I had decided to keep the large armor on I like the massive size I had because of it but I had given all my weapons except for my axe to the workshop ponies who almost fainted at the sight of the alicorn blade which they had immediately taken down further into their cave or as they called it the workshop. Currently, I was talking with Dart about why calling me a war god was a bad idea and also about the fact that they found the crystal construct we had created. I had given up on arguing on not being a god several hours ago and so now I listened to how the creature's rune structure had been altered when it cut the runes on some magic crystals altering them irreparably and shifting what they did. Now the runes sucked in heat from a thermal vent the creature had found and used it to grow more living crystals that took a lesser version of its own form but continued to become stronger as they aged and this had only taken a few days to happen maybe two weeks at most which were when we had lost track of it. Luckily the creatures still obeyed us more specifically me and the creators of the first of their kind this had allowed the work ponies to put a guard over the other runes and enhance the ability of the altered rune because if it can’t be fixed why not experiment with it. The idiots had made it so that the things reproduced faster and dug a hive-like structure like the Lings which the Changelings liked to be called.

“I’ll go see the creature,” I said and stood from my seat walking down to the room that had been turned into an entrance into the Crystalmorph hive. I had named them this after they deviated from the original plan for their look and became more jagged and crystalline. I thumped down to what was once the dungeon and found one of the creatures in a cage pacing in agitation. As I arrived it looked at my powerful form and hissed until I removed my helmet and it seemed to almost bow especially after the crystals that I had summoned began to glow with my black magic.

“Careful sir the creature is dangerous,” said a guard.

“You will take me to the one that made you,” I said to the creature and opened the door putting the helmet back on as the creature slithered from the cage hissing at the guards, and moved down into the hot tunnel. “Do not follow me and do not allow others to follow,” I told the guards and created a wall of crystal before turning back to the beast and following it with heavy thumps. We passed other Crystalmorphs that seemed to communicate with the one that led me and followed us deeper into the hive-like structure until we reached a hole that was ten feet wide and went straight down. The creatures grabbed me and pulled me down the hole for over thirty minutes before we exited into a large room coated in black crystal with bubbling pools of water the largest of which was underneath the mutated body of the swarm lord which was now more of a swarm queen as it gave birth to untold numbers of the creatures. I was dropped to the ground and I walked to the large creature standing in front of it as the other creatures hissed. I removed my helmet for a moment and the heat of the room made me sweat instantly but the creatures seemed calm as they looked at me, their master. I then quickly returned my helmet to my head and reactivated the environment control runes.

“HISSSSSS!” they all hissed at once and swarmed across the floors, the walls, the ceiling, and even the pillars which supported the rooms. I looked into holes in the walls seeing the glint of the heads of the creatures as others hidden in the depths of the hive listened to others of their kind relay what was happening.

“I love what you’ve done with the place my friend,” I said, placing my hand on the head of the large beast that seemed to be attached to the walls and ceiling. “But I must tell you and your children that those above us in the city are under my protection and so they are also to be protected by you and those coated in metal are the guards who are to be assisted if the need arises.”

“Hisssss?”

“I believe there is a darkness coming that we are not yet ready for and only with your help will we survive.”

“SSSSS!” There was a loud hiss around the room as the message spread from beast to beast.

“Send with me the strongest of your children so that my people may learn of your kind and their place in our kingdom.”

“Thump!” a large beast at least 14 feet tall fell from the ceiling, its long tail making it at least twenty five feet long from head to tail. “Shhhhh,” it hissed lightly.

“Perfect and please put your eldest near the entrance so that it can relay messages to you,” I told the large beast.

“SSSSS!”

“Good now I must leave. I will return but I ask that you expand outwards as fast as possible and increase your number,” I said as multiple tails pulled me into the ceiling hole and I was led from the tunnel to the entrance with my new creature beside me.

“Shhhhh,” it hissed as it followed and we stopped at the wall which I removed.

“You will be known as Juggernaut for now or Jug for short,” I told it as its tail waved like a dog would if a dog had a long bladed crystal tail. I then walked through the opening past the two guards who fell to the ground at the beast that followed me. “This is Juggernaut, he will be staying up here for a while and the eldest of his brothers will be near the entrance so tell it if something is happening like we are under attack or someone has broken into the castle,” I told him before walking back to the throne room once more happy the Equestrians were gone with the exception of the Dragon named Barb and the newly named Gleaming Shield who was once Shining Armor. Last I heard Gleaming was apologizing to the Changeling swarm and she was doing quite well but that she might need to give out more than a few apologies to ponies around the kingdom for trying to take over here.

“SSSSS?”

“You may sit among the darkness of the rafters if you wish,” I told the creature still not quite sure how I understood the hissing but just decided that it was a mix of them being crystal constructs and the fact that they were bound to me magically like the first of their kind. “Guard go get the dragon,” I told the terrified pony. “And send in someone to take your place unless you can get a hold of yourself,” I turned and watched the dark creature climb up the crystal walls and into the darkness above where I had altered the ceiling to where others were capable of hiding up there so if I was to have foreign dignitaries I could hide assassins.

“I can walk myself!” yelled the dragon who walked into the throne room the still terrified guard behind her. I stared at him and he closed the door leaving himself outside and me and the dragon within. “What finally going to use me?” she asked.

“Not in the way you think,” I said calmly as a chair rose from the crystal ground along with a table. “Would you like something to eat? I have meat here as well as gems that I know your kind eats.”

“No thanks I’m fine just tell me what you want.”

“At first I wanted your view of the world but after seeing your devotion to those you accompanied on your journey here I can tell I will only get propaganda and the bias of those who you live with,” I stated calmly.

“It's not biased, it's the truth,” she spat angrily. “The Apes wield dark artifacts that spew deathly smoke into the skies, the Diamond Dogs kidnap ponies to use as slaves in their mines, the Changelings drain emotions from those around them eventually turning them to an emotionless husk, and worst of all the Cariou who use their massive control over magic to enslave half of their species and use them as sex slaves and breeding tools.

I thought over her words and while they were most likely influenced there was at least a small amount of truth in each of her statements no matter how twisted that truth may have become. The creatures mentioned could be useful to the Kingdom if I could get them here. The railroad would take over a year to complete even with the ideas that Rune and I had been working on so while the railroad was being built we needed another method of long-range travel. My current Idea was for some airships that would be shielded against the unnatural weather in the frozen wastes.

“Girl-”

“My name is Barb not girl,” she growled.

“Barb I would like to learn more about Equestria.”

“What so it’s easier to conquer. Honestly, even if you tried, Equestria has hundreds of royal guards and with the new cannons and battlewagons you can’t do anything to them!” she spat.

“I do not intend to invade Equestria unless I am first attacked by your military.”

“Good!”

“You may go and speak with your friends and family now but please try not to attempt escape. I'd hate to be forced to send my soldiers, who are better at navigating the frozen wastes, after you."

She got up and rushed to the exit happy to get away from me and get to her friends.

“I can already tell they're going to give us a headache my friend,” I said as Juggernaut fell from the ceiling with a crash. “Go bring some of your brothers and sisters up into the castle and have them patrol the halls in the shadows then after that is done return to me,” I told the beast which rushed off in the darkness running across the ceiling its black crystal body blending into the shadows that formed at the roof of the halls.

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I later found myself walking down to the forges where Rune and Bellows along with many others worked on making weapons and armor for the guard. I walked along looking at the racks of magical muskets, blades, and armor until eventually, I reached Rune and Bellows who were arguing over a blueprint.

“We should use balloons not propellers you old fool!” shouted Bellows.

“Bah! Propellers are the way to go. We've used them for years with no-fail,” Rune replied as they continued to fight.

“Seems you can’t come to an agreement?”

“Oh my king good to see you,” said Bellows. “Just trying to convince this old fool to try something new that I asked one of the second group of Equestrians about.”

“I did some research of my own,” I started cutting off Rune. “Why not use overcharged lightening arrays to lift the airships?”

“Yes that would work but we don’t have enough space to make the needed magical power.”

“Then enlarge the ship and devote a single magical generator to each array,” I said as I molded a large chunk of crystal into a shape resembling a construct only I would know of. The construct was that of a Stellaris Molluscoid Corvette. “How does this shape for the vessel look?”

“Interesting there is no open platform for the crew to stand on how they will see the enemy?” asked Rune.

“And how will they navigate without sight?” added Bellows.

“Use a magically enhanced crystal to make it so that we can see out but others cannot see in. Also if you see fit please make changes I am leaving this in both of your hands but if possible I would like a design done by the end of the month.”

“What should we make it out of sir?”

“You decide but if you choose crystal you must find a way other than utilizing my abilities.”

“Understood sir,” said Bellows as they both went back to work after Rune gave a nod.

I continued my walk through the workshop and watched as those working tested out new armor and weapons. Most of the new armor was apparently made by the changelings in their own workshop and then moved here for magical enhancement. I took a list given to me by a very busy pony who apologized that he couldn’t go into depth at the moment and would be able to speak later. I honestly don’t think he realized who I was but he was busy and so I left him to his work and read over the papers which listed everything about the weapons and armors. The changeling made armor was apparently a form of organic construct that when worn would shift to the wearer’s size, it had limited camouflage abilities, and could regenerate itself by absorbing raw magic. It was made in the hive workshops by melding goo made by drones with changeling magic which was continuously pumped into the mixture by a group of five Changelings. Eventually, the mix would turn into a black goo which would then be placed either up the body of a warrior or on a large statue resembling a changeling’s body. Once fully hardened it could be stored with other suits of armor.

The weapons however were most definitely made by the crystal ponies who were adept at forging both close and long-range weapons. They now forged mini versions of my destroyed boomstick instead of bows and arrows and they had begun sending out expeditions to the corpse of the dead ice worm to collect its teeth which when fashioned into weapons were the sharpest and strongest known to the world. At least they were before the Kingdom was stolen by Sombra. During its absence, there is no telling what has been created.

I managed to grab a pony who was walking about causing him to look up at me.

“I would like for those working here to build for me another boomstick if you are capable of that.”

“Of course we can my king. In fact, we’d be delighted to do so.”

“Good,” I said and quickly left the room. “And please while you're at it make a version to be mounted on the walls,” I say, closing the thick iron entry door behind me and walking off into my castle.

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"Quiet now little unicorn, let the magic wash over your mind and change you into your new form. No longer a butcher of my children but instead now their servant," I said slowly to the white unicorn beneath me who resided in a slime-filled cocoon undergoing his metamorphosis. "The king will be quite happy with your new form Shining Armor but wait that's not your name. Personally, I'd stick with slut but I think the king has a name chosen. We'll just have to see."

Within the translucent green cocoon, the white body of the unicorn known as Shining Armor thrashed trying to fight off the changes to his mind and body while outside hundreds of Changelings watched from their spots on the ceiling, walls, and floor with grins that showed off their sharp teeth.

Author's Note

I hope this chapter is much better than the original which was quite violent. If you have any ideas or thoughts please comment but don't be mean.