Night Over Canterlot

Badlands Hive, fifteen years later . . .

Truly coming home was a concept that was completely unknown to Astral Swiftstrike. She had only ever been greeted (with quite the enthusiasm . . .) by the Queen's Guard upon returning from a mission, before being escorted straight to the royal throne room. Warm welcomes evidently did not exist here, but Astral couldn't care less.

Who would, with a ruler like hers?

Today was no different. Astral stalked through the Hive with three stoic Changeling guards—one on each side of her, the last tailing them. She was careful to maintain the perfect, deceptive mask that she wore every moment of every day, which she put on not just for the watchers, but for her own sake as well. She was rewarded for this by the fear, awe, and respect in the eyes of every Changeling they passed.

"Astral."

Lady Pearl, the eldest court thaumaturge of the Hive, stepped out of the shadows of an alcove just ahead, her moon-white mane blending surprisingly well into the darkness. She still wore the traditional, flowing robes of a Queen's high-ranking mage, but extra-fancy embroidery and an Empathy Crystal pendant signified that she was retired and holding a different position but still a master of magics. Pearl had been assigned as the Changeling Queen's royal adviser twelve years ago, just after resignation from her previous occupation.

After the death of Astral's mother, Amaryllis Swiftstrike, Pearl had taken the role of guardian and teacher to the younger Changeling.

She was also referred to by the ignorant drones as "Her Crazy Old Ladyship", though no one would dare say it to her face, or Astral's.

One particularly impolite young guard-in-training had learned his lesson well after taking a ball of firelit thorns to the muzzle from the Hive's best combat magician and promptly getting demoted even further.

"Welcome home, Shadow," Pearl greeted her, matching her stride to Astral's as they continued on through the halls. "Was your mission successful?"

The question was needless, as this Queen's Shadow had never failed before. "Yes, Pearl. It's a pleasure to see you again," replied Astral, looking straight ahead. Could she ever call this place her home? "Mission Sundae Sunday is complete, and the target was taken care of."

A short laugh escaped Lady Pearl. "Indeed, Her Majesty does not disappoint with the amusing titles for your missions."

Astral cast a sideways glance at the older mage. Though Pearl would never say it out loud, Astral knew that her mentor harbored a deep, secret hatred for the Queen, buried inside her heart like a burning ember.

However, the reason for Pearl's resentment was not within her knowledge.

It must have been a very, very good reason.

Pearl Brightseer's blind, opalescent eyes saw everything when everyone else saw nothing.

"Ah, did the Queen say anything to you about my next assignment?" Astral asked. Between her tasks, which mostly involved assassinations and spying, she very rarely had any free time to do what she wanted. The few days she spent in the Hive were overflowing with obligations: training wayward soldiers in the Queen's Army and the Guard, inspecting the magical defenses and setting up new ones, going over attack strategies and war plans (just in case) with the other thaumaturges.

"When I asked, Her Majesty only winked and said that it was a surprise you'd enjoy." Pearl's long, crooked black horn glowed iridescent white; her magic wrapped around a bejeweled gold pocketwatch hanging from her neck—Astral had always wondered why her guardian carried a watch when she could not see the time—and levitated it in front of Astral's face. "What time is it?"

"Nearly dawn. Huh, I traveled all night and didn't have time to sleep," Astral said. Pearl's aura dissipated, leaving the watch to dangle on its chain. "Anyway, a surprise from the Queen? She must have been joking if she thought I would enjoy it." She snorted, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes with a small puff of breath.

"We are here. Prepare yourselves for the presence of our Queen," interrupted one of the guards.

The two doorkeepers standing next to the throne room entrance thumped the ends of their long black spear shafts in perfect unison. Astral and Pearl fell silent, straightening even more until they were ramrods and schooling their features like marble statues.

The looming black doors, carved with the large image of a Changeling swarm flying in the night sky that was gilded with silver, opened without a single creak.

The throne room of the Badlands Hive was just as impressive and regal as it was terrifying. A long, wide silk carpet ran the length of the high-ceilinged, rectangular chamber, leading all the way from the doors to the throne. Silver braziers, containing cold flames of blue and green, stood in neat rows that bordered the sides of the carpet. Misshapen shadows stretched across the black floor and the dark, velvet-draped stone walls. Large shards of broken mirror hung magically suspended in the air, mostly gathered around the throne, along with a number of scattered Empathy Crystals, the most prized treasure of this Hive.

The Queen's Throne itself was a tall, hulking sculpture of pure midnight marble, carrying a strange elegance within its twisted angles and sprinkled holes.

And on that throne sat a Changeling Queen.

She leaned forward, her body still shrouded in shadow. Only her piercing green dragon eyes could be seen, narrowed, drilling little holes into the subjects of her scrutiny. The tips of her teal mane, most of which was laced with dangling gems and neatly done up in an intricate hairdo, seemed to smolder in the sea-green firelight.

"Perfect timing, Lady Swiftstrike," the Queen purred in a voice as smooth as satin yet with an underlying tone sharper than flint. "Welcome back to my Hive."

Pearl, a soft growl in her throat, was ignored.

Astral met her monarch's gaze with a level stare of her own. "Your Majesty. I have successfully completed Mission Sundae Sunday as of two nights ago." She forced every emotion from her voice, biting back defiance and hatred.

The Queen smiled. "Wonderful. You are just like your mother—the punctuality, the accomplishments, and of course, we cannot forget the looks. Why, Mother was jealous of her own mage's beauty, did you know?" Her horn flashed green, and the biggest chunk of glass floated over to Astral, forcing the young thaumaturge to look her own reflection in the eye.

The mare in the mirror wore her gold-striped, royal purple mane in a long, loose side braid that brushed the floor, complimenting the amethyst-trimmed, black silk robe that swished softly whenever she moved. Around her neck was a silver chain from which hung a crystal with glowing colors of both violet and gold. Her gaze was hard and cold, befitting of a Shadow; her left eye was golden amber, while her right was the same purple of her dead mother's eyes. Her wings were the same contrasting colors.

She was scowling when she pushed the mirror away with a flare of magic. "Enough. What is my next task, Your Majesty?" Anger sparked from her coat, crackling in the air between them.

"Always right on point. Fine," the Queen replied loftily. "You will have a companion for this mission, whom you will train and teach along the way. Guards, bring her in."

A . . . trainee? Astral looked to Pearl for an explanation, but her mentor only shook her head. You'll see.

The doors opened once more, and three Changelings stepped inside: two of them were clearly soldiers, carrying spears and dressed in lightweight black armor, walking on either side of the third figure.

This one was most certainly not any common Changeling. She was small and lithe, appearing to be a few years younger than Astral, with a well-polished coat of black chitin and a long, thick mane of soft, loose curls the color of Equestria's summer sky, matching the exact shade of her petal-shaped wings. Her eyes were silver, unlike any Changeling's eyes that Astral had seen before, and she was bedecked in finery—expensive-looking silks of cerulean and silver, strings of sapphires and diamonds, gilded horseshoes and jeweled regalia that was fit for royalty and only royalty.

She was beautiful, but also fragile and pampered.

"This is my foolish twelve-year-old daughter, Princess Solstice," the Queen introduced. "She's your first cousin twice removed . . . or something like that. I'm sure you've seen her around the Hive, or at least heard of her. She spends almost all of her time in the library, holed up among those books she likes so much. You, Lady Swiftstrike, are going to train her to be the next Shadow."

This breakable little princess was going to be her successor? Astral stared in disbelief until Pearl gave her a sharp nudge in the side.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she said, snapping back into stiff posture.

"And now, your mission: travel to Equestria's capital city, Canterlot, and capture Crown Prince Valiant Heart. Do not kill him, not until you get him back here," continued the Queen. "He is the son of Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria and Prince Blueblood VII of House Blueblood. In one week's time, the Alicorn Princesses will host a ball to celebrate the Prince's seventeenth birthday; you will ponynap him at the castle, after the event. Lady Brightseer will provide you with false invitations so that you can sneak in without raising suspicion. I expect you to return with him in a cage by the night of the new moon—in thirteen days. Is this clear?"

"Crystal, Your Majesty." Astral dipped her head to the Queen. Hmm, he is close to my own age. I wonder . . . what kind of pony Valiant Heart is. "May I ask what you want the Crown Prince for?"

"No, you may not. That is none of your concern, not at the moment," the Queen answered curtly. "Rest until midnight tonight, and then I want you two on your way. Understood? Good. You are dismissed. And Lady Brightseer, I want to see you in my chambers after this."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Astral and Pearl chorused, bowing respectfully.

"Yes, my Queen," mumbled Princess Solstice in a barely audible whisper, lowering her head.

Once they had exited the throne room, Pearl gave Astral the invitations and a tiny smile. "I will not be there to see you off, but I wish you the best of luck," she said, turning to go. "That prince is one of the most well-guarded ponies in Equestria."

"Thank you, but I don't need that luck!" Astral called after her old teacher, smiling back.

She looked down and realized that she was standing in the middle of the hallway with the Crown Princess of the Badlands Changeling Hive.

"Your Highness, when would be a preferable time for us to leave for Equestria?" Astral asked her. She straightened the sash of her robes, feeling a little awkward. Here she was, talking to her superior for the first time.

A superior who was younger and soon to receive training from Astral.

"Please, don't call me that, Lady Astral. Solstice is fine. You are older, and the one teaching me, after all, so . . . it's weird." The princess looked away, fidgeting with her jewelry.

"Oh . . ." Astral trailed off, then brightened. "Well, I'll give you a deal. If I call you Solstice, then you have to call me Astral. Just that, no honorifics. Okay?"

Slowly, a small smile grew on Solstice's face. "Okay!"

"Do you have everything?"

Astral tugged at the strap of her black saddlebags to tighten it, a checklist levitating in front of her. It was midnight, just about time to leave; they were going over the supplies on the list one more time. The basic necessities included food and water and bedrolls for travel, a pouch of Equestrian bits for the capital city, fancy gowns for the ball (where they would be disguised as ponies, of course) a collection of very sharp knives and daggers, tranquilizer darts and various nonlethal poisons.

Just normal things like that.

"Did you receive the invitations?" Solstice asked, struggling to neatly shove her dress into her bag. "I don't recall seeing them when we were packing."

"Oh, yes, Lady Pearl gave them to me just before she went to see the Queen—here they are." Astral took the cards out of some secret pocket in her bag and brought them up to eye level. The invitations were made of a thick, cream-colored paper with ornamental gold scrollwork. Each read the same thing, in impractical, swirly gold script:

You are cordially invited
To Crown Prince Valiant Heart's 17th birthday masquerade ball
In the Canterlot Castle ballroom
On the twentieth night of this lunar cycle.
Your presence will be much appreciated!

"Hmm, very convincing," Solstice commented. "So, what is the plan for the next twenty-four hours?"

"Travel, for the next two days, in fact. That's how long it'll take to get to Canterlot," Astral answered. She and Solstice had abandoned their usual Hive attire so that no clothing would slow their flying, but there were dark cloaks on hoof for the colder nights in the Crown City.

Solstice flexed her wings, fluttering them rapidly to prepare herself for the long flight ahead. "This is the first time in years that I've been allowed to fly that far."

"Oh? When was the last?" Astral looked up briefly from her inspection of a slender dagger.

"I was six years old, and didn't know better at the time," Solstice remembered. "I wanted to see if I could get all the way to the border of the Badlands and Equestria. Needless to say, it didn't end well for me. Mother sent out some soldiers to retrieve me, and when we returned, she was angrier than I'd ever seen her."

"I see. When I was younger, I ran into more trouble than you could imagine. Shall I relay the tales to you on the way there?" Astral sheathed the dagger and strapped it to the outside of her saddlebags for easy access. One could never be too cautious.

Solstice laughed. "Please do!"

Perched in the shadows of her bedroom window, the Queen watched her daughter and her Shadow leave together, with Pearl at her side. "They seem to work well together," she noted, twirling the wineglass held in her magical grasp. "Don't you agree, Lady Brightseer?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Pearl, hiding her private hatred, tilted a wine bottle forward to refill the Queen's glass with sunset-colored liquid. "A formidable pair, I would say."

"Astral Swiftstrike is exactly the kind of weapon I need," the Queen went on, tossing back the wine all at once. She flashed a fanged smile, wiping her lips with the sleeve of her royal robe. "I wonder if she can really train that pathetic daughter of mine. It would be a miraculous feat, I believe."

She sighed, leaning against the windowsill. "Being Queen of an entire Hive is surprisingly euphoric. After all, Mother did leave behind the most wonderful luxuries, and quite a few trophies, too. The reign of Queen Chrysalis would have been great, but no . . . she was too weak.

"But I will be different, Mother. I will become the terror of all kingdoms in this world.

"Soon, everyone will fear the name of Queen Crescent Chrysalis Duskheart, the greatest Queen in history."