Ocellus shuddered, looking at the ship that would take her on a long, long journey west. It was a pony-designed vessel, with a name “Ocean Lily” visible on her sides, relatively new but with an experienced crew. It was also big, the biggest ship she saw – granted, she didn’t have that much knowledge about shipbuilding, but it looked much more impressive in person then in her books. While changelings did have ships, they were far behind in shipbuilding technique compared to Equestria, despite hard work of Hivesadmiral Lysander. Ships were just not the highest priority of the new changeling nation.
The ship was now in Neverwarm Point, in a port furthest west in Changeling Lands. As fitting for its name, it was cold there today, especially in the early hours of morning. Changelings were quite resistant to low temperatures – in fact, a lot of their territory was covered in snow for most of the year. And it was summer. But it was still cold enough to be uncomfortable.
Of course, that was not the reason why she was shaking a little. When she came home for the summer break, the last thing she expected was to be approached by King Thorax himself and invited to what could be the most important moment in recent Changeling history.
There were always rumors about shapeshifting creatures on Gryphus, and even on Zebrica. Most believed them to be servants of one of their gods, others thought them to be just another less-known race of magical beings. Some, more superstitious or faithful, whispered that there creatures were demons, agents of Maar created to sow war, dissent and death upon the world.
However, recently, there was a new rumor. A nation of Greneclyf, an extremely isolationist island that was closed to almost all outsiders for as long as anycreature could remember, was opening up. The island sent its representatives to neighboring nations, asking for trade and treaties.
And unlike all the previous rumors, these were strangely accurate in depictions of those representatives. They were, without a doubt, changelings – or the person spreading the rumors had a very in-depth and accurate knowledge of their race, knowledge impossible to find on Gryphus.
This raised many questions. There were no reports, nor memories of any Changelings outside of Thorax and his Hive. How did they come to live on a small island in the eastern Gryphus? How did they managed to survive for so long, living on an isolated island? And why are they opening up now?
There were too many questions, and the matter too important to just let it be. Thorax, with the help of Equestria, decided to fund an expedition to Greneclyf. Going all the way north and east, around Gryphus, would take very long time, and the waters around Dread Peninsula were notorious for ships disappearing. No local navy was present there to even investigate, let alone protect them.
And the way south would take way too long, and require stopping and buying supplies all the away – not counting possible pirate encounters around Macawia.
With this knowledge, Thorax decided on a simpler route – west. The world was round, as was known for thousands of years, and if they just sailed westward, they would reach Gryphus soon enough.
The only problem? The Panthalassic Ocean was never crossed before. It wasn’t even that big – while bigger then Celestial Sea in its widest spot, it should still be easier to reach Greneclyf that way, then going on a much longer journey around Gryphus. It's just that no one ever managed it before, not that many tried.
To make sure they would reach their goal, the expedition’s ship was carefully selected. Extremely sturdy, it was originally created for sailing through the White Gulf, north from Pingland Republic, in the treacherous, ice-filled waters, and it passed through there many times without incident. It survived scary storms and dangerous weather without any issues. Getting through the ocean should be of no problem for it.
Especially with the changeling ability to shapeshift. Flying scouts would notice any dangerous weather long before it reached them, and in case of sails being damaged, they could even pull the ship for a long time. Thorax asked Pharynx to delegate the strongest changelings, with greatest ability in changing into fastest flying and biggest swimming forms. As a result, there was no situation that any of the sailors on board could imagine that would stop the ship from safely reaching its destination. Worst case scenario, if the ship somehow fell apart for no reason, there were enough changelings on board to carry the pony sailors to the closest continent.
And Ocellus knew all of that. And being a changeling, she was at even smaller risk then the sailors. But she was still scared a little. There could be some reason that nocreature knew why no ship ever made it through. What if there was some kind of mythical, powerful creature there? Like evil Discord? Or underwater Sombra?
And of course, there was also a matter of what awaited her when they arrive. These Greneclyf changelings were not transformed – they were still in their old, love-addicted forms. They will need to learn the new way, and Ocellus herself knew how big of a change that would be. A totally new society would soon arise, much different then before. And that’s assuming they are friendly, and won’t react with suspicion and hostility.
Because of they do, despite all the big and important changelings on board, Ocellus had a very good grasp of the fact that she was, somehow, the most experienced person on board when it came to diplomacy. And would be inevitably the most important person in the first contact. Her! She wasn’t even a full adult!
Suddenly, a strong – very strong – pat on the back broke her train of thought. “You’re going to worry yourself to death, kid. Stop that.”
It was Pharynx, of course. He was the only changeling who would put so much force into a pat on the back, she almost lost balance and fell on the cold ground. The defender of the hive continued, “You are worse than Thorax sometimes, I swear. I thought you defeated some powerful monster in that school of yours, but you’re still as nervous as when you were a grub.”
“Pharynx!” Ocellus went almost entirely red. “I was just a little grub back then!”
“And you got scared by feeding. You are lucky you didn’t grow up in the old Hive.” He said almost-menacingly, although with an amused smile that took the edge off these words.
“Pharynx! Stop scaring Ocellus.” Thorax sighed. Being a King was a big responsibility, one he took with pride. But sometimes, it was just separating two changelings acting like kids. “Don’t worry, the ship is fully supplied, and I made sure the changelings on board can deal with any emergency.” He told Ocellus, trying to calm her down.
“And by that you mean, you dropped into my room, said ‘find me some good flyers and some big swimmers’, and left without explanation.” Pharynx commented dryly.
“Good leader needs to know how to delegate. That’s why I asked Hivesadmiral Lysander to take care of procuring the ship from Equestria, I asked you for the security, and I asked Ocellus to help with the first contact. See, everything is planned!” Thorax beamed with pride.
“Yes, yes, keep telling yourself that. Did you do anything yourself in this expedition, or you just stood there, looking shiny and all?” Thorax deflated and Pharynx smiled widely. “And speaking of Lysander…”
“No, I will not change my mind. I only let him have the Hivesadmiral title because it existed before. I will not give you the title of Panzergeneral, and you still haven’t told me where did you even find that title!"
“In a book.” Pharynx answered smugly.
“What book?”
“Very good one.”
Seeing the two brothers bicker friendly, Ocellus felt herself relax a little. It was something she knew and was familiar with, and made her realize how much work everyone put into making sure the ship – and her – would reach the Greneclyf safe. She smiled, and looked at the vessel in a new light.
It may actually be alright. Some part of her was really happy to meet those changelings, and make new friends! Who knows what they can learn from each other. She got lost in happy thoughts, thinking about all the nice things that may happen for a change.
“Listen, kid.” Pharynx said from behind her; she didn’t even notice when two brothers stopped fighting. “Probably nothing bad will happen, and you will come back here with a new, happy Hive, reformed, sparkly and all. But in case something does, and one of the changelings on board comes back here saying you need help, you will get it.” He looked at her with all the seriousness of the hive protector. “You will need to be brave, and make me proud. And know that I will come and save you, if you need me. You are just as important to me as anyone else, even if you waste all your time in that pony school.”
“Pharynx…” Thorax groaned.
“What? It’s true, she needs to learn how to be a proper changeling, not a pony. Or some other creature. Gah, why am I wasting my breath. Go, Ocellus, and make Panzergeneral Pharynx proud!” He patted her on the back again, and this time she was ready. Of course, he knew it, so the ‘pat’ was so strong she barely managed to stood up anyway.
“That is not a real title, you don’t read books, stop hitting Ocellus and why did I make you my closest advisor again?”
“How do ponies say that, ah yes, she needs to grow a spine!”
“We have exoskeletons Pharynx…”
“A true changeling can grow whatever they need!”
Ocellus stood on board, surrounded by endless water. As predicted, the flying changelings above helped them avoid any bad weather, and the journey was absolutely easy and calm. No accidents, no sea monsters, nothing but blue sky and equally blue ocean.
She sighed with content, breathing in the calming smells of the ocean, water, salt, and light breeze. It was so nice and relaxing. She found it surprisingly easy to relax, either in her cabin, or here, on board, hearing the waves and slight wind.
She, of course, spent her time productively. If Greneclyf was indeed a changeling nation opening up, she had to know their neighbors, as well, in case they have questions. It was the best way to avoid paranoia that usually comes with a shapechanging race, answering all questions and assuring everycreature of their good intentions, and then proving said intentions.
And that area proved to be quite fascinating, if a little scary. Ocellus took some books with her on board, with some weak charms protecting them from ever-present humidity, and was reading them carefully in preparation for her role in the upcoming days.
Speaking of which, she headed down, and grabbed her notes from her cabin. She decided to do a quick review of local political situation before reaching Gryphus.
Closest to Greneclyf were the Hillponies, an alliance of Farbrook, Fritree Villages and Watertown. Small enclaves of ponies, surrounded by griffons and diamond dogs, they were almost as reclusive as Greneclyf used to be. There was very little about them in books, but Ocellus was hopeful – after all, they were ponies, and she had a lot of experience with ponies.
North from them, a grim Acrturian Order was keeping watch over Dread Peninsula. Ocellus really hoped that the tales of horrible monsters on the Peninsula weren’t true, but if her studies of ancient history proved anything, it was unlikely. She just hoped she will never have to encounter any. Aside from that, knights were also isolationist and reclusive… she was starting to have a feeling that this was a theme in this area.
South from Greneclyf was the River Federation. A peaceful federation, they were probably the best neighbor to have, not expansionist and open to trade. She had high hopes for them accepting the reformed Hive and becoming a strong ally. If the ocean proves to be easy to cross, maybe even Changeling Lands could trade with them! It’s always good to have more allies.
As is sensing her hopes, the world decided to interrupt her reading with a commotion above her, on deck. She put her notes down – not that she truly needed them, she already memorized everything in there some time ago – and went back up, only to see confusion and worry spreading among everycreature there. Sailors were looking down at the ocean, some changelings were circling above them in the air in various forms, and others were getting ready to jump into the water.
She realized moments later that something was wrong. It took her a moment longer to realize what. The air suddenly grew… silent. She shivered, a feeling of oppressive silence descending on her. There was no bird visible above them, no fish as far as she could see… only the ocean that suddenly felt cold and alien.
She felt like she was looking at her own grave,
Come on, Ocellus, put yourself together! What’s wrong with you, she thought, but then she noticed something. Everyone was spooked. From the strongest changeling to the smallest pony mare on board, they were all scared.
“I tell you, it was something in the water, and then this… this!” One of pony sailors gestured widely. “We need to turn back, there is nothing good here!”
The changeling she spoke to tried to answer, but whatever he would say was impossible to hear in the sudden sound of wood tearing. The ship shuddered, everyone trying to grab what they could, railings, mast, each other.
And then… Ocellus would never forget what she saw in that moment. Something slowly crawled out of the water, trying to grab everyone who was still on board. When asked later, she would never be able to describe it. It was like some kind of tentacles, but… wrong. Her head hurt from looking at them. It felt like there was an illusion cast upon them, hiding their true form; but the longer she looked, the more… alluring, and scary it would become.
She was paralyzed with fear and fascination. What kind of creature could it be? Just looking at her, it was also… strangely calming. It felt like her thoughts drifted away, and she surrendered to the cool, inevitable felling of…
The screams managed to get her out of her stupor. She now felt the full brunt of the unnatural, clearly magical fear, choking her, making it impossible to think. And the horrible screams around her! She couldn’t look, she didn’t want to listen, she just wanted it to stop! She subconsciously turned into a rock, and dropped on board, not seeing, hearing or feeling anything.
She took this shape on reflex, but it saved her life. A small, blind and deaf stone was not visible in the slowly drowning wreckage of the once proud ship. As other changelings try to fly or swim away, fight back or escape, the sky and sea changed into a hellish nightmare. But Ocellus was safe, in her fear almost unconscious, her thoughts too weak to be felt by the ancient evil around her.
Ocellus had no idea how long she spent there, in the water, as a stone. Hours? Days? All she knew was that when the unnatural fear passed, and she could think again, she was at the bottom of the ocean. There was no sign of the ship, or anyone else. Fish slowly came back, carefully and skittishly, as if knowing that something unnatural happened here.
It was like the ship never existed. Almost nothing remained. Ocellus instinctively changed into a fish and looked around, finding only the smallest pieces of wood, and nothing else.
She was truly alone.
She wanted to cry. She was now by herself, in the ocean haunted by things she couldn’t even imagine. Was that how her professors felt when they faced all those ancient evils? If so, she didn’t want that! She wanted to go home, to Thorax, to Pharynx! Away from all this.
‘Hey, Ocellus, come on.’ She suddenly heard in her mind and she looked around, like she expected to see Gallus standing next to her, or knowing him, lying on the sand lazily. ‘You’re not going to just give up and leave their changelings to their fate, are you?’
No, she couldn’t. But it was so, so scary… what was it professors told her about fear? The worst thing is not what caused it – it is fear itself. If you let go of it, you will find that things are not as scary as you think.
But, she was alone now! At the bottom of some kind of, of cursed magical ocean with monsters in it! How could she do anything now?
She wished she was as brave as some of her friends. She was very smart, and she knew her friends were really impressed by it many times, but she was never as brave as they were. How could she do this?
‘Hey, I learned to do homework, even the boring one! You can be brave too, you know.’
‘You still procrastinate until the last moment, Gallus.’
‘Yona agrees with Gallus! Ocellus really strong inside, like professor Fluttershy! Best bug friend brave, she helped fight evil pony!’
‘If Gallus can procrastinate but still do his homework, you don’t need to be perfectly brave. Just be yourself! And trust me, you will be. Like professor Fluttershy is!’
‘Why is everyone so obsessed with my procrastination?!’
Ocellus felt herself smile a little. That’s right. She was never truly alone. Her friends were far away, but they were still inside her. She could feel their love, their warmth, remember their conversations. And their courage, when facing certain death at the hands of Cozy Glow and her crazy plan. Their will to not give up, to fight, for all of them.
She was not going to disappoint her friends! If she never comes back, and they never learn what happened to her, it would break their hearts. She must be strong, she must go on!
Alright, now. Where do I go, what do I do, far away from home? She was closer to Gryphus, much, much closer – in fact, they were supposed to see Greneclyf soon. She had to go there, definitely faster and less risk of being noticed by… those things… then coming all the way back to Equestria.
She was lost, but there were many species possessing amazing sense of direction. She could find her way east. And once on Gryphus, she could help the changelings, and then send a message home. Even if it has to go through entire continent, it will reach Eqeustria eventually. And she can be rescued!
Ocellus steeled herself. Thank you, my friends, she thought, as she changed her form and traveled east. I will be brave, like you are, and come back home, I promise!
Ocellus fell flat on the sand, exhausted beyond imagination. She made it! She found the big island, Greneclyf, and managed to reach it. The monsters from before did not appear, apparently not noticing her. She was truly thankful for that.
But now, she was just exhausted. She crawled a little higher, to make sure the waves won’t reach her, and fell asleep.
Her dreams were full of darkness. A horrible, cold laughter of the Voice sounded in them, as she stood in the dark halls made of black, polished stone. Monsters roamed the land, the sea and the sky. Worse even were those who hid. She could see her friends, family, everyone she knew; but they were not them, their eyes were red and black, and they laughed like the Voice did.
Ocellus cried, and tried to run away, but there was no escape. In her desperation, somehow aware it was a dream, she called weakly. “Luna… Luna!”
The Voice only laughed harder, as the darkness grew thicker. “Luna! Please, I need you!”
“… Ocellus?” Her voice was weak, like a whisper from far away, but it instantly weakened the darkness.
“Yes, it’s me! I need your help…”
“Ocellus… why are you there?” She sounded tired, and… scared? “Why?”
“What? Thorax, he sent me here to find other changelings! Luna, it was horrible, monsters attacked, and I am the only one left!”
“Ocellus, listen to me.” Her voice was now tense, and even more tired. “We cannot talk for long. There is darkness in here that I cannot hold for long. Guard your dreams, and to not believe anything you hear in them. I will do what I can, but for now, go and remember. Your dreams are no longer safe.”
“Princess Luna? What do you mean? Princess?!” Ocellus fell back into the darkness, but fortunately, this time it was just darkness. The Voice was silent. A smallest of blessing Luna could give her without gaining attention of… things hiding in there.
The Princess of the Night braced herself, and tried to find the dream of Thorax. She needed to bring the news, again. She was wondering for a moment how many other students will use her as emergency postal service this summer.
She pulled herself into his dream, the remains of it changing rapidly. She ignored what it was moment ago – she saw it before, and it was not her policy to intrude upon others personal dreams. Thorax, quite confused, looked around, now realizing full he was dreaming, a useful effect of her intervention. “King Thorax.”
“Queen, I mean Princess Luna. Excuse me, this is just… confusing.” He shook his head. “I take it you have some urgent news? Is it about Ocellus? She should have reached Greneclyf already.”
“Yes, I bring a message from her. But first, Thorax, know that she is not alone there.” Luna stopped taking for a moment, trying to find a way to explain it. “There is… darkness there. It has many names, and many faces, but it is powerful. Too powerful for me to fight it so far away from Equestria. I cannot reach her dreams from here.”
“Darkness? But, Celestia haven’t told me anything about it when I asked about Gryphus!” He protested. “And one of Princess Twilight’s student is from Gryphus, isn’t he? Why didn’t she warn Gallus?” Thorax was confused, and now growing worried.
“The matters of the dream world are not something the other Princesses are concerned with, or able to offer much help with, as long as it does not spill into the waking world. And this creature, of sorts, is trapped within the dream world. Its influence in the waking world is severely limited.” She hesitated for a moment. “Frankly, I do not know why Ocellus has its attention, but she does. Her ship was lost, and while she made it, she is now alone.”
“Are you telling me that this, whatever this creature is, is now threatening Ocellus?” Thorax did not sound pleased. “You should have told us, the Princesses and me at least, about this danger. I understand you did not think it was important, but now Ocellus is in danger, and others are dead!” It was rare for Thorax to raise his voice, or get angry. Turns out learning that dozens of your changelings died just because Princess Luna did not think to share something like that was actually enough to rile him up.
“I agree that my actions were mistakenly taken, and if I remained in Equestria I would have realized the danger and warned you. Alas, I cannot do anything but offer my apologies.” Luna did indeed apologize. She never thought it may happen; barely any of her little ponies ventured to Gryphus, and none of them ever had that taint, that darkness on them upon returning. It seems that this darkness was satisfied just existing on Gryphus, and never paid attention to visitors.
“I understand that you feel sorry, but you must understand that I do feel anger, too. Both changelings and ponies died.” This was the first time Thorax’s decision directly led to deaths of anyone.
He found out he really disliked it. Hated it, in fact. What kind of leaders is he, if his first big intercontinental diplomatic mission ends like this?
“Yes. And it will be another mistake on my conscience, that will last for a long time.”
“What can we do, then? We must save Ocellus!” Thorax started thinking. They needed more ships, and this time, they need to be ready. Whatever monsters attacked Ocellus, if they saw a fully armed Changeling convoy, they should hesitate.
“I do not believe we should do that.” Luna said, hesitantly. “Please understand, I am always ready to fight any darkness, but what I found there… it was beyond my expectations. If you are going to face it, you may find it stronger then you expect.”
“I thought you said it is contained in the dream world?” He responded with a question, even more worried about Ocellus.
“He is, but his influence warps whatever he touches. I fear these monsters may be just that; a product of dark, dream magic, infesting the waters. It is immensely dangerous.”
There was a long moment of silence. Or at least Thorax thought it was long; time was not flowing normally in the dream world. Finally, he asked: “Princess, if I understand correctly, you are now in the heart of darkness, are you not? Fighting ancient cults, powerful rituals and dark sorcerers, and remnants of your own corrupted power, far from Equestria?”
“That is correct.”
“And you do it to save you children, who strayed from you for a thousand years?”
“Of course. How could I not? It was me who led them to this dark place, even if indirectly.”
“So, if you ordered your thestrals to go on a dangerous mission unknowingly, and it was in your power to save them… you would? No matter how far, and how dangerous it was?”
This time, it was Luna’s turn for a moment of silence. “You are much stronger ruler then when we first met, King Thorax.”
“You can count on that, Princess Luna. I had good neighbors to show what being a ruler means. And among those traits a ruler should possess, Loyalty is the one I shall invoke now. No matter what stands on my way, Ocellus will be saved.” He answered with more conviction then he felt.
He woke up, and found himself shaken. He knew every single one of those changelings; some were even with him, on that day, in the throne room, where all changed. And now… they’re gone. Because of him.
But Ocellus won’t be, he swore to himself. And he knew just how to achieve it. He took a deep breath. “Pharynx!”
Author's Note
Somehow, the nicest of Student Six - Silverstream and Ocellus - got the most scary adventures. It was not intended, I just looked at the map and thought who should end up where, and only now realized that fandom's favorite cute bug is in for quite a ride.
On a different note, previous chapter has a small Command & Conquer franchise reference, and this one has equally small Earth 2160 reference - I wonder if anyone will ever find them.
Ocellus made an unhappy sound as she woke up. Why was she not asleep? She felt like she run a thousand miles in her own body instead of changing to something more suited for it. She definitely strained most of her muscles, even those she never knew she had. Ouch.
She slowly lift her head, opening her eyes, only to see a tip of a spear right in front of her face. “Woah!” She jumped back, only to hit another sharp object with her back. It fortunately didn’t pierce her shell, but it slipped down and cut her leg. Ocellus fell on the ground, shaking, and holding her wounded limb. That was it, the monsters found her, she would die!
Only, nothing attacked her. She heard some whispering voices, but they didn’t sound like monsters. She knew these sounds!. She slowly opened her eyes, not even realizing she closed them moment ago, only to see a confused changeling looking at her with… worry? And it was an old-schoool changeling, with holes in their limbs!
“… are you alright?” The changeling asked, sounding so unsure and worried that if not for the pain and fear, Ocellus would actually try to help him. But now, such thoughts were far in the back of her mind.
“You cut me!” She shouted instead, shaking. “Why would you do this?! I’m not even armed!”
“You were supposed to just not move, not jump back!” The changeling defended himself. “How could I know you will jump back?!”
“I don’t know, maybe because you put your spear right in front of my eyes?” Ocellus tried to calm herself. Ouch, her leg still hurt, but now she managed to focus more on the changelings around her. She also noticed it was day, early morning. She slept for a while, it seems.
The changelings in front of her were definitely different than her old Hive before change. Not physically, but mentally. They all radiated confusion, most of them even worry. They seemed a little afraid, but that fear was barely there.
The one who cut her – and now, looking at him and feeling his emotions, she totally believed it was on accident – put the spear down and instead took some bandages off a small pouch he was wearing. He started slowly wrapping her wounded leg, avoiding looking her in the eyes. Now he seemed a little ashamed of himself.
“What kind of creature are you?” One of the other changelings asked, as everyone else put their weapons down. “We have never seen anyone like you. Are you a fairy?”
No, I’m a changeling! Just like you.” Ocellus instantly felt doubt around her. “You can feel my emotions, can’t you tell? I can tell by yours that you are changelings, and you didn’t really want to hurt me.” Now that her leg was hurting a little less, Ocellus looked around. She was still on a beach, with a small forest in front of her. Looking ahead, she saw more hills, slowly becoming taller and taller, until they became big, imposing mountains – maybe old volcanoes? – in the middle of the island. She was definitely on Greneclyf.
Now, if only her job as a de-facto ambassador from Changeling Lands did not start like this. She shook a little, despite her best effort to hide it, when she remembered the horrible end of her ship, and dire warnings of Princess Luna. She was truly alone.
Seeing her shake for a moment, and no doubt feeling her fear and loneliness, two changelings slowly came closer and helped her up. She could still walk on three legs if she had to, but she was still exhausted after her desperate escape, and she happily accepted their help.
“We need to come back to the village now. The elder should know what to do, but my best guess is, the Queen will want to see you.” Feeling Ocellus’s anxiety, one of changelings added, “Easy, easy. Queen Gytha will not hurt you. If you truly are a changeling from over the sea, she will just want to know what are you doing here, and if you need any help.”
Help. Oh, that would be actually very nice. Can she get Princess Twilight, with additional help of counselor Starlight Glimmer? And King Thorax? Because that would be great. Of course, she kept such thoughts for herself, as the changelings slowly guided her through the forest.
Fortunately, it seemed she landed close to one of their villages, as it only took a few hours to reach it. It looked… fresh. The buildings were relatively new, made out of a mix of stone and some sparse wood here and there. They reminded her a little of some Yakyakistan buildings she saw in her book once.
And it was full of changelings. Fishing, working on more houses, warehouses, and extending a little port in a small, natural bay. But when they saw her, most of them stopped working, changing back into their normal forms and whispering among one another.
“What is all this commotion about? Get back to work, everyling!” A strong voice sounded, and everyone stopped staring – at least overtly. An older, female changeling stepped out of the working crowd, eyeing Ocellus and her escort. To her credit, she hesitated only for a moment. “Welcome to Aisling, stranger. I must say, I have never seen anyone like you, but all peaceful creatures are welcome here. What happened to your leg?” She only now noticed the bandaged limb.
“Oh, I am a changeling, my name is Ocellus! And it’s nothing, really, just a scratch.” As tempting as it was, she was not going to allow a small thing like that to blow up their chance of peace.
It was obvious she didn’t believe him, and her eyes were laser-focusing members of the changeling patrol one by one, causing each to nervously flinch and avert their eyes. She finally nodded and continued. “I really do hope you come in peace. Everycreature, and lings especially, are welcome here. But I must say, you fell like a ling, but… different, somehow? Where do you come from?”
“I come from Changeling Lands, in the east. King Thorax sent me when he heard of changelings living on Gryphus, so we can learn from each other and become friends!” To her surprise, instead of relaxing, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense. It took her a moment that she was not the source of it – rather, the older changeling was now openly glaring daggers at the members of patrol, who looked like they wanted to change into stone and remain such for the next fifty years. Or maybe more.
“I see. If you forgive me for a moment, honored guest?” In normal situation, Ocellus would probably nervously chuckle at the title of ‘honored guest’. Or change into a rock out of embarrassment. But fortunately, everyling’s attention was on the poor changelings who brought her in.
“Cynipidae Vraks.” The older changeling said very, very calmly. “Do you remember what Queen Gytha herself told us when she visited us recently? About guests?”
One of the lings seemed to grow smaller and smaller under everyling’s gaze. “To, heheh, not fight them unless provoked?” She answered, laughing nervously. “But, she, she jumped on our spears, really!”
“A messenger of a Changeling King just appeared on the beach, unarmed and with intent of starting official negotiations and first diplomatic contact with us. And she, conveniently, jumped. On. Your. Spears.” The voice was colder than the air in Pingland Republic. In winter. “The Queen will make her judgment herself on you, Cynipidae. And pray that Ambassador Ocellus does not require something more. Like your head.”
Ambassador? Wait, head?! “No, no, it is not necessary!” Ocellus interrupted them. “It was an accident, as they said. They were all very sorry, and helped me get here after an accident stranded me on the beach. Please, do not punish them?” She finished unsurely, now having everyone’s attention on her again. Oh, she hated it! Why can’t she be charismatic like Silverstream? She had severe stage fright.
Fortunately, her words seemed to have a desired effect. “You are all incredibly lucky. Get the second shift on patrol, and take their place at work, so you do not, I don’t know, make River Swirl accidentally ‘fall on your spear’.” She turned to Ocellus. “Ambassador, if I may help you walk, my house is nearby. There, you can rest, and we can discuss some things before official audience with the Queen.”
“Thank you!” Ocellus and his guide slowly walked to one of the houses, whispers returning the moment she disappeared inside, rumor mill going full steam.
“I forgot to introduce myself with all that was happening back there, I am Ixodida Gorak.” The older changeling said as they both sat down. Her house was very spartan and utilitarian inside, with only some chairs, a desk, and a map of the island on the wall. “I am very happy to see an ambassador from foreign changeling lands coming to us. We heard rumors, but being very isolated makes verifying anything very hard.”
“Oh, do not worry, it’s the same for us! In fact, we just heard the rumors and King Thorax decided to send me to meet you. And please, no title, Ocellus is enough.” She answered, feeling the pain in her muscles go away. Even with help, walking to the village proved much harder in her current state. At least she was no longer the center of attention of the entire village anymore.
“But aren’t you an ambassador of King Thorax?”
“I… don’t think I am?” She thought for a moment. On the other hoof, she was the most experienced changeling on that ship when it came to friendship. And now she was the only one left. “There were many changelings with me on the ship, but… we had an accident.” She tried to keep herself together. “I was the only one who managed to escape.”
“By the Queen, I am so sorry. This must have been a harrowing experience. What kind of storm can kill a changeling, though?” She wondered, visibly surprised. “Or did you lose our ability to shapeshift?”
“Oh no, we can, it’s just… it wasn’t a storm. We were attacked by something. Some kind of monsters I have never seen. They were definitely magical, but I can’t even recognize the magic they used. They were scary.” She shuddered at the memory of the overwhelming fear.
“Dread League, no doubt.” Now the older changeling felt even sorrier for the poor Ocellus. Seeing things that could drive even the veteran Arcturian Knights to insanity… it must have been horrible.
“Dread League? You mean the Dread Peninsula?”
“Dread League, Dread Peninsula, dread anything. It’s your usual band of necromancers, sorcerers, vampires and what-have-you, stirring trouble. They never tried to attack anyone but the Order and some fools who tried to sail too close, though.” Ixodida felt worried. Was that a sign of darker things to come?
However, there was something else. Ocellus did not feel like any ling she ever knew, but there was something familiar. Something in the way she acted, she felt. “Forgive me for asking, but… how old are you, Ocellus?”
“I’m… technically not adult yet? But I'm close to being one!” Ocellus quickly added, aware of the way adults treat those they perceive as children.
Ixodida realized the situation now. A young ling, sent to get experience on a big diplomatic mission, and now the only survivor of a necromancer attack. But clearly old enough to be trusted, if she was sent on such important mission.
Poor kid.
“But I was the most experienced changeling on the ship.” Ocellus added. “That’s why King Thorax personally asked me to come meet you, he was hoping we can become friends and allies.”
Oh. Now that was interesting. It did not feel like Ocellus was lying or overexaggerating, and the way she tried to deescalate situation with the patrol – who just wounded her – also pointed out to someone who indeed had some experience. And if the King asked for her himself… there could be more to her then it seems. “Forgive me, but why is someone so young the most experienced diplomat? What happened to others?”
“That’s the thing, we… don’t really have others. Not sure about you, but until not long ago, we were, well, looking like you and acting way, way worse.” Ocellus explained. “We planned an attack on Equestria, Olenia, threatened Polar Bears… all that just to satiate our hunger for love. We kidnapped ponies, deer, everycreature we could find to use them as sources of food.”
“I see. That indeed sounds like what our ancestors were doing, before the Hillponies forced them to escape to the island. But it seems you found a… unique way of dealing with these issues?”
“Yes! King Thorax, well back then he wasn’t a king yet, challenged our queen to save ponies she kidnapped. He and Starlight Glimmer, who's a pony, tried to stop her, and almost failed. Queen Chrysalis, our old queen, was draining him of his love, when Starlight told him to share it instead of trying to hide it.”
“Share love? Just like that?” Older changeling listened with vast interest. How could it trigger this transformation? It should just allow this Chrysalis to drain Thorax faster.
“But that’s it! He shared his love, all of it, willingly! And when he did it, he broke through her magic, cracked her anti-magic throne even, and transformed right in front of everyone there! He and Starlight told the rest that they can also be free of hunger, so we all started sharing, and… here I am.” Ocellus smiled, always happy to tell this amazing story.
“Wait. You do not need to eat anymore?” That… was revolutionary. If Queen Gytha hears of it, and it turns out to be true, they will finally be free of hunger!
“We do, but much less than we did before. And we can make our own! And we can share it with other changelings, and we are never hungry thanks to that. Here, let me show you.”
“Wait, Ocellus, you are wounded, save your…” And then she felt it. It was an experience she could not explain with words, no matter how she later tried.
Every ling knew they could not generate their own love. Some tried, but it could never satiate themselves or others. But this, this was the truly love of Ocellus. Impossible to fake, and containing all that she loved and cared about.
It was the most fulfilling love Ixodida ever ate. She and other changelings from the island only ate love freely provided, but this was different. It felt like what love was supposed to be. Given freely in unlimited amounts.
Wait. Unlimited? She knew it cannot be, but it felt like it. And then it hit her. Ocellus was making her love on the spot as she was losing the miniscule qualities, and those miniscule qualities were enough to overwhelm the other changeling already! She remembered her friends, family, everyone she cared about, and her love was just refilling itself on the spot.
And with love, came trust, and sharing. She could feel Ocellus and her friends. King Thorax. Pharynx. Her teachers. She could not see details, even who they were, just feel the emotions. It was too much. Too much!
“Stop! Please, Ocellus, that’s enough.” She added, trying to not sound rude, as the stream of love ended. She was never so full, so… fulfilled. It felt like there was an emptiness in her, and it was filled. Not forever – she could already feel small parts of it slip away, used by her body to live – but giving her direction. Hope, that she may also achieve this one day.
“This is beyond anything I ever expected to see.” She simply said, knowing Ocellus could feel her emotions. No words could ever describe what she just felt. “The Queen will be ecstatic when she hears of it. We are already in your debt, and you showed this to us without asking for anything as well. We will be forever grateful.”
“Please don’t say that. Helping others requires no debt.” Ocellus protested. “Professor Rarity told me once of the idea of paying good deeds forward; if you truly feel in debt, do for others as much as I did for you. This way, we will all benefit.”
“She sounds like a very wise ling.”
“Oh no, she’s a pony. And yes, she is very wise.” Ocellus smiled, remembering her. “It is easy to underestimate her when you see her for the first glance, but she is very, very wise. She is the Element of Generosity, a teacher, a buisnessmare, always doing something.”
“A businessmare with such wisdom, and successful at that, I guess? Impressive, truly.” So much more made sense now. This school Ocellus was in was some kind of multi-cultural school for future diplomats and ambassadors. The young ling in front of her seemed unaware of it, but it was probably the most elite school in the country, with only the best of the best teaching there. Makes sense that King Thorax, having a very new and not well-known nation – or rather, known for horrible things they did before – chose someone too young to participate in any crimes and sent her to this school, to have a perfect ambassador for the most important situations.
And he sent her here. It seems he really wanted to meet them, and help them with their hunger, which made sense considering he fought a war to overthrow this Chrysalis and knew himself how horrible the love deprivation was.
The Queen needs to meet with Ocellus as fast as possible.
It still took some time for them to reach the capital. Ocellus was exhausted and wounded, and Ixodida wanted her to rest at least a day or two before going anywhere. She sent a messenger to Blosmport in the meantime, to give Queen some time to prepare and think about what this newest guest meant for Greneclyf. Obviously, another Hive, much bigger, with powerful allies and open to diplomacy was already a big thing. Probably one of if not the biggest in their history. But a way to not feel the hunger? It was a revolution that would turn their island upside down, in a good way.
Ocellus proved to be a very quiet and shy guest, but also unendingly curious. She was obviously a little out of her element, and at the same time wanted to ask questions about everything and was too nervous to do that. Ixodida helped her as much as she could, encouraging the younger ling to ask any questions she may have.
And as they were sitting in a boat taking them to the capital – it was much faster and less tiring then walking there – Ocellus asked a question she only now thought about. “You names are different then the changelings at home, but Queen Gytha’s is very similar to ours. Do you know why?”
“She is simply that much older. She told us few times that our language changed a lot since the days of Queen Dylis and the First Sharing.” The older changeling shrugged. “Honestly, the names you speak of sound alien to me. Chrysalis, Thorax, Pharynx, even you, Ocellus. It’s like reading about our ancient history.And the way you always say 'changeling', and never just 'ling'.”
“First Sharing was the day where Chief of Farbrook, Fingal, voluntarily give you his love to save you from dying, right?” Ocellus remembered their discussion about Greneclyf’s history. “It is so nice to see that even outside Equestria, ponies can still be forgiving to their former enemies.”
“Farbrookians are good folk. Most Hillponies are. They are wary of outsiders, but with neighbors like theirs, it’s understandable.” The slightly nervous silence returned. Ocellus was a little scared, and she knew why. Now was the moment she anticipated and dreaded equally since Thorax asked for her help. She will have to speak to the ruler of Greneclyf, by herself. How did she end up in this situation? She wasn’t even a full adult yet!
Ocellus tried to calm herself, again. She took a deep breath, and let it out. Breathe in, and out, in, and out. She focused on her lessons, and the history of the region. As always, focusing on what she knew instead of what she feared helped her feel better. She was as ready as she could be.
The docking and then going through the city was surprisingly normal. It really felt more like her hive then Ponyville, but also more like Ponyville then her hive. She couldn’t explain it, but that’s how she felt. She could see changelings buzzing around like in the hive, but the buildings and the way they worked reminded her more of ponies then the ever-changing life in her hive. It was the best of both her homes. Somehow, she felt at home here.
She guessed it was the result of hundreds of years of interacting with Hillponies. Greneclyf changelings were truly unique, not just an offspring of the mainland hive. They had they own culture, influenced by their history, race and neighbors, and Ocellus really wanted to find the closest library and read everything she could about them.
But for now, she had a mission before her. Reach the Queen Gytha, and make good first impression. Whether she liked it or not, she was now, in practice, representing the Changeling Hives. She really hoped she will manage it, somehow.
One great benefit of being back among changelings was how easy it was to understand each other. As close as her friends were to her, it still took considerable time and effort before they reached the level of understanding they had these days, and it was still very different then what changelings felt just by being next to each other.
In this situation, it especially worked in her favor. Everyling in the city was fascinated by her, and it was very overwhelming, but Ixodida was radiating authority and haste, and noling came close. And feeling that Ocellus was actually nervous and stressed, the surrounding changelings did their best to limit their emotions and curiosity, clearly trying to make her feel better. She really appreciated it. It was amazing, seeing Greneclyf changelings, still in old changeling forms, but capable of good and feeling empathetic on such level.
The guards standing in front of a larger – built not overwhelming – building could also feel the hurry emanating from Ixodida. They clearly recognized her, and let her in without problems, which led Ocellus to a right conclusion that her guide wasn’t just a village elder.
They reached a small room, equipped with multitude of chairs, sofas and other places to rest, with two small ornamental bells hanging on the walls. The furniture was clearly made with many races in mind, and Ocellus realized that this is probably a place for prepared for diplomats and other important guests waiting for audience. Like her right now.
“Please wait here, Ocellus. I will speak with the Queen first.” Ixodida said, and Ocellus nodded. It made sense that, if Ixodida was in fact someone who visited palace frequently, the Queen would like to speak her in private before the official audience.
Ocellus could only hope she made a good first impression. If Queen Gytha had as much authority as Thorax did, or more, she could decide to execute her on the spot at any moment.
“Do not worry, Ocellus. Queen Gytha is not like this ‘Chrysalis’ you mentioned before, not at all.” The older changeling assured the nervous de-facto ambassador. “I just have few things we need to consider in private. It should not take long. If you need anything, ring one of the bells on the wall and someling will come to help.” She smiled, and knocked on the quite normal-looking, wooden doors leading to the audience chamber.
“Come in.” Queen Gytha said from her throne, and smiled slightly as Ixodida entered and closed the door behind her. “It is nice to see you back, especially with good news. We could really use more of them these days.”
The advisor to the Queen bowed gently, before returning the smile. “I indeed bring good news. I learned even more about Ocellus and her Hive on our way here, since I sent the messenger.” She told the Queen everything she did learn, keeping it short for now. The ruler listened with fascination, and a spark of enthusiasm and hope that Ixodida worried she would never see again. Her Queen was getting back to her old self, the one who bravely decided to open the island after hundreds of years of isolation despite all the risks.
“I see. So this transformation is triggered by sharing all the love a changeling has?” The Queen pondered this revelation, as she did multiple times since the messenger arrived with news. “It sounds almost too good to be true.”
“Neither me, no any other ling could detect even the tiniest bit of lie in her words.”
“Unless her transformation gave her abilities we did not know. She is unlike anyling I have ever seen, and I can sense it even from here.” Queen sighed. “I am sorry, Ixodida, it’s just… all these recent events seem bent on proving me wrong. Nepidae is still convinced we made a mistake opening the island, and with the Bakaran issue, I sometimes think she may have been right.”
“But Ocellus and her Hive are a living proof we can coexist with others!” Ixodida protested. “If anything, your decision was the only correct one. If not for it, we would have never learned of the other changelings and the way they evolved!”
“Yes, that is true.” Queen agreed. “Sadly, he method she described doesn’t seem to work. Apterygota and Araneidae both tried to give all their love to me, then to each other. It didn’t do anything but exhaust them, to the point where I had to give their love back and then some to make sure they will not suffer from love deprivation.” Gytha seemed to slip back into her depressed self. “Either we are doing something wrong, or there is something wrong with us. Perhaps we are just too different for it to work.”
“I refuse to believe it. Gytha, my Queen, if you will allow me, I also wish to try it.” Ixodida answered with determination.
Gytha hesitated for a long moment. “Please, be careful. I do not want to risk you dying from love deprivation.”
“I will be.” Ixodida promised, and then focused on the love inside her. Both her reserves from before, and what Ocellus gave her. She sent all of it to her Queen, determined and hoping to succeed where others failed.
Gytha could feel the love flowing into her. She could feel Ocellus and her emotions, her admiration of others, her friends, family, teachers. But even with all this love flowing into her, nothing changed. Her advisor, determined to succeed at all cost, continued even as she begin to wither and got closer and closer to death.
Queen could not accept this. She was not going to see her advisor, and friend, just wither away in front of her. She forcefully reversed the process, feeding Ixodida her love back, and then some.
The exhausted changeling fell on the round, breathing heavily. She failed, just as others did. Why? Was she not worthy? She fought her hunger for her entire life, served her Queen and Greneclyf as best as she could. And now, she just failed, despite knowing it had to be possible. Why?
“Please do not think whatever it is you are thinking.” Gytha broke her train of thought with a commanding voice. “I forbid it. My advisor cannot think of her less then she should.”
Ixodida smiled, and almost laughed. “When was the last time you actually gave me an order, my Queen? It seems all this contact with the outside is really changing you. Are you sure you don’t have a sudden urge to become Great and Scary Emperor Gytha?”
Queen tried to keep a straight face, but her advisor changed into an old griffon with equally old crown on his head. “I command you, young people, to listen to everything I say, no matter how stupid it is! I am in power, and I must be right! Khe, khe, ignore my cough, it’s just from all this gold dust around me, khe, khe.”
She changed back, and both of them laughed. “If I ever get to meet Grover VI, remind me to keep you out of this meeting. I don’t want another political crisis on my head.” Gytha said, no longer trying to keep her royal face on. Instead, she was just smiling.
“I think it is a good moment to introduce our guest, my Queen.” Ixodida answered, already heading to the door.
“... Did you made me smile just to make our guest feel better?” Queen Gytha shook her head.
“You do keep me as advisor for a reason, my Queen.” Was the answer, as the smiling changeling reached the door and opened them. “Come in, Ocellus.”
Ocellus was surprisingly feeling much more relaxed then she expected. As she sat alone in the room, her mind kept bringing up all the bad scenarios, and political consequences of even the smallest mistakes she could make. But then, a wave of happiness spread from the throne room, and it felt so natural. It reminded her of Thorax and Pharynx, two changelings knowing each other so well and happy to be together.
But when the doors opened and she was invited, all the stress returned. Not waiting for her mind to make another grim scenario out of thin air, she quickly stood up and entered the throne room.
Queen Gytha was… much less imposing then Ocellus expected. Her skin was much less jagged, just like her horn was much smoother then any pre-transformation changeling she ever saw. She looked more like an exotic-looking, big unicorn then the Queen of changelings, at least at first glance. She also had a white mane, contrasting with her dark grey skin and red eyes. Ocellus could sense that this was not a shapeshifted image, but her natural form.
She did not remind her of Chrysalis at all. She was still taller than Ocellus, but the size was the only thing that she seemed to have in common… and then the young changeling realized she was rudely gaping at the Queen. She quickly bowed deeply, hoping to salvage her bad first impression. “You highness, I am honored to see you.” She really hoped these were the correct words. She read up on royal etiquette earlier, but who knew what traditions were different here?
“Ambassador Ocellus, please stop looking at the floor and look at me.” The Queen sounded amused, not angry. “And trust me, I am also happy to see you. Ixdodia told me about you, but seeing you myself, I can see why she trusts you so much.”
“Thank you, Queen Gytha.” Ocellus answered with relief.
“I heard about your journey here, and the monsters you encountered. Rest assured, this is not normal situation for ambassadors in Greneclyf. I will do all in my power to help you feel comfortable, and I will dispatch a messenger to reach King Thorax and inform him as well.”
“He already knows.” Ocellus answered. “Thank you for the offer, but I managed to reach Princess Luna, and she made sure to inform him. Someone if probably already on the way to Greneclyf.” Although it will take a while, Ocellus thought. Obviously, going through these monsters is out of the question, so whoever Thorax sends will have to go through entire Gryphus before reaching her. But she had no doubt help was already on the way.
“The Princess of Dreams? So it is true. You truly have powerful allies, then.” Queen Gytha sighed. “I can only wish we could find such allies of our own.”
“Well, you already have some! Hillponies are your friends, from what I heard, and now the Changeling Hives!” Ocellus answered without doubt.
“I thank you for your kind words, but we are not allies yet. It will probably take time before we build any trust with King Thorax.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure. He trusts me a lot, and I haven’t seen anything bad on Greneclyf.” Ocellus answered, feeling much more in her element. This was almost like solving a friendship problem! “Do you have, I don’t know, some sort of evil secret? Hidden worshipers of evil sorcerer, or perhaps you take love by force?”
“No, of course not!” Queen seemed appalled by the idea. And with everyone in the room being a changeling, it was obvious she was not lying.
“Then you can be our friends, if you want, of course.” Ocellus smiled. Suddenly, she felt like she was the competent and not shy person in the room; both Queen and Ixodida seemed speechless. “I, um, I don’t know if I have any power to make it official, but if I do, then it is official. Changeling Hives and Greneclyf are now friends and allies.”
There was stunned silence in the room. Ocellus, her confidence quickly waning, started to feel nervous. Do they not want to be friends? Did she do the wrong thing? Started a war? Or something even worse that she can’t imagine?
“…You are quick to trust.” Ixodida managed to say after long, awkward silence. “We of course accept, but, are you sure? You haven’t even met the rest of royal advisors, or toured Greneclyf!”
“But, we are all changelings, right?” Ocellus answered shyly. “I can feel you, you can feel me. And you want to have more friends. Professor Applejack always says that honesty is a good sign in anyone, and you didn’t lie to me at all. Why would I say no?”
“I am starting to understand why King Thorax values you so high.” Queen Gytha answered with newfound respect. “You are truly something, ambassador. You are willing to accept others just because they are good and honest, without caring about their race or history. If only others were more like you.
I accept the alliance as the ruler or Greneclyf. Let our nations become the closest of friends, and grow and prosper together.”
Ocellus was only now hit by the full force of what happened. She just created and international alliance, by herself. She had no doubt King Thorax will agree… which means she did it. She’s going to be in history books now!
That was a little too much. She was torn between absolute awe at what she did, and the sudden realization of what she did. She just nodded numbly, trying to process all the emotions inside her and not shake as the weight of what she just did dawned on her.
“Ambassador, you seem tired. Please, get some rest.” Queen proposed.
It was tempting, but Ocellus could feel something in the air now. Concern, and not about her. She could not just go. She took a deep breath, and focused on her memories.
Gallus and his constant procrastination, but also loyalty and courage. Silverstream and her endless laughter and being amazed by everything, like every sunset was unique and special. Smolder and her self-confidence, and Sandbar bringing them all together despite their differences.
Queen Gytha could feel it. It was no substitute for actual rest long-term, but for some time changelings could just use love to avoid rest. And Ocellus was just… making love out of thin air. No, not air; out of her memories, of the bonds she created with others.
Just like every creature except her lings seemed to be able to. It was true love; she could feel it, and it tasted sweet and energizing. It was amazing, seeing, not just reading about, a ling just create love by herself.
Feeling the amazement of the Queen, and a little more energized now, Ocellus asked shyly: “Do you, um, err, want some? I have lot of love to spare, if you need it.”
“No, absolutely not. I will not be taking love from the official ambassador of an allied country, Ocellus. I shudder to imagine what King Thorax would say is I did something like this, and he would be right.” Queen sighed. “I am just envious. I wish my lings could no longer feel the hunger.”
“Have you tried sharing love? This is how we changed.” Ocellus asked, surprised. He would expect this to be the first thing they would try.
“We cannot change this way. My advisors tried, but all have failed. We seem to be cursed by our past sins to remain like this, forever.” Queen answered pessimistically.
“That… I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to help, then.” Ocellus said, surprised. “It never happened with our hive. Maybe it’s just a matter of a right situation? Pharynx changed much later than the rest of us, but he still did! I believe you can do this.”
Queen smiled. Ocellus and her optimism was definitely something. She truly had good teachers. “Maybe. For now, you should really go rest, ambassador. I have some matters that require taking care of.” She internally sighed. She did not look forward to what she will have to do now.
“Can I help?” Ocellus could feel the sudden change in the room. Both other changelings suddenly just felt so bad. “If it’s just a lot of paperwork, I can definitely help, I helped Headmare Twilight few times.”
“No, it’s not paperwork. It’s politics.” Queen Gytha hesitated, but in the end decided to tell Ocellus what was troubling her. She was now an official ambassador, she could know things like this. “One of our traders in Bakara was arrested. They say he murdered one of their citizens, and they are going to execute him.”
Ocellus swallowed nervously. That was indeed bad. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing.” She answered sadly. “Greneclyf does not have power to rival River Federation, and we cannot risk antagonizing them. My advisors agreed that we cannot risk our future by protesting or sending someone to help defend him.”
“That… is wrong.” Ocellus said, now appalled. Just letting it happen? “You should at least send someone to make sure they are not saying it just because he’s a changeling!”
“But what if River Federation decides to cut our trade? We need an alliance with them, if we want to be safe.”
“That is still wrong.” Ocellus took a deep breath. She was going to put herself into more trouble, of course. Why was she acting like this? She could feel her courage seeping out. She was tired, and she already did so much, why not just let the Queen rule her own nation and not try to fix everything?
No. Come on, remember what professor Dash said, Ocellus thought. You must be loyal to your friends, if you want them to be loyal to you. That’s how friendship works. Even if it requires effort from you, that is no excuse to just leave a friend.
“I will go.”
Unknown to her, a different gathering was happening around the same time, far east from Greneclyf. In Aglossata, among Changeling Fjords, Thorax gathered an unusual group.
He finished telling what he knew about Ocellus from Luna, and sat down, allowing others to speak. There was a moment of silence, before someone did.
“I am sorry for your loss, King Thorax, but why did you gather us all here? If this is a rescue operation, why didn’t you invite Equestrians here?” Theo Malmkvist, prime minister of Pingland Republic, asked. “With all due respect, why is this a matter of international importance?”
“Because now we know something that we didn’t before.” It was Pharynx who responded, sitting next to Thorax. “Everyone in this room lost many ships to these waters. Every ship straying from the shore for too long simply disappeared without trace. Now we know why, and who did this.”
Someone else wanted to speak, but stopped as President Polar slightly moved is head. The stoic polar bear, with his magical smokeless pipe in his mouth, slowly look at King Thorax with his emotionless eyes. He very slowly took the pipe out, and asked with a stoic, calm voice: “Do you have any proof these… monsters are responsible for disappearing ships?”
“What else could this be? What can just take a ship and leave not race, nothing, no survivors even among races who could reasonably swim to reach land?” Pharynx asked in return. “We all know that Pingland sailors could swim around entire west coast, if they wanted to. What could make them disappear alongside their ships?”
“Magic.” President Polar answered calmly. “Perhaps the ocean west from our lands is simply plagued by unnatural, magical storms?”
“Pharynx is right.” A new voice said, and everyone turned to Queen Velvet, leader of the Deer Kingdom, and the last ruler invited to the conference. “These monsters are without doubt responsible for disappearances of our ships in the past.”
“How do you know that?” Theo asked, surprised.
“Since the threat of Changeling Hive’s invasion disappeared, our diviners returned to their normal duties of foreseeing the greatest dangers we could face.” Queen answered. Everyone here knew of the unique magical ability of the deer, allowing their seers to see small fragments and visions of the future. “They perceive a great threat coming soon. It will come from the west, and the dead will return to destroy all life. The lost ships will return, but not in joy, only to destroy. They feel this threat is a great danger to everyone in this room, and more.”
“That is truly disturbing.” Theo was visibly unhappy upon hearing this, moving nervously in his chair. “But what makes you think that attacking these monsters now is a good idea? Why not wait, fortify and prepare? And also, why not just ask Equestria to go and solve the problem lie they always do?”
President Polar nodded slowly. Queen Velvet seemed unsure what to say.
Surprisingly, it was Pharynx who took initiative now.
“There are two reasons why I believe we should solve this issue ourselves, without Equestrian help.”
“With the first reason being the fact that we are not equal in the Alliance. We all know that when it comes to conflicts, Equestria tends to act by itself to solve the problem, and they succeed. But that makes all of us just secondary, less important rules of equally unimportant countries. We are only in the Alliance because Equestria sees it as the best way of achieving lasting peace on the continent.” And he personally agreed. But that was not his point. “I want to show Equestria, and the world, that we are not helpless. That if some tyrant or magical threat attacks one of us, it will regret it. We need to show that we are not helpless targets of conquest.”
Everyone nodded at these words, even Polar, although everyone was also grimacing at his words. It was no secret that Equestria was the true power on the continent, and they were all small and inconsequential. Threats like Sombra or Tirek attacked Equestria and were defeated, but there was no guarantee some future monster won’t attack them first. With their reputation of being just rich targets, defenseless and forced to wait for Equestrian help, it was only a matter of time.
“And the second reason is economical.” Thorax took initiative. Now that Pharynx said his part of the plan, King was here to sweeten the deal. “Think about it. We trade with Equestria, true, but what do we sell? They are more technologically and magically advanced. They have such vast territory that they barely lack any resources. If not for the fact that Celestia makes sure pony traders are generous, we would be at massive trade deficit.
However, the eastern shores of Gryphus are not that advanced. In fact, we would be in Equestria’s position, able to sell most of what we produce without problems. Think about it; River Federation is almost as big as Equestria, and there are even other countries around them. Austruland, Kasa, and if we go south we have Macawia and north-east shores of Zebrica. Can you imagine the amounts of trade we can secure with all these places if we get there first?”
That was enough to convince anyone. Queen Velvet was first to voice her support, and other followed swiftly. But the most enthusiastic person was Pingland Republic’s High Admiral, Olov Hagg. Highest-ranking admirals on all sides were invited alongside the rulers, and now it was their time to shine.
“Finally! The only action our fleet did this year was saving some tourists who got their ship stuck in the ice. Ice! And they were surprised it happened, somehow. And last year, it was even worse, nothing happened!” The High Admiral always dreamed of using Pingland’s mighty fleet in combat, and his dream would be finally realized.
“I wish I had at least tourists to save. I will need to get our sailors in shape, they were rusting in ports for years.” Hivesadmiral Lysander smiled, and High Admiral Olov answered with an equal smile.
“Oh Celestia, there is two of them.” Thorax said to himself quietly as both energetic admirals with obsessions over big ships and equally big battles got lost in preparations for the combined fleet’s journey. Prime Minister Theo mumbled something similar to himself, and they looked at each other with perfect understanding of ‘you too have this overzealous admiral?’.
Ole Sunde, the highest-ranking Polar Bear admiral, joined the other navy commanders, his massive presence – twice as big as any of them - and calm behavior calming them down a little, and Deer Chief of Navy Meriassa Blule also helped to guide the discussion back to practical preparations for the expedition.
The multinational fleet gathered for a rescue operation, ready to face the dangers of the Pathalassic Ocean like no one before them.
And at the same time, in the old castle on Dread Peninsula, a creature stood in the window. It looked at the horizon, as if it could pierce it somehow and see Greneclyf with perfect clarity. It was smiling, as it prepared for the realization of an ancient plan.
Death was coming to the world, and the small island was a perfect place to begin.
‘Pride of Pingland’, the flagship of the Pingland navy, was cutting through the waves as the combined Alliance fleet travelled through the Pathalassic Ocean. High Admiral Olov Hagg stood proudly on deck of his mightiest ship, proudly looking ahead and ready for whatever danger may come his way.
Of course, the idea of small, flightless bird being dangerous in any way was considered laughable in most places around the world. Penguins were aware of their reputation, and long ago stopped fighting against it. In fact, it proved surprisingly useful. Their navy vessels were perceived as so harmless, that some foolhardy pirates even attacked them head-on.
For that reason, waters around Pingland Republic were absolutely pirate-free. Pirates long ago started to avoid them, thinking the waters cursed, not believing that their ‘mighty’ vessels and ‘bloodthirsty’ crews could be soundly defeated by penguin navy patrols.
In fact, the Pingland Republic fleet was mighty and absolutely too big for a country their size. It was a matter of national pride, and while griffons may underestimate them, polar bears, changelings and even deer were well aware that these little birds were amazing sailors and dangerous in battle.
High Admiral, despite his earlier energy and outward happiness at finally having a chance to show off his fleet, was actually highly-intelligent strategist. He spent long hours with others, both admirals of other fleets and his own captains, pouring over everything they knew.
It wasn’t much, but some things were clear. Whoever it was, they were dangerous enough in the air to catch natural flyers like changelings and prevent their escape. Fast and numerous enough to make sure no one could escape by sea, and able to crush and destroy ships without leaving any trace.
Either both fast and strong at sea and in the air, or with different types of specialized creatures in their army (if they even had a regular army). Intelligent enough to never be discovered by anyone who survived. Dangerous foe at any rate.
Fortunately for High Admiral, he knew he had strong allies he could count on. He looked to his left, right and behind him, where the rest of impressive naval force followed alongside his forces.
Polar bears and their powerful vessels, kept just behind the first line of ship to smash into any enemy who would engage the front lines. Changelings, who made said first line alongside penguins. And behind them, deer, with the most magic-heavy fleet. Some of the diviners joined the fleet for reasons known only to them, and were guiding the fleet ahead, ready to warn them if they sensed anything unusual in the foreseeable future.
High Admiral Olov never put much faith in magic like this. He knew his ships and his crews well, he knew tactics, strategy, supply lines. He left esoteric things to others. But if they wanted to come along, he definitely wasn’t going to say no to someone who at worst does nothing, and at best warns them of an ambush.
High Admiral did not know how close his train of thought was to someone else, on a different ship. Pharynx was no sailor, but he was a fast learner. He was going through everything they prepared for in his head, looking for any weakness. The fleet was not going at top speed; they slowed down soon after joining together, in order to allow an underwater and sea scout force in front of them. Whoever it was, would not catch them unaware.
The result of going slower then he would like to was that it took much more time to reach Greneclyf, and Ocellus. As much as he would not show it outwards much, Pharynx was worried about the little bug. Alone, in a possibly hostile place, she must have been scared almost to death. That little bug had no combat training, all she had was some pony school of love or whatever, and now she was in great danger. He hated not being there to protect her. But at least with every passing moment they were closer to the island, after all those long days it took to prepare and coordinate their fleets.
Hold out a little longer, kid, Pharynx thought, looking towards horizon where Greneclyf was. I’ll save you no matter what.
His train of thought was interrupted by a shout behind him. “Message from the Deer Navy! They need to slow down, they have a leak on one of their ships!”
Pharynx quickly turned around. Unlike ponies and dragons, their fleet had no way of fast communication outside of flags and emergency flying messengers. However, in this situation, flags had some benefits. For example, someone looking at their fleet through some scrying magic (or just with good eyesight from afar) would see their fleet slowing down as the Deer Navy reported some small leaks.
Sea and air patrols were suddenly ‘interrupted’ by this, as they needed to adapt to the sudden change of speed. There were ‘holes’ in their defenses now, and someone from outside would not see anything unusual in the standard Deer Navy flag declaring a need to slow down.
Of course, that was the plan. For this journey, this flag was not supposed to be used in case of actual need to slow down. A different flag was assigned for this information, and important people on all ships were quietly informed of it. This flag reported that deer diviners sensed an ambush ahead.
One of the easiest ways to defeat an ambush was by counter-ambush. The fleet looked vulnerable now, but in fact it was all a tactical ploy. If enemies were indeed nearby and preparing an ambush, seeing their prey opening up to an attack was a perfect lure. Instead of going straight into an ambush, the fleet would be attacked by disorganized enemies trying to catch them unaware and abandoning their prepared ambush positions, when in fact everyone in the fleet was expecting exactly that.
Perfect plan. And like many plans, it did not survive first five seconds of contact with the enemy.
They indeed saw them. Weird shapes that made eyes hurt just by looking at them, bringing with them unnatural silence and cold as they swarmed through the ‘holes’ in defenses underwater, or shot out of the water and flew above. Birds flew away in panic, and fish disappeared in the depths of the ocean, swimming as far away as possible. Even the sea itself calmed somehow, and wind almost stopped. Everything was still.
Everyone in the fleet was in perfect position. All the attackers in the ocean were almost surrounded; just one moment was enough to catch them, overwhelm them, defeat them all.
But not one could move as the shadow of Death fell on the fleet.
A wave of unnatural fear came over them. And with it, unnatural calmness they could never explain afterwards; almost everyone present in the entire fleet was either paralyzed by fear, or lost in the false embrace of indifference. In the end, nothing mattered, after all. Death would came for them all. Why fight it? And for those paralyzed with fear, this calmness was even more tempting, promising respite from this horrible feeling. Just close your eyes, and let go…
Even the highest commanders in the fleet were not immune. Admiral Sunde almost let go of his smoking pipe – something that never happened before to him, or any other polar bear admiral before him – and the diviners among the deer lamented the coming end, for they, like none other, felt what was coming. Death was here, the grim reaper himself, and none would be spared his wrath.
Almost everyone fell under the spell. The fleet was doomed.
“Hey… you!”
Almost everyone.
“Yes, you! Whatever you are!” Pharynx’s voice, starting weak and whisper-like, grew in strength. Somehow, among the unnatural silence, the entire fleet could hear him as his voice grew ever stronger. “I do not care what you are! If you think you can keep me from Ocellus… You. Are. Wrong!”
The creatures surrounding the ship were beyond ancient. They existed long before any living creature on Equestria, and were second only to gods themselves. They defeated the mightiest of knights, felled entire empires, and put an end to lives of unnumbered legendary heroes. They feasted on fear, indifference and apathy, on death. For them, everycreature was just food; after all, death is eternal. It comes for all.
But Pharynx had none of these. He was afraid, but he was fighting against his fear not through anger and bloodlust. Even at the height of fear, he cared only for the Hive. He could not afford to fear, or feel indifferent, when the lives of so many others depended on him!
This lack of bloodlust, of hatred, was so unusual, the ancient monsters were unable to feed on him. And soon, his example broke others out of their own fears. Among the crews, and those in the air and in the water, some broke out from under the spell, still afraid, but ready to fight.
Seeing this, the unnatural creations made a sound between hiss and a scratching yell, and attacked. Their spiked tentacles spread, claws spilled blood, and the battle started suddenly, while most of the fleet was still unable to act.
But not Pharynx.
He jumped overboard, transforming mid-air. He still could not see the creatures clearly – his brain rebelled every time he tried, like it could not accept the existence of such creatures – but he knew where they were. That was enough.
North Pole blue whale was the biggest animal he could change into. He travelled to Pingland to see one of these majestic creatures himself, in case he ever needed to change into one. It was his second-hardest form, and he proved to be the only one of the Hive to master it. Even Thorax couldn’t do it. It required dedication and stubbornness beyond any other changelig, and was extremely painful, unlike all other, small forms.
But it was also the heaviest he had.
One group of creatures was sticking their bodies out of the water, clearly getting ready to board his ship. However, unnatural might or not, they proved to not be resistant to equivalent of over 30 elephants falling on them.
With a huge explosion of water, Pharynx smashed into scattered the attacking group. Moments later, he transformed into a huge octopus and grabbed few stunned and still alvie enemies, throwing them up and away, scattering them even further and pushing them away from ship. He managed to break their attack and slowed them down, as more and more of others broke out from the spell and joined the fight.
Of course, he alone could never defeat all these creatures alone. They came back, more and more, surrounding him, getting ready to attack. But he did not hesitate. There was one thing ponies were absolutely right about – you can’t just win against evil alone. You can give example, lead, help, but you need to trust others as well.
And his trust was well-placed. Changeling soldiers jumped overboard, changing mid-air, and falling on their enemies. The real battle has begun.
At the same time, not just changeling ships were attacked. Admiral Sunde composed himself, and looked indifferently at the mutated monstrosity climbing his ship. He slowly bit on his pipe, activating a small smoke-producing spell put on it. He slowly blew the smoke out of his pipe, and, without letting it go, looked over the creature before speaking. “You, sir, madam or other creature, are ugly and uninvited. Please leave my ship.”
The demon screeched and tried to claw the admiral, who simply made one step back, making sure his pipe was undamaged. Then he continued looking indifferent, pondering on benefits of being an admiral.
Fleet and sailors under his command. A modest amount of money, enough for early retirement, not that he would ever take that option. But most importantly right now, highly-trained, elite bodyguards.
Said bodyguards jumped at the thing, showing repeatedly why the strength and claws of polar bears were so feared in combat. The thing made a noise that could be a sound of pain, but admiral did not particularly care. The important part was that it was decisively losing.
Instead of caring about this intruder, he lifted one of his legs and put it down hard, making sure the soldiers below heard him and helping them snap out of their stupor. Indeed, moments later, as more monsters climbed aboard, they were met with a small army of muscular killing machines.
This fight did not end well for them.
Deer, still at the back of the fleet, were left alone for now. But penguins were attacked quickly; it was obvious those creatures considered them to be the easiest target. Only one monster climbed aboard the “Pride of Pingland”, and was met with a mace to the face.
It was mostly a ceremonial weapon, passed down from High Admiral to High Admiral. But Olov Hagg would never accept himself not taking part in the battle, and he was too proud to be the last penguin to snap out of the magically-induced fear. And so, he hit the climbing monster with his ceremonial, golden mace again, and again.
The creature hissed, although the sound was closer to that of the breaking glass somehow, and swiped at the Pingland High Admiral with its spike-tipped tentacle. The smaller fighter easily dodged, shouting proudly: “You will learn to fear us today! Soldiers, to me!”
And others joined him, swarming the attacker in a black and white, fearless wave. It was an uneven fight; an ancient demon of death, unparalleled king of the sea on one side, versus a swarm of small, flightless birds.
The demon fell overboard soon after, beaten and pecked almost to death. He could not understand how this could happen, but he was defeated so soundly, there was no other way but escape from the ship as penguins jumped overboard and gave chase.
And among the waves, for the first time in this part of the world, the fierce battle cry of the penguins was heard as all their ships went full speed toward the unsuspecting and surprised enemy, who could not grasp what kind of crazy bravery stood against them.
“NOOT NOOT!”
Pharynx, still in the middle of a fight, had limited view of what was happening on the entire battlefield. But even focused on his immediate area, he could hear the sounds of battle. It seems everyone snapped out of the spell, and the creatures, whatever they were, seemed surprised by both the courage of the fleet, and their ability to fight underwater and on the surface without any problem.
As he suspected before, the creatures were used to single ships trying to cross the ocean. And in that situation, everyone would be an easy target for such big group of dangerous monsters, especially creatures like ponies and griffons who were far from good at water combat.
The Alliance fleet had a massive advantage here. They were not only numerous, they were also trained soldiers and used to fighting in the cold waters. And with their fleet composed of many different creatures, they had no visible tactical weakness.
Polar bears, big, strong, but slower, could tear into any larger monsters or groups preparing to assault. And while normally their lower numbers and slow speed would make them easy pickings by numerous enemies around them, any who tried found themselves suddenly surrounded by swarms of penguins.
Deer seemed to do nothing and everything at once. This was their unique battle tactic, something that made them the most annoying and unnerving opponent. They always knew where to appear and when; any time a ship was in danger, or a group of Alliance fighters cut off, suddenly deer were there, making a quick, precise strike, before falling back and moving to a different place. In truth, when fighting against deer, only reliable options of dealing with them were attacking the diviners (which were protected in the middle of a fleet) or attacking with such overwhelming strength that their foresight could not save them.
While their allies fought in the water, the air belonged only to Changelings. While some of them transformed and jumped into the water occasionally to help, most of their forces were focused on the aerial combat.
Whatever they were fighting, these creatures possessed unnatural, otherworldly abilities. Even with numerical advantage and all their training, it took their all to keep the air above the fleet clear of enemies.
The Alliance fleet was winning, slowly, but surely. Enemy reinforcements slowed and finally stopped, leaving them at a huge numerical disadvantage. One-on-one, they were nearly undefeatable. Short of a mistake, taking them in a duel was suicidal. However, against larger amount of enemies, their main protection was their aura of death; now that Alliance fleet broke from under it, the fight was slowly tipping in their favor.
But this would not be enough.
A sudden explosion of water and a horrible, terror-inducing roar sounded. Far from the battlefield, but still clearly visible, a truly monstrous creature rose from the water. Even mostly submerged, it was still bigger than any ship ever built. Unnumbered spiked tentacles moved around it slowly, each big enough to crush a small vessel by itself. Underwater, hundreds of small, whip-like appendages swirled and moved, a net of death waiting for any creature unlucky enough to attack them.
The great demon slowly moved towards the fleet, savoring the newfound terror it induced. There was no doubt now who would win. The battle was effectively over. What remained was the reaping of souls stupid enough to oppose Death himself.
And so, with the naval battle decided, the eyes of darkness moved towards an equally important battle, fought with words and plans.
Ocellus looked at Bakara, the capital of the Bakaran Republic, with worry and anticipation.
Greneclyf did not have any fleet of their own. Being a nation that, until recently, prioritized being hidden at all cost they had no need for it. But now, as they opened to the world, it became more and more obvious they would need at least some ships, for trade if not for protection.
Ocellus would normally just fly there, but Queen Gytha raised a valid point against this idea; having changelings, one vastly different than they were used to, just descend from the sky after one of their race is suspected of murder could make ponies nervous. If not worse, a misunderstanding and panic.
Bakaran Republic had a limited amount of pegasi, with many of them moving to the neighboring, flyers-dominated Nimbusia. They were, however, the backbone of River Federation navy, with one of the best fleets on the continent. Approaching them by boat, and letting them intercept, identify and escort them to the capital would serve to ease any tensions.
Ocellus was a little ashamed she didn’t think of that, but others assured her it’s not her fault. She was not only young and not someone accustomed to local traditions, but she also didn’t have any advanced diplomatic training.
She could definitely agree with that. And as their small boat approached the grand port of Bakara, she really wished she had her friends with her. Or at least Starlight.
“Cheer up, ambassador.” Ocellus turned to her co-passenger, who was somehow keeping her optimism up for the entire journey. She reminded her of Pinkie Pie at times, although more smiling then laughing. “I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding, and we can solve it all peacefully.”
Apterygota was another of Queen’s advisors. After the decision to open the island was made, she took upon herself to prepare for any foreign affairs that may arise. She visited many cities of the Riverland Federation and managed to smooth out the suspicions while convince many to open trade relations with Greneclyf.
Sadly, she just managed to come back home before she learned of the incident, and was forced to visit Bakaran Republic again. But her positive outlook on life and optimistic attitude never wavered.
“I wish I was as sure of it as you are.” Ocellus looked at the city, now so close she could see ponies walking on the streets and looking from the windows. It was, after all, the first time they saw someone like her. It made her want to turn into stone again.
“Comes with experience. The world is complicated and things are rarely easy, but in the end there is good in almost every creature. If we try, we can make the world a better place.”
“… You remind me of my teachers sometimes.” Ocellus said as the boat finally docked. Two changelings, escorted by two Bakaran marines and two additional guards waiting in the port, entered the city of Bakara, causing a lot of whispers and staring. Everyone in the city was aware of the looming diplomatic crisis and a murder case, and the arrival of another changeling and a fascinating creature they’ve never seen before caused an unhealthy amount of interest in the two newcomers.
They were not under arrest, Ocellus tried to remember as they walked towards the government buildings. They were official ambassadors, and the armed ponies around them were there just for their protection. There was always a risk of an incident in tense moments like these.
One thing that was helping Ocellus stay calm was the nature of Bakaran Republic. It was one of, if not the oldest democratic states in the world. Not only that, it was also probably the most tolerant place outside Equestria. Every citizen of the Republic was taught that external looks matter little when it comes to character and, unlike many other countries around them, there were no limits on voting. Everyone old enough, regardless of race, could vote. Even prisoners!
Bakaran Republic, in addition to being a founding member of River Coalition back in the day, was also the author of the Federation-wide Convention on Racial Tolerance. It was also known for just laws and fair courts.
All this information was going through her head, as Ocellus walked the stairs to the presidential building. It still felt overwhelming, becoming de facto official representative of the Changelings Lands, but at least she was in the best place for it.
If only she arrived here in better circumstances.
President Water Lily awaited them in her office. “Ambassadors Apterygota and Ocellus, welcome. Please, take a seat.”
President of Bakaran Republic was an earth pony. Her skin and eyes had a very light, blue-green color, similar to a shallow lake. President’s mane was vibrant violet, and looking at her, Ocellus had no doubts where her name came from. She really looked like a water lily.
Aside from both changelings and the head of state, there was another pony in the room. Ocellus could not recognize her as any of the advisors or ministers she read about. “Allow me to introduce captain of Bakara police force, Fall Line.” Water Lily answered an unasked question. “Since this is a matter both diplomatic and regarding our internal security, I asked her to also attend this meeting. I hope you don’t mind.”
Both changelings shook their heads and sat down. President and captain did the same, as guards left the room and closed the doors behind them. “I must say, I did not expect ambassadors of two different changeling nations to appear at my doorstep today. To say the truth, few months ago I wasn’t even aware of any of them. I have high hopes that this meeting is a sign of a future cooperation to come, between our nations and our people.” The President started. Her voice was gentle, but firm.
“I, I also hope we can become friends and allies.” Ocellus answered, stuttering slightly in the beginning. Water Lily looked more surprised than annoyed or amused by her stutter, and looked at her intensely.
“My stance is the same as when I was here last time, and I hope it will never change.” Apterygota came to the rescue, focusing everyone’s attention back on her. “I want nothing more than to become friends with the entire River Federation, Bakaran Republic included. Especially now, that Greneclyf is in need of a fleet to help secure the sea around it for trade. In fact, Queen Gytha was vastly interested in securing Bakaran assistance, both by buying some of your ships, and asking for help with building our own shipyards.”
“I see. That can be arranged; I will ask Admiral Cobalt Wind to make some time for a meeting. He has vast experience in terms of building and expanding a navy. In fact, he recently helped our allies with modernizing their own fleets. I have no doubts he will be happy to help.”
“In the name of Queen Gytha, you have my thanks.”
“And now, ambassador Ocellus. I heard that you came through the Panthalassic Ocean. Does this mean someone finally found a safe route through? Can we expect more visitors from your land? When can we expect a full-time ambassador in Bakara?” Water Lily decided to test a theory she had by asking so many questions at once; and indeed, she quickly noticed that the changeling was easily overwhelmed.
Ocellus was, in fact, definitely overwhelmed. She barely had time to rest between traumatic loss of the entire ship, coming to realize that she is now the sole member of Changeling Hives on Gryphus, and then meeting all these important people. She tried to focus on answering these questions one-by-one, hoping she will at least manage to avoid saying something really bad. Fortunately for her, Apterygota again came to the rescue. “I am sorry to say it, but ambassador Ocellus is still very tired. Her ship was attacked by some horrible sea creatures, we suspect Dread League’s involvement, and she is the only survivor. She barely had time to rest yet.”
“I see.” Water Lily considered the implications. She felt really sorry for the – obviously very young and inexperienced – changeling sitting before her. Was that done on purpose? Her past as a teacher was well known, and it wouldn’t be the first time a kid was brought with a visiting official, hoping to soften her for negotiations. “Perhaps you want to go rest, ambassador Ocellus? We have some Greneclyf-related matters to discuss anyway, you could join us tomorrow when you have a chance to rest.”
It was really, really tempting. Ocellus really felt absolutely underqualified for what was happening. Still, she shook her head. “I would like to stay, madam President. I volunteered to help, and I’m not going to abandon our newest allies.” Water Lily’s eyes widened a little, and Ocellus continued. “Answering your questions, I don’t think the route I arrived through is safe. United Alliance is aware of my… situation.” Ocellus tried to push down the horrible memories, again. “I am sure that sooner or later, someone will arrive to Greneclyf, but it will take a while to move through entire Gryphus.”
“I see. In that situation, welcome aboard, ambassador. And since you mentioned volunteering to help, I take it you meant helping with the current crisis and murder case?” Water Lily asked, already knowing the answer. “In that case, captain Fall Line can probably help you more. I only ask that none of you try to complicate the matter. It is already a topic of debate, with the crime so severe so soon after the first changelings arrived in Bakara. Please do not make the situation worse.”
“We won’t.” Apterygota promised. “We also want to see that justice is done and this situation does not damage our relations any further.”
“Very well. Rooms were prepared for you, ambassadors. Please rest, tomorrow you can visit the prisoner.”
“If I may, Madam President, I’d rather start now. You probably understand that I don’t want to leave our citizen thinking we forgot about him.” The older changeling said, getting up. “If captain Line would be so kind as to tell us where the prisoner is?”
“I will take you to him.” The pink-colored pony answered, also getting up. “Because the situation is so delicate, the prisoner is kept in high-security prison nearby.”
Ocellus also got up, and both she and Apterygota bowed slightly and exchanged polite goodbyes with Water Lily. Then they both left, following the captain, with guards still moving alongside them.
The prison was, indeed, not far. Captain led them to a small room, with just a simple desk and few chairs, and left. Soon after, he came back with a visibly scared changeling, who instantly brightened up when he recognized Apterygota. “Oh, you cannot imagine how happy I am to see you! You need to help me, this is all insane!”
Captain stood next to the door, not intent on leaving. Other changelings ignored her, focused on each other.
“Wait, who are you? You feel like a changeling, but… different.” The prisoner looked at Ocellus with surprise. “I never felt anyone like you!”
“That’s Ocellus, she’s an ambassador from the Changeling Hives, but let’s leave introductions for later.” Apterygota answered, directing the conversation to the topic at hand. “Mirid, what happened? I can’t imagine you actually killed someone, did you?”
“No, I didn’t! This was all set-up.” Mirid, the former merchant and now prisoner, shook his head. “It was all just wrong, you have to believe me!”
“Alright, alright, easy. Start from the beginning. I know that you acted in self-defense; did that stallion attack you?” Apterygota asked calmly.
“That, that was no stallion! It’s emotions were just so horrible. It was cold, and empty, but so, so…”
“Dead.” Both other changelings looked at Ocellus with surprise. “You felt like you were already dead, and death came for you. It was cold, but also calm, and it was like falling asleep.” Ocellus, trying not to shake, forced herself to relive her worst memories from just few days ago.
“Yes exactly that, it scared me to death! It attacked me, and I punched back, but it wasn’t even harmed! It just played dead when other ponies arrive, and they didn’t listen to me. It, whatever it was, it was still alive.” Mirid looked at Ocellus. “Do you know these creatures from your homeland?”
“No.” Ocellus said, now feeling cold. Why? How could these demons be connected to a pony? It made no sense!
“Excuse me, captain Line. Can you tell me more about the victim?” Apterygota asked, looking at Ocellus with concealed worry. The captain, also noticing the sudden distress but not commenting on it, simply motioned for them to go outside the room. Only when two ambassadors, one still shaken, left and the doors were closed the captain answered.
“The victim was a merchant from Nimbusia. He was here with his wife before, they regularly travelled to trade. His name was Steel Fruit. There were never any problems with him or his wife, before you ask.” Captain provided them with information. “Nothing suspicious or unusual about him.”
“Was the victim examined for wounds?” Aperygota asked.
“No. He was already dead when closest witnesses arrived, after they heard him scream in pain. He wasn’t breathing, and no one managed to save him. He just wasn’t breathing anymore. The changeling took his form, but defended himself saying it was a reflex and he dropped the disguise when first ponies arrived on scene. He then started making crazy claims like the one you just heard.” Captain Line shook her head. “Changeling admitted to hitting the victim, the merchant is dead on the spot and the bug, I’m sorry the changeling is looking like the victim. This does not look good.”
“But the body was not examined.” Aperygota pressed.
“No, of course not. His wife was already in enough distress. Once it was obvious he was dead, she asked to take his body to be buried on a cemetery near the capital. Then she quickly left with their cart and everything.” Captain looked at the two changelings. “Evidently, you have some reason to believe that changeling. May I ask why?”
Ocellus forced herself to answer, despite the cold feeling in her stomach. “Can we see the grave?”
As they walked to the small cemetery outside of the capital, Ocellus felt horrible. He confided the reason why to the other changeling; right now, it was only them and captain Line with two guards, walking through the city.
“I feel useless.” Ocellus admitted quietly. A gentle rain started to fall, not enough to be annoying, but enough to almost mask her whisper. “Everyone around me is doing things. And I’m just stuck in my head. I didn’t even need to be here. You could’ve dealt with all this by yourself.”
“Don’t say that, Ocellus.” The older changeling protested. “Without you, we would never even try to save Mirid. And even if we did, he would just sound insane. Even knowing your story, I didn’t connect it to his.”
“If you had a moment, you would. It’s not really hard to realize it. And I’m sure you still wouldn’t leave him on his own.” Ocellus sighed. “It really feels like everyone is just better than me when it comes to doing everything. I can know all these things, but when it comes to doing something, it feels like everyone is just better.”
“You’re young, Ocellus. Your time will come.” The older changeling tried to assure her younger friend. “You’ll play your part in some great things in the future, I have no doubt.”
“You should listen to her, ambassador.” Both changelings turned to her, and captain chuckled. “Sorry, I meant ambassador Ocellus. From what I heard, you’re young, and just lived through something horrible. I never went that far north, but I heard stories of Dread Peninsula. Always thought they were just myths and overblown stories from drunken knights, but if they are even half as scary as these stories make them out to be, well, let’s just say I hope I’ll never have to see anything like that.
But you still volunteered to come and help with someone else’s problem.”
“Of course! I can’t just leave someone to die!” Ocellus said, her voice regaining some of its strength.
“Yeah, see? You are really braver then you think.”
“You… believe us?” Ocellus asked with surprise, only now noticing the way captain was speaking.
“You could still be the best liar I’ve seen in a while, and I deal with criminals a lot. But I think you truly believe in what you say. Mind you, you can be wrong, but I’m not dismissing anything without proof.” Captain answered as they closed to the cemetery. It was really old, beyond even furthest buildings in the city. It was just a small patch of land, with graves neatly lined through it, and a small forest behind it.
“You really aren’t how I imagined a police captain to be.” Ocellus admitted.
“I deal with politicians even more then criminals sometimes, what with all the embassies, trade and everything in Bakara. Now, let’s go see if the grave is still where it should be.” Fall Line entered through the small gate in the low wall surrounding the cemetery. “I asked, and apparently the grave should be… right there.”
They found the grave they were looking for. A simple tombstone was erected upon a patch of dirt, with the victim’s name engraved on it; there was nothing else. It was one of the most unassuming graves there, in fact. Nothing out of ordinary.
Captain Line walked around it, in a safe distance as to not muddle any signs of someone digging or moving the earth around. “This is strange… see these marks here and here? They don’t look like a shovel.”
“Then what?” Ocellus asked, feeling cold. The rain felt colder than earlier.
“Claws.” Captain looked at the ground with suspicion. “No griffons were taking place in the funeral, and there were no new funerals since then. The funeral office’ workers were ponies, and they definitely used shovels. Someone came after them, and did their best to camouflage it, but whoever it was used claws.”
Suddenly, they heard a snapping sound. Everyone turned to the small forest next to the cemetery; with the now freezing rain, Ocellus could swear that in the weak, late evening light she could see some shapes moving.
Wait. Freezing rain?
“Bakaran police! Whoever is there, come out!” Captain called. No response. “Come out now. You have nothing to fear.”
“Captain.” Ocellus whispered, trying not to shake. “Can’t you feel it? The cold?”
Fall Line and both guards tensed momentarily. Now they also realized something else is going on, something Ocellus noticed just a moment earlier. “Stay were you are, I’m going in! Do not try to escape!” Captain pointed at one of the guards. “You, with me. You, guard the VIPs. Ambassadors, stay”
“We should run.” Ocellus whispered. She could feel it already. This feeling of death she already felt once. Captain and one of the guards already run into the forest. “Aperygota, we must run, now!”
“Captain told you to stay put!” The remaining guard protested.
Whatever any of them wanted to say, was drowned in a wave of unnatural fear. They all shook, suddenly feeling short of breath, like something was sucking life out of them.
Only then they heard screams.
Captain Fall was screaming in horror. It sounded like something was choking her, and she just barely had strength to scream; but it sounded bone-chilling. The other guard who went with her made a short shout, before a sudden snapping sound.
Then silence.
“Stay here!” The last guard ordered, running into the forest, trying no doubt to save the captain.
Ocellus didn’t wait even a second longer. She run as fast as she could, transforming mid-step to the fastest animal her mind could think of right now. Apterygota followed her just a moment later.
When the last guard screamed, both changelings were already halfway to the city.
Two drenched changelings once again stood in the Water Lily’s room. However, the atmosphere in it was much different than earlier, especially after the lengthy explanation Ocellus just provided.
“So you’re saying that some kind of monster, similar to ones who destroyed your ship, is hiding next to the capital.” The president of Bakaran Republic sounded skeptical. “Despite no one reporting anything like it, and despite this place being so close to the city.”
Ocellus could only nod, too shaken by experience. The other changeling, first time feeling the effects of the clearly magical fear, was unable to speak yet, shaking still. It was like nothing she ever felt, and Aperygota was shaken to her core.
Water Lily sighed, and looked at two fresh guards flanking ambassadors. “You must understand how ridiculous it sounds. Especially the claim that both guards and captain Line were just taken out like that, while you fled.”
“But it’s true!” Ocellus answered, feeling her fear give way to anger. “We’ve seen it with our own eyes!”
“I can’t just accept what you say without a proof. Especially since you’re another changeling who makes such claims!” President sounded more and more irritated. “If they are truly dead, I will make sure the creatures responsible are found. I will send another group to that forest to verify your claims, in the meantime… what now!” She turned to the door, hearing a commotion.
To the surprise of everyone in the room, captain Line entered it. She was covered in dried blood in many places, and was visibly limping, but she was alive!
“Captain!” Ocellus smiled, but was only met with cold eyes. She shuddered, feeling the emotions emanating from the pony. It was… not at all like Fall Line she knew. It was…
Cold.
Full of ancient malice.
“I’m sorry for interrupting, madam President, but these changelings are traitors! When we reached the cemetery, they suddenly changed and they… they ripped the guards apart!”
Ocellus felt sick. This is it. Only changelings could feel this, and for everyone else in the room, it was Fall Line herself, accusing them. Without doubt, the bodies will be found, just like with that merchant.
Everything was lost.
Aperygota managed to shake off the fear and started to protest. President was in shock, but it was slowly replaced with anger. The guards were tense, ready to arrest them. And whatever the creature posing as Fall Line was, it radiated satisfaction. It was clearly not the pony Ocellus got to know earlier.
Wait.
“Madam President, wait! Ask her something!” Everyone looked at her, but Ocellus was too focused to care. “Something only she could know! She’s not the captain, it’s an impostor!”
“What an absurd accusation.” Captain shook her head sadly. “Obviously, coming from a changeling. Only shows what they know. Guards, take them away.”
“Yes, you’re right.” Water Lily answered, but then she added offhoofedly; “But just in case, what was yesterday’s passphrase?”
“I’ll get back to you with that in a second. Guards, help me secure them. Be careful, they can change at any moment. Use any means necessary to keep them secured.” Captain ordered.
President’s eyes grew wide. “Fall Line, what was the passphrase?”
“Madam President, do not fall for it. They just want to divert our attention.” Captain answered, grabbing Ocellus. “Be careful, they are extremely dangerous!”
“Guards, secure Fall Line immediately.” Water Lily ordered, to the shock of everyone present. The creature posing as captain seemed the most surprised.
The guards were torn between conflicting orders. President was clearly above captain, but they were now confused for few moments. ‘Captain’ used this moment to close her eyes for a second, and when she opened them no one noticed a small red glare in them. “There was no passphrase, madam President, that was the passphrase. Forgive me, this whole situation really took a lot out of me.”
“I see. So real Fall Line is still alive.” Water Lily looked at the impostor with fury. “You thought that just because I’m an earth pony, I can’t recognize obvious telepathy being used? Guards, take her into custody. We will find out where the real captain is.”
Two guards grabbed the creature. It sighed and closed its eyes, before suddenly springing into action.
The guards were ready for their prisoner to try to escape. But it didn’t help them at all. The monster threw them off itself with such force, they were thrown against the walls in a split second. Moments later, the thing turned to the three remaining creatures in the room.
Its eyes were red. Nothing, but red. Endless ocean of fear and death. No one could even scream, as the monster closed the door and smiled coldly, fear emanating from it.
“Oh Ocellus, Ocellus. You couldn’t hold yourself back and had to make it worse, haven’t you?” The monster looked at the young changeling with satisfaction. “And to think, you almost succeeded. But you cannot fight Death, little creature.”
The monster took one step ahead. And then another, slowly walking towards Ocellus, savoring her fear. “Do not worry, little one. I bring calm. I bring peace. I am a merciful God. I will take away all your suffering now…”
“No!” It was supposed to be a scream, but turned out more of a strained whisper. Aperygota stood before Ocellus, protecting her with her own body. “You won’t hurt her!”
“Hurt her? My dear, I do not intend to hurt anyone. I am the bringer of peace. Worry not. You will now know rest.” The creature again moved with unnatural speed. Now, standing so close to it, it looked… wrong. Like the body wasn’t even moving that fast, but somehow it blurred, and Ocellus couldn’t wrap her head around it.
She was still in shock when a body hit the wall. The monster sighed. “Such unnecessary struggle. There is nothing wrong with just accepting your end when it comes. Isn’t it right, Ocellus?” The creature looked at the frightened changeling. “You escaped me before, somehow. I need to thank you; now, with your help, I will know exactly how you did it. I will make certain… improvements. No changeling will ever escape me again.”
Ocellus shook in fear, unable to understand what was going on, but the creature wasn’t finished. “You see, if you didn’t intervene, the changeling would just be exiled to Greneclyf and forbidden from ever entering Bakara. No one had to die. And now, everyone will. One by one. You should have surrendered to me back then, in the ocean.”
Ocellus couldn’t take it anymore. She fell on the ground, sobbing. The weight of what just happened was just too much, all the fear, pain, death. The monster stood above her, smiling coldly. “Do not worry, little one. As I said before, I am a merciful God. I will grant you peace.”
“Stay away from her.” The monster turned around, facing the Water Lily, who somehow managed to break through fear.
The president of the Bakaran Republic was no warrior. She wasn’t a soldier. But she was a fighter of her own. She reached her position with determination to help and protect others.
But, long before that, she was a teacher. And, seeing this helpless child being tormented by this monster, she found in herself strength to face Death. “You will never win. You can strike us down, but more will come to fight you. Our bodies may break, but Republic will live on!”
The monster just shook his head. “You will not die, Water Lily. In fact, you are a crucial part of my plan. You will serve me, like all the others. Together, we will bring eternal peace to Bakara. And then, beyond.”
“I will never join you, or serve you! I will die free, rather than live as a slave.” She still did not have the strength to shout, but her declaration was filled with unwavering passion and conviction.
“Many knights fell proudly, like you will. All shouted their defiance, and all surrendered in the end. You will see. It all ends the same.” Monster moved in her direction, and looked her in the eyes. “Your soul will be mine.”
Water Lily could feel the icy stare like a physical blow. It crushed into her resolve, filling her with fear, and an unnatural calmness. Why continue fighting? She could feel her willpower slipping away. It was inevitable. And if she just surrendered, the pain would go away…
But then she heard Ocellus whimpered, and her resolve returned. It was obvious now, that she was played by this creature all along. She almost ended up throwing all changelings out of Riverland Federation, if not causing outright war with Greneclyf.
Some small part of her was disappointed in herself. If not for this young changeling, now weeping on the floor, she could have done something monstrous.
She knew she may never be able to tell Ocellus how much the little changeling achieved on that day, but she swore to herself that at least she won’t fail here and now. Her determination returned, banishing both fear and apathy. She was not going to leave Ocellus alone, and she would not allow this monster to just win.
She would rather die.
“You truly are serious about it. Dying.” The monster said with calm voice, as Water Lily strained to fight a losing battle. “I can feel it. Do not worry. Death is easy. It is painless. And after it is done, the little one will join you. You will together forever.”
In response, Water Lily could only grit her teeth and fight back. It felt like pushing a rock up a steep cliff, but she was not going to surrender. She would fight until the end.
The doors opened. “Is everything alri… ALARM!”
The monster, still posing as captain Line, turned around instantly, but it was already too late. The guards were alarmed, and nothing could stop them now. It could, perhaps, confuse them, but not for long.
“Such annoyance. Do not worry, we will meet again. Soon.” Monster simply said, and then run out of the room, ramming through the guard blocking the way without slowing down.
Ocellus did not notice anything at this point. Later, she could remember some voices, ponies moving in and out, running, shouts. But the thing she remembered clearly was someone touching her gently on the leg, asking if she can help.
She hugged Water Lily, still crying. The guards, already on edge, jumped to her rescue, but the president waved them away and continued to give orders while hugging the poor, scared changeling.
This image, of the changeling ambassador and president of Bakara, hugging each other in the battlefield-like room, was what the presidential advisors saw as they entered. Undeterred, Water Lily held a council with her advisors, not letting go of Ocellus. Only when the exhausted changeling fell asleep, she ordered some blankets and pillows to be brought into the adjacent room, clean and not looking like a battlefield. And after the council finished, she stayed there with Ocellus.
It was the least she could do for a changeling that, just by arriving here, probably saved many lives.
In the middle of the sea, the fierce battle continued. The Alliance fleet faced the greatest battle in its history, against a merciless, dangerous enemy.
And they were losing.
Hivesadmiral Lysander looked around, hiding a grimace. That was it. The Alliance forces were simply not enough to win at this point. Before that giant monstrosity appeared, they were slowly winning; now, the situation reversed. With every lost ship, with every group of soldiers gone, the battle was getting closer and closer to the end.
The huge, octopus-like monster was the greatest danger, and one that single-hoffedly led to their defeat. It was so big, armored, and capable of attacking everything around it at once, that no single attack could face it. Not the strongest of polar bears, not mightiest forms the changelings could take were enough.
The monster simply took one of their ship at some point and tore it into pieces. How could any creature face something like this? Perhaps Celestia, Luna, or others like them could. But he doubted any mortal would ever be able to face it and win.
Not that he was going to surrender. If his first great battle is going to be his last, so be it. He will do his best, and if that’s not enough, he will go above and beyond that. And if that is still not enough, he will fight to the end.
Despite the aura of bone-chilling fear and death-like calm, his mind was still focused on finding any way to tip the balance. If only they could deal with this thing somehow. But how? In the heat of battle, there was no way to mount a force big enough to attack this thing and win. The skies were already falling to the enemy, as airborne changelings were forced to go down and support the breaking navy line. Even deer were no longer able to help, only postponing the inevitable. Polar bears were doing their best with stoic bravery, but it was simply not enough. And the moment enemies gain full air control, the battle will be simply over. They will be picked one by one, without any way to coordinate or form any defensive formations.
And the penguins… Lysander looked starboard. There, the „Pride of Pingland” was still afloat, with High Admiral on board. Both commanders had a similar idea, independently moving towards the middle of the fleet, trying to prevent the enemy from dividing their forces in two.
But it would be for nothing. The monster was already almost between them, going straight at the middle of their forces. And neither of them had enough forces to commence any kind of an attack that would stop it. They just didn’t have enough soldiers left on their ships. Both vessels were almost empty.
But the Lysander realized something. They may be empty, but they were still ships. Big ships. Biggest in the fleet, in fact. His own ship was the first, and only, superheavy vessel ever built by the Changeling Hives. Queen Chrysalis herself ordered it built, despite some (quite valid, as it turned out) concerns that it would be painfully slow, and wouldn’t offer much advantage over smaller ships.
And it was really heavy. Once it got going, it would not stop, even if it had to go through another ship on its way. It even had a battering ram installed, although the idea of something so slow ramming anything was amusing and likely impossible.
Hivesadmiral run some calculations in his head. If he could do this… it would require almost perfect coordination. Better than their flag system would ever allow for, especially since this maneuver would be, to put it lightly, suicidal. And High Admiral would only have moments to react.
But, Lysander got to know High Admiral well. Out of everyone in the fleet, they were the closest in the instant they spent some time together. Their visions for the fleet, their tactics, and their characters were remarkably similar.
Lysander would even dare to say that they became friends, as much as you can say that about someone you met just recently. The fact that until recently they were both preparing to fight each other was only making it more complicated.
“How do ponies say it…?” Hivesadmiral whispered to himself. “Friendship is magic, right? Alright, then, let’s see how it measures up against those monsters.” Out loud, he gave the orders. The ship started to slowly turn starboard.
I’m counting on you, Olov. Don’t fail me now.
On the High Admiral Olov’s ship, the situation was similar. Penguins were ready to die for their country, and fought fiercely to the end, but it was becoming obvious that the battle was lost. The huge monstrosity was just too much for the fleet to handle. Olov himself was desperately looking for something, anything that he could do.
“High Admiral! Changeling flagship is turning starboard! They also raised flags, it’s… full ahead and collision warning?” The penguin responsible for communication looked at the other ship with confusion. “But they are not on a collision course with anyone!”
Olov looked at the ship with similar confusion. Was it a mix-up in signal flags? And why were they turning starboard? It would separate them from the rest of the fleet! He could not imagine why someone like Lysander would just suddenly break formation and send nonsensical messages.
But then, he realized it. He, too, spent enough time with his changeling counterpart to realize how similar their ideas were. It was obvious what the Hivesadmiral was doing. The penguin smiled. Oh, that was a crazy, suicidal idea. Chances of success, and survival, were almost nonexistent.
He loved it.
“What is unclear there? Helmspenguin, put us on the collision course with them, full ahead!” High Admiral ordered, noticing with satisfaction the stunned looks of his sailors. “What are you, deaf? Get to it!”
In the meantime, the ancient monster of the seas was slowly approaching its victim. This would be the last blow needed to crush the Alliance fleet. But it was taking its sweet time. There was so much fear, death, suffering all around. It was such a sweet feeling. The ship ahead was unable to turn in time to avoid being hit, and the crew knew it. They radiated panic, and it tasted so alluring.
As the old saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. This saying referred not just to big creatures and gravity, of course.
It described arrogance.
Undefeated for unnumbered years, the behemoth of the seas didn’t pay much attention to small flies around it. If any came too close, they were snatched by its barbed tentacles. Ships were torn apart if they tried to escape. Nothing mortal could face the giant and win.
That’s why it realized too late that the two ships on its sides were not trying to escape, or lure it away. By the time the massive monstrosity started to turn, it was already too late.
With a thunderous sound of breaking wood, and a roar of agony so loud it was almost deafening, the two ships hit the monster from two sides at once. It was not a perfect coordination; with such slow and not maneuverable vessels, it was already a miracle that they hit the moving target at almost the same time. The much heavier changeling ship hit first, its hull buckling and breaking in places from the force of the hit against heavily-armored enemy. Just moments later, the heavy penguin flagship hit it from the other size, crushing the monster between the vessels.
It was too much even for the ancient demon, and it screamed in pain. For the first time in its life, it was defeated; it slowly sunk under the waves. But this defeat did not come cheap. Changeling flagship was sinking fast; and while the penguin vessel seemed afloat, High Admiral had little doubt that it also had innumerable small leaks.
For now though, the survivors had a moment to catch their breaths. With the huge monstrosity sinking under the waves, the planned attack on the central part of the fleet faltered. It would return soon; the enemies were already preparing a huge force of flyers and swimming monster to attack. This time, there would be no miracle left to save them.
Still, it was enough time for the Pingland flagship to pick up changelings form the fast-sinking ship they were on. Hivesadmiral Lysander was among those who survived and managed to get on board, and he saluted as he entered the ship. “Permission to come onboard, High Admiral?”
“Granted, Hivesadmiral. Welcome to the ‘Pride of Pingland’”. Olov smiled, although the smile waned slightly as the penguin looked at the incoming wave of enemies. “Just in time, I’d say, I don’t think she’ll stay afloat for long.”
“Longer then my ship.” Lysander answered grimly, looking at the sea that swallowed the broken remains of his flagship. “I always thought I will go down with her, you know? At the end of some legendary battle.”
“I know.” It was left unsaid that the High Admiral had the very same wish. “Say, Hivesadmiral, what do you say about a joined command? It just happens that a lot of members of my staff are missing, I think I could use some help here.”
Lysander looked at his penguin counterpart, surprised. “Are you serious? Just giving away command of your ship like that? To a changeling?”
“It’s not like we have much left to command, do we?” Olov looked slightly amused, somehow. “And besides, after this stunt you pulled? You may as well be an honorary penguin to me, Hivesadmiral Lysander. I’m sure my ancestors would agree.”
Somehow, this whole situation just seemed absurd. Lysander nodded his head slowly. “I accept.” And then he laughed. Seeing the confusion and slight hurt at the penguin’s face, he waved his hoof. “No, sorry, it’s just… I spent years thinking, how do I neutralize Pingland if they decide to join Equestria against us?”
“Oh? And what was your plan?” High Admiral asked, smiling widely.
“I actually told Chrysalis that attacking you and ponies at the same time would be suicidal. My Queen, I said, if we underestimate penguins, we’ll end up like the last six Polar Kings. Swimming belly-up in front of the Penguin Navy.”
“Oh, you totally would.” They both laughed, not able to hold it back anymore. It was just so absurd. Behind them, seeing their leaders friendly and even laughing, their soldiers also smiled with pride as they got ready for their final stand. “You know, if my grandfather knew that the future High Admiral would die, fighting wing in hoof with a changeling? I think he would have a heart attack on the spot.”
“Same here. I think Chrysalis would just choke to death on the idea.” The black swarm of enemies was almost at their ship. “Any last words?”
“Nah. I’d rather have my deeds speak for themselves.” High Admiral looked at his ceremonial mace, bent, and almost broken. But somehow, he felt better than ever. “And I will make sure our enemies learn to fear us before we fall!”
“That’s the spirit! Alright, everyone!” The monsters descended from the sky, climbed over the deck, crashed into the ship. “For Thorax! For HARMONY!”
“For PINGLAND!”
“THORAX! HARMONY!”
“PINGLAND!”
And so they fought, with courage and honor, to the last living creature. They faced Death, in a battle they could not win, and they knew it. But sometimes, it’s not a matter of victory. It’s just a matter of fighting until the end, and refusing to give up.
Let it be forever known, that their ship broke long before they did.
By itself, it would not be enough to change the tide of battle. No one act of courage, no matter how great, could achieve that. No single hero, rising in the darkest hour, was enough. But the smallest act of fearlessness and courage among the sinking ship proved to be more than even the two commanders expected.
The attacking forces had to push more than they planned to defeat this small pocket of resistance. Nearby groups had to join the fight to finally crush this bastion of hope. And in doing so, they made an opening.
Pharynx was also aware that the battle was being lost. Even he was feeling tired, approaching exhaustion even. He had enough strength to fight on, at least for now, but at this rate it would be for nothing. He needed to do something. He even managed to formulate a plan, but for it to succeed he needed to get airborne. And the air above him was choke-full of enemies. He would never manage to break through them.
And then, suddenly, the flyers around him disappeared. Not knowing why, he just jumped up, transforming rapidly. The enemy moved too many flyers away; he managed to fly, interrupted, high, higher, above most of the battle.
He noticed the sinking ‘Pride of Pingland’. Of the changeling flagship there was no trace. For a moment, he worried about the Hiveasadmiral and High Admiral, but then forced himself to focus on the task at hand.
Now succeeding at dividing the fleet in two, most if the enemy forces fell back. Only small amount of them remained, making sure the fleet could not join forces again. The rest started to gather as a massive attack force; it would strike one wing of the fleet, crush it with overwhelming numbers, and then move to the other. Alliance fleet was going to be crushed one by one, as others would be forced to watch helplessly, unable to help, just waiting for their turn to be destroyed.
Pharynx would not allow it. He took a deep breath. What he was going to do would probably be the most painful thing he ever did. If he even succeeded. And he was so tired, he would probably fall out of the sky moments later.
But if he managed, he could, maybe, save the fleet.
Pharynx took his duty as protector of the hive very seriously. As much as Thorax mocked him gently for his obsessive focus, the older changeling knew it was just a jest. Everyling appreciated his hard work.
Indeed, Pharynx even opened the oldest changeling archives, those sealed and forgotten on the orders of Chrysalis herself. Many of them were damaged, and he even heard that visiting Princess Twilight almost got a heart attack when seeing the extent of the damage, but he managed to find some intact books on old changeling ways of combat.
Aside from a title he found in some dusty book, that he only used to tease Thorax occasionally, he learned that greatest masters of the old ways managed impressive transformations. Inspired, he boosted security of the Hive and left on a long journey. He travelled to Equestria, and found little of use there, initially. Later, however, he trained with Wonderbolts and went adventuring with Daring Do. He made his way to Zebrica after the fall of Storm King, and trained with Zebrican monks, whose minds were open to everyone willing to respect their ways.
And on his way back, he visited the Dragon Lands.
The ancient changeling masters were distinguished by their ability to change into smaller dragons. It was a mark of mastery, a sign of a discipline and focus. Pharynx found this feat to be much easier than he expected; it was draining on his inner magic, but he had enough love for his Hive to refill it. He learned to change into a dragon, and sparred with some more open-minded inhabitants of the Dragon Lands. He even spoke with Torch, the former Dragon Lord.
A small dragon would not suffice, however. He was facing an army of creatures so large, a small breath of fire would be unnoticeable. And in a chaotic, aerial melee, he would be soundly defeated.
He needed something bigger.
Biggest he ever saw.
He focused his magic, and attempted a feat that no other changeling in history ever managed. His body suddenly grew in size, and continued to grow. And with it, came pain, and exhaustion. He was forcing himself to change in ways that even changeling magic was never meant to achieve, and he was already tired after all the fighting he did earlier.
He almost faltered here and there, but then he remembered.
“I trust you, Pharynx. If anyone can bring Ocellus home, you can.” Thorax patted him on the back, and smiled. “I have no doubt.”
Pharynx gritted his teeth. Even in pain and exhausted, he could feel the love and trust of Thorax still in him. He would not fail him! He pushed on.
“And know that I will come and save you, if you need me.” He told Ocellus, the little grub looking at him with trust and admiration.
Pharynx continued to change. He was now as big as his biggest transformation to date, but it was not enough. Still not enough!
“Ah, yes. Many others ask me this question, but many of them do not truly understand my answer. Listen well, young one.” Torch, the former Dragon Lord, answered the question slowly and patiently. “The secret of becoming great and powerful is simple. Do not try.”
Pharynx grew.
“You need not focus on your hoard, on your glory, on your honor. If you live only for those, you will die young.”
Pharynx’s wings spread, shining in the sun.
“Focus on what is truly important. Family, I always said. Friends, I add now. You want to be strong to protect them, but you do not need to be the strongest. That way leads only to obsession with strength, not to strength itself.”
Pharynx became the light itself.
“In the end, the real fighter is not the one that fights against what they hate. It’s the one who only fights to protect what they love. In the end, that is a true strength that will triumph. Even if you were to fall, you will inspire others and lead them to be ever better.
Keep moving forward, young one, and one day, you will understand.”
And so, the fighting ceased.
The great deer diviners stopped, and as one turned their unseeing eyes towards the sky. Blind to the material realm, they could still see what was truly important. And they saw light, shimmering above them.
Pharynx changed. He now became a dragon, similar to Torch, but different. His body could not handle it, but in the end, it did not have to. This transformation was triggered not by pure strength and training.
It was love.
Pharynx’s pure love and dedication to the Hive. And, as much as he would deny it, it was slowly growing to cover the entire Alliance. He was loved, as a protector, and he loved in return. And all this love manifested on that day, above the sea.
His dragon form was not like other dragons. It was shining; it was similar in color to his natural form, if it was suddenly changed into a pure reflective surface. The ocean below him exploded in the color of rainbow, and the sky was alight, as the Harmonic vision of Torch, the Dragon Lord, appeared above it.
Both the Alliance and their monstrous enemies stopped fighting for a moment. But Death was not so easily discouraged. Pharynx was weak; the transformation would not last in a fight. And he was the last spark of hope left. A perfect target, barely able to defend himself.
A swarm of darkness and death flew at Pharynx.
And the defender of the Hive took a deep breath. And released it.
A huge stream of magical fire spread upon the sky. It was unlike any other fire; a living rainbow of Harmonic magic, similar to the power of the Elements, unstoppable in its tracks. It engulfed the evil before it, and purified it all in a split second.
Far away, Death flinched for the first time in millennia. He looked with something akin to disbelief, as if he could not comprehend what just happened. Deep within his cursed realm, souls long lost and forgotten stirred quietly, unnoticed.
Above the battlefield, Pharynx breathed last of the fire out, and his form shimmered. He lost consciousness, and fell out of the sky, too exhausted to even think.
His last thoughts being of Thorax and Ocellus.
And far below him, among a fast-sinking wreckage of a once mighty vessel, two creatures strained their exhausted muscles and wounded bodies to look above. All they saw was light, shining above them, gently covering them.
They looked at each other with a smile, and closed their eyes for the last time.
And the Light of Harmony welcomed them as heroes, as Death in its cold realm screeched in fury at the souls denied to it.
Ocellus was sleeping in her room, when the commotion started.
She did a lot of sleeping lately. Sometimes, like today, even in the middle of the day. She was just so exhausted, she sometimes just needed a rest, and more often than not rest turned into regular sleep.
It’s been few days since she returned from Bakara to Greneclyf. Queen Gytha was understandably shocked when she heard what happened. The fact that Bakaran Republic, and entire Riverlands in fact, were now open to alliance with Greneclyf was important and amazing news, but Gytha was much more worried about Ocellus at that time.
Fortunately, Bakaran ambassador proved to be understanding in that regard. Apparently, Water Lily gave very strict orders to focus first on Ocellus, and then on diplomacy. Therefore, the talks only started on the next day, when Ocellus finally managed to convince the Queen to leave her and take care of her royal duties.
Many things were achieved in that short time. The possibility of a hostile faction trying to cause tensions between River Federation and Greneclyf was a shock to many. And especially its ability to fool anyone, bar changelings. This ability probably explained why Greneclyf was targeted in the first place, to remove the potential for detecting any infiltrators.
To a surprise of many, Greneclyfians themselves proposed to help with designing spells hat could detect anyone with shapeshifting abilities. They abhorred using their abilities for evil, and swore to never do such a thing. Their willingness to work with others, and even helping to negate their main military advantage, was also a major reason why others found them trustworthy.
And of course, everyone wanted few changelings to come and check over their advisors, important military figures, and at some point everyone with any importance in the country. The idea of anything like Fall Line happening to anyone else was treated with utmost seriousness.
Ocellus, in the meantime, spent most of her time resting. She really missed Luna; she still had nightmares, which was one of the reasons she slept badly during the night and had to catch up on sleep during the day. She took part in some negotiations the day before, but she mostly just sat there and listened. At this point, everything was finally turning out alright, although she had a feeling that her adventures – if you can really call them that – were far from over.
And indeed, when she was woken up by the commotion outside of her room, she instantly knew it’s not over. She considered staying in bed this time, instead of going to see whatever was happening, but in the end Ocellus just sighed and slowly got up from her bed. At least she had a nap, so she should be more awake, unlike in the morning when she almost fell asleep in the middle of some negotiations with Bakaran ambassador.
She made her way out of the room and into the throne room, only to find Gytha and her advisors already there, visibly worried. What’s more, there were multiple armed guards around the throne room, which was by itself pretty scary. “What’s going on?” Ocellus held the yawn back. “Is it another diplomatic incident?”
“No. I’m afraid this time, the trouble came to us.” Ixodida answered in worried voice. Scared, even. “A fleet of ships arrived in Blosmport today. They docked outside of the city, and are deploying troops on the beach. We send a scout, and they declared that they want to meet with the Queen and propose an alliance, but do not want to enter the city itself to avoid… problems.”
“Ships? Is it changelings?” Ocellus held some hope for a short moment, but quickly realized that her friends would not act in this weird manner. And what did they mean by avoiding problems? “Who is it?”
“That, Ocellus,” The Queen answered grimly, “Is exactly the problem. It’s not a matter of who, but rather what they are.”
It was a cool, but mostly sunny week. Some clouds were slowly drifting above them, but other than that, it would be a perfect day. The beach was full of soft, golden sand, and the water had a beautiful shade of light blue.
Sadly, both the land and the sea were tainted with black. Ships with black sails and flags were dotting the water, and on the beach itself, a dozen of soldiers stood, one carrying a black flag with white magical circle on it.
It was not just a symbol; it was, in fact, a replica of the first necromantic circle ever made, or at least so the legends said. An ancient symbol, used by the countless necromancers through the ages.
The Dread League.
The ‘soldiers’ on the shore were just bones. Living skeletons, mindless automatons, brought to life with dark magic and controlled by the powerful necromancer, who stood in in front of his troops, observing slowly approaching Greneclyfians with a smile. Unlike his mindless minions, he was a living unicorn, at least outwardly. He could as well be some kind of vampire, or other creature, and that thought was not at all comforting for Ocellus.
“Ah, Queen Gytha! I have been expecting you. My name is Vincent Firestorm.” The necromancer stepped forward, meeting the delegation by himself. The fact that his undead soldiers were left behind did not change the fact that changeling guards were tense and ready to attack at any moment. “Why this hostility? Surely you must appreciate the fact that I decided to meet here, as to not cause undue panic in your capital.”
“I would appreciate it more if you came alone, without your… escort.” Queen answered, unnerved. Truth be told, no one outside of Arcturian Order and some volunteers during the twelfth Black Crusade ever saw the inhabitants of Dread Peninsula. Many considered them to be a myth. The sight of an undead horde on her island was not something she ever expected to see. “This way, we could negotiate in comfort, and without risk of conflict.”
“Queen Gytha, you misunderstood. There will be no conflict here, I promise you.” The grey-colored unicorn spread his hooves innocently. “I am a bringer of peace. I came here to propose an alliance between two ancient powers. Greneclyf could well use our protection against their enemies. You must be aware that your neighbors do not trust you. They seek only to subjugate you, use you. If not for your usefulness to them, you would be already gone as a country… what happens when that usefulness ends?” He smiled coldly. “We know how it feels to be rejected by society based on who you are. You will face no hostility from us.”
“You are wrong.” Ocellus, to her surprise, was the one to answer. When everyone looked at her, she had no idea why, but her normal nervousness felt much lighter than usual. “Greneclyf will be allies with Riverland, Hillponies, and with United Alliance. They don’t need your protection.”
“And you, or creatures you created, attacked ambassador Ocellus and her ship.” Queen added with slight anger. “And now you bring an army here? You are not welcome on my island. Come alone to meet with me, and we may discuss it, but you committed an attack on our allies already. Greneclyf will not allow this.”
The unicorn sighed sadly. “I see. It seems that things will not be as easy as they should be. And all thanks to you, Ocellus. I really hope you are proud of yourself.”
“What?” Changeling looked at the necromancer, confused, while guards pointed their weapons at the unicorn.
“It’s the third time we meet, od did you already forget? You really should have perished at the bottom of the ocean. Or in that room in Bakara.” The stallion looked emotionlessly at Ocellus, who suddenly felt cold. In fact, the wave of fear and calm, one she knew so well, spread suddenly upon the beach, almost forcing the changelings guard to fall back. “Now, even more creatures will have to die. What a shame, truly.”
“You… you did this!” Ocellus managed to say, barely. She was shaking, with fear and, to her surprise, anger. It was a hot fury, one that she never felt before. “You are a murderer!”
“I am Death.” The unicorn simply stated, without any emotions in his voice. “Calling me a murderer is, by definition, pointless. You will now it soon, just as your changeling friends did. Did you know they came for you? Oh, I see you do. You shouldn’t have asked Luna for help, little changeling.”
The necromancer slowly shook his head, as Ocellus suddenly felt her resolve break. “Their entire fleet is now dying, thanks to you. As we speak, they are losing, in this very moment. They never stood a chance. Worse, they even brought penguins and polar bears with them. Im fact, I need to thank you, Ocellus. Once again, you proved so useful to me. Now, with all their fleets gone, I will rule upon their oceans once again, as I always did.”
Ocellus was too overwhelmed to say anything. The mere thought of the death and destruction she brought was too much for her to bear. She jest fell down, shaking wordlessly.
“How… dare you!” Queen Glytha forced the unnatural fear away, her concern for Ocellus winning over the dark magic. “You will not harm her!” She stood between the shaking ling and the monster. “And you will leave my island at once!”
“Oh, but Queen, I only did it to make sure we can talk without… interruptions. We have so much to talk about.”
“I… we will not allow you to do whatever it is you want.” Ixodida stood next to the Queen, shaking a little, but still facing the monster in front of her.
“Such bravery. Such effort. So pointless, in the end. A changeling assassinated Headmaster of the Arcturian Order. As we speak, their retaliation fleet is on the way to inflict their vengeance. These knights may be honorable, but they are also easily manipulated. In the name of their honor, they will kill you all.” Unicorn smiled without any happiness. “As you feared, Gytha. I know you oh so well, Queen.”
“You know nothing! If these knights truly arrive, we will talk with them. We already defeated you and your plans, we will do that again. Leave, or I will have my guards do it for you!” Queen answered, angrily. How dare this… monster try to force her hoof like that!
“You, once again, misunderstood me. I know you very well, because I was with you. All. This. Time.” The unicorn took a slow step forward. “Remember that night, just before you declared borders open? You were so ready for anything. You knew things will be hard. And you were even willing to trade your life for your people, remember? As you stirred in your bed, unable to fall asleep, with one grim scenario after another in your mind.”
“How…?” Gytha whispered, suddenly feeling weak. How could he have known that?!
“And when Bakaran incident happened, the night after. Alone, scared, you knew you have to abandon your citizen to die for the good of Greneclyf.” Another step forward. “And remember your plan? Take all the evil you have to commit upon yourself, and then just leave?” Another step. The unicorn was now so close, some shaking guards almost poked him with their spears. “Just like you idol did. Queen Dylis, poor Queen Dylis, just so tired, leaving Greneclyf behind, knowing that her sins are too great to be ignored. She left a successor, one innocent of old crimes, raised in a new world… you and Ocellus are so alike.”
He stood there, and his presence and worlds were enough to silence everyone in front of him. “Depressed. Cowardly. Willing to die for others, because it is the only way you can be as useful as they are. You are in luck, then. I came here to fulfill your wishes.” He moved forward, ignoring the guards, focusing only on the shaking Queen. No one was left to stand against him. Even Ixodida, shocked by the revelations about her Queen, was unable to fight the darkness anymore.
“No.”
And Death stopped, and looked at the small changeling. Ocellus slowly got up, and, on shaking legs, stood between the Queen and necromancer. “I can see it now.” She shook, but stood her ground. “You are just a big bully.”
There was a moment of silence. And then, a voice full of incredulity spoke. “Thrice now you changelings try to stop me. Thrice you have failed.
I have been called many names. Countless times. Those who faced me insulted me, begged me, tried to ignore me. I am a force more powerful than any of you can imagine.
I am not a bully. This is not your pathetic school of friendship.”
The unicorn’s horn was alight with sickly, white-blue light, and Ocellus was pulled in the air, held helplessly in the air in front of the monster. “This is reality. Real life, real dangers. Not one of your friendship problems. You are here, alone, and you will die. Where is you harmony now? I am the only God left for you to pray. What say you?”
“I… I am afraid.” Ocellus admitted quietly.
“Do not worry. I will bring you peace.”
“But I am not afraid of you.” The unicorn looked at her with his grey, emotionless eyes, but she continued in spite of fear. “I am not the strongest. I am not the bravest. But I don’t have to be. That’s what friendship is about. We are stronger together!”
“What a fitting last words for a coward hiding behind others.” The unicorn wasted no more time. He focused his magic, and simply crushed the defenseless changeling.
Or at least he tried.
A green beam of energy hit his horn with such power, he staggered back. His magic failing, he saw Ocellus fall down, released from telekinetic grasp.
And before the changeling, stood Queen Gytha herself.
“How fitting. Two cowards, hiding behind each other.” The unicorn smiled coldly. “Let me tell you a secret, oh Queen. Remember Dylis? How do you think I have so much knowledge about her? That is right.” He boasted coldly. “She is mine, for hundreds of years, since she left the island and found me. It was her who assassinated the Headmaster of the Arcturian Order, as she did with so many others. Do not worry… soon, you will meet her. You will be forever together, in my service.”
The necromancer fired a beam of sickly light at the Queen. But, to his surprise, even in shock from what she just heard, she stood her ground. The light deflected harmlessly off the green shield she created. “If you are telling the truth, then you are a fool.” Her determination only increased, as she took a step forward. “I will avenge her, then. Free her from you. I am no longer scared. Do you worst, but you will never defeat me now!”
Every changeling looked at their Queen with surprise and awe. For all her wisdom and age, they never saw her like this. They could feel her determination like never before. Every changeling around her broke out of the spell, guards raising their weapons, and even the unarmed advisors looking at the necromancer not with fear, but anger.
“You really are just a bully.” Ocellus said out loud, standing next to the Queen. “Your only power is fear! When we stand to you, you are powerless. It took me so long to realize it, but I see it now.” She remembered her lessons. “And since you are just a bully spreading fear… what do you fear?” Silence answered her question. “You are afraid, aren’t you? That’s why you do all this. You live in fear, and you force it on others. There is a better way. If you just look for it, you no longer have to live like this! We can be friends. You don’t have to be afraid anymore!”
There was a long moment of silence, before the unicorn answered. And when he did, his voice changed. He now sounded distant, like he was talking from far away; but his voice was unnatural, like a negative of the Royal Canterlot Voice. It was quiet, but seemed to suck all the sound around it, making all other sounds disappear.
And in this absolute silence, the Voice spoke.
“I existed long before any of you. I will exist long after you are all gone. I am Death. I am eternal. I fear nothing.” The possessed unicorn’s horn suddenly lit up with such brightness and cold, that almost everyone was forced to look away. Just looking at that light made everyone so cold, like their life force was fading away. “And you will all serve me. In the end, it is all meaningless.”
Death reached for them.
And Queen answered.
Death and love clashed in a battle. The eternal, immovable force pushed forward, unstoppable, uncaring. Queen strained her magic, trying to protect everyone around her, when she suddenly felt love flowing into her.
Ocellus smiled, free of fear, giving her love. It was sweet, and amazing, and the words were not enough to explain it. It just felt right.
And others. Ixodida, and her love for everyone. Mantodea, and her warrior spirit. Nepidae, and her pure unyielding will. Each and every one of her guards, giving her their all.
Even days ago, she would reject it. She was not worthy. She was not a great Queen, the one they deserved. But now, it all changed.
She promised herself to just be the best she could be. She will never be the best, the image she had in her head of a majestic Queen was not something she could ever reach.
But she would not let anyone hurt her lings. Ever. She will not take the easy way out.
And then, it happened.
When Thorax changed into true changeling form, it wasn’t just sharing love. Pharynx proved himself that it was not just an act of sharing that made the change possible. It was something else.
It was a feeling. A moment of being at his lowest, and then risking it all, not for himself, but for those he loved. Not a suicidal drive, but the opposite. The need to help others through himself, not despite himself.
Changelings of Greneclyf were almost all good creatures. But what was holding them back was doubt. It clouded their minds for centuries, was pushed onto them from the moment they could learn it. Are they cursed? Should they even live? They feed on love, does that make them evil, monstrous?
Is there entire race irredeemable, in the end? That was the thought all of them had, even if some hid it better then others.
But it was not true. No one is cursed to be evil the moment they are born. They had a choice, and they followed it through it all. To be good. To defy their thirst for love.
And now, Queen Gytha finally accepted herself. She no longer wished to die, she no longer thought of herself as cursed. She wished to live, and to lead her lings to a glorious future.
She shined brightly.
The shield she created failed, in the end. No mortal magic could stop what was coming. Death touched them, grabbing onto their souls.
And was pushed back by the sudden light.
The Queen transformed.
It was like nothing she could ever explain. She was at peace, for the first time in her life. No more fear, disappointment, self-loathing. She truly become the best version of herself she could be, in that moment. But she also knew that this was just a beginning. She was born anew, and every day would be better than the last one.
And everyone could feel it.
“NO!” Death shouted, but it was too late.
Changelings around the Queen transformed.
The light shined brightly, brighter than the sun above. It reached the city, and changelings in it could feel it. One by one, they transformed as well, adding to the veil of Harmony spreading through the island.
It swept away the doubt. It told everyone that they are special. Unique. They are blessed, not cursed. Their lives mattered, and they could change. They could make a difference in the world, just by being themselves.
They were all precious.
Death screamed, as the beam of pure light spread. He felt something moving inside of him, and tried to hold it in vain. What was happening on that moment was simply beyond him. The changelings inside him… started to change!
Small droplets of gold fell of his body, falling on the ground. Others joined them. Moments later, the necromancer became a fountain of gold, his dark magic gone. In his place, a pillar of light.
Golden, shining images appeared on the beach. Changelings. Polar bears. Penguins. All brave fighters to the end, taken away from the cold grasp of necromancy. They smiled gently, as the light spread around them.
Apterygota appeared before Ocellus, and hugged her. No words were necessary between them. She was sorry, but it was alright, she was proud of her, and she forgave her.
Two great admirals, a penguin and a changeling, stood proudly, hand in hand. Defiant to the end, they stood in front of Death without any hint of fear.
The crew of the ‘Ocean Lily’, the ship who started it all by bravely trying to bring Ocellus here – and succeeding against all odds.
And in the end, the largest figure slowly manifested. A Queen, lost in the old days, stood before Gytha, now fully transformed. She looked at her successor, and bowed with respect. She quietly said something that only Gytha and Ocellus heard, but none of them ever said it to anyone else. It was a private goodbye, from one Queen to the other, and quiet words of gratitude for the young changeling who started it all.
And then, he light slowly disappeared. Not gone. Simply moving inside of every Greneclyfian, staying with them for the rest of their lives. The golden figures faded away, this time willingly, moving on. Some whispers were exchanged with their loved ones, friends, family.
They would never be truly gone, as long as they were remembered.
The former Queen and two admirals were the last to fade. Queen Dylis looked at Gytha with pride as she disappeared, and both commanders saluted wordlessly to those who saved them in the end. And then they were gone.
As the light receded, the full scale of Harmonic magic was seen. Just as the Chrysalis’s throne was shattered by it, so were the necromantic powers animating the bones. The forces of Dread League, their mighty Dread Armada, were simply gone. Bones were quickly disintegrating into dust, leaving no trace. Just empty ships remained their black flags no longer terror-inducing.
Every changeling on the beach looked at themselves and each other in euphoria. Their bodies just felt right, for the first time in their lives. Free of hunger, of the dysphoric feeling of being wrong somehow. They were finally as they were always supposed to be.
The entire island would celebrate for days. When the ambassadors from other nations arrived, they were swept in a country-wide party that would make Pinkie Pie proud. Greneclyf changed, and the world around it could only look with disbelief and happiness.
Harmony triumphed in the end.
United Alliance fleet, despite the boasting words of the necromancer (who disappeared without a trace), arrived soon after. Pharynx, still very weak and tired, was stubborn enough to force himself to walk down the plank connecting the ship to the port by himself. Behind him, deer, polar bear and penguin representatives followed, silently making sure the changeling wouldn’t trip and fall.
The United Alliance delegation was met by Queen Gytha, but she was not the person Pharynx was focused on. All his attention was on the small changeling next to her.
“I told you, kid. I said I’ll come get you, and I did.” Pharynx said, pushing down tears. Nope, he was not on the verge of crying with relief at seeing the little grub. Not at all.
Ocellus hugged him with all her strength. “You are late.” She said with a teary smile.
“Not my fault I can’t get you out of my sight for a day without something coming up. Harmony itself talking to you, crazy pony sucking out magic, and now this.” Pharynx returned the hug. “This pony school only brings trouble, I told you so.” His words had no bite.
“Ambassador Ocellus proved invaluable to us.” Queen Gytha said, smiling happily at the sight of teary reunion. “She solved many diplomatic issues and saved us from the Dread League invasion. You should be proud of her.”
“I always was. I always was.” Pharynx hugged Ocellus with all his strength. He was not crying. Not at all. “I never doubted you, little grub. I am so proud.”
As Ocellus finished her story with a hug from the past, she found herself also hugged in the present. All her friends, even Smolder and Gallus, joined. She smiled, happy to be back with her friends.
“Holy shit, Ocellus, when did you get so badass?” Gallus asked, still hugging her. “This crazy necromancer guy sound way, way worse than Cozy Glow.”
“He was really scary. But he is gone, and Greneclyf is now allied with all their friends. That’s what matters.” Ocellus answered wisely. Her friends could clearly see how the journey changed their friend.
She was still herself, shy, adorable, nerdy bookworm. But she now knew that, if the worst comes to pass, she will not fail herself or others.
“Damn, girl. Beware the nice ones, huh?” Gallus said, finally breaking the hug. “You were amazing.”
“Yona agrees!”
“This story is so crazy, but so awesome.”
“There is really more in you then I thought, Ocellus.”
Her friends showered her with pride and affection, and Ocellus closed her eyes, taking it in. Traumatic memories now buried under the love and friendship. They would never be truly gone, but they only made her stronger in the end.
“Yona, you were also amazing.” But she really didn’t want to hog all the praise for herself. “You stopped a war, and threw that Prince off a hill!”
“Of course! Yona yak, and yaks greatest! But Ocellus also greatest, and brave.” Yona actually hesitated for a split second. “Yona not sure she could do what Ocellus did. This creature sounds really scary.”
“Yeah, he reminded me of all those stories Grampa Gruff used to scare me with. About Maar the Reaper and all that.” Gallus shivered. “I am thankful I only got some politics to do instead.”
“You are all brave. I never doubted you. Many times I thought, ‘what would my friends do’, and it helped.” Ocellus answered, with small tears of happiness in her eyes at the memories. They all hugged again, despite weak protests from Gallus and Smolder.
Once they separated, Gallus first made sure that another enthusiastic yak hug didn’t break anything (like his bones) before speaking. “Crazy that we all had these adventures. You’d think it would be our teachers who had them.”
“Oh, they had.” Sandbar answered, smiling. “Our teachers barely got back in time for the start of semester.”
“Oh?” Gallus asked with curiosity. “Friendship missions?”
“Nah, us.” The only pony in the group actually laughed. “First they were all stuck in the swamps of Chiropterra. Then, while most of them stayed there, the rest had their own things to do. Pinkie Pie went to help me, Rarity spent the rest of summer break in Yakyakistan…”
“Professor loved our blue crystals!” Yona added happily. “She even turned blue like the shiny crystals!”
“You know, ponies turning blue usually means suffocation or freezing.” Silverstream said, smiling. She really missed her friends.
“Professor was hugged, not suffocated. And it was not that cold!” Yona answered, causing everyone else to laugh.
“And after that, professor Dash strained her wing, and professor Applejack got totally drunk for a week straight.” Sandbar finished, trying to hold back laughter.
“Wait, drunk?” Gallus asked, surprised. “She drinks alcohol?”
“Ponies have alcohol?” Yona asked, equally surprised.
“I mean, it’s not popular here, but yeah, some do like it. It’s just that we don’t tend to drink ourselves under the table like some other places tend to do. Anyway, professor Rainbow Dash and Applejack went on a diplomatic mission, since they were the only ones who could…”
“Hey! Let me tell my own story, will you?” Smolder interrupted him.
“Let me guess, you defeated the bad guys, were totally awesome, and all that?” Gallus jokingly asked.
“You bet! But I also met the badass guy who’s like, the best griffon I ever met!”
“Hey!”
“No offense Gallus, but you spent the summer with some boring politicians! Here, let me tell about an actual badass griffon. It all started when I heard of scared dragons…” She started. Gallus, still ostensibly offended, was of course listening, just like everyone else, as their dragon friend shared her own adventure.
Unknown to them, two important meetings, with vast consequences for the world, were taking place at a similar time, far away.
In Greneclyf, the small fleet of Arcturian Order docked in the capital. While originally it came with a mission of vengeance, the atmosphere, both on the ships and in the city, was now much more festival-like. Considering the reason for festivities, the knights were officially allowed to join them. After all, how could they not celebrate a major defeat for the Dread League, their hated enemies?
It became a truly multicultural moment. Hillponies, despite sharing their border with them, barely had any contact with the Arcturian Order. Riverlanders had virtually none. Seeing the legendary, stoic and honorable knights was something straight out of the fairy tale.
And, unlike the horrible so-called ‘knights’ of the Hellquil Order, the Arcturian Order barely had any ounce of racism in them. They admitted freely that not many ponies served among their ranks, and they could not understand the lack of knightly traditions among ponies, and their matriarchal traditions. But it was far from contempt, and it didn’t take long for them to admit that maybe, perhaps, the Order was not the only force capable of facing the undead hordes these days.
And there came the issue of changelings. The first meeting was tense, with the knights being understandably suspicious. However, they quickly realized that the situation was vastly different than expected.
The former Dread Fleet, now converted to Greneclyfian Navy, was definitely a factor in this.
So now, in the entire city, the changelings and knights danced, they ate and celebrated. Ponies, mostly merchants and diplomats from Riverlands and Hillponies, joined them alongside penguins and polar bears.
At some tables, fallen were mourned. As it turned out, both the Order and Hillponies had similar traditions for honoring dead heroes, and they bonded over tales of the great battles, with the visitors telling stories of those fallen in fight against evil. And after each and every one, salutes were made and drinks were poured in their names.
In the throne room, Queen Gytha answered the latest question and looked at the griffons sitting on the other side of a table. It was the biggest table they could find, and it was still barely enough to fit the massive, armored figures.
Fortunately, their weapons were left unused, helmets taken off, and they were on much friendlier terms then their arrival suggested. William Steel Beak (one of two candidates for a new Headmaster) slowly nodded his head, deep in thought. “I see. I would like to once again apologize for our mistaken belief that you were the ones responsible for the assassination of Headmaster Torygg. It seems it was all part of a bigger and much more insidious plan. If anything, we owe you our thanks. If your island had fallen to the enemy, it would allow them to spread through the continent without breaching the Eastern Wall.”
“No thanks are necessary. We swore to never inflict evil upon others hundreds of years ago, and these words still stand today. The world changed.” Queen Gytha thought of the ephemeral spirit of Queen Dylis. “And we are changing as well. But some things remain unchanged. There are still things worth fighting for, and evil still exists, but so does the good.”
“It is rare these days to meet others who still follow their ancient oaths, as we both do.” William answered, still thinking about what the Queen of Greneclyf told him. Harmonic magic manifesting. Its effectiveness against undead. Ponies of distant lands, who felt that everyone deserves a second chance.
And a young changeling, taught by said ponies, whose arrival put all of this in motion.
“Queen Gytha, if I may. Tell me more about these people from the east.”
And a different, far more menacing meeting took place in a dark, cold fortress of Magehold. Now inhabited almost only by powerful necromancers and their leader, alongside mindless undead, it was truly a cursed place. No one knew who even built it, but many legends spoke of these darker times, and of powerful creatures that created this mighty fortress and poisoned the land. But no one knew who they were, and no two legends agreed on that, only praising their might and power.
And in a chamber at the top of a highest tower, Vincent Firestorm – or at least someone looking like him – stood. He was severely weakened by the two sudden bursts of Harmonic magic, but he managed to arrive back in Magehold safely, and just finished reporting the situation to the highest of the necromancers.
Rosa Maledicta, the ruler of Magehold and Dread Peninsula, turned out to be a massive disappointment lately. Despite the knowledge that the Arcturian Order is getting ready for war, and her amazing early achievements in uniting the warring undead warlords, she was spending more and more time alone in her chamber. Even now, with assassination of Headmaster Torygg pushing the timetable even more, she focused her attention on dusty books and forgotten, archaic rituals that no one ever managed to use successfully.
Perhaps it was time for him to consider an ‘accident’ as a solution. She was clearly not suited for leadership, after all. What a disappointment. He could still sense her drive and dedication, death always present in her mind, but she was not acting on it in the last month.
“So the Greneclyfian expedition was a complete failure. Worse even, they now see us as an enemy. And are close enough to be a danger to Magehold itself.” Rosa summed up, her voice disappointed. “Not only do they have powerful allies who may help them take revenge, we also lost most of the Dread Fleet. The plans of bypassing Arcturian Order are basically gone. We do not possess enough resources to rebuild our navy before the incoming war.”
“I am sorry for my failure, Lady Rosa.” He bowed. “It was unexpected that changelings possess such effective defensive magic. I could not have known that.”
Rosa did not answer. Instead, the unicorn turned around, ignoring her guest, and opened her balcony door. It was raining; the water falling from the sky was so freezing, it was more like small ice needles then liquid. She slowly walked on her balcony, looking ahead, seemingly lost in thought. “And I take it to be an accident that you, member of the Coven of Blood, took with you mostly forces belonging to the Society of Bones?” Her voice was barely audible over the rain.
“I assure you, my lady, it was but an unlucky accident.” He needed to play the part, after all, and power-hungry vampire would definitely make sure to waste his rival’s forces, not his own. “I deeply regret that this situation took place.”
She did not answer for a long time. “Have you seen Magehold lately? Even in this rain, it reminds me of our past glory.”
He rolled his eyes and came closer to the depressed-sounding unicorn. She was a total loss now. He half-considered throwing her off the balcony here and now. He could probably make it look like an accident and disappear before anyone realized. “I rarely have time to look over Magehold these days, my Lady.”
“You aren’t too perceptive in general, are you?” Suddenly, Rosa’s voice was like steel. He realized something was wrong, but she planned it well; he had no time to react. Suddenly, a well-hidden ritual circle lit up around him, trapping him. “Did you really think I was so stupid?” She turned to look at him, and her orange eyes were burning with anger.
“My lady, please, be reasonable! I have no idea what you mean!” He defended himself, surprised. “The Coven will…”
“Coven will do nothing, and you are not a vampire.” She silenced him coldly. “I do not know what kind of creature you are, but your disguise, as good as it may be, is not enough to hide it.”
He looked at her silently, before smiling calmly. “I see. I have almost considered you to be a lost cause, but you weren’t just wasting time here and in the library, were you? This is an impressive ritual circle.” He moved his hoof to the edge of magical prison, only for it to be pushed back by magical field. “I take it back, then. You may actually be worth it.”
“So you were manipulating me.” Rosa came back to her room, ignoring the frigid water dripping from her body. She looked at the trapped creature. “To what end?”
“Oh, my dear Rosa. All I ever did was to help you. If Greneclyf surrendered to you, you would have a perfect way to neutralize the Arcturian fleet that was preparing to visit it. With changelings on your side, imagine what could have been achieved. Infiltrating the knights, spreading our influence south…”
“And murdering the Headmaster of Arcturian Order?” Rosa interrupted him angrily. “Do you have a slightest idea what you’ve done? They will march against me now!”
“You were focused on your dusty tomes too much. You forgot the true calling of the Dread League. But worry not. Now, you will have no choice but to fight. A new Black Crusade will start, and this time it will spill far beyond the peninsula.” The creature looked supremely satisfied. “You should be thanking me.”
“We will see about that. For now, let’s see who you really are.” Rosa started slowly casting an ancient spell. “I know this body is just a possessed doll for you, whoever you are. I am Rosa Maledicta, the Necromancer Supreme. Master of Magehold, and Lady of the Dread League. Show yourself, coward!”
The ancient evil laughed. “Oh, Rosa. Worry not, we will get acquainted very closely, and very soon.”
“Sooner than you think.” The powerful necromancer slammed her hoof on the summoning circle, and the spell triggered, forcing the real creature to appear. Or at least, she tried to do that.
Instead, the circle overloaded and exploded, trying to enclose with creature far more powerful than it was ever designed for. Even on the stone floor a small crack formed, as it could not take all the power flowing through it. The many powerful seals and barriers around the circle barely managed to stop the explosion from hurting Rosa, or destroying her chamber.
Rosa looked at the burned remains of weeks of hard work. She clearly underestimated this… creature, whatever it was. She shook her head, annoyed by yet another problem on her long, long list.
The fanatical knights, readying to attack her. Greneclyf and their allies hating her. Whatever that old lich meant in their old diary about the ‘creators of Magehold’. And now this creature trying to manipulate her.
She was Rosa Maledicta. She would not fail. She would crush the knights first. Then, any allies they had would be forced to flee. After that, she will find this creature. And this time, it will not escape.
But for all that, she needs to start somewhere. And the knights were to most pressing concern.
It was finally time for a Black Crusade to start.
Author's Note
I'm not crying, you're crying!
The longest chapter I ever wrote. Two to three times my normal chapter length. I hope you enjoyed it! The last two of the Student Six have much shorter adventures, and after them it will be time for a grand finale to this series.
