Days turned into a week. Several times a day changelings came to drain our emotions. Sometimes the same, sometimes different.
I looked around the dream realm at the portals around me. A new one popped up next to me and I idly popped it again, forcing the owner to wake up again.
Pincer visited a few days ago to gloat again. She seemed a little frazzled though, almost like she had not been sleeping well.
Strange. Wonder why.
Looking out over the portals, I could see the ones I had talked to and reached into the dreams of. I had talked and affected the dreams of nine different changelings.
But there were fifteen different dreams right now before me that had changed and were currently dreaming about friendly ponies.
Come on. Just a little bit more. I know this will work.
As I watched, another silvery portal rippled and shifted and I moved over to it, touching my horn to it. Changeling infiltrator dreaming about a stallion she met on her last mission, a bartender in the bar where she had worked.
I had never talked to her.
The Changeling carrier wave was working. It wasn’t a hivemind, not really. But they were connected in a way ponies weren't.
The Queen was the center of it, but she was not the connection point, just the largest node. They were all interconnected.
Pincers portal popped back up and I zapped it out of existence before I spread my wings and rose above the city, “Come on. Come on guys. You can do it. Come on!”
Pop. Another one changed.
Pop. One more.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
It was spreading. The more of them dreamed about it, the further it spread among them. I couldn’t help but smile as I floated higher, seeing the entire swarm having changed into new dreams, not of safe dark tunnels, but of not being hungry and friendly ponies.
Now, this would be tricky.
Gathering my power, I bent the dream realm around me and let my power flow into them, each and every one of them.
I didn’t dare attach firmly, a single changeling might overwhelm me if I did, their minds were just so alien. But all they needed was a small nudge and…
Nightmares. Nightmares rippling across the entire swarm, nightmares about the Hive starving, the hive being crushed from attacking the ponies, nightmares about Queen Pincer having lost her mind and leading the Hive to it’s doom. Memories. Memories of mistakes she'd made in the past.
Keeping hundreds of dream connections going, even relatively light ones like this made me grit my teeth in effort, I could feel the dreams, all of them. I had to hold them. Just a little longer.
Just a little longer!
The connection snapped and the next thing I knew was me hitting the not-ground gasping for not-air.
My horn burned. It felt like it was glowing red. Bloody hell. I’m not doing that again.
Ow.
Groaning, I rolled onto my stomach and zapped Pincers dream out of existence once more. I really, really hoped this would work or I would have messed with those Changeling's heads for nothing.
In all honesty, using the dream Realm like this felt wrong. I was meant to guard it, to keep ponies and other creatures safe, not… terrorize them.
But I really did think it would end up better for them in the end if this worked.
Opening my eyes, I looked at the chamber we were still stuck in, “D-dawn, you doing okay?”
“I-I’m fine,” she answered softly, “Just… don’t worry about me. D-don’t know the plan, sir. But… get out of here.”
I looked to her. She really wasn’t looking too good. I had seen that image before… in myself after I kicked Chrysalis out of her ‘oh woe is me’ phase and she ate me. She was close to her limit.
“Dawn, look at me,” I said and she turned to me, “Just hang in there, okay? We’ll get out of here. I promise you that. Just… hang on a little longer.”
“...I’ll try.”
“That’s not what we say. What do we say, Dawn?”
She managed a small grin, “Do. Do or do not.”
“That’s right.”
Ouch Dawn looks to be getting wrung out.
Yoda reference!
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Think of it like this. In war, you fight for your cause. You're committing "illegal" acts. Murder being the most obvious. But you're kind to your subordinates. You care for their well-being, because you need them to fight.
The only difference between that and being an Evil Overlord, is the fact that you're not really doing it for a good cause.
I'm curious how old is Pincer compared to Chrysalis
Also, I'm curious about her personality, we didn't saw much of it, for now, like with Chrysalis
We need to see what's she is really like without her mask
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There are no good causes in war. Only people trying to win at all costs and those who object to said costs.
That smoke in the background of the cover image does not look inspiring. Kinda hoping this does not end up in flames and corpse... and flaming corpses.
Pincer: So, ready to surrender?
Page: I'd say "in your dreams" but... we both know that even that isn't true, don't we? *smirks* You were spared the nightmares. You needed a disconnect from the rest of the hive, and the extra irritability could only help...
Pincer: *raises glowing horn*
Page: It's too late to kill me. It's already spreading to 'lings I haven't met. All you'd be doing is coming across as yet more of a monster.
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Not many places with jungles and mountains, so here’s hoping.
“Hey Sunny.” Said fake Page as he walked into the Library, an act the Sunset visibly bristled at. Thankfully she was facing Twilight at the time.
“Page! Hi! Good to see you.” Twilight sputtered while trying to keep focus away from her marefriend’s agitated state.
“Sparky, good to see you too. I was thinking we could all meet up for lunch, my treat of course.”
“Oh...”Twilight trying to hide her own nervousness. “...we’d love to but...”
“But nothing!” Sunset says suddenly chipper, We haven’t seen each other in such a long time.”
“Yeah I was thinking you were avoiding me.” The counterfeit says with a chuckle.
“You know me, I like to play hard to get, right Monkey boy?”
“Right...”
“Gosh remember when I first called you that?” Sunset says despite Twilight motioning her to stop.
“Yeah...that was a wild night. You were on fire. Which reminds me seeing how all three of us are here perhaps we could-“
BAM!
“Twilight!?” Sunset gasps looking stunned at the knocked cold form of Fake Page. “So much for subtlety.”
“Tell him that! Greedy scumbag!”
Join the Forum!
Nooooooooo...
I caught up with you!
I've been reading this gem of a story for the past 4 weeks and I finally caught up.
Oh well, keep up the good work
Damn... High risk plan... Hope it pays well...
If you want to read the actual chapter 9!
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/332488/52/consequences/chapter-52
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Try not! Impossible try is. Realize instead, the truth you should.
The truth?
There is no try. Then see you shall, not the attempt that does or does not. Only you, it is.
BOOM! Matrix "Potential One" Yoda.
I wonder if Lucas takes opportunities like this in real life?
9903756
If he doesn't I am disappoint
Blank Page was Dagoth Ur all along, driving people mad in their sleep.
"I am a sleeper, one among thousands. I bring you a message. Dagoth Ur calls you, Nerevarine, and you cannot deny your Lord. The Sixth House is risen, and Dagoth is its glory."
"He is the Lord, and Father of the Mountain. He sleeps, but when he wakes, we shall rise from our dreams, shall sweep our land clean of the n'wah. Why have you denied him? As Lord Dagoth has said. 'All shall greet him as flesh, or as dust.'"
I get this is an old chapter but if he can see through illusions. How did he get captured in the first place? Presumably the one who gave him tea was a strange Changeling, wouldn't he be at least a little bit suspicious?
10394142
It seems that he has to be within two meters to sense the illusion and it was Blue Dawn that took the tray.
Viva la revolución!
Hive wide cuddlepile
A Leader is only a leader if others follow... 👏
10394142
It probably only works on familiar changelings like skitter Amber chryalis etc...
10394142
He has to be within two meters for that to work, and the changeling was intercepted by the guard before it got that close. Just a case of guard protocol actually biting them in the ass accidentally instead of helping.
Guess the Changelings have no counsel?
Very inefficient.
In a long string of stories of another Author's it seem a surprisingly efficient concept.
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Sunset Shimmer, subtle? She is not...
Rise Changelings, for your future is at hoove!
Rise and become something greater!
Survive - evolve - transcend! Become...
SNUGGELBUGS♡
Page: "Sorry, Queen Pincer. I'm not a prisoner in your Hive. You are the prisoner in Mine! "