In Sheep's Clothing

Chapters

Chapter 1 — Nymph
Chapter 2 — Tastes Like Nostalgia
Chapter 3 — Feeling the Street
Chapter 4 — <<Rock Bottom>>
Chapter 5 — Smells Like Fish
Chapter 6 — Tastes Like Turpentine and Donuts
Chapter 7 — Midsummer Night
Chapter 8 — Playing With Fire
Chapter 9 — Tastes Like Suspicion
Chapter 10 — <<The Pearl of Immortality>>
Chapter 11 — A Lingering Ripple
Chapter 13 — Tastes of Legends
Myths — She of the Flaming Horizon
Chapter 14 — Tastes Like a Melody
Chapter 15 — <<Aftertaste>>
Chapter 16 — Incompatibility
Chapter 17 — Tastes of Anger
Myths — The Tempest Warlord
Chapter 18 — Tastes of Thievery
Chapter 19 — Tastes of Nobility
Chapter 20 — Tastes of Dark Chocolate
Chapter 21 — Tastes of Hugs
Chapter 22 — Tastes Like Mine
Myths — The First Windigo
Chapter 23 — Tastes of Predators
Chapter 24 — Tastes of Barriers
Chapter 26 — Tastes of Mirrors
Chapter 27 — <<Crystal>>
Chapter 28 — Tastes of Plans and Tools
Myths — The Queen of Echoes
Chapter 29 — Tastes of Interference
Chapter 30 — Tastes of Wolves
Chapter 31 — Tastes of Masters
Chapter 32 — Overwatch
Epilogue — The Letter
Prologue — <<Dirge>>
Chapter 12 — Breadcrumbs of our Pasts
Chapter 25 — Tastes of Slumber

Chapter 1 — Nymph

NOW

Nymph

I sighed.

I missed the hive. I missed being able to sit back in a high nook in the cool caves under the Badlands and flip through a pony novel brought back by the infiltrators. The training was difficult, but I didn’t have to worry about hostile changelings as the counter-espionage lings had to. My talents never lent themselves to love collecting and espionage, but rather how to spot, to find, and to scout, and I thank the queen my broodmother figured that out sooner rather than later.

It’s strange to think that was only a week ago. My head spun with how quickly I went from finishing my training to sitting out in the field. I was barely even out of my nymph years.

I shifted unsteadily on the tree branch I perched myself on, still recovering from the disorientation from the queen’s teleport. It was an honor that the queen saw me off personally on this assignment, but I wish my broodmother could’ve been there too. There was barely even enough time to comprehend what I was being told in my briefing before I found myself staring down into the queen’s flaming green portal.

Still, it wasn’t difficult to figure out what was happening, even with my limited understanding of changeling politics. Our hive’s infiltrators in Equestria fed us a few important pieces of information. One was that Princess Celestia was up to something, and when the leader of a country known for being one of the best sources of love, if not the best source, gets an idea in her mind, changelings notice.

No-ling knew what it was—without an infiltrator deep in their government structure and with Celestia using only verbal communication exchanged behind arcane privacy seals, it was highly unlikely our hive would be able to hear anything—but the few lings in the Royal Guard did give us a lead to follow.

Guard Captain Brave Blade, a known member of Celestia’s inner circle, was sending a scouting group to the Everfree Forest.

That’s it.

Well, that was a lie. We knew the names of the scouting party and what they looked like outside of their enchanted armor, but regardless, that was the extent of our hive’s knowledge of Celestia’s workings. It certainly speaks to the wisdom of the ponies’ princess to keep information so tightly handled. If anything, our hive knew more about the workings of other changeling hives than about Celestia.

Speaking of the workings of other hives, the second piece of information was that a rival hive’s infiltrator group was currently in the Everfree waiting to ambush and replace this particular pony scouting party. That bit of information alone bumped Brave Blade’s order from “questionable oddity” to “paramount priority.”

I just needed to trail the pony scouts and prevent the rival hive from completing their mission without alerting the ponies. It was just as paramount that the ponies never learn of the existence of changelings as it was securing the upper hoof over the other changelings.

The reasoning behind choosing me for this operation made sense. It was a job made for a ranger, but at the same time, I was completely baffled as to why they assigned this to me. Why send such a fresh ranger on such an important mission? Was there no-ling else available for the job? Well, that was unlikely with how large Queen Chrysalis expanded her hive. Did they think the Everfree Forest would provide a great place for my first outing? There was plenty of cover, certainly, but very few lings had not heard the horror stories of the uncontrollable, unresting jungle that was the Everfree.

My brow furrowed as I waited patiently for the pony scouting group to arrive. I started to think of myself as some sort of disposable decoy, a distraction for the hostile changelings to drill down on, and who would care about some unimportant, unproven ling if she failed?

I couldn’t even be certain I was the only changeling from my hive here. It made sense to have lings that could hide from other lings by suppressing their emotional hoofprint, but it made me feel a lot lonelier than really necessary.

My ear twitched, and I raised my head to scan the distance. I took a whiff of the air.

Apprehension. Nervousness, well hidden. A strong overtone of excitement.

An unusual flavor, tasteless and bland, yet overpowered by a tangy citrus flavor.

From my perch in one of the trees at the border of the Everfree, I finally saw the expected group of three approaching. An earth pony mare led the party, light blue with a neon pink mane. Silent, but itching to move faster. She was where most of the citrus was coming from.

A pegasus stallion followed shortly behind, white coat with an indigo mane. Straight posture even while walking suggested a by-the-book sort of guard.

Lastly, a unicorn mare, charcoal black with a light gold mane and deep amber eyes. Wore an unseasonal heavy scarf draped around her neck.

Alright. Breathe in, breathe out, just like Broodmother Chorion said. I had a task to complete. My hive demanded something of me, and regardless of their true intentions, I could think of no reason I should put in anything less than my best on my maiden voyage. Failure was not an option.

It was time, and I hopped down from my tree and began trailing the ponies from afar.

Overwatch

I adjusted my scarf nervously as I stared at the border into the Everfree. Spending a majority of one’s life in a city meant there weren’t a lot of opportunities to get out into the wilderness, but I was certain that the forest before me was not representative of forests as a whole. Besides the clear lack of pony maintenance, something I’ve been told was an impossibility with the Everfree, the atmosphere also gave me an uncomfortable pressure in my horn. It wouldn’t stop me from using magic regardless, but the pressure weighed heavily enough to make a unicorn think twice about using any more magic than necessary.

I was surprised there was a path into the forest to begin with. It was strange that ponies would willingly venture into the Everfree, let alone enough to justify a government investment in a piece of infrastructure leading in. The path itself wasn’t particularly well maintained though. Probably laid down a long time ago and forgotten, but it begs the question of why anypony laid it down in the first place.

Vice, like the ham-headed earth pony she was, proceeded to walk straight in. I exchanged a nervous glance with Steel Blade before walking in after her.

“So…” I hesitated, looking awkwardly at the other two members of my group. “Any of you know why we’re—”

“Nope!” Vice Grip replied, a huge grin on her face.

I rolled my eyes. “No, not you. You don’t actually pay attention to anything besides what’s in front of you,” I said, turning to the pegasus of the group. “Surely you must have heard something of what we’re doing out here. I’m all for vacation time in Ponyville, but an expedition to the Everfree isn’t what I had in mind for nice, family fun.”

Steel Blade let out an awkward cough into his hoof. “I uhh… I only heard a smidgen of what we were supposed to do. Dad was never really one for big details.”

I stumbled over an errant root lying in my path, blinking for a moment. His… father? I thought Brave Blade was supposed to—

“Wait, your dad’s the captain?”

“Um, yes?” Steel Blade stated, looking legitimately confused. “I thought everypony knew. Nopony seems to want me to forget it with how often they bring it up.”

“Und here, I thought I vas not-paying-attention one,” Vice said with a wink, her Stalliongrad accent thick. “Say, vere you not asking something earlier?”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Right, fine, but we’re talking about this later. I can’t believe you’ve only taken until now to say anything about it,” I grumbled, taking a deep breath. “Anyways, this whole scouting thing. What’re we here to do exactly?”

“According to Dad, there’s some sort of castle ruins in here somewhere. We’re supposed to scope out the area, take notes on the surrounding region, and… hold on.” He stopped, reaching into his saddlebags with a wing and pulling out a scroll, which he unrolled. “Here we go. We also need to make sure this sculpture is still in the castle.”

He turned the scroll to me, which I took hold of in my magic. It showed a general map of the area, with the location of the castle clearly marked as well as the path we were currently taking. In the corner, somepony had drawn a rough sketch of what looked like a fountain. It had a large base and a central pillar with five arms extending from it, each holding a stone orb on top.

“What in Tartarus is this supposed to be?” My brow furrowed as I looked up to Steel Blade. “And why does the captain give a flying feather about it?”

Vice Grip finally appeared to notice the discussion at hoof. “Vhat’s vhat supposed to be?” she said, turning back and snatching the paper from my magic. “Huh. Vhat are ve supposed to do vith this? Are ve blowing something up?”

Steel Blade blanched. “What? No nonono no!”

“Ahh. Huh.”

I immediately walked over to Vice, flipping open her saddlebags. “Please don’t tell me you… Nooo, you did.”

I snatched a small, dark red booklet from an interior pocket, thrusting it into Vice’s face. “No! Celestia, no! Why are you even carrying this around? No, don’t answer that. I know exactly why you’d carry explosive runes around, you maniac. You probably forgot you even put this in here in the first place. No, we’re not blowing up anything today.”

“Awww vhat?” Vice whined. “I know how to handle them! You know I know how to handle them! Und it’s the Everfree. Y’know, the place known for vonderful things like hydras und manticores?”

“When I said we’re not blowing anything up today, that includes the local wildlife!” I quickly stowed the book into my saddlebag. “I’m keeping this until we get back to Canterlot. I can’t believe you even managed to sneak this from the armory.”

“C’mon, is not like—”

I whipped out the spray bottle from my saddlebags and squirted the earth pony down, much to her wide-eyed dismay. “No! No! Bad Vi!”

Steel Blade massaged his forehead with a hoof. “Look, we just need to make sure the statue is there. Mostly, we just need to take notes on the area around the castle.”

I stopped, putting my bottle away as Vice shook the water off her face. “I guess, but for what? Field trips?” I snorted. “I didn’t expect my first assignment out of boot camp was to be a glorified guard sponsored cartographer.”

Steel Blade shrugged, before trotting down the path, which was beginning to give way to rough ground tangled in roots. “Well, we should do it anyways. I don’t believe they would give us an assignment without a reason for doing so.”

“But this feels like some sort of… lesson.” I took the map back from Vi in my magic, keeping it open ahead of me as I followed. “You know, the type of lesson that’s completely pointless besides showing you can do it.” I sighed. “Well, no point in going against orders now. Let’s just get this thing done.”

Nymph

I stalked slowly behind the three ponies, thankful that the brush was so thick. It was easy to disguise a black carapace in all this shadow, nevermind my relatively small stature.

For now. If I’m still growing. I hope I’m still growing. I don’t want to stay this size forever.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

I gleaned a little more understanding into the situation from their conversation. It made sense as to why the other hive would target this particular group of ponies. If the enemy hive were to ambush and replace the son of one of Celestia’s confidants, they’d instantly have a ling right next to some of Equestria's most important ponies. This group didn’t sound like they were very in-the-loop, but a lot of hives would kill for that kind of proximity.

Speaking of replacing ponies, if they were to replace every pony here, that means there were at least three changelings in the area.

And I couldn’t detect any of them.

I frowned as I moved to the next piece of cover, a tall, obstructive brush. The ponies were arguing over which direction to go. The black unicorn mare had her face buried in the map, tracing out a proposed path with her hoof.

I was fairly certain no hive outside of Queen Chrysalis’s could hide their emotions. Fake their emotions, maybe, but hiding their emotions also meant suppressing their link, and other changelings were loath to give up the link for what seemed like a useless tool for blending in with the ponies. Detecting nothing outside of the three I was tailing concerned me, especially with how emotionally sensitive I was. Perhaps they were farther in?

My gut started to churn. As a ranger, I was expected to be able to find and take care of the problem without ever being noticed, often separated from the rest of my hive. Long-range precision spellcasting may be one of my specialties, but I was going to have to stop an unknown number of changelings from completing their goal in a forest so thick that sight lines were nonexistent. I would have to be uncomfortably close to them to be able to do anything.

Now that I thought about it, they left me with only barely enough love to survive a week alone. I really started to feel like some sort of bait, just there to lure the enemy changelings into revealing themselves so my own hive could come in and clean up.

I bit my lip. I hoped my hivemates were nearby, or I was going to leave the world a lot sooner than I wanted to.

Or later if the enemy changelings were inclined to torture.

Stop. Stop. No. I had to keep myself calm and collected. A ranger was made on patience, and I should not be losing my composure this early. Breathe in. Breathe out.

The earth cracked loudly, and I quickly curled up into a ball of terrified ling when the ground began to rumble. There was a panicked yelp and shouting in the distance, but I waited until the forest had settled down before I peeked out towards the pony group.

The pony group currently two members short.

Overwatch

“A-are you alright?”

I peeked hesitantly over the edge of the cliff I stood on, one that had just crumbled before my very eyes when Vice stepped up to it. There was a hole in the treeline below, but the canopy was still too thick to see through clearly.

“Yes, ve are good!” Vice said in a chipper tone. “Steel Blade is vonderful pony!”

I started breathing again. I nearly had a heart attack when the ground shifted under Vice, and I nearly had another when Steel Blade dove down to stop her sudden descent. I was really regretting suggesting that we try to find where we were by using a vantage point up ahead. Yes, it was a cliff nearly twenty meters high, but I wanted a clear view of the rest of the forest that its height would give.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to fly us both back up though,” Steel Blade’s voice carried up to me. “One of my wings got clipped by a falling rock. We’ll have to find a way around this cliff face if we want to meet up again.”

A grimace found its way across my muzzle. I shouldn’t feel guilty about Steel Blade getting injured from following on one of my calls. Plenty of ponies would tell me there was no way I could have known the cliff was loose, but Celestia, I still felt really bad about it.

I looked left and right, my gaze following the edge of the cliff. “If there’s an easy way down, I can’t see it from here. It looks like there’s a path somewhere to the west on the map where we can regroup. You two can both walk, right?”

“Course ve can valk!” Vice’s voice again. “It vill take more than cliff to stop us. Vest, right? Ve shall follow it to meeting place!”

“I’ll see you two soon!” I called down, before scooching quickly away from the cliff edge. I didn’t need to tumble down after them. I did, however, need to find those two again if we were to get this assignment done at all. Picking myself up, I began my brisk trot alone.

The sooner I found Vice and Steel, the better. It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable alone. In fact, I generally kept to myself other than when I had to intervene and keep Vice from destroying something. If anything, it was the forest getting to me. The headache was messing with my concentration, and a certain sense of paranoia had begun to set in.

It felt like I was being watched, and it started to make me extremely worried for my friends. I knew Vice could punch through anything she wanted to, but even she’d be hard pressed to fend off a hydra.

I held a hoof over my eyes, looking up into the sky. It looked like it had passed midday, sometime into late afternoon. Soon, night would fall, and who knew what lay waiting in the dark.

I began to trot a little faster.

Nymph

I didn’t think of myself as a particularly bitter ling, so it came as a bit of a surprise when I found myself scowling.

To be fair, the ponies I was trailing had been forced to split due to pure happenstance. It didn’t make my situation too much more difficult, but it meant relying more on my empathy sense to keep track of all three of them.

Like most other changelings in my hive assigned for excursions into Equestria, I was fairly sensitive to the emotions of others. Keeping track of the ponies was like using an internal compass. Although I might not be able to tell exactly where someone was, I could accurately estimate direction and distance. In short, it was hatchling’s play to keep track of the deeply concerned aura of Overwatch and the two other auras, one annoyed and one amused, representing Steel Blade and Vice Grip.

I lurched forward over a gnarled root, barely getting my hooves under me before my face could meet the soft forest ground. If it was possible, my scowl deepened. Using my empathy sense to keep track of the ponies made it feel like I was trying to navigate with only a mental map and a blindfold. I stopped and closed my eyes, taking a few calming breaths to refocus.

I reached out with my senses again, finding the ponies moving in generally the same direction, following the edge of the cliff. This time, however, I reached further, trying to find any sign of the rival changelings supposedly in the area.

And I found something, to my surprise. On the very edge of my range was a small group. Their echoes were too far to tell their emotional state or exact number, but they just had to be the changelings I needed to stop. At the very least, I had a direction. Opening my eyes again, I turned towards them and squinted at the horizon.

There. A tower. Multiple towers.

I let out a hum before the answer popped into my mind. The castle ruins. It had to be. Whoever the rival changelings had in Equestria knew about the goal of the pony scouting party before my own hive knew and were waiting at the one place they knew the ponies would be. At this rate, it would be a while before the ponies got close enough to trigger the ambush, thankfully, giving me plenty of time to plan. I just needed to keep them occupied, or at least spook them enough to pull out.

I needed to get there to survey the area. The castle’s layout itself was a mystery, let alone the hiding spots of the changelings. On the other hoof, that would mean losing sight of the ponies, and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving them alone in case the other hive had a trap prepared further away.

In the end, I decided on leaving the ponies and moving deeper into the forest. If I kept track of them on my empathy sense, there should be plenty of time to react should the rival changelings spring something on them. I would have to loop around the end of the cliff where the ponies would regroup, but after that, making it to the castle should be straightforward now that I could feel out the changelings. Then, I could properly take stock of the situation and—

My hoof caught on another root, and I tumbled headfirst into a tree trunk with a yelp before tumbling sideways into a thick bush.

Oooowwwwww…

I tried to sort out which direction was up and where my hooves were. My horn was throbbing from gouging the tree, and I carefully maneuvered a hoof to my forehead to massage it. I really needed to stop trying to use my empathy sense when I had to look where I was going. Dumb forest, putting stupid little things in my path for me to trip on. There was a loud rustling as I attempted to remove myself from the local flora.

More rustling followed, and I froze. Not all the rustling was due to me. Actually, it sounded like it was coming from right behind me. And it was breathing. Very loudly, with a growling undertone.

I turned around slowly, and found myself staring right into the eyes of a manticore and its great, fanged maw.

I shrieked involuntarily, dropping all pretense of stealth as I turned and bolted. A vicious snarl and a loud thud reverberated through the air as it pounced at where I was, but I had created distance.

Tree branches and undergrowth scratched at my carapace as I blitzed through the Everfree, trying to ignore the thundering of the manticore behind me tearing through foliage like tissue paper.

Which was exactly what it would do to me if I let it get close.

My small stature was on the fast track to killing me. I was barely clearing obstacles that older changelings would have no issues with, breathing harder than I ever had to before. A fallen log. A wide ditch. A trap of hanging vines. All the little difficulties were conspiring against me.

The roar from behind told me the manticore was almost on top of me, despite my best efforts to keep from stumbling. I broke from the treeline into a wide open area, a clearing in the middle of the Everfree.

I instantly regretted leaving the safety of the trees. The trees and low hanging branches hindered the manticore much more than the understory could stop me, but out in an open field, there was nothing keeping the predator from charging at me full speed.

It leapt, and my heart dropped as its shadow fell over me. Attempting flight would’ve been suicide, especially with my flying skill, so I tried stopping. Tried pivoting on the spot to move in another direction, darting around unpredictably. Anything to prolong my life, with the hope that those twists and turns could magic me away from impending death.

It connected, but not solidly. A heavy paw clipped me behind the head, and inertia carried me head over heels through the air. I tumbled across the ground before gasping for air face first in the grass. The manticore landed somewhere not too far away.

I tried to scramble upright, dazed, looking around with blurred eyesight for the manticore, but it was already in front of me, a great black shape against the dimming light.

It swiped with a paw. A searing blaze exploded above my left shoulder.

I let out a piercing scream, though it sounded muffled, as if heard through glass. It drew blood. It drew so much blood. My foreleg went numb, and I stumbled.

My eyes nearly closed, my vision reduced to a blurry squint. It had to be coming for me again. Where is it!? Where did it go!?

I aimed my horn at the biggest shape and threw out whatever magic I still had. One of those bolts had to have hit.

One of those bolts needed to hit.

It came around with its other paw and slammed its fist into my chest, lifting me bodily off the ground.

Something cracked. I was certain that the carapace over my chest had cracked from the impact.

I fell in a heap, my eyes clenched shut and my lungs heaving a staccato of gasps. There was a stabbing pain every time I took a breath.

I had to get up, but my foreleg crumpled under the weight. I couldn’t distinguish my limbs through the burning. Tears obstructed what little vision I had.

Was I sobbing?

I shouldn’t be here. I should have said something when they told me what to do. I was too young, too fresh, to be wandering through the Everfree, and now I was dead. A shadow fell over me, pausing, as if gloating about its victory over what amounted to barely more than a hatchling. A passing thought for its morsel before moving on to bigger game.

It roared.

But even through my clouded mind, I noticed it wasn’t a roar of victory, but of surprise. Agony. I felt a little shock emanating from the manticore, and I tried to see why it hadn’t ended my life yet.

“Hey, you get away from that poor filly, you-you… overgrown house cat!”

And there, on the other end of the clearing behind the manticore, standing defiantly at the edge of the treeline with a curl of smoke from her horn, was the charcoal unicorn mare with the amber mane.

Overwatch

I did it.

I lost my marbles.

I should’ve thought more when I heard that scream, that panicked cry for help, but when I heard it, my brain just shut off.

I had to do something.

So I galloped through the Everfree, found the swath cut through the branches, and followed the disturbed foliage to this clearing, where I saw a manticore hovering over a prone body, one shaped like a pony.

One of the first lessons I learned in the guard was that there was no waiting in some situations. No time to talk down a robber, or to persuade an armed kidnapper to consider giving up. Some things demanded immediate action, and this time, I took it. I charged up the fastest bolt I had ever conjured and sent it speeding towards the manticore like a laser, stinging it in the rear.

It arched its back, clutching at the singed area as it roared in pain, yet even its cry of shock was one of the most terrifying things I had ever heard. Never one for knowing when to stuff it, I decided to draw its attention with a little something more.

“Hey, you get away from that poor filly, you-you… overgrown house cat!”

Yes, I was quite the wordsmith. Regardless, I got the manticore’s attention, and it turned to me with an angry scowl across its feline face, baring sharp, serrated teeth.

Now would probably be a good time to figure out what I was going to do.

Nymph

It couldn’t be. One of those ponies actually heard me.

On one hoof, I was dead in more ways than one. If the ponies found my body, my incompetence would publicize the existence of the changelings, and that alone could cause immense hardships for my race. Every hive would be forced to adjust, and many large hives could lose a large portion of their population simply because of the failure of the collectors to return sufficient love.

And yet a little part of me hoped beyond anything that the pony could find a way to take down the massive behemoth of a manticore before her. It was the shameful shred of hope keeping me conscious.

The manticore charged the unicorn, moving way faster than anything of its bulk should be allowed to move. It seemed to slither through the air, and in a blink, it was already halfway to the pony. The pony, however, was prepared. She had already charged up a spell, and when the manticore crouched to the ground to pounce on her, she released an impossibly fast bolt from her horn. The spell split from one into a trio of glowing weights, each connected by an ethereal tether to each other.

The arcane bola wound itself tightly around the manticore’s hind legs, abruptly arresting its motion and causing it to fall forward onto its face. With the creature downed, the pony charged another spell on her horn and shot it directly at the manticore’s head.

The beast stopped moving, and the pony looked warily at it before trotting around it, giving it a wide berth as she approached me.

Shock. Horror. Sympathy. Determination.

“Tartarus, you’re bleeding all over the place,” she said as she knelt down beside me. She removed her saddlebags before leaning in to survey my ruined carapace. Green ichor had splattered everywhere from my open wound. “I’m not familiar with your biology, but I’ll see what I can do to keep you from falling apart.”

I shrank away, staring at my savior incredulously. This pony saw me, undisguised, and she was still willing to help me? “Why?” I rasped. “Why are you helping me?”

She started. “Oh, you can talk! Celestia, I—” She cleared her throat. “Look. I don’t know who you are or what you are, but you were going to die, and I wasn’t going to stand by and let that thing do that to you.”

I made to stand up, but she forced me back down with a hoof before I could strain myself. “No, don’t move. I need to find something to bandage you up with, or at least stop the bleeding with.” The pony turned to rifle through her bags. With a frustrated growl, she slipped her heavy scarf from around her neck. “Alright, I don’t have anything else to use as a tourniquet, so this’ll have to do. I’ll have to lift you up, but hopefully I can keep that chestpiece of yours together until I can get you to a medical facility.”

“B-but I…” I turned my attention to the ground, staring intently into nothing as she lifted me up gently with her magic.

But I noticed something off on my empathy sense, and I looked up, horrified.

She noticed it too, and her eyes widened as a shadow fell over her. She tried to bolt upright, but it was too late. The jaw of the manticore closed almost completely around the base of her neck, and she let out an ear-piercing shriek as she tried to fire off another bolt at it. The beast thrashed around violently, throwing off any attempt that she could have made to stop it and tearing at her flesh.

She may not have had a clear shot, but I did, the pain having subsided enough for me to concentrate properly. I threw a bolt with what little love reserves I had left at the manticore’s face, scoring a direct hit at its eye. It howled, dropping the unicorn to the ground, but in its bloodlust, it almost immediately shrugged off the damage and lunged at us again, its maw stained red.

The unicorn’s saddlebags lit up with magic, and the pony drew a small booklet fluidly from its depths and shoved it straight into the manticore’s mouth. The book flared a bright red before one last magical display from the unicorn brutally slammed the beast’s mouth shut and shoved it away from us.

The manticore’s head blossomed into a searing white corona. The blast sent both of us reeling back, but the pony took the brunt of it, flying back twice as far as I did. My eyes widened as she landed with a wet splat in the treeline, and despite the throbbing in my chest and the weakness in my left foreleg, I limped over as quickly as I could.

Overwatch

Hmm.

Well, it looks like Vice had a point in taking that book of explosive runes.

I giggled, a light-hearted giddy thing. Everything hurt, but if I thought about other things, maybe it would hurt just a little less.

The insect filly approached me slowly, her walk stilted and unbalanced. What a nice little girl, helping distract me from what I was sure was a fatal wound.

“A-are you alright?” the bug filly hiccuped. She sounded like she was on the verge of panic.

Well, perhaps not as nice as she could have been, but I should probably take a look at the extent of my injuries before I judge—

Oh Celestia, it’s everywhere. My rib should not be visible, and my leg is going in entirely the wrong—

I stopped looking. I don’t think I had the strength to keep my head up anymore anyways. “There’s a fifty-fifty chance I’m probably, maybe not okay.” The underlying gurgle to my voice was likely not okay either.

Turning my gaze to her as well as I could, I said, “Oh right, I forgot to wrap up your chest thing. Do you know where my scarf is? I usually never lose that thing. My mother gave me that scarf, you know, before she died.” Something blocked my airway, but was dislodged with a choking noise. “Ahh, dad would be super sad that I lost it. He was so distraught when Mom died. Lost his research job and everything. Can’t imagine how he’d take it when I choke here.”

I giggled again. I made a funny.

The little bug filly’s face scrunched up, as if she were staring at a drunk pony trying to balance a meter tall tower of plates on her nose. I should know. I’ve used that expression tons of times with Vi, at least twice with that exact situation.

“W-why are you thinking about your dad?” she said unsteadily. “Why are you not more concerned about yourself?” Her gaze flickered over to my wounds, but she tried keeping her eyes pointedly away from them.

“Because I love my dad,” I replied with a chuckle. “Of course I would care about him. Besides, death can really get your priorities in order. I guess I just loved others more than I loved myself.”

The bug filly looked down, fidgeting with her hooves. Her ear twitched, notably enough that it drew my eye even in my stupor. She looked around with an air of urgency, biting her lip as she used her hoof to rub her foreleg. The filly drew a breath and turned to me.

“I can… I can make sure your father doesn’t worry about your death.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, I’m sure that Dad joined Mom pretty recently. Probably doesn’t have anything to worry about now.”

“Then I can make sure your hive—teammates don’t worry about you. It’ll be like you never died.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, even as hope built in my chest. “Explain.”

The bug filly seemed reticent, looking down at her hooves and mumbling unintelligibly. She finally took a deep breath and looked at me again. “I can take your appearance. Down to your cutie mark and the way you wear your mane.”

“And my personality? My friends would definitely be suspicious if you started acting completely differently from me.”

“Memory transfer. Ch… changelings like me can take a copy of your memories. I can be exactly the same as you. Here, watch.”

With that, she closed her eyes and started concentrating. Her brow furrowed together, and it looked like she was straining. A flare of green flames swirled around her, and in her place was a mirror image of me, save for the three nasty lacerations above her left shoulder. She was even taller, maybe not quite my height, but not immediately noticeable to the typical observer. Even my cutie mark, a single apricot with a leaf, looked exactly how I’d been used to seeing.

It was uncanny how much it looked like me.

I kept my gaze on her a little longer, trying to eke out any weaknesses in her composure, but I couldn’t keep it up. I let out a breath, and asked one more question. “C-could you have taken my m-memories even if I say no right now?”

She stiffened, thrown off kilter, but she quickly regained her composure as well as she could. “Y-yes.”

I let out a contemplative hum. “...What’s your name?”

“N-Nymph, ma’am.”

I smiled at her, and she seemed almost surprised by that, her eyes widening just a tad. “Good luck then,” I murmured, my eyes drifting closed as I lay there. “Take care of them for me, will you? Remember, don’t let Vice out of your sight for too long, make sure Steel Blade gets out more, and…

“Thanks.”

I waited there, barely registering as the bug… as Nymph murmured something under her breath and lowered her horn to mine.

Nymph

I had felt two more echoes on my empathy sense. Horror. Urgency. Dread.

They had to be the other ponies, and they knew something had gone horribly wrong. The pony in front of me was on the cusp of death, but I wasn’t going to escape far enough to avoid the others and I didn’t have the energy to transform.

It was strange, speaking with the pony. Of all the things she was worried about, she was worried about the lives of others. Even when she first came into the clearing, she was worried more about me than herself, facing a manticore head on because she was worried for someling she had never met before.

She was dead, and she knew it, yet her heart was filled not with bitter regrets, but with love. I used it to absorb her magic eagerly, even as a part of my mind panicked over my own death and my betrayal of the changelings by being discovered by the other ponies. It was nowhere near enough to keep me from bleeding out, but I tried to sate my hunger anyways, feeling my magic rejuvenate.

There was plenty of love though, enough for one transformation, and I had a thought. If I were to take on the unicorn’s appearance, I could hide the existence of the changelings and, if the ponies were fast enough, hopefully recover in one of their hospitals. I could secure an advantageous position in the pony’s Royal Guard for my hive, and subsequently away from the rival hive, and the pony’s memory would provide plenty of information to keep an infiltrator planted for a very long time. The spell I was planning to use wasn’t common fare amongst the hive rangers, but since it was a common spell for the infiltrators, I felt I could perform it without issue.

It was a plan banking on the slim chance there was enough ambient love to heal, but it was a chance to survive.

I proposed my idea to her, and she seemed to regain some clarity as she registered my words. She was not suspicious, but curious, seizing onto the hope that her death would not hurt those closest to her. I reassured her, and I was happy when she eventually gave me her blessing.

It occurred to me that I didn’t need to propose this to her, that I didn’t need to answer honestly when she asked if I would have done this anyway, but I did. I did on both counts.

I don’t understand why. What point was there in showing politeness to prey?

“Thanks,” she finished, the word dying on her lips as I felt her fade.

I let out a sigh. “I’ll see you in Elysium,” I murmured as I lowered my horn to hers and began channelling the spell.

I released it, and…

I’m not sure what I expected. Most of the pony novels I had read through would suggest something like a slideshow, with images streaming past my eyes as I took in her memories, but instead, I went blind. My mind completely shut down, like that moment just before falling asleep, and I realized offhoofedly that it wasn’t just my vision that died. I wasn’t getting any input from the outside world at all. I couldn’t hear the ambient chirps and rustling of the forest, nor could I feel the blood-soaked ground under my hooves. The smoke that used to fill the air was filled with nothing instead, and my empathy sense told me I was completely alone.

I would be panicking if I had the mental capacity to do so, but as it was, I was completely content to sit in the little pocket of calmness partitioned away in my own mind. A part of me noticed that the spell was continuing without my input, continuing to draw energy from the pony and me as it combed through everything in the pony’s mind.

It was hard, perhaps impossible, to know how much time had passed, but just as suddenly as I had entered my fugue state, I left. The world came into sharp relief around me as I snapped back into consciousness. Sights, sounds, and smells fought for attention in my reawakened mind, but the most urgent signal came from my empathy sense.

The two echoes were no longer echoes, but more like sirens. They were close and fast approaching, so I had to move fast.

I left my… the pony’s body in the brushes just inside the treeline. It wasn’t especially hidden, but it was in a shadowy corner, and in the dim light of the moon, it would hopefully remain unseen. Nearby, not far from my—

Her. Her body… was the scarf she had been levitating, even after the explosion. I strained to levitate it with my last little bits of magic and carefully stained it red in m—her blood. My mouth twisted into a grimace as the wet weave brushed against the sensitive injury on my neck, but I had neither the time nor the energy to close the long lines left behind by the manticore’s claws.

My muscles strained to pull me back into the clearing. The moonlight temporarily blinded me, but I crawled on. I tried keeping my cracked chest from scraping against the dirt, but it was difficult with only one foreleg supporting my weight. I yelped involuntarily each time a lurch left my chest shifting where it shouldn’t have.

My vision was swimming by the time I collapsed next to my saddlebags, and I drifted away as I lay there.

“Overwatch? Overwatch?”

I smiled. It was good to hear their voices again.

Chapter 2 — Tastes Like Nostalgia

Nymph

Urrrggghhhh…

Unnnngggggghhhhh…

I shifted around as I tried to block out the light working its way through my eyelids. Why was it so bright? Someling must have turned the light on. Why else it would be so bright down in the sleeping chamber?

And why did my bed feel so… soft? Perhaps not really soft. It’s like sleeping on what I’d imagine to be firm foam. The blanket was a tad thin too, but as a Royal Guard living mostly in the barracks, I was fairly used to crappy blankets. Maybe I just—

I froze. I haven’t been in Canterlot before. Well, I had, apparently. I remember living there, but at the same time, I know I haven’t set hoof in there before.

Breathe in. Breathe out. I blanked out my mind before trying to bring up my most recent memories. Snippets of that night filtered through my rapidly awakening mind. The Everfree. The manticore. The… the pony. The pony’s companions must have arrived, or I would still be bleeding out on the forest floor. The question now was where exactly I was sleeping.

My eyes slowly opened, having adjusted to the light more, and I checked my forelegs. Charcoal colored, but they were full and furred, so I let out a sigh of relief. My disguise managed to hold through my unconsciousness, and judging by the clean, tight bandage wrapped firmly around my neck and chest area, my hastily constructed plan worked as I had hoped. Unfortunately, I couldn’t check on the state of my wound with the wrappings. The area above my shoulder was sore and aching and I could barely move or lift my left foreleg, but for such a dire wound, it was surprising that it hurt as little as it did.

I turned my attention away from myself and to my surroundings. The room itself was a decent size, enough to fit two more beds on my left, though I couldn’t see them with the curtain in the way. The wallpaper was a dark blue, trending towards navy, with light cloud-like swirls across it. The bed itself was fairly large for my size, but nothing special: wooden with a purple blanket across it. To my right was the offending window, the sunlight casting its glow directly over my bed.

I finally turned to the last little part of my new world, one that I had been trying to avoid acknowledging. To my left was a pony pegasus, the stallion who was part of the same scouting party that I was in. He was asleep, his head buried in a little nook created by his forelegs, and one of his wings was wrapped in a bandage. I would consider seeing if I could get up and escape if it didn’t mean disturbing Steelie.

I blinked. There it was again. Seeing Steel Blade at my side was confusing, to say the least. On one hoof, this was a pony, one who I knew little about and felt even less comfortable staying near. I was a ranger, trained to hold at most one disguise for a short amount of time. I shouldn’t even be this close to a pony to begin with.

And yet, I couldn’t help but feel comfortable in his presence. It was even heartwarming to see him here, but…

It’s one thing interacting with ponies, but quite another to want that interaction. My mind was telling me to get away and go back into hiding, into seclusion, but my gut was telling me something entirely different.

By the sands he moved he moved he moved do something do something don’tjustsitthere

He groaned, stretching out and letting out a yawn before he finally turned to me. “Oh, you’re awake!” Steel Blade was uncomfortably cheerful as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Even after all that, you’re still the earliest to rise. You alright? How’re you feeling?”

“I errr… I’m… d-doing okay, I think,” I managed to get out.

I flinched involuntarily when he raised an eyebrow at me. “Something wrong? You look like a cornered rabbit. You sure you’re alright?” He raised a hoof to my forehead, which my good foreleg swat away before I noticed.

“Oh, don’t worry so much about me, Steelie,” I found myself saying. “And I was a cornered rabbit, remember. I nearly got mauled by a manticore, but I’m still alive, right?” My eyes narrowed at him. “Right?”

He snorted, but did break into a smile afterwards. “That sounds more like the Overwatch I know, but you’re probably remembering something different from what I’m remembering, ’cause you weren’t nearly mauled. You were absolutely one hundred percent mauled by a manticore. And exploded.”

My eyes rolled. “It couldn’t have been that bad. My bandage isn’t even wet.” The words came out naturally.

“Actually, it was much worse than he’s making it sound.”

I turned to the source of the voice, a young unicorn nurse with a white coat and a pink mane tied up in a bun. She smiled at me as she picked up the medical chart hanging on the end of my bed and walked over to stand beside Steel Blade. “Morning, Ms. Overwatch. I am Nurse Redheart. I was one of the nurses responsible for keeping you alive.”

Another pony standing too close to me. “N-nice to meet you,” I said hesitantly, rubbing at my left foreleg with a hoof. “Err, you said it was much worse. How… how bad was it, actually?”

“For one, miss, your blood was green.”

I made a ‘hurk’ noise as I gagged on my own breath, staring with wide eyes as I tried to scoot back further into the bed. How could I have been so dumb? I should’ve tried to change the color of my blood with an open wound, and now they’re going to figure out that I’m a—

The nurse seemed just as surprised at my sudden reaction, because she raised her hooves and tried to calm me down. “Miss, i-i-it was definitely unexpected, but with how little we know about the Everfree, there could’ve definitely been some sort of magic in there producing that symptom.”

I stopped. They… they didn’t suspect anything? I did relax my posture a bit, but I still watched the two ponies warily.

Nurse Redheart cleared her throat, backing off now that I didn’t seem like I was seizing. She turned to the chart in her magic, flipping a few pages back and skimming the notes. “That was the biggest thing we noticed, but there were other pressing concerns. Whatever your blood looked like, you were bleeding profusely from the three deep lacerations across your neck, almost certainly close to a major artery, if not right on top of one. We also suspected you had a few broken ribs and a concussion from the burnt spots across your coat and mane. We tried to keep your neck as straight as we could in case you had a spinal injury.

“But, of course, your neck. The medical team suspected your greenish blue blood was some sort of illusion you acquired from the forest, but without knowing exactly what it was, our options were limited. Before anything, though, we needed to make sure that you didn’t bleed out, so we decided on a plasma pack to replenish your fluids, but…

Her mouth twisted into a frown, and she let out a short hum. “Hmm… the bandage around your neck now? That’s only the second one.” She leaned in to examine the wrapping around my neck and chest. “We put the first one on to try and stem the flow of blood, and it was drenched when we took it off, but in the time it took for me to find a plasma packet, your wound had closed.”

I stared at her blankly. “I… see?”

She let out a sigh. “Alright, if you can, please sit up a bit while I remove your bandage.” After a moment of hesitation, I complied, and she began using her magic to unwrap the gauze around my neck. “I’m not sure you understand how miraculous your recovery was. When you came in, your neck wounds were at least three centimeters deep. On most other ponies, that would be a death sentence, but to stop bleeding within moments of arriving? On something that would need stitches and at least a month to recover from?”

She shook her head as she completely removed the stainless bandage, revealing three dark brownish-red scabs where the manticore had raked its claws across me. “I’d say it was impossible if it didn’t just happen.”

Redheart spun the bandage up into a little roll as she trotted back to the end of my bed and hung the chart up. “Your wound and the skin around it weren’t green, but we weren’t going to try and get blood from you just to see if your blood was back to normal. It looked like you were recovering, despite everything, so we just monitored you for a few days.”

“A few days?” I blurted out. “How long was I out?”

“Three days, but you’ve been getting better throughout, so there’s no need to worry. You might be here for a while longer as we monitor for any side effects or complications, but at the rate you’re recovering, you might be out of here in a day or two.”

Redheart gave a short bow. “I need to check up on my other patients, but thank you for your patience, and don’t be afraid to call us if you need anything.”

She trotted out the door, leaving me alone with Steel Blade again. I smiled hesitantly at him, and there was an awkward silence before I finally cleared my throat and said, “S-so… I-I guess we can only wait now.”

“Ehhh…” he said uncommittedly. “Not as much as you might think. I already got word back from dad.”

“Oh? What’d he say?” I said simply. Inwardly, however, I was dearly hoping whatever he said wouldn’t prevent me from finding my hivemates quickly and getting myself out of this disguise.

He shrugged. “Nothing much. With your injury, he’s decided to postpone this whole scouting assignment for later. They’re really busy with the Summer Sun Celebration over in Canterlot, and they want everypony they can to help.” He paused for a moment, before he added, “Well, just me and Vice. You’re getting a few days off on medical leave, so you get to enjoy the celebration from the other side. We’re due to leave as soon as you get cleared here.”

I straightened up instantly. “Th-that soon?”

“Hello, sir?” A pair of nurses, one stallion and one mare, peeked their heads around the curtain. “Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to wait outside for a moment. We’re going to perform some tests the doctor ordered, but it shouldn’t take very long at all.”

Steel Blade moved his forelegs from the bed to the ground and stood up out of his chair. “Don’t worry. It’s fine. I just have one last thing to do.”

He turned to me, and my eyes widened when he brought up my scarf from under his wing. “Here! I know how much this means to you, so I made sure to get it back after they washed it out,” he said, depositing the bundle into my hooves. “I can start packing everything back up for when we return to Canterlot. See you soon, and I’ll be sure to give Vice the good news!”

He rounded the corner, out of sight behind the curtain, and my entire body stiffened when the door clicked shut behind him. My hoof held the heavy scarf tightly to my chest as the two nurses approached me from both sides.

I tried to breathe again. It was just a pony test.

Where they might draw my blood.

My changeling blood.

I chuckled nervously, giving them a horribly awkward smile. “So, about these tests…”

One of the nurses, the stallion on my left, checked around the curtain before nodding silently to the other one. The other nurse, a mare, simply smiled at me. “Don’t worry, these are basic exams. We just need to verify a few things,” she said, moving my foreleg closer to her as she took out a syringe filled with a clear liquid.

In an instant, she drew much closer to me, her eyes narrowed into a scowl as she bared her teeth. “Like which hive you came from.”

I let out a tiny squeak, but before I could try to pull my hoof back, she continued again, holding the syringe menacingly pointed at it. “Don’t be so surprised that we found you out. Bleeding green? It wasn’t hard to figure it out from there, so speak, and speak truthfully before we force it out of you.”

I stammered out a few more words, my eyes darting between my two sudden captors as I tried to wriggle my hoof out of her magical grip. “I umm.. Err… It’s just—”

The one on my left rolled his eyes. “Figures it’s just some new untrained drone. Can’t even hold composure.” He sat down in the chair that Steel Blade left, looking calmly at me. “Just give your queen’s name. That’s all we want.”

“Well, I mean…” I took in a deep breath, steadying myself before I began hyperventilating. “C-Chrysalis. Queen Chrysalis.”

The two nurses exchanged a look, but they seemed to visibly calm down. “Alright,” the stallion on my left said. “Broodmother?”

“Broodmother Chorion.” I continued to look between their two expressions. Now that I had calmed down enough to use my empathy sense, I could get a rough sense of their emotions. There was still some sour suspicion, but for the most part, they seemed to be much more comfortable around me.

The mare still glared at me, but it was clear it was just a front. “Prove it. Ping. Stop concealing your link.”

So I did. I opened up my emotional sense and sent out a weak ping through the hivemind so that only those closest to me could sense it. If they were asking for me to ping, they had to have been in my hive to feel it. It would have been impossible for a hostile hive to gain access to the link without dangerous magic.

Both of them loosened up as soon as they felt it, and my foreleg was released from the mare’s magical grip.

The mare put away the syringe and turned to the stallion. “Alright, he’s good. I didn’t expect the Chorion drones to be here already.”

“Chorion drones?” I asked, ignoring the fact that I was referred to as a male. “What brood are you two from?”

“Baltimare,” the stallion answered. “You’re a ranger, right? That explains why we couldn’t detect you on our empathy sense, but I thought the rangers were gone with the last generation. Your ping was distinctly a ranger’s ping.”

I nodded. “Yes, I am. I was told by the queen to watch over the pony scouts in the Everfree.”

“But you botched it,” the mare said, smirking. “You were just supposed to make sure the other hive kept their dirty hooves away, but you ended up getting screwed over by a manticore and impersonating a pony.”

The stallion hissed at his partner. “Enough of that. We gave him enough magic to recover because we bet that he was one of ours, and we were right. We should be thankful enough we could save one of our drones,” he said, before turning to me. “Still, I expected another. If I remember correctly, rangers worked in pairs, so where’s your partner?”

“Partner?” I blinked. “I came alone. The queen specifically ordered just me.”

The stallion’s brow furrowed. “That doesn’t seem right. Why would the queen send only one ranger?”

I let out an exasperated snort. “Look, does it really matter? In the end, the other changelings failed to achieve their goal, and now I’m stuck doing something I shouldn’t be doing. Could one of you please get me out of this situation?”

“We probably could, but I doubt we could impersonate Overwatch very well without her memories,” the stallion said. “It’d be a post that lasts at most a month. We’d be better off going for the other two.”

“B-but I have her memories!” I blurted out desperately. “Please, I don’t want to be here right now!”

The mare narrowed her eyes at me again, staring at me suspiciously. “Impossible. There’s no way you cast the memory spell.”

“But I did! I have them! You can just take them from my own memories, right?” My breathing had started to pick up again, and I looked to the stallion for support.

He let out a low hum. “You… cast the spell by yourself, didn’t you.”

“Yes!” I let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, I managed to get her memories just before she died, so could you two please let me get out of here?”

“You’re not supposed to cast it alone.” The mare’s voice was flat. “There’s a reason every single changeling infiltrator group operates in groups, and it’s because the spell was never meant to be cast alone.”

“I-I…” I looked between them restlessly, fidgeting with my hooves. “I… don’t quite understand. Why?”

The stallion let out a sigh, dropping his head into his hooves before straightening up and addressing me directly. “Right, so… imagine that everyling’s head is like a bookshelf. The books on this bookshelf are the things we remember and can directly access.

“As we said earlier, this spell wasn’t supposed to be cast alone. There should be three different subjects, one being the pony we are taking the memories from, the changeling receiving the memories, and the caster. Normally, three things happen when the caster casts the spell. One is that the mind of the receiving changeling shuts down so they are more receptive to the new memories. The caster then creates a division in the receiving ling’s mind, to separate their memories from the new ones. Only then will there be actual copying of information from the pony’s mind to the ling’s. Think of it like copying words into a journal and putting them onto the ling’s shelf.”

He took in a sharp breath, staring closely at me. “When you’re the only one involved, you’re responsible for both moving the information and for receiving it, and since the receiver’s mind shuts down as the spell is cast…”

The mare let out a huff. “You’re taking too long. What happens is that when you cast the spell, you turn into a vegetable, and what happens when you get a vegetable to sort bookshelves? You get the giant, jumbled, unsorted pile of crap you call your brain. You, as you existed before the spell, are dead, and all we have left is spaghetti.”

“W-w-what?” I looked between them in shock, my mouth agape. “But no ling told me not to cast it alone!”

The stallion rolled his eyes. “Well, it sounds like you were lucky enough to survive the spell at all. A lot of dangerous things can happen when you link minds for the memory transfer, but at least you’re cognizant enough to carry out a conversation. Still, how have you not been warned against casting it?” His brow furrowed together again. “How old are you anyways? Usually only the older infiltrators are even taught the spell in the first place, and you’re a ranger.”

I stared down at my sheets, avoiding eye contact as I mumbled, “F-fourteen.”

The mare stared at me, before breaking down into laughter. “Oh, by the sands, he’s barely more than a hatchling! Oh this is great. Just fantastic. Now we’re stuck with a stupid drone who can’t even think straight anymore.”

“Hey, what do you mean ‘stuck with’?” I snapped, bristling. “Can’t you just memory swap me so I can leave?”

“Nnnope! Not anymore!” the mare snarled. “Didn’t you hear me earlier? I said—”

“Sinister, be quiet,” the stallion said evenly. “Don’t make this worse.”

The mare, Sinister, threw up her hooves and trotted out. “Fine. Whatever. You deal with it.”

The stallion let out a sigh, rubbing at his forehead. “Right, so,” he said, turning to me again. “So no, we can’t exactly use the spell to transfer the pony’s memories over.”

“But why?” I replied, still agitated. “All I keep hearing is how badly I screwed up and no ling is telling me what’s going on.”

“Yeah, Sinister’ll do that. His frustration can leave an entire room tasting salty, and there’s not much you can do to stop it,” he said with a shrug. “But anyways, going back to the analogy I used earlier, Sinister was right about one thing. Your head”—he prodded my forehead with a hoof—“Is a giant mess of changeling and pony memories. It’d be borderline impossible to unravel whatever you have in there because we won’t be able to tell what’s yours and what’s not.”

He sighed deeply. “In terms of infiltration, you might just be the most qualified changeling in all of Equestria to act as a replacement for… Overwatch.”

“What? No no no nonononono.” I shook my head feverishly. “There’s no way I’m qualified. I’m a ranger! I don’t know the first thing about interacting with ponies or collecting information or whatever you lings do!”

“Yes, but we can train that, or just tell you what to look for. You still have the pony’s memories, even if it’s jumbled with your own, and you might have picked up a few mannerisms,” he said, gesturing at me with a hoof. “You used a nickname when you were talking with that pegasus earlier. ‘Steelie’, was it?”

I nodded silently, burying myself in my scarf. This was definitely going the direction I didn’t want it to go.

“Now, a lot of this is guesswork, but I’m going to say you adopted a bit more than just the pony’s memories when you cast your spell. Some habits you suddenly develop might interfere greatly with your ranger habits depending on the pony, but as for mingling with ponies?”

He paused, as if thinking of the best way to phrase it. “You probably just passed the best 101 course on how to blend into Equestria. With honors.”

A low groan found its way out my throat. “So what, I’m stuck as an untrained, mentally unstable infiltrator now? How am I any more fit to be a spy? Everything you two just said makes me sound unpredictable, untrustworthy, and insane!”

“Perfect! You’ll fit right in, then. Welcome to the infiltrators!” he said with a chuckle and a warm smile. “Don’t worry so much. Just act naturally, and you’ll get along fine.”

He stood up, pausing next to the edge of the curtain. “Anyways, I need to go find Sinister and figure out how the rest of our mission was supposed to go.”

“H-hold up,” I called out quickly, before he could leave. “What were you two doing here anyways?”

“Ahh, I suppose we never really told you, have we,” he mused. “We were actually here to figure out how to replace one of the ponies you’re currently replacing, but our orders were to wait until the Chorion drones got the other hive out of the way before we acted.”

“Ahh, about that…” I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck with my good hoof. “I haven’t dealt with them. They were all somewhere deeper in the Everfree, so no pony or ling got close enough to see them.”

The stallion chuckled lightheartedly. “Looks like we both managed to complete our mission then. We needed a changeling to replace a pony, and you needed to keep the ponies away from the other hive. Good on us, eh?”

He made to leave, but seemed to remember something else, because he turned back to me. “Oh, and keep your link open so we can find you again. My name’s Dexter, and here’s my ping,” he said, before sending me a subtle signal through the hivemind, like a water droplet creating a tiny ripple. “I’ll make sure to tell Sinister to ping you too so we can identify ourselves quickly. We’ll probably be working together for a while, so get used to them. Stay here and recover, and we’ll keep the doctors away from you until we can all get back to Canterlot.”

He disappeared behind the curtain, and I slumped back in my bed with a groan. So that was it then? From ranger to some blended pony-changeling thing in the blink of an eye? Get forcibly booted to another occupation because I wasn’t aware of one little caveat in my spellcasting?

A scowl found its way to my face again, an increasingly common occurrence. There were apparently many things that I was not aware of, and now I had plenty of time to sit and brood on where they’ve led me, in between figuring what exactly the memory spell did to me and worrying about Steelie and Vice.

I looked at the bundle of scarf in my hooves, bringing it up to my muzzle and taking a deep breath. It was a bit flowery, but it smelled comfortingly familiar, like the tantalizing light sweetness of nostalgia.

“Yes, we’re done. You can go in now.”

Dexter’s voice floated in from the hallway, and one of my ears flicked over to listen closer as I draped the scarf around my neck. I tasted a bit of nervousness in the air, trepidation maybe, but with a little savory resolve bolstering the flavor.

I jumped a bit when a young filly rounded the curtain with a squeaky cart. She wore a blue shirt announcing that she was a proud volunteer of the Ponyville General Hospital, but she wasn’t the focus of my attention. My eyes were instantly drawn to the cart, for this was no ordinary cart.

It was a book cart.

“Umm,” the little pony asked. “Hello, would you like to borrow a book to pass your time?”

I’d already levitated the first new novel I hadn’t heard of from its shelves before the filly could even finish her rote response, clutching it close to my chest with my good foreleg as I tried to glare her away. It seemed to work, because she quickly scampered off with a quick thank you, also clearly rehearsed.

A part of me felt bad about making such a poor first impression, probably some silly thing I picked up off of Overwatch, but it was quickly overpowered by my excitement at the new novel in my hooves. Night Watch, by Tarry Prat’trot.

I positively gushed. It was part of a series I hadn’t heard of yet. While I was by no means a book lover, it was impossible for me not to show an interest in a new story. I tried snuggling into the hospital bed, flipping open to the first page with an elated grin on my face. If it weren’t for the occasional twinge and the weakness in my left foreleg, it was almost like I was reading back at the hive.

My smile slipped. Almost.

Chapter 3 — Feeling the Street

Myiasis

Excuse me?

The ponies did not come. We were unable to complete our task.

You waited at the castle, did you not?

We did, My Queen, but they never came close enough for us to detect them.

I see. What did you do after? You were gone for four days, infiltrator. Surely your group was not lost for three of those days.

We were not. We waited at the castle on the day they were to enter the forest, but as night fell, we saw a burst of light in the treeline. We managed to track down the source of the explosion from the smoke column. It appeared the ponies were attacked by a manticore before they could arrive.

What did you find there? Speak. I assume that you have more to report.

The manticore was killed by the explosion. The blast removed the entire head and a significant portion of its upper body. There was a great deal of blood everywhere, though it was hard to tell how much of it was from the ponies with the manticore’s remains scattered everywhere. There were no other signs the ponies were there besides a few dropped quills and parchment.

Unfortunate. Is that all?

No. We discovered one last detail, perhaps the most concerning. There may have been plenty of blood around the site of the attack, but the manticore’s claws were stained a bluish-green color.

Oh? Are you implying what I think you are implying?

Yes, My Queen. Changelings.

Hmm, but who would send changelings into the Everfree? Queen Mimic would not dare interfere with us after our last agreement. Queen Chrysalis, perhaps? No. Unlikely. She has always been quite shrewd. It would be uncharacteristic of her to send a changeling that gets seen unless she wanted that changeling to be seen, and what would she gain from such a course of action?

Nevermind. This is a discussion for another time. Continue.

We were uncertain as to how the changelings were involved with the ponies, but we believed at least one pony was injured, so we visited the nearby hospital in Ponyville.

And?

Only one of the ponies was injured to the point of requiring extended hospitalization: the unicorn named Overwatch. Our attempts to learn more, however, were stymied by the unusually vigilant nurses. With the possibility of the nurses being infiltrators, we decided to abort the attempts lest we raise too much suspicion. Your policies were to be especially careful when dealing with potential changelings, My Queen.

I understand, though I am slightly disappointed. Is that all?

Yes, My Queen. Do you have any orders for us?

Indeed, I do. The ponies are returning to Canterlot, which means we missed our best opportunity to replace them away from any possible witnesses. Getting an infiltrator close to Celestia will have to wait until we can deal with our potential pests first. Keep an eye on those three ponies, especially Overwatch. Bait the lure. See to what extent the other changelings have… interfered.

Understood, My Queen.

Nymph

Redheart was right. I was declared fit for discharge the very next day. I was uncertain how much influence my new hivemates had on this decision, but when my doctor started talking about results for tests I’d never taken, I figured they had done something right.

Steel Blade and Vice were waiting patiently for me the following morning when I finally entered the lobby, just as expected. Steel Blade made sure to get the right time from me before he ran off to purchase train tickets.

Vice perked up when she finally saw me, and I let out an undignified chirp when she set upon me with a friendly foreleg over my shoulder and a noogie. The giant earth pony was going on about how “leetle pony Overvatch is dihrty fighter, make short vork of bully manticore” and the infinite merits of explosives and how I could impress all the stallions with my scar, but I only caught a few snippets here and there as she dragged me around with a single foreleg.

I was off balance for most of the walk to the train station as she hugged me to her body like a plushie, but I stayed upright for the most part because it was Vice Grip holding me. In the back of my mind, I was surprised she didn’t bump my injury at all with how roughly and casually she could toss me around. The front of my mind was screaming something about the sanctity of personal space.

The train station was packed. The tickets Steel Blade had barely managed to snag for the trip to Canterlot were scheduled a mere hour after I was supposed to be discharged, but we managed to arrive half an hour early. The murmur of sleepy voices around us soon meshed together into white noise as we waited. Steel Blade stood there stoically with two sets of well-worn, battered saddlebags, apparently having scooped mine up from the Everfree as he and Vice rushed me back to the hospital. He refused to let me take them back, stating that I shouldn’t be straining myself as per my doctor’s orders.

I rolled my eyes and went back to waiting. Despite how early it was, there were a lot more ponies waiting around for the train than I would have expected from the small town of Ponyville.

When I voiced this observation, Steel Blade shrugged as if he were expecting it. “I’m guessing most of this crowd are just tourists. Probably the last big rush to get to Canterlot in time for the Summer Sun Celebration. It’s only two days away.”

Makes sense, if only a little. I’d heard about the ponies’ Summer Sun Celebration, but I never really understood what all the fuss was about. It was just the longest day of the summer, wasn’t it? What’s the point of having such a big celebration for such a mundane occurrence? Where did it even come from?

The reasons were probably lost to the ages. Short of asking an actual immortal like the queen, I probably wasn’t going to find any real answer to that question besides “because Princess Celestia,” as if that summed up everything I needed to know about the holiday.

I felt a little ping at the back of my mind, like the drip of a water droplet, followed by another ping like the distant crashing of the waves of the ocean. My head turned to and fro as I tried to pin down who in the crowd were my new accomplices, but even in my empathy sense, I couldn’t sort out Sinister and Dexter from the rest of the crowd. I sent out my ping, a flutter of dragonfly wings, and immediately received a pair of return pings.

I ran out of time to figure out who sent them. The train pulled into the station, just a few minutes late, and the mass of ponies began to move. The little niggling sense of claustrophobia looming over me quickly threatened to blossom into panic. I was actually thankful when Vice wrapped a hoof around me again and pulled me through the crush of pony bodies onto the train car. Better to be strapped against my will to a solid rock than pulled under by the current. Steel Blade had pushed up farther ahead, and though he wasn’t nearly as large as Vice, his two sets of saddlebags still made maneuvering through the crowd difficult. His natural flightiness as a pegasus was likely not doing him any favors either.

With a few quick apologies, stammered pardons, and “accidentally” stepped-on hooves, we managed to secure a single seat together. Steel Blade, after neatly pressing the saddlebags against the wall on the floor, took the window seat, and I was neatly deposited in the middle before Vice took her spot next to the aisle. I was still uncomfortable being within touching distance of other ponies, especially sandwiched between two ponies larger than I was, but my sudden bout of claustrophobia had abated for the moment.

I sent out my own ping again, once again answered by the return pings by my two hivemates.

“Ahh, perfect! Looks like we’re finally off to Canterlot,” Dexter’s voice echoed over on the hivemind. “Anyways, we have just one little thing to tell you before we leave you alone.”

“Mrrr?”

“Good answer. Since we’re working together, we’ll have to set up some sort of meeting time to share information. Any complaints about Saturday?”

Steel Blade was saying something, and I replied with a couple of mumbled responses as the train finally lurched forward.

“Mrrr.”

“Excellent. We’ll see you then. Oh, and don’t be surprised if we pop up at your place beforehoof. We might have to establish a reason for us to be meeting so regularly. You never know who’s watching from the shadows.”

“Mrrr.”

The train car fell into silence as a couple of the other seats pulled down the shades on their windows. The dull, rhythmic roar of the rolling train soon became the only sound in the car, save for a few muffled coughs. The hivelink was silent.

I felt my eyes drooping, and without offering much resistance, I fell asleep.

“Mooom… ” I snuggled deeper into the warm, fluffy thing. “Dun buzz’r wings like ‘at, it tickles.”

“Um, Overwatch?” A wing softly prodded me in my side. “We’re here.”

I let out a murmur of protest, but I eventually lifted my head from where it rested on Steel Blade’s shoulder. With a loud groan, I swayed back upright and looked around the car, blinking sleepily.

“Huh? Wha’?” I said, still woozy. I stretched my forelegs up and back, my right reaching slightly higher than my left, before plopping them back down. I felt better than I had in ages. Besides working out the lingering stiffness, I felt revitalized, like I had plenty of energy to tackle the day with.

“We’re here. In Canterlot,” Steel Blade stated. “We’ll be pulling into the station soon. Make sure you didn’t forget anything.”

A change in the background buzz of the decelerating train signalled our impending arrival, and Steel Blade raised the shade across our window to let in the bright afternoon sun. I hissed as I rubbed at my eyes, but I adjusted fairly quickly, enough to see the bright white, gold, and purple buildings of the capital of Equestria whizzing by.

Canterlot. It was at the same time a step away from home and a step closer to home. Further away from my broodmother and the rest of the hive, yet somehow familiar.

The train cruised into the station, slowly applying its brakes to come to a smooth stop. With a final hiss of steam, the train announced our arrival and the doors slid open. The passenger car we sat in began bustling again as ponies slowly shuffled down the aisle and off onto the platform.

“C’mon, we should make sure we didn’t leave anything behind.” Steel Blade hopped off the seat now that the train was no longer in motion. With two quick motions, he picked up his saddlebag with his teeth and tossed it onto his back before doing the same with mine. He lowered his head and briefly scanned the floor of the car.

“Umm,” I began, still in my seat as Steel Blade did his final check of our seating area. “Y-you don’t have to take my bags, you know.”

He shrugged. “It’s no problem. Nothing I can’t handle, and besides, Sarge always said we needed to stay fit for the job,” he said with a warm smile. “I’ll just help drop these off at your condo, and then you can burden yourself with them all you want, how ‘bout that?”

“Ah well… Okay, I suppose,” I said, fidgeting with my hooves.

“Aha! Pardon us, little pony.” Vice seemed to have found a gap in the line, because she stood up to her full height and fluidly squeezed into it. “Ve go here,” she said firmly, backing up slightly to give us room to slide into the line in front of her, only marginally bumping the ponies behind her. It was honestly astounding how well she was able to work her muscled bulk around.

I probably stared for longer than I should have, because I caught a few ponies in the line clearing their throats emphatically. A little bump from Steel Blade, and I quickly hopped off my seat and trotted up with the rest of the ponies in front of us. I was almost surprised my claustrophobia hadn’t set in again, but then I remembered Vice could probably control the pace of the entire line by herself in the enclosed passenger car. No way to crowd me if there wasn’t a crowd.

“So, where’re you off to after we get off?” I heard Steel Blade asking Vice as he stepped out into the aisle. The gap in the aisle closed as the line slowly shuffled after Vice.

“Probably home. Then guard house,” Vice said tersely. “Ve haff to make report first. Then ve see ‘bout filling out patrol.”

Steel Blade let out a hum. “Ahh right, I’ll probably end up doing the same. I’ll drop these off and meet you there, alright?”

I blinked. One of the things Steelie had said earlier finally registered in my mind, namely the part where he said he was going to help drop my saddlebags at my condo.

My condo. In Canterlot, the city I had never visited physically until now.

My heart beat faster. This would be a great time to access whatever memories I had transferred over from myself, but no matter how hard I racked my mind, I couldn’t remember the exact route back home. I got inklings and suggestions here and there, but absolutely nothing on which streets to take, let alone the exact address I lived at.

Where did I even leave my keys?

Okay, I at least had an answer for that one. My keys were in my left saddlebag, first pocket towards the front. I specifically told myself I needed to remember that tidbit when I left for Ponyville.

From… Canterlot.

I felt a headache coming on, and I rubbed my forehead with a hoof as I stepped out of the train car. The crowd spread out over the station platform like at the mouth of a river, either reuniting with family or rushing off to find a taxi cart before they were all taken. My hoof landed on the wooden flooring with a resounding clop, and I immediately felt more comfortable. It sounded right.

The alpine asters scattered around the city were in full bloom, leaving their perfume wafting across the air, just as they always did at this time of the year. Despite the blazing sun above, the mountainside city had a cool breeze flowing through it.

I took in a deep breath and held it as Steel Blade trotted to my side.

“Good to be back, isn’t it,” he said, a faint smile on his muzzle as he stared at the city skyline.

“It’s like I’ve only taken my first steps here…” I murmured dreamily, my eyes closed as I basked in the fresh air.

I jolted back into reality, registering exactly what my words were. I held my breath as I slowly turned to Steel Blade.

I can’t believe I said that. Did I already break disguise by letting that slip—

Steel Blade let out a lighthearted chuckle. “Yeah, Canterlot in the summer has a habit of reinventing itself, doesn’t it,” he said, before turning to me. “C’mon, let’s get these bags of yours to your condo before traffic picks up for lunch hour. I don’t want to try getting between hungry ponies and their food, especially on a great day like this.”

I let out a relieved sigh before turning back towards the city itself. I led the way through the station and onto the street on the other side before I stopped, staring blankly at the roads before me.

Back at the main hive, many of the older changelings were so familiar with the routines of the Badlands Hive that they could navigate the entire changeling capital blind. After living in the hive for so long, they recognized the little patterns in the hive workings. A cluster of dormant minds here could indicate a well-known hatchery, or a gaggle of love collectors there could be the love magical storage area. Some say their hooves grew minds of their own, walking them through their routines without any input, carving out well-worn paths with a pounding of hooves each and every day.

I spaced out, mentally moving myself to the passenger’s seat and waiting to see what filled the empty space.

The streets before me, which seemed only faintly familiar before, came to life. I took a step forward, and like a snowball rolling down a hill, I soon gained momentum. Turn left at the crooked stop sign. Take a right at the antique shop. Cross the street and take a right at the intersection. Drop a bit into the Salvation Guard donation box. Keep walking past the nightclub and the drugstore. Do not turn to look.

I relished in the feeling of the pavement beneath me. My hooves knew these streets, and they carried me faithfully to where I needed to go. It wasn’t long before I found myself at the iron gate leading into my apartment complex.

“Oh hey, Overwatch!” an unfamiliar voice called. “There you are!”

I turned to find myself face to face with two stallions, one an earth pony and one a unicorn. The earth pony flashed me a winning smile, but the unicorn just scowled at me, tapping his hoof on the cobblestones impatiently. I didn’t recognize either of them, and I looked between the two blankly for a moment before I finally felt it: two pings, one a water drop and the other a crashing wave.

My face lit up. “Good to see you again!” I said earnestly as I sent out my own ping. “It’s been a while.”

“Oh hey, I don’t recognize you two,” Steel Blade said, putting on a smile of his own as he extended a hoof. “I’m Steel Blade. I work in the guard with Overwatch.”

Dexter returned the proffered hoofshake with enthusiasm and a wide, honest grin. “Candlelight,” he lied smoothly, before gesturing to the other stallion, “and his name’s Card Sharp. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Steel Blade said comfortably.

I cleared my throat, making sure I had their attention before turning to Dexter. “So you were looking for me?”

“Ahh, yes, we were. Are we still good for O n’ O on Saturday afternoon?” Dexter said amiably.

“O-oh, of course,” I stammered out. “My schedule’s still open then.”

“Perfect! We have to run for now, but we’ll see you then! Ta ta!” Dexter said, before trotting off briskly with Sinister trailing close behind.

“Huh. He seems nice enough,” Steel Blade said, before raising an eyebrow at me with a sidelong smirk. “You play Ogres n’ Oubliettes? I never took you for a tabletop gamer. It’s been a long while since I’ve played myself. I might have to bust out my old character sheets one of these days.”

“Oh uhh, i-it’s… it’s a fairly recent hobby,” I mumbled as I turned to focus on the gate. A little magic to jiggle the latch on the other side, and I was in.

The faint flowery scent of the city was present even here, mostly surrounded by two-story-tall buildings and trees flush with fresh green leaves. I turned left from the front entrance and walked over to the first condo on the row, situated with one side right next to the street.

I stopped, staring at my door. The dark, burgundy paint covering it was starting to fade, and even the doorknob was showing some wear and tear from the years gone by. The once-gleaming numbers identified this as condominium seventeen twenty-nine. It was a wholly uninteresting number which Dad nevertheless found fascinating. He once explained that it was the smallest number that was the sum of two positive cubes in two different ways. One and twelve, and nine and ten.

“Hey Overwatch, you alright?” Steel Blade said, causing me to jump at his voice. “You’re tearing up a bit.”

“I-I am?” I wiped at my eyes with a foreleg and it came away wet, to my surprise. “N-no I’m not,” I said quickly, trying to think of a reason for my odd behavior as I nervously adjusted my scarf. Did I know anything about Overwatch to make a convincing argument for the show of emotion?

“We’re here,” I said tersely. “J-just give me my bags.”

“Ah, alright then,” he said, suddenly finding himself treading on eggshells. Thankfully, he stayed silent as he shrugged off my saddlebags. I levitated them over to me and carefully took out my condo’s key, unlocking the door before hurrying in with my bags.

I swiveled around, peeking out from the gap created by the barely opened door. I flashed an awkward smile at Steel Blade. “Well uhh…”

He shifted his weight left to right. “I’ll be… headed back to the guard house then. No reason I shouldn’t be out on duty when I’m still fit to work,” he said carefully, turning to leave. “You take care of yourself, alright?”

A giggle bubbled up from my gut without checking in with my brain. “Don’t worry about me, you goofball,” my mouth said. “Your dumb doctor’s orders can go stuff themselves. I’ll be fine. I just have a few… personal issues to work through. I’ll figure it out. I always figure it out. Bet on it.”

He snorted and smiled at me. “Alright, I’ll take you up on that bet. See you soon!”

I gave him a final goodbye before closing the door behind him and twisting the lock. I slumped back against the door and slid down until I rested on the floor. I slipped into my empathy senses, and noted with some satisfaction that Steelie left my door tasting primarily of cool relief. Digging deeper, however, I found undertones of concern and a twinge of… disappointment? Or was it melancholy?

Melancholy? Why would he be feeling that? Did I do something wrong? Did I let too much of my disguise slip?

I rushed to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. I bared my teeth at my reflection. Completely fine there. My horn was still the straight spiral shape of a unicorn. My mane and tail were a bit on the disheveled side, I suppose, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed easily. I levitated over a nearby brush and absentmindedly dragged it through my mane as I ran my eyes over the rest of my body, finding no holes and no accidental wings.

I winced as the brush caught on a tangle in my mane, and I carefully separated the knotted strands with my magic before resuming my brushing, sinking back into my empathy sense. I could still identify which spot Steel Blade was. He hadn’t gotten too far yet, and I just sat there watching as he departed through the front gate and turned towards his intended destination.

As he left, however, I felt a change. Something in the emotional landscape shifted, and I quickly honed in on it. Like most changelings, I was both instinctively drawn to love and repulsed by hostility. Both sides of that spectrum glowed like beacons on a ling’s emotional senses, but rangers who were especially hypersensitive were taught to look for two other signals on their empathy senses. One was carefully controlled emotions, made to blend in with ponies.

The other was a lack of emotion.

Like dead spots on my radar, a pony displaying a lack of emotions tended to signal one of two things. Either the subject suffered from a mental disorder or trauma and is therefore unable to feel strong emotions, or the subject was purposely concealing something. There were a few professions that promoted a cool indifference to facilitate proper performance, but neither of the ones we were taught about at the hive were good ones.

Namely that of thugs and assassins.

One of these spots moved, and I realized with some horror that it was shadowing Steel Blade’s movements. A wider scan revealed two more of these spots nearby, and my legs began to shake. Who would send a thug after Steel Blade, and were they also watching me? Why?

My mind briefly wandered to the rival hive who had planned to ambush Steel Blade in the Everfree, but I quickly dismissed the notion that these were changelings. Our hive’s rangers were the only changelings capable of completely disappearing off the emotional landscape. Changelings who couldn’t hide their emotions completely would never let themselves be caught as a dead spot. An infiltrator with even the tiniest chance to be detected trying to hide their emotions ran the constant danger of being rooted out and eliminated. The trick would work on the basic drone or worker, but not on a half decent infiltrator. No, an intelligent rival changeling assassin would blend in with the ponies around them, requiring nothing less than full concentration to even get a glimpse at.

These had to be ponies, and that somehow made things worse. They were hired, but I couldn’t figure out whether they were hired by somepony or someling.

I moved to the front of my condo and peeked through the shutters, trying to line up my empathy sense with what I was seeing. My eyes narrowed at the thin alleyway between the condominiums on the other side of the complex. If I hadn’t been alerted to the presence of a pony there, I probably wouldn’t have caught him there, but once I made out his darkened outline, he might as well have been wearing a neon-yellow banana suit.

He was alone in the alleyway, but he shifted forward when the apartment block seemed quiet enough. He nodded almost imperceptibly to somepony off to the side, but kept his place half-hidden in the shadows.

I blinked. My empathy sense was telling me two more were moving together into the alleyway behind him, neither of which were dead spots. In fact, one of them was a disgustingly bright spot of determination while the other one was halfway between fear and panic. I stared deeper into the alleyway and saw movement. Whoever it was, it was bright green, but I couldn’t see hide or hair of the second body in there.

The green pony glided into place behind the shoulder of the thug, hanging over its shoulder before happily letting out a sudden, “Hey! Wha’cha lookin’ at?”

It was bright, it was cheerful, and above all, it was loud.

The thug’s dead spot flared up in surprise and anger, the mark of a badly trained hireling, and in one swift move, he swiveled backwards and connected a hard right hook into the face of his ambusher.

My mind shut down when I saw the green pony nearly do a somersault at the force of the blow, flipping out of sight.

I snarled as I twisted open the lock, nearly ripping my door off its hinges with how hard I was wrenching it open.

I had to do something.

Chapter 4 — <<Rock Bottom>>

THEN

—

A common misconception that many had about agelessness was that time mattered less as one got older. Commoners often came to the conclusion that just because our plans tended to span centuries that we cared little about waiting, that each year that passed was somehow lesser for being a smaller percentage of our lives. They believed that the lives of mortals seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, so short were their life spans compared to ours.

Whoever thought of that must have had rocks for brains.

I probably could have worded that differently, considering my current state, but it was one that fit nonetheless. With nothing to occupy my attention, time passed at an almost glacial pace.

I watched as another boat drifted across the surface above me, casting me in its expansive shadow. It was a rather droll activity, spending the last several years watching boats, but out of the limited options I had, it was the only one even remotely interesting and therefore the least likely to drive me insane.

The other option was to brood on who I was and why I felt like wrapping my hooves around something’s neck and throttling it until its eyeballs popped out of its contemptuous, treasonous, cowardly little face.

This was generally followed by a lengthy bout of melancholy in which I lamented my utter lack of hooves, due to the very simple fact that I was a rock.

I was a very pretty rock. Whoever forced me into this blasted container certainly had style when they chose an immaculately polished, clean cut red beryl the size of a hoof for my prison. Still, it mattered little what I looked like since, at the end of the day, I was still stranded at the bottom of a bay.

Thankfully, I did have an intimate connection with the magic of others. It is a quality of mine that I believed accompanied me from my past life, and I used it to siphon off the magic of the ponies above me, drawing in their energy to sustain me. From what I gathered, I tried to predict what manner of vessel was above me. It was a charming game borne of my desperation for something to occupy my senses, and it was certainly better than wrestling with the whole identity question and coming out the other end twisted in a pretzel with a folding chair wrapped around my neck.

That was not to say I learned nothing about my previous life. I deduced that I had been someone of importance. I had ruled at some point. Those under me had suffered adversity, but I had managed to overcome it when… something happened.

Forget it. I spent too long racking my mind to waste time trying again.

I turned my attention back to the drifting shadows above me. The current vessel was definitely on the larger side. It was packed with ponies with the occasional griffon, and their magic tasted of posh roses and summer dew. Probably a cruise liner, just returning from a week long voyage to the more tropical regions. I remembered this exact vessel leaving before, though the flavor back then was much stronger, with a tangy citrus kick that generally signalled excitement.

I was about to turn my attention to the next ship when my senses were flooded with the strong taste of creamy vanilla. It was the type of flavor that lasted, floating around one’s mouth long after its source had decided to skip town for the express lane down the esophagus. It was the type of taste that I could really lose myself in, the kind I expect to accompany an intense spa session melting in the hooves of a skilled masseuse.

It was the unmistakable taste of daydreams.

And it was very, very close.

I may have been weak—there was only so much magic I could drain from where I sat—but what I had would be enough to send a signal to my daydreaming target, and I sent one as soon as I could improvise a spell matrix to do so. The water shuddered around my form before expanding outwards and crashing onto my daydreaming prey like a wave at high tide.

The daydreaming stopped, and in its place was the alluring peachy taste of curiosity. I felt this source wriggle its way towards me like a fish, slowly growing and growing until it all but filled my senses.

I reached out with my magic, but despite its proximity, it was not yet visible. Where in Equestria was this—

“Oh, there you are!”

It must have taken centuries of careful self-control not to mentally shriek in surprise. Very carefully, I shifted my magic to properly visualize my ambusher, who peered at me over the edge of the cliff I was sitting on.

There was a tad bit of panic when I realized that ever since I woke up as a gemstone, I had literally been a step away from sinking down into an even drearier, truly pitch black existence under the water, but I quickly quashed it. I had my pony salvation to address.

Well, for a certain definition of "pony".

What I could see was shaped like a pony for the most part, but she—and I was fairly certain it was a she—had long, webbed spines where her mane should be, transitioning from a shimmering magenta at the base to a flaming red-orange at the tips. There were fins behind her jaw and on the backs of her forehooves, and to top it all off, she was a bright, luminescent green.

If I had eyes, they would be burning at the lack of subtlety in her color scheme. She might as well have been glowing, and I am not sure that was not already the case.

It has been ages since I last saw a merpony. The last time they came from their watery home was a dark age for Equestria, though the ponies thankfully dealt with the problem before the damage became irreparable.

“Cor, you’re a right pretty one, you are,” she said, poking at me with a hoof.

I reeled from the contact, if it was even possible. “Remove your hoof from me, mer!” I found myself mentally broadcasting.

Her eyes widened, and she leaned away from me with a gasp. “Oh, sorry!” she said quickly. “Was’at you? Didn’t mean t’ hurt’cha feelings, luv.”

I settled back, mentally filing away my ability to communicate telepathically to another quirk of my past life. “You are pardoned, for now,” I thought to her, “but I must ask that you afford me the respect I deserve.”

She carefully sidled back closer, once again swapping back to wonder. “Oooh, are you important? Wass’yer name?” The merpony suddenly gasped, pressing her hooves to her cheeks as she gushed. “Are you a Heart Gem?”

“A what?” I thought a little further. “And how do you know how to speak Equ—”

“A Heart Gem!” she chirped, setting her hooves down in front of her as if she were sitting at a table. “From the Great Crusade of the Songweavers?”

I sat there silently for a moment. “Explain.”

“Well see, long time ago, there were some real powerful mer who answered the call of the Heart Gems. Their voices were the stuff o’ legend, powerful enough to charm any creature with a single note, and when they bound to the Heart Gems, they ventured up to the surface world, past the nets and the ‘arpoons of the flesh-eating cat-birds where they brought enlightenment to the people of the surface!”

She paused there and scratched at her head with a hoof. “The whole thing gets a bit fuzzy after that, but apparently, the surface people weren’t too receptive of the whole ‘enlightenment’ business, so the Songweavers just kinda disappeared after that. The elders say that they left the forsaken people o’ the surface to wallow in their ‘eathenism to spread their song elsewhere.”

If I had eyes, I would be staring at her incredulously. That was… not exactly how I would describe the years of siren-induced destruction, infighting, and famine more than a millennium ago, but I suppose living at the bottom of the ocean does tend to color one’s perceptions.

“So, were you there?” she said, leaning in. “They told me the Heart Gems called to the Songweavers, but I never figured they actually talked!”

“I am quite certain I am no Heart Gem, mer, and I refuse to be called such! I am not a tool or some prophet of salvation! I am… am…”

I mentally kicked myself for flubbing up my tirade. Nothing like sudden introspection to ruin a perfectly fine self-righteous rant.

The merpony gasped again. “Oh dear, we ‘aven’t even introduced ourselves, ‘ave we?” She gestured to herself grandly with a hoof, straightening up in what she must have thought was a regal pose. “M’name’s Lilywater, but’chu can call me Lily! Wassyer name?”

I cleared my throat, in a manner of speaking. “My name is of no real importan—”

“Oh pish posh! I gots t’ call you somethin’, don’t I?” she said, a wide grin on her face. “Hmm, I’m gonna name you… ‘Crystal’!”

“That has got to be the most unoriginal name I have ever heard.”

“That’s not a no! I could always call you ‘Rocky’ if you prefer,” Lilywater said, sitting there staring at me with a massive grin on her face.

“…Just stick with Crystal.”

She scooped me up in a tight embrace, hugging me close to her scaly chest. “Oh Crystal, we’re gonna be the bes’ of friends, you an’ I!”

“I could do without the crushing intimacy, mer.”

“Ooh, sorry ‘bout that!” She held me out, still beaming at me. “Say, I know it’s a bit of an awkward question, but can I uhh… bond with you?”

“Absolutely not.” Admittedly, I would rather take being stuck with this insufferable merpony for a couple decades over another day alone with my thoughts, but I would rather not agree to this ‘bonding’ nonsense in case it happens to be like one of those blood pact agreements. Those never ended well, and if this was how that whole siren fiasco started, it would probably end with me getting banished too.

Lilywater’s entire posture seemed to deflate, and she looked at me with a forlorn expression. She seemed on the verge of tears, if that was even possible underwater. “B-but… ‘ow else can we go up t’ the surface?”

I blinked. Figuratively, of course. I had completely forgotten the whole reason I pinged her in the first place. I should not have let myself get carried away by her inane stories and whatever bullheaded dogma she was taught, however pitiful it was. This was my chance to finally go back.

This was my chance to take revenge on whoever did this to me.

I let out a confident chuckle. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, mer. I can take care of it,” I said, putting a touch of allure into my voice. “You will not need to bond to anything, much less me, to go to the surface.”

“Y-you’re serious?” Lilywater said with a sniffle. “The elders always said that I would die if I tried goin’ up there by m’self.”

“You will be able to survive up there. I can help you take your first steps onto the surface. Trust me.”

This was partially true. She would be able to breathe air, but not because of anything I do. I used to have a merpony friend myself about half a century before the sirens started their age of famine over Equestria, and he could breathe above water perfectly fine. With how long-lived the merponies were and how little they changed, I doubted that even a thousand years was enough to eradicate their amphibious nature, and even if it did, giving lungs to Lilywater was no great obstacle for me. Other than that, all I had to do was give her another pair of hooves and get rid of that bothersome tail of hers, and she would be set.

“Cor, you’re a real gem fer doin’ this fer me, Crystal!” Lilywater said, keeping a tight hold of me as she swam her way upwards.

Their elders were certainly lying to them. I am certain there is a whole story around why Lily of all merponies was so eager to leave her people and her home for the surface, but that was a can of worms I was not willing to open at the moment. Right now, I knew that if Lily could get me to the surface, I could go wherever I wanted, provided I pushed her a bit in the right direction. She seemed easy enough to manipulate, almost embarrassingly so.

There was just one little sticking point that was bothering me.

“Where did you learn Equuish, mer? I assume you did not acquire it at the behest of your elders.”

“Oh, I learned it from the dolphins!” she said with a giggle. “I’ve always wanted t’ go up, and I wanted to be prepared fer when I did, so I asked them to teach me ‘ow to talk to the surface ‘eathens. They even taught me how t’ ask for fish!”

And then she started chittering like a dolphin.

“Wait, hold on, stop. Dolphins know how to speak Equuish?”

This explained so much.

Chapter 5 — Smells Like Fish

NOW

Nymph

“Hey you! Get on the ground!” I snarled, glaring at the stallion in the alleyway.

The thug took one look back at me and my charged horn before immediately bolting in the other direction, his hooves a blur.

My eye twitched. I fired off my stun bolt, sending it streaming down after him, but he was already turning the corner, and it fizzled out on the brick behind him.

“You scumbag, get back here!” I shouted as I flew out of my apartment after him, leaving my door hanging open behind me. I leapt over the downed green pony, who was groaning pitifully in a heap of cardboard boxes to the side, and turned sharply at the T-intersection after the mysterious pony, skidding across the ground as I changed direction.

He hadn’t gone far, but he was still a considerable distance away. There were too few long stretches of space between and behind the apartments for me to line up a good shot if he kept weaving into the little side paths, so I kept galloping after him.

He was fast, probably faster than I was. Every time I turned a corner, he was already turning the next one, but I knew he was going to run out of space eventually. Either that, or the commotion was going to attract other guards to help chase him down. Already, ponies were peeking out of their windows to see what all the noise was.

I felt a pain in my chest, and I was already losing my breath quickly, much faster than I should have with a chase like this. I couldn’t have been that out of shape even with everything that happened, could I?

Panting heavily, I made a hard right and caught him scaling the brick wall that composed the outer perimeter of the apartment complex. I was sluggish as I readied up another shot, widening my stance to help steady my aim, but while I had inherited many things from myself, my aim under pressure or exhaustion still wasn’t quite up to my former self’s pinpoint accuracy. I clipped his leg with a stun bolt just as he passed over the wall, and he fell on the other side with a heavy thud.

I scowled, before galloping over to the wall after him. He may have been shocked for a moment, but earth ponies were known to shrug off a stun spell if they were only hit on an extremity. He’d be limping away if he recovered though, so I might be able to catch up to him.

My hooves scrabbled at the brick as I tried to scale the wall, and I barely managed to get a hoof hanging on the edge. I swung my other foreleg up and gritted my teeth as I pulled myself up over the ledge.

He was… gone.

Impossible. The alleyway led straight out into the street, which lunch rush had already filled with hungry bodies, but it was further than I expected him to go if I tagged him with a stun spell. I strained to get my back hooves up on the wall and hopped down to the ground, stumbling forward as my weaker left foreleg threatened to crumple under me.

I took in a deep breath, but found that I couldn’t quite catch it. Now that I had stopped racing forwards, the full extent of my exhaustion caught up to me, and I all but stumbled over to the alleyway opening. That was barely even worth being called a chase, yet my body disagreed, only half-listening to my demands.

I finally reached the end of the alley, and I craned my neck so I could sweep my eyes over the crowds. No disturbances. The crowd showed no signs of having been parted for a rushing body to slip through.

A shadow fell over me, and I jumped back with a sharp breath when Steel Blade came in for a sudden landing at my side. “What happened?” he said with a look of serious concern. “I heard you yelling and came over to investigate.”

I relaxed my posture and tried to slow my breathing. My body was still winded, but I had mostly recovered, even if it felt like little more than a tenuous reprieve. “Somepony got slugged right outside my condo. Looked pretty bad too. I was in pursuit, but I lost him here.”

Steel Blade’s brow furrowed. “Well, I didn’t spot him from the air. He might have just gotten away.”

I slipped into my empathy sense, staring blankly into the crowd. In a sea of apathetic minds, the one tasting strongly of anxiety and panic stood in sharp contrast. He was moving, but slowly, trying to make himself scarce in the river of moving bodies.

“Not quite yet,” I murmured, turning to follow my mental map. I maneuvered my way through the crowd, bumping into ponies left and right as I tried to navigate with only my empathy sense.

“Where’re you headed, Overwatch?” Steel Blade said as he pushed up after me. “You know where he went? I thought you lost him.”

He was nearby. I had managed to close the distance on him, but he was still ahead of me, and I couldn’t tell which pony was him.

“It’s just a feeling,” I replied, roughly bumping another pony as I slipped out of my empathy sense and scanned the crowd. “Call it a… mare’s intuition.”

“I… well alright…”

One of the ponies ahead tried looking behind him, and my eyes quickly tracked the movement. He turned his head forward abruptly and began moving faster.

“There, that one. The grey stallion with the navy mane.”

Steel Blade followed my line of sight to the thug and narrowed his eyes. “I see him,” he said, picking up the pace. “Hey! You!”

The grey stallion looked back briefly before bolting into a side alley, and Steel Blade exploded into the air after him, the ponies around him letting out surprised shouts at the sudden action.

“Guard business, outta the way!” I shouted as I wove through the crowd, shoving aside distracted ponies too busy gawking to figure out what was happening. I galloped down the alley after Steel Blade, who zipped his way between the narrow walls with practiced ease, using his hooves on the bricks as necessary to make sharp turns.

But our target proved just as elusive, and after a moment, I managed to catch up to Steel Blade, who flew in circles high above. His head moved side to side as he tried to catch wind of where our stallion had gone. I shuffled to a halt and leaned against a nearby wall, panting heavily once again. My shoulder was starting to act up too.

Steel Blade landed beside me. “Damn. Lost him. Pretty fast little bugger,” he said, before turning to me concernedly. “You really shouldn’t exerting yourself, you know.”

I shot him a glare, still taking deep breaths. “You… can’t tell me… what to do,” I said automatically, slipping into my empathy sense as I trudged through the back alley. “C’mon, the scent of fear… leads this way.”

He looked at me strangely, but followed me nonetheless as I turned another corner into a packed alleyway leading to the street. There wasn’t much in this particular pathway. A decent number of trash bags were piled onto the side of the building, along with a few discarded pieces of furniture and one large dumpster.

I let out a hum as I focused on the dumpster. It was live, the air around it as tense as the pony inside it was.

Easy.

I silently trotted over to it. Steel Blade realized my intention and quietly slid over to stand in front of the dumpster, taking a well-balanced stance before crouching like an unsprung trap.

“Three… two… one…” I mouthed out, before grabbing hold of the dumpster lid with my magic and flinging it open.

The thug sprang out, wielding a pair of brass hooves as he lunged at Steelie. Even expecting it, I flinched, but Steel Blade reared back onto his rear hooves, neatly arresting the thug’s forward motion with a quick two-hooved shove and pushing him back. Our attacker recovered quickly, but I stopped his next attack by slamming the cover of the dumpster down on his head, and he slid back into the metal box, the lid closing on top of him with a loud whump.

Steel Blade and I stood there silently for a moment, prepared for any future attempts on us, but the alleyway was quiet. Slowly, I came down from my high, and the sudden fit of angry determination that had propelled me out of my condo in the first place steadily ebbed away.

“Err…” I said carefully as I stepped over to the edge of the dumpster and slowly pried it open.

“I uhh…” Steel Blade cautiously ventured, looking in at the unconscious earth pony slumped atop a bed of black trash bags. “I think you might’ve hit him a bit too hard there, Overwatch.”

“I-is he okay?” I opened the lid the rest of the way and let it settle on the wall behind the dumpster. There weren’t any emotions other than the lingering taste of shock coming out of the dumpster, but I stepped back just in case.

Steel Blade reached in, hauling the body out and dragging him to an empty spot in the alley. “Well, he’s breathing. No bleeding or real sign of trauma, but there’s no telling how much you scrambled his brains.”

My lips twisted into a grimace. My control over my magic was still imperfect. I had only meant to disrupt the stallion a bit, but a hit meant to disrupt him usually doesn’t end with a massive dent in the metal lid of a dumpster. I had a basic knowledge of the magic and spells that Overwatch regularly utilized, but the fine tuning was still off. I would have to figure out my limits before I accidentally brained somepony with a disproportionately powerful bola shot.

Steel Blade gave me a comforting smile. “Don’t worry about it. We still have to bring him back to the guardhouse since he technically resisted arrest and assaulted a city guard, so we can have somepony look at him there. Make sure you get his brasses though. Can’t leave evidence behind.”

I nodded dumbly before levitating out the thug’s weapon. I made a face at the smell of the dumpster, closing it quickly after removing what I needed from it. “R-right,” I said, holding the horseshoes a little distance in front of me as I watched Steel Blade heft the sleeping thug onto his back. “Do these look like his size?”

He chuckled. “Seems good. C’mon, you said this guy assaulted somepony?” Steelie said, leading the way back through the labyrinthian alleys. “We should make sure everypony’s okay. Your condo’s on the way back anyways.”

“O-oh, alright then,” I said meekly. “You should get him back as quickly as possible though. Hard to say when he’ll wake up. I can get the witness report myself.”

He just nodded with a short “Mm-kay” before falling into silence. Despite the dank atmosphere clinging to my coat, retracing our steps certainly helped us avoid some of the attention we would have gotten if we had taken the streets, and any time away from crowds was time I was thankful for.

Still, we eventually had to venture out onto the main streets, and I trailed behind Steel Blade silently as he made his way through the lunch rush.

“Hey, Overwatch,” he said, and I reluctantly trotted up beside him. “How’d you get to chasing this guy anyways?”

“Oh, uhh…” I started, figuring out the best way to phrase it. “It’s not much more than what I’ve already told you. I caught him from my window whipping around to punch somepony behind him across the face, and I just kinda…”

“Started yelling and chasing after him?” Steelie said with a chuckle. “I wasn’t even two blocks away before I heard you screaming.”

I pouted. “S-sorry, I’m not usually like this.”

“Really? This is exactly the type of thing I expected from you,” he said with a wide grin. “You can get pretty intense with the right triggers.”

My ears perked up. This sounded like just the type of information I should take careful notes on. “Triggers? Like what?”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re kidding, right? You have the biggest hero complex I’ve ever seen. You charge in blindly any time you think somepony’s in trouble,” Steelie said, before turning to face forward again. “I swear, that kind of stuff’s going to get you killed one of these days.”

A hacking cough immediately ripped its way out of my throat, and a startled Steel Blade erupted in a cloud of feathers as his wings beat futilely against the unconscious pony on his back.

Crystal

“Lily?”

There was a groan from the green pony lying in the pile of cardboard boxes. Her legs twitched in the air.

I sighed as well as a makeshift necklace could sigh. “Lily.”

“…Yes, luv?”

“When I told you to avoid this neighborhood because of some shadowy elements, that was not an invitation to stick your face into his hoof.”

“You didn’ tell me he was a big fat meanie face!” Lily exclaimed, raising her head out of the cardboard boxes she rested in to glare at where I lay on her chest. “Wha’ kinda jerk starts a conversation with deckin’ somepony across the schnoz?”

“The kind of jerk who does not want to be called out for watching somepony,” I replied. “Can you please get up? I would rather not draw any more attention to ourselves, especially from the Royal Guard. We still need to find a hotel. Yes, we made it to Canterlot, but I would much rather spend my time here in some semblance of comfort, and I know you do too. I may be a gemstone, but I do not need a nose to tell you that you are starting to smell.”

Her head slumped back into the boxes. “Could it wait a bit then? I still cahn’t tell which way’s up.”

“Lily, we have already spent too much time sitting around doing nothing,” I said with a groan. “I still cannot believe you stayed conscious after a hit like that.”

“Course I did! Gots me a thick skull, I do.”

“Yes, you are unbelievably thick sometimes, but at least it is working in your favor here.”

I paused.

“So can we leave now? I would like to remind you that I am incapable of moving myself, and I think that other pony should be back soon—”

I fell silent. Very slowly, the sound of hoofsteps echoing across the pavement grew louder and louder until its source finally rounded the corner.

“Oh, she’s right where I left her,” the charcoal mare said. “I almost expected her to be back on her hooves by now.”

The white pegasus shrugged. On his back was the stallion I explicitly warned Lily about. “I don’t think we were gone for too long. Maybe a couple minutes at most.”

The mare raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? Felt longer.”

One of Lily’s legs twitched in the air.

“Uhh, are you sure she’s alright?” The stallion trotted over to Lily, who was still on her back in the pile of cardboard boxes, and poked her with a hoof. “You did say she got hit pretty hard.”

Lily lifted her head out of the boxes again, her eyes slowly focusing on the stallion in front of her. “I’m fine, luv, don’chu worry ‘bout me. Oh, and you got him! Good show!”

The charcoal mare cleared her throat into a hoof. “Excuse me, ma’am, but uhh…” She paused, her eyes flickering over to me briefly. “We need to take a witness report from you, as the… victim.”

“Really now?” Lily said brightly. “I’ve never ‘ad somepony take a witness report from me before. Wha’ can I do you for?”

“Well first, uhh…” The mare gestured at the boxes crushed under Lily’s body, “we should probably get you off those boxes and somewhere more comfortable.”

“Oh, that’s convenient! Crystal was jus’ talkin’ about finding us a comfy place to sleep,” Lily said, and she rolled off her makeshift cardboard bed and onto her hooves. She stumbled around a bit, making me swing to and fro from where I hung around her neck.

“I-I didn’t quite mean it that way, miss uhh…” The unicorn mare kept looking down at me, and I was starting to feel particularly self-conscious. Sure, the gemstone itself was beautiful, but Lily turned me into an impromptu necklace by tying a loop of string around me and then holding it in place with a lot of masking tape.

Lily finally managed to find her balance and stand reasonably upright. “Oh, m’name’s Lilywater!” she said. “Wassyer name?”

The mare was paying way too much attention to me. Alarm bells rang in my mind, and I quickly stifled my magical signature.

Instantly, the mare’s gaze darted down to me. “Uhh… Overwatch. Corporal Overwa—”

The charcoal mare let out a tiny yelp when Lily attacked her with a hug, pressing me tightly between their bodies. I bristled at the sudden contact, surrounded on all sides by fluff and tape, but I kept silent, waiting for Lily to stop being Lily.

The stallion just laughed. “Looks like you two are getting along perfectly fine. I’ll drop this guy into one of the holding cells and start filling out the paperwork,” he said, already making his way out the front gate. “Turn in your reports at the guardhouse when you’re done! And take your break already!”

“W-wait!” Overwatch squeaked, as rigid as a board in Lily’s embrace, though thankfully, Lily let the unicorn go before too long, flashing her a wide grin.

Overwatch returned a strained smile. “S-so… my apartment’s just over there. I just need to ask you a few questions,” she said, taking a few hesitant steps away from Lily before walking back to her still-open door.

Lily followed close after, beaming. “Oh, is this t’ make sure I’m a good tenant?” she asked. “I’m a super clean pony! You don’t need t’ worry ‘bout me.”

“I-it’s not quite like that, ma’am. It’s about your incident with the stallion,” Overwatch said as she pushed the door open a bit further and trotted inside. “Here, take a seat.”

Lily’s expression quickly contorted into a frown as she carefully slid into a chair at the singular table in the room, dumping her saddlebags onto the ground with a loud chink of metal. “Oh, that icky-face. Wha’d you need t’ know ‘bout him?”

Overwatch closed the door behind her and sat in the seat opposite, her nose wrinkling as she took in Lily’s ripe scent. “Well, we can start with a few basic questions,” she said, levitating an empty sheet of paper, a quill, and a bottle of ink out of the worn saddlebags leaning against the wall. “So, tell me about the events leading up to… you getting hit, ma’am. Miss Lilywater, was it?”

Her eyes flickered down to me again.

“Yep, but’chu can call me Lily!” Lilywater replied. “So the events leadin’ up to that? Well see, I’d just arrived in Canterlot on a big steamy metal thing, and I was walkin’ down the street lookin’ for a place t’ stay when Crystal told me t’ avoid a certain neighborhood ‘cause there was some jerkfaces hiding around there.

“So I went t’ thinkin’, ‘why would somepony want t’ hide around in a neighborhood for no good reason?’ so I went up and asked him and then he did a ‘whoosh’ and hoofed me!”

Overwatch stared blankly at Lily for a moment before dipping her quill into the ink bottle and jotting a few notes down. “I see, and could you tell me who this ‘Crystal’ is?”

“Lilywater, I swear, if you throw me under the bus, I am going to—”

Lily plopped me on the table in front of her. “Oh, this is Crystal! She’s been m’ best friend ever since I swam into Baltimare.”

“Uh huh.” Overwatch wrote down a few more things. “Um, I don’t know how to say this, but uhh… you know your necklace might be… alive, right?”

“O’course she is! ’Ow else could she help me learn about the surface world?”

Overwatch blinked. “Could you…”

“Oh stop dancing around the issue, changeling.”

I felt a little smugness when she shrieked, backing away from the table so quickly that she nearly fell over her own chair. “Wh-who are you?” she stammered out, staring at me like I was an alligator. “And how did you know I was a uhh…”

“A changeling? I thought it was fairly straightforward, and you can call me Crystal, exactly as Lily told you,” I said calmly, “Judging by the lack of scrolls or scholarly material in your humble abode, I presumed you were not some powerful pony wizard in hiding, and from that, I could think of only one civilized creature that could detect my existence. Your reaction only confirmed it.”

The temperature in the room fell drastically. “Have a seat, changeling.”

She carefully obeyed, scooting her chair back into its proper place. “H-how are you in the hivemind?”

I mentally shrugged, cursing my lack of a usable physical form. “The hivemind of the changelings has always been a thing of magic, intrinsic to the race itself. As I am little more than magic at this point, it is simple for me to access and use your hivemind to communicate. Do not be too concerned, however. It is a trick that I can replicate with Lily here, and she is most certainly not a changeling, let alone a pony.”

Overwatch’s eyes turned up to Lily in horror, who was humming absentmindedly to herself and bobbing to a beat.

“She is as harmless as she is thick. The only thing she really knows how to do is poke her nose where it does not belong and vaguely follow directions. It would be best if you consider her as… another subset of the ponies.”

“I… see?”

“Just roll with it. I have found attempting to understand Lily to be unduly stressful.”

“Uhh, okay.”

“Anyways, disregarding my companion, I would like to know a bit more about you. You may dispel your disguise,” I said, my tone more akin to a command than a request. I was curious about the presence of changelings in Canterlot, to say the least. A touch of authority was generally a good way to guide the direction of a conversation and pry out the information I wanted.

Overwatch looked distinctly uncomfortable, and she crossed her forelegs. “Why?”

“I am well aware of the implications of asking a changeling to drop their disguise, but know that I do not wish any harm upon you.” I carefully let my emotional signature flow out again. Hopefully, a gesture of sincerity would help convince her. “I am merely curious. Long-time infiltrators tend to take acting like their masks to an almost subconscious level, and I find that speaking to their true selves gives a much better picture of who they are inside. We are quite safe here. For the sake of this conversation, I ask that you dispel your disguise of your own volition.”

She stayed silent, staring at me as if trying to see through whatever deception might be there, but after a lengthy period of silence, she breathed out a sigh and enveloped herself in green flames, leaving behind an unusually young female changeling. She lost about half a head’s height with her transformation, and the table was now a bit high for her, though with how she was acting, she might have been trying to sink under the table.

“Name and position?”

“Nym—” She quickly stifled the rest of her answer, but I noticed she straightened up as she was saying it, clearly well taught despite her age. Apparently responded well to authority too, though perhaps a bit too young to be properly skeptical of what authority to obey.

“You may choose to skip your name if you are uncomfortable, but I would at the very least like to know your role within the hive. I am well versed in hive hierarchy, and it would save me the trouble of deducing it myself. Of course, I could always just assume you are some talentless nymph and we can proceed from there.”

She sat just a little bit taller, though the effect was diminished by the table still being too high for her. It appeared her pride was a flaw I could potentially exploit later. “Well, you’re wrong there, ma’am. I used to be a ranger, but I’m serving in Canterlot as an infiltrator.”

“A ranger? Those relics? I thought those were all but gone. I certainly would have gotten rid of them,” I said. It was already unusual to send a changeling so young into the pony world, but to train a female in anything except love collecting or hive maintenance was even more unusual. “You said you were an infiltrator. What is your assignment here?”

Overwatch paused, fidgeting with the scarf around her neck, now much too oversized for her smaller body. She could literally bury her head in it if she wished. “I’m… not too sure about that. I was simply told that I had taken the place of one of the ponies they were planning to replace since I cast a memory spell, and that I was working with them now. They still haven’t told me what my purpose is.”

If I was not interested before, I certainly was now. Too many things were not adding up, and there was too much being left unspoken. She was being vague, and I suspected she knew little more than she was already revealing. I would have to get the exact circumstances around her reassignment later.

The memory spell she mentioned disturbed me. I had a feeling Canterlot was going to be important even when I sat at the bottom of Horseshoe Bay back in Baltimare, and something about this was starting to smell very fishy.

Something other than Lily.

“Cor, you ‘ave two bedrooms?” a cheerful voice called out from the adjacent hallway. “Who else is sleepin’ here?”

Overwatch let out another yelp, twisting around to look at the green pony. “J-just me, but you’re not supposed to… How did…” Her head swiveled back and forth between the merpony and the empty chair across from her.

“Ahh, so you have an extra room, do you?” I plowed forward. “How much to rent it out?”

“Wha? But i-it’s not for rent!”

“Money is not an issue,” I reassured. “Lily! Get back here and throw our saddlebags on the table so that I may better state my point.”

“Awww, but have you seen the bathtub here? It’s huuuge!” Lily whined, but she came back anyways, lifting up her bags with her mouth and tossing them onto the table, very nearly missing me. It fell with the same rattling metal chink as before, and I watched with amusement as Overwatch’s eyes widened in sudden realization.

“Yes, I mentioned earlier that Lily is very good at following instructions. Turns out, there are quite a few gamblers in the casinos all too eager to take advantage of a poor, ignorant mare like Lily. Rather unfortunate that they are so unpracticed at keeping their own excitement under check, so I gave Lily a few pointers, and well… Their emotions were very easy to read, enough that a changeling like you could theoretically do just the same.”

“Whoa whoa, hold on,” Overwatch said. “I never said anything about how the room was for rent. It used to be my parents’, and—”

“Lily will not move a single thing in that room, believe me.”

“B-but—”

“You have nothing to fear from us, and we will try not to get in your way too much. I would very much like to have this room without having to resort to more underhooved tactics.”

“I uhh, well…” She finally let out a groan, mumbling into her scarf. “Fine, I guess you can…”

“Excellent! I can start laying down our payment plan. Now, you needed to turn in a witness report for Lily’s accident with that stallion, did you not? I can speak with Lily about our arrangement in the meantime.”

“Well, okay then.” Overwatch pouted, but trotted over to the bathroom before reapplying her disguise. I noticed it took her a few tries to completely remove all traces of her being a changeling.

When she trudged out again, I called to her. “Overwatch.”

She looked at me, a hint of a slouch in her posture, but she straightened up a bit as she approached me.

“I realize that I may have been very forceful in pushing for my extended stay here, but I must emphasize that I will not hurt you or your hive. I have… a personal interest in Canterlot, and while I cannot tell you exactly what it is, I believe your room here will provide me a unique vantage point with which to observe it. I wish for nothing else but to get along with you, Overwatch, and I hope you can try to relax around me and Lily.”

A little diplomacy can go a long way, and I did not wish to deal with the potential problems Overwatch’s trepidation could present. Best to endear myself and Lily to her now before she is tempted to act against my cause, whatever it may happen to be. I pushed her into agreeing to let me stay, but if I wanted to cement my residency, I needed to tread carefully.

I noted with some satisfaction as she gave me a wan smile. “I’ll try, Crystal,” Overwatch said as she trotted over to her door and opened it. “I’ll try to be back soon after I get all the paperwork done. It shouldn’t take too long, but reports sometimes take up more time than anypony expects. See ya soon!”

“Farewell then, Overwatch.”

The door closed behind her, and there was a soft click of the lock. Now, I had to deal with the other issue.

“Lily, get your head out of the refrigerator and take a bath already.”

Chapter 6 — Tastes Like Turpentine and Donuts

Myiasis

Already? I gave you your last orders only yesterday. What happened? You contacted the usual thugs, did you not? Black Ice’s adorable little gang?

We did, My Queen, but they were found out soon after the target reached her home.

They were ousted so quickly? How? What did Overwatch do?

Overwatch did nothing, as far as we could tell. We detected a hint of alarm and anxiety from her condo, but nothing that would condemn her as a changeling. They were suspicious, but Overwatch has shown to be reserved and socially awkward since arriving in Canterlot, and her anxiety could be a result of post-traumatic stress rather than an empathic detection of Mr. Ice.

That was all the reaction we got out of Overwatch?

Yes, My Queen. Overwatch’s attention was drawn to Mr. Ice when he assaulted a pony who surprised him, and he was subsequently chased down and arrested.

Disappointing. I was hoping to get something more incriminating out of Overwatch before he was caught, but he was ultimately a disposable asset. You say he was surprised by a pony? He was always boasting about his ability to stay hidden, and he has not given me reason to doubt him until now. Who was this pony? Show me. Do we have anything on them?

No, we do not. The pony’s name is Lilywater. She appears to be unaffiliated with Overwatch prior to Mr. Ice’s arrest. It sounded like she only arrived in Canterlot recently since she was looking for a place to stay. She has not left Overwatch’s apartment yet, so it is likely she already found residence with Overwatch.

That sounds suspicious though, does it not? An unknown pony comes out of nowhere and suddenly, little Overwatch gets over her social anxiety enough to let her stay?

It does, My Queen, but until we can get hard proof, all we have are suspicions.

Fair enough. Keep a spare changeling trailing her, but nothing overt. Our gambit failed, and Overwatch will be on alert if she is indeed a changeling. Let her relax her guard for a bit while we try another method of approach. The Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow. Make sure everything is in order.

Yes, My Queen.

Nymph

I learned quickly that my past self had the deplorable habit of waking up at exactly the same uncelestial hour every single morning. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn Overwatch had set up a system of mirrors right outside my window so the sun would shine straight into my eyes at exactly seven o’clock each day.

I drew the covers over my head, but the moment was already ruined. The room had already reached a state of brightness in which any attempts to fall back asleep would only eke out measly ten-minute naps, leaving me more exhausted than if I had just gotten up like a responsible… adult. I tossed the covers to the side with a groan and rubbed a bit of the crust out of my eyes. With a great heave, I managed to roll into a reasonably upright standing position next to my bed before ambling out, my hooves dragging along the carpet.

Despite having as much vision as a bat in broad daylight, I managed to make it to my bathroom safely, and I stared at myself in the mirror. My mane was having trouble understanding the concept of gravity, and my fur was starting to look oily and unkempt. Did I take a shower yesterday? No, I don’t suppose I did. It was already late when I got back from the guardhouse, and I wasn’t in the mood to do much more than brush my teeth and go to bed.

That reminded me, I should really figure out where the local library was. Story time before sleepy-sleepy had always been a core part of my hive lifestyle, and I wasn’t going to give that up just because I moved halfway across Equestria.

“Morning. You look like you have seen better days.”

“Morning,” I mumbled out automatically, my eyes still half shut. It took a moment before my toaster-powered brain finally registered Crystal lying off to the side, patiently sitting on the bathroom counter. “Wait, what’re you doing here?”

“Waiting for somepony to wake up.”

“Ahh, well, you’re going to have to wait on that one. Shower first, talk later.”

“I might recommend waking up before—”

“Noted. By the way, you’re waiting outside until I can figure out how to stop looking like I just crawled out from under a rock.” I levitated Crystal out of the bathroom, setting her down to the side and out of view before closing the door.

I trudged to my bathtub, my mind still making feeble attempts at waking up as I swept aside the shower curtain. My hoof dipped into the water, making little swirling patterns as I tested the temperature.

Wait.

My brow knit together. When did I fill this thing?

Crystal

Three.

Two.

One…

There was an ear-piercing shriek, and I chortled to myself as the noises coming from the bathroom devolved into a mess of splashes and yelling. The door opened abruptly, and Overwatch scrambled out until her back hit the wall on the other side of the hallway with a dull thud.

Another splash from inside. “A good mornin’ t’ you too, luv’! ’Ow’re you doin’ t’day?”

“By the ever-changing sands!” Overwatch screamed, nearly hyperventilating as she stared into her bathroom. “Why are you sleeping in my bathtub!?”

“Good morning again, Miss Overwatch. Are you awake yet?”

Her face hardened with determination, and she narrowed her eyes. “Alright, enough of this nonsense,” she said, standing back up onto her hooves and stomping into the bathroom. “Out! Out! You’ve been hogging the shower for too long!”

There was some particularly vigorous splashing and more giggling from Lily, who was promptly levitated out of the bathroom and deposited right onto the carpet, still dripping wet. A bright flower-print towel flew out after her, wrapping itself around her head and muzzle, and the door slammed shut behind her.

Still tittering quietly to herself, Lily wriggled upright, her broad, fan-shaped tail flopping around as she wrapped the towel around her waist. “Ooh, that was fun!” she said as she picked me up. “I never knew surface ’eathens were so grumpy in the mornings!”

I sighed.

Nymph

I grumbled as I levitated over a scoop of fresh coffee grounds and a large cup of water, pouring them into the appropriate receptacles in the coffee machine. With a flick of my magic, I shut the lid and jabbed the on button.

“I did warn you.”

“‘Maybe you should wake up first’ does not at all warn me about finding somepony sleeping where nopony should be sleeping, nor does it tell me to expect my newest tenant to be half fish,” I said as I paced around my kitchen, shooting glares at the other pony sitting at my table. “Seriously, she weighs at least as much as two earth ponies!”

Lily, who was currently an earth pony, just smiled back, bobbing from side to side in rhythm with the disgustingly catchy tune she was humming.

“Well, the mer are a fairly heavy species. I think I mentioned it yesterday, but you were a bit out of sorts when I brought it up.”

The coffee machine was brought up to a boil, and the dark brown beverage soon began dripping into the pot beneath. I stopped before it, staring intently at the steadily filling coffee pot as I tapped my hoof impatiently on the kitchen tile.

“The only thing I remember you telling me was that she was to be considered a subset of pony.”

“I said a little more after you returned, but it is true, is it not? It just happens to be a subset that has not openly appeared in Equestria for a good thousand years or so.”

I shot a glare at Crystal, who was lying on the table at her own seat, an empty plate in front of her. “Well, I’m just confused as to why you didn’t flat out tell me that Lilywater was a Tartarus-damned merpony!”

I noticed with horror that my hoof was tapping to the same beat as Lilywater’s humming, and I stubbornly adjusted my tapping, trying to break the rhythm it had settled into.

“I did not think it especially important at the time. I was a bit more distracted keeping Lily from pillaging the fridge, which was thankfully fairly empty.”

The coffee machine dinged, signalling the completion of its sole mission in life. I swept the pot out from under it and immediately began pouring out a mug. As I passed the fridge on the way to the dining table, I levitated out a carton of milk and poured a small fraction into my mug to turn it from a black pit of Tartarus and into a softer, creamier color.

I sat across from Crystal, still glaring at her as I finally took a sip from my long-awaited coffee.

It was at that moment I promptly discovered that while coffee may have agreed with Overwatch, it certainly did not agree with me, and with a face that wouldn’t look out of place on a choking restaurant patron, I barely restrained myself from spewing the contents of my mouth over my dinner table and gulped it down.

I stared down at the mug in disgust. “How in Equestria does anypony drink this stuff? It’s revolting.”

“Judging by the habits of many of the ponies I run into, very easily.”

“Oooh, I ’aven’t tried me this drink b’fore! I’ll take that cuppa off you if you’re not gonna take it.”

I quickly scooted the steaming mug over to her. “Suit yourself,” I said as I stood back up and trotted over to my pantry. “Surely there’s something to eat in here.”

“Perhaps. Last time Lily stuck her head in there, she informed me that you were running out of… everything.”

She wasn’t wrong. My brow furrowed together as I looked at the bare shelves. There was a carton of cereal with an expiration date of at least three months ago and a few cans of various sauces and soup mixes. A few bundles of pasta sat to the side, still in their packaging, so there was always a fallback plan in case I ran out of everything else, but beyond a dust bunny or two in the back, my pantry was empty.

“Hey, this stuff tastes like turpentine, except without the awfulness!”

“I am mildly concerned you know what turpentine tastes like.”

I rubbed my forehead and groaned.

Feeling a bit apathetic, I levitated out the half-empty cereal box and a bowl from the washing machine and trotted back to the dining table, where my carton of milk still sat. Surely, Frosted Oats were still edible this far past the expiration date.

“Tomorrow is the Summer Sun Celebration, correct?” Crystal said.

“It is, isn’t it,” I said as I carefully poured out a thin layer of cereal into my bowl of milk. “Well, I’m not going out. It’s just some silly pony holiday anyways.”

“On the contrary, Overwatch, it sounds like a perfect reason to go out,” she replied in an all-too-reasonable voice. “We will not get an opportunity to go shopping when all the stores are closed tomorrow.”

I grumbled again. I forgot ponies liked to take days off on holidays. “Well, I guess we can go to the market,” I said, shoving a spoon of oats into my mouth. It was a bit stale, like the taste of boredom, but it wasn’t particularly bad. “Anything else we need besides… food?”

“Ooh!” Lily said, jumping in her seat. “I heard there was a place we can get fish! Can we go? Huh?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Where’d you hear that? I don’t think any of the markets around here sell fish. There might be a pet store nearby, but I’m not in the mood to haul a fish tank home.”

“I believe Lily means fish for consumption, and while we may not find any of those around here, we could always take a look in the griffon neighborhood.”

Ahh, right. Griffons do, in fact, occasionally eat fish. I sighed before filling my mouth with more oats. “Fine, we’ll pay a visit to the griffons, but not until we find the local library here.”

“The local library? For what reason do you have in checking out books?”

“No reason. I just… like to have the occasional novel to pass the time.”

“Ahh, I see. I thought for a moment you needed to do some research, but I forget you are younger than you appear.”

I pouted, narrowing my eyes at her. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“That I was not expecting anyone to use the library to check out fiction. I have always considered the library to be a repository of knowledge rather than of entertainment. It has been quite a while since I have even considered wandering into the fiction section.”

“Hold on a second,” I said, swallowing my latest mouthful of stale cereal, “how old are you anyways? I-if you know, I mean. As a… possessed gemstone thing.” I coughed. “No offense.”

“I applaud you for your magnificent attempt to earn my everlasting ire, but in all seriousness,” Crystal said, a hint of a smug smirk in her words, “I am very old. I remember seeing Celestia back when Equestria was no more than a collection of homeless ponies desperately trying to survive the Winter Famine.”

My brow furrowed. “Wasn’t that…”

“More than a thousand years ago? Yes. Celestia was fairly young back then, but despite all odds, she grew into quite the impressive leader.”

I blinked. “Wow, is that… respect?”

“Speaking as a former leader, it is difficult not to have a modicum of respect for the near thousand year ruler of one of the most prosperous nations on the planet. You will know what I mean when you see her yourself at the Summer Sun Celebration. It is quite the spectacle, even if it is a ‘silly pony holiday’.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever,” I replied before raising the bowl to my mouth and draining the rest of the faintly sweet milk.

With a few quick steps, I dropped the bowl into the sink and levitated over my saddlebags. “C’mon, we should go now. The morning rush hour should have petered out by now, and the streets’ll be way less crowded.”

“Sounds like a plan, luv’!” Lily said, leaving her empty mug on the table as she grabbed up Crystal and hung the taped gemstone around her neck.

As I riffled through my saddlebags, I mused as to how many bits I should bring and how much space I should leave for any purchases. Lily had no such issues, taking up her own bloated saddlebags and tossing them onto her back with an impressive display of sheer neck strength. They fell with a heavy chink as they settled on her back.

I stared at her.

And then I promptly emptied my saddlebags.

The streets were indeed starting to clear a bit. There were still plenty of ponies trotting here and there, the last few remnants of the morning commute slogging their way to work, but the crowd had thinned enough to allow me to walk in a straight line relatively unimpeded. Good thing too, because I was leaving my hooves to do the walking while I ran yesterday’s… discussion with my newest tenants through my mind.

I took a sidelong glance at the red gemstone bobbing around Lily’s neck. Crystal was, to put it simply, an unknown. Perhaps not a harmful unknown—her display of emotion convinced me she sincerely believed what she was saying—but a huge question mark regardless. A part of me still thought of Crystal as some sort of sealed evil in a can, existing purely to destroy my life. It wouldn’t be hard to rationalize it either. A voice living inside of a gemstone who can access the hivelink? And one who also happened to know the intimate workings of a changeling hive?

One who just bulldozed her way into the room right across from where I slept?

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. My empathy sense kept telling me she was sincere, and she sounded so in control half the time. Crystal had a very authoritative feel to her words, and with all the trouble I had keeping up with the new developments in my life, I must have latched onto her like the nymph I was. I was supposed to be some fledgling ranger ready to venture out into Equestria, but instead, I was told rangers were worthless and that I should be thankful to come out sentient from a solo-cast memory spell so I could be an infiltrator in Canterlot.

I breathed out a forlorn sigh. I wasn’t prepared for this. I was too young to try something like this, yet I wasn’t sure I even had a choice in the matter. It felt like I was dancing on quicksand, scrambling around to even get my bearings straight. Whatever I picked up from my pony self was already dragging me around and putting words into my mouth without warning, and yet, my old nebulous instincts were the only thing I had to guide me around this strange, familiar city.

My hooves rounded the corner onto one of the more crowded marketplaces. Without looking, I knew that I had entered the Sunlight Plaza simply because the texture of the road changed. Aromas of freshly prepared pastas and quick, cheap hayburgers wafted through the air, mixing well with the general feel of energy floating around. This was one of the streets closer to the guardhouse, one I patrolled often. Many of the fast food joints and breakfast stands were emptying out, but already, faces popped out from the crowd. Names escaped me, but these ponies came here so often and so regularly, I couldn’t help but think they were part of the landscape. I trotted past them briskly, thankful they didn’t immediately recognize what I looked like outside of the illusion enchantments on the guard armor. Until I could get my hooves under me, I wanted to stay away from pony interaction as much as possible, especially if they led to conversations I would need to start with, “So what was your name again?”

I sighed again. Another reminder that I didn’t belong here in this role, like the unwelcome taste of pungent ginger root in a freshly baked cake. I was still a nymph in a world full of queens. With how uncertain I was in solidifying my place in pony culture, a personality like Crystal sweeping into my life was probably the most stabilizing thing that has happened to me. Was I a doormat for letting Crystal into my life so easily? Probably. The pitiful resistance I put up yesterday had been effortlessly swept away by Crystal’s confidence and sympathetic words. My defense was already little more than a front when she stopped hiding her emotions, and her way of speaking only sealed the deal afterwards. In the end, the only information I kept from her was my real name, but was that really any sort of victory? What was the point of keeping my name from her when she was already a step away from knowing who I was anyways?

My ear twitched, and I looked up, narrowing my eyes at the rooftops. I had the most peculiar sensation of being followed…

“Ooh, was’sis place sell?” Lily exclaimed, her sharp tones cutting into my thoughts. “What’re these things? Can we get one?”

“Lily, those are locks. They are for keeping ponies like you away from things they should not be touching.”

Crystal paused.

“Actually, I believe we could benefit from purchasing some of these. Overwatch, we require your bags.”

I hung my head with a huff, stopping in the middle of the road before turning to where Lily had her face pressed against the glass. “Right. Coming.”

I could already feel my back aching.

I really couldn’t pull my eyes away. It was like watching a slow-motion train wreck, except without a whole bunch of metal wrapping itself into a knot and a tiny bit more guilt.

Seriously, how do they make fabric do that?

“Hey, wha’cha lookin’ at?”

I jolted back to my senses, looking away from the window display with a blush on my face. “Nothing! Nothing at all!”

“Was’sis? A lingerie store?”

“Oh ho, a lingerie store?” I could almost hear the purr in Crystal’s voice. “It is amazing what some ponies can do with fabric. I completely understand why you would be staring, dear Overwatch.”

“I-it’s not that!” I stammered out. My face had heated up spectacularly quickly. “I’m just amazed that ponies are silly enough to turn fabric and sexiness into a science.”

“Anything can be made a science if you try hard enough. Why, if you look at how closely the silky lace follows the curve of the—”

“Stop it, I’m underage! I shouldn’t be thinking about this kind of stuff!”

“Curses. Here, I was hoping on corrupting your poor innocent mind.”

“Can we just go buy some groceries already?”

“No, Lily. Put that down.”

“Awww, but why?”

“We are not buying fifty kilograms worth of seaweed. I’m not even sure you could finish it before it goes bad.”

“If I might interject, she might be able to finish it in a day.”

I shot a glare at Crystal.

“I have personally witnessed Lilywater consuming her own body weight in greasy foods and fish. Granted, such an event does not happen very often, but I am not certain she is capable of overeating by our standards.”

“...Let me rephrase then. I am not carrying fifty kilograms worth of seaweed for Lilywater before we have even seen the rest of the market, checked out my night time reading, or purchased the fish only she will end up eating anyways.”

“Cor, yer right! We still ’aven’t seen the fish yet!” Lily interjected, bumping the multiple bags of seaweed back onto the shelves. “Where’re these ‘griffon’ neighborhoods you two were talkin’ about?”

I blinked. “Actually, I’m not sure. We’re probably going to have to ask about that…”

“Lily, please remove yourself from Overwatch.”

“B-b-but… cat-birds! Flesh-eating cat-birds!”

“I-I can’t feel my legs anymore. I think they’ve finally given up on getting blood.”

“Lilywater, you look exactly the same as any other pony here. Griffons these days swear off of meat that talks. Calm yourself before you attract an even bigger crowd.”

“B-but what about the nets and the harpoons?”

“Lily, if you do not get off of our host right this moment and apologize, I will turn you back into a fish!”

Lily gasped, popping off of me in a hurry and standing at attention. “O-oh, my bad there, luv! Didn’ mean t’ latch onta you like that.”

“I-it’s fine.” I carefully stood back onto my wobbly legs, shooting a grateful look to the gemstone dangling from Lily’s neck. “I err… thanks.”

“Do not mention it. However I recommend we pick up a few candles for Lily before we depart for the day. I have noticed that she has taken up an unusual fondness for fire, and I fear the worst if that fondness is left unsatisfied.”

I groaned, shifting my already overloaded saddlebags. There were at least two weeks of food between Lily’s saddlebags and mine. The only real difference was that she was also lugging around a small fortune in mostly gold coins. I would almost feel bad if her muscles weren’t so much denser than mine. Living under the sea for all of one’s life must have done wonders for her endurance.

I looked up at the afternoon sun, already past its peak in the sky. “Could we do that after we get something to eat? It’d be good if I could figure out where the best food in Canterlot is,” I said, scanning the area. “Although admittedly, looking around the griffon neighborhoods isn’t exactly the best place to start. What does Lily eat anyways, besides fish?”

“She will eat anything. At this point, it’s quickly approaching tourist levels of ‘I want to try everything.’”

“Yep! I’m all fer tryin’ something new. Seafood’s nice and all, but I’ve already had that fer so long I kinda want something new every so often.”

“Hmm… Well, I heard there was that new donut shop up near the castle.”

“Ooh, I ’aven’t ’ad a ‘donut’ yet. What’re they?”

“They’re like little rings of really fluffy dough covered in frosting and sprinkles.”

“What’re sprinkles? And frosting?”

“Sprinkles are the tiny sugary things you sprinkle on the other sugar thing and—oh forget it, let’s just go. The sooner we eat, the sooner I can apply for a library card.”

“Oooh, can I apply for a library card too?”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’re you planning on checking out from the library?”

“I don’t know! I jus’ assumed I’d figure that out when I get there.”

I rolled my eyes. “Right, let’s just go through this step by step then. We’ll figure everything out over a couple chocolate smothered frosted donuts. Chocolate tastes like love, and according to pony fiction, love conquers all, so having more chocolate means we can conquer more things, right?”

“Cor, I never woulda thought of it tha’ way!”

“Let’s go before I really think about what I just said.”

“Mr. Joe, I can completely assure you that this is entirely normal,” I said, before whispering out the corner of my mouth to the crystal lying on the table. “This is normal, right?”

The young donut shop owner stared at Lily, his mouth cycling through a variety of shapes as if trying to figure out something to say. To be completely fair, I would probably be doing the same if I hadn’t been warned about this beforehoof.

“Wow, these are really good!” Lily said through a full mouth, a party platter of donuts in front of her. “How do you make these?”

“With an oven and lots of love, ma’am.”

“You made these with love?” I said before taking another bite of my singular donut. “That explains why they’re so filling.”

Donut Joe straightened up proudly and thumped a hoof to his chest. “Of course I do! That’s why Donut Joe’s Donut Emporium is the best donut shop in all of Canterlot! Go nuts with donuts!” the stallion said, beaming. “I’ll leave you two to it then. Call me over if you need anything. Perhaps some coffee to wash it down?”

I grimaced. “No, we’re fine.”

“Alright then! Enjoy!” he said, before hopping away with youthful energy.

I bent down to Crystal, looking cautiously around the half-full diner before whispering, “Ponies can put love in their food?”

“Yes and no,” she replied, sounding more like a patient teacher than the strict leader. “It depends on what you define as ‘love’. Though it is generally referred to as ‘love’ by changelings, it is actually just magical energy drained using the prey’s emotions as a bridge. The fact that a bridge created from love allows for the most efficient transference and highest quality of magic led to the colloquialism of calling it ‘love’.”

I blinked. “Wait, really? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“I am not surprised. It is generally taught to love collectors rather than rangers.”

“So what about ponies putting ‘love’ into their food?”

“It is not just present on food. Some of the better craftsponies tend to put a little of their magic into the things they create. The phrase ‘to pour your heart into something’ was actually derived from changeling slang a long time ago.”

“Why can’t changelings do that? I don’t remember my broodmother making anything this good.”

“Because for a changeling, magic is much more intrinsic to their being. Changeling magic is difficult to transfer and does not regenerate on its own. It is why they have to drain magic to survive in the first place.”

I pouted, nibbling on what was left of my chocolate covered pastry. “That doesn’t seem fair at all.”

“I like to think of it as a generally good tradeoff for being able to fly and use magic at the same time.”

“I suppose,” I grumbled as I stretched out my wingless pony back. “Well, I guess I learned something new today.”

“It is good to learn things. Fools often do not learn until it is too late,” Crystal said sagely. “Though I recommend stopping Lily soon before we also learn what the lethal dose of frosting and sprinkles is.”

I trotted happily out of the library with a spring to my step, a nice collection of young adult books by Prat’trot firmly squeezed into my saddlebags right beside a bundle of celery and about five kilograms of chocolate.

Lily had also checked a few books out, surprisingly enough, though I wasn’t interested enough to ask what they were. I was honestly more concerned about the bulging seams on her saddlebags than what her flighty curiosity had turned its focus towards this time.

The day was already nearing its end, and the sun hung low on the horizon. Soon, as the moon approached its peak in the sky, the Midsummer’s Night festivities would start, lasting all the way until sunrise the next day when the real Summer Sun Celebration began.

Not particularly wanting to be caught out when the streets filled with partygoers, I ushered Lily back to the apartment quickly, and we both dropped our saddlebags down into the kitchen. Despite the sheer number of bits she spent in addition to the share paid to me for rent, Lily’s bags still managed to outweigh mine by a significant margin, so it was a bit surprising she still had the energy to put a bounce to her step when she took a book and a bundle out of her saddlebags back to her spot at the dining table.

I turned to my fridge and opened the rest of the bags with magic. The refrigeration spell many shop owners keep on their chilled products lasted the entire day, neatly preventing any spoilage until I could place them into the cool embrace of my own fridge. Good thing too. I didn’t want anything more than Lily making the apartment smell like fish.

It took a little packing, but I managed to squeeze everything into the tiny space. I hadn’t really learned how to cook back at the hive and Overwatch herself had a rather limited knowledge of recipes involving more than “put everything into a pot and boil”, but Crystal offered to teach me a few of the things she knew, of which she knew a lot. I was at first hesitant about cooking for myself, but after Crystal pointed out that Lily could eat literally anything I threw at her, I decided to go for it.

I was already finishing stocking the dry foods into the pantry, carefully sorting out everything into neat little sections. It felt good to be neat, and I nodded with approval at the cleanliness of it all.

By the end of it all, there was nothing left save for the clump of novels in my saddlebags and a not-insignificant-but-still-heavily-diminished bag of bits in Lily’s. I carried my bags back to my room and placed them carefully on the bed before I returned to the dining room.

Lily had an open book propped up against an unlit candle in front of her. The large assortment of locks she had purchased was also laid out across the table, and she had what appeared to be thin pieces of metal on a velvet cloth.

My brow furrowed, and for the first time, I actually looked at the title of her book.

“Why do you have a book titled Lockpicking for Eggheads?”

“So silly ponies can’t keep me outta places I shouldn’t be in!”

I resisted the urge to rub my forehead and settled for a simple sigh. “Okay, well, we went out and got everything we needed. Was there anything else that needs my attention, or can I go ahead and sleep through the celebration?”

“Not in particular, but I do have something to ask you,” Crystal said, much to my disappointment. “You know the stallion who punched out Lily?”

I nodded carefully. I wasn’t sure I liked where this was going.

“Was he following you?”

“Maybe? I have my suspicions. Why?”

“You know there was someone else following you today?”

I stared back, my eyes widening. “What? Who? How’d you know?”

“It’s subtle, but there was a presence from which it was slightly more difficult to absorb magic from.” I opened my mouth, but she was quick to cut me off. “Yes, I was leeching ambient energy, but that is not the point. It was difficult to pinpoint, but there was a consistent sign that there was a changeling around us as we were wandering around.”

My brow furrowed. “How come you didn’t tell me earlier?”

“Because you would have changed your own emotional signature had I informed you, and then our little stalker would have suspected something. Until you learn to control your emotions, I believed this was the best time to bring it up.”

I let out a harrumph, but a new thought wormed its way into my mind and I took a sharp breath. “Wait, do you think they know about you? If I can detect you, and they caught me talking to a ruby necklace—”

“Technically, I am a red beryl. Much rarer, as much as it matters. As for your concerns, Lily spoke enough that it was possible you were simply conversing with her. As far as detecting me, I find it… unlikely. Ever since our first encounter, I have been keeping my emotional signature at a minimal level. Unless our follower is as sensitive as a ranger and as close to me as you have been, I believe my existence is still a secret.”

I allowed myself a breath of relief, but my gut still churned. “Well, what do we do now?”

“As of now? Unless we have a plan, I suggest we act as normal.”

I trotted over to the dining table where Crystal rested and slumped back into a seat. “And what does that mean?”

“Just act as Overwatch would.”

I let out a frustrated groan, letting my head fall with a heavy thud on the table. There was a short pause. “Do you think Overwatch would go to the Summer Sun Celebration?”

“I would bet that she would, especially considering that she was a Royal Guard.”

My head lifted slightly before hitting the table again. “I hate that you’re right.” I straightened up quickly. “So, I’m staying up through the night then.”

“To be fair, you would not have been able to sleep with the partying going on anyways. You do have a room right next to the streets,” she said calmly. “If you so desire, you may stay and learn how to pick locks with Lily. It is quite a useful skill to have as an infiltrator, and I have no doubt you would be using it in the future.”

I considered the mess of locks spread out over the table, from the book still propped open to the full set of lockpicks lying across their sound-muffling velvet cloth. Finally, I looked up into Lilywater’s beaming face as she hummed a jaunty tune.

A sigh. “I suppose.”

It really was a catchy song.

Chapter 7 — Midsummer Night

Nymph

The stupid, stubborn lock sat silently on the table, its mere existence mocking me and my sheer inability to unlock it. I had gone through most of the other locks each within a couple minutes—some of which I had trouble believing I took more than a few seconds on—but this one was a nightmare. The little tumblers on the inside were nearly silent, and I could have sworn that the correct placement of the pins changed each time I made an attempt.

The worst part was that Lily finished this lock on her first try. Definitely beginner’s luck.

My head fell to the table with a thud, and I rubbed at my weary eyes with a foreleg. Taking my first all-nighter was certainly an enlightening experience. The first surprise came after about three o’clock in the dead of night, when I stopped feeling tired. I’m certain it was because my body gave up on getting sleep and was instead trying to figure out who in Tartarus smashed a sledgehammer into my biological clock. It was the sort of state where I found it difficult to concentrate on anything, and my wandering mind regularly took spontaneous right turns in logic. At some point, I decided on heating up some tomato soup before puppeteering my body over to the stove to make a haphazardly constructed omelette instead.

Maybe this was how Lily thought all the time. Super low maintenance, with no real effort to connect point A to point B with anything more than a straight line. That sounded nice. It’d sure be a lot more efficient if I thought like her sometimes.

I had generally kept to a reasonable sleep schedule back at the hive. Everything was so regimented out that going through life there was like clockwork. Lings woke up, re-energized themselves with a bit of gathered love, made sure the hive was operating as usual, ironed out any anomalies, and went back to sleep when the time came for the night shift to take over. Since I was still in my nymph years, I spent most of my time training to be a ranger.

Fat load of good that turned out to be.

I rolled my eyes, muttering to myself in a poor imitation of Dexter’s voice as I continued to stare into the wooden table. “Oh, you know how to sneak and hide? Great! We just need you to stand in plain sight in front of all these ponies instead because you get to be an infiltrator now! Isn’t this grand?”

My head hit the table again as I mentally berated myself for my childish behavior. This was a grudge I needed to get over. It wasn’t going to do me any good if I started getting angry at everyling for turning my life sideways, and in my half awake state, the unstable combination of tired and annoyed was bound to get me into trouble if something like this became a sticking point.

I yawned, letting my tongue loll out like that of a lazy lion.

“Still awake?” Crystal’s voice echoed through my mind. “You are doing well for a beginner. Better than I expected. With a bit of time, I expect you to be able to open any lock with nothing but your magic, so long as you can properly visualize the interior workings in your mind.”

“Err… Thanks, I guess,” I said as I turned my eyes to look at my crystalline instructor. “No offense and all—I’m sure this’ll be important later on—but I’m still being followed by someone and I have no idea how to identify them.”

“Only ’someone’? If the other queen has established any sort of hoofhold here, you might be surrounded by more than just a couple worthless thugs and an infiltrator.”

“Right,” I said with a shiver. Just thinking that there could be more of them around, silently watching and reporting on me, raised goosebumps across my skin. “So how do I figure them out? Empathy sense will only take me so far against an infiltrator skilled at blending in with ponies, and I don’t have a single idea how to identify another changeling unless they’re in my hive and pinging me through the hive link. If I can’t even figure out who my hivemates are, how in Equestria am I going to identify a hostile?”

“Yes, the age old problem of ‘how do I identify a changeling?’” Crystal replied with a contemplative hum. “There have been multiple ways of finding and eliminating rival changelings. For one, a very, very long time ago, rangers like you were practically designed to fight against other changelings. A shame that their skill sets suffer in the modern age.”

I let out an exasperated huff, picking up the lock in front of me and sliding the lockpicks back in roughly as I went back to work.

There was a sigh from Crystal. “I understand, but rangers were useful back when it was simpler to tell who the outsiders were and when it was more important to blend into the wildlife than with other ponies. I suppose we could still find a use for your ability to suppress your empathetic signature, and if you were chosen to be a ranger, I presume your empathy sense is also very well developed, correct?”

I nodded tersely, still staring intently at the lock in front of me with my tongue sticking out to the side. A soft snore emanated from the green pony at the table.

“What else did the rangers have… Ahh yes, they were the first to make extensive use of the memory spell.”

I stopped and shot a surprised look at the red gemstone. “Wait, not the infiltrators?”

“Not at first. That particular piece of magic went through a lot of changes over the centuries. It was originally used to drain the target changeling’s magic, providing limited access into their hivemind, but that functionality has since been written out. A successful cast on a drone only provided a localized benefit, and circumstances improved to the point where no ling was willing to pay the staggering energy cost to use it. To use it on anything more than a drone, like a broodmother or, Elysium forbid, the queen herself, would require suicidal amounts of magical energy drawn from an outside source.”

“Right, and I’m pretty sure that the memory spell I’ve been taught was just standard fare for use on ponies, so that’s out of the picture.” My ear perked up when I heard one of the pins click into place, and I moved to the next one.

“Well, I might be able to remember it, given enough time. I am certain I learned it before. Regardless, there are other ways of discovering changelings hiding amongst the pony populace.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Like what? I can’t think of anything that could break a changeling’s disguise.”

“There might be spells to do that, but changeling illusions and their more extensive body morphing abilities are quite resistant to any pony magic I can think of. There is a fairly simple method of ousting a vast majority of changeling infiltrators: just sound like a changeling.”

My brow furrowed. “Isn’t that what I don’t want to do?”

“Depends on how you do it. The ponies have many expressions derived from the changelings themselves related to love and emotions. Phrases like ‘made with love’ and ‘smells like victory’ have much different connotations when used in a hive setting, and while ponies may gloss over such an expression, changelings do not. If you phrase it correctly to a ling, they will react on the emotional level, and you will be able to detect them. It is like mentioning a nostalgic memory to the elderly, or a dead body to a guilty mind.”

“So wait, you’re trying to scare out other changelings with…”

“With irony. There are too many outside factors for it to be a foolproof method, of course, but it is a good start.”

Another tumbler fell into place. “Why do you think this’ll work? No ling is going to fall for such a cheesy tactic.”

“Experience tells me otherwise. As much as other changelings try to, say, not think about the pink elephant in the room, they will invariably think about it if you say, ‘Do not think about the pink elephant.’ The concept is the same, save for emotions instead of thoughts.”

I snorted disbelievingly as I finally moved to the last tumbler. “You said you had other methods, right?”

“Well, none come to mind that I can teach you before we need to leave for the celebration.”

One of my eyebrows raised at that, and I leveled an even stare at her. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you offering to teach me all this stuff?”

“Because believe it or not, my dear young Overwatch, it pleases me when my subjects learn. I used to be a ruler, you know.”

“Really? I thought being a ruler would make you stricter. My queen and my instructors certainly weren’t the type to tolerate incompetence.”

“Do not take my words to mean that I will not mete out harsh criticism when I need to. I will tolerate ignorance, but I will not tolerate incompetence in those I rely on to get things done.”

I took a quick glance at Lilywater, who slept with her head on the table, a line of drool oozing out the corner of her mouth.

“Yes, I know, but over my brief time with her, I have realized that Lily’s idiocy does not necessarily equate to incompetence. She is entirely capable, if just a bit simplistic on how she decides to tackle problems.”

With a snort, I turned back to my lock, placing my ear close to the keyhole. “I’ll take your word for it, but you still didn’t answer my question.”

“Your question on why I am assisting you?”

I nodded slightly as I carefully pushed up on the last tumbler.

Crystal let out a contemplative hum. “I suppose it is for a number of reasons. One is that you are a changeling who is both too young and unskilled for the task that your sadistic queen has assigned to you, foolishness that boils my blood to even think about.”

A scowl drew across my face as I continued to work the lock silently. At this point, I was simply jostling around the lockpicks for the sake of looking busy.

“The other reason is… I am testing a theory of mine. Perhaps if I drew on my memory more, I would gain a glimpse of who I was before I became… Crystal.”

The lockpicks fell silent, and I looked up at the little hunk of red beryl lying motionlessly on my dinner table, wrapped up haphazardly in masking tape and attached to a thin string for the sole purpose of letting her be carried around under somepony else’s power.

“I uhh… I—”

“I do not require your sympathy. Worry about yourself first, nymph.”

I sighed, returning to my lock. It was a bit of a shock to consider that Crystal hadn’t always been this way, and to hear that she was also suffering from memory problems was…

In a way, that made two of us, though I had a hard time debating on whether or not she had it worse. I only had problems keeping my pony self in check and away from my own memories as Nymph, but to lose an identity? To forget one’s name? At least I had an idea of who I was.

“Speaking of worrying about yourself, we should make sure that we get to the celebration early.”

I swiveled around in my chair, looking at the clock hanging on the wall. “Oh Tartarus, it’s almost that time, isn’t it.”

“Time moves fast when you are not paying attention.”

With a sigh, I turned back to my lock, which was thankfully still held in my magic, unrattled. “Whatever. I guess we’ll head out soon. Where’s it anyways, Penumbra Plaza?”

“Presumably, though you could always follow the flow of ponies. There might be a few camped out there already, so we may have to leave an hour or two before it starts if we want a good spot.”

“Fine, just let me get through this lock, and we’ll get going,” I said, holding my ear close as I bumped the lockpicks around.

I thought I heard a subtle click from inside, but I put too much force into it, and the pin passed the sweet spot. My neck started itching, but I refrained from attempting to relieve it as I tried one more time to finish the lock before me.

“Wow, this fish’s actually pretty fresh! Didn’t think it’d taste this good!”

I stopped. Taste, she said? I don’t even remember her waking up, let alone hearing her fire up the stove to cook.

I twisted around in my chair quickly, finding Lilywater in front of the open refrigerator, a fish clamped between her teeth.

Her pointy, jagged, most certainly not herbivorous merpony teeth.

There was a loud clatter as I dropped the things in my levitation onto the table. “Damn it! You could at least wait until I cook those before you start eating them!” I shouted, turning back to the table and the sad lock lying in a pile of disorganized lockpicks. “And after I finally finish with this stupid thing.”

“I ’ad the munchieth, and there was perfectly fine fith in the cold box!” Lily replied, muffled slightly through the raw bluefin tuna in her mouth. “Th’great stuff, by the way! Didn’ think I’d get thomethin’ thith good tho far from home!”

My eye twitched. “No, I am not going to stand for this,” I said, getting up out of my chair and trotting resolutely towards her. I plucked the tuna out of her mouth and, keeping my eyes away from the teeth marks, proceeded to wash off the spit in my sink. “We are going to be civilized ponies, and that means that we are going to cook our Tartarus-damned vegetables and meats before we put them in our mouths.”

“B-but it’s perfectly fine already!” Lily whined, the edges of her mouth turning downwards.

I trotted back to the fridge and wrapped up the fish again in its plastic. “No it’s not, and you’re not convincing me otherwise,” I said firmly, closing the door and walking back to my seat at the table.

“Aww poo,” Lily said, taking her own seat with a childish pout on her face. “What’d you put it back in for? I’m still hungry.”

“There’s plenty of food at the celebration. We can eat there.” I said as I stared at the stupid, stubborn lock in front of me, sitting there silently, judging me from its little place amidst the pile of lockpicks around it.

I swept Crystal off of the dining table and made my way to the front door. “Forget this. Let’s see if there’s any cake left.”

There was still plenty of cake, among other confectioneries. Or rather, the partygoers in the streets ran out of cake before promptly baking up another flotilla of cakes to devour. It was apparently tradition to gorge on them, though if I didn’t know any better, I would have likened it to ice cream depression binging.

They certainly weren’t being shy about it, at least.

“Hey, Miss Unicorn! You should try some of this! The meringue blends in with the chocolate ice cream filling perfectly!”

I looked warily at the plate levitating in front of me, loaded with one of the largest slices of cake I had ever seen. Admittedly, this feat wasn’t difficult. All I could remember were the few small birthday cakes I had during my childhood with Mom and Dad in Canter—

Wait.

“I recommend that you cease your gawking and accept the cake.”

I looked up at the mare, who still smiled brightly back at me with bright, friendly eyes as she held the plate out.

“I-I uhh…” I stammered out, before taking the plate with both hooves and staring resolutely at it instead of the pony. “Thanks.”

“Need a fork too?” she chirped as she turned to the table behind her. “I can get you one if your hooves are too full.”

“N-no thanks!” I blurted out, forcing a smile onto my face. “I uhh, I can get one myself.”

“Oh, okay then! Enjoy!” the pony said, and she skipped off with a plate of her own balanced on her back. “You should find a spot at the plaza soon! The celebration’s about to start!”

My muzzle remained frozen until she finally left my sight, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. Shifting the cake over to my levitation, I turned to the open plaza before me. A ring of guards patrolled at the edges with a few lone Royal Guards around the center stage. Steel Blade stood amongst the ones at the base of the wooden platform, only a few paces away from my boss.

I lowered my head. I would rather not acknowledge them if possible. Steel Blade continued to stand in his ramrod straight posture, and I was saved from having to wave at him so long as I pretended not to see him. Sergeant Flash Point, the NCO in charge of the Penumbra Guardhouse where Steelie and I were stationed, recognized me instantly. Even as far away as he was, I could tell his eyes had found me.

I decided to find something more interesting in the opposite direction to look at. They even dragged in the higher-ups for guard duty? Were they that short on bodies? A wince left me. I couldn’t have gotten off on medical leave at a more inconvenient time for them.

“I do not believe I have ever seen a changeling so socially awkward around ponies. You understand that you need their love to survive, correct? At least make an effort to enjoy yourself.”

“I was told that coming here would be prudent in maintaining my disguise,” I grumbled quietly. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have even left my condo.”

“I cannot comprehend why you are so afraid of pony interaction.”

I narrowed my eyes at Crystal, who I had hung around my neck, and hissed in reply. “Because I’m trying to figure out how to act like a pony! I have had zero instruction on the matter, and I’m trying not to talk to them until I figure it out.”

She remained silent as I began to make my way to the front, still keeping my head low. It was getting crowded, and I nearly stepped on a few hooves as I carefully navigated my way around the late night campers.

Most of the ponies had been mingling for hours already, creating tight paths between the larger groups. There was a very specific portion of the plaza that had been claimed by the nobility and upper class, and most of the middle class ponies went out of their way to avoid them. Not wanting to be caught alone in the wide berth the two classes gave each other, I decided reluctantly to weave my way at nearly touching distance between the common ponies.

That, and I had a niggling feeling that somepony in the nobility was watching me, ready to call me out on my lack of knowledge on pony etiquette. Already, I thought I saw a couple nobles whispering to each other scandalously on any social faux pas committed by the partygoers.

As I took a seat, squeezed uncomfortably into the middle of three large groups, Crystal’s voice decided to make itself heard again. “Ahh, it appears that you have taken the Lilywater route of consuming foods.”

My gaze fell to the crystal around my neck. “What do you mean by that?”

“That I should have told you to also accept the fork.”

The green earth pony mare sat down to my side, carrying her own plate with a “slice” of cake that constituted far more than half of whatever dessert it was taken from. There was no fork.

“Uhh, Lily,” I said slowly, my eyes looking between the slab of sugar and chiffon and the merpony’s large grin. “How’re you planning to eat that?”

“With m’ mouth, obviously!”

She put the plate down in front of her and sat down. Leaning over one of the sides, she closed her maw straight onto the soft, spongy flesh of the chiffon cake. Frosting got everywhere, smearing over her muzzle as she chewed through her mouthful with a blissful smile on her face.

She was humming again. And bobbing her head back and forth. The spectacle was rather completed by the absolute mess across her face and on the plate in front of her.

I can’t believe I ever thought that the nobility would judge my manners with Lily sitting right next to me.

There was a sudden hush across the crowd as a lone stallion noble cleared his throat into the microphone on the platform. A quick glance identified him as the official in charge of the district, though his name escaped me, and I dismissed him quickly. Turning my eyes down to the cake I had, I plucked a piece off the side with a glow of magic.

“Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to the nine hundred and eighty-fifth Summer Sun Celebration!”

There was a loud cheer from the crowd around me. I plucked off another piece of cake. That pony was right. The meringue really did blend well with the ice cream.

“It is my pleasure, as director of this magnificent piece of home in Canterlot, to host this auspicious event, and to welcome all of you to the start of the longest day of the year!”

I closed my eyes as I savored the cool taste of chocolate ice cream in between the soft, moist layers. This one was just filled with love, and I lost myself in it, forgetting for a moment that I was out in the middle of hundreds of ponies I didn’t know.

“It is my great pleasure and honor to welcome Princess Celestia!”

My empathy sense flared up, and in only a few short moments, my senses were flooded by a concentrated source of powerful magic. I kept my eyes closed as I took in the abounding flavor of joy and happiness, combined with the chocolatey taste of wonderful love.

My muzzle twisted into a grimace. Was that… What was that?

I opened my eyes, turning them to the only possible source of the emotions. For the first time in my life, I cast my eyes upon Princess Celestia, the proud, immortal ruler of the beautiful nation of Equestria. She stood tall, her regal pose only serving to highlight her divine features. Her pure white coat glowed under the full moon, and her mane shimmered through a rainbow of colors as it flowed rhythmically around her. She spread out her alabaster wings, the snowy feathers creating an aura of light around her.

She was beautiful, and I stared unabashedly at her.

And yet something was wrong. I knew something was wrong. I felt it. It was well hidden under all her feelings of tenderness, but I tasted it.

It was longing.

Now that I managed to pinpoint the flavor, it was so much more noticeable on my senses. The overwhelming taste of the celebration was quickly tempered by the melancholic additions, blanketing the plaza in a bitter sweetness.

My heart ached. Must have been some stupid pony thing I picked up.

“Citizens of Equestria,” she began, her warm voice contradicting the atmosphere her considerable magic had created, “it is with a happy heart that I am able to raise the summer sun on yet another wonderful year! Here, under the stars just before the dawn of the new day, let us remember the experiences we have made over the past year and the friendships we have forged, for they are as much a part of us as who we will become. Even the darkest of nights—”

The emotion-laden air seemed to hiccup on my senses, a brief ripple that could have gone unnoticed if I hadn’t been paying attention.

“—can lead to the brightest of days,” Celestia finished, still smiling that same contented smile. “Without further ado, let us embrace the new day, and hope that we may all find something in our futures to look forward to.”

There was a brief fanfare, a short uplifting blare of horns that was lost amongst the grandeur of the ceremony itself, before Celestia rose from the floor effortlessly, as if carried up on rising tides. Almost immediately, the sky behind her flared in an explosion of reds and oranges, the light of the coming morning stretching out over the clear, cloud-free skies. I squinted up as Celestia became a mere black smudge against the blinding light of the sun, and when she finally reached the peak of her ascent, I could barely even make her out amidst the brilliant glow. The crowd erupted in a roar.

“Just how I remember it.”

“Cooor, that was quite a show there! Never thought I’d see the Lightbringer herself!”

“It’s… it’s…” I replied, still staring openly as the white alicorn began her slow descent, leaving her star up where it hung in the sky.

“I told you it was impressive, though I had not expected you to be so captivated. You do have memories of past celebrations from your host pony, do you not?”

“They weren’t quite like this!” I shouted, barely audible over the applause of the crowd around me. “Everything felt so much more… more! It was an awe-inspiring spectacle before, but this year’s just… It felt like I was being swept away by a river.”

“Oh? Sounds like sympathetic empathy. Not surprising considering your sensitivity, but it could turn out to be a problem if—”

“Shut up, I need a moment.”

I really did. I was holding back tears, though I wasn’t going to admit that openly. I wasn’t some silly hatchling fresh from the egg.

Celestia alighted softly onto the platform again before dipping down into a graceful curtsy. My nose sniffled again, and I finally turned down to look at Crystal again. “Alright, what were you saying?”

“Sympathetic empathy. In short, your feelings are affected by the feelings of those around you. It is a phenomenon that really only occurs with the most empathetically sensitive of changelings, and if you are one of those…

"On one hoof, it would be great at helping you blend in with the ponies. On the other hoof…”

“Sure, whatever. As if I didn’t already have zero control over my life.”

Crystal was silent for a moment, and for an instant, I thought I felt a twinge of confusion and curiosity from her. “You never did explain your circumstances to me, have you,” she said, more a statement of fact than a question.

I winced. “C-could we wait until we’re inside before I tell you? It’s a bit of a long story.”

“If you are afraid of speaking aloud to me, you could use your hive link to communicate instead of speaking aloud. At least then, you would not have to worry about anyling catching you talking to me.”

I blinked. Silently, I whisked off another piece of the chocolate ice cream cake. “Umm… H-hello?”

“Why hello there, Overwatch.”

I let out an exasperated groan and threw up my hooves. “I can’t believe I never thought of this earlier.”

“You were distracted with other things, I presumed. In fact, I may go as far as to say that you should be distracted by other things at this point.”

I snapped a glance to one side, but all I found next to me was a plate of much reduced chiffon cake and a distinct lack of merpony. “Where in Tartarus did Lily go?”

“Look forward.”

I looked towards the central platform where Princess Celestia stood. She was bending down and appeared to be speaking with—

My horn flared up, and I levitated both pieces of cake off the ground as I hurried to the front as quickly as I could, dancing awkwardly between the ponies blocking my way.

Myiasis

“Reporting in from the Aurora Guardhouse.”

“Reporting in from the Moonbeam Guardhouse.”

I took a dainty sip from my teacup, my eyes closed as I lowered it down onto its saucer with little more than a small clink of porcelain.

“Reporting in from the Celestial Guardhouse.”

“Reporting in from the Eclipse Guardhouse.”

“Reporting in from the Solstice Guardhouse.”

A piece of cake floated up to my mouth, and I set it down delicately into my waiting maw before rolling it around with my tongue. It was a chocolate food cake, far denser and richer than the normal Germane chocolate cakes, and it was baked to perfection, creating a soft, airy, and moist layer cake with a flavor that permeated throughout the mouth. The pony bakers had really outdone themselves this time.

“Reporting in from the Penumbra Guardhouse.”

I finally swallowed my mouthful, taking a moment to bask in the afterglow of a cake more akin to a work of art than a mere confection.

My eyes opened, rising up until it met the newly risen sun in the sky. The Midsummer Night's festivities were grand, but everyone knew the real party began at sunrise with the insane afterparty known only as the Summer Sun Celebration. Everypony would be out, and every guard would have their hooves full making sure the revelry did not tip over into anarchy, leaving their guardhouses delightfully understaffed and, in some smaller neighborhoods, entirely empty.

I took another sip of my tea and addressed my infiltrators.

“Thus begins the first step towards sinking our fangs into the still-beating heart of Canterlot. I wish you all luck in your individual tasks, and I hope that I will only receive good tidings upon their completion. The time has come. Go.”

“Your will be done, My Queen.”

Chapter 8 — Playing With Fire

Celestia

“‘Ello, Miss Ligh’bringer!”

I blinked. The name “Lightbringer” had not been used for centuries, and it jarred me to hear such a term of reverence in this day and age.

“Oi, down ‘ere!”

Refocusing my thoughts quickly, I turned my gaze down towards the source of the voice, a slender lime-green earth pony with a disheveled magenta and orange mane. Judging by the affronted faces of the nobles crowding me after I had raised the sun, she had pushed past them heedlessly to stand before me, her front hooves propped up onto the edge of the wooden stage and her eyes wide with wonder. Cake had been smeared indiscriminately over her muzzle.

“Hello there, my little pony.” I smiled warmly as I knelt down closer to her, ignoring the scandalized expressions of the nobility.

“‘Ello!” she called out, waving a hoof at me. “Cor, never thought I’d meet the Lightbringer ‘erself!”

I chuckled lightly. “It is nice to meet you too, little one. My name is Celestia.”

“Ooooohhh,” she said with a nod of understanding. “‘Ey there then, Celestia! M’name’s Lilywater, but’chu can call me Lily!” The mare offered a hoof, as if for a hoofshake.

Some of the nobles seemed to have collected themselves, and one of them raised his voice above the agitated murmurs of the crowd. “I say, are you daft? That’s the princess herself! You cannot address her as some common pony!”

Lily turned around halfway with a look of chagrin as she looked at the speaker. “Oh bugger, did I do something improper?” she said with a sheepish smile. “Sorry! Didn’t know ‘ere was a right way to introduce myself to somepony else ‘ere.”

I suppressed a chuckle. “It was fine, Lily. I love meeting all of my subjects,” I said, prompting her to look back at me with the same childish glee she had before. “I have not heard somepony refer to me as the Lightbringer in a very long time. May I ask where you heard of such a title?”

“From the elders, o’ course! They kept sayin’ that they know a lot more than I do, but those tossers also told me that I would never be able t’ see you with m’ own two eyes, yet here I am!” she exclaimed proudly, thumping a hoof against her chest. “But wow, how’d you get so big?”

I let out a contemplative hum. “Well, I ate all my fruits and vegetables and made sure I got plenty of proteins when I was growing up.”

“That’s pretty impressive!” she said with a grin. “Think I might ‘ave been neglectin’ my fruits, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind!”

“Your conduct is improper!” a nasally voice called from the crowd, and I quickly spotted the stallion speaking. “Get the guards over hear-uh. This breach of securiteah requires immediate attention!”

“That will not be necessary,” I said calmly, my eyes flickering to the guards present around the stage. As expected, they weren’t responding to the noble’s frankly silly concerns, but I could tell the two closer to me were paying closer attention to the conversation. “She is merely curious.”

“But Princess! No commoner should be allowed to act so wantonleah in your presence!”

Lily reached a foreleg up at me, tentatively poking her hoof inside my ever-moving mane and waving it around. “Whoa, why does your mane do the thing?”

I raised an eyebrow. “The thing?”

“Yeah, the wavy thing!” She circled her hoof a couple more times in my mane, to the renewed horror of the nobles behind her.

I looked at my mane, running my own hoof through it. “Because I like the wavy thing.”

“Lily!” a voice called out from within the crowd.

The green earth pony turned around just as a diminutive charcoal unicorn mare tiptoed urgently through the crowd, levitating two plates of cake behind her as she dodged through the nobles around her as if they were hungry predators ready to jump her. My brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as I looked closer at the new arrival. She looked familiar somehow. Was she in the guard? Why was she not in armor if she was?

“Lily, what’re you doing?” the newest arrival hissed, passing over a piece of chiffon cake into Lily’s hooves before pulling out a napkin and offering it to her. “At least wipe off your face before you go out and embarrass yourself in front of the princess.”

“Oh, sorry! I’ll be sure to next time. Thanks, mum!” Lily chirped happily as she shifted the cake to her back and wiped off her face with a foreleg.

“I’m not your mother,” the unicorn replied flatly, glaring at the newly cake covered foreleg. “C’mon, we don’t need to be bothering the princess.” She tugged over Lily’s leg with her magic and began wiping it off roughly, her hooves shuffling around uncomfortably as her eyes darted around the crowd.

Realization struck me. The scarf should have given it away immediately, but I finally remembered who she was. She was part of the scouting expedition I sent into the Everfree, the one nearly killed by a manticore. My gaze moved to the spot above her left shoulder, where the ends of three faint scar lines peeked out from under her heavy scarf, just as Captain Brave Blade’s report from his son stated.

“Oh, don’t worry ‘bout that. She said it was alright,” Lily said, completely oblivious to the unicorn’s discomfort. “Celestia’s pretty ace in my book!”

The unicorn shot a fearful look at me, but I let out a hearty laugh, hopefully putting her mind at ease. She certainly looked like she was going to bolt at any second. “I’m glad to be so, Lily.”

The charcoal unicorn let out a nervous laugh and used a hoof to rub at her neck under her scarf, jostling something heavy within its folds. “W-well, if it’s alright, we’ll just be going now. Right, Lily?” she squeaked out. Her gaze flickered over to the guard on my right, and after a moment, she waved hesitantly at him.

I turned to look at the stallion there, and my mind drew the connection. “Ahh, Corporal Steel Blade. You are friends with this lovely mare, are you not?”

“Y-yes, Princess,” the stallion guard sputtered out. “Her name’s Corporal Overwatch, ma’am.”

“I see,” I said, turning back to the charcoal unicorn. “My regards to you, Overwatch. I understand you were involved in a life threatening situation recently, and I am relieved you are doing better.”

Her face turned bright red as she stammered out, “I-I well, uhh…”

I heard a soft huff from my left, and I turned over to see Sergeant Flash Point rolling his eyes and muttering, “Rookies,” at a volume only I could hear.

My warm smile never left my face as I once again faced Overwatch. “I apologize for having to keep your friends on duty until the conclusion of the celebration, but I hope you will enjoy the rest of the day. Until next time, Corporal Overwatch.”

“I uhh… T-thank you, Princess,” she said, bowing deeply before backing away into the crowd, tugging Lilywater away by the leg.

“And you too, Lily,” I continued, straightening up. “Do not be afraid to talk to me.”

“Sure thing, luv!” the green earth pony said, before disappearing into the crowd. “Wait up, mum!”

“I’m not your mother!”

I let out a light chortle as they left before turning to trot off the back of the stage, followed closely by Flash Point and Steel Blade. The day was still young, and with everything I needed to do as a princess, I was going to be on my hooves throughout the whole event.

If anything, I hoped the day would prove enough of a distraction to keep my mind from wandering to darker places.

Nymph

“Lily, I can’t believe you just did that,” I groused as I trotted down the road back towards my condo. Most of the ponies I passed were walking the other direction towards the center square, eager to interact with their fellow ponies. I was willing to stay close to a few ponies for a while, but after extricating Lily from in front of the princess herself, I felt like I was going to die of embarrassment.

“Did what? Talk t’ the Lightbringer?” Lilywater replied, bubbling with excitement. “I’m finding it hard to believe I met her too!”

I let out a groan, resisting the urge to rub my forehead with a hoof. Using my magic, I ripped off a giant piece of my cake, which was starting to dissolve into a messy glob from the melting layer of ice cream, and shoved it into my mouth. If there was a time for comfort food, this was the time.

“You do know that if we return to the condo now, your watchers may be suspicious, right? They might already think you are acting weird.”

I rolled my eyes. “I could excuse it as jitters from meeting royalty with Lily. I’m not staying anywhere close to the princess after that. The nobles have it out for me too. Did you see the way they were glaring at me and Lily?”

“I recommend communicating through the hivemind out here, and no, I did not see the nobles glaring at you and Lily. I cannot see much of anything from here.”

I blinked. “Oh, right.” I rolled my shoulder to adjust my scarf, feeling the weight of the red beryl tucked into the heavy scarf I wore. Crystal had requested that she be hidden away as I was making my way through the nobility, and there was really only one place to hide her. It made sense why she would request such a thing. If I didn’t have to drag Lily away from the princess, I would have hidden away myself.

I shuddered. I could tell exactly when Princess Celestia recognized me too. The shift I felt into sympathy and guilt couldn’t have been anything else. For a pony, those emotions should have prompted me to feel apologetic and guilty, but I only felt fear.

Princess Celestia knew who I was. I could no longer pretend to be a nameless face in the crowd. I was a changeling masquerading in front of the immortal ruler of Equestria, pretending to be one of her deceased little ponies. It felt like just one misstep would alert her and bring her divine wrath down upon me, and I would rather avoid death by sun strike.

I let out a sigh. “Fine. Well, they were staring at me and Lily, and not in a friendly way either.” I shoved another piece of cake in my mouth, more to have something there than to enjoy it. “I just want to be alone right now.”

“You’re not going to be alone as long as there is a changeling following you. There is still a changeling following you, by the way.”

A chill ran down the length of my neck, and I aimed a glare into the folds of my scarf. “Thanks for the injection of paranoia.”

“Paranoia means ignorance. It is not paranoia if it is true.”

I snorted. “Sure. Know of a way we can get away from my stalker?”

“You could try hiding your link and breaking line of sight. I am unsure where our follower is at the moment, but with this many ponies muddling up the emotional spectrum, they would have to be able to see you to properly follow you.

“Of course, you would also need to leave Lily. She is both highly visible and has no control over her emotional output, providing a beacon straight to you if you two were isolated together.”

My eyes drifted over to Lily, and my mouth twisted into a pained grimace.

“You did say ‘alone.’”

“If you want, luv, I can take care of m’self for a while!” Lily chirped. “Surface customs ain’t that ‘ard t’ figure out!”

One of my hooves caught on a piece of cobblestone, and I stumbled forward. “Wait, when could you listen in us?” I whispered.

“Ever since Crystal decided t’ let me in on you two,” she whispered back playfully.

“I believed it was in our best interests that we not keep Lilywater out of our conversations.”

I blinked, before turning to look back at Lily. “Are you sure?”

“Course I am! When am I not sure?” She gave me a wide, confident grin.

“I…” I shook my head. “No, no need for that. I know I said I wanted to be by myself, but that’s a lot of effort just to get some alone time. We’ll figure out something.”

We continued trotting down the road, where the crowd of ponies was already thinning out. There was a brief inner struggle as I debated on whether I would rather isolate myself for the stalker or mingle with the ponies more.

I turned around, merging into the tail end of a group of ponies. Better the danger that I could see than the danger I couldn’t.

A quick look around revealed that I was in the Sunlight Plaza, and a thought popped into my mind. The Penumbra Guardhouse was a mere block away, and it would most certainly be empty with all of the guards working overtime. It wouldn’t be too out of place for me to visit, and as long as I was inside, I could at least have a modicum of privacy from my follower.

That, and I really wanted to go back to the guardhouse. If I was going to be taking Overwatch’s place, I needed to figure out what I had, something I hadn’t done on my first trip there.

“Hey, Lily,” I said, turning my head over to my companion. “I got most of the reports from yesterday’s incident filled out, but I’d like to formally question you and get a transcript. Would that be okay?”

The merpony perked up, looking at me eagerly. “Sure thing, luv! I’m keen t’ help wit’ anything you need.”

I smiled back. “Right this way then.”

—

Are you in yet?

No, not quite. The order only just came down from the queen to move forward.

You might have a bit of a problem headed your way.

What kind of problem?

You know that botched operation to replace those guards in the Everfree?

Yes. I was part of that. They never showed. Why?

One of them’s showing here.

Who?

The unicorn. The queen wanted me to watch her in case she was a changeling. If she turns out to be from a rival hive and she detects you in the guardhouse…

I’ll keep my wits about me. Just keep her on your empathy sense, and alert me if she starts coming up.

Alright. You know what you’re looking for?

I do.

You know where it is?

I do not. No intel besides where the captain’s office was.

That’s reassuring.

I’ll take care of it.

Just… play it safe.

I said I’ll take care of it.

Nymph

In my previous life, Overwatch went through specialized training to hone her skills as a scout and a marksmare. It wasn’t so different from my training, but one of the great things to come out of her past was her habit of finding alternate pathways, entrances, and the strangest of shortcuts. She knew the streets around here like the back of her hoof, and she believed that one should always know how to break into their own workplace.

It was such that I found myself with the knowledge that if I climbed up a nearby dumpster and balanced myself against the drain pipe, I could bounce open the upstairs window by hitting it with my hoof in the bottom right corner. The front door was actually locked, presumably because there was nopony inside, but I was technically a guard and that theoretically meant I should be allowed access into the guardhouse, right?

I was slightly concerned that I could be revealing an alternate path into the guardhouse to my stalker by doing so, but between this and revealing that I knew how to pick locks, albeit poorly, I chose the option that hid any new skills Overwatch may have acquired.

Play it safe. Play it baseline.

My hooves landed lightly onto the tile floor as I dropped into the upstairs office area and closed the window behind me. The walls were fairly devoid of decoration, save for a few sporadically placed workplace notices and the occasional plant, but the cubicles were filled with all sorts of personal effects.

I stuck my tongue out as I passed them on my way downstairs. I hated all kinds of classwork back at the hive even though I did well on most of the examinations, and Overwatch’s opinions on paperwork weren’t too far from complete apathy. I don’t think I could ever spend my entire life in a tiny cubicle.

Trotting over to the back door, I twisted the lock and popped the handle to let Lily inside, and she slipped in with a happy bounce to her step.

“Nice nick y’ got ’ere!” she said as she trotted further into the guardhouse, her eyes taking in the new environment. Lockers lined the sides of the back hallway for the other guards to place their belongings in while on duty, which usually consisted of saddlebags and spare readings or shopping bags. I walked over to my own locker and began working the combination lock. I couldn’t remember the exact code, but my muscle memory knew well enough how far to turn the knob each time, and with only three tries, I managed to break into my own locker.

I let out an audible groan as I looked inside. There was only a spare squirt bottle in the back corner and a few notebooks, but the rest of the locker was spotless. With a snort, I slammed the locker closed. I should have figured that I wouldn’t keep important things in my own locker.

I was half tempted to use my newfound lockpicking skills and attempt to break into some of the other padlocked lockers, but I decided against it, opting to check on Lily first. I peeked into the main lobby to find her admiring the large fish tank in the center, her face pressed against the glass. With a roll of my eyes, I went into the back again, reasonably certain she’d be fine alone.

The fish, however, I was less certain of. I might have to check back in a couple minutes.

Besides the break room and the stairway going up, there were only two other things of import on the first level. I passed the iron door to the holding cells in the basement without a second glance, stepping into the armory after popping the door open. The armor and weapon racks against the side of the room were mostly empty, so it wasn’t a great leap of logic to deduce that the lone set of Royal Guard armor not among the spares was my own.

I walked over to the rack and stood silently in front of my armor. Unlike changelings, unicorns were spectacularly unequipped to scale buildings, but that hadn’t stopped me from trying during my night shifts in the past. A fair number of scratches adorned my golden peytral, only a few of which came from scuffles with delinquent ponies. The saddle guard and croupiere that protected my back and hindquarters had also acquired their own share of scratches, though the pieces of armor that had accumulated the most imperfections were my hoof guards. Dents deformed their worn surface, but like the rest of the armor set, I had polished them to a mirror shine. It was a point of pride for me, though a lot of the higher ranked veteran guards stopped seeing the point in spending so much time in getting them perfect.

I finally turned to the helmet. The plume tracing up the back of it was made from donated mane hairs, colored a pure white by the same illusion spell that made all unicorn guards look the same. Reaching out with my hooves, I lifted my headgear from the rack and held it before me, staring into the reflective metal as if daring to see myself in it. After a moment, I turned it around hesitantly and, after a deep breath, brought it down over my head.

It was a little large for me, even with all the extra padding inside. I could’ve sworn that I’d been using this helmet for most of my training years, and it was a perfect fit for the whole thing. Did my transformation magic fail to bring me up to size? It would make sense. I was a fair bit shorter than myself before I became me, and my ability to disguise myself had always been sub-par compared to that of the infiltrators. Perhaps a little more padding would do the trick?

I pulled off the helmet, shaking some life back into my mane before setting the headpiece back onto the rack. I leaned to the side, finding the weapons I generally carried around on patrol hanging neatly in a line to the side of the armor set. There was the standard issue club and a sword, though the sword could probably rust into its case and it wouldn’t have made a difference. The job of a guard was to stop the disturbance, not make a mess of it, and I tended to stick to magical methods anyways. In any case, I wasn’t particularly practiced in close-quarters combat, though I knew the basics.

The last piece of equipment was the crossbow I had specially requested. I technically had my magic to shoot with, but feeling the weight of a physical alternative was comforting.

I reached for it, but just before my hoof made contact, my ear perked up. There was the sound of an object tumbling to the floor from somewhere upstairs. I slipped into my empathy sense, and there, around the captain’s office, was an emotional signature that hadn’t been there before.

“Did you detect that too?”

“Tartarus,” I muttered. How had somepony slipped past me? They couldn’t have gone past through the back door since that door led to the hallway right behind me, and I doubted that they went through the front lobby and not said anything about Lily. The only other entrances that could have avoided the bottom floor entirely were the windows up top. My method wasn’t the only way in, and a flying pony could at least be able to access more of the windows.

It would’ve been very difficult to distinguish the pony upstairs from the general atmosphere on my empathy sense outside, but here in the empty guard house, even a subtle emotional presence was distinguishable, albeit with a little concentration.

“Do you know how they got in?” I whispered, my eyes flickering over to the club beside my armor.

“Not quite. They just appeared upstairs. Seems like window access.”

I snorted. “Figured. So what should I do? Nopony should be in here.”

“Confront them. They could be part of the changelings trailing you.”

I raised an eyebrow, glaring at the bump in my scarf. “Are you sure? Kicking the beehive isn’t exactly what I’d call a good decision.”

“You are not going to get anything done if you ignore them. You have an in-character reason to ask why there is a pony upstairs, especially if all the guards should be out for the celebration.”

A groan escaped me. “But what could they be doing up there that I’d need to intervene?”

“No idea, but I can guarantee you that if you do nothing, somepony is going to get hurt,” she said, and I took a sharp breath. “No sensible pony or ling breaks into a guardhouse to steal cookies.”

My eye twitched. “Right, let’s go have a look then,” I growled, pulling the club off the rack. I stashed a few hair bands nearby to keep the entirety of my mane under my helmet, and after blowing a stray strand of hair from falling into my eyes, I took one of them to tie my mane back into a ponytail before trotting off.

I took the stairs quietly, keeping my club held at the ready as I passed the cubicles over to the captain’s office. It was situated in the corner of the upper floor with only a frosted glass window to allow anypony to know what was inside. I checked my empathy sense again, reaffirming that there was still a presence inside before tapping a hoof on the door.

“Hello?” I asked carefully. “Who’s in there?”

Silence. The indistinct dark blobs in the window did not move.

“I heard somepony moving around.” I checked the knob. Locked. “Who’s in there?”

There was more silence, but eventually, a padding of hooves crossed the room. The door clicked open, revealing the red-orange face of Sergeant Flash Point. He wasn’t wearing his armor.

“Oh, morning, Sarge!” I said, snapping a salute. “Didn’t expect to see you here, sir. Thought you’d be out working the celebration instead of coming back to your office, sir.”

“Corporal Overwatch?” he said, his eyes scanning me carefully. “What’re you doing here? I thought you were off on leave.”

I twirled the club with my magic before resting it on my shoulder. “I was, but I felt bad about taking so much time off and I wanted to keep in practice, sir,” I said innocently. “I heard some sounds coming from your office, and I thought that somepony might have broken in. When’d you get back?”

I tasted it. There had been a brief hiccup on my empathy sense at “broken in.”

“Just now. I needed to dig through a couple of my files, but I can’t seem to find a few of the schedules. Probably just senility hitting me early,” he said, opening the door further and inviting me in. “If you want, you could help me search.”

I blinked, scanning the inside of the room. Most of the drawers were pulled out, and the window was open. A desk sat in the center amidst a pile of papers, and bookshelves full of awards and reference material lined one of the walls. The picture frame on the wall concealing the safe was untouched.

“It is most certainly a trap. Be careful.”

“Misplaced them, sir?” I said, cautiously stepping in. “Sure, I’ll help, but I thought you’d…”

My gaze fell over the desk. “Sir, the schedules are already out on the—”

“Watch it!”

The door clicked shut behind me, and his emotions shifted from wary suspicion to cold blooded emotionlessness. I spun around immediately, bringing my club around in a wide arc, but he was prepared. He threw a spell, a sickly green ball, and it splashed over me like acid. My entire body was shocked, instantaneously numbed by the effects of the bolt, and though he showed a little surprise at my reaction, he dove in without hesitation. With a powerful uppercut, he brought the forward edge of his hoof right into a pressure point on my gut, knocking the breath right out of me.

I stumbled back, wheezing, and my club fell out of my levitation and clattered to the ground. He plowed on, diving in again and bringing his right hoof across my face with a meaty smack. The force of it threw me sideways, and I collapsed onto the table, scattering the papers across its surface into the air.

“Get back! Create space!”

My hooves scrabbled across the smooth tabletop, sending a few more papers flying before I finally found purchase. I shoved myself backwards, falling to the ground on my back just as his hoof slammed down onto the table with a loud splintering wooden crack. He reacted quickly, turning to me immediately after he realized he missed, and lunged at me again.

I bucked, driving my rear hooves into his chest and pushing him backwards, giving me barely enough time to stand up before he launched his next attack. Rearing up, I threw a left hook at him as hard as I could when he charged, but he countered it well, shoving his foreleg into the crook of my elbow. A sharp pang of pain burst out from the impact point, and a wave of weakness rushed through my entire left foreleg, causing it to go limp.

He wrapped his right foreleg around my fallen limb and pulled me off balance with a twist, using his other hoof to shove me into the tall bookcase beside the desk. Framed accolades and trinkets rattled around as my head impacted the edge of a shelf, and a few fell to the ground with a shatter of glass and porcelain as I bounced off the bookcase.

I fell to my knees, my mind spinning and my vision out of focus as I struggled to stay upright. He threw his entire weight at me, charging my body into the empty wall. My breath was knocked out of me again as I made impact, and he pinned me against the wall by my neck with his foreleg. My right foreleg pawed feebly at his back as I tried to gasp for breath, unable to get enough leverage to knock him off. I still couldn’t feel my left foreleg.

“Struggle, you stupid nymph, struggle!”

My horn sputtered weakly and I tried to kick out with my hind legs, but he had me solidly immobilized against the shelves. I could do little more than squeak as my vision began to go dark. The growing tears in my eyes blurred my vision as my strength ebbed away.

Flash narrowed his eyes at me before he growled, “Your close quarters combat still needs practice, Corporal.”

My hopes began to fade. I shouldn’t have tried this. I shouldn’t have tried to confront him, especially at a range where I fell squarely on the lower end of the bell curve. Even though I was expecting it, he still landed his initial strike, and the fight was over from there. I’d lost before I could even get a good hit in.

My struggles had all but died off. He easily shrugged off any further ineffectual attempts of mine, pressing further and further into me and denying me the life giving air I needed.

There was a slam of the door against the wall, and the force choking me lessened considerably as my attacker twisted to look at who had just entered the room.

“You bloody tosser! Get off m’ mate!” Lily’s voice cut sharply through the haze over my mind.

I drew a desperate breath. With the little extra space between me and him, I twisted on the wall, using the leverage from my shoulder to force him off of me. Bracing myself against the wall with a foreleg, I brought one of my hind legs in like a spring before bucking my rear hoof into his inner thigh with a final defiant scream.

Flash Point cried out in surprise as his leg crumpled under him, but he managed to redistribute his weight to his other legs before Lily or I could take advantage of his weakness. With his three remaining limbs, he beat a hasty retreat, sweeping up a few of the papers off the floor before leaping out through the open window. He landed with a loud reverberating clang, presumably having moved the dumpster beforehoof to break his fall.

“Bugger! He’s gettin’ away!” Lily cried as she bolted over to the window and stuck her head out, watching as the thief limped his way through the alleyway.

I slid the rest of the way down the wall, slumping to the side onto the tiled floor with a grunt.

“Overwatch? Overwatch?!”

Lily’s panicking face appeared in my field of view. “Mum, are you alright? Can you speak?”

I let out a few wheezing coughs before groaning pitifully and curling up slightly.

“J-just stay right there! I’ll go get some help!” Lily said, before galloping out the office.

I snuggled into the cool, hard floor and let out a sigh as my eyes began to droop closed.

“I’m not your mother…”

Chapter 9 — Tastes Like Suspicion

Author's Note

Lost my script and notes for this story a while ago, remade everything. Please note the minor change to the last scene in Chapter 8, and thank you.

Chapter 9 — Tastes Like Suspicion

Nymph

Something prodded me in the shoulder, and I flinched, curling up into a tighter ball. Some of the numbness lingered, giving me a pins-and-needle sensation over where the spell caught me.

“Overwatch?”

It was a male voice. It didn’t quite connect in my mind until a moment later, and I snapped upright. Steelie had been hovering over me, and he quickly jumped back in surprise when I suddenly awoke, his wings halfway open in an instinctual display of fright. Lily was right behind him and easily caught the lighter pegasus with her heavy frame.

My eyes quickly darted to and fro, my mind speeding to adjust itself to the not entirely unexpected environment. Once I finally figured out I was in Flash Point’s office, I was able to remember the preceding events, and I could take a bit more time taking in my surroundings.

Flash’s office was a complete mess. Papers were scattered across the entire room, though most of them blanketed the tabletop and the corner of the room behind it. Picture frames lay broken along the walls I was closest to, their glass covered in a spiderweb of cracks, and the ones that hadn’t fallen off were crooked. The sergeant's fallen knick-knacks were shattered, creating a hazard zone in front of the shelves they were originally on.

Sergeant Flash Point wasn’t concerned about any of those, choosing to stand in front of the wall safe instead. He had already removed and set aside the picture frame originally concealing it and was working through the combination with practiced ease, using his body to hide the exact numbers.

However the state of the room was, I couldn’t ignore the red alert my empathy sense was giving me. The huge spot of emotion and magic could only have been—

Princess Celestia trotted into the room, her head held high with a look of calm and serenity. Since the largest group was centered on me, she changed direction and walked towards us.

My eye twitched, though hopefully I had scrambled up into a bowing position fast enough that she didn’t notice it.

“P-Princess!” I exclaimed, still keeping my head down and ignoring the protests of my aching left foreleg. “I-I didn’t realize you’d be coming!”

“You may rise, my little pony. I am more concerned about what left this room in such a state,” the Princess said, drawing her gaze across the trashed room. “Lily told us as much as she knew, but there is only so much we could learn from somepony who only came in at the end.”

She turned to me, her eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. “What happened here?”

I snapped upright, suppressing a wince from my shoulder. The atmosphere itself was the strangest combination of chilling and enticing, pressing down at me and forcing me inwards, yet attempting to draw me out at the same time.

I blinked, and shook my head quickly to clear it. My empathy sense was flooded with… something of Celestia’s, and it was nearly overpowering my own feelings. Empathy was dangerous. I had already taken a risk with opening up to Crystal, but I couldn’t let whatever I felt to force my hoof.

Celestia’s eyebrow raised slightly, no doubt in response to my bout of silence, and my heart rate spiked.

“I-uhh… err…” I stammered out quickly, taking a moment to remember what the question was. “It was… w-where did you want me to start?”

I flashed her a smile, though I suspect it had awkwardness written all over it. Smooth.

Celestia let out a short hum. “Well, that is a good question. All we know is that a fight broke out. Start with why, and go from there.”

“I uhh… well, I heard some noises from upstairs when I was looking through my equipment,” I replied, my voice a little more sure. “I wanted to know who was here since all of the other guards were out for the celebration, so I went up and checked.”

The alicorn turned her head across the disorganized mess of Flash’s office. “And then this?”

“M-mostly.” I carefully made my way over to the desk. “Somepony who looked like the sarge opened the door for me and—”

Flash Point quickly turned to me, roughly slamming the door of the safe closed behind him. “‘Somepony who looked like the sarge’? Strange way of phrasing that, corporal.”

My eyes widened. “I-I-I didn’t think it was really you, sir!” I said, shrinking under his hard gaze. “The one I saw didn’t have his armor with him, and I knew you were with the Princess, so I knew it had to be some sort of… yeah.”

Flash seemed to relax, and the atmosphere didn’t seem quite so heavy. “Then we’re dealing with an imposter. The Princess herself can confirm that I had never left her side,” he said, before carefully maneuvering around the room and picking up the papers scattered across the room. “It’ll help narrow things down a bit if we know that they have access to strong illusion magic. A disguise that can hold up to physical contact isn’t very easy to come by.”

I nodded energetically. “Y-yes, of course.”

Celestia simply nodded. “Continue then. The imposter opened the door for you, and?”

“He asked me to help him find the schedules,” I continued. “I didn’t quite trust him, so I wasn’t intending to really find them for him, but he closed the door behind me as soon as I came in and blasted me with—”

"Do not mention the spell he cast."

I blinked, and it took a moment before I realized I needed to talk. “W-with his hoof. In my gut. I got thrown around a bit, he slammed his hoof here…” I pointed a hoof at the deep indentation in the table, “trying to take me out, and then Lily came in, and he fled out the window.”

Sergeant Flash Point dropped his stack of papers on the table as he trotted over to the hoofprint, staring at it closely for a moment before placing his own hoof on top of it. It was a perfect fit.

He snorted, letting a snide grin sneak across his face. “Well, that proves it wasn’t Overwatch, at least. This thing is way larger than anything she could make.”

“Indeed,” Celestia said, taking a look over Flash’s shoulder. “One who happens to have a hoof size very close to yours, but at least we know there was a third pony here.”

“Wait, what?” I said as I looked between Flash Point and Celestia. “If Lily was the second pony, was there any doubt that there was a third?”

Steel Blade let out a sheepish laugh and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Well, it could very well have been some sort of ruse,” he said, an apologetic look on his face. “You have to admit, you being alone in a locked guard house with Lily does sound a bit suspicious.”

I crossed my forelegs and huffed. “Not my fault you guys only use the front door.”

Celestia chuckled at that before turning to the sergeant. “What is missing? I understand that a few papers were taken.”

“If something was taken, I sure as hay don’t know what it is,” Flash Point said as he trotted back to the pile of papers he dumped off. “I haven’t checked everything in here yet, but all the documents I thought would be important are still here, and the safe hasn’t been tampered with.”

Steel Blade tapped a hoof to his chin. “Think he made copies of something?”

Sarge snorted. “Like what? Logs of arrests? Guard rotations and schedules? At least those might be helpful in trying to dodge any night time patrols, and it’s why I’m supposed to keep them stowed away until I need to post shifts, but if I were going to break into a guardhouse, I think I’d have set my sights a little higher.”

"Yes, why would a changeling make copies of a guard schedule?"

My brow furrowed. “M-may I look at those?” I said, pointing a hoof at the papers.

Flash shrugged and slid them over for me to pick up. “Sure. The papers here are actually the schedules that the intruder asked for you to find. I’ll need to check the filing cabinet too, but it’ll take a while to see if anything’s missing from there.”

Steelie cleared his throat. “Are you sure we should be looking at those? You did say we weren’t supposed to see them.”

“I’m not supposed to let you guys know about the safe either, but you,” he said pointing a hoof at Steel Blade, “don’t seem surprised at all, and Overwatch has probably found out about it ages ago. I know she likes to go into my office when she thinks I’m not paying attention.”

My cheeks heated up very quickly, and I hid my face behind a screen of paper.

Flash Point rolled his eyes. “Regardless, you two have done enough things in good faith that I feel fine trusting you with this,” he said and turned to the princess with a bow. “We apologize for the inconvenience, Your Majesty. We didn’t mean to drag you away from the festivities.”

“It is quite alright,” Princess Celestia replied with a small bow of her head. “I was merely concerned that somepony was hurt under malicious intent. I trust that there will be an investigation on the theft, correct?”

“Yes, Princess.” Sarge lifted his head and straightened up. “Though unless you have some spare guards somewhere, we might have to wait until tomorrow when we aren’t occupied with the celebration.”

The princess shook her head. “That will not be necessary. My part in the celebration is nearly complete, and I cannot request that you continue to accompany me when an incident such as this has occurred.”

“Many thanks, Your Highness,” he said with a short bow. “Will you be needing any accompaniment back to the castle?”

“I will be fine on my own. I just have a question or two for Lily and then I can be out of your mane.”

Lily straightened up and raised her eyebrows. “Me? Why me?”

“Just a few private questions,” the princess said, and goosebumps raised across my skin. The taste of suspicion, perhaps? “I assure you there is nothing to worry about.”

“Oh.” Lily’s brow furrowed for a moment, but she quickly loosened up and flashed a bright smile. “Aight! What can I do y’ for?”

“Just a moment outside.” Princess Celestia turned her head towards Flash Point. “Good luck on your investigation, sergeant. I will take my leave now.”

“Will do,” he replied, exchanging another short bow with the princess before she motioned for Lily to follow her out of the office.

"I do not like this. Her interest in our affairs could end up going extremely poorly if she were to learn too much about the changelings."

I breathed out a sigh and slouched over a bit, bringing a hoof up to rub at my forehead. A part of me appreciated getting help from the guard, but at the same time, it was yet another variable that I needed to keep track of. Celestia exchanging anything more than a passing word with Lily of all ponies was just another problem to worry about on top of everything else.

"I’ll try to be careful," I sent over the hivemind before turning to Sarge. “So… what now?”

He sat down into his chair and took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. “Now? Now, we start with the paperwork.”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Of course.

Chapter 10 — <<The Pearl of Immortality>>

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 11 — A Lingering Ripple

NOW

Nymph

I regret staying up over the night.

I had everything wrapped up at the guardhouse by late in the afternoon, including plans for extended time off due to the assault. With my stomach growling, my legs weary, and myself still a little numb from the changeling’s acid-y spell, Lily and I stopped at a small coffee shop. Seated at one of the outside tables, I chewed ruefully on a fresh daisy sandwich.

I squinted as the sun rose ever higher and reminded myself to grab a pair of sunglasses. Canterlot may be one of the most beautiful cities in Equestria, but it was also composed primarily of white stone, and the reflection from the sun in a clear sky on the longest day of the year from that stone was currently attempting first-degree murder on my sleepless retinas. After the second such attempt in three days, I decided quite resolutely that the sun was the bane of all existence.

Luckily, the few other patrons at the coffee shop were in various states of sleep deprivation and would hopefully pay little attention to me if I decided to fall asleep in my food. Still, I imagined their eyes boring into my back, even if I knew they had little reason to bother with me.

I sighed. I want to be home, away from all the noise and light and social contact. What I wouldn’t give just to be back alone in my little hole in the sleeping chambers, surrounded by books and absolutely noling else.

“Y’know luv, I still cahn’t believe this came from a plant,” Lily said loudly, waving a piece of bread around in her mouth as she disassembled her sandwich.

I groaned and rubbed the middle of my forehead with a hoof. As much as I wanted to sleep, there was much on my mind and, more importantly, I was still several blocks away from the closest bed to pass out in.

I rolled my shoulders, readjusting the scarf and Crystal around my neck. "Do you think that the other changeling was really looking for the guard schedules?" I sent through the link.

"They were already out on the table, were they not? Does the sergeant keep anything else of note in his office?" Crystal replied smoothly.

I pursed my lips together. "No, not in particular. There might be a few records of anyone we need to bring in, but those are usually with the bookkeepers. He might keep a few of our personnel files in there though. Think they got away with that?"

Crystal seemed pensive. "Depends on what is in those files. How many did they make off with?"

“Din’t look like much, I dun think.” Lily said to my surprise, her mouth full of chewed greens. ““E wos really tryin’ to book his arse outta dere and nicked wot ‘e could.”

I took another bite of my sandwich, trying not to look in Lily’s mouth. "So likely some schedules or somepony’s files, but…”

I frowned. "If they knew the beats we walked, they could stalk us better."

"And?"

"They’d be able to kidnap somepony and replace them if they knew where to wait. Most guards patrol in pairs though. It wouldn’t be that easy."

Crystal humphed. "That is of no matter as long as they can be isolated and taken unaware," she said dismissively. "Assume the worst and that they are able to kidnap and replace your fellow guards. What then?"

My chewing slowed. "I won’t be able to trust anyone in the guard. And they might come after me next."

"First lesson when dealing with rival changelings. Suspect everyone." Crystal said. "As for coming after you, I think it unlikely, for now. They stopped following you."

My brow furrowed. "But why?"

“Probably ‘cause they dun’ think you’re a threat, what with one of them givin’ you a right proper whuppin’!”

I slid my empty plate to the side and slammed my head into the table.

"Could be a variety of reasons," Crystal continued, amusement wafting off of her, “though I believe it is because of your reaction to his spell, the one I told you not to mention."

I lifted my head up, ignoring the looks the other patrons gave me. “I’ve been meaning to ask about that. Why—”

“Because one, it was tailored towards changeling magic. While I may not look it, I know my way around magic and this form has significantly heightened those senses. When the spell soaked into your scarf, I got a very close look at its arcane construction. The bolt had the outer makings of an Acid Splash and would appear as such to any casual observer, but it was clear it was different when it contacted your fur. It was attempting to unravel your transformation, and it very much should have done so had it not suddenly failed to recognize your disguise.

“I am quite interested in... discerning the particulars of that interaction, and I would very much like to analyze you as you transform to get a better sense of your magic.”

I pursed my lips, and let out a contemplative hum as I scooted my chocolate smoothie over and drank from the straw. If Crystal was right about that spell, did that mean my transformative magic was different enough from a changeling's that it simply didn’t work, or that I had some other form of resistance? “That can wait until tomorrow,” I groused as I massaged my forehead. “Let me get some sleep first. Did you have another reason for me to keep quiet?”

“Of course. Princess Celestia was in the room. While wise and benevolent, her involvement may hurt more than it helps, especially since changelings have thus far been relatively unknown to the ponies.”

Her attention seemed to turn towards Lily. “I am already extremely concerned that she has taken an interest in you, Lily. What did she talk about with you?”

“Nuh uh, luv!” the disguised merpony sang. “That’s between me an’ the Lightbringer!”

“Lily.” I could feel the power of Crystal’s deadpan look.

Lily let out a snorting giggle before latching onto her scalding cup of coffee, downing the rest of it in a gulp, and setting it onto the table with a thunk. “Oh, don’t get’cherself in a bunch, Crystal. Din’t really talk ‘bout much,” she said with a slightly overly wide grin. “Chatted a bit about me and Watchie, how we came to Canterlot, bit about my home, uhh…”

“Please tell me you did not bring up your real origins.”

“Oh, f’course not, luv!”

“That is a mild relie—”

“The Lightbringer actually figured it out ‘erself!” Lily continued unabated. “Right smart one, she is. Think my sharp teeth were showing, and she kinda guessed it from there.”

Crystal was completely silent for several uncomfortably long seconds until finally, she let out a huge exasperated breath. “My… transformation spells keeping Lily an earth pony must deteriorate with distance.”

“She also wants to meet’cha too, Crystal!”

“...I will consider it when I am more presentable. If she approaches you again, tell her that I am a bit self-conscious at the moment.”

I blinked. “Crystal? You seem to be… taking this a lot better than I thought you would.”

“What Lily has revealed cannot be unrevealed, save for if Celestia forgets it herself. It is unfortunate, but moving forward, we must be cautious about what information gets to Princess Celestia. She will be much more likely to poke her head in our business now that she knows that Lily is a merpony and that she is affiliated with a powerful mage capable of completely changing half of her body.”

I groaned and lay my head on the table. “Of course. It’s not enough that I need to interact with ponies. I also need the one pony who could vaporize me with a blink of an eye interested in me.”

“Perhaps not necessarily in you, unless you have any other distinguishing characteristics you have not told us about.”

I breathed out a long sigh. Though I had gained some insight into my own character through how others seemed to see me and my own impulses, the one thing the memory spell did not seem to bestow upon me was, ironically, my own memories. “Nothing that comes to mind beyond my injury in the Everfree several days ago.”

“I see,” she said, though it was obvious that she didn’t entirely believe me. “Celestia did mention you had a ‘life-threatening injury.’ Was that when you assumed her place?”

I laboriously picked myself up and dropped a few bits on the table before trudging away like a zombie. Lily just grabbed a hoofful of bits from a bag and tossed it to the table before following suit, her light skip showing no signs of sleep deprivation.

We walked in silence, moving with the crowd as they wound their way back homes for rest. I was… unsure of how much I wanted to reveal to Crystal or to anypony really of how much I had messed up. It’s been maybe two days since I’ve met her and Lily and it feels like I’ve known her for way longer. Maybe it was just because she was there when I nearly died at the hooves of another changeling, but her solidarity in the face of uncertainty was such a great lure.

But what if she was just prying me for information for the enemy?

But then why bother with Lily? The mere notion of the merpony carrying around a talking gem seemed way too absurd if they were trying to learn about me, not to mention the encounter I just had.

I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of my scarf around me and the weight of Crystal hidden inside. I felt her emotions through my empathy sense and found her genuinely curious and methodical, a taste like fine wheat. An uninspiring flavor, yet still savory enough to try more.

If she were just a voice from a gem, would she be able to generate emotions?

I made up my mind, and spoke through the link. “It was, b-but I wasn’t the one who gave her that injury.”

“...Go on.”

I took a deep breath. “I was attacked by a manticore. She came to help me, but we were both mortally wounded. Before she died, I cast a memory spell so I could take her place, and I survived by allowing her friends to take me to a hospital.”

“Stop there. You cast a memory spell?”

I sighed, my face twisting into a grimace. “I’ve been told repeatedly after the fact that I was never supposed to do that alone, and that I was lucky to come out of it coherent.”

“Impossible. The most recent memory transference spell as I remember it had fail safes against such an occurrence.”

My brow furrowed. The spell was supposed to have fail safes? “I cast it exactly as I was taught.”

“Then that will have to be another thing you show me once we are in the privacy of your home and you are rested enough to channel your magic precisely. Unless you were using an archaic form of the spell, it should have required two casters. What insane changeling would go out of their way to reconstruct the spell from the ground up just to remove those locks?”

“I… I don’t know.” Was my broodmother the one who changed it? Why did she teach me a flawed spell?

I turned the corner to my apartment complex. My gaze slowly panned across Overwatch’s home, and I felt anew just how alien of an environment I had ended up in. On one side, my hive and my mother, the broken spell, and the questionable mission into one of the most dangerous regions in Equestria. Even Dexter and Sinister seemed confused as to why I was here.

On the other, a pony in Canterlot, her memories inaccessible, her impulses and muscle memory pulling me about like a puppet on a string.

I stumbled inside her home and plod down the hallway to my bedroom.

Is it saying something when Crystal is the most trustworthy companion I’ve met?

Chapter 13 — Tastes of Legends

Nymph

One good thing about trying to find Lily, since Crystal is essentially casting or channeling or doing whatever she does to turn Lily into an earth pony, we always had a direction to follow, and we could just follow the fishing line all the way to our fish.

Part of me wished that wasn’t such an apt metaphor. It was just a bit of a shame that I didn’t have the time to truly appreciate the beauty of the Canterlot Central Park in summer. It was a place I could see myself relaxing, especially with the more private areas, alone with just the soothing sounds of the wind and the birds.

However, I was not in any of those spots. Standing in front of the park’s enormous fountain and trying not to pay attention to the wide berth the ponies were giving the area, I massaged my forehead, already feeling the headache coming. “Lily, what are you doing?”

Lily looked at me with a huge grin on her face from where she was hiding behind the centerpiece statue, some nondescript alicorn rearing up in battle. “Jus’ playin’ with a bird I found! Real pretty one she is!”

The bird in question was, true enough, a real pretty one. Its slim, feathered body was covered primarily in red with some orange making up the feathers of its head and tail, but if I shifted my head slightly, it was possible to see a blend of both colors in each of the feathers, giving the bird a breathtaking shimmering effect and making it appear as if it was aglow with soft embers. Its large curved beak clearly marked it as some sort of bird of prey.

It also breathed a small jet of flame at Lily, who quickly ducked underwater for a moment before bursting back up again with a giggle.

I blinked.

“That’s not normal.”

“That’s not normal,” I echoed, still staring at it in awe. “Normal birds don’t double as flamethrowers.”

The bird squawked at me and silence ensued. Though it was difficult to tell exactly what it was thinking, I got the sense that it was a lot more intelligent than any random bird in its unflinching gaze and I could feel its curiosity, the familiar taste of peaches.

At least, until Lily tried to splash some water up at it and it returned to firing off puffs of fire at her.

“I should clarify. That is a phoenix. Phoenixes very rarely venture far from the warmer Dragon Lands, and we are one ocean and half a continent away from the Dragon Lands and on top of a mountain.”

I still kept my eyes on the phoenix. While very much a fire hazard and probably dangerous to boot, it was still a fire-breathing bird and therefore extremely cool. “Maybe it’s some noble’s exotic pet?”

“Hmm, there is one perhaps that might go up around here, but she belongs to…”

I froze. Something huge was approaching on my empathy sense, and there was only one being who could possibly have a signature that large.

I looked up into the sky as Princess Celestia fluttered down in front of the fountain, accompanied by two Royal Guards. The phoenix chirped at the Princess’s approach, fluttering over to land on the alicorn’s raised foreleg.

“Cor, it’s the Lightbringer!” Lily exclaimed, splashing through the fountain towards us. “‘Ello, Celestia!”

“Ahh, Lily!” Princess Celestia said with radiant friendliness, like a wave of a fresh summer breeze brushing over my empathy sense. “Oh, and Miss Overwatch too! I see you’ve met Philomena.”

I quickly dropped into a bow. “P-Princess! What are you doing here?”

The Princess nuzzled the phoenix, who affectionately returned the gesture. “Please, there’s no need to bow. I was bringing Philomena around on my visit to the foals at the hospital, but it looks like she’s found something more interesting to play with. I have always had a hard time keeping up with her, especially when she gets on her mischievous streak.”

“To visit the foals?” I said, straightening up with an inquisitive look at Philomena. “Isn’t that a bit uhh… dangerous?”

“Course not!” Lily pitched in, still sitting inside the fountain and dripping all over the sides. “She was doin’ the flame-y thing from ‘er mouth at me, but I’m still peachy!”

The Princess shot a stern look at the phoenix, who was pointedly looking away from her. “Philomena, did you try to set this mare on fire?”

She received a squawk in response.

“Oh pish posh, it’s fine! We were jus’ playin’,” Lily said, flicking a little water about in demonstration, “‘Sides, I don’t usually see fire where I come from, and she’s got some really lush stuff!”

Celestia’s eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly. “Of course, that makes sense, considering your origins.”

She paused a moment, exchanging a look with Philomena. “I wonder, if you enjoy playing with her so much, would you be willing to spend some time with her every so often? I’ve noticed she’s been getting a little bored trying to amuse herself with the castle staff recently, and I think she’d be happy to have someone else to play with.”

The Princess lowered herself to Lily’s level, whispering loudly. “Also, I think the castle staff could do with a bit of a break. They’re starting to jump at the sight of red, and I think she’s been leaving her feathers around on purpose to spook them.”

Lily saluted with a sharp snap of her hoof. “I gotcha covered, Miss Lightbringer!”

“Ask her how old Philomena is.”

I started a bit at the sudden request, but quickly said, “Sh-she’s a really beautiful bird, and really… nice and… stuff.” I cleared my throat. “I was just wondering how old she was.”

Celestia straightened up and hummed in contemplation as Philomena transferred over to Lily’s head. “Well,” she said slowly, “I do suppose most phoenixes can live upwards of a century. I don’t have a number for her age, but Philomena’s been with me for a significant part of my life, and I love her dearly.”

In the background, Lily was swimming in circles in the fountain—surprisingly agile for not having any fins—with Philomena perched atop her head like a captain of a boat.

The Princess chuckled at the sight, though the silence from Crystal was audible.

“For now, however, I need to get back to the castle,” Princess Celestia spoke up, waving the merpony back. “I do let Philomena roam freely, so as long as it’s alright with you, Miss Overwatch, she might come by to visit you two every so often. If either of you have any concerns you want to address to me, feel free to send a message back with her.”

“Can do, Miss!” Lily replied easily, and Philomena fluttered over to Celestia’s back.

I gave the imposing alicorn a bow. “O-of course, Princess Celestia.”

The Princess gave us both a warm smile before spreading her wings and taking off, and I could only stare after her, not quite comprehending what just occurred.

Crystal, however, seemed much more willing to speak up. “By the sands, Lily, what did you tell her yesterday?”

“Lily, get out of the fountain. You’re not supposed to go in there,” I said in somewhat of a daze.

The merpony flopped out of the fountain with as much grace as a fish out of water, but she found her footing quickly and snapped to attention like a doting puppy. “What’cha mean, Crystal?”

“I mean, why is Princess Celestia this interested in you of all ponies. She knows you are a merpony, that much is obvious, but that’s suspiciously friendly.”

“Well, maybe she’s treating her like a foreign diplomat?” I said, watching as the ponies in the park, now that the phoenix was gone, hopped out and craned their necks to get a look at the departing princess. Perhaps they also had a sort of empathy sense, since it seems that meeting Princess Celestia does not just put changelings like me into a doozy.

“Lily is at best a tourist from a seclusive nation and certainly not worth direct correspondence with the immortal ruler of one of the most prosperous nations in the world, and, if my hunch is correct, with the Philomena as a courier. I am baffled. The most I can think of is that she wants to prevent another disaster with sirens.”

“Well, I do technically ‘ave an ‘eart Gem now!” Lily interjected, beaming. “Maybe ‘at makes me a Songweaver now!”

“Please do not refer to me as your Heart Gem.”

I began trotting off in the direction of home, already a slight bit uncomfortable being the center of attention as Lily was wont to be. Making sure my merpony friend was following along, I asked Crystal, “You mentioned the Philomena? Is she supposed to be special or something?” I paused. “Beyond being a phoenix. And Princess Celestia’s pet.”

“It might be little more than speculation, but I noticed that she radiated magic, as I have no doubt you noticed, but those were beyond what I expect from a normal phoenix, and Celestia’s response to her age only deepened my suspicions.”

“So what about her?” I asked.

“Well, the original Philomena essentially ended a war between the dragons and ponies. Granted, it was over a millennium ago, but she helped to win a lasting peace with the old Dragon Lord that has persisted until now unless something has happened over the last century. She’s a legend, and it is entirely possible that she stood before us.”

“Cor, she’s pretty lively for bein’ so old!”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Say what? She stopped a war?”

“So the legend goes, assuming they are the same bird. There are bound to be exaggerated portions of the tale, but the core of it was true. Philomena, She of the Flaming Horizon, ended the draconic war with the ponies.”

Lily let out a long whistle. “You mind tellin’ it sumtime, luv? Sounds like a doozy!”

“I would not mind. It will not take too long regardless.”

I hummed doubtfully, pursing my lips. “It does sound a bit unbelievable though, doesn’t it? A phoenix stopping the dragons?

“Reality can be more unbelievable than the stories you love to read. Myths often disregard that which we think is rational.”

“But to be a legend is…” I trailed off, uncertain of how exactly to word it. “Ugh, I can’t imagine how one would even become a legend.”

“You will not find the answer in your novels, but to be a legend is… I imagine it is to possess something that can elevate you to being extraordinary, extraordinary enough to be memorialized, whether it be motivation or drive.”

I huffed. “Wish I had something like that.”

“Hmph. You know you’re extraordinary, Overwatch.”

“If being unable to cast any of the spells I should know is extraordinary, sure,” I grumbled. “Lily’s extraordinary. She’s the one who managed to become pen pals with Princess Celestia.”

“Do not try to deflect this. While Lily has been particularly gifted in that regard, her motivation is little more than curiosity, and if you want to get through this, you will need to work on your motivation yourself.”

I stuck out my tongue in disgust. “I don’t even want to be here, and you want me to be motivated?”

“Need I remind you that you have little choice but to face down rival changelings? Rival changelings who have demonstrated they have no qualms about killing you when given the chance?”

A chill ran down my back. “I… I suppose that’s true,” I begrudgingly accepted.

“Still, we are not in imminent threat at the moment, so we can use this time to start training you up. Every skill learned is another that can protect you from death.”

“Why do I not like where this is going?” I said with a grimace.

“Because we are going to start with the first thing you need to improve as an infiltrator among ponies: your social skills.”

Myths — She of the Flaming Horizon

—

The circumstances of Philomena’s birth were as unusual as the times.

Soon after the unification of the pony tribes, a new threat had made itself known. The Bringer of Chaos, the Spirit of Discord, had made itself manifest. Though no one knew from whence he came, he wasted little time in making his presence known. The landscape was changed into unnatural shapes, animals and trees were modified with a snap of his fingers into disfigured monstrosities, and the ponies found themselves turning on each other. Day and night changed at random intervals, the sun and moon zipping through the sky like cats chasing a mouse.

They say that it was during this time of disharmony that the Spirit of Discord shook the sun hard enough that a small fragment of it was flung off, landing right onto Equestria.

The small piece of the sun found itself out of its element. It looked around and saw not endless space and cosmos, but a warped landscape teeming with life. It looked up in the sky and saw the great star from which it had been born, and though it yearned to return, it found that it was bound to the ground, unable to travel to where it wished to go.

It looked around once again and saw a bird, and it saw that the bird could go as it pleased, whether it was down onto the ground or up into the sky. The sun fragment sought to emulate this freedom and changed itself into the first phoenix, its feathers splendid and magnificent and its body strong and hale. Surely, it thought, with a form such as this, it could return to its home.

But the sun bird found that it could not reach its goal. Its body tired too quickly, and the once friendly space outside of Equestria’s atmosphere had become hostile, the empty expanse too wide. It tried to make the journey many times, but each time found itself crashing back down to earth in an uncontrollable fireball.

It mourned the loss of its home, and it lost hope that it would ever return, so crestfallen it had become.

Meanwhile, the Reign of Chaos had been put to an end, and in a much less inhospitable world, ponies began to expand once again.

Such it was that the sun bird met its first pony.

The pony, in wonder at the beauty of the bird, sought companionship in the despondent sun, and the phoenix, having lost all else, returned it. It gained a name, Philomena, and found in the pony a steadfast friend.

Years passed, and Philomena was a permanent attachment to the pony. The nation of Equestria was rebuilt from the destruction of the earlier era, and the two were a constant sight. Following the habits of its first friend, the phoenix became just as well known for its assistance in building up Equestria as it was for its mischievous nature.

But the road to rebuilding was not so easy. The dragons received news that the pony lands were no longer plagued by chaos and moved in to claim the fertile land, and the pony races, having only recently unified and put through Tartarus, were forced to fight off the formidable lizards.

Dragons razed Equestrian villages with impunity. Though they were few, their innate physical advantages in scale and flame won them numerous victories. It was soon decided among the ponies that their best hope of repelling the dragons was in defeating the Dragon Lord.

And so Philomena found herself in the Dragon Lands with a large portion of the remaining Equestrian Army alongside the pony she had formed a bond with all those years ago.

Under the cover of night, they moved on the dragons, but they were intercepted by a small advance force and the Dragon Lord himself, a being as large as a mountain and wielding the Bloodstone. Despite the ponies’ magic, their champions could do little more than contain the Dragon Lord’s depthless ferocity, and there was news that the bulk of the dragon forces were fast approaching.

Philomena was busy holding off the dragons accompanying the Lord, but she knew that if the main forces were to regroup with their leader that the ponies, who she had spent so much of her short life with, would be wiped out.

She made her decision swiftly and without hesitation. The phoenix flung herself into the air, flying straight past the Dragon Lord into their lands. She began to burn once again with the sun’s light, having restrained her true power in order to interact with the ponies she had learned to love.

Her path inwards was set ablaze, and though the dragons boasted some resistance to fire, they found they were little protection against the intensity of the first phoenix. Philomena’s inferno emitted powerful flares, and motes of conscious light split off from her. They became lesser phoenixes, new beacons of flame plunging deep into the dragon forces and decimating their ranks.

The dragons quickly recognized the new threat in their midst and fired back, and though Philomena was powerful and vaporized many of the projectiles, she was still confined to a physical body and was struck with a mortal wound.

Thus falling, plummeting once more to the earth who had always come to claim her, did Philomena become known over the world. To the ponies, she became known as She of the Flaming Horizon. To the griffons, the Earthbound Star. To the dragons, she became simply known as:

The Cataclysm.

She reached deep into her ever-burning, ever-collapsing core and released the entirety of her essence in a violent flare. She returned not to the form she had when she first crashed into the world, but to an even more primal form, and the deep night that hung over the battlegrounds turned into scorching day.

It seemed the entire world had turned ablaze, so powerful were the solar winds that sloughed off of the falling sun. The main forces of the dragons themselves were burned out, and their fate was sealed when Philomena finally fell to the ground, creating an explosive eruption that was felt around the world. The once lush jungle of the Dragon Lands was turned into volcanic wasteland, and the final impact would see the land barren for centuries after.

The Dragon Lord himself, though possessing an almost infinite wealth of energy, found his advance force falling under the rallying of the ponies under broad daylight, and alone against the two heroes of the ponies, he was forced to concede and made his promise to force the dragons in Equestria to back down or return.

Following the fight, a single pony split off from the rest and ventured into the Dragon Lands, frantic to find her friend.

—

“Philomena? Philomena?”

The white pony scanned the world around her frantically, jumping towards any hint of a flame in the dark night. The phoenixes she had seen on her path inwards seemed to recognize her, but none of them responded to her call. None of them came to her.

The pony galloped inwards towards the massive crater where Philomena had been last seen, trodding over the ashes of trees that once reached high into the sky and over the unmarked graves of hundreds of dragons. Her coat was smeared with grey, and her hooves were caked with muck. The bandages that wrapped around her barrel and wings had become soiled with dirt and smoldering ashes.

She finally arrived at the edge of the crater. It was eerily quiet as she looked downwards into the clearing. With a hop, she slid towards the center across the smooth walls of the depression, heedless of the lingering heat.

“Philomena? Philomena? Art thou there?”

The pony rushed forward, but her hopeful expression began to fall as she found little more than a pile of dust awaiting her.

“Philomena?” she whimpered, wiping off her tears and snot and only succeeding in further disheveling her appearance. She dropped heavily into a sitting position, her energy drained from her at the continuing silence, and she lay down beside the middle of the crater.

Minutes passed. The pony’s sister had arrived and chose to lay beside her. Even a few of the neophyte phoenixes had begun to tentatively approach the two.

It was soon after the phoenixes had surrounded the two that the entire flock let out an ear-piercing, “SKRREEEEE!”

The two ponies jumped at the sudden noise, and they let out loud shrieks of their own when the pile of ashes in the middle exploded in a loud, “PKAAAWW!”

And the entire flock of phoenixes seemed to fall to their backs in uproarious laughter, but there was no bird louder than the phoenix at the middle of the crater. The white pony let out a frustrated howl, and she flung a nearby wad of dirt at the newly reborn phoenix, wailing, “THOU WRETCHED FOWL, HOW DAREST THOU!”

She stomped the ground repeatedly, sobbing and laughing in equal measures, and Philomena finally approached her with a caw. The phoenix was pulled into the white pony’s reach with magic, and the two shared a warm embrace until the first rays of sunlight finally broke the horizon.

And to this day, Philomena flies the skies of her new home, her newfound purpose as undying as the everlasting core of the sun within her breast.

Chapter 14 — Tastes Like a Melody

Myiasis

I heard there was some sort of… mishap with the Penumbra Guardhouse.

We got the schedules, as requested, but Overwatch and her new tenant barged in on us. The agent successfully subdued her, confirming that Overwatch had not been replaced, and fled the scene without too much incident. The scuffle was reported by the tenant, and another of our infiltrators confirmed the presence of Princess Celestia at the guardhouse shortly after.

I see. Keep to the plan for the other guardhouses, but be sure to exercise caution. We will have to wait for the heat to die down around the Penumbra Guardhouse, but time is of the essence. The other queens are quiet, but I am not willing to see how much longer that lasts.

Understood, My Queen.

Nymph

“Uhh…”

I stood beneath a bright street lamp, staring at the small establishment before me.

“It’s a bar.”

“How observant of you, Overwatch.”

I shot a frown at the crystal hidden within my scarf. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I most assuredly am not kidding. I do have a interest in this bar in particular—you may already sense it from here—but it is a regular bar, settled into a rather central location in the Lunar District, which means plenty of ponies will be coming through at nights. Since it is close to the guardhouse you work at, you can easily frequent this bar following shifts once you start working again.”

“Crystal, am I even legal?”

“You are a Royal Guard, are you not? I was under the impression that all guards working shifts in the street were of age.”

“I’m twenty-on—” I coughed. “Fourteen. Fourteen. I don’t think I’m supposed to drink alcohol.”

“I am sure there are non-alcoholic options.”

I rolled my eyes. “Who goes to a bar to drink water?”

“We are here because you are going to learn how to socialize, not drink. A silver tongue can get you into many places, not to mention allowing you to feed yourself should you lose a willing source like Lily. So, your first goal is to start a conversation with a stranger.”

“Just any stranger?” My mouth twisted as if I had tasted something bad.

“Perhaps I should ask Lily to make you try starting a conversation with everypony in there. Practice does make perfect, after all.” She sounded entirely too smug.

“W-we can start with one,” I said with a hesitant chuckle. “But how do I know what to talk to them about? What if they’re not interested? What if I don’t know what to say? I’ve never been a social butterfly, even back at the hive! How am I supposed to be one here? What if they end up not liking me?”

“It is a conversation, Overwatch, not advanced arcane studies. The worst that will happen, assuming you do not insult their ancestors by mistake, is that somepony thinks you a touch awkward. If you are too afraid to fail, even as marginally as a mildly bad impression, you will never progress.”

I grumbled a bit, shifting from side to side uneasily. “I still feel like I’m just a kid pretending to be an adult.”

“Well, there is plenty of social lubricant in there, should you feel your nerves getting the best of you.”

I sighed. “Alright, fine, but tell me,” I turned to the bright, happy merpony beside me. “What’re you doing here?”

“Taste the booze, o’ course!” Lily chirped helpfully. “Must be good if everypony sayin’ how much they need a drink!”

“She is also a good pony to help start and continue conversations. Also, Karaoke Night.”

I turned to look at the bar, and sure enough, a small chalkboard in the large window proudly proclaimed today to be, in stylized calligraphy and too many different colors, Karaoke Night. The bar itself seemed fairly well-kept, at least from what I could see. The inside seemed dim, but the tables inside were well-lit with hanging lamps, and all of the furniture appeared new and well-polished. Plants and paintings gave the bar some color. Some hanging greenery along the windows at the front formed a sort of curtain, enough to give the inside a sense of privacy, but not enough to separate it from the street.

I took a deep breath and tentatively opened the door and slid in. I immediately caught a wave of warm love on my empathy sense, like stepping into a sauna, with a few small tastes of joy and cold nips of melancholy, and it was pretty easy to tell why Crystal had an “interest” in this bar. There were a few patrons here and there, but a lot of them were already in their friend groups laughing amongst themselves, primarily the large group of college-age ponies at the large tables in the center. The rest were off in some unoccupied corner and clearly wanted to be left alone. There was a heavy majority of stallions.

My gut squirmed uneasily. Nopony seemed to notice my entrance, so I slid past them to the front counter.

The unicorn bartender there seemed extremely out of place amongst the prevailing brown of the bar. She had the body of a model, young with long, well-defined legs and a lithe physique. Her light pink coat was well groomed, and her wavy purple mane hung in luscious curls at the ends. Her cutie mark was a bundle of blue hearts. She seemed to be the main source of the thick scent of love and compassion, and approaching her was like swimming through melted chocolate.

It was, in a word, intoxicating, and I half-wondered whether she was really that beautiful or if I was simply looking at her through tinted lenses.

Despite still feeling out of place, I immediately relaxed as I took a seat at the bar stool. Lily hopped up to the stool next to me with a cheerful, “Cor, pretty swell place here!”

The bartender turned to us with a smile from where she was polishing a beer glass, and I felt extremely self-conscious. “Welcome! Haven’t seen your faces around here before,” she said, trotting over smoothly. “What’ll you have?”

Lily shrugged. “Iunno, wha’cha got?”

I cleared my throat. “Excuse her, she’s never had alcohol before and wants to try some. Maybe just whatever’s most popular?”

She nodded. “Can’t go wrong with a pint,” she said as she drew a mug up with her magic and began filling it from the tap. “And you?”

“O-oh, nothing for me. Never really been a big drinker,” I said with a weak smile, hoping I wasn’t being too unusual.

The bartender raised her eyebrow, though before she could ask anything, my merpony friend butted back in. “Oh yeah!” Lily said, leaning forward eagerly. “Heard there was sumthin’ called karree-oo-kee?”

The bartender nodded in comprehension. “Ahh, that answers what you’re here for. Yeah, they’re setting it up. It’s happening a bit later tonight,” she said, gesturing towards a small stage to the side, “so just sit back and enjoy the drink while you wait.”

She turned to me, and I started to feel a bit woozy. “Are you here for the karaoke too? It’ll be fun!”

I hastily brought my hooves up and shook them side to side. “N-no, I’m not. I’m just here to uhh… learn to socialize?”

She giggled. “Well, you’re on the right track. Mingling is pretty easy, and there are plenty of stallions who’ll fall head over heels for a chance to talk to a cute mare.”

I felt my face burning up. Was I drunk? Could I even get drunk without alcohol? “Err, thanks, I guess. What’s… what’s your name?”

“Mmm… Tango. Ambrosia Tango,” she said, and I got a faint taste of something off during her initial pause. “And you?”

“Overwatch,” I said, taking a glance at Lily taking a tentative sniff of the glass before her. “So uhh… small talk?”

“Overwatch, you are killing me here.”

Tango brought a hoof to her chin in thought, tilting her head back and forth. “Hmm, maybe we can start with… What do you do? Do you have a job? Anything to do with,” she tilted to the side and looked a bit past me, “What is that, a peach?”

“Oh!” I said, looking back at my flank. “It’s an apricot, but no, nothing related. I work in the Guard.”

“A Royal Guard? Oooh,” Tango said in understanding. “Surprising with your cutie mark, but lots of guards come through here after their shifts. They’re a very common sight since we’re close to the guardhouse and the castle. What about you? Here on break?”

I waved off the notion. “Not like that. I’m off duty until next week,” I said, “And you? How long have you been working here?”

“Not too long,” Tango said, leaning on the counter. “I’ve been jumping from job to job over the years, y’know, trying to keep myself occupied. I foalsit a lot on the side, but I’ve been thinking of trying to get a job in reporting.”

I nodded, but I couldn’t help but get the feeling she was being a bit restrained in her emotions. Perhaps this pony was why Crystal was so interested in this place?

Lily slammed her mug down on the counter and breathed out a loud, contented sigh, interrupting my thoughts.

Tango grinned. “So, how was it?”

“Got anythin’ with a bit more punch?” Lily said with a hiccup. “I’ve breeved enough water t’ want any more.”

“Mm, some scotch then?” Tango levitated down a bottle and began pouring another glass. When she looked up and slid the new glass to Lily, she caught sight of something outside. “Oh, looks like they finally changed shifts.”

I turned around quickly, somewhat surprised I hadn’t sensed the large group currently walking through the doors. Had my proximity to Ambrosia Tango really blocked out my senses to such a degree?

“Hello everypony!” Tango called out as the group entered. “Karaoke’s starting soon, so buckle in and get your voices out!”

I took a quick glance at most of the new arrivals, composed mostly of stallions, of course, but a couple faces did pop out.

“Steelie!?” I gagged.

“Overwatch?” He stared back in surprise and had stopped momentarily in the doorway before somepony much larger pushed past him.

“Ees Overvatch!”

“Oh no.” I shrank in my seat and squeaked as Vice barrelled up to me with a frightening grin on her face, pulled my head in, and gave me a noogie.

I was dropped back into my chair, a few stray strands of my mane dislodged into my face, and Steel Blade took the other side of Vice, looking over at me. “I didn’t know you drank, Overwatch,” he said.

My head swam, though I managed to right myself eventually. “I don’t.”

“Sure I can’t interest you in something?” Tango said, pulling a multitude of empty glasses out. “Maybe some non-alcoholic cider? Fries?”

I rolled my eyes. “Alright, just a little drink,” I said, a slight bit impressed at her telekinetic control as I turned to Steel Blade. “So what’re you guys doing here?”

Vice seemed more boisterous than usual, flaring up into a pose with one hoof out and raised. “You see, Overvatch, I am here to sing! Da, vas very good back home.”

“And I’m here to chaperone these drunkards,” Steel Blade said, as a few of the bar’s other employees began Karaoke Night on stage. “For when one of them inevitably over-drinks and I need to haul him back before he starts puking over the floor.”

One of the other stallions he had entered with, waiting at one of the tables, called out to him. “It was one time!”

Steelie simply chuckled and turned back to me. “So anyways, what’re you here for, if not to drink?” He paused a moment, looking back out to the karaoke crowd. “Oh, are you here with what’s-her-name, Lily?”

I turned the other direction towards where I thought I had left Lily and found nothing but three empty glasses and a paper tray with exactly one fry still left in it. I whipped back around and easily located Lily’s distinctive color scheme of lime green and flaming red in the crowd, near the front of the small stage.

My eye twitched. I should’ve at least sensed her going.

“Wow, she’s fast,” I murmured. “But yes, in a fashion. I’m here to uhh…” I tapped my hooves together sheepishly, “learn how to socialize?”

Steelie’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? Didn’t take you for a shy one, and I’ve known you for a while now.”

“Errrrgh, well…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I just… talk better with ponies I know. I’m still a little uneasy around ponies I don’t.”

“Mm, passable.”

“Ahh, so you haff been in bar, hitting on ponies, I see!” Vice said, leaning in conspiratorially. “Have you shown scar yet to sexy bartender?”

I let out a sudden cough and gaped at her. “Vi! That was maybe a week ago! Probably less!”

“Hey, vas impressive! Fighting off manticore und living to tell tale!”

Tango raised an eyebrow. “A manticore?”

“Yes!” Vice spread her hooves out wide. “Vas like train! Overvatch killed it and vas bleeding everyvhere! Ve carried her all the vay back to Ponyville! Go on, show her!”

Tango turned back to me with an astonished expression, and I hesitantly drew back a little of my scarf to show the tops of the three claw marks. “Y-yeah,” I said. “It was a bit of a doozy. Still can’t believe I—”

I stopped when the bar was filled with an upbeat jazzy pop tune, and the entire group turned to look at the stage. There was a crystal projector set up to display the lyrics onto a white screen, and Lily was right up at the front with one of the college mares, each clutching a small microphone.

One of the earlier comments that Crystal made about Celestia’s interest in Lily came surging back. I remembered that Lily was in the habit of humming, but I didn’t actually know the full extent of her affinity for music, and if she turned out to be some sort of—

The college mare began the first verse hesitantly, her voice the first in the relative quiet. Lily’s head was tilted downwards, and she was swaying back and forth on the spot, as if internalizing the beat.

The other mare’s singing got a bit more sure as she got into the song, and Lily soon took her cue and began to sing, her voice strong and crystal clear. It took a moment, but she was halfway through her lines when I felt a surge building in my breast, as if willing my own breath to burst forth, and it didn’t seem that I was the only one affected. All around the bar, ponies were swaying with her, and their voices joined in, the chorus created from a hodge-podge of tonalities.

The once muted emotions given off by the ponies seemed to slowly tune to the same wavelength, and rather than being drowned out by Tango’s sweet aura, the emotional burst of camaraderie overcame even that.

I was finding it hard to keep my eyes open, and I barely kept my balance in my bar stool. Crystal was saying something I couldn’t understand, but even amidst the din, Lily’s voice came through clearly. The song changed, slowly and subtly, guided by her voice, until it seemed to harmonize all the disparate voices in her audience. The emotional impact only strengthened, and I pushed myself off the stool and away from the stage.

I stumbled forward, giggling quietly as emotional energy pressed on me from everywhere. It was a minor miracle when I found the mares’ restroom and pushed in.

The door closed behind me as I made my way to one of the stalls and shut myself inside. With some distance and a wall to separate me from the crowd, the throbbing in my head died down a little, and I had some semblance of my own thoughts.

“Celestia was right to keep an eye on her. Are you alright?”

I groaned and slumped back into the toilet seat. “As well as I can be. What happened?”

“Lily was not entirely truthful about being a ‘Songweaver.’ There was certainly magic in there.”

The door opened, and I felt a rush of concern fill the bathroom. “Overwatch? Are you alright?” The worried tones of Tango echoed slightly within the enclosed space.

“I-I’m alright, just need a moment,” I said, leaning my head against the wall. “I think something I had for lunch caught up with me.”

“Oh.” There was a pause, music filtering in from the background. “Well, I hope you get better. Your friend is really good, and her song is almost over! I’ve never seen so many ponies singing their hearts out!”

The door closed again, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. “I hope Lily doesn’t decide on an encore.”

“We will figure out what this means afterwards. Catch your breath for now.”

I breathed in deep and held it for a moment. If nothing else, the outpouring of emotion had been… rather filling. My magical reserves that I had stupidly depleted in the afternoon were recharged and feeling better than ever, if only I could actually sense anything on my empathy sense over the hubbub Lily kicked up. If she could do that with any song with any crowd…

Sweet Celestia, that would be terrifying.

I shook my head clear. “Crystal, when you said you had an interest in this bar, did you mean the bartender?”

“Not initially. I noticed this bar had a strong emotional signature while wandering aimlessly around with Lily, but the fact it was all coming from one pony is quite unusual.”

“At least she’s a good source of love.”

“Bright lights attract moths. I am certain you are not the only changeling in this city to think that. Be wary, and keep an eye on her.”

The emotions on the other side of the wall seemed to die down a little, and I took the cue to reemerge into the main room. There was great applause as Lily handed her microphone off to the next pony and trotted happily back to the bar counter.

Vice was conspicuously absent, and I caught her bright pink mane in the crowd around the stage. Steelie and Tango looked at me with concern as I made my way back and sat next to Lily.

“I’m fine,” I said, a little unnerved at being the center of attention of even the two ponies besides me. “Just a bit of an upset stomach.”

“You sure you alright, luv?” Lily said, leaning in. “Maybe was the eggs.”

“Maybe,” I said, as the second song started up. “Could I have a little word with you, Lily? Outside?”

The merpony looked at me quizzically with a tilt of her head, but complied, and we both stepped outside into the fresh summer nighttime air.

I took another deep breath, the coolness clearing up my mind a little, before I turned to Lily. “Lily, you mentioned the Songweavers? Are… are you sure you aren’t one?”

“Oh no, course not!” Lily said with an uneasy look on her face, like a foal who had accidentally left the stove burning for too long. “I was never really good enough to be a Songweaver. No mer has ever taken the title for a millenium.”

“About when the last three Sirens came to Equestria.”

Lily tapped her hooves together anxiously. “Err, maybe, luv? Ain’t all too big on ‘istory, meself. The elders taught me loads, but they weren’t keen on lettin’ me outta the temple fer too long. As the Songstress, I ‘ad some crackin’ good performances for the annual events, but that was about the only times I could leave. Beside m’ singin’, I never really ‘ad much else.”

“So what about when we first met? Why did you decide to go to the surface?”

“Well um… I jus’ thought that…” Lily trailed off awkwardly, waving a hoof about. “I always wanted to get out more. I thought that ‘avin’ an ‘eart Gem would, y’know…”

“I think I get the picture, though I still refute the possibility that I am in any way a Heart Gem.”

“That was pretty good singing though, back there,” I said. “Could you always do that for your public showings?”

Lily shifted her weight back and forth, but she seemed to take kindly to the compliment and loosened up a bit. “A bit. It was easier for me than the other candidates, but I cahn’t match up to the old masters. They could get anymer singin’ in a ‘eartbeat, but I need a bit of time b’fore I get the same result. The elders could really hold their breaths when they didn’t want t’ sing.” She grumbled the last bit, crossing her forelegs and pouting.

I rubbed at my head. “So you could get anypony singing with just a bit of time?”

Lily shrugged. “Not necessarily. It’s easier when they want to sing. Or if they let themselves get caught in the beat without knowin’. I know m’self I’ve had m’ hooves tappin’ to a song that I never realized was there a couple times.”

She suddenly leaned in, and her emotions changed rapidly to anticipation and excitement, like a tangy tap on the tip of my tongue. “So what did you think of m’ singin’? Cor, I’ve never been so excited to hear that the ‘eathen surface dwellers liked to sing too! We can come to later karaoke events too, right?”

I hesitated, my mind going back to the sheer pressure I faced back inside and the dulling of my empathy sense, the sense of helplessness that I had so frequently faced during my time outside of the hive.

I snorted, anger building within me. I ran away again. I hated feeling so helpless. I hated running. And if I felt that much emotion around me and all I could do was run away with my tail between my legs later on?

“Of course,” I said, resolutely. “Today was pretty fun, and your singing was phenomenal! Plus, I think the bar would love to have you be a regular with performances like that. C’mon, let’s go back in.”

Lily grabbed me up in a big hug, and I felt her joyous love flow in before she let me go and went back inside.

I looked back inside and took another breath to steel myself. Though I was still scared, I was going to have to acclimate myself to that kind of environment, one way or another, lest it come back to bite me later on. One step at a time.

“Are you certain about this?”

I smirked, and my next words came naturally to my mouth. “What kind of changeling would I be if I ran away from love?”

I pushed open the door, striding back into the bar’s warm embrace.

Chapter 15 — <<Aftertaste>>

THEN

Chorion

Despite the weariness of traveling constantly for the last three days, I strode confidently up the steps and pushed open the mansion doors. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been back here, and though I spent years stationed in the main hive in the Badlands, I still thought of Baltimare as home. The cool, humid air following the storm put a bit of a damper on my nostalgia though, especially considering what I had been called back for.

“Chorion, sister!” an airy voice called out, one I recognized immediately, of course. She descended the stairs quickly, light on her hooves, and even from where I stood, I could tell she hadn’t changed a bit over the years.

My face split in a smile. “Katydid! When did you get here?” I said, rushing forward to meet her in an embrace that was just a touch too tight. By the sands, she was strong. The workers had already come forward to take my bags up, presumably to my old room.

She let me go and appraised me, looking me up and down. “Just yesterday. It is good to see you again, sister. Are you still cooking? Mayhap considering making another of your questionable dishes for old times sake?”

I punched her shoulder lightly. “Hey, they weren’t that questionable! They were good, weren’t they? Everything was fresh.”

She rolled her eyes. “Chorion, sister, I distinctly remember the octopus still moving.”

“You still liked it, didn’t you?” I shot back, smirking.

Katydid sighed. “I did,” she begrudgingly admitted, “even if it went straight to my thighs.”

I pouted, taking a look back at my own flank. It wasn’t all that bad, though I’ve always been more of the outdoorsy type. I was lean from extended trips into untamed Equestria, but part of me wished I had the feminine grace of my older sister. “Better than mine, at least. Still dancing?”

She shrugged and turned to go back up the stairs, beckoning me to follow. “A bit. The pole dancing was good exercise—did amazing work on my sides—but I have gone back to traditional spider dancing.”

I nodded and climbed the stairs after her, still slightly impressed by her athleticism. Spider dancing was an old changeling dance that took advantage of one thing the other races didn’t have: the ability to cling to any surface or ceiling. It was essentially like the ponies’ ballet, but vertical, taking advantage of gravity and a firm grip to swing the dancer up and down. Flips and spins were a staple of its mid-air movements, and even with a lack of walls, it translated well into pony ballet, though it wouldn’t be out of place to have the dancer land on their front hoof, swing themselves in the opposite direction, and ascend even faster than they had landed. Dancers tended to wear flowing silks and ribbons to emphasize their swift and changing momentum.

Katydid would probably look fantastic in that garb, not that I would necessarily give up my place as a scout for her more refined lifestyle. Still, what I wouldn’t give to have a butt like that.

Course though, I think both of our lifestyles were going to change for the foreseeable future.

She stopped suddenly, and I was snapped out of my thoughts, finding that I had been staring at her flank the entire time I was zoned out. Katydid flashed me a knowing look. I hissed back at her, and we both shared a little chuckle.

Katy soon sobered up from the gaiety of our reunion. “So, I presume you have heard the news,” she said in a more serious tone.

I sighed. “Yeah. Yeah, I have. The workers at the main hive were already calling me Broodmother by the time I had everything ready to come here.”

“Yes, I do not think I will be getting used to that any time soon, even if I did know I would have to take up the mantle one day,” Katydid said with a grimace. “It bewilders me that the Queen would have you take up the position with me. Not that I mind, of course, but I was under the impression that you enjoyed your line of work.”

I huffed. “I do, but the cynic in me thinks that Queen Chrysalis only did that so she could keep an eye on me. It’s easier to keep track of someling if they’re stuck inside playing housekeeper.” I paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “Do… do we know how Mother died?”

“That information was not given to me.” Katydid’s expression hardened as we came to the estate’s tea room, the doors askew and the frame cracked. “All I know was that she attacked the Queen and was slain in the ensuing fight. She was already dead when our changelings broke through the magical lock, and the Queen heavily injured by blade and burns. There was no body.”

I stepped inside the room. There were signs of a magical struggle everywhere. Scorch marks peppered the walls, and the floors and furniture had been torn up. Tea stains were all over the center table, plus a splash of dried blood near one side. Across the room, there was a much larger blood stain, heavily disturbed, with a large smear of soot and dust nearby. The windows were closed and intact for the most part, save for one facing the bay through which a fairly big hole had been punched through. Cut marks made by some sort of weapon cropped up here and there.

“What do you make of this, sister?” Katydid asked quietly from the doorway.

“This bloodstain,” I said, pointing at the large, messy splotch on the floor. “This looks like someling was already dying and bleeding out on the floor—see that side there where the body blocked the spread of blood—but the fact that we don’t know where the body is means it was either removed from the room…”

“The windows were locked, and besides the weapons we confiscated and whatever was thrown out through that hole,” she said, nodding at the only imperfect window, “nothing else left this room.”

I grunted in affirmation. “So the body was vaporized. Explains the dust, but with that much blood, that had to happen when they were already dead, and why would one need to waste so much magic just to burn away a corpse?”

Katydid nodded grimly. “So you suspect a cover-up?”

“Something’s going on,” I said, scrunching up my nose. “Is the Queen open to… explanations?”

She shook her head. “I do not believe she would give it, or she would at least explain something before throwing us headfirst into the unforgiving sands. I am starting to believe your statement that your presence here is only to keep you chained where she can see you.”

“Yes, as a preeminent Broodmother.” The taste was foul on my tongue.

Katydid stepped into the room and came up to my side, staring down at the prodigious bloodstain and the ashes with me. She wrapped a foreleg around me, and I returned the gesture soon after.

We stood there in that position for a while before she finally broke the silence. “The old memory spell, do you still remember it?”

I nodded. “The one the rangers used? Yeah.” I glanced at her, finding her expression stoic and unreadable. “Why? What’re you thinking?”

“I am thinking that your cynic was right, and that the Queen will be watching us. Even ignoring the signs of foul play, we are also the royal daughters of a broodmother who attempted to assassinate the Queen.” She took a deep breath. “If she is keeping us here under the pretense of duty, we may need another means of keeping an eye on her.”

“So you want to train up a ranger to spy on her?” I said incredulously.

“Indeed. Think about it. A ranger could move about undetected within our own hive, and with their memory spell, they might be able to uncover much more information should we need them to. We only need one—too many would be suspicious—but they were capable of operating alone, even if they were usually assigned in pairs in the past.”

I stomped my hoof into the flooring, leaving a sizeable dent. My eyes drifted, going from the bloodstain to the various cuts and divots. She had mentioned weapons, perhaps…

“And you want me to train a ranger just for that? You know the Queen was adamant about not wasting any more resources on training them, and to go against her orders is to go against the unity of the hive.”

“You know just as well as I do that there will come a time when we will need to fly under the radar if we are to make any progress,” she replied evenly.

“I… I do. It’s just…” I let out a heavy sigh. “I can think of a few candidates among my children, one in particular who already has a habit of going unnoticed, though it pains me to condemn any one of them to such a responsibility.”

She squeezed me harder. “Of course, but I believe it would pain us more to leave Mother’s death unresolved.”

My heart ached, but it was hard to disagree. “Of course. I’ll see about trying to get a few of my children up here from the main hive. In the meantime, we can look through Mother’s notes. See if she left us anything there.”

“I will get that started, sister,” she said before reluctantly letting me go. Despite the atmosphere, she cracked a small smile at me. “Come. Let us get you something to eat. At least for the first day, I will not inflict you upon our kitchens. We will have much to do tomorrow, Broodmother.”

I couldn’t help but smile back. “And I’m eager to get started, Broodmother.”

We broke into giggles and trotted out. All it took was Katydid calling me by my new title, a title that I had felt nothing but resentment towards mere moments ago, to make me realize that I was not here alone.

Chapter 16 — Incompatibility

—

“Are you sure about this, Sweetie?”

I furrowed my brow at the closed door before me. It was the front door to my home, but it was larger than I expected. I realized quickly that it wasn’t that it was larger, but that I was shorter, somewhere around my undisguised height.

I didn’t answer the voice immediately. Dad was always the worrier, even more so than mom. Mom said it was because he thought too much about things, which was why he was such a good researcher, but there were times where I wish he wouldn’t try to control me so much. Day in and day out, saying the same things over and over like a record player. I didn’t have my own home or my own job, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew his perspective. I just wish he’d let me make my own decisions, and this was one decision I wasn’t going to turn on.

I put a hoof on the door and he called out again. “Wait.”

I heard him heave a sigh, and there was a moment of silence as he tried to think of the right words. I waited, of course. I owed him that much, even if I wasn’t likely to listen to what he had to say.

“I… I understand,” he said, a hint of resignation in his voice. “I don’t like you going to the guard at your age, but I understand why, considering what happened to Persimmon. Just… good luck, Sweet Spot.”

“And please stay safe, my little Nymph.”

I pushed open the door.

NOW

Nymph

The streets in the morning were bustling with the start of the work week, and it was hectic trying to get past the crowds of ponies. I still had a week to myself off from guard duties, so I grabbed my saddlebags and trotted out to the castle, leaving Lily back at the condo. It wasn’t ideal to leave her unattended, but I left her something to eat for most of the day and tried to shut away anything flammable.

It’d be enough, hopefully.

The castle’s ward, the area between the outermost wall and the central structure, was readily accessible to most ponies, particularly those wishing to make appointments with the crown. Certain areas further in, however, such as the gardens and the barracks, were understandably restricted from civilian access.

Familiar sights greeted me as I passed through the gate. The embassy was immediately on the right as I entered, and the tall walls to the left closed off the gardens, including the hedge maze.

Once I entered the central courtyard, it was pretty easy to locate and make my way into the barracks and training grounds. My hooves knew the location by heart, and once I showed my identification to the gate guards, I made my way inside.

“So, Overwatch, why here?”

I jumped a little. It was the first Crystal had spoken since we’d left the condo, after I informed her of my destination. “A-a couple things, I guess. I wanted a secure place to start testing my limits with my magic. You know the stallion that hit Lily a couple days ago? Went a little overboard and nearly brained him with a dumpster lid. There’s also a good place for me to show you the memory spell I cast without worrying about any potential damage to my furniture.”

“There should not be any collateral damage. The memory spell I know of was not very intensive on magical stores, and all you need to do is hold the spell matrix on your horn. There is no need to release it.”

I grimaced, my gut turning a bit. After learning just what little I knew of the spell I cast, I was not confident at all on anything about it. “If you say so. I also wanted to see if there was anything in the armory here that might potentially be helpful and see if I can shore up my close combat uhh… deficiencies.”

“A good decision, though we shall see how much you can improve. Have you considered learning how to use a lethal weapon?”

“Err, kinda? I do have a sword,” I sent to her as I scanned the grounds. The obstacle courses had a large group running through drills under the shouts of a sergeant, and the firing ranges were similarly occupied by archers and spellcasters alike. It’d be better to return to those after the morning training ends, so I turned to the armory building near the back of the compound.

“Yes, I noticed you had a sword during your visit to your assigned guardhouse, yet when you were informed of a potential hostile in your sergeant’s office, you decided not on the sword, but on the club.”

I pouted, but I had barely formulated a response before Crystal spoke up again. “Not that I disapprove of your choice, given your weakness in repelling a close-range attacker. Perhaps it was better off that you did not bring the blade, lest a more experienced and trained combatant turn your weapon against you.”

I sighed in response. “So you’re saying I shouldn’t learn some sort of weapon?”

I cast a leery eye at the front door of the armory and trotted off to the side. Even if I was certain about my ability to get past the security desk, I was less than enthused about leaving a record of my visit here. Plus, I already knew an alternate entrance. I hadn’t used it often, but it was still good to know just in case I needed a little something extra. My withdrawals were always registered with them later through Steel Blade, so no harm done if they ever take inventory, right?

“More knowledge and skills means you will have more options when the time comes, and while a lethal option is undesirable, that does not mean it should be passed over. Just know that if you pick up a weapon, you should be prepared to use it to its fullest capacity.”

I breathed in deep. “Alright, I’ll go take a look, at least.”

I took a wide path to the back of the armory and found a discreet back door as well as a high window. The back door was locked, but the building had enough ornamental features jutting out on the outside that I could easily make my way up to the window. I would need to work on the locked latch a bit with my magic, but I could get in that way as long as I wasn’t worried about time.

Instead, with a quick look around to confirm I was alone, I took my lockpicks out and began working on the door, and it only took a moment before the lock clicked open.

I blinked. Crystal did have a point about having more options, I supposed, and I made my way inside.

The inside of the armory was immaculate if a little sparse on decorations. The racks for the training weapons and armor were almost empty, but the rest of the equipment was still here. The lack of security was a bit surprising on some of these items, but the armory was already in an area only guards were allowed into, and most ponies would only be able to access this room from the front. I couldn’t sense anypony else in the building besides at the security desk, so I focused on the contents of the room.

The various arms on the wall gleamed in the light menacingly. Swords and clubs featured prominently, but there were also spears, axes, and even a small section for maces. A few knives sat in a low cabinet as well.

I hummed. “So, any recommendations?”

“As an infiltrator, something small would be preferable, of course. The polearms are right out, despite their power. Swords are fairly standard, but personally, I prefer the axes.”

I stumbled a bit, furrowing my brow as I looked back at the section for the axes. “Axes? Really?”

“Yes. Is there something wrong?”

“Sorry, I just… didn’t expect that. Axes just seemed like the polar opposite of the diplomacy and ‘silver tongue’ stuff you’ve been emphasizing all of yesterday.”

“I find that when communication breaks down, violence is a very universal language that everyone can understand.”

I blinked. “But what about the knives? Aren’t those standard fare for the whole sneaky, stabby sorta pony?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Crystal replied quickly, “daggers and throwing knives are good as well. You should keep one on you purely for their utility, but if you are behind someone poised to strike, there are other, less messy ways to take them out, usually involving magic.

“In a straight fight, however, you will want something different. Ideally, you should never be in a straight fight, but plans have a tendency to not work out as we intend. Should you find yourself facing off against an opponent, your first goal is to make them stop hitting you. While the cutting edge of swords and axes do well in this regard against flesh and tissue, you will likely be facing changelings specialized for combat and protected by thick armored shells. In this case, axes are much more effective than swords and when you are stuck in a tight spot, being able to brute force your way out can be invaluable.”

I levitated one of the axes off the walls, and it was once I felt the weight of it that I realized what exactly I was hefting. Crystal had mentioned that I should be prepared to use it to its fullest capacity, but was that really something I could do? To kill?

I wasn’t alien to the concept. It’s not an uncommon theme in fiction, and though I considered the idea carefully, I found surprisingly little resistance from my gut to the idea. A logical part of me said that if somepony were to attempt to kill me, I should have no qualms about defending myself. It was either me or them, after all, but in the heat of the moment, would I really be able to end a life? What about murder on an unsuspecting foe? Could I do it without hesitation?

Rather than disgust or horror at the idea, I felt anger and a sort of sadistic joy, broiling up within my breast. My magical grasp on my weapon seemed to tighten, the emerald glow becoming a little more opaque.

Alarmed, I shook my head quickly. I made a conscious attempt to slow my breathing, and I noticed that even my heart had started to beat faster. I tried to remember those feelings, and it seems now that it was less anger and more… vengeance? How much of this was Overwatch? What could possibly warrant such an unexpected reaction? I certainly don’t remember anything from the hive that could have led to… that.

In a way though, I had my answer. I examined the weapon in my magic closer, staring at it critically. It was lighter than the standard issue sword, but small enough not to be a hindrance to carry around. There were a few specialized holsters available for attaching it to a rear leg near the hip, so I took one down and sheathed the axe.

I was certain I already had a knife with my armor at the guardhouse, so I skimmed over the rest of the weapons and arrived at the more specialized equipment. Through the metal grating on the numerous shelves, I spotted items like the books of explosive runes and the electrical staves. Unicorn guards were trained to replicate some of the spells within this section, so I trotted past a majority of the items that were a touch too high-profile or destructive.

“Stop, what are those? The canisters.”

I backpedaled a little and looked a little closer. At the back of my mind, I noticed a niggling feeling on my empathy sense, something much closer than expec—

“Snuck in again, huh?”

I spun around with a shriek, bracing myself against the nearby cabinet and staring at the intruder. It was an older pegasus in dress uniform, well into middle age, and though his grizzled face was familiar, I couldn’t place a name on him. My eyes found his rank insignia, and I immediately snapped to attention.

“C-Captain!”

He simply nodded at me. “At ease,” he said with a barely concealed smile. “Caught you taking the long way around out the corner of my eye. You getting old, Corporal Overwatch? You used to be able to hear me whenever I so much as looked at this building with you in it.”

I stuck my tongue out at him defiantly, reminding myself to keep closer tabs on my empathy sense. “My apologies, sir. I was distracted, sir.”

He snorted. “I can see that, corporal. You know you can go in through the security desk here. You have the credentials to take anything you need, within reason.”

“I just wanted to stay in practice,” I replied, my voice much calmer now that I had gotten over my fright. “I report everything I take anyways, sir.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll have to talk with my son at some point to stop circumventing the system. Now, what are you here for, corporal?”

I shifted my weight back and forth uneasily, but I eventually levitated the sheathed axe I had taken earlier. “Sir, I uhh… I wanted to try learning how to use this, sir. To better defend myself, sir.”

He narrowed his aged eyes at me, as if searching for something, and I tried to stand firm under his intense gaze.

The captain gave me a curt nod and a small smile. “I like that look. Reminds me of when you were younger,” he said, turning away and trotting for the exit. “Make sure you go through the front when you leave.”

“Sir, yes sir,” I said, with another salute. He was just about to leave the room, however, I called out to him. “Oh, sir! Just a quick question, sir.”

The captain looked at me curiously, but made his way back slowly. “Alright then, what did you need?”

I shuffled a bit to the side and motioned towards the item that Crystal had pointed out earlier. “Sir, I haven’t seen these before. What are they, sir?”

He picked up one of the metallic cylinders, examining it closely. It was about as round across as a small beer bottle, with a black stripe near the top end and a small yellow warning sign right below the stripe. “Ahh, these. Something the research people wanted us to test. I think I’ve heard recruits calling them fumes, though from what I heard, they have compressed clouds in them.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Compressed clouds?”

He shrugged. “Don’t ask me how they work. All I know is you push this little thing at the top, chuck it where you want it, and it’ll release a thick, black, fog-like cloud from the other end. Just one can fill a large room in seconds. Couldn’t see anything, and whatever they did to make it black really sucks out the light. Takes a bit too long to disperse and the room was a little humid afterwards, but I could see a few uses for it. Why, you interested in trying a few out?”

I looked at the rest of the canisters on the shelves. “Well, sir, I uhh…”

“Take however many you can get.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’d like to have a few of these. How many am I allowed to take, sir?”

The captain hummed in contemplation, tossing the can in his hoof up and down. “I’ll authorize three, so long as you don’t get into any trouble with them. You can take another if you want to take one for a test run in the pit. There’s a couple pouches in the drawers there if you need one of those as well.”

“Sir, thank you, sir,” I said, snapping another salute. “Sir, I think we might have another visitor as well, sir.”

He turned around just as another guard entered the room, still wearing his training gear. The new arrival saluted to the commanding officer and said, “Sir, the Princess is here to see you, sir.”

“And that’s my cue. I shall see you later, corporal,” the captain said, trotting over to the private. “Don’t get into any more trouble, alright?”

“Sir, yes sir!” I said, with one more salute before the two ponies left, leaving me alone in the armory.

I turned and slammed my head into the drawers. I can’t believe I completely blanked on the name of the Captain of the Royal Guard. He even sounded like he knew me. Thank Celestia I hadn’t needed to address him by his real name. I think he mentioned his son at some point? Maybe I knew his son better than I knew him.

A question for another time. I raised my head and opened the drawers, finding the storage pouches for the fog canisters as the captain had said. They had individual pockets for each canister, but it looked like there was only room for three cans. The straps on it were the reverse of the axe holster, so the two wouldn’t interfere with each other too much should I choose to use both, and it looked as if both could fit with the guard armor.

I carefully put each holster on before nabbing the closest four fumes and slotting three into the waiting pouches. The last, I put into my scarf. There was little else of interest on the shelves that weren’t also in the armory at the Penumbra Guardhouse, albeit at lower quantities, so I turned to leave.

And then I turned again so that I would go through the “proper” entrance. For boring ponies.

Celestia

“Auntie!”

I turned my head to find an unfamiliar face trotting up to me, a purple pony with a mane of hot pink, though it was not very difficult to put two and two together. Cadence’s strong suit never was in creating good disguises.

“Cadence, you seem well today,” I said, with a warm smile. “How have you been doing?”

With my secretary taking my left side, Cadence pulled up to my opposite flank, matching speeds with me as I made my way down the castle steps to the courtyard. “I’ve been doing amazing! You wouldn’t believe the night I had yesterday. I originally thought bartending would really help me to know and interact with ponies, but Karaoke Night was a smashing success. I don’t think the manager could even believe how great it was.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, one of your ideas?”

“Of course!” Cadence beamed at me, and I had to chuckle at just how jubilant she was. “His bar was already doing well, but he wanted a few ideas on events to host to really bring in the night crowds. He won’t be forgetting last night, that’s for sure. We had so many ponies there!”

I nodded politely. “Really now?”

She nodded excitedly. “Yep! I think we had a lot of ponies from college, but we really started when the guards showed up, and then it was just… Mmmmm! We had so many good singers. Hey, maybe Fancy Pants could hire a couple for his big party,” Cadence said with a giggle.

“Oh, I have heard mention of this big party for the nobles. When was that again?” Her happiness really was infectious, and I strode into the barracks of the Royal Guard with a smile to match hers.

“It was… in two weeks, I think?” Cadence said, counting in her head.

My secretary, Silver Scroll, cleared her throat from my other side. “Twelve days, Your Majesty. It’s on a Saturday.”

“I see. Hopefully he won’t be too tired for our meeting the next day,” I said with a chuckle before I turned to one of the trainees waiting on the sidelines to recover his energy. “Private, where might I find the captain?”

The private seemed a bit surprised at my presence, but he snapped to attention immediately and saluted. “Princess! The captain told us he was going to the armory. Should I get him for you?”

I nodded. “Yes, please. No hurry though. I just wanted to speak with him before I head to court.”

“Of course, Princess.” He snapped another salute before taking off towards the back of the compound.

I took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, taking a moment to enjoy the calm and the rhythmic sounds of guard training. It was times like this I really envied Cadence’s more open schedule, though I knew that if circumstances were different, she would give it up in a heartbeat. For centuries now, ever since the loss of the Crystal Empire, she’s been looking for anything to keep herself busy.

Though perhaps not “anything.” She stoutly insisted on not helping to rule Equestria, and part of it was knowing exactly whose horseshoes she would be trying to fill should she rule at my side. I understood her decision and was thankful for any assistance she could lend, but it has still been difficult to find time to relax as the sole Princess of Equestria. Such is the penance I serve for the mistakes of the past.

I turned to Cadence, who was scanning the training grounds intensely, perhaps looking for a few familiar faces. “So, new disguise?”

She nodded. “Mhm. I can’t use the disguise from yesterday. Too many guards were at the bar last night, and it would be a tad difficult to explain why Miss Tango was walking with Princess Celestia through the Royal Guard Barracks.”

I exchanged a grin with her, though my thoughts went back to the Summer Sun Celebration. Cadence’s disguises never really changed her body shape unless there was an age spell paired with them. She had the magical power for it, but disguises were very tricky, and the pony who could impersonate the sergeant in a brawl must have been very talented indeed.

Not to mention whoever was casting the transformation spell on Lilywater. My first thought was Overwatch, since Lilywater’s sharp teeth when she came to find me seemed to go away once the two were reunited, but I discarded that idea when I found that her teeth had morphed back into a regular pony’s teeth before Overwatch even regained consciousness. Plus, Overwatch’s file with the Royal Guard noted no such talent for transformation magic.

It still left two ponies out there with extraordinary magical talent, one of them a definite criminal for assault and theft. I could not discount the possibility they were the same pony, though it seems more likely they were unrelated.

My musings were cut short by the sight of the private from earlier, returning with the captain.

“Ahh, Princess Celestia!” Captain Brave Blade called out. “How may I help you, Your Majesty?”

I gave him a small nod of my head. “My apologies for the unannounced visit, but I just wished to speak with you before I head back for court. Private? You may return to your training.”

The private saluted one more time before departing, leaving the four of us a good distance away from any prying ears. I watched him depart for a while before I turned back to Brave Blade. “Captain, how fares the training? You know we only have fifteen years.”

“They’re going as expected for now,” he said solemnly. He knew as well as I the gravity of the situation and just how close we were to potential disaster. “There’s a good number of trainees getting the necessary experience and training, and we are constantly looking for better ways to improve our methods and equipment. I’ve also been keeping an eye out for promising ponies to help lead the Royal Guard in my stead.”

He looked out at the fields of recruits battering away at the dummies or sparring with each other, training hoof, horn, and wing. “They do not know the full extent of their duties yet. We’ve kept the details on a need-to-know basis for now,” Brave Blade said, before turning to me, “but rest assured we will be ready for the one-thousandth celebration.”

Cadence shakily breathed in and out. “It’s almost time, isn’t it?” she said, sounding a bit in disbelief. “Even one and a half decades out, it feels like it’s coming too quickly, but we’ll finally be able to see her again.”

Brave Blade smirked. “Well, I’ll try to hang on until then. I’m already feeling my age creep up on me.”

Cadence returned the smile, but turned to me with a concerned look. “Auntie, you have felt nothing from the Elements of Harmony?”

I shook my head and sighed. “I have not, unfortunately. It is regrettable we must pull so many able bodies for this cause, especially when it leaves the Royal Guards out in the streets of Canterlot understaffed and their surveillance full of holes.” I turned to address Brave Blade. “You have heard of the recent assault in an empty guard house on the morning of the Summer Sun Celebration, have you not? It grows difficult for the guard to prevent such problems as we prepare.”

The captain harrumphed. “Indeed, Your Majesty, but it was at least the only serious report I received that day. Corporal Overwatch’s name has been appearing a lot in my recent paperwork, though not in the places I expected. Have to say though, I just stumbled on her sneaking into the armory again, and she seemed fine after being the victim of both a manticore attack and being knocked out. She had that look in her eyes, reminds me of when she first came to the guard. Always serious, always prepared to learn, says ‘sir’ too much. If anything, I think her incidents only served to galvanize her. Might be able to pull her into our plan if I can get a replacement for her on the street.”

He looked off towards the armory and snorted. “Ahh, there she is. Finally using the front door this time.”

I followed his gaze, and sure enough, I saw a charcoal-colored mare in the distance looking at us curiously, but it wasn’t the expression I was expecting from a pony who happened to spot royalty. She had her head slightly tilted to the side, her brow furrowed, and her eyes squinting, almost as if she was confused at what she was looking at.

A movement to my side drew my attention to Cadence, who appeared to be looking at herself. She brought her front hoof up and stared at it before sweeping her mane into her line of sight and looking at that too.

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Cadence, is something wrong?”

“N-no, auntie,” she said, clearing her throat. “I recognize her from yesterday, at the bar. I thought she might’ve recognized me.”

“So she was there during karaoke?”

She nodded. “Yep! She was super awkward at first, but she managed to get into the swing of things. I could see some strapping stallion picking her up one day,” she said with a wry grin. “She was a pretty good pony, and seemed to have some close friends despite having the tact of a brick.”

“Hmm, and was one of those friends bright green? Really flashy mane, strong accent?”

Her eyes widened a little. “Yeah, she was.” Cadence furrowed her brow at me. “How’d you know that?”

I grinned at her and turned back at Overwatch, who had averted her gaze once she realized I was looking back at her and trotted off quickly in another direction. “I’ve met them a couple times before.”

I turned to Brave Blade and gave him a slight bow of my head. “Captain, I shall be returning to the castle for court now, but I’d like to ask, you’ve heard about Lilywater, have you not?”

“I have, Your Majesty.”

“See if you can figure out who’s working with her. Mages that can change a pony’s species don’t come every day.”

“I will, Your Majesty.”

Nymph

I trotted to the next building where the Pit awaited, my mind still trying to resolve itself around what I had learned.

“That’s Tango. There’s no way that’s not Tango,” I thought to Crystal, staring down at the ground and my moving hooves. “It was difficult to tell at first, but the underlying emotional signature was definitely hers.”

“Indeed, even her apparent magical signature had me fooled for a moment until I could take a much deeper look.”

I pursed my lips. “Do you think she’s a changeling? She didn’t change her colors all that much, but she did change.”

“For that level of power, she would have to be a queen, but I have my doubts. Her magic is closer to that of a pony, and the way she reacted to your gaze would indicate a very inexperienced infiltrator. Should somepony question your disguise, the first thing to do is not to check whether you are wearing your disguise or not.”

I nodded. “Perhaps we should ask her about it later?”

“For matters like this, I would save it until you can leverage it effectively. Showing what you know prematurely could end poorly.”

I grunted in affirmation before opening the door into the Arcane Containment Chamber, also known as the Combat Simulation Area or the Pit, depending on who was speaking. It was a vast circular arena with an extremely high ceiling, almost thirty meters up. The bottom portion of the chamber had to be built down into the foundations of the mountain to give it a less dominating appearance above-ground, and the walls were said to be enhanced by Princess Celestia herself to withstand even the most zealous ponies. The walls showed a little scuffing over the years, but the inside was, for all intents and purposes, indestructible.

Luckily, it was completely empty, the perfect place to fling around some magic and readjust my power usage, especially since last night recharged my magic reserves.

I took out the fourth fume I had taken, examining it closely. I had been a bit slow on the uptake, but now that I thought about it, these canisters could turn out to be extremely useful to a changeling like me.

“Here goes nothing.” I took a deep breath before twisting the top, depressing the button, and throwing it as far as I could.

I could see what the captain meant when he said it could fill a room in seconds. The bottom of the can sprayed out some sort of dark liquid before the entire thing exploded to its full size, and it was mind-boggling just how much fog cloud were stuffed into that tiny canister. The black clouds from the fume stretched almost ten meters in every direction and was completely opaque. Tendrils of fog crept slowly towards me, though the rest of the cloud seemed to stick to the air around it, like water slowly creeping down a windowpane.

“Oh yes, this will do magnificently.”

I couldn’t help the grin that came to my face.

“Alright, alright, Overwatch. Calm yourself. Do not forget what we are here for.”

I groaned, but I took a calming breath. “So, the memory spell, I take it?”

“Yes. You need only to hold it on your horn. I see no reason to attempt it in a building such as this, but if you believe that it is safer, so be it.”

I nodded one more time and closed my eyes. The memory spell that my mother taught me so clearly came to mind, and I let a little of my magic fill it, resting the spell matrix on the tip of my horn.

It was difficult to say how much time passed. I felt a little of the lightheadedness from the last time I used the spell, as well as a sort of disconnect from my own body. I found my worries and resolve alike slowly dissolve into nothingness, and my head seemed like it was drifting away.

“I… I have seen enough. Overwatch, dispel your magic.”

I slowly siphoned off the magic from the spell matrix as if in a dream. The sense of my own limbs seemed to snap back into place, and the sounds and sensations of the world rushed back in.

I stumbled a bit, and I shook my head to clear it. “So, what did you find out about it?”

“It’s… This… It’s no memory spell that I have heard of.”

I startled a bit, my eyes widening. “So what in Tartarus is it, if it’s not a memory spell?”

“Do not misinterpret me, I recognize a few features of it, but… well, do you know what the difference between a pony’s magic and a changeling’s magic is?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“To put it in short, a changeling’s magic is much more intrinsic to their being than a pony’s magic is to theirs. Within a changeling’s magic are their thoughts, their memories, even how their physicality matures. It is what makes changelings so adaptable to any situation, and it is the foundation of a hive’s hivemind.

“For a pony, they are as much defined by their physical body as they are by their magic. Their memories are similarly tied to their physical body, and now we reach the crux of the issue.”

She seemed to focus on me, as if intensely glaring at me. “A single memory spell cannot work on both a changeling and a pony. They are inherently incompatible. There are all sorts of different memory spells over the years, but the spell you cast is very similar to something I have seen in the past. Before, the spell was targeted towards changelings and would take a little of their magic and attempt to integrate it into a ling’s own magic field. This was how they breached another hive’s hivemind. The spell took a hefty price to use and was faded out of usage along with the rangers.

“This spell, however, scans and attempts to copy the target’s magical field completely. Remember how I mentioned that a changeling’s magic also included their memories? This was how it transferred memories over: by partitioning your magic and simply turning one part of it into the target themselves.”

I mulled over the information, chewing on my lip. “So a memory spell targeted towards changelings attempts to copy their magic entirely?”

“Yes, now imagine what that sort of spell would do if used on a pony, whose magic is intensely interwoven with their physical body.”

Oh.

Oh no.

I hissed at Crystal, hiding in my scarf. “Is that why my magic is all messed up? Because I turned some of my magic into pony magic?”

“And it’s likely why you have a very limited access to Overwatch’s memories. You just cannot process them the same way as a pony can because you are not one, and yet your spell attempted to turn a part of you into a pony. There are little to no safeties on that spell. It is reckless and wildly dangerous if used incorrectly. Perhaps the creator never cared about potential improper use,” Crystal spat out venomously.

I rubbed at my head, trying to fend off the throbbing. “So what about a memory spell targeted towards ponies? How do those work?”

“Rather simply, but it can be a bit time consuming and requires the magic to convert a pony’s memory into something readable. That’s why you need two lings to cast a memory spell for ponies. It’s just… this all seems so familiar, the memory spell you were taught. I swear I have seen it before, but just… where?”

She was silent for a moment. “I must think on this myself. I thank you for your cooperation. You were here to train your magic, were you not? Forget about the memory spell for now while I gather my thoughts.”

I blinked at the sudden whiplash in Crystal’s personality. She had seemed so… serious, perhaps lost?

I knew Crystal had lost her memories, but seeing my spell had stirred something up within her. Maybe what I saw wasn’t her confusion, but her… desperation?

I charged up the first spell I wanted to be sure of, a simple stun spell that I had already used recently.

Whatever was up with Crystal, I trusted that she had her own reasons to keep it to herself. I could always broach the subject later, but for now, I had my own problems to resolve.

Author's Note

Got my concerns about this chapter, like for all of my chapters. There's a lot of material that I wanted to go over, and I'm a little worried about the pacing of this chapter. If there's anything anyone finds jarring, I'd really appreciate a comment or message.

Thank you, and I hope you'll keep reading!

Chapter 17 — Tastes of Anger

Nymph

I brought my weapons up in guard as my opponent and I slowly circled one another, surrounded by a ring of guard trainees watching our every move. The breeze whistled through my ears, but whatever effect the cool Canterlot air had was lost under the lining of sweat that I had accumulated under the training armor, and it was exhausting staying at constant attention. My opponent, a bulky earth pony wielding a shield large enough to cover one of his sides and a long spear, wasn’t faring much better, despite the innate durability of the earth ponies. My axe stayed ready to my right as my knife danced ahead of me, watching for any jabs from my opponent that I could parry.

I may not have needed to be so focused. I knew I was in no real peril here. Both of our weapons were replaced with blunted versions, and enchantments on both the training armor and the weapons would prevent either from making direct contact with the other. I could swing as hard as I wanted and not be able to even touch my enemy. Even low-grade spells were deflected. It was as safe as duels could be.

Still, as Crystal was quick to remind me, there might be a time where I would be in peril, and I would need to defend myself against any foe.

And so, I found myself accepting the drill sergeant’s offer to spar a few of the trainees after he noticed me working constantly at the dummies.

“Lunge from left. Parry right and strike at his exposed back. Wait for the tell.”

Plus, having Crystal around, hidden in one of the pouches originally designed for the fumes, helped tremendously in learning technique. Lily, who was allowed in the barracks as long as I kept an eye on her, cheered me on from the sidelines between bites of a daisy sandwich from her saddlebags.

I watched my opponent carefully, though I was keeping a closer eye on my empathy sense. If there was one thing I learned about combat, it was that nearly everypony had the same sort of emotional “tell”, especially if they were the one attacking. They’d be wary at first, but the closer they were to striking, the more that wariness shifted into resolution, of following through with their maneuver. A tinge of excitement also might mean an impending attack if they believe they’ve spotted a weakness in my defenses. It was harder for counter-attacking since a lot of those are split-second reactions, but shifts on the emotional level could tell the entire tale of a fight.

I felt his emotions morph, coupled with a small movement of his right side backward, coiling up for the strike. He lunged, and I immediately caught the shaft of his spear on my knife’s crossguard and shoved it to my right. My axe swung in an arc behind me to the opposite side, straight towards his open flank.

He retreated instantly with a quick dose of surprise, followed by an even deeper caution than before. The watching guards, though they were too tired to make any big noise, seemed to be holding their breaths, and even Lily had quieted down a bit.

“Tch. Coward. See if you can pull his shield out of position.”

I assumed the position I had earlier, but this time, I was on the offensive. I drew my dagger to his spear side. A feint, yet he still moved his shield to block.

My axe shot forward, not directly at him, but to the outside edge of his shield, hooking it on the axe head. He saw my maneuver, and immediately tried to shove my weapon away.

I pulled hard on the shield with my axe, using his own momentum against him. My knife pivoted to the opposite side and flew straight past the shield towards his head.

The knife stopped completely dead a mere centimeter away from him with a burst of yellow sparks, and he disengaged from me with a curse. Lily let out a whoop of victory, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of my achievement, as small as it is.

“Outstanding, corporal.” The drill sergeant nodded approvingly. “Looks like you finally learned which side of a weapon goes where.”

“Thank you, sir.” I tugged at the end of my helmet and shook my damp mane out to catch some of the breeze. The stench from the inside of the helmet finally gave way to clean air, and I eagerly filled my lungs with it.

“Of course. Thank you for showing my colts just how far they are from becoming real guards,” the sergeant said, before turning up his voice and addressing the rest of the trainees. “See here, privates? Back when this corporal first got through training, I could have sworn she was cursed by Celestia herself! Had the absolute worst fighting skills I had ever seen in a new graduate, and she just about won against half of you undignified lot!”

I groaned to the amusement of the sergeant, who continued, “See? Even she knows I’m right, now come on! Back to sets! Maybe if you pitiful lot could handle a weapon better than your mom’s flower garden, you’d have a cheerleader too!”

I peeled off the rest of the sweat-soaked training armor and trotted off to find a cool place to rest as the trainees resumed drills, Lily following closely behind me. I gathered enough about Overwatch to know that the sergeant wasn’t completely wrong. Overwatch had excellent general athleticism and sharpshooting, but she specialized a little too hard. She was good enough at close quarters to pass the benchmark, but she had to ride on her exceptional talents elsewhere.

Admittedly, I wasn’t really fighting as Overwatch had. If anything, I was physically weaker than my pony self and my magic repertoire wasn’t nearly as extensive, but I had my empathy sense and Crystal was a wellspring of useful information.

“Cahn’t believe ‘ow well you’ve done, luv!” Lily exclaimed as we broke earshot of anypony else.

“I agree. Steady improvement, considering that you have only been practicing with an axe for a few days. You are no Gale, of course, but hopefully, you will never need to be that good.”

I slumped down against one of the barracks in the shade, still trying to catch my breath. “Gale?”

“Ahh, I forget how little the myths of old survive today,” Crystal thought with a disapproving hum. “Gale, the Tempest Warlord of the Griffons. Though the axe was originally a minotaur weapon, it was Gale who took it to its greatest potential, though it pains me to say that most of his techniques were lost to the ages.” She scoffed, before mumbling, “Foals swinging axes around as if they were mere woodcutting tools. Pathetic.”

I snorted, though the effect was lost between my heavy breaths. “Doesn’t sound like he lived very long with his famed skill.”

“His myth, like many others, was not one of heroism. Betrayal and vengeance led to his early downfall. Fortunately though, I do remember many of his techniques, some of which I have very graciously bequeathed unto you.”

Lily brought a hoof up to rub at her chin. “‘Ow’d you remember ‘is techniques if they were lost to the ages?”

“Personal witness, and I will not tolerate any quips on my age,” Crystal said with a haughty harrumph, and Lily shut her half-open mouth with a pout. “Gale’s skill with an axe was not solely in overpowering defenses as with the minotaurs, but in sheer speed and precision strikes, combining the strengths of the griffons with the power of the axe swing to bypass defenses entirely. Am I wrong in thinking it is one much better suited to you than techniques based on strength?”

A sigh escaped me. Crystal was right, though it didn’t take the bite off of the reminders that I was still inadequate. I was very much aware of my shortcomings already.

I shifted, feeling the reassuring weight of my harnesses. I was still shoring those weak spots up, I reminded myself. I would pull through this, like I always do.

Like I’ve always done.

I massaged my forehead against a sudden headache. Might be getting a little dehydrated. I’ve been out in the sun all day, and my dark coat wasn’t doing me any favors keeping me cool.

I shook my head. “You’re not wrong,” I thought. “Though at the moment, I think I’ll take a break before we continu—”

Two faint pings sounded on my hive link, a water drop and a crashing wave, as if from a long distance away, much farther than anything I had really experienced back at the hive. Though I was sensitive enough to hear them, I had my doubts that I was strong enough to get a return ping back to them.

I pursed my lips. “Scratch that, it sounds like we need to get back to the condo.”

“You received a ping?”

I groaned as I got up, carefully removing my harnesses and stuffing them into Lily’s saddlebags. “Dexter and Sinister. Sounded like they were in the direction of my condo,” I thought, checking that Crystal was still snug in her pouch before securing the bag closed.

“Impressive that you can sense that if they really were at your home.”

I sighed and began trotting towards the front entrance of the barracks. Lily sped up a little to keep pace with me, her head looking in all sorts of directions except forward. “Yes,” I groaned, “and I really don’t want to meet them. Dexter is nice enough, but Sinister’s…”

“Yes, quite a character, he is,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

“And it always seems like I’m being scrutinized or that I’m in trouble when I meet with them.” My ears drooped a little, and I hung my head a little lower. “I wish I hadn’t revealed my true self to them.”

Lily clapped me over the back, and I let out a squeak as she pulled me into her. “Oh, don’chu worry ‘bout those two none! You’ll hear loads of buggers tryin’ t’ criticize you. ‘Lily, don’t do this. Lily, don’t do that. Lily, that isn’t prooopeer!’” She stuck out her tongue. “Point is, mum, you just gotta worry ‘bout yourself! You’ve already been workin’ on gettin’ better at stuff, ain’tcha?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, but it still doesn’t mean I’m good at them. I’m a nymph, not an adult.”

Lily bumped me with her flank, bubbling up with her musical giggle. “And ain’t that another thing, luv? You gotta give it some time, let yourself fill into those horseshoes! Worry less ‘bout what you should be and worry more ‘bout how you’re gonna get there! Cahn’t be a Songstress without tankin’ your throat a couple times, mum. Jus’ keep at it!”

I snorted, but I still put on a little smile. “Th-thanks,” I said, before taking a closer look at Lily. “Lily, I don’t think I’ve asked before, but… how old are you?”

“Come to think of it, I do not believe I have asked such a question either.”

“Sixteen winters!” Lily replied with a wide smile, though it was quickly replaced by a thoughtful pout. “Or was it seventeen…”

I blinked. “Sweet Celestia, she’s older than I am.” I shook my head. “Hold up.”

I turned and stared up at Lily, who was half a head taller than I was. “You ran away from home at that age?”

She only winked and stuck her tongue out at me.

“All I’m sayin’ is, you ain’t done much betta!” Lily said as we trotted through the gate into my apartment complex. “You’re here all alone, and you’re even younger than me!”

“Not by choice!” I shot back as we rounded the corner.

Candlelight and Card were already there, sitting in front of my condo, and Card called out to us. “Took long enough for you to get back. We were about to go scouring the city for you. Where’ve you been?”

I rolled my eyes as I trotted past them up to the door, pulling a key out from Lily’s bags. “I was at the guard barracks beside the castle when you pinged.”

He took a tentative sniff before wrinkling his nose and nodding. “Yeah, I can smell that.”

Candlelight rubbed his chin thoughtfully with a hoof. “You got our ping all the way from the castle?”

“Err… yes?” I twisted the key in the lock and pushed the door open. “It was pretty faint over the hivemind, but it wasn’t that hard.”

Candlelight exchanged a quick glance with Card, though I ignored both of them and simply trotted inside. “So, why’d you ping me?”

“Ahh, right. Just got some news from the other infiltrator pods here as well as a possible lead,” Candlelight said as he wiped his hooves and trotted in after me. He looked quizzically at Lily, who showed no signs of surprise at any of the ongoing conversation and even gave him a little smile and a wave. “You sure she’s okay? Talking a bit openly in the presence of somepony who isn’t in the hive.”

“Trust me, if she’s been replaced, I’d know,” I said. After all, it’d be pretty obvious if Crystal no longer needed to cast anything to turn Lily into an earth pony.

“Still, it’d probably be better if we kept what information we had on the down low,” Candlelight murmured.

I levitated the saddlebags off of Lily, and nodded my head to her. “Lily, would you mind giving us a little privacy?”

Lily snapped off a salute. “Course, mum!” she said before she turned to leave.

I rolled my eyes when she left without closing the door again, though I sent a quick thought to Crystal. “Can you hear them if they communicate through the hivemind?”

“Potentially, should I connect with your hivemind at large rather than just to you, but that might enable them to detect me. You may simply transmit any hivemind discussions to me directly, should they decide to converse in such a way.”

I pulled my scarf out of the saddlebags and made a face. Still too sweaty to put it on. “So, onto business?”

Candlelight smirked. “Right, of course,” he said, taking a seat at the table. “So, turns out that hunch we had last time might’ve been true.”

Card pulled out his map of Canterlot and spread it across the table. This time, a few more red marks populated the map, and some of the original red numbers over the guardhouses were crossed out and replaced with another, smaller number. “A large number of our infiltrators in the guard went dark, and the others reported sudden attacks from unknown assailants in isolated locations, away from the stray witness,” Card said, grimacing. “Might have to keep a closer eye on Nymph, in case they decide to hit her too.”

I shuddered.

Candlelight’s lips pulled into a tight line. “We’ll have to see. We still have infiltrators in the guard, but we’ll have to be cautious, and we’ll have to trust that Nymph can hold her own. We can’t constantly keep an eye on her.”

Card snorted in contempt and rolled his eyes. I aimed a glare at him, which he gladly returned.

Candle looked between us two carefully before continuing. “Still, we do have something we might be able to use as a basis for later action,” he said, drawing our attention to the map.

He pointed at one of the larger mansions circled in bright red on the outskirts of the Solar District near the castle. “There’s been a lot of talk around a big party hosted by Sir Fancy Pants, and he’s invited a whole lot of the upper crust to his estate.”

“Oooh yeah, I’ve heard of ‘im,” Card Sharp said. “Big hotshot. Still young and he’s already made a big name for himself amongst the nobles, thanks to his shrewd business sense and huge fortune. Now that he’s officially head of his noble house, he’s going to host a big party and really get his name on every pair of lips up there.”

Candlelight nodded in acknowledgment. “Not to mention recently engaged to a popular model. At this point, the only house he’s under is the Blueblood family.”

Card grinned, showing off plenty of teeth. “There’s going to be a lot of juicy information up there, I bet, surrounded by everypony worth knowing in this city, and it’ll be the cherry on top if we can replace one of the nobles up there too.”

“Don’t get too excited. We still gotta watch ourselves up there,” Candle said before turning to me to explain. “The guard is providing the security, and it’ll be hard to tell how many of them are actually enemy agents.”

Card rolled his eyes. “It’s neutral ground. We might not be able to replace a lot of nobles up there, but it’s not like they can either, not without alerting the stallion hosting the party on his own estate. Fancy’s huge. There’s rumors he’s even deep with Celestia herself. No way anyling’s getting anywhere near him without a buckton of support. We’ll just be there to pick up as much information as we can, maybe pick up a few secrets we can manipulate to our advantage, and then split.”

I raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like you already have a way in.”

Candle nodded. “Yep, managed to hit two of the servants, surprisingly enough. Most of the servants for Fancy live on his estate somewhere, but we managed to tag a couple who still chose to live in the city.”

I bit my lip. “You… hit them?”

“Yep. Podded and all. It’ll only be for that one night though, so we'll have to slip them back into bed the next morning with some innocuous memories and an empty bottle or two. Can’t risk staying in that sort of position too long.”

“Ahh, right,” I said, my stomach twisting uncomfortably. “So… what about me?”

Candlelight paused, and the silence hung in the air for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Ahh, about that. There’s no way we can sneak you in since you can’t disguise yourself, and we can’t risk you being recognized by anyling there.”

Card smirked. “You’ll just stay outside, hide somewhere, watch for anything suspicious. Let the grown-ups handle the actual infiltration duties.”

I puffed up my chest, narrowing my eyes and scowling at the stupid, smug expression on Sinister’s dumb face.

My mouth opened to speak, but Candle cut in quickly. “Quit it, Sinister, you’re not here to antagonize your teammates,” he said.

Card turned a hard gaze to his partner. “Dexter, she’s a liability. She’s a big fat weak link in any infiltration operation we undergo that the enemy can exploit. If it were up to me, she wouldn’t even be a teammate.”

I hissed at him, lowering my stance. “I don’t want to work with you either, but I’m still stuck here anyway, so suck it up!”

“Big talk for a mere nymph,” he snapped, standing up out of his seat. “We might both be working for the hive, but I’m not going to let your failures bring me down, child.”

“Enough.” Candlelight took in a deep breath before turning to me. “You’ll have to scout out the area yourself. We’ll just draw unnecessary attention since we can’t hide our emotional signature. The party is happening next Saturday, so be prepared. Never know when we might need a good exit strategy.”

I grit my teeth and let out a low breath. “Understood, sir.”

He raised an eyebrow at that, but he soon motioned with his head towards Sinister. “Come. We have work to do ourselves.”

The two picked up their map and trudged out my door, but I paid them no attention. I closed my eyes, and I took a deep, calming breath.

“For the hive,” I muttered to myself, still carefully controlling my breathing. “I do what I must for the hive and for my queen, for they are paramount to all. I must never betray or harm the hive. I will get past this, like I always do.”

Like I’ve always done.

I opened my eyes.

“Are you alright, Overwatch?”

“I… I am. We’ll scout the Fancy Pants estate later, under the cover of night.”

I took a deep breath. “For now though, let’s go find Lily. Sinister’s left his emotional stench all over my condo and I need an air freshener.”

Crystal

I sat quietly in my pouch as Nymph made her way up the walls of Fancy’s estate under the waning gibbous moon in the dead of night. Though Nymph could not perfectly remember the location of the estate, it was impossible to miss it with how grand it was, not to mention the expansive lawn and the tall walls enclosing it. We had passed by the golden gates at the front, getting a glimpse of the statues and the central fountain inside as well as the generous spread of hedges and trees, and made our way to the back of the property.

The wall was smooth with no good hoofholds, but that was no impediment to a changeling. Nymph was disoriented at first, but she was soon making her way up the wall at a steady pace.

It was calm, and that only let my mind wander.

Instructing Nymph on various life skills and fighting strategies had been… distracting. They were not unwelcome distractions, as she was very receptive and a fast learner, but they did well in keeping my mind off of unraveling the implications around her memory spell.

I kept going back to that moment in the Pit, as I wove and unraveled the spell that landed her in Canterlot, and my core recognized the spell even though my memory failed to tell me where I recognized it from.

More importantly, however, was that it prompted me to review the information I already knew. I knew about the various memory spells, but as an accomplished mage, capable of creating new spells from nothing and manipulating the aether, that was no surprise. The fact that I knew the changeling memory spells in addition to the pony versions led me to believe that I was originally a changeling myself in my old life. That was obvious enough by just how much knowledge I could impart onto Nymph on being a proper infiltrator.

What struck me was that a lot of this knowledge was not readily available to me when I was still stranded at the bottom of Horseshoe Bay, as if I had forgotten that I even knew, but focusing my efforts into Nymph have caused some of these pieces of information to bubble up to the surface.

And then I saw her memory spell, and while it set me aboil, I had nothing to show for it. No new knowledge or memory came to me, but I could not deny the resonance between my core and the spell hanging on her horn.

The memory spells… I knew that some of those spells were only taught to the rangers, but as I thought more about the rangers and their skill set, a skill set that Nymph embodied the best of, despite her weaknesses in other areas, I realized that rangers as an anti-changeling unit were only utilized by one hive in my entire experience. That I knew so much about them pointed clearly to my next realization.

The only way that I could know so much about the rangers was if I was in the hive that the rangers were a part of. Changelings were notoriously difficult to track and learning about other hives to the extent I knew about the rangers was nearly impossible.

I remembered the feelings of betrayal as I sat in my watery prison. I remembered that I had been a ruler, once in my life, though I had not known what I was a ruler of.

Perhaps, in my old life, I was a vital part of Nymph’s hive.

It was all conjecture. I had little substantial evidence to prove any of my feelings, as vague as they are, drawn up from the murky bog of amnesia, but somewhere in me, I felt it too coincidental to be mere happenstance.

Facts and isolated tidbits of knowledge were lining up, connected by a thin, tenuous thread. It was all I had, but I refused to let it go.

So why had I not asked Nymph about her hive yet?

She pulled herself up over the edge with a grunt and sat down on the edge in relief, giving us a good view of the estate’s backyard.

“Looks similar to what we saw at the front, save for the swimming pool and the tennis court.”

Overwatch nodded. “We’re still a good distance away from the mansion. The hedges and topiary could be good cover, but there’s still too much open space, especially around the pool.”

“I agree. It will be difficult to get across without being spotted by a changeling’s empathy sense, and if Dexter and Sinister need to exfiltrate in a hurry, they would get picked off very easily, no matter which direction they go.”

She rubbed her forehead in exasperation. “As useful as this sense is, it’s annoying to deal with other changelings having it.” The disguised unicorn huffed. “Maybe there’s a way to get around it?”

“Well, one of the reasons rangers became so scarce was because ponies began to live too densely. It was impossible to tell one pony from another from far away, and it was even more difficult from inside a city.”

Overwatch rolled her eyes. “I can still distinguish between ponies perfectly fine if I concentrate a little.”

“You are also more sensitive to differences in emotion than other changelings, perhaps significantly so since you are subject to episodes of sympathetic empathy.”

She snorted, but did seem to put the idea to thought. “So maybe if we can overload their empathy senses, we can provide some sort of cover that way. There’s enough obstacles to block line of sight from the mansion, but how do we…”

Overwatch trailed off, and I soon realized just what exactly she was thinking about.

“Hey, do you think that—”

“Very likely, but we would have to play it very carefully.”

She hummed in contemplation. “Should we wait for—”

“It might give us a better chance of succeeding, but—”

“But there’d be too many other potential eavesdroppers there to make that sort of deal.” Overwatch narrowed her eyes. “We have until the Saturday after. There’s time.”

“There is a lot of time.”

She grinned eagerly, almost hungrily, and we made our way back down the wall.

Myths — The Tempest Warlord

—

Even before the unification of the griffons under King Grover and his famed Idol of Boreas, the griffons were a belligerent race. They loved to fight, and they loved anything shiny they could get their claws on, whether it be coin, gold, or even the wayward polished rock. Disparate flocks regularly got into fights as soon as they encountered one another, brawling over trinkets and baubles and hoarding everything they could get. It was because of this griffon culture that they never stayed within the same place for too long, even with bags laden with loot. After all, a settlement was a target for the other flocks, an easy way to invite unwelcome guests to their coffers.

However, the strongest of the griffons had no such worry. Tempest Warlord Gale was the most fearsome of the griffons, famed for claws that could cut down trees in one swipe and wings that could conjure up a tornado with a single stroke. His flock was the most powerful in the area by far, and weary of the constant travel, they settled into the mountain that would later become Griffonstone, enjoying a life of leisure without hauling their winnings everywhere. The weaker flocks were forced to stay on the move if they wished to avoid Gale’s gaze, for he was the undisputed king over a cowering and broken kingdom.

But the belligerence and the greed of the griffons were very well entrenched. Gale, too proud of his own reputation, sought the lion’s share of every bounty his flock brought in, and while the total hoard of his flock was immense, a vast majority of it belonged to Gale, leaving the other griffons with what they believed were meager leftovers.

They got tired of it. After a particularly large haul was broken down into a mere anthill of shiny rocks for the other griffons fighting alongside Gale, they hatched a plan. Under the cover of night, they banded together and entered his home. They ambushed him while he was still asleep atop his fortune. His famed claws were torn from their sockets, kept as trophies for all present, and his powerful wings were plucked and broken, rendered forever useless.

Once they had brought Gale low, they tossed him off the mountain, sneering and jeering at him and confident that he would never be a threat to them.

Deprived of his most powerful tools, rendered flightless and clawless by those he had once flown with, Gale was overwhelmed with vengeance. Despite his broken and bruised body, he worked quickly, creating new weapons from the scraps he could find in the forests below his former home, some of which he himself had disposed of before his fall.

While Gale had numerous physical advantages before his fall, he was no stranger to the tools the other races boasted, having met them often while scouring for further riches. A hard, broad shard of metal secured tightly to a hardy branch became an axe, and before long, he had managed to fashion two of the brutal weapon.

The night following his betrayal, he began to climb. Where he could not find hoofholds to climb up on, he used his axes, digging deep into the mountain face and hauling himself up slowly and surely, inching towards his treasonous flock, driven by a seething, single-minded rage.

And the next night, after an entire day of non-stop climbing, he reached his destination. His bellow curdled the blood of his former flockmates, and they woke, each of them soaring into the air to combat him. Greed for the gold they had so recently claimed had blinded them to the danger.

Even clawless and flightless, the Griffon Warlord was still a force of nature. His axes, though blunt and made with only the most rudimentary of materials, flew in a whirlwind around him. Against his entire flock, each of them aiming to strike him true, he held his ground, and in his battle trance, he even pushed them back. Though he faced four or five at a time, he swung his own weapons even faster. He was a demon, and for each of his enemies that he managed to stun with a powerful blow, he rained down ten more in a mere second after.

He flowed through combat, weaving around the attacks of his foes to strike them in vital areas and bludgeon them down. When they flew, they found his aim impeccable, throwing whatever he could grab to bring them down to the earth they confined him to. So strong, so potent was his rage, that not even stone could turn his blades. His blows tore down the mountain, flattening the top and burying his former treasure under rubble.

—

With a fearful squawk, the last of the griffons tore off in the opposite direction, his wings flapping desperately to get him up into the air.

Gale, dripping with blood and laced with lacerations and cuts, his feathers having accumulated a thick layer of grime and dust, let out one last howl and flung his axe at the retreating figure. The weapon’s construction finally failed, and the stone that made up the axe head flew free from the haft, striking the final griffon betrayer in the head and causing him to plummet into the forests below.

Then, silence. It was eerie how quiet it was compared to the tumultuous thundering just moments before, but it seemed a calm finally descended, both on the site of the battle and to Gale’s fury. He collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily and propping himself against one of the large broken stones. The ground glittered, interspersed equally with riches and rock, stained with blood and blanketed with disheveled feathers.

I stepped out, my hoofsteps echoing loudly in the quiet. The exhausted griffon immediately raised his remaining axe and pointed it at me, though his arm slumped and he dropped his weapon when he got a good look at me.

“You… You no griffon,” he said, chuckling grimly. “Good. I worry I miss one.”

I made a show of looking around at the carnage, though I had long since known the extent of the damage. “Griffon, tellest thou me,” I said slowly, watching through the cerulean curtain of my mane as his good eye focused unsteadily on me. “Why dost thou murder thy flock? What couldst warrant such unrelenting fury that thou wouldst forsake even thine own life?”

He snorted, his head going limp, too tired to stay upright. “No innocents. No agony too much for traitors.”

I shook my head and watched as his breathing grew steadily shallower before finally ceasing altogether. What pitiable creatures they were, so vulnerable to treachery. A massacre such as this was just further proof as to the value of our unity and the true sanctity of the hive that prevented such meaningless waste. We would never know betrayal, and it was unfortunate that no other being could know that same wholeness, that same solidarity, that we knew.

These griffons, they sought only their own gain rather than the gain of the flock, and for that, they cast one of their own from their unity. For that crime, they suffered the vengeance of their abandoned hatchmate and paid the ultimate price.

I trotted off and took to the skies, the buzz of my wings the only sound present.

I snorted.

Betrayal was nothing more than a mere tool with which we may manipulate others, but within the hive, it was heresy.

The hive would forever be loyal to the queen, and in return, I would forever be faithful to the will of the hive.

Chapter 18 — Tastes of Thievery

Nymph

I looked up at the little chalkboard sign in the bar’s large window. Karaoke Night. I had no need to focus on my empathy sense to know that Tango waited inside. The bar was still relatively empty, but the oncoming evening crowd would change that soon. I wouldn’t have a very long time to do this.

This plan sounded a lot better in my head when I first came up with it, but now that it was actually time to go through with it, I found myself shifting around uneasily. I thought it would be at least a little easier after all the unwanted pony contact I’d been forcing myself through, but now that I needed to convince a pony to give me something I want, I was frozen in place, especially since a small part of my plan hadn’t arrived yet.

It wasn’t a very significant part of my plan, but it might’ve given us an edge, at least.

Lily was humming a little song beside me. Had been for the entire walk here. Knowing her music could have magical effects did make me a little cautious in letting myself get caught in the beat, given what she could do could almost be considered mind control, but it helped with my nerves.

“Ready?”

I took a breath and pushed open the door, putting on what I hoped was a genuine smile.

Tango perked up at the sound of the door, looking up from where she was tidying up behind the front counter. “Welcome!” she said, smiling as she realized who we were. “Oh, you’re here again! Karaoke Night, I presume?”

Lily nodded cheerfully. “O’ course, luv! Had t’ come back after last time!”

“It was pretty fun last time,” I said, bolstered by Lily’s presence. “How’ve you been?”

Tango shrugged. “Doing decently. What’ll you two—”

She stopped at the light tapping on the window behind us, and she tilted her head to the side to look around us. I turned, and though it was difficult to see outside through the bar lights reflecting off the polished glass, I could still make out a red bird-shaped figure in the bottom corner of one of the windows.

It pecked at the window again, and I trotted over to hold open the front door, allowing the regal phoenix to waddle imperiously into the bar.

Lily beamed at the newest arrival. “Philo! ‘Ow’d you do, girl?”

Philomena squawked in response, walking up to the merpony and hopping up onto her back. I giggled at the absurdity of it all, though I kept an eye on Tango. She had a splash of surprise, of course, but it was accompanied by a small note of recognition, like that light bulb moment of understanding.

I grinned as I trotted up to the counter with Lily and Philomena, taking off my saddlebags and placing them on the ground beside me. Some of that excitement from a couple days ago was coming back to me. I had taken a little of a gamble asking Lily to get the phoenix to accompany us here—playing with fire too close to Celestia risked drawing more of her attention—but it seems to have paid off. Tango knew Philomena, and I might be able to use their mutual connection to the Princess to push my proposition.

“O-oh, and who’s this?” Tango said as Philomena hopped up onto the counter. It was clear she was feigning ignorance, judging by her apprehension.

“It’s Philomena.” I took a seat at one of the stools, and Lily did the same beside me, cooing at the phoenix. “H-hadn’t expected to see her here though.”

“Ooh, y’think we should order her somethin’?” Lily said, reaching over for one of the menus and opening it up. “Cor, I wonder what she’d like…”

Tango chuckled hesitantly, still staring at the bird. “Well, this isn’t the strangest thing I’ve done,” she said as she handed a menu over to me too. “I’d be willing to get her something, so long as she doesn’t make a mess and you pay for it.”

Lily held the menu out to Philomena, and she regarded it carefully for a moment before stabbing her beak at one of the items.

“Biscuits it is!” Lily said, taking the menu back and slapping it on the counter in front of Tango. “I’ll ‘ave whatever. Surprise me!”

I placed my menu on top of Lily’s. “Just fries and cider. I ate a little before coming here.”

Tango scribbled a few things on a note and slid it back through a small window to the kitchens. “So what brings you two here so early?” she said as she put a little tray of peanuts in front of us and started filling up a few mugs. “Karaoke doesn’t start for another hour, at least.”

I chuckled sheepishly, feeling a little lump in my throat. “N-nothing much,” I said, my nervousness making a sharp return. “I just uhh… I just wanted to beat the crowds.” I tried to smile. “And I wanted to ask a few things about you.”

She raised an eyebrow, smirking as she slid a mug over to me. “Well now, aren’t you coming on a bit strong there. So you were flirting last time.”

I made a choking noise, and I was very glad I hadn’t stopped to take a sip before she made that statement. “N-not at all! Nothing to do with that!” I stammered out. I took a moment to clear my throat before continuing. “I just uhh… D-do you… Would you happen to know the Princess?”

Her face dropped for a moment, just a moment, but I caught it easily, especially with her pervasive emotional aura making one big hiccup.

She reasserted her facade quickly. “N-no, why would you think th—”

A peanut bounced off her head, and she glared at Philomena and Lily, both of whom were looking off in other directions and whistling.

I let out a snorting giggle, trying to hide it behind a hoof. “I just happened to see you talking with the Princess. You didn’t change your cutie mark, by the way.”

“No way, I totally—” she cleared her throat quickly. “Regardless, it could be somepony else! I’ve never really had a chance to meet the Princess like that,” Tango said as she picked up another mug and picked out a random bottle from the shelf. “I’ve only ever been a bartender.”

“I thought you said that you jumped from job to job last time.”

Another peanut bounced off of her head, and she groaned as she slid a mug over to Lily. “Alright fine. I guess I might know her a little. What about it?”

“So how do you know her?” I said, silently cheering at my success, even as easy as it was. “Does that make you a noble?”

She looked at me suspiciously. “Maybe? Why do you want to know?”

I tapped my hooves together as I thought about what I was going to say. “Well, I was wondering if you knew anything about Fancy’s party. I heard a lot of rumors about it circling around the guard and I was curious.”

She glanced carefully at the other inhabitants in the bar before leaning in closer to me. “Heard a little about it. Did you want to go or something?”

I shook my head quickly. “Oh no, not me. I’m not too interested in parties like that. Too uhhh…” I cleared my throat into my hoof. “Too many ponies.”

Tango tilted her head, scrunching her brow together in confusion. “So why are you asking?”

“Askin’ for me, luv!” Lily chirped. “‘Eard there’re gonna be a buncha bigwigs at this party!”

“Yes, that.” I swallowed, lamenting my dry mouth. “I think her voice is incredible, and I think she could make it big if she had the chance. Even Princess Celestia thinks she’s worth keeping an eye on. I know Philomena likes to keep in contact.”

The phoenix warbled in reply. She tipped her head in my direction briefly before she returned to Lily’s drink, tasting it tentatively.

I blinked, but looked back at Tango, who seemed unperturbed by Philomena’s actions. “In any case, I thought that with Fancy’s party being the biggest gathering of the most influential ponies in Canterlot, it would be a great place to let her really show off her stuff, maybe get started in the music industry. You know how well she sings, but even if she doesn’t get to do anything, it’d still be a great place to get to know the nobility.”

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, before she cleared her throat and said, “Is that all?”

I took a big gulp of cider to clear up my sudden case of dry mouth and set the mug heavily on the counter. “Uhh, yes?” I tried to smile. “Please?”

The bell from the kitchen rang, and after her eyes flickered briefly over to Philomena, Tango answered, “Okay, sure.”

I blinked. “Wait, really?”

“Yep!” Tango said as she levitated over the fries and biscuits left at the kitchen window.

“Oh, smashin’!” Lily said, clapping her hooves together. “Cahn’t wait t’ see what it’s gonna be like at a fancy ‘eathen party!”

“W-wait, this is going too fast.” I hiccuped. “I thought you’d need a lot more convincing to let Lily go to one of the richest private parties in Equestria.”

“Well, I don’t know about whether she’ll be allowed to sing at the party, but I know my invitation lets me bring a plus-one and, to be completely frank, I wasn’t big on attending alone. I’m way more comfortable with the working ponies,” she said, her attitude very nonchalant. “Fancy’s pretty big on nurturing new talent—it’s how he made his mark in Canterlot—and if he thinks Lily could do excellent entertainment for cheap, I think I can work something around.”

I narrowed my eyes at her and tried to pick up the bitter taste of deception, but to no avail. “That’s… still a big favor to do for ponies you’ve only met a few times.”

Tango chuckled. “I think she’s trustworthy enough, and don’t worry, you’re doing me a favor. Maybe it’ll be bearable with some company that isn’t dry, trying to suck up to you, or otherwise humbly bragging about their laundry list of achievements.” She jumped up, and her emotions quickly shifted to tangy eagerness. “Ooh ooh, maybe we can go shopping for dresses! Do you have an outfit already?”

Lily shook her head, though she was catching onto the excitement quickly. “Nope, ain’t got nothin’ like that, but I got lots of bits! Cahn’t be too ‘ard to get something good.”

Tango jumped up and down a little, happily clapping her hooves together. “Oooh, I can work with that. Hey, you have any plans for tomorrow? Maybe we can meet here in the morning and we can both get fitted. I know a place that makes the cutest dresses!”

Both of them squealed, and I quickly busied myself with my fries. I was relieved that I had managed to get Lily an excuse to be on-site when the party occurred, but the whole exchange still made me uneasy.

“That went way too smoothly,” I sent to Crystal.

“I have my suspicions. It is possible that she is in cahoots with Celestia and this is some sort of convenient way to dig up more information on Lily. It was clear enough from how her emotions when she interacted with Celestia that the two are close. The potential for danger only grows since I will have to remain with Lily if she is to maintain her transformed state during the entire party.”

“But information on Lily of all ponies?”

“Magical threats are very much worth keeping an eye on.”

I rubbed at my head with a hoof. So many possible ways this could go wrong, and all I could do was try to prepare for the worst. It would be taxing, now that I have to start working again this upcoming week, but the least I could do was scout out the area a little more.

“On a side note, your idea of getting Philomena to come might have worked too well for the wrong reasons.”

A peanut bounced off my head.

I turned to glare at them. They were all staring off into space and whistling innocently.

I opened the door to the guardhouse quietly, but my caution was unwarranted. Inside was already a flurry of activity as the change of shift occurred, ponies hurrying about getting everything prepared.

The first day of returning to work and I was already late. Maybe. Though probably not. I left super early to make sure I wouldn’t get here late, but it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more urgent.

I slunk my way to the back and made my way into the armory. I spotted the rack where my gear was stowed and hurried over, dropping off my saddlebags. I still had my holsters for my fumes and axe, though I had left Crystal at home with Lily. While she was a great comfort to have around, I would need to get used to operating without her constantly watching after me. That, and I had no desire of being caught with a giant gem while on the job.

Not until I knew what I could and couldn’t get away with, at least.

I took my armor from the rack and levitated it into place around myself. Like my helmet, it was slightly larger than a perfect fit for me, but it was a problem that could be alleviated by simply tightening the straps a little more. The hoof guards came a little after, and I finally levitated my helmet over the top of my head.

“Corporal!”

I turned around smoothly and snapped a salute to Sergeant Flash Point, who looked at me as if I’d grown a second head.

“Corporal,” he repeated slowly. “Something wrong with your helmet enchantments?”

I blinked. “Uhh, no sir, not that I’m aware of.”

He hummed in contemplation. “Your fur color hasn’t changed.”

I looked down, and sure enough, instead of the grey of the unicorn guards, my legs and body were still my usual charcoal self.

A cold sweat bit through my fur. Had my problems with illusion spells also somehow canceled the illusion enchantments on the helmet?

Cursing silently, I made my way to the spare racks, pulling off a helmet from the shelves and slowly lowering it onto my head.

I looked down. Still black.

The sergeant furrowed his eyebrows at me. He pulled off his own helmet and set it down on the floor beside him before holding out his hoof. His fur slowly washed back into his vibrant red-orange. “Here, lemme see your helmet.”

I put the replacement helmet back on the shelf and hoofed my own helmet to him. While it was a tight fit for him, he managed to get it on, and he watched as the fur on his forelegs slowly changed into the grey of the unicorn guards. A couple of the night guards were coming in following the end of their shift.

He pulled my helmet off and narrowed his eyes at me. “You sure you’re alright, corporal? Any funny feelings? Maybe a little magical whatnots from the Everfree?”

I shook my head frantically. “N-no sir! I feel fine, sir!”

He hoofed my helmet back to me, still scrutinizing me closely. We were starting to draw a bit of a crowd. Steel Blade, who I primarily patrolled with, looked at me with concern and said. “You sure we shouldn’t send you back to the infirmary to see what’s really going on?”

“I-I’m fine, Steelie, really!” I hurriedly put my helmet back on and began to tighten the straps.

One of the stallions from the night guard butt in, having just shucked off his own armor. “Sergeant, with all due respect, she’s fine. Stop making her all nervous and just let her relieve us so we can all go home.”

Flash Point snorted. “Alright then,” he said, looking back at me. “Head out. Take the outer ring route. It’s good to have you back, but don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

“Yes sir!” I snapped off another salute before trotting out the door briskly, followed closely by Steel Blade.

The outer ring beat was a simple beat. Unlike some of the rowdier inner circle patrols, this route took me closer to the quiet outskirts of Canterlot, where buildings were a bit more spread out. It wasn’t a beat I took often, but I still followed it as if I had run it all my life. It was very fortunate that my hooves knew where they were going, because I sure as Tartarus don’t.

I looked around curiously. We were passing into one of the middle-class neighborhoods, still relatively close to the city center, but much less busy.

“It’s so strange seeing a guard with a different fur color. Never heard of somepony picking up an immunity to illusion spells, of all things,” Steel Blade said, walking beside me. “You sure you feel alright?”

“Y-yes, I do,” I said. This stupid memory spell was still coming back to bite me hard, and this was just going to draw even more attention to me. “Shoulder still feels stiff, but I just needed some love and a little bed rest. I feel fine.”

“Bed rest?” He raised an eyebrow, but thankfully had no emotional reaction to when I said I just needed love. “Says the girl who spent almost all of last week hacking away at training dummies at the barracks.”

I looked at him, startled. “Wait, you were there?”

He shrugged. “A couple times. Had to see one of the docs about my wing. Plus, I needed to meet up with my dad.”

I furrowed my brow. “Your dad works in the Royal Guard?”

“Um, yes?” Steel Blade looked at me curiously. “You forget my dad’s the captain?”

My mouth hung agape. “Wait, really?”

“Yes?” He rolled his eyes. “Remember? I told you back when we were about to walk into the Everfree Forest. It was only about two or three weeks ago, c’mon.”

I looked away. Shoot, he might have mentioned that before I even replaced myself. “I… I guess I just forgot,” I said with an awkward chuckle. “Had my mind on other things.”

Steelie simply rolled his eyes and snorted, a faint smile on his face. “I can imagine that. That op was quite a while ago anyways, and I much prefer the streets of Canterlot anyways.”

“Yeah, definitely,” I mumbled, not quite paying attention. I hadn’t realized that he was connected to the captain in that way, but that would make him a pretty important pony, wouldn’t it? Even without being privy to any state secrets, he might still pick up plenty of tidbits just by being around his father.

Wouldn’t that alone make him a prime target for the other changelings?

A cold chill ran up my spine. The Guard already had hostile infiltrators in it, and it might only be a matter of time before Steel Blade was abducted and podded.

I shook my head. Perhaps it’d be a good time to try to get some information from him. The street traffic had picked up a bit, but not so much that we would have too many other ponies listening in. He hadn’t reacted before when I mentioned needing some love, so he might not have been replaced yet.

“S-so,” I said, interrupting the quiet between us. “I heard that Fancy Pants was hosting some big party for the nobles.”

“Ahh, that,” he said with a hum. “Hadn’t heard too much about it. I heard the Guard was going to provide the security. The pay was supposedly really good though, so the number of ponies lining up to try to get a piece of that was pretty high. Other than that though, I haven’t heard all that much. Never did put too much stock into what the nobility did.”

“Oh. Okay.” I tried not to let my disappointment show on my face. I guess it was a bit of a long shot that he would know something vitally important, though hearing about the number of guards that want to participate was a bit concerning. The more guards there were at the party, the more likely some of them were going to be infiltrators.

I stumbled, somehow, and I was jolted back into the present with a tiny yelp. I berated myself for slacking on the job. I was supposed to be watchful, not a silly pedestrian, and certainly not tripping over my own hooves.

It was still a bit surprising, however. I had trusted myself to go where I wanted, and this was the first time that I had actually stumbled over myself. The ground felt familiar, but I curiously felt a sort of dread or sadness in me.

I finally took a good look at my surroundings and realized that I was standing in front of a cemetery. “Bright Star Cemetery” was written in flowing calligraphy over the entrance. The sun was shining full force at this point, and between the bright splashes of flowers and the lush green grass, it was easy to forget that this was a place for the dead.

I took a deep breath. “Steelie,” I said, turning to him. “Could I catch up with you later? I won’t be long.”

He took a look at the cemetery and simply nodded. “Sure, take as long as you need. You know the route, right?”

“Of course I do, silly.” I stuck my tongue out at him. “I’ll see you soon then!”

I watched him trot off to continue the beat before turning to walk into the cemetery. I stayed on the gravel path, just looking around at the beautiful grounds. The trees spotting the premises were flush with healthy leaves, their foliage thick and full. The signs of summer were all around me, and it was a sharp contrast from the brick and stone of the rest of Canterlot.

I took a sharp turn inwards, trotting over the grass towards my intended location. There, only a little distance in, were the two headstones I had been looking for, one of them showing a little more wear than the other. They were markers for a “Persimmon Joy” and an “Ironwood Heart.”

I stood there silently for a moment, just admiring the handiwork of the stone. A few birds chirped distantly in the background.

I knew nothing about them. I had no memories of them. I wasn’t even aware what their full names were until I read them just now, but they were my… they were her parents.

For me though? They were no more my parents than any random passerby off the streets, and yet my heart ached. It longed for them, but for what reason? Because Overwatch loved them? Loved them so much, they were part of her dying thoughts?

I scowled. Overwatch was dead. This family… It died with her all those weeks ago.

And my family? I… I knew my mother was still alive somewhere. My hive was my family, so I’ve been told. It was our unity, exemplified in our hive link, that made us family.

Sinister and Dexter, however, they weren’t family, even if they were from the same hive. We were associates, colleagues at best. Mom was halfway across the continent. I had no hive here, not in the way I had at Baltimare, even if I had made myself out to be more of a recluse back home.

I chuckled to myself. No matter the dressing on the situation, it was still the same, regardless of whether I was Nymph or Overwatch. I was alone. It was a facade of independence, pushing myself to be self-sufficient, reassuring myself that I would always make it through.

More importantly, I was standing in for Overwatch. Standing here, before her parents, I was a trespasser. An intruder into their family. Like every changeling infiltrator, I was stealing and living a life that wasn’t my own.

It was a statement that was true in more ways than one though, wasn’t it. I wasn’t just going through her routine and her motions. I’ve felt emotions I wouldn’t normally feel. I see things from her past. My drive to improve myself or to talk to others, how much of it was Overwatch’s past self and how much of it was the shut-in named Nymph, too busy burying herself in fiction to take note of what was happening around her?

I sat down heavily, staring at the two tombstones. Does it even matter? This was my life now, for better or for worse. I couldn’t hide away, not anymore.

The cemetery was quiet, but I heard Overwatch’s voice, as if she were whispering into my ear.

“Could you have taken my memories even if I had said no?”

“Yes.”

I shuddered, closing my eyes. I thought back to when she died. I remembered our meeting, our final words. I had been proposing an idea, even showing off my transformation abilities. I was a foal asking an adult for permission to take her identity instead of just taking it for myself, and in response, she had…

She had thanked me.

A sense of calm washed over me, and I opened my eyes and let out a chilled breath. She had entrusted her life, her responsibilities, even her friends to me, a mere copy. She had hoped, believed beyond all reason, that I could keep the ponies around her happy and that I could make use of her gift of life.

I stood back up and bowed to the two graves before trotting back out. I wasn’t going to squander another opportunity at life.

I had to prove myself. I had to prove that her confidence in me wasn’t misplaced.

Chapter 19 — Tastes of Nobility

Nymph

Saturday.

The week had been tense, though through no fault of the week itself. Even guard work had been surprisingly light, and there were few altercations which required my direct intervention. That just meant that there was a lot of free time to brood about the upcoming operation.

And to run face first into things because I’m entirely too distracted and I really should have been looking where I’m walking, but that’s beside the point.

No more time left. Fancy’s party. The sun had already disappeared completely behind the horizon and the street lights were slowly winking on. Dexter and Sinister were already disguised as two of the staff inside, busy helping prepare for the upcoming celebration. Outside the estate gates, a massive crowd had gathered. Ponies huddled over their cameras as they pushed for spots closer to the entrance. Guards stood here and there, helping to keep the crowd back. Though night had fallen, the golden gates were as well lit as they were in the afternoon, drowned in the lights of the news crews. Nobles drank in the attention, giving waves to the cameras as they made their way in.

I swung my foreleg back and forth over the edge of the building I was on, directly overlooking the entrance. It was confusing why ponies seemed so interested in the lives of these nobles, even enough to stalk them to a party of all things and take pictures of them at the front door. Did they do it for bits, maybe? The spectacle of those born into wealth? A paragon of what ponies should be?

A coach rolled up, and I recognized it as the one in which Tango, Lily, and Crystal, tucked in the folds of Lily’s dress, were going to be arriving in. The noise of crowd picked up at the sound of another arrival, audible even from the rooftops where I sat.

With a deep breath, I leapt over the edge of the building, dangling from the top for just a moment before making my way down.

Cadence

I brushed a lock of my curled mane out of my eyes and smoothed out a few of the wrinkles in my dress when our coach rounded the corner, and we got our first look at our destination.

Lily clapped her hooves like an excited foal as we pulled up to the entrance of Fancy’s home, gawking at the throngs of ponies already waiting there for us. It’s rare that I get excited about one of these sorts of parties, full of nobles puffing up their chests at each other, but Lily’s enthusiasm about well… everything has really rubbed off on me. Even getting fitted for dresses was an adventure, and Lily was curious about all sorts of things.

I know Auntie Celestia wanted to keep an eye on her, but being with Lily was almost like foalsitting. The good parts, anyway. It’s rare for an adult to be so excited about seeing new things, free from societal trappings, and being around her really wears off the rough edges from the years of jadedness.

“Woss all this about then?” she said, pressing herself against the window. “Cor, that’s a buncha ‘eathens that wanna take pictures of us.”

I giggled. She had the strangest habit of calling ponies “heathens,” but it didn’t seem like she ever meant it in a bad way. It was so normal for her. “It’s just the cameras,” I said. “News outlets and reporters love these events, anything that can get them articles on noble and celebrity life. Don’t pay too much mind to them, but don’t be surprised if you pick up a tabloid tomorrow that claims we’re dating.”

I took a sharp breath. “Oh, I almost forgot! While we’re in there, call me ‘Lady Amore.’ I’m a lesser noble, so hopefully, we don’t draw too much attention.”

She saluted me as the coach came to a stop. “Gotcha! I’ll follow your lead, Lady!”

I smiled back at her before lighting my horn and popping open the door.

As I stepped out, my dress finally got its first opportunity to breathe. I had gone with a light cornflower blue to contrast with my pink and purple mane and coat colors. It was a light dress with a few layers, enough to be comfortable and draw a few eyes. A few tasteful pieces of jewelry helped to complete the outfit.

Even though my noble persona wasn’t all too well known and I enjoyed a little obscurity, I still enjoyed feeling beautiful, and I could help but pander to the crowd’s expectations with a toss of my mane and a smoldering look. When Lily stepped out, the cameras only clicked more wildly, which I had half expected. Unlike me, she was a complete unknown, leaving plenty of room for speculation. I suggested an eye-catching flaming red ensemble to match her mane, and it had certainly performed admirably in getting everypony’s attention.

“Ooh, never ‘ad so much attention on me before! Intense blokes, aren’t they?” Lily said, gaping at the reporters. Something caught her eye up above, and she eagerly jumped up and down and pointed skywards. “Ooh, ooh! It’s Philomena! Hey Philo!”

I heard a familiar squawk and looked up, just as the phoenix plopped herself right onto my beautiful mane. The cameras immediately recognized the phoenix as Auntie’s and went into overdrive. Of course.

I picked up Philomena with my magic and placed her onto Lily’s head instead, where she chuckled at me, but at least she stayed up there. She blew a small jet of flame at the ponies at the front, close enough to frighten them, but not to actually singe them, and we all shared a laugh as we quickly made our way in through the gates before anypony could start yelling.

Fancy’s front yard alone was a spectacle. The lawn was fresh, and the topiary had been expertly trimmed into all sorts of ponies and animals. Tall trees lined the edges of the property, giving the mansion a sense of isolation despite still being part of Canterlot, albeit on the edge. A fountain sat just in front of the stairs leading up to Fancy’s home, and a few guards stood along the path up.

Fancy himself was just at the top of the stairs alongside his new wife, Fleur. It was about time they got together anyways. They had a thing for each other since way back, and they were just so cute together. They beamed down at me as I took the lead, trotting up to them with a wide grin.

“Fancy! It’s so good to see you!” I called out, embracing him in a half hug before doing the same with Fleur. “And Fleur, you’re looking as beautiful as ever. You still need to tell me how you get that bounce in your tail.”

She smiled back at me, her hoof absentmindedly playing with her mane. “Perhaps another day, ma chérie. Don’t forget, I still owe you a spa treatment,” she said with a wink.

Fancy chuckled. “My goodness, it’s good to see you here. I sent the invitation, but I hadn’t expected you to come, dear!”

I nodded. “I wanted to at least see how you two were getting along. Oh, and Auntie sincerely apologizes for not making it, but she sends her best regards. She’s been very busy lately.”

“No worries, dear! I’ll just have to settle for seeing her tomorrow then.” He turned to Lily. “And who is this? Is this your ‘diamond in the rough’ you’ve been telling me about?”

Lily strode forward and shook hooves with him energetically. “That’s me, luv! Good t’ see ya!”

Fancy laughed. “Spritely one, aren’t you! I look forward to hearing your voice later,” he said, before addressing the both of us. “We’ll catch up later, but welcome! Come in, come in, and enjoy yourselves! The catering should be ready, but save a little room for dessert later, eh? You can talk to the servers if you have any particular wine tastes, and they can get you something from our wine cellars. We only ask that you not enter a few areas of the mansion, but the guards will tell you where the restricted areas are. You are free to go wherever you wish on the first floor though!”

I nodded and bowed to both of them. “Of course, Fancy. I’ll see you two inside!” I said, before Lily and I made our way through the open doors behind him.

The inside was bright. The chandelier in the main foyer was a bright collection of twinkling glass stars, and it seemed like there wasn’t a single dark corner inside. Lily stared in awe at the extravagance, whether it was the polished flooring, the fresh flora and clean decor, or even just the butlers.

The entrance hall was huge, and there was a massive table stretching along one side with a veritable feast, though most of the food was hidden under metal covers, likely being saved for later. The room next door was the ballroom, wherein sat a large number of circular tables, each with a bouquet in the middle and plenty of chairs.

Lily frowned at all the shiny, covered platters. “Why’d they get all the food out, but not even let anypony have any?”

I shrugged. “It’s something the nobles do. Gotta have a proper time for everything,” I said, shaking my head. “Heathens, aren’t they?”

She grinned. “Aye, a real kooky bunch they are,” Lily said as she scanned the room. Some of the other guests in attendance had taken note of us, especially the phoenix still sitting comfortably atop Lily’s head, though their gaze hadn’t lingered for long on us, reserved for more esteemed nobles. A few camera crews had made their way inside, likely so that Fancy could draw in even better publicity. It seemed less like a private party and more like a miniature gala, though I had no real preference for either. Really, only Auntie could enjoy a “party” like the Grand Galloping Gala.

“Oh, there are ponies with food!” Lily said before her excitement dulled a bit. “Oh, looks like it’s only tiny food.”

I scanned the room and saw what she was talking about. There were a few butlers and maids amongst the nobles with platters of hors d'oeuvres and buckets of ice and wine bottles.

“Those’re just the appetizers, to make the main course that much more enticing. C’mon! Let’s go get some!” I said before making my way to one of the butlers. “Hello sir!”

He turned around smoothly, giving me a polite smile. “Greetings, milady. How may I help…”

Lily bounced up beside me, and the butler gave her a strange look, almost as if confused. He straightened out quickly, however, and returned to his original composure. “How may I help you two?”

Nymph

I jostled my way to the opposite side of the street, pushing past some of the night time traffic and trying to ignore my growing claustrophobia. It was surprising how far from Fancy’s manor I had to go just to avoid any guards. Irritatingly, they had several streets locked down tight, and I had to go around if I wanted to avoid any potential changeling linking me to Fancy’s party.

I wove my way down an alley into some of the forested areas inside Canterlot and paused. I heard water, likely from one of the rivers that wound its way through the canals that ran through the city itself, but there were no telltale signs of ponies. Though the guard was watching the street carefully, they were less than attentive of the space behind them. Still, there could be pegasus guards ready to catch any sneaky fliers, but I could make it through as long as I stuck to the shadows. I suppressed my emotional aura and I moved towards my destination.

Of course, even then, it wasn’t completely smooth sailing. There was still, beyond all reason, a few pegasi camped out behind Fancy’s backyard with cameras. Thankfully, I could rely on my empathy sense to avoid them, though with a few drawbacks.

“Ooohhh…” I groaned, rubbing at my burning nose and glaring at the tree in front of me. I picked myself up and carefully tiptoed my way around it and finally came face to face with the boundary of Fancy’s property.

I placed a hoof on the wall and began to climb when I heard Dexter’s voice over the link.

“Nymph?”

I took a deep breath as I slowly pulled myself upwards. “Yes? What do you need?”

“You know why your roommate is here?”

Sinister butt in immediately. “Wait, that green earth pony’s here? Really? How in Tartarus did a pony living in a crappy condo get to attend a party like this?”

“She’s…” I considered telling them the truth, that I had purposely gotten Lily in there as a possible escape plan, but Sinister…

Feh, forget him. He’s not going to have anything good to say about one of my ideas anyways, and it’s not like they would believe I could do anything anyways.

“I guess she managed to hit it big,” I sent to them as I crested the top of the wall and began making my way down.

“I suppose so. Anyways, looks like dinner is about to start soon. How’re things on your end, Sini?”

“Just tried exploring the basement a little. Guard presence is abnormally high down here for a place only the staff is supposed to have access to. Wine cellar’s completely off limits. Even tried pitching a fit about not being able to do my job. I don’t like what’s going on, but I’m gonna keep an eye on it.”

“Got it. The party’s starting up here. They’re opening the ballroom.”

I slunk my way further in, making my way closer to the mansion so that I could easily sense what was going on inside through just my empathy sense. The hedges were the perfect height and not too far apart from each other, letting me traverse the area under nearly constant cover. The pool and the tennis court were open spaces that I wasn’t willing to pass, but I had no need to be much closer.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I sunk down into the grass within the hedges and trees and reached out with my empathy sense.

Cadence

I had picked a table at random in the banquet hall, somewhat close to the stage where Fancy was giving his welcome speech, sitting comfortably before our food.

Lily had two overloaded plates on her side, and I couldn’t help but feel jealous looking at it compared what comparatively little I had gotten myself. I had a figure to maintain, of course, though with Lily’s more… active personality, I suppose she could get away with eating that much.

Even with Lily making off like a bandit, there was still a ton of food, almost too much for the crowd gathered here today, which was saying something considering just how many were here. I almost felt bad about not being able to have a taste of every single dish, but I had to watch myself, even if the fettuccine alfredo was calling my name.

“So it would give me and my wife no greater joy than to see everypony mingle, get more food, and enjoy yourselves!” Fancy ended with a flourish to polite applause. It’s quite unusual to see the differences between the whoops and hollers of the bar patrons and the restrained ovation of the prim and proper, though I had to hide a snicker when Lily stomped her hooves on the table as applause, jostling the food and surprising Philomena, who was already picking through the plates.

Luckily, there wasn’t anypony else at the table to get offended, so that was a headache avoided. I looked over to Fancy and Fleur, who were approaching our own table, but they were intercepted by a servant, who whispered urgently in their ears. Fancy nodded and mouthed a small, “another time then,” to me before following the servant away.

I put on a smile, though I was a bit disappointed. There weren’t many nobles that I wanted to really converse with outside of Fancy, and I had spent a lot more time with commoners than the upper class. I could still mingle with nobles—I hadn’t forgotten high-brow etiquette, at least, especially after teaching somepony else about them—but I wasn’t part of any noble social group.

So it was a bit surprising when somepony did come to our table. Voluntarily. She had an off-white coat with a light pink and purple mane. Her body was fit and her horn was well filed, but nothing really stood out in particular besides the intensive grooming.

“Why hello, hello,” she drawled. “You two look pretty interesting. May I have this seat?”

“Course y’ can!” Lily said through a food-filled mouth. I asserted my own consent with a nod, though how Lily’s manners hadn’t scared her off surprised me.

“My thanks.” The noble took a seat gracefully, holding out her hoof. “Lotus Veil.”

I took her hoof and shook it. “My name’s Lady Amore,” I said. I had heard a few things about her, though mostly through whatever gossip filtered through the grapevine to me. “So, what makes us so interesting?”

“Oh, just caught my eye, is all,” she said, resting her head on a hoof. “I’ve never seen either of you two before, though I could have sworn I recognize your friend over there. What’s your name, dear?”

“M’name’s Lilywater!” She took a moment to swallow. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen you b’fore though.”

Lotus’s eyes widened just a little. “Really now? And here I thought I had made myself pretty well known. I’m the owner of the trading company Busy Bee, though I have branched off into other ventures as well. In fact, I’ll have you know that my people are also doing the catering for this event,” she said, before looking closer at Lily. “That being said, you look so familiar. Where have I seen you before…”

She raised her head off her hoof and raised her eyebrows. “Ahh, I remember. You were the one talking with Princess Celestia back at the Summer Sun Celebration, weren’t you!” She burst into a loud belly laugh. “Oh, that was wonderful. I think you gave ol’ Pure Legacy an aneurysm with your antics.”

Lotus leaned in closer to Lily, grinning widely. “So you’re familiar with the Princess now? Not everypony finds themselves the perch for her beloved pet. Tell me about yourself. You must be important if you’re here, of all places.”

Lily let out a hum, though she looked strangely at Lotus. Her ear flicked off to the side occasionally as if she had heard something nopony else could hear. “‘Fraid I’m not as important as you make me out t’ be, luv,” she said, sticking her tongue out.

I cleared my throat. “She has an exceptionally talented voice. I wanted to introduce her to Fancy as a bit of an opportunity for her.” I said carefully. “You mentioned you did the catering here? It’s quite different than what I was expecting from a noble party.”

Lotus chuckled haughtily. “Let’s say that Fancy knew who his audience was, and I was in a prime position to provide the best, being able to get supplies from all over Equestria,” she said, taking a nearby bottle and filling her glass with wine. “The rich may pretend to have ‘good taste’ in food and drink, but deep down, well… I suspect he knows the greatest vice of the nobility: excess. After all, what’s the point in having so much money if you can’t get more than everypony else, so we set out to serve the best food and the most food instead of the overpriced ‘tasting’ nibbles that the food critics love to put on a pedestal.”

She took a sip of her wine before aiming a smirk at me. “I give them what they want, and in turn, they show nothing but love and appreciation for us.”

Lily choked on some food and coughed a couple times before she managed to down her bite. She cleared her throat. “Sorry there! Went down the wrong way. I need to jus’... ‘ead to the water closet for a bit,” she said before hurrying off. Philomena squawked in confusion before taking off after her.

“I’ll go check up on her,” I said quickly. “Make sure she’s alright.”

“Go right ahead, dear,” Lotus said. “Whatever you need.”

I hurried off after Lily, a bit thankful for a reason to get away from Lotus. She seemed alright on the outside, but there was just something about how she spoke that really sent shivers down my spine.

Nymph

I flinched from a sudden sharp spike in my empathy sense. I had kept an eye on many of the ponies moving about inside and was a bit curious about a few ponies going upstairs, but two of the ponies up there had suddenly shifted to shock and fear. They shifted about for a few moments before one went dark.

“Did you feel that?” Crystal said. A few moments after, the other was also subdued.

“I did. What was that?”

“No clue. I have asked Lily if she could maneuver closer to it, but it seemed like a very messy takedown. It was on the second floor, near the back.”

I peeked over the bushes, trying to match what I felt over the empathy sense with the building in front of me. “That room… there’s a balcony on it. A lot of dark windows too.” I narrowed my eyes further. “I’m going to try and see what’s going on.”

“I see. Be cautious. The guard presence is high. I suspect the servants may also be involved.”

I nodded to myself and scanned the area once again. A few guards, both unicorn and pegasus patrolled around the mansion, but the rooftops seemed clear of any presence, thankfully.

I ducked down into the hedges again and moved back into the treeline. I stayed down, moving from tree to tree until I had maneuvered my way around the brightly lit tennis court, which would have broken any cover I may have had. Through my empathy sense, I tracked the guards in their patrol. There was going to be a moment soon when I could sneak through.

I’d have to move quickly though. I needed to at least make it beyond the balcony if I was to avoid detection, and bringing out my wings for flight would be too noisy an option. I focused on my empathy sense, waiting until the last guard finally rounded the corner.

I took off at a sprint, keeping low to the ground. I had covered the distance all the way to a statue close to the mansion when the next patrolling guard came by.

By now, I had a rhythm to how the guards patrolled. There were windows of about ten seconds at regular intervals in which I could work. Thankfully, I didn’t need to peek around the statue to count out when the next opportunity would come.

I took a deep breath as the guard plodded behind the corner, and I darted out again.

The window to the room right under my destination was dark and I sensed nopony inside. Probably safe to disturb. I leapt to the wall over the flower beds, softening my impact by bending my legs and clinging tightly to the stone. My hooves made small clops as I ascended, but the commotion inside was a helpful mask, and I made it up to the balcony without so much as a suspicious twitch on my empathy sense.

The guards outside wouldn’t be able to see me on the balcony, so I safely tiptoed my way over to the door and peeked inside. Though it was dark inside, I could at least tell there wasn’t anyone inside. A large bed sat to one side, and I caught the edges of a dresser and mirror.

I squinted. There was something large and round in the corner. They weren’t moving, but a few muffled emotions echoed from them.

“Something strange is going on.” It was Sinister.

“That’s been a lot of things today,” Dexter replied.

I tried the door and scowled as it refused to budge. I scanned the edges of the door frame and found a latch on the inside.

“No, I mean like, the basement. Every time I pass through, I can sense more and more ponies somewhere in there. No definite count, however. The empathy field’s too dense, and the ponies’ signatures aren’t strong. I think I sense something underneath me too. ”

I tentatively reached out with my magic, slowly pushing at the latch. It gave way and I jumped a little when it opened with a loud click.

“Mm… Strange. I’ve noticed a few guards and servants asking for guests to step aside one at a time. Something about their wine. Been relatively constant.”

I tried controlling my breathing, keeping my ears and senses on full alert, but I relaxed after a few moments of silence. Further probing, however, uncovered a few guards upstairs with me, with one just outside the door to the bedroom.

Sinister spoke again. “See if you can follow them. Check out where they go, cause if the enemy’s making their move on this scale, we need to bust our butts out of here.”

I pushed open the door, closing it quietly before moving silently towards the opposite corner.

I had to steel myself before rounding the edge of the bed, and my heart sunk at what I saw. It was what I had expected to see.

Pods. Two of them.

I made my way over, trying to take a look inside the first.

“Crystal, I’ve got pods. One of them’s got a stallion. Unicorn, white coat, blue mane. Likely a noble judging by his suit.” I turned to the other one. “Other one has a unicorn mare, white coat, very light mane.”

“It’s Fancy and Fleur.”

“Oh Celestia’s Sun. Are you sure?”

“As much as I can be without being there. I believe a servant called for their attention and pulled them away just after their speech.”

I breathed in deep before opening up my hivemind. “Dexter, Sinister. I’m upstairs in one of the bedrooms.”

“What?” Sinister replied. “Thought we told your scrawny butt to stay outside. Why in Tartarus are you on the second floor?”

“Because I’m the only one they can’t detect.” I snorted, but plowed on. “There’s two pods. Fancy and Fleur are both here.”

“By the sands,” Dexter groaned. “Great. We need to get out of here. The entire mansion has been confirmed to be enemy territory.”

“You got a plan for getting out then?” Sinister snapped. “There’s probably a whole legion of Royal Guards outside, and who knows how many of them are infiltrators if they can get both Fancy and Fleur and pod them in the house. The other servants are probably also changelings since they wouldn’t be able to keep them out of the master bedroom otherwise without noticing the damned things.”

“Roll with it, and stay cautious. Nymph, good job, but you need to get out. No more stupid risks.”

I frowned, looking inside the pods. Leave? Just get up and go?

I grit my teeth. I had two ponies right here. I had the owners of this mansion right here in front of me. Just the thought of leaving them to their fate sat poorly in my gut, but I couldn’t act recklessly. There was still a guard outside the door who would most certainly enter the room if he heard any suspicious sounds. I needed to take care of him first, but killing or knocking him simply unconscious would raise alarm, and then I would have much more than just one guard here.

The matter of getting the ponies out was another problem, but if Lily could sing the nobles into an emotional storm like at the bar, I could feasibly remove them without being detected by any infiltrators, but I still needed to get the guard out of the way.

I bit my lip. “Crystal, I need help. There’s a guard outside of the bedroom where the pods are kept. How do I get rid of him without alerting the rest of their infiltrators?”

“Are you…” She sighed. “of course you are. You would risk trying to break out two ponies in the middle of this many potential changelings. You are a fool.”

I frowned, staring harder into the pods, at Fancy’s unconscious face, and ground my teeth. I felt a familiar anger rise up in me, like bile.

“If you are committed to doing this, there is one possibility, though I am loathe to even try to suggest this.”

“What is it?”

“Your memory spell. The rangers could infiltrate other hiveminds by integrating other changelings’ magic into their own, but the spell you have will simply copy everything. Theoretically, it would turn you into them, and your victim would still have a ‘presence’ in the hivemind.”

I blinked. “The first time I used this spell turned me into a stupid magic-defective hybrid thing. How is this going to be any better? If it’s a memory spell that copies everything, wouldn’t I lose everything about myself?”

“Maybe, maybe not. It is all theoretical, though judging by your reaction to other magic, it may only be temporary until your magical field snaps back to its current state. The copying does not copy everything. It will leave your core intact, so you have no worries about turning into someone else entirely, so long as you make sure that your target is a changeling.”

I swallowed. “And you’re sure this will work?”

“No, but I have made a deeper study of the rigidity of your magic field and I would place good odds on it. As I said, you are a fool, but if you are determined to be a fool, I will offer some assistance. Unlike some assets, you are not replaceable, and I expect that above all, you will not get yourself killed.”

“I’ll try not to,” I said, before straightening up. It was going to be a huge risk, using the memory spell again, but it sounded like the only way to be able to help Fancy and Fleur. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew there had to be a better way.

But none that I could think of at the moment. Celestia protect me, Steel Blade was right. My hero complex was going to get me killed one day.

I just hoped it wouldn’t be today.

Chapter 20 — Tastes of Dark Chocolate

Nymph

Breathe in. Breathe out.

I readjusted my hooves, trying to find a comfortable position in the top corner between the wall and the ceiling. I may be a changeling, but trying to stand on walls still required a bit of finesse. I trained my eyes forward, staring down at the door beneath me.

I slowly opened the lid of a heavy storage chest at the end of the bed, holding it for just a moment before I let it shut with a loud wooden bang.

The guard outside the door shifted to a cautious curiosity, and the door under me opened carefully, light entering the dark room through the widening crack. He walked in—a unicorn, but nopony I could recognize—and stood at the entrance. His eyes scanned the room, but he looked everywhere except right above him.

He mumbled under his breath before he moved to the pods, leaning in and inspecting both the pods and the occupants, unsurprised by their presence.

Proof enough for me that he was a changeling. I smirked and charged my horn, weaving the spell matrix for my memory spell and aiming directly at his horn.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Release.

My spell arced across the room like a whip. I saw the green tether of my magic connecting the two of us briefly before my entire body shut down.

Just as it had happened with Overwatch, everything plunged into darkness, and the ambient sounds of the party cut off abruptly into total silence. This time, however, the fugue state I had entered the first time hadn’t made a return, and I was still lucid enough to think. My empathy sense also worked, and I could feel my suppressed aura changing subtly under the effects of the spell.

The world rushed back in, and the first thing I noticed was the throbbing pain in my face. I clutched my nose, curled up on the floor in the open doorway and trying to blink away the tears that came to my eyes.

I pushed myself up with aching and unfamiliar muscles, unsteadily propping myself up and closing the door carefully. The room went back to a moonlit darkness, and I plopped back against the nearby wall, my head throbbing. I wrinkled my nose, and I thought I could feel something dribbling across my upper lip. My shoulder was most definitely bruised as well.

“Report. How are the pods? What happened?” a male voice said over the hivemind, though this link felt different from the ones I usually used to communicate with my own hive and with Crystal.

I tapped into the new link and slowly unsuppressed my aura. “All clear,” I said, noticing my mental voice was much different, closer to that of a drone. “Just knocked something loose and it fell on me.”

“Alright then. Be careful.”

I stopped holding my breath. Sweet Celestia, I’m such an idiot. Of course it’d happen like with Overwatch. Why did I have to cast it from the very top of the room, why.

I wiped my bleeding nose with my foreleg, squinting around through teary eyes. The other changeling had fallen prone to the ground, slumped over the pods. I couldn’t feel him on my empathy sense, but he still wore his disguise, so he couldn’t have been dead.

I shook my head. The other changelings could take care of the body. I had other concerns. With a groan, I stood up onto wobbling legs. My feeling earlier was right. My body felt unfamiliar, as if it was just slightly larger than what I was used to. I located the dresser I had spotted earlier, the one with the mirror on top of it, and hobbled my way over.

It was… disorienting, to say the least. From within the mirror, a stallion looked back at me with strained eyes, his nose a wet mess, and his mane all over the place. I took a deep breath, watching as my reflection did the same thing, and tried to transform back into Overwatch.

It took more effort than I expected, and I realized that my magical reserves were much lower. My headache came back with a vengeance, but I managed to transform myself back into Overwatch. I flexed my weary muscles, as if slipping back into a favorite outfit, and let out a sigh of relief. My aura remained changed, but I could at least appear like I usually do.

I heard a new voice in my mind, this time female, and I froze in place. “Status report. How are we doing? Is that maid still causing us issues?”

A reply. “Yes, My Queen. We are keeping a close eye on her and are working around her, but her intervention is still slowing us down tremendously.”

“Why have we not podded her yet?”

“She is extremely cautious and suspicious of us. It is hard to get her into an advantageous position to take her out of the picture, and she continues to pester us about getting in the way of her job.”

“I will see what I can do then. In the meantime, prepare to start moving the pods down from upstairs. I do not like having ponies up there. Is it still just those three?”

“Yes, My Queen.”

“Good. At least this maid has not forced us to pod any more ponies up there. It is irritating enough to have to change locations on the fly because she happened to be right in front of the basement at the wrong time. You know your duties. Perform them.”

“Your will be done, My Queen.”

I waited a moment longer before I could get my breath back. Of course their queen had to be here. Here, of all places.

I swallowed. No matter. What was more important was that they were going to start moving pods down soon, so I have to move fast. There’s also the matter of the third pod upstairs to deal with.

I sunk into my empathy sense as I tapped into my own hive’s link. “Sinister, I overheard some of the other changelings talking about a disruptive maid. Is that you?”

“...Probably. Why?”

“Your nagging has apparently really slowed their operation down. Their queen is going to, ‘see what she can do,’ about you.”

“Oh horse apples. Right, I’ll make myself scarce.”

Dexter came onto the hivemind. “You too, Nymph. You’re clearly not getting to safety if you can overhear something like that.”

“I will, I will,” I replied. I noted the pods behind me on my empathy sense, but I also picked up another one, not far away.

I looked in that direction, finding a pair of doors on the far side of the room. The bathroom connected to the master bedroom then. I made my way over and threw open the door, and sure enough, there was a pod on the far side, just next to the bathtub.

Right. Three. I unhooked the latch keeping my axe in place and unsheathed the holstered weapon as I approached the pod. Within the shadows of this one was the outline of another unicorn, though this one was dressed as a butler.

I held my axe in front of me with my magic and took a deep breath as I raised it up and to the side. It came down sharply, embedding itself into the side of the pod with a meaty crunch. With a brief glance inside to make sure the axe head was nowhere close to the pony, I began to lever the axe to deepen its cut. Goo bubbled out of the thin crack as I continued to split open the shell. When the cut reached about halfway around the pod, I dug my magic into the sides of the opening and began wrenching it open. The liquids inside flowed out like honey, spilling over the sides of the pods and pooling into a thick mess on the floor.

Setting the axe to the side, I dug my hooves into the opening, opening the crack more until I could reach in and drag the stallion out. As soon as he broke into the open air, he began to convulse and choke. He heaved all over me, expelling the remainder of the goo that had remained in his lungs.

I flopped backwards, dropping the coughing pony onto the tile. He took deep breaths, though he still had to cough out some of the gel stuck in his throat.

He glanced up at me and steadily got to his hooves, a wet monocle dangling from his vest. “What in Equestria…” he started, his face reassuming a stony countenance. “Madam, what is going on here?”

I stood up carefully. The exertion of pulling out a larger stallion was making itself felt. “Pod. Stasis,” I said, picking up my axe and directing his attention at the split pod from which he came from. “Come on. There’re still two others.”

He looked at me suspiciously and raised an eyebrow, but despite his wariness, he followed me as I led him back to the master bedroom and to the pods which I assume contained his employers.

“Alright, help me get these two out,” I said as I took a quick look inside to find where the safe spots were before raising the axe again. There was another wet thud as I dug the axe head into the first pod and began carving out an opening, just as I had the first time. This time though, when I began pulling open the crack, the butler lent his assistance, opening the hole much more quickly than I could and extricating Fleur.

I left the butler to watch over the newly rescued mare as she began puking all over the floor and swung at the final pod. A few moments later, the butler lent his strength to hauling Fancy out into the open.

Fleur looked around the dark room blearily before examining herself and the goo that clung in her fur. “S-slime? Oh dear, I don’t remember slime being vogue,” she said.

The butler seemed nonplussed as he helped the master of the house void all of the pod fluid before asking calmly, “Sir, are you alright?”

Fancy blinked his eyes, wiping off his face with a foreleg. “Good heavens, is that you, Hot Tea?” he said, looking up into the face of his butler. “So it is. My word, what in Equestria is going on here?”

I cleared my throat and gagged when all three of them turned their attention to me. I gave them a tiny wave. “Um, hi?”

Fancy got to his hooves, still keeping his eyes on me. “Ahh, I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Miss…?”

I cleared my throat, more to give me a little time to put my thoughts together than to help me speak. “O-Overwatch,” I said quietly, before immediately kicking myself for giving my real name. “My umm… my apologies, sir, but…”

I trailed off as he looked behind him at the pod he had most recently occupied as well as the unconscious guard on the floor before turning back to me. I smelled suspicion and wariness, as expected.

I fidgeted with my hooves. “Please, sir, you three are still in danger. The guard has been compromised, and I believe your own servants have been replaced.”

He shook his head in wonder. “Replaced? Preposterous, they’re all the same workers I’ve had for months—”

“They’re imposters. They only look like your servants,” I said, before checking in on my empathy sense. No one was moving towards the bedroom yet, so I hoped we were still undiscovered. “Please, can we get out of here?”

The butler narrowed his eyes at me. “You are going to have to give me a little more than that before we can trust you. We don’t even recognize who you are, and you could be one of these hostile ‘imposters.’ Who’s to say that you didn’t attack the guard behind us for your own nefarious reasons.”

“If I weren’t trying to help you, you’d still be unconscious in those pods,” I shot back. “Please, just believe me.”

Fancy hummed. “Well, tis true that one of my servants was the one to lead Fleur and me to this room to ambush me. While I do admit you had no obligation to free us and I am ever thankful, the fact remains that we have little else to go on as to the content of your character, whether it be motivated by altruism or deception,” he said cautiously. “I am willing to believe the guard has been compromised, but you have not made a case for being very trustworthy yourself.”

I swallowed, shifting my weight back and forth nervously as I racked my mind for ways to possibly convince these ponies to listen to me.

“I… I um…” I gave them an awkward smile. “G-give me a couple minutes.”

Cadence

I giggled and took another sip of my wine as I watched Lily and Philomena fight over a soggy breadstick in a back-and-forth tug-of-war. Lotus had left us two alone a little while back, excusing herself so that she could check on her employees. Nopony else came to our table after she had departed, despite the presence of Celestia’s beloved pet.

Or, now that I thought about it, perhaps it was because of her presence that everypony stayed away, in addition to Lily’s table manners. Not that Lily hadn’t improved a bit from my instruction. I had gotten her to use utensils, at least. For the most part.

One thing I had learned from Lily’s play-fighting with Philomena was that the earth pony was much heavier than she looked. She accidentally leaned a little too hard on the table one time and made my side of the table jump a third of a meter into the air. It was extremely lucky that I caught everything on the table in my magic.

So it was no surprise when she sent Philomena flying when she suddenly straightened up, her ear flicking about as if she were listening to something I couldn’t hear.

Lily stood up as Philomena returned with half of a breadstick in her beak, landing on the table and throwing her head back to try and swallow it.

“Philo? Could you come with me real quick? Need a quick favor from you.” Lily turned to me as Philomena fluttered up to her head. “S’cuse for a moment, Amore. Just need to get outside real quick. Be back soon!”

I raised an eyebrow, standing up from the table as well. “Outside? What for?”

“Just remembered something, don’t worry!” she said and trotted off with Philomena in tow. I followed her as she rounded her way through the halls, making her way to the foyer of the house before stepping through the open front doors into the open evening air.

She put her foreleg out, and Philomena transferred to the offered perch. “So, Philomena, come’ere,” Lily said, leaning in close to the phoenix and whispering a few words I couldn’t quite make out.

I furrowed my brow when they separated, and Philomena flew off, making a wide turn around the mansion. “So, what did you need from her?” I said, turning to find Lily already bouncing back into the foyer.

“Oh, nothin’ much!” she said. “Just needed ‘er to check on a friend of mine.”

“Really?” I said. It seemed like such a strange thing to suddenly remember. “Does Philomena know where to go?”

She nodded. “Course she does! Ain’t too far away, I dun think.”

I pursed my lips. “Well, alright then.” Perhaps this was what Auntie meant when she said she wanted ponies to keep an eye on her? If there was anything suspicious about her, that would be it, but she also asked Philomena to do it. If she was trying to keep something secret, asking Celly’s pet wasn’t exactly a subtle way to do it.

Lily made her way back to the banquet hall, and I was mildly surprised to find somepony waiting for her. The butler recognized us immediately, and he quickly approached us and bowed. “Madam Lily, I presume?”

Lily nodded. “That’s me!”

“Excellent.” He gave her a polite nod of acknowledgment. “The master of the house would like to ask if you could perform with the orchestra.”

I squealed, clapping my hooves together. “Lily, Lily, this is great!” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. “I knew he wanted to hear you sing, but I didn’t expect it to be here in front of an audience!”

Lily seemed just as surprised, but she quickly warmed up to the prospect. “Cor, didn’ see that one comin’!”

“This way please,” the butler said as he gestured us towards the stage where the musicians had been playing all through the night. “A few questions though. Do you require any accommodations? The orchestra knows a wide variety of songs and can play whatev—”

“Smashing!” Lily exclaimed with a wide grin. “Tell ‘em to play whatever.”

The poor stallion looked dumbfounded at her, and I had to stifle a few snickers at his expression. “Are you certain, madam?”

“Yep! Just lemme listen to the first ten seconds and I’ll be good to go.”

He stared at her for another few seconds before he bowed again. “As you wish, madam,” he said and departed.

I gave Lily a side hug. “Good luck! I’ll be in the audience!” I said, prancing back to my table.

This was going to be.

So.

Amazing!

Nymph

I breathed out a sigh of relief as Philomena circled down to the balcony where I stood. I hadn’t ventured too close to the edge in case someone spotted me, so I was glad she spotted me in the crack between the balcony doors. She touched down, and I moved aside to let her strut into the bedroom.

Almost immediately, I could hear the murmurs of the other ponies, their auras changing to a mild surprise at the sight of the bird. Hopefully, I would be better able to convince them to listen to me, especially with how precarious the situation was. I had no idea how long the other changelings were going to take before they decided to check in on Fancy and Fleur, and the longer I made them wait around, the less they believed that they were in any sort of danger and the more likely they were just going to announce to the world they were out of their prisons.

“Philomena,” I said, schooling my breathing. “There are a lot of hostile ponies here, some of which knocked out Fancy Pants and Fleur and stuck them into these stasis pods.”

Philomena looked curiously at the goo-covered ponies behind me but eventually nodded at me.

“It’s done,” Dexter said. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but I’m leading Lily to the stage. Give it about five to ten minutes.”

I took a deep breath and turned to the ponies. “Okay, I hope this proves at least some of my trustworthiness.”

Fancy looked closely at me a while longer, and I was worried I was going to have a panic attack for a moment if he continued to disbelieve me before he finally spoke. “At least some. I admit, I have been putting some thought into it and quite frankly, if I could be subdued in my own house, I’d wager it’s a bit too dangerous to go out the normal way.”

“Oh sweet Celestia, thank you,” I murmured to myself, before addressing him more directly. “Are there any other exits?”

He rubbed at his chin with a thoughtful expression. “Well, we can’t go through the front gate, way too many guards around there. Hmm… there’s always the servant’s entrance.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Where’s that?”

“Well, the servants take a side entrance that leads into the cellar…”

I grimaced. “No can do. We’d have to get through everypony in the mansion first, and I think the cellar’s going to be fairly occupied.”

He mirrored my reaction, though I felt a little trepidation color his emotions before he made his next statement. “Well, there’s one other way we could go,” Fancy said, before motioning out the balcony. “There’s a little passage out of here, next to one of the statues in the back. I’ve had to take advantage of such a route often due to… media presence. I think we’ll both agree there won’t be any ponies in that direction.”

I took another deep breath, hoping to calm my nerves, and nodded. “Y-yeah. We’ll go with that,” I said, turning to Philomena. “Philo, I’m going to need your help getting them out. Lily’s going to be singing in a moment. Once she does, I need you to distract the guards around the mansion for me. Can you do that?”

She squawked at me and strutted back over to the balcony doors, which I held open for her.

“‘In a moment’?” Fancy said as I watched Philomena take off into the air.

I nodded. “It’s too dangerous otherwise. There’s an umm… a distraction I was hoping to take advantage of.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Resourceful, aren’t you?” he said, before moving over to a nearby drawer. “Sounds like we have a little time, at least. I hope you’ll excuse me if I write a short letter before we go.”

I watched as he withdrew a few items from the drawer: a piece of parchment, a quill and inkwell, and a small round stone, which I guessed had to have an enchantment of some sort if he was going to write a letter to someone. “Sure, just uhh… don’t take too long?” I said carefully. “We’re not going to have a lot of time once it starts.”

Fleur cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Speaking of which, how are we going to get to the gardens if we can’t take the stairs? We’re not pegasi.”

Fancy answered as he continued penning his letter. “We’re all unicorns, dear. I’m certain three unicorns can levitate one down from the balcony at a time.”

Fleur pondered this for a moment and nodded. “So it is. We shall await your signal, madam.”

I gave her a sharp salute, but I kept my eyes on Fancy. He was writing quickly, but through the darkness and his posture, I couldn’t actually see what he was writing about. It wasn’t a long letter, however, and he was done within seconds. He rolled the parchment up and held the small stone to it, channeling some of his magic into it.

My eyes widened as the stone let out a few sparks and set the parchment on fire, but instead of becoming a wad of burning paper, the letter dissolved in the flames, turning into a little puff of smoke and flying out the open balcony door.

I turned to Fancy, who stowed the stone in a jacket pocket. “So who did you send it t—”

“Lily is on stage,” Crystal messaged me.

I heaved a sigh. “Nevermind, we need to go,” I said as I tapped into my own hive’s link. “Get ready.”

Sinister harrumphed. “Well, let’s see how well this distraction of yours works.”

I shepherded the ponies over to the balcony and made a quick scan of the backyard. On my empathy sense, I could tell the guards were still making their rounds, though…

I looked up and found Philomena perched on the edge of the roof. She waved at me before flying off.

The sounds of the orchestra filtered in through the walls, faint and muffled, and I took a deep breath to brace myself. It was comically easy to tell when Lily began her song as the entire emotional spectrum seemed to white out, though unlike in the bar, Lily was instead drawing forth sadness and longing, a powerful bittersweet taste like the richest dark chocolate. Though I could sense the ponies right beside me just moments ago, now everything was so empathetically charged that I was essentially blind. My headache from earlier spiked up again, throwing my mind into a thick haze.

I heard the rival queen, her voice reverberating within my skull. “What in Tartarus is going on up there?”

Sinister’s voice came over on my own hive’s link. “That got them riled up real good. They’re actually leaving the cellar unwatched.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going in,” Dexter replied. “We need to get out of here.”

“Forget that, this is an opportunity and I’m going to take it. Come on, we can take the exit here after I take a look.”

A bright flare of light popped up from my right, and I heard the yelps of the Royal Guards. I slunk over to the edge of the balcony, looking over cautiously as guards sped around the mansion in pursuit of their antagonizer. The other changelings on their link sounded muffled, though I kept an ear out for anything that might indicate we had been spotted.

I turned around and motioned to the ponies, who followed me to the edge. “Fancy first, then Fleur, then Tea.”

Fleur, Tea, and I all focused our efforts on getting Fancy down to ground level. Though the help of two unicorns made the process much easier, my weak magic reserves still cried for rest, and what should have been a fairly easy process turned long and agonizing.

With the help of Fancy on the ground, we managed to get Fleur down safely. She seemed shaky on her legs once she landed, but she managed to steady herself enough to get Tea down.

I swung over the side of the balcony onto the wall and made my way down. I stumbled a bit when I fell the last meter or so, breathing in sharply as my muscles suddenly seized up. My body had an otherworldly feel to it, though the sensation was fleeting, and I managed to straighten up again. The other hivemind was still in chaos as they tried to coordinate with both Philomena and Lily distracting them, so I turned to Fancy and said, “Looks like we’re good. Lead the way.”

“Dexter, it’s clear. I’m headed in.”

“Gotcha, I’m at the basement entrance now.”

Fancy nodded and began making his way through the hedges. It was a bit comical how the nobles before me tried to sneak through their own backyard, both trying to keep their heads down and avoid as much dirt as possible, as if their outfits weren’t already ruined by pod goo.

“Oh. Oh no.”

“Sinister, what do you see?”

“Queen save me, there’s a bloody hole down here! They’ve dug a hole here! No wonder I’ve been sensing things beneath us! They’ve been pulling pods out of here the entire night!”

We were moving much slower than I would have alone, but I followed behind steadily. The statue was visible, and we had only a little more to go, enough time to ponder what I had been overhearing.

“Forget them then. We need to pull out ourselves while we still have a chance. Come on! The cellar exit’s clear.”

“Yeah,” Sinister replied, sounding a little dazed. “Yeah, let’s go. There’s nothing we can do here. They’ve made a huge operation and we’ve got nothing to show for it.”

We reached the statue, and Fancy moved to the back of it. With a little application of his magic, he opened a trap door in the back, disguised with an illusion spell as just another patch of stone.

I wiped off my brow as I opened up the link one last time as the ponies filed inside. “Crystal, we’re clear now. Are you going to be alright?”

“Worry about yourself, Nymph. Lily has been in more dangerous situations than this paltry showing.”

Right. I sent them one last prayer, took a deep breath, and descended into the darkness.

Cadence

I knew Fancy was prone to a few spur-of-the-moment decisions, and it was clear from the reactions of the other nobles that this had been one of them. When the ever-present music died down a bit and Lily took the stage, the crowd began to murmur, wondering who she was or remembering her manners.

The orchestra began with a long, slow song, and for a moment, I was concerned. The only type of song I had heard from Lily at this point was the upbeat, jazzy music ponies could dance to, and this was far from what I knew she could do.

My worries were unfounded. Really, I should’ve known better than to doubt her. She spent the first few bars of the song simply listening, and once the prelude concluded, she finally found her voice.

I could hear the impact of her sorrowful song on the audience. Though her exact words were lost to me, her voice told tales of loss and longing, of nostalgia and remembrance, and her tones seemed to strum the heartstrings of the crowd as well as any instrument. Ponies stifled sobs, some had to leave altogether, and the rest swayed with the music like waves in the ocean.

I hadn’t felt such heartbreak in a very long time. Not since Luna. It seemed the whole crowd had taken the moment to remember such things we had lost.

But it still had to end eventually. The final notes died off, and the wave of emotion ebbed away, though the effects of it still lingered. The entire crowd held its breath, the silence loud.

And then the banquet hall broke into thunderous applause. Lily was ecstatic, clapping her own hooves with the crowd and looking like a foal with a new lollipop. She hopped down the front of the stage, and I trotted over to meet her.

“That was amazing!” I said, embracing her. “I knew you could sing, but I didn’t expect that kind of performance from you!”

She grinned at me. “Pish posh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, luv! If the ‘eathens love that, wait til I really get going!” she said, giggling as she continued trotting past me. “Alright, let’s go then. Gettin’ a bit late.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, we’re going already? You know there’s gonna be so many ponies who’ll want to talk to you after that one.”

She nodded, though she seemed a little reserved. “Yep yep! Been a bit of a long night already.”

It didn’t require a psychologist to see something was wrong, and Lily wore her emotions openly. “Lily, is there something wrong? I hadn’t expected you to make such a quick exit after your debut,” I said as we left through the front doors of the mansion. “You can tell me the truth.”

She gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, luv. Maybe another time. Promised someone I’d keep it a secret.”

“I…” I paused, trotting in silence for a while. We had just passed the outside gates, moving past the few news crews still hanging around. “Okay then, but don’t be afraid to tell me when you’re ready, alright?”

“Sure thing!” Lily said, looping a foreleg over me and bringing me in for another embrace.

There was a flash of a camera at that exact moment, and I rolled my eyes. Of course.

We made our way back to our coach, which had been parked on the opposite side of the street. After rousing the driver and taking our seats, we were headed back home, just as Lily had wanted. The night was still enjoyable despite our early departure, and I found myself sitting around with a warm feeling in my gut.

We had just barely gotten moving, however, when I felt a little something from one of my pockets. I reached in with my magic and withdrew a small, round jewel, the runes across it glowing a light gold.

This was a bit of a surprise, to say the least. Most of the time, Auntie never used this to send messages to me, so it had to be pretty important if she were resorting to it now. I focused my magic on it, like inserting a key to the lock. The gemstone recognized my magic, and it released a wisp of smoke which coalesced into a small folded piece of parchment.

Lily watched in surprise as I opened it carefully. “Return to the castle immediately,” it read. “Are you with anypony at the moment?”

I used my horn to write a response under it: “I’m with Lilywater. We just left the party.”

With a little application of my magic to the enchanted gem, I sent the letter away.

Lily watched the smoke disappear into the walls of the carriage, her eyes wide in wonder. “‘Aven’t seen anythin’ like that before. What was that?”

“It’s a…” I pursed my lips, wondering how I was going to phrase this. It wasn’t a very common way to send messages, and Celestia had wanted to keep it a little under the radar since she only gave those stones to those she trusted. “Just a quick way to exchange letters. Nothing too fan—”

The gemstone lit up again, and I looked down at it in surprise. “—cy,” I finished lamely, before channeling a little more magic into it.

The note took shape in front of me again, this time with only two more words added: “Bring her.”

I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as I stared at the message. “It uhh… looks like we might have a small change of plans, Lily.”

Nymph

The corridor seemed endless. Glowing gems spotted the walls here and there, providing a little light with which to navigate, but it had the effect of making the entire length of the hall look the exact same.

We all walked in silence, giving me nothing to focus on besides the groaning of my body and the continual feeling of dizziness. It was like gravity decided to take the night out and get completely wasted, and I was just along for the ride. Somewhere in that darkness, I felt my aura snap back into the feeling it had before, probably the effects of the memory spell wearing off.

I might have gone a little crazy down here from monotony as well. I could have sworn I saw a puff of… something flying around, but it was most likely just a figment of my imagination. There weren’t even torches down here to make any smoke.

I went back to brooding on what had transpired. I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to keep using the memory spell if this was what was going to happen every time. It was still incredibly useful for accessing another hivemind and it might even be a way for me to temporarily disguise myself as anypony other than Overwatch, but the physical and mental drain made it at best a one-time use per day.

“S-so,” I began, my voice echoing slightly. “Once we’re out, where are you headed?”

“The castle,” Fancy answered immediately. “We’ll most certainly be safe there.”

“Aren’t there guards there as well?” I said. “I don’t know how many of them are trustworthy now.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that, dear,” he said, and I could feel the chipper little smile on his face even if I couldn’t see it. “We won’t be going in through the front. There’s a little side entrance I know of.”

The entire line stopped suddenly. “Ahh, and here we are!” he said. “Back above ground soon. Mind the steps.”

We emerged from another trapdoor into a small, unfurnished room with a single door, and after Fancy unlocked that, the group moved out onto the streets. I ground my hoof into the pavement, getting a feel for it. We were actually extremely close to Canterlot Castle now, not that Fancy’s mansion was particularly far from it to begin with, but I really had to wonder at how Fancy managed to get such an exit tunnel constructed. It might have been built long before his time, but what was the purpose of such a passageway?

I shook my head. “Alright, let’s get going,” I said, orienting myself to a mental map. From our exit, it was possible to get to the castle without ever going out onto the main street and risking exposure to potential hostiles, so I let my hooves lead the way, trotting down an adjacent alleyway.

It was getting still darker outside as the night continued. The stars were barely visible over the tops of the buildings around us, and the moonlight dimly reflected off of the white stone. My empathy sense told me the back alleys were clear, and with the shorter sight lines, I could relax my guard just a bit.

We were about halfway to the castle when it started raining, and I suppressed a groan. The pegasi must have decided to change the weather schedule while I hadn’t been paying attention, but there was nothing to do but move on. It quickly intensified, cold water seeping into my fur and my scarf, biting into me like icicles. I shivered as I trudged on. Even my vision was starting to become impeded by the hard rain, but I knew these back roads well enough to navigate without looking.

My ears perked up, flicking off some of the accumulated water as I listened through the roar of rainfall. A crack of thunder and a shout. A cry in the distance.

I burst out running as if in a trance, darting this way and that, making sharp turns messily as I wove my way closer to the call.

I had to get there. I had to go faster.

The voices split into two, a mare and a stallion.

I rounded the last corner, finding two shadows in the dark, obscured by the rain.

I heard one more voice. Mine. Echoing in my head, though not in my throat.

Get away from her.

Lightning struck.

I blinked away the blinding light, and when my vision came back to me, I was looking down an empty alleyway. My heart was racing, and I could hear the blood pulsing wildly in my ears. A cold sweat drenched my fur, and I was panting hard. My eyes darted back and forth, trying to make sense of the scene in front of me, but there was nothing strange. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“Madam, are you alright?”

I turned to the voice to find the three ponies galloping to meet me, winded from the extra exertion, and it was then that I realized that there wasn’t a single sign of the pouring rain just now. The alleyways were completely dry.

I stared blankly back at Fancy, who looked back at me with concern. “Overwatch, dear, I hadn’t expected you to go running off like that,” he said between breaths. “Did you notice something?”

I tried to swallow, though I had long since run out of spit to do so. “I’m… I’m sorry, I’m not sure what came over me,” I said, my voice a little raspy. I cleared my throat. “I’ll be fine. We need to get you to the castle, and then I’ll have to go back. There are more nobles that may have been taken away from your home, and I need to find out where.”

Fleur gasped. “Most certainly not! Especially in your condition, madam. No offense, my dear, but you can barely stand!”

“It’s fine,” I said automatically. “The castle isn’t too far. Don’t worry about me. I’ll get through it, like I always do.”

Like I’ve always done.

I rubbed my forehead, ignoring the looks between the ponies following me. We were close to the castle. Just a little bit more. I thought I could hear the ponies’ voices behind me as we rounded a few more corners, whispering amongst themselves, but I paid them no mind.

Once we finally reached the castle walls, Fancy spoke up. “I’ll take it from here, madam,” he said, trotting ahead. He turned to the right, farther away from the front gates, and I followed behind him.

I was still shivering involuntarily, though I kept up well enough. Fancy had stopped at some point, and he applied his magic to some of the stone, which seemed to slide away and grant us passage. Just beyond, I could see the lawn inside the castle walls as well as the back of the embassy building.

I followed Fancy through, though his eyes were scanning the skies. I looked with him, wondering what he could possibly be searching for when I finally felt something on my empathy sense.

My heart dropped as Princess Celestia fluttered down to meet us. Already, her intense aura was suffocating, and I had neither the strength nor the energy to hold it back. I stood frozen to the spot as I stared through bleary eyes at her.

She touched down gracefully and looked down at me, her face expressionless. “So we meet again, Overwatch. We have much to talk about.”

I strained my body to stay upright. To keep going on. To suffer the abuses and do as I wanted. I begged. I pleaded.

Like I’ve always done.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I collapsed onto the grass unconscious.

Chapter 21 — Tastes of Hugs

—

I pulled the door open.

The inside of the guardhouse wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to me, though this one in my neighborhood had a slightly different layout. There were some signs of remodeling here and there with some of the walls looking half-painted and some sort of stand in the middle as a centerpiece. Most of the guards were out and about on the streets already, leaving only a few here milling about on their breaks. It was much quieter than I expected for being in the middle of the day, giving the whole place an air of… incompleteness.

A couple of guards noticed me as I entered, swiveling about at the front desk to face me. “‘Ello there, young lady!” one of them called to me. “Did you need any help?”

I took a deep breath, puffing out my chest just a little. “I want to join,” I said, staring straight at him.

He raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with the guard beside him. There was a pause, a moment of silence, before the two of them began laughing.

I pouted. It wasn’t a malicious laugh, but it was the kind of laughter adults liked to use when they think somepony’s silly or doesn't understand what they want, as if they were in on some joke that I wasn’t in on.

The guard leaned forward on the desk. “You seem a bit young to join the guard, missy,” he said, still with a faint grin on his face. “Give it a few years before you commit. Do your parents know you’re here?”

“He does,” I said simply, holding my ground. “I want to join the guard.”

His brow furrowed just a little, and his partner was looking at me much more closely. “You sure ‘bout that decision there? The guard ain’t all glamorous, y’know. It’s a dangerous job, and we gotta get rough sometimes.”

“Oh shoot,” his partner spoke up, sitting up in his seat. “I think I know her. She’s the filly from the papers. Her cutie mark matches up and everything.”

The first guard raised an eyebrow at that. “Who now?”

“You haven’t heard? Here, lemme find the article,” his partner replied, looking around behind the desk. “It was an incident near the castle. Two dead. The guards up there had one heck of a day trying to sort it all out.”

The guard’s eyes widened a little as he continued looking at me. “Wait, you’re right. I do know her.” He turned to his partner, leaning in and whispering. “That’s the daughter, isn’t it.”

The other guard nodded, whispering back as if I couldn’t hear what they were saying. “Pretty sure she knows plenty about how to ‘get rough.’ We’re not going to change her mind.”

The first guard heaved a great sigh. “Oh Celestia, I’m out of my depth here.”

“Send it up,” his friend replied.

He nodded. “Looks like I’ll have to.” The guard looked at me again. “Head over to the castle tomorrow when you get a chance.”

I furrowed my brow. “Why can’t I join now?”

The guard took a deep breath. “You’re… not quite a traditional applicant. We need to talk with a few of the higher-ups to see what they might want to do with you.” He hummed in contemplation. “Tell you what. Come here tomorrow and I’ll take you to the castle. That alright?”

“That’s alright with me then.” I bowed my head, receiving a smaller one in reply. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I turned to leave, but I could still hear a bit of their conversation as I trotted towards the exit.

“Sweet Celestia, this is irresponsible.” It was the first guard.

“Did you even see that look in her eyes? It’d be more irresponsible to leave that ticking time bomb alone.”

I scoffed. Just more adults who think I need to be coddled. I’m strong. I always have been, I always will be, and I will show all of them who I am.

I left the building.

Celestia

I stepped back into my chambers, the sun slowly rising into the sky at my back.

The previous night had been quite interesting. With Corporal Overwatch’s hospitalization in a secured room in the castle and Lily kept within Cadence’s chambers, I made my way to Fancy’s estate. It had been much later in the night than I had anticipated, and the party had ended long before I arrived, which was fine by me. I only wanted to take a look for myself at the pods Fancy Pants mentioned.

I made it into the master bedroom through the unlocked balcony doors, and while I could not find the pods he mentioned, it was easy to see the signs of where they had been. The wood flooring still had some sticky residue, which was much more evident the further I looked under the surrounding furniture. Some of the hoofsteps had not been cleaned up, but the most concrete pieces of evidence, namely the pods themselves, had been removed.

I opened the door to my bedroom and strode down the halls of the castle, making my way to the guest quarters. While highly unorthodox, I had requested that guards not be present around the rooms housing the participants of last night’s excitement. While Fancy himself did not seem to entirely believe the guard had been compromised, I was not going to take any risk in safeguarding my witnesses. Even the doctors who came in to check on the corporal were carefully monitored by Fancy and confined to the castle wing until I cleared everything.

Was it a flight of paranoia? Perhaps. Somepony once told me that paranoia meant ignorance, and at this moment, I had to admit I did not know all of the details. I knew who I could trust and who were still unknowns, but the Royal Guard had unfortunately fallen into that latter category.

At the moment, Cadence and Fancy were the only ponies I could trust in this investigation. The enchantments on the messaging stones they had used to communicate with me were designed to recognize their specific magic before being operational, so I was certain they were who they claimed to be.

I needed to trust them. If I could not trust my inner circle, I could not trust anything.

I rapped on the door to the guest chambers, and it was not long before I was greeted with the much tidied up countenance of Fancy Pants, who wore a simple button-up shirt and his trademark monocle. I breathed a small sigh of relief when he strode through my barrier on his room as if it wasn’t there, thus confirming his identity.

“Fancy,” I said warmly. “It is good to see you well, especially after what happened last night.”

He chuckled, laughing it off as if it were only a bad dream. Perhaps that’s how it truly felt to him. “Of course, Princess. Your hospitality played a great hoof in getting me back up to par!”

“That’s great to hear.” I motioned for him to follow me and began making my way to Cadence’s room, where she and her plus-one stayed. “What’s the status on our guardsmare?”

He sighed. “The poor dear was still sleeping last I checked, and from the reports I received this morning, she was still comatose despite efforts to rouse her. Absolutely exhausted,” he said, shaking his head. “I had the doctors checking up on her last night, and they discovered something quite extraordinary.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Truly?”

He nodded. “Indeed. When they drew blood for testing, her blood was a bluish-green color. Apparently, she had this symptom ever since her operation in the Everfree. The doctors at Ponyville had attributed it to something picked up from that forest, but now, with all of my recent experiences of being pulled from a pod and all this talk about imposters, I’m not too sure anymore.”

Fancy pulled out a small notebook from his breast pocket, flipping to a page in the middle. “We had some of the unicorn doctors attempt to dispel any lingering magic off of her, but none of their spells seemed to stick to her. One of them likened it to oil against water. Nothing they cast could get a firm grip on her. Tis a remarkable quality, but one most definitely not common among ponies, especially at that strength.”

He gave me a sidelong look. “I hope you see where I am going with this, Your Majesty.”

I nodded gravely. “So you are suggesting that she is not who she appears to be?”

“I am claiming that she may not even be a pony, and that there may be much more to her trip to the Everfree than we had originally believed there to be,” he said, grimacing. “Other than the color of her blood and her inexplicable resistance to magic, the doctors have found no other unusual qualities as of yet. She seems stable, at least.”

I hummed in thought as we approached Cadence’s quarters. Fancy’s findings were, of course, very interesting, yet the matter remained that the corporal had helped him out of his situation to the extent of collapsing to the ground afterwards. Just more questions to ask.

Cadence slowly edged out of her room, still in her unicorn noble disguise, and she looked up at me with a bit of surprise. “Oh, Auntie!” she said at a loud whisper. She carefully closed the door behind her with a soft click before continuing. “Keep it down a bit. I think she’s still sleeping.”

I nodded. “Of course,” I said, bringing my voice down to her level. “How is she doing now?”

She shrugged. “She’s cooperating, for the most part. A bit surprised she’s at the castle, but nothing much beyond that.”

My brow furrowed. “You haven’t noticed anything strange about her?”

Cadence shook her head. “Not here, at least. At the party, she left the table twice suddenly without very good reason, but I don’t recall her doing anything especially strange.”

“Ahh, I see,” I said. “So nothing about any teeth or fins?”

She opened her mouth, but only stood there looking confusedly at me. “I… excuse me?”

I smirked at her. “She’s a merpony.”

Her mouth formed into a perfect circle. “Oh,” she said, still staring at me. “So her singing…”

“Yes, I believe she likely knows a fair bit of their musical arts,” I replied, still maintaining my knowing smirk.

“Huh.” She raised a hoof to her chin in thought before her eyes lit up in sudden realization. “Wait, so my Karaoke Nights—” She placed her head in her hooves and groaned. “Noooo, my Karaoke Nights! They were so good!”

I rolled my eyes. “Need I remind you about the last time that magic was abused in Equestria?” I said, still trying to keep the volume of the conversation down. “It was good that Starswirl managed to banish the Sirens or we would have a much different Equestria.”

She looked up at me, her brow furrowed. “That was such a long time ago, and she’s never done anything like that. The last three times I’ve heard her sing, there were always strong emotions, but never anger or aggression.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that,” I said with a nod. “I believe that Lily’s heart is in the right place, but I also believe that she is highly impressionable and naive. After coming up from her home, I doubt she has had any prior experience to Equestria’s culture, and she could be easily misguided by the right pony.”

I sighed. “Of course, this goes right back to whoever’s helping her maintain her form as an earth pony, this ‘Crystal.’ Whoever she is, I find it hard to believe that Lily and Overwatch could have worked in tandem without a third party helping them, especially with Philomena.” I pursed my lips for a moment. “You were with her the entire time at the party?”

She nodded quickly. “Of course. She’s never left my sight for the entire evening until I returned here.”

I brought a hoof to my chin. “Perhaps her transformation was not maintained by a pony, but by an enchanted item? She’s still an earth pony now, correct?”

Cadence frowned. “Maybe? She locked herself in the bathroom when we were getting ready to go to sleep. I offered my bed, but she said she could find another place to sleep.” She jumped a little at the end, holding her hooves up. “B-but I don’t think she was trying to escape. She hasn’t broken the barrier, so I think she’s still in there.”

“Well, we’ll see soon enough,” I said, taking a deep breath before opening the door to Cadence’s room. I was relieved to see the small glimmer of my barrier, like a thin golden sheen of a soap bubble. “Come. Let’s go meet her.”

I was met with the pervasive pink of Cadence’s room as I sauntered in, making a beeline for her bathroom. I cleared my throat, though Cadence took the lead and rapped her hoof on the door. “Lily, dear,” she called. “We have visitors.”

“Oh, just a moment, mum!” Lily replied.

My ears stood at attention. I heard a muffled splashing from behind the door, followed shortly by a series of quick hoofsteps and a squawk.

The door swung open to reveal Miss Lilywater, soaked completely from head to hoof and wearing a wide grin. “‘Ello there, Lightbringer! Thought I ‘eard your voice!” she said as Philomena flew through the opening to land on my back.

I gave the naughty bird a quick glance before turning back to the mer out of water. “It’s good to see you too, Lily.”

She smiled sheepishly at me. “Sorry I wasn’t there to greet you, but Philo here was just showin’ me a buncha magazines with my face on ‘em!” Lily said. Her face changed into more of a pout. “Real inconvenient that I cahn’t read none o’ them underwater though.”

Cadence’s mouth hung open. “Maga… zines?”

I tilted my head to look inside at the bathtub, which was filled with water. A small stack of magazines sat on the edge of the tub with one opened and floating on top of the water. I took them in my magic, shaking off the soaked one a little, before bringing them over and spreading them out before me.

I skimmed over the titles, though the trend was painfully clear. “‘New Hot Singer,’” I read aloud. “‘Breakout Celebrity Star’, ‘Who Is She?’” I squinted at a small subtitle, just above a picture of Lily and Cadence embracing. “‘Lady Amore’s Secret Marefriend?’”

Cadence buried her head in her hooves and groaned.

With a small chuckle, I levitated the magazines back into a stack onto the nearby table and turned back to Lily. “It was very kind of her to bring these magazines that I am quite sure she has paid for…” I looked back to find Philomena grooming her feathers and pointedly looking away from me, “since this is exactly what I wanted to talk about.”

Lily blinked. “What, my relationship with Amore?”

Cadence groaned again, louder this time, and shook her head slowly.

I cleared my throat. “Not quite, though I won’t be adverse to discussing that topic later over tea,” I said, suppressing further laughter when Cadence took her head out of her hooves and glared at me. “I wanted to talk about the party itself. I heard your roommate, Overwatch, was there at the party. Did you know anything about that?”

Lily hummed, bringing a hoof to her chin as she continued to drip onto the bathroom tile. “Well, Miss Lightbringer, I knew she’d be keepin’ an eye on me while I was there, what with me bein’ new to the surface world and all.”

I nodded. “Fair enough, but she was a lot closer than you might have expected, and she was certainly not just there to keep an eye on you.”

She seemed unperturbed by this statement. “Mhm! She said somethin’ ‘bout that.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Did you know you were going to sing?”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, that? Nah, I didn’t know I was supposed to be singin’ until the fancy pony told me ‘bout it.”

“Oh, really?” I said. “Quite unusual then that Overwatch said she was waiting for you to sing before she decided to leave. She was planning on using it as a distraction, in fact, so I find it very interesting that she could coordinate with you so well without either of you two meeting that day.”

I narrowed my eyes ever so slightly at her. “You told me you were a merpony, but you’ve held your disguise all last night. Was Crystal helping you out then?”

Lily’s ear flicked about, and she let out a hum as she mulled over the yes-or-no question.

Gotcha. “Is she speaking to you now?” I said, fixing her with a stare.

“W-well, it’s uhh…” she said, fidgeting with her hooves. “So about that, luv—”

She stopped again, her ear flicking about again. “She wants to know how Overwatch is doing.”

Fancy Pants cleared his throat. “Last I heard from the doctors, madam, she was still unconscious.”

Lily pursed her lips. “Innat case, can we ‘ead to ‘er room first then? Crystal’s concerned, even though she won’t admit t’ it. Says she’s got a way to wake ‘er up though!”

I nodded. “Of course. I wanted to speak with Overwatch afterwards anyways if you can wake her.”

“But first,” Cadence said, grabbing several towels in her magic and brandishing them menacingly, “you’re going to dry off and stop dripping all over my floor.”

Lily’s mouth turned up in a mischievous grin.

The trip to Overwatch’s room was, for the most part, quiet. Lily was not as talkative as she usually was when I tried to cajole her into revealing more information, but I was willing to wait until we arrived at our destination. For the most part, she conversed with Cadence, conspiring with each other in whispers and shooting occasional glances back at me. A bit juvenile for a long lived alicorn like Cadence, but I was nevertheless pleased that she could enjoy herself like this.

One unusual tidbit was that Lily had also taken her dress from yesterday with her, which only strengthened my theory that she had something to help maintain her transformation. Perhaps it was also some sort of communication device?

We arrived at our destination too quickly to think much on the topic. The room itself was sparsely furnished and completely unoccupied save for Overwatch. There was a red and gold scarf that I had seen her wear often folded neatly on a bedside table, but beyond that, there was not much else there. Perhaps the doctors were concerned that Overwatch would try something while she wasn’t being watched should they leave much more with her.

We approached her quietly. Though I knew she was sleeping, it was almost unnerving how still she was. Not even the bedsheets had been disturbed since the last time I came in almost twelve hours ago, judging by how smooth they were.

“So,” I began, facing Lily, “you said Crystal had a way to help her?”

“Yep!” she replied, raising a hoof. “The first step is for you—” She pointed at Cadence, who was taken back at the sudden motion, “—to stand right next to the bed.”

Cadence looked blankly back for a moment, but she walked slowly and uncertainly to the other side of the bed.

“The next step,” Lily chirped as she also approached the bed, flinging her dress onto the backboard, “is for you to hug her.”

I failed to contain a snort when Cadence stared back in utter confusion. “Hug… her?”

Lily’s ear twitched again, and she nodded sagely. “Crystal says, ‘never underestimate the healing power of hugs.’”

Cadence’s mouth hung open for a moment before she remembered herself and scooted closer to the bed. Slowly, very slowly, she leaned over and lifted Overwatch off of the mattress, just enough to get her hooves around the back to hug her.

A few seconds passed. The disguised alicorn shifted uncomfortably. “Is… is this enough?”

Lily hummed, putting a hoof to her chin. “Maybe a little more.” She leaned in and joined in on the group hug, visibly shifting the entire group over to her side of the bed. “There we go!”

Cadence wriggled around a bit, clearly uncomfortable to the idea of snuggling an unconscious pony. “Are you quite sure this will work?”

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Amore, dear, is there something you’re not telling me about your love life?”

Whatever Cadence was about to say in reply was interrupted, to my mild surprise, by a groan from the pony under her. Overwatch’s eyes opened blearily, and she tried to bury her head into Cadence’s long, luxurious mane.

She looked right into Lily’s smiling face, and I could see her tired brain attempting to work out what exactly she was looking at until her eyes finally opened in surprise. She stiffened, and her eyes looked down to find two pairs of forelegs around her. Overwatch turned to stare straight into Cadence’s embarrassed face, and when she finally noticed me, she froze in sheer shock.

The room held still for long second before Overwatch smiled that shy, awkward smile and said, “Umm… hi?”

Cadence abandoned her embrace quickly and popped back to her side of the bed, bringing a hoof to her mouth and clearing her throat. “Well, that’s that. She’s awake.”

Lily only tightened her hug, and Overwatch squirmed even more uncomfortably in the stranglehold. “She’s awake!”

“Indeed she is,” I said, half wondering whether it was truly necessary to go through that entire ritual just to wake one pony. “Though you might want to let go so you don’t put her to sleep again.”

“Oh. Righto then!” Lily dropped the poor unicorn back onto the bed and snapped back to a standing position, looking at me like an eager foal, ready to please.

With a groan, Overwatch leaned forward and rolled her shoulder. Now that the sheets had fallen down a bit, I could see where she had been wounded during that ill-fated excursion into the Everfree. Though fur had already grown back over the area, I could still make out the three long lines left by the manticore’s claws, laid bare without her scarf hiding them away. Though I have seen many of my ponies injured, it did not make seeing such scars much easier, especially on a pony so young.

If she was indeed one of my ponies. Fancy’s theory came back with a vengeance, looming in the air precariously.

Overwatch cleared her throat. “S-so umm… Princess,” she said, pawing at her blankets as if she was a split second away from flinging them over herself and hiding under them. “You wanted to speak to me?”

“I did, Corporal.” I moved closer to the bed and sat down in the hope that I could dispel some of her trepidation if I lowered myself a little. “Tell me about your involvement in the party yesterday. Why were you there?”

“Well I uhh… You see…” She took a deep breath, as if to reorient herself. “Do you remember the imposter back at the guardhouse? I did some investigating on my own and I learned that it was more than just one pony that could do that. After I learned that they replaced ponies, I was… a bit concerned that they would hit the big party, where all the nobles would be.”

“I see,” I said simply. “And Crystal? How does she factor into this?”

Overwatch paused, pursing her lips. “She’s been helping my investigation. She’s had multiple run-ins with the other group and knows their tactics.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And you trust her?”

“I do,” she said resolutely. “She has more than proven both her trustworthiness and her expertise.”

I nodded. There were still many unknowns, but if Crystal could be trusted to help, it would be one less thing to worry about. Of course, I had to be careful this is not part of some bigger ploy, especially since she has thus far refused to meet me personally. “And she helped you coordinate with Lily at the party? How?”

Overwatch fidgeted with her hooves. “It’s a sort of… telepathy spell?”

My brow creased together slightly. “Telepathy isn’t a very common spell. Did she cast it on you directly?”

She paused for a moment. “It’s a different kind of telepathy spell. I haven’t exactly met her face-to-face yet.”

Face-to-face? Interesting that she would put a little more emphasis onto those words in particular. “So what’s your next step?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, looking down into her blankets.

“Interesting that you say that,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her. “I recall hearing that the other nobles were being foalnapped and that you were going back to get them.”

She frowned, though she still kept her eyes down. “I… know there was a hole in the basement, maybe somewhere around the wine cellar. I think they were being taken out through it,” she said, half murmuring to herself.

“So if I send the Royal Guard down there, they will surely be better able to rescue these nobles than just one pony?” I said, keeping my eyes trained on her.

She stiffened for a moment before raising her head to look back at me. “Princess, surely you’ve heard that the guard might have been compromised by these criminals? You can’t trust any of them with this operation, and even if you could, they would be immediately detected and ambushed.”

“So what about if I go? Just one pony?” I continued undeterred.

She grimaced. “That would be even less effective, though they’re more likely to hide than ambush you.”

I straightened up, elevating myself so that I was looking down at her. “So what makes you think that you can do better than both the Royal Guard and myself? You were planning on going into this hole yourself, remember, so why should I trust you with the safety of my ponies?”

“I…” She rubbed at her scar absentmindedly, staring with unfocused eyes at nothing in particular. “I know how to avoid their detection.”

“And you can’t teach others how to do the same thing you can?” I said evenly.

She remained silent, fidgeting with her hooves. I waited for some sort of response for several seconds, but it became clear she wouldn’t be too forthcoming with the answer without some prompting.

“I see,” I began, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Would this, by any chance, have less to do with who you are and more to do with what you are?”

She stiffened, hugging her blanket closer to her as she met my eyes. “W-what do you mean, Princess?”

I leaned in closer, schooling my expression into a stony seriousness. “I was curious if your… advantage in combating this foe had anything to do with your unusual attributes. None of my ponies have ever had blood that wasn’t red, nor are they resistant to magic, nor can they heal from fatal wounds within a weekend’s worth of time,” I said, enunciating my words slowly and carefully. “Alone, all of these things could be simple coincidences—the Everfree has never been fully understood, after all—but three coincidences adds up to something far more. There’s a common thread, and with all of this talk of imposters, I cannot even be sure that you are the pony you appear to be.”

I took a deep breath, letting my words sink in. “So I ask you again, Corporal. Does your ability to avoid detection have anything to do with what you are?”

She looked down in thought. “Y-yes, Princess.”

“I see,” I said, even as her single answer prompted many more questions. “What are you then?”

“I cannot answer that, Princess,” she said, without hesitation. “Please don’t make me answer that.”

I frowned. This was the first question thus far that she had refused to answer. “So how can I trust you if I don’t even know who or what you are?”

“You can’t,” she admitted readily, “but you also can’t trust the guard, nor any of the nobles.”

“What proof is there that either of those groups are untrustworthy?” I said. “I know about the pods, but now that I think about it, everything we have heard about these imposters has come from either you or Lily, so I will need something more. Like with you, will we be able to tell they are different simply by looking at the color of their blood?”

She shook her head. “I do not believe so, Princess. I am… not the ideal example.”

I let out a deep sigh. So much for that solution. “Tell me one thing then. Overwatch was a pony. Her medical exams before her mission to the Everfree have shown us this. If you have replaced her, where is she now? Is she also in a pod somewhere?”

“No. She’s not,” she said, her hoof returning to her scar. “She… died saving me from the manticore. Her wounds were too severe, and the only choice I had to save myself was to take her place. I’m…”

Overwatch choked up, and she took a moment to find her voice again. “I’m sorry, Princess.”

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, holding it for a good second before releasing it slowly. I originally believed that mission was a near disaster, but it seemed to be far worse than I had anticipated. I opened my eyes. “So who are you?”

“Overwatch.” Her answer was immediate.

I gave her a curt nod. “I suppose we will have to see just how true that is then,” I said, standing back up. “However, at the moment, I will need to keep you contained in this room until we can ascertain your trustworthiness.”

I nodded to Cadence and Fancy, who had been standing by quietly in the background during my questioning. “I will have to speak with you later after other matters. Until then, Miss Overwatch,” I said, and turned to leave.

“Wait,” she said, swallowing. “You said you didn’t have proof that the guard and nobility have been compromised, correct?”

I faced her again. “I did.”

“I can find it. There was a tunnel going into Fancy’s cellar. It has to lead somewhere,” she said, shifting around restlessly. “I can follow it. Please, you have to let me go. If there are any podded ponies in there, I have to find them, and you’ll have your proof.”

I held her gaze. I had anticipated something like this would happen, especially considering how Fancy described her yesterday, proclaiming that she still needed to head back despite being two steps away from unconsciousness. If she was telling the truth, she would be the only possible candidate to head down that hole. Perhaps that’s what she wanted me to believe, presenting herself as the only solution so that I would be forced to acquiesce.

Fancy had already been podded, however. In his own home. If there were potentially others taken, I was willing to take the risk to rescue whatever ponies I could, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t reduce that risk a little. “You may go then, under a few conditions.”

My horn glowed a light gold before I summoned three objects to me.

I held the first one out to her, a round, flattened colorless gemstone, and channeled a little of my magic into it, causing the golden enchantment on it to begin glowing. “You may have seen one of these before. I wish for you to channel your magic on this—a simple levitation spell would work—so that when you return, I will be able to verify your identity with it.”

She nodded, and both her horn and the gemstone began glowing a soft green. My enchantment took effect, and the stone flared a bright, blinding yellow before the light slowly faded away.

I held up the gemstone, which had turned into an unusual amalgam of deep golden amber and brilliant blueish-green, intertwined and interwoven. It was certainly one of the more unusual products of my spell.

With a flash of my magic, I sent it back to my chambers before presenting the second object to her, a metallic-silver horn ring. “This is a tracking and surveillance device, so that I will be able to see what you do and locate you. You must wear this if I let you go.”

“Done. I’ll do it,” she said with determination, a far cry from her nervousness earlier.

“Lean forward,” I said, and I carefully set the device into place. It was small and unobtrusive, hiding well among her mane. I let her go, allowing her to settle back into the bed.

I pulled out the third object, a decently sized sapphire. “That ring will also allow us to communicate. Just whisper if you need to talk to me, and I’ll hear it through this gem. I’ll be able to speak directly into your ear.”

She bowed to me. “I will do what I can, Princess,” she said, before her brow furrowed. “Princess, may I see that gem? Crystal says she can use it to communicate with you directly.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Well, I see no reason not to, so long as the other enchantment is not disrupted,” I said, transferring the gemstone over to Overwatch. She took it in her magic, holding it in front of her and concentrating.

My eyes caught a flicker of red in her magic before she held the gem out to return to me.

I took it, looking curiously at it. “That was much quicker than I anticipated.”

“She did only what was necessary,” the sapphire in my grasp said. “Hello, Celestia. It is good to finally speak with you directly.”

The voice had a buzzing quality to it, and it sounded as if it was two-toned. I couldn’t tell how much of it was her real voice and how much could be attributed to distortion, but at least I had contact with this elusive “Crystal.”

I chuckled. “Indeed, I look forward to your correspondence,” I said, before putting on a more curious face. “A quick question, Crystal. Miss Overwatch has been rather… overworked recently. You seem to know more about her health than I do. Would she not need more rest before she goes?”

“A little, yes, though it would be wise to keep an eye on her. She is foolish and impulsive, but well-meaning, as foals often are.”

Overwatch slumped back into her pillow and groaned.

“Regardless, the best way to help her recover her strength is lots of hugs and affection,” Crystal said. “Especially from Miss Amore over there.”

Cadence stared at the sapphire, dumbstruck. “Wha?”

Overwatch pulled the bedsheets over her head, moaning, “Noooooooooo…”

I let a smile spread across my lips. “We really need to talk about your personal relationships, young ladies.”

Chapter 22 — Tastes Like Mine

Myiasis

I breathed out slowly as I felt the warm water from the shower head run through my mane.

I brought my hoof up to my forehead and groaned, hoping to rub away the throbbing. The party was supposed to have gone much better than it actually did. We managed to hit a lot of the nobles despite the setbacks, so the operation was not a failure in that sense, but losing Fancy was a huge mistake.

My mind kept wandering back to it. The emotional surge. It had to have happened during the surge when that damnable pony started singing. She was not meant to perform. There was nothing on the party’s itinerary that called for her, and yet she was up there as if she was supposed to be up there. The drone I had guarding the pods was knocked out without anyling else knowing, and the drones patrolling outside were waylaid by a phoenix soon after the surge began. The pods themselves had been split open by somepony else, but who in Equestria could have slipped past to open them? It was too much of a coincidence. It had to have all been planned out.

But who? Celestia? It was her phoenix who harassed my guards, after all. In fact, because her phoenix was involved, there was a huge possibility that she was aware of the whole debacle, and without knowing Fancy’s location, it was impossible to be certain. I almost hoped it was Celestia, because the other possibility was Chrysalis.

A chill ran down my spine, despite the warm water running over me.

My hive managed to catch some of her changelings, especially over the last couple weeks. We disposed of them quickly, but it was impossible to catch all of them in such a huge city like Canterlot. The strength of her hive now was unfathomable, and her arrival in Canterlot was only a matter of time. The only reason she has not arrived in force to wipe my hive out was likely the same statute that kept changelings safe from the other races, namely the necessity of discretion and secrecy in all operations.

But Chrysalis was cunning. After years of getting her hive beaten down and diminished, she completely steamrolled Queen Psyllid in but a single day. While I was initially thankful that she had done so since I myself had been facing significant pressure from the outsider queen, it only put Chrysalis in a far more threatening position when she absorbed the hive she had conquered.

There was no telling what the conditions were for her to come do the same to my hive, but she was probing, and I had to keep her out as long as possible. There was always the sense of teetering on the brink, the edge of a long cliff to nowhere. Mistakes were costly.

I punched the wall of my shower with a low growl. I had a lot of work to do, both to cover the potential fallout of Fancy’s abduction from under my nose and to solidify my hoofhold in Canterlot and prepare for the worst. All I do now was in preparation for that moment. Some stupid worm, some insect, managed to slip by, so I needed to strengthen my net. I needed to be able to stop any encroachment, no matter whether I could detect them or not.

Chrysalis will not take Canterlot. The center of pony civilization will not be taken by some uppity intruder.

This is my city. My claim. My hive.

MINE.

Celestia

I walked out onto my balcony, breathing in the fresh air high over Canterlot, but there was little time to enjoy my brief break. Cadence was watching Overwatch and Lily in my chambers, which left me a few minutes to attend to other, more difficult problems.

I brought out the small sapphire from behind my peytral, holding it out in front of me in my golden magic. It was originally supposed to just let me keep tabs on Overwatch, but I had not expected it to also serve as a point of contact between me and Crystal. It was hard to tell exactly what the corporal had cast on it, but it appeared as if it took advantage of the existing auditory components of my enchantment to transmit somepony else’s voice. It only further lent credence to my theory that Crystal, whoever she was, was a very experienced spellcrafter and mage.

“Crystal,” I said to the sapphire. “Are you there?”

“I am always at your disposal, Celestia,” she replied, her two-toned voice coming through clearly. “I do regret that I cannot meet you personally, Princess, but circumstances do not permit me such a luxury at the moment.”

“Circumstances?” I raised an eyebrow. “What sort of circumstances?”

“The sort that I am not willing to share at the moment. My apologies.”

I breathed out a sigh. Too much to hope for, perhaps. “In any case, you certainly seem to find yourself in interesting company. A merpony and some sort of shapeshifter, fighting against other such shapeshifters,” I said, staring out over the city. “How did you find yourself working with them?”

She hummed, musing. “Desperation, in the case of Miss Lilywater. I had to take what I could get back then, and she was very willing to help me,” Crystal said, very matter-of-factly. “Meeting Overwatch was a sheer coincidence, but once I discovered that she was not all what she appeared to be, I moved to open communications with her and offer my assistance. With her, I was in a much better position to act and gather information in Canterlot. Thanks to both of their… unique skill sets, I consider both of them very important assets to work with.”

“I see,” I said, thinking. “So why Canterlot? It sounds like you already had plans here.”

“I had my suspicions that Canterlot would be… important. Nothing more.”

Vague answer. “And now you are aiding Corporal Overwatch’s investigation as an… expert on the enemy?”

“I am, yes. I confess that while I do not know fully the internal workings of our opposition, I do possess much information about their abilities and strategies.”

“So you know what they are?” I said, keeping the eagerness out of my voice. “Are you willing to share this information with me?”

“No, unfortunately,” she replied. “While it is difficult to explain fully, revealing too much information would be against both my and Overwatch’s interests.”

I narrowed my eyes at the sapphire. “Explain as much as you can then, because if my ponies are going to be threatened, I would rather not have information that could protect them be dangled just out of reach without reason.”

“I know, Celestia. Believe me, I am well aware of the pains of leadership, but you must understand that Overwatch’s race learns from a very young age that they are never to reveal themselves intentionally to protect both themselves and their families,” she said, her voice firm. “That you were able to get as much information as you did from Overwatch is a result of her inexperience and morality. She is much younger than the mask she wears.”

“I will make note of that then.” I took in a deep breath, using the gesture to temper my irritation. “A very secretive race then, like the breezies?”

“Not quite as fragile, though no less dependent on ponies,” she said, slightly more conversational now that I had calmed myself down a little. “They are, in a sense, parasites, and their awareness of how parasites are perceived only feeds their reticence, though in this day and age, I believe it is more to their detriment than benefit. If it were up to me, perhaps they could change their ways, but I am in no position to do that at this moment.”

She paused. “They do no harm to ponies so long as they do not go overboard, in case you were concerned.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief. Maybe something good could come out of this after all. “If it were up to you? If I may ask, what is your purpose in helping Overwatch stop these others?”

“Quite simple. I wish for more openness so that they may better thrive in the new world, as symbiotes rather than parasites, but this group in particular would do harm to any potential relations between their race and ponies should they continue their actions.”

I furrowed my brow. “You say you wish for more openness, yet you refuse to tell me about them in greater depth. Surely, the faster we are able to understand them, the sooner we can end this problem and establish relations?”

“Do not be in such a hurry, Celestia. They prize their anonymity. You would do no favors by attacking that which they has kept them safe for centuries,” she said, as if scolding me. “If you use your knowledge to take care of the problem quickly, others may be fearful of putting themselves at your mercy in the future.”

I sighed. “Alright, I submit that it would be hasty to end the problem so quickly, but why not tell me more about them regardless? If not their abilities, what about their culture? What they look like normally? Even their name?”

“That,” she said, and I could hear her smirking. “That, I will tell you when the time is right, but given that your ponies are being threatened, I have my concerns as to what you might do with such information at this moment.”

I huffed. “So you would have me wait around while you fix the problem?”

“Call it an… internal struggle among their kind. Rest assured that those who have foalnapped your ponies have no intention of doing them harm.”

I released a long breath. “Fine,” I said, grimacing. “So you say that it would be more beneficial for them to be more open about themselves, but what is your stake in this?”

“I merely wish to see harmony.”

“Is that all?” I said as I redirected my gaze back over Canterlot, watching the tiny ponies below go about their daily business. “I have met with plenty of nobles and ambassadors, all wishing to curry favor with me. You play with your cards close to your chest, Crystal. Is that the only motivation you have?”

She paused for a moment. “No, admittedly, but it is not an insignificant portion of it. The other part is, well… call it a bit of soul searching.”

I brought my front legs up on the balcony railing, still staring down into the city. Soul searching? That could mean any number of things, and from her refusal to answer some of my other questions, I would not be surprised if this was simply another vague answer to deflect further queries. Still, she sounded sincere, so it was possible that her involvement in this situation was more for personal interest than material gain.

I sighed. Perhaps it mattered little what her motivation was, only that she was helping, though the amount of information she was willing to reveal gave me few opportunities to provide any assistance of my own. Frustrating, to say the least, but I was no stranger to frustration, especially in my line of work.

“Say, Celestia. I will say one thing,” the sapphire spoke again, taking me out of my musings. “Have you ever heard of the story of Lady Iridescent?”

I raised my eyebrows. “I have, though I am surprised you know of it as well. It is a very old story and not all that well known.”

“I am… quite versed in history and the stories that come with it,” she said, as if choosing her words carefully. “Do you remember the prevailing themes in it?”

I took a moment to think. It had been such a long time ago, and retellings of the tale often chose to emphasize different aspects. “I would have to say… betrayal. Vengeance,” I said. “It was often used as a cautionary tale.”

“And the ending?”

I hummed. “There have been many debates over the precise ending of the story, but I would have to say it ended with Hearth’s Warming.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” she said, sounding a bit distracted. “The defeat of bitterness and hatred with friendship and love. A fitting end.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is there a reason you asked?”

“Of course. I just do not wish to tell you at present.”

“Bit for your thoughts?” I said with a smirk. “At least spare this old mare a few trustworthy tidbits of your knowledge.”

She let out a barking laugh. “Really now, Celestia, all of my knowledge is trustworthy. I have not yet told you a single lie.”

“Nor have you given me the full truth,” I said with a chuckle. “Some Element of Honesty you are.”

“Honesty is quite overrated,” she replied with an amused snort. “Loyalty is a much better basis for harmony.”

I shared a laugh with her, but she had given me more food for thought. She was trying to communicate something to me, but what, and why with that story in particular? Betrayal and vengeance? Perhaps it was part of that soul searching she mentioned, but it gave me the impression that she knew as little of her true motivations as I do if she wanted to ask me for my personal allegorical ending to a story.

She didn’t seem like a fool. She had done it on purpose, in her own convoluted way.

I would puzzle this out later, after Overwatch’s investigation tonight. Perhaps she would even come clean with the full truth as she said she would, though what she considered the “right time” was woefully unclear. Now, however, I needed to figure out what possible approach I could use to convince her to share more of her knowledge.

I needed to show her that it would be in her best interest to include me in her plans, somehow.

Nymph

This would be the second time in two days that I was breaking into Fancy’s mansion, but at least getting back in was much, much easier without hundreds of ponies and guards walking around. The mansion itself was dark since the owner was still staying in the castle, but the lights outside were still on. A close scan with my empathy sense revealed nopony nearby, but I suppressed my emotional signal regardless as I made my approach.

After checking the harnesses for my axe and fumes, as well as making sure one of the pockets in which Crystal sat was secure, I climbed my way back in through the master bedroom. Trying to sneak in through a prominent door like the back entrance still put me on edge, even knowing that there was no one there to see me, and the bright lights on the back patio were definitely not conducive to stealth. It was too similar to a spotlight, and that was the last thing I wanted on me.

The balcony door was unlocked, and I slipped inside. I wasn’t surprised that the pods had been removed, so I continued without a second thought out the bedroom door, overlooking the banquet hall. Sounds from Canterlot echoed in faintly, but the inside of the mansion was eerily quiet. The detritus from last night had been cleaned out, leaving the banquet hall almost entirely empty. With the lights out, it only made the room feel… cold.

I shivered into my scarf as I descended the stairs to the first floor. The ring sat heavily on my horn, letting me know that I was always under surveillance, no matter how many ponies were around me. Despite being in an empty house, my nerves were on edge. With a little trial and error, I managed to find the basement, my hoofsteps near silent as I prowled down the steps. The wine cellar was only just across the room, past some of the servants’ workplaces and the kitchens, and I made my way inside.

It was even darker down here, and I quietly lit up my horn to give myself some light to see by. The boxes and long racks of bottles were cast in a faint green glow, and long shadows danced across the walls whenever I moved.

“So it begins,” Crystal said.

I took a deep breath and looked around, keeping a close eye on the ground. A multitude of long lines scored the stone beneath me, likely from something being dragged or pushed along the floor. The pods, perhaps? If there was a giant hole here, it shouldn’t be too hard to find anyways, but I followed the scratches anyways.

Turns out, while everything else had been cleaned up, there was still a circular hole in the ground on the far side of the cellar. It was wide enough for three ponies to go through side by side, boring straight through the stone flooring. The sides were smoothed out, though not without its imperfections. I knew my own hive had no problems with digging wherever they pleased, so I wasn’t too surprised that they had managed to do this, but my pony sensibilities were still quite amazed at the work.

I stepped in. The walls of the tunnels were slick, sloping downwards at a steep angle, but that in itself wouldn’t present an issue for changelings that could cling onto anything. Still, I had to proceed carefully. It would have been pitch black without the light from my horn, and even then, it was hard to see exactly where I was stepping.

After a short time the tunnel leveled out slightly, though only to about a thirty to forty-five degree slope downwards. Eventually, however, the tunnel turned sharply upwards, and I found myself climbing rather than descending.

I raised an eyebrow. The change in direction in itself seemed a bit unusual, but I followed the tunnel upwards regardless. Although the tunnel was still about the same width, the walls around me seemed rougher, as if done in a hurry. It got slightly brighter, and to my surprise, I emerged into open air, just under a few trees near the edge of the city. It couldn’t have been very far from Fancy’s mansion, and when I turned around, I could still see the walls on the edges of his property.

I heard a small voice in my ear. Celestia’s. “This does not bode well. They could be anywhere from here.”

“Silly Princess. Go back. We missed something.”

I nodded and retraced my steps, going all the way back to the point where the tunnel tilted up suddenly. I increased the glow on my horn and looked closer at the point of intersection. Moving over a few meters, it was apparent that the tunnel’s walls had changed in quality. The tunnel I had descended from also had a floor that looked like multiple objects had been dragged over it, while tunnel going back outside had no such markings.

“Think they redirected the tunnel?” I asked Crystal.

“Of course they did. The hole in the mansion was likely to be a bit more permanent, but with Fancy gone, they had to expect somepony to investigate. Easier for changelings to simply dig more than to try and cover up a hole of that size.”

I cursed under my breath. Where could the tunnel have originally led then? It wasn’t like I had much experience with digging tunnels, and I had no easy way to break open a tunnel that had been blocked off.

Maybe Vice had a point to carrying around a book of explosive runes, “just in case.”

I closed my eyes and listened. This far under the ground, the sounds of the street had died out, but I swore I could’ve heard some sort of… static-y white noise? I felt around on my empathy sense, which detected a few signatures farther under me, maybe three or four around where the original tunnel would have led should it have continued on.

I grimaced. “It doesn’t look like going down the original tunnel was an option after all. I think there are guards at the bottom.”

“So it seems,” Crystal replied. “I wonder if Celestia knows where it might lead.”

I cleared my throat and muttered under my breath. “Celestia. The original tunnel was blocked off. This one going up was just a distraction.”

“Are you sure?” she said, a note of surprise in her voice. “That’s an awful lot of work to do in one day.”

“They can handle it, I believe,” I said, before I gestured towards the ground. “Do you know of anything that could be further down from here?”

“Canterlot’s sewer network. After seeing the hole in Fancy’s cellar, I have little doubt that the sewer walls would serve much more of a hinderance.”

I blinked. Now that I thought about it, the noise I heard could just as easily have been the roaring sound of rushing water. It made sense, actually, to use the existing sewer network instead of digging around everywhere, especially with how extensive the underside of Canterlot was said to be.

“Got it, Princess. I’m going around through the top.”

The roads weren’t very far from the exit of the decoy tunnel. It was a bit trivial how easy it was to find a ponyhole cover, and with the streets empty at night, I didn’t have to worry about anypony seeing me go in. A quick sweep of my empathy sense also revealed nothing immediately below me. I slid in and closed up the hole after me, making my way down the ladder quickly.

Immediately after I hit the bottom, the smell hit me. It wasn’t a bad smell, necessarily, but it was incredibly damp and musty, like soggy newspaper. The roaring in the distance was much more pronounced now, perfect for obscuring light hoofsteps. I had to watch myself carefully, but my empathy sense should let me keep out of danger from any patrolling drones.

The light coming from above wasn’t very bright, but with Overwatch’s eagle eye combined with a changeling’s low-light vision meant that even a little brightness trickling in from above was enough to let me see where I was going, unlike the tunnel the other changelings had dug. In addition, dim crystals were placed at regular intervals along the walls, likely powered by the incredible amounts of water rushing through.

There was a saying I—or more likely Overwatch—remembered hearing once. It said that only half of Canterlot was above the ground, and after seeing the sprawling dungeon before me, it became apparent that it might well have been completely true. Though dark and damp, it was nevertheless large and spacious. Bridges crossed over where rivers ran through, the water as quick as rapids.

I grimaced at the various junk left lying around in the corners. A bedroll here, a bag of discarded belongings there. Cardboard boxes were scrawled on and made into either signs or homes. It seemed that with all this space down here, it wouldn’t take much to attract some of the less-than-fortunate ponies to make their dwellings here. I knew that some of the guardhouses, including mine, had a sewer beat, to keep unwanted ponies out of here, but it could only be so successful, I supposed.

With all this space, however, it did make navigation a bit easier. With a little reorienting, I made off in the general direction towards Fancy’s mansion.

“You are headed back?” Crystal chimed in.

“Only to confirm that the tunnel connects to the sewers.”

“Very well. Continue.”

I slunk through the dim lighting, never straying too close to any light source and keeping a very close tab on my empathy sense. I knew I detected others down here when I was still investigating the hole, and running into anypony without good reason would be extremely… inconvenient, to say the least.

It was a good thing I was, because soon enough, I could detect a few signatures, coincidentally in the same direction I was going. My initial estimate was right. There were about four just ahead of me, two of them stationary and two roaming around. The doorway to the next room was closed, but I had few doubts that it was being watched.

I scanned the wall. Luckily, the river ran through to my destination, so there was a simple grate separating the two rooms that extended to the ceiling. It was also poorly lit, so I clambered onto the wall and made my way over, taking a little peek through it.

There was a giant mound of what I assumed was dirt, coupled with a few stone blocks. Two construction ponies were busy filling out the massive hole in the wall, just about as large as the tunnel I came from. Two guards also trotted around the area, though never lingering far from the doorway.

“Well, Princess, it looks like you were right,” I heard Crystal say faintly in my ear. “The tunnel did go to the sewers.”

A sigh. “So it seems. Corporal, continue investigating. Those pods had to have been taken somewhere.”

I took a deep breath myself and slowly made my way back to solid ground.

Myths — The First Windigo

—

Legends often spoke of the Jewel of the Frozen North, the grand city in the coldest regions of Equestria, sitting in the shadow of Mount Everhoof. It has come to be known and referenced by many names, but it has most commonly been referred to as:

The Crystal Empire.

Tales, both believable and outlandish, cropped up around the mythical city. Some books spoke of ponies like moving gemstones, glittering in the light with shimmering manes that never lost their luster. They painted vivid pictures of buildings that appeared as if they had been chiseled out of house-sized jewels. Even the food was said to be impossibly beautiful, flawless and multi-faceted. The city, though surrounded by frozen tundra, was described with rolling fields of green grass that lasted all year round, untouched by the eternal winter surrounding it.

These accounts varied from record to record, and their truthfulness was often questionable at best. Expeditions to the north to find this fabled city have always ended in naught but snow, lending little proof to any of those tales. Perhaps all of those details were false. Perhaps all of them were true.

However, every tale of the fabled city spoke of the Crystal Heart at the city’s core, a magical artifact from which all of the wonders of the Crystal Empire sprang from. Powered by the hope and light of the city’s inhabitants, it kept magic flowing and the city shining brightly.

Though it is difficult to say whether the Crystal Heart, like the Crystal Empire, actually existed or not, the description of the Heart’s enchantments was remarkably similar to the enchantments pioneered on a failed expedition by the unicorns, before Equestria was created.

Seeking to expand, Unicornia tasked members of several noble houses to find promising land, each sending a few of their own ponies to join the expedition. One of these was Lady Iridescent, a promising unicorn mage and researcher who boasted several advancements in the understanding of spellcasting and gem-based enchantments.

The expedition went north, away from the capitals of the earth ponies and the pegasi, and while they weathered the colder climate well enough, the further north they went, the more problems they encountered. They noticed that their telekinesis, the most basic of unicorn spells, cut off randomly at times. Enchantments on their gear had to be refreshed often. Ponies tired more easily. The north, it seemed, was no friend to pony magic.

Iridescent noticed the growing instability of their magic and sought to resolve the problem. Using an artifact of her own creation, the Aether Lens, to see the flow of magic, she discovered that the issues blighting them stemmed from an unexpected phenomenon. The magic that the unicorns had originally believed they were losing was not being drained away. Magic was still present in their bodies, but the ponies themselves were finding it more and more difficult to tap into it.

The expedition had traveled far, and many of the ponies had grown weary, but the expedition would be forced to turn around if a solution to this magic bottleneck could not be found.

Despite the straitened circumstances, Iridescent discovered something else. Among the ponies with her, some had formed strong bonds with each other, and over those bonds, magic flowed. Those unicorns who found companionship were also less affected by the growing difficulties than the more solitary unicorns were. She realized quickly that emotions, especially strong positive emotions like friendship, love, and hope, could serve as a conduit for magic to flow out.

With that revelation, she had her solution.

Gathering her companions, she bid them all think positive thoughts, whether they be about something as deep as love or as basic as hope for the expedition. She saw the links, the fountains of magic created by their emotions, and weaving her enchantment, she tied them to a single light blue gemstone.

By nailing down those magical pathways to the gemstone, Iridescent was able to poke more permanent holes in the cage their magicks had been locked away in. As more magic flowed, the holes even widened, giving them access to their magic once more. The ponies’ high spirits only further strengthened the effect of the enchantment, and they soon found themselves with just as much, if not more, magic than they had access to prior to entering the Frozen North.

By linking their magic to the gemstone, Iridescent also realized that they could pool their magic, potentially allowing the group to cast and maintain spells much larger than any one pony could handle. This, however, she kept secret from the group, only jotting it down in a small snippet in her notes for fear that it would be misused without the proper restrictions.

It was this original gemstone that many scholars believe led to the myth of the Crystal Heart, a theoretical idealization of the formula, but as the first prototype, created by only a single unicorn, the enchantments on the gem were stretched thin quickly and there were few failsafes from catastrophe.

The records became unclear here, for shortly after the creation of the gem, Lady Iridescent was lured away by one of the members of the group and killed. The gem was lost with her body. The motive of the murderer was not well known. Some say that it was due to the high stress from being in the north. From others, it was frustration and a desire to return home. A few proposed that it was a planned assassination from one of the other noble houses. The murderer himself confessed nothing when he was discovered.

Discontent and anger brewed within the group, but they were all of one mind when they made the decision to turn back.

On their return to Unicornia, however, the air grew colder. The winds bit through their coats and gear, and the snow fell heavier, slowing their progress. Snowstorms became frequent, and dissension within the group only made the situation worse. Casualties mounted, but the first of the group to die was the murderer of the beloved Lady Iridescent. The more ponies that had fallen, the worse the weather got, and eventually the more superstitious of the ponies began claiming that her vengeful soul and the souls of the dead had come back to haunt their every step.

Even when they returned to Unicornia, the winters followed. Unseasonal snows came down on the three tribes, heedless of the wishes of the pegasi. It came to be known that these storms were caused by the windigos, and there, the story of Lady Iridescent changed.

One of the theories that slowly gained ground was that she did not die immediately and that the gem was in her possession at the end. In the moments before her death, her hate and malice poisoned the magic in the gem, and she was consumed by the dark magicks until naught was left but an all-devouring vengeance, giving birth to the first of the windigos that plagued ponykind for years after.

The story was used as a warning against the destructiveness of betrayal and vengeance as well as the disharmony that had threatened to divide ponykind, sometimes together with the well-known Tale of Hearth’s Warming. It has evolved over the years as it passed from tongue to tongue, but it has since fallen to obscurity, eventually finding a home only in the archives of the Royal Pony Sisters.

—

I laid the book of myths to the side on top of a similar stack of tomes.

Coming across that particular tale during my magical research had been rather unexpected, but reading over the sequence of events brought back memories of that particular time in my hive’s history. We had to leave for the pony lands in a hurry ever since the death of my mother, and with the strife between the different pony races, it was difficult to sustain a very large hive at all. There were dissenting voices within the hivemind over whether such a move was truly in our best interest or if we should try searching for greener pastures. If it were not for the burst of nourishing love from the Fire of Friendship, my hive would surely have perished.

It was yet another reminder of the pattern of betrayal and vengeance that had long plagued the other races, and a reminder of why we should keep ourselves distant from such chaos.

However, I was now seeing more and more evidence of something quite different. Such strife was largely a product of the past, of abundant and unchecked ignorance and greed. Now, treachery was much less prevalent. The ponies had together built one of the greatest nations to ever be seen despite working without the unity that the hivemind gave us. Theirs was a unity based on trust and friendship, of lasting ties reminiscent of the same bonds that drove away the windigos so long ago.

I had to wonder, would it be better for the changelings if we no longer tried to distance ourselves from the races we fed on?

There were also a few other things of note from the historical accounts of Lady Iridescent’s expedition. One was the description of how the Crystal Heart unlocked the magic of those ponies bound to it. Changelings have long known that bonds of love and friendship allowed us to absorb the most magic from our prey, but the idea that giving magic to the gemstone helped unlock their stifled mana was very intriguing.

Changelings themselves had very different magical signatures from ponies. They were inherently greedier, keeping the core of their magic hidden away under a small layer of magic. It was to and from this outside decoy layer that love collectors filled their supplies, and it was also robust enough to convey the illusion of being a mere pony to potential hostile changelings. The description of how the ponies’ magic on this expedition were slowly locked away sounded similar to how changelings kept a lot of their own magic to themselves, within this inner core. If love and friendship could unlock the magic of those ponies, what would those same bridges of love and friendship do to a changeling’s inner core?

With the state of pony society now, would it not be better for us to simply throw wide the gates and drown ourselves in the abundant love, freely shared and given with treachery as only a rare afterthought?

I sighed and shook my head. That line of thought would have to wait until later. As of the moment, my hive was still suffering under the assault of the unknown queen. The broods were all growing restless, crying out for relief. I must not forget the purpose of my magical research and my duties as a queen.

My mind went back to the myth I had just read. Perhaps something to detect the enemy could be made of the Aether Lens that Iridescent once possessed. I would have to look further.

In the silence, I pulled the next book from the stack and continued my search.

Chapter 23 — Tastes of Predators

Nymph

The sound of rushing water pouring through the grate was deafening, testifying to a ravenous hunger threatening to drag me down into its watery depths, yet I still clung to the wall above it and held my breath as I waited for the guard patrol to leave. Trying to ignore the spray of water soaking into my tail, I kept careful watch on my empathy sense, a bead of sweat running down my brow as the two guards slowly ambled through the far door.

I let out a breath, easing my way back over onto solid ground. With nary a backward glance, I slunk my way through the other doorway.

My progress through the dark underground labyrinth of the Canterlot sewers was significantly slower than I might have liked, but the cover of darkness and the loud rushing torrents at least made it much easier to maneuver around unnoticed. There were still a few patrols of guards down here, and I managed to stay undetected by hiding just out of sight around corners, pipes, or on the ceiling. I’m all but certain that Celestia had noticed my unusual climbing abilities, but at the moment, I much more valued my immediate safety and obscurity.

The primary issue slowing me down was simply figuring out where to go. The group filling in the dug-out tunnel were still there, so I had no one else to follow, leaving me to examine every tiny crack or imperfection in the floor to find any evidence of where the pods had been taken. The general moistness covered up a lot of the trail, but with so many large objects being taken away, there were still a few breadcrumbs to follow. Places where the slime had been scraped away or remnants of cobwebs hung uselessly weren’t exactly loud and clear signposts, but there were enough signs that something large had come through, not just two-pony patrols.

Hopefully, I wasn’t wasting all this time chasing a hobo dragging all of their stuff through the sewers. I frowned. Celestia, that would be embarrassing.

The door ahead had a light crystal above it, much brighter than the numerous crystals lining the corridors, and a small metallic sign in the middle which simply read, “STORAGE SOL-18.” My empathy sense told me there were a few signatures far to the front right of me, so I took a small pause.

“Princess,” I muttered to myself. “Where am I?”

“Give me a moment. It has been a long time since I have had to consult maps of the sewer system,” she replied, the disembodied voice sounding faint and distant. “Solar District, just on the border between high-class housing and the markets. That is one of the storage areas for maintenance supplies.”

I crept forward, opening the door slowly. The hinges let out a prolonged squeak and I froze, intently listening for anyone who might have heard it. With no immediate response from either my ears or my empathy sense, I slid into the room quickly and shut the door behind me.

True enough, it was a storage area of some sort. There were shelves all along the walls and in rows in the middle of the room, lined with large crates and barrels, almost like a warehouse. Despite the lights along the walls, the various obstacles in the room cast long shadows across the floor, affording plenty of cover.

I trotted slowly through the room and ran my gaze over the various items, my light hoofsteps much more audible now that the sound of water had been muffled by the stone walls. Many of the crates were marked with an unintelligible jumble of letters and numbers, and some of them had a little stylized logo of a honeybee on them. It wasn’t consistent, so I had no real way to tell if this was abnormal or not.

The signature I had noted earlier when I was still outside the room was now coming from behind one of the walls here. Perhaps there was an adjacent room? There were no doors along that side, so it wasn’t immediately accessible. I filed that information away for later.

As for my primary objective, a quick glance at the floors was enough to tell me that I had hit a roadblock. I was looking for signs that something large had come through, but this was a storage area, where there was nothing but large objects moving through. Any sign of the missing pods would have been well camouflaged under all the other scrapes and divots.

I felt a headache coming on, and I brought a hoof to my temple as I considered what to do next. Maybe I could try to find out what room I was next to? Either that, or I try to search the other two exits for any other signs.

I was interrupted in my musings by a ping over the hivemind, like a water droplet, and I immediately sent my own ping in response.

“By the sands, girl,” Sinister’s voice echoed in my mind. “I can’t believe you’re still alive.”

My brow furrowed. “What makes you think that?”

“We’ve been trying to ping you for ages,” Dexter responded. “We tried waiting for you back at your apartment, but uhh…”

“You had some visitors while you were away,” Sinister said. “Broke in and everything. Ransacked the place. Stuff was everywhere. Whatever you did, somepony ain’t happy about it.”

“Nymph, what did you do?” Dexter’s tone brooked no nonsense.

“Nothing,” I replied quickly, deigning not to mention my escapades in exfiltrating Fancy and the unfortunate aftermath. “I was all but certain no one saw me leave.”

Dexter hummed, murmuring to himself. “Perhaps we’re looking at this from the wrong angle. I bet they were looking for Miss Lily instead. She was much more prominent than Nymph yesterday, and she was the main reason we were able to get away.”

“Ahh shoot, hope they didn’t get her. That’d be a shame.” Sinister sighed. “Nymph, you know where Lily is?”

“I… do,” I replied carefully, leaning closer to a random spot on the floor to give the illusion that I was still looking around. “It’s not in a very accessible place though. She and I were uhh… caught in a compromising position by the Princess.”

Silence.

“Wha?” Sinister said, dumbfounded. “What in Tartarus did you get yourself into this time?”

I scowled. “I just need to lay low. She’s keeping a close eye on me and tracking me. I think I’m earning her trust for now, but I can’t risk direct contact with either of you.” I paused. This topic was a hair short of venturing into very uncomfortable territory. “What of the operation?”

Dexter huffed. “Got some bits of information from the chatter that could be useful. With the… unforeseen circumstances with Fancy’s capture, we couldn’t really paint a full picture in our report, but the hive heard us loud and clear when we said that the other hive had significantly more influence than we had initially anticipated. There’s no telling the full extent of their reach into the guard and the nobility, but we know they’ve got their fangs in pretty deep.”

“Not that we’ll have to worry about that any time soon,” Sinister grumbled.

I raised my eyebrows. “What do you mean by that? Has the hive given us orders to do something else?”

“If you can call it that, sure,” Sinister all but snarled. “Word from up top is that all the remaining non-essential infiltrators are to pull out. Apparently, the Queen doesn’t want to lose any more drones, especially without any significant gains or even any way of responding to the aggression.”

I nearly tripped. “W-w-w-wait, what? What does she mean by, ‘non-essential?’ So we’re just supposed to leave?”

“‘Non-essential,’ meaning infiltrators who aren’t replacing important ponies or in positions to get important information, which is basically every infiltrator in Canterlot at the moment. We didn’t expect them to hit the Royal Guard as hard as they did, so here we are. Oh, and another thing: when the Queen said, ‘all the remaining infiltrators,’ she specifically didn’t include you.”

I balked. “Wait, but why?”

“I asked the same thing,” Sinister said with a snort. “The official word is that the Queen believes you’re more likely to stay hidden and undetected, which I guess is kinda sorta true except she forgot that you’re a lost little girl with zero training and zero experience with anything to do with infiltration in the big city. Personally, the official word’s bollocks. I think she just hates you.”

“Ah-buh-wuh?”

“On the bright side,” Dexter chimed in, “if Celestia’s keeping you close, that’s a pretty good spot for an infiltrator that started out as simply a random guard. It’d be silly to pull an infiltrator out from a position so close to the Princess, not to mention what might happen if she catches us trying to pull you out from under her nose.”

“About me being under Celestia…” I swallowed. “My task is to help combat the other hive. She got wind that her ponies were being abducted and replaced by umm… unknown elements.”

“...There’s no way this is a good idea,” Sinister replied. “Dexter, she hasn’t even been an infiltrator for a month. The Queen’s gone wack. Putting her under the scrutiny of the Princess of the Sun is a disaster waiting to happen. Nymph hasn’t been under that kinda pressure. She’ll reveal too much.”

I grimaced. Might be a little too late for that. “She already figured out a lot on her own while I was still asleep. She’s deduced that I wasn’t a pony, but she doesn’t know many details about the changelings.”

“Well, she’s gonna figure out a lot more if you keep fighting changelings while under her watch. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the other hive or not, if the ponies get wind of us, you’re as good as dead.”

“I just need to be a bit careful, is all,” I murmured.

“You’re insane,” Sinister grumbled. “Dex, please tell me it’d be better to pull her out. Even if she disappears, Celestia ain’t gonna be able to find her, and then she won’t have to tiptoe around possibly revealing too much.”

Dexter hummed in contemplation. “But it sounds like Celestia is already aware that something strange is going on. She’s just going to look into it herself, and then we won’t even be able to know how far she’s gotten, nor be able to influence her in any way. Keeping Nymph in just to keep tabs on her might be the better option. By most accounts, direct contact with the Princess is very much an essential position, and the Queen was specific about keeping her here.”

Sinister snorted. “So she’s stuck where she is and we still need to exit stage left. The Queen’s pretty adamant about getting the most mileage she can out of a foal. By the sands, we’re all going to be damned to Tartarus if this goes pear-shaped.”

“By the way, Nymph, where in Equestria are you?” Dexter said. “I’ve been walking back and forth on this street trying to find you, but…” He paused. “Are you in the sewers?”

“Yeah, I am,” I replied with some surprise. “How’d you know?”

“You’re coming over loudest from here. I think you’re right under me, but it’s hard to tell.”

“Could be.” I tapped a hoof to my chin in thought. “Say, Dexter, what’s up there?”

“Up here? I’m right next to the guardhouse. There’s a couple shops here and there, and I see the wall separating out the high-class housing.”

My ear twitched, and I noticed that one of the emotional signatures from behind the wall had begun to move towards me. Goosebumps ran across my skin, and I hid behind a few of the boxes, training my eyes towards where the signature was moving. A sharp headache hit me, and I only barely stopped myself from wincing.

I heard it before I saw it. A low growl like a lion’s, rumbling. Warning of impending danger. A paw stepped out from behind the boxes. The manticore’s head emerged, dimly silhouetted in the crystal’s light.

It stopped and turned towards me, its eyes glowing in the darkness and its teeth bared. I stared back, unable to turn away. My breath caught in my throat. The headache throbbed again, my heart beating loudly in my ears.

I blinked.

Just as quickly as it appeared, the manticore was gone, replaced by a mere stallion. He wasn’t very distinct in the dim lighting, but he was levitating a large crate in. Without much care, he set it down to the side against the wall and disappeared behind the boxes again, his signature following him back through the wall.

I waited, forcing myself to take slow and careful breaths as I tried to make out any other noises, but I heard nothing except the ever-present sound of water outside. Another hallucination, just like yesterday?

I shook my head, trying to put it out of mind, but it still took a moment before I could muster up the nerve to move out of my hiding spot.

I slipped over to the boxes where the pony had disappeared and was met with a wall, exactly what I saw when I first surveyed the area. There were no openings that I could see in the large stone bricks. Was it a trick door of some sort? I ran my hoof over it, feeling nothing out of the ordinary.

Stepping back a little, I charged up a small stun spell and unleashed it at the wall. Instead of leaving a small scorch mark, it ricocheted back at me, and I jumped with a small squeak as it fizzled in the floor where my hoof was.

“A barrier then,” Crystal mused. “A barrier with an illusion over it? I wonder if it might also be selective in who or what it lets through.”

“Nothing I can do about it for now,” I replied and turned towards the crate that the pony had brought in.

It seemed like a standard wooden crate like all the others here, but looking closer to the edges, I found a little jumble of letters and numbers as well as the logo of a bee that I had seen on some of the other boxes. I squinted at the icon, trying to read the words on the circle around it.

“Busy Bee?” I muttered. It was getting difficult keeping up with the various conversations in my head.

“Ahh, I remember hearing that somewhere,” Crystal said in my ear. “Some sort of trade company?”

“Trade and shipping,” Celestia replied tersely. “I do not believe there is a corner of Equestria they do not travel to. I have certainly heard the extent of their business dealings, at least, though I was not aware that they had anything to do with the sewer system.”

“I have met the owner once,” Crystal said. “She left quite the impression, but in many ways, it was not a very good impression. Overwatch, take a look inside that box.”

I called up my magic and removed my axe from my holster. Carefully, I wiggled the blade into the slit under the lid, slowly easing it open. Once I got the opening large enough, I peered inside, lighting up the inside with a glow from my horn.

“Hey Nymph, you there?” Dexter asked.

“Yeah, give me a second.”

It was hard to tell what was inside at first, but it was metallic, reflecting some of my horn glow back at me. I channeled a little more energy into my horn, and it became clear what I was looking at.

“Armor for the Royal Guard?” Celestia seemed astonished. “That is… quite unexpected. Busy Bee handles many things, but I am certain that the guard’s armor was handled by a government entity, not a commercial trade company.” She muttered quietly to herself. “Check some of the other boxes.”

I closed the crate quickly, hammering in the nails I had pulled up with the flat of my axe before moving to the other crates with the Busy Bee logo.

“More armor,” Celestia murmured, “as well as other guard supplies.”

“Those are books of explosive runes in the back,” I whispered as I shut the crate. “Doesn’t look like it’s just one crate of contraband.”

“I wager I could probably spin this into a search warrant,” Celestia said, before wincing. “Nevermind. I would have to go through the guard for that, and this is just more proof that the Royal Guard is not as trustworthy as it should be.”

My empathy sense told me that somepony was approaching, once again from the space behind the wall. I shut the crate quietly before rapidly ascending the high shelves in the middle of the room. There was a small space above the crates on the top shelf, enough for me to maneuver at a crawl, and I pulled myself in before I turned my gaze down to the false wall, my heart pounding loudly in my ears.

The pony came through first, his horn glowing green in the dimness. He phased through the wall as if emerging from inside a pool of water, followed in short order by another crate. It seemed to match Crystal’s theory that it was a barrier masked by an illusion, and it certainly proved something was behind that wall, but what was the method to getting through, and where would it even lead?

My eyes followed the pony and his burden. It was clear from my viewing angle that the box was also marked with a little icon of a bee.

The pony made his way briskly across the room, moving the crate so that it hovered just behind him before exiting through a door on the other side of the room.

I waited for a couple seconds more, keeping a close eye on him through my empathy sense, before I made my way down.

I moved lightly over the stone floor to the door the pony had left through. “Dexter, I’m on the move.”

“What, where to?”

“Don’t know. I’m tailing somepony. I think he might be able to lead me somewhere important.”

“By the queen, you’re just asking to get yourself killed,” Sinister said with a snort. “You know that, right?”

I caught something out of the corner of my vision, like eyes burning in the blackness. Watching. Waiting to pounce. When I turned to look, however, I found nothing but the usual dust and cobwebs. With my fur on edge, I replied, “I’ve been told that before.”

I opened the door and slipped through like a cat, back into the darkness.

Author's Note

Only a short one this week. I have a medical school interview next Friday, so I won't be releasing anything then.

This story's getting somewhere near the end. Though it still has a little ways to go, I've been putting some thought into what to do afterward. Come check out my blog post from yesterday, and feel free to give some of your own thoughts into the ideas I have rolling around or to suggest an idea of your own. I'm open to considering many different avenues, so take a shot!

And once again, thank you all again for reading my story. It makes me really happy to have such wonderful readers, and I hope you'll stick around even after this one is finished!

Chapter 24 — Tastes of Barriers

Nymph

Stalking my quarry was slow going. I had to keep myself down to stay undetected, but at least following someone was much faster than meticulously searching for a trail that may or may not exist.

Dim moonlight trickled down from one of the grates high above as if through the canopy of a dense treeline. I imagined Dexter and Sinister somewhere on the streets above me, shadowing me and mapping my position onto the overside of Canterlot. It was difficult to tell how much time had passed since I first came down here, but the night seemed to plod on. A part of me just wanted this to be over. My muscles were starting to complain about the extra exertion from keeping a low profile, but I had to be patient.

The pony I was tailing turned right, heading down a small hallway in the middle of the corridor we were in. I waited for the crate he was levitating to disappear around the corner before I tiptoed forward, wary of the few hiding spots should my prey decide to suddenly backtrack on top of me. Peeking around the corner, I noticed the pony step off to the side, looking down at the floor. He mumbled a few words under his breath before extending a hoof out and firmly pressing down on one of the stones under him.

My ears caught the sound of a faint click. A switch of some kind? He trotted to the end of the hallway and repeated the motion, searching around for something on the ground before pressing a hoof into it. There was another click.

My brow furrowed. It seemed like he was deactivating and reactivating a trap. In any case, it seemed prudent to repeat the same motions as the other pony. I waited until the stallion had exited through a door at the end of the corridor before moving out of cover to the first switch. The texture of the stone changed under my hooves, almost as if I had crossed a sort of invisible threshold.

“This pathway…” Celestia said, sounding a bit distracted. “This isn’t on the sewer maps.”

“The floor is a different material too. Had to have been added in later,” I murmured.

“Promising, then,” Crystal replied. “If it is not supposed to be there, it would be good to find out why it is there.”

I scanned the area, finding a brick on the floor that seemed to be a little more used than the ones around it. With a firm step on it, I heard the same click I heard before, both under me and behind the walls on either side of the hall. I took wary steps across, alert for any signs of danger. My ears flicked to-and-fro, but beyond the quiet thundering of water in the distance and the soft touches of my hooves on the stone, I heard nothing. It was almost too calm.

Dexter pinged me. “We can’t follow you anymore. You’re headed under private property. Looks like a pretty nice manor house from here.”

A bead of sweat dripped down my head, but I kept my pace steady. “Any idea who it belongs to?”

“Gimme a sec… Veil. It just says Veil.”

A breath escaped me as I made it to the other side without incident. I tapped into my hivemind once again. “Alright, I’m good from here. Stay safe.”

“Follow your own advice, kid,” Sinister said. “Queen guide you.”

I took a deep breath. A quick check on my empathy sense told me that my quarry hadn’t made it too far ahead, so without further ceremony, I pressed the switch on this side, listening to the click one final time before moving to the door and opening it a crack.

There wasn’t a lot I could see from the small slit I had made, but it was clear that it was no longer part of the sewers. The stone extended a little past the door, but it quickly gave way to dirt and rock. It was much wider than the tunnel into Fancy’s house, more a large cavern than a tunnel. Crates of varying sizes sat around the outside edge of the cave. A few crystals provided some scattered light, broken up by dark spots around the scattered crates. Surprisingly, there wasn’t another entrance to the room that I could see from my vantage point. I’d hit a dead end.

I moved in as the pony set his crate down in the middle of the room. He mumbled under his breath while he looked over the containers around him aimlessly, as if he were waiting for something. I took the opportunity to conceal myself, squeezing into a tight space between a large crate and the wall while he was still looking the other way.

The stallion turned to look forward suddenly, and I followed his gaze to the far wall of the cavern.

My eyes widened when another pony walked straight through the rock, causing a ripple in the surface similar to what I saw with the walls of the storage area. This one was a taller, lankier stallion wearing a butler’s uniform. The pony I had been tailing briefly acknowledged the new arrival before levitating his crate up into the other’s magical hold.

The butler left soon after with his new package, and the first stallion began to look over some of the crates in the cave, walking up to one and opening it.

“We can get through the barrier if you take his place.”

I grimaced. “Through the memory spell, right?”

“Unless there is another method, yes.” She paused. “You tried it yesterday, did you not? Were there any issues with it?”

“I-it did what it was supposed to, but it knocked me out for a little while and burned through a lot of my magical reserves.” I rubbed at my forehead, already remembering the headache that had resulted from casting the spell. “I can cast it, of course, but I don’t think I can cast it more than once.”

“Hmm, I was wondering what could have incapacitated you so thoroughly earlier today.” She grew quiet, humming in thought.

I raised an eyebrow. “You have a solution?”

“Trying to think of one, though I might have an idea. Try casting your memory spell, but channel magic through me while you weave your spell matrix. I can take care of the rest.”

I took a deep breath. The stallion was still looking through the contents of the various crates away from me, so I called forth my magic and reached out to the crystal in my holster. A chill ran through my entire body as I linked up with Crystal, almost as if I had jumped straight into a giant pool of water. I suddenly felt a lot more magic at my disposal, but it also felt alive, wiggling and writhing as I instinctively tried to bring it under control. I wove my memory spell matrix quickly, afraid that if I dallied for too long, I would drown under the sudden influx of magic.

The other presence—Crystal, I assumed—seemed to notice my efforts and lent me a guiding hoof, both taking control of my magic and altering the spell matrix slightly. It felt as if I was being washed with the current, so powerful it was. Without much input, I watched my spell snap from my horn to the pony like a whip, pulling taut once it connected.

Despite expecting it, the deadening of all my senses still caused a small degree of panic in me. I kept a close watch on my empathy sense, waiting with bated breath as my magic changed subtly under the effects of the spell. Everything came rushing back in again, thankfully much sooner than I had expected.

I was on the floor again, unsurprisingly, but since I wasn’t foolishly on the ceiling when I cast my spell, I hadn’t woken up to horrible, throbbing agony from landing on my face this time. The headache I had last time was also absent. They were small blessings, yes, but they were ones I was very much thankful for.

I had been disguised as the stallion while I was sleeping, so I changed back into Overwatch and peeked out. The stallion was slumped on the ground just like before, and with a quick check of my empathy sense to make sure the coast was clear, I emerged from my hiding spot and approached him.

“What was that spell?”

I jumped into the air from fright at the sudden voice, and it took me a few moments of calming breaths before I realized it was the Princess. She had been so quiet, I had completely forgotten she was still watching over me. “Well, uhh…” I mumbled as I knelt down and confirmed that the disguised changeling was still breathing.

Crystal answered for me. “It confers a number of benefits in terms of infiltration, but its purpose for now is to get her past the barriers.”

“Truly?” Celestia sounded unconvinced. “I did not get a good look at the spell matrix, but the spell she just cast seemed like it was supposed to change her magic completely into that of her target’s.” She muttered a few unintelligible words under her breath. “Yes, it would certainly allow her to bypass any selective barriers, but I have never seen such a spell like that. An individual’s magic cannot be changed so completely so easily.”

Crystal remained silent for a few uncomfortably long seconds. “I am… surprised you could tell that from a mere glance.”

“I do head a school for gifted unicorns, not to mention my experiences with a fair number of highly experienced magic crafters over my long years.”

“A fair point,” Crystal conceded. “This particular spell only works because of what Overwatch is. Her race has a very malleable magic field.”

I decided to stay silent, focusing on moving the body out of sight behind the boxes where I hid before.

Celestia spoke again. “If her magic field is so malleable, what’s stopping her from permanently turning into whoever she casts the spell on? A complete transformation within and without can’t leave many options open for reversing the spell.”

“It… works slightly differently for Overwatch. She is absolutely not representative of her race due to her many unusual characteristics. The spell she cast works only temporarily on her for the same reason she boasts an extremely high magical resistance.”

“Ahh, so the magic resistance is not a racial characteristic?” Celestia hummed in thought. “Do show me this spell at your earliest convenience. I would very much like to take a look at it.”

“I see. When Overwatch returns, I shall ask her to demonstrate the spell for you.”

A frown spread across my face. I was somewhat put off at being volunteered without permission, but I shrugged it off, making sure that the unconscious body was well hidden in a dark corner of the cavern before turning to the hidden barrier.

I checked my empathy sense one last time. Above me were about seven or eight different signatures, spread out among what seemed like two floors. None of them were close by, nor immediately across the barrier, so I felt safe in experimentally poking a hoof into where I thought the barrier was, causing it to ripple as I had seen before.

There were too few signatures for me to have found where they had hidden their ponies, but still, there was a lot of work put into the cavern I had just left, along with the trapped room just before that. With that much effort, there had to be something here I could use.

With a deep breath, I plunged in.

I emerged into what seemed like a basement. It wasn’t very large and only contained a number of conventional amenities, so I ignored most of it in favor of taking the stairs up.

There was a door at the top, and with a soft nudge, I cracked it open and peered through the thin opening. Nothing much was revealed beyond a small portion of the dining area. There were a few long granite-top islands that I could see stretching across the area, topped with an assortment of fruits. It was an extremely clean living space, devoid of many of the obstacles that made maneuvering unseen through the sewer system simple. The darkness I had clung to had also been broken up with a few dim lights here and there. I’d have to be careful if I didn’t want to bring everyone here down on me.

Poking my head out further, I realized that the staircase continued upwards, confirming my suspicion that there was a second floor. I had no clue where to start, but perhaps I could see if the signatures I sensed earlier were guarding anything in particular.

The water turned off somewhere in the house, and it was only just then in the sudden silence that I realized that someone was even using the water in the first place. Was it a shower? I had acclimated to the constant sound of water in the sewers that I hadn’t even realized it was still going.

I entered the kitchen area, closing the door behind me. Looking upward from the dining area, I could see the second floor looping around above me, featuring, to my dismay, a glass railing rather than something more opaque. There were four signatures upstairs, and now that I could estimate where some of the rooms were, I guessed that one of them was the butler I had seen and the other two were guards for a final VIP. The three downstairs all seemed to be outside, so despite being surrounded, no one was in a position to spot me yet.

A familiar voice came in through the secondary hivemind link, and I felt a cold grip on my heart when I realized where I had heard it before.

“Excellent. Leave it in my study. I shall look over it later once I return. Guards, keep careful watch while I survey our outposts, and If you catch any of Chrysalis’s vile spawn lurking around, dispatch them at once.”

“Your will be done, my Queen.”

With that, the signatures upstairs began to move. The one I had tagged as the butler entered the room the queen was leaving. I crossed the room quickly to a door I spotted on the other side and opened it quickly. A small bathroom. Little to no hiding spots, but it was out of the way enough to keep me safe until the queen departed, so I slipped in and closed the door quietly.

I closed my eyes. The queen was descending the stairs and was departing through the basement. A little part of me wanted to follow her, knowing that she would be involved in the much more important tasks, but the simple survey she was going on probably wouldn’t reveal too much useful information, nor would it necessarily lead me to the kidnapped ponies.

“Good that we will not have to deal with her for now,” Crystal said. “We will likely confront her later on, but only when we are adequately prepared. I am currently working on something on that front, but for now, we are in her mansion and I am immensely curious about what kind of package she may have received.”

I took a deep breath. The butler upstairs had looped around after he had entered the upstairs room, stopping for a moment before departing through the same path. He had delivered whatever he was going to. I just had to make sure to mark that location for when I head up.

Still, that room was guarded from at least two entrances, one on the inside and one, it seemed, leading in from an outside balcony. Using the memory spell here was too risky. I’d have to take another route inside, perhaps through a window.

I left the bathroom, watching as the butler made his way to the stairs. Not eager to spend any more time in open space, I opened the door directly adjacent to the one I left and found myself in a drawing room. Numerous couches and coffee tables were situated around the room, and the exotic rugs and paintings added a little more variety. A grand piano sat quietly in the far corner.

It was almost a shame that the only thing I cared about at the moment was how the soft, luxurious rugs muffled my hoofsteps as I made my way to the far window.

I flipped the latch and after making sure none of the first-story guards were nearby, I slowly pulled open the window. I squeezed through the tight opening, landing behind a few bushes and closing the window behind me quietly.

My target room was on the other side of the mansion. After checking once again that the guards outside weren’t in view of this side of the building, I began scaling the wall. Once I made sure that the gutter wasn’t loose, I pulled myself up onto the rooftops.

I hadn’t quite realized just how expansive this mansion was until I finally got a bird’s eye view of it. The roof itself had few hiding places, but it was much darker than the inside of the house. I made my way up the slope towards the moon hanging high in the sky, careful not to dislodge any of the shingles. Once I had crested over the ridge at the very top, I tried to get a look at my destination. I could see the balcony from my new position as well as the guard stationed there, looking away from me.

I ignored him for now and made my way to the other side of the house where the balcony hadn’t extended to. I was right on top of the room I wanted to get into, so I peeked down over the edge to find a window to break in through.

Sure enough, there were two possible points of entry from this side. Now my only concern was making my way in without the guard on the balcony turning around and spotting me.

I looked around. There weren’t a lot of materials here that I could work with, and using one of my fumes to block his vision would most certainly spark an alarm. Dark, all-obscuring clouds don’t simply pop out of nowhere. Grinding my hoof on the shingle below me, a thought came to me. Perhaps I could toss something down to distract him?

I worked my magic around a shingle in the middle of the roof, wiggling it back and forth until I managed to pry it out from its place. It wasn’t large, but it’d have to do. I swung over the side of the house, still levitating my shingle along. Once I had gotten a good hold, I tossed my shingle lightly towards the side of the house the balcony was on.

I ducked down while it was still flying through the air, maneuvering my way down the wall towards one of the windows. A clay-like clunk echoed quietly through the night air, and I held still, watching as the balcony guard flared up with tangy surprise on my empathy sense, no doubt noticing my act of vandalism.

I used my magic to unlatch the window and pulled it open. The balcony guard had flown up onto the roof, leaving my entry into the room completely clear, so I took the opportunity to swing my way in, landing with a few light thumps of my hooves on the wooden floor.

There was a desk at one corner of the room, surrounded on two sides by wall-mounted shelves filled with books and decorative trinkets. A couch and an armchair sat in the middle atop a large rug with an intricate floral pattern. A few abstract paintings hung on the walls along with a few plants here and there. There was no sign of any potential package.

My brow furrowed. The room was actually L-shaped. I could’ve sworn that the butler had made a U-turn when he was in this room. Where could…

My mind went back to the cavern. I hadn’t even realized there was another entrance until I saw someone stroll straight through the wall. If the queen was using this space often, perhaps there was another such barrier here.

The guard was still searching around the roof, so I slunk down close to the inside wall and began to trace along it with a hoof. If there was going to be a hidden room, it was going to be somewhere…

My hoof suddenly sunk into the wall. Nailed it.

“Ahh, quite perceptive of you, Overwatch. This should be interesting.”

I snorted as I made my way inside. A light turned on as soon as I stepped inside, revealing a surprisingly spacious inner sanctum, though in a mansion, most rooms likely ended up spacious one way or another. There was a workspace along one wall with an assortment of opaque white and blue crystals scattered across it as well as several pages of notes. A few shelves of unspectacular boxes and items took up one side of the room alongside a billboard with a map of some sort posted on it. I also noticed a staircase going down on the far side. Good to know there was another route that didn’t go through two guards.

On the ground under the shelves was the package I saw being brought in earlier, and I immediately made my way towards it. The crate wasn’t secured very tightly, so I simply used my magic to pry off the top.

I narrowed my eyes. The only items inside were a bunch of books, of all things. A quick glance at some of them told me that they were primarily focused on…

“Illusion and transformation spells?” Crystal mused. “Ahh, there’s one on crystal enchantments and the properties of various crystals. Reference materials.”

I placed them back in the box, looking around the rest of the room. “But reference materials for what?”

I approached the table and took a quick glance over it. Arcane runes and circles were written over the various pages. Under the table was a wastebasket full of additional crumpled-up pages.

“Crystal, can you make sense of any of these?” I asked, spreading out a few of the papers.

“Yes, this does look a bit familiar. I have done similar research myself, though it looks like our new queen is taking a different approach.” She hummed in thought. “It is the basics of an experimental detection spell, and guessing by the content of the books we found, these enchantments are likely intended to counter the abilities of other changelings.”

I grimaced. “Does it work?”

“Uncertain, though because it appears that she is still working on it, we might be in the clear for now. It looks like there is some general dispelling magic incorporated into it, though spells to dispel illusions and transformations do not usually function passively. True sight, maybe.”

I looked around the desk more, finding a few notebooks. I levitated one over and cracked it open. “This one looks like an inventory.”

“More like shipping documentation.” Crystal paused. “That is a lot of material being shipped in and out of Canterlot.”

“It doesn’t look like there’s any particular pattern though,” I said, glancing down a long list of bathing supplies. “Say, would the name, ‘Veil,’ mean anything to you? My hivemates mentioned that this mansion was the property of Veil.”

“Veil? Likely Lotus Veil, the owner of Busy Bee. Quite useful to know.”

I skimmed through it, glancing through imports and exports from cities all across Equestria. There were quite a few items highlighted in yellow ranging from construction materials to arcane catalysts. Near the back though, was a section titled, “Cave Inventory.”

I swallowed. “Princess, do you know anything about any caves near Canterlot, particularly ones large enough to function as a base of operations?”

There was a short pause before Princess Celestia responded. “The only large one I know of would be the Crystal Caves. It's laid untouched for a long time ever since I closed down mining operations long in the past. The logistics and cost of transporting materials over dangerous chasms proved unprofitable and unsustainable, and it’s never opened up since.”

I looked at the map on the billboard. It featured a large irregular area with long uneven tunnels connecting large blobs of space. Entrances and chokepoints were marked clearly as well as a few central areas. "Nursery" was one of them. "Pods" was another.

Crystal chimed in through my communication channel with Celestia. “Looks like we’ve found where she has been hiding. Good work. Get back so we can prepare.”

I nodded. “Got it. I’ll make my way back through the sewers.”

I tried to rearrange everything in the room as I had found it and proceeded down the stairs. There wasn’t much down here, but I pressed a hoof to the walls once I hit a dead end.

My hoof was stopped at each of the walls, and I felt my stomach drop a little. I made my way up the stairs, suddenly wary of the thumping of the hoofsteps through the walls. Each sound, each creak and moan of the mansion, seemed to be amplified as I made my way back to the entrance I came in through.

I reached a shaky hoof out towards the wall. My hoof stopped.

Chapter 26 — Tastes of Mirrors

—

For the office of the Captain of the Royal Guard, I had been expecting something a little more extravagant. There was certainly an “Important Pony” wall with a few framed certificates and awards, though I had little interest in what they were for. File cabinets featured prominently, though there were a few plastic plants here and there to add in some color. The only really lavish item present was the giant desk right in the middle of the room, made of some dark reddish wood that looked really expensive. It was a shame that the chair behind it looked so worn out, as if it had been rescued out of some rundown budget store.

The chair I was in wasn’t much better, though it was certainly comfortable. I was alone. It was kinda fuzzy how I got here. Maybe I had an escort.

My pondering was cut short at the sound of the door behind me opening, and I turned around to find Captain Brave Blade standing at the entrance. He seemed younger than I expected, though his years were soon catching up to him. He wore an immaculate dress uniform with multiple bars across his breast. Though I knew nothing of what the colors meant, I assumed he had made quite a mark on whatever he did.

“Ahh, they told me you’d be in here,” he said, walking in and closing the door behind him. He let off a calm and collected aura, each of his movements deliberate and with purpose. He strode over and took a chair next to me, looking down at me with a careful, searching gaze.

A moment of quiet, and then, “I understand that you wish to join the Royal Guard. Is that correct, young miss?” His words betrayed nothing of how he felt. It was a simple statement, asking for but a simple answer, which I readily gave.

“It is, sir,” I said, returning his gaze evenly.

Another few seconds of silence passed as he continued to stare at me. “What’s your name, miss?”

I straightened up a little. “Overwatch.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really now? I was told I was going to be meeting a little filly named ‘Sweet Spot.’”

I frowned, crossing my forelegs. “I’m not. It’s a stupid name.”

He seemed surprised, his eyes widening just a touch. “Oh really? And why would you think something like that?”

I rolled my eyes. “Because what kinda bad guy is gonna quake in his horseshoes when they hear somepony named ‘Sweet Spot’ is coming for them? Seriously now. They’re gonna think I’m a baker or something.”

He snorted, and the edge of his mouth came up in a small grin. “Well, you never know. Bakers are quite well known for pummeling dough,” the Captain replied with a shrug. “If I may ask though, why ‘Overwatch’? It’s not a common name, to be frank. Why choose something like that?”

I puffed out my chest. “It’s what I’m going to do. It’s a declaration of intent! I’ll be on the watch for any criminals and always be ready to jump in. I won’t miss anything,” I said, trying to convey as much confidence as I could. I had to show strength. I had to show that I was worthy of entering the guard at my age.

Captain Brave Blade simply nodded. “Fair enough,” he said, readjusting his position in the chair before moving on to the next question. “What do you think the purpose of the guard is?”

I swallowed. “It’s to protect ponies, right?”

He seemed to get more serious. His countenance seemed to lose some of that levity from earlier. “It is, so what makes you believe you’d be a good guard?”

“Because… Because of…” I choked up a little, and it seemed more difficult to get words out.

“Because of what happened that night, correct?”

I took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded.

He sighed. “I see. I’ve read up on the details of what had happened, and I applaud your efforts in trying to make a difference. You certainly displayed a ton of magical power. That could be useful one day,” Brave Blade said, though his words sounded like mere platitudes until he finally got to the real questions he wanted to ask. “If… if you could redo the events of that night, what would you do?”

My gaze turned downwards, my hooves fidgeting. I felt an anger broiling in my chest, burning and seething. I huffed. “I would have gotten there sooner. I would have been faster. Better. I failed that night because I wasn’t.” I took a deep breath, lowering my voice. “I don’t want to be the sort of pony who couldn’t help in time.”

He let out a long breath, humming in contemplation. I looked up at him. He had narrowed his eyes. Even more, I felt that I was being judged. Now that I had said my part, I was afraid that he might have realized the truth that I myself had discovered only a few days ago.

The real reason I didn’t want to be Sweet Spot anymore.

She was soft. Slow. Insular. Oblivious.

Sweet Spot couldn’t help her mother in time.

“And what of his life?” the Captain continued. “There are very few who have taken another’s life away, and even fewer are as young as you. Would you kill him again in defense of your mother?”

The answer should have come more easily, yet I had to overcome a sudden paralysis in my throat before I could speak. “I would,” I said, still feeling the fury coursing through me. Tears came unbidden to my eyes, much to my horror. I tried not to disturb the moisture in my eyes, but they fell regardless. I wiped them away quickly. I had to show strength. I had to show stability.

He put a hoof around my shoulders and hugged me close, breathing out a sigh as the quiet stretched on.

“Why do you really want to join the guard?” he asked evenly.

I took a deep breath. “Because I…”

I’d put a lot of thought into this. I was supposed to be angry. I had been angry for so long. I had wanted vengeance upon all of those who would commit such a terrible wrong.

But I couldn’t summon up that broiling rage. I felt disconnected with my own body, as if watching upon this scene from the outside. There was a sinking feeling in my heart. Draining. As if it were falling into a vast empty void. I felt sick.

“Because I… don’t want anyone else to suffer as I have,” I eventually said, lowering my head and closing my eyes. Though it didn’t feel like what was on the script, it felt right.

“I see.” He released his close embrace, and I felt a little chill as the cool air blew over the warmth he had left behind. There were another few seconds of silence. All I could hear was my own breathing.

I shivered.

“So what about you, Nymph?”

My eyes opened, and I looked up. In the chair just across from me sat someone completely different. Her chitin was polished, yet imperfect. Scratches and blemishes hinted at a much more active lifestyle, relics of an earlier time. She was larger than me by no small margin, maybe only a head shorter than the Queen. Her face and posture were that of the quintessential broodmother, powerful and in control, a foundation for the hive, yet her melancholic eyes betrayed her sadness every time she looked at me.

Chorion. Mother.

“What is your purpose here, daughter?” she said, barely louder than a whisper. “Why do you follow in Overwatch’s hoofsteps? Why do you suffer for the ponies?”

A tear traced a line down my mother’s cheek as her eyes grew confused and bewildered. “Who… who are you?” she said.

I didn’t have an answer for her.

Nymph

After I had made it out of the sewers again yesterday in a safe location, the Princess had come to get me herself, teleporting us both back to the castle and saving me a great deal of walking. Since she had been looking over my shoulder for most of the night, the debrief had been blessedly short, though she made it clear she was still going to come for a visit before she had to leave for morning court.

A beam of sunlight shone straight into my eyes, rousing me from my sleep.

I scowled. Even here, the blasted sun wouldn’t let me sleep in. Perhaps it was the Princess’s way of letting me know she was coming. Ill omens indeed.

Breathing out a forlorn sigh, I sat up, looking across Amore’s chambers to the windows. The curtains hadn’t been completely drawn closed, leaving a sliver through which I could see the morning sky, tinted to a shimmering green by the golden barrier the Princess had erected around the entire room. I had fallen asleep on a small couch, though the blanket covering me was new.

I glanced over at the sleeping form of Lady Amore, outlined under a thin blanket. Though the decision to have me stay in her lavish room was surprising, I can’t say I was at all against the idea. Even the couch was stars above the hospital bed I was on before, and there was a perpetual light sweet taste in the air, like constantly suckling a piece of rose-flavored candy on my tongue. It felt invigorating just being here, and despite all that had happened in the last days, there was a bit of levity in the air.

So why did I still feel weighed down?

I flipped aside the covers and lumbered out of bed, making my way ponderously to the bathroom. It felt a bit too much like a dream, as if I hadn’t quite woken up yet. With all the things I’ve seen in my waking hours, perhaps I haven’t.

With a groan, I brought a hoof up to my forehead as I entered the bathroom. I remembered the manticore down in the sewers. I still felt the points of its teeth digging into my neck. I remembered the night before in the alleyways, the feeling of rain running through my coat and the shouts. The shivering. The cold.

I… had no idea what was going on anymore. The loss of control from Overwatch’s whims was disorienting enough, but the hallucinations were slow and insidious, seeping in when I least expected them and ignoring all sense of logic and reality. The rain and the thunder, I hadn’t even realized were false until somepony else had jolted me out of it. It felt like real life when it obviously shouldn’t be, almost as if I were in a dream state automatically accepting that which was put in front of me.

I stopped in front of the mirror, gazing up into the weary visage of the pony staring back. Overwatch. Sweet Spot. Nymph. I couldn’t tell who I was looking at, nor who was staring back at me from across the invisible boundary. She was alien. An amalgam of bits and pieces of memories and impulses. I parted my mane, looking at the silver ring at the base of my horn.

What is your purpose here? Why do you suffer for the ponies?

The words from my dream persisted in my mind even now. Why had I spent so much time trying to rescue the podded ponies? Why have I thrown myself into two dangerous situations back to back for them? I had resolved myself to follow in Overwatch’s stead, hoping to make the most of the life she had given me, and yet, I purposefully railroaded myself onto a specific set of tracks, driven by somepony else’s motivations. I had chosen this path, but for what reason? Overwatch was the one who wanted to help, but would Nymph have done the same?

I shuddered. It was difficult, perhaps impossible to remember what kind of changeling Nymph had been. I had changed so much. Been influenced by so many different things that I couldn’t even remember where I had started.

Who are you?

There was an outline of somepony standing at the bathroom entrance. I spun around, and yet I found nothing. In the bed beyond, there was still Amore, sleeping soundly. My breaths had become short and halted while I wasn’t paying attention, and I took purposeful control of my breathing. Another hallucination then. I had to stand firm, despite the clear signs of my deteriorating psyche.

I turned back to the mirror, turning on the sink and splashing some of the water on my face. My thoughts and ruminations haven’t always led me to good places, and now more than ever, I feared what I could find at the end of the line. Perhaps that’s why I threw myself at things. Less time to ponder and think. Doing other things provided focus and direction, a welcome distraction.

I grabbed a nearby towel and wiped down my face before looking at myself anew in the mirror. There was still at least one more excursion planned. The Crystal Caves. The heart of their hive. If the ponies were there, it would be nigh impossible to get them out of there by myself if I went at the problem head-on. I needed another approach. It seemed like Crystal had something else going on last night, so that’d be a good place to start.

There was an enormous eruption of water from the bathtub to my right, and I hurriedly moved my towel away from the splash radius.

“Heya there! What’cha doin’?”

“Hello, Lily.” I sighed, bringing the towel back to wipe off the new layer of water soaking into my coat. I looked up at one of the hooks on the wall where I had hung my holsters from yesterday. “Morning to you too, Crystal.”

“I worry for your mental state, you know.”

I took a deep breath. “I do too,” I replied, wringing out my wet mane.

With another splash of water, thankfully much smaller this time, Lily flopped out of her watery bed. She wrapped a hoof around me, bringing me in close for a squishy embrace. “Don’t worry about it too much, luv. If anyone can get past somethin’, it’s you.”

I snorted, but I still managed to get a smile on my face. “Thanks.”

“All things considered, you have adjusted remarkably well. We have run through this point multiple times before, but you are still very young.”

I moved to my tail, wrapping it in the towel before squeezing out the moisture. “I know, I know, but I should still strive to be better, right?”

“So should we all, luv!” Lily said, poking me in the chest. “Strive as hard as you want, but’cha gotta keep your limits in mind. Don’t end up with a busted throat just cause you wanted to get a high note right, y’know? You’ll get there s’long as you don’t give up.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her sincerity, and I leaned a little into her hug. “Alright, I get the message. Thanks again.”

We stayed like that for a moment longer, quiet and serene. It was surprisingly comforting despite the lingering water dripping into my fur, but I had to get to business sooner or later, preferably before the Princess decided to pay a visit.

“Crystal, so about going to the Crystal Caves…”

“Yes, about that. You know as well as I that attempting to rescue the ponies from their pods is foolhardy at best.”

“Yeah, you said you had something in the works?”

“Indeed I do, though I am uncertain whether or not you are going to like it,” she said, and I felt a little flutter of uneasiness in my stomach.

I let out a defeated sigh. “So we’re confronting the queen? You said as much.”

“I did say as much, though this will be far from a suicide mission,” she said. “I do have an idea to even the odds a bit.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “How? Because you’re going to have to do quite a bit to get me anywhere near the same level as a queen.”

“Well, Lilywater likely knows where I am going with this, but while you were sleeping, Lily and I were going over something she had procured last night.”

I looked up questioningly at the merpony. “Jus’ a book she wanted,” she said, shrugging.

“Uh huh.” I turned back to Crystal. “Just a book.”

“Phylacteries and binding rituals.”

I blinked. “Aren’t phylacteries soul crystals or something?”

“Indeed they are. If you have ever heard of liches, you might have heard the term tossed around a few times.”

My brow furrowed. “This sounds an awful lot like dark magic to me.”

“Only in the wrong light,” she said with a snort. “Liches use phylacteries to tether their soul to a vessel other than their actual bodies. As you may imagine, such an unnatural thing inevitably leads to deterioration and insanity, sometimes as short as only a few hours after casting. There is a reason the methodology is thoroughly prohibited.”

I nodded. “Alright, so—” My mouth hung open for a while as I thought about what she had just implied. “Wait a second, so if this is so prohibited, how did Lily get a book on that for you? Am I missing something?”

Crystal chuckled. “No, you are not. Lily had to sing her way in. In the right situations, her abilities become very potent.”

I frowned. “So wait, if she’s so good, why not use her against the other hive?”

Lily cleared her throat and whispered in my ear. “Sang a lullaby for them. While it worked well enough to get me in and out, it has a much ‘arder time of succeeding if the listener ain’t already ‘alf asleep.”

“Somewhat of a gamble to send her to the library, but I had bet that after centuries of peace, anyone in the Royal Library, whether they be guard or librarian, would not have their guard up and therefore succumbed to her song, especially any time past midnight.”

I rolled my eyes. “So the biggest counter is to not be sleepy.”

“For now, at least,” she purred. “In any case, back to phylacteries, if souls tethered to crystals were so prone to deterioration, well…”

She trailed off, and it took a moment before I got her message. “So what about… you?”

“Precisely,” she said, her giddiness bubbling up under her usual calm and collected demeanor. “A being even half of complex as me should not be capable of being adequately supported by a standard crystal. Eventually, I got to thinking about the red Heart Gems that the Sirens used, the ones that had given them so much power, far beyond what even a talented songstress like Lily could do. This binding ritual, specifically to a red beryl, was what had given them so much power.”

My mouth hung open for a moment. “You’re suggesting that…”

“Indeed. Would you be willing to attempt a binding ritual akin to the Siren’s?”

“Is… is that even safe?”

“I have reason to assume it is, if done right. Do you remember when you connected your magic with mine? While my idea is derived from the phylacteric binding ritual, the binding ritual I am suggesting would do the same thing you have already done on a larger scale. You know how much power I can add to your spells. This is how we take down their queen.”

I swallowed. “It’s…” I took a deep breath as I ran the idea through my mind. “I trust your judgment, especially regarding magical matters, but it’s just… so it would be just me and you?”

“No, I plan on also including Lily in the mix.”

“And you’d better!” Lily stuck out her tongue with a playful grin. “I’d been callin’ you my Heart Gem for ages now.”

“The power of the Sirens is a very enticing force to have on one’s side, even if we only have one Siren. She will have a significant part to play in weakening the enemy queen.”

I blinked. “D-does your spell work with three?”

“More likely than not. Even I cannot say for certain what will be the result—with magic, things are rarely absolute—but you know my hunches have proven correct in practice more often than not. We may have to get used to any unforeseen glitches, but I believe the basic theory is sound. The red beryl that I am occupying is far beyond what another crystal is capable of, and I, better than most, have a much better understanding of just how powerful it is. Confronting a queen directly and winning would not be just possible, but even probable so long as we are careful about it.”

“That’s…” I breathed out an airy sigh. By the sands, what a terrifying idea Crystal had just put out. If there was ever a moment to believe she was actually evil, it was now. I’d even have to wager my soul on the outcome of a binding ritual, and yet, at this point, I completely trusted Crystal. I had little doubt that this next idea would work just as all the others did, but I was concerned for a different reason.

All this thought on my purpose, the paths I chose to follow, and now it felt like I was staring down a cliff. Was it possible to even consider turning back after a decision like this? Could I possibly be normal after this?

Or maybe I was thinking of this the wrong way. Ever since I had cast the memory spell for the first time, I was already abnormal. Perhaps it went even further. Perhaps this road started when my broodmother taught me the spell in the first place, a spell that none of my hivemates knew.

Maybe my choice now was already set in stone.

“Crystal, I—”

There was a suppressed squeal behind me, and I straightened up in surprise, taking my head off of where I had been resting it on Lily. I turned around and saw Amore standing at the doorway, her hooves pushing her cheeks up with the most elated expression on her face.

“Oh my gosh, you two are so cute together!” she said, clapping her hooves.

I looked between her and Lily, who still had a foreleg around me in an embrace. “W-wait, no!” I stammered, trying to extricate myself from the merpony’s suddenly tighter hug. “It’s not what it looks like!”

“Oh, hiya there, Amore!” Lily said, chipper and unconcerned as she wrapped her other foreleg around me and hugged me like a teddy bear. “Wanna join in?”

Amore just chuckled. “Maybe later. I’d hate to ruin the moment.”

“You already have,” I groused, resigning myself to being stuck in Lily’s hold.

She snorted. “In any case, you have another visitor.”

Princess Celestia poked her head around the corner. “Ahh, I see everypony is awake already.”

I nearly shrieked, though I managed to rein it in to an abnormally loud squeak. “O-oh. Princess!” I said with an uncomfortable smile, redoubling my efforts to remove myself from Lily’s wet grip.

“I am only here for a little moment before I must be off to morning court. Monday calls, after all,” the Princess said, and I noticed that she was levitating an assortment of items with her, including a little plate of eggs and toast, a mug of coffee, and the sapphire she used as a communication device. The eggs were sunny-side up, of course.

Her sapphire lit up as Crystal began to speak. “Ahh, here to visit?”

“Well, I was hoping to at least see the spell that you used during your excursion yesterday,” she said and took a sip of the coffee. “I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before.”

“Of course, Princess,” I said, and Lily let me stand up and trot back into the bedroom proper. “So you only need me to hold it on my horn?”

“That should suffice,” she said as she followed me to the center of the room.

Just like how I showed Crystal my spell, I brought up the spell matrix and held it on my horn without releasing it, and it was only a short moment before I heard talking.

“Interesting,” the Princess murmured. “Form matches function after all. This is supposed to change her own magical signature into whatever she hits with it, correct?”

“Indeed, Celestia,” Crystal replied. “This method allows us to bypass the increasingly prevalent selective barriers.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I see, though there are a couple other things. It looks like it’s incomplete. It almost seems like there should be an additional point there, near the edge.”

“...So it does. I think I see what you are talking about.” Crystal sounded almost surprised. “It’s not a very prominent place for a rune.”

“Perhaps not,” the Princess said, stuffing a piece of toast in her mouth and swallowing as she continued to ponder the matrix. “So if this is supposed to copy magical signatures…”

“Yes, Celestia?”

“And Overwatch herself isn’t permanently affected by these changes due to her magical resistance…”

“Go on.”

“What if you use this spell on any other magical object? Other spells?” The Princess turned to look at the sapphire in her levitation. “Wouldn’t she just change her magical signature into a giant spell?”

Crystal stayed silent for a moment. “She would, and it wouldn’t even have any lasting effects because of Overwatch’s magic. Highly unorthodox to hold a spell on your entire body instead of the horn, but you could theoretically use that matrix to cast something before it dissipates.”

Princess Celestia hummed. “A race of shapeshifters makes a lot more sense now. It would make personal transformations a cinch if the underlying magical field could change so easily,” she said.

“So it does, though changing them to spell matrices and casting from them is quite something else.”

The Princess nodded. “Still a fascinating concept. I would be happy to discuss this with you further at some point, but I have to get going now. The nobility never does run out of its share of problems. Thank you for showing us your spell, Overwatch.”

I released my spell and simply bowed to her. “It was my pleasure, Princess.”

“Ahh, before you go, I have a small request to make,” Crystal said.

Princess Celestia nodded. “Go on.”

“The crystal you said would verify Overwatch’s identity. Would it be possible to summon it here? I want to be sure such a method is not compromised by the preparations we make before we enter the Crystal Caves. I will be altering Overwatch’s magic slightly,” Crystal said, pausing just a moment before she continued. “That is, if she agrees to such an idea.”

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I do.”

A strange thought occurred to me. Had I just accepted marriage with a rock?

The Princess nodded. “Of course,” she said, promptly summoning the crystal over and placing it into my magical hold. “Good luck. I will be back when the day is complete.”

Amore and I sank into our bows as she departed through the barrier. There was only a bit of trepidation within me as I mulled over what I had agreed to.

“You are sure of your decision? It is not one to take lightly.”

I rose up out of my bow. “I am sure. Will you need to prepare anything before we can begin?”

“No. All I need is for all of us to be present. Just link with me and I can cast the binding ritual.”

I took another deep breath, staring down at the swirls of green and gold in the crystal Princess Celestia had given me. This was me right now. How much would it change once I had taken this next step? Would it even change?

I levitated it over to Lady Amore and departed for the bathroom again to get Lily, though I hadn’t needed to walk very far before she emerged from the bathroom herself in her earth pony form, holding one of the holsters in her mouth.

We gathered together. “Crystal, is it… alright to have Amore there watching?”

“Let her. This should only take a moment.”

I turned to look at Amore, who was giving us a questioning look. “Hey, so… we’re just going to be doing that thing now.” I gave her a sheepish smile.

“Oh, the uhh…” she said, waving a hoof around. “Whatever Crystal was talking about. Is it really alright though, changing your magic?”

I nodded. “I trust her completely,” I said, turning back to Lilywater. We sat down, and she hoofed over my holster.

I took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”

Reaching out with my magic, I formed a link with Crystal, just as I had done before. It felt as if I had tapped into an ocean again, and the waves pulled at my magic, honing it. Giving it purpose. The spell matrix filled with an overflowing amount of energy, and then—

Chapter 27 — <<Crystal>>

THEN

Chrysalis

I looked up and scowled at the looming rainclouds. Perhaps it was all of my years spent in a drier desert home, but I have never been much of a fan of the traditional Baltimare downpours.

Luckily, I would not have to deal with this humidity for long. With a flap of my wings, I touched down gently in front of the manor house serving as the front for the Baltimare Brood. Maids and butlers immediately greeted me, opening the door and welcoming me inside with gracious bows of their heads.

Requiem, the broodmother in charge, came to meet me, looking much less disheveled since the last time I saw her. She wore a pair of red earrings as well as a large silver necklace, inset with a large ruby in the center. I nearly scoffed. She had always been overly concerned with such things as her appearance and public image, often meeting me with makeup and fancy outfits. Vain, but as long as it did not interfere with anything, I had no complaints. At least, not vocally.

“My Queen,” she said with a deep bow. “It is good to see you again.”

“And I to you,” I said with a nod of my head as I shed my disguise. “Rise.”

She straightened up. “I have heard the news. My compliments on how you have taken care of the other queen. I am continually astonished at your solutions to the problems that plague us.”

I waved it off with a hoof. “The entire hive has done their part in its perfect execution. I only provided a tool and a plan. In any case, I am here to talk about future plans, not the past.”

“Of course, My Queen,” Requiem said before gesturing me further in. “If I may, perhaps you’d like to discuss this over tea?”

“Lead the way then,” I replied, and she began trotting further inside the manor.

It was relatively quiet as we made our way to the tea room, likely a byproduct of the gloomy weather outside. It had started raining at some point, the pitter-patter of raindrops splattering against the window panes providing a constant drone of noise in the background. It was lucky that I managed to get here before it started in earnest, though stormy weather never failed to subdue the atmosphere.

Once we arrived, we sat down at one of the small circular tables in the middle. A servant came in carrying a serving tray with a pristine tea set. He carefully placed it on the table and poured out two cups before taking another bow and departing, closing the door behind him.

Broodmother Requiem took a small sip, though she flinched at the scalding heat and blew over the top a couple times. “My Queen, now that the other hive is no longer a problem, we can begin rebuilding, yes?”

I blew a few breaths over the top myself before taking a sip, though it was not nearly as hot as I thought it was. “Of course. They had no small amount of resources at their disposal, and we can start using some of it to replenish all of our losses. There is also the matter of replacing all of the infiltrators they had in Equestria before anyone gets suspicious, but I have faith that the hive will work quickly.”

She nodded. “The Baltimare Brood is already getting infiltrators out thanks to all of the additional supplies and love stores we claimed, though I have a few… other questions,” she said, staring down into her cup. “If I may ask, My Queen, what are your plans for after?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “For after? What do you mean?”

“After we have successfully integrated the resources from the other hive and recovered our strength,” she said, taking a sip of her tea. “What then?”

I took a sip, giving me time to gather my thoughts. “Hard to say,” I eventually said. “The other two queens were lying low when the outsider hive invaded, but Queen Mimic will not be bothering us any time soon. She was hardly a threat even before. However, the pesky queen in Canterlot could start being a problem again. I will have to look into how she is outmaneuvering us, but I expect to be focusing on her for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, we can resolve that issue before she can recover her hoofing.”

She pursed her lips. “And what then, after all the queens are no longer a problem?”

I narrowed my eyes. Something felt wrong, and I was immediately put on guard. “You are looking for a specific answer, Broodmother. What is it? Speak.”

Requiem glared back at me. “I have heard rumors that you are planning to send envoys to the ponies and reveal our race.”

I snorted. “A possibility.”

“But for what reason should we reveal ourselves to our prey?” She set her cup down on the table, still glowering at me. “With the defeat of the invading hive, we will be unmatched in our might. If anything, with so much power, our first envoy should be to conquer the ponies ourselves.”

I took a sip of my tea. “Idiocy. Do that, and we strangle out our own food source.”

She let out a harrumph. “Not if they’re all in pods.”

“Then we need to maintain enough pods for everypony, not to mention sustaining it for future generations.” I scoffed at her. It appears she still had a nymph’s grasp on hive management. “Why drain them in pods when they can willingly give it to us, and in greater amounts than the old ways? Pods are a logistical nightmare, and you would be insane for thinking that it would work on such a large scale in the long run.”

“Better than bowing our heads to prey,” she snapped. “To inferior creatures.”

“Times have changed, Broodmother,” I said, straightening up to my full height. “The hive would benefit far more from open relations with the ponies than the pitiful scrounging we force our love collectors through, not to mention what happened when those collectors were targeted, or shall I remind you of what nearly took out your own brood, Requiem.”

“So we throw ourselves into the light so that disgusting filth can find us more easily?” She brought her hoof down on the table hard. “Relying on such transient things like goodwill to feed your people, feh. The ponies would never work with us. Better to bring them under our yoke and make sure they never backstab us.”

I took another sip of my tea. “If you would monger for war, then you are a short-sighted lunatic.”

“And you are a fool,” she said, and her horn lit up in a threatening red. “But I will not let your foolishness ruin—”

My sense for danger bade me move. I threw my teacup at her head, where it shattered into a slew of broken porcelain shards and a splash of steaming hot tea. She reared back with a shout of surprise and fired off whatever spell she had prepared into the ceiling. Before she could get her bearings, I took hold of her head in my magic and slammed it into the table, causing the entire table to flip towards her.

“Enough!” she bellowed out, and she let out a wave of force, pushing everything in the room away from her and, surprisingly enough, nearly throwing me off balance.

She was strong. Much stronger than I had anticipated. Where had she gotten so powerful?

My eyes caught a glint of red, and I focused on her necklace. I had only given it a passing thought because I had never seen the real thing, only read descriptions of it. To think that this was how I would finally rest eyes on the fabled Alicorn Amulet.

“You are not fit to be queen!” Requiem shouted. She wove another spell quickly, almost before I could see what it was. A crimson barrier formed around the entire room, blocking off all the possible exits and casting the room in a dark bloody red. The rain had grown heavier, and thunder boomed in the distance.

“Better than you,” I said, my voice low and even as I summoned my battleaxe. I had always kept it close at hoof in case of emergencies, but I never expected to be threatened by my own hive. I had expected resistance to my new plan, but nothing like this. “Disappointing how even the ponies are more trustworthy than my own broodmothers.”

“Don’t you speak of treachery when you were the one to turn your back on your entire race!” She charged up another beam, a powerful stun spell by the looks of it.

I moved quickly, deflecting it with my axe. Lightning arced all over the metal head, and I had to distance myself from it lest a stray spark catch me. I backed up, reaching out to the barrier with my magic to assess it. It was not a particularly complex spell, but it was inordinately powerful. It would take time and concentration to break, time that I would not have with someling actively trying to kill me.

Or maybe not. Requiem had charged up a stun spell. She wanted to overtake me as queen of the hive, and she could not guarantee that if I was dead.

One problem at a time. I wove my next spell and fired it at the ceiling, burning a circle of green glowing runes into the ceiling.

I saw her horn light up in red, and she yelped in pain when the ward I had created instantly zapped her horn with a manabolt. I charged in with a downward swing of my axe, hoping to take advantage of her surprise, but she dodged back, shaking her head clear.

Her horn glowed again, but when the ward tried to stop her spellcasting this time, the bolt stopped dead at a barrier of churning black mist. There was another bolt, and I soon realized that her shield was swirling faster, as if gathering energy from the repeated magical strikes.

“You shall have to do better than that, Chrysalis!” she cried, and I lowered my stance and dug my axe into the ground to brace myself. Her shield detonated in a spectacular wave of force as if a hurricane had torn through the room. The ward burnt out with a burst of green flame, leaving only a dark ashy splotch on the ceiling.

I coughed, and it was harder to get a deep breath. She had released something into the air, and my heart felt as if someone was squeezing it. I was on a timer, especially with her plague and pestilence spreading in such an enclosed area.

Gathering up my mana, I let loose with a chaos bolt, a manifest of unruly energy. It was unpredictable and fast, almost too quick for either of us to react to, but it managed to hit this time. It slammed her in the chest with a ringing concussive blow, throwing her into the far wall with a crunch of plaster and chitin. With the traitor vulnerable, I tagged her with my next spell, a modified teleportation spell.

In the blink of an eye, both of us shifted in space through a rift in reality, far faster than any conventional teleportation spell, bringing us together just in the middle of our initial positions.

It was impossible for Requiem to avoid my axe, and it stopped with a meaty crunch inside her shoulder. My magic coursed through the blade, draining some of her magical stores to replenish the high costs of the spells I had just cast. With a sadistic cackle, I wrenched it out, carving out a large slice of flesh and rendering her foreleg useless.

She shrieked in agony and teleported away with a burst of scarlet fire, but not before I could tag her with my next spell. As soon as she reappeared, chains of ethereal jade materialized from her broken breast and anchored themselves into the floor and ceiling, binding her in place.

I let out another round of hacking coughs, my vision growing dimmer, but I steeled my strength, channeling another significant portion of my magic into my axe as I charged, bellowing a berserker's call.

My aim was true, and my axe buried itself into her neck, but this time, she didn’t cry out. Her eyes, wild and unhinged, had turned to an unnatural red and she instead grinned at me.

Her wounds knit before my eyes. Her chitin across her chest became whole, and her shoulder had been healed. My blow, rather than killing her, had only given her strength anew as she drained my magic. Dark magic. Necromancy. Unnatural magic which defied mortal comprehension.

She unleashed her next blast at the floor. The ground quaked and I was thrown back, but not before I could get a bite onto my axe and pull it out with me. Her chains broke, and the room was flooded with a thick gas. The stench of decay grew worse, and I let out a hacking cough. My lungs were failing, but it was far from just an airborne contaminant. Dark magic clawed at my body, dragging me down towards oblivion.

I sunk down to my knees despite not bearing a single wound, my ears ringing and my vision blurred. I was beside a window, but I knew from the red glow over it that I would only hit the barrier if I were to try to get some fresh air. How great it was to wield a weapon that cuts on its own. I used my axe to pull myself upright again, but the gas still obscured everything in the room. She had hidden her aura. I could not find her through my empathy sense.

I kept my senses open, preparing myself for attack. Even the slightest lapse in concentration could lead to my death, yet my blood grew thick and my limbs were reluctant to obey.

A disturbance in the cloud, but I was too slow. A familiar spell tagged me in the chest, and I was forced to my knees again, bound to the ground by the same ethereal chains that I had used on her. My axe faltered in my aura, the broad head striking the ground with a heavy thunk.

Requiem loomed over me, holding what looked like a large jewelry box in her hoof. Her neck streamed blood that glistened black in the crimson lighting of the room.

For the first time in a long time, I felt fear.

She charged up a final spell. It brimmed with her unnatural power, far greater than I had ever expected. Paralyzed, I gazed upon the matrix, glowing hot. I saw every single detail of it, burned into my mind at the precipice of defeat.

All at once, I felt a pull on my very essence, as if hooks had dug into me and had begun to drag me towards the box she held. At the same time, something foreign was burrowing its way into my body. All of a sudden, I knew. She was going to become queen not by trying to take my magic, but by stealing my body. I was being evicted, torn out without ceremony or care, separated from the font of power that marked me as queen of the hive.

My fear turned into determination. With a final burst of magic, I took hold my axe one last time. If she was going to take my body, I was going to make sure she felt it.

I aimed my axe at my own neck and hurled it, just as I had finally lost my grip on my own body.

—

I heard rain.

It was dark. My senses felt off. Different than what I was used to. There was a loud thundercrack, and in the flash of light, I made out two dark indistinct shapes as well as an upturned box beside me.

One of the shapes moved, pushing itself up and letting out a wet cough as it removed something large from its neck.

There was shouting and banging, muffled through the walls. The one who had risen cursed under her breath.

There was a bright green glow, and the prone shape was disintegrated, though I thought I caught a glint of silver and red in the ashes left behind. The acrid smell of smoke permeated the air in its absence.

It reached out to me, its head turning back and forth. The red that had tinted the entire room dissipated to a cool blue, and I was thrown with incredible force, crashing through a window pane and emerging into the open air.

I barreled through the raindrops as I flew upwards. I caught a glimpse of the lights across the horizon, only barely visible through the downpour. A city, perhaps.

And then I was falling.

Down, down, down.

I met the surface of the sea and fell into its watery embrace.

Chapter 28 — Tastes of Plans and Tools

NOW

Crystal

For changelings, the essence of who we were, our thoughts, bodies, memories, and connection to others, was intrinsic to our magic. I had always believed some traumatic event caused my imprisonment in this crystalline vessel of mine, which disrupted my magic and therefore led to my amnesia. I had theorized that binding with Nymph would provide a proper outside framework for me to access those memories that I could not access innately.

I was right, of course, and what I saw was… interesting.

I cannot say I was not expecting it. It tied everything together quite nicely. The feelings of betrayal and my knowledge of changelings, rangers, and memory spells were all explained by the memory that had come back to me. Even the importance of Canterlot had been explained. This was going to be ground zero. Canterlot was the last major city left unconquered by the Badlands Hive, and there was no doubt that Requiem was making plans to correct that.

I needed to make preparations. I needed tools and a plan.

All things in due time.

I had recovered from the binding ritual much sooner than the other two. I had tumbled out of the holster pocket I was sitting in onto the carpet. Nymph and Lily were still sprawled out on the floor where they had fallen, motionless save for the rising of their chests. I could feel their magic as easily as I felt my own vast reservoir of energy, seamlessly intertwined and effortlessly available.

Amore was looking at the ground and fiddling with her hooves, occasionally sneaking glances up at the prone bodies, but while I tasted worry on her, there was something else. Paralysis from indecision. The acidic bite of fear.

She knew something.

I reached out to her similarly to how I had reached out to Lilywater and Nymph. I had to nip this in the bud quickly, lest it lead to unforeseen complications.

“Greetings.”

She jumped, letting out a short shriek as she looked around frantically. “Who is that? Where are you?”

“I am Crystal. I would just like to talk to you for a moment. If you speak normally, I can hear you just fine.”

“I umm… okay,” she said, though she still shuffled uneasily from side to side as she continued to scan the room. “What did you need from me?”

“You know, don’t you. About Miss Overwatch. You’ve figured it out.”

“Oh. Well I uhh…” She grimaced as if tasting something unpleasant. “She’s… she’s a changeling, right? It’s just with all the shapeshifting talk, replacing ponies, the pods, the sheer idea that hugs help, I thought that maybe she was a uhh…”

“You are indeed correct, though I do suppose it would be pretty obvious to you, Miss Cadence, Princess of Love.”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know my name?”

“You are hardly an inconspicuous individual, even disregarding your paper-thin disguises. If the changelings had a patron saint, you would be it. I would be highly surprised if you did not know about the changelings.”

“I, well, I suppose I’ve had some experience, yes. Most of it was… was good,” she said, looking fondly into the distance for just a moment before clearing her throat abruptly. “But for umm… for Overwatch, did the real one actually die?”

“I was not a personal witness, though she bears scars from the incident even on her base form.”

“Oh.” Cadence pursed her lips. “Do you know her real name? How old is she? You said she was a lot younger than she looked, right?”

“Her real name is Nymph, though I would be cautious about using it. She is fourteen.”

She gasped, recoiling a little. “Fourteen?” She looked down at the sleeping unicorn with a strained expression. “I can only wonder how she’s coping at that age with… everything.”

I paused. “She… does what she can.”

Cadence sighed and turned her gaze to the other sleeping pony. “So what about Lily? And you? Are you also—”

“You do not have to worry about Lily. She is a merpony, through and through. As for me, I… was one.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Was?”

“Like I discussed with Celestia, it is an internal affair and one that I intend to resolve as soon as possible,” I said, putting on my calm diplomatic voice. “I ask that you please do not reveal this information to Celestia. I fear what may happen should she attempt to intervene without knowing the full consequences of her actions.”

Cadence crossed her hooves with a pout. “I… alright.”

Overwatch groaned from her spot on the ground, and she squirmed uncomfortably on the ground. Lily seemed to come to at the same moment, though she simply curled up more and started sucking on her hoof.

“Ahh, so she wakes.”

Overwatch pushed herself up, rubbing at her forehead. “Oh Celestia, my head,” she said, her eyes blinking quickly as they tried to readjust to the bright room. She soon spotted where I sat on the ground, and her eyes widened a little. “O-oh, Crystal, I uhh…” She swallowed. “I think I saw—”

Cadence stuck her head in, suddenly much closer than was comfortable for the young changeling. “Oh gosh, I—” she stopped to clear her throat. “Can I see you in your base form?”

“Ah-buh-wuh?” Overwatch could only stare back, her mouth agape.

If I could bury my face in my hooves, I would. By the sands, she was such a sucker for kids. “It is fine. She knows about changelings. You may drop your disguise if you wish.”

“I uhh, weeelllll,” Overwatch said with an embarrassed grimace.

“Please?” Cadence shot back quickly with doe eyes. “It won’t be bad. I’ve seen changelings before in their natural form.”

“Only if you don’t tell the Princess,” the unicorn shot back with a scowl.

Cadence rolled her eyes. “I already promised Crystal that my lips were sealed, now c’mon. Do it, do it!”

“F-fine.” Overwatch let out a deep sigh before letting her disguise drop with a flare of green fire. Just as before, she lost half a head’s height with her transformation, her thick scarf draping over her more like a poncho than a neck warmer.

The disguised alicorn squealed. “Oh my gosh, you’re so adorable!” she said, reaching out to start pinching the nymph’s cheeks. Lily raised her head at the commotion, her expression clueless.

Nymph pouted, pawing feebly at the hooves pulling her face about. “P-please no.”

Cadence’s hooves scooped up the small changeling, hugging her around the barrel. “Let’s get you some cute outfits! I know the perfect place we can get some!” she said, snuggling her impromptu stuffed animal gleefully.

“Oh sweet Celestia, no,” Nymph said, her ears pasted against her skull and her eyes wide in horror as she stared into the distance.

“On the topic of outfits, I thought you would like to know that I caught her staring at lingerie a couple of weeks ago.”

Cadence gasped, the corners of her mouth curling up in welcome surprise. “No!”

“They grow up so quickly,” I said, adding a sniffle at the end for dramatic effect.

“Nooooo.” Nymph buried her head in her hooves. “I can’t believe you remember that.”

“I have a very long memory.”

Overwatch took her head out of her hooves and looked at me with a concerned expression. I cursed internally. It is very possible that she had seen the same memory I had or something to that effect, and now she knew who I really was.

Lilywater rolled her neck as she got up before stretching out like a cat, complete with a wide yawn. “Ahh, so we’re bonded now, aren’t we? Strange. I don’t feel any different,” she said, clearing her throat and running through a few basic scales.

“Say what?” Cadence calmed down a bit, looking in confusion at the merpony, who had maneuvered her way into deep baritone. “Bonded?”

Lily nodded excitedly. “Crystal’s my Heart Gem now! Overwatch’s too!”

Cadence simply raised an eyebrow, her mouth open wide. “Huh?”

“Merpony lingo. Do not mind her.”

Lily hummed, bringing a hoof up to her chin. “Cor, I wonder what I can do now. Maybe somethin’ like uhh…”

She began with a middle tone and held it, bright and pure, closer to perfection than any tuning fork. It was about what I expected from such a talented singer, but her eyes, normally a hot pink, had shifted into a deep blood red. I was so distracted by the change in her eye color that I nearly missed what sounded like a second voice holding another note, but neither Nymph nor Cadence were singing.

Another second later, a third and fourth voice had crept in, and I realized that all of the voices were coming from Lily, each of them holding a different note.

Nymph’s mouth fell wide. “Is she… harmonizing with herself?”

Lily stopped with a little wheezing cough, and she thumped herself on the chest. “Oof, ‘eld that a little longer than usual, but ‘ey, I can sing in chords now!”

She went up and down through another scale, each individual step made up of four different notes, before perking up and clapping her hooves together. “Ooh, maybe I can sing the Song of Silence now! I ‘ad it memorized for a while, but it was always sung with a full choir and I could never get others to ‘elp me out. Called me crazy, they did!”

Nymph and Cadence gave each other nervous looks, though Lily continued on regardless. She started out with her own voice again in a warbling noise without structure or sense, but as the other voices joined in and she began retuning herself, it became harder and harder to hear her.

It was not just Lily who got quieter either. The ambient sounds of the chirping of the birds, the blowing of the breeze outside, even the breaths of the others in the room had faded out. Only a few seconds passed before all sound had ceased, despite Lily appearing as if she were launching into an operatic solo, singing at the top of her lungs.

Nymph mouthed something as she prodded Lily with a hoof, and the background noises rushed back in an instant as Lily stopped and looked at whoever had poked her.

Cadence shuddered. “Oh Celestia! That’s so amazing and also just a little creepy at the same time.”

Lily clapped her hooves together again, bouncing up and down excitedly. “Ooooh, that was so good! I have so much music prepared. You ‘ave no idea ‘ow many songs I’ve written! Might be able to finally sing ‘em all!”

Nymph furrowed her brow. “Wait, you’ve been composing songs you couldn’t sing? Who even does that?” She blinked. “Besides Lily, I mean,” she added quickly.

Lily huffed, crossing her forelegs and pouting. “I was a bit of a dreamer when I was younger, I was. None o’ the elders would let me get anymer to ‘elp me sing any of my songs,” she said, grumbling under her breath for just a moment before perking back up. “‘Ey, what ‘bout you? Feel anythin’ different?”

“I, well—” Nymph frowned. “I can kinda feel my magic being weird. It’s like… not all in one place?”

“You will have to start using your magic before you get used to it. Of course, I can always help with any spells you cast as well as with spells you do not know.”

“Spells I don’t know?” Nymph narrowed her eyes on me, though her seriousness was mildly put off by her youthful appearance. “Like the spells I saw my queen casting?”

I stayed silent, waiting as she took a deep breath, massaging her forehead as she gathered up her courage. “That was too vivid to not be a memory, which means that…” She lowered her hoof, keeping a level gaze on me. “Are you… Queen Chrysalis?”

“...Which memory did you see?”

She blinked. “Wait, so you are Queen Chrysalis? But then the queen I saw was… but then… Oh shoot—” Nymph suddenly dipped into a deep bow, eliciting a startled look from Cadence. “My apologies, My Queen, I didn’t know!”

“Neither did I until just now, though it does clarify a great many things in my life.”

She lifted her head again. “So wait, what does this mean for…” Nymph brought her hooves to her head again and groaned. “I’m so confused. What am I even supposed to be doing anymore?”

I stayed silent. Just what did this mean?

Preparations first. My end goal was to oppose the traitor and retake my crown, and to do that, I needed power. More than that, I needed autonomy, which meant I needed to escape this prison of mine first. In the end, I needed a body of my own, one capable of standing hoof to hoof with a queen.

I remembered the completed memory spell that Requiem had used during my final moments, the one that allowed the traitor to steal my body and my power. It was a mere rune off of what Nymph was already using, yet it allowed for a… transference of assets in all sorts of directions.

It seems I already had my tools, but now, I had a plan.

“For now, we complete our mission.”

She let out a resigned sigh, her ears drooping. “So we take out the other queen?”

“Indeed we do. Let us not ignore one problem for another.”

Nymph rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof and frowned. “So about that, how are we going to stop a queen? I assume negotiations weren’t in the plan when you suggested the binding ritual.”

“We can try talking if she is amenable to such, though having a backup plan is always preferable. In any case, you know that queens are not invulnerable. Though you have a lot more strength than you may think, you may not be able to go up against a queen like… like a broodmother might, even with the same boost in magic reserves.

“So we need to weaken her first, and we will do that by taking advantage of their hivemind.”

Nymph tilted her head and furrowed her brow. “Aren’t we already doing that with my memory spell?”

“Not in the same way. Ever heard of the downfall of Queen Spectre? She attacked another hive with a near infinite army, but a simple curse spread out over her forces eventually affected the queen herself and led to her downfall. We take advantage of her link to her hive to weaken her, and Lily will be instrumental for us to do so. Once we get Lily into an advantageous position, we confront the queen.”

“Just one last run, right?” She took a deep breath, letting out a groan as her posture slumped. “I’m so tired. We’ll see how it goes.”

“So we shall see. We have time for now to rest though, so take advantage of it.” I snorted in amusement. “I would still be careful though. Not all threats are so far from home.”

Nymph stared at me blankly before suddenly turning around, just in time to see Cadence levitating over a huge wardrobe with a wide grin. The doors to the wooden vault swung open, revealing a mass of colorful ribbons, lace, bangles, flowing skirts, thin blouses, and innumerable dresses that had threatened to burst out in an avalanche of cutesy fabric.

“W-wait,” Nymph stammered, backing away slowly, “when did you—”

Cadence shrugged. “You were hemming and hawing, so I figured you were talking to Crystal, so I took the time to dig out some of the old outfits I got from my foalsitting hours over the years,” she said pleasantly, pausing a moment before adding one more line. “I have another few dozen chests of old clothes too. I was never that good at throwing away old stuff.”

The young changeling stared back in stunned horror.

“I expect pictures.”

Myths — The Queen of Echoes

—

Resources were scarce in the vast deserts of the changeling homeland. To the changeling hives battling for mere survival, control over the few sources of water was often as important as influence in the roving Zebra herds. For a long time, the hives were simply too small and dispersed to encounter one another, but as zebras began to settle into the fertile river deltas, they became more and more aware of each other.

Conflict was inevitable. Although the population boomed and supplies were more plentiful, there were too many changeling hives converging in one city, making it impossible to sustain each of them with the food, water, and magic available. Clandestine battles for dominance ensued right under their prey’s noses, the balance of power see-sawing violently as they gathered more intelligence on one another. Entire hives were eliminated, and the spoils included far more than simply material resources. Magic was their lifeblood, and victories beget more antagonism as queens battled selfishly for ever more magical strength, taken forcibly from their own kind.

Queen Spectre’s hive was broken in this tumultuous era. Depleted and nearly completely wiped out, the pitiful remains of her hive fled, initially numbering barely more than a caravan’s worth of bodies. On the journey to what would one day become Equestria, the rest of her hive would perish to preserve their queen, but while their sacrifice was meant to deliver the queen from near certain death, their queen’s heart felt otherwise. Embittered and seething with rage, Spectre wished only to return and take vengeance upon the hives who had stolen everything from her.

So she searched Equestria in hopes of finding something to rebuild her power. While food and water were plentiful, the ponies had not begun colonizing the land in earnest yet. Tribes were split and often low in number, certainly nothing that could fuel the growth of a hive as quickly as she had wanted.

Queen Spectre resigned herself to a slow rebuilding of her hive, tempering her potent fury to a slow simmer. Still, she hoped to find some sort of solution to quicken her return, so she continued to explore the Equestrian frontier, leaving her hive to grow and develop with only minimal input from herself.

On one of her solo expeditions, she had gotten lost. The forest was vastly different from what she was used to, and her wings had been injured by an ambush by a roving band of timberwolves, preventing a quick escape through the canopy.

She trudged on, winding her way through thick brambles and twisted vines until she stumbled down a well-concealed hole in the ground, tumbling heavily over the hard soil into the darkness. Battered and bruised ever further by her fall and with the approach of night up above, she decided to seek shelter in the very tunnels she had fallen into rather than wander aimlessly through the forest. She did not want to spend her last days as injured prey surrounded by watching predators and unfamiliar flora.

Queen Spectre ventured further into the underground passage, lighting her way with the dim glow of her horn until she finally discovered a vast cavern. Moonlight trickled in from an opening far above, and luminescent flowers and mushrooms littered the cave walls and floor, giving the scene an eerie phantasmic aura. At the center of the cave was a pool of water like a mirror, crystal clear and completely still, reflecting the twinkling of the sparse lighting in the enclosure.

Spectre could tell instantly that the pool was special. She felt power and magic within its watery depths, and she eagerly set upon it to discover its secrets, hoping to use its power to fuel her return.

Days passed, and she was nearly at her wit’s end when she finally deciphered the magic of the pool. She realized that once activated, it could clone whatever breached the surface of the water, creating lifelike simulacrums. Though she lamented the limited mental capacity of her duplicates, Spectre realized she could still guide their simple minds through her hive link, and she plotted to utilize this magic. Managed properly, she could bring the incredible might of a fully powered hive down upon her wretched foe within seconds. She used a portion of its magic to enchant a wide-bladed glaive, her weapon of choice, binding the very essence of her magic to it. With her weapon in hoof, she finally departed from the underground cavern.

She returned to her hive for only a day or two before she departed once again. Her rage and hate, long smoldering just beneath the surface, flared back with a vengeance, and she left her hive behind in Equestria in her single-minded quest for revenge. Spectre still remembered the scent of the changelings who had delivered the near deathblow, and she traced it all the way back into the desert to their main hive.

She was alone in hostile territory. The other changelings engaged her quickly, thinking her easy prey, but while she was but one changeling, she was still a queen. Her anger fueled her, making her a titan amongst the insects scurrying to strike her. Spectre’s spear sliced out like a whipping reed, the thirsty edge searching out for the hearts of her enemy to feed the magic within.

The glaive thrummed with power as the first drone was cut down, and a second queen materialized from the aether, identical to the first. The spear found no shortage in magic to sustain the spell, for with every bite into changeling flesh, it created another doppelganger, each with its own spear. Though some of the false queens fell to spellfire, it was impossible to distinguish the original queen before she had split into several more. Within the span of a single skirmish, Spectre had created a legion, implacable and unrelenting in purpose.

She tore through the winding tunnels of her nemesis’s hive, only growing stronger with each fight, but the other queen was not idle. Within the walls of her home, Spectre’s adversary lured the rampaging Spectres into a single cavernous room, closing off the two egresses while the remains of her hive cleaned up the scattered doppelgangers outside, which were nowhere near as threatening once isolated.

The two queens were trapped. They fought, but it was clear that Queen Spectre had the advantage. The other queen stood her ground, but she was wearing down quickly. With her defenses nearly broken, she threw the rest of her energy into a curse of madness, flinging it into the mass of bodies bearing down on her.

It hit one of the clones, and it took only a second before the curse consumed its simple mind. It turned against the horde, its glaive sinking into another one of the myriad false queens and creating another mad doppelganger. Before long, the same boon that had allowed Queen Spectre to take on a hive solo had turned the tide against her. Like rabid dogs, the hysterical clone pounced at anything within reach, biting, tearing, ripping, rending in a mad frenzy. With the corruption spreading so quickly, even the hivemind of Queen Spectre found itself under assault. The curse was insidious. Insanity and madness found cracks in the sturdiest of armors, and even the most resolute of minds would have broken under the crashing waves.

Carnage ensued, and so it was that the terrible assault of Queen Spectre, the Queen of Echoes, was broken under her own strength, but not without exacting a near fatal blow to her quarry’s hive. She had taken the life of the queen who had decimated her own hive along with countless drones and workers, yet in her madness, she knew naught of her own success nor her own tortuous demise at the end of her own spear.

—

The silence was deafening after what seemed like an eternity of shrieking and wailing.

Slowly, gently, I eased myself out from under the bed where I had lain hidden, all the while shaking like a willow. It had been my mother’s own private chambers, a place of comfort and safety, yet within its familiar walls, I found only worry. The door had been barred, a myriad of furniture barricaded against the entrance. Carefully, I eased each of them out of the way. The dresser. The wardrobe. The couch. My magic worked steadily, despite the growing dread in my breast telling me to stay away from the truth. Away from reality.

The door was cleared, and I dispelled the magic keeping it locked before pushing it open. The dimmest of lights shown through the crack, and I took a few unsure steps out into the abyss. It looked as if a tempest had blown through the cavern. Cracks, scorch marks, and blood peppered the walls like tapestries, gruesome art from a depraved mind.

There were only two bodies, landmarks across a scarred battlegrounds. I paid no attention to the farther one, for the only thing I cared for her was that she was dead. Her hive would gain another queen with her death, wherever they were. The closer one though…

The body’s flesh had been torn asunder, strewn across the floor. It was nearly unrecognizable as the former queen of our hive. It was horrific and gruesome, yet I found myself unable to look away from the morbid sight.

I had felt when she died, of course. The entire hive felt it. She uttered not a single cry even unto her final moments, a display of her unerring strength and fortitude.

She was gone now. The hive was in shambles. Voices crept in from the walls, crying for succor from their new queen.

From me.

I felt the magic inside me, the mark of power belonging only to the queen, passed on from mother to daughter. This was what she had left me before her sacrifice, along with a hive barely able to stand on its hooves. The mantle of responsibility weighed heavily upon me, alone and without a mentor.

The door at the opposite end of the throne room burst open, and the guards rushed in to behold the results of the grim finale performed here on this stage.

After a moment of silence, they turned to me. “Chrysalis, my queen. What are we to do now?” they asked, exactly as I expected.

The world held its breath, waiting and watching. I had the fate of the hive on my head. With our strength so thoroughly decimated, the other queens would no doubt strike at us. This was a matter of life and death, but there was no longer a voice to reassure me. No longer a voice to correct my mistakes.

And yet the hive must survive.

My mind’s eye focused, a moment of clarity in the eye of the storm. “Get me a status report on the hive. Be ready to take as many of our supplies as we can and prepare to move out. The other hives will no doubt set upon us soon. We leave, or we shall surely perish.”

They bowed, unflinchingly loyal. “Your will be done, My Queen.”

I watched as they hurried off to their tasks, and the hivemind, rather than a backdrop of despair, turned quickly to hope and resilience once they had their tasks ahead of them. Truly astounding what a show of confidence and an imminent threat can do to inspire action.

And like them, no matter how low or how hopeless it all seemed, I would not falter. The queen persevered, turned impossible odds into her favor, and was always prepared.

I swallowed my nervousness and trepidation. There was no time for idleness, no time to mourn. There was only the path ahead and the strength to follow it, for the queen must always be the guiding light, no matter how dark the abyss was.

I took one final look at my mother and bowed my head in respect before turning to depart, steeling myself to rally the remains of my hive for our exodus.

Many may fall in the face of adversity and chaos, but not us. Not today.

Author's Note

One last chapter before we start the last section. :P

Chapter 29 — Tastes of Interference

—

I stared out the drawing room’s window to my left and blew out a bored sigh. A few books were left out in a disorganized pile on the table in front of me, mostly small novels left there to occupy my attention. Mother had asked me to wait alone here while the Queen was in Baltimare, and while I trusted she had a reason for it, my mind was going numb from the monotony.

Not that I complained about it out loud. I’ve never been much of a talker. I went through my training diligently and used most of my free time curled up somewhere to read on my own, so I never really needed to interact with anyling other than Mother.

But what I wouldn’t give to have something to do right now.

“Well now, what have we here?”

The table jostled with a wooden thud as I jumped, startled out of my daydreaming. I turned to find Queen Chrysalis sauntering over to me with a smug grin. “Hello there, young one,” she drawled.

I nearly knocked my chair over in my haste to face her. “M-my Queen!” I stammered out, pressing my face into the ground.

She let out a low chuckle. “You may rise,” she said, looking at me closely. “My, my, quite a skill you have there. You’re very good with it, you know.”

There was a pause as I tried to think of what she was talking about, but it hit me. I had been keeping my emotional aura suppressed as part of my training, though at this point, I was so proficient that keeping it hidden was almost an afterthought.

My mouth was dry when I responded. I hadn’t been expecting to see the Queen, especially so personally. “Th-thank you, My Queen.”

She hummed in thought. “Still, I don’t remember authorizing any rangers to be trained. I wonder why Broodmother Chorion decided to raise one up without notifying me.” The Queen narrowed her eyes, staring at me intensely for a moment before a slow smile crept across her lips. “Well, no matter. I think I have a potential use for you. Tell me, young one, are you ready to contribute to your hive?”

“I uhh… y-yes, I am—wait, I mean,” I said, looking down and fidgeting with my hooves. “W-what do you mean by that?”

“Just a… small task,” she continued. “One I think is well suited to your abilities.”

“A-are you sure, My Queen?” I said. “I’m still in training.”

She waved it off with a snort. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. It takes a very long time to learn how to completely suppress your emotional aura, and I’m certain you’re much better than you think you are. It’ll be a simple task, don’t worry.”

“I-I, well… O-of course, My Queen. I would be honored,” I finally said with another bow.

“Good, good,” she said, charging up her horn. “Come, let us be off.”

My eyes widened. “A-already, My Queen? Sh-should we not wait for—”

“Don’t worry about your mother,” she said. “She’ll be informed and you can continue your training afterwards. Come.”

I fidgeted with my hooves a moment longer before finally stepping closer to her. “Al-alright then.”

A ring of green flame flared up around us, casting an eerie glow over the queen and me. All of a sudden, there was rain and thunder. I felt the cold droplets impacting against my chitin. The wind had picked up, and I reflexively shut my eyes against the sudden storm that had descended upon us. Purposefully cracking my eyes open, I was surprised to see that I was still in the drawing room, even as my gut kept telling me I was in the streets of Canterlot. I still felt and heard the phantom hurricane all around me. The faint sound of hoofsteps echoed through the downpour. The room had darkened considerably, even as the swirling flames turned into a blazing inferno.

Out of the corner of my eye, just behind the Queen, my mother rushed around the corner into the doorway, her eyes wide with horror.

She cried out, but I couldn’t hear her through the thunderous gale.

And then, the flames completely enveloped us, consuming everything until there was nothing but darkness and silence.

“Ahh, one more thing,” a ghostly voice, that of Queen Chrysalis, echoed in my ears. “In all the excitement, I forgot to ask for your name, so tell me, young one.

“Who are you?”

Nymph

I glanced up through the treeline at the moon shining down on me, a constant companion during the past three days. My training back at the hive was difficult, but there was usually time to rest and recover, even during the more intensive lessons. There was always the thought that if I reached my limits or wore myself out, I could just take a breather, but now, it seemed that I always had to push, using what little rest I had during the daytime to prepare for the evenings.

In the past, I had those carefree moments when I had been caught up in a fantastic story and read late into the night, even as late as two or three in the morning, but my experiences waking up at five each day to make it to my guard shift and, more recently, slinking around at night on life-threatening missions have given me a wonderful perspective on the value of sleep.

I nearly stumbled over a gnarled root in my path and huffed. I was still recovering from the Princess’s long-range teleport, which placed me right in the middle of the mountain forests surrounding Canterlot. The entrance to the mine was a little ways away from where I landed, unfortunately, but it was better to make my way in stealthily rather than alert everyone with a teleport right at their doorstep.

I shivered. Though I tried to keep my thoughts focused, my body seemed to remember what happened last time I’d been in a forest less than a month ago. My skin crawled. I flinched at every snap of a twig or rustle of the trees as if there were a manticore ready to pop out of the underbrush and pounce on me at any moment, even despite knowing that there weren’t any manticores this far from the Everfree. Lily, who followed me closely the entire time, had been a constant source of distracting noises due to her prodigious weight until she started humming a low song of silence to counteract her heavy hoofsteps.

Not that there weren’t any dangers in this forest. Though wild beasts were less of a concern, there was still the occasional “pony,” likely outside sentries for the changeling hive I was approaching. It was easy enough to avoid them, even without line of sight. The cover of night that made them hard to spot also made stealthing past them easier. The suppression of my aura that had kept me hidden the last couple days also extended to Lily now that our magic had been linked through Crystal.

At the moment, I was making my way to one of the alternate entrances to the Crystal Caves. The main entrance that the Princess had pointed out had multiple guards at it, and I was not eager to waltz straight into them without a backup plan. The side entrance wasn’t too far away though. I barely managed to spot a small opening in the mountain, low and disguised by a few large rocks at the entrance. I sunk into my empathy sense, and it took only a moment to see that this alternate entrance was also guarded by someling just a little distance inside.

“Princess,” I mumbled under my breath. “There aren’t any other entrances you know of?”

“Not that I am aware of, no,” she replied, a low buzz in my ear.

I frowned. I needed a way in past the guard. A distraction, perhaps, though I couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t also raise the alarm. Using a fume to obstruct vision was a big no-no, and I was certain that Lily didn’t have an invisibility song memorized in that head of hers.

Maybe I could get in when they needed to change shifts. There was no way the sentries outside could stay there forever without tiring out, and they would have to be replaced at some point. It would be the perfect reason for any traffic through the entrances to the mines as well, though having to get Lily through as well made things a little harder. I made the decision to stay close to the side entrance though. There was a better chance of getting through here without suspicion since it was much less heavily guarded.

“I’m going to wait for a change of shifts,” I whispered back to the Princess. “The entrances are both guarded, and it’ll be easier to make my way in then.”

“Good luck,” came the simple reply.

I took a deep breath. With the forest being much less populated than the city, the effective distance of my empathy sense was significantly further without all the background noise muddling everything up, so I was able to keep tabs on a few of the sentries nearby. Hopefully, it would be enough to detect any fresh guards coming out from the hive.

There was a small hollow under a fallen tree nearby, and although it was a little snug for both Lily and me to fit in, it would keep us suitably hidden until the time was ready. I changed back into my changeling form to try and take up less space and slid in after Lilywater, leaving my loose harnesses just outside as I settled in for the long wait.

I squirmed around as I readjusted my position, feeling all the aches I had accumulated recently. I had spent a long time preparing myself this morning for this mission, yet I just felt weary now, as if it were at the end of a long day of work. I leaned into the warm body at my side, breathing out a contented sigh and letting myself relax a little.

It felt… good. It felt good not being alone this time. Sure, I had my queen with me, but having another body there was comforting on its own. Lily would have her part to play soon enough, and it would hopefully make my own part easier, even if my own part was neutralizing the queen. I hoped that it wouldn’t be a direct confrontation, that I could sneak by and hit her from the shadows, but if not…

I took a deep breath. It was hard to imagine just what kind of spells she would bring to bear against me. Magic could be a terrible thing to behold, and thanks to my queen, I saw full well just what kind of terrible strength she could wield.

My thoughts went to the binding ritual that she wove and what I had seen because of it.

Why had I seen that memory in particular, and so clearly?

There had been a jumble of images, flashes of the centuries of life lived. Some stuck out more than others. Two distant ponies surrounded by a flock of laughing phoenixes. A bloodied and broken griffin lying amidst a pile of rubble and gold. A queen mutilated beyond recognition in a wartorn cavern, surrounded by changelings.

Perhaps I had only seen that last one so vividly because it was such a life-changing event. Perhaps it was because it was my queen’s last memory before she became… Crystal.

The level of spells I had seen being thrown around in it though, even the anti-magic ward, was beyond my understanding. The amount of pure magical might used was far beyond what I had ever seen before. Such strength, an entirely different level that I never even imagined could exist, seemed so foreign to me.

I shivered despite the warmth around me. Could I do that now that I had bound myself to Cryst—Queen Chrysalis?

Several new signatures drifted in on my empathy sense, coming from deeper within the mountain, and I let out a low sigh. Just as I had gotten comfortable, too. I reluctantly dragged myself out of the hole, slipping back into my harnesses before transforming back into Overwatch.

I winced. That strap around my leg was a little tighter than I remembered.

I readjusted my gear quickly as Lily crawled out behind me, stretching out like a cat before going through a musical scale and working back into her humming. Two signatures had just now passed through the cave’s entrance and split up. I kept my head low as I stalked in the underbrush after one of them, who had been disguised as a pony camper.

I felt a little jealous that Lily could sneak as well as she could with little to no training on the subject. It was a bit cheating to just make no sound on command, though her singing proved invaluable in getting us past the leaves and branches unheard. We were following fairly closely behind our quarry, but we might as well have been ghosts.

A little walking later, and the disguised changeling finally met up with one of the sentries. He raised a hoof in greeting as he approached. “Traveler,” he said, his voice carrying over the quiet ambiance. “What’s the quickest way to the city?”

The sentry, a female rock climber, turned to the voice. “It’s about two hours due east, but it’s a lot of hiking,” she said in a disinterested voice, almost as if she were reading from a script.

“I’ll take a break then. This pack’s not getting any lighter,” the stallion said before shrugging off his saddlebags with a groan. “Home’s a bit unsettled at the moment. Big lady’s not happy after what happened yesterday.”

I crept closer, my ears listening closely to their quiet conversation. Never know what kind of useful tidbits I could pick up. The mare scoffed as she began to gather her items. “Figured. Heard something happened. Why do we need code again? It’s not like we don’t know each other.”

“Maybe. I heard that there’ve been some… unwelcome visitors listening in,” he replied, leaning in closer. “They seem like they’re part of the group, got the link and everything.”

The mare seemed shocked. “How’s that work? Think they’re listening in on us now?”

“Don’t get paranoid on me now,” the stallion said with a snort. “I can’t sense anything even remotely close to us. Just follow the rules and we’ll be fine.”

“Right right,” she replied, slinging on her bags before departing back the way the stallion came.

We trailed the returning sentry as she made her way back. About halfway to the cave, far enough away from anyone else to be nigh undetectable, I charged up my memory spell, drawing from the vast magical pool I had access to. My queen’s adjustment of the spell was seamless, nearly unnoticeable if I hadn’t been paying attention.

Just as all the other times, my aim was true, and the magical tether snapped right to the base of her skull. This time, however, the tether cast a deep red color on my surroundings, and I remained completely conscious. Starting from my horn, crimson flames ran across my body, changing my body to that of the unconscious mare. It was all over within three seconds, and the forest returned to the moonlit darkness it had originally.

I stood there in stunned silence for a moment. Lily just clapped quietly for me, a huge grin on her face, but I was sure she had no idea just how absurdly quickly this spell changed in barely a weekend’s worth of time. Just yesterday, this same spell knocked me out cold, but now it was almost like a normal transformation, save for the other hive’s link at the back of my mind. The world had changed slightly, as if I had slipped on a new pair of glasses, and I realized that I could see a bit farther in the darkness than I could before. My queen had said that the senses of changelings were affected by their magic, so had changing my magic forcibly changed how I perceived the world? It made sense for a night sentry to have good night vision. I gave Lily an appreciative nod and took the saddlebags from my downed target before we began the trek towards the cave’s side entrance.

It wasn’t too hard to find again, even in the dark over unfamiliar territory. Mother had taught me much from her experiences tracking and exploring, and Overwatch had an internal map as well. Even though hers was mapped more for the streets of Canterlot than any of the surrounding areas, I could still feel a sort of inner compass guiding my hooves.

I nearly stepped out into the open towards the cave entrance, but I hesitated for just a moment and retreated back into the shadows. “My Queen, Lily doesn’t have a presence on their hivemind, right?” While I had unsuppressed my aura, Lily’s aura was still hidden, and without that link, she would be instantly ousted as an outsider by the guard.

“Just call me Crystal for now. You may address me as your queen when I am not a mere voice in a rock,” she said, sounding just a little peeved. “And no, Lily is not linked to their hivemind, but that would not be a difficult task. She can already hear everything on our link, and with the binding ritual, I could theoretically mold a part of her magic to copy yours.”

I blinked. “That sounds…”

“Give me a couple minutes while I work this out. For now though, we need to get past the cave entrance without immediately setting off the alarm.”

“I might be able to just cast the memory spell again…” I grimaced. “Wait no, if I go around as the door guard and they realize I’m not where I’m supposed to be, that’ll be suspicious.”

“Ooh, just put him to sleep, luv,” Lily whispered. “You ‘ave a sleep spell, don’cha?”

I shrugged. “Kinda, yeah, but I don’t think it’ll necessarily work. Sleep spells are hit or miss.”

Lily stuck her tongue out at me. “I’ll sing too. It’ll be easy. You even ‘ave Crystal backin’ you up.”

I opened my mouth for a moment to respond before thinking better of it. Of course. If the three of us couldn’t make one sentry fall asleep, we might as well pack it in and go home.

I gave Lily a simple nod and headed out towards the cave entrance. I heard her soft voice behind me, humming what sounded like a foalhood lullaby in a language I couldn’t understand. I could feel the magic in the air, yet it simply washed over me as if I were a mere bystander, and I strode a little more confidently to the entrance of the cave. It was near black inside with only the barest of reflections from the moon providing light to see by, but my eyes adjusted much more quickly than normal, markedly faster than I had expected.

The entrance guard approached me with a wave. “Hello there,” he said, stifling a yawn. “What’s the quickest way to the city?”

My wariness shot up several levels. The two sentries had mentioned something about a new code. “It’s uhh…” I said, trying to piece together the conversation I had heard earlier, “about two hours due east, but it’s a lot of hiking.”

He nodded, rubbing at his eyes. “Take me a… take me a break then. Pack’s not getting lighter any time soon,” he said, and he trudged back into the darkness.

I waited until he turned completely around before I charged up a sleep spell and nailed him right in the back of the head. He slumped over onto the ground, completely out cold.

I let out a low whistle. Having a siren was cheating.

Glorious, glorious cheating.

Lilywater pranced over, smiling her ever-present smile. “Sleepy guards are prone to dozing ooo-oooff,” she said in a sing-song voice.

I rolled my eyes and trotted over to the downed guard, who had curled up into a ball and was snoring softly. I took a moment to move the body behind a few rocks and then waved her farther into the cave.

The cave only got darker as we moved away from the light of the entrance, difficult even for me to see clearly. The passages themselves weren’t all that cramped, but it still felt much more claustrophobic than the forest where I had started this mission. I knew how to track and maneuver through all sorts of environments since both Overwatch and I had been trained as snipers. Overwatch in particular was known within the guard as a particularly skilled arcane sharpshooter, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that I had inherited some of her prowess, judging by some of my time spent on the ranges at the guard barracks, so it was rather irksome that I instead found myself in predominantly close quarters and cramped areas rather than areas where I could take advantage of long-range spells and good sightlines.

I shook my head. Can’t get distracted by such trivial matters now. Lily had been biting onto my tail since we slept the guard, blind in the near darkness. I could see a little of where I was going, but my other senses weren’t faring much better. In addition to the winding passages, my empathy sense seemed like it had been dulled. It felt like there was something below me, but everything blended together into an indistinct haze, and the uncertainty made me wary about lighting up my horn when it was so difficult to sense anything clearly.

I stopped. Something had darted out of sight out the corner of my eye. It looked like a foal, but I only caught a glimpse of its tail. I hadn’t even realized anything was there on my empathy sense.

Or was it just my hallucinations?

I shook my head and pressed on. The last things I needed to worry about were specters and reflections of my own shadow. We were definitely getting somewhere though. Large crystals jutted out from the walls, some of them glowing a very faint blue, reflecting even the tiniest bit of light. Mining tracks had been laid across the ground here, and the ground had been smoothed out to accommodate them. A minecart sat abandoned to the side of the tracks, and a quick poke from a hoof confirmed that the thing was too rusted over to provide any sort of transportation.

With the flattened ground, I could also make out a large number of hoof prints along the track. It would make sense for a hive living within the caves to travel along the easier terrain, and following them further down would likely lead me much closer to them.

“Ahh, I think I have done something.”

Lily paused for a moment, and I looked back at her as she blinked several times in surprise. She let go of my tail and straightened up with an appreciative, “Oooooh! I can see now!”

I raised an eyebrow. “What did…”

“I managed to alter a little of her aether to emulate yours, so she can benefit from some of the same magic that affects you. Judging by her response, I surmise that night vision had been one of those benefits?”

I nodded. “Ever since I had cast the memory spell on that first ling.”

She hummed. “Quite useful indeed, though I wonder if… hmm… Nevermind that for now. Have you had any success in locating their city?”

I sighed. “Not really. It feels like there’s something here, something big, but I can’t get a read on it. You’d think that if it were the main hive, it’d be almost impossible to miss that many signatures clustered together.”

“I have not had much progress either. The crystals here are very good conduits of magic, which makes them very disruptive to your empathy sense. It is also fairly difficult to detect small spells down here as well, and speaking of which, I am almost certain you tripped something earlier.”

My eyes widened and my mouth opened in surprise. “I tripped something? I didn’t notice anything!”

“There was a ping of magic. I did not notice it either until it was already too late. One of the crystals was trapped. I caught a quick glimpse of it just before it faded into the background.”

I brought a hoof up to my forehead and groaned. “So we just set off their security system. Fan-tastic.”

There was a small crackle of sound in my ear. “Corp—al, everyth—okay? The connec—breaking up, over,” the princess said, though it was much more difficult to understand her through the breaks of silence.

“Too much interference from the crystals,” I murmured back. “Connection’s likely to break if I go further, over.”

There was silence. I waited for a little while longer, but the princess failed to send a response back to me.

I frowned. “Should we head back? We already tripped their security, and I’ve just lost connection with the princess.”

“We are fairly far in already. If we retreat now, we only serve to give them more time to adapt. They already know we can disguise as them and masquerade as part of their hive, but they are still much in the dark about the true extent of our abilities. The code phrases are already something new that they have introduced to try and counter us, but they will have changed them and implemented even more difficult precautions should we decide to come later. The guard we slept could easily reveal that we know at least one of their codes.”

I let out a sigh. “What a pace we’re setting.”

“We will be fine. Be vigilant.”

I closed my eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Everything will be fin—

I stopped. My fur stood on end and goosebumps ran across the back of my neck.

Careful.

I threw my head back and opened my eyes just as a green arcane bolt whizzed past, a mere hair’s breadth away from my muzzle, and splashed with a caustic hiss on one of the crystals to my side.

Chapter 30 — Tastes of Wolves

Nymph

My head whipped around towards the source of the bolt, and I cursed as four undisguised changelings emerged from the darkness, their horns alight and casting a poisonous green glow on the walls of the cave.

Too many to fight.

My magic latched onto the fallen minecart, surrounding it in a vibrant red aura before I flung it straight at the group with a savage scream. Once it was airborne, I sprinted along the rails leading down a nearby tunnel as a cacophony of shouts erupted from behind me. Lily stormed after me, her heavy hooves carving deep divots in the ground.

I peeked over my shoulder. One of the ambushers had managed to avoid the minecart, charging after us as he prepared a spell. I was faster on the draw. I tossed out a blindingly fast bola shot at his legs, and he tumbled face-first into a pile of crystals. Hopefully, that would slow down the group behind me for a good amount of time.

A ping over their hivemind. “She hit me, I’m down!”

“Tartarus. Everyling alright?”

“We’re fine, now come on! If we split up, we can corner them in the southeastern tunnels!”

“Careful, the unicorn’s a lot more powerful than she looks!”

Shoot. The tunnel we were in sloped downwards in a straight line. Not many places to try and lose our pursuers, and it was hard to run at full speed in the darkness with the abundance of tripping hazards in our path. The ground wasn’t completely smoothed out either, leaving plenty of patches of uneven ground in addition to the abandoned mining tools and wayward crystals.

And not only that, it seemed like there was always someone just out of sight up ahead. A tail bobbed up and down just on the edge of the darkness, barely visible only because it was a brighter color than the pony it was attached to.

The tunnel opened up into a larger cavern, the ceiling indiscernible save for the faint twinkling of the crystals high above. Deep chasms split the ground, and the tracks we followed were soon suspended by nothing but aged wood, rusted nails, and the barest of magic over pits of blackness. The creaking and groaning of the tracks beneath us were extremely alarming, but it was already too late to turn back.

I furrowed my brow. It was clear that this area hadn’t seen use in ages, but this was the only path downwards. Was I going in the wrong direction, or had I missed something?

The bobbing tail up ahead swerved to the left, and I soon realized why. “Hard left, hard left!”

“Ahh, bugger!”

The track split into two, but the support beams for the rails going to the right had collapsed into the abyss. If it weren’t for the pony in front of me, I would’ve been taken off guard by the sudden turn.

My eyes widened in realization, and I looked behind me. Lily had just reached the bend, but she thankfully caught the rails with her hooves and made the pivot successfully, though not without deforming the metallic rail where she landed to change her direction. The wooden structure below us let out another groan, but it held together until we finally made it back to solid ground.

The cavern funneled back into a smaller tunnel, the crystals sprouting from the walls giving the corridor a claustrophobic feeling. The tail still bounced sporadically up ahead, but I caught a glimpse of the pony’s shape from the soft glow of the crystals. It was small, perhaps not much smaller than my undisguised form.

We passed one of the glowing clusters when I noticed something. A ping from one of the crystals beside me.

The hivemind chimed in again. “They’re in the southeast branch, checkpoint 1A!”

“We’re on them. They’re just a little ahead of us.”

Curses. I couldn’t lose them if they can track me by which crystals I passed, and there were too many crystals to avoid them without leaving the cave entirely, let alone stop and check which ones were trapped. Not to mention, there was nowhere to even hide in a straight corridor.

I loosened one of the pouches on my holster, preparing myself to toss out a fume at the first sign of danger. I focused on the tail in front of me, watching as it weaved through the tunnel effortlessly.

The tail stopped, and in the briefest of moments, I got a look at who I had been chasing all this time. It was a filly, barely out of her foal years. She didn’t even have a cutie mark. Her fur was a charcoal black, and her mane was a shimmering light gold. She skidded to a stop, looked back at me with her deep amber eyes, and, with a roguish grin, stuck her tongue out at me and winked before disappearing straight into the cavern wall.

I drove my hooves into the dirt, digging deep furrows as I ground to a speedy halt. Lily nearly bowled me over before she could stop herself, but I managed to hold my ground. I didn’t know what possessed me at that moment, but I thrust a hoof out at the wall just where the filly had disappeared.

My hoof phased through as if there was nothing there.

I knew my grasp of reality was already tenuous at best, but I was finding it really hard to justify how my hallucination found a false wall before I did.

Lily let out a short whistle. “Cor, that’s a good find!”

“Lucky guess,” I muttered before jumping straight through the rock.

We emerged in a much larger cavern, winding its way farther into the mountain. The crystals were even more plentiful here, some even as large around as my foreleg. Unlike some of the caves I had traversed earlier, this one was much brighter, courtesy of the free magic within its crystalline walls. The filly was nowhere to be seen, though that wasn’t surprising given that she was little more than a figment of my imagination.

There was a ping from one of the crystals, and I let out a frustrated groan.

“South exit! South exit!”

“Shoot, how’d they find it?”

“We will be there soon! Join us when you can!”

“Just stall them!”

I focused on my empathy sense. There was still that fog, obscuring much of what I could make out, though it seemed even thicker down here. Even so, I could tell that the large echo I felt earlier down here was much closer, and if I focused even more, I could make out a little disturbance in the direction we had just come from.

The fume came completely out of its pouch, my magic already twisting and depressing the knob on the end of it as I tossed it back at the entrance.

The cylinder smacked straight into the face of one of the two changeling guards charging through, and he let out a surprised yelp as the cylinder spewed out its dark payload and obscured all vision.

At this range, my empathy sense was much clearer, and I could easily make out where they were even through the pitch black cloud. While one of them had been stopped momentarily by my impromptu gift, the other continued to charge forward at me. A few bolts whizzed past me, one of them catching a glancing blow across my side and numbing my flank.

I saw red. With a flick of my magic, I unholstered my axe. Through the adrenaline, a bloodthirst rose within my breast, the urge to simply sink my axe into his fleshy neck blooming like a weed in my mind, yet another part of me was so repulsed by this feeling that in my horror, I nearly missed my opportunity to retaliate. Dodging to the side just as he passed by, I reached out with my weapon and hooked his front leg with the axe head, pulling him off balance.

He fell heavily into the dirt, but I wasn’t going to give him any time to recover. I advanced quickly, but he twisted to face me, kicking out a back leg at me. Rather than go for the death blow, I vented my bloodlust into an animalistic bellow and a vicious jab with my axe, banging his hoof with the top of the axe head and smacking it to the side like a pool cue sending a billiard ball across the table. He let out a dazed howl of pain and surprise, and I landed heavily on him while his guard was down, knocking out his breath as I charged up my memory spell.

A victorious predatory grin spread across my mouth, and I couldn’t help but let out a triumphant laugh. I held him down by the throat with a foreleg before I brought my horn to his and released my spell. His expression slowly changed to horror as the crimson flames ran over me, leaving him staring back into his own visage for just a moment before he slumped back on the ground in unconsciousness.

That’s one. The other guard had seemingly recovered and was rushing towards where he had heard his compatriot cry out. I pushed myself up, bringing my axe up in a ready position as I turned to face him. He emerged from the dark clouds, and it wouldn’t be long before he was on top of—

Lilywater slammed into his side like a freight train and completely drove out whatever air he still had left in his lungs as her weight finished plowing him halfway into the ground. She stayed on top of him, and from the light from my horn, I caught her piercing red eyes and her rows of serrated, shark-like teeth. The partially undisguised merpony took a deep breath.

She let out a horrifying ear-piercing shriek, like an unholy chorus of Tartarus-damned banshees. I clapped my hooves over my ears in self-defense as she laid into the poor changeling, who was flailing around like a rabid animal, his cries unheard over a bloodcurdling screech I was certain even Princess Celestia could hear. Red flames flickered over her form, and Lily slowly transformed into a changeling herself, a copy of the guard pinned under her.

She finally rose, leaving her victim completely limp. Though her transformation was not as speedy as my own spell, taking perhaps twice as long as mine, she had unmistakably cast the memory spell. I even felt her on the other hive’s link.

Lily whistled as she examined one of her forelegs. “Yer right, Crystal!” she said, her voice unchanged. “Worked like a charm, it did.”

Crystal let out a wicked cackle, just like I had heard her make in her memory. “Of course it worked,” she purred. “I am a genius, after all.”

The hivemind was abuzz with activity. “By the queen, what was that?!”

“Report, are you two alright? What’s going on?”

Questions for later. I tried to calm my breathing, even as my heart threatened to explode from my chest. “T-they hit us hard and escaped,” I sent over their hivemind. “Lost track of them in the smoke.”

“Curses. We’ll be there shortly. Just hold on.”

The two bodies. I frowned as I sheathed my bloodless axe, allowing the magic from my disguise to conceal it from view. Once the smoke cleared, there was no way they were going to miss two of their own just lying there, especially with their doppelgangers standing right over them. There had to be a way to hide them.

I must have stood there for a second too long. “The barrier,” Crystal said. “You can use it to hide the bodies. Remember what Celestia said yesterday about how the memory spell copies the magical signature of your target? Tag the barrier, hold it, and then release it before it can affect your own magic.”

I exhaled. Right. Here goes nothing.

I lifted the two unconscious changelings off the floor and trotted to the side of the room, tossing them both into a small open space between two large clusters of crystals. I knew about where the barrier was, so I flung my spell into the clouds before reeling it back to my horn like a yo-yo.

My magical aura felt wrong, tingling all over my body like an electrical field as if it were ready to jump off or discharge at any moment. It was highly volatile and unstable, and it was all I could do to channel the strange energy through my horn. With a little help from Crystal, I redirected the spell to form a wire net barrier right over the bodies. Just as I released the spell, it adopted the appearance of some of the nearby crystals and rock, completely hiding the two changelings.

I felt four more echoes on my empathy sense arriving through the tunnels, but there was still enough smoke to obscure vision beyond a meter or two. Double checking that my aura wasn’t suppressed, I made my way back to Lily, who was laid out on the ground in the furrow she had made with the other guard’s body. I had to blend in. Be one of them. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

I brought a hoof to the base of my horn, putting on a pained expression and falling to a sitting position beside Lily as they approached through the smoke.

The one in front trotted up as soon as he caught sight of me. “Hey. Doing alright there? C’mon, stay with me here. What’s the quickest way to the city?”

I groaned, rubbing a hoof over my face. “It was uhh… two hours due east, with lots of hiking.”

He nodded. “Time to take a break then. By her crown, what happened here?” he said, looking between Lily and me.

“They threw something at us just as we crossed the barrier. Blew up into this dark cloud thing.” I winced and brought my hoof back up to my horn. “They ambushed us while our vision was compromised. Damned demon did something to my horn. Hurts to Tartarus. I don’t think I can cast anything.”

The guard frowned. “Noted. And what about him?” he said, motioning to my partner. Two of the other changelings spread out across the area, clearing out the cloud. The last guard had knelt down beside Lily, who continued to be comatose.

I sighed heavily. “You heard the shriek just as well as I did. I think he’s still shocked from being at ground zero.”

He stomped a hoof into the ground. “Damn, and we can’t detect them at all either. We’ll have to wait to see if they trigger any more perimeter alarms. In the meantime though, get yourselves to the infirmary,” he said, before addressing the guard right next to Lily. “Chaeta, help them back. It’ll be safer for them to have someling who can still cast magic, and we don’t want them setting off alarms on the way back.”

“Yes sir,” Chaeta replied before nudging the prone Lily with a hoof. “C’mon, are you alright? Can you stand?”

I stood up, slowly and laboriously. “Here, let me help him up,” I said, trotting around and lowering my head to Lily. She brought a hoof up and rested it around my shoulders, letting me pull her up to a standing position. Thankfully, she wasn’t leaning her whole weight into me. “We’ll be fine. Just escort us home and I can help this guy keep going the right direction.”

He nodded. “Will do.”

The apparent leader of this group seemed appeased, and he went back into the tunnels with the other two changelings, leaving us three alone to make the trek deeper into the mountain, hopefully straight to the main hive if his words were any indication.

That was one challenge down. Once we got in, we were going to have to worry about another set of problems, but we could take a second to gather ourselves before we arrived. Our escort was quiet as we progressed, likely remaining attentive for any sign of an ambush, especially with two “injured” teammates.

I took a deep breath, keeping an eye on my surroundings, but still going over a few details of the last couple minutes. The bloodlust that had erupted in me just before enemy contact was more than a little concerning. It was the same type of feeling I had when I first picked up the axe, back in the guard armory when I was considering whether I could really end someone’s life, and I nearly followed through on that feeling before I could catch myself.

It was a good thing I didn’t just murder that guard. I have severe doubts about my ability to cast a memory spell on a corpse, and the added bloodstains and evidence left behind from such a messy butchering would only cast further suspicion on us. Thinking logically, it made sense to go for a more controlled takedown.

But that was still after-the-fact and most certainly hadn’t crossed my mind at all in the heat of the moment. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something that had originally come from Overwatch. Perhaps over the years, the same motivation that had driven her to the Royal Guard, something that had become so deep-seated in her personality, had become something a little less… moral, and who was to say that it wouldn’t make more sporadic appearances in more tenuous situations?

Still, now that I knew what to watch for, maybe it would be a little easier to keep control over.

Or maybe it would just come out to play more often.

A matter for later. I had a few other things I was curious about. “Crystal, what did you do back there? You know, to transform Lily as well?”

“Ahh yes. That.” She seemed particularly smug. “Remember when I said that I changed some of her magic to simulate yours? I was wondering if it would also allow some of the same spells that work on you work for her as well, and it looks like it did, though I had to strip off a lot of pieces of the memory spell that were much more questionable. The transformation itself and the hive link were fairly easy since she had already proven herself compatible with both of those aspects.”

I frowned. “So wait. The spell kinda works on her, but how did she cast the spell in the first place?”

“I repurposed the magic in her voice. How did you think I gave her four legs in the first place?” she replied, and I had to take a moment to process what she was saying. “I have very limited spellcasting ability on my own, but I find changing the magic of others much more straightforward, so long as I am given access.”

“So she… sang the memory spell?” I blinked. “Wait, she sang herself legs?” I had never really put that much thought into how Lily was able to walk around as an earth pony before, but now that Crystal mentioned it, it made a lot of sense in a horrifying sort of way. She could alter my spells easily, especially now that we shared our magic so readily. Why not the spells of others?

Sure, it needed the combined efforts of a talented songstress and a changeling queen, but it was still kinda scary how versatile Lily could be without a horn, even if she had to break a few eardrums to do it.

“Well, to put it bluntly, yes to both of those, though our first attempts on legs were a story on their own.”

The tunnels had broadened a little, though the crystals were no less plentiful. Large pillars stretched from ceiling to floor, glistening in the dim lighting. Our escort—Seta…? Chaeta?—lit his horn, sending out a small ping as he passed one of the crystals on the walls.

So they did require a specific spell to disarm. Good to know.

“Ahh, one other thing. Nymph, while it is still quiet…” Crystal said.

“Hmm?”

“How did you know there was a hidden passage back there?”

My hoof slipped, though I was able to regain my balance by widening my stance a little. The changeling guard turned back to us with concern, but I waved him off. “We’re fine. Just lost my hoofing there for a second.”

He simply nodded and turned back ahead. It looked like he was headed straight for a dead end, though by this time, it was clear that not all walls were as they appeared.

“I… well…” I pursed my lips. “Call it… mare’s intuition?”

“Uh huh. Sure.”

Even Lily raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a knowing grin. “Muses talkin’ to you too?”

Our escort walked straight through the wall, confirming my suspicions that it was yet another illusioned barrier. We followed right after, ready for anything to happen. The magic on this new barrier was much stronger than the ones we had encountered previously, but we managed to get through despite the increased resistance.

It was immediately clear that this was the main hive. The cavern had ballooned out in size, lined with so much crystal that the underlying rock was barely visible. The entire area was bathed in soft blue light, combined with a multitude of bioluminescent flowers and mushrooms providing extra spots of shimmering beauty to the underground hive. It was breathtaking, like living among the stars. The most prominent building was a large spire-like tower in the middle, stretching out on two sides into a multitude of buildings in a circle surrounding a central plaza. Even in the dead of night, there was a bustle of sound as changelings crisscrossed the area like a thriving ant colony.

Amazing that such a place could exist right next to Canterlot.

“Alright, you know where to go from here,” Chaeta said, and I had to reign in my wonder just before our escort could turn around to look at us. “I need to get back out there with the captain. Make sure the intruders don’t get through. Don’t make too much noise about what happened tonight though. The queen’s getting really nervous about impending invasion, and we want to avoid undue panic while she’s still out. Word still hasn’t gotten around to everyling about what happened yesterday, you know.”

I gave him a salute. “Will do. We’ll be fine from here. Good luck out there against those monsters,” I replied.

He nodded before departing back through the wall. Lily pulled her arm out from around my shoulders, still feigning a bit of unsteadiness.

I took a deep breath as I turned back to the rest of the hive. This was it. We made it.

Now we just had to figure out how to get to the queen when she wasn’t even here.

I looked up at the crystals lining the cave. My empathy sense was all but dead outside the perimeter of the crystalline walls, and I knew from personal experience that it was a two-way interaction, a potent solution to avoiding detection by other changeling hives, especially combined with the illusioned barriers that only their changelings could pass.

I scanned the area, nodding to some of the guards around the entrance before trotting inwards. I remembered enough of the map that I had seen back in Lotus Veil’s mansion to map out where everything was, and I knew that most everything was in the central towering spire. It was the infiltration center of the hive, naturally the largest building in the area and housing everything from pods to magic collection sacs and even the training center and infirmary, where we were supposed to head to.

“Hmm, quite a collection of spells on these crystals here.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Anti-teleportation wards, for one. There is also a defensive barrier against outside attack or explosive entry as well as attack wards littered around the dome. Quite old and still very, very powerful,” she said thoughtfully. “Oh, here is one I have not seen before. It looks like an… imaging spell of some sort.”

I shuddered, feeling eyes on my back. “Maybe it’s a surveillance system, to make sure they can see everything that goes on in here.”

“It does not seem active at the moment, but we should be careful regardless. I would rather not be caught in a compromising position when we are surrounded by the enemy.”

I stared up at the crystals in thought. “Hmm, crystals are good magical conduits, right? Maybe we can use them.”

“Maybe,” she said, and I heard a little maniacal excitement creep into her voice. “Maybe we can even make them work with Lily’s voice. Lily, can you see if you can do anything with them?”

Lily let out a small hum, her ears perking about to-and-fro as she scrunched up her face in concentration. “Hmm… ‘Ard to tell,” she said after a long wait, “but I think I can make somethin’ ‘appen. Will need me a good vantage point though.”

I looked up at the central tower where we were headed. “As good a spot as any to start.” I approached the large, open, doorless entrance, an archway to what appeared like a smaller plaza. Activity in here was a little more subdued compared to the outside, but there were still plenty of changelings going in and out of the various exits around the plaza. Opposite the entrance I came in through was a similarly large archway to the rear of the enormous cavern, and I realized that the layout of the city was mirrored and that I had only seen one half of it.

The ceiling here was high, about four stories above the ground compared to the buildings in Canterlot. Four thick pillars extended up to support it, and upon closer inspection, I realized that the pillars also housed spiraling staircases within them. It was as good a route as any to get higher, especially since I couldn’t rely on Lily using those wings on her back.

We strode towards one of the pillars through some of the other changelings, moving naturally and with purpose and praying that it would be enough to let us blend in. Thankfully, they seemed to be concentrated on their own business, and we weren’t stopped by anyling on our way up.

Though the stairs went farther than the second floor, I couldn’t help but take a peek inside out of sheer curiosity. There was an enormous globe, nearly five meters in diameter, floating over a large crystalline pedestal right in the center, lit up with small dots of light and lines of text that I couldn’t read from my current location. Papers and record books packed the tables and shelves lining the walls on the outside perimeter of the tower, which also featured several large holes through which airborne changelings were able to make their way in and out. I noticed one of the lings hovering over the map prodded at a location with his magic and waited as several of the books flew over from the shelves to him.

It was the most enchantments in a single room that I had ever seen, but I couldn’t stick around for too long. Even so, just a glance at the tip of the iceberg helped to explain how a hive that only occupied a single city could possibly coordinate around the entire nation. I pushed it to the back of my mind as I went further up, bumping into a few changelings coming back down.

The third floor was similar to that of the second floor, though there were multiple smaller tables here rather than just one large globe, each one featuring detailed maps of each of the larger cities within Equestria. Though there were shelves on the outside, there were also tomes sitting in crystalline shelves under each table. Some of the cities were connected with arcs of light with brighter motes traveling slowly along each arc.

I continued moving upwards, taking a moment to also pull Lily along as she gazed in wide wonder at all the pretty lights. The stairs ended at a fourth floor, but since all the other floors beneath it were so tall, this was more like eight or nine pony floors off the ground. The tower had narrowed to the point that the stairs would be shooting up into empty space if they continued any further.

This particular area was more like a small memorial building than an intelligence center. Paintings lined the walls of notable changelings and a few stands were scattered around the floor with various aging relics displayed upon them. The floor was completely vacant, so I took a moment to wander around the edge, looking up at all the artwork shown of the hive’s leaders and contributors.

“Hold on. I think I recognize that one,” Crystal said suddenly.

I stopped at the largest painting, which showed an imperial changeling queen in a solemn, statuesque posture. Her eyes were hard and intense. Determined, or perhaps just stubborn. The label for her painting was in a language I couldn’t understand, unlike most of the other labels.

“Hmm, tis ancient Zebrican,” she murmured.

I raised an eyebrow. “You can read that?”

“It has certainly been a while, but I can still recognize the simplistic lines of their script. This one here means something like… Spirit, though the extra character here changes the definition a little. Phantom? Or maybe Specter…” Crystal let out a contemplative hum. “Ahh, to think this was where she had left her hive…” she muttered.

I moved on. An amusing diversion, though I had no real interest in long-dead changelings I didn’t recognize. There were two balconies, one on each side of the tower, and I stepped out onto one of them, facing away from the entrance we had arrived in.

Lily trotted over to the railing, leaning over it in wide wonder. “Cor, what a sight! Yeah, I think this place’ll work jus’ fine for what you need, luv. Golly, this place is huge.”

I walked up next to her. It presented a commanding view of one half of the underground hive and really highlighted just how large this place was. Perhaps not a true city, but it wouldn’t be completely wrong to call it almost a third district of Canterlot. “Amazing how big this place is,” I said wistfully. “I wonder if it’d be called. Does it even have a name?”

“Who is to say. There might not be a name for it at all.”

I sighed. “Such a place really should have some sort of name besides just ‘main hive.’ It would be such a disservice.” I shook my head. “Well, now that we’ve gotten Lily to a good spot, we just need to find the queen.”

“No need. We just need to make her come to us. Spark some sort of emergency.”

Lily snapped up a sharp salute. “Y’can count on me for that, luv! I can get a show started, no problem.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Enough to cause mass panic and widespread hysteria?”

She only smirked back at me. “You need to ask, mum?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not your mom, but that’ll work as long as you can do it without putting yourself in harm’s way.”

“I trust Lily to think of a way, though we will have to find somewhere we can isolate the queen once she arrives. The binding ritual may have granted you access to a greater suite of power, but it would be best if we did not burn our strength and efforts fending off the chaff.”

“Agreed, but where would she go in times of emergency?” I leaned on the balcony, supporting my head with my hoof on my cheek. I suppressed our auras in the meantime. Though the evening’s traffic was limited to the floors below us, it wouldn’t do for a random changeling to sense us two up here at this stage in our mission.

“Hard to tell when we cannot be certain of the layout, but I may have a clue. Do you remember the enchantments on the crystals?”

I nodded. “I do.”

“I have been taking a look at some of the enchantments, and there is a much better view from up here, so close to them. The surveillance spell and the attack wards both seem to be connected to an underlying network, which would allow them to be controlled from a remote location. If the hive were under attack, it would make sense for someling to direct the hive’s defenses from a secure command center, would it not?”

I rubbed my chin with a hoof. “Do we even know where that place could be?”

“Right in front of us. Do you see that entrance in the back?”

I squinted at the far end of the cavern. Just as there was a tunnel at the entrance that we came through, there was a moderately sized tunnel there as well, though this one had an elaborately decorated circular frame around the opening carved directly from the crystals. “You think it’s back there?”

“That is where the network seems to be originating from.”

I took a deep breath. “Right. There next,” I said as I continued to scan the area down below. “Hmm, I don’t see any guards down there. It seems like a pretty important place, so why is it unguarded?”

“You are thinking of it too much like a pony. Keep in mind that changelings have likely been the only ones with access to that chamber, and all of them work for the good of the hive. Putting guards on a location this deep in the hive is a waste of hooves.” She paused, thinking. “So long as the hive is unified, that is.”

“But they never counted on encountering an outsider, have they,” I mused, bringing my gaze over the hive’s denizens. “A pony would find this kind of security almost comical.”

“They never needed better. Ponies were forced to create strong security measures because it was difficult to tell who to trust. They do not have the link that binds a changeling hive together, yet as they adapt to overcome it, they become stronger.”

I nodded. “And that’s why we can’t give them time to adapt.” I gave a quick nod to Lily, who gave me a wide grin and saluted me, and trotted back to the stairs.

I trotted downwards after passing through the circular archway, unimpeded in my path. I wasn’t even sure anyling had even noticed me heading down this way.

The tunnel was mostly the same as many of the other tunnels I had headed down, though this one had much smoother and featureless ground, notably easier to walk over. I would have thought I was walking down a red carpet if the floor were made of anything except well… rock.

When I reached the end, there was something I hadn’t seen at all during my entire time underground, and I had to rub my eyes to see if it wasn’t just a trick of the light.

It was a door. This particular one was a set of large double doors, ornately decorated with carvings of mythical beasts and beautiful landscapes. Featuring prominently in multiple places were carvings of a changeling queen, the same one in the largest painting on the memorial floor of the tower.

I pressed a hoof on it, feeling some of the old features. “Well… this is new.”

“No keyhole either. Hmm…”

There had to be a way past it. If there was no keyhole, there had to be another way through, but what?

I pulled out my knife and tried to pry it in between the two doors, but the gap between them was nearly nonexistent. I resheathed it and braced my shoulder against the door.

Alright. One.

Two.

Three…

I nearly put all my weight into trying to open the door when I caught something moving out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look, and I found the little filly again trotting over to me from down the passageway. She gave me a little wave before stopping right next to me in front of the door.

The filly simply looked at me for a few moments, raising an eyebrow as if amused by my antics, before she raised her hoof and simply thrust it through the door. She stuck her tongue out at me and then simply walked through the door as if it wasn’t there.

The last time she did this, she had walked straight through a barrier I didn’t know was there, so maybe…

I checked my magic. It was still changed at the moment and I still had the other hive’s link, so if it was a barrier, it wasn’t a conventional one, which made sense for a room this important, but then I needed some other way of getting through it.

I blinked. “Crystal.”

“No, I have not thought of a way past it yet.”

I rolled my eyes. “Crystal, the memory spell changes my aura to whatever magic or spell thing I hit with it, right?”

“...Yes, it does. It does not appear as if you could hold a spell for very long before you had to release it, but yes.”

Breathe in. Breathe out. I didn’t need to hold it for very long. Just long enough.

I charged up my memory spell and tagged the door with it. Instantly, it caught on something, and I reeled it back quickly. Just like before, my aura shifted, tingling over my body like electricity, but I held it in.

I took a step forward and merged into the door. My magical aura mixed with that of the door, but it wasn’t complete—more like oil with water—but it was enough to let me travel straight through the door and pop out on the other side, albeit not necessarily in the same orientation I had going into the door.

I picked myself up off of the floor, rubbing my aching snout as I wearily opened my eyes. My aura gave one final shudder before snapping back into its original form, as if I had never cast the memory spell to begin with. Thankfully, I still had the other hive’s link at the back of my mind, so it didn’t snap all the way back, but it was good to know that even if I didn’t cast whatever I picked up on my memory spell, it wouldn’t horribly disfigure my magic, unlike when I cast the spell on a pony. Ugh.

The chamber I was in was about the size of an amphitheatre. The top of the cavern was a near-perfect dome, lined with crystals even more thickly than the main city I had just left, and I could feel the magic lying dormant within its crystalline shell. At the center was a circular pedestal, atop which sat a single, elaborate throne. I peeked around the throne and saw that there was another double door at the other end, though this one was smaller than the door I had just come out of.

“This layout… it is similar to the structure of some of the older hives. Those doors likely lead to the Queen’s Quarters. It is a bit curious that she would use her throne room as a center for command, but the crystals do make such an idea very simple to implement. Still, that means that this room is a dead end. Only one way in and out.”

I looked back at the door. It was clearly a different sort of barrier. I wasn’t sure if it would hold the queen as well, but there were other methods of blocking off that entrance. Just needed to draw the prey back home.

I bared my teeth in a wide, wolfish grin. “Lily, make some noise.”

Chapter 31 — Tastes of Masters

Lilywater

I rubbed my hooves together in anticipation as I drew my gaze over the crystal-lined ceiling. There were loads of possibilities with an amphitheatre like this, and such a network would let me weave together something really spectacular.

So it was a panic she wanted, was it? Something to draw their queen back to the hive?

I tapped a hoof to my chin. It was a lot easier to bring out emotions or the like if my audience was already feelin’ those emotions naturally, but everyone here was just going about their normal business. Sure, I could always brute-force a riot with an echo chamber like this, but that would be overkill for something as simple as just giving them a little fright. After all…

What emotion could be more natural than fear?

I closed my eyes. Fear. Horror. Dread. From the darkness, I drew up the tales I was told back at the temple, stories meant to warn against the terrors of the deep and scare the ignorant and young alike into obedience. They were murmurs of monsters never meant to be seen with names never meant to be uttered, whispers of the blasphemous.

With that kinda perspective, it was only natural to begin with nothing. Though I could only see blackness, I felt my muses beside me, their voices crooning a melody of silence. Through this prelude, we conveyed their insignificance in the vast emptiness of this world, their voices all but nothing when compared to infinity. One by one, they stopped in their work. One by one, their transient souls saw a glimmer of understanding.

A pause. A brief respite as we drew in our breaths.

All at once, we let loose a shriek even more terrifying than the one we had voiced previously, a vicious blight to plague both their ears and their minds. We sang together in beautiful, terrible harmony, for the voice of the profane was too horrible to be emulated with just a single voice. The bulwarks of the mind were no match for the insidious truth echoed within each exquisite chord.

I wove together the spell, casting it out like a wide net over my captive listeners. Primal panic took hold as the line between fiction and reality blurred into madness, and they began to see the unseen horrors and fear for their lives. Their desperate cries echoed off of the unfeeling stone, echoing together in a ghastly chorus.

We raised our voices in unison, and the very ground quaked. Let them feel its approach. Let them feel that which threatened to swallow them whole.

There can be no escape from the edge of oblivion.

There can be no refuge from this Tartarus.

Myiasis

I raced back to the hive, still trailing the green flames of my teleport into the Crystal Caves. The hivemind was filled with the horrid wailing of my children, and all attempts to ascertain the nature of the attack fell on deaf ears.

I passed the threshold into the hive itself, and found nothing but pandemonium. The wailing had amplified tenfold, and the earth shook under my hooves. A shriek unlike any I had ever heard echoed from the very walls, clawing and worming its way into my mind. Drones and workers alike were caught in the throes of terror, fleeing without aim, their eyes wide open yet unseeing, so incoherent and desperate that they could not even recognize their own queen.

What in Equestria was this damned sorcery? Fear took hold over my heart, spilling over from the hivemind. Was it Chrysalis? Now?

It was too early. Too quick. I hadn’t completed any of my preparations yet. Mere days ago, her pawns had been all but eliminated and driven out from Canterlot, yet they still had the capacity to unleash something like this?

Perhaps this was how they eliminated the invader queen. Perhaps what was occurring before my very eyes was the fall of my hive, and I was but standing on the precipice of extinction.

I spurred my hooves into motion.

Nymph

It was a very good thing that my connection to Lily deadened the pull of her songs on me, because if weren’t for that and the muting effect of the crystal-lined caverns, I would probably be having a heart attack right now.

Oh sweet Celestia, I was going to face down a queen.

I shuddered in the shadows next to the entrance, a sneeze away from curling up in a fetal position. There weren’t many places to hide down here, but it wasn’t like it really mattered against the assault on my senses from above me. I had always been hypersensitive to the emotions of others, and it was difficult not to get swept up in the fear forcibly drilling in just a little above me. Doubt was beginning to seep in, even though I knew it was just an aftereffect of the sympathetic empathy.

I’m not going to die I’m not going to die I’mnotgoingtodieI’mnotgonnadie—

Stop. Calm down. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I’m certain the whole “gasping for air” thing was just in my head.

I tilted my head up to see the little filly looking at me with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. I glared at her.

Shut up. You’re also in my head.

The door burst open, and I nearly jumped out of my skin in surprise as the queen shoved her way through. She looked haggard, her steps not quite steady as she made her way to the pedestal. It looked like whatever evil Lily was stirring up was affecting her just as hard as, if not harder than, it was affecting me.

“Move fast,” Crystal said urgently. “If she gets to that throne, she will be able to locate Lily.”

I scowled, forcing life into my leaden limbs. I shot the memory spell at the open door now that I had seen that the queen couldn’t phase through it and spread it across the entire entrance, sealing her inside with me.

She whipped back to look at me, startled by my presence for just a moment before she snarled at me. “You! Vile spawn of Chrysalis!”

I growled back at her before drawing upon my connection with Crystal. In the blink of an eye, I sent out my bola, nothing more than a red streak with the power I had put into it.

The queen drew up a glowing green shield just in time, deflecting my bola to the side. I winced as the shot pierced into the wall like a cannonball, sending shards of crystals flying everywhere. I was almost thankful that she had managed to block it. I had only intended it to be strong enough to immobilize her, not cut her in half!

The queen let out a cry of fury. “Such strength you hold in that tiny frame of yours, child! Or is it really you, Queen Chrysalis, hiding behind the guise of a pony?” she shouted, charging up a retaliation spell. “If so, I will tell you this, greedy subjugator! Canterlot is mine!”

My eyes widened. It was a big spell, and it had the might of a changeling queen behind it. Goosebumps ran across my entire body as I felt the magic roll off her horn. I drew my remaining fume, activating it before it even completely left its pouch and tossing it straight in her direction.

“Ha!” she cried out, batting the canister to the side with a swift hoof. “Your tricks won’t help you here! This is my domain! Mine!”

The fume burst, but it wasn’t fast enough to fill the cavern. The queen trained a murderous gaze on me as the cloud spread, her mouth drawn back in a savage snarl. “You do not belong in my world!” she shrieked before releasing her spell into the crystalline dome surrounding us. “I am Queen Myiasis of the Canterlot Hive, and you will know why I am the Queen of Mirrors! Step beyond the looking glass, and be lost in your reflection!”

The entire cavern shifted as the magic spread across the crystal network, and I looked up as the light that had once been there shifted into a brilliant white. My body locked up as I stared into it, blinded, yet mesmerized. A sharp pain stabbed through my heart, as if a harpoon had been shot straight through it, yet I could not even call out. It settled in like a lead weight, stubbornly sinking its hooks in.

“Resist, you fool! Resist!”

It pulled at me, and my consciousness followed.

r e s is t

Urrrggghhhh…

Unnnngggggghhhhh…

I tried to block out the light working its way through my eyelids. Why was it so bright down in the sleeping chamber? And why did my bed feel so… soft? Well, maybe not really soft. It was like some sort of firm foam. The blanket was a tad thin too, but as a Royal Guard living mostly in the barracks, I was fairly used to crappy blankets. Maybe I just slept on the wrong side of the bed.

My eyes slowly opened, having adjusted to the light more, and I finally got a good look at my surroundings. It was the hospital bed in Canterlot Castle, the one that I had found myself waking up to after the party with Fanc—

“Ahh, good morning, Corporal. It seems you’ve finally woken up.”

My eyes turned to a smiling Princess Celestia, who sat comfortably on a pillow-laden chair to my left, levitating a teacup.

I blinked, and soon after, I realized that blinking was the extent of my physical capabilities. I was paralyzed. None of my muscles responded to my commands, as if they had all been numbed.

Princess Celestia set her cup down on the bedside table, upon which a small tea set sat, and addressed me again. “Relax, Nymph. You had a harrowing fight a week ago against the leader of the foalnappers and you were extremely injured. The doctors had to put you under anesthesia to take some of the pain away. It’s a miracle you managed to return alive after such a dangerous mission.”

“Straight into my hive too. Really, what a bold move.”

My eyes widened. Princess Celestia still looked at me with a calm smile on her face, yet I had heard something across the hive link coming from her, and it sounded very familiar.

“Oh, this? Well, I’ve noticed that you rather do enjoy being on our hivemind, so I’ve taken the liberty of making it a little more… permanent. It did have the side effect of wiping away all the other voices in your mind, but you’re part of us now, and here, it’s just you and me,” she continued, even as she maintained an unflinching face.

And then it hit me. It was the other queen. Myiasis.

She clapped her hooves together. “Oh, and look who’s never left your side,” she said, motioning with a hoof to the other side of my bed. “Look at her, pawn. Look at her.”

I turned my eyes over, and there, rubbing sleep out of her eyes, was Lily. A line of drool ran down the side of her mouth, but she quickly wiped it off as she noticed me.

“Oh, she’s awake!” she chirped, hopping up out of her own cocoon of blankets and trotting over to me. “Hey mum. It’s me, Lily! You feelin’ alright in there?” She tapped her hooves together nervously before turning to my other visitor. “C-can she 'ear me?”

The false princess chuckled. “Of course she can hear you, young Lily. She will be fine with a little more bed rest. We have the finest medicines to treat her.”

“Ahh yes, just look at her cute little face, so naive and innocent.” She shot me a sidelong look. “How touching, to offer companionship to a changeling of all things, which will, of course, make this reunion so much more tragic when you get to watch her die.”

I glared at her, silently willing my muscles to move, to do anything besides just sit there uselessly, yet to no avail. My heart screamed for her blood, but not even my magic would come to me.

“But we’ll get to that later. I do not tire of her presence at this very moment. Let us enjoy her company for just a little while.” The queen levitated over a tray of breakfast items from out of sight, offering them to the merpony. “But perhaps a little something to eat first? Good to have some food for the day ahead,” she said, still with the infuriatingly serene look on her face.

“Ooooh!” Lily leaned over eagerly, examining the contents of the tray. “Oh, it all smells so good. You really didn’t need to, luv.”

The imposter chuckled. “It was the least I could do. Go on, pick whatever you like.”

Lily giggled as she reached over and picked up one of the plates with eggs on them. “I’ll just ‘ave some of these then,” she said, slurping one up whole. “I remember mum 'ere loves these things. It was all she could make back when I first met ‘er, y’know. Never tasted the same either, though they did get less black after a while.”

I turned my gaze to her. “Lily! Run! Get away from her!”

“A sign of improvement, I hope!” Myiasis said with a laugh as she turned her eyes to me. “Ah, ah, ahhh. She can’t hear you anymore. You’re only allowed to speak with me, dear.”

I looked back at the smug look on Celestia’s face. “Leave her alone.”

“Or you’ll do what, dear?”

“Oh, mum? You… you alright there, mum?” Lily said concernedly, setting her plate down. “She doesn’t look right. Are you sure she’s fine?”

The princess laughed. “Don’t worry, Lily. I’ve been monitoring her recovery as well. If there was anything wrong, I would know it first,” she said reassuringly. “And you’ll stay right there until you’re all better. After all, I know what’s best for you. Stay on your leash. You’re nothing but a puppet for those better than you.”

I wanted nothing more than to murder her. I wanted to see her blood splattered all over the room and her insides nothing but mush after I finished driving my axe into her villainous body. I wanted her dead. I wanted to grind her bones beneath my hoof.

“Ahh, alright then,” Lily said. She placed a hoof over mine and squeezed. “Don’t worry, mum. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

I couldn’t do anything. I tried to push my murderous intent through my gaze, but the queen returned it calmly, so self-assuredly. “I’m no puppet, you witch,” I finally sent.

“And yet you lay there like a puppet with her strings cut,” the queen returned. “You have no free will, dog. You bark and bite at the whims of that which you do not understand. You follow the orders of your deposed queen without even fully understanding what they are. Diving into the manticore’s den just because your queen told you to finish your mission first, how silly of you to assume that was all she planned.”

She seemed to chortle silently as she took her teacup again. “And let’s not forget how much use Overwatch has been in getting you adjusted to Canterlot. You have been following her hoofsteps as she led you around the city, and she’s guided you through no few shortcuts and alternate passageways even from beyond the grave.”

The monster raised her eyes again, returning my gaze intensely as she took a sip. “Even your so-called sense of justice, this ‘hero’ complex propelling you into ever more dangerous situations, is but a product of poor little Sweet Spot’s guilt and rage at herself, a thin mask for an ever worse thirst for revenge and blood. Don’t think I don’t get the message you’re trying to send through your eyes, but really, all it shows is just what silly strings pull you around, piloted by a violent, suicidal mind. Weak. Pathetic.”

My anger reached a peak, near boiling over, yet I still could do nothing. It raged, looking for any sort of outlet, but it found none.

I closed my eyes. I had to breathe. To calm myself against her goading, for she knew just how well she was playing with me. I couldn’t let this disgusting, vile creature puppet me like this.

“And what better show your weakness than your relationship with young Lily here,” she continued, blowing softly over her teacup. “You know that to reveal yourself as a changeling violates our tenant of secrecy, but you needed the comfort, didn’t you? To expose yourself and find a warm embrace waiting for you. Your queen would even agree with such drivel as open cooperation with the non-changelings.”

Another sip. “What was it you called her to your hivemates? ‘Money and unconditional love?’ Couldn’t even tell your own hive what she is to you because you know what they are: resources, and nothing more.”

“I told them that because to tell them otherwise would have been a bigger hassle.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “But just because it’s like that now doesn’t mean it always has to be this way.”

“So you tell a lie to avoid an inconvenient truth, but is it really as much of a lie as you believe it to be? Tell me, have you really thought about Lily’s motivations? Her beliefs? Her home? She’s been by your side since you’ve been in Canterlot, and yet you’ve never so much as thought about why she’s aided you without question on life-threatening missions.”

“I… well…” What did Lily want? Was it the Heart Gem? I had heard her mention it previously and it was clear she wanted one, but I’d never confirmed anything, just heard small hints of it. I never really asked her why she was so helpful, just took her help and went with it.

Did… did that make me a bad ling?

The false princess leaned back into her seat, turning her gaze to the merpony on my right. “Not that I blame you for forgetting. She’s quite a powerful weapon, isn’t she? Really, she would be a major problem for anyone who had to go up against her.”

I glared at her. “You know she’s more than just a weapon. Where are you going with this?”

“Oh, just musing,” she replied, giving me a lazy smirk. “And I haven’t forgotten her… emotional support for you, though would anyone care about that if you weren’t on the same side? Really, if she were ever working with the enemy, your masters, those who command you, would surely ask for her death…”

My gut sank. My eyes darted rapidly between the princess and Lily. “No, wait. Stop.”

“And last time I checked, aren’t I your master now?”

I tried to struggle, to make anything happen, but my muscles refused to respond. My heart raced. “Stop! Please!”

“Let’s make good use of that bloodlust you have there. Kill her.”

My body lurched against my will, and Lily jumped. “O-oh!” she exclaimed. “Mum? Are you alright? Mum? Mum?”

It couldn’t end this way. I bared my fangs as I continued to rise from my bed, but my eyes looked around frantically for any way out, anything to stop this horrible nightmare.

And then I saw her.

Sweet Spot sat in a chair across the room, a small smile on her face.

The false princess jumped, shocked at the filly’s appearance. “Her. What’s she doing here?!”

You’re just in my head.

I ran back over the conversation I just had. So many things that had bothered me since I had woken up started to arise again. The other queen’s uncanny knowledge of my personal affairs from as far back as a month. The absence of the link, even the bond with Lily and Crystal. The loss of my hivemind. The sense of deja vu as I woke up. With my hallucinations, it had been difficult to properly distinguish between what was there and what wasn’t, but perhaps there was nothing here to distinguish because it was all the same. All of these could have been explained by many different circumstances, but there was one that wrapped everything up nicely.

This was just in my head.

None of this was real, not even the queen. This was all just… me.

Time stopped, save for me and Myiasis. “She’s a part of me, and she is no more my master than you.”

She scowled at me. “To tell me that, you sniveling nymph, who do you think you are?”

“Who am I?” I took a deep breath, feeling the fresh air revitalize my limbs. For the first time, I saw cracks in the dream. The spell wasn’t perfect, and I think I knew why. “It would have been difficult to answer that a month ago when all I had were bits and pieces of old memories, breadcrumbs left behind by Overwatch and Sweet Spot.”

I let out a low feral growl, turning my head towards the false princess, a sick reflection of my self-doubt. “But I learned a bit about them. I learned that Sweet Spot was embittered by vengeance and anger. Even now, I can feel it, but in the end, she wanted to protect others from suffering, no matter what her motivation’s sordid history may be, and it is a mission I will take up. Overwatch gave her life to save mine, but I will not be her and I will not make her same mistake. She may influence me, but no one, especially not you, has control over me. I may not be perfect, but that does not mean I can’t take it upon myself to improve.”

“Which was what I have been trying to do this whole time, hasn’t it? If I am what I remember, what I remember best comes not from Overwatch’s memories, but from what I’ve been able to make on my own in Canterlot. It is obvious who I am. I am not Sweet Spot. I am not Overwatch. They’re both dead, and all that’s left to live her life is me.

“Who am I? I am—

Nymph

“Begone!” I bellowed.

The white screen that once been the crystalline dome shattered like a pane of glass, starting from right where my bola had impacted the wall. It was a flaw in the network, broken with just a little more pressure. The world snapped back into existence, the clouds from my fume once again reigning supreme. Though they had dissipated slightly, vision range was still a good three to four meters away, enough to disappear into.

“Damn you, foul, unnatural hellspawn!” she shrieked, charging up her spell again, the same nightmarish dream spell I had fallen to before.

But I was ready now that her net could no longer hold me. I called upon my illusion spell and shrouded myself in it. As before, the illusions were unable to stick to my distorted aether, but my spell constantly reapplied them as they sloughed off, something that once required all my concentration only requiring a mere thought now. My body blurred and flickered randomly, rendering me all but invisible in the shadowy embrace of my fume’s clouds.

She shot her spell where she last saw me, but I could tell even a fraction of a second after it left her horn that it wouldn’t land anywhere close to me. I charged up my memory spell, but I didn’t aim for the queen.

“A very nice spell you have there!” My spell tagged the magic bolt as it passed by, yo-yoing back to me. My aura became electrified, spazzing and arcing out to any crystals I happened to be near. Though I had been concerned about the instability before, it contained a lot of energy, and energy could be harnessed.

I felt… giddy. I let out a light giggle, though in a situation like this, it sounded more unhinged than playful. “I’ll give it back!” I said, a wide grin across my face as I circled around her. “Promise!”

“No no no no no!” she screeched, throwing out magic bolts as fast as she could charge them into the swirling clouds. “You’ll not defeat me! You will not claim what is mine and mine alone!”

I could sense the fear building in her as Lily continued to weave her song up above. The fear of the inevitable, of a predator she couldn’t see, and of the continued consequences of her inaction, all of these stresses weighed upon her, and it was clear she was breaking. She was flailing about with a desperation only known when escape was impossible, hoping for purchase against the slippery slope.

I could hold her spell no longer, and I unleashed it right at her. Her shield came up, but it couldn’t block her own spell, and the barrier fell immediately as she was struck. Even though the smoke, I could feel her twisting and writhing on my empathy sense, dazed and howling like a feral beast, but it was clear she wasn’t being affected by her own spell as well as it had affected me. She was going to recover if I didn’t do something with this opportunity.

“Go. The memory spell. Now!”

I dove in, my memory spell already upon my horn. I felt Crystal already working her own magic upon it, altering it ever so slightly as I broke the cloud cover and pounced right at Queen Myiasis’s head.

In the reflection of her wide, terrified eyes, just a moment just before our horns connected, I caught a mere glimpse of my own eyes, as deep crimson as the red beryl in my back holster.

Crystal

The memory spell was amazingly versatile, especially now that I knew the final missing component to it, and being connected to both Nymph and Myiasis by the spell meant I had… options.

Lots of options.

Lilywater

The composition was nearly at its end. I felt it clearly within my breast. A subtle change. An altered bond. It was time for the final movement.

One thing I remembered from my younger years was that, after every single one of those scary stories, the caretakers would always hug and comfort us, holding us close to their breast and singing lullabies to us to ward away the nightmares.

No reason to break away from tradition here, now that the job was done. My muses and I stopped our banshee song and launched into a transition, a weary wandering for safety and comfort now that the danger had passed, before finally beginning our lullaby, letting them fall into the warmth of a dreamless sleep.

And so, the song that began with silence, ended with silence.

I opened my eyes, gazing out upon the weary bodies down below, those who had finally found rest and respite from the stalkers in the darkness.

A moment passed, and then a wide smile split my face, and I clapped hooves with each of my muses, giggling all the while.

Nymph

I groaned as the world snapped back into focus. I thought the newer memory spell wouldn’t make me fall unconscious again, but maybe it couldn’t quite hold up to being used on a queen.

I rolled over onto my side, trying to ward away the razor-sharp pain running down my side whenever I tried to move. My magic had been burnt out, and even the mana reservoir I had access to from the binding ritual had been sucked dry. I shuddered, half from pain and half from uneasiness. To have used a spell that required such a vast pool of magic was… terrifying.

The dark clouds from the fume had dissipated further since I had last seen them, now no more than a thick blanket extending fetlock-deep around the area. The only thing that still stood over the cloud layer was the throne at the center of the room.

Another shape rose from the ground slowly, and in the dim light, I saw the clear outline of the horn and the crown on top of its head.

The queen.

My eyes widened. She hadn’t been taken down. I tried to call up my magic, but my horn could produce little more than green sparks. My body was too tired to push myself up all the way, and I eventually tried to sink into the blanket of clouds, hoping to conceal myself.

She pushed herself up to a sitting position, bringing a hoof up and groaning. Her hoof stopped halfway to her head, and she stared at it, completely still. Her other hoof came up, and she looked at both of them as if she had only seen them for the first time.

A low chuckle began in her throat before erupting in a loud, triumphant cackle, a true supervillain laugh. “Yes, yes! I did it!” she cried out before falling onto her back, waving her legs in some strange aerial aerobics as if she were a newborn foal.

I poked my head out from the clouds slightly, my brow furrowed together. The evil laughter was one thing, but I hadn’t quite expected this sort of reaction. What in Equestria…

She shot back up again and looked around eagerly until she finally spotted me.

Oh Tartarus.

I tried to hide myself again, but she had already pounced on me, an unsettlingly wide smile on her muzzle as she lowered her head to mine. I shut my eyes and tried to curl up into as tight of a ball as I could, awaiting for the moment when she would—

“Boo,” she said.

I opened my eyes again, furrowing my brow. “Huh?”

“Hellloooooo, Nymph!” she exclaimed joyously as she lifted me up bodily and brought me into a tight hug against her chest, squeezing the air out of me. “Oh, it feels so good to have legs again!”

Before I could process what was going on, I was flung into the air, somersaulting once before landing on my backside on the throne on top of the center pedestal. I shakily righted myself and regained my balance, just in time to see the queen skipping in a circle around me.

I put two and two together. “C-Crystal?”

“In the fleeessshhhh!” she sang as she passed by in front of me again before bursting into another loud cackle. “Oh, you never know how much you miss having a tail until it has been taken away from you.” She stopped her skipping and turned her head, watching her tail swish around happily.

Cryst—Queen Chrysalis’s tail stopped moving and she furrowed her brow, narrowing her eyes at her rear end. “I think her flank is bigger than mine.”

I blinked. “H-hold on,” I said, bringing my hooves up. “How?”

“Probably the high society life. Oh, if only I had treated myself to some fine dining back when I still wore my old skin,” she said, raising the back of her hoof to her forehead dramatically. “Alas, I may now have to put in actual effort if I am to maintain my current splendor.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

She lowered her hoof and smirked. “The memory spell. You saw how the… the traitor took my own body with it,” she said as she trotted around to lean on the arm of the throne beside me. “I merely used your spell to do the same to Miss Myiasis.”

My eyes widened. “So what happened to her? To Myiasis, now that you’re occupying her own body?” I stopped and brought out the red beryl in the pouch of my holster. “Is she in this thing now?”

My queen shook her head. “She is not. When I cast the spell, I had the opportunity to… discuss things with her. She was not amenable to cooperation, unfortunately,” she murmured.

I sighed. “That’s a shame.”

“So it is.” She took the beryl from my grasp and hummed. “It seems like I am still bound to this thing by the ritual—and to you two by extension—even in my new body. Could warrant further research in the future, though not necessarily any time soon.” She shook her head despondently. “There is still much to do. Though I may be able to keep up appearances as their former queen, I will have to reveal the truth of the matter sooner or later if I am to secure their unwavering loyalty.”

I scrunched my face in a frown. “How’re you going to convince them of that, My Queen, given that you kinda just… y’know… overthrew their queen?”

“Just call me Chrysalis. I will not be called a queen by one I have had to rely on extensively these last few weeks. As for your question, well… I have a few ideas,” she mused as she wrapped her magic around the beryl and caused it to vanish. “I imagine that my name still carries some weight, even in other hives. Knowing that their new leader is one very much capable of leading may take some of the sting out. I will have to explain why I am not leading my own hive, of course, and that alone may rally them to my cause, or at least against the traitor. Requiem is no doubt planning for an assault on Canterlot at some point in time, though queens are willing to wait a very long time before they go through with their plans.”

She let out a weary breath. “I will also need to convince them of my own plans for the changeling race, to abandon the old tenants of secrecy so that we might all benefit from better relations with those we feed upon.”

Chrysalis straightened up with a huff. “Plenty to get done, but I am no stranger to long-term goals, and at least now, we can tick off the first step, which is—”

I gasped. “The pods! Wait, we still have to get all of those ponies back up to Canter—”

She cleared her throat forcefully, raising an eyebrow at me. “I can take care of that. You are about ready to fall flat on your face, and I want to test my body a little.” She paused. “I also need to see if Lily has done any lasting damage to my new hive, shaking the mountain like that.”

Chrysalis looked down at me. “Just rest, for now. You have already done your part, Nymph.”

I pouted as she lifted me with her magic, placing me on her back. “But what about Lily?”

“She will be fine,” she said. “Now sleep before I have to start singing at you. It has been a very long time since I have done so, as you may imagine.”

I rolled my eyes with a sigh. “Fine fine,” I said before closing my eyes and relaxing my muscles, feeling the rhythmic movements of Chrysalis’s body under me.

I took a deep breath and settled in.

Maybe now… now that it was finally over…

I can take just a little nap.

Chapter 32 — Overwatch

Nymph

I had really come to enjoy the Canterlot mornings. For most of the days I had to work, I had to wake up while it was still dark, letting me witness plenty of sunrises. While they weren’t as spectacular as the one I had seen at the Summer Sun Celebration, each one of them was still awe-inspiring in their own rights.

It had only been a few days since I had ventured into the Crystal Caves. I think Princess Celestia had been pulling some strings to give me a brief break from my duties as a Royal Guard, especially since she wasn’t going to reveal why I needed such a break. I wasn’t sure anypony else really knew about what I had been doing these last several days anyway, which was fine by me. I had never been one to enjoy the spotlight.

I had moved back into my condo a day or so ago, after Princess Celestia cleared up a few things about my continued residence in Canterlot. It was going to be a work-in-progress, but she said she would contact me or Chrysalis about anything she needed. I suspected that Chrysalis was taking care of a lot more behind the scenes, though that suited me fine. I was a bit disappointed that Lily hadn’t come back with me, but she also had some things she needed to do at the castle.

It was still dark when I arrived at the train station. My saddlebags were a bit on the heavy side, but nothing I couldn’t handle. My train’s departure time was a little more than half an hour away, so I looked around for somewhere to wait.

It was with some surprise that I saw Lily seated there with Philomena perched on her head. She had a decently large set of saddlebags with her, though only half-full at best, and wore a simple necklace, a golden chain upon which hung an uncut, polished shard of a red gemstone. Her hoof shot up and she waved at me eagerly as soon as she spotted me, and with a faint smile, I trotted over to her.

“Hey Lily! Hey Philomena! Didn’t expect to see you two here!” I said, shrugging off my saddlebags as I took a seat beside her. “Are you headed somewhere?”

“Yep!” she said simply.

I blinked, waiting for her to continue. “Sooo… where are you going?”

“No idea!” she said with a self-assured nod. “I got tickets though!”

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake.” I brought a hoof to my forehead and took a deep breath. “I didn’t know you were leaving Canterlot though.”

Her eyes widened. “You didn’t? Thought Crystal would’ve told you by now. Hmm…” She brought a hoof to her chin, swaying back and forth in thought. “Or maybe I just forgot to tell ‘er to tell you…”

Philomena squawked and pecked the merpony on the head.

I shook my head with a small chuckle. “Well, in any case, I’m still surprised to hear you’re leaving. There are probably plenty of rich ponies here willing to help you get into the music industry in Equestria. You could get plenty of bits and fame and live a pretty comfortable life if you wanted to,” I said, looking down and fiddling with my hooves. “A lot of us are going to miss you, you know.”

“‘Ey, that just means you gotta sing at Karaoke Nights for me! You’re bound to a little merpony magic now! Gotta let it out every so often, y’know? Give ‘em a big show and really get ‘em movin’!” Lily said with a cheerful giggle. “And don’t worry, I won’t be gone forever, luv. I just gotta get out there. I left my home and came to the surface to explore. Y’know, see the sights and ‘ave an adventure or somethin’.”

“Oh, really? Is that uhh…” I said, rubbing at the back of my neck. “Is that why you’ve been helping me so much? It’s just, I never really asked before and I feel a bit bad about dragging you into danger after danger without really thinking of why you would want to be there with me.”

“Don’t worry about that too much, luv. I ‘ad plenty of fun ‘elping you out whenever I could.” She gave me a brief side embrace before leaning back in her chair. “And, for the most part, I wanted to stick with Crystal. I still ‘ad ‘ope that I’d one day get me an ‘eart Gem, and now that I have it,” she said, bringing a hoof up to play with the red beryl around her neck, “I just wanna… I don’t know, just see the world? Maybe I’ll ‘ead south. Or maybe… well, I ‘eard there was somethin’ called ‘eavy metal that’s been gaining a lot of popularity recently. Might take me a look into that.” Lily giggled. “That’s such a funny name for music though, ain’t it?”

I giggled with her. “Just a little,” I said, looking down as I continued to play with my hooves. “Are you going to be alright out there on your own?”

“Pfftt, course I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself. I even got Philomena ‘ere to steer me right,” she said with a confident grin. “And besides, you’re even younger than I am. If you can live on your own, I can travel the world just fine!”

“Yeah, but I also have a job and a house… condo… thing!” I said with a huff. “What about money?”

“The Lightbringer ‘erself said she’d ‘elp pay for some of my travel expenses,” she said, sticking her tongue out. Her ears perked up, and she stood up out of her seat, grabbing her saddlebags. “Ahh shoot, it looks like my train’s just arrived.”

“Oh. Well, uhh…” I pouted. “Well, good luck then.”

“Ahh, don’t worry about me, luv. I’ll be fine. And ‘ey, if you ever need me, just shoot me a message, eh?” she said, dangling her necklace out in front of her. “Crystal says I can still ‘ear things if you want to talk to me. I’m still workin’ on being able to talk back, but I’ll get it someday!”

I chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“No worries, luv.” She leaned in for a tight hug before releasing me and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Alright, I’ll see you later! Don’t forget about Karaoke Night!”

She hopped off out of the station, giving me a quick wave that I returned before she disappeared onto the train car.

“Ahh, looks like I arrived just a little too late to see her off.”

I turned to my left to see Lotus Veil, Chrysalis’s new disguise of choice, trotting towards me. She had on a necklace just like Lily’s, though some of the facets on the gemstone were different. “A shame, but I came here more to catch you before you leave,” she said, raising an eyebrow and smirking at me. “Your face is awfully red there, by the way.”

“Is-is it now.” I cleared my throat, though I imagined my face only turned redder. “S-so what did you want to find me for?”

“I just wanted to bring you a little something before you go,” she said, levitating out a third necklace. “You might have noticed that I have already provided Lily with one of these. I broke off a few fragments from the red beryl we are tied to. Thanks to the binding ritual, these shards should allow us to tap into the strength of the full crystal, albeit with a little falloff due to distance. These will let us keep our connection close as well as provide a powerful source of magic should we ever need it. I kept the remainder of the beryl in a safe location.”

“I… well…” I said hesitantly. “Do I need it to keep in contact?”

Chrysalis tilted her head back and forth in thought. “Hmm… strictly speaking, no. I believe the binding ritual should be enough to let you communicate with either me or Lily no matter where you are, though it will be a bit harder without it. Lily is the only one who needs it to talk back. The shard is just to allow each of us to draw upon its power without having to lug around a rock wherever we go.”

“Ahh, well, in that case,” I said, waving away the necklace offered. “You keep mine. I don’t need it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You never know when you might need a healthy dose of overwhelming power.”

I shrugged. “I uhh… I don’t want to accidentally use too much and brain someone. I can find other solutions anyways. I doubt I’ll be fighting another queen any time soon.”

She hummed contemplatively. “Alright then. I’ll keep it just in case you want to carry it around sometime. I have a few ideas I want to try with this thing anyways, and this way, you get to be the guinea pig instead,” she said with an unsettlingly wide grin before stowing the necklace away again.

“Hehe… Yeah. Sure,” I said, very quickly regretting my decision. “Just uhh… tell me before you do anything too big, alright?”

“Of course. I am no savage. You will be informed, and then testing will occur,” she said, her grin not lessening in the slightest. “Moving on, there was one other thing I wanted to discuss with you.” She took a seat next to me, though she still kept her proud posture, imperial even in disguise. “How are you feeling, having just defeated a queen? Those are the kinds of feats that get you written into myths, you know.”

My eyes widened. Something about her tone sent dread rushing through my gut. “Please don’t.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. It will be great. Everyling will be hearing the tale of Nymph, the uhh…” She tapped a hoof to her chin. “Hmm… Ahh, the tale of Nymph, the Soulstealer.”

I put my head in my hooves. “Sweet Celestia, that sounds horrible. It doesn’t even make sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. Nymph, a spectre of the night, stealing the identity of others, changing both inside and out to become nigh indistinguishable from the original. Perhaps adding another word would help. Or maybe something to do with all those dark clouds…”

I let out a prolonged groan.

She huffed. “Well, I do not hear you giving any ideas, and besides, I always have the option of simply waiting until you cannot argue against me, Miss Soulstealer.”

I shot her a quick glare. “Hey, aren’t you a better fit for that since you literally snatched someone else’s body?”

Chrysalis just shrugged. “Someone already did it before me, and tis a bit of a game of musical chairs at the moment—changelings are, after all, inherently more magically based and were never really tied to their bodies all that well—but I still plan on taking back my own throne one day, once the music stops,” she said, taking a deep breath. “But this is a bit of a tangent. How are you feeling?”

I slumped back into my chair, looking up at the ceiling. “Mmm… Not much. I just… I don’t know. Tired? I just want to relax a bit. Life’s been exhausting.”

She chuckled. “That is just adult life. How has it been for you so far?”

I sighed mournfully. “To be honest, I wish I had a few more years to be young.”

“You and everypony else. Your early years are just… a trial period, where you can get to experience a bit of what life is like without having to think about how to pay for it all or how in Equestria you are going to find time to do everything,” she said with a small wistful smile. “Welcome to the real world. You have transitioned into it fairly well, all things considered. There are many who fail to ever grow out of their dependent stages, always believing truth will bend to their will and the world will give them what they want if they do nothing but whine loud enough.”

I snorted in amusement, letting a smile edge across my lips. “But life isn’t what you get out of it, is it? It’s what you make of it. What you do with what you’re given, right?”

“Indeed. We cannot control what life gives us, only our own actions within it,” she said with a low chuckle. “But enough philosophy. If you need any assistance, you can always come to me or Celestia.”

I raised my brow at her. “You want me to go to the Princess of Equestria for my personal problems?”

“Oh? So you balk at interrupting her precious time, but pay no second thought to having to disturb me, your regal, divine queen? I should be quite offended that you hold her in higher regard than you hold me,” she said, raising her nose in mock disdain. “But in any case, she is the one offering. You did quite a big favor for her in rescuing all of those podded ponies, but if you still feel uncomfortable talking to the big mares, there is always that cute filly over at the bar you could talk to. Miss Tango, was it?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll think about it.”

Another train pulled into the station, and I took a quick look at the clock on the wall. “Oh, I think this one’s mine,” I said as I hopped up out of my seat and put my saddlebags on again, feeling the heavy weight within one of the bags.

Chrysalis stood up out of her seat after me. “I bid you well then,” she said. “I will be meeting Celestia later today. Do you have anything you want me to tell her?”

I shook my head. “No, no. She’s done quite enough for me.”

“Alright then,” she said with a slight nod of her head. “Good luck with whatever you need to do.”

I gave her a small bow. “Thanks,” I said, before exiting the station and boarding the train.

Next stop: Ponyville.

Chrysalis

I made my way to the entrance of the Royal Gardens, where Celestia waited patiently for me.

“Ahh, Princess Celestia, how are you doing today?” I said with a bow of my head. “I hope I have not kept you waiting for too long.”

She returned the bow. “No, not at all, Miss…” She frowned. “I forget, did you wish to be called Lotus or Crystal?”

“Lotus for now,” I said as we made our way inside, following a path under a thick treeline.

“Just ‘for now’?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Will I ever get to refer to you by your real name?”

I chuckled. “In time, Celestia. I would rather not reveal my true name just yet. There are still a few… rogue elements to take care of. The less information out there about who I really am, the better.”

She let out a disappointed sigh. “I really do wish you would trust me more. You still have not told me the proper name of your race yet. I have had to change my diction several times to avoid having to refer to them as the ‘imposter race.’ It is not very flattering.”

“You will be fine, Celestia. I doubt you will have to refer to our race very often,” I said, somewhat amused. “And I do trust you. I just don’t trust the other prying ears just yet. Perhaps once relations between our races open up a little more. By the way, I do thank you for allowing those individuals who had been replacing Royal Guards to continue being guards, even after the original ponies came back to work.”

She waved it off. “The streets were a little short-staffed anyways. The guardhouses were too relieved by the influx of spare hooves and able bodies to question my explanation that they had been brought in from around Equestria. I did have to bribe some of the kidnapped guards with paid leave to keep quiet, but I believe we can trust them. As for the nobles, I simply told them that if they breathed a word of what had happened, I would personally audit their tax returns. That should be enough.”

I snorted. “Well, I will be keeping an eye on them regardless to make sure that stays the case.”

She rolled her eyes. “We have to talk about your trust issues one of these days.”

“You asked me to help counteract the threat from others of my race should they present themselves, partially because I am the only one in the right position willing to help you thus far, but regardless, healthy skepticism is part of the job description.”

“You could at least open up a little to me,” she said with a resigned breath. “Is there anything more I can do to help relations between our races?”

“Well, a couple diplomatic visits from Princess Cadence would do wonders,” I said, enjoying the little jump of surprise from Celestia as I dropped her niece’s name and title so casually. “Give her to us every three—no, every two days, and we should be good. I promise she will return in the same condition she came to us in.”

She raised an unamused eyebrow at me. “You are going to have to iron those details out with Cadence herself. You break it, you buy it,” she said, to which I rolled my eyes. “But seriously, how can I help?”

I hummed. “There is not much you could do at the moment other than convince Cadence to visit every so often. Most of my concerns right now are related to solidifying my position now that I have taken over as their leader, but even that is going along as well as it could. They are getting used to me, and now that I have identified myself and laid out my vision and the stakes involved, they are more-or-less willing to cooperate. There are still a few dissidents, but for the most part, they do value maintaining unity with their leader, even if their leadership has changed rather unexpectedly. I have been led to believe their former head had been getting quite paranoid and it has been the cause of no few grievances.”

“Good to hear,” Celestia said with a nod. “I hope you will keep me updated on affairs at home.”

“As you wish, Celestia,” I replied, taking a deep breath of the fresh outside air. Many of the animals here were a bit shy, but the flowers were in full bloom, creating a wonderful fragrance. “Ahh, one other thing on my mind. What are your plans for Miss Overwatch?”

“Oh, her?” she said, tilting her head back and forth. “There are a few things going on with her right now. One was the whole debate on whether we should mark Overwatch as dead and make this new Overwatch into another citizen entirely or just have her carry on pretending to be the original pony.”

She paused for a moment. “I had… asked her what she wanted to do, and she said that she just wanted to carry on as if nothing had happened to the pony. It would fit in with her disguise better if anypony were to investigate, and it would be less paperwork for us. Cadence told me her age, and if she were registered as a new pony, she would also have to be classified as a minor and that’s a headache on its own.”

Celestia breathed out another forlorn sigh. “I worry about her being thrust into adulthood so quickly, but I can tell she wants to be independent. It reminds me of Lily’s wishes to go out into the world herself.”

I nodded in agreement. “They are capable of making their own choices, and in any case, I will be keeping tabs on both of them. They are still quite useful assets, and I wish to make sure they are doing well,” I said, before another thought came to mind. “By the way, I heard Miss Overwatch will have to start reporting to me soon?”

Celestia seemed surprised that I knew, but she nodded anyways. “Indeed she will be. Recent events have shown that we are rather ineffective at countering any potential threats that your race may pose, so as part of our efforts to rectify that, I was hoping to officially move her under your command. Her rank will be changing to specialist as part of this arrangement, though the real reason for that change will have to remain quiet as long as we are keeping details on your race quiet.”

She gave me a pointed look, which I responded to with a smug smile before she continued. “Luckily, there’s a simple explanation for it. She is still a trained sharpshooter and accomplished arcane sniper. I trust you have no problems with continuing to work with her during your efforts?”

“Of course not. She is invaluable,” I said sincerely, before shifting my tone to a more playful one. “Though to have Royal Guards reporting to me, you would think I was part of the government.”

She raised an eyebrow at me.

I raised one back. “Do I have to submit my budget?”

“We will only have this sort of relationship until circumstances no longer force us to,” she said before she let a genuine smile cross her features, “but I’m glad to hear that you two will continue to work together. She will have quite a surprise when she gets back from her break. I do hope she has been using the time off well. Do you know what she has been doing?”

“I do,” I said with a sly smile. “She is merely… taking care of a few personal things.”

Nymph

I took a deep breath, wiping off the sweat from my brow as I looked upon the results of my handiwork.

I had just finished filling in the pit, and while it wasn’t the most professional job, I would say it was at least neatly done, an almost perfect rectangle of bare soil. I looked up into the sky at the falling sun from my place in the open field, surrounded on all sides by the trees of the Everfree. It was almost nostalgic, being back here.

I looked back down at the bare ground before me. It just needed one last thing.

I took my shovel to the dirt again, this time a little bit above the head of the rectangle. Compared to the rest of the job, this one went by much faster, and I managed to dig out a hole about the size of a large jewelry box before I even realized it. I levitated my saddlebags over, and I reached into one of the bags to pull out a small heavy stone marker and place it into the hole. I filled in the space around it, packing the soil tightly and letting the marker peek out over the surface of the soil.

I picked up my shovel again and went to the other side of the rectangle to take a seat and catch my breath. I glimpsed over at the marker, my eyes tracing over the detail in the engraved words facing me.

Sweet Spot, it said.

I’ve spent hours staring at it ever since I first held it in my hooves. If I closed my eyes, I could even recall every feature of the grave marker by memory. Perhaps I was just being a romantic. I certainly didn’t need to come back to bury Overwatch’s body. There wasn’t even a guarantee it would still be here when I returned, but at least in that regard, I lucked out. It turned out that the body was hidden well enough that while it wasn’t exactly the freshest of corpses, it hadn’t been taken away by any scavengers or predators.

I took a deep breath, bringing a hoof up to rub at the scar on my neck left there by the manticore just a month ago. Maybe I was just insane. With my hallucinations over the past several days, it wouldn’t exactly be a big surprise. Still, I felt as if a big burden had finally been lifted off my shoulders now that I had finally put myself to rest and laid down my resting marker.

I giggled. Even if it wasn’t a metaphorical weight, at least I wouldn’t have to lug a tombstone all the way back out of the Everfree.

I laid back on the grass, looking up into the clear skies painted with rich purples and fiery oranges, the colors of sunset, and enjoying the peace and fresh air.

It was ironic that, in the place most likely to have manticores, I felt like I was finally free from their watching eyes.

Still, it would probably be for the best that I got back to Ponyville before it got too dark.

I made short work of packing up. There wasn’t much to stuff back in my saddlebags. There were the few remains of my lunch and the shovel, but the heaviest thing I brought was something I was not going to be taking back.

I slung the saddlebags over my back and turned once more to the grave I had dug. One last look.

I bowed my head, closing my eyes as I offered her a few words.

“I’ll see you in Elysium, sister.”

And then I left it all behind.

It was time to get back to my own life, after all.

Epilogue — The Letter

Chorion

I breathed out a hefty sigh. “The queen knew, somehow.”

Katydid just shook her head, her shoulders slumped. “Or she just guessed. What happened?”

“I lost track of her and she found Nymph, spiriting her off to do who-knows-what.” I brought a hoof up to my forehead, trying to rub away the impending headache. I still hadn’t gotten over it, even months after it happened, and having to explain it all to Katydid again now that she had returned was… straining. “Now we’re down a pretty big part of our plan.”

I looked down into my steaming teacup, still waiting for me to take a sip from it. “I just want to see her again. She didn’t deserve what we wanted to do with her.”

The room’s only other occupant nodded solemnly. “She was such a sweet child,” Katydid said before taking a deep breath. “So what do we do now?”

“I don’t know anymore,” I said, pushing the teacup away. “I’m not sure I want to try that same tactic again.”

“The queen would be more wary of future attempts as well,” she noted, her face impassive.

“But what else can we do?” I rested my head in my hooves. “We’ve gone through all of Mother’s notes. All we really got was a spell and a pile of research on some stupid crystal.”

“Maybe we should take a look at the spell again,” Katydid said with a half-hearted shrug. “Something about it does not sit right with me. It feels… incomplete, somehow.”

I furrowed my brow. “It does what it’s supposed to, right?”

“That it does, but… I am uncertain. My gut is telling me what we must have missed something, but I have no idea what.”

I sighed. “So we’re still at nothing.”

We sat there in silence. There had to be something else, but what?

“Broodmother Chorion, there is somepony at the front gate.”

I groaned. “Tell them we aren’t entertaining guests.”

“He’s saying he has something to deliver.”

Katydid and I exchanged a quick look, one that said that neither of us had any idea what this was about. “I don’t remember ordering anything,” I sent over the link. “Who is it for?”

There was a small pause. “He says it’s for Miss Chorion’s hooves only.”

My eyes widened.

“You have not revealed your true name to anyone outside of our hive, correct?” Katydid said as we rose in unison from our pillows.

“No way,” I replied. We were already out of the door and headed down the stairs. We had to move quick. This was already a serious breach of security. There was no reason anypony outside of the hive should know details like our names.

I pulled open the front door. There was no one there at the outer gate, but I did catch sight of a something sitting just inside our perimeter.

I stomped my hoof in frustration. He must have fled.

With a groan, I trotted over to the item left behind, which looked like it was…

I furrowed my brow as I picked it up. “Just a letter?”

Katydid came up behind me, looking down at the stationary in my magic. “Who is it from? Are there any markings?”

I turned it forward and back. “There’s our address, but the envelope’s from… Busy Bee?”

Katydid raised an eyebrow. “The shipping and goods acquisition company? I have used their service quite extensively in the past. Very exceptional work.”

“Okay, but how are they involved in this? The messenger must have known my name because it sure as Tartarus wasn’t written on the envelope itself.”

“I cannot be certain, but we will not find anything more out here,” she said, turning back to the house. “Come, let us get out of this cold air and open it up.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright,” I said, though I kept my eyes on the little gold-embossed icon of a bee on the pristine envelope. It was fancy. It was bold. There was a ceremonial air about it, as if it were an official invitation for some grand event, yet the sparse details on the envelope and the courier's use of a name that wasn’t known publicly implied secrecy.

Busy Bee… What could they want with us?

Author's Note

So at long last, we finally come to the conclusion of the story I wanted to tell about Nymph. If you've stuck around all the way here, I am very much grateful that you've let my story take up so much of your time, and I hope it's been an enjoyable read!

Comments are very much welcomed and desired! I would love to hear everyone's thoughts about my story, good or bad, and it would be very helpful to know what worked and what didn't. Don't forget to vote too!

Thank you all very much!

Prologue — <<Dirge>>

THEN

Requiem

It was getting worse.

I winced as the sun fell across my eyelids, dashing what little hopes I had of sleeping in. It took far too much effort to open my tired eyes and look out my window, half hidden behind thick curtains. The searing ball of light hung there in the sky, stubbornly staying exactly where its rays could trample over the last little vestiges of my rest.

It was just as well that it woke me. I had spent most of my morning in the hivemind, checking up on the status of my little changelings, making sure supplies and information got where it needed to, and keeping tabs on the population of Baltimare.

More critically, my presence was needed in the hivemind. They needed to know I was there, still watching over them. That I still cared for them, and that I would get help as soon as possible.

Another hatch snuffed out. Starved.

My brood was the largest in the Badlands Hive. We were the closest to the Queen, the first of the outposts in Equestria, close to the main hive in both a geographic and spiritual sense. My ancestral mother was part of the city early in its formation, the newest town in the hatchling nation of Equestria. As the city grew, so did the brood, and the knowledge gained in those fledgling days has served the Queen ever since our migration up from the south.

The ponies were a new, better prey, so much easier to fool and infiltrate than the zebras and so much more numerous, gathered in cities rather than scattered in clans. Their magic was more potent and filling. By infiltrating their ranks, we studied their culture, learning their values, their ideals, what they loved the most, and from that knowledge, we were able to grow.

The hunger. The need. Where is the love?

But as much as we had to obtain sustenance from the ponies, we also had to protect ourselves. Other hives also journeyed north in search of more love. Unlike us, who migrated up to survive, they were looking for a way to thrive, to expand their hive even after they had forced us out. Though love was sparing in the hard times of building a city from scratch, the newly formed Badlands Hive’s greatest threat was not from running out of love to harvest, but from invasion by rival changelings. They were strong and able, their hive link impenetrable and their fervor a might to behold.

Worry not. I am here. I will always be here, and I will not let you down.

In the face of this force, the hive evolved. The change was spearheaded by my ancestral mother and the queen. They took every advantage they could take, and our hive developed some of the best anti-changeling tactics. Where other changelings freely broadcast their emotions in order to take full advantage of their link, ours could completely suppress their emotional output and work semi-independently. In doing so, we were invisible to any changeling not staring at us directly. Not only that, but the empathy sense of the Badlands Hive developed beyond compare, such that we could detect an invader from twice or even three times as far as they could even think about finding us.

Like the banshees of old, we heralded their deaths. We struck fear into them, like invisible reavers cutting swaths through their lines before any of them could even notice. We developed magic to link our minds to theirs, steal their memories and their identities, and raze entire camps from within. The Baltimare Brood honed these skills to the brink, and we bestowed upon the queen invincible changeling rangers who could operate in pairs and, like a true virus, destroy all of the rival hives they encountered without a single trace left behind. Fear kept our enemies away. Fear kept us safe.

Until now.

I will sate your everlasting hunger. I will protect all of you.

I urged my body to release itself from the clutches of my pony-made mattress, escaping with a groan as I shook off the residual weariness still clinging to my mind. Walking over to the expansive window, I flung open the curtains with my magic to let the full power of the afternoon sun into my room. My eyes had already adjusted somewhat from when I had woken up, but it still took a moment to blink away the sudden brightness.

The view of Horseshoe Bay and the Baltimare metropolitan area was fantastic, as expected from one of the larger estates in the upper-class neighborhood. The size of the main base of operations of the Baltimare Brood was carefully chosen: large enough to fit a decently sized hatchery and a good number of the idle changelings before they ventured back into the city proper, but modest enough not to draw attention from any of the largest pony dynasties. The manor was a result of vast quantities of time spent growing our influence within the city and accumulating more and more wealth.

And yet none of this opulence could actually feed my brood. It was good to acquire material goods and wealth to help the brood expand, whether through acquiring equipment or making shady deals, but it helps little when there is nothing left to expand. The hatchery was all but empty, and few drones would dare be idle if it meant going hungry another day. The Baltimare Brood may be overflowing in bits and have changelings in every major and minor business within the city limits, but even so…

There were no two ways about it. Our brood was failing. Our numbers took a catastrophic pitch downwards, and our presence in the city dwindled ever lower in recent years. The reduced number of love collectors we had at our disposal could not keep up with the demands of the brood, which was unfortunately primarily composed of infiltrators and rangers. While every changeling could theoretically collect love, most could do little more than feed themselves, which was why we depended on the more experienced love collectors from the other, younger broods, but something was… removing them.

They may not have been mine, but I felt each of their deaths. Every time one of them died in fear, in shock, or even just out of the blue, my heart ached. Their fear and uncertainty, their gnawing hunger… I felt all of these, even as my drones gave their lives to keep me alive and healthy. The ones who knew their fate voluntarily cut their link to save me the pain, but the growing holes in the hivemind as more drones died off just left me with the constant ache of emptiness. I could replace some, but I couldn’t replace all of them.

I walked over to my dresser and observed my reflection in the mirror atop it. Makeup could no longer cover up the heavy bags under my exhausted eyes. A tired slouch had become an integral part of my posture the past few days, my head weighted down by the constant string of deaths.

Still, I had to make an attempt at preserving my image, however fake it was. My horn lit up, and I opened the top drawer of my dresser and pulled out a little case of makeup. A magical disguise had its merits, of course, but I’d grown accustomed to the artistry of powder and eyeliner, and I loved building a new face from the ground up. It was a little pony habit I never saw fit to kick. If anything, I was going to need it to meet today’s visitor with any shred of Baltimare dignity. She would be stopping by soon for a brief status report, enough time to prepare myself and—

She’s here!

The Queen has arrived!

Open the gates! Don’t keep her waiting!

My magic nearly fumbled the makeup kit onto the floor, and an ill-timed stab from the eyeliner brush almost took out my eye, distracted as I was. I whipped around to face the front of the manor and sprinted down the hallway, finishing off the rest of my eyeshadow by memory. I must have spent more time embroiled in the hivemind than I thought if I had resurfaced this late!

A drone was already there at the front door, kneeling before the imposing figure. “Welcome to the manor, My Queen. I expect our broodmother will be down shortly.”

“Q-Queen Chrysalis!” I barely stopped myself from tumbling the rest of the way down the stairs. With a flick on my magic to tuck the makeup kit surreptitiously out of sight on a nearby stand, I strode down at a steady, more appropriate pace.

Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I bowed my head low, nearly to the floor. “My apologies. I didn’t expect you here so soon.”

There was a short huff. “You may rise,” she said, calm and collected. “No need for such formalities. I am only here for a brief visit.”

I lifted my head, looking up into my queen’s face, a head higher than mine. “My Queen, I was planning on visiting the Badlands to request an audience, but since you’re here instead, I would like to—”

“It is about your brood, is it not?” Queen Chrysalis’s expression did not change a single bit, but it seemed like she was looking straight through me. “Don’t be surprised, Broodmother Requiem. I was here far sooner than I told you, and I took the liberty of surveying the state of your changelings while I made my way here.”

I leaned in closer to her, taking a step forward. “Then you understand our need for more love, yes? The love collectors are too few, and they cannot bring enough to possibly sustain our current size, let alone help us grow back to our original strength. We need more collectors from the other broodmothers, or at least enough love to tide us over until then.”

The queen let out a quick snort. “Foolish. I cannot give what you ask for, Broodmother.”

My eyes widened. “What? How? Surely you must have plenty of collectors out there, and I can only imagine the love stores at the main hive!”

Queen Chrysalis’s eyes narrowed at me and she scowled, raising her head so she could cast her gaze down upon me. “Are you so insular to believe your brood is the only one in need of aid? It is a difficult situation we find ourselves in. Like you, I suspect there is another queen making her mark here in Equestria, and she’s putting a lot of focus onto our vulnerable love collectors. The Fillydelphia Brood is down almost three-quarters of their collectors, and they don’t have nearly the infrastructure your brood has. The stores at the main hive are barely keeping the ones back home going steady.”

I stiffened, standing up just a little straighter and raising my chin. “Should we not drive out the rival hive, as in the past?”

“The past you speak of was well over a thousand years ago. The rangers you train and value so highly might as well be relics of the past, for all the use they are. We can’t depend on their skills in the crowded Equestrian cities. Your rangers are inflexible in their disguise options, and there’s danger in using a changeling who can hide their link better than they can blend in with the ponies.”

I drew in a sharp breath. “B-but the rangers are also the most sensitive of the hive. They could be used to detect—”

“Through what?” The queen’s voice was harsh as she leaned down to glare at me. “Are you telling me your changelings can find another ling in between the thousands of ponies standing around them? The ponies are not nearly as scattered as they once were, and it is much more difficult to detect an illusion spell by a changeling. It is simply not feasible to depend on the rangers to root out the hostile hive.” She straightened up, breathing out a deep sigh. “No, we must first find a new way of clearing these invaders out before we can rebuild.”

The hunger pang of my changelings shot through my being, as if the entirety of my brood had just driven spikes through my gut, and I gritted my teeth. “First? My changelings are already starving out, My Queen. Why can we not train up more collectors? If we don’t get love now, we’re not going to need it in a few weeks.”

Queen Chrysalis scoffed. “That will have to be your burden. What will be the purpose of training more collectors if they die at the hooves of a force we don’t even know is there? It is your own fault that you used your own love stores to expand your brood instead of keeping an emergency supply.”

I took a sharp breath, and before I knew it, I found myself shouting at the queen. “S-so we’re just leaving them to die? To rot while we try to fight a war? While we’re hemorrhaging able hooves?” Even my own changelings were cringing at my sudden force. “My Queen, I must protest this course of action. We cannot—”

“You forget your place, Broodmother.”

Her words may not have been as loud as mine, but she seemed to shake the building. The reverberation through the link made her words feel as if they were booming inside my head, and I staggered back despite myself.

The queen took in a deep breath, letting it out in a slow simmering growl. “We are finished here,” she said at last. “I came here specifically to hear your request, but it seems you are still too weak to handle the loss of your changelings. Drones die much more often than we do, Broodmother, and if you fail to understand their replaceable nature, then there are more serious problems to address.

“Let this be a lesson growing up, Broodmother Requiem. Feel the absence of the lings under your command, and let their hunger remind you to exercise prudence in your future decisions.”

She turned away from me, and my changelings opened the door ahead of her. “Let them die,” she said, turning her head slightly to look at me with an eye. “Adapt, as changelings have always done. I must check in on the Fillydelphia Brood, and then I shall see what can be done to ease your loss, but be warned. We are all hungry. Sacrifices must be made to keep our core alive so that we may repair our hive in the future. Farewell for now, Broodmother.”

A flare of green flame enveloped her, and she strode out in her pegasus disguise with the soft click of the large manor doors behind her. I stood there, struggling to keep myself from making any impulsive actions as I heard her take off from my own yard. My forelegs twitched, aching to lash out and hit anything I could reach, and I glared with such intensity into the gilded, white entrance that I half expected them to burst into flames.

Breathing heavily through a strained jaw, I uttered a short, quiet, “Leave me.”

The drones still in the room backed away slowly into the other rooms, their heads bowed.

Once the last of them left, my hoof smashed into the smooth tile below me, splitting the area in two with a single arcing crack as I bellowed out my frustration.

Nearby vases flew up in a glow of green magic, smashing in a spray of water and flowers against the once-pristine walls as I vented. “Nothing!? One of the most important broods in her hive and she promises us nothing? Is that all we are to her? Nothing?”

With another frustrated shout, I punched a hole in one of the nearby columns before storming back upstairs. How could she do this to us? After everything we’ve done for her! After everything our network and our information did to advance her influence across Equestria! And when we come to her for aid, she just tells us to stuff it and take the losses?

Sacrifices? Does she even feel the suffering of those under her?

I thrust open the doors to my room, slamming them closed with a quick buck before flopping down on my bed and screaming into my pillows.

Some time passed, and I had burnt myself out both physically and mentally on my poor pillows. I lay there, my face down in the blankets and my breath starting to return to normal when I heard a soft knock at my door. My head sprung up quickly. I checked the link, but there was nothing behind the door on either the hive link or my empathy sense.

I quickly deduced the identity of my visitor and let out a sigh. “You may enter, Chorion.”

The little nymph pushed the door open with a slow creak. “A-are you alright, Mother? How did the meeting with the queen go? Th-there was a lot of yelling, and I was worried.”

My jaw clenched involuntarily, but I steeled my expression before I could let too much show. This was the one child of mine I would do anything to keep ignorant of our current dire situation.

Chorion was the younger of the royals I have had. Typically, a broodmother such as I would lay clutches ranging from tens to hundreds of eggs, each one replacing the male drones or the female workers in the previous clutch as they died off, depending on the needs of the brood. True royal females were few and far between, and for good reason. They lived many times longer than the drones, spanning into centuries compared to the more moderate fifty years of the drones, and as they matured into broodmothers, they eventually became the focal points of the hivemind. I was blessed to have more than one royal to my name.

My elder daughter would probably replace me at some time in the future, but my younger, my little Chorion, must either choose to live in the shadow of her sibling or go start up a brood further into Equestria, to expand the influence of the Badlands Hive.

“The meeting went fine, Chorion. Don’t worry about it,” I said warmly, trying to keep my interaction with the queen as far from my mind as possible. “Have you been practicing hiding your link? I couldn’t detect you at all behind the door. It’s one of the many skills which makes our rangers so effective, and it’s important to me that you learn them as well.”

She smiled the wide, exuberant grin I loved to see. “Of course, Mother! I love your lessons!”

I returned her grin with one of my own. The rest of the hive may be suffering as well, but there was no way I was going to leave this world without giving Chorion a perfect environment to grow in, to find her own way in Equestria without having to worry about hunger. The queen was foolish to pursue the other hive without first worrying about her own changelings.

Queen Chrysalis had ruled for far too long. Her decision-making was going to lead to the destruction of the entire hive unless something changed.

And I was going to bring about that change, no matter what.

Author's Note

So it begins.

First of all, thanks to Georg, CommanderX5, and TheDerpySoupCan for prereading and offering suggestions for edits for the first three chapters. I swear I grammar correctly most of the time, until I decide not to.

This is technically the second piece of fanfiction I have attempted, but the first one I have decided to send out to the dangerous waters of the internet. There's quite a difference in knowing what a good story looks like and composing one yourself, so constructive criticism is always welcome. Even if I eventually conclude it's complete balderdash, it's helpful to highlight potential problem areas so I can keep a close eye on them.

Get comfy, have a good read, and if there's anything that irks you (or anything you want to see more of), don't be afraid to say so!

:raritywink:

Chapter 12 — Breadcrumbs of our Pasts

—

I gazed down into Sunlight Plaza, taking in the sight of the numerous ponies flitting to-and-fro on their daily business. Wrapped up in thick coats and jackets, scarves and boots, knit hats and earmuffs, they lent a burst of color to the snow-covered clearing, blurring into each other as they came and went, maybe stopping by a nearby store occasionally until they finally departed for wherever else adults go. The two Royal Guards stood out well despite the darkness of the cloud cover as they patrolled the plaza, their paths well worn into the newly fallen flakes.

I stretched out my limbs and rolled my neck, drawing out a few pops before shaking off any accumulated snow and settled my stupid blank flank back into my perch on top of the fancy Prench restaurant. It wasn’t the most comfortable of places to rest, but the warm smell of pasta and breadsticks wafting up was always welcome, and they were one of the hoofful of stores that didn’t try to chase me off of their roof every so often. Thanks to the abundance of customers coming due to the holiday season, they seemed to always be cooking.

“Thanks for coming out with us, Persimmon!”

My ear flicked towards the direction of the voice, and I turned to look at the newest group of arrivals.

“Of course! It’s been my pleasure! I’ll catch you later!” The pegasus mare who had spoken split ways with the rest of her friends, a cheerful smile on her face and her saddlebags laden with freshly acquired goods.

I looked off to the side and fidgeted with my hooves as she approached my resting spot. Her hoofsteps were loud despite the noise in the plaza until they finally came to a stop right under me.

“You know you’d worry your father if he caught you climbing buildings again, missy!” she called out from the restaurant’s porch area.

I groaned and plopped my head down, forced to acknowledge her. I ignored the gazes of the diners as I called back down, “Yes, mom.”

She simply let out a tired sigh before taking off with a flap of her wings. It took only a moment before mom settled down right next to me and scooted closer.

“So how’s school been? I heard your class was going to put on a Hearth’s Warming Eve play.”

I huffed, brushing a bit of my amber mane out of my eyes. “Yeah, but I don’t feel like acting on a stage. Memorizing lines is boring, not to mention we would have to make our own costumes.”

“Oh, you know I would help sew you a costume if you wanted to.”

I stuck my tongue out in disgust. “Ew, no. The last one you made might as well have been a paper bag with holes cut in it.”

She pouted and rapped me on the back of the head with a harrumph. “Hmph! Ungrateful.”

I couldn’t hold in my giggles, and she put a foreleg around my shoulders with a grin before continuing, “So, planning on doing anything with your holiday? Any more ideas about what your cutie mark might be?”

“No, not in particular,” I said contemplatively.

“Maybe you just need a hobby, eh?” Mom said, shaking me about the shoulders.

I rolled my eyes. “I already have a hobby. I’m a street rat. I like climbing buildings.”

She snorted, but with a good-natured grin. “Don’t let your father hear that. You live in an apartment, not a cardboard box. Hey, maybe you can get a cutie mark in exploring!”

I turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be encouraging me not to do this?”

Mom waved it away with a hoof. “And deny you your pegasus heritage? Preposterous!” she said, flaring out her wings and propelling some snow onto the tables below. “Even your father thinks you should’ve been born with wings.”

She sighed, growing a bit more somber. “You know, Sweetie, I know your dad has been busy with his research, but he still cares about you. This holiday will be different now that he finally got his grant.”

Mom pulled away and started digging around in her bags. “Here,” she said, pulling out a thick, long scarf, patterned with alternating red and yellow with a thin white band separating each section. She began wrapping it around me, and I could feel its heat, warmed by her own body heat from sitting in her saddlebags.

“Made this when I could. It can help keep you warm and safe whenever you feel lonely. Never forget, my little Sweet Spot, that your father and I will always be there for you, even if we can’t be there physically all the time.”

I closed my eyes and took a big breath, feeling the weight of the scarf around me and taking in mom’s scent. I felt, for once, at peace, as if the worries of school and life could be pushed away to tomorrow. It was nice.

“Never forget us.”

My eyes shot open, and I spun around to find a demon where my mother once rested. She stood tall and regal, her black shell perfect and her fangs sharp. Her dark cerulean hair formed a curtain through which her piercing green eyes stared down at me.

My legs failed to respond, and the whole sky darkened, the features of the clouds outlined by the glow of haunting green flames. The chill sank its fangs in once more, and frozen in place, I stared back into her eyes, the judging eyes of a predator. For a moment, I thought I could see a flicker of red in them, though perhaps it was merely a trick of the light.

But she turned and strode away from me. I fell, tipping over the edge. I looked into the flames and the ground raced forward to meet me. My heart seemed to scream in the dead silence, and—

Crystal

Overwatch jolted awake and groaned against the bright sunlight streaming in through the window, taking me out of my meditation. Her emotions were a swirl of annoyance and a little shock, a taste I could really only describe as pungent garlic, the kind that makes a pony scrunch up their face.

Which, coincidentally, was the face Overwatch was making. She peeked down at the covers she had kicked off in the middle of the night and pulled them back up with her magic, turning in bed until she was facing me, an eye looking lazily at where I sat on her bedside table.

“Bad dream?”

“Iunno. Maybe?” she mumbled. “What day is it?”

“I believe today is Saturday,” I replied, mentally taking a few deep breaths to calm my mind.

“Goooooood.” She buried herself deeper into her scarf and pillow and left it at that, her mane scattered everywhere with a few stray strands in her mouth.

I sank back into my meditation. Despite being… less than organic, I have found that, while not necessary, a little rest went a long way to keeping me sane and coherent. Curious, but it is at the very least a decent method of burning through extended periods of downtime.

Of course, to my mild disappointment, someone had decided to knock on the door just a moment later. Overwatch raised her head, looking blearily around with her disheveled mane poking in all directions before tossing off the covers.

“Who,” she grumbled, rolling off the bed and grabbing me in her magic.

“Under Celestia’s bright sun.” She pulled the bedroom door open roughly, holding me as if I were a weapon.

“Is here this early.” Overwatch’s hoofsteps echoed loudly in the empty apartment as she plodded onwards. In the background, I heard Lily flop out of her bathtub, and I discreetly reapplied my transformation spell on her.

“On a Saturday?” Overwatch punctuated the last word by pulling open her front door roughly with a scowl.

Standing on her front step were two stallions, one an orange earth pony with a white mane and the other a beige white unicorn with a dark red mane. It seemed that Overwatch recognized them because she dropped her scowl immediately and just stared dumbly at them.

“G-good morning?” She smiled hesitantly at them, the corner of her mouth twitching.

The earth pony simply raised his eyebrow with a smirk. “It’s the afternoon.”

“Hiya there! Who’re you two?” Lily leaned in eagerly, pushing Overwatch’s head to the side as she tried to get a look at the two visitors.

“J-just a moment.”

And then Overwatch slammed the door closed.

After many stammered apologies by my landlady, I had been placed on a high shelf overlooking the small dining table the two changeling visitors were seated at, disguised as a mere trinket amongst the dolls and models with me. While they had gotten a look at me through the door crack, I do not believe they had ascertained my true nature. Compared to Overwatch’s naivete, these two were much harder to trust, even if they were Overwatch’s hivemates.

The changeling known as Card Sharp looked warily at a happily humming Lilywater, who was currently zipping around with a towel and wiping up all of the water she had splashed everywhere on her way to the front door.

He turned to Overwatch. “Should we be worried about your tenant?”

Overwatch turned to look back from where she was stationed at the stove, a spatula held in her magic. The sound of frying eggs spit and cracked behind her. “She’s… she’s okay.”

“Okay?” Card chanced another look at the disguised merpony as she trotted back into the bathroom. “Should we really be having these meetings where she could hear things she shouldn’t be?”

Overwatch shrugged. “We don’t need to use our voices to communicate, so no worries there.”

“And if she gets kidnapped and replaced?”

Overwatch stabbed her spatula in the direction of the bright green pony with an incredulous look on her face. “Find me a changeling that can replicate that mess empathetically.”

Candlelight shrugged as he picked up one of the lockpicks on the table, left there the previous night. “Fair point. Still, can’t hurt to have one less point of error.” He looked up at the still-wet merpony. “Lily, was it? Would you mind going out and giving us an hour or so with your landlady?”

The green mare poked her head out for a second. “Cor, gimme a sec t’ think on it!”

“There is a public park nearby you may go to. Do not go further than that or I will not be able to continue allowing you to walk on land. Do not go with strangers and do not reveal anything about me or Overwatch.”

“Nevermind, I’m good!” Lily exclaimed as she trotted out, tossing the towel at Overwatch’s head. A moment more, and she was already out the front, leaving the door swinging wide open.

Candlelight simply watched as she left. “Interesting choice of roommates.”

Overwatch peeled the wet towel off her head and sighed, closing the door with her magic as she hung the towel up to dry on an open cabinet door. “She’s money and unconditional food.” she said in resignation as she turned back to the stove and began poking at the somewhat burning eggs. “Speaking of which, does anyling want uh…”

“We won’t be here for too long,” Candlelight said, just as Overwatch squeaked in surprise at the oil popping. “We’re mostly just here to catch up on the news here and figure out your capabilities. You might’ve known this, but well… as strong as the hive is elsewhere, there’s at least one queen already here in Canterlot and it’s been making things difficult.”

Card Sharp withdrew a few pieces of paper from his bag, one of which was a large, detailed map of Canterlot that he’s spread across the table.

As an aside, I found it a bit startling that I could recognize most of the city’s layout, given what little I knew about the passage of time at the bottom of Horseshoe Bay. I still recognized the circular Solar District, centered around the Sunlight Plaza. It appeared it was mostly marketplace and apartments around the center, but changed to high class housing near the edges, especially as the land turned to mountain. The Lunar District resembled a crescent moon, wrapped around one side of the Solar District with what appeared to be mostly entertainment and art properties, judging by the labels on the large buildings on the map. The sizable castle grounds were perched on one end of the crescent.

Small red numbers were dotted around the map, and I guessed these were likely locations for the other infiltrators. Many were centered on guard houses, which tended to be one per large neighborhood, but the numbers were not very large, and in the majority of the neighborhoods, the number was zero.

“Oh. That was obvious enough.” Overwatch said, wiggling the flying pan back and forth in an attempt to slide the egg onto a waiting plate. “Caught one of them trying to steal something from the guardhouse.”

“What?” Card Sharp exclaimed, his mouth agape. “When was that? We’ve only been here for what, two, three days?”

“Just yesterday, actually,” Overwatch muttered. “The guardhouse I was at, Penumbra, was empty during the Summer Sun Celebration, and I caught one in the offices. We got into a… scuffle.”

Card Sharp let out an exasperated groan, throwing his hooves into the air. “Couldn’t even wait before this meeting?” He pulled out a red marker from his bags, making a mark on one of the guardhouses on the map. “We’ll have to get into contact with some of the other infiltrators around, Dexter.”

Candlelight breathed out heavily, but turned to Overwatch. “We’ll handle that. We need to get up to speed with them on what’s been going on anyways, and it’ll be a good opportunity for us to see if this has occurred anywhere else. Just lay low, don’t attract any attention. In the meantime however, we need to get to know each other better.”

Card Sharp rolled his eyes. “By which he means we need to figure out what you are capable of.”

“Well, it’d help with planning on future operations if we knew your strengths,” Candlelight continued. “I don’t even think we know your name, let alone what you look like without your disguise, so let’s just start with those.”

Overwatch stared back at them as she trotted up to the table. She placed her plate on the table and stepped back a bit, scrunching up her face a little as she concentrated.

Of course, it was a good opportunity to observe her magic at work, even with the inconvenient meeting, but now that I was intensely looking at her, I noticed several things that had not popped up the first time I asked the young nymph to drop her disguise.

It was transformation magic, but not quite the magic I expected from a changeling. While the magic of changelings tended to be very fluid to allow them to emulate the magic of other races, Overwatch’s magic was significantly more rigid, like maple syrup compared to water. Even undisguised, her magic was closer to that of a unicorn than a clean slate changeling.

She shuffled around uneasily as she felt the gazes of her hivemates. “My name’s uhh… Nymph.”

The other two, however, were concerned with much different things than simply how Overw—Nymph’s magic worked.

“Wait. You’re…” Card Sharp stared incredulously at the much diminished changeling. “You’re a filly.”

Nymph stomped the floor and glared at him. “Is that really so hard to believe!?”

Candlelight just stared back. “Don’t blame Sinister, can’t say I saw it coming either. Usually, all the agents outside of the headquarters are drones.”

Card Sharp looked back at him incredulously. “By the sands, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet that we’re working with a bloody teenager. Dex, you think the Queen has it out for her? Old nag has been a lot more aggressive lately about expanding into Canterlot. Who sends workers out on field work? How many workers are even trained to do field work?”

“Quit it. It’s not our job to question the Queen’s will,” Candlelight replied quickly, turning back to Overwatch as she reapplied her disguise. “It just means we need to adequately note the capabilities of our new infiltrator.”

Card huffed as he stuffed all of his papers back into his saddlebags. “We can start by seeing if she can actually do any of the spells an infiltrator is supposed to do before we start calling her one.”

Candlelight rolled his eyes and got up out of his chair, trotting over to Overwatch. “Ugh, he’s got a point. How good are you with illusions? Transformations?”

The small nymph bit her lip nervously, not quite looking the disguised orange stallion in the eye. “I’m kinda not really good with either? I had more training to be a ranger than either of those, but… here, let me at least try an illusion.”

She took a deep breath and began concentrating, her face quickly scrunching up again as she began her cast, though even I could not predict what would happen next.

The concept of an illusion spell is straightforward. One would simply wrap a magical field around what they wanted to put an illusion spell on and then alter the appearance of that field. While Nymph seemed to have no problems with putting illusions on other objects, the problems arose when she tried to put an illusion spell on herself. While her spell was formed passably well, it simply could not latch onto her malformed magical field, just like how the modified acid splash spell reacted to her.

The result was that she seemed to flicker in and out as she constantly shed illusions, her image flitting about like a spastic fae spirit. Anyone looking at her saw double, maybe triple, and it blurred her outline enough where it would be incredibly difficult to pinpoint where exactly she was.

It also hurt to look at, which is why Card, the crass boor that he was, covered his eyes and shouted for her to stop.

The following trials over her abilities to transform were similarly… intriguing, though not to the benefit of Nymph’s self esteem. Her ability to transform were incredibly weakened due to her unusually rigid magical network, and the only form she could hold perfectly well was, to no one’s surprise, that of the charcoal unicorn Overwatch. She could temporarily transform herself into another unicorn and seemed to succeed in copying Card Sharp’s appearance for a few moments, but it snapped back like a taut rubber band into her usual form.

She was in the middle of her latest attempt to turn into an earth pony when Dexter spoke up. “Alright, alright, that’s good enough.”

Nymph’s magic fizzled out and the disguised mare slumped forward, though she was caught by Candlelight’s hoof before she tumbled face first into the ground. On her warpath to prove her competence, I could have sworn she had gone ethereal, and it was a relief that Dexter had sensibly called for a stop to the whole debacle.

Card rubbed at his forehead, slouched forward onto the table. “So all we really learned is that she can’t do things like a normal infiltrator.”

Candlelight hummed in contemplation, taking a brief moment before saying, “No matter. We can do those things ourselves.”

“We’re up against changelings, right? I can still do a few things to help,” Overwatch said meekly.

“True. Her ranger skill set might still prove useful on certain operations. Being hidden from their empathy sense is not to be underestimated,” Candlelight continued.

“Feh, fine,” the beige unicorn said, straightening up with a groan and rolling his neck. “Even if the original purpose of the rangers was to find changelings.”

“Doesn’t make her other skills any less useful,” Candlelight replied with a frown before turning to Nymph. “In any case, that was about all I had planned for our visit. Just a couple logistics stuff and getting a sense of our resources. We’re going to head out and see if we can make contact with some of the other units here, so until our next visit, just gather what information you can, especially regarding anypony associated with Princess Celestia or the rival hive, and lay low, alright?”

Overwatch nodded with a small sniffle, pawing at the ground with a hoof.

The atmosphere subdued, I watched the two of them leave with just a few polite goodbyes. Overwatch trotted back to the table and slumped into a chair, levitating me down onto the table beside her cold, forgotten eggs.

“How are you feeling?”

She stabbed an egg with a fork and took a bite. “I feel like I’m still sleep deprived.”

I sighed mentally. “You did go a bit overboard with your magic. It did give me a good look at how your magic functioned, however, and despite your spells not working as intended, there are still potential uses for them. When you are rested again however, I must see the memory spell you used.”

Overwatch frowned at her eggs and promptly levitated over some salt. “That’ll probably have to wait until after I can track down Lily again. I can’t believe she left so quickly.”

“That would be my fault. I told her to wait in the nearby park, so as to let your hivemates open up more.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “And you trust her on her own?”

“No, but I do trust that she will not wander far, knowing that she needs to stay close so I can maintain her disguise. Still, it would not be inadvisable to go searching for her.”

“Sure sure,” she thought, shoving the rest of her cold lunch into her mouth. She rose from the table and levitated me into her scarf, placing the string around me around her own neck.

We departed from her apartment in silence, leaving me to my thoughts. While I would have to inform Nymph of the true nature of her magic field, more and more, I believed the reason her magic was so unorthodox was centered around her incident with the real Overwatch. That she can only transform perfectly into Overwatch’s form was the biggest indicator of her uniqueness, and her memory spell, whatever she cast, was the only possible route by which she could change the innate composition of her own magic. It was unprecedented, and I was… excited.

Perhaps this was why I was so drawn to Canterlot, even from my watery isolation at the bottom of Horseshoe Bay. This capital was important for reasons I cannot remember, and I am certain that meeting Nymph was just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe, behind all of this, I can find that thread leading me to my identity and past, and maybe, just a little further, I can find a purpose.

But I can be patient for one more day. No hurry.

Chapter 25 — Tastes of Slumber

Nymph

I brought my hoof back, staring at the wall blankly.

“Huh,” I said simply, my voice sounding detached and hollow.

I reached out and ran my hoof over the barrier again.

“...Overwatch?”

I continued staring at the wall, tunneling in on that featureless piece of wall. My breathing quickened, mirroring the loud beating of my heart in my ears. I checked my magic briefly and found that the effects of the memory spell had worn off while I wasn’t paying attention.

I was…

I was stuck.

“Overwatch?” Celestia called, her voice faint.

I got lightheaded. My chest heaved, but no matter how deep my breaths, it felt like I wasn’t getting enough air. My hooves took a few stumbling steps back on their own accord until I fell back. I was trapped. Beads of sweat ran through my fur and my body trembled uncontrollably.

Trapped in the lion’s den.

I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was there. A rumbling growl rolled through the air. A wet breath washed over my back and shoulders. Its eyes bored down on me, single minded and bloodthirsty. I felt it behind me, but my body wouldn’t respond. I couldn’t turn around.

It pounced, and I choked. Teeth dug into my neck, biting. Squeezing. Tearing.

I couldn’t breathe.

I needed air.

“Overwatch!”

With a gasp, I brought my hooves over my head and curled into a ball, closing my eyes. Air. My lungs begged for air. I had to pull myself together. I forced myself into slow, deep breaths, my body involuntarily shuddering with each gasp.

I’m fine.

I am in control.

I can do this.

I will get through this.

Like I always do.

Like I’ve always done.

The manticore loosened its grip on my throat, and I settled into a calmer, unlabored breathing pattern. Despite my shaking, I loosened up my body, mentally forcing my muscles to relax. I’d lost track of time as I laid there motionless, dead to the world. The sudden fear and horror that had overwhelmed me earlier slowly faded away.

“Are you… alright, Overwatch?”

Breathe in. Breathe out. I sat up, opening my eyes. “I… I think so.” My heart was still pounding, but it began to slow down. Calm. Collected. I looked back at the disguised barrier. “So. We’re trapped in here.”

“So we are.”

“We should think of a way out.”

“I agree.”

I brought a hoof up and massaged my forehead just under my horn. I needed to take stock. What did I have available to me at this very moment?

A few things were immediately obvious. The holsters I was wearing carried an axe, two fumes, and Crystal. I still had a few spells at my disposal as well, though I doubted they would be much use here if the barrier back in the storage area was strong enough to block my stun spell.

“Crystal, is it possible to get Lily here? Maybe we can use her singing to do… something.”

“It would be a possibility were she available. She is otherwise occupied in the castle and I would rather Celestia not go and check in on her right this very moment. Either way, I am not too certain her singing would be very effective here. Most of the magic behind her singing is simply bringing out certain emotions in her listeners. Good for influencing others, but if you were looking for mind control, that is not something she can do. Even sleep only works if her targets are already drowsy.”

I paused, my mouth slightly open. That was a bit more information than I had been expecting.

“According to Lily, at least,” Crystal clarified. “I had her demonstrate for me a few times just to confirm.”

I frowned. “Maybe we can ask the Princess to intervene?” I replied, though even as I thought it, I knew it wasn’t a great idea.

“So she can… blast the manor into a crater? As much as I adore the idea of turning things I dislike into blazing conflagrations of divine displeasure, the power of the sun seems a bit much.”

A sigh escaped me. “Ugh, right. Too blatant.”

I flinched at the creak of floorboards elsewhere in the house. I instinctively checked my empathy sense for any danger, breathing a sigh of relief when it seemed that no one in the mansion was even remotely suspicious yet.

My gaze swept over my surroundings. The books and papers weren’t likely to be much use, but maybe I could do something with the crystals. The other queen was trying to place spell matrices on them, so maybe I could do something similar.

“You think I could put a spell on some of these things?”

“Possible, though it would be difficult to bind any spell to them that you cannot already cast.”

I lifted up one of the crystals, turning it around. “Maybe I could simulate a magical accident and blow a hole in the wall. I can hide pretty easily as long as I can make it out.”

“No guarantee you can escape. For all we know, the barrier could extend around the entire room.”

My brow came together and I snorted. Of course it came down to the barrier. I needed to get through it, but just what could and what couldn’t make it out of my magical cage?

I levitated up a book and a crystal from the nearby table and brought them over to the wall. Bringing them both to shoulder level, I pressed them lightly into the barrier. Neither one made it through.

I rolled my eyes. I’d brought my equipment through, so maybe it’s only permissible to such things when there’s a member of their hive nearby. In any case, magic and physical objects were out, but what about air? It would be a bit strange to have an enclosed room with no air flow, so maybe it’s permeable to things like clouds, such as the ones in my fumes. I pressed the side of my face to the wall, but I couldn’t feel any air passing through. Perhaps it was just too light for me to notice.

I sighed. With no other options presenting themselves, I puckered up and pressed my lips to the wall, trying to make as airtight of a seal as possible before breathing a stream of air outwards.

It worked. Despite appearances, I could actually breathe completely normally through the wall. Now to test if water could make it through. I gathered up a little of my saliva in my mouth and spit a small amount of it at the wall. It disappeared into the barrier, leaving nary a mark on the supposed wall.

Well, that was a thing. If I broke the seal on my fumes, I could probably get a bunch of black cloud through the barrier, but did I want to alert the guards outside to my presence?

I blinked. Maybe…

“What are you thinking?”

“Crystal, how long was I out for when I used the memory spell?”

“Not long, maybe ten seconds.”

Biting my upper lip, I scanned the room again. There were two entrances. I couldn’t risk being caught in those ten seconds from hostiles entering from either direction. Popping a fume would obscure vision entirely, but there was the possibility they could stumble on me if they just run in.

The shelves extending along the entire side of the room were narrow, but they looked like they were enough to support me. There weren’t many other options. I’d hide up there when I set my plan in motion.

I approached the table, looking down at the crystals. “How do I enchant these?”

“Hmm… Link to me just as before, but this time, hold the spell on your horn. I can do the rest.”

Right. I reached out with my magic, bridging a link with Crystal before bringing my stun spell to my horn. All at once, it seemed like there was another hoof working its magic on mine, like a needle and thread, tugging and anchoring the spell I held to the rock before me, lattice to lattice.

“It is done. Drop it.”

I did so, and the spell that had been on my horn seemed to snap onto the crystal as if pulled taut by a rubber band.

“I put a little more power into it. It should be strong enough to knock anyone out.”

Bringing it closer, I examined it closer. At first glance, it looked nearly the same as before, but a closer look revealed that it seemed to be glowing faintly red. Crystal’s influence, no doubt. “How do I use it?”

“Just shock it with your own stun spell. That should destabilize it enough to release its spell.”

I nodded. “Let’s make another two, just in case.”

“Of course. One thing though. Take those notes if you can. If we do not find a use for them, then at least the other queen will be set back.”

We quickly ran through two more crystals. I left one each beside both the upstairs and downstairs entrances before swapping out one of my fumes for the last stun crystal. I swept up a bundle of papers from the table and stuffed them into the same pocket I had Crystal hiding in without a second glance before spreading a lot of empty sheets over the table.

I climbed up onto the shelf, situating myself to the far side of the room away from the upstairs entrance, allowing me to see the shock crystals I had placed at both barriers. The shelf bent a little under my weight, but it seemed to hold well enough. I just had to hope that it was out of the way enough to avoid being seen by anyone coming in.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

I slapped the end of the fume and tossed it out into the room, taking note of where it landed. Just like before, a dark liquid sprayed out the bottom of it before the entire room was immediately filled with pure black cloud cover. I noted with glee that visibility had been reduced to barely a meter or so away, granting me a wonderful advantage over the others. They would still be visible to my empathy sense, but I would not be visible to theirs.

I reached out to Crystal again, drawing on her power to fire off a boosted stun spell in the direction of the table and the papers on it.

Despite the darkness of the room, the lightning was almost completely visible as it arced out with a sharp thunderclap, nearly surprising me off of my perch. The guards outside were already alerted, tasting of the sour shock of horrible surprise. The one outside rushed indoors, and I watched as he got closer and closer to the barrier. I linked to Crystal again, this time preparing my memory spell on my horn as I waited for him to finally cross.

He sped across the line, and I let loose. The emerald link snapped into the inky darkness, pulling taut before I blacked out.

With bated breath, I kept watch over my empathy sense as I waited for the rest of my senses to restart. The guards outside the manor had been put on alert, but they held their ground, staying at their posts. The other guard upstairs turned to a shaky wariness, no doubt shaken that his companion had seemingly disappeared from all of his senses. The butler was already downstairs at this point and was rushing around a few unseen walls towards the lower entrance.

My world rushed in, including several voices over the secondary hivemind.

“Psyllid, you in there? What happened?”

“I’m approaching the bottom entrance.”

“Careful, you don’t know what’s in there. I can’t detect anything.”

“If there’s something on fire, we have to put it out. Come on, let’s go.”

They broke in from both sides. The butler quickly ascended the stairs under me until they had both discovered the prone body of their companion.

“I think he’s alright. Come on, let’s get him out of here.”

“But what’s causing all the smoke? Where is this all coming from?”

I tried to remember where the stun crystal near the top entrance was, but there were too many bodies in the way. There was no guarantee that I could land a stun spell on it from my vantage point.

With a quick motion, I withdrew the stun crystal in my holster and tossed it out in an arc above the cluster of enemies in front of me. Once it hit the top of its arch, I zapped it with a normal stun spell.

It released its spell in a shocking explosion, silhouetting the hostiles’ forms through the dark cloud. There was a second electric blast, a lucky hit triggering the other stun crystal. The hivemind was instantly filled with shouts of pain and confusion, and the guards outside finally started moving inwards, flying to the upstairs balcony.

I dropped from the shelf in the pandemonium, scooping up the stun crystal I had left downstairs and shoving it into the empty holster pocket as I charged to the downstairs exit.

It was shockingly bright on the other end, and I had to blink a few times as my vision adjusted. I’d emerged into the kitchen from the wall, right next to one of the closets. All of the interior lights had been turned on, but at the moment, there was no one nearby to see me. Everyone here was either knocked out or rushing the upstairs balcony.

The stairs leading to the second floor were visible from where I had come out, so I made a break for it. Opening the door to the basement with my magic, I flew into the opening, bouncing off the wall as I corrected my course and landing onto the ground with a skid of my hooves.

No one up above was going after me, and I’d almost breathed out a sigh of relief when I noticed someone else coming up from the sewers, much too quickly for me to hide. I let my aura out just as another pony barreled through the wall.

My eyes widened slightly. It was the stallion I had originally cast my memory spell on to get into the manor. He must’ve woken up sometime in the interim.

“Oh good, you’re here,” I said, acting quickly and patting him on the back. “Head up and help them. I’m going to get the Queen.”

He seemed shocked to see me, but he snapped up a salute and galloped off up the stairs.

I made my way through the barrier back into the sewers and suppressed my aura once again. It was only now that I finally breathed out a relieved sigh. I’d almost forgotten that the memory spell would automatically disguise me, and I was extremely thankful I hadn’t taken the time to change back to my preferred form before.

It’d be easy enough to return to the castle once I got into the labyrinthian underbelly of Canterlot. Though I had to return to Celestia, I found that I wasn’t dreading our reunion nearly as much as before.

A thought came back to me just as I was making my way back through the trapped room. Crystal had said Lily was off doing something in the castle that she didn’t want Celestia checking in on, but what could the mer possibly be doing?

Lilywater

I was humming.

It was one of the lullabies I’d heard when I was real young. The caretakers back at the temple would always sing me to sleep every night, sometimes encouraging me to hum along with them as I drifted off to bed, and the melody stuck with me long into my training as a songstress. It’s never really had a purpose outside just being that kinda song mums sing to their youngins, but now that I got me a few more years under my belt, it had a much more practical application, though one that still needed a few special checkboxes to be ticked.

Thankfully, wandering the lonely castle in the middle of the night really had a habit of reminding everyone that they should be in bed instead. Plus, the prevailing silence meant there was nothing to interfere with my influence.

I took a glance over at Cadence and caught her just as she was trying to stifle yet another yawn. I’d gotten her to show me around the castle for a while now, and by keeping her up and about, she was just about ready to drop down and take a nap. She’d been a tough oyster to crack—had to change up my approach a bit—but I was getting pretty close now. Didn’t start with singing, but some light humming for long enough had about the same effect.

We rounded the corner as we headed for her room. She swayed visibly, bumping into me.

“O-oh my, we’ve been up for a while. We should—” Cadence was interrupted with another wide yawn. “We should really… get to bed.”

“Indeed, my child. Indeed, my love,” I said, maintaining a light rhythm in my words and leaving the melody to my muses. “Lay your head upon my breast. I shall be here, go and rest.”

She swayed over, and I took her into my embrace. “T-that sounds…” Cadence mumbled, burrowing into me. “That sounds gooood…”

I lowered her gently to the ground outside her door, stroking a hoof through her mane for a couple minutes more until I was sure she’d fallen asleep. It was good timing too. Wouldn’t be any good to get her napping if I was stuck in her room afterwards, but thankfully, I’d got her dozing just before it came to that.

I eased her off of me and to the floor, watching as she curled up into a ball and snored. With a final good night kiss, I stood back up and took a look around the empty halls. Crystal said that the Lightbringer was gonna be busy tonight, and now that I had shaken off my escort, I could finally get to doing what Crystal asked me to do.

I giggled. It brought back good memories of my time at the temple. I had to get really good with my voice to get the wardens sleeping so I could wander off, though regrettably, once the elders finally caught onto me, they put even scarier tone-deaf escorts on me and then refused to let me sleep in.

I stuck a tongue out. Spoilsports.

T’weren’t completely my fault anyways. All of the instructors said that a true songweaver had an inner muse, something inside to put voice to the song of life we hear everyday. They told me that if I listened to my inner muse, I could become great, so I did.

All three of them.

I saw them swim off to the side, sashaying backwards through the hallway as they beckoned for me to follow. Really, I wish I could be as pretty of a merpony as they were with their shining white scales and full shimmering fins that never stayed the same color. Everywhere I went, they’d have my back. Every time I sung, they were ready to back me up or harmonize with my lead. Back home, the instructors had me believing for the longest time that they were just something that everymer had. I knew better now after growing up a bit, and I felt a little lucky my silly younger self was too caught up in her own world to tell anyone about her inner muses.

They were my best kept secret.

They were good mer though. I wish I could tell others about them. They’d given me guidance and advice often, and with their help, my songstress training was embarrassingly simple. I fancied that they were the reason I progressed so much faster than the others in the first place. Really, they made things so simple, I was getting through classes in my sleep.

Which, unfortunately, meant that the elders noticed I was much better than I let on to be sometimes. Wasn’t my problem. Really, if anymer else bothered to relax a little instead of sticking so rigidly to the temple’s dumb strictures, they might actually be good songstresses. Unbending reeds make pretty awful music, just saying.

Or maybe I just stole all of their muses and that’s why I had three.

I giggled to myself again as I made my way down the grand empty hallway to the Royal Library. I marveled at how clean everything was. Slime was just something that’s supposed to exist on everything, and it was such a doozy to go up on land and realize that there were surfaces that weren’t just covered in slime. It was a doozy to realize that even I wasn’t supposed to be covered in slime, though I was getting some real mixed messages. Some of the other heathens liked running slime through their manes and fur but only for a couple minutes and then they’d wash them out.

And then there was the other sorta-slime that only ponies who haven’t taken baths get that no one likes. Weird what these heathens think.

My muses swam in front of me, bringing their hooves to their mouths with a shushing motion. Right, right. Can’t forget what I needed to do.

I took a deep breath, feeling the air running past my lips. I ran my tongue around my mouth, feeling out my sharp teeth. I still had four hooves for a while even this far away from Crystal, but some of my other features were already reverting back. Didn’t really matter though. No one should be awake to see me anyways.

“Oooh, her child. Oooh, her love.”

My muses began their harmony, providing the rhythm and tune as if it were a loom upon which I could weave my spellsong. We all sank into the familiar song and dance, and I mimicked their swaying motions as we approached the library.

“Close your eyes and slumber deep. In her hooves, know naught but sleep.”

I swept in boldly through the front doors. There was a desk there beside the entrance, but the pony there already had her eyes closed, lurching back and forth as she drew closer to sleep. Poor gal, she was. I’d barely started and she was already bowing out.

I took a quick look at the library map at her station. Looks like the Starswirl wing was somewhere near the back. Crystal warned me there might be a few guards on it, so I continued with my lullaby.

“Though life’s struggles make you weary, be not drab and be not dreary.”

The path weren’t all too difficult. I’d almost finished strutting down the aisle, my muses returning to the chorus with renewed fervor as they swam ahead around the corner.

“Give in fully to her embrace. Worldly burdens, she shall erase.”

I turned the corner, and the Starswirl wing came into view. Just as Crystal said, there were guards, but like the attendant at the front, they were also nodding off, quickly giving in to their drowsiness. They were young. Course, I sympathized with the young lads. Somepony in the guard probably set them here as an easy, out-of-the-way assignment. I’d fallen asleep during my duties pretty bloody often, bored out of my mind.

“Come, her child. Come, her love.”

They yawned in unison before both taking a seat, settling into comfortable positions even as I approached them in full view. My muses circled behind them, singing sweet tones into their ears and holding them close.

“Resist not her soft lullaby. Her allure, a friend, an ally.”

I walked past them, like ghosts passing each other in the night. My muses peeled away from them after me, carried away by the current. I neared the back area here and looked over the shelves, scanning for one title in particular.

“Open your heart, let us rebuild. Let your weary vessel be filled.”

I found it quickly. Thankfully, Crystal had been spot on with her directions. I opened the front cover, easy as could be. “An In-Depth Study of Phylacteries and Binding Rituals,” it was.

“Mother favors all believers. We, at night, shall be her dreamers.”

With our chorus flowing behind us, we absconded from the Royal Library with our tome in stow. Even though I had just gone through a lullaby, my heart was a-thumping faster than ever. My muses swirled around me in a dance, chittering in their delightful tones. Could I even fall asleep knowing what was to come?

Crystal had promised me something irresistible. She promised me a Heart Gem.

Author's Note

ADDING THIS IN LATE:

I posted a blog thing about my upcoming story. It's just the cover art and the short and long descriptions, but if you're interested, go ahead and take a look!

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/845728/minor-peek