Crystalline Destiny

by GhostlyRose99

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Romance, Changelings, Original Character, Adventure
Length: 41428

Irradiance, a Unicorn who gets cursed and has his horn and hooves turn to crystal, must travel through the Everfree Forest to find a cure. When a new friend approaches to guide him, something starts to feel... off.

Proud student of Celestia, young colt Irradiance enjoys playful adventures with his friends. One fateful day, Irradiance’s curiosity leads him and the other students into the forbidden Everfree Forest, where the colt is drawn to a withered, corrupted crystal tree. Upon touching it, he becomes encased in crystals, paralyzing him. Although he manages to free himself, his horn and hooves remain crystallized, alienating him from his peers. Devastated by the rejection and bullying that follows, Irradiance retreats to live in the Everfree Forest, where he becomes known as the mysterious “Crystal Beast.” Years later, a group of skeptical ponies venture into the forest and encounter the reclusive Irradiance, leading to a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and a quest to cure his crystal curse. However, unbeknownst to them, a cunning Changeling Queen has sinister plans that could alter their destinies forever.

Will Irradiance find the cure to this mysterious curse? Or will the ponies fall victim to a greater evil?

TAKES PLACE 1000 YEARS IN THE FUTURE, POST RETIREMENT OF CELESTIA/LUNA AND TAKEOVER OF TWILIGHT. ALL MAIN CHARACTERS ARE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS CREATED BY ME.

Published 2024-05-27 23:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-06-06 00:02:18 UTC

Chapter One

The wind rustled through the branches of the trees overhead as the Unicorn made his way down the dirt path toward a bush of sought-after plants, pink flowers blooming brightly under the sun. Or rather, what little sun made its way through the thick canopy of branches overhead.

“Peonies! Perfect!” He called out, rushing toward the bush and plucking the flowers, placing them inside of a grass-woven basket. Deep purple magic lifted each flower, green eyes inspecting it carefully before placing it inside its new home.

Irradiance had been living in the Everfree Forest for nearly a decade. After the incident in grade school, he’d sworn off associating with other ponies and decided he’d only return after he’d cured his curse, ridding himself of anything crystal covering his purple frame. Unfortunately cures to curses didn’t just appear out of nowhere, so Irradiance hadn’t made much progress in all his time spent alone.

“Peonies, stream water, lightning in a bottle… what was the last ingredient for that fabled Kirin Cure? Oh!” Irradiance shuffled through a bag slung over his back with his magic, reaching in and grabbing a small vial. “Tears of sorrow! Great! Back to the house and into the pot!”

Through trade and trial and error, the Unicorn stallion had collected shelves stocked full of strange magic elements, each with a specific use to help with a potion that could cure miscellaneous curses. Traveling salesponies had traded gold or other items for their recipes that Irradiance had tried at least ten times over, sure that the reason they weren’t working was due to an error on his part, not because the cure didn’t work.

Irradiance made his way through the dense forest, pushing through toward the small cottage saddled between two very large trees. It had a straw roof and walls made of sticks and salvaged scraps of wood, thrown out by the ponies in the neighboring towns as they built their own private manors and mansions. Irradiance couldn’t help but feel somewhat angry at all of the ponies living peaceful lives, never saddled with any trauma weighing them down or forcing them into hiding. Granted, Irradiance easily could have continued his schooling, but after such a violent incident, who would want to?

“Honey, I’m home!” The stallion called out, greeting the empty home. Slamming the door shut clumsily, the purple Unicorn rattled the several bookshelves of ingredients that lined the walls, narrowly catching one before the glass shattered on the ground. “Gotcha!” He called out triumphantly, once more to no one in particular.

Living alone in the woods wasn’t exactly what Irradiance had been up to. He’d made the rare trip into town to buy things he couldn’t find or trade for in the forest. Some hygiene items, for example, or extremely rare magical spells and ingredients. So socialization remained minimal, but not entirely at zero.

“I’m telling you, the Crystal Beast isn’t real!” A voice suddenly made itself known, just a few hundred paces from Irradiance’s cottage. Amidst his start of mixing up yet another attempt at a cure, he stopped to see who was disturbing him this far into the Everfree Forest. Ponies did know coming this deep was dangerous, right?

“If the Crystal Beast isn’t real, then what ate that student all those years ago?” Another voice. Was it just two ponies? Was it more? Irradiance began to nervously fidget where he stood, never having come across visitors.

“Maybe nothing ate that student, Hibiscus! And he just went missing like normal ponies do!” The first voice spoke again. It was a mare and a stallion, Irradiance concluded, the mare being named Hibiscus. He stood still, glancing outside his window to see if he could catch a glimpse of the newcomers.

They were easy to spot. Though Irradiance sported a purple coat, his fur had been stained with dirt after living alone for so long, allowing him to blend in just a little bit more with his surroundings in the forest. A blessing, really, as it helped him escape plenty of timberwolves on more than one occasion.

The stallion was a light blue Pegasus with a short, deep blue mane, a single yellow streak running right through it. He looked like one of those Wonderbolts Irradiance had seen a poster for when he’d visited Canterlot a few months ago. He wondered if that was this stallion’s profession.

The other pony– Hibiscus, was a pink Unicorn with a curly pink mane, made up of several shades of that magenta color that seemed to match her name perfectly. Irradiance scoffed. They were looking for a Crystal Beast, weren’t they? Seems like someone would have to break the news to them that the beast was less monster and more pony. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, the Unicorn opened his door swiftly and started stepping out toward the colorful pair.

“Hey!” He called, voice filled with irritation. “Why are you two so far out into the forest? Don’t you know it's dangerous out here?” The stallion called out, not quite close enough for the ponies to see him in full. His insecurity about not only his horn and hooves but the scars on his sides were enough to prevent him from showing himself if he didn’t need to.

“We were just exploring!” The Unicorn called back, voice dropping off toward the end. “Now that you mention it, how far into the forest are we, Cobalt? Did we come from there or there?” She pointed to two directions opposite of where the pair were walking, resulting in her partner freezing where he stood.

“Oh, no,” The Pegasus– Cobalt, responded smartly. “I think we might be just a little bit lost.”

Irradiance groaned, realizing he’d need to show them the way out. This wasn’t the first time it had happened and it wouldn’t be the last, he was sure of it. Still, it was annoying all the less. “I know this forest like the back of my hoof, don’t worry,” The purple Unicorn called out, blowing a strand of turquoise hair out of his face.

“Thank you so much!” Hibiscus called back, walking toward the direction of her and Cobalt’s savior. “Usually we aren’t so careless! But with my studies coming to an end and Cobalt’s internship, I guess we didn’t prepare properly!” She laughed heartily and Irradiance couldn’t lie; it was infectious. He let a smile spread across his face as he made the final steps into the light, a beam of sun catching on his hoof and shining into the Unicorn’s eye.

“Hibiscus! It’s the Crystal Beast!” The Pegasus shouted suddenly, hovering closely above his friend in what appeared to be both shock and fear, to Irradiance’s dismay.

“No!” Irradiance quickly stepped forward further to show the rest of his body. “There is no ‘Crystal Beast!’ It’s just my curse!”

Silence followed the sudden explanation and Cobalt and Hibiscus just stood, mouths agape as they stared at the student that had been missing for nearly an entire decade. Irradiance knew the rumors that followed his disappearance: sudden death, eaten by a monster, took his own life… nothing was new. He’d never met someone who had known precisely who he was, though. Hibiscus’ mention of her studies implied that she was a student of Celestia’s Magic Academy, where the rumors about Irradiance sure were spread like wildfire.

“You’re the student from the school!” The pink Unicorn gasped, stepping closer to see Irradiance’s crystals up close. Her face morphed from shock to what Irradiance could only describe as… pity. “What happened to you?”

The purple Unicorn flared up, stomping forward further. “None of your business! Things happened and I live here now. Do you want my help leaving this forest or not?”

The pair of newcomers glanced nervously between one another before turning back to Irradiance. “Yeah, if you’d help us get back to Canterlot that would be great,” Hibiscus smiled, eyes shimmering in the low sunlight. Irradiance just sniffed and began walking in the Eastern direction, back toward his old home.

“So how long have you been living out here?” Cobalt asked, his voice calm as he followed the guide out of the Everfree Forest. Hibiscus shot a look at her friend and was met with a confused expression. “What? Not very many ponies live out here anymore! And we thought he was dead!”

“Maybe it’s a sensitive subject, you moron!” Hibiscus rolled her eyes and huffed a sigh as she looked back toward Irradiance, who was actively avoiding looking at either of the ponies. “I’m sorry about him.”

Swallowing, Irradiance sighed deeply as he continued walking, slowing his pace a bit. “You saw my hooves, right? And you see the horn?” The blue and pink pair nodded wordlessly as Irradiance looked back to gauge if they were listening or not. “I wasn’t born like this if you couldn’t guess. When I was younger my friends and I came out here and I ended up coming in contact with a freaky tree that turned me into a statue. When I broke out, I had this,” Irradiance gestured to his unfortunate new appearance details, “All over me.”

Hibiscus and Cobalt shared a concerned look as they continued following after the Unicorn stallion. “So you stayed here after that happened? You didn’t go back?” Cobalt asked.

“No, I went back. I actually was at the top of my class at the Magic Academy. I’m sure there’s still a couple of leaderboards with my scores on them, aren’t there?” Irradiance turned to Hibiscus, who nodded. He smiled somberly as he continued, “The rest of my class was angry with me. I had gotten these super magical boosts all of a sudden and, well…”

“And they chased you out?” Hibiscus finished.

“Not exactly. They bullied me out. They just wanted me to stop overachieving in class but the bullying got to me and so I gave up. I ran out here and I wasn’t gonna come back until I could get rid of these stupid crystals.”

Light began to filter heavily through the edge of the forest and Irradiance felt himself become more at ease as he realized this was the end of his interaction with these strangers. He’d never see them again after this, free to continue testing different cures from other cultures.

“So we just need to find a cure!” Hibiscus shouted, stopping in her tracks as she happily grinned at the purple Unicorn. “We find a cure and then you can come back and ace your magic exam and come back to Equestria as a real citizen!”

“It’s not that simple,” Irradiance shifted, turning to face her. “I’ve been trying all sorts of cures for the last several years. I have shelves of ingredients back at my house and none of them have ever resulted in even a few minutes of crystal-less…ness,” Irradiance’s voice fell toward the end, unsure of the proper terminology, but the point had been made. Hibiscus and Cobalt nodded thoughtfully, sure that this explanation made sense.

“Maybe you haven’t been looking in the right place,” A new voice sounded from deeper into the forest. Irradiance’s head shot up as he turned to look at the newcomer: a deep green Pegasus with a short, emerald mane. He was smiling as he approached the trio and Irradiance couldn’t help but feel as though this was a threat.

“Where did you come from?” Cobalt asked, confused as much as Irradiance was. Golden eyes narrowed in a similar sense of nervousness.

The green pony just kept walking forward, slowing to a stop just a few steps away from the trio, “I was looking for the merchant in the woods. I had a few things I was hoping to trade with him but the cottage was empty. Figured you might be in town so I kept walking!”

Irradiance wasn’t famous by any means, but local traders from the other side of the forest as well as those that traveled through every so often knew he was a native. It wasn’t completely unheard of that someone would be looking for him specifically.

“And you’ve been eavesdropping for how long?” Hibiscus raised an eyebrow, clearly with the other two ponies about how strange it was this newcomer suddenly showed up.

“I’ve been near you guys for a little while. I heard the last few sentences pretty clearly. Figured I’d chime in with what I knew!”

Irradiance scoffed. “And what exactly do you know about a cure for this strange, rare disease?”

The green Pegasus smiled knowingly, taking another step forward. “I know where you can find the cure.”

Author's Note

chapter TWO!!! im trying to keep the word count pretty consistent. a couple thousand per chapter seems long enough, right???? idk. I'm sure it'll get longer as I write this bad boy. ur meeting my second fav character at the end. prepare yourselves!!!!

Chapter Two

“Your Majesty!” A voice called through the hive, frantic. “The tree! It’s been disturbed!” A black body smashed into the wall with the speed at which it was running, nearly shaking the room.

“A disturbance at the tree?” A sultry voice sounded from overhead. It was like syrup, traveling across the messenger, drowning him in its sweetness. “What could have possibly caused this?”

“It was a pony!” The smaller body uttered, almost hissing the final word. “It absorbed the remaining magic! We shall be forced to find a new feeding ground!”

Deep within the Everfree Forest, past the edge and found in a clearing just beyond, lived a group of Changelings. Though Queen Chrysalis, a since-banished Changeling Queen fed on love, this species fed on magic. The Changeling overhead screamed so loud it could have shattered glass at this information, pacing the room instantly.

“Your Majesty!” The messenger Changeling exclaimed, trying to come to the aid of his leader, “What should we do? What can we do?”

Vibrant crimson hair swaying as she stepped around the messenger, the Changeling Queen angrily paced into another room within the hive. Queen Lilith wasn’t a force to be reckoned with. Standing tall above all the other Changelings, twirling horn often lit up with red magic, she fed off of any pony that wandered too close to her hive. As of recently, one of the Element Trees outside of her home was the source of her magic. Feeding off one of those trees could have lasted a lifetime! And now that some foolish pony had taken it from her…

Lilith scoffed as she wondered what her next move would be. Sharp teeth shone under red eyes as she grinned, “Darling!” She called, her syrupy voice still smooth as ever despite its volume. “Can you come to help Mother with something?”

Almost as quickly as the messenger had notified Lilith, another small figure raced into the room in which she stood, his silhouette similar to the Queen’s.

“Dearest, do you remember when I told you that one day you would have to venture out into the world of those… ponies?” Lilith lowered her head to be in line with her son’s, speaking directly to him.

Prince Leviathan, the only biological son of Queen Lilith, was the heir to the Sacrificial Hive or the Red Hive’s throne. He absorbed the second to most amount of magic in the hive. He had wild red hair that splayed around his head, deep red eyes, red wings, and holes throughout his black legs and long black horn. He smiled up at his mother, too trusting of her plans, “Of course, Mother. Is that today?”

Lilith nodded simply, her lashes emphasizing the slow blinks. “Yes, darling. That’s today.”

“Emerald Shield! Eyes up here, cadet!” The captain’s voice called, angry. Or at least, that’s what Emerald figured angry sounded like. Captain Brandish always sounded upset at the very least and it was hard to tell when actual anger was present.

“Yes sir!” Emerald saluted to the Pegasus captain, shaking himself out of the thoughts he had been getting lost in.

“Jeez, dude!” Another Pegasus laughed beside Emerald. “What’s got you so distracted recently? You close with that Unicorn kid?”

“What?” Emerald turned to his coworker, confused.

“You know,” The Pegasus reiterated, waiting for Emerald Shield to catch on to what he was saying. At the lack of recognition on the green pony’s face, the other guard continued, “That Unicorn from the Magic Academy! One year ago tomorrow it’ll officially be ten years since he went missing. The academy holds a memorial every year since it was such a tough loss. I heard he was one of the most powerful students since Princess Twilight!”

Emerald just nodded, blue eyes narrowing at the story. He’d been one of the royal guards for a similar amount of time– ten years or so now. He’d trained to become a top guard, but never high enough to replace one of the top-ranking captains. The similar anniversary of his and this student’s departures and arrivals rang a few alarm bells in the Pegasus’ head and he smiled at his coworker as he dismissed himself for lunch.

“I’ll be back in fifteen,” Emerald said simply, making his way down the castle halls toward the bathroom.

Emerald Shield was one of Canterlot Castle’s resident guards. He was just a hall guard, not a personal guard for any of the royalty that resided within the walls of the building. It was a low-profile career that he’d trained all his life for, more or less. He’d been privy to tons of private conversations throughout the guards’ rankings, the victim of some lousy rumors, and the breaker of a couple of hearts. He was well-known among Canterlot’s staff.

“Leviathan! I told you to call me tomorrow!” A voice hissed through a small crystal ball, concealed within one of the pockets of Emerald Shield’s guard armor. As he removed it from its hiding place, it automatically called his mother: Queen Lilith of the Red Changeling Hive.

“I had to clarify!” The green Pegasus’ body was surrounded by a halo of light that traveled up his coat, turning to a deep grey as it did so, revealing the Prince of the Changelings underneath the costume. “You want me to find the pony that stole the tree’s magic, right?”

“Yes, darling,” Lilith hissed through the crystal ball.

“He went missing a decade ago. Did you know that?” Leviathan hissed back at his mother, fangs showing. “Why am I parading around Canterlot knowing that he could be anywhere?”

Lilith rolled her eyes, waving her son off easily. “Oh, please. I have kept tabs on every location within ten miles of the hive. There’s a trader that resides within the Everfree Forest. He’s wary of strangers but socializes when ponies come through where he stays. You’ve been developing a persona, darling. Something foolproof so he can’t see through the disguise when you go find him!”

Leviathan pursed his lips, unhappy with this answer but understanding of his mother’s reasoning for the implantation of him as a royal guard so long ago. “Wouldn’t it be suspicious?”

“Hm?”

Leviathan clarified, “Wouldn’t it be suspicious to find him right as the anniversary arrives? If he’s living alone in the forest for so long, wouldn’t he develop a sense of paranoia? Or at the very least, some sort of lack of trust of new ponies?”

Lilith tapped a shining hoof on her chin in thought. “You’re right. Head to the forest immediately. Make any excuse at your silly guard job; you won’t be returning.”

Leviathan’s eyes widened. “I’m leaving for good? Today?”

“Yes, dear. That’s what all this has been about!” Lilith scoffed. “That Unicorn is a reservoir of all the magic we’d need for centuries. If you can bring him back to the hive we’ll be able to feed off of his energy forever! No more luring dumb magic creatures. Only ponies.”

The prince nods wordlessly, sighing as he transforms back into Emerald Shield. “Okay,” He agrees, “I’ll leave now.”

“I don’t believe you,” The purple Unicorn stated simply, expression bored. “I’ve tried all sorts of recipes for years and nothing’s worked.”

Emerald Shield smirked, nostrils flaring. “It’s not a curse that requires a potion to cure. It requires an artifact.”

The two ponies behind the Unicorn seemed quite confused. The pink Unicorn was flickering her eyes between Emerald and the Unicorn, unsure what to do. The blue Pegasus looked lost at what was being discussed. Emerald couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“I’m sorry, who are you again?” The pink Unicorn asked, one brow raised.

“I’m Emerald Shield. I’m a guard at Canterlot Castle.”

“And you’re in the Everfree Forest to… talk to me?” The purple Unicorn wasn’t sold. Crap. Emerald needed to think fast.

“One of my friends got sick with something that the royal doctor didn’t have proper ingredients for. They said they’d be able to ship in the stuff in a day or two but I figured I’d come out here and see if you already have it. I know you trade with ponies from far-off lands.” Saved it. “And you are?”

“Periwinkle,” The purple Unicorn spat, clearly tired of dealing with ponies for the day. “What did you need? I know most of my stock from memory but I might have to walk back to check.”

“Uh,” Emerald struggled for a moment. What was something just rare enough not to be in stock in the royal pharmacy? “Seapony tears.”

Periwinkle cocked his head and raised an eyebrow in response. Crap. Wrong answer!

“I live in the forest. I don’t have Seapony tears. Let the pharmacist call in the order for your friend. Sorry.”

“Can we get back to what Emerald just said?” The blue Pegasus spoke up suddenly. “He knows about a cure!”

“Yeah, sure,” Periwinkle rolled his eyes. “Come on, Canterlot through this patch of vines. Go home, or wherever you came from, thanks.”

“I knew someone with the same curse!” Emerald tried, whatever he needed to earn this Unicorn’s trust. If this didn’t work he’d need to build a whole new character to trick him with! “She had just the horn crystallized, though. There’s this monument at the edge of the forest and just one touch of the crystallized area to the monument cures it instantly.”

Periwinkle paused, seemingly thinking for a moment about the sudden offer of a cure.

“If you’ve been making potions for years to no avail, why not try this?” The pink Unicorn suggested. Thank you, stranger! “He seems nice enough. And we could come with you! We suggested finding a cure, too, you know!”

“Yeah! Hibiscus is great with magical spells so we can be pretty resourceful. And I go camping almost every weekend! I’m great with nature!” The blue Pegasus chimed in.

“Oh, I mostly meant I’d take you,” Emerald said to Periwinkle, who just smiled.

“No, no. If they want to come I think they should. I don’t trust strangers very easily, but if three strangers are all going to travel with me, I think we’d all be equally untrusting of each other to travel safely.” One crystal hoof in front of the other, the purple Unicorn began his trip back into the Everfree Forest. “Lead the way, Emerald Shield.”

Author's Note

yippee!!! i like how i wrote this chapter. the introduction from the past, the pre-meeting Irradiance moment, and then the actual meeting! emerald/leviathan and irradiance is a fun dynamic to write. sorry this one is shorter! ill make the next one longer to make up for it :)

Prologue

“Come on, Irradiance!” Moonshine called from a few steps ahead, giggling as he stumbled further toward the dark forest, the path lined with thorns. Sunny Daze laughed along, illuminating the path with his glowing horn, orange magic providing minimal comfort in the otherwise pitch-black location.

“You guys are walking too fast!” The purple Unicorn called from behind the pair, huffing heavily as he trotted to catch up to the other two ponies. “You know I exceed in magic, not physical activity, right?”

As students of Princess Celestia’s Magic Academy, the trio of ponies had grouped themselves together soon after starting. Each of their parents were professors at the Magic School, so it made sense that they’d eventually socialize their children with each other.

Moonshine, daughter of the Associate Dean of the Magic Academy, was a pretty white Unicorn with long blue hair, which never got tangled no matter what shenanigans the young filly got into. The other pair of Unicorns suspected her mother had placed some sort of enchantment on her mane.

Sunny Daze, the son of one of the scribes for the school, was a pale blue Unciorn with a short, yellow, pink, and cyan mane. He was often referred to as the “Teacher’s Pet” because of his intense attentiveness in class, always jotting down exactly what the professors said. Like father, like son, the students supposed.

Irradiance was a scholarship student, transferred from Phillydelphia all the way to Canterlot to attend the magic school. His mother, a magic professor at a neighboring private school funded by Celestia’s flagship university, had earned the right to send her son to the official Magic Academy for free. He was a purple Unicorn with a curly turquoise mane and tail. Unlike Moonshine, his antics always ended with twigs and knots all up in his mane, a nightmare to brush out at the end of the night.

“Hurry up, Irradiance!” Sunny Daze called back, finally approaching the goal destination: a crumbled castle, with sun and moon decals lining the walls. This was the fabled castle where Celestia and Luna had once lived ages ago, long before Princess Twilight took over Equestria.

“Woah,” Moonshine gaped, blue eyes gazing longingly up at the torn banners above her, awestruck at the evidence that the previous leaders of her country once lived here. “Sun and moon, Sunny Daze! Just like you and me!” The Unicorn giggled, pointing to herself and her friend in reference to the old Princesses.

Irradiance huffed loudly as he finally caught up to the other pair of Unicorns, looking around at the castle and then back at the trio. “Wait,” He furrowed his brows, lifting a hoof as he thought. “If you’re the sun and the moon, then what am I?” The trio was silent for a minute before Moonshine erupted into laughter.

“You’re Nightmare Moon, of course!” The white filly levitated an old staff, holding it out toward Irradiance as if it were a sword pointing toward an enemy. “We must defeat you so that nighttime never rules Equestria again!”

“Yeah!” Sunny Daze grabbed an old tablecloth, tearing it so it looked more like a net, “I’ll kidnap you, Nightmare Moon! Don’t think you can get away!”

Frozen in place as he smiled at the sudden creation of a game, Irradiance’s happy expression soon fell to confusion and fear as his friends began racing toward him, chasing him out of the castle as they spoke to him as if he truly were Nightmare Moon, the enemy of Equestria.

“We’ll get you, Nightmare Moon!” Moonshine shouted eyes narrowed as she tossed a staff toward her classmate, earning a shocked scream out of him. Was she trying to impale him for real?

“Stop!” Irradiance shouted, running as fast as he could away from his friends, and he wasn’t sure if he should be friends with them after this! “Guys, I can’t run very fast! Stop chasing me!”

The two other Unicorns just laughed louder, never letting up as they continued to race after the purple colt, makeshift weapons in hand. Irradiance’s breath came shorter and shorter as he struggled to stay out of reach. Just when he thought he might have to give up, something shimmering deeper inside of the forest caught his eye.

The Everfree Forest wasn’t forbidden by any means, but it was known to hold dangerous artifacts and beasts, often causing more harm than good to the ponies of Equestria. The fabled Zecora, a Zebra, had lived in the forest alone with no issue, making peace with the flora and fauna that surrounded her. Irradiance wondered if he would be able to hide away behind this shimmering, crystal-like tree and make peace with it, never revealing himself to his friends.

“The tree is the safe zone!” Irradiance pleaded, quickly making his way over to the writhing black vines, surrounding the gem-covered tree.

“You can’t just decide there’s a safe zone,” Sunny Daze complained, still several steps behind Irradiance as he approached the tree as well. “We made up the game!”

Irradiance rolled his eyes as he finally made his way all the way next to the tree, leaning on it as he let out a satisfied sigh. “Well, there is one! I decided it– woah,” looking down to where his foot was leaning on the tree, Irradiance noticed that his hoof almost looked like a crystal. In fact, he couldn’t really move it anymore…

“Oh, no,” Moonshine let down her playful persona and dropped the staff, watching crystals slowly cover her peer’s leg. “Irradiance!” She shouted, sounding panicked, “Let go of the tree! Come back over here!”

Struggling to move, breath speeding up and coming in short pants, Irradiance began to lose focus. “I can’t! I can’t move! Help!” The crystals didn’t let up. They traveled further and further up the colt’s body, covering his entire leg and moving toward his body, to his back legs, and then to his neck. They were a deep purple, nearly black, glittering in the small amount of light that shone through the canopy in the Everfree Forest. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Irradiance prayed to Celestia to let him survive this.

“Irradiance!” Sunny Daze screamed, running toward the pony before Moonshone held out a hoof and stopped him. The pair didn’t want to risk also becoming crystal statues.

“Help me!” The purple colt cried out, face lifted as he tried to avoid the final rush of crystallization that struck him, covering his entire body in glittering black-purple gems, silencing the pony at last.

“Oh, my Celestia,” Moonshine breathed, blue hair fluttering in the breeze that followed. Her bright golden eyes wavered, unsure what to do. “Should we go get help?”

Sunny Daze shook his head, not in disagreement, but in uncertainty. “I don’t know,” He paced back and forth for a minute before turning back toward the statue of what was once his classmate.

“Hang on,” Moonshine stepped forward once more, careful to avoid any of the roots connected to the crystal tree, “Is he… glowing?”

Sunny Daze and Moonshine looked closer and it appeared that a faint purple light was, in fact, emanating from the statue, slowly illuminating every crystal, eventually focusing on Irradiance’s eyes as they glowed bright white. The pair, speechless at the multiple magic events that had preceded each other, stepped back a few paces as they watched the statue glow brighter and brighter until eventually, light began to spill from cracks that began to show up, splitting across each gem’s facet until the shards exploded around the ponies, shattering into glittering dust that sprinkled the forest floor.

Remaining in its wake was a purple Unicorn with a turquoise mane and tail, heaving in exhaustion.

“Irradiance!” Moonshine gasped, stepping forward and embracing her friend. “You’re okay!”

“Yeah,” the colt sighed, green eyes half-lidded as he struggled to keep himself standing. “I remembered a spell they taught us last year about expelling light to destroy certain artifacts. I just made as much light as I could to escape the crystals and, well…” As the colt gestured to the shards across the ground, he noticed a slight change in his appearance: a grey gradient beginning at the top of his legs that ended in black at the bottom of his foot, where his hooves were now crystalized, the same material that had encased him moments ago.

“Woah,” Sunny Daze gestured above the colt, toward his head. “Irradiance,” He gaped, eyes wide, “Your horn!”

Catching his reflection in a facet of the tree (careful not to touch it this time!) Irradiance noticed that atop his head no longer sat a purple horn, but a tall, crystal amalgamation that was vaguely horn-shaped.

In a silent plea, Irradaince looked toward his classmates in misery and the trio wordlessly decided to finally head back to their school, no longer willing to explore the forest any longer. The abandoned castle could wait; Irradiance needed to see the nurse. Or a magic expert. Or someone who knew what just happened!

The trio rushed back, running as quickly as they could to find their professor and explain how a tree had crystallized Irradiance, cursing him suddenly with a crystal horn and hooves!

“Ah, my favorite students!” Perfect timing. Professor Green Thumb, a Unicorn that specialized in magical plants, had spotted the trio as they ran up to the school, calling them over. “What has you all in such a rush?”

“Irradiance got hurt!” Moonshine rushed out, shoving the purple colt forward toward the professor.

“He’s not hurt, he’s cursed! He has crystals for horns and hooves!” Sunny Daze clarified, grabbing Irradiance’s front hoof with magic, and lifting it closer for the Unicorn stallion to see.

Green eyes widened as he adjusted his glasses, and Green Thumb gasped as he took note of Irradiance’s appearance. “Where were you three? What did you touch?”

“It was this tree,” Irradiance spoke up, thinking back to the incident. “It was tall and covered in vines and made of crystals, like my hooves.”

Green Thumb hummed, letting go of Irradiance’s hoof. “An Element tree. A corrupted one, at that.”

“A what?” Moonshine repeated, her head tilted to the side in confusion.

“An Element tree,” Green Thumb said once more. “Do you all remember the lessons on the Elements of Harmony and how they originated from a tree from the Everfree Forest?” The trio nodded in unison. “Yes, well, there is more than just the one tree. Each tree creates six elements that can be harnessed to do whatever the owners decide is best. Upon corruption, the trees no longer possess the power to give these elements to ponies, rather, they suck magic away from the ponies. However, it seems that the tree got confused and imbued you with its power rather than taking it away.”

Irradiance blinked owlishly, green eyes wide. “You mean it gave me powers like the Tree of Harmony gave the Mane Six?” He clarified, unsure if this was really what Green Thumb meant.

“It’s a rare occurrence to be sure, but it appears that’s what’s happened. It was too much power for you to handle, so your body encased itself in a cocoon. You broke out, though, probably too early, and so you’ve been left with crystals that symbolize the power you now possess. There was one other instance of this several years ago with an acquaintance of mine… but he didn’t manage to break free in time. His statue still lives in the Canterlot Castle to this day.”

“That’s so not fair,” Moonshine whined, confusing those around her. “You mean to tell us that because Irradiance made the mistake of touching a big tree, now he’s more powerful than everyone else at the school?”

Green Thumb chuckled, shaking his head. “Not exactly. He has more power coursing through his veins now, but whether he’ll be able to wield it or not is entirely up to his schooling.”

Months later, Irradiance flourished. Though the crystals got him teased initially, soon his classmates understood that now he stood out more than ever in the best way possible. He earned the highest grades in his courses, performed the best on magic exams, and even began to tutor those falling behind in his classes. Everything had worked out perfectly fine.

“Hey, Irradiance!” A familiar voice called from down the hall. Just after class had ended for the day, Moonshine and Sunny Daze made their way through the school to meet their peer.

“Hey, Moonshine!” The purple colt called back, stepping toward his friends. “What’s up?”

Sunny Daze grinned, looking between the white and purple Unicorns. “We wanted to show you something! Come outside and we’ll let you see it!”

Confused but intrigued, Irradiance followed his friends closely, wondering what they wanted to show him. Another crystal tree, perhaps? A dragon egg that someone had been assigned to take care of?

“Get him!” Someone shouted, and Irradiance was pulled from his thoughts as two ponies pinned him to the ground, legs splayed out beneath him as someone else pressed his face against the grass.

“Stop!” Irradiance cried out, trying to wriggle out of the ponies’ grasp but ultimately failing to do so. “Let me go! This isn’t funny!”

Moonshine approached slowly, a dull blade held above Irradiance with the white Unicorn’s cerulean magic.

“Did you know we call you the wingless Alicorn?” Moonshine asked simply, looking down at the pony angrily. “It’s because you’ve got so much magic that you might as well be one of the ancient Princesses! You perform so well in class that none of us ever get a chance to show off. You’ve surely won scholarships for all sorts of top-league universities and we’ll never step foot out of Canterlot.”

“No, I’m just doing the best I can! I can tutor you if you need help!” Irradiance struggled again but once more was unable to break free.

“You got lucky, Irradiance. All three of us went into that forest to find the castle but you ended up with all this power. It’s not fair. I think it’s time this little Alicorn got his wings clipped, don’t you guys?” Moonshine looked around at the small crowd of other students and was met with a resounding yes. “Alright, birdy! Don’t worry, this’ll be over soon enough.”

Moonshine slowly dug the dull blade into Irradiance’s side, causing the colt to erupt into screams as he writhed beneath the ponies pinning him down. Moonshine moved from one side to the other quite quickly, digging into his side before calling off her cohorts and letting the Unicorn go.

“Stop outshining the rest of us and maybe this won’t happen again, okay?” Moonshine smiled cruelly down at her victim and retreated down the path likely toward her dormitory, the rest of the ponies following behind. Irradiance just lay there in the grass, sides on fire as he took in that his old friends had betrayed him, scarring him for life and exiling him socially from the rest of the school. Tears falling down his face, Irradiance stood up shakily and made his way toward the Everfree Forest, where this whole issue had begun.

Maybe the school would fake his death, or maybe he’d just let himself get turned to crystal forever, this time. Either way, Irradiance wasn’t going back to school. He wouldn’t let those bullies get the better of him. He’d follow in that ancient Zebra’s footsteps, Zecora, and become one with the forest. He’d thrive off of the resources there and never set foot in Canterlot again. Not until he could come back without these awful crystals on him, at least.

Author's Note

Yay! first chapter! i know the ending feels a little squished together so if you have notes feel free to reach out. Otherwise I'm excited to write more!!

Chapter Three

A few hundred feet back into the forest, the group quickly began interviewing each other. The sudden grouping and agreement to all venture out on a journey with little to no preparation led to discussion forming fast.

“We’ll head back to my cottage before we leave. I’ve got plenty of rations and ingredients for healing potions in case we get sick,” Irradiance explained as he led the group toward his home. “How long is the journey going to be?”

Emerald Shield perked up at the question directed toward him, “Oh, a few days I think. The Everfree Forest has expanded over the years, so reaching the edge will be a tough trip,” Irradiance couldn’t help but feel skeptical of this pony’s sudden appearance. Convenience wasn’t something that Irradiance often dealt with. He’d fought and traded for everything in his possession. Nothing real came easy.

“Right,” The purple Unicorn just nodded, voice laced with mock belief. “Well, then you’ll all need saddlebags. I have a few but I’m not sure I have four…”

“I’m carrying mine already,” Hibiscus piped up, and Irradiance noticed that she was, in fact, carrying a brown bag across her back, already packed with a few books.

“You can leave your books in my house and refill the bag with supplies instead, then. Maybe you can pack some stuff for Cobalt, too.”

The blue Pegasus looked up at the mention of his name. “How did you know my name? I don’t know if we actually told you.” He gasped suddenly. “Are you a witch!?”

Green eyes rolled in their sockets for the nth time. “No, I’m not a witch. I heard you and Hibiscus refer to each other before I showed you the way out of the forest.”

“That makes more sense,” Cobalt nodded, expression far-off. Irradiance got the sense he wasn’t the brightest bolt in the sky.

The four ponies continued onward, approaching the familiar cottage lodged between two large trees. Irradiance smiled at the arrival back at his home. He opened the door and allowed the guests inside, stopping them before they could get very far. “I’ll hand you what you need. No need for you to rifle through my things and ruin the organization I have going on,” He stated, walking into the wide living space and retrieving food from a root shelf and some bottles from another corner.

“Right,” Emerald Shield chuckled, looking around at the unlabeled, crowded shelves, where nothing was color coordinated. “I’d hate to ruin your expert organization!”

“I have the option of using a truth spell on you, you know,” Irradiance called from his location, face buried in another shelf of items. “Make you tell me where this monument is and leave you here.”

Emerald Shield snapped his mouth shut, cheeks flushing red. “Sorry, I was just amused! At the… irony.” He trailed off at the end, clearly unwanting of Irradiance’s threat to be true.

Irradiance let out a small laugh as he turned around to face the trio. “I don’t actually know a truth spell. But glad you’ve changed your tune!” Emerald Shield’s face fell, blue eyes darkening in annoyance. The dynamic forming between the duo was getting tiring already.

Irradiance had three bags in his home, one for himself, Emerald Shield, and Cobalt. Since Hibiscus brought her own bag, there was plenty of room for a bag for each person. In each saddlebag was three days worth of food and water, as well as a few salves for poison ivy and other common irritants found in the forests. Within Irradiance’s saddlebag were ingredients for potions that might be needed for any injuries the group suffered from, as well as medicine for common colds or allergies.

“All set to go?” Hibiscus asked, looking around at the small group. Irradiance nodded.

“We’re set. I’ve packed all your things. Lead the way, Emerald Shield.”

The four ponies set off, leaving the small cottage and descending further into the dark forest. Irradiance felt his eye twitch as the pink Unicorn spoke up again.

“We should all properly introduce ourselves!” Hibiscus exclaimed, looking around at the others. “Emerald Shield is the only one who actually said who he was at first. You only knew our names through overhearing us!” She looked toward Irradiance who just shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Ponies were difficult.

“I’ll go first!” Cobalt excitedly said, wings fluttering. “I’m Cobalt Breeze and I’m training to be a Wonderbolt at the academy in Cloudsdale!” He flicked his mane out of his face, grinning with pride. Irradiance would find it attractive if the stallion wasn’t so ridiculous-looking as he puffed out his chest.

“And I’m Hibiscus Dream,” The pink Unicorn followed suit, introducing herself similarly. “Cobalt and I have been friends since grade school! We were out here looking for the fabled Crystal Beast when we found you. Obviously,” She let out a small laugh at the end, entertained at the simplicity of her introduction.

Irradiance nodded, realizing the trio was waiting for his introduction next. “Oh!” He gaped, looking around, unsure how to introduce himself properly. “I’m… Clarity. I’ve lived in the forest for thirty years and my favorite color is beige.”

Silence followed the introduction and Irradiance fought off a smile as he watched the other ponies react to his name.

“You said your name was Periwinkle, I thought?” Emerald Shield asked, his head tilted to the side. Irradiance let out an audible laugh at that, looking back in amusement.

“Sorry I’m a compulsive liar,” He excused, not blinking.

“Really?” Cobalt asked, intrigued.

“No.”

A groan followed the joke and Irradiance was drowning in his laughter. Irradiance didn’t know these strangers! He wasn’t going to tell them every detail about his life. He wanted a cure and that was it! Once that was over he’d reenter society and become top of the ranks at Celestia’s Magic Academy fairly, never falling to the hooves of bullies again. In fact, maybe he’d ditch the magic path and become a lawyer! Then he could sue Moonshine and Sunny Daze for attacking him all those years ago.

“What about you, Emerald?” Cobalt finally spoke up, tired of the silence after Irradiance’s antics. Confused, the guard squinted, waiting for further details of the question. “Is that really your name?”

A pink hoof quickly smacked the Pegasus, attached to an annoyed expression. “Of course, that’s his name, idiot!” Hibiscus snapped. “He’s a royal guard! Why would he lie about his name?”

“Maybe he’s a compulsive liar!”

The idle chatter continued, to Irradiance’s dismay. He would have imagined that strangers wouldn’t have much in common. Clearly, his imagination was flawed.

“What’s it like working as a guard, Emerald?” Hibiscus queried. The green Pegasus chuckled, likely in memoriam of his duty to the Princess.

“It’s not too exciting. I’ve never stopped any enemies; I’m just a hall guard as opposed to a personal guard for Princess Flurry Heart or Princess Twilight.”

“Have you met the Crystal Empire’s Princess?” Cobalt excitedly followed up. “I’ve always wanted to meet her. I’ve heard she’s even prettier in person!”

Emerald awkwardly looked away from the Pegasus before responding, “She’s alright, I suppose. If you fancy ponies… like that.” Irradiance smirked at the implication at the end.

Cobalt clearly let the mention fly over his head. “What, Alicorns? Yeah, I’ve heard they’re pretty powerful. But all power to the mares, am I right, Hibiscus?” The pink Unicorn just shook her head and smiled.

Irradiance hadn’t been involved much in pony politics since he’d named Everfree Forest his home. The last news he had heard was that Princess Flurry Heart was set to take the throne in the Crystal Empire soon enough and that Twilight Sparkle was soon to announce her next student. That was nearly ten years ago, though, so Irradiance wasn’t sure if anything had changed. Alicorns were immortal, this was a known fact, so Celestia and Luna were still around. Maybe they were royal advisors? Celestia was still sponsoring all sorts of magic academies and universities throughout Canterlot and beyond. Luna must have her own philanthropic adventures going on in the background of her life, right?

“What’s it like living all alone, Clarity?” Hibiscus asked the purple Unicorn, pulling him from his thoughts.

“It’s quiet,” He snapped, tired of all the small talk. “Oh, look! A sign! Let’s read it and stop bothering each other with fun facts!” There was, in fact, a wooden sign up ahead. Though the forest was dangerous and usually uninhabited by ponies, there were the odd few that put directions throughout, helpful to ponies that got lost on their explorations. An arrow pointed back toward Canterlot, one pointed toward the edge of the forest, and the other pointed in directions that had since been worn down, likely due to ponies warning others not to travel, or a rogue animal using the post for scratching.

“Southern edge of Everfree,” Hibiscus spoke aloud to the group. “Sounds like the right direction to me. Right, Emerald?”

The guard nodded simply, confident in his leadership. “Yep! Onward toward the edge of the forest!”

“I spy… something green!”

“Is it a bush?”

“...yes.”

The trip had grown long and the sun was coming to a set over the horizon of trees, already encompassing the small group in darkness thanks to the large canopy of trees overhead. Irradiance could have marched for several hours more, but the Canterlot ponies seemed to be getting tired. Apart from Emerald, of course. Likely due to his royal guard training.

Cobalt and Hibiscus had been playing “eye-spy” for the better part of two hours now and the other two ponies were growing tired of the repeated clue of “something green.” It had been a bush for the last five guesses.

“We’ll rest for the night,” Irradiance decided for the group, stopping his walk and looking around at the surrounding trees. “We can put up a shelter beneath those trees over there and keep walking in the morning. Sound good?”

The other three just nodded, easily agreeing with the native Everfree resident. Setting down their packs one by one, each pony retrieved their ration of food and water for the night, watching as Irradiance picked up leaves and branches, weaving them together to make a makeshift tent for the night.

“Should we share tents?” Hibiscus asked, genuinely making a suggestion. “Boys in one, me in another? I don’t want you to go through the trouble of making one giant tent. I can make another for myself!” Irradiance appreciated the suggestion but found himself against the idea.

“I was planning to make individual shelters,” He responded simply, face twisting in uncomfort at the idea of sharing a space.

“I’ve heard it gets really cold at night, though,” Cobalt mentioned. “Shouldn’t we all sleep together to share body heat and prevent hypothermia?”

Irradiance was silenced. It wasn’t untrue; at night time in the forest, the temperature often fell nearly below freezing. It was something related to the magic within all of the flora and fauna, he supposed. Preparation for his cottage usually meant shutting the windows tight and barricading himself in his room beneath a few blankets before bed. This was why he never invested in plants or pets. He was worried the cold might get them.

“You make a decent point, Cobalt,” Irradiance surrendered. “I won’t share with all of you, though. Two tents, two ponies in each. Draw straws for who shares with who.”

“Straws? But we’re in the middle of the forest,” Cobalt said back.

“Sticks! Draw sticks! By Celestia,” Irradiance was growing tired of the Pegasus’s dumb responses. How was he training to be a genuine Wonderbolt with this IQ?

Hibiscus collected a few sticks and then broke them at random, shuffling them in the air with her pink magic before hovering them before the group, waiting to be taken. “I’ll just take whichever stick is left. Two shortest room together, two tallest room together. Fair?” The others nodded and the drawing commenced.

Irradiance went first: a very, very short stick.

Then Cobalt: a long stick. Definitely not one of the shortest. Thank Celestia! Irradiance could not go with listening to his dumb remarks all night.

Emerald went next: he pulled a medium-sized stick. Irradiance wasn’t sure if it was closer to his or Cobalt’s but he really didn’t mind sharing with the guard or the pink Unicorn. As long as that blue Pegasus stayed away.

“Alright! Everyone drew and mine is… long!” Hibiscus smiled, holding out all the sticks and showing that hers was, in fact, longer than Emerald’s but shorter than Cobalt’s. She’d share with her friend, then, and Irradiance would get the guard.

“Great,” Emerald smiled, eyes growing heavy as the forest got darker. “Now can we head to sleep, now?”

Irradiance finished up his and the green Pegasus’s tent and Hibiscus built hers and Cobalt’s fairly quickly as well. Soon enough, the four ponies made their way inside their respective shelters for the night and bid farewell until morning to the others.

“Night, Clarity. Or whatever your name is,” Emerald said sleepily to his roommate, but Irradiance was already fast asleep.

Author's Note

yay! another chapter! i never was one of those wattpad authors who wrote authors notes halfway through the story, so ill be honest and say I'm loving writing these notes at the end. i liked this chapter and i LOVE emerald/leviathan! he's like almost another main character. he was supposed to just be on the side but you know what they say. sometimes the stories write themselves

Chapter Four

Leviathan was tired. He was absolutely exhausted. Thankfully Periwinkle/Clarity was fast asleep, allowing the Changeling to slip out of the shelter and away into the forest. As he stood up, the purple Unicorn shifted in his sleep, poking his horn into Leviathan’s leg. Inhaling deeply, the Changeling prince could smell the magic coursing through his veins. Two more days and he’d be able to feast for real.

After all this time hiding away in the royal guard, Leviathan hadn’t been able to feed as much as he’d like. The royal pet, Philomena, was a phoenix that could resurrect itself after every death it suffered. This loophole allowed for the Changeling to feed off of its energy for years on end, at least once a month. No one ever found out about his secret, or rather, no one mentioned it if they knew.

Changelings from Chrystalis’ Hive had made their way into common pony life. They found themselves in relationships and no longer needed to trick ponies into feeding off of their love. Now they were happy, all thanks to one of their own.

Leviathan didn’t necessarily yearn for peace like that, but he did yearn for something. He had hunger deep within his bones and he wasn’t sure what would satiate it. Was it love?

“Leviathan! My darling boy,” His mother’s voice sounded suddenly from the crystal ball in his possession, and the prince was quickly stolen from his contemplation. “Have you met the little pony thief?” The queen hissed, her tongue flicking out from her mouth as she spat the word “pony.”

Transforming back into his regular black form, Leviathan nodded. “Yes, mother. I’ve located the Unicorn and I’m on my way to the hive.”

There was a gleeful squeal on the other end and Leviathan felt a rush of pride go through his body. “Excellent work, my dear! Will you be here shortly?”

The prince’s face fell quickly. Right. It wasn’t a long trip between Canterlot and the hive if a Changeling teleported or flew. Unfortunately, Leviathan was still under the disguise of a Pegasus pony and his prey was a Unicorn. Plus two guests. “Um, no,” He tried to explain, unsure of what words to use. “It’ll be closer to about two or three days, I think.”

Queen Lilith looked shocked, “Has something happened? Did you feed already?”

He shook his head quickly, “No, no. I just needed to trick him into following me and he already had two ponies with him, and, well…”

“And they’re all with you?” Leviathan nodded. “Are any of them Unicorns?” Another nod. His mother grinned and clapped her two front hooves together, grinning. Her white fangs shone under the crystal ball’s light. “Then there’s no reason to feel ashamed for the late arrival, my dear! Another Unicorn just means more food for the hive! I’ve needed to repopulate this place anyway.”

“He’s under the impression I have a cure for his crystal curse,” Leviathan explained, red eyes glinting mischievously. “I said I’m taking him to a monument that clears it upon contact!”

Lilith cackled at that, throwing her head back and exposing her jelly-like neck, filled with what may have been nectar to feed her young, should she have more. “Oh, you devilish child of mine!” The queen smiled. “Please, rest easy knowing you are truly bringing a blessing upon the hive. I will speak with you tomorrow, darling!”

The crystal ball was dim again, signaling his mother had halted her communications with the prince. Taking a deep breath, the Changeling transformed back into Emerald Shield and made his way back to the shelters the four ponies were staying in. Snoring was coming from one of the tents, but he wasn’t sure which. The question was soon answered, though, as he approached his own tent and saw Periwinkle/Clarity with his mouth open, snoring away. The Unicorn was shivering slightly.

A conflicting feeling filled Leviathan’s stomach all of a sudden. It wasn’t hunger; he knew what that felt like. This was that strange longing he’d been thinking about earlier. He got closer to the Unicorn and lay down, thankful for the heat that the other pony brought him. He hadn’t even realized how cold the forest had gotten before he came in contact with the other stallion. Laying with his side pressed up against Periwinkle, Leviathan shook away his conflicting thoughts, settling to think about them some other time. For now, he’d lay here and sleep in warmth.

Waking up to the dim sunlight that was provided under the Everfree Forest’s sky of trees, Leviathan smiled to himself as he rolled over. He’d feed at noon and then he’d run trials with the Changeling guard in preparation for an attack on the Canterlot Castle. There was a royal coronation coming up, right?

“Wake up,” A voice came from his left and Leviathan screeched as he sat up suddenly, knocking his head against the stick shelter he was beneath and he felt the whole thing crumble upon him, dropping sticks on the head of his fellow tent-dweller.

“Oh,” Leviathan’s face ran red, absolutely embarrassed about what he’d just done. “I’m sorry. You scared me!”

The purple Unicorn had a very irritated look on his face and Leviathan felt his ears press back against his head in embarrassment. “A royal guard,” Clarity/Periwinkle started, clearly unphased at the explanation, “Was scared of someone suddenly waking him up?”

Leviathan nodded quickly. “Just because I’m trained to wake up on command does not mean I’m trained to be composed when I do so.”

There was just a look of disbelief and a nod that followed. “Right.”

The pair made their way over to the other tent, undisturbed. The other ponies probably weren’t even up yet.

“Hey!” The purple Unicorn called from outside the tent. “Wake up! It’s dawn, we need to get moving!” There was a rustle and the blue Pegasus emerged first, followed by Hibiscus. Leviathan smiled as they both walked out. Hibiscus truly was a beautiful mare, the prince thought privately. If what he had been feeling truly was a longing for love, maybe she could satiate it. The ponies all suited up, placing their saddlebags back on their backs and eating their morning rations. Clarity had overpacked, so there was likely enough food for an additional day if the trip took more than three.

“How much further?” Cobalt groaned, wiping his eyes with a wing.

“About two more days of walking. If we keep sleeping through the night, that is,” Leviathan clarified. It would be less time if they didn’t take 6-hour breaks in between. The two Canterlot ponies shook their heads quickly.

“No, no, two days is fine!” Cobalt smiled, golden eyes clearly still heavy with sleep. Leviathan just laughed and gestured for the trio to continue following him.

The green Pegasus took the lead, waltzing further into the forest, getting closer and closer to the first stop within. Though he had flown to Canterlot when he was just a child, Leviathan knew the path back to the hive. He had to in order to lure this pony back to the queen. The prince had prepared for any scenario: just the one Unicon, a peaceful trip, a chaotic one, more ponies to follow than just two… he knew his way in and out of this forest. He also knew that in a few miles was a Dragon nest.

“How deep have you traveled into the forest, Clarity?” Hibiscus asked the purple stallion.

“Hmm up until the sign back there,” He responded simply, gesturing back with a nod of his head. His mouth quirked up, “That’s not my name, you know.”

“I knew it,” Cobalt leaped into the air by a couple of feet, fluttering his wings before touching back down. “So what is it?”

“We should guess!” Hibiscus exclaimed, grinning. Her curly pink hair bounced as she ran in front of Leviathan, nearly bumping into him. “If I guess the first letter will you tell me?” She asked the stallion.

“Hmm…” Clarity/Not Clarity thought for a moment, still walking straight on behind the green Pegasus. “Okay. You can try guessing the first letter. But you can’t go in alphabetical order and you need to all guess one at a time. No hints.”

Fair enough. He wanted to stay mysterious, so be it. Leviathan took the first guess: “Does it start with T?” A shake of the head. Darn.

Cobalt flew into the air, deciding to hover alongside the group rather than continue walking. Maybe he had more energy than the others. “I know! It starts with an O, doesn’t it?” Another shake of the head. Darn!

Hibiscus thought for a moment, being careful about her guess. “Does it start with an A?” Better to get the first letter of the alphabet out of the way, Leviathan supposed. Another shake of the head!

Clarity/Not Clarity grinned, “That’s all you get for the day.” The trio shouted at the stallion, angry at the sudden rule implementation.

“You said nothing about one guess a day!” Leviathan accused, turning around quickly to face the Unicorn. He was met with narrowed eyes and a sly smile.

“It’s my name! I can do what I want!” Was the response that followed. He suddenly whispered directly into Leviathan’s ear: “My real name is actually Turquoise.” The Changeling felt his body shiver at the near-contact. Same color as his eyes.

“That’s a pretty name!” Hibiscus chimed, mostly aware that this probably wasn’t an actual name confession.

“But you said it doesn’t start with T!” Cobalt added, leading to laughs from the other ponies. Leviathan couldn’t help but be amused at the little game. It was a fun break from the endless walking.

Continuing on through the forest, the deep greenery soon gave way to grey rocks, a smoky smell filling the air. Leviathan knew where they were headed. He’d confronted the leader of this tribe before and he knew how to get around her way of defending the creatures that lived within the rocks and flames. Heat replaced the cool forest air soon enough and the trio of ponies behind him began curiously inspecting the ground at their feet and the surrounding flora.

“I can’t say I’ve been this far into the forest,” Turquoise noted, looking around with wide eyes. “Where are we?”

There was a sudden rush of air and a screech that could shatter ear drums. Turquoise quickly put up a bright purple shield, protecting himself and the others from the figure that quickly attempted to dive-bomb the group. Sick laughter followed the impact, shaking the Unicorn and breaking the barrier.

A dash of yellow made its way back into the sky and Leviathan saw a glint of red look down, right at him.

“We’re in Dragon territory.”

Author's Note

so idk if you guys have guessed but i am setting this up to have my own Mane 6 going by the end of this story. I've got four characters and here comes the fifth! the sixth is on her way next!!!

Chapter Five

Irradiance was in awe of the figure above him: she was slender and nearly taller than he was, deep yellow in color, with a darker yellow frill of what a Dragon might call hair upon her head. She had long white horns and ruby-red eyes, striking the group down from high in the sky. There was no question that this was the Dragon Lord, Amber.

Irradiance had learned of rogue Dragon nests outside of Ponyville; where the Dragons didn’t socialize like Ember’s nest had. This was true for every different collection of creatures. Some Changelings hadn’t reached reformation like King Thorax, and some Hippogriffs didn’t want to socialize with ponies at all! Irradiance couldn’t blame them. Just a day and a half with three ponies was making him exhausted.

“Who goes there?” The Dragon boomed from above, sending another wave of air at the group, shaking them all nearly off their hooves.

“We’re travelers from Canterlot!” Irradiance called up, hoping he sounded confident and not fearful of the Dragon. “We’re just passing through!”

The yellow Dragon swooped down, perching on a stone cliff several feet away from the group, closer than her placement in the sky. She glared down at the purple stallion. “Just passing through?” She scoffed. “No one ‘passes through’ a Dragon’s nest. Don’t you know we have rules on how you travel through here?” There was a sinking feeling that formed in Irradiance’s gut, his green eyes bouncing between his traveling companions, the figure before him, and the shadows that were slowly creeping up around the perimeter.

“I’m sorry,” He tried, watching as eyes became clear. The Dragons were surrounding them. “I didn’t know about any rules. Our friend here,” He hissed, pushing the green Pegasus a couple of feet forward, “Was leading us and took us right into your nest!”

Emerald Shield looked petrified. Whether he had an intense fear of Dragons or he was simply nervous to be confronting the Dragon Lord head-on, Irradiance couldn’t say. But he was sure that he was getting more and more angry at this stranger for his awful series of directions! Directly into a rogue Dragon nest? Really?

“A friend, hm?” Amber stood up, making her way toward the Pegasus, a sickening grin splitting across her face, fangs shining. “Tell me, pony,” She spat the word like it was poison, “What brings you through my territory? Don’t you know your way around these woods?”

“I figured my friends here would want the quickest route possible!” Emerald’s voice shook as he explained to the golden Dragon, eyes flickering around to the hissing creatures closing in on the small group. “I knew we could get through here faster than we could around, and my poor, poor friend here needs a cure for his curse! See?” It was Emerald’s turn to put Irradiance on the spot and the Unicorn cursed him for it. All eyes were on his crystal horn and hooves, resulting in the Dragons grumbling, drooling as they looked at what was practically dinner.

“Idiot!” Irradiance rushed forward, hissing into Emerald’s ear, “Don’t you know Dragons eat crystals?” Emerald cursed under his breath, shutting his eyes in guilt. He sent a sorry look with his blue eyes and Irradiance just groaned. No use in apologizing now.

“Now, now,” Amber started once more, that sly look still on her face. “We don’t eat ponies, don’t worry. We just have rules regarding visitors.”

“Which are?” Hibiscus spoke up, herself and Cobalt looking absolutely petrified to be surrounded by bloodthirsty Dragons. They only knew the peaceful kind that walked the paths in Canterlot! Not these rogues!

Amber widened her eyes, soaring down to stand right in front of Emerald, almost touching her snout to his, “All visitors of the Dragon nest must request permission to travel through. Should they receive a decline of their offer, they must sacrifice one of their own.”

“What?!” Cobalt cried out, clearly upset at this strange rule. “There’s no way that’s true!”

“Oh, it’s true alright!” Amber verified. “I’ve had my share of visitors come through! Those that come alone and get their requests denied? Well…” She gestured to the pile of pony bones far atop a pile of rocks in the background. Irradiance felt his blood run cold. He wasn’t a fearful pony by any means, but a threat of death? That was sure to shake anyone.

“Okay,” He started slowly, teal hair blowing in the breeze that Amber’s continuous flapping of her wings brought upon the group. “May we have permission to pass through?”

“Hm…” Amber thought for a moment, flying above the group once more and orbiting in circles as she thought loudly, humming and tapping her chin with a clawed finger. “I’m not sure. I think I need to be swayed.”

“Swayed?” Cobalt repeated, confused. “Swayed how? With like, gifts?” Amber shook her head.

“No, not gifts. With a show!” She slammed down on the ground, shaking all of the ponies and knocking them each to the ground with the force at which she touched down. “Dragons! Bring them to the dungeons.”

Before anyone could speak up in protest, the Dragons that had been encircling the group pounced, pinning them each to the ground and carrying them away, toward a hollow volcano with all sorts of rooms lining the walls. Irradiance felt himself freeze as he was pinned to the ground, his heart rate picking up as he gave up, ready to be at the mercy of his attackers once more.

“Let me go, you monsters!” Hibiscus shouted, body pinned within the claws of a blue Dragon. Cobalt and Emerald were nowhere to be seen in the sky, and Irradiance could only guess they were either already trapped or simply further behind.

“As you wish!” The Dragon laughed, dropping Hibiscus into a caged room, feet away from the pit of lava at the bottom of the volcano. Irradiance was dropped in the cell directly next to her, stuck to the floor once he had been let go, frozen in fear.

The three ponies screamed up at their captors, outraged by the sudden loss of autonomy. They were just passing through! There was no need to steal them from their path and stick them in jail cells!

“You can shout all you want but just know,” Amber called, soaring down the volcano and landing in front of the four cells, “The louder you are the less likely I am to be entertained by you later.”

“Entertained?” Emerald cried out. “What are we going to entertain you with? Ourselves?”

“Maybe. I’m bored! Ponies don’t pass through the forest anymore. I’d like to keep you all as pets until I get bored of you, really.”

Hibiscus scoffed, pink mane in danger of being scorched by the flying sparks from the lava below her cell, “That’s awful! You can’t keep us here forever!”

“I didn’t say forever!” Amber defended, eyes widening in mock offense. “I said I’d keep you until I get bored! That could be a very short period of time!”

Irradiance still hadn’t stood up, stuck to the floor. He wanted to go home. He never should have left the cottage to fetch peonies. He shouldn’t have let this stupid Pegasus lead him directly into the claws of the Dragon Lord!

“I will give you all a fair chance to leave!” Amber declared, laughing. “In an hour I’ll return and I’ll have you all put on a show for me. If it’s entertaining enough, I’ll let you go! If not… well,” Amber trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. “Enjoy your peace and quiet, ponies!”

She flew out of the volcano, likely back to wherever her residence was in the Dragon nest. Irradiance took a deep breath and stood up, deciding he couldn’t remain paralyzed forever. They had to escape somehow.

“What show are we supposed to put on?” Cobalt asked the group, genuinely nervous about the idea of never escaping. The walls between the cells were bars, allowing the ponies to see all the way down where each other was.

“I have no idea,” Hibiscus added unhelpfully. “I’ve never been captured by Dragons before. Do they like violence? Should we fight?”

Emerald shook his head. “No, no. Let me call her down here and I’ll talk to her.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to sacrifice yourself!” Hibiscus cried, brows pressed together.

“Please tell me you are,” Irradiance added, face blank.

“Oh, please,” Emerald’s face twisted, blue eyes narrowed as he glared at Irradiance from three cells down. “I’m the one offering to lead you to a cure for your curse! And you want me gone?”

Irradiance just shrugged.

“Whatever,” Emerald rolled his eyes. He leaned his head as far through the cell door as he could and shouted up to the sky, “DRAGON LORD AMBER! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!”

Silence followed. Irradiance let out a laugh. “Are you serious? What is she, your dear friend?”

“Maybe they are friends! Or they were dating and they broke up, and now she’s angry at him for breaking her heart and so she’s punishing all of us at once!” Cobalt suggested, golden eyes wide. Irradiance laughed at the idea, but his face quickly fell as he looked back toward the Pegasus, who was red as a tomato.

“You’re kidding me,” The purple stallion gawked.

“It was a long time ago,” Emerald responded, not making eye contact with anyone.

“Oh, my Celestia!” Hibiscus cried out, laughing in disbelief. “You were dating the Dragon Lord? How did that even happen? Why would you come through here if you knew she hated you?”

An irritated shrug was the response that followed, “I don’t know! I thought maybe she got over it!”

“Girls don’t get over being broken up with, sweetheart,” Hibiscus shook her head in pity.

Eventually, the hour passed and Amber made her way back down to the group of ponies. There was no show prepared but Emerald had prepared a speech.

“Dragon Lord Amber,” He began, eyes teary, one hoof over his chest. “I understand I broke your heart long ago and that you are punishing us now, but please know that what I am doing is for the good of Equestria and I truly mean you no harm! Will thou please let us pass?”

The yellow Dragon stared for a moment before bursting into laughter, wiping a tear from her eye. The laughter continued for far too long, leaving Emerald and his cohorts to stand awkwardly as they waited for a response. There was no time for discussion, so if this went poorly then all of the ponies were doomed to stay here! Or rather, Emerald would be doomed to be sacrificed. He was the one getting them in trouble, after all!

“Oh, Emmy,” Amber sniffed, still recovering from the bout of laughter. “That was a good one. Thou? Who even says that anymore?”

Emmy? Irradiance felt his face twist up in disgust at the pet name. Was it a pet name? He didn’t actually care. He wanted to make it to this monument and get rid of his stupid horn.

“That was funny, I will say. I’ll let you all go,” The group cheered, “On one condition!” The cheering halted. “I’m chaperoning you. I don’t trust a group of ponies to run freely in my forest.”

“Oh!” Emerald Shield seemed conflicted on the condition but began to nod once he looked down the row of cells and saw all the other ponies were in agreement. “Sure! Why not.”

Gesturing to a couple of Dragons on stand-by, the group of ponies were freed from their volcanic cells.

Irradiance took a deep breath as he stepped out, looking down at the lava at the center of the volcano, thankful that he was no longer stuck in such a small space. Just as he felt at ease, he felt his entire body tense up as familiar claws began to dig into his sides. Terrified, Irradiance surrounded himself in a bright purple shield with his magic, defending himself against the Dragons attempting to lift him up and return him to the surface.

“Woah!” The same blue Dragon exclaimed, backing up. “Someone’s feisty!”

“Turquoise! Buddy,” Emerald chuckled awkwardly, “Are you okay?”

Hibiscus furrowed her brows and sent a knowing look toward the purple stallion. He had mentioned his past trauma briefly and she had listened. “Hey, Emerald,” She turned toward the green Pegasus, expression sympathetic. “Would you maybe consider carrying Turquoise up out of the volcano instead of one of the Dragons?”

“What?” Amber piped up, instantly on edge. “What, do you have something against Dragons?”

“I think he’s just a little shaken from the initial capture! We understand you had to do what was necessary for your people, but we all react differently,” Hibiscus was pulling that excuse out of thin air, and for once, Irradiance was thankful someone was here to help out.

Emerald’s face shifted to something Irradiance couldn’t quite place, but it ended in a wordless nod. Irradiance felt himself flush as he felt hooves wrap around him, pulling him up out of the volcano. He would need to thank Hibiscus when this was over and they were back in the forest.

Each of the ponies landed safely on the ground, sighing as they did so. It was a short capture, but scary nonetheless! They had been ambushed!

“So where exactly is this monument?” Amber asked, red eyes narrowed in skepticism.

“It’s this way,” Emerald gestured, not yet leaving Irradiance’s side. “Come on. It’s about a two-day journey from where we are now. If we start walking now we’ll have a day left by sundown.”

Author's Note

amber and emerald/leviathan are a fun friendship to write, btw. have you guys noticed that leviathan is more of the main character? did i say that already? he's fun to write and I'm really loving his development. i have art of him on tumblr and I also have a profile on artfight this july if any of you do that! i plan to illustrate this eventually so expect pictures soon!

Chapter Six

“Why in Tartarus’s name are you guiding ponies to a magical cure?” Amber hissed at Leviathan once the group had begun their trip again toward the alleged monument. The Changeling smiled awkwardly at the Dragon Lord, regretting agreeing to let her come along.

“I’m not!” Leviathan said between a smile, teeth clenched and eyes flickering between the ponies following behind at a close pace. “We’re going to the Hive!”

Dragon Lord Amber, the absolute savage that she was, was Prince Leviathan’s betrothed when he was younger. Or rather, his mother pestered the prince until she was red in the face to propose to the Dragon Lord so that he may further the power within both communities.

“A Dragon and a Changeling! Think of the babies you’d have!” Queen Lilith had exclaimed, gleefully prancing around the Changeling nursery as she daydreamed about Changeling/Dragon hybrid babies populating Equestria and ridding the land of silly ponies.

Leviathan and Amber had been together for nearly five years, from the second year of his arrival in Canterlot until about three years prior, when Leviathan had realized he truly wasn’t getting anything out of the relationship apart from a looming sense of doom about having to repopulate a new hive.

Of course, the Dragon Lord herself didn’t take this news lightly and quickly banned any Changeling from the premises of her nest, swearing never to ally herself with the creatures ever again. And so in present-day, guiding ponies directly into her territory, Leviathan had dug himself into a small hole reuniting with his childhood girlfriend.

“Is that why you’re in this silly costume?” Amber clarified, her red eyes glinting under the small rays of sun that made their way through the deep forest canopy.

Leviathan sighed, nodding in verification. The yellow Dragon laughed loudly, confusing the ponies trailing behind. “Oh, Emmy! What a jokester you are!” Thank goodness. A (mostly) smooth recovery.

“I wanna hear the joke!” Cobalt piped up. Leviathan was getting tired of this. How could a Unicorn like Hibiscus take the painful remarks of this Pegasus? Leviathan wasn’t even a real Pegasus and he had accomplished more in his time in Canterlot!

“Oh, you wouldn’t get it,” Amber assured, frowning as she spoke, “You kind of had to be there, right Emmy?” That nickname was infuriating. After meeting Leviathan in the forest as he hunted down Turquoise’s cottage and found a path directly to the Hive on foot, Amber had seen him in his pony form for the first time, quickly turning his pony name into a ridiculous nickname to poke fun at the stupid species. After a while it quickly became obnoxious.

“Haha, yeah,” The Pegasus (presently) agreed, nodding awkwardly as he went along with the cover. He really wanted to lure these ponies to the proper location but man, it was going to be hard with Amber along for the ride now.

“So, purple pony,” Amber turned her attention to the star of the show, “How’d you get all these crystals on you?” Leviathan wasn’t sure if the yellow Dragon actually knew the origin of the scars or not. He let her talk for now.

Turquoise shifted under her gaze. His demeanor since the Dragon abduction had shifted from the arrogance Leviathan knew to a strange sort of timidness. “A Dragon bit me,” He stated simply, not entertaining the newcomer. Leviathan laughed at that.

Amber, however, did not. She rolled those crimson eyes and turned back to the others in the group, “Sure you did. Why are you two here? Did you get bit by Dragons also? I don’t see any diamonds on you.”

Cobalt and Hibiscus shook their heads, “We were lost in the forest and Turquoise was going to lead us out, but then he told us about his curse, and then Emerald Shield showed up! So we decided to come on the quest for a cure with him!” The pink Unicorn stated happily, turning her head up in pride. Leviathan admired her.

“Thinking back, I haven’t seen Emerald Shield in such a long time! You look really different, you know.” Amber was being an absolutely awful sport about the breakup.

“Oh right! Ex-lovers!” Cobalt recalled, gold eyes widening. “What’s it like seeing each other after all these years?”

“We are not ‘ex-lovers!’” Leviathan screeched, turning a shade of pink.

“It’s been excellent. He’s really not all that. A royal guard is a lot more pretentious than you’d think. This is why I shy away from ponies, actually.”

“Because of the breakup?” Hibiscus clarified. Amber nodded. “That makes sense. Any type of trauma could lead to overreactive responses! Like total aversion, or total bodily shut-downs!”

Leviathan thought back to the abduction and Turquoise’s total freeze. “Did you deal with trauma like that, Turquoise?” Leviathan asked, blue eyes concerned. He wanted to suck the magic out of this pony, this was true. But couldn’t the butcher feel sympathy for the cow he slaughters?

“My name’s not Turquoise, you know. It’s Starlane.” Leviathan didn’t push it.

“This would be a lot faster if we flew, you know,” Amber spoke later in the journey. Leviathan groaned.

“We can’t all fly! Two Unicorns, remember?” The Changeling said, irate.

“Right, but there’s three flying creatures and two non-flying creatures. Can’t we just pick them up? Fly them to our destination?” Was she trying to ruin the plan? Leviathan felt his eye twitch.

“I have a thing about people grabbing me, actually,” Starlane/Not Turquoise spoke up, the first time since Leviathan asked that awfully-timed question.

“You ponies,” Amber dismissed, “Always so sensitive.”

Day two was coming to a close. As the ponies and Amber made their way toward yet another marker in the forest, the familiar chill of nighttime in Everfree made its way across the creatures’ skin, causing them all to shiver.

“We’ll set up camp for the night here,” Starlane decided for everyone. No one argued, collecting sticks and leaves to weave together two more tent-like structures for the night.

“Oh!” Hibiscus spoke up mid-build. “Where will Amber sleep?” It was a fair question but Leviathan already knew the answer.

“I don’t sleep with ponies.” Cobalt chuckled at the joke to be made there. “I’ll set up my own spot away from you colorful mongrels.”

Satisfied with that answer, Hibiscus continued her building until the small tent for her and Cobalt was complete. “Oh!” Yet another question from the pretty pink Unicorn! Leviathan was getting tired of it, to be frank. “Are we going to sleep in the same arrangements as last night?”

“Yeah, because Hibiscus snores and I could use a break from that,” Cobalt laughed, looking at the other two stallions in a silent plea to switch sleeping arrangements.

“I snore too,” Starlane said simply, adding the final touches on his tent, yawning in finale. “We keep the same arrangements. Goodnight.”

No room to argue, Leviathan figured. He shrugged at the blue and pink pair, much to Cobalt’s chagrin, who groaned loudly before retiring inside his own structure.

Peeking inside, Starlane looked to be asleep, so the Changeling once more made his way deeper into the forest, where the three ponies couldn’t see him, and fetched his crystal ball to speak to his mother, updating her on where they were in the journey.

“Sweetest!” Syrup dripped from her voice, red eyes slits, clearly drunk on magic. “How is my sugar plum? Are you bringing me my dinner?”

Leviathan didn’t bother transforming tonight. He didn’t want to risk Amber seeing him and teasing him, or worse, telling those ponies. “We’re about a day away. Maybe a little longer. I ran into an old friend and she’s insisted on joining the party.”

Lilith clapped, giggling at the news. “Oh, please tell me it’s Amber! I told you she was a catch!” Leviathan rolled his eyes. “Well, be on your way, darling. Don’t let those ponies get to you with their emotional… stuff. I’ve heard that their Princess promotes friendship! A magical kind of it!”

Leviathan paused at that. Magical friendship? “Okay, well goodnight Mother,” the prince smiled through the crystal ball, his mother waving lazily before her picture faded off of the small sphere, leaving the Pegasus alone in the dark. He took a deep breath and made his way back toward the tent.

Once again that feeling started pooling in his gut. The yearning for something. Maybe he would wake Hibiscus and tell her about this feeling. She always seemed to know how ponies’ emotions worked. Maybe his were similar?

Magical friendship sounded like something fulfilling. Would he have to feed on Unicorns and other magical creatures if he was already creating magic by making friends? Could Changelinges even make friends? King Thorax from a neighboring hive had unlocked his new form through friendship or something, right? No longer feeding on parasitic love. Leviathan wanted that, he decided. After he brought the ponies to the hive, he’d find a way to create friendship within the Changeling community. Mother wouldn’t argue, would she? She wanted to provide for the nation, not fight it. She would be happy to have an infinite food source that they didn’t have to lure back to the hive over a three-day journey!

Pfft! What a joke. Leviathan let out a loud sigh as he stepped inside the tent, nearly jumping out of his skin as he saw Starlane sitting up, looking right at him.

“You’re awake,” Was all he said, looking at the Unicorn. There was a nod in response. Starlane looked tired.

“Where did you go?”

“I had to pee,” Leviathan provided, still standing at the tent’s entrance. “Why are you awake? Aren’t you tired?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh,” Leviathan slowly made his way over to his roommate, sitting beside him. “Sorry I made you wait. Why did you want to talk?”

Starlane took a deep breath, opening and closing his mouth several times before finally deciding on what to say. “I wanted to thank you for bringing me to this cure. Even if it doesn’t work, no one’s ever actually tried to help me.”

Uh oh. Leviathan didn’t want to get attached to the stallion, he just wanted his magic. That yearning feeling felt even stronger as Starlane kept talking.

“And I wanted to thank you for flying me out of the volcano.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Leviathan tried to shut down the emotional confession, but it was too late. The ball was already rolling.

“I had a tough childhood if you couldn’t guess,” Starlane nodded toward his back, where Leviathan finally noticed a starburst scar right on his side, where his own wings attached to his body. “Ponies pinned me down. Hurt me. Whatever.”

Leviathan was in absolute shock at the confession. Ponies were capable of violence? “Why would they do that?” He breathed, eyebrows furrowed so tightly, they might have become one single brow.

Starlane shrugged, looking away. “Who knows? Goodnight.”

The purple stallion turned over, facing away from the green Pegasus as he let himself fall asleep. Leviathan was left alone in the darkness of the tent, mouth agape as he understood what he had just been told.

That yearning feeling nearly burned him as he overthought the small conversation he had just been privy to. This Unicorn was a stranger in all aspects, and yet he was appreciative of the small gestures Leviathan made to earn his trust. Ponies were complicated. Why did he want to be so close to a pony he was meant to bring back as a feast?

Leviathan turned over, sure that this feeling would disappear in the morning. Hibiscus could satisfy the feelings, he was sure. Starlane would be the infinite meal for the hive and Hibiscus could be Leviathan’s personal solution to these strange feelings he was dealing with so often these days.

The Changeling lay down beside the purple stallion, pressing closer against him tonight than previously.

Author's Note

bonding :) also fun backstory on amber/leviathan, right? i plan to write some oneshots/short stories about all these characters and their individual dynamics once I'm done with this, plus some canon stuff too bc i cant resist some fav ships of mine. hope u enjoy!

Chapter Seven

Irradiance was in trouble. Two days with this new character in his life and suddenly all of his mantras about how it was better to live alone were flying out the metaphorical window. Waking up before Emerald Shield, the stallion narrowly avoided stepping on the other pony as he made his way out of the tent and treated himself to his morning rations.

“He’s charming, isn’t he?” A voice called from one of the trees above the tent. Irradiance nearly jumped out of his skin as he shot his head up to confront the voice.

Amber had woken up. Celestia knew how long she’d been awake at this point in the day. It was hard to tell when it was exactly dawn in Everfree, but Irradiance knew enough to understand he’d trained his body to wake up as the sun rose. So it was close enough.

“Who’s charming?” Irradiance dismissed the comment, tossing his saddlebag over his back mindlessly, shaking free a piece of hair that got caught in the straps.

“Emmy,” Amber clarified, flying down and landing right beside the Unicorn. He readied his horn with the purple magic in preparation for another sudden attack by the Dragon. “Oh, please. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Right,” Irradiance scoffed, glaring at the golden Dragon.

“He’s not all he says he is, you know,” Amber mentioned, drawing Irradiance in. He cursed himself at his curiosity, looking expectantly at the beast, wanting to hear more. “He and I didn’t last long. Not because of anything I did wrong, but because he’s awful at telling the truth. You’re made for each other, I think.”

Irradiance laughed out loud at that, “Made for each other? What, because we’re sharing sleeping arrangements for the trip to the monument?”

“Because you’re both lying. Starlane? Really?” Amber laughed, “Ponies have silly names but none of them have something as far-fetched as that.

Irradiance spluttered, cheeks reddening. Obviously, he knew he was lying about his name, He didn’t trust these ponies! Two of them were awful at following directions into a mysterious forest, one was a royal guard who was looking for mysterious ingredients, and now there was a Dragon in the mix! Why would he tell them all his real name? What was the point? He was never going to see them again after this. He would cure his curse and find his way back into society. Maybe even become a royal sorcerer.

“Are you guys ready to go, already?” Cobalt called from his tent, looking over at Amber and Irradiance. “I’m starving. Once we make it to this monument can we get breakfast at a real restaurant?” The blue Pegasus groaned, stomach following shortly behind with a loud grumble. Irradiance let out a small chuckle, throwing one more uneasy glance at Amber before shaking the two tents with his deep purple magic.

“It’s dawn, let’s go!” He called out, waking Emerald and Hibiscus. After last night, Irradiance felt uneasy walking beside the former pony; would he think any less of the Unicorn stallion after he revealed why he’d been so strange after the Dragon attack? It was a fair response after having a traumatic experience as a child, Irradiance thought. If he was weird about it that was his fault! The purple Unicorn had no reason to feel ashamed!

“Hey, are you okay?” A pink hoof tapped on Irradiance’s shoulder, spooking him.

Hibiscus Dream, green eyes soft, was looking at Irradiance. He smiled appreciatively at the other Unicorn. She and Cobalt had been there when he’d first explained the crystals and the scars on his sides. She was such an empathetic mare and the purple stallion was just the slightest bit grateful she had come along for the journey.

“Yeah, I’m alright. I just dropped some details on Emerald, last night,” Irradiance explained.

“Oh, is that why he left earlier?” Hibiscus tilted her head. Irradiance thought to the moment of absence before their talk. He shook his head.

“No, he said he had to pee.” Hibiscus’s face shifted to something Irradiance couldn’t name.

“Hm, alright. Oh!” Her face lit up, magenta hair flying away from her face. “Another day! We can guess more letters!”

“Oh, awesome!” Cobalt chimed from behind the brightly-colored pair. “I’ll go first–”

“Remember which letters we guessed yesterday,” Hibiscus stopped the stallion before he could guess. “Um… T, O, and A have all been guessed. And we can’t go in alphabetical order.”

Emerald Shield made his appearance, walking alongside Amber, who had made her way toward the back of the group as Irradiance and Hibiscus chatted. “Does it start with a G?” He shook his head, smiling at the first guess. He’d pick a name starting with G today.

“What about Z?” Cobalt asked. Hibiscus shot him a look. “What? We might as well get rid of the end of the alphabet!” Fair strategy, Irradiance considered.

“Okay, um…” Hibiscus thought. “I don’t think it starts with a consonant… how about I?”

Irradiance froze, halting his slow venture into the forest.

“It’s I! Your name starts with an I!” Emerald cried, enthusiastically flying into the air. His blue eyes glittered in the small glints of light shining through the canopy.

“Why are you making them guess letters?” Amber asked, red eyes squinted. She did not like Irradiance, the stallion decided. That was fine; he didn’t like her either.

“He never let us know his name but we were curious, so he’s making us guess one letter a day until we got it right, which we did!” Emerald hovered in front of the Unicorn, grinning wildly. Irradiance felt if he looked into his blue eyes for too long, he might fall in love.

Maybe that was the lack of pony connection for ten years or maybe it was genuine attraction, he couldn’t tell. All Irradiance knew was that Emerald was a very handsome pony and that he would have no issue if their sleeping arrangements became sleeping arrangements.

“Do we guess the second letter now?” Cobalt asked, gold eyes looking toward the stallion intently. Irradiance hadn’t thought about that. Clearly, the ponies were enjoying guessing his name, huh? He thought for a moment, humming to himself.

“Sure, why not.”

“Can we do hangpony rules?” Cobalt asked once more, leaning forward expectantly. “Like, if there’s more than one letter you tell us?”

“Ooh, good one, Cobalt!” Hibiscus agreed. Emerald just smiled, waiting for an answer. Irradiance nodded, resulting in cheers from the trio.

Amber just rolled her ruby eyes, watching the small group of ponies from behind. “You confuse me. Guessing names? Why not just tell each other?”

“It’s more fun this way,” Emerald explained, not looking at the Dragon as he responded. Irradiance wondered how much there was to their relationship.

All eyes were on the purple stallion and he spelled his name in his head quickly, recounting how many of each letter there was, “There are two I’s.”

“Can we know how many letters there are?” Irradiance shook his head. “Darn,” Hibiscus kicked the dirt with a hoof, thinking for a moment. “Is the second letter… an M?” A shake of the head.

Cobalt and Emerald didn’t speak for a moment, each thinking. “Is it an R?” Amber guessed from her place in the group, startling Irradiance.

“Woah, it is an R!” Cobalt gawked.

“How did you guess that?” Emerald asked, clearly confused. Amber just smirked.

“Haven’t you all heard of the pony that went missing? It made the news across most of Equestria. It was a tragedy when Celestia lost a student. His name was plastered on all sorts of posters. I saw it in every nation I visited.”

Irradiance cursed. That wasn’t fair. That’s how she knew he was a liar about his name, wasn’t it? The stallion sped up, swallowing angrily. “That’s enough guessing!!”

There were “awws” of disappointment and Emerald sped up to keep in line with Irradiance, “Come on, buddy! You can tell me your name. I’ll keep it a secret!” He whispered the last line, blue eyes sparkling. Irradiance grinned. He leaned close to Emerald’s ear and took a breath before speaking, causing the other pony to shudder. One point Irradiance, zero Emerald.

“My name’s actually Ornament,” He whispered, holding a hoof up to the guard’s ear to prevent the others from hearing. Emerald just scoffed and pulled away, rolling his eyes.

The journey continued, mundane and long. There was about a day’s walk left and the group was losing energy after the initial joint excitement about finding this curing monument. Irradiance found himself gaining curiosity about what exactly awaited him at the edge of the forest.

“You said you knew a pony with this curse, right?” The Unicorn asked suddenly, causing the rest of his troupe to look up, waiting for an answer. Emerald seemed caught off guard.

“Uh, yeah,” He thought back, likely recalling exactly the process in which she had been cured. “She had touched this… thing, and it caused her horn to end up being a big crystal.”

“Thing?” Irradiance cocked an eyebrow. “Was it a tree?” Emerald nodded.

“Yeah, it was a tree in the forest. She got curious and touched it. Caused the curse to set in place, and stuff.” His voice sounded a lot less confident since the original encounter. Irradiance couldn’t help but continue to probe.

“And how did she find out about the monument? Was she the one that told you about it?” Something felt off about this all of a sudden. Not enough to turn around, but enough to want to know more.

“I told him about it,” Amber suddenly butted in, causing Emerald to look more relieved. “I travel the forest and surrounding towns to scope out any enemies and ways to mark our borders. I saw the giant thing in the forest and ended up exploring. I dropped one of the crystals I was snacking on on top of it, and it turned the thing into a normal rock.”

That… made a surprising amount of sense. If this incident happened several years ago, then it made sense the pair would confide in each other about things they found in the forest. “Oh,” Irradiance said, smartly. “Well, that’s neat.”

Emerald huffed a loud laugh, “Neat? That’s a good one. You’ve been so articulate thus far into the journey, and now you’re just saying ‘neat?’” The green Pegasus teased, clearly amused at the change in mood.

“Oh, please. Coming from the pony that said thou.” Irradiance fired back, rolling his eyes.

There were a few laughs and Emerald’s face reddened. “That was proper speak for a Dragon Lord! I wanted to appear professional!”

“You did sound ridiculous,” Amber agreed with the former stallion, smiling at the mention of their introductions, “I have never spoken like that in my life!” The yellow Dragon claimed.

Emerald just groaned, admitting defeat and pushing his ears backward on his head. He couldn’t defend himself further and lacked a clever response to further irritate Irradiance.

Once more, the group settled into silence as they made their way through the forest, everything much darker now than at the start of the journey. If they were nearly there, should things start getting light soon?

Irradiance was lost in his thoughts again, thinking back to last night and his short conversation with Emerald. If they stopped again tonight, extending the journey by another day, would the group really hate him? Would it be so bad to lengthen the short journey and savor the moments with this pony he’s grown infatuated with? He was a victim! Even the Dragon Lord knew it! No one would blame him if he asked to pause and wait another day. Maybe the cure wasn’t necessary in the end. Irradiance had gone this long without a cure, right? Couldn’t he suck it up and just live like this for a little while longer?

“AH!” Lost in his thoughts and unfocused on the ground in front of him, Irradiance was soon met with a face full of dirt as he tripped over a root, twisting his front hoof and smashing his face into the forest floor.

“Oh, my Celestia!” Hibiscus rushed to the aid of the Unicorn, helping him up with pink magic that originated from her horn, “Are you alright, Ornament?”

Irradiance couldn’t help but laugh. It was incredible how these ponies managed to only use the updated name he gave them each time they asked. As he went to place his left hoof back on the ground, he let out a pathetic whimper.

“Maybe we should take a break,” Cobalt suggested, reaching toward Irradiance to see what healing salves he had in his saddlebag. There was a bottle labeled “sprains.”

“What?” Emerald looked visibly upset at this suggestion. “But there’s just a little bit left to walk! I can help you if you need it!” Irradiance disliked this response. Why was Cobalt the empathetic one here?

“I think we should sit for at least an hour,” Hibiscus stated, opening the bottle and pulling out some of the salve with her magic, spreading it across Irradiance’s front hoof, the area already red and somewhat swollen. “He needs the medicine to set in. Once he’s feeling better we can keep things moving, okay?”

Begrudgingly, the group came to an agreement. Irradiance let himself lay on the forest floor beneath a nearby tree, limping to his resting place. The others all busied themself with exploration around the current location, others also sat and rested.

Getting injured wasn’t ideal, Irradiance knew this. Glancing around at the others, he could see he was becoming a burden. It was his curse that needed curing. The others didn’t need to be here! Emerald seemed like he was actually growing tired of leading the small collection of characters around. Irradiance needed to lose this newfound infatuation sooner rather than later.

Just as he thought the salve was taking effect, thunder crashed overhead. A storm had arrived.

Author's Note

i LOVE the random names I give irradiance. its my favorite running joke in this fic. also cliche silly little main character injury! hmmmm i wonder if we'll run into any new ponies? gotta find out tomorrow :p

Chapter Eight

“We need to find shelter,” Hibiscus decided, looking around as she felt the first drop of rain on her muzzle. Leviathan twisted his mouth in conflict.

“I’ll fly up and scope out a cavern or something,” The Changeling said, looking around at the others, receiving nods in agreement. Extending his green wings, the Pegasus took flight and began soaring forward in search of a place to stay while the storm passed.

The rain was slowly picking up and it stung against the green Pegasus’ face as he watched trees grow into what appeared to be a lush swamp, bugs flying freely through large hives before the rain could force them all into hiding. As Leviathan continued his venture, he squinted as he looked down to the ground below and saw several structures that appeared to be hollowed-out trees. Perfect! Turning around in the sky, Leviathan headed back to the group of ponies and Amber to notify them of the direction of shelter.

“Did the medicine start working, yet?” Cobalt could be heard from where Leviathan was, his voice always so loud. The blue Pegasus was standing beside Ornament, blue wing outstretched over his head to protect him from the drizzle that was steadily growing heavier. The rain was washing off the medicine and if they didn’t find shelter soon, they’d have to wait out the pain to go away on its own. Ornament had only packed one of each medicine under the impression that the trip would be short and unstressful.

“No,” Ornament groaned, green eyes shut as he tried to ignore the pulsing pain in his hoof. Leviathan quickly touched down and notified his companions of the nearest location where they could hide from the storm.

“There’s a swamp just about a few minutes that way,” Leviathan pointed with a green hoof, shaking his wings out from the rain they’d collected. “If we fly those that can’t fly on their own over there, we’ll be able to take shelter in no time.”

Ornament froze, eyes darting between Amber, Cobalt, and Emerald/Leviathan, the only Pegasi present. His gaze shifted to Hibiscus next, both ponies seemingly unsure of the flight arrangements.

“I can carry Ornament,” Leviathan said swiftly, almost suspiciously fast. The other ponies looked over at him and silently agreed. Cobalt decided he’d fly Hibiscus (childhood friends, go figure) and Amber was on watch to make sure no one fell off mid-flight.

“I’ll watch, but I’m not catching any icky ponies,” The golden Dragon had said, face twisted up in annoyance. Leviathan knew Amber well and he knew that was a lie. She may not like the pony species, but she wouldn’t let an innocent creature get hurt on purpose.

Shuffling over to the purple stallion, Leviathan felt something in his gut start to grow more and more difficult to stomach. He needed to regroup mentally; his job was to lure these ponies to the Hive and henceforth feed off of them for the foreseeable future, until another Element Tree was discovered, or until they had another magical pony to tide them over. Leviathan had been assigned the role of royal guard as a disguise and background when he eventually met this stallion, assuming he’d ask questions. Leviathan had not been instructed to start developing a conscience!

Even as a guard, Leviathan had avoided being assigned a personal guard to any of the royalty out of fear of pony feelings. Attachment was fine; he and Amber had been attached at the hip for a while. Genuine emotion, however? That was off-limits. It was unpredictable and nothing a Changeling was supposed to deal with! This prince was a magic devourer! Destroyer of worlds! Or at least, of ponies! He couldn’t deal with all these strange emotions. Wasn’t it Hibiscus that he had felt strange over, initially? Ponies often fell into groups of stallions and mares, not stallions and stallions. Though, there was that billboard he’d seen in Canterlot just last month… and that magazine of adult nature…

“Hey,” A voice snapped him out of his off-topic thoughts and Leviathan flushed so red, he might as well have burst into flames at that moment. Ornament was looking at him with pain and confusion on his face. “What’s wrong with you?”

Leviathan spluttered, shaking his wings off, not realizing they’d begun to perk up slightly, which only caused his face to redden more! “I’m fine!” Shoot. His voice cracked in the middle of that. Clearing his throat, the Pegasus tried again, voice steadier this time, “I’m fine. Are you ready to go?”

Ornament looked quite off-put, but he said nothing else and nodded, limping toward Leviathan, who felt his stomach drop at the pitiful motion.

When they’d first met, Ornament had seemed so arrogant! Even prior to now he’d made fun of the Changeling’s speech! Now he was reduced to an injury.

“It’ll be a couple of minutes and we’ll be there. Hold on,” With the Unicorn on his back, Leviathan extended his wings and took off, smirking at the sudden yelp and tightening of hooves around his neck. The flight really was short now that Leviathan knew where he was headed. Directly toward the Hive, and then a sharp right and down, where the trees tapered into bushes and vines, and the grass turned to marshland. There were several trees that appeared to have pony-made windows, the leaves decorated with ornaments (haha, how coincidental of a name choice!), and the surrounding area was greener than the natural swamp environment.

“What’s that?” A purple hoof pointed down at something moving in the bushes near the tree-homes. There was no figure, just motion.

“Probably some animal?” Leviathan suggested as he touched down, making sure to look out as Cobalt and Amber followed behind. All five creatures were soon safely on the ground and the storm was nearly full-force. The wind was shaking the vines, the sound so loud it nearly caused the group not to hear each other. “This way! Into this tree!” Leviathan shouted, using his wings to channel his voice toward those behind him.

Pink, blue, yellow, and purple all rushed into the tall tree structure, followed by Leviathan, who shut the entrance with a nearby bookcase, shutting the group off to both rain and wind.

“Did the medicine all come off in the rain?” Hibiscus approached, investigating the swollen black and crystalline hoof. The pink Unicorn frowned as she observed that all of the salve had, in fact, disappeared in the rainy trip over.

“We can just wait it out,” Cobalt assured, not looking at all stressed. “There’s no rush to get to the monument, right? Maybe you’ll feel better once the storm is over!”

Amber puffed a cloud of smoke out of her nostrils, tapping one foot on the ground impatiently. “And how long could that take? This forest is enchanted! Storms could last for days!” Her ruby eyes shone in annoyance. She was right, Leviathan knew. Storms could last days or even minutes. The length was entirely random.

“We’ll just have to wait and see, then. It’s up to Ornament,” Hibiscus defended, turning back toward the Unicorn in question.

“That name’s awful,” Ornament stated simply, sitting down and huffing loudly. “We’ll wait here until the rain either passes or becomes light enough to travel through. You can guess more letters while we wait.”

Cobalt and Hibiscus absolutely lit up, eyes glittering despite the dark weather outside. Leviathan laughed, recounting which letters they’d guessed already. “Okay, so we have an I, an R…”

“What’s next?” Cobalt thought, sitting down on the dirt floor as well, making himself comfortable in the time the group would spend stuck in this spot.

“Ooh!” Hibiscus leaned forward. “Try another R! All the words starting with IR that I can think of usually have two of them in it. Like irritate, irritant…” She paused for a moment, green eyes looking around in thought. “Those are all the words I can think of right now, actually.”

Ornament made a face. Leviathan grinned. “She’s right, isn’t she?” The purple Unicorn nodded slowly.

“Yes!” Cobalt cheered, flying up a few feet before touching back down. “Amber, why don’t you guess any more letters?”

“No! She’s not allowed to play, remember!” Ornament suddenly shouted, standing up too fast and falling forward as he put too much pressure on his twisted hoof. One would think crystals couldn’t feel pain! “She knows my name already. No Amber guesses allowed.”

With an eye roll and a crossing of her arms, the Dragon Lord just sat herself beside the blue Pegasus, satisfied with just spectating the guessing game. “I’ll just guess which pony guesses the name first,” She looked at the three options, her eyes landing hungrily on Leviathan. “Emmy,” She decided, “I bet you’ll guess the name first.”

Hibiscus groaned. “Whatever,” She said, stretching her legs, “I’m a sore loser and if I don’t guess the name first, I’ll never talk to any of you again!”

There was a moment of silence in the tree and the rain and wind beat against the bark outside. It had been two days since the ponies had begun their trip and no one had discussed the plans for after the journey was complete.

Of course, Leviathan knew there was no after. He would deliver Ornament to his Hive, feed off his magic, and imprison the other two until they were necessary. Hibiscus would become his personal therapist, or whatever he wanted to do to her so he could stop feeling so emotional! Amber would come along and probably be a victim of his mother’s lectures about betrothed and marriage and alliance. Cobalt could work the mines. Tartarus knew he looked buff enough to play the part and his mind was already full of rocks! Surely he’d want to be surrounded by more.

“After we reach the monument,” Ornament thought for a moment, drawing everyone’s attention to him, “I’m going to go back to the Magic Academy. I’m going to find Moonshine and Sunny Daze, sue them for all their bits, and then bulldoze anything memorializing my disappearance.”

Cobalt guffawed, gold eyes bulging in shock, “You’re telling me you don’t want something honoring you? A big picture of you that says you’re important?” Ornament shook his head firmly.

“It’s just something that tells everyone I was too cowardly to fight back against bullies. They hurt me and what, I ran away?”

Hibiscus shook her head, “You were a child! You didn’t know what else to do! Don’t act like your reaction wasn’t valid.” Definitely keeping Hibiscus as a therapist. Ornament just sighed,

“Right, sure.”

“After we get to the monument and Ornament gets cured, I’m going to go back to Canterlot and become your personal Wonderbolt!” Cobalt declared, hoof on his heart.

“What does that even mean?” Ornament asked.

“It means I’ll be there for you! This is such a fun adventure! We can be like the old heroes of Equestria and all be friends and live in a cool castle! I’ll be the awesome daring one!”

Hibiscus, Amber, and Ornament erupted into laughter. For different reasons, Leviathan was sure. “That makes no sense!” Ornament managed through giggles. Leviathan felt his stomach twist up.

“It makes perfect sense!” Cobalt defended, expression irritated, brows furrowed as he began to pout at the reactions of the other ponies. “You guys are just mean!”

“Ugh, once we get to your destination I am never speaking with another pony,” Amber decided, wiping away a tear from one of her eyes.

What was a Changeling to do? Leviathan felt his emotions becoming more and more uncontrollable, always due to Ornament’s actions, expressions, and reactions. The purple stallion was frustrating and funny, pretty and interesting, soft…

“Dude,” Cobalt awkwardly spoke up, expression almost fearful. “Do you need to deal with something?” The blue Pegasus had gotten over his frustration at his companions’ lack of understanding and now was looking right at Leviathan, whose wings were sticking right. Up. In. The. Air.

“Woah,” Ornament said, devolving into more laughter as he looked at the green Pegasus from across the almost-circle the creatures were sitting in. “Seriously, what’s wrong with you, Emerald? You thinking about somepony special?” The stallion’s face pouted cartoonishly, speaking with a baby-talk voice toward the end of it. Leviathan groaned, which sounded a lot worse presently considering his situation. It came out almost whiny.

“Woah!” Cobalt was standing up now, mouth agape. “Maybe he’s thinking about you, Ornament!”

“I have to go to the bathroom!” Leviathan stood up, attempting to force his wings back against his red-hot body.

“I’m sure you do,” Hibiscus chuckled, holding a hoof over her mouth as she watched the green Pegasus make his way out of the tree in shame.

Ugh. Emotion. This reaction wasn’t uncommon; bodily reactions were something all Changelings dealt with privately and it was nothing new. The fact that this had occurred because Leviathan was in fact thinking about the purple Unicorn was new.

“His name’s Irradiance, by the way.”

“Amber!” Leviathan hissed, turning around to scold his friend. She’d followed him out of the tree and into the forest where the Changeling had thought he’d be in private! He didn’t actually have to use the bathroom, of course, but the invasion of privacy was still unwanted!

“What? You were definitely thinking about him. You keep looking at him, doing what makes him comfortable… this is nothing like what you were like when we were together,” The golden Dragon remarked. Her voice didn’t contain any malice or any evidence of a grudge held against the stallion. Just an observation she’d made.

Leviathan groaned once more, not letting it turn into a wanting moan at the end this time. “I don’t know what to do!” He cried, face pained. He began pacing, panicked and unsure of how to explain, “I have been feeling like this since the start of the trip. Mother asked me to lure him to the Hive and so I am! So why am I feeling like I don’t want to?”

Amber, the angry and cold Dragon. The Dragon Lord herself, rather, with no connections and no obvious emotional ties. Golden features melted into a sympathetic smile, brows drawn in understanding, “Leviathan,” She started with a sigh. “Do you know what love is?”

Author's Note

AHHHH character growth PLUS finally! mentioned love!!! this is my first time ever writing my attempt at a slow-burn romance fic. the romance isn't the central purpose necessarily, but i really wanted to write it. it'll get heavier in the themes as we continue and both characters learn how they feel and wonder whether its just finally liking someone as a friend or actual love. for now though, amber's at least noticed that leviathan is definitely feeling something. enjoy!!!!

Chapter Nine

Emerald Shield was a complex creature, Irradiance decided at that moment. Sitting alone on the floor of a hollowed-out tree, the purple stallion had witnessed the leader of this adventure crumble into embarrassment.

“Woah,” Hibiscus managed after the angry exit of Emerald Shield, followed by Amber. “Maybe he really was thinking about you, Ornament!”

That name was getting old. “You guys really need to guess my name. We’re almost at the moment. If we get there and you haven’t figured it out, I’m not telling you.”

Gasps followed the declaration and Irradiance felt a grin split across his face. He was having fun with these ponies! Secretly, he knew he didn’t want to say goodbye to them after the trip. But realistically, there was nothing tying them together other than this joint adventure that Cobalt and Hibiscus didn’t even need to come on! They’d just decided to join because what? They pitied Irradiance?

“You can’t never tell us!” Hibiscus whined, standing up and stomping a pink hoof on the ground.

“I can do whatever I want! I’ve got trauma,” Irradiance pouted exaggeratedly, his bottom lip sticking out as far as he could manage before his face returned to a mischievous grin.

Irradiance thought of another name to have the group call him. Something close to the answer, but not, to throw off their next guesses. “You guys should call me… Crystal!”

“That’s a pretty name,” Hibiscus deadpanned, expression still one of frustration.

“Why can’t I remember your name?” Cobalt thought, looking down at his hooves. “I literally saw the poster of you. Every time I visited Hibiscus I’d see the memorial poster! Is this some sort of weird magic trick you’re playing on us?” The blue Pegasus gasped suddenly, making Irradiance jump. “Did you charm us to never know your name?”

“No!” He defended quickly, rolling his eyes. These ponies were ridiculous. “I didn’t charm you not to know my name. If you know it and don’t remember, that’s your fault.”

The absence of Emerald and Amber was drawing long and Irradiance was growing impatient. They should continue the journey; the rain was letting up now to a light sprinkle and his sprained hoof was feeling much less painful. The stallion stood up slowly, putting pressure on his injured hoof last, relieved when the pulsing pain that followed was nearly gone.

“Oh, excellent!” Hibiscus cheered, smiling happily. “Your hoof is better! Once Emerald Shield and Amber come back we can start heading toward the monument again!”

That gnawing feeling of not wanting the journey to end crept up on Irradiance again. The rain had granted his wish and extended the trip for a few more hours, but what were hours in the grand scheme of things? Not enough, Irradiance answered himself silently.

“You should go look for him,” Hibiscus said suddenly, watching carefully as the stallion got lost in thought. “That’s what you were thinking about, right?”

Irradiance rolled his eyes, taking a couple of steps toward the exit and removing the bookshelf that had been slid back after Emerald’s departure. “No, actually, I was thinking about being famous and owning a giant castle where none of you would be allowed in.”

Cobalt scoffed, “Yeah, right. You secretly like us!”

“Whatever,” The purple stallion brushed off, looking outside of the tree for where the remaining two creatures might be located. “I am going to go look for Emerald and Amber, actually. Not because you suggested it, but because I want to get moving and get these stupid crystals off of me!” Flushed, Irradiance made his exit and began searching for the Pegasus and Dragon duo.

Not far off between the bushes in the swamp, gold and green were beside each other and Irradiance was relieved to know they were right nearby. Walking toward the pair of creatures, Irradiance was suddenly struck with fear as a masked monster suddenly popped up from the marsh below.

“AH!” He shouted suddenly, stepping back and nearly falling into the mud and water behind him.

“Irradiance!” Emerald shouted, running over to see what was the matter with his companion.

Still shocked at the bug-masked figure before him, Irradiance almost let the name slip his mind. He would deal with that after he confronted his attacker! “Who are you? What are you doing here?!”

The mask tilted to the side before yellow hooves reached up and removed it, giving way to giggles. A yellow pony was revealed with a deeper yellow curly mane, pushed into a large bun atop the pony’s head, her tail braided thickly.

“What am I doing here?” The yellow pony parroted, “What are you doing here?” Slinging the mask around her neck, the pony stepped forward, shoving a hoof in the purple stallion’s chest. “You were invading my home! Where did you come from, and what is wrong with your horn?”

Invading? Home? Irradiance looked behind this yellow pony at Emerald, who looked very panicked, before putting things together.

“The tree we took shelter in!” Irradiance recalled, eyes widening. “That’s where you live?”

The yellow pony nodded, still looking accusatory, “Yes! It is! And you all waltzed inside like you own the place!

Irradiance had heard the stories about the ancient Pillars: they were six ponies that complimented the Elements of Harmony, one of which was Mage Meadowbrook, an Earth Pony that had lived in the forest and sported one of these bug masks in her efforts to cure one of the diseases that affected ponies within her village.

It had been over a thousand years since Meadowbrook had been last seen. It made sense that there would be relatives of any pony, but a Pillar? That was rare. Irradiance was a solitary pony with too much time alone, though, and rampant thoughts were a mastered talent for the stallion. “You’re a mage,” Irradiance said simply.

“A what?” Amber piped up, flying up to the side of Emerald.

“AH!” The yellow mare shouted, turning to face the new enemy. “A Dragon! Back, foul beast!” The pony put her mask back on her face, crouching into a fighting stance.

Irradiance shook his head, taking another step forward as he explained his sudden inference, “A mage. They’re potionmakers and healers found within the forest. I’ve never come across any in my time living here, but I’ve never ventured into the swamp, much less one of the villages they usually inhabit,” Irradiance turned to the mare, “What’s your name?”

He had been touchy for most of the trip, Irradiance would acknowledge that. But this was the first time he had snuck up on someone, not the other way around. Cobalt, Hibiscus, and Emerald had all decided to join Irradiance on this journey, jumping him with it suddenly. This mare, alone in the forest, had been surprised as well. It was the purple Unicorn’s decided purpose to be kind to her and let her know she was understood.

“You’re from the forest?” The mare asked, not removing her mask yet. Her voice was slightly muffled under the bug mask, but Irradiance could hear her fine.

“I’ve been living out here for years. The ponies of Canterlot pushed me out, so.”

The mare nodded slowly, slowly removing the mask and looking at the stallion with a somber stare, “Me too.”

The green Pegasus’ eyes darted between the two ponies before he spoke up, sounding almost upset, “Wow! Similarities! That’s cool,” His face gave away the irritation that was below the surface. “Are you okay, Irradiance? You shouted.”

“You told him?” Irradiance snapped at Amber, almost snarling as he recalled the sudden knowledge of his actual name by Emerald Shield. The yellow mare was forgotten for now, watching the interaction with absolute attention.

Amber rolled her eyes, sighing. “There are layers to this, okay? What’s the harm in a name anyway?” Of course, a Dragon wouldn’t understand boundaries. Irradiance scoffed, turning away from the pair and facing the mage again.

“Sorry about them. What’s your name?”

“Marigold,” The pony said with a soft smile. “Mage Marigold.”

Returning to the tree filled with ponies, Irradiance made small talk on the way back, “Have you been alone all this time?”

Marigold shook her head, “My parents were with me for a while. They didn’t want me to be alone in the forest for my entire banishment.”

“Banishment?” Emerald Shield repeated, dumbfounded at the term. “What were you banished for?”

Marigold took a deep breath before she spoke, kicking the marshy ground as the group walked back, “I come from a community where magic is frowned upon. Which is a long story, but I’m a descendant of a Pillar! I had to honor my roots!” Marigold defended herself as though she was on trial presently. “My community found out I was practicing outlawed magic and, well…”

“They kicked you out?” Amber finished, red eyes flaming. Irradiance was amused at the reactions from both creatures. They’d seemed almost angry at this newcomer, and now they seemed angry at her current state! Such development!

“They didn’t appreciate change and I didn’t want to conform. I returned to the forest, like our ancestors, and eventually, I learned how to do it on my own. Once I was old enough, my parents said goodbye and I’ve been living out here.”

“You never thought to go back?” Irradiance asked, confused at the content with living all alone. Would he be forced to live here forever?

“I considered it,” Marigold nodded, her orangey hair bouncing as she did so. “But I like living out here. I’m comfortable in the elements and even if I did go back, why would I want to be with ponies that didn’t want me? I’d rather find a new community.”

The thought had never once crossed Irradiance’s mind that he didn’t have to go back to Canterlot. In fact, he didn’t have to return to ponies at all. He could join the Dragons, live alone, find a Zebra community… He could even find Marigold’s community and live with them! Irradiance looked down into the puddles left by the rain and stared closely at himself. The horn and hooves that he’d been cursed with had been his entire driving force for a decade. If he gave up the search for a cure and realized that he was content in his appearance, what would happen? Nothing, obviously, but Irradiance had gone this long with the desire to find a cure. What would be his motivation if he threw that away? What would happen to this journey?

Emerald Shield, Cobalt Breeze, and Hibiscus Dream had all joined the party with the explicit goal of finding this curing monument and welcoming Irradiance back into society. They all had hopes and dreams. If the purple stallion suddenly decided he didn’t want to continue onward, what would their reactions be?

“Hey,” Emerald had snuck up on the stallion, walking beside him. “Are you okay?”

Brilliant blue eyes stared into green and Irradiance felt his heart swell. He had spent so long in this forest alone and now he had been given friends (in the loose sense) that he enjoyed being around. Emerald especially!

“Yeah,” Irradiance said quietly, clearing his throat. “Just thinking, is all.”

The forest was growing darker with every minute now, and though he did want to get to the destination, Irradiance couldn’t argue that stopping now and sleeping here was a smarter option than continuing the journey in the dark.

“There you are!” Hibiscus chimed from in front of the tree. “Oh! And who’s this?”

“This is Mage Marigold. We may have accidentally invaded her home by camping out here,” Irradiance explained simply. “She’s been living in the forest alone for about the same amount of time as I have. I think she should join the group.”

Marigold perked up at the offer, smiling. “You should all sleep in the trees for the night,” The yellow mare decided, stepping up to a shelf of branches and retrieving a few blankets and pillows. “I have stuff for guests,” She blew off the items and a puff of dust filled the room, “Though it hasn’t been used in a while.”

“Trees?” Cobalt clarified, “As in, not here?”

Marigold sent the blue Pegasus a blank look, “This is my house. There’s an entire village around here! Pick a tree! Bring a blanket!”

Irradiance laughed, taking a blanket from the yellow Earth Pony and nodding in thanks as he exited her house, making his way over to a neighboring tree of similar size.

“I think there are enough trees for everyone,” Irradiance turned around to see Emerald looking… uneasy.

“What?”

“If you wanted to sleep alone,” The green Pegasus clarified as if Irradiance didn’t understand him. Yikes, this was going to be embarrassing to find an excuse to keep sleeping beside Emerald.

“Uh, actually, I get really cold at night naturally and I’d appreciate you sharing your body heat with me again tonight,” The Pegasus still looked off. Hesitant, maybe. Irradiance backtracked, giving the stallion an out, “Unless you want your own tree, of course!”

Emerald responded just as awkwardly, “No! No, I can share!”

Ignoring the giggles coming from Hibiscus, Irradiance followed Emerald into the tree, settling in for the night.

Author's Note

yippee! another chapter! as i publish this, I'm writing the conclusion! after finishing the writing, i plan to illustrate parts of the chapter. official references can be found for all the characters on tumblr btw under the name celestiasearthponyson! not to self promote lmao but i felt i should share! i did my best at describing each character, but a visual is always so much more helpful! until tomorrow!!!

Chapter Ten

The trip was extended by a day. He’d explain it to his mother and then things would be fine!

Except they weren’t fine. Leviathan was anything but fine! After Amber had explained to him what his emotions might mean, the Changeling was pulling apart at the seams.

“Do you know what love is?”

Leviathan had stared at the golden Dragon, completely lost. “Obviously? Chrysalis’ Hive fed off of love. She almost overthrew the Empress of the Crystal Empire, right?”

Amber had rolled her eyes, “It’s an emotion idiot. Ponies often feel it for their friends or for other ponies they’re really close to and want, uh,” She turned a little pink, “more, from.”

“More?” Leviathan had lifted an eyebrow, a bit confused. Amber tilted her head, gesturing toward the Changeling’s still-stiff wings. Instantly red flushed his cheeks once more. “Oh! Okay, I see.”

Amber just sighed, smiling, “It’s not just that, though. It’s this feeling you get when you really want something but you’re not sure if it would work out if you acted on the feeling.”

Leviathan had been considering what this twisting, yearning feeling in his gut was since early in this trip, and though he hated to admit it, Amber was probably right. He was growing affectionate toward Irradiance. What a beautiful name, he’d thought when Amber had told him. It was mean to spoil the secret before anyone could properly guess, but secretly Leviathan was happy to know it before the other two ponies.

“Oh, I only grabbed one blanket,” Irradiance noticed once the pair were in their designated tree. “Do you want to grab another?”

Absolutely not. I want to sleep right next to you and press really close until I forget I’m supposed to bring you to my mother to be feasted upon until you’re nothing but an emotionless, magicless husk that haunts the halls of my home. “No, I can share.”

The two stallions spread out the blanket, curling up close together as they felt a chilly breeze make its way through a few cracks in the trunk of the tree. Leviathan was glad he was sharing body heat for more than one reason now.

“Uncool that Amber told you my real name,” The Unicorn said once they’d both lay down in the blanket, waiting for sleep to overtake them. “I was having fun making you guys guess. Now you and Amber can both spoil it.”

“Sorry,” Leviathan whispered, feeling the darkness force him into quiet. “It’s a pretty name, though.” A pause. Irradiance had stopped breathing for a moment and it made the Changeling nervous, turning to face him without realizing Irradiance was already turned toward the Pegasus. They were nearly nose to nose now and Leviathan felt himself actively fighting his eyes craving to go lower.

“You think it’s pretty?” Oh, wow. In the darkness of the Everfree Forest, he looked so soft and vulnerable. Purple coat muted, turquoise hair falling upon the pillow in silky strands, Leviathan wanted something he just couldn’t find the words for. He just knew he wanted… more.

“I think it’s beautiful,” Leviathan emphasized, eyes traveling all across the stallion. “I think your curse is beautiful, too. I know I offered a cure, but don’t you think your crystals make you even more enchanting to look at? Like a painting.” It was dark, but Leviathan was sure that the purple before him was turning pink.

“I might start crying if you keep talking,” Irradiance said suddenly, causing the Pegasus to panic, eyes frantic all of a sudden, causing the Unicorn to laugh, “Not in a bad way!”

“Oh, good.”

Irradiance sniffled for a moment, pushing his face further into the pillow, “I haven’t been close with anyone like this in a really long time. Actually, maybe never,” He rolled onto his back, facing straight up as he continued to speak and Leviathan listened intently, “This is new to me. You’re new and it’s kind of scaring me and I don’t want to do anything rash just because I’m enjoying something new.”

Leviathan squinted, trying to understand what the pony was saying, “This is new to me, too.”

Irradiance shook his head, “No, you at least had Amber, no matter what that was like. I’ve never done anything like this. Never felt anything like this.”

“No, Irradiance,” Lifting a hoof to the stallion’s face, he turned Irradiance to face him, “You don’t understand; I have never experienced this before. Not like this.” Without revealing who he was, Leviathan didn’t know how to tell the stallion how different this emotion was and how conflicted he was feeling at all times along the journey. This worked, he decided.

No more words were spoken. Expression wilted, Irradiance pulled himself closer to Leviathan, snuggling against his chest within the confines of the soft blanket, letting himself fall asleep there. The Changeling felt his heart race and prayed that it wouldn’t wake the sleeping beauty between his arms.

Leviathan woke up with a start, inhaling sharply as he saw Amber inside of the tree he was currently sleeping in, Irradiance still cradled in his arms.

“What are you doing in here?” He hissed through clenched teeth, trying to be as quiet as possible. The Dragon looked conflicted.

“Call your mother,” Was all she said, tossing a small ball toward the green Pegasus. “I swiped this from you last night before we came back to the group. I know she checks in nightly.”

“Thank you,” Leviathan breathed, realizing he hadn’t heard the buzzing and then regretting the fact he hadn’t spoken to his mother at all about his ETA to the hive. “Did you speak with her?” Amber nodded her head, walking toward the tree’s exit.

“Yes. I told her we got pushed back on the trip,” She looked down at Irradiance, face twisted up. “If you’re having a change of heart, I don’t disagree. He’s good for you. You should think of a way to turn this around if you haven’t already. I’ll be outside.”

With a swish of her tail, Amber left the pair alone within the tree once more and Leviathan was stuck with his ever-racing thoughts, unsure what to do next.

“Mm,” there was a groan below the Changeling, and he looked down to see Irradiance snuggling even closer against his chest, head tucked beneath the Pegasus’ chin. “Five more minutes.”

Leviathan let out a breathy laugh and felt his stomach jump violently, causing him to sit up and ruin Irradiance’s comfort.

“Hey!” The purple stallion protested, expression falling from anger to concern as he watched Leviathan turn greener than he already was. “Hey, are you okay?”

Leviathan shook his head, feeling as if he were about to throw up or explode. It didn’t matter which was better, honestly. Just as long as this feeling went away! “I think something’s wrong with me.”

The pair stood up, Irradiance folding up Marigold’s blanket with his magic and laying it on the floor as he formed a response, “What do you mean something’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

Leviathan nodded, “Yeah I feel fine,” he assured, thinking of how to articulate his words without giving away the fact he’d been lying about everything this far into the journey. What would even happen? These emotions he was feeling would be useless and Irradiance and his friends would surely toss the Changeling to the side, never seeing him again. Rightfully so, of course, but it still would sting. “Let’s just go check on Marigold. We can talk later.”

Content with the dismissal, the purple stallion picked up the blanket and pillows and made his way out of the tree, back toward where Marigold was sleeping. Cobalt and Hibiscus were already waiting inside, while Amber was leaning against the trunk waiting for Leviathan to show up.

“Did you speak with her?” Amber whispered as Irradiance walked into the tree, out of earshot. Leviathan shook his head. The Dragon groaned, shooting a glare at her friend. “She’ll show up out of nowhere, you know. She popped up in the Dragonlands once when you hadn’t notified her where you’d been in more than 24 hours.”

That would be a nightmare. “I’ll talk to her. Don’t let the others leave the tree until I come back, okay?”

Amber nodded and walked in, greeting the other ponies inside.

Sighing loudly to himself, Leviathan walked to the back of the tree and was silently thankful that there weren’t windows low enough for ponies to look out of. Retrieving the glass marble, Leviathan was quickly met with screeching from his mother.

“Prince Leviathan!” Lilith scolded, syrupy voice raspy from overuse, he imagined. She looked into the crystal ball with a stern expression. “I check in on you nightly. I was told this would be a three-day journey, was I not?”

“You were,” Leviathan confirmed, rolling his eyes. Lilith gasped.

“Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me!” She scoffed, “And transform at once! I can’t bear to look at another pony.”

“I risk being found out if I transform, Mother,” Leviathan covered, looking over his shoulder in anxiety. Would the others wonder where he was? Lilith sighed.

“Fine, remain in your grotesque form. When will you arrive at the Hive? Your citizens grow hungry! You understand that this pony will be able to provide a meal for a millennia, do you not?”

The gnawing sensation in Leviathan’s stomach grew louder. He wanted to speak up to his mother.

I don’t want to feed off of his magic. I want to befriend him! I want to live a life where tricking ponies isn’t my only goal! I want to explore this new emotion and explore it with him! “I understand.”

“Excellent,” The Changeling Queen seemed satiated with the conversation, allowing Leviathan the opportunity to sign off. “What is your estimated arrival time?”

“This evening.”

“Wonderful. Speak to you this evening, then. Farewell, dearest!” The ball dimmed and Leviathan was alone in the forest once more.

Walking back around to the front of the tree, Leviathan steadied himself in preparation for any questions the ponies might ask him.

“You make potions? Like, with just random stuff in the forest?” Leviathan did not expect a full-blown interrogation of Mage Marigold to be taking place. Cobalt looked like he was in absolute awe of the pony before him. The golden pony seemed at ease, no longer as threatened as she was last night when they’d found her in the swamp.

“It’s not from random stuff,” Marigold clarified, walking around and picking up a fern, “These things are magical all on their own! I collect nectar, plants, honey, and even some bones left over from animals long since passed!” She smiled. Living in the swamp seemed to be good for her.

“I get it,” Hibiscus seemed just as entranced as Cobalt. “It’s like the ingredients I see in books at the Academy; someone had to make the recipe before it was published. I guess that’s what you do, right?”

Marigold nodded, necklaces rattling. “I test how items react and I jot them down. I haven’t let anyone use my recipes since I don’t go out much, but if you wanted I could let you try them out on your own?” Hibiscus was awestruck, mouth agape at the offer.

“I would be thrilled to be the first tester of your potions! I mean, I’m sure they already work since you tested them, but to ensure the directions are legible and create the same reactions? Oh, I can’t wait!”

“We should keep going toward the monument,” Leviathan spoke up, causing the five creatures to turn his way. “It’s early and if we keep walking starting now, we’ll be there before sunset!”

There was a murmur of agreement and Leviathan felt something heavy inside of his stomach. This wasn’t something he wanted to keep feeling, like with Irradiance. This was… guilt. He felt guilty. He didn’t want to keep luring these ponies to a terrible demise but what else was there to do?

“Can I come along?” Marigold asked shyly, ears drawn back. “You’re all such nice creatures and I’d hate for you to get lost in the forest! I know the swamp and some areas past, all the way to the Changeling Hive!”

Uh oh, “Changeling Hive?” Irradiance repeated, completely caught off guard. “What hive?”

Marigold cocked her head to the side, “You didn’t know? The direction you’re walking in leads directly to one of the most vicious Changeling Hives in Equestria!” She needed to stop talking or else Leiathan was about to blow his cover. He looked to Amber, panicked, just to see that the Dragon looked just as nervous as the prince!

“Vicious like Queen Chrysalis?” Cobalt asked, similarly as confused as Irradiance.

Marigold shook her head, “Worse. Instead of love, they feed off of magic. Any creature is in danger of not just hypnotism, but death!”

Silence overtook the small group of ponies and Leviathan felt sickness overtake him as green eyes looked right at him, “Why didn’t you tell us about the Changeling Hive?” Irradiance asked.

“Uh,” Leviathan floundered for a minute before regaining his composure, “I thought you were already aware!” He said easily, laughing awkwardly as the ponies continued to just stare.

“I’ve never ventured this far into the forest,” Irradiance spoke carefully, “Why would I know of any hives? I had no idea about the Dragon Nest that wasn’t even more than a day’s journey away!”

“Maybe you ponies should consult maps more often, then,” Amber snapped, flinching at her own response as she did so. Leviathan appreciated the attempt at recovery but things were falling apart fast already, “I know of maps that have every danger labeled. Don’t you?”

“There… is a map of known Changeling Hives in the academy,” Hibiscus slowly admitted. “I didn’t know which direction we were headed in exactly, but now that you mention it, Marigold, I think I knew about this hive, too. Is it the Red Hive?”

The yellow pony nodded, looking around at the group nervously, “Yes, it’s filled with red Changelings. I’m sorry for the sore subject,” She laughed awkwardly, “You’d think one of you are Changelings with this type of reaction, huh?”

The joke did not land well as Leviathan completely froze at the suggestion. Amidst the arguing, a marble rolled across the floor and activated, leaving Queen Lilith to listen to the entire conversation.

“Good one, Marigold!” Cobalt lay a hoof across the mare’s shoulders as he laughed, wiping a tear from his eye with the other. “Like anyone here is a Changeling! They’re easy to spot!”

Irradiance stepped further away from the green Pegasus, eyeing him suspiciously, “No, Cobalt, I don’t think they are.”

“Woah,” Leviathan scoffed, “Are you saying that I’m a Changeling?”

“I never said that,” the purple stallion defended.

“You’re looking at me like that’s what you’re about to say, you know that right?” Leviathan was growing irritated. He knew he was guilty and he knew he felt it deep down that what he was doing was wrong, but he couldn’t stop now. He’d dug too deep a hole to try and escape, so he might as well keep on digging.

“Yeah, and you’d be right,” Irradiance raised an eyebrow, looking content with the reaction of Leviathan, who began to panic.

Amber stepped in, finally, “Hey, how about we chill with the anger and get this group of ponies out the door and out into the forest?”

Cobalt and Hibiscus thankfully seemed eager to end the conspiring and head toward the intended destination, but Irradiance had other plans.

“No, you can’t just ignore me. I’ve lived alone for ten years and I’ve seen my fair share of ponies,” He began to orbit Leviathan slowly, “I’ve met a Changeling or two in my time here. They hide well, but never well enough.”

“I’m not a Changeling, Irradiance!” Leviathan heard the other two Canterlot ponies frown at the reveal of the Unicorn’s real name and would have laughed if he wasn’t so scared of his identity being revealed. “I don’t know how to prove it to you!”

There was buzzing above the tree, loud enough to hear a hum but low enough not to understand what exactly was making the noise. A loud thud was heard outside the door and Amber gasped, causing Leviathan to turn around and see what was the matter.

Standing before the group of creatures was a tall mare, with long crimson hair flowing around her thin frame. She looked almost skeletal, but her entire body was black rather than white, filled with holes in her legs. Magenta eyes looked upon the group hungrily and her tongue darted between her lips as she spoke: “No proof necessary, darling. I’ll take it from here!” Lilith stepped into the tree and signaled her Changeling guards to restrain the four ponies inside.

“Hey!” Hibiscus bucked her back legs at the approaching creatures but ultimately fell to their attacks as too many of them began to swarm her at once. Though the Unicorn attempted to use magic to ward off the Changelings, a blast of red goo was aimed at her horn, preventing any magic usage.

“No cheating!” Lilith cooed, her horn illuminated after the attack. She faced Leviathan and frowned, “Darling, will you please lose that silly costume?”

As more Changelings restrained both Cobalt and Marigold, Leviathan felt as though he were being torn in two. Irradiance, victim to all sorts of Changelings forcing him into their hold, was easily captured due to his fawn-like response when in danger. The purple stallion’s eyes grew cold as the green Pegasus he’d slept with just the night prior transformed into a red Changeling.

Author's Note

i think it was at this point in the book that i decided i wanted to start extending the word count for each chapter, so this one is nearly 3k words!!!! everything else is just over 2k after this one. i think. book is finished, btw, with a sequel planned after! so i hope whoever reads this enjoys!!!

Chapter Eleven

Everything moved in a blur; Irradiance felt hooves against him and some strange substance preventing his ability to fight back, but the stallion was frozen. There was no thought about fighting back present in his mind. As the other three ponies around him fought until they were completely restrained, Irradiance silently accepted the capture.

How could he have been so foolish? After ten years alone in the forest, his only interactions with other creatures being the arrival of traders and the rare visit to Canterlot shops, the cursed stallion had learned not to trust others. After the betrayal of Moonshine and Sunny Daze at such a young age, he’d learned that ponies weren’t to be trusted. And yet, here he was, putting all of his trust in Emerald Shield, only to discover that wasn’t who he was at all.

The Red Hive, or rather, the Sacrificial Hive as they were known to explorers that had mapped the hive, was known for its feeding off of magic energy. Ponies, or other creatures, would be lured in and then sucked dry of their magic until they were slaves to do work around the hive, or dead.

Irradiance didn’t know where the hive was, but he did know it existed. Its leader, Queen Lilith, was a hungry succubus who had lured in plenty of stallions with her appearance, disguised as a pony or otherwise. Her son, Prince Leviathan, seemed to be following in her footsteps, Irradiance thought.

It was only last night that the pair had shared a quiet night and slept under the covers together. Was it foolish to think romance was in the cards? Of course, Irradiance thought mirthlessly, Leviathan was only doing what he needed to lure Irradiance back to the hive.

After his run-in with the tree so long ago, Irradiance had absorbed all of its magic. He was the prime target for Queen Lilith! How could he be so stupid as to follow the prince all the way here?

“-ce! Irradiance! Please, you need to talk to me!” Someone was calling his name but the stallion was still numb. Shock from the betrayal and a panicked shut-down had silenced him for the time being. The scenery was changing, he noticed slowly. The swampy marsh had shifted to a hollow, grey hive, where red and black creatures watched the four ponies as they were dragged into their new prisons.

What would be his fate? Would Irradiance succumb to the sweet release of death? Or would he be stuck in limbo, forever fed off of, never released?

“Irradiance, please!” Oh, he was in a proper cage now. Looking up, the stallion slowly took in his new surroundings: a pocket in the wall of the hive, overlooking a steep drop where likely thousands more of these small pockets lined the walls. His was shut with black bars, keeping the purple stallion trapped until he was freed, likely for whenever Lilith decided she was hungry. Outside the prison was a black pony with a crimson mane, and holes in his legs, crying heavy tears as he looked at the trapped pony.

“Emerald?”

“Irradiance!” Relief flooded the Changeling’s face. “I’m so sorry, please, you have to believe me!”

“Dearest! Away from dinner!” A syrupy voice chimed, and Queen Lilith soon appeared before Irradiance’s cage. He couldn’t hear or see any of his other companions, Amber, or Marigold. Had they already been eaten?

“Where is everyone else?” Irradiance slowly asked, face expressionless. He watched Emerald– no, Leviathan– cry harder. Sobs wracked his frail frame and the stallion almost felt pity. It was a pathetic sight, really.

Lilith just scoffed, lifting a hoof to cover her skinny mouth as she cackled, “No need to worry about that, pet! You just stay here until the hive grows hungry again!” She had a wicked aura. “Leviathan, darling, you really must return to your chambers. You’ve clearly become infected with these ponies’ emotions!”

The shorter Changeling sniffled, wiping his eyes as he nodded in response, “Yes, Mother.”

The pair disappeared, flying down in the hive, likely toward their chambers, if Irradiance had to guess. He continued to stand, frozen in place, before realizing it wasn’t his own choice to stand there; there was a red substance gluing him to the ground, preventing any movement. The same material covered his horn, preventing magic spells.

Finally alone, the stallion allowed himself release. Face twisting up in anger, eyes welling up in frustration, Irradiance began to sob. He shook in place, unable to comfortably sit down and wallow in his pain. He cried loud, ugly cries, eyes shut tight as tears streamed down his face and fell upon the floor below, staining the grey into a deeper black.

He had made it so far. He’d been a companion, no, a friend to these ponies. He’d allowed Cobalt and Hibiscus to join him on this journey (which was futile! There was never a cure! Which made him cry harder), had been fine when Amber captured and subsequently followed the ponies on their quest, and he’d even welcomed Marigold in! He was the one to empathize with the Earth Pony and apologize for invading her home, resulting in the wondrous night with Emerald–

“Oh, Celestia,” Irradiance cried, voice watery as he recounted all the mistakes he’d made to get where he was now. Trusting ponies was stupid. He had encountered Changelings before! He knew what they acted like! He’d never encountered a Changeling Prince before, though. Maybe that was the issue. Leviathan had been charming and teasing and funny and kind. Clearly, he had been trained to use any trick necessary to achieve the goal he had been sent to do. Luring a pony with the promise of a cure for a curse he’d been trying to cure for a decade? That was low, even for a villain.

Slowly calming down, Irradiance tried to find comfort in standing as he felt fatigue start to overtake him. With no one to talk to and nothing to do but wait, in addition to the fact he’d just cried years' worth of tears, Irradiance fell asleep standing up.

“Hey!” An angry voice shouted, accompanied by a slam against the bars that trapped Irradiance in his prison. “Dinner.” There was a platter of the most horrendous-looking food tossed into his cage, landing in front of him with a loud noise.

The purple stallion stared at the Changeling guard flatly, “I can’t eat that.”

The Changeling scoffed, “What, are ponies too good for our food? I can just not feed you, you know!”

“No,” Irradiance groaned, “I can’t bend over and reach it. I can’t lift it up, either. No magic.”

“Oh,” The Changeling said, dumbly. Opening the cage and allowing himself in, the Changeling scooted the platter closer to the stallion to the point where he could eat it if he bent over far enough, “There.”

The Changeling exited the cage and shut the bars once more, leaving Irradiance alone with his disgusting meal. Not yet hungry, he left it untouched.

Once more alone with his thoughts, the stallion let his mind wander, curious about where his friends were and what they were thinking. Would Hibiscus keep fighting, cursing at her captors? Would Cobalt use his larger frame to attack? Would Marigold have a similar reaction as Irradiance? Nothing was certain apart from where Irradiance was now and how he was feeling (spoiler: that feeling was not good).

Murmurs throughout the hive were heard, a soft buzz in the background of Irradiance’s solitude. After so long alone, the lack of ponies around him was strangely unwelcome. He let out a breathy chuckle at the realization. It had only been, what, three days? And already Irradiance was missing the closeness he had felt; the community. It was nothing like with Moonshine and Sunny Daze all those years ago.

Where were they, Irradiance thought? Did Moonshine and Sunny Daze go on to be successful students now without the “Wingless Alicorn” out of the way? Or did they face consequences for outright harming a fellow pony, forcing him to disappear for all eternity? Likeliness of the latter was higher, Irradiance thought, eyes darting around as he let his mind continue to dwell on all his mistakes of the past. Both of the Unicorns’ parents were too high-ranking to result in any real punishment. Nepotism at its finest.

Once more, Irradiance’s mind was drawn to the dreadful prince of the hive. Emerald Shield had been such a kind character; was it all a ruse? Was it stupid to think part of that persona had been a real reflection of the pony beneath?

“...be careful, okay? I heard ponies can be dangerous!” There was a voice slowly approaching Irradiance’s cage and he tensed up in preparation of yet another Changeling visitor, likely with more gross food (or to retrieve what he didn’t eat).

“Thank you, Abbadon. I’ll be careful,” Irradiance knew that voice. As the first voice, Abbadon, likely flew away if the buzzing of wings fading out signaled anything, the second grew closer, greeting the purple stallion with the view of his captor.

“Emerald,” Irradiance hissed, face twisted into a snarl, “What do you want?”

The black Changeling before him winced at the name, avoiding eye contact as he greeted the other pony, “Irradiance, hey.”

“What do you want?”

The Changeling’s eyes flickered around the cage, eyes traveling over the red keeping Irradiance stuck to the floor, the tray of uneaten slop in front of him, saddening at the reality of the situation sat before him. Irradiance felt a sick form of victory overtake him for a moment. Yes, he thought to himself, still frowning at the pony before him, you did this. You stole me from my home and presented me and our friends on a silver platter to your mother. Is this what you wanted?

“I’m sorry,” Leviathan breathed, expression fallen, eyes filled with sorrow.

“What?” Irradiance stuttered, not expecting the response.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t want this to happen and I had no idea how my mother knew where we were.”

“You didn’t tell her?” Irradiance scoffed in disbelief.

“No,” Leviathan insisted, shaking his head at the idea. His face morphed into some sort of guilt for a moment, “I had this way of speaking with her. She’d call me each night–”

“That’s where you’d disappear to each night?” Leviathan nodded slowly, looking away. His red hair covered his eyes slightly. Irradiance would call the sight before him handsome if he wasn’t feeling so betrayed already. “I can’t believe you!”

“It activated in the middle of a conversation,” Leviathan continued, not yet reacting to the purple stallion’s outrage, “She must have picked up on the fact I didn’t want to keep going. She came and got you while you were all calling me a Changeling.”

“And we were right!” Irradiance snapped, nearly foaming at the mouth with rage. The gall of Emerald or Leviathan or whatever his name was to come and try to apologize! “I can’t believe I trusted you! A cure? Really? What’s your problem?!”

“I’m not perfect, okay?” Leviathan shouted back, losing his composure. “My mother asked me to do something for the good of my home and so I said yes! Wouldn’t you do the same?” Irradiance was silent. “I didn’t know what would happen along the way. You were kind of mean, initially.”

“Sorry living alone in the forest for a decade made me untrusting,” Irradiance muttered defensively.

Tears welled in the red Changeling’s eyes as he continued to respond, “No, I’m sorry, Irradiance. These feelings are new and I didn’t know what to do with them and now I don’t even know how to fix it!”

“You’re sorry?”

“Yes!” Full-on sobs were coming from the black stallion. Irradiance’s anger started to diminish, feeling sorry for the pony before him. “I didn’t mean for this to happen! Once I got to know you I didn’t want to keep bringing you here but I didn’t know what to do! I wasn’t lying when I said this was new for me, Irradiance! I’ve never felt like this!” His defenses devolved into heartbreaking sobs as Leviathan remained before the purple stallion’s prison, crying in guilt or confliction, or some other emotion Irradiance couldn’t place.

Feeling unsure of how to react, Irradiance turned away, taking a few deep breaths as he thought about what to do. This didn’t feel or look like mock guilt. Leviathan was actively crying, apologizing desperately in front of the other stallion as he tried to explain that he truly didn’t know what else to do.

Composing himself after a couple of breaths, Leviathan continued, “I don’t know what to do. I came here to tell you because you’re a smart pony. You did realize I was a Changeling and you’ve been living alone for years. If anyone could come up with a plan to get out of this, I think it would be you.”

“Where’s everyone else?” Irradiance ignored the unspoken question, still looking away. Leviathan sighed.

“Marigold is on the lower floor, Cobalt is above her and Hibiscus is right below you. Prisoners are kept in order of magic level from lowest floor to highest.”

Irradiance scoffed, “Am I the most magical?” Leviathan nodded. “When are you going to kill me?”

The Changeling flinched, “We don’t kill ponies,” He specified, “We feed. Less magic means a lower likelihood of survival. Mother wants to save you for last since you have the greatest amount of magic.”

The purple stallion’s eyes widened as he realized what that might mean, “Who’s first?” Leviathan just stared, brows pressed together. Irradiance’s stomach dropped. “Marigold?”

“Everyone’s satiated for now but Mother declared the first feed to be tomorrow morning.”

“What time is it now?”

“Time isn’t normal here. No windows. I’d say it’s late afternoon. You slept for a long time.”

Irradiance cursed to himself, unsure what to do next. He was trapped in his cell above everyone else with no way of flying down safely thanks to the lack of any wings. His only hope was Leviathan. Inhaling deeply before letting it out slowly, he turned to look at the Changeling Prince with a stern look, “Will you help?”

Finally the expression on the prince from sadness to eagerness. “Yes! Of course I’ll help!”

The pair was silent for a moment as a buzz overtook the hive. “You said the feed was tomorrow morning?” Irradiance confirmed. Leviathan nodded, red eyes wide.

“Yeah. This is just evening rounds starting up; we comb the nearby forest for any other, uh. Food.”

“Wow,” Irradiance deadpanned.

“We have to eat, okay? I want to help and I want you all to be freed and I want to not feed off of your magic!” Leviathan was growing angry, hollow hooves stamping on the ground. “If you want me to help then you need to get over the grudge. At least for the time being. I betrayed you, I get it, but I didn’t want to. Had my mother not found us, I would have turned things around and sent you back home.”

Irradiance scoffed, rolling his eyes. Had he been free to walk around, he would have turned away, “Yeah, right.”

“I like you, Irradiance. I think you’re wonderful and once we’re out of here I will do what I can to look for a cure but I think your curse is enchanting. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before,” Leviathan’s voice tapered off at the end, giving up on his defense. “I’ll be back in a little with better food than that. We can plan what to do then.” With a buzzing as his wings began to flap, Leviathan flew off. Irradiance was alone.

Author's Note

these chapters (10-12) are so sad :( betrayal sucks when you didn't mean to betray someone :( also is the slow burn romance coming through???? i think it works well. it picks up at the very end but i tried to keep it minimal until then!!!

Chapter Twelve

Leviathan had been stupid. He’d dropped the marble he’d been messaging his mother with and led her right to them. Irradiance’s expression once he’d realized what was happening was heartbreaking.

He didn’t mean to bring them to the hive. Sure, he’d told Lilith that they were going to be there that evening, but he was going to come up with a plan to ditch that! He would explain that the artifact was stolen, or he’d have Amber come up with some excuse! She was more believable if only because the ponies were scared to disagree with a Dragon.

Leviathan would have explained! He would have really told Irradiance that these feelings were new and then transformed, explaining exactly what that meant! And he was a wary pony, sure, but Irradiance had to like Leviathan at least a little, right?

Emerald. Irradiance liked Emerald, not Leviathan. In fact, the stallion hadn’t even known the Pegasus was a Changeling until right up at that final moment! Every shared night’s sleep, every small conversation the pair had exchanged, was with Emerald and Irradiance, not a handsome stallion and the Changeling Prince.

“Idiot!” Leviathan muttered to himself in his room, angrily reflecting on all of his misdeeds. He had led all of his friends to the hive and now they were doomed! Unless he could come up with a plan, that was.

“Dearest!” Mother. “Feeding time is in the morning. Have you prepared your speech?” The Queen was very particular about the order of things. Every time a long-lasting source of food was found for the hive, she or her son presented it with a long speech about the good of the hive, promoting peace between each other, and how all ponies must be destroyed once they were at the height of their power. There was one instance where an attack was set to strike, but Chrysalis had gotten there first, leaving Lilith and her Changelings to remain hidden in Everfree. It was a hidden success, Leviathan had thought at the time. No invasions meant no capture by the historic Elements of Harmony.

“Yes, Mother,” Leviathan called back, exhausted. He was doing mental backflips as he tried to map out the hive and consider an escape route.

“Excellent. The little orange one shall be our private breakfast; the purple one will be brought to the throne room in the morning, as well.” Leviathan’s eyes shot wide open. She was going to sacrifice Irradiance instantly? He thought there was an order of death and, well, he didn’t know Marigold all that well anyway, so the harm in losing her couldn’t have been as great as losing Irradiance or Hibiscus or Cobalt (though the blue Pegasus surely wouldn’t be a loss either. In terms of brain power, at least).

“Oh… great!” He forced out, trying to sound as excited as his mother. He was young and so, opposed to most logic, his appetite was smaller than those around him. Larvae are the hungriest, then it slows down as he grows to an adolescent, and then it increases into full adulthood. He was on the precipice of a greater hunger, sure, but he was fine to go at least a month without feeding on magic, still. “And what’s the physical effect on ponies after draining their magic, again? I mean, we haven’t had one this powerful since I’ve been born, so…”

Lilith was squealing as she described the effects from the feed, “Oh, it’s magical, Leviathan. I remember this great sorcerer we’d stolen long before your time. They never truly die, you know. Remember those myths I’d tell you where the ponies would just turn grey and tired, eventually losing all sense of hope?”

“Yes,” Leviathan felt a sense of dread filling his stomach.

“That’s what you’ll witness!” Lilith was too excited and though she was outside the prince’s room, not within, he could feel her excitement dripping across the floor. “Of course, it’ll take at least a year for it to really start taking effect. His mood will drop, I’m sure, but physically he won’t start to change color until long into the process. Long for ponies, anyway.”

AHHHHH!!!!!! If Leviathan could form thoughts that were louder than a whisper, he would! He wanted to scream and cry and yell and fight back against his mother because why did it have to be Irradiance? Why did he have to start feeling these feelings and why did Lilith have to find them?

“Thank you, Mother.”

“Of course, dearest! I’ll call you when you’re needed.” Lilith was gone. Thank Tartarus.

How to escape a Changeling Hive? If only there was a library in the hive, then maybe Leviathan could seek answers somewhere! He could transform and return to Canterlot? No, that would take too long. He could guide Irradiance and the others out using the royal tunnels? No, Lilith knew about those! Once she noticed everyone was missing, she’d be curious and hunt them down. Unless…

Exiting his room and flying to one of the guard stations, Leviathan searched until he found just the Changeling he was looking for. “Abbadon!” He called, walking over to his friend.

“Hey, Leviathan!” The Changeling grinned at the appearance of the prince, “You need me again?” There was a smirk spreading across his mouth and Leviathan quickly shook his head.

“No, but thank you. I was wondering if you’d do me another favor, though.”

Abbadon nodded, still smiling. He was always Leviathan’s closest friend in the hive, assigned as his personal guard until he was old enough to defend himself. “What’s up?”

“The pony I was speaking to earlier,” He started, unsure exactly what his plan was. “I need to get him out.” Abbadon seemed confused.

“Out? Isn’t he our next meal?”

Leviathan sighed and shook his head, “I don’t know. No. He’s important to me, that’s what matters. I will find a new source of food or something for the hive but I can’t let Mother have him. Can you help me?”

The guard was conflicted for a moment, crimson eyes flickering between Leviathan’s before he settled, “Okay. Sure.”

“Really?” Pure shock spread across the prince’s face. Abbadon chuckled.

“Yes, Your Highness. We’re friends and you’ve never done me wrong. If you say you’ll find some other solution, I’ll believe you!” His expression turned unsure, “I don’t know if anyone else will, though. Best to keep whatever your plan is between the two of us.” Leviathan nodded.

“I was thinking of using the royal tunnels to get him out. Him, and the two ponies on the lower levels.”

“The pink and blue ones?” Leviathan nodded. “Okay… I don’t know what order you’re going in, but end at whichever level gets you to the tunnel entrance first. What’s my part in this?”

“You know the guard schedules better than I do, as well as who will be there first. Can you give me a signal or something for when it changes?” Abbadon nodded.

“If you’re going to get them out one at a time then you should get them all during lunch hour. Everyone’s supposed to be on the lookout because no one’s actively guarding individual cells, but we’re all too busy socializing to be doing our jobs properly,” Abbadon laughed at the end there but quickly cut himself off, pointing at Leviathan with a stern hoof, “Don’t tell your mother I said that.”

“Okay, lunch hour, got it. Would… would you help the other two get to the tunnels?” Leviathan proposed.

“Changeling guards don’t know where the tunnels are, your highness. Only yourself, Queen Lilith, and any other Changeling royalty that might exist is privy to that information.”

“I know, I know. I just need to focus on Irradiance. If you can get the others out, or at least show them where the tunnels are while I get him last, I’d be in your debt forever, Abbadon. I mean it.”

The Changeling guard seemed to consider the offer for a moment. Weighing the pros and cons (execution wasn’t uncommon in the Sacrificial Hive. Lilith took respect quite seriously and if Abbadon was found out, she’d have his head, Leviathan was certain. That’s why the ask was so large), Abbadon slowly nodded, “Okay. Show me where the tunnels are.”

After the conversation with Abbadon, escaping didn’t sound so difficult. The guard was sweet to the prince and seemed entirely willing to help him and the ponies out!

“Hey,” Leviathan whispered as he once again drew near to Irradiance’s cage. It was awful seeing him stuck to the floor, but what could he do? If Leviathan freed the Unicorn, someone else would just come along and re-stick him! “I brought you some food.” Through the bars, the prince slid a tray of far more appetizing food to the stallion, trading it out for the awful slop that had been presented to him initially.

“Thanks,” was all the purple stallion uttered as he awkwardly bent down to eat. Leviathan weighed the consequences of his actions and decided he’d rather free Irradiance temporarily than actively watch him struggle in his restraints. With a flash of crimson magic, the red substance glueing him to the floor was gone. Irradiance’s head popped up, looking at Leviathan with a conflicting mix of emotions before landing on something that resembled thanks. Leviathan just nodded.

“I spoke to a fellow guard about how to get you guys out,” The prince began as Irradiance scarfed down the meal. It was something a nearby pony village had left out on their window sill. Leviathan wanted to call it farmer’s pie, or some other strange name. “Tomorrow, around the lunch hour–”

“Didn’t you say Marigold would be fed off of in the morning?” Leviathan tilted his head back and forth as he tried to explain the time difference in the hive.

“Like I said, time is weird here. No windows means no real time. Lunch hour for Changelings is usually sometime early in the day, so prior to Marigold’s, uh. Death.” The wording was harsh but Leviathan lacked a better vocabulary. Irradiance seemed to understand.

“Okay, lunch hour,” He took a few more bites of the pie, “And then what? Won’t we get caught?”

Leviathan grinned devilishly, “There are these royal escape tunnels built for any possible invasions in the hive that only royalty know about,” he started, mapping out a crude sketch of the hive on the dirt that lay between the bars of Irradiance’s cage and the prince, “And I’m going to escort you there myself, while Abbadon– that’s the guard I spoke to– leads Cobalt, Hibiscus, and Marigold there, under the guise of preparing a meal.”

“A meal made of ponies,” Irradiance deadpanned.

“Yes, a meal made of ponies.”

The pair sat in silence for a moment as Irradiance finished his meal, handing the tray back to the Changeling through the bars, tilting his head to slide it through the narrow passage. As it was passed to Leviathan, both stallions’ muzzles seemed to linger for a few moments more than necessary, eyes meeting dangerously as something sparked between them. Chemistry or anger, Leviathan wasn’t sure which Irradiance’s eyes held, but he hoped it was the former.

“Okay,” The purple Unicorn began to nod as he took in what the basis of the plan was, “So early morning you’ll get me and lead me out?”

“Most all of the guards will be distracted and since you’re the highest level, it’s smart for me to come get you since, you know,” Leviathan gestured to himself, “Royalty and all.” Irradiance managed a small laugh and a smile. A victory in the prince’s book.

“Okay, that sounds good.” Irradiance slowly lowered himself onto the ground, laying with his front hooves out in front of him and his back legs tucked close to his body. He had brought himself as close to the edge of the prison cell as possible, muzzle managing to reach through the bars if he’d chosen to do so. Leviathan felt his breath hitch for a minute as the purple stallion looked at him with those beautiful turquoise eyes. “Can you, um… can you stay for a while?”

Heart stuttering, Leviathan nodded, untrusting of what his mouth might say.

“I’m still angry at you, but I’ve been standing up straight for hours now. Plus I’ve been all alone. You can put me back once you leave, obviously, since I’m sure your mother would once she returns–”

“I’ll stay, Irradiance,” Leviathan cut the stallion off as he began to ramble. He smiled warmly, red eyes gleaming at the pony he had begun to admire so much on this journey. “I’ll stay.”

“Thank you,” Irradiance whispered, poking his muzzle between the bars, reaching out to Leviathan, who was unsure what the gesture was supposed to be. Irradiance gestured at the prince to mimic the gesture.

“Oh!” Leviathan lay down as well, mirroring Irradiance’s stance, before leaning his face between the bars as Irradiance pressed his muzzle against the prince’s. It wasn’t a kiss by any means– Leviathan had seen what that was supposed to look like. This was something… softer. More intimate, he’d argue. What pony would trust someone else so much to place their mouths so close together knowing the other wouldn’t take advantage of the situation? (And believe him, Leviathan wanted to take advantage of the situation. What was more romantic than a high-stakes adventure?)

Irradiance slowly pulled away, cheeks slightly pinker. Leviathan hoped he’d get another chance at knowing the Unicorn once he got him out of this mess.

“Leviathan!” A hiss came over his shoulder and the prince quickly sat up, blinking sleep from his eyes. When had he fallen asleep? Panicked, the Changeling looked within the cell before him, seeing Irradiance sound asleep with his muzzle pressed against the cell’s bars. A pang of… something went through Leviathan’s chest at the sight.

“How long was I out for?” Leviathan turned to Abbadon, which he was thankful this was the guard who had found him. Abbadon just shook his head.

“Not long. Your mother sent me to look for you since you were absent from your chambers,” Abbadon studied the pair, looking at the still-asleep purple stallion and then back at the prince, who had a strange look in his eye. “Do you… care for the ponies?”

“Why?” Leviathan quickly responded. If his closest friend lacked the understanding that he’d changed as a Changeling, Leviathan wouldn’t tolerate it. Abbadon shook his head once more.

“Just curious. I’ve never seen you like this before. Not even with Dragon Lord Amber, and you were betrothed to be married, weren’t you?” Leviathan nodded slowly.

“I’ve never felt this way. I didn’t… I didn’t want to bring him here once I realized what I was feeling. Amber had joined us early on and she watched from afar until she explained to me what I might be feeling is…”

“Love,” Abbadon finished.

“Yeah,” Leviathan nodded, smiling as he turned back to look at Irradiance, “Love.”

“It’s a strange emotion. Shame we aren’t like Chrysalis’ hive or we could feed off of your love for him, right?” The guard shoved Leviathan lightly, chuckling as he did so. Leviathan let out a small laugh as well, cheeks reddening.

“Oh, shut up. Go return to my mother and tell her I was just doing pre-rounds before the late shift takes place.”

Abbadon left and the pair were alone once more. There was a sound of muffled laughter and Leviathan snapped his head to see Irradiance was waking up.

“After spending the night together a couple of times you’d think you would have learned what it looks like when I’m really asleep,” The purple stallion stretched, slowly standing up with a smirk on his face. “Love? Really? Am I that charming that you’ve fallen for me in four days while I yelled at you for a large portion of our time together?”

Leviathan sputtered, “Oh, please! Like you haven’t felt anything. Touching our muzzles together? Really?” Irradiance’s purple face turned far closer to magenta and Leviathan huffed in satisfaction at the response. “I need to secure you back to the ground for when the next shift comes around. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“Okay,” Irradiance nodded.

Leviathan aimed his horn at the stallion’s hooves, blasting red across his feet and once more securing him to the black floor within his prison, preventing him from laying or standing any more comfortably. It felt awful keeping him like this, but if the escape plan was to go as planned, the pair needed to feign normalcy.

“I’ll make sure Abbadon gets Cobalt, Marigold, and Hibiscus out before I come to you. If anything goes wrong, I’ll do whatever I can to help everyone out, okay?” Irradiance nodded slowly and Leviathan prepared himself to leave.

“Be safe,” Irradiance breathed. Leviathan smiled warmly back at him, inhaling deeply.

“I will be.”

Author's Note

me when i plan an escape for my hot sexy unicorn boyfriend except were not official yet so i have to act like i don't have to make out with him at all hours of the day :0
i like this chapter :)

Chapter Thirteen

Irradiance nervously waited the whole night for Leviathan to arrive, unable to sleep. After he’d nearly kissed the stallion, he wasn’t sure exactly what his plan was once they got out. Did he want to pursue more? Leviathan had betrayed him!

“Oh, Celestia,” He said aloud, unable to keep his frustration to himself. He did want more, didn’t he? After the gestures last night, the kindness the Changeling had shown, the emotion and the remorse he revealed to Irradiance, there wasn’t any mistaking that for a trick, was there? Irradiance huffed as he looked down to his feet, angered at his imprisonment and angrier at himself for ever believing there was a cure to be found for his horn and hooves.

Was looking for a cure worth it, still? He was more magical and was at the top of his class for a short period of time. Not to mention Leviathan had called his appearance enchanting. Irradiance felt his cheeks grow warm as he thought back to that confession.

“Hey,” there was a whisper outside of his cell and Irradiance gasped as he looked up and saw Leviathan’s red eyes gleaming in excitement. The purple stallion couldn’t help but smile back, eager to escape. “Are you ready?”

Irradiance groaned, looking down at his legs pointedly, “Yes.” With a blast of crimson magic, the substance sticking Irradiance to the floor was gone, and with another blast, so was the stuff around his horn, allowing him the ability to use his magic once more.

“We’re going to go toward the end of the hall here, okay?” Leviathan was whispering as he stepped slowly, looking back every few feet at Irradiance to make sure he was following close behind. The Unicorn marveled as he finally took in the sight around him (now that he could see more than the wall parallel to his cell, that is) and noticed how truly hive-like the hive was. He’d been around all sorts of wasp and bee hives, and this was quite similar; layered in structure, all these pockets in the walls for larvae and eggs, other pockets for food (jail cells). It would have been an incredible sight under different circumstances. “There’s a drop here, careful.”

“Ah!” Irradiance tripped forward as he underestimated the drop, falling into Leviathan’s rear. “Sorry,” Irradiance flushed. Leviathan laughed quietly.

“Just keep following me. It’s not far. Then it’ll be a long walk to the very bottom, where Abbadon should be waiting with the others.”

They stepped along the path in silence, looking out for any Changeling guards that might actively be patrolling. As Leviathan had said, though, none were around. Since Irradiance was practically the only pony kept on the top floor (no other ponies of his magic caliber had been captured), the guard activity was already low, but now it was actually at zero. Save for Leviathan, of course, but he was helping the prisoner break out rather than keeping him safely within the bars of his chamber.

“Okay, enter here, and walk in front of me so I can make sure no one follows us. It’s a straight path down to the bottom of the hive. You’ll see a faint glow once we reach the last level; that’ll be Abbadon.”

“Okay,” Irradiance shuffled forward, walking past Leviathan in the narrow entrance to the royal tunnels, stopping as he was face to face with the Changeling. He paused, looking in the prince’s red eyes before dropping his gaze to his muzzle, and then back up. “When we get out of here… um…”

“...yeah?” Leviathan breathed, gazing at Irradiance with stars in his eyes. The purple Unicorn swallowed, tearing his eyes away.

“Um, you should come stay with me. I mean, we’ve already gotten used to spending time together, right?” He lat out an awkward laugh, stepping further forward to lead the path down to the bottom of the hive. “I’m just saying I wouldn’t mind having you around, uh. More. Permanently.”

“Okay,” Leviathan just nodded, urging Irradiance forward down the tunnel.

Irradiance’s heart was pounding in his chest. Outwardly asking to move in with the Changeling Prince? Really? If they got out of here, technically Leviathan could still remain here in his home with the promise of being royalty! Did he really want to live with a silly pony instead?

Well, he did seem really remorseful of his actions, and even ashamed that his mother wanted to suck the magic out of Irradiance. Maybe he really didn’t want to stay here and moving out with everyone was the better option?

The walk was definitely long, Irradiance confirmed. Leviathan said it would be, but this was growing tiring. Yawning, Irradiance spoke up, still keeping his tone at a whisper, “I spy… something black.”

A laugh was heard from behind him, hooves still stepping rhythmically, “Is it the wall of the hive?”

“Bingo!” Irradiance cheered. “Okay, your turn!”

“Haha, alright. I spy something… purple.”

Purple? “Is it me?” Irradiance asked, confused at the obviousness of the clue.

“Nope. Close, though.” Close? What else was purple?

“My hooves?”

“Closer.”

“What?” Irradiance stopped, turning around to face Leviathan and his ridiculous clues. “Are you colorblind? What else is purple?”

Leviathan pointed with a hoof to Irradiance’s Cutie Mark, “The crystal on your Cutie Mark. Duh!”

Irradiance stared at the Changeling blankly, “Are you serious?”

“Hey! I’m walking behind you! What else am I supposed to be looking at?” Leviathan finished with a wink, laughing when he watched Irradiance flush bright red under the dim light of the tunnel.

“Whatever.”

The pair continued through the tunnel, slowly approaching a dim, crimson light in the distance, “Hey! Is that Abbadon?” Irradiance called over his shoulder, grinning when Leviathan nodded in confirmation.

“I’ll walk down to meet him!” Leviathan passed Irradiance in the narrow tunnel, brushing up against him and feeling warm fur against his cold body. The purple stallion shivered at the contact. “Abbadon!”

“Leviathan! I was nervous you weren’t going to make it down here!” Irradiance was looking at a Changeling, similar in color to Leviathan, but with solid red eyes and no hair atop his head, save for a small sliver that traveled up the back of his neck. Even his tail was shorter than Leviathan’s. Royal genetics, he supposed.

“There were no guards on the top floor, just like you said. Did you manage to bring the others with you?” Stepping closer, Irradiance saw familiar faces.

“Hibiscus, Cobalt!” Irradiance whispered excitedly, walking forward and greeting the pair with a nod rather than an embrace in the small cavern. A flash of yellow caught the Unicorn’s eye, “Marigold! Oh, thank Celestia you’re safe!”

The Earth Pony nodded, smiling widely, “I’m glad Abbadon here helped get me out! He said that, if we didn’t escape tonight, I was on the menu for this morning!” Hibiscus and Cobalt gasped at that, obviously unaware of the plans at hand due to their higher levels within the hive’s prison system.

“We don’t have time to chat. We need to leave now before Queen Lilith finds you all. This way!” Abbadon interrupted the reunion, gesturing all of the creatures to follow him deeper into the tunnels, likely to the outside of the hive.

Leviathan and Abbadon led the group further into the tunnels, which widened as they got closer to the mouth that led toward what Irradiance assumed was outside. He walked alongside the other three ponies, smiling nervously at them all as they remained quiet in the tunnel, nervous of any potential threats that may be lurking or overhearing their conversations. Something felt off about the overall mood within the caverns. Irradiance wasn’t sure if it was his paranoia or genuine suspicion, but he was feeling more anxious as the group continued onward, especially when Abbadon overtook Leviathan’s steps and led the group further.

“I thought you said only Changeling royalty knew the layout of these tunnels?” Irradiance whispered to Leviathan, speeding up a minute to talk to him, whispering against his ear (or as close as he could get; Leviathan was a bit taller than the other stallion). Leviathan just shook his head, clearly not worried.

“I showed Abbadon the passageway last night so he would know where to take the others after I got you. There’s no need to freak out.”

Irradiance huffed, unsatisfied with the answer, but deciding to shelve his worry nonetheless. The glow of Abbadon’s horn slowly dimmed as the rest of the cavern began to become brighter, signaling the end of the tunnel up ahead. A whiter, more natural light shone in, followed by a rush of fresh air. Irradiance inhaled deeply, thankful to be on his way out, wondering if his home would be the same as he’d left it just days ago.

“Okay!” Leviathan spoke up, tone no longer at a whisper, but not quite a normal volume. He was still wary of anyone finding out about the escape plan, Irradiance assumed. “I’ll be on the lookout for my mother, but it should be a straight shot right back to Everfree! If you keep following Abbadon, he’ll take you to the edge of the hive and I’ll catch up later.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Hibiscus probed, brows furrowed. Leviathan shook his head.

“If I want to make sure you guys get back safe, I can’t come with you. I need to cover and provide some sort of alibi once my mother starts accusing me of helping you all escape.”

“Should we come back for you?” Marigold spoke up this time, less connected to the group thanks to her late joining, but caring of the others regardless. They’d welcomed her in; she was bound to be appreciative. Once more, Leviathan shook his head.

“No, I’ll find you. Don’t turn around. I don’t want to cause you to get captured again.”

“Oh, darling,” A syrupy sweet voice came from behind the prince, causing all the ponies to freeze in place. Irradiance felt his heart rate pick up as he looked up to face the Changeling Queen: Lilith. “There’s no need to worry about capture. They never escaped!”

Leviathan turned around quickly, facing his mother with confusion and rage on his face, “What? How did you follow us?”

Lilith shook her head slowly, crimson hair swaying as she stared down with half-lidded eyes, a smile dancing on her lips, “Oh, there was no following necessary! Abbadon here simply told me where to wait!”

Irradiance watched as a similar sense of betrayal that he’d felt about Leviathan fell upon the prince, as he turned to face his closest friend. “...Abbadon, you didn’t.” The guard slowly nodded, a stern expression on his face.

“Your betrayal of the hive was to be expected. Queen Lilith said she’d allow me to take your place as heir as long as I helped her catch you.”

Leviathan scoffed angrily, turning back to face his mother, “You knew I was planning this the whole time?”

“Oh, my darling son! Of course not! Once you told Abbadon, then I knew what was going on. Did you think he’d become your friend out of choice all those years ago?” Leviathan’s face fell, ears pressed against his head in what Irradiance could only describe as shame, “He’s been my little spy for ages. I’ve been waiting here all night!”

Defeated, Leviathan turned back toward the group of ponies, all who were sporting similar expressions. All except Irradiance, however, who looked as though he were about to set fire to the Changeling Queen before him.

“Oh, pet!” Lilith purred, looking right at the purple stallion, his horn now glowing faintly with deep purple magic. “How sweet. You’re charging up just for me! I was growing peckish, you know.” The tall Changeling stepped forward, her own horn beginning to glow as it extended a red tendril, approaching the tip of Irradiance’s horn and encompassing his own magic. The stallion gasped, eyes widening as he felt what he could only describe as the loss of his magic.

“Irradiance! No!” Leviathan exclaimed, pressing himself between the stallion and his mother, separating them fast enough to break the magic connecting the pair, ending his mother’s attempt at draining the purple Unicorn of his magic. “Hands off of him!” The prince snarled, red eyes narrowed as he turned to face his mother. Irradiance felt weak, leaning heavily against the black stallion as he regained his composure. Lilith just laughed.

“You’re foolish if you think those ponies are anything more than food for us, dearest!” She took another step forward, her magic slowly dimming until she’d stopped using it altogether. “You really should try him, darling. This magic is like nothing I’ve ever had! Not even that tree!”

Irradiance felt his heart stutter, “The tree? The tree that did… this?” Lilith cackled.

“Of course! You had no idea what you were doing, did you?” She grinned as she explained the reasoning behind the pony’s curse, “That tree that you touched all those years ago, was our feeding ground. It was our life’s energy that you absorbed into your puny pony body,” She spat the final words, expression finally shifting from amusement to disgust, “Leaving my hive to go hungry and forcing us to once more feed off the creatures that roamed the land around us.”

“I was just a colt,” Irradiance explained, breathing heavily. “It’s not my fault that you couldn’t just find another tree.” Lilith scoffed, rolling her eyes at the idea.

“Oh, please! You ponies think everything’s about you, don’t you? Taking magic, taking food, taking land from other species! It’s disgusting how much you lack knowledge about those around you!”

“Just let us go!” Hibiscus shouted from behind the purple stallion, fear in her eyes as she confronted the queen. “We didn’t mean to do anything wrong!”

“Oh, please. Helping him look for a cure? How naive can you all be?” Lilith aimed her horn at the three ponies, zapping them with her magic and encasing the trio in a red crystal structure, freezing them all in their spots as though they were encased in amber.

“No!” Irradiance shouted, watching his friends become imprisoned once more, this time with no obvious way out.

“They were irritating me, anyway. But again, with the cure! Leviathan was smart in tricking you by claiming to have something you were desperate for, true, but have you never read up on Element Trees? Their magic is permanent! No artifact or spell could ever clear those crystals from your unworthy skull!” Lilith approached the stallion once more, lowering her head to be in line with Irradiance’s, snarling at him. “That means no matter how much I took, you’d never die. You’d suffer, I’m sure, all the color draining from your candy-colored coat…” She smiled at the thought. Irradiance felt sick.

“Keep me, then.”

“What?” Leviathan gasped, face frozen in terror as he looked at the stallion. Irradiance remained confident, staring directly at Lilith as her own expression morphed into one of interest.

“Let my friends go, but keep me here,” Irradiance raised an eyebrow, awaiting a response. “Okay?”

“Foolish pony,” Lilith hummed, nodding at Abbadon to unfreeze the ponies in their crystal prison. “Take them back to the forest. Make sure they stay out of the hive until we’ve secured this one.” A flash of red and the colorful trio were free once more, confused and muttering about what they had just been subjected to. Abbadon silenced them with a hiss, gesturing them to follow him.

“What about Irradiance?” Cobalt asked, turning toward the other stallion, who remained facing away, still glaring down Queen Lilith.

“Your silly guide has chosen to sacrifice himself for your benefit. Get going before I change my mind about agreeing to his terms,” The queen snapped, brandishing her fangs with her grossly long tongue as she sized up Irradiance. The purple stallion didn’t budge as he heard his friends calling for him, the cries to abandon this plan growing fainter as Abbadon led them back out to the forest.

Leviathan anxiously looked between the tunnel’s exit, Irradiance, and his mother, clearly unsure how he should be feeling. The majority of the group had gotten out, but Irradiance was sure to be stuck, now. “Irradiance–”

“Oh, silence, Leviathan!” Lilith shouted, her voice echoing throughout the dark tunnel. “You have gotten on my last nerve, changing your mind and helping these ponies? I thought I trained you better than that.”

“I learned to love, Mother!” Leviathan defended, red eyes narrowed as he faced his mother. “No thanks to you!”

“Oh, please! Changelings like us don’t need love, we need food! We need magic! And while you’ve failed miserably at bringing it to me and feasting on it eagerly, at least it’s here now,” Lilith stepped further toward Irradiance, illuminating her horn once more in preparation to likely suck more magic out of the stallion.

As he stood there, watching his attacker ready herself to likely cause great pain and suffering to his small frame, Irradiance felt a light go off over his head. Magic was infinite, wasn’t that what the queen said? That Irradiance had not only stolen their food source but had absorbed the entire reservoir of magic that the Element Tree had been holding within it. Considering his choices at the present moment, Irradiance steadied himself as he decided to put his plan into action, hoping it wouldn’t go awry. Illuminating his horn, Irradiance looked up at the queen and nodded solemnly. “Okay. Do as you wish.”

Author's Note

LOL cliffhanger!!!! the abbadon thing wrote itself tbh. literally. "don't tell anyone else" he says. that's THE most suspicious thing you could say!!!! betrayal fit so well after that. enjoy this :P

Chapter Fourteen

Leviathan watched, tears pricking his eyes as his mother began to feed on one of the most important creatures that he’d met this far in his lifetime. A red glow illuminated Lilith’s horn, trailing down in a ribbon of red magic until it touched the tip of Irradiance’s horn, which was glowing a deep purple color.

Red Changelings from his hive fed off of his mother’s gift; she would absorb the magic out of creatures and then transform it into smaller orbs of magic, of which each guard would get one helping each month. It could satiate them for a while, depending on the creature. As Leviathan watched Irradiance struggle to hold his own, the Changeling could only imagine how long this magic would tide the hive over for. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, tears streaming down his cheeks in silent sobs.

“Oh, you’re positively delicious!” Lilith cooed, eyes rolling as she took in Irradiance’s magic, the point where their magic intertwined now a deep magenta rather than red or purple. “I may just drain you where you stand right now!”

“No, Mother!” Leviathan protested, but Irradiance shook his head, pulling the prince’s attention toward the shorter stallion.

“No, Leviathan…” He managed, gasping through the process. Leviathan could swear his magic was growing brighter, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me!” Irradiance’s eyes were screwed shut as he focused his energy on his horn, the dark purple crystals absolutely shining under the light of two magic sources. Leviathan thought it was beautiful.

“Oh, how sweet! You should really venture over to Chrysalis’s old hive if you truly hold this much love in your body, darling!” Lilith called to her son. “I refuse to hold a loving Changeling in my ranks any longer. Abbadon will make a better heir than you ever would.”

“Shut up,” Irradiance grumbled, voice sounding awfully strained. Lilith scoffed in shock, smiling as she looked at the purple stallion.

“What was that?” Her magic glowed brighter and Irradiance struggled to stay standing.

“I said… shut up. Don’t talk to him like that,” The deep purple magic emanating from his horn began to grow green around the edges, almost glitching as it grew deeper and deeper in color. It was almost scary.

Lilith’s expression faltered for only a second before she steadied herself, taking a step forward and hitting Irradiance with a harsher beam of magic. “Do you think you have the power here? Tell me again, who’s draining who, pony?”

Irradiance, holding back what seemed to be groans of pain, slowly opened his eyes to reveal purely white eyes glaring up at Lilith. Or at least, Leviathan imagined that’s where he was looking. It was hard to tell with no pupils to go off.

“What?!” Lilith shifted uncomfortably as the stream of magic slowly began to retreat, now turning deep purple as it traveled from Irradiance’s horn to Lilith’s. “What are you doing!?” She shouted, confused and angry at the slow shift in power. Irradiance laughed shakily, taking a step forward, groaning as he did so.

“You said it yourself… my magic is infinite, or whatever,” He breathed heavily through each fragment of a sentence and Leviathan felt his tears stop flowing as he realized that the stallion was gaining control of the situation, “That means… even if you do drain my magic… there’s always going to be more to take its place!” The green glow got brighter around the deep purple magic, black lightning began to flicker around Irradiance’s horn. Leviathan swore his hooves were glowing, now, too, but that could’ve been a trick of the light.

“What are you going on about?” Lilith panicked, taking steps backward as she tried to gain control with her magic, attempting to send more red magic toward the stallion, but it was no use. She was quickly becoming victim to bright purple attacking her horn, overwhelming her with the amount of magic that she was absorbing. “Stop! What is this?!”

“It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Irradiance was grinning devilishly, white eyes wide as he looked at the queen, “My magic? Even though I can… ugh… replace it every time you drain it, sending an infinite amount of magic your way?”

“Stop!” Lilith cried.

“You wanted this!” Irradiance snarled, black lightning growing larger in amount as he stepped forward once more, causing Lilith to cower against the wall of the tunnel. Leviathan was in awe at the scene; he’d never seen his mother so vulnerable! “You wanted my magic, so here it is! Take it! Take all of it!” Irradiance blasted a wave of green and purple magic at the Changeling Queen, yelling as it attacked her horn, causing the queen to scream in pain.

“Stop!”

“Never! Not until you surrender! Not until you let me go!” Irradiance must have been channeling all his anger– from his childhood bullies to the betrayal Leviathan had caused him, he was fuming. Leviathan felt himself very attracted to the stallion before him at present, but he’d save those feelings for another day.

“No!” Lilith’s voice broke as she shut her eyes, attempting to stop utilizing her magic to cut off the connection, but it was to no avail. Irradiance had her cornered. “Leviathan, darling!” She called to the prince but Leviathan had chosen his side.

“Your Majesty!” Leviathan rolled his eyes as Abbadon ran into the tunnel, likely hearing the struggle from the forest and running to defend the queen. Traitor. The Changeling guard leaped at Irradiance but was swiftly stopped as Leviathan stood before him, taking the blow instead. Oblivious to the attempted attack, Irradiance continued to aim his magic and anger at Lilith, his magic glowing brighter than ever.

“Get off me!” Abbadon struggled, pinned below Leviathan. He squirmed, trying to kick and scratch and bite, but Leviathan, prince as he was, had trained to be a guard when he was younger. He wasn’t letting up.

“No!” Leviathan shouted at the Changeling below him. “Stop fighting! We’re winning this!”

Abbadon laughed drily, “Winning? Winning what? The fight to never feed again?”

“I’ll find a new way to feed!” Leviathan defended. But what was the solution? If they didn’t feed off of magic from ponies or other creatures… what would satiate the hive?

“You don’t believe that,” Abbadon scoffed, writhing again under the prince’s grasp. “You just want to save your little marefriend!” Leviathan saw red, swiftly kicking a hoof to the Changeling’s abdomen, silencing him. Turning around for a moment, he saw Irradiance continuing to overpower Lilith, nearly face to face with her now as the queen had crumpled to the floor with Irradiance merely steps away.

“Surrender and let me go,” Irradiance demanded, hooves shining under his magic, still burning bright.

“...never!” Lilith hissed, voice hoarse. Irradiance shook his head, disappointed at the response.

“Then you leave me no choice,” Leviathan watched in awe as Irradiance, fueled by years of anger, overpowered Lilith with his magic. The deep purple and green magic emanating from his crystalline horn grew more ferocious, enveloping the queen in a swirling vortex of power. Lilith’s red magic was absorbed and transformed, completely absent now as Irradiance’s curse overpowered her.

"No! Stop!" she cried, but Irradiance only intensified his assault, his white eyes gleaming with determination.

"You wanted this," he growled, his voice echoing through the tunnel, "Take all of it!" His mantra from earlier was repeated, forcing Lilith to become a victim of her own actions.

With a final, devastating blast of energy, the magic consumed Lilith entirely. Her screams of defiance turned to ones of pure agony as her form began to change. Her once formidable body stiffened, the vibrant colors draining away as her skin hardened into a dull, lifeless gray. Cracks appeared across her body, spreading rapidly until she was completely encased in stone. With a final shout, the last light of life drained from the mare’s eyes, leaving nothing but a statue where the queen had stood moments before.

Leviathan’s mouth was agape as he stared at the petrified figure of his mother. The battle was over, and Lilith, the once-terrifying queen, was no more.

“No! Your Majesty!” Abbadon cried, finally escaping Leviathan’s grasp as he ran over to the statue, in denial of the conclusion that had unfolded before him. Shaking in anger, Abbadon turned to the purple stallion that had done this, attempting to lunge at him once more, but was stopped yet again, this time by a glow of magic that surrounded his frame, stopping him mid-air.

“Absolutely not!” Leviathan exclaimed, stepping in front of his friend’s face, brows furrowed in irritation. “You won’t be serving anyone anymore. How does living as one of the prisoners you’ve been guarding for so long sound?”

Abbadon scoffed, spitting at the hooves of Leviathan. “Curse you! I serve only Queen Lilith!”

“As you wish,” Leviathan sighed, blasting Abbadon with the same magic Liltih had used earlier, encasing him in a red crystal, immobile and unable to escape until freed. Huffing in satisfaction at the sight before him, the prince quickly turned around at the sound of pained breaths behind him.

“Lev… Leviathan,” Irradiance gasped, the magic finally fading from his horn, eyes returning to their wonderful turquoise color the prince had become so accustomed to seeing. Struggling to stay on his hooves, the stallion collapsed into Leviathan’s waiting arms.

“Irradiance!” He exclaimed, looking around nervously. “Let’s get you out of here. We’ll find the others and get help.”

Lifting the stallion onto his back, Leviathan quickly took flight, red wings fluttering anxiously as he zipped out of the tunnels as fast as he could move. Flashes of cave, tree, swamp… and then… there! Up ahead were three familiar figures, all anxiously waiting near the tree they’d stayed in just two nights ago!

“Help!” Leviathan shouted to the trio. “He needs help! Hurry!” Slowing to a stop, Leviathan slowly rolled Irradiance off his back onto the softer forest floor, heart stuttering as he heard pained groans coming from the stallion.

“Oh, no,” Marigold breathed, quickly running up and examining the stallion before him. “How long has he been like this?”

“Not long. He defeated the queen and then he collapsed. I got us out as fast as I could,” Leviathan assured, looking around at the other two ponies anxiously. Absentmindedly, he wondered where Amber had gone.

“We need to get him to Canterlot! Fast!” Hibiscus decided, watching as the others nodded in agreement.

“I’ll get a stretcher. Cobalt and Emerald– er, Leviathan,” Marigold corrected, still unsure of exactly what had unfolded back at the hive, “Can fly Irradiance to the Canterlot hospital as fast as they can. I’ll go with Hibiscus and we’ll meet you two there.”

“Sounds good,” Cobalt nodded, face scrunched up in worry. “I hope he’s okay…” The purple stallion was still on the floor, eyes shut tight, mouth twisted in pain.

“He will be,” Leviathan decided. Marigold quickly ran into her tree-house and returned with a makeshift stretcher, which Hibiscus loaded the stallion onto with her pink magic, nodding at the other two stallions to pick him up and begin their trip to Canterlot.

“We’ll meet you there as soon as possible,” The pink Unicorn said confidently. “Make sure you take him to the nearest hospital the moment you make it to the city. Mention that he’s the missing pony from the academy!” Hibiscus’ face lit up with the idea. “There’s been memorials for him every year! The sudden appearance of a lost pony will surely mean quicker medical attention!”

“Got it!” Cobalt nodded, readying himself for flight before stopping for a moment as he realized the Changeling’s appearance. “Er, not to be weird, but…” He gestured to Leviathan.

“Oh!” With a flash, the prince once more returned to his pony disguise as Emerald Shield. “Got it. We can explain the Changeling thing at a later date.”

“Okay, now go!” Marigold shoved the stallions into the sky, urging them to get help quickly. “We’ll see you there!”

Securing the stretcher in their mouths, the pair of Pegasi took to the sky, soaring over the forest as quickly as they could.

Author's Note

btw the alternating POV between leviathan and irradiance wound up lining up SO WELL with each chapter! like i don't think i ever had to use one character twice in a row. it wrote so well. i love these ponies SO MUCH AGH

Chapter Fifteen

Irradiance woke up slowly. The first thing he noticed when he regained consciousness was the medical smell that filled the room, overpowering his nostrils with notes of latex and sanitizer. Shifting slightly where he lay, the stallion next noticed the papery blankets that were draped over him, the pillow beneath his head was fluffy but it, too, was covered in the papery textured cloth. He groaned, rolling over before regretting the decision as a sore pulsing pain traveled through his body. Not the result of a physical injury, but the result of overworking his body to the point of failure.

“Ow…” He muttered, lifting a hoof and holding it against his head, where Irradiance felt bandages wrapped around his horn and forehead. Alarm bells rang. Pressing against the bandages further, Irradiance felt no break in his horn. Sighing, he returned to his previous position, resting his arms by his side as he lay in the hospital bed (or what he could only assume was a hospital bed, judging by everything else he’d sensed).

There was a faint beeping coming from beside him. A heart monitor, the stallion supposed, not bothering to open his eyes still. The beeping was steady. A good sign.

There were voices in the hall (?) and a door swished open as the voices then entered the room in which Irradiance lie. They were saying some medical jargon that Irradiance didn’t fully understand apart from “cracked horn” and “overuse of magic.” Magic shmagic! He saved his friends, didn’t he? Who cared if someone got hurt in the process? As long as it wasn’t–

“Has he woken up yet?” Leviathan. The door swished once more and the third voice entered, approaching the bed and seating itself. There was a hum from one of the medical voices.

“We haven’t seen him open his eyes yet, but there’s been an increase in heart rate now that you’ve entered the room…” Irradiance wished they’d leave! The beeping was growing faster.

“Is that normal?” Leviathan worriedly asked. Irradiance huffed a laugh. The Changeling gasped and Irradiance opened his eyes to look at the stallion, who was in his Pegasus form presently.

“Yes, it’s normal,” Irradiance managed, throat feeling sore.

“Irradiance!” Leviathan exclaimed, pressing his face up against the other stallion’s, pressing their muzzles together in a not-quite kiss, though if those doctor ponies weren’t here, Irradiance was sure he wouldn’t be able to contain himself.

One of the doctors chuckled; Irradiance wasn’t looking at them. He was focused on the Changeling before him now, breathing him in.

“He seems to be fine. Come get us after you’ve finished your visit and we can check his vitals now that he’s conscious,” The door swished. The pair of stallions were alone.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Irradiance broke it, looking up at the green Pegasus with wide eyes. “What happened?” He asked quietly. Leviathan had a pained look on his face for a moment before it faded away.

“You overpowered my mother with the amount of magic in your body, successfully turning her to stone,” Irradiance gasped, “And then, because you’d used so much of your magic, you suffered a crack to your horn and wound up collapsing because you’d practically drained yourself of all power.”

Irradiance was speechless. All that fight about not letting Lilith drain him of his magic and he’d basically done it himself? “Oh,” He managed, a bit embarrassed at the information. “But… I’m okay?” Leviathan nodded.

“You’re fine. One of the royal medics made his way down to the hospital here and healed up the crack in your horn. The bandages were put there in case you shifted in your sleep while the spell ran its course.”

“A royal medic?” Irradiance laughed. “Why was a royal medic tending to me?” Leviathan was quiet for a minute as he looked around the hospital room, urging the Unicorn to do the same. With a raised brow, Irradiance finally pulled his gaze from the Pegasus and took in his surroundings properly. “Woah,” There were piles of flowers, cards, and stuffed animals, not to mention the bouquet of balloons scattering the ceiling.

“So, you’ve been passed out for a couple of days,” Leviathan began to explain, laughing at the expression on the purple stallion’s face. “When we got here, you needed attention fast. So we told everyone who you were.”

“A random pony from the forest?”

“No,” Leviathan shook his head, “The missing pony from the academy. Didn’t you know your disappearance was a big deal? I lived as a royal guard for years and even I knew about your disappearance!”

“I thought you knew about me because of your mother?” Irradiance mentioned, brow raised.

“I knew about the magic because of my mother, I knew about the missing pony because of the giant memorial they had for you at the academy!”

Irradiance gaped at the mention of a memorial. Who would want to honor him? “There’s a memorial of me? I was bullied out of the academy!”

“Those ponies were kicked out, you know. All of them,” Leviathan assured. “You had left out of fear or whatever, but Celestia didn’t take the offense lightly and kicked out those Unicorns the moment she’d heard of the incident and then raised a memorial in your honor, hoping you’d return. When you didn’t, you became a big deal to the city of Canterlot.”

“How do you know all this?” Irradiance probed, head cocked in curiosity. Leviathan smiled and shrugged.

“I asked around! I frequented the memorial, went back to the castle to ask for my job back, stood around here a ton…” His green face flushed pink, “Ponies started making assumptions about me and so they started telling me stories about you.”

“Assumptions?” Irradiance repeated. “What assumptions?”

Leviathan stared at the purple stallion for a long time. Finally, he spoke, “Are you serious?”

“What?” Irradiance seemed to be truly clueless about what Leviathan was implying. Or rather, what he was implying other ponies were implying.

“Irradiance!” The door swooshed open again, slamming against the wall it was framed against, and three ponies rushed inside. Hibiscus had tears in her eyes, carrying in a bouquet of flowers with her pink magic as she rushed to his side at the bed. “Oh, I was worried you wouldn’t wake up! Leviathan didn’t leave your side for a full day!” The Pegasus turned even pinker, bordering on red.

“I was worried I shook you too hard on the flight over here!” Cobalt fretted, brows furrowed. “Lev said you would be fine but he was scared, too!”

“Lev?” Irradiance repeated. “When did you all start using nicknames?”

“A lot can change in forty-eight hours!” Cobalt defended, smiling at the ponies around him. “I’m glad you’re okay, Irradiance.”

“We all are!” Marigold spoke up this time, blue eyes looking tired. “I may not be a real doctor, but I was a healer back in my old community. I was at your side once we’d checked you in with tips on how to deal with the Changeling magic you’d been poisoned with. Luckily I’ve lived near them for so long, otherwise, I’m not sure how long you’d be dealing with the side effects!”

Irradiance paused at that mention of poison. If he hadn’t been asleep for long with no physical injuries to be viewed, how had magic poisoned him? Hadn’t he defeated Lilith?

“Changeling royalty holds a special chemical in their magic,” Leviathan could sense the silent questions forming in the Unicorn’s head. “It’s a defense mechanism in case we’re ever put in danger. Marigold already had the cure on hand, so all the heaving and pain you were in after the attack on Lilith was gone once she saw you here. Knocked you right out.”

“Just doing my best!” The yellow mare smiled at the rest of the ponies, consequently ending the conversation.

“Thank you, everyone. I’m sorry I caused such trouble.”

“Don’t be!” Hibiscus assured the stallion, waving the apology away with a pink hoof. “You saved us, Irradiance. If anything, we’re sorry we weren’t hunting for a real cure! Stuck with the crystals, I guess.”

“I think your crystals look amazing,” Leviathan whispered to the purple stallion, causing him to flush at the public display of affection.

“Get a room!” Another voice came from the doorway.

“Amber!” Irradiance exclaimed, recognizing the Dragon Lord.

“Hey, purple pony. You healing up alright?” Irradiance nodded.

“Where have you been?”

Amber sighed, rubbing a hand against the back of her neck as she formed an explanation for her absence during the defeat of the Changeling Queen. “I followed you guys as far as I could to the hive, but once Lilith learned I empathized with you ponies rather than rooting for the feeding of your magic, she made a giant anti-Dragon border around the hive. I wasn’t able to travel within a couple of miles of the place.”

“Where were you, then?” Irradiance asked, still vague on the answers.

“She was here,” Cobalt answered for the Dragon Lord, “She got here before all of us, making sure the ponies knew someone was in danger and needed help. Once Lev and I got here, the hospital was already prepared. We only had to mention you were the forest pony and all the work was done for us. Marigold was the only pony allowed to see you until the medical care was finished and through.”

Nearly all of his questions answered Irradiance turned back to Leviathan, still in his pony guard form. “And why are you like this?”

“He was worried he’d scare the ponies that lived in Canterlot,” Hibiscus interjected. “I told him we’re used to multicultural creatures living here! King Thorax’s citizens visit all the time!”

“I don’t look like his hive! I’m still scary!” Leviathan defended, voice stressed. Irradiance laughed, lifting a hoof to his cheek and turning the Pegasus to face him.

“I think you look handsome.”

“Ugh, gross!” Amber gagged exagerattedly. “Come on, guys. Let’s give the lovebirds some privacy.”

The trio of ponies nodded among themselves, filing out of the hospital room. “See you later, Irradiance!” Marigold waved, closing the door behind her as she followed Amber, Hibiscus, and Cobalt out into the hall.

“Can you transform back?”

Leviathan scoffed, “Are you serious? You don’t think I’m handsome now?” Irradiance shrugged in his bed.

“I find all forms attractive, but I will say I like the natural you the best,” The stallion smiled. “Please?” He stuck out his bottom lip, pouting to the best of his ability. Leviathan rolled his eyes, scoffing as he transformed into his Changeling form.

“Happy?”

“Mhm,” Irradiance grinned. Addressing the elephant in the room, Irradiance finally spoke regarding the dynamic between the two, “Do you want to stay… together?”

Leviathan cocked his head to the side, red eyes blinking owlishly at the purple Unicorn. “What do you mean?”

“We were… weird at first, and then I thought I liked you, and then…” Irradiance trailed off as he thought back to the incident of perceived betrayal at the Changeling Hive. “I know I suggested you move in with me, or something, but… Do you want to? Do you want to be together? Officially?”

Leviathan’s lips quirked into a small smile as he put together what Irradiance was trying to ask, “Are you asking me out?”

“I lived alone for ten years, okay?” Irradiance exasperatedly said, huffing a sigh. “Acting on emotion is easy! Articulating things is a whole other task!” The Changeling laughed, red eyes squinting in amusement.

“Yes, Irradiance, I’ll go out with you. We can be… what’s the term for two stallions dating?” Leviathan asked, genuinely unsure of the term. “I know marefriend is for… well, mares, but I don’t know if I’ve ever actually heard a mare or stallion refer to a stallionfriend, or whatever.” Irradiance shrugged once more.

“Partners?” Leviathan shrugged in agreement. “Partners in crime!” Irradiance added, resulting in a laugh from the former. “Or just regular romantic partners. Ooh! Lovers!”

“I like lovers,” Leviathan decided, pressing his muzzle against Irradiance’s again. They stayed like that for a few moments, silently breathing each other in, enjoying the peace and quiet for once during their journey together. With no danger occurring presently, Irradiance took a sharp breath as he felt a rush of emotion travel through him. Leviathan must have felt it, too. “Can I…?” The Changeling whispered, and Irradiance nodded eagerly, tilting his head slightly.

Leaning in, Leviathan gracefully pressed his lips to Irradiance’s, sighing into the kiss. Irradiance felt like he might melt at the contact, so grateful to finally be able to do what he’d only been imagining for days at this point. The stallion lifted his hooves to Leviathan’s face, pulling him even closer if that was possible. Irradiance wanted to stay like this and never let go. He could swear he was glowing with happiness at the contact.

In fact, opening his eyes revealed that Leviathan was glowing! “Oh, my Celestia!” Irradiance gasped as he pulled away, marveling at the sight.

“What?” Leviathan asked, unaware of his appearance.

“You’re glowing! Look!” Irradiance took one of the Changeling’s arms, lifting it to show the prince how the shining black body was glowing red, getting brighter by the minute.

Before either stallion could say anything else, Leviathan was encompassed in a bright glare similar to that of what Lilith was covered in before she was turned to stone. Unlike his mother, though, Leviathan’s body was swirled in the glowing red until it transformed him, turning his torn wings and hole-filled legs into long, beetle-like wings and shining, full legs. His hair became fuller, coat a shinier material, and his mostly-red color scheme became tinted with a deep purple. The glowing subsided, and Leviathan regained control over his color, observing the changes that had just taken place.

“You look… different,” Irradiance observed. Leviathan looked ecstatic.

“I’ve reformed, Irradiance!”

“What?”

“Like King Thorax! Like his entire Hive!” The Changeling was cheering, pacing the room as he searched for a reflective surface to look at his entire body in. “I found some way to generate magic by making it myself rather than feeding off of someone!” He halted his pacing as he thought back to what had caused the transformation.

“How did you manage that?” Irradiance asked, confused out of his mind at the over-the-top transformation.

“I have no idea!” Leviathan pressed another kiss to Irradiance’s lips, though this one was just a peck, “Magic… how am I making magic?” Irradiance watched as the Changeling looked at him for a long time, eyes studying the purple stallion’s face before smiling, “The magic of love.”

“Ha! No way!”

“I mean, it would make sense,” Leviathan reasoned, thinking back to just minutes before, “We kiss and then I turn into a way cooler version of myself?”

“I liked you when you were kind of rugged…” Irradiance grumbled.

“Okay, whatever. Let’s get the others in here and get you checked out,” Leviathan once again pressed a kiss to Irradiance’s lips as he walked out of the hospital room and into the hallway, fetching a doctor and the rest of their friends.

Irradiance smiled to himself once he was alone in the room again. Looking down at his hooves, where the deep purple crystals remained after the entire journey, he couldn’t help but enjoy the sight. The adventure for a cure had meant finding these ponies and other creatures that were now his closest friends, and the Changeling he’d begun to fall in love with thought the curse was enchanting. Not to mention, had he not had this much magic coursing through him, Irradiance wouldn’t have been able to save his friends! Granted, he also wouldn’t have been in this mess in the first place, but didn’t that mean never meeting Hibiscus, Cobalt, and the others in the first place?

The stallion let out a laugh as he watched doctors and his friends approach his room once more, likely coming to check him out of the hospital, remove his bandages, and start his new life. Irradiance had never been more thankful for his school bullies for making him live in the forest. They’d sent him on a path to meet the best creatures he’d ever know.

Author's Note

btw i wrote a cookie run kingdom fanfiction with an entirely different plot, but the same waking up from a coma chapter. but this one is done MUCH better in my opinion!!! more self reflecting and less horny cookies. bc these ponies are FAMILY FRIENDLY horny. not horny. i should stop saying horny. sorry. enjoy! one chapter left :) its an epilogue BUT IT SETS UP A SEQUEL???? or does it......?

Epilogue

Change was slow, at first. After the defeat of Queen Lilith, Leviathan was quickly requested by the Changelings to take her place and lead the hive, but the prince wasn’t eager to return to his old home. Not after he’d made peace with his friends and agreed to start a life with Irradiance.

At the stallion’s urging, however, Leviathan did make the trip back to the hive to reintroduce himself to his citizens, promising to either return or introduce Irradiance as a fellow leader. It was a sweet gesture and Irradiance didn’t doubt him for a second.

After being checked out of the hospital, Irradiance was met with hundreds of ponies welcoming him back to Canterlot. He’d been doubtful, but it seemed to truly be the case that, after his disappearance, memorials were made in his honor. After leaving the medical facility, Irradiance visited the statue made in his honor, the plaque, the memorial bench, and the hundreds of flowers that were dropped at his basically-grave every day. All sorts of ponies he’d never met before welcomed him to the city, gifting him bits, food, and even miscellaneous toys, apologizing that he’d been run out and didn’t get to enjoy a proper childhood!

Hibiscus automatically graduated from the academy with honors, as Celestia’s school faculty were absolutely in awe that not one, but two of their students had been part of the defeat of one of the most dangerous Changeling Hives of all time, and that both had returned safely. The pink Unicorn earned her own memorial plaque, which was placed right beside Irradiance’s in the center of the school’s courtyard.

Cobalt, training to be a Wonderbolt, was gifted a custom uniform. Though he was a bit of an airhead, he was an honorable recruit and the team of talented flyers would be foolish not to promote him. True to his promise, Cobalt followed Irradiance around for a long while, performing at his request and defending him against any ponies that lashed out, angered at either the stallion’s appearance or his magical gift.

Marigold, not used to pony living, was slow to allow herself socialization. She familiarized herself with the ancient hero, Fluttershy, living in her cottage once the news of her distant relation to Mage Meadowbrook made it out to the public. She was quickly a topic of discussion, given gifts, and even offered a portrait because of her fame in genetics. As she began to enter society to get ingredients for potions or to study what plants were native to the region, the mare became friendly with a lot of her neighbors and several store ponies, feeling more and more comfortable in her hobbies as she remained in the town.

Though she did return back to the Dragonlands after Irradiance was safe and welcome in his city once more, Amber wasn’t about to skip out on visits. She made sure to check in with the ponies as often as possible, delivering information about Leviathan as he took on his new role of King of the Changelings (Irradiance was teased at the release of this knowledge. Not only was he a hero, he was royalty now! What curse did everyone else have to get to turn into a king?) and returning messages from the four ponies back to the stallion.

No longer residing in the forest, Irradiance was offered a home in Canterlot Castle after a month of living with Hibiscus.

“What?” He responded to the guards, who had arrived mid-coffee date with Cobalt, Hibiscus, and Marigold. It was a weekly thing they’d decided to do, getting coffee together. They were all busy readjusting after the fame they’d all gained in their short trip in the forest (though it felt infinite when they had lived it).

“Her Majesty requests that you move into the Canterlot Castle, Irradiance, sir!” A white Pegasus repeated, head held high as he addressed the Unicorn stallion.

“Do I have to move in, like, now?” Irradiance asked, still sipping his espresso.

“Can we move in, too?” Cobalt asked, nearly tipping Marigold’s drink on the table. The Pegasi shook their heads.

“Princess Twilight requests that only Irradiance move into the castle formally, however, she did specify that his friends are free to come and go as they wish. His partner is also welcome to permanently reside in the castle,” The second Pegasus answered. Cobalt pouted.

“Ugh, boyfriend privileges,” The blue Pegasus rolled his eyes and the two mares laughed at the reaction.

“Your moving to the Canterlot Castle has already been prepared, Irradiance. Things have been prepared and your forest abode has been investigated to ensure your new home is to your liking and a familiar scenery,” The first Pegasus explained. Irradiance marveled at the preparation. It was clear this had been in the cards for a while but the announcement was still unexpected!

“Uh, okay!” Irradiance said, finishing his espresso. “We’ll get things moving, then! Thank you!”

The four ponies made their way to Hibiscus’ home, unloading the small amount of items that Irradiance owned, packing three boxes, and making their way outside, where a carriage was already waiting.

“Her Majesty insisted we escort you,” A Unicorn spoke from the front of the carriage, as another pony opened the door for the four ponies, welcoming them inside.

“By Celestia, Irradiance!” Marigold exclaimed, excitedly making her way into the golden carriage, “I wish I had defeated Queen Lilith so I could get this treatment!”

The stallion laughed, “By all means, take it! All this special treatment is driving me crazy!”

“Really?” Cobalt asked, baffled by the statement, “I’d be in heaven with all this happening! I’m practically still training to be a Wonderbolt, but the most I’ve gotten in special treatment was that title!”

“We should all be grateful!” Hibiscus interrupted the conversation at hand, “We survived the Changeling Queen Lilith and now we know the new king! We’re some of the luckiest ponies in Equestria! We shouldn’t be comparing ourselves, we should all be glad everyone’s here and happy!”

The carriage slowly pulled up to the castle, where the door was once again opened for the ponies within, their boxes taken by a Unicorn guard so no one had to carry things as they walked in to meet the princess.

“Hey, handsome,” A guard spoke up from behind the carriage door.

“Taken,” Irradiance scoffed, mouth twisting up as he rejected the guard without looking.

“Woah! Hey!” The guard quickly ran in front of Irradiance, halting him in his tracks. “Way to welcome me back!”

Irradiance’s mouth fell open as he saw who it was: a green pegasus with a deeper green mane, and bright blue eyes, dressed in golden guard armor, “Leviathan!” The pair erupted into laughter as they embraced, Leviathan pressing kisses across the Unicorn’s face before their friends very loudly began coughing at the public display of affection.

“Very sweet, but can we get going?” Hibiscus spoke up, “Princess Twilight requested to meet us!”

“Oh!” Leviathan released the other stallion, composing himself as he allowed the group to continue walking up the steps into the castle. “Sorry! Let’s go!”

The five creatures all made their way within the large white building, marveling at the structure they were inside. At the end of the long red carpet, a violet Alicorn with a sparkling, indigo mane sat on a golden throne. Once they were right before the princess, the ponies all bowed, lowering themselves onto one foreleg.

“Oh, no!” Twilight spoke clearly, addressing her subjects with ease, “Please don’t bow! I’m just like you all, just… with a title,” She was awkward but graceful. “Please stand.”

The five ponies all stood back up, sharing glances as they all stared up at their leader, unsure who should speak first.

“I knew all the royalty stuff would be too formal,” The Alicorn rolled her eyes, walking down from her throne to stand closer to the ponies before her. “Sorry, I called you all here because I wanted to thank you for the defeat of Queen Lilith and to congratulate King Leviathan here on his takeover of the Changeling Hive. I’ve been told that your citizens have all been reformed, as well?”

Leviathan nodded, still in his green pony form, “After my transformation, all of my subjects realized that they, too, were able to create some form of magic on their own, whether through feeling a spark of love or by doing something they truly enjoyed. The hive is full of artists and lovers, now. It’s really amazing!”

Twilight giggled, happy to hear the positive news from the Red Hive, “Excellent! And please, know that the red Changelings are free to attend my university or any other location throughout Equestria. I’m sure King Thorax will be pleased to know another hive has joined Equestria’s royal alliance!” Twilight turned her gaze toward the three ponies behind both Irradiance and Leviathan, smiling appreciatively, “And you three! I want you to know how grateful both I and former Princess Celestia are that you helped return the lost student back to Canterlot. Irradiance was truly a testament to his generation when he attended Celestia’s academy!”

Hibiscus smiled up at the princess, “I know! I was aware of him throughout my studies and I recognized him when we met in the forest!”

Twilight hummed, “You are always welcome here in the castle. In fact, I would love to take you up as a professor at my university once you’ve completed all the training you believe you need at the academy!” Hibiscus gasped at the offer.

“Really?” The pink Unicorn was met with a nod from the princess. “Oh, thank you, Your Majesty!”

“Oh, you can all call me Twilight,” She waved off the title. “Now, Irradiance,” Twilight turned her attention to the purple stallion.

“Yes, Y– uh, Twilight?” The princess laughed at the attempt not to use a title.

“You remind me of myself, did you know that?” Irradiance shook his head, “In fact, all of you remind me of myself and my friends! Six ponies– er, creatures, all working together to defeat evil?” Twilight smiled as she looked upon the five ponies present, “It’s admirable. Irradiance, I’d like to offer you the choice to live within the castle and train as my next student.”

Gasps were heard from the four ponies surrounding Irradiance, who was in awe himself, staring up at Princess Twilight with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“Now, you don’t have to accept the offer right now,” Twilight continued, laughing at the responses of those before her, “In fact, if you see fit, you can outright decline my offer, I won’t be offended. But I do want you on my staff, at the very least. You’re a powerful Unicorn and it would be terrible to let you slip between my hooves.”

“Thank you, Twilight!” Irradiance thanked eagerly, looking around at his friends with a giant smile on his face.

“You can let me know tomorrow at the earliest if you’d like to be my student. For now, I want you to make yourself comfortable in the castle. If you need me, I’ll be upstairs in the observatory.” Twilight gestured for Leviathan to escort the group to Irradiance’s room.

“Why do you know where we’re going?” Marigold asked as she followed the green Pegasus up the stairs to their destination.

“I’m getting a weird sense of deja vu here,” Cobalt murmured as he followed. A few laughs came over the group.

“Ha ha!” Leviathan laughed drily, “If you weren’t aware, I was once a royal guard here. Just because I’m a king now doesn’t mean I don’t still know the floor layout of my old station!” Irradiance gave his partner a pointed look and Leviathan deflated, ears pressed against his head, “Okay, also I asked Twilight if I could show you all around.”

The five ponies finally arrived at a set of double doors, lined with gold and made of frosted glass. Leviathan pushed the doors open gently, allowing the rest of the group to look at the gorgeous interior of the room.

There was a large queen-sized bed with a white canopy overhead, a pair of stained glass doors that opened to a large balcony on the far side of the room, and a corner that had shelves upon shelves of ingredients, a picturesque replica of Irradiance’s old home in the forest. It was a tasteful way of paying homage to his old cottage while allowing the Unicorn a wonderful new home.

“Oh, wow,” Hibiscus was looking around with wide eyes and an open mouth. “You have to let me stay with you one night!”

“No way!” Leviathan countered, “I get dibs on all the nights here! A queen-sized bed?”

“Room for king-sized lovemaking,” Cobalt commented, resulting in flushed faces from the other two stallions and loud laughs from the mares present.

“Okay! That’s enough visiting!” Irradiance shooed his friends out of the room, moving them with his magic and scooting them out the doors, “I’ll talk to you all later!”

“Have fun with your bed!” Cobalt chimed, resulting in more laughter. Irradiance rolled his eyes, closing the doors on his friends and turning around to the green Pegasus.

“Absolutely insufferable,” Irradiance groaned.

“I’ve missed you,” Leviathan said, transforming into his Changeling form. Irradiance was still amazed at the color change he’d gone through with his transformation. The shift from red to purple on his thorax was enchanting if Irradiance had anything to say about it.

“I’ve missed you, too,” The purple Unicorn pressed their muzzles together, horns tapping in an affectionate gesture. “What’s it like leading the hive?” Leviathan groaned.

“It’s exhausting. Abbadon is working toward redemption, but he’s still steadfast in believing I’ve betrayed the real leader.”

“The one trapped in stone?” Leviathan nodded.

“That’s the one. I wanted to surprise you when I got here so I used the Emerald disguise again. It worked a little too well,” Leviathan thought back to the Unicorn’s arrival at the castle. “At least I know you’d never choose anyone else over me.”

“How could I?” Irradiance scoffed at the idea, “Who else fell in love with me despite all odds, actually learning love was a real emotion in the process?” Leviathan flushed red. Irradiance just smiled wider. “I’d never fall for anyone else,” He pressed a kiss to the Changeling's cheek and walked out to the balcony.

Leviathan joined him, looking out at Canterlot, watching ponies walk around on the ground below.

“What’s next?” The Changeling asked, “Still want to search for a cure?” Irradiance shook his head.

“No, I don’t think I need a cure anymore,” Irradiance sat down as he looked out, “I want to become Twilight’s student and see what I can accomplish here. She said we reminded her of her old friends, right? Maybe there’s a deeper connection there. Maybe there are more Element Trees to be discovered!”

“Maybe there is!” Leviathan chuckled as he listened to the stallion ramble on. “It’ll be tough juggling a hive and visiting you guys, but I want to stay friends with all of you and go on more adventures, battling more evil!”

“Fighting more Changeling Queens?” Leviathan was silent.

“Maybe not battling more evil… but adventures are fun, right?” Irradiance nodded happily.

“Later, though. Now, I just want to be here with you. It’s been over a month since I saw you last!” Irradiance threw his arms around the Changeling, embracing him in a tight hug.

“Should we try out the bed?” Leviathan joked, resulting in pink cheeks from Irradiance.

“Ugh, you can’t be making these jokes every night,” Irradiance waved off the joke with a hoof, still smiling. He was happy to see how far he’d come. From leaving Canterlot as a colt to living alone in the Everfree Forest for a decade, to finally making friends that he’d grown to truly adore? Irradiance couldn’t be happier. He couldn’t wait to see what would come next.

(Deep in the Everfree Forest, an Element Tree began to glow.)

Author's Note

i wrote this book in like, what. two weeks? idk. its summer and I'm literally enrolled to be an aerospace engineering major in the fall and that's hilarious??? I'm literally a brony about to make bank on engineering and I'm writing a self insert fanfiction at the age of 20 bc i finally know how to write. also, there's another book i apparently tried to write when i was like 12 called "A Sparkling Destiny." isn't that wild that i created this story 8 years later and wound up using almost the same name? entirely different plot though. i hope anyone who read this all the way through enjoyed it!! PLEASE give me criticism if i need it! I'm open to editors since i wrote and posted this all in one breath basically. Grammarly was my friend :) ok goodbye until the sequel i hope i actually write!!!!!