In conclusion, changelings are like any creature you would expect in the Everfree Forest: devious, scary and populous. However, their impeccable organisation – and their assertive queen – makes them all the more deadly...
“That is all I have to write!”
Books were stacked in towers on both sides of Twilight Sparkle's study table, an essay entitled Changelings: What We Know Now lying in the middle. Feelings of dizziness and complete exhaustion swept over her, thoughts pertaining to the still-enigmatic creature lingering in her brain. Rays of light and waves of heat pierced through the window, almost igniting a fire in her horn. “I feel so painful...” she admitted. “I must chew on something before throwing myself to more books.”
Donning her saddlebag and walking downstairs, Twilight noticed Caramel reading on classical music.
“Would you kindly leave this place?” she asked of him.
“I am so interested in this book!” he immediately replied. “Just give me some more time, please?”
“I'm going out for lunch,” she explained, “and I can't leave the library unattended.”
“Fine, if you say so.” Quickly, he returned the book and darted out.
The café held a lively atmosphere, with ponies engaging in conversation all around – and yet Twilight sat motionless in the middle, her eyelids shuttering, her head drooping. Thoughts raced around in her head of Princess Celestia giving a negative review for the essay, an assignment given after the royal wedding. Before she and herself could agree on anything, a pegasus came to the table with a notepad and pen.
“May I have your order?” he asked.
“I'll have one daffodil sandwich,” she requested, “and a cup of herbal tea.”
“Certainly.” With the pen wedged between his teeth, he trotted away towards the kitchen.
Immediately, Twilight went back to musing over various things. “I've never really attended a symphony these days due to my studies. Maybe there's one coming up?” Turning her head around in curiosity, she sighted a poster positioned outside the spa:
THE EQUESTRIAN PHILHARMONIC
will be performing on
Saturday, 19 May, 7:30pm
at the
Canterlot Festival Hall
with Rhythmic as conductor and Octavia as cellist
Mozart – Don Giovanni (Overture)
Dvorak – Cello Concerto
Tchaicoltsky – Symphony No. 5
Rhythmic was a dark fuchsia unicorn with a maroon mane resembling Octavia's. She was a good conductor, although most ponies liked the music she directed more. Twilight, having admired classical music for some time, was optimistic about attending but pessimistic about seats. “I know the tickets have been... no, wait.” Craning her neck, she announced the obvious. “There's something in the lower right.”
Last three days for tickets! While stocks last!
“Sweet Celestia! I could drown myself in music and-”
“Who are you talking to, me?” a voice inquired. “Your food's ready.”
“Oh, sorry for annoying you. Thanks, waiter.” She floated the plate and cup down to her table, bringing the sandwich to her mouth in partial desperation.
In the afternoon, Princess Celestia visited the library as her weekly schedule instructed, hoping that Twilight had progressed in her studies. “Hello there. What have you done recently?”
“I've finished your assignment regarding changelings,” she reported. “As well as that, I want to attend the May 19 symphony in Canterlot.”
“Sure, why not?” Her fluid, waving mane momentarily obscured her wide smile.
The next day, Twilight noticed Bon Bon doing the same thing Caramel did the day before, reading some books on classical music. The day after, it was Lucky, then Lyra, then Noteworthy, then Twinkleshine. Although all of them acted suspiciously similar to each other, this did not worry Twilight to any extent. “All of them walking in and reading about music, there's only one explanation. Ponyville is coming to appreciate the arts – obviously a good thing!”
The full moon rested high above Canterlot on performance night, Princess Luna watching over the purple, starry sky that enveloped the sophisticated buildings. Over at the Festival Hall, where the Equestrian Philharmonic staged many performances, each and every seat was occupied by somepony ready to fall under the spell that was music. As Octavia and her fellow orchestra players took their positions with determination, their instruments were being tuned to absolute perfection. Twilight sat in a front seat, looking over some performance notes she had compiled the previous day. “Let's see... some rules of etiquette. Keep quiet while the performance is ongoing, and don't clap your hooves until it's over. That concludes the rules... OK, now what?” She turned her head back on the audience, her eyes focusing on the back seats. “I guess I'll just have to relax and enjoy the music.”
In the conductor's box stood Rhythmic, her domineering nature manifesting itself in a deep black suit. Tilting her neck up, she lifted the baton with her magic and waved it around as the score instructed, starting the two-hour performance. Immediately, the hearts and minds of the audience, including Twilight, were captured, the dramatic melody reverberating throughout the hall. “That soothed my heart a little,” she thought afterwards, “but it's not enough. After all, this is only the overture that's done with.” She blinked, and let out an inaudible sigh. “My ears are still receptive.”
Octavia showed herself to the audience, before pressing the bow against the strings on her cello. Complementing her complicated harmonics were the woodwinds, brasses, strings and percussion, playing their way towards the vibrant ending. “I am still not emotionally positive and stable to call this worthwhile,” Twilight uttered. “Crossing my hooves for a spectacular finale – and the most intense emotions I could possibly experience.”
Rhythmic stayed still, moving only the baton, as the first movement of the symphony opened in a funereal mood. This reminded Celestia's protégée of her constant study stress, the seemingly hopeless hours of drowning her eyes in text vividly portrayed in the melody. As the symphony progressed, numerous chord progressions transformed the overall character into a triumphant march, such that Twilight's eyelids were locked down in ecstasy by the final note. “This is simply fantastic,” she mused with amazement. “I never knew how much music can do to a pony's emotions.” As per etiquette, she clapped with enthusiasm – only to hear the sound drowned out by the desynchronised shouts of many.
What? The audience isn't clapping? Something is wrong here.
The light rushed into her eyes, showing an entirely different and confusing scene. Ponies were vacating their seats at the speed of Rainbow Dash, an impatient crowd forming at the emergency exit. Rhythmic had been replaced with something else, looking over the Festival Hall with an evil smile. Dark grey in colour, a small crown lay on its head.
I don't have good feelings about this.
Queen Chrysalis took her time to deliver a taunt. “Twilight Sparkle, this has been a very fortunate moment in which-”
“The next thing that's happening to you is banishment – to the sun!” With the hatred welling up inside, she jumped up and made a bee-line for the exit. “I know what you're up to...”
“That is a lovely sentiment, isn't it?” Smirking, she attempted to fire the same beam that knocked out Princess Celestia at the royal wedding, but her twisted horn refused to cooperate. “No, this can't be!”
“...and I know where Rhythmic is. See you in the Everfree Forest. Bye bye.”
“Absolutely ridiculous. Trust me, everypony in Equestria will eventually be under my control! Every stallion, mare and foal!”
Changelings took residence in a clearing of the Everfree, and Twilight, having learned much from writing Changelings: What We Know Now, was certain the conductor had been kidnapped and contained there. Drowsy as she was, sleeping was not an option, because Rhythmic was the diamond of the Equestrian Philharmonic. Using Fluttershy's house as a checkpoint, she ran out of Canterlot and through its surrounding hills, the nostalgia of last autumn sweeping over her. Crossing a bridge into Ponyville, whose inhabitants were unaware of what chaos had erupted in the Festival Hall, she saw Rarity sauntering like she did back to Carousel Boutique.
“What are you doing at, like, 10pm?” Twilight inquired in confusion, stopping to catch her breath.
“Why, I'm relaxing myself,” the fashion designer replied. “I just finished creating and delivering loads of dresses for an upcoming show. What are you doing now?”
“Heh, I just attended a symphony and I'm going back home.” Blushing in dishonesty, she galloped into the distance.
Twilight's horn lighted up as she entered the Everfree Forest, aware of the perilous creatures lurking in the darkness. Drowsiness was creeping up on her, yet she pushed forward, her thoughts and emotions consumed by Rhythmic. Amidst the maze of overgrown trees and thorny bushes, she pushed herself forward, having sighted the changeling hive already. A cheer of “come on, come on” repeated in her head, as she ran like there would not be another day – but then she felt a thud. The next moment, she was lying motionless in a swamp.
“I'm going to be tardy,” she said helplessly, slipping into blackout. “If only I had seen Zecora first...”
When Twilight regained consciousness, she found herself completely enveloped by a material resembling green-tinted glass. The light of dawn shone through, revealing that she was suspended in mid-air, above a rocky floor in a large cave. Beside her was a similar structure, hanging from the ceiling and shaped like a water droplet about to fall. She tried to lift her head up, only to yelp when a sharp pain pierced her neck. Looking forward, a dark fuchsia unicorn came into view, her eyes fixed on Twilight's.
“Are... are you... Rhythmic?” she inquired, stuttering from a moment of shock.
“Of course I am Rhythmic, the Equestrian Philharmonic lead conductor.” Her response came in a cheerful tone. “Is your name Twilight Sparkle? You seem to know me quite well...”
“Er, yes.” She giggled faintly. “I was trying to rescue you, but... you know what I mean.”
“Look at us now. We're stuck in cocoons, and those sneaky changelings are all around us, watching our every move. I'm not for impromptu music, let alone plans – what are we going to do?”
“Let's see. When we escape, we should also destroy this hive...” She paused, looking sideways for a few seconds. “Wait, Queen Chrysalis.”
“Why is she important?”
“She took your place in the symphony, which I attended. She's probably been detained by the Canterlot Royal Guard, but before Celestia banishes her to the sun, we need to persecute her.”
“OK, but what about our escape? I have an orchestra to rendezvous with.”
“First, we break our cocoons simultaneously,” Twilight instructed. “Then I'll fire a magic blast towards the ceiling, and we run for our lives to the exit.”
“How is the first step happening if I'm not a magic freak like you?”
“A baton is your cutie mark, and you always carry one around. Concentrate your magic in that baton, and try to break your cocoon.”
“Hey, that could work.” Rhythmic made a big grin on her face.
Twilight looked intently at Rhythmic, waiting for the cue. Taking the baton from her bow tie, the conductor pointed it downwards and concentrated hard, her horn glowing a characteristic bright yellow. On the other side, Twilight's horn glowed as well in bright magenta, but fainter – both parties grew increasingly anxious as moments passed without incident. Then it all happened: Rhythmic's cocoon shattered with an ear-piercing bang, immediately triggering the other unicorn's magic, breaking her cocoon. Both ponies landed hoof-first on the floor simultaneously with a thud, as alerted changelings rushed towards them.
“What now?” Rhythmic asked, her mind and horn still reeling from the shock.
“Run,” Twilight ordered in a harsh mood, as she fired a beam upwards. “Now.”
A scene reminiscent of Daring Do stories ensued, with both ponies fleeing the hive as it pancaked, their hooves pushed like overworked pistons. It seemed fruitless – everything was encroaching them, blocking the single entrance and exit – but they succeeded by a second and nothing more. The momentum still pushing, they tripped over a hole and under Princess Celestia.
“Why have you two been fooling around here?” she said with her eyes fuming. “You have a lot to-”
“No, no, she came here to rescue me,” Rhythmic pleaded. “In the process, wiping out all the changelings except Queen Chrysalis.”
“I felt saving Rhythmic was more important than stopping the royal wedding crasher,” Twilight added. “I knew she defeated you before, so...”
“That's what happened? OK, I can accept that. My royal guards have the Queen settled – let's go back to Canterlot and get her off this land!”
Chrysalis found herself in a claustrophobic white room, standing beside a sinister table, facing a red pane of glass in pointlessness. Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle and Rhythmic directly opposed her, their horns piercing the air in anger and hatred.
“OK, Chrysalis,” the princess started. “The first question I'm asking you is, what was your motive for taking over Rhythmic's spot in the symphony?”
“Well... I was facing the same old problem: my changelings were in need of love to feed on.” She tried shuffling, only to be restrained by ropes strung through her perforated legs. “Having been pushed out by Shining Armour and Princess Cadance, I decided that that approach was unsuitable.”
“Describe your plan in as much detail as you can remember, please.”
“Taking the form of various crowd ponies, I came here all by myself, looking around for an event that I could launch a perfect surprise on. I decided on the Equestrian Philharmonic performance, as security is minimal there. Ah, sweet-”
“Hold it!” Rhythmic interrupted, throwing a look of surprise. “How did you impersonate me so well if your special talent is spoiling the big day?”
“Every day leading up to my 'attack', if you will allow me to use that, I went to the library, again putting on my sneaky, changing disguise. I read up a book on classical music, and paid attention to a section on conductors.”
“What? All that time, I unwillingly catalysed the plan?” Twilight gasped in disbelief. “Then, since your plan failed, you must have done something wrong there. What was it?”
“Only hours before the performance, while everypony was sleeping, I took Rhythmic, sent her to my hive and took her form. Then...” She paused, trying to extract the facts from her grey cells. “The staff successfully fell to my tricks, and the night went smoothly... right until the end. I revealed my true form in haste – instead of feeding on their love for me – and everypony fled. There was no opportunity left for me...”
“I see, that's a fine plan you conceived,” Celestia remarked in sarcasm, her horn lighting up in an off-white hue. “I'm sorry to say, however, that you are receiving a vacation. Twilight and Rhythmic, stand back.”
“Where?”
A blinding flash came and went, leaving nothing where Queen Chrysalis once stood.
“She's been sent to the sun...” Twilight uttered. “Oh wait, what about my essay on changelings?”
Her mentor looked down with a heartfelt smile. “Why, you got full marks, because the topic no longer exists.”
