Coronation
Hunt
It had been going so well too, everything had been perfect. Her children were safe, never to again to feel the pains of starvation. She would never have to watch them deteriorate, piece by piece as their bodies slowly began to digest her poor children from within. She had done it, won against a tyrant that had condemned her people to a slow, painful death. She had broken Celestia's power before all of her blighted, ignorant subjects.
It had all fallen apart so fast, one moment she, Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, was standing victorious. The most important battle had been won, the war was already over, nothing to stand in her way. Then pain, death, that horrible choking feeling of drowning in a power that you couldn't control. Her army, her children, died so fast. Most didn’t even get a chance to scream before slamming into one of the many obstacles that cities provided for those unfortunate enough to be flung through them at high speeds. She considered them some of the luckier ones, most of her hive died a slow painful death as the energy overload burned out their nerves, leaving them numb, trapped in their own bodies as organ after organ shut down, choking on their blood as lungs failed and hearts spasmed.
Oh how she hated that purple pony. Twilight Sparkle, she was the catalyst of all of her suffering, of her children's pain. Twilight was the one who brought suspicion on her, who found the true Cadence, who freed her so she could power that thrice cursed Shining Armor’s barrier spell. Twilight who...
Chrysalis sighed, she couldn’t find it in her to hate the mare, not the real soul searing hate that she should bend toward the unicorn. Chrysalis was the invader, she had taken away Twilight's brother, broken her queen and was conquering her homeland. Chrysalis couldn’t imagine the little unicorn reacting any other way, when someone took from you what was yours you fought with all you had until it was yours again, or you were truly beaten. And Chrysalis was truly beaten. Doomed in fact.
Looking around her at the few dozen Changeling surrounding her, she took in their sorry state. Dying summed it up well. They had retreated to the caves that housed what passed for a spawning pool and the nutrient baths. She had established this temporary home so that the pupa could survive long enough for her to take Canterlot. Now it may well become her tomb. The pool was clear, lacking any energy for the new young, it had lost its pleasant green glow. The nutrient baths were little better, she had the few drones remaining feeding their dead into the shallow basins in a hope to reclaim some energy from them. It was macabre, but she would do anything, everything, she could in a effort to buy time. For her children, and for herself.
Shining Armor’s spell had been composed of almost pure love, the strongest, most potent emotion, and the changeling’s greatest source of sustenance. But like water, one could not drink an ocean of love, it simply flung you whatever way it was going and there was nothing you could do about it. Unfortunately, she didn’t drink love. Instead she absorbed it, converting it into power and sustenance. So much being forced into her was damaging.
Lethal in fact, not only to her, very few of her changeling survived the blast. Those that did were scattered across the Everfree Forest, tossed through the grassy plains or stranded far into the wasteland. Some she retained a connection to, but most were simply cut off, severed from the hive for the first time in their life. She held very little hope for their survival, even if the pain from the energy overload hadn’t shattered their minds.
But the hammer blow had been her own injuries. She was dying, she could feel her body slowly shutting down, and when it did that would be the end for her people. She was the last Queen of the Changeling, with her death the collective hive mind would be broken and no more children could be born.
That was what those ponies didn’t understand. They thought that they had the monopoly on love, that she was without compassion. But the truth could not have been further from it. She was every changeling’s mother, and like all mothers she loved all of her children without inhibition. They were all one will. A hive mind, a collective intellect. Terrifying and beautiful, they could feel each other, be each other, linked through her at all times. As individual parts of the whole they lived, fought, fed and died for the hive, for her. And Chrysalis could feel the deaths of her children, both in her heart, and as her mind reeled from the screaming agony as their bodies were destroyed. A part of her died with each of her children, even as they selflessly gave whatever energy they had left to her in their dying moments.
She had one last option open to her, one that was never intended to be used in this manner. She would have to take a pony and give her the privilege of becoming her successor. With or without their consent. Once connected to the hive, the new queen could not deny her children.
That pony would be the last hope, what little hope there was, the new queen would have no one to guide her. She would truly be alone in her duties and responsibility, with only the few strong wills left among her children to assist her. The new queen would have to find a food source, or somehow make peace with the tyrannical monster that ruled this deceptively inviting land. It was a death sentence to whomever she chose, with only a few exceptions. One in particular which appealed to her sense of justice, or at least to her taste for irony, was the very same mare that brought about her defeat would become her people’s savior. Or die with them.
They were fast, faster than anything that this pitiable forest could offer as contest, moving without a sound the five changeling Hunters sped through the Everfree forest canopy. Flitting from branch to branch they moved in perfect unison, the kind one could not achieve by simple training but could only be reached by sharing a collective mind, no matter how weak it was at the moment. They knew each other, they were each other, and nothing could match the speed of thought.
Completely focused on their task, they ignored the lesser denizens of the forest and avoided the more lethal ones altogether. They moved tirelessly, never slowing, never speaking a word as for hours that they powered on.
They had their orders and it would not do to keep the dying queen waiting, nor would they waste the precious energy they had been given. Energy that the hive did not have to spare. The energy would have meant life for many little brothers and sisters, and without it they would never see the dawn. But if this mission failed then none of them would be seeing many more dawns. The hunters were in agreement, something that normally eluded the most independent of the broods. They would succeed even if it meant each and every one of their lives. Anything less would be dishonoring their siblings sacrifice.
The sun was low over the horizon when they first spotted their destination. The tallest of its small buildings barely poking over the hills in the distance. As one they left the canopy, hitting the ground running they were surrounded by a brief flash of green flame leaving behind five, nondescript, earth ponies, all mottled browns and greys of slightly different shades.
Each new pony broke away from the group, each taking a different angle so that they could enter the town separately. After all it wouldn't be prudent to arrive all at once, and draw attention to themselves. Attention was the last thing that they needed. Though each was willing to die for the hive, they would also be needed very badly in their usual roles as hunters if the hive was to prosper under the new Queen.
One of the five took the long route, far out and around the town so that it could begin its search in the farms that dotted the plains and hills around the road to Canterlot. They knew some of what their target’s friends were, the Queen having to endure many hours of inane yammering from her prey about his little sister’s accomplishments, so they knew where she might be if not at her home. The Nexus, the nominal leader of their small link, would search for their target at her home. While the others were to search the likely places that she may frequent.
"Glow in town." The thoughts of one of his link mates, the only female in their group, was the only sound other than his hooves pounding on the grass. His breathing was even, his strides unfaltering, he took great pride in how well he had taken care of his body, even through the magical assault.
"You are." Sky's acknowledgment came quickly behind Glow’s message. The old hunter was their Nexus for this mission, a survivor of the migration under the former queen and having lived through the Canterlot invasion. He was perhaps the most experienced of any changeling alive. Save the Queen.
"Hope in town." The youngest in the link he was to search the markets to find the stores that the target's link owned.
"Life in town." Another, one who had been spared from the disastrous attack while hunting, would be attempting to find and gain entry to the clinic the yellow one was purported to own.
"Sky in town." The Nexus's broadcast left him as the last to reach his destination, not that his siblings were impatient with him. They knew that he had the farthest to go of all of them.
Seeing the fence of the first farm come into view the hunter slowed, though it would take longer, it would draw less attention if he was not running. Hopping the fence he sent a call out through the link. "Star in town." The acknowledgment from Sky was instantaneous, and once again Star felt nothing but admiration for the old hunter.
He didn't dominate the link, like many would given the position of Nexus, each of them could think their own thoughts and that was something that Sky was immensely grateful for. While situations sometimes called for absolute unison along the link, doing so relied completely on the Nexus to direct them. Star hated the feeling of being smothered under another will until he disappeared, becoming just another limb to the Nexus. It was different when it was the Queen at the Nexus, then, primal instinct compelled their obeisance.
Trotting down the rows of carrots Star re-reviewed what he knew about Sweet Apple Acres, the farm that his target's link mate owned, there were precious few details about it though. While the queen did have some interaction with the mare Applejack, owner of the farm, she didn't pay much mind to the pony. They were to be subjugated after all. What they did know was that the farm was owned and run by one Applejack and her brother of a unknown name. The brother was noted as being very strong but little else was known of him. It was also confirmed that a elder lived with them, as to what function she served was unknown. Nothing was known of the parents. Both working ponies were expected to possess a powerful buck, the memories from the many changelings that fought this Applejack were testament to this fact.
Reaching the top of a hill Star took a moment to gauge his surroundings. While not the tallest hill around, it was high enough to allow him to see the adjacent farms. Most consisted of well plowed fields lined with greens, it was only off the the north east that tree of some kind became prevalent. Setting off in what he guessed was the right direction Star paid little heed to the plants he trod over. Something that the farms owner paid a great deal of attention to.
"HEY! Who, what do you think you’re doing! Your trampling my crops you daft pony didn't your parents teach you any common courtesy." The yellow pony was trotting up the hill towards the disguised changeling. Agitation clearly written over her face. "Well what do you have to say for yourself?" The changeling was confused at what he had done that was so wrong, looking about himself he saw nothing but dirt and plants, certainty nothing of value. His confusion must of shown clearly on his borrowed face though.
The farmer gave a snort before trying again "Your not from around here are you, you come down from Canterlot or something?" She sized up the light brown stallion, noting his cutie mark was a compass and sextant she guessed he was a traveler or explorer, a very dense one. "Look my name’s Golden Harvest, but my friends all call me Carrot Top. I don't know how you do things where you come from but around here we don't go around wrecking other’s hard work. Now you trampled almost three bushels of carrots in your little jaunt around my fields, that's twenty-two bits worth, so you had better have a way to pay for them or I'm going to have a new helper around here for a few days."
"Plants-carrots food, exchange for bits-gold." Hope's thoughts echoed across the link, images of the market ponies selling plants much like the ones in the field he was in. Star cursed himself for his lack of insight, of course they ate these plants they were growing them, purposefully, on a farm. Looking back he saw that sure enough he had left a trail of destruction in his wake, paying no mind to the greenery he was trampling under foot. And why should he, what changeling would eat plants?
"Apologize ." The link went completely silent at the command.
"TO FOOD?" Star couldn't believe it, Sky wanted him to tell this pony that he, a hunter, was sorry for stomping some weeds.
"Yes."
"Why? Simple kill food." Star thought that it was obvious, just kill the stupid pony and move on. They were on a time limit after all, but Sky had other plans it seemed. Star felt the link pressing down on his mind, not hard but the message was clear, do as he was told or Sky would take his will and do it anyway.
"Repeat. I am sorry, I was lost in thought and not paying attention to where I was going." Star did as he was told and dutifully repeated Sky's words to the farmer.
Carrot Top let out a sigh. "Look I get that you didn't mean anything by it but I can’t just have every pony just stomping through my carrots every time they have something on their mind."
"I am looking for a farmer named Applejack can you tell me which way her farm is?" Star saw the pony’s brow raise at this, but he guessed that Sky wanted what info the yellow thing could provide.
"Ya I know where it is, we Carrots don't get along with the Apples to well. Are you one of her friends?"
"A business acquaintance, once I finish my business with her I will be able to pay you for the trouble I have caused you."
The farmer flicked her curly orange tail in agitation. "Fine, how about we both go pay Applejack a visit. That way you don't have to walk all the way back here."
"You don't trust me?" Star was a little taken back by the mares snort of derision, but he stuck to Sky's script. "Very well, can we get going?"
Allowing the mare to take the lead, Star let himself drift into the link, it was a little daunting listening to the many threads that Sky was managing. Hope had run into a problem as many of the stores were closing it seemed, having no experience with infiltration he was floundering in his attempts to find information on their targets whereabouts. Glow had somehow been roped into modeling for a dress by one of their targets link-mates and was doing her level best to turn the conversations toward topics of usefulness. Life was at his wits end as Ponyville seemed to have only one clinic and no yellow pegasus worked at it leaving him at a dead end. Through it all Sky was there, coaching, guiding, showing insight into this backwards culture that ponies had, all the while holding his own inquiries into the target’s whereabouts.
Star was brought out of his daze when this stupid pony tapped him on the nose. "Are you alright? You seem really out of it."
"Yes!" Star couldn't believe the insolence of these ponies, couldn't she tell that he was trying to concentrate. "Well why have we stopped?"
"We stopped because you were just standing there, and you sure could use some lessons in manners." The farmer's glare could peel paint, but he just gave his own right back. Queen's wings, he was not going to fold to some earth pony, and sure enough she was the first to break eye contact.
Giving her a self satisfied smirk, he turned to look at how far they had made it in the few moments he was not paying attention. Seeing that they were surrounded my apple trees gave him a good indicator of where they were. "Is this Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Well ya, I thought that you and Applejack were friends." She was giving him a strange look. "Don't tell me you have never been to her farm, I didn't think anypony could call themselves her friend if they never even visit her farm."
"Star at farm." Tuning out the yammering pony in from of him Star gave his update, letting the sights and, unfortunately, sounds of what he was experiencing flow back the link.
"Scars that one is a pest." Life's amusement laden thoughts drifted back to them. Star couldn't help but grin at this comment.
"HEY!" Star once again was startled by the yellow mares intrusion. Seeing that she had the disguised hunter's attention Carrot Top continued. "Look I don't know what you’re trying to pull but if you don't have the bits to pay for the damages just say so. I'm not going to make you do anything degrading, just some good old hard work to pay off the damages. How about we just head on back to my farm and I can get you someplace to sleep, we can get started in the morning."
"Kill?" Star didn't have any reason to need the pony now that she had led him to the farm. She would just be a hindrance now.
"No Incapacitate Alive." But it seemed that Sky still had his reasons not to kill. No matter, it would be simple to render this one unconscious.
Carrot Top took a step back at the sudden manic grin on the earth pony’s face. "Now hold on a minute, there's no need to get nasty."
A hoof slammed into her face. The blow was so fast she didn't even realize he had moved, the world spun around her and she felt a curious sense of weightlessness before slamming into something unyielding. The taste of copper folded her mouth on the wake of pain through her jaw. Carrot had never been in a fight and was completely unprepared to deal with the changeling's assault. Trying to get the spinning world to make sense she shook her head, feeling something thumping against her side she looked, seeing apples raining down around her. "I, I was bucked into an apple tree?"
The impact again came without warning, two hooves slammed down on her head. Stars burst in front of her eyes but her newfound pain was short lived as the hooves were brought down again. "He's going to kill me!" Adrenaline surged through her, the world still spinning she tried to get to her hooves, only to have them knocked out from under her. Before she could try again those horrible hooves smashed into her face once again, causing the world to grey out. Something was ringing and she could barely hear somepony crying over it, begging somepony to stop. She wanted to help whoever it was that was crying but she couldn't stand up for some reason.
"Stop... Please stop... I... I'm sorry... I..."
Star looked at the pile of sobbing pony in front of him with disgust. How did these pathetic ponies drive off any army, let alone one led by the Queen, drones or no they should have been able to crush such weakness with ease.
"Stop Wasting Time." Star straightened at Sky's voice. Was he wasting time? Looking back down at the bloody face of the pony he realized that yes, he was dragging this out. Bringing his hooves down on the back of the pony's head, hard, he watched her slump unmoving to the ground. Leaning in he checked its breathing, shallow but regular with no sounds of liquid. It would live.
Leaving his work behind Star made his way through the Apple Trees, ears cocked for the slightest sound of life. Wanting to avoid running into another pony like the last one, until he found the farmer that is. There. Voices, two of them, female, deciding that this was probably the owner of the farm or perhaps one of her workers Star let his guise of an earth pony drop. Glorying in his true form for a moment before leaping to the tree branches to get a closer look without exposing himself. Star jumped from branch to branch, using his Queen-given grace as a hunter he quickly closed on the two voices.
"Thank ya kindly fer helpen me out here Sugarcube." The first was indeed the farmer, the atrocious accent was exactly like the Queen’s memories.
"I'm just glad you were willing to let me help this time." Star halted at the voice, he made his body as still as possible so that nothing would mask the ponies words. He could feel the link quiet as they felt his anticipation, each listing through him.
"Naw, I learned my lesson last time I bit off more’n I could chew." Applejack's words were punctuated by the sound of hooves striking wood followed by the patter of apples falling to ground. "With us all up in Canterlot fer yer brothers wedden, Big Mac fell a might behind without me around ta help."
"You two amaze me Applejack, that you can work this whole farm by yourselves is nothing short of miraculous." There was no mistaking it, that was the voice of their target. Star didn't try to fight back the smile that appeared on his face.
"Target Found."
The response from the link was immediate, each one dropping what they were doing, leaving conversations mid sentence and in Glows case walking out with a half finished dress on. Much to a white unicorns displeasure. Star could feel each of them racing as quickly as they could, without drawing attention to themselves, towards his location. Finding a perch in a apple tree, just close enough that he could make out the targets movement through the trees, Star settled in to wait for the link to regroup.
"Ah shucks Twilight yer just sayin that."
"No, I really mean it. I read up on apple farming techniques." Twilight was interrupted, as Applejack expressed her opinion of learning farming from books. "Hey I learned a lot about farming from books. It's not funny!" The farm pony paid her companions protests no mind continuing to laugh.
"I'm sorry sugar, I know ya mean well, but no fancy books gonna tell ya’ll how to farm properly." She punctuated her sentiment with another heavy blow to a apple tree.
"Well how about a test?" Sounding her own, softer, blow to her tree.
"Ah test? Twi I ain’t good at test taken."
"That's OK you won't be taking it, you'll be giving it to me." Star blinked, she had sounded jubilant at the prospect of taking a test. Edging a little closer to the two mares Star tried to listen to what was going to be so entertaining about this test. "OK, so first question?"
"Who the hay are you!"
"Twilight Sparkle."
"What? NO! There's somepony up there in ma tree!" Star sucked in a breath, she was coming right toward him! "Come on now, you get down from there. Is that you Rainbow? What have I told ya bout sleepen in ma trees."
"No! No, not yet, SKY!" Where were the others? What should he do? He couldn't safely capture two of them without possibly permanently hurting his target, something that would doom his people just as soon as failing to capture her would.
"CHANGE! PEGASUS!" Sky's mental command was a sledgehammer to Star's mind, forcing him to begin changing before he even processed the command. Star shut his eyes concentrating on the form, praying that the flash would go unnoticed. His hearts sank at what his target said next.
"Applejack wait." At the farmers quizzical glance Twilight continued. "I just felt, well I mean, something’s not right here."
"Whada ya mean darlin?"
Instead of answering her friend Twilight cautiously approached the tree. "Come out, you’re trespassing on private property."
A light brown pegasus stallion dropped from the tree, landing lightly on his hooves he shot the two a glare. "Why did you have to wake me up, I was having a good nap."
"In ma tree? Look partner I don't let ma friends lollygag around in ma trees, and I sure as hay ain’t gonna let some stranger do it." The orange mare taking the lead again, trotting right up to the trespasser and poking a hoof in his chest to accent her point.
"Now there is no reason to get all upset, I am new here and didn't know that this was your tree." Twilight's brow furrowed at the stranger’s words. Something about them was off. Oh it was a valid excuse, but something seemed wrong about him. Looking at him closer Twilight could tell that he was well built, he obviously worked out, and his coat was unkempt, but then again he was just sleeping in a tree, and looking at his... oh no. Twilight had a sinking suspicion what was bothering her about this stallion and it had to do with the burst of magic that she had felt just before he came out.
"Where's your friend, you know we won’t bite, he can come out to." The new comer started at the comment and Applejack raised her eyebrow at the lavender mare.
Turning back to the intruder Applejack fixed him with a glare. "There two of you up there? I get ya looken fer a private place and all that but ma farm is not the place fer that."
"No, just me, definitely no one else around." The confusion on his face was quickly replaced by alarm though as the unicorn lowered her stance, eldritch power alighting her horn.
"Step away from him Applejack." Twilight's tone was hard.
Applejack turned back to her bookish friend, not understanding the danger she was trying to defuse what she thought was a needless fight before it got started. "What in tarnation are ya doin darlin, there ain’t no need to get yer magic out fer this, he's just a trespasser. We Apples know how ta deal with trespassers."
"That's not a pony."
"What?" Anything else the farmer might have said was lost as the pegasus, shrouded in green flame, lunged at the farmer.
Coronation
Capture
This was bad, Sky pushed all of them to their breaking points, stealth be damned. They weren’t close enough to help Star. If their target got away then that was it, they would be the last of the changelings. That was something that Sky would not allow.
"Faster Burn Energy." He sent out the command to draw on their energy reserves. The four changelings turned earth ponies were enveloped in a green glow again, each blow of their hooves dug deep in the earth, propelling them at speeds that no earth pony could ever achieve. He feared that it would not be enough and that Twilight or the farmer would escape and raise an alarm. If anypony was warned they would be hard pressed to make Everfree before capture.
He cast his thoughts ahead, leaving his body and reflexes to guide him through the sparsely populated streets. Sky felt Star’s panic, his fear, not for his own life but because he might end up dooming the mission. Sky sent all of the calming, reassuring, thoughts he could to his linkling. There, he could feel him calming somewhat, allowing Sky to insert himself into Star’s mind more completely, feeling and seeing what he did. Sky narrowed his eyes subconsciously at what he saw. Star was not winning this fight. Sky was going to have to try a more subtle approach.
“Get off of her!” Twilight’s shout was punctuated by a telekinetic shove, a hard one.
Star looked up in alarm at the power spike. He saw the wave of pure power streaking towards him. The attack was too fast, and he had sensed it too late to avoid it. The wave of force slammed into the Hunter with an audible crack and hurled him away from the weakly struggling farmer. Star’s world tilted at an insane angles as he sped through the air in an uncontrolled tumble. Star briefly opened his wings in an attempt to steady his flight, but upon seeing the wall of green he was careening toward he tucked them in as close to his body as he could, curling himself into a ball before slamming into the tree canopies.
Twilight watched the changelings flight until it punched a hole through the top of the apple tree. Seeing no movement through the hole left in the changeling’s wake, Twilight turned to her injured friend.
“Applejack!” Twilight called as she rushed to Applejack’s side. Twilight winced at the lacerations on the earth pony’s side, and tried to stop her from getting back up and further injuring herself. “Applejack stop! You’re going to hurt yourself.” But the stubborn farmer paid her words no mind and continued her attempts to stand.
Getting right down in her friend’s face Twilight tried again. “Come on Applejack, stop, it’s ok, it’s gone for now.” Twilight was worried, from this angle it was clear that the earth pony's eyes were not focused on what was in front of her.
“Twilight, is that you?” Applejack’s dilated eyes seemed to focus on her for a brief moment.
“Yes, its OK Applejack. Please you need to lie down so I can look at what it did to you.” Giving the farmer a gentle push with her hoof she was pleased to see the framer relent, allowing Twilight to lay her friend on the ground.
Twilight knelt next to the injured earth pony, lighting her horn she began to run the first of the diagnostic charms she knew of for magical first aid. While she was letting the magical waves penetrate her friends body she gave the farmer a visual inspection. Noting that the most of the lacerations on Applejack’s side were shallow, with only or two deep enough that she was going to need stitches, it was the wound on her neck that worried Twilight the most. The wound looked like something had taken a bite out of her friends neck and the blood was flowing fairly freely, dyeing the orange ponies coat a rusty red. More importantly it was also beginning to form a light blue color. The diagnostic charm finished and confirmed her fears, her friend had been poisoned, badly, if her spell’s reading were accurate.
“Applejack.” Seeing no response from her friend she gently rocked her, eliciting a groan, but getting no reaction otherwise. With a worried frown on her face Twilight shook her harder. “Come on AJ stay with me here.”
“I, I’ma up.” Applejack tried to feebly but the unicorns hoof away and tried to roll over. Only to gasp in pain as the movements stretched the wounds on her side.
“Applejack we need to get you to a hospital.” Anything Applejack may have said to twilight was lost as the changeling burst from the canopy, insect wings beating furiously creating a heavy drone in the air. Upon seeing the two it dove on them wreathed in green flame.
Pushing her struggling friend back to the ground, eliciting a pained grunt from the farmer, Twilight stood protectively over the injured pony, her horn glowing with an angry light. The changeling look unfazed by the show of power, Twilight mused that it probably didn't have the mental capacity to comprehend what she was going to do to it if it attacked again. The changeling’s dive was arrested by a hissing magenta bolt of magic tearing through the air, forcing the hunter to pull up to avoid the spell. The Hunter narrowed its glittering green eyes at the angry unicorn below it, before resuming its dive with an even greater velocity. Twilight let loose a barrage of crackling bolts of magic in response.
The furious counter assault kept the Hunter at bay. But Twilight could feel the sloppy spell work draining her strength quickly. Her stunning spell was not any kind of masterpiece, in fact it was terribly wasteful in its power consumption. She had crafted the makeshift stunning spell in the caves under Canterlot while she and Cadence had rushed for the surface and while it seemed to work well enough against the changelings that had attacked Canterlot, this one was proving to be a completely different matter. But it was the only spell she had that could conceivably knock the changeling out long enough to restrain it as she didn't know any actual combat magic.
The changeling’s constant dodging drew it closer to the lavender mage and with each missed shot she knew that she was wasting time that her friend may not have. She didn't have a chance to find out what the poison was doing to her friend.
“Why are you doing this?”
But the changeling was without answer, choosing only to dive again. Cutting low to the ground, blades of grass brushing the bottom of its shell, it came at her on an insane, erratic course. Her magical bolts tearing furrows out of the ground in its wake, but failing to hit the black blur as it closed in, jaws wide to deliver the same fate to her as her friend. Twilight's eyes widened in terror as she realized that she was not going to be able to intercept it before it got to her.
His breath was heavy and his large hooves dug deep into the soft land that he had cared so much for. Bereft of his almost signature harness the work pony was running for all he was worth towards the north orchard where the biggest light show to grace Ponyville since that traveling showmare had come to town last year. He would never be accused of being the smartest pony, not that he was unintelligent, he simply kept his peace until asked for it. Something that had labeled him as slow on more than one occasion. But for all of these assertions he was far from stupid, and he knew that Applejack’s bookish friend was not one to show off. If she was throwing around that much magic then something was wrong and he was not going to let his sister get into another fight against Celestia knows what without him.
He was tired of hearing about his little sisters near death experiences second hoof. He had promised to look after his sisters when their parents passed on and he had been doing a poor job of it up to this point. Well that was all going to change, he was not going to let his sis face whatever monster was after her this time.
“Hang on sis, Imma comin.”
The orchard echoed with the deep impact of a hardened carapace slamming into a unyielding magical barrier.
Twilight slowly opened her eyes. The changeling was glaring at her through the lavender veil of her version of her family's shield. Its featureless, green, eyes gave nothing away but it was all too clear that it had not appreciated the sudden appearance of her shield, its carapace was cracked with green blood running from the ebon armors many breaches. The shield itself was showing the strength of the impact in its own way. Cracks ran the length of it, a testament to the changelings hardiness, as the barrier already was comparable to a brick wall. But unlike the changeling the lavender dome was already repairing the damage, cracks and fissures sealing themselves with an audible hiss. The changeling added its own hiss of rage to the shields, creating a strange duet that sent shivers down Twilight's spine.
The changelings charge came again without warning, impacting the already damaged shield, adding to the cracks. Seeing its success it backed away and threw itself into the shield again and again in an effort to break it down. But it was neither hitting it fast enough nor hard enough to outpace the shields repairs, that was her versions advantage over her brothers shield. Sure he could create a massive one, but once it was constructed he could only add layers to it, not repair it. So long as she was pumping power into her’s, it could repair itself.
Letting out a breath that she didn't realize that she was holding Twilight turned once again to her fallen friend, trying to block out the almost rhythmic crashes of the changeling’s assault. Once gently nuzzling the motionless farmer failed to get a response Twilight cast a worried glance over her friends damaged, comatose form. Twilight began a more in-depth medical scan that would hopefully tell her what the poison was doing. Hopefully she could do something that would slow its effects until she could find a way out of this mess.
As she waited for the diagnostic spell to run its course, she noted the farmer’s stetson hat was trapped under her and was getting blood on it, plucking it out from under the farmers head with her teeth she carefully set it to the side in a hope to keep it from getting permanently ruined. She hoped the important keepsake had not been ruined by the blood.
The scan would take a few moments and she couldn't start any new magic while she was using the delicate medical spell or she would ruin the results. Thankfully though she knew some basic non-magical first aid and put some pressure on the most obviously severe wounds on the farmers side. She wanted to focus on the neck wound, but without knowing what kind of toxin the changeling had used she didn't want to risk direct contact with the strange blue foam for fear of spreading the poison to herself.
The results of the scan were both heartening and worrying. Her friend was in her current comatose state due to the paralytic venom that the bite had contained. What gave her cause for relief was that the venom was not directly attacking her organs. Oh there was stress on them, sure. One could not be put into a coma and expect it to be without side effects. But while it was heartening to know that it was not killing her friend directly, she still didn't have any idea what the toxin was going to do if given the chance. The only thing that her spell told her was what it was doing to Applejack’s body at the time she cast it. She would need a lab to analyze the toxin itself in any meaningful way.
Taking her hoof off of the mares side Twilight began casting a series of first aid spells that she hoped would not react badly with the, now partially identified, aggressive agent attacking her friend. She knew that Applejack could die if she did not stop the blood loss. Thankfully what she had been able to tell from the scan the venom was non magical so a reaction to her magic was unlikely. But not impossible. No! Don't think like that Sparkle, just concentrate on healing her, what ifs can come later. Giving her head a shake as if to dislodge the traitorous thought she poured all of her magic that was not being monopolized by the shield into closing the worst of the wounds.
Twilight was broken from her concentration when she felt the drain from her shield drop off suddenly, something that was normal once the shield had fully formed and was undamaged. Turning to look at the changeling on the other side of the barrier she was surprised to find the formerly manic changeling standing calmly as if it had not been slamming its head against a magical brick wall just a moment ago. The smile on its face ran her blood cold, it was not a kind smile. Looking around the orchard she could not see anything though, whatever the changeling had planned it was keeping its secret well.
“Sis, Twilight! Where are ya?”
Snapping her head around, ears forward to catch the sound better, she was certain that voice belonged to Big Mac, Applejack’s big brother. She couldn't help but smile, with Big Mac here, she was sure that they could get Applejack to a hospital and capture this changeling before anypony else got hurt.
The unicorn prodigy’s smile died though when she turned back to the changleing only to find Applejack standing there, smiling the same cruel smile that the changeling had.
“Yall just stay right there sugarcube, I need ta go let ma brother know what is goin on.” The changeling accent was perfect, if Twilight had not been standing on the this side of the magical dome with the real Applejack, she would have no idea that this was not her friend.
“What? What are you doing” But the changeling had already turned its back to Twilight making its way for the apple trees that Big Mac’s voice had sounded from.
“NO!” Twilight rose up slamming her hooves against her own shield. “No! Big Mac its not AJ. It’s not her!” She shouted at the top of her lungs in the hope that the stallion would hear, but she know that her shield would distort sound. Anything she said would be hard to distinguish at a distance.
Turning back to her wounded friend Twilight made on last check of the wounded farmer. Seeing that the worst of her wounds had closed and she was still stable Twilight turned and with a thought she altered the shields makeup to allow her to pass through unimpeded. Taking a breath to prepare herself for her next confrontation she stepped through the protective dome to face this next challenge that her life threw at her.
“Big Mac!”
The large earth pony pulled up short as he heard his name called by one of the ponies that he was bent on reaching. Tuning he saw that his sister’s friend, Twilight, was standing to his right panting in exhaustion. She was covered in sweet and painting hard, almost to the point of exhaustion. The sheltered librarian had obviously pushed herself to the edge of exhaustion to get to him. The sight of her so exhausted and alone only served to increase his worry for what had happened to his absent sister.
“Twilight, what happened?” Big Mac rushed to the unicorns side, but when he got closer he saw the myriad set of scratches and cut that covered the unicorn. Stooping to inspect her injuries he noted that she was shaking badly, barely able to stand on her own four hooves. “Are ya OK Twilight?”
The unicorns only response was a shaky nod as she struggled to gulp down as much air as she could.
“What happened to ya?” The big stallions gaze swept over the part of the orchard that they were in, seeing that it was calm, almost pristine, he turned and asked the question that was burning in his mind. “Twilight, where is ma sister?”
“There... where... timber wolves... they... attacked...” Still trying to slow her breathing, the librarian was having to speak between gasps for air.
“Twilight where is ma sister?” His demand was harsher than he intended, and the unicorn flinched at the tone in his voice.
“I'm sorry!” She seemed to shrink in on herself, away from the towering stallion before her.
Forcing himself to speak with his customary calm he tried again. “Twilight, please. Where is ma sister? Is she OK?”
“She... where we were applebucking... she’s hurt... come on. I can't carry her by myself.” Without waiting for the large pony to respond twilight turned and began running away from him, away from where he thought that he had seen Twilight's spells.
“Wait!” But the unicorn gave no indication that she heard him and she was becoming hard to distinguish amongst the trees. Giving one last look in the direction that he saw the spellfire Big Mac turned and followed his sister’s best friend in to orchard she was leading him.
Twilight was exhausted, between her brief fight with the changeling, and now with the continued drain on her energy maintaining the shield protecting Applejack while chasing her friend’s doppelganger Twilight was at the end of her fortitude. But she powered on anyways, she could not let the changeling hurt another pony, and if she was right it was going to use AJ’s likeness to ambush Big Mac. Twilight was sure that the big farm pony could handle the changeling in a straight up fight she knew that it was not going to give him one.
“... ya mean timber wolves? There ain't been no timber wolves come out of Everfree since zapapple season. Now you tell yer brother the truth AJ, yall had me worried.” Twilight's chest tightened in a combination of fear and exhaustion at the sound of Big Mac talking to his sister. The very sister that Twilight knew was safe inside her shield spell.
“GET AWAY FROM HER BIG MAC!” Twilight tore around the last tree blocking her sight with a magical attack already leaving her horn. The spell fire flashing across the small distance between her and the two ponies standing in the small clearing made by a fallen apple tree.
A look of complete shock was written on the two siblings’ faces for the brief moment that the spell was in flight. Whatever expression Applejack’s imposter wore when the spell hit, Twilight would never see as the resulting flash and detention of her spell completely obscured the pony from view. Big Mac’s on the other hoof was clearly livid.
“TWILIGHT! WHAT DO YA THINK YER DOIN TO MA SISTER!” The enraged work pony stalked towards the exhausted unicorn, his hooves digging deep into the earth in his rage. Twilight didn't know what he was going to do once he got to her, but she guessed he was going to do something that she would regret.
“Stop... Big Mac... that's not her.” But the eldest apple sibling didn't seem to want to listen to what she had to say. Twilight forcibly slowed her breathing gritting her teeth together she used all of her years of mental training to force herself to speak clearly. “That’s a changeling Big Mac, it is impersonating your sister. It hurt your sister. She is back where we were applebucking together and she needs your help.”
The red stallion stopped at that, turning back to the disguised changeling he took a moment to look between the two mares as if trying to decide who to believe. Stopping to close eyes for moment he opened them and asked the question that finally let twilight relax.
“Can ya prove it?”
Feeling as though she might actually make it out of all of this ok after all Twilight began to explain how she could use a simple burst of magic to reveal the changeling’s true nature. All she had to do was get close to it.
“Just how far are we going Twilight? Where’s ma sister?” For perhaps the fifth time since he had followed after his sisters best friend he asked those same questions, and he was starting to get upset with the lack of answers. He would have just done as he had for the last few times his questions had been met with silence if he had not seen something flash through the trees to his right.
“Alright Stop!” He didn't like raising his voice, he hadn't done it since that Gabby Gums incident, but he was not going to let the purple mare in front of him lead him in what he was beginning to suspect where circles as he was sure now that they had gone in the opposite direction from what he saw Twilight’s magical display.
“What, why? We are almost there Big Mac.”
“No we ain't, that over there.” Big Mac pointed to a fence that was just visible through the gaps in the trees. “Is the fence fer the new field that I was just plowin.”
Big Mac’s eyes narrowed as he watched Twilight’s widen in surprise at his revelation. Watching her opening and closing her mouth several times without producing a sound was all the confirmation that the large stallion needed to confirm his suspicions.
“Now I'm gonna ask one last time and yer not goin anywhere till ya tell me the answer. Where is ma sister?” He knew that he was big and intimidating, it was one of the reasons that he kept to himself and did what he could to cultivate a reputation for being gentle. But this was one of the few times that he was glad for his overly large stature.
He was quiet for a moment as he watched Twilight’s face go through several contortions as if she was listening to something that she was disagreeing with vehemently. Finally though her face settled into a neutral expression.
“No.” Her answer lacked any kind of inflection, no emotion. She just simply stated a fact, she was not going to tell him anything.
“What do ya mean no?” Big Mac had a lot of ideas why his sister’s best friend was acting so strange but what she did next was not one of them.
A green light started at the mare's hooves and slowly traveled up her body leaving in its wake a black, holed, carapace that belonged on no pony. As the light traveled past her barrel it revealed a pair of insect wings attached to a light green thorax that its coloration vaguely resembled a saddle. But what scared him more than anything was the face of the pony like creature that was standing before him. Its muzzle was filled with sharp dagger like teeth, its eyes held none of its former purple only a featureless green, reflective, surface that held no emotion. The final change was the once purple mares horn changed from the small, soft looking, horn that he was familiar with into a jagged, wicked, protrusion that looked more like a knife than a horn.
“Yer one of them changelings!” Big Mac lowered his stance into what he knew was approximately a fighting stance that the royal guard used. He didn't know if this thing knew that he was just a simple farm pony and didn't know the first thing about fighting outside of the brawls that he used to get into in his younger years. But by Celestia he was not going to let it know how much it scared him right then.
“Yes, I am. No, you may not know where your sister is. No, you may not ask.” If it was intimidated by his display it was doing a good job of not showing it. Taking a delicate step toward him it continued its monologue completely ignoring his glare. “I will take your sister’s place. My companion will take the purple mares place. You will help us to avoid suspicion. If you do not cooperate with us or attempt to harm us in any way then we will kill your sister.”
Springing from his sloppy fighting stance he charged the changeling. “DON”T YOU HARM A HAIR ON MA SISTERS HEAD!” He didn’t think about what he was doing, he just knew that this thing had his sister and he was going to get her back. Even if he had to pound her into the ground like a fence post. She just smiled at him, the first expression that she had used since she revealed her true self.
Big Mac had precisely two seconds to wonder what was so funny about being planted into the ground before the side of his head exploded in pain. The hoof that collided with the side of his head, directly on his temple, came from nowhere.
The large stallion augured into the dirt, plowing a nice trench in the soft ground. His ears ringing, Big Mac forced himself to his hooves. Spitting out the dirt and grass that he had inadvertently buried his face in, he shook his head attempting to get the ringing out of his ears. Glaring up at the thing in front of him that held such a self satisfied smile he realized that the ringing was becoming a buzzing.
Snapping his head straight up he saw the hoof that had given him this pounding headache. A hoof attached to another changeling. This changeling was bigger, both in size and build, than the one that had been impersonating Twilight and it did not have a smile of any kind on its face at all. In fact it looked pissed.
“I would not do that again.” The more effeminate changelings voice drew his attention back to it. “You were not listening just now, were you? If you had even scratched my chest plate, your sister’s life would be forfeit. In fact you should be thanking him. He just saved your sister’s life.”
Big Mac knew that he was not the smartest pony around, a fact that he would agree with should anypony say it to his face, but he was not stupid. The enormity of what he had nearly done in his rage was not lost on him.
“Do you promise you won’t hurt her?” Big Mac asked, his voice heavy with defeat as he glared at the changeling.
“No. You don't have a choice in this, you will either comply with us in everyway or your sister dies.” Even though she was talking about killing his sister like a normal pony would talk about the weather, the smile never left her face. In fact it was completely immobile, as if someone had carved a mocking visage from stone. “We have hurt her already, she may die from her wounds if we do not help her, but how much help we give her will depend on how helpful you are.”
“AJ’s hurt? Please take me to her.” Trying to scramble to his hooves, the work pony put every panicked feeling into his words in the hope that they would move this monster in front of him.
“No.” He should not have been surprised at her response but some part of him had hoped that it had a soul. “Now you will comply with us.”
Hanging his head the working pony gave in. “Ah ain’t got a choice in this do ah?” Part of him hating that he had just given into his sister’s tormentors but he had no idea what to do other than do as they told him. For now.
As the defeated farmer watched the same green fire start at the things hooves flowing up it in the now familiar pattern it changed once again. But instead of revealing the shiny, black, carapace of the changeling it instead left soft orange fur in its wake. In just a few moments, his sister was standing in front of him with the same self assured smile that the changeling had worn.
“Now don't ya fret now, we ain't gonna leave ya all alone now. What kind of a sister would Ah be if Ah left ma brother ta do all ma work around the farm. I'm gonna be stickin real close to ya from now on”
“Yer not ma sister.” Big Mac had never wanted to hurt somepony in his entire life like he wanted to hurt this thing in front of him now.
“Now that's not a very nice thing to say to your sister.” Big Mac snapped his head to the left where the larger changeling had been standing only to see Twilight Sparkle standing only a hoof length away from him. He leaned his head away from the imposter as it leaned in close and said in a voice far more terrifying than he had imagined that the bookish unicorn could produce. “You shouldn't say such mean things, it might just end up hurting someone you love.”
Twilight stood with Big Mac staring down at the unmoving changeling, its disguise stripped away by her overpowered magical wave. It had the same weakness to continuous concentrated waves of magic that all changeling disguises seemed to have, and it had been a simple process to prove her claim to the burly farmer.
Looking over at the pony in question she noticed that he was still standing there with his mouth open. Giggling slightly at his unabashed astonishment she reached over and pushed his jaw up with a click. Startling him out of his daze he turned to her and asked what had to be the hundred bit question for him.
“If that ain’t ma sister, then where is she Twilight?”
“Safe, for now.” Conjuring some ropes that she used to bind the unconscious changeling she turned leading the concerned brother back the way they came. The bound changeling floating beside her. “Come on, we need to get Applejack to a hospital as soon as we can. I have her stable and safe in a shield back where we were applebucking but I won't feel better until she sees a real doctor.”
“I’m sorry for doubting you Twilight.” Then Big Mac fell in alongside her as she trotted forward on tired legs. She saw him watching how shaky she was on her hooves and she was not surprised by his next question “Are ya ok?”
“Just tired. I’ll be fine once I get some rest, but first we need to get to your sister.” She smiled as the big guy moved up next to her letting her lean on his shoulder as they walked. “Thank you, I would ask you to carry this guy but I am worried that if he woke up that he could bite you.”
Seeing his raised eyebrow as a question she elaborated. “This one bit your sister, I don't know what it is composed of but his bit seemed to contain a toxin of some kind. I don't want to have to carry both of you back” Twilight smiled as he chuckled at her little joke.
“I am sorry Miss. Sparkle.”
“I already said that I forgive you Big Mac.” Twilight frowned at his apology. “You're not the first to be fooled by a changeling. You don't have to keep...”
When the large stallion landed on her she at first thought that he had tripped, but then she felt a searing pain in her neck and his weight shifted pushing her hard, muzzle first, into the ground. His heavy weight nearly breaking one of her legs under her and his hoof slammed hard on her horn, breaking her tenuous hold on her many active spells. Twilight knew she was panicking in some detached sort of way as she watched Big Mac lift his head away from her neck his fanged mouth dripping blood, her blood.
“No my queen, I must apologize for deceiving you. And for harming you in such a way.” His voice was nothing like Big Mac’s, darker, older, it told of a great hardship that she couldn't imagine. The dark green fire that burned away the gentle farmer’s visage sent her mind screaming in a mad panic as she realized that she had been the one fooled by the changelings.
The changeling leaned down next to her, his hoof pushing her sparking, sputtering, horn into the soft earth and said in its deep, almost tender, voice. “You do not need to fear for your safety my queen. Our venom does not kill, it will only render you unconscious. Please do not fight, it will only make it worse.”
“No.” But Twilight could already feel her consciousness slipping away. Her body becoming heavy and numb as the toxin stole control of her muscles away from her. She couldn't tell how long she struggled under the heavy changeling body, her magic useless with her horn trapped under his hoof. She felt like she fought for hours, but in reality she didn't last two minutes before the encroaching blackness stole her away.
Sky stared down at the form of the mare that was to be his new queen. If he was to be honest he was surprised at how much of a fight the lone mare had put up. Looking over at the bound and unconscious Star he knew that they had won only through trickery, if they were to fight her directly he was not sure who would have emerged victorious.
Giving the bound changeling a burst of energy from his horn he watched with detached amusement as the bound Star thrashed about in panic at being woken bound up like a bale of hay.
“Calm Still Safe.”
Casting his mind out along the Link he could feel the satisfaction from the rest as each accomplished their tasks. The large farmer would not risk his sisters safety and Life had the mare, Applejack, in hoof as the protective dome had failed with Twilight’s loss of consciousness. With the assurance of the male farmers cooperation and Glow and Hope to take the place of the two missing ponies there was little chance anypony would be looking for them for quite some time.
Slicing the ropes that held Star with a burst of energy, Sky turned to his namesake and for the first time since this disastrous attack on Canterlot felt that his people had a future. Focusing on the thin strand of thought that was his link to the failing Queen he sent his message of hope back through the link.
“Target Captured.”
