Unyielding

Chapters

Dear Princess, I Should Have Seen the Signs
Somehow I Have to Escape From the Nightmare This World Has Become
Chaos Has Risen Again After All This Time

Dear Princess, I Should Have Seen the Signs

Darkness. That was the very first thing I remembered, all that time ago. It was dark, and it was cold. I couldn't feel anything else. Or if I could, the sensations have been long since forgotten about. But then… But then I saw her. Faust. The creator of all life, pale auburn mane and creamy white body. And just as suddenly as the keeper of fate appeared, I was not cold any more. Warmth suffused my body as I beheld the single entity rumored to have birthed all of the known world. Faust was so big, and she was so bright, gleaming in the otherwise pitch landscape. She seemed to chase the darkness away as leaves before a summer breeze, illuminating a way forward. And as Faust did so, I wasn’t scared anymore. It was impossible to be. Why I was there, and what I was meant to do, that I did not know. My name? Chrysalis. I knew that much. How did I know? Faust told me. There were other words, words that meant little to me at the time. I was so caught up in Faust’s appearance I barely registered anything she spoke unto me. Had I properly listened like I had been expected to, then perhaps none of this would have happened to me. I would not have walked the path of evil. I would still have my Hive. I would not have lost everything. I am Chrysalis Stormborn, First Queen of the Changeling Horde, Mistress of Emotion. And this… This is my story.

Drip… Drip… Drip… The sound of a leaking faucet seemed to echo through the eerily silent room, the result of someone failing to turn the knob all the way off. The door to that particular room hung half off of its hinges, like the inhabitants had vacated the space in a hurry and ran smack into the door as they did so. Dust had long since begun to collect on every surface in that room; on the bed and the dresser, the mirror and the nightstand. A small patch of mold had begun to creep up the wall next the faucet, thanks to the moisture that splashed up there. It was quite obvious that no creature had occupied that room in a very long time. The next room down fared no better; a colony of spiders had long since made the corners their home. All throughout the completely silent castle, everything was the same. Rooms were empty of sentient life. In the many halls, ancient tapestries had been removed, as signified by regular patches of lighter color along the by-now grimy walls. Tapestries that had refused to come down completely had been torn, ensuring that no one else would be able to claim them by some means. This castle, once a bustling hub of activity, was now nothing more than a looted, forgotten husk of its former glory.

The state of her home nearly broke Queen Chrysalis’ heart. It had taken her a great deal of time and slowly dwindling power to return to this place, and even more to ensure that no other changeling was around to view her weakness. As she slowly wandered down the once familiar halls, each step she took felt like a physical blow to the gut. Each missing or ruined wall decoration caused her to wince. Each vacant room was passed with a hung head. What was worse, was that all of this was entirely her fault. In a way, she deserved all of this, and she knew it. The cause of all of this could be laid squarely at her already weakening hooves.

She had gotten greedy. Plain and simple. She had invaded Equestria, not because her people were starving-- far from it. She had invaded purely for the promise of power. So much love, far more than her people would even know what to do with! So much power, enough that all of Sol would recognize the great Hive as the highest on the chain of command. But that very same love she sought to control had turned against her. And she was finally starting to pay the price for her folly. Not for the first time, Chrysalis wished that she had bothered to listen to Faust, all those years ago. Chrysalis had been put on Sol for a reason, she was sure of it. At first, Chrysalis was convinced that her purpose was to bring Equestria to its knees, and establish the Hive as the new dominant species. But obviously, she was wrong. Her life was supposed to have some other objective, and she had failed in whatever it was supposed to be.

The Queen’s weary hooves carried her on their own volition, moving past still empty rooms and lonely floors. Some part of her mind found itself hoping that she would bump into someone, anyone, if only to break her from her own tormented thoughts. But she was truly alone. She knew this; what changelings she could still feel within her Hivemind were far away, and for the moment they were keeping to themselves. It was almost as if they were waiting for something, waiting to see what the Queen would do. After what felt like an eternity of careful plodding and self induced misery, Chrysalis finally came upon what had once been her council chamber. Across the room from her stood thirteen thrones, all vacant, and all broken beyond repair. This had been one of the Swarm’s seats of power. Twelve of the Swarm’s greatest minds, not counting her own, convening in this place to discuss the state of affairs. The thrones had been vandalized thoroughly. Even her own larger throne in the middle of the thirteen had not been left untouched, and was undoubtedly the worse of the thrones. Whoever these vandals were… They were certainly not happy with Chrysalis. And upon careful introspection, the Queen of the Changelings decided that she could not blame them. She hated herself as it was.

For impossibly long moments, Chrysalis just stood there, simply staring at the wreckage before her. The once glorious long table had been smashed in twain. The floor length windows had been shattered to bits, letting in a gentle breeze from the night. Numerous oak cabinets, containing a wealth of information about the state of the Swarm, had been overturned and toss about. With hesitant steps, Chrysalis made her way over to one of the cabinets, checking the powerful protective spells she had placed upon them. Even though she was growing weaker daily, the spells still held strong, and the important documents were yet still safe. Several burned out torches littered the ground around most of the cabinets, testimonies of attempting to set the things on fire. For the first time since entering her old home, a small ghost of a grin lit Chrysalis’ features. Her new enemies weren’t about to get vital information from her that easily. Then the Queen straightened regally, or as regally as was possible in her current condition. A wave of sickly green magic pulsed from her jagged horn, restoring the entire room to pristine condition, just as she had left it all that time ago.

Then, focusing her will, she called out into her Hivemind.

Changelings. Attend me.

At first, nothing happened, and Chrysalis began to worry that even the changelings she could still reach were going to ignore her. But then she felt it. A slight tug within the Hivemind, and in the space of just a few seconds, a creature stood before her. It was a unicorn mare, to be exact, with a beautiful azure coat color, with a two toned silver and pale blue mane. Her cutie mark consisted of a wand superimposed over a crescent moon and two stars. As Chrysalis saw her, she felt her heart lighten a bit and her mood lift. The Queen smiled this time, oddly genuine.

“Aquadris. Or are you still going by The Great and Powerful Trixie?”

The mare chuckled in reply. “I’ll answer to either of them. Or Bellatrix Lulamoon, if you prefer. Doesn’t matter.”

“Aquadris, then. I’m actually rather surprised you were the first to answer my summons.”

Aquadris scoffed a bit. “Of course I was the first to answer. I’ve been serving you far longer than half of those larvae on your High Council.” The disguised changeling glanced around. “None of whom, I might add, are here.”

Chrysalis frowned. “I cannot feel any of them, either. Why, Aquadris? Why can I not feel the vast majority of the Swarm?”

Aquadris looked vaguely surprised. “You don’t know, Chrysalis? It’s because it's not simply your Swarm any more. You’re not the only Queen. There are twelve others now, twelve Queens who have renounced your authority and have formed their own Swarms. Those changelings you still feel? Those are the ones still loyal to you. We’ve been in hiding ever since the fiasco in Equestria. Trying to ensure that we stayed alive long enough to return to your side.”

Chrysalis was rendered speechless. “I’m not the only Queen? How-- The High Council. That’s how this happened, isn’t it? They are the only ones with enough power within the Swarm to do such a thing.”

Aquadris was already nodding her head. “That’s exactly who have renounced your rule, and have formed their own Swarms. And I’m afraid it gets worse. A vast majority of these separate hordes have banded together, determined to bring war to Equestria. They want what you could not provide them with. They want all of that love, all of that power, for themselves. There are only two out of the twelve who are working towards finding peaceful solutions with the ponies. They are also two of the smallest Swarms. With a bit of effort, undoubtedly Amaryllis and Belladonna could be convinced to rejoin forces with you. But even with those two, we would be hard pressed to stand against the other Swarms before they all out attack Equestria."

Chrysalis let loose a gusty sigh. “It’s all my fault, Aquadris. All of it. I should have listened to you when you first tried to warn me away from this path. You told me it was a bad idea, and I ignored you.”

“You did,” Aquadris fixed her Queen with a hard stare, causing Chrysalis to flinch away slightly. “But I have also long since forgiven you. Why else would I be here, if I had not?”

Chrysalis gave the Infiltrator a watery smile. “Save your forgiveness, Aquadris, and do not waste it on me. I will be gone from the world soon, and your forgiveness should be conserved for one who truly deserves it.”

Aquadris could only stare at her Queen in shock. Suddenly, a lot of things made so much sense. Her Queen’s demeanor. Her changed attitude. Her Queen was dying. Summoning her own will, Aquadris barked her own orders through the Hivemind.

It’s her. We’re safe, for now. Respond to her summons immediately.

No sooner had Aquadris finished her mental commands, the air was full of little shimmers as, one by one, changelings began to appear. In ones and twos they arrived, all immediately bowing before their monarch without a word. All at once, Chrysalis’ mind was assaulted with the crystal clear feelings of those who still served her. With an effort, Chrysalis blocked off her mind a bit, lest the emotions become overwhelming. Her eyes scanned the room swiftly, though what she saw caused great conflict within her. On one hand, she still had changelings who were loyal to her. On the other hand… There were only fifty other changelings present. They didn’t even fill up the entire council chamber. Aquadris spoke, then, her voice soft.

“Here we are, my Queen. All fifty one of us. We are the smallest of the new Swarms.” Chrysalis wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. Instead she did neither. Slowly, she stepped a little closer to the small mass of changelings. All of them had their eyes fixed on the Queen and the Infiltrator beside her.

“I’m dying,” Chrysalis spoke the words dispassionately, as though she were announcing something about any other changeling but her. The entire room seemed to shift uneasily, but no one spoke. “The love we attempted to steal in Canterlot backfired upon me, and has thus poisoned me. I do not have a whole lot of time yet. I have no heir. I have no one to take my place when I must be returned to the stone. Thanks to Aquadris, I am familiar with the goings on with my old High Council. I will not have the time to see that the Swarm is once again united. And I’m not about to let the last loyal changelings to the true Queen be converted by those fakes. And so, I stand before you now, not only as your Queen, but as your sister, and your comrade. I need your help. I need your aid in finding a Queen to take over.”

The entire room was silent for long moments. No changeling spoke, almost as if they had been forbidden to. Right as Chrysalis came to this conclusion, Aquadris stepped forward. “I have a candidate.”

Chrysalis turned to her Infiltrator, a small half smile upon her lips. “You?”

Aquadris snorted. “Not hardly. I have no want, no need, for all of that power. Its the same reason I declined your offer to join your High Council. I’m happier as an Infiltrator, and always will be. No, I’m proposing that we place an Outsider upon the True Throne.”

Chrysalis’ first reaction was denial. Put a non-changeling up to rule? It was madness! And yet, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. An Outsider wouldn’t be likely to make the same mistakes she did. An Outsider would be more likely to unite the Swarm under one banner again then she would. “It would take someone rather insane indeed to want to become the next Queen after me. I assume you already have an idea of who you’d like it to be?”

Aquadris was grinning. “Let’s just say, I think an old unofficial rival of mine would be perfect for the task. Walk with me, my Queen, and I shall outline my plan.”

<<((*))>>

“Can I help you, young mare?” The receptionist barely glanced up from his paperwork. His tone was clearly bored, assuming she was only a tourist or something. He was black coated with flecks of brown, and his nametag identified him as Dry Parchment.

Twilight Sparkle strode up to the receptionist as confidently as she could, trying to stop the light jittery trembles shaking her form. “I’m looking for an audience with the Board of Arcane Sciences,” the young sorceress announced, her voice an octave or two higher than usual.

The receptionist frowned at her now, finally looking up from whatever he had been reading upon his desk. “It is normally required that you send in a written request first, so that they can determine whether or not your research is worth their notice. They are busy ponies, and as such they cannot grant an audience to just anypony.”

Twilight sighed. This receptionist was definitely new if he did not even recognize her at first glance. She turned her body sideways, showcasing her cutie mark to Dry Parchment. It was almost comical watching his eyes widen in alarm. “I’m not just anypony. I’m, ah, Twilight Sparkle. I was told I should come here—“

“Ah, Miss Sparkle. Accept my apologies; I didn't notice it was you. Please, down this hall and the second door on the left. They are waiting for you.”

“Thank you,” Twilight moved down the hallway the receptionist had indicated, trying to smooth out her already frazzled nerves. It was bad enough that the Board of Arcane Sciences were wary of her and wanted to keep an eye on her, but to have them summoning her every time one of her experiments succeeded only made everything worse. She had graduated the top of her class at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and had passed challenges the Board could only dream of passing. She knew what she was doing when it came to magic and experiments and magical experiments. Yet… She understood why the Board continued to have a special interest in her. With her growing magical prowess and her extraordinarily keen mind, it was only natural for the Board to keep an eye on her.

The giant double doors creaked open slowly of their own accord as Twilight Sparkle approached them. Doing her best to swallow the last of her nervousness, Twilight stepped slowly into the dark room. Runes lined the walls and windows, gleaming quietly. Tossing a passing glance at them, Twilight determined they were designed to prevent noises from escaping outside the chamber. They had not been there the last time she had visited the Board. Twilight paused in the middle of the room. With a small whisper of her mind, she let her magic bleed into her eyes, allowing them to pierce the dark gloom before her. The Board stood upon the edges of the chamber, thirteen of them all, wearing cloaks and hoods that concealed everything from sight. Not a one of them moved, observing the young mage before them silently. Finally, one of them stepped forward slightly and spoke.

"Twilight Sparkle,” the mare said, her voice seeming to echo from all directions. “We received your request for an audience regarding your latest experiments. While we are unsure that an experiment of that caliber can be completed successfully by a mage barely out of her filly years, we deemed it prudent that you be allowed to show us.”

Twilight’s ears fell flat against her head. Although she should be used to it by now, it still hurt. The Board went out of their way to remind her that they were supposedly the best in Canterlot, no matter how well Twilight performed. Personally, she thought the Board was just being ridiculous. She had stood before the Board several times in the past, normally just for magical growth checkups. Each time, the Board felt it their duty to make subtle comments that they really did not have the time for some lesser spellcaster. If it were not for Princess Celestia’s insistence that Twilight be evaluated magically by the Board, the Board would not even give Twilight the time of day. Twilight mentally shook herself and stood up proud, her ears perking back up. Today was different, it had to be different. Today was the first day she had ever been before the Board because of a successful experiment that could change Equestria for the better!

“My experiment is a success,” Twilight answered proudly. Her horn glowed briefly. A small rift appeared next to her, causing the Board members to murmur. Out of this rift floated two square bricks of wood.

“Is that a space pocket?” the mare demanded, voice suddenly harsh.

“Uh, yes?” Twilight stammered. “I use it to store objects. It’s much easier than carrying around saddlebags all the time and I won’t have to worry about accidentally losing anything.”

”I do not think a mere filly should be using such a dangerous spell unsupervised." Twilight tried to bite back her hurt at these words, blinking away stinging tears. “Now, what is it you have here? Do you mean to tell us that these little blocks hold your experiment?”

“They do,” Twilight said, attempting to strengthen her resolve. A tendril of red magic yanked the blocks of wood from Twilight’s aura and pulled them over to the Board. Their earlier quiet murmurs grew steadily louder as they examined the blocks.

“You mean to tell us that there is enough energy in these blocks that they can power other objects? Its not possible. Nothing so tiny can carry enough energy to do more than power a little house fan, let alone anything important. And the idea that it can be used by non-unicorns is absolutely ludicrous.”

Twilight hesitated a bit before replying, trying to steady her now wavering voice. “Its true! All of the energy is in those blocks. If I had the materials, I could create a special control board that would let even a non unicorn use it. Just set the amount of energy they want to unleash at once, and let the blocks unleash the desired amount of energy. Unfortunately, nopony seems to have the time for the wild ideas of a junior mage.” Twilight found it hard to hide the snide in her tone.

“In essence, yes, they could power something like a train. The conductor would only have to unleash the energy within, and the train would move, following the tracks. There would be no need for constant energy drain as a unicorn maintained the spell. There would be no need for earth ponies to be constantly shoveling firewood into a furnace, or tethered to the train to pull it up steep hills.”

“Let’s imagine, just for a small moment, that this is true, and that we believe you. How exactly have you manage to accomplish this, and at such a young age? Members of the Board have attempted to do the same thing you seem to have done with no results. How do the blocks regain the energy?” The lead mare’s voice sounded triumphant, as though she had already caught Twilight Sparkle in a well fabricated lie.

“Well, regaining the energy is easy!” Twilight gushed, eager to be teaching about something, her original discomfort nearly forgotten. “I originally got the ideas from flora. They absorb light from Celestia’s sun, and turn it into energy they can use. But I couldn’t find a way to make that work on non organic objects. So instead I exploited the dimorphism of magic. The wood the blocks are made of is still alive, and serves as a “flora focal point” that polarizes the dimorphism. Then all I had to do was distill the energy into a reformed core.”

“Sparkle, I have been studying this myself for years and have no idea what you just said.”

Twilight sighed in exasperation. “Then apparently you’ve not been researching hard enough,” she snarked, before she could catch herself. She almost didn’t realize what she had just said. “Basically, the living wood still absorbs light from Celestia’s sun and converts it into chemical energy, which is then converted into an easier to manage potential energy and stored elsewhere into the wood, waiting to be called upon by a unicorn familiar with the floes of energy, or a non-unicorn with the proper equipment. Just place one of these blocks out in the sun for a day, and by nightfall it will hold enough energy to power a train for a day or so.”

“Well, Sparkle, perhaps we have underestimated you.. We will need to perform our own experiments on the matter before we determine if this is something we should present to the Princess. I highly doubt that it will be, but even so. It might be fun proving yet again that you are unworthy of being Princess Celestia’s most prized student. We shall keep you informed of our findings. In the meantime, you are free to go.”

Knowing that this was the best she could have hoped for, Twilight turned and left. She did her best to shrug off her melancholy. It was like this every time she visited the Board of Arcane Sciences. They did their best to belittle her, despite the fact that there was plain evidence that she was already as powerful and as talented as any of them were. Then again, seeing as the Board was comprised of some of the nastiest nobles in Canterlot, this really didn’t surprise her all that much. Moving to Ponyville had prevented most of the still angry whispering from the nobility, but when she did return it still followed her. Still wrapped up in her thoughts, Twilight exited the building and immediately ran into somepony.

“Oof!” Twilight grunted as she landed flat on her rump. Slightly dazed, she glanced up into the familiar blue face of a pony she had not seen in a while. “Trixie? Is that you? What’re you doing here?”

The blue mare above her smirked. “The Board of Arcane Sciences has requested the presence of the Great and Powerful Trixie, so that she may bedazzle them with her amazing magic!” Despite the showmare’s bragging, she still offered a hoof to help Twilight up.

The lavender scholar accepted the hoof slightly suspiciously. “You just helped me up after knocking me down. Are you okay, Trixie?”

“I’m simply marvelous, Sparkle. Perhaps I can finally show the Board that I am, without a doubt, the best magician in Equestria!” With those words, Trixie strode confidently around Twilight and entered the building. Twilight, not entirely sure what had just happened, shook her head and continued on her way to the palace. She never saw Trixie peek her head back out of the doorway to watch her carefully.

<<((*))>>

Hours earlier

“So let me get this straight.” Chrysalis said, rubbing her temples. “You want to put her, of all ponies, upon the Changeling Throne? Are you mad, Aquadris? After what went on at Canterlot, she’d as soon as blast us then look at us.”

Aquadris shook her head. “You don’t know her as I do, Chrysalis. Don’t forget, at one point in time, I was grooming her to become an Asset. There is a chance, however small, that she will agree to become your heir and lead the changelings to a future far brighter than anything we’ve ever seen in thousands of years. With a bit of careful manipulation, I believe we can do it. At this point in time, she may be our only hope.”

“I still say you’re insane. What of her friends? Her family? Her mentor? How do we deal with them?”

“We’ll deal with them when the time comes. Right now, our first priority should be to monitor her. If the other Swarms get wind that we’re going to be placing her upon the original throne, they may seek her for their own ends. The only thing we can really do is play it safe. I’ll work on finding the perfect moment to explain to her what’s going on.”

Crysalis gave off a small snort. “And what do you think she’s going to say? About her supposed archenemy being a changeling?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. We’ve never really been friends, but I think we’ve both respected each other. A lot of this I’m just responding to as the events unfold. Trying to force things is a swift way to alienate her.”

Chrysalis sighed wearily. “Let’s just hope this idea of yours works. If it doesn’t, you just doomed the only Swarm standing in the way of full blown war.”

Aquadris gave her Queen a cheeky grin before she began moving away. “I know. But you forget, I’m also the Great and Powerful Trixie! Playing with fire is what I do best!”

And with that, Aquadris was gone. Chrysalis shook her head slowly. At the rate things were going, that Infiltrator was going to kill the Queen off long before this sickness could. Truth be told, Chrysalis hated this. She hated this weakness with every fiber of her being. Even now she could feel it running rampant through her veins, weakening her muscles and thinning her bones. The Queen of the Changelings lay in the same spot she’s rested in for the past couple of hours, in the very center of her council chamber. The room was empty, devoid of all life but the queen. Her breathing was slightly labored, and her gossamer wings twitched spasmodically with cold. Her remaining subjects had long since left the queen be, her dark thoughts keeping them well away from her area. Her restless mind kept dwelling on the past, relieving that fateful day almost a year ago. Her plan had been so perfect. It had been almost completely foolproof. All it took was a single unicorn, too smart for her own good, to unravel all of her schemes.

“She’s a changeling! She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them!”

The accusatory words of the real Cadance echoed through Chrysalis’ fevered mind. In the space of a few heartbeats, her plans had been ruined. She had never anticipated that Twilight would find a way out of those gloomy caves, let alone find the real Cadance. Even her brainwashed bridesmaids had failed her; all it took was a simple bouquet of flowers and her enemies had been free. But try as she might, Chrysalis couldn’t bring herself to actually hate the lavender filly that had ruined her plans. If Chrysalis had bothered to study the real Cadance’s personality better, she would have been able to fool even Twilight. Simply put, Chrysalis was too mean. She had constantly degraded those around her, treating them just like she would her own subjects. It was a wonder that no one else had seen through the disguise from the start.

Chrysalis’ mad laugh echoed through the hall. “Right you are, Princess. And as Queen of the Changelings it is up to me to find food for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place I’ve ever encountered. My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!”

Even with her plan in ruins around her, Chrysalis had refused to give up. She had the love of Shining Armor to fuel her. In a fair fight, Chrysalis never would have been able to stand up to Princess Celestia. Acting swiftly, however, Chrysalis had been able to take the Equestrian monarch by surprise. With Celestia out of the way, Chrysalis had expected her victory to be swift and absolute. She never even tried to stop Twilight and her friends from going after the Elements of Harmony, knowing full well her drones would overwhelm them. But once more, that cunning Twilight Sparkle foiled her plans.

The young unicorn managed to free Cadance from her bonds and allowed the Alicorn to approach her fiancée. After that, it was over. Chrysalis, blinded by her anticipated victory, failed to remember that Cadance’s power was, essentially, love. Combine that love with the anger and fear the two had for the changelings that had ruined their wedding… It was a wonder any of the changelings had survived, let alone their Queen. But Chrysalis knew now that she was lying to herself. She had not survived. While that spell cast by Shining Armor had love in it, it also had anger, hate, and fear—which was poisonous to changelings in any dose. Chrysalis, being the closet to the spell, had suffered the most from it. While she had seemed to recover from it only months after the incident, the poison was still there, like cancer, biding its time.

Now the poison was determined to finish its work. There were only a few changeling doctors among her tiny Swarm, and they had already sought to stop or slow the sickness.. They had all failed, without question. No matter what medicine they offered her, or what magic they tried, they couldn’t help their queen. She was slowly dying, and that was that. Chrysalis had long since accepted the fact that she was dying. The one thing that kept her from completely shriveling away was her need to find a new leader for her kin. She had no sons, no daughters. She had neither heir by blood nor a chosen heir. Without a new monarch to lead them, her changelings, at least, would run rampant, killing each other and those around them. And those that didn’t would be quickly subverted to the other Swarms. Right now, no matter what else happened, no matter what else tried to foil her plans, Chrysalis couldn’t let that happen. She owed it to her people-- all of them-- to bring them some modicum of peace.

Author's Note

Well. Here you are. Hopefully you all might find it within yourself to enjoy this... whatever this thing is. I honestly don't know. It just kind of... happened.

Also, seeking for some editors for this one, send me a mail if interested.

If any talented artist among my readers would like to attempt to make an awesome cover image for this one, shoot me a mail too and I'll see if I can send you the parameters of what I'm looking for.

Somehow I Have to Escape From the Nightmare This World Has Become

The day was overcast and gloomy. Thunderclouds rumbled in the distance, and rain was already falling gently. Everything was tinged in shades of gray, but to Celestia, that worked out just fine for her. It followed her mood, after all. After recent events, she wasn't even sure she would ever be joyous again. The avatar of the Sun herself was decked out in full combat armor. Not a single speck of her pure white coat was visible, hidden instead under gleaming gold. Her torc of office nestled within the center chest plate, and instead of her usual crown, a full helm was tucked under one wing. Her expression, normally so calm and warm, was instead hard and cold. She watched more ponies filter into the Vault. Nobody had even set foot into this building since Star Swirl the Bearded had been laid to rest within, and Celestia had been rather surprised to discover that the machinery that opened the Vault to the sky had still worked.

At her right side, naturally, stood Princess Luna. Like her fiery sister, the avatar of the Moon was also in her personal armor. Unlike Celestia's intimidating gear, Luna was the exact opposite, sleek and graceful and silver. Also unlike Celestia, Luna openly carried her weapon of choice: a deadly glaive named Grace. While affected by the loss slightly less than her fellow ruler, Luna still felt it all too well. And really, so did all of Equestria. They all wept at the murders of Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash.

Even the mere thought of those two brave, wonderful mares sent Celestia's feelings into further disarray. Sadness, anger, hopelessness, and fear of an unknown future plagued her ancient mind. And underneath it all was a simmering ball of hatred towards the creatures that had taken her surrogate daughter from her. Revenge was sounding sweeter and sweeter every passing moment. It was almost ironic; for thousands upon thousands of years, the Sun Princess had been the very definition of peace and harmony. Murder her favorite student and one of the Elements of Harmony, however, and everything changed at once.

The Vault was completely packed now. Row upon row of ponies filled the space, from Pegasi lazily floating in the air to unicorns using magic to cram themselves into any available space. In the very front of the masses were the rest of the Elements and parents of both deceased ponies. Twilight Velvet and Nightlight Sparkle were leaning on each other for a little bit of comfort; the news had hit them every bit as hard as it had hit Celestia. Nightlight was wearing his standard silver Ranger armor, while Velvet displayed her Dragoon leathers. Cadance was still sobbing even now, and Shining Armour stood ramrod straight with a far away gaze, his Royal Guard armor seeming to physically weigh down his form. The other Elements were next to Twilight's family, still in varying degrees of shock. Celestia could only imagine what it would be like to lose two ponies so integral to their lives. Twilight's friends had to be hurting even more than she was. And then next to the other Elements of Harmony stood Rainbow's family. Rainbow Blitz appeared to have shed the most tears, while ex- Wonderbolt Firefly was as stoic as ever-- even though there was clearly a quaver in her wings.

Celestia came to the realization that her ponies were waiting for her to speak, so she stepped forward slowly, surveying those before her as she did so. The two caskets stood open beside her, and she took a moment to pass a saddened gaze over the two occupants. The team responsible for cleaning the mares up had done a good job. There were no signs of the fatal wounds that had claimed innocent life. Both ponies were still as vibrant now as they had been in life, forehooves crossed peacefully and manes creating a halo around their heads. Celestia tore her sight away before a sob could surface. She had to be strong, for her ponies. She lightly cleared her throat.

"Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. Two simple names for two extraordinary ponies. When those names are spoken, ponies recall the Nightmare Moon incident. They recall Discord, and the Assault on Canterlot. When I hear those names, I am reminded of the return of my beloved sister. I am reminded of one of the greatest minds Equestria has ever seen. I am reminded of a pony completely loyal to her family, her friends, and her home. And honestly, you couldn't hear about one without hearing about the other. Those two ponies were inseparable, and they warmed the hearts of many.

"Twilight Sparkle was twenty two. Rainbow Dash was twenty four. Entirely too young to go, when they should have had hundreds of years together. They leave behind family, friends, and every other pony they fought to protect. Twilight Velvet and Nightlight Sparkle, Shining Armor and Princess Cadenza, Rainbow Blitz and Firefly. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack. And all of you here this day, honoring the memories of the fallen."

Celestia paused to take a great, shuddering breath. "I took Twilight under my wing at a very young age. I had never seen a unicorn with as much potential as she, and her drive for knowledge was nearly greater than my own. She graduated as the best student the School for Gifted Creatures had ever seen, and even with the best degree anyone could offer her, Twilight was still the happiest as the Ponyville librarian, and later, my personal advisor. I met Rainbow Dash during Cloudsdale flight camp. I had never before seen such a natural with her wings, not since the legendary Commander Hurricane herself. It was almost as if the sky moulded itself to her wishes. And even though she was talented beyond measure, Rainbow was still happiest as the Ponyville weather captain, and later, a lieutenant of the Wonderbolts.

"The deaths of these two individuals are among the greatest tragedies of Equestrian history. On July 17th, Harmonic Age 4, the Saviors of Equestria were murdered, assassinated upon the Mane Street of Canterlot-- practically in my own back yard. Changelings had once more infiltrated Canterlot, and as a result of my carelessness, I lost two of the most important ponies in my life. And their families and friends lost far, far more. I can only ask that the rest of my ponies band together even stronger than before in the face of this new adversary. Remember Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, my ponies. Remember our Saviors."

There was a long moment of silence after Celestia's speech as last respects were given. The Solar Diarch waited a moment, to see if any family our friends wanted to make a speech of their own. However, when other ponies began filling out of the Vault of Heroes, family and friends started to follow, throwing one last glance at the caskets. Celestia turned to find her sister behind her.

"This wasn't your fault, you know. You could not have anticipated this."

"Couldn't I, though?" Celestia said softly. "If I had insisted on having them tailed by guards, this whole thing could have been avoided."

"But doing so would have taken away some of their freedom. And I know you never would have wanted that.” A pause. "What do we do now?"

Celestia was silent for a very long time, so long that Luna thought she was not going to answer at all. "When I first donned this armor again, the first time in hundreds of years, I was originally only doing so for the sake of tradition. But now, things have changed. We recall all of our combat forces from the Twisted Forest region. Equestria marches to war."

Luna stared at her second half, aghast. "Did I just hear those words come out of your mouth? Equestria has not fought a war in millennium. Even my Fall was not a true war. Is it wise for our forces to retreat from Twisted Forest?"

"I just lost my surrogate daughter and her marefriend. The chaos spawn in Twisted Forest aren't going to muster any real strength against us any time soon. I am going to call upon our allies. It is time Equestria marches upon another Crusade, just like we did against Discord's creations. The Changelings want a fight? They're going get one, and may Faust never have mercy upon their souls."

<<((*))>>

Pain. Painpainpainpain. It was all Twilight felt. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. The pain consumed almost everything. She couldn’t cry out, but she could feel her breath, feel it catching in her chest. The pain seemed centered around three areas. The first three, and by far the worst, were right next to each other. One of them seemed to have punctured a lung, while the third flaring spot was right smack in the middle of her barrel. The mare attempted to move a foreleg, but this only caused it to suddenly scream in agony. With a tremendous effort of will she snapped her eyes open, not that it really helped. Her eyesight was quite dim, and she couldn’t make out any shapes around her. Her ears, however, worked just fine, and they twitched as a voice Twilight knew very well cried out in suffering. Twilight redoubled her efforts to shove away the pain, struggling to get to Rainbow’s side. I’m here, Dashie! I’m here! The words would not come.

More voices sounded overhead. The first one she did not recognize. “She’s reacting to outside stimuli. Undoubtedly because she heard her pegasus friend.”

A second voice cursed, and it sounded rather familiar, but Twilight couldn’t figure out why. “Damn it. Get her another dosage. We can’t get her into a pod until she’s back under.”

“If I give her anything more it may kill her!” Twilight really liked the first voice. She rather enjoyed living, although everything was pure torture at the moment.

“If we don’t give her a stronger sedative and get her into a pod, now, she’s going to bleed out and everything we’ve fought for will be for nothing! Increase the dosage, and sedate Dash. Quickly, doc, please!”

A pregnant pause. Twilight’s vision began to fade to black and she felt her body relax itself as it stopped feeling. The last thing she saw was the worried face of Trixie Lulamoon staring down at her.

Some time later, a mind awoke, floating lazily against a backdrop of nothingness. Occasionally a stray memory fluttered across it's consciousness. Most of them disappeared before they could fully be comprehended. Others, however, lingered longer. Predominant among these memories was a breathtaking cyan face with beautiful rose colored eyes. The mind knew this face; this was Rainbow Dash. Memories started to come even faster, all of them featuring this visage. Their first date, a simple picnic full of hesitant glances and burning cheeks. Their first scientific experiment as a couple, proving that Rainbow was far more intelligent than she liked to pretend. Numerous happy days full of lab work, flying routines, and Wonderbolt shows. A few darker days floated by; the first argument, the first fight, the first time the two of them slept apart because of a disagreement. Growing, thriving, learning, and loving despite their differences and spats. Nothing could separate these two, because they were Rainbow Dash... and Twilight Sparkle.

The mind instinctively knew it's name was Twilight Sparkle. How it could remember this little detail when so many other things were fuzzy, it didn't know. But it -- she -- was Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash's marefriend. And for the moment, that was all that mattered. Eventually, however, the disjointed memories weren't the only thing present. First, came touch. She felt as though she was swimming in some sort of liquid, but she didn't seem to be moving; she was just suspend in place, all four hooves outstretched. Her hearing was the next sense to reawaken, but it didn't do much to tell her exactly where she was. All her sensitive ears could detect was vibrations, signaling that there was indeed sounds nearby, but impossible to make out through the viscous fluid. She couldn’t even feel her own ears. Smell was still out of the question in regards to her senses; whatever she was in didn’t have any sort of odor at all, although she did appear to be breathing. If Twilight wasn’t currently focused on other things, she might have been rather intrigued by this development. Taste was also kind of iffy; her mouth felt like sandpaper, and her tongue was oddly bloated. Then, at long last, came sight as Twilight suddenly remembered how to open her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was purple. Every direction her eyes darted to was covered in a soothing lavender color. After a few moments of complementation, she realized that she was facing an oddly transparent wall. It wasn’t completely clear, but cloudy, and it prevented her from making out anything from the outside world. All she really could make out was indistinct purple tinted shadows. She titled her head curiously, watching the shadows play against the wall of whatever she was in. She wanted to call out, to ask for help and to inquire to her current predicament. But her mouth refused to open, almost as though the muscles didn’t remember what their job was.

But then came the voices. At first, she thought her hearing had returned and she strained, struggling to make one of them twitch. But then in a glorious moment of realization, she discovered that the voices were within her own head. There were quite a lot of them, although it did feel like there were many, many voices missing. Twilight concentrated, trying to make sense of the words, but they were completely beyond her. No matter how much she concentrated, the voices refused to become clear. The remained there, just on the edge of her consciousness, a teasing murmur. Twilight frowned slightly in disappointment. It would have been lovely to figure out exactly why she was floating in the middle of a thick purple goo. Even as her disappointment grew, however, another mind touched hers. It was an alien presence, one she didn’t know, but at the same time it was oddly familiar. Then a voice spoke.

Awaken, my child. It is time for your hibernation to end.

For a moment, Twilight was full of overwhelming joy. The voice was so calm, so understanding, full of unconditional love. All for her. But then Twilight finally came to grips with her predicament.

Mother, she said, surprising herself with the moniker, How?

Your horn, my daughter. Use it to break free of your cocoon. Awaken!

Twilight hesitated, before she gave a mental shrug. By wiggling around a bit, she discovered she could practically swim through the strange liquid. She bunched herself down at the very bottom, before kicking upward with both rear hooves as hard as she could. She soared straight up and gored her horn through the unfamiliar object. It kind of felt like the skin stretched taut across a drum. Pausing to reorient herself, Twilight jerked her head forward. Her horn tore a large gap in her prison; she could dimly her the splatter of fluid hitting the ground outside. A second well placed buck, and Twilight split her pod completely, spilling herself and the rest of the purple goo onto the surprisingly warm floor. She took a deep, shuddering inhale of moist air, and immediately started heaving. She leaned to the side and noisily emptied her lungs and stomach of their contents. Twilight coughed wetly again, but this time there was nothing to throw up.

She glanced around slowly, her sensitive eyes adjusting to the soft lighting she found herself in. As she did so, eyes eyes lit upon a strange figure standing to her left. The figure easily dwarfed the hatchling, verdant emerald draconian eyes watching Twilight carefully. Barely even conscious of her action, Twilight tilted her head to the side as she studied the changeling before her in kind. Her mane was sea green, long and luscious, so long that it nearly brushed the ground despite her height. Her horn was the longest Twilight had ever seen, but it was also jagged, doubling back on itself until it ended in a sharp looking point. Two fangs protruded from her upper lips, even with her mouth closed. As soon as Twilight noticed them, her tongue flicked out to gently tap at her own fangs. The last thing the hatchling noticed was an odd little crown resting directly behind the other changeling’s horn.

Then the figure opposite her spoke, and Twilight trembled at the sound of it. It was unlike anything she had ever heard before, so melodious and full of an abundance of love. “You are finally awake, Twilight Sparkle. Do you know who I am?”

Twilight hesitated. She knew exactly who this was, but at the same time she didn’t. The hatchling knew that this was her mother, but she didn’t have a name to put to the face. Then it clicked into place as something brushed her mind with a name. “You’re my mother-- Queen Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis showered her daughter with a fang filled grin, warmth emanating from her being. She pulled Twilight to her hooves, where the latter swayed unsteadily. She took a single step forward, and would have fallen if her Queen had not caught her before she could do so. “Easy, my daughter. Do not try to rush things. You have been asleep for quite a long time. It will take a moment for your motor facilities to return to you. Do you know what you are?”

Twilight again tilted her head, like she couldn’t believe her Queen had asked that question. Still, she craned her head around to regard her body. She possessed a rather familiar lavender coat coloration, with a bit of the goop she had been in earlier still clinging to her fur. Now that she had something to compare it to, the stuff was actually a tone or two lighter than her body. Upon her flanks rested another familiar sight: that of a six pointed purple starburst surrounded by five more smaller white starbursts. Lastly, a pair of feathered wings rested at her sides, which ruffled slightly upon being regarded. Even though she looked nothing like her Queen, Twilight still knew the correct answer.

“I am a changeling. I’ve always been one, my Queen. Why would you ask that of me?”

The Queen chuckled a bit at that. “I was testing your connection to the Swarm. Although it has not been fully developed, the connection is strong enough to grant you basic knowledge.”

Twilight’s eyes brightened at finally having a name to put to all of those still unintelligible voices echoing around her head. “Is that what all of those voices are? The Swarm?”

Chrysalis nodded once, before gently nudging Twilight forward slightly. “Yes. Try walking a little bit. Your presence in the Hive is weaker than usual, which is part of the reason you’re having difficulties walking. Ordinarily the Swarm aids those who have been reborn in regaining their basic range of motion, but with your weaker connection it cannot.”

Twilight only focused on one word, knowledge suddenly bubbling to the forefront of her mind. “Reborn? Why was I reborn, my Queen? Was my previous form displeasing to you?”

Chrysalis began walking forward, nudging the purple changeling if it looked like she was about to fall. “Nay, young one. You were reborn to save your life from injuries that would have killed you otherwise.”

“But then…” Twilight trailed off as her suddenly chaotic thoughts tried to make sense of what she had just been told. More flashes of memories danced across her mind’s eye. There had been… some sort of ambush. Shouting, panicked voices. And then, only pain, labored breaths. Chrysalis could feel what was happening to her new daughter, and desperately tried to dissipate the agony through the Swarm. However, with only fifty-one changelings loyal to her instead of hundreds of thousands, the effect wasn’t nearly as noticeable as she would have liked. She bent down to nuzzle the distraught changeling, who had promptly fallen over again. At her touch, Twilight slowly calmed down and returned to herself. Chrysalis also reached out with her magic, soothing her daughter further and removing the rest of the sticky substance from her fur as she did so.

Twilight clambered back onto her hooves, panting slightly as she did so. “W-- What was that, my Queen?”

Chrysalis smiled sadly at her charge. “Memories from your past, my daughter. I’m afraid that pain like that is going to become rather normal, as you slowly recover your memories from before the attack. Ordinarily you would have inscribed your memories into a crystal or two, but there was simply no time before you would have succumbed to your wounds.”

The hatchling tottered forward on unsteady hooves. “Was it really that bad, mother?”

The Queen sighed, as though she hated the answer she had to give. “It was. But enough of that. Your memories will return in time. For now, I imagine you’re rather hungry. I have someone I’d like you to meet, and then we can go get some sustenance.”

Twilight followed her Queen as the former began to move forward, staring wide-eyed at the chamber they were in. Numerous pods lined the walls, and now that Twilight looked closely, they really resembled eggs-- including the purple one that she had escaped from. There were a few other differences, too. Her own egg was resting in the general center of the room, while the others all lined the walls. In addition, the other eggs were all the same luminous green as her Queen’s mane and wings. There had to be around twenty-five or so pods, with strange tubing crisscrossing the floor. Pausing a moment to examine said tubing, Twilight deduced that there was some sort of strange liquid being pumped through them. Queen Chrysalis could sense the burning question on the forefront of her newest daughter’s mind, and decided to take pity on the purple hatchling.

“We’re in my hatchery, Twilight Sparkle. This room is probably one of the most important things to me, as it is where I house all of my developing nymphs. Ordinarily I would have a couple of my interims in here to supervise my children in my absence, but today I wanted to be the first to see you after you awoke.”

Twilight could only continue to stare at her surroundings, even going so far as to cast a solitary look behind her before the membranous door sealed shut behind them with a muted hiss of displaced air. As Twilight turned forward to continue after her Queen, however, her eyes were met with an oddly familiar sight: A cyan blue figure, with breathtaking rose colored eyes and a messy chromatic mane. A horn jutted from under this mane, and for a brief moment, its presence threw Twilight for a loop. “Rainbow Dash?”

The changeling looked up, meeting Twilight’s violet orbs. “Twilight? Is that you?”

A goofy smile split Twilight's features. It was definitely her love. That rough voice, those sparkling eyes. But there was still something off, aside from the horn. Rainbow’s eyes… they were slitted, like Chrysalis’. But then the purple changeling pushed it from her mind and dashed forward, only tripping once over her still sometimes uncooperative limbs. She embraced the other mare bodily, taking in a deep whiff of her scent. The familiar smell of fresh rain and charged lightning lit up her senses like nothing else could. Rainbow, for her part, returned the hug easily. Twilight had always smelled of new books and something spicy, tart, that Rainbow had always assumed was the smell of magic. Today was no different. However, Twilight suddenly broke the contact, whimpering in distress. Rainbow recognized the signs of a returning memory and draped a wing over her counterpart, trying to comfort her. Queen Chrysalis could only watch helplessly as her first royal daughter comforted the second, even as Twilight spoke softly.

“Its… coming back to me. Some of it, at least. I remember you, Rainbow Dash. I remember… everything. But we’re different in those memories. You don’t have a horn, or draconian eyes. I didn’t have wings. Dashie, what happened to us?”

Rainbow could only shake her head. “I don’t know, Twi. Something bad happened. There was a fight, or something. I don’t remember either, and mother wants us to reclaim our memories on our own.”

“She’s correct, Twilight,” Chrysalis butted in gently. “If I try to jumpstart the process, there’s a strong possibility I could mentally scar you. And such scarring is irreversible.”

Twilight already had a new question lined up. “When were you birthed?”

“About a month before you. I believe your injuries were worse than mine, so it took longer to patch you up.”

The trio resumed walking, the two hatchlings following after their Queen. As they did so, Twilight slowly lost herself in her thoughts. Why does it feel like I don’t belong here? She glanced over to the chromatic changeling at her side. Dashie looks eerily similar to me. We both have holes in our limbs. We both have feathered wings, and straight, grooved horns. I don’t know if our eyes look the same, but if we already share so much in common I have to assume so. We have the fangs. Twilight then glanced over to Chrysalis. But our Queen is so different. Sure, she has the holes, eyes, and fangs, but that’s about it. She’s covered in black chitin, while we have colored fur. Her wings are gossamer, like an insect’s, and her horn is nothing like ours. Rainbow and I are changelings. Aren’t we? Twilight didn’t know the answer, but it felt almost as though she should have been something else.

Her musing was cut short, however, as the three of them approached an open balcony at the end of the hall. What Twilight saw was enough to take her breath away. Chrysalis noticed the reaction, and had to struggle to hide her grin. Even if she could remember Canterlot, Chrysalis knew that the city would be mind boggling for the former unicorn. The hatchery was one of the tallest structures in the city, so Twilight could easily see almost everything. As far as her eye could see, there were buildings. A number of them appeared to be factories, but there were plenty of homes and stores, too. What was even more impressive was the ring of trees that surrounded the city, as well as the leafy canopy high above. Twilight assumed magic had been used to make the trees grow like that, taller than any she had ever seen with branches that crisscrossed over the entire area. Shafts of sunlight filtered down from the leaves, which hit strategically placed reflective discs that cast the light into every area of the city. Even as she watched, one of the discs adjusted itself so that the beam produced by the midafternoon sun hit its surface again. Off in the distance, a mighty castle dominated the landscape, dark and foreboding but at the same time oddly familiar and welcoming.

“Welcome, Twilight Sparkle, to Mecha.” Even Chrysalis couldn’t keep the touch of pride from her tone.

“Mecha?” Twilight’s inflection turned the simple statement into a question.

“Yes. So named after the… rather specialized magics changelings are known for. While other nations are still using steam for a lot of their technology, changelings use what we call mechanical magic. Changelings, by nature, get most of their magical power from feeding on love, and not just from normal foods. When a changeling has plenty of love within their bodies, they produce quite a bit of excess mana that just kind of sits there, doing nothing. So instead of having all that mana just doing nothing, we devised a way for generators to suck it in, and use it to power things with magic. The mana gets sent along thin copper wiring to whatever object currently needs it. For example, the lights we use run off this magic. We simply create a glass globe and attach it to the wire, and as the mana fills up the globe, it creates a rather bright light because it has nowhere to go.”

“Fascinating,” Twilight breathed as she stared out across Mecha. “But why do there seem to be so few of my brothers and sisters about?”

Chrysalis was momentarily stunned at Twilights choice of words. She hadn’t even told her that the other drones were her siblings. The Queen shook it off to answer her daughter’s question. “Because there are very few of us within this Swam, Twilight. There was a split of power recently, and several other changelings renounced my rule and formed their own Swarms. It is also why over half of my city is currently dark. There’s not enough changelings to produce the mana needed to keep everything running. Only the most basic structures have power.”

Twilight was slightly appalled that any changeling could even dream about turning their backs on their mother. She shook it off as she turned to Dash, who didn’t seem nearly as excited about the city as Twilight was. “I take it you’ve seen this before?”

Dash shrugged. “I’ve seen all of the city by now. It was the first thing I explored after I awoke. Even so, it is still a magnificent sight.”

Twilight couldn’t help but to agree. She was about to comment further when her stomach decided to let off a rumbling growl. The purple changeling blushed at the sudden noise. “Apparently I’m rather hungry.”

Chrysalis chuckled a bit. “Rainbow Dash, why don’t you show Twilight to the food court? I have a few other duties to attend to, otherwise I’d join you. After, feel free to show her around the city.”

Dash inclined her head slightly to her Queen. “Sure thing. C’mon, Twi. There’s only the one food court open, but I know they’ll have some good stuff.” Barely waiting a moment, Dash stretched open her wings and glided away from the balcony. Twilight hesitated a moment, before opening her own wings and following her marefriend, like she had been flying all her life. Chrysalis watched them go for a moment, undisguised pride in her eyes. Those two would acclimate well. She knew it.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay guys. My life has been turned upside down as of late. My sister got herself pregnant, mother had to be put on anti-depressant medicine after a bad incident, and I completed my manager training at work only to discover I'm getting paid less than every other manager there. And I work overnights, and don't get a bonus. Joy.

Anyway, managed to finally sit down and get this one finished. As things kinda sorta return to normal, I'll be working on the next chapter(s).

Chaos Has Risen Again After All This Time

Despite how wonderful Ponyville was, her hometown still fascinated Twilight Sparkle. It always had, almost as soon as she was old enough to realize that there was a much bigger world outside the walls of the Sparkle manor. She had been to other major cities, of course. Manehatten and all of its glamor. Las Pegasus and its thriving night crowd. But none even came close to touching Canterlot. And it wasn’t just because the princesses had made this place their seat of power. No, what really made Canterlot stand out was its unity. There were parks everywhere in the metropolis, ranging from little expanses of grass with a pond to full blown acres of land that looked magical even in the winter. Earth ponies could be seen tending these gardens, performing basic upkeep and helping things grow. Then came the contribution from the pegasi: airships, of all shapes and sizes that glided through the skies majestically and often casting brief shadows on those below. Then if that wasn’t enough, there came the unicorns and their ceaseless duties. The entire city reeked of unicorn magic, and for good reason. It was unicorn spells that helped the pegasus weather teams keep the skies clear. It was unicorn spells that helped keep the parks orderly, gave strength to towering structures, and generally kept everything running as smooth as glass. It was all three tribes working together that made Canterlot as awe inducing as it was.

No sooner had Twilight Sparkle entered the palace proper, she was approached by two royal guards. “Lady Twilight, her Royal Highness Princess Celestia would like you to meet her in the Day council chamber. I believe she wishes you to join in on the discussions concerning the possible new threat.”

“I’ll head there right away,” Twilight replied, sighing mentally. The two guards nodded and resumed their patrol. Twilight headed in the opposite direction, already knowing what this was about. She had hoped, no matter how foalish, that she would be able to just forget about her brother’s first attempt at a wedding. Despite the obvious signs of heightened security and the routine changeling sweeps throughout the entire nation, Twilight had even done a good job of it too, shoving those memories into the deepest recesses of her mind. But now, a discussion needed to be had. They needed to decide exactly what to do in response of this threat. If Twilight had to guess, this meeting was going to primarily focus on foreign policy, in addition to thoughts on how to react when the changelings make a reappearance. As the princess’ right hoof in all but title, it was only natural that Twilight attend.

Twilight nudged open the door to the chamber and darted inside, making a beeline for the chair to the right of Princess Celestia. A couple of committee leaders paused their conversations to wave and greet the mare, which the unicorn returned. She was much more at ease during meetings like this, probably because the civilian and military advisors weren’t a bunch of posturing nobles. Twilight took her seat and glanced around idly. Her mentor sat at the head of the round table, surveying those gathered before her serenely. She gave a small smile to Twilight before her gaze continued on. To Princess Celestia’s left sat none other than Rainbow Dash in all her prismatic glory. Just looking in the general direction of the mare sent shivers down Twilight’s spine and caused her heart to beat faster. Dash flashed the unicorn a half lidded smirk before her gaze could continue on. Four more spots next to Rainbow Dash were designated for the other Elements of Harmony; while the Elements weren’t forced to attend meetings like these, the princess strongly encouraged it. Usually one or two of the seats were filled, but today they were all empty. Twilight’s other friends were busy in Ponyville this day. The only reason Dash was here was because she refused to miss meetings like this, no matter how important they were. The Wonderbolt sergeant even went so far as to put in a requested day off to Captain Spitfire, to make absolutely sure she could make these discussions. Even though Twilight could never get a straight answer as to why, she was pretty sure it had to do with being the Element of Loyalty.

Naturally, right next to the four vacant spaces sat Captain Spitfire. As commanding officer of the Wonderbolts, and by extension the Royal Air Corps, Spitfire’s military branch would be focused on securing Canterlot airspace in the event of hostile changeling action. Continuing down the line was Major Steelhorn representing his Equestrian Rangers, and Adept Shimmersilk representing the Arcane Brigade. On the other half of the table were the civilian advisors. Whisperer Gentle Touch was in charge of the hospitals and emergency response teams, while Fancy Pants was in charge of Home Security. The only other missing pony was Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard. Noticing this, Twilight turned to Princess Celestia.

“Shouldn’t Shining Armor be here, Princess?”

The regal white alicorn turned towards her student. “Under normal circumstances, yes. However, I forbade him from participating in this gathering. He had been under the direct control of the changeling Queen, and despite my assurances otherwise, he still blames himself for all that happened. I didn’t think having him here would be a good idea, with so many painful memories.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. “It seems like blaming ourselves for everything runs in the family.”

Princess Celestia gave her student a knowing look, one that made the unicorn squirm uneasily under her gaze. “I never would have guessed.”

At this point in time, Spitfire cleared her throat. Loudly. As though struck mute, the entire room fell devoid of conversation. “Now, I know all of you understand why we’re here. For starters, what do we know about changelings in general?”

The other ponies in the room regarded each other silently. It was obvious that they didn’t know much of anything at all, and one by one they slowly turned towards the most learned pony in the room. Twilight mentally prepared herself before replying. While she was quite familiar with committees and politics in general, she still had to watch what she said. “Sadly, I’m afraid our knowledge is rather lacking. As far as a vast majority of us knew before that day, changelings were nothing more than a legend. What little texts we do have about them are mythical in nature and have no real historical value. The ones we saw during the invasion seemed rather mindless, but does that speak for all changelings, or just those? Are they really insects, or is that just their appearance? We simply do not know.”

“What should we do, then?” Major Steelhorn addressed the room with a slight scowl. “How do we combat an enemy we know nothing about?”

“Why can’t we do what we’ve been doing since the invasion?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We’ve been doing checkpoints and random sweeps throughout all the cities.”

“Think for a moment, sergeant. Running the checkpoints and sweeps of all of Equestria’s cities takes a lot of ponypower. And not only does it potentially cripple our military, it also disrupts the lives of our citizens. We need a long-term solution that’ll keep us relatively safe but won't cost a lot of resources, and shouldn’t cause any problems for the average pony.” Spitfire took care to avoid being too harsh to Dash.

“Why not have the Arcane Brigade and the Home Security deal with it?” Shimmersilk contributed. “The spell to reveal changelings is rather easy. Why don’t the civilian departments pool their resources and ward buildings against changelings? It would be a simple matter to cast the spell over doorways and windows. This way we could keep our ponies safe without having to try and have the military everywhere at once.”

Spitfire rubbed her chin with a wing. “That could work, actually. It would leave the military free to start training against another possible invasion. Especially the Royal Guard. Most of our combat personnel are still occupied in the Twisted Forest area, and since the guard is mainly just a police force its a small wonder they managed to hold out as long as they did. No offense to your brother, Twilight.”

The scholar half-shrugged. “None taken. Shining tries as hard as he can, but I imagine its a little difficult to mount a defense against an invasion on such a short notice.”

“All in favor of the presented motion?” Princess Celestia asked. The hooves of everypony present shot into the air. “Very well. I’ll leave it to you to decide how to best proceed with this plan. This meeting is adjourned.”

The princess was the first to exit the chamber, which wasn’t surprising. She had a lot of other things that needed done today. One by one the other ponies filed out, until it was only Twilight and Rainbow left. The chromatic Wonderbolt wasted no time in approaching her favorite egghead, a small smile lightening her features. She brushed a cheek against Twilight. “So how did it go with the Royal Featherbrains?”

Twilight giggled, partly at Rainbow’s display of affection, and partly at her nickname for the Arcane Board. “About as well as could be expected, really. I’m pretty sure their only goal in existing is to make life miserable for those they deem ‘below their station’. I’m really glad that Princess Celestia already gave me her approval. Even if the Board rejects the idea, its not like my work will end up being shunted off to one side and ignored.”

“I can go in there and ‘offer’ them some words of encouragement. I don’t like them just blowing off my mare.”

“I’ve already told you, Dash, doing that will only make matters worse in the long run. And since when am I your mare? Last I checked, I was my own equine and not anypony else’s.” With those words, Twilight left the room at a brisk trot, flicking her tail across Rainbow Dash’s muzzle in the process. With an adorable little squeak of protest, the pegasus clambered after the unicorn. Catching up, she then proceeded to toss a wing over Twilight, who smiled slightly and snuggled further into the embrace. Neither one of them noticed an unfamiliar guard staring after them, his eyes flickering a brief green.

<<((*))>>

Aquadris picked her way through the dense underbrush with nary a sound. She was currently in her natural form, of course, as the unicorn skin she usually wore was ill suited to true infiltrator work. As she moved, her chitin shifted as well, perfectly matching the backdrop of whatever foliage she was currently in. It took extreme concentration to change different parts of her chitin at will, and it was a skill few other changelings would ever master. While other Infiltrators were perfectly capable of mimicking their surroundings when not in motion, they were rather vulnerable if their cover was blown while in the process of moving to a better vantage point. Aquadris, however, had no such restrictions, using her ‘active camouflage’ to hide her presence while mobile. Since she wasn’t changing swiftly, she was even able to keep the flare of green magic almost non-existent as her form shimmered. She just had to take it slow, and luckily, she had almost unlimited patience-- honed after countless years in this particular line of work.

It was also something of a game to her, at the moment, as the forest she was moving through was literally crawling with other changelings. It seemed every few steps another changeling sentry would materialize from the scenery, and none of them even knew she was there. This was also further aided by the fact that Aquadris was not a part of any Hivemind but her Queen Chrysalis’. If there was one good thing that came out of the events after the failed invasion, it was that the rogue Queens all had Hiveminds of their own. So if Changeling A was not a part of Changeling B’s Hivemind, then Changeling B wouldn't be able to tell where Changeling A was at unless seen. It really made Aquadris’ job even easier; she didn’t have to try and block out the Hivemind.

Aquadris was rapidly approaching a clearing, and decided she had come far enough. All she needed to do was listen, not see, and there were too many changelings ringing the clearing. It would be much safer just to wait where she was. Fortunately for her, her timing was impeccable, and she did not have to wait overly long.

“Quiet!” a voice spoke in a sibilant hiss. It sounded like the voice of Sejuani, head of the old Council. One by one, the multitude of hissing voices died down, making it far easier for Aquadris to hear what was being spoken. “We are gathered here today to plan our next move. Chrysalis has been dealt with and she will pose no threat to us. She has no Hive with which to do so.”

There was a general chorus of snickering laughs, and Aquadris had to fight back a snort of her own. If only they knew what they’re about to get into.

“The overarching plan is to enslave ponykind. They have so much love, and they sit there, squandering it, when it should be rightfully ours! Why should we stick to the shadows, forced to steal what love we can from mindless beasts? Better to enslave them all, so that we can take what we want whenever we desire it. To do this, Canterlot must fall. If Canterlot falls, the rest of the ponies will follow, as they will have no leader to guide them. Does anyling have suggestions for this goal?”

Another changeling spoke up. Aquadris was pretty sure this one was Ylonda. “We’re not going to get far with the Element of Magic impeding progress. She is entirely too cunning for a pony, and if we do not deal with her, she’ll only bring down our plans yet again.”

“So how should we deal with her, Ylonda?” Sejuani sounded extremely eager.

“I propose an assassination. Strike now, before the beasts have time to tighten their defenses. If we wait too long, we’ll never be able to get to her. If we do it today, or even tomorrow, Canterlot will be as good as ours within a week. We still have a few Infiltrators embedded in Canterlot, the best we have.”

“Your idea does have merit, Ylonda. Taking out the Element of Magic will also completely cripple the other Elements of Harmony, in addition to weakening the other princesses. All in favor?”

There was a rustle of movement, probably from other rogue Queens showing their vote.

“Then it is settled. We’ll attack tonight. Any Infiltrators still in Canterlot will receive this directive: Dispose of Twilight Sparkle. At any cost.”

“I do have a question.” This was a queen Aquadris couldn’t recognize, but her ears perked as she heard her name. “Has there been any word from Aquadris? She’s still the best Infiltrator the old Swarm has ever seen, and having her on our side of the conflict would be a great boon.”

Sejuani answered. “Aquadris has went dark, even before the invasion started. My own spies suspect Chrysalis banished her, and labeled her as a traitor. Likely because Aquadris opposed the idea of an all out invasion right from the start.”

Aquadris almost couldn’t keep herself contained. Oh, the delicious irony. I was banished, you fools, but because I opposed trying to conquer Equestria instead of finding peace. Stupid insects.

This other news though, was dire. The Infiltrator needed to warn Chrysalis of the impending attack, and soon. Ever so slowly Aquadris began to back away. Fortunately for her, most hostile eyes were facing inwards, and not outwards. Still, it was slow going, even slower than when she first snuck into the forest. The changeling simply could not afford to be discovered now. Every few steps she paused, making sure that no wayward eyes were pointed in her direction. Then finally, at long last, she managed to make it far enough away to safely teleport.

Shifting into the familiar form of Trixie, the Infiltrator pulled her mana reserves to the forefront of her mind. Then all at once, the world shifted, and she found herself outside the Badlands. Pausing for a moment, the disguised Trixie panted heavily. Even though she was powerful by unicorn standards, such a long range teleport took a lot out of her. Still this news she carried was of utmost importance and needed to be relayed to Queen Chrysalis as soon as possible. Gathering her strength, Aquadris then proceeded to hop teleport several times in rapid succession. She estimated that she was halfway across the desert and was close enough to use the hive mind.

She sent an urgent priority through the link, and felt her weakening monarch immediately open her mind to Aquadris. What is it, child?

Even now her mother's mind was soothing, curbing a bit of the Infiltrator's fear. It also helped that once more, they were mother and daughter and not queen and subject. Aquadris could feel the change within the mind, even though neither one had addressed the new feeling. Chrysalis had not viewed her changelings as daughters and sons for a very long time. It took a moment for Aquadris to formulate a reply, despite her initial haste. Mother, we have a problem. A big one. The other Queens aren't waiting. They're moving tonight. They still have changelings in Canterlot, they're planning on assassinating Twilight!

Chrysalis only asked three words. Are you certain?

Yes. I heard them directly. What are we to do, mother?

Return home. Immediately. We'll discuss this more when you arrive. We need to formulate a plan, and the Hive Mind is no place to do so. Not until we know for sure that enemy Infiltrators can't trick the Link into believing they are allies.

And so Aquadris flew, shifting once more into her changeling skin. She was close enough now another teleport would be pointless; she wouldn't be able to make it past the wards that kept her home safe. She ignored the burning ache of under-used wings and their muscles. She ignored her body's request to slow down, to rest. Time was of importance, and nothing was going to deter her.

She blew by the boundary to the city without being interrupted. Normally there would be sentries at the very least, but with only a tiny handful of changelings it was as pointless gesture. The infiltrator immediately set her sights upon the castle in the distance. With her goal in sight, she let herself slow down a tiny bit. As she approached the castle, four changelings fell into formation around her. With a simple nod to her brothers and sisters, Aquadris entered through the courtyard. Although she did not know the names of the changelings accompanying her, even she could recognize the insignia that the Queen's elite wore. These were her Mechakorps. The elite Troopers left the Infiltrator as soon as she reached castle proper. Aquadris continued alone heading directly for the center of the capitol building. As she approached the doors leading to the throne room, the closed portals read her magical signature. With a muted hiss they opened, revealing Chrysalis curled up on a sleeping mat before the now restored throne.

The changeling monarch smiled gently at her best agent. "It is fortunate that I sent you on this mission, Aquadris. I doubt any other would have been able to obtain this information."

Aquadris frowned a bit. "I just wish I were bringing better news."

"Worry not, my child. What is important is that we have some advanced warning. Did they specify who is going to perform the attack?"

"No. I think the general plan is to tell every changeling still in Canterlot to kill Twilight Sparkle."

"Hmmm. On one hoof, that just makes our job more difficult. Too many potential threats to keep track of. On the other hoof, this shows that our enemies are overconfident. As far as they're concerned, there's nothing that can stop them."

"So what do we do, my queen? I doubt we can just march right into Canterlot and warn them of the immediate danger. They have no reason to trust us, for starters."

"I had planned to wait a little longer, bid my time. That's no longer an option. We'll have to move as fast as the traitors are. I want you to take a team of my Mechakorps into Canterlot. Find Twilight Sparkle and shadow her. Don't let her out of sight for even an instant. When the assassins go on the attack, kill them and rescue her. Get her to accompany you back here by any means necessary. Convince her that we are allies, appeal to the scholar in her, something. But it is obvious that she is entirely too vulnerable right now. I want her in a place where I can keep an eye on her. If she falls before I have a chance to pass on my power to her, it'll all be over. Are your objectives clear?"

"Crystal, mother." Aquadris was already moving back towards the chamber doors as she spoke. "I'll return once my mission is complete."

<<((*))>>

Aquadris kept to the shadows, stalking her target. Getting into Canterlot had been surprisingly easy; however, judging by the informational posters everywhere, that was going to change, and soon. Despite what other changelings might like to believe, ponies were rather tenacious; putting changeling detection spells on buildings would make it virtually impossible for an undercover agent to do much of anything. However, the old swarm didn't have the time to wait for these security measures to be implemented. Their future queen was going to be attacked tonight.

Aquadris shifted slightly, her active camouflage mimicking the inky black shadows she was crouched in. She frowned slightly. The addition of Rainbow Dash complicated matters. The two were obviously on a date of sorts, generally enjoying each other's company and having a good time. Aquadris actually felt bad that she was eventually going to be the bearer of bad news in an otherwise blissful evening. But what bothered the Infiltrator more was the fact that Dash has not left the side of her unicorn companion at all today. And if the traitors decided to attack with Rainbow Dash still around, there was little doubt in Aquadris' mind that the chromatic pegasus would end up embroiled in this conflict that really didn't concern her. It was highly unlikely that the Wonderbolt would abandon her marefriend at the first sign of trouble. Unless something else happened, it looked like Rainbow Dash was going to end up following Aquadris back home. Losing a second Element of Harmony really wasn't an option.

A flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye caught the Infiltraror's attention. The first of her personal tracking rules echoed throughout her mind: If you think you saw something, don't immediately turn to look for it. Even with her camouflage, it could be possible for her to be seen if she moved suddenly. So the changeling stood completely still and expanded her awareness. There. Almost directly across from her current position. One, two, three, four, five, six. They were pathetically easy to spot; it was obvious they were not skilled in the art of stealth. Unfortunately, they were behind Rainbow and Twilight, and not even the unicorn's magic would detect them until it was too late. Aquadris moved forward a bit more, keeping pace with her two objectives. As she did so, she noticed five more changelings on the rooftops above her. This was not looking good. Eleven enemies was not a fair fight, no matter how good the four Mechakorps were. Hopefully the element of surprise would even out the odds a bit.

Another issue was the location. They were all in the middle of the main street leading to the palace with dozens of other ponies around them. Not only was there a high chance of more casualties than needed, there was no chance that the changelings would go unnoticed. Undoubtedly this was what the enemies wanted. What better way to demoralize ponies, than to murder such a figurehead in their midst? There! Aquadris was so wrapped up in her musings she came close to dooming her entire race. She was moving before she even realized it, galloping to intercept the first attackers.

She made it to the two Elements of Harmony just in time to parry a magic bolt with her magic resistant chitin. There were shouts and screams at the sudden appearance of changelings. Rainbow and Twilight whirled in time to see four more deadly magical bolts impact an unfazed Aquadris. Dash, being a member of the military, grasped the sudden danger a bit quicker than her lavender love. Lightning arced from her flared wings, completely ignoring the Infiltrator and causing the struck foes to falter for a moment.

"I was honestly expecting you to strike at me first." Aquadris didn't need to turn her head to know that the two ponies were slightly behind her, staring down the eleven rather healthy changelings before them.

Dash snorted. "I dunno what game you're playing, changeling. But I saw you take those shots meant for Twilight. Right now, I'm just as likely to blast you as I am to thank you."

"Fair enough. Twilight. Can you make it to the palace from here?"

There was a brief pause. "No. Something is blocking my magic."

Although the unicorn did her best to keep her voice level, it still wavered with uncertainty. "Then get ready to run. I've got reinforcements of my own en route, but its going to take them a while to get here. I can hold them off for a while. Dash, you should follow her."

"You've got a lot of explaining to do later, changeling. But we're outnumbered here. C'mon Twi. We've gotta make a run for it." The pair promptly took the advice and fled. The enemies in front of her hissed, infuriated that their target was escaping. They all rushed the Infiltrator, who beat them back with hoof and magic. Other ponies had long since fled, allowing Aquadris to only focus on the assassins. They came on again, forcing the defender to slowly give ground. However, her concentration was shattered when Twilight Sparkle cried out in pain.

Aquadris flew back and away, frantically looking behind her. Another six changelings surrounded the two important equines, one standing over the unicorn with a bloody dagger in its magical grip. Dash was distracted by other enemies, fighting desperately on two fronts. Even as Aquadris began to flit over to the battle, more buzzing wings heralded the arrival of her own reinforcements. The four elite troopers fell upon the one that had stabbed Twilight, ending its life quickly. More traitors rallied, however, and the fight began in earnest.

The six defenders stood easily against the skewered odds; not only were these foes not good at stealth, they weren't overly good at combat either. However, things began to quickly go wrong. A lucky shot clipped one of Dash's wings, and while she was distracted trying to put some distance between her and her foes, a particularly suicidal changeling charged her and ran it's horn through her throat. The Wonderbolt went down, and was promptly swarmed by a sea of black.

Aquadris rushed forward, clearing the immediate area, but not before two of her own fell. By this time there were only four enemies left. They turned to flee, believing their work to be done. They were each struck down by an enraged Infiltrator. Off in the distance came a great pounding of hooves; the Royal Guards were likely on their way, and Aquadris was left with two mortally wounded Elements of Harmony and two lightly wounded Mechakorps.

Aquadris bent over Twilight, checking the mare's wounds. She had been stabbed twice in her chest and once in her barrel. Her forelegs were both broken and her breath was raspy. Aquadris then checked over Rainbow Dash. The neck wound didn't seem to be all that deep, but it still seemed to be restricting her airways. Both of her beautiful wings were mangled, and she appeared to have some internal bleeding. Neither one of them was going to last much longer without some sort of help, and the guards were getting closer. Aquadris made a snap decision and motioned the four Mechakorps closer and outlined their plan to them. The two wounded ones nodded their assent to their roles while the other two made other preparations. Aquadris only hoped this stupid plan of hers worked.

Author's Note

So, I'll just save you all the trouble and say the meme here: Well, that escalated quickly.

Honestly, that was kind of my intention. Really needed to get the ball rolling so I can get this one where it needs to be. I promise, things will slow down a bit in future chapters. Also please note this release is unedited. I've not updated so long I don't think I have any editors, and I actually finished the last half of this chapter on my Galaxy S3 while at work. I'll give it a proper edit pass when I get home.

As always, likes, dislikes, complaints, and praise is welcomed. Just no hate please. Hate is counter productive and helps nothing.