The Lord of the Ponies: The Friendship of Equestria

Ch.18 The Superior Breed

Celestia's Sun dawned over Equestria, illuminating the day anew. But this made no difference to the fortress of Orthanc. Dark clouds swirled over the obsidian spire, arcane manifestations of Nightmare Moon's will. The absence of natural light was advantageous to the industrious Changelings, who despised the sun above all else. Guards patrolled along the walls of Isengard, vigilant for any passing Pony-folk. Within the mile-wide barrier, the once forested lands now lay barren, the cruel effect of the Changeling's malicious nature. Wooden towers surmounted the pitted lands, acting as another set of eyes for the constant watch over the grounds of Nightmare Moon's domain.

But within the menacing land of Isengard, hope endured. A simple moth fluttered its way to the roof of the dominating spire. Cowering on the crown of the castle sat Twilight Sparkle, who averted her eyes from the horrors occurring down below. Her blasted horn began to grow, and now it was half its original height. But without a complete horn, the lavender Unicorn still lacked any magical ability. Twilight's keen ears became aware of the soft quivering of the moth's wings, and when it drew close, she clasped it between her hooves.

One hoof rose from the moth, to find it placate on her other hoof. The slightest murmuring could be heard from Twilight, as she whispered instructions to the moth. After she finished, the moth took flight, and drifted off to where the lavender Unicorn had instructed. Twilight smiled for the first time that night: maybe she could get out of her present situation alive.

***

Great caverns riddled the barren plain of Isengard, illuminated crimson by the fires within. The clanking of wroughting tools could be heard, as Changelings pounded iron into instruments of war. When the fires died down, executed trees were thrown into the pit. Changelings then chopped them into logs, which were thrown into great furnaces. The reborn fires melted the iron into a molten stew, which were formed in different casts, cooled, then wrought into weapons and armor. And so the cycle of the iron monger continued.

Nightmare Moon strolled through the hellish pit; never had she seen creatures so repulsive occupied by so divine a purpose.

"Glorious!" lamented the ebony Alicorn. The Changeling Overseer approached her, bowing respectfully before Sauron's lieutenant.

"My queen, the newborns are ready to hatch. Would you like to watch the younglings' birth?" asked the Overseer.

"Yes, I would. Let's move along then, evolution will not wait on us," commanded Nightmare Moon. The Changeling followed the ebony Alicorn, and soon, they found themselves in a mud-filled birthing chamber.

Changeling drones uncovered the embryos which contained Nightmare Moon's newest creation. A mixture of dragon and Changeling, this new breed was resilient, fast, and had no fear of sunlight. The earliest sack to be opened held the alpha of the new species. His clawed hands gripped the nearest drone, and crushed its chitin-enforced throat with passive ease.

The creature stood as tall as Nightmare Moon, its draconic visage marked by the fangs of its Changeling counterparts. Its body was like a dragon, but instead of scales, black chitin lined its body. The creature unfurled its wings, which were draconian in nature, but were spoiled by the fissures which pitted the leathery surface.

Amniotic fluid dripped from the newborn, its piercing blue eyes unwavering from the alluring Alicorn, whose countenance unwavered from his form in return. Even though her complexion remained neutral, she anonymously adulated the mongrel which stood before her. She had never seen anything so beautiful, the creature's form a perfect weapon to eviscerate the enemies of her lord, Sauron. She trotted to the imposing hybrid; its incisive gaze unnerved to the godly Alicorn.

"Kneel, please," ordered Nightmare Moon, her countenance fixated on the visage of the miscegenation who stood before her. The creature obeyed its first command, and fell to one knee. Nightmare Moon smiled, and placed a hoof on the head of the newborn.

"I christen you, my fighting Dovakniik. Now, who do you serve?" the newly christened creature raised its head, and gazed again into the eyes of its master.

"Nightmare Moon!" declared the Alpha Dovakniik.