A True Person

The sunset sky blazed, lit up with fiery reflections, as though every sunbeam had been seized and shattered by fierce flames. Tongues of light and shadow swirled like whirlwinds, flaring in a broad panorama of blurred crimson and scarlet strokes. The ground, cloaked in a bloody haze, reflected the glow, lending the whole scene a sinister, mystical atmosphere.

Suddenly, the figure of a griffon, enveloped in a protective dome of lightning, crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact, sending up a cloud of dust and debris. The impact was so powerful that the earth cracked and hummed, leaving a deep groove. Chunks of earth and shreds of grass flew in all directions, exposing black roots and charred rocks. The crater, still smoldering and infused with the scent of burning, now encircled the silent, motionless figure of the griffon.

Einarr shook his head slightly, trying to shake off the ringing in his ears. He stood up, stepping heavily, as though weighed down by his own exhaustion. His feathers were blackened and charred, and in some places, burned patches of skin showed through, covered in scabs and small cracks. His once-dominant aura had weakened, dropping to the sixth rank.

But even so, he did not take his eyes off the snow-white alicorn calmly hovering in the air.

"Strong… So strong!" Einarr growled, ignoring the blood streaming down his face. "Simply magnificent!"

"Already deflated?" Celestia drawled mockingly, appearing in a fiery flash nearby. "You're like a little pussy, puffing up its tail to look bigger."

Celestia’s wing slowly lifted, and streams of white fire gathered at the edge, creating a gleaming blade. Her eyes flashed with confidence, certain that the arrogant griffon, consumed by rage, would immediately rush at her, and then…

"I surrender," Einarr suddenly announced loudly, in a completely calm tone. "You've won. We’re leaving. I disrespected you, and I apologize for my hot blood. I’ll compensate you."

Celestia’s gaze hardened, her eyes blazing with an ancient fire.

"You come here, challenge me, and think you can just leave?" Celestia narrowed her eyes, and heat rose around her as if erupting from the depths of the earth. "Why don’t you just… die?"

Her flaming figure lunged at the griffon, intending to cleave him in half with a single strike.

But in a furious flash of lightning, two griffons and a massive minotaur appeared before her, each wielding an artifact in the form of a large shield. These shields instantly encircled their owners, creating an energy hemisphere into which Celestia’s flames crashed head-on. An earsplitting explosion followed, and a wave of heat and light reflected off the protective spheres.

Two artifacts shattered into pieces, and the griffons were thrown back, while the sole remaining shield held against the fiery assault. Behind it stood the minotaur, gritting his teeth and battling the unbearable pressure.

"Princess Celestia, your actions are excessive," he said with difficulty, trembling under the intensity of her aura. "This was a friendly sparring match, and he already surrendered."

Taking advantage of the distraction, several griffons approached Einarr, and with a faint wave to Celestia, he disappeared in a flash of teleportation.

Celestia’s eyes twitched, and she turned her gaze to the minotaur, still holding the weakened shield. The minotaur swallowed hard, sweat beading on his brow as icy fear crept beneath his skin.

Celestia snorted, releasing tendrils of flame from her nostrils, and, turning, slowly headed toward her army.

Once they brought Cadance back, she would take this griffon and his gang very seriously, and then...

"Still thinking about that incident?" A cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts. "You’re looking at that salad like it insulted your entire family."

Celestia blinked, returning to reality. In front of her on the table was indeed a salad — she hadn’t even noticed the dishes being served, so deep in thought she’d been.

"It’s just a bit annoying," she sighed, glancing at Luna, who was enthusiastically piling her plate high.

Looking back at her own plate, Celestia felt an involuntary pang of disappointment. Fresh greens and bright fruit slices in a dressing looked appetizing, but her gaze immediately caught on pieces of grapefruit, a fruit she had always disliked — its bitter taste never failed to sour her mood. Gently pushing them to the side with her fork, she noticed that Luna had already taken the ripest berries and mango slices from the shared platter. A small flicker of irritation stirred in her, and she sighed again, casting a quick glance at the salad that was far from appetizing.

Luna only nodded understandingly — Einarr had indeed dared to use Celestia as a stepping stone to his own fame.

After all the trials they had gone through in the Crystal Empire, they finally understood the griffon’s true motives in hindsight, once his duel with Celestia had ended.

The minotaurs, despite close ties with the griffons, were in no rush to side with any of the throne contenders. Their policy remained clear: neutrality and detachment.

Einarr, however, saw this arrangement to his advantage. His ostentatious battle with Celestia became an opportunity to show the doubtful minotaurs his power, comparable to that of an alicorn. He knew he had to demonstrate that his determination and potential could allow him to face the ruler of Equestria on equal ground, even if only briefly.

Luna nodded to her sister, and they began their meal.

"‘However, this Einar has a few interesting tricks,’ she thought, popping a piece of ripe fruit into her mouth."

Her gaze grew thoughtful. Even if only for a few minutes, he had managed to reach the seventh rank—a level accessible only to alicorns and the most skilled masters of magic. An extraordinarily talented griffon.

Touching upon the topic of griffons, Luna recalled Alexei’s stories. In his world, griffons existed only in myths, and yet both he and Luna agreed on one thing: the griffons of Earth were pitiful creatures. Half-eagle, half-lion, with mismatched body parts that didn’t harmonize at all. Luna imagined them with disdain, awkwardly moving along the ground due to their front eagle half, while in flight they had to pull up their hind legs to maintain balance.

Creatures stuck between sky and earth, losing both agility and grace. Truly pitiful beings.

But in Equus, griffons were something else entirely. Their bodies and limbs merged into an ideal predatory form, with sleek, cat-like lines—agile and powerful, with predatory beaks and steely gazes. Equus griffons combined the strength of the earth and the swiftness of the sky, becoming true warriors and unbeatable hunters.

“Do you think I went overboard with the reward?” Celestia’s thoughtful voice broke in.

“No,” Luna simply answered, swallowing a piece of pineapple. “We don’t know exactly what he received, so your concerns are justified.”

Celestia squinted at her sister, struggling to decide whether to be happy for her or worried. Since their return from the Crystal Empire, it was as if Luna had been enlightened. Yesterday, she’d even walked around Canterlot!

Usually avoiding trips into the city, she decided to visit the exhibitions and indulge in the new pastries that had appeared during her long absence.

Celestia couldn’t help but ask what had brought about such changes. Luna just smiled and replied that she now saw the illusion of everything around them and had decided to take life more lightly. Celestia didn’t fully understand her explanation but was glad her sister had found a way to escape the prison that had held her for a millennium.

Of course, Luna wasn’t just wandering the streets and savoring the joys of life. The calm she had gained had made her not only wiser but also more focused. She was helping in the search for Cadance, diving into the Dream Realm and scouring it in detail. Her personality had simply become less extreme, as though she’d found inner peace, which puzzled Celestia somewhat.

Suddenly, the silence of the hall was broken by a knock at the door, and Celestia, holding back her irritation at yet another interruption to her lunch, ordered softly:

“Come in.”

The door creaked open, and a unicorn guard in armor entered the hall. He bowed but hesitated to speak, visibly nervous under the intense gaze of both princesses.

“Um…” he began uncertainly, as though afraid to disturb the silence. “I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. A zebra requests an audience with you. She says you know her. She calls herself… the Seer.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, slightly perplexed. Was this really a good reason to interrupt lunch? Of course, with new recruits in the Royal Guard since Chrysalis’s invasion, some still needed training. Perhaps it was time to remind the captain of the importance of observing proper protocol.

“If she’s really a seer, she should have foreseen how I’d react to this,” Celestia remarked mockingly, scrutinizing the guard. “Don’t you think?”

The unicorn suddenly straightened, and his expression grew unexpectedly serious.

“She did, Your Majesty,” he replied, tilting his head slightly. “She said you’d order her thrown out and replace me. All because you’re… displeased with your salad. And that griffon, who… well, I wouldn’t dare repeat it.”

The hall fell into a palpable silence. Luna froze, momentarily forgetting her meal, and stared cheerfully at the guard, who seemed almost paralyzed with anxiety. He quickly reached into his armor pocket and pulled out a small item.

“This… this was with her,” he stammered, extending a token and trying not to meet the sisters’ eyes. “I checked—it’s genuine.”

Celestia and Luna’s eyes fixed on the familiar golden token, adorned with engravings of the sun and moon, skillfully intertwined in a single symbol. The metal seemed to emit a faint glow, shimmering in the daylight, and the two princesses exchanged a glance. For a brief moment, it was as if they were reading each other’s thoughts.

“Could it really be… her?” Luna whispered.

Then they turned to the guard, who shuddered, as though their gaze held tangible power.

“Bring her in!” Celestia ordered.

The unicorn, barely escaping a heart attack, hurried to carry out the order. All he hoped was that the zebra’s prophecy would come true and that he wouldn’t actually lose his job.

In the darkness of the Hive's underground corridors, sparse fireflies flickered like fragments of lost stars, casting a mysterious light along the path. Pale blue mushrooms growing on the walls emitted a soft, ghostly glow, piercing the gloom with patches of cold, steady light. Changelings slid through the corridors, busy with their daily tasks: some carried sealed capsules filled with energy concentrate, while others perched on rocky ledges, sipping thick, spicy brews from underground herbs that emitted a pungent aroma.

Small changelings scurried along the walls, processing materials to fortify them, crystallizing and securing them to ensure that no ray of outside light would penetrate the Hive.

In some alcoves, a quiet whisper could be heard—mentors teaching the younger generation the skills of camouflage and the ancient art of transformation, passing down knowledge from one generation to the next. Echoes of their voices filled the winding passages, blending with the background hum, creating the feeling of a living, breathing structure that never rested, day or night.

In one of the rooms hidden deep within the Hive’s labyrinth, Cadance sat on a mat. A metallic ring encircled her horn, emitting a cold, dark gleam, as though absorbing the surrounding light. Over the ring lay a layer of greenish substance, as if cast from amber, completely paralyzing her magical abilities.

The weary, dim expression in Cadance’s eyes and the dark circles beneath them spoke of long days in captivity. She chewed her meager rations slowly, more out of habit than any desire to sate her hunger.

But suddenly her gaze focused on something invisible. She shuddered, as if feeling a cold wave, and stared down at the floor for a moment, a stifled, fading sound escaping her throat.

Beneath the Hive, in the deepest reaches, lay a small, dark room. Thousands of runes glowed on the walls like a protective shield guarding the single capsule at the center of the room.

The capsule’s greenish-transparent shell shimmered in the light, and inside, submerged in thick, nutrient-rich liquid, floated Chrysalis. Her body appeared motionless, with only rare air bubbles rising to the surface, escaping from her barely parted lips.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, coldly gleaming like two icy emeralds in the dark water. Moments later, Chrysalis’ hoof tore through the capsule from within, sending liquid splashing everywhere, and she slowly, with undeniable dignity, stepped out.

Her wings were stuck together from the viscous mass, hanging limply, but with a sharp shake, she scattered tiny droplets, and her wings unfolded gently, stretching outward, as though refreshed after a long slumber. Chrysalis’ form had changed subtly, becoming noticeably more refined. The lines of her body gained smoothness, and her graceful stance enhanced her beauty, making her appearance nearly flawless.

Blinking, Chrysalis felt the pleasant weight of newfound power, and with a satisfied smile, she looked upward. Her horn glowed, and the ceiling above her slowly parted, like a living being, granting her passage. She shook her wings, dispersing the remnants of the slime, and with a confident flap, she soared up the long tunnel, heading toward the central part of the Hive.

Her sudden arrival in the common area immediately caught the attention of many changelings. One by one, they froze, lifting their gaze toward their queen; some set aside their cups filled with thick herbal infusions, while others, leaving their tasks, turned to her, stunned by her majestic appearance. The entire Hive stilled in awe, not a single subject uttering a sound.

With a barely perceptible smile, Chrysalis cast her gaze over the gathered crowd and closed her eyes, focusing. She froze, hovering in midair with wings spread wide. Suddenly, a deep beat resounded from within her chest, and a powerful wave of pink energy rolled through the Hive, spreading through narrow corridors and nourishing the walls, the ceiling, the floor, and everyone nearby.

For a moment, the changelings stood in shock, but in the next second, they recognized the familiar energy of love in the pink light and immediately began to absorb it hungrily. Their eyes glazed over with pink, their gazes turning warm and intoxicating, and their expressions softened. One, shivering, spread his wings, savoring the energy; another bowed his head, closing his eyes, surrendering to this ineffable feeling. The entire Hive was enveloped in quiet rapture, and even the walls seemed to soak in the pink glow, drawn by its magnetic allure.

Chrysalis chuckled, watching her subjects, intoxicated by the abundance of love she granted them. Her satisfied smile turned into a slight smirk.

After watching for a few moments, she lit her horn and vanished from sight—it was time for another test.

Teleportation took her to the furthest reaches of the Hive, where a lake of molten lava stretched near the walls. The grim archway, bathed in an orange-red glow, hung low, and the walls, scorched in the hottest places, looked like frozen blood. The surface of the lava flared and bubbled, filling the space with thick clouds of stinging heat.

Chrysalis stepped forward, undeterred even as the temperature rose to incredible levels. Under her hooves, the ground hissed, emitting small streams of smoke, but the heat caused her no harm.

Chrysalis approached the lake’s edge, pausing only for a moment, then stepped forward into the lava without hesitation. Her body sank into the fiery waves, and after taking a few steps, she disappeared entirely beneath the molten surface.

Silence reigned in the cavern. The only sounds were the occasional splashes of lava and the faint hissing from cracks in the stone, giving the impression that the very air was electrified, ready to explode with the slightest movement. The cavern’s corners briefly illuminated with flickers of molten light, and only the endless heat continued to warm the air.

Several minutes later, the lava on the opposite side bubbled, and Chrysalis, completely unharmed, stepped out. She shook off the thick, viscous lava droplets, which crystallized into a thin layer of minerals, and her spread wings gleamed, reflecting the full spectrum of the lake’s light. Her body appeared just as perfect and unscathed, as if she had merely taken a stroll across a cool meadow.

Casting one last glance at the lava lake, Chrysalis snorted and suddenly burst into wild, triumphant laughter. Today marked her victory.

Not only had she obtained Cadance’s blood, but she had also managed to secure a drop of Celestia’s blood during the battle in Canterlot. The metamorphosis had been successful, and here she was, unharmed, bathing in lava, her body the embodiment of power.

As if in response to her thoughts, a halberd appeared beside her, gleaming with a powerful aura and dancing around her.

Chrysalis met it with a gaze full of satisfaction and warmth, but soon her expression turned serious, and her triumph began to fade, making room for cold rationality. She knew that despite the new powers she had gained, her primary problem remained unsolved. Even the blood of the Alicorn of Love had not become the key that could grant the changelings freedom.

“It’s still not enough,” Chrysalis muttered, frowning. “We still can’t escape His grasp.”

Under the dense green canopy of the forest, a deep silence reigned, occasionally broken by the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant echo of calls. The trees towered like giants, their crowns entwining above, letting almost no sunlight through. This made it seem as if the entire forest was wrapped in twilight, like a living blanket of shadows.

Along a barely visible path among these trees, three zebras walked slowly, each burdened with heavy bags. From their packs protruded various tools, including sickles meant for gathering rare plants. This was a signal to those familiar with their trade: they weren’t here for a casual stroll but for seeking and collecting alchemical ingredients.

The zebras chatted cheerfully, their quiet voices seeming to breathe life into the silent forest. Yet, they constantly scanned their surroundings. Though this part of the Everfree Forest was considered relatively safe, they knew it was always wise to remain vigilant here. The forest lived by its own rules, unpredictable and with sudden dangers, turning even familiar paths into potential traps.

Suddenly, one of the zebras, as if remembering something, reached into her bag and pulled out a crisp, newly printed flyer, unfolding it before her companions’ eyes. The others immediately took notice, and a lively discussion ensued. They exchanged opinions, whispered, pointing at the words and image on the paper, as though they had found something quite intriguing.

Before long, however, their interest in the flyer faded. The zebra shrugged and attempted to stuff it back in her pocket. But just as she was about to forget about it, a random branch on the path brushed her bag, and the flyer slipped out, landing at the edge of the trail.

None of the three noticed, and they continued onward, immersed in conversation, occasionally glancing around.

A minute passed, and from behind the trees, a two-legged figure appeared—a man in black clothing, following the zebras’ trail. Alexei glanced in the direction the trio had gone, as if confirming they were far enough away, and then approached the flyer, carefully picking it up from the ground.

Before him was his own portrait, rendered in black and white, with large letters below announcing he was wanted. His name, description, and details were all listed clearly, so that anyone, even the inattentive, would instantly understand who they were dealing with.

The reward offered for his capture was especially generous. The Equestrian authorities spared no resources, spells, or techniques suitable for a level-five rank. These words were highlighted in bold, clearly designed to catch the eyes of potential hunters. "Alive only" was emphasized in large font, suggesting that delivering him dead would not meet the patrons' requirements.

Alexei smirked as he looked over the lengthy and eloquent list of accusations.

…murder, mass murder, crimes against ponykind, cannibalism, experimentation on sapient beings, use of blood and dark magic…

The list seemed endless, mentioning vandalism, theft, kidnappings, resisting arrest, forming an organized crime syndicate, and finally ending with a mundane note: "tax evasion."

“‘Just be yourself,’ they said,” Alexei chuckled, folding the flyer and tucking it into his pocket.

Then, glancing in the direction the trio of zebras had gone, he set off after them, lost in thought.

Lately, the spiders had been exploding less frequently—a promising sign, no doubt.