Night Over Canterlot

The severe, angry scowl on Amaryllis Swiftstrike's face never left as she walked through the many halls of Chrysalis's Hive. Each purposeful hoofstep came down hard on the stone floor, warning Changelings of all ages and ranks to stay out of her way. The see-through, insect-like wings on her back, several shades lighter than the dark purple of her mane and tail, betrayed her barely contained fury by twitching. A lot.

As Amaryllis traveled toward the heart of the Hive, where the royal Changeling family resided, the decor gradually became richer and more embellished. Fanciful chandeliers of glowing crystals, thick rugs and tapestries finely woven from silk thread and interlaced with goldwork, and glittering displays of precious gemstones mingled with the standard magic crystal lights and blue, green, and black banners on the walls. Dark wood paneling and lovely fabric draperies adorned the otherwise plain, dark stone.

After bowing respectfully to the Queen's top mage, the two armored guards in front of Chrysalis's royal quarters opened the doors without question. Amaryllis walked through the doorway with a quick nod to each sentry, menace-filled violet eyes narrowing as they zeroed in on the single Changeling in the room beyond.

Queen Chrysalis was lying on her side among the furs and silk pillows piled on her black satin couch, her signature cat's smirk working full duty. A bottle of very rare Crystal Rose wine, expensively imported from some faraway country to the north, sat on the midnight-glass coffee table, next to two intricately etched wineglasses—one empty, one half-filled with the orangey-pink wine.

The teal-maned Queen's devious smile widened at the sight of Amaryllis, standing stock-still by the closed doors. "Lady Swiftstrike. I was expecting you," she said smoothly, gesturing with a well-manicured, hole-riddled black hoof. "How nice of you to join me. Come, won't you sit?"

Amaryllis's features hardened into a mask of ice, but after a moment, she walked stiffly over to the sitting area and chose a spot on the sofa across from Chrysalis.

"Care for a little drink?" An iridescent green aura from Chrysalis's long, crooked horn encircled the bottle of wine and filled the empty glass before offering it to Amaryllis. "So, what brings you here, my trusted thaumaturge?"

"You know very well why I'm here, Aunt Chrysalis," the younger Changeling growled, shoving the floating wineglass away. It flew into the wall and shattered, splatters of wine and little shards of glass spraying everywhere.

The Queen watched this silently with half-lidded eyes; her amusement only seemed to grow.

"My daughter!" snarled Amaryllis, rising to her hooves and leaning across the table to look Chrysalis in the eyes. "How dare you send her off on a mission when she is obviously not ready?! She is just one year old, a mere child, and yet you insist on shipping her to Zebrica—halfway around the world! And without my permission!"

"Oh, yes. Astral Swiftstrike, was it?" purred Chrysalis, pawing at the air in a flippant, careless way. Her niece bristled. "She's shaping up to be a very talented, beautiful little filly, Lady Amaryllis. You should be proud of her." Those eerily bright green eyes narrowed. "Who knows? Perhaps she'll even become my best mage, my Shadow, one day. Like mother, like daughter, right?"

"You stay away from her," Amaryllis seethed, horn sizzling with enraged violet sparks. Images flashed through her mind, snapshots of her past as the Queen's head thaumaturge and most reliable spy. The memories weren't pretty. "Haven't you scarred the lives of enough Changelings? I told you already, I don't want Astral to be like me! I want her to live the normal life of a normal Changeling in this Hive, safe and far from the danger that haunts me!"

Queen Chrysalis's mirth instantly disappeared, and she stood up, transparent blue wings fanning out threateningly. "You would speak like that to your Queen?" she hissed. Her eyes flared with green light, filling with sudden ire.

Amaryllis stood her ground, glowering at Chrysalis with an equal share of anger. "If only to protect my daughter. Of course, you wouldn't understand, would you?" Her voice took on a sneering undertone. "I bet Princess Crescent just loved her mother, especially when she left Crescent to die in—"

"That was an accident and you know it." The two antagonists stared at each other with smoldering glares, wrathful energy crackling and rolling off their chitin coats in waves.

"What I do know is a certain group of Changelings who could, and would, say the exact opposite . . ." Amaryllis trailed off, taking a tiny bit of pleasure from seeing the pure rage on her Queen's face. "In fact, I think—"

"SHUT UP!" Chrysalis interrupted her once more, finally snapping. A violent beam of magic erupted from the tip of her horn, threatening to wrap Amaryllis in its scorching flames, but a simple shield spell stopped the attack before it reached its target.

The ray dissipated into curls of black smoke, but the shiny lavender bubble encasing Amaryllis remained in place. "Really, Your Majesty?" She made the royal title sound like an insult, and then smiled to reveal small, sharp fangs. "Have at it."

"You think you can defeat me by yourself, little niece?" Queen Chrysalis reared onto her hindhooves and released a volley of emerald fireballs.

"No," was all Amaryllis said.

Chrysalis seemed to notice that something was amiss, and her face twisted. "You insect! What have you done?!" she roared, leaping for Amaryllis—

That was when the doors exploded.

A flare of citrus-colored magic cleared away the smoking splinters of wood and the blizzard of burnt dust, unveiling five other female Changeling thaumaturges of distant royal blood, all clad in silk robes of midnight black, all wearing ancient-looking gemstone pendants around their necks.

Lady Rosette, Chrysalis's archmage and Amaryllis's second-in-command (in the case of magics, of course), had her scarlet mane done up in a neat, low bun, its color almost matching the vibrant shade of the ruby dangling from her necklace. Lady Serenity's night-blue hair was straight and flying free; her sapphire pendant glowed like a chunk cut from the night sky. Lady Viridescence stood tall and proud as always, the tips of her leaf-hued curls partly obscuring the shimmer of the emerald at her chest. Lady Amber's wavy, luscious orange mane complimented her carved topaz charm perfectly, as did her tail. And blind-eyed Lady Pearl's floor-length white hair almost covered the gleaming moonstone that was her necklace.

Lastly, in spite of their dire situation, Amaryllis winked at her friends and pulled out the amethyst that had been hidden by the neckline of her robe.

Six pairs of eyes—glowing purple, brilliant red, summer blue, natural green, sunny orange, and milky white—shot daggers at their Queen, blazing with determination and defiance.

"Well, Auntie?" Amaryllis turned back to Queen Chrysalis and smirked. "Not so sure of yourself now, are you?"

Chrysalis's scathing gaze swept over the unflinching mages. "All of this for a little foal?" she demanded. "How petty. You five would risk your lives to save my pathetic grandniece?"

"This is not just about Astral Swiftstrike." Lady Pearl Brightseer, the eldest mage here, stepped forward instead of Rosette, who was usually the leader. Her opal eyes, clouded and glazed with blindness and age, shone with the fierce light of wisdom. "Your reign of terror has gone on for far too long. Now, it is time to end that."

"You can't kill me. It's a simple fact," Chrysalis growled, but her eyes darted around as if she were suddenly scared. "I have no heir. The Changeling throne will be left empty, and no one would be willing to accept just anyone."

"But you've forgotten one thing, dear aunt." Amaryllis's horn began to glow, followed by the colored auras of her fellow thaumaturges. "We have the one thing that you can never have."

The pendants at their necks started to sparkle as well, matching the Changelings' mane, eye, and magic shades. A bold streak of colored light shot out from each gemstone, whirling and twisting together to form a thick, single rainbow.

"Impossible!" Chrysalis shouted, even as a green shield glimmered into existence in front of her, guided by her horn. "Changelings cannot summon Harmony magic! Where did you obtain this power?"

"You're wrong, Majesty." Lady Rosette closed her eyes and smiled. "This is our magic."

"I'LL BE BACK!"

The Queen's screech split the air for seven heartbeats.

And then, she was gone.

"I will be back, I promise you . . ."

Her whisper lingered long after she vanished.

"Something's not right," Amaryllis murmured, inspecting the remains of the scene with Rosette, Serenity, Viridescence, Amber, and Pearl.

"I have a bad feeling about my aunt . . ."

Her eyes widened.

"NO!"

It can't be.

She's dead!

No one could have predicted it.

None of them saw it coming.

BANG.

Jets of green flame and sprays of molten lava exploded right where the purple-maned mage stood. Smoke rolled over the others, cries of alarm ripped from their throats.

The screams were abruptly cut off.

The black smoke cleared.

Pearl Brightseer stood alone in front of a towering Changeling Queen, sightless eyes wide with horror.

The new Queen smiled thinly.

"Let's dance, shall we?"