his way to the cabin door. “You stay and watch them, I have townsfolk to terrorise,” with that the Captain left, quietly shutting the door behind him taking care to not disturb the sleeping occupants of the cabin. Chrysalis watched him until the door closed, walking over towards the nymphs before lying down next to them.

She had always been interested in the small beings, occasionally capturing glimpses of them around the hive accompanied by numerous nurse drones. Chrysalis herself couldn’t remember her time spent as a nymph, the daily drudgery of hive life quickly becoming the only memories that she possessed. Here she was, started off as a drone and now a nurse for ten nymphs under the command of an alien warlord who had his sight set on global domination.

‘Wonder what the Queen would think of me now,’ Chrysalis thought with a smirk as the faint sounds of a yelling biped could be heard from outside the ship.

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“Listen up, for I command it and my word is law!”

The less-than-soothing voice of Nigel Chalmers boomed out through his helmet speakers, the speech amplified so that the entire could hear. The human was perched upon the top of the Saucy Mare, the tavern the largest building in the small port town. Alongside him was Morning Sparkle, the mare still shaky after the Captain had grabbed her and flew up to the top of the building riding a pillar of flame that had erupted from a device attached to his back.

Townsponies poked their heads out of windows and the more courageous even moved out into the streets to observe their new ruler. Word had quickly spread of the creature’s acquisition of the town from the former mayor, Penny Pincher and her lackeys having fled the town earlier carrying all of the valuables they could grab, their destination unknown. All eyes were focused on the biped and the unicorn standing upon the roof of the tavern as the remaining crew of the human watched from below in various states of intoxication.

“You shall address me as Captain Chalmers, Commander Chalmers or Glorious Supreme Ruler of Existence Chalmers! Every rule shall be obeyed and disobedience will be punished severely! Any questions!?” In response a multitude of hooves were raised hesitantly, most of the townsfolk reluctantly seeking clarification on a few points. Upon seeing the sheer number of hooves Nigel quickly pointed at Morning Sparkle beside him. “Great, First Mate Morning Sparkle will answer them, carry on!”

Morning Sparkle didn’t have time to protest before the Captain jumped of the roof and landed feet-first on the street with a thump, imprints of his armoured boots smashed into the cobbled stone. The unicorn watched on from her elevated position as the Captain stood up and sprinted for an alleyway, the human soon disappearing from sight. The First Mate remained expressionless during this, turning back towards the mass of townsponies all after answers once she was unable to view the Captain. She briefly wondered if this was karmic retribution for her life of piracy, the unicorn pointing a hoof at one stallion and prepared for a barrage of questions.

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Three hours. Three whole hours of answering the same annoying questions from ponies who probably didn’t even know how to spell half of the words that they used, Morning Sparkle doubted that they even comprehended what had even happened.

The unicorn almost scowled at the memories as she stalked down the streets in the slum area of the port town, the lowest of the low all shrinking back into their hovels as the First Mate, armed with a cutlass strapped to a belt hanging off her torso searched for the elusive Captain.

After the questions had ended Morning Sparkle had asked a few of her own, tracking the Captain down to this area with the aid of bystanders who had witnessed the human’s path. An old sugar warehouse was her destination, apparently the Captain’s destination as well. Why the human had decided to head to an abandoned warehouse in the slums puzzled her, then again after Sea Biscuit had really turned out to be a ‘changeling’ named Chrysalis Morning Sparkle didn’t really know what to assume. However, with Sea Biscuit turning out to be an evil-looking monster the rumours circulating about the Captain’s infatuation with her seemed far more credible.

As she neared the warehouse faint sounds of… something could be heard coming from within, the sounds unknown and alien to the unicorn. Beggars clothed in simple dirty rags sat around in the street staring at the warehouse, not even glancing at the unicorn as she approached. Morning Sparkle reached the rickety wooden door, an unsettling blue glow coming for within. Bracing herself, the unicorn pushed open the door and trotted inside to be met with an amazing sight.

The Captain stood upon a metal catwalk suspended above a chasm carved into the floor of the warehouse, the tops of glowing metal spheres poking out from the rent in the earth. The biped’s right arm was glowing, lines of blue energy crisis-crossing over a semi-solid blue outline of a machine matching the rest in the pit. The blue-beams originating from the Captain’s armoured arm cut off, the object they had been aimed at solidifying as the blue-glow faded to form a grey sphere attached to a rectangular base. Multiple lights lit up on the constructed device as a yellow circle on the top pulsed a steady yellow light as a low droning hum rang out.

“Sparkle!” the Captain called out from the cat-walk, waving the unicorn over. Shaking, Morning Sparkle complied and slowly moved towards him across the artificial bridge that spanned the chasm. When she reached him Sparkle was able to see that half of the machines looked slightly different, their tops slightly more oval-like in shape while their bases were wider. The Captain swept a hand towards the machines with his face hidden behind his helmet.

“Beautiful aren’t they,” he commented as he observed his creations, “with these Antimatter and Matter Generators our base is well underway. Already half of the storage is filled,” a point of his hand drew Morning Sparkle’s gaze away from the generators in the pit to the far right wall of the warehouse, two large, featureless rectangular structures stood against the wall.

They extended five metres in height, almost touching the roof of the warehouse while they extended a further six metres along the wall, one with the sign of a lightning blot on it while the other sported a decal of a stack of what appeared to be bricks. Multi-coloured cables the size of the unicorn’s foreleg snaked into the pit, where they connected smothered in darkness.

“What are they for?” Morning Sparkle asked with a little bit of amazement in her normally monotone voice, Chalmers smirking under his helmet at the inquiry.

“Well,” he began, “there are two types of generators here, ones that produce power and ones that use power to form solid building material. Using some science which I have no clue how to comprehend or explain this matter or ‘Mass’ is transformed back into energy at a atomic scale for easy transportation, meaning that when I use a fabricator,” Nigel held up his right arm, the tool used to build the objects still glowing, “the mass is transferred back out into the schematic and then takes solid form.”

Chalmers raised a finger up in a gesture to gain Sparkle’s attention, aiming his right arm at the side of the platform they were standing on. The unicorn stepped back a little startled as a thin blue rectangle the width of the rest of the catwalk appeared in mid-air, thin blue lines emerging from the end of the Captain’s right arm that moved back and forth over the rectangle. Morning watched as the rectangle quickly solidified, the lines cutting out as once again the blue glow faded.

In its place was a perfectly formed one-metre by one-metre section of catwalk, Nigel stepping out onto the constructed surface which held his weight easily.

“Just like that,” he remarked to his stunned companion as she tested the surface with a hoof, confirming that it was solid and the Captain wasn’t playing a trick on her. “Of course this is just the beginning,” Chalmers continued, “this will be enough to start off, you know, getting some basic defences and drones up and working but in order to really get this occupation kicked off we’ll need to find a large area able to support generators ten times the size of these.”

“Ten… times?” Sparkle questioned. Already the ones built looked huge and seemed to be able to grant the human god-like powers of creation, she just couldn’t comprehend how much more powerful he would become if he achieved his expansion goals. She took a moment to be thankful that she was working for him and that he held her in high regard. If what he said was true, and it looked entirely possible considering what she had just witnessed then Morning Sparkle definitely didn’t want to be on the receiving end of whatever the biped would unleash next.

“Yeah, those monsters can power an entire planet’s infrastructure. It’s a shame that this tech is only just starting to be used; our conquering of existence would no doubt be sped up immensely.” Sparkle dismissed that last part as her imagination; already she was suffering from an information overload so ‘conquering of existence’, no thank you.

“I need some air,” Sparkle muttered, the Commander nodding in agreement.

“I could see that coming, I’ve spent enough time in here anyway and it’s going to get dark soon. You’re relieved from duty for the night; remember that the tavern’s drinks are all paid for. Why don’t we go and get smashed?”

“I’ll think I’ll take you up on that,” Morning Sparkle agreed, the two beings walking out of the warehouse, Chalmers briefly constructing a ‘Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again sign’ on the door of the building before leaving with Morning Sparkle with their destination being the tavern.

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Chrysalis jolted awake as the cabin door slammed open, the nymphs also waking up with her. The changeling looked towards the door as Chalmers stumbled in, the human’s helmet firm on his head as he paused and stared at the eleven creatures all gazing at him in surprise.

“I could have sworn that this was my cabin,” the human slurred, Chrysalis shocked at the Captain’s condition.

“Your cabin is the next one down Nigel,” she gently said, afraid of angering the human while he was intoxicated. Her fears seemed to be misplaced and her word went unheeded as the human shakily made his way over to back wall, the Captain slumping down against the wall.

“I may have had a bit to drink,” Chalmers replied. “I think I’m just going to claim this spot right here,” he raised a fist towards the roof. “For the glory of the UIP!”

Chrysalis shook her head, walking over to the still open cabin door she glanced briefly out at the night sky before closing the barrier and turning back in preparation to go back to bed. She paused and watched as the nymphs took hold of various pieces of bedding with their mouths and dragged it over towards the slumped Captain, the young changelings all settling down next to human as traces of positive emotion flowed from him to them. They chirped and chattered as they fed, the increased amount probably to compensate for the likely minimal sustenance they had received while being transported to the town.

They paid no attention to Chrysalis as she clambered onto the bed, evidently she had an extra roommate tonight. She noticed a line of lipstick marks on Nigel’s armoured shoulders and around the armour that protected his neck, at least three different colours. Chrysalis questioned internally just how much had the human drunk and what exactly had happened. As she thought about it she felt… unsettled at the thought of random bar wenches attempting to seduce her Captain.

She brewed with jealousy as she glared at the multiple incriminating marks on the human’s armour, the biped fast asleep against the wall. Chrysalis blinked rapidly and shook her head, why was she getting so upset over this? Chalmers was a Captain and able to do what he pleased, she shouldn’t worry about what he can and cannot do in regards to his social life.

Chrysalis lay above the covers, her mind turning to another problem. Her reserves of love that she had stolen from the hive before she had left were gone and during her time with the nymphs she had felt like any remains she had was disappearing faster than normal. She would have to find a pony to feed off, however the rest of the crew was out as they knew that she was a changeling and Chrysalis still wasn’t confident enough to try to go for a townspony.

The changeling sighed, that would be something that could wait until the next day. Sleep seemed like a good idea, the day had been fairly draining and changelings used much less energy while sleeping. Chrysalis flung her fore-hoofs out behind her, one of them making contact with an extra blue pillow off to her right. The changeling shifted her gaze from the pillow to the Captain, Chrysalis slipping a hoof underneath the pillow as she stared at the lipstick marks that re-kindled the feeling of jealousy.

With a flick she flung the pillow at the slumbering human, the soft projectile colliding with his helmet before landing next to one of the dozing nymphs, the startled youngster waking up and looking at Chrysalis. The nymph, Shade according to his tag moved over towards her, sat on his rump and lifted his fore-legs up and waggled them at her. Chrysalis smiled and lifted the nymph up onto the bed with her, Shade curling up beside her.

Nigel snorted, the sound audible through his helmet as one of his arms twitched. Chrysalis was startled when a warm feeling surrounded her as well as Shade. It was love but felt different, no trace of lust or desire like Chrysalis was used to but still it felt nice. She felt her energy returning, as long as this kind of love fed her than she was happy with it. Letting out a content sigh as her belly was filled she allowed herself to drift off into slumber, at least one problem seemed to have been solved.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Nigel awoke to find that he was lying down and that a large black mass was obscuring his vision, his helmet still on firm. He blinked, this doing nothing to solve the issue leaving him quite confused. His question of just what was going on was answered when a loud chirp sounded from directly where the blockage was, the chirp answered by multiple others. The mass moved, replaced with a set of curious blue eyes peering intently at his visor. The nymph, the electronic chip he had inserted into the name tag telling him that it was Reflection, giggled and waved a hoof as she played with her reflection in the visor.

This was interrupted however when an armoured hand picked the changeling up, Nigel lifting the inquisitive nymph off his face as he sat up. The changeling squirmed in the human’s grasp as Nigel observed the cabin, nymphs spread around him all sleeping with Chrissy and another nymph on the bed. He removed his helmet, the changeling that he held giggling happily as it reached for his face with her front hooves. Placing his helmet on the ground Nigel stared at Reflection receiving a joy filled gaze in response.

“Just how much did I have to drink last night?” he asked, the changeling blowing a raspberry in response followed by a burst of laughter that roused the other nymphs and Chrysalis. “I drank that much, huh?” No other response apart from the hoof-reaching attempt restarting was supplied, Nigel sighing before placing Reflection on the ground beside him.

He could remember bits and pieces, drinks with Morning Sparkle, singing shanties with the crew and them something about keeping his armour clean, the whole night was kind of fuzzy. Chalmers let out a breath and went to reattach his helmet, Reflection attempting to climb inside of it. Shaking his head questioning just what he had gotten himself into Nigel pulled the nymph away and retrieved his head protection, the helmet sealing and lighting up as soon as it was on.

The rest changelings including Chrysalis were gradually stirring so Nigel gently got up off the floor and quickly made for the door, Reflection bounding along beside him. Chalmers pushed her away softly with a foot much to her displeasure as he opened the door and exited, making sure it was closed behind him to prevent any escapes. He failed to look behind him before moving away, bumping into an object that fell to the ground heavily. Nigel whirled around and spotted Morning Sparkle lying on the ground rubbing her head, the unicorn not looking to good.

“Damn, sorry about that,” he apologised as he grabbed one of her fore-hooves and helped her upright. The unicorn didn’t reply, Sparkle rushing over to the side of the ship before expelling her stomach contents into the sea. Nigel winced; evidently the First Mate’s morning had started off far worse than his. Sparkle let out a few more coughs before turning back to face the human, brushing her gold mane back with a hoof.

“It’s fine, I assume you’re feeling about as bad as I am?”

“About that, what exactly happened last night?” Chalmers question, eliciting a grimace from the First Mate which did not raise his hopes that it had passed without major incident.

“Well, after you showed me the warehouse we went to the tavern, sat down with the crew and drank far too much.” Morning answered with regret audible in her voice.

“I’ve got that bit figured out,” Chalmers remarked, the mare rolling her eyes at his comment.

“Yes, but only one of us proclaimed to be someone called ‘Thor’ and then proceeded to demand more wenches and mead. Then of course after receiving what they ordered due to the fact that they were waving a weapon around making slicing noises they then proceeded to, ‘bring the thunder’ was the quote I believe which turned out to mean passionately tongue-kiss four separate mares much to the delight of the rest of the crew still conscious.” The Captain stood frozen for a few moments before mustering a reply.

“…was it you?” he asked hopefully after a pause, Morning slowly shaking her head as she pointed a hoof towards Nigel’s chest. The human looked down to find lipstick smears all over his armour, the human pausing as he moved his tongue over the outside of his mouth, finding the same substance. “So that’s what that taste is,” he muttered, however a sudden thought came to the fore-front of his mind causing him to jolt his head up. “Oh god, please tell me that we only kissed,” he pleaded to Morning, the mare rolling her eyes.

“If you call spending half-an-hour shoving your tongue down multiple mares’ mouths kissing then yes, you only went that far despite multiple offers to continue it in private.” Morning Sparkle huffed in annoyance, “You rejected them on the grounds that ‘Chrissy’ would kill you and then spent the next ten minutes ranting about the problem that is ‘increased real estate prices in sector four-seven-three’ and their negative effect on ‘socio-political economics’. Luckily I passed out just as you began educating us on the importance of proper dental hygiene and that’s all I know.”

“You’re rather snarky this morning,” was all Nigel said, still trying to figure out just how badly he had messed up. Morning Sparkle snorted in response.

“I’m not nice when hung over,” stated the mare before the mention of her condition sparked another wave of nausea. The Captain watched as the unicorn rushed back to the side of the ship once more, silently wishing her luck with her hangover as he started towards the gangplank connecting the boat to the dock, steeling himself for any encounters resulting from last night that he would face.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysalis heard the sound of the cabin door closing as she opened her eyes, the changeling letting out a yawn as sunlight steamed in through the square window above the bed. Movement to her side followed by a questioning chirp caused her to look towards Shade, the nymph by her side staring in the direction of the door. Chrysalis followed the gaze and spotted one of the nymphs, its name tag hidden due to the angle, pawing at the door in distress.

“What’s the matter?” Chrysalis asked as she moved to the side of the bed and poked her head over the edge, the nymph turning towards her at the question as it chittered at her franticly. Chrysalis had no clue what it wanted so she just watched as it seemed to sigh and return its attention to the door. The changeling was just about to hop off the bed and see what all the fuss was about when she felt a pair of hooves playing with her tail.

Turning her head around Chrysalis noticed Shade staring at her black tail as the nymph swatted it, appearing to focus on something within it. Chrysalis moved her tail so that see could see it better, a flash of teal catching her eye.

The changeling stared at the strand of teal hair which sat in her tail, the colour out-of-place within the sea of black. Shade was also gazing at it, his eyes fixated on the bright, colourful hair. Chrysalis was incredibly confused; drones didn’t grow different colours of hair so what was going on?

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“One down, forty more to go!”

Townsfolk and crew members alike stood around and whispered as the human stepped away from his most recent creation, a three metre tall black tower in the shape of a pillar with a turret armed with a laser cannon at the top. The turret was shaped much like a square with triangular chunks cut out from the corners, a fat, black barrel sticking out from one end that scanned the area outside the town. Numerous sensors and spot-lights adorned the otherwise plain turret and at the base of the pillar sat a small half-a-metre tall box that was shielded behind a solid wall of metal, the command and control terminal for the deadly point-defence weapon.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much, Captain?” Morning Sparkle commented, the mare having become a lot more confident around the human since the pair’s previous night’s escapades. The unicorn was standing next to her captain, eying the menacing tower as she watched the no doubt deadly weapon sweep across in a wide arc.

“You can never have to many defences Sparkle,” Chalmers replied as the turret swept over the crowd, most of the ponies flinching as the black barrel of the alien weapon passed over them however nothing happen apart from a slight pause in the turret’s traverse. “Besides,” the Captain continued, “this here is just a baby compared to some of the other stuff I’ve got in mind.” Sparkle gulped as the human rubbed his hands together and chuckled from within his helmet, “let’s see anyone try to take this town when the artillery batteries are all set up.”

The Captain let out a peal of laughter at his private thoughts of the sky lighting up with the fire of multiple high-explosive shells, every one of the ponies slowly backing away from the disturbing human. Morning Sparkle wondered if the Captain was still a little drunk from the night before, the biped throwing his arms up and making booming sounds with his mouth.

“Ah, all in good time,” Nigel stated as he calmed down, “for now I’ve got more turrets to construct, then it’s onto getting me some helpers.” With these words he turned and headed for his next destination, a ‘holographic map’ that he told Morning about lighting up in front of him with thirty-nine red dots flashing, all in various areas of the town.

The unicorn shook her head as she started to trot after him, wondering just what she had gotten into. She had briefly thought about grabbing her share of the loot that she had locked away and leaving town, however something was stopping her. Morning had always seen herself as wanting to succeed in life, gaining wealth and riches to help her forget her early childhood growing up on an Earth pony farm in poverty. Gaining nobility was her goal, hitching a ride upon the Captain’s coattails as the expression went seemed like a good idea right at this time.

Morning Sparkle noticed that Chalmers was humming merrily as he strolled along, the Captain a lot more cheerful and relaxed since they had arrived in the port. Well, apart from when he sprayed the market place with weapons fire on the first day but from what Sparkle had heard about the incident it was a predicable reaction from the human. No word had been heard regarding the former mayor, no travellers having arrived in the isolated town which wasn’t very popular to begin with.

Many townsfolk had raised concerns regarding the survival of the port when it came to money and supplies, most of the traders and merchants leaving after Chalmers had taken over. The human had assured the townsfolk that supplies and common items would soon not be an issue, promising the inhabitants of the port that they would be paid with goods and services in return for assisting the crew with tasks. The pirates still had a fair amount of gold and jewels from their previous voyage, Nigel even mentioning that he was considering heading back out to sea for a while after the port town was secured, Morning wondering who he would place in charge during his absence.

Probably her, after all he would most likely take Chrysalis on the ship with him. Now Morning was not one who normally put much faith into ship scuttlebutt, the unicorn preferring to base her opinions off what she could observe. As such, she had observed that the Captain and Chrysalis seemed unusually close but she didn’t believe that the two admittedly menacing creatures were in direct love with each other.

Chrysalis just seemed like a creature that the Captain treated as a close friend while the changeling treated him the same. Morning Sparkle just put it down to them being two creatures by themselves with none of their species around that had banded together because of this. Morning Sparkle herself had to admit that she was now far more comfortable around Chalmers; it couldn’t be denied that he was charismatic despite being slightly insane. He also had turned out to be quite the party animal if last night was anything to go by.

The First Mate sat down on the road as the Captain stopped and started building another one of his ‘Laser Death Turrets of Plus Seven Doom’ as he had called them, the faint blue outline of the soon-to-be-made defensive weapon slowly filling from the bottom up as the thin blue lines criss-crossed the glowing outline. Sparkle had made the mistake of asking how the ‘mass’ and ‘energy’ was transferred from the storage to his armour, the Captain shrugging and replying with ‘I stopped reading at the first mention of Quantum Molecularization, all I know is that I pick something in my head and the suit builds it’.

Morning Sparkle herself couldn’t think of any explanation other than some crazy type of human magic, she doubted that even the most powerful unicorn could replicate it. She did know one thing however as she watched the lethal automated weapon take form.
You’d have to be an idiot to attempt to take down a psychotic being with such amazing power.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Princess Platinum lounged on her throne in Unicornia, the regal ruler flicking her silver mane with a pearl-white hoof absentmindedly as Clover stood by the throne with a golden bowl of plump purple grapes at the ready should Platinum decide to snack. There was not a lot to do currently; despite the brewing war against the upstart Pegasi things had been slow.

The military, elite unicorn knights supported by earth pony troops lead by unicorn officers had been placed on alert, militias being quickly drafted and the navy was in top condition, the unicorns possessing the finest ships in the land. The Princess had received reports that griffons had increased naval patrols by almost three times after one of the King’s personal ships had been lost. Rumours had abounded that a demon from the depths of the underworld had risen as war seemed more likely.

A few Griffon survivors that had been picked up by a unicorn vessel had claimed that a beast twice the height and girth of a Minotaur had boarded the ship, the monster as black as night itself with a voice that could sheer the flesh off a griffon at fifty yards. Apparently the beast was leading a crew of pony pirates, the monster slaughtering hundreds of griffons by itself while laughing and demanding virgins. Platinum had dismissed these rumours as drunken sailors attempting to avoid having to return to their country and explaining the loss of the ship, ordering the griffons’ imprisonment as punishment for wasting her time.

Platinum raised an eyebrow as an earth pony servant entered through the throne room doors, the dark green mare bowing as she awaited permission to speak.

“What is it servant?” the Princess inquired as she pluck a grape with her magic and raised it to her mouth, the blue glow surrounding the fruit disappearing as the grape was consumed by the unicorn.

“The Mayor of Quayble requests an audience my Princess, she claims that it is urgent and concerns a threat to the safety of the entire land of Equestria.” Platinum smirked at the name of her kingdom, the title utter genius. The Pegasi could stay up in their clouds and mountain towns for all she cared, the feathered brutes will adapt at war where useless for everything else. Platinum might even go so far to say that Earth ponies were of more use, the common ponies proving to be suitable serfs after their leader met her demise completely by accident of course.

Sure, Platinum had ordered that cart to be set up right outside the former-leader’s door on a slope with a rope-secured chuck made to pull out when the door opened but everything else was the work of the gods. This issue with Quayble was not high on her list of priorities, however she had nothing better to do so she might as well hear what the Mayor had to say.

“Show her in peasant,” Platinum ordered, the servant mare scowling for a second before she nodded and trotted back outside. The servant returned a few moments later with a dishevelled looking cyan unicorn mare cloaked in red, the unicorn noble bowing before the throne. “Speak, tell me about this problem with Quayble,” Platinum demanded, the mayor raising her head with a combination of anger and fear in her eyes.

“The town has fallen to a monster! A beast from Tartarus itself has claimed dominion over it, renaming it to ‘Eviltopia’!” Platinum suddenly became very interested in the mayor’s tale, was this beast the same that the griffons had been rambling on about?

“Tell me Mayor; was this beast larger than a Minotaur and as black as pitch?”

“It was my Princess,” the Mayor responded, “it possessed no face and the ability to launch bright red magic without a horn! I myself was only able to make it out alive with a few loyal retainers after it attempted to take my life! It also was accompanied by a creature that was a twisted mockery of a unicorn, an insect that could hide amongst us at will! Surely the two are vicious fiends set on destroying the entirety of Equestria! They may even be aligned with the Pegasi, summoned here to weaken us before an attack!”

The Mayor ceased her rant, breathing heavily after the emotional turmoil of recounting events to the now scheming Princess. Platinum went over what she had just heard, coming to the conclusion that this threat would have to be dealt with quickly. Platinum glanced to a figure cloaked in shadows at the side of the white marble throne room.

“Knight Sunflare, your attention please.”

At her words the clanking of metal could be heard, a pony clad in full iron plate armour stepping into view. The Mayor gulped at the intimidating figure, a heavy long sword carried in a scabbard attached to the large pony’s torso almost the length of a pony. The armoured unicorn’s face was hidden behind the dull grey helmet that she wore; the only parts visible were her blood-red eyes gazing out of a slit and an orange horn extending out from the forehead of the helm.

“You are to organise a detachment of one-hundred commoners and head back with the Mayor here to re-capture the port Quayble from a vicious foe,” the Princess ordered, “I expect to have its foul head back here within the week.”

“As you command,” the knight, a mare acknowledged as she bowed her head, unable to bow fully in her armour. “I will not fail.”

“Don’t bother coming back if you do,” Platinum stated coldly, the Knight rising up and looking at her ruler.

“I understand.”

“Good, leave as soon as you are able.”

With that the Knight turned and exited, the Mayor following hesitantly behind. Princess Platinum sat back in her silver throne and picked out another grape, Clover’s legs starting to wobble as the Princess smiled to herself.

‘That so called ‘demon’ is as good as dead,’ she thought happily to herself, the red flesh of the grape bursting apart as the unicorn bit down, some red juice splashing onto her white chin with the force of the bite.

Author's Note

Well, there we go.

I'm sorry for the lack of explosions in this chapter, I had to develop some characters, explain some techno-babble and come up with ten changeling names. Try and guess which ones Nigel picked.

Next chapter as you can probably guess will be full of lasery-goodness and Eviltopia shall become the name that strikes fear into all.

Hope you enjoyed this one.

Let There be Lasers

“All done, to attack us now would be suicide!”

Morning Sparkle watched on as the Captain rubbed the new machine he had just finished building, a large rectangle block the size of a small house with a large sphere resting inside. Along the top of the block multiple rows of what the Captain had called ‘antennas’ rested, the long wires and dishes poking out of the armoured shell that protected the building. All of it was a solid grey with blue strips occasionally along it, the human calling the new building his ‘Command Nexus’.

“So what does this do?” Morning questioned as she pointed a hoof at the large device. Nigel walked up to a glowing panel on the side and slid his arm into a slot. A soft blue light emitted from the slot as well as a low droning beep.

“This is an Artificial Intelligence Command Nexus, a command and control node that co-ordinates all of the defences so I don’t have to.” As he said this Chalmers swept his hand towards the town, laser turrets all alternating the directions they were facing. Also of note was the second type of turret that the Captain had made, a tall, boxy pillar with a square turret on the top. Sticking out of the turret were four ‘rapid-fire railguns’ as the Captain had named them along with an array of ‘sensors’ that looked like the dishes on top of the nexus. All four barrels of the turrets were pointed to the sky.

“Right…” Morning could have guessed that once again she would be completely lost. Chalmers must have noticed her confusion for once. That was a rare thing, for an apparent intellegence operative he often was oblivious to the feelings of those around him.

“What I mean is that it chooses targets without me having to tell it too,” the Captain explained much to Morning Sparkle’s relief. The mare watched as the Captain looked into the sky, the sun almost below the horizon. Both beings were surprised at how fast time had passed. The last thing the Captain did was place a ‘Do not touch’ sign on each wall of the building, Morning doubtful that it would be needed. Apart from curious children the townsfolk avoided interfering with the new alien structures, from their point of view the new ruler seemed to not be focused on harming them so they let him do what he pleased.

The Captain removed his helmet and attached it to his waist, walking over towards Morning as she got up from her seat on the ground.
“Well, I’m going to grab something to eat then head back to the ship, you want to come along?” Sparkle was surprised at the human’s offer, he had been acting more friendly towards her since the bar incident the night before. She guessed that the biped was merely attempting to be less threatening around those in his command circle, first it was Chrysalis and now her. Morning nodded as the Captain stopped and waited for an answer, having your boss on good terms with you was never a bad thing.

“That sounds good,” Morning confirmed as her stomach backed up her statement by emitting a low growl. “I’ve forgotten to eat anything since this morning,” she continued as the two began to walk towards a nearby stand that appeared to be selling fried and baked goods. The Earth pony vendor, a middle-aged grey-coated stallion with a coal mane watched the two pirates approach warily. The Captain making a show of chomping his teeth together didn't really help the stallion's apprehension.

“Same goes for me,” the Captain contributed, “I don’t need to eat anything solid thanks to this suit but real food just feels so much more satisfying.” The First Mate and Captain reached the stall, Chalmers looking through the menu displayed on the sign above as he tried to choose something without hay in it. Luckily for him there was something that caught his fancy. “I’ll take two of the toasted tomato and cheese sandwiches please,” he requested as the stall keeper rushed to get the order underway.

“One for me as well thank you,” Morning added, the stallion behind the stall nodding quickly as he made their order. Chalmers looked down at his First Mate with an amused smile on his face. Obviously he had noticed something that he found funny.

“You seem more cheery today,” he remarked, Morning looking at him inquisitively.

“Really?” she asked as the smell of toasting bread filled the air.

“Yeah,” Nigel replied, “your voice seems to be a little happier and a little less monotone.” Morning knew that she wasn’t the warmest of ponies; her general lack of emotion had been commented on many times. Why she sounded happier she didn’t know, it could possibly be because she was gaining riches and getting closer to her goal of becoming a noble. Or maybe it was the fact that she might have gained a friend for the first time in her life, the human certainly treated her like one. Once again, that was not a bad thing in her opinion.

“Today’s just been more interesting I suppose,” Morning answered before three sandwiches were placed on the stand in front of them.

“Three toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches,” the stall owner stated fearfully. Chalmers fished around in a compartment in his suit and withdrew a coin purse, the bag fat and full. He placed it down on the stall and retrieved the sandwiches, passing one to Morning who grabbed it with her golden magic with a nod of thanks. The two started to walk away from the stall before the owner yelled out after them.

“Wait, your change!” the Stallion called out, Nigel finishing a bite of his sandwich before responding over his shoulder.
“Keep it,” he answered, leaving the stall owner with ten times the amount needed. As the two travelled towards the docks Morning looked at the Captain curiously between bites of her dinner.

“Why did you give him so much?” the unicorn asked, Nigel finishing a sandwich then starting on the second.

“I can create entire bases out of nothing,” he responded through a mouthful, “I don’t have much use for the wealth that I’ve amassed as my share so I may as well spread it out amongst my new subjects. That stallion seemed afraid of us, no doubt because of the fact that we’re pirates and I’m an alien to you ponies so hopefully now that I’ve shown that I’m generous he’ll be a bit more relaxed around me,” Chalmers took another bite of his sandwich. “Plus these sandwiches are excellent, well worth the money in my opinion.”

Morning had to agree with him there, the food was delicious. The mare finished hers off, licking her lips as the paper bag that had held the morsel was deposited into a waste bin. The ship was in sight now and as the two approached a wail could be heard followed by faint crying coming from the aft of the ship where the cabins were.

“What is it now,” Nigel sighed as he finished off his food. “I better go see what the problem is,” he said as he turned to Morning, “I’ll see you in the morning then, I hope to get started on some land-based accommodations and you’ll be getting your own space so I’ll need you to pick what you want.”

“That won’t be needed,” Morning replied, Chalmers shaking his head in response at her answer.

“Nonsense, it’s going to happen,” he replied as he started up the gangplank, “you go and get a good night’s sleep okay? I’ve got to go and sort the crying out.” Moring sighed in defeat and nodded at the Captain.

“You’re the Captain,” she conceded, “sleep well sir.”

“I doubt I will somehow. Good Night Sparkle,” Chalmers snorted as he disappeared from view. Morning glanced back behind her at the sound of approaching hooves, the majority of the rest of the crew stumbling back to the ship in varying states of intoxication. Morning had been surprised at how well behaved the normally troublesome crew had been since Chalmers had taken over, evidently no one wanted to risk getting him angry.

Moving with the rest of the crew, Morning boarded the ship and headed to her own private cabin, the unicorn ready for her hammock after the day spent watching the Captain’s magic.

“There there, come on, stop crying.”

Chrysalis was unsuccessful in her attempts to halt Reflection’s wails, the nymph vocalising her distress with much volume. Chrysalis was holding onto the nymph however it was doing nothing to calm her down, the changeling wondering what just had sparked the bawling. All the nymphs except Reflection had spent the day playing in the cabin, Reflection however had been sullen and withdrawn ever since the morning. All the other nymphs gathered around and watched as their fellow cried in their carer’s grasp, the distressed child refusing to calm down.

Chrysalis was almost at the end of her rope, nothing she was doing was having any effect on the nymph’s situation. Relief came however, in the form of a knock on the cabin door. Chrysalis turned to look at it as it swung open and Chalmers entered the room with his helmet off.

“What’s with all the crying?” he asked, Reflection stopping her sobbing at the sound of the Captain’s voice causing Chrysalis to look down at the nymph in surprise.

“How did you do that?” she asked incredulously as Reflection started to giggle happily and reach her hooves for the Captain. Nigel approached, crouched down and faced the nymph as he rubbed his chin.

“I have no clue,” he replied as his armour withdrew from his right hand, “maybe she’s just happy to see me?” Saying this he began to rub the child on her head, Reflection chirping with contentment as Chrysalis tried to make sense of the situation. She didn’t know how to feel at the revelation that the Captain was able to so effortlessly calm the nymph where she had failed. Positive emotion flowed from Chalmers to all in the cabin, Chrysalis also receiving a share or the positive energy. The rest of the nymphs all gathered around the Captain as they fed, the energy shared between all of them.

“It’s only her though, the others have been very well behaved today,” Chrysalis mentioned as she glanced outside a window, night had fallen and the day had been tiring. Placing Reflection on the ground Chrysalis got up from her spot and moved over to the bed. She looked at the Captain surrounded by nymphs as she climbed into her bed, the changeling ready for sleep. “Well, it’s getting late so…”

“Yeah, I’ll be off,” Nigel responded as he gave Reflection one final pat before he stood up and walked to the door. The nymph however had other ideas, the young creature running after the human before blocking the doorway as she chattered pleadingly at him. Chalmers chuckled as Chrysalis and the other nymphs watched on with curiosity at the scene. “Looks like someone doesn’t want me to go,” the Captain observed as he bent down and picked the troublesome child up.

“I guess she’s grown attached to you for some reason,” Chrysalis imputed, the Captain shrugging as he moved Reflection up and down in the air much to the enjoyment of the nymph.

“It’s probably because I provide food,” he replied, Chrysalis humming in thought.

“Maybe,” the changeling supplied, “but have you considered that she may enjoy your company?” Chalmers scoffed at this, pausing his actions to stare at the nymph he was holding receiving a happy gaze in reply.

“I highly doubt many enjoy my company,” the Captain replied. “considering my own crew walks on eggshells around me apart from you and Morning, my reputation is not one of the likable guy.”

Chrysalis decided to not mention that his crew demeanour may stem from the fact that the Captain’s kill count was already in the hundreds with the biped being on the planet for a few days. However after observing his behaviour around the nymphs she wasn’t sure just how the human was supposed to behave, he seemed to alternate from evil megalomaniac to caring creature in a heartbeat.

“I enjoy your company,” Chrysalis found herself saying softly, the changeling surprising herself with what she had said. The Captain looked at her with a smile on his face, Reflection still in his hands.

“Thanks Chrissy,” he acknowledged as he looked around the room and found where the nymphs’ bedding was piled in the back corner. He started to walk over to the spot, “I know I can be a bit of a handful sometimes but I do sometimes try to be nice. Unfortunately nice doesn’t often cut it in life so there you go.” The human stopped at the corner and turned towards the changeling that was resting on the bed. “Look, I hate to impose but it seems like I’m not going to be allowed out,” he glanced at Reflection as he said this, the nymph attempting to touch his face with her hooves, “do you think I can bunk against the wall here?”

“Are you sure you want to sleep against the wall?” Chrysalis asked, it felt wrong having the Captain of the ship just sleeping with nothing. The human however took this as an affirmative and slid down against the wood to sit upon the floor as he waved a hand.

“I’ve said this before, I’ll be fine,” with this he picked up a white pillow and placed it in his lap, the nymph in his grip being lowered onto the cushion. Reflection had other ideas however, the child leaving the pillow and instead curling up on one of Nigel’s legs as she pressed her head against his armour with a content sigh. The other young changelings moved to the assorted bedding and all settled in for the night.

‘Well,’ Chalmers thought, ‘if there’s one thing great about these children it’s that they all know when to go to bed without complaint.’

Chrysalis was watching the spectacle with a slight smile; it was good that the Captain was proving to be good around the nymphs as it certainly made her job easier.

“Goodnight Nigel,” Chrysalis said as she laid her head back into the pillows.

“’Night Chrissy,” Chalmers replied as he leaned his head back against the wall.

Soon the only sounds in the cabin was faint breathing with the occasional sleepy chirp or buzz, the noise of the turrets traversing on their mounts in-audible as all the inhabitants of the town awaited the morning.

Knight of the Realm Radiant Sunflare marched down the road towards Quayble at the head of the column of troops assigned to her, the many Earth pony militia armed with spears attached to them via harness and crude swords or axes held in their jaws. Their officer, Lieutenant Hard Blow was an exception, the mare armoured in light mail with a large crossbow carried on her back with a quiver of bolts attached to her side. Sunflare preferred her longsword over any ranged weaponry, the cut and thrust of close combat was where she excelled.

The troops were only a few hours away from the port town, having marched out from the capitol after they had all been organized. Sunflare had been given command and had decided that a dawn attack would take the pirates by surprise, the knight theorising that such low-lives would be intoxicated out of their minds. She did not care for such petty criminals however; the creature that led them was her goal.

There had been little conversation between herself and Hard Blow, the Knight merely giving the lieutenant orders when needed to keep the regular troops in line. The lime unicorn had at first been adamant that she should be in command; however a longsword swing that took off a portion of her yellow mane soon convinced the uppity unicorn of Sunflare’s authority. After that the group had travelled in silence for the most part, the occasional whisper between the Earth pony soldiers tolerated by the two leaders as long as the mud-dwellers kept moving.

The group travelled for hours until the view of the town they had come to liberate was visible on the horizon.

“Halt!” Sunflare commanded, Hard Blow repeating the command further down the line. The lines of troops halted, the peasants in their crude leather armour going quiet as they waited for the next order. Sunflare decided that it would be best to wait a few hours to allow the troops to rest; a dawn attack would catch the pirates unaware and unprepared. She turned around to face the commoners, the ponies shrinking back as the intimidating knight faced them with her red eyes glaring at them.

“We will attack at dawn, take this time to prepare for battle against the forces that have taken the town.” The single sentence was all Sunflare uttered, the commoners and the unicorn officer moving to the side of the road and beginning to make camp. Sunflare moved to the top of the hill they were sheltering behind and gazed out at the town, the unicorn knight able to make out the shapes of buildings and some lights in a few of the larger ones. Sighing, the knight moved back to the base of the hill away from her subordinates and sat down. Removing her sword from its scabbard with her magic she went to work on polishing the metal, the unicorn ensuring that the large weapon was a sharp as always so that taking the monster’s head would be simple.

What all of the Equestrian troops had missed however were the small dots of red lights belonging to the laser defence turrets, the structures maintaining their tireless vigil as the ponies prepared to attack.

Nigel jolted awake at a beeping sound coming from his waist, the human looking down to see a flashing light inside his helmet. The nymphs around him began to stir, the one sitting on his lap letting out a little yawn as the Captain placed his helmet on his head. What the alarm was about caused Nigel to wake up immediately, the perimeter defences indicating that one-hundred-and-two lifeforms where approaching the town from the north. Nymphs were woken as the biped scrambled up from his seat in a rush, Chrysalis waking up as the human shook her on the shoulder.

“What’s the matter Nigel?” the changeling sleepily asked, the human letting her go when he saw that she was awake.

“Looks like someone doesn’t like the fact that this port is now ours,” Chalmers commented as her pulled an L-shaped object from his waist, the human popping out a rectangle with a blue strip down the middle from the handle of the object. The Captain checked it and slammed the rectangle back into his device before placing it back on his waist. Chrysalis woke up as soon as she heard the news.

“We’re under attack!?” she questioned loudly as she sat up. Chalmers placed an armoured hand on her shoulder, the changeling taking deep breaths as the nymphs gathered around the bed confused at the noise the two adults were making.

“Calm down,” Nigel reassured, “the defences should hold anything at bay, never-the-less I want you to stay here with the nymphs. I’m sure that everything will turn out well, I just think that it’s best that you stay here safe in case something does happen to me and Morning Sparkle so that you can take command.” Chalmers paused and removed his hand as a nymph, Reflection, started to gallop towards the door.

It was almost as if the youngster had understood what Chalmers had said and was attempting to stop him from leaving. Nigel foiled her plan however, catching lifting the nymph up as Reflection struggled in his grasp. He moved her face towards his helmet, the nymph ceasing her thrashing as she was faced with a black reflective visor.

“Now as for you young lady,” Nigel lectured, “I want you to stay here with Chrysalis and behave, no crying.” With that Chalmers passed the child to Chrysalis, Reflection not struggling as the adult changeling held her with her hooves. The Captain moved to the cabin door and opened it, none of the nymphs moving from the bed to follow him. “I’ll be back soon okay, take care,” and with those words Chalmers left the room and shut the door behind him.

Chrysalis sat on the bed with worry; if the human died then she didn’t see things working out well for her or the nymphs. Nigel had seemed fairly confident in his chances of winning however so hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. The changeling sat on the bed and began to stroke Reflection on the head with a hoof, the other nymphs all anxiously sitting and lying down on the wooden floor as they awaited the return of the human. In the confusion none had noticed that the hairs in Chrysalis’s tails were now mostly teal.

Sunflare threw herself behind a small knoll as a red beam shot just over the heads of the attacking troops. The soldiers all scattered out of the way, the commoners all trying to take cover as more beams flew through the sky towards them. No-one was hit, the beams high enough to scare but not to kill. Sunflare peaked out to spot roughly ten strange tower structures all pointing towards them, the source of the beams proven as one of the towers fired. The crimson beam hit just behind the remaining commoners who had no-where else to go, the ponies hugging the ground beneath them. A great furrow was rent in the earth and the surrounding grass was scorched black from the extreme heat.

The approach to the town had been going well; they had begun to sneak towards the town under the cover of dusk down the road. The attack had barely begun however before the first red beam had flown over, scattering them and halting the advance. Sunflare was cursing herself for not sending a scout out in the night. The entrance to the town was right in front of them, only a few hundred metres away but the gap was guarded by four of the dangerous structures. Sunflare considered her options, glancing towards Hard Blow she spotted the unicorn huddling behind a tree stump with four of the lieutenant’s personal guard.

“Lieutenant!” Sunflare shouted out, receiving the unicorn’s attention, “send those four soldiers behind that boulder there!” The knight gestured towards a large rock twenty metres ahead and to the left of the tree stump. The lieutenant seemed to hesitate for a second before she barked the command to her guards. The four stallions shared uneasy looks as they adjusted their spear-harnesses and swords before they darted out to the rock, drawing the towers’ fire.

Sunflare herself galloped for a boulder that was one-hundred metres before the town entrance, as she was running she prayed to the Creator for her safety. As she ran she heard the ‘zap’ sound of a beam firing followed by a scream that was cut off by a fizzle. A second beam fired not even a second later and another scream sounded. Sunflare looked up as she ran and noticed that one of the towers was aiming at her.

And that the weapon at the top of it was glowing.

Sunflare pushed her body to its limit and dived towards the sanctuary that the boulder offered as the sound of a beam tower firing filled her ears.

The Knight smashed to the ground behind the bolder as a red beam of death impacted the ground right where she had been, intense heat burning her rear even through her armour. As she recovered she noticed that her yellow-and-orange tail was on fire, the unicorn mare hastily beating the flames out with her metal-clad hooves as more beams flew over the top of the boulder she was hiding behind. The flames on her tail extinguished, the knight looked towards the rock that she had sent the four guards to.

The stoic knight winced as she noticed the remains of two of the stallions, their leather armour doing nothing to stop the crimson beams that had sliced the ponies apart, the rest of the remains crackling with flames as the smell of burnt flesh make itself own. The knight was incredibly lucky, that could be her lying lifeless on the ground as her flesh cooked. Sunflare was now regretting that she hadn’t learnt any shielding spells, instead having focused on her sword work.

Deciding that she needed another distraction to draw the towers’ fire again she turned back towards where Hard Blow was hiding, the Earth pony troops were expendable after all.

“Lieutenant! Send out another group of commoners!” Sunflare commanded as beams continued to fall around the forces. It seemed like the weapons could be extremely accurate when needed but for some reason appeared to be focused on keeping the soldiers pinned down unless they tried to move closer. What the lieutenant responded with however dashed Sunflare’s hopes of making her goal.

“No, it’s suicide!” the lieutenant yelled back, evidently the unicorn was softer than Sunflare had been lead to believe.

“I am a Knight and I command that you send those troops out now!” Sunflare shouted back, receiving a head shake from the lime unicorn. “I’ll have your head you traitorous Bitch!” Her words were hollow, with the towers firing there was nothing Sunflare could do, that was something that pissed her off immensely.

Suddenly the barrage of beams stopped, Sunflare peeking out from the boulder to spot the towers all pointing at the ponies however they were not shooting. A black biped, the monster she had been sent to kill, was standing in the middle of the street with a throng of ponies dressed like pirates. The monster seemed to cough into its claw before some metal-grills on its skin were exposed when the black covering slid off.

“Attention hostile forces!” an electronic male voice boomed out, drawing the attention of the remaining troops. “As you are no doubt aware, you are completely fucked!” Sunflare had to admit that the Monster did get straight to the point on that one. “You have three options!” the biped continued.

“Option one: you can attempt to move up and then die. Option two: you can stay hidden and then die of thirst and hunger. Option three: you surrender and you get to live. Personally I’d take option one as it would be the unexpected choice but at least I would get to make a Highlander reference before I died. You however do not know what Highlander is so I would recommend that you take option three.”

Sunflare narrowed her eyes at the monster, unsure if the creature was mocking them. The knight was about to tell the creature to shove his options up his rear-end but Hard Blow beat her as the unicorn lieutenant yelled out from behind her stump.

“Please! We surrender! Don’t shoot!”

Sunflare was furious with the unicorn’s cowardice, the Knight moving out from her boulder after giving the lieutenant a hateful stare. She moved towards the Monster and his pirate lackeys, the towers not firing on her as she noticed the monster look in her direction. As she reached the entrance to the town Sunflare realized just how tall the towers were, they rivalled the buildings around them in height. She noticed that one of the deadly turrets was aimed right at her, the rest remained fixed on the Equestrians out in the field.

Sunflare advanced through jeers from the pirates past the towers, most of the stallions and mares showing signs of intoxication as they waved cutlasses gripped in their mouths or in magic fields of the few unicorns present. The pirates were all lined up on the sides of the street as they spat insults at her, the monster standing in the middle of the road with a golden coloured unicorn mare armed with a cutlass beside him. Sunflare halted and drew her longsword with her crimson magic, pointing the blade at the pirate leader as numerous pirates moved forward to attempt to cut her down.

“Stand down!” the monster bellowed as he raised a claw, the pirates stopping and returning to their previous positions. The Monster seemed to stare at Sunflare, his featureless face made it hard for the knight to pick out any emotion. “The last time I had a sword pointed at me it was because the owner was not too pleased that I had slept with his daughter. I don’t recall any of that on this world so would you care to explain why you risked death after I offered you a chance to live? I don’t believe that the wanted liberation of this town would drive someone to do such a stupid thing so may I ask what exactly is driving you to threaten my person?”

The creature’s questions confused Sunflare greatly, from his mention of ‘this world’ to the relative calmness and civility that he spoke with. It was very un-expected from a supposed demon from the underworld.

“I am Knight of the Realm Radiant Sunflare,” the unicorn started as she raised her sword so that it pointed at where she assumed the creature’s heart was, “and I have sworn an oath to take your head or die trying!” At her words the creature clapped its talons together, Sunflare noticing that the pirates except for the unicorn next to the monster were slowly backing away.

“Oh, I’ve got a bounty against me, how quaint!” the creature remarked merrily, “very well, if it’s a duel you want then I shall happily comply.” Sunflare doubled her magical grip on her sword as the creature’s right arm glowed blue, a sword as long as hers materialising slowly out of the arm with a blue glow.

The weapon became solid, the Monster gripping its plain grey hilt with a talon as the silver blade shone with a razor sharp edge. A clear area was formed in the road, all the onlookers backing away to give the two combatants space. “I am Nigel M Chalmers,” the Monster spoke, “ISA Commander and current Captain and ruler of this town, now on to the duel.” Sunflare raised an eyebrow under her helm at the Monster’s titles; she got the feeling that he was more than a simple demon.

“Here are the conditions,” the Monster continued as he twirled his new blade around in a metal claw, “if you win you can take my head and this port city back. My surviving crew will leave and will never come back. All of my constructed buildings will crumble and fall allowing you to claim this place.” The Monster looked around at his crew, all of the ponies nodding in agreement as some fixed Sunflare with venomous glares.

“And if you win?” Sunflare inquired as she too spun her blade in her magical grip, this creature wasn’t the only one with fancy moves here. The Monster paused his actions as he raised the point of his sword towards her.

“I kill you, failing that I can do whatever I want with you if you somehow live.” Sunflare considered the terms; she didn’t really have a choice. If she failed then she would either end up dead, a servant to the monster or worse, something which she would rather not think about. Add to that if she didn’t bring back his head to the Princess then she would be an outcast stripped of her titles and wealth as well as being banished from Equestria, if she won however then Platinum would most likely reward her well.

“I accept those terms,” Sunflare answered after a pause, the mare’s sword still pointed towards the Monster’s chest.

“Very well then, I wish you good luck m’lady,” the biped mimed tipping a hat; however he paused and stood back up. “Not too much luck though; it is my pretty head on the line after all.” The Monster shrugged and held his sword at a forty-five degree angle to the ground, indicating to Sunflare that the creature obviously had some knowledge of sword fighting. The Monster raised a free talon and made a gesture with his digits towards the knight.

“Bring it on and prepare yourself to feel the wrath of my Charmjitsu technique.”

Sunflare complied, rushing forward with her sword aiming to deliver a brutal trust through the Monster’s heart. As she closed however the Monster parried the blow with his sword which he held with one claw, sparks flying from the metal as the two weapons clanged together. Sunflare was slightly surprised that the Monster was able to hold such a weapon with one claw; an Earth pony would have extreme difficulty even with their supposed extra strength. The knight swung her sword again in an attempt to get the pirate leader in the side; however that too was parried with skill.

“So,” the creature spoke up over the clash of metal as Sunflare kept on assaulting him, the Monster himself not making any aggressive moves, “do you have any hobbies apart from duelling monsters such as myself?” Sunflare was a little off-put at the query, the biped punishing her by lashing out with a quick strike, the Knight managing to block it in time. Sunflare made a promise to herself to not engage the Monster in conversation, something that seemed to drive the biped on further.

“I’ll take that as a no,” he commented as he blocked another trust aimed for a leg joint. “Fine, I’ll move on,” another swing was parried, “do you have a special someone waiting back home for you? Or are you one of those knights which go all out for their job?”

Once again Sunflare did not grace him with a response, instead focusing all of her energy on the fight. She cursed at herself, her dash in full armour to that boulder earlier had worn her out a little and she could feel her rump still burning from the energy beam that had set fire to her tail. The knight fought on however, she was literally fighting for her life and right to return home.

“Jeez, you’re a real talker aren’t you,” the Monster commented as he continued to block the knight’s every attack. His utter disregard for the duel and his ability to block every single attack was really starting to get in Sunflare’s nerves.

“I would respond if you had anything interesting to say!” she snarled, the creature raising his sword in the air as he put his other arm out to the side like he was offended. Sunflare saw a chance to strike.

“Now that was uncalled fo-“

The Monster’s complaint was cut off as Sunflare’s sword bypassed his defences and trust deep into his evil chest, impaling him through the heart.

Or, it would have if the sword didn’t slide off the creature’s armour plating leaving only a single scratch in the metal as the blade went between the Monster’s side and between his right arm. The pirate leader slammed his arm holding his sword down and trapped Sunflare’s blade as the mare struggled to pull it free. She had to free her sword otherwise she was finished, although if the monster’s armour was unable to be pierced…

“Hey, I was talking to you!” the creature stated before he dashed forward and swung his left fist at her, time slowing for Sunflare as she tried in vain to free her weapon. The fist connected with her side, the force of the blow incredibly strong as Sunflare lost her grip on her sword as she had the air knocked out of her.

The Monster was not done however, the creature dropping his sword and picking the unicorn up with both hands. Sunflare barely had anytime to struggle before, with a heave from the creature, she found herself flying through the air until her journey was interrupted by the wall of a house, the mare crashing through the strong barrier into the building within.

‘Huh, maybe I over did it a little,’ Nigel thought to himself as he stared at the large hole torn in the side of the house, the knight having disappeared indie of the building. His crew were frozen after having witnessed their Captain just throw the armoured unicorn like she was nothing. Soon however a great cheer rose up as they saluted their leader’s victory.

These cheers died down however when an armoured form stumbled out of the house wheezing and panting.

The sight wasn’t a pretty one; the impact that the knight had suffered had damaged and destroyed pieces of her armour, her helm missing its plume of feathers and blood trickling from some joints on her legs. All watched on as the battered combatant drew closer to the Captain, the mare stopping before him as she tried to catch her breath. Chalmers stared at the stubborn unicorn before picking up her dropped sword and throwing it at the ground before her armoured hooves.

No words were spoken as the unicorn tried three times to pick up the weapon with her magic, getting it on the last try as she shakily held it out in front of her. Nigel dropped his own weapon on the ground and put up his fists.

“Let’s make this interesting,” he stated as the unicorn charged at him once more. The knight seemed to put all of her energy into her attacks, Chalmers using his armoured wrists and forearms to deflect the blows. He was unsure if he considered the unicorn brave or stupid as she continued to attack him despite his armour proving to be stronger than her sword. As the mare let out a final swing he concluded that there was only one way for this to end, the human letting out a vicious side kick into the unicorn’s chest.

His armour-powered blow lifted the pony off the ground slightly before the mare’s body was propelled into an empty wagon which splintered as the wagon received an armoured knight at full force.

The wagon crashed down, some pieces of wood covering the prone body as blood began to pool. Everyone held their breath as the pile of debris moved, the knight rising from the wreckage once more.

The mare’s condition made even the hardest pirate wince, the unicorn’s armour stained with her own blood and wounds could be seen where the metal armour had buckled inwards and pierced the skin. The knight was hacking and coughing, a broken rib had pierced a lung with the force of the Captain’s kick and her chest armour was bent and broken. One of her front forelegs was twisted at an unnatural angle, the bone clearly broken. This wasn’t the most serious injury however.

The knight’s helm had been torn off her head, and what could be seen caused a few of the unicorns to expel their stomach contents.

Radiant Sunflare, Knight of the Realm was now hornless, the extra appendage torn of leaving a small jagged stump of horn that spurted blood and magical energy. Blood coated the mare’s yellow and orange striped mane and her crimson eyes burned with rage and pain.
Chalmers watched on with pity as the unicorn attempted to lift her sword with her magic, only for her horn to emit a weak burst of sparks causing the knight to cry out in pain. Her injured leg buckled beneath her, the unicorn falling face-first into the dirt with a groan of pain.

Reaching her good front hoof out the mare crawled to her sword, no one else moving as the unicorn awkwardly picked the sword up with her mouth. Still no-one moved, the knight dragging herself over to Chalmers leaving a trail of blood on the ground. The Captain didn’t react; he merely stared down at the mare as she tried to hit his leg with the sword, failing to achieve anything. The knight’s blows weakened as her tears increased, eventually the sword dropped from her mouth and landed in the dirt as Sunflare lay down her head at Chalmers’s boots, cried, and then waited for her death.

The crew waited for their Captain to finish his opponent, the human staring down at the broken body of his foe. What he did next however shocked them all.

Chalmers slowly reached up to his head and removed his helmet, the head piece dropping to the ground as it slipped out of his hands. The Captain’s face was devoid of expression as the human crouched down in front of the unicorn he had beaten. The armour protecting his hands retracted with the black metal sliding back into the wrist gauntlets.

Gently he placed his hands on the sides of Sunflare’s face, cradling the unicorn’s head and bringing her to eye level. His cold blue eyes stared into the tear-filled crimson irises that were hers, the unicorn unable to speak so all she did was wheeze. Chalmers looked at her for a few moments before he spoke.

“You know, you should have quit after the first house,” he mentioned softly as he moved one hand to Sunflare’s mane, beginning to stroke her bloodstained mane to comfort the mare. The crew watched on, un-willing to even say anything to the pair as they watched their feared Captain provide companionship to an enemy that had been adamant on killing him.

The two remained there for a while, Nigel continuing to hold onto the downed knight as he continued to stroke her head, his hand becoming saturated in blood from the still-bleeding horn stump. His hand passed over a certain point, the vein throbbing with blood. Chalmers smiled softly at the unicorn looking up at him lifelessly, the mare beyond rational thought as the pain from her injuries caused her to drift in-and-out of consciousness.

“I know you probably can’t understand what I’m saying right now,” Nigel spoke as a needle extended from his left wrist, “but before we duelled I said that if I won then I could do anything I want with you.” The unicorn seemed to hear this, her eyes glancing towards the needle hovering near her neck.

“I want to let you live.”

With this Nigel plunged the needle into the vein on Sunflare’s neck, injecting the contents into the unicorn. Sunflare closed her eyes and her muscles relaxed as the pain left her and she found herself falling into unconsciousness as the liquid went to work. The Captain checked the mare’s pulse, finding it weak but still there as he ensured that the unicorn was completely out. Carefully he picked the bloodied knight of off the ground with his armour allowing him to lift the armoured body out of the dirt.

With the unicorn in his arms Chalmers began to walk back to the ship, his crew parting without a word as he approached. The human paused when he reached Morning Sparkle however, the human turning to face the First Mate.

“Morning Sparkle,” he said evenly, “Please secure the prisoners out in the field, treat them well but keep them somewhere secure under guard. After that could you please bring my helmet back to the ship.” Without waiting for a reply Chalmers continued on, blood dripping in drops from the limp bundle in his arms.

Morning Sparkle trotted towards the discarded helmet lying next to the blood pool; picking it up with her magic she placed it upon her back. Turning around she saw the crew staring after the retreating form of the Captain, the First Mate coughing to grab their attention.

“You heard the Captain,” she ordered, “get a move on!”

Nigel kicked open the door to the ship’s medical bay, closing the barrier behind him as he placed the knight’s body upon the operating table. He took a moment to stare down at the mare which he had broken; this was the second time in a matter of days that he had found himself preparing to operate on an equine. He soon commenced his actions, reaching down he began to remove the unicorn’s armour plates starting with the most damaged first.

Under the metal that had collapsed he found many wounds, some caused by the armour bending in and cutting the flesh where others, such as the large bruises on the mare’s chest and sides were caused by his blows directly. The previously clean table quickly became soaked in blood as all of the armour was eventually removed from the mare, Nigel placing the pieces in the corner of the room.

He started to work upon the many wounds, lasering bleeding cuts closed, resetting broken bones and patching up the unicorn’s punctured lung. With great regret he heated the mare’s horn stub closed, the broken horn the main source of blood loss. He didn’t know much about unicorns but he doubted that the pony would be able to regrow her horn. The knight began to mutter in her drugged sleep, Nigel pausing to stroke his patient on the head until the murmurs died down.

It was at this time that Morning Sparkle entered the surgery with the Captain’s helmet on her back, the First Mate closing the door behind her as she quietly moved to observe the human’s work. Chalmers gave her an acknowledging nod before going back to placing a cast around the unicorn’s leg, his suit providing the needed supplies.

It took half-an-hour of constant attention but soon all of the life-threatening wounds had been dealt with, Nigel finishing the procedure by spraying some synthetic skin on the mare’s rump from where the burnt skin had been pulled away with the knight’s armour.

As he finished and his tools returned into his armour he rubbed his bloody hands on a provided rag, much blood having collected on the table and below it. His First Mate gazed at the injured unicorn on the table with sadness and sympathy before she turned to face her Captain.

“Captain sir, the prisoners have been disarmed and locked up in a warehouse with guards, they appear to be very co-operative.” As she said this she picked up the Captain’s helmet off her back and floated it over towards him. Chalmers plucked it out of the air and placed it on his head hiding his tired eyes behind his black visor.

“Thank you Morning,” Chalmers replied, prompting the mare to look at the sleeping unicorn on the table.

“If you don’t mind me asking Captain, what’s going to happen to her?” Chalmers picked the knight up and wiped the blood off of her with one of the medical bay’s towels, the white fabric turning a deep red. He then discarded the towel into a nearby wooden bucket and moved towards the door with the unicorn, Morning Sparkle trailing behind.

“I’m going to do what I said and make sure that she gets better,” Chalmers replied, Morning deciding to not remind him that a unicorn’s horn will not grow back if broken. Instead she followed her Captain out of the medical bay and onto the main deck of the ship.

Chalmers strode into the warehouse containing the ninety-nine Equestrian prisoners that had been captured earlier. The ponies had all been disarmed and escorted from the ravaged field by the pirate crew, the warehouse they were now in constructed to form a make-shift prison.

The windows and all the doors except one had been boarded up, Nigel having constructed a single turret inside the centre of the ceiling to keep the prisoners in line. This one was smaller than the external defences and instead of one large barrel it instead possessed two rapid-fire laser-pulse rifles in its housing to provide a high rate of anti-personnel fire if the Equestrians tried to escape.

All of the prisoners had been stripped of their armour and the ponies all ambled around the main area shooting nervous glances towards the ever-vigilant turret up above as the red targeting-sight swept over the gathered prisoners.

The only exception to this was the unicorn Lieutenant Hard Blow, the Captain having ordered the pony restrained with chains and guarded by four pirates at all times. The dejected mare was tied to a pillar at the left side wall; Chalmers had seen that unicorns were capable of firing energy bolts and telekinesis so he wasn’t taking any chances until a more permanent solution was found.

Chalmers walked out onto a metal catwalk suspended above the large space, the ponies below all halting their activities to gaze up at the biped above them as he leaned over the edge of the catwalk.

“Well, it’s good to see that you all made the smart decision,” the human congratulated as the prisoners flinched at his voice, his helmet causing it to sound unnatural. “As you have no doubt witnessed, escape is not recommended,” with these words and a mental command from Nigel the turret above him rotated on its axis and strafed a menacing red targeting laser across the prisoners.

“However,” Chalmers continued after the turret returned to its normal position, “if you behave and co-operate, following every one of my commands then you will be treated well and maybe even rewarded, do you understand this?” A chorus of hesitant affirmatives was emitted from the crowd, all of them nodding at the terms.

“Great!” the Captain enthusiastically replied, “For security reasons you will be kept in here for now, if we have no major incidents then I see no problem in increasing your privileges in the future.” This sparked hopeful murmurs among the soldiers held captive, most of them had been reluctant to fight in the first place so the fact that this creature seemed willing to release them later improved their spirits. One of them however had other concerns.

“What about the Knight?” Everyone turned to look at the lieutenant tied to the pillar as her guards watched her warily, “What happened to her?” Chalmers was silent for a few moments as the prisoners looked up at him with curiosity.

“She challenged me to a duel,” he responded curtly, “she lost and is recovering from her injuries. Let that be a lesson to you all.” Chalmers left out that he was actually incredibly impressed with the knight’s drive to finish her mission, that being one of the reasons that he had decided to spare her and not just put her out of her misery then and there. His words had the intended effect however, his advanced audio sensors picking up hushed whispers from the troops regarding how the knight was their best fighter and if she lost then defeating the human seemed impossible.

Seeing that his objectives had been met, Chalmers turned to the two crew beside him, informing the pirates to continue to watch the prisoners while providing them with standard rations as well as stressing that the captives were not to be harmed. With the two nodding and hurrying off to fulfil their orders the Captain made his way outside the warehouse.

He had to go check up on someone.

Sunflare groggily awoke the mare unable to feel anything at all. She could hear however, the sounds of buzzing wings and insectoid noises able to be heard. The unicorn attempted to wove her legs, finding that her rear limbs were able to twitch but not do too much more. The same went for her left fore-leg, however her right refused to move completely.

As she glanced at it she saw why, a white cast covering the leg from the shoulder down. In addition to this the knight also noticed the length of chain binding the leg to a metal pole attached to the bed she lay upon. A more in-depth investigation revealed that her other fore-leg was similarly restrained; her hind legs however were free. Clenching her teeth, Sunflare focused on using her magic in an attempt to break the chains.

A burst of pain rose up in her head near her horn, cutting through the haze of whatever was numbing the rest of her body. The unicorn grunted, wincing her eyes shut before the pain steadily died down to a dull throb. She started to breath heavily, she didn’t know why but it seemed like her magic was unable to be used at this time. She had a vague recollection of a head wound but everything was a little fuzzy. She lay back on the pillow as something approached her, the beat of hoofsteps echoing around the room she was trapped in.

“Are you okay?” a female voice inquired, Sunflare opening her eyes and turning her head to the left towards the voice.

What greeted her was unexpected; an insect-looking equine the size of a pony mare was gazing at her with solid blue eyes, the black-covered creature appearing to have an expression of concern. A chattering drew Sunflare’s attention to the floor, the mare spotting ten smaller creatures all ambling abound the room as they appeared to play. The unicorn tried to speak, however she found that her throat was dry and raw.

“Water…” was all she managed to croak out. The bug-creature disappeared from view, the sound of water being poured into a glass audible before the furless equine returned with a glass full of refreshing liquid. Carefully the strange creature brought the glass to the unicorn’s lips, Sunflare drinking the water greedily as the cool beverage eased her aching throat.

When the glass was empty it was taken away, Sunflare looking at the bug in thanks. She felt like she had heard about this creature before, her tired brain however was unable to produce anything useful. The unicorn laid her head down sideways once again as she faced the concerned creature.

“Where am I?” she asked wearily, the insect equine before her taking a few moments to reply.

“You’re in my cabin aboard a ship docked in the port, the Captain ordered that you be placed under constant care and I was the only one able to take care of you.” Sunflare coughed, the mare moving her head to absorb the sights of the cabin she was in, plain wooden walls and ceilings decorated with vibrant rugs of many colours. A bed was pushed into the back corner and a pile of loose linin and cushions was heaped in the other corner.

“Why am I here?” Sunflare inquired. The mention of a ‘Captain’ brought back feelings of rage and anguish, the unicorn only able to piece a few pieces together. The creature caring for her shifted nervously from hoof to hoof.

“How much do you remember?” asked the insect, Sunflare straining to pull the needed information from her memory.

“I… I’m a knight,” the unicorn began shakily, “I was supposed to… to kill a monster that had taken over a port town and bring its head back to the Princess. I remember some red beams that burnt and then flying through the air after fighting a… a tall black biped. The monster I was supposed to have kil-“

The knight stopped as all the pieces clicked into place, the mission briefing from the Princess, the march to the town and the resulting trip through the killing field all the way up to the duel with the Captain. The same creature which had thrown her through a building after her sword had failed to cut through his skin. She gazed at the equine creature in front of her, she now remembered that the Pirate leader was said to be accompanied by a creature that could steal the forms of ponies. Sunflare knew that she was likely in great danger; the monster had proven that he was callous and cruel during their fight.

She attempted to struggle but stopped quickly, even if she tried she was held down with chains that appeared to be brand new and solid; the same went for the poles attached to the bed that formed her make-shift prison. The injured knight could also remember the biped leaning down and holding her as she lay on the ground after the fight, just what were his plans for her?

Sunflare froze as a door behind her opened, the creature she had been talking to looking past the bed at the doorway. The unicorn began to shake in fear as boot steps drew closer and closer, the door shutting behind the new arrival. Sunflare had no doubt what had just entered, the slight sound of mechanical breathing slightly audible as the creature approached. Images and memories of herself lying in rubble bleeding in her armour ran through her head, her shaking increasing as her terror sky-rocketed and her eyes were clenched shut.

“How’s she doing Chrissy?” the voice of the Monster inquired, Sunflare able to make out the sounds of many small hooves rushing over to meet the biped. “Easy little ones, I’ll have time to play later,” the Monster continued as the chirping and chittering increased in volume and quantity.

“She’s just woken up Nigel,” ‘Chrissy’ responded, Sunflare recalling that the bipedal beast had introduced himself as Nigel. The boot falls moved to the side of the bed that she was facing, Sunflare refusing to open her eyes to look upon the being that had put her in this sorry state. She heard what she assumed was the Monster crouching down, a soft sigh that sounded almost apologetic issuing from the creature’s location.

“Radiant Sunflare,” the Monster called as he uttered the unicorn’s full name, “can I ask you to open your eyes?” Sunflare shook her head, gathering the mental strength needed to reply.

“No,” was all she said, the biped not responding to her immediately. The unicorn shuddered as she felt fleshy appendages touch her mane, the digits beginning to pat her on the head and neck. Despite the owner of the digits and her current circumstances the knight felt her body relax at the touch, the rhythmic actions soothing her fear and lowering her heartbeat down to normal levels. As the Monster’s fingers passed near her horn she gulped and asked the question that was at the front of her mind.

“What’s wrong with my horn, why can’t I use it?”

The stroking stopped at her question, the biped’s hand remaining still on the top of her head.

“During the fight I kicked you into a wagon,” the monster stated slowly, “your helmet came off and with it your horn was broken and destroyed, I’m sorry.”

Sunflare’s world froze, the unicorn replaying the news over and over again in her head. Her horn was gone; Sunflare knew that it wouldn’t grow back so she was now magic-less for the rest of her life. She was now a simple Earth pony, no longer a proud unicorn but a useless peasant doomed to live in the mud and soil while her former race inhabited castles and manors. Actually no, she didn’t even possess the Earth ponies’ enhanced strength or resistance to illness so she was in fact lower than they were. Fresh tears welled up at this revelation, without her horn she was nothing. Sunflare was vaguely aware of the stroking resuming as she wept, the unicorn sobbing over the loss of her horn and at the utter helplessness that she felt.

Her sorrow continued to flow for what seemed like hours, throughout the entire time the comforting motions from the being that had put her in this condition never ceasing. Slowly Sunflare began to run out of tears to shed, the broken knight falling back into slumber, this time without the aid of drugs as her head sunk into the pillows supporting it.

Chalmers and Chrysalis watched on as the unicorn slept, Nigel’s hand still moving for a few moments after the mare fell silent. He pulled his hand away and placed it on the floor beside him, the limb touching the front left hoof of the changeling sitting next to him. Chrysalis looked down in surprise as the hand gripped her leg strongly, the fingers wrapped around her hole-riddled limb tightly. She was shocked that she could feel a strong surge of emotion through the contact, a touch of sadness overlaid with massive amounts of guilt.

The changeling raised her leg and moved it so that the Captain’s hand rested in the crook of her hoof, Chrysalis placing the black hoof over the fingers as the two sat there and stared at the sleeping pony. Chrysalis could tell that Chalmers needed some help with dealing with the fact that he had maimed the unicorn for life, why the biped felt so upset over this particular incident she could not work out but it was her duty as a friend to provide him with support.

She wasn’t the only one who picked up on the human’s need for comfort, the nymphs who had been watching the drama unfold from their spot near the bed all moved towards the pair as they jostled for positions close to both adoptive parental figures. The small beings didn’t make a sound as they rested against the humans’ legs and Chrysalis’s body in a heap. All of the creatures remained there in silence for a few hours, nothing moving or speaking,

Chrysalis was broken from her trance as Nigel’s hand left her hoof, the human startling dozing nymphs as the human stood up and re-attached his helmet.

“I’ve got to go and continue working,” he whispered as he moved to the door with Reflection hurrying along by his heels. The Captain looked down at the young nymph who gazed up at him with concern, the human about to push her away so he could open the cabin door. Instead of doing this he stared back at the child as she lifted a leg towards him from her position on the ground.

“Chrissy,” Chalmers started softly without taking his eyes off Reflection, “is it okay with you if I take Reflection with me for a little bit?”

The request was unusual; Chrysalis was unsure what to say. For starters the Captain was asking for her permission and secondly she didn’t know how the other nymphs would react to having one of their number taken away for a while. Glancing at them, the other nine children all crowding around her Chrysalis seemed to get the feeling that they wouldn’t mind Reflection leaving with Nigel for a bit. As she pondered to reason for the human’s request she realised just why he wanted to take a nymph with him.

He didn’t want to be alone.

Know that she thought about it she recalled that none of the crew except her and maybe Morning Sparkle treated the biped with anything other than fear and respect. The nymphs acted as if the human was what a father would be to a pony foal, so maybe the human wanted to bring along a nymph for some comfort. Going over this Chrysalis realised that there was only one possible answer she could give.

‘Go ahead,” she replied softly with a nod of her head, Nigel not answering as he bent down to pick up the waiting nymph. He stood back up as Reflection shifted in his arms so that she was resting against his chest, her little horn briefly touching the metal gouge in the armour from where Sunflare’s sword had struck. Without another word the Captain opened the cabin door and left, the heavy wooden door closing behind him.

Chrysalis sighed and laid down where she sat, the remaining nymphs all surrounding her as they plopped down next to their carer with light chatters and chirps. Small wings buzzed as they began to play and seemingly converse with each other, Chrysalis scratching the top of her head with a hoof as she watched the injured knight.

Her head had been itching lately, the changeling didn’t know what was happening to her, having discovered her teal tail earlier after the Captain had left in the morning but she hoped that it wasn’t something life-threatening. She rested her head on her crossed front legs and huffed, today had been trying for all involved.

“See that over there?” Nigel said as he pointed a finger towards the ship that he had just disembarked, the nymph in his other arm following the finger as she stared at the ship, “that’s our ship.”

The sight of the human Captain who barely a few hours before had beaten a fully armoured Equestrian knight to a pulp showing a small child multiple objects and teaching their names confused many of the townsfolk and crew who witnessed it. All of the ponies had become even more wary of the biped, most of the crew returning to the same states they had been when the Captain had first taken over. This was disregarded by the human as he continued to walk down the docks with the nymph chattering excitedly at every sight seen.

The strange pair continued on, Nigel stopping to explain shop carts, houses, wagons, the weapon turrets that dotted the town and every single pony that walked past at Reflection’s insistence. The human’s sour mood was forgotten as he immersed himself in teaching the young changeling about the port town. This continued for an hour, the sun in the sky burning bright in the middle. The educational session came to a climax as the First Mate approached her Captain with a worried look on her face.

“Captain Chalmers?” Morning Sparkle started as she watched the human pick up an apple from a fruit cart and hold it out to the changeling nestled in his arm for the young creature to examine, “are you feeling alright?”

“Of course I am feeling okay,” the Captain replied as the nymph giggled while she ran her hooves over the red apple. Chalmers withdrew a golden coin from his suit and passed it to the nervous stall owner as payment for the fruit. The human then passed the changeling the apple and, after making sure the child had a solid grip on it, removed his helmet which he attached at his waist. Morning watched as the human lifted the apple from the child in his arms and took a bite, chewing and emphasising the fruit’s taste with a smile and a hum.

The changeling, Morning able to see that her name was ‘Reflection’ judging from the golden name tag, was passed the apple once more. Emulating the Captain the creature took a large bite of the fruit, Morning able to see a row of sharp teeth with two small fangs at the front as the nymph bit into the fruit. The changeling’s eyes widened before it violently spat the apple bits out onto the ground while using a hoof to get rid of the taste on her tongue.

“Didn’t like it that much did you?” the human observed with a grin as the small creature looked up at him and shook her head. Both Nigel and Morning were surprised by the fact that the nymph seemed to understand what the Captain had said, both wondering just how fast the nymphs were learning. Chalmers ruffled Reflection’s mane in apology as he faced his First Mate. “To answer your question in more depth Morning, yes, I am okay. Do I feel unsettled at what I did? Yes I do, however dwelling on it is not going to get this base built so I’ve got to continue on.”

Morning didn’t reply with words, the unicorn merely nodded prompting Chalmers to continue walking down the street. The First Mate followed him to an area where a large space was in between two houses. The gap was wide enough to fit four average houses side-by-side and the unicorn wondered just what the human was planning to do.

This was answered when Chalmers put his helmet back on before lifting Reflection up and over his head. He sat the excited changeling down on his shoulders, the child’s hind legs on either side of Chalmers’s helmet as she held on by placing her fore-legs around the top of the metal helm. Reflection vocalised her enjoyment of being so high up with energetic chirps and chitters, sounds that increased when Nigel aimed his right arm at the blank spot in front of him and a fabricator emerged from the armour housing.

The unicorn sat down on the side of the road and townsfolk stopped to watch a blue outline form on the ground, about half as tall as the Captain’s armoured form. Blue lights on the human’s back lit up as four beams shot out from the fabricator and connected with the outline, the initial shape a six-legged machine with multiple arms on a hexagon-shaped turret mounted on the base.

The beams started from the bottom, the outline solidifying as air turned to grey metal and the construction began to take shape. All throughout this process Reflection was staring with wide blue eyes as the machine took form, in the space of a minute all the legs had been finished and the base was beginning to solidify.

Morning continued to observe as the human started to explain what he was doing in very simple terms to the nymph on top of his head, the changeling watching his actions with the utmost attention. After five minutes of talking to child Chalmers stopped as the beams cut off, the mechanical object fully completed.

Everyone watching gasped in amazement as the machine came to life, a triangular head with the tip horizontal lit was mounted in the centre on top of the turret and the face lit up with lights of all different colours while multiple lens that looked like the eyes of a spider adjusted their zooms by moving in and out with a whir. The multiple arms unfolded from the body, the eight limbs tipped with mechanical grasping pincers, tool of various usages and one even possessed a small pulse gun barrel. The largest arm, located at the front of the machine had a larger version of the fabricator that Nigel sported, the tool glowing blue with energy. The grey metal of the body was broken up by blue strips and a large symbol of a fist crushing a planet in white on both sides in the rear.

The machine to Morning Sparkle appeared to finish whatever checks it was preforming before its head aimed at Nigel. A blue beam from one of the lights on the machine swept over the human’s body from top to bottom before it cut out, the machine letting out a beep as it rotated its body to face its master.

“This should make things a lot easier,” Chalmers commented as he patted the top of the machine’s head with a hand. Morning Sparkle got up and approached the construction, stopping when the head snapped around to look at her. “Go on,” Nigel encouraged, “it won’t hurt you, I have it programmed to not attack anything at the moment.”

Morning continued to move towards the machine at the Captain’s reassurance, reaching out with a hoof as she got close and touching it on the metal body. The machine didn’t respond apart from one of the larger ‘eyes’ zooming in on her face, prompting the First Mate to ask the human a question.

“Is it alive?” she asked as she moved her hoof over the cold metal. The Captain began to enter some commands into his wrist display as he responded.

“No it’s not,” he replied, “It’s a simple ‘Scuttler’ type construction drone, its artificial intelligence is extremely limited so it relies on my commands as well as any commands from the AI nexus I showed you earlier.” The Captain gestured with a hand asking her to move her hoof away, as soon as the mare complied the drone beeped twice and moved over towards the space set aside for the new building. With a blue beam issuing from the largest arm it began to make something in the same way that Nigel built things, a light atop an antenna at the back pulsing with a blue glow.

“Amazing…” Morning breathed out as she watched the drone get to work, she had never guessed that she would ever witness such a sight in her life.

“Indeed,” Nigel agreed, “that frees up some time for me today, what I want won’t be built until tomorrow due to the attack that happened this morning,” the Captain frowned at the memory as he stared into space for a moment. Morning waited for him to continue, the human broken out of his trance when Reflection tapped on his helmet with her hooves and chattered in what sounded to Morning like a worried tone. The human reached up with his hands and grabbed the nymph’s forelegs, the armour covering his hands retracting. Reflection ceased her noise and Chalmers looked at his First Mate, “so Morning, do you want to do anything?”

The unicorn was taken aback at the question, not expecting the human to ask her if she wanted to do anything. Her stomach rumbled, once again she had skipped breakfast that day. She looked at her Captain sheepishly as the nymph on top of the human’s head laughed at the noise. “I guess some lunch would probably be a good idea,” she offered, Nigel nodding in agreement.

“Good call; you pick what to have this time.”

Morning thought about what to have when she remembered that there was a salad cafe on the main street of the town that was apparently really good. A café wasn’t usually the haunt of a pirate but Morning was trying to improve her image above that of a simple scallywag. She was chasing the status of a noble after all.

“I know just the place,” she replied as she led the human away from the drone, the machine continuing to work with no signs of stopping.

The two pirates and one nymph sat down in the shaded area of the café as the two adults munched on salads drizzled with assorted dressings. Morning Sparkle used her magic to levitate a wooden fork while Nigel just gripped his utensil in his hand, the other scratching Reflection behind the ears as the nymph sat on his leg. The small changeling was able to see over the table only because of Chalmers’s height, the human having to make a metal stool to sit on after he broke on of the wooden ones provided by the café. He had offered the newly-constructed furniture as payment but the two owners refused fearfully, the Captain however had none of it and informed them that it was ‘only fair’ that they receive compensation.

“I’ve got to say Morning,” Nigel spoke after swallowing a mouthful of lettuce and tomato covered in lemon dressing, “I’m not normally one for salads but this place isn’t too bad.” Morning hummed in agreement as she finished off some carrot slices.

“It certainly is a change from hard-tack and stew,” she commented as she levitated a napkin to wipe her mouth. She noticed that ponies, both crew and townsfolk were staring at her and the Captain with strange looks. She couldn’t narrow down what exactly was bothering her about the stares until she noticed a group of teenage mares giggle and blush while whispering as the three looked at her ad Nigel. The unicorn looked back towards the Captain who was in the middle of another forkful of salad and took note of the situation.

Eating lunch at a café with the Captain who was male, the stares and the whispers clicked into place as the First Mate’s eyes widened in revelation.

‘Oh no,’ she thought, ‘I’ve become Chrysalis, everyone thinks that Chalmers and i are…’

“Something the matter Sparkling?” Nigel questioned, Morning realising that she had been silent for a while. The mare hastily took a drink of water, her normally calm demeanour dropping as she forced herself to remain nonchalant.

“Nope, just a bit of carrot got caught in my throat,” she lied. The mare tried to ignore the stares as she got herself back in control. “What are you going to do for the rest of the day?” Morning questioned to change the subject, Nigel buying it as he crossed his cutlery on his empty plate and placed a bag of money on the table. He waited for his First Mate to finish her meal before he stood up, lifting Reflection up onto his shoulders once more.

“I’m going to go and take over for Chrissy this afternoon I think; she needs a break from the nymphs.” The Captain then walked off towards the ship, the nymph on his shoulders chattering merrily as waving at passing ponies who all made a path for the human.
Sparkling sighed and left the table, heading towards the tavern to grab a drink.

She guessed that babysitting wasn’t the Captain’s only motive for returning to the cabin.

Chrysalis rose to her hooves from the floor as Nigel walked into the cabin, the human removing Reflection from his shoulders and placing the nymph down after he had shut the door. The youngster bounded straight to her fellows chirping merrily, all ten of the nymphs appearing to conduct a vigorous conversation. The adult changeling walked over to the Captain while maintaining a watch on the children, Chalmers tapping his helmet which was at his waist.

“So… how’s Sunflare been doing?” he questioned evenly, Chrysalis glancing towards the sleeping unicorn before looking back at the Captain.

“She’s slept for the entire time,” the changeling answered softly, hoping that the Captain would not go back into his melancholy state. Luckily Chalmers appeared to have better control this time; instead of sadness he looked at the unicorn with a more inquisitive gaze.

“Guess that’s a good thing,” he replied before looking at Chrysalis, “back to my main reason for coming here, I think it would be good for you to spend some time outside. Go ahead and take the afternoon off, I’ll take over Nymph-Central. Chrysalis shook her head, the Captain’s strange term for the cabin not important next to the main problem. The truth was that Chrysalis didn’t feel comfortable wandering the town by herself, even if she was in disguise she was sure that some of the crew would be able to pick her out.

“No thanks Nigel, I think it’s best if I stay here,” she replied as she turned away to look at the nymphs who had all gathered in the back corner as Reflection trotted up and down chattering at her gathered watchers. Chrysalis had underestimated the Captain’s insistence however and with her back turned she presented the perfect target.

With a surprised squeal she found herself lifted off the ground, Chalmers using his suit’s strength to hold the struggling changeling’s back to his chest.

“Nigel!” Chrysalis yelled drawing the attention of the nymphs, “put me down, now!”

“No,” was all she got from the human before he opened the cabin door and deposited her gently outside. A fat coin purse was tossed at her hooves as she looked towards the Captain from her spot on the deck. “You need a break and as your Captain I order it, go and have some fun.” Without giving Chrysalis a chance to reply he shut the door and locked it, the changeling looking at the purse he had given her before she glared at the door.

‘Just what does he think he’s doing!?’

Inside the cabin Nigel walked over to the bed and sat down on the rugged floor before it after he latched the cabin door, the nymphs all running over in their haste to greet the Captain. As the small children clambered over him and made noises directed towards him Chalmers stared at the extra bed with two poles attached to the side.

It wasn’t the best prison but he figured he had done a good job, the chains attaching the mare to the bed were freshly made and even though he doubted that she would be able to walk let alone attack anyone it couldn’t hurt to make sure that she remained compliant. At this point however he wondered just who the restraints were protecting, everyone from the knight or the knight from herself.

His eyes glazed over the stump of a horn that was just visible from this angle, the sight of the appendage making Nigel feel uneasy. Judging from what he had observed with Morning and the Knight’s own reaction to the news about the loss of her horn unicorns valued their magical abilities greatly; he guessed that it would be like chopping the hands off a human.

He wondered if it would just be for the best if he took the sleeping mare out to the deck of the ship, shoot her then dump the body overboard. The unicorn herself seemed to have lost the will to live after finding out about her horn.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts, while that would be the easy option and the unicorn would most likely be thankful for it his mouth soured at the thought of a promising young life wasted like that. The pony was a skilled combatant and even if she had lost the ability that had made her great Nigel still considered it his duty to see to her recovery. He should have just cut Sunflare’s head off in the duel instead of flaunting, now that he had maimed the pony he realised just how badly he had messed up. Killing her would have been a blessing compared to what she would have to go through in the future.

He sighed as he leaned back against the bed, he had done what he did and he now would have to live with it. Add it to the long list of the many slip-ups and mistakes he had acquired in his lifetime.

A tugging on his left arm drew his attention away from his morbid thoughts, the human glancing down to see a nymph, Chatter according to the tag, pulling on the arm with both fore-legs as the child grinned at him.

“What do you want then?” Chalmers chuckled, the youngster responding with a burst of chirps as all the other nymphs halted their play to sit on the rug in front of the human. Nigel raised an eyebrow at Chatter and plucked the child off of his leg to set him down on the rug with the others. The human crossed his arms over his chest as he smiled at the ten creatures looking up at him waiting for the human to do something. The Captain had an idea enter his mind, the human adjusting his position as he prepared to enact his plan to occupy the nymphs.

“Well, I guess I have to entertain you all now,” he said as he waved a hand in the air, all of the nymphs watching it as it returned to the human’s side. “I can handle that I believe, right then,” Chalmers landed forward a little from his position as the nymphs also leaned in closer to hear what he had to say.

“It was many years ago, I was on a planet just like this one as part of an operation to destabilize a local planetary government. I was just a fresh-faced Spector trooper barely a year into the job when my squad and I got given our orders to infiltrate the planet. I should have known that the mission would be a bad one, the mess hall had run out of coffee and every soldier knows that running out of coffee pre-deployment is one of the worst omens that you can receive…”

Author's Note

Well, the largest Chapter out so far.
Expect the next one to include the start of the glorious Tower of Power being created, everyone needs a lair after all.
How will Platinum react to the news that her attack failed? When will the Pegasi show up? Just how will the Griffon King react when he finds out what took his ship from him? Will Nigel pimp-out said stolen vessal with his fabricator?

Until next week.

I Am From Space and I Have Come For Your Females

Chrysalis left the ship, the changeling unsure as to what she was supposed to do. The afternoon sun was blazing down; the dockworkers who noticed her stopped and stared. The drone noticed that whenever she looked at the ones giving the stares that their attention would be quickly diverted back to their work, while she guessed that the ponies would be afraid of her she got the feeling that her close association with the Captain was the reason.

Trying her best to ignore the looks she was given, Chrysalis trotted into the town market area. The throngs of townsponies gave her space and curious glances, primarily being of the farming and dock-working ilk with the majority earth ponies she was treated as an oddity. She assumed that since she had spent most of time on the ship most didn’t know of her status.

This worked in her favour with the shopkeepers treating her with the same respect as their fellows. She found this out when she walked into a small toy store, the changeling deciding that maybe some children’s toys would be a good use for the money she was given. A bright green young mare with a red-and-white mane rushed over as she spotted Chrysalis.

“Good afternoon Miss!” the bubbly earth pony greeted as she approached Chrysalis with a smile on her face. “I’m Sunny Smiles, Qua- I mean Eviltopia’s resident toymaker, pleased to meet you!” Chrysalis wondered how Nigel would react when he found out the ‘Eviltopia’ had a toymaker. He would likely give her a high command rank going off his current record of acquiring an inner circle of misfits.

“Afternoon,” Chrysalis warily responded, the storekeeper’s lack of reaction to her appearance strange. She expected at least some apprehension from the pony.

“You’re that creature that’s friends with the Captain aren’t you?” the mare questioned with gleaming lime eyes.

“I am,” Chrysalis answered as she tilted her head sideways, “that doesn’t make you afraid of me?” At this the mare giggled, waving a forehoof in dismissal.

“Of course not, I mean the Captain’s pretty violent but he’s left me alone. Also, unlike the former mayor he so far hasn’t demanded a ‘protection insurance’ while claiming that if I don’t pay I might have my toy-making hooves broken.” The mare looked down at her front hooves with a twinge of fear before she faced Chrysalis again. “He’s not going to do that is he?” she whispered, a shake of the head from Chrysalis helping the toymaker to relax.

“No, Nig- I mean Captain Chalmers won’t do that,” the changeling answered as she looked around at the shelfs and piles of toys. The wares ranged from stuffed animal dolls, brightly-coloured balls, blocks to even small carts and wooden figures. “I was actually here because I was interested in looking for a few things.” At this the earth pony’s smile returned in full force, the shopkeeper noticing the large coin bag that her customer had around her neck.

“That’s great! Are they for your own children or someone else’s?” The mare’s eyes widened as she remembered a rumour that she had heard regarding the human. “Wait, I think I heard something about the Captain and a ‘changeling’ being together with some children of theirs-“

“We’re not ‘together’!” Chrysalis quickly stressed. “We’re just close friends and none of the children are either of ours in a blood-related sense, they’re adopted!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know,” the toymaker apologised hoping that she hadn’t offended the changeling. There weren’t a high number of children in the town so every sale was needed.

“It’s… it’s okay,” Chrysalis’s reassured as she calmed down, “it’s just everyone seems to think that we’re only friends because of that, let’s just drop the issue.” The earth pony nodded in agreement, Chrysalis furrowing her brows in thought as she considered how to describe what she wanted. “Well, I’ve got ten-“

“Ten!?” the mare interrupted, “they must run you ragged!”

“They’re actually quite well behaved,” Chrysalis replied, “we are having trouble with one of them with attachment issues but they don’t fight or cry often.”

“I guess luck was on your side,” Smiles commented, “did you know what sort of toys you were after?” Chrysalis scanned the shelves and approached some loaded with stuffed dragon toys, each one nearly the size of a nymph in a variety of colours and shapes. The changeling gulped, she had never seen a dragon herself but had heard stories of entire hives wiped out by a single one. Luckily such attacks were rare, changeling cities really didn’t have much that a dragon could want.

“How much are these?” Chrysalis asked, Sunny Smiles humming as she appraised the toys.

“Well, normally I’d say fifty gold coins for each one, it is difficult to stich with just your mouth and hooves.” The mare giggled as she looked down at her hooves again. “I assume that you want ten of them however?” Chrysalis nodded her head in reply, Smiles calculating the figures in her head. “I’ll tell you what, how about you have all ten for four-hundred pieces of gold.” Chrysalis took a few moments to do the math; it worked out to about forty gold pieces a toy which was pretty fair.

“Okay, that’s a deal,” she happily answered as Smiles started to point towards the toys with a forehoof. Nigel had given her plenty of money so she was certain that she had enough to pay.

“Which ones do you want?” Smiles inquired, Chrysalis unable to decide.

“Just a mix I suppose,” Chrysalis replied, watching as the shopkeeper quickly bundled up the toys into four bags. After she had finished the mare gestured to the counter in the middle of the shop, Chrysalis following while concentrating hard.

With a tingle in her horn she felt the coin bag leave her neck, the money purse landing on the counter with a jingle. Drones weren’t very strong in magic, Chrysalis even less so. Levitation took a lot of effort and she rarely used it, even when she had been Sea Biscuit on-board the ship. Sunny Smiles waited for the bag to land before she started to count the money, pieces of gold moving from the purse into a steadily growing pile. It took a while but soon Chrysalis and Smiles had finished the task.

“Three-hundred-and-nighty-nine, four-hundred.” Smiles finished, a decent amount of money still remaining in the purse which Chrysalis lifted back around her neck. The mare swept all of the money into a wooden lock-box, the mare shutting the lid and locking it before stowing it under the counter.

“Would you like me to help you carry them back?” Smiles asked Chrysalis, “ I don’t really have much else to do and the children tend to come in the morning so I won’t lose and business. Also I would like to meet your little ones if that’s alright; fairly ironic that a pony dedicated to making toys has no children of her own.” Chrysalis considered the offer, it couldn’t do any harm.

“That would be nice thank you,” the changeling responded, the two lifting the bags onto their backs before leaving the store, Sunny Smiles locking the door behind them.

“…So that’s when Orthodox told us that he accidently set the timer on the bomb to ten minutes instead of ten hours. Well, considering that the bomb was made to destroy the city and it would take us at least twenty minutes to get out of it things did not look too good.”
Nigel was still sitting down telling the story to the nymphs, the young creatures all lying down on their stomachs enraptured by the tale. Unknown to Nigel, Sunflare had woken up just after he had started talking. The mare was still pretending to be asleep as she listened, trying to ignore the vacant feeling inside of her. A few chirps and chatters sounded put as the small creatures tried to ask questions but found that they were unable to form words. Nigel got the gist of it however.

“How did the four of us get out you ask?” the Captain guessed, the ten creatures all going quiet and nodding. “Well, the thing you have to remember is that while Orthodox is a good fighter he’s not that bright. As it turns out, he brought and activated the wrong bomb.” The nymphs giggled, they didn’t fully grasp much of the precise words that the big friendly creature used but they understood that the big creature’s friend, ‘Orthodox’, had done something stupid. Sunflare also didn’t comprehend much but while she listened to the story her missing horn was forgotten and that was something that she was thankful for.

“So, it turns out that the bomb that he had brought was a biological weapon, which means that it uses sickness as a weapon.” Chalmers started to question if it was wise to tell the children this, he doubted many parents had to try to explain the finer points of biological warfare.

He stopped; did he just refer to himself as a parent to the nymphs?

Doing what he always did to unwanted thoughts he pushed that one down into a very deep chasm in his mind and continued on.

“Well, the bomb activated and released its weapon into the air. We didn’t get sick because we were all wearing helmets remember?” The nymphs nodded, a few reaching out their fore-hooves to touch the helmet sitting on the ground next to them.

“The weapon that the bomb contained spread out all over the city, affecting almost every person with something called ‘Agent ZPHI-BS’ which stands for ‘Zombie Plague, Highly Infectious Beta Strain’. Now, what it did was turn everyone it hit into zombies within ten minutes, meaning that we just got out before the entire city turned. I won’t tell you what zombies are just yet, but let’s just say that after we got picked up and taken back we had to leave the planet for a while.”

Up on the bed Sunflare trembled, if the zombies that the human was talking about where the same as the ones that she knew of then the fact that the human seemed to be able to create them was terrifying. She tried to tell herself that maybe he was making the entire thing up as part of the story but it didn’t work, her working foreleg shook and the chain it was attached to jingled. She closed her eyes tighter as the sounds of the human getting up from his spot reached her ears, the unicorn trying to make it appear as if she was still asleep.

“Wait there you lot,” Nigel said as he approached the bed. He looked down at the unicorn lying upon it; most of her body still covered by the sky-blue sheet that had been draped over her up to her neck. As he examined Sunflare Nigel noticed that, despite her attempts to appear asleep, the unicorn was awake. Deciding against ‘waking’ her, Chalmers returned to the nymphs and sat back down. “Right, so we had just left the planet and the ships above us were waiting for us to get clear so that they-“

Chalmers was interrupted by a knocking at the cabin door. Standing up once more he made his way over and unlatched the lock, opening it to allow access to a bag-laden Chrysalis and a green earth pony. The new mare was also carrying some bags on her back, the pony staring up at the Captain’s uncovered face with amazement as the human looked down at Chrysalis.

“Who’s this then Chrysalis, don’t tell me that you managed to make a friend in only an hour?” The mare quickly placed the brown cloth bags on the floor as she made to bow, Nigel halting her with a hand wave. “Forget about that stuff, I’m not an Emperor or anything like that,” he requested, the mare standing back up.

“Yes sir,” she responded in a sweet voice, “my name is Sunny Smiles and I’m the local toymaker.” The mare turned her body, showing the Captain her mark of a wooden pony figure with a brightly coloured ball next to it. “I’m here because Chrysalis bought some toys from my store and I offered to drop them off with her.” The Captain looked down at the bags, picking one up with a hand and peering inside.

“Well, aren’t these nice,” he commented as he shot the still seated nymphs a glance. The ten were all staring at the toymaker, the mare returning the gazes with a smile. Chrysalis took the initiative, carrying her bags over to the seated nymphs who got up as she approached. Placing the bags on the ground the nymphs dug in, six toys being extracted by them leaving four without. This was soon remedied as Nigel and Smiles brought the rest over, the toymaker watching the young creatures with joy as they fawned over her creations.

“Success,” Chalmers continued, hopefully their new playthings would amuse the children for a while. He turned to the pony beside him. “I must say Miss Smiles that you’re obviously very talented at what you do, you just made the rest of my day much easier.”

“Thank you,” Smiles answered, “I’m glad that you’re satisfied.” The mare looked around the large cabin decorated with expensive carpets and furnishings. “Your cabin is very beautiful, you must have-“ The toymaker trailed off as she laid eyes upon the bed at the back of the room, Nigel figuring out why she had stopped.

“I assume you heard about the fight earlier,” he commented, the mare nodding as she stared at the prone figure in the bed with pity.

“Is that her?” Smiles asked, the Captain stepping over nymphs as he made his way to the bed gesturing for Smiles to follow. The mare carefully followed him, dodging children left and right as they ran around the room with toys in their mouths. When she reached the sleeping unicorn she stared down, her eyes resting on the broken horn.

“She’s in bad shape but she’ll pull through,” the Captain continued, “after that I’m not too such what will happen to her.” Smiles swore that one of the knight’s eyes twitched as the human said this, the unicorn however appeared to continue sleeping. She decided to make something to cheer the pony up, she hoped that the Captain would let his enemy keep it. Smiles had an idea of what to make, however it would take a lot of time to finish.

“Oh, I hope she gets better,” she answered, “I’m sorry but I better get going Captain, I’ve got some things I need to do.”

“I understand,” the Captain replied, “you can certainly expect more business from us in the future Miss Smiles.” Both of them walked over, Chrysalis engrossed with a few of the nymphs as Chalmers opened the cabin door for their guest. Sunny Smiles gave on last wave to the nymphs before she left, the door shutting behind her. Chalmers turned back around to Chrysalis and watched her play with the children before addressing her.

“You weren’t gone for long,” he stated, Chrysalis looking up at him before she walked over to one of the bags that she had brought in.

“There wasn’t much that I had to do,” she replied before removing two paper bags with her mouth and magic. Seeing that the changeling was struggling with her levitation Chalmers approached and took hold of the floating package, Chrysalis offering the one in her mouth as well. The human took it from her jaws, looking inside both paper bags he saw two sandwiches, both cheese and tomato.

“I though you and Sunflare might be hungry,” Chrysalis said, “so I picked something up while I was out.” Chalmers smiled appreciatively at her.

“Not only do you babysit but you bring me sandwiches as well, thanks Chrissy.” While Chrysalis beamed with pride and lay down to continue watching her children Nigel walked over to the bed containing his prisoner. “Sunflare,” he called as he lightly tapped the unicorn’s shoulder with a finger. He knew that the mare was awake, however the pony tried to act like she was still asleep. “Come on,” Nigel continued, “Chrissy brought you some food.”

Sunflare’s nostrils twitched involuntary as the toasted sandwich was waved under her nose, her empty stomach letting out a rumble at the enticing smell. Her fear of the human however was too strong; Sunflare clinging onto the child-like idea that if she held her eyes shut he couldn’t hurt her anymore.

Nigel sighed at the unicorn’s terror, drops of sweat quickly covering her orange coat. He was used to his foes feeling fear as they faced him; however they rarely lived long enough to make him feel guilty about it. He was unsure why this particular mare made him regret his actions, especially considering that he had ordered the two ponies killed in the assault buried with not a single tear shed for them. Was it because he had taken such a strong-willed individual, a personality trait that he admired, and turned her into a terrified shell of her former self? He also had to admit that she’d make an ideal candidate for a lieutenant under his employ once she got over her fear and hate for him.

She needed to eat however, food would assist her body with its natural healing process and he would not have her waste away under his care. Changing his methods, the armour of his right hand retracted and he pulled the sheet down to her navel to allow him access to her stomach while preserving her dignity. Nigel questioned whether these equines even had a sense of decency; after all they didn’t even wear clothes that often. Still, erring on the side of caution couldn’t hurt and as he placed his bare palm on Sunflare’s belly he could feel her shiver underneath his touch.

Sunflare trembled as she felt the human’s claw on her belly, facing up to the ceiling with her limbs bound she was completely helpless. She had almost cried out when she felt the sheet slide down, thankfully it had stopped before it got too low. Was this going to be her fate, nothing but a thrall to the biped’s desires? A shiver ran down her spin as the claw started to move down. The unicorn was almost about to break down in tears before the hand moved up again, Sunflare realising that the human was merely rubbing her belly instead of taking advantage of her.

“I know you’re awake,” the Captain’s voice stated softly as the belly rub continued, “if you open your eyes you can have this sandwich that Chrissy brought you.” Sunflare still kept her eyes shut tight despite the offer of much desired food and the soothing effect of the belly rub. She found herself letting out half-moan half-whine at the rub much to her dread, now the Captain had proof that she was awake. “Sunflare,” he called her name again, his voice gentle, “keeping your eyes shut is not going to make me go away, open them up and I’ll give you some food.”

Sunflare tried to resist, she had always been stubborn after all but another pass of the sandwich under her nose broke her resolve. She cracked open an eye, the red iris looking out to spot a black armoured chest. Opening the other she slowly looked up, the impassive face of the Captain gazing back down at her. She looked away to the side, spotting instead the ten small creatures playing with stuffed toys and the larger one staring at her with worry.

“That’s good, we’re making good progress,” the human commented, bringing her attention back to him. He was holding out the partially un-wrapped sandwich with a claw that was pale pink, nothing like the metal that she had expected. That strange fleshy face was also there, Sunflare had originally passed it off as a trick of her mind since the hairless face was so benign. Remembering that she had no horn anymore and that her hooves were tied it looked like that the human was aiming to feed her, Sunflare would normally be offended but considering that she was tied to a bed with just a sheet covering her privates it wasn’t a major issue.

Sighing in resignation she opened her mouth, the sandwich carefully being moved towards her. With a bite she threw another piece of her dignity away, the great tasting sandwich doing nothing to cover that up. The stomach rub continued, Sunflare did admit that it felt good, really good but considering that the giver was the one who made her helpless she just felt confused.

She tried to advert her eyes from the Captain’s, focusing instead of staring at his armoured chest as she continued to eat. Each bite made her feel a little better, the taste of cheese and tomato reminding her of home. She wondered what her parents, both unicorn nobles serving in Platinum’s court, would think of their now worthless daughter. Soon the sandwich was finished, a mass of crumbs on her orange chest where they had dropped from her meal. She stayed silent as a claw holding a white cloth cleared them, being treated like a child really got to her.

She truly was useless.

Even though the food was gone the belly rub continued for a while, the Captain pausing only to pull up a metal stool which he sat down upon. Sunflare was a little surprised to find that the belly rub was becoming really enjoyable, it was close to one of the most pleasant feelings she had ever felt. A cough from the human snapped her out of her peaceful rest, reminding her just why she was here.

“Now, do you feel up to answering some questions for me? If you do I’ll try to get you something really nice for breakfast tomorrow.” Sunflare was tempted by the offer; she didn’t know how often she would be receiving food so every bit would help. Vowing to reveal nothing critical about her country to the Captain she nodded slowly. “Good,” the human responded as the relaxing rub continued, “now I already know your name, but you said something before about being tasked with taking my head. I can assume that the steadfast and noble Penny Pincher no doubt alerted the Princess to my intentions?”

“Yes,” Sunflare squeaked out, receiving a quick ear scratch in return for her co-operation.

“Did she say what I intended to do?” was the next question.

“No,” Sunflare replied, finding it easier to talk, “all she said was that you had taken over the town. I was ordered to get it back and kill you. There are also rumours about a big creature attacking griffon ships, I’m guessing that it was you?” Sunflare found the will to look up at the Captain.

“Oh, they were just filthy slavers,” Chalmers answered with a wave of his hand, “the world is better off without them. Where do you think I got this fine Griffon battleship?” Sunflare decided to not remind him that she had no recollection of arriving on the ship, the human continuing on. “Next question, what’s this about a unicorn-pegasus war that looks set to happen?”

“The Pegasi are nothing but savages,” Sunflare retorted hotly. “They sit up in their clouds and depend on everyone else to grow food for them. They claim that since they make it rain that they deserve to be paid in food while forgetting that if it wasn’t for us… I mean the Unicorns then the Earth Ponies would not give them any food at all.” Chalmers caught the unicorn’s insinuation that she was not in fact a unicorn, the human reaching out to stroke an ear which caused Sunflare to shift uncomfortably.

“Do you not consider yourself a unicorn, Sunflare?” the human questioned, the mare lying on the bed letting out a small sniffle.

“I have no horn, so I’m not a Unicorn. I have no wings, so I’m not a Pegasus. I don’t even have strength or attachment to the ground, so I’m not even an Earth Pony. I’m the lowest of the low, nothing will change that.” Her horn stump tingled; almost feeling like her horn was still there. Sunflare knew that there was no chance for it to grow back, that much was clearly evidenced by records about serious unicorn criminals who had their horns removed as a punishment.

“You shouldn’t think that,” the Captain replied, waiting for a response that never came. Nigel sighed, it looked like that he wasn’t going to get any more information out of her tonight. Removing his hands from her stomach and head he pulled the sheet back up to her neck and loosened the chains a little, giving the knight a little more room to move. Sunflare used this to roll over onto her side, her cast resting on top of her other leg while she faced the wall. Standing up, Nigel made to walk over the Chrysalis before he was stopped by Sunflare.

“Human,” she softly called, “do you have something to help me sleep?” Chalmers deduced that she must have been having nightmares in her sleep, something expected considering. A needle extended from his right wrist as he leant over the mare and found a vein on her neck. He pushed it in, Sunflare wincing before her face relaxed and her eyes closed, the unicorn drifting off into a dreamless slumber. Nigel withdrew the needle and walked over to Chrysalis, dodging nymphs as he did so.

“Well, at least she’s talking,” Chalmers commented as he sat down next to Chrysalis, “that’s a start.”

The changeling next to him stared at the back of the sleeping pony, she did feel sorry for the mare and for some reason it hurt her to see just how badly the situation affected both Sunflare and Nigel. The Captain no longer made many jokes or paraded around like he was already King of the World, instead he was more restrained. Chrysalis tried to think of a way to cheer the human up, her eyes resting on Reflection dragging a blue dragon toy over to Chalmers. Maybe she wouldn’t have to do anything after all.

“What this?” Nigel questioned as he plucked to toy out of Reflection’s mouth, the nymph giggling as Chalmers held it over her head like the toy was flying. Chrysalis wondered just why Reflection in particular seemed so attached to the human, the changeling remembering that she was the first nymph to actually approach the biped. Nigel likewise seemed to enjoy her company over the others, prompting Chrysalis to wonder if the human had children. Actually, did humans even have children? Chrysalis went over what she knew about the Captain, surprisingly little was the answer.

“Nigel,” she started as the human returned the dragon to Reflection, the nymph bounding off to re-join her brethren, “Do you have any children, if humans have children?” The biped shrugged and leant back against the wall, continuing to watch the nymphs play.

“For starters humans are mammals, so everything works pretty much like ponies with some minor differences I assume.” One question was answered, the biped moving onto the next. “As for myself I do not have any children, due to certain changes I had performed on my by the ISA I am not fertile which means I can’t produce any offspring.” The human smiled a bit at this. “Good thing too,” he mumbled to himself, “I’d hate to think of what existence would be like with more of me running around.”

Suddenly things made a lot more sense to Chrysalis about the Captain’s attachment to the nymphs. Did he see them as some kind of proxy-children as he was incapable of producing his own? She glanced at the Captain and saw that he was observing the nymphs with happiness and a little pride. The Changeling took a deep breath as she prepared to ask her next question, she just had to know for sure.

“Nigel,” she started as the human looked at her, “do you consider the nymphs… your children?” This prompted the Captain to pause, the human appearing to think intensively about the question. Chrysalis waited for an answer, hoping that she hadn’t stepped over any bounds. After a few tense moments the Captain relaxed, a small amount of love transferring to the nymphs who stopped playing and ambled over to feed.

“I guess I do Chrissy,” Chalmers replied after a while, “I guess I do.”

No-more was said, it wasn’t needed to be expanded upon. Chrysalis simply nodded and laid her head upon her forelegs, the changeling wondering that if the human felt that way about the nymphs, then how did he feel towards her?

Morning Sparkle jolted awake as she felt something shake her shoulder, the unicorn stealthily gathering a spell in her horn.

“Morning,” the Captain’s voice spoke, “no more nap time, I want to go drink and I order you to attend.” The unicorn sleepily sighed as her magic died out, she was glad that she didn’t shoot her Captain in the face with a spell.

Considering what happened to the last unicorn to fire a spell at him it was a good decision.

“Give me one second,” the mare requested as she rolled over onto her stomach in the small bed so that she could get down. As her hooves hit the wooden floor a thought occurred to her, a slight breeze ruffling her mane.

“Nigel,” she questioned as she stared at the empty space behind the human that used to be her door, “what happened to my door?”

“Oh, I absorbed it,” the Captain answered with a shrug as he held up his right arm, his fabricator still glowing. “I thought that it looked fairly old so I decided to make you a new one, except much more fabulous. While emphasizing the word ‘fabulous’ he aimed his arm at the doorway, a blue glow in the shape of the previous door appearing. Bright blue beams shot out from the fabricator and connected with the outline, the beams quickly moving from the top to the roof before fading away.

A brand new door was in its place, the wood with a light sheen with no signs of wear. Opening it, Nigel stepped out if the small cabin and waited for Morning to follow. The mare exited behind him and shut the door, the unicorn staring at her new barrier.

“It doesn’t really look that ‘fabulous’,” she commented, Nigel removing a black L-shaped object from his hip.

“Oh, Sparkle, it is fabulous,” the human replied as he aimed the end of his hand held object at the door.

Morning dived to the ground and covered her ears as five rapid bangs rang out, crew members around the ship grabbing their weapons in the belief that they were under attack. As the sounds faded away Morning looked at the Captain, his weapon smoking slightly in his hand as he re-holstered it. Glancing at the door Morning saw that five large holes were rent in the wood, however it seemed that her door had halted whatever projectiles had made them. Looking into the holes she could see metal of some sort within the door.

“There,” Nigel continued, “your new door is fabulously bullet-proof. Welcome to the future of cabin-security.” The unicorn walked up to her door and pointed a hoof at the holes, each one the size of her hoof itself.

“Yes, but now my door has holes in the front of it, it looks worse than before.” Nigel kept his smug grin on for a few moments before he forced himself to look at the ruined front of the door.

“Crap, hold on.”

With another quick burst from his fabricator the door was fully repaired, every single hole gone. Morning dropped the issue; on the plus side she did have a new door even if it had taken a while. She wasn’t even going to into the fact that the Captain had dissolved her door to enter her room while she was sleeping, that topic would just cause some very unwanted questions to arise.

Without a word the Captain turned and headed for the gangplank leading to the dock, Morning following him eagerly. She knew that she should have learnt her lesson about copious consumption of alcohol form the pair’s previous drinking session but after the long day some booze would be welcome. They walked along the docks heading to the Saucy Mare, it was nearing the evening time and the bar was in full swing.

Every occupant of the tavern turned and stared as the First Mate and helmetless Captain entered, the two making their way to the bar. The crew and townsfolk soon went back to their drinks, deciding that it was best to not bother the Captain after what he had done before.

Sparkle and Nigel both fetched large muds of apple cider, the drink quickly becoming popular since it had been introduced to the town from the north a few months ago. Seats were made available for the two as the crew, all sitting at four large tables, made space for their leaders.

One drink quickly turned into many, night coming quickly as the ship’s crew drank their troubles away accompanied by drunken sea shanties and other such activities.

“They did what!?”

Princess Platinum glared down at the unicorn spy she had sent to keep an eye on Sunflare, the stallion shifting awkwardly in his heavy grey cloak.

“They surrendered to the monster, my Princess,” the stallion replied with a wince as Platinum left her throne to stand over him.

“Why!?” she yelled out, her shout blowing back his hood revealing his black mane and grey coat. “Tell me Spyglass; just tell me how two-hundred soldiers led by one of my finest knights fail to kill one measly monster and a bunch of pirate low-lives!?” Spyglass swallowed a lump in his throat as he meet the blue-eyed gaze of his ruler with his own yellow irises.

“From what I saw the Monster seems to have somehow built black towers that can fire magic to cut and burn. After losing a few soldiers and being pinned down Lieutenant Hard Blow accepted the Monster’s terms of surrender to preserve the lives of herself and our troops.”

“And what of Knight Radiant Sunflare?” Princess Platinum asked with a dangerous edge to her voice. She couldn’t believe that Sunflare would surrender; the mare was far too stubborn for that. Spyglass braced himself, this next bit of news was certain to upset Platinum.

“She… she went and duelled the creature, I watched it from a hill with my invisibility. The Monster won and Knight Sunflare appears to have been killed.”

“What do you mean ‘appears to have been killed’? Sunflare was one of the highest trained swordsmares in my personal guard so how do you know?”

“The Monster has skin that was unable to be cut by her sword, Princess,” Spyglass answered. “I stopped watching after it kicked her into a wagon and broke off her horn.” The unicorn spy shuddered at the reminder of the image he had seen through his telescope, the sight of the bleeding horn stump still burnt in his mind. Platinum didn’t even blink; even if Sunflare had by some slim chance survived a hornless unicorn was of no use to her. There was one question she still had to ask.

“Did you enter the town and kill the Monster like you were supposed to if Sunflare failed?” Platinum leaned in dangerously, Spyglass sweating heavily under his cloak as the Princess glared into his eyes.

“Well, you see, I had used a lot of magic and I wouldn’t have had enough to sneak-“

Spyglass’s explanation was cut off as a platinum shoe connected firmly with his face, the spy losing a tooth as he collapsed to the ground stunned. With distain Platinum summoned Clover over, the assistant staring down at the spy with concern. The Princess’s temper was short and Platinum was known for taking her frustration out on those around her. As the ruler roughly wiped the small amount of blood off her shoe on Clover’s back the green unicorn tried hard not to make a noise.

“Spyglass,” Platinum coldly stated as she removed her now-clean shoe from Clover’s coat, “go back and kill the human before the morning or I’ll make sure that your death will be slow.” The spy struggled to stand, a few tears building in his eyes as he got to his hooves and rushed out the door.

“Simpleton,” Platinum muttered as she returned to her throne, Clover moving to stand beside it as she questioned why the Princess hadn’t been assassinated yet.

Spyglass panted as he prepared for one final teleport, the deck of the large battleship that he suspected was harbouring the Monster his target. The journey had been quick, the unicorn constantly teleporting only to pause for brief periods to rest. The moon was high in the sky, night having fallen long ago. He had only a few hours to finish his mission, failure was not an option. Platinum in his opinion was many deplorable things but when it came to threats she always followed through on them.

The unicorn looked once more to the red lights that marked the positions of the deadly magic weapons that had already proven their power. Scorch marks on the surrounding grass brought back the memories of the flying red beams, burning all that they touched. Taking multiple deep breaths Spyglass tightened his cloak and cast his invisibility spell, the golden dragon-head amulet he wore around his neck coursing with power as it took most of the strain of casting the two spells at once.

He faded from sight, hoping that it would be enough to evade the roving eyes of whatever intelligence controlled the death-towers. With a slight pop he teleported, luckily landing right on the deck of the ship which he had hoped for. As he reappeared, the strain of casting so many spells that night almost caused him to collapse onto the wooden boards, his invisibility flickering for a second. With alarm he noticed on of the towers turn to look at him, the unicorn struggling to strengthen the illusion.

He got it up just before the red light coming from the structure passed over him, the unicorn holding his breath as it thankfully didn’t see him. Taking a few moments to gather his bearings he looked around, spotting what he assumed to be the Captain’s cabin and the likely lair of the Monster had been sent to kill. Checking to make sure that his short, enchanted knife was still attached to his belt he approached the door.

Spyglass lowered his hood and placed an ear against the wood, picking up the sounds of a single occupant snoring softly. Finding the door locked, the unicorn risked dropping his invisibility for a brief second to cast a spell to pick the lock. The door swung open silently thanks to another spell cast on the hinges, Spyglass ducking inside before shutting it behind him. He kept his invisibility spell of to try and conserve his dwindling energy for the task ahead, he was shrouded in darkness and from the sounds of the snores he guessed that there was only one occupant.

Looking towards the snores he carefully made his way over to a bed with a figure hidden under the sheets. He withdrew his knife, the dull silver blade not glinting as he held it in his magic field above his head. Spyglass was relying on the Monster having some exposed joints or a weak spot that he could strike. Closing on the bed he noticed that the sleeping figure was not the monster, the unicorn stopping in shock when he recognised the pony within.

‘Sunflare?’ Spyglass thought as he noticed the orange unicorn secured to the bed with chains. ‘What has that evil Monster done to you!?’ He trembled as he saw her horn stump, there was almost nothing left. He dreaded to dwell on why the Monster had kept her alive, considering she wasn’t dear or eaten and that she was tied to a bed he guessed that it was for far more sinister purposes.

“I’ll come back for you,” he whispered to the sleeping knight, no-pony deserved to be let to that fate but he had a mission to complete. He started to step back but was stopped by the feeling of a cold metal object placed against the back of his head.

“Welcome to my parlour, said the spider to the fly.”

Spyglass froze at the soft male voice, his heart pounding as he recognized the voice of the monster. He had no doubt that a weapon was being held against his head, a series of strange noises chattering out from the corner of the room that he had walked past.

“Now you’ve gone and woken the children,” the Monster continued as the chirping grew louder as the patter of many tiny hooves drew closer. He flinched as small, hard muzzles rubbed against his legs and small bodies all jostled around him. Spyglass was sweating hard; he had little chance of winning now that the Monster was in control of the situation.

“Move the knife over to the right with the blade pointing directly up in the air; if you fail to comply I’ll splatter your brains all over the slumbering Miss Sunflare here and I’d hate to have to wake her in such a way.” Spyglass immediately obeyed, his only weapon yanked out of his magical grip leaving him defenceless aside from his hooves and horn.

He cursed at his mistakes; he didn’t even have enough magic left for an emergency teleport. “Good pony,” the Monster acknowledged, “now how about we move outside to avoid waking up any more people.” A prod of the weapon was the signal for Spyglass to move, the unicorn slowly making his way to the door through the many small beings running around his legs. “Stay here little ones and be quiet, move it unicorn,” the Monster ordered as he opened the door, Spyglass being pushed out into the cool air as the door shut behind him and the monster.

The pair made their way to the fore of the ship, Spyglass noticing that multiple red lights settled upon him but no red beams of death came. He was marched to the very end of the ship, the Monster stopping him just before the edge. Spyglass gulped as he stared down at the waves that were likely to soon become his watery grave. Spyglass felt the weapon leave the back of his head, the monster taking a few steps back.

“Turn around unicorn; I see that horn glow and you die.” Spyglass took a second to rotate on the spot, the spy coming to face the creature holding him captive. Before him stood the Monster, a furless face instead of black metal skin with a strange black object held in one claw. Spyglass noticed that the end barrel was round and had a hole in the middle, much like the weapons on top of the beam towers. “Now, you are going to tell me exactly why you tried to sneak in no doubt attempt to kill me. I’m guessing that this Princess Platinum was to blame?”

Spyglass was at first hesitant to answer the question, however as he ran his tongue over the battered left side of his mouth and tasted the remains of his own blood from the hit Platinum had dished out he started to change his mind. What did he owe that bitch anyway? It wasn’t like his country cared for him, it was pretty much Platinum’s personal playground and she used her power to torment the ones around her. Her treatment of close advisors such as most of the nobles and even her own assistant Clover the Clever was deplorable in his opinion.

“Yes, she ordered me to kill you before the morning. Either I killed you or she killed me.” Spyglass hoped that by mentioning the circumstances around the ‘agreement’ that he would maybe find some mercy or at least a quick death.

“That kind of ultimatum seems to be a recurring thing with Her Royal Highness,” the Monster commented as he maintained his weapon on Spyglass. “How did you infiltrate my town?” Spyglass gulped, he was fairly certain that he was going to die so he may as well tell the biped what he wanted to know.

“I used a teleportation spell and an invisibility spell-“

“I was under the impression that those kinds of magic took a lot of power and concentration to pull off,” the Monster interrupted, “how are you capable of doing two at once?”

“I… I use an amulet to help me, without it I can’t even teleport more than forty yards.” Spyglass struggled to reveal his secret; the amulet was his most powerful tool. His heart sank as the Monster reached out with a claw for the amulet, Spyglass lifting his head back to allow the creature to remove the necklace. As soon as it was gone he felt whatever magic he had left plummet, the unicorn fighting to stay upright. The monster observed the amulet before he stored it in his armour.

“Your co-operation has been noted, now about that horn...”

Spyglass didn’t have time to scream before he was pushed to the ground and a claw clasped around his mouth. He almost sobbed as he felt an armoured knee in his back holding him down, images of Sunflare’s broken horn running though his mind as a strange and threatening sound was audible from above him.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t have you using any magic now can I?” The Monster informed. Spyglass tried to struggle but it was in vain, his legs were trapped under his body and he had hardly any magic left to use. He merely clasped his eyes shut and waited for the pain to arrive when his horn was removed.

He shook as something sticky was wrapped around his horn, the strange tearing sound continuing as the substance soon covered the entire horn multiple times. He felt his magic cut off as the material covered the horn, whatever it was it seemed to eliminate magic. It seemed like ages before the sound stopped and the weight on his back was lessened.

“Ah, duct tape, what can’t you be used for?” the Monster muttered to himself before addressing Spyglass. “Now, unicorn,” he continued as the metal weapon was placed once again against the back of Spyglass’s head, “cast a teleportation spell and you live, fail and I’ll shoot you right here.”

Spyglass panicked, he didn’t have any magic left for a teleportation spell but he would have to try anyway. Straining himself to the max he tried to gather up the magic needed to perform the spell but he found that no magic was able to be gathered in his horn, no matter how hard he tried nothing was working.

“I can’t do it!” he tried to shout out around the claw clamped over his mouth, “Please, I can’t do it, don’t kill me!” The Monster didn’t seem to budge at his muffled cries, the weapon he held pressing down harder.

“Well, guess you didn’t want it enough,” he observed cheerily, Spyglass giving it one final try with all of his strength. He almost felt the magic come together in his horn but once again it fell short, this time however the effort of trying combined with his drained energy won over him, the unicorn’s eyes rolling into the back of his skull as he blacked out.

Nigel continued to hold his pistol against the unicorn, the pony well and truly out of it. It appeared as if his duct tape idea had worked, Chalmers was still surprised that wrapping the would-be assassin’s horn in tape would stop magic from building up. He put it down to the horn seeming to be a conductor of sorts, disrupting that halted the magic and meant that for now the unicorn was magic-less. Telling the unicorn that he would die if he didn’t cast a spell was just a test; Nigel still figured that the pony could be useful for information. Further interrogations would have to wait however; he may have overdone the scares a little.

He glanced around his ship, aside from a few defence turrets focusing on the unicorn at his feet no-one had seemed to notice. Well, the nymphs had but Nigel hoped that they hadn’t woken Chrissy. Looking down at the unicorn he tried to figure out what to do with the pony, he would have to keep an eye on him to actually make sure that his duct tape had worked and that the stallion was not really a master trickster.

His right arm was re-covered in armour, his fabricator producing two sets of metal cuffs next to the pony. They completed in ten seconds, Chalmers bending down and placing the cuffs around the unicorn’s legs where the hoof joined the actual leg, fetlocks he believed they were called. The magnetic clamps of the cuffs joined together, holding the front and hind legs together in pairs. Satisfied that his prisoner was going nowhere Nigel picked the unicorn up, carrying the pony all the way back to the cabin.

AS Nigel opened the door he noticed that not a single nymph rushed over to meet him. With the moon shining in he saw why, the creatures had already returned to their sleeping area nest to the corner he had been resting up against before the unicorn had made his entrance. The changelings all watched him with curious chitters as he deposited the unicorn against the wall and frisked the pony, making sure that no more weapons were concealed under the grey cloak. The only things he found was a small bag of gold that he let the pony keep and a set of keys wrapped in string, most likely to prevent them from jingling in the cloak pocket.

With the search completed Chalmers grabbed a spare pillow from the floor and put it between the unicorn’s head and the ground. Everything was looking good, Nigel sitting back down against the wall with his sidearm in hand and resting against the pony’s chest. He was swarmed by nymphs, the creatures jostling for positions leaning up against his legs and body. Three of them, Chalmers unable to see their nametags, instead chose to snuggle against the grey cloak worn by the unicorn. The Captain briefly considered forcing them to move away but after some consideration decided that the unicorn would likely be the one who would receive the biggest shock in the morning.

His job complete, Nigel settled in for the rest of the night. He picked a random nymph next to him and began to rub its head, the youngster chirping in happiness before it was soon replaced by light breathing. The cabin once again was quiet save for Sunflare’s snores and the breathing from Chrysalis, the unicorn assassin and the ten nymphs. Chalmers didn’t plan on sleeping, instead focusing on keeping his weapon trained on the unicorn and planning a small visit to a certain Princess that seemed so keen to piss him off.

When Chrysalis woke up she felt slightly different, the changeling yawning and opening her eyes, sitting on up the bed she could hear the sounds of nymphs at play and the cabin door closing. Heavy footsteps walked over towards the bed containing Sunflare, Chrysalis looking towards the sound and spotting Nigel with a few trays in hand sitting down on his metal seat next to the still-sleeping unicorn.
“Good Morning,” Chrysalis greeted, Nigel not looking towards her as he focused on waking Sunflare.

“Morning,” the Captain returned as he shook Sunflare lightly. With a groan the unicorn knight returned to wakefulness, the mare rolling over to sullenly look at the human that had awoken her.

“What?” she mumbled out, still evidently feeling depressed about her circumstances. Chalmers removed the top of the wooden try, revealing a stack of warm buttered pancakes lightly drizzled with honey. The mare chained to the bed perked up as the smell of the breakfast hit her nose, her mood improving slightly as she sat up as far as she could. The Captain with a hand extended the chain holding her good foreleg, allowing her to sit up all the way in the bed. The Captain placed the tray down on her sheet-covered lap, Sunflare immediately beginning to eat the pancakes by leaning her head down and taking bites.

With no help seemingly needed the Chalmers left her alone, getting up with two more trays as he turned to face Chrysalis.

“I had the weirdest dream last night,” Chrysalis said as she brushed her teal mane out of her eyes, “There was this one unico…”
The changeling trailed off with her hoof raised up to her mane, a mane that she had not gone to bed with.

“Uh, Chrissy,” Nigel started in shock as he stared at her, “do you feel okay?” Without a word that changeling hastily clambered off the bed and rushed to a door on the left wall. Opening it revealed the cabin’s small bathroom, a full length mirror on the door swinging out. Chrysalis stood and stared at her reflection, her mouth open in surprise.

She had somehow grown a full, silky, teal-coloured mane overnight, the hair falling down her neck to rest around her shoulders. Her tail was now completely teal; it also was long and luscious. The biggest change she could see however were her eyes.

Gone were the solid blue orbs that every normal changeling drone possessed, in their place were large, bright green irises the size of pony eyes. Chrysalis blinked a few times, however the new changes refused to go away. Thinking quickly, she gathered her magic and transformed into Sea Biscuit then back again, however instead of returning to normal Chrysalis like she wanted this new form remained. Taking a few deep breaths she forced herself to calm down.

Okay, so she now looked like a high-up hive noble or princess, things could be worse. She carefully examined her new features, Chalmers, Sunflare and the nymphs all watching in silence as Chrysalis went over her eyes, tail and mane. All seemed to work normally, there was no pain and she did have to admit that she did look more beautiful than before without the bland looks of a drone. Sighing as she shut the bathroom door closed, she turned to look towards the Captain.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” she explained as she collapsed onto her rump and held her forehooves in front of her face, “am I even me anymore?” Chalmers placed the two trays he was carrying back down on his seat, the human walking over the changeling and crouching down.

“Hey,” he comforted as he patted her on the back with an un-armoured hand, “you’ll always be Chrissy to me, plus you do have a pair of incredibly stunning eyes now.” Chrysalis blushed a little bit at the complement, the changeling remembering her first embarrassed questions and pestering of the human. She felt a stream of that warm and comforting love transfer from him to her, the nymphs all running over to examine her while they tried to also acquire some nourishment. It was readily provided, it seemed like everyone would be getting a good breakfast today.

“Thanks,” Chrysalis replied with a smile. She supposed that it wasn’t so bad after all. “I’d still like to know why it’s happening though; I think I’ve turned into a noble.” Chalmers shrugged, Sunflare had already lost interest and had gone back to her pancakes.

“Once again, you’d know more about it than I would,” he human responded, “if you don’t know then I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Do you remember when you started to notice changes?” Chrysalis rubbed her chin with a hoof, going back through her mind to when she had noticed he first teal hair in her tail.

“I think it started the day after we got the nymphs, I remember waking up and finding a teal hair in my tail. Every time I go to sleep something new happens.”

“So it may be the nymphs then,” Nigel replied as he alternated giving each one an ear scratch, “is it possible that being the only adult changeling could have some sort of an effect?” Chrysalis sighed as she herself received a scratch behind her ear, her new tail staring to swish behind her at the pleasant feeling.

“I don’t know, I wish I did but I’m just a drone. Anything like that would be something that queens know and no-body else except from scholars I guess.” Chalmers merely hummed in thought at her answer, the sound of a shifting body drawing the pair’s attention to the wall. Chrysalis’s eyes widened as she saw a grey unicorn in a cloak slightly darker than the pony’s coat slumped against the wall with metal binds around his legs.

She remembered that Morning Sparkle and the Captain had been drinking last night again; first it was just lipstick on Nigel’s chest and face, now they had appeared to have abducted a random stallion. Chrysalis made a note to remember to not go drinking heavily with the two, who knows what might happen.

“Nigel,” she questioned as she pointed a hoof at the waking unicorn, “why is there a stallion tied up in the cabin?”

“Oh that,” Nigel answered with a wave of his hand, “he tried to sneak in and kill me last night. He forgot to check his surroundings however and went straight over the Sunflare thinking she was me. A little ‘persuading’ later,” the human pulled a black object from his hip and pointed it at the prisoner, “and he was talking fairly easily.”

“Spyglass…”

The soft word from Sunflare focused attention on her, the knight having finished her pancakes. She glanced at Nigel warily as he stood up and moved towards her, the human pulling out a white cloth and wiping her mouth to get rid of any pancake remains much to her displeasure.

“Do you know this ‘Spyglass’ then Sunflare?” Nigel inquired, rolling his eyes at the stallion’s apparent name. Sunflare shifted in the bed, stretching her free foreleg out to the side. It felt good to have that small amount of freedom, maybe answering the question would convince the human to let her leg remain unchained?

“I do,” she replied hesitantly, “he’s an agent who works for Platinum and during my duties I’ve seen him around the castle sometimes.” Chalmers gave her a quick pat on the head in thanks before he grabbed a tray and crouched down next to the unicorn who was just opening his eyes.

Spyglass woke up from his sleep to find himself looking directly down the barrel of the Monster’s weapon, the wielder also holding a wooden tray in his other claw. A mass of small black equine-bugs gathered around the Monster to stare at him, Spyglass feeling very uncomfortable under the gazes. A larger version of the insects was sitting on the floor watching him with concern as she ran a hole-covered hoof through her teal hair. Spyglass also spotted Sunflare looking at him from her position chained up in the bed, the unicorn mentally promising to free her.

“So, Spyglass I believe,” the Monster jolted him out of his thoughts, “what should we do with you hmmm? You’ve managed to infiltrate my base and I don’t like people infiltrating my things, do you have a suggestion?” Spyglass gulped as the Monster’s weapon was pushed against his forehead, the unicorn trying to move back but finding that he was against a wall and his legs were locked in some sort of metal hoofcuffs.

“You could let me go and I never return to Platinum again?” he offered hopefully, the Monster shaking his head at this.

“Not going to happen, I however do have an idea, at least for the moment.” The Captain whipped the top off the tray to display the pancakes within. The small bugs all sniffed the air at the smell that wafted up, the creatures leaning forward towards the tray as it was placed under the surprised unicorn’s muzzle. “What’s going to happen is that you’re going to provide me with detailed descriptions of the Princess’s whereabouts and guards and then I’ll let you live and eat.” The metal weapon was tapped against the side of Spyglass’s head, “so what do you say?”

The unicorn gulped and nodded his head quickly, the human moving an arm forward with a bright screen lighting up.
“A wise choice, now, about that castle location…”

Morning knocked on the Captain’s cabin door twice before entering, the human saying that she was always welcome. It was supposed to be Chrysalis’s cabin but the human slept in their every night so Morning just walked right in only to stop, frozen as she observed the Captain feed a stallion a pancake while rubbing him on the head as Chrysalis sat and watched, the changeling sporting a full head of teal mane with some of the most beautiful eyes that Morning had ever seen.

The First Mate questioned just how much had she drunk the night before, the occupants of the room noticing her as the Captain nodded politely to her.

“Good Morning… Morning,” Nigel greeted as the stallion looked at her with an ashamed look, “did you sleep well?”

“I did,” the mare replied as she trotted up to the stallion and stared down at him, “did we… did we do anything really extreme last night?” Chalmers picked up another pancake, the unicorn prisoner hesitating before taking a bite while the head rub continued.

“Nah, all we did was drink then we went to bed,” was all the human replied as nymphs circled another covered tray by his side.

“Then why are you feeding pancakes to a stallion in hoofcuffs with his horn covered in silver ribbon?” Morning pointed a hoof towards the changeling, “And why does Chrysalis suddenly have a mane and eyes like a pony?”

“Good Morning to you too,” the changeling grumbled out as she crossed her forelegs in front of her chest. Morning rolled her eyes at Chrysalis’s reaction as the Captain faced her.

“Well, Chrysalis is going through some changes at the moment, no one knows why so we’re just going to try to wait them out. As for Spyglass here,” the stallion gazed at Morning with pleading yellow eyes, “he tried to sneak in and kill me last night. As you can tell he wasn’t too successful.” As Morning heard this her eyes narrowed, she was getting pretty sick of these constant attempts on her Captain’s life.

“Is that so?” she asked with a dangerous undercurrent, “that explains the hoofcuffs but not the ribbon and the fact that you’re feeding him like a foal.”

“The ‘ribbon’ is actually duct tape, and it’s around his horn because it stops magic,” Morning was about to question just why Nigel thought that wrapping this ‘tape’ around a unicorn’s horn would stop their magic but decided that it wasn’t worth the trouble. “About the food,” Nigel resumed as the last bite of breakfast was eaten by the stallion, “I offered it in exchange for information about Platinum, I’m feeding him because I didn’t want to un-cuff him but also because it’s fun!” Chalmers wiped his hands and Spyglass’s face with a cloth before using both hands to hold the unicorn’s head and scratch behind both ears vigorously. “Who’s a good pony? Who’s a good pony? You are!”

Spyglass’s legs kicked in their cuffs as he groaned with relaxation, a befuddled Morning watching the Captain treat the unicorn like a pet dog. The stallion didn’t seem to mind, an ear scratch must be a very powerful thing. The human stood up, his hands leaving the unicorn’s head as they reached for his helmet. Spyglass almost seemed disappointed that the scratching had stopped, however when he noticed the judgemental gazes of Chrysalis, Morning and Sunflare on him he smiled sheepishly and tucked himself into an embarrassed ball.

“Where are you going Nigel?” Chrysalis inquired as the Captain put his helmet on, leaning down to remove the cover from the final tray of pancakes. He did nothing as the nymphs all dived into the food, the pancakes evidently more enjoyable than apples as they were quickly devoured. The human stood up and flung his arms out to his sides. Two compartments popped out the sides of his hips, two black handguns resting in their holsters.

“Oh, nowhere important,” he casually replied as he stroked the grip of his weapons, “I’m just going to pop over to the neighbours to have a brief chat about their apparent problem with me. Morning you’re in charge, hold the fort will you?” With that Nigel left the cabin and everyone behind. Morning stared at the closed door before looking towards the still-cowering Spyglass then back to the door.

“This is not going to end well, is it?” she muttered as she shook her head, the mare looking down as a honey-covered muzzle nuzzled her cutie-mark of a rising sun. The nymph, according to its tag named Holey, transferred most of the sticky substance to Morning’s flank before it gazed back up with wide-blue eyes and chirped. Morning sighed and looked around for something to wipe away the honey with as the nymph ran off to jump on Spyglass like the rest of the small creatures.

‘Once again, I just have to stop drinking if stuff like this happens all the time.’

Platinum was fuming in her silver throne while resting on a purple cushion, it was nearly midday and Spyglass had not returned from his mission which meant that he was either dead or that the coward had fled for his life. The Princess chewed a chocolate heart while glaring at all of the nobles cowering at the sides of the throne room. She had ordered them all to stand there during the day and make her feel better, the constant steam of compliments about her majestic appearance helping her forget the failures of her peons.

Clover was in her usual spot with the red box of treats on her back, the unicorn’s green coat having been awarded a few new bruises since dawn had broken. The Princess had ordered her to wear nothing to court, both to show off what happened to ponies that irked Platinum and also as a form of punishment. While normally clothing was optional in pony society being present in the Royal Court without some form of covering was a high cause for shame.

With a swallow the chocolate was sunk into the depths of Platinum’s gullet, the unicorn levitating another piece to her mouth as a noblemare praised the ruler’s hair. The soon-to-be-devoured chocolate never made it however, loud thumps sounding from the main throne room doors interrupting the Princess’s snacking.

“Guards!” she ordered harshly, the two iron-armoured unicorns standing with their backs to the white stone walls saluting her. “Find out what that racket is!” The thumps stopped as the stallions opened a door and walked out, the heavy wooden barrier shutting as the only guards in the room left. The nobles all turned and muttered as Platinum waited for her guards to return, two more thumps audible before all was silent. Platinum huffed as silence reigned, as long as the noises stopped that was all that mattered. At least her soldiers proved to be good at something for once. She glared at her nobles, the ponies cowering under her stare. “I didn’t say for you to stop!”

“I, uh, really think that your coat shines like the sun,” a nervous young mare commented.

“Your eyes are like that of a Goddess,” an elderly stallion offered hopefully.

“You’re really pretty Princess,” a young colt standing next to a bowing mare squeaked out, earning a distasteful look from the ruler although she didn’t insult the child for his lack of imagination.

“I could spend all day just gutting you and making pictures with your entrails,” a muffled male voice rang out, the Princess doing a double take at the disturbing compliment.

‘Wait... what!?’

Platinum didn’t even have time to ask just which stallion was looking for a gelding before the throne room doors exploded inwards, one of them coming off the hinges to crash down upon the floor. Nobles screamed and huddled to the walls and floor as the dust from the shattered doors cleared to reveal a huge, coal-black bipedal monster with glowing red eyes and one hind leg out stretched, a leg which had apparently been used to boot the doors open. Behind the creature was a pile of knocked-out guards, the mares and stallions all with large dents in their helmets. The Monster lowered the leg as nobles, Platinum and Clover gazed at it in terror.

“I’ve come to file a complaint,” the creature informed as he started to stride into the room along the purple carpet on the floor. “I tried to phone your head office but someone called ‘Barbra’ told me that I would have to come to you directly.” Platinum got over the shock of the violent entry, her eyes narrowing in disgust as she viewed the source of her most recent troubles.

“Oh, so the Monster that thinks that it can take towns from me and get away with it has finally shown up, you’re filthier then I imagined,” Platinum insulted, hoping to occupy the monster long enough for more guards to arrive. The creature chuckled as it continued to advance slowly, making sure to look at every single noble gazing at it fearfully.

“And you’re just as annoying and bitchy as I’ve been told,” he retorted, Platinum turning red with rage. “Pleasantries aside, may I enquire as to why you’re so desperate for me to die? I assure you that I offer some rather generous surrender packages, for instance give up now and I’ll let you keep this castle.” The Princess spluttered at the bold demands as the nobility watched on.

“My surrender!? The nerve of you beast! I shall never surrender to you!” The Monster tittered at this, getting closer and closer to the Princess.

“What a shame, I guess it’s war then. It’s never fun when the enemy leader is a complete moron however.”

“Stop it!” Platinum screeched, causing ponies to flatten ears and the biped to actually stop walking. “I am Princess Platinum Evergleam, ruler of Equestria! I will not be insulted by such a foul creature!”

“I wouldn’t have to insult you,” the Monster continued as he resumed walking, “if you just gave me what I want.”

“And what do you want beast, aside from my country and to make my life a living Tartarus!?” Platinum had lost all of her patience long ago.

“Simple, I require your females in order to use their ovaries to power my super death-rays and starships, allowing me to travel to the Quabeck Sector to free the Rebekinicinas from the tyranny of the evil McDonalds Federation. Only through this can the nine Holy Clogs of Endless Discounts be acquired and used to purchase plutonium fuel cells at a third of the retail price, meaning that my time-traveling eighteen-wheeler can finally be used to transport grain in the seventeenth century Spain.”

The Princess and everyone else were stunned into shocked silence, the Monster rubbing his hands together in glee.

“I know, my plan is truly a masterpiece to behold,” the creature gloated as he reached within three metres of foot of the throne. Platinum snapped out of her trance when she realised just how close the Monster was. She knew no combat magic; she never needed to as she had guards to do that for her. Her guards were useless now however, Platinum saw only one option left.

“Clover! Protect your Princess now!” the ruler ordered, the green unicorn finding herself removed from hiding behind the throne to be thrown at the approaching monster by Platinum’s blue magic. Clover shut her eyes as she sailed through the air, waiting for the creature to end her. Expecting this grim fate she was surprised to find that instead of crashing against the creature or being eaten she was caught in a pair of strong metal arms, her light halted without any major damage being done.

Slowly opening her eyes, Clover glanced up into the two baleful crimson orbs of the creature as they seemed to burn into her soul. She gulped, the Monster staring at her for a few moments before looking back towards Platinum.

“You misunderstand,” he said as he gently placed Clover on the rug behind him, “I need more than one set of ovaries, that’s barely enough to power a toaster let alone an Oprah-class Battlecruiser-“

“Enough!” Platinum yelled, “I can’t take anymore silliness beast! What. Do. You. Want!”

The Monster darted forwards and grabbed the startled Princess around the throat with one claw, the other reaching to his head as he pinned the unicorn her own throne while everyone watched. Platinum tried to struggle but to avail, her horn lighting up in preparation to try to use her levitation to push the creature off in a last ditch effort to survive. The claw around her neck tightened and cut off her air, the magic dying out as Platinum re-assessed her options.

The Monster removed what turned out to be a helmet, Platinum gazing up into uncaring eyes surrounded by a furless face. She tried to kick out with her hind legs as she noticed the rather sharp front set of teeth that the creature showed as it grinned at her. The silver hooves just bounced off the Monster’s armour, ineffective against the black plates.

“You know Platinum,” the creature stated, his smooth voice able to be heard by everyone in the room, “I could easily kill you right now with just a clench of my hand. You would be dead and your crown would be mine for the taking. None of your subjects will make a move on me considering how easily I neutralised your guards. Then I have a large base to take over the rest of this little planet and no-one could stop me.” Platinum found the hand around her neck relaxing, the biped’s grin widening.

“That would spoil all the fun though,” the Monster continued, “I like my conquests how I like my romancing. The initial chase, the anticipated build-up and then the big bang at the finish followed by the cuddling of the spoils,” the Monster smiled as Platinum started to sweat. “I’m going to take my time ravaging your country and the real question is not why I’m doing it,” he leaned in closer to the unicorn. “No, the real question is do you want to stop me from doing it?”

“You’re… you’re crazy,” Platinum breathed, the unicorn panicking when she noticed a dangerous glint in the creature’s eyes.

“I am, and I’ll even prove it to you.”

Platinum’s eyes widened and her spine tingled as the biped locked her in a passionate kiss as the entire Equestrian nobility stared at their ruler and the Monster. The Princess had no clue what to do as the Monster’s strangely normal tongue explored her royal mouth as a hand stroked her mane. Her hind legs ceased kicking, this experience alien for the ruler in more ways than one. Platinum was shocked that she actually found herself enjoying the attention; no-one had been game enough to just outright kiss her before. Her limbs went limp as the kiss continued, the unicorn unwittingly letting out a small moan which Clover overheard.

Upon hearing the noise of enjoyment from his ‘victim’ the biped pulled away, Platinum moving her head forward in order to prolong the contact for as long as possible. The Monster withdrew completely out of her reach with a large smile on his face, letting go of Platinum to wipe the trail of saliva connecting his mouth to the unicorn’s away before replacing his helmet.

“I’d love to stay and show you just how crazy I can be and from the looks of it so would you but I’m afraid that I have prisoners to interrogate, bases to build and children to feed so I have to depart.” The creature walked around Clover and past the shocked nobility towards the doors. He turned back to Platinum, giving her a wave goodbye as he walked out. “After I take over your planet we should do coffee. Oh, and keep sending ponies out to kill me, they are proving to be oodles of fun!”

The biped left leaving behind unconscious guards, high amounts of property damage, stunned nobles, a flabbergasted advisor and a panting Princess who sported a furious blush. No-one moved or said anything for ages until one of the guards stirred.

The armoured mare groaned, removed her helmet and rubbed the bump caused by an armoured fist colliding with her helmet. She winced, looking towards the throne room doors to find them smashed in, the nobles all staring at the throne in shock. More specifically, they were staring at the Princess who was currently posed in a most un-ladylike manner. The unicorn’s hind legs were sprawled over the edge of the throne, the ruler appearing paralysed with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. The guard took this all in, the mare saying the only thing that she could think of.

“What did I miss?”

Nigel descended from the sky as his jetpack powered down, the human aiming to land at the base of the large black tower that extended into the sky in the middle of his town. The building looked like a rectangular sky-scraper, the last bit of the top still being worked on by the solitary drone.

Townsponies that had gathered around the town darted back to give the Captain room as he set down in front of a large metal door four times the size of him. The grey metal barrier had no visible seems or method of entry, Chalmers checking his wrist computer and frowning.

It seemed like the construction was behind schedule, the Captain pursing his lips in thought. A quick check of his energy and matter supplies confirmed that he had enough for his next plan, the fabricator moving out of its housing as Nigel pointed his right arm at the ground.

An outline of a rectangular body with a set of six limbs below it appeared on the ground, two large disks each the size of pony attached to either side of the rectangle. Blue lines shot out of the fabricator as they traced the outline, starting from the bottom up.
The six underhanging limbs turned into metal arms with claws and numerous tools, the rectangular body gained a dome at the front covered with lenses and sensors while the two disks were actually hollow, two high-powered rotor blades with three blades each siting within them.

It only took three minutes to create, this time everything went faster due to the ready availability of surplus energy and building materials provided by the generation plants.

Ponies watching stepped back as the machine solidified and heavy whirring sound droned out as the twin rotors started up, the machine lifting off the ground as its limbs dangled and rotated. It faced Chalmers and scanned him with a blue beam, the machine beeping as its AI recognised an authorised command-giver. It hovered in place and awaited orders, ignoring the creatures moving around it that had been marked as non-hostile on its systems.

Nigel entered in his desired command for the ‘Spinner’ drone to assist its ground-based counterpart in finishing the tower, the drone flying off to carry out its orders as the surrounding equines followed the flying machine with their eyes.

Chalmers ignored the attention paid to his creation; he couldn’t wait until he could start building actual combat drones. His tower was not yet completed and did not look like it would be until later that night so any military creations would have to wait. Checking the time, the sun starting to dip below the horizon Nigel realised just how much of the day he had spent away. He turned and quickly made his way to the ship as ponies gave him plenty of room on the road.

As he approached the cabin door he heard the scratching of multiple hooves on the door, Nigel opening the door to be met with a tide of small hungry changelings all chattering at him as he pushed them way gently to walk in. Shutting the door behind him he looked around the cabin with surprise.

It was a complete mess.

Linen and pillows were strewn around the area, the wooden floor boards looked soaked and Spyglass was on the bed still cuffed, a red hoofmark imprinted on the unicorn’s forehead as he slept. Nigel glanced over at Sunflare, seeing that the knight was also asleep but with a notable lack of hoofmarks. There was no sign of Morning or Chrysalis, Nigel assuming that the First Mate was either in town or in her cabin. That still didn’t explain the absence Chrysalis, Nigel however had to deal with ten hungry nymphs so he would have to look for her later.

Sitting down against the wall the changelings crowded around him for their feeding, Chalmers soon finding himself trapped under linen, cushion and nymph alike. Dragon toys were also added to the pile as the young beings played while eating. Chalmers was so caught up watching them that the bathroom door opening nearly made him reach for his gun. A very ragged Chrysalis emerged, that changeling visibly exhausted as she glared at him.

“Nigel,” she began with a stressed tone in her voice, “never feed the nymphs pancakes or anything else solid again.” Nigel was confused at this request.

“Why, did the sugar in the honey cause them to go hyper?” he asked, Chrysalis shaking her head as she stood in front of the seated Captain.

“No, what do you think happens when nymphs eat solid food?” Nigel shrugged, not bothering to remind Chrysalis that once again his knowledge on changelings was limited.

“They gain the ability to shoot lasers from their eyes?” he replied with a shrug, Chrysalis not appearing too amused.

“No Nigel,” she lectured, “what happened was what happens with every other living thing, it came out the other end.” Chalmers hastily glanced down at the nymphs all lying on him in alarm. “I wouldn’t be worried about that,” Chrysalis continued, “I can assure you that every single one expelled everything already, I spent most of the day cleaning it up and we’re lucky that the local herbalist had lots of lavender incense in stock.”

Nigel sniffed the air, now that Chrysalis mentioned it he could detect the faint scent of lavender in the air. He pointed a hand at the sleeping Spyglass, Chrysalis’s eyes following the finger.

“What about him, did he try to escape?” Chrysalis scoffed, rolling her new eyes at the question.

“Spyglass? No, he started freaking out when the nymphs began to stink up the cabin, rambling on about how we were trying to kill him with the smell. He wouldn’t calm down so I had to knock him out, it took a few tries but he’s been asleep for a while.” Nigel chuckled at the information, maybe the spy would be hilarious to have around after all.

“So did Sunflare behave?” he asked, Chrysalis nodding her head as she sat down next to the Captain.

“She did, she was a little sullen but she’s talking more often now. I think she’s getting better, lots of her bruises are starting to heal and she’s been eating well.” Chrysalis sighed and rested her head against Nigel’s side, the nymphs on and around the human yawning as they started to fall asleep. “How was your day, did you fight Platinum?”

Nigel decided that informing her that he had confronted the Princess only to walk away after snogging the unicorn would not be in his best interests, instead he thought up of a convincing lie.

“No, she was visiting another town so I got her advisor instead. I didn’t really feel like killing a patsy so I just caused some damage, knocked out some guards ad left.” Chrysalis didn’t buy it, she was close enough to the human to smell the scent of another mare on him but she let it slide, the changeling burying the envy inside as she hummed in fake agreement. Chalmers gestured towards the small changelings upon him. “I guess it’s an early night for all of us, goodnight Chrissy.”

“I could use it,” the changeling replied, “goodnight.”

Chrysalis awoke in a sweat, the cabin dark as snores rasped out from the many sleepers around the room. Her dream had been more like a nightmare; all she could remember was something about being marooned on an island all by herself as a fleet of ships sailed away. Chrysalis remembered some of the drones back at the hive discussing dreams, the common belief being that dreams were omens of sorts. She hoped that it was not true.

She was still against the Captain, the changeling able to clearly see the human’s face with her new eyes retaining her enhanced night-vision, Chalmers fast asleep with his head resting against the wall.

The changeling’s nose twitched, still able to smell the mare on her Captain. Despite her better judgement she found her nose heading towards the human’s mouth, the scent getting stronger. She stopped inches away, her eyes narrowing as she found that the smell was focused around Nigel’s mouth. Now that she looked closer she could see the faint marks of silver lipstick around his mouth.

‘So he has kissed another mare!’ the changeling fumed, ‘I bet she was just a street harlot with no morals trying to take advantage of him!’

Chalmers showed no signs of waking up, Chrysalis holding her face near his as she continued to stare at him.

Maybe he’d want her to get rid of the no doubt foul taste of the other mare. Yes, that was definably what Nigel would want her to do. A part of Chrysalis questioned just who was she trying to deceive and whether what she was about to do was morally right. The changeling knew that the human didn’t have any romantic feelings towards her, something that pained her so she ignored that voice and kissed the sleeping human anyway.

Her lips made contact with his, Chrysalis content to linger there for a while. The human’s mouth opened a little in an attempt to draw in more air, Chrysalis breathing out as she took advantage of the opening to slip her tongue in. Her heart nearly melted, Chrysalis knew that what she was doing was very wrong and a huge betrayal of trust but she didn’t care. For some reason ever since she had started to change strange feelings had started to cloud her mind, drawing her attention to the Captain more often than usual.

She had debated talking to him about it, maybe she was sick and something was wrong with her? Chrysalis hadn’t worked up the courage however, for the last couple of nights loneliness had been a recurring theme in her dreams and she figured that she would have to grab every chance to prevent it from becoming true.

She was broken out of the kiss, quickly and guiltily withdrawing her roving tongue form the Captain’s mouth as the biped appeared to wake up. Afraid that she had been caught, Chrysalis prepared to apologise franticly in the hopes of preserving her most cherished friendship that had evolved into something else for her.

“Why do I have to choose between the soup or the salad?” Nigel mumbled, Chrysalis breathing a sigh of relief when she realised that the human was just talking in his sleep. “Why can’t I have both? Are you an entrée bigot or something?”

‘Okay,’ Chrysalis thought as Chalmers continued to mutter, ‘that’s a strange thing to say.’

The changeling stared, Nigel appearing to return to his silent state after his strange sentences. She couldn’t begin to imagine just what was laying out in the human’s dreams. Risking detection once more she leant in to give him a quick peck on the lips, Chrysalis using the idea that it would help him sleep better as an excuse.

Her head returned to Nigel’s side, the changeling managing to retrain the urge to continue on. Her body kept on urging her on while her mind chastised her for using her friend for her own selfish desires, maybe some sleep would do her some good.

“I hope everything works out,” Chrysalis muttered to herself before giving a final look towards Nigel, “I love you for some reason but you’re never going to love me back, I guess I’ll just have to live with us being friends.” Nigel sucked in a quick breath of air, Chrysalis wondering if he had heard what she had said.

“Alright, who ordered the soufflé this late? Raise your hand so I know who to stab you…” Chalmers trailed off towards the end of his sleepy sentence, Chrysalis rolling her eyes before closing them.

‘Well, I should of known that an answer to that would not come so easy.’

It's Raining Ponies! Hallelujah, It's Raining Ponies!

As Nigel woke up he ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth. He frowned as he smacked his lips together, an odd taste lingering. It wasn’t unpleasant, a slight hint of what tasted like cinnamon present, but where it had come from was a mystery.

A light snore at his side drew his attention, Nigel glancing down to spot Chrysalis drooling on his shoulder as she leaned against him. He smiled at the sight of the changeling peacefully sleeping, glad that she looked happy despite the changes that she was going through and his erratic personality. He knew that he was difficult to tolerate, but Chrysalis did put up with him so he was proud to call her a friend. After all, she and him were the two outsiders in the situation so sticking together was in their best interests.

He tried to move but found that he was still covered with bedding and nymphs, the small creatures fast asleep against and on him. Shaking his head, Nigel carefully moved his arm to retrieve his helmet from the floor. A sigh escaped his mouth as he found it occupied by a nymph, the changeling’s front half resting inside the helmet with her back end sprawled on the floor facing him.

Both of his hands moved together towards the child, the armour covering them sliding back silently before his bare hands grabbed the nymph gently around the waist. Her hind legs kicked as she began to wake, Nigel searching for a free spot to put her down. He found none within reach and she was about wake up fully, Nigel forced to place her on his chest with an arm wrapped around her. He caught a brief glance of the nametag, the nymph turning out to be Swissy. The reminder of the name that he had given her brought back his smile, his free hand picking up his helmet and placing it on his head.

The inside lit up with displays as soon as the helmet was locked in, Chalmers’s eyes immediately looking towards the time. It read as five o’clock in the morning and he’d woken up early, Nigel grinning as he read a report that had popped up holographicly in his vision.
His tower was complete, furnishings and all.

His day-dream involving legions of war-machines marching through the streets of the Equestrian capitol as AI fighters flew overhead was interrupted by a weary chirp, Nigel looking down to find that Swissy was gazing back up at him. Chalmers raised a finger to his face and shushed.

“Shhh, not another peep,” he whispered. His words went unheeded, the nymph fully awake and her mouth opened in preparation to laugh at the funny movements that the large creature who provided food was making. Nigel’s finger quickly moved to Swissy’s mouth, the changeling not making a sound as her mouth closed.

“Good girl,” Nigel praised softly while moving his finger away. Whether Swissy understood what he was trying to tell her, or if she just sensed that he wanted her to be quiet Chalmers couldn’t be sure. After making sure that the nymph was not going to wake anyone else up, Nigel began the hard task of clearing some space to get up.

Bedding was placed on the wooden floor and nymphs were shifted carefully while Swissy watched on. None of the other nymphs woke up when they were moved, something that Nigel was thankful for. He tightened his armoured arm around Swissy and hugged her to his chest, his other hand picking up a spare pillow as he edged away from Chrysalis, who was still drooling against his shoulder.

“Easy does it,” Nigel mumbled under his breath as he edged away from Chrysalis. The adult changeling listed to the side, gently coming to rest on the floor with her head on the pillow that Chalmers had put down. He lingered until he was sure that she was truly asleep, before he got up off the floor while making as little noise as possible.

Swissy continued to stay quiet as Nigel made his way to the cabin door, the nymph giddy at the height that she was traveling at. She had watched the food-provider take Reflection out of the room the other day and was excited that she would also be treated to the same privilege.

Nigel opened the door and walked out into the warm night air. He glanced back into the cabin, his eyes scanning over the still-sleeping inhabitants. Nymphs, Chrysalis, Spyglass, and Sunflare were all silent save for breathing, Sunflare chained to her bed while Spyglass was still cuffed on the main bed. He still had to decide what he wanted to do with the two ponies that had tried to kill him, he was hoping to eventually reconcile with Sunflare and he enjoyed toying with Spyglass.

Deciding to leave his thoughts about his prisoners for a while, Nigel closed the cabin door and walked towards the gangplank connecting the ship to the docks. None of the crew were on watch, with the networked laser turrets watching the town there was no need. They hadn’t complained, it merely meant that they could all drink as much as they wanted every night and sleep off the hangovers in the morning. Thinking about this, Nigel decided that he would have to find them something to do so they didn’t get lazy and bored. He would also have to figure out what would happen to the Equestrian prisoners.

“Let’s go see how the tower turned out, hmm?” Nigel asked Swissy as he walked down the gangplank and onto the dock. The changeling stayed quiet in his arms as she looked around, the streets deserted due to the early hour. Chalmers wasn’t really expecting a reply; Chrysalis had informed him that she couldn’t recall when she herself was able to talk so they didn’t know when the nymphs would start to form words. Nigel figured that it was possibly very soon, after all the creatures seemed to be quite intelligent already.

While continuing to walk, his boots treading on the cobbled road, Nigel pondered how he was able to understand the creatures on this world. While English was the primary language of the UIP he could speak a bit of Russian and German, the second and third most common languages, but how these ponies and changelings knew it was a mystery.

He shook his head, figuring out how it was possible was not something he was concerned with right now. He could talk and his friends, subordinates and prisoners could talk so he saw no need to pick it apart when that time could be spent enjoy his unplanned holiday.

Swissy cooed as he scratched her on the head, the nymph shifting in his arm to get a better position to ensure that the fingers covered behind her ears as well. Nigel was briefly filled with joy and a little bit of pride as he held the child in his arms. He had never been good with children, and he had no clue how to act around them apart from observing other people. These nymphs were different however.

Maybe it was because he saw them as his own, he did enjoy their antics and they seemed to like him a lot. Granted, it was probably because of the fact that he was their breakfast, lunch and dinner but he still liked to think that he was doing a good job as a father figure. Not that changeling’s really had a father figure if what Chrysalis told him was correct.

Chalmers looked up into the sky as Swissy let out a curious chirp, the nymph staring at the large, black tower that rose into the early-morning sky. Now that it was complete, Chalmers pondered why he had decided to make it so… big. Most of the main areas would be underground anyway for defensive reasons. The actual tower was just for show, apart from a penthouse command room.

Every tower in an evil base needs a command room so the owners can look out over their domain and laugh evilly while making their plans. He wanted to be able to do that, super villains always seemed to have the most interesting lives. The fact that he was currently on a planet inhabited by talking pony aliens, had acquired ten children, was seen as a great evil by a major planetary civilisation and he felt the need to make it more interesting was lost on him. Swissy began moving her forehooves towards it, trying to touch the interesting object that was growing bigger as the approached the base of the building.

“You think that’s cool,” Nigel commented while Swissy looked up at him. “You should see the inside what looks like.”

Chalmers walked to the main entrance, a large grey door set into the black building. A new addition since the previous day was present, a key pad with nine large, numbered buttons, each the size of a hoof. He didn’t need to use it, a command sent over his control network opened the door with him needing to lift a finger.

A brief moment passed as the tower’s computers verified the many security codes and authentications that was transmitted, before the seamless door split in two, one half sinking into the ground while the other raised into the top. The faint groaning of the thick doors stopped, both halves completely gone from sight.

A rather plain entrance hall was lit up with soft-white lighting, a long line of chairs against the cream-coloured wall with a water cooler sitting nearby. A single metal door was at the end of the hall, ‘Commander’ marked in bold lettering upon the surface. Chalmers had to admit that it was fairly boring as he stared at the public entrance to the tower. The only oddities that broke up the room were the security cameras and laser turrets hanging from the roof, in case of any disgruntled visitors. Swissy strained in his grasp towards the room, Nigel patting the child on the head as he walked to the left side of the building.

“We don’t go in that one,” Nigel informed as he stepped into the alleyway separating his tower from a row of houses. He walked halfway down until he came to a plain rectangle set within the black tower. Another signal from his suit and the rectangle swung outwards, another plain room greeting the pair. “This is where we go,” Chalmers continued as he walked inside the featureless box of a room. Swissy trembled as the door thudded shut behind them and a light-blue laser came out from the dark and scanned the two beings.

The changeling ceased her shaking when the laser shut off, the room lighting up with the same white light from the lobby. A door at the end of the small room slide into the right side, revealing a cylindrical pod designed to fit in ten armoured humans. Chalmers stepped into the large room covered with panels and waited for the door to close behind him. Swissy looked around the chamber with awe, a multitude of blue lights pulsing with a steady glow as a panel lit up on the side of the wall.

A cutaway map of the entire tower and vast underground structure was displayed, twenty red dots labelled with various locations flashing on the panel. Nigel selected the one at the very top of the tower, labelled ‘Command’. A hum built up, Chalmers rubbing Swissy’s head to calm her as the blue glow grew stronger. There was a flash and the humming died out, Swissy blinking her eyes while Nigel stepped out of the opening door.

Both were greeted with an impressive sight, a large, circular room with metal plated walls lighting up as they entered. In the centre, on a raised pedestal, sat a large chair covered with screens and controls. Around the pedestal were rows of displays flowing with information and banks of high-tech computers.

Nigel walked over towards the centre chair and pressed a button on one armrest, the walls of the room flickering into life as the electronic windows activated. The view, provided by arrays of external cameras and sensors set into the exterior of the tower, was as if nothing was between the command room and the outside. The entire town as well as the surrounding area could be seen with clarity, all from within the safety of armour-plated walls.

“Quite a view, isn’t it?” Nigel asked while putting the nymph down on the ground. Swissy immediately began to explore the new surroundings, the nymph intrigued by the beeping machines around the room. Nigel let her roam and sat down in his centre chair, his eyes scanning over reports and statuses.

In the subterranean levels the living areas, kitchen, storage and factory facilities had all been finished and ready to be used. A large cavern had been carved below these areas, large power plants and mass fabricators nearly all finished. He’d still have to wait a little until he could start producing an army, his priorities being to settle everyone in to their new home, beef up the tower’s defences, construct a more powerful AI nexus and upgrade his battleship.

He was going to be known by his ISA rank of Commander from now on. Besides, he thought that it was about time to reward Morning Sparkle for her service to him. Promoting her to Captain and giving the unicorn command of her own ship would only cement her loyalty more.

A chirp from Swissy drew his attention away from his displays, Nigel spotting the nymph staring out to the east. The sun was rising, the clear sky a brilliant shade of orange and pink. Time was flying by and he still had a lot to do today. He was just about to leave his chair when an alert sounded on the display monitoring the public door. Nigel looked towards it, Morning Sparkle having entered the waiting area.

“Hello?” the mare called out, her voice coming out of the command room’s speakers. “Captain, are you here?” Nigel watched as his First Mate investigated the room, the water cooler drawing her attention. He chuckled as she touched the lever and a stream of water dribbled out, Morning jolting back in surprise. Pressing a button on his chair, Nigel activated the speakers set around the room.

“Good Morning,” he greeted, Sparkle turning around as his voice boomed out around her. “To what do I owe the visit?”

“I just saw that this… door was open,” Morning replied while glancing up at the closest security camera after noticing it move closer. “Where are you?”

“Up top of course,” Nigel answered. Morning flinched as a loud chattering followed the sentence, Chalmers’s laughter ringing out around her. “Swissy says hello, she’s currently trying to reach you through the display.” Morning didn’t really know what to say, she still hadn’t decided how to feel at the Captain’s attachment to the young creatures. It didn’t exactly paint the picture of a fearless warrior-captain that struck terror into the hearts of ponies.

“Well, can I come in?” Morning began, looking at the door marked ‘Commander’. “You did say you wanted to show me your tower.” Nigel’s laughter doubled in intensity, Morning not getting what was so funny.

“Yes, I want to give you a full tour of the base,” he managed out as the chattering from the nymph started again, Swissy encouraged by his mirth. “Just step in the door and press the big, red button.” Morning waited until the door slide into the side, revealing a grey, boxy container.

“Is it safe?” she asked, the box not appearing to have any controls or alternate exits.

“Of course!” Nigel answered over the communication system. “It’s just a magnetic lift, far safer than cables. You’ll only be crushed to death if the power goes out, the safety features don’t deploy or if the tower itself falls to the ground. The drones all made it perfectly so nothing should go wrong at all.”

Morning was still hesitant, however she saw no other option. Stepping into the lift, she stood uneasily as the door shut behind her and trapped her in.

“Oh,” Nigel continued through the intercom, this time a single speaker in the roof. “I forgot to mention that I didn’t test the speed on this thing. Let me know how it works out.” Morning did a double take before fearfully looking towards the speaker.

“Wait… what!?”

That was all she managed to get out before the lift beeped and shot up the shaft. Morning was dropped to the floor as the lift made the one-hundred metre trip in ten seconds. The unicorn tried to hold onto the floor with all of her might during the terrifying, and thankfully short, trip. In contrast to the sudden acceleration, the lift stopped at the top of the tower smoothly without a single jolt, the door opening with a ping.

Morning struggled to her hooves and rushed out of the lift with her heart beating in her chest, the unicorn vowing to never ride that demon-machine again. As she caught her breath, Morning glanced over the room she found herself in. She was met with strange machines, a magnificent view and in the centre of it all was a large, black chair. The chair was pointed away from her and the high back hid the occupant, Morning however knew that there was only one being who could be occupying it.

“Welcome to my evil lair, fair maiden,” Nigel ominously stated as the chair swivelled to face Morning. She was met with the sight of the helmeted Nigel stroking the head of a purring nymph in his lap, the child named Swissy if she remembered correctly. “While we await for the foolish rescue from your beloved, may I offer you some tea?” Morning watched Chalmers press a button, a tray containing a tea set rising up from the floor as a circular hole opened. “I find that eminent doomsday is so much more enjoyable with a freshly brewed cup.”

“Um,” Morning started, unsure if the mention of ‘doomsday’ was a part of the play that the Captain was putting on or if he really meant it. In her defence, it was hard to tell with Chalmers. “Tea sounds… nice?”

“Lovely,” Nigel suddenly said in his normal tone, all threat gone. “Sugar, milk?”

“Just some sugar thankyou,” Morning replied before furrowing her brows. “Wait, how did you get sugar and milk? Or a full tea-set for that matter?” Nigel paused at this, staring down at the fine china cup of steaming tea that he just stirred some sugar into.

“I don’t actually know,” he stated. “All I know is that it’s all part of the plans and the drones…” Nigel’s eyes widened. “Oh no, please tell me they didn’t steal from a store and milk a cow.” Morning cleared her throat, deciding to not inform the Captain that he had stolen an entire ship after killing some of its crew.

“Let’s just think about it later,” she offered. Nigel nodded and passed her the cup, Swissy sitting up in his lap as Morning took it with her magic.

“That’s probably a good thing to do,” he agreed while taking a sip of his own tea. Morning tried hers and walked towards him, humming as she enjoyed the beverage. No matter where or how the items had been acquired, it was pretty good tea. Morning walked up the five steps of the centre pedestal, sitting down on her rump next to the Captain’s chair. The nymph in his lap chattered at her, Morning ignoring it as she looked around the huge room.

“So this is what you’ve been working on,” she commented as she took another sip. Nigel sat back in his chair, one hand holding his cup will the other was in the process of being gnawed on by Swissy. The changeling wasn’t using her small fangs, intending to just play instead of hurt.

“Along with the underground areas,” Nigel answered. Morning glanced up at him, curious as to what else he had made.

“Such as?” she asked with concern. Chalmers touched some buttons to bring up a holographic map of the complex. Morning’s eyes widened as she saw that the entire base was huge, almost the size of the entire town with some parts extending deep under the earth.

“Sleeping quarters, storage areas,” Nigel began to list. “Living areas, a kitchen, factories, power plants, hydroponics, medical areas, secondary control areas, automated mining drills, weapon bays and my favourite,” Chalmers pointed to a large underground area with what seemed to be a large tunnel connecting it to the surface, pointing out to the coast. “An underground aircraft hangar with a launch bay, needed for any evil lair.”

“Captain-“ Morning began, only to be interrupted by Nigel.

“Commander, I decided to change back to my actual rank,” Chalmers smiled down at her, the completion of his tower putting him into a great mood. “Once again, stop with the titles. Nigel or Chalmers will suffice.” Morning sighed in resignation.

“Fine, Nigel,” Morning continued with a deep breath. “Can I just ask why you’re so set on being an evil super-villain with underground lairs and large black towers? Can’t you just stay a pirate captain, become a lord or even just call yourself a king?” Nigel didn’t need to think before replying, with a waving hand he gestured towards the surrounding view.

“Because being a king or captain isn’t as fun of course, why settle for a castle or a ship if I can have an evil base?” Chalmers grinned at the thought of how Morning would react to his next announcement. He guessed that now was as good a time as any. “Besides, you’re a captain with a ship, kinda steals my thunder if I don’t become an evil overlord.”

Morning took a few moments to figure out what had just happened. Nigel watched as, for the first time since he had met her, Morning actually appeared to be joyful.

“Do you really mean?” she asked with a grin on her face, Nigel nodding which prompted Swissy to copy him.

“Yes, the ship’s yours. You’re in charge of the crew and after I preform some upgrades you can go around pillaging to your heart’s content. All I ask is that you obey my commands when needed and give me a ten-percent cut.” Morning couldn’t believe her ears, only ten percent would mean that she’d be rich before she knew it. Considering what Chalmers had done with the tower in a few days, the upgraded ship will certainly be nigh-unstoppable.

“Thank you!” Morning cried out while putting down her empty cup to hug Nigel’s armoured leg, much to his surprise. “You don’t know how much this means to me!”

“I can probably guess,” Chalmers chuckled. He was glad that he had managed to make her smile. Morning had been loyal to him and he enjoyed her company, the mare could hold her drink better than some a few of his friends in the military. “Just don’t go and ding it, I’m still attached to it.”

“I’ll try,” Morning answered, pulling away from his leg when she calmed down.

“Don’t worry,” Nigel responded before looking out at the sun rising into the sky. “I trust that you’ll do well. Anyway, it’s probably time that we went and fetched the rest of the brood.” Nigel placed his empty cup on the raised tray, Morning doing the same before the tray was lowered back into the floor. Turning back around, Morning noticed that Chalmers had a line of something on his right shoulder.

“You’ve got something on your shoulder,” Morning pointed out while getting up, Nigel glancing to his left before staring at his right. He remembered what it was, the small amount of saliva from when Chrysalis was leaning against him. He brushed it off with a hand, however his nose winkled in surprise and he lifted the hand to his nose.

He smelt cinnamon, almost like…

Chalmers stood up from his chair and quickly put that thought out of his mind, Swissy in his arms while Morning stared fearfully at the mag-lift door.

“I don’t want to go back down in that,” she whispered, memories of her terrible trip replaying in her mind.

“You won’t have to,” Nigel re-assured, his revelation forgotten. Morning sighed in relief before wondering how they were going to get down.

“Then how do we get out? That was the only way.”

“Nah,” Nigel casually dismissed. “We’ll take the teleporter instead.” Morning stared blankly at the Commander until the teleporter door opened and she was greeted with a glowing blue chamber.

“You can’t be serious,” she bluntly stated as she watched Nigel and Swissy enter it. Morning took note of the nymph closing her eyes and gripping Chalmers tightly, something that did not boost her confidence in the machine. “Why does your empire let you build all of these things?”

“They don’t,” Nigel remarked as he stood in the teleporter waiting for her. “Truth is, if I acted like a super-villain on a UIP planet and not some unknown backwater then I’d probably be court-martialled and shot.” Nigel’s face fell as he shuddered. “Or worse, mind wipe and re-assignment.” Morning decided that she could live with not finding out what a ‘mind wipe’ was, if it rattled the human so much then it must be horrible. As much as she hated the idea, this teleporter couldn’t be as bad as the lift, could it?

“Are you sure that it won’t hurt or go really fast?” Morning inquired as she inched closer to Commander.
“I’m sure, me and Swissy already took it up here and it works perfectly fine.”

Morning took a deep breath and hurried into the chamber, the door closing behind her and blocking all escape.

“So,” Morning asked while Nigel pressed the destination on a screen. “How does this one work?” Morning hoped that asking the question would help her calm down.

“Oh, I don’t know the specifics,” Chalmers answered as a blue glow built up. “All I know is that it turns us into tiny little atoms and ‘beams’ us down to another chamber. Our bodies are then re-constructed out of these atoms and everything is fine.” Morning’s face turned white, this was true madness. Nigel didn’t notice her fear however. “Fun fact, since you’re turned to molecules and your heart stops beating, you’re actually clinically dead for about a millisecond. Then you come back to ‘life’ when you’re re-constructed.” Morning froze, the mare beginning to hyperventilate.

“Let me out! Let me out!” she suddenly yelled as she banged on the door uselessly, before a bright blue flash returned the chamber to an empty state.

Chrysalis was sitting on the floor and watching the nymphs slowly wake up. She had woken up a few minutes before to find that Chalmers and Swissy had gone, Chrysalis surprised to find that she was resting against a pillow on the floor and not him. At first she feared that he had found out about her actions last night and stormed off, however when she had calmed down she came to the conclusion that Nigel taking Swissy for an early morning walk was more likely.

As a few of the youngsters rose and rubbed their eyes, Chrysalis reflected on how she felt about Chalmers’s attachment to the children. She hadn’t expected him to be the kind to do well with them as he was rather… unstable, after all. She was thankful that he was willing to spend time taking care of them though, Chrysalis couldn’t even imagine how she’d cope without it. He was also the sole source of food for them and her, the fact that he willingly provided it made things so much easier.

“Hmmm.”

Chrysalis looked to the noise, Sunflare’s chain clinking as she started to wake up. The mare was looking better, most of her bruises gone with only a few left. Her foreleg was still in a cast and the missing horn was a stark reminder of what had happened, Chrysalis was hopeful that the knight would come to forgive Chalmers for what he had done.

A look to the main bed revealed the still-sleeping form of Spyglass, the Equestrian stallion still snoring away with his legs cuffed together. Maybe hitting him, multiple times, was a bit over-the-top. Chrysalis hoped that she hadn’t done any permanent damage.
“Morning,” Sunflare greeted sleepily, Chrysalis turning to face the sitting mare.

“Morning,” Chrysalis replied as she watched the knight stretch out her limbs. Sunflare seemed to not be that concerned about her race and Chrysalis had noticed that the knight was fairly warm with her. It might be because Chrysalis had also been in the room with her and they had talked, Chrysalis having tried to take the unicorn’s mind off her missing horn whenever she got the chance.

“How’s Spyglass?” Sunflare inquired as she glanced at the sleeping pony. Chrysalis bit her lip, still a little ashamed at the beating she had given the poor stallion.

“He’s still sleeping and hasn’t said a word,” Chrysalis answered. “I think I hit him a little too hard, but he wouldn’t stop screaming.” Sunflare let out a small chuckle, Chrysalis surprised that the mare was able to do so considering her circumstance.

“He’s pretty strange,” the knight commented before looking back at Chrysalis and the nymphs gathered around her. “In is defence though, those, um-“

“Nymphs,” Chrysalis provided, Morning nodding her head at the information.

“Right, the nymphs did get pretty terrifying. No wonder my mother always reminds me of what a burden I was if all children are like that.” Chrysalis shifted awkwardly on her spot, her next question potentially about to ruin Sunflare’s good mood.

“You’re… happier today,” Chrysalis managed, Sunflare looking down at her chained hoof with a sad smile.

“I didn’t sleep well last night,” she informed Chrysalis. “I had a lot of time to think about things and I realised that it could be worse and I’m thankful for that but,” Sunflare gestured with her free hoof to her broken horn, a tear falling from her eye. “My horn is gone,” she strained out with effort. “It’s not going to grow back, everyone knows that unicorn horns don’t. I know that I could be dead right now, but still I feel so torn up about it. ”

“Maybe Chalmers will be able to fix it for you,” Chrysalis tried to reassure before Sunflare haltered her with a hoof.

“I doubt that your Captain will,” the unicorn responded, Chrysalis wincing when the mare said ‘Captain’ with a flinch. “Given how he doesn’t even seem to know about unicorns or ponies in general. I doubt he would anyway.”

“Sure he would!” Chrysalis defended. “I know he appears really evil but he’s not that bad!”

“He broke off my horn!” Sunflare spat, waking Spyglass and causing the nymphs to all huddle closer to Chrysalis.

“You tried to kill him in a duel!” Chrysalis yelled back, causing Sunflare to pause at the changeling’s intense response. “All because Platinum ordered you to do it after he kicked out that corrupt mayor! She was going to buy the nymphs to keep as pets and it was because of me that he even intervened! If I hadn’t begged him to save them then we’d be off in our ship and away from this town, so if anyone’s to blame it’s me!” Sunflare stared at the angry changeling, Chrysalis breathing heavily after her tirade. The unicorn lowered her head again, some of the changeling’s words getting to her.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Sunflare choked out with a sob. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just don’t know what to think about the past few days. My entire life, my title as knight, my aspirations has all come crashing down.” Sunflare sniffled while Spyglass and Chrysalis watched on with worry. “I’m even breaking the law right now, since the Princess banished me if I didn’t kill him.”

“Technically, since Chalmers took over this town isn’t part of Equestria anymore,” Chrysalis tried to joke. “That means that at least you aren’t breaking the law, that’s something.” Sunflare laughed softly, using her sheets to dry her tears,

“Thanks,” Sunflare replied softly. “Not just for trying to make me feel better, for everything you’ve done. Despite what you are, you’ve been pretty good to me. I just can’t forgive your Captain right now, no matter how much you want me to.” Chrysalis sighed. She guessed that at least it was better than nothing.

“That’s okay, I can understand why you’d feel that way.” Chrysalis leaned back against the wooden wall and rubbed her temples. “I haven’t been feeling great myself, with all these changes happening to me I don’t know what to do.” Sunflare nodded and her mood lifted a little at the reminder that the changeling was also going through a tough time. Spyglass decided that he should try cheering up Chrysalis, maybe it would get her to drop her guard and allow him to escape after freeing Sunflare.

“You don’t look that bad,” he spoke up from the bed, his grey hooves fidgeting in his cuffs. He drew the attention of the two females as well as the nymphs, Spyglass eyeing the young creatures warily. “I’m sure that if you told your Captain how you felt then he’d be happy to hear it, then you wouldn’t have to kiss him when he’s sleeping.” Spyglass got the hint that he had said the wrong thing when Chrysalis’s mouth dropped open, the changeling’s face flushed green while Sunflare looked at her oddly.

“You saw that?” Chrysalis replied shakily. Spyglass, reconsidering the wisdom in telling her that he had indeed woken up the previous night to witness her have her way with the sleeping Captain, nodded his head hesitantly.

“I did,” he confirmed. He shrieked and struggled when Chrysalis raced towards him, the changeling slamming her two forehooves down onto the mattress near his head.

“Don’t you dare tell him!” Chrysalis threatened with a low hiss.

“I won’t! I promise!” Spyglass blubbered out. Chrysalis stared at the scared pony and dropped back to the floor ashamed. She shook her head, her emotions were all out of whack and she didn’t know why she was so afraid of Chalmers’s finding out about her attraction.

“I thought he already knew?” Sunflare asked, puzzled. “I mean, you and him are pretty close. You’ve also got children so I thought-“

“They’re not ours by blood,” Chrysalis informed quickly. “When I said we saved them from the mayor, I wasn’t talking about rescuing them. They were on a trader’s ship so we rescued them, he didn’t even know that I was a changeling before then. He looks after them like they are his own and so do I, we’re really good friends and that’s all there is to it.”

“Except that you’re kissing him in his sleep,” Sunflare deadpanned. “I don’t like him, but even I think that you’ve got a problem if you’re going that far without talking to him.” Sunflare scanned over Chrysalis’s appearance, the unicorn taking note that the changeling looked a little taller than before. Chrysalis had her eyes facing the floor, staring at her two forehooves with a sorrowful expression. Sunflare felt a bit guilty, she liked the insect-looking creature and felt a little guilty.

“So those nymphs,” Sunflare continued with the intent of changing the subject as she pointed towards the nine small creatures nuzzling Chrysalis’s legs. “They seem to like him a lot.”

“Of course they do,” Chrysalis muttered. “Changelings feed off love and the Captain is very loving to them. He feeds and plays with them so I can see why they adore him.” The knowledge that changelings feed on love was new to Sunflare, she had not been paying attention during her sadness so she didn’t know a lot about the creatures.

“Oh,” she replied while Spyglass elected to stay silent, the assassin not wanting to risk Chrysalis’s wrath again. “You feed off him as well I assume?” Sunflare had an idea pop into head, an attempt to improve Chrysalis’s mood.

“Yes…” Chrysalis hesitantly answered while looking at Sunflare. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Well,” Sunflare began. “You already feed of his love, love which he gives you willingly. That’s a pretty big thing there, I don’t know any ponies that would let someone feed off them like that and I certainly wouldn’t.” As Chrysalis smiled at her thankfully, Sunflare realised what she had just said. “I still don’t like him though,” she added. “But if you do then I don’t care. I like you, Chrysalis, you’re a good person. Do what makes you happy and if that means telling him that you like him then go for it, far better than waiting around and never knowing if he would have said yes.”

“Thanks Sunflare,” Chrysalis acknowledged as she got up. While the changeling was walking over to give the knight a hug, Spyglass saw his chance. Rocking his body side to side, Spyglass edged towards the end of the bed and his planned freedom. As Chrysalis and Sunflare embraced, the Equestrian assassin completed his plan and his body left the bed to thump upon the floor. Before Chrysalis could turn around, Spyglass leapt up and tackled her unconscious, leaving him free to save Sunflare from captivity.

Or he would have, if it wasn’t for the small matter of the cuffs around his legs. Instead of leaping up and heroically saving the day, Spyglass floundered on the ground. Chrysalis, Sunflare and the nymphs watched on confused as the stallion rolled on the ground attempting to break free.

“Are you okay?” Chrysalis asked, concerned that Spyglass had fallen off the bed and hurt himself. Realising that his planned was foiled, Spyglass gave up and flopped down onto his side.

“I’m a prisoner of an insane biped who may or may not kill me before the end of the week. My ruler wants me dead and I’m trapped in a cabin with a group of changeling children who could be weaponised after they eat food. How is any of that okay?” Chrysalis and Sunflare didn’t have an answer for that. Spyglass huffed and closed his eyes, the stallion not noticing the figures approaching him until it was too late.

With a wet lick, one of the nymphs ran her little red tongue across Spyglass’s snout, much to the amusement of Sunflare and Chrysalis. The unicorn on the ground opened his eyes and was met by a pair of bright blue orbs, the nymph’s name tag indicating that it was called ‘Cupid’. Spyglass’s eyes bugged out as he noticed that the nymph was not alone, the other eight chirping as they crowded him and began to nuzzle against him.

“Help me!” Spyglass cried out desperately as one nymph placed it’s forelegs on his head and began to chew on the tape-covered horn playfully. Chrysalis and Sunflare laughed as they watched the stricken unicorn panic over a group of children. “Don’t just stand there!” Spyglass continued. “Help me!”

“What have we just walked into?”

All play, laughter and screaming stopped, everyone turning to look at the cabin door. Standing in the doorway was Chalmers with Swissy in his arms. Morning and four members of the crew, three Earth pony stallions and a unicorn mare were outside waiting. Nigel was looking down at Spyglass with confusion, the nymphs immediately leaving Spyglass to race towards him as Swissy excitedly chattered from her position up against Nigel’s chest.

“Oh,” Chrysalis started with a glance towards Sunflare. “Spyglass just fell off the bed and we were going to help him up.” Chrysalis noticed that Nigel was looking at her strangely. While it could be because he knew that she was lying, Chrysalis dreaded that he had somehow found out about what she had done.

“You look a little taller,” was all Chalmers said, Chrysalis glancing down to see that the floor did look higher up.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Chrysalis responded with a nervous glance towards Sunflare. After getting a nod from the mare, Chrysalis looked back towards Nigel as Morning walked in beside him. The First Mate looked like she had seen a ghost, her face pale and her legs shaking. “What happened to you?” Chrysalis asked, keen to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“Devil machines,” Morning warned, trembling with fright. Chrysalis was shocked that the normally stony First Mate was shaken like this. Nigel placed Swissy down on the ground, the nymph joining the others who were swarming around Nigel’s legs.

“Ignore Sparkle,” Chalmers advised while patting the mare on the head. “She didn’t like the lift or the teleporter.” Chrysalis perked up at this, her eyes shining with curiosity.

“Lift and teleporter?” Chalmers seemed to snap out of his thoughts with her question, a smile coming to life on his face.

“You heard that right, the Tower is complete.” With a wave to the crew outside, Nigel bent down and scooped five of the nymphs up in his arms. All five immediately grabbed onto his arms and held on, Chalmers looking over the surprised occupants of the room. “What are you waiting for? We have a new base to move onto.”

“Princess Platinum? Please come out. Morning Court started hours ago and ponies are waiting for you! The nobles are beginning to talk about how you’re unfit to rule!”

Clover was sitting next to Platinum’s door, trying to reason with the ruler to leave her quarters and attend to her worried subjects. After the… ‘attack’ of the biped the previous day, the Princess had been almost catatonic. Platinum had immediately rushed to her room and locked the door, Clover figuring that she was embarrassed that she had been kissed by the monster in such a forward way.

Clover had spent the entire night next to Platinum’s door trying to get her to open up, not a word in reply from the Princess. The situation with the nobility was getting worrying with one stallion in particular, Duke Sombra, advocating for the forced removal of Platinum and the installation of a new ruler who could defend the country against pirate and monster attacks. Normally Clover would dismiss it as the typical political scheming of the nobility, but with war against the Pegasi looming and the recent attack, Sombra was fast gaining supporters.

“Princess, open up! The nobility are threatening to revolt!” Clover tried desperately again to sway Platinum again, beating her green hooves against the strong wooden door.

Inside the lavish bedroom, Clover’s warnings fell on deaf ears. Platinum was curled up in a ball on her four-poster bed with a purple cushion grasped in her hooves. The kiss from the Monster had struck her deeply, Platinum never experiencing anything like it. She had always focused on ruling and nothing else, none of her royal training or education preparing her for the shock of the event.

Or for the terrible feeling of enjoyment and guilt combined together that had stayed with her since the kiss and plagued her endlessly.
Whether it was the kiss itself or the feeling of having no control over it Platinum didn’t know, what she did know was that she wanted more of it. A want which made her hate herself for lusting after a non-unicorn and an enemy of her country as well. She hugged her pillow tighter while replaying the moment in the throne room again and again in her mind. She was dead to all external stimuli, including Clover’s desperate warnings.

“Princess!” Clover tried one last time before the clanking of armoured hooves sounded from behind her and forced her to turn around.

“Get away from the door, Advisor Clover.” The dark-grey stallion that had given her the order, the young Lord Sombra, glared at her with his orange eyes as he emerged from the corridor. A group of armoured unicorns behind him moved towards her, their grey armour and spears causing Clover to gulp.

“You can’t do this,” Clover replied fearfully. “I know that Princess Platinum’s been acting strange after the attack but she’ll get better!” Sombra shook his head, sighing as he adjusted his red suit and coat with his magic.

“Your loyalty is commendable, however why you remain so loyal to a ruler that punishes you for her own insecurities I don’t understand.” Sombra almost seemed sorry as he raised a hoof towards her. “It matters not, the nobility have agreed that I will make the better ruler and there is nothing stopping me. Guards, arrest her.” Clover tried to run but the guards were too quick, a stallion and two mares holding her down with their horns glowing bright. She tried to cast a stun spell but a blow to the back of her head dazed her, allowing one of the guards to slip a nullifying ring over her horn.

Lord Sombra tutted as he watched the guards secure the Princess’s advisor. It had taken a lot of threats and bribes to secure the support of the other nobles but he had done it. At twenty years of age he was the youngest ruler in unicorn history, Platinum herself coming a close second with her age of twenty-five. Waiting until Clover was dragged to the side, Sombra nodded his head towards the four guards levitating a wooden ram between them.

With a thud the ram impacted the door, jolting the wooden barrier and causing cracks to appear on the strained wood. Sombra watched as the guards prepared for another strike, the loyalty of the military secured thanks to his late father’s respected servitude as a general in the Griffon wars.

“Heave!” the guard sergeant called out, as the mare and her three subordinates moved the ram back again. When it reached the apex of its arc, the simple ram swung forward again and crashed against the door, busting it open with a crash. The ram was dropped and the guards burst into the room. The sounds of a scuffle were overlaid with muffled screaming, soon the guards returning with a gagged and tied Platinum levitating between them.

Sombra stared at the Princess, a slight smile crossing his face as she glared down at him hatefully. Her crown had been knocked off, allowing her silver mane to fall around her face. The Lord had to admit that she was quite beautiful, however he was unable to offer her the position of his queen as he needed her for something else. That something was what every successful change of power needs.

“Should we take her to the dungeons, King Sombra?” the Sergeant asked as she wrapped her blue hoof around her spear, her yellow magic busy helping to hold Platinum. Sombra shook his head, his plan firmly laid in his mind.

“No Sergeant,” he began. “The former Princess has allowed pirates and monsters to plague our nation, even going so far to invade the castle itself. With full-scale war on the horizon and the weakness that Platinum has allowed to fester, we are woefully unprepared. In addition to her sordid actions with an enemy of the state, she has also failed to rule in a time of need. For her crimes against the country she is to be publicly executed as soon as possible so that all can see the end of the weakness.”

Platinum tried to talk but the gag rendered her hurried speech into incomprehensible gibberish. She flailed her bound legs but nothing was achieved, the guards leaving the corridor and heading to the throne room with her in tow. Clover tried to speak up to defend the Princess, despite her faults and treatment towards others she didn’t deserve death. She was silenced with a sad look from Sombra however, something about the stallion’s apologetic gaze setting off alarm bells in her head.

“I’m sorry, Clover the Clever,” Sombra stated as he nodded to the guards holding her down. Clover found herself raised to her hooves with a spear head poking at her cloak-covered rump threateningly. Sombra walked towards her and peered into her scared eyes. “As Platinum’s Advisor, many of the nobility believe that you share responsibility for the failings of the former Princess. As such a condition of their support was that you shared her sentence.” Clover’s heart dropped, the unicorn devastated at what he was telling her.

“You’re going to execute me?” she whispered fearfully, Sombra nodding in confirmation.

“I’m afraid so, once again sorry about it. I personally doubt that Platinum ever listened to you and I admire your efforts with attempting to unite the tribes, but politics is politics. The verdict is final, you served your ruler loyally and you will die with her loyally.” Clover couldn’t find the strength to reply or fight back as she was dragged out of the corridor like Platinum, the unicorn stunned by sorrow.

Sombra gave a final, pitiful look towards Clover before he shook his head and glanced inside the wrecked bedroom, soon to be his after it had been cleaned up. Oh, and he was going to replace the purple bedding and decorations with red and black, his family colours.

“King Sombra,” he muttered as he turned to head back to the throne room. “For some reason it just sounds… right.”

“Don’t you think that you’ve overdone it?”

Chrysalis was sitting down and looking at the large holo-map that was floating in the air beside Nigel’s command chair. As the nymphs ran around the room investigating the strange objects and smells, Chrysalis and Morning had sat down on cushions and watched as Chalmers went about his business. He had claimed that he had to check a few things before he could show them their new rooms.

“Of course not,” Nigel replied haughtily as he scanned over the list of active weapon systems. “I haven’t even built the nuclear silos yet, let alone the anti-matter cannon.” Chrysalis sighed and lay down, she didn’t even know why she bothered to ask. “Besides,” continued Nigel, “Morning needs some time to recover so I may as well organise some new construction.”

Chrysalis looked to the left, Morning still mumbling about ‘Demon machines’ as she drank her third cup of tea. Tea that had somehow come out of the floor, with milk and sugar as well. Chrysalis was not going to even get started on how strange that was, considering Nigel had made a gigantic tower and underground base in under a week she assumed that a tea set wasn’t a big deal. Speaking of Nigel, he showed no signs of knowing about her kiss so maybe the stare earlier was just her imagination.

“We still need some extra stuff, you know that mag-lift we travelled up in?” Chrysalis nodded, unlike Morning, she and the nymphs had enjoyed the ride up. Morning however had refused to get in, until Nigel solved the problem by passing the nymphs over the Chrysalis and grabbing the First Mate in his arms. Morning had been too shocked to continue fighting until she was in the lift and it was too late. “Well, I was thinking of making trap ones, you know, a spy tries to get in and it turns out that the lift he picked actually is designed to flood with nerve gas. It’s the small touches like that which are needed in everyday life.”

“Um,” Chrysalis started, Nigel nodding as he waved a hand.

“Yes, I just realised that death-lifts filled with nerve gas are a little unfeasible,” Nigel conceded. Chrysalis let out a relieved breath at the news that he was not going to pursue that line of defence. “Nerve gas is so… messy,” Nigel dashed her hopes as he continued. “Maybe we’ll go with nitrogen asphyxiation instead. Not as fun, but at least you don’t get scratch marks on the walls and dissolved organs on your floor.”

“No!” Morning shouted out, startling Chrysalis and the nymphs. Nigel and Chrysalis looked towards Morning, the mare staring up at Chalmers with fear in her eyes. “They’re bad enough already,” she whispered while gazing down into her tea, before draining the last in the cup. Hurriedly she reached out to pour another, Nigel grabbing the cup out of her magic field and shaking his head at her.

“You’ve had enough tea I think, Morning,” Nigel commented as he placed the cup on the tray and lowered it into the floor. Morning looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.

“But I need it,” she begged. “I need to take my mind off those things-“ Morning trailed off as Chalmers’s hand started to rub her head, the mare going ramrod straight.

“Huh, didn’t think that would work,” Nigel commented as he continued to pet Morning like a dog, which was very amusing for Chrysalis. The nymphs also noticed and rushed over for their turn, Chalmers chuckling as he alternated a head rub for each one. “Now I know it works for you, we’re going to have to set up a play-pen or something so you all don’t go running around like mad-things in the middle of a war.”

“Will that really fit in?” Chrysalis pointed out, Nigel shrugging in response.

“We’ll make it all spikey or covered with skulls or something. We do need something to keep them contained.” Chrysalis nodded, now that she thought about it the idea would give her some breathing room during the day. Mothering them was rewarding but tiring at the same time.

“Or we could just call it an evil-sounding name?” Chrysalis suggested, not being too keen on imprisoning the nymphs within a spiked prison. Nigel’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, the human rubbing his hands together gleefully.

“Yes, we could call it the ‘Nympharium’ and throw in tied up prisoners after giving evil monologues, brilliant idea Chrissy!” Morning groaned and flopped to the floor, Chalmers’s fingers having found the back of her ears. They were withdrawn as the mag-lift beeped, the door opening. “Speaking of prisoners,” Nigel continued as Spyglass was herded in by two stallions, his cuffs gone with standard chains in their place. “Welcome to my tower, Spyglass and crew.”

“Wow,” was all Spyglass had to say as he and the two crew looked at the view. “And I thought that the metal box did nothing.” Nigel and Chrysalis shared a laugh at the unicorn’s child-like look, the failed-assassin flushing red and looking down at his hooves. Another three ponies walked out of the large lift, a mare and stallion wheeling in Sunflare, who was seated upon a wheelchair that Nigel had ‘borrowed’ from the local healer.

“Never again,” Sunflare muttered as her two crewmembers joined their fellows in examining the room with awe. “That machine is a death-trap.”

“Would you prefer the teleporter?” Nigel asked with a smile, a smile that faltered a little when he received a blank look from Sunflare.

“I don’t know what that is,” Sunflare replied emotionlessly, Chrysalis shooting her a disappointed look which cowed the unicorn.

“No,” Morning mumbled out while down lying face-first in a pillow. “He said that it kills you every time you use it and then brings you back to life.” Chrysalis looked at Chalmers with shock after Morning pointed an accusing hoof at him.

“You took Swissy in there!” she yelled. “Nigel, what were you thinking!?” Chalmers held his hands out before he plucked the scared nymph up from her siblings around his chair, the changelings huddling around him as Chrysalis angrily questioned him.

“Chrissy, calm down,” Nigel replied while holding Swissy out towards her with his hands around her torso. “See, she’s fine. Morning only mis-interpreted what I said, all I meant was that your body gets turned to energy and your heart stops beating for a small amount of time. I used teleporters all the time and look at me, perfectly fine.”

Chrysalis had gone still, her face frozen in shock. Swissy giggled at her and tried to touch her face with her stubby forelegs, the nymphs quickly getting over their terror and returning to their normal, chirpy mood. Sunflare snorted, Nigel glancing at her before bringing Swissy back to his chest. The nymph moved her forelegs around his neck and rubbed her face against his chin affectionately.

“See, would I ever endanger them?” Chalmers asked while returning Swissy’s gesture, much to the nymph’s enjoyment. Chrysalis sighed and laid back down on the floor. Despite his faults and disregard for the lives of others, she did believe that Nigel wouldn’t wilfully endanger her, Morning or the nymphs.

“No,” Chrysalis replied. “I can give you that much.” Nigel’s triumphant grin at Chrysalis’s agreement that he was right disappeared at the second part.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, Chrysalis about to reply before Morning spoke up from her spot.

“Just kiss already,” she muttered while sitting up and stretching her neck. “Maybe then he’d keep his hands to you and not go and rub the heads of others.” Chrysalis was shocked at Morning’s joke, the First Mate unknowingly hitting fairly close to home. Nigel however was shocked for a different reason.

“You don’t like my head rubs?” he questioned, hurt evident in his voice. Swissy hugged him tighter and chattered at him, sensing the food-provider’s mood. Morning seemed to have recovered from her fear of the lift and teleporter, the mare shaking her head as the four normal crew members watched their leaders’ interactions with interest.

“It was great,” Morning complimented before her brows furrowed. “I just don’t like to be touched, something from my foalhood.”
An uncomfortable silence descended over the room, everyone interpreting Morning’s information differently.

“So,” Spyglass spoke up to break the silence. “Can you let me go now?”

“Not quite,” Nigel chuckled as he removed Swissy from around his neck and placed her in his lap, glad that the stallion had changed the subject. “I do have something a little better than chains and cuffs though.” Spyglass’s hopes soared, maybe this new method of captivity would allow him to escape. “Bring him forward.”

The four crew members snapped out of their thoughts, quickly bringing Spyglass towards Chalmers. He didn’t resist, Nigel leaning around his chair to rummage around behind it. “Got it,” he announced, holding up a plain silver collar in the air with victory. Swissy and the other nymphs chirped as they saw the collar, some of them glancing down at their own. Spyglass’s face dropped, he hadn’t been expecting a collar.

“That’s it?” he asked, flinching as the human pulled back his hood to reveal his coal-black mane. Spyglass gulped as the collar was fastened around his neck, a malicious set of red lights coming to life when Chalmers pressed a button.

“It is,” Nigel confirmed, the crew unshackling Spyglass after a nod. The Equestrian spy stretched his legs as soon as he was free, finding the collar surprisingly comfortable.

“So this thing tracks me with magic?” Spyglass casually asked, secretly trying to contain his excitement at his new freedom.

“Not quite,” Nigel followed up. “It does track you, but if you try to escape the explosives in the collar detonate and blow your head clean off.” Suddenly, Spyglass’s knew collar felt a lot less comfortable than before. “Oh yes,” Nigel continued upon seeing Spyglass’s horrified face. “You leave the town and you blow up. You try to harm me, my friends or my family and one thought from me blows you up. You fart without saying ‘excuse me’ and you blow up, get the picture?”

Spyglass nodded dumbly, the Equestrian really wishing that he had just kept the chains instead of the exploding collar.

“Don’t be so down chum,” Nigel commented as he put Swissy down on the ground to pick up another nymph, Shade. “You’ll only die by explosive collar if I desire it, so relax.” Spyglass broke out of his trance and glared at Nigel while the human patted Shade.

“You put a bomb around my neck,” Spyglass responded hotly.

“None of that,” Nigel jumped in while pointing a finger. “You can’t whinge about potential death when you’re in this predicament because you tried to kill me.” Chalmers looked towards Sunflare, the mare turning away to gaze out over the town silently. Spyglass followed her example, using his freed legs he walked towards the far right side and sat down on the cool metal.

“Bit harsh, Nigel,” Chrysalis whispered. Chalmers sighed and sat back in his chair, Shade snuggling against his armoured stomach with a content chirp. The rest of the nymphs headed straight to Morning and Chrysalis, the adult changeling welcoming them with hugs and murmurs.

Morning was not so receptive of the attention, the mare shuddering as small muzzles poked her flanks and changelings ran around her in circles. She didn’t mind them because they were changelings, Chalmers was far more weird and scary after all, but she didn’t have a good track record with children. Eventually they stopped poking her and just laid down against her, something that Morning could tolerate for the time being.

“Whatever,” Chalmers replied with a huff as he continued to pat Shade. “Let’s just watch some Equestria TV, be thankful for telescopic lenses and relax.” Chrysalis was about to ask what ‘Equestria TV’ was but Nigel pressed a few buttons on his left armrest and his chair swivelled towards the direction that the Equestrian Capitol was in before she could get any words out. “Thank you for your time crew members, record your names in the book at the exit and I’ll give you some extra pay.” The four crew eagerly left the room via the lift, Morning giving them a worried glance before turning back to join Chrysalis and Nigel in watching the window.

Spyglass and the nymphs also looked at the screen as a red rectangle popped into view, rows of foreign symbols running down the sides of the ‘window’.

“And zoom in,” Nigel muttered as he pressed another set of buttons on a holographic display floating at his side. The rectangle soon filled the entire screen, everyone watching gasping in amazement as a bustling city with a castle came into view. “A bit more,” Nigel said with another set of commands entered into the screen. The image zoomed in more, revealing the castle in all its glory.

Grey spires extended into the sky, banners fluttering in the breeze while the courtyard bustled with activity. Nigel eyed the many windows facing them, a grin forming on his face as he turned to Spyglass.

“Hey, Spyglass,” he addressed, breaking the stallion out of his awe. “What do you say about us finding Platinum’s bedroom and peeking in?”

“What!?” Spyglass questioned excitedly. “You can do that!?” He turned around and was met with judgmental looks from Morning, Chrysalis and Sunflare. “Well, she’s a bitch but she’s also very pretty,” he defended. “Besides, he’s the one that suggested it,” Spyglass pointed an accusing hoof at Nigel who shrugged in response.

“But we expect such things from Chalmers,” Morning replied. “You on the other hoof I thought would be more proper, since you worked for her.” Spyglass childishly stuck his tongue out at her and turned back eagerly to the screen while Nigel leaned forward and tried to pick a window.

“Which one?” Nigel muttered to himself as he touched another button that caused a control stick to pop up from the right arm rest. Everyone watched on as he browsed the available windows, Chrysalis interrupting him as she spotted a sight in the courtyard.

“Wait,” she said while pointing a hoof towards the bottom-left corner. “Something’s happening in the courtyard.” Nigel glanced down and moved the rectangle to cover the area mentioned, another few commands enlarging the view and revealing an interesting sight.

A crowd of Equestrians, all clothed in simple cloth or rags were gathered around a large wooden platform. Guards armoured in grey metal were everywhere, all of them unicorns wielding spears and crossbows. On the platform itself was a simple wooden block, a pony wearing a black hood and cloak standing beside it while sharpening a large axe. Nigel almost chuckled at the cliché image, but remembered that he was viewing it all from a gigantic black tower so he wasn’t one to complain about stereotypes.

“Someone’s about to get executed, I wonder what they did to Platinum this time,” Sunflare spoke up. Spyglass shivered, remembering that he had been threatened with the same punishment.

“Some peasant probably looked at her wrong,” he supplied, Sunflare shaking her head.

“Despite the rumours, Platinum hasn’t ordered executions just for that,” the knight answered. “It must be a murderer or maybe one of the nobles tried to overthrow her at last.” Nigel was more focused on the axe, the nymph in his lap staring at the screen with interest.

“You still do beheadings?” he inquired, all the ponies furrowing their brows while Chrysalis was trying not to look at the upcoming execution.

“Of course we do,” Morning replied. “What other executions are there?” Nigel sat back in his chair and started to list known methods off on his fingers.

“Well, there’s lethal injection, firing squad, hanging, electrocution, inert gas asphyxiation, nerve gas, burning at the stake, drowning, death by one-thousand cuts, garrotting, having molten gold poured down your throat, beating, stoning, being buried alive-“

“We get the point!” Chrysalis interrupted with her hooves over her ears. Nigel stopped and turned around to Spyglass, the human gesturing for the spy come closer. Spyglass seemed hesitant but relented, moving next to the Commander’s chair.

“Spyglass,” Nigel whispered so the females in the room wouldn’t overhear, the Equestrian cocking an ear. “Do you think Chrysalis’s mood swings are… odd? That time of the month?” Spyglass glanced to the changeling, Chrysalis on the floor with her hooves still covering her ears.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied softly. “I didn’t even know what a changeling was until a day ago. What is a ‘time of the month’ anyway?” Chalmers sighed before placing his hands over Shade’s ears.

“You know,” he hissed. “It’s when a female gets really emotional and scary for a week or so. Don’t mares have that?”

Spyglass coughed awkwardly while the other ponies continued to watch the screen. “Uh… as far as I know they only have Equis, and they don’t get angry, just…promiscuous. It could be different for changelings though, they’re not exactly ponies.”

“Ah,” Nigel nodded. “Well that answers that then. Guess I’ll have to figure out what’s making her so… different.” Spyglass shifted uncomfortably, he knew exactly why Chrysalis was acting strange around him but his fear of her threats was preventing him from telling the human. Instead he tried to think of another suggestion.

“Maybe it’s because of her body changing, or the nymphs?” Spyglass imputed, loud enough that Morning overheard and turned her head towards them. “I mean, who knows how changelings cope with that, maybe she’s just fitting into the role of a ‘queen’ or whatever it was because of the nymphs. I don’t know. I’ve only heard Morning and Chrysalis talking about it.”

“That could be it,” Nigel agreed with a nod as he gave Shade an affectionate scratch behind the ears. “Change seems to be something that they are adapted to, they do call themselves changelings after all.” Spyglass hummed in agreement as he turned away back to the screen.

“They’re not very inventive are they…” Nigel didn’t notice the stallion trail off, the human furrowing his brows as he stared at him.

“Your name is Spyglass and you’re a spy,” Chalmers replied, not noticing Spyglass’s shock or open mouth thanks to his own confusion.

“Princess Platinum,” Sunflare breathed out, Nigel rotating in his chair to look towards the knight.

“I highly doubt that,” he commented as he shook his head at the strange idea. “Princess Platinum is not a stallion that I am holding prisoner-“

“Not him!” Sunflare snapped before she pointed her uninjured foreleg at the ‘window’. “Princess Platinum is the one about to get executed!” Chalmers whirled back around to the screen, Shade letting out a surprised chirp as he was shaken with the rapid movement. Nigel leaned forward and stared at the screen, seeing that Platinum was indeed in the picture.

The Princess was in a sorry state, he couldn’t see clearly at this zoom level but what appeared to be tear trails were running down her face. The fact that she was bound in chains, gagged with a white cloth and surrounded by armoured guards also tipped him off that she was not having a good time. A grey unicorn stallion appeared to be making a speech while Platinum was dragged to the chopping block, Nigel noticing Platinum’s crown upon his head.

Following Platinum was the green unicorn that Nigel remembered as ‘Clover’, also bound and gagged. He wondered what Clover had done as he watched the scene. Platinum was unlikeable, although fun to fluster, but Chalmers couldn’t work out why Clover was also for the chop. She didn’t seem that threatening when he had paid his visit to the castle.

“That’s Duke Sombra,” Spyglass muttered in awe. “There were rumours that he was aiming for more power in the court but I didn’t think that he would overthrow the Princess!” Nigel focused on Sombra while lifting Shade down to the floor, the human already having made up his mind.

“It looks like he’s got pretty much everyone on his side,” Nigel observed as the crowd and guards appeared to burst into applause. “What do you know about him?”

“His father, Richenhoof, was a general in the army and a very powerful stallion in the court,” Spyglass informed with his eyes still glued to the screen. “Sombra himself was one of the nobles that Platinum was keeping tabs on, he’s charming but there are rumours that he is cold and cruel to most ponies. He likes power and he was always aiming for more.” Spyglass shifted in his spot. “He’s gotten his wish, more power than anyone else.”

“Why are they executing her?” Chrysalis asked, the changeling disturbed by the scene playing out on the window. All the nymphs must have felt her distress, the small creatures running over towards her from Nigel and Morning. Nigel stood up from his chair and ensured that his helmet was on tight, everyone looking at him while Chrysalis was swarmed with nuzzles.

“First rule of seizing power,” Nigel recounted as he checked his suit’s systems. “Dispose of the previous ruler publicly so that everyone can see that you have overcome them. This crushes ideas of further rebellion to re-install the disposed ruler and is a symbol that the old way is gone forever with no chance of returning.”

“You’re not seriously,” Morning began, her eyes widening as she figured out Nigel’s intentions.

“I am,” Chalmers replied as he turned towards the teleporter. “I am going to rescue me a Princess.” Chalmers paused. “Oh, and Clover as well,” he added as he remembered the unicorn. Chrysalis’s mind was full of befuddlement at the revelation that Nigel was intending to save his enemy, the mare that had ordered him to be killed, twice. She didn’t have time to ask why he wanted to save her, Morning jumping in with a question more likely to get a comprehendible answer.

“How do you expect to get there?” Morning asked incredulously, not even bothering to try and work out why Nigel was going. “It’s at least a day’s march and from the looks of it you’ve only got half-an-hour at most?” Nigel pointed both thumbs towards his chest, armour re-covering his hands while he grinned under his helmet.

“Relax,” Nigel reassured as he entered the teleporter. “I’m Nigel M Chalmers, I know what I’m doing.” With that the door shut behind him, a blue glow signalling his exit from the building. Everyone looked up as a muffled whine sounded above them before it developed into a full roar. Chrysalis and Morning watched Nigel fly towards the castle with blank looks while Sunflare and Spyglass, not knowing about his jetpack, stared at the flying human with astonishment.

“He really doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Chrysalis muttered from her spot on the floor with the nymphs around her. Morning moved towards her, despite her apprehension around the young changelings. With a foreleg she began to pat Chrysalis on the back, Morning having noticed that the changeling was more stressed than usual. While Chrysalis looked up at her thankfully, Morning glanced towards the window.

In his haste to be a hero, Nigel had forgotten to turn the image of the stage off and the scene was still playing for all to see.

“… and it is for these crimes against our country that the sentence of death is needed! These two mares have ruined all that we worked for, all that a good unicorn society strives for!” As Sombra spoke, shouts of approval rang out from the unicorns in the crowd, the earth ponies at the back a little less excited at the prospect of a good unicorn society. Platinum’s head was bowed, the mare having given up trying to prevent her demise. Clover was still searching the crowd, trying to find anyone who would save her from the unjust punishment. Unfortunately for her, no one spoke up.

“I urge anyone to speak up if they have a reason that Platinum here should be spared,” Sombra continued as he walked back and forwards across the stage. “I will hold no ill-will against them, in fact I encourage you to speak!” Platinum looked up, hope shining in her tear-soaked eyes as she looked out at the crowd that could hold her salvation. Her hopes were dashed when not a single pony spoke up, instead she was met with hated glares and calls for her blood.

Gone were the compliments, the respect and the feeling of importance, having been replaced with insults, contempt and shame. Platinum realised a terrible truth at that moment as the crowd booed her and the executioner finished sharpening his axe, a truth that shattered what was left of her self-esteem.

She was hated. She was hated by everyone.

“No-one?” Sombra confirmed with a raised eyebrow, the King stopping at the side of the stage so that everyone had a clear sight of Platinum. “No-one has anything to say in her defence?”

He was met with nods from everyone, the crowd having fallen silent when questioned. Sombra didn’t show it, but the lack of support for Platinum pleased him. These fools were eating up everything he was saying, peasants and nobles alike wallowing in ignorance. Now he can craft Equestria into the world-dominating empire that it could be. He was going to keep the name, probably the only change that, in his opinion, Platinum didn’t mess up. There was one other matter that still needed to be addressed.

“What about Clover the Clever, who played a role in the unification of the tribes?” Clover sniffled, despite the circumstances the mentions her efforts those years ago may sway the crowd to release her.

“That worked well, with the Pegasi at the doorstep!” a stallion called out from the back of the crowd. He was soon joined by many others, earth ponies and unicorns alike calling out Clover as a fraud. Clover sighed in defeat, what was she supposed to do? She was one pony among thousands.

“You are right!” Sombra agreed, with his earlier pity for Clover over-ridden by the chance to secure more devotion from his subjects. “The Pegasi are knocking at the door, Platinum and Clover would have let them come inside!” The crowd booed again, a few rotten tomatoes and carrots tossed at the pair before Sombra halted it with a glare. “Don’t fight them!” he commanded while pointing at Platinum and Clover. “We have far more vicious enemies to face.”

Sombra paused and nodded to the guards holding Platinum, a prod of a spear driving her forward to the block. The crowd waited with baited breath as Sombra turned back around, the guards forcing Platinum’s head onto the block. One of them pulled her mane to the side and let it drop down on her right, leaving her neck exposed for the executioner.

“The Pegasi!” Sombra continued on as he rode the power of popularity. “With the death of the traitors we will be stronger!” As Sombra spat the word ‘traitors’, the crowd began to chant his new title and name repeatedly. The executioner lifted his axe in his magical grasp, a light tap on Platinum’s neck lining up his stroke as the axe glinted in the sunlight. The blade was raised, the executioner waiting for the signal that Sombra had arranged.

“A new age awaits us!” Sombra declared with gusto. “This axe stroke will signal the end of the weakness, and the beginning of strength! None shall stand in our way! Not Pegasi! Not Pirates and certainly not petty Monsters! Prepare for an Equestria you can be proud to call your home!”

Sombra didn’t signal the executioner to end Platinum’s life immediately. The King was far too engrossed in bowing to his cheering subjects to worry about such a trivial thing.

What he couldn’t ignore however was the Monster from the attack on the throne room materialising out of thin air in the sky, at least fifty pony-lengths up from the ground.

The crowd gasped and screamed at the sight, the Monster covered in fire and somehow speeding towards the castle with speed rivalling the fastest pegasi. Sombra watched on, more in confusion than fear, as the flying Monster impacted against the stone castle head-first. The executioner lowered his axe and stared at the sight along with everyone in the courtyard, the crunch that sounded causing a few to wince.

The Monster plummeted like a stone, the burning black body smacking against the wooden stage and causing the supports to groan in protest. Guards backed away nervously as the creature groaned and rose up, many of them remembering their last encounter with the creature.

“Note to self,” Nigel muttered loudly while running a hand down his face, seemingly to himself but the entire crowd could hear. “Do not attempt to teleport while flying with the jetpack.” He groaned and stood all the way up, glancing over towards the block and finding that Platinum was alive and staring at him with an unnerving look.

Nigel spotted Sombra standing to the side, the crown-toting stallion glaring at him. Chalmers guessed that the pony was not too keen about having the execution ruined by his arrival. Nigel held a hand out for a shake, not noticing the flames licking across the surface of his armour.

“Sombra I assume, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Nigel frowned when the stallion didn’t even move, Sombra just staring at him. “Oh come on,” Nigel complained. “Have some politeness.”

“It’s not my lack of politeness that is the issue, creature,” Sombra replied with a growl. “Your moronic ploy to set me on fire like yourself is not going to work.” Nigel looked down at his burning hand for the first time, the high-speed impact against the wall having confused him despite his helmet’s protection.

“Oh, I’m on fire,” Nigel stated dreamily before he snapped out of his daze in alarm. “Oh shit, I’m on Bloody fire!” Sombra backpedalled in alarm and fell onto his rump at the edge of the stage as Chalmers dropped and rolled in an attempt to douse the flames, the human forgetting that his armour was fireproof and the flames would do no damage at all.

After a few moments of frantic rolling the fire was extinguished, Nigel standing back up before brushing himself off.

“Now that the fire is out, where were we?” he asked with a wave of his hands. “Oh right, the execution. Now, we have a small problem Sombra,” Nigel walked over and picked up the stunned Platinum, placing her under his arm. “I care little for your power changes. After all, before the month is out I plan to have you all praising my name like a god. What I do care about, however, is people spoiling my fun.” Clover was next to be picked up, he guards not doing anything as Nigel nestled her under his other arm. The chains around both mares clinked as Chalmers turned back to face Sombra.

“Now, Platinum is bitch,” Platinum didn’t react as Nigel expected. Instead of a rage-filled insult all he got was a blank stare. “Sorry Plats, but it’s true,” he continued before looking back at Sombra. “Despite that, she was pretty fun to annoy so I’m taking her with me.” Sombra raised a hoof and was about to ask if the Monster was serious but Nigel stopped him with a hand raise. “My Question first, why did you decide to execute Clover? She seems like a nice pony.” Clover was still in shock, the advisor dead to the world as she dangled in his grasp.

“The nobility demanded it,” Sombra explained coldly. “If it takes her death along with Platinum’s to become King then I have no problems with it. They are also the ones that allowed you to take a town from us.” Chalmers nodded, he could understand that way of thinking.

“Eh, decent reasons I guess,” he replied with a shrug. “Still, as stated previously, I kind of want to keep them around for a little longer. So having you kill them is not part of my plan.” Nigel looked behind him, checking that his jetpack was undamaged from fall. “Better not set me on fire again,” he muttered quietly. Sombra stared at him in disbelief as the crowd and guards echoed the King’s reaction. The more skittish of the ponies had already bolted for home, only a handful of the citizens left.

“You’re insane,” Sombra growled with narrowed eyes. “You think that you can just come in and steal my two prisoners from me? It’s monsters like you that have weakened our race, and I won’t let you have your way with our ideals any more. Platinum’s rule is over,” Sombra stood up, neither he nor Nigel noticing the smouldering wood where Chalmers had landed. “Equestria is ruled by me now, and I won’t let you bully us into becoming your playthings!”

“Sombra, buddy,” Nigel replied. “It’s not like that at all… actually it is, but that’s not the point. Face it, I could just waltz in with an army in a week’s time and take over with force, but listen to my offer.” Chalmers lifted the arm holding Platinum. “Same deal I offered Platinum here. You surrender the country to me and I’ll let you keep the castle. That’s fair.” Sombra scoffed at the terms, the King noticing that the executioner was sneaking up behind the monster while he was distracted.

“I’ll never surrender to you,” Sombra answered, watching the executioner raise his axe behind the monster. He smirked, the Monster shaking his head and tutting. “Anyway, I doubt you’re going to be a threat in the future.”

“Oh, you mean the pony with the axe behind me?” Sombra stopped dead, the executioner also halting as Nigel casually informed them of his knowledge regarding the plan. Chalmers turned around and fixed the hooded-pony with a helmeted stare, while at the same time pointing towards the castle wall. “I mean, good effort and all that, but you really should have remembered that hooves make a lot of noise of solid surfaces. I could hear you all the way from the wall, where your colleagues are currently standing.”

As the executioner turned to look at where Nigel was pointing, the human lashed out with a kick that lifted the unfortunate pony up into the air. The cloaked pony, evidently a stallion judging from the male scream of pain, crashed down in front of the stage. Sombra didn’t make the same mistake, keeping his eyes on the Monster while ignoring the whimpers coming from the fallen stallion.

“I can see why he’s an executioner,” Nigel commented as if nothing had happened. “Not that bright really, fell for the old ‘look over there’ trick. Back on topic, your refusal to surrender-”

“Hasn’t changed,” Sombra cut in with a snort. “You’re not the first being that’s tried to force me to comply with threats and violence, you will forever be unwelcome in Equestria and I swear that I will not rest until you are dead.”

“Ohhhh!” Nigel mocked while, despite his armour, somehow managing to prance around in a circle. “The pony king is mad. Whatever shall I do to save myself from his terrible wrath? Forever shall I live in fear of a hug in the night, a neigh outside my window or the clopping of hooves upon the ground!”

Sombra’s restrained demeanour shattered at the childish teasing, his horn glowing as he pulled a long knife from a hidden sheath in his robe. He could use some of the battle spells that his father taught him before his passing, but this Monster was so annoying that Sombra wanted to be able to see his knife sink into its flesh.

As the biped laughed at his own jokes, Sombra lunged forwards with knife floating in front of him to end its life. He was blinded by rage, despite his normally calm demeanour his temper was always bubbling below the surface. The taunts had caused it to boil over, the fact that the creature was armoured didn’t matter to the enraged King.

“Wait, what?” Nigel asked and looked up as Sombra roared. The point of the knife smacked into his armoured neck, Sombra using his magic hold in an attempt to stab any vital spot he could think of. Around the two, the remaining crowd and guards watched the fight with shocked looks. Sombra was actually trying to fight the Monster, the creature that had defeated countless guards and invaded the castle throne room!

“Why won’t you just die!?” Sombra bellowed with hate as he continued to stab, Nigel still dumbstruck that the King was trying to kill him with a knife. Sombra saw that he was making no progress, pausing his attacks and searching for a weak spot. His frenzied eyes moved to Platinum, the chained mare still held under an armoured arm. She was looking towards him, her eyes widening with fear as Sombra grinned.

He may not be able to hurt the Monster physically, but maybe taking away some of its entertainment would unbalance it enough and allow the cowardly guards to grow a spine and help.

Nigel frowned as he noticed Sombra come at him again, his brain informing him that he might want to stop the King. With understanding, Nigel realised that Sombra was staring at Platinum, the knife moving towards her instead.

‘Interesting,’ Nigel thought as he worked out Sombra’s new tactic. ‘This may be fun after all.’

As the knife darted towards the mare under his left arm, Nigel dropped Clover from his right and darted forward while turning to the side. Clover fell to the wooden stage with a muffed yelp, Sombra’s eyes widening as instead of stabbing Platinum like he intended, the knife scraped along the biped’s chest armour instead. The weapon flew past the biped and Sombra had no time to act, the King desperately back-peddling away from the oncoming creature which brought him closer to the edge of the stage.

“No! Wait!” Sombra yelled as Nigel’s right hand started to move.

It was too late however. With Platinum still held under his left arm, Nigel lashed out with the back of his right hand. The back of the armoured hand collided with Sombra’s jaw, the King’s head whipping to the side as a few teeth were dislodged. The force of the epic bitch-slap was so intense that it actually knocked Sombra off the stage, the King falling a few meters before thudding down next to the unconscious executioner.

Nigel, his right hand held out to his side with the aftermath of the swing, walked back over to Clover and nestled her under his right arm again. Stopping to sniff the air, he smelt smoke and looked around the platform. In the back right corner there was a fire beginning to flare up, the spot where he had landed having developed into full-blown flames. Shrugging it off as none of his concern, Nigel turned his back on the fire and glanced down at Clover.

“Sorry about dropping you,” he whispered to the hyperventilating unicorn before he walked to the edge of the stage. Around the courtyard, guards and civilians ran around attempting to find buckets as the fire began to spread. Continuing to ignore the fire that he had accidently started, Nigel looked down at the groaning Sombra and made sure that the King was awake and aware before speaking.
“Hey Sombra,” Chalmers addressed, Sombra managing to lift his head and gaze hatefully back at him.

“Fu-“ Sombra tried to speak but his words were cut off with moans of pain, the King’s bloodstained jaw broken from the slap. Nigel turned to the sky and looked up as smoke bellowed around the stage, the inferno quickly beginning to consume the wooden platform.

“Sombra,” Nigel spoke while the jetpack on his back started up with a small whine. “You’ve gone and fucked up…” Nigel paused and glanced down at the King.

“Royally.”

With that Nigel’s jetpack activated, Sombra staring up at Chalmers as he and the two mares disappeared into the sky. He managed to remain conscious for long enough to witness the speck turn towards the coast, before his eyes shut and he blacked out. As he fell asleep, guards pulled him and the executioner clear from the stage as they attempted to douse the flames, the crackling fire soon devouring the platform and the unused chopping block.

Nigel hummed a rousing tune as he stepped out of the teleporter and into the command room. Platinum and Clover where still firmly in his arms, the ponies not having dared to move during the flight. It had taken a little longer, the extra weight combined with Nigel’s reluctance to try teleporting again meaning that it was almost nightfall by the time they reached the tower.

Platinum and Clover were still in chains and gagged, Nigel not bothering to release them during the flight for obvious reasons. When Nigel stepped into the command room he was met by the nymphs and no-one else. Peering around, he spotted Chrysalis snoozing on the cushions and Sunflare sitting in her wheelchair and gazing out of the window without acknowledging him.

Nigel walked over to his chair, nudging Chrysalis gently with a foot as the nymphs tried to climb up his legs to investigate the new ponies he had brought.

“Chrysalis, I brought you some new friends, wakey wakey.” Chrysalis groaned and yawned, rubbing her eyes with her hooves before looking up at him and blinking. Suddenly she scowled and bolted up, the nymphs running behind the chair as Chrysalis smacked Nigel in the stomach with her forelegs.

“Why did you do that!?” she yelled, her wings buzzing to keep her upright as she repeatedly hit Chalmers. Nigel was surprised that Chrysalis was reacting like this, never before had he thought that she could get so angry. Platinum and Clover were forgotten as he stood there and watched her hit his armour ineffectively. Chrysalis stopped after a few moments, while his armour wasn’t damaged her hooves were throbbing with pain. She ignored it and continued to glare at him, her fangs showing with her snarl.

“Bring back Platinum and Clover?” Nigel tried, Chrysalis hissing with anger.

“I don’t give a Fuck about them!” she spat. This caused some concern, Chrysalis certainly hadn’t sworn at him before. Nigel thought it was a good idea to put the ponies down, the stunned Platinum and Clover lowered onto the cushioned floor. His focus was placed back on Chrysalis once his task was done.

“What is it then?” he asked her slowly, hoping to try and defuse the situation. Chrysalis pointed a hoof towards the screen, Nigel seeing that he had left the window zoomed in on the courtyard. The smouldering remains of the platform was visible, a large amount of the surrounding area also showing signs of fire damage. Guards were everywhere, combing through the wreckage and holding back a large crowd.

“You almost went and got yourself killed!” Chrysalis accused, Nigel remembering Sombra coming at him with a knife.

“He wasn’t going to stab me, Chrissy, I blocked Sunflare’s sword remember?” Nigel glanced over to the knight, Sunflare quickly turning around to look back at the window but not fast enough to escape notice. Chalmers let it go and turned back to Chrysalis, the changeling still fuming at him. “I am a soldier, I can handle myself in a knife fight with a pony.”

“What about when you crashed into the wall while on fire!?” Chrysalis continued. “Am I just supposed to think that you planned for that to happen!?” Nigel showed her his palms, Platinum and Clover watching the heated exchange between the two.

“No I didn’t, sometimes things happen that I don’t foresee,” Nigel answered. “It’s part of my job to go into dangerous situations, situations far worse than today. It is my own safety and I train for it.” It was then that Nigel asked the possibly stupidest thing possible at that moment. “Why are you getting so worked up? I went in and came back fine, not a scratch on me.” Chrysalis exploded with fury at his question, taking flight so that she was face-to-helmet with the standing human.

“Why am I getting so worked up!?” she hit him in the chest with a hoof, only the knowledge that it would hurt her more than him holding Chrysalis back from beating him again. “I’m getting worked up because you’re going to get yourself killed!” Chrysalis kept her hoof on Nigel’s chest as she hovered in front of him. “The nymphs and I care about you, not to mention that you’re our only food! I can’t take care of them myself, I can’t have you getting yourself killed and leaving us alone with all these ponies!”

Nigel stood there silently, stunned by Chrysalis’s behaviour. Chrysalis waited for a few moments, Sunflare and the nymphs watching the confrontation with worry.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” Chrysalis asked with venom.

“I,” Nigel began, glancing quickly at the nymphs hiding behind his chair. “I don’t honestly know what to say. I just can’t think straight right now.” Chrysalis didn’t like his answer at all, the changeling removing her hoof and lowering to the floor. She moved over to the nymphs and began to gather them, the children trembling at all the yelling but not resisting.

“I’m going to bed, and I think it’s time for the nymphs to go to sleep as well,” Chrysalis growled as she herded the nymphs towards the lift. Reflection whined and rushed over to Nigel, wrapping her forelegs around his right leg.

“The lift doesn’t go down to the lower levels yet and I haven’t shown you your room,” Nigel answered emptily. Chrysalis huffed and shot him a glare.

“I was talking to Morning earlier and she said that I could use my cabin on the ship.” Chrysalis looked down at Reflection, her glare softening as her voice lost its angry edge. “Reflection, come on. We’re going somewhere else to sleep.”

Reflection shook her head and tightened her grip. She chattered, gazing up at Nigel with a concerned expression as Chrysalis waited in the lift with the other nymphs. Nigel looked down at Reflection, his hand reaching out to pat her on the head.

“Go on, I’m fine,” he reassured with not much confidence. “Go to Chrysalis, I’ll see you in the morning for your breakfast.” Reflection tried to speak, some jumbled sounds coming out instead of the normal sounds the nymphs made. She gave up and nuzzled the leg briefly before regretfully moving to Chrysalis, Nigel watching Reflection as she re-joined her somber siblings. Chrysalis gave him a final glare before she pressed the destination and the lift door closed, Nigel not noticing the tears building up in her eyes. He let her go, figuring that it was best to give her space.

Chalmers stood still for a few minutes after she had left, the sun setting outside. He eventually remembered his guests, Platinum and Clover still on the floor with equal feelings of fear and confusion. Sighing, Nigel bent down and used his armoured hands to break the bolts holding their chains on. With their legs free, Nigel undid their gags for them and let them adjust. After what had just happened and the questioning that was no doubt incoming, Nigel collapsed into his chair and ran his hands over his helmet.

Clover and Platinum exchanged looks and sat down without saying anything, neither mare willing to say anything in the aftermath of what was obviously a heated situation. All three sat in silence, Sunflare forgotten and unnoticed in the corner as she laid back and mulled over the situation that had just occurred.

“Um,” Clover started, rubbing a hoof over one of her forelegs. “Thank you for saving us from execution. I’m sorry that it caused your friend to get angry at you like that.” Platinum didn’t add anything, the former Princess still going over the events of her downfall from power. Nigel removed his hands from his helmet and took a deep breath before sitting up and looking back at Clover.

“Oh don’t worry about Chrissy,” he replied in a cheery voice, quite out-of-place considering the chewing out he had just received. “She’s just going through some stuff so she’s a little on edge. I’m sure it’ll all be fine once she gets some sleep. Speaking of sleep, I guess we’d better get you sorted with some rooms. We have plenty spare down below.”

“You’re letting us stay?” Clover questioned hopefully, too concerned with securing a safe place to sleep then to ask about everything she had witnessed so far. That could come later, when she wasn’t trembling from just escaping an execution. Once again Platinum didn’t speak, the Princess staring blanking out the window while lost in her own thoughts.

“Of course,” Nigel confirmed. “You can’t go back to Equestria and I doubt any of the other nations on this planet would accept you. You, Ms Clover, haven’t done anything to me so I see no reason to deny you a roof over your head. Platinum is another matter, but I’m willing to let her have a free pass considering the circumstances.” Both Clover and Chalmers looked at the former Princess, no response forthcoming.

“Thank you, again,” Clover answered. Nigel nodded, standing up from his chair to pop his neck.

“Don’t worry about it, just stay inside the town and don’t cause trouble. I’ve already added you and Platinum to the ‘do not shoot’ list for the defences so you don’t have to worry about getting shot.” As Clover shuddered at the thought, Nigel glanced towards Sunflare.
“Sunflare, you want me to take you out of and grab a drink?”

“No thank you,” Sunflare answered, her normal bitterness gone. “I think I’ll just go to bed.” Nigel nodded, not really expecting a yes from her.

“I take it Morning and Spyglass have already gone to bed?”

“Morning offered him a cabin on your ship,” Sunflare informed with a slight nod. “I think they said something about joining your crew in a tavern before calling it a night.”

“Thanks,” Nigel replied. He turned back to Clover and Platinum, the two still sitting down next to his chair with Clover staring at Sunflare. “What about you two?”

Clover shook her head. “No, thank you. With everything that’s happened I don’t feel up to it.” Clover looked towards Sunflare again, her eyes lingering on the missing horn. “If it’s alright with Sunflare, I’d like to maybe just stay here.”

“Fine with me,” Sunflare spoke without looking back. Nigel looked down at Platinum, a gentle foot-nudge to the side of her foreleg waking her from her trance.

“What about you?”

Platinum stared up at him, unsure of what to say. Here he was, the creature which had been partly responsible for her de-throning and the target of her lust, offering to take her out for a drink. Platinum gulped, even if it wasn’t for her unwanted attraction to him she really needed a drink anyway.

“Yes,” she managed out weakly, Nigel walking over to Sunflare and placing his hands on the wheelchair handles.

“Well, one’s better than none. I’ll show you all how to work things and where your rooms are and then I’ll leave you to your own devices. I must warn you to not try to tamper with anything, the security systems will not appreciate it.” All three ponies nodded, even Sunflare. Platinum and Clover got up from the floor and followed Nigel as he wheeled Sunflare’s chair into the teleporter.

“So I really don’t know what’s going on with her.”

Platinum nodded sympathetically as Nigel took another drink, a pile of empty mugs in front of him. The tavern was roaring with activity, Platinum only able to hear what Chalmers was saying thanks to the fact that they were sitting at a table in the corner. The secluded location was something she was thankful for, the pirate crew that made up the majority of the tavern’s patrons had been shocked to see their Leader walk in with a Princess.

“She probably just needs some time alone, it happens with all friends.” Platinum made extra effort to highlight the word ‘friends’, her magic lifting up a glass of wine that Chalmers had managed to order for her. The bartender had been wary serving her, convinced that it was some sort of trap or test. It seemed like the human had pull however, Platinum getting over her shock and regaining her normal attitude as the night went on.

The wine also helped in that regard.

“I guess so,” Nigel sighed, finishing his mug of ale before grapping another that he had been keeping spare. Platinum wasn’t really concerned about the human’s problems with his friend, she had her own goals in mind.

“I do hate Sombra though,” Platinum continued, a small amount of anger seeping into her voice. “He caused problems for both of us. What I wouldn’t do to see him de-throned and paraded in front of the peasantry for all to see.” Encouraged by the slight buzz that she had from her wine, Platinum rubbed a hind leg against the human’s own. He didn’t seem to notice the contact, Platinum hiding a scowl as Nigel huffed and propped his head up with a hand.

“I already slapped him silly,” he slurred slightly. “Besides, I’ll just conquer the country and then make him a court jester or something.” Platinum grinned at the human’s drunkenness, maybe the night would go as she hoped after all.

“And when you do take over Equestria,” Platinum leaned forward and touch his hand with her hoof. “You’ll need a queen.”

“I don’t know,” Nigel replied, still ignoring Platinum’s contact. “I don’t really think of Chrissy in that way and I tend to shy away from marriage after my last one.” Platinum’s cheeks puffed up, the human’s utter obliviousness to her hints enraging her.

‘What is it with him and that stupid changeling!?’ she thought while gulping down the rest of her wine. ‘He already said that he doesn’t love her anyway, so why doesn’t he just stop caring about her already!?’

Platinum struggled to remain calm, a final idea popping into her head as Chalmers finished his drink.

“Oh,” she swayed slightly in her chair. “I think I’ve had a little too much wine. Would you be so kind as to escort me back home?” Nigel shrugged, took out a coin purse from his armour and placed it on the table as he got up. Platinum smiled, the wheels of her plan in motion, as Nigel nodded at the Bartender and took her forehoof in his hand.

“I don’t have an issue with that,” Nigel answered, putting on his helmet as he helped her down from the table. Platinum giggled and deliberately bumped against him as she left her seat, exaggerating her level of intoxication. Nigel however didn’t once consider that he was falling for her trap, the amount of drinks he had downed clouding his judgement.

The crew in the bar shot their leader looks, most of them either approval or jealousy. Two ponies however watched on with surprise and concern, Morning and Spyglass at a crowded table against the left wall. Neither of them moved, both hesitant to get involved in the issues happening in the close circle of command.

Platinum and Nigel walked through the town without a word, the pair entering the teleporter of the tower through the side door.
“I still don’t trust this thing,” Platinum commented as Nigel tapped the living areas as his destination.

“It’s not going to hurt you,” Nigel replied with a sigh. “It’s a simple teleporter, not a ‘demon machine’ like Morning still thinks it is, even though she’s used it three times now.” Platinum didn’t really know what to say about that, she wasn’t too informed about the group’s history prior to her arrival. She didn’t have time to request elaboration, as the teleporter activated and a bright flash beamed into life.

Platinum blinked her eyes, still not used to the flash that the machine produced. As the door opened she found that they had reached the living areas, the teleporter leading into a large, tan carpeted room with tables, chairs, couches and pillows filling it up. The lights were dimmed so the human and pony walked out carefully while looking around.

“Quiet,” Nigel advised, pointing towards the back of the room. Platinum looked towards the grey metal wall, a metal table with a chess set upon it the human’s target. A figure in a chair was lightly snoring away, Platinum realising that it was Sunflare sleeping soundly. She frowned, the knight hadn’t talked to her and she was fine with that. On the brown couch opposite to Sunflare was Clover, the unicorn sound asleep, surrounded by pillows.

The two quietly made their way out of the room, a metal corridor stretching out before them. The lights in the hallway lit up the area, with the pair passing a kitchen, a door marked ‘storage’ and a dining room dominated by a large rectangular metal table. Soon they reached the end, the corridor branching off to a large area.

The walls were a simple grey, twenty doors of the same colour located on the left and right sides. Numbered one to forty, each door had a simple set of buttons on the outside wall which were large enough for hooves to operate. Nigel walked past numbers one-through-four on the left and stopped at five. Reaching out with a hand towards the two buttons, one red one green, he pressed the green button and the door slide open.

“Here’s your room,” Nigel informed as he held out a hand. Platinum peered in, the white walls the same as the outside area. In the back-right corner there was a double bed with ash-grey sheets, far smaller than her old one. A simple dresser made from polished metal was opposite it, the three draws small and plain. All-in-all it was colourless and dull, the room far more suited to a military then the Princess she was. Or, at least the Princess she used to be.

“Oh,” Platinum replied while glancing at him pleadingly. “It’s nice, are you able to show me around it though?” She could have sworn that the human cursed under his breath, but he nodded and gestured again.

“Ladies first,” he offered, Platinum walking into her new accommodation and finding that the shiny metal floor wasn’t as slippery as she thought it would be. Now that she looked closer, the floor in her room did seem to be more upscale than the other areas she had seen in the tower. Her examining of the floor was interrupted by Nigel clearing his throat, Platinum looking up to find him opening a door near her bed.

“Is that my own bathroom?” she asked, a little relieved that she wouldn’t have to share with anyone else. Private bathrooms were a rarity reserved for the richest of the nobility and royalty, Platinum a little surprised that such barren quarters had a luxury like it.

“Yes it is,” Nigel replied as he flicked a switch on the wall and turned on the lights. Platinum looked in and saw that the bathroom had a rectangular bath, a sink with a stool and mirror, what she assumed was a lavatory and a strange cubicle surrounded by glass. The floor was tiled with a simple white mat in the centre, a rack of towels hanging on the left wall. At the back, next to the sink, there was a chute marked ‘Laundry’ near an empty metal bin.

“Who brings me my bathwater and empties it?” Platinum inquired, provoking a drunken chuckle from Nigel.

“Normally I’d tell your self-entitled arse to get it yourself,” he answered mirthfully while Platinum scowled. Chalmers didn’t notice her look and walked over to the bath, turning one of the metal taps. Platinum’s eyes widened as water began to flow out, the human pointing to the red dot on the head of the tap. “We’ve got plumbing, turn the red tape for hot water and the blue one for cold water. All the water used is sanitised sea-water so we won’t have water shortages anytime soon.” Platinum moved over to the bath and put her hoof under the running tap, quickly withdrawing it as she stared at it in amazement.

“The water really is hot!” she exclaimed before glancing back up at Chalmers. “What magic do you use? Even unicorns can’t heat water up instantly and bring it through the wall.” Platinum sighed when Nigel laughed again, she was getting annoyed at how he was enjoying her cluelessness.

“No magic, it’s just pipes in the walls and a hot-water system,” he replied. Platinum let the useless reply go, all this touring was getting in the way of her real goal. She still had one final thing to ask about the bathroom however.

“What is that?” She said while pointing at the glass cubicle. Chalmers walked over to it and opened a door, Platinum following him and finding another pair of taps up on the inside wall.

“This is a shower, think of it like a bath except that the water comes down from the showerhead,” Nigel pointed up to a metal device, sprinkled with holes on the bottom, jutting out from top of the wall. “You stand under the water and it goes down the drain, you’ll probably find that it will make washing your hair easier.” Chalmers turned quickly as if he had just remembered something, Platinum following behind as he approached the sink. He opened a cabinet below it, revealing a few bars of soap and two glass-flasks filled with white liquid.

“You’ve got soap, shampoo and conditioner in here,” Nigel told her. “I asked Morning to pick these up from the town earlier today. If you need anything else I can give you the money, just ask and you can get what you want within reason.” Platinum held back a scoff at the idea of anyone having to give her money, however she did have to admit that she wasn’t able to be picky at the current time.

“I will endeavour to do that,” Platinum answered, her attempt to appear drunk vanishing with her excitement at keeping a private bathroom. She left the room, not waiting for Nigel to exit before turning off the light. She wanted to try the switch for herself, questioning just how the instant lights could be controlled by such a simple method without magic. She assumed that Chalmers was just trying to hide his true power from everyone, using ‘it’s science’ and ‘I don’t know how it works’ as excuses to throw them off the trail.

“It’s a smaller bed, but these sheets are soft enough at least,” Platinum observed as she ran a hoof along the top of the bed.

“I can’t exactly make four-poster beds made from mahogany with the finest silk sheets,” Nigel joked, walking out of the dark bathroom. “I didn’t exactly choose everything, it’s all off previous schematics that I had stored.” Platinum nodded, climbing onto the bed and lying down sideways. She looked at Nigel suggestively, his expression hidden behind his helmet.

“It’s more than comfortable enough, and you could fit easily in here as well,” she responded silkily. Platinum had decided to go for broke, she had lined all the pieces up and all that was left was for them to fall into place.

“I should probably get going and leave you in peace,” Nigel replied, with no sign that he had noticed the suggestion in her words. He turned towards the still-open door, the human beginning towards the exit.

‘Oh no you don’t,’ Platinum thought with a frown as her horn lit up. ‘You don’t lose me my kingdom by kissing me and get away with it’.

Before he could walk out of the room, Platinum levitated one of her four pillows and moved it towards the door buttons. Hitting the red one, which Platinum figured meant ‘off’ or ‘close’, she halted his escape when the door shut off his exit. Nigel turned around and was met with the Princess gazing at him with lust.

“What do you want?” he asked hazily, his clouded mind telling him that something was wrong with the situation.

“Oh nothing,” Platinum sultry said as she levitated her pillow back to the bed. “It’s just an Equestrian custom to give a mare a quick kiss when you finish a date.”

“We didn’t go on a date,” Nigel quickly clarified. “Me and Morning have gone to bars plenty of times and this was no different.” Platinum folded her forelegs up to her chest and willed herself to let out a small sniffle.

“Oh…” she started, a single tear falling from her eye. “I just am so scared after today and I’m so grateful that you saved me. Is a single, quick kiss for a frightened mare too much to ask?” Chalmers still seemed hesitant, Platinum pulling out her trump card. “You didn’t have an issue with kissing me yesterday, a kiss which ruined my life and nearly got me killed.”

Nigel flinched, her accusation was true and a part of him did regret it. If he wasn’t drunk he probably would have said some comforting words and negotiated her down to just a quick hug, but the combination of the alcohol and Platinum’s sadness overrode his concerns.

The fact that she was curled cutely up on her bed in a ball also didn’t help. Chalmers didn’t like to admit it, but he found her fiery demeanour attractive and she wasn’t the worst-looking alien that he had seen on top of that.

“Fine, just one kiss though,” Nigel relented. Platinum grinned triumphantly and sat up on the bed eagerly as he removed his helmet. Hoping to get it over with as quickly as possible, Nigel leaned forwards and planted his lips on hers. He moved to draw back and away, but Platinum threw her forelegs around his neck and held on. She continued to kiss him as Nigel tried to break it off without hurting her, his mind reeling from booze and the shock of the situation.

“Platni-“ he tried to speak as the mare paused for air, but Platinum was too fast and managed to get her tongue in. She moaned in bliss and her forelegs rubbed the back of his armour, Platinum’s eyes closed and her face flushed a rosy red as she continued.

‘Oh, so this is what it feels like,’ Nigel thought as he remembered that he had kind of done the same sort of thing to Platinum.

Shaking the thought away, Nigel grabbed her forelegs with his hands, pried them from around his neck and shoved her away from him. Platinum fell back onto the bed with a thump, Chalmers wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before making for the door.

“No, please wait!”

The desperate call accompanied by a sob halted him, Chalmers sighing as Platinum started to cry behind him.

“I’m… I’m so sorry for what I just did! Just please let me explain!”

Nigel could have just walked out the door and ended it there, but he knew that he at least owed her the chance to explain herself. Taking a breath he turned around and was met with a teary-eyed Platinum, the Princess’s sorrow real this time.

“I don’t know what came over me,” Platinum choked out through her tears. “Ever since you kissed me in the castle I can’t get you out of my head. I want it to stop. I don’t want to feel like this. I thought that if we… spent the night then I could finally be free of this torment!” Platinum yelled the last part before sobbing into her pillows. Nigel didn’t say anything, the day had really messed with his ability to figure out what was going on.

“Please,” Platinum continued after her pause. She raised her head and looked at him, the pitiful mare a far cry from her arrogant self. “Don’t go.” Nigel looked back to the still-closed door, a door that was only a button-press away from being his freedom from this problem. He couldn’t go through with it though, looking back at Platinum he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.
Platinum looked up as the bed creaked, the armoured form of Nigel testing its supports. She hated herself for what was happening, for this weak creature that she had become.

“Look, Platinum,” Nigel started while running his hand down his face, his helmet dropping to the floor. “I can understand why you did what you did, and I can’t really blame you for it considering I did it to you first. I… I think that you’re an attractive mare but I just can’t do what you want me to do. It wouldn’t be a smart idea after this afternoon, I think that Chrysalis has developed feelings for me and I don’t want to make her upset again.”

“You can’t do this to me!” Platinum pleaded as she lunged up and grabbed his arm. “You started all of this for me, if you had just stayed out of my castle and left my town alone then I wouldn’t be in this mess! Look at me!” Nigel did as asked, Platinum hammering home the point. “This isn’t me! Do you think I want to feel attracted to a non-unicorn and a non-pony!? I want you to reverse whatever you did with that kiss and just stop me from thinking about you!”

Chalmers was still inebriated, but even so he thought that informing Platinum that her reasoning for her feelings and demands made no sense. For starters he didn’t even know about how these ponies’ brains worked, Hell with all the magic around she may actually be right. He was so confused at the situation and he didn’t know how to solve it.

Well, there was one way that Platinum had suggested but he was not keen for that. As she stared at him, waiting for an answer, Chalmers did something that he thought he would never do.

He surrendered.

“Okay,” he answered, both hands rubbing his temples. “We’ll do it your way, I still don’t think that a one-night stand will solve this issue though.”

Platinum sniffed and her frown disappeared. She opened her mouth to thank him but Nigel clamped a hand over her muzzle while looking her in the eyes.

“Platinum,” he stated seriously. “You have to understand that this is a one-time thing only. I’m not happy with this and I don’t want it brought up again, understand?” Platinum nodded, Nigel still keeping his hand over her muzzle. “Oh,” he leaned in close so that his nose was almost touching hers. “If you tell anyone, especially Chrysalis, that we did this then I will kill you. On that you have my word.” He let go of her mouth, Platinum looking up at him solemnly.

“I promise that I won’t tell anyone,” Platinum answered while putting a hoof over her heart. Nigel snorted, more disgusted with himself than with her. Taking a flask from his suit which was filled with the strongest whisky that the tavern had, Nigel uncapped it and took a swig. Draining half of the flask, he put it away and looked at Platinum. The mare in her defence was looking somewhat guilty, but she was still waiting for him. With her already having her shoes, cape and crown removed before her foiled execution, Nigel was the only one who had to get undressed.

The whisky started to take the guilt away, Nigel sighing as he got up to remove his armour for the first time on the planet. He might as well get this over with and deal with the guilt in the morning, possibly by taking Chrysalis and the nymphs out into town. It still felt like a hollow gesture though and he just hoped that Platinum would keep her promise, for both their sakes.

Chrysalis yawned as she exited the teleporter, Nigel having given them all access earlier that day. She had left the nymphs to sleep soundly in the cabin, Chrysalis having been unable to sleep with worry gnawing at her.

She had no idea why she had exploded at Nigel like that, whatever was she thinking? She may not be a human but she was certain that they didn’t like to be yelled at and then left. When she had calmed down and started to think about why Chalmers was such a unthinking, egotistical idiot she had remembered something that made her feel terrible.

That carefree and rashness nature was what drew her to him, and she had possibly ruined their friendship in a few minutes. All because of a mistake he had made while saving his enemy.

Chrysalis knew what to do however, the changeling raising her head as she walked down the corridor towards his room. An apology and an invite to buy him breakfast in the town with her own money would surely fix things. He saved Platinum after all, she was sure that he would forgive her for having a temporary loss of control with her emotions.

Chrysalis put on a smile as she approached the door labelled ‘one’, Chalmers having informed them all that it was his room, in case anyone had a problem late at night. It must have been at least two in the morning, the moon in the sky well past the midnight. Still, Chrysalis was certain that he would welcome her and her apology. With a glance towards the room marked ‘two’, her room, Chrysalis’s smile increased. She knew that it wouldn’t be used, the nymphs had grown used to sleeping alongside their adoptive father and she had as well.

After taking a moment to try and brush her mane into an acceptable shape, Chrysalis took a breath and knocked on the door with a forehoof. She stood at the door and waited. She didn’t move for a minute, her smile disappearing as she knocked again and got no response. Figuring he wouldn’t mind her coming in, Chrysalis pressed the green button next to the door and walked into the dark room.
It was empty, no human in sight. Chrysalis didn’t need to turn on the lights thanks to her eyes, the changeling quickly checking the bathroom but still finding no sign of Nigel.

She left the room, the door closing behind her as she desperately looked around at the other rooms. She tried rooms two, three and four to no avail, however upon entering number five she let out a sigh of relief when she walked in and saw the human lying in the bed under the covers.

Her heart dropped however when she noticed that he didn’t seem to be wearing his armour, his peach-coloured skin plain to see. Slowly, feeling like the worst nightmare she had ever had, Chrysalis approached the bed and her sleeping crush. As she came closer, Chrysalis noticed a bundle lying on the other side of Nigel, the object pressed up against his side.

Chrysalis’s world shattered when she recognised the object as Princess Platinum, the mare snuggled up against the human that was supposed to belong to her. Chrysalis stood in horror as she examined the scene, unable to look away.

Platinum had a smile on her face and a foreleg over Nigel, it was obvious what the two had done. Chrysalis felt an alien feeling enter her, something that she had never felt before.

She felt truly enraged and heartbroken at the same time, the urge to harm Platinum for stealing her human growing stronger. Chrysalis stood there like a statue, imagining how easy it would be to just stab the Princess in the neck with her jagged horn. The pony wouldn’t be able to do a thing to stop her and once it was done then she could never threaten Nigel again.

Chrysalis stopped her thoughts, sick that she could even think of taking the life of another. With her emotions in turmoil and the murderous thoughts in her head, Chrysalis did the only thing she could.

She turned and ran from the room, crying all the while as the two sleeping beings noticed nothing.

“Why do I feel like absolute shit?”

Nigel muttered to himself as he woke up, feeling bed sheets on his body as well as a warm furry thing against his right side. Glancing next to him he found the answer to his own question, Nigel sighing and closing his eyes.

“Oh right, that.”

Platinum was lying against him, the unicorn’s mane spread out everywhere while one of her forelegs was slumped across his chest. She was breathing softly in her sleep, Nigel remembering everything from the previous night.

Everything.

“What the Hell was I thinking?” he questioned again, running his hands down his face. Platinum didn’t wake up from all his talking, the mare continuing to slumber peacefully with a happy smile on her face. Nigel snorted, at least someone was happy with themselves about the previous night.

Thinking back over the night, he had to question just how much of her behaviour was actually genuine. Now that he was sober he had no clue why he didn’t pick up on all her obvious tricks to bed him. He guessed that her ‘I can’t stop thinking about you’ reason was also bullshit, Nigel removing the forearm from his chest before getting out of the bed and managing to not wake Platinum in the process.

He put on his armour that had been stacked in the corner, Nigel being as quiet as possible. After a few minutes he was done, not even bothering to have a shower despite what had happened. Leaving his helmet off and carried under an arm, he moved to the door and left. Platinum had agreed to it only being a one-nighter, he had a friend and some nymphs to feed so he was unable to stay. It wasn’t a big deal and he would see Platinum again during the day anyway.

With the door shut behind him Nigel was free to groan loudly, smacking himself in the face with the un-armoured palm of his hand. How could he have been so stupid?

His day was about to get worse however, a flash of colour catching his eye. Bending down, Nigel retrieved a teal hair from the floor. The strand was long and smooth, Chalmers swearing that he had seen it somewhere before.

He froze as he put two and two together, his head sagging as the hair dropped from his fingers.

“I’m so fucked,” he muttered while shaking his head. Standing up, he made his way down the corridor towards the teleporter.

He had a lot of damage control to deal with, and he doubted that a breakfast invite would even remotely begin to fix it.

Chrysalis watched the waves hit her hind legs, the hole-covered limbs dangling in the cool water as she sat on the edge of the pier.
She had stopped crying hours ago, now all that was left was a harsh feeling of nothing. She’d been out on the pier ever since she had saw Platinum and Nigel together, and she had forgotten about everything else as the scene of walking in and finding them repeatedly played in her mind.

The sun was just about to rise, Chrysalis able to see the very tip out on the horizon. She continued to stare at her hooves, her legs numb and her body aching with pain that was not just physical. A part of her mind was reminding her that she should go back to the cabin before the nymphs woke up, but Chrysalis just couldn’t do anything but sit.

Her forelegs ached, the limbs by her sides burning from the stress of holding her body up for most of the night. She didn’t care though, with everything else numb her legs were the only parts that she could still feel. Chrysalis was so caught up in her own disappointment and sorrow that she didn’t even turn around as footsteps approached her from behind.

The figure behind her didn’t say anything for a while, Chrysalis idly starting to move her hind legs back and forth while watching the water flow through the holes.

“Chrysalis,” a voice addressed softly from behind her. “I know I screwed up, majorly.”

Chrysalis recognised the voice as Nigel’s. She didn’t reply, a fresh tear running down her cheek at the reminder of why she was out here. He sighed, his footsteps growing closer until he sounded to be right behind her.

“I should have thought about how it’d affect you. You haven’t told me anything but I’ve been getting the impression that you… are attracted to me more than you say you are. I might be wrong, but if it’s true then it only makes this situation more of a mess-up by me. I’ m sorry that I betrayed you like I did, it’s going to sound like a cop-out but I was not thinking straight. Can you forgive me?”

Chrysalis didn’t know what to reply with. Should she tell him that yes, she did love him more than he knew and that his betrayal had destroyed her? Should she tell him that she sometimes suspected that he only kept her around because of the nymphs? Chrysalis did neither, still sitting on the spot and watching the waves.

Another sigh, Chrysalis was vaguely aware of incomprehensible muttering before Nigel sat down next to her. The wooden pier groaned but held, Chalmers placing his armoured legs in the sea next to hers. The two sat there in silence for a while, the sun slowly rising up in the sky as the sounds of the town waking up began to ring out behind them.

“Nigel,” Chrysalis asked suddenly, her voice flat. “Do you treat me nicely because I look after the nymphs?”

“Did I treat you nicely when I didn’t even know you were Chrysalis?” he questioned back, Chrysalis feeling a little bit of the numbness recede as she thought about the answer.

“You… you did,” she replied.

“That’s the answer,” Nigel continued. “We’re both different to the ones around us and I do care a lot about you. I also care a lot about the nymphs as well, but what about you? You love them a lot, don’t you?”

“I do love them, a lot.” Chrysalis responded immediately. “I also…”

‘Love you a lot’ her brain told her to say.

“Care about you as well,” Chrysalis finished, closing her eyes and cursing herself for not being strong enough to say what she wanted to. Nigel didn’t say anything, both of them looking down into the water. Chrysalis shivered, thanks to her hind hooves she realised that she was freezing. She gulped, some of her confidence coming back as she pushed for answers. “Why did you do it, with Platinum I mean?” Chalmers groaned and huffed, Chrysalis getting the impression that he was genuine in his regret.

“It started when I went to her castle,” Nigel began to re-tell. “I didn’t talk to an advisor like I told you, I busted in and confronted Platinum.” Chrysalis turned her head and nodded for him to continue. “We traded insults, I made some threats and then I kissed her in front of her entire court.” Chrysalis took a second to process it, withdrawing her hind legs from the sea as she tried to figure it out.

“You kissed her?” she asked, surprise leaking into her voice.

“I did,” Nigel nodded. “It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and it also served the purpose of confusing the enemy.” Chrysalis shook her head, a small smile forming despite the topics they were discussing. It did sound like the spontaneous behaviour that she had come to expect from the human.

“Is that why you saved her?”

“Well, that was a small part,” Nigel replied. “I mainly rescued her because I wanted to mess with everyone. Bet none of them expected the villain to turn up and save the princess for once. Clover was different, it sounds like she was convicted because of her mere affiliation with Platinum. It’s not like they’ll be a burden to us.” Nigel had cheered up with her replies, Chrysalis however was still angry at Platinum. She doubted the mare was innocent.

“So all of that combined meant that you slept together?”

“No, I mean yes, a little bit,” Nigel hurried out. “After you left I went to grab a drink. She wanted to come along so we went out together. Now that I think about it I had a little more than I should have, that was bloody stupid of me.”

“Oh, I see.” Chrysalis was ashamed about her lecturing of him, but the knowledge that it upset him enough to immediately turn to drinking was flattering.

“Platinum claimed that she was drunk and asked me to walk her home. I showed her around her room and when I went to leave she asked for a customary good night kiss. After she began to cry I relented, kissed her and then she tried to continue it. I went to leave but she began to bawl her eyes out and told me that once I had kissed her in the throne room she couldn’t stop lusting after me. She begged for me to stay. I did the weak thing and I gave in. I made sure that she understood that it was only a one-off thing and she promised to uphold that. Now that I think back I suspect that she planned everything.”

Chrysalis’s anger grew as she listened to Nigel tell his side of the story.

“So she seduced you,” Chrysalis stated with venom in her voice. “I knew she was trouble.”

“Now, now,” Nigel raised his hands out towards her. “You can’t go and blame her for everything. I’m just as guilty for my loss of control, and I shouldn’t’ have lied to you at the start. If you want to say something about it to vent your anger then say it to me. She’s already lost enough.” Chrysalis felt her anger fade away at his suggestion. She sighed and looked back up at him as she moved to sit facing him.

“Nigel, what you did was very hurtful,” Chrysalis started while he looked back at her. “I know we’re… not together but it still feels like you betrayed me. Platinum tried to kill you, and I just can’t forgive her for that. Sunflare and Spyglass are different, they only wanted to follow her orders. Last night proves that she’s no good and still a risk. I can’t force you to throw her out and I know that you wouldn’t anyway, I just… don’t want you to see her anymore.” Chrysalis jolted as an arm wrapped around her, Nigel pulling her against him.

“You know me too well,” he answered as Chrysalis moved into the hug. “I can’t just throw her out. We’ll give her a chance to behave herself and hopefully she’ll leave it alone. Platinum promised to drop the issue and never mention it again, and I certainly won’t try to restart anything.”

“You mean it?” Chrysalis asked hopefully.

“I do,” Nigel nodded as she rubbed her head on his shoulder. “I won’t go near her or another mare again without your permission. Do you forgive me?” Chrysalis smiled, he was going a little overboard.

“I forgive you, and you don’t have to go that far,” she responded lightly, prompting a chuckle from Nigel.

“I don’t think I’ll have to resort to that, I’ve learnt my lesson.” He looked up at the sky, the sun now shining with full intensity. “Well, it’s time to go I think. I was hoping you and the nymphs would come out with me and have some breakfast in the town.”
Chrysalis smiled, feeling like her old self again thanks to the talk.

“That’ll be good,” she answered as she pulled away and got up. “No solid food for the nymphs though, I don’t want you feeding them pancakes again and then leaving me to deal with the aftermath.” Nigel laughed as he got to his feet, the town in the distance already buzzing with early morning activity.

“You make it sound like a warzone,” he joked, Chrysalis wrinkling her nose at the memory.

“You weren’t there,” she replied, only increasing Nigel’s mirth. She started to trot off towards the ship, keen to return so that she could get the nymphs and go out.

“One more thing, Chrissy,” Nigel asked, Chrysalis turning around and raising an eyebrow at him. “If you want to tell me anything at all or talk about something, feel free.”

‘Fine, I’m in love with you and I think you know now. I want us to stop being friends and become something more.’

“Thanks, Nigel,” Chrysalis strained out with a shudder at her own terror of admitting her feelings. “You’re a great friend and I don’t want that to change.” He stood there and stared at her, Chrysalis kicking the wooden planks nervously as she beat herself up for her cowardice.

“Great,” he replied, upbeat. “Just remember, anytime that you want to and I’ll listen.” Chrysalis nodded and he moved next to her, both of them heading back towards the ship.

Corporal Forecast peered down at the unicorn castle below his cloud, a great crowd of ponies gathered in the courtyard and surrounding area. Guards were everywhere, the soldiers all watching the skies and thus preventing him from escaping unnoticed. He assumed they were watching for the creature that had interrupted the execution and attacked the new king the previous day, Forecast having witnessed it all from his cloud.

The brown pegasus fluttered his wings nervously as the gaze of a unicorn passed over him, the Equestrian soldiers already proven to be accurate shots with their magic. Thankfully his high altitude worked in his favour, the guard’s eyes not seeing anything and they soon returned to the castle balcony.

Forecast’s light mail clinked as he readjusted his position, a figure hobbling out onto the balcony surrounded by more guards. Risking detection, Forecast flapped his wings and moved the cloud closer, his light-mail clinking slightly. Peeking out over the edge with orange eyes, Forecast watched as King Sombra turned to a white unicorn dressed in a black suit. The stallion moved his blonde-maned head closer to his ruler, the King’s jaw covered with white bandages.

“His Majesty, King Sombra Highshadow, wishes to make a declaration!” the white unicorn announced after taking his head away from the King. The crowd erupted into murmurs, a sense of fear filling the air as the King whispered to his servant again.

“He is sorry that he cannot speak to his subjects directly,” the servant continued. “But he sustained heavy injuries while attempting to ward off the monster that attacked our city. The monster that fled after rescuing its true masters, Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever, from true justice for their heinous crimes!” The crowd booed at the mention of the names, the servant once again receiving more words to relay.

“Thanks to our King’s noble heroism, the monster retreated to its lair! We have evidence that links Princess Platinum to the Pegasi scum, indicating that she was using us the entire time after selling out to them!” The crowd erupted into a frenzy, insults about the Princess being a traitor thrown around liberally. The servant held up an envelope in his yellow magic, the crowd going quiet.

“This letter here was found in her quarters, a letter containing instructions for the pegasi to attack us shortly! It is because of this foul treason that we are vulnerable!” the servant emphasised the word treason, members of the crowd spitting on the ground in disgust. “As a result, our glorious King has called for a draft! Every un-married earth pony stallion and mare over the age of sixteen is to report to the nearest army camp! Copies of the draft have been sent to every town and city so that we will be ready for the Pegasi invasion!”

Forecast frowned as the crowd roared in approval, already eager ponies were flocking to nearby booths staffed by guards to sign up. This new King Sombra was quite the orator, even without speaking himself he was able to spark such a result.

Forecast reached over to his side and pulled his loaded crossbow off its harness, the compact weapon cocked with an iron bolt. Using both forehooves and wings, Forecast lined up the sights with the new King. Sombra was unaware of the weapon lining him up, the grey unicorn still bowing towards his cheering subjects. With a deep breath, Forecast’s wing started to pull the trigger with the King’s head firm in his sights.

A blue flash of light from below startled Forecast, the bolt missing its mark and bouncing harmlessly off the stone balcony before the king.

“Pegasus!”

The cry of alarm sent fear down Forecast’s spine, his crossbow falling from his grasp as his wings beat furiously. He propelled himself away from the cloud, just in time before a barrage of different coloured magical bolts tore it to shreds.

Forecast turned and flew for his life as the crowd below him cried out for his blood or screamed in fear. In his haste to escape he flew along the coast instead of over it, his wings beating the fastest they ever had.

He let out a muffled scream as one of the bolts scraped along his un-armoured flank, another one of the magical projectiles going through a wing. Forecast lost speed and altitude, blood pouring from his wounds as his body burned with pain.

The bolts stopped, Forecast closing his eyes and willing himself to keep flying, a feat he managed to keep up for ten minutes despite his wounds. He soon slowed down more though, the young stallion opening his teary eyes to spot a port town ahead of him. Even though it was an Equestrian town, his chances of survival would be much higher if he could land and hide in an alley, rather than plummet from the sky when he passed out. It was only a matter of time, Forecast’s eyes fluttering as he aimed for a clear patch of grass in the centre.

He didn’t make it, the blood loss was too much. With a final prayer, his eyes closed, his wings stopped and he plummeted out of the sky into the town below.

“This is delicious,” Chrysalis observed as she took another sip of her carrot and tomato juice. “Who would have thought that you could juice carrots? I’ve only seen ponies eat them whole or chopped.” Nigel nodded with a mouthful of pastry opposite her at the small table, the café they were sitting at located in the centre of town.

“This apple lattice is pretty good as well,” Nigel replied after swallowing his mouthful. As the two sat down on stools, Nigel having made his own metal one, the nymphs sat in a borrowed wooden playpen and watched their caretakers with interest. Having chosen a table outside, Chrysalis and Nigel were relatively alone with most of the café patrons sitting inside.

“I’m glad we came here,” Chrysalis continued as she finished her drink, placing the empty glass down. “Not just because of the food either.” Nigel hummed in agreement, Chrysalis giggling as he finished his lattice with a final bite, some of the apple filling spilling onto his armour.

“A nice way to say goodbye to the problems between us,” Chalmers said before sipping his cup of tea and leaning back on his stool. “The nymphs also get outside so that’s a bonus, needs to happen more often.”

“Not until they get older,” Chrysalis informed. “Nymphs grow fast, but not that fast. It’s going to be playpens for a while.” Chrysalis glanced over at the targets of the conversation, her eyes furrowing as she saw all the nymphs studying them with unusual patience.

“At least the café manager was kind enough to lend us theirs.” Nigel finished his tea. “Imagine the chaos if they were roaming free. At least they can’t fly yet, that’ll be a nightmare.” After getting no response, Nigel looked over at Chrysalis. Noticing that she was staring at the nymphs, he followed her gaze and noticed that the normally energetic creatures were stock still.

He frowned as he leaned closer. He could still feel the flow of energy from him to them, as well as to Chrysalis, and when they were feeding was when they tended to be the most lively.

“Do you think they’re sick?” Nigel joked, the attempt hiding his befuddlement. Chrysalis was deep in thought, the changeling gazing at the youngsters in confusion.

“All ten at once?” she muttered, before one of the nymphs looked at Nigel. It was Reflection, the child’s mouth moving like she was trying to form words. Curious, Nigel leaned around the round table and reached out his arms, Reflection getting up to move into them. Bringing the quiet nymph to his chest, he looked into her blue eyes and smiled.

“What’s wrong then, Reflection?” he inquired, the nymph pausing her words before appearing to concentrate hard. A spike of worry flew through Nigel, the human trying to quickly remember if they had fed the nymphs any solid food.

“Nig,” Reflection said, the other nymphs echoing the word soon after. Nigel went still, was this what he thought it was?

“Nigel,” Reflection forced out, her face relaxing as soon as she had finished. “Nigel! Nigel!” she began to shout happily once she realised that she had done it. The other nymphs soon burst into noise, pedestrians on the street stopping to watch the spectacle as Nigel stayed dumbstruck.

“Wow,” Chrysalis murmured in shock as the nymphs stopped. “They actually learnt your name, first.”

“And all at the same time,” Nigel added softly before beaming down at Reflection. “Who’s a smart girl, hmm?” he asked merrily as he placed her in his lap and scratched her ears. After a few moments of the reward, Reflection put her two forelegs in the air again, Nigel taking the hint that she wanted to be picked up. He went through with it, lifting her up to his chest again.

“You want to go to Chrissy?” Chalmers asked, Reflection nodding her head. Carefully Nigel placed her down on the table, the nymph walking towards Chrysalis with a smile on her face. Chrysalis grinned in anticipation and leaned in until her muzzle was almost touching Reflection’s.

“Ch, Chr,” Reflection tried to concentrate again, Nigel leaning around the side to whisper in her ear.

“Chry-sal-is,” he whispered slowly, Reflection mouthing the words while her siblings imitated her.

“Chrysalis,” Reflection finished softly before her eyes widened with enjoyment. “Chrysalis!” she began to chant as she bounced up and down on the table, her tiny wings fluttering with excitement. Chrysalis was frozen in awe, an incredible rush of pride filling her as all the nymphs echoed her name. The ponies in the street and café watching the scene turned to each other and held interested
conversations, the scene they were witnessing a rare one indeed.

Nigel’s smile faded slightly as the nymphs started to alternate chanting the two names, he hoped that they would learn new words soon or else it would get really tiring. Luckily they soon quietened down and began to explore new words, starting with their own names. Nigel also noticed that they seemed to be reading their own nametags as they said their names, just how fast where these changelings learning?

“Nigel,” Chrysalis said, Nigel raising his head to find her cuddling Reflection. “We’ve repaired our friendship, had a great breakfast and now the nymphs are learning to speak. Can this day get any better?”

A droning alarm suddenly rang out from Nigel’s armour, a flashing red light on his right arm going off. Ponies dropped and huddled on the ground as the defence turrets rotated towards the Capitol, missile launchers and laser cannon barrels pointing up into the sky. He quickly picked his helmet up off the table and placed it on his head, his eyes scanning over the reports as Chrysalis looked at him with worry.

“What’s going on!?” she yelled, Nigel seeing that the AI system had picked up a single object breaching the security perimeter. He quickly found saw that the object, registering heat and life signs equivalent to that of a pony, seemed to stop in the air and go into a dive. He quickly ordered the turrets to stand down, wanting to find out why a single pony was flying into the town. By this point he didn’t need to look at the sensors, a glance into the sky revealed an armoured pegasus heading straight for them.

“Get down!” He yelled as he moved to cover the nymphs cowering in the playpen. Chrysalis clutched Reflection tight and dived away from the table, just in time as the pegasus crashed down and broke the wooden table in two. Ponies in the café screamed at the impact, everyone huddling under tables as the dust cleared and panic died down. Nigel stood up from his spot over the playpen, checking to see if Chrysalis was alright.

He winced as he noticed the cut on her right flank, a trail of green blood dribbling out slowly. Luckily Reflection appeared to be unscathed, Chrysalis having done a good job of shielding the nymph with her body.

“Chrissy,” Nigel addressed as he knelt down beside her. “Are you okay?” Chrysalis winced as she moved her injured leg, but nodded her head.

“I’m fine apart from my leg and Reflection’s okay as well. What about the pony?” Nigel stood up and examined the wreckage of the table, confident to trust Chrysalis and her own self-diagnosis.

His eyes picked out the brown pegasus lying in the middle of the table, the pony’s body soaked in gore. There were large holes in the stallion’s left flank and wing, the wounds surrounded by burnt flesh and oozing a steady stream of blood. In addition to the two major injuries were numerous cuts, scrapes and bruises which Nigel assumed was from the fall. He was amazed when his suit’s sensors picked up life-signs, the pony still alive even after the fall.

Nigel looked back to Chrysalis, the changeling having managed to stand but was keeping her damaged leg off the ground. Reflection was loose and was pressed up against the playpen, her brethren inside huddling in a clump as close to her as possible. Ponies and waitresses slowly exited the café and walked towards the downed pegasus while whispering between each other. The townsponies in the street also approached, some of them gasping and rushing off once they saw what had happened.

Nigel almost laughed as he noticed a group of the crew try to reach him, the ponies still slightly drunk from the previous night as they stumbled down the road towards him. Looking back at the injured pegasus soldier he decided that he would have to give it medical attention, however there was something he had to do first, something which he needed after all the stress and turmoil of the previous day and night.

“Waitress,” Nigel called out mirthfully while pointing towards the ruined table.

“There’s a pony in my soup.”

Author's Note

Well, that's finally done. And no, I just couldn't resist that final 'There's a fly in my soup' joke.

So, Sombra's kicked out Platinum and actually appears to be... well, not that bad compared to her. Either that or he's very skillful at convincing people that he's right. It seems however that he's preparing for war, mainly against the Pegasi. Corporal Forecast's failed assasination attempt probably will not help the chances of peace.

Platinum's already causing more trouble, although Chalmers is certainly not innocent in the situation. Hopefully she'll be back to her normal, arrogent self soon.

Chrysalis and Nigel had a heart-to-heart over the problems, thankfully they managed to patch things up. Chrysalis still hasn't said what she wants to yet, so for now they remain good friends. All that was topped off with the Nymphs starting to speak and breakfast-destroying Pegasi.

Nigel will have words, after he shoots Forecast with a medical laser of course.

All in all a bit more drama than other chapters, but the gears are in motion and the Tower of Doom is complete. It won't be long until the fecal-matter hits the fan, doubly so if Nigel and the group find themselves in the middle of a unicorn-pegasus war.

Once again if you see mistakes, feel free to point them out. I must admit I might have rushed the editing due to time constrants and certain... impaitent readers who shall remain unnamed.

Hope you enjoyed.

Baths, Bombs and Bad Puns

“I swear I heal more ponies then I kill,” Nigel muttered as he stared at the pegasus on the table. He picked the broken stallion up and placed him down on an unbroken table, cricking his neck as he prepared to once again use his limited medical knowledge to save the life of an equine. A crowd had gathered around, all whispering as they stared at the pegasus and wondered what one was doing in Equestria.

Chalmers glanced towards Chrysalis, the changeling shielding the frightened nymphs from the gory sight. He turned back to his patient, the medical tools leaving their housing while Nigel examined the visitor.

The pony was armoured in plain metal armour, chain-linked and with a simple round helmet. As Nigel looked closer he saw that the pony seemed relatively uninjured apart from a hole in his wing a cut along his right flank. He knew that external injuries weren’t all that was wrong, the fall likely to have broken bones and caused internal bleeding. Both of the wings were bent out of shape, or at least they looked broken to Nigel.

Starting on the heavily bleeding cut on the flank, Nigel used his fingers to part the brown hair, allowing him to examine the injury. Blood weakly pumped out of the gash, whatever had struck the pony searing the flesh and striking an artery.

The members of the crowd who had a strong stomach watched on while Nigel plunged a needle into the Pegasus’ neck. Painkillers, immune boosters and blood-production stimulants were injected into the pony’s bloodstream, hopefully enough to prevent the pegasus’ death. Nigel still wanted to find out why a pegasus had crashed in his town. Stripping the pony of his armour and a small dagger, Nigel popped his shoulders before continuing.

The crowd stared on in morbid curiosity when the medical laser glowed, Chalmers deciding that the heavily bleeding flank wound needed the most attention. He squeezed the edges of the cut together, aiming the laser and activating it. Many of the watching ponies stepped back as the smell of burning hair and flesh wafted out, Nigel closing the wound and moving onto the wing.

He clicked his tongue, the hole clean and not gushing excessive amounts of blood. The laser was returned to its housing, Nigel figuring that he wouldn’t need it anymore.

“Someone fetch bandages,” he ordered, deciding that the minor cuts and wounds could be handled by the simple treatment. The wounds were all clean, Nigel withdrawing the armour from his hand so he could run his fingers over key spots on the pony. He felt no signs of internal bleeding, but to make sure he activated his suit’s medical scanner.

His helmet display filled up with details regarding the pony. According to the device, there was internal bleeding in the chest, but luckily it was classed as minor and looked like it would solve itself. Both wings were fractures, and a few ribs were broken. Most seriously, the pegasus was showing little brain activity, indicating a coma. How long it would last was uncertain, but Nigel wanted to try and keep him alive for information.

“Bandages,” a waitress told him while approaching, the young mare carrying a wooden box on her blue back. Nigel picked it up, the waitress shuddering as she got an up-close view of the pegasus, before Nigel waved her away. The mare complied hurriedly, her face turning a shade of green as she dashed inside of the café.

Paying no attention to her, Nigel opened the box and removed a roll of bandage. With care he wrapped one broken wing up, the human not knowing how to treat it properly. He persisted, doing the same with the second before moving onto the other cuts and scrapes. These were small enough to be taken care of with liquid stitches, and soon all of the wounds were tended to.

Nigel glanced out over to the crowd. “Is there a hospital in the town?” He was met with head shakes, one tan stallion raising his hoof.

“There’s a healer on the main street,” he told Nigel. Chalmers nodded and carefully picked up the pegasus in his arms, the human turning to look at Chrysalis.

“Come on, we’ll get your leg sorted at this ‘healers’.” Chrysalis looked at the Nymphs, wincing as she tried to walk on her injured leg.

“What about the nymphs?” she asked, Nigel spotting the owner of the café looking out of the building’s window. He beckoned her outside, the middle-aged, coal-coated mare not sure what the Captain wanted.

“Could you just keep an eye on them for a few minutes?” Nigel asked her, the mare’s eyes widening.

“I don’t know how,” she stammered, Nigel shifting the stallion in his arms.

“They’re just like pony foals, all you have to do is make sure they don’t escape. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The owner sighed and nodded, knowing that she really didn’t have a choice.

“Are you sure we can leave the nymphs?” Chrysalis asked him as she flew alongside Nigel, avoiding the use of her leg.

“Sure, it’s only for a few minutes,” Chalmers replied while the pegasus remained out cold in his arms. “Besides, I didn’t feel like I needed to say it, but if something happens to them then I would be very displeased.” Chrysalis was about to ask what he would do, but then she remembered that the town was filled with enough weapons to fend off an army.

The two received stares and whispers from townsponies as they searched for the local healer, the sight of the Captain carrying a wounded pegasus with a flying changeling by his side an unusual one. Nigel stopped when they reached a large wooden building with an overhanging sign decorated with various medical items such as bandages and medicine bottles.

“This looks like the place,” he observed with a nod. He walked up to the open doorway and stepped inside, Chrysalis touching down on the wooden floor before looking around. They were in a spacious waiting area with a row of chairs made for ponies up against the right wall, a small counter with a tip jar situated at the back. “Some things don’t change,” Nigel muttered while eyeing the tip jar. Chrysalis sat down and examined her leg, Nigel moving a hand out and tapping the silver bell on the counter.

“Coming!” a stallion called out, before a grey earth pony entered from a door behind the counter. He froze as soon as he saw his customers, the Healer trembling in his white wool robe.

“Morning,” Nigel greeted before placing the pegasus down on the counter. “I’ve got a delivery.” He tilted his head towards Chrysalis, the Healer gulping as he stared at her.

“I… I don’t know much about pegasi, and certainly nothing about the… other thing.”

“I’m a changeling,” Chrysalis huffed.

“A human, a changeling and a bleeding pegasus walk into a Healer’s shop,” Chalmers started before chuckling. Recovering, he pointed down at the sleeping pegasus. “Anyway, I’ve already done most of the work. I just need you to finish patching him up and to keep him alive.” Chalmers moved his finger so that it pointed at Chrysalis. “She needs a bandage around her leg and some painkillers, I’d give her some of mine but they’d put her to sleep and I need her up and active.” The stallion gulped, preparing for anger.

“I would, I truly would, but I just don’t know how to treat them properly.” Nigel sighed and opened a compartment on his waist armour, tossing a large coin purse onto the counter.

“Do you know how to treat them now?” The pony’s eyes widened at the sight of the money.

“I suddenly remember how to treat pegasi and changemings-“

“Changelings!” Chrysalis stressed, the Healer nodding his head quickly.

“Of course, a slight slip of the tongue,” he replied hastily with a nervous chuckle. “Please, come into my examination room and I’ll start treatment right away!” The stallion glanced at the pegasus and shook his head while muttering to himself, before looking up at Nigel with a hopeful grin. “Um, my assistant has today off…” Chalmers sighed and picked the pegasus up again, the Healer gulping and disappearing back through the door.

Nigel and Chrysalis followed him, the next room painted a sterile white and hosting a large, sturdy table in the centre. The pegasus was plopped down on the table spread-eagled, the Healer giving Nigel a wary glance before commencing his examination.

Chalmers walked over to Chrysalis while they waited for the stallion to treat the pegasus. Chrysalis had sat down on the floor and was currently gazing around at all the medical tools stored on racks around the room. Her leg was still bleeding, a few other scrapes surrounding it.

“How’s your leg?” he asked, Chrysalis glancing up at him.

“It’s still stinging a bit,” she answered, Chrysalis grimacing after prodding it with a hoof. She got to her hooves awkwardly, stumbling a little while her wings began to buzz. “I really should get back to the nymphs, I’ll be fine.”

“And they will be as well,” Nigel reassured, glancing down at his right arm as an information screen lit up. “According to the sensors they’re still in the playpen. They’ll be fine.” Chrysalis bit her lip but nodded, her wings resting back on her back. Just as she was about to sit back down, the Healer walked towards them.

“Well, the pegasus will live,” he informed as he wiped his brow. “I’ve still got to patch up some of the smaller injuries and treat him with herbs, but he’s stable.”

“Do you have space to keep him until he wakes up?” Nigel asked, the stallion nodding.

“I do have a spare bed, though it will cost extra-“

“Bill it to me after,” Nigel replied with a wave of his hand. “Can you take a look at Chrysalis now?” The Healer took a deep breath and gulped, moving to examine Chrysalis’s wound.

“No mark, green blood,” the pony mumbled before he looked at her face. “Does it still hurt?” Chrysalis nodded.

“It does, do you have anything for it?” she asked. The Healer tutted and moved to a wooden cabinet. His eyes ran over the shelves before settling on a glass jar filled with deep green leafs. He opened the top of the jar and selected four leafs before taking them back to Chrysalis.

“Chew on this, don’t swallow them though. They’ll help deal with the irritation of the wound.” Chrysalis stared at the offered treatment apprehensively, before she used her magic to lift the leaves from his hoof. She sniffed them and winced, but still put them in her mouth and began to chew. Her face was locked in an expression of distaste; Chalmers grinning at her while the Healer fetched a clean bandage. “Please lift your right hind leg so I can wrap this around your wound.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened and she glanced back at the injury, lifting her leg would mean that…

“There is no need to be so modest,” the Healer stated. “It’s only me and my assistant acting as doctors in this town, it will be nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Chrysalis stopped chewing as a slight green blush covered her cheeks. “I um, I just don’t-“

“Come on Chrissy,” Nigel interrupted while rolling his eyes. “The sooner you let him wrap up your leg, the sooner we can leave.” Chrysalis still looked unsure, Nigel deciding to try and ease her nerves with some humour. “Would you rather I wrap a bandage around your leg and see your privates, instead of a medical professional?”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened even more, her blush increasing and her mouth was left hanging. She lowered and stared at the floor. “I would prefer it if you did it,” Chrysalis answered meekly, Nigel freezing in place while the Healer coughed into a hoof awkwardly.

‘Well, that back-fired.’

Despite the thought and his original intentions, Nigel had offered to do it and he guessed that if she was more comfortable with him then it couldn’t hurt.

“Why would you prefer me?” he questioned while taking the bandage and crouching down next to her.

“You’re my friend, and I know you so it just seems better than a stranger.” The Healer huffed, and turned away. Chrysalis rotated so that her injured side was facing Nigel, and then she lifted her leg.

Nigel quickly wrapped the bandage around her leg, having to go around a few times to cover the entire cut. Chrysalis continued to chew her medicine, the previous stinging having died down to a dull throb that hurt a lot less. Chalmers finished securing the bandage, and Chrysalis lowered her leg to the ground.

“Finished,” Nigel informed, the Healer turning back around and appraising the bandage. “I don’t know why I’m paying you; I seem to have done most of the work.” The stallioon wrinkled his nose and pointed towards Chrysalis, the changeling still chewing and blushing.

“You’re paying for the medicine and the treatment of the pegasus. I’m going to have to secure him to the bed as well, so there’s also the element of danger. Then there’s food, I’m going to have to pay for a helper to watch over him at night-“

“Okay, okay,” Nigel conceded while backing away. “The money will be worth it if it means I can leave. Come on Chrissy, we better get back to the nymphs.” He began to walk out of the room, however he stopped when he noticed Chrysalis limping and not flying. Her wings were buzzing erratically, but still she chose to walk.

“Why don’t you fly like before?” he questioned, Chrysalis’ eyes widening again.

“I just want to walk,” she lied. Chalmers rolled his eyes and picked her up swiftly but carefully. Chrysalis froze as she found herself lifted up like a nymph in his arms.

“I’m not going to have the mother of my favourite children injure herself further. If you’re not going to fly, then I’ll carry you.” He carried her out of the building, the Healer giving the two a strange look and shaking his head.

Chrysalis ducked her head when she noticed the looks she was getting from the townsponies that saw them, hoping that her chitin would blend in with the armour that Nigel was wearing. She had forgotten about her teal mane and tail however, the hair making her stand out no matter what she tried. She wanted to tell him to put her down, but at the same time she was guiltily enjoying the contact.
Nigel wondered why Chrysalis was acting so weird. He shook his head, putting it down to his previous behaviour with Platinum. She probably hadn’t fully forgiven him yet so he didn’t think mentioning it would do any good.

Before long the café was back in sight, the owner sitting at a table with the playpen next to it. The mare didn’t notice them approach, the pony grinning as she watched the activity in the child prison.

“I see they’re causing no end of trouble,” Nigel remarked, the café owner glancing up at him with a sheepish expression.

“They weren’t as difficult as I thought they would be,” she admitted, a chorus of ‘Nigel’ and ‘Chrysalis’ calling up from the pen. “Well, apart from the noise. Is the pegasus alright?”

“Your town Healer said that he would be fine,” Nigel informed as he lowered Chrysalis to the ground. The owner nodded her head.

“Be careful, those Pegasi are trouble.” She received a look from both Nigel and Chrysalis, a blush covering her face as she realised who she was talking to. “I… I better get back to work. I have a lot of cleaning up to do.” She left her chair and was about to trot back into her café, but was stopped when Nigel dangled a coin purse in front of her.

“Consider it thanks for watching them,” he told her with a gesture towards the nymphs. “It should be enough to cover the damages.” The manager hesitated before taking it in her mouth, the mare nodding her thanks before returning inside. Chrysalis tested her leg and found that her wings had returned to normal, so she fluttered over to the pen to look inside.

“Hello,” she greeted, the nymphs calling her name and raising their hooves towards her. Chrysalis turned back to face Nigel. “What do you want to do now?”

“I guess that we take them back home,” he answered, meaning his new base. “I’ve got some things I need to do today. I need to figure out what to do with the Equestrian prisoners, start working on Morning’s ship, do some more stuff with the tower and try and find some potential defensive spots.” Chrysalis went over the plan, rubbing her chin with a hoof.

“A quiet day would be nice for a change,” she agreed, before remembering what had just happened. “Well, a quiet afternoon I suppose. I would like to get to know our Equestrian guests a little better, except Platinum.” Chrysalis scowled at the name. “I don’t want anything to do with Platinum.”

“Plat-“ Reflection began, Nigel walking over to the pen and leaning down to look at the nymph.

“Not now, Reflection,” he advised, Chrysalis too caught up in her fuming to notice. “Let it go Chrysalis, it was just a mistake. I’m sure she didn’t know how it would affect you.”

“I guess,” she sighed, before turning her attention back to the more pressing matter of transporting the nymphs. “Which ones do you want to carry?” Chalmers hummed and stared down at them, the changelings returning the stare with gazes of their own.

“You know, I think we could let them just walk beside us. I don’t think they’d run off, and they already seem smart enough to know when we’re calling them. A little exercise in the sea air would do them good. Besides, it’ll be fun for them and it’ll tire them out.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Chrysalis asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“Sure,” Nigel replied with a wave of dismissal. “We can control them, they know better than to run off by themselves.” With that he undid the latch on the pen, the door opening and freeing the nymphs. Seeing a chance to escape, Reflection was the first to leave the enclosure with the others soon following behind her.

Chrysalis watched as all ten moved around the area, sniffing at all of the surrounding objects. They stayed in a group, no nymph ever a metre away from another. Most stayed around Chrysalis, with one or two roaming out occasionally as Nigel started to walk down the street.

“Come along,” Nigel ordered. Chrysalis took flight and followed him at a slow pace, allowing the nymphs to stay alongside her. A few tried to fly as well, but their undeveloped wings only buzzed uselessly. Chirps and chatters rose up as the nymphs followed their care-givers and examined the surroundings at the same time.

The procession also earned curious stares, the column of changelings lead by the human captain attracting the attention of townsponies and a small number of the crew who weren’t already liquored up. Townsponies either stared and conversed with each other, or went back to their business after a brief examination. A few braver souls actively approached the group, most retreating when they drew the attention of the nymphs.

The ones that held their ground despite the curious children were briefly sniffed and touched before the nymphs retreated back to their guardians. A few of these ponies reached out hooves to try and return the contact, but quickly found themselves covered with red targeting lasers. They wisely stood still until the nymphs left.

“Sorry,” Nigel apologised to one particular mare while the group walked past her, red dots covering her body. “It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to children.” The townspony nodded, the mare breathing a sigh of relief when the lasers were removed from her.
“Isn’t that a bit… excessive?” Chrysalis puffed while moving next to him, not used to flying.

“Nonsense,” Nigel answered, pausing in front of the alley that contained his personal entrance. Chrysalis landed and the nymphs flocked around Nigel’s legs, all of them rubbing up against him and chirping loudly as they desired to be fed. “I doubt it’s needed anyway, everyone in this town seems to understand who’s in charge and they haven’t shown any signs of wanting to rebel. In fact they seem to not mind me that much.”

“The old mayor sounds like she was worse,” Chrysalis informed as she tested her leg. “At least you don’t tax them.”

“That’s true,” Chalmers agreed as he entered the alley. Chrysalis and the nymphs followed, Chrysalis finding that she was able to walk on her leg. The alley was cleaner and much less menacing than before, the other end walled off with a large metal plate. The group entered the teleporter, and after some difficulty with herding the nymphs they ascended the tower with a flash of light.

“I’m never going to get used to that,” Chrysalis mumbled as she shook off the tingling feeling. The nymphs rushed out around her and ran around the room, already familiar with the surroundings. They avoided one corner of the command room however, a single unicorn looking outside towards Equestria.

“Oh… Good Morning, Platinum,” Nigel greeted hesitantly. Chrysalis glared at Platinum while the former princess turned around.

“Good Morning Nigel,” Platinum greeted warmly. The warmth left her voice when she turned to look at Chrysalis. “Good Morning Changeling.” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes.

“Platinum, her name is Chrysalis,” Nigel informed as the two females continued to stare off. The nymphs moved to surround Nigel, their nerves on high as they could sense the tension in the room. When he got no response, Nigel sat down in his chair and started to pat and feed the nymphs.

Chrysalis also felt the passive feeling of love increase to her, but it still didn’t pull her away from the confrontation. She made sure to bare her fangs, the teeth having grown a little larger. Platinum wavered; obviously the unicorn was not used to direct confrontations. Chrysalis smirked in victory, and commenced to have an unspoken conversation with Platinum.

‘Stay away from Nigel, you Harlot,’ Chrysalis thought while she took a step forward. ‘Or else.’

Platinum’s mouth curled into a smile, a gesture that Chrysalis knew was: ‘Make me’.

Chrysalis fumed, how could Nigel trust Platinum to keep her word? The mare was obviously trouble and Chrysalis knew that she was up to no good. However, Nigel didn’t seem concerned about Platinum’s future plans, he appeared to be more worried about dodging around what he did with her. With a final glare, Chrysalis flicked her mane and returned to Nigel, sitting down beside his chair with the nymphs.

A hand came down and rubbed her head, Chrysalis grinning and sticking her tongue out at Platinum. The unicorn huffed and returned to gazing out at her lost castle while Chrysalis relaxed and basked in the head rubs.

It felt like victory, sweet victory that Platinum couldn’t have.

‘She’s had another type of victory,’ Chrysalis realised, and suddenly the soothing fingers didn’t feel so special anymore. She remained stoic however, intent to not let Platinum know that she was jealous of the ease of which the unicorn had seduced Nigel.

“Cheer up Chrissy,” Chalmers told her as he patted her with one hand and operated the computer on his chair with the other. “All I have to do is key in a few orders and set some things in motion, and then I can spend the rest of the day with you and the nymphs. I know it’s boring, but that’s no reason to sulk.”

‘That’s not what I’m sulking about,’ Chrysalis thought as she felt a nymph nuzzle her foreleg. She looked down and noticed two things. One was that the nymph, Holey, seemed slightly larger and her chitin was shinier. The second was that her own foreleg was longer than she remembered. “Excuse me, I need to go to my quarters for a while.”

“Go ahead, I’ll watch the nymphs,” Nigel replied, Chrysalis regretfully leaving the relaxing hand. She moved into the teleporter and turned around, watching as the nymphs clambered over and around Nigel to bask in the positive emotion coming from him. With a final ‘I’m watching you’ glare to Platinum’s back, Chrysalis used a hoof to touch the extra-large control screen that Nigel had added. With a press on the large icon that would take her to the living areas, the teleporter doors closed and she disappeared in a flash.

Shaking off the tingling again, Chrysalis stepped out into living room. She was meet with Clover, Morning, Spyglass all lounging around the room with cards in their magic. Sunflare was also present, however she lacked magic and was instead watching the three while she lay on a couch. Everyone halted and stared at Chrysalis as she walked out of the teleporter.

“Hello Chrysalis,” Morning greeted after a moment, returning back to her cards. “I take it you were with Nigel this morning?” Chrysalis wondered if the others knew about the incident with Platinum, or even about the fallen pegasus soldier.

“We had breakfast with the nymphs, and then there was the injured pegasus-“

“What pegasus?” Clover spoke up with a tinge of worry. “Are they attacking?”

“No,” Chrysalis answered before moving towards the hallway. “Well, I don’t think so. He was already wounded and crashed down on our table. Nigel fixed all of the serious wounds and then took him to a healer.” Sunflare noticed the bandage around her leg, the unicorn nodding towards it.

“You got hurt as well?” Chrysalis quickly moved into the hallway, hoping to finish her task as soon as possible.

“It’s just a scratch,” she muttered before leaving down the hallway, the ponies shrugging their shoulders and returning to their card game.

Chrysalis reached her room, the changeling thankful that Nigel had the foresight to make the door controls hoof-friendly. The metal door slid open, and she stepped into her room for the first time. It was fairly plain, but Chrysalis didn’t mind. She also noticed that a line of ten smaller beds were lined up in two rows of five against the walls.

“Where did Nigel say it was?” Chrysalis murmured to herself while see looked for the bathroom. She spotted another door and opened it, finding herself in a white-tiled room. She investigated it curiously, opening the cupboards to find an assortment of bottles and different coloured towers. Pushing aside the questions of just how Nigel had acquired all of these things, Chrysalis spotted her goal.

The full length mirror was illuminated by the strange magical lights that had turned on when the door had opened. Chrysalis stepped up and examined herself, taking in all of her features. She had indeed gotten taller and even more slender, and her teal mane and tail were even longer. Her eyes roamed over her chitin, Chrysalis stepping closer to the mirror. It shone in the light, and she’d heard that changelings with shinier chitin were seen as more powerful and thusly prized mates.

Turning around, Chrysalis eyed her own rump in the reflective surface, seeing that it was plump but toned. She quickly whipped back around and sat down with a blush, remembering the visit to the healer. The changes were extensive and she still wasn’t too sure where they would end. She sighed, her pair of bright green eyes staring back. As she looked at her face up close, she realised that she did look beautiful. Her eyes were full of life, her teeth were healthy and her muzzle was slightly longer and slender. Her horn was also larger, and sharper.

Maybe being a little more beautiful wasn’t as much of a worry as she thought? She’d need all of the look that she could get after all, if she wanted a shot at the one she adored.

Sighing again, Chrysalis pulled herself away from the mirror and looked around the rest of the room. She spotted a sink, a bath and a strange glass object in the corner. Taking a sniff of herself, she decided that a bath might be in order. Besides, an hour or two spent soaking in warm bath might calm her down. She had never taken one before, but she had overheard that pony bathhouses, usually reserved for the rich, were a very rare comfort.

And here she was, with a bath all to herself.

Chrysalis got to her hooves and walked over to the tub, spotting two objects attached to the side. Wondering where she was supposed to get water from, Chrysalis decided to try and see what the metal objects did. With a hoof, she reached out and managed to turn one of them with a blue marking. She jumped back as a torrent of water flowed out of a metal nozzle, Chrysalis staring at it in awe.

Carefully, she brushed a hoof underneath it and found that it was cold. She eyed the red tap, guessing that it was for hot water. That one was also twisted, a second flow of water joining the first. A brief hoof-touch later and she found that it did indeed dispense hot water. She glanced down at the bottom of the bath, the water swirling down a grated hole at the end near the taps. Chrysalis spotted a button next to the taps, and pressed the grey switch with a hoof. A covering slide out and closed off the hole, and the water began to fill the bath.

“Ha!” Chrysalis cheered to herself, proud that she had managed to figure out the strange device without Nigel’s input. As she watched the water fill the tub, she got an idea.

Rushing to the cabinet under the sink, Chrysalis found what she was looking for.

She withdrew a bottle labelled ‘Liquid Soap, Spring’ in Equestrian and examined it. She walked back to the bath and popped the lid of the bottle, pouring a little bit of the liquid in. The bath began to fill with bubbles, and a flowery scent rose up from it. Chrysalis sniffed and found it quite pleasant. She set the bottle on the side and turned off the taps, before eagerly stepping in.

The water was incredibly warm, the perfect temperature for a nice relaxing soak. Chrysalis hummed and settled in the bath, forgetting about her bandage in the process. The water soothed her in more ways than one, and it got rid of the layer of dirt that caked her chitin. She made a note to give herself a rinse off after the main soak, but for now she was content to sit back and enjoy the water.
Briefly, she wondered if Nigel was having an easy time, before she dismissed the thought and closed her eyes in relaxation.

“Settle down you lot.”

Nigel glanced over at the group of nymphs, the excited children shouting out names of various objects such as ‘boat’, ‘bath’, and ‘missile’. They were seated down on cushions in front of a large screen. Nigel had managed to somehow find a bunch of UIP child educational programs on his suit’s computer storage, its reasoning to be there incomprehensible to him. Currently it was running through a series of pictures accompanied by a monotone female voice saying the names, the nymphs eagerly reciting the names once spoken.

Chalmers shook his head and turned back to his command console. They had been fed and were currently entertained, so that was his job done. He continued on reviewing plans of the base and readouts, a smile growing as he examined the data.

The base was ready to start producing an attack force, with resource fabricators and generators working away in the large cavern underneath the tower. As he looked at the screens, he saw that there were a few, smaller caves under the town that contained rich metal and mineral deposits, including precious stones and rare noble metals. The base’s AI had already begun mining operations, a large network of mining drills and processers steadily working away and pillaging the earth.

“I love this job,” Nigel murmured upon seeing that his underground hanger was complete. He didn’t know why, but just thinking the words ‘underground hanger’ made his spine tingle. All he needed was aircraft to fill it with, Nigel unable to decide what mix of planes he should have. Still, all the attack planes in the world would be useless if he had nothing to control them, hence his need for a new AI nexus. Thankfully, the base plans had included multiple rooms left vacant, and there were a few large enough to hold a nexus capable of powering a fleet of starships.

Nigel decided to save that for later; right now he had to focus on Morning’s ship and the Equestrian prisoners. He leaned back in his chair as the educational program continued to play in the background, mulling over all of his options in regards to the Equestrians captured with Sunflare. Feeding them hadn’t been an issue, the base including a large artificial garden with genetically-enhanced fast-growing grains, vegetables and fruit. However, the easiest option would be to just let them go free. They weren’t really a threat and the crew in charge of them had reported that most were farmers pressed into the militia by Platinum’s guards.

Deciding that releasing them would be the most cost-efficient and easiest option, Nigel pushed that issue away for later. A body settled down beside his chair, Chalmers absentmindedly reaching out a hand and patting the creature on the head.

Instead of the chitin of a nymph that he had expected, he was instead met with silky hair. Nigel’s hand froze, and he leaned to the left to gaze down at just who he was patting.

Platinum stared back at him, the mare wearing a small grin on her face as he moved her head up into his hand.

“Platinum,” Nigel warned, withdrawing his hand much to her disappointment. “Remember our deal?”

“It’s only a head rub,” she complained, Nigel faltering. “You gave Morning Sparkle a head rub before.” He was just about to inform her that Morning was a close friend, but then he remembered what had happened last night. Deciding that it wasn’t worth the trouble, Nigel relented and resumed the rub.

“Platinum, I want you to be nice to Chrysalis,” he informed after a few seconds. “Don’t think I didn’t understand what was going on between you two earlier.” Platinum huffed in response, a hind leg twitching as the fingers found their way behind her ears.

“She started it,” Platinum defended, her eyes fluttering at the scratching. “I bet she’s just jealous that I got to you first.” The scratching stopped suddenly, and the hand was withdrawn.

“She doesn’t think of me like that,” Chalmers stated. “We’re good friends and the changes she’s going through are just affecting her mood. Sure, there’s love, but she’s more like family to me then… that.” Platinum smirked.

“Keep telling yourself that,” she replied, Nigel raising an eyebrow.

“You’re feeling better and back to your usual self,” he quipped, Platinum flicking her mane. She didn’t reply however and instead decided to remain sitting down. Nigel continued on. “Besides, I still want you to not start any fights or continue them, I’ll need to talk to her as well.” Platinum walked away from the throne, moving back to the window. She laid down upon a red pillow in the sunlight while still ignoring him.

“Bitch!” the nymphs all yelled out, Nigel and Platinum’s eyes widening. Chalmers whipped his head around to stare at the children.

‘The Hell are they watching!?’

On the screen was the picture of a group of dogs, the program going through the different names. Nigel relaxed, and hoped that the nymphs wouldn’t repeat that particular word at the wrong time. While he appreciated the depth of the UIP programming, he questioned why young children needed to know the different names for the genders of animals. Platinum however didn’t understand what had happened, the unicorn believing that it was a personal attack against her.

“How…” she stammered, her face going red. “How dare they call me that!” Nigel rolled his eyes, preparing to explain the circumstances to the former ruler.

“They’re watching a program. Bitch is the name for a female dog, so they’re not insulting you.”

“I… I know that!” Platinum stammered before facing the window. “Do you think I’m stupid?” Nigel didn’t answer; instead he went back to his command console. He entered in some final commands and activated a phase of his plan. He watched through a screen as a large hatch in the ground slid open a mile away from the town. As soon as the metal door was open, four yellow lifter drones rose up from the black pit the size of an entire street of houses.

Secret bases need secret hatches.

The drones, each the size of a house, used their anti-gravity engines to propel themselves over the sea. They reached the battleship, townsponies and crew alike stopping to stare at the spectacle. The drones stopped and lowered their two arms, securing the ship in their grip. The base’s sensors detected no life signs on the ship, so with the whine of engines the drones lifted up.

The ship was slowly freed from the water, the four drones made to lift weights far greater than a wooden ship. As soon as it was clear of the ocean, they slowly flew back to the hatch in preparation for the ship to be upgraded. Nigel noticed that none of the ponies seemed to panic, was he really that predictable that he could have a ship lifted out of the water and everyone just assumed that it was because of him?

He remotely observed the ship being lowered down the hatch, the computer soon signalling that it was secure and ready to be worked on. The hatched was closed, a small tracked drone popping out from a bush to sweep sand back over the metal door. Nigel grinned at the thought of how Morning would react when she saw the new ship, he had personally created the plans for its modification. In a good mood, Nigel returned to planning his army and resulting world domination.

“Nigel,” Platinum suddenly spoke up after a few minutes. “Am I… a horrible pony?”

‘Wow, that’s a sucker punch,’ Nigel thought while he turned to look at her. The unicorn was still looking out of the artificial window, gazing out over the town.

“What do you mean?” Nigel asked, Platinum gesturing with a hoof out to the town.

“I mean, my own subjects hate me,” she answered with a sniffle. “The ponies in this town don’t even seem to mind you, and you’re ruling over them from a black tower with weapons filling their town. Am I worse of a ruler than you?” Nigel winced; this was going to be difficult.

“Platinum, it’s not that I have weapons or a black tower,” Nigel had to hold himself back from making a joke about how ‘the ladies love a black tower’, and instead worked on getting Platinum out of her sour mood. “It’s how I treat them.” The unicorn turned at this, facing him with a sniffle.

“Treat them?” she inquired, Nigel nodding his head.

“I mostly leave them alone and let them do their own thing,” he told her. “I tax them in food, drink and supplies for my crew, but it’s not excessive and I provide them with services in return. Did you know that I’m giving them electric lights, water and heating at the end of the week?” Platinum stared blankly at him, Nigel remembering that he hadn’t exactly told anyone that yet. “Moving on,” he continued. “The key thing is respect. I respect them, and they in turn respect me.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Platinum huffed sadly. “You’re a big, powerful creature; I’m just a unicorn with magic and a royal bloodline.” Nigel laughed despite Platinum’s sadness, the nymphs moving away from their screen to crowd around him.

“Me?” Nigel asked with a chuckle. “I’m just a guy with a prototype suit. Don’t let the ‘Commander’ title fool you, back where I’m from I’m only middle-management. If you think I’m powerful, you should see my bosses.” Platinum raised her head, the revelation that there were things more powerful than a being that could create from nothing was mind-boggling to her.

“But how does that help me?” she questioned. “Ponies don’t like me, and the others here already hate me.” Chalmers’ mirth died at a sob from her, and he tapped his fingers against his chair. Reflection jumped up into his lap while three other nymphs approached Platinum.

“Well, from what I heard you did treat them like crap,” Nigel stated bluntly while he stroked Reflection’s back. “People don’t just forgive things as easily as I think you expect. Is that why you’re up here instead of down there or in town?”

“Yes,” Platinum nodded sadly. Nigel hummed and paused his finger tapping, Reflection yawning in his lap. The other nymphs stopped approaching Platinum and returned to Nigel’s chair to sit down.

“Try and apologise to Sunflare, Spyglass and Clover,” he suggested. “Morning’s just a little cold to start off with; I don’t believe that she hates you though. Chrysalis is… well, you know what happened to cause that issue. At least if you apologise, then they might forgive you.”

“Is that all?” Platinum perked up, her ears shooting up as she straightened. Nigel shook his head, raising his finger to the roof.

“No, you also need to drop the ‘higher-than-you’ attitude and you need to try and be, well, nice.”

“Oh…”

“You can do it,” Nigel encouraged. “If I can get along with them, then you can as well.” Platinum thought for a few moments, before she nodded and stood up. She approached to lift, still hesitant to use the teleporter, but turned around before entering it.

“Look, Nigel,” she began, her voice softer and lacking her usual ego. “Thanks. You could have just killed me or let Sombra kill me, but you didn’t. It’s hard for me to say it, but I appreciate that you’re helping me even if I don’t know why.”

“It’s no problem,” Nigel answered, Platinum nodding again. She entered the lift but paused before pressing the button to take her down.

“One more thing,” she added. “Last night did mean something to me and I wasn’t just using you-“

“Remember the rule?” Nigel reminded, Platinum stopping and pressing the button. She gave him a final look before the doors closed and she headed down to the living areas. Nigel allowed himself a small smile, a pair of hooves battering at his leg drawing his attention.
Upon glancing down, Nigel saw that Chatter was gazing up at him and wanting to be lifted up. Nigel complied, his hand leaving the sleeping Reflection to help the other lift the awaiting nymph up to sit beside his fellow.

“You’re getting bigger,” he observed, finding that Chatter was larger and heavier than he remembered. It wasn’t fat, but the nymph seemed bulkier in general. As Chalmers scratched Chatter’s ears, he wondered if the nymphs would grow as physically fast as they did mentally. Thinking about that reminded him of Chrysalis and her strange behaviour.

“Women, what do I need to do to understand them, Chatter?” Nigel asked, the nymph looking up at him with a thoughtful expression.

“Chair,” Chatter answered with a hoof-point towards the armrest of the chair, Nigel smirking while he leaned back and increased the head rub.

“Indeed,” he replied while he waited for Chrysalis to return so he could continue on with the day. “Chair is the best answer I’ve heard to that question so far.”

Platinum exited the left and cautiously walked into the main living area. She was met with the stares from the other ponies who were all playing a card game. She got the feeling that she was not welcome, Spyglass and Sunflare glaring ar her. The pirate known as Morning Sparkle gave her a glance before returning to her cards, and Clover was avoiding making eye contact.

“What are you doing here?” Sunflare growled, Platinum gulping before taking a step forward.

“I came down to…” Platinum paused, the glares increasing. “I came down to apologise.”

“Apologise,” Sunflare stated dangerously. “You think an apology is going to make up for my horn or threatening to kill me?”

“Please, I didn’t mean for it to happen!” Platinum answered hastily. “I’ve changed, honestly!” Sunflare snorted and laid back down on the couch, Platinum turning to Clover. “What about you Clover, will you accept my apology?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Clover answered, glancing to Spyglass and Sunflare. “You treated me terribly, and everyone else terribly. I was almost executed because of you.” Platinum tried desperately to convince her ex-advisor otherwise, but was beaten by Spyglass.

“Clover’s right,” he added before taking a drink of water from a glass. “You’ve caused trouble for everyone, why should we forgive you? I doubt that you’ve changed that much.”

“I have!” Platinum protested. “I haven’t done anything wrong since I was removed from the throne!” She stamped a hoof to emphasise her point, Spyglass narrowing his eyes.

“You went off with the Captain last night, and we all know that he wasn’t himself.” Platinum looked down at the ground, ashamed. “If he can’t trust you, then why should we?”

“He forgave me,” Platinum answered with hope. “He was the one that sent me down to apologise.” This drew a long look from Morning, the First Mate lowering her cards to stare at Platinum.

“Commander Chalmers sent you down here?” she asked with a neutral tone, Platinum hesitating before nodding. “Fine then, take a seat. You’ll have to wait until the next game though.”

“Are you joking?” Sunflare asked. “Why are you letting her stay, let alone play!?”

“Chalmers trusts her,” Morning stated while looking at her cards. “That’s good enough for me.” Platinum wrinkled her nose before taking a seat next to the pirate. The red rug she was sitting on was quite comfortable, and despite her closeness to the common unicorn, she didn’t smell any dirt or filth.

“If that’s what you think,” Sunflare huffed. “It doesn’t mean that I’ll talk to her.”

“Suit yourself,” came the reply from Morning. Platinum decided to sit down and remain quiet, watching as the others went back to their game. Spyglass and Sunflare didn’t talk to her, and Clover looked like she was trying to stay out of everything. Platinum sighed and resolved to just sit and watch, the former princess eying Morning’s cards with a confused look.

“It’s a game called ‘Hoof-full’, it’s common on pirate ships,” Morning informed Platinum. “I’ve already taught these three to play, it’s easy to pick up.”

“It is?”

Morning nodded her head at the question, before placing her cards face-up on the wooden table.

“Why show your cards, I thought we were still playing?” Clover inquired, puzzled.

“We are,” Morning answered, picking out another six cards from the deck. “But I might as well teach Platinum how to play now so she can join in.” The corner of the pirate’s mouth curled up in a small smile. “Besides, I was going to win next turn anyway.” Both Spyglass and Clover leaned forwards, their eyes resting on Morning’s cards.

“Son of a-“ Spyglass began, before sighing and leaning back on his cushion.

“Again?” Clover mumbled, trying to figure out how the pirate had won every round so far. Morning smirked and collected all of the cards. Platinum wondered if they were betting anything, but from the looks of it nothing was at stake. She jolted when the card deck was thrusted under her muzzle, a red glow holding them in the air.

“Pick six,” Morning told her. Platinum complied, making sure not to show them to anyone. “Now, this is how you play…”

Chrysalis threw the towel in a hatch marked ‘laundry’, her bath having been just as relaxing as she had expected. She walked back to her mirror and examined herself again.

Her washed mane was silky and it shone in the light, her chitin also carrying an impressive sheen. Her bandage was waterlogged but it held, and her cut felt better than ever. She opened her mouth and examined her teeth and tongue, her fangs sharp and white. The tongue was waggled, and Chrysalis let out a giggle at her reflection.

She looked great, well, at least by changeling standards. Confidence flowed through her and Chrysalis gave herself a grin. She trotted out of the bathroom with a bounce in her step, the lights shutting off and the door closing behind her. Leaving the bedroom, she made her way back to the lift, keen to return to Nigel and the nymphs.

Upon entering the living room, Chrysalis was met with an unexpected sight.

Platinum was sitting down with the other ponies, and they were all laughing as they played cards. The group stopped and looked at her, Spyglass letting out a low whistle.

“Hi,” Chrysalis greeted with a blush. “I was just going back up to the tower.”

“You sure you don’t want to play a game of cards?” Platinum asked. “It’s surprisingly fun.” The Princess had a friendly tone, but Chrysalis could detect a large amount of guilt coming off the pony. She held back a harsh retort, Platinum did seem to be sorry about what she did.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Chrysalis answered. “I’ve got to go back and look after the nymphs. Nigel has work to do, and I’ve already been away for hours.”

“Okay then,” Morning responded, the group returning to their game. Chrysalis headed to the teleporter, a final glance being shot at the First Mate before the door closed. She still didn’t know what Morning thought about her, Chrysalis not having seen her really converse openly with anyone except for Chalmers.

A blue flash signalled that she was once again at the top of the tower, Chrysalis walking into the command room to be met with an interesting scene.

Nigel was asleep in his chair, four nymphs resting on top of him. The other six were arrayed around the room, staring out of windows or playing with dragon toys. One spotted her, the nymph dropping his toy and rushing over to her with a pattering of hooves on the floor.
“Chrysalis!” he greeted, nuzzling her leg when he arrived.

“That right,” Chrysalis praised, glancing at his name tag. “What other words can you say, Buzz?” She smiled when the nymph paused in thought, before he sat down and looked up at her.

“Boat, chair, book, dog, door, floor, wall, red, Nigel, chair, screen, dog.”

Chrysalis watched on amazed as Buzz recited a flurry of words. Sure, he was repeating some, but the amount of new ones was nothing short of amazing. She sat down, a few of the other nymphs rushing over towards her. Buzz stopped telling her new words, the nymph jostling with his fellows for a spot by her legs.

“Hello Cupid, Joy and Keith,” she greeted to the next three, Chrysalis using her forehooves to pat each one on the head. One of them, Keith, somehow tripped over his own tail and tumbled down in front of her.

“Ow,” he stated, Chrysalis pushing aside her thoughts of another word they had learnt to help him. Carefully she picked him up in her hooves and looked him over, a small mark on his forehead next to his horn.

“You have to be more careful,” she lectured, planting a small kiss on his forehead. “There, better?” Keith nodded, his sniffles dying out. Chrysalis smiled at him, inside she was giggling at his name.

‘Keith,’ she thought while her grin increased. ‘Why did Nigel name him that? Why would anyone choose a name like Keith?’
She placed Keith back down, the nymph rushing off back to Nigel. Chrysalis looked closer at the sleeping Commander, noticing that a nymph was curled around his shoulders. She got up and approached the chair, shaking her head at Nigel taking a nap.

Keith was trying to climb up Nigel’s legs; however his hooves were unable to get a grip on the smooth armour. Chrysalis briefly wondered what Chalmers looked like without it, she hadn’t seen him without it on since they had met. Pushing the thought out of her mind, Chrysalis nudged him with a hoof, Nigel breathing in a breath of air before his eyes opened.

Nigel awoke with a start, not having intended to fall asleep. He found himself covered in nymphs, three huddled together on his lap with another wrapped around his shoulders. All were asleep, so he wondered what had disturbed him. He looked to his left, spotting Chrysalis standing there and looking at him hopefully.

“Oh, hi there Chrissy, “ he greeted while blinking his eyes. “I must have just drifted off.” The changeling nodded and did a turn on the spot, before she gazed at him hopefully.

“Do you notice anything different?” she asked, Nigel actually doing so now that she mentioned it.

“You took a bath or shower, your mane is wet,” he answered before going back to his command console. He missed the disappointed look that Chrysalis gave him.

“Yeah, I did,” she muttered, Nigel too busy humming to himself to notice.

“I’ve ordered the construction of the new nexus and some starting defence forces. By tomorrow we’ll be ready to start scouting operations and possibly some light attacks to keep Sombra all rattled. I predict that we’ll have the Capitol by the end of the week!” Chrysalis sighed and nodded, Nigel glancing at her worried. “Something wrong?”

“Oh… it’s nothing,” she answered dejectedly. Nigel put it down to her changes and finished some final commands.

“I know what will cheer you up,” Nigel told her. "How about you and me go out into the town for a while? I need to organise the Equestrian prisoners, but as soon as I’m done that’s my schedule free. We can go to the beach, grab a drink or some ice-cream, or do something that you want to do. What do you say?”

“What about the nymphs?” Chrysalis asked, perking up at the suggestion of going out on what she saw as a date. Nigel pointed down at the three in his lap and the one on his shoulders.

“They’re tuckered out,” he replied. “The others don’t look too far off.” Chrysalis glanced around at the nymphs, the six not on Nigel all beginning to rest on the floor near the chair.

“So we just leave them alone?”

“Well, yes. We’ll take them downstairs and put them to bed. They’ll sleep for a few hours and that will give us plenty of time to have some time to ourselves. If they do wake up, they’ll have toys and each other to play with while we’re gone. They’re growing up fast, and some time away from us might do them some good.”

Nigel watched as Chrysalis debated the idea with herself, before he received a hesitant nod.

“I suppose that we could do that,” she agreed. “As long as you think they’ll be fine.”

“They’re in the safest place in the world,” Nigel reassured. He stood up after gathering the four nymphs sleeping on him, the slumbering children still snoozing even when picked up.

“Come along little ones,” Chrysalis called to the other nymphs in the room. The remaining six followed the two adults into the lift, yawns exchanged all around.

A short lift ride later and the twelve being filled out into the living room. After a brief stop to explain their plans to the others, Chrysalis and Nigel herded the active nymphs to the bedrooms.

“Just in time,” Nigel commented as he opened the door to Chrysalis’ room, a few of the children almost falling asleep on their hooves. Between them, Chrysalis and Nigel managed to get all ten tucked in, and soon every single one was peacefully asleep. Leaving the room, Nigel made sure that the lights were left dimmed and that the door was shut.

“Prisoners first?” he asked Chrysalis.

“Let’s get it over and done with,” she replied. The two moved back the way they had come, heading back to the lift. “What are you going to do with them, by the way?”

“Give them the option to join my crew, and then release the ones who refuse.” Chrysalis stared up at him, confusion evident on her face.

“Release them?” she questioned. “What if they come back to fight us again?” Nigel chuckled, the two entering the lift and heading up to the ground floor.

“Relax; if they couldn’t get past the first set of laser turrets then I doubt they’re that much of a threat. Most of them are farmers or labourers anyway, they’ll likely be happy to be able to return to their normal lives. From what I can see, they’re not exactly keen to throw their lives away to stop me.”

“I guess so,” Chrysalis replied with a hum. “I didn’t expect you to be so forgiving.”

“They’re just soldiers following orders,” Nigel answered as the lift opened its doors, revealing the empty entrance lobby. “It’s not like they all got together and said, ‘Hey, let’s all leave our homes and go and fight pirates. It’ll be fun’. Trust me, as soon as I let them go, they’ll be thankful that I let them live and then we’ll be a few hundred prisoners less.” He glanced down at Chrysalis, the changeling still seeming unsure.

“Onto other things,” Nigel continued. “Where do you want to go after the prisoners are dealt with?”

“Ice-cream sounds nice,” Chrysalis answered as she walked alongside him. The pair exited out onto the street, townsponies glancing at them as they passed. “I’ve never had it before, what is it?” Nigel paused, not having bothered to check if these ponies even had ice-cream.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s made here, but think like frozen cream that’s flavoured. It’s a basic explanation, but that’s what ice-cream pretty much is.” Chalmers stopped and peered around. “All we need to do is spot a stall or shop-“

“Prisoners first,” Chrysalis reminded, Nigel resuming his walking.

“Indeed, let’s go say hello to our guests.”

Lieutenant Hard Blow raised her head up as prisoners around her began to mutter amongst themselves.

The inside of the prison they were all held in was dimly lit, only a few rays of sunlight from skylights allowing them to see. There was activity up on the catwalk above them, Hard Blow shifting in her chains to get a better look.

The pirate captain was staring down at them, the ever-vigilant turret continuing to watch over the hundreds of captured Equestrians. Hard Blow watched the monster lean down to a strange, bug-like creature beside him. She guessed that it was the same creature that was rumoured to steal the forms of ponies. Her grumbling belly distracted her for a moment, Hard Blow glancing down at her stomach.

They had been receiving food, and admittedly it wasn’t as bad as expected, but she did have a bit of an appetite. An appetite that had earned her a slightly negative reputation amongst her fellow officers. Granted, she was a little pudgy, but her mother had always told her that most stallions didn’t mind a little cushion on their mares.

Her mother was weird.

The sound of a clearing throat broke her out of her thoughts, Hard Blow returning her attention to the Captain. The creature waited until all eyes were upon him, before he raised a claw into the air.

“Good Afternoon,” he greeted. “How have you all been?” An uncomfortable silence descended over the prison, the creature beside the Captain shaking its head. “That good,” the pirate commented as he strolled back and forth along the cat-walk. “Well, your day is about to get better. I have decided that keeping hundreds of Equestrians captive is a waste of resources that could be better used on my own assistants. So I’m going to have to get rid of you.”

Distressed murmurs and pleas for mercy rang out, Hard Blow trembling in her chains. This was it, this was her fate. To be executed in a prison with a bunch of lowly mud ponies by a terrible monster, what a way to end a promising career. She remained stoic as the weapon mounted on the roof pointed at her, the unicorn staring up at it with a strange calmness. At least it would be a quick death, unlike the one Knight Sunflare had suffered. Hard Blow closed her yellow eyes, preparing to be cut down by whatever weapons the object possessed.

After a few moments she opened them again, Hard Blow staring up as the crowd’s pleas died down. Instead of shooting her, the turret was now resting at the top, no longer pointing down. Adding to the confusion, the door at the far end of the building was open.

“Relax, I’m not going to kill you,” the Monster informed. Hard Blow turned her attention back to him as he pointed towards the sun-lit opening. “I’m giving you all a choice. Princess Platinum was dethroned by a noble named Sombra, so you’re likely to not suffer any punishment for returning to Equestria without killing me. So, you can leave right now and return to your homes, or you can do the smart thing and join my crew.”

Hard Blow flattened her ears, a stampede of hooves rushing past her. The horde of ponies rushed past her and headed straight out of the door, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt that shrouded the area in a haze of muck. She wheezed and coughed until the dust died down, and her fear returned when she saw how few ponies remained behind.

None of them.

Not a single pony except her was left in the makeshift prison, and to be honest she would have also scarpered if it wasn’t for the chains holding her in place.

“None of them?” she heard the Captain question with surprise, evidently the monster missing her.

“There’s that unicorn down there,” a female voice answered, Hard Blow gulping as the monster looked down at her.

“Ah, let’s go talk to it then!”

“Nigel how are you-“

The female was cut off, the pirate Captain climbing over and jumping off the catwalk. Hard Blow’s eyes boggled at the insane move, the monster was certain to end up with a broken leg or an even worse fate. Hard Blow certainly didn’t suspect him to land on his feet without a scratch, only a brief upturn of dust and a slight tremor the evidence of what he had done.

“Nigel, are you stupid!?” Hard Blow tore her eyes away from the monster, the black bug creature flying down with fragile-looking teal wings. “What were you thinking!? You could have been hurt!”

“Relax Chrissy,” the Captain reassured with a wave of a claw. “My armour can take a small fall.” Now that he was closer, Hard Blow could see that his face wasn’t black metal like before, but instead it was smooth peach-coloured skin. There were no tentacles or fangs like she expected from a being as foul as him, but instead a small nose and relatively normal teeth.

The same teeth that were arrayed in a smile while he approached her.

“Hello unicorn,” the Captain greeted, Hard Blow pressing her back against the metal wall when he walked up to her. “I don’t know your name, but I am glad that you decided to join my crew.” Hard Blow stopped and stared at him, wondering if he was a few mud ponies short of a hovel.

“She’s chained up,” the bug creature pointed out as she landed next to her captain, Hard Blow wincing as she saw the fangs that the female had.

“Oh, right. I guess we better fix that then.”

Hard Blow shuddered as the Monster pointed his right arm at her, an object with a large barrel emerging from his armour. A bright blue glow caused her to blink her eyes, and after it died out Hard Blow moved her hooves to rub at them.

‘Hang on, my hooves are free…’

She glanced down and saw that yes, her chains were indeed gone. Not broken, just gone without a trace. Taking the opportunity to stretch her legs, Hard Blow almost forgot about the two creatures standing in front of her.

“Hurry up, we don’t have all day,” the Captain informed, causing her to snap her head up. The exit at the far end was blocked by his fearsome form, Hard Blow gulping as she tried to speak.

“You’re blocking the exit,” she answered fearfully, the Captain looking back towards the door.

“We’re not going through that one,” he told her. “We’re going back into town to get some ice-cream.” Hard Blow suppressed a scream when one of his metal claws grasped her around a foreleg, the unicorn finding herself pulled to her hooves.

“Why are we taking her?” the bug huffed as it stood next to the Captain.

“Why not?” came the answer, and judging from the face of the insect-equine it was not the one that it wanted to hear. “Relax Chrysalis, Miss…”

“Hard Blow,” Hard Blow stammered out after a few seconds. The Monster smiled at her name, or rather smirked at it.

“These ponies and their names,” he muttered, before gesturing towards a smaller door that was closer to them. “Come along, let’s try and find some ice-cream. I’m in the mood for a small snack.”

“But, I,” Hard Blow tried to protest before she was pulled along with the biped. “I don’t want to join your-“

“We’ll talk about it over ice-cream,” the Captain interrupted, increasing his pace. Hard Blow started to panic and looked to the bug for support, but it returned her pleading look with one filled with annoyance and displeasure. Sighing, Hard Blow lowered her head and sighed while she was guided like a foal.

Mother and Father would be so proud of her right now.

“Take it already.”

Nigel held out the strawberry ice-cream cone towards Hard Blow, the mare looking at the frosted treat reluctantly.

“I don’t feel hungry,” she replied, before her stomach grumbled and gave her away. Nigel raised an eyebrow, the unicorn giving up and taking the cone with her magic. Chalmers turned back to Chrysalis, the three sitting at a table outside the ice-cream store. The changeling was enjoying her own ice-cream, Chrysalis choosing mint.

“Ah, a nice afternoon of pure relaxation,” Nigel sighed as he leaned back in his chair. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful, the chirping of birds accompanied by the whirring of turrets as they rotated in their constant vigil.

“It’s nice not to worry about anything,” Chrysalis agreed, finishing off her cone with a few chomps. Chalmers grinned, she had gotten over her sour mood and he was having a good time. “We should do this more often.”

“I’ll try,” Nigel continued. “I suspect tomorrow is going to be a bit hectic though.” Chrysalis stared at him, licking the remains of the ice-cream off of her muzzle.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” Nigel answered, leaning back in his chair. “It’s just a hunch.”

“That sounds like trouble,” Hard Blow muttered, drawing the attention of the other two. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at her while Nigel smiled and tapped his fingers together.

“Not at all,” he reassured. “Besides, now that you’re on my crew, you’ve got a certain level of protection from anything that I decide to unleash.” He grinned and thought about the surprise that he had in store. “Not that I’m going to unleash anything of course.” He could tell that Hard Blow didn’t believe him, but the unicorn went back to her ice-cream with a scowl. Chalmers knew that she didn’t want to be part of his crew, but he just wanted to see how long he could draw it out.

“What now?” Chrysalis asked, the changeling standing up from her seat.

“First, we do the polite thing and wait for Hard Blow to finish her ice-cream,” he lectured, Chrysalis grumbling before sitting back down. “Then, how about you pick something that you want to do?” Nigel watched as Chrysalis shot the unicorn a glare, his eyes furrowing at the changeling’s behaviour. She seemed… possessive, and trying to compete for his full attention all the time. He shrugged, putting it down to her changing body.

“I don’t really feel like anything,” Chrysalis answered. “I think I’ll just go back to the tower, the nymphs will probably be awake now anyway. There’s nothing stopping you from spending the rest of the day with Hard Blow, though.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Nigel answered, getting the impression that Chrysalis was anything but fine with that idea. “I’ve got some touch-ups to do anyway, so heading back to the tower sounds like a good idea.” The warm smile that she gave him convinced him that he made the right choice. Playing along with her was the best thing to do at the moment if he wanted to keep her happy. Evidently he would have to distance himself from any female that was not her until this current mood was over.

“Great, now all we have to do is wait for Hard Blow.” Chrysalis made an effort to stare at the unicorn, Hard Blow gulping and increase the pace at which she ate. It wasn’t long until she was done, and she got down from the table with an apologetic look towards Chalmers.

“Um… thanks for the ice-cream,” she acknowledged, before shooting a fearful look at Chrysalis. “But I need to get back to my family. I’m sorry that you went through this and I’m not joining your crew-“

“Don’t worry about it,” Nigel replied hurriedly. “You’re free to go; it was nice meeting you Miss Hard Blow.” The unicorn seemed a little surprised at the ease of which she was able to leave. Still, she began to trot away towards the north, her hooves clacking on the stone road. She turned and gave a wave with a hoof, Nigel returning it.

“Good riddance,” Chrysalis muttered, the changeling leaving her seat.

“She wasn’t that bad,” Nigel defended, before he also left. Chrysalis clicked her tongue, before a smile replaced her frown.

“I suppose, and at least now it’s just us.”

“Indeed it is,” he agreed, hurrying towards the tower. Nigel was keen to get back to work; he was so close to achieving his plans. Chrysalis however had different ideas.

“Slow down,” she told him. Nigel looked down as she moved beside him and bumped her side against his leg. “Let’s just enjoy the walk and each other’s company. There’s no need to rush.” Chalmers didn’t reply, but he did comply. His pace slowed, and Chrysalis seemed keen to draw out the time alone for as long as possible.

Just what had he gotten into?

Morning Sparkle looked up from her book as Nigel and Chrysalis entered the living room. The others had retired to the dining area, Spyglass apparently eager to see what food the base produced. Morning hadn’t wanted to crush his hopes with the fact that it was pretty much vegetables and fruit with some other items transferred from the town, so she let him keep the foolish idea that Nigel was hoarding a mass of alien food and drink.

Then again, it was Chalmers so maybe the stallion wasn’t wrong.

“Evening,” she greeted, receiving a smile from Chrysalis. Nigel however seemed strained, the human’s right eye twitching.

“Evening,” she received in return from Chrysalis, the changeling bouncy and radiating joy.

‘Did she finally tell him?’she wondered, Chrysalis’ attracting to the oblivious Captain a favoured topic amongst the crew. Morning herself didn’t really care; as long as she got rich then the pair could do whatever they wanted.

“I’ve got to go and check on the nymphs, it’s almost time for their evening feeding.” With that Chrysalis bounded off down the hall, her wings fluttering as she did so. Morning turned to Chalmers, the Captain collapsing down on a couch.

“Are you okay?” Morning inquired, never having seen the human this tired.

“Oh, I think so,” Nigel answered after checking that Chrysalis was out of earshot. “I mean, it’s not like Chrysalis didn’t just drag me around town for hours, while spending the entire time glaring at any mare that came within a few metres of me.” Morning stared blankly at him, Nigel rubbing his face with his hands. “I can’t wait until this mood swing is over and she’s back to how she was on the ship.”

It was then that Morning realised that Nigel still didn’t know about the changeling’s feelings to him. Either that or he was in denial. Morning searched her mind for a way to cheer him up and get his mind off his problems. One solution reared its head, but Morning knew that it would end in trouble. Still, it was the only option she could think of, and to be honest her present company was far more entertaining than the other ponies.

“Do you want to grab a drink at the tavern?” Nigel removed his hands from his face at her query.

“Actually, that sounds like a great idea, I could use a drink.”

Morning allowed herself a small smile. She wasn’t a social pony, but drinking with Chalmers was admittedly an interesting time. It also didn’t hurt to remain in good standing with him. After all, he did hold the keys to securing her the title and respect that she needed. She had come so far, and she wasn’t about to leave with empty hooves.

“I’ve got to feed the nymphs,” Nigel told her. He got off the couch with an energy that he had been lacking previously. Obviously he enjoyed their drinking sessions just as much as she did.

“I might as well take one of these ‘showers’, I haven’t washed my mane for… seven months I believe.”

“Such is life on the sea,” Nigel replied. “Do you know how it works?”

“Platinum told me how the bath worked, so I just assumed that it’s the same sort of thing.”

“It is. The red tap is for hot water and blue tap is for cold. So, that means that Platinum is finally getting along with the others?” Morning nodded, stretching her legs as she got to her hooves.

“Sunflare and Spyglass are still a little cross at her, but they’re being civil. I’ve been making sure that they don’t do anything to her, and for now they seem to be trying.”

“And what about Platinum?” Nigel followed up.

“She’s not as bad as I thought she would be,” Morning admitted. “I think she’s still feeling guilty over what she did with you last night.” She must have said the wrong thing, Nigel in taking a sharp breath of air.

“How did you find out,” he strained, his fists clenched.

“Well, I was sitting with Spyglass in the pub last night,” Morning made sure to answer carefully. “We saw you and her stumble off, and then I was woken up last night by Chrysalis crying in her room. After that, you take Chrysalis and the nymphs out to breakfast and then spend most of the day with her. Adding to that, Platinum is acting all nice and said that you managed to convince her to apologise. I put the pieces together, something happened last night. And given that she’s a mare and you’re a, well, a male…”

“Okay, okay,” Nigel halted her with a hand. “Yes, something did happen. It’s over though, so let’s just drop it.”

“If you wish,” Morning relented, her suspicions confirmed.

“Thank you,” he replied while he walked towards the hallway. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just would like that incident to stay in the past. I’ll see you back her in a while.”

“That works,” Morning answered, Chalmers leaving the room. Morning did a final stretch and followed him, aiming to see what this ‘shower’ was like.

“Nigel!” Reflection left Chrysalis to race towards the food-provider, her little hooves clattering on the cool metal. She grinned up at the creature that fed her, the tall being smiling back down at her. Sniffing around his legs, she smelt dirt and grime. She didn’t care, and rubbed her side against the black surface. She giggled happily when the flow of food increased, and she was dimly aware of the others rushing towards them.

The door was shut behind him, and Reflection felt herself picked and raised into the air. She glanced down at the objects that grasped her, completely unlike her own hooves. She strained, trying to remember the name and how to say it. Then it came to her, the talking box having said what the objects were called.

“Hands,” she said, her tongue rolling around the new word.

“That’s right,” he replied, Reflection beaming up at him. She had done something good, and she tilted her head forward to receive a reward. “I see how it is.”

Reflection couldn’t stop herself from letting out a chirp as she was shifted into his arms, a hand moving down and scratching her behind the ears. She stayed still, keen for the pleasant feeling to continue for as long as possible. She was vaguely aware of moving, but she didn’t really care at the moment.

The hand was removed, Reflection shaking her head before looking around to see where they were now. Nigel, the food provider, was sitting down in a chair still holding her. He was talking to Chrysalis, Reflection watching the two adults converse.

They were strange, she knew that they fed and looked after her, but she wondered why. Chrysalis looked like her, well, without the hair and eyes, but Nigel was completely different. Reflection could taste the love between the two, and it confused her. Still, she had her fill, and that was more than enough for her. Her brothers and sisters were also crowding around the chair, but unlike her they were not being carried by Nigel. She was his favourite, and that thought made her happy.

“Well, I’ve got to go, Morning’s waiting for me.” Reflection glanced up as she felt herself move again, this time she was placed on the ground. She looked up, worried that she had done something wrong. Her fears were waylaid, a smiling face looking back down at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” Nigel walked towards the door, Reflection chasing after him. She didn’t want him to go, who else would give her head rubs?

“Nigel,” she called out, the creature stopping and looking down at her.

“I can’t stay, sorry Reflection.”

Reflection concentrated, and tried to say what she was thinking. He had used the words before, now how did he said them?

“Be back soon,” she replied, once again being rewarded with a scratch behind the ears.

“Almost a full sentence,” Nigel told her. “You’re learning quickly, now who’s a smart young nymph?” Reflection knew the answer to this one, and she knew that ‘nymph’ was what the adults called her and her siblings.

“I am!” she answered happily, hearing the chirps and chatters of her siblings behind her. They were slower with learning, but they were catching up quickly. Reflection frowned when the hand left her head to quickly give all of the others a head rub. They hadn’t answered anything, so why did they get one?

“That’s enough, I’ll be back to feed you all in the morning.” With that, Nigel left the room, leaving Reflection to stare at the door. She only turned around when she heard large hoofsteps behind her, Chrysalis gesturing for her to move out of the way.

“I have to go out for a few minutes,” Chrysalis told her, Reflection not understanding what the word ‘minutes’ meant. Still, she understood that Chrysalis wanted to leave, so she moved to the side. Chrysalis seemed… different right now. The adult had a frown and her eyes were narrowed, so Reflection decided that asking her to stay wasn’t the best idea. She watched Chrysalis leave, before a nudge in her side distracted her from the shutting door.

Keith was sitting next to her with his purple dragon at his hooves, her brother nodding down at it. Reflection glanced over to her own toy, a nice green one lying on its side near her bed. She got up and bounded towards it, dodging other nymphs playing games of their own. Briefly, she wondered if the adults were having this much fun, before she picked up her toy and ran back to Keith with only play on her mind.

Morning was staring at her mane in the mirror, the golden strands perfectly straight and clean. It irked her, it had been ages since she had gotten it cut and it was almost down to her hooves. She didn’t have any time to tie it back or brush it back, as the Captain was no doubt waiting for her. Sighing, she resigned herself to going into the tavern with her hair looking like it did. She turned around to face the exit, ready for a fun night out drinking with her good friend.

What she was not ready for, was the fuming changeling that was blocking her path.

‘Oh, it must be my turn,’ Morning realised before she stared into Chrysalis’ angry eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“Why are you going out with Nigel to the tavern, and why is your hair like that?” Morning resisted the urge to roll her eyes, the changeling’s mood swings were starting to get annoying. The paranoia was understandable, given the incident with Platinum, but did Chrysalis really thing that she would do something like that?

“We’re only going for a few drinks, like we’ve done plenty of times before. I may be a pirate, but I wouldn’t go and steal your… male. He’s a friend, and I enjoy drinking with him.”

“But what about your hair?” Chrysalis pressed. “Are you trying to look prettier for him?”

“No,” Morning replied bluntly. “It’s wet and I don’t have time to tie it up. I did just have a shower.” Chrysalis seemed like she was about to continue, but Morning halted it before she could. “You have to stop this protectiveness, ask him to bang you or whatever it is that you want from him so that I can go and have a few drinks with my Captain.”

“I…” Chrysalis began, a green blush covering her face. “It’s not like that!” Morning scoffed, getting annoyed at the hold-up.

“Well whatever it is, hurry up and tell him already. He’s a good Captain, but he’s completely oblivious to everything around him that he doesn’t want to see. If you don’t tell him by the end of the week, then I will.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Chrysalis whispered fearfully. “Why would you do something like that?”

“I’d do anything to stop you lording over me just because I want to have a drink with him. Do you honestly think that you can monitor every female that he’s around? If you don’t tell him soon, you may lose your chance. Besides, what’s the worst he can say? ‘Oh Chrysalis, I don’t want to screw you but I’m happy to continue going on like we are now’? I mean, he already loves you from what I can see.” Morning pushed past Chrysalis, the stunned changeling remaining still.

“You think he does?” she asked hopefully, Morning almost bursting out into laughter.

Almost.

“No, he just feeds you and your adoptive children for a kick. The same reason why he gives you a home and takes you out for ice-cream. The same reason why he treats you so nicely even when you try and control who he sees and when he sees them. Of course he loves you.” Morning exited her room, leaving the door open for the shocked Chrysalis.

“Moron,” Morning grumbled to herself, her patience for Chrysalis’ recent behaviour having run out. She increased her pace, making her way down the long hallway.

She really needed a drink.

Spyglass jolted awake, the unicorn flailing his limbs in a panic. He sat up and glanced around, realising that he was alone and there was no biped standing over him with a knife.

“Whew,” he muttered to himself. He scratched the collar around his neck, the weight a reminder of his current predicament. Spyglass paused when a tremor shook his bed, soon followed by another. The spy rolled off and slammed down onto the metal floor, ignoring the pain and scrambling under the bed. He covered his head with his hooves as the tremors continued, the bed above him shaking violently.

It was an attack, he just knew it. Spyglass just hoped that whoever was attacking them wouldn’t find where he was hiding.

‘What is he up to this time?’

Chrysalis had left the nymphs behind in her room, figuring that it was the safest place if they were under attack. She hurried out into the hallway, hoping that all the noise and activity was just Nigel testing something. As she ran into the living area she came across Platinum, Morning and Clover. The three ponies were just as confused as she was, the Equestrians just about to enter the teleporter.

“Wait!” Chrysalis called out, the three stopping and turning to look at her. “What’s going on?”

“We don’t know,” Morning answered while she stepped into the teleporter. “It’s probably just the Captain testing out a new weapon, and he couldn’t wait until the afternoon. Still, we should help him in case Equestria is attacking.” Chrysalis followed Morning into the teleporter, the other two ponies also stepping in after them.

“Where’s Sunflare?” Chrysalis asked. “Is she okay?”

“She’s in her room,” Morning replied, pressing the button for the command floor. “It’s just us for now.” The teleporter activated, the four quickly finding themselves in the tower’s corresponding room.

“This still feels weird,” Clover pointed out as she shook herself in an attempt to get rid of the tingling.

“There’s no time for that,” Chrysalis told her as she dashed out of the teleporter. “Nigel might be in trouble-“

“Ha ha, yes!”

Chrysalis was cut off by laughter, the changeling skidding to a stop while the others exited the teleporter after her.

Standing in front of the windows, was Nigel. He was wearing his full armour, helmet and all. Chrysalis and the rest watched in puzzlement when he clapped his hands together, seemingly not worried at all with the noise and earthquakes.

“Nigel!” Chrysalis called out, rushing up to him and poking him in the side. She was up to his torso now, her legs having grown longer overnight. This wasn’t noticed by her; instead she was intent on getting answers from Chalmers. “What’s going on!?”

“Progress, my dear Chrissy! Sweet, sciencey progress!” This did not answer her concerns, Chrysalis not in the mood for Chalmers’ cryptic explanations.

“I don’t know what that means!” she yelled over the noise. “Just tell me what’s happening!”

“Look outside the window, and be amazed!” Chrysalis huffed and looked outside, her eyes widening at what she saw.

Bipedal metal machines were marching down the main street, heading towards the exit of the town. Each one was a dull grey, and she estimated that they must have been twice as tall as Nigel. A single mass of eight red eyes glared out from blocky ‘heads’ mounted on metal torsos. They looked vaguely like Nigel, if he was a huge metal machine that is.

Instead of hands the machines had weapon barrels on each arm, one made out of eight linked barrels while the other was a single, large weapon. The machines also had a box on each shoulder, Chrysalis assuming that they were yet more strange weapons. Just how much firepower did Nigel have at his disposal? She watched him tilt his head, all of the noise dying out. Curious, Chrysalis looked back out the window, finding that the machines had all stopped and were now lined up on the sides of the street.

There seemed to be a hundred of them, all of them intimidating to even look at. The ponies slowly made their way to the windows, all of them looking out with varying reactions.

“So that’s what all the noise was,” Morning stated evenly. Nigel burst out into laughter again, an armoured hand reaching down to pat the stoic mare. Chrysalis frowned and was about to snap at the two, but it was then that she remembered her conversation with Morning last night. The mare was right, and as Chrysalis looked at the pair she didn’t see any signs of love between them. In fact, Morning actually looked annoyed at the head rub she was receiving.

“There is no sound as sweet as an army preparing to march,” Nigel chuckled while removing his hand. “These XJ-RP Standard Land Attack Drones will be more than enough to take over the Capitol, even if I only have a hundred of them currently.” Chrysalis turned as another pony stepped between her and Nigel, Platinum staring out at the drones with a glint in her eyes and a grin on her face.

“Oh, those will show that traitor Sombra just who’s in charge!” she laughed, sitting down on her rump so that she could rub her front hooves together.

“Yes, me,” Nigel reminded the former Princess, Platinum stopping her gloating and giving him a sheepish smile.

“Of course I meant you,” she tried. Chrysalis glanced up, wondering how Nigel would take it. She couldn’t see past his helmet, but the fact that he laughed again showed that he was willing to let it go.

“Ah, don’t worry Platinum; I may appoint you as governor or something like that.” Chrysalis actually didn’t mind that idea, it would mean that Platinum would likely be far away from Nigel at all times. Good, that’s how she wanted it. Platinum was also understandably happy with the arrangement.

“It’s not as good as Princess,” she muttered. “But I guess that Governor will have to do. Do I get to keep the castle?”

“If I don’t bomb it into dust,” Nigel answered her. Platinum gazed out lovingly at the drones, Chrysalis rolling her eyes and moving closer to Nigel.

“You still have to actually take the city, before you start gifting positions to everyone,” she pointed out. Chrysalis pressed her side up against his hip, Nigel glancing down at her and resting his hand on her head.

“I know that, and you are still getting taller,” he replied, Chrysalis wondering how he could link the two so quickly. Her annoyance at it being pointed out was waylaid when his hand began to rub, Morning Sparkle stepping in front of both of them.

“Captain-“

“Commander, remember Morning? You’re the Captain now.” Chrysalis managed to look up at the unicorn, Morning Sparkle rolling her eyes.

“Commander,” she continued after the correction. “While I admit that your drones are impressive, will they really be enough to take an entire city?” Chrysalis frowned as the hand left her head, Nigel clapping them together before sweeping his arm in front of him.

“Everyone, please direct your attention to the coast line.” The ponies and changeling followed his arm, gazing out towards the sea.

“There’s nothing there,” Clover spoke up.

“There is,” Nigel replied. “Look closer at that set of hills.” Everyone strained their eyes, before Chrysalis noticed a widening black strip in the ground.

“That trench?” she inquired, Nigel nodding his head. “But there’s nothing there.”

“Three, two, one,” the Commander counted down.

“What are you-“ Chrysalis began to asked, before her question was answered with a roar. Even Morning’s mouth dropped when a mass of machines roared out of the trench before flying towards the tower. The ponies in the tower and the confused townsponies down in the house below ducked for cover as the new machines soared over the town. Chrysalis remained frozen and pressed up against Nigel, the objects a sleek triangular-wedge shape with four glowing boxes on the back.

“Underground hangers are the best thing invented,” Chalmers muttered to himself as the twenty objects did a loop around the town.

“More drones?” Chrysalis guessed and her fear dropped as she realised that Nigel also controlled them. She received a nod in response, Chalmers rubbing his hands together.

“They are just simple AI strike fighters. They’re Supersonic, multi-purpose and relatively cheap to make. This town is sitting on a wealth of metals and material, if I wanted to then I could blot out the sun with armed killing machines. Hell, I could probably take over this planet from the safety of my command chair.” While saying this, Nigel walked over to the chair and sat down, the ponies in the tower getting back to their hooves.

“So you’re attacking them now, sir?” Morning questioned, Nigel pausing in thought before shaking his head.

“No, I want to get a larger force before attempting it, just to be safe. However…” Chrysalis, Morning and the rest stared as Chalmers pressed a button on his chair. A holo-map flickered to life above his armrest, Nigel touching the immaterial surface until it zoomed in to focus on the Equestrian Capitol’s castle.

“Nigel,” Chrysalis asked carefully after she stood at his side. “What are you planning?”

“It’s simple, dear Chrissy,” he answered. “I think Sombra would be thankful for an early morning wake-up, and as a good neighbour it falls on me to ensure that he starts his day with a bang.” The map flashed red, and a panel slid back on Nigel’s chair. Everyone stared at the big, red button that popped out of the metal surface, Nigel staring down at it.

“You know what they say about red buttons,” he continued as he slowly lowered his finger to it. “They’re just made to be pressed.”

He jammed his finger down, a beeping sound accompanied by a countdown displaying on the map. The ponies and changeling jolted when a long object riding a pillar of flame streaked up from the base of the tower into the sky. They watched it through the windows, the device racing towards the castle. Nigel leaned back in his chair as the missile streaked away, took his helmet off and breathed in a happy lungful of air.

“Well,” he commented with a glance towards his map. “Sombra’s sure in for a surprise.”

‘Ahhh! What a fine day to be a king!’

Sombra admired himself in the mirror, his image one of nobility and respect. His broken jaw was now fully healed thanks to the castle’s skilled unicorn healers, and after the failed pegasi assassination attempt he felt alive and full of energy. He couldn’t recall when he had woken up in this good a mood for a long time.

He smirked at himself, a handsome stallion looking right back at him. His populace were eating out of his hoof, and already they were prepared for war. Let the pegasi come, they would face skilled unicorn knights and a mass of mud pony peasants. Sombra could taste victory already, his mages working on a spell that would allow them to assault the pegasi where they lived. Accursed flying rats, huddling up on their clouds and sending assassins after him, the nerve!

‘Still, they can’t get me now,’ Sombra smirked, glancing outside his window to gaze at the shimmering green shield that covered his castle. ‘Not with my barrier in place. I’d like to see anything break through that!’
Sombra turned back to his mirror, but he spotted something in the corner of his eye. He faced the window again, and leaned out to stare into the distance.

A fiery object was speeding towards him, a tongue of flame propelling it forward. His eyes widened, they were under attack! He quickly ducked behind the window, but stood back up a second later, a grin on his face.

‘I still have my barrier,’ he thought with a grin, eying the oncoming object. ‘Nothing will break through it. I, King Sombra, designed the very spell myself and my brilliance knows no boun-‘

A cataclysmic crack interrupted his self-congratulating, Sombra diving behind his bed for cover. His ears rang with noise, and a bright flash lit everything up for miles. He lay there for a few minutes, his hearing slowly returning to normal. Sombra pulled himself up off the floor, glad that no one had been around to see his moment of cowardice.

He smelt smoke, the King rushing back to his window to examine that damage. His eyes widened when he saw that his shield was completely gone, the green barrier non-existent. Smoke wafted up from the direction that the object had been coming from, and a large patch of the surrounding land was scorched beyond recognition. His shield was gone, but the amount of damage that would have been caused to the castle if the shield hadn’t been there…

"You missed me!" Sombra yelled out, his blood pumping from the near death experience. He leaned out of his window and shook a hoof at the sky, ignoring the terrified cries of alarm that filled the city below him. "Is that all that you have!?"

“Huh, that missile was a little bigger than I expected.”

“You what?” Chrysalis questioned, still blinking her eyes from the flash earlier. “You didn’t know what that… that thing would do?”

“Oh I did,” Nigel replied while looking towards the ponies all staring out the windows in shock. “I just didn’t expect for it to make an explosion that large… or for there to be a shield blocking the castle.” Chrysalis shook her head when Nigel leaned back and hummed. “On second thought, it’s probably a good thing that the shield was there. Not much point of conquering a city if you blow it up completely after all.”

“So that’s it then,” Platinum sighed, sitting down on the floor. “If Sombra can stop an attack like that, then what hope do I have of regaining my country?” Chrysalis shot Platinum a glare, the former princess quickly correcting herself. “I mean your country, Nigel.”
Nigel didn’t seem bothered by Platinum’s slip-up, the human letting out a bark of laughter.

“That was just one missile,” he chuckled. “I have hundreds more of them!” His finger hovered over the red button again, however he paused. “You know what?” He asked while taking his finger away. “I have all of these brand new planes just waiting to do something. I might as well put them to use.” Chrysalis and the ponies watched as Nigel tapped commands into his screen, the biped only taking a few seconds.

Multiple roars burst into life, looking outside everyone could see that all thirty of the flying drones were heading towards the Capitol at amazing speeds.

“I do love a good bit of indiscriminate bombing in the morning,” Nigel announced before forming his fingers into a pyramid. “I’m sure the Equestrians will have… a blast!” Chrysalis held back the urge to smack herself in the face at the pun, the others all staring at Nigel as he laughed maniacally. “I predict that property rates in the city are going to… explode! All thanks to the... volatile market!”

‘I almost wish that I was in that city instead of here with his terrible puns,’ Chrysalis thought, before she sat down next to him. She felt a hand reach out, Chalmers absentmindedly scratching her ears while he continued to laugh.

‘Almost.’

Author's Note

Sombra's in for it now.

Schemes and Plots

“All of you remain calm!”

Lieutenant Arcane Light strained his voice to yell over the din of the panicking crowd below. Earth pony commoners and Highborn unicorns alike stampeded into any kind of shelter, the smell of smoke and fire in the air. Spitting some dirt out of his mouth to continue, Arcane glanced up towards the sky.

The King’s shield was no more, seeming to have been annihilated by the huge explosion. Arcane wasn’t a simple peasant, he knew all kinds of combat spells and yet he’d never seen anything on that scale. Evidently, neither had anyone else either, his fellow soldiers equally nervous and jittery. They all formed a solid line, spears and swords pointing out in an attempt to stop ponies from storming into the castle courtyards.

“Return to your homes in an orderly fashion!” he bellowed, his words having little effect. A clanking of metal drew his attention, and when he looked to his left he saw three fully-armoured knights stand beside him.

“You there, unicorn,” the leader addressed, her tone one of displeasure. “Why are you ordering ponies around when you’re as naked as a commoner?”

Arcane spared a glance to his light-brown coat, his mark of a spear on a shield plain to see. He narrowed his eyes, fixing the knight with a glare from his icy blue eyes.

“I’m organising my troops to keep order, as is my duty as Lieutenant. I had no time to put on my armour when the attack happened, and I prioritised action over getting dressed.” Through the knight’s helmet slits, he saw purple eyes glare at him. “Speaking of which, you took your time.”

“Watch your tongue, knave!” another knight warned, his voice heavy with threat. “Or I’ll cut it out!”

“Severus,” the lead knight replied. “Refrain from such actions.” She fixed Arcane with another glare. “Besides, if we cut out his tongue then we’d have to be the ones dealing with the rabble.” The surrounding soldiers twitched, but were wise enough to not rebuke the knights’ insults. Arcane however was furious that he was doing all of the work, and then these three stuck-up nobles barge in to just throw out criticism.

“If you’re not going to help, then why are you even here?” he asked, snorting while he did so.

“King Sombra is concerned that the attack spell was a cover for a possible invasion, and as such has ordered us to hold the line while he ensures the safety of castle’s treasures.”

‘Big surprise there,’ Arcane fumed to himself. He had served under Sombra’s father and had greatly respected the stallion.
His son however, not so much.

Sombra was less of a general and more of a slimy politician, more suited to sucking up in the courtroom than the hack and slash of combat. He couldn’t even beat one pirate captain he was that pathetic. He may have won over everyone else, but Arcane didn’t buy into the lies.

“As of such, we are taking command,” the knight continued to inform him. “You, however, are to get your naked body and greasy mane out of my sight. Go and put your armour on before I make you a commoner.” Arcane huffed but did as ordered. The problem with the knights was that they were all of noble birth, and thusly higher than him. Granted, he was a unicorn and therefore above the earth pony peasants, but he was not a noble and the knights were very capable of carrying out their threat.

Walking away back into the castle grounds, he glanced up at his black mane. It wasn’t greasy; in fact it was quite clean and well-cut.
“Stuck up inbreds,” he muttered to himself. “I didn’t fight three wars just to be treated like a piece of-“

Arcane’s grumbling was interrupted by a roar, actually multiple roars.

‘Dragons!?’ he thought while trying to pull his non-existent sword. He’d encountered dragons before, and every time it had ended with a few of his fellow soldiers being burnt to a crisp or eaten.

The grey triangles that flew over the city were far from dragons however, the wings on these didn’t flap and instead of coming out of one mouth, the flames came from four openings on the back. Ponies all around him stopped and stared at the sight, the triangles soaring over without incident.

‘I wonder what they are?’ Arcane questioned while watching in awe.

It was then that one of the castle’s towers exploded.

Arcane dived to the ground while stone rained down and ponies resumed their panicking. Raising his head, he realised that the tower that had been destroyed was the headquarters of the Knight’s Guild. Any further alarm or secret elation was cut off by more explosions, these ones striking the barracks, walls, guard towers and a few blew chunks out of the castle itself.

He looked up in time to spot a thin, cylinder with a pointed tip scream towards another castle tower, a tongue of flame gushing out of its tail. It collided with the stone and cracked it asunder in a flash of light, yet more stone falling down. One large, smouldering block in particular was heading right for him, Arcane lighting up his horn in preparation to try and stop it. It slowed however, and instead it started to drop down towards a group of earth pony peasants.

The two mares and a stallion looked up at their oncoming deaths in horror, time seeming to slow. They were paralysed with terror, their legs seeming to disobey them. Their simple farmers garb fluttered in the wind, Arcane’s eyes widening.

Putting his ingrained distaste aside, he poured magic into his horn and focused. He imagined the spell in his mind, and he tried his best to predict the path of the debris.

Just as the stone chunk was about to crush the three hapless peasants, a blue bolt of energy flew out from Arcane’s horn. It collided with the stone but didn’t even scratch it, Arcane wincing for what was to come.

Thankfully for him, and the earth ponies, while his magic didn’t destroy the stone like he had hoped, it did push it off course.

With a thud, it crashed down harmlessly into the grassy ground. Arcane breathed a sigh of relieve and got to his hooves.

Whatever had been causing the devastation had appeared to have stopped, a strange sort of peace settling over the city. Arcane quickly made his way back to the entrance to the castle courtyards, aiming to survey the damage to the market place.

“Thank you, sir,” one of the earth pony mares thanked, Arcane ignoring her leaving the trio behind. Upon reaching the entrance he found that all of his soldiers were gone, abandoned spears and swords littering the ground. Standing in the middle of it all was the three knights from before, all clad in their steel plate and aiming their glowing horns into the sky.

“Where is everyone?” Arcane inquired, the lead knight snorting while searching the sky.

“You’re subordinates are ill-trained cowards,” the mare spat. “They all bolted after the first few explosions.”

Arcane was about to defend his troops, planning to bring up the fact that giant flying triangles zooming over the city and blowing things up might just be a little too much for soldiers not protected by full plate armour, but he decided that action was worth more than words.
Leaving the three knights to continue their useless vigil, Arcane moved into the market and set out to re-organise his troops. He grimaced while fires started to burn, dodging ponies that were aimlessly galloping around in terror and yelling.

He had a feeling that this wasn’t over just yet.

Sombra hurriedly shoved scrolls and books into the large saddlebags he was wearing, the magical tomes the most expensive and dangerous out of all the ones kept in the castle library. He moved from bookshelf to bookshelf, ignoring the bangs and booms outside.

Soon his bags bulged and he could fit only one more book, the King glancing between the two left on the small shelf in front of him. He could pick ‘The Never-Ending World of Nefarious Necromancy’, or he could choose ‘Despicable Dark Magic, Domination Edition’. Sombra was too preoccupied to question just why the library contained such books, but his eyes were drawn to the gold-etched black book on the left.

“Domination,” he muttered to himself, liking the sound of that. Shoving the tome into his bag and closing it shut, Sombra turned to leave but paused. Glancing back at the book of necromancy, he bit his lip in thought.

‘Maybe I’ll have room for just one more…’

Before he could even think any further, a loud explosion rang out, seemingly directly outside the library window.

“Or maybe not,” he grumbled, scrambling to leave the room. Galloping towards the door, his horn lit up and a green bolt of magic shot out. The magical projectile hit the bookshelf and set it aflame, Sombra rushing past and emerging into the upper floors before the flames started to spread. He spotted a group of armoured knights heading towards him, the soldiers breaking down doors to peer into the rooms within.

“Sire!” the lead knight addressed upon spotting him. “Thank the Heavens that you’re safe! Quickly, we must get you down to the vault!”
Sombra grimaced, he’d been planning to flee the castle and escape, but he wouldn’t be able to fight off the five trained nobles. Instead, he decided to improvise.

“Yes, lead the way,” he ordered the stallion, the knights nodding and forming a protective group around him. The guided him down the stairs, the clanking of armour and weapons soon overtaken by cries of panic. While they briefly stopped on the ground floor, Sombra looked out and saw a crowd of peasants and guards stuffed into the castle, all of them trying to seek refuge from whatever was attacking.

With a sneer of distaste, Sombra and his escorts once again moved down another flight of stairs. Torches in wall brackets lit their path, the noise of the citizens fading to be replaced with armoured hoofsteps and barked orders.

Sombra left the staircase and looked around, the subterranean floors having been out of bounds to him before his rise to King. Everything was made out of thick, solid stone, and everywhere he looked guards and knights stood at attention or rushed around in and out of rooms.

“The vault is this way Sir,” the lead knight spoke up, sheathing his sword and heading deeper into the corridor. Despite his urge to get out of the castle, Sombra followed with his bags still full of tomes. Glancing around, he had a sizable guard force around him including the elite knights, so maybe it wasn’t the worst thing to happen.

Passing through a heavy oak door guarded by an entire ten-pony squad, Sombra and his escort entered a large room that certainly lived up to the name of ‘vault’.

The walls had a slight glow to them, and Sombra could detect the magical enchantments on them. In the centre of the room was a large war table, with an entire map of Equestria and the surrounding lands and seas. Sombra couldn’t hear any more explosions, so either the room was sound-proofed or the attack had stopped.

“We’ll be right by you, Your Highness,” the lead knight stated, saluting and gesturing for his subordinates to guard the door. The four normal knights moved to stand beside the doorway, the leader shutting the barrier and placing himself in front of it.
He had to admit, their loyalty was rather impressive.

With a smirk, Sombra made his way to the red velvet chair at the head of the table, overhanging torches providing ample illumination. Settling into the comfortable seat after a mareservant removed his bags, Sombra leaned back and placed his hooves on the table.
“Would you like something to eat or drink, Lord?” the young mare inquired, Sombra smiling back into the pearl-white mare’s ruby eyes.

“Indeed, some sustenance would be welcome.”

“I’ll organise it right away,” the servant bowed, before passing the knights and exiting the vault. A silence descended over the room once she had departed, Sombra tapping his hoof upon the edge of his chair.

He had to re-evaluate his plans for dealing with the biped, this attack certainly one of his doing. Of course, like all pirates the being seemed to be out for power, and he might be open to a working partnership.

Sombra already had what he wanted. A castle, land and a country full of subjects willing to live, work and die for him. With the pirate captain on his side, he could use the biped to deal with the Pegasi, Griffons, Minotaurs, Zebras and Diamond dogs while ‘gifting’ their land to keep the beast happy. It was certainly worth a try, and Sombra was confident that he’d be able to persuade the Captain over to his line of thinking.

‘Yes,’ he thought to himself, his smirk morphing into a grin while he leaned back and waited for his refreshments. ‘After all, a powerful pawn is still a pawn.’

Chrysalis didn’t even know what to think anymore.

Here she was, a simple drone from a little-known hive city, sitting in a tower while flying triangle’s bombed the pony capitol. She was changing into… something, had ten nymphs to look after and a being that was at the same time kind and mentally unhinged was currently scratching her behind the ears.

The twists and turns that life creates.

“Whelp, that’s enough bombing for one morning,” Nigel suddenly announced, his fingers dancing over the glowing screen on his chair’s armrest. Regretfully, Chrysalis shook her head and ended the ear scratch, standing up after remembering the nymphs down below.

“I’m going to get the nymphs, it’s time for their breakfast,” she reminded, casting a final glance out of the windows. In the distance, the flying triangles were returning to the mountain they had come from, leaving a smoke-covered city behind them.

“You need any help?” he inquired, Chrysalis waving him off.

“No, I’ve got it, just don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone.”

“Me, do something crazy?” Nigel placed a hand over his heart. “I’m puzzled as to what gave you that idea.”

Chrysalis decided to just let the issue drop, making her way towards the lift. Pressing the button to take her to the living areas, she glanced out towards the command room. She had to admit, it almost seemed like a family to her.

Nigel, Morning, Sunflare, even Spyglass and Clover were quickly becoming people and ponies that she looked forward to seeing in the mornings. Granted, most of them were kind of here against their will, and Platinum was also present, but it still felt like a family to her.

The lift doors closed and she felt it move down, the journey only a few seconds before it came to a stop. The doors opened and she stepped out, passing the living room and kitchens in her haste. Chrysalis actually felt joy at the prospect of seeing the nymphs again, despite her initial fears that they’d turn out to be a hindrance.

Closing on the door to her room, she could hear the chirps and chatters from within, thumps on the door indicating that the ones within where very much awake.

“Okay, calm down,” she reassured while pressing the button to open the door, the chirps changing to ‘Chrysalis’ at her voice.
As soon as the door opened, a tide of nymphs flowed out to bounce around her, the youngsters calling out greetings while they jostled for a position at her legs.

“Morning!” a few managed, while others stuck to just her name. Still, they were certainly learning far more quickly than she had thought they would.

“Aren’t you all just so smart?” she questioned, taking some time to rub each one on their heads. The little curved horns that each possessed were growing larger, and the males had started to get notably taller than their sisters. At this point Chrysalis didn’t even care if they were even siblings by blood, from now on she’d refer to them as if they were. “Now come on, it’s time for breakfast.”

“Food!” the chorus changed, Chrysalis beaming with pride. The feeling that she was helping them grow was a pleasant one, and as she started to lead them back to the lift she had a bounce in her step.

The nymphs briefly sniffed the entrances to rooms that they passed, the young ones not having explored the living areas yet. Upon reaching the lift, Chrysalis allowed them a minute to roam around the recreational area before opening the lift.

“Let’s go,” she asked, the nymphs turning to follow. With alarm, Chrysalis realised that they were one short, and upon looking at the table in the middle of the room she noticed that Keith had climbed up on it.

The young male had his eyes narrowed in concentration, and his wings were buzzing furiously.

“Keith, no!” Chrysalis ordered, however the nymph didn’t listen.

She watched on in horror when he jumped, his legs propelling him off the table and towards the ground.

With a joy-filled chirp, Keith took flight and zoomed towards her, shakily but managing to stay off the ground.

He still hadn’t worked out on how to land yet, however.

Chrysalis winced when he collided into her foreleg, not because it hurt but because she knew he’d be worse off. Looking down, he was rubbing his head beside his horn, his mouth wavering while his siblings laughed at his actions.

“See, I told you?” Chrysalis lectured, using her magic to lift him up to her face. She gave him a peck on the sore spot, and his sniffles began to die out. “You’ll get it one day though, I just know it.” This returned the smile to his face, and instead of putting him down she placed him on her back. Focusing back on the rest of the nymphs, she sighed when she saw that they too were heading towards the table with their wings already buzzing.

‘And it begins,’ she thought, before moving to halt them.

“No, no more flying practice from the table,” she ordered, the nymphs pausing and looking back at her. With a hoof point from Chrysalis towards the lift, their wings settled down and they sluggishly made their way back towards her. “Hurry up; the sooner we get in the lift the sooner we get fed.”

“Nigel!” Reflection called out, the nymph leading the pack back to the lift with a surge of energy. When she arrived she beamed up at Chrysalis, as if expecting a reward for doing as asked. Once all were in the lift, Chrysalis gave her another pat on the head. Reflection seemed slightly displeased with the contact, but Chrysalis could relate that it wasn’t as good as an ear scratch from five fingers.

Another short trip and they reached the command floor, the lift doors opening to disgorge a tide of cheery, energetic nymphs. Chrysalis smirked when Buzz accidently rammed Platinum on the side in his haste to greet her, the Princess jolting in surprise. Platinum went to glare at the nymph, but a glance over to Nigel tapping his fingers together in his chair persuaded her otherwise. Instead she hesitantly patted it with a hoof, before trying very hard to ignore Buzz by staring out the window.

The other nymphs made beelines for Clover, Morning, Spyglass and the seated Sunflare. The exception was Reflection, who predicably headed straight for Nigel.

“Hey there Reflection,” he greeted, Chrysalis trotting up while he gave the happy nymph an ear scratch. A flow of emotion started up as the nymphs began to siphon, Chrysalis also receiving a helping of the nourishing energy.

“It’s going to be trouble up ahead,” Chrysalis informed him. “Keith managed to fly off the table down below.”

“Did he now?” Chalmers questioned, looking around while Reflection rubbed her side against his leg. “Where’s the little troublemaker?”
Both Chrysalis and Nigel tried to spot the nymph in question, and Chrysalis was the one to find him first. Keith was balancing on a console, his wings fluttering with his eyes locked on Morning’s back.

This time, it wasn’t the ground that had Chrysalis worried.

“Keith, no,” she warned, but once again it was ignored. With a chirp of joy, Keith propelled himself off and flew, Nigel watching with amusement while Chrysalis started to gallop towards him. This time he managed to glide quite a distance, and with a thud he made contact with Morning. The Captain remained still while Keith used his forelegs to cling around her neck, Morning continuing to stare out of the window.

“There’s one of them on me, isn’t there?” she deadpanned, Keith letting out a chirp and greeting.

“Morning!” he announced, earning amused laughter from the ponies and human watching. Chrysalis was not as pleased, hurrying over and removing him from Morning.

“I’m so sorry, he doesn’t know what he’s doing-“

“Relax,” Morning chuckled. “I understand.”

Chrysalis couldn’t believe it, the mare was actually happy?

“You’re just trying to learn, aren’t you little one?” Morning continued, shocking Chrysalis to the core.

“Okay,” she turned to Nigel. “What’s going on with Morning, have you replaced her with one of your machines?”

The room burst into laughter, except for Morning who stared at Chrysalis blankly.

“I’m allowed to be happy sometimes,” Morning informed her before smiling at Keith. “Besides, Nigel’s given me the ship, and he just told us that it’s ready.” Chrysalis searched her memory, and her eyes widened when she recalled Nigel telling her that he was going to ‘pimp’ Morning’s ship with laser cannons.

Chrysalis didn’t know what ‘pimp’ meant, but she did understand what laser cannons were.

“I’ll get the pen,” she muttered, continuing to lift the Keith in her magic while heading towards the metal play pen that Nigel had built the other day. The nymph struggled in her grasp while she hooked a hoof through the metal bars and dragged the topless cage beside Nigel’s chair. An irritated Keith was soon placed inside, soon followed by every single one of his siblings.

“Is that needed?” Chalmers inquired, Chrysalis furrowing her brows. He wasn’t the one who had to pull them off normally sociopathic pirates, and he seemed to not be too concerned with them jumping off random objects in an attempt to fly. Even now, Keith and a few others were buzzing their wings and trying to gain some lift.

“Yes, it is very much needed,” she replied with a huff. “Besides, with this talk of laser cannons it’s probably the safest option.”

“Ah, I do love how you’re always so concerned with what I’m doing.”

The statement took Chrysalis by surprise, and she stumbled on her hooves. The ponies gave her knowing glances but Chalmers didn’t seem to notice anything different. He beckoned her over, and as soon as she was close she felt a hand start to rub her head again. Her eyes rolled at the pleasant feeling, and she collapsed down onto her rump while the nymphs sat and watched with jealousy clear on their faces.

“I’m going to get some breakfast,” Spyglass announced, the stallion glancing out of the window before getting to his hooves. Platinum followed him, while Clover stood up and pushed Sunflare’s wheelchair for her.

“Are you coming, Morning?” Clover inquired, the Captain shaking her head in response.

“No, I have to talk to Chalmers for a minute. I’ll catch up.” With a nod, the four Equestrians entered the lift and left the room, Chrysalis sitting down to watch the upcoming conversation.

“So, what’s the issue?” Nigel inquired.

“Nothing really,” Morning answered while sitting down on a nearby cushion. “I just wanted to ask you what kind of upgrades you’ve given the ship. I mean, I like it here, but I’ve been looking forward to taking to the sea again.”

“Understandable,” Nigel agreed, before waving a finger in the air. “But it’s like I told you last night, it’s going to be a surprise. I promise that you’ll love it though, and it’ll be more than a match for any other ship.”

“Just one hint?” Morning begged. “Please? The waiting is killing me.”

The hand rubbing Chrysalis’s head left when Nigel leaned forward. “Come closer,” he whispered, Chrysalis and Morning moving their heads closer. “You want to know a secret, the most important thing about your newly-upgraded ship?”

“Yes,” Morning breathed, a foal-like joy in her eyes. “Tell me.”

Nigel cleared his throat, a process which he drew out as long as possible. Finally, he cuffed a hand to his mouth and looked around to make sure no-one else was in the room.

“It floats.”

A stunned silence descended upon the room, broken only by the buzzing of nymph-wings and a single whisper from Morning.

“You Bastard,” she insulted, her eyes narrowing and her voice returning to full volume. “You actually went through all of that just to play me along?”

“The art is in the build-up,” Nigel answered wisely while leaning back in his chair. Morning wasn’t pleased with the answer, but Chrysalis could see that there was no real anger.

“I should go and work for Sombra,” Morning informed, turning away with a huff.

“What you should do is stop being such an anti-social sook and grab some breakfast with the others.”

“Pfft,” was all Morning replied with, but she still left the cushion to walk to the lift. “And to think, all those years of loyal service and this is what I get in return.”

This earned a chuckle from Nigel, the human shaking his head while Morning flashed him a smile.

“Ah, okay fine, I’ll show you and the others the boat after breakfast and me some time with the nymphs, deal?”

“Aye aye,” Morning eagerly acknowledged before hamming the lift button in an attempt to make it go faster. Chrysalis glanced up at Nigel once the lift doors had closed, Morning’s behaviour odd, to say the least.

“She’s happy.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Nigel replied, placing his head in a hand while bringing up one of his floating screens. “It’s amazing what a little reward can do to really bring the best out of people.” Brushing off her personal opinion that gifting a pony an entire ship and making her captain was a bit more than a ‘little reward’, Chrysalis asked a single question.

“What’s my reward?”

“Why, my glorious presence of course,” Nigel joked, placing a hand over his heart. “For what more could you want?”

She could name many things, however she had to admit that he featured in the majority of the scenarios she could think of. Truth be told, she really didn’t have a need for gold or jewels, as most of the things that ponies wanted didn’t’ really appeal to her. Glancing over to the nymphs in the pen, she thought of one thing that she wanted.

“Can you promise me that you’ll always be there, for me and the nymphs?”

The sudden change visibly surprised him, Nigel doing a double take at the question.

“Meaning…?”

“Well,” she started to clarify. “I know that you’ll have a lot to do, and you might get a little carried away while doing it, so can you try to make sure that you’ve got the time to spend with me and look after the nymphs?”

“Chrissy, Chrissy, Chrissy,” Nigel muttered, scratching her behind the ears again. “Do you honestly think that looking after you is something you should be rewarded with? That’s a rather stupid reward.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, his words causing her to flinch. Suddenly, the scratching didn’t feel nearly as good as it did before.

“It’s a responsibility.”

Now that brought her hopes back up, and looking up she could see the truthfulness in his eyes.

“I’ve come too far to just forget about you and the nymphs, you lot have grown on me.” Both of them glanced over towards the pen, the nymphs having given up on trying to fly and were instead playing with joyful chirps. “So I’ll promise to always do my best, and to put you and the nymphs first.” He paused, rethinking his promise. “Actually you’ll have to be second; the UIP has to be first all the time. You know, with the whole treason thing and that song and dance.”

She cracked a smile at that. “Better than nothing I guess.”

“Some things in life are just not ours to change,” he told her, leaning back in his chair. “I mean, sure, my position affords me some decent advantages, not to mention a fat pay check, but she’s a cruel mistress.” Getting up, Chrysalis moved around to his front, staring up at Chalmers with a grin. Leaping up, she placed her forehooves on his legs and gave him a mock glare.

“What’s this about a mistress?” she teased, Nigel breaking into a grin and grabbing her head with both hands.

“Ah Chrissy, never change.”

Chrysalis couldn’t help but go stock still as his hands massaged not just the top, but the entirety of her head. Her head tilted from side to side with the rub, the fingers reaching behind both ears and conferring an absolute blissful state of relaxation. Without even noticing it, her head was touching cool metal and she was resting in his lap. Laying down, she was resting half her body on him while the rub continued.

And she didn’t mind it one bit.

“You’re just like a big, oversized nymph, aren’t you?”

“Shudup,” she managed out, before she gave up on speaking and just accepted it. All of her concerns melted away and she had decided that this here was exactly where she wanted to be forever.

But it was not to be.

“Come on, let’s go and grab some breakfast with the others,” he suggested, removing his hands from her head. Chrysalis however, refused to move without a fight.

“But I don’t need to,” she protested. He sighed, and Chrysalis suddenly found herself lifted up. While she tried to figure out what was going on, he stood up with her still in his arms.

“We’ll be back in a few minutes okay?” Chalmers told the nymphs, the youngsters paying attention not replying but nodding instead. Chrysalis was lost for words while she was carried to the lift like a nymph, Nigel lifting her up becoming a fairly common occurrence. With a chuckle, he bounced her slightly in his arms. “You’re getting bigger.”

Chrysalis grumbled in response, settling into the grasp before the lifts doors closed and they began their journey to the lower floors.

“There’s forty-seven commoners wounded, three knights killed and three castle towers have been demolished.” Sombra tapped his hooves on the table as the unclothed guard, a Lieutenant Arcane, read from a list. “Numerous houses and stores in the market area have been damaged or destroyed, and extensive damage was done to the barracks and guard house. The outer wall has many sections destroyed, and we’re open to assault from the north and west facings.”

“Only three dead?” Sombra questioned, the low number quite unusual for the sheer shock of the attack they had faced.

“All of them were knights in the tower when it was destroyed, sir,” Arcane answered. “It seems that the… triangles that attacked us were aiming for military infrastructure and not for wide-spread damage. Most of the wounded were caused by falling masonry and debris, as well as injuries caused from peasants panicking. Most of the damage done to the market was due to the fires and not the explosive spells.”

Sombra sat back and went back over the information. The triangles had been seen heading back in the direction that the pirate had made his base in. They obviously had enough power to wipe out the city, let alone the castle, so why did they fall back?
The biped must have just used them as a warning, either that or he was playing with them. Still, it was proof of his potential usefulness, and Sombra had an idea forming.

“Lieutenant, organise an escort of nights and guards, as well as arrange to have a tenth of the treasury loaded onto a wagon.”

“A tenth?” the guard questioned with furrowed brows. “But my Liege, what are we-“

“Do not question me, Lieutenant,” Sombra growled. “However, if you must know, we’re going to pay a little… diplomatic visit to our good friend on the coast. After this, I predict that the Pegasi will fall soon after.”

“But sir!” a mare in full plate armour interjected, the knight trotting over from the door of the vault. “If it was indeed him that attack us today, then he’s responsible for the deaths of three of my fellows! A filthy commoner, no, less than a commoner, murdered three of our esteemed nobles!”

“Such is war, Knight. The fact that he managed to without even stepping near the city is evidence of the power we could gain with him as a puppet. A little gold to grease his claw and he’ll be ours, I know his kind.” Sombra looked over towards the Lieutenant, the guard still standing and staring in shock. “Didn’t I order you to move, Lieutenant? When I leave I expect that everything will be ready to travel with me.”

“Uh… Yes sir!” the stallion snapped out a salute before scurrying away out of the room.

“You’re leading the delegation?” the knight questioned with her voice dripping disbelief. “We lost hundreds of soldiers and one of the best knights when Platinum was in charge! The forces guarding that town are not natural, and it would be folly to-“

“I need to show the biped that I do not fear him,” Sombra answered coldly. A hoof went up to touch his jaw, and he remembered all too well that the biped did not fear him. “So far, we’ve only suffered defeats against him. If he wished to kill me, then I have no doubt he could have already done it. However, if I appear with gold and an offer of an alliance, then we can cement a powerful ally instead of fall to a powerful enemy.”

Sombra leaned forward over the war table, his eyes locked on the islands marked ‘Pegasi’.

“And then, after all of our enemies are subjugated, we deal with him once and for all.”

“Is it going to be much longer?”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes at Morning’s complaining, the mare still pestering Nigel about the ship. After a surprisingly friendly and social breakfast, all of them had returned to the command floor to await the completion of Morning’s ship.

“Five more minutes and we can go down, hold your horses.”

Dismissing the strange phrase that Nigel uttered, Chrysalis instead gazed out over the town below them. The lines of droids stood completely still on the streets, the townsponies gingerly trotting past them while they went about their daily business. With a smile, Chrysalis noticed a group of pony children were trying to climb up the legs of one of them, Nigel not paying attention due to his focus on the floating panels in front of him.

Turning back to the nymphs behind her, Chrysalis scooted her cushion closer and watched them play.

“Chrysalis!” Holey greeted merrily, the nymphs seeming to be having a wonderful time in their metal pen. Smiling, Chrysalis reached in a hoof and rubbed the nymph’s belly, Holey chirping happily and nuzzling the limb in return. Soon the hoof was crowded by nymphs, and their attention was helping Chrysalis deal with the situation.

“So are they yours?”

Glancing up, Chrysalis saw that Clover was leaning over and watching the nymphs, the green unicorn evidently aiming for the same thing as her.

“Well, not by blood,” Chrysalis answered, getting used to using the reply. “When we had just arrived in Equestria, we found them in the market. Nigel rescued them for me, and now we both look after them.” She glanced up to Chalmers, the human far too engrossed in mumbling to himself and staring at the glowing screens. “We do both have some adjustment to go through though, as you can probably see.”

“Well, they seem to be growing well,” Clover tried to reassure. “May I… pet one of them?”

“Go ahead.”

Gingerly, Clover reached her foreleg in and touched one of the nymphs on the top of the head. The youngster turned around and pushed back up into the rubbing hoof. It was one of the larger of the bunch, and as it turned Chrysalis caught the flash of a nametag reading ‘Shade’.

Clover smiled when Shade started to chirp, and when he nuzzled her leg she let out a giggle.

“They’re adorable,” she remarked, smiling down at Shade.

“They can be a hoof full though,” Chrysalis commented, a few of the other nymphs crowding around Clover’s hoof. “And it’s only going to get worse, they’ve started to learn how to speak.”

“Really?” Clover questioned, before moving her head closer and grinning at the nymphs. “Can you say ‘Clover’?”

“Pony,” she received from one nymph, sparking a chorus of ‘pony’ from the rest. Chrysalis gave Clover a shrug, before another voice spoke up from the back of the pack.

“Clover.”

Chrysalis recognised the voice and smiled, finding Reflection and seeing the nymph place her forehooves on the Buzz’s back. Her sibling shot Reflection an unamused look that was ignored, Reflection standing up shakily and buzzing her wings.

“Clover!” she repeated a few times, before the other nymphs started to emulate her. Clover was locked in awe, the unicorn staring down at the nymphs learning her name with happiness.

Meanwhile, Chrysalis noticed that Reflection was looking over towards Nigel, the human not realising that he was her focus of attention. Chrysalis smiled at the scene, wondering why Reflection seemed to always desire the human’s attention. At the same time, the fact that the nymphs had bonded so well with him was reassuring, and despite his carelessness she knew that Chalmers felt the same about them.

“He’s busy,” Chrysalis mentioned, picking Reflection up off of the visibly annoyed Buzz and placing her back down on all four hooves. She received a pout in return, but soon Reflection’s smile returned and she once again nuzzled a foreleg.

“Hey, Clover,” Spyglass spoke up, having been watching the proceedings. “Maybe you should quit your assistant job and become a nanny.”

“Maybe I should,” Clover replied while lifting Shade up in her forelegs and hugging him.

“It was a joke,” Spyglass clarified before turning back to the card game he was playing with Platinum and Morning.

“And… finished,” Nigel announced, pressing a button and getting out of his chair. “Righto, let’s go and see what Morning gets to Captain, shall we?”

“I have no objections to that!” Morning replied, practically leaping to her hooves and heading for the lift. “I can already hear the creak of the sails in the wind!”

“Someone’s going to be disappointed,” Nigel muttered, before he walked over to the nymph pen. “We’ll catch up,” he informed, Spyglass, Platinum and Clover nodding before joining Morning in the lift. The door shut and the noise of the descending lift could be heard, Chrysalis looking back towards the nymphs while Nigel lifted the entire pen up.

“Is I going to be safe for them?” she questioned while the youngsters fanned out around the large room.

“Sure it will be,” Nigel reassured, putting the pen back down and patting her on the head. “I think they’re smart enough to stay away from the water.”

She glanced over to Keith, the nymph once again trying to fly off a console.

“Are you sure?” she asked with a gesture towards the eager nymph, Chalmers chuckling and moving to intercept him.

“He’s just trying to learn,” Nigel replied after catching the nymph mid-jump. Keith glared up at him but was met with an ear scratch, his wings dying down while he settled into the arm holding him.

“Me too!” a voice called out, and Chrysalis shook her head when Reflection raced over towards Chalmers.

“I think you’re forgetting a word,” he responded, Reflection ceasing her grasp on his leg to sit back and think.

“Please?” she tried, earning a grin and a pick up. She settled down in the arm, Keith giving her an unamused look when his ear scratch stopped so Nigel could pick her up and hold her.

“They’re all getting bigger, aren’t they?” he commented, Chrysalis nodding. The largest nymph, Buzz, was about half the size of a fully-grown male drone, and the nymphs were growing larger every day. Chrysalis looked down at herself, even she was now up to Chalmers’ waist, when before she only came up to his armoured knee. She still hadn’t seen him unarmoured, but it must give him quite a lot of extra height.

“Well, we’d better get them all ready.” After stating this, Chrysalis moved to towards the teleporter door. “Come on everyone, we’re going out into the town for a while.” With cheers, not chirps, the eight remaining nymphs stopped their playing to crowd around her, Nigel grinning while he followed her into the teleporter.

“Motherhood suits you well,” he chuckled, Chrysalis smiling at the complement.

“You know, I never thought I’d ever hear those words.”

“There’s a time for everything,” Nigel replied before starting the teleporter sequence. “You’re doing well so far.”

Before Chrysalis could thank him for the praise, a blue flash light up the chamber and they were atomised.

“What’s taking them so long?”

Clover tilted her head when Morning grumbled, the pirate mare pacing in a circle.

The last few days had almost seemed like a dream, so much of what had happened was just so weird. First, she’d nearly been executed. Secondly, she’d been rescued by an alien pirate who changed between nice and frightening seemingly at random. Thirdly, she was now about to go and look at a pirate ship along with two pirates, an assassin, a wheelchair bound knight, a changeling, ten changeling nymphs and Princess Platinum.

It was almost enough to drive a mare to drink.

“I wonder what this ship will look like,” Platinum mused, Clover hesitating before replying. The Princess had changed dramatically, no longer bossy and cruel but relaxed and friendly. Her silver mane was currently hanging long, and overall the silver unicorn just seemed happier. Still, Clover had been her advisor for years, and she doubted that a pony could legitimately change so quickly.

“It’ll probably be more alien than we could even imagine,” Clover guessed, Platinum nodding thoughtfully.

“You’re probably right, I mean look at the rest of the things that he has created.”

Wait, did Platinum just say that? No insult or veiled threats?

“It is all pretty strange,” Clover continued, her voice warming. “You’re… cheerful today.”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Platinum questioned, waving to a group of utterly confused townsponies. “It feels incredibly good to not have to worry about ruling a country and just acting like a normal peasant. Granted, a peasant with a private bathroom with hot water on demand, but this is the closet to being a commoner that I’ve ever been. Is it always this simple for you ponies?”

Clover winced internally at being called a commoner. She was technically a lower noble, although she had to admit that Platinum used to treat her more like peasant. Bottling it up, she tried to convince herself that the Princess was trying and it was just a slip-up.
“I wouldn’t call what’s going on ‘simple’,” she went for the diplomatic response.

“I’m enjoying it,” Spyglass trotted up to add. “Well, you know, besides the whole ‘explosive around my neck’ thing.”

“Oh, Nigel wouldn’t ever blow you up of he didn’t need to,” Platinum reassured. “Out of all of us, I think you entertain him the most.”

“Geez, thanks,” Spyglass rolled his eyes and trotted over to the seated Sunflare. “I’m just thankful that I didn’t end up like Sunflare over here.”

Clover grimaced when she looked a Sunflare’s horn stump, something the ex-knight noticed.

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Sunflare informed. “And to be honest, it’s the leg that’s bothering me more. At least then I wouldn’t have to have Spyglass push me around, it’s getting annoying.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the spy replied with narrow eyes, Sunflare’s answer cut off by a groan from Morning.

“Hurry up!”

“She really wants that ship,” Platinum whispered, Clover smiling while she watched the apparently cold-hearted pirate dance from hoof-to-hoof like a tantrum-throwing filly.

“Okay, okay,” Chalmers’ voice called from around the corner, the human emerging with Chrysalis and eight nymphs alongside them. He held two in his arms, and this only caused more questions for Clover. He was no doubt violent, and a little crazy, but at the same time he did seem very compassionate towards the nymphs and Chrysalis. She was still trying to figure out if they were together or not, they were that close.

“Finally,” Morning huffed. “It’s almost noon and we’ve been waiting out here for-“

“Three minutes and fifty-seven seconds,” Nigel interrupted. “It’s hardly a long time.”

“It seemed longer,” came the mumbled reply. Morning turned to gallop further into the town. “Well, we’d better get a move on and the sooner I see it the happier I’ll be.” The Captain began to trot at a brisk pace, Nigel and Chrysalis stopping.

“Should we follow her?” Clover asked, getting a head shake in response.

“Are you coming!?” Morning yelled from up ahead.

“You’re going the wrong way, we’re supposed to be heading towards the coast!” Chalmers called back in response, Morning galloping back.

“I knew that,” she tried to lie, slowing down until she came to a stop before Nigel. “But, I guess since you’re the Commander then you better take the lead.”

“Uh huh, I’m sure that’s the only reason.”

Morning grumbled under her breath, Chalmers smiling at her reaction before he began to stroll towards the beach just outside of the town. Spyglass began to push Sunflare’s chair and the group began to move out.

While she trotted along with them, Clover used the time to think some more. She had to admit, the entire situation was interesting and lately she had found herself relaxing in the small town. Glancing up to a rooftop, she eyed the boxy machine that swivelled around on a turret in its search for any flying intruders. It may have had something to do with the fact that is seemed like nothing could touch them, with all of these alien defences covering the town.

Something brushed up against her, and without breaking step she looked down. One of the nymphs, a large one, was bumping itself against her leg while it trotted along. Catching a glimpse of its name tag informed Clover that its name was Swissy. It was one of the smaller ones, and that combined with the name lead her to believe that it was a changeling equivalent of a filly.

Clover smiled down, the small creature looking up with her solid blue eyes. At first Clover had been wary of them and Chrysalis, their black shells and evil appearance not helping the first impression. However, now that she had gotten to know them, she regarded them just like normal foals. Granted, normal foals that seemed to be growing and learning extra fast, but they behaved like normal children from what Clover could tell.

Chrysalis was okay in her books, the changeling seeming to be very nice and caring. Secretly, Clover had to admit that she admired the way Chrysalis could handle ten, energetic children that were not hers by blood as well as stand the eccentric behaviour of Chalmers. Platinum had been a cruel boss, but Chalmers seemed to often act insane.

Soon the ground beneath her hooves turned from cobbled stone to sand, and the smell of the sea grew stronger. A tug on her tail pulled her from her inner thoughts, and Clover stopped trotting to look behind her.

The nymph, Swissy, had her tail clasped firmly in her mouth, and looking around Clover could see that everyone was staring at her.

“A little caught up in your own world?” Chalmers asked with a chuckle, Clover seeing that his arms were now free of nymphs.

“I, I guess I was,” she awkwardly answered, rubbing one foreleg against the other. She backtracked and patted Swissy on the head, the nymph releasing her tail. “Thanks,” she whispered, Swissy giggling in return. Looking back up, Clover spotted Nigel walking up the very edge of the beach, the waves just breaking on his metal boots.

“Ladies, Nymphs and Gentle… horse.”

“Hey!” Spyglass called out, Nigel ignoring him.

“I present to you, Morning’s new ship!”

The human flung his arms out wide, everyone staring out at the empty ocean.

“Nigel,” Morning began, dropping all formality while her voice dripped with warning. “There. Is. Nothing. There.”

“What?” Chalmers replied, looking back before smacking himself on the head. “Oh, wait, I remember now. Chrysalis, could you please pass me my helmet?”

Before Chrysalis could even move over to pick the headgear off of the sandy beach, a nymph darted out from her legs to race towards it.

“Reflection,” Chrysalis tried to call the nymph back, but was ignored. Everyone watched on while the child put her head down and with visible effort used her horn to lift the helmet up and over onto her own head. Clover and the rest of the ponies tried to stifle laugher when Reflection stumbled on her hooves due to the weight.

Moving from side to side, Reflection headed towards Nigel, the nymph flinching when the waves touched her legs but continued on. With a clunk, the helmet collided with Nigel’s armoured leg and Reflection feel down onto her rump in the small waves. Chalmers knelt down to remove the helmet from the nymph, patting the dazed child on the head.

“Thank you Reflection, good girl.”

With a shake of her head, Reflection snapped out of her daze and grinned up at him before glancing around at the waves that washed up around her. Nigel was momentarily forgotten while she splashed her forehooves down in the waves, giggling while she did so. Her laugher prompted her fellows to join her in the waves, Chrysalis looking on helplessly while Nigel just chuckled.

“Back to what I was doing before,” he stated, putting his helmet on and staring back out at the sea. “Now, which command was it? Ah, there we go!”

Clover fell back onto her rump in surprise, a deep rumbling coming from the ocean out ahead. Her eyes widened as a shape began to emerge from the sea, easily rivalling the largest Equestrian battleships. It seemed to be made of a grey metal, the sun not glinting off of the dull surface. Water dripped off it, the dagger-like bow soon fully out of the water. The rest of the ship followed, and after three loud beeps sounded the metal dome retracted into multiple parts.

The metal pieces slid into various spots around the sides, leaving something that at the same time looked like a normal ship while also seeming far more alien and deadly.

The jagged bow grew into a fat middle and stern, all of it seemingly made from the same grey metal as the dome. Water dripped off it and it was truly a magnificent sight to behold, a large skull and crossbones icon painted onto the side.

“Well, what do you think?” Chalmers asked, turning around to look at the shocked Morning. The nymphs around his legs had all paused playing in the water to stare at the newly arrived ship.

“It came up from the ocean,” Morning breathed out, everyone else equally as surprised.

“Yep,” Nigel confirmed with a nod. “Fully submersible and while surfaced is able to float down the shallowest coasts. Armoured plating fully capable of resisting any number of rocks and ballista bolts, as well as being rust and barnacle proof, and overall is-“

He was cut off when Morning bolted towards him, the Captain jumping up towards him. Chalmers took a step back and nymphs scattered while Morning landed in his outstretched arms, the mare nuzzling Nigel’s helmet while she hugged him.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she repeated, Chrysalis sending her a very unfriendly glare that was ignored. “It’s better than I expected, and you even made it able to go underwater! How can I ever repay you!?”

“No need for any repayment,” Nigel informed her with a chuckle. He hugged her back, also ignoring the glare from Chrysalis. “You earned it for putting up with me, and I still get a cut of the profits. How about we go and actually step foot and hoof on it?”

“Yes Commander,” Morning eagerly answered, jumping down from his arms. “But how?”

“Simple,” Chalmers replied, walking over towards a rock on the shore. Everyone held their breath while he tugged at an item hidden behind it, wondering what other amazing device he had.

He stepped back and pulled a plain, wooden, rowboat from behind the rock, the small craft easily capable of seating them all.

“I call this, the ‘rowboat’!” he announced while holding up two oars.

“We already have rowboats,” Sunflare deadpanned, Nigel shrugging his shoulders.

“I know, but ‘I borrowed this from a fisherman’ sounds a lot less dramatic.”

Morning could barely contain her excitement while Nigel steered the rowboat towards an opening on the side of her new ship.

Not even the multiple rounds of his people’s primary navel fighting song, ‘Row, Row, Row, Your Boat’, could kill her mood. He had claimed that it was inspiring, Morning could think of a hundred other words that were better adjectives.

Ninety-nine of them would make noblemares faint from embarrassment.

Still, she was finding it hard to find fault with him, after all he had just gifted her a huge, submersible ship of her very own!

While they moved inside the actual ship, the blue sky turning into a dull grey, Morning couldn’t help but look around in awe. Everywhere she looked was covered or made out of metal, the same artificial lights that were in the tower lighting the inside of the ship. They emerged into a large pool in the middle of the ship, walkways with railing everywhere. Nigel guided the boat to one side, and he reached out to press a green button on a control panel.

The water in the pool began to drain, and in seconds the bottom of the boat was touching the floor.

“Hold on,” he warned them, and as such no one fell out when the rowboat tilted to the side. Quickly, he left and hopped out, firstly helping Sunflare out of the boat and then beginning to help everyone else. Morning didn’t need any help, her experience on ships meaning that she was able to nimbly leap out of the small craft with ease. While she waited for the others, she investigated ever console, every walkway and every door.

It took a few minutes, but soon everyone was standing on their own hooves or feet. Well, except for Sunflare, who was sitting in her chair with Chalmers pushing it.

“So this is the docking bay,” he began to inform her, Morning spinning around to pay attention. “You can fit most small boats in here, and allows you to enter and leave the ship without having to do all of the pesky climbing up rigging.” He paused and peered at her closely. “Speaking of which, how do you ponies do that?”

“With difficulty,” she answered, before heading towards the largest door she could find. “Now show me the wheel, I want to get a feel for it.”

“Hang on, we have to do the grand tour!”

Morning grumbled under her breath, she could tell that this would take a while.

“Here you are, the main control room!”

Morning frowned slightly, the plain windowed box far from the futuristic vessel so far. The floor and walls were still wood, granted the outside was armour plated. There wasn’t even a wheel, just a simple wooden chair in the middle.

“Is this some kind of joke?” she asked, Nigel shaking his head and leaving Sunflare’s wheelchair.

“I can assure you it’s not,” he replied, stepping over to the chair and gesturing it over. Trotting up to it, Morning could now see that there was a row of buttons along the side rest. “This is just if you ever want to sit back, relax, and forget that you’re the Captain of an advanced battleship.” He pointed towards a big, red button. “Go on, red buttons are meant to be pressed.”

Puzzled as to what he had planned, Morning turned and sat in the chair. Shuffling back, she found that it was quite comfortable, and with a final glance towards Chalmers she pressed the big red button.

The room came alive with whirring, and panels opened up in the wooden floor. Morning watched as her chair was surrounded with the same glowing panels that he had in his tower, lines of words in Equestrian and pictures filling them all. The windows of the room lit up, and lines measuring speed, wave strength, distance to shore and other such information.

The best was to come however, and Morning’s eyes lit up with glee.

A large, magnificent, silver wheel descended from a hatch the ceiling, a massive picture of her face painted on the middle of it. The wheel stopped its descent right in front of her, and she held her hooves out to touch it. She stopped just before they made contact with the sweet, sweet, metal, and she glazed around the room. The others were all staring in awe at the beeping command room, and Morning fixed Nigel with pleading look.

“Can I…?”

“It’s your ship,” he answered, Morning turning back to the wheel and laying her hooves on it. It felt good, better than she ever imagined.

‘My own ship,’ she thought, running her hooves over the metal. ‘All mine…’

Gripping two of the wheel’s handles with the crook of her hooves, Morning ever so slowly turned it to the port, intending to take the ship further out to sea. Aside from a little icon on a panel lighting up, a compass indicating her direction, nothing happened. This event, or lack of, sparked a rather concerning memory.

“Wait,” she started to question. “This ship doesn’t have sails! How’s it going to move without sails!?”

“Calm down,” Nigel chuckled, his constant cheerfulness getting a little annoying. He reached over with a hand and pointed to a set of buttons marked with opposite facing arrows and one with labelled ‘full stop’. “I found a very simple system. The up arrow is to increase speed, the arrow down is to decrease and the ‘full stop’ is to, well, stop.”

“But how-“

“Try it,” he cut her off, Morning hesitating before pressing the button to increase speed. A little coloured bar on a console lit up with one green bar, and an icon on the console showing a side view of the ship lit up. Morning stared at the symbol at the stern of the ship, underneath the waterline. The ship began to move, and Morning gripped the wheel while trying to take in the information.

“So this… thing, makes it move?” she questioned, pointing a hoof towards the blinking icon.

“Indeed,” Chalmers began to explain. “It’s a simple two-propeller system driven by the fusion reactor I showed you earlier. It requires pretty much zero maintenance, and the ship’s automated systems will be able to handle anything that goes wrong. You get a top speed of thirty-five knots and it’ll run for hundreds of years, more than enough time.”

“What… what happens after I die?” Morning inquired, still taking in the wonderful experience of steering her own ship.

“Well, I hope that you’ll have time to initiate the self-destruct sequence I put in before that happens.” He held up a finger and turned around, dodging nymphs to reach a cabinet at the back. “Speaking of which, I had an owner’s manual made up for you in Equestrian.” He returned with a massive book in his hands, Morning lowering her head in shame.

“I can’t read that well,” she mumbled, afraid that he’d take her ship away because she’d be unable to work it. A pat on her withers prompted her to look back up, and she was met with Nigel smiling at her.

“Don’t worry about it, I also had a basic AI installed to help you out.”

“AI?”

Instead of replying, Nigel pressed another button on her armrest. A female voice rang out from all around the room.

”Hello, I am Artificial Intelligence Unit Three-Seven-Six-Four-One-Seven-D , how may I be of assistance?”

“It can talk?” Morning whispered, Nigel nodding his head.

“Yeah, don’t expect a shining beacon of conversation though, it’s a very basic model. Go ahead, ask it something.”

“Uh, hello,” Morning tried. “Do you have a name, not just some numbers?”

“Artificial Intelligence Units do not come with personal identifications. Would you like to select one, Captain Sparkle?”

“It knows my name?” Morning was shocked again.

“I already put you in as the primary officer, and put in a sample of your voice as well.”

“You took my voice?”

“A recording,” Nigel explained. “I’ve been recording everything, both with visual and audio.” He received stares from all around, the human shrugging his soldiers. “What? I’m a spy; it’s a force of habit.”

Shaking off the notion that Chalmers would ever make a good spy, Morning turned back to the console and cleared her throat.

“Um, I guess your name could be…”

‘Think Morning, what’s a good name for a talking machine controlling a boat?’ With a glance towards Chrysalis, Morning remembered a perfect name.

“Sea Biscuit. Your name is Sea Biscuit.”

“Affirmative, Captain. This Unit’s designation is now ‘Sea Biscuit’.”

“I have never been so proud in my life,” Nigel announced while wiping a tear from his eye. “They just grow up so fast…”

“Sea Biscuit,” Morning asked, getting used to addressing the computer. “What course will get us a good view of the harbour, and end up with us being able to dock at the town?”

“Plotting course now,” Sea Biscuit droned. A line lit up on the front window, and Morning went over the times until arrival and all of the ‘way points’ that were suddenly lighting up. Grinning to herself, Morning gripped the wheel with one hoof and placed the other over the button to increase speed.

“Thank you.” She looked behind her, everyone watching her with mixesof awe and pride. She turned back and grinned, finally she felt like more than a simple peasant.

“Let’s go for a little sail, shall we?”

“Well, this town certainly changed.”

Arcane Light gulped and nodded at the King’s observation. The small group of ten knights, twenty guards and a wagon full of gold had stopped just outside of the normally quiet costal town. There were a few differences from when he himself had visited a year ago, however.

For one, a large black tower that radiated a feeling of evil was erected in the middle, the eerie building certainly not built by pony hooves. In addition, strange towers with rotating boxes were dotted around the town’s perimeter and on rooftops. Some had large, dangerous-looking barrels that reminded Arcane of Minotaur cannons, while the others seemed to have two boxes that pointed up into the sky.

“Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider,” the lead knight, a mare named Stardust, pleaded. “I have heard tales of these towers, they fire beams of vicious red magic that boils flesh and blood while slicing through armour and bone like it wasn’t there.”

“As I have told you before, Knight, I am prepared,” Sombra growled with a glance up to the darkening sky. “The Gods will soon set the sun, and because of your concerns the trip has taken longer than expected. We can either go ahead and do this, or turn around and walk back in the dark like cowards. If we do turn back, I assure you that you’ll be assigned to help the executioner practice his aim.”

Stardust audibly gulped, the knight saying no more. Arcane held his tongue despite sharing her opinion, facing this pirate meant a likely death, but defying the King meant that it was assured. Sombra seemed to wait for any more objections, and when no more were heard he nodded and straightened his red robes and cloak. A final touch-up of the crown he wore and they were ready to march into their fate.

“Remember,” Sombra reminded. “Heads up and weapons straight, show no fear and do not speak unless spoken to. Let me handle the biped and his cronies.”

“Sir,” the soldiers and knights all replied, Sombra nodding a final time before continuing to trot towards the town. The wagon creaked when the two armoured guards pulled forward, Sombra ordering that the guards bring no peasants and instead pulled it themselves. He didn’t trust the commoners around the gold.

Arcane shifted in his armour and stepped forward, the weight of his sheathed sword providing little comfort. Still, he could see the King’s plan, and if it worked then it did stand to benefit Equestria greatly.

Sombra, leading from the front, had almost reached the outskirts of the town. The King stepped over a blackened patch of grass when all of a sudden the area lit up with red light. Blinking his eyes to get over the initial blindness, Arcane looked towards the King and lost any hint of courage that was remaining.

The King was frozen, one silver-shoed hoof about to step down on the grass. Red dots covered his regal body, and Arcane noticed that the previously rotating towers were no longer moving but were pointing straight at them.

And the barrels were glowing a menacing red.

“Nobody move,” Sombra commanded, before his horn lit up and he took a deep breath. “Attention Pirate Captain! This is King Sombra of Equestria, and I request a meeting with you to discuss the matters between my nation and your… town!”

Nobody moved for what seemed to be an age, and minutes passed before the beams removed themselves from Sombra.

“Oi, Sombra!” a voice rang out from the town, seemingly amplified. “Do you have any idea what time it is!? You must be a telemarketer, I’m just about to sit down to bloody dinner and you barge in and demand a meeting!? Are you stupid!?”

Looking towards the King for guidance, Arcane could see that Sombra was visibly confused. Recovering with a shake of his head, the King stared at the talking town.

“I brought a wagon with gold, if that’s what it takes to buy your time.”

“A wagon filled with gold, do you take me for some sort of cheap… time-courtesan that will sell his precious moments for some shiny metal!?” There was a pause, Arcane and the lead knight sharing a look before the disembodied voice rang out again. “Actually, I guess I am. Hang on, I’ll be out in a few- Reflection, get down from there, no flying at the dinner table!” There was a loud thump, before the voice sighed and finished the sentence. “Minutes.”

There was a click and then silence, Sombra remaining still and staring at the entrance to the town.

“What are we trotting into?” Arcane mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

Sombra stood tall and proud while he watched the imposing figure approach from the town, the Pirate Captain stepping out into view.

The sight was confusing to say the least. Around the biped’s neck was a white napkin, and a struggling creature was held in his arms.

The black bug looked positively evil, with a curved horn and solid blue eyes that soon focused on him. Upon looking closer, Sombra could see tiny white pupils that stared at him intently.

“So, Sombra,” the pirate announced, his free claw rubbing his metal head. “You said something about gold?”

Shooting a glance to the Lieutenant in charge of the normal guards and the lead Knight, a glance that said ‘I told you so’, Sombra cleared his throat and gestured to the guards attached to the wagon. The two unicorns stepped forward with slight hesitation, and after giving them a glare he powered his horn and pulled off the plain grey covering.

Heaped in the wagon was a pile of gold and silver coins, enough money to make one richer than most of the Equestrian nobles.

Emotionlessly turning back to the pirate, Sombra stared at him and resisted the urge to glare.

“I gather that this is an ample amount to secure a meeting to discuss matters?”

The biped started to walk forwards, the creature in his arms alternating its gaze between the knights and the guards all shifting in their armour. With a claw, the pirate picked up a single gold coin and rubbed it between the metal digits.

“I would say this is quite an ample amount for a meeting,” the biped repeated. “However, there is also another thing to consider…”

Sombra flinched when a mass of red dots covered him and his troops, every single pony covered while the biped was untouched.

“Now,” the pirate continued, picking up another gold piece and walking back to the front. “I know you probably won’t understand what’s happening, but you’re all currently covered with the targeting sights belonging to my loyal defence turrets. The beams they fire travel faster than light, the ‘beam’ is actually an after image, and are all capable of easily dispensing with you all within seconds. So, I ask you this.”

Sombra glared at the biped while the pirate bent down, a golden coin soon placed on his muzzle with the tap of a claw.

“Why should I, little King, listen to you when I can just kill you here and now, take all of your treasure and then take your country tomorrow?”

Sombra concentrated. The biped’s voice still maintained a playful tone, but there was also the cold, hard, edge of truth in his words. He had no doubt that the creature had the capacity to murder him, both morally and physically, and so he chose his next words with great care and consideration.

“Because if you do kill me,” he began. “You’ll never get to hear what I have to say. What I’m going to offer you will net us both far more treasure than I have here or even back at my castle. We’ll be rich beyond our wildest dreams.”

A sharp chuckle from the biped rang out in the night air, the sun having just dipped below the horizon. Sombra stood still while the creature continued to laugh, even the most stoic of the knights beginning to sweat inside their armour.

“You… you want to work together?” the pirate managed to ask in-between chuckles.

“I do,” Sombra confirmed, remaining strong in the face of the menacing creature. “We’re both powerful, and why should we waste time fighting amongst each other when we can focus our collective energies against others?”

The laughter stopped, and the pirate stood back up tall. His free claw dropped to his side and an object popped out of his body, the biped picking it up and pointing one end towards him. Sombra found himself staring into a small black barrel; the claw-held object evidently some kind of weapon.

“Sombra, working with someone like you would no doubt lead to treachery, betrayal, pain, death, sadness and agony. As of such, I have thought very deeply about your proposal.”

The barrel drew closer, Sombra’s eyes widening.

‘No, surely that fool wouldn’t actually-'

“Bang,” the pirate said, lifting the object up and putting it back away. “Nah, this is going to be barrels of fun, I can just tell.” The pirate turned and started to walk back into the town, the red dots dying out while the ‘defence turrets’ went back to surveying the area. “Come along then, you may as well have a spot of dinner before we talk business. Bring your gold to the tower and send your troops to the tavern. Let the innkeeper know that I’m buying.”

Sombra remained frozen. Did he just get invited to dinner by the very same pirate that had attacked his city multiple times?

“What do we do sir?” Lieutenant Arcane inquired, the stallion’s voice shaky.

“You heard him,” Sombra ordered. “Move into the town, drop the wagon off at the tower and then wait at the tavern until I am done. Cause no trouble and keep an eye out at all times.” With his orders relayed, Sombra began to trot towards the large black tower that the biped was heading to. He had been traveling for most of the day and he had skipped breakfast due to the morning attack, so food before the meeting sounded appealing. There was one concern, however…

“You, Knight Stardust,” he directed while pausing, the lead knight jerking back.

“My Lord?”

“You are to accompany me, give your weapon to another to look after.”

“But My Liege,” the mare questioned. “I know mostly healing and shielding spells, what good am I without a sword or lance?”
Sombra smirked, and continued on his way.

“It’s simple, I require someone to test my food for poison. We cannot be too careful, after all.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the knight replied before lowering her voice, thinking he couldn’t hear her. “They better poison the second spoonful.”

Sombra decided to not punish his subordinate for her treasonous words, he had a feeling that the upcoming dinner and meeting would be punishment enough.

“You did what!?”

Chrysalis was seeing red at the moment, Nigel standing before her with his helmet in one hand and a wincing Reflection in the other. Slowly, he lowered the nymph onto the table, and Reflection hurried off past plates of food to shelter near Morning. The other nymphs were all huddled around the legs of the ponies sitting down to dinner, Spyglass still with a half-eaten noodle hanging from his mouth.

“I invited him in for dinner.”

Chrysalis glared at the two Equestrians behind Nigel, a knight in full plate armour and King Sombra himself. She couldn’t believe that he’d be so stupid.

“I can see that, Nigel, what I can’t see is why! He tried to kill Platinum and Clover, remember?”

“You bombed my entire-“

“Shut up!” Chrysalis interrupted Sombra’s complaint, standing up from her chair and pointing a hoof at him. “You stay out of this!”

“Chrissy, look, just calm down,” Nigel said while raising his hands in front of him.

“Calm down!?” she fired back. “You brought a murderous King into the same room as the nymphs, and one of his knights! What if he tries to get one of the children!?”

“Then I’ll kill him,” Nigel answered, nothing but sincerity in his answer. Chrysalis stopped and took a few deep breaths, the King staring up at Nigel with an irritated look.

“You promise?”

“One step out of line and I’ll gut him, no playing around,” Chalmers swore, Chrysalis breathing a sigh of relief before sitting back down on her metal chair. Grabbing a glass of water in her magic, she took a few long, deep gulps and then set the empty glass back down on the metal table. “Another glass?”

“Yes thank you,” she mumbled, Nigel taking her glass and turning towards the kitchen.

“I’ll be back in a minute, take a seat.”

Focusing back on the newcomers, Chrysalis and the rest of the group stared at the King and the Knight. Sombra was busy looking around the dining room with interest, while the Knight appeared to be having a staring contest with Sunflare.

“So,” Sombra began, tearing his eyes away from the metal walls. “You all have a… nice tower.”

“It’s the Commander’s,” Morning informed, lifting another forkful of noodle into her mouth.

“And you are…?” Sombra asked.

“Captain Morning Sparkle,” came the reply, Morning not bothering to finish her mouthful before answering.

“I see,” Sombra responded with a sneer, before glancing towards Clover and Platinum. Clover was trying to avoid eye contact while continuing her meal, and Platinum was fixing Sombra with an even gaze. “Platinum,” he addressed, leaving out her title which only increased Platinum’s glare.

“Sombra,” she replied, also leaving out his title. “How’s my country been since you stole it from me?”

“Better than ever,” he replied with a smirk. “What’s living with a pirate like?”

Platinum looked like she was about to jump up and smack him, so Chrysalis stepped in to preserve the peace.

“What do you want to talk to Nigel about?” she interrogated, Spyglass slowly sinking down in his chair to avoid detection. No one noticed Reflection look towards the unicorn spy, the nymph starting to edge towards him.

“That is between him and me,” Sombra informed coldly, causing Chrysalis to narrow her eyes.

“Anything you say to him, can be said to me,” she returned, making sure to show a little of her fangs. Sombra however was not intimidated, and instead had the guts to smirk at her.

“What, have you married him, insect?”

The room went dead silent, Chrysalis staring at Sombra while the corner of her mouth twitched.

“Sir!” the knight hissed while breaking her gaze away from Sunflare. “What are you doing!?”

Chrysalis was in the middle of planning just how long she could drag out Sombra’s death when a clattering from the kitchen broke her from her thoughts.

“What did I miss?” Nigel asked, entering the room with two steaming bowls and a glass of water. He set the bowls of noodles down in front of Sombra and the knight before sitting down next to Chrysalis. He passed her the glass of water and gave her a pat on the head. “You’re a little green there, Chrissy.”

“It’s nothing,” she dismissed, catching Sombra grinning before she turned her head away. She spotted Reflection on the edge of the table, staring at Spyglass. He was attempting to crawl away from the table, no doubt hesitant to sit at the same one as Sombra. Reflection however had different plans, and before Chrysalis could intervene the nymph had leapt into the air and onto Spyglass.

“By the Gods, it’s on me!”

“Ignore him,” Nigel reassured after a mouthful of his own noodles. “Spyglass just likes to play with the nymphs.”

“There’s more of them! They're coming out of the walls!”

“Are… are you sure he’s okay?” the knight inquired, staring at her own bowl of food after peering around the table.

“Perfectly fine,” Chalmers confirmed. “Now eat up, I don’t have all knight… get it?”

Judging from the look on Sombra’s face, he was not one for puns. This brought Chrysalis a small measure of joy. Good, given Nigel’s record then there would be plenty more where that came from.

“Indeed, time is precious and I am eager to get down to discussing our deal. Knight Stardust, if you may.”

The knight gulped before she removed her helmet, the metal helm coming off and being placed on the table. A deep blue coat, silver mane and yellow eyes were revealed, the mare not too shabby on the eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, Chrysalis saw Nigel raise an eyebrow, and so she made sure to watch the Equestrian for any sign of seduction. After Platinum, she couldn’t trust anyone but herself when it came to Nigel, not even the human himself.

Gingerly, a yellow glow held up a fork and Stardust removed a few noodles from the King’s bowl.

“Oh come on, my home cooking’s not that bad, don’t you trust me?”

“No,” Sombra answered immediately. “Now Stardust, eat the…”

“Noodles,” Morning provided, finishing her own bowl and letting out a belch.

“Yet more proof that you’re a pirate,” Sombra muttered, but everyone was focused on the very nervous Stardust. Slowly, ever so slowly, the mare lifted the fork into her mouth and closed it. Removing the silver utensil, she chewed, and her eyes widened.

“Oh my,” she announced once she had finished the mouthful. “This is delicious!”

“And poison free,” Nigel added, everyone looking towards Sombra. After peering intensely at his own bowl and the knight, who was currently wolfing down her own food, Sombra lifted up his own fork and gathered up some noodles.

Slowly and methodically, he raised it to his mouth and then removed the fork, Sombra chewing with no expression on his face. Slowly, a smile made its way onto his stern features, and he placed his fork into his bowl for another load.

“It is surprisingly edible,” he complemented… sort of. “May I ask what flavour it is? It is most pleasing.”

“Chicken,” Nigel answered while taking a sip of water.

Sombra and Stardust’s forks dropped out of their magic, while Morning, Platinum and Clover’s mouths dropped open.
Spyglass was too busy being swarmed by nymphs to pay attention to the fact that he may have eaten meat.

“You fed us meat?” Stardust asked with a horrified whisper. “Why?”

“Nigel, what in Tartarus!?” Platinum yelled out. Chrysalis didn’t get what the big deal was, she thought that the noodles had tasted rather nice.

“Relax,” Chalmers tried to calm them. “It’s just flavouring, it’s artificial. What, you think I have the time to buy, slaughter and prepare a chicken with all the things that I do? Besides, you all liked it.”

“I… I’m not hungry anymore,” Sombra announced, his grey face a shade of white. He pushed away his bowl, a bowl that was soon taken by Morning. They all watched while the Captain stuck her own fork into the noodles and began to eat, Nigel wearing a huge grin on his face.

“What?” Morning questioned, looking up at them all with a mouthful of noodles. “They’re really good noodles.”

Sombra nodded his thanks to the human and levitated his now-full glass of brandy over to his lips. Taking a sip, he could taste that it was of a good quality. He normally wasn’t one for alcohol, but after the somewhat disastrous dinner he appreciated something to take the edge off.

He shifted on the red cushion and looked around the ‘command level’ of the tower, the human sitting back in a large metal chair after pouring his own drink.

“So Sombra,” Nigel, as he had learned was the human’s ‘first’ name, began. “What deal do you propose?”

“A deal where we both benefit greatly,” he began, choosing to keep it simple. “We both unite to take care of the pegasi, split the spoils fifty-fifty, and I allow you to keep this town and recognise it as…”

“Eviltopia,” Nigel provide before taking a sip of his drink, Sombra twitching at the name.

“Yes that. Moving on, with the Pegasi defeated our position will be secured and there will be no need for us to fight. You can target non-Equestrian shipping and I provide your crews with safe ports and places to offload their loot. Deal?”

Sombra awaited an answer, confident that the pirate would accept his carefully thought out plan. There was no way he would refuse, the chance for loot and spoils would be irresistible for a creature like him.

“No deal.”

‘Wait, what?’ Sombra thought to himself in disbelief, his shock obviously evident since the pirate smiled and decided to elaborate.

“Now, why don’t you hear my plan out,” Nigel started, Sombra grimacing. He didn’t like playing second fiddle, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice at the moment. “Forget about attacking the Pegasi, I mean, what do we have to gain?”

“Gold and the assurance that they’ll no longer be a threat,” Sombra answered, figuring that the points were obvious.

“True, but we gain far more by working together.”

“Working together, with Pegasi? They’re cowards hiding up in cloud-cities, no self-respecting unicorn would unite with them! Not after last time!”

“And yet you’re sitting in my tower, discussing business with me while sipping a drink,” the human pointed out, Sombra grudgingly accepting that he was right. “Now, this may just be my good ol’ human ignorance, but you’re all ponies, are you not? Besides, with you, me and them working together, we can tackle our real foes.”

“Who?”

“Why, the Griffons, Diamond Dogs and Zebras, of course,” Nigel clarified while holding out the brandy bottle. “More brandy?”

Sombra glanced down to his empty glass, the realisation that the biped was advocating war against most of the known world leaving him shaken. “Yes, thank you.” More brandy was poured, and the human continued on.

“Now, while wiping out the Pegasi would no doubt get us a large amount of gold and silver, it does not get us one of the most precious commodities of all.”

“Go on,” Sombra said while taking a gulp of brandy.

“Land,” Nigel finished, draining his second glass and leaning back in his chair once more, his fingers forming a pyramid. “As well as eliminating a bunch of slavers, we also secure large amounts of land. You’ve seen some of my base and machinery, I guarantee you that I’ll be able to extract a plentiful bounty from the earth. You’ll be swimming in so much gold and silver, gems and jewels, that you’ll be the richest unicorn alive.” The human leaned forward and offered a hand, the metal sliding back to reveal the same flesh as his face. “What do you say to that deal?”

Sombra considered the offer. There were still many things to work out, but the offer of a mountain of wealth was incredibly temping…

“You do realise that we’ll be at war with the rest of the world?” he questioned, not fully trusting the human’s state of mind. “The Griffon Empire alone numbers in the millions, with the Zebra Lands following close behind. Even if we join with the Pegasi, we will have barely a million ponies.”

“Leave the fighting to my forces,” the human reassured, his hand still outstretched. “Any war will be over quickly, cleanly and relatively casualty free… for us at least. Then, all you ponies have to do is to help ensure the security of the conquered lands while I drill. Then we all reap a profit and live happily ever after.”

Staring at the offered limb, Sombra took a moment before lifting up a hoof and meeting it. The digits grasped him around the leg instead of the shoe, and the biped shook three times before letting go.

“It’s done then,” Sombra clarified, Nigel nodding in agreement.

“Indeed it is, another brandy to celebrate our new working partnership?”

“I must decline,” he replied with a shake of his hoof. “It is late, and I have far to travel-“

“You can stay in a guest room,” the human offered, taking Sombra by surprise. “Your knight can have a room as well, I promise that I won’t dispose of you while you’re sleeping. Your troops can stay at the tavern free of charge.”

“I…” Sombra began, not sure that he should take the offer. However, the human waved the bottle of brandy, and he found himself desiring another glass.

“Oh, why not,” he finished, levitating his glass over with a slight smile. “One more glass can’t hurt.”

A cool night’s wind blew over the town, the tavern a hub of activity as Equestrian guards and knights took advantage of the free food and drink. Down below in the tower, ponies and changeling snored away, with a certain Equestrian knight fast asleep in a borrowed bed.

On a grassy hill overlooking the town, two figures weren’t so carefree.

A white pony, possessing both large wings and a long horn, gazed over the numerous turrets that dotted the perimeter of the town. Her wavy mane blew in the breeze, a slight sparkle to the lengths of hair.

“Why don’t we go in now, Celestia?”

Celestia turned her head to her little sister, Luna shaking her blue mane out of her eyes while she moved to stare at the town. The younger alicorn was a little bit shorter than her older sister, but both were still young and thus were still growing year by year.

“Because Luna, Mother and Father warned us that this new being has potent magic at his disposal, we must wait until he is away from his…” Celestia watched while one of the turrets vaporised a stray hare on the outskirts of town with a red beam of light. “Peculiar wards.”

“Why can’t they do this?” Luna questioned. “Why send us?”

Celestia sighed, reminding herself that Luna was still young and learning.

“They sent us so that we can experience what guiding a world is like,” she explained. “They have their own ponies to look after, and we now have ours. You’re no longer a filly, and I am not as well. We can deal with this strange biped, and stop his chaos, by ourselves. Have faith in yourself, Luna, and we’ll be watching over our ponies before you know it.”

“I can’t wait!” Luna announced happily, her wings flapping with joy. “Can I be Princess?”

“We’ll both be Princesses,” Celestia reassured, before turning back towards the town.

‘There’s just a few things in our way…’

Author's Note

Another chapter, and what a chapter it was. I actually scrapped it half-way through, so I lost about 6000 words. Still, you shouldn't post something that you're not happy with, so it all worked out.

Instead of destroying Ol' Sombra, Nigel's now allied with him.

Fun.

How long it will last for is unknown, and with the two observers biding their time to act, will it be enough? The Pegasi are also an unknown, and one must wonder how Sombra and Nigel will contact them to propose terms...

Morning finally has her ship, and expect to find more out about it next chapter when she takes it for a real test drive. In addition, the nymphs continue to grow, Platinum is actually being nice to people and Clover is gaining some self-confidence. Sunflare is also looking a bit cheerier, and I've already hinted how her leg might be healed up...

Spyglass is still Spyglass, and over all is floundering like the fool he is.

Anyway, it's been a while, but I never intend to give up on a story, so expect future chapters to come.

Until next time.

A Hint of What Comes

Chrysalis grumbled before rolling out of bed, her side smacking down onto the floor. Yawning, she got to her hooves and stumbled into the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror.

Her mane was in a mess, tangles everywhere. She noticed that she seemed a little taller, and her horn also seemed to have grown over the night. Opening her mouth, she examined her shining fangs and teeth, her chompers appearing to be in tip-top condition. With a small smile to herself, she turned away from the mirror and entered the shower.

Peering at the taps, she gave each an equal turn with her magic. She jolted when the stream started off cold but it soon warmed up to an acceptable level, Chrysalis sighing while going for the shampoo bottle on the tiled floor. Slowly she started to work the knots out with a fine comb, humming a simple tune to herself.

A tapping at the door distracted her, and when she glanced down she spotted a nymphs gazing up at her in curiosity.

‘I thought they were all still asleep,’ she mused to herself, before opening the shower door.

The nymph, it’s tag stating that it was Reflection, reached out a hoof towards the water drops. It was then that Chrysalis realised that she hadn’t even given the nymphs a bath yet, noting it down on a mental list. Smiling down at Reflection, she beckoned the nymph in with a hoof. “Come on, it’s only water.”

Reflection hesitantly stepped into the cubical, her hooves splashing down into the puddle of water at the drain. Chrysalis shut the door and shifted to the side so that the stream would hit the child, Reflection standing still under the flow of water.

Slightly alarmed that the child didn’t like it, Chrysalis peered down with a furrowed brow.

Reflection, however, was far from panicked. Instead of a frown her face was locked in a grin, and slowly she started to move around so that the water massaged her back. With a grin to herself, Chrysalis returned to combing her mane. She wanted it long and flowing again, so that she could continue to show off its silkiness to Chalmers.

“Chrysalis?”

She looked down at Reflection’s question, the nymph looking up at her. Slowly, Reflection lifted a foreleg without falling over and tapped her own bald head, Chrysalis smiling down sadly.

“Sorry Reflection, you don’t have a mane.” The nymph lowered her head, Chrysalis sighing before spotting the child’s tail. “We can do your tail though.”

“Yes!” Reflection agreed with rapid nods of her head, Chrysalis chuckling at the sudden mood change. Levitating the shampoo bottle, Reflection watching with awe the entire time, she squeezed out a sizeable amount and lathered it into Reflection’s tail. The nymph herself tried to help by sitting down, rubbing in the soap with her hooves. Motioning for her to stand back up, Chrysalis started to run the comb through the dark grey hairs.

It took some force to get the many knots out, but soon Reflection’s tail was almost as flowing as her own mane. The nymph herself appeared overjoyed at the result, Chrysalis shaking her head while the child spun around in an attempt to catch her now-clean tail.
Finishing off her own hair, Chrysalis shut off the water and stood in the cubical for a few moments. Thanks to her chitin, most of the moisture flowed off while her mane and tail slowly dried. She stepped out and held the door open for Reflection, levitating a simple white towel from the rack with the intent of drying both of them.

Reflection however had other ideas, the nymph bolting from the room leaving wet hoof prints behind. Chrysalis shook her head and proceeded to dry herself, quickly finishing and hanging the towel back up. Trotting back into the bedroom, she saw that the rest of the nymphs were slowly waking up, a few wearing annoyed expressions and moisture marks on their faces.

Evidently Reflection had taken it upon herself to wake up the others, whether they wanted it or not.

Satisfied that they would be able to entertain themselves for a short while, Chrysalis opened the door and left the room with Chalmers’ room in mind. With the door shut behind her she moved on to the one to the left of hers, the barrier sliding open.

She frowned when she observed that it was empty, and briefly considered checking Platinum’s room.

‘No,’ Chrysalis thought to herself. ‘He wouldn’t even dare.’

Turning to instead walk down the corridor towards the living room and elevator, she trotted on her way with her mind turning away from the unpleasant thoughts. Passing the empty kitchen and recreational room, she guessed that no-one else was awake yet. Wondering what time it was, she pressed the elevator controls and waited for it to descend.

One quick ride to the command level later and she stepped out of the cylinder, the room still dark with the ‘windows’ turned off.

“Lights,” she called out, remembering that Chalmers had set the lights to turn on at a verbal command.

The scene that she was met with was a little disturbing, to say the least.

Sombra was slumped against Nigel’s command chair, an empty bottle clutched in his forehooves. Nigel likewise was slouched in his command chair, a lampshade on his head.

Chrysalis didn’t even know that they had lamps in the base, she sure hadn’t seen one.

Staring at the pair, she assumed that the meeting the previous night had gone smoother than expected. Both were still alive, so no major disagreements must have come up. Rolling her eyes and sighing, she took a brief moment to make sure her mane was tidy before softly trotting over towards Chalmers.

Side-stepping around the slumbering Sombra, Chrysalis tapped Nigel on the shoulder, earning a snort but no further response.

“Typical,” she muttered, before standing on her hind hooves and placing both forelegs on his shoulders. With a shake the zonked-out human spluttered before opening his eyes, Chrysalis beaming at him. “Good Morning!”

“Morning,” he mumbled back, looking towards her hooves on his shoulders. He shrugged before a hand went to the top of her head, Chrysalis sighing happily when it scratched her behind the ears. “You’re feeling quite chirpy, it seems.”

“I had a great shower,” she explained, before tilting her head so that the fingers reached a wider area. “I take it that your meeting with Sombra went well.”

“Hmm?” Nigel hummed, before the scratching stopped and his eyes widened. Glancing around the room, his gaze stopped when it settled upon the King. Chrysalis dropped back to the ground and slowly stepped back, giving Nigel room to leave the chair. The human threw off the lampshade, bent down, and carefully removed the empty bottle from Sombra’s hooves, before giving the unicorn a nudge in the flank.

Sombra frowned when something interrupted his dream; they always ended before the juicy parts. A second blow to his right flank roused him fully, and he raised a hoof to his head.

‘How much did I have to drink last night?’ he wondered while wincing, not having heavily indulged in alcohol since his teenage years. He opened his eyes, blinking away the sleep and looking around.

He was situated on a rather comfortable red cushion, beside a strange metal object. His fuzzy mind remembered that it was a chair belonging to the human pirate, and all of a sudden his full memories came rushing back to him. They had discussed their plans, he’d been offered a room, they’d finished a brandy bottle before starting on another, and that was all.

“Yo, rise and shine.”

A third thump against his flank prompted a glare towards the human standing beside him, Sombra spotting the changeling standing beside the Captain. The human’s metal boot made to swing again, before Sombra bared his teeth and shakily got to his hooves.
Waking up while being kicked by an alien pirate was not his idea of a good start to the morning.

“I’m up,” he growled, his pounding head not doing any help to his mood. “Cease your assault, if you were a subject of mine then I’d have you tortured and executed after the first one.”

“Someone’s cranky,” Chalmers smirked. “Hangover?”

“I never should have stayed for that second drink,” he lamented, answering the question.

“Relax, we’ll sort it out,” the human offered, pointing towards the metal room that travelled between floors. “Come down to breakfast, I’ll get you some coffee and then we’ll make the ultimate hangover cure.”

“A potion?” he inquired, orienting himself and slowly shambling towards the ‘lift’ doors.

“Better, a fatty, greasy fry-up that packs enough calories to floor an elephant, a treatment sent from the Gods.”

Sombra went to reply but his mind couldn’t find the words, so instead he let out a grumble and advanced towards the lift. Already the alliance was off to a bad start and he dreaded what was to come. A morning having to interact with low-lives and making nice with the human’s crew was not something he relished.

“Since when did you cook?” Sombra heard the changeling inquire, both it and the human opening the lift and entering.

“I’ve always cooked,” Chalmers responded, Sombra regretfully following them in. He suspected that the changeling and human were closer than just Captain and crew, going off the interactions he had observed between them. “To be honest, there hasn’t really been any need, has there?”

“No,” Chrysalis replied while the lift started to move down. “But I don’t trust you in the kitchen.”

“I’ve never done wrong before, I cooked noodles remember?”

“You got them out of a packet and added water.”

“And cheese, thank you very much. Besides, it’s more cooking then you’ve been doing.”

“I don’t eat solid food, why would I need to cook?”

‘Gods, kill me now,’ Sombra silently begged, the lovers’ quarrel continuing on behind him.

“It’d be nice if you tried to learn, a hobby would be good for you.”

“I’ve got ten nymphs to look after; the next few months are going to be a living Tartarus.”

“They’re not that bad.”

“You think flying is dangerous, just wait until they start getting magic surges.”

With a ding, the lift door opened and Sombra rushed out onto the metal floor.

‘Salvation!’ he thanked, his headache already dying down. While the two behind him continued to bicker, he went over his surroundings again. He was in what was called the ‘recreational room’, large chairs and couches arrayed around a large table. A chess set in the process of a game was sitting on a smaller table, and packs of cards were strewn around the area.

He stopped examining the area when the human and changeling passed him, both not acknowledging him while they continued down the corridor. He followed, remembering the route to the dining area. The turned left in the middle and were greeted with an empty room, the two finally stopping their arguing.

“Lazy, all of them,” Chalmers muttered, before cricking his neck and making his way into the kitchen. “I’ll get started on breakfast, Chrysalis could you please show the good King how to work the coffee machine?”

“Fine,” the changeling huffed while the human disappeared into the next room, Sombra raising an eye at her. She glared back at him, Sombra rolling his eyes at the creature. Her distaste with him was obvious, but her childish displays of raw emotion shattered the tough look she was seemingly going for. She gave up on trying to intimidate him and instead trotted over to a large rectangular device sitting on a table, the silver metal of the machine covered in buttons.

“This is the machine. You put your cup here,” she moved a plain white mug with her magic into a black slot. “You press the button for the drink you want, choose if you want milk or sugar and then it makes it. After it beeps then you remove the cup.”

“Fascinating, how does it work?” he asked trotting up to examine the device.

“I don’t know,” she snorted. “I don’t even think he knows. Just put a cup in and press a button, I’m not here to explain everything to you.”
She pressed a button marked ‘tea’ after her hostile response, the changeling forgoing milk and sugar. The machine hissed before a stream of liquid flowed into the cup, cutting off before a shirt beep sounded. A green magic field removed the cup from the slot and she stormed back to the table, leaving Sombra alone with the magical object.

Peering intently at it, he levitated a mug into the slot and pressed the button marked ‘coffee’. He watched in wonder while black liquid was dispensed into the cup, Sombra grinning as the scent of coffee greeted his nostrils.

He was so going to steal it once he had dispensed with his temporary ally.

Forgoing any additives, he removed the cup and trotted over to the opposite side of the table to the changeling, secretly proud of the fact that he had conquered the alien technology and made it bow to his whim. Pulling up a seat, he sat down and took a sip, the only thing bitterer than his drink was the look that Chrysalis was giving him.

“Can I help you?” he grumbled, the changeling narrowing her stare.

“You can help by leaving and never coming back,” she hissed, Sombra raising an eyebrow at her.

“You know, for a creature that I’ve never met before, or even heard about, you do seem to be rather hostile to me.” He took a sip of his drink, his mood improving while he watched her fume.

“You’re nothing but bad news,” she told him, before glancing to the kitchen doorway and leaning closer. “He doesn’t need anyone else fuelling his eccentricity, he’s bad enough already. Now you come along and talk about an evil alliance-“

“I never said evil,” he informed. “I merely am wishing to secure my own personal future, and having a powerful friend instead of a deadly enemy is preferable in my mind.” He also leaned forward, grinning at her. “I question just what your motives are and whether you can really accuse me of being immoral, considering that you yourself are seemingly profiting off his success.”

Chrysalis gave him a glare but didn’t say anything else, Sombra smirking before sitting back. There was silence while he sipped his drink, leaving him time to wonder if the human’s plan to get the Pegasi under their control would work.

Stardust shook her head while stepping out of the bathroom, the mare willing to bet that after the shower her silver mane rivalled Platinum’s.

Last night had been one of the most confusing of her life, but the fact that she had a private bathroom in her borrowed room made up for all of that. Not having to have to share with the rest of the knights in their barracks almost convinced her to switch sides and just join the insane human.

Almost.

Beginning the long task of putting on her armour, the process tedious without a squire, she wondered what was in store for today. Hopefully the meeting between the two leaders had gone well, she didn’t exactly want to trot out into a hostile town after all. It wasn’t that her faith in Sombra as a leader was lacking, he was a far better administrator than Platinum after all, but his diplomacy could use some work. While the public and most of the court saw him as a suave smooth-talker, behind closed doors he possessed a vicious mean streak.

After an utterly frustrating half-an-hour, she finally managed to get every single strap of her plate armour secured. In a way, the earth pony soldiers were lucky that they weren’t allowed to become knights, without magic the process would be agonising.

Subconsciously moving to ensure that her sword was in place before remembering that it had been taken away from her, Stardust placed her helmet on her back before stepping out of her room.

It was then that she realised that she really didn’t have any clue what to do.

An opening door saved her, Clover the Clever walking out of her room with a yawn. Stardust shifted uncomfortably in her armour, considering the circumstances of Clover’s fleeing of the city.

“Oh, Good Morning,” Clover greeted, showing no signs of unease. “You’re still here, um…”

“Knight Stardust.”

“Yes, I thought I remembered you,” Clover glanced around, before peering down the corridor. “Are you standing out here for a reason?”

Stardust took a few moments to answer, not really knowing what to say. “Uh, I actually don’t really know what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“Yeah, that seems pretty common in this place. Sombra hasn’t given you any orders?”

“King Sombra,” Stardust corrected, before shaking her head. “And no, I just woke up.”

“Well, we might as well get some breakfast,” Clover started to trot down the corridor. “Surprisingly, the food here isn’t that bad.” A shiver went down her spine, Stardust guessing what it was about.

“The chicken?” she guessed, following Clover as she had nothing better to do.

“That’s it,” the former advisor answered. “I don’t know what’s worse, knowing what chicken tastes like or the fact that it actually was pretty good.”

Stardust would never admit it, but secretly she echoed that opinion. To be honest, she would have asked for seconds if it wasn’t for the grisly fact, no matter the assurances that the chicken was only flavouring and not actual meat.

The two quickly found themselves at the dining room, the King sitting down nursing a steaming mug. The human’s changeling was sitting down opposite him, the strange creature’s eyes narrowed at Sombra. Clover gestured over towards a strange machine on the wall, Stardust giving the intently focused pair a final glance before following Clover.

“What’s going on between them?” she whispered, Clover levitating a mug into the strange machine.

“I don’t know,” Clover replied just as softly. “But I’m willing to bet that Chrysalis is still annoyed that you and Sombra are here.” A stream of tea started to pour into Clover’s mug, Stardust’s focus split between the device and the hushed conversation.

“I did notice that she was constantly watching me.”

Clover sighed, before pressing another two buttons on the machine. “With you, it’s probably something else.”

“Oh?” Stardust didn’t like the sound of that.

“You see,” Clover removed her mug, now full of tea, before replacing it with a new one. “As you could probably tell, Chrysalis and Chalmers have… a strange relationship. Tea?”

“Yes thank you.” Stardust tilted her head. “Well, I know that they’re obviously different species-“

“It’s nothing like that,” Clover continued, the second mug filling up quickly. “Have you ever know a mare and a stallion that obviously love each other, but neither one has said anything to the other even though both they and everyone else knows?”

“I can’t say that I have.”

“Well, that’s what you’ve got here. Except for the adopted children and the ‘take over the planet’ thing added into it. Sugar and milk?”

“Both, thank you. So, if that’s the case, then why am I a target?” Stardust glanced back, Sombra and Chrysalis still staring off unaware about the secret conversation.

“Well, the night the Commander rescued Platinum and me, he and Chrysalis had an argument. He went to the tavern, Platinum went with him and she kind of… seduced him.”

“Oh…” Stardust put the pieces together. “So they...?”

“They did.”

“The high and mighty Platinum-“

“Yes,” Clover hissed. “Look, drop it. It’s still a sore point between them. Anyway, to sum up, Chrysalis doesn’t really trust any mare around Chalmers. You’re good-looking so that makes you more of a target.”

“I’d never!” Stardust was shocked; she’d never even consider doing anything like that with a creature like him.

“It’d doesn’t matter,” Clover informed while gesturing her head to the now-full cup. Stardust removed it with her magic, the two starting to trot back towards the table. “It’s just how Chrysalis is, just don’t make any moves on the Commander and it’ll be fine.”

Stardust couldn’t fathom how anyone was supposed to function in a place as crazy as this. As if death-towers and flying monsters weren’t enough, there was also strange romances, the risk of a changeling attacking you if you looked at the human wrong, and machines that made you coffee seemingly out of nothing.

Both of them made their way to the table, sitting down next to each other in-between the two already present.

“So, where’s Chalmers?” Clover inquired, Sombra breaking the stare to tilt his head towards the kitchen.

“In the kitchen.”

“He’s cooking again?” Stardust murmured, looking towards the door and shifting on her seat. “Please tell me it’s not meat.”

No-one could honestly answer that concern, all four going back to their drinks with any rivalry put aside. Stardust looked behind her at hoofsteps and Captain Morning, the spy named Spyglass and Platinum joined them. Also present was the wheelchair-bound Sunflare, being pushed by Morning. The three newcomers able to walk pulled up chairs and spread themselves out, however Spyglass sat close to Sunflare while Morning oddly sat beside Sombra without a trace of hesitation.

“Nigel’s cooking again?” Morning inquired, the smell of grease wafting in from the kitchen.

“Unfortunately,” Clover replied, earning a nod from the pirate. A tense silence descended over the table, no one really wanting to start a conversation. It was broken when Chrysalis placed her empty mug back down on the metal table and left her chair, the changeling making to leave the room.

“I’m going to get the nymphs ready for breakfast,” she informed, Stardust shivering at the reminder of the small, infinitely curious creatures. With Chrysalis gone, Sombra’s attention unfortunately turned to her.

“A lot of help you were last night,” he told her, Stardust drawing back and avoiding his bloodshot gaze.

“I was ordered by you to not disturb your meeting, Lord.”

Sombra narrowed his eyes, but thankfully he didn’t seem to find a reason to punish her for his own mistakes. The others were looking at them, perhaps waiting for some entertainment.

“Everything you got, you deserve,” Platinum chipped in, Sombra smirking at her voice. “Traitor.”

“It’s more than what you have,” Sombra raised his nose. “Peasant.”

‘Ouch,’ Stardust mentally thought while wincing. The thing was that the lowly title was actually correct. In fact, Platinum was technically lower than a peasant considering the fact that she was a criminal of Equestria. The fuming Platinum looked like she was just about to leap off her chair to assault Sombra, but a clatter from the kitchen distracted them all.

Out of the doorway walked the Commander, a large metal plate heaped with food in his arms. They all stared at the piles of fried eggs, buttered toast, yet more eggs scrambled, pancakes and even a heap of muffins. With a grunt, the armoured human placed the bounty down in the middle, a further stack of plates following it.

“You… cooked all of that in a few minutes?” Sombra breathed out, Nigel giving a bow.

“I ensure you that I did, and in no way cheated by using any machinery of any sort.”

Looking at the spread, Stardust didn’t even care if he was lying. Almost as one, everyone at the table made to grab a plate and secure some food. Given that they were all unicorns they were able to use their magic to aid them, with the exception of Sunflare who had to use her hooves like an earth pony peasant. Evidently poison was no longer a concern, Sombra piling his plate high with a noticeable preference for the pancakes. It was strange for her to see the King mingling with commoners, although she assumed that he was doing it for the sake of the alliance.

Taking a bite of toast, she chewed and watched while the others around her commenced breakfast. All bickering was put on a halt while they ate, even Platinum was quite while daintily munching on a pancake slice.

A mass of chirps drew her attention to the corridor, a slightly less-grouchy Chrysalis leading a mass of nymphs into the room. The small creatures instantly ran under the table to flock around the human’s legs, a chorus of greetings and names accompanying them.
Returning to her breakfast, Stardust wondered just how this entire alliance would work out.

“Knight Stardust, a brief question.”

She was interrupted by the human addressing her directly, Chrysalis watching her closely from the Commander’s side. A glance to Sombra showed that he shared her confusion, and without knowing what else to do she swallowed her mouthful and placed her toast down.

“Yes?”

“Last night I was informed by the King that you know a number of healing spells.”

“I do,” she answered, not sure where this was going.

“Can you, say, reattach a horn?”

She glanced over to Sunflare, the former knight suddenly very interested in the conversation.

“I can’t,” she apologised, Sunflare lowering her head. “That’s very advanced magic-“

“I can perform such a spell as long as you still have the horn,” the King spoke up, before giving Nigel a grin. “Of course, such a service would require some compensation in return.”

“What do you want?” the human inquired, Sombra gesturing towards the shiny coffee machine.

“Simple, I wish for your magical drink-maker.”

Silence descended over the room, everyone waiting for an answer. Stardust watched the human glanced from the machine and to Sunflare. The hornless unicorn stared pleadingly at him, her hooves nervously tapping together.

“On two conditions,” Chalmers sighed, giving in. “First I want you to heal her leg as well, and second I want you to wake a pegasus up from a coma.”

“A pegasus?” Sombra leaned forward, pushing his plate to the side. “This pegasus wouldn’t happen to be the way you were planning to contact them, is it?”

“It is,” the Commander told him, Sombra leaning back to mull over the proposal.

“I accept those conditions,” he agreed with a nod. “Although I insist that the meeting with the pegasi be done at my castle, if they even accept.”

“Fine,” Chalmers finished, taking a bite of toast before lifting up one of the nymphs into his lap and patting its head. “We’ll conduct the deal after breakfast.”

“Thank you,” Sunflare acknowledged, to both Chalmers and Sombra.

“Do not thank me yet,” Sombra told the injured unicorn. “Such a spell is complex, and carries risks.”

Sunflare’s gaze didn’t wavier. “I’m willing to take those risks, if it gets my horn back.”

Sombra merely nodded, and they all returned to their meals unsure of what to expect out of the day.

“Hold her still.”

Nigel nodded at Sombra’s command and held Sunflare down on the metal table, for some reason the mare having to be awake for the spell. Granted, he wasn’t an expert on magical horse spells, but to him it just seemed like a hindrance. He tried to give Sunflare an encouraging smile, but he just ended up grinning like a fool.

His attention was drawn to the horn, Sombra levitating the broken half back towards the bandage-covered base. Another flick of magic and the bandages were removed, revealing the sealed stump.

“It’s been fused,” Sombra observed. “That means that the pain will be increased-“

“Just do it,” Sunflare ordered, clamping her eyes shut.

“As you wish.”

With those words Sombra forced the horn onto the base, a green glow surrounding the cut and producing a sizzling sound. Sunflare to her credit didn’t scream or yell, she merely grunted while her eyes began to water. Her forelegs twitched and she shuddered, Nigel removing a hand to hold her head in place so Sombra was uninterrupted.

It was only a minute later when the glow cut off, but he bet that it had felt like years to the now-panting Sunflare.

“You can release her,” the King advised, his own brow sweating with exertion. “It appears that the spell was a success, however she won’t be able to use magic for at least another week.”

“Good enough,” Sunflare huffed out, her teary eyes slowly opening while Nigel let go of her. She sat up and held both forelegs to her head, Sombra having already taken care of the injured leg before the more complex spell. “I still don’t see why we had to do this on the very table we ate at only an hour ago.”

“You and Chrissy are never going to let that go, are you?” He rolled his eyes while Sombra smirked. “All I do is forget to build a medical room into the underground base, and everyone gets upset.”

“Well, I mean it’s sort of an essential-“

“The dining room table was good enough,” he interrupted her. “You’ve got your horn back, Sombra’s got his coffee machine, and I get the ridicule.”

“Nigel, what’s wrong now?”

All three looked to the left, Chrysalis walking back into the dining room.

“Nothing,” he grumbled, however Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn’t about to let him off that easily.

“It’s your own fault that you didn’t build an area to do this, so you had to use the table we eat off.”

“You don’t need to eat off it,” he muttered, Chrysalis raising an eyebrow. The changeling thankfully dropped it, her face morphing into an expression of worry while she examined Sunflare.

“It looks good as new,” she complemented, before tilting her head to the door. “You want some help?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Sunflare left the table, wincing when her hooves hit the floor. Chrysalis allowed her to rest her newly-healed leg on her while she lead Sunflare out of the dining room and towards the bedrooms.

“I assume you want me to attend to this pegasus?”

Nigel turned at Sombra’s query, before deciding that now was as good a time as any.

“Sure, we may as well get this over with.” He left the dining room and headed towards the elevator, Sombra following behind. The King so far had been surprisingly cooperative, but he knew that Sombra was secretly plotting against him. He could still see the hate in the stallion’s eyes whenever they talked, and he was willing to bet that only the promise of immense power was keeping Sombra in line.
Passing the recreational room, a pony split off from the group lounging around with a card game in progress. The plate armour was a solid giveaway to who the owner was, Sombra’s knight joining them both while Nigel nodded to Platinum, Clover and Spyglass.

“It went as expected?”

“Your king held up his side of the bargain,” he told her, Sombra not adding anything. The knight moved beside her Lord, all three stepping into the elevator. Pressing the control to take them to the ground floor, he tapped his foot on the floor while they waited to ascend. He had a few things he had to do today, and he’d have to spend most of it in the command chair.

Chrysalis had been moody lately and grouchy at breakfast, so he hoped to find the time to take her out to dinner without the nymphs to cheer her up. That meant that he’d have to sort this business with the pegasus out soon however, and hopefully Sombra would be able to continue his successful magical healing.

The door opened and they quickly moved out into the main lobby, the main doors sliding back and exposing them to the street. Setting a course directly for the apothecary in charge of the intended messenger, Nigel payed none of the staring townsponies any mind. Sombra followed his example, where’s Stardust glanced around at the murmuring peasants through her helmet.

Given the town’s small size, they reached their destination without issue. They had passed a few Equestrian guards sleeping on the side of the paths, however, the soldiers obviously having enjoyed their free drinks a little too much.

“Morons,” Sombra muttered when they walked into the Healer’s store, Nigel nudging a sleeping unicorn aside with his foot to clear their path. The doorbell jingled, the sound of hooves approaching from the back room. The Healer walked out with a grin but it faltered when he set eyes on who his visitors were.

“Good Morning,” Chalmers greeted, not noticing the stallion’s unease. “We’re here for the pegasus.”

“He still hasn’t woken up,” the Healer informed, Nigel gesturing down towards Sombra.

“I know, that’s why I brought someone along who can possibly help.”

The Healer paused, before speaking again. “You brought the King of Equestria to heal a single pegasus soldier?”

“I came here of my own accord,” Sombra interrupted, narrowing his eyes at the Healer. “I myself wish to have a few words with this pegasus. Does he, by any chance, have wounds from magical bolts?”

“He does,” the Healer answered. “Although they’ve healed up and are starting to scar nicely.”

“Good,” Sombra murmured, before looking up at Chalmers. “I will do the talking.”

“You want to fill me in on anything?” he asked, Sombra shaking his head.

“It is nothing of your concern, I won’t kill him.”

“Okay,” Nigel shrugged and let it drop, turning back towards the Healer. “So, the patient…?”

“Oh, this way,” the Healer snapped out of his daze, leading them to the back room. On the bed with a chain around his neck was the pegasus, the pony having been stripped of his armour and weapons. Looking over the brown fur, Nigel noticed that the wounds were indeed healing. Metal shoes clacked on the wood, Sombra trotting over to sneer at the captive.

“What a pathetic assassin,” the King taunted, Nigel raising an eyebrow at that. It seemed like the two certainly had prior history. Still, that didn’t change their overall objective.

“It’s all in the past,” he reminded. “He’s our most likely chance of getting a likely response from the Pegasi, so let’s wake him up and get a move on with the plan.”

“Good luck with that,” the Healer scoffed, watching from the doorway with Stardust. Sombra took a second to shoot the pony with a glare, before lowering his horn and focusing. Nigel watched on as once again it glowed, a stream of magic flowing from Sombra’s horn to the pegasus.

The effect was immediate, the injured pony spluttering while his wings and limbs twitched. Sombra smiled in victory while his magic cut out, the Healer left awestruck.

“H-how…?”

“I’m rather gifted with magic,” Sombra informed him, obviously relishing the feeling of superiority. “Something you won’t really understand.”

“Where am I?”

Any further boasting was put aside while all four stared at the pegasus. His eyes opened and he peered around, jolting back when he spotted them. The clinking of his chain prompted him to check it with a hoof, and when he realised that he was trapped he began to panic.

“No! Stay back!” Chalmers grinned at the overreaction, although Sombra wasn’t helping by glaring at the pegasus. He reached out with an armoured hand and placed it on the pegasus’ shoulder.

“Relax friend, we won’t kill you as long as you do what we want.” The panicking pony moved his eyes from the hand back to Nigel’s face, being met with a grin. “Besides, if I had wanted to kill you then I wouldn’t have saved your life before, would I?”

The prisoner took a few deep breaths before the words seemed to register.

“Saved me? How long have I…?”

“You’ve been in a deep sleep for a number of days,” the Healer informed from the doorway. You were brought here by the Captain-“

“It’s ‘Commander’ now,” Nigel corrected, before looking back down at the pony while keeping his hand in place. “Anyway, pretty much you’re still breathing because of me. You’re awake because of Sombra’s intervention.” At the mention of Sombra’s name, the pegasus gulped and tried to avoid the King’s gaze. “Now, we are actually going to release you, but we have a task that we wish for you to carry out.”

“Release?” the pegasus murmured, before glancing up hopefully. “What is it?”

“You are to carry a message to your leader.” Sombra backed up his words by nodding his head, Stardust trotting over and producing a scroll that had stored in her armour. The Knight levitated it over to the pegasus while Nigel gestured for the Healer to undo the chain. With a clatter the restraint was removed from the soldier’s neck, the pegasus holding onto the scroll with his hooves. Stardust gave him a bag from the nearby bench, the small saddlebag soon hosting the message.

“This message is very important,” Nigel stressed, watching to make sure the pegasus secured the bag properly. “If your leader accepts our proposal, then it means that your race will benefit greatly from what’s to come.”

“As much as I despise you,” Sombra added. “The human has made a good point, and all of us stand to profit from his plan. Inform Hurricane that I swear on my honour that we wish him no ill will if he agrees to the meeting.” With that, all three of them re-joined the Healer at the door, watching to see what the pegasus would do.

The soldier stared at the bag in his hooves before sighing and placing it around his neck. He tested his wings with a few flaps before leaving the bed. Stumbling a bit before he found his balance, he winced when his stomach growled.

“I’ll do it,” he told them, before rubbing the back of his head and smiling nervously. “But, could I possibly bother you for some food and water before I leave?”

Sombra’s grin never wavered while he watched his soldiers haul the wagon that contained his new, shiny, magical drink-maker. The soldiers themselves weren’t as enthusiastic, all of them wincing at the sunlight while they prepared to leave the pirate town.

“All we have to do is wait for a reply.”

He glanced towards the human, Chalmers leaning up against the wall of a house. Two of the imposing metal bipeds were on either side of him, their weapons pointing towards the ground. They were a reminder that the human was far from vulnerable, so he had to play his cards right in the future if he wanted to get ahead of the biped.

“And if they say no?”

“Then we will have to go ahead without them,” Chalmers answered. “It really wouldn’t be a major issue, but the more pawns we have the better.”

“Indeed,” Sombra agreed. ‘But do not think yourself not a pawn, human.’ Both glanced up, spotting the pegasus messenger flying away from the town and out towards the sea. Their message was on its way, and he’d have to hurry if he wanted to properly prepare. “I must depart to prepare for the arrival of the pegasi, I suggest you do the same.”

“I can handle myself,” Chalmers told him, Sombra narrowing his eyes. The reminder that he was trotting away with a magical machine eased the pain of having to work with the creature, and with a final nod he began to move.

“Good, you can never trust those hot-blooded egotists.”

Without even considering the hypocrisy of his statement, Sombra led his guards outside of the town. Smiling to himself, he levitated a mug over towards the machine on the wagon and inserted it. Using his magic to press the button for more coffee, he waited until it was full before bringing the cup back to himself. Taking a sip while he trotted, his grin increased.

Overall, the meeting had gone better than expected.

“Prick,” Nigel muttered under his breath, watching while Sombra trotted away. With the King gone, he could commence with his day in peace. He turned and headed to the docks, a certain task that needed to be done pressing upon his mind. Townsponies passed him without incident, the ponies having learnt that if they left him alone then he would leave them alone. He still nodded politely to the ones he passed, the town fairly quiet at the moment. The farmers had already left to tend to their fields, and the market area was one the only side of town.

Activity picked up as he neared the docks, drunken crewmembers sloppily saluting while he passed. He grinned at them, they didn’t really do much but by golly they at least lived up to the ‘drunken pirate’ stereotype and provided endless entertainment.

“No, you useless landlubber! Put it on deck three!” The less-than melodious shouts from Morning brought a smile to his face, and Chalmers turned around the corner of the tavern to approach her ship. The smaller wooden sloop beside it was nothing compared to the metal-plated vessel, even larger than the griffon battleship that it once was.

The massive energy cannon that served as the main gun dominated the foredeck, pirates avoiding the large weapon while it sat in its turret. Two smaller turrets sat on each side, all of them carrying a twin-linked pulse laser. While normally a light weapon, the fast-firing light guns would no doubt devastate a wooden vessel.

The ship’s gangplank was lowered onto the dock, pirates hauling boxes and barrels onto the military vessel. He spotted Morning at the top, the mare standing on the deck directing the placement of every piece of cargo.

Making his way towards her, Nigel stepped around two stallions hauling up a barrel of grog. Morning smiled when she noticed him approach, the Captain stepping to the side when he stepped upon the deck.

“How goes it all?” he inquired, Morning rolling her eyes in response.

“It would be going a lot better if everyone wasn’t drunk off their rumps,” she told him. “Let me tell you, things are going to be very different under my command.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting that you spend so much time with your machines that you forget what it’s like to manage a crew of scumbags.”

“I assure you Captain,” he replied with a chuckle. “Most of my closest friends are scumbags.” Morning chuckled with him, the mare surprisingly having a very warm and uplifting laugh. It wasn’t obvious from her harsh behaviour, but he could tell that inside the shell lay a very caring pony. Both stepped to the left while a group of cargo-laden crew moved past them, heading down a flight of steps to the lower decks. “Preparing for a trip?”

“I was thinking about going out for a few weeks to test everything and hopefully get some plunder. The crew are happy with free food, booze, and entertainment, but some gold never hurts when keeping pirates in check.”

“You have my permission,” he granted, Morning nodding in thanks. “However, could you possibly hold off a few days? I’d much prefer to have you on station for the arrival of the Pegasi in case things go south.”

“I can do that,” she acknowledged. “I’m still learning everything anyway, but I’ve got the basics down.” As she told him that, her smile waivered and she tilted her head. “On that topic, does the ship really need a main gun that looks like it could destroy a city? I’d prefer to capture ships that are intact.”

“Relax,” he informed her. “You probably haven’t gotten to it yet, but you can change the intensity of the plasma blast from your command console. There’s always the risk of fire, but you should be able to force surrenders just by firing a warning shot anyway. Besides, it can’t hurt to pack a weapon that can get a ship of the line off of your back.”

“I guess,” she agreed, turning to glare down towards the dock where three pirates were attempting to sneak off to the tavern. “You three, don’t even try it or I’ll test the ship’s weapons on you!” The sneaky trio evidently valued their lives over drink and whores, quickly returning to aid in the transfer of supplies.

“A little harsh,” Nigel commented, earning a huff from Morning.

“You need to be firm with this lot, they’ve gotten lazy.” She sighed before looking back up at him. “So, do you need anything or did you just want to see how it was all going?”

Her question reminded him of his true purpose, although dropping in for a chat was quite relaxing. “Actually, I came by to do some tweaks on the ship’s AI.”

“Is there something wrong with Sea Biscuit?”

He couldn’t help but laugh at the name, quickly recovering to shake his head. “No, nothing wrong. I just wanted to put in some more routines. Standard stuff really, it will… uh, improve the RAM doohickie."

Nigel wasn’t very good with computers.

“Okay.” Thankfully Morning bought it, the mare obviously less familiar with technology. “I’d help, well, try to help, but I’ve still got to watch these lubbers.”

“Not an issue, I understand.”

“Well, you know where everything is, I’ll let you get to it.” She gave a final nod before storming back over to the gangplank, her eyes narrowing down at something on the docks. “Dry Dock, you better not be drinking from that barrel!”

Regretting not being able to stay and just enjoy the chaos, Chalmers headed towards the command room. His boots clanked on the metal deck, the dull metal coated to stop glare and resist the heat from the sun. He passed few crew, all of the ponies working on hauling goods from the dock onto the ship.

Reaching the command room door, he entered the cooled room and stood next to the captain’s chair. Designed for Morning, it was a little small for him but he also avoided it out of respect for her. Instead of sitting down he removed his helmet from his waist and attached it. Screens came to life and he connected the inbuilt computer to the ship’s AI.

Taking a few moments to figure out precisely what he wanted, he started the long process of uploading all of the emergency measures to the computer, and hiding their existence from Morning should she ever feel the need to explore the computer more thoroughly.

The pink dragon toy stood no chance, a black hoof coming down to batter it away.

Reflection sighed and rolled over, her brethren continuing to play behind her. Briefly she glanced up at Chrysalis, the adult reading a book while she lay on the bed. Looking back down at her own hooves, she tried to entertain herself by tracing the lines on the metal floor but it was pointless. The day itself had been dull, having spent most of it in the bedroom. She wanted to go outside or even up the moving room to the ‘command room’. Mostly, she wanted to see Nigel, or the adults with fur that she had learned were called ‘ponies’.

Shaking her head and getting to her hooves, she ambled over towards her own bed and clambered atop it. Taking a few moments to bounce on the mattress, she spread her wings and began to buzz them. Chrysalis had stopped telling them not to try to fly earlier that day, and they still continued despite the numerous bumps that some had received.

Standing on the edge, she increased the speed of the buzzing before jumping off.

Surprising herself, she managed to fly across the room before her excitement was interrupted by hard contact with the wall. Bouncing off it and landing on her back with a wince, she grimaced when she heard the sound of a turning page.

“Reflection, are you alright?”

“Yes,” she replied, righting herself and shaking her head. Determined to not give up, Reflection dodged her brothers and sisters in her journey back towards the bed. A snicker from her left drew her attention, Reflection turning her head to spot two of her sisters laughing at her. She narrowed her eyes at Swissy and Holey, the two glaring back from their spot next to each other. It was no secret that she was out to get constant attention from Nigel, the food provider, and some of her siblings didn’t like that. She didn’t care, unlike them she wasn’t content with just lounging around waiting for food.

Climbing back onto her bed, she once again prepared to take flight.

The door sliding open changed her plans however, Reflection grinning while Nigel walked in. Hurrying to the other side of the bed, she buzzed and leapt off, angling towards him. Intending on showing off her flying skills, she planned to do a nice loop of the room to upstage the others who were flocking around his legs.

Unfortunately for her, she just ended up smacking into his helmet.

Flinging her hooves around to get a grip, she started to slide off the smooth metal. Looking down, her eyes widened when she saw just how far down the floor was. Desperately scrambling for a hoof-hold, she closed her eyes and braced when she felt herself start to slip.

“What a welcome.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief when two hands grabbed her around the torso, Reflection letting go while Nigel held her out in front of him. She glanced down at her dangling hind hooves before back at him, just able to see her own face in the reflective black mirror.
Reflection still couldn’t work out why Nigel wore the funny hat he called a ‘helmet’ on his head. Was he trying to look like what she was, with a hard black shell?

“Geez, you’re getting big.”

Something about the sentence irked her. It was true, she was taller and bigger, but something was telling her that she was supposed to be a little offended. Brushing it off as nonsense, she instead decided to make up for her flying mistake.

“Sorry,” she apologised, having gotten used to having to say the word.

“It’s okay,” he replied. “We all make mistakes. I’m just thankful that you didn’t hurt yourself badly.”

“Are you joking?” Reflection turned her head, Chrysalis speaking up from the bed. “They’ve been flying around, crashing into walls all day only to get back up and try it again. I think their chitin is starting to harden.”

She found herself pulled towards Nigel’s chest, and she snuggled against the cool metal. Another thing she couldn’t work out was why he wore it, it wasn’t chitin and his hands were covered with soft stuff. She guessed that once again it was to blend in with them; she couldn’t see it being for anything else.

Now that he was holding her, she really noticed that she was indeed bigger. She figured that she could finally wrap her forelegs around his neck fully, so she gave it a try. It worked, and she nuzzled his neck while silently gloating to herself.

With a slight jolt she pulled away, looking down she noticed that Nigel had sat down on Chrysalis’ bed. She frowned when he placed her on his lap, all of the other nymphs jumping or flying up to crowd around him. They all pushed for a spot on him, all the while Chrysalis was laughing.

“They must be really hungry.”

“I know. Slow down, there’s room for everyone.”

Reflection didn’t think so, Shade and Buzz sitting down next to her and stealing her attention. She watched with jealously while they received pats and ear-scratches, all of them repeating Nigel’s name while jostling for position. A warm feeling in her chest increased when a hand finally moved to her head, Reflection nuzzling up into it while it scratched. Lately she hadn’t even noticed when they were being fed, Nigel emitting it whenever he was near. It was so constant that she had gotten used to the pleasant feeling, and she was starting to feel less and less hungry during each feeding.

“So, Chrissy,” Nigel started talking again, Reflection listening in while she sat next to her brothers. “I was thinking that maybe you… wanted to get something to eat tonight? I know that you don’t really need to eat anything but-“

“I’d love to go out,” Chrysalis interrupted, closing her book. “I don’t know, maybe I will try something. What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, I just thought that it’d be nice, and I am going to be away tomorrow to meet the Pegasi.”

Reflection glanced up at him, frowning. Something didn’t feel right, like he was worried about something. It was a small feeling, but it was still there. Chrysalis seemed to sense it too, the adult placing a hoof on his shoulder.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing at all,” Nigel told her. “It’s just been a long day, I guess. Anyway, I was thinking that we leave the nymphs with some entertainment and try one of the cafes that open for dinner. We’ll have the dinner to ourselves, Morning’s still working on the ship and the others were all going to the tavern instead.”

“Even Platinum?” Chrysalis asked. Reflection remembered that the name belonged to the silver pony, the one that for some reason seemed to like and hate Nigel at the same time if her emotions were anything to go off.

“I’m surprised as well,” Nigel answered. “But she has been getting along better with the others. Clover won’t be going with them though.”

“Why?”

“Well, I remembered that she liked the nymphs, so I asked her to babysit them tonight.”

“She said yes?”

“Of course,” Nigel confirmed, Reflection cooing when he used a finger to scratch her under her chin. “She seems to enjoy them, and she herself said she’s really not one for bars. With her here we can enjoy ourselves without worrying about widespread devastation,” he chuckled. “Or any more major flying accidents.”

Reflection tried to give him a glare, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. A knock at the door drew her attention, a familiar presence on the other side.

“Right on time,” Nigel murmured to Chrysalis before looking at the door. “Come in.”

The door opened and in walked Clover, Reflection smiling at the green pony. A few of her siblings rushed off the bed to meet the newcomer, a pile of objects on the pony’s back.

“Thanks for doing this, Clover,” Chrysalis acknowledged, Clover nodding and smiling at her.

“Oh, it’s fine. I didn’t have much to do tonight so when Nigel mentioned that he wanted to get some dinner with you I offered to foalsit.” Clover tilted her head towards her back. “I brought some children’s books that I managed to find in the town. Let me tell you, getting actual books was a chore. I doubt that many of the adults in this town can read let alone the foals.”

“Well, it looks like you’re prepared,” Nigel replied. Reflection found herself lifted up and placed down on the floor, soon followed by the others that had stayed on the bed. “We’ll try to be back soon, good luck and thanks once again.”

“It’s no problem,” Clover told him, Chrysalis and Nigel leaving the bed and walking towards the door. Reflection tried to follow them but found herself unable to move. Glancing down at her legs, she saw a green glow surrounding them. A look towards Clover confirmed that the pony was the source of the problem, the horn on her head glowing. Immobilised, Reflection could do nothing but watch while the door shut behind Nigel and Chrysalis, all chances of following them disappearing along with them.

“Come on,” Clover spoke, Reflection watching the glow die out. “We’ll have plenty of fun here.”

Turning back to the pony, Reflection watched while Clover sat down on the floor. The other nymphs flocked around her, Clover opening one of the books in her lap. They all stared at awe at the colourful picture on the page, Reflection huffing before finding a spot and sitting down.

“Now,” Clover continued. “There once was a young colt who lived by the sea…”

Reflection found herself losing attention, a new thought rising in her head. If Clover had a horn and could make stuff glow, did that mean that she herself could?

Focusing hard, Reflection began to try and feel something in her horn, all the while the oblivious Clover continued to read to everyone else.

Chrysalis nervously ran a hoof over the red table cloth, shifting in her wooden chair while she tried to find something to say. Here she was with Nigel, waiting for their order at a snug little café by the seaside, and she couldn’t think of a single interesting thing to talk about.
So far, it wasn’t off to the best start.

Her past as a simple drone was boring, he already knew all about her, he also knew about the nymphs and the only other thing Chrysalis could think of talking about was him. Given his previous hesitation to talk about his past, she doubted that she’d get far with that line of inquiry. She desperately hoped that he would start the conversation, and to calm her nerves she took a sip of water from her glass.

“So, Chrissy, how’s everything been going?”

She silently cursed, Chalmers starting to talk but it still focused on her. What was she supposed to tell him that he didn’t already know?

“It’s been… good,” she tried, wincing at her terrible idea. “The nymphs are starting to settle down, and they’re learning more words quickly. Swissy, Reflection and Keith can even say complete sentences now.”

“They do seem to be terrific learners,” Nigel agreed, taking a sip of his water while looking around to inside of the empty café. “No issues?”

“Well,” she began, relaxing a little. “There’s been some fighting, but nothing out of the ordinary. Reflection is still trying to hog all of the attention.”

“She takes after her old man,” Nigel joked, Chrysalis unable to help but smile at that. To be honest, Reflection did seem to act a little like him. It wasn’t a bad thing, but she had neglected to tell Nigel that the attention-seeking was the cause of most of the fights. Still, at least they were talking now, and he seemed to be having a good time. It was starting to go well, maybe tonight would be the night to tell him about everything.

“I heard that Morning was planning to go out.” She took a sip of her drink after the comment, right now she was trying to keep the conversation rolling. “She seems to really like that ship.”

“It’s a nice one, so I’m glad that she enjoys it. And yes, she is planning to go for a voyage after the meeting.” He chuckled, finishing off his glass. “You can tell she’s meant for the pirate life, you should have seen her on the deck. I can tell you right now that she won’t be having any trouble with the crew, no matter how rowdy they get.”

Chrysalis smiled and nodded, finishing her drink as well. It was right about then that a young mare with a pink coat trotted up to them with two menus on her back. The pony placed them down on the table before retrieving a piece of parchment from her apron pocket, setting it next to the menus while readying a pencil in her mouth.

Nigel hummed and picked up his menu, Chrysalis watching him before glancing at her own. She’d never been one for solid food, not seeing the point of eating it unless it was an emergency. Changelings possessed the capacity to digest it, but the amount they had to eat to even gain a fraction of the energy that a love-filled kiss provided wasn’t worth it. Still, it was a dinner so she guessed it couldn’t hurt to eat some for the pleasure of it.

The menu itself didn’t have many words, mainly pictures. It was good for her, the little literacy she knew had been picked up on the ship so her reading skills weren’t anything to brag about. Still, she could make out most of the words and this combined with the pictures helped her get an idea of what to order. Nigel beat her to it, however.

“I’ll have the number three, the pumpkin soup. Then I’ll have the vegetable omelette for the main and for dessert… the apple pie, thank you.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. A three course meal was pretty expensive, not something that was an everyday thing. Then again, he didn’t lack money and she wasn’t going to complain.

“I’ll also have the pumpkin soup,” she began. “Then the vegetable pie and then I’ll have to apple pie as well.”

“A lot of pastry,” Nigel observed with a grin, waiting for the waitress to finish writing down their order. “Don’t you go and get all fat, you hear?”

She snorted at his warning, but smiled anyway. Nigel was only teasing, and she knew that she’d been getting slender over the last few days. Granted, her hips were a little large, but she was fine with her figure. Besides, it was only a small amount of pastry anyway; it wasn’t like she was eating pies left, right and centre.

“You’re one to talk,” she teased back. “Remember how much you ate at breakfast?”

Nigel placed a hand on his chest. “I’m a growing planetary dictator, I need my vitamins and minerals.”

Chrysalis shook her head at the response, the waitress nodding towards them.

“Sorry to interrupt, but what would you like to drink?”

“Just a glass of wine for me,” Nigel asked. “Whatever you’ve got.”

“The same for me,” Chrysalis added, the waitress writing down the orders before heading back to the kitchen.
“I didn’t know that you drank,” Nigel commented, Chrysalis rolling her eyes.

“Well, I don’t really, but from what I’ve heard it affects changelings just like ponies. The reason I tend to not drink is because I never really go out to taverns, and when I used to have to I always got something like water instead. I guess that I’ve never really had the need to before.”

“So what’s changed?”

“Well,” she began, trying to find the words. “You’re taking me out to dinner, so I might as well live a little.” She grinned, hiding her nervousness behind the façade. “Besides, I think I can trust you to not take advantage of me.”

“Ouch,” he replied, Chrysalis realising what she had just said. Her eyes widened and she waved her hooves at him.

“No, oh no I didn’t mean to bring that up again! Sorry, I don’t know why I said that-“

“It’s okay,” he reassured while holding a hand out in front of him. “I get it, it was just a slip-up. I have them all the time, relax.”

Following his advice, she took a deep breath of air. The door jingled behind them and she turned when two pairs of ponies walked in, the four newcomers finding a large table and waiting for a waitress. Aside from a few glances and murmurs, they paid little attention to them and Chrysalis was relieved for the brief distraction.

Turning back to Nigel, who was examining the four ponies, she tried to get some conversation going about him while they waited for their starters.

“I was thinking,” she began, tapping a hoof on the table. “You seem to not really be concerned about being found. Wouldn’t the people you work for get a little upset that you’re using their stuff to take over a planet?”

“Are you kidding?” Nigel answered with a chuckle. “Hell, they’d find it hilarious. I mean, one man taking over an entire backwater planet? Golden! The fact that the suit alone preforms this well is likely to get me off any charges that anyone could possibly level.”

“Oh,” she glanced to the kitchen, not sure about how to proceed. “So nothing will happen to you?”

“Nah,” he brushed off. “I’ll probably get a lecture from the Assistant Director, then I’ll be free to leave and return to business as usual.” He rubbed a hand through his hair. “About that, well, I was thinking about you and what would happen.”

She perked up at this, was he about to do all of the hard work for her? “Yes?”

“I was thinking that maybe you’d… I don’t know, want to stick with me for a while.” He started to tap his fingers on the table. “You know, give the nymphs a good father figure and all that while they grow up.”

And there it was, back to the nymphs. She deflated a little at his words, he had been so close to telling her that he wanted her to come along because he wanted to be with her, not because of the nymphs. Still, it was probably as good as she was going to get, so she struggled to give him a smile.

“I’d love that,” she told him. “What’s it like up above the sky?”

“Boring once you get used to it,” he muttered, before grinning at her. “But for a first-timer like you? It’d be amazing, plain and simple. It will blow your mind and shatter everything you believed about the heavens.”

Now when he put it like that, she wasn’t too sure about the idea. However, taking him up on the offer was probably the closet she’d get to staying with him. It wasn’t like he’d stay here forever, if she thought like that then she would be in for a big disappointment. So, instead of dwelling on it, she instead smiled again and nodded.

“Great,” he replied, before sniffing the air. “And our soup is just about… done.”

Right on time, the waitress walked back out of the kitchen with a large tray on her back. Chrysalis was quite impressed at the mare’s ability to balance it perfectly on her back, the pony not spilling a single drop of wine. Setting it down carefully, the waitress expertly placed their bowls and glasses in front of them.

“Thank you,” Nigel acknowledged, the waitress bowing before looking at them both.

“As soon as you’re finished, I’ll be back to prepare you for the second course.”

“Thanks,” Chrysalis waited, not even noticing the waitress leave as she was too busy with taking a sniff of her soup. It smelt great, and she bet that it would taste just as amazing. She looked up when a wine glass clinked against her own, Nigel nodding his head.

“Let’s begin, shall we?”

Taking a sip of the wine, a slight oaken flavour to it, Chrysalis nodded and used her magic to lift her soup-laden spoon to her mouth.
She hadn’t noticed it thanks to the regular occurrence, but she was already receiving an even larger and tastier meal of a different sort.

Clover jolted awake, blinking her eyes against the light.

She found herself lying on Chrysalis’ bed, a number of books spread out around her. The noise of soft snoring reached her ears, and she smiled when she saw that all of the nymphs were sound asleep in their own beds. Now she remembered that after stories, playtime, and more stories, they ten had all gone to bed of their own accord. They had even wished her goodnight, something that had made her night.

Rubbing her eyes, she turned her head towards the opening door. Chalmers walked through, holding a sleeping Chrysalis in his arms. Clover left the bed and watched while he laid the sleeping changeling down on the bed and proceeded to tuck her in.

“She’s had a bit to drink,” he told her; patting the smiling Chrysalis on the head once she was snuggly under the covers. “Still, it was a good night so I can’t fault her. Sorry for coming back so late, we got a little caught up.” He laughed softly, before whispering. “Don’t tell her that I said this, but she ordering a second helping of the apple pie probably didn’t help things time-wise.”

Clover couldn’t help but giggle at that, Nigel stepping past her to head over towards the nymphs. She watched while he bent down to kiss each one of the forehead, before he gestured for her to follow him out of the room. Doing as asked, she flicked the light switch off after she had left, Nigel shutting the door and holding out a hand. She met it with a hoof, Chalmers shaking it.

“Thanks for watching them,” he thanked, letting go. “I think that the time alone with just me was really great for Chrysalis, she’s been so caught up with the nymphs lately.”

“I’m happy to watch them anytime,” she informed him with a smile. “They’re really great, a few even were reading along with me. I’m glad you two had a nice night.”

“Thanks Clover. Well, it’s getting late and I don’t want to hold you up any more.”

“Bed does sound nice,” she agreed, trotting over to her room’s door. She stopped after opening it, turning her head to smile at him again. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” he answered, before heading for his own room.

Clover entered her room and shut the door, overall it had been a decent night for all it seemed.

“Yes, tear out another strand!”

“No- ouch! Not my beautiful mane!”

Platinum smiled while she watched her guards pluck another mass of mane from Sombra’s head. The ex-king was bound to a table, five armoured guards following her every order. Sombra’s tail was completely gone and his mane was just about to go as well, over half having been torn off already. A mass of black hair was heaped at the feet of the torture table, Platinum enjoying the spectacle from her throne.

“Drink!” she commanded, immediately being furnished with a glass of chilled sparkling wine. The large, buff stallion that passed it to her with his magic was rewarded with a kiss, before he re-joined her army of hot, buff stallions that were lazily sprawled around the throne room.

Above her in a cage attached to the ceiling was the naked human, Chalmers gibbering like a monkey while he watched the torture below him.

She grinned, closed her eyes and took a sip of wine when Sombra let out another pain-filled scream.

Best. Day. Ever.

A chill ran down her spine and the wine in her mouth disappeared, Platinum opening her eyes to be met with not her throne room but a solid wall of darkness. Finding herself on all four hooves, she spun around franticly while she sought the wonderful experience that had vanished.

“No!” She called out into the blackness. “This is not my dream!”

“Please, don’t be afraid.”

Platinum went ridged when the soft, feminine voice called out from behind her. She turned around slowly, coming face-to-face with a very unexpected sight.

A pony, almost twice as tall as her, stood before her in silver armour. The intruder’s blue mane sparkled silver like the stars, a long horn on the forehead.

“Who… what?”

“I am Luna,” the pony introduced, the voice of a teenage filly not matching the appearance. “Hello, Platinum Evergleam.”

“You know my name,” Platinum muttered, before taking a step back. “How?”

“I’m in your dream, I know all about you,” Luna answered, before her face scrunched. “Did you really… with the bipedal thing…?”

“You aren’t supposed to know that!” Platinum defended, taking another step back. “Stay away! I want my old dream back so go back to where you came from!”

Luna’s ears folded flat, before she seemed to take some deep breaths. Platinum found herself fixed with a determined gaze, unable to move while Luna approached her.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” the intruder reassured. Platinum’s eyes widened when a pair of wings unfurled to pat her on the head. “My sister and I just want to help all ponies, so don’t be scared.”

“H-help?” Platinum stammered, unable to look away. “How?”

“You want your crown back?” Luna asked, Platinum managing to nod her head. “I know you do, I see you dream about it a lot!” the cheerful announcement was followed by an uneasy frown. “Although, we can’t let you torture all of those ponies. My sister thinks that it’s not wise for me to ask you this, but me and Tia need your help.”

“You need my help?” Platinum repeated, still trying to process what was going on. “What can I possibly do?”

Luna sighed, her wings folding back while she turned her head. Platinum nearly jumped out of her skin when a picture of Equestria formed out of coloured swirls.

“The thing that Tia called a ‘human’ is a threat to the world,” Luna informed, staring sadly at the picture. “Our parents saw the threat that he presents, so they sent us here to help you defeat him.” Platinum watched while the magic dream-picture replayed Nigel’s attack on Canterlot, metal triangles dropping fire and explosions onto the city. “Already he has harmed ponies and other creatures because of his own selfish thoughts.”

“Stop Nigel…” Platinum muttered, Luna tilting her head.

“Nigel?”

“That is his name,” Platinum told her. “Commander Nigel M Chalmers.” She shook her head, realising what the mare was asking of her. “Defeat him? There’s no way. Even if you and this ‘Tia’ could fight him and his machines, why? He’s… he’s strange but if you get to know him he’s not that bad.”

This was true, at least in her opinion. Granted, she dreamed about keeping him in a cage in like an animal, but she had to admit that she didn’t outright hate him. Still, if this ‘Luna’ was giving her a change to take back her country and crown…

“We’re willing to help you, and in return you will share the title of Princess with us until the end of your days.”

“Share?” All thoughts about morality and betrayal were shoved aside. “What’s the point of sharing power with you?”

“We won’t do much,” Luna answered. “We’ll just advise you and wear crowns. Please accept, I really want to be a Princess!”

This statement prompted Platinum to question Luna’s metal maturity. It was like she was switching from cunning dream stalker to dreaming child as their conversation continued.

“Why do you have both wings and a horn?” Platinum inquired, hoping to throw Luna off-balance.

“I’m an alicorn,” Luna announced happily. “We’re all three types of ponies at the same time!”

“Even mud ponies?”

“Yes,” Luna replied, her smile wavering. “We are Earth ponies as well. With me and Tia with you, we’ll unite all three tribes once again, just like how it’s supposed to be.”

“I still fail to see why I should,” Platinum turned away with a huff. “I don’t see much in it for me.”

Luna dashed around to face her again, the alicorn bending down to eye-level.

“We’ll make you better with magic, and we’ll teach you spells to help prepare for our plan.”

“Teach me spells and improve my magic?”

The offer was incredibly tempting for Platinum. She’d never been too good at magic, and her family saw it as an embarrassment. All through her early life, she’d been regarded as a terrible unicorn and it was only her royal blood that kept her out of reach of the dangers that that brought. Also included was new spells, no doubt powerful ones. If this Luna could uphold her end of the bargain, then she’d finally be the perfect unicorn.

That however raised a big question: could she betray the one that had rescued her, sheltered her and even shared intimacy with her?

The thoughts of sitting back in her throne, wearing her crown made that decision easy.

“I accept,” she told Luna, before tilting her head. “But how will you teach me in time, without alerting Nigel? I can’t leave the town.”

“We have that planned,” Luna told her, starting to trot in a circle. “Dreams are part of my special talent. Did you know that time passes much more slowly when you’re dreaming? That means that you can dream for an hour, but only five minutes passes in the world!”

“…Yes?” To be honest, Platinum already knew that. Anyone who dreamed and remembered it would know that. Luna didn’t seem fazed, instead she sat down on the floor in front of her.

“You’re right, so that means that we teach you now!”

“Teach me in a dream?”

“That’s right, three spells that you’ll remember when you wake up. Help us and you get to keep them, as well as getting to be a princess again.”

Platinum once again ran over the offer. Recalling that since Sombra and Nigel were buddy-buddies now, that pretty much threw her hopes of ruling Canterlot again out of the window. Adding to that was the fact that Nigel was the person responsible for all of her problems in the past; he was the one that made this mess. So what if she betrayed his trust? He needed to learn that no-one messes with Platinum Evergleam and gets away with it.

“Okay,” she agreed while sitting down in front of Luna. “Where do we start?”

Author's Note

So, this chapter's more of a 'set-up' chapter really, in preperation for the next.

Still, we get some character development and all of that, and we also learn that Platinum is a traitorus bitch.
In a way, you can see why she's going for the offer, after all, she is still a little mad at Chalmers for what he did.

Luna and Celestia are showing more cunning than one would expect, but is Platinum enough support to help them get one-over on Chalmers to secure their thrones and the future of Equestria?

That fate of the country, and the world, will be decided in the next, and final, chapter.

Until then.

Suddenly, Platinum

Nigel grumbled while he awoke, a strange sensation on the side of his face. A soft, wet object was dragging itself up and down his cheek, and he swatted at it with a hand.

It made contact with a smooth surface, a child’s giggle rousing him further. The wet object, Nigel now guessing that it was a tongue, moved onto licking his hand. Blinking open his eyes, he placed one hand down on the bed and lifted himself up.

Reflection was smiling up at him, another three nymphs standing beside her on the bed with grins as well.

“Morning!”

He turned his head around at the greeting, spotting the rest of the nymphs on the other side. Many wings buzzing was the only warning he got before he was swarmed, gleeful nymphs bounding forwards to rub up against his armour and give hugs.

It was at the same time incredibly touching and sickeningly cute.

“Okay, calm down,” he told them, and they began to settle down on the bed while staring at him. He examined the crowd of nymphs, and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you ten all out of your room, where’s Chrysalis?”

In response, Reflection buzzed her wings and took off from the bed, the child hovering in the air shakily but was managing to stay up. Nigel’s eyes widened when the others followed, each one buzzing around the room with confidence.

“That’s… that’s pretty good.” He looked towards the door, a low-flying nymph grazing the top of his head with her hooves. It was wide open, and there was still no sign of Chrysalis. It was odd, she was quite protective of the children and it wasn’t like her to just let them roam around without her supervision. One check of the time later, and he also came to the conclusion that it was far too early for Chrysalis to be up and active.

Swinging his legs off the bed, he dodged flying nymphs and poked his head out of the doorway. The door to Chrysalis’ room was also wide open, and the trail of stuffed toys leading out through the hall indicated that the nymphs were the culprits. A weight on his shoulder drew his attention, a turn to the left revealing that it was Buzz.
Nigel stared into the nymph’s eyes, taking note that the changeling’s fangs were noticeably larger. The wide grin that Buzz was giving him was perfect for showing them off, Nigel craning his head to see more of the nymph.

‘Wow, he’s certainly growing up,’ he thought upon seeing the large torso and bulked up shoulders. With an armoured finger, he tapped the chitin covering the nymph’s back. It was hard and firm, Buzz giving him a proud look while expanding his wings to their full span.

“I think I better go check on Chrysalis,” he told Buzz, using both hands to lift the nymph off and set him down upon all four hooves. Buzz was about the size of a medium dog, his horn coming up to the middle of Nigel’s armoured shins. Looking at the other flying and playing changelings, the observation that all were growing fast was obvious. “All of you stay here, okay? Chrissy is going to be pretty grumpy when she wakes up.”

“Ca.. can I come?” Buzz managed to ask, his tail swishing behind him. Nigel glanced back into his room, the other nymphs too busy having fun to notice his departure. Even Reflection was too busy examining the inside of his helmet.

“Sure,” he whispered to Buzz, the nymph brightening with joy. “But keep quiet, okay?”

Buzz nodded without a sound, Nigel pressing the button to close the door. The metal barrier slid shut without a sound, leaving Buzz and Chalmers alone in the hall. With the nymph trotting along beside him, he slowly approached Chrysalis’ room and looked in.

Chrysalis, head under a pillow, was currently fast asleep. Judging from the messy covers, her tussled mane, and debris strewn room, he deduced that her sleep had not been a peaceful one. Gesturing for Buzz to follow him, he began to pick up all of the toys he could find.

With arms full of toy dragons, he returned to his room and opened the door.

A tide of nymphs rushed out, their eyes going straight for the toys. Hooves were extended towards him and Nigel quickly acted before they could begin to ask for them. Heading down the corridor, he moved to the recreational area.

“Once again, everyone sleeps in,” he muttered upon entering the empty room. Kicking open the playpen door, he tossed the dragon toys into the middle. Nymphs swarmed in, most going for the toys while other seemed more intent on chasing their fellows. Once all were in, Nigel shut the door before pausing and looking around. Spotting the table between the couches, he got a great idea.

Brushing his hands with a grin, he observed his brilliant solution to the problem of the nymphs new flying skills.

With the table placed over the top of the playpen, there was no way the children could escape. Leaving his devious plan behind, he turned around and headed back towards the bedrooms. ‘Perfect, absolutely nothing can go wrong.’ He stopped at the kitchen, his eyes landing on the single refrigerator that dominated the room. He had something important to do, and he knew that if he considered himself a good person then he’d have to do it. Opening the door, he examined the lone pitcher of water sitting on the middle shelf… alongside a single slice of vintage cheddar.

Quickly shoving the cheese into his mouth, he savoured his breakfast before glancing over the jug of water.

‘Huh, maybe I should get some water for Chrysalis as well.’

Shrugging, he picked it up and shut the fridge before resuming his walking. Coming up to her door, he peeked inside the darkened room. Chrysalis was still asleep, so he carefully snuck in and placed the jug on the bedside table. Staring down at her, he frowned.

In about an hour he was planning to leave for the pony Capital, to help Sombra prepare for the hopeful arrival of the Pegasi to talk business. He was confident that they wouldn’t be able to resist the offer, but he couldn’t shake the gut feeling that it was going to go down badly somehow. However, there was no possible way that some pegasi would get the better of him, or Sombra for that matter.

Leaning down closer to Chrysalis, he watched her sleep for a few moments. She was surprisingly entertaining and interesting, at the same time caring and overbearing. She’d adapted to the situation amazingly well, given the circumstances. He hadn’t really dwelled on it before, but during dinner the previous night he had noticed that she was growing to be quite attractive. Sure, when she had revealed her true form to him he’d thought that she was cute, but he suspected that his tastes for exotic natives learned from his infantry days was really starting to resurface.

A smile on his face, he went over all of the memories of her fawning over him. Gently ignoring her advances had grown harder and harder as time had gone by, having her around now seemed normal. As such, what he was about to do was made all that much harder.

Brushing the lengths of silky hair away from her face, he placed a brief kiss on her forehead before standing back up. “Hold the fort for me,” he whispered, making sure to make little noise while he exited the room and closed her door. His most pressing task complete, he ducked into his room to fetch his helmet.
He had a meeting to attend.

Platinum strutted out of the elevator with her nose held high. Her sleep had been amazing, her mind swelled with the knowledge of three new spells.

“Such power,” she murmured to herself, glancing back towards the black tower that had housed her. “As soon as this is done, I think I’ll make you my new castle.” Her mind replaying the thoughts of how great it’d be to possess all of the tower’s magic ‘showers’ for herself and herself alone, she resumed her trotting.

Her bare hooves clacked upon the cobbled stone road, Platinum inwardly wincing whenever an early-rising peasant looked at her. She was naked without her crown and jewels, something she sought to rectify. Now, all she had to do was find a way out of the city and infiltrate the castle, then it would be time for some much-deserved vengeance. A smirk graced her face, while she was content to let the Alicorns deal with Chalmers she really wanted to defeat Sombra by herself.

“Platinum? You’re up early.”

Her prideful steps froze at the voice of the human, Chalmers approaching from behind. Doubt swelled in her mind when she once again was faced with his fully armoured form, did the alicorns really want to fight this? His helmet optics seemed to be staring into her soul, and Platinum shifted on her hooves.

“I… I wanted to…” she focused, she needed a cunning plan.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of one in time.

“I wanted to travel with you to the castle… so I could forgive Sombra?”

“Really? That’s great! Of course you can come.”

‘What?’ she struggled to hold back her words. ‘He can’t really be that stupid, can he?’ Watching Nigel carry on down the road, she came to the conclusion that yes, he was that stupid. Now, she had the perfect ticket to get into the castle, and most importantly she had his trust.

It was hard to believe that such a naïve individual could get the better of her, but she supposed that luck was a powerful thing.

Following him down the road, they both approached the edge of the town. Dangerous weapon-topped towers scanned the area, Platinum shuddering when the red light of one passed over her. She couldn’t stuff today up, the human wouldn’t give her a second chance.

“You’re not going to bring Clover?” he suddenly questioned, his eyes still ahead.

“No,” she quickly responded. “I thought that she deserves some rest.”

“Huh, the same for Chrysalis, although I hope she’s better by the time she finds the nymphs.”

Now Platinum remembered, Chrysalis and Chalmers had gone out to dinner last night. Obviously the changeling had drunk a little too much, like the rest of the esteemed ponies that had attended the grungy tavern with her. The grimace at the memory of the alcohol-fuelled night was wiped away by the imagining of the reaction that Spyglass would have when he’d wake up.

“That’s too bad,” she tried to sympathise. “Still, at least I’m up.”

“Indeed,” he chortled, leaving the town behind them. “And incredibly chirpy as well.”

‘Really? He thinks I’m chirpy?’

A strange sound broke her from her thoughts, originating from the human. He was humming, his finger waving in the air in time with the beat. She moved to his side and matched his pace, trying hard to ignore the sound. Looking up, she saw the castle, her castle, in the distance.

‘Soon,’ she thought, her smile genuine. ‘It pays for a lady to be patient, after all.’

“Never again, never.”

Chrysalis groaned and rubbed her head, the throbbing not dying down. She pulled the pillow down tighter, but it still didn’t solve the issue of her pounding headache. Her hoof hit a glass jug, green bloodshot eyes focusing on the item of wanted refreshment. With great effort, she looped her hoof through the handle and carefully brought it to her lips.
She drank deep, gulps of water disappearing down her gullet until half of the jug was gone.

“Ah,” she sighed, slamming the jug down on the table. Taking a deep breath of air, she tried to ignore the pain in her head before sliding out of bed.

Well, less like sliding and more like ‘falling flat on her face’.

Chrysalis rolled on the floor with her hooves on her head and her teeth clenched. Stumbling back to her hooves, she focused and made her way out of the room. Her eyes went to the room next to hers, Chrysalis feeling some of the pain fade away at the happy memory of the previous night.

She was confident to call it the best night of her life so far, and she knew that it wasn’t the wine talking last night when he had complimented her mane and eyes. The kiss was a little more blurred, Chrysalis still not sure whether it was a ‘friend kiss’ or a ‘romantic kiss’, but she was hopeful that it was the latter. How could it not be, she had seen the way that he had finally looked at her across the candlelit table. With these thoughts helping her power through the hangover, she opened his door and grinned into his room.
“Morning Nigel, I was thinking that we could get some breakfast…”

She was met with an empty bed, Chrysalis deflating when she remembered that he was heading to the Equestrian capitol for the day. Sighing, she backed out of the room and trotted to the recreational room. Maybe she could see him from the command room, and there was the possibility that she could zoom in like he had before.

Just before reaching the room, she paused when the voices of the nymphs reached her ears.

‘I forgot all about them!’ she panicked, rushing into the room. Stopping and staring at the table placed over the playpen, she shook her head. ‘Well, at least he tried.’ Thinking about Nigel again distracted her, Chrysalis breaking out into another grin. Trotting over to the playpen, she undid the simple latch and released them. The nymphs flooded out, flocking around her legs with smiles and cheered greetings.

“Morning Chrissy!” Reflection giggled, nuzzling up against a foreleg.

“Chrysalis,” Shade corrected, taking the other leg and embracing it. Her headache was forgotten, and she bent down to give each one a welcoming nuzzle. The buzzing of wings took her by surprise, Chrysalis looking back when three of them landed on her back. She looked back when another flew past her, Chrysalis wincing at the realisation that they could now fly with some skill. Great, that explained the table over the playpen that had greeted her.

Any concerns were soon lost when she decided on what to do, nymphs flocking around her legs. Trotting into the elevator, she waited for the nymphs to follow her in before she hit the button for the command tower. She didn’t even feel the jolt of the lift starting, a few moments of travel before the doors opened once more.

The nymphs swarmed out ahead of her, rushing out towards the large command chair. Chrysalis watched with a sad smile while they sniffed around it before the windows drew their attention. They started to entertain themselves with pointing out objects below and sharing the names with each other, Chrysalis getting an idea.

Trotting to the chair, she climbed up on it and settled in. With her forelegs on the armrests, she swivelled around until she was facing the castle.

‘How do I work this?’ she wondered, focusing on finding out on how to make the windows act the way she wanted by pressing the buttons on the chair.

Sombra frowned while he stared at the broken tower on the castle. A team of construction unicorns were currently replacing the stone, however, no amount of repairs could ever remove the memory of the attack. He grinded his teeth, all he had to do was wait and soon the human would become complacent.

Turning around, he tilted his head towards the two knights at the side and began to trot down the main street. Metal armour and swords clanked together, Sombra going over the surrounds with a keen eye. Soldiers, both unicorn and peasantry, patrolled the streets with spears at the ready. Catapults were aimed towards the sky, their crews maintaining a careful watch.

A brown peasant mare leading a small colt backed away from the road at his passing, the pony having the sense to bow. Sombra gave her a small nod of approval, his eyes returning to the walls. He was confident that they were ready for the possible arrival of the Pegasi, and ready to defeat them if the meeting turned sour.

He stopped at the large gate, the forty guards standing watch focusing on the road out ahead of them. Sombra needed to only give a glance for the soldiers to spring into action, the heavy gates swinging open on their iron hinges. As soon as they were fully split, he advanced out and stared at the tower in the distance.

“You better not fail to live up to expectations, Human,” he muttered. “Potential usefulness is your most becoming trait.”

“Ah…”

Nigel stretched his arms out in his armour, thankful for the chance to stretch his legs. The pony by his side was less than chuffed with the exercise, Platinum huffing with a sweat-soaked mane. The Princess was almost dragging her hooves along the ground, her eyes locked on the dirt road. A smile under his helmet, Chalmers glanced to the left and gestured towards a single tree growing out of the dull grass.

“Hey Platinum, do you mind if we stop for a break?”

At his words, she brightened and nodded.

“Of course, final- I mean, if you wish to rest then I will allow it.”

‘Whatever you say, Plats,’ he thought with a hidden grin. She tried to appear cool and collected, but he noticed her legs shaking while she followed. He sat down under the tree and watched the former princess collapse onto her side with a huff. Platinum panted and rolled over onto her back, glancing back to make sure he couldn’t see before she stretched out her limbs.

“I hate this midday sun,” she groaned, fanning her face with her forehooves.

Nigel looked at his helmet readouts. “It’s only twenty-four degrees centigrade,” he told her, Platinum glancing back with furrowed eyes.

“Deg-rees? Centralgrade?”

“Nevermind,” he chuckled with a wave. “I’m saying that it’s not that hot today. You must have spent too much time in castles and not enough outside.”

“Says the creature in magical armour all the time,” she muttered, Nigel rolling his eyes at her.

They waited for ten minutes before he got bored, and he only had a few more hours to meet with Sombra before the Pegasi were supposed to show up. He stood up and stretched, Platinum refusing to move from the ground.

“Look, do you want me to just get a transport to pick us up and-“

“No!” Platinum exclaimed, rushing to her hooves with shaky knees. “That will only show weakness!”

With a raised eye, he held his tongue at the comment. Shrugging, he continued walking, leaving Platinum to follow behind. Pausing to look at the city growing ever closer, he heard a twinkling sound coming from behind him.

“Plats?” he inquired, looking behind him.

“What?” she questioned, tilting her head.

“I heard a strange sound just then, are you okay?” Her eyes widened slightly.

“I… uh, yes, I’m fine,” she smiled, before hurrying along to overtake him. “We better hurry up if we want to make it in time.” She began to gallop while laughing nervously, Nigel snorting before breaking into a run after her.

Platinum seemed like she knew something he didn’t, but at least she wasn’t falling behind anymore.

‘Wait, I just need to wait.’

She had fought the urge to just unleash all of her new magic on Chalmers right then and there; the human’s back having offered up a prime target. He had almost caught her charging a spell, and Platinum didn’t want to know what would happen if Chalmers found out about her treachery. At least with her plan, there would be two alicorns in-between her and a likely infuriated human.

Instead of blasting him, she had instead surged ahead to avoid the temptation. Unfortunately, galloping at full speed like a mud-pony running from the guards had worn her out and that had been about three hours ago. Now, the sun was halfway between the middle of the sky and the horizon, and her hooves were killing her.

What was even worse was the fact that Chalmers was strolling along her side, whistling merrily. He had shown no sign of fatigue, Platinum doubting that he even noticed the hours of walking that they had done. “Would like to see him remain so cheerful when he isn’t in armour,” she muttered under her breath.

“Silly Platinum, you’ve seen me without my armour. What, you think you get a body like mine without some exercise?”

Chalmers’ words caused her to blush lightly at the memory, but she quickly hit back with a smirk.

“I thought you said that you had genatic improvements done that stop you from getting fat?”

His boasting stopped and he waved a finger at her. “Firstly, it’s ‘genetic’. Secondly, despite any scientific enhancements I may have gained for effective application of my duty, I still likely do more physical activity than a throne-potato like you.”

“Throne potato!?” she fumed, pointing a hoof back. “Potatoes are food for the peasantry, how dare you insinuate that my royal form is a tubular vegetable!?”

“Um, excuse me?”

Both broke their staring contest to see a group of guards looking at them in confusion. Platinum peered past the armoured ponies and realised that they were standing out the front of the city arguing like children. She straightened and tossed her head, letting her silver mane glitter in the sunlight.

“Excuse my companion’s rudeness,” she said with a forced smile. “We have travelled long to meet with Sombra, he is expecting us.”

The unicorn leading the earth ponies narrowed his golden eyes. “It’s King Sombra, Platinum, I suggest that you show some respect. Also, I was only informed to expect the Human.”

“Actually, it’s Commander Human… er, I mean, Commander Chalmers.”

Platinum’s mouth twitched, and she held in a growl at his attempt at humour. Most would confuse it for a simple slip-up, but she had gone through enough of his bedroom puns to know that he was doing it on purpose.

“Okay,” the unicorn guard replied after a few moments. “Well, Commander, the King is indeed expecting you.”

“Platinum is with me,” Nigel informed, patting the unicorn guard’s helmet while he walked past into the city. “Don’t worry, I know the way.”

“Sir, I can’t-“

The guard’s protests fell on deaf ears, Nigel strolling into the city with a spring in his step. Platinum huffed and made to follow, but not before she fixed the other unicorn with a hard stare.

“Tell me, what’s your name?”

“One Shot,” the stallion replied, his horn glowing sightly. “I never miss my target. Why do you ask?”

“Oh,” Platinum dismissed before making to follow Chalmers. “I just wanted to know which utterly delightful guard greeted me with such respect.” She smirked and glanced back at him. “A welcome I’ll have to… reward generously when I regain my power.” Leaving on that note, she hurried to re-join the Human. He glanced at her but didn’t say a thing, something she was perfectly fine with.

She spent her time dodging piles of muck on the cobbled road, a sure sign that they were in the middle of the peasant area. Still, she soldiered on despite the dirt and focused on the future.

Her persistence paid off, the dirty road transitioning to polished stone. She knew this street, Platinum raising her head to stare at the castle before them. A red-robed unicorn was advancing down the steps, a glittering crown on his head and rows of knights alongside him.

‘Sombra,’ she frowned, watching the upstart noble first smirk at Chalmers before snarling at her.

“What is that… thing, doing in my city!?”

“Thing!?” growled, bearing her teeth at him. Something was placed on her head, Platinum looking up to find that Chalmers had placed his hand upon her head.

“Now, now,” he lectured, before directing his attention to Sombra. “Platinum is here with me, she wished to speak about a matter with you.”

“What gives you the impression that I’d even stay in the same room with her, let alone listen to whatever self-inflated nonsense she has to say?”

Platinum gritted her teeth, not looking forward to the next part. She stepped forward and bowed her head before Sombra, enough to show respect but not submission. “I was actually going to attempt to fix things between us… King Sombra.”

Silence reigned over the courtyard, even Chalmers not saying a word. Sombra resumed his trotting, descending down the stairs until he was only a body-length away. Platinum looked up to be met with a gaze of utter amusement, and she silently cursed Sombra and his ways.

“Platinum, fixing things with me?” he mused, his grin hardening. “You know, I’m actually tempted to take up the offer just to hear you beg for my forgiveness.”

‘Forget the country,’ she fumed, preparing to pounce and tear him limb from limb. Before she could act on her thoughts, a metal-covered leg stepped between her and Sombra. Platinum growled, Chalmers holding his hands out.

“Come on you two, enough of that kind of talk,” he told both of them. “Platinum, don’t rise to the jibs. Sombra, should we really be using our time to insult ladies instead of preparing for guests?”

“I am already prepared,” Sombra replied with only a touch less venom in his voice than when talking to her. “But if you are so keen on getting started, then why don’t I return the curse you inflicted on me and offer you a drink?” Chalmers snorted.

“Pfft, I’ve drunk water that is stronger than the alcohol on this planet, I look forward to the test.”

‘Is he really thinking about drinking before the most important political meeting in years?’

Platinum was gobsmacked, the King and the Human staring off before they began to move into the castle. She shook her head and followed them, knights and guards watching her all the while with loathing gazes. Platinum paid them no mind as her bare hooves climbed the stairs, her face locked in a small smile.

It mattered not if the Human wished to slow his mind with drink, it would only mean her that her most difficult target would be easier to deal with.

The smile grew into a vicious grin.

And then, Sombra would be ripe to destroy at her leisure.

Spyglass groaned uncomfortably and raised a hoof to his neck, his eyes unable to see in the darkened room. He touched the metal collar around his neck, the red light blinking steadily. He winced, the weight less worrying than the thought of what would happen if it went off. Rolling over, he made contact with a warm body next to him.

He froze, his hind legs pressed up against the other pony’s rump. Slowly, he moved his foreleg and stroked a flowing mane, his eyes widening at the realisation.

‘I can’t believe it! I must have managed to woo Sunflare successfully in the tavern!’ He smiled to himself and buried his snout in her mane, nuzzling her neck and embracing her from behind. Spyglass breathed deep, taking in the soothing scent of salt and the wonderful sea air.

‘Wait…’ he thought to himself, his heart skipping a beat. ‘Sunflare lived in the city away from the sea…’

“Mhmm, I can feel that someone’s having a good morning.” Red eyes opened to look at him, a yellow-and-white striped mane raising up from a pillow. Morning Sparkling yawned and looked down at him, Spyglass blushing heavily before sliding back from her and covering his ‘problem’ with the blue sheets. Shaking her head, he received a small smile from the pirate captain. “What’s the matter? It wasn’t like I didn’t see it last night.”

“I… I…” he began, trying to find a way to say ‘I thought you were someone else’ without having Morning disembowel him afterwards. She waited for him to answer, Spyglass gulping while he looked at her. He had no doubt that she’d take any offence harshly, and he was trotting on thin ice. He pulled the sheets up closer, and gulped again.

“Yes?” she pressed, an eyebrow raised.

“I… thought that you… would like to get some breakfast?”

Morning Sparkle’s face lit up with a warm smile at his words, the mare leaning forward and kissing him on the lips. Spyglass froze in shock, the pirate releasing him but keeping her body over him.

“Such a gentlecolt,” she told him with a light laugh. “I’ve had my fair share of both sailors and the occasional naval officer, but you’re the first stallion to actually try and take me to breakfast. You must have really enjoyed last night, hmm?”

Spyglass made to protest the point, however he stopped and considered Morning’s words. The truth was, from what he could remember, he did enjoy their time together. He also recalled that before they had left the tavern, she had been pretty nice to him. After receiving her boat and title of Captain, she had also become a lot friendlier to everyone.
Besides, it was only breakfast.

“It was good,” he confirmed, before returning her smile. “So, do you want to?”

Morning answered the question by leaving the bed, her tail swishing while she made her way to the bathroom. “Sure, I’ll just need to clean up a little, I’ll be right out.”

He watched her disappear into the bathroom before shutting the door, leaving him alone in the room. Spyglass quickly regained his senses and left the bed, scrambling for the door in his haste. He had a great idea, Morning would love it if he cooked breakfast for them instead of having to rely on machines.

After all, while Sunflare was great, maybe this wasn’t going to turn out so badly…

“Ah!”

Sombra watched while Chalmers drained another mug of mead, the human drinking in the last drops before gently placing down his mug.

“Another! If you don’t mind, that is.”

Sombra rolled his eyes, sipping southern white wine from a thin glass. He waved a hoof, a beautiful servant mare trotting out to take the empty mug and replace it with a fresh one. Sombra sent her a glance while she passed him, the mare nodding before leaving out the door. He had instructed the mares serving them to keep the Human distracted with hints and subtle gestures so the pirate might let slip with vital information, but so far Chalmers hadn’t even blinked at their displays. It was impossible; even he was starting to lose himself in the sights of the fine rumps.

‘Maybe he prefers stallions?’ Sombra thought, taking another sip of wine. ‘Or it could be that he takes no notice of pony mares.’ This line of thinking caused an idea to surface. He knew that the changeling was seemingly attracted to the human, maybe it was a mutual feeling that wasn’t that noticeable. That was an issue if true, he’d have to resort to another method of distraction.

Conversation.

“Do you think the Pegasi will turn up?” he began, tapping his hoof on the large meeting table. He watched Chalmers take another gulp of mead, a line of the golden liquid running down Nigel’s hairless chin.

“They’ll turn up,” he answered, waving one of his freakish hands. “Our offer is good, and they’d be fool to refuse.” Chalmers paused. “Speaking of which, who’s their King or Queen by the way?”

Sombra couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t joking, surely the human wasn’t as stupid as to not know that information before making a plan that hinged on it?

“They’re led by a stallion named Commander Hurricane,” Sombra informed, still not believing it. “He’s an experienced leader in wartimes, but a terrible politician.” His eyes narrowed. “I get the feeling that you and him would get on well.”

A chuckle from the biped was followed by a very uncivilised belch. “All the better to get our way, right Sombrero?”

“Sombra,” he corrected with a frown. ‘And it’s my way that we’ll be following, not yours.’

“Oh, sí , por supuesto, mi amigo que todo lo sabe , lo tonto de mí.”

“What was that?”

“Spanish,” Chalmers answered with a puffed-out chest. “I speak it mucho burro grande. What do you do for hobbies?”

“I have no time for such trivial pursuits,” he rebutted, finishing his wine and using his magic to dab his mouth with a cloth. “Ruling a country is tiring enough as it is,” he nodded towards a servant mare as she refilled his glass from a bottle. “I don’t even have time to pursue the base desires of a stallion.”

“I hear you,” Chalmers nodded, a few drops falling from his mug while he waved it around. “How about while we wait, you tell good ol’ Nigel all about?”

He shrugged internally, he supposed that some idle conversation about mares couldn’t really hurt. Besides, it wasn’t like they had much to do while they waited.

“Well, I know that some may be content with utilising some of their servants, but I am a stallion of taste and thus only the purest unicorn beauty will do.”

Platinum glared at the servant, the yellow mare returning it before trotting out of the room with the tray of tea supplies on her back. Returning to her freshly-made cup of the brown liquid, Platinum once again huffed and continued planning her attack. Sitting back in the simple chair, she glanced around the simple quarters she had been assigned for the meeting. Sombra and Chalmers had both told her that they thought her presence wouldn’t be very helpful, so she was left alone for the time being.

The Alicorn hadn’t been very informative as to what exactly they were going to do, the blue creature saying that when the time was right then she’d know. Secretly, Platinum wondered if the two alicorns even knew what they were going up against and if they had a solid plan in mind. For all she knew, they were going to just burst in and fight Chalmers.

‘Hmph, not likely,’ she thought while taking a sip. ‘Surely for such advanced beings, they’d have a better idea than that.’

Luna stared into the window and adjusted her hoofing on the stone tiles. The air shimmered around her, her invisibility spell heating up the area outside. She watched the Human and the evil King Sombra laugh, the Human taking another drink for his mug. Chalmers, that was his name if she remembered correctly.

‘Strange,’ she thought, tilting her head. ‘He doesn’t look that scary.’ Luna hummed to herself. ‘Maybe I could defeat him and Sombra by myself, then Tia wouldn’t have to fight at all!’

The flapping of wings distracted her, Luna glancing behind and seeing nothing. She forgot all plans of rushing in by herself, armoured hooves stepping forwards over stone.
“Tia!” she greeted, giving her equally invisible sister a smile. “How was your trip?”

“Constructive,” Celestia answered, Luna feeling a wing over her back. “What has happened in my absence?”

“The Human has arrived and is talking with the King, what about the P-“

“I have arranged things,” Tia cut her off. “Is Platinum ready?”

Luna grinned and nodded. “Yep! She knows the three spells you wanted, and I told her to wait until we acted.” Her grin wavered. “Still, Tia, is it right to get her to betray one of her friends? It doesn’t seem nice.” She couldn’t see it, but Luna could tell that Celestia was frowning.

“Luna, one thing we’re going to have to learn if we want to look after these ponies is to when to make hard decisions. This Human is the biggest threat to this planet; he treats everything like a game. The little good that we’ve seen from him is driven by his own desires.” Tia sighed. “I still regret that we decided to teach Platinum, but once we’ve defeated the Human and Sombra we can keep a close eye on her.” The wing on her back rubbed to comfort her. “Besides, I doubt that Platinum considers the Human her friend.”

Luna hummed and turned back to the window, considering Celestia’s words. Tia was probably right, after all they weren’t planning to kill him, just to make sure that he couldn’t hurt anymore ponies. Looking back in the window, her eyes went to the glittering crown sitting atop Sombra’s head.

All thoughts about good and evil were forgotten, Luna imagining what it would be like as a Princess while her sister continued to watch the two males intently.

Lieutenant Arcane watched the sky intently, his solders preparing their spears and aiming their horns. The lone speck grew into the shape of a single pony, the pegasus approaching the town gates slowing as he noticed the weapons. Arcane narrowed his eyes, his mind racing to find answers while he gazed upon the dark-grey stallion armoured in silver-plated metal.

‘A single pony?’

“You, soldiers,” the hovering pegasus addressed, scanning their ranks with pink eyes. “I am here to meet with your King.”

“And who are you?” Arcane returned, his front hoof fidgeting near his spear hilt. “Do you serve Commander Hurricane? The conditions were that the Commander himself attend the meeting, and not a lackey.”

The Pegasus hovered lower, the soldiers parting to allow him to land. Arcane watched while the stallion fiddled with his wings, two razor sharp wing blades dropping to the ground. “I can assure you,” the stallion answered. “Commander Hurricane is indeed intending the meeting between King Sombra and the creature known as ‘The Human’. Now, if you would be so kind as to escort me to your castle.”

Arcane fought hard to not show surprise, Commander Hurricane smirking at him. Quickly, he gestured for his soldiers to collect the surrendered weapons, two earth ponies rushing out to collect the blades while Hurricane remained still. “You came all of this way without an escort?”

“I do not need one,” the Pegasus boasted while fluffing out his wings. “Besides, I am in no danger here.” Arcane found a stare directed towards him. “Enough time wasting, I wish to get this affair over with as soon as possible.”

“I…” Arcane tried to think of something to say, but he couldn’t find the words. “Fine, this way. Stay with us or face the consequences.”

Hurricane didn’t say a word, and followed while nervous soldiers surrounded him. Arcane looked back to the front and advanced towards the castle, the streets clear of peasantry. Armoured hooves clacked on the stone pavers, a few minutes passing before the castle doors were in sight. He had no need to talk to the door guards, even the fully-armoured knights watched the group pass without a word.

“Stay on watch, all of you,” Arcane ordered. “I will escort the Pegasus myself to the meeting room.”

Hurricane and himself continued into the fortress, immediately heading for the large centre staircase. Arcane had already been informed of the correct route, and he needed no direction to lead the Commander to the King. Servants ducked into rooms and passageways before their passing, Arcane leading Hurricane through the castle until they reached a simple set of oak doors.

With three knocks, he awaited permission.

“Enter.”

Pushing open the door, he was met with the gazes from Sombra and the Human, Arcane bowing his head.

“Sirs,” he addressed, struggling to not show his distaste at having to show respect to the biped. “Presenting Commander Hurricane.”

A body pressed past him, Arcane frowning while Hurricane entered the meeting room. Sombra raised an eye before nodding towards him, his King waving a shoed hoof. “Very good, Lieutenant, you are dismissed.”

Bowing his head a final time, Arcane retreated backwards and used his magic to close the door.

He had a bad feeling about this.

Hurricane took a seat at the large table and examined his two hosts, earning the same in return. King Sombra was everything like his scouts had described, the dour unicorn glaring at him with barely contained distaste. Dressed in a flowing red robe and a shining crown, it appeared that Sombra had embraced his new title with extreme eagerness.

The second being was far more intriguing, Hurricane detecting something in the cold blue eyes. He couldn’t put his hoof on it, but he felt that his information regarding the Human being a childlike madpony wasn’t as airtight as his two new allies would have him believe. The armour the human was wearing was certainly intimidating, Hurricane wondering what methods could fashion such impressive war-plate.

“Greetings,” King Sombra began. “Commander Hurricane, I believe.”

“That is correct,” Hurricane answered. “I’ve heard many things about you, King Sombra, it seems like you might prove to be far more respectable than your predecessor.” He watched Sombra carefully. “This new plan of yours also seems promising, from the little information I was given.”

“It was not my plan,” Sombra informed, nodding towards the biped who was in the middle of downing a mug of mead. “Chalmers here is the one who thought of it.”

A sigh was followed by a belch, Hurricane wrinkling his nose while ‘Chalmers’ placed his mug down on the table and wiped his mouth. “Hmm? Oh the plan,” Chalmers cleared his throat, his free hand tapping a blank-faced helmet resting on the table. “Yes, well, we asked you here in order to purpose a very beneficial alliance for all involved.”

“Oh?” Hurricane pretended to be interested, his eyes roaming the room for the signal. ‘I already have an alliance, evil creatures.’

“Chalmers has proposed that…” Sombra didn’t appear too happy with having to say the words. “That all ponies should unite once more, Unicorns, Pegasi, and…”

“Say it,” the Human prompted.

“Mu-“

“Sombra, no.”

“Earth ponies,” Sombra shuddered, before recovering. “Moving on. With all ponies united, and with the aid of Chalmers’ mechanical legions, we’ll take control of the known world and beyond. The other races will bow to our whim or be forced to, and then we’ll work the land to extract the riches within. Chalmers has assured me that he has access to methods that will ensure maximum wealth, and through our efforts Ponykind will prosper and grow.”

“At the cost of the other races along the way,” Hurricane pointed out, Chalmers waving a hand in dismissal.

“Eh, most of them are slave-owning scum anyway,” the Human rebutted. “We’ll go easy on the ones that aren’t, of course, but the first step to successful ruling is to control your population and to retain order. With you two at the head of the world, and with my wise advice of course, firm order will be restored and maintained.” The human stared into his empty mug, before raising it and emptying a final drop into his mouth. “Relax, we’ve got this handled.”

‘I wouldn’t trust you to manage a single raincloud,’ Hurricane thought, grinding his teeth at the proposed plan. His mind was made up, these two were rotten to the cores. A glint at the window behind the two awaiting beings caught his eye, Hurricane watching while a beautiful white mare appeared in a brief flash of light.

The Alicorn who had introduced herself as Celestia the night before gave him a nod, Hurricane letting his body relax while he prepared to enact his part of the plan.

“I’ve given your plan much thought,” he replied, reaching his wing behind him. The tip slipped into the hairs of his two-tone grey tail, Hurricane taking hold of the ultra-light throwing knife attached to the strands with his dexterous feathers. “I wish to make a few minor adjustments.”

“Oh?” the Human inquired, still inspecting his mug for any last drops. “What did you have in mind?”

Hurricane didn’t answer with words, and instead he flicked his wing with practiced ease. His knife soared through the air, the pointed tip homing into the most pressing target.
With a fleshy thunk, the blade sunk into the human’s right cheek up to the hilt. Silence reigned over the room as everyone froze, Hurricane cursing under his breath while Sombra’s eyes widened in shock. ‘Damn, I need to practice my throwing.’

“Mrg faths.” Chalmers mumbled, a gush of blood escaping his mouth. Hurricane hesitated for a second, wondering what he was saying. His eyes widened when the Human reached up with an armoured forelimb and grasped the hilt of the knife with three digits. With a tug, the weapon was pulled free and thrown to the ground, a burst of blood splattering onto the red carpet. Hurricane left his seat and prepared a fighting stance, planning to resort to hoof-to-hoof combat. The Human also left his seat, anger burning in his eyes.

“My face,” the Human’s words were clearer now, however blood still spurted from his cheek. “You dared, to harm… my face.”

’Ponyfeathers,’ Hurricane realised. ’I’m dealing with a madcreature who has vanity issues.’

“Prick!”

What could only be a battle cry was accompanied by the Human picking up the mug. Hurricane barely had time to blink before it was sent hurtling towards him, and his helmet was no protection against the makeshift projectile.

It smacked him square in the snout, Hurricane’s eyes filling with stars. He felt himself collapse to the ground, and he cradled his bleeding nose with both hooves. He managed to squeeze open his eyes in time to see the human bend down and pick up the discarded knife, stained red with blood.

“You know what they say, a face for a face. I’m going to use yours into a toilet seat cosy.”

The voice was hard and cold, armoured shoes stomping towards him.

The being’s advance was thankfully cut off by the shattering of glass, Hurricane thanking the gods that his allies finally decided to intervene.

“About… time,” he managed out, using his hooves to pull himself away from any line of fire.

Sombra glanced from Chalmers, to the bloody knife that Chalmers held, to Hurricane, and then to the two large ponies that had busted through his window.
To say that the meeting was not going well was an understatement.

Taking a step back and waiting for his soldiers to arrive, he prepared one of the few attack spells that he knew. His horn glowed a deep orange, his targets both glaring at him and Nigel.

“Your evil deeds are at an end, foul beasts,” the white pony announced, Sombra taking in her golden armour, her horn, and her wings. “I am Celestia, and with my sister Luna I will defeat you and bring long-needed peace to these lands.”

“That’s right!” the blue one agreed, flaring her wings. “You’ve both hurt innocent ponies!”

“… I surely haven’t lost that much blood,” Chalmers stated, the human picking his helmet off the table and placing it on his head. Sombra managed to catch a glimpse of the cut on his cheek, the wound already clotted over. He couldn’t help but agree with the biped, the turn of events was certainly strange.

“You are the ones that put Hurricane up to this,” he guessed, the pony named Luna nodding her head.

“Yes, he’s a good pony who understands how bad you are!” She finished with a frown towards him, a growling interrupting them. Celestia and Chalmers were staring off, the human’s fists clenched while Celestia was baring her teeth.

“He’s a pony that’s going to be turned into a rug,” Chalmers threatened harshly, his arm glowing before a squat barrel popped out. “Granted, a rug that will have to be made from individual and scorched hairs, but a rug none-the-less.”

“There will be no rug making,” Celestia informed, stamping her hoof down. “You are going to pay for your crimes.”

“I killed, like, a few ponies in self-defence. Sue me, harlot.”

“And the Griffons you slaughtered?”

“That was a policing action.”

Celestia’s horn glowed, Luna looking towards her before powering her own horn. Sombra jolted when Chalmers’s gaze was directed towards him. “Sombra, you take Blue, I’ll deal with Golden Gal.”

“Works for me,” Sombra replied, facing the obviously younger intruder with a determined face.

“Great, let’s have at them.”

At the words, Sombra fired an energy bolt towards Luna, the young mare’s eyes widening in surprise. It hit her full on in the armoured chest, propelling her back out of the window with the force of the attack.

“Tia!”

“Luna!” Celestia cried, watching her sister sail away. Sombra grinned when he saw Chalmers level his arm weapon at the remaining attacker.

“Don’t worry,” Nigel reassured without a trace of niceness in his voice. “You’ll be joining her momentarily.”

With those words, the barrel on his arm discharged a flash of light and heat. Sombra shielded his eyes, catching a brief golden glow before an explosion rocked the floor. He looked back up, gulping at what he saw.

The window was gone, a huge smoking hole in the wall where it used to be. Peering outside, he could swear that he saw a golden orb in the sky.

“Bugger,” Chalmers cursed. “Stupid magic-horse shield.”

“At least they’re gone,” he nodded. “Don’t worry, my guards will arrive shortly.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

Before he could turn to face the mare’s voice, Sombra found himself imprisoned within a cage made from silver energy. Looking to his right, he noticed that Chalmers was in a similar predicament.

“Platinum, you traitor” Chalmers muttered, Sombra turning to face the mentioned pony. Platinum was standing in front of the opened door, a number of unresponsive guards lying on the floor behind her. Hurricane was staring up at her with confusion, Platinum ignoring him while trotting forwards with a grin.

“Very good observation, Nigel,” the former Princess laughed. Sombra found her glare directed towards him. “However, it’s not you that I’m here for.”

Chalmers stared at the smirking mare, more puzzled than angry. He reached out an armoured hand towards the shimmering bars, a few taps proving them to be solid despite their nature. “Why Plats? I thought we had something.”

“We shared a single night. Nothing more, nothing less,” she explained, flicking her mane out. “What, you expected me to just sit and wait for some worthless promotion for being a good and quiet mare?” Platinum’s eyes narrowed. “No, there was no attention payed to me, you were far too preoccupied with that pirate peasant and that changeling, giving them ships and power. As it happened, I recently received a visit from someone who offered me more than you could give.”

She paced in front of them, her eyes gleaming with joy. “Sombra’s guards couldn’t even handle a simple stunning spell, my weakest power. Now I have you trapped in cages, like simple animals.”

“Oh really?” he questioned, his arm raising towards her.

“Platinum, enough.”

A golden aura yanked his arm back down, Nigel turning his head back to see his previous target return.

Celestia’s armour was scorched but intact, the alicorn herself appearing completely unharmed. Fluttering down alongside her was Luna, both landing on the stone floor and fixing them with glares.

“We’re back, did you think you could dispose of us so easily?” Celestia informed, Luna panting but nodding to support her sister. Nigel rolled his eyes under his helmet, his cut already forgotten.

“Tough words coming from someone who had to use a patsy,” he taunted, pointing a finger behind at Platinum.

“Patsy!?”

“Platinum, that is enough,” Celestia ordered, flaring out her wings. “You have done well, and trapped the King and Human as we asked. Now stand back, and allow us to deal with them properly. The magic we are about to use is ancient and dangerous.”

Chalmers concentrated on raising his arm again, the golden glow slowly giving way.

“No!” An angry Platinum dashed out to confront Celestia, a hoof flying out to point directly at Sombra. “You can’t take away my revenge, we had a deal!”

“I said that we’d help you defeat Sombra,” Luna explained between huffs. “I didn’t say that you could hurt him.”

“But I must!” Platinum protested.

“No,” Celestia commanded. “He will be imprisoned for his crimes, be satisfied with that.”

“Do I get a say in who gets to punish me?” Sombra inquired from his cage, the King not sounding happy at all. Nigel almost grinned under his helmet at the question.

“Silence, you are a terrible excuse for one of my ponies.”

“Your… pony?” Sombra tilted his head. “What do you think you are, a goddess?”

Silence reigned, Celestia faltering for a second. “Well… I wouldn’t say that my sister and I are goddesses…”

Nigel couldn’t help it.

A low chuckle grew to a loud bellow, and he slapped his knee while the others watched him with shock.

“Oh, oh that is priceless!” he congratulated. “And I thought that I had an ego! You actually think that you are gods?”

“Do not mock me!” Celestia growled, taking a step closer.

“Make me,” Nigel challenged. “I would think that a goddess would be able to do that, no?”

Celestia was fuming, her white face going a deep red. She lowered her horn, the three gems set into her chest armour glowing with power. He watched her grind her teeth, her purple eyes focused on him while Sombra was forgotten.

“Luna, get ready, remember what we practiced.”

“Right!”

The younger sister joined Celestia, Nigel opening his arms wide. “Give me your best shot.”

Both alicorns concentrated, Chalmers smirking while he prepared the next step. His arm was free from magic know that Celestia appeared to be charging a new spell, and the fuming Platinum was watching the alicorns with her back towards him. All-in-all, every one of the magic users were distracted.

“Practice with this.”

With the, admittedly less than stellar line, he lashed out with a boot. The powered limb struck the magical bars and shattered them, Platinum’s spell shattering under the force of the kick. Without hesitation, Chalmers dashed forwards and lunged at Celestia, identifying her as the most pressing target.

“Sister!” Luna cried, her horn fizzling while he smashed Celestia to the ground. The stone cracked under the weight, Celestia snapped out of her spell by the impact. Staring down at the pony pinned underneath him, Nigel raised an armoured fist.

With a crack, it smashed against Celestia’s snout. Blood was drawn, Nigel pulling back and preparing to strike again.

“Monster,” she cursed out through clenched teeth. She sniffed, some of her blood dropping down to soil her breastplate. “You won’t win.”

“I always win,” he retorted, his fist sailing down again with no intention of holding back like the first time.

“No! Don’t hurt Tia!”

The other pony, Luna, wailed and grabbed his arm with her hooves. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to stop him, Nigel dismissing her before returning to his task. With Luna still grasping his arm, he punched Celestia again.

Another crack rang out, Nigel cursing the crying pony holding onto him. She hadn’t stopped him, but Celestia wasn’t quite dead yet. Aiming to finish the would-be goddess, he focused on the angry eyes staring up at him with defiance.

“Say goodbye to your younger sister,” he told her, leaning down. “If it’s any consolation, I won’t kill her after I’m done with you.”

“Chalmers, behind you!”

He paused at the shout, Sombra’s warning interrupting his moment. He turned his head, spotting the Platinum glaring at him with her horn charged with power.
“Platinum…” he started slowly. “What are you doing?”

“You will not rob me of my vengeance!” she yelled in reply. “Look upon my power and learn your place!”

Nigel saw Platinum’s horn increase in illumination, and his eyes widened with realisation at what she was about to do.

“Platinum, no! You’ll kill yourself!”

His warning went unheeded, the pissed-off mare firing an energy blast straight into his chest. The magic gouged the metal like a high-powered plasma shot, but what happened after was far worse.

Once again, his suit’s teleporter homed in on a signal.

Nigel froze when his vision was replaced with a blue glow at first, and then a fine red mist. He remained still, the red cloud surrounding him coating his armour. He looked down at his feet, a few strands of silver hair and an eyeball lying on the floor. It was all that remained of Platinum, the unicorn no more.

‘Platinum,’ he thought, staring at the puddle of gore. ‘You stupid, stupid pony…’

“I… what?”

He didn’t look up at Celestia’s question, his attention focused on his former friend.

“Ah! It’s on me!” Luna cried out, before bursting into tears.

“Wow,” Sombra muttered, the cage surrounding him sizzling out. “You sure got her.”

“Sombra, not now,” he requested, taking a few moments to get his bearings. Sure, she had betrayed him, but it still didn’t mean that he felt nothing at her death. “I just need a second.”

Celestia spat out blood, both hers and the unfortunate Platinum’s, before struggling to her hooves. Her shock at the violent and unexpected death was pushed back by the urge to prevent it happening again, her horn glowing once more. The gems on her chest lent her their power, and she focused upon the motionless Human.

“L… Luna,” she whispered, standing upright. Her crying sister looked towards her with moistened eyes, Celestia holding back a wince at the blood stained face. Luna was far too young to witness a death like that, no matter what Mother said. The time for worrying was not now, they had a monster to defeat. “Get ready, while he’s… not looking.”

Luna didn’t reply, but took a stance. Her horn glowed with power, Celestia concentrating and forming the image of the spell in her mind.

‘Godstones, lend us your aid.’

Time seemed to stop for a split second, before the room lit up with blinding light. Beams of red, green, yellow, purple, pink, and cyan magic shot from both of their horns to form one solid wave of pure magic. Celestia imagined what she wanted, feeling the Godstones pulse with power. Opening her eyes, glowing with heavenly power, she started at the monster who was looking at them in what could only be surprise.

“For your crimes, you shall be imprisoned until existence decides to free you. Goodbye.”

The beam stopped short of the Human, before it surrounded him in a pulsing aura. Celestia, knowing that they had risked the same fate as Platinum, focused on the feet of the Monster as a change began to take effect.

The biped staggered, his lower limbs turning to stone as the magic of the Godstones consumed him. He looked down at his hands, the metal armour he wore turning solid before his eyes. The magic locked his arms in place, and he had only a second to raise his head to look right at her with his faceless mask.

“Huh,” he stated without emotion. “I didn’t expect this.”

With those words, it was over.

Celestia hesitantly approached him with wide eyes, having witnessed the Godstones’ power for the first time. The Human was motionless, locked in the pose with his hands palms up. With an armoured hoof, she tapped on the stone and received no response.

“Is he…?”

“He’s no longer a threat,” Celestia reassured Luna, her own legs shaking. Seeing her teary sister, Celestia extended a wing towards her. “You did well Luna, come here.”
Luna galloped towards her, burying her face into her neck. Celestia nuzzled her, before refocusing on the room ahead of them. Past the statue of the biped was an empty floor, no sign of Sombra at all.

“Luna, I know it’s been hard,” she told her sister. “But we cannot rest yet. We still have to deal with the human’s base, while it remains there is still a danger to our ponies.” She peered around the table, wincing when she saw the knife embedded in the dead Hurricane’s throat. ‘Sombra, you will also have to be dealt with.’

Shielding Luna from the dead pegasus, Celestia pointed them towards the shattered wall. Down below, the sounds of panicking ponies rose up to greet them. “Come, Sister. After we do this one last thing, then we can rest.”

“Wh-what about the Monster?” Luna sniffled, pulling away and glancing back towards the new statue.

“Leave him here, he won’t hurt any more ponies. We’ll come back for him later.”

“Okay.”

With her agreement, Celestia nodded to Luna and took flight. Aiming towards the black tower in the distance, she hoped that the next battle would not be their last.

Morning Sparkled nearly toppled over when her ship jolted, crew falling to the deck as the vessel pulled away from the pier without any warning. She stood upright and steadied herself, a group of concerned ponies rushing up to her.

“Morning, what’s going on!?” Sunflare demanded, still limping on her leg. Spyglass and Clover were following behind, both less sure on their hooves.

“I don’t know!” she yelled over the dim of the panicking crew. “Follow me!”

So much for treating them all to a relaxing afternoon cruise.

Staggering once more when the ship turned again, Morning fought to control her hoofing while making her way to the control room. Dodging pirates rushing to look at the distant shore, she reached the door and shoved it open.

All around the control room, red lights were flashing while screens filled with text.

“Sea Biscuit, what’s wrong!? Why are we leaving the shore!?”

“Attention, Emergency Operation Three-Seven-Four is now in effect. All crew to battle stations, batten down the hatches and prepare for submersion. Attention, Emergency Operation Three-Seven-Four is now in effect. All crew to battle stations, batten down the hatches and-“

“Sea Biscuit!” Morning yelled the computer’s name with the full strength of her voice.

“Captain Morning recognised,” Sea Biscuit finally responded. “Emergency Operation Three-“

“What is Emergency Operation Three-Seven-Four!?” she demanded, the others making it into the cabin just before the alarms died out. The door slammed shut and sealed, while outside the ship’s metal covering was starting to close over the deck. Morning rushed to her chair and tried to press the controls, but none responded. She had no control over the ship, and it was diving for the first time with everyone trapped on board.

“Emergency Operation Three-Seven-Four: Loss of control signal, and implementation of failsafe programming.” Sea Biscuit’s monotone reply sounded sinister, Morning trying to figure it out.

“Loss of control signal?” Sunflare repeated. “Didn’t Chalmers say that his suit controlled everything?”

The words sent a chill down her spine, Morning freezing in her seat. ‘No, it’s not possible… surely he hasn’t been…”

“Beginning message playback.”

All attention went to the large screen, a single image replacing the readouts and information. Morning stared as Chalmers brushed himself down, and she recognised the room he was in as the ship’s command room.

“Ahem, hello Morning and anyone else listening,” Chalmers began, continuing to tap away at the computer console. “Apologies for working while doing this, but I don’t have much time, I’m planning on taking Chrysalis out for dinner later.” His chuckle was completely out of place for the current situation, all of them wondering what was happening. “Unfortunately, if you’re seeing this, then it means that I have, in the ancient words of my chosen Terran nationality, ‘come a cropper’. Given the circumstances, I’m willing to bet that the meeting has gone bad and that some angry pegasus shanked me.”

“No,” Morning whispered.

“Now I know what you’re thinking,” Nigel continued. “It’s something along the lines of ‘Oh Chalmers, but you are so dashing and brave! How can a simple knave slash Sombra if I pissed him off even come close to defeating you?’ Well, my friends, even the best laid plans and super-armour can go astray. However, as much as I’d love to answer hypothetical questions, we have business to discuss.

First off, you’ve all been an endless source of entertainment, and I thank you for making my stay on this planet enjoyable. Now, onto the more personal orders.
Morning Sparkle, you can keep the ship, I thank you for your loyalty and friendship. Currently, it’s going to submerge and take you somewhere to the west ocean. Hopefully you’ll be safe from whatever krumped me, and if the rest of the plan was pulled off then the others will be there with you. You can keep all of the loot you manage to save, and you have my permission to use the ship as you wish."

He paused on the screen, leaning forward towards whatever device was recording him. “Just, ah, make sure to initiate the self-destruct if it looks like you’ll lose it, or if my Empire finally sorts out it’s game and finds me. Let’s just say that giving a pony pirate a ship modified with plasma weaponry and other goodies would get me into huge trouble with the Brass. And yes, not even death will stop them from chewing me out.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, even though he couldn’t hear her. “I will.”

“Clover, Spyglass and Platinum, consider your crimes against me forgiven. You’ve all been good guests, willing or not.”

Morning turned to look at Spyglass, a beeping from his collar growing louder and faster. The red light on it was flashing faster, everyone back peddling away while Spyglass’s eyes widened.

“No, what is it-“

His panicked question was cut off, the collar popping open with a hiss. It fell to the cabin floor, everyone staring at it.

Then, the light went out.

Spyglass visibly sighed in relief, the dead collar no longer a threat.

“Heh, I bet Spyglass just shat himself,” Chalmers laughed from the screen, Morning turning back to focus on him. “Ah, Spyglass, tell you what. I will herby order Morning to take you on as part of the crew, if you want to that is.”

“You Bastard,” Spyglass whispered, before doing a double take and looking at Morning. “Wait, what?”

“Welcome aboard,” she nodded, trying hard to hide her emotions from the rest of them.

“Any way, the same offer goes for all of you.” Chalmers sighed on the screen, sitting down on the chair and leaning back. “Here comes the difficult part,” they heard him mutter, before he smiled at the screen. “And last but not least, Chrysalis.”

Morning’s eyes widened, Chrysalis was still at the tower!

“Chrysalis, I went from thinking you were named Sea Biscuit to being unable to take my eyes off you.” Nigel chuckled sadly, shaking his head. “I think my damn past is bringing out some old tastes. Still, I think we both know how we both feel about each other, and that the other knows that as well, even though we both acted like we had no feelings for the other… I think.”

Chalmers sat and thought for a few seconds, before he shook his head again. “Moving on, Chrysalis, I know that you loved me and I want you to know that even though you never asked, I love you as well. You probably won’t be that happy if you’re hearing this, but what sort of man would I be if I let my own special Brood Queen go on without knowing that I cared for her like she wanted me to?

Now, with that sorted out, please continue to look after the nymphs for me. It doesn’t really need to be said, but I’d just like to say it. Hopefully you’ll be aboard Morning’s ship before it leaves, and if not then I want you and the nymphs to get as far away from the city as possible. I’d let you have my tower, but I don’t intend for it to fall into enemy hands, if you get my drift. Needless to say, a prompt evacuation from the town would be best for everybody. There’s a small chest of gold coins buried under that oak tree we walked to the other day, the one you carved your name onto. Take it and start a new life, if you live a happy one then I did a good job.”

He sighed again, a sad smile on his face.

“Well, I better finish up. By now, the alarms will be sounding around the town and there will be panic on the streets. I wish all of you the best of luck, and when my fellows arrive I ask that you inform them as to what happened. Morning and whoever is on the ship, happy hunting. Anyone else not on the ship, please gallop for your lives in an orderly fashion. Reflection, Buzz, Swissy, Holey, Cupid, Shade, Mirror, Joy, Chatter, and Keith, behave yourselves and listen to your mother. Chrysalis…”

Chalmers paused, the next words coming out with obvious difficulty. “Don’t do anything rash, okay? Just get out of the town and don’t look back. Goodbye all, I hope you all have happy lives without good ol’ me threatening to rule over you.”

With that, the screen went black before returning to the instruments and readouts.

“What do we do now?” A pale Clover questioned, glancing outside to see the metal covering the entire ship.

Before Morning could answer, the screen returned to the picture of Nigel again.

“Oh, before I forget,” he mentioned, raising a finger in the air. “All Hail Eviltopia, hip-hip hoorah.”

The video cut off once more, Morning waiting a few moments to make sure there were no more announcements from the ex-Commander.

“What we do is obvious,” she told the awaiting three, looking back to the wheel and watching the status of the ship while it dived. “We follow his last orders.”
There were no objections, Morning sitting in the silence and waiting for the ship to complete its task.

‘I hope Chrysalis gets out okay, I shouldn’t have let her stay in that tower.’

“… hip-hip hoorah.”

Chrysalis rushed out of the town as the voice of Nigel boomed out into the air. The nymphs galloped along by her side, a horde of townsponies laden down with belongings also fleeing the doomed settlement. Tears were streaming from her eyes, Chrysalis focused on one thing and one thing only.

Finding Nigel, surely he couldn’t be dead. There was no way; he wouldn’t just leave her and the nymphs alone. There must be something wrong with his armour, Sombra must have trapped him somehow and the signal would have been cut off by the spell. She needed to help him, the others were all on Morning’s ship. Well, except for Platinum, no-one knew where she had gone that morning.

She continued to gallop for ten minutes, never slowing. The nymphs struggled to keep up, Chrysalis ignoring them in her quest to help her dearest friend. The town was left behind, the fleeing townsponies following the path instead of crossing the meadows of grass like she was. Chrysalis stared at the far off pony city with her eyes narrowed; nothing could stop her from lending Chalmers her aid.

“Chrysalis, tired!”

She slowed, glancing behind her. All ten nymphs were panting as they tried to keep pace, the long grass slowing their smaller hooves. The speaker, Buzz, was leading the pack. Chrysalis stopped, allowing them to catch up. “We can’t stop now,” she explained between her own huffs and tears. “Nigel needs our help, okay?”

“Help?” Reflection questioned, plopping her rump down in the grass. Her fellows followed her lead, all of them puffing and catching their breaths.

“Yes Reflection,” Chrysalis explained. “Nigel needs our help, now come on.”

Groaning, all ten nymphs got to their hooves and resumed their trotting at a decreased pace. Chrysalis was about to turn around to resume her journey, but stopped. The nymphs looked up at her with tired eyes, Chrysalis remembering Nigel’s words.

“Okay,” she told them, sitting down in the grass before wiping her eyes. “We’ll… we’ll rest for five minutes, okay?” They nodded and joined her, collapsing down onto their rumps. Chrysalis sighed and stared at the pony capitol, her hooves fidgeting nervously.

Then, all of a sudden, three loud klaxons rang out from the town they had left behind.

Chrysalis turned around just in time to see a bright glow envelop the tower that she had once called home. It grew so bright, the blue light causing her to shield her eyes. The air hummed with energy, Chrysalis having just enough time to think that the glow was the same as the one that nearly destroyed Sombra’s castle, before it exploded into blinding light.

The nymphs cried out and ducked into the grass with their eyes covered, Chrysalis joining them as a gigantic boom seemed to shatter the world around them. The ground shook violently, and the force was so great that she could feel her teeth chatter together. Her ears rang with sound, the thunderous roar the loudest thing she had ever heard.
It seemed to go on for hours, before the light began to dim and the noise retreated to a dull roar. Removing her hooves from her eyes, Chrysalis looked up and felt her heart drop.

The entire town was gone. A massive crater was the only thing left, and that crater was quickly filling up with sea water.

Chrysalis stared with unbelieving eyes, her bottom lip quivering as her mind brought up a distressing concern.

The tower was gone. Everything she knew was gone, turned to dust. There would be no more walks to get ice-cream, no more helping Reflection wash her tail in the shower, no more romantic diners.

Watching the dust begin to fall to the earth, she realised that it was true.

Nigel was no more.

With the knowledge that she was once again alone, and this time with ten nymphs to look after, Chrysalis collapsed into the grass and wept.

The nymphs recovered and rushed to her, but even their attempts to comfort her could do nothing. One by one they followed the example of their mother, and wept for the loss of the human that had fed them without fail.

Celestia hovered in the air, staring down at the devastation that had formerly been the town of Quayble. Already the sea had claimed it, the water steaming into a bubbling mess.

Frowning, she had to admit that her fallen adversary certainly knew about how to make an exit.

Luna gasped beside her, only now having recovered her eyesight.

“Tia, the town, it’s gone!”

“I know, Luna.”

“What are we going to do?”

Celestia sighed, they had arrived too late. “There is nothing we can do now.” Her eyes focused, and she examined all the ponies fleeing the town below them. “Well, there is one thing.” With her wings flapping faster, she began to descend towards the nearest group.”

“What are we doing?” Luna asked again, following her down.

“It’s simple, Luna. We have new subjects that require our aid, and we need to help them now.” She quickened her pace. “All other concerns are secondary to the safety of our ponies.”

In the castle, left alone in a meeting room with nothing but a dead pegasus for company, a single bipedal statue stood in silence.

Author's Note

To sum up:

Celestia and Luna got their wish.
Chalmers got stoned.
Sombra got the sack.
Platinum was splattered.
Chrysalis got solitude.
Morning got to keep the ship.
Spyglass nearly shat himself.
Sunflare was there.
Clover survived.

Oh, and yes, I did have to end it with a massive self-destruct. To do otherwise would have felt... wrong. Anyway, the next chapter is the last, but you can all probably guess where this is going.

Keep Rocking On

Gold Standard peered out of the dome and into the snow, a lone figure approaching through the blizzard. The crystal stallion tightened his golden hoof around his spear, pointing the metal tip towards the oncoming pony.

“Who goes there!” he yelled out to be heard through the blizzard. He received no answer, and he stepped back as the lone stallion stepped through the shimmering dome and collapsed onto the perfect grass. Hesitantly, he considered going for reinforcements, deciding the watch the newcomer carefully. With a start, he realised that the pony’s coat wasn’t neat and shining like all crystal ponies, instead it was dull and haggled.

A hacking cough came from the stallion, a snow-covered head looking up with orange eyes.

“Where am… where am I?”

“You are at the Crystal City, sir,” Gold answered, tilting his head. “Who are you, and where are you from?”

The Stallion drew in some deep breaths, a bag of books spilling out worn tomes onto the grass while his ragged cloth-covered back heaved with exhaustion.
“I’m Sombra,” he began, looking past Gold and towards the city in awe. “King Sombra, and I come from a country named Equestria.”

“King?” Gold almost laughed, before he recognised the glint of a golden crown underneath the stallion’s dirty hood.

“I have been unjustly ousted from my throne by two demons,” Sombra explained. “I have been walking for months to seek aid in restoring peace to my people. Gold listened to his words, sensing no sign of deceit. Standing up tall and nodding, he offered his armoured hoof to the pony. While there was the small chance that it was a lie, he couldn’t find a reason as to why the stallion would make something like that up. Also, if Sombra turned out to truly be a king and Gold didn’t tell anyone, it could get him into a lot of hot water.

“I understand, quickly, I will take you to the King and Queen immediately. I’m sure they’ll be willing to help you out.”

“Thank you,” Sombra acknowledged, taking the hoof and standing up. “I’m sure they’ll be very helpful indeed.”

Reflection looked up as a tall pony mare entered the isolated cave. The white coated and blond-maned pony stepped around the worn mattresses serving as bedding, a hollow look on her face.

“Chrysalis,” Reflection greeted, standing up moving to meet her while the others watched. “You’ve been gone for the entire day.”

“I know,” Chrysalis replied, her disguise dropping before she sat on the cave floor. A coin purse was tossed against the wall, a small number of bits jingling inside of it. “I’m sorry for leaving you all alone for so long, but I’ve brought you all some dinner.”

At her words they all rushed towards her, crowding around to receive their share. Reflection sighed and hugged her mother, Chrysalis returning the gesture with a token effort. A small stream of love made its way to her, and she sighed. She could remember a year ago, when the food was plentiful and filling. The type of love that Chrysalis was bringing home tasted… different, and soured somewhat.

Still, Reflection couldn’t fault her for it. She’d offered to help Chrysalis feed them all, from wherever she was getting the love, but for some reason Chrysalis had forbidden her from mentioning it at all. Instead she merely sat and waited with her tired matriarch continued to provide the much needed meal.

“You came back with more money,” Buzz observed, Reflection glancing towards him. He’d grown, now he was up to Chrysalis’ chest when they were standing. All of them had, Chrysalis always telling them that Nigel would be so happy with the way they had grown up. The memory of the kind creature caused her to lower her head, Reflection almost able to feel the pleasing feeling of fingers scratching her ears.

“I did,” Chrysalis told him with a flat tone. “Almost enough to buy another mattress, then you and Cupid won’t have to share anymore.”

“Oh…” he tapped his forehooves together, a light blush on his face. “I don’t… I don’t really mind sharing with her. Maybe one of the others wants one of their own?”

Ignoring the obvious feelings that Buzz was trying to hide, Reflection glanced over at the mattresses before looking at the back corner where Chrysalis usually slept. “Maybe you could buy one for yourself.”

“No,” Chrysalis quickly replied. “I’m fine.”

Reflection frowned at the dull hair and the scratched chitin. “You don’t look fine.”

“Reflection!”

She drew back at the shout, everyone retreating to the back of the cave in fear. Lately, Chrysalis had possessed a short-temper, and none wished to test her patience.
Reflection watched Chrysalis with wide eyes, the adult changeling lying down with her head in her hooves. She was mumbling to herself, Reflection looking towards the other nymphs before edging forwards. Upon getting closer, she could hear what Chrysalis was saying. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“Chrysalis?” Reflection inquired, placing a hoof upon the sobbing changeling’s back. She could guess at what the problem was. “Look, I know that you didn’t mean to yell, we’re just worried about you.”

The sobs died out, but Chrysalis gave no reply. Slowly, the rest of the changelings crowded round once more. This time it wasn’t about food, but they were merely seeking to comfort Chrysalis.

Reflection laid down next to Swissy and Keith, her hoof still over Chrysalis’ back. Slowly, they all started to drift off into sleep as a group with their mattresses forgotten. Her eyes closing, Reflection curled up against Chrysalis and turned her head away. A single tear fell from her eye, Reflection holding back a sniffle.

‘I miss you, Dad.’

“Chalmers, you daft maniac.”

Morning finished her mumbled words with a shake of her head, staring out at the sunset. Her thoughts went to Chrysalis and the nymphs, even though she had spent the year searching for them there were no signs across all of the lands. She’d been to the Griffon lands, plundered towns in the Minotaur isles, and even parlayed with Zebra priestesses. One would think that eleven insectoid equines wouldn’t be hard to locate, not with all of the power and influence she had built up with Chalmers’ final gift.
There was, of course, the other possibility.

She didn’t believe that it was possible though, surely Chrysalis and the children made it out of the town in time. They were probably hiding in a town back in Equestria, Morning vowing to head back and find them for her former Captain.

Sighing, she turned away and retreated to her command room for the night. Maybe Spyglass would be able to make her feel better, but she knew that she wouldn’t feel truly content until she knew the fate of Chrysalis.

Passing the treasure room, laden down with gold and jewels thanks to another successful voyage, she realised that she would trade it all for the chance to hear him unveil another evil and cheesy plan.

The thoughts were fruitless, none of the treasure in the world could bring him back from the dead.

“Delicious! I love-love-love them.”

Chrysalis tried hard to not cry, the apple fritter sour in her mouth. Eating the treat made her feel sick, memories from a time long since gone rising to the fore as she chewed. Struggling to swallow the bite, she grinned at the pony named Applejack.

“Aw, shucks. Why don't you take a few to go?”

A paper bag of the same hated products was offered, Chrysalis quickly accepting it and carrying it with her mouth. She trotted towards the kitchen exit, leaving the ponies behind.

“I know how you brides can be. So busy, you forget to get a little somethin' in your belly.”

Chrysalis restrained herself, trying to remind herself that Applejack couldn’t possibly know just how much the words hurt. She paused, before tossing the bag into the bin and hurrying out. The doors slammed behind her, Chrysalis hoping that none of the ponies would notice the fresh tears falling from her eyes.

Wiping them with her hooves, she stared up at the castle that would be hosting her wedding.

“It’s been nine-hundred and thirty-eight years,” she mumbled to herself. Her eyes narrowed in anger, her teeth clenching. “I will have my revenge, and then you’ll all know what it’s like to have your love stolen from you.”

Hedge Trim wiped his brow with his grey foreleg, standing back and admiring his work.

‘Done and dusted, everything is perfect for the wedding.’

The flower beds were perfect, the roses especially. Granted, this was only the rear gardens and were unlikely to even be a part of the festivities, but he felt good knowing that he had done the best job that he could have done. Glancing towards the old tool shed, he considered storing his shovel in there for the night instead of walking around to the main storage warehouse.

Considering the plan, he remembered what had lurked at the back of the small structure. It had apparently been there for hundreds of years if the previous castle gardener had been telling the truth, Trim remembering the elderly stallion spinning a tale about how it was a mystical beast that had fallen due to its own ego.
A shiver went down his spine as he recalled the blank stare that it gave everyone, and he made up his mind.

“I don’t think so,” Trim muttered to himself, turning around and beginning the long trip to the other side of the gardens. “That old statue is far too creepy for this old stallion.”

“Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armour.”

Chrysalis maintained a genuine grin, however it had nothing to do with the ceremony or the stallion standing beside her. Finally, she was on the cusp of attaining her true desire.

Today, Canterlot would fall, and tomorrow it would be Equestria.

The utter fool leading the ceremony didn’t even know who she was, Celestia smiling at her warmly. She couldn’t wait until the chance to explain it all to Celestia, preferably while the beaten alicorn was quivering in fear at her hooves. After that, Luna would be dragged before her to join her sister on the floor. Then, she would return upon the pair what they had done to her, and it would feel so good.

The rest of Celestia’s rambling flew past her, Chrysalis going over her plan in her head. With the shield soon to be shattered, her children would swarm into the city and drink their fill of wonderful emotions. Equestria’s long years of peace would be over in a heartbeat, a most fitting end to such a rotten country.

“Princess Cadance and Shining Armor,” Chrysalis looked up, Celestia having finally reached the highlight of the ceremony.

‘Good, I was wondering when this would end.’

“It is my great pleasure to pronounce you-“

“Stop!

Chrysalis’ fangs nearly broke through her disguise, the purple thorn in her side busting through the doors once again.

‘This little tick,’ she fumed, grinding her teeth together. ’Can’t she just play her part like every other pony? I’ll have to resort to some desperate measures.’

“Ugh! Why does she have to be so possessive of her brother?” She began to cry without tears, hiding her face while she sobbed. “Why does she have to ruin my special day?” It almost worked, ponies giving her sympathetic gazes.

That was, of course, before the real Princess Cadence entered through the same door.

‘Bugger.’

“Because it's not your special day! It's mine!” The crowd gasped, looking between them like the stupid equines they were. The dishevelled Cadence glared at her, Chrysalis narrowing her own eyes.

“What? But how did you escape my bridesmaids?” That’s what she got for using ‘hired’ help, why didn’t she listen to her generals when they told her to bring a few infiltrators?

“I don’t understand,” Applejack spoke up, the Element Bearer looking utterly clueless. “There’s two of them?”

Cadence stepped closer, Chrysalis snarling at the irritation before her. She should have killed her while she had the chance, but that point was far past.

“She’s a changeling, she takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off their emotion.” Cadence was staring right at her with a hate the Chrysalis hadn’t seen for centuries. Gasps filled the air, Chrysalis inwardly sighing before silently laughing to herself.

A flash of green revealed her true form, ponies screaming while her silent laughter became audible.

“Right you are, Princess. And as queen of the changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects.” She laughed again, thinking of the destruction that her fed subjects would bring down upon the city. “Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered.” She almost paused saying it, her old memories playing up again. Dismissing them, she continued with her speech. “My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!”

Another cackle finished it off, Chrysalis glowing with glee. With such power, they could do anything. Trotting out, she enjoyed the moment.

“They'll never get the chance! Shining Armour’s protection spell will keep them from ever even reaching us!”

Shaking her head at Cadence’s stupidity, Chrysalis couldn’t resist glancing back at Shining Armour. She laughed, another burst of love siphoning from him as she watched Cadence shake with fury. “Oh, I doubt that. Isn't that right, dear?”

“Mm-hmm,” Shining mumbled, remaining still and compliant thanks to her magic. Cadence charged, but Chrysalis knew that the weakling was powerless.

“Ah, ah, ah.” Cadence halted, Chrysalis charging her horn with wicked intent. “Don't want to go back to the caves, now do you?” She received a glare but nothing else, the meddling Twilight Sparkle moving to stand beside Cadence. “Ever since I took your place, I've been feeding off Shining Armour’s love for you,” she flew back to admire the fruits of her plan, Shining still staring off into space. “Every moment he grows weaker and so does his spell. Even now, my minions are chipping away at it.”

She laughed again, using a hoof to turn Shining’s lifeless eyes towards her. “He may not be my husband,” ‘He’ll never come close to… him. “But he is under my total control now.” Once again the ponies all gasped, Cadence jolting in shock. Chrysalis took a second to savour her anguish. “And I'm sorry to say, unable to perform his duties as captain of the Royal Guard.”

“No! Not my Shining Armour!” Cadence’s eyes widened, Chrysalis smirking at the helplessness. She moved to stand in front of the unresponsive Captain, a grin on her face as she faced Cadence.

“Soon, my changeling army will break through. First, we take Canterlot. And then,” she beat her wings and flew up for dramatic effect. “All of Equestria!”

“No.”

‘Finally, what took you so long?’

She turned to face Celestia, landing as the Princess finally decided to emerge from the sidelines. Celestia’s eyes were narrowed, the normally kind pony radiating power. “You won’t. You may have made it impossible for Shining Armour to perform his spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self,” Celestia dashed forwards. Chrysalis locked horns with the alicorn, both showing their anger openly. “I can protect my subjects from you!”

‘Just try it.’

Quick as a flash, Celestia flew up and shot a beam of magic from her horn. Unprepared for such a smoothly-cast spell, Chrysalis responded with her own. The beams met in the middle, green fighting against gold while the crowd continued to watch in awe. She gritted her teeth and grunted with the strain, her confidence wavering under Celestia’s impressive magical might.

It was not to be for the Sun Princess, however. Having supped on the bountiful love that Shining held for Cadence, Chrysalis was brimming with power.

Opening one eye, she was surprised to see her beam gaining ground against the other. Judging from the open mouth that Celestia possessed, the feeling was mutual.

A boom and a flash rang out, Chrysalis shielding her eyes momentarily before looking back. Celestia was falling, the tip of her horn burnt black. The alicorn hit the ground with a thud, her golden tiara clattering down beside her. Ponies broke out of their shock and ran to their Princess, Chrysalis recovering before looking to Cadence in awe.

“Shining Armour’s love for you is even stronger than I thought! Consuming it has made me even more powerful than Celestia!” She buzzed with glee at the end, taking flight and throwing out her hooves. A ruined plan had turned into an absolute boon, now nothing could stop her.

“The Elements of Harmony.” What was this? Celestia was still conscious? “You must get to them and use their power to defeat the Queen.” Chrysalis couldn’t help but stare as five of the element bearers threw off their dresses without hesitation, galloping through the parted crowd towards the main doors. The last one, the dressmaker, was trying to gather up the discarded clothing before following after their calls.

‘Should I be worried?’ she thought, before grinning. ‘No, I can feel its weakness.’

Cackling, she watched the six ponies hurry away to gather their useless trinkets. “You can run, but you can't hide!” She could feel her subjects laugh with her, the sentiment travelling over their hive mind. As a group, the horde of changelings dived towards the barrier one final time.

With a shatter, the shield protecting the entire city crumbled into nothingness.

Watching for a moment while her subjects rained down upon the now-defenceless city, she chuckled and flew back into the throne room.
Now, nothing could go wrong, and her revenge would soon be complete.

It was, indeed, a wonderful day.

Author's Note

The end... for now.

Muhahaha! More Sequels! More!

Indeed, so we reach the end of this fic. Due to my nature of being a sequel whore, you can expect one pretty soon.

Edit: Plan B

Lord of The Sea!

Sharp Shot stood proud on the deck of her ship, the white unicorn surveying her domain with a piercing stare. It had been just a few years since the three pony tribes had made peace and already tensions were once again on the rise. It was rumoured that the Unicorns and Pegasi were preparing for war, the Earth ponies staying on their farms like the peasants they were. Princess Platinum had taken control of them after their former leader met her demise in the form of a run-away cart loaded with manure, a fitting end for such a low-breed pony according to Sharp.

Sharp Shot was privy to this information as it was the reason she turned to a life of piracy, the mare a former officer in Princess Platinum’s navy. She and the crew of the naval ship the ‘Sea Drake’ had all mutinied against the former captain, Sharp Shot finishing off the cowardly mare herself. The crew was comprised of ten unicorn officers and forty Earth ponies, the Earth ponies serving as line troops and labour. Her ship was small but fast, Sharp having found that it was more than capable of chasing down the fat cargo ships that were the main targets of the pirates operating in the vast seas.

Pony ships from all three races, Zebra freighters, Griffon and Diamond Dog slave transports were all fair game for the enterprising unicorn. There was always demand for goods and slaves at the seedy ports that dotted the area, a profit always waiting to be made.
Sharp Shot grinned to herself as her boat crested a wave on its way to fresh hunting grounds. Today was going to be a good day; she could smell it on the ocean air.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

“Thank you for coming in Commander, I assure you that this will not be a waste of time,” a human scientist in a lab coat said as he addressed another human, this one wearing an ornate navy-blue dress uniform decorated with medals and skull motifs. ISA Commander Nigel M Chalmers rolled his eyes at the scientist, a UIP military researcher by the name of Oppenheimer.

“I was ordered to assist you so I came, just make it quick. There’s a raging party on the Assistant Director’s yacht that I’m currently missing so let’s get on with it” Nigel replied while looking at his silver watch for emphasis. Oppenheimer did not bother with a reply, instead opting to lead the impatient soldier through a large metal door, the armed UIP Military guards on either side of the opening saluting as the pair walked past.

On the other side of the door lay a huge laboratory, a countless horde of white coated scientists scurrying to-and-fro as they moved from terminal to workstations. The aura of nerd was so thick that Nigel imagined that he could hold out a sponge and it would literally soak up IQ.

Oppenheimer herded the un-interested Commander towards a sheet covered object, Nigel observing that whatever was underneath it was vaguely humanoid in shape and roughly two meters tall. Oppenheimer stopped before the object, a crowd of researchers surrounding the pair to witness the spectacle.

“Behold!” the scientist cried out as he flung his arms into the air. "The awesome Oppenheimer Peterson suit!” Nigel watched as a junior researcher tore the grey sheet covering the object off, revealing the armoured suit in all of its glory.

It looked almost the same as a standard ISA armoured suit, the pitch-black surface smooth and un-marred by battle scars. It was a little bulkier than Nigel’s regular armour, looking more akin to something a front line assault trooper would wear. A single painted white skull was on the right breast, the pale colour standing out amongst a sea of black. The full body suit was accompanied by a ebony helmet, the faceplate featureless with no optical devices or speaker grilles visible. All that was there was a dark full-face visor, Nigel unable to see the inside of the helmet. Nigel let out a snort as he beheld the reason that he was missing a rocking party for.

“Oppenheimer,” he began, “it looks just like my regular armour, except that this suit looks fatter.” The scientist was unfazed by the criticism, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

“At first glances it does indeed look like your standard armour Commander Chalmers, but let me ask you this,” Oppenheimer paused for effect. “Is your standard armour powered by not one but four antimatter reactors?”

Nigel stared at the scientist, disbelief in his eyes.

“You’re joking aren’t you? There’s no way the military would let you build something like that, if that suit goes so does the entire planet.”

“I assure you it is no joke Commander; the Military have been testing anti-matter units for personal power needs for years now. Over that time many safeguards and fail safes have been developed and the chance of a critical meltdown is minimal.”

“Yeah, that’s what they always say, right before the entire thing self-destructs,” Nigel replied, picking a nearby computer tablet up with a hand and holding it in front of his crotch like a shield. “I also never thought I would ask this question but why does it need four bloody reactors?” Oppenheimer walked over to his creation, petting it like one would pet a dog.

“This suit here is a masterpiece Commander, featuring some of the most ground-breaking technology we’ve created.” Oppenheimer beckoned to a scientist with a hand, the selected man handing the chief researcher an information tablet. “Quantum storage chambers, Cloaking Generator, short-range blink pack, in-built wide-area sensors…” the scientist listed, Nigel zoning out half through the Explanation.

‘Maybe there will still be some drinks left in the open-bar when I get to that party? God knows I wouldn’t be able to stand it without some hard liquor.’

“Commander, did you get all of that?”

Nigel was jolted back in wakefulness at the sound of the grating voice of Oppenheimer, the scientist awaiting his answer.

“Yeah of course, wide-range area sensors and all that,” he replied, Oppenheimer buying the lie.

“Good, there is a lot to remember so I’ve taken the initiative of writing it all down, a kind of ‘owner’s manual’.” Oppenheimer handed the tablet he held to Nigel, the Commander giving it a glance before putting it down on a nearby lab bench.

“So let me get this straight,” Nigel began. “You guys made one of the most complex armoured suits to date, filled with all sorts of toys and gadgets powered by enough antimatter to destroy a planet and you want me to willingly put this on for you?”

Oppenheimer nodded his head rapidly at Nigel’s query, the scientist almost bouncing with joy.

“Not a chance in Hell,” Nigel stated, turning around to walk out of the lab.

“Did I mention that it has a jetpack in it?”

Nigel halted at Oppenheimer’s words, the Commander turning around to face the group of eggheads.

“Suit me up, now!”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Lord Reginald Edinburgh VII sipped his aged scotch, the party so far going off without a hitch. His luxury yacht was proving to be a great investment and it had only cost him a day’s pay. The position of Assistant Director paid extremely well, after all it was his planet that the yacht was currently on. He savoured the fine alcohol, secretly hoping that Nigel Chalmers would soon make an arrival.

Granted he could be taxing at times but he could always be relied upon to lighten things up. Reginald chuckled as he remembered the time Nigel set fire to the board room table to prove a point. The enjoyment Reginald got out from that act almost made up for the fact that his late grandmother’s ashes were used in the making of the table. As he remember this particular incident the sound of thrusters reached his ears, the multiple guests at the party looking up into the night sky.

Descending from the heavens like an ancient god with a futuristic jetpack, Nigel dropped onto the deck of the ship clad in the armour that Reginald had ordered him to test. Safely cradled under a black-armoured arm was a large keg that was labelled ‘Moonshine’ and several bottles of assorted spirits were strapped around the Commander’s chest like an ammo bandolier. Nigel looked at the assorted crowd, no one really that surprised at the un-usual method of arrival as all of them were used to the eccentrics of their co-worker.
The blank visor of Nigel’s helmet swivelled as the Commander surveyed the crowd, all of the attendees in military dress uniforms. He hefted up the keg with a hand and grabbed a bottle of vodka from his chest stash.

“Alright!” his voiced boomed out, amplified via hidden speakers.

“It’s time to really get this party started!”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

“Should we call someone Sir, he could get into trouble?”

Reginald turned his attention from his aide to the Commander, Nigel grasping onto the hand rail of the ship as he attempted to position himself like a ship’s figurehead. He had only taken his helmet off to consume enough alcohol to kill a small child, the head gear once again firmly attached to the armoured suit. The party had finished long ago, all of the partygoers except Nigel having left via helicopters and hovercrafts.

“Leave him be, Johnson, he’ll make his way home in his own time” Reginald let out a yawn, the aide following him as he walked into the interior of the ship.

“He always does.”

The two left the Commander to his own devices, the suit wearing soldier clinging to the rail while singing sea shanties. As such they didn’t notice the Commander lose his grip after trying to catch a seagull only to fall asleep halfway through the attempt, the armoured body falling into the ocean with a faint splosh.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

‘What the… this isn’t my bedroom.’

Nigel looked around himself confused, the low-light optics of his helmet revealing that he appeared to be resting on the ocean floor. He stood up, the systems of the suit compensating for the immense pressure the sea was exerting on him. Nigel blinked his eyes, the memories of last night coming back to him immediately.

“Guess I better head for the surface,” he said to himself, “everyone will probably be worried about me.”

Nigel attempted to swim like he would un-armoured, this proving to be impossible due to a combination of pressure and the weight of the suit he was in.

He gave up after a few attempts, deciding to try another method. He hoped that the jet pack would still work under water; after all he did recall the scientists telling him that it was made for all terrains. He sent a mental command through his neural interface to active the propulsion system, the thrusters and wings extending from his armoured back as twin glows pierced the ocean darkness. Seconds later the boosters ignited, propelling him through the water at amazing speeds.

As Nigel travelled up the surrounding waters began to lighten up, the murkiness receding. The commander spotted no surrounding wildlife on his upwards journey, no doubt all of the marine life was scared away by the noise of the jetpack. The computer calculated that he was nearing the upper layers, only a few minutes left until he was due to breach the surface.

A ping from his helmet drew his attention, his sensors picking up a medium surface contact, appearing to be made out of wood if the readings were correct. His helmet HUD (Heads-up-display) filled with faint blue text, informing Nigel of the contact’s details and database matches. According to records it seemed to be roughly the size of a 17th century Brig, the contact not appearing to be emitting any engine noises or electronic signatures.

‘Eh, it’s the only thing out here so it will have to do’ reasoned Nigel, angling himself so he was on an intercept course.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Nigel slowed down once he had a visual of the vessel, the wooden hull clear as day in the clean water. He carefully approached it, unaware as to who owned the vessel. A minute later he broke the surface of the water, his helmet filtering the sounds of crashing waves, cawing birds and the sound of whip of flesh, an agonised scream following the crack.

Nigel looked at the ship where the noise had originated, the vessel truly looking like it had sailed right out of Terra’s early renaissance period. As he observed the ship another crack sounded, another scream piercing the air.

‘Where there’s whipping there’s people, maybe they would be able to give me a lift to shore?’

Nigel lifted his right arm out of the water, a mental command firing the in-built grappling hook. It made solid contact, Nigel beginning to pull himself up the line one as he made to board the ship. He effortlessly scaled the edge, his suit’s artificial muscles capable of lifting up the heavy human. His boots made two solid thumps as they landed on the deck, Nigel looking around the area in an attempt to spot the captain.

What he saw made him question just how much he had drunk the night before, a range of equines dressed like olden day pirates all staring at the bipedal intruder in shock. In the centre of the crowd stood a ornately garbled pearl-white unicorn, a leather whip suspended in a dull purple energy field. Tied to the main mast was another pony, this one missing a horn. The tan ‘normal’ pony seemed to be the source of the pain-filled cries earlier, bloodied lines criss-crossing it’s bare back. Nigel shrugged internally, after all he’d seen far stranger things then pony pirates in his lifetime so he decided to conduct himself in a calm and rational way.

“Ahoy, ye fellow sea rats, might I interrupt your session for a brief parlay?”

Nigel smiled to himself, four hours at sea and he could already speak the lingo.

The sailors all seemed to disagree, whispers like ‘monster’ and ‘demon’ audible to Nigel’s enhanced hearing. The fancy dressed unicorn turned to face him, the whip dropping to the deck as the glow around it vanished.

“What do you want foul Beast of Tartarus?” the unicorn mare questioned, hate in her voice as she stared at Nigel in disgust. Nigel couldn’t help but admire the huge bicorne hat sitting atop the Unicorn’s pink mane, a large skull and crossbones picture directly in the middle.

“Well, I just woke up at the bottom of the ocean and I was wondering if you could give me a lift to shore, speaking of which am I still on Perseus-Seven?” The blank look on the unicorn’s face confirmed his suspicion that he was not on the planet he was on last night. The mare seemed to take a moment to process the information it had received before it once again glared at him.

“I don’t know what you’re babbling about foul creature, now get off my ship before I send you to the depths!” She punctuated her sentence by baring her harm-less looking teeth in a snarl as her horn lit up with a purple glow. Nigel was completely un-threatened by this display, the small pony only coming up to his armoured thigh.

“Awww, you look really cute when you’re mad” he taunted, the unicorn snorting through her nostrils. A bright purple bolt flew out of her horn, impacting against Nigel’s armoured chest.

With this the unicorn had sealed her fate, the bolt doing no actual damage to Nigel but rather it sent a unknown wave of energy coursing through his suit’s systems. Nothing was affected except for the in-built short range teleporter, the computer interpreting the energy blast as a homing signal. Functioning as it was supposed to the teleporter activated, sending Nigel to the origin of the homing signal.
The origin being the unicorn mare that had attacked him.

The rest of the pony crew looked on in horror as the two-legged giant disappeared in a flash of light only to reappear where their Captain used to be standing, the mare exploding into pieces of flesh and blood as Nigel rematerialized inside of her. The deck and surrounding ponies were coated in gore from the violent re-entry. The former captain’s hat floated down through the air, coming to rest awkwardly on Nigel’s helmet as the biped looked down at the puddle of former unicorn he was standing in. He looked back up at the crew, many going into shock thanks to the extreme event they had witnessed.

“Huh,” Nigel began, “That gives a whole new meaning to "coming inside.”

The crew still didn’t move, all either unable to function or just flat out terrified of the new arrival. Nigel noticed the hat on top of his head, using a hand to adjust it so that is was centred properly.

“Well, it looks like you need a new Captain,” Nigel observed as he addressed the assorted equines. “Anyone want to volunteer?”
He received no response apart from blank stares, a smile emerging on his face unseen by the ponies aboard the ship.

“Right, guess it falls down to me to take up the reins of leadership. From now one you shall either address me as ‘Captain’, ‘Commander’ and my personal favourite ‘Supreme Ocean Fuhrer Chalmers, Lord of The Sea.”

Still no reply from the crew, Nigel ignored this and struck a pose, his hand outstretched and pointing towards the front of the ship as he rested a boot upon a box to make himself appear dramatic.

“Host the Mainsail! Release the Mizzenmast and plot a course to starboard! I want to hit Port Royal by this time next week then it shall be booze and wenches for all!”

The crew snapped out of their daze at his shouts, his actual orders leaving them confused however. When Nigel observed their puzzlement he sighed deeply.

“I thought you ponies were sailors, don’t you understand nautical speak? Make the Bloody ship move forward!”

The crew rushed to complete his orders, any objection or questions being over-ridden by un-yielding terror. Nigel took up position at the wheel of the ship, preparing to sing a rousing sea shanty to improve the crew’s morale.

“What do we do with an upstart pony?
What do we do with an upstart pony?
What do we do with an upstart pony?
Early in the morning.

Teleport inside of her so she blows up!
Teleport inside of her so she blows up!
Teleport inside of her so she blows up!
Early in the morning.”

A Pun-ishing Conflict

“Early in the morning!”

Nigel shouted the last line of the sing merrily, grasping the ship’s wheel with both hands. The jolly shanty had appeared to have done its job, the ship’s sails had been unfurled and they had begun to move forward, a strong wind propelling them rapidly across the sea.

The human hummed to himself as he observed his newly acquired vessel, the sturdy boat small but fast. He couldn’t wait to search for treasure, maybe board a transport or two. It was impossible for an unknown race of coloured Equines to exist in UIP space without the knowledge of the Empire, meaning that he had either somehow travelled to another planet or universe or he was high beyond measure.

‘Note to self, find out where the hell we are’ Nigel thought to himself. He nodded his head as another point was raised, ‘also, if high find out what the hell caused it… and obtain more.’

With these goals in mind he searched for any nearby ponies, the aft deck where he was standing was empty save for himself. While the Commander was pleased that his crew were dedicated to their jobs he needed information. He peered over the wheel, an easy task considering it barely made his chest. Looking down onto the middle of the ship, Nigel not knowing the specific name he searched his crew for a suitable candidate. He spotted a lone unicorn standing amongst a group of normal ponies.

Nigel assumed that the unicorns acted as higher-ups of some sort, their fancier clothes and air of superiority leading him to this conclusion. The unicorn he was looking at was supervising the normal ponies as they cleaned the remains of the late captain.

“Hey, magical talking horse with the aqua coat and green mane,” Nigel called out, “get up here!”

The unicorn froze at Nigel’s words, all of the crew halting in their tasks as they stared at the chosen pony. The selected equine appeared to swallow a lump in its throat before it slowly walked towards the aft deck, shaking slightly as it climbed the steps to stand in front of Nigel.

“Y-es Captain?” the mare, judging from the unicorn’s voice and long eye lashes stammered as she trembled where she stood. Nigel let go of the wheel, the human activating a latch to prevent it from rotating as he turned to face the mare.

“Magical sapient equine, what is this planet called?”

The mare seemed to relax a bit at his question, the unicorn taking a few deep breaths before replying.

“Nepoznata, Captain, why do you ask?” the mare asked as she braced herself, expecting the strange creature to attack her for the question.

“Just making sure I won’t get in trouble from my boss if I start a war,” Nigel stated casually, “I’ve never heard of ‘Nepoznata’ so I’m guessing that you ponies aren’t spacefaring?” The mare scrunched up her face in confusion as the Captain’s query.

“Space… faring?” she responded, looking questionably up at the head of her new leader. The monster’s blank black face caused her to shiver, the mare wondering how it was able to speak without a mouth.

“That answers that question, it looks like this vacation shall be a fun one” Nigel chuckled, pleased that he essentially could do anything now without getting in trouble as even if he did start a war these ponies would be unable to strike back at the UIP, not that they would be able to do anything if they tried.

He focused his attention back to the unicorn in front of him, the mare having sat down on her rump. Her large green eyes stared at the Captain in worry, un-nerved by the biped’s words and the feeling that something bad was going to happen in the future.

“Congratulations Wizard pony, for your assistance I feel that you should be rewarded, as of now you hold the rank of ‘First Mate’ and are my second in command. Now I need to think of an appropriate name…”

“Uh, Captain I already have a name and I’m not a ‘Wizard pony’ I’m a ch-unicorn” the mare said, muddling up her words as she was trying to figure out what had just happened. Nigel paused his thinking to look at the seated mare as she spoke, not catching her slip-up.

“I doubt that your name will be half as good as the one that I’ll come up with.”

“What’s wrong with Sea Biscuit?”

Nigel froze, fighting to retain control as laughter threatened to overwhelm him. He turned away from the mare for a moment as he faced the starboard side of the ship, forcing himself to take long, deep breaths. When he thought himself to be reasonably calm he turned back around, the mare having not moved from her position.

“Nothing, it is a perfect name and it would be a crime against Existence to take it away from you. Revel, revel in your name First Mate Sea Biscuit as you are surely destined for great things!”

The Captain’s sudden declaration startled Sea Biscuit, the mare toppling over onto her back at the sound of the Captain’s shout. The creature made to return to the wheel before he paused, staring at the main mast or rather the bloodied pony tied to it.

“Oh yeah,” he absentmindedly remarked, “I should probably get that pony down before it bleeds to death.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The majority of the crew watched as Sea Biscuit cut through the final rope with her cutlass, the blade suspended in a green aura. The tan normal pony fell to the ground, the mare having passed out from the prior whipping.

“Is she dead?” a normal pony stallion asked, one of the twenty male equines on the ship. Nigel moved over towards the un-moving pony, crouching down so he could proceed to poke it with a finger.

“Yo, are you dead?” Nigel asked, the mare drawing in a sharp intake of breath as her eyes opened. Her face was contorted in pain and blood was still trickling out of the gashes in her back as she lay on her side.

“Well, it looks like only one pony has died today on this ship so far. Where’s the doctor?” Nigel asked, looking around the assorted crew.

“Sharp Shot was the only unicorn who knew healing spells,” Sea Biscuit said timidly “and she was-”

“-the unicorn mare who was the captain that ruptured when I entered her?” Nigel finished, picking up on Sea Biscuit’s use of the past-tense ‘was’. The First Mate winced at the memory of the event, having received a dis-membered kidney to the face.

“Yes, she was the only one with medical knowledge,” Sea Biscuit confirmed as she glanced down at the injured tan pony with a hint of pity. “It would probably be best to give her a quick death, without a unicorn healer she’ll only die in a few days anyway. The closest port is a week away and most unicorns won’t help Earth ponies anyway.”

The ‘Earth pony’ mare looked at Nigel in fright, tears forming as the Captain reached put for her. He gently picked the wounded pony up in his arms with no effort, his suit easily handling her weight.

“Who needs the magic crap, you’ve got me around!” Nigel exclaimed as he walked over towards the captain’s cabin, a wooden table bolted to the deck near the doorway. The crew followed the captain curious to see what the biped had planned, the interest in the proceedings overriding their fear.

The mare whimpered as Nigel placed her belly down on the table, her ravaged back facing up towards the sky. Sea Biscuit made her way through the gathered crowd, the pirates parting as the First Mate approached the table. Nigel stood up straight once the wounded crew member was firmly settled, remaining still as a statue.

“What are you doing?” asked Sea Biscuit, Nigel holding up a hand in response.

“Shhh, I’m reading the owner’s manual, I swear that the good professor mentioned something about medical tools. Aha! There we go!”

The surrounding ponies jolted back as a light blue light emitted from the Captain’s right arm, a multitude of different tipped metallic tools popping out of a compartment that had opened. Captain Chalmers looked at the many different instruments that had emerged from him, Sea Biscuit utterly amazed by the multiple silver limbs that looked so alien.

“This may sting a little,” Nigel addressed his patient, placing the end of one spindly tool into a bleeding gash, the mare letting out a pained hiss. A loud beep rang out, a syringe attached to a large metal limb filling half-full with a clear liquid. Captain Chalmers withdrew the probe as the syringe moved down towards the patient’s right flank. Without warning Nigel plunged the syringe deep into the flesh, injecting the contents into the mare’s bloodstream as she let out another pained cry.

“What did you just put in her?” Se Biscuit asked, she like the rest of the crew utterly fascinated by the strange operation.

“A cocktail of pain killers, immune-strengthening agents, anti-septics and blood-production boosters, she’s going to need them for the next part” Nigel answered as an instrument arm with a hollow barrel glowed red at the tip, the air shimmering with heat around the glowing point.

“What are you going to do?” Enquired Sea Biscuit as Nigel checked on the mare finding that the Earth pony’s eyes were unable to focus accompanied by a dopey smile confirming that the mare was out of it, the potent pain-killers having done their job.

“You ever heard of stitching up wounds?” Nigel replied as he lined up the glowing tool with a large bleeding gash, earning a nod from Sea Biscuit.

“This is just like that, except with a laser. Lasers earn you five-thousand extra badarse points.”

As he finished speaking a beam of bright red light flashed out of the tip of the object, the air filling with the sound of sizzling as the faint scent of burning hair and flesh filling the air. The crew attempted to block out the smell as the Captain sealed up the wounds with expert precision, the mare not feeling anything due to the drugs she had been dosed with.

The operation was over in thirty seconds, the medical equipment retreating back into its housing as the Captain stepped away from the mare. Sea Biscuit moved right next to the table, staring at the Earth pony’s back.

The large open wounds had been reduced to rows of thin white lines, the brown hair burnt off of the surrounding area. The First Mate was impressed; the Captain appeared to possess potent magic although how he managed to use it without a horn was strange. Sea Biscuit did not dwell on this, after all he had only been Captain for an hour and he had already proved himself to be quite… different.

“Put her somewhere to recover,” the Captain ordered as he pointed towards the Earth pony, “the drugs should wear off in a few hours but get someone to keep an eye on her.” Captain Chalmers then started to walk up to the steering wheel, a skip in his step.

“Now that that’s over, let’s get back to the hunt! Everyone back to work, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m awesome and that all deserve to bask in my radiance but we’ve got a job to do!” The Captain shouted with excitement as the crew burst into motion at his words, a fair portion of fear dissipating after the witnessing of the medical wonder that he had performed.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

“It’s a Griffon ship for sure Captain!” the Stallion in the Crow’s Nest yelled out, “a Royal Griffonia Empire naval vessel!”
Nigel’s helmet optics zoomed in on the distant boat, the large ship roughly three times the size of the ‘Sea Drake’ and moving towards them.

The long-range scanners that were built into Nigel’s suit had picked up the ship an hour ago, the Sea Drake moving to investigate the contact with the hopes that it was a cargo-hauler. Nigel examined the inbound vessel, multiple griffons going about standard duties seemingly unaware of the pirate ship they were heading towards. The unicorn Stallion up in the nest was apparently talented with navigation, the pony knowing a fair amount of optical-focused spells which had acted like powerful binoculars. Flashes of metal spears and swords caught Nigel’s attention, the griffons appearing to be heavily armed with medieval era weaponry which Nigel scoffed at.

“Good Work Clear Spot,” Nigel complemented the Unicorn spotter, “Raise the colours; it’s our first catch of the day.”

Nigel stood tall facing the closing Griffon vessel while clasping his hands behind his back as Sea Biscuit looked at him in shock, the mare looking up at him from her position by his side.

“Are you crazy Captain? That’s a Griffon navy ship, do you know how dangerous they are!? Just how are we, a crew of fifty ponies and whatever you are going to fight a warship probably carrying a crew of two-hundred!?”

Nigel was unfazed, turning to face his subordinate as the crew members scurried around the ship, ponies clutching swords and spears in the crook of their forelegs and mouths with the few Unicorns levitating their weapons in their magic fields.

“My answers in order: Yes. I don’t care. I’m a human and don’t worry about the fighting, I’ve got a plan so cunning and tactical that they won’t know what hit them.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Captain Strongbeak Ironclad chuckled as he observed the approaching pirate ship through a looking glass. His ship, the ‘Sea Bird’ would be more than capable of taking on the small pony crewed vessel especially considering that an extra fifty griffon soldiers were on-board to ensure the safe arrival of Strongbeak’s cargo. With a total crew of three-hundred-and-twenty-five armed griffons this pony pirate ship was more of a boon rather than a curse; they were in need of some entertainment. The griffons crewed their battle stations, weapons and armour donned and ready. The crew were bloodthirsty, eager for some ponies to fight. Fresh meat was rare out at sea so any opportunity to acquire some was welcome.

The small pirate ship was in clear visual range, Captain Strongbeak noticing a large bipedal creature amongst the ponies, maybe a Minotaur that had joined them? Strongbeak wasn’t overly concerned, he had killed Minotaurs before without much issue as the brutes while strong tended to lack intelligence. He smiled confidently at the opposing ship, his crew around him letting out war-shrieks as the enemy ship drew alongside them.

“Go Go Gadget Grappling Hook!”

A booming voice rang out across the gap, the bipedal creature raising a fist towards the centre mast, a grappling hook somehow exploding out from the creature’s arm. The griffon crew watched in surprise as the hook soared through the air, hitting their spotter standing in the Crow’s Nest square in the face, the metal hook punching out of the back of the unfortunate sailor’s head not even giving him a chance to scream.

The Spotter’s body tumbled into the rigging, getting caught up in the rope. The creature used this to its advantage as it swung across the gap between the two ships, landing in the middle of the griffons who had dived out of the way to avoid the impact. The black metal creature rose up to its full height, looking much more intimidating up close than Captain Strongbeak had first thought. The hook impaled in the Spotter’s face retracted, the blood-covered head reeling back in to store itself in the biped’s arm. It looked around itself, a smooth black face with no features causing a chill to run down every griffon’s spine.

“Guess I should change my name to Captain Hook,” the creature chuckled, producing speech despite lacking a mouth. “Which one of you is the Ringleader of this sad circus?”

Captain Strongbeak stepped forward, brandishing a sabre with a talon and a snarl on his face.

“I am Captain Strongbeak Ironclad of the Griffon Navy. Prepare to die Creature!”

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Nigel sized up the Griffon Captain in front of him, the creature coming up to Nigel’s chest in height, about as tall as one-and-a-half ponies. He was wearing ornate metal armour, iron most likely and this protection was highlighted with jewels and streaks of precious metals. A mass of griffons circled Nigel pointing their weapons at him, anger clearly visable on their faces. Nigel looked straight at the Captain, a barrel emerging from his right gauntlet which he pointed at the griffon.

“You have one chance you pussy,” Nigel started as he addressed the Captain, “surrender or face the consequences. Believe me, I’m not lion when I say that I’m really looking forward to killing you. I won’t be griffon any fucks about your demise, egg-specially considering your bird-brained behaviour.”

The onslaught of puns proved too much for Captain Strongbeak to take, the Griffon charging at Nigel with his sabre ready. Strongbeak had barely left his spot before a boom rang out, the shotgun Nigel had trained on him throwing a deadly hail of buckshot out which tore into the griffon’s body before the force of the shot propelled the griffon over the opposite side of the ship.

“This is my Boomstick” Nigel coolly stated as the remaining griffons stared at him in horror. With a flick of Nigel’s left wrist a powered blade the length of his arm slid out, the blue energy field that covered the blade creating a faint sizzling sound as it disrupted the air around it.

“Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!” Nigel yelled as he descended upon the griffons with murder on his mind.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Sea Biscuit watched with the rest of the stunned crew as the Captain absolutely destroyed the griffons, the human using a combination of his glowing blade, his terrifyingly-loud weapon and his armoured body to slaughter any griffon that came at him. Crimson blood arced in the air as heads were decapitated, bodies were shredded and panicked screams filled the air. The most horrifying thing about the situation was not the gore or unrestrained violence, oh no.

The constant peals of estatic laughter originating from the human Captain was by far the creepiest thing Sea Biscuit had ever experienced.

Chalmers cackled like a mad-pony as he butchered the griffons on the ship, many of the remaining crew shedding their armour and weapons as they took flight into the air and away from the human. The Captain continued until there were no remaining griffons left alive on the ship, the entire engagement lasting only a few minutes. The entire crew were broken out of their trance by the loud voice of the Captain addressing them from the larger vessel.

“Oi, are you lot going to help me capture this ship or are you just going to stand there catching flies in your mouths?”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

An hour had passed and the all of the assorted bits of griffon had been tossed overboard, multiple ponies still working on cleaning the blood soaked deck however. Nigel admired the ship they had taken possession of, the new vessel obviously military in nature with a re-enforced hull and large caches of weapons and supplies. The vessel could comfortably host roughly three-hundred and fifty beings in its massive area, the ponies marvelling at the huge boat that they had claimed as their own. The only area left un-explored was the lowest cargo hold, a team of ponies had already been sent down below decks to crack it open.

Nigel looked to his right arm, studying the shotgun barrel as it once again concealed itself in his gauntlet. It was amazing, according to the owner’s manual the suit could fabricate a range of weapons on the fly using a combination of nanotechnology and quantum mechanics, the science behind it flying way over Nigel’s head and he wasn’t exactly stupid either. Nigel promised himself that he would sit down when the chance arose and really delve into the documentation, eager to find out about what other surprises the suit may be hiding.

The hatch leading down towards the ship’s lower levels burst open, a unicorn mare poking her head out of the space. Her grey mane was messed up and she was holding a hoof up to her muzzle with a ill look on her face.

“Captain Chalmers Sir, you need to see this now!"