As Mitchell was dropped off at the Atlas R/D Building, he tested his prosthetic arm one again by clenching his fist a few times. Surprisingly, instead of glitching out like it had in the simulation, the arm responded seamlessly to his mental commands.

"Hey there, Mitchell." a technician called from a desk equipped with a tech station. "Mr. Irons called in for you, let's check that arm out."

As Mitchell sat down, the technician plugged a cable spike into his arm and began running diagnostics on his prosthetic.

"Interesting, whatever that surge of energy did to you, it rebooted your arm's processor and synapse junctions." the technician said.

"What's that mean?" Mitchell asked.

"It means it fixed the problem that was in your arm." the technician said, finishing up. "I recommend some trigger time to check the calibration, but you should be all set. If there's any trouble, come by again and we'll get it sorted out."

As Mitchell nodded and his arm was unplugged, he flexed it and headed for the entrance. To his surprise, Joker and an operative Mitchell knew to be named Ilona were waiting for him.

"Hey." Mitchell said. "You picking me up?"

"Yep." Joker said, as they entered a waiting jeep. "Gideon and Mr. Irons are expecting us at the Quarantine."

"Why do we even have that?" Mitchell wondered. "What good does a quarantine serve on a military base?"

"If anyone gets something more contagious than the flu, they go there until they're better." Ilona said. "Irons made that rule himself to keep us healthy and fit for combat."

"And look what purpose it's serving now." Joker chuckled as they turned on the path to the Medical Wing. "Whole place is on lockdown in order to keep whatever the hell that thing was a secret."

"I figured." Mitchell said as they arrived. "It looked like a horse or something to me, but it had a horn."

"A fucking unicorn." Joker laughed. "A purple fucking unicorn shows up in the middle of HQ. What else could go wrong today?"

"Plenty." Gideon said as he approached. "Come on, Mr. Irons is waiting for us."

As the four of them entered the lab, they saw the horse was still unconscious, but hooked up to a medical hub device.

"Ah, Mitchell. How's the arm?" Irons asked.

"Fixed, but I think the unicorn did that." Mitchell said. "The tech said that pulse of energy rebooted it. It's working great now."

"Good to hear." Irons said. "I think it's safe to say we're dealing with something over our heads."

"I agree." Gideon added. "What are we going to do with it?"

"I think I can help with that." said an Atlas Doctor, coming forward. "Mr. Irons, I've finished the bioscan. The results are incredible!"

As the five of them followed the doctor to a terminal, he pulled up scan readouts on the computer.

"When I scanned our guest, I determined it be a female. Also, I discovered that her bodily systems are exactly the same as a human's. Same structure to bones, nerves, and organs." the doctor said. "I was even able to get a blood sample, and I found two things."

"What's that?" Ilona asked.

"Her blood doesn't have a blood type." the doctor said. "The counts of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets don't match any human blood type. Furthermore, I found an abundance of these cells in her system and near her horn."

The doctor showed an image of a pinkish white, orb-shaped cell.

"This cell is radiating a powerful energy that I can't identify." the doctor said. "I removed one for future analysis, but I'd wager these cells have something to do with her horn. It's similar to cellular radiation, but it's harmless to her other cells, so logically she shouldn't harm us."

"Good." Irons said. "Anything else?"

"One more thing." the doctor said. "I took a brain and DNA scan a while ago. Her DNA is similar to a human equine, with a few differences. However, her brainscan shows that she has a fully developed brain akin to a thirty-year old human female, while her bodily age is only about sixteen."

"So she's...intelligent?" Joker asked.

"I'd say she's sapient." the doctor said. "With all due respect Mr. Irons, we're dealing a sapient, unknown species. That means First Contact."

"Jesus." Gideon said. "A fucking alien is in that room?"

"I believe so, yes." the doctor replied. Irons sat down and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"We'll deal with that when it comes to it." he said. At that moment, an Atlas soldier burst in.

"Sir, we've got a problem. It's awake and it's not happy." the soldier said. "When it woke up, it sent Jackson flying across the room with some kind of direct energy beam."

"Damnit!" Gideon cursed as the five of the headed to the quarantine cell. True to the soldier's word, the being was crouched in a corner, her horn ablaze with light. Jackson was outside being patched up by an Atlas Medic, and another was pointing a Bal-27 assault rifle at her.

"Stand down!" the soldier barked. "I will use force!"

"Leave me alone!" the being replied, clearly scared. "I don't want to hurt you, so back away!"

"Soldier!" Irons barked. "Stand down."

As the soldier slowly backed away, Irons approached her, flanked by Mitchell. As the being tensed up, her horn lighting up once more, Irons reached into his pocket and gave her a small slip of holographic paper.

Mitchell recognized it as an Atlas Corporation business card, the exact same card he had been given at Will Irons' funeral.

====

Twilight stared at the being. It was middle aged, with fading brown hair and a worn yet experienced face. It wore a down vest with jeans, and as it approached her, it reached into its pocket and pulled something out. It was a small tablet, about the size of her hoof.

Twilight took it with her magic and upon touching it, an image appeared. It was the letter A, with a red design for the cross. Then, text appeared.

GREETINGS.

Then, white triangles moved across the screen, along with a text message followed by a name.

ATLAS CORPORATION
JONATHAN IRONS-PRESIDENT AND CEO

As Twilight looked up, the being stood to its full height.

"Seeing as we can understand each other…" it said in Equish. "We'll start with names if you calm down."

"Okay." she said, her horn dimming. "You first."

"Alright." the man said. "I'm Jonathan Irons, CEO of Atlas Corporation. The men and women behind me are Joker, Gideon, Ilona, and Mitchell. We're friends, miss. So please, calm down and we'll explain everything you want to know."

"Okay...I'm Twilight." she said. "Twilight Sparkle."

"Pleasure, Miss Twilight." Irons said, extending his hand. Twilight reached for it, and was pulled up to her hooves. "Welcome to Earth. Specifically, the city of Roanoke in the state of Virginia, in the United States of America. You're currently inside the Medical building of Atlas Corporation Headquarters."

Twilight looked around at her surroundings. True to Irons' word, the building she was in did seem like a hospital, only much more futuristic.

"What kind of corporation needs a hospital?" Twilight asked.

"This kind of corporation." Irons replied. "We are the largest Private Military Company in the world. A superpower for hire."

"You're a mercenary?" Twilight asked.

"I myself am not, but the men and women of Atlas are." Irons replied. "They're some of the finest you'll find anywhere. However, let's get back to business. How exactly did you come here?"

Twilight paused, weighing her options. On one hand, revealing the events of the last few hours at the wedding might have unforeseen consequences. On the other, it might make them trust her.

"It's a long story." Twilight said. "I attempted to teleport home using my magic, but the spell misfired and must've brought me here."

Irons nodded and crossed his arms.

"You'll have to show me what you mean by magic." Irons said. "The most we know of it are cheap stage tricks."

That made Twilight flinch.

"You don't use magic?" she gasped. "Then how'd you make all of this?"

"Pure and simple technology." Irons replied. "Most likely you'll find we're far more advanced technologically than your own species."

As Twilight nodded, Irons looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You hungry?" he asked.

"A little, yes." Twilight asked. "Why?"

"I figured we could all discuss the bigger parts of our current discussion over lunch." Irons replied. "Shall we?"

Twilight nodded and followed Irons, plus Gideon, Mitchell, Ilona, and Joker outside, where she saw a small, open-top carriage move up to them.

"Gideon?" Irons requested. Gideon nodded and took the driver's seat as the rest of them filed in.

"We might need to squeeze in a bit, but we should be fine." Irons said as the carriage lurched forward.

"How's this thing moving?" Twilight asked.

"Internal combustion engine." Mitchell said. "We've been using them since about 1900. It's currently 2054, so about 150 years."

Twilight was floored, to say the least.

"Okay, I need to find a library." she said. "What other technological marvels has your kind developed?"

"Plenty." Joker shrugged. "Nuclear power, computers, radios, firearms…list goes on and on."

"Wait, Nuclear?" Twilight gasped. "You use nuclear physics to generate power?"

"Yep." Mitchell said. "We used to use fission, but now fusion's standard for all power plants. Cleaner and a lot more efficient."

Twilight's eyes went wide as she began to hyperventilate.

"You okay?" Ilona asked.

"Just shocked." Twilight said as the car stopped. "By your standards Equestria must seem be considered primitive."

"That might depend." Irons said as they entered the Recreation Facility. "I still want to know about that magic you spoke of. What can that do?"

As Twilight and the others sat down in an atrium, Twilight sighed.

"Okay, lesson one. Basic magic theory…"

====
Equestria, Canterlot

Archives, Restricted Section

It didn't take Princess Luna and Spike very long to find the reference book that Twilight's letter had mentioned.

"Relics of Ancient Times Long Past." Spike read out loud. "Hey, there's a note here."

As Luna and Spike looked at Twilight's familiar handwriting, they raised their eyebrows.

"Page 54, Section 3." Luna said. "Well, here goes."

As Luna opened the book and turned to the mentioned page, she raised her eyebrows in shock at the title of the page.

TOTEM SPELL OF REVELATION

"Totem Spell?" Spike asked. "What's that mean?"

"Totem Magic revolves around manipulating and coercing other beings to do your will." Luna said. "Apparently this is one of them."

"And I think I know why Twilight was interested in it." Spike said, pointing to a paragraph of text. "This spell makes anypony do what you want, as long as they look you in the eye."

"That's interesting...but…" Luna said, her mind putting the pieces together. "Of course!"

"What?" Spike asked.

"I figured it out!" Luna said. "If we use this on Cadance, we can make her prove her identity for certain! It all fits!"

Spike was about to speak when there was a clatter of noise. As they spun, Luna furrowed her brow.

"Stay back, Spike." she said. "Whoever is there, reveal thyself!"

As the figure approached, the light revealed it to be nothing but a Lunar Guard.

"Princess Luna, Princess Cadance requests your presence immediately." he said.

Luna furrowed her brow and she walked forward.

"For what reason?" she asked.

The guard hesitated, and in that moment, Luna lifted the Guard with her magic and brought him close while beginning to seal his throat.

"Reveal yourself!" she growled. "You are most definitely not a Lunar Guard. If you were, you would not have hesitated as per the oath you took, or in this case did not take. Who are you?"

The Lunar Guard gasped for breath, and then he glowed green. To the shock of Princess Luna and Spike, the Guard morphed into a black, insect-like being whose eyes showed panic.

"A shape-shifter." Luna growled. "I should have known."

The Changeling fell to the floor and backed away.

"Please, don't hurt me!" it said, fear evident in his voice. "I'll tell you anything!"

"Who are you?" Luna demanded.

The being sighed and spoke.

"My name is Thorax, I'm a Changeling." he said. "And your city is in danger."

"What kind of danger?" Spike asked.

"Our Queen has infiltrated your defenses and sabotaged the shield protecting the city." Thorax said. "She's taken the form of…"

"Princess Cadance." Luna growled. "What does she want?"

"We feed off emotions such as love, and Canterlot is full of, in our Queen's eyes, food that will last us for generations." Thorax said. "She's been feeding off your Guard Captain and absorbing all his magic. Not only that, she's wiping his memories nightly. By tomorrow, she'll be unstoppable!"

"Why are you telling us this?" Luna demanded.

"Because it's the right thing to do." Thorax said. "There are others in the Hive who aren't as…fanatical or dangerous as her, but we can't do anything since we fear our Queen more than anything!"

"We'll see about that." Luna said. "What's her plan of attack?"

"Once she's married Shining Armor, she'll break the shield and swarm the city from all directions." Thorax said. "She's got every one of you fooled!"

"Not all of them." Spike said. "Twilight was right all along!"

"Focus, Spike. Thorax, where is the real Cadance?" Luna asked. "Where?"

"She was teleported into the Caverns beneath this city after the Queen drained her magic." Thorax said. "Other than that, I know nothing."

"Those caverns go on for miles!" Spike cried. "How are we supposed to find her now?"

"Leave that to me." Luna said. "Thorax?"

"Yes?"

"Since you have defied your queen for the right cause…" she said. "I am willing to overlook your trespassing and whatever else you may have done. In exchange, I need you to do a few things for me in return, understood?"

Thorax nodded.

"Good. First, how many among your kind oppose your Queen?" Luna asked.

"About fifty, including me." Thorax said.

"Good." Luna said. "Bring them to the Lunar memorial in the Castle Gardens tonight at Midnight exactly. Second, I need a method or spell to free Shining Armor from her control. Third, do you know the plan of attack your Queen prepared?"

"We all do, why?" Thorax said.

"You will change it." Luna said. "Alert every Changeling soldier that the plan has been altered, as a few ponies grew too suspicious and began poking around. Have them assemble at the main gate in a massive horde as my sister begins reciting the vows."

"That'll leave us…" Thorax said, understanding. "Exposed."

"Leaving me able to wipe them all out using the power of the moon." Luna said. "Thorax, if you do all of this without fail, I will personally guarantee you and those who defect from your Queen clemency. Do you accept?"

"Of course." Thorax said. "I'll get right on it."

Thorax bowed deep before Luna and Spike, before assuming his previous disguise and nodding to the two of them. As he made haste out of the archives, Spike looked at Luna.

"Do you think we'll save the day in time?" Spike asked.

"For certain." Luna replied. "We have gained the upper hand, Spike. Do you still have that Totem Spellbook?"

Spike handed Luna the book, and she smiled.

"I will expose the Queen when the doors open to begin the procession." Luna said. "I will need to be there before her. Until that time, can you stall the ceremony for as long as possible!"

"You can count on me!" Spike saluted. "I have a good idea about how to do that!"

"Perfect." Luna smiled. As they walked out of the archives, the book hidden under Luna's right wing, the Princess of the Moon took on a face of solemnity.

"Hang tight, Cadance." she said. "We'll find you and save the day. I swear it."

Author's Note

Yep, this one was my favorite to write. I know that Thorax doesn't show up canonically in the Wedding Episode, but we don't know for sure. I decided to have him be the leader of those who oppose Chrysalis, and changed the amount of defectors from fifteen to fifty.

And yes, Chrysalis doesn't know that this is happening. She's got to keep up appearances as Cadance, remember?

Next time-The real Cadance is rescued, the Wedding is attacked and saved, and Shining Armor makes a tough decision in the aftermath. And on Earth, Irons makes a very tempting offer to Twilight Sparkle...