Dark Alleys, Bright Hearts

My eyes slowly open, and I yawn slightly.

I pause, as I realize I feel no pain. I look at my body, seeing no damage there.

I hear some stirring beside me, looking over to see Mark, completely fine as well. His eyes are wide open, and he stares up blankly, “I... did I die?”

I shake my head, “No, Mark, I think we’re still alive. I caught you before you fell too far.”

He nods, “I noticed.”

A voice clears it’s throat behind us, “Greetings.”

The two of us spin around. Standing there is a Changeling, though he is shaped more like a deer than a pony, with blue eyes. He smiles kindly, as Mark glances at me, “Who’s this?”

I shrug, “I thought there were no other changelings.”

He nods, “Well, Chrysalis, you aren’t wrong. There aren’t any others alive, but there are plenty still around.” A table appears, with bottles of cider on it, “Please, take a seat. I’m sure you must be confused.”

Mark and I slowly share a glance, before taking a seat at the table. He sits across from us.

Mark nods slightly, “So... who are you?”

He smiles, “I am King Nullam, though just Nullam will do. I was the last and only leader of the Blue Changelings. I died approximately one millennia ago, prompting the birth of Queen Metamorphosis and the Green Changelings.”

My eyes widen, “There were leaders before Metamorphosis?”

He nods, “Yes, quite a fair number at that. First were Queen Spring and Autumn of the Yellow Changelings, which gave way to King Messorem and Queen Adobla of the Red Changelings, followed by King Archimagirus and Laevus of the Brown Changelings, trailed by Nullam of the Blue Changelings, that being me, which was then followed up with Queen Metamorphosis and now Chrysalis of the Green Hive.”

I pause, and Mark leans forward, “So how the hell are you here, and why are we here?”

He looks over at Mark, “Your bodies were mortally injured. I, being the best doctor to ever exist in the changeling race, am using my power and knowledge to heal you. You will be in a coma for five days, but your wounds will be healed when you awaken. Chrysalis, during your heist, picked up a dagger. Said dagger contains the souls of the greatest changelings. Namely myself, Laevus, Messorem, and Spring. Messorem used too much power taking over Chrysalis in order to fight, Spring still is learning how to use this, and Laevus is not happy around now.”

I nod slightly, “So you are using this time to talk to us.”

He nods back, “Correct, and it’s very important we talk. There is a lot you must know, Chrysalis, and Mark is at the center of the most important.”

Mark raises an eyebrow, “Really?”

He smiles, “Yes, really. Let us begin with a simple history lesson. You see, when the world was made, there were only six races on it. The one Draconequis, Discord, the ponies, the Yak, the Griffon, the Zebra, and the Changeling. The races unified into kingdoms, all except one. The ponies formed many different countries with their sub-races. The Crystal Empire, the Earthen Confederation, the Pegasus Autocracy, the Unicorn Magocracy, and the Screeching Kingdom. Eventually, due to experiments done by the Unicorns, they ended up accidentally summoning a creature from another world. A Wendigo. The Wendigo froze the ponies, feeding off their hatred. The Wendigo was banished by the ponies, as you probably already know. However, what isn’t in the history books is the final thing the Wendigo did. Before it was banished, the Wendigo impregnated a mare. From this mare was born two ponies, more powerful than any other.”

I lean forward, “You’re fucking with me.”

He shakes his head, “I can assure you I am not fucking with you. The Harmony generated by those ponies combined with the power of the Wendigo foals before they were born. That’s why they have the traits of unicorn, pegasi, and earth. That Harmony imbued them with the power of the ones Harmonizing, but it was the Wendigo who made their power so much greater than other ponies.”

Mark pauses, “Wait, are you saying Celestia and Luna were children of this Wendigo thing?”

Nullam nods, “Correct. Before any more interruptions, I am getting to the good part. You see, the Wendigo granted these two a unique power. No, I’m not talking about their ability to move the sun and moon. Every year, Celestia and Luna build up a great power inside of them, a power which is kept and stacks with following years if not used. This power is tied to their estrus cycle, and triggers every cycle. This power is used when they give birth. Say, for example, a stallion were to impregnate Celestia during her heat. If she had built up one year of power, it would make the foal noticeably stronger than average. With two, they would be considerably better. With five, they’d be a prodigy. Ten, and they’d practically be super powered. However, this is an odd caveat. This power only works on extra worldly creatures.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Are you implying..?”

He nods again, “Yes. The Minotaur: one male was taken from his home, impregnated Celestia, and married her until his death. Their son, Cain, impregnated so many mares that he made the race established. Kirin: a Kirin was stolen from their home world, bred Luna, and was kept alive. With the combination of the original and the new Kirin, they became an established race within ten years. Every race is the same, Chrysalis. One male is stolen from his home world, breeds either Celestia or Luna, and now they have an entire race under their control. That’s how they won wars at first. Steal, breed, create an army.”

Mark pauses, his eyes going wide, “Wait, they wanted to fuck me?!”

Nullam nods, “In a way of speaking, yes. And it would have ended horribly for the entire world. You see, Luna was banished for one thousand years. That mean she has one thousand years worth of power within her. They almost certainly wanted to make a human race on Equestria. Your child with her would be far more powerful than any pony in history. They would rival Discord, Sombra, Messorem, and they could probably even rival the Wendigo. It is obvious that Celestia would use this child to subjugate the world under her Harmony.”

I lean forward, “What’s stopping her from summoning another?”

He smiles, “Absolutely nothing, really. Sure, the ritual to do it is expensive, but she could easily do it again. Then she could simply say her student was experimenting and accidentally summoned one.”

Mark frowns, “So Twilight did that on purpose?”

He nods, “Yes, she did, with help from her mentor and Luna.” Nullam looks between the two of us, “Celestia has every advantage in the book. She has three separate ways to win. She can either capture you, Chrysalis, and ascend to beyond godhood, or capture you, Mark, and force you to impregnate Luna, or summon another creature. You two don’t have enough power to take her down, and your element of surprise is now gone. You need to kill Celestia and Luna, and you are absolutely screwed in every way.”

I shake my head, “No, no. I have an idea. A plan, and it has to work. Those who tried to kill Celestia before did it alone, and now they’re all in one spot, together. If we could free them, and work together, then we have a chance.”

Nullam smiles, “You are certainly clever, Chrysalis. Though the plan has a high chance of failure, it might be the only chance. However, you must first recover. As you do such, Messorem shall teach you two how to fight.” He pauses, “Ah, it looks like that’s all the time we have. Good luck.”

My vision begins to blur, as I feel myself passing out.