A Praetorians Duty

Metamorphosis: A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means

"Rage, no matter how hot, no matter how long it burns, will eventually go away. Sadness on the other hand my little pony...Only you can make it go away."

Rage, pure and unadulterated. It seeped from the solar diarch like a water main had burst. Arachne never liked the taste anger left in her mouth, it was bitter and tart, not silky smooth like compassion, or sweet like love. Rage was like a stronger version of anger, in taste and influence. Celestia had just thrown the table against the door and held it there, starring daggers into the changeling below her. Luna had sat quietly through the ordeal, gripping her changelings hand just as hard as the changeling gripped hers.

Celestia had every right to be angry, she had just got her sister back after a thousand years of solemn silent hurting, leading the entire nation with nobody else to lean on can be quite cruel to some, but she had remained strong and the flood gates had only just begun to open, the sisters still had much to discuss and Celestia was not emotionally ready to lose her sister again. She wasn't ready to be alone again.

Celestia opened her mouth to say something but Luna standing up and extending her right wing to block the view of Arachne stopped her. Luna didn't say anything but only hugged her sister, wrapping her wings around her elder for added comfort. Celestia broke down, her rage had lost it's spark, the fires in her soul died, and were replaced with the snow of sorrow, and sadness. The two sank to the floor slowly , Luna consoling Celestia as she cried her eyes out, low whispers of confidence and white lies were spoken, Arachne could have chosen to listen in, to break the moment but she pretended not to hear and stared down at her own fidgeting hands, uncertain of what to do in the current situation.

After awhile the table fell, and was put back into place, the door now unblocked remained closed, it didn't take the genius of Twilight Sparkle to hear or know what was going on, out of respect everyone remained outside in silence, waiting for the solar princess to cry out her sorrows. Even the guards had gone to the ends of the hallway to stop anyone else from interrupting.

Celestia's sobbing quieted after awhile, and still the lunar sister held her, running her hands through the ethereal hair of her sister to calm her. At this moment Arachne decided it was time to allow the princess and her queen, a small twinge of hope. Clearing her throat she moved to kneel beside the two rulers, speaking softly. "You should know Princess Celestia, Queen Luna, that there is hope, although all seems dark and gloomy, hope remains. I believe the answers we seek lie within the tomb of the Elder Sentinel." The two rulers ears shot up, the mention of the Elder Sentinel tomb was unexpected. Luna turned to Arachne. "And how does the tomb of the Elder Sentinel help my condition? This...Metamorphosis?" Celestia's tears had stopped and slivers of hope had begun to seep from the goddess as she turned her face to Arachne.

"Well, my queen, for many years the one queen and her hive have avoided the searching of all changelings, no one hive has found anything, or if they have it is being kept hidden from everyone else. The Elder Sentinel tomb has always been held as sacred to the changelings, as it is with ponies, after all, the saviors and watchers of Equus deserve nothing less. Some, and mind you this was old gossip between changelings in the hive, but some changelings believe that the Tomb of the Elder Sentinel is where the queen and her hive live. It makes sense though, I mean, nobody would dare set foot on such a sacred place, but then again, one of the Elder Sentinels was a changeling queen, so, perhaps it would be worth looking into, my Queen."

Luna and Celestia shared a look, before looking back to Arachne, and letting small smiles spread across their faces. "Thank you, my dear changeling, while I would normally rush to action on this information, Sixty-four is still interrogating the remaining two of the six changelings that tried to assassinate us. I would find it wise for us to see what exactly the other queen had planned after our removal and then after we could act, but not before. However, I would like you to go with Twilight and her friends when they depart for the Elder Sentinel tomb." Arachne and Celestia looked a her, Arachne with wonder and excitement, Celestia with an arched eye brow.

Luna smiled at her sister, "We both know Twilight Sparkle would be ever over joyed to learn about the Elder Sentinels and possibly changelings. After all, we know little of changelings, and perhaps some new research would be good for them, another adventure for them to go on." Celestia smiled and nodded, standing and looking down at Arachne with a twinge of guilt.

Speaking softly, "I...I'am sorry Arachne, it was wrong of me to direct my anger and rage at you like that, after all, you have been rather helpful, not just with my sister and being informative, but with Sixty-four." Both Luna and Arachne looked at her with surprised expressions. "I was blind at first to the affinity and affection that my sister holds for him...Thank you for saving him, my little changeling." She smiled softly at the awestruck Arachne and giggled softly at the tomato red tinge that had come to her sisters cheeks.

Once they had all stood up and sat back down, Twilight and her friends retook their seats, looking puzzled by the happy expressions on the two princesses and changelings face. Hadn't Celestia just threatened to genocide the changeling race?

The dungeons had been filled with nothing but screaming for the past hour, screaming, crying, begging, all falling on the prisoners ears as they all covered them, not wanting to hear what the huntress was saying, screaming or crying about. One thing had solidified in all of their minds though. Don't mess with the changeling that walked freely around.

Inside the huntresses holding, she was a mess, a crying, begging screaming mess. She wished Sixty-four had just killed her, anything was better than this, and she didn't have any idea on what he had put into her, if she knew she could have at least braced herself for it. She couldn't move, nothing major anyway, she could scream and sob and speak to a degree, but she dared not to speak. Below her were hundreds of Insecti, all of them snapping at her, and she could do nothing but stare at the flowing black mass below her, she felt something land on the chain above her, or at least she heard the chain rattling, she didn't actually feel it.

Her heart rate quickened as she heard buzzing in her ear, and a black hair covered leg seeped into her vision, slowly followed by the body, it felt like an eternity before the Insecti's body had crawled across her face and down her body, remaining there. It plunged the razor like appendages deep into her stomach and she saw it crawl inside the hole it made. She was at her breaking point, and she had snapped, her brain stopped working from the sight, and the unbearable pain from the ruptured love organ and she passed out, still a tangled mess of snot, blood, and other bodily fluids as she hung there from the ceiling.

From outside the door, a white colored stallion, with varying shades of blue in his hair, had stayed, and had listened to the effects, from her screams he thought she had actually been in danger, but he knew Breaker had done its job, when she awoke she would have questions, lots of them but more importantly any mention or physical show of Breaker would have her talking. He grinned softly. Make them think before trying to take me again.

Sixty-four stopped in the middle of the hallway, a sudden coldness accompanied by the all too familiar tightening of his gut told him something was wrong, that he should go back and make sure none of the ponies were investigating what he had done, he didn't feel guilty, but the last thing he needed was for some form of political fallout to be set in motion because of what he had agreed to do. It would cost the nation, not that he cared, but it might cost him the queen that had graciously and kindly saved his life. Suddenly, he felt as if he had done a great evil, and questions started to play at him. What if his new queen banished him for his actions? Would the love-carrier suck him dry and leave him to deaths cold embrace?

The only thing worse than being banished from the hive would be his queens disapproval, he needed her. More questions flooded him. Why was he feeling this? Was this love? Not the natural love and admiration all changelings felt for the queen, but true love? The type of love that made ponies do stupid things? The type that would give ponies unmatched boldness to do the impossible? The type that made them fight harder? Or care for the dead long after the funeral? He shook his head. It was impossible for changelings to produce love, they scavenged for it after all. But still, the feeling of wrongness held him, he felt its tight grip around his heart, and he found it hard to breath, sucking in a breath and sitting down he found himself thinking of her, her beautiful features from the night at the Crystal Empire.

He thought back and drank in every detail he could, the way her colors complimented each other and her personality. Caring, almost maternal in a sense. The curves that held her slim yet toned body in place, the way she had snuggled so close and had laid her head on his chest. She had been so close he could feel her heart beat, hear her breathing, and seeing the gentle rise and fall of her sides as she slept had brought him peace. It struck him as odd, that the only time he truly had felt at peace was that night. He hadn't found himself worrying about the safety of his newly appointed queen, or looking for security faults that could have put her in harms way. Nor had he been formulating plans of escape in case of an attack.

No, instead he had found himself pulling her closer to him, a warmth spreading through out his body, a nightmare free sleep, and he had awoken from the bed ready to defend her. He had even left the room out of respect for her privacy. His former queen had a secluded chamber yes, but she never asked for anyone to look away while she dressed, or while she had 'serviced' her self. Shaking his head of that thought he found his mind going back to the night Luna had been bent over the railing with a bottle of wine and glass in either hand. His mind wandered and he blushed a bright green, his face flushed with warmth. A voice speaking broke him from his trance.

"I didn't know changelings could blush." Looking he saw a familiar candy colored alicorn. She had sat next to him with a soft smile while he was in his trance.

Sixty-four found himself speaking without thinking. "Caadennceee...Whhaat iss...Lllovvee?"

She arched an eyebrow and spoke. "Well, love is a lot of things, it can be a family love, the kind you feel that makes you comfortable and trusting of the ponies in your life. It can be the love for a friend, its what enables ponies to be sympathetic during times of distress or hurt. Or it can be the type of love that drives you crazy, the type that pulls you to another, the kind that makes you want to be with someone for the rest of your natural life. Why? Someone special tugging on your heart strings? playing you like an instrument perhaps?"

Sixty-four stared ahead, nodding softly in response. "QQuueeen..."

Cadence's eyes widened at the response. "Which one? I mean, obviously not the third, that would be impossible. Why else would you scavenge for it?" She gasped as the changeling held up three fingers and looked at her. "W-What?! But..! How..!?" She stammered shocked that Sixty-four could feel a very real love connection with Luna.

Sixty-four shook his head, unsure how to answer. "I...Don't knnoow...SShhoulldd bee...immpossiblee..." He looked at Cadence and for the first time he felt helpless, unsure how to handle it. His body began to shake from the new feeling. "H-HHooww...Shhooww Forr Queeenn..? Nnneww...to mee..." Cadence shook her head.

"I don't know Sixty-four, I mean, its different for everyone but...my own personal bigotry aside, as the princess of love, I will help you." She smiled as the changelings shaking slowly stopped, he turned to her. "Thhaannkk yyouuu..."

"No need to thank me Sixty-four, besides, for a changeling you looked cute when you were day dreaming about her." Sixty-four blushed more and Cadence laughed softly. Sixty-four chuckled internally at the statement. It was rather funny to him.

After Twilight and her friends had come back and taken their seats again, Twilight had to admit that seeing the changeling again was a mild surprise, she had been expecting an ash pile. The more surprising thing though, was the smiles that were shared, although small they were there. Turning to her teacher she raised an eyebrow. Celestia smiled and spoke at the curious look.

"You and your friends have yet another adventure to go on Twilight Sparkle." Twilight and her friends looked at each other, Rarity and Fluttershy shared looks of nervousness, Pinkie Pie jumped out of her chair in glee and her head inflated, and she slowly descended back to her chair, Rainbow Dash and Applejack gave confident grins, Twilight herself shared all of the emotions but chose to simply smile in happiness. Luna spoke to them as they all looked back to the two diarchs.

"Be warned my little ponies, you will be going somewhere no one has stepped in over three thousand years, and you will be taking Arachne with you, if Sixty-four weren't busy at the moment I would have him go with you as an added precaution but I need him for now."

Twilight looked slightly off put, three thousand years? She had never read that in any of her books! or even when she was studying with Celestia! "Not to sound rude Princess Luna, but I have never heard of anything from so long ago! None of my history books ever said anything about three thousand year old places." Luna smiled softly as Celestia spoke in explanation.

"You wouldn't have had access to those books Twilight, I have them sealed away in my private quarters. You can read them when we are done here if you'd like. Besides, the tomb of the Elder Sentinel is almost entirely forgotten to books, it lives on in legend, myth and folklore. Many deem it a holy place ripe with terrible secrets, others believe it to be a vile and evil place where the corrupt hero's of so long ago reside. I won't lie to you Twilight Sparkle, it won't be an easy trip, and it will test your resolves, all of you. It will challenge what you know and what you will come to learn, but please, if you do only one thing on this journey," She fixed them all with a serious and stern look. "Do not let the white lies of old break you, do not tear apart and leave each other, and most importantly, whatever you find down there, always remember that you must remain true to yourselves and to your friends."

Twilight, her friends, and even Arachne looked at the solar diarch with nervous expressions. It was apparent that this place would challenge them in ways they hadn't been tested before, and if what Celestia had said was true, then it even held the power to break their friendships.