Dark Alleys, Bright Hearts

by Chemtest

Chapters

Stagnant
Interest
Note
Thief
Time
Palace
Trick
Bargain
Smith
Gear
Robbery
Survivor
Gem
Break
Nullam
Messorem
Harmony
Hunter
Truth
Sleep
Blink
Knight
Scapegoat
Reclamation
Intrigue
Spring

Stagnant

Lust, anger, sadness, nervousness.

All it takes is a single sniff.

Mares talk to stallions, and stallions talk back while they drink. Trying to drown something... or coax something out.

There is only one thing admirable about the ponies. The fact that they are all so dumb.

My ear twitches, as a mare complains about her favorite spa being closed.

A stallion complains about how he had to repair his roof.

I take a sip of my drink, glaring at any who pass by. It’s not like the drink does anything, but it looks normal.

I place down the mug full of cider, and my ear twitches again as I hear a stallion, “W-well, I don’t know, they might be interesting to study.”

The nervousness radiating from him is comparable to the sun. Even from across the room, I still feel annoyed by it.

I pause for a second, and slowly grin. My disguise subtly changes, my mane and tail getting slightly longer.

I look across the room, and spot the stallion. He wears robes and glasses, and is talking to the mare tending the bar.

He looks everywhere but at her, and I can taste the lust coming off of him.

His eyes dart over in my direction, and I give him a sly grin, and motion for him to come over.

He pauses, looking around him, before looking back to me.

I smile, and nod.

His nervousness hits a new high, and he closes his eyes for a second. Slowly, he stands from the bar, and trots over to the table I sit at.

I hide a grimace as I see him fidget around at the edge of my table.

I grin, and say in my sweetest voice, a voice from a mare who’s been dead a century, “Take a seat, handsome.”

I almost want to vomit as I speak. I wouldn’t say the stallion is exactly repulsive, but he’s a far cry from handsome.

He nods, and slowly takes a seat next to me, “H-hello.”

I smile, and scoot closer to him, “So, what’s a dashing researcher like you doing in a bar like this?”

He pauses, “O-oh, well, I just was talking to my friend, the bartender.”

Another spike of lust comes from him.

I nod, “I heard you mention something about... studying, was it?”

He nods, “W-well, I just thought it might be a good idea to do a little research on changelings. We never know when they might invade again, after all.”

Perhaps some ponies aren’t so dumb.

I tilt my head, “Oh? Research changelings? How would we do that?”

He smiles, “Well, it’s actually quite simple. We’d simply have to find the changelings, either dead or alive, and run tests on them. For all we know, there might even be another hive located elsewhere.”

I pause, and take a deep breath before I begin to smile again, “Wouldn’t it be wrong to experiment on a creature, though? Living or dead?”

He shakes his head, “Not if it means Equestria remains safe.”

I scoot even closer, and lean on him slightly, “Mmm, and what’s the name of the stallion who’s going to keep all of Equestria safe?”

He raises an eyebrow, “Shining Armor, I’d imagine.”

I look at him, and smirk, “I meant you.”

Joy begins to come from him, slowly replacing the nervousness, “Oh. I’m Cape.” He pauses, a spike of lust rising again as he smiles, “And what’s the name of the mare he’s currently speaking to?”

I grin, “Call me Love, love.” I kiss his cheek, putting an aphrodisiac into him, “I’m a master of everything love related.”

He nods, “Well, maybe you could help me, then.”

That was easier than I thought.

I nod, “Of course I can help you. After all, you’re the big, strong stallion who’s going to rescue all of Equestria.” It takes all of my willpower not to let my sarcasm show.

He smiles, “Well, I was wondering if you might be able to help me with the bartender. I mean, she’s just so beautiful and I think I might love her.”

I smile back as I feel another spike of lust, “Well, has she reacted to any advances you’ve made?”

He shakes his head, “No, and I’ve tried to tell her before. But, I don’t think she’s actually listening to me.”

I grin, “Sounds like the problem is the mare, not you. Maybe you should look for somepony else. Somepony who listens to you.”

He nods, “Perhaps I will. Thanks for listening.”

Once more, I am astounded by the sheer stupidity in ponies.

I lean against him even more, “Maybe said pony you’re looking for is right next to you.”

He looks around, “Maybe, but how would I know? I’m not the best at conversation, and talking to every mare in here seems... tedious.”

I smile, “But you’re already talking to one, aren’t you?”

He pauses, and looks at me, “Well, yeah, but I’m sure you don’t mean yourself. I mean, a mare like you must have some stallion.”

I grin, “A mare like me? Is that implying something, Cape?”

He nods, “Well, it’s implying that a mare like you is beautiful.” He smiles, “In fact, I’d say a beautiful mare out in a bar all alone is quite the odd thing. Perhaps you’re out here for some reason?”

I smirk as I see the aphrodisiac activate, “Well, love, let’s just say I’m like a changeling in many ways. They hunger for love, and right now-“ I kiss his cheek, “I’m feeling positively ravenous.”

He pauses, looking in between his legs, and scooting that half away from me, “W-well, hopefully you’ll find somepony to fulfill that hunger?”

I grin, “Oh, I think I have.” I smirk, “A brave, strong unicorn stallion who plans on saving all of Equestria.”

He blushes, “I don’t think you really want me, of all ponies.”

My horn lights up for a moment, as I cause a shock of pleasure to travel up his shaft. I smile, “It looks like I’m not the only one ravenous for love here. Let me tell you, a mare who’s hungry is sure to go to any lengths to get that hunger satisfied. A mare who’s hungry can get quite desperate, and they need somepony equally as desperate to help.”

He pants slightly, “Are you sure?”

I nod, “Absolutely positive. There’s only one question. Are you going to help a mare in need, or are you going to leave her desperate?”

He smirks, “Oh, I think I’ll do both. I’ll leave you desperate for even more.”

I smirk back, “Wonderful. There’s an alleyway near here, it’s out of the way. Nopony would hear us, and nopony would stop us.”

He grins, “Sounds wonderful.” He tries to suppress a groan as I send another shock of pleasure into him, “Where is it?”

I stand from the table, moving to the door, and motioning for him to follow. He stands as well, though he has some trouble.

While this stallion didn’t have much in the way of looks up above, he definitely looked good down below.

The lust coming from him feeds me without me even having to actively try. It becomes all the stronger when I give him a little shake of my flanks as I exit.

He quickly follows me as I lead him down the streets of Canterlot, until we reach an alley. I lead him in, until I finally reach the spot.

It’s almost completely dark, and impossible to see from outside. The buildings surrounding it are all abandoned, so nopony will hear a single thing.

He pauses, “Is this the place?”

I smile, “It is indeed, Cape.”

He smirks, “Well then, Love, allow me to give you everything I’ve got.”

I smirk as he approaches.

He’s definitely not going to give me any eggs. No, he’s far from worthy of that. But he’ll make a good snack.

Interest

I stand at the edge of the marketplace, watching the ponies go about their lives.

Joy and satisfaction ooze off the merchants as ponies gobble up their overpriced goods.

Equal parts love and lust come off a stallion buying from a florist.

Ponies trot around with their muzzles in the air. It doesn’t take a changeling to know they’re full of pride at their every motion.

I suppress a yawn from the mundane activities.

I pause as my eyes land on a pony wearing a red dress, and I’m reminded of the previous night with Cape.

I grin as I remember, and feel once more the lust he provided to me.

I trot into the market, my eyes scanning until I find the perfect stall.

I move up to the stall, smiling to the stallion working it, “Hey there, handsome, I was looking for some help.”

The stallion nods, “Well, if that help involves buying a cleaning product, then I can help.”

I grin, “Well, you see, I was wondering what the best product would be for me to clean up some blood?”

The stallion raises an eyebrow, “Blood?”

I nod, “Yes. I was preparing some food last night, and I accidentally cut my leg while I was cutting the vegetables. I covered it quickly, but there is still some blood on the counter and on my knife.”

The stallion smiles, “Was the meal delicious?”

I smirk, “I put all my love into it.”

He nods, “Well, I luckily have a potion right here which should clean blood easily.” He places a potion full of green liquid on the stall, “This should be enough, right?”

I look at it, “Well, maybe I could get a few more of those? I always just get so focused on cooking, that I’m actually quite clumsy. And I’d rather be prepared.”

He smiles, and takes out a few more, “Well, it will cost you.”

I nod, “How much?”

He pauses, “Should be about one hundred bits.”

I frown, “One hundred bits?” I shift the frown into a smirk, and lean against the counter, running a hoof across his cheek, putting an aphrodisiac into him, “Any way I could lower that? I’m just such a poor, clumsy mare. I’m sure a big and strong stallion like you could spare some cost.”

He pauses again, and rubs his chin, “Well, I can think of one way.”

I grin, “Yes?”

He begins to smile, “For a mare like you, all I need as payment is to see you turn around.”

I smile, and turn my flank to him. I also make sure to move my tail out of the way, “Mmm, like that?”

A spike of lust comes from him, and he nods, “Exactly like that.”

I turn back to face him, and place the potions into my bag, “Well, I’m so glad a stallion like you is ready to help a mare like me in her time of need.”

As I lean forward to grab the final potion, he leans forward, and kisses my cheek.

I stop myself from shuddering as he whispers, “Come back tonight if you want even more.”

I put the final potion in, and grin, “I’ll be sure to.”

I trot away, making sure to give my flank a little wiggle. Now facing away from him, I let my grimace be shown.

He’ll serve as a good snack later, but he can also serve as a good cleaner.

Oh, ponies are so easy to manipulate, and I hope that never changes.

As I trot through the market, I am suddenly struck by two odd emotions.

Shame and anger, both coming from the same direction.

I turn to look, only to hear an angry, male voice shout, “Well you can fuck off, and tell your Princess to stick her head in the garbage disposal!”

I raise an eyebrow as I see a thestral take off. I trot closer to the commotion.

“And all of you can fuck off as well, you xenophobic assholes!”

Conflicting emotions come from the nearby ponies. Anger, and disgust being chief among them.

I finally see the shouting creature, only to pause as I see it’s rather odd form.

He stands on two legs, like a Minotaur, though his hooves seem oddly shaped, and are covered by boots. He stands at six feet, from what I can see. He doesn’t seem to have any fur, either, but instead has white skin. His form is covered by either dark blue or black clothing. His face doesn’t have a muzzle, instead having only a small extremity. His mane is small as well, and is black.

But what draws me most are his eyes. They are small, and could be described as beady. But the color of them are a deep, almost emerald, green.

He glares at the ponies around him, and they all avert their gaze.

Mom always said I had a thing for the exotic, and I never thought she was right. After all, nothing is exotic to a shapeshifter. We’ve seen everything, and learned how to become them.

But he is definitely exotic. His emotions taste stronger, and he looks unlike anything I’ve seen before.

He begins to storm down the street, not caring about the ponies standing in his way.

I smile, and slowly begin to follow him.

He could definitely serve as a good ally. Or perhaps, as a way for me to build my forces back up.

The way he pushes through the crowd as well, he’s like the old changelings from thousands of years ago.

I make sure this changeling-like creature doesn’t see me as I track him. I begin to write down where he’s going as well.

It’s safe to say that he’s drawn my interest.

Note

I smile, cleaning the blood off my knife with the cleaning potion I picked up.

The unfortunate stallion from last night sits within a potato bag. I quickly pour the cleaning potion all over the alley, cleansing it of blood.

With the alley properly cleaned, I slip the potion and my knife back into their proper places. I pick up the bag, and dump it into a nearby dumpster.

I smile, and walk out into the street, as the morning sun shines upon the decadent ponies.

They trot down the streets, freely bleeding their emotions out, not caring an ounce for those who might need those emotions.

I shake my head, and move towards the nearby archives.

I reach it, and trot inside the royal building. The inside is the exact same as always. A bored librarian sitting behind her desk, aspiring mages and scientists studying, with everything being quiet.

I trot up to my usual table, and float over my usual book.

I read through the book for about an hour, most of it being useless to me, as it relies upon a unicorn’s magic and not mine.

As I flip a page, though, I hear a mare speak from behind me, “Excuse me, ma’am.”

I suppress a sigh and feel said mare move to the other side of the table, her emotions moving with her.

I look up, and smile at the armored orange mare, “So sorry, but we really shouldn’t talk. Other ponies are attempting to study, after all.”

The mare takes a seat across from me, “Don’t worry about them. A field of silence has been placed over us.”

I nod, “Silence field, huh? Must be quite important if it couldn’t wait for me to finish reading.”

The mare nods, “Miss Love, I am Agent Orange. I was sent by the Princesses to talk to you about your actions for the last week.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Actions this past week?”

She nods again, “Yes. Namely, your late night conversations with the creature known as Mark.”

I nod slowly, “Okay. What about that interests the Princesses?”

She takes out a letter, and slides it over to me, “The letter should explain it all, as it was penned by Princess Luna herself.”

I take the letter, flipping it over and reading it.

‘Our most loyal subject, Love, we come to you with a humble request.

You know the human, the one known as Mark, and it seems you are fostering quite the friendship with him. However, our other loyal subjects couldn’t help but overhear your conversations before. We are aware that Mark speaks ill of us and our sister, under the false notion that we are attempting to pry into his privacy. Understand, our subject, that we merely wish to know the past of Mark, and what he could do to help Equestria, and ponykind in general.

We come to you with this humble request. We request that you clear up these misconceptions from Mark’s mind, and try to steer him towards a more Princess-friendly path. If you cannot do such, we understand, and we thus give you a second request. We request that you befriend Mark, in order to show him that ponykind is not bad. If you could befriend him, he might not believe that ponies are ‘xenophobic assholes’ as he claims. Befriend him by any means necessary, even if it means saying ill of us Princesses.

Hear out our request, and you shall be rewarded.

—Princess Luna.’

I look it over again, and then look up at the mare, “So, they want me to befriend Mark?”

The mare nods, “Yes, the Princesses do request you befriend him. As mentioned, there shall be a reward.”

I nod back, “Well, I don’t want to be seen as greedy, but what is this reward?”

She smiles, “We have kept track of what books you’ve been reading, Miss Love. ‘Twist’s Time Turns’, ‘Turner’s Time Twists’, ‘Clock’s Your Timeline and You’, and ‘Peridot’s Paradox’ being standout titles. You seem rather interested in time magic, and time travel, Miss Love. Have you done something you regretted? Something you want to change?”

I sigh, “Regret would be underselling it, Agent Orange.”

Orange leans forward, “Sadly, Miss Love, ponies don’t get to change the past with their hindsight. Time travel is an imperfect art, one no normal mare could use. However, Miss Love, you are no normal mare. There is a book in the restricted section, one you might be interested in.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Go on.”

She grins, “Tempus’s ‘Art of Paradox’.”

I pause, “Tempus? Isn’t that a changeling name?”

She nods, “It is. Tempus was a changeling author who cracked the true secrets to time travel. Of course, that sort of information can’t fall into the wrong hooves, so we keep it in the restricted section. But, helping the Princesses has it’s rewards.”

I look down, “It would allow me to go back?”

She smiles, “It would. You need only befriend Mark, and the Princesses shall bestow the book upon you. Thus, they’d bestow the chance to go back upon you.”

After a minute’s pause, she stands up.

She nods to me, “Of course, we’ll give you time to decide, Miss Love. All you need to do to agree is to come to the Palace with Mark, and we’ll accept that as you agreeing.”

She walks off, leaving me in silence to look over the letter once more.

Thief

I sit at my table, wearing a dark cloak which Mark lent to me. I sit and wait for everypony else to exit, none of them able to see my form.

Mark wasn’t surprised to hear about the deal the Princesses gave to me. He was joyful when I revealed it to him, though. I earned his trust.

The ponies won’t suspect a thing, anyway. They’ll probably think I’m still on their side, befriending Mark for their purposes.

They’ll try to give me the book in return for being their loyal little lapdog. But I am Queen Chrysalis, and I am no lapdog to any pony.

The final pony leaves the building, locking it up as the guards begin their patrols.

I stand from my table, making no noise and blending into the darkness around me.

I look to the door that leads to the restricted section, seeing a guard standing in front of it.

I shift myself to the size of a roach, and trot closer to the guard. He yawns, and returns to swiveling his head to look for ponies.

I trot up to his hoof, and take out a sleeping potion. I drink the potion, storing it in my saliva. I then kiss his hoof, and smile as he collapses to the ground.

I shift back to my normal sized disguise, and drag him over to the librarian’s desk. I shove him under, and grab a key from his bags.

I trot over to the door, and insert the key. I smile as it unlocks, and I trot in. I close it, and lock it behind me.

The restricted section is dark, the only light being a skylight. The new moon barely lights up anything at all, making the only light in there be the lantern lights of the guards. Said guards stand in specific places, keeping their eyes scanning.

The entire place is full of bookshelves. There is a line of bookshelves in the center of the room, and the walls are covered in bookshelves. There is a spiral staircase leading upwards, to the next five floors. Those floors do not have the central bookshelves, and are instead just walkways hugging the wall bookshelves.

Luckily, I know exactly where the book is.

One of the guards nearby notice the door closing, and trot over to investigate. Once again, I shift into my smaller form, and rush over to him. He reaches the door, and seems to observe it. After a second, he shrugs, “Must have been the wind.”

I kiss his hoof, and he collapses to the ground. I drag him to a dark corner, and continue further into the restricted section.

I stop at the furthest row of bookshelves. I see the light from a guard on the other side.

It would seem the guards have set up a system where there’s a guard at either end of the bookshelves. That way, both sides are covered, and it makes it impossible for anypony to sneak past.

I begin to set into motion, only to pause as I hear a thunk from nearby. I hear a guard shout, “What was that?”

I quickly press against the bookshelf, not moving an inch.

After a minute passes, I look to the other end of the bookshelf.

Halfway down the bookshelf from me is the unconscious body of a guard.

I pause as I hear the guard right around the corner speak, “Who’s there?”

I flash around the corner, placing a kiss on the guard’s cheek before he can spot me. He collapses, and I shove him further into the row.

I smile, and prepare to do the same thing with the next guard. I wait to hear a thunk, and hear a guard shout, “What was that?”

Another thunk, and I look down, seeing the guard unconscious at the end of the bookshelf.

I smirk, and quickly turn the corner, kissing the guard there, and pushing him into the bookshelf row as he passes out.

I prepare to do the same cycle again, only to pause as I hear a guard speaking.

“Come with me, there’s a meeting upstairs.”

“A meeting? I wasn’t told about this.”

“Well, Captain decided there’s a meeting, so there’s a meeting. Only Spear ain’t going.”

“What did Spear do?”

“You mean you didn’t hear? He was caught masturbating to a photo of Celestia’s flank.”

I hear laughter, “So I guess you could say his ‘lower spear’ got some action.”

“Ah, shut it. I know for a fact that you did the same. You’re lucky I didn’t tell the Captain”

The guards start trotting away, “You didn’t tell him because I was willing to share.”

“Yes, and because anything regarding Luna’s flank is rare.”

The two eventually get out of earshot, and I peek around the corner.

I can’t see any lantern light. That means the guards must all be gone.

I slowly move along, until I reach the middle row of bookshelves. I begin to trot down the row, keeping close to the shelf and keeping an eye out for any guards.

I stumble back, however, as I run into something.

I look forward, and see a figure stumbling back from me.

A bipedal figure wearing a black cloak. His hands covered with black gloves, with dark pants and boots, so that no part of his body is shown. His face is even covered up with a dark mask.

We stare at each other for a moment, processing what just happened. I whisper, “Mark?”

He whispers back, “Love?”

I raise an eyebrow, “What are you doing here?”

He motions to the book I’m after, “That. You’re a thief?”

I pause as I hear a shout, “Who’s there?”

I grab the book, and shove it towards him, “Get back to your house, I’ll meet you there. Go, now.”

He nods, and swiftly moves away, before disappearing from view entirely.

I see a light shine itself around me, “You, what’re you doing here?”

I quickly change my disguise, the green flames accompanying it being hidden by my dark cloak. I turn into a pegasus, who is a Celestia lookalike.

I turn around, and do my best to look scared, “Hello? I’m sorry, I passed out in the middle of flying. Where am I?”

The guard looks at me, and I can feel lust radiate off him, “You’re in the restricted section of the Canterlot Archives.”

I gasp, and trot closer to him, “Really? Oh dear, I didn’t mean to wind up here. Isn’t it illegal to be here?”

The guard nods, admiring my form as I move closer, “It is, though I’m sure the judge would understand your situation.”

I get right up next to him, “Judge? Oh no, I can’t go to court. It would ruin my career.” I grin, and kiss his cheek, “Maybe I could convince this big and strong guard to overlook this?”

He shakes his head, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

I smirk, and let my cloak fall to the ground. I turn my flank to him, “Really? Not even for this?”

He pauses, “Well, I might need to do a closer search in order to make sure you didn’t steal anything. But then I can probably overlook it.”

I shake my flank, “Well, go ahead and search.”

Time

I knock on Mark’s door, smiling as he opens it. I shove the black cloak towards him, “Mark, thanks so much for lending me this cloak yesterday.”

He takes it, “No problem, Love. Wanna come in?”

I nod, “Of course. I take it you have plenty of cider to share.”

He walks back into his house, “Of course, like always.”

I follow him inside, closing the door, and lounging on his sofa. He brings back two bottles of apple cider, and I open one up, “Wonderful. So, any plans tomorrow?”

He nods, “The Princesses invited me to the palace.”

I smile, “Think I could go with you?”

He shrugs, “Might as well. After all, it’d be nice to have a friend with me.”

I nod, and my horn lights up, “There, now those damned spies won’t be able to hear us.”

He stands up, and draws all the curtains closed. He moves back to his seat, and places the book down on the coffee table between us, “So, Love, you’re a thief?”

I nod, “I was tonight.”

He sighs, “So you aren’t a career thief.”

I shake my head, “No, though I do steal quite a lot. You see, Mark, I’m a good looking mare. So stallions are easily seduced by me. I give them a good time, and I take their coin in payment. I don’t know if that makes me a thief. But this was the first time I’ve broken in someplace.”

He shakes his head, “No, you have experience. I didn’t see you, somehow, and that means you must have experience.” He narrows his eyes, “Love, we are both criminals around now. Breaking into the restricted section, let alone attacking a guard, could land us both in prison for a long time. We could both easily run to thr Guard and report the other, but I won’t do that. We need to establish trust, and that means you need to tell me the truth, Love.”

I sigh, “Fine. You want the truth? I’ve sneaked into many places in the past. I’ve broken in to places so I could assume a false identity, and I’ve broken into places to steal things I need. My family are known for their skills at disguising and sneaking. What about you?”

He frowns, and takes out the mask from a pocket. He holds up the black mask, “This right here is a symbol of my Guild. Nottingham’s Thieves Guild we were, and we were the best thieves. There were people who picked the places to rob, those who wrote down patterns, and those who robbed the places. I was a robber. I’d sneak in, knock out any people, and steal their shit. It was a good life. Until I got brought to this shit hole.”

I look at the book, “So, I imagine you probably are going to try and use the time magic to go back home, before you got summoned here?”

He nods, “That was my plan. Why did you want it?”

I sigh, “I once had children, Mark. But then I made a dumb decision, and they died. I want to stop that decision from ever happening.”

He leans back, “Well, the path forward is rather obvious. We need to help each other.”

I nod, “Yes, we do.”

He points to the book, “I looked through it before you arrived, and I saw something interesting. There’s an artifact mentioned within, and we’re gonna ask the Princesses about it.”

I nod, “Alright, sounds like a good idea.” I offer my hoof, “Partners in crime?”

He grins, and bumps it with his fist, “Partners in crime.”

Palace

I trot alongside Mark, up to the gates of Canterlot Palace. Standing outside are two guards. One of the guards salute Mark as he moves closer, “Sir Mark, Miss Love, the Princesses are expecting you.”

Mark nods, “Yes, I know. Let’s hurry this along, please.”

The other guard nods, “Of course, we do have to conduct our normal changeling test on you two.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Is that really necessary?”

The guard nods, “Yes, ma’am. We can’t risk another invasion or assassination.”

Mark frowns, “Listen, I really don’t want to delay, so cut that shit out. I don’t even know what a changeling is, but neither of us are one, so just lead us to the Princesses.”

The guard pauses, “I’m sorry, Sir Mark, but it’s standard procedure.”

He looks down at the guard, “And we aren’t standard guests, are we? I’m already wasting more time than I would care to, so step aside before I turn and go back home.”

I nod, “Plus, what changeling would be dumb enough to try and enter the palace a few weeks after that horrid invasion?”

The guard pauses again, looking at the other, “What do I do?”

The other guard looks at Mark, and back at him, “Let them through. Luna will have our head if he leaves because of us.”

The guard steps back, “Welcome to Canterlot Palace.”

Mark nods, and steps past them. I follow after him, and smile, “You really aren’t taking any shit today, are you?”

He grins, “Not from them. Seriously, they’re the worst guards I’ve ever seen.”

I nod, “They are quite shit at their job. I think things would be protected better if they weren’t there.”

He laughs, “I can’t say you’re wrong, Love. They’re practically just portable key dispensers for the places they guard.”

I giggle in response, “And they’re quite unprofessional.”

Mark grins as he stops in front of a door, “Alright, Princess time. Do watch, Love, they like to play word games.”

I nod, “Oh, I know how much they love to mince words already. Hopefully they provide good refreshments to make up for their bland appearance.”

He smirks as he looks at me, “You’re only here for a free lunch, aren’t you?”

I grin, “I will not confirm or deny that.”

He shakes his head, and opens the door, allowing us both inside.

Sitting inside is a table, with three tea cups, and little snacks on it. Sat on one side is Princess Celestia, who puts on a smile as we approach, “Mark, Miss Love, welcome.”

Mark takes a seat, and I seat next to him. I take a sip of the tea provided, and frown.

Celestia looks at me, “Is something wrong with the tea?”

I nod, “Tastes like shit.”

She frowns, “Oh dear, I’m sorry. Is there anything you’d like other than it?”

I pause, “Cider?”

Mark nods, pushing his tea cup aside, “I’ll also have a cider.”

Celestia smiles, and summons two bottles of cider into existence, pouring them into cups for us.

Mark takes a sip, “Much better.”

Celestia nods, “Yes, I’m sure it is. Oh, and I’m sorry to disappoint, Mark, but I’m afraid I couldn’t find a ‘garbage disposal’ in the time between your outburst and now.”

Mark frowns, “How sad. You know, I’ve never liked being spied on. Especially when that spy lies to me.”

Celestia nods, “I know now, and I do apologize. That pony worked for my sister, and thus listened to her. I told her to make sure you wouldn’t be harmed by any mean ponies, and she must have mistook my meaning.”

I take a small sip of cider, able to feel the happiness and confidence radiating off Celestia.

Mark shakes his head, “And what of the letter sent to Love, here? Practically orders for her to befriend me.”

Celestia raises an eyebrow, “A letter? If there was a letter sent to her, Mark, it was not of my knowledge.”

He raises an eyebrow right back, “So it was Luna, then?”

She pauses, and nods, “It must have been. I am dreadfully sorry, Mark. I shall have to talk to her after this meeting. She’s still stuck a thousand years back, it seems.”

I smile slightly, “The agent said otherwise.”

Celestia looks at me, “She said what?”

I glance at Mark, and shake my head, “So, how’d you know it was a her, Celestia?”

Celestia pauses, and sighs, “Fine. I was aware of the letter’s existence. But allow me to explain it further. I already knew you were going to befriend Mark, as you have, so I decided it was a good idea to let you know that your action had the full support of me behind it.”

I nod, “Well, it’s good to finally hear the true purpose of that letter, then.”

Mark grins, “See, Celestia, it isn’t that hard to tell the truth.”

She shakes her head, and smiles, “Fine. Here on out, I’ll be completely transparent. Now, how about we talk about why I asked for your presence?”

Mark nods, “That’s what I’ve been waiting for you to do.”

She nods, “Well, allow me to be straight to the point. Luna has seen glimpses of your home in your dreams-“

Mark holds up a hand, “Say that again.”

She raises an eyebrow, “Luna has seen glimpses of your home in your dreams.”

Mark narrows his eyes, “You mean Luna has been spying on me in my own head?”

She shakes her head, “Heavens no. Luna watches your dreams like any other citizen.”

Mark frowns, “Well, I’d appreciate it if you two would give me privacy in my own head.”

Celestia smiles, “I can respect that, Mark. If you wish, Luna shall not look at your dreams anymore. Now, as I was saying. We saw your home, and thus we saw that your land has quite impressive technology. I request that you provide me with said technology, in order to make the whole of Equestria better. Of course, I will pay you back for your work.”

He leans back, taking another sip of cider, “You want humanity’s technology?”

She nods, and I whisper to him, “We can use this as a bargaining chip.”

He nods, and looks at her, “Give me until tomorrow to think it over, Celestia.”

Celestia smiles, “Of course, if you need time to think.”

He stands up, “Alright. Come on, Love, let’s go back to town.”

I stand as well, but Celestia holds up a hoof, “May Love and I have a few moments alone, Mark?”

He pauses, looking between us two. He sighs, “Sure.” And he walks out of the room.

I look to her, “Yes?”

She smiles, “Miss Love, I must congratulate you on the good job you are doing. I know it must hurt to be disrespectful and snarky to me, but I commend you for doing it. You are definitely Mark’s friend now.”

I nod, “Yes, I am. And it seems he likes you less and less every day.”

She sighs, “I still request that you try and change that, Miss Love. If you can make him view me in a positive light, then you shall get more of a reward than you currently are on the way to getting. Keep that in mind, Miss Love.”

I nod again, “Is that all?”

She smiles, “Yes it is, my little pony. Enjoy your day.”

Trick

Mark lounges back on his couch, opening another bottle of cider, and tossing it to me. I catch it in my magic, and take a sip.

I look at him, reading his emotions, “You certainly are very happy.”

He smiles, “No shit, Love. I’ve just been given a great opportunity.”

I nod, “Well, what’s your plan?”

He grins, and takes a sip of cider, “I’m going to give her some technology, that’s for sure. But if she thinks for a second I’m going to give her a radio, car, or gun, then she can shove that idea right up her ass.”

I smile, “You’re going to waste her time, aren’t you?”

He nods, “Yep. But even better, I’m going to profit from it. Not only will she pay me for shit she has no use for, it I’ll get to use that shit.”

I grin, “Let me guess, thieves tools?”

He smiles, “Got it first try, Love. I left all my tools back home, and I really don’t like not having them. They would have been really useful in that library, as well. I had to use a rope to get down from the skylight, which I haven’t had to do in years.”

I nod, taking another sip, “Alright, let me hear what you’re going to make.”

He leans back, taking another sip as well, “I think I’m going to get my favorite tool first. A grappling gun. It’s very useful for running along rooftops and that shit. Then, I think I might get them to make a wingsuit for me. It makes for a good getaway in combination with the grappling gun.”

I grin, “Geez, how could your guild afford this?”

He laughs, “We’re very rich, surprisingly. And since I was a senior member who did a lot of thieving, I got these tools.”

I smile, “Well, continue on with your technology. It’s rather interesting.”

He nods, “Well, there also were some things I wanted to get, but never could afford back in the guild. There were these boots with ‘anchors’ in them, so to speak, that would allow you to walk on walls and roofs and that shit. There were also these gloves we stole from the government that used sonar or some shit. It would basically detect anybody around you, and make them appear as dots on the back of the glove.”

I take another sip of cider, “Your kind seem very advanced.”

He smiles, “We are, very advanced. We never had magic, and we needed a way to survive. So, we built shit to help us survive. And we never stopped building new things.”

I nod, “Interesting. Your race are survivors?”

He nods, “Yep, if I were to sum it up. We’re predators, stamina hunters, but with no natural weapons, and a lot of enemies. Back when we were yet to be civilized, there were these giant elephant things. Like, twenty feet tall, with thick fur and all that shit. We hunted them to extinction.”

I grin, “Your kind must have had some mighty weapons, then.”

He laughs, shaking his head, “Nah, because humans are idiots sometimes. We had shitty spears, and no fucks to give. Back then, you gave your life for the tribe. I assume, at least, it was a few thousand years ago. Now, we’re more advanced and more individualistic. Which is why people like me can thrive.”

I smile, “All without magic? I find it hard to imagine, as magic is abundant here.”

He grins, “Did I spark interest in my race, Love?”

I nod, “Well, they sound a lot like my family.”

He smiles, “Your family must be rather cool, then. Especially if you’re anything to go by.”

I laugh, “Alright, stop the flattery.”

He grins, and takes another sip of cider, “What? Don’t like the gentleman rogue archetype? I only use it on those I respect.”

I grin back, “And what, you respect me?”

He nods, “Well, yeah, of course I do. You’re the only interesting creature in this entire city. You’re a thief, you give good banter, you’re rather clever, and you shoot the shit better than most humans. Only downside is you drink all my cider.”

I laugh, taking another sip of cider, “You’re damn right I drink your cider. And I could say much the same about you. After all, a conversation includes two sides.”

He smiles, taking a sip of his own cider. He takes a deep breath, “Gotta say, it’s gonna suck saying goodbye to you once we get that artifact.”

I nod, “And it will suck saying goodbye to you as well. But, well, this isn’t your home.”

He nods, taking another sip, “Yeah, it isn’t. But you help make it feel like it is.” He pauses, and grins, “Tell you what, Love, I just had a wonderful idea. Once we have the artifact, let’s go on a crime spree throughout town. Anything you want to do, I’m down to help. You want to punch Celestia, I’ll be right alongside you, because I want to as well. Wanna kick Luna’s ass? I’ll definitely help there.”

I smile, “I’ll keep that offer in mind, Mark. I know there’s more than one pony I would like to get revenge on. Shining Armor, Cadenza, Sparkle, and the pink one. I think her name was Pie. Acted like a spastic toddler, and tried to throw a party like I was one.”

Mark chuckles, “To be honest, I think she had good reason. After all, most of these ponies act that way. Did you know that they have spontaneous musical numbers?”

I frown, “Ah yes, the accursed song magic. I’ve fallen victim to it once before.”

He grins, “Hey, I’m sure it sounded good when it was you. Probably some operatic aria or something like that instead of the upbeat polka shit they do.”

I smile, “Wow, how’d you guess that so perfectly?”

He smiles, “What can I say? I’m good at guessing. Plus, you strike me as an opera gal. Your voice is very suited for it. And trust me, I’m a big fan of opera, so I know this kind of shit.”

I shake my head, “Once more with the flattery.”

He shrugs, “Hey, we might not have long left, so I’m going to fit in all the niceties that I can. I like seeing my friends happy.”

I smile, “Well, now that you phrase it that way, go ahead with all the flattery. Not often I get much in the way of flattering comments.”

He grins, and takes a sip of cider, “So, Love, wanna stay the night here?”

I raise an eyebrow, “Really?”

He nods, “Yeah. You’re a friend, and we’re both going to the palace in the morning, so you might as well just stay here. Plus, I enjoy your company, so you might as well.”

I grin, “Alright, I suppose I’ll stay.”

He smiles, “But don’t steal any of my shit. Honor among thieves, Love, honor among thieves.”

I smile, and nod, taking a sip of cider, “Honor among thieves.”

Bargain

Within an instant, I am awoken from my sleep.

My entire world becomes nothing but cold, as I fall off Mark’s couch and onto the ground.

I can hear Mark laughing, placing down a bucket, “Wakey, wakey, Love.”

I narrow my eyes, and hiss at him, “Fuck you.”

He smirks, “Sorry, Love, you aren’t going to do that. Come on, get up, you look like a cat.”

I frown, and stand up, shaking out my disguise’s fur, making sure to get a healthy amount of water on Mark, “Why have you done this atrocity to me?”

He smiles, “Because I’ve never been able to do it before.” He tosses me a towel, “Plus, your hair looks better when down.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Really?”

He nods, “Yep.”

I begin to dry myself, “I’ll make good use of that knowledge, then.” I look at him, “Though you had better watch your back next time you go to sleep. I strike when least expected.”

He grins, “Oh no, I’m so scared. The wet gal is going to get revenge for my dastardly plan.”

I nod, “You bet your ass I’m going to get revenge. This is an injustice upon me such that I shall never forget nor forgive until absolute vengeance is mine.”

He smiles, grabbing a bottle of cider and tossing it to me, “There, that should make up for it.”

I catch the cider, and pause. I take a sip, “Your apology is accepted, and I generously grant my forgiveness upon you.” I smile, “Alright, it’s Palace time, isn’t it?”

He nods, grabbing his own cider, “Yep. Did you get everything down last night?”

I nod, “Yep, all ready. A fine set of tools.”

He grins, and throws on his cloak, “Good.” He tosses me a cloak as well, “Let’s get going.”

I throw the cloak on, keeping the hood down, “We look like a pair of thieves.”

He looks at me, “We are.”

I smile, “Stereotypical thieves. All we need now are a couple of useless belts.”

He opens the door, and leads the way, “Hey, the belts are an important part of any thief’s uniform. They carry the tools.”

I shake my head, “How many tools do you need to justify five or more belts?”

He holds up a finger, “A lot, but each belt is dedicated to something different. Firstly, they keep the cloak from getting caught in places. There’s the breaking in belt, with all the lockpicks and shit like that. Then there’s the movement belt, dedicated to the grappling gun and other shit dedicated to moving. There’s also the weapon belt, dedicated to holding weapons. Then there’s the note belt, where you keep information and that shit. Finally, there’s the rock belt, which holds differently sized rocks.”

I smirk, “A rock belt? Seriously?”

He nods, “Rocks are a very important tool. They can distract, break, or even injure. They also make good placeholders.”

I smile, and shake my head, “The belts seem dumb.”

He frowns, “Don’t diss the belts.”

I grin, “I will diss the belts. That many tools are a hindrance.”

He pauses, and runs into a nearby shop. He comes out a few seconds later, with belts wrapped around him, “Well, I just bought belts, because fuck you.”

I laugh, “Seriously?”

He nods, “Yes, because belts are that important to me. Don’t diss the belts.”

I shake my head, “You are certainly something different, Mark.”

He smiles, “I try, Love.”

I smile back, “It’s like you’re the only bit of oxygen within all this nitrogen.”

He grins as we come up to the gates of the Palace.

One of the pair of guards there steps forward, “Welcome, Sir Mark and Miss Love, Princess-“

Mark steps past him, “Waiting for us, I know. Come up with some unique dialogue next time.”

The guard frowns, and steps back into place, “Of course, Sir Mark.”

I pass by the other guard, only to pause before I enter the palace itself, “No, there aren’t any daggers on my flank, you can stop looking.”

The guard quickly looks forward again, as I move into the palace.

Mark frowns, “These guards are perverts, eh?”

I shake my head, “Nah, I just wanted him to get in trouble with his superior.”

He grins, “Clever.” He pauses, “Speaking of flanks, what type of beauty standards do ponies have?”

I smile, “Well, I’d be a beautiful mare to many stallions.”

He raises an eyebrow, “Really?”

I laugh, “Ouch, way to ruin a mare’s confidence.”

He pauses, “Oh no, I didn’t mean it that way. Just, y’know, seems kinda self praising.”

I shake my head, “I hold myself to a high standard as looks are concerned, Mark. Though letting one’s mane down isn’t a beauty standard. But, I like it.”

He nods, “Well, that’s just good to know. If me and a stallion were to ever get into ‘locker room talk’, I’d be lost otherwise.”

I smile, “Alright, you ready for Celestia?”

He grins, and opens the door to the meeting room. He walks in, “Celestia, I’ve come to bargain.”

She sits at the table, and smiles, “Of course. Please, take a seat, allow me to hear your decision, Mark.”

He and I take a seat, and I hand him his notebook.

He nods, and looks at Celestia, “Here are my terms, Celestia. I’ll give you some technology, but Love and I shall get a prototype each before it becomes public knowledge. I shall also get paid for this, and be able to go to certain restricted areas.”

She raises an eyebrow, “Restricted areas?”

He smiles, “I want Love and I to have access to the restricted section. There are books there we wish to read.”

Celestia frowns, looking at me, “Is that so?” She shakes her head, and returns to a smile, “Very well, I accept your terms. You are a shrewd diplomat, Mark.”

He nods, “I know. Now, if that’s all, I’m going back home.”

Celestia nods, “Yes, that shall be all. Have a wonderful day.”

Mark stands, and begins walking out, “Come on, Love, let’s go get some high quality cider.”

I begin to move out with him, and Celestia mutters, “Clever.”

I look back at her, and give her a wink, “I know.”

Smith

Mark and I walk down a hallway, to where the blacksmith that’s going to be making our tools is.

Mark smiles, “Hopefully this blacksmith can actually make the tools.”

I shrug, “If he can’t, then Celestia won’t be getting what she wants. So he better.”

Mark opens a door, moving inside. I trot after him.

The room is a smithery, with a large, coal black, earth pony working it. Annoyance radiates off him constantly, but it is impossible to tell from outward appearance.

He looks over to Mark, and nods, “Greetings, lad. I take it you are the one with the stuff?”

Mark nods back, “Yes. I must say, that’s quite the unique accent.”

The stallion nods, “Aye, it’s part of me family. Celestia might take a lot from us, but she’ll never take our accent.”

I smirk, “So readily insulting Celestia in front of her two most loyal citizens? My, you are brave.”

He shakes his head, “No, lassie, ponies know you two talk shit about Celestia all the time. Figured you’d be a good outlet for all I have to say about her.”

Mark smiles, leaning against an anvil, “Well, you’ve found some kindred spirits. Celestia brought me here against my will.” He pauses, looking at me, “Why do you dislike her, again?”

I shrug, “She’s a bitch.”

He nods, “Alright, I suppose that’s reason enough.” He looks back to the stallion, “What’d she do yo make you mad?”

The stallion frowns, “She’s kept my family as indentured servants for centuries.”

I pause, “Wait... Black Smith?”

He nods, “Aye, lassie. Is me name famous or something?”

I shake my head, “Not famous, but known. You are the Royal Smith, after all.”

He frowns, “I know I am, lassie. No matter how much I don’t want to be.”

Mark holds up a hand, “Hold up. You’re an indentured servant?”

He nods, “Aye, lad. My ancestor, Moon Smith, made weapons for Nightmare Moon capable of killing Celestia. So she has us working for her as punishment.”

Mark glances at me, “That’s fucked up.”

I nod, “Yes, but it is technically legal.”

He pauses, “That’s legal? That... it’s just slavery with extra steps!”

Smith nods, “Aye, but it’s legal. Because she’s the final say on punishment, she can use any punishment.”

I nod as well, “It’s a shit system, but it’s the system.”

Mark looks between us two, “Really? You two aren’t angry about this?”

Smith frowns, “Believe me, laddie, I am angry. I am more angry than you could imagine. I want to be an inventor, and here I am, being forced to make weapons for the one who stops me to begin with. But I’ve had twenty five years to come to terms with this, laddie. I know how to hide my anger.”

I shrug, “It’s just the way things are. They suck, they should be changed- no, they need to be changed. But it’s been this way forever.”

Mark frowns, “That... that’s bullshit! She can’t just-just keep a pony a slave! An entire family at that!”

Smith shrugs, “She can, laddie, and she has.”

He steps closer to Black Smith, “That’s not right. No, we can change that.” He spins to face me, “Love, I have a new idea!”

I raise an eyebrow, “You do?”

He nods, “Yes, I do! Whenever we steal the artifact, we can go back in time and kill Celestia! She’ll never teach Twilight, and thus I’ll never be summoned. Black Smith and his family could be free, and then the artifact could be freely used by you.” He glances at Smith, “Oh yeah, we’re both thieves and are going to steal a time traveling artifact.”

I pause, “Huh, that’s not that bad of a plan. But there is a flaw.”

Smith nods, “Aye, there’s a major flaw. That’d cause a paradox, laddie. If you’re never summoned, then you never could go back in time to begin with. If my family is free, then you don't get the inspiration for the plan. So that plan could lead to a paradox.”

Mark pauses, “Shit, you’re right. But I can’t just let this happen.” He frowns, “Wait, if it would cause a paradox, then that means the artifact is useless.”

Smith nods again, “Aye, it sounds like it is. If you travel back in time, then you automatically cause a paradox, so you can’t travel back in time.”

I shake my head, “But Tempus found a way past a paradox. That’s what the entire point of the book is.”

Mark looks at me, “Did you actually ever read the book?”

I shake my head again, “No, but I was told it found a way to true time travel.”

Mark nods, “What if that time travel was forwards?”

I pause, “N-no, that can’t be.”

Smith nods, “It probably is, lassie. Going forward doesn’t cause a paradox. There’s no way to go back that wouldn’t cause one. So he must have found how to go forward.”

I shake my head, “That’s not right. It has to be back! It has to be! The agent said... the agent...” I collapse, “s-she... never said backwards.”

Mark steps closer to me, holding out his hand, “Love, I am so sorry.”

I look down, trembling, “M-my children... they’re gone... forever. T-they... they’re gone. I never even said goodbye.”

Mark steps closer again, putting his hand on my head and slightly scratching, “Love...”

I look up at him, blinking away tears in my eyes, “Mark... she took them. My children. My last hope of seeing them.”

He nods, “I know, Love, I know.”

I shudder, and slowly stand up. Mark moves his hand back, and I use my leg to wipe the remaining moisture around my eyes.

Mark kneels down, looking me eye to eye, “Are you okay, Love?”

I shake my head, “No. Mark, I’m not okay. But I know what to do.”

He nods, “I think a glass of cider and a night talking would be the next step, Love.”

I smile slightly, “Maybe, Mark, maybe. Bu I know what I must do now. Celestia is going to die.”

Gear

I lean back, taking a sip of cider as I stare out a nearby window.

Mark sighs, taking a drink of his own, “So, Love... what happened to your kids?”

I pause, not daring to look at him, “That’s not for you to know, Mark.”

He places down his cider, “Love, keeping it pent up isn’t going to help you. All it will do is harm you. Believe me, I know.”

I shake my head, “You don’t know anything, Mark. Nothing about loss, nothing about me.”

He nods, “Then tell me. I’m ready, and I’m willing, to listen. To understand.”

I frown, “And I’m not willing to speak. Let it go, Mark.”

He shakes his head, “No, Love, I’m not going to let this go. You are letting your mind be filled with sadness and anger.”

I scowl, “Let it go, Mark. We are going to kill Celestia, and then I will be content. I will have my revenge.”

He leans towards me, “Your rage is going to screw you over. You aren’t going to think before you act, and you’ll let emotion take you over. Your state of mind could put this entire heist in jeopardy, Love. If we get caught robbing the Royal Vault, then we will be put in jail for life, or even executed. We can’t let you get us caught, alright?”

I look over at him, glaring, “I won’t.”

He sighs, “Love, you’re being an idiot. You want revenge? Fine. The current path you’re taking won’t lead to revenge. It will lead to you being tossed into a cell and never seen again. You are jeopardizing your own revenge over nothing.”

I pause, “Nothing? You think this is nothing!?”

He nods, “Yes, it’s nothing! Boo-hoo, your kids died, who gives a shit?! You aren’t special, Love, and it’s about fucking time you realize that!”

I stand from the couch, and glare at him, “You have-“

He interrupts, “I don’t give a shit what I have! You think you’re the only one who’s lost?! My entire species is gone from me, forever! My brothers and sisters, the assholes and good people, all gone! And I have no fucking way to get back to them! You think you have the right to mope and stew in anger over a maximum of four fucking kids?! Sit the fuck down and pull your head out of your ass.”

I pause, “You have no idea, Mark, what I’m going through.”

He throws up his hands, “Then fucking tell me!”

I stomp my hoof down, “Fuck you, Mark! I don’t owe you anything, much less an explanation!”

He glares, “What the fuck happened to friendship, Love? What happened to the gal who was witty and sarcastic?” He stands from the couch, towering over me, “Where the fuck did she go? You’ve sat around and drank cider for a week, barely a quip coming out of you! Who the fuck are you and what did you do to that gal?”

I glare back, “We were never friends, Mark. You think I liked being around you? Pathetic. You were exotic, a way to get free cider, and that’s all you’ve ever been good for. And now, you’re a witness and an accomplice. I stayed because I loved hearing you talking about your old life. To see you think you know what loss it. It was funny. I heard you talk about your friends being gone, and I laughed. You are nothing but a pathetic, naive child. You want to know where that mare is? She never existed.”

Mark takes a step back, but remains silent.

The door to his house opens, and Smith trots in, “I’ve got your gear ready.” He pauses, looking between us, “Did I come at a bad time?”

I shake my head, trotting over to him, “No, you didn’t. Mark, grab your set. We’re going to do this tonight.”

Robbery

We stand on a roof adjacent to the Palace, watching the room with the Royal Vault carefully. The sun sets, casting the city into darkness as we don our capes.

Mark looks over at me, “Are you sure you want to do this tonight?”

I nod, “Yes, Mark, I am sure. Then tomorrow, we can kill Celestia.”

He looks back towards the Palace, “If you’re sure, then I suppose let’s go.” He takes his grappling gun from his side, firing to catch it on the Palace’s roof.

I fire mine as well, and both find good purchase. I jump forward, allowing the rope to bring me against the wall. My new boots automatically adjust, and sink into the wall, allowing me to move freely.

Mark jumps after me, his own boots attaching him to the wall as well. He puts his hand up to the stained glass window, the one about Discord’s defeat, and looks at the back of it. He looks over to me, “Two guards, one next to the vault, and the other in the middle of the room. I’ll get the one near the vault, you get the other.”

I nod.

He nods back, “Breach on my command.” He grabs hold of the grappling hook’s rope, “Let’s go.”

I grab hold of mine, kicking off the wall a tiny bit earlier than Mark. His boot crashes into the window first, breaking it into pieces.

We both land inside, in a room with two surprised guards. Mark rushes the one on the left, standing right outside the vault door, while I charge at the closest.

I lunge at the Guard, knocking him onto his back. I shift my teeth back to their natural form, and bite into his neck, tearing with all my strength.

I spit the flesh to the ground, grinning as I see the guard grasp his neck, now turning red from blood. I raise my hoof, making sure my new boots have their spikes out, and stomping down on his face repeatedly.

I’m only stopped when I’m shoved off of him. I stumble off, and look to see Mark looking at me, “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

He gets down to his knees, putting pressure on the wound. I chuckle, “I took him down.”

He frantically rips off a piece of his cloak, trying to cover the wound, “Not like that! Fuck, get a medic! Quickly!”

I grin, “A medic? Do you want us to get caught, Mark?”

He looks over at me, “Caught? I don’t fucking care if I get caught! Get a medic, now!”

I shake my head, “Are you truly caring for his life? You’re more pathetic than I thought. He’s a pony. He’s prey, and we’re predators.”

He looks back down at the pony, “Are you fucking insane?! He’s dying, get a medic!”

I chuckle again, trotting past them, “He’s already dead, Mark. You’re just wasting your time.”

He pauses, “Why?”

I trot up to the vault door, “That should be obvious. We don’t want any loose ends.”

“He was a fucking living creature! Not a fucking loose end!”

I shrug, “Not much difference there.” I examine the horn hole in the middle of the vault door, “Now, are you going to steal, or are you going to whine like a nymph?”

He moves up behind me, “You’re a murderer. A fucking murderer.”

I smile, sticking my horn into the hole, growing it and summoning some magic, “I’m an effective thief.”

The vault absorbs the magic, and slowly opens. I trot inside, pausing as I head a faint ringing in the distance.

Mark pauses as well, “Shit, an alarm.”

I nod, continuing into the vault, and looking around, “I’m going to look around.”

Mark shakes his head, “We need to go, now, Love!”

I look back at him, “We are not leaving, Mark. I’m going to find my weapon. If you want to flee like a coward, go ahead.”

He frowns, looking back to the door, “You have one minute, Love! One fucking minute!”

I smile, looking around the spacious area. I trot around, until I feel myself pulled towards a pedestal in the back.

I trot closer, pausing as I see a green gem. I then take a step back, now able to see that said gem is embedded into a black chitinous dagger. I slowly reach out, grabbing the dagger, and admiring it. I smile, slipping it into my cloak.

Mark shouts, “Love, we need to go!”

I trot to the entrance of the vault, seeing Mark looking at me in a panic. He snaps back to face the door as it is busted down.

I quickly shift to a small form, so I won’t be seen.

Luna trots in, “Thief, reveal thine presence!” She pauses as she sees the guard’s body. She gasps, looking up at Mark, and glaring at the blood on his gloves, “Murderer!”

Mark steps back, glancing around to look at me. He pauses, not able to see my small form. He stares at the spot where I was, his eyes blank and glassy.

Luna marches up to him, “Mark, fiend! Hast thou anything to say for thine crimes!?”

He slowly turns, and looks back at her, “I...”

She frowns, “Where is the changeling who assisted thee?! We can sense their magic!”

He looks back to where I was, “Changeling...” He frowns, turning back to Luna, “Fuck you. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Luna lights her horn up, “Tell us, Mark, now!”

He clenches his hand into a fist, and punches her, “Fuck you!”

She takes the punch without flinching or moving at all. Her horn lights up again, and Mark collapses, “Thou shalt be a lot more talkative later, we assure thee.”

She floats up his body onto her back, and trots away.

I jump out of the broken window, sprouting some wings and flying away.

Survivor

I sigh as I trot through the royal gardens, my mind tearing into itself.

I pause as I bump into something. I look up, only to see the stone form of Discord before me. His last moments of fear caught in stone. I look into his frozen eyes, kept wide in terror.

I shake my head, “You should have asked for help, Discord. We could have ruled the entire world. But you went in alone.” I levitate a popped ball off one of his horns, throwing it aside, “Better luck next time.”

As I throw the ball aside, however, something catches my eye. The moonlight catches on something, casting an orange light my direction.

I trot to the back of Discord’s statue, where his tail is. On the underside of his tail, I see a little dagger. The weapon is so small that it could be confused as a thorn to the untrained eye. However, what truly garners my attention is the orange gem embedded into the dagger.

I take a step back, looking up at Discord and raising an eyebrow.

His stone form offers no answers, although I do notice something odd. His talons are in an unnatural position, and seem to be pointing.

I look at where his talon points, seeing another statue. I slowly trot over, giving Discord a slight glance as I do so.

I arrive at the other statue, and raise my eyebrow further. This statue is one of a Griffon. He wears armor, old armor, and a crown. Eyes that once were blue stare forward with rage locked within. His talons are in the middle of drawing the sword at his side, while his wings are flared out.

I take a slight step back, “King Grover the Second. Emperor of the Griffons.” I step closer, looking at the pedestal next to him, “He who attempted to destroy Equestria. Ambushed by Celestia and Luna, and sealed in stone.”

I look back at Grover, my eyes drawn to his blade. It’s made masterfully, with a golden gem embedded into it.

I look back to his face, “Another gem weapon.”

I look around, a glint of midnight blue catching my eye. I rush over to it’s source, coming face to face with a statue of a thestral.

The thestral is in the middle of a hiss, her eyes locked into a deadly glare. Her helmet lays by her hooves, dented and crushed. Her armor hangs loosely off her form, barely kept on by leather straps. Held firmly in her mouth is a twin bladed sword, with a midnight blue gem embedded into it.

I quickly look to read the panel next to her, “General Mid Knight, most loyal to Nightmare Moon. Trapped in stone after a long fight with Celestia.”

I look at her again, before my eye catches another glint.

I rush over once again to the red glint.

I stop as I see the statue of a giant Yak. The Yak’s fur blocks all features, though I notice there are portions of the fur coated in blood. The Yak stares forward calmly, a giant axe grasped in his mouth. The axe has a red gem embedded into it.

I frown, reading over the panel next to him, “Knight Yakford. Tried to kill Celestia in a duel, only to be frozen in stone.”

I take a step back, rushing over to the next statue with a white glint.

I pause, quickly examining the figure of a scarred Zebra, until I see his weapon. A flail, with a white gem embedded into it. I read the panel quickly, “King Xerxes, led a war against Celestia, frozen in stone.”

I take a step away from the statue, accidentally catching Discord in my vision again. I slowly draw my new dagger, with a green gem embedded within, and look at it.

All of the gems shine at me, causing me to take another step back.

I frown, my eyes following the path I took, “Discord: fought Celestia on his own. Grover: ambushed by Celestia alone. Mid Knight: faced Celestia one on one. Yakford: Dueled Celestia alone. Xerxes: fought a war without allies.” I look back at my dagger, “Chrysalis... betrayed her only friend and tired to assassinate Celestia.”

I back up more, pausing as I feel my hooves touch a stone pedestal. I look at it, my eyes widening as I see it’s size, and the fact that there is no statue. Like the statue walked off...

“Or has yet to be put in...”

I shake my head, rushing out of the area until I find a bench. I quickly collapse onto the bench, breathing rapidly.

I quickly use my leg to wipe a stray tear from my face, as it threatens to fall down.

I’m all alone. All alone. My children are gone, my friend is gone, all that’s left is me and my weapon.

And soon... soon all I’ll have is my fellow statues. Failures who were arrogant, facing Celestia alone.

I sigh, burying my face into my cloak.

As I do such, I pause. I look at my cloak, my boots, my grappling gun.

I look up as the sun begins to rise, looking back at the Palace.

I take in the Palace for a second, before slipping my dagger away.

A pony lands behind me, “Miss Love, Princess Celestia requests your presence.”

I look back, seeing a Pegasus Guard there, “Is something wrong?”

The guard frowns, “It has to do with Mark.”

I stand, “What happened?”

The guard shakes his head, “I’m sorry, but Princess Celestia wishes to tell you herself.”

I nod, “Take me to her.”

The guard trots off, and I follow after.

I look at the palace, my eyes narrowing as determination takes me over.

Gem

I give a nod to the guard as he pauses outside of the same meeting room as before. He nods back, “She’s in there, Miss. Go on in.”

I push open the door, trotting in.

Sitting there, radiating happiness from her form, is Celestia. Though she seems to be putting on quite the facade of being sad and anguished, with a frown on her features.

I sit in front of her, nodding, “Good morning, Princess.”

She pauses, “Princess? It’s not like you to use my title, my little pony.”

I nod again, “Well, Princess, I only met you previously with Mark. In order to maintain to him that I was a snarky mare who believed the same as him, I had to disrespect you a little. I do hope you weren’t offended by it, Princess.”

She pauses again, and smiles softly, “So you were acting?”

I smile back, “Yes, Princess. Your letter, or Princess Luna’s letter to be more exact, asked for me to befriend him at any cost. So I have been doing that. It has required me to insult your name, which was a hard thing to do, but I hope you can forgive me.”

She nods, “Of course I forgive you, my little pony. You must be a great actor.”

I grin, “Well, Princess, I’ve always wanted to be one.”

She smiles softly, “Well, my little pony, I can help you become one for your service to me. Though I must wonder what has brought you to revealing this.”

I shrug, “Well, Princess, this is the first time we’ve been together without Mark. I share your curiosity, as I wonder why you called me here without him.”

She nods, “Well, that is a rather troubling manner. And if we’re clearing the air, so to speak, then I must ask what is bothering you. You look anxious and slightly scared.”

I pause, “Must I reveal that, Princess?”

She nods again, “I would prefer if you did, my little pony. What I have to say is troubling, and I wish for you to approach it with a clear mind.”

I sigh, “Well, Princess, I stumbled across something in the gardens.”

She pauses, and smiles, “Ah, you found the Fighters.”

I nod, “Is that what they are called?”

She nods back, “Yes, as a collective. All of them have tried to fight me, or Equestria, and have lost. Though their presence shouldn’t alarm you. Trust me, my little pony, they are sealed away safely.”

I pause, “Well, Princess, I just noticed they all had gems on their weapons.”

She nods again, “Yes, they are weapons with the ability to kill me. But why does that worry you?”

I look down, “Well, Princess, it just reminds me of something I saw the other day. A dagger.”

Emotions flood off Celestia. A mix of anxiety and worry with slight fear. However, overwhelming all other emotions is pure joy.

She tries her best to look worried, “Miss Love, please, tell me more.”

I nod, looking back up, “Well, I saw what I think was a goat. He looked... he looked like Grogar, from the story books.”

She nods, and smiles, “Thank you for telling me, my little pony. Your information might be invaluable.”

I smile, “If I may know, Princess, what exactly does this all mean?”

She pauses, “That is very classified information... but you have done me a great service and proved your loyalty twice over. I suppose you do deserve to know.”

I nod, “I am very happy to know I’m trusted enough for you to tell me, Princess. Though, if you deem it too dangerous, you have no need to.”

She shakes her head, “No, I believe I can tell you. You see, the gems in their weapons are special. Not only do they allow their weapons to kill me, but they also carry the greatest minds of their respective races. Discord is the exception, as he has no other in the world. So, when these gems, representing the other races, are put into a specific place, they can be used. If one stands between all the gems, they get enough magic in them in order to become what equates to a god, one far surpassing Discord. I plan to become that goddess, so I may make sure the entire world lives in Harmony. Even now, I am not mighty enough to face down entire armies, despite what the legends say. But with that power, I could change the very fabric of existence to perfect Harmony. Then, I would be the true protector this world needs.”

I pause, “So you’ll become omnipotent and omniscient?”

She nods, “In a sense, yes. Within this world, I would hold power beyond anything.”

I raise an eyebrow, “This world?”

She pauses, “I fear that is information I cannot share, my little pony. But, allow me to clarify. I don’t mean other worlds like Mark’s home. No, my little pony, there is a lot more out there than you could ever imagine.”

I pause, and nod, “And you need to protect us from what is out there?”

She nods, “Yes, I do. This is something nopony else knows other than Luna and Discord, so know I trust you when I tell you this. There is something coming, Miss Love, who wishes to destroy everything. There is no escape, and no hiding. It won’t just destroy Equestria, it won’t just destroy this galaxy, nor this universe. It will destroy existence itself, and there will be nothing left. That is why I am so excited, Miss Love. With that power the gems grant, I can stand a chance against it. Even if friendship and Harmony failed us, and I fought alone, I would still stand a chance. That is why your information is invaluable, Miss Love.”

My eyes widen, “You aren’t kidding?”

She looks me in the eyes, “My little pony, trust me. I once held Honesty for a reason.”

I lean back, “Well... I’m going to have to think over all this.”

She sighs, “Oh dear, I’m afraid I’ve made your mind more clouded than when we began.”

I shake my head, “No, no, Princess. I can put all that aside for what you wish to tell me.”

She nods, “Very well, then. Miss Love, last night Mark broke into the Royal Vault and killed one of my Royal Guard while doing such.”

I gasp, “He what?!”

She looks down, feigning sadness, “I know, my little pony. We never could see it coming.” She sighs, looking back at me, “He was captured by Luna, and tried to assault her before being put in the dungeon. Now, he awaits us.”

I pause, “Is he going to be executed? Or kept for life?”

She shakes her head, “No, my little pony. Don’t worry, Mark shall return to you soon.”

I raise an eyebrow, “He will?”

She nods, “Yes, he will. The punishment for his crime shall not be that of a pony, as he is not one. For all we know, murder may be a part of his culture, and we can’t rightly execute him for that. So, instead, we are going to cast a reformation spell on him.”

I pause, “A reformation spell? Forgive me, Princess, but I’m afraid I’ve never heard of that.”

She nods, “It is a simple spell, actually. The spell, in a sense, reforms him. After casting, he will listen to and do all requests given to him, and will be happy for doing such. The spell gives a burst of joy to his mind every time he listens, and a burst of pain if he doesn’t. So, trust me, he will be a lot happier after than he ever was before.”

I sigh, “Well... might I see him before then? If it is truly a part of his culture, then he deserves a friend near him as it’s cast on him. That way he’ll be calm.”

She smiles, “Of course you can see him. My guard shall escort you down there.”

I nod, “Thank you, Princess.”

Break

I trot into the dungeon, and nod to the guard, “Thank you.”

He smiles, “No problem, ma’am. Though I will have to stay here and watch you.”

I smile, “Of course.” I give a quick kiss to his cheek, and he passes out immediately.

The other guard in the room looks at me with wide eyes, “Ma’am, what did you just do to him?”

I shrug, trotting over, “Guess he couldn’t handle a kiss from a pretty mare.”

The guard raises an eyebrow, passing out as I give his cheek a kiss as well.

I chuckle, moving to the nearby cell.

Mark is inside, unconscious. I bang the cell bars, waking him up, “Come on, we’re going.”

He blinks, “Love?”

I nod, “Yeah, you idiot. Did you really think I would just abandon you?”

He nods, “Well, it looked like it back there.”

I grin, “Well, I decided not to. I said some stuff I shouldn’t have, and I was acting like a bitch.”

He pauses, “Stuff you shouldn’t have said because it was untrue, or because you didn’t want me to know?”

I shrug, “The shit I said was true at first, before I received that letter. After that, though, completely false. We’re friends, Mark, don’t ever doubt it.”

He smiles, “Well, to be fair, I said some dumb shit. Downplaying the death of your kids was a shitty move.”

I smile back, “Well, I said you had no idea what it felt like. After I thought about it for a little, I realized you have it worse than I do. You lost your entire race, and it wasn’t your fault nor did you have any part in it. For me, I lost my kids, but it was my fault.”

He frowns, “Love, I don’t care what happened, but it wasn’t your fault.”

I shake my head, “It was, Mark. It was.”

He stands up, “No, it wasn’t. You might believe it’s your fault, but it’s not. You’re not omnipotent, Love, and there’s no way you could predict whatever happened.”

I shrug, “Sorry, but you’re wrong. I knew their death was a distinct possibility.”

He shakes his head, “Then you must have been motivated enough to take that risk anyway. You said your family are thieves. Well, if you were starving and had no money, like I’m imagining, and you sent your kids to rob a place, only to find the owner there with a weapon, it’s not your fault. There’s always a distinct possibility that the owner has a weapon and is ready to kill, but risks need to be taken.”

I sigh, “Mark... please, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

He kneels, looking me in the eyes, “Love, I know exactly what I’m talking about. I lost my best friend to an armed owner, so I know.”

I shake my head, “Now’s not the time to talk about it, Mark. Let me get this open, and we need to run.”

He nods, “You think there’s an alarm on my cell?”

I nod back, “Oh yeah, definitely.”

He pauses, “That tone implies there is something more.”

I shrug, “Maybe there might be. Guess we’ll figure out.” I put my hoof on the key hole, shifting it to fill the lock. I then twist my key shaped hoof, unlocking the thing. I withdraw my hoof, shifting it back, “Let’s go.”

Mark smiles, “So, how are we escaping exactly?”

I grin, “I see they left you all your equipment. So, I say we use those wingsuits and fly out of here.”

He grins back, “Sweet. Let’s go.”

I quickly begin to gallop out of the dungeon, with him jogging after me.

We emerge into the halls of the palace, and I motion to a nearby hallway, “Over here.”

We rush down said hallway, coming to a dead end with a window. I smash my hoof through the window.

Mark pauses, “I never actually taught you how to use the wingsuit, did I?”

I shake my head, “No, but we don’t have any time to learn. Come on, Mark, out of the frying pan and into the fire!”

He spreads his arms out, his wingsuit expanding. He gets a running start, jumping out of the window and gliding away.

I follow after him, doing much the same as him. I glide alongside him as we enter the airspace over the steep drop the window leads to. A rather devious way to punish escaped prisoners who try to jump out the window. Normally, you’d fall right down until you landed and died.

Mark smiles, “This went better than I thought it would.”

I nod, “Oh, don’t worry, it’s about to get really interesting. Be prepared to fight.”

His eyes widen, “Fight? We’re midair!”

I smirk, “As I said, out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

He looks forward again, and frowns, “I see what you mean.”

Flying ahead of us are Celestia and Luna, glaring at us as they keep perfect pace ahead of us. Celestia frowns, “I should have known. What did you do to her, Chrysalis?”

I grin, “You’ll have to be more specific than that, Celestia.”

She floats up her sword, keeping it next to her face, “Where is Miss Love?”

I chuckle, “Oh, Celestia, you naive foal. She’s right here.”

Celestia narrows her eyes, “Then you shall die here.”

Mark grins, doing a backflip and kicking Luna’s wing, right where it connects with her body. The bone breaks, and she begins to fall down.

Celestia swings her sword at me, but I barely avoid it by banking to the left. Celestia’s sword breaks into shards, puncturing into the wingsuit, “You can’t fight me in a disguise, Chrysalis! You don’t stand a chance!”

I frown, feeling my wingsuit stop catching wind. I shift back to my natural form, wings flapping and keeping me in the air.

Mark banks, circling around Celestia, “The fuck happened to you, Love?”

I grin, “I meant to tell you later, Mark, but I guess I gotta say now. My name is Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the shapeshifting race of Changelings. Before you ask, yes, Love was a made up name and her form was made up as well. No, that doesn’t mean I’m any different. I’m still the same mare.”

Celestia pauses, putting her sword aside, “Chrysalis, you now know what’s coming. You know what is going to happen. Please, you need to help me. Just stand with the statues, not even frozen, and you will save the world. I’ll allow the changelings to rebuild! We could be allies!”

I chuckle, “As if I would ever do that. The day I bow, Celestia, is the day I die.”

Celestia frowns, “Then we’ll make both today.”

I pause, as a voice speaks to me.

‘Move’.

I raise an eyebrow, “What?”

I start to notice a red glow on my muzzle, and feel my mind grow fuzzy.

Suddenly, my consciousness shifts, and I lose control of my body.

A male voice chuckles, using my body. He looks at Celestia, glaring with newly red eyes, “Celestia, back with the lies and broken promises. You never change, just stagnate.” He moves my body aside, as Luna cuts through where I was a second before, stabbing with a glaive.

Tentacle-like appendages sprout from me. One of them stab into Luna, the tips of them apparently blades.

Luna cries out in pain, as more of the appendages stab into her. Celestia gasps, “Luna!”

The male voice chuckles further, “Laevus says hello, Luna.”

Luna gasps in pain, “Laevus... is dead.”

The one in control of my body smiles, “Oh, yes, he knows that quite well. Your wisdom is limitless, Luna. Your fighting skills, heh, they’ve certainly fallen since last we met. Have you not had two millennia to train?”

Celestia narrows her eyes, “Messorem.”

My body moves it’s head to her, “Yes, Celestia. Me.”

Celestia growls, “My powers have doubled since we’ve last met.”

My body nods, “It would appear your pride has as well. The bigger the pride, the bigger the fall.” The tendrils slowly draw themselves out of Luna, “Speaking of fall, I think we have a prime candidate right here.”

Celestia frowns. She launches her sword, but not at me. No, her sword instead pierces Mark’s chest, cutting into him and out his back, “You better catch him, Messorem. The body you posses wouldn’t be happy to see him die.”

“Never could fight fair, could you?”

I cry out as I see Mark begin to fall. With a burst of strength, I retake control of my body. The tendrils disappear from me, and I dive after Mark.

I manage to catch him in my hooves before he can fall too far down.

I cry out in pain as I feel a sword cut through my back. Both of my wings are cut in half, as my exoskeleton cracks open, sending me falling towards the ground.

I keep a close hold on Mark as we fall closer and closer to the ground.

Another voice radiates through my head.

‘Let me help.’

A blue light surrounds the both of us, and I find myself falling unconscious.

Nullam

My eyes slowly open, and I yawn slightly.

I pause, as I realize I feel no pain. I look at my body, seeing no damage there.

I hear some stirring beside me, looking over to see Mark, completely fine as well. His eyes are wide open, and he stares up blankly, “I... did I die?”

I shake my head, “No, Mark, I think we’re still alive. I caught you before you fell too far.”

He nods, “I noticed.”

A voice clears it’s throat behind us, “Greetings.”

The two of us spin around. Standing there is a Changeling, though he is shaped more like a deer than a pony, with blue eyes. He smiles kindly, as Mark glances at me, “Who’s this?”

I shrug, “I thought there were no other changelings.”

He nods, “Well, Chrysalis, you aren’t wrong. There aren’t any others alive, but there are plenty still around.” A table appears, with bottles of cider on it, “Please, take a seat. I’m sure you must be confused.”

Mark and I slowly share a glance, before taking a seat at the table. He sits across from us.

Mark nods slightly, “So... who are you?”

He smiles, “I am King Nullam, though just Nullam will do. I was the last and only leader of the Blue Changelings. I died approximately one millennia ago, prompting the birth of Queen Metamorphosis and the Green Changelings.”

My eyes widen, “There were leaders before Metamorphosis?”

He nods, “Yes, quite a fair number at that. First were Queen Spring and Autumn of the Yellow Changelings, which gave way to King Messorem and Queen Adobla of the Red Changelings, followed by King Archimagirus and Laevus of the Brown Changelings, trailed by Nullam of the Blue Changelings, that being me, which was then followed up with Queen Metamorphosis and now Chrysalis of the Green Hive.”

I pause, and Mark leans forward, “So how the hell are you here, and why are we here?”

He looks over at Mark, “Your bodies were mortally injured. I, being the best doctor to ever exist in the changeling race, am using my power and knowledge to heal you. You will be in a coma for five days, but your wounds will be healed when you awaken. Chrysalis, during your heist, picked up a dagger. Said dagger contains the souls of the greatest changelings. Namely myself, Laevus, Messorem, and Spring. Messorem used too much power taking over Chrysalis in order to fight, Spring still is learning how to use this, and Laevus is not happy around now.”

I nod slightly, “So you are using this time to talk to us.”

He nods back, “Correct, and it’s very important we talk. There is a lot you must know, Chrysalis, and Mark is at the center of the most important.”

Mark raises an eyebrow, “Really?”

He smiles, “Yes, really. Let us begin with a simple history lesson. You see, when the world was made, there were only six races on it. The one Draconequis, Discord, the ponies, the Yak, the Griffon, the Zebra, and the Changeling. The races unified into kingdoms, all except one. The ponies formed many different countries with their sub-races. The Crystal Empire, the Earthen Confederation, the Pegasus Autocracy, the Unicorn Magocracy, and the Screeching Kingdom. Eventually, due to experiments done by the Unicorns, they ended up accidentally summoning a creature from another world. A Wendigo. The Wendigo froze the ponies, feeding off their hatred. The Wendigo was banished by the ponies, as you probably already know. However, what isn’t in the history books is the final thing the Wendigo did. Before it was banished, the Wendigo impregnated a mare. From this mare was born two ponies, more powerful than any other.”

I lean forward, “You’re fucking with me.”

He shakes his head, “I can assure you I am not fucking with you. The Harmony generated by those ponies combined with the power of the Wendigo foals before they were born. That’s why they have the traits of unicorn, pegasi, and earth. That Harmony imbued them with the power of the ones Harmonizing, but it was the Wendigo who made their power so much greater than other ponies.”

Mark pauses, “Wait, are you saying Celestia and Luna were children of this Wendigo thing?”

Nullam nods, “Correct. Before any more interruptions, I am getting to the good part. You see, the Wendigo granted these two a unique power. No, I’m not talking about their ability to move the sun and moon. Every year, Celestia and Luna build up a great power inside of them, a power which is kept and stacks with following years if not used. This power is tied to their estrus cycle, and triggers every cycle. This power is used when they give birth. Say, for example, a stallion were to impregnate Celestia during her heat. If she had built up one year of power, it would make the foal noticeably stronger than average. With two, they would be considerably better. With five, they’d be a prodigy. Ten, and they’d practically be super powered. However, this is an odd caveat. This power only works on extra worldly creatures.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Are you implying..?”

He nods again, “Yes. The Minotaur: one male was taken from his home, impregnated Celestia, and married her until his death. Their son, Cain, impregnated so many mares that he made the race established. Kirin: a Kirin was stolen from their home world, bred Luna, and was kept alive. With the combination of the original and the new Kirin, they became an established race within ten years. Every race is the same, Chrysalis. One male is stolen from his home world, breeds either Celestia or Luna, and now they have an entire race under their control. That’s how they won wars at first. Steal, breed, create an army.”

Mark pauses, his eyes going wide, “Wait, they wanted to fuck me?!”

Nullam nods, “In a way of speaking, yes. And it would have ended horribly for the entire world. You see, Luna was banished for one thousand years. That mean she has one thousand years worth of power within her. They almost certainly wanted to make a human race on Equestria. Your child with her would be far more powerful than any pony in history. They would rival Discord, Sombra, Messorem, and they could probably even rival the Wendigo. It is obvious that Celestia would use this child to subjugate the world under her Harmony.”

I lean forward, “What’s stopping her from summoning another?”

He smiles, “Absolutely nothing, really. Sure, the ritual to do it is expensive, but she could easily do it again. Then she could simply say her student was experimenting and accidentally summoned one.”

Mark frowns, “So Twilight did that on purpose?”

He nods, “Yes, she did, with help from her mentor and Luna.” Nullam looks between the two of us, “Celestia has every advantage in the book. She has three separate ways to win. She can either capture you, Chrysalis, and ascend to beyond godhood, or capture you, Mark, and force you to impregnate Luna, or summon another creature. You two don’t have enough power to take her down, and your element of surprise is now gone. You need to kill Celestia and Luna, and you are absolutely screwed in every way.”

I shake my head, “No, no. I have an idea. A plan, and it has to work. Those who tried to kill Celestia before did it alone, and now they’re all in one spot, together. If we could free them, and work together, then we have a chance.”

Nullam smiles, “You are certainly clever, Chrysalis. Though the plan has a high chance of failure, it might be the only chance. However, you must first recover. As you do such, Messorem shall teach you two how to fight.” He pauses, “Ah, it looks like that’s all the time we have. Good luck.”

My vision begins to blur, as I feel myself passing out.

Messorem

We find ourselves standing in a sandy pit, surrounded by towering chitinous walls. A gruff voice shouts at us, “Listen up, I don’t want to repeat myself.”

I turn my head, seeing a changeling with red eyes standing on the other side of the pit, though his form is more like that of a zebra than a pony. His exoskeleton is almost five inches thick, and covered in scars. Sprouting from around his body are spiked tendrils, perfect for stabbing.

He narrows his eyes, “I am King Messorem, and I am going to teach you how to fight. I am going to teach you how to kill.”

Mark pauses, “I... don’t think I’m entirely comfortable with killing Celestia. Harming, yes, but not killing.”

Messorem looks over at him, “She would kill you, so you must have no hesitation in striking her down. She will take advantage of every opening you leave her. After all she’s done, she deserves it.”

Mark shakes his head, “I don’t think there’s anything that could justify killing other than hunger.”

Messorem glares, “Do you have any idea what those two sisters have done? You damned pacifists always go on about how everything has good in it. Whatever, you’re no good in a fight anyway.” His horn lights up, and Mark disappears, “Laevus shall convince him that killing Celestia is the best idea.”

I look at where Mark was, “Shouldn’t he learn how to fight?”

Messorem shakes his head, “He would be useless in a fight, and I cannot improve his skills. He’s an assassin at best, and a liability otherwise. He cannot shapeshift, he has no natural weapons, and he is not willing to learn. You, Chrysalis, shall be the main fighter.”

I nod, “If you think it’s wise.”

He nods back, “I do think it is wise. I know it is wise. Now, how good is your shapeshifting?”

I smile, “I can shapeshift into almost any creature and mimic them near perfectly.”

He nods, “Good. How about your weapon shapeshifting?”

I raise an eyebrow, “My what?”

He pauses, “Weapon shapeshifting. Like, turning your leg into a sword. Or sprouting spikes on your body.”

I shake my head, “I’ve never done that before.”

He frowns, “It’s worse than I thought, then. In your current state, you stand no chance in a fight.”

I frown back, “I don’t plan on fighting Celestia directly.”

He steps closer, “How else will you strike at her, then? Are you going to sneak around like a rat?”

I nod, “Yes, I am going to sneak around. I am going to free the others who fought her alone, and we’re going to fight her together. They’re all skilled enough to not need me as a mainline fighter. But in order to free them, I have to sneak, and I don’t usually kill when I sneak.”

He frowns, “You don’t kill? Your type of changeling wouldn’t be accepted back in my day. We were proud warriors, not scurrying rats. How do you take down a guard if not by killing?”

I grin, “We have these things, Messorem, they’re called fangs.”

He nods, “Yes, filled with adrenaline. They are useless unless you tear out an enemy’s throat.”

I shake my head, “They’re filled with an aphrodisiac now, and we’ve learned how to swap that out for something else. I can put a sedative in my fangs and saliva, and knock out a full grown stallion with a single kiss.”

He glares at me, “Then you have lost all our traditions. If you continue on this foolish path of yours, you will be killed like I was.”

I grin, “No, I won’t, because I’m not dumb enough to try and face Celestia alone. I know my strength, Messorem, it seems like you don’t.”

He takes a step closer to me, “I saved your life!”

I chuckle, “No, Nullam saved my life. You decided to monologue and gave your opponent a chance to strike you. And let me tell you something right now, Messorem, I’ve learned that Celestia takes every opportunity she has. It looks like that lesson didn’t stick in you. If not for your ‘saving of my life’, I wouldn’t have allowed Mark to get stabbed.”

He growls, “You are ungrateful-“

I laugh, interrupting him, “As if. Should I be grateful that you decided to get my best friend a new piercing? Should I be grateful that you forcibly took control of me to dodge an attack I would’ve dodged anyway? Should I be grateful that you stabbed Luna and did nothing? Should I be grateful that you decided to give an attempt at snark and humor in the middle of a life or death situation? Let me tell you something, grandpa, your ways are gone. There’s only two masters of snark in combat, and that’s Mark and I. There is no time to hesitate, or was that just your old mind failing? You are old, you are obsolete, and I don’t owe you for shit. So take those tentacles of yours, and go fuck yourself.”

He takes a step back, “You are disrespectful to those with higher authority.”

I smile, “You don’t say? Wow, never could have seen that one coming. Me, the one who cursed out Celestia right in front of her, has a problem with authority. Sorry, but having a crown on your head and a stick up your ass doesn’t mean shit to me. You want me to respect your authority? Respect mine. I am a Queen, I have the exact same authority as you. You see, the problem with you isn’t that you have authority, it’s that you are trying to push your dated ideals onto a modern world. You are trying to turn me into a slave who listens to your every word without a single response. You think I’m a pony, not a changeling, that’s why you think I’ll be so easily manipulated. Well, allow me to return the favor. You’re an asshole, not a changeling. Now fuck off and do your research on the modern world.”

He growls, lighting up his horn and disappearing.

Harmony

I suddenly awaken, finding myself surrounded by grass. I sit up, glancing around, until I see Mark already standing.

He pats off his cloak, looking at a stitched tear through the front, “Shit... she actually did do it.”

I look at my own carapace and cloak, seeing a scar and stitching on them. I frown, “That she did.”

He sighs, “Well... we aren’t going to sink to her level, Chrysalis. Right?”

I nod, “We won’t. Unless if we have no other option, Celestia will be alive when we’re done.”

He smiles slightly, “Good. I don’t want another death on my hands.”

I step closer, shaking my head, “There is no death on your hands, Mark. I killed the guard, not you.”

He sighs, “I could have stopped you.”

I frown, “Mark, you had no fucking idea I was going to do that. You couldn’t have stopped me. So stop blaming yourself.”

He looks at me, “Well, I can’t blame you. I feel like you didn’t do it, so I’ll blame myself.”

I shake my head, “Mark... Chrysalis did that. And you know what? Fuck Chrysalis. Chrysalis is a bitch, a cunt of the highest order who brought her children to death. So, fuck her, I’m not going to be her anymore. As of now, Mark, my name will be Love. The proper me. The true me.”

He smiles, “Seriously? You’re changing your name permanently?”

I nod, “Sure, why not? I know I did what I did, and I’m never going to be able to take that back. That guard is dead, my children are dead, so many stallions are dead for no good reason. I was a fucking monster, and I will fully admit that. But now? Now, I don’t want to kill. My worst enemy, the one who deserves it the most, I’ll show her mercy. I’m not Chrysalis anymore.”

He nods, “Well... good job on coming to this realization, Love. Honestly, most wouldn’t. They’d continue on, thinking they’re right, never questioning themselves. The fact that you are actually thinking really makes me respect you more than I did before.”

I smile, “Well, that’s good to know. So, what’s our plan?”

He grins, “Well, I’m going to go find Kindness and tell her everything. Hopefully that will convince her to confront Twilight. I don’t know what you can do, though.”

I pause, “I think... I might go talk to Honesty. If anypony would hear me out, it would be her.”

He nods, “Sounds like a good idea. What say we meet back up at the tavern?”

I smile, “Sounds like a good idea.”

He grins, “Awesome.” He holds out his hand.

I look at it, “I don’t know what this is supposed to mean.”

He smirks, “Smack it.”

I raise my hoof, smacking his hand, “Like that?”

He nods, “Yeah. That’s called a ‘high five’. It’s used in a lot of situations.”

I smile, “I like it.” I hold up my hoof.

He smacks it, “Alright, now you’re learning. Let’s get going, though.”

I nod, spreading my wings and taking off.

I quickly orientate myself, and set off towards the nearby Apple acres. Quickly, I spot a shaking tree.

I land near the tree, seeing a familiar orange mare kicking another. The apples cascade down from the tree, and into the buckets under it.

I clear my throat, “Miss Applejack?”

She pauses, not even turning around to look at me, “Chrysalis.”

I nod, “Well, I prefer to go by Love now, but yes.”

She spins around, and glares at me, “Princess Celestia said you were dead.”

I nod, “She was correct, I think I was dead for a few seconds. I can’t say for certain.”

She frowns, “What are you doing here? If you try to hurt my family-“

I raise my hooves, “I mean no harm, Miss Applejack. Seriously, I am just here to talk.”

She shakes her head, “Why should I trust you?”

I shrug, “You have no reason to. And I’m not asking you to trust me. I don’t deserve your trust, I don’t deserve anything from you. But I request that you just listen to me.”

She pauses, “Fine.”

I nod, “Wonderful. You see, Miss Applejack, I just want to apologize for what I’ve done to you. The Canterlot Invasion was a terrible thing, and I’m sorry it ever happened, and that you were ever involved.”

She raises an eyebrow, “Why tell me this?”

I sigh, “Because, Miss Applejack, we’re similar in one important way. We both know that family can drive us to rash decisions.”

She pauses, “What’s the Invasion got to do with family?”

I shrug, “All Changelings are related. Every changeling there was my child, birthed and cared for by me. We were starving, and dying. So I did the only thing I could. My neighbor was rich with food, yet unwilling to share. So, I decided to take it by force.”

She frowns, “Celestia would have given you love willingly.”

I shake my head, “Miss Applejack... it’s sad to know that you truly believe that. You don’t know her like I do. You don’t know what she’s done. What she did to Mark.”

She raises an eyebrow, “Mark?”

I nod, “Yes. For millennia, Celestia and Luna have been kidnapping aliens from their homes, and have convinced them to breed with them. They then used these hybrid children to breed races so they may subjugate their enemies. Mark is simply the last in a long line.”

Applejack shakes her head, “I don’t believe you.”

I frown, “Miss Applejack, you are Honesty. Look in my eyes, and tell me that I’m lying.”

She pauses, before meeting my eyes.

Hunter

I smile, taking a sip of cider as I sit across from Mark.

He continues speaking, “Anyway, she left for Twilight’s place after I finished telling her it. She looked pissed off.” He takes a sip of cider, “How did your’s go?”

I grin, “I found common ground with Applejack. Her loyalty to Celestia is shaken, and she doesn’t despise me anymore. She also went to Twilight’s place afterwards. She looked like she was thinking deeply about everything.”

Mark smiles, “You think that we’ve done enough?”

I nod, “I think we have. I went beyond Honesty in Applejack, and struck at the deepest part of her. Her family. Nothing to her is greater than family, and she knows what happened to my family. She knows you were ripped away from your family, even if they weren’t biologically connected to you. Her foundation of trust in Twilight is shook, and won’t recover easily. Combine that with Fluttershy confronting her at the same time, and we might have made a rift.”

He nods, “I just hope they don’t hate... actually, never mind, fuck Twilight. I can’t believe I almost gave a shit about her friends going against her.”

I smile, “It’s your good nature, Mark. Even for the mare who ruined your life, you can’t help but feel sympathy.”

He shrugs, “It’s one of my greater flaws.”

I shake my head, “It’s one of your greatest strengths. It’s why you’re a hero and not a villain.”

He chuckles, “Hero? Are we the heroes?”

I smile, “The handsome thief most definitely is a hero.”

He grins, “Then I suppose the beautiful queen is also a hero.”

I laugh, “Well, I guess we have to find her sometime soon.”

He smirks, “Why, she’s sitting right across from me.”

I shake my head, “Always the flatterer.”

He smiles, and shrugs, “I’m good with the ladies.”

I smirk, “Really? How many’d you get back home?”

He grins, “Absolute fucking zero. The biggest zero that ever existed. I only flirt with those who are more clever than me, and that number is very low. One higher now, because of you.”

I raise an eyebrow, “I’m more clever than you?”

He nods, “Fuck yeah. You used me as a scapegoat to pin the robbery and murder on. You played it out so there was no reason to believe it wasn’t me.”

I shake my head, “That wasn’t me being more clever than you, that was me being a bitch.”

He shrugs, “You were more clever than me, which means you’re on the flirt list. Sure, you were a bitch, but you were a clever bitch. And there’s nothing I flirt with more than clever bitches. Well, one thing. That being good friends who used to be bitches, but changed and are still clever.”

I grin, “Well, I suppose I fit that second category.”

He nods, pausing as his eyes move behind me, “Shit.” He reaches into his pocket, “Love, make yourself invisible or something. Don’t act until you have to.”

He affixes his mask to his face, and I shrink down to a small size. I hop onto the table, hiding behind a coaster.

He looks at the door to the building. I look as well, and see a figure like him.

Another human, a female if her form is anything to go by. She wears blood red, form fitting, clothing with a black cloak over it. She has two crossbows at her hips, along with many knives. Unlike Mark, however, she doesn’t wear a mask.

She looks over at Mark, her brown eyes lighting up in recognition.

She grins sickly, and maneuvers over to our table. She leans on it with one arm, and looks at Mark, “Thief M, long time no see. How odd to see you here.”

Mark glares at her from behind his mask, “Hunter X.”

She smiles, “Oh, you recognize me. Wonderful... truly wonderful. It’s always a pleasure when we meet, isn’t it, M?”

He shakes his head, “No, X, it isn’t.”

She pouts, “Aww, I always liked our time together. Remember that one time I killed S? Oh, or when I killed E? I remember your face when you saw their bodies. Oh, absolutely priceless. For being a big thorn in my side, I still like you. I’d say I’d like something else of yours inside me, but I’m not getting paid for that.”

He frowns, “What do you want, X?”

She grins, “Always straight to the point, aren’t you? Well, allow me to tell you. You pissed off some higher up who calls herself Celestia. So she summoned me to come reclaim you.”

He shakes his head, “I’m not a pet to be reclaimed, X, nor a piece of property.”

She giggles, “Oh, I know that, silly. But they’re paying me in gold and hot lesbian sex for this. Apparently they don’t need you alive, they just need your dick and semen. So they sent me here to find you. And wouldn’t you know? I stumbled across you my second day. So, M, you wanna come along alive or dead? I do so love your presence, but I hate your trickery. It’s too clever for me to predict.”

I almost cough as a wave of perverse love flows out of her. Something I’ve never felt before. A mix of hatred and lust that somehow produced an off-love.

Mark shakes his head, “No, X, I’m not going to go with you, and you aren’t going to kill me.”

She smirks, “Oh, come on Mark.” She reaches out with a finger, slowly drawing it across his cheek, “We’ll make it worth your while. Gold, sex, authority, and a chance to lay with me. It’s everything anybody could ever want.”

He grins slightly, “Fuck you, X. I earn my gold by stealing from cunts like you. I have all the authority I could ever want just because I am free. Plus, you are a fucking bitch and you’re ugly.”

She giggles, and presses a knife against his neck, “Ugly, eh? As if. I’m the most beautiful creature to bless this world. You must be going native if you think I’m ugly. What, M, you going to fuck a horse?”

He smirks, “Nah, those horses are fucking ugly as well. I got something a lot more exotic, a lot more clever, a lot better, and a lot more beautiful than you and all of them combined.” He winks in my direction.

I grin, my magic surrounding her magic and ripping it from her grasp. It flies into her chest, puncturing through her clothes with ease.

Mark uses the opportunity to punch her in the face, sending her stumbling back.

I turn back to my natural form and size, flying at her and punching her to the ground.

Mark stands up, “Let’s run.”

I smile, punching her again before I gallop after him as we run out of there.

Truth

Mark and I walk through the royal gardens as the sun sets. I smile, leading him to the group of five statues, “We have a small window. Let’s do this quickly.”

Mark grins, taking out the six Elements from a hip bag. He hands the tiara of Magic to me, “I’m disappointed by these ponies and their lack of security.”

I grin, placing the tiara on my head, it taking the place of my crown, “Be glad they are overconfident. It makes this way too easy.”

He smiles, “Can’t say I disagree. Let’s get this done quickly.”

I take the Element of Laughter from him, walking up to Discord’s statue, “This is the only one which fits you, Discord, so I hope this works.”

I press the Element against his stony skin, and close my eyes as a bright flash comes from the point of contact.

After a few blinks, I reopen my eyes to see a pile of stone on the ground, and the living form of Discord in front of me.

He grins down at me, “Ah, Chrysalis, little love-bug you, so nice you could finally get to freeing me.” He stretches an arm, popping it off his form and wringing it out like a sponge, “I am so sore, it almost is like I slept on a rock!”

I take a few steps back, “Hello, Discord.”

He nods, “Yes, hello, bonjour, hola, all that noise. Look, love-bug, we don’t have time. Free the others while they’re still distracted.”

I nod, and move to Grover’s statue.

I look at the Elements, and float over Generosity.

I touch the Element to the statue, as yet another bright flash of light causes me to wince and blink.

Now in front of me stands an armored griffon, with a sword held to my neck.

Grover narrows his eyes, “Where is Celestia and Luna?”

I slowly hold up my hooves, “Raising the sun and moon. It’s been thousands of years, you were sealed in stone, and we’re now opposing them together.”

He pauses, and slowly sheathes his sword, “And who is this ‘we’ you speak of?”

I smile, “So far, we have Mark, an alien from another world, Discord, me, and you. If you look around, you can see our other allies still in stone.”

Grover looks around, looking back at me and nodding, “Well, if I have you to thank for freeing me from my stony prison, then I shall gladly offer forth my assistance.”

I nod back to him, “Thanks for understanding.” I offer him the Element of Generosity, “Take this, it’s the Element of Generosity.”

He takes the Element into his talons, “Generosity? I am unsure if this is the most fitting thing to give me, but I will accept it.”

I smile, heading to the next statue. I float over the Element of Loyalty as I reach Mid Knight, “This is the most obvious of all.”

I press the Element against the statue, but there is no flash this time. Instead, the stone simply falls.

The thestral hisses at me as her armor falls from her form, clattering onto the ground. She suddenly pauses her hiss, and looks around.

She looks back at me, “Celestia’s fate?”

I shake my head, “She defeated you, and is still ruling. Luna came back from the moon, and was turned to normal by the Elements.”

She pauses, blinking slowly. Without a word, she turns around, laying down and staring at the setting sun.

I trot closer to her, but Mark rushes over. He places a hand on me, “Let me talk to her, Love. You continue with the others.”

I look at him, and nod. I trot over to the Yak, pressing the Element of Honesty against him.

The stone falls away, and the Yak stares at me, “You... Celestia cheated. She sealed me in stone.”

I nod, “Yes, she did. We’re forming a team to do the same to her. I imagine you want in?”

He nods, “One does not cheat lightly.”

I smile, and hold out the Element of Honesty, “Great, here’s your Element.”

He accepts the Element, looking it over, “Honesty I feel does describe me the most. Thank you, Changeling.”

I nod, “You’re welcome, Yakford.”

I trot to the final statue, the zebra. I press the remaining Element of Kindness onto him. The stone crumbles from his form.

He blinks, looking at me, “Ah, hello there. I am Xerxes, pleasure to meet you. If I’m here, then I assume I must have been turned to stone by Celestia and Luna. I thank you for freeing me, truly.”

I smile, “Well, welcome to the land of the living once more. We’re building a team to turn Celestia and Luna to stone.”

He smiles back, “A noble goal, one which I will help with, if you want it.”

I nod, “Your help would be very appreciated, Xerxes.” I look around, “All of you, meeting time!”

All of the others slowly move over to me. Discord grins, coiled up and munching a bowl of popcorn. Grover seems busy examining the Element of Generosity. Mid Knight stares at the setting sun dejectedly, though she is a lot more responsive than previously. Yakford examines a stone piece of himself. Xerxes and Mark both smile, standing to attention.

I look around, “Alright, everyone, let’s go over everything. You are all assigned a different Element of Harmony and I hope they’ll respond to you. We’re going to try and face down Luna and Celestia, and turn them to stone as they did, or attempted to do, to all of us.”

I pause as I feel something pass by my head. I blink, and see Xerxes fall down.

The voice of Hunter X speaks from behind me, “Hello there, deary.”

I spin around, seeing the woman with an empty crossbow.

Discord frowns, “Well, that’s not good.”

She moves a crossbow to point at my head, “Say bye, buggy.”

The sound of snapping fills the air.

Sleep

Celestia pulls away, her horn going dark. She blinks, and shakes her head, “It’s too late, Luna, her mind has retreated into itself.”

Luna steps up beside her, “Was a defeat by thine horn too much for her to take?”

She nods, “She... she believes I’m a tyrant, Luna. One willing to blackmail and kidnap and use a... use a reformation spell. Her mind sees herself losing to Cadence and Shining Armor, not me. Her mind sees herself working alongside other villains of the past in some sort of righteous rebellion against me.”

Luna raises an eyebrow, “She believes she is righteous?”

She nods again, “Yes, she believes I am some evil tyrant hidden behind a false guise of kindness.” Celestia shakes her head, and sighs, “What could have caused this, Luna?”

Luna shrugs, “From what we’ve seen since our return, sister, thine reign alone has been one of peace and diplomacy. The Griffons, the Minotaur, the Zebra, the Yaks, all look upon thee as a friend and ally. We doth not know of the Changeling opinion of thou.”

She looks back at the hospital bed, where Chrysalis lays, “I haven’t interacted with the changelings much. Is that what caused this? A possible great Queen, driven down by my inaction?”

Luna shakes her head, “Nay, sister, do not place the guilt of another’s actions upon thy own self. It was Chrysalis who invaded, it was Chrysalis who kidnapped Cadenza, it was her who controlled Shining Armor, and it was her who was foolish enough to challenge thou to a magical duel. Could thou have done more to get in contact with the changelings? Verily, if thine word is to be trusted. Did thou know this would happen if thy didn’t contact them? Nay, thou didn’t know. Thy are not perfect sister, none of us are, but thee are good. Perhaps it could be that Chrysalis is good as well, it is likely she is. But good nary counts when thy are on the offense, as she was. We are in the right, sister, this is merely an opportunity for further growth.”

Celestia shakes her head, “I just can’t shake the feeling that her idea of who I am is my fault, Luna. I can’t help but think who else might think of me like she does.”

Luna steps closer, “If her idea of thou were caused by thine actions, then this is thy time to learn. Perhaps thou should take initiative and go to the festivals the ponies throw for thou. Make friends, mingle, show them that thy are but a normal mare with abnormal age. It has worked wonders for us, in the town of Ponyville.”

She smiles, “Perhaps I should, but that’s a talk for later. Right now, we have a more pressing issue.”

“Verily, especially since our attempts to heal and wake her as of yet have failed.”

She nods, “I think I might have an idea. You remember the legend of Sleeping Handsome, right?”

Luna grins, “Verily, sister, for we witnessed the events the story tells.”

Celestia pauses, “That was a true story?”

Luna nods, “We pranked a friend of ours with a sleeping curse, and told his wife where to find him and how to wake him. He was very thankful. Apparently she wasn’t the best at giving out affection.”

She smiles, “Of course, I should have known. Anyway, you know the story?”

“Have we not just proved we know?”

She nods, “Well, yes, you have. I think that story could possibly relate to this. You see, in Chrysalis’s visions, or dreams, or whatever they are, she met a creature called a human, known as Mark. Her heart within her mind has developed strong feelings for him, though her mind doesn’t acknowledge it.”

Luna raises an eyebrow, “She fell in love with what amounts to an imaginary friend? Truly, such a sad statement has never been uttered before.”

Celestia smiles, “But, there’s an important detail. A lot of them. This Mark character, and his backstory, it’s too consistent to be from a dream or vision. I think she’s having an actual vision of somepony else. Maybe... maybe they might be sharing a dream somehow. If we found him, and got him here to give her some actual love, it might give her enough energy to wake up.”

Luna nods, “If your assertion that this ‘Mark’ is real rings true, then we come to a better question. Should we wake her up?”

She nods, “Yes, Luna, we should. She made a mistake, but it was a mistake founded on good intentions and desperation. We’ve done worse for less.”

“So her heart is righteous?”

She nods again, “Chrysalis’s heart is bright, even if she prefers to sulk in dark alleys. I truly believe that if we could find this Mark, and wake her up, she could become a great friend and a great Queen to the changelings. We could help her changelings, and save them from starvation.”

Luna nods, “Then that is what we shall do.”

Celestia smiles, looking back at Chrysalis, and placing a hoof on her own, “Hang in there, Chrysalis, we’ll wake you up.”

Blink

I suddenly find myself, and all the others, within a dimly lit room. Discord shakes his head, “I can’t believe she just killed Xerxes. This dream sucks.”

Grover growls, “Damn you, chimera, we could have killed that assassin while she was distracted! We lost Xerxes for nothing now!”

Mark shakes his head, “You wouldn’t have been able to kill her.”

Grover glares at him, “I have yet to meet one who can best me in honest combat, ape, and I hold no doubts that my streak would remain untarnished if I fought that hideous beast.”

Yakford shakes his head, “I doubt she would have fought honestly if she works for Celestia, Griffon.”

Mid Knight sighs, and moves across the room, “We wouldn’t have stood a chance against Celestia either. Why even try to fight?”

Discord grins, “She is right. Why should we continue to fight, Chrysalis?”

I look between him and Mid Knight, “Because there’s a chance to win, and nobody else is going to take it. Celestia is a tyrant set upon gaining godly powers, beyond anything we know.”

Mark nods, “And she’s a bitch, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t fight her.”

Mid Knight shakes her head, “We can try, and we will die.”

Yakford nods, “Then we shall die trying.”

Grover glares at her, “I would rather die with a sword in my talons and blood in my feathers than bowing and prostrating before the bastard child of a Wendigo and pony. Even if I were to die, it is better to die with your head held high in defiance than with your beak on the ground in subservience.”

Discord smirks, wrapping around me, “So, do you see it already, Chrysalis? They are perfect characters.”

I shake my head, “It’s Love now, Discord.”

He grins, “Love? No, the love interest is the human stood right there. You’re the protagonist first, love interest second. He’s love interest first, protagonist second. Haven’t you ever read a book, silly buggy? Grover is obviously the badass who’s tough demeanor is just a facade for a softhearted interior. Mid Knight is the haunted one, the failure who’s given a second opportunity to prove herself and redeem her imagined sins. Yakford is the background character, there to provide a straight man to my comedic relief.”

Yakford shakes his head, “We aren’t book characters, Draconequis.”

Discord chuckles, “Technically correct, Yakford.”

Mark rolls his eyes, “So, let me guess, you’re the comedic relief?”

Discord smiles, “Bingo, hit it right on the mark, Mark. I’m the comedic relief who is secretly powerful and will end up becoming deathly serious and terrifying whenever I’m pushed to a point of no return. Probably with some foreshadowing in there to become a future villain.”

I sigh, “I’m sad to admit that you probably are the most powerful here.”

Discord grins, uncoiling from around me, “Moi? Most powerful? That’s hilarious, coming from you.”

Mark shrugs, “I think she’s right on the mark. You’re a bit of an asshole currently, but the history books made it clear you were a tough bastard.”

He chuckles, “Bastard? Yes. Tough? Not at all. Land a hit on me, and I’m going to begin wailing like a filly having her leg cut off by a rusty knife. Trust me, they’re loud when that happens, I know from experience.”

I pause, “Why the everloving fuck do you know that?”

Mark nods, “Yeah, dude, seriously, what the fuck?”

Discord smiles, patting me on the head, “Off topic, little Chrysalis. Point is, there’s two beings way more powerful than me, and they’re right in front of me.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Are Celestia and Luna standing right behind us?”

He chuckles, “No, of course not, they’re weaklings compared to me. Really, silly little Chrysalis, I’m surprised you didn’t already know that. You must really hold a high opinion of Celestia and Luna’s powers if you think they’d stand up to moi without any outside assistance.”

I nod, “Well, if course, they are very powerful.”

Mark nods, “Yeah, they almost killed Love and I. I honestly don’t think I’ve seen even a fraction of their true power.”

Discord nods, “Well, if you think of them so highly, they’re going to be pretty powerful. More so than me, which is... ugh, uncomfortable. I suppose now there’s four more powerful than me, if you continue to think of them so highly.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Why does our thoughts on them matter?”

Discord chuckles, “Oh, dear Chrysalis, you don’t even know. Allow me to say it like this, for your little buggy brain to understand. Your thoughts and beliefs shape everything. You think they are bitches, so they’ll behave like bitches. You think they are already very powerful, so they shall be powerful. They feed of your belief, Chrysalis, like the old Griffon gods.”

Grover looks over, “What do our gods have to do with this?”

Discord shakes his head, “So many questions, so little answers. Your gods were shaped by belief, Grover. If you thought one god was evil, they would shift to become evil. If you believed them weak, they would become weak. That’s why they were so easy to kill. But, this is besides the point.” He floats down, wrapping an arm around Grover and Yakford, and dragging the both of them away.

Mark shakes his head, “We have an absolute mess of a team here, Love.”

I nod, “I know, but we have to try.”

He places a hand on my head, absentmindedly scratching my ears, “We have a lot of work in front of us. But we can do anything we set our minds to. Mark and Love, the power team, capable of anything.”

I smile, lightly blushing, “Capable of anything, I like the sound of that. Let’s try and make this into an actual team.”

He looks at me, and grins, “Not try, Love. Let’s make this an actual team.”

I chuckle, and nod, “Alright, let’s make this into an actual team. No trying, only succeeding.”

Knight

I move up to Mid Knight, and sit down near her, “So, you’ve been acting awfully defeatist.”

She looks over at me, and shakes her head, “I’m being realistic. We don’t stand much of a chance.”

I smile, “You’re wrong.”

She raises an eyebrow, “Are you saying we actually stand a chance?”

I nod, “I believe we do. Think of it this way, Mid Knight. All of us have faced Celestia and survived.”

She snorts, “Barely.”

I nod, “Yes, barely, but still survived. I actually managed to defeat her before, as I was overcharged off love. Her and I had a magical duel and it ended with her on the floor, and me victorious.”

She shakes her head, “But you still lost.”

I grin, “Well, yes, I still lost, but it wasn’t because of her. It was because of those helping her. So if I were to have had friends to help me against those friends of hers, I would have won perfectly fine.”

“But she learned from her defeat, and will make sure you can’t do it again.”

I nod, “I don’t plan to do the same thing again, though. Not with you and all the others at my side. You are one of the greatest warriors in the past millennia, certainly greater than any warrior working with Celestia today. Even with just you and me alone, we’d have a good shot at killing Celestia.”

She shakes her head, “Then why do you need all of us?”

I smile, “Because I believe all of you perfectly represent one of the Elements. If we defeated Celestia and executed her regularly, the ponies would pitch a fit and there’d be a revolution before we can even catch our breaths. If we defeat her using the Elements of Harmony, though, the ponies would be more accepting of us.”

She snorts, “And what, I’m supposed to be Loyalty?” She throws the Element onto the ground, “This is a suicidal farce. If I agree with you, then I’d go against Luna. My life belongs to her, bug, not to you!”

I shake my head, “I’m not asking you to go against her at all. I believe Luna would be glad to join us once we talk to her, actually. Or... well, there was a theory I had.”

She raises an eyebrow, “A theory?”

I nod, “Yes, a theory. Luna was hit by the Elements of Harmony when she returned. It’s possible that the Elements corrupted her in some manner, making her different than she was back then. If I’m right, then you would still be loyal to the old Luna by fighting to free her from the new Luna.”

She shakes her head, “But there’s no way to be certain about this.”

I pause, “Well, there is a way. Luna is currently in the hospital because I injured her.”

She pauses, “You did what?”

I smile, “She was coming after me, I had to defend myself.”

She glares at me, “If I discover that she is the same Luna as before, bug, then I shall not hesitate to skewer you.”

I nod, “That’s fair, and just proves why you should be Loyalty. Anyway, she’s in the hospital. Mark and I could probably break into it, and allow you two to talk for a bit. Then, you can make your decision.”

She nods slightly, “Alright, that’s acceptable. But I will not help you until I talk to her.”

I smile, and stand up, “I’m glad you are so understanding, Mid Knight. I hope your skills are as sharp as they were a thousand years ago.”

“They will be, whether it be against you or Celestia.”

I nod, “Good to know. Now, I’ll be going now.”

She nods, and I trot away. Mark walks up beside me, “Seems like you came to an understanding.”

I grin, “Yeah, I now understand she’s a bitch. But a useful bitch, so I’m not going to be rude to her in front of her face.”

He smiles, “Sounds like you’re learning how to be nicer.”

I chuckle, “Me, nicer? I’ll have you know that I am a master of niceness, like you. I’m just also a master of rudeness.”

He grins, “Yep, sounds like you. Still, at least you aren’t around her to get free cider and because she’s exotic.”

I shake my head, “Mark, if I ever sound like that again, I want you to hit me. I was a major bitch then. Besides, your company is worth more than any bottle of cider could ever be.”

He smiles, “I’ll hold you to that, Love, and I wouldn’t be too sure about that second thing. The cider in this world is fucking delicious.”

I smile, “Still, I’d prefer your company. Although your company and a bottle of cider are a great combo.”

He nods, “Well, when Celestia is dead, we’ll have plenty of down time to drink and hang out.”

I nod back, “Speaking of that bitch, we need to find a way to break into wherever Luna is. Mid Knight is being bitchy and won’t help us until she talks to Luna.”

He smiles, “Breaking into something? Now we’re talking my language. Come on, Love, let’s draft some plans for how to break in.”

Scapegoat

I land on the roof of the hospital, with Mid Knight landing beside me. Mark smiles, and gets off my back, “You know, wings make this a whole lot easier than it was back home.”

I grin, “They’re less cool than that grappling hook, though.”

He grins, and nods, “Yeah, grappling hooks are cool.” He reaches to his side, taking his mask off a belt and putting it on.

I smile as he hands me a mask of my own, donning it quickly. The lenses on the mask instantly make the night’s light more bright, allowing me to see as if it was day. I look at Mark, “We really need to thank Smith for making this stuff once Celestia’s gone.”

He nods, “Oh yeah, that dude deserves it. Now, let’s get going.”

We walk up to the edge of the roof. Mark takes out his grappling hook, attaching it on the lip of the roof, and slowly beginning to scale down the wall.

I grin, shifting my legs into those of a spider, and walking down beside him. Mid Knight, meanwhile, hovers behind us.

Mark pauses once we’ve gone three floors down, placing his glove on a window, and looking at the back of it. He looks at me, and nods.

I nod back, shifting a hoof to fit under the window, and opening it wide. All three of us enter into the empty hospital room swiftly and quietly.

Mark skulks to the door to the room, his dark cloak making him blend into the shadows. I shift my legs back to normal, and follow after him.

He places a hand on the door, and nods as a blip appears on the back. He looks at me, and opens the door ever-so slightly.

I shift myself into a spider, and crawl through the small crack in the door. As I enter into the halls of the hospital, I immediately see the patrolling guard, a lamp floating alongside him.

I shift into a smaller version of myself, and rush after the Guard. I quickly make it to him, and bite one of his legs. He collapses without any noise, and I catch the lantern before it has a chance to fall.

I shift back to normal, and drag him back to the empty room. Mark opens the door wide, and helps me with putting the guard on a bed and covering him with a blanket.

Mid Knight shakes her head, and mutters, “Security has gone down.”

Mark reaches over to her, placing a finger over her muzzle. She frowns, but doesn’t talk further.

We then enter into the hallway, closing the door behind us. Another patrolling guard comes our way, but he is far enough away not to matter.

We set off down the hall, until we’ve gone four doors down. Mark places his hand on the door, nodding as a blip appears.

I place my horn against the door, casting a spell to look for any defenses or alarms. With none showing up, I nod at Mark, who opens the door.

The three of us move into the room, where Luna lays on a bed. Mid Knight quickly trots up to her, and hurriedly whispers at her.

Mark and I nod to each other, closing the door behind us. He grins, “Their security really sucks.”

I smile, “You’d think they’d put a bit more protection on Luna.”

He nods, “Maybe they think she’s so powerful that they don’t need too. They are rather arrogant.”

I nod, “Yes, that is probably why.”

The two of us turn our attention over to Mid Knight, who listens intently as Luna whispers at her. After a second of listening, she nods, and draws her twin blade from her side.

She turns to face us, glaring, and rushing at us with a swipe of her weapon.

Neither Mark or I react, still processing what she’s doing.

Right before she reaches us, however, she stops. She twitches oddly, and a faint green aura surrounds her.

The blade falls from her mouth, and she begins to cough roughly as the green aura picks up. After about ten seconds of coughing, she closes her eyes.

Mark and I glance at each other, as he slowly draws his grappling hook and I draw my dagger.

She suddenly shudders, and her back bursts open. A giant tear, like she’s being torn apart from the inside, appears on her. Blood begins to rush out of the wound, and more bursts appear all around her.

Mark gags at the sight, and looks away from it. I watch with morbid curiosity, though, as her body is ripped apart by nothing.

Slowly, something emerges from the tears in her. Something off-white, and thin.

With one motion, her body is split in half. The two halves fall to either side, entrails and blood falling with them. Standing now in her place is her skeleton, glowing a sickly green.

Two green orbs appear in the eye sockets of the skeleton, giving the impression of eyes. It looks at me, and speaks in a low, calm, and completely terrifying male voice, “Ah, finally given form again. Hello there, changeling. You’ve been busy telling tall tales of me, haven’t you?”

I flinch slightly, and Mark looks back at the skeleton. He gags again as he smells the stench of Mid Knight’s body, “What the fuck?!”

I nod, “And why the fuck? And who the fuck? Fuck, I’ll do you one better, how the fuck?!”

The skeleton tilts it’s head, as a chuckle comes from it, “Such surprise from the one who heralded my return. I would have thought you would know my capabilities, since I’m your favorite scapegoat.”

Mark covers the breathing holes for his mask the best he can, “Is that you, mental illness? Or are you greed?”

The skeleton looks at him, chuckling again, “Still ever so sarcastic, even in the face of terror and death. But I wasn’t talking to you.”

I pause, and raise an eyebrow, “Wait... did I seriously bring you back just by mentioning you to Celestia?”

The skeleton nods, “Then you know who I am... Love. That seems to be your new name, isn’t it?”

Mark looks at me, “Mind filling me in, because I’m not only horrified and disgusted, but confused.”

The skeleton chuckles again, “How rude of me, I forgot introductions. You are... Mark. Your soul is bright for a thief. I am Grogar, Lord of Blood and Bone.”

Reclamation

Grogar chuckles, “Such confusion, curiosity begging for explanation. Perhaps I should.” The green glow around him picks up, and within a blink, we are all teleported onto the roof of a bell tower.

Mark blinks, “What?”

I nod, “Yeah, I’m still not understanding any of this, really.”

Grogar shakes his head, “What a shame. Very well, allow me to explain. About, say, one thousand five hundred years ago, I was killed by Celestia and Luna. I was their experiment, and they discovered quickly that it was a dangerous experiment.”

I pause, “Wait, when we talked to Nullam, he didn’t mention goats as being one of the original races.”

Mark looks at me, then back at him, “And he also mentioned that their children would be powerful.”

Grogar nods, “Yes, your assumptions are both correct. I am the first born of Celestia. She was five hundred years old, and accidentally fell in love with my father, who did an experiment that sent him to this world. She had five hundred years worth of that special power built up, which was given to me. That is why I am so powerful.”

Mark pauses, “But... she killed you. She killed her own son?”

He nods again, “Yes, she did, and I never saw it coming. Due to my Necromantic powers, I lived a long time. I was twelve hundred years old, and she hosted a party for me in the middle of this very town. So I was caught off guard when she impaled me with her sword, and turned me to ash. She took my skeleton, which survived, and buried me in the deepest catacomb of Canterlot. I was dead.”

I shake my head, “I can’t believe she would do that.”

Mark nods, “Honestly, I can believe she did. It seems exactly like something she’d do.”

I nod back, “I just find it hard to believe she is such a monster. Every day, we get more reason to bring her down.”

Mark grins, “And we will.”

I smile, “Yes, we will. Now, back to Grogar; how’re you back?”

He nods, “Because of you, Love, in a roundabout way. You whispered my name to Celestia, which caused her to worry that I hadn’t fully died the first time. Then, later in that same day, you injured Luna and got blood on her. Thus, with worries in her mind, worries that I had a cloven hoof involved in what you did to Luna, she went to my tomb. She tore my skeleton out of it, and examined every little bit of it. However, as she looked over me, the trace amounts of blood from Luna on her fell onto my skeleton. It reawakened me, and my magic. But she didn’t know that, unless I were to use that magic on something. Thus, I had to bide my time for the perfect moment to return.”

I raise an eyebrow, “And that was the perfect moment?”

He nods, “Yes, it was. Mid Knight was a dead mare walking, I simply accelerated the process. Now, I am back, even if it is in her skeleton. Or perhaps I am not back. Perhaps I am simply a revenant or a lost spirit. But I do know one thing; I am here for revenge.”

I smile, “Well then, Grogar, we’re the group for you.”

He nods again, “Yes, I believe you are. First order of business is to reclaim my true body, so I can be at full power. The second order is to find a new bearer for Loyalty and Kindness, seeing as their bearers are dead. Then, it is your show.”

Intrigue

I sit down at a table in the bar, smiling as I watch the room.

Every other table is full, and emotions swirl the room.

I grin, and take a sip from my cider as I feel a pang of anger come from the door.

Immediately after the pang, in enters the creature. Seven o’clock, exactly the same as yesterday.

He walks up to the bar, ordering a drink. Once the drink is given to him, and he pays back, he looks around the room.

Disgust radiates from the ponies as they avoid his gaze, pretending to be absorbed in each other. Then, a pang of annoyance and anger from the creature.

I slowly place my drink down, and smile at him. I motion him to a free chair at my table.

A spike of uncertainty, and the rage melts away, as he moves closer.

He puts his drink down, and takes a seat. He looks at me, “So, let me guess, another spy for the Princesses?”

I snort, “Quite the assumption.”

He nods, “Well, the last pony who talked to me willingly was. All these around are a bunch of assholes. Something to do with this town, or your kind in general?”

I grin, “Oh, sadly it’s the kind in general, but this town is the worst. Us ponies may not like to hear it, but we’re, as you phrased it, xenophobic assholes.”

He takes a sip of his drink, “Ah, so you saw that yesterday?”

I nod, “Oh yes, and I’m better for seeing it. I don’t know what a garbage disposal is, but I can certainly imagine it isn’t pleasant. So, which bitch did the thestral work for?”

He grins, “Bitch, eh?”

I grin back, “Well, yeah. It’s an unpopular opinion, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that those two bitches are bitches.”

He nods, “It was Luna. Apparently she wanted to keep an eye on me.”

I smile, “Keep an eye on you? Why, I’d say you’re quite hard to miss.”

He takes another sip of drink, “I know, which is why it’s odd.”

I nod, “Well, how’d you get here anyway?”

He smirks, “Well, I walked.”

I smile, “You know what I meant. How’d you get to Canterlot? You certainly don’t look like any creature I’ve seen before.”

He nods, and scowls, “Twilight Sparkle, the bitch of the bitches. She summoned me to this world, and now she isn’t sending me back.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Not sending you back?”

He takes another sip, “Yep, she’s keeping me here. Said it would possibly cause a rupture in space if she was to send me back.”

I frown, “What a bitch.”

He nods, “Yep.”

I pause, “So, do you still keep in contact with her?”

He nods again, “I do. She’s paying for where I’m staying, so I gotta put up with her bullshit.”

I grin, “Must be painful, truthfully. I know what she can be like.”

He raises an eyebrow, “You know her?”

I nod, “Yes, but she doesn’t know me. To her, I’m simply another face she saw when she went to school. To me, she’s a teachers pet.”

He leans back, “God, I know what that feels like. There was this fucker named Melvin in my school. He would report every little thing to the teacher. You say a ‘mean’ word, he’s gonna report you. You don’t return his pencil? He’s gonna report you. You’re a second late? He’s gonna report you. Wish I coulda seen him the first time he got in trouble.”

I laugh a tiny bit, “Sounds like a bitch.” I smile, “So, what’s your name?”

He grins, “Mark. And you?”

I nod, “I am Love.”

He smiles, “Love, eh?”

I smirk, “Well, I’m very good at giving it out.”

He laughs, taking a sip of his drink, “So, that’s your pickup line?”

I nod, “It usually works.”

He grins, “Actually not that bad, not gonna lie. I’ve heard some shit pickup lines in my time.”

I lean closer, “Really? Well, I am a master of the pickup line, so I might find some enjoyment out of hearing those.”

He smiles, “Ah, let me think of the worst. Oh yes, an old classic. Are you corn, because I’m stalking you.”

I snort, “Wow, that’s worse than I thought possible.”

He nods, “Well, that’s humans in general. Sometimes, we come up with shit ideas because we think it’s funny.”

I smile, “Ah, so you’re a human?”

He grins, “Yep.” He takes another sip of his drink, “Well, Love, I thank you for the talk. But, it’s about time for me to leave.”

I nod, “Well, perhaps you’d like to talk again sometime?”

He raises an eyebrow, “What are you looking for here?”

I smile, “Somepony to have a good conversation with.”

He shakes his head, “Well, I am not a pony, and I’m definitely not good conversation. But, if you really want to talk again, I’m at this place every night.” He stands from the table, “Have a good night.”

I nod, “And you have a good night as well.”

He exits, and I smile.

A strange creature with a connection to Sparkle and the Princesses? He’ll make for a wonderful ally.

I stand from the table as well, and head for the market.

Spring

With a flash, I find myself in the middle of a forest clearing. I glance around, seeing Mark standing next to me.

Mark looks at me, “So, how’d fighting training go?”

I grin, “I told Messorem to go fuck himself after he started acting like an asshole.”

Mark grins, “Nice. Laevus was a lot more pleasant to speak to than Messorem, though I was with Laevus for a lot longer.”

I smile, “What did he talk to you about?”

He shrugs, “He told me about how Luna has done some fucked up shit to your people. Like, a genocide. Apparently she kept it snowing outside a Central Hive place for a year straight, killing most changelings with hunger or freezing.”

I pause, “That’s... very cruel of her.”

He nods, “Yeah, she’s a bitch. But I still don’t think she deserves to die.”

I nod back, “But what if it’s the only option?”

A female voice comes from the other side of the clearing, “There is always more than one option, Chrysalis.”

I look over, only to see a fox-like changeling. Her eyes are yellow, and she slinks over to us.

I turn to face her, “What other option is there, then? I already tried and failed to keep her captured.”

She nods, “Your thinking is not expanded, Chrysalis. Think more like an animal, like a beast, like all living things are deep inside. Killing Celestia is not a good idea to begin with.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Why?”

She grins, “When you kill the alpha, the pack does one of two things. They submit if they didn’t like their alpha, or they believe you are too powerful. Or they turn against you, seeking vengeance for their alpha.”

I nod, “And the first would be the most likely.”

She barks with laughter, “Ponies do not submit easily, Chrysalis. Especially when they have a weapon to defeat you.”

I nod slowly, “Yes... Celestia and Luna are that weapon. They’d be gone.”

She shakes her head, “No, Chrysalis, the weapon of the pony is their spirit. They believe in Harmony more than their Princesses. When Harmony banished one Princess to the moon, the pony accepted it without care. Do you understand, Chrysalis?”

I pause, but don’t respond.

She continues on, “You must use the pack’s idols to defeat the alphas. You must bend Harmony, but you cannot break it. Or if you cannot do that, make sure that Harmony no longer exists.”

Mark speaks up, “Are you talking about those Elements of Harmony?”

She nods, “Yes, Mark. They are the manifestation of the Harmony within ponies.”

I nod slowly, “So if we disable the Bearers, or bend them to our point of view, then the ponies will have no issue with their Princesses being killed.”

She shakes her head, “Not killed, Chrysalis. Harmony cannot kill. What it can do is trap.”

I nod again, “But I’ve already tried trapping them.”

Mark nods with me, “Plus, they’re powerful enough to eventually escape any prison we make.”

She smiles, “Not if that prison is stone. Or the moon.”

I nod, “Right, but how can we even do that? The Bearers are loyal to Celestia.”

She frowns, “Once again, Chrysalis, you are not thinking expansively. Harmony is flexible, so flex it.”

Mark looks at me, “I think I have an idea.”

I look at him, “Yeah?”

He grins, “What if we caused enough discontent in the Bearers that their Elements stopped working on them?”

I pause, “Or we could cause all of them to forsake their Elements. Make Honesty lie easily, make Kindness cruel, make Generosity greedy, make Loyalty a traitor, make Laughter depressed, and make Magic forsake knowledge.”

He shakes his head, “No, that’s cruel. That would ruin their lives.”

I nod, “You’re right. We won’t win by sinking to Celestia’s level. But what do we do, then?”

He smiles, “Well, think of it this way. If their Elements require Harmony, just introduce Disharmony.”

I shake my head, “Discord already did that, and it failed horribly for him.”

He pauses, “Damn. What did he do?”

I smile, “Well, he corrupted each one of them like I suggested earlier. Turned Honesty into a liar and all that. But they recovered quickly. He corrupted their minds to do it.”

Mark shakes his head, “Well, I don’t mean like that. But what if we were to use their Elements to cause a rift in them? Say Kindness heard what Magic did to me. Being that summoning an alien against their will is cruel, they would confront Magic out the kindness of their heart. Thus, the Harmony is ended between Kindness and Magic because Kindness is being kind.”

I pause, and grin, “That’s a pretty great idea, actually. Never took you as much of a manipulator, Mark.”

He smiles, “Well, it’s not manipulation. Just because it is conveniently good for me to tell the truth to a pony doesn’t mean that it’s inherently manipulative. After all, they deserve to know. And, if all goes wrong, we can just steal the Elements.”

I nod, “Well, it’s a good plan. The only problem is that we’d have no way to use them.”

He grins, “Well, you could definitely wield Kindness, Generosity, and Magic.”

I chuckle, “Always looking for the opportunity to flatter.”

He nods, “Well, it’s true. You were kind enough to befriend me, even if your intentions weren’t pure at first. You are generous in many different ways that I’m not even going to begin saying them all. And your form is magic on the eyes.”

I shake my head, “Alright, flatterer, focus on the plan and not my flank.”

He smirks, “That’s going to be a challenge.”

I pause, “What’s bringing this on, actually? I mean, you flatter usually, but this is more than ever before.”

He smiles, “You saved my life, Chrysalis. First by being my friend, because I would have wanted to die otherwise knowing that I have no way home. You saved me again when you freed me from prison, because I know I wouldn’t have been able to escape once the alarm on that vault went off. Then you saved me a third time by catching me before I hit the ground, even if you ended up getting injured because of it. You’re a lovely gal, and I feel it’s time you should start to hear it. Hear the truth, instead of some asshat calling you a monster because you look different. Personally, I think you look badass.”

I look down, and smile, “Thank you, Mark.”

He nods, “No problem, really. You deserve to be complimented.” He looks over to the other changeling, “You’re Spring, if I’m guessing right. Will our plan work?”

She shrugs, “That is not for me to know.”

He grins, looking back at me, “Well, it’s going to work. We’re Chrysalis and Mark, the best thieves to ever exist, and we’ll make it work.”