Antecedent 11
#11 of Antecedent
Celestia sat on the other side of the cell door that Chitin was imprisoned within, staring within at the changeling queen, watching her.
"What am I to do with you, Chitin?" Celestia asked, shaking her head slowly.
"I... I do not know," Chitin admitted, hesitation, lifting a hoof to tuck a strand of her green mane behind her ear, to keep it out of her eyes. "I only ask that you do not unduly harm my changelings for my actions."
"Tell me why you turned yourself in," Celestia stated, lifting a hoof in punctuation.
"I... I dedicated my entire life to the time bridge," Chitin said, looking away and shaking her head sadly. "I didn't... I never just thought of the possibility that Chrysalis was happy where she was. I knew she was brainwashed, and that if I could go back and fix it, everything would be fine."
"But that is not the case," Celestia stated.
"Correct," Chitin admitted, sighing and hanging her head. "I never bothered myself with the consequences of my actions because I didn't think that they would have any bearing on anything... If I went back and changed things, then none of it would have mattered..."
"Then why did you not just not kill all ponies who opposed you?" Celestia asked bluntly.
Chitin paused at that, and then frowned deeply. "When I ordered my changelings to kill the two ponies and the griffon... I kept telling myself that it wouldn't matter. That none of this would have happened when I went back. None of this would have existed. Ever." Chitin shook her head and then sighed, flopping down onto her stomach and burying her nose in her hooves. "But that didn't stop it from eating away at my mind. I felt terrible. When Scimitar told me that they escaped, I felt... relieved. We are not heartless monsters, Celestia. No matter how much you wish to believe that."
"If you were beyond redemption, I would have put you all to death immediately," Celestia said candidly.
Chitin's eyes widened, and she gave a soft shudder.
"You understand, of course?" Celestia asked, arching a brow. "You are dangerous. You have proven yourself a strong adversary, and given what I know of changelings... if you wished to be out of this cell, there is very little that I, or my guards, could do to stop you. My only leverage is your conscience."
"Good thing I'm not heartless then," Chitin said with a weak laugh.
Celestia nodded. "Good indeed. But that still does not answer my question. Why did you turn yourself in?"
"When Chrysalis showed me her feelings... I had to abandon my plan. I couldn't take that from her. She knew a happiness that my kind will never have. An unthinking happiness. I envy her for that. But... I had already gone too far. You knew we were still here," Chitin said with a shake of her head. "Running was not an option. You would have hunted us down."
"You held all the cards," Celestia stated, waving a hoof. "The elements, the bearers. We had no chance of defeating you in a straight up battle... and yet you surrendered yourself. Why?"
Chitin took a deep breath, and then sighed softly. "I surrendered because Chrysalis convinced me it was the only way for us to continue as a species. If we assumed total control... we would have had to turn you into no more than cattle. We would have to destroy your kind, as a species. We are not a warrior race, Celestia. We are thieves. It was wanting to be in control that scattered us in the first place... I did not intend to repeat Chrysalis' mistakes..."
Celestia nodded, watching the changeling with narrowed eyes. "There is more you are not telling me."
"I... I am the queen. I considered it an interim position. I was just... I was waiting for Chrysalis to return. But now that I'm in charge... I've already made so many mistakes. I revealed us. And as a species that feeds on love... we require stealth to exist. I've ruined that. We have no hope of continuing the old ways," Chitin said, beginning to pace back and forth in her cell anxiously.
"So... you hope for peace between our two nations?" Celestia asked flatly.
Chitin heaved a sigh, and then shook her head. "I... I don't know. I know it's too much to hope for... but I can't help but want it. I don't wish to be the last queen of my race. I don't want to see the end of my race..."
"You're trying to atone for your mistakes," Celestia said with a wise nod.
"I... I guess so. Our fate is in your hooves," Chitin stated, bowing to the princess.
Celestia frowned. "I have half a mind to have you all put to death."
Chitin shuddered softly, her ears splaying backwards.
"But... I fear I cannot bring myself to give the order, knowing that some of your kind may be genuinely apologetic for your inherent sins." Celestia rose to her hooves, beginning to pace herself, walking back and forth in front of the cell. "You must promise me something, Chitin."
"Anything," Chitin said immediately, bowing her head.
"Look me in the eyes, and tell me that, if you could be cured, you would live life as a normal pony," Celestia demanded, stopping and staring at the changeling.
Chitin stared up at Celestia for a long moment. "I... I would live life as a normal pony, if it were at all possible," she said softly.
Celestia slowly shook her head, beginning to pace back and forth again. "You lie."
Chitin gave a wry smile and then sighed softly. "I had to try..."
"I know," Celestia replied, shaking her head helplessly. "I would have done the same in your position."
"What will you do with us? We cannot live for long like this... I could last many weeks with the love that Spike has been giving to me, but my subjects are not so well-off," Chitin admitted, casting her gaze towards the other cells.
"I have no idea what I could do with your kind... there is no way that our culture could offer yours any kind of sustenance. Not willingly," Celestia said with a slow shake of her head.
"That is... correct." Chitin sighed faintly, laying her head on her hooves and closing her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath. "My kind are doomed, aren't we?"
Celestia frowned deeply at that, scowling and pacing rapidly back and forth. "Give me an alternative!"
"There are certain positions whereby a changeling can survive on passing affection. Caring positions. Babysitting... health workers... teaching..." Chitin suggested.
"I will not turn changelings loose upon foals!" Celestia hissed, scowling deeply.
"Then kill us," Chitin stated flatly.
"There is still the problem of your rogue changelings. My magic still cannot detect your kind without the hive mind active. And I retain doubts as to whether or not these changelings are really rogue," Celestia stated, pacing back and forth while staring at the queen.
"I did not order them to do anything," Chitin stated, shaking her head.
"I cannot trust you," Celestia said immediately.
"I know..." Chitin said, sighing and trailing off.
"M-My queen?" one of the changelings said from across the hallway, reaching a hoof through the bars. He was disguised as a young unicorn, with a monocle over one eye.
"Why do you interrupt us?" Chitin asked flatly.
"I have an idea... if I may share it?" the changeling offered.
Chrysalis nodded gently, closing her eyes. After several long seconds, her eyes blinked open, and she stared up at Celestia.
"I... there is a possibility. For changelings to live. And not violate the free will of ponies."
Celestia tossed her mane. "I doubt this."
"Your kind... you retain links to your passed loved ones, yes?" Chitin asked delicately.
"If this involves dead bodies, then the answer is surely no," Celestia stated instantly.
"Hear me out," Chitin stated, waving her hoof once. Her eyes seemed to glow for several long moments, and she gave a delicate nod. "You lost somepony, someone close to you."
Celestia snorted and tossed her mane again. "I have lost a great many ponies over the years."
"This one was different," Chitin stated knowingly, watching the princess intently. "You still harbour regret over it... I can feel it in the surface of your thoughts when you remember... her."
The princess waved a hoof firmly. "This conversation is over," she spat, before turning to walk away.
"What if I could give you the chance to be with her again?" Chitin said quietly. Celestia froze. "What if I could give you a day with her? Let you speak to her again? Let you hold her in your hooves and bask in her presence?"
"I will not be seduced by your trickery," Celestia growled.
"It is not trickery... How would I be able to leech love from Spike if I did not create a realistic interpretation of Rarity for him to love? He knew I was a changeling. But he could put that thought aside while we were together. For just a little while, he was happy, together with his beloved once more," Chitin said, keeping her voice low.
"I..." Celestia trailed off, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "This is a trick."
"It is no trick, Celestia. This is what I offer. This is what my kind offers. We will give to you your beloved ponies, be they lost, or just far away. And all we ask in return is continued existence..." Chitin raised a hoof to rest on the bars of her cell, staring at the princess. "That's not too much to ask, is it?"
Celestia swallowed audibly, and then closed her eyes again. She grit her teeth for a moment, and then stalked away.
Chitin sighed, hanging her head, and then moving back over to the simple bed she was allotted, splaying herself out on it. She had failed.
The sound of returning hoofbeats jarred Chitin out of her sudden sad trance, and she lifted her head to find Celestia looking back through the bars, a guard standing behind her.
"If you wish for this to work, you will have to convince my guard," Celestia said, motioning behind herself.
The guard stepped forwards, removing his helmet. Chitin frowned deeply. She knew that pony.
"Hello, Chitin. Your future is in my hooves... so I think you should probably know... your kind killed my parents," Sentinel said as the cell door was unlocked and slid open.
"This is... highly unfair," Chitin stated, as she walked in a circle around Sentinel, inspecting him.
"Life isn't fair," Sentinel growled, eyes narrowed.
Chitin snorted, tossing her mane. "Indeed. But my 'talents' will not work on you while you are resistant to my magic."
"You expect me to allow you to cast spells upon every pony you wish to feed from?" Celestia asked flatly, her eyes narrowing. "I'm afraid you're deluded."
"You do not understand, Celestia," Chitin said, waving her hoof. "My kind feeds upon love. Even if I were to enter your guard's mind, and become that which he loves the most, he would still not love what I am because he knows that I am a changeling."
"This is a problem, then," Celestia said calmly. "We are back to square one."
"Undo your magic, Princess Celestia," Sentinel said quietly.
"Excuse me?" Celestia asked.
"Undo it," Sentinel repeated, watching the changeling queen with a vicious expression on his face. "Undo your magic so that I can let this thing do her little spell. And then I can have the pleasure of telling her to her face that her kind will never coexist with ours."
"Your guard seems rather... biased," Chitin stated, frowning.
"Sentinel, if I-"
Sentinel cut Celestia off, "-just do it!"
Celestia gave a sigh, and then strode over to the guard, gently laying her horn on his flank. The cutie mark glowed faintly, and then morphed, changing from a green glow, to a shield and two crossed spears, his original cutie mark. Like all of the guards specifically trained to hunt changelings, their cutie marks had changed when the spell had been placed upon them, to denote their new direction in life.
Sentinel wiggled his haunches for a moment, and then gave a soft shiver at the sensation. "Thank you," he said curtly, not taking his eyes off Chitin.
Chitin's eyes narrowed, and she stared into Sentinel's gaze unblinkingly. Her horn glowed suddenly, and her eyes seemed to flash with magic. Sentinel reeled backwards, covering his face with a hoof, blinking rapidly.
"Hold my gaze, whelp, or I'll hold it for you," Chitin stated flatly.
Sentinel growled, lifting his eyes once more to Chitin's own.
Celestia moved to step between them, but Chitin silently held up a hoof, halting her. The princess paused, and then receded, allowing the changeling to continue.
"Sentinel has been fed upon already," Chitin said softly, still staring into his eyes, tilting her head slightly to the side. The guard seemed stuck in place, transfixed and unable to look away.
"How? I designed the magic specifically to counteract that," Celestia said in disbelief.
Chitin gave a thoughtful hum, her eyes narrowing as she delved deeper. "Raindrop," she whispered after a few moments. "Raindrop took energy from him, when they were... well," she trailed off, uncertain of a delicate way to put it.
"While they were screwing?" Celestia offered with an arched brow.
Chitin nodded once, still not breaking the gaze with the guard. "The act seems to have broken its way through your magical defenses. It is unsurprising. It is the physically closest and emotionally closest you can get to a pony."
"You say this as though through experience," Celestia said guardedly.
"I do speak from experience," Chitin said silkily.
Celestia went quiet at that, fathoming the implications.
Chitin said no more, and then she blinked.
Sentinel reeled backwards again, the trance broken, gasping and shuddering, lifting a hoof to his eyes and rubbing at them helplessly, like he had just been punched in the face.
The guard's eyes were tinged with green when he opened them again, and he looked up at Chitin, his eyes slowly widening.
Chitin tilted her head gently to one side, watching him. Her form shimmered, and then seemed to melt, becoming that of a pegasus with a green body and a blue mane, with a cutie mark comprised of a sewing needle and a length of string twined around it.
"M-mother?" Sentinel asked, his wings flaring and stiffening in fight-or-flight reflex, a sudden lump rising in his throat as he danced nervously from hoof to hoof.
"I'm here, baby," the pegasus cooed softly, motioning for Sentinel to step closer.
Sentinel made a helpless sound, stepping closer to the pegasus, and then bounding forwards the last few steps and capturing her in a powerful, firm hug, burying his face in against her neck, clinging to her.
Celestia watched with wide eyes, her brows furrowing in concern. Chitin, in the guise of Sentinel's mother, waved her hoof at Celestia, motioning for her to leave.
Frowning deeply, Celestia rose to her hooves, and then stepped out of the cell, closing the door behind her and locking it. She stepped to the side, out of line of sight of the cell, and then sat down, to wait for Sentinel and Chitin to be done.
"Celestia?" Raindrop asked, as she strode down the line of cells to where the princess was sitting.
"Ah, Raindrop," Celestia said with a smile. "We are very close to being able to cure you. We have all the elements in our possession again."
"So I'm done?" Raindrop asked with a sigh of relief.
"Well... I do not require your help in our search for the elements any more," Celestia said with a gentle nod and a warm smile. "Thank you for all your help, Raindrop."
Raindrop frowned deeply at that, her eyes narrowing. "There's something you're not telling me."
Celestia sighed and hung her head. "The changelings turned themselves in... but Chitin tells me that a group of maybe fifty or so have gone rogue. They've cut themselves off from the hive mind."
"This is... bad?" Raindrop asked uncertainly.
"I am not sure of their intent," Celestia admitted uneasily.
Raindrop gave a long sigh at that. "So much for going back to weather duty..."
"I get the feeling you enjoy this more than you let on," Celestia said guardedly.
Raindrop gave Celestia a long stare. "I've been assaulted by a changeling assassin in the guise of a Dark Guard, faced off against a Hydra that almost killed me, crept through changeling-infested tunnels trying to rescue your damned elements. I've been stabbed, beaten, ended up in hospital countless times, blown up an airship and what appears to be several acres of forest. Not to mention my grandmother came back from the dead just long enough to steal my thunder, deus-ex-machina the fuck out of my grand rescue and solve the greatest problem of the most recent generation mere minutes before she just upped and died."
Celestia stared at Raindrop for a long moment, and then gave a wry smile. "You wouldn't trade it for the world, huh?"
"Not a damn chance," Raindrop said with a wild grin.
Celestia smiled at that, and then lifted a hoof to rest on the pegasus' shoulder. "I appreciate everything you've done for this nation, Raindrop. We are in a time of transition, I feel... And I feel that we will have need of your services again."
"Kinda amusing that you don't have a special task force for this kind of thing already," Raindrop pointed out with a grin.
"You are my special task force," Celestia admitted quietly. "You and Sentinel go above and beyond what I could ever ask anypony to do for us."
Raindrop gave a wry grin. "We just do it for the money."
Celestia shook her head and smiled.
"But speaking of the elements... we kinda found the pony who is supposed to bear the Element of Generosity. But he... well. He wasn't very generous with his time," Raindrop said with a frown, rubbing a hoof against her temple helplessly.
"I see. That is... not such a problem. We can afford to wait for him to free up some time in his schedule. There is no longer a threat looming over the castle so grimly," Celestia pointed out.
"No threat of imminent doom is nice. Gonna make a welcome change of pace. But it's gonna feel weird not running everywhere. What do you even want me to do?" Raindrop asked helplessly.
Celestia hummed thoughtfully. "I do not require your services at present. Nor in the immediate future. You are welcome to stay in the castle if you wish. We still do not have the seeker stone for the Element of Loyalty. We have no bearer for Magic, Loyalty, or Generosity."
"Oh! Luna was going to go and try to get the bearers of magic and generosity while we were at the castle. You know, consolidate our forces or something. You should send her a message letting her know everything up here is hunky-dorey," Raindrop said with a firm nod.
"I shall do so," Celestia said, bowing her head.
"You don't happen to know where Sentinel is, do you?" Raindrop asked.
At that moment, the cell door slid open, and Sentinel stepped out, his head lowered, ears splayed backwards. He didn't even look at Raindrop as he turned to Celestia, leaning up to whisper something into her ear.
Celestia paused a moment, and then nodded gently, blinking and staring down at her hooves.
Raindrop stepped closer to the guard, but Sentinel sidestepped her, turning away as he began to walk down the hall. Raindrop caught a glance of his face as he passed her. His downturned eyes with puffy around the edges, as though he had been crying, and that worried her. Sentinel didn't cry. This was the stallion that had smiled as she beat him to a pulp!
"Princess... what's going on?" Raindrop asked, bewildered, looking from Celestia to the retreating form of Sentinel.
"He just needs to be alone," Celestia said gently. "Give him some time."
"What's happening?" Raindrop asked flatly, brows furrowing, looking towards where Sentinel had already disappeared from sight and the cell where he had come from.
"Sentinel helped me to confirm a method with which the changelings could live with ponies without needing to use subterfuge... I'm afraid it hit a vulnerability that he himself was not aware of," Celestia said quietly.
Raindrop's ears splayed backwards, and she frowned deeply.
"I must take my leave," Celestia said quietly. "I have much to discuss with Chitin. I will call on you again, Raindrop. But for now, relax. Enjoy some leisure time. The danger has passed."
"The danger to the castle has passed," Raindrop stated, sighing once. "I'm still part changeling."
"But we are very close to having all the bearers. I know who the bearer of magic is, you know who the bearer of generosity is. We just have to bring them to the castle, and find the bearer of loyalty," Celestia explained with a smile. "Take some time to rest, Raindrop. You have done much in very little time, you deserve some downtime."
"I... I guess you're right," Raindrop admitted, nodding once and turning away. She paused then, "Can you ask Sentinel to find me at the inn later?"
"I shall do so," Celestia said with a gentle nod.
Raindrop smiled, and then bounded away to enjoy her newfound leisure time.
Blue eyes slid open, and Stardancer saw the world in a grain of sand. She saw every blade of grass. She saw how the eddies and swirls of the air molecules would wend their way through the blades of grass. The sun's rays altered the way the air behaved, the photons cast off by the giant mass of burning gas intersecting with the wind in a way that only Stardancer could see.
She saw everything at once, and nothing. There was so much information that it was impossible to process, like a filly's first brave stab at algebra, trying to absorb the complicated information and failing utterly.
Everything hurt. It felt like there was a sharp spike being driven between her ears, and her skull felt as though it were going to explode under the pounding headache putting unbearable pressure on her very mind itself.
The sharp sting of a needle in her flank did nothing to jog Stardancer from her stupor. The unicorn was far too busy watching the dance of atomic particles around a single grain of dirt.
Slowly, thought flooded back into her mind. She could actually think now, rather than process endless possibilities. Suddenly, Stardancer was aware of three guards around her, and an orderly in front, holding an empty syringe. The stinging in her rump became apparent, and she became acutely aware of the dryness of her throat.
"Water..." Stardancer croaked, before coughing dryly at the effort, her head spinning.
The orderly bounded away, coming back with a cup of water to hold at her lips. Stardancer let some of the water slip down her burning throat, much of it dribbling from the sides of her mouth. After one or two painful swallows, she collapsed again.
Freedom!
Firebrand flew in a tight circle, wings flapping hard and fast against the air. The burn in her muscles invigorated her, and she exulted in it. It had been days since she had been able to fly like this. Somehow, being constrained in any way made her antsy. Already, she was looking forwards to getting back to Cloudsdale and rejoining her interrupted training.
It had been mid-trials when Raindrop dragged her off on this quest after the Elements of Harmony. It wasn't that she didn't trust her underlings to get the trials right, it was more that there was a certain sense of pride in training the cadets herself; weeding out the good from the bad.
All Firebrand was waiting for now was a meeting with Celestia, to be given actual permission to go back to Cloudsdale, as much as she wanted to just fly there immediately.
After some more enthusiastic laps, the pegasus dropped back to earth, trotting along the grass in the courtyard of the Canterlot palace, before just sprawling out on her back. The pegasus' wings were spread out against the grass, and her chest was heaving, with sweat matting her fur. But there was a giant grin plastered on her muzzle as she stared up at the sky.
"You look happy," Remedy stated, appearing upside-down at the top of Firebrand's field of view.
The pegasus gave a goofy grin and stretched languidly, before sighing and just splaying out flat. "Endorphins."
Remedy gave a nod at that, and then sat down on her haunches, watching the pegasus.
"Whatcha out here for?" Firebrand queried, rolling over onto her stomach and peering up at the nurse.
"Oh I... uh... just thought you could use a drink is all," Remedy said, extending a hoof with a water bottle in it.
"Could I ever!" Firebrand said, taking the water bottle and swallowing down several mouthfuls before passing it back to the nurse. "Thanks."
"It's no problem," Remedy said, shifting awkwardly.
A long silence stretching between them, before Remedy said, "Getting warmer, huh?"
"Sure is," Firebrand responded, watching the nurse with a raised brow.
Once more, the pair lapsed into silence, before Firebrand perked an ear upwards. "Well?"
"Well what?" Remedy asked, blinking once, nervously.
"You didn't just come out here to offer me some water," Firebrand stated knowingly.
Remedy's eyes widened, and she stammered a moment. "N-no, I was just passing and you looked all hot and sweaty and oh for goddess's sake. Fine!" The nurse huffed, tossing her mane. "I was kinda... kinda just getting up the courage to come say stuff to you."
"Well you're here now, so spit it out," Firebrand said with a grin.
"I..." Remedy trailed off, staring down at her hooves. "I... just forget it."
Firebrand lifted a hoof, laying it on Remedy's shoulder. "Tell me. You'll feel better."
"I know... I just... I wanted you to know that I... well, I don't want to murder you any more," Remedy said with a sigh of relief.
Firebrand slowly raised a brow at Remedy, before nodding gently. "Thank you for that, Remedy. That was a really good, emotional bonding moment between us."
"Was that a lie?" Remedy asked suddenly.
"It was heavy, heavy sarcasm," Firebrand said with a snort, tossing her mane.
"Anyhow, now that I got that off my chest!" Remedy said brightly, rising to her hooves.
"Woah back, pony," Firebrand said, grabbing at Remedy's tail. "Is that the best you can do? 'I don't want to murder you'?"
Remedy grimaced. "I'm afraid so."
"Oh I think you can do better," Firebrand said with a shake of her head. "And you have until... let's say seven o'clock to think up better. Front gates. Capiche?"
Remedy blinked, staring at the pegasus over her shoulder. "Are you... are you asking me on a date?"
"You say that as though such a thing would be insane," Firebrand said calmly.
"I'm a changeling," Remedy hissed.
"I know," Firebrand stated with a sly grin. "There are so many naughty things we could do, what with you having the power to shapeshift..."
Remedy blinked once, slowly shaking her head. "I don't what's more off-putting, the fact that you're making sexual allusions or the fact that it's the freaking element of honesty that's doing it!"
"I think you should be equally disturbed by both," Firebrand said, waving a hoof. "Now shoo. And don't you dare stand me up."
"So, have you made your decision yet?" Chitin asked calmly.
Celestia sighed once, and then shook her head. "I... I am leaning towards setting you free. I realise I could hardly hold you captive if you wished to escape. Chrysalis taught me that when I fought her. But I have... reservations."
"Scared that we'll make a big secret plot to overthrow you, quietly taking out key positions and replacing them with changelings?" Chitin put forth rather bluntly.
The princess nodded once. "The thought had crossed my mind."
Chitin sighed in response. "No matter what I say, the threat will always be there that my kind is capable of these things."
"That is exactly what bothers me," Celestia admitted quietly. "After all is said and done... your kind has all the power."
"Limit our power," Chitin stated, tossing her mane. "I will acquiesce to any security measures you wish to put in place, within reason."
"Tell me how you think this will work, Chitin. What do you think will happen? How will your kind even survive? There are... nearly two hundred changelings. How will all of them feed?" Celestia asked, watching the changeling queen carefully.
"I already told you my proposal," Chitin said, waving a hoof calmly. "My kind will offer yours a service. In return for that service, as a result of that service, we will take from your kind, the gift of your love; and our continued existence."
"How often must your kind feed?" Celestia asked carefully.
Chitin gave a thoughtful sound at that, biting her bottom lip. "Once a fortnight, at least. That is bare minimum, and it would require quite a lot of energy to sate a changeling after that. Of course, we can absorb far more love than that... but a fortnight's worth is what it takes so that we don't... hunger."
"So you expect to get nearly two hundred ponies coming through here once every fortnight?" Celestia asked flatly.
Chitin shook her head at that. "No, Celestia. We could take what we need from far fewer ponies, and spread it out amongst ourselves. I think one 'session' would be enough to garner energy for five ponies."
Celestia blinked once. "For the full two weeks?"
The changeling nodded. "Indeed. Though undue exertion is liable to put a greater strain on a changeling's energy reserves."
Celestia gave a thoughtful sound. "And how many changelings would you think it would require to keep your kind sated?"
"If we had the cooperation of ponies, I think maybe a dozen changelings would be able to safely take energy and distribute it to others," Chitin said, tapping her chin with a hoof.
"Are there any dangers?" Celestia queried warily.
"There are always dangers," Chitin replied bluntly. "When we do this, we are actively draining magic from our targets. The magic makes them more... pliable. But it also greatly increases the amount of energy drained. Originally, this magic was mainly used so that our kind could quickly slip in while a pony's spouse was away, drain energy from them, and then leave quickly. If a pony were to visit too many times in a short period of time..." the queen trailed off and shrugged helplessly. "They would become quite drained and lethargic. Depression and death would follow."
Celestia shuddered. "And how am I to protect my guards and other ponies from your magic? I can hardly line them all up in front of the Elements of Harmony."
"I will help you develop methods to sense changelings and shield yourself from our magics. I am determined to make this work," Chitin said, placing a hoof against her own chest in a sincere way. "You can stop us from becoming enemies, Celestia. Give us a chance..."
Celestia pursed her lips, looking the changeling queen up and down once, before she sighed and rose to her hooves.
The cell door slid open, and Celestia stepped out of it. Pausing at the entryway, the princess looked back over her shoulder, raising a brow back at the changeling. "Well? Are you coming?"
Raindrop sighed faintly, sinking down into the warm water of the tub with a low groan. It had been so long since she'd had the privilege of a good soak in hot water.
Raindrop was at the local Canterlot Inn, a place she had never stayed at before. It was very posh, with white walls and paintings of skylines and the like hung along them. The baths were quite large, and Raindrop was sure she could fit Sentinel in there with her when he arrived. The water was so lulling and calm though that she was having trouble staying awake.
The click of the door opening jogged the pegasus out of her trance, and she looked up as Sentinel pushed his way into the room, sliding off his helmet and placing it besides the door.
The guard was dressed in full armor, but Raindrop noticed that he was quiet. He seemed very subdued.
Sentinel sloughed the rest of his armor, dropping it into the floor and then making his way towards the bathroom, holding a brown bag in his mouth. It jingled merrily with coins.
"Got paid, huh?" Raindrop asked, raising a brow.
Sentinel shook his head, making the bag swing. He dropped the coins in front of the bathtub. "That's actually your pay."
Raindrop stared at him, and then blinked once. "Whatever for?"
"You are now officially in the employ of the empire," Sentinel said with a wry grin, as he pulled himself up onto the edge of the tub and then just flopped into it with a splash.
Holding up a hoof to keep the spray from getting in her eyes, Raindrop peered at her coltfriend. "I guess it's official then, huh? I suppose I should tell my weather patrol that I won't be around..."
"It would be a good idea," Sentinel replied, nodding once as he pressed in close to the mare, curling around her so that he was resting against the tub and she was basically in his lap.
"What happened in the cell?" Raindrop asked, leaning sideways to kiss his cheek.
"I... I don't know how to explain it," Sentinel admitted, frowning deeply, his ears splaying back.
Raindrop gently nuzzled at his cheek. "You can tell me, I'm your fillyfriend, after all."
Sentinel nodded in response, wrapping his hooves around her middle and nosing gently at her neck. It was several long moments before he spoke. "Chitin was... she became my mother."
"Changeling are named changelings because they, you know, change," Raindrop pointed out.
Sentinel shook his head. "This was different... I knew she was my mother. Knew it in my heart and soul. For a little while, I was with my mother..."
Raindrop nodded gently, turning around to face the male, gently nudging her nose against his chin and neck. "You're bothered that she got to you so easily?"
Shaking his head once more, Sentinel gently kissed her nose. "No... I've always known that changelings can do that. That they can make you see and believe things that you shouldn't."
"Then why are you so..." Raindrop searched for the right word, frowning slightly. "Why are you so disturbed about all this?"
"I just... I don't know what to feel," Sentinel admitted, sighing and shaking his head in a helpless way. "I... I was with my mother. I got to feel her hooves around me... I got to hear her voice. I heard her apologize for never being there, for having to go away... I got to memorize her face, her scent. She was there."
Raindrop nodded, stroking a hoof against Sentinel's chest soothingly.
"And then... and then she was gone. And it was a changeling all along. It was one of those things that made it so that I don't even have a mother any more... cheap irony, huh?" the guard asked with a pained note in his voice.
Once again, Raindrop nodded, letting him speak.
"And... and just..." Sentinel bit his bottom lip, his voice wavering. "I don't... I just... I'm thankful that I got a chance to have all of that... that I could be with her for a few minutes... But I also hate her because-not because changelings killed my parents-but because she didn't give me more time with her..."
Raindrop gently nuzzled against her coltfriend, wrapping her hooves around him in a soothing hug. "You're confused, hun, it's understandable."
"I don't know what to feel," Sentinel admitted, frowning deeply, staring down at his hooves. "I've always just... it was easier to hate them. To blame them. I've built my entire life on hating them... but now they're going to be part of the empire, and I... I don't know what to do."
Raindrop nodded, squeezing around the guard tightly, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "I know how you feel," she said with a weak laugh. "Whole life just gone and turned upside down."
"Do you miss it?" Sentinel asked suddenly, turning to stare at her.
The pegasus frowned deeply. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't wonder sometimes how it would have turned out if I hadn't been half-changeling..." she trailed off, and then shook her head. "But then I remember that because of all that, I found you. I'd do it all over again if I had to."
Sentinel gave a wry grin at that. "I'd do it all over again, too, I guess... well, I'd learn how to block facial blows easier, first."
Raindrop giggled, rubbing her cheek against Sentinel's own. "Well, my life was all reformed. Time for you to do that, too."
"I... don't know if I can," Sentinel admitted, his ears pinning back. "I'm a changeling hunter... that's my life. That's what I trained for. That's what drove me. And now it's just... gone. How can I just turn my back on a lifetime of preparation?"
"Well, there are the rogue changelings to go after," Raindrop pointed out, nuzzling against him. "An adjustment phase, perhaps?"
"I... I guess," Sentinel said, before going quiet again. After several moments, his ears slowly perked up. "She cast a spell on me."
"Hmm?" Raindrop gave a soft, enquiring sound.
"Chitin. She put a spell on me," Sentinel said with sudden confidence. "She made me sympathetic to the changelings!"
Raindrop shook her head slowly. "Listen to yourself, hun, you're being paranoid."
Sentinel sighed, hanging his head. "I want to hate them... I really, truly just want to hate them..."
"I know hun," Raindrop soothed, hugging around him again. "But you have to let it go. It's unhealthy to hate them without cause."
"They killed my parents," Sentinel pointed out. "Cause."
"Touché," Raindrop admitted, and then peered up at him. "But does it really further your goals to hate them?"
"I... no. But it makes me feel better," Sentinel stated.
"You have me to make you feel better," Raindrop said with a wry smile, leaning up to kiss his nose.
Sentinel sighed, wrapping his hooves around the mare and holding her close. "You really are too good for me..."
"I know," Raindrop said, grinning up at him and gently nudging her nose against his own. "But you're the only pony who can take a punch so good."
"My one redeeming quality," Sentinel said wryly.
"Plus you're cute," Raindrop added, nuzzling up against him.
"I'm just... why don't I hate them any more?" Sentinel asked suddenly, squeezing Raindrop reflexively with his hooves in irritation. "It doesn't make sense!"
"It does make sense," Raindrop pointed out, shaking her head.
"Please, explain," Sentinel entreated.
Raindrop paused, collecting her thoughts. "Ever since you were born, changelings have been the target of your hate. You worked them up as... as monsters in your mind. To you, they could do no good. They were a pure destructive force. They were everything evil in the world."
Sentinel wrinkled his nose. "I wouldn't go that far."
Raindrop shushed him with a hoof. "But now... Chitin gave you something. She showed you something wonderful, even though... even though it was probably pretty painful to go through, it was still something that nopony else could ever show you. She let you be with your mother again, for just a little while. And she wasn't doing it for herself. She wasn't doing it as part of some big plan to be evil..."
Sentinel snorted once, his ears splaying back. "I... I guess..."
"You have valid reasons to hate them, Sentinel," Raindrop said, kissing his nose gently and then hugging him close. "I'm proud that you can look past it rationally."
"You're proud of a lifetime of..." Sentinel stumbled over the next word, as though doubting its veracity, "of undeserved hatred?"
Raindrop shook her head gently. "No... more the fact that when presented with evidence of the opposite, you don't just disregard it out-of-hoof. It's actually conflicting with your nature... and it's disturbing you. Shows strength of character."
Sentinel gave a faint whine, rubbing at his forehead. "You're starting to sound like Remedy."
"She's rubbing off on me," Raindrop said with a shrug, rolling back over and wiggling back against her coltfriend. "Now quit being such a girl and use that soap over there as an excuse to put your hooves all over me like a real stallion should."
"Yes ma'am," Sentinel said, saluting her sarcastically before picking up the bar of soap, beginning to work it happily into Raindrop's mane.
Luian deftly caught the letter in an outstretched hoof as the air in front of her flared green, and the rolled paper fell from mid-air suddenly.
Unrolling the paper, Luna found that the entire situation at Canterlot had been resolved, as was evidenced by Celestia's neat hoofwriting, and the single keyword they had decided upon 'banana'.
Luna was quite happy with this turn of events, as she had spent the better part of the day searching for the escaped Stardancer, and trying to convince the completely uncaring Doctor to come out of his practise and help.
Luna carefully rolled up the letter, and then reduced it to ash with a simple touch of her magic. The princess shot one last dirty look back over her shoulder at the practise, before bounding away towards the Ponyville Asylum, to see if they had found Stardancer yet. She had been missing for the better part of a day, and her most recent dose of medicine would have worn off hours ago.
Wisp bounced in place, trying to see over the banister and down to the stairs where Princess Celestia was ascending the steps with chitin in tow.
"Princess Celestia!" Wisp squeaked.
Celestia looked up as she climbed the staircase. "Ah, Wisp."
Wisp bounced in place happily, and then sped around the banister to meet the princess and queen at the top of the stairs. "I uhm... I'm not sure where to go! My home was in the desert across the ocean and my airship got blown up so I can't stay there and I don't have any money to get an inn and I don't know if ponies here would let me do work for a room for the night and even then that doesn't exactly answer the question of food and I suck at foraging in anything that isn't the des-"
Celestia cut Wisp off with a raised hoof. "You are welcome to stay in the castle, Wisp. Or if you wish, I can pay your board at the local inn."
"You would do that for me?" Wisp squeaked, head tilting to the side and ears pricking upwards.
"Indeed, little griffon. It is my fault that you were displaced from your home. I seem to owe you an airship, too," Celestia said with a gentle nod.
Wisp's eyes widened, and she bounced in place excitedly. "Ohhhh! I would love another airship to work on! But it must have broken bits I can fit!"
Celestia nodded gently. "But if I am to do all this for you... I must ask something of you in return."
Wisp's ears pinned back at that, and her head lowered. "I... I guess that's fair."
"There is a door you must open for me. The door is locked, and I have lost the key. I much remove the door so I place a new one there," Celestia said with a slowly growing smile.
Wisp's eyes widened, and she gasped. "I... I have just the thing!" the young griffon squeaked, bouncing in place rapidly in excitedness. "I'll go get it!"
Celestia just smiled as Wisp shot off towards the temporary room she had been given to collect her things.
Chitin just raised a brow. "So... bouncy."
"She's cute," Celestia stated, waving a hoof.
"Cute and very, very annoying," Chitin corrected.
"Come, we have much to discuss," Celestia said, motioning for the queen to follow as she continued towards the Hall of Elements.
"It's... it's gone," Stardancer whispered, staring wide-eyed up at the orderly.
The unicorn had been moved when she was unconscious, and was in a hospital bed in the Canterlot hospital with machines monitoring her vitals. Two orderlies were in her room, as though they could somehow stop her escape attempts if she wished to leave.
"It's a new serum," one of the orderlies explained, checking the readings on the machines. "It was developed from an artificial isotope that blocks magic. Same one we use to keep the unicorn's from doing their magic. Of course, what we put in you was a stronger dose."
"You don't understand!" Stardancer exclaimed, rolling herself out of the bed and wiggling her hoof at the air. She tossed her mane, and then grasps a few strands of the black hairs in her muzzle, tugging them free and then tossing them onto the ground, watching them with wide eyes. "I can think again! I can observe without knowing!"
"Very interesting," the orderly said in in a tone that conveyed the complete opposite.
Stardancer jumped in place a few times, grinning from ear to ear and then pouncing on the orderly, squeezing him in a hug. "You simply must get me more of this serum!"
"It's expensive to produce," the orderly stated, wincing slightly at the squeeze and taking a step away from the unicorn. "From what the doctor said, you'll only be able to get a single dose a week."
"A week?!" Stardancer asked, aghast. "That is unacceptable!"
"Well unless you want to produce it yourself..."
"I will do just that!" Stardancer protested, snorting once and then staggering slightly. With a huff, she stepped over to the bed, and pulled herself back up onto it. "I am going to rest now," she stated haughtily. She didn't want the orderlies to know, but she was tired. Years of sitting in a small room and watching the dust interact with itself had greatly reduced her muscle mass.
The orderlies just looked at her, and then turned away, already planning on playing cards once she was asleep.
"We've arranged transport for you," one of them said, "Should be here by tonight. You've got a review booked for tomorrow afternoon to see how this new medicine affects you."
"Whatever," Stardancer said noncommittally, yawning heavily and then just laying her head on her forehooves. For the first time, she felt normal. And she was too tired to even enjoy it.
Raindrop sighed and stretched out against the edge of the tub, rubbing a hoof against her cheek. "Ugh, I wish I was a unicorn."
"Why would you want a horn?" Sentinel asked lazily, draping a hoof over her.
"The water's getting cold," Raindrop whined, wrinkling her nose. "And I don't wanna get out."
"Well you're the changeling. Give yourself a horn," Sentinel suggested, wrapping his hooves around her properly and drawing her close to him.
"Y'know, if I was sure it wouldn't kill me, I'd give it a try," Raindrop said with a nod.
"But then you'd be an alicorn," Sentinel pointed out.
"Changeling are alicorns!" Raindrop protested, huffing and nuzzling against Sentinel's cheek.
"Alicorns are overrated," Sentinel said with a wry grin.
"Says the one who works for an alicorn," Raindrop said with a roll of her eyes.
Sentinel shrugged, "Unicorns used to raise the moon and sun before the princesses came along."
"But alicorns do it by themselves. Ergo, alicorns are awesome," Raindrop said with a sage nod.
"Why are we even arguing about this?" Sentinel queried.
"We don't have anything else to argue about and arguing is our default state," Raindrop explained matter-of-factly.
Sentinel gave a nod and an 'ahhh' at that, resting his nose against her cheek. "We should go out and do something fun."
"I can think of a lot of fun things we can do right here," Raindrop said in a definitely sultry tone.
Sentinel grinned, bopping her on the nose with a hoof. "I can, too. But we can do that whenever. It's not often we'll get an entire afternoon to ourselves. No doubt something will happen at the palace tomorrow and we'll be called in to deal with changelings or something."
"You're probably right," Raindrop said, heaving a sigh and shaking her head, before she crawled out of the tub and tugged a towel down over top of herself.
Sentinel pulled himself out of the tub after her, pulling out the plug to let the water drain, and then beginning to scrub the towel across the mare's wings and back, to help dry her.
"Your cutie mark changed," Raindrop said suddenly.
"Oh... that, right," Sentinel said with a single blink, his cheeks warming. "I uhh... well, I got Celestia to remove her enchantment. The one that lets me sense changelings."
Raindrop stared at him for a long moment, pursing her lips. "Why did you do this?"
"So that Chitin could use her magic on me. Somepony was going to have to get it turned off so that Chitin could properly work her magic. I was just the... uh, first volunteer," Sentinel said with an attempt at a smile.
"And she couldn't turn it back on?" Raindrop asked flatly.
"Funny thing that," Sentinel said awkwardly, giving a strained smile. "She needs all of the bearers in cooperation to do that, apparently."
"Well, once we get the bearers, we won't even need to put the spell back on you," Raindrop stated with a shrug of her shoulders.
Sentinel gave a sigh of relief at that. "Oh thank heavens. I thought you were going to hit me or something."
"I'll just have to tie you up and deny you any pleasure for a few hours," Raindrop said with another dismissive shrug.
Sentinel just stared at her, shaking his head slightly. "And you never explained what your cutie mark is for," he accused, pointing at the raincloud on her rump.
"I'm a weather pony," Raindrop pointed out. "My name is raindrop. Do I need to explain this?"
"I... Well, I guess not," Sentinel said with a wry grin.
Raindrop rolled her eyes, bopping him on the nose again and shaking her head, before hugging him close. "I like this. We don't get to... laze very often."
"Lazing is fun," Sentinel admitted with a nod. "But so is staring down a hydra. They both have their pros and cons."
"Dying is a definite con," Raindrop stated, shaking her head.
"So where are we gonna go?" Sentinel asked of the mare, as he tossed the towel back onto the rack.
"I dunno, you're the one who wants to go somewhere, mare," Raindrop accused, slapping her rump with a hoof and wiggling it at him. "Coulda had all of this, but you wanna go out and have fun."
Sentinel grinned and just shook his head, pulling the mare back around to face him and planting a warm kiss on her muzzle.
"We should go to the castle and get you all connected with the Element of Loyalty, so that we can fix me. I'd rather you didn't die, actually," Raindrop stated with a nod after they broke the kiss.
Sentinel gave a wry grin. "Still think I'm a bearer huh?"
"You are loyal to a fault," Raindrop stated with a smile, nudging his nose once with her own.
"Actually... I'm not, really," Sentinel said with a helpless smile.
Raindrop raised a brow. "And what makes you say that?"
"You'll think I'm flattering you. Or buttering you up," Sentinel stated, shaking his head once.
"You turned down my blatant sexual advance earlier, what could you possibly be buttering me up for, pocket money?" Raindrop pointed out, perking an ear.
"Touché," Sentinel admitted, before taking a deep breath and then giving a faint sigh. "I just... I've come to realise that I lied to you."
"Super not loyal there," Raindrop said, waving a hoof in an awed way.
Sentinel snorted, placing a hoof on her mouth to quieten her. "When you asked if it came down to you, or my orders, which would I choose..." the guard trailed off, giving a wry smile. "I'd like to pretend that I'm loyal enough to disregard you, even if it hurt. But... I know in my heart that if it came down to a choice like that, I'd choose you. Every time."
Raindrop snorted once, and then hugged the guard fiercely, squeezing him tightly and kissing him with a fiery intensity. "You absolute mare," she accused, nudging his nose once and then smiling warming, staring into his eyes. "If you weren't such a mare, I'd totally give you the most depraved sex you'd ever dreamed of."
"But we have to have dinner and a movie first," Sentinel whined, before giving her a goofy grin.
Raindrop just shook her head. "Dinner and a movie first. If you promise kinky, depraved sex afterwards."
"Deal!" Sentinel said, kissing her nose swiftly.
Raindrop smiled, and then rubbing a hoof against Sentinel's wing. "I love you, you fool."
Sentinel grinned, kissing her cheek. "I love you too, you sex-crazed monster."