The Return of a Forgotten Race [Edited]
Lena was sitting in a rather comfortable office but considering what was going on she hadn’t bothered to look around. A month had past since Celestia and Luna *or as Lena prefers to call them Sunna and Sukie* had brought her to Ponyville and introduced to the other Slayers and the Elements that were in town. Lena had immediately liked Dan when she saw him teaching a few fillies how to fly kites and thought Brit was fun to hang with. Unfortunately James was out of town with his wife and daughter. Derpy had won an all expensive paid vacation to Baltimare the day before. The three had gone to try and cheer up Dinky who was rather upset after a strange mist appeared during Twilight's wedding and seemed to fiendnap Jack.
Alarak had appeared ten minutes ago grabbed Lena’s arm and told the Princesses and Elements that he needed to have a little ‘talk’ with Lena before dragging her to his office.
“I've been thinking about this for a month but I don't think I can sit on this topic any longer.” Alarak said looking at Lena with an unreadable expression. "Not once in the thousands of years you've been gone did you even let Celestia and Luna know what you were doing. Do you know how irresponsible that is?"
“I was hunting for-” Lena started but Al slammed his hands on the desk and yelled.
“YOUR VENGEANCE IS NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN EQUESTIRA’S SAFETY! YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS LEFT IT UNGUARDED AND WE’VE BEEN HAVING TO CLEAN UP YOUR MESSES! THE MIST WAS SOMETHING FROM YOUR TIME, WASN’T IT?!”
“No! I’ve never seen it before!” Lena snapped back. “Besides back then there was only Mal and myself, we didn’t have a large group of friends to call for help! And as for ‘cleaning up our messes’ as you put it. Then I have to tell you to shut the hell up! You haven’t faced ANYTHING that I had to deal with.”
“OH? Then what about Discord? What about the Changelings? How about Tirek? WHAT ABOUT THE FUCKING CARIBOU?!” Alarak said and this time one of his psi-blades activated and he cut his desk in half.
“Tirek? Not even born yet. The Caribou? They were peaceful nomads more akin to gypsies and even now the Deer continue that lineage. Changelings didn’t exist even in the oldest of legends. And if you think that what you’ve seen is similar to what I’ve seen then think again. So it’s as I said, you’ve face nothing we did.” Lena replied. “Not the legions from Tartarus, not the armies of the Cyclops, hell you haven’t even met a single embodiment of nature! Discord’s not the embodiment of Chaos, but just one of the many Spirits of Chaos. He’s just the most active one but there are more.” Lena said.
“So what’s an Embodiment of nature?” Alarak asked
“Being like Roger. You know why I bring him up? Because I had to help kill one of his predecessors who lost their freaking mind! Can you imagine the weight I feel from knowing I helped to kill the being that was born from the first fire ever lit? Heck Roger’s most likely the next in line for the position if the current Embodiment of fire goes rouge.”
“Be that as it may that doesn’t change that you ran from your duty. You should have stayed to protect Equestria and waited for Malfurion to make a move.”
“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT HE’S CAPABLE OF!” Lena yelled. “DON’T GO TALKING TO ME ABOUT DUTY WHEN I’VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR THE LAST FIVE THOUSAND YEARS. OR DID YOU FORGET THE MONSTER HE MADE THAT YOU! COULD! NOT! KILL!”
“WE CAN DEAL WITH HIM WHEN HE COMES BACK! DAMMIT WE NEEDED EVERYONE HERE IN CASE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED!” Alarak roared his anger and pain filling every single word. “TWILIGHT’S GONE AWOL BECAUSE OF THIS!”
“Deal with him? DEAL with him!” Lena began laughing. “You’re not the first to think this way. There have been others and guess what? THEY ALL DIED! I HAD TAKEN THE THREE DISPLACED I FOUND ON MY TRAVLES UNDER MY WING TO HELP TEACH THEM HOW TO FIGHT AND BEFORE I COULD ASK THEM TO COME HERE AND PROTECT EQUESTIRA. THEY DECIEDED TO TRY AND REPAY ME FOR EVERYTHING I’VE DONE FOR THEM. HOW? BY THINKING THEY CAN BITE OFF MORE THEN THEY COULD CHEW AND GETTING THEM SELVES KILLED! AND I KNOW HE KILLED THEM BECAUSE NOT ONLY DID I SEE HIM STANDING OVER THEIR CORPES BUT HE ALLWAYS, ALLWAYS LEFT THE SAME MESSAGE IN DRUIDIC RUNES WHEN HE KILLED. ‘Nothing can stop that which has begun’. HE’S KILLED SPIRITS OF CHAOS, ORDER AND ELEMENTALS! NOTHING’S BEEN ABLE TO STOP HIM AND YOU THINK THAT WITH YOUR FIVE YEARS OF EXPIRANCE CAN MATCH HIS FIVE THOUSAND YEARS? ”
“IF ALL OF THEM HAVE DIED THAT HOW COME YOUR STILL HERE? HOW COME HE HASN’T KILLED YOU!” Al yelled. “AND IT DOEN’T SOUND LIKE YOU’VE BEEN DOING YOUR ‘DUTY’ TO ME!?”
“HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW WHY HE HASN’T TIRED TO KILL ME? I LOST HIM YEARS AGO AND IN MORE WAYS THEN ONE!” Lena responded before she lowered her voice as a tone colder than anything Al had ever heard or felt filled her voice. “And for your information Mal killed Celestia and Luna’s parents, King Terra and Queen Seiun. When I got to village of Sprites in the Emerald Forest I saw them broken and dying, and to replace the promise I made to protect the royal family Terra made me promise to stop Mal. So don’t you fucking dare assume I’ve just been on a murder hunt. I’ve searched high and low for not only Mal but whatever made him change for the past five thousand years, and as your superior as I am the only one left from the original Slayers, I am forbidding you from telling them what I just told you. I should be the one to say it…” Lena looked to the side as a flood of tears fell from her eyes. “I’ve been trying to work up the courage ever since that day, but after so long I’m scared of what they might think.”
Just then a small orange pegasus filly in armor that looked similar to Al’s threw open the door and yelled. “BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! I’M WITH A CLIENT RIGHT NOW AND YOUR YELLING ISN’T HELPING ANYTHING! BOTH OF YOU NEED TO TAKE A WALK AND COOL OFF!” When nether Lena or AL moved she took a deep breath and a psychic roar filled their minds.
TAKE A FUCKING WALK! THAT’S AN ORDER!
Looking at each other both Al and Lena nodded and walked out of the building. Both Celestia and Luna were waiting for them worry etched upon their faces. “You two alight? Sunna asked.
“Considering what I just learned I’m juuuust fine.” Alarak said. “I’m going to go talk to Discord for a bit but we’ll continue this later Lena. Once we’ve both calmed down.”
“Don’t think you can order me around Newblood.” Lena replied before dashing off in a streak of orange and light blue as Celestia and Luna looked at each other even more worried than before.
“Luna you go talk with Lena while I talk with Al.” Celestia said.
“Alright.” Luna agreed quickly taking to the skies to fallow Lena.
Lena had quickly made to a nearby lake and sat on a rock and stared at a small brass necklace that she held in her hand. “Lena are you alright?” Luna asked.
“Not really Sukie. I was so happy to see you and Sunna again but then Alarak had to go and think he knows what I’ve been through. Yes what the Caribou did was monstrous but compared to the demons of Tartarus or the Rough Embodiments?”
“That is true in one way.” Luna said as she sat next to her old friend. “but then again it’s just as monstrous in different ways.” Lena wordlessly nodded and grasped the necklace in her hand and lay on her back and watched the clouds float by. “Is there anything special about that necklace?”
“Remember when I said I found him three thousand years ago?” Lena asked.
“How could I forget considering you only said that yesterday.” Luna said and playfully nudged Lena’s shoulder.
“The reason for that is around that time I had found three new Displaced. They were three Vikings. Gorge who was the biggest of the three and was the defense specialist of the group, Sam who was the strongest and main fighter and Edward who was the fastest and considering his height and beard might as well have been a Dwarf, but considering he used to be the tallest of them mentioning his height was a bad idea. I found them as they were wondering around the Amarezon Jungle and offered to help teach them what I could. Those three quickly became my apprentices and I helped them become amazing fighters, but when I told them why I was traveling around the world they got it into their heads that they could defeat Malfurion and so I can come back here. One night they drugged my food and drink so I wouldn’t wake once I fell asleep.”
“Turns out they bought it from a caravan of Deer gypsies and Zebra shamans. When I awoke I found their not and fallowed their footsteps as quickly as I could. I had told them that Mal was my problem and I wanted them that as soon as their training was complete that I would bring them here so they could but when I found them… all that was left were their cloths and skeletons.” Lena explained. “That’s when I saw Mal standing over them. The three hadn’t even managed to put a scratch on him. He said nothing and the claw from one of his creatures rose from the ground grabbed him and went back underground with the tunnel collapsing in upon itself. This necklace was their thank you gift for teaching them. Is it humble? Yes but that word described them perfectly. No matter what they faced, it was always for someone else and for every accomplishment they did, no matter how people would try to reword them. They never took more than the necessities.”
“They sound like amazing people.” Luna agreed, but unknown to the two Celestia and Alarak were standing just a few feet away completely invisible.
“I don’t like spying on them Celestia.” Al said with his telepathy.
“But you NEED to fully understand what she’s been through.” Celestia replied. “Ever since she and Malfurion came to this world Lena’s dedicated her entire life to defending this land and has nearly died several times. From what I heard from the argument it sounded to me like you said a few things before you had enough information. Now be quiet I have the feeling something’s going to happen soon.”
Lena and Luna lay there in silence until they heard two people approach. Sitting up Lena and Luna saw a small purple dragon with green spines and a pony like being with light green skin on its head and legs and three white gem like things on his neck, a dark green body. A dark red almost purple carapace covered his back and two purple wings that were acting like acting like a tail. On his head are two bright orange beetle like mandibles just an inch or two shorter then Celestia. “Hello Spike. King Thorax. How are you?” Luna asked.
“I’m fine. Thorax decide to visit and when I told him about your old friend he wanted to meet her… umm is she ok?” Spike said when he noticed that Lena was giving Thorax an odd look her eyes glowing with a soft and gentle emerald green light.
“I…I don’t…how is it possible.” Lena gasped.
“How’s what possible?” Thorax asked as Luna and Spike looked at her confused.
“You…You’re a Sprite. I thought all the Sprites died along with the Emerald Forest. Who…who are you?” Lena said.
“I’m King Thorax of the Changedlings. What do you mean Sprites and what’s the Emerald Forest?” Thorax said.
“The Emerald Forest is what the Badlands used to be five thousand years ago and the Sprites were one of its residents.” Lena explained.
Thorax’s eyes went wide as he remembered something from when he was a very young grub. “Now I remember. The nurse used to tell us stories about how our ancestors were different then how we are now… or were considering we’re no longer Changelings. Can you tell me more about the Sprites?”
Lena closed her eyes, and with slow deep breaths she began. “The Sprites were beings much like you are now. They were always peaceful, but when it came to strangers nine time out of ten they didn’t show themselves, but if someone was lost in the Emerald Forest they would subtly lead them to civilization, but for some reason they warmed up to me and Mal almost instantly along with the Wisps.”
“Wisps were beings made of pure magic. Some were the size of a large beach ball but most were as big as basket balls. They lived in hallowed trees and if the need was great enough they could fuse with the trees to become beings known as Ancients, but once they did that they were more like physical extensions of the Forest. How the Sprites became Changelings I don’t know, but I’m glad that you live on.”
Thorax nodded his thanks but then tilted his head as if he just noticed something. “There’s something else… something that’s making you hold onto a lot of negative emotion. Isn’t there?”
Celestia looked at Alarak who now wore a sad expression but something about him also seemed to be expecting something. However Lena looked over the lake again. “There are a few things I’m holding on to… but I’m not ready to talk about them yet.”
Spike and Thorax looked at each other and nodded. “All right, we’re not going to push you. Thank you for telling me about my kinds ancestors.” Thorax said.
“You’re welcome.” Lena said.
“Why don’t we go to the castle and write this all down for when Twilight get’s back?” Thorax suggested.
“Sure. We should also contact Cadence and Shining to see if they have any news about Twilight.” Spike said trying to keep positive but his concern and worry still evident.
As this was happening Celestia had a miserable expression. “To think that the Sprites had lived on as the Changelings. If only I’d had known…”
“Did you know them?” Alarak asked.
“No. Luna and I were going to meet them on Luna’s next birthday which was a month away.” Celestia replied. “We always thought Lena was the only one to survive the death of the Emerald Forest but she wouldn’t say a word about what happened. Now I think I know why.”
(You don’t know the half of it.) Al thought as continued to look at Lena. (And for your sake Lena you’d better tell them soon. That kind of secret won’t blow over well if you don’t tell them soon.)
Author's Note
The Lost Viking Displaced used this Skin 
Also considering the Sprites became the Changelings. What happened to the Wisps? They became Parasprites. And Celestia got to Al before he could find Discord.