Madame Butterfly

Sinisteed

For a moment, the world went technicolour, then Dash streaked out of the shockwave, trailing a rainbow from her flanks. Gummed within her cocoon, Celestia's eyes widened only slightly as she saw the hypervelocity pegasus bearing down on her. Then Rainbow Dash hit, and a second explosion of colour-stained royal jelly splattered everywhere, like a slower, stickier rainboom.

Princess and pegasus shot out of it, screaming as they hurtled across the floor.

“-Rainbow Dash!!!” Twilight shouted, grabbing for the Princess-assaulting pegasus - and her telekinetic grip slid from Dash’s Royal Jelly coated tail in a spray of sticky multihued droplets.

“-Quick! Get me a mirror! What's in my hair!?” Rarity screamed as it splattered her. “I know there's something terrible in my hair!-”

“-Ahhh! Spicy~” Pinkie screamed. Her face was far beyond pink, almost all the way up to fire engine red. Then they needed one, as her lips parted and actual flames shot from between them. “And sticky! It's stuck to my tongue anbd nobw I canb't feebl mby tonbgue,” she said, her rainbow-gooped tongue sticking out, and was swiftly reduced to helpless gazing around as she scraped at her tongue with her equally sticky hooves. “Helbp,” she mumbled.

Sinisteed could barely see, Celestia brightening from brilliant to blinding white, her translucent mane of pastel colours solidifying into opaque technicolour iridescence, her cutiemark shining like... well, quite so. Like the sun.

Dash tried to pull from her incandescence – and failed. Pounded by Dash’s hypervelocity hooves, baked by the Princess of the sun, the Royal Jelly had set like glue. Dash had no more success at slowing, either. The speedster, it seemed, didn't know how to stop.

The stained-glass window at the end of the throne room depicted the Elements of Harmony defeating Discord. Panicking pegasus and overpropelled pony princess blew it into razor-sharp, multicolour shards, which shone with light as the pair shot through them. It was unbearably beautiful. Sinisteed didn't really think he'd seen the draconequus's image shift and try to dodge the shattering impact – a trick of the light pouring from the solar godpony and his own recent emotional trauma of falling in love. In either case, the draconequus didn't make it.

For a moment they hung, framed by the shattered wreck and slowly tumbling shards, then, in a mathematically precise curve, began to fall as Dash's wings folded protectively across her eyes.

“Sugahcube!” Applejack screamed, reared, and bounded across the throneroom towards the shattered window.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy whispered, and Sinisteed was unceremoniously flipped onto his back as she dashed from beneath him to join Applejack.

“Failsafe spell, fix-everything failsafe spell,” Twilight Sparkle muttered, book already flipped out, opened, reread and dropping to the ground as her horn really began to glow-

Sinisteed flipped to his hooves, and tore across the floor after his – ow – beloved.

Canterlot castle clung precariously to the flank of the Canterhorn. Below, Equestria spread out like a map, like a patchwork-quilt of well-tilled fields and crops suiting each Earthpony's special talent. Wind whistled through the broken window and whipped around their withers. Sinisteed stretched a hoof and steadied Fluttershy, who squeaked – ow – adorably. It was a very long way down.

Rainbow Dash and Celestia still fell, the princess blazing with light, Rainbow a barely visible dark spot against Celestia’s flank – a shadow on the sun, trailing a rainbow as her princess’s light shone through her.

Neither spread their wings.

Pegasi guards plunged past Sinisteed, in futile pursuit of their princess. They might arrive in time to pick up the pieces, but they'd never catch Celestia and Rainbow Dash.

The moment stretched like taffy, like freshly secreted Royal Jelly-
Twilight Sparkle’s failsafe spell raced out over him. It caught the slowly-tumbling stained-glass shards - which turned and whipped back towards the three ponies and one changeling standing in the window like a hail of brightly coloured razor-edged death... and snapped back into the perfect image the glassblower had intended, right in front of their noses. The draconequus wiped a clawed hand across its brow, winked at Sinisteed, and vanished.

Celestia finally spread her vast wings, appearing almost the size of a dove, and - despite the distance - Sinisteed could see their descent begin to slow.

“Too late,” Fluttershy whispered-

-the failsafe spell caught them - and nothing happened!

Celestia flipped a wing, twisted in the air - and slammed horn-first into the ground. The impact snapped her head back, sending her tumbling head over hooves, wings spread.

Sinisteed thought he saw Rainbow Dash bounce free, before the plume of dust the impact had raised obscured the pair from view.

“Sugahcube!” Applejack screamed, reared, and made to leap.

The pale glow of Rarity's telekinesis engulfed her. “No!” Rarity shouted. “We'll go the long way round,” she said as she turned. “Keeping our hooves safely on the ground, and, uh-” she broke from trot into canter, “-hurrying,” she finished in a quite unladylike fashion.

“Unh,” Applejack grunted in grudging agreement, before blazing past her in a full gallop.

“My failsafe spell... failed,” Twilight Sparkle moaned, slumping her rump onto the floor. “Again.”

“Fixed my mane though, darling,” Rarity called as she cantered past her. “More or less. Now do come on!”
“I'm sure they're fine!” Twilight called after them. “Rainbow Dash crashes all the time! She levelled your old barn. She's destroyed my library more times than I can count. Princess Celestia's thousands of years and immortal – a little tumble isn't going to bother her. Of course they're fine. It’s not like it was for real. Just a test,” she paused, as if hearing her own words for the first time. “A test that I failed” she wailed, talking to herself in an empty throneroom. “Wait up, girls!” She shouted. “I'm coming too! I have to arrange a resit with Princess Celestia!”

CHANGELINGCHANGELINGCHANGELINGCHANGELING

Chrysalis

It's just a machine, Chrysalis's brain screamed at the rest of her. Not a dragon's maw. Just a machine just a machine just a-

Steam gouted from the hinge of the dragon's jaw-

-from the bucket wheel's axle-

-obscuring the fluttering of Trixie's cloak as she fell.

Just pull up pull up pull up she's probably teleported away or hit the ground already you can't even see her there's a whole world that could be yours you won't even have to look her in the eye-

-eyes which were as wide and bright as the whole world. Wide with terror and bright with tears, even though Chrysalis couldn't see them-

-except in my mind's eye, Chrysalis thought. And if I do not catch her, I will always be here, looking into them.

She shot past the very maw of the beast, through the gouting steam, barely feeling its scalding heat against her gossamer wings. On the far side, Trixie was still falling, legs flailing – and Chrysalis's forehoof smacked against hers. Royal Jelly, the tiniest amount, less than a mouthful, less than would make a boiled sweet, smeared between the hard soles of their hooves. It smeared across the sole of Trixie's hoof, and sank stickily into the grooves of the tender frog within.

Chrysalis felt her heart spasm at the touch.

Just cardiovascular just systemic just biological nothing important-

Then she spread her wings and pulled against Trixie's weight with all her might.

Caught between Queenly muscle and unyielding air, steam-soaked gossamer folded like freshly-used tissuepaper.

They tumbled, ground, sky, Trixie, ground, dragonstooth – no, bucketwheel-

Something smashed into her flank, throwing her and Trixie together, and she felt something in her chest in spite of the vast blow being glancing. Her head spun-

-ground-sky-ground-sky-ground-sky-

-the ground bucked her in the back, and she felt her fractured thorax break as Trixie landed atop her, almost unhurt, cursed lucky unicorn-

-I hadn't meant to give my life for you, Chrysalis thought.

Something cracked against her skull, and she knew no more.

Trixie

Alterixie hit the coal-blackened ground, and her body cushioned the impact's blow for Trixie – who felt something snap beneath her.

Broken ribs, thought Trixie, as they skidded along the ground together. Let it just be the ribs, please let it just be-

Alterixie's head smacked against a rock. Her eyes slid closed, and a soft sigh went out of her. Pressed out of her by Trixie's weight. Blood trickled from her ear, red blood matting blue mane, turning it purple, the exact shade of... Twilight Sparkle's...

“Oh Celestia,” Trixie moaned as she scrambled off Alterixie. “I've killed her. Trixie always knew her careless clumsiness would be the death of her.”

Grinding and groaning drew her eyes up, and Trixie saw the steam vent before she heard its wail. The... mechanical monstrosity shivered and settled into stillness, dripping oil, its last breath quieting from wail to hiss as its life leaked away. Fluids and breath just as vital leaked from the other self crumpled at her hooves.

But she slew the beast for me, Trixie thought, as steam cooled and misted down around them.

“Dear Celestia, are you mares alright!?” Somepony called, and Trixie heard the canter of hooves on coal. “I- I've- opened the main steam valve- stopped the excavator... what on earth were you doing? Nopony should've even been out here. Did you know that?”

The stallion, Trixie saw as she looked up, had probably always been tall, but now he had a gaunt, underfed look that no Equestrian pony would've worn – save perhaps the cream of the Canterlot elite. Unusually for ponies, he wore clothes – a black bow tie, though from the condition of the grey and blue stripes on his shirt, it could've once been some other colour. Certainly, no strawboater had ever started life that shade of grey.

“Help...?” Trixie whispered. “I... I think she's dead. Save her. Please. Help her. I love her so much. I didn't know it till now, I thought it was just my narcissism, but it's her. I love her. I'd love her even if she were Twilight Sparkle.”

“My goodness,” the stallion said. “Are you alright? Did you perhaps hit your head?”

“I'm fine,” Trixie screamed, thrusting her hoof at the crumpled Alterixie “She's the one who-”

“She's fine,” the stallion said, trotting over to her, “but there's a ton of blood and I'm afraid it might be from you, since you seem to be confused.”

“-hit... her.... head?” Trixie said, softly. Then she threw the distracting impossibility aside and embraced Alterixie in her hooves. “I'm so glad you're okay!” For a moment, she cried into Alterixie's coat. “Um... why are your hooves all over my head?” Trixie asked.

“Checking for concussion,” the stallion replied. “Of which confusion can be a symptom,” he explained, his blush obvious against his pale yellow coat, even through the coal dust stains. “You're fine,” he said, backing away from the embracing pair.

“I'm fine,” Alterixie whispered, turning her head into Trixie's nuzzling.

“You're amazing,” Trixie replied – she knew what she'd seen, and how fast her twin must've healed herself, for her injury to have left no sign.

“You're twins,” the stallion blurted as the Trixies clambered to their hooves, and a range of terror-suppressed aches made their presence known to Trixie. “Filly twins,” he said shifting in that uncomfortable way that stallions had when trying to hide that something attractive made an embarrassment of them. Then he shrivelled. “You should not have come here,” he said, “why did you leave Equestria? Although,” he admitted, scuffing his hoof in the coaldust. “I'm glad you did.”

“Because you're fantasizing about mounting us?” Alterixie said, and it wasn't really a question. “Us, twins, together, and all yours,” she smiled, wickedly, temptingly. “It's not impossible, you know.”

“It's not that,” the stallion said. Trixie's eyes slid down. Between his leanness and the ragged state of his coat, he didn't have much to hide his lie. “I mean, it is that,” he blushed, “of course it's that, you're both very attractive mares – but I've found my one true love: An idea. A great conception. That's why I left Equestria. To know a mare's joy. To give birth to it. But I shouldn't have. Ponies don't appreciate it when your machine can do their special talent better than they. Every rockfarmer in Equestria rejected us – the Delvers and the Digs, the Scoops and Shovelers, the Pies and the Panners,” he laughed, hollowly. “Their reasons were wrong, but their conclusions” he sighed, “their conclusions were right. Equestria was right – my idea was a monster, and now there's no escaping it.”

“I know how that feels,” Trixie said. “One pony. That's all it took to drive me from Equestria: Twilight Sparkle, and her friends - including that Applejack. They rejected me, humiliated me, and everypony just went along with it!”

“Ponyville?” The stallion asked. “I - my brother and I - had our own experiences there. Mostly those Apples. Stubborn as mules, those ponies, all of them, and they honestly tricked us into a deal that wasn't quite what we thought we were agreeing to. Then they ran us out town on a rail, barely one hoofstep ahead of the lynch mob. Still, it would've been better not to have come here. We shouldn't have come here – and neither should you.”

“Buckin' Applejack,” Trixie snapped, “lying with everything but the sweet words from her mouth. I've travelled Equestria,” Trixie said. “Amazed and astounded in Manehatten, Fillydelphia, Hoofington, but there's no place you can trust 'em less than Ponyville, save Canterlot itself – them Apples' are the worst of all, and they've got the government in their saddlebags. Sparkle's the very personal student of Princess Celestia herself, if you can believe it. Little lilac hussy.”

“Celestia's... most ancient,” the stallion said. “Very old. Those here who forsook her protection regretted it deeply... and yet,” he continued, “for all their prayers she did not return to save them. You have this chance to save yourselves,” he said.

“But where are my manners?” He continued, bowing over a straw boater that might've once been blond and pristine, but was now frayed and black with coaldust. “Even here, there is no excuse for forgetting one's manners. Allow me to introduce myself,” he said:

“I'm Flam, of the World Famous Flim Flam Brothers. Travelling salesponies nonpareil,” his voice taking on the lyrical tone of singing, but – he did not break into song. What had happened to him, that his natural pony instincts were so suppressed?

Nevertheless, in the face of two fabulous fillies, he managed to beam. “Perhaps you've heard of us?” Flam said.

“Trixie is... not from around here,” Alterixie said. “Trixie travelled most of Equestria without Trixie.”

“Indeed,” said Trixie. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has travelled the length and breadth of Equestria, and beyond! She has proven herself to be the most amazing unicorn in or out of Celestia's domain,” Trixie said, her muzzle turning up a little from the - rather disgustingly dirty – Flam. “Trixie is well aware of the 'FlimFlam' Brothers, whose reputation does indeed pursue them. I wonder how fast you've had to canter out of towns to keep it from proceeding you?”

“I'm confused,” said Flam. “Are you Trixie, or is she? And my brother and I are not the only unicorns here with a reputation they'd rather outrun.”

“Actually - and prepare to be amazed,” Trixie said, smiling at her doppleganger, “we're both Trixie.”

“Ohh...” said Flam. “I see the scam. One of you ducks out over here, the other pops up over there, and, bam, unicorn teleportation! Two twins acting as one! I wish we'd thought of it,” he said, envy ringing in his voice.

As he spoke, Trixie's gaze darkened. Chrysalis could practically see the urge to do violence as it rose, the willingness to kill she'd tried to nurture in Trixie. Strangely – 'The Great and Powerful' Trixie was just a dupe and a tool and a meal, after all – she felt proud.

“Idiot!” Trixie shouted, and flipped Flam's hat from his head with focused burst of battlemagic that could've as easily removed the unicorn's head from his shoulders, and pasted a look of terror across his face. “Trixie and Trixie are not anything as mundane as twins, they are one and the same pony! Trixie has rent the very walls between worlds asunder with her great power! Smashed open the Outer Gates and stepped through where nopony before her dared to set hoof! Trixie has studied magic beneath the wing of Princess Celestia herself, has faced that tyrannical alicorn in mortal combat and lived to tell the tale, and you have insulted her!”

“As you can see,” Alterixie said, “you take your life in your hooves, Flim, brother of Flam. What have you done, that you value it so little?”

“You shouldn't have done that,” Flam said, “they will have felt it. Guard-dogs will be coming.”

“-What!?” Trixie exclaimed-

“We don't have much time,” Flam said. “You have neither food nor water.”

“We must go to Gemstowne,” Alterixie replied, and Flam nodded. Apparently, it was answer enough.

“Indeed,” Flam agreed. “But – hidden. In secret.” At a distance made uncertain by the drifting banks of steam, the clatter of claws on rock could be heard. “The coal-train lies that way,” Flam indicated. “Secrete yourselves aboard. It will take you where you need to go.

“What about the magic,” Alterixie said. “They'll search – they'll find us -”

“I'll tell them it was me,” Flam grinned, suddenly roguish and handsome through his coating of grime. “Go!”

For a moment, Trixie and Alterixie broke into a canter, till Trixie slowed, looked back. “What'll they do to you?” She asked.

“A beating, most likely,” Flam grinned. “I've been beaten before, and if worse...” his cocksure smile faltered and his gaze fell to his hooves, “then I survived before, at any cost. I find I dislike the price.” When his eyes rose to meet hers again, the tears they held refracted some inner fire. “What I did,” he said, “to deserve death – I betrayed my brother,” he gestured to the vast, monstrous machine that overhung them, “by building that.”

Alterixie's jaw fell, and she too faltered from her canter.

“The folly of the FlimFlam brothers,” Flam continued, breaking at last into song, but the words were tinged with sadness, “the Exceedingly Enormous Anthracite Excavating Eight Thousand~”

Nearby, a terrifying howl rose, cutting his voice like a knife, a howl that Trixie recognised all too easily, recalling a horror she remembered all too clearly, chilling her blood right down to the bone.

“Go!” Flam screamed, as the staccato clatter of claws drew unmistakably close. “Find my brother, and help him – help all the ponies – and so help yourselves!”

The Trixies went.