Deep in the land now only known as The Land of Chaos, a horrible storm was brewing throughout the skies. Six grand armies were crashing down over the fields, casting destructive spells and bringing down their weapons, turning the once lush fields to a horrible muddy mess. The six kingdoms, the Equestrians, the Griffonians, the Hippogriffians, the dragons, Yakyakistan, and the Changelings, all gathered here to find… something. Some kind of ancient artifact, preceding even the Royal Sisters, was said to be buried here, somewhere in the earth.
Their only lead?
“March o’er the lovely fields of Alicorn life to the center of the land, there, a cave where the walls are black as the void from which She crawled will reveal.”
Of course, no one knew who this “She” was. No one had even known there was such a cave. The Griffons had been living here for centuries, if not more, and no such cave was ever discovered.
However, the six once peaceful kingdoms were tearing each other flesh to bone to find said cave, one that may not have existed in the first place.
Thus, this grand, wasteful war… a tragedy for the Land of Harmony.
They always did say greed makes creatures stupid.
~~~
On the ground of the Realm of Chaos, the Equestrian’s army seemed to be the sure victor of the battle. For days, they’d been pushing back the other five armies, and their significantly larger numbers were turning the tides in their favor. Of course, this advantage was also due to what they believed to be their superior magic, along with countless efforts in advancing their technology. Strategy played a part as well, of course, and all of this would be useless without the brave warriors who fought for their kingdom. Aside from the two sisters, the Equestrians had managed to gain the alliances of the Pillars of Equestria, the Grand Mages of the North, and the Crystal Queen, along with her armies. Despite this vast collection of powerful ponies, one group of allies stood out from the crowd. The ones in question being Elemental, Alicorn Prince of Elements, and his Elemental Bearers.
Elemental, or more specifically, his bearers, controlled one of six elements; fire, earth, water, air, lightning, and ice, along with sub-elements. Elemental himself controlled all six, and by extension their sub-elements and many more. Thus, they were invaluable allies for the Equestrians to have. Both Princesses hoped they would remain such, and a day would never come to pass where the Element Prince chose another side.
Down in the battle, Princess Luna was currently leading her loyal army of Thestrals towards the center of the Realm of Chaos. There, the mighty artifact would lay, or so the legends told. It was reasonable to have doubts it would still be where it supposedly lay, since it had been thousands upon thousands of years. And of course, as previously stated, no one really knew what the artifact was or did. For all they knew, it could just be a copper producing wand or another similarly useless artifact. Copper went for squat as of today’s time, no matter how rare or precious it may have been when the artifact was first created.
But alas, the six armies were willing to take that gamble for the artifact, even if it was a grim one.
~~~
Luna swung her sabre at an oncoming changeling, the steel blade bouncing off the bug-pony’s light armor. The changeling, though momentarily stunned, continued to swing their own sword, only for it too to bounce off Luna’s enhanced crystalline armor. The two paused, ignoring the sounds of the battle carrying on around them, and stood, examining each other for any sign of weakness.
The changeling was the first to notice an opening, and Luna realized in an instant what he saw. Their helms weren’t exactly well protective in the face. Her adversary thrusted his sabre upwards, aiming for the royal’s head. Luna parried, before thrusting her own blade forwards, aiming for the eye of the bug. She closed her eyes the moment before it happened, and couldn’t help the slight hitch in her breath when she felt her sword suddenly halt, becoming heavier at the tip after a moment. Luna sighed, slowly pulling the weapon towards herself and opening her eyes, watching with sorrow as her opponent fell backwards, twitching ever so faintly as his body hit the ground with a soft thud.
Luna stepped away from the changeling, turning to face the rest of the battle, surveying the terrain. Her bats were combating with griffon and changeling alike, a frantic clash of metal on metal, blades glinting off each other. There was no clear victor just yet, and for all she knew, there wouldn’t be for a while. Luna shook her head to dismiss the mind-clouding thoughts, raising her sabre again. No time to think about such things, not here. She took a breath, then ran forwards, back into the fray.
The alicorn soon found herself beside her legion, most of which had broken from their more feathery and buggy opponents, now holding off a mix of yak and dragons. As she reached them, a yak crashed through their defensive perimeter, crushing several bat ponies and tossing several more away from their battalion. Luna raised her sabre once more, charging towards the rampaging beast. But before she could strike the yak, a barrage of magical thorns tore through the creature much like a swarm of angry hornets tearing through a bush. The thorns broke through the steel-welded armor. Luna skidded to a halt, watching the yak slump over, breathing shallow. She lifted her head to find the caster of the barrage, nodding in thanks as she spotted them, a batpony wizard wielding a silver staff.
Luna recognized her, of course. She’d personally over her spellcasting training after all, it was hard to forget such a gifted creature. Silverfang was her name, a lovely young bat with a beautiful heart. Luna swiftly rushed over to Silverfang and the remaining batpony soldiers, who were clustered around the young bat as she forged a shield spell to protect them amidst the fighting. Silverfang nodded to the Princess, waving her over.
“My Princess!”
“Silverfang!” Luna crouched beside her, relishing the brief respite from the battle. “How close art our armies to the cent'r of this battlefield?”
Silver reached into a nearby bag, pulling out a scroll. Uncurling it to reveal seemingly blank parchment, she raised her staff, gently waving across the paper. “Foggowour.”
The crystal at the end of Silverfang’s staff began glowing brightly with magic. Slowly, the map was revealed, ink pouring out from the edges to illustrate the familiar landmarks. A thick black line swept its way across the sheaf of paper, highlighting the path towards their foretold treasure. Luna managed a smile, beyond glad that the map had proven reliable. Silver smiled as well, waving her staff again.
“Foggowour Allious.” And the map soon lit up with bright colors, indicating the position of their allies. “According to the scroll, Queen Amore and Captain Sombra are just over yon, at the precipice of our victory.”
“Valorous! And of our enemies?”
“Foggowour Hostilous.”
The map was alight with darker shades, revealing all major foes and their positions. Silver looked over the map, taking in each position. That was when she noticed the dark green of Chrysalis and her forces getting closer to the center of the Realm.
“My Princess! The Changeling Queen is approaching the artifact!”
“Thou need not worry, Silverfang. I have faith in Captain Sombra and Queen Amore that they can hold the foul beasts back.”
“Yes, my Princess.” Silverfang dismissed the enchantments with a wave of her staff, then promptly rolled the map back up, sliding it back into the bag. “Though if we continue our crusade onwards, it would likely be received with great thanks…”
“Naturally.” Luna waved her sword. “Thestrals, with me!”
The batpony guards let out battle-ready chants, ready to fight at their Princess’s side. With that, Silverfang dismissed the shield, and they dove headfirst into the war once more.
~~~
Standing at the edge of the large hole at the center of the Realm of Chaos, Queen Amore peered down into the black. Being as powerful as she was, she could immediately sense the large amount of magical energy that seemed to radiate from it, though she doubted her troops were unaffected as well.
“What doth thee think, Captain Sombra?”
Sombra peered down the hole as well, eyes widening slightly. Was it only him who could feel the dark, ominous presence?
“My faith has doubts, my Queen… I do not trust what I feel..” he murmured, carefully drawing his sword.
Amore tilted her head at him in response. “Worry not, loyal Captain. With more haste we employ to unmask the artifact, with more speed shall we leave.” Of course, Amore didn’t really believe herself. Before this realm became the Land of Chaos, it was beautiful. Now, the wartorn field which they created, frightened her. And she wasn’t sure why.
Sombra sighed, nodding. “If thou art certain…”
Sombra turned to the Crystal Guards standing before him. There were three standing in the forefront, to which he directed his next words.
“Thou heard our Queen. Myself and Amore will enter, with two accompanying guards. The rest shall stay up here and watch the entrance.” The guards murmured amongst themselves, before Sombra hushed them. “Enough chatter. Lieutenant Radiant, thou shalt stay with the rest of the guards.”
“Yes Captain!”
He then directed his attention to the next two at the front, a unicorn and pegasus. “Corporal Prism, Private Reni, thou shall accompany myself and Her Majesty.”
The named ponies, the unicorn Prism and the pegasi Reni, gave a “hoo-hah!” in agreement – though Reni was less enthusiastic – to which Sombra nodded. He then turned back to Amore, who gave him a confirming nod, before he dropped down into the hole.
The cave wasn’t terribly dark, but it would still help to have some light, he thought, sparking his aura to illuminate the space around him. Sombra’s magic wasn’t attuned to light, though, so he merely managed to light the area directly around him. Helpless until the others arrived, Sombra peered around in the dark as he was joined by Amore, Prism, and – after a pause indicating hesitation – Reni. Prism, whose magic, much like the wide majority or unicorns, was attuned to light, lit her horn, and the entirety of the cave's dark rock walls was revealed. The light brought a sense of comfort to an already grim place, at the very least, for Reni most of all.
Reni was always afraid of the dark, since his foalhood. It had always made him feel vulnerable, or so he’d confessed to Sombra in the past. As if at any moment, something might leap out and grab him, taking him to Gods knew where. The Captain could tell his soldier was beyond thankful for Prism’s light.
As for Reni and Sombra? They have been close friends since… well, foalhood. Grew up together, worked together, and eventually fell for each other. Though they weren’t exactly closeted, they didn’t let their romantic nature interrupt their work, especially their military based work, thus barely no one really knew the true nature of their relationship.
The others were thankful too, though not because they were afraid of the dark. It was because the light had revealed that the cave wasn’t terribly big, only encompassing a single room. There were six pillars, three on each side of the area, and in the center was a lectern with an ancient tomb positioned on it. Directly above the lectern was an overhang of carved rock, indicating some form of shelf, on which sat four orb-like stones. On Amore’s gesture, the group dispersed, each looking around a different area of the room.
Prism and Reni were the first to approach and examine the text of the tomb. There was an engravement on the cover that appeared to be an orb with rings around it. In the center of the orb was a diamond, and just below was an inscription.
“Li-Liber Ani-m-mari-um?” Prism tried to read, but the language was ancient, beyond anything they knew. She turned to call out for Amore. “Mine Queen? Might thou lend a hoof?”
Amore stepped over, reading the title of the book. “… Liber Animarum…” her eyes widened as she translated the inscription. “This… it is The Book of Souls…”
Sombra’s eyes widened, and he peered over, taking a careful step up to the lectern. “My Queen, art thou certain?”
Prism’s ears twitched. “Captain, might I enquire? What is the Book of Souls?”
Sombra looked over, adopting the expression he was fond of using to tell his guard he was about to be quite literal with them.
“I am not entirely sure, no one is. Outside of legends, no creature to our knowledge is not entirely sure what it is, or the power it wields…” He turned back to the lectern, carefully caressing the cover of the book. “From what legends say… it was a grand artifact wielded by a sisterhood demonic in nature… the Book of Souls is foretold to have a page for every living soul… those who truly master its power may flip to any page they wish. And end it.”
Queen Amore was staring down at the book in silence, silently running through possibilities of what this book could do. What couldn’t it do? What if it weren’t just a book of every known being’s soul?
Sombra was the first to break the silence.
“My Queen, this… this could be the turning point for us… but if the enemy were to gain its power…”
“What should we do, Captain?” Reni asked.
Sombra’s eyes soon fell on Amore. “My Queen?”
She thought for a bit, examining the leather bound book. “I wonder if it might not be for the better… not to retrieve this gift, but shield it from those who would use it to cause harm.”
“My Queen?” Reni asked.
“We must hide it,” Sombra carefully lifted the tomb from the lectern, praying it wouldn’t set off a trap. Thankfully, he was able to lift the book, carefully slipping it into the saddlebag he wore on his side. “It is done… let us leave this place.”
The others nodded in agreement, all equally eager to leave the cave. They gathered in the center of the room, turning towards the exit. They were just reaching the opening when they heard yelling from the entrance. Sombra held up a hoof to halt them in their tracks. Flashes of green could be seen dimly from the hole, followed quickly by screams… that were cut off abruptly even as their echos bounced around the cavern.
A final flash of bright light sent something hurtling into the cave. The object hit the cave floor, and upon contact with the hard rocks, split in two. One half rolled away into a dark corner of the cavern, while the other rolled over to them. Prism’s light illuminated the one closest to them… a crystal helmet.
Prism’s voice was weak when she finally spoke. “Is that not…”
“Radiant’s.” Sombra growled, drawing his sword with a flash of his horn.
Reni was staring down at the helm for a long moment, then glanced to the darkened corner where the “broken part” had rolled off into. Judging by his expression, after a few moments he managed to piece it together… before retreating into his own corner to vomit.
From the entrance, a dark shadow leapt down, landing with a strange sense of grace. The shadow gave a wicked smile, snarling white fangs visible even in the dim light. Green eyes shone as the beast stepped forwards, teal mane hanging around her face, glistening with the deep red of pony blood. Drawing a long, sleek silver blade, she spoke at last, in that familiar, nearly hollow voice.
“I must thank thee, for leading mine army directly to the artifact which we seek.”
“Chrysalis, thou hast just slain my soldiers!” Sombra yelled back, readying his crystalline sword.
“Death comes with war, Sombra, it is the price one pays for power. Thou ought to have known that by now.” The Changeling Queen replied as her sword ignited with bright green flames, which she slowly raised. “Besides… what is a little death without dismemberment?”
By now, Reni had regained his composure, and joined Prism, taking a defensive stance before their Queen. Without warning, the two guards then rushed the beast, yelling at the top of their lungs. Chrysalis grinned widely, seemingly finding their courage amusing as she readied her own weapon.
Horn sparking to life, the Changeling Queen grabbed Reni and launched him into a nearby wall, where he fell limp, dropping to the ground. Prism, meanwhile, barely had time to react as she found her hoof suddenly disconnected from her leg as Chrysalis spun to face her. Suddenly behind the unicorn, the Queen, slashed upwards with her flaming sword. Prism too fell down, her body smoking, and the cavern went nearly pitch-black once more as her light went out, the only light coming from the green fire that engulfed her blade.
Sombra’s face went gray as he watched the bloody massacre. More specifically, as he watched Reni lay on the ground in pain. As stated, Reni and Sombra were close. Others could tell, but they weren't sure just how close. Some said romantic, to which they were correct, others said close friends or brothers. Regardless, no one, not even Amore, asked of it.
Steeling himself, the Captain charged at the beastly Queen. He brought down his sword onto Chrysalis' blade, where they connected with a fierce clash. As the blades locked together, the green flames from the Queen’s sword easily melted through Sombra’s. Seeing opportunity, Chrysalis jabbed her blade forward, easily catching the strap of Sombra’s bag and snapping it. She promptly rammed her horn into the knight's chest, before using her magic to create a blast that forced him backwards.
Sombra felt himself crash into the lectern where The Book of Souls once lay, groaning softly from the impact. As he struggled to stand, he heard a crack as the shelf that held the four strange orbs fell to the ground. Carried by momentum, one orb rolled over to Reni’s body, two towards Prism, and one came to a halt at Sombra’s hoof. The Captain’s gaze moved up towards the Queen’s jagged horn, from which a strange, green, luminous liquid dripped towards the ground. At his wound, the same fluid dripped.
His vision, though blurry, then slowly drifted down to the orb at his hoof. Sensing a chance, regardless of consequences, he grabbed for the stone sphere. As his hoof grazed the orb, it began to glow, pulsing with a green light as a spell matrix made itself known against the rock. His eyes widened as he spotted the order of the glyphs. The sphere was an orb of obsidian with a petrification spell trapped inside. As Sombra made to grab it, a sharp pain grew in his chest, causing him to wince and pull his hoof away, before reaching again.
Meanwhile, as the last one of standing, Amore took the lead. The Queen of the Crystal Empire swung her sword forwards in desperation, managing to cut off a lock of the Changeling beast’s hair. Chrysalis, though a bit shocked, was largely unaffected, and swiftly retaliated. Amore ducked just in time, the silver blade being driven into the side of a rock rather than her flank. At least the collision with the stone had extinguished the flames. Amore took her chance.
“Imbue, crystal!” Amore yelled out the spell, swinging her sword downwards as Chrysalis struggled to pull her own free.
The Crystal Queen’s blade formed a jagged crystal shell resembling the edge of a serrated blade. As the two swords connected, Amore’s reinforced one easily snapped Chrysalis’ in half, leaving one edge still buried in the rocks. Chrysalis flinched and examined the part of her shattered blade that remained in her grasp. It was far from cleanly cut, and the fracture had left a jagged point at the tip. She smirked, aiming the broken weapon at her opponent.
“Unfortunately, Amore, a broken blade is not a dead one.”
But before the two could continue their duel, a groggy Sombra stumbled over. He had managed to pull himself upright, now hidden in the shadows of the cave. Amore looked over, eyes wide in alarm.
“Sombra! Art thou alright?!”
Sombra stumbled out of the light, revealing himself to the two Queens. His light gray coat had turned dark, his eyes were slowly morphing from their stunning green to a brilliant red, and his mane had begun flowing like black fire around his glowing red horn. Amore’s eyes watered.
“No… my friend…”
“It is strange… how clearly I see things now… when my vision was so clouded before… King Sombra sounds far better than Captain Sombra, do thou not think…?”
The Captain’s smile widened wickedly, revealing sharp fangs where there had not been any before. He pulled a glowing green orb out from where he had held it just outside their sightline.
Amore’s eyes widened as she recognized what it was. “Sombra, I beg thee, no!”
But Sombra was no more, gaze uncaring as he threw the orb towards his Queen. The mare shrieked as the orb exploded at her hooves, a green smoke billowing up to engulf her. When the smoke dissipated after a long moment in which neither Chrysalis nor Sombra moved, before them there stood a statue of Queen Amore. No… not a statue. It was Queen Amore, face frozen still with a look of solemn terror.
Chrysalis laughed as she turned to face the former Captain. She knew her changeling venom would warp the Captain’s mind.. “See Sombra? I knew together we could be a great team.”
“...Did I say I would us be a team?”
Sombra walked, though it was more of a pathetic limp, over to Prism’s lifeless body, picking up both the orbs that had rolled towards her. They came to life with the same green glow. Sombra smirked, touching his red horn to one of the stone orbs, which in turn began to glow a bright red. Chrysalis’ eyes widened in alarm.
“Sombra…? What art thou…?”
Sombra slammed the changed orb down onto the rocky floor, where it promptly broke open. A red mist spread from the shattered fragments, billowing out much like the petrification mist had before. Only this time, it didn’t stop spreading. Chrysalis’ eyes widened.
“Oh goddess…” Sensing danger, the Changeling turned, running away from the infected mist.
~~~
Elsewhere, Celestia slashed her broadsword across a dragon’s stomach, sending the fire-breather crashing into the ground. She paused to take a breath, turning to find her sister swooping down to greet her.
“Sister! How art thou faring?” she asked her younger sister.
“Well. My troops are paving us a path to Amore and hers.” Luna replied.
As the two sisters guided their armies to combine forces, they noticed something in the air overhead. A red mist, that was quickly spreading across the sky. As they observed the phenomenon, they watched few dragons unable to swerve in time pass through. But when they re-emerged from the cloud, they were falling from the sky.
The two sisters watched the falling dragons in a stunned silence. They stared silently as the dragons seemed to accept their fate, curling in on themselves in an effort to protect their vital organs. But when they hit the ground, they seemed to disappear, without a trace.
“By the gods, what–” Silverfang started to ask.
The wizard was not given the opportunity to finish her question, as the mist descended, spreading across the battlefield. The ponies watched in horror as it began to engulf both warriors and leaders alike.
The once battle hardened war cries morphed into ones of sheer terror. Celestia and Luna flared their wings in a gesture to begin a retreat as the mist spread. As the ponies began to back away from the red mist, a Griffonia knight managed to stumble out from the perimeter, his sword clanging against the ground as it dragged behind him.
The knight walked towards them, a claw outstretched almost pleadingly. The group watched him walk towards them, his movements slowly becoming more and more stiffened, as though it was a struggle for him to wak. The knight soon went still, their foreleg still reaching out to the ponies, as the soldiers stared at him. His feathers were losing their color, turning a dark gray.
“Oh gods… tis a petrification spell! Retreat!” Silverfang yelled as she recognized the spell at last, promptly turning tail. The soldiers soon followed, their Princesses fast behind, fleeing from the red mist that was rapidly spreading.
~~~
It had been about an hour since Sombra unleashed the mist. He emerged from the hole at the epicenter, smirking to himself as he examined the barren wastes before him.
The red mist had finally dissipated, leaving only the stone bodies of fallen warriors… and the cowards who attempted to run. He stared silently at the warriors trapped in eternal combat, standing motionless alongside those brave leaders who actually tried to protect their fellow soldiers, and those cowardice ones who tried to hide behind their armies. Even the mud and what little grass remained has been turned to dull, lifeless stone. Even the rain had stopped, and the clouds seemed as life
“Yes… Such a lovely display,” Sombra spoke, his voice deeper… heavier.
There was a faint coughing, alerting Sombra to a surviving presence. Realizing the noise was coming from behind him, he looked over his shoulder, quickly spotting the shadow of a pony. He smirked, walking back over towards the hole, ready to bring a swift end to this pony. However, as he got closer, he soon recognized the pony. Even with his mind born anew, was hard to forget that light blue crystal coat and sparkling white mane.
“Reni…” Sombra smiled, stepping over. “My friend… my love…”
Reni coughed, looking around. “Sir… what has occurred? The land has been destroyed…”
“I know Reni… but I did this for us! Think on it, my dear Reni! Our own kingdom! I admit it is rough for wear… but with enough work, we could-”
“Sir… the armies… they are all dead…” Reni’s blue coat seemed to lose its vibrant color as his mane went flat. “They are… all dead…”
“Reni, this may be hard to accept, but I implore thou to consider…” Sombra pulled the pony closer. “We could rule in tandem, King Sombra and Prince Reni… perhaps even King Sombra and King Reni!”
“I believe I ought to be flattered, but…” Reni stared around at the mass casualties… before turning back to meet Sombra’s gaze.
The two stared at each other in silence, then…
“Doth thou not like it, love…?”
“No…I do not!” Reni cried, looking up at Sombra… or whatever beast replaced Sombra. “Thou hast murdered entire armies… I… I know thou cares for my heart, but… I cannot condone such destruction.”
Sombra growled. “I hath destroyed an entire region of Terra Harmonia for thou, and this is how thou chooses to repay me?”
Reni stared into his red eyes. “Sombra… this is not thou’s true nature, I implore thou, please–”
“Thou dare be ungrateful?!”
Sombra pulled out the second orb he had taken from Prism’s side, smashing it directly in front of Reni, who whimpered as the red mist surrounded him. Sombra watched stoicly as Reni’s rear slowly turned into stone, and it slowly spread to his front. But far from being terrified to the point of losing mobility, the crystal pony merely reached into his saddlebags.
“I… I am deeply sorry, Sombra… I love thee…” Reni murmured, as he pulled out a non-corrupted orb, the one that had landed by his side, and promptly dropped it on the ground between them.
Sombra roared in alarm, trying to pull away. But Reni’s hoof came forward, grasping onto his own moments before it petrified. As Sombra felt the stone slowly swallow him as well, he noticed Reni’s fearful frozen eyes gazing up at him. For the briefest of seconds, his red eyes turned back to their original green, and hatred was replaced with sorrow.
“Reni… my love… I am sorry…”
But as quickly as the changeling venom in his blood stopped flowing, it seemed to return just as fast. He roared, swearing vengeance on his love, just as the stone finally swallowed him whole.
~~~
Chrysalis stared at the group of changelings before her. She had escaped the majority of the mist, but just enough had touched her that it was starting to take hold. Their Queen was coughing violently as the mist entered her lungs, her body was slowly petrifying. One of the changeling mages was attempting to stop the spell, but in the end, she was only slowing it down.
Foresight, the current leader of the group as he had the highest rank, frantically tried to find a cure in his book. “Hold fast, my Queen, there ought to be a reversal here…”
Chrysalis shook her head. “Alas, my love… the only thing that may free my body is a sample of pure love extract… with where our alliances stand… the procuring of pure love extract may take years… perhaps more…”
“My Queen, we must not lose hope–” Foresight tried to reason.
“It is too late for hope. Foresight, I place thee in charge. Guide my subjects home safely.” The Queen winced in pain as the stone continued to spread over her chest. She then began screaming in pain. “Oh goddess! It burns! Let go, leave me!”
The mage hesitated, before releasing the spell. “As thou commands, my Queen.”
As quickly as he stopped the spell, the Queen seemed to flash freeze, immediately turning to stone. Her face bore only pain.
Foresight sighed as he stood, closing the book he’d been scouring. “…At least t’was fast… soldiers, let us assume tactical retreat…”
The changelings looked around at each other, before slowly following their new leader. Of course, it was difficult to accept that the Queen was gone, but they’d have to move on eventually.
But there was one who didn’t move on, who couldn’t. The mage who had failed his Queen, Psypher.
~~~
“Domine, vitam immortalem da, et regina nostra salvabitur…”
Some time had passed. By now, Chrysalis was… a distant memory. Foresight and his new love, a certain batpony wizard, were able to steer the changeling race from doom. They began accepting love instead of taking it. Maybe not what Chrysalis would’ve wanted from her hive, but Foresight did promise to take care of them. Of course, it was now possible to procure that pure love essence, but with the grim impact of the war, there was likely not a strong sample to take. Even so, there was still the fact Chrysalis had been largely brushed aside. Even so, why revive her? Chrysalis was probably gonna be largely against the reformation, and considering her strength, she’d probably destroy the newly reformed hive out of pure spite.
However still, few accepted the change in pace. One of those, the very mage who failed to save his Queen.
Fed by guilt and hatred, Psypher sat in a dark cave, surrounded by many pillars. He sat in between two white circles, one with a sun in the center, the other with a moon in the center, a Solargram and Lunagram respectively. Dangerous magic, especially since it had ties to Nightmare Moon and a fabled solar demon, which none wished to unleash.
But that didn’t stop Psypher, now dressed in very dark green robes.. He waved his hoof around, chanting. “Immortallus, invigoration…”
The two occult symbols began their glow, surrounding the mage completely. He felt a surge of powerful energy flooding through his body, and embraced it without hesitation.
Sure, he couldn’t harness the pure love essence today. Or even tomorrow. Or for years to come. But what’s to stop an immortal from waiting a thousand years? Years of planning, mastering his abilities… why not? After all, he had all the time in the world…
Terra Harmonia: The Changeling Princess
By MlpHero
Bell and Zenex’s Bounty Hunters Guild
A shadow scurried across the forest floor, looking for something. There was a faint scent in the air, and it tingled the shadow’s nose, creating a metaphorical line from them to their desired prize. A growl echoed across the treescape, as the shadow had just honed in on their unfortunate target. With a loud, bellowing bark, they immediately rushed to the epicenter of the scent. Bushes rustled and bowed before the mighty beast as it zeroed in on the target.
From out of the foliage and into a clearing, the shadow lept, tackling its prey, burying its fangs into the creature’s foreleg.
“Agh! Get it off!” the creature screamed, trying to shake the beast off.
Two more shadows leapt out from the trees, landing on a few observation points on a tall tree. They caught themselves, standing up with some effort. They looked down, watching as the wolf held the target down.
“Good boy, Wolf! Hold him down!”
The two shadows leapt from out of the tree, revealing that they were changelings. One of them had heterochromia; a blue right eye and a green left eye respectively. He had very ragged leather armor, with an equally faulty-looking crossbow.
The other changeling had a blue mane braided into a ponytail, also dressed in worn leather armor, though his was by far worse, with rips, tears, and holes littering it. Strangely, he held a wooden sword, though the hilt of the sword was wrapped in vines, and a green gem that resembled a Timberwolf’s eye sat in the pommel.
Of course, their target, an earth pony mage, didn’t exactly get a perfect look at them due to their silvery-blue wolf, cleverly named Wolf, holding him down. The mage yelled out, trying to pull his hoof out of the wolf’s maw, which only made it hurt more as the fangs dug deep. “Get this thing off me!”
The blue-maned changeling chuckled, sheathing his sword. “What do you think, Mister Z?”
“I dunno Mister B… He might try something,” the other replied, aiming the crossbow at the mage.
“Just get it off me!” the mage screamed, though more in blind rage than anything. Mister B sighed, reluctantly calling off Wolf. The mage cackled evilly. “Mwhaha! You fools! You have released a grand evil unlike any you’ve ever–”
A green flash cut him off. More literally than he at first realized. The mage, though feeling interrupted, still attempted to cast a spell.
Only to realize his hoof was noticeably… Shorter.
“...AHHHHHHHH!”
“Oh goddess! B, what in Tartarus?!” Z looked over at his friend, a bit shocked.
“Whaaat? He was gonna cast a spell!” B replied as he quietly resheathed his sword again, a slightly hidden green flame extinguishing as it landed in the sheath. Though, his words were hard to hear over the mage’s anguished screams, as were the flames. “Besides, he’s fine.”
“YOU CUT OFF MY HOOF!” the mage screamed back, holding the stub where his hoof once sat with the other.
“Oh relax. It could be worse,” B replied nonchalantly. “At least it’s cauterized and doesn’t spill blood everywhere.”
The mage simply collapsed to the floor dramatically, much like an actor would in play, screams turning to sobs as he clutched the stub. “My hoof… my hoof…” he cried.
Z sighed, looking at B with an unamused gaze. “Well, crap… What are we gonna do now?”
“We ain’t leaving empty hooved,” B replied, grabbing a large stick off the forest floor. Raising onto his hind legs, he carefully walked over. “Dumbmagesaywhat!”
The mage looked up. “H-Huh–”
There was a loud crack as the world suddenly went black.
~~~
“Well, that could’ve gone better…” Z said.
B rolled his eyes, leading their wolf companion along the trail. “He’s fiiiine. There’s probably a spell to help him.”
“And if there isn’t…?” Z asked, his voice filled with that of caution and worry.
“Tough luck I suppose,” B replied, shrugging as he scratched Wolf’s ear. “He probably shouldn’t have tried to cast a spell.”
“He was wanted for petty thievery, Bell!” Zen snapped, calling out B by his real name. “What was he going to do? Cast a weak energy blast or something?”
“Initials, Z. Initials.”
“Hero… listen, I know you take this job seriously. But goddess above, you’re going to get a bounty put on us if you keep this up…”
“Z… Zenex. Listen…” Hero stopped walking, Wolf halting behind him, bumping into his rump. Hero looked at his companions, more specifically Zenex. “In this line of work, folks’ll get hurt.”
“Yeah, but Hero, there’s gotta be a line somewhere…” he murmured. “Listen, I get the feeling that they’re gonna take away some of our pay for this… injury.”
“We should be fine as long as we have food on our plates,” Hero dismissed, starting to walk again.
Zenex sighed. “Okay, sure…” Hero was often like this. He often took this job a bit too seriously and often hurt the bounty way more than deserved. Whether it was a petty thief getting permanently blinded in one eye or a murderer losing their hindlegs, Hero took too much pride in giving out “justice”. Then again, Hero also did some questionable things too.
Zenex had recently begun to think about their business as a whole. While they were officially a “bounty hunting” guild, they also took on more criminal jobs. Breaking, smuggling, robberies; it seemed the only lines they hadn’t crossed were murder and kidnapping, minus anyone who really deserved it. But everything else was fair game.
Despite this, Zenex still followed along with Hero. But he was starting to question their flawed belief and hypocrisy. Heck, Hero’s actions often frightened him as he seemed to take too much pride in his work.
Zenex felt Wolf nudge him, bringing him back to their realm of existence. He yelped, but calmed when he realized it was their fluffy four-legged companion. He smiled. There was one reason to stay. “Yeah yeah, I’m going buddy.”
They continued on their path to a little town called Ponyville. The current trail was taking them through a small oak forest, with tall trees that blocked most sunlight. They were currently on what was known as the Everywhere Road, a long intertwining road that had connections to everywhere from Canterlot to the two Griffonian Kingdoms, from the North to the South, East, and West. It seemed wherever you went, the Everywhere Road had connections to it.
As they walked along, they heard the stomping of what sounded like large paws or hooves headed towards them. The group halted, reaching for their weapons.
Out of the foliage, a large, wooden figure stepped out. It resembled a wolf, only it looked as if it were made of scraps of twigs, branches, leaves, and logs. Its eyes glowed a bright yellowish green, and its claws were formed from sharpened rocks. In its mouth, an envelope.
The group let out a relieved sigh, Hero stepping over to the Timberwolf. He smiled, sitting down down. “Hey there Poppy. What’s happening?” he asked, carefully grabbing the mail. Opening it, he noticed it was addressed from the Kirin Forest. “Ah, hayfields…” Hero murmured, carefully breaking the seal to open the envelope. He pulled the letter out, instantly recognizing the hoofwriting. He groaned, reading over the letter. “Dear Bell…” he read in murmurs, his face slowly morphing into annoyance. “…from Cinder Glow…”
Zenex looked over. “What’s wrong?”
Hero carefully slipped the letter into Wolf’s saddlebags, along with several others that had appeared in the previous weeks. “Cinder. She’s calling me for training… or something or other.” He shrugged.
“To be fair to her, you haven’t been down to the Forest in some time, Hero…” Zen murmured.
“Yeah, that’s by design.” Hero sighed, looking over at the bounty. “Alright, Poppy, take Zen and uh… whoever this feller is back to the guild house,” he ordered, to which the Timberwolf nodded, walking over to Wolf to lift the bounty onto its own back.
Zenex looked a bit frightened, turning to face the oak wolf, who seemed to wear a mischievous smile, seeming to sense the young bug’s fear. “Uh… Hero, are you sure about this?”
“Don’t worry, Poppy’s really gentle. Wouldn’t hurt anything bigger than a deer,” Bell replied.
“Gee, how reassuring…” Zenex murmured as he approached the Timberwolf.
Poppy lowered itself, allowing Zen on. Zenex hesitated, but climbed on, careful not to poke himself on the Timberwolf’s jagged body. Poppy let out a howl, before riding off.
Hero sighed, turning to Wolf, who stared at him with curious, yet knowing eyes. Hero stared him down.
“…Fine. Let’s go.”
Wolf gave a cheeky grin, raising his head pridefully as Hero saddled up. He didn’t even get the chance to sound off before Wolf began his run, heading towards the Kirin Forest.
Hero hadn’t been there in some time. Maybe a few months since his last visit. The Forest was a spot of both great triumph and great dismay for him. It was a long story, but the long ride would give him time to think.
The Forest was akin to the Everfree, though was noticeably brighter and far more alive. The only real, spot-on thing the two shared was the Timberwolf population. The wooden wolves of the Kirin Forest were noticeably more tame than their Everfree counterparts, choosing to stay at a distance unless provoked.
Despite this, Hero could still recall why he first rode to the Kirin Forest. He’d received a letter from their late princess, Holly Blaze, adopted daughter of Queen Rain Shine, to protect their village from the Timberwolves, who’d been growing ever more aggressive.
Hero had thought of Holly often. They were romantic for the few hours they had together. Of course, when he recalled their few moments of love, he couldn’t help but recall her final day. It was a long story, one he hated to recall. He found out all too late that the Timberwolves were growing aggressive due to some of his former associates, a group once known as the Talons, planning a raid on the Forest.
At the time, Hero didn’t know this, thus when he and Wolf slayed the Timberwolf King, thus taking his rightful place as King of the Timberwolves, he ordered the Timberwolves back to their dens, leaving the Kirin village open to attack.
Hero shuddered as he thought of the fires that ravaged that day. With them, the memories of holding Holly’s body in his hooves also shook his memories.
That was some two years ago. He was now sixteen, slowly but surely maturing. Despite this, he had trouble letting go of Holly. Hero had trouble letting go of lots of creatures he cared about, let alone someone he felt a genuine connection with.
From then on, he’s jumped chasms and mountains to avoid returning to the Forest as often. Sure, he visited every so often to check up on things, but he’d stay gone for weeks on end without so much as a letter to check on anyone.
However, this tragedy had one silver lining. The mystic blade at Hero’s side, the Timberblade. This was a wooden sword resembling that of a Timberwolf. The hilt was wrapped in vines, a greenish-yellow stone resembling a Timberwolf’s eye sat in the middle of the guard, and the blade could ignite in an unholy fire that matched the stone in color. The flame was so hot, that Hero had managed to cut through stone, steel, and flesh alike. The sword could only be wielded by those who’d slain a Timberwolf King. Those “unworthy” who try to grab the sword, whether by magic or by touch, find their skin burning, as if they were on fire, only to cease when they release it from their grip.
The sword became a permanent addition to Hero’s arsenal due to its power.
Hero was suddenly snapped back to the present as Wolf bounced along the forest paths, heading westward. The Kirin Forest was bordering between Equestria and Bugland, and the earth was a bit rougher than most paths, especially considering how remote the forest was. Despite this, Wolf knew the way like the back of his paw. Hero wished he didn’t.
~~~
Wolf let out a howl, waking Hero from his nap. Hero shook his head, trying to catch his bearings. He looked around, noticing all too familiar trees. Letting out a groan, he dismounted, walking down a slowly visible path, decorated with stones and leaves. The Timberblade started to pulse, signaling that the two weren’t alone. Hero gave a disgruntled wave towards a nearby hill, where two Timberwolves perched themselves, watching the two. They both nodded, disappearing back into the forest.
Hero groaned looking over at Wolf, who tried to paw him forth. The changeling huffed, slowly moving forward. Wolf deadpanned, before leaping up, grabbing the Timberblade from Hero’s scabbard, running deeper into the forest.
“Hey! You tangle-maned mutt!” Hero immediately gave chase. “Get back here!”
The two ran along the old path, Wolf keeping just out of Hero’s sight. Eventually, they came across a straight part, where Wolf was finally visible. Hero’s hooves begin to glow dark purple, and he rose onto his hind legs.
Up ahead, Wolf slowed a bit, smirking a bit. As he walked, he noticed a purple glow a bit off to his left. He halted, bracing himself. Suddenly, Hero flies towards him, tackling him. The two tumbled around for a bit, Hero pinning him down.
“Haha… got you you, you bastard…” he murmured, panting.
However, Wolf smirked, letting out a small soft woof in response. Before Hero could respond, he heard voices. His head turned upwards, and he noticed a small village, one that looked less advanced than most other settlements across Harmonia’s landscape.
Hero simply stared in mild annoyance, before looking down at Wolf, who stared back in amusement. Wolf had led him on what Hero dubbed a “chase-lead”, one of his favorite “tricks”. The idea of it was that Wolf would do something to provoke Hero, usually taking something off him, and running in the direction that he wanted. Thus, with Hero essentially tailing him, he’d basically created his own goose chase that benefited him.
This time, Wolf had led Hero back to an all too familiar village. The Kirin Village. Not a very creative name, he would’ve admitted if he could, but it got the point across, which he admired.
For what it’s worth, the village was quiet and hidden, a perfect place for settling down. The homes were natural, often integrated into trees and mounds. There were, however, a few standalone huts that were built by hollowing out a large log and digging it snugly into the ground, and the roofs were made from a combination of giant leaves, mud, and wood, thatching it was called.
Hearing the commotion, the Kirin stepped out of their little wooden huts, looking over. Alongside them, Timberwolves. A bit of a long story, but the Kirin and Timberwolves were friends, thanks to Hero and Wolf.
And as soon as they spotted Hero and Wolf, their eyes lit up like fireworks. Despite the about two-year gap it had been and the duo’s sparse and sporadic visits, they were always eager to see the young changeling and his lupus companion.
Before Hero could get another word in, Wolf immediately squeezed free, running towards the village, where the deer-dragon pony hybrids, as Hero described them, almost instantaneously dogpiled over the blueberry-coated canis. Hero watched as they basically pampered the spoiled mutt, whether by pet or by treat.
Composing himself, he stood and walked towards the village.
If Wolf has the Guest of Honor, Hero might as well have been their religious awakening. The crowd immediately moved from Wolf to Hero much like ants to sugar. Before the changeling could argue, the crowd lifted the two off the ground, cheering their names. Wolf was having fun, clearly enjoying the attention. Hero on the other side of the coin was trying not to throw up. He wasn’t used to being tossed like a ball up and down, and he sure as sugar didn’t like heights.
But alas, here they were. Being hailed as heroes by a large crowd of Kirin. After an uncomfortable amount of bouncing, the group eventually dropped the two in front of a much larger hut. Hero and Wolf flopped onto the ground, both looking up at the door. The crowd suddenly went quiet, much like dogs awaiting treats. After an uncomfortably loud silence, the door swung open. Out stepped a much taller Kirin, her coat a gentle vanilla, and her horn was a dark crimson with the occasional light red stripe, itself sat behind a crown. A green mane hung aloft her head, and her eyes were crimson to match her horn.
Queen Rainshine, leader of the Kirin. She looked like she had just woken up after hearing the commotion outside. Her mane was all over her head, her eyes had bags underneath them, and her tail was tangled in a ball.
Her tired eyes were almost immediately filled with enough energy to power a Griffonian army, shooting open upon recognition of the familiar duo.
“Oh Mother, w-where are my manners?!” she began to hastily attempt to straighten out her mane. “H-Hold on you two, I’ll be out in a second!” she then zipped back in, shutting the door.
Hero and Wolf stared at the door for a while. It had been a while since they’d seen Rainshine, and to see her in a tizzy like this was a bit surprising. Eventually, she stepped back out, looking a little less like she’d crashed into her bed. Behind her, two more Kirin. One with a light tan colored coat, an autumn orange man, and greenish accents, Autumn Blaze.
The other, a red-coated Kirin, with a moss green mane and goldish accents, Cinder Glow.
Both were equally surprised by the sudden appearance of Hero and Wolf, with Autumn Blaze almost immediately running down to the two, tackling them into a hug. Despite the sudden weight difference brought down upon them, Hero could tell that even Wolf was a bit surprised by the Kirin’s sudden display of affection.
“Oh my Nature, it’s so good to see you both!” She squealed, standing up to allow the two to breathe. “It’s sosososo good to see you both again!” she said, nearly ready to bounce out of her own skin.
Cinder on the other side was a little more composed, but was still clearly very excited to see the two after so long. However, despite her near-clear excitement, she also seemed to glare daggers at Hero.
Hero had once been a student under her, mostly to learn to control his Elemental magic. But considering his two-year absence from the quiet village, they hadn’t had the time to train. Hero had almost long since forgotten about it, considering himself to have moved on to more important matters, such as the Guild. But now, he couldn’t exactly use the argument of “he didn’t get the letters.”
That in of itself was a lie, as he had received the letters, he just never read past the “Dear Hero, it’s Cinder Glow–” part on the scrolls. He just slipped them into Wolf’s saddlebags, essentially kicking the rock down the path. And now, he was at the end of the path.
Rainshine smiled down at the two. “Sorry about that…” she stepped down, planting her hoof atop Autumn’s head, carefully stopping her bouncing. But, much like a contagious sickness, the excitement just seemed to shift to Rainshine. She suddenly scooped up the two, hugging them tightly. “Okay, I can’t hold it in anymore! It’s so great to see you both here safe and sound!” she plopped them down, smiling.
“Uh.. Yeah, it’s good to see you too Rainshine. You too Autumn,” Hero greeted, standing and dusting himself off. “Wolf wanted to ride back out here, so I decided to come back out to visit.”
“That’s great!” Autumn chirped in, smiling. “Ooh! I’ve been working on something for Wolf! Come here, buddy!” she spoke, before running off.
Wolf’s ears perked immediately, and he ran after her. Now, Hero was standing alone, staring at Rainshine and Cinder.
Rainshine was able to calm herself a bit. “Okay, sorry Hero. I know you aren’t much for lavish greetings or such.”
Despite his own annoyance, he couldn’t help but smile a bit. Whilst he wouldn’t admit it, he did sort of have a soft spot for the Kirin. They were, for a while, the only family Hero had known. The story behind that, whilst long, wasn’t too complex if summarized. His old family, a bounty hunters guild called the Talons, kind of sort of betrayed him. So, he eventually settled down with the Kirin. Of course, there were some details left out. A lot of details. But that was overall the story he’d tell to those who asked.
Alas, he nodded. “It’s fine, Ms. Rainshine.” He waved his hoof across the view of the village. “I see you’ve managed to rebuild after… y’know.”
Rainshine nodded, a beat of remorse gleaming in her eyes. “Yes… I will say, it hasn’t been easy. Especially since Holly passed, everyone’s spirits haven’t been that high.”
Hero barely held back a cringe as he heard the name. Holly Blaze, not related to Autumn, was a Kirin adopted by Rainshine and thus, hailed as princess of the Kirin.
When Hero first arrived in the forest—heck, it was Holly who first asked for him—Holly was the first to greet and inform him that the local Timberwolves had been stirring trouble. This would lead Hero to discover the Timberwolf King and subsequently, the wooden sword that sat comfy at his right flank. The Timberblade, a wooden sword imbued with the greenish-yellow fire of… well, a Timberwolf.
To even use the blade, the wielder first had to slay a Timberwolf King. Then, they’d have to channel an emotion into the blade. Anger was preferable, but others could be used. When attuned, the user could ignite the blade in the previously stated greenish-yellow fire, the flames themselves being near hot enough to cut through just about anything living or otherwise. Of course, the intensity of the flames depended on what emotions were poured into the blade, and how intense said emotions were, but if strong enough, Hero found himself able to cut through any steel weapon or armor he came across.
After that whole debacle, Hero and Wolf were both hailed as heroes and the village celebrated. Then, Hero’s friends at Talon decided to betray him and raided the village, resulting in Holly’s death. Hero and Wolf would later avenge her, but of course, not much really changed.
Her eyes seemed to weigh ten times heavier, but she regained her composure, managing a smile. “But, as is the cycle of life I suppose…”
Hero could merely nod, returning a smile. “It’s good to see you’ve all managed well.”
She nodded, very proud of herself. “It took a while, but we were able to rebuild relatively quickly, especially with help from our new friends.” She motioned over to the Timberwolves, who now, instead of attempting to eat them, were now pretty well-off members of their small society.
They were even able to fix the bad breath with a healthy diet of mint plants.
In return, the Timberwolves provided protection and overall companionship to the Kirin, especially for the children, who loved the ‘wooden doggies’, as they called them. They were even given their own names, much to Hero’s amusement.
Soon, Rainshine bowed. “It’s nice seeing you again, Hero. I have to go help organize our theater day.” She smiled. “I wish you and Wolf the best in your endeavors.”
Hero bowed in return. “Thank you Rainshine. As to you.”
With that, she stepped down the stairs, walking past Hero. Now, there was only Cinder Glow, much to the changeling’s dismay. Despite her calm, well-kept composure, he could sense that she wasn’t exactly… happy? Proud? He couldn’t exactly tell, despite his emotion-vampire bug sense.
Without a word, she stood and with a flick of her head, began walking away. Without question, Hero stood, following behind her. He knew better than to argue with Cinder. From what little he remembered of his first few visits, and from his lessons with her, she was an internal party animal and an external rigid warrior. If she were a box, you’d have to hold her adjacent to the edges.
When they trained together, Hero often found himself on the ground faster than his brain could process. And if he was being completely honest with himself, he expected it to happen again.
~~~
They soon arrived upon a small pond not too far to where the trek back would be difficult, but far enough away to where any magic used couldn’t be damaging to the village.
Hero was standing atop the pond, his hooves glowing a faint blue. On the shore, Cinder watched, unimpressed.
Hero wasn’t really aware of her expression, as he was more focused on his magic. Despite his wide array of elemental magics, he was more versed in Warcast spells than he was in any form of utility spells, let alone advanced ones.
The thing about Hero’s elemental magic was that, at least to some, it wasn’t exactly the type of magic commonly used. Most, if not all magic requires a verbal incantation and only the most advanced spell casters didn’t need to use them. And while, yes, Elemental Magic was its own spellcasting type, Hero, along with a few other bearers, were more advanced in the sense they were given their powers by an Alicorn, Elemental, Hero himself being one of the last bearers.
What truly dug the gap between regular magic and the abilities gifted by Elemental were the limitations. At their core, spells only had one function. Sure, some spells could be combined and you could make some spells stronger or weaker, but overall, if you knew Firebolt, you couldn’t turn it into a Flamewall. Whereas Elemental’s magics were more flexible. These weren’t limited by a spell, if you knew an element well enough, congratulations, the only limit is your imagination, personal strength, and knowledge.
Most bearers were limited to six elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, and Lightning. However, some bearers were able to advance their magic, Hero among them. There were many elements that went beyond the original six. Some were simply a bit more advanced, Metal, Nature, Light, and Dark; and some were exotic, Void, Time, Life, and Death. Hero was somewhere in the middle—able to use most advanced abilities, yet still learning the more exotic ones.
Now, Hero was demonstrating those abilities by keeping himself on and not in the water. His hooves began trembling slightly, which Cinder noticed. Reaching down, she picked up a small pebble, before throwing it at Hero.
Hero felt the water beneath his hooves. It was more a mild annoyance than anything, but it strangely distracted him. His hooves trembled more and the blue glow began to fade slightly.
Cinder threw another pebble, this one smacking Hero on the head. The changeling’s eyes immediately opened. And as fast as they opened, the blue glow left his hooves. And as fast as the glow left his hooves, he plummeted into the pond.
Cinder let out a slight chuckle, before standing and walking towards the pond, just in time for Hero to resurface. He coughed up water, before swimming back to the shoreline. He glared at Cinder as he climbed out of the pond, shaking the water out of his hair. Cinder corrected herself, before stepping down to meet him.
“...So when does ‘tossing objects at the mediating bug’ part come up in combat?” Hero asked.
Cinder merely shook her head. “You’re still fixated on combat… nothing changes with you, does it, Bug.” That wasn’t a question.
Hero rolled his eyes. “You didn’t answer my question,” he returned, clearly getting a bit agitated.
Cinder noticed this, a slight smirk appearing across her face. “Well, if you like combat so much, why not show me what you’ve learned in your absence.” She walked over to a patch of sticks, picked up a few, and tossed one over to the angry changeling, who gladly accepted the makeshift weapon.
Hero chuckled, removing his beaten leather armor, and tossing it aside. He then stood on his hind legs, twirling the stick before aiming it at Cinder. His favorite ‘formal’ dueling stance involved him pointing the tip of his sword at his opponent, with his offhoof raised.
Hero was naturally lefthoofed, but he could utilize both hooves in terms of weaponry, thus was a bit of a wildcard to those strictly kept to only one hoof or claw. He preferred it this way, happy to trick his opponents if it brought swift victory.
Cinder wasn’t as fancy—at least not to Hero—as she preferred simply raising her blade—or well, her stick— in front of her face. Despite this, her face bore a smirk. “Tell you what, Bug. I’ll allow magic, but if you use it, I’ll use it.”
“Sounds fair,” Hero replied, also wearing a smirk. He readied himself, aiming at Cinder. After a brief second, Hero’s hooves began glowing white, and he was suddenly propelled by a gust of wind. Hero was able to keep his balance and charged Cinder. As he got closer, he leapt up.
Then…
“Hwo’orce-Hoosh!”
Hero’s leap was suddenly and almost too easily stopped, then pushed back by a sudden kick of energy, which shook the forest, booming and crashing with the fury of a Thunderbird. His back slammed into the ground, not so rough as to hurt, but it nearly drained the energy from him immediately. If he could describe it, it would be an unstoppable object meeting the immovable object. And the immovable object won. After a while, he stood, though shaking.
Cinder didn’t give him a break.
“Hwo’orce-Hool!”
Hero was then lifted off the ground and pulled towards Cinder at near incomprehensible speeds. He couldn’t focus enough to channel his magic, and he had long since dropped the stick. As he flew, he suddenly started flipping, and, much like a falling acorn, he lost any control he at all had.
“Hwo’orce-Halt!”
Hero came to a halt, hanging upside down, now facing Cinder, who merely had the smugest smile he’d ever seen plastered along her face. With a much calmer voice, she spoke, “Hwo’orce-Ha’leese,” and Hero fell to the ground, groaning. Cinder chuckled, stepping down. “Well? How was that?”
“I… auuuuuugggghhhhh…” his legs wobbled as he tried to stand.
Cinder’s expression changed. “Bug?”
“I-I’m fine, I– Hrrack!” He clenched his mouth, falling behind a bush, releasing whatever he’d had from lunch, breakfast, his midnight snack from last night, and his dinner from yesterday.
Cinder winced. “...Whoops…”
~~~
Hero sipped a bit of water from the nearby stream, boiled by Cinder. His breath was a bit rapid, but it was getting better. Cinder walked over, carrying a basket of flowers. She sat beside him, grabbing something from her bag, a mortar and pestle. She grabbed from the basket a pair of flowers, green and red in their colors. She then threw in a bit of ginger, sugar, lime juice, and lemon juice, before mashing it all down into the mortar again. She then grabbed a bit of water, poured some in, then continued to mash. Finally, she poured it into a container straining the liquid to remove the solid chunks, before sealing the container tightly, and finally spoke.
“Hwo’orce-Hoosh!”
The thundering boom was followed by the container flying up into the air, flipping and twirling as it flew above the trees; when it came down, it would be well mixed.
Cinder sat down beside Hero, pulling a few more snacks out of her bag. She passed Hero an apple, but he declined. Cinder chuckled again. “You really haven’t changed, Bug.” She smiled, pulling out a bit of bird meat.
Hero looked over, surprised. “I thought you didn’t kill animals, y’know… due to your religion,” he asked, taking the cooked bird.
She shook her head. “That’s not what we believe, Bug,” she answered, snickering under her breath. “And eat slowly, last thing we need is you vomiting again.”
Hero nodded, taking a few bites from the baked bird.
The two sat in silence, simply eating.
The Kirin Forest was peaceful and quiet. Only birds and critters ran through the gentle glades, and sunlight pierced through tree tops just enough to see, but wouldn’t pierce the eyes. The sounds of running water from nearby streams calmed the weary soul. Such a land of peace and healing.
Cinder broke the silence. “You still make art? Y’know, music and drawing and such?”
Hero shrugged. “I guess… haven’t really had the time…” he bit down into the bird, looking around at the scenery.
After a bit of silence, Cinder spoke up again. “How about you serenade us?”
Hero blinked, looking over. “¿Qué?” he double-backed.
“Yeah, sing one of those songs you used to sing a few years back.” She pulled out a small pair of drums, then whistled, summoning two Timberwolves from seemingly out of nowhere, who’d now been decorated with all manner of fauna. “You remember Sear and Willow, right?”
“How could I not?” he chuckled, rubbing Willow’s new mossy mane.
Sear and Willow were the first Timberwolves that really embraced the Kirins’ musical talents. Timberwolves, at least these reborn ones, found that they could add things other than twigs and rocks to their bodies, thus allowing them to essentially turn themselves into musical instruments. Sear was strings—he’d placed vines in his stomach, allowing him to pluck them much like a guitar—and Willow was wind; she’d removed a few sticks to make small holes throughout her neck, allowing her to make tunes by breathing certain ways.
Soon, other Timberwolves began modifying themselves as well, though they often went beyond just musical instruments. Whether it was fashion, function, or functionally fashionable, most found themselves experimenting with their wooden bodies.
Hero smiled a bit. “Even if I can sing, I’m in no shape to–”
The mixer suddenly slammed into the ground, burying itself into the ground. Cinder merely chuckled silently, standing and retrieving the mixer. Popping open the container, she poured a glowing red liquid into a glass flask, before giving it to Hero. “Here, drink up.”
Hero rolled his eyes, taking a sip. A strong, fruity, sugary taste hit his tongue, and his cheeks flushed from the sweetness. It was much like the fruit juice he’d drunk at some of the taverns, only sweeter. He finished the potion, feeling a gentle cooling sensation in his throat. He gently placed the glass aside, breathing a bit more fluidly than he was a few seconds ago.
“Thanks…” he said, coughing a bit. But he was overall much better.
“So?” Cinder asked, placing the drums down. “You gonna sing our hearts to sorrows?” she asked, nudging him teasingly.
Hero rolled his eyes, positioning himself more comfortably. “Fine, I’ll try…”
The group perked up happily, ready to play. Hero reached into his bag, pulling out a notebook, which he opened, looking for a song. He then set it down, having found a song. Though shaky, he handed the book over to Cinder, who in turn shared it with the two Timberwolves. After a brief readover, they looked over to Hero, ready to play.
First to play were Sear and Willow, playing a soft, almost whimsical instrumental. Hero sighed, staring off into the distance. The silent trees mixed with the soft music calmed the moths raging in his gut, and he simply let go of his feelings and sang softly.
“O’er past the border of the Frozen North
There sits a land once known for its warmth
Listen, my friends, come hear this sad tale
Of a beautiful land… and how it fell
This realm’s fields were once bright and golden
Where alicorns grew olden
A tale of a time that few understand…
When our friends, the yaks… lived in these lands…
When our friends, the yaks… lived in these lands…”
After a brief pause, Cinder began a soft beat on her drums.
“Lost years of mystics, of grand yak discovery
How they survived in the land ever-free
Alicorns’ magics covered diamond shores
Some years before the Chaos Wars…
Lost years of mystics, of grand yak discovery,
How they survived in the land ever free!
Alicorns’ magics covered diamond shores
Some years before the.. the Chaos Wars.. the Chaos Wars…”
Hero took a breath, feeling a bit more alive than he had in some recent time. He smiled a bit, feeling a bit more confident.
“During the grim Six Kingdom War
The yaks sought shelter in the Frozen North
At that time, this region, known as Elísea
Was green… majestic… Elysium alive!
When the Six-War was grimly lost…
For yaks and Alicorns… this meant the cost…
Sombra’s mist would turn it to stone!
So grass and fauna would lose their pure souls…
Rivers and ponds became dark empty holes…
From this horror, a cold evil reigned…
The Chaos Lands became what they are today…
The Chaos Lands became what they are today…
Lost years of mystics, of grand yak discovery
How they survived in the land ever-free
Alicorns’ magics covered diamond shores
Some years before the Chaos Wars…
Lost years of mystics, of grand yak discovery!
How they survived in the land ever free!
Alicorns’ magics covered diamond shores
Some years before the Chaos Wars!
Lost years of mystics, of grand yak discovery!
How they survived in the land ever free!
Alicorns’ magics covered diamond shores
Some years before the Chaos Wars! The Chaos Wars!
The Chaos Wars…"
The instrumental slowed to a stop, and Hero sat on a log, breathing softly. The group smiled at him, clapping their hooves and claws. Hero chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Oh, hush.” He adjusted on the log, chuckling.
As they sat, they watched as the sun began to set, and light began to fade from the forest. The small stream slowly stopped reflecting golden sunset, signaling home time for them. The group agreed with Nature, standing up and packing up what they’d brought with them. With everything packed up, they began their walk back to the village.
~~~
Hero was greeted by Wolf, now covered in flowers and other natural decor. The bug chuckled, tossing his saddlebag over Wolf’s flanks. Wolf huffed, a tad annoyed, but nonetheless also ready to leave. Before they could leave, Rainshine stopped them.
She looked a little nervous, but nonetheless spoke. “Hey, Hero? Would you… like to say goodbye to Holly before you leave?”
Hero didn’t have an immediate answer, but eventually nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He quickly clipped Wolf’s bags down, securing them. When the bag was secured, he turned to follow Rainshine. The two were led down to a gravesite, where several rocks sat, most decorated with trinkets and knick-knacks. Of course, there was one that stood out; Holly’s. When they reached the rock, Rainshine excused herself to allow the two companions to speak with their long-passed friend.
Hero sighed, sitting in front of the grave, Wolf standing a bit off to his right. Hero didn’t really have a lot to say to the rock. He wasn’t good with losing those he was close with, let alone one he was briefly, though still was, romantic with. The changeling took a breath, simply mumbling a small prayer. As stated, it was simple, just a greeting, and wish of well-being, and a departure. He’d learned to pray from the previously mentioned Talons, as they once held honor over everything. Of course, it had changed, but Hero and a few others still hold—or well, held—those values. With his prayer sang and set, he stood up, taking in a breath. He turned to Wolf, who nuzzled against his leg, a soft bark coming from his mouth. Hero couldn’t help but smile, rubbing his brother’s head.
“Yeah yeah, we’re going…” he chuckled, leading his brother out from the gravesite. They walked until they reached the path with which they rode in on. Hero readied himself, before climbing onto his companion’s back, to which Wolf yipped, shaking his head and flopping his ears excitedly. Hero brushed his mane back, grabbing a hold of the lupus’ neck. “Let’s ride, boy. Heeyaw!”
Wolf let out a howl, before running off, the two on the path headed back home.
~~~
Zenex sat in the small decrepit house they called home. It wasn’t too bad, especially for a guild house, but it was still the cheapest they could afford. They had a first and second story, as well as a basement. The first floor was divided equally into four quadrants; kitchen, living room, study, and dining room, with a divider in the middle. The second floor was more compact, offering two rooms, a washroom, and a small storage, all connected via a single hallway. The basement wasn’t all too special either, merely being a workshop, armory, and occasional prison.
Alas, they’d called it home.
Zenex was currently in the dining room. It wasn’t fancy, a small square table, four chairs, and a few plates and silverware, and of course, a few barely hanging in there lamps. Alas, Zenex sat at the table, waiting on Hero and Wolf to get back so he could cook the food they just barely managed to buy, no thanks to Hero’s aggression.
Zenex sighed, boredly playing with the crossbow bolts he hadn’t fired. More specifically, he was throwing them into the wall, much like throwing knives at a board. The wall itself was littered with previous holes and dents formed out of his boredom. Hero and Wolf were often out late, leaving Zenex to have to wait for the two to return. Of course, this meant he himself had to starve for a few hours. However, something crossed his mind.
Why did he have to wait? Hero was perfectly… semi-perfectly capable of making his own food. Why was Zenex expected to wait for the return of his roommate while he starved? Well, he wouldn’t stand for it anymore. With this newfound vigor, Zenex stood up from the dining table, before marching over to the kitchen, ready to prepare his own food and go to bed. However, just as he reached the kitchen, he heard a noise come from the door. The sound of the letter slot being pushed in, and a letter being pushed through. Zenex blinked, stepping over to find a small envelope. Confused, he reached down, picking up the letter. He blinked, carefully cracking the green seal that sat upon the letter. He opened the seal, carefully pulling the letter out. It was written in Old Changeling, something Zenex was somewhat fluent in. He read over the writing, translating what he knew.
And the further down the changeling read, the more his eyes widened. With a soft, shocked voice, he merely spoke two words.
“Goddess above…”
