The Sinister Plot

The first explosion to hit the side of the train sent a shockwave throughout the cars that caused everypony inside to stumble.

Amethyst fell to the floor as a second explosion rocked the entire train, threatening to tip the car over the edge of the tracks.

Considering how high up they were, twisting through the mountainous regions of northern Equestria, falling off would certainly mean the end for everypony on board.

Amber was halfway inside her room, reaching for the suitcase that housed her armor.

“What's going on out there?!”

Panic could be heard in the neighboring cars as guards and passengers alike scrambled from their once comfortable positions.

A third explosion thundered throughout the car, shattering their eardrums.

It became plainly obvious that this was an attack, and that it wasn't about to stop.

Onyx and Gem rushed to the windows.

The clouds had split open, and a downpour rained from the sky. Sparks of lightning streaked across the black clouds, followed by claps of thunder.

Outside, dozens of changelings flew beside the train, each taking shots at the cars using magic from their horns.

“This is no pegasus weather…” Gem pointed towards the clouds. “The changelings made this to mask their approach…”

Every time a bolt of magic hit, the train would shudder and groan.

Sensing the imminent danger, Onyx quickly turned around and leaped into his and Amethyst’s room to find his armor.

The captain was already dressed in her own armor.

She quickly finished by placing her helmet over her head, allowing her plumage to rise to its full height.

“Amber!” She pointed a hoof towards the young guard. “I need you to get to Shining, Cadence, and Flurry Heart. Protecting them has to be your top priority.”

Amber nodded her head before donning her helmet.

In an instant, she was running out the door, into the next car.

Now, only she remained with Onyx and Gem.

Both guards had dressed and readied themselves to fight.

Gem put her helmet over her head and stepped forward.

“What about us, captain?”

Amethyst glanced towards the window, at the swarm of changelings outside.

They were getting closer and more bold, some going so far as to get close enough to hit the train and bash the windows with their hooves.

They were breaking into the train.

“We hold this train, no matter what. There are a lot of innocent ponies on board, and we can't afford to let them down.”

Gem thought back to the mother with her little colt. She wondered how scared they must feel.

She was a guard, now.

She was here to protect and serve them.

Onyx took off towards the door Amber had left through.

“I'm going rally as many guards as I can and see if we can establish some defenses up top.”

Amethyst saw understood what he meant, on top of the train.

Holding the line up there would definitely give them a fighting chance in holding off the changelings.

They needed to keep the enemy’s attention on them and away from the passengers.

She nodded her head.

“Do it, Onyx. Go!”

Now, only her and Gem remained.

Gem stood by her side, awaiting orders. She didn't want to leave Amethyst, but whatever the captain wanted, she would make sure to deliver.

“What's the plan, Amethyst? What do we do?”

Amethyst said nothing.

Instead, she turned on Gem and lowered her horn.

Before she could react, the captain’s horn ignited and fired a beam of magic that threw her back across the car.

The magic wasn't lethal, but it packed a punch that knocked the wind out of Gem.

She hit the far wall with a loud ‘thud’ before sliding to the floor.

Her breathing was rapid and shallow as she blurry vision came back into focus.

She had no time to register what was happening as a metal hoof found its way onto her chest.

“You had something to do with this…” Amethyst snarled as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I know you did… I know you did!”

Gem swallowed, hard.

She could see the pain in Amethyst’s eyes, the confusion, rage, and sorrow.

“You knew this was coming… All along, you knew, and I let you play me like a fool…”

Amethyst was crushing her, pressing forcefully on her chest and limiting her air.

“Amethyst, please… I…”

The captain pushed down on her chest, silencing her.

“I believed you! I actually believed that you had changed, that you had become a new mare, but you lied to me!”

Gem could only make desperate gurgling sounds as saliva fell from the corner of her mouth.

“P-P-Please…”

Her eyes were rolling backwards.

Her very life was fading.

Losing the will to hold her form, a green fire consumed her, revealing the pony to be who she really was.

A changeling in armor laid under the guard’s hoof, quietly gasping for air.

Just as her vision was about to fade completely, Amethyst’s hoof raised off of her chest.

Cicada coughed and wheezed furiously as her lungs filled with air once again.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you, Gem… Give me one reason, right now!”

The changeling’s breaths were deep and dramatic, and she held a hoof across her broken chest.

When she could bring herself to speak again, she looked up, her eyes meeting the guard’s.

“I can't…”

Amethyst’s hoof was already raised, poised to strike again, but she hesitated.

“Wh-What?”

Cicada shook her head as she struggled to stand, only for her legs to buckle.

She collapsed again.

“I can't… give you a reason… After all I've done, this is what I deserve.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she began to sob.

“I'm so sorry, Amethyst. I'm so sorry I lied to you. At first… it was just orders. I was just doing my queen’s bidding, but then, I fell in love…”

Cicada cried out as she dragged herself to her hooves, forcing herself to stand and meet Amethyst’s gaze at eye level.

“I fell in love with the pony world, with you, Amethyst. I love you with all of my black heart. I would move the sun and moon for you, for your friends, for Pyrite, and for all of the ponies in the Crystal Empire…”

She removed her helmet, tossing it aside and letting Amethyst see her face.

“You're my best friend, and you've never stopped showing me kindness… and generosity… and selfless love… I don't deserve your mercy, and I don't deserve to live… If I'm going to die today, I want it to be by your hooves, Amethyst.”

Cicada stood before Amethyst, her head bowed.

She closed her eyes, waiting for it all to end, but the end never came.

She felt the guard’s hooves, but not in the way she had anticipated.

Amethyst threw her hooves around the changeling’s neck, hugging her tightly.

“I never knew…”

She cried into Cicada’s neck, wetting the changeling’s skin with her tears.

“… that you’d grown to love.”

She pulled away, wiping the tears from her reddened eyes.

“Why didn't you say anything?”

Cicada sniffled as she nuzzled Amethyst’s neck.

“I was scared… I was afraid of my own feelings and how I might fit into this new world… I didn't mean for all of this to happen…”

The train shook violently as another blast erupted outside.

Things weren't going well for the guards.

Through the walls, they could hear the cries of desperation as they fought to defend the train and its passengers.

Amethyst pulled away, staring Cicada down.

“We can stop this, right? We can beat them back, right?”

The changeling sniffed as she shook her head.

“I… I want that more than anything, right now, but Queen Chrysalis is here. I can feel her presence on board. I don't know if we're powerful enough to stop her…”

Amethyst gently smacked Cicada’s face, taking her by surprise.

“Hey! That's not how a Royal Guard thinks! We've stopped her before, at the wedding. We can do it again!”

Cicada’s jaw dropped.

The look of pure determination in Amethust’s eyes scared her.

Then, she remembered…

This was the mare who stood in between a baby changeling and certain death. This was the mare who sacrificed so much for those she cared about most. This was the mare who traveled into the frozen north to save the love of her life when all hope seemed lost and gave up her own leg in the process.

This was a mare who would not stop until her friends and family were safe from harm.

“Now, are you going to help me save this train, or not?”

Cicada closed her eyes and concentrated.

A spark ignited under her hooves and rose to consume her entire body.

In a fraction of a second, Gem stood tall, and a weary smile formed along her lips.

“I told you before… No matter what happens, I'll be there for you.”

They heard a loud ‘thump’ over head, followed by the sound of hooves running up and down the top of the car.

Both guards looked up, and Amethyst spotted the access hatch in the corner over the sofas.

“We need to get up there.”

Gem agreed, but she knew Phasmid would be waiting for her.

Amethyst was already underneath the hatch.

Even on her hind legs on top of the sofa, she wasn't tall enough to reach it.

“Come on, Gem… Give me a boost.”

The mare ran to the sofa and climbed under Amethyst, allowing her a jumping-off point from her back.

The captain hit the lever on the hatch, sending it flying open.

The hole in the ceiling allowed the storm to enter the car.

Rain and wind flooded inside, causing the lights to flicker and clothes from open suitcases to fly around.

Using all of her might, she hoisted herself through the hatch and onto the roof of the train car.

Once she was outside, she quickly turned around, lowering her hoof down into the car.

“Jump, Gem!” She had to scream over the howling wind and rumbling thunder. “Jump, and I'll pull you up!”

Gem lifted herself up onto her rear legs and leaped into the air, catching a hold of Amethyst’s metal leg.

The captain groaned as she pulled the mare up and through the open hatch.

At the top, they fell over, breathing heavily, but there was no time to rest.

The changelings overhead had spotted them, and several dove for the train, firing a volley of magical bolts towards them.

“Amethyst, run!”

Gem pushed her forward as they both began sprinting along the top of the train.

The three changelings landed in front of them, stopping the mares in their tracks.

They advanced slowly, baring down on them.

One changeling, the one in the middle, laughed, showing his fangs as the got closer.

“Look, brothers and sisters! Mistress Cicada has already captured our prize! What luck!”

Amethyst was no pony’s prize.

She took a defensive stance, preparing herself to fight, but Gem calmly walked out in front of her.

She looked back at the confused guard and fired her a sly grin.

Then, she turned her attention back to the changelings.

“Not today, Stag… This mare is mine…”

When they saw that she stood in defense of the guard, they hesitated.

Amethyst saw it in their eyes. They actually feared Gem.

The one she assumed was ‘Stag’ quickly overcame Gem’s threat and narrowed his eyes.

“So, Phasmid really was telling the truth… You’ve betrayed the hive…”

Gem lowered her horn, causing the changelings flanking Stag to take nervous steps backwards.

“This is your last chance, Stag… Back off!”

A dark shadow flew over them, causing them all to look up.

The shadow disappeared into the swirling clouds, but Gem didn't need to see who it was to know.

Stag must have been thinking the same thing, because he lowered his horn.

“That's not possible, Cicada. I'm more afraid of Queen Chrysalis than I am of you.”

Then, the changelings charged.

Amethyst prepared herself to fight, but Gem kicked her in the chest, sending her onto her falling onto her rear.

“Stay back, Amethyst! I'll handle them…”

The guard sat where she landed, completely stunned as she watched Gem run forwards to meet the changelings.

She caught Stag first, using her weight to slam into him, knocking him off balance before kicking his disoriented body into the other changelings.

They landed in a heap, struggling to stand as they fell over each other.

One raised her horn at Gem and fired a bolt of magic towards her.

Gem’s horn flared to life, forming a shield that deflected the magic, sending it back towards the changeling.

She cried out in terror, choosing to leap over the side of the moving train to avoid the bolt of magic.

She opened her tattered wings, but the turbulent winds caused by the raging storm sent her spiraling into the distance.

The other changeling tried to rush Gem and catch her by surprise, but the guard was waiting for him.

She quickly spun around, startling the changeling before throwing a hoof into his jaw.

He reared back in pain, but it wasn't enough to stop him.

He returned in kind, hitting Gem beneath her armor, causing her to wince.

At the same time, Stag had recovered, and he circled the fight, looking for an opening to jump into.

Amethyst saw it, but Gem didn't. She was too busy with the other changeling.

“Gem! Gem, look out!”

But Gem couldn't hear her over the wind and rain.

She was locked in a struggle with the changeling, and Stag had found his chance.

With Stag at her back, Gem couldn't see as his horn began to glow.

Gem let out a vicious snarl and bit into the changeling's neck, causing him to scream before she snapped one of his legs, ending the stalemate.

He fell to his hooves, desperately crying out in pain as he struggled to stand on his broken leg with green blood leaking from his neck.

“You bitch!”

Gem spun around and gasped, finding Stag’s horn pointed between her eyes.

“You may have been on top in the hive, but out here, you've met your… you…”

His glowing horn faded, and he fell over, motionless and lifeless.

Gem was shocked, but then, she saw it, a smoking hole in his chest where green blood poured out.

She turned around to see Amethyst standing behind her, her own horn glowing bright purple.

Gem let out a soft sigh.

“Amethyst… I… I don't know what to say…”

Amethyst managed a weary grin as the glow surrounding her horn faded.

“You could start by saying ‘thank you’. It looks like I've got your back now, Gem.”

Gem looked down at Stag’s dead body.

“Indeed… You have my thanks, Amethyst. Stag was always a bit of an ass…”

Then, she looked up ahead.

A band of guards was locked in a struggle with more changelings several cars ahead.

“We should hurry and help the others.”

Amethyst saw what she was talking about.

Through the pouring rain, she could make out the colored plumage on a guard’s helmet marking the status of an officer.

Onyx was among them.

“Right… Come on!”

She took off, sprinting across the top of the train car.

Gem ran after her, following the guard through the wind and rain as they leaped over the gap that bridged the next car, but she was struggling to keep up.

With every step, Amethyst got further ahead, leaving her behind.

Gem’s muscles were growing tired. Her fight with the changelings had left her without much of her energy, and the poison was beginning to have a serious effect on her.

She knew what would soon happen.

First, her muscles would give up. Then, most of her internal organs would shut down. Finally, her heart would stop, and she would die a slow and painfully agonizing death as her body stalled.

Gem was running out of time, and Amethyst had no clue.

She kept on running, only thinking about reaching her lover, Onyx.

“Come on, Gem! We're almost there!”

Then, the shadow returned.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gem caught a glimpse of an angry-looking changeling.

Phasmid was in the air, flying alongside the train, and she was diving straight for them.

“Cicada!”

With her wings spread, she let out a furious cry before plowing into Gem, sending both of them tumbling across the top of the car.

Amethyst turned around just in time to see Gem sail over the side, disappearing into the void below.

She looked over her shoulder, back at Onyx and the other guards. They were too far away still, too far away to help.

When she turned to face Phasmid, the changeling had vanished.

Amethyst was alone, spinning in circles as she looked for any sign of her friend.

“Gem!” She screamed as loudly as her lungs would allow, but the storm drowned her out. “Gem, where are you!”

Then, she heard it, the muffled whimper of a struggling mare.

Through the rain, she followed the sound towards the edge of the car and looked over.

“Gem!”

Amethyst immediately dropped to her stomach and reached out, extending her prosthetic hoof towards the guard as she held onto the side of the train.

“Help me up!”

Amethyst groaned as the weight of the armored mare put a lot of strain on her leg, but she managed to pull her up and onto the train.

Exhausted beyond all belief, the captain fell on her back, gasping for air as she recovered.

Gem rolled onto her side and climbed to her hooves.

“We… We make a… great team… right, Gem?”

The mare smiled, but something was off.

Her lips were curled upward, but there was nothing happy about her expression.

Then, Gem drew back her hoof and threw it towards Amethyst’s face.

The captain reacted solely on instinct and her training, rolling out of the way to avoid the hoof as it hit the very spot she once sat.

Adrenaline flowed through her, and Amethyst jumped to her hooves.

“Gem, what… what are you doing?!”

She dodged every hoof the mare sent her way, but she was growing tired. Her sudden burst of energy had been expended.

The wind and rain weren't helping, and the storm had only grown more volatile since it started.

“You destroyed my nest!” The mare grappled onto her neck, holding Amethyst down long enough to hit her in the face with her hoof. “You tried to make me believe I'm something I'm not!”

She brought her hoof down a second time, hard.

The force was so intense that it knocked Amethyst's helmet off, sending it flying over the edge of the car.

“Gem, please…”

The mare let out a furious cry as she wailed on Amethyst, slicing the edges of her hooves across the guard’s cheeks and pummeling her face.

“Shut up! Shut up, Amethyst! I'm not a pony!”

When her hoof came down again, it landed on Amethyst’s prosthetic leg, tearing it away from the guard’s body.

She threw the leg behind her, over the edge of the train, never to be seen again.

The captain’s mind went blank as indescribable pain pulsed through her body.

Amethyst couldn't see.

She couldn't breathe.

The rushing wind blew her mane with an unseen ferocity.

All around her, the swirling storm raged, and lightning cracked across the sky, followed by deafening booms of thunder.

She struggled to roll on her side and stand up, only to realize that her leg was missing.

“Onyx!”

Amethyst cried as she felt blindly for her missing leg.

“Onyx, help me!”

But Onyx didn't come.

He was too far away, locked in a struggle with several changelings, desperately trying to reach her.

Instead, a hoof came down in front of her, stopping the guard in her tracks.

She looked up at the shadowy figure standing over her, her eyes glowing bright green.

“Gem… please…” Amethyst whimpered sadly, sobbing almost. “I know you're in there, and I know this isn't who you are…”

The changeling snarled viciously, raising her hoof to strike.

“Shut up! My name is not Gem! I’m not a f*cking pony!”

The captain’s eyes filled with tears as her vision blurred.

“You know nothing about me!”

Despite her tears, Amethyst cracked a bloody smile, startling Cicada.

“I know…” She coughed violently, spitting blood all over her chin. “I know you're my… my friend…”

The changeling raised her hoof even higher.

With the sun beating down on her, and the sound of the roaring wind fading to silence, Amethyst prepared herself for the end.

She heard the charging of a horn and closed her eyes.

The horn discharged, expelling concentrated magic, but Amethyst didn't feel a thing.

The mare standing over her let out a pained wail as she flew back several feet before landing on her side.

When Amethyst opened her eyes, the Gem standing over her was gone, and another Gem stood in her place, offering her hoof to the captain.

“It's me, Amethyst… It's really me…”

Amethyst grinned, showing off her broken and bloody smile.

Then, Gem looked down and saw the state of her leg, where a terrifyingly large puddle of blood had pooled, despite the rain washing it in every direction.

“Amethyst, you're hurt… I have to get you to a hospital…”

The captain could hardly understand her. Blood loss was having negative consequences on her abilities to function.

“Hold on, Amethyst… You're not going to die today…”

She was about to pick the captain up and carry her inside, but a monstrous bellow sent shivers down her spine.

“YOU WHORSE!”

Gem spun around and took a defensive stance over the wounded Amethyst.

Amethyst didn't know if what she was seeing was real or not, or if it was just the loss of blood, but she could have sworn there were two Gems facing off in front of her.

“I've had enough of you, Cicada… First, I'm going to kill that stupid pony. Then, I'm going to tear your f*cking throat out!”

She lowered her horn.

“Queen Chrysalis will reward me when I deliver to her the head of a guard and a traitor…”

Gem panted heavily.

Under the downpour, she struggled to stand upright as the poison ate away at her very life.

“Phasmid, please stop this… I am sorry… I am so, so sorry for what I did to you and Aphid, to all of you. Don't hurt Amethyst for my wrongdoings… If…” She sniffled as she stepped forward to meet the other ‘Gem’. “If you kill her, you'll be taking away Azalea’s mother.”

The other Gem paused, and her glare softened.

“Wh… What?”

Gem nodded her head.

“That's right, Phasmid… Amethyst found Azalea in that cave, and she rescued her, taking her in to raise as her own daughter…”

The other Gem had a blank expression on her face.

Unable to concentrate, her disguise fell, revealing her to be the changeling she really was.

“You can come with us, Phasmid. Come with us and live in the empire. You can be free of Chrystalis. You can see Azalea again.”

She looked Phasmid dead in the eyes.

“If you kill Amethyst… Azalea will never forgive you…”

Lightning streaked across the sky, lighting up the entire world.

Phasmid looked completely stunned by Gem’s offer, like she might actually be considering it, but a dark shadow fell over them.

The temperature of the air around them dropped, and a menacing laugh shook Gem to her very core.

Queen Chrysalis herself descended onto the train car, landing next to Phasmid.

“I have to give credit where it is due, Cicada. That was an excellent display, but it was little more than a futile attempt to stop the inevitable. You see…”

She raised her hoof, caressing Phasmid’s cheek gently.

“… Phasmid is my loyal servant.”

The changeling’s gaze lowered, and she looked to her hooves as Chrysalis continued to stroke behind her ears.

“Unlike you, a miserable traitor to your queen and your kind, she is obedient, and she does whatever I tell her.”

Phasmid winced with every word.

“You cannot promise her something as useless as freedom…”

Phasmid closed her eyes, remembering the night she tried to escape the hive with Aphid and Azalea.

“Phasmid is mine, and she will never be free.”

Her eyes opened, and she stepped forward, shaking away the heavy hoof of Chrysalis.

“No…”

The queen’s eyes widened, surprised by the sudden act of defiance.

“What… did you just say?”

For a moment, all that could be hear was the sound of rain pouring onto the top of the train and the low rumbling of thunder.

Phasmid turned around, facing the changeling queen.

“No… I said ‘no’. I am not your slave…”

Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed.

“And you, my queen… You are a tyrant! You're the one who lied to me! You told me my Azalea died by Cicada’s hooves!”

The queen bared her teeth.

“Watch your tone, Phasmid… It would be unwise for you to forestall my judgement…”

Phasmid shook her head.

“No more… I'm done listening to you. I will be free!”

Then, she charged the queen, only to be swept away by magic from Chrysalis’ horn.

Phasmid cried out as the wave of green magic pushed her back, sending her flying towards the edge of the car.

She held on before falling off, but the queen was on her in seconds.

“Treachery…”

Then, she stomped her hooves, causing Phasmid to fall towards the Equestrian landscape so far below.

Gem’s eyes filled with tears as she watched her disappear.

Chrysalis turned on Gem, and her horn began to glow.

“Two traitors in one day… This has been most disappointing…”

Already drastically weakened by the poison, Gem crawled towards the critically injured Amethyst.

Her will to move was failing her, and a green flame engulfed her body, burning away the pony Gem.

Cicada reached Amethyst and collapsed next to her.

When she got a closer look at the wound, she realized it was worse than she originally thought.

Cicada needed to stop the bleeding, or Amethyst would die in minutes.

She could use her magic, but that could only work for as long as she could keep her horn active.

No… She needed something that would hold, something like…

Cicada’s eyes landed on her back, on her own wings, and she knew what she had to do.

Out of love and desperation, Cicada bit into her own, insect-like wing and tore it off.

She howled through her teeth as she took the wing with her magic and began applying it to Amethyst’s stump.

“You… will live… Amethyst…”

She tied off the wing, putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the gaping wound.

Cicada didn't have any time to admire her work, because a chilling laugh came from behind her.

“Marvelous, Cicada… Now, you and that wretched pony can die together…”

Chrysalis stood over them, spreading her massive wings.

“I treated you well, Cicada… You were my favorite subject, my best agent…”

Her horn began to glow a sickly green color.

“… but I have no sympathy for those who hold a false love for ponies…”

Cicada looked up at her, meeting the queen’s eyes, and a sly grin formed along her lips.

“You… You call it false…” She wheezed something terrible as her lungs struggled to work. “… but I can say, with… no doubt in my mind… that I love Amethyst with all of my heart…”

Chrysalis snarled, growling like a beast as she pointed her horn towards Cicada.

“My love for her… and her love for me… makes me stronger than the fear of your disapproval ever did.”

Cicada threw her hooves around Amethyst, embracing her tightly as they awaited the end.

As Amethyst wrapped her one leg around Cicada, she brought the changeling’s ear towards her lips.

“I love you, Gem…”

Cicada closed her eyes as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“I love you too, Amethyst…”

Then, their horns began to glow.

Instead of the normal colors that represented their magic, Amethyst’s horn and Cicada’s both flowed a soft, pink hue.

Chrysalis took a nervous step back.

“What… What is this…”

Their horns lit up, glowing brightly as heat and pink magic expanded, growing wider and wider by the second.

Chrysalis’ eyes widened.

“No… No, this can't be happening! This love cannot be real!”

It was real, and the cloud of pink magic exploded violently, sending a wave of pure energy that carried Chrysalis and the other changelings far, far away, out of sight.

The wave of energy arched across the sky, driving back the storm and breaking through the clouds, letting the rays of Celestia’s sun shine down on the land.

Cicada beamed as she felt the warmth hit her face, and the last thing she saw, before her vision faded to black, was the look of content on an unconscious, but very much alive, Amethyst.

“You will live… Amethyst… You will…”

A long breath escaped her lips before she fell silent, at last.

***Up Next: Walk On***