The sound that magic makes is as distinct and personal as an unexpected sneeze.

While some auras whistle like wind through a train tunnel, others buzz like a platoon of irate hornets, while still others hiss like a casserole after its third molten minute in the microwave.

Starlight Glimmer had never really thought much about her aura’s sound. She knew Sunbursts’ aura intimately. It had a soft, fatherly hum, and it twinkled like chimes in a warm breeze. Sometimes he would spend a bit of quartz just to cover his hands in that aura and rub Starlight’s shoulders. It was like getting a massage from a ray of sunshine.

The first time Starlight Glimmer cast a spell, it was like a cannon blast. Starlight had reached the edge of her desperation, and in one last act of defiance, she lost the only family she had.

The second time, it was the sharp crack of a silenced pistol.

In a green, breezy valley tucked in the soft northeastern fringe of the Rocky Mountains, a tree fell in half. Its bisected trunk smoked in the twilight star shine.

Starlight Glimmer stood in the forest shallows, her eyes glowing in the warmth of a campfire, her hand turning to another tree with a target nailed to it.

“Come on…come on…just get it right!”

Starlight fanned out her fingertips, squeezing the quartz in her other hand. A searing cyan light sliced through the air. Crack!

The tree slid down itself, cut in half as if by a blade. It crashed into the grass, and so did the two on either side of it, then one on either side of both of them. Another failure.

“Damn it!” Starlight hissed.

She was younger and softer, then, having enjoyed her stay away from hard manual labor, preferring a sporty blouse and a skort to the modest colonial clothes she’d burned before leaving Fillydelphia. She hadn’t shaved her legs in weeks, and it felt fucking fantastic not to have anyone judging her for it.

Suddenly, Starlight heard a shuffling in the brush. Before she could reach for another chunk of quartz, she was blinded by a sudden flash! Instead of death or demons, a familiar voice filled Starlight with dread.

“Excellent work. Look at that perfect finish!” Sunset Shimmer said, pointing a flashlight at the stumps. The edges of the blast were as smooth as a razor’s edge.

“Uhh...thanks?” Starlight said, shaking her smoking fingertips.

“It’s only been a week, and you’ve got mana projection down to a science. So why are you sneaking out here with my spare quartz to practice it?” Sunset Shimmer said.

Her fencing foil hung from her belt, its encrusted rubies shining in the fire’s light.

Starlight became a small, stammering girl in the presence of the hand on Sunset’s hip.

“It’s…! Well…it’s a slice!” Starlight said. “I want it to be like a nail!”

“It’s supposed to be like a hard punch. A non-lethal punch.” Sunset said.

“What if I fight something with armor? My beams have to get through!” Starlight pouted.

“Starlight, I’m not teaching you to kill monsters, I’m teaching you magic!”

“So I can fight monsters!”

“So you can be ready to protect yourself and others when things get crazy out there! Our job is to contain magical threats. We don’t have to hurt anyone.”

“Well, what if I need to hurt someone!?” Starlight said. “I don’t want to cut anyone in half! Or the people next to them! Just tell me how to do it, one more time!”

Sunset dragged a hand down her face and sighed.

“If I help you fix this, will you promise to relax?”

“Yes!”

“Alright. Look closely at my foil. What do you notice about it?” Sunset said, brandishing her fencing foil. Their fingers brushed briefly as she passed it to Starlight.

Starlight caught herself and squinted at the ornate magical sword. It was bejeweled with rubies around the basket and pommel, which swirled into a fine ribbon of red that twirled around the blade, straight to the tip.

“That it’s the most expensive training sword I’ve ever seen.” Starlight said, handing it back.

Sunset flourished the foil and stabbed at a tree across the clearing. A flash of red coursed through the sword in a blink, and then with a sudden thwack!, a thin bolt of mana struck a dent in the tree. One of the rubies went pale.

“And you power it with rubies.” Starlight said.

“Sort of. The swirl is meant to be like a unicorn’s horn, since I don’t have one over here. It makes it easy to direct my mana. I send my mana through the blade, and it comes out as a single point; the arcane darts spell.”

“So then, what do the rubies do?”

“They act like a magazine. They absorb my excess mana and store it like ammunition.”

“So even if you run out, you still have a few blasts in there! Smart!” Starlight said.

“But that’s really the only difference. The foil comes to a point, and you’re shooting mana with your fingers fanned out.”

“So what?” Starlight said.

“Remember what I taught you about spell matrixes. You have your power source, and you have your intention; firing a beam at that tree. But that’s only half of the equation. You’re missing the emotion.”

“I have plenty of emotion! I need to get this right or people will get hurt!”

“No, you have plenty of stress. You’re mistaking urgency for emotional clarity. I…don’t think you know what you’re aiming at, and that’s why it’s coming out as a wide slice.”

“I’m aiming at a tree! One tree!”

“So, try pointing. Here, grab another quartz,” Sunset said. She stepped behind Starlight and took her by the arm, guiding it gently toward another nearby tree. Her voice was next to Starlight's ear. “And plant your feet.”

“Right…” Starlight said. She adjusted her stance with a slight blush.

“Now let me just…” Sunset closed Starlight’s fingers, pointing her index digit alone at the target. “There. And what did I tell you to do next?”

“Picture a horn in my mind. My emotion lights it, my intention points it…” Starlight said.

“Exactly. Now find your focus. Don’t close your eyes! Aim.”

“Justice.” Starlight whispered. She imagined her father’s face. A violent blue spark leapt from Starlight’s eyes and down her arm, streaking through her fingertips.

“Hold it there! Right there!” Sunset said.

Starlight gritted her teeth. A ball of crackling mana halted in front of her finger.

“Excellent control! Now hold it…hold it…” Sunset said, her gloved hand slipping from Starlight’s form. She tapped the mana ball with a finger, and a red flash turned it larger, making it strobe purple. Arcs of chaotic energy leapt across its surface like solar flares.

“What the hell is that!?” Starlight said.

“That’s what we call a conflict of interest.” Sunset said coldly. “As you know, my spell focus is Empathy.” She stepped in front of Starlight, directly in the path of the beam.

“What are you doing!?” Starlight tried to pull away, but Sunset Shimmer caught her wrist in an iron grip.

“Are you scared you might hurt me?” Sunset said.

“Let go!” Starlight said, sweat beading on her brow. In her mind, she saw a blast of blue light drill a hole through Sunset's stomach. The mana ball crackled and quivered.

“Are you scared!?”

“Yes! Yes I’m scared!”

“Good! Because now you understand what you’re playing with! Your spells are your creations; an extension of you! They shape you just as much as you shape them, and you’re using them to build a gun. Do you think you can fire a gun with empathy?”

“I won’t use it unless I have to!” Starlight pleaded, desperately trying to pull her hand away. The ball of mana ballooned in size, crackling with power.

“If you put all of your focus on learning how to kill, what will that make you!?” Sunset said.

“Whatever I have to be!” Starlight shouted over the roaring fistful of power. “Whatever I have to be so what happened in Fillydelphia never happens again!”
Sunset Shimmer yanked Starlight’s hand skyward. Boom! A blue-flamed cannon blast blazed a streak of dawn across the night sky. Starlight’s knees gave out. She fell to the ground, watching the colors fade as nesting birds took a sudden and urgent vacation from the area.

All of that from a tiny crystal, Starlight thought.

“Starlight, I understand where you’re coming from, I really do. But the kind of power you’re trying to develop is…dangerous.” Sunset said.

“All of it is dangerous.” Starlight said, crossing her arms.

“Which is why we have to be extra responsible. Hurting people isn’t justice. Saving people is. Understand?”

“...I understand,” Starlight said.

Finally, Sunset’s stone-cold glare softened. She helped Starlight to her feet.

“Good. I going to teach you how to shoot the bolt you’re looking for.”

“What!? But you just said-”

“Because if I don’t, you’re going to keep sneaking out here to practice until you actually hurt something,” Sunset said. Starlight looked down and saw Sunset’s naked hand on her wrist.

“Oh.” Starlight blushed.

“And I know I can trust you to use it responsibly,” Sunset said. She turned Starlight’s palm up and scribbled into it with a sharpie. It was a spell circle; a collection of lines and runes that created a matrix for spellcasting. In a red flash, a marble of energy floated just above the circle, spinning slowly, and to Starlight’s surprise, with a definite stability.

“Wha-how?” Starlight said.

“Because you’re a good person, Starlight Glimmer. I know that when the time comes, you’ll do the right thing. Now hold that spell.” Sunset said.

“For how long?”

“Until I say so.”

“WHAT!?” The red ball flared like a small star, fueled by Starlight’s panic.

“Don’t lose control!” Sunset said. “If justice is your spell focus, you need to keep it in the back of your mind. To do what you have to, you have to think about justice as a necessity instead of an act of violence. When you’re using this kind of power, it’s your responsibility to do the right thing with it.”

Starlight remembered her mother’s words.

“Life is unfair...but if I can save at least one person, I’ve made the world a better place. It’s the right thing to do.”

The mana shrunk inward, turning blue. It sounded like the twinkling of piano keys. It pulsed with Starlight’s heartbeat.

It was beautiful.

“Okay, it’s getting dark. Let’s head back!” Sunset said.

Starlight kept focus on the ball, spinning it on her finger with great care all the way back to the cabin, then the couch.

“Oh, and this came for you! It’s from Sunburst.” Sunset said, holding out a wrapped parcel. Starlight stared at her.

“Right, here, let me open it.”

There was a crinkle of wrapper and a silent smile.

“What is it?”

“It’s another set of pirated blu-rays. Oh! Sailor Moon! And what’s…Wander over Yonder?”

“I don’t have time for that! I need to focus on this exercise.” Starlight said, her eyes back on the ball of mana.

“Didnt you just promise me that you’d relax?”

“If I relax, this thing will shoot off!” Starlight said. The ball crackled and grew in size. “What am I supposed to learn from shooting a hole in the ceiling!?”

“Good question.” Sunset said, cracking open a can of beer. “When you carry a weapon, you always run the risk of it causing harm. That’s what they’re designed to do. Relax. Deep breaths.”

“How am I supposed to relax when there’s a deadly spell in my hand!?” Starlight said.

“Starlight, now that you’re a sorcerer, there will always be a deadly spell in your hand. You need to learn how to live with that right now, or you’ll regret it later.”

“I know I'll regret it if I shoot my eye out!” Starlight grumbled. “Stay in control…stay in control…!”

The ball warbled unsteadily, little flares licking off it as it threatened to go supernova. Sunset smiled and pinched the ball of mana between her fingers, snuffing it like a candle.

“What? How did you? What even…!”

“Once you can hold it in your sleep, we’ll practice the beam again.”

In the days to come, Starlight would excel at fine mana control. She’d learn snares and spell circles and other arcane secrets that would help her in a pinch. On occasion, Starlight lost focus and dropped the spell; cutting a slice out of a stack of firewood, scaring off some wildlife, or shooting the top off a toothbrush. It happened six times exactly; Starlight couldn't help but keep score.

By the time Starlight Glimmer returned to Canterlot, she still wasn’t sure what Sunset had been trying to teach her.

All she had to do was hold a crystal and think about a manticore barreling down on a child, or a nice couple getting mugged in an alleyway, and the power would follow. She knew now that the problem was bigger than she’d ever imagined. There were monsters everywhere; not just the kind that came over from Equestria, but far darker, far deadlier ones lying in wait behind the eyes of everyone she met.

Sometimes, all she had to do was think of a friendly smile, and the word “welcome”.

Crack!

A few miles away from the city limits, the dying light over Canterlot shone through a perfect hole in the side of a boulder. The spell was exactly what Starlight needed it to be. Focused, precise and deadly. By then, she had started hunting in earnest. She couldn't remember when she'd started killing. She didn't keep score of that.

Sunburst was on his feet, scribbling calculations in a notebook before Starlight even finished firing off the second beam, which clipped the top off a tree a few yards behind the boulder.

“That’s 65 yards! Incredible!” Sunburst said. Starlight was sitting.

Starlight had been doing a lot of sitting then. It was hard to walk off the training range with her leg in a cast.

Starlight and Buck raced through the Canterlot tunnels at the speed of a determined cyclist. Enshrouded by Buck’s magic, lifted by Starlight’s focused determination, the two followed the newly named Gregor the changeling as it zoomed ahead on ragged wings.

As Starlight remembered her training, a shiver ran down her spine. How many changelings had she killed in just this outing alone? Were they keeping score? Shouldn't she be keeping score? The thought chilled her.

But now wasn’t the time for second thoughts.

“I bet this is what skydiving is like! It’s like; it’s like falling sideways! You’re controlling this, right?” Buck said, none the wiser to Starlight’s turmoil.

“I’ve got you!” Starlight shouted. “Also, duck!”

Buck stooped his head as a thick wooden beam zipped over it.

“‘Hey, did you and Sunset bang?” Buck said.

“That’s none of your business!!” Starlight snapped, and the two sped up.

Buck ducked a cross beam, spun in the air beneath another, laughed, and then hit his funny bone on a third.

“GAH, FUCK! You did that on purpose!” Buck said.

“Sorry!” Starlight said. Their soaring bodies dipped closer to the floor, where a set of rusty tracks stretched into the darkness.

“Nevermind, nevermind! So what’s our game plan? Obviously they’re gonna let me into the hive, but what about you?”

“My first priority is regrouping with Adagio and Sunburst! I'll try to slip in unseen. Have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

“What’cha mean?”

“I mean, you’re letting this one take you into the Hive.”

“Into the Hive!” Greg said.

“Pretty clever, right?” Buck said.

“What are you going to do when you’re in there? We’ve been down here for hours; even someone like you must have thought of a plan by now.” Starlight said.

“Huh. Well…I figured I'd chat up the Queen. Play nice, find out what she’s about, keep her company, all that stuff! That’s kind of my main thing.”

Starlight came to a halt in mid-air, which caught Buck unawares in a manner similar to getting knocked off a scooter. He did a couple of mid-air flips, waving his arms awkwardly as Starlight glared at him.

“You can’t just talk to her!” Starlight said.

“Why not?”

“What do you mean why not!? She’s an evil body snatcher who’s way out of your league!”

“Wow. Woooow!”

“I mean as in a monster, not as a date, you jackass!”

“You’d be amazed at the power of “just talk.”” Buck said, floating upside down.

“You can’t just laugh and joke your way through villains like her!”

“Why not? I might be able to get some info out of her if we get to talking! Besides, she might show a different side of herself if she's treated with civility."

"Haven't you heard the saying; When people show you who they really are, believe them the first time?"

"Maya Angelou, yeah. I get it, but-"

"Changelings thrive on trickery, and the Queen is the trickiest of all! If she gets you alone, she'll juice up on your magic, and then the whole mission will be compromised!"

“Okay, but what if I don’t, like…give it to her?”

“Well, that’s ridiculous; that’s not how-”

“Do changelings feed on each other?”

“No, they don’t. Or, I don’t think so? Sunburst would know.”

“Don’t, or can’t?”

“What does it matter?”

“It fucking matters! If they choose not to, that’s one thing, but if they just can’t do it, that’s huge. They aren’t cannibals, right? Okay, I’m a changeling, I’m starving, I’m falling apart, and the only thing I know how to do is hunt and eat, and I’m not doing it all the time, even when there’s a whole mess of others around me? That don’t make no sense!” Buck said.

“No sense. Starving.” Greg nodded.

“Okay, what’s your point?” Starlight said.

“Well…you said changelings are born manipulators. Maybe that’s not true. I mean, nobody is born evil.”

“Just keep telling yourself that.”

“Oh yeah? Do you try to be an asshole, or is it hereditary?”

Buck expected a punch, but instead, Starlight crossed her arms in a frazzled pout.

“Shut up.”

“Point is, maybe they manipulate people because they can’t just take the love by force.”

“...they have to seduce you, first! Like Adagio did with you! Like Chrysalis did!”

Buck clutched the side of his head, grunting in pain. The red mana flickered, and for a second, Starlight was terrified. She touched the memory stone still in her pocket.

“Puh-leeez don’t tell me that the Queen jumped on my dick and I don’t remember it…” Buck said.

“You still had your pants on when we rescued you.” Starlight said.

“Okay, so she’s got some fucking standards, at least, that’s a good sign. As long as I don’t give it up…”

“She can’t take it from you!” Starlight said. “You can give her the run around while we regroup!”

“Up top!” Buck said, lifting a hand.

“Not on your life. What if she gets mad and tears you to shreds?”

“And get rid of her meal ticket? These guys are dying out here!” Buck said.

“Dying.” Greg whined. Buck held out a handful of pink mana, which the changeling ate ravenously mid-stride.

“Heh, their tongue is dry! Like a parrot! Gross.” Buck chuckled. “But naw, I don’t think so. That lady; she’s obviously got the head for all this tactical espionage shit, but she’s in enemy territory. Holed up in a base, sure, but you can’t defend against low supplies. She’d be gettin’ desperate about now, and I’m the best shot she’s got at keeping this thing going. She won’t take me out, just like…just like Adagio wouldn’t. My magic’s the thing.”

Starlight watched the man deflate. Now they were coasting through the air at a slower pace, giving Buck ample time to fall back into his feelings.

Starlight thought very hard, reached deep into her chest and, despite a grim look of effort on her face, she made her best attempt at a compliment.

“You really do have a knack for this.”

“Naw, naw, I’m just thinkin’ about some of Granny Smith’s old war stories. Now there’s a real tactical mind; you oughta recruit her!” Buck deflected.

“Who?”

“AJ’s mawmaw? No? Don’t matter. Look, whatever you may think about me, Glimglam, none of this is for me. All’a this is another bit of Canterlot weirdness that I got sucked into. I don’t like hurtin’ nobody, and I never wanted to be a fuckin’ poker chip in a game for urban fantasy protags.”

“...You know, you don’t have to be?”

“What?”

“I mean, not right now, but when the danger has passed, we could just set you back to where you were before you met Adagio. We erase people’s memories all the time. That’s most of what our case handler does-clean up the trauma from magical events.”

“No, I don’t want you creeps to wipe my mind! That shit's cracked!”

Starlight had never felt so loathsome and guilty. She had to believe she had made the right choice.

“The point I’m trying to make is that you have something I didn’t; a way out. If you’re not the kind of person that can handle how things go down the rabbit hole, you don’t have to try. When this is over, you can do whatever you want.”

“The hell do you mean “not the kind”?”

“Who you are defines what you do. Changelings are born for one purpose; to hunt and eat, so no matter what, that’s what they are going to do.”

Buck looked from Starlight to Greg’s face.

“That’s fuckin’ dumb,” Buck said. “You got it backwards; what you do defines who you are. If you shoot somebody in the face, you’re not Dave from accounting anymore, you’re the guy that shot Jerry from HR in the face.”

The red aura moving the pair flickered. Starlight and Buck drifted downwards.

“How long do you plan on debating philosophy with me?” Starlight grumbled.

“Until yours starts makin’ sense!”

“...we need to get the lead out. Whatever the queen is cooking up for us, you can bet it’s nothing good.”

“Right. We gotta work together on this one. I know you trust me about as much as a flight of stairs.” Buck said.

“Is that a crack about my leg?” Starlight said.

“Naw, it’s just that stairs are always up to something. Hah! Hahahahah!” Buck laughed, swatting Starlight on the back. Gregor the changeling mimicked the laugh exactly.

Starlight Glimmer groaned and hid a smile before rocketing herself and Buck down the tunnel.

“And then I ran…and like…I didn’t even realize they were still in me until I got back to my dorm! So embarrassing...” Scootaloo grunted. She swung a tennis racket and missed for the fifth ego-crushing time today. Summer sweat glistened on her shoulders as she frowned.

“Matchpoint. Why are you telling me this?” Wind Sprint deadpanned. She gave her racket a few experimental swings as Scootaloo retrieved the ball with effort.

“I dunno; why are we playing tennis?” Scootaloo grunted. The ball sailed over the net.

“Because we don’t have enough people for kickball. And because you refuse to sit down and rest, like you should be.” Wind Sprint said, effortlessly knocking the ball back.

Scootaloo kicked hard, and her old beat-up twin-tip skateboard took her most of the way across her side of the court, but she still missed the tennis ball.

“I’m fine! This board is old, and I’m not used to it anymore!” Scootaloo said. She tried to grab the ball and ended up knocking it several feet away. She swore under her breath, leaned down and tried to hide the tears on the edges of her vision.

“You’re in a cast.” Wind Sprint said.

“Okay, yeah, I’m in a cast, alright!? I’m in a stupid cast, because I broke my stupid ankle, because even though Buck charged me up and touched my butt, I couldn’t stick the landing!” Scootaloo snarled.

“Woah, what? Who’s Buck, again? Is he that guy you were talking to when you tried to save me? What’s your deal with him, anyway?"

“Well, he’s my-I mean we’re like…him and Adagio, they, uh…” Scootaloo didn't have enough calories in her to perform the emotional sleight of hand it normally took to categorize her relationship with Buck and Adagio. Mostly, she just masturbated about it, but after Buck had yelled her and Adagio out of his apartment and a potential second threesome, she was feeling weird about flicking the bean. Nothing felt right anymore.

With no real options, Scootaloo tried to pull an appropriate turn of phrase from the fuzzy sea of shame and arousal in her head. It wasn’t until she was picking at a comfort salad sometime around noon that she managed to toss the right words into a bucket. By then, the pair were sitting outside a little cafe.

“And it’s like, I don’t know what’s going on with him and Adagio and every time I go over to Buck’s place, something awkward or sexy happens and, I wanna say sorry for going through his stuff and I also wanna ask like, woah, man, what kind of hobbies do you have? Like why do you have all of this gear? But he’s mad at me, I know he is! And I can’t even say I’m sorry because they’re all out of town right now, and I’m over here sitting around doing jack squat because I’m in a cast!” Scootaloo’s tirade hit the table, alongside her forehead, with a thud.

“I’m sorry I landed on you…” Wind Sprint said.

“I’m not mad at you! I’m mad because…I had a chance to be the big hero, and I messed it up! Now they’re off saving Canterlot while I just sit around being useless!”

“I don’t think you’re useless. You saved my life, no cap, and you’re the best sprinter in school.”

“Who cares? I don’t even like sprinting! I just did it because Rainbow Dash did it, and I couldn’t even beat her time! Ugh! What am I even doing!?” Scootaloo’s forehead thumped against the table again.

“Uh…wow. Okay. Well, what do you like doing? Maybe you just need to try something different?”

“There’s gotta be something I can do…”

As Scootaloo groaned, a pair of totally innocuous women passed by. One was talking very loudly about ice cream and the other was making a clear effort to ignore her buzzing phone.

“If you want, I could show you my favorite free-running spots! I-I mean, if you’re not busy, or anything…” Wind Sprint said, her eyes falling onto the table like twin grand pianos. “You know, maybe a change of scenery would be good! Summer’s here and there’s tons of stuff to try in town, so maybe we could-" Wind Sprint sheepishly looked up. Scootaloo was gone.

“Or you could just ditch me. That’s cool too, I guess.”

Scootaloo fell into the role of stalker so easily, it honestly creeped her out. It was admittedly hard to sneak around in broad daylight on a cloudless Canterlot summer day, and as the confused pedestrians glanced at her ducking behind a flower pot, Scootaloo made her move. She approached her target as quietly as she could on four wheels.

A whirl of pink and blue turned, pointing a taser in Scootaloo’s face. The mint-colored woman next to her raised an eyebrow.

“Oh! Uh, uh, heeeeey!” Scootaloo said. “Hey, you’re like, Sunburst’s boss or something, right? Do you remember me?”

“Yeah, Bon Bon? Do you remember her?” Lyra snickered.

Bon Bon’s smile had just won a relay race against an internal scream. Sugar Cube Corner was only two blocks away. Was she ever going to try that damned ice cream?

“I do! It’s Scootaloo, remember, from CHS? She’s a trainee who’s only been to the office once or twice.” Bon Bon seethed. “A real go-getter, even if the top brass doesn’t seem to get that.”

Suddenly, Scootaloo was sitting in every awkward job interview, every nerve-crushing exam at school, and for some strange reason, a few unpleasant dentist visits.

“Right, well, you know, I was wondering if there’s anything I can do today! You know, with the uhhhhhhhhhhh…” Scootaloo’s brain stalled like a dial-up computer. “...case file?” She managed.

“I’m not at work today.” Bon Bon said. Lyra smiled. “But if you want to be working today, which I wouldn’t recommend with that leg…”

“Okay, Mom…” Scootaloo mumbled.

“You can follow up with that housewife case. I’ll text you the details.” Sweetie Drops finished.

“Yes ma’am, uh, uh, boss!” If Scootaloo could scatter like a herd of frightened guinea pigs, she would. After a moment’s scramble, she whipped out her phone to find a simple message; “Ditzy will still be at the clinic for therapy. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Stay out of trouble.” The address followed.

And just like that, Scootaloo had a finish line to run to. A target. As long as she had a destination, she could keep moving forward.

With great determination, Scootaloo got on her board, swerved directly into traffic, and disappeared around a corner amidst a chorus of honks and swears.

“...she must have a crazy resume to work at your firm,” Lyra said, squinting down the block.

Agent Sweetie Drops really put her back into a good-natured smile. She hoped it would hold Bon Bon together.

In the lobby of the changeling hive, formerly known as the Snow Drop Inn, on the wall behind the welcome desk, the spell circle through which Minuette had entered flickered like a dying flashlight, then went out.

“Pathetic. You power it; I'll stabilize.” Queen Chrysalis grumbled. By now, she was dressed in a wispy black slip of a bathrobe and a pair of pilfered slippers. The one standing next to her in the darkness tensed up but said nothing.

The portal glowed green, and with a halo of yellow around the edges, it tore a hole in space.

A solitary figure left the alleyway behind the Canterlot clinic and entered the Hive’s lobby. Silver Spoon smiled, handing a tuft of yellow hair to the queen.

“Excellent work. What’s the status on the housewife? Does she suspect anything?” Chrysalis said.

“Not at all. She told me her sad backstory, and then I sent her home. She is p…pro…prog-”

“Progressing!” Chrysalis snapped.

“Progressing! Right!” The drone chirped. “She is progressing just like you said. I gave her the medit-medit…med-”

“Meditation. You gave her the meditation instructions.”

“Yes, Mom! Er, ma’am, er…”

“Queen. I am your Queen.”

“Yes! I also brought you a gift!” Silver Spoon said, producing a steaming paper cup from behind her back.

“And this is…?”

“Coffee, my Queen!”

“Ah, yes. I’ve seen this. The humans use it as fuel when the drudgery of their pathetic lives weighs them down. It is sacred to them. You’ve done well in stealing it.”
Queen Chrysalis grinned and took a confident sip, then coughed as the black liquid burned bitterly in her mouth. The shadowy figure beside her chuckled in a low, nasally tone, only to recoil as the queen snarled at him.
“You’ve done well. Now, go coordinate the others. Our guests will be arriving soon.” She said to Silver Spoon, who bowed and wandered away. “And take off that disguise! You look ridiculous.” Chrysalis said.

Silver Spoon’s shoulders sagged, and what emerged from a sudden flash of green was a changeling drone that, for once, was not melting into a puddle as it scuttled away.

“And as for you…” Chrysalis said. She snapped her fingers, and a drone tossed a sack at her feet. It was full of quartz crystals, their shine glimmering in the eyes of the shadowy figure.

“It’s only a matter of time before one of those fools comes to “rescue” our food stores.” Chrysalis said. “You can guess which one.”

There was a grin and a nod.

“You know the plan. Have fun.” Chrysalis said.

The two parted, neither seeing the petite form that hopped through the portal before it closed nor its shocked purple eyes, which watched the shadowy figure depart.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Greg came to a dead stop.

“A way out.” Greg said in Starlight’s voice, then punctuated with Buck’s. “Hive”

Starlight snuffed the red aura, holding a fist up to Buck before skulking around the corner to get a good look.
The tight cave tunnel opened onto a massive chamber. A waterfall coursed through a wide cave mouth some thirty feet up, feeding an underground stream that twinkled in the noon light. Starlight could see the shadow of a towering building; surely this was the edge of the hive! It might have made for a pretty decent postcard were it not for the fact that this cave was positively swarming with changeling drones, moving like a determined anthill. They were in varying stages of dress, but many of them had tools in their hands.

The laborious sounds of metal on stone could be heard from around a bend.

Starlight ushered Buck back into the dark and explained the situation.

“Woah, you kinda buried the lead there! What’re they doing?” Buck said.

“Who knows? Buck, ask the changeling if we’re close, and how we can get into the hive.” Starlight said, poking at her phone. She attempted to make a call, and paled as she got no response.

“Close.” Greg said.

“He’s got ears, Glimglam. He can understand you. Where’s it at, Greg?” Buck said.

Gregor the changeling pointed, with his fist instead of a finger, across the chamber to a tunnel guarded by several drones.

“Of course. No help at all.” Starlight groaned, rooting around in her pocket. She produced a pebble of sunstone, which floated off her palm, turning like a compass needle.

“What’s that?”

“A sensing stone. Sunburst and I always keep a pair attuned to one another, in case we get separated.” Starlight said.

“That’s really sweet.” Buck said.

“He’s not answering his phone. He always answers his phone.” Starlight said. “That means he…he’s in danger, or he’s already been caught.”

“Oh shit. Then they got him and Adagio?”

“Unless Adagio sold him out.”

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“How would you know?”

A thin beam of yellow light shot out of the stone, but it splintered, blinkering as it extended upward and through the cave wall. The stone spun strangely, and then loudly cracked in two. Starlight’s eyes widened with barely restrained panic.

“Is it supposed to do that?” Buck said.

“We need to get through here, now!” Starlight said.

“Uhh, I think we’ve got bigger problems.” Buck said.

Every drone in the cavern stopped. With a round of hisses, they all stalked toward Buck, Starlight, and Greg.

“Through here.” Greg hissed, stepping in front of Buck.

“We have to fight!” Starlight said, drawing on the cave wall with a piece of chalk. A red flash, a low rumble, and suddenly a long stone pole emerged from the stone wall. It had a wide half-circle at the end.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Buck said. “No killin’ nobody!”

“That’s why this is a man-catcher and not a spear.” Starlight growled, clutching the polearm.

The malformed horde crept closer, their mouths filled with dagger points.

“Okay, hol’ up, remember the plan! Hey there, folks! It’s me, Buck, that guy you’ve been after! It looks like you caught me, haha! I’m gonna go ahead and let Greg here bring me to the Queen!” Buck announced.

Greg the changeling puffed out his chest and said “The Queen!” with great pomp and circumstance.

The trio stepped forward, and the drones parted to let them pass, their eyes all swiveling to follow in unison.

“Buck, wait a second…” Starlight said.

The drones closed in behind the trio, prowling closer.

“What’s up? This is goin’ good, right? They’re not gonna come after me, ‘cause I’m the macguffin.” Buck said, a bit of a strut in his step. The changelings hissed at each other, speaking in a tongue that humans had no chance of understanding. Greg was shivering with fear, but he nonetheless strode through the horde, proud of his acquisition.

“That’s not the problem! They aren’t going to hurt you because you’re important! But what about me?” Starlight said. A ball of red flame formed in the cradle of her new man-catcher.

And there was a sound that none of the trio heard; far away toward the mouth of the cave, barely audible over the sounds of rushing water and the hiss of the drones. It was something like a song.

The changeling’s eyes flashed green. A great hiss filled the chamber, and the army of dark, dripping shapes charged.

Meanwhile again, but several feet higher, the interior of the Hive buzzed with frantic activity. The drones moved with the frantic energy of low-income waitstaff as orders came down to initiate the next step of their Queen’s supreme will.

Floors were swept, thresholds cleared, and corners were dusted. The place smelled like the hustle and bustle of servants expecting a privileged guest.

Adagio Dazzle, who had snuck her way into the depths of the place with the utmost skill, caught a glimpse of a small team of drones polishing a grand chandelier.

“Strange behavior for an army…don’t they know they’re under attack?” Adagio murmured.

The addictive, spicy-sweet flavor of Buck's mana signature lead Adagio into the shadowy depths of the hive, each step bringing her closer to an inevitable confrontation.

Any second, she would find her prize again, and then she would…try and convince him to trust her.

Adagio scrambled behind a pillar before any passing drones could spot her. The thought of confronting Buck again made her legs feel like lead gelatin. She cursed under her breath.

Adagio could feel the bonfire of Buck’s heat as she slunk into the shadows of the hive. It warmed her, threatening to burn if she got too close. In her own heart, she could feel his love sparking up again, waiting for a chance to ignite. Power.

She could taste him on the tip of her tongue. Down, down, down she went, at first skulking with intentional slowness, then dashing as soon as the coast was clear.

“He’s close! Any minute…any second now, I’ll find him!” Adagio said. She just wasn’t sure what she’d say when she did. How much contact could she make without sparking up?

Minuette, that ghoul, had been immolated. Adagio could be next, and yet she needed him now more than ever.
She didn’t dare admit that she wanted him just as much.

A tide of changeling drones fell on Starlight, Buck, and Greg from all angles, some with melting faces, some with holes through their entire body, but all determined to follow their base directives. Swarm, Capture, Feed!

“How can there be so fucking many of these guys!?” Buck said, his hand on Starlight's back to fuel her spells.

“Look at them! They’re falling apart!” Starlight said.

Starlight’s polearm blasted mana bolts at the crowd, trying to blunt them so they wouldn’t kill, aiming for limbs to stumble them, but the drones kept coming. Another volley suddenly fizzled. “What the-you’re over there feeling bad for them, aren’t you!?”

“Who the fuck has this many kids and then doesn’t feed them!?” Buck said, tossing a gnashing, thrashing drone away.

"Feed!" Greg said, as three of four of his brethren knocked him around.

"Hey, leave 'em alone!" Buck shouted, taking the drone in his arms. The others hissed in frustration, trying to grab Buck’s arms and haul him to the ground. More and more of them buzzed into the fray from the cave mouth, their eyes glowing green with malice. “Man, there’s no end to these guys!”

Starlight was a whirlwind of cracking strikes and bursts of red. The drones tackling Buck were knocked away, each projectile wrapping them in sticky threads of mana.
Buck understood just enough about magic to see that Starlight was adjusting, experimenting, even combining spells to keep her promise. He’d remember to be impressed when the adrenaline wore off.

“Just go! As long as you make it in there, I can come and save you!” Starlight yelped. A passing claw shredded the sleeve of her jacket, then another bit at her leg.

“But who’s gonna save you!?” Buck said. “I can’t just let you get killed out here!”

Buck scrambled to stand in front of Starlight, but while a squad of drones backed off, even more came from the rear, and still more drones poured in from the hole near the ceiling. One came in with a flying tackle, but Starlight’s staff snatched its neck, pinning it to the ground.

“This is what I do!” Starlight said. “Just top me off and run! I’ll catch up; you just have to trust me!”

Buck saw a desperate determination in Starlight’s eyes, and for once, he understood it. Here was someone like him; someone who had faced a storm and lost a home. But unlike Buck, for whom life was a series of elaborate beatdowns, Starlight had spent every day since Our Town studying magic. She was determined to fight her way through, and he could see the fire in her eyes as she entered her element.

But Buck was still fearful of what would happen if he really poured it on. Starlight had nearly killed one of his best friends; was pretty cavalier about people’s lives in any case, and Buck had seen how loopy Adagio could get with just a bit of his care. Who knew what would happen to Starlight if Buck gave her the juice when she was this riled up? All of these thoughts stuck in Buck’s mind all at once, which is why when Starlight reached out to touch his hand, he hesitated for just a moment.

The drones took that moment, and the trio was crushed beneath a dogpile of slavering fangs and melting limbs. Buck struggled fruitlessly as he was dragged across the stony floor, reaching out, trying to grab his companions, until the fracas came to a sudden stop.

The drones’ heads turned up, their ears flicking like a dog’s toward the mouth of the cave, where a familiar figure stood, swaying a set of unforgettable hips.

From the top of the waterfall, Adagio sang. Wispy green tendrils snaked into the cavern, hazing up the eyes of all within earshot.

A green cloud crossed Buck’s eyes, then a blink of red.

Where she got the juice to pull this off, Buck didn't know, but he shook his head as Adagio’s claws reached into his brain. It had only been hours, and he’d been giving her the cold shoulder, but he had to admit it, if only to himself.

He’d missed her.

Adagio sang a familiar melody, one Buck remembered from CHS. The drones released Buck, Starlight and Greg, swaying to the siren’s song. She stepped off the ledge, and the water hardened around her feet, lowering her slowly to the ground. Buck rubbed his eyes and squinted. At this distance, he couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw a smile on Adagio’s face.

“Just give in.” Adagio said.

The changeling’s dull expression sharpened into a feral fury, and they fell upon each other, growling and screaming. Buck saw green blood splash onto the stone.

“Woah, woah, woah, wait, wait, WAIT!” Buck said, shouting over the din. He saw changelings biting into each other, and he saw Starlight and Greg swinging and striking into the crowd, their eyes filled with the same green light. “Babe, STOP! DON’T MAKE THEM DO THIS!”

“Stop!” Adagio said, and the fight ceased. The drones went back to their neutral stances, despite the bruises and cuts they’d gotten in the scrap.

Buck helped Starlight and Greg to their feet. Starlight slapped her cheeks, shuddering as the spell broke.

“Holy shit, ‘dagio, don’t do that! None of these guys asked to be here; they’re just following orders!” Buck said.

“Orders.” Greg groaned, blinking out of the spell as Buck patted his back.

“That’s no excuse!” Starlight said, going back on the attack, her back to Adagio, Buck and Greg as she pointed her man-catcher suspiciously. “But that’s not important right now. Where’s Sunburst?”

“Captured, unfortunately. He sent me into the hive before getting caught.” Adagio said earnestly. Before she could even finish the sentence, Starlight was astride her polearm, flying toward the mouth of the cave.

“Where are you going?” Adagio said.

“Where do you think!? I’m getting Sunburst back!”

“Hold on, we shouldn’t split up again!” Buck said.

“It looks like a hotel! Just meet us in the lobby!” Starlight said, without a look back, and then, in a flash of red light, she zoomed off. Buck groaned and crossed his arms.

“Man, someone oughta teach that girl how to be a team player,” Buck said.

Adagio stepped toward Buck but pulled her hand back as Greg jumped between them.

“Leave ‘em alone!” Greg hissed, showing his fangs.

“Naw, naw, naw she’s cool, Greg, she’s cool!”

“You’ve made friends with a changeling?” Adagio said.

“Yeah! This lil’ guy’s gonna take me into the hive.”

“No need. I know a back entrance we can take. Leave. Tell your Queen that you’ve found him, and to call off the search.” She said.

The changelings dispersed at once, leaving Gregor to look at Buck with confusion.

“Goan.” Buck said. “I’m alright.”

“Take us there!” Greg said.

“No.” Adagio said.

“It’s alright, buddy. I’m safe, now.” Buck said. “When we’re done here, we’ll figure out what to do with you and your family. You’re gonna be alright.”

“Greg’s alright.” Greg said, in Buck’s voice, then added “Don’t push your luck!” in Starlight’s. He took an uncertain glance at Adagio, then leaned against Buck like a nervous dog.

“Hey, hey, look! Go find the other loose humans in this place. Those’re my friends. You’ll be safe with them!” Buck said.

“Friends?”

“Yeah! Look for the orange one.”

“Orange?” Gregor’s shiny black carapace flashed green, then purple.

“Uh, try again. Like this one's hair.” Buck said, hooking a thumb at Adagio.

Greg’s expression scrunched, and the drone’s color spread into a vibrant orange hue.

“There you go! Find the guy that looks like that. You can trust him; he’ll look out for you, okay? He’s a friend!”

“Trust friend!” Greg nodded with determination, shifting back to the traditional dark finish. He raised a hand, an expression of solidarity he had learned from Starlight and Buck.

“Yeah, little guy. Up top!”

Their hands clapped, and a bit of pink sparked into Greg. Buck saw some of the holes in Greg’s limbs close up as the drone scuttled off into the darkness.

“Okay, well, that was somethin’...” Buck scratched his head.

A pair of soft, slender arms were thrown around Buck’s neck, squeezing with a desperate insistence. She was cold without Buck’s hoodie, and she sighed like she'd been waiting all day for this embrace.

“Okay, okay, not what I was expecting!” Without even thinking, Buck squeezed her back.

“You’re ragged! Who did this to you?” Adagio sniffled.

Buck blinked and touched his face, remembering the shiner Starlight had left.

“Uhm, well uh…the uh…the trip through the caves was kinda rough. How’d you find me so fast?” Buck said.

“I can always find you, Buck…” Adagio sighed. Buck coughed, patted her back, and she let go, boldly taking Buck’s hand to lead him further in. “The hive is right through here.”

The two headed down a passage that got very narrow and very steep, eventually leading out into the slush-covered mountainside behind the hotel. A thick bank of snow created a mound that went up to the second floor.

“Okay…uh, how do we get in?”

“Really, Buck?” Adagio said, and with a gentle hum and a squeeze of the hand, a small tunnel opened in the snow pile. At the end of it was a small door with a sign carved into it marked: “Staff entrance.”

“Right. Magic, duh.” Buck said.

Hastily stepping into the belly of the beast, Buck saw veins of strange black stone taking over the old floral wallpaper and moldering carpet. It looked like something out of The Shining, but lit by a pale green glow. It was bizarrely warm and stuffy; a monument of past opulence rotting from within.

“This place smells like a bus stop.” Buck said.

“There’s a place you can hide; where you’ll be safe. I might be able to help with your injuries.”

“Alright,” Buck said, squinting at her once more. “Can I order room service?”

“Still joking? You’re incorrigible.” Adagio laughed, opening a door. It was a swanky, surprisingly clean hotel room with a king-sized bed, brightly lit by a little hanging chandelier. Buck stopped short on the threshold, looking Adagio up and down.

“Sure, sure,” Buck said. “But I’ve got one more question.”

“And what’s that, Buck?” Adagio said, twirling a bit of her hair around a finger.

He could see her properly now. Spiky, high-heeled boots, a dark purple romper under a cropped, lavender-colored jacket with poofy sleeves. A golden, spiked belt with a garish yellow diamond on the front. It was both nostalgic and ridiculously outdated.

“Who the hell are you?”

Whatever was wearing Adagio's skin bit its lip and smiled.

Adagio coughed as she turned the handle of the door. Buck’s passion was faint; a little tingle of tabasco on the tip of Adagio’s tongue, but the faint syrupy sweetness of his love called to her even through the door. More than that, Adagio tasted anguish, and the kind of exhausted frustration that she dreaded to sense on him. And fear. There was a great deal of fear there, too.

Whatever they had done to Buck in this wretched place, Adagio swore to herself she would return it all tenfold.

Before any guards could pass, Adagio slipped inside.

The room was opulent and imperial; a high ceiling supported by white columns, a posh canopy bed, and a tall mirror ringed with eerie photographs. Many of them were of Adagio. Most of them were of Buck.

Adagio’s eyes flashed red at the thought of that loathsome cockroach spying on Buck like some kind of sneak thief, trying to figure out how to exploit him.

“Ughhh…” Groaned a familiar voice.

Adagio’s heart skipped past the irony as she crossed the room. He was tied to a chair, his head down, his mulberry hair covering his face.

“Buck? Oh gods, Buck!” Adagio said. She fell to her knees to look at his face. He was paler than usual. A droopy golden eye fluttered open.

“...babe? Hey. You're a sight for sore eyes. Wha-wha happened to you? You’re all scratched up.” Buck groaned.

“Me!? You taste like the morning after a bender! How long have you been here? What has she done to you?”

In one swift motion, she slashed the ropes holding Buck down. All of her conflicted thoughts scattered to the wind.

“What didn't she do to me?” Buck said darkly. He wouldn’t meet Adagio’s eye.

“Buck. Look at me. What did she do?” Without even thinking, Adagio touched his cheek.

The cocktail of Buck's emotions bubbled up from the bottoms of Adagio's feet and up into her stomach. It made her feel a bit sick, but she found his love in the din, and somehow the distant threat of it centered her.

“Well, we had a lil’ dinner, did some flirting, you know, date stuff,” Buck said.

“What?” Adagio said.

“She had a lotta personal questions about me, reeeally tried to get me on her side. Wanted to know 'bout all my wants and needs. And fetishes.” Buck said, smirking.

Something was wrong. The aura Adagio tasted was like Buck’s love, but not quite the same. It was filled with a confused, dark taste. Her eyes widened as she realized it wasn’t coming from him; it was rising up from beneath the floor.

“But it didn’t work, so she had to tie me up! You wanna know why?” Adagio scrambled away as Buck stood.

He was wearing a black tank top and jeans; just about the most common look she’d seen him in. He was not wearing his jean jacket or that wretched pink scarf.

His eyes bled from gold to sunrise embers, and in the red heat haze rolling off his shoulders, Adagio could see horns and a pair of bat wings. His smile sharpened. So did his nails, and so did his flavor; it tasted like the fumes of a diesel engine.

“I was too hot to handle! I’m sssssmokin’!” Buck growled. His voice rumbled through Adagio’s chest, as absurd as it was menacing. The room warmed by several degrees.

Adagio’s rapier slid from its sheath, rattling slightly in her hand.

////////

Starlight Glimmer soared up over the waterfall, into the valley and above the hive. It was mostly buried under a colossal pile of freshly fallen snow. The trees surrounding it bent under the new weight, disturbed forest creatures crawling through the slush on the ground.

She didn’t have any time to waste, and she still had enough juice to mount a half-decent offensive, but only if she was frugal. Sunburst was in there, alone in a cocoon, just waiting to be saved.

Starlight's sensing spell, now miraculously deciding to work properly, pointed toward one of the many chimney tops poking out of the snow on the roof. A few of them were piping steam into the air.

“What the hell is going on down there?” Starlight shrugged and landed, then pried the cap off a smokestack with a heave of her polearm. The sensing spell's beam pointed down into the darkness. “Sunburst, if you’re down there having a snack, I swear to god…”

Starlight held the staff to her chest and hopped into the flue like Mary Poppins, her arrival at the bottom announced with a puff of old soot as Buck’s aura cushioned the fall.

Starlight winced as she stepped out of the fireplace, her bad leg protesting every move with a dull pain. She’d done way too much hobbling around today, and she knew she was going to pay for it later as she peered around the room.

It was a smoking room bathed in heavy shadows. Starlight saw lavish couches stitched with intricate patterns. The walls were lined with heroic paintings of men whose mammoth egos could never quite be captured in photographs, glowing in the dim light of a single lamp. But all of that was in the background of Starlight’s view. Both her eyes and her spell's beaml focused on the person standing in the center of the room.

He was in the most typical outfit he’d ever worn; a white shirt and a pair of brown pants, and matching suspenders. A starry, teal cloak, ragged at the bottom, a few rips along its sides. A pair of big, thick glasses. A cracked lens.

He was holding a black leatherbound book in his hand. One that Starlight recognized.

“I knew you’d come!” Sunburst cheered.

Starlight’s man catcher thumped against the floor. Vicious spikes sprouted from the half-moon at its tip as she leveled it.

“You must think I’m fucking stupid.” Starlight said.

Sunburst’s face split with the loudest smile Starlight had ever seen.

“Why not? You walked right into danger all alone! As usual.” Sunburst said, brandishing a chunk of quartz.

A door crashed open, revealing a phalanx of charging changeling drones.

“As usual!” They repeated.

Buck stood square with crossed arms, mustering all the courage and control he could.

“Don’t be scared.” Adagio mewled. She made to reach out, and as Buck tensed, she put her hands down with a little pout. “How could you tell?”

“Well, for one, she ain’t worn that getup since CHS.” Buck said.

“You don’t like my outfit? I think there might be others in the wardrobe…maybe I should change?” Adagio said, tugging at the bust of her romper. Buck’s head jerked away, a sudden heat touching his cheeks. He just knew she'd be smirking at him.

“I-I didn’t say that! And, uh, you look different. A lil’ bit paler, sorta muted. I thought changelings were supposed to do a perfect mockup?”

“How rude! I’m not one of those pests!” Adagio pouted.

“You’re not?” Buck squinted.

“Do I look like I’m melting? Honestly, Buck, is it the lack of glasses, or are you just slow?”

“Well, you got her sass right. Not bad for a trick.” Buck smarmed.

“Oh, look who’s talking!” Adagio’s retort stung Buck like a cobra’s bite. She looked at his face, and her expression softened immediately.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that; that’s cruel!”

“...okay?”

“I…am not a cheap illusion; I’m a doppelganger! An ancient spell that changeling queens pass down to one another. A flawless copy, formed from your Adagio Dazzle’s own essence and the queen’s magic.” Adagio said with a little pose.

“You’re just like her? In every way?” Buck squinted, barely keeping his wandering eyes on a leash. Adagio leaned forward.

“In all the places that count, Buck.” Adagio smiled softly. “Except, I’m very different from her, as well.”

“How’s that? Are you made of sticks and twigs, like the changelings in the old folk tales?”

"...well, yes. But I'm also made of magic. If I run out, I'll melt to death like the rest of the fodder in this place."

"Yeah, well that's...that's fucking horrifying, holy shit."

“A doppelganger is a mirror image of the original. We have all their powers and weaknesses. Everything the original represses, we express. For example; a kind person becomes cruel.” Adagio said.

The drones coming at Starlight flashed, their dark, fenestrated forms suddenly replaced by copies of Sunburst. Starlight’s blood boiled as the Sunburst with the cracked lens laughed and ran through the door they came in through.

“A repressed person becomes bold and wild.” Adagio said, taking a step closer.

The other Buck grinned lecherously; his eyes glowing red as he swaggered in Adagio’s direction. She could see his calf muscles tensing in his jeans, his shoulders flexing as he prepared to pounce.

“C’mere, babe. I wanna talk to ya, reeeal close.” He growled, and his hazy aura radiated through the air, soaking into Adagio’s skin like a hot wine bath.

She raised her blade.

“And a spiteful, manipulative ice queen becomes sugary sweet,” Adagio said. She reached out to touch Buck’s hand, but he took a step back. She looked genuinely sad.

“Well then…let me see about that bruise, hm?” Adagio said, stepping over to a somehow functional mini-fridge in the corner of the room. Buck looked away quickly as she bent down to collect some ice in a woven napkin. “Will you please relax? You’re making me nervous.”

Buck looked around, waiting for a changeling ambush to start any moment now, or for the ice to turn into spikes, or snakes, or some other magical bullshit.

“Buck…Buck! Will you look at me? I’m not trying to hurt you!”

“Then what are you tryna do?” Buck said, ducking his head around as Adagio tried to apply the ice. “The Queen had to make you for a reason, and I’m the prize, so this’s gotta be a trap.”

“Yes, Buck, obviously this is a trap. You’re in the changeling hive; Chrysalis already has what she wants. But she doesn’t want you hurt. In fact, she’d much rather you be in top shape when she comes to fetch you. Oh…oh, fine! If you don’t want me to do it, just take the ice pack!” Adagio said.

Buck took the wrapped ice and gingerly touched it to his eye. It was…totally normal ice, and just then, as the cold napkin soothed the aching bruise on his face, Buck realized he’d been in a mob fight, a cave-in, a bare-knuckle brawl, and a lengthy flashback sequence all in the same damn morning. The second he sat down, he wouldn’t want to get up again, and he knew it.

“There, you see? Nothing so nefarious as last time. You’re an honored guest.” Adagio said.

“An honored guest to fucking what?” Buck said, still on the defensive.

“That’s a secret.”

“Oh, fuck off!” Buck turned to leave the room.

“It is! Chrysalis forbade me from telling you!” Adagio grabbed his hand, saw how he cringed, and let go.

“Whatever, lady.”

“It’s the truth! Would I lie to you?”

“I mean, probably. ‘dagio would, yeah.”

“Well, she’s not here!” Adagio squeaked. Her gaze meekly dropped away. “...I’m here. And I care about you. Just like she does.”

She was blushing. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes shifting uneasily, just like when she and Buck had sat on the bench across from Sugar Cube Corner. He saw that odd, cute little smile, like when she’d gotten “love drunk” after their second date. She was holding onto his jacket sleeve.

“This’s obviously a honeypot, like…” Buck touched his temple and winced. “Like the first time. If you’re the Queen in disguise…”

“I’m not! I can prove it! Ask me anything Adagio would know!” Adagio said. Buck narrowed his eyes at her, either out of suspicion or his lack of glasses.

“Fine. What’s the nickname you came up with on game night?”

Adagio blinked for a moment, aghast. Then she grinned at Buck, giggling uncontrollably until it bloomed into a full-on belly laugh. Buck couldn’t help but smile.

“Of…of course you’d ask something like that!”

“Well? Do you remember that night, or no?”

“Of course I remember, Puppycakes! You were so impressive then, showing off your little game of make-believe! So confident and jocular! What fun!”

“Yeah, that last nat 20 was wild!” Buck chuckled.

“Oh, that wasn’t you.”

“Huh?”

“She fixed that roll. Remember the juice you bought? She used a bit of condensation from the bottle to spin the dice.” Adagio said.

Buck stared at her, eyes wide. He couldn’t decide whether to be insulted or impressed.

“Oops! That was supposed to be a secret.”

“...yeah. Adagio’s got a lotta those.”

“She’s forgotten more crimes than you could ever commit, Buck.”

“Alright, fuck this, I’m goin’.” Buck said, stepping out the door.

“Buck! Please, come back! I can tell you’re exhausted! Why don’t you just sit down for a second? I could help you relax!” Adagio called.

“I’m not hearin’ this! Too busy helpin’ my friends who are definitely in trouble right now!” Buck said.

The corridor filled with menacing hisses. Buck looked up and saw a small army of drones clinging to the ceiling. By his own understanding of magical arithmetic, he had precisely fuck-all ways of dealing with that.

“Shhhheeit. You uhh…you wouldn’t happen to know if they like spicy food or not, would ya?” Buck said.

“I haven’t got a clue, Buck. Why?” Adagio said.

“No reason.” Buck sighed. He had his own secrets, after all. “...I guess I’ll pop a squat for a lil’ bit.”

Buck backtracked to the hotel room, his eyes on the floor. He hoped Greg was alright. He didn’t notice the vicious red-eyed glare Adagio made at the drones, a look so brutally protective, they all shuddered away.

“Is that all you wanted to ask me?” Adagio said, holding the door.

“Huh?”

“I know you have plenty of questions; you always do.” Adagio smiled. “Was that really all you wanted to know?”

“I…wow, uh, yeah, there’s a lot I’d like to know.”

“There’s a lot she has to answer for. Ask me anything, Buck. Anything she doesn't want you to know.” Adagio sat on the edge of the lavish king-sized bed, which took up most of the room. She patted the space next to her.

Buck’s mind was racing. In between blinks, he swore he could feel the temperature in the room rising. He took a breath, tried his very best to stay calm, but he could already feel the anxiety creeping up his back like kudzu on a wall. It would take him over if he let it.

But there was another nagging feeling in Buck, one that was even more urgent.

Curiosity.

Buck sat on the bed. He knew he would regret this. He shut his eyes and smiled, chuckled.

“What?” Adagio said.

He wanted to drop some line about things changing and staying the same, but he was feeling nostalgic now, and he found a phrase that dropped out of him seconds after seeing Adagio for the first time.

“What’s the harm? Let’s talk.”

"C'mon babe, let's talk! What's the harm?"

Adagio lunged at Buck with a volley of vicious stabs, but not a single strike landed. Buck’s hands were in his pockets, a smile on his face as he effortlessly weaved through Adagio’s torrent of jabs. He kept dipping in, coming within arm’s reach, then sliding away.

"I know you don't want to just talk! You reek of infidelity!"

"Hey, hey now, Ditzy ain't here. We both know what we both know. We're both thirsty fuckin' sex freaks! That's why you came runnin' when you caught my scent!" He laughed, radiating the casual menace of a jungle cat.

"Shut up! That's not what I came for!"

"Awww, so you really do like me for my personality!"

"Stop! Talking!"

“Hey, that’s a cool sword! What’s that? Is that a dolphin on there? Man, those buggers might look cute, but they’re evil lil' gremlins! Sorta like you, right babe?” Buck laughed, ducking under a swipe meant for his neck.

“What are you doing!?” Adagio said. “Stop dancing around!”

“Why not? You been dancin’ around me since we first met!” Buck laughed. Adagio’s sword lunged at his throat, but he spun on his heel, his hand coming around to her ass with a ringing slap. “Goddamn you got a fat ass! Mm!”

“Shut up and fight me!” Adagio said. Every vicious stab was dodged with an effortless bob of the head, a flick of the wrist, or a sly smirk reflected on the blade’s side. She couldn’t hit him. Why couldn’t she hit him!?

“But damn, lookit'chu. The most beautiful woman in the world. You're hot as fuck when you're mad!” Buck said.

“You can give up the charade! I know you’re not Buck! It was a nice try, but you’re far too confident to be him!” Adagio said. Her assailant pushed the blade away from his face, only for it to immediately flick back two or three times as he spoke.

“Hey, you gotta fake it til’ you make it; that’s what my Ma always says! You know all ‘bout that, right? You been fakin’ your feelin’s for me this whole time!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Adagio barked, slashing as she backed away. She could feel the handprint on her ass warming up as she tried to collect her thoughts. If his passion interacted with the…the love she was still carrying, she might just burst into flames.

“And there’s the swerve! Classic ‘dagio! Poor ol’ Buck, tryna meetcha in the middle, and you just dance away! Until ya get hungry; then you’re all over me! You really are just another mean girl!” Buck laughed.

“Shut your mouth!” Adagio shrieked.

A red line tore across Buck’s chest. He stopped, touching the wound with a hand that trembled at the sight of his own blood. Buck locked eyes with Adagio, heartbroken.

“Babe?” Buck whimpered.

“No! No, no, no, Buck, I didn’t mean that, I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Adagio said. She reached out without thinking, and suddenly Buck gripped her wrist in a sparking pink vice. He smiled, and Adagio saw his teeth lengthening. Sharpening. A small voice in her head beneath the rising panic told her to bare her neck.

“Finally, somethin’ real!” Buck laughed. Adagio tried to pull away, but her back found the wall.

“Let go of me!” Adagio said. She tried to strike, but Buck pinned her sword hand.

“That ain’t what you want. I get it, you know? I’m a professional. You gotta stroke their ego, work ‘em up, act like you’re fallin’ apart, but really you’re thinkin’ about what to have for lunch tomorrow. Problem is, sometimes you get in a lil’ too deep. Sometimes you start to feel it…” Buck said.

Adagio’s protests died in her throat. She denied it with every screaming, feral instinct she had, but her heart was hammering faster by the second. He knew. He knew, and he still wanted her. He knew, and still, he loved her.

“...you’re not him!” Adagio said.

Adagio felt a familiar heat lighting her heart with pink sparks, igniting every part of her with a hot wet yearning. Gods, but she needed him.

“But I am! I’m all the parts of him you actually want! Now c'mere…” Buck said.

Adagio saw a sunset in his eyes. He was so close now, and she was so thirsty.

Once again, Adagio Dazzle was overlooking a cliff; a blazing caldera of lust, waiting to burn her alive, all in the dwindling space between her and Buck’s lips.

“Every time we touch, there’s sparks…” Buck growled. “We could burn this whole fuckin’ place down, babe…”

Adagio sighed dreamily, raised a foot over the cliff…then slammed her knee into Buck’s crotch.

“FUCK! FUCKETY-FUCK-FUCK-FUCK!” Buck fell to his knees.

Adagio ran for the door.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, a burst of red light sent Sunburst crashing against the wall of the smoking room. It slid to the floor, transforming back into a drone.

“Get off me! GET OFF ME!” Starlight screamed.

Starlight’s man-catcher caught another Sunburst by the neck and slammed him into the floor. A tether of red magic collared him to the ground.

Five more, she thought. No! Six! Starlight smacked another Sunburst away, trying her hardest not to cry as she got on her man-catcher to give chase. The leader was casually strolling down the hallway, flipping through that dark bound book, pausing to smirk and wave at Starlight.

"Do you remember what this is?" Sunburst said.

“Give me that!” Starlight shouted. A beam of red heat screamed at Sunburst, but he dodged the shot with a sudden lurch through the air.

“It’s Stygian's Spellbook! It’s full of spells; secret spells based on the kinds of heroes that you could never hope to match!” Sunburst laughed.

A red jet of flame scorched the spot where the doppelganger’s head had been. Starlight frowned behind her smoking hand. He’d changed directions at the last second, shimmering in a field of yellow sunlight.

The mob of drones, or was it clones, caught up and formed a line in front of Sunburst, smiling in the same way he did when he pulled ice cream from the freezer. That smile gave Starlight pause, just for a moment.

“I know you’re not the real Sunburst! He doesn’t know how to levitate!” Sunburst smirked. It was just a cheap changeling trick, and she knew better than to let it get to her.

“Doesn’t know-doesn’t know how!? He knows every spell you know! He even knows a few you don’t! He just can’t practice because you’re always hogging the components!” Sunburst said.

“Where’s the real Sunburst?” Starlight snarled. Her eyes flashed red. She pointed her anger backward, the back end of her man-catcher glowing like a poker; waiting for an opportunity.

“It’s a secret!” Sunburst chuckled, thumbing through the pages without looking up. “He’s got a few of those, you know! Knowledge can be a dangerous thing…aren’t you curious about what your pwecious boyfwiend is hiding from you? Did you know, for instance, that he's been reading other equestrian literature behind your back?”

“Give me that!” Starlight roared. She rocketed into the air in a red glare, coming down with her polearm to smash the impostor’s head, but the strike rebounded off something bright and steely. The drones were wielding shields now; wedges of see-through bronze with notches on the sides for catching weapons.

Starlight bounced back, firing off a bursting blaze of Buck’s passion, but it did nothing.

“Flash’s Phantom Netitus. Don’t bother blasting; they’re heat proof!” Sunburst said.

“Don’t bother blasting!” The drones laughed in unison.

“Tell me where Sunburst is!” Starlight snarled. She was panting for breath, burning up inside.

“Maybe I’ll tell you, if you can catch me!” The doppelganger laughed and zoomed down the hall, leaving the drones to block the way.

Starlight shook with rage.

She was already running low on mana. Her bad leg was aching, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to win a war of attrition here. She'd have to end this quickly, but she couldn't bear the thought of what that meant. She could feel hot tears tracing down the sides of her face, sizzling into steam in Buck’s aura.

"Catch me!” The shield-bearing drones mocked Starlight with her beloved’s voice, marching at her in a line.

“Don’t lose control…don’t lose control!” Starlight said.

Scootaloo was many things. She was a state-class sprinter, an ace at ping-pong, and somehow, just recently, a pretty okay defender of Canterlot.

At the moment, the thing Scootaloo was, more than anything, was terrified. She’d fought these things, sure. She’d been to a hive, and she fought the Queen! But she had her friends, then, and they had useful things like magic and plans and Scootaloo had barely either of those things. She was armed with her usual flip-out pocket knife, her old scooter, and basically nothing else. She could practically feel the stress acne rising on her back.

“Okay, okay, okay! Major creep factor here! Don’t know where I am, don’t know what I’m doing! Kinda just went with it!”

Scootaloo had been looking for Ditzy at the clinic when she noticed Silver Spoon walking around the back. She wanted to go say hi and also sorry for thinking she was spreading rumors, but Silver Spoon ducked into an alley and then things started happening very fast. Scootaloo saw a magic portal open, and against all warnings, permission and common sense, she’d jumped in when she was sure no one was looking.

Scootaloo’s mind was reeling at the deluge of new information. She had seen the changeling queen in a skimpy nightgown-looking thing, giving orders to Silver Spoon and Sunburst. Silver Spoon turned into a regular changeling, sure, but Sunburst…had just sort of walked off, and now Scootaloo ducked down again as a small army of drones buzzed up the stairs on either side of her to a pair of open double doors at the top.

She could hear that thing using Silver Spoon’s voice through those doors.

“Make sure you dust everything in here! Use the buddy system; one rag for the surfaces and another for the slime you leave behind! The Queen wants this place spotless!”

“The heckie is even happening in this place!?” Scootaloo said in a trembling breath. Her whole body was shaking; she couldn’t manage a single step. “Where is everybody? Was that really Sunburst? Why am I sitting around talking to myself, I need to do something!”

What Scootaloo could manage was shutting her eyes, pulling her knees up to her chest. She managed to get one up there; the cast made it hard to do both.

Somewhere down a hall, she heard a door slam. In the polar opposite direction, she thought she heard shouts.

“C’mon Scoots, think! Everyone is counting on you! What would-” Scootaloo paused. She had almost said Rainbow Dash. “W-What would Chillwing do? She would, like, she would…”

Scoots loved playing Chillwing because she was fast and cool and totally not just a pallet swap of Rainbow Dash but a batpony. Best of all, Chillwing was simple. She could leave the frontline stuff to Hillbreaker, and the creative stuff to Dangle, and the smarty-smartpants stuff to Tidy. Chillwing had three jobs; scout stuff, stab stuff, and grab stuff; in that order. Scoots could do that, right?

“I can…I can do this, I can…too many questions. I just need to scout around. Rogue stuff!” Scootaloo said, pulling the knife from her sports bra.

“Rogue stuff?”

“Exactly. Rogue stuff. I just gotta sneak around, and…” Scootaloo trailed off. She looked to her left and was met with a pair of pale blue compound eyes, a shiny black carapace, and a curious tilt of the head.

"Wh-whoah, woah! Don't come any closer!" Scootaloo fell backward, her hand the only thing holding back the screams rattling around in her throat. She held her knife out.

Gregor the changeling cringed away, hissing, his wings fluttering. For a moment, neither made an aggressive move. Gregor scanned Scootaloo's form curiously.

“Orange?”

“Wh-wh-what!?”

“Orange?” Greg shifted to orange, pointing to the curving black horn as it turned the same purple as Scootaloo’s hair, nodding as if this explained everything.

“Uhhh…? Y-yeah. We’re the same.” Scootaloo said.

Greg nodded excitedly. Scootaloo looked around and still saw drones ascending the stairs. Nowhere to run. She squeezed the handle of her knife.

“Friend?”

“Heh?”

“Friend? You? Orange! Buck, friend?”

“Uhh…uh, uh, uh, yeah! Buck! You know Buck?”

“Buck! Friend!”

Greg suddenly shifted to a perfect replica of Buck. Perfect, except for the part where he was still orange. Scootaloo blushed at the closeness.

“Look for the orange one. You can trust him; he’ll look out for you, okay? He’s a friend!” Greg said, in Buck’s voice.

“Him? I’m not a guy!” Scootaloo huffed. Greg shifted back to normal.

“Not? Guy?”

“I’m a girl!”

“Guy? Girl?”

“...I’m not a ‘Him’, okay!?” Scootaloo shouted, then covered her mouth. A couple of drones looked toward the welcome desk, but didn’t see the pair hiding under it.

“Okay…” Greg said, shrinking away.

“...sorry.”

“Okay. Friend?” Greg held up a hand, searching sheepishly for a high-five. Scootaloo dapped him, and felt a bit of warmth.

“Huh. What’s your name?” Scootaloo said.

“Gregor! Greg! Friend!”

“My name’s Scootaloo, but Buck and Sunburst call me Scoots!”

“Scoots! Friend!”

“Sure, sure! You think you could help me out, Greg?”

“Trust! Friend!” Greg nodded.

“We're in the uh, the Hive right now, right?”

“Hive! Right”

“Okay…do you know where they’re keeping everybody?”

“P…Pantry!”

“Okay! Let’s go to the pantry! More friends!”

“Friends!” Greg cheered.

If we could peek into the mind of the average changeling, past the ravenous hunger and just beyond the language barrier, we might glean a bit of insight into their inner workings.

It was a strange sight for the drones to see a human walking around without restraints, certainly. A human being led by their fellow changeling, who was practically bouncing with excitement was even stranger, but then again, they were all workers, weren’t they? All taught the simple set of guidelines that made a changeling a changeling; always be hunting, be it for a meal or a task, follow the queen’s orders without fail, and stay out of the way unless directed. And so, a changeling might reason that a human off a leash was simply a meal that was pre-broken, and that happy drone must be very good to have captured it so fresh.

They did not consider the remote possibility that this was a clever ruse set in motion by forces outside their immediate understanding; like camaraderie, empathy, or love. Those things were food, and so was that human. Maybe if they all worked a little harder, they’d get a morsel of it as a treat.

They hoped that drone didn’t secret it away to eat it alone; the darkest temptation of every upstanding changeling.

After all, if you couldn’t trust a fellow drone, who could you trust?

Buck was confronted with his most dangerous enemy yet; this extremely comfy bed. He didn’t know what the fuck it was made of or what it was stuffed with, but he felt a desperate need in the idea of somehow strapping it to the top of Sunburst’s jeep and bringing it home.

It was that comfy. Buck had sat on the edge for a few seconds, then his body moved on its own, stretching out, awkwardly scuttling back to the headboard to let his head rest on a plush pillow.

There was something deeply satisfying about laying in a cozy bed when he was covered in sweat and grime from the tunnels. It felt wrong, and deeply necessary. He longed for a hot shower, but all of that stuff was secondary. He had so many pressing questions, and if he was going to be stuck in this hotel room, he was going to have them answered. He just needed to be careful.

“What do I call you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what do I call you? You’re not Adagio Dazzle.”

“I am. I’m everything she prefers to lock away, all of the-”

“No, no, that’s not what I mean! Look, I get it, the whole schtick, but I’m tellin’ you right now that this is confusing as all hell, especially for the reader. You’re obviously not the same person that I’ve been gettin’ to know for almost half a year, so what should I call you?”

“No one has called me anything, yet. The Queen simply created me and gave orders.” The clone sighed.

“What were those orders?”

“Bring Purple Prose to the hive, and don’t let him out of my sight. Encourage him to take a shower; he’ll be filthy.” Adagio said.

Buck lifted an arm and recoiled. He certainly smelled like a couple of fight scenes.

“Do the showers work here?” Buck said.

“Yes. She expected you to ask that. She spared no expense in kidnapping the right people and applying the proper skillsets to get the water running in the hive. Something about an old reservoir, plumbers, electricians, those sort of logistics.”

“That’s impressive. Lady knows her priorities.”

“Ugh, can we not talk about her?”

“Isn’t she your boss?”

“She’s my creator.”

“What’s the difference?”

“To have a boss, you have to agree to work.”

“And you don’t want to?”

“What I want and what she wants, right now, are the same.”

“...Which is?”

“Making sure you’re safe and comfortable.

“So I could be showering right now.”

“You could, yes. And...If you’d like, I can wash your back.”

There was a moment of intense, red silence. Buck felt a bit of pressure on his forehead. He was terrified to look in a mirror and find a horn.

“I’m joking. I know you’re squeamish. You ran the first time you saw Adagio Dazzle in the bath.”

“That was different!” Buck balked. “I didn’t know that she was-well, I mean, I thought she was going to-that is, uh…honestly? Sharing a shower sounds nice.”

“Ooh~?”

“Nope, no, I didn’t mean that.”

“Oh my, Buck!”

“You didn’t hear that!”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Really. Just like that?”

“Naturally.”

“And you’re not going to hold that against me?”

“Of course not! I know you’re sensitive about these things.”

“Wow.”

“What?”

“I don’t know, Adagio would jab me about it. Or use it to try and get on my dick.”

“And that’s hurtful to you, isn’t it?”

“I…fuck. Fuck this is weird! Fuck! What do I call you? Give me something!”

“...if you insist. Why don’t you call me…Nice Adagio?”

“You wanna be called that.” It was a question, but it came out with such incredulity, a floating red boom mic appeared over Buck’s head as he looked at the audience.

“Unless you want to call me Babe. Or Princess~?”

“Uhhh…woah, I thought that was like a sex thing?”

“Of course it is, in part. I like it.”

“Does Adagio actually want me to call her Princess? Like, not as a kink thing?”

“Is that your first actual question?”

“Sure?”

“Yes. She’s secretly always wanted someone to hold her hand and kiss her cheek and call her cute little pet names. It’s a deep shame of hers.”

“I’m glad I’m laying down for this.”

“Princess also happens to be a title that denotes great power. A princess is a ruling authority. A Princess wields a magical potency that defines the character of her kingdom. The title of Princess makes Adagio Dazzle feel powerful, trusted, and desired, as if you’ve built her a throne in your heart.”

She spoke like she was reading a scandalous love letter, her hands going up to touch her red cheeks. It was adorably earnest, which is why it was so hard for Buck to swallow the laughter threatening to explode out of his mouth.

“...that’s…not what I was going for,” Buck said.

“Is that so? What were you going for, Buck?”

“It was kind of an accident? Me and Smolder used to-naw, no, I think I like that version better. Wow. Think I’m gonna stick with Nice Adagio. There’s less baggage.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I've changed my mind. Try again.”

“Okay, uh…man this is weird! Why is naming characters always so fucking hard? Uh…I got it! How about Heart Song?” Buck said.

“Hm…that’s one of her pseudonyms.”

“It’s the name Adagio met me under. I knew her as Heart Song, first.” Buck said. The clone looked at him and blushed.

“I remember. That is…yes. Yes, Heart Song will do!”

Buck saw Heart Song quiver with glee. He’d never seen his Adagio do that, and for a second, he desperately wanted to. She quickly regained her composure, returning to a semblance of Adagio’s direct efficiency.

“That name is fine with me. Please take a shower. You’ll find a black tank top and jeans in your size on the counter.” Heart Song said.

“That’s…wow. Okay, sure. Quick one.” Buck, with a great deal of effort and one or two Dad noises, rolled off the bed, placing his jacket and scarf on the suite’s hat rack before stopping with his hand on the bathroom door. “Don’t follow me.”
Heart Song paused mid-stride with a little squeak, looked flustered, and nodded.

Buck was struck with the oddest sense of deja vu. He’d never been good at recognizing his own feelings, but the sort of calming butterfly kisses he felt in his stomach were familiar.

It made him miss Ditzy so badly it stung.

The bathroom door closed and locked with a little click. It was a quick shower, no longer than a whistled song, as Buck scrubbed himself frantically with some soap that had definitely been stolen from a corner store, but it was long enough that Buck didn’t notice what Heart Song did next.

As soon as she heard the water running, she crept to the rack, took the jean jacket in her hands and took a series of deep, long sniffs at the inside.

Then she grabbed the pink scarf with a grimace and threw it to the floor.

Suddenly, the bathroom door clicked open, pulling a flinch out of Heart Song.

“Hey, uh…could you do me a favor?” Buck said, wrapped in a towel.

“Anything.” Heart Song said with a smile.

Adagio’s lips were on fire, like she’d bitten into a raw pepper. Other parts felt like they were on fire, but she was doing her best to ignore them. She started down the shadowy green hallway at a sprint, but a sudden bit of vertigo tossed her at the wall. Every little movement of her head felt like it was in slow motion. Her eyes darted around like dragonflies over a pond.

She was already drunk.

“If a tiny bit of intimacy does this to me, there’s no telling what will happen if I let him…” Adagio said.

If you let him do what, exactly?

Adagio slapped her own cheeks, trying to stay focused. Her brain was filling with smoke as it tried to form a strategy. This wasn’t right. She’d spent time acclimating to Buck’s aura, and yet she was set ablaze earlier, and now this. Now it was passion; this strange clone was a walking powder keg of passion.

Baaaabe…? Where ya at, babe? I’m not mad; I just wanna talk!” His echoing voice reached around the corner to nibble at her ear. There was a thumping beat accompanying him. A blazing, synthetic beat and whining strings.

https://soundcloud.com/user-172575235/hellbent-mean-buck-cover

Adagio tried to shake the fireflies buzzing in her skull, tried to banish the sight of Buck’s grin when she’d kissed him on the aquarium wall, his burning, triumphant smile as he reached into his silly little notebook at game night, or the stagelight in his golden eyes as he serenaded her at karaoke.

Adagio missed him furiously, but if she flared with even a hint of his love, it would be the stray spark that lit the whole ship ablaze.

“Don’t be scared, Princess. All I wanna do is spoil you~ C'mon...let's get cozy, huh?”

His presence pierced the green gloom of the hallway. Adagio saw a glimpse of the hanging green sacks shift to red as Buck’s aura rippled across them. A single curved horn rose from his temple.

This was not the spicy, sweet, sassy marshmallow of a man that Adagio had courted. This growling voice, these greedy, grasping hands, these blazing eyes; Adagio had only seen them in piecemeal and only when the two were truly alone.

As his heat crept down the corridor, Adagio could feel him craving her. From nowhere and all around, Adagio heard Buck’s voice crooning at her, mocking her, calling her.

“I've been Hellbent babe,

Hellbent on lovin' you all day long.

Hellbent on drugs 'cause they turned you on,

Don't know what else to do. Mmmm!"

Buck sang as he strolled toward her like a slasher villain. Adagio broke into a full run, despite her wobbly head. It was furious, ridiculous, and even sloppy; Buck's voice duplicated into a ghoulish quartet.

"I've been Hellbent babe,

Hellbent on makin' you love me too!

Even though it's not what I'm supposed to do,

I don't give a damn. Mmmm!"

He was down the hall and at Adagio's heels. He was glowing all around her like candlelight, and he burned in her chest like a roman candle. Every step closer sent power crackling through the air, beckoning Adagio to throw herself at him and feast.

“Think, now! Think, think, think!” Adagio stammered. He was playing with his food, and she could take advantage of that; all she had to do was get away from him as fast as she could, get out of the range of his aura, and regroup.

"No use runnin', Princess! You know there ain't a lick of quit in me! I'll burn this whole place down before I turn you loose!"

Adagio looked back just in time to see a pink fireball exploding down the hallway toward her. Adagio skirted around a corner, just fast enough for the blast to only singe the edge of her hair. The hallway ahead was devastated; the carpet scorched with flickering red flames.

"Calm! Stay calm, Adagio Dazzle!" She stammered, trying to catch her heartbeat, but he was coming closer again, and she could feel his heat licking up her legs, not bothering to ask for entry. "There has to be a way out of this!"

A random hole opening in the wall answered her hope. She dove into the darkness just as the hole closed.

“Baaaabe...” Buck’s voice carried ominously, ridiculously away.

Adagio’s magenta eyes darted here and there in the dark space. She fumbled against the walls, swore as she struck her knee on something, then with a low click, found herself blinking at her reflection in a wide bathroom mirror.

Adagio squeaked with fright, bewildered at her disheveled state. Her hair was a mess, her lipstick was smudged, and little red hearts had taken the place of her pupils. She stroked her collarbone, right where her amulet used to be, counting up, trying to slow her breathing until she broke into a nervous giggle.

“Heh. Heheheheh! What in the world happened to my life? How did I get here!?” Adagio chuckled, almost hysterically.

“I know, right?” Buck said, pushing open the shower curtain. “How the turn tables!”

“GAAAAH!” Adagio kicked the door open and ran for her life. How did he find her? Was he learning to detect her aura? Did he teleport? Were his powers developing, even now!? She tried to remember what little she had learned about chaos sorcerers in school.

“What happens in that quadrant? They…they don’t record spells, they just cast off the cuff…they, they, they…come on, Adagio, think! And they’re hard to control, even with magic. They tend to go mad with what’s it called, fourth-dimensional insights? What does that even mean!? Oh, why couldn’t he just be a sweet little pegasus? They’re so easy!” Adagio whined as she scrambled.

“Tell me about it! I don’t think I’ve ever played a normal-ass pony in any game! I think I’ve gotta taste for more, uh, exotic types. Who’da thunk, right? Woof!” Buck barked, keeping up with Adagio at a casual jog. His passion seared into her skin like a bad sunburn.

“GO AWAY!” Adagio screamed and tripped him mid-stride. Sparks of red and pink crackled off her as she ran.

“Yeah, you say that but-” Buck’s retort cut off as Adagio tripped through another hole in the wall, nearly losing her foot as it shut. She scrambled around a corner into a lobby that was now empty, leaning against the wall, trying to catch her ragged breaths.

“Stop, stop, stop…!” Adagio whimpered, clutching her head. “It’s just mana! It’s not special just because it’s…I just need to vent it before I get any drunker!”

“Baaaabe…? Baaaaabe…! Where are yooooou…?” Buck’s voice echoed ominously, sweetly from down the hall.

For not the first time, Adagio wished she had learned how to shoot lasers in school, but her searing hatred for the bigoted, uppity unicorn student body prevented her from stooping to their level.

Adagio silently wished that upstart Starlight Glimmer was here. She solves everything with lasers; Adagio could just shunt this mana off on her! But no, just like with everything else, Adagio had to be a big girl and figure this out on her own. A part of her heart had shattered when she struck him. That wasn’t normal, that was…she would have to table that feeling for now, think, think, think!

“There has to be something I can…of course. What’s wrong with me?” Adagio Dazzle wiped the sweat from her brow and squared her shoulders. “He’s just a man. All I need is a bit of finesse and a little tune…”

Adagio stepped into the threshold like an open stage. Buck…whatever this thing was, strolled toward her with open arms, a demonic mirage rolling off his shoulders.

Adagio, with great effort, locked eyes with him, and began to sing. She could tame him quickly, with all this power. All she needed was for him to slow down and move to the beat of her drum.

“Blind-sided by the beat,

Clapping your hands, stomping your feet,

You didn’t know that you fell!”

It was odd at first without proper backup, but Adagio’s hips swayed like a hypnotic pendulum, the red aura around her form sashaying into glittering green seduction. The other Buck stopped and swayed, the tendrils of Adagio’s will caressing his form.

“Now you’ve fallen under our spell~” Adagio sang.

“We’ve got the music; makes you move it,

got that song that makes you lose it!

We say jump; you say how high?

Put your hands up to the sky!” Buck sang right back, his lilting baritone harmonizing effortlessly with Adagio’s mezzo soprano. The tendrils of force lit like candle wicks, burning red in Adagio's direction.

Adagio tried to beat his volume, but her efforts only amplified the intensity of the clash. Green and red sparks danced in the air. As the chorus hit, both Adagio and Buck were blown off their feet by a cacophonous cymbal crash. The hall flashed red. The hotel shook.

“Woah! Woah-ho-ho! The fuck was that!? Didn’t know I could do that! Hey, we make a great duet; we gotta do some mo’ karaoke sometime, right babe? Babe?” The strange clone said, looking around.

“I AM NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU!” Adagio squealed as she sprinted across the lobby.

“Don’t’cha think that’s kinda the problem?” Buck said.

Buck; that is to say, the real Buck, sneezed. From his prone position on the bed, it was a bit hard to catch with his arm. He’d lost focus there for a second; his eyes drooping on the edge of a nap. The last few minutes seemed like a dream.

“Oh no, did you catch a cold out there in the snow?” Heart Song said, her hands gliding gently along Buck’s length.

“I’on’t think that’s a real thing? I might be comin’ down with somethin’ else, though.” Buck said.

“What’s that?” Heart Song said, tracing him with her fingertips.

“Anime tropes,” Buck said, rolling his neck. “Huhohhhh man, can you go a little harder?”

“Whatever you want, Buck~!” Heart Song said in a sing-songy voice.

Buck was currently being straddled, but not in the same way as his first night with Adagio. Heart Song was dragging her long, sharp nails along his back, petting him up like a scratching post, and for Buck, this was total bliss.

She was humming a gentle tune. Buck expected that twinkling green magic to slip into his ears and color the edges of his sight, but it simply didn’t happen. Instead, a light chill tingled through his skin, like the coolest part of a swimming pool.

Against his better wishes, a corner of Buck’s brain was doing a quiet, cruel calculation. If this version of Adagio was as sweet and eager to please as Ditzy Doo, but still kept her relentless sex drive…

“Fuuuuck that’s good! Why didn’t I ever ask ‘dagio to do me like this? She’s got the perfect nails for it…” Buck groaned as Heart Song diligently scratched his back.

“Oh, she’s a hard one to make requests of. I don’t blame you.” Heart Song said, scritching relentlessly.

“And what’s the song about?”

“Just a spell from the old country. The hippocampus sang it to each other as a lullaby. It soothes the mind, and if I’m performing it correctly, it may also soothe your bruises and cuts.”

She was right; Buck touched his eye and could feel the swell going down, the aches in his tired limbs calming, the red, irritating scratches relaxing.

“I didn’t know Adagio had healing magic.” Buck said.

“She doesn’t, exactly. Healing is an very complex spellform that’s very easy to mess up. But, after a lifetime spent in the company of an expert…you pick up at least some of the theory. This is about the extent of healing Adagio could muster. A bit of a stark comparison to the harm she causes, no?” Heart Song said.

“So you’re testing a new spell on me right now?” Buck said.

“Adapt or die, Buck. You’re hurt, and Sonata isn’t here, so we'll just have to make do.”

“Say, is Sonata a real doctor?”

“She has three doctorates in three different countries, though by now they’re all so old she can’t display them anymore.”

“What were they?”

“Let me think…she has a PhD in Surgery, another in Culinary Arts, and a third in…”

“Music Theory?”

“...Child Psychology.”

“That was my second guess!” Buck chuckled. “Why no music degree?

“She doesn’t need a music degree; composition is my…Adagio’s job. Sonata, on the other hand, is a veritable polymath when it comes to instruments, especially the ones with strings. She always loved having human fingers.”

“Yeah, that’s fair. Those little wigglers can do wonders…mmm! Right there!” Buck’s ramble was cut off by Heart Song dragging her nails to the spot right behind Buck’s left shoulder. He could never reach that spot!

"She'd like you."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely. Sonata would find you captivating; she loves sweet boys like you."

"Thanks? You know, I met Aria once, while you guys were at CHS?"

"Is that so? What did you think of her?"

"I think my shin still aches from time to time. Don't think she liked me very much."

"Don't take it personally; Aria doesn't like anyone."

Buck was flabbergasted at how easy it was to relax and have a nice chat with this doppelganger. These were the sorts of conversations he'd have with Adagio between magic training sessions, and he desperately missed them.

“Okay, I’ve got one; what did Adagio's aura look like before the amulets?”

The heavenly scratching slowed.

“Well…it’s funny, it’s been so long, I can’t quite remember.”

“So that green stuff isn’t it?”

“No, no, that was the amulets, at first, but now it’s…just the way it manifests when she pulls mana from others. Except when she draws it from you.”

“Yeah?”

“Your mana is so potent, it keeps its color, even when used by others.”

“I guess you are what you eat?”

“You could say that. Magic has a way of changing, like…” Heart Song trailed off.

“Like people?” Buck said.

“People don’t change, Buck.”

“Naw, they grow.”

“You’re still on that, are you?”

Buck tapped Heart Song’s leg, and she climbed off his back, letting him sit up. Without needing to be asked, her hands went to Buck’s shoulders, massaging gently.

“I’m not on nothin’. That’s just the truth. People change in a buncha teeny tiny ways, and before you know it, they’re completely different from what you might’a thought. I guess magic is the same way.”

“Oh, you’re so sentimental!”

“Yeah? You wanna fight about it?” Buck chuckled.

“No! It’s…refreshing. It’s challenging.”

“Does Adagio like a challenge?”

“She likes to play games...and she likes to win.” Heart Song said. “She has a simple philosophy when it comes to relationships; there is the lover and the loved. The user and the used. In her mind, being the user is the only way to win. It’s a strong strategy. And a cruel one.” There was the slightest hint of a smile in her voice.

Buck’s shoulders sagged.

“Do you regret it?” Heart Song said.

“What?”

“Playing her game.”

“When did I start?” Buck chuckled. “I was never all that good at coloring in the lines.”

“Perhaps that’s why you walk through her walls like they aren’t even there.” Heart Song sighed, stroking Buck’s arm.

"Okay, uh...man, this is embarrassing. Does Adagio, you know..."

"What?"

"Does Adagio actually like me? I mean as a person. Does she like me, or was she lying about that?"

"What a silly question! Of course she likes you!"

Heart Song giggled, but her bemused expression wavered when she saw the grave one on Buck's face.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Heart Song says.

Buck was glad he wasn't near a mirror, because he knew that he was making the most pitiful face imaginable as he turned his head away. Heart Song touched his cheek and gently made him look at her.

"Adagio Dazzle has always wanted power and recognition. Without her sisters, she has neither, and she'll do anything to return to her glory days. You have power; she covets it, and that's the truth.

"Not gonna lie, that's not the answer I was hopin' for."

"Let me finish. Adagio Dazzle wants power. She needs it to survive, but she has very discerning tastes. She doesn't absorb power; she consumes and metabolizes it. And she has been settling for the mediocre stock of this world for far too long. She has to keep watch for any humans with stores of mana; they are always people with strong convictions and strength of character.

"And then she met me, and she saw power?"

"Not immediately. She couldn't taste you at first; you were too far away, and you were withdrawn. But then you started talking, and you made her laugh. You met her pithy little attempts at manipulation with a strange wit, and you humored her every step of the way. And when she brought you to her suite, you overwhelmed her with your...finer qualities. You flooded her with power."

"It all comes back to my magic."

"No, Buck! She saw you across the room and decided then and there that she wanted you! Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Oh. Oh." Buck blinked.

"And she is spellbound in her fascination over you. She thinks you're a sleeping King; a power that could define an era, if only someone would take the time to teach you how to wield it."

Heart Song had begun speaking slowly, but Buck could see excitement flash in her eyes as she spilled this hot gossip.

"Well, that's, uh-"

"Adagio Dazzle wants your power, that much is true, but she is frustrated because she knows that what she really wants is you. She desperately wants to bask in the light you shine with your eyes, but she is terrified of your intense heat. As if the lightest touch from you will set her ablaze. She wants to elevate you, but she fears your power outstripping hers. She wants you to want her, but she is terrified of being known by you. She desires you; more than she's ever desired anything! But she's a toxic coward, and she will drain you for all you're worth because that is the only thing she knows how to do."

Fancies floated around Buck's head as his thoughts zipped through associations. Her laugh, her smile, her glare, and then just her eyes, and the little lip bite she did when she knew she had something coming. Buck wished Ditzy was here to pull him away from all of this. He wanted to call his sister. He wanted to weep. And more than anything else, he wanted Adagio to be here with him, right now.

“I'm not like her; I have the opposite of her temperament. Where she pushes you away, I want you to get closer."

"No, that's not what-"

"My body is the same, if that’s what you’re worried about. Would you like to take a look~?” Heart Song purred, pressing her breasts against Buck’s arm. Buck blushed and shuffled away.

“That’s…chill out, lady,” Buck said, half laughing. His host did not share the laugh.

“Why?” Heart Song snarled.

“Huh?”

“Why should I? I’m being used to…to occupy you while Chrysalis prepares to make her play. I’m a bit part in a bigger story; so why should I “chill out” when you’re here and we’re alone? Why can’t I just take care of you, the way Adagio wants to but is too cowardly to try?”

Buck could see a twinkle of tears in her eyes.

“Woah, I didn’t think about that-”

“What do you think happens to me once this scheme is through?” Heart Song said. “I can only exist for as long as I’m useful, so why can’t I luxuriate in your warmth? I’m hungry too, Buck!”

Heart Song clutched her own arms, looking small and vulnerable. Buck remembered her tears that night in his apartment before they made up. She’d looked small then, too.

Even if I don't get…terminated, I have the same hunger as Adagio. I’ll just wither away, and since I’m made of magic…”

“What’ll happen?” Buck said.

“I just want to hold on to you while I can.” Heart Song’s whimpers quieted as Buck slid his arms around her. She was so cold, he thought, but I can warm her up at the very least.

A toasty red shimmer bloomed around Buck.

“What’s keeping you here?”

“What?”

“Why not just go? Adagio’s got crazy magic skills, and you’ve gotta have ‘em too, right?”

“Yes, but it’s not that simple. This world is severely lacking in magic, remember? Where could I go where I wouldn’t be forced to scavenge or starve? And even if I leave, Queen Chrysalis would never stop chasing me.”

“What about the Pillars? Couldn’t they do something?”

“I don’t know those people, and I don’t trust them. With Adagio’s reputation, they would probably lock me up, or disappear me, or whatever it is they do with invasive equestrian creatures. It’s not as if it matters. My past isn’t mine, and I have no future. I’m just a means to an end!”

“I’m sorry. I know you didn’t ask to be here, and I know you didn’t ask to feel this way. I’m sorry you’re being used, and I’m sorry you were made to feel this way.” Buck said, giving her a gentle squeeze. He felt a wetness against his chest as Heart Song tried to hold back her sobs.

“I feel the way she does, but it’s all new and fresh for me. She’s emotionally constipated, and that’s how she likes it, but I can’t just dam it all up like her! It’s so lonely, Buck…”

“I know.”

“You don’t! You’re the best thing to happen to her-to us, since Aria and Sonata left.”

“What happened there? Why did they leave?” Buck said.

Heart Song looked up into his eyes with a boiling expression so furious it startled him.

“She drove them away. It was her own fault.”

“She said it was an accident-”

“No! Adagio knew what she was doing; she just didn’t care! She drove her sisters away; that’s what she’ll do to you because that’s what she does to everyone who gets close! Either they get smart and leave, or they stick around long enough to get killed! She uses up anyone foolish enough to get close. And when her sisters finally realized that, they did the smart thing and abandoned her! Adagio Dazzle is poisonous; she always has been, and that's why no one can love her!”

Buck’s thoughts whizzed by his head like red comets. This had to be at the core of Adagio’s pain, these vicious ultimatums she put on herself and the world. If this was all true, Buck was just another ship for Adagio to sink once she was done with him. But then, there was another feeling. One he recognized; that feeling of seeing a taint in oneself that was darker and more crushing than an ocean trench.

“I guess we’re not all that different after all,” Buck said.

“What?”

“There’s something in me that’s rotten; something that pushes away every girl that tries to hang around. Rara, Smolder, Ditzy…Her. They all come up with their own reasons, but the real one is simple. I’m broken, and they can’t fix me. So I've got to be better. I've got to be better than I was, every day, because then maybe someday, someone'll find me, and they'll really love me, because I'll finally deserve it."

As Buck spoke, his words dropped into a pitiful whimper. His warm fireplace aura took on a cold, stony flavor, wrapping the room in a sudden chill. Buck started to fall into his own heart, but a gentle hand caught him at the cheek.

“Aren’t you tired, Buck? Don’t you wish it was just a little bit easier?” Heart Song said.

“Yeah.” Buck’s voice cracked.

“Don’t cry…I’m here.” Heart Song hummed, nuzzling against Buck’s chest, squeezing him in an embrace that was more caring than any Adagio had afforded in the past. Buck saw a bit of green on the edges of his eyes, but she was so soft, and he was so tired.

“What were you going to do, Buck?” Heart Song purred.

“Huh?”

“You said you would spoil Adagio after the boardwalk, but it never happened. So tell me…what were you going to do to her?”

Buck’s eyes darted nervously, but Heart Song stroked his cheek, smiling softly. Ditzy had given him that look before, when she woke up next to him.

“I…I was gonna make love to her.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, I was gonna go full service; rose petals, music and candles, and I was gonna tell her I…” Buck trailed off; his face flushed red, his aura flickering with pink. "I was gonna tell her how I really feel, but...I think she knows."

“You’re precious.”

“Ugh.”

“I don’t mean like a little baby, I mean like a sunken treasure chest.” Heart Song said.

“If I’m so precious, why doesn’t she look at me when we…when we do it? Why won’t she look me in the eyes? Why won't she just tell me how she feels?”

Heart Song gasped, blushed deeply, and looked about as embarrassed as Fluttershy in a dressing room. Her fingers drummed on Buck’s chest nervously as she thought it over. Then she leaned up to whisper in his ear.

“...she’s afraid that if she looks into your eyes while you’re inside her…she’ll fall in love on the spot. She can't tell you how she feels, because if she does...she'll have to acknowledge that its real.” Heart Song said, and she settled back down, fixing Buck with her softest gaze, her pupils shifting into pink hearts.

“...oh.” Buck said.

He was still full of questions, but he’d finally found the courage to ask the one that mattered.

“But, is it real? I mean, really…does…does she really have feelings for me, or is all of this just one big game?” Buck whispered.

“You want to know how she feels?” Heart Song said. She pulled back, looking up into Buck’s eyes.

“More than anything,” Buck said. His gaze flashed green as Heart Song smiled at him.

“Let me show you.”

She kissed him.

It was a slow, tender thing; something unthinkable for the Adagio he knew. Heart Song's soft lips pressed against Buck's with a loving sigh, her hands sliding up his chest to lace behind his neck, pulling him down as her legs slipped around his waist in sweet surrender.

When she pulled away, Buck was on top of her.

“Will you show me? How you feel about her? Just for a little while…can we just stay here and play pretend?” Heart Song sighed, biting her lip.

And here it was; a sweet dream Buck had been having since he and Adagio met. She’d tried to push him away, again and again, but he’d been too stubborn to give up, and she’d been too determined to string him along, and now here it was; everything he wanted. An Adagio Dazzle that wanted him; loved him without compromise!

And Buck kissed her back, even softer than before, and then again on the forehead, then once more on the lips, in a way he'd dreamed of doing every morning when he woke up with her beside him, every day they had to part, every moment they were alone. He filled his kisses with dreams of passion and peace, and he could see the pink heat swirling between their lips, and he didn't care, he just wanted a lifetime of this moment.

But then, Buck knew better now, didn’t he? He pulled his lips away, and Heart Song frowned as she saw a look of both remorse and determination on Buck's face.

“I…I can’t. I'm sorry.” Buck said.

“You what?” Heart Song said.

“This doesn’t feel right.”

“Ohhh yes it does…”

Buck tensed up as he felt Heart Song grind against him. It would be so easy to just…but he frowned.

“No, no…I don’t even know you.”

“Of course you do! You know me as well as you know her!”

“But you’re not her!”

Buck took to his knees to sit up, but Heart Song’s thighs squeezed his waist like a steel trap.

“You’re right. I’m better! I have all of her charm and none of her baggage! I don’t care about what Chrysalis wants and I don’t care what your Adagio wants; I know what I want, and it’s you!” Heart Song said.

Her eyes were glowing pink, pulsing with hearts.

“Okay, but you don’t know me, either?”

“I know everything she knows!”

“That ain’t a ton.”

“Then give me more!” Heart Song snarled, eyes flashing red.

"Woah!" Buck pried her legs open and scrambled across the room.

“Oops! Did I come on too strong? I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’re just so…so…” Heart Song said. Her lengthening nails scratched the spread as she crawled across the bed toward Buck.

“Uhhh, I think you’re a lil’ love drunk there, Princess!” Buck said, pulling his jacket on.

“Ughhh fuck! Call me that again!” Heart Song moaned through a set of sharpening teeth. Buck heard something thud in the bathroom, and then rushing water.

“Hey, uh, I think your faucet’s banjaxed? Maybe you should take a look at it since you’re the water type and everything, you know? You know, a nice cold shower would prolly do you some good!” Buck said, quickly wrapping his scarf around his neck.

“But I’m so wet already, Buck!” Heart Song sprang forward, arms outstretched, but as Buck cringed, she came to a sudden stop.

“Take that thing off.” Heart Song growled, her nose crinkling, gills flexing on her neck.

“What?”

“Thank pink scarf! It reeks of her.”

“I never told Adagio about Her.”

“No, Ditzy Doo! It’s like she’s marking her territory!”

The carpet near the bathroom darkened. Hot steam rose from beneath the door.

“Well, I mean, she made it. And we’re still technically dating, so-”

“NOT FOR LONG!” Heart Song lunged, catching only air as Buck screamed out the door.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” Buck said, running for his life.

The drones on the ceiling tried to dive-bomb him, but Buck’s entire being was focused on sprinting down the hall. He picked up his knees like a football player and tried to apply all of his jogging practice from the last few months.

An explosion of steam rushed down the corridor like a backdraft, and in it, Buck could hear the changelings fleeing as a manic siren came screeching after him like a demonic barracuda.

“Come back, Buck! There’s no use hiding; I can smell your love! I just want a little taste…let me taste you, Buck!”

“You know what your problem is? You always have to do everything on your own.” Sunburst said.

Starlight was struggling to catch her breath. She was flailing her way through the phalanx of drones, knocking them back with her staff, desperately trying not to kill any of them, even as they started to melt. She had made it several feet down the hallway, and the whole time, Sunburst kept floating just out of range, taunting her from his vantage point far down the hall. Starlight took a step forward. He took a step back.

“That’s why you’re alone right now. You just had to go and split the party because Starlight Glimmer doesn’t need anyone! Starlight Glimmer always has to be right, and she always just has to have her way, and that’s why Starlight Glimmer doesn’t have any friends!” Sunburst laughed.

“Shut up! You don’t know anything!” Starlight said.

Crack!

A furious blast of red mana slammed into the ceiling near Sunburst, who grinned with gleeful malice.

“I know your shots go wide after about 65 yards. I know you’re scared, and I know you feel stupid for splitting the party!”

“I DON’T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU!” Starlight exploded into the air. A heat dome of red fury erupted from her whole body, blasting the changelings back, their summoned shields shattered. They weren’t simply knocked away; their slimy forms were vaporized on the spot. It’s not him, Starlight thought. It’s not him because he’d never treat me this way; Sunburst understands me better than anyone; he’s lying to you, don’t listen!

“No, you don’t, technically, but there’s a first time for everything,” Sunburst said.

A ball of yellow light hit Starlight in the bad leg, and instead of it striking with force, Starlight’s momentum turned against her. She hit the floor with a yelping thud, tasting blood in her mouth.

“There’s a new spell he’s been working on. Not sure about the name yet, but…oh, but you don’t care about that.” Sunburst said.

Starlight was up again, red flames licking her shoulders.

“Tell me where he is! What have you done to him!?” Starlight roared, spitting red fire. She felt that adrenaline rush from the fair as she blasted a volley of fireballs at Sunburst, relishing the thought of this creep being burned alive as much as she feared it.

“You’re always like this. A little prodding, and you fall off the handle! Now tell me, is that how a hero is supposed to act?” Sunburst laughed. Another ball of light swiped Starlight’s polearm away, and another kicked her leg out from under her, but she took the fall on the chin and rushed forward.

“Shut up! You don’t know me! You don’t know anything about me!”

Sunburst slapped her. He slapped her! Somehow, that intimate, cruel strike across the face hurt Starlight more than any barb that had been thrown before. She fell to the floor, touching her cheek in shock.

"I know you're a failure. As a sorcerer and as a girlfriend. And the only reason anyone talks to you is because you can shoot laser beams. Face it, Starlight. You're no hero. You're just a weapon."

A pair of drones grabbed Starlight’s hands, then pasted them to the floor with wads of slime.

“No! Get off me! GET OFF ME!”

“What to do with you? There’s so much here; I could power up these drones and have them beat you to a pulp! Or I could turn you into a sheep! Hmm…so many spells to choose from!” Sunburst said, holding the book in one hand, a crystal in the other.

“Where are you getting those!?” Starlight shrieked. She tried to rise, but the drones pasted her ankles down.

“Just a little gift from my benefactor, The Queen. Very nice of her to help me fuel my spells.” Sunburst said. “Since I’ve got you here, I’ll let you know that this is Stygian’s Book of Spells. You wouldn’t know about him; but I do. Did you know your Sunburst has been reading up on Equestrian Lore behind your back?”

“He…he always reads about Equestrian lore!”

“No, no, this is special! He knows about the heroes of Equestria. He knows about himself on that side, and he knows all about you, too. Haven’t you ever wondered why he hasn’t mentioned that world’s Starlight Glimmer?”

Starlight’s struggling stopped for a moment. The thought had never occurred to ask; neither Sunburst nor Sunset Shimmer had ever mentioned her counterpart. But the malicious dripping of this Sunbursts’ words made her heart skip a beat.

“You must be curious, right? The Rainbooms have their own counterparts, and they’re the greatest heroes in Equestria! That side’s Sunburst is also a respected figure; a scholar, a teacher, and a problem solver. But Starlight Glimmer? Let’s just say her lore is a little complicated.”

“I’m not listening to this! I’m not hearing this!” Starlight shouted.

“That’s fine; I know you like being tied up. Hey…hey! Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

Sunburst kicked Starlight in the ribs. She gasped in pain, tears coming to her eyes as she glared at this cruel mockery of the love of her life.

“That world’s Starlight Glimmer was a nasty piece of work. She was hated for the things she did! But she turned it all around, and has risen to become one of, if not the most powerful unicorn in Equestria! She’s saved the world a couple of times, too! And the best part? She’s a teacher! Instead of hunting monsters, she runs a school of friendship! She’s loved and respected!”

Starlight’s eyes widened. It was impossible.

“It kind of makes you think, doesn’t it? She’s every bit the hero you aren’t!” Sunburst laughed as tears poured from Starlight’s eyes. “Oh, don’t worry! You don't have to stay a total failure! A person without a cutie mark is unique! Think of the experiments we can run on you!"

"FUCK YOU!" Starlight screamed a torrent of red flame from her mouth, its flare filling the chamber with a raging inferno. When the smoke cleared, through her tear-filled sight, Starlight saw a singed wall of shields, and behind it, the same cruel smirk as before. The drones moved aside, tensing at the ready for any more outbursts as Sunburst casual flipped through the book.

"Now, now, there’s healing techniques in here, even some basic alchemy from Mage Meadowbrook! I won’t let you die, but…I wonder what would happen if we turned your spell focus into something more triggerable…like pain?” Sunburst said, stomping on Starlight’s bad leg.

“SOMEBODY HELP ME!” Starlight squealed.

A red flame erupted out of Starlight as she screamed, but it was useless scattershot, lacking in direction. Just like her.

“Oh, fine.” Came a familiar voice.

The goo holding Starlight down rose from her limbs and swept the legs out from under the shield-bearing drones.

Sunburst screamed and stumbled toward his support drones, clutching a sudden stab wound in his side. Starlight felt a hand on her wrist.

Salvation arrived with red eyes and frazzled hair, a blade in one hand and a furious sneer on its face.

It was Adagio Dazzle, hauling Starlight to her feet.

“But you need to help me, too.” Adagio finished.

Behind Adagio, moving at a casual stroll, was Buck, but something was off. He had a pair of horns protruding from his forehead and the silhouette of a devil in the heat haze behind him. He squinted past the ladies.

“...that you, bro?” Buck said.

“Oh no,” Starlight said.

Having missed the evolving conflict breaking out in the lobby, Scootaloo and Greg passed through the nonsense architecture of the Hive completely unbothered.

“This place makes no sense! How do any of you get around?” Scootaloo said.

“Trust.” Greg shrugged.

A pair of drones melted in place on either side of a pair of doors marked “Kitchen”. Greg waved to them, and despite their confused looks, they nodded and allowed entry.

The kitchen was longer than it was wide; well-lit and cramped with the tell-tale bustle of food service that Scootaloo was all too familiar with. Despite the steam in the air, the changelings in the kitchen were far less melty than the others as they stirred pots, prepped ingredients on cutting boards and wore adorable little chefs hats. One of the drones burned something on the stove, and another swatted at it comically with a spatula, gibbering in a garbled impression that Scootaloo recognized as Gordon Ramsey.

“What’s going on in here?” Scootaloo said incredulously.

“Who knows?” Greg said, in Starlight’s voice.

“Ugh. You know it’s creepy when you talk in other people’s voices?” Scootaloo said.

“Creepy?” Greg repeated.

“You know, spooky? It creeps me out.”

“Spooky?” Greg repeated.

“Nevermind.”

Greg and Scootaloo weaved through the small army of changeling cooks, through the smells of delicious food and the sounds of chefs and sous hissing back and forth, until they passed into the kind of nightmare Scootaloo had expected.

The pantry was even more spacious than the kitchen, lit exclusively by those hanging green sacs, shrouded in gloom and a tacky spoiled licorice smell. Cocoons lined the floor and ceiling, filled with people in various stages of consciousness. Some of them were struggling against their bonds. Many more had clearly given up.

“God, that’s gross! Okay, okay, let’s see…”

Scootaloo squinted at the faces in the cocoons, trying to stay focused. As long as she had a goal, she wouldn’t freak out. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

“...isn’t that Buck’s weed lady? And…and Silver Spoon! Oh geez, they really did get you! And…what’s his name, Norman? What’s he doing here? And…and…oh no.”

Scootaloo saw a few people she recognized and many more she didn’t. None of her friends were here.

“Okay…nobody here can help me...that means everybody is still running around in here, probably being way more badass than me, except maybe Buck, because let’s face it, the guy couldn’t hurt a fly! So, so, so, what do I do? Do I get out there and look for them? With this leg? I guess, I guess I could cut these guys loose, but then what? What’ll you do then, Scoots!? Just let them run into that kitchen to get captured again? Oooh I need a plan, I need a plaaaan, but I don’t do plans; that’s why I’m stuck in here in the first place!” Scootaloo’s ramble grew more desperate by the second.

“Plan?” Greg says.

“Any ideas!?” Scoots said, frantically. Greg backpedaled away from her.

“Right, okay, think Scoots! Think, think, think! I know where this is! That’s good! I can maybe find it again with a little help, maybe? If I get someone else, we can bust these guys outta here, and then-” Scootaloo’s valiant attempts to be brave suddenly broke apart when she realized her voice was the only sound she heard.

The bustle of the kitchen had gone quiet, replaced with a silence so deafening. Scootaloo could hear it creeping up the walls.

When the doors to the pantry opened, Scootaloo and Greg were already hiding behind the cocoons.

“...as you were! I’m only stepping in for a moment, get back to work!” Queen Chrysalis barked. Her robe hung from her narrow shoulders like a thin curtain. Her sickly green eyes swept over her captured prey. “Just a quick snack, and it’s back to the bedroom. Just a quick snack; your guests are arriving! Now what shall I have? Despair is so cold and bitter…any fear left in here? I ought to stay sharp…”

Her gnarled black talon traced the air, causing all who saw it to shiver. She settled on the perfectly average man that Scootaloo recognized as Norman, who exhaled a wordless wail as Chrysalis split the pod open.

“Yes…that’s right! Feed me your terror!” Scoots watched in horror as a torrent of green fear surged out of Norman, who grew pale, passing out in a matter of moments.

The queen of the changeling’s emaciated form filled out some, becoming softer, plumper and more buxom. Scootaloo couldn’t help but notice her own instant bipanic mixing with the horror of the moment.

“Ahhh…there we are! Much better. Now I can think straight, ugh!” Chrysalis grabbed either side of her head, turning her neck until it popped. “Now…if I were a human man, what color would I prefer to see? Pink is an obvious choice, but I despise it…he could have a fondness for yellow, considering his company, oh but that’s far too sunny!”

“Orange?” Gregor mumbled under his breath.

“What? No! Buck likes purples! Like dark purple.” Scootaloo said out loud.

“Is that so?” Chrysalis said, her eyes flashing green.

The cocoons parted suddenly, revealing Scootaloo’s shaking form and Gregor in front of her.

Scootaloo froze on the spot; less a deer in the headlights and more a goldfish in a floodlight. Her whole brain fell directly into her stomach.

“Ah. It’s you. I recognize you, now. You’re one of those annoying little foals from Ponyville. Where are your two cohorts?”

“There’s a Canterlot Movie Club in pony world!?”

“Right. You’re the dumb one. I remember, now.”

“Hey! You’re…tall.”

In two steps, Queen Chrysalis towered over Scootaloo. With a casual flick of the wrist, Greg scuttled away, toward a wall. Chrysalis leaned far down to speak with Scootaloo at as close to eye level as she could manage.

“You sprayed me with something before. It was painful. Quite a bit of spirit in you, isn’t there?” Chrysalis said, stroking Scoot’s cheek in a way that was in the same ballpark as calling her “Good girl” or putting a collar around her neck. Terror and horniness started a knife fight in Scootaloo’s mind.

“What are you going to do to me? Take your sexy revenge?” Scootaloo blurted.

“Obviously."

Chrysalis hacked up a ball of slime, which pasted Scootaloo’s mouth shut. She looked frantically at Greg as her legs stuck together, then her hands to the floor. Greg averted his eyes.

“And you! Very naughty of you to come in here with such a prime treat and not even think about sharing,” Chrysalis said.

Greg pointed to himself, shaking like a freezing chihuahua.

“Yes, you. Normally you’d be punished, but since you’ve managed to deliver such a wonderful boon, I’ll let it slide. This time.”

“M…message!” Greg said, straightening up. His Queen’s eyes narrowed.

“Go on then.”

“Found him!” Greg said. “Buck!”

“Is that so?”

“Caves. Caves to here!”

“You led him to the Hive?”

Greg nodded enthusiastically.

“And who is he with?” Greg shifted to Heart Song’s form. Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Then I haven’t much time,” Chrysalis said, stroking her chin.

Greg shifted back to his true form, looking on nervously.

“...right. Excellent work. You’ll be rewarded for this. For now, take this one to the dining room. The others will show you where to place it. Go.” Chrysalis said.

Greg looked around nervously, completely lost for a moment. He looked at Scootaloo’s pleading eyes.

“Now!” Chrysalis boomed.

Greg scrambled sheepishly to lift Scootaloo up. She thrashed and tried to kick, but it was no use. She’d been caught. The sudden tears in Greg’s matched the betrayal in Scootaloo's eyes as he carried her through the kitchen.

“Sorry,” Greg said. It was Starlight’s voice.

The lobby of the Snowdrop Inn was in a state of disarray. The glass facade where the doors had been was shattered inward, filling the foyer with a bank of fresh snow, slimy footprints dotted the old carpet, and then there were the guests.

“Now, I know what you’re going to say.” Starlight Glimmer said, hastily wiping her eyes,

They were surrounded. Adagio and Starlight were once again back-to-back, facing ludicrous odds. The strange clones of Buck and Sunburst were circling them like creeps in a back-alley dance club. Starlight and Adagio moved at the same clip, refusing to be flanked.

“You lost Buck.” Adagio said.

“We split up at the cave! I thought he was with you!” Starlight said.

"I was! Sorta!" Buck said.

"What do you-oh. Oh. Oh, no." Adagio groaned. "These two are obviously impostors, which means-"

"Which means there's another one of you running around. As if one of you isn't enough of a headache."

"Yes, well, let's hope there's only one of you. I don't think I could survive listening to you bitch at me in stereo."

The copy Sunburst was moving slowly, a soft yellow glow lighting beneath a hand at his side. A healing spell.

“There would be no point! The Queen obviously thought another Starlight Glimmer would be a liability.” Sunburst said.

"Or she's afraid of you," Adagio smirked over her shoulder at Starlight.

Starlight had finally caught her breath. The blazing red of Buck's aura was already diminishing in the presence of Adagio's cold, focused arrogance. In a horrifying way, Starlight understood why Buck was so fixated on the siren.

“So, are we doin' it, or what? I've gettin' blue balled all night, and now I'm feelin' scrappy!” Buck said. He took a step forward, but a smoking hole in the carpet stopped him short. The look in Starlight’s eyes said “Try me.” Buck’s smoldering grin said “Bitch, I might.”

"Anyway, you lost Sunburst! How did that happen?" Starlight said.

"She abandoned me, clearly!" Sunburst grunted, taking his hand away from the scar on his side.

“Quiet! We were ambushed. Sunburst managed to toss me in here before getting captured. I’m going to guess you went off on your own and now…” Adagio said.

“And now we’re here. They really aren’t them, are they?” Starlight said.

“Tryna find out if it's okay to ice us, huh?” Buck said.

“Shut up, Buck!” Starlight said. "The Queen doesn't do brainwashing, does she?"

“She does, on occasion," Sunburst said, against perusing Stygian's spellbook.

"I wasn't asking you!" Starlight said, drawing a circle on her free palm with chalk.

"Mistmane’s Mana Serpent.” Sunburst said, his aura shimmering like sunlight on a puddle. A horned serpent apparated around him, hissing as it reared back to strike. Another piece of quartz disintegrated in his hand.

“They’re some sort of changeling trick. Buck is nothing like this barking dog," Adagio sneered.

“How do you know? How do you know I’m not just another animal, like the kind you like to feed on? That’s how you treat me anyways, right!?” Buck said.

“Shut up, Buck, you’re not part of this conversation!” Adagio said, flicking her tongue.

“Wow. Fucking rude.” Buck said.

“Isn’t she always?” Sunburst said with a grin.

Adagio rolled her eyes, noticing the bank of snow that had invaded the lobby’s front doors.

“You taste a bit low. Is that Buck’s energy?” Adagio said.

“We worked things out.” Starlight shrugged.

“Giggity,” Buck said.

“Shut up, Buck!” Adagio and Starlight said in unison.

“Not like that! You’ve all got filthy minds!” Starlight said.

“Says the girl that likes getting tied up!” Sunburst said.

“Oooh~ Scandalous!” Adagio said.

“He’s lying!” Starlight stuttered.

“If he was, you wouldn’t be so embarrassed, dearie.” Adagio said.

“Woah, kinky! Thought she’d be more of a pillow princess! Hey Sunburst, you ever think about doin’ a lil’ swap?” Buck said.

"WHAT." Starlight said, her aura flaring.

“I wouldn’t mind that.” Sunburst smirked.

“What-I-I-I, that’s not up to…absolutely NOT!” Starlight shrieked.

“Let’s not be too hasty!” Adagio teased. “I can see you blushing!”

“You’re blushing!” Starlight said.

“That’s because that idiot has been chasing me around! His aura is like an invasive margarita with…with aphrodisiacs mixed in!” Adagio complained. The impostor Buck made a little kissy noise at her.

“That’s nothing; mine keeps hitting me with a bunch of trivia that I don’t care about!” Starlight said.

“You know she can tell when you’re lying, right? That’s an Adagio thing, ain’t it?” Buck said.

“It is,” Adagio said. She could feel the heat in Starlight’s cheeks. “I hate to say it, but I’m afraid the boys have the right idea.”

“What!?” Starlight said.

“Jackpot!” Buck said, pumping a fist.

“He’s projecting his aura outward, and you know how it is; I can’t stay close to that creature, or I’ll get drunk.” Adagio said.

“I can’t catch that slippery creep with my spells. He's stalling!” Starlight spat. She touched the dusty carpet, and a simple wooden staff tore itself up from the floor beneath. She took a stance at the approaching clone of Buck, who grinned as he strolled forward.

Adagio’s eyes narrowed as she spotted the book that Sunburst was flipping through.

“Then let’s act decisively, shall we?” Adagio said, raising her blade at Sunburst. Starlight looked at Buck and cracked her knuckles. "We can't afford to waste any more time on these cretins."

“No killing!” Starlight said. She heard a soft crunching noise, like the churn of a snow-cone machine. The dark wetness beneath the snow crept outward across the carpet.

“I’ll do as I please!” Adagio said.

“Buck asked me not to, and I’m asking you!” Starlight said.

Adagio frowned. Of course he would ask that, the idiot. Of course he wouldn’t want to kill any of these insects. Of course he’d be the one to enforce mercy. Of course his name alone was enough to make Adagio feel guilty.

“We need to squeeze them for information! They know things.” Starlight said.

“Ooh, I got one! Did you know that Adagio has a cute lil’ mole next to her-” Buck started.

“Stop talking about my body!” Adagio shouted. “Just stay out of my way, Starlight!”

“I was about to say the same thing!” Starlight said.

In unison, they dashed for their targets.

"Hell yeah, let's party!" Buck cheered.

Adagio’s steel clanged off a shimmering shield of light. Sunbursts’ retinue of drones had finally caught up, immediately shifting into his form.

“Great job losing Sunburst, by the way. Are you going to tell Starlight what you learned out there?” Sunburst said.

“So you know the things he knows. That’s interesting. Anything else you want to share?” Adagio said. Her eyes were burning red, her steps still unsteady as the changelings tried to bash her away with their shields.

“I’m going to defeat you with the spells in Stygian’s spellbook! The very powers that sent you to this world!” Sunburst said. The mana serpent struck, but Adagio danced around it, humming a tune.

“Excellent. That’s just what I need.” Adagio said. Her smile submerged into an expression like surf at midnight, and suddenly an attacking drone went down, immobile.

“Get her! Keep her back!” Sunburst barked.

The drones charged, but another fell, then another. They hissed and kicked pathetically as they froze to the floor. The snowmelt had snuck across the carpet, and now it flash-froze the drones on the spot.

“You’re a man of learning, so I’ll teach you a simple lesson,” Adagio said, her words coming out in a frigid hum. Her heeled feet grew surer, her aura shifting from red to a green that gradually grew as dark as the sea.

Buck was here somewhere, and these things were standing in the way of her finding him. They were compromising her grand scheme, and that simply wouldn't do. Cold, simple hatred spread across Adagio's eyes, turning them into black pools. Anything was better than the burning in her skin.

“Don’t be my enemy,” Adagio said.

Adagio rushed forward, a sheen of ice on her rapier as it pierced a drone through the neck, then another. Only one remained, brandishing a shield in front of Sunburst, but it's fearful eyes went blank as an icicle from the carpet speared it in the back.

As the drones fell, Adagio glared at Sunburst with the numb hate of an iceberg watching a ship approach.

The clone frantically launched across the room, with Adagio hot on his heels.

"Hey Glimglam, I see you finally got that stick outta your ass! What happened? Didja finally fly high enough to get over yourself?" The clone Buck chuckled, but his words fell on deaf ears.

This will be easy, Starlight thought. He doesn’t have any combat spells, he literally can’t defend himself!

Starlight jabbed and feinted at Buck, who despite his fearsome, near demonic facade, was crouched, his arms covering his face. Buck's eyes kept drifting to Adagio’s ass, the shape of her round cheeks traced in red fancies. This was immediately annoying.

“Why! Won’t! You! Fight me!” Starlight said.

“I think I love that girl…” Buck mumbled. Red heart-shaped fireworks crackled around his head.

“Oh, for the love of…can you focus for one FUCKING SECOND!?” Starlight shouted.

The staff cracked across Buck’s cheek. He pitched to the side but caught his stumble. More hearts crackled around his head, burning red, red, red…pink.

It was like a grenade going off. Starlight put up a shield just in time to avoid a sudden, carpet-scorching explosion with Buck in the center.

“Oh shit! I can do that!? I didn’t know I can do that!” Buck said. “Yo, Glimglam, remember that shit you said about burning people’s faces off?”

Wisps of black smoke rose from his palms, which bloomed with red heat.

“Oh, no.” Starlight said. “No, no, no, you like making fart noises instead!”

“Why not both!?”

A fart sound ripped across the air as Buck’s searing hand missed Starlight by a hair’s breadth. The other came around, and Starlight caught it; her hand enveloped in a colorless aura that sucked the mana from Buck’s palm.

“Woah, nice trick! You learn that from Adagio?” Buck said.

A resounding whack from Starlight’s staff butted him away. She stumbled a bit, a sudden, poisonous buzz rushing into her head.

“God, Adagio’s right, your aura is like hot cocoa spiked with Hims.” Starlight grunted, rubbing her temple. She groaned as she saw Buck running full tilt at Adagio.

“Suck my dick, Glimglam!” Buck yelped, and his chin smacked the floor. His feet were trapped into two bubbles of red force. Starlight smirked. “…fuck! Fuck, I’m so fucking horny, FUCK!” Buck shouted and slapped the bubble shields, which detonated in two cracks of pinkish-red flame.

He scrambled to his feet, rushing at Adagio, but a lasso of force caught him around the waist, holding him back.

“Keep it in your pants!” Starlight said, pulling on her staff like a fishing rod. “Adagio! Wall off your side!”

Adagio snapped her fingers. A wall of ice rumbled out of the snow, diving the space between Buck and the retreating Sunburst.

“There, now you’re stuck with me! Are you ready to start taking this seriously!?” Starlight said, rushing at Buck, pulling on the tether.

“I dunno, I’m havin’ fun!” Buck laughed. With a pelvic thrust, he burned the lasso away. “Speakin’ of, how about a classic? Tag! Rules are, we’ll see what happens if I tag you!” Buck said.

“Focus, Starlight, focus!” Starlight muttered. Buck’s passion roiled inside her, hazing red around her head. Any stray touch would only add to the rising store of power in Starlight, threatening to drive her manic, and it didn’t help that he was so good at being annoying. Fancies buzzed around Buck’s head, here a smiley face, there a butterfly's wings, one, two, three copies of Adagio's swaying ass fluttering around as Buck tried to grab Starlight. It was like watching his intrusive thoughts appear in real time. It was almost funny.

"Random bullshit, go!" Buck laughed, and the thoughtless doodles rushed at Starlight, buzzing around her head like angry gnats.

"Ugh, you're such a pest!" Starlight tried to remember her training. She thought about Sunset Shimmer, smiling as she reminded Starlight to relax. She let out a deep breath. The red glow simmered around her.

Buck’s smoking hands were quick, but Starlight’s deft movements turned every grab into a near miss. Buck tried to go for a tackle, but Starlight’s staff smacked him thrice, sparking blue with each contact to the head, arm and leg.

“Yow!” Buck dropped down, grabbing his knee.

“Will you quit playing around?” Starlight said, but there was a bit of a chuckle in her voice. The ridiculousness of the situation was setting in.

“Come on, where’s the fun in that!?” Buck rose suddenly, reaching out with his burning hand.

Starlight tried to leap away, but she felt a splitting pain in her leg, stumbling.

"Gah!"

“Oh! Oh, shit, are you alright?” Buck came to a sudden stop, looking over Starlight’s form, at first with concern, but then with an uncomfortable leer. “It’s the leg, right? You wanna take a break? Y'know, I bet Sunburst wouldn't mind if I gave you a lil' massage to help soothe that.”

Thwack! Starlight's fist smashed into Buck's jaw, then a second, bright blue impact threw him across the room.

"You keep your hands off me, you creep!" Starlight said.

“Easy questions first. Where are you getting all of those crystals?” Adagio said.

“As if I’d tell you!” Sunburst said.

The serpent lashed, its fangs digging deep into Adagio's thigh, but she didn't even flinch. The rime on her blade telescoped into a spike of ice, piercing Sunburst in the shoulder.

“GAAH!” Sunburst screamed, and the serpent disappeared. He clawed desperately at the ice spike now suspending him in the air.

“You can’t beat me, so you may as well talk. The crystals. Where?”

Small crystal spurs branched out of the icicle, dripping blood as they dug into Sunbursts’ shoulder.

“GRAGH! Fine, I’ll tell you! Chrysalis is making the drones collect them!”

“Obviously! Where from, and how much?”

“Oh come on, I don’t know!”

Adagio twisted the splintering blade.

“Ow, ow, ow! Alright, alright! A lot! A lot, a lot! There’s a crate of them in the broom closet down the west hall!”

“Where did they find them?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know! I head something about a mine, but I swear I don't know anything else!” Sunburst said. “There is something I do know, though!”

“What is it?” Adagio said.

“Buck will never trust you again.” Sunburst smiled.

Adagio’s world rushed by as a grip of yellow light whipped her against a wall. She hit with a thud, gritting her teeth. The long icicle spear shattered, leaving just the jagged ice coating the blade.

“And it’s not because you keep sniping at him!”

Sunburst vaulted into the air with a flickering yellow glow, casting a hasty healing spell on his shoulder, but Adagio was just after him, carried aloft by a thin disk of ice. She hummed a dirge for Sunburst, blades of ice dancing through the air after him.

“It’s because he knows better! You’re starting to resemble Minuette! You go cold so easily, so why do you have such a hard time with Buck?” Sunburst said, leaving a smattering of fading yellow orbs in his wake, sending Adagio’s projectiles off in random directions.

“He has a bit more power than Starlight, which is to say more than nothing, but his fine control is feeble. His “levitation” is a glorified leap. Those serpents protect him from close range attacks These orbs are…”

Adagio weaved through the air, but an orb connected with her icy platform, whisking it out from under her.

“Interesting use of levitation, right? I think I'll call it ‘Sunbursts Shimmering Sling!’”

The orbs closed on Adagio…and then went past as she suddenly shot upward. The icicle around her blade floated backwards in the air, with Adagio holding on to the handle. Sunburst’s orbs flickered out before they even hit the ground. Adagio saw Sunburst reach into his pocket...and come up empty. No more crystals.

“You may as well give up! Your spells are too anemic to do much harm!” Adagio said.

“That’s a point! I should be taking notes; you know better than anyone about causing harm! You keep hurting Buck without even trying! Mistmane’s Mana Serpent!” Another serpent coiled in the air around Sunburst, but this one flickered a bit, Sunburst wincing as he tried to stabilize it.

There it was again. A deep, cold, welcoming feeling. Sunburst’s taunts sank into Adagio like lost ships.

“You keep hurting him because he wants to know you! But if he does…” Sunburst was backpedaling, the serpent hissing with menace as Adagio drifted closer.

Adagio was an icy peak; her power an avalanche, her mood as cold and hard as a glacier.

“If he knows you, he’ll see what you see every time you look in the mirror.” Sunburst said, with the kind of sadistic smile that only ever accompanies a painful truth. "A monster."

Adagio rose into the air, swathed in swirling darkness that gave way to dark purple fins and equine ears.

“You want to see a monster? I’ll show you a monster!”

The bank of snow rose in a familiar form. It had a great, elegant dorsal fin, a cyclonic, serpentine form, and a pair of rushing hooves. It rampaged into the air, smashing the top off the ice wall, it’s massive equine head splitting open into a sea of whirling icicle teeth as it howled with the breath of a storm.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Starlight said, dodging falling ice blocks.

“Go!” Sunburst said. His mana serpents charged valiantly into the blizzard, and were lost completely in the howling wind. He vaulted away, throwing another volley of yellow orbs, which did nothing but stir up the snow.

“That’s right, run!” Adagio cackled. “Run, run, before the monster swallows you whole!” She grinned madly as the living storm screamed through the air after Sunburst.

Sunburst vaulted through the air, mumbling, flailing, failing to find focus as the jaws of the storm closed around him, and then there was only screams. Adagio was dimly aware of his form quivering as sharpened hailstones tore him asunder.

Starlight looked up with stiff shock. Her hands tightened on her staff until it creaked. Her eyes flashed blue.

The storm unleashed a victory screech that sounded like the howl of a hurricane, shaking dust from the lobby rafters.
Adagio laughed with it and felt a profound, delicious emptiness. Her hair crinkled, greys shooting through the curly tresses. Her skin went pale, her brilliant raspberry eyes dulled, and her nails lengthened. Adagio's legendary beauty was fading, but she couldn't care less.

She had almost forgotten; here was a place where she didn’t need to burn in the light of the sun. She was safe. She was home. She turned to regard the battlefield beneath her, and her frozen heart skipped a beat.

Starlight Glimmer said nothing. Her brief terror was replaced by the calculating glare of a hunter. Adagio knew the look; Starlight was thinking of ways to defeat her, and she had been the whole time.

“Don’t you dare judge me, Starlight Glimmer! I did what I must, to…to…” Adagio spat, but then her eyes trailed away from Starlight to a prone form whimpering on the ground.

A ring of embers singed the carpet around the strange copy of Buck, who was doubled over, covering his head.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Buck sobbed, his aura diminishing with each desperate gasp.

His eyes turned up to Adagio with same look of terror he’d given when she’d chased him after their first night. She saw in this strange clone’s eyes a small child that had seen his life dashed to pieces by a storm, and now, in her own nefarious way, Adagio was becoming yet another storm that threatened to drown everything this man held dear in floodwater.

The storm containing Adagio’s true form unleashed a bestial yawp, then dispersed into a falling blanket of snowflakes. All of Adagio’s cold hatred warmed at the corners of her eyes, threatening to boil over.

“He cursed me. That’s what this is; he cursed me, and now I can’t…I can’t…I can’t be this way anymore.” Adagio whimpered, floating to the ground, her awakened features receding.

For a few moments, Starlight stared, completely dumbfounded, because she was seeing what she recognized as the impossible.

Adagio Dazzle was feeling remorse.

Neither recognized the discordant tinkling of chimes in a breeze, nor the strangely harsh sunlight aura that flashed behind Starlight.

She whirled around and saw the cruel clone of Sunburst on the ground in front of Buck. He looked like a hacked stump, and as he crawled, clutching Stygian's spellbook to his chest, his face sagged and deflated.

“Bro?” Buck said. "What? What the hell did she do to you?"

His eyes flitted back to Adagio. She saw sorrowful tears turning angry.

“We don’t have to win. All we have to do is wear them down. Do you think you can do that?” Sunburst said, his cruel mirth little more than a glint in his eye.

“Yeah, brother....I can do that.”

The strange Sunburst clone went still. With a sudden poof, he was replaced by a clipped log, a photograph, and the burned remains of a tuft of hair. The cape, glasses and leatherbound spellbook tumbled to the ground.

The clone of Buck stared at Adagio and smiled.

"I forgive you." Buck said.

"You do?" Adagio said.

"No." Buck said.

A pillar of black and pink flame erupted from the odd clone. Starlight Glimmer would have been scorched were it not for a wall of ice that rose to shield her.

Adagio was at Starlight’s side, and for once there was no compromise in her gladness. At least they could face this horror show together.

The garish torrent of flame halted.

Before their eyes, the copy of Buck awoke in a twisted form. His curling horns were asymmetrical and gnarled. His wings were malformed and filled with holes, his feet had turned into cloven hooves, and a spade-tipped tail extended from his behind. He was like some sort of changeling fever dream from hell. The air around him crackled with fear and lust in equal measure.

“I suppose negotiation is off the table. Advice?” Starlight said.

“Don’t let that thing touch you.” Adagio hissed, raising her sword. “I suggest we fight together this time. We might not survive otherwise.”

"C'mon ladies! Who wants to dance!? Let's really cut loose!" Buck barked, eyeing Starlight and Adagio like a starving dog.

“This is a nightmare, so fine. We can't afford to waste any more time.” Starlight said.

It was a stand-off. Starlight was battered and exhausted, and Adagio didn’t fare much better. It had been a long, painful day full of conflict and anguish for the both of them, but here, at least, they could stand together. Here at least, their goals aligned: regroup with their lovers and take down the queen, and this horrible thing was just an obstacle in their path.

Their communication was a wordless focus. Starlight held out a finger. Her mana, having been steeped in the copy Buck’s aura, shifted from red to a shining blue as it gathered at her fingertip.

“Justice.” Starlight muttered.

Adagio felt it, too. Just inhaling the air around Starlight Glimmer made her feel sturdier and more brash. Her skin smoothed, and the color returned to her form, but the aura was novel. It tasted like a cuneiform tablet, or maybe a roasted beast. Something steady and hearty.

"Yes." Adagio sighed. "Have it your way."

And just as they were about to rush forward and begin the desperate struggle anew, a peculiar sound came from a nearby hallway, bringing them all to a halt.

"Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope!"

“What the fuck?” Starlight said.

And then they saw it. A pair of beaten-up sneakers pounding along the carpet, a jean jacket and pants, and a fluffy pink scarf. A strange cloud of mist gaining on them. A set of glowing red eyes and gnashing teeth cackling from inside it.

"Come back, lover! I just want a little taste!" Heart Song sang.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me.” Adagio said.

The copy Buck just laughed as the genuine article tore full sprint into the lobby with a love-drunk sea monster at his heels.

“TRADE ME, TRADE ME, TRADE ME!” Buck screamed.

Author's Note

Hellbent, if the lyrics weren't clear, is a short, diesel-fueled power ballad. It doesn't stick around long, but it's got the energy of an intense grudge fuck, and that's the exact energy I wanted for the chapter. This chapter was honestly a relief after how much I agonized over Carry On My Wayward Son. I really relished hitting the gas on this one, and I promise things are only going to get wilder from here.