Rotting Away

‘Changelings…’ Twilight’s thoughts were assailed by images of the semi-insectoid race of pseudo-ponies. ‘Why now? Of all times, why now?’ Twilight thought to herself as she watched the ‘relieved greetings’ from her place on the steps towards the castle proper. ‘Applejack’ and Braeburn left to go work the farm, leaving the Appleloosa ponies to their own devices within the Canterlot barrier.

It was only an hour later that Twilight sat alone, staring out over the plains that separated Canterlot and Ponyville from her balcony within one of the castle’s many towers. She had just run through the escape plans with Spike, trying to think over what the Changelings could be doing here. She had decided to keep this news from everypony, at least for now. No reason to cause unnecessary panic. Until the Changelings started acting hostile, Twilight would just observe.

More importantly, her friends were still out there and, worst of all, if they didn’t leave now, the Risen would regroup around the barrier before they left. Twilight was going to be forced to choose; abandon her friends and flee from Canterlot, or ruin her plans, leaving Rainbow without any assistance. The questions tore at her conscience.

And how would she deal with the Changelings? How many of them were in the city? Twilight knew she needed to contact Luna right away with this information. Confidently, she started out of her room, but stopped when she noticed a pony being held up by her guards.

“Hold on, Princess!” Fiddlesticks shouted from where she pushed against the guard. “Please, I need to ask you somethin’. It’s important!”

Twilight looked to her, worry, guilt, and shame dancing around in her head. In Fiddlesticks, she saw Octavia; a pony she’d lived among for years, a pony she’d inadvertently killed. “P-please let her go.” Twilight addressed the guard, who nodded and moved aside, keeping a sharp eye on Fiddlesticks. “What’s on your mind?”

Fiddlesticks approached, keeping her own eyes on the guard, as if he’d jump her or something. “It’s about Scratch ‘n ‘Tavia.” Twilight twitched. “Ah been hearin’ some... disquietin’ rumors about my cousin… Vinyl said she was alright, but I keep hearin’ she didn’t make it through the first attack.” She takes off her hat, wringing it in her hoof as she stands more properly. “Princess, what happened to my cousin? I figured if anypony would know, it’d be you.”

Twilight knew that question was coming. Motioning Fiddlesticks back into her chambers, she walked through the room and out onto the balcony again. Fiddlesticks joined her, on the verge of tears.

“I wasn’t in Canterlot when the first wave hit. I was in Ponyville, bringing the ponies from there to here, to what I thought was safety. When I arrived, Vinyl Scratch went looking for Octavia right away. Before I knew it, I learned that Octavia had passed away…” Fiddlesticks bit her lip, whimpering. It was painfully obvious she was holding back her tears. Twilight leaned over to her, putting a wing around the mare to help comfort her.

“I knew miss Melody for a long time, though admittedly, only from a distance. In fact, I remember seeing you in Ponyville from time to time, even if we never truly spoke. She was a good pony and, from what I know, Vinyl was there for her in the end. She wasn’t alone.” That was the last straw for Fiddlesticks. The pony broke into tears, trying to hide her face by putting her hat back on and tipping it down, an action that made her look a lot like Applejack.

“Then why did Scratch lie to me? She was sayin’ ‘Tavia was okay.” Fiddlesticks started to have trouble talking, but Twilight understood.

“Do not tell this to anypony. I don’t think that is Vinyl Scratch, but a Changeling. The same goes for Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Trixie, the other three she came back with. I’ve yet to prove it, but I was about to go to Princess Luna with this news.” Twilight wouldn’t normally have given this away, but she felt it was a reasonable thing to do right now. Fiddlesticks looked up, sniffing and wiping some tears away. At the mention of Trixie’s name, Fiddle adopted a look of frightened confusion, but Twilight assumed it was just because of the news about Changelings. So, without pause, Twilight continued.

“I spent a lot of time around Vinyl after Octavia’s passing. She was angry, miserable and lonely, but her love for her friend shone through it all, making it hard to be mad about her anger. Friendship is the greatest magic of all, and I can say confidently that those two had one of the strongest friendships I’ve ever seen.” Fiddlesticks’ eyes began to water again, but this time, Twilight wiped them with her wing. “Vinyl will make it back here safely. I don’t know where she is now, but I’ll make it a point to find her and ensure her safety, Fiddlesticks. Okay?”

The southern pony nodded, smiling. “Thank you kindly, Princess. I owe you a big debt for this.” The smile was bittersweet, making Twilight’s heart ache.

“Don’t thank me yet, Fiddlesticks. If I hadn’t stopped in Ponyville, Octavia might still be alive. It’s my fault.” Wings drooping, Twilight gazes up at the moon. “Vinyl blames me for it all, and honestly, I do too. It’s entirely my fault.”

“That’s not the way I see it, Princess.” Twilight snaps her head to look at Fiddlesticks, who had recovered herself pretty well. Her voice was as level as it could be, given the recent news. “You made a choice. As much as it hurts, you can’t save everypony in times like this. Believe me, we know… If it wasn’t ‘Tavia, it would’ve been Vinyl. Do you regret your choice?”

Twilight shook her head a bit, looking down off the balcony. “No. But because of my choice, I wasn’t here when Canterlot collapsed. I failed everypony.”

“Nah. Princess, I’ve saw firsthand what these thing do. If it’s a curse or an illness or somethin’, I don’t know, but what I do know is, no matter what we do, ponies are gonna be lost.” Twilight thought on those words and realized the logic behind them.

“You know… For a southern mare, you’re rather wise.” Twilight gave her a playful push, letting the pony know she wasn’t being serious. “It reminds me of Applejack.” Fiddlesticks laughed.

“Hehe… And if you don’t mind me sayin’, Ma’am, you’re quite a character, for a princess. Glad I had this time to talk with ya, Princess Twilight.” Fiddlesticks tipped her hat and turned to go, but she stops a few steps away, looking back under the brim of her hat.

“Just so you know, if that Trixie comes in here, and it’s really her, don’t trust her. She killed four ponies from our caravan when we went through Ponyville. She’s madder than a rabid possum, that one…” She paused, just staring at Twilight, then started to say something, but simply smiled, shook her head and turned away again. “Thank you again, Princess.” She trots along, humming a sorrowful tune she likely played on her fiddle. She tried to hide it, but Twilight could tell she was shaking, still overcome with grief.

Twilight hurried to Luna’s chambers, knocking on the massive door. “Luna! Princess Luna, we need to talk!” Twilight heard a guard beside her clear her throat and looked over, slightly embarrassed at her hasty actions.

“The Princess of the Night is away. She said she saw something interesting at the eastern wall and that she wanted to be alone.” The mare guard clarified, smiling at Twilight. “She should still be there.” Twilight mutters a thank you, heading down the hall.

Stopping by a window, Twilight spreads her wings and flew, heading towards the eastern wall of the barrier. Her wing had healed cleanly, but it still gave a dull ache when she flew too much. The doctors advised her to keep out of the air as much as possible, but to exercise her wings at least once a day.

Twilight noticed Luna right away, standing alone, right beside the barrier. Just as she was about to redirect herself, she noticed another figure glide over, landing beside Luna. Celestia smiled to her sister, talking with her and laughing. Twilight sighed in relief; now she could tell them both the news.

However, just as Twilight was about to land nearby, there was a flash of green light. As she rushed around the corner separating her from the sisters, she saw Celestia standing over Luna, her horn glowing a sickly green color.

Twilight rushed to aid Luna, snarling and glaring daggers at the visage of her former teacher. “Get away from her, Changeling!” Twilight fired a stunning blast of battle magic, which the psudo-Celestia dodged nimbly, putting some space between herself and Luna.

“Luna. Luna, are you okay?” Twilight skidded to a stop beside the Princess, helping her up with a nudge from her head and aid from her wing.

“What… happened to me?” Luna placed a hand on her head, groaning.

Twilight snarled in anger at the fake Celestia, who laughed to herself, shaking her head.

“Oh Twilight, my dearest pupil, while I’m glad for your vigilance, I think this is all rather unnecessary. Why don’t we-” A bolt of pure magical energy blasted past the false Celestia’s head, striking the barrier behind her with a loud bang.

“Keep insulting Celestia’s name by impersonating her, and I’ll aim a little better. I think it’s obvious who you are, Chrysalis.” Twilight kept her voice to a cold, even tone, her horn flickering with energy. Celestia smirked a bit, laughing.

“My, you’ve become quite the ice queen in our time apart, Twilight.” A flash of green fire crawled over the impersonator, changing her features from a majestic white to a pitch black, holes opening across her body. Her long, beautiful wings, reduced to a bug-like appearance, buzzing a bit before coming to rest. Her horn bent and snapped, darkening to a crooked and misshapen extension.

Luna jumped back, anger taking her over. Tears blurred her vision as she now realized that she had been manipulated to letting the Changeling Queen into their mind. “How dare you slander my sister so? I should unmake you, right now!” Luna’s horn glowed, burning with the light of the moon.

“I’d calm down if I were you, Princess. I'm not here to challenge you. I just knew I couldn’t get in on equal grounds, without a bit of subversion, is all.” Chrysalis walks over to Twilight, smirking. “Though, I confess, I did snack on a pony here or there. Their love for their Princess is most… delicious.” Chrysalis laughed loudly, throwing her head back. “I also know you sent your rainbow colored friend to her home in the clouds. Tell me, how much do you know about that city’s condition right now?” Chrysalis made it a point to idly examine her hoof, as if she was checking on her hooficure.

Twilight frowned, but kept her magic ready. “Nothing. But I’m sure it isn’t anything Rainbow Dash can’t handle. And how do you know where she was going?”

“And the Wonderbolts are there too! You have my permission to flee now, foul creature.” Luna added after Twilight had finished, stepping back from the Changeling.

“Are you sure?” Chrysalis waved her hoof a bit towards Luna, dismissing her. This only angering the princess more, fueling her rage as she was ignored. “My hive and I passed by your city of Cloudsdale a few days ago. With a lack of many solid structures, those creatures hit survivors from every angle. The Wonderbolts were nowhere to be seen. They’re probably already dead.” Chrysalis grinned, fangs shimmering slightly in the glow of Luna’s magic. “And how do you think the rainbow pony will react? In the little time I’ve seen her, she’s been headstrong and prideful. She’d charge in against a whole horde to save her home, don’t you think?” Twilight felt her strong demeanor fading. If Chrysalis was telling the truth…

“Oh no… Luna, you need to postpone the departure. I need to go help Rainbow.” Twilight turned, starting to run, but Chrysalis laughed a brief, icy laugh, making her pause.

“Delay? Oh, that is rich. Do you know what is waiting, about a week or so away? Vanhoover? Tall Tales?” Chrysalis chuckled to herself. “All overrun. And how long till they reach here? So far, this group has half a city. That is two whole cities, walking their rotting little hooves over to here.” Chrysalis makes a walking motion with her front hooves, sneering. “It’s now or never, Twilight. I’m sure you’ve pondered it already. You know what you need to do. My kind are immune to the swarm, and you’ve guessed it. Our exoskeleton shells keep us from being bitten, so we can’t be infected.” A good thing too; Twilight shuddered at the idea of infected Changelings.

Twilight looked out over Canterlot, bustling with preparations. Stopping now would undermine everything they’ve worked so hard to accomplish. Chrysalis had planned this through very carefully, making sure that she wasn’t revealed until after Rainbow Dash had left. “Why would you help us?”

Luna raised an eyebrow, looking at the Changeling. She hadn’t considered this option, but Twilight had caught it right away. Why else would Chrysalis mention her kind’s strength?

“Easy. You ponies are the most loving creatures in the world, at the moment. Your obsession with friendship has made you into the most succulent of delicacies. Letting you all rot would be a horrible waste of resources, don’t you think? Without you, we’d be more pressed to find good meals. We can’t have you all going extinct; not just yet, anyway. We could still find food, but why bother, when helping you could benefit us all in so many ways?” Chrysalis spoke clearly, walking around the two princesses as she spoke.

Twilight was uneasy. Chrysalis had something else planned, something that would benefit them over all else, but she wasn’t in a position to argue with the Queen. “Fine… You and I, along with your hive, will go save Rainbow and reclaim Cloudsdale. Luna, I want you to continue evacuation plans as scheduled. Spike has the plan written out in my room.” The young princess turned her eyes to Chrysalis, who was ‘nonchalantly’ looking out of the barrier. “When can we leave?”