Rest in Peace

Luna sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. She was once again in her chambers, thinking over things Violet had said. Once again she was confronted by the fact that their worlds were vastly different, and their backgrounds painted very different pictures of each other. Luna hadn't seen war in over a thousand years, while Violet had never seen peace. Luna had been punished with banishment, while Violet had sought it to protect her friends from the monster dwelling within her. While both of them had vast power at their disposal, Luna had far more control than Violet did at this point in time.

I know you consider me to be a monster. I am a threat to you, and you are afraid of me. You are right to be afraid. But make no mistake: Any attack on Equestria is an attack on me. I will bring death to all who bring war to me. I am both weapon and monster.

"Why, Violet?" Luna groaned in frustration, plopping down on her bed.

The summit after that was damage control, trying to assure the other nations that they had no hoof in Violet's actions, and that they were not the source of the threat. But the damage was done, and now every nation in the world would have its spears raised at Equestria. World peace was now balanced on a knife's edge.

A knock rang from her door. "Lulu?"

"Enter," Luna called back.

Celestia entered her chambers, closing the door behind her and approaching with a grave expression. "Quite the summit we just held."

"I should not have brought Violet to the summit," Luna sighed. "Our politics are fragile, and she has never encountered its subtleties before."

"While I agree with that second point," Celestia said softly, settling on her sister's bed, "there may be some... unexpected benefits to her blunt approach."

"You mean threatening every single nation in the world?" Luna huffed.

"Indeed. By bringing her in, we have established that she has her own mind and agenda, entirely divorced from our own," Celestia explained. "No nation wishes to test her threat when the only intelligence they have on her is that she can slay a hydra and fight a horde of three-hundred on her own."

Luna took a deep breath, staring out into the night sky.

"Have you gleaned any new information from Violet's dreams?" Celestia asked softly.

"I have, but it is fragmented and incomplete. I can only make guesses in my interpretations of what I see," Luna replied.

"Would you like to bounce your theories off me?" Celestia asked.

"If you're willing to listen to the ramblings of a madmare," Luna giggled.

Celestia turned onto her side, staring up at her sister. "By all means."

Luna smiled softly and charged her horn with magic before tapping it against Celestia's forehead. In an instant, she let her sister see all of the dreams pertaining to Violet that she had seen. From the very first to the most recent. Celestia's expression faltered.

"That dragon is what Violet calls {Ahamkara}. When Violet said she was cursed by the {Ahamkara}, she did not tell the whole truth," Luna said somberly. "I believe she is {Ahamkara}."

Celestia looked up at the ceiling. "I see the pieces, but not the puzzle."

"Violet's parents were both female, and thus could not conceive a child," Luna began. "In order to have Violet, her mothers had to wish on an {Ahamkara}. Are you aware of the research being done on magic's effects on pregnancies?"

"Something something there's a link somewhere?" Celestia answered in her usual code.

"There's a spell in development that allows female-female couples to conceive," Luna continued. "Current research suggests that the magic used influences the genetics of the foal. In couples that already have a unicorn, that difference is negligible. But in couples that don't, the foals that result from the spell have a genetic makeup that includes about two-percent unicorn blood."

"Which would mean if the {Ahamkara} used that spell to grant her mother's wish, then Violet would be two-percent {Ahamkara}..." Upon Celestia putting those pieces together, she bolted upright. "Wait, how would the {Ahamkara} be able to use magic from our world? I didn't feel magic at all!"

"That's the part I'm trying to figure out. I have no proof, but it's possible that these {Ahamkara} are capable of bending universes. If they did so to tap our world's magic, it would be possible to use that spell, thus making her the 'heir'. The only way to prove it possible would be to check if the universe around Violet is intertwined with her own."

"And how do we do that?" Celestia asked.

"We don't," Luna sighed. "It's not possible."

"What else could it be?" Celestia prodded.

"It could be as simple as that her world is merely an unfathomably large distance away," Luna answered. "It's not likely though because of the lack of aetheric field on all three worlds of hers I've seen. An entire system without an aetheric field would collapse before life could take hold."

"Much like ours would if we didn't exert pressure on our system to keep it moving properly," Celestia nodded.

"We ponies were lucky we figured out how to do that," Luna hummed softly. "But those are the two possibilities, and neither can be proven..."

Celestia turned to look her sister in the eye. "I'm sensing a 'but' in there somewhere."

"But, if what Violet said when casting one of her curses can be believed, these {Ahamkara} can bend reality," Luna groaned, letting her face fall into the soft mattress. "We feed upon desire and shape reality with our claws..."

"And you're not sure if we can believe an incantation like that," Celestia surmised.

"Indeed. Especially when it wasn't Violet's voice saying it," Luna nodded.

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Ponyville was quite a town as of the past few years, ever since Twilight Sparkle had moved in and stopped the return of Nightmare Moon. Everyone knew the story of the local librarian who awakened the Elements of Harmony and saved Equestria. The tales attracted more attention to Ponyville, making it the target of plenty of further shenanigans.

But then, just two months prior, the strangest thing happened. Now, the changelings didn't usually follow the news, but they did keep their ears open, and it seemed that an actual alien had landed on Equus, and had since saved the town and the Princesses, including Twilight! This had to be propaganda put out by the Equestrians to hide their weakness against some other threat, and would require the immediate investigation of one particular changeling. That changeling, operating under the alias Quick Quill, was tasked with conducting that investigation under the guise of a unicorn journalist. Of course, being disguised as a journalist often made ponies less willing to talk, but came with the benefit of not attracting suspicion for asking questions in the first place.

Upon entering Ponyville, Quick discovered quite plainly that there was indeed an alien among them. And the ponies were all just... totally fine with it! None of them were freaking out and screaming in the streets! None of them were avoiding the alien at all! She could even sense that the ponies trusted this alien! It was blasphemy!

And so began the investigation. Quick followed the alien as it walked around town, making notes of its ultra shiny purple chitin and the cloak it wore. She wrote down that upon casting a magic-detection spell, she felt a vast, empty power that rivaled the Princesses of Equestria, and that each time she tried to investigate further, that power only seemed to grow. This wasn't an uncommon observation to make about changelings that were passively feeding in the field, but it definitely raised some interesting questions that the Queen would want answers to.

What was this alien's food source? Was it a new competitor for the love of the ponies?

Her train of thought was immediately derailed when she accidentally bumped muzzle-first into the alien she'd been casually tailing.

"Oh! Sorry!" Quick yelped, trying to play off her blunder.

"You have been following me," the alien spoke in a cold, detached voice that reminded her of the Queen. Its face was hidden by a mask that seemed to be part of its chitin. "Do you have questions for me?"

Quick instinctively took a step back, cowering away as she felt the full force of the alien's presence bearing down on her like the weight of her entire hive on her back. She could instinctively feel just how powerful this being was, how her magic made her feel as insignificant as a single grain of sand. "N-no...! I-I just..."

The alien crouched down, pulling the hood off its head and pulling its head off in front of her...‽ She nearly fainted on the spot, but she then saw that the creature did not have chitin, and was more like the soft and squishy ponies around town. Her face was strangely beautiful, a soft light dancing over her pale blue skin, and her luminous amber eyes disarmed her. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no! I'm okay!" Quick blurted quickly as she tried to back up again.

The alien picked up her notebook and offered it to her with a kind smile. "If you want answers to your questions, asking directly will get you the best answers. Eyes can be deceived."

Quick felt a shudder run down her back, making her wings feel jittery under the disguise. Was the alien capable of seeing through changeling magic? Would she be in danger if she stayed? Should she abort the mission? Instinct took over, compelling her to speak. "My name is Quick Quill. I'm a reporter with the Daily Sun. May I ask you some questions for my story about you?"

The alien nodded at her, pointing over to the building it was heading towards, "Only if you buy me coffee."

Quick nodded and followed closely, a cold anxiety making her feel much smaller than normal. She and the alien entered a small coffee shop, wherein the barista waved to the alien with a warm smile. Even the normal patrons seemed to be perfectly comfortable with the alien, either offering polite smiles or friendly waves. How they weren't freaking out was beyond the disguised changeling.

The alien ordered its coffee and proceeded to sit down at a small table near the back of the shop, away from the front windows. Quick joined it at the table after paying for the beverage, and opened her notebook and readied her quill and ink.

"It's nice to meet you, Quick Quill. My name is Violet," the alien said, offering a soft smile. "I will answer only four questions, and I will leave the moment I finish my coffee. Please avoid questions that need detailed answers. I do not know many words in your language yet."

Quick Quill nodded as her mind began to drum up what questions to ask to get the most out of each. Violet took a sip of her coffee, instantly putting Quick on the clock. "Is it true that you have saved Ponyville and the Princesses alone?"

"Yes," Violet said, taking another sip.

"What was it you saved them from?" Quick asked quickly, interrupting Violet from another sip.

"Once, I saved the Princesses and Twilight Sparkle from a pack of three-hundred timberwolves," Violet answered, pausing for a sip. "Once, I saved Ponyville from a plant-monster. I do not know the name of it in your language."

Quick took a moment to think, trying to piece together what she'd just heard. With her hive being from the badlands, she was unfamiliar with what kind of 'plant-monsters' may or may not exist in Equestria. But of course, fighting three-hundred of anything was no small feat, regardless of what was being fought.

"Why did you warn the Princesses not use the word 'wish' during your visit to Canterlot?" Quick asked.

Immediately she felt the pressure of Violet's power around her, pushing down on her as though she were buried beneath a mountain.

"I will not answer this question," Violet said coldly, taking a long sip of her coffee, draining most of the remainder. "You have one question left."

"Do you feed on love?" the changeling asked quickly, before the opportunity was lost.

Violet squinted at her, and the pressure around her only grew more intense, almost making her disguise flicker. The ponies around them, too, seemed to notice the pressure, and were now all staring at the two with hard gazes.

"No," Violet said curtly, knocking back the last of her coffee and standing from the table. "Thank you for the coffee. Good luck with your paper."

With that, Quick was left to figure out what could be gleaned from the short interview.

——————————

(Recommended Listening)

Luna sat in the rain in the Everfree Forest. Her helm was still off from the interview, and she held her face up to the sky, savoring how each droplet made her feel real in this world. Her cloak was soaked through, and water was leaking into her armor from her face and down her neck.

She knew exactly why she was here, instead of taking refuge inside or even just enjoying the rain in the park. Her Ghost knew why she was here. The small machine floated over her shoulder, perhaps enjoying the feeling of rain as well.

There was a distant rumble of thunder, and a soft, melancholy smile turned up on Luna's lips. Her mind replayed memories of Mae honing her Arc Light during thunderstorms. Titans weren't usually described as 'graceful', but Mae was an exception. That had been the key distinction between her team and others. Mae's movements resembled dancing more than whatever she was actually doing. When she fought, she would always be moving. Her feet would count time as she flowed through the melody of battle. When Rose was resurrected, Mae taught her to do the same. When Luna joined them, Mae taught her as well.

Mae stood at the edge of a cliff, with a storm raging around her. Lightning flashed in the distance, and the clap of thunder followed shortly thereafter. Her foot tapped the dirt like a metronome, and her breathing matched the tempo. She crouched into an awkward stance, and Arc Light snapped, coating her in electricity and forming seven blades: One in her mouth, one in each hand, and one in the crook of each elbow and knee. Her Ghost floated above her, projecting holographic enemies moving around her, on the attack. A Hive Knight ran towards her with a sword as long as the Titan was tall, bringing it up for an overhead chop.

Thunderclap and flash. The Titan sprung into action, twirling a blade from her elbow around her arm to swat the sword away before a blade from her knee rose to slice the Knight in half. As the hologram faded, the Titan continued moving, her steps measured and steady. She danced around the cliffs, juggling the blades of Arc Light as projected enemies accosted her to no avail. The simulations were never able to get as much as a graze on her.

Her Ghost transmatted back into her backpack, leaving her lost in thoughts all alone. Not that she minded. Memories of her friends resurfaced once more.

Rose stood in the sands of a vast desert. The dunes of the Martian desert rolled long and low, only ever rising a couple of meters, leaving the spot exposed in wide-open sight-lines in every direction. The Warlock smiled as she looked around, and reached out to her Light. Butterfly wings of Solar Light sprouted from her back, and her body became coated in blinding fire. She gripped the Light in her hand and tossed a sphere of flames, which expanded into a miniature sun upon hitting the ground. She threw another, only slightly overlapping with the first. She threw another. Within seconds, the sand began to melt down and congeal together into glass, and she kept throwing the miniature suns for several seconds.

When all of the suns faded away, a small area had been turned to glass. She took a step onto the plate of glass and began to dance the way Mae had taught her.

There was a howl through the rain, breaking Luna from her thoughts and prompting her to put her helm back on. While the wolves didn't sound close, they certainly weren't far enough away to dismiss outright. Another howl, this one closer, made her draw the Ace of Spades.

A pony, that same reporter from earlier, busted through the tree line, a pack of twenty timberwolves hot on her tail. Her head was turned to keep the plant-monsters within her peripheral vision at the very least.

"I had a feeling there was more at play here," Luna sighed. She stood up from the stump she was sitting on and leapt into the air, taking aim. She jumped a second time and reached out to her Light, drawing the Void Bow and loosing the arrow just behind the incoming pony. Instantly, the purple tethers lashed out, snaring the wolves and making them fall apart.

But the Shadowshot had also tethered the pony, draining her magic and causing her to transform into a pony-bug hybrid of some sort. The bug-pony's black chitin, particularly that near its legs, seemed shot full of holes wider than the tubes of some rocket launchers she'd used, though it didn't seem to be from any injury. The word for these ponies was ~changeling~ if she remembered correctly, and supposedly, they were a hostile race.

The ~changeling~ stared with its buggy blue eyes in terror at the anchor and tether that had ripped off its disguise and nullified its magic. It then looked up at Luna with that same fear plastered on its face. "~P-please!"

In response, Luna put away her weapon and sat down on a stump, letting the tether fade away on its own. The ~changeling~ simply stared at her, fear fading into the awkward 'I thought you were going to kill me, why didn't you?' curiosity.

Luna removed her helm, revealing her face to the ~changeling~ so it could see her eyes boring a new hole into its head. She smiled, knowing that the ~changeling~ knew exactly who was in control of the situation. "~Now it is your turn to answer my questions, yes?~"