Just another day of this monotony, thought the lone man, as he sat in his cell. He sat cross-legged in the center of his tiny room. It had been like this for some time now, however, just how long was lost to him. He had long since lost track of how much time he had spent in his cell, so he sat there, day in and day out, occasionally moving to eat or find some way to distract himself from his immense boredom. How long until my sentence is over again? I give it another fifty years. As he sat with nothing better to do, he casually joked about his life-sentence, most of which he will likely be spending in solitary confinement, as attacking both guards and fellow prisoners is not a good way to get out early on good behavior. If spending the rest of his life in a box was a cause for any distress, there was no way of telling. His expression seemed to be in a permanent state of disinterest and boredom.
Truly, it seemed as though nothing interesting would ever happen to him again, until he saw it. A flicker in the air, nothing more. Vanishing as quickly as it appeared. Something seemingly unsubstantial, that most would dismiss as a trick of the light. This caught his attention. Watching where the possible hallucination was, he saw the very air itself begin to move and waver in place, almost rippling. The phenomenon soon started to grow, and the prisoner stepped back away from the disturbance. Not out of fear, but so he could try and see it in its entirety. Eventually the phenomenon stopped growing, when it was as tall as its observer, and twice as wide. For a while he merely stared at it while speaking to himself.
"How curious. I wonder what this could be... May haps I have finally gone mad, though there are plenty who would say I already was."
Satisfied that he wasn't going to miss anything by taking a closer look, he stepped forward. The moment he did the disturbance tore itself open, revealing a twisting green vortex! Glowing green chains flung themselves from the vortex, wrapping around his limbs and dragging him through! This whole display happened so quickly, he only had time to say one thing before being pulled through time and space.
"Oh, okay."
Truly insightful words that would greatly impact the lives of any fortunate enough to hear them, of which there were none. Out of all the possible emotions one would normally experience in this situation, whether it be fear or confusion, the only thing he felt during all of this was relief. I don't know where I am going, but it has to be better than where I was. Now I might get to have some fun. He was pulled through into a dark place. A place so dark and empty he could only barely see by the glow of the chains. There was no floor, at least none that he could feel as he was pulled to who-knows-where, but everywhere he looked he could see twinkling lights in the darkness. He couldn't help but think they looked a lot like stars.
Am I in space? How am I not dead, and where exactly could these things be taking me?
With nothing better to do, he decided to look around. More specifically, he looked behind him, hoping some answers would lie in where he was pulled from. To his surprise, what he saw was no cell, planet, or anything even slightly identifiable. All that he saw was a large glowing sphere, at a guess it was about ten times his size, but it appeared to be shrinking rapidly. Wherever these chains were taking him, they were pulling him there much faster than he would have even thought possible.
More questions. To be moving at this speed would require a lot of force. How have these chains not torn my limbs off yet? One would think I would at least feel some discomfort, but nothing. These things have about as much weight to them as a feather. If I couldn't see them, I wouldn't even know they were there.
As he pondered to himself he heard a voice. It was faint, almost too faint for him to hear. It seemed to be coming from his supposed destination. At least he thought that was his destination. It appeared to be another glowing orb, identical to the one he was pulled out of. The only real differences were the voice and that the chains were attached to this sphere, and pulling him towards it.
"Yes! The spell is almost complete!"
Spell?
He had no more time to think on this, as he was rapidly approaching the sphere. Instinctively, he raised his arms to protect his face from the inevitable impact. However, when he hit the sphere nothing much happened. He just stopped. He didn't smash into it. He didn't break anything. He didn't even feel any pain, and he didn't go into it. He just stopped upon hitting it, as though the laws of physics no longer applied and all the force of his journey was pulled away in an instant. He began inspecting the orb he was now chained to, hoping for some kind of answer. Anything to explain what was going on.
What?
At first the orb's light began to dim, and instead of a glowing sphere it became more like a crystal ball filled with fog. As the fog parted he still could not see anything within, except for two strange figures. As he watched these figures from above, the image became clearer. Standing upright like humans, but with certain features resembling animals, equines to be specific, very colorful equines. These anthropomorphic creatures seemed to be in some type of conflict, as a tall purple furred woman with long hair of a darker shade of purple that had a brighter streak going through it, and a matching tail, glared at what he assumed was her foe. The purple woman wore an elegant yet simple dress that seemed to have been specially tailored to match her hair in both color and in its simple straight style, it even has the highlighted streak going down its side. Upon her head was a spiky golden crown with amethyst points that instantly made him think back on the various fantasy novels and games he had enjoyed before his imprisonment. As if none of this was strange enough for him, she had a long spiraling horn protruding from her forehead, and very large wings sprouting from her back.
Am I being pulled into a furry fantasy world? Eh, could be worse.
Standing across from her, and glaring right back, was a tall and slender woman. She easily dwarfed the purple one in height, and, as opposed to her opponents purple fur, he could see the shine of her smooth black skin. She also had a horn and wings, but her wings were like those of an insect. She had long wavy teal hair and tail, and one more distinct feature that he simply couldn't ignore.
The hell happened to her? Why are there holes... everywhere. None of them are bleeding. I'm not really sure what that means.
Indeed, along her hooved legs, her arms, her hair, horn, tail, and even wings there were strange holes straight through her, and, quite unlike the purple one's conservative yet somewhat stylish dress, they were all on display as she stood there completely naked. What really caught his attention though, even more so than the nudity, were the glowing green chains wrapped around her arms and legs that reached upwards through the surface of the orb, and connected to the ones around his own limbs. She also seemed to have some strange teal plating around her midsection, the purpose of which he couldn't make out from his current position. The purple woman was the first to speak, her face set into a glare of grim determination.
"You've gone too far this time, Chrysalis! I don't know where you got that much power, but your foolhardy spell has affected the entire world! What could you possibly hope to gain from pulling a creature of the outer planes here!?"
Chrysalis' glare shifted into a maniacal grin as she responded.
"Why else? With this creature's power and knowledge at my disposal, I will become strong enough to rule not just Equestria, but the entire world! Mnahahaha!"
"You know as well as I do what could happen if you bring that thing into our world! You are tampering with a forbidden magic that even Sombra wouldn't dare use. Conjuration is dangerous and unpredictable! There is no telling what monstrosity you're summoning! You don't even know if you can control the thing! For once in your life, just listen! You don't need to finish the ritual. You can just walk away. Stop this before you do something we all regret."
"Oh Twilight... That was a nice speech, but it came a little too late. You see, I do have a way to keep it under control. I already bound myself to it. So if it does go on a rampage, I will be perfectly fine. It can't hurt me without hurting itself. Why do you think I would be here without any guards? You on the other hand, have no such protection. It sure is a shame about those sudden attacks from the Griffin Kingdom. Who could have possibly~ predicted their completely~ unprovoked attacks at seemingly random cities, or that the attacks would keep almost all of Equestria's most powerful beings busy and separated during the same time as me performing my summoning."
The sarcasm in her voice was so thick you could cut it with a knife. As realization dawned on Twilight, her grim look faded into surprise, then shifted further into horror.
"Y-you didn't, you couldn't have-"
"Being a changeling is fun! Now back to the matter at hand, it would be too late stop anyway. It's already here!"
"What!?"
"That's right! It's waiting just outside the door, and all I have to do now is let it in!"
I... I think they are talking about me. Oh now this is amusing. They seem to think I am some Balrog like beast, though I really don't know what is going to happen next, and that worries me.
"Now Chrysalis, lets be rational about-"
"Fuck rational!"
With that, her horn began to glow the same color as the chains that connected the two, and the orb was torn open. As he fell, he could see the world around him with remarkable clarity. The three of them were alone inside a large cavern. There only seemed to be one way in or out, and Twilight was standing in the way. He also could help but notice just how jagged and rocky it was in here.
This is going to hurt isn't it?
He hit the ground with a loud *Splat*, but, much to his surprise, he felt perfectly fine.
Huh, I expected *much*-wait a minute. Why did I go splat? That is most definitely not the right sound for "perfectly fine."
Before he could try and find the cause of the peculiar noise, his attention was caught by a frightened shriek.
"What in Celestia's name is that!"
Great, now "Twilight" is screaming. Now lets see why she would be screaming about-oh please no.
As he tried to look in the direction of the two bizarre creatures, he began experiencing a terrible case of double vision. Fearing the fall may have been the cause, he tried his best to correct his sight, only for it to quadruple, then octuple.
What the fuck?
After a few tries, he finally managed to make some sense of what he was seeing. Chrysalis looked absolutely ecstatic. Twilight, on the other hand, looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. It seemed as though the poor little thing was about to have a heart attack at any moment.
Wait, little? Wasn't she taller than me a moment ago?
His vision slowly corrected itself as he focused on her, and what he saw baffled him. Instead of the tall regal figure she appeared to be before, she was simply puny. She looked as though he could hold her in one hand now, like a toy.
"Hehehe, it seems to have noticed you, princess."
What is going on here?
He instinctively reached up to scratch his head, only to be even more confused than ever. His arm was gone, and in its place was a large gelatinous mass with five tentacles slowly beginning to grow out of it. The tentacles began to take vaguely the same positions as a set of fingers.
What?
"I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Really? After the things you've been through? I would have that you had a stronger stomach than that."
As Chrysalis continued to mock Twilight, he began to move around a bit more, trying to find out just what has happened to him. His arm wasn't the only thing that changed. The entirety of his body had been changed into a massive misshapen blob of unknown origin.
Why am I green slime? Well that explains the eyes, I guess? Am I a shoggoth? I'm so confused.
"Enough of this!"
Whoa, that was a sudden change. What has come over Princess Purple I wonder?
"I can't allow that thing to threaten Equestria, and I know just how to stop it."
"I-You do?"
Things sure have taken a turn for the bickering midgets.
Chrysalis was now starting to look a little worried by Twilight's sudden change in demeanor. Gone was the nervous wreck that she was mocking mere moments ago, but there was no trace of the regal image she held before, instead she looked resigned. As though she was going to do something she would regret.
"Since you were kind enough to tell me about your binding, all I have to do to stop this thing is to get rid of you."
"What!?"
To accompany her grim declaration, her horn began to glow brightly. She stood straight, attempting to keep some semblance of professionalism, but she couldn't hide the sorrow she felt at having to perform such a drastic action, even if it meant the safety of her home.
"You somehow gathered an unimaginable amount of power to summon that creature, but you used all of it. Didn't you?"
"I-uh-"
"Which means I can put an end to this right now before that thing has a chance to cause any damage... I'm sor-"
Twilight's speech was suddenly interrupted by a large green tendril erupting from the beast, and swinging faster than she could react. The large tendril slammed her into the cavern wall. As the tendril retracted, she rose from the rubble with a pained groan. Then she heard it. The strange creature began to speak, though how was beyond anyone at this point. It sounded like nothing she would have expected from a creature with such an origin. It wasn't some distorted voice full of malice. It didn't sound hysterically insane and bloodthirsty. It sounded... lazy. It was a slow methodical way of talking, with a somewhat fitting low, tired voice. Even what was said baffled her beyond reason, this was nothing like she expected.
"You talk too much."
One could almost see Twilight's brain rebooting. Those are the first words she would hear from the gargantuan multi-eyed slime demon she so feared? She prepared herself to end a life if needed, only to get swatted by a lazy glob of ooze? Because she talked too much? The sentient blob would have smiled if he still had a mouth, as he saw her shudder when she finally realized she was now covered in slime.
Hmm, I can move faster than I thought. That's good. Anyway, if my life is somehow tied to this "Chrysalis," I suppose that means I need to keep anything from happening to her. I may not know what is going on, but I do know that this is *much** more interesting than where I was. So shoggoth or not, I'm here to stay.*
Seeing all of this happen, Chrysalis began to laugh. She laughed long and loud. A joyous laugh celebrating her triumph.
"Yes! Everything is just perfect! Now my reign of-"*Splat*
"You too."
Chrysalis wasn't really sure what to make of this. It didn't hurt her, but it did interrupt her victory monologue by swatting at her. She just kind of laid there, pressed into the ground by a large tentacle of slime. The tentacle proceeded to wrap around her plated midsection and lift her into the air. For lack of a better term, he seemed to have "slapped the crazy out of her." She finally looked like she understood the situation she was in. No more was the maniacal grin. She just looked around herself wide-eyed, as though she recently had an epiphany.
"I am being held by a slime demon's tentacle. When did my life go so wrong."
This is so weird. At least I have figured out some control of this weirdness. Though... I still don't know how to move my main body. Should I just drag myself? Or will that leave a trail like a slug? At my size, I would lose a lot of mass quickly if that is the case. How would I replenish myself? How do I eat like this? What do I eat like this? Questions for later. For now, I need to grab Princess Purple to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid.
Looking over to where Twilight was when he slapped Chrysalis, he found nothing. She was already gone. This only confused him more. Unlike with Chrysalis, he wasn't gentle at all when he struck her. He thought for sure "Princess Purple" wouldn't be able to move after a hit like that, much less that quickly, and without leaving any trace or making any noise.
"Where did the purple one go?"
His answer came from an annoyed Chrysalis, still within his grasp.
"You fool! She teleported away the moment you turned on me! She is probably well on her way to gathering reinforcements to attack us!"
...
"She can teleport?"
"I hate my life. Well with her gone, I suppose we can do this properly. We still need to form the contract after all. *Ahem* Eldritch horror of the abyss! I have summoned you to aid my people! No more shall we hide in the darkness! With your help, the changelings shall grow into a mighty empire! I ask that you serve me as my familiar, and with our combined might we shall conquer this world!"
So I *was** pulled into a furry fantasy world. That still doesn't explain why I turned into a shoggoth. That is a question I intend to find the answer to, but for now it might be wise to play along.*
"You do know that these dealings are never without a price, right? What do you offer for my service?"
At this, Chrysalis' expression turned solemn. She did know about the costs of such deals, but with how little research there is on this type of magic, there was no way of separating fact from fiction. She had a slim hope that it wouldn't come to this, but she knew what she was willing to give for her people.
"Anything."
The silence that followed that word ate at her nerves. She had staked everything on this working, but only now did it occur to her that whatever she summoned might just say no and go away. All she really knew about the bond she placed on them was that it would prevent him from hurting her, but beyond that she was at a loss. This thing had her. She was powerless after her spell, and, thanks to a certain loud-mouth princess, he knew it too. Finally, the silence was broken.
"I don't feel like it."
At first, she didn't say anything. What could she say? Everything had fallen apart with that one sentence. So she hung there in his grip, jaw fallen slack from the shock. Eventually, she felt something. She had risked everything, and lost it all because of some demon's slacker tendencies. This realization cause something inside her to snap.
"You don't feel like it!? What kind of an answer is that! The fate of my people, no, the entire world hanging in the balance, and you are too lazy to get off your bloby ass to do anything about it! Even after I offer you the world on a silver plater! Everything is right there, ripe for the taking, and you refuse!? No! I've come too far and risked too much for you to ruin everything simply because you "don't feel like it!" So you listen to me, and you listen well, because you are going to get your slimy rear in gear, you are going with me to my hive, and you are helping me take over this world, or so help me I am going to end you! I will make you wish that I could kill you right now if you so much as think "I don't feel like it"! Understand!"
He actually reared back from the ferocity of the unexpected verbal assault, and the tentacle holding her had stretched itself out in an instinctive attempt to get her away from him. When she had finally finished, he did something he hadn't done in a long time. He started to laugh. His many eyes closed as his new body shook with mirth. Literally. Chrysalis could see and feel the slime rippling from the laughter. His laugh was boisterous and deep. Eventually though, it began to die down. He spoke to the still fuming Chrysalis with mirth filling his formerly tired voice.
"Very well Chrysalis, I agree to your terms and shall hold you to them!"
This seemed to stun Chrysalis even more than being denied, as she muttered to herself while the slime took his time recovering from his laughing fit.
"That actually worked? I really just told off an eldritch horror, and it actually listened?"
Overhearing her muttering, he couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter once again. Thinking on the chains that were still attached to him, how they connected him to this bold and crazy woman. Truly, this was going to be very interesting.
Well, this wouldn't be disturbing in the slightest.
The shoggoth had realized that his tentacles were far stronger than he thought. Testing the limits of his movement even further, he learned that he could alter the general shape of his main mass as well. So there they went, Chrysalis riding through the forest atop what would likely scar for life anyone unfortunate enough to see it, a giant green spider whose legs didn't seem to follow the basic rules of a skeleton as they bent and twisted in horrific ways while he walked. Why take this form? The multitude of legs provided him with a balance that he feared a bipedal, or even quadrupedal, form would fail to give. This was for the same reason that his legs moved in such a nightmarish fashion, he was still having difficulty figuring out his new range of motion. Along with that, he felt it was a fitting form considering how he inexplicably obtained a total of eight eyes, all of which where now in their appropriate places on his spidery likeness.
"We need to hurry. We are vulnerable right now, but even three alicorns wouldn't dare fight my entire swarm in my own hive."
Whats an alicorn? Just roll with it. Whatever happens, I just need to keep my mysterious facade. As long as I play the part of an alien entity, I should be able to get my barrings without throwing myself into needless danger... But some questions just need to be answered.
Extending an eye onto a stalk so he could twist it around and gauge her reaction, the spider-like creature asked his question. "Why are you naked?"
Huh, her blush is green. This is odd, but strangely cute.
"I was really hoping you wouldn't ask that. Oh well, the ritual I used to summon you turned out to be more... explosive than I thought. While I managed to come out of it unharmed, my dress wasn't so lucky."
Her response added more questions to the list, but may have also provided a few answers. Could his new gelatinous form be a result of a botched summoning? Though it was impossible to say for sure, it at least offered some form of comfort to finally be getting answers. Still, the thought of magic being real would take some getting used to, and he still wasn't so sure it was true. More information would be required. His thoughts were interrupted by Chrysalis' questioning voice.
"Since we are bound to one another, this could be a good time to learn more about each other. And since you already know mine, lets start with your name."
...
"Hello?"
No one in this world can ever know that my name. It just wouldn't work. It isn't scary or even interesting. No, I need a new name. It must be something mysterious, exotic, and it needs to worthy of being whispered in fear!
"Can you even hear me right now?"
I have to think of something fast! Come on, I was pulled here by glowing chains, then I turned into a shoggoth-
"Shoth."
Shit! That is a terrible name!
"Hmm. Simple, alien, and frankly strange. It suits you."
Just roll with it, and ignore the possibility of that being an insult. Maybe I can make it work.
Chrysalis must have expected Shoth to ask a question in return, as things went silent after that. This left him able to focus on where he was going, which he wasn't really sure about to be honest. She had merely pointed out a direction and he followed it. Thanks to his new form, he was able to practically glide through the forest despite his size. His multitude of legs carrying him through spaces few other creatures could maneuver, only hindered by having to ensure his charge could make it through as well. It was only now that he could really begin to appreciate the beauty around him. The forest was dark and foreboding. The kind of place that would leave most ready to jump out of their skin, constantly worried about something sneaking up on them. He swore he could see faces on the trees, as their branches seemed to extend like thin clawing arms. Just being in such a place would be enough for one to feel the sense of unease lingering in the air, and easily smell the death that pungently made itself known through all of the other scents of the forest.
This is my kind of place. Simply beautiful.
His good mood was ruined by Chrysalis' questioning voice once again. Why do these people talk so much?
"So why do you talk like that anyway?"
"Hmm?"
"Well you certainly take your time when talking. Why is that? It doesn't seem very efficient."
"You must understand, young changeling... It takes a long time... to say anything in my... native tongue... so I never say anything... unless it is worth... taking a long time to say." I am bullshitting so hard right now, but this gives me an excuse to stay quiet. And if I stay quiet, I can have more time to listen.
"What a curious custom, though I could see some merit in it. Yes, I think you have the right idea for now. Just focus on getting to the hive as quickly as possible, and we can talk more there."
I wonder if this will work.
Much to Chrysalis' confusion, he stopped. After shifting himself into an odd stance, he seemed like he was tensing up for something, with all of his legs stretching out in front of him and placed firmly onto the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"You might want... to hold on."
Unsure of what he was planning, Chrysalis clung to Shoth as hard as she could, which actually caused her clawed hands to sink into him. Before she could do anything about it, the ooze around her hands tightened, effectively trapping her in place. Shoth started to rear himself further back for a moment, then, like a coiled spring, he leapt into the air, propelling himself above the tree line. He chuckled to himself when he heard Chrysalis' screaming. The moment he hit the ground he bounced back into the air, building up more and more momentum with each leap. It wasn't long before he was shooting through the air like a spider-shaped rocket.
This body is really strange. Now that I have had more time with it, the closest comparison I can make is silly putty, and even that doesn't seem right. What the hell am I made of?
It was then that something caught his attention. A bright light appeared in his path, and it rapidly faded away to reveal Twilight, as well as two more beings, that where similar to yet taller than her. One was slim and a dark shade of midnight blue, with oddly ethereal looking hair like the sky on a moonless night. She was strangely beautiful in her own way, like some living work of art. The second one was the biggest of the group, in more ways than one. She had curves that would make those plastic bitches back home cry in envy. She was a marble white in color, and her hair, while it had the same ethereal quality as the one next to her, it appeared to be more like an aurora slowly waving in the wind than anything else. Their outfits lead to much confusion, as they don't seem to care about the current era, nor that their clothes resemble ancient times of Shoth's own world. The slim blue one wore a black robe that somewhat resembled toga, only longer and held in place by a clasp in the shape of a crescent moon. The curvy white one, on the other hand, wore a dress that seemed like it came straight from Egypt. The white garment with a large amethyst embedded into gold finery seems reminiscent of Cleopatra. Both of them are wearing crowns that are similar to one another in appearance, a simple band around the head that spikes upward near the front. One is black and unadorned, while the other is golden and has a smaller amethyst that matches the earlier one in shape.
The darker one speaks up first, "Cease thy-"
Only to be thrown aside with the rest of them as Shoth barreled through. It only took a moment for him to take in their appearances and decide to just ignore them. With as fast as he is going right now, they had no time to react and were stuck in the world's most unfair game of bowling, with the "ball" being a spider that is easily eight times the size of the largest among them and moving like a living bouncy ball injected with a lethal mixture of caffeine, sugar, crystal meth, and Powerthirst.
What made them think teleporting in front of me was a good idea? Were they just doing that to make an appearance? I'm not stopping just for them to monologue at me. On that note, where the hell *is** this damn hive anyway? It couldn't be that much farther, but Chrysalis hasn't been much help in finding it. Instead of giving me directions, she just keeps screaming. She stopped for a little while when those three showed up, then she started screaming louder! At least there is no way in hell they could keep up with-oh you have got to be kidding me.*
As they quickly flew back into view on either side of him, he mulled over just how strong those wings of theirs had to be for the two to move at such a speed. Yes, just the two. Twilight was unable to keep up, and resorted to some weird ability where she vanished in a flash of light only to reappear much closer. While she teleported constantly, the others were able to keep pace with Shoth though the sheer strength of their mighty wings. Much to his amusement, Twilight looked rather embarrassed about needing to cheat, and was even called out on it by the white one.
"Twilight? Are you still having trouble flying? Hasn't Rainbow Dash been coaching you?"
To which Twilight sheepishly responded in between jumps, "Yes but-*Pop* I still can't-*Pop* go this fast!*Pop*"
Rather cheeky buggers aren't they? Having such a casual conversation while right next to me doesn't really seem like a good idea. But... How did they recover from that so quickly? And Twilight no less! That is twice I hit her! That last one should have felt like getting hit by a train! These creatures might be more dangerous than I am giving them credit for. Well they can fly fast, so lets see how fast they turn!
With his next landing, he shifted all of his weight to his side and used his legs to push off as hard as he could toward his right, causing him to suddenly fly off at a ninety degree angle, and smacking into the white one. This time however, he didn't throw her aside like he planned to. She got stuck to his side, not too far from Chrysalis. Seeing this, Chrysalis finally stopped screaming, and just stared at Celestia with wide horrified eyes.
"Oh, hello. Fancy meeting you here."
Giggling at her own attempt at humor in this bizarre situation, the white "alicorn" couldn't help but notice the unaltered look of terror on her new blob buddy. Nor did she miss how the unexpected turn had caught the other two by surprise as well, and that they would need some time to catch up to the beast as it leaps and smashes its way through the forest.
"Sooo-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
The moment she tried to defuse the situation with some simple small talk, Chrysalis started screaming again, now louder than ever.
"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
"Ow. Please stop screaming."
"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
"No really, I can just-"
"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
"You don't need to worry-"
"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
"We'll get you off of this thing-"
"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"
"Maybe you will stop screaming at me then."
Wait, what?
Slamming his legs into the ground, he skid to a stop. Chrysalis screaming finally started to die down, and was replaced with frantic panting. Either she finally ran out of air, or she is hyperventilating.
"What?"
She let out a relieved sigh before replying. "Oh finally. We aren't here to hurt you. My student told me about what happened in the cave, and I believe we can talk this out. There is no need for things to get violent."
By the time she finished talking, a plan was already started forming in the depths of Shoth's mind. It was a devious, horrible plan. With his sudden stop, it didn't take long for the other two to catch up. They came to see the white alicorn and Chrysalis pulling themselves free from the creature, as it simply lazed about waiting for everyone to be present. The two immediately flew to their companion to make sure she was unharmed. While they fussed over her newly slime covered body, Shoth contemplated something he found very worrying.
How durable *are** these things? She doesn't even look fazed. Am I really soft and squishy, or can she really withstand getting hit by a truck twice without even a sign of injury?*
Looking at where he skid through the ground, he concluded that was he in fact not soft and squishy, as large deep trenches clearly show where his tendrils smashed through soil, roots, and rock when he tried to stop his blind charge through the forest. The same amount of force that tore through stone like butter not even leaving a scratch on her was a very troubling thought. While the white one is busy attempting to reassure her comrades, Chrysalis seems to be having some sort of internal conflict. She is glaring at Shoth quite intensely, but also insists on staying as close to him as possible. As a very welcome yet unexpected change, she is oddly quiet right now. The poor thing probably damaged her throat with all of that screaming. As she finally assuaged their fears, the white one approached Chrysalis for their impromptu negotiations.
Chrysalis preempted her, with a sneer and a voice full of sarcastic fury. "So Celestia, to what do I owe this honor."
Upon hearing the aggression in her voice, Celestia let out a tired sigh. "As you very well know, your actions here have shaken the very foundations of our world, and I came to ask for your help."
Now that caught Chrysalis off guard, but she quickly recovered with another snide remark. "Then you have wasted time for both of us. Now if you don't mind, I have a hive to get home to. Come Shoth, we have-stop staring at my breasts!"
At some point during Chrysalis' retort, Celestia had found herself enamored with her chest after realizing she was naked. "I'm sorry, I just never would have guessed."
"Guessed what!?"
"That you don't have nipples."
And her green blush returns in full. "I-Wha-"
Twilight seemed to perk up at this for some reason. "Oh wow, you're right! I didn't even notice that in all of the excitement. How do you feed your young?"
"This is-"
"Why do you even have breasts if you don't have nipples?"
"Would-"
"Or do you-"
"Twilight, We feel thou hast gotten off track." The dark one had spoken up in an archaic, yet somewhat elegant, tongue, and came to Chrysalis' rescue by stopping what appeared to be only the start of a barrage of questions.
Note to self: be wary of the purple one. If something so small could start that, then she must have an insatiable lust for knowledge. That could be dangerous for my mysterious facade.
Correction, with that glare she is giving Chrysalis, rescue no longer seems to be the appropriate term. The dark one spoke in a tone that allowed for no argument as she began chastising Chrysalis.
"Have thee no shame? No desire to right thine own wrongs? That you should dare to-"
It appeared as though Celestia was going to say something, but she never got the chance. As her darker fellow took a threatening step towards Chrysalis, Shoth leapt into action. He shifted his form into a massive worm-like creature, with a threateningly large, gaping, mouth capable of swallowing them whole, which was ringed by his eight eyes staring at them with unyielding focus. Wrapping around his master protectively, he hissed at the one who would dare to threaten her. While Chrysalis was definitely surprised by his sudden outburst, the rest seemed more so. Quickly backing away from enraged beast, they will likely be much more cautious when speaking to her around him from now on.
Where did that come from? This isn't like me, but those were my actions. I didn't even know I *could** shift that quickly! I must have acted on instinct. Though the question remains, why do I suddenly feel so protective of her? Perhaps there is more to our "bond" after all. This is too dangerous to let slide. If I can't control my own actions, then I need to take control of this conversation. The time for listening is past.*
"Before this continues... I feel... introductions are in order... I am Shoth."
It was some time before anyone else spoke. They seemed unnerved by the sudden change in demeanor from the odd creature, quickly jumping from being calm and quiet to a raging beast and then back again. It didn't help that his mouth didn't move when he spoke, leaving them to stare down his gaping maw, wondering if he might have another episode during their discussion.
Clearing her throat before approaching him, the dark one introduced herself. "We greet thee Shoth, We-I am called Luna."
Luna? So we have Moon. Oddly unsure of her own speech. There must be a story behind that.
With that, everything began anew. They all started taking turns introducing each other.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Celestia."
Celestia, with a sister named Moon. Celestial? Celestial body, and so we have Sun.
"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle."
Day, Night, and the time in-between, who is possibly a gay vampire? It makes just about as much sense as everything else that has happened today. Seriously, one moment I am sitting in my cell, and the next I find myself the slimy servant of a shape-shifting horse-fly lady person. I think I really need to reconsider my stance on... reality, or drugs. Can I even take drugs like this?
There are no words capable of describing how irritating what Celestia said next was.
"Respectively, we are the princesses of the Moon,"
Called it.
"The Sun,"
Two for two, do I hear three?
"And friendship."
What? Are you fucking kidding me? I think I see why my master hates them so much. Damn it! It seems this world is determined to take everything away from me. My self-control, my humanity, and now even my reasoning and pattern detection are failing me! At least I know I still have my mind. If this was a hallucination, everything would make sense. I would have reasoned away the impossibilities, like most would in a dream. It is a small comfort knowing that this is real, and that I am not just gibbering to myself in my cell.
"It is... a pleasure... but my master has had a rough day... I shall speak in her stead..."
Angered by this, Chrysalis let out an indignant noise. "I am perfectly capable of speaking for-Mph!"
Tired of all of the weirdness going on around him, Shoth shoved the end of his tail into Chrysalis' mouth to keep her quiet. He still didn't have much of a clue as to what was going on, but he couldn't afford losing control of himself again. Though he felt he had lost everything, he knew he had gained something that was so much more important. He had an opportunity. He could make something of this, and never again be confined in a small cell while waiting to die.
"I shall speak in her stead..."
"Are you sure that is alright? She doesn't seem too pleased about this."
"Now now Celestia... there is no need... for you to worry... I was summoned... for a very... specific... purpose... She will understand..."
"Um... Very well. As I said before, the act of summoning you has had severe repercussions. We still don't know just how much damage was done, though it is safe to say that repairs will not be easy, or even possible."
"What... do you mean...?"
"This was no mere disaster. Mountains have crumbled, earthquakes hit at random, the tides have changed, and the weather has become unpredictable and dangerous. Even worse than that however, the gates of Tartarus have broken free."
The gates of *what!?** The prison of the titans has a gate here!? And it's broken!? Just add that to the list of myths that exist in this crazy world! I still don't understand how I move! Even if I had full mastery over this form, I wouldn't even have a snowball's chance in hell fighting something like Kronos!*
"Though Cerberus still guards Tartarus, there is no telling what else may have gone wrong, so we are trying to gather the most powerful beings in the world to band together so we can repair the damage done to our world, and hunt down whatever may have slipped past Cerberus."
With my master being on that list. Now I have some grasp on the situation, and it is nice to know that my master isn't just some conjurer of cheap tricks. Wait... When did I start thinking of her as "my master?"
Fuck.
"I see... Then... you shall... have our aid..."
They were rather confused, and began looking to each other hoping for one among them to be able to explain the situation. Feeling horribly confused himself, Shoth spoke his mind, while trying to ignore the piercing glare from his master.
"What?"
Twilight answered his question in a hesitant, almost nervous, fashion. "We-uh, hmm. How do I put this? Well, we just... didn't think it would be this easy? Luna even had a whole speech prepared about Chrysalis taking responsibility for her actions."
As if to prove it, Luna reached into her robes and pulled out a small stack of index cards. "I wrote it all down on the way."
"I see... Regardless... there is no need... We shall help... But first... I need to... speak with my master... In private... Where could we meet?"
After informing him that they would regroup in what remains of a place called Canterlot, which sounds like a silly place, they said a few sheepish parting words and flew off. Removing the tendril from Chrysalis' mouth, he prepared to explain himself. There proved to be a bit of a problem with his choice of speech however, as, while it does buy him time to think, it also makes it rather hard for him to get a say against the rather irate insect.
"So-" "What on Equis were you thinking!? You leapt past the hive half an hour ago you lunatic!" "-I-" "Why in the world would you just promise them my help!?" "-It-" "And you shoved your tail in my mouth!? You're just lucky you taste good!" "I do?" "You heard her! They are in disarray! This isn't the time to be friendly with some ponies! We can strike while they are weak and distracted!" "No!"
"Pardon?"
He had another sudden outburst. Clueless as to why he had such a hard time controlling his emotions, his deep bellowing voice finally got her to stop yelling. Thus the explanation could begin. Gone was the slow droll method of speech, he wanted to be very clear about this.
"Wanton destruction is all fine and dandy, but you summoned me for the purpose of building an empire, and I intend to do just that. If you really want this to happen, the first thing you are going to need is allies. This is too good an opportunity to miss, so we must be the very picture of tolerance and good grace. We shall grow through our allies, using them to further our own progress through trade and protection. Then, when we are strong enough, the second phase can begin."
This caught her interest. Though she still seemed angry about the idea of helping the ponies, using one's enemies to further her own agenda is an idea that a changeling queen can get behind.
"You seem to have this all worked out, but why should I go through with your plan? We should be doing this my way."
"I get the feeling you already tried that, didn't you? That is why you summoned me. I wouldn't be here if any of your plans had worked, so we shall be going with one of mine."
"I... concede to your point. So, what's the second phase?"
"You aren't ready to know."
"What?"
"It has become clear to me that my experience in deception and politics outclasses your own, so things will be going very differently than you may have intended. You are still the master, but I am more than just your servant. From this point on, you shall be my student, and I shall teach you the ways of my people."
...
"And ponies say I'm arrogant."
