Project Starburst

Ponyville Hospital was filled to the brim for the first time in years; those ponies who hadn't been under the thrall of the Changelings for too long had been released back to their homes, and they still had to keep some of the stronger ponies at Twilight's Castle. Only one pony still weak from their ordeal had been transferred to Twilight's castle, at her request.

Angel Grace sat up in bed, her brow intent as she worked the pencil. She had to get it all on paper, before she lost it completely. Elaborate diagrams filled the empty paper before her, then she shook her head, ripping it out of the book and wadding it up in her hooves, adding it to a small pile by her bed before starting fresh.

"Hey, Angel...you doing okay?"

Spiral Dream walked in with Princess Twilight and another stallion; Angel knew that one...right. Twilight had introduced them a little while ago.

"Oh, hello Princess, Spiral, Cardinal." she said, nodding to each of them in turn as she tried to tuck the notebook under her pillow. Unfortunately, it was picked up in a magical aura, floating over to Spiral Dream, who sighed.

"We've been over this, Angel." she said, giving the notebook to Twilight. The Princess started to read it, with Cardinal Rule looking over her shoulder, and Spiral Dream went on. "It's not conductive to your health for you to focus on this."

Angel reached for the notebook in vain, shaking her head. "You don't understand. It was...it was beautiful. It was like...thousands of points of light, all working in concert, and I could see them all..." she closed her eyes as she remembered her brief experience in the Hive mind. "For just that short time, I felt a sense of peace like none I'd ever felt before. It was like my mind was finally set free..." she chuckled, shaking her head. "Albeit it under Chrysalis' control."

Twilight closed the notebook. "Such insight into the workings of the Hive Mind would be useful..." Spiral Dream gave her a glare, and she went on. "But not so much that it's worth risking your mind, Angel Grace." she set the notebook on a table by the door. "Believe me, I know how tempting it is to study this in great detail. With you still recovering from the link to the Hive Mind, though, it's not the time to strain yourself."

Sighing, Angel laid back in her bed, trying to clear her mind of memories of the Hive. It was more difficult than she thought, though...every time she closed her eyes, she was reminded of that perfect purpose, that peace in simply obeying a single voice. It hadn't been like with Dancing Strings; this had been almost liberating.

"...so, how are the others?" she asked, looking up. A change in subject seemed to be quite welcome, as Spiral Dream brightened up a bit. Only a bit, though, as if the news wasn't all good.

"Cloud Prism recovered fairly quickly from...what happened, and he's spending some time with Rainbow Dash. The two of them really seem to have hit it off." Twilight chuckled a bit. "And I'm working with Greybeard on a few more...ideas, for your next missions."

"Next missions?" Angel sat up a little straighter, surprised. "You mean that we're going to have more missions?" she let out a sigh. "I would have assumed, after what happened here, that we only won because we were lucky..." she shook her head, looking away in shame.

Twilight approached her bedside, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Of course. We still need you. Besides, you and your friends have been doing good work. It doesn't have to be perfect..."

Still, Angel knew that she was the one who kept getting controlled. She was the one who kept on failing. If she was going to contribute to this team, she was going to have to do better than this. Nodding, she laid back, closing her eyes again. "Thanks everyone. I'm going to get some rest now..."

"I had a feeling that I would find you here."

Mind Shade...or was she Golden Luck? Or was she any one of the alias she had adopted over the past few years? Whoever she was, she looked up to see Princess Twilight Sparkle. She scoffed, turning away and looking out over the lake as her disguise melted off, revealing her changeling form again.

"Have you come to arrest me, Princess?" she asked bitterly "After all, you told every Changeling to leave, and I didn't."

Twilight sat down next to her, looking at her with a shake of her head. "No, I'm not. I've just been wondering what you plan to do now. The other members of your team are resting up, but there's still a lot of ponies that need help out there." she smiled "They still need you."

"Me?" Mind Shade asked, laughing coldly. "I am the monster they're afraid of. What I'm capable of...the things I've done...I can't go back to the Hive, or else I would have. But I can't live with ponies, either."

Twilight turned her head, looking back in the direction of Ponyville. She sat in silence for a minute before she spoke again. "You saved them. You saved me. You made a choice when you faced Chrysalis, and it cost you your home. Yet, I have the feeling you made that choice a long time ago." At Mind Shade's puzzled look, she went on. "You don't really think I picked out the members of Project Starburst at random, do you? Each one of you is talented, yes, but also, you've demonstrated the most important qualities that any pony, or changeling, can."

"What are those supposed to be?"

Twilight smiled, looking back at Mind Shade. "The Elements of Harmony aren't just artifacts. They're ideals, ideals you represent as well as any pony. You've proved your kindness by agreeing to help ponies in need, by risking yourself to free them. Generosity by giving up what could have been a comfortable life, quietly feeding on the love around you. Laughter by keeping your spirits about you, even in the face of danger. Loyalty? Golden Luck, you came to me and begged me to save your friends."

"And honesty? I'm a Changeling. It's against my nature to be honest." Mind Shade remarked, shaking her head. "All I've done is..." she bowed her head, holding the pendant around her neck. "All I've done is what she would want. If anyone saved you, it was the pony called Dazzle Gleam."

Twilight looked down at the pendant as well, a soft expression on her face before she pulled Mind Shade in, hugging her, quite to the Changeling's surprise. Even without trying, she could tell that it was a sincere hug, full of genuine care. "There is honesty in you...but most importantly? You understand the meaning of Friendship, even if you don't fully realize it yet." Twilight explained, a wide smile on her face as she released her. "It's still not going to be easy. More than any of the others, you've chosen a difficult path...but you've chosen it for the right reason. That is your true strength, and that's why I know that when you go back to see your friends, they'll understand."

A warm flame passed over Mind Shade as she once again took on the form of Golden Luck, a small but honest smile on her face. "Princess, thank you...but...I'm still a changeling. You know that I've been-"

Twilight held up a hoof, shaking her head. "You've spent weeks with those four ponies, and they haven't been weakened one iota. If anything, they seem stronger. In fact..." she smiled suddenly. "You may have found a way for our two races to one day live in Harmony. So, as your Princess, I'm going to assign you to study the long term effects of love, freely given to a changeling."

Golden Luck stared for a moment, in shock, before she gave a bow. "Of course, Princess. I'll send my reports along with the others."

"Glad to hear it. Now, come on. All of your friends are waiting for you." Twilight said, standing. Golden Luck stood up, nodding, and the two of them walked back to Ponyville.

"So what are you going to do now?" Dazzle Gleam asked, looking over at Mind Shade.

Mind Shade toyed with the pendant, shaking her head. "I don't know. I can't stay here, that's for sure. They'll come looking for me. For now, Starry Skies needs to disappear, along with all of those other ponies..." her body was engulfed in flame as she took on a new form.

"Beautiful..." Dazzle said, smiling as she took it in. "I think you should call this one...Golden Luck."

"Golden Luck it is." She hugged Dazzle tightly, closing her eyes. "I promise, Dazzle Gleam, I'll come back one day. Once I'm sure the Queen has given up on me, I'll find you. You've changed my life...I..."

Dazzle Gleam put a hoof to her lips. "Save it. Consider it a promise. Next time we meet, you can tell me all about it.

"You're sure you're going to be okay?"

Angel Grace smiled. She was still sticking close to Cloud Prism, in case she needed some support, but she seemed to have her strength back.

"We'll be fine. Besides, with that letter you just got..."

Twilight nodded, looking at it. "After the past couple of missions you've been on, it should be a fairly simple task, but be careful."

"Oh, don't worry." Spiral Dream remarked, her eyes on Angel Grace. "I'll be taking care of her treatment. I think the best thing for all of us right now, though, is to keep moving."

Cloud Prism looked at Greybeard, then nodded at Twilight. "I'll keep them out of trouble. Rainbow's shown me a few new flight moves."

Golden Luck looked over her friends, nodding at Twilight with a meaningful expression on her face. She knew she had a lot to learn about friendship...but at least she was on the right track. "I suppose we better get going, then." she remarked, opening the door.

"Oh, Princess, good." Cardinal Rule said, trotting in. "I wanted to discuss a few things with you before I left. Really, this entire experience has been..." he shook his head sadly. "But I think we can use it to better prepare ourselves for if the Changelings come back, and I had a few ideas to run by you."

"Well, we'll leave you two to it." Greybeard said, as the group filed out.

"Right this way, Cardinal. I've been finishing up my notes in the library, and I would love your insights." Twilight remarked. Before he left, though, Cardinal turned to Angel, putting a hoof on her shoulder. She stopped, turning around.

"Angel, I have to say, from your report, I was very impressed." he said, beaming. Ignoring her confusing look, he went on. "I'm not saying it was good you were brainwashed by Chrysalis, but it seems like you demonstrated some impressive abilities during that time. I get a feeling that you're going to be able to use those abilities for the betterment of all Ponykind." he lifted her head, looking into her eyes and nodding a bit with a smile. "Yeah, I think you're going to do great. Chin up!"

"O-oh...well, thank you." Angel responded, a bit uncertainly. "I-"

"Angel, come on!" Spiral Dream called out, and she looked back.

"I've got to go. Thank you!" she said, running after the others with a little wave.

"You're quite welcome." Cardinal Rule said, then turned back to Twilight. "You really picked out some good ponies. I personally feel a lot safer with them out there."

Twilight watched them go, smiling as well. "They're going to do a lot of good things...I'm actually really proud of them."