The Return of Doctor Whooves

Youtube Video

Thunder rumbled in the distance as dark gray clouds covered the hills and mountainsides that made up the country of Transalfangya. A lone pony grunted as he gripped the side of a clifftop and pulled himself up, his night black fur whipping in the wind. He’d been away from his homeland a very long while, far too long if he was to be honest with himself.

“Puteţi să mă ajutaţi vă rog Faust? Give me a good answer why I came back to this place.” Galaxy asked as his hooves touched the ground of the clifftop, feeling the cold stone beneath him as a flash of lightning lit up his unusually unarmored form. Galaxy sighed to himself, he felt exposed without his regular armor, it’d be far too easy for somepony to stage an attack on him from behind and stick a knife into his neck.

“Is it really paranoia if there are creatures out to get you? The little buggers want me dead, and while I suspect that’ll happen one day as we all have to go sometime...“ Galaxy thought to himself as he looked at a rock that he could have sworn wasn’t there a few minutes ago. Galaxy pulled out the bone knife he had nicked from R.I.F.T Headquarters and walked towards the rock. His every step was filled with caution, his ears flicking at the slightest sound. A ruffle in some bushes, the sound of wing-beats, even a simple chittering sound from what most would think to be just an ordinary bug set him on edge. The knife plunged down into the rock and Galaxy waited for the shifting of form and the body of a changeling scout slumping to the ground, it’s green tinted blood oozing into a puddle. He waited a few seconds, but nothing happened and he pulled the knife out of the stone. He then strapped it back to his right foreleg.

“...Got lucky that time, but all the same, I can’t be too careful. I’m not as young as I used to be, and even if I can handle myself in a fight I can’t afford to be taken by surprise. Not this time around.” Galaxy grunted. “What I’m here for, it could shift the balance of power between two constantly feuding states, and unseat a tyrant from her throne,”

“...Faust knows I want to be there when SHE finally goes down, and her horn ripped off and her very life-blood pooling out beneath my hooves. That crown of hers, shattered. After what she did to me, my family it… It would put me at ease. While I’d still have nightmares, it’d bring me great satisfaction to know that her race would have nightmares of their own… Nightmares of me.” Galaxy continued thinking to himself. He knew it best to avoid speaking aloud, as the valley had ears all over. The Queen wasn’t a stupid ruler, she wouldn’t leave behind a few scouts of the nation she’d ripped apart after she’d unseated it’s ruling family. Galaxy admitted that was partially his fault, he’d turned and ran from his birthright after what had happened so many years ago. But the pain of just looking at the merciless slaughter of his family was just too much for him.

Îmi pare rău… M-am îndrăgostit de tine my Sagittarius, but I let you be slaughtered and let her drain every ounce of love from you. Not just you, but the little ones as well. And what did I do? I turned and ran, instead of putting this shattered country back together,” Galaxy thought to himself, a tear trickling down his face from his golden eyes as he remembered the screaming and that maniacal laughter. Oh, that laughter. He heard it every time he shut his eyes.

“I hope whatever Hell I send you to you insectoid bitch, that there’s a devil waiting just for you. And I know with all the things I’ve done in my life, I’m probably following you. Hopefully, I’ll be that devil.” Galaxy snarled and chuckled darkly to himself, the sheer idea of putting pins and needles in the Changeling Queen’s body as she burned in the fires of her own making just giving him a small hint of a smile. Galaxy continued walking forwards into a dark forest, known infamously as the Hoia-Baciu Forest. The forest covered an area of about 3 square kilometers if Galaxy had to guess. Its southern border began on the ridge Galaxy currently was on which ran from the east to the west side of the area. It had long renowned for paranormal activity, and in the center of the miles of untouched wilderness was a mysterious ring where no plants grew.

It was a mystery numerous scientists had tried to solve, but nopony ever had. It was said a dark ritual had been performed here by a mad cult led by the infamous unicorn Spell Nexus, and that this was where Nightmare Moon was truly born. That pure ritual of darkness cut off all light and kept any plants from growing in this inner circle. Galaxy scoffed at this. He didn’t put much stock in that. If it wasn’t in the history books, it didn’t happen. While he did know dark forces overtook Princess Luna in one of her moments of weakness, he highly doubted a dark cult of any sort was behind the creation of those forces.

Creatures chittered with every step he made as he disturbed their slumber. His lamp like eyes lit up the forest, and he whirled around as he swore he saw something black and insectoid like with chitin like wings scamper off into the woodland.

“So they are here. I knew it.” Galaxy said as he pulled out the First Blade again. Galaxy had always been fascinated by the history of the so-called First Blade, it was said it was used by the father of the great pegasus Commander Hurricane to murder his brother out of pure spite, so he’d get the honor of leading the pegasus tribes into battle. As the years passed, it went through many private collectors until finally it ended up in the storage of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, now known simply as R.I.F.T. At that point, where everything possibly dangerous or cursed was being re-sorted and reorganized, Galaxy had pilfered it. It was said the First Blade could kill anything, even Abaddon himself although personally, Galaxy didn’t put much stock in old mare’s tales. Galaxy continued walking through the forest but suddenly his hooves ground to a halt. In front of him was a small fountain, made out of simple stone and lying in ruin after years of miscare. But Galaxy’s eyes widened at the inscription on the fountain. It wasn’t just a fountain, it was a memorial. Galaxy read off the words, which were written in old Romanian and he smiled sadly. Here’s what they said.

“Here lies Lord Scorpius-Tepes, the ruler of the kingdom of Transalfangya and a loving father, till the very end.”

Galaxy chuckled and murmured. “So that’s where they think I’m buried.” as he smiled at the loyalty of his subjects, even after their Lord supposedly was killed in the massacre of the Tepes family. Galaxy, or rather Scorpius had ordered his subjects if he ever were to be killed in battle to bury him somewhere far, someplace remote to keep his body from being disturbed. The same went for any members of his family. He knew there were a lot of creeps who would conduct some sort of arcane ritual in order to bring back bodies as Inferi. The belief of life after death, or at least a body without a soul moving about and about was an old superstition that still lingered in these parts.

Galaxy continued trudging through the forest for hour after hour, thunder continuing to rumble in the distance, the threat of the oncoming storm looming over him. And then, as he reached the edge of the forest which overlooked a once grand castle, the clouds let loose their deluge. Rain poured on top of Galaxy as he gazed upon what was once his castle, named the Targoviste. A tall grand tower made up the central structure, which was built all around it. A grand hall, once covered and now exposed to the elements was connected to this tower, among others by various walkways over great rifts in the earth. Smaller towers, functioning as emplacements for ballistas were scattered about, some in ruins. Others were left exactly the way they were seemingly untouched by the passage of time. Moss covered and crept up the stonework walls, each with small holes in them for gun emplacements or archers to fire their barrages out of.

“I left this place to rot… My father must be looking down upon me in shame. I ran from my past, in fear and terror. ...Now, it’s only guilt out of not going after the Queen who ruined my life, my family!” Galaxy snarled before his very body began to shake and quiver as he sobbed at what he had done, and his part in it. Behind him, two blue insect like eyes watched the former lord of Targoviste break down and let his emotional barriers fall like the castle walls he once defended. The owner of those eyes looked away in sadness and felt a small tear slip from them as the pony-like creature turned to walk away and he hung his head in sadness.

“What have we done? We’re supposed to absorb love, yes as that’s the only way for our species to survive but wherever we go we also leave ruins and destruction in our wake.” The changeling, a younger member of his species thought as he vanished into the forest and assumed the simple disguise of a regular bat-pony. “Me and Thorax… We both know there’s got to be a better way than this, there has to be! But not while Queen Chrysalis is in charge. Not right now.”

Meanwhile, Galaxy remembered…

Twenty-One Years Ago…

Youtube Video

Galaxy smiled as he watched his two young children frolic and toss a ball back and forth between them in the Grand Hall before they led each other on a game of chase laughing all the while. One, a gray filly with purple hair and another pure black with his own brown mane, an exact image of his father in all but the eyes which were a cool blue. Galaxy smiled as he looked at the stain glass window nearest to him, an image of his father shown and Galaxy let the metal horseshoes which made up part of his pure sterling silver armor clank as they hit the floor with each hoof step. He watched his father, an exact image of him right down to the eyes seemingly look at him with pride at the kingdom he ruled.

Suddenly, he felt a soft caressing nuzzle from his wife, a pure gray bat-pony with green eyes and an indigo mane.

“Remembering again?” She asked.

“Y-Yeah. Adrianna, I have to ask… Would my father be proud of me? It’s been ten years since he passed, and I was only a young foal then when I had to take the throne. I wasn’t ready, and I have never felt like I’m living up to the expectations that he set for me,” Galaxy questioned as he continued watching his father in the stain glass window, whose eyes were now seemingly judging him.

“Faust knows he wouldn’t have approved of you. You’re not even of any royal bloodline.”

“Well…” Adrianna began. “I don’t think that matters. Bloodline or not, you picked me out of all the other possible suitors your advisors set out for you. Me, a simple farmer!”

“Let’s be honest here,” Galaxy said as he nuzzled his wife in return. He never really showed affection to her in public, not while his royal guards all dressed in blood red armor watched. This was a rarity indeed and it surprised his wife knowing how reserved in his affections Galaxy normally was. “All of those… mares, to use the polite way of putting it were just gold diggers who only wanted this castle, not me. No small wonder I fired my advisors when they started lining them up for the choosing.”

Adrianna chuckled. She remembered the shouting that could be heard from the Grand Hall that day when Galaxy had gone missing. He would later show up at her family farm dressed in just a simple brown tattered and very worn cloak. At the time, he stated he just wanted to help out. It was only after she had recognized him that Galaxy confessed he wanted to see how the lower classes lived their lives and that he needed to get away from the castle life for awhile. At the time, he didn’t state exactly why but whenever she saw Galaxy overhear and shake his head in pure disgust at the various noble-mares talking about the possibility of being Galaxy’s wife did she figure it out.

Then, Adrianna smiled and laid a hoof on his shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about your father being proud of you or what choices you made with what you wanted to do with your life. You’re not him, and you never will be. Your father was a tyrant, always imposing tax after tax. You… When you took the throne you lifted every law he made and tried to make life better for us. That’s all that matters.”

“Mă simt bine cu tine,” Galaxy replied. “Tu mă faci fericită, you always know what to say.”

Adrianna then wrapped her hooves around her husband and gave him a long lingering kiss before nibbling on his neck.

“Now, you’ve been paying so much attention to your kingdom and not me that I’m feeling… left out,” She purred in an almost disappointed tone before Galaxy smiled and nibbled back. “Well, guess we’ll have to remedy that… Won’t we?”

Later that night, Galaxy awoke and shot up from his bed, and tossed the sheets off him while his wife murmured his name in her half-asleep state. He pulled aside the drapes covering the bed and rushed to a window and threw it open letting the cold air rush in. A buzzing sound filled the air and the moon was seemingly black as night. But Galaxy narrowed his eyes and as he looked in closer, the moon wasn’t covered by an eclipse at all. The darkness was seemingly writhing and moving of its own accord. Galaxy’s eyes widened as he realized what was coming and grabbed a sword off the wall before he shook his wife awake.

“W-What… What’s happening?” She murmured drowsily. Galaxy said one simple word, one which made Adrianna’s eyes widen in terror and her blood run cold.

“Changelings.”

Galaxy ran out of the bedroom and grabbed another sword off the wall as he shouted for his men to ready the defenses and grab whatever they could.

*“Alright then Chrysalis, you want a siege? I’ll give it to you, and then some!” Galaxy snarled mentally as he ran into the Grand Hall and the doors shattered wide open as the Changeling Queen herself, flanked by guards in dark blue armor entered. Chrysalis allowed a smirk to crawl onto her face.*

Youtube Video

“So, you’re the famous Scorpius-Tepes,” Chrysalis purred as she licked her lips like a hungry animal. “My name is Queen Chrysalis.”

“Yeah, I know who you are, you bitch.”

“Now, now,” Chrysalis chided as Galaxy prepared his swords and his men flanked him as Chrysalis’s own guards advanced around her in a form of protection, chittering as they did so. “Is that any way to speak to a fellow royal? Must say, love what you’ve done with the place. It’s… elegant. A bit of slime here and there, and I’d feel at home,” Chrysalis remarked as she observed the room. The tension grew all the more thicker. “Which is honestly why I’m here. Inima mea îţi aparţine?”

“Sorry to disappoint, but Sunt însurat. Besides, how stupid do you think I am? I know why you’re really here, and you’re not getting it,”

“Oh well, a girl had to try. Couldn’t hurt to ask and all that,” Chrysalis remarked cheerfully before she chittered “Wipe them out, all of them. And as for the royal family, well… They’re mine. I can just feel the love for his wife and children oozing off of the Lord here. It’ll be fun to suck it all dry.”

The battle began. Bat-pony engaged changeling and sword met sword. Confusion was sown amongst the ranks as changelings used their natural shape-shifting abilities turn into other guards and then throw them off balance before they took them down. Heads fell to the floor with sickening sounds while Galaxy was blasted backwards into his throne shattering it to pieces by a blast of green magical energy from the Queen.

Several of her elite guards rushed him but Galaxy quickly recovered and flew over them before cutting one off at the hind leg and then sticking one of his two swords through the guard as it fell to the ground. Another flew towards him but Galaxy slid beneath the changeling and sliced through it’s unarmored belly soaking his armor in green blood. He then leaped into the air and landed a kick to the face of another elite guard sending the changeling flying back and through the stained glassed window of his father.

“Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.” Galaxy chuckled before he whirled around to stab the final of the four guards in the chest. He spun his swords in his hooves as more changelings surrounded him. Queen Chrysalis screeched in rage and yelled something in the changeling tongue. He groaned in pain and began to feel weak as the changelings began to absorb his love for his family and toppled to the floor and slipped away into unconsciousness…

Galaxy didn’t know much about how long he was unconscious, but when he did awake, he found himself being pulled out of a cocoon slime dripping off him and dragged into the changelings’ main hive. All around him, the walls shifted and moved and eyes peered out of holes in the darkness. And in the center of it all, sitting atop a throne of her own making was Queen Chrysalis herself. Nearby, coated in slime was Galaxy’s family.

“Glad to see you’re awake,” Chrysalis cooed as several changelings spat gunk at him to hold his hooves in place.  “It was a shame we had to take you prisoner, but... C’est de la vie.”

“Now, shall we begin? Where is it? Where’s the remnant!?!” Chrysalis snarled.

“Sorry, but you got to Targoviste too late. It got destroyed in a fire long ago, few years before you came here. An accident in the kitchen started it, I think.” Galaxy replied dryly and all the changelings hissed in an odd way before he realized he was being laughed at, in a sense.

“Oh… Playing coy are we?” Chrysalis asked. “How cute. Sadly, I’m in no mood for games. I know the perfect way you’ll give it up. STAG!”

A female changeling covered head to hoof in dark blue armor advanced and trotted in front of Galaxy’s family.

“Now… If you won’t give up the information willingly… Maybe seeing your family have all their love sucked out and getting turned into useless husks will change your mind. Unless… You decided to answer right now, and I’ll spare all your lives.”

Galaxy grimaced before he let out a snarl of “Fine. It’s in the church. Can’t miss it, under the grave of the high priest of the moon.”

“Good… Now, Stag, if you please?”

Galaxy’s eyes widened as what happened next changed his life forever. He had to watch as Stag smirked and then had her squad decapitate every member of his family, wife and children. Their blood spattered his face and Galaxy let out a screech of rage and tried to rush Stag but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“They weren’t going to be of use anyways. Now, as for you dear Scorpius… You’re not much use to me either, now that you don’t have a single dollop of love in your heart. I’ll let you live, but only with the knowledge that no matter what you could have done, you could never have saved your family,”

Chrysalis turned to two changelings.

“Dump him somewhere in the badlands. I’m not partial to where, but make it somewhere where he can at least crawl back to civilization. Maybe he’ll find a new life, settle down and I can take it all from him again, but then again maybe he’ll die from dehydration. I don’t care about either outcome.”

Now:

Galaxy snarled at the memories and shook his head to clear them away as he reached what was once him and his wife’s bedroom. He tapped a brick, and stone walls began moving aside to reveal a secret compartment where a small brown chest lay. Galaxy opened it, and a blue glow reached covered his face from what was inside. He let a sadistic smile crawl onto his face.

“Perfect.”

Then, Galaxy heard the cock of a shotgun and heard a female voice ask “Where the Tartarus have you been?”

END…?