Project Starburst

Chrysalis remembered well the day that Mind Shade was born. A couple dozen drones, and her. From the moment she awakened, the Queen knew who she was, and what purpose she served. And Mind Shade had served quite well. She had a way of getting into the heads of other species, drawing out emotions they never knew they had. Chrysalis had never considered a princess, an heir, but if she had, Mind Shade would have been the one.

Now that Mind Shade was back in the Hive, where she belonged, Chrysalis knew that victory wasn't far off. Her very last obstacle was Twilight Sparkle, and while that had grown more complicated, it wasn't impossible. She closed her eyes, allowing the perceptions of several drones to come into focus. Scattered around town, they were closing in on their targets. Soon, Twilight would make the obvious choice, and join her lot with the Hive.

"Your friends?" Twilight asked, in shock, staring at the changeling before her. "You mean the other members of Project Starburst? You consider them...I didn't even know Changelings could make friends." she sat down on her throne, processing this.

"They can, technically." Mind Shade said. So far, this was going better than she had hoped. She knew that if Twilight Sparkle understood anything, it was friendship. And massive amounts of magic, but she suspected that for Twilight, they were one and the same. "Most changelings don't even consider friendship, because all they know is provided by the Queen."

"Not you, though." Cardinal Rule cut in, his tone cold. Ever since she had revealed herself, Cardinal had been giving her this suspicious glare. Honestly, though, Mind Shade had kind of expected it, and it wasn't really bothering her that much. At least, not until she got a good look at the chilling stare she was getting.

"No. I'm...different." she said softly, looking down at the pendant she wore. For her, that pendant was a reminder of what she had discovered. That pendant was Golden Luck, through and through, and every time she'd seen it over the past day, it had gnawed at her. "I...met a pony, a long time ago, who taught me about friendship. I made a mistake, Twilight, and I want to make up for it."

"Alright, so let's start from the beginning. What happened to the others? Why weren't you with them to begin with?" Twilight asked, sitting up.

Mind sighed, hanging her head. This was the part that she hadn't been looking forward to. No matter which way she cut it, she had betrayed her friends. More than that, she had betrayed herself. "When we arrived in Ponyville, I sensed that Chrysalis was nearby. It's...it's a changeling thing. I didn't want to get them involved, so..."

It was easy enough for her to slip into the crowd, changing to a nondescript mare. Once the others had gotten off the train, Mind Shade started towards town, following her link to the Hive Mind. Something was different this time, though. She couldn't put a finger on it, but the Hive Mind had been changed somehow.

When she realized what it was, for the first time, Mind Shade nearly sent a ripple of shock through the link. Ponies. Queen Chrysalis had somehow managed to bring Ponies into the hive. She wasn't sure if her first question should be how she did, or why. It didn't matter, though. Soon, the Hive would flourish at long last. It brought a smile to her borrowed face...for a moment. Then she caught a glimpse of her pendant in a passing window. What would Dazzle Gleam say if she heard her relishing in ponies slaved to Chrysalis.

That's what it was, after all. She knew that those linked to the Hive Mind gave up their own minds to allow the Queen to dictate their actions. Even Mind Shade herself had happily submitted, trusting the Queen to guide her, until she understood fully what Chrysalis desired. She didn't think that the Queen was bad, exactly, but Mind Shade believed that there must be another way to keep the Hive fed. She sighed, about to head to the castle to rejoin the others, when she felt a familiar brush against her mind. Chrysalis had found her.

"My faithful Mind Shade." the message came down through the link, and Mind had focused her attention on Chrysalis, and responding with feelings of happiness. "This is indeed a perfect day. Come, return to the Hive." the location of their new hive was fed to Mind Shade, as well as the invitation. "With your power back in the Hive, this town will soon belong to us."

That was the moment she realized, she couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't help to use ponies for their own ends. It was like that realization, that idea, wrapped around her, stood between her and the full link. She headed back towards the Hive, knowing she had to find a way to end this, once and for all.

"...by the time I approached the Hive, the others were already there with Rainbow Dash, surrounded by ponies loyal to Chrysalis. I had to bring them in...I'm sorry."

Twilight was still taking that all in, looking down. "This entire time...I can't believe I missed hiring a Changeling to help me defend Equestria. Why did you do it?"

"Because of a promise." Mind Shade said, stepping forward and holding up her pendant. "This necklace was given to me by...by a good friend. The day I got it, I promised myself that I would no longer see ponies as just a source of food." she sighed, turning away. "That they meant something to me. I can understand if you don't believe me. But when I heard about what you wanted to do, about helping ponies under the control of others...I thought that this was my chance. That I could start to right the wrongs I had committed. It wasn't easy." she laughed, thinking back to their adventures. "I had to use my abilities, without any of them figuring out who I was. And just when I started to think I was doing some good..."

Twilight hopped down off her throne, walking over to Mind Shade and putting a hoof on her shoulder with a smile. "Golden Luck, if there's one thing I know, it's that friendship can do some amazing things." she said kindly. "If you're telling me that finding friendship helped change you, then I believe you. I also believe that friendship is what's going to help us save the inhabitants of Ponyville."

Cardinal Rule stepped in, looking between the two of them. "Perhaps if you can explain how this Hive Mind works, we can figure out a way to free the ponies from Chrysalis' control. Without them, Princess Twilight should be able to get rid of Chrysalis and the changelings. Well, the other ones, at least." he added quickly, glancing at Mind Shade.

Mind Shade took in a breath, and gave the two of them a brief rundown of the Hive Mind, and the methods that Chrysalis was using to bring ponies into it. Laying it all out felt strange, almost surreal. Now that she was saying it, using magic to make ponies pliable to Chrysalis' commands seemed to be so...cold. She was going to have a lot more to make up for than she thought...

"Right." Twilight said with a little nod. "Then we need to find some way to close that connection Chrysalis makes. That's going to be pretty tricky, honestly, mental magic isn't the easiest thing to cast, and doing it over someone as strong as a Changeling Queen...and of course, we still have to find a pony to test it on."

Mind Shade swallowed, looking away again. "That part won't be so hard. Rainbow Dash, Cloud Prism,and Spiral Dream are all patrolling around the lake, under the Hive's control. I'm so sorry, if there had been any way to save them on my own..."

"Rainbow?" Twilight asked...smiling. Mind Shade thought she was losing her mind for a moment before Twilight went on. "The friendship that Rainbow Dash and I share will make it so much easier for me to reach her. Come on, I think I have an idea!" she nodded, headed for the door.

"...if it's all the same to you..." Cardinal remarked, "I'll be going now that I've given you my warning. I'm afraid I don't quite have the...skills that you do, Twilight, and there are other affairs I need to attend to. I hope to see you again very soon, however." he added with a smile.

"Fair enough. Thank you again for all your help, Cardinal Rule. I'll see you later." Twilight said. The three of them headed out the door, Cardinal headed into town while Mind Shade, back in her Golden Luck disguise, walked with the Princess towards the lake.

"Can you really forgive me? After everything I did? You don't even know how many ponies I-"

"It doesn't matter, Golden Luck." Twilight said, shaking her head. "You were only doing what you felt was natural. When you learned about friendship, and realized what you were doing was wrong, you tried to change. Even here...you wanted to help, but you couldn't do it alone. I understand..." she looked ahead, smiling. "The two of us together can fix this, though."

Rainbow Dash was flapping down to join them, a empty smile on her face.

"Twilight, awesome! We've all been waiting for you. It's time for you to join the Hive, and help bring Chrysalis to Canterlot." she said, motioning ahead.

Twilight looked at Rainbow, letting out a breath. "I'm afraid not, Rainbow. Don't worry, I'll help you remember..." she closed her eyes, a beam of magic striking Rainbow in the head. "Remember our friendship, and remember who you are." her brow furrowed as the spell continued, flooding Rainbows mind with memories of their time together.

"How adorable." a cold voice chimed in.

Eyes wide, Twilight looked back, along with Mind Shade, as Chrysalis walked into view, smirking at the scene before her. Next to her was Angel Grace, spots of green goo on her fur as she stood by the Queen.

"All of those memories of happiness, of love..." Chrysalis smiled, licking her lips. "Thank you for sharing them with the Hive, Twilight. Not that we don't have plenty, of course." she tilted her head a bit as a few more ponies came out, escorted by changelings.

"Girls!" Twilight cried out, her heart sinking as she saw who it was. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack, all with their heads lowered.

Chrysalis smiled at them, then back to Twilight. "As much as I would love for them to share in the gift of the Hive, I'm willing to trade them...for you. Surrender yourself to me, Twilight, and I'll let your friends go. I'll even release Rainbow Dash as a bonus."

Mind Shade took a step forward, shaking her head. "Twilight, don't do it. You can't trust her. Besides, once she has you, she'll be able to take them easily. We need to get out of here."

"No." Twilight said softly, lowering her head and stepping forward. "I can't leave them here. Let them go, Chrysalis, and I'll...I'll surrender."

Laughing, Chrysalis waved a hoof, the changelings backing off of Twilight's friends. "You made the right choice, Princess. And don't look so glum. I think you'll really enjoy being a part of the Hive..." her horn glowed, and Angel stepped forward, her eyes picking up the same glow.

Slowly, Twilight's head raised up as it was surrounded with green magic. Mind Shade could already feel her being pulled towards the Hive, her thoughts and will being absorbed into the larger Hive Mind.

"Yessss..." Chrysalis purred, stepping closer. "There is only my command, my Hive. You live to serve..."

That wasn't all, Mind Shade realized, as she probed the connections. There was another link, a focus. It felt like something laying out a framework for Chrysalis to follow, finding Twilight's thought patterns and sorting them...her eyes fell on the prone figure of Angel Grace, and she realized what had to be happening. Her horn glowed with a bright green aura, a beam of light striking the pegasus' forehead.

It was almost overwhelming. In a moment, Mind Shade wasn't standing in the field anymore. She was suspended in thought, in knowledge and memory. She was in the Hive Mind itself, and could feel all the minds connected to it like beacons in the darkness. Some of them were tied deeply into it, the Changelings themselves. Others, though, were loosely tied in, like an alien branch grafted to a tree and still growing in.

She focused on those connections, pushing each of them away from the Hive Mind one by one. Near the center, she found a pony's mind that had a more stable connection, and she knew who it was. As soon as she touched it, saw how it was drinking in the Hive as easily as a natural born changeling, she knew. She disconnected Angel Grace, easing her mind to rest before releasing the spell.

"What have you done?" Chrysalis growled; Rainbow and Angel had fallen to the ground, passed out, and Twilight was panting, holding her head.

"Freed them." Golden Luck said, stepping between Twilight's friends and the approaching changelings, her horn still glowing dangerously. "As well as every other pony you enslaved. Ponies aren't meant to serve us, Chrysalis."

"You think this will matter?" Chrysalis said, as she moved forward. "You're only one, and my loyal changelings still hold so many of the town captive. It will be easy to recover where I left off."

"No." Twilight said, raising her head, her horn glowing. "You're going to call them off, and you're all going to leave. Otherwise, I'll knock you out and take you to prison. This is my mercy: If you and your hive leave now, and never return, you will go free. If I catch wind of you again, and believe me, I will..." she glanced at Golden Luck for a moment before looking back. "Then I will lock you all in a place where you'll never see love again."

For a moment, Chrysalis seemed ready to fight still, but she backed down, glaring at Twilight. "This isn't over. One day, you will kneel before me and call me Queen. On that day, I will drain you of all your love, and you will, until all that's left is the need to serve."

Like a black mass, dozens of Changelings rose into the sky, and Chrysalis moved up to join them. "As for you, Mind Shade, you have betrayed your place and your Queen. Next we meet, I will see you reduced to a common drone."

With a great buzz, the changelings flew to the west, until they were out of sight. Golden Luck let out a breath she hadn't realized that she was holding.

"Come on." Twilight said, picking up Rainbow in her magic and nodding at Golden Luck and her own friends. "Let's get those ponies out of there, and back into town so they can recover."