Chapter 1
In the hollow of a spoon sat the inverted reflection of a unicorn’s face with an icy expression. "Set me free."
The white unicorn, wearing a different expression than was reflected, threw the spoon into the dish she was balancing on her rear hooves. She sat with her rump propped up on the railing of the highest tower of Canterlot Castle. Far below, the excitement in the streets of the southern part of the capital faded in the late afternoon. She looked southward in the distance, thinking. The early autumn day was cooled by a light breeze.
"Thou art looking for trouble, Gamine. Run away before she gets here."
She didn't pay any attention to the voice that only she could hear. Gaze and mind in unison wandered towards the horizon, an orange mist emanating from her eyes.
"Stop worrying about the feeling that is bothering thee. Worry about what will happen to us, if Luna finds us here!"
She couldn't stop worrying about the feeling she had, her heart felt like pinching by the uncontrolled desire to push her to the source of it, as if it called out to her.
"On second thought, focus on that feeling and go see what is going on." the voice in her head encouraged her.
The breeze was tugging on her mane and tail, the first braided into a long, heavy and thick carmine mat that covered the right side of her face, a blue hair clip with two phoenix feathers next to the left ear. A blue-tailed band covered the beginning of her tail, the strands of it divided into five braids, similar to her mane. The young mare's ears rose imperceptibly. From inside the tower, she could hear the sound of hooves climbing the marble stairs with a slow pace. To her, those hooves sounded like a hammer sealing a coffin. Nail after nail after nail. The voice in her head did not appreciate the turn of events.
"Dost thou hear that?” the voice whispered in her head. “She is coming. Dost thou really want to have this interview? We agreed that thou art not doing well, Gamine. We agreed that what thou art doing does not make any sense!"
The unicorn smiled sadly, and looked down at her bowl of spinach soup that had gone cold. The mist stopped emanating from her eyes. "Thou never cared about the consequences of thy actions, hast thou, Pepper?” Gamine asked. “She has a right to know what thou hast done to her sister."
Luna, the Princess of the Night - an alicorn with a midnight blue coat - stopped as she reached the top of the tower. Her gaze lingered on the pony sitting on the railing for a moment. There was only one pony she knew who sat in such a way. The realization quickly swept away any doubts she might have had, and she began to growl. A deep guttural sound coming from her throat. The princess walked closer to the railing, her magic grabbing the unicorn in front of her, forcing her to turn around and face her. The blue glow grew in intensity, pulling her off the railing and then slamming her back against it. Luna held her there, her back pressed against the stone wall. The bowl was not so lucky, it slipped out of the mare's hooves and fell, scattering the rest of the soup before breaking apart into pieces. "Thus, Reynaud was right." Luna said, wings spread out and her eyes fixed on the unicorn. The Princess of the Night was all regal standing there, though her voice betrayed a storm raging behind the calm demeanor she tried to show. "When my sister's butler told me in private before my meeting with Sir Adamantium, Lady Storm and Lady Shawarma that you were on this balcony, waiting for me, I was sure the old stallion had gone senile. But then I recalled that this is how you do things, Pepper.” her eyes glowed for a moment and she lowered her voice. “Choosing between listening to three leeches and an alleged criminal, it was fairly easy for me to choose whom I would like to grant the last audience of the day." The Alicorn of the Night scrutinized the unicorn, before lifting her by the neck, dangling her over the void.
"Kill her," whispered a dark pernicious voice in the vehement mind of the alicorn.
"Even after two months among us, you are still not able to eat your soup properly. I suppose you enjoyed last night. Your sweet dreams honoured your return to Equestria,” Luna said. “I'm going to give you one last chance to answer this simple question, Pepper: Where is Celestia?"
"I have already answered that question. Her sister is no more!" Pepper spat out to Gamine’s mind.
Gamine’s legs kicked and strained, trying to reach the edge of the balcony to support her own weight.
"I am warning you, Gamine, I do not like the way this is going. If thou do not do something, somehow, I will find a way to get us out of reach," Pepper warned in Gamine’s mind.
"What is the matter with you? You are usually so quick to speak. Did you lose your voice?" mocked Luna, her head bowed with malicious pleasure at the sight of the body struggling to find precarious support.
"What are you waiting for? Kill her!" a voice in Luna’s mind hissed, its tone dark, trying to stir up resentment once more, and turn it into blind hatred.
Luna paid the voice no heed. Instead, she brought the mare close enough that she could rest her hooves on the edge of the balcony.
Gamine coughed as the pressure left her throat. "As it has been said already,” she told Luna, “thy sister is no longer."
Luna blew through her nostrils. "You are lying! Give her back!"
Despite her desire to not go to such lengths, the unicorn closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn lit up with a golden glow, leaving the princess speechless, for the magic of the unicorn was no longer red like her scarlet eyes. The sun responded and submitted to her, sinking down quietly to the horizon.
Luna reflexively raised the Moon in response to the sunset.
Gamine avoided her gaze, her horn still illuminated with magic, and she remained silent in a desperate attempt not to provoke the Princess of the Night any more.
Luna was angry, her magic concentrated on Gamine's neck, lifting her up by it before throwing her flat on the railing. "Yesterday I read a letter from Twilight telling me that she had seen you on the side of the ruins of the castle where you used to hang out, and that the aura of your magic was no longer the same. I thought my sister's disappearance had given her hallucinations! What did you do to her?!"
Gamine panted breathlessly as she looked at Luna. "Her soul was destroyed in order to appropriate the power that was hers. I am not lying."
The little voice in Luna’s head greeted this revelation with anger and regret, but the princess found it hard to believe what she had just heard. She stepped back, lowering her ears, tears began to flow as she shook her head. It had only been three years since she’d been reunited with her sister, so the confession of her sister's murderer shattered her hopes of seeing Celestia again one day. The rage in her heart made her whole being boil with such hatred that her gaze became that of a Nightmare in the span of two blinks of her eyes. "You never showed any respect due our rank. But I thought it was because you were not an Equestrian. Your familiarity had something refreshing about it and that was why Celestia became fond of you. You spent your time making her laugh a lot at my expense. Did what you experienced in Equestria these two months not matter to you?"
Pepper’s thoughts wandered through her memories of that time. And of all her life, which was devoted to a perpetual quest for power, to reach an unrivalled position, Equestria was a breath of fresh air for her, the first in her life. "Tell her those were the best two months of my life, Gamine."
But the unicorn did not do anything, she simply shook her head with her eyes closed, before looking Luna in the eyes. With a most detached tone, and giving her a mocking smile, she answered: "Not in the slightest."
In her anger Luna hit again the one she thought was Pepper against the railing. Luna's magic then stretched to encompass the unicorn’s muzzle.
"She is at your mercy! What do you need more than that, pitiful filly?! Kill Her" yelled the voice.
"Enough!" ordered Luna to reduce the voice that haunted her mind to silence. She focused her attention on the mare, with a sly smile on her face. "Pepper my friend, believe me, when I'm done with you, you will never leave Equestria again." Luna tried to throw the unicorn down on the railing once more, but the mare suddenly vanished.
Far away, to the south of the Everfree forest, was the old castle of the two sisters, an outdated memory of a bygone era. Now, like a picture that had not lived through the horrors of time, this stronghold was in disrepair.
Gamine reappeared under a tree and collapsed to the ground, not far from the main entrance doors to the castle, which had been blown down on Pepper's second day in this world six months ago. The unicorn struggled to catch her breath, the stabbing pain in her body pushed her to bend and hold her stomach, in tears.
Despite the distance, Pepper could still feel Luna's gaze fixed at her. "Has this been according to thy expectations, Gamine? The higher thy expectations are, the harder thou shall fall."
"Why did thou warp us here, Pepper? I had the situation under control."
The unicorn heard the sound of air blowing through nostrils, like a disdainful laugh, in her mind. "Thou were warned. Thy will had weakened, so I acted. Now that thou hast done what thou wanted to do: head south. The more distance between us and her, the more peace of mind I shall have."
Gamine didn’t answer, simply using her magic. A halo ran through her body from the tip of her horn to the base of her hooves, making a pair of wings appear as she straightened up. She went to the river next to the ruins, where she used her telekinesis, which took the form of ethereal hands at the end of her hooves, to collect water and spray her face several times before wiping it off. The water temperature was almost freezing, but it served to drive her fatigue away for a while.
"One question though: Why didst thou not repeat my answer to Luna?"
Gamine looked at her reflection in the water. Pepper was staring back at her, mimicking the position in which Gamine was standing, but the monster had only a simple bun, her eyes devoid of sensitivity and compassion. "Celestia died because of thee. Thou ruined Equestria's harmony just to get a little more power. And thou want me to say that the stay has been the best thing that ever happened to thee? Has this really been the case? Hast thou considered stopping thy hunt? Hast thou considered the idea of settling down, because thou hast enjoyed this daily life with thy friends? No! Thou had to give in to thy thirst for power over and over again! But hear me, monster, I will make sure that thou canst never devour anyone ever again."
The monster did not blink even for a moment, confronted with this tirade. Instead it gave a cold look to the one who had control of the body, a look that said she never, not even for a moment, regretted any of her actions. She did not try to argue, accepting this astute observation with terrifying stoicism. "Fine."
With that subject off the table, the false alicorn began to gallop, jumping and spreading her wings to fly south, away from the furious Princess of the Night.
The alicorn turned her cyan gaze toward the ruins of the castle on the horizon, well aware this was the first place where Pepper would seek safety . Her two-toned mane, night blue and amethyst, floated by itself, pulsating with the magic inherent to alicorns. Melancholic tears fell from eyes full of cold anger.
"Why? Just why?! She was there, the source of all of Equestria's troubles! You could have ..., you should have ...!" barked the voice in the alicorn’s head.
"We have an agreement, you and I: you promised to make all those I will name suffer in exchange for your freedom," Luna recalled, with a thought for the attention of the one who was walking the dark corners of her heart. "Pepper is now your number one priority."
"A thousand years ago, you were only a puny filly, unable to do what had to be done to make the night revered. Even today, you proved your incompetence to act as required by the situation and by your status," the voice told her coldly. "I do not understand how you could still have any restraint about the fate of this regicide, who took your precious beloved sister from you - forever," the voice added, sounding perplexed.
"How could you? You've never had any friends," Luna whispered, a little mocking smile on her lips that died immediately. "Now that I know what fate befell my late sister, be assured that my friendship towards Pepper will soon turn to ashes."
The voice was stung into silence. Then, a black cloud began billowing out from Luna's regalia and gathering together above Luna's head. The clouds writhed and stretched, taking the form of Nightmare Moon standing in the air, two heads higher than Luna's. She looked down at the Alicorn of the Night, eyes like galaxies swirling with condescension. "You forget who you're talking to, little princess," Nightmare Moon commented in Luna's mind. Her ethereal body, looking like a condensation of constellations, only allowed her to communicate telepathically with the lunar mare.
“And you forget," Luna replied, "how much you rely on my power and on the Tantabus that I created and which you are using right now. You need me, so stop trying to control my actions, otherwise I'll make you go back to the prison from which I let you out," replied Luna, slamming the sabaton of her right front hoof on the stone floor to mark the end of this oratory joust. A short moment of silence settled in, then Luna resumed. "It's been a long day, I'm going to go and pray to the stars in front of my sister's memorial before going to sleep. Since Pepper seems to have a desire to stay, make sure she still has sweet dreams. It would also be good, if you finally finish slaying the Changelings at the same time," she said, pricking her dark alter ego again. "Three months it's been going on. Since Pepper has returned, would it be too much to ask that by tomorrow morning I learn about the definitive eradication of those creeping vermin? By the stars! You have the Tantabus as your own body, and the lunar guard! What else do you need? The Badlands are not the largest of the regions in terms of area," she cursed, as she jumped over the railing to fly to the city's gardens.
Now alone on the terrace, without disturbing the silence of the night she cherished so much, she metamorphosed into a simple black cloud, which split into four. The three new, smaller pieces opened a hole to the dream plane to rush into it. The cloud from which they came, on the other hand, sewed the fabric of reality together behind them, before heading south. When she arrived one hour later at the ruins of the castle, she quickly searched for Pepper, creating a few more clones to scan the surroundings, but they came back to her clueless, leaving her without a doubt, she was nowhere around. Luna being at Canterlot, her mind was now out of reach, and so was Nightmare Moon’s, allowing her to let loose her thoughts, looked at the situation with a small grin on her lips, amused by the mare's illusions.
Gamine stopped her flight and began to float in the air. In front of her towered a rocky mountain range. A road came from the city that she had passed a while ago, and she saw the road running through a tunnel in the mountains, leading to the barren lands beyond. To the left of this road was a forest and to the right an impressive camp. There were eight small circles, each made up of eight midnight blue tents that formed a circle around four tents that were three times longer than the others. These four tents themselves surrounded, forming a square, an imposing tent that stood out especially because of its dark purple colour.
Pepper broke the silence she retreated in since they left the ruins. "Look, Gamine, I am willing to help thee find out what is going on, that thou art attracted to it like that, arouses my curiosity."
"And I am supposed to trust thee, Pepper?"
"If our survival is at stake, I will always be an ally. Even if in thy eyes I am the worst of monsters, my power, my abilities, they are still thy best assets. But once I get to the bottom of this, I shall try to regain full control over thee at every opportunity."
"To continue thy hunt?"
"Dost thou naively believe that it will end one day? For now, either thou trust me to lead us to the end of the road, or thou will have to manage on thy own."
"Thy thirst for power has broken too many lives. Are thou not satisfied with the power that thou already have?"
From the bottom of her cage, the monster rolled her eyes, and sighed. "I have already taken what I wanted from this world. And I have to admit, it does become difficult to find a more powerful prey. For the moment I can stop my hunt, but I do not promise to stop it forever."
"What art thou going to do now?"
"A good start would be to avoid rushing in headlong."
"Considering all this purple and blue, it has to be affiliated with Luna, but seeing it so far from Canterlot, is strange. The feeling that thou were feeling disappeared a few minutes before thou set the sun. The source is further to the south, thou have to move forward, one way or another. Go around them, use the forest to thy advantage and as soon as the surveillance is reduced, go over the hills. Thou will have to figure out how to get back on track after that." This was the most appropriate method in the face of a big threat. Pepper was not used to attack head-on, she acted when the situation was to her advantage, so she could strike when no one expected it.
Gamine resumed her flight, flapping her wings just enough to glide towards the forest. While keeping an eye on the camp, she dived under the treetops. Once on the ground, she observed the surroundings. The camp couldn’t have been erected just yesterday, as only stumps remained from the trees closest to the road and there were dozens. Not far from there, she could hear a saw doing its job. She walked cautiously, concentrating on each step to avoid making the slightest noise, the still thick foliage obscuring her vision. She could only use her magic, her horn glowing like a torch, to improve her sight, while she was sneaking from one tree to the next, to avoid being spotted.
"All these lives reaped, all these souls collected, this power that I have gathered day after day, reduced to being used to light the path of the poor child thou art. Just great."
"Shut up, Pepper!" Gamine barked back within her head.
The batponies had launched a contest for the one who would pull the hardest on the handle of their saw. Their helmets were discarded on the ground, wings spread, heads down and their eyes were fighting. They smiled at each other, both convinced that they would be the one to give the final blow that would make the tree fall.
The mare was watching from afar, her face barely protruding from the trunk behind which she was hiding.
"Go on thy way, Gamine, Luna is still too close for my liking."
She conceded to the order, but she barely had time to take three steps when a sudden thud stopped her in her movement. In his desire to win, one of the batponies had pulled with all his strength, his opponent had been dragged into the movement, shouting when he hit the trunk.
"Hide!" ordered Pepper.
Everything happened at the same time, Gamine galloped away from the batponies, while the two soldiers turned to the direction where she had been standing a moment earlier. They had noticed her with their echolocation. Their eyes scanned the area, and they noticed a small golden halo further within the forest. Donning their helmets once more, they left everything in place, the saw and the half cut tree. Swords in mouths they rushed forward. They searched the surroundings, their night vision giving them a perfect view of the area. One of them planted his weapon in the ground and threw another echolocation to search the area, but nothing came back.
"Are you spotting anything?"
His comrade-in-arms shook his head, taking care not to touch him with the blade.
"Probably a wild animal. Let's finish harvesting the wood and go back to camp."
They left as they had come, armed and on their guard, in the greatest of silences. They finished sawing the tree and cutting it down, always with an alert look sweeping the surroundings, before tying it with ropes to drag it to the camp.
Standing on her front legs and leaning against a tree, the unicorn waited three minutes after the last of the noises died down before leaving her hiding place. Attentive to noise, watching for the slightest movement, she made sure that the area was clear.
"Their armours leave no doubt, they are under Luna's command," Pepper said as Gamine resumed her walk through the woods.
At the same time, a batpony walked along the Macintosh Hills, not caring about the weight of the two weapons she carried, nor about the patrols of lunar soldiers who roamed the last fertile land before the Badlands. She finally arrived at her destination. "Swift!" grunted the batpony as she landed next to him, quickly observing the Badlands to make sure there was nothing on the horizon.
The batpony did not take his gaze away from the arid and inhospitable expanse in front of him. "Oh, Cute Bite, are you checking on the patrols?"
"Swift, you left your weapon at camp. Again." she said in a sigh, gently tapping the flat of her weapon on the indolent soldier's helmet.
He didn’t no react to the tease, used to the batpony ways. "I didn't leave my head at the camp, it's well screwed on my shoulders.” he grinned. “Oh wait, are you talking about the sword? What's the point of taking it Cute Bite? Nothing's been going on for two months."
The mare frowned, her irises so small that her eyes were almost entirely amethyst. "Rule number nine, never move without your soldier's weapon," she said, as she stood on her hind legs, raising the sword as high as possible before knocking the flat blade down on him again.
Swift reacted with a quarter of a turn: After all these years he could read her like an open book. He rolled to the side, dodging the attack before leaping on her. He then took advantage of the proximity to gently hit Cute Bite's helmet as many times as she had hit him with the sword. "When I see how you use it, I tell myself I don't need it to defend myself against anypony."
With one hoof, she chased away the hooves that were pounding her helmet. "Oh, really, yet you always had trouble defending yourself against-" She suddenly stopped, realizing that she had just put her hooves on a soapy slope, and seeing the glow in Swift's eyes, she knew in advance that she was not going to escape it.
"Against whom? Oh wait, you remind me of that batpony, what was her name? You know, the one you idolize so much. Please help me, what's her name again?" he said warmly with a broad grin.
The batpony dropped the weapon on the ground, disgusted by Swift's attitude. She knew where this conversation was going, so she preferred to disengage. Turning her back she walked a few steps away, ears lowered, she observed the Moon, feeling melancholic. "Swift, you can't do your shift without your weapon, I'm not going to be able to cover you forever."
Swift sighed. "It was worth a try," he thought as he stayed in his corner, knowing full well that it was useless to try to and approach her when she kept her distance. "What's the point?” he asked aloud. “The changelings are dead, I tell you! Two months, and they haven't given the slightest sign of life."
"And if they were to attempt a breakthrough tonight, how would you repel them?" she asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes.
"Are we talking about the rest of the changelings that survived the genocide? Those who hadn’t had the opportunity to feed on love for three months thanks to us?" Swift began to mock her. He moved forward to stand next to his friend, pointing his hoof at the badlands. "Do you really think they have the strength to try anything? If they have, they’d feast on us on the way before they go for the ponies of Equestria. Whether I am armed or not, I doubt it will make a difference," he argued.
Cute Bite remained icy. "Orders are orders, Swift. If you want to continue to play the child, I can use your childhood name again if you prefer. Drooling Fangs," she whispered to tease him.
"Oh, you've been doing this since you were a foal, and I in return have always called you Cute Bite. I look forward to seeing the faces of others when you give orders, Major," Swift commented, pushing her gently with his right foreleg, going a bit further with his teasing, yet not past anything she was used to.
Cute Bite inhaled through her nostrils, holding her breath four seconds straight, then exhaled through her mouth. "Can't you ever be serious for two minutes?"
"When necessary, I can be serious Cute Bite. Like when, during our last assault on the hive, I made sure to keep the changelings at bay while you followed orders to the letter and took on the role of commander to assist our queen up to the end of the battle." He sighed, his satisfaction showing with a simple smile on his lips.
She turned her head towards Swift, her mind full of doubts. "And you still don't regret it? You’ve always been the smart one, so it would have made more sense for you to second our queen, and for me to defend the immediate perimeter around her majesty."
Swift unfolded his wing to hit his friend on the back of her head. Cute Bite didn't like this habit, giving him a reproving look out of the corner of her eyes. She put her helmet back on, suggesting a growl. "My poor Cute Bite, what am I going to do with you? You look so much at the past, you think too much about the choices that have been made and their consequences, when you should be living in the present. Those of your lineage have always been by the side of our queen. It was much more logical that this responsibility should be yours rather than mine."
"But that's stupid reasoning!" she shouted, before continuing in a more calm tone. "You should be the Aide de Camp, you moron! You should be the one of us who attends important meetings, and all that that implies."
The batponies that were on guard to make sure that no changelings crossed the mountain range, and that were sitting at their own surveillance post thirty meters away from Swift’s, stopped monitoring the Badlands, and took an interest in the commotion at Swift's position.
Swift looked around, seeing that she had attracted attention, before returning to talk to her, speaking in a low voice. "There is hardly a great spirit that does not have a touch of madness. You're younger than me. You still have a lot to learn, and this is a great opportunity," before going on aloud. "Yes! I'm stupid! It is Equestria that makes me this way! Too much oxygen is the problem, it goes to my head!"
Cute Bite answered in a whisper: "Swift, stop making a spectacle of yourself, it's embarrassing."
"What would be really embarrassing is if you missed this opportunity. Imagine how disappointed your parents would be if you remained a mediocre, non commissioned officer," he said in a low voice before resuming his acting. "We have to raze everything Cute Bite! We burn it to the ground, as dusty as the surface of the moon," he shouted as he walked on the flat peak on which they were standing, walking a few steps away from her before facing her again. He smiled at her and murmured. "As dusty as your useless sister was when she was alive." He choked on his own words, hating himself for saying that, but he needed to provoke her. If he could not push her to stop chasing her dreams, he should at least push her not to stumble, ensnared by her own doubts.
She swallowed the bait although it was obviously a lie as big as the moon. She couldn't let him spit on her sister's memory. She had to act. She grabbed her blade with the right hoof, unsheathing it and scraping the metal with force on the ground, sending stone projectiles flying towards the male batpony.
Swift protected his face in reflex. He tried to dodge to the side, but she didn't give him time to breathe. She rushed into him to knock him down with a blow of her shoulder. Swift fell to the ground. The impact on the spiky stones made him realize that the inhospitable character of the Badlands had crept down to the hills. His armour cushioned most of the brunt, but he still felt his head spinning mildly.
The still enraged soldier took a quick look around before placing a hoof on Swift's sternum. Too many witnesses. Carefully she pressed the tip of the blade against his throat and took a deep breath in order to set him straight . "Private Moonlit, cut the crap! That's an order!" before lowering her voice to whisper, a tear glistening in the corner of her eye. "Don't you ever call her that again, you moron."
"Major, yes Major," Swift replied. "It's getting easier and easier to let her win. Or am I getting sloppy?" he asked himself, muttering under his breath.
The batpony looked up to look at the curious people who were watching from their posts. "Our Queen Nightmare Moon ordered us to watch the border! What are you looking at?!"
None of the guards dared to answer, they all turned their eyes back to the Badlands, repressing a smile. From an outside perspective, the yelling between Swift Moonlit and his childhood friend was a common thing. There was always a reason, silly at first, more serious since the night of the genocide, and they always ended in a short brawl. If at first the majority of the stakes were on the older one at the beginning, since the promotion of the younger one to Major, it had become difficult to know who would win.
Cute Bite hit Swift on his head with the flat side of the sword before putting it away. "Moron." She pushed herself off his sternum to gain momentum so she could turn away from him and get closer to the edge of the hill, overlooking the forest. She looked at him over her shoulder as he stood up straight. "I'm going back to the..."
He expected yet another reprimand, but it did not come. Looking up at her, he saw her all absorbed in observing the forest below. He didn't say a word and went to see what was going on. At first glance everything was calm, but when the noise of hoofsteps reached his ears, he understood. There was something galloping down below. "Do we have an intruder? At least he's on the wrong side of the hill. What do we do now?"
The major threw an echolocation to her left, the batponies were surprised and looked again to understand the reason for the sudden call. Using her wings, she passed the following message. "One Intruder spotted. Pass the message for the camp to send reinforcements. I'll intercept them and hold them off until reinforcements arrive." Once she saw the message going from one batpony to another, she dived to take off in pursuit of the trespasser. Less than thirty seconds later, Swift joined her, without his helmet. "What are you doing here?!"
"I couldn't let you go alone. I told the others to cover for me, and even planted my sword in the ground and put my helmet on it! It will be as effective at watching the border as if I had done it myself, I assure you."
"What am I going to do with you?" said Cute Bite, exasperated, before diving below the treetops, closely followed by Swift.
"First we deal with the intruder. You can deal with me later."
Taking turns throwing echolocations, they slalomed between the trees. In this part of the forest, the foliage was so dense that the rays of the Moon hardly reached the ground. Everything was just a shade of dark grey. "You! In the name of the Lunar Guard, I order you to stop!" yelled Cute Bite.
Gamine felt the effects of the sleep deprivation coming back. She stopped on the spot, only because it was useless to try to run away at this point, and tried to wear her fatigue off by inhaling through the nose before exhaling through the mouth.
The monster sighed in exasperation. "Twice in ten minutes! Art thou trying to break a record, Gamine? Give me back control, thou art good for nothing!"
Swift placed his wing on Cute Bite's shoulder to signal her to stay still, while at the same offering to let him manage the situation by moving his head forward. "Identify yourself. What are you doing here?"
"Let thee handle the situation?” Gamine exclaimed in her mind. “Thou wouldst not be able to do anything without leaving a bunch of dead bodies in thy wake." There was no answer to Swift's words. Only the sound of breathing broke the orchestral symphony of the forest.
Batponies may be predators, but this intruder, who remained with their back to them, breathing with a laborious and sonorous sound, somehow made them uncomfortable.
"Take a good look at me, monster, I shall show thee that, unlike thee, I can achieve a goal without killing anyone."
Swift raised an eyebrow at the lack of reaction from what looked to be a pegasus at first glance. But after going around them to the left, head high and tilted to the side to get a good look of the intruder, they suddenly turned their head towards him. He made a few steps back, spreading his wings.
Gamine concentrated, her horn charged with magic, illuminating her face. Her gaze was devoid of malice, but it expressed her cold determination to overcome what stood in her way.
This look struck Swift in a way he had not expected. It reminded him of a friend who had disappeared. A wound reopened in his heart, one he was trying to hide from everypony. Stunned, he forgot about the situation. "Antarès?!" he asked.
The magic with its golden aura changed in nature, drawing its power from a darker source. It became purple with a halo of green, just as the eyes of the alicorn, from which the purple mist emanated, became entirely green. It only took a few seconds, and before any of the two soldiers could react, Swift was struck by magic and disappeared, leaving only an empty armour and sabatons on the ground.
Cute Bite watched the scene from her position, letting her subordinate handle the intruder. She lost her grip on the situation as she realized that who she thought was just a pegasus was actually a white alicorn with a carmine mane. She knew who she was dealing with. Drawing her sword she jumped on the criminal to try and kill her. But the latter hit her in the side, manipulating Swift's armour by telekinesis. The calculated attack slammed Cute Bite into a tree and was stunned.
The colour of the alicorn’s magic shifted back to a golden halo, while she picked up a candy from where Swift's armour had been a few seconds.
“Unlike the one I made of Celestia, tis one gets no decoration. I suppose he did not get his Cutie Mark yet,” noted Pepper.
Considering the situation and her options, she determined that the use of force remained a last resort, and she was still far from it. Her eyes turned to the batpony, who was just recovering from the shock. "Listen carefully, if thou want to see thy companion once more, thou and the others shall let me pass."
Cute Bite watched the mare for a moment, fighting down a shiver. "You're the one who abducted Princess Celestia, aren't you?" The batpony knew she wasn't in a position to say no. The orders were to monitor the activities of the changelings, not to prevent anyone from going into the badlands. In addition, she had some cards to play. "Well, I have no choice, but I will impose two conditions: First off I’ll decide which way you’ll take to pass, and secondly you will answer my questions." She had to take advantage of the opportunity to gather new information.
Gamine briefly observed the surroundings before looking at the mare. "Fine, but in that case it shall be just me and thee. For each of my answers I shall be entitled to one question myself, and if any batpony tries anything, being turned into a candy will be a way more enviable outcome, compared to what will remain of all of thee. Should I have to bring down all those who dare to stand in my way, I shall begin with thee."
"Thou art overdoing it. Someone will realize thou art lying when thou make threats this long," Pepper commented.
Getting up, the Major had to resign herself to accept these conditions. If everything was going according to her plan, Nightmare Moon would be there in time. She was the only one who could defeat her, and obviously this mare had no idea that the queen was free again. She had to keep this information from her, giving Nightmare Moon the possibility of a surprise attack. "In that case I have to inform you that I already alerted the camp and that a troop will be here shortly. I'll tell them to notify the guards and the camp so no one will interfere."
"Go ahead." She gave the candy to Cute Bite. "Thou hold the life of this warrior in the hollow of thy hoof. Make sure to do everything thou canst to make sure that I can lift the spell once we are on the other side of these mountains."
Only a handful of seconds later said squad arrived. The officer approached them and explained the situation before giving them orders. At the same time, without Gamine's and Pepper’s knowledge, she made signals, indicating that she would try to make the journey last until Nightmare Moon arrived. All gave a sharp nod with their heads before dispersing in accordance with orders to prevent any incident while they’d cross the mountains. Cute Bite looked over her shoulder. "Follow me," she ordered as she headed towards the camp.
Gamine observed the edge of the mountain next to them. She looked over to the batpony, and she started walking behind Cute Bite, who was walking at such a slow pace that it didn't take long for the alicorn to catch up. "Tis not the shortest way, thou must really have a lot of questions to ask me. I am listening."
"The most obvious question should have been the fate of Princess Celestia. But seeing that the colour of your magic is no longer the same as the one described in the file concerning you, I deduce that she is now officially dead." She looked at what was left of Swift. "So the question is, in the event that she has suffered the same fate as the moron I'm holding - are they still conscious in this state?"
Gamine was on the lookout. Even with a hostage she didn't trust the batpony and expected a sneak attack at any time. "No, once in this state, everything about them is frozen. When I will dispel it, he will have no memory of it. He will be in the same state of health, at worst a little confused by the sudden change of scene. For the rest, yes, Celestia is dead, Luna is now aware, and the aura of my magic is indeed proof."
"If she's telling the truth then Nightmare Moon must also be aware," Cute Bite thought. As Gamine didn't seem to have any questions, she went on. "Where are you going?"
"Across these mountains," said Gamine, pointing a wing at the hills.
"No, I mean, to do what, for what purpose?"
"I answered thy question, next time be more specific. By the way, what is thy name?"
"I am Major Antarès, Aide de Camp of this Lunar Guard detachment. The moron you took hostage is called Swift Moonlit. What exactly is the reason you're moving so far south?"
At first Gamine thought of answering with a lie, but she decided that the truth would be good enough. "Wouldst thou believe me if I said I felt some sort of a call? Nothing audible, but an unpleasant feeling in my heart, animating my body on its own. An almost sickly need to move beyond these mountains. To go there, to act."
"According to your file, you are a liar and you usually play on words. So I'll pretend that I believe you." She looked at the candy. "You were wrong, Swift, they're still alive," she thought.
The alicorn took a shot in the dark with her next question: "Couldst thou have an idea of why I feel this call toward the south?"
"Maybe." Antarès began. "We were ordered to decimate the changelings."
"Changelings? I have heard such a name before," Pepper said.
At these words, Gamine's frightened eyes betrayed her emotion, unable to keep acting after such a revelation: "What do you mean, you were ordered to decimate the changelings? Who? When? Why?" she asked with sudden agitation.
Cute Bite was surprised by the sudden flow of questions that were asked with a restlessness that contrasted with the emotionless tone used until now. She was tempted to maintain the rule of an answer for a question imposed by the one she thought was Pepper, but Swift's life was heavy in her hoof, and she finally thought it would be wiser to satisfy the monster's curiosity. "Without going into detail, after Princess Celestia's abduction, or should I say now her murder, Princess Luna ordered the eradication of the changelings."
Gamine lowered her gaze to her hooves, her heart troubled by this information.
"Enough Gamine, what is done is done. It is up to Luna to answer for this crime, she alone gave the order. Now thou havest to calm down and keep questioning her. Occasions to gather information so easily are very rare."
The alicorn composed herself, and put the now cracked mask, she had been wearing since two days now, back on and looked up at the batpony. "These Changelings thou art talking about, couldst thou tell me the essentials about them?"
"They are best known for their failed invasion of Canterlot at the wedding of Princess Twilight Sparkle's brother. They are a race halfway between an insect and a pony. They’re metamorphic predators that feed on love. Is death a necessary step in the process of stealing the magical power from your victims?"
"Oh, yes, I heard about this wedding." Pepper said distractedly. "So changelings are just love eaters?" Gamine could hear Pepper sigh in relief. "As long as these shapeshifters don't take the form of a chest around a corridor, everything should be fine. The dead have no opportunity for revenge." she answered.
"The dead have no opportunity for revenge.” repeated Gamine to Antarès’ question. “Since when is love nutritious?"
They entered the tunnel that separated the two regions. The alicorn mare kept an eye on the surroundings, the batpony was still walking, her eyes fixed at the light at the end of the tunnel, hoping to see Nightmare Moon's silhouette. "Princess Celestia may not be able to take revenge, but all of Equestria will demand your head when they’ll hear of your return. For the rest I don't know, probably since friendship and harmony can be used to overcome any problem," replied the major sarcastically. "What will you do once you find the changelings?"
"Where I come from, it is kill or be killed. In this world, except maybe the princesses, I do not know any ponies who can even pretend to take it," Pepper pointed out to herself.
"I shall do whatever it takes to make the call stop. In the event that you are the problem, I shall give you a chance to leave. Enough blood has been spilled already," said Gamine as she used magic. The halo ran over her body once more, this time to make the wings disappear.
"Good call to prevent these changelings from seeing an unknown alicorn in their territory. That would undoubtedly be a mess," noted Pepper.
Antarès looked at this physical alteration without being very surprised. "How generous. There is something I can't figure out, however. If you can travel through worlds, why did you come back here? And above all, why do you stay?"
The batpony’s questions put a smile on Gamine’s face. "Thou art the first to ask these questions, or at least to ask them openly. Yesterday the mane six just tried harmonizing me, at least I guess so, and tonight Luna just wanted to make me suffer. Thou ask questions that have the merit of being relevant."
"Don't get me wrong, I'd like to take your head too, but I understood that against you my chances are close to none. So asking questions is certainly more useful than walking in silence. The bearers of the elements or Princess Luna will take care of you sooner or later." She looked back at the end of the tunnel for the presence she hoped to see. "My queen will take care of you tonight, with a little luck." she thought.
"To answer thy question, Celestia's death had to be clearly announced. I could not let Equestria keep hoping for her return."
"I have always done it, I do not see the problem," Pepper thought with a shrug.
"So in your opinion, in the event that a pony has disappeared, it is better to shatter any hopes of seeing that person return? Does your cruelty have no limits?"
Gamine kept her head down to these words. "She is dead. No hope will change that. False hope only prolongs suffering."
Preceded by Antarès, Gamine arrived in the Badlands. She had only gone through a tunnel and yet she was presented with a new world. Standing on the edge of this enclosed basin she set her eyes on this region for the first time. A downward slope before her led to barren land that was desolate as far as the eye could see. It was flat and empty except for a few rock formations, as if the sun itself had come to crush down on it with all its weight, flattening everything that had been there once. Ashes had turned to dust, and life itself had given up any hope of claiming the affected area once more.
The soldier looked up at the batponies who were watching from the top of the hills. After an exchange of signs, she understood that her plan would be not crowned with success, but she still would have done her best to delay the regicide. She signaled to stand by for the moment and turned to Gamine. "You are now past the mountains. Release Swift!" ordered the officer.
The unicorn struck Antarès with her magic "Wouldst thou kindly remain motionless and silent for three minutes?"
“...? …!!” The warrior, trapped in her own body, tried to move, wanted to scream, but her body no longer obeyed her. She was under the influence of the spell and at the mercy of the mare who was now facing her for the next three minutes.
"Thou canst also add this to thy file," said Gamine turning to Cute Bite to get closer. Magic began to accumulate around her horn, targeting the candy in the mare's hoof. The sweet began to levitate and was put on the ground against the wall, next to the entrance to the tunnel. Out of the batpony's sight, she cast a spell upon it. Once again she wore that mocking smile, that look that seemed to be detached from everything. She acted without blinking. "Didst thou really think that I would keep my word? That I was honest? Poor Antarès, havest thou forgotten who I am? How dost thou think I got in this situation? Thou art but one more victim on my list of achievements, and this soldier is a victim of thy immaculate naivety. But, do not worry, I will manage alone now and I thank thee for everything. Our conversation has been pleasant." She started to walk away, her gaze was lost in the vagueness, she inhaled through her nose and then exhaled through her mouth before turning around to look at Antarès again with a softer smile. "I hope the next time we meet, you and I may share a cup of tea." Without waiting for any reaction, she galloped off to continue on her quest.
Unparalleled wrath coursing through her, Antarès had every opportunity to curse the unicorn inwardly with all possible qualifiers, before her three minutes were up. As soon as she felt the spell lose its effect, she inhaled to bark her orders. "Guards! Catch Pepper Chilly at any cost! I need her alive!" She shouted like the angry mare she was. Head lowered, anger giving way to self-pity, she approached and sat down in front of the candy. "I'm sorry Swift, it's all my fault," she whispered. With all the hope she could hold on to, she remained confident in the ability of the faction guards. That they would bring Pepper back prisoner, that they could force her to lift the spell. "You'll see, they'll bring her back soon, you'll be yourself again, and we'll laugh about it." Her eyes wet with tears, she lifted her chin, and prayed to the stars. "I've already lost my sister, I beg you, not Swift, too," she said in a sob.
Suddenly, a golden light emanated from the candy. Before Antarès could react, she was hit in the jaw by Swift's head as he returned to his former self. It was such a strong impact that she landed on her back.
Swift rubbed his head. He felt a bit lost as he looked around, noting that he had lost his armour, that the scene had changed, and that the intruder was nowhere to be seen. "Why are we here? Where is the intruder?" he asked, turning his attention to Cute Bite.
She held back her tears with great difficulty. There was a flood of conflicting feelings in her heart and she couldn't stop it. "It was the regicide, Pepper Chilly, and she left, the others are pursuing her."
Swift could only imagine how his precious Cute Bite could end up in such a state, but he was sure that she needed to think about something else, and he knew exactly what he had to do. He stood on his four legs and imitated the chief instructor from when they were still simple cadets. "Grunt Cute Bite! What is this attitude?! Look at your armour, it’s so dirty I can't see myself in it! I've seen a lot of batponies like you, Grunt Cute Bite! You weaklings are always welcome to resign and leave! For this is not how you will carry Antarès' name into the legends," he said, speaking normally, but loud enough, to give the impression that he was yelling at her. He leaned over her, and hit her on the sternum with the tip of his hoof, while with his wings were spread to their full extent.
"Moron!" barked Antarès, her rage suddenly dominating all the other feelings deep in her heart, and she gave him a perfect uppercut to his jaw. Swift bit his tongue as a result, and almost blacked out, falling flat on the ground. "Moron," she whispered again, as she took him in her hooves and folded her wings over him, crying with relief.
"Yaour ‘elcome." Swift replied in a whisper with a swollen tongue.
Author's Note
Huge Thanks towards two people who helped me to upload the current version of this chapter today.
First and more importantly, Luna Nightshade, for fixing the whole text and the meanings lost in translation.
Estee who pointed out a few necessary improvements and typos.
Chapter 2
Gamine had left Antarès behind, galloping down the slope at full speed, entering the Badlands. “53 … 54 …”
"Tis funny, that we have the same modus operandi."
“I had no other option. If I had released the batpony as promised, his companions would have had no reason to let me go. Now it is essential to get as much of a lead on them as I can before they come after me … 65…”
She felt her fatigue resurfacing slowly, and she had to ration her strength so she wouldn’t collapse and could be easily picked her up by the first creature that found her.
"Gamine, about these changelings, thou art well aware of the consequences if thou findst them, art thou not?"
"...77... Yes. I shall probably disappear temporarily and thou willst regain control of thine body. I guess I am forced to trust thee. Just find and resolve the origin of this call peacefully. If thou keep thine word, I will owe you one... 88."
"Thine favour is worthless to me, when all I have to do is visit these devourers of love regularly to keep thee in a permanent forced sleep."
“93. Thine plan is to spend the rest of thine life with them for the sole purpose of being the only one in command of thine own body? As long as we are alive, I will make sure thou remainest prisoner within thine body. Thou willst undoubtedly be free to act, but be assured that I shall come back at some point. 107.” She made good use of the remaining seconds she had left to observe the horizon. The moon bathed the huge natural basin consisting of arid land, and dusty stones as far as she could see in its soft light. From one end of the basin to the other, there were no signs of life. No clue that gave her any indication of where to go. She looked over her shoulder towards where she had come from. She slowed her pace, dropping from a gallop to a trot. “119. I have got almost a kilometre lead on them, yet this is nothing, and they will surely catch up to me in no time. My main concern are the changelings though. If they do not show interest in the spectacle I prepared, I will have to send all these batponies away. 139. I have less than a minute before Antarès will give orders for my capture. When she does and the changelings see them closing in on my, they might be more likely to consider that I am not an ally of the batponies.”
“And ipso facto not just a bait to lure them out? Thou art deluding thyself. These changelings are predators. Luna's army has been trying to eradicate them since I left. They will not let their guard down for a second for a unicorn that went through the barricade."
“159. Have you forgotten? They feed on love. To them I am not a unicorn, to them I am a walking meal. To them I am a bowl of hot soup prepared with love that they crave. I go to meet these predators so that they can feed on my love and then you can prove that your friend Rainbow has indeed rubbed off on you. 167. Ten seconds."
"By the way, how am I to find the source of the call if thou disappearest?"
"Thou shouldst feel my magic activate if the source is active again. But since when dost thou need support to hunt?"
"Since the goal is to hunt a creature that is not my prey."
Gamine started running again as she hit the three minute mark in her head, and less than a minute later the batponies were after her. They didn't state any warnings, given the criminal's liabilities. They were just waiting for an opportunity to immobilize her. Given the way she defended herself, firing beams of magic to keep them at bay, they exercised patience. She took a sharp turn around a rocky massif. As she noticed the recess in the sand in front of her, it was too late, and forelegs, assisted by a green magic, dragged her by her hooves, into an underground tunnel. The unicorn screamed out of surprise as the braids of her tail disappeared under the eyes of the dazed batponies. Gamine landed on her belly in the tunnels below the badlands. She was enveloped in total darkness, and could only see three pairs of phosphorescent blue eyes, fixed on her. Clattering teeth echoed through the darkness. The mare, at first cautious about the situation, raised her voice with her usual nonchalance. "Let’s hope that you are not Changelings, just some unintelligent bugs living in the area."
Gamine wanted to use her horn to illuminate her surroundings, but Pepper stopped her. “Do not. The less thou seem a threat to them, the easier it will be for me to fulfil my task.”
The one the glowing pair of eyes in the middle belonged to, whose teeth were loudest, got closer and put one hoof on the mouth of the unicorn to shut her up. "It seems to me that this is not your lucky day, pony. We're changelings, and you're our evening meal."
Gamine moved her head to get it out of reach of the hoof before she got up. "I think there has been a mistake. I am not your evening meal."
"Oh, really? Then please tell me: What are you, if not a meal?"
"Oh very simple." Gamine said stoically. "I am ..." She suddenly reared around and started running away from them, following a cold wind blowing in her face. "... gone!" She knew exactly how it would end. But she had to run away for appearance sake. The worst thing was that she couldn't see anything, and she couldn’t use her magic to light her way. She could only hope to not run into a wall. She didn’t get five metres far before the two changelings, who had been silent thus far, spat out a sticky ball immobilizing her hind legs. Gamine fell on her stomach, at the mercy of the predators. The three changelings threw themselves on the mare with wide open mouths, starting to feast.
Immediately the unicorn found herself paralysed by the pain that spread like venom to take hold of her entire being. They did not touch her physically, however. It still felt like a thousand bites mutilating her body, digging into the flesh and muscles with pointy teeth, strong enough to crush bones. She felt agony as their hunger made its way to her heart. The monster watched the little parasite, that had deprived her of control of her own body for far too long, from the bottom of her cage. Watched her being consumed, as these changelings filled their belly with the love she was composed of. Gamine struggled against the force coming from the darkness, struggled to delay her disappearance, begged the monster with her eyes. She wanted to say something, but was already too weak to be heard. Not even a simple whisper escaped her as she disappeared, sucked away into the darkness with the last ounce of her love. And Pepper was finally free. She observed the space in her head where the young guardian had been just a moment earlier. "Just for the moment.” she said to the void. “Tis not a promise."
As their stomachs were bloated with a fair amount of love after such a long period of going without food, the changelings licked their lips. The meal had been most delicious. They had a short discussion in their strange language that sounded like teeth clattering and barely audible chirps. Finally, the leader walked ahead, and the other two began to drag their prisoner through the tunnels.
Pepper was breathless as she reopened her eyes to the outside world. The prolonged pain had tensed all the muscles of her body to such an extent that now the simple act of breathing was agony. But it was the price she had to pay to finally be the one in control of her own body. With the pupils eyes dilated as far as they could, she looked around, her ruby eyes wide open. But without any light she was not able to see past the tip of her snout. She was tempted to let herself be dragged to the end, but she was afraid to fall asleep halfway. She couldn't afford that, at least not right now. "Why art thou dragging me? I can walk."
The changelings stopped at these words, turning to their unexpected guest. Those who had pulled her up to this point stood up, trying to shield their leader. "Still conscious? Our victims usually can't handle the feeding process."
Pepper took advantage of the halt to turn to the three creatures, getting on her forelegs, sitting and looking toward their eyes. "I feel good. No I feel even better than before."
The changelings were rattled by these words. The one who had spoken so far, stared at the mare with a nervous look, whistling for a brief moment, wings vibrating "Feeding on creatures doesn't make them feel better at all. It is even worse, when three feed on the same prey. Who are you?"
She couldn't tell them who she was. She couldn’t predict how they would welcome the mare who had killed Celestia. She, who had come from beyond the stars, was a monster unique in Equestria. "Lone Star." Pepper said, looking back at those three pairs of arctic blue eyes.
"Tell me, Lone Star, why do you smell like a batpony? It's faint, but I can smell the odour of armour oil on you. You didn't wear it ... No you were exposed to it indirectly," said the leader who was trying to determine the origin of the unicorn’s scent.
"They were blocking the border,” Pepper explained coldly. “I tried to get around them, but I was spotted."
"Could you tell me how many of them there are?" the changeling asked with interest.
Pepper realized that if she wanted to gain the trust of these creatures, it was better to answer their questions. "As crowned as Canterlot's restaurant district during lunchtime," she replied, thinking it would be a good representation of what she had seen from the sky.
"How precise of you." commented the changeling, rolling their eyes. "Anyway, what are you doing in the Badlands, pony?"
Without knowing the consequences, Pepper could not explain the reasons that had brought her to the southern region of Equestria, and she didn't want to try to beat about the bush to avoid raising suspicion. "I am travelling south. Now I shall ask two questions myself. What are thine names, and is it possible to free my legs?" She pretended to try and loosen her hind legs without success. She could have easily used her magic to undo that, but it was better to keep up the act of being a normal unicorn in the eyes of these changelings.
"You can call me Chitin. I can’t tell you their names as only the highest ranking changelings have one," replied the leader. They gave orders to the changeling on the right, clattering teeth in the process. The changeling in question approached Pepper and used magic to melt the organic slimy shackle. Before the mare could get up, the changeling that freed her grabbed her by the neck. "Now you're going to get up and let yourself be escorted to our hive, pony." the leader hissed.
Pepper was docile for the time being. "Shall I light the way with my horn or do I have to walk in the dark?"
"We changelings see perfectly in total darkness. We will guide you to the hive like this. When we get there, you’ll have enough light to see."
Pepper thought about the situation. She didn't know what the changelings had in mind, but if they were feeding on love, they certainly wouldn't let her leave just because she asked. "So there is nothing I have to worry about." she said, irony dripping in her voice.
"Oh, please, Lone Star, keep worrying,” Chitin said with a grin. “We'd love to have you for the next meal, again."
"Keep worrying?" Pepper repeated.
"In your heart there was mostly regret, guilt and worry. Love too, but not true love, more like filial love. A delicious blend of flavours if you ask me," Chitin detailed, rubbing their tongue against their palate - like a gourmet chef who was breaking down the ingredients of a meal they had just been served. "I hope you'll be just as delicious for the brunch."
"Wait, thou ate my love, and thou art able to tell my feelings from that?" Pepper asked in surprise. She was appalled at how easy it had been for the insect to detail the emotions that tormented Gamine's heart.
"You ponies think that we only feed on your love, but the truth is that any feeling is potential food for us changelings. Love is just the predominant one in Equestria, it is also the most nourishing," replied Chitin, nose raised to look down on her.
"Emotivore," Pepper spat in a whisper.
"Oh, I love that term! It sounds like music to my ears," Chitin answered with a sinister smile, eyes wrinkled in satisfaction.
"If thou canst detail my feelings, canst thou also tell where I came from, where I am going and my last meal? Maybe thou canst even read my future from tea leaves?" Pepper’s voice dripped with irony.
"If you're done with your mockery, then we can move faster and reach the hive a bit sooner," Chitin said.
"I am in no hurry to worry," Pepper replied.
Meanwhile, in the Lunar Guard's military camp, inside the imposing command tent with its dark purple drapes, Antarès sat in front of a desk in a corner of the tent, hurriedly writing her report. She recorded all the information she had memorized while she had tried to lead who she thought was Pepper as slowly as possible to the Badlands. She looked up for a moment, watching the armour of the nightmare alicorn at the other end of the tent. It sat there on a rack, waiting in cold silence for almost four months now. Waiting for its owner to return and put it back on again. The major kept her eyes fixed on the armour for a moment, remembering the interview with the regicide. She recalled her glances toward monster in detail, the words they had exchanged.
Swift stuck his head in through the heavy canvases that marked the entrance to the tent. She looked over to him, over a table that had a map of the region laid out, and small figurines next to it. "Cute Bite, our queen has arrived. She’s on the outskirts of the camp."
Antarès snorted as her eyes returned to her report once more. She had nothing to add to the notes, and it gave her the impression that she was failing in her duties. "Swift, go to the infirmary for a full check-up,” she ordered and stored the report in a compartment on the left side of the desk. “I can't believe what happened to you was without consequences."
"I'm not made of sugar, and even if, I'd survive it.” A grin crept on his lips as he began to tease her. “Or did I taste like mango? That would explain why you're desperately trying to keep me away from you, Cute Bite."
She sprang into action and reached the entrance of the tent in record time, despite her heavy armour as well as the weight of her own sword and the claymore of Nightmare Moon - which she had to carry due to her being Aide de Camp - secured in their respective sheaths crossed and harnessed on her back. She grabbed Swift by the neck with her outstretched wings and turned to one of the batponies who were guarding the tent. "Shadowbolt Nebula, I want Private Swift in the infirmary for a full check-up ASAP. He was the target of an unknown spell, and I want a vampony to make sure that there are no long-term consequences. Use force if necessary," she ordered and pushed Swift toward the guard.
The Shadowbolts were an elite military corps of ten batponies. Becoming a Shadowbolt was a privilege, and it meant that they no longer had to answer to the patriarch of their lineage. They were the queen’s personal guard, distinguished by wearing a mainly purple uniform. Only their hooves and their heads, from the base of their neck up were of a deep black, delimited by a fine yellow flash. They responded only to the queen’s orders, those of her lieutenant, and for four months now, her aide de camp.
The soldier left her post, saluting Antarès with the thumb of her wing on her temple before turning her electric blue eyes toward Swift. Her stern look was mostly hidden by yellow glasses, but she simply took her sword in her mouth, preferring the use of - for now implied - force right away.
Swift complied without uttering a word. Her reaction to him had assured him that Cute Bite was in a good enough state of mind to report what happened to their queen.
The Major then went to meet Nightmare Moon and found herself face to face with the Tantabus, which had taken the form of the lunar monarch. The Major saluted her in haste with a practiced motion before speaking. "My Queen, Pepper Chilly. She was there. I tried to delay her, but she went to the Badlands."
Nightmare Moon didn’t react to the news for a couple of seconds. Having the Tantabus for a body had many advantages, but there were also many disadvantages. In her current form she could only communicate with Luna telepathically over a short distance, and materializing a physical form required a substantial expenditure of magical power. However, since the Tantabus was fuelled by Luna's guilt, Nightmare Moon was confident that the flow of energy would increase, now that Celestia's death had been confirmed. She used a third of her current magical strength to take a physical shape: The body of an alicorn, with an ebony coat, and ethereal mane and tail of a royal blue. It was almost as if she had never crossed paths with Twilight Sparkle. In her physical form she gave an inquisitive look to her Aide de Camp. "Your report, right now." she ordered and began to walk toward the command tent setting a brisk pace.
Antarès fell into a trot next to Nightmare Moon to keep up with her. "Thirty minutes ago, I noticed the sound of galloping in the forest along the hill from Private Moonlit's post. Swift Moonlit left his post to assist me as I went after the trespasser and intercepted them. At first we thought they were just a pegasus who, despite our orders, did not identify themselves. Only when Private Moonlit approached them, we realized who we were dealing with."
Nightmare Moon entered the tent and looked at the map, remaining attentive to the batpony’s report.
"She took Swift Moonlit hostage, by turning him into a candy ..."
Nightmare Moon was slightly shocked at the mention of this fact.
"... with our orders being not to let any creature escape the Badlands, and given the estimated magical power level of the criminal, I decided to make her believe that I was conceding to her demands to be lead to the barren lands. I took the longest path, hoping to see you arrive in time to defeat her. During this time I tried to ask her questions that I thought were the most relevant, and she gave me answers whose truth has yet to be proven. Once through the tunnel, she paralysed me with a spell, and then led me to believe that she would not lift the spell from Swift she had used to turn him into a candy. Once released from paralysis, I immediately sent guards after her, but they reported that she was caught, and pulled underground, probably by changelings. I think that the spell cast on Swift has faded on its own. I am ready to take responsibility for my mistakes, for letting Pepper Chilly pass, my Queen."
Nightmare Moon thought about the situation for a minute, observing the map again. Finally she looked up at Antarès and spoke in a calm tone. "At ease, Major. I don't blame you for tonight's event. Pepper Chilly lied to everypony for two months. If it is true that she has gained power by absorbing the soul of Celestia as she has told Luna, then it was certainly wiser of you to not encourage her to break through by sheer force."
Despite the words of her superior, Antarès had the nagging feeling that she could have done better. She turned her head, observing the Moon over her shoulder through the gap between the canvases that served as the entrance to the tent. "What colour is the moon tonight, my Queen?"
"Make it short." replied the living nightmare to the coded message.
"About the Eclipse project?" asked the major.
Nightmare Moon nodded again, eyes closed. "Yes, it is true, the Eclipse project is taking a completely different turn. Until now, Luna had been hanging in there, under the illusion of having control of the situation. Now that Pepper Chilly is back, and Celestia's death has been confirmed, things will undoubtedly accelerate. If I manage to slip the severed head of the one she had considered to be a friend into her bed, and she looks into Pepper's glassy eyes in the early morning, she will understand that she can never get the slow and painful revenge she wanted. That realization will make her insane. With her mind crushed, I will be able to possess her body, and even if Twilight Sparkle tries to use the elements of harmony on me, Luna will remember that she has nothing left in this world! Even though she has a bond with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, it will not prevent her from sinking back into darkness, allowing me to take over once more. No matter how hard Twilight tries, she will have to accept the idea that Luna can no longer be saved. As soon as I rule over Equestria, the reign of my night will begin. With Shining Armor now being prince consort of the Crystal Kingdom, I will have to elect a new captain for the Royal Guard for Canterlot Castle. A position that may suit you, Major. However, I fully understand if a military career is more appealing for you."
"It would be an honour to ensure the well-being of you and your palace, my Queen," replied Antarès loudly and clearly.
"Now, I'll be entering the Badlands," announced the ebony alicorn.
"I'm going to gather a squad to escort you-"
"There is no need for that. If Chrysalis is not dead yet, she won’t like to see a group of batponies come, not even in small numbers. But if I go alone, she might more easily concede to a meeting with me. In the eventuality of an aggressive welcome, I can return in my ethereal form without having to worry about the fate of an escort."
The batpony had to admit that this tactic provided an easy retreat if the changelings refused to talk. In the current climate, it was not difficult to believe that they would refuse. "When I asked her, Pepper Chilly said she was going to the Badlands because she felt a call. And she became agitated when she heard about the genocide of the changelings."
Nightmare Moon frowned over this information in doubt. "She's not the altruistic type. If Chrysalis has the foresight to end her, that would be fine by me. The problem is that she must not know what her subjects have dragged into her hive. Major, regarding Pepper Chilly, the orders are not to engage in hostilities. If she has returned to gather power, she will show little interest in anypony who is not an alicorn. There is no need to risk lives in a fight without a chance of victory," she said as she walked towards the exit.
"My queen. A thought came to my mind. Since she has returned, do you think she is the mare from the prediction that announces the return of the Crystal Empire’s tyrant?" asked Antarès, feeling uncomfortable to raise the subject, though curious to hear her queen's opinion.
Nightmare Moon had just spread the heavy canvases with her wings. "All the more reason to make her surrender her last breath before she has a chance to say the forbidden name. We already have a regicide on the loose. No one wants this tyrant to come back and claim an empire that was never his."
"Yes.” Antarés agreed. “One unnecessary war is one too many. The Crystal Kingdom was lucky to reappear last year. The absence of Princess Celestia affects the morale of the Equestrians a lot . His return wouldn’t help the situation."
"One unnecessary war is one too many? I wasn’t aware your lineage had such wisdom running through their veins, Major. Or it is the private Moonlit who rubbed off on you somehow? Teasing aside, keep it up, that's the way I expect a second in command to think." Nightmare Moon left the tent to fly to the Badlands, changing back to the simple form of a black cloud to preserve her strength.
In the tunnels below the badlands Pepper raised her voice. “Chitin?" she asked.
"If you ever ask me again when we arrive, pony, I'll rip your tongue out." grunted Chitin, who already had no patience to bear with Pepper's attitude.
“We have just walked and turned so many times. What else am I to do in such a maze? Oh, I know! What is your Princess' name?" she asked.
"Princess? There is no Princess here. That's a title that’s only good for your alicorns. Here, it is the title of Queen that suits the one who runs our hive, and her name is Chrysalis," Chitin said proudly, sounding haughty. "Stop,” they suddenly ordered, clattering their teeth to make the other two Changelings, still silent, move a rock that looked like any other out of their way. “We’ve arrived,” they said, as a passage leading to a large bright room was revealed. "Walk in, Lone Star."
Pepper walked toward the middle of the cavern. Looking up at the ceiling she squinted her eyes recognizing large green cocoons that glowed, allowing her to see as if in broad daylight. She stopped and turned around to finally see her hosts.
One of two silent Changelings did not wear armour. Chest plate and helmet of the armour were of the same colour as the deep blue shell on the top of their backs. Yet at close range, these creatures seemed to her as if cut out of obsidian - not only because of the colour of their body but also because of their apparent fragility, mostly due to how their legs looked. The mare did not understand how they could stand on these limbs which were riddled with holes that gave them anatomically improbable shapes. Their ridiculous wings, also perforated with holes shouldn’t allow them to fly. As her gaze lingered on their heads, and she saw those upper canines sticking out of their mouths as well as their horn like a curved ice pick, Pepper was glad to know that the changelings were only after love. "How can you run with legs like that? They seem as if they would break at any moment with all these holes. You all look like wooden shields after a rain of arrows." Pepper said stoically.
"Are you mocking us, pony?!" Chitin shouted, while the other two Changelings whistled in anger.
Pepper did not understand the reason for their outburst. "I am not laughing, this is my first time meeting Changelings and I am curious to know more about thy species."
Chitin gave orders to the Changelings who went back into the tunnel, and closed the passage behind them. "No pony shows any curiosity when they see our true appearance, they get scared, they run away."
She turned away from Chitin and his remark, leaving the room to enter a new tunnel, following the sticky substance that connected the light sources together. "The ones from Equestria, no doubt,” Pepper answered, “but I am not from there. I am a traveller, and I am looking to go further south. Where is the southernmost exit of this hive?"
The Changeling followed her, making sure she didn't go into sensitive areas of the hive. "Please, Lone Star, accept our hospitality and stay for the rest of the night. We'd be so very happy to have you to eat for brunch."
The offer sketched a grin on Pepper's lips as she took in the sights of the rooms she walked past. "There's not much left to eat, but I intend to come back at every opportunity. It is very liberating."
"Tell me, what happened to make you feel such remorse that you thank us for eating your feelings? I am sure that we can find a way to revive them and have a midnight snack," Chitin said, licking his lips in advance.
Pepper was going to give a fake reason as an answer, as she stopped in front of a room that was even bigger than the very first one. In contrast to the previous caverns, the one before her was lit by blue crystals. "Tis different. What is this room?" She asked, entering and looking at the large seat placed opposite the entrance.
"This is the throne room, where we’ll serve brunch to our queen at eleven o'clock.” Chitin answered. “So, this remorse, where did it come from? I want to turn the knife in the wound."
Pepper ignored Chitin's words. She felt being watched, so she approached the throne, convinced that someone was hiding behind it. She walked around it, and with her neck stretched, came face to face with the one keeping their eyes on her.
Hidden behind the royal seat, there was a young Changeling, who looked quite different from the other three. A tiny female changeling. Barely bigger than Pepper’s head. She had eyes akin to that of a pony, her pupils slightly formed like those of cats: Two vertical slits looking back at Pepper, filled with curiosity. Her differently coloured eyes reinforced the power of her gaze - her left iris was of a deep malachite green, her right one was of a soft yellow, like the colour of sulphur. Pepper could see her head filling with questions while the changeling’s eyes were taking in Pepper’s appearance.
She made a few steps back. "Who is hiding back there?" asked the mare in a whisper, sitting down on her rump.
The Changeling child took off, buzzing as she hovered before Pepper's face, biting her hoof to try and suppress in vain a question that was burning on her lips. "Are you a pony?" she asked in a chirp, putting her hoof on the unicorn's snout.
"Aglowing Shell? What are you doing here?" Chitin asked dryly, while slowly approaching them, eyes fixed on Pepper, all the muscles of their body tense, ready to jump on her if she ever tried to make a move towards the child.
"Well, I..." Aglowing did not know how to answer such a question, so she avoided looking in the direction of warrior Changeling.
"I am a pony." Pepper confirmed with a smile. She continued to observe the small Changeling, ignoring the aura of tension coming from Chitin. The child’s mane was mainly a dark cerulean blue, except for a celestial blue wick that cut the mane by passing to the left of her horn, then descending to the middle of her fluffy chest.
Aglowing Shell had stars in her eyes. She leapt on Pepper's face, belly to her muzzle. The child’s hooves clamped down on the mare’s muzzle, forcing her to be silent while she rubbed her face against the pony’s forehead. "Whoooooa! A real pony. This is the first time I've seen a real one! Thank you, Mother! I wanted a pony for such a long time now!" the little Changeling chirped excitedly.
"Mhmf?" Pepper muttered between her teeth, unable to form words like this. She turned her gaze towards Chitin.
The latter disappeared into a pillar of greenish flames. When the flames faded, the Changeling looked vastly different: Taller and slender, a small black crown sitting on a long mane made entirely of ceruleum blue strands that fell heavily on her shoulders. Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings, smiled with satisfaction at having deceived Pepper all this time. "As you can see, you should worry for two. We will need at least that much for our eleven-hour brunch."
Aglowing remained silent, without moving. Not knowing what to do, or what to say, she simply observed.
Pepper used magic. Ethereal hands appeared at the end of her hooves, and with rare delicacy she encouraged Aglowing Shell to free her jaw, dislodging her from her face before handing her to her mother. "Thou may insist as much as thou want, but I shall not stay for thy brunch. Where is the southernmost exit, so I can continue on my journey?"
"Oh? But! I thought we were going to play." Aglowing said with a sad pout.
"Play? Dost thou not hast friends for that?" Pepper asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What's a friend? Is it edible?" asked Aglowing Shell innocently.
"A friend is someone thou playtes with, someone thou likest to see every day, someone thou gets along with," Pepper explained.
"Oh! Mother is a friend then." said the little Changeling.
Pepper dared to look at Chrysalis while she held back a laugh.
The Queen was reluctant to have fun. She slammed her teeth together then licked her lips to display a carnivorous smile.
Pepper examined the sovereign and her daughter. Now that she was paying more attention, the mother looked more like an insect; The skin was made of a very dark grey shell, and she also had a shiny shell on her abdomen while the girl had fluffy fur there. The child's horn was more like that of a unicorn, although it also had holes here and there, and the pointy tip seemed as deadly as her mother's. "Not quite. A friend is someone who is not part of the family, but whom thou likest." Pepper tried to explain patiently.
"That … I … like?” Aglowing Shell thought for a minute. “Oh! Like as in love?! Someone from whom I collect love every day then?" she chirped with a big childish smile.
Pepper and Chrysalis laughed for different reasons, and Aglowing joined in after being exposed to their laughter.
The mare turned to the Queen. "I could use a little help right now." Pepper pointed out, amused.
"It's a pony thing, you're going to have to manage alone, Lone Star," replied Chrysalis, a little smile on the corner of her mouth. She was appreciating the irony that a pony had trouble finding the words to explain the concept of friendship to someone who was foreign to it.
Pepper sighed, smiling, and returned to the young Queen. "All right. We'll keep it simple. A friend can act in several ways; They can be kind, they can make thee laugh, they can offer thee gifts, without asking for anything in return, and most importantly they never betray thee no matter what. Friendship…” she paused. “No wait that's five, what am I forgetting? Handsome, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity, ... Oh yes, Applejack, I always forget her Element. No wonder why,” she thought before resuming her explanation. “.... Friends also never lie to each other." Despite her explanation, she saw the large question marks in the child's eyes.
"Don't listen to her my daughter, we are the Changelings, we don't need friends, just ponies like her to collect their love. Otherwise there would be no pleasure in playing with your food."
Pepper didn't pay attention, and focused on Aglowing. "Putting the remark from your mother aside, thou understood what a friend is?" she asked.
"A friend is complicated," the child answered.
The so-called Lone Star giggled. As she thought about it, she realized that if the child didn’t have any reference points, she had to be given some. "Yes, it is. Look if it helps you, here's how to know if someone is a friend." Pepper took a deep breath, and without singing, she thought of the six elements of harmony, making them into a nursery rhyme. "Goodness in the eyes, Laughter on the lips, Honesty in words, Generosity in heart, Loyalty in choices. Friendship is ignited by a spark of Magic. If thou canst say that anyone reacts like that to thee, or makest thou react like that. Then maybe they are a future friend. Of course it is rare to see them all at the same time."
Aglowing and Chrysalis suddenly turned their heads toward the entrance of the room, ears perked The unarmoured Changeling had come back at a gallop, alone. They only stopped when they had stepped into the room. They immediately began to snap their teeth, their wings vibrating frantically to convey a message. Chrysalis' face hardens, and she looks furious. She gave new orders to the Changeling, then to Aglowing Shell before leaving the room in a hurry.
"What is happening now?" grunted the unicorn before noticing that the subordinate Changeling was watching her like a cat in front of a mouse hole. "And what dost thou want from me?"
"It's Chitin, they sent the drone to transmit a message: . Then mother gave them the order to watch you," Aglowing said, her voice trembling.
Considering this new information, Pepper saw an opportunity to leave the hive, and to continue her journey. But she had to get rid of the guard drone first. The child was not likely to cause complications. "Oh look! There is another pony." Pepper said, pointing away from the Changeling supervisor.
"Where?!" the child asked, a big smile on her lips, as she fell into the trap.
Pepper took advantage of Aglowing Shell's inattention to turn the watcher into a candy, quickly picking it up before the little Changeling realized that she had been duped. "I shall release them a little later, once I have found an exit. I can only hope that I do not have to dig one," she thought.
"There is no other pony!" said Aglowing, frustrated at first, then suddenly shocked after turning back to Pepper. "Where are they? Where is the drone? They were here just a moment ago!"
Pepper looked at Aglowing acting all innocent. "I do not know. They just suddenly vanished." Pepper walked toward the exit. "Well, if thy mother is looking for me, tell her I am no longer ... there." She stopped. Strange orange smoke had begun to emanate from her eyes again. She had to turn around as Gamine’s magic was suddenly active.
Head down, the young Aglowing broke into tears. "I... I don't want to... finish alone."
Pepper came closer. "I can not believe it. Tis her. I can not believe I almost missed the source of the call," she thought, rubbing her snout against the top of the child's head, trying to get her attention.
Aglowing lifted her nose towards Pepper, her eyes blurred by tears. When she saw the orange mist emanating from her eyes, she got scared, falling on her back.
"Calm down,” Pepper said, trying to reassure the child. “Tis... like kindness in the eyes. If thou calmest down, it will fade away."
Aglowing exhaled, trying to drive the sinister ideas away that invaded her mind. She wanted to believe in the mare’s words.
Slowly the mist began to fade It was still present but barely noticeable. "See, I was telling the truth." Pepper said, a soft smile on her lips, although she had believing it herself.
"Is that what happens every time someone worries?" asked Aglowing. Her little voice sounded curious, broken by emotions as she stood up.
"I think in thine case it is more than mere worry, FaceHugger." Pepper said.
"FaceHugger? My name is Aglowing Shell," the child protested.
The right corner of Pepper’s lips curved into a smile. "Do not mind. Tis a bad habit of mine. I sometimes give a nickname to those I like. Look I am here, just for thee, to help thee. If thou needst anything just ask. Generosity in the heart." Pepper said.
"Honesty in words?" Aglowing asked with a little glimmer of hope in her eyes.
Pepper couldn't help but laugh. "Thou learnst fast. In that case, I have to introduce myself. I am Pepper Chilly." said the Unicorn in turn.
"Pepper Chilly? Mother called you Lone Star earlier." said the little changeling, sounding surprised.
"I could not give my real name to thy mother, Aglowing Shell, and I can not stay here forever to play with thee, but I can help thee now, so thou willst not end up alone. Thou just have to tell me what is wrong." Pepper explained.
Aglowing thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay," she said, thinking about the whole story with a little nostalgic smile. Then she began to tell her worries. "The hive. It was full of life before, full of Changelings. They used to go out all the time to collect love. Everyday they went outside, and they came back. We were happy." As suddenly as it had come, the smile disappeared. Sadness took its place. "Then one night, fewer came back than were sent. Those who came back were wounded, and I didn't understand why. They started to make balls of light with magic, which stayed on the ceiling for a few minutes. It was beautiful, like the stars of the night sky. The next night it was the same: Others didn't come back, and there were the lights again. The next day mother ordered not to go out. ‘We have enough food for the whole hive so we can take a day off,’ she told me. But I could see that she was not well." Aglowing coughed a sob. "Days passed. We didn't go out anymore. ‘More days of rest,’ I was told. Every Changeling was restless. Mother started to send most of the drones to sleep in cocoons. But it didn't change anything. There was less and less food for the hive. Then one evening, Chitin ran in saying they were at the entrance of the tunnel. Mother locked me in my room before leaving with every warrior of the hive that was still awake. When they came back hours later, they were wounded, and ..." she began to cry. Magic began to crackle around her horn. "And... there was almost no one left. I understood then. I understood what they were trying to hide from me. All those lights, all those Changelings who had disappeared. They're never coming back! And mother hates me. She kept me locked up all this time. She doesn't want to see me anymore. She doesn't want to play anymore. She tells me to stay in my chamber again and again. She wants others to forget me. Said that it's better for me. Several times Changelings tried to open the door, but mother chased them away. She yelled, she shouted through the whole hive not to approach me ever again. But I don't understand what I did wrong. Why she scolded them. Why she punished me. Is it my fault? Should I have protected the hive? Why did she never teach me how to defend my own subjects? If I had known, I could have helped her! I could have saved them! I'm destined to be the Queen. But if I don't protect the hive, if the hive is empty... What good am I?" Distress squeezed her throat, making her voice sound hoarse. Her tears kept flowing. "I don't know what to do. There is less and less food, and soon there won’t be enough left to feed the Changelings that are sleeping. They will starve to death in their sleep. There are four Changelings left awake to save them. I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do anymore! And..." her imagination was running wild with the worst possible outcome. “... And, I don't want to end up alone! I know that one day mother and Chitin will never come back! I don't want to see these balls of light anymore. I'm afraid to see them again. I never want to see them again! I don't want to feel bad when I see them! I don't want to learn like that, that one of our own won't come back. And just thinking about it hurts. It hurts so much! My body hurts so much. It tightens. As if a rock fell on my body. Is that how it feels when you disappear? What did I do wrong to make this happen to us? Why doesn't mother tell me what I did wrong so I can do it right? Why? Why?! Why!?"
Pepper listened in silence. The mist emanating from her eye got denser, more visible. Touched by the child's story Gamine was reviving herself. Pepper understood. The guardian mislead her - it wasn’t just her magic, but a passive ability that activated itself, if she could feel true despair, and she concluded that this child’s misery was so strong that it had reached the guardian despite there having been such a huge distance between the Badlands and Canterlot. Aglowing was very young and already thought of the responsibilities that ruling over an entire hive entailed, and the army at the entrance to the Badlands was involved in this. Still, that didn't explain everything. The mare took the changeling in her forelegs to offer some comfort. "Thou art not at fault FaceHugger. Thou art not. We shall fix this one way or another, we will fix it.”
"How?" asked the little Queen as she sniffed.
"First, thou must be hungry. Collect my love," Pepper said, wiping tears from the child's face. "Can thou do that at least, little Queen?"
"Yes, Mother taught me how." With those words, Aglowing Shell set to work.
The monster needed to lean on a hoof, setting it down on the ground, to avoid falling on her rump. Even coming from a child, the feeling of being punctured was painful. Fortunately this time there was only one changeling, and there was not much to eat. But it served its purpose - Gamine was sent back to the darkness - and even better, her presence seemed slightly smaller than before.
When she finished, Aglowing looked at Pepper, tilting her head slightly. "I think I'm done. Why are you grinning?"
"Oh, I sat on a rock." Pepper lied. Her gaze investigated the room, she needed a plan. With her mind devoid of the guardian’s sentimental distractions, she soon had an idea worthy of a monster. "Now we shall play a game." Pepper said with a grin.
"A game? What game?" asked Aglowing Shell.
"Munch the candy," Pepper replied with a smile.
"I don't know this game." said the Changeling, sounding intrigued.
"Oh believe me, thou will like it." Pepper whispered with a malicious grin.
Meanwhile Chrysalis arrived at the entrance to the cave noticing Chitin and Nightmare Moon staring each other down. Chitin held a more offensive position, while Nightmare Moon stood in a defensive manner.
"I repeat - my intentions are not hostile, Changeling." the alicorn said.
"Not hostile?!” the warrior barked, unafraid of dying at the alicorn’s hooves. “When you came with your army, you killed drones, not even warriors ... but drones! You killed any changeling that came close enough to your weapons! That isn't hostility? If only you would die, all of you." Chitin shouted. They would defend the hive at the cost of their life.
"Chitin, enough." Chrysalis ordered as she came out of the darkness of the tunnel, catching her breath.
Chitin spat onto the ground right in front of Nightmare Moon's hooves. Then they backed away without turning around, and stayed next to Chrysalis. They kept their tension in their hooves, ready to jump at the throat of the living nightmare, should she tried any sudden move towards her Queen.
"Get to the point." Chrysalis said dryly toward the alicorn.
"I have come to warn you that you have a monster in your hive." summed up Nightmare Moon.
"I am facing it right now." Chrysalis commented coldly, the genocide still fresh in the Queen's mind.
"I am serious, Chrysalis. Pepper Chilly is dangerous." explained the mare of the Moon.
Chrysalis observed the warrior on her left before returning to the intruder. "Pepper Chilly? I haven't met any pony of that name." she said.
"White coat, braided carmine mane. The cheeky kind." Nightmare Moon said.
"You mean Lone Star." corrected Chrysalis.
"She gave you a fake name."
Nightmare Moon's commentary made Chrysalis apprehensive. "In what interest?"
"Right now the most important question would be where she is?" asked the thousand-year-old mare, sounding concerned.
"In the hive..." Chrysalis replied, her discomfort starting to grow.
"Don't tell me that she's alone with Aglowing Shell," asked Nightmare Moon, her tone sounding worried.
"No, she's with... How do you know about my daughter?!" the Queen pointed out in anger.
"That's not important. Your daughter is in danger! Pepper Chilly is not from our world, and even worse... a soul eater." said Nightmare Moon.
"Y… you are joking... right?" Chrysalis’ hollow laughter sounded incredulous.
"Everything that has happened in the last three months is due solely to her crime..." said the mare of nightmares, trying to convince them.
Chrysalis suddenly realized something. When she ate the content of Lone Star’s heart, there had been no fear. "Chitin, make sure she leaves. I'll get to the bottom of this." Chrysalis shouted as she set off alone towards the throne room at a full gallop. As she could see the throne room, she could hear explosion going off. Entering the room Chrysalis only found Pepper Chilly.
She was sitting on the throne, alone in the almost total darkness. Her attention was focused on the hollow of her hoof. All the crystals in the room that were embedded in the walls and ceiling had magically exploded. Now an almost perfect circle, made up of residues of these crystals, delimited a comfortable area around the royal seat. With her horn illuminated by a golden aura, she used the circle to erect a demi spherical barrier to prevent any attacks against her.
"Pepper Chilly, you dirty liar! Where is Aglowing Shell?" Chrysalis asked as she approached. She then noticed that on the ground under the hooves of the soul eater there was a candy.
The mare had a satisfied smile on her lips. She looked up at the queen. "Oh. Greetings Chrysalis. I want to play a game." Pepper said presenting with her left hoof another candy that she had been observing just moments earlier.
Author's Note
Huge thanks to Luna Nightshade for the help provided which allowed me to upload the english version of my fiction on the website today!
Also thanks to Emperor Grogar who provided his help for a part of the chapter!
