The Unseen

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Risen
Chapter 2: The Weight of the Wails
Chapter 3: The Royal Executioner
Chapter 4: Foreign Dogma
Chapter 5: The Right Hooves of Destruction
Chapter 6: The Wounds We Hide
Chapter 7: When Hope Rises
Chapter 8: The Path to the Crystal Empire
Chapter 9: Three Lives
Chapter 10: Mercy

Chapter 1: The Risen

He hit the soft ground and the first thing he felt was the cold, wet fluids dripping off his coat. He managed to get the liquid out of his eyes. He opened them to a dimly lit room with layers of hay covering the floors. With a cold breeze came a sharp pain, pulling his hoof to his forehead. He felt an unfamiliar horn pointing crookedly out from his own head. As if in response, a jittering noise startled him from behind. He felt something crawling on his back. Turning to look behind him, he saw an unfamiliar, black coat with insectoid wings jutting out at him. His head spun back around but the room didn’t stop. Among all the thoughts and feelings churning his stomach, the sounds in his head rang out a single word: Changeling. He collapsed into the soft hay.

At the edge of his vision, clouded by the pain coursing through his entire body, he saw a door at the end of the room appear with light glowing around it. It swung open, and two changelings approached him. They picked him up off the ground and helped him get his bearings. They led him out of the room, and into the bright light of day. The young changeling watched the guard trot around him and close the barn door.

“Umm...” the young changeling started before losing his words to the confusion of his own voice. He tried to ignore how strange it was. “Where am I?” It wasn't working.

“You're in a small town near the kingdom’s border,” the changeling on his right replied as it guided him over a small hill overlooking the settlement. “You've been asleep for a while, haven't you?”

The changeling sighed. “I wouldn't know... I can't remember anything.”

“That’s good!” it said with a smile. “That means you have less to care about than most other drones!”

“Drones?”

“Recruits,” it explained. Its smile grew larger. “You'll understand soon enough.”

The changelings nodded at one another. The guard and the recruit continued down the trail, and soon approached the town. All the buildings seemed decrepit or destroyed in their own right. At the other side of town, a large crowd of changelings had gathered.

“What's going on over there?” Drone asked.

The guide shrugged. “Hard to say with how quiet this place usually is. For all I know, a couple changelings are just fighting each other with sticks.”

The guide looked up toward the sky for a moment.

“Of course!” it yelled into the changeling’s ear. “She is probably here!” His happiness turned to horror. “Oh, crap! She’s already here!”

“Who?”

The changeling guide grabbed the recruit and pulled him off to the side. He carefully brushed the dirt off the recruit and gently smacked away some leftover goop from behind the recruit’s ear.

“She's gonna kill me...”

“What?”

The crowd parted as a group of changelings stepped through, led by one wearing a helmet and a saddle. Both pieces of armor had a “V” carved into them. Its left eye was missing. The changeling guide gulped down his frown as the armored one approached.

“Verdugo!” the guide exclaimed.

Verdugo stuck a hoof up to silence him. “Is this the breeder I was promised?” she growled in an oddly feminine voice.

“Oh... Yeah! Sure!” The guide chuckled nervously as it prodded the drone forward. “Yep! Trained in the womb, as they say!”

Verdugo glared at the guide. “You mean to tell me this one has no personal experience?”

It reluctantly nodded. “But he’s--”

Verdugo smacked the guide to the ground. “I lost my eye to a liar like you! How dare you dishonor me with this!”

“I didn’t mean to... The cocoons...” Fear and pain ran his words short. A hoof to the chest turned him over and silenced him for even longer.

Verdugo turned to the drone and looked him over. She threw her hoof toward his snout. He instinctively chomped down on it. Verdugo didn’t even wince as the drone immediately released her from his mistake. There was a strange, green substance on her hoof. She licked it off, then spat it out.

“Not as strong a taste as I’d prefer, but you’ll have to do,” she half-snarled. She smiled. “Come along, then...”

Drone fell in line with the three other changelings led by Verdugo. They trotted beyond the reach of the crowd before spreading their wings and taking to the skies. Drone’s wings took him up with them, carrying him as though he had always known how to fly. They made their way across a vast forest separating the dusty town from the rest of the kingdom. The drone’s eyes focused on Verdugo.

“There are rumors that there’s some kind of ‘pony resistance’ hiding out down there!” one of the changelings chirped.

Verdugo turned her eye back toward them. “If there was ever any truth to it, that forest would be routed in seconds.”

“But none of our scouts ever come back! Don’t you think--”

“There are more dangerous things in this world than ponies and changelings, private!” Verdugo snarled back. “Dragons, timberwolves, manticores, the hydra...” She shook her head. “Glamorize that forest all you want, but those deaths were for nothing. If you really think ponies are hiding down there, you’re welcome to die with them.”

“Sheesh...” Drone winced. He looked down at the trees for a moment, raising his head just in time to catch a glimpse of worry in Verdugo’s eye.

“I am not a cruel person, recruit,” Verdugo explained. “I hold no scorn for those who threw their lives away so carelessly. At least they had a choice. At least when they traversed into the forest, they could tell themselves how dead they were about to be.” She sighed. “We changelings always capture our prey alive, but that’s not always been our way.” She shook her head. “Imagine sitting in your own home, and hearing death beat a path to your door.” She giggled anxiously. “You wave it off because nothing bad has ever happened there before.” She slowly nodded. “I wiped out two rival hives for Chrysalis to get my position.”

“Since when were you ever sentimental, Verdugo?” another changeling asked a high pitch chirp.

“What are you on about?” she growled back.

“I’m just saying...” It snickered. “You seem to care a lot about those freaks you've killed.”

“I'm a great general,” Verdugo explained. “But that doesn't make my own troops immortal as well...”

“Yeah, but... All that talk about dying at home...” a changeling with a deeper tone added.

“Exactly. That fear motivated a lot of changelings to join Chrysalis again. I became their general, and inherited their woes.”

The changeling nodded. “Understandable.”

The trees rumbled below them for a moment with a deep growl.

“Let's pick up the pace, yeah?” the third changeling called out from the back.

“Why bother?” Verdugo argued. “Sun’ll be down in a few hours and the checkpoint is coming up.” She looked down at the rumbling trees. “I don't know about you, but I prefer this company to some of the guys we'll see there.”

“Hey, Verdugo,” the first changeling piped up again. “You still haven't filled us in on our mission...” It glanced at the new drone. “Why’d we need a new recruit?”

She glared back at him.

It shrugged back. “I mean... It's probably best if we don't go into a mission blind.”

“Well that's too bad,” Verdugo said as the checkpoint appeared on the horizon. “Because the decision not to brief you isn't mine. The Great Queen Chrysalis simply put these points on our map. We rest at this checkpoint, head to the castle in the morning, and then the mission begins.”

“But what's the mission?”

“That remains to be seen.”

The sun was setting on the horizon as the team landed at the checkpoint. It was once a small pony camp at the edge of the Everfree; now the changelings had taken it over and it stood as a resting place for those who had no better place to be. A sign was posted at the perimeter, scrawled on with different hoofwritings:

“It has been 0 days since the last timberwolf attack.”
“Get it together, you idiot!”
“Why do we even HAVE this sign?”

The third changeling sighed. “Please tell me we won't get wrapped into pest control... Again.”

“You really think Chrysalis thinks that lowly of Her best general? Having us take care of a few wolves just to be able to sleep at night?” the second argued.

“Would you idiots just shut up already?” Verdugo sternly suggested. “If Chrysalis didn't want us to know the mission She sure as heck doesn't want everyone questioning it, so keep quiet and try to act professional.”

Her team finally stayed quiet for more than a minute. They kept their eyes open for any form of shelter that could exist in such a dump. The other changelings around seemed more ragged than those from official towns and colonies. Many of them carried the scars of timberwolf attacks, one of them being held down and screaming with fresh wounds as the others tried to patch it up.

“The more places I see like this, the less I believe that anything can live in that forsaken forest...” Verdugo noted.

“You!” a changeling chirped from their flank. “You're Verdugo!” It approached the team excitedly.

“Calm down, pal!” Verdugo put a hoof to it. “We're here on official business.”

“Well of course!” It chuckled. “You're here to deal with that rogue changeling, right?”

Verdugo stopped. “Rogue changeling?”

“Yeah! The bastard’s in the forest! He keeps sending those wretched timberwolves after us. You've got to stop them...”

Verdugo’s eye twitched.

“Since when can changelings control animals?” the recruit asked.

The resident crooked his head.

Verdugo crooked her head back. “Well?”

It snapped out of its trance. “Yeah... some guy called ‘Shadow Beast’ told the Queen that he could tame the Everfree for Her.” It gestured toward the screaming changeling. “You can see how that's been working out.”

“‘Shadow Beast?’ Really?”

The changeling shrugged. “He's an immigrant from Equestria. Came with that name and apparently the talents of mastering the Everfree.” It shook its head. “Now, I'm not sure what to believe.”

“Well, don't worry...” Verdugo smiled. “We'll sort this out first thing tomorrow.” She gestured to her team. “We've been traveling all day and need a place to sleep.”

The resident nodded. “Alright. Come with me.” It guided them to a makeshift shack at the edge of town, as far away from the forest as possible. “It's the best place in town. You being next to royalty means your team are more than welcome to stay here for free.” It gestured toward the door. “Have a good rest. I'll go spread the word that these attacks’ll finally end tomorrow.” It trotted off.

“Whatever,” Verdugo said, shrugging it off. She turned to her team. “Come on, let's get some rest.”

They trotted inside to find several mounds of hay making up the beds. Verdugo took the one in the corner and began removing her armor.

“So, is this really necessary?” one of the soldiers spoke up. “Isn't stopping some freak in the forest going to hurt our time?”

“Oh please.” Verdugo laughed. “Beast is just an idiot. I've dealt with him before.” She smiled in recollection. “I took this request for old time’s sake.” She shook her head. “I still remember... We had taken over Canterlot. My troops intercepted reinforcements, which were lead by a pony princess. Heh... She was easy. Changelings had already made up half of her team and quickly ‘persuaded’ her to surrender. Then Beast shows up. He had to have his pony form forcibly removed, the poor fool. He pleaded for his life like a frightened child, claiming he had some talents with healing and nature. We took him to the Queen for judgement. She just let him go, telling me She expects him dead in the forest within a week.” She shrugged. “That was a few months ago. I guess I'm a bit curious to see what happened.”

“And what if this gets one of us hurt or worse?”

“Then it's a learning experience.”

The team slowly nodded at her outlook and picked out their beds. The moon appeared in the sky through the holes in the shack’s ceiling.

One by one, the troop fell asleep.

Chapter 2: The Weight of the Wails

The sun shined brightly over Appleloosa. The recruit woke up in an unfamiliar bed and an unfamiliar disguise. For some reason, he was a tan stallion. He trotted to the door at the edge of his bedroom. He opened it to deafening noise and blinding light.

When he recovered, he could hear nothing but cheering as several ponies smiled at him. He couldn't taste their love. They put a cake down on the table that had somehow gotten in front of him. In icing, something was written on the top of the cake:

“Happy Birthday, Starch!”

Eight candles glowed green on top of the cake. He looked up from the cake toward all the different ponies around him. As he made eye contact, a voice whispered in his ear. A brown stallion: “Ranch, your father.” A tan mare: “Maple Star, your mother.” A gray mare: “Her. The sitter. All her fault.”

“You can't blame her for the death of your parents,” a female voice spoke out. The room darkened until there was only the green light sparkling. “Of course, forgiveness is far beyond your limitations now, monster.”

“Who are you?!” Starch screamed into the darkness.

“Remember how happy you were that day? That innocence in your heart? The beauty that you threw away?”

“I feel nothing!” he screamed at the light.

“What a shame. What a shame.”

“What are you?!”

“We are the Unseen,” the glowing lights explained as they combined into a single, green diamond. “And your kind have fallen astray, destroying the beauty of this world, denying countless dreams and destinies!”

“What do you know?!” He smirked. “You're just a light.”

“‘Just a light,’ said the darkness. But that's all we need to be to stop you. We are the truth that you deny in favor of your lies. We are the hope you have desecrated. We are the lives you have forsaken. We are all that is pure, and you are all that is corrupt.”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“Clear your mind of lies and know that you have been led astray. Your enemies surround you, and you are blind.”

A hoof jabbed him in the stomach. He opened his eyes to a changeling soldier. He was back in the shack with Verdugo’s team. He looked down to confirm he was a changeling again. He could feel a strange void inside of him.

“Wake up, recruit!” The soldier screeched. “Time to hunt some wolves!”

He tried to shake himself out of it. “Right. I'll be right there.” He took a moment to catch his breath.

“You alright?” It asked him.

Starch... The recruit nodded slowly. “Do you... Have a name?”

It smiled. “Well, Verdugo is a stickler for the traditional naming systems. She only calls us by our Chrsyalis-given names. And only the best get officially named by Her.” The smile disappeared as he looked around to make sure they were alone. “Personally, I think Verdugo just isn't good with names... Or maybe she only listens to the Queen.” It shrugged. “Hard to say.” It smiled again. “But you can call me Brucie.” Brucie chuckled. “The others on our team are Squee and Dreary.” Brucie crooked his head. “Do you have a name?”

“Starchy,” he said, smiling.

Brucie nodded. “Nice. So you awake now?”

Starchy nodded. “Let's get going. Verdugo’s probably getting impatient.”

Brucie gave a shrug. “If I know her well enough, she'd have left us in the dust.” He smiled. “But let's not keep Dreary waiting much longer.”

The pair trotted out into the daylight to find their fellow soldier patting the dirt with his hoof.

“Morning, Dreary!” Brucie greeted.

Dreary barely picked his snout up from the dirt to look at them. He started trotting off without saying a word.

Brucie playfully punched Starchy’s shoulder. “Good ol’ Dreary!” He followed after him, beckoning the recruit along.

The three soldiers trotted through the ramshackle town, the flaws of the architecture shining in the daylight. The scarred changelings smiled and waved as they passed. In the distance, at the edge of the forest, Verdugo and Squee stood waiting. Squee shook with impatience, his eyes and ears determined to confirm the source of every sound in the air.

“About time,” Verdugo snarled as they approached. “You two missed breakfast with your laziness.” She smirked.

Brucie smiled back, his eyes fixed on his shaking partner. “I thought you were cutting him off of pony anxiety?”

Verdugo shrugged. “Not like any of you were there to stop him.” She turned her head to admire the sight. “The way I see it, the more alert it he is, the less dead he’ll be.”

Brucie nodded. “Understandable.”

Verdugo turned and trotted into the forest, with nothing more than a gesture to get the others to follow. Squee jumped on point only to be pulled back by Verdugo’s magic and kept at her side. The constant shaking of his teammate made Starchy uneasy. Brucie was smiling and Dreary followed behind with his eyes on the path. Verdugo kept a large step ahead, constantly scanning with a flashlight spell for any sign of wolves.

A howl echoed through the trees. Verdugo galloped toward the source, her team doing their best to keep up. In a small clearing, the timberwolves gathered around an alpha. It looked around at its pack before making eye contact with the changeling general. It took a step back. Verdugo charged a different kind of spell.

The alpha sat down, which caused its pack to do the same. It looked back at the general. “That won’t be necessary...” it barked with actual words. “Come out. We won’t hurt you.”

The team reluctantly emerged from the trees. Squee shook in the sight of the wolves. Verdugo put a hoof on his shoulder as she turned toward the alpha. “I was expecting a fight, after all the innocent lives you’ve ruined.”

“Do not blame me for my children’s contempt,” the alpha growled. “The nearby village is subject to attack only by those who slip by my gaze. And when they return, they are destroyed.” Its tail began to wag. “I’m on your side here, executioner.”

Verdugo’s eyes widened. She shook an invisible leaf off of her head. “If you can’t keep your own kids on a leash how are we supposed to feel safe right now?”

Its tail stopped wagging. “I’m trying to make this as painless as possible, I assure you. But that village is filled with...” Its head crooked in thought. “...a delicacy. It’s a scent too strong for my children to resist.”

“And what scent is that?” Verdugo asked, growing impatient.

“The scent of changeling blood, of course!”

Out from the bushes leapt a snarling timberwolf. It bounded towards Starchy and Squee. Before Verdugo could react, the beast tripped. It fell onto its head and broke into nothing more than sticks and leaves. A meddlesome vine uncurled around the lone leg that remained of the timberwolf before retreating into the grass of Everfree.

“That’s the eighth time today!” the alpha remarked. Its eyes glowed a very intense green. “And that’s just one of the troublemakers!” It scoffed and shook its head. “But...” It looked up at Verdugo. “I hope this assures you that you are, in fact, safe here.”

“Shut up!” Verdugo commanded. “I am not going to speak to some overgrown piece of wood any more!”

The alpha sighed. “Very well.” It took one last glance at its pack. It sighed again. The eyes of the alpha glowed with a pure, green flame. The flame spread to its body, engulfing the wolf in an orb of green. It exploded outward, leaving nothing but sticks, leaves, and the head of an alpha timberwolf behind. A changeling stood in its place now, almost as short as Squee.

“I’m not an idiot...” it started to explain.

“No, you’re worse than incompetent,” Verdugo scolded. Her tongue stilled itself for a moment, as if her mind had just revoked the next few words. “Your failures have put innocent lives at great risk and I have every right to strike you down where you stand!”

It scoffed. “You know nothing of innocence. And, like I was saying, I’m aware that revealing my true form to you will do nothing to prolong my life.” It smiled at her.

Verdugo stepped forward. “Then you’re ready to die?”

“No one is.” Its horn glowed.

Verdugo fired a spell at it. The changeling encased itself in a magical barrier. The blast pushed it back, but it stood up straight again and smiled.

“In a world of peace and pacifism, you still know how to kill so efficiently.”

“That bubble can’t protect you forever!” Verdugo screamed, signaling her team to move up.

“Executioner, what would I have to say to not die today?”

“Destroy him!” she commanded.

“That’s what I thought.”

With a flash, the barrier was gone. The changeling disappeared with it. Verdugo’s team looked around, only to find the sticks slowly rising from the ground all around them. Five timberwolves formed around them, each snarling at the team. Verdugo smiled at the challenge, taking a step toward the beast in front of her.

She tripped. A vine had looped through one of the holes in her hind leg, keeping her pinned to the ground.

“Umm... Verdugo?” Starchy almost tripped himself trying to reach out to her. “This is... this is survivable, right?”

The general picked herself up from the ground. “Stand your ground, soldiers!” She blasted the beast in front of her with magic. It crumbled to the ground before immediately reassembling.

She shot it again.

It reanimated even faster.

She kept shooting it.

It kept on, getting closer and closer.

“The magic’s not working!” Dreary yelled out, having the exact same luck on her right flank.

The pack closed in on their meal.

“The vine!” Verdugo screamed. “Cut the vine!”

With a blast of her magic, the vine snapped in two. The changeling team spread their wings and flew. The vine grew longer to make up for its cut, but couldn’t reach their airborne legs in time. Verdugo and her team escaped over the treetops. In defeat, the vine shriveled into the grass. One by one, the timberwolves fell into pieces.

A changeling emerged from the trees and picked up the alpha’s head. “Sorry, Shadow...” It dropped it and stomped it into the dust. “That was just too close. It's not worth it anymore.”

Meanwhile, Verdugo and her team kept flying to the north.

“Shouldn’t we go back and help that town?” Brucie asked. “It’s not like us to fail a mission...”

“We didn’t fail,” Verdugo growled. “We learned.”

“So we are going back?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because that wasn’t a fight,” Dreary answered. “That was fear. Pure fear.” He nodded. “Verdugo and I’ve seen it before. That changeling knows what it did wrong, so the problem is either going to get much worse... or disappear.”

“Shadow Beast has always been a pushover,” Verdugo added. “I’m almost impressed that he tried to stand up to me like that.”

“But if he just grew a backbone...”

“If he had faced us, we’d go back,” Verdugo snapped. “He attacked from the shadows. He had no backbone.” She shrugged. “One way or another, it’s not our problem anymore.”

“So where are we going now?” Brucie asked.

“The castle. We still need to be briefed by the Queen for our unseen mission.”

Chapter 3: The Royal Executioner

The castle appeared on the horizon, jutting out of the mountain just as it did those two months ago when the invasion took place. The team smiled as they flew toward it. Verdugo scanned the land below them, seeing the next checkpoint getting closer and closer. She frowned at the absence of activity.

“Not so fast, guys,” she said, stopping in midair. Everyone hovered over the empty shack town. “It’s too quiet around here...” She signaled to her team before diving down into the center of the checkpoint.

Starchy could feel instinct take over his movements as he joined the others in their charge to her side. They landed like comets, impacting into the dirt and getting up without a scratch. The team looked around.

Verdugo sniffed the air. “No sign of ponies.” She turned to her team and pointed to the different shacks around them. “Check around and look for anything pointing to foul play. Whether they’re all lazy or in trouble, someone’s gonna pay.”

They nodded and split into different directions, leaving Starchy in the middle of town with Verdugo. She noticed.

“I know you’re new, but your body is a toned soldier.” She shook her head. “No need to be nervous to follow orders.” She forced a smile before turning from him.

Hooves smacked the ground behind Starchy. Before he knew it, the hooves had wrapped around his neck and pulled him up on his hind legs. There was something cold being pressed up against his neck.

Verdugo turned around and took a defensive stance with a glowing horn. “What the he--”

“Don’t move or somebody dies!” a male, pony voice yelled into Starchy’s ear.

“That’s a knife, pegasus...” Verdugo noted aloud. “Those are illegal, you know.”

The cold began to hurt Starchy’s neck. “Moving your mouth still counts. Now take off your armor and get down on the ground with your hooves at your side.” It became difficult for the recruit to breathe. “Now!”

Verdugo growled at Starchy’s captor. She aggressively pulled off her helmet and saddle and tossed them aside. She slowly lay on her side as he had requested.

“Good,” said the voice. The cold withdrew a little, allowing Starchy to take a breath. “Good.” He could feel the body behind him shuffle a little, then a hoof threw a rope at the general. “Now use your magic to tie yourself up.”

Verdugo looked at the rope then back up to the pegasus. “You’re kidding?”

The cold closed in and pain coursed through Starchy’s neck. “Do I look like I’m kidding?! Tie. Yourself. Up!”

She grumbled to herself as she complied. The glowing rope looped through the holes in her legs like the vine once had, then tied itself into knot.

Starchy could breathe again. “Good,” the pony commended. “Now, order your team to do the same.” The cold came right back. “Don’t mess this up for your little recruit. I want to see you four changelings tied up together at the hoof now!”

Verdugo sighed. “Dreary! Bruce! Squealer!” she called out. “Come to me slowly and without any sudden movements. Lay here on the ground with me.”

They heard her. Dreary kept his head to the dirt, not even looking at Starchy or his captor as he approached Verdugo. He fell onto his side to match her. Squee popped his head out reluctantly then with an almost unnatural stride, calmly trotted to her side and laid down with her. Brucie was the last one, slowly going to their side and joining them.

“Now tie yourselves up!” the voice commanded.

Verdugo quickly undid the knot and pulled the rope off of her front hooves for enough slack for it to go around all four sets of hind legs. She tied the knot around her own hind leg and stared back at the pony holding the recruit.

“Good!” he yelled into Starchy’s ear.

“Well, that was... Easy,” another stallion’s voice called out from the darkness. A pale yellow unicorn trotted into view.

“What do you expect from a hivemind?”

The unicorn noticed the armor on the ground. “Ooh! These had armor? That’s super rare!” He trotted up to them.

“Hooves off the merchandise, Sin! You gotta hold this little guy for me until we’re ready to act, alright?”

The unicorn smirked. “You mean kill them all, right?”

“Wow!” Verdugo chuckled. “Really?!” She turned to the captor. “Let him go right now and I promise not to snap your neck in half and shove that knife through your idiot friend’s eye.”

The unicorn laughed. “Now we’re talking!”

“Sin is definitely an idiot,” the voice growled. “But I can assure you that I had no intention on killing this changeling if you all just complied.”

“But that’s so boring!” The unicorn pulled a spear from one of the shacks with his magic. Its tip dripped with changeling blood. “Why have all this bogus trust when we can just skip to the fun part!”

“Because that’s not how we do things!” the voice was becoming more irritated. Starchy could feel himself being shaken around. But then he realized that he was doing the shaking. The captor tried to hold on. “No!”

Just as the recruit escaped the pony’s embrace, it turned only to see the knife embedded in its own chest. Green leaked from his carapace.

The white pegasus shook his head. “You... you made me do that! I told you not to move!”

Starchy looked back down to his chest one last time before collapsing. The pegasus quickly grabbed the knife from his body and prepared for the worst. Sin simply laughed and charged toward the ensnared changelings, spear first.

Verdugo’s magic shot the spear out of the unicorn’s aura before lifting the entire pony off of the ground by his neck. Dreary did his best to untie the knot around her leg. Brucie was still in shock and Squee was trying to chew his way through the rope.

The pegasus charged from her flank, unseen before it was too late. The knife cut through Verdugo’s front hoof. The pain forced her to lose her balance and the grip on the unicorn. The others on her team doubled their efforts. Verdugo simply looked up at the knife-bearing pegasus. And he looked down at her.

Sin crawled over to the armor. “Dude, this stuff is super high quality. Like... Royal guard stuff!” He turned to his friend with a smile. “You want to get back at the Queen for taking your wife, why not just kill her bitch?” He laughed.

Verdugo looked up at him with her one eye before turning back to the pegasus. His lips trembled, shaking the blade. Verdugo’s horn began to glow.

“Thunder! She’s up to someth--”

Verdugo blasted the pegasus with her horn. She quickly turned her horn to the unicorn as the pegasus collapsed. Sin’s horn glowed in an attempt to pull the spear back to his side in time. The momentum caused the weapon to land harmlessly on his unconscious body.

Dreary finally got the knot undone. Everyone pulled away from each other. Verdugo galloped to her armor, Dreary to the knife and then the spear, Squee meeting him at the fallen unicorn, and Brucie galloped to the fallen changeling.

“Do you think they have any idea how lucky they are?” Verdugo asked Dreary. She scoffed at the sight of the unicorn. “Trying to kill the Royal Executioner! Ha!” She sighed. “I almost wish Chrysalis hadn't given me the explicit order not to kill ponies.”

“So what do we do?” Dreary asked in an almost deadpan voice. “Leave them here? Take them with us?”

Verdugo put her armor back on. She smiled at the pegasus. “That one, we bring with us. We find out his name. We find his wife. We get fed.” She turned to the unicorn. “That one stays here.” She took one last moment to look him over.

“Sure was a freak, huh?” chittered Squee. He shrugged. “Might be fun to mess with at the castle...”

“Chrysalis grew bored with the criminally insane the moment we started in-the-womb training regimens,” Verdugo explained. She shrugged. “He's completely devoid of love. He only likes killing.” A smirk creased her snout. “Those emotions really threw off my nose.” She stared at the pony almost wistfully, as if the unicorn were an old friend. She shrugged again and smiled at Squee. “Wrap him up. I want to see if Chrysalis will allow an execution.”

Verdugo turned to see Brucie carrying Starchy's body on his back. “He's barely holding on, Verdugo. We need to rest here for the night.”

She shook her head. “It's too unsafe. The recruit stays behind.”

Brucie shook his head. “He trusted us! And... Dammit, we need a cocoonist!”

“He stays behind. I'm sure Chrysalis will love to deal with the two ponies that killed our breeder.”

Brucie reluctantly nodded and shook the changeling's body off of his back.

“Listen, lieutenant, if that recruit weighed you down enough that some pony with a bow gets you right through your eye, we lose up to two changelings today.” Verdugo sighed. “Don't we just want to cut it at one? You know as well as I do that his complete lack of true experience puts him far too low on the waitlist for treatment anyways.”

“But he'll die alone...”

“Good. I hope he wakes up for a fleeting moment. What's happened here is a tragedy and I absolutely hate unexpected death.” She looked around before finally smiling. “But... If you want, we can fire off a flare for him. A changeling beacon. Maybe someone who lived here will see it and help him out for you?”

Brucie smiled and nodded.

“Then it's decided.” Verdugo fired a flaming bolt of magic that exploded into a puff of green flame.

“Now let's go. You take the pegasus. The others have the unicorn. We've got a report to make.”

Chapter 4: Foreign Dogma

It’s so funny how a song can get stuck in your head. Imagine if you could sing... You hear the notes and your throat would naturally follow along. That’s how this all works. You take a fierce warrior’s training... You just stick it into their head.
Just stick it into their head....
Just stick it into their head!

Stick it deep enough in there and nobody will be able to tell it’s there.

Stick...

Get the stick.

“Go on...” a familiar voice spoke out in the darkness. “Get the stick!”

Starchy opened his eyes. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain in his chest kept him on the ground. He looked down at his chest and found no sign that he had been stabbed, despite the tremendous pain. The recruit looked around to confirm where he was. The abandoned shacks still surrounded him. The checkpoint itself was eerily silent as ever.

Then he heard a dog panting.

Starchy turned to find a timberwolf bounding towards him. The pain made it impossible to move out of the way in time. A stick caught his eye on the ground nearby. He picked it up with his magic and threw it past the wolf. It turned and chased after it. The recruit breathed a sigh of relief.

“Wow,” the familiar voice said. “You’re already awake?” Shadow Beast stepped forward from the shadows. His timberwolf pet returned the stick to him. He patted the wolf on the head as he looked at the wounded changeling. “I thought you had at least an hour or so yet...”

“How... how long was I out?” Starchy asked in pain. “What happened to me?”

“I... I was kinda hoping you’d tell me,” Shadow replied with an awkward laugh. “I came when I saw that emergency flare and when I got here there was nobody in the town and you were just laying there bleeding.” He chuckled nervously. “Either way... I had to help you out, so I used one of my old healing spells.” He gulped and crooked his head. “How... How are you feeling?”

Starchy looked at his chest then back to Shadow. “My chest really hurts.”

“That's... Not good. I mean... You'll be fine after like an hour but... Yeah.”

“Are you... Are you any help to me at all?”

Shadow smirked and twitched. “I mean... I healed you.” He looked from the recruit to his wolf and back. “Keep the timberwolves off you...” His voice grew quieter with each word. “And I guess...” His mouth kept moving, silently, for a few more seconds.

Starchy crooked his head. “I... I don't suppose you have anything for this pain, do you?”

Shadow shook his head. Then he crooked it and shrugged. “If it's caused by something being misaligned, then I could fix it.”

“You wanna check?”

Shadow winced. “I mean... If nothing's wrong then the pain could easily get worse.”

Starchy winced and bared his fangs in pain. “Help. Me.”

Shadow trotted over to the changeling and looked over his carapace. He was careful not to touch any part of Starchy's body. With a deep breath, he looked through the carapace with a magic spell, checking for any anomalies.

The inside of the changeling was like a lava lamp. Shadow was used to the sight but something about this particular changeling disturbed him. Something was definitely amiss, and he had to fix it. With his mind concentrating so hard, he didn't feel his hoof move toward the changeling's stomach.

The gentlest prod sent the a shockwave of agony through Starchy's body. He screamed loud enough to stun the Shadow and his beast.

“So sorry...” Shadow whispered under his breath.

Heaving breathing had Starchy's chest beating like a heart under his audible whispers. The intensity didn't seem to waver. Then Shadow started hearing words within the grunts of pain.

“Uhn... Dor... Un... Ooo...”

Shadow crooked his head.

“Un... Do. Un. Do.”

The changeling brought up his spell again to check the patient’s chest. The “lava” was swirling rhythmically around the spot that had had a stab wound in it. Unsure of what else to do, Shadow gulped and carefully undid the healing spell. Blood began to pour from the changeling's chest and the heaving finally stopped.

The timberwolf’s head perked up at the scent.

Starchy fell unconscious from the pain. Shadow nodded solemnly. He looked up to see his companion bounding toward them. He jumped in between it and his sleeping friend, his horn aglow.

“Stop!”

It kept coming.

“I said STOP!”

Its eyes stared through him as it refused.

“STOP!” Shadow’s horn fizzled, his magic exhausted from the healing spells. He shook his head, out of breath. “He’s not dead--”

It pounced onto Shadow. The changeling was helpless to the claws of the beast. The patient shook subtly in his sleep, tormented by the screams.

“Please, stop!”

The voice faded.

No...
Not dead. Can’t die.

The new voice wasn’t a changeling’s.

Can’t die. Can’t die. Can’t die.

At the farthest reaches of the darkness, a green light flickered.

Can’t die. Can’t die. Can’t die.

A low growl shook up the chanting. The green light came back, stronger than before.

Stop. This isn’t right.

The growling died down.

A foreboding, yet somehow familiar, feminine chuckle echoed inside Starchy’s mind. He could feel his eyelids again. His eyes were closed. Something was watching him.

The changeling opened his eyes to his one-eyed general, giving him a very worried look. He let out a sigh of relief and slowly got up from the ground. She crooked her head at him.

“You’re alright?” she asked him, utterly dumbfounded.

Starchy shrugged before finding himself somehow out of breath. “Why? Why wouldn’t I be?” He chuckled uneasily

Verdugo quickly pushed him upright with her hoof to look at his chest. There wasn’t a mark on it. No visible blood and the changeling didn’t seem to feel even the slightest pain. She slowly released her grip on him.

She took a breath. “What happened?”

“We were checking this place out, right?”

Verdugo took a double take. “You... You don’t remember them?”

Starchy crooked his head innocently. “Who?”

“The ponies?! The one who stabbed you in the chest?!”

He looked down at his unbroken carapace and back up. “What?”

Verdugo put a hoof around him. “You know what? I don’t even care...” She breathed a sigh of relief down his back. She pushed him back to look him in the eyes again. “Chrysalis really wants to meet you.” She chuckled. “Apparently, you were our mission. Kind of ironic, huh?”

“Me?” Starchy crooked his head. “Why me?”

“No time to explain. Not anymore.” She looked up at the moon, then down to the shacks. “Get up, boys! We’re heading out! All of us!”

Brucie galloped to Starchy, but stopped himself short and stared at his clean chest.

“Yeah, he's fully healed,” Verdugo affirmed. “Just get ready to roll.”

“Is that what the Queen was talking about?” Squee asked.

Dreary punched him in the back of the head. “Confidential.” He nodded to Verdugo.

The general nodded back. The group turned and took off. As they took to the air again, something didn't feel right for Starchy. A sensation slithered down his back like slime. He turned back to see a figure standing in the middle of the empty camp with flaming green eyes glaring back. One of its forelegs seemed to be made of tree bark. He turned back to Verdugo, tempted to ask for help, but when his head went back to the camp it was empty. He shrugged off the feeling. It was probably just a timberwolf.

Verdugo turned to Starchy. “Stop me if this isn't the time, recruit, but do you remember how you managed to heal?”

Starchy shrugged. “I guess it was just rest.”

The general looked up at the moon. “We left you alone for six hours in the middle of an abandoned camp. Are you absolutely sure that's all there was?”

The recruit crooked his head. “I mean... It's probably all that happened.”

“Just leave the boy alone,” Brucie pleaded. “He's been through enough for one day.”

Verdugo sighed. “You're not wrong. But we all have... Let's just get to the castle and finish our report.”

“What about the ponies?” Squee asked.

“Don't worry about them. If Chrysalis would have them dealt with tonight, I will do it.”

The team landed at the castle. The town surrounding it had been turned into a slave town known as “Canterlot Dungeons” and the ponies were kept there. They looked down on them from the tower above while Verdugo unlocked the door.

“It's open,” she whispered.

The team trotted into the luxury of their private room in the castle. Verdugo put a hoof on Starchy’s shoulder.

“Sorry, pal, but you're gonna need to meet the Queen before you get any bedrest.”

Starchy nodded and followed Verdugo down the steps toward the larger castle tower.

“I'll be honest, I've never seen Chrysalis stay in one place this long... At least, this long after the invasion. After her successful takeover, she's been insisting on leading every charge on the enemy fronts. Her teams are always bringing in the new ponies, and my team is always on... Heh. Janitorial duty. I wonder why she's decided to focus on a breeder...”

Starchy just nodded along.

The general sighed. “Sorry for rambling... I guess even after becoming Royal Executioner, the most decorated soldier in her army, I still find myself wanting a little more action.”

The recruit turned his head. “How did you become the Royal Executioner?”

“That’s... A story for another time.” She stopped and gestured to a large set of doors with a pair of guards outside it. “This is the throne room.” She smiled at him. “You ready?”

He smiled and nodded back.

The guards ushered them into the large room. Shattered stained glass windows lined the room, and Queen Chrysalis sat on the throne at the far end. She smiled as they approached.

“Verdugo, will you ever cease to amaze?”

“Despite everything, your highness, he got better all on his own.”

Chrysalis gasped excitedly. “Really? How marvelous!”

“Was this kind of thing planned?”

The Queen shrugged. “Someone said that we never used our in-the-womb training on a cocoonist, so we did.” She smiled at Verdugo. “Of course, I could only trust my best to look after such a creature.”

“I already have two pre-trained soldiers in my squad, your highness...”

“Really? Those two are still with you?” She chuckled. “So you're a troop of four now?”

“Five, including Dreary.”

“Dreary’s alive?” She chuckled and shook her head. “I really have underestimated your abilities. You have my sincerest apologies.”

“Aww, gee...” Verdugo patted at the ground with her hoof.

“You may take a weapon from the vault,” Chrysalis said. She nodded at Verdugo’s shocked face. “Yes, that's right. One weapon. You've earned it.”

“Thank you, your highness!” Verdugo prodded Starchy and they galloped out of the throne room together.

“Oh, and Verdugo!” Chrysalis called out down the hall. “Interrogate those troublemakers before you sleep. A cleanup crew will be arriving in the morning for their corpses.”

“Of course...” Verdugo growled under her breath. “Will do!” she yelled back happily.

The throne doors were already closed.

“Yeah... I'm sure she heard me,” she said to her companion’s raised eyebrow.

Chapter 5: The Right Hooves of Destruction

The pair trotted to the Vault, the place where all weapons confiscated from the invasion were placed.

“Chrysalis really values the lives of ponies,” Verdugo explained as the guards let the pair inside. “So She had all the lethal measures taken from them, lest we be tempted to kill them... Or for them to kill themselves.” She looked over the vast array of spears before settling on one of them. She pulled it from the rack to look at it more closely. “Now these weapons are only used for fighting unruly changelings or for executions.”

Verdugo sighed and pulled the weapon to her side. She solemnly nodded and turned toward the exit. “You should go back to your room. I can handle the ponies by myself.”

Starchy shook his head. “I'm coming with you.”

A frown tugged at the edges of her snout. “Don't look up to me, kid. I'm not a good role model.”

“You're the best I've got.” He shrugged. “What's the worst that could happen?”

Verdugo sighed and nodded. “Fine. But I'm doing all the talking.” The two made their way out of the Vault. “The crazy unicorn or the pegasus who stabbed you?”

“What... What are you asking me?”

“Which one should we kill first?”

“The stabby one,” Starchy replied almost immediately.

Verdugo chuckled. “Good choice.”

A lone changeling stood outside the Vault, awaiting them. He beckoned toward the pair and guided them to the cells where the prisoners were being kept. The first door held the pegasus, with the unicorn held in the next room. The changeling galloped away, lest it hear any of the events through the thin walls.

Verdugo turned to Starchy and put a hoof to her lips. She opened the door and the two trotted into the first room. She shut and locked it behind them with a simple latch.

The pegasus looked weakly up at them from his chair, his hooves and wings tied to it with sticky cocooning goop.

Between the prisoner and the executioner was a simple table. Verdugo shoved her spear through the wooden center of it and trotted up to the pony. She raised his head to meet her eye with her own hoof and smiled.

“So... Where are they?” she asked him.

The pegasus looked from her eye socket to the rest of the room and back. “There is nopony else,” he explained. “Sin and I were the last of the--”

Verdugo struck him with her hoof. The pony, chair and all, were now on their side. “No. I don't accept lies.” The pony rolled his eyes. “You really want to bet your life on that lie? Then I'll rip open your stomach and when I see everyone’s valuables, I'll be satisfied.” The pony crooked his head. “The valuables that are missing,” she clarified. “Someone had to take them and I know it wasn't you or this ‘Sin’ guy.”

“I don't know what you're talking about...”

“There's a spear in the table, pal.” Verdugo nodded toward it. “It's meant for you... But if you can prove your usefulness then it--”

“Changelings don't kill ponies,” the pegasus interjected.

Verdugo grinned. “Now you know that, yet you would threaten one? Stab one?!”

“Changelings capture ponies. We wanted to survive, so we would take the weakest ones we could find and barter for supplies.” He sighed. “It only ever worked once.” He smiled at her. “On you.”

“If that changeling hadn't miraculously survived your stabbing, you'd be dead where you lie,” Verdugo noted. “So instead we have time to talk...”

The pegasus looked up at her and shook his head. “My wife is gone. You monsters took her, and I never saw her again.”

“I'm sure if we looked in the dungeons--”

“Sin had escaped your complexes before. We teamed up to rescue her.” He shook his head. “Don't waste your time like I wasted mine. She's gone.” He silently looked down at the floor for a moment. “Kill me.”

Verdugo lowered her head, whispering under her breath. Such a shame about that... They were such a cute couple. She was always there for him when he returned from battle.

“What are you talking about?” Starchy asked her.

“What?” Verdugo asked him as the two heads looked back at the quiet changeling. “Starchy, just get my spear. Bring it for our friend.”

The recruit reluctantly nodded and pulled the spear from the broken table. He handed it over.

Verdugo took it with her magic. She turned to the pegasus. She nodded. Then she plunged it into his heart.

“It seems to me that you're not the problem here, pegasus...”

“Thunder...” the pegasus retched. “Sword...”

His body fell limp.

Verdugo pulled the blade out of him. “Well, ‘Thunder Sword’ was easy enough. Real tough guy type, but respectable at least.” She smirked and patted Starchy. “Let's go kill ourselves the real problem.”

“But if he wasn't the real--”

Verdugo shushed him and led him to the next room.

“About damn time!” the unicorn’s voice yelled out at the two changelings coming through the door. He rocked back and forth, stuck to his chair, goop on his horn. He stopped rocking when he saw the red-stained spear get gently placed on the table before him.

“By all means, don't let us shut you up.” Verdugo smiled at him. “Just tell us where your friends are and I won't kill you.”

“Nah, boo...” Sin chuckled. “You killed Thunder. He was the good guy who’d never sell his friends out for his own sake...” He smiled at her. “But me? I'm just here for the fun of it all.” He nodded happily. “So screw you.”

“I have a spear.”

“I’ve killed ponies.”

“I'm trying to give you a fair--”

“This isn't some playground fun time!” Sin chastised. “This is real life!” He laughed at her. “If life was fair, my parents would be alive still...”

“Did they die in the invasion?” Verdugo asked.

Sin laughed in her face. “What?! You think if they somehow died during your invasion that sparing my life might mean something to either of us?!” He laughed some more. “No. I killed them both. And each night I wish I could do it again.”

“And save them?”

“Heck no! Just kill them for the fun of it!” He laughed at her even more. “You changelings think you're sooo good with your little ‘values’ and your promises of ‘mercy’ just to kill us anyways...” He smiled dementedly at her. “You're nothing to me. I'm going to get out of these binds eventually and I will murder each and every--”

“Recruit!” Verdugo called to Starchy. He retrieved the spear.

“Rude!” Sin rolled his eyes.

“Wait for me outside, recruit.”

Sin chuckled. “Yeah, recruit! Go wait outside while I get some alone time with the royal bitch!”

“NOW!” she screamed back at Starchy.

He quickly left the room and within seconds of the door latching could hear horrible screams through the walls.

Then there was silence.

The door opened and a red changeling trotted out. Red dripped down onto the floor around her.

“I didn't want you to get wet,” the crimson Verdugo explained. “More than that, I didn't want anyone to think for a second there was anything resembling a pony in that room.” She shuddered, splattering the walls and floor in red droplets. “I just can't stand psychos like that.”

She smiled at Starchy. “You go on back the room. I'll catch up after I wash all this off.”

Starchy nodded, leaving the redness behind for the comfort of cleaner company, and a safe place to sleep.

Chapter 6: The Wounds We Hide

By the time that Starchy had finally returned to the bedroom, only Brucie had managed to stay awake. His tired smile greeted the changeling.

“So how'd it go?”

“It was... Weird.”

Brucie nodded. “What happened?”

“Verdugo was told to kill those ponies.” Starchy sighed. “It felt so weird watching them die for a crime against me that I don't remember...”

“Just because you don't remember it doesn't mean it didn't happen...”

Starchy stuck out his chest. “But there's no sign that it happened. No marks or blood or even pain...”

“We were all there, we saw it. Just because you miraculously healed doesn't he didn't try to kill you.”

“But the act was completely inconsequential!”

Brucie took a step back, intimidated by the vocabulary. “There are always consequences, Starchy. Always.”
But they are not always what we intend.

“What do you mean by that?” Starchy asked his whispering friend.

“It means that every choice we make is going to make an impact somehow... I just wish ours weren't always so fatal.”
If only there was a reason to hold back.

“It really doesn't help that I can't remember it...” Starchy shook his head. “And no one ever seems to care about my amnesia.”

Brucie chuckled. “That's because you were trained ‘in the womb,’ as they say.” He shrugged. “We forget stuff like that all the time. It's always the events that would rattle our sanities, so a lot of us see it as a blessing.”

“Oh... Well, what's the biggest thing you forgot?”

Brucie’s smile faded for a moment. “Well, so I'm told, I was almost killed here in ‘Canterlot’ during the initial invasion.” He chuckled. “As far as I remember, I slept through the attack and barely got to the fight in time to meet Verdugo and her team.”

Whisper the truth and shout the lies.

That whisper wasn't Brucie. Starchy looked around, confused and concerned that they were being watched.

Brucie crooked his head. “What's wrong?”

“Didn't you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

This is a cute moment.

Starchy reluctantly looked toward the empty darkness that the voice seemed to be coming from. Brucie just kept his eyes fixed on him.

He can't hear me, Starchy.

Starchy shook his head. “I guess it was just the wind.”

Brucie smiled. “Yeah, guess so.” He turned from him. “I think it's best to get to sleep before Verdugo gets back; she takes sleeping as a valid excuse when recruiting for those last minute chores the Queen puts her up to.”

Which one is lazier?

Starchy nodded. “Good night.” He went to his bed and tried to reason with the voice in his head.

“Can you hear me?” he thought to himself.

The feeling is mutual.

“Was that a yes?”

I can do a lot more than hear you.

“Who are you?”

I am nothing of consequence.

“That's impossible. Everything has consequences.”

I'm simply a voice. I am the voice of reason and truth in the world of deception. Brucie lied to you; all those trained before birth can hear me. But they choose not to. Will you go deaf as well?

“I'm going to sleep.”

Then I will see you in your dreams.

Starchy's eyes opened wider. He looked up to find two changeling eyes looking back at him.

“You hearing voices?” Dreary asked him.

“Yeah...”

The eyes smiled. “Don't worry about it. Just ignore it and try to get some sleep.”

Starchy wasn't accepting that as an answer. “Why is this happening?”

The eyes had already turned away. “Because of your training. Sometimes a little more than just reflexes and instinct make it in. Just stay focused on what's important and the voice will become irrelevant soon enough.”

Such ignorance. This whole world is filled with it. Except for you, of course.

Starchy got into bed without a word.

Why don't you trust me, Starchy?

The changeling closed his eyes.

Do you think I'm lying?

Starchy relaxed his body.

Tell you what... I'll skip tonight's dream just for you. Hate to worry you with my help... That'd be too ironic for my tastes.

Starchy fell asleep.

Verdugo entered the room shortly after, clutching a piece of paper in the darkness. She looked down at it one last time as the light from the door swung into darkness:

“Do it” was scrawled in that royal hoofwriting, and in the same pen was an upside down goat drawing.

A smile creased her snout as she remembered the look on the guard’s face who had handed it to her. She looked up from the paper to the rest of the room. Everyone was asleep already. She let her smile succumb to the gravity of her exhaustion and fell into her own bed as well.

Surely, their next assignment could survive the night.

Chapter 7: When Hope Rises

Starchy awoke from a good night's rest to see Verdugo stretching by her bed. She yawned and put on her helmet before looking over at him. She smiled.

“The Queen is going to give us an actual briefing soon,” Verdugo said as she trotted toward him. “There are two loose ends to tie up first but she's found a way to get both in one go.”

Starchy stretched and yawned. “What loose ends are those?”

“Well, the most important one is that the Queen likes you and doesn't want you to die. So she's decided to assign us yet another new recruit to act as a solid defense.”

“The other loose end?”

Verdugo chuckled. “Shadow Beast. He showed up at the western checkpoint and has become an annoyance again. So we'll be going over there to--”

“We're going to Dead Town?!” Squee screeched, waking up the last two members. He shook his head. “There's no way I'm going back to that place... Not again!”

“Toughen up, private!” Verdugo commanded. “If Beast can survive the night there then you can survive less than an hour!”

Starchy glanced between them with a crooked head. “Dead Town?”

“It was called ‘Ponyville’ before we changelings took over,” Verdugo explained. “But for some reason, the cursed forest quickly encroached upon it and soon we were left with nothing more than a few ramshackle houses and a lot of angry wildlife.”

“Some say the forest swallowed up a group of ponies, and that they live in that part of the forest...” Squee added.

“Foolishness!” Verdugo declared. “We all know that the forest is simply too hostile for any non-feral being to survive in.”

“We're missing the point,” the drowsy Dreary interjected. “There's no way Shadow could possibly survive the western checkpoint... There's too much death on all sides.”

“He survived the forest and tamed those mutts,” Brucie noted. “We can't just turn our noses up for this...”

“Which is why we're leaving immediately,” Verdugo announced.

“But if our job is to kill him, we're wasting our time!” Squee complained.

“We're not killing him. We're recruiting him.” Verdugo smiled.

“Why?” Dreary asked, looking from Squee to Starchy and finally to Verdugo.

“That's a good question. And I'll explain on the way.”

The team took to the air straight from their balcony and headed southwest toward Dead Town.

Verdugo soared to the front to explain. “The Queen wants us to raise our private to fill the role as the main breeder. Her plan is to create a new generation of soldiers twice as efficient as the current generation.” She smiled. “Of course, we have no shortage of enemies, which is why not only are we protecting him but she's ordered us a goat.”

“A goat?” Squee asked. “What did Shadow do to it?”

“Shadow is the goat.” Verdugo looked back and saw confused looks. “Haven't any of you heard of fainting goats?” Most of the heads shook. “When a predator goes for the kill, they always take the slowest and weakest, so if our prize specimen fits that description we need something even worse. Fainting goats got their name from falling over and being killed by predators to save the prized ones. So metaphorically, Shadow will be our fainting goat!”

“So did Shadow take the form of a goat?” Squee asked.

“It's a metaphor, you uncultured wretch!” Verdugo snapped at him. She immediately covered her mouth. Reluctantly, her hooves lowered. “I'm... I'm sorry.”

Squee shrugged. “What? It's not like you said sh-”

“Should we explain the ordeal?!” Dreary interjected just in time.

Verdugo couldn't hide her smirk. “Yeah, sure. The story should take the rest of trip...” She smiled. “Why don't you tell it? I don't want to be running my mouth all day here!”

She fell back and pushed Dreary to the front, overruling hesitation.

Dreary kept his eyes front and his voice stoic. “It happened a long time ago... Before the formation of the second generation with their in-the-womb ‘training.’ Verdugo and her team, my unnamed self included, were assigned the ultimate suicide mission to prove our worth. The last team that tried it were top-notch and had twice the firepower. And we still never found all of their remains.

“So we made our way across the wasteland, to the most foul hive in the world... Sent to end the silent war. Heh, Chrysalis had known that even a murmur of what was inside could destabilize Her entire hive.”

“And what was that?” Squee asked.

“Let me tell the story, kid.

“The changelings in this hive were feral, bloodthirsty, and could take the form of other changelings. We didn't know what to expect; I had already told you how the last raid on this place had gone.

“But when we entered the wretched hive, we were greeted by a changeling queen. Not Chrysalis, just a crownless and kingdomless queen trotting in her lonesome in a hole. She said hello. She treated us as prospective followers of her heresy. Verdugo went along with it, listening to her dribble about immortality and some superior moral compass.

“Next thing I know, Verdugo kills her with a spear and gallops out with the biggest smile on her face I've ever seen.” Dreary finally looked back to smile at Verdugo. “So we returned and suddenly she's spouting to the Queen about how the wretches weren't completely worthless. She shows Chrysalis a spell that can fill a changeling’s head with the knowledge and instincts to fight on par with the best of the guards.

“And that is how the second generation was born!”

Starchy only heard the wind now. He realized the voice in his head had been silent all day. He cringed, but his recollection didn't bring it back to life. He put his mind to other things.

“So you just killed a friendly changeling?” Starchy asked Verdugo.

“What Dreary omitted from the story was the fact that this ‘queen’ admitted to destroying her entire hive in desperation for food!” she revealed. “She was practically begging to die, saying immortality was a curse and that her haunting sins would never let her rest.” She smiled. “I proved her wrong, didn't I?”

“Where'd you learn the spell then?”

“From talking to her, mostly. I also found a book filled with her heretical spells and with some inspiration I was able to cut out most of the awful side effects and get the instinct spell working flawlessly!” Her smile started to fade. “Though I do wish that we weren't stricken with memory loss and sometimes an evil voice in our heads... Chrysalis insists that both only strengthen the character of our soldiers.” She shrugged. “Who am I to argue?”

Starchy exhaled. “I'd hate to hear about the side effects that didn't make it into the final spell...”

Verdugo chuckled. “Honestly, I butchered her spell so much that one of the side effects became the main effect, and the main effect was omitted completely!”

“Wait, what was that spell supposed to do before?”

She shook her head. “It was a putrid attempt at immortality. The spell could take the entire consciousness of a changeling and put it inside another changeling. The footnotes kept emphasizing the dangers of two souls in the same body and how 100% of the time, the spell resulted in the destruction of one or both of these two souls.” She smiled. “Funny thing is that I noticed the 100% to be a rounded probability... There was a scribbled out 99.9% right next to it. I looked through more of the footnotes and found alterations that allowed up to ten souls in one body at the same time, but of course the caveat included crippling either the body or mind of all but one of the souls.”

Dreary cleared his throat. “So by changing the strength of the mind going in to just be a fixed set of knowledge, you prevented the whole 100% death side effect?”

“Exactly.”

Dead Town appeared on the horizon; they would arrive soon. Starchy looked down at the forest and watched the trees fly by.

Remember: Always put out your campfires. A single spark could set the world aflame.

Starchy looked up to make sure the voice was just in his head. His heart pounded in his chest.

“Umm... Verdugo?” he called out.

She turned to him with an impatient glare.

“Verdugo, is fire safety included in our in-the-womb training?”

She couldn't keep looking at him with a straight face. She turned in a futile attempt to hide her laughter. “If you've got an urge to light something on fire, you've certainly not had that training!”

He laughed along with the others to hide his worries. He took a deep breath as they landed in Dead Town. The place had become so overgrown that it seemed only a single, towering building was left for the changelings. The team approached it, each member taking a moment to appreciate the height of the tower. Verdugo took the shortest moment, focusing instead on the door. She trotted up and knocked on it.

No answer.

“Royal executioner!” Verdugo yelled as her hooves pounded on the door again. “Open up if you're in there!” She put her ear to the door.

Imagine sitting at home and hearing death beating at your door...

Starchy did his best to ignore the voice and focus on a more tangible snout.

“I don't think anyone's home...” Brucie said to Verdugo.

Her hoof pounded on the door a couple times before scraping down the front. She glared back at him. “Oh, they're in there all right!” She turned back toward the door and took a breath to scream. “I'm giving you one last chance to open this door!”

Finally, the hinges creaked and a shaky figure stuck their snout outside to look at them.

Verdugo took a step back. “Shadow Beast?! Is that you?”

Shadow nodded weakly. “Sorry about the wait... I'm the only one here and, well...”

The changeling slowly hobbled out of the tower on three legs. His front left leg was missing and his entire body was covered with cuts and scars from timberwolf claws. Blood dripped onto the ground from his chest.

“You're bleeding!” Verdugo noticed. “Can you fly?”

The changeling looked back at his wings for a moment. They were still in perfect shape. He shrugged at Verdugo. “I'm not sure how to...”

“Even for someone too old to have the training, it should come naturally to you! Come on, we’ll take you back to the castle.”

Shadow bit his lip.

“We promise we won't hurt you,” Verdugo assured.

Shadow shook his head. “It's not that...”

“Then what is it?”

The wounded changeling looked around before hobbling forward. “It's nothing. Let's just get out of here.”

Verdugo’s brow furrowed as she grinned. “Fine. Boys, help him into the air.” Her gaze never turned from Shadow; her eyes never blinked. “I'll catch up.”

Starchy and the three others nodded and moved to carefully help Shadow into the air. The changeling’s fear of heights, as well as the several open wounds, kept the changelings from getting a good grip on him.

Verdugo watched the struggle for a moment before turning her smile toward the open door to the tower. She trotted up to it and peeked inside. Her smile disappeared as her hoof shut the door.

She took a deep breath in vain as anger began to course through her body. Her wings flung her toward the group. She flew past them and stopped, giving them all a gesture to do the same.

“Where is everyone else, Shadow?” Verdugo growled. The other changelings turned to the shaky changeling they were holding. “There's no one else inside that tower...”

Shadow retched in a pathetic attempt to clear his throat. “I told you I was alone...”

“There wasn’t a single bed in that tower.” She shook her head. “There’s no one coming, yet ‘Dead Town’ should still have at least ten residents!”

“I never met anyone...”

“I can smell your deceptions from here.” She turned to Dreary. “Drop him.”

“Wait!” Shadow screamed in panic. “I did meet them! I did!”

“So where are they?”

The changeling let his acrophobic heart slow its rate. He took a breath. “Look... I don’t know what to tell you... I’m not good with names or faces. I just remember waking up, covered in blood, being carried by another changeling out of the Everfree.” He shook his head. “Whoever brought me out of there talked the others into following her deep into the forest. I don’t think they ever came back out.”

Just because you’ve saved someone’s life doesn’t mean you’re a hero.
I hate this world.

“So they all just abandoned their posts to follow a complete stranger?!”

“I’ve told you all I know!” He shook his head in fear. “Please... I don’t know what happened to them!”

Verdugo sighed. “Fine.” She smirked. “Let's just get back to the castle.”

Shadow sighed in relief. “I think...” He looked down at the blood dripping from his chest to the trees. “I think my accelerated heart rate has caused a more significant amount of blood to be lost...”

“Yeah?” Verdugo turned her head to look at him. “Keep talking and you'll really lose some blood.”

“Speaking of blood,” Dreary said, letting go of the group and flying up to Verdugo. “Aren't you, Shadow, supposed to be a ‘first generation’ changeling?” He smiled. “One without flight training, memory loss, or blood in your veins?”

Let's not forget that voice in your head...

“Yeah...” Shadow nodded meekly. “We are a hivemind after all... Wouldn’t be too difficult to start bleeding when everyone else is...”

Verdugo sighed. “Let’s just get him to the castle in one piece, alright?”

Ignorance? Is she growing thick on us?

“Shut up,” Starchy said to the unseen voice.

He looked up to see Verdugo and the others staring at him.

“You can hear that voice in your head already?” Verdugo asked him.

Of course not. You’re an obedient little soldier! As ignorant and stupid as they come!

Starchy nodded. “Yeah... It’s been at it for a while now.”

“He was talking to himself last night,” Dreary added. “I already told him to just ignore it and keep a good focus.”

Verdugo glared at him. “But you didn’t tell me that. I needed to know as soon as the voice appeared!” She turned to Starchy. “We’ll need to talk about this but now isn’t the time. We must reach the castle before nightfall.”

You’re not afraid of the things lurking in the dark, are you? Don’t close your eyes.

Starchy cringed at the comment. Verdugo flew toward him and put a hoof on his shoulder.

“I know a strange voice talking to you from your own mind is unnerving, but you have to stay strong!”

Strong? Ask her if that's really what she calls herself.

“It won't shut up,” Starchy replied. “It just keeps whispering. Mocking and hating this world.”

Oh good, you have been--

“Don't let it change your view of this world,” Verdugo said, interrupting the voice. “Be strong and focus on your end goal. Ignore the voice enough, and it will go away.”

That strategy never works on problems.

“Just shut up already,” Starchy whispered under his breath.

If I told you that in a single sentence I could get your undiv--

“Remember, private,” Verdugo interjected. “It only knows what's in your own head!”

“So there’s nothing it can say that I don’t know already?”

“Exactly!”

Starchy smiled.

She’s wrong.

Starchy shook his head at the doubt that was scratching at his mind. He shook it off and ignored the voice for the rest of the trip. Shadow’s fear of heights kept the others entertained. Before long, the group made it back to the castle.

Two armored guards came out to meet them.

“Out of the way!” Verdugo commanded. “We have wounded!”

They stood their ground. “Chrysalis has demanded your team’s presence in Her throne room. Immediately.”

“Then let’s go,” she said without even looking at Shadow. Squee let go, forcing Brucie and Starchy to drag Shadow along by themselves. They somehow managed to keep the pace with the others.

Chrysalis sat upon the throne of Equestria, looking down upon Verdugo and her team.

“My goodness,” She laughed. “You even managed to save the goat!”

Shadow crooked his head. Verdugo stopped forward. “There's no one left at the western checkpoint now...”

The Queen sighed. “We don't have time for this.” Her magic pulled out a strange artifact from her throne. “Anyone know what this is?”

“It looks like...” the tired Shadow said. “A crystal?”

Chrysalis nodded toward one of Her guards. With a flitter of their wings, they pulled it from Her aura and placed it on the floor before Verdugo.

“This is not just any gemstone.” The Queen leaned closer. “This is undeniable proof of the existence of the Crystal Empire!”

Verdugo’s eyes widened, but her voice remained calm. “I thought refugees just made that place up.”

“Didn’t we all?” The Queen chuckled. “But it seems that our late pony princesses had quite the influence over the Empire.” Verdugo’s hoof caressed the side of the crystal. “Their actions made the Empire disappear overnight, never to be seen or heard from again.”

“So it existed.” Verdugo shrugged. “What’s there to be happy about?”

“Tell her, Shadow...”

The company turned to find the wounded changeling frozen in place, shaking in unease.

What a bundle of nerves. Can't even handle the spotlight.

Verdugo crooked her head. Chrysalis smiled. Starchy kept looking at him, doing his best to ignore the voice in his head.

“Well?!” Chrysalis yelled at the silence.

Shadow’s lips quivered, but never opened. His eyes darted from one face to another without turning his head. They fixed themselves back on the Queen before he finally blinked.

“You recognized this, didn't you?!” Chrysalis growled.

Shadow’s head shook subtly, as though he were trying in vain to shake his head.

“Answer me!” She screamed.

Shadow’s entire body shook until his eyes rolled back. The shaking stopped. The changeling collapsed to the floor, slipping out of the grips of Brucie and Starchy.

Chrysalis nodded to her guards. They picked up the unconscious changeling and left.

The Queen chuckled and smiled at Verdugo. “A perfect goat, isn't he?”

Verdugo forced a smile to mimic Her, but her tone remained focused. “Are we being briefed on our mission now?”

Chrysalis smiled. “Patience.”

Chapter 8: The Path to the Crystal Empire

Queen Chrysalis sat in her throne as Verdugo took another look at the Crystal artifact.

Her patience wore thin. “Does this have anything to do with our mission?”

“Not quite,” the Queen replied with a sinister smile. “It has everything to do with it!” She pulled the crystal away from her and placed it behind the throne again. “You are to go to the North. Far North. There, the Empire shall rise.” Her smile grew wider. “Your team is tasked with its capture!”

Verdugo did a double take, glancing and counting over her shoulder. “Even counting our goat, we are only six changelings!”

The Queen chuckled. “Why do you think I granted you a breeder?” She waved them off. “Make yourself an army. But I want that Empire by week’s end!”

“So that's our mission?” Verdugo scoffed. “Capture a place that doesn't exist with an army that doesn't exist either!”

An unseen army in an unseen world.

Chrysalis waved them off.

“Your highness!” Starchy pleaded, stepping forward. “I am still hearing a voice in my head!”

A shocked Verdugo couldn't tell which snout to watch closer.

Chrysalis crooked Her head. “And ignoring it isn't helping?”

Starchy shook his. “It just keeps coming back.”

Chrysalis thought for a moment. Verdugo stepped between them.

“I am so sorry about the breeder, your highness,” she pleaded. “He doesn't know not to--”

Chrysalis put a hoof up to her. “No... No. This is something more. This ‘voice’ has been very chatty among new recruits lately...” She smiled and pulled the crystal back out. She placed it in front of the breeder. “Focus on it. Encourage it. Tell me exactly what the voice says about this.”

Starchy peered into the crystal. The voice was silent.

“Come on,” he thought toward it. “Why are you so quiet?!”

You're focused. Good. Because I know how this world ends. And exactly how everyone in this room is going to die.

Tell Her.

“It said the Crystal Empire will reappear in a day’s time!” Starchy repeated.

Good boy.

The crystal flung itself away from the changeling and landed back behind the throne as quick as Her horn stopped glowing. Chrysalis was beaming.

“I knew there was some unseen force manipulating My troops without permission!” She laughed. “Change of plans, changelings! Take your goat and your breeder and head North immediately! Take over that Empire and we may never need the love of ponies ever again!”

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

“Why do we need the goat?” Verdugo asked. “We don't need a breeder anymore...”

“You have your exoskeleton still?” Chrysalis replied. “His ‘deer in the headlights’ routine will keep it on you.”

Verdugo nodded. “Alright.”

“And thank you, breeder,” Chrysalis called out to him. “If you survive this, I may name you something with honor to it.” She rubbed her chin. “I haven't named someone ‘Masquerade’ in a millennia...” She looked down at him from her contemplation. “Well?” She waved him off. “I'm still thinking! Come back when your mission is over!”

Starchy quickly nodded and turned to catch up with the rest of the troop. The guards dropped Shadow at Verdugo’s hooves. Brucie rushed to his side, helping his still bleeding body off the ground.

“No time for a doctor visit, I’m afraid,” Verdugo told him. “We’re due North. At the Crystal Empire.”

“The Crystal... Empire?!” Shadow shook his head. “Why?”

Verdugo trotted past him, ushering Brucie along. He dragged Shadow’s body along as the hind legs hobbled behind to keep up with them. The general turned her good eye to them as they continued to the exit of the castle.

“We need to capture the Empire. We need to secure its unending resources for the Kingdom.” She nodded. “It’s time we were true heroes of our Queen once again!”

‘True hero of the changelings’ sounds like a terrible oxymoron.
The feminine voice giggled for some reason inside Starchy’s skull.

“What are you?” Starchy thought back at it as the squad took to the skies again. “Where did you gain this knowledge?”

It's written on your hoof. As plain as your face. Traced in your broken heart. And your shattered memories.

“What are you talking about?”

I am talking about hope and destiny, two concepts much too foreign for you. Friendship, beauty, harmony.
What do these mean to you?

Starchy was as lost as ever.

That’s what I thought.

“Shut up.” Starchy shook his head and looked around for something to take his mind off of the voice.

Brucie let Shadow go, and the bleeding changeling smiled as he stayed aloft by his own wings. His eyes caught only a glimpse of Verdugo’s smile, who quickly turned her head back north. His smile faded and he looked down at the trees again.

“So why did Chrysalis pick on you?” Verdugo asked Shadow. “If you want to talk about it.”

“I was just shocked She knew that about me,” Shadow explained. “That I had been to the Crystal Empire before it...” His voice trailed off. “Anyways, yeah, that’s about it. I know that the crystal She had was from the Empire, but honestly that’s about it.”

“So how old are you?” Verdugo asked, turning her head back toward him. “The Empire’s been gone for a thousand years...”

Shadow shrugged with his good shoulder. “That’s the thing... I don’t really know. This whole ordeal has brought some memories back.” He shook his head. “It’s almost unreal...”

A smirk creased Verdugo’s snout. “Remember anything useful about the Empire?”

Shadow’s only front hoof held his head as he winced. “There’s... there’s... something.” His body shook almost rhythmically. “It’s... a heart. Crystal... Heart.” He shook his head as his foreleg lowered back to his side. “There should be more, but I can’t remember...”

Verdugo nodded. “Well, whatever it was, I'm sure it'll come back to you as soon as we get to the Empire.” She turned back to the north with a straight face.

Can I tell you a secret?

Starchy ignored the voice the best he could.

It's a good one...

“Verdugo,” he called out to her. “The voice in my head won't shut up...”

“Does it have anything to say about the Empire?”

Starchy shrugged and thought about it.

The Crystal Empire was unseen by the world. No living creature knows or even remembers it existing.

Starchy scoffed. “It says there's no way that anyone knows anything about it.” He glanced at Shadow, who seemed to be spacing out or focusing on some feature of the horizon.

Verdugo watched Shadow for a brief moment. “Yeah, I figured.”

The general stopped in mid-air, forcing everyone else to stop as well. She turned around and stared at Starchy. “How did you know how long it will be until it's back?”

Starchy gulped and shrugged. “I... I have no idea. It just kinda came out of my mouth when the Queen called on me.”

“And we’re all sure that this is a valid lead?” Dreary asked.

Verdugo smiled at him. “The Queen believes it and ordered us to follow it.” She shrugged. “Does that really matter?”

Dreary smiled back. “I suppose not...”

She turned back toward Starchy. “But how did you know? The voice should only have access to what’s already in your head...” She paused. “Unless... Unless it’s a telepathic link and not the actual voice.” Her tone became more desperate. “Starchy, please tell me, how many voices have you heard in your head?”

“Just the one,” he replied, unsure of all this “telepathic link” stuff.

“Are you sure? Because if someone out there is talking to you telepathically and they know when the Empire returns...”

Starchy scoffed. “The voice told me itself that there’s no way anyone could know when the Crystal Empire comes back!”

“So it was just a bad lead,” Dreary noted.

Verdugo shook her head. “No, Chrysalis never takes the voice seriously.”

“Is this just a lot of reverse psychology playing back and forth?” Brucie wondered.

“Only one way to find out.” The general flew faster. The group made it over a large mountain range, and on the other side laid a barren, frozen wasteland. “It should appear by the time we reach the center of this place.” She looked back at her team. “Guys, I don’t think I’ve had time to properly welcome our two latest recruits.” She landed atop one of the snowy mountains and beckoned the others to do the same. “Private, Shadow... I hate unexpected death in my ranks,” she admitted in a solemn tone. “Here’s the thing, as the Royal Executioner, those kind of deaths don’t exist.” She shrugged and smiled nervously. “Because every mission is a suicide mission.” She shook the nerves off of her back. “But today might just be different. We will not die for some random cause, but instead for the whole of the kingdom!”

Am I hearing the murderer talking some sense?

Verdugo continued. “If we can take this Empire, it will mean the end of a lot of problems back home. So... We all have to be willing to give it everything. That means everything.” She sighed. “I know this might sound a bit dark, but if some of us have to die today for this mission...” She forced a smile. “It will be worth it.”

False alarm.

“So what, are we first on the kill list for being new?” Shadow asked, trying to keep himself from shaking.

“I’m talking about extremes here, pal.” Verdugo chuckled. “I’m going to make sure as many of you survive as possible.”

A bright light shined behind Verdugo, as if the sun had crashed into the snow. Everything behind her was white, blinding light. Then, it faded. Beyond the cliffside, in the middle of a once barren wasteland lay an expansive empire, with a crystal tower shining in the middle of it. The changelings shook in excitement.

If you’re really my friend, Starch... you’ll turn around. You’ll run away. Only then will you survive this day.

Chapter 9: Three Lives

From the edge of the wasteland grew a shadowy fog as black as night. Verdugo watched it slowly crawl toward the Empire.

“King Sombra!” Shadow shouted. “If that monster gets to the Empire, he’ll not only make it inhospitable...” He shivered. “It could destroy everything!”

He’s telling the truth! RUN!

“Starchy! Squee! Brucie!” Verdugo called out, shocking each of them for a moment. “Do whatever it takes to slow down that smoke cloud!” She turned to the others. “Shadow, Dreary, we’re securing that tower!”

“Are you sure this is the best idea?” Dreary asked as the Starchy’s team flew off.

“Shadow’s too wounded to do much good over there,” she explained. She turned to the bleeding changeling. “You know any way of stopping that thing?”

“The Crystal Heart!” Shadow shouted. “That’ll rally the citizen’s hearts to drive out Sombra’s darkness!”

“How the heck do you know all this?” Dreary asked.

Shadow shook his head. “It really, really, really hurts to remember, okay?!”

“This is one of those moments where we have to take a huge leap of faith, Dreary!” Verdugo warned. She grabbed Shadow’s hoof and leapt off the mountain top, guiding the two of them toward the Empire.

They watched the fog chase the three changelings around the wasteland. Their training and youth kept them agile. They dodged the fog’s advances with ease, flying straight up when it tried to surround them.

Starchy saw them flying toward the tower. His hooves held firm, as though weighed down. The shadow closed in on him.

The howling winds were silent. He couldn't hear his friends. But the voice remained.
I hate to do this to someone so--

A deep roar echoed from the blackness.

--if anyone needed to die in this mission--

Two flaming eyes appeared in the cloud. A glowing red horn and a deep growl arose from between them.

--but I suppose you’ll do fine.

Squee was frozen in fear. Brucie, just realizing that something was wrong, flew to his friend’s side.

But it was too late.

The fog consumed Starchy.

“Keep flying!” Dreary yelled at Verdugo. “We have to secure the Empire before--”

“I know!” Verdugo yelled, accelerating to a speed that almost pulled Shadow’s last foreleg off.

The trio impacted at the foot of the stairs leading into the castle. Verdugo grabbed Shadow by his one and a half shoulders.

“Where is the Crystal Heart?!”

Shadow shook his head. “I... I...” he stammered.

“I know it hurts. Just focus!”

“It’s... hidden.” He sighed. “Sombra hid it away where nopony would ever find it.” A tear welled up in his eye. “I don’t know where it is!”

Verdugo let go of him. “Alright... alright...” She chuckled nervously. “I’ve been in worse odds...”

“He’s gonna kill us all...”

“Just gotta stay positive...”

“He sucked the happiness out of everypony here. Replaced their love with fear. Had them shackled and mining for precious gems for his own sake.”

Verdugo looked around. “Gotta be a clue...” Her mind processed Shadow’s words instead. “No... Gotta stay positive. Gotta keep my chin up.” She looked up. She stopped shaking. “It’s not that easy is it?”

“What?” the other two asked almost simultaneously.

“Tallest room in the tallest tower?” She scoffed. “He wouldn’t make it that simple, would he?”

Shadow chuckled nervously as he lifted his snout up from the ground. “I mean... it’s not like anypony would have been anywhere near here with him around.”

“Let’s go.”

Verdugo flew straight up from the ground, Dreary following close behind.

Shadow kept bleeding on the ground. “You guys go on ahead! Just bring it back here... If it’s up there!”

Verdugo nodded, half-listening as her eyes were too focused figuring out how much higher they needed to go. Finally they reached the top of the tower. They landed inside a decorative window, only to find a heart-shaped crystal shining brightly in the center of the room.

Verdugo chuckled. “Well, that was easy.”

Dreary stepped forward, only to be stopped by Verdugo’s hoof. “Too easy.” She gestured toward the floor. “This has to be a trap.”

Dreary looked out toward the wasteland. Brucie was barely evading the fog now. There was no other movement out there. He gulped and turned back to Verdugo. “There’s no time.” He took a deep breath and judged the distance. “I’m gonna smack it toward you. Get it back to Shadow.” Her hoof persisted. “Verdy, please...”

Verdugo solemnly nodded and released him. He leapt toward the heart, being careful not to touch the strange floor. He grabbed the artifact with his hooves and flung it toward Verdugo, who caught it with her magic. A smile creased both of their snouts as he flew back to her.

The floor shifted into dark crystal spikes and shot up.

Verdugo took a step back to make sure Dreary’s remains didn’t land on her hooves. His ashes didn’t even have a moment to touch the ground before a strong winter breeze blew them off into the sky.

There was no time to grieve. Verdugo took the Crystal Heart and flew down to Shadow who, weakened from his wounds, lay on the ground near the steps.

“Under the castle’s supports!” he yelled to her. “Behind the stairs!”

Verdugo went behind the stairs and found a strange altar underneath it. She placed the Heart in the center of it and crystals shot out to support it in its place. Hovering in their grasps, its light beckoned the crystal ponies from their homes. They saw the light. They breathed in the air. Their love had been restored. It coursed through the Crystal Heart.

King Sombra didn’t stand a chance.

Verdugo was filled with more love than she had ever dreamed of. Shadow got up on four legs, his foreleg miraculously healed from the aura of love and light. The colors of the rainbow shot up from the top of the tower. The crystal ponies cheered as the curse was broken forever.

Verdugo looked out at the empty wasteland. She looked up at the tower, ignoring the bright colors. She turned back to Shadow.

He just stared at the Crystal Heart.

“Have I done it, Executioner?” he asked her in a monotone voice.

“We did it, Shadow Beast,” she said, trying to smile. “We stopped Sombra and saved the Empire.”

“But is that enough to cleanse my sins?” he asked, turning back but staring through her.

“What are you talking about?”

“Starchy, Brucie, and Squee...”

Verdugo nodded. “They’re dead.” She sighed.

“Not yet we aren’t!” Squee laughed.

Verdugo turned to find Squee and the rest of his team standing before her.

“It got really dark there for a second, didn’t it?” Squee laughed.

Brucie shook off the nerves. “It was... something. I’m just glad it’s over!”

“Is it really over?” Starchy asked. He cleared his mind to make way for the voice. It was silent. He smiled. “We... we won, didn’t we?! We made it!”

“Where’s... where’s Dreary?” Brucie asked Verdugo.

Her smile inverted itself. “He... He didn’t make it.”

Squee scoffed. “Well, neither did we!” Brucie put a hoof to him.

Verdugo continued. “But he got us the Crystal Heart.” She smiled again, doing her best to keep her eye dry. “None of this would’ve been possible without him.”

“And Shadow?”

Verdugo turned to look at Shadow basking in the light of the Crystal Heart.

“A true, happy ending!” he laughed.

Blood still dripped from his chest.

“You’re uh...” Verdugo chuckled nervously. “You’re still bleeding there. We should really patch that up!”

“Nah, it’s fine!” Shadow waved it off. “It’s not my blood.”

“What?”

Shadow scoffed. “Only wretches bleed!”

Verdugo’s patience was gone. “What?!”

Shadow chuckled in the light of the Heart. “For a guy without a backbone, I don’t get many chances to say stuff like this so listen carefully: This place, Crystal Empire, is sacred ground. It has enough love to keep that disgusting beast Chrysalis fed forever. Heck, it has enough for her whole den of fetid garbage you call a kingdom!” He laughed. “But this place is pure. It hasn’t fallen to your deceptive and downright evil hooves yet.” He smiled wide. “And thanks to your efforts, Sombra won’t destroy the world, desecrating this paradise in the process!”

“Is this treason?” Verdugo growled.

“No. This is justice.” Shadow reached out his hoof. “So you can join me in my revolution and survive the end of this disgusting world...” His eyes flared up in bright green. His voice became distorted. “Or. Die. Like. The. Rest.”

Verdugo shook her head. “Now I know you didn’t just threaten me, you spineless idiot!”

“Oh yes,” a voice all too familiar to Starchy screeched out from the bleeding changeling’s mouth. “Shadow’s submissiveness. Such a wonderful trait!” The voice chuckled. “Lets him right into a little group like yours. Earning your trust just by the merit that you can push him around without consequence.” Shadow nodded. “But not anymore. I got into his head first. I gained his trust. I led you all here, and now I am offering you mercy!”

The bleeding changeling held out its hoof again, eyes still flaming green.

“Or do you want to stab me with a spear again, murderer?”

Chapter 10: Mercy

“How long has it been, ‘Verdugo?’” the voice asked her. “A couple hundred years?” Shadow smiled.

Verdugo shook her head. “You're not the wretched queen. That is impossible. I killed you! Your body turned to ash!”

Shadow shrugged. “You destroyed my hive. An amalgamation of all of my children, fused together to keep me around. It was not my body and frankly I'm surprised you thought that I couldn't live without it.”

“No! Your spellbook said that going into another’s mind kills that mind or you! There's no way you have a body again!”

Shadow scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I'm the .1%. The master of that spell. I know all the tricks of the trade!”

“But you rounded that up! And I never put your consciousness into that spell!”

“Free will is a fickle concept, isn't it?” Shadow chuckled. “What made you keep listening to my meaningless rant? What made you look for something useful in my heretical books?” He paused but Verdugo refused to answer. “Me. I transferred myself into your head and worked my magic on your subconscious. I jumped from iteration to iteration of your open minds and did all I could to find a friend.” Shadow spread his forelegs out. “Only took a couple hundred years to find a decent guy.”

Verdugo shook her head. “He’s not even one that was subjected to that spell...”

Shadow gave a strong nod. “True. That is true. I would have never met him if he hadn’t tried to heal Starch’s stab wound.” The voice chuckled. “I made sure his efforts succeeded.”

Verdugo looked at Starchy. He shrugged back at her and shook his head.

“I cover my tracks with harmless amnesia and half-true memories,” Shadow explained. “It was a huge risk to pull strings so close to Chrysalis just to get us onto your team...” He looked back toward the Crystal Heart. “But I think it payed off quite well!”

Verdugo stepped forward. “I can’t listen to any more of this!” she snarled at him. “I don’t know if you really are that queen I killed two hundred years ago or not... but if I killed you then, I can kill you now!”

“But you couldn’t kill me the other day,” Shadow said with his own voice.

“Yeah?” Verdugo smirked. “I wasn’t really trying.”

“And neither of us have tried to kill someone in over a thousand years,” the voice replied. “So we apologize if we’re a little rusty...” Shadow’s head began to shine brightly with a green aura too big for his horn. “We want to take this moment before we restore harmony to the world to give you one last chance. We would appreciate any help you could give us in our endeavor...”

“Shadow, if that is your name anymore...”

“It never was,” Shadow’s voice replied. “But this will make up for that.”

“I just wanted you to know that I’m almost sorry I have to kill you now.” Verdugo’s horn began to glow.

Verdugo charged him, her horn’s aura wrapping around her and turning her into a fireball. She struck the changeling in the face with fire, and bounced back on all fours.

Shadow smiled back at her, still standing. There was no sign of damage. His horn glowed brighter.

He gave her a smirk. “You’re gonna have to try harder than that!”

Shadow fired a large blast in her direction. Verdugo dodged it easily enough. She turned to her team.

“Come on, boys! This voice has been tormenting you all too long!”

“Torment?!” the voice screeched, aghast. “We did no such thing! Any torment you felt was of your own doing... It was your guilt.” The horn fired another blast toward them.

With how easily they were able to dodge it, Starchy almost wondered if the voice was holding back. He shook the thought off, reciprocating the feeling could easily get him killed. ...again.

“Coming from the changeling that ate other changelings!” Verdugo screamed back at Shadow. She shook her head. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did to the first executioner!”

“I was the first executioner!” Shadow’s voice screamed back. “Back when we first began... When we first met the ponies!” He shook his head, the blinding lights in his eyes relenting as he closed them for a moment. “They didn’t deserve what they got.” His eyes opened. Light coursed more furiously from them. “They don’t deserve what they get!” The horn’s power amplified. “Our redemption will come with their freedom.” His head shook under the weight of his horn’s power. “Now get out of our way!”

A beam fired at the team. They dodged it seamlessly, their instincts still on their side. Starchy wondered if they would stay like that. Fear not standing in their way, they charged toward the glowing changeling.

Squee’s teeth dug into Shadow’s arm, splintering it. Brucie’s horn went for the bleeding wound on Shadow’s stomach with his horn. Starchy went for horn. Verdugo flew high into the air and impacted Shadow’s spine with enough force to shatter a dragon’s. He collapsed under her weight, Brucie’s horn ripping a fair chunk of his chest open in the process. His horn broke off in Starchy’s grasp and half of his arm splintered off in Squee’s teeth.

The broken changeling tried to get up but failed.

“That’s what happens when you mess with the Royal Executioner!” Verdugo yelled at him.

She turned and kicked his snout with enough force to put him on his back. Blood poured from his chest, bathing the crystal ground below him in green. His head was barely glowing anymore.

“I’m sorry...” Shadow whimpered. “I can’t...”

Verdugo crooked her head. “Are you seriously still alive after all that?”

The changeling weakly shook his head. Blue eyes opened enough to see the blood soaking their back. “You...” the voice whimpered. “You...”

“I what?” She trotted toward the broken creature, ready to finish him off.

The broken snout smiled. The eyes slowly turned from blue to green. “Can’t stop this heart from beating...” He reached his unbroken hoof toward the Crystal Heart.

Verdugo moved to stomp the hoof into the ground, but the Heart pulsed with blinding light. The changelings were blind. The voice called out to them.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that!”

The light faded. Standing before them, on a clean crystal floor, was a changeling queen.

“As long as this heart is beating...” The queen panted. “Shadow or not, I will restore harmony!” The breathing became less labored as a smile creased her snout. “Executioner, you allowed Midnight to let go. You killed him.” She shook her head. “But you can't kill me.” She chuckled. “He left me with a body, and enough power to end all of this misery.” She reached out her hoof. “I'm giving you one last chance to redeem yourself...”

Verdugo sneered at her. “I just killed Shadow and you're trying to show mercy?” She scoffed. “Are you serious?”

“This world is filled with pain and death so long as you stand in my way,” the queen explained. She shook her head. “Midnight and Dreary couldn't be saved, but I'm not willing to let any more needlessly fall!”

Verdugo shook her head. “How many times do I need to kill you?”

The queen smiled. “You can't.”

Verdugo charged the queen, horn first. She stabbed her horn into the queen’s chest before twisting it around to leap on her back and snap the spine.

The queen’s saddle was firm under her weight. She bucked Verdugo off with a smile. The executioner couldn't see a scratch or even a drop of blood on the queen’s front.

“Just give up. You can't hurt me!”

Verdugo turned to her team. Starchy looked back at her with fear shaking him. He could remember it again, a time before he was a changeling. A time when he was just a pony child without a care in the world.

“Don't let her intimidate you!” Verdugo screamed at them.

“Don't you get it?” the queen asked her. “You put me in their heads when they were nothing more than frightened ponies... So I kept a copy of what they held onto.” She smiled at the changelings. “They’re not scared of me. They're scared of letting go!”

“If you couldn't remember those things without her...” Verdugo continued to scream at her team. “Then... Then it could be a lie! She's just manipulating you!”

“Vertigo,” the queen called out.

Verdugo turned, glaring at the queen. “What did you just call me?”

“That's your name, isn't it?”

She shook her head. “I am Verdugo. Chrysalis has exalted me!”

The queen shrugged. “Hardly.” She stepped forward. “She's just using you. She hates you as much as she hates me!”

Verdugo shook her head. “No. I am the Royal Executioner!”

“You are a slave.”

“I command respect!”

“...of lesser slaves.”

Verdugo pointed at her. “You are a cannibal and a deceiver!”

The queen smiled. “You don't get fed enough, respected enough, or appreciated enough.” She reached a hoof out. “Let's stop this silly fight...” She scanned the others. “None of them want any part of this.”

Verdugo batted the hoof away. “You are a monster!”

“You cannot judge me, executioner.” She shook her head. “Chrysalis didn't call you the Royal Judge!”

“I know that you have to die.” Verdugo’s horn began to glow again. “And that's good enough for me!”

Verdugo lashed out at the queen, striking her legs with hooves and blasting her face with a beam strong enough to stun a dragon.

The queen’s bluish mane shook off the frazzle. She smiled back. “We've been over this!” She chuckled. “You can't hurt me!”

Verdugo’s magic wrapped around the queen's throat. She tightened it with her full force. She didn't stop. She twisted her grip around with a flick of her horn, snapping the already collapsed windpipe of anyone she had ever used this on before.

But nothing snapped.

“What happened to you, Verdugo?” the queen asked, defying the green aura around her neck. “Why do you insist on becoming nothing more than a pawn...”

“If you're not going to die, just kill me!” Verdugo demanded. “I would rather die loyal to the Queen than watch this world fall to a freak like you!”

The queen frowned. “You chose this life.” She shook her head. “Why?”

Verdugo turned from the queen and trotted to Squee. She prodded and poked his side over and over, but the changeling refused to budge. She moved to smack him upside the head, but he ducked out of the way, backing away from her.

The queen crooked her head. “Are you still upset over your eye?”

Verdugo’s one eye caught her two as a bolt of deadly magic flew into the queen’s chest. She winced for a moment, but stood straight up, shrugging off the blow.

“You haven’t even asked my name...”

“Monsters like you don’t deserve names!” Verdugo snarled.

The queen shrugged. “You know, Chrysalis named me once, long ago.” She chuckled. “I lost it in the transfer between minds.” She shook her head. “I don’t even remember what my own hive called me! It’s on the tip of my tongue but I cannot remember it.”

Verdugo couldn’t hold back her smile. “You couldn’t remember your own name?”

“There are far more important things in this world than names... Protection.”

Verdugo’s smile faded as her head crooked. “Protection from what?”

The queen gave her a patient smile. “Your name. One that doesn’t shroud the best thing about you, but accentuates it!”

“What?”

The queen looked from one changeling to the next. “Humility. Loyalty. Mercy.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“There is still hope for you, even if you don’t want to believe it. A great force has shaped the destiny of this world, and your Queen has defied it.” She stepped toward Verdugo. “But none of you are too late...”

The Royal Executioner shook her head. “What ‘great force?’” She stepped forward. “Is this how you knew when the Empire would rise?”

The queen nodded. “It is the very heart that beats within your soured shell... It is Harmony that guides me.”

Verdugo scoffed. “You’re not talking about those useless trinkets we found in that old castle, are you?” She smiled. “We destroyed those a long time ago...”

The queen smiled back. “I know. They mean nothing now.” She turned toward the Crystal Heart. “When one means to an end is destroyed, another takes its place.” She turned her shining eyes back to Verdugo. “Such is the matter of Destiny.”

Verdugo chuckled. “You’re not comparing yourself to the Elements of Harmony, are you?” She laughed. “You’re nothing but a heartless wretch! You ate other changelings! Practically bathed in their blood! How can a monster like you possibly compare yourself to anything ‘good’ when you’re worse than us!”

“You thought I was worth listening to then, when it cost an eye... But not here where it redeems your soul?!”

“You were lying then, and you're lying now!” Verdugo snapped. “If you weren't freaking impossible to kill...”

She smiled. “And you are?” She chuckled. “Oh, Protection, you have no idea how invulnerable you really are.”

“Oh, I know!” she boasted with a smile. “It's my troops that I'm worried about... My friends!”

“So much so that you gave your own eye.” She smiled and turned to the Heart. “Only for him to give you it back with interest!”

“You brought us here!” she growled. “How dare you talk about his death when you're what caused it!”

The queen took a step back. “And if he hadn't died...” She gestured to the Crystal Heart. “Sombra would have taken this.” She gestured to everything around her. “And nothing would have survived! Is that what you'd rather have? Nothing?!” She stepped forward. “I've already helped you all on your first steps toward Redemption.”

“We want no part in your schemes!” Verdugo snarled. She looked at the Heart. “And I think I've figured you out!”

Verdugo charged past the queen, focusing on the Heart. A magical barrier caught her strike and bounced her onto her back.

The queen looked down at her. “I'm sorry, but if any harm came to the Heart, this entire Empire could very well vanish again.” She shook her head. “The world needs this place to heal; I can't let it fall into the Queen’s hooves!”

Verdugo shook her head and galloped to Starchy. “I can't do this on my own!”

She waved her hoof in front of his face. Starchy was lost in the realization that his life was a shell, a lie that hid his best memories.

“Starchy!” she called out to him.

“They can't come to terms with their past unless you help them through it,” the queen warned. “It's too good for them to let go.” She looked at Verdugo. “A shame you had no cherished memories of your past...”

Verdugo ignored her. “Starchy, listen to me!” She grabbed his head with her hooves. “She's lying to you. Sure, these are your best memories but they sure as heck don't mean anything now!” She forced a smile. “The best you is the you here and now! You have to know that! You're best memories are pointless if you don't try to make even better ones each and every day!”

She's right. Let these inspire you to do the right thing. Look at me.

Starchy blinked a couple times. He looked at Verdugo. “You're right.” He turned toward the queen and grinned. “Let's take this jerk down!” Starchy galloped to Brucie. “Come on, man! Wake up! Quit living in the past!”

Brucie shook himself out of it. He turned to Verdugo and smiled. He looked up at the queen. “Time to end this.”

They both galloped to Squee. Squee’s eyes darted back and forth between them and the queen. He opened his mouth to speak.

Blood poured out.

Squee collapsed, melting into a large puddle of his own liquified insides.

Verdugo glared at the queen. “Wretch!” she shouted in pure rage.

“I'm sorry, but I have to draw the line!” Her horn flared up. “Take one more step and Mercy will go next!”

Verdugo stepped forward. “Who the heck is--”

Starchy collapsed the same way.

“Stop it!” Verdugo demanded.

“You had your chance!” the queen scolded. Her horn flared up again. “Leave this place or Humility will fall!”

Verdugo’s snout clenched in rage. She charged the queen, hearing Brucie try to scream behind her. She charged her magic around herself to become a comet. She flew right through the queen, forcing her to use more of her magic to heal herself.

Verdugo smiled as she pierced the weakened force field around the Heart. She pulled the artifact from its hold on the tower. She could feel the Heart pulsating in her hooves with pure power. She turned back toward the queen and smiled.

The queen shook her head. “Don't do this!”

Verdugo put all of her strength back into the Crystal Heart, slamming it to the ground.

It shattered like glass.

The winds picked up as dark clouds began to storm through the colored sky.. The power faded from the queen’s eyes and horn. Snow fell in a flurry.

The two changelings stood in a falling Empire in the middle of a frozen wasteland. The queen stumbled.

“Hope... There is no hope...” The queen’s form was blowing away with the wind as specks of dust flew from her horn, casting a large shadow behind her. “You... You destroyed it.”

Verdugo galloped toward the queen, her horn aglow with rage and purpose.

The queen put a weak hoof up. “You can't kill me three times, executioner. I can't take three deaths.”

Verdugo’s horn blew a large hole through the queen’s chest. There was no blood.

“In the forest is a great tree...” The queen tried to steady herself. “You should visit it with your friends.” She looked up from her wound, staring with a painful smile at Verdugo. “See it with your own two eyes!”

Verdugo blasted the queen’s face off with another powerful spell. The rest of her body crumpled up into a lifeless heap. Verdugo closed her eye and shook her head.

A hoof touched her shoulder.

Verdugo’s horn lit up and she barely stopped herself in time. Starchy looked back at her, alive and well. Brucie and Squee were back, too. They looked at her, shocked.

Verdugo shook her head. “How many times am I going to lose you three today?”

They remained silent. Brucie smiled.

Verdugo crooked her head. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

The others smiled too. “How are you looking at us like that?” Brucie asked.

Verdugo blinked her eyes a couple times. “Like what?”

They blinked back at her. Slowly it dawned on her. Her hoof immediately felt her face to make sure.

Her missing eye was back. She squealed in pure joy.

“My eye! How did--”

“I don't get it either,” a familiar voice called out from where the queen had stood.

The squad turned to find Dreary standing in the snow, shaking but smiling.

He shrugged. “But I don't think it matters.”

“How?” Verdugo mouthed.

Squee almost tackled Dreary to the ground. “Sweet Chrysalis, you made it! You're alive!”

Dreary shrugged again. “I don't think it was Her doing...”

“Then what did this?” Starchy asked.

“She did,” he said calmly without gesturing to anything. “That wretched queen. Despite all we did to her, all she could feel was a need to give us life.” He looked back to where the Crystal Heart once floated. “Without the Heart, she didn't have enough to keep us all alive, so she cut herself off to save us. Heal us.”

Starchy’s eyes grew wide. “Are you saying she might have been telling the truth?”

Verdugo shrugged. “All I know is that Chrysalis is going to be pissed without an Empire to feed Her.”

“Mission failed?” Squee asked.

“If it was that simple, I'd have lost my job ages ago.” Verdugo chuckled. “Nothing a little lying can't get us out of!”

She put her right hoof up to Starchy’s face. He instinctively bit down. She ripped it from his mouth and patted his head. “That little voice should be gone now, too. So we can start working on that better generation.”

“How do we even do that?” Starchy asked.

Verdugo patted his head again before taking to the wintery sky.

“Come along. I'll explain it on the way!”

End