Return to the Brood 4: Elemental Takeover

One Hour Later

Normally, the train route from the Crystal Empire to Ponyville would take several hours, or even half a day to cover such a lengthy route. However, as soon as the news of Shining Armor’s downfall broke out, all of Equestria’s train lines were instantly frozen by Royal Order. All international trading routes were put on hold as well, which kept any allies of Chrysalis’ from the Changeling Kingdom to leave much of a mark. Back in Canterlot, the Royal Sisters were securely hunkered down in Canterlot Castle and making their plans. Meanwhile in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle and her friends had all done the same in her tree-shaped fortress of a castle.

Every dark, crystallized hallway was lined with Royal Guards drafted by Princess Celestia herself, performing regular patrols through every inch of Twilight’s castle. All of the Elements were securely locked inside of the Map Room, which was quartered off and left nearly-impenetrable by anypony to enter without strict inspection. Even though the castle’s kitchen was just down the hall, it took Spike over an hour to get all the food and drinks prepared through extensive testing by the Guards. And even when he went waddling back with a couple trays heavy with a bundle of pre-packaged meals, Spike groaned as he went through multiple magic barriers to test for any Changeling presences.

“Ughhhhh…” By the time he was back at the Map Room’s doors, and given two more magical sweeps by the stoic Guards outside the doorway, Spike was looking more than a little fed up. Regardless, he kept his mouth shut when one of the Guards gave a specific knock to the door, which opened it for exactly three seconds. Spike bolted right through the opening, with the doors slamming shut the instant he got through. While Twilight used her magic to bolt the doors shut behind him, Spike shook his head and tried not to look too worrisome.

The enchanted Map Table may have been fully lit, with a full hologram display of Equestria hovering in view for everypony to see; unfortunately, it was beneath a massive pile of maps, documents, and various biology textbooks that had been accumulated over the past week. Every published paper on Changeling anatomy, the nation’s culture, past historical events, and anatomical graphs were all laid out so every Element could learn as much as they could about their enemy. There were also several newspapers scattered across the once-clean floors, many of which carrying published photographs of Shining Armor’s untimely downfall; not surprisingly, Twilight’s friends made sure to black out any explicit pictures of her brother with marker.

There was also a large corkboard erected by one of the walls, which had enough pieces of paper and red yarn to emulate the ramblings of a madpony desperate to find Pepe Silva. Several trash bins were lined up at the opposite end of the room, although none of the mares seemed to mind the disturbing overflow of garbage they weren’t able to throw out. Even with the water cooler nearby filled to the brim, and the two coffee pots beside it continuously brewing, it was obvious that all of them had become fatigued after so many restless nights.

“Jeeze, Spike! Did it really have to take that long?!” Rainbow Dash was sprawled out in her chair, her head reeled back in exhaustion. Spike was gracious enough to hand her one of the packaged meals himself; however, she quickly snatched it with the briefest “Thanks,” and ripped off the lid to dig into its contents with her bare hooves. The pegasus slovenly devoured the oats and freeze-dried berries, clearly in need of some subsistence while locked up for so long. But alas, much like all of her friends who were groggily taking their packages, Rainbow appeared just as bitter as before when she tossed the empty container over her head. “For crying out loud… If I don’t get out of this room, I swear I’m gonna snap!”

“Psh! You kiddin’ me, Dash?!” Applejack gawked at her with an unamused glare, but ate her pre-packaged oats without much complaint. The other three Elements were all struggling to stay awake, and lurched over the table with defeated looks. Applejack seemed just as distraught behind the dark bags under her eyes; but much like Rainbow Dash, she had enough fire in her to speak honestly. “You remember that Royal Order Celestia sent us, right? If any of us leave this room without notice, we can’t come back in.”

“Yeah, I know!” snapped Dash bitterly. “I know the rules, okay?! And believe me, I get it! But do you really expect me to just sit here when Spike’s able to--”

SLAM!!!

The deafening thud of that thick book falling in front of Rainbow Dash made everypony jolt themselves back awake. The pegasus instantly shut up, and glanced back at the source of that sound with a nervous expression. Applejack turned towards the friend’s direction, as did the other Elements present. Even Spike had his lip bitten worriedly when he looked over at the lone pony standing in the room. Right beside that intricately-detailed corkboard, Twilight Sparkle had her back turned to all of them while her head was hung low.

None of the others said a thing, and stared back at their leader in unified silence. Considering how badly things went the last time they had to battle Changelings themselves, the last thing they wanted to do was ignore Twilight a second time around. Despite how overwhelmed and exhausted they all may have been, their attention was solely on the Princess to hear what she had to say. But after letting out a long and heavy exhale, the Alicorn’s voice came out in a low, aggravated hiss. “Please… Please try to focus on the task at hoof…”

Rainbow winced painfully, but she complied with a nod before opening up the leather-bound book. Even though the anatomy texts of Changelings (originally gifted by the former King Thorax before his own demise) wasn’t exactly thrilling reading, Dash knew that glossing through the details would be better than getting another brutal braying by Twilight. The other ponies all tried doing the same, either rifling through the papers on the table or picking up other books strewn about. Given how tense the mood was getting, Spike tried to walk up to the Princess with utmost caution. “Hey, uhhh… Twilight?”

“Sorry, I’m sorry…” Twilight still had her back turned while pinching the bridge of her snout with a hoof. She clenched her eyes shut as she tried to maintain her composure. “I… I know I’m acting on edge, alright?”

Pinkie Pie, who was right between Rarity and Fluttershy, leaned in between them to mutter, “I’m glad somepony knows that…”

Spike quickly shot her a frantic “Shush” gesture while Twilight’s back was still turned. Luckily for Pinkie’s sake, that crass remark only resulted in a stronger sigh from the Alicorn. Twilight avoided looking back at the corkboard as she trotted towards the coffee makers, her muzzle wrinkling in obvious distaste. “I really don’t blame any of you for being upset. I just… I’m trying my best to keep everything together.”

“Oh, Twilight!” Rarity got up from her chair, and went up behind Twilight to give her a much-needed hug. “Darling, you don’t have to explain. We all completely understand.”

Fluttershy and Applejack were the first to get up and hug Twilight as well. The Princess tried her best to savor the moment while hugging them back, even as the details of Chrysalis’ invasion lingered in the back of her mind like a tumor. “We promised we were going to help you however we can,” said Fluttershy in an assuring, albeit tired-sounding voice. “And that’s exactly what we intend to do.”

“That’s right, Sugar Cube. If it was my brother, Ah’d be just as Tartarus-bent on gettin’ some proper justice.” Applejack placed a hoof on the Alicorn’s shoulder, and tried her best to give her friend a confident smile. “This ain’t the first time we dealt with Queen Chrysalis, but we can certainly make sure it’s the last time it happens!”

“Buck yeah!” Rainbow got out of her seat to give Applejack a hoof-bump in solidarity. “That’s what I like to hear!”

Spike and Pinkie Pie were giving Twilight some hugs of their own, all of whom clearly trying not to get too freaked-out about what was happening outside. It was bad enough trying to fight against an invisible invasion that could compromise everypony they knew outside; but after spending several days in strict isolation, it was clear that everyone was getting severe cases of Cabin Fever. By the time she pulled away, Twilight had to fan a hoof over her face to dry any lingering tears. And even with how distressed she may have felt about her brother’s state, she couldn’t help smiling when she saw how unified all of her friends looked in that moment.

Twilight decided to follow the advice of her sister-in-law, and took a deep breath before addressing her friends. “Alright, everyone,” she said with a newfound tone of diligence, “I know we had to take a lot of impromptu biology lessons this week, but it’s the best chance we have to learn about the Changeling race and find an edge against Chrysalis. And while all of you were researching theories regarding her weaknesses, I’m pretty sureI may have found a way into the Crystal Empire…”

High above the Map Room, while Twilight Sparkle began to relay her own findings, nobody seemed to take notice of the large metal vent installed in the ceiling. Due to the castle’s massive size, the heating and air-conditioning ducts installed were actually large enough to fit a couple full-sized ponies quite comfortably. And with the castle’s remarkably strong and crystalized foundation all around, even a pair of trotting hooves wouldn’t be heard through the metal ducts.

Or even… two pairs of hooves~

“Wow, great teleportation work, Cadance!” Despite how long he and the Ex-Princess had been serving their Queen without upkeeping their magic, it was surprisingly easy for Cadance to remember one of the key spells her sister-in-law had taught her. The Alicorn was still a bit dizzy from the daunting distance traveled with a flick of her horn, as well as aiming for such a precise spot detailed in Sunburst’s notes. But much like the former Crystaller had bragged, they were able to teleport directly inside the castle’s maintenance ducts and away from the Guards’ lines of sight. And even in their brainwashed states, Cadance smiled rather giddily and hoof-bumped her partner. “Our Queen was so right! We really do make a great team!”

Cadance nodded to his point, but she made sure to give a faint “Shush” motion to his excited whispering. Sunburst nodded accordingly, and lit up his horn so they could easily traverse through the ducts. He and Cadance didn’t have much issue following his blueprints, which led them right towards the Map Room. By the time they reached the metal grates, the ponies grinned wide when they saw the Elements of Harmony below.

Cadance and Sunburst glanced back at each other briefly, and gave a unified “Zip It” motion with their hooves darting across their lips. After nodding silently, the two went to work unloading the Alicorn’s saddlebags. In the left pocket, a large metal briefcase came out which had the faintest green glow emanating from the middle; both of them had to pause and shudder as quietly as they could, desperate not to let their own temptations jeopardize the mission. Even though they both knew what was in that case, they were also aware that Chrysalis explicitly ordered them to keep it alone. So after taking a moment to push the case aside, Cadance shivered and pulled out what was in the right pocket of her saddlebags.

Sunburst used his magic to carefully grasp the long metal cylinder, keeping it level as it hovered away from Cadance. The former Princess tilted her head curiously, not having been able to learn what Sunburst had invented in his spare time. It almost looked like an old cookie tin used to hold sewing equipment; however, several glass vials filled with glowing green liquid were carefully screwed into the top of the device. Cadance leaned in to get a good look at the bottom, and her eyes widened when she saw the large plastic fan installed. Before she could try to ask through sign language (a skill she and other castle staff had to learn years prior for their duties) what he was planning, Cadance could only watch as Sunburst carefully laid the device on top of the vent.

“So, as I was saying…” Twilight had no idea what she was in for, and was standing directly underneath the vents high above everyone’s heads. Her psychotic corkboard was temporarily covered with several maps of the Crystal Empire, including blueprints of the castle and ancient schematics from Sombra’s era. The Princess had her horn lit as she floated a pencil towards the main map. “After we closed down the trains, it seemed that Chrysalis closed down most of the access points in the Crystal Empire as well. However, the northern section of the city’s walls usually has the lowest number of Guards on patrol, so the best route would be to go in from the top.”

“The top?!” Spike stared at her in total confoundment. “Twi, that’s the Frozen North! We’d all freeze to death if we tried to move through that much snow after dark!”

Rarity tapped her chin with a hof as she stared at the map with an equally wary expression, “Not to mention, any spells we might use to counteract those temperatures would likely be seen from the Guards present.”

“That’s alright, I already have that detail covered.” Twilight floated over a thick, ancient-looking binder with Celestia’s insignia engraved on the cover. “After Spike sent Flurry Heart to Celestia and Luna for protection, they lended me this book of their most advanced spells. I already memorized most of them, but there happens to be one which can…”

Up above the group of unsuspecting heroes, Cadance had to bite her hoof to keep from swearing out-loud. Only the briefest grunt came out, which was thankfully muffled enough for only Sunburst to hear. When she glanced back at him with a disappointed frown, Sunburst kept a warm smile on his face. Instead of saying anything, the stallion moved his hooves around to give her a message in sign language.

‘It will be okay. I promise you, your daughter will be in the Queen’s hooves very soon~’

If Cadance wasn’t thoroughly brainwashed, she would’ve been very terrified about such a statement being made from him. But much like Sunburst, Cadance was too far gone as she nodded with a gracious smile back at him. She even used her own sign language skills to respond back:

‘Thank you very much. I really hope we can make that happen.’

Cadance then closed her eyes with a wistful sigh, thinking to herself, ‘Don’t worry, my sweet Flurry... Mommy is coming very soon~’

Sunburst nodded back, and then turned his attention towards his hoof-made device. Right beside those glowing vials on the top, a red button and a small switch were installed for easy use. Since Sunburst already had the fan pointed against the vents, all he needed to do was flip the switch to make the fan spin with a low, near-silent hum. The briefest breeze could be felt inside of the Map Room; however, none of the Elements questioned it while listening to Twilight’s plan of action.

“... Now, after we use the abandoned catacombs from Sombra’s reign, we’ll be able to emerge inside of the Crystal Empire’s history museum. I’m not a hundred percent sure how secure the building will be, or how many Guards might be present. But compared to what we saw in those recordings, it’s probably safer than the streets.”

Twilight, as well as everyone else in the room, all shuddered with great discomfort the moment “recordings” were mentioned. Only Twilight and the other Princesses knew of the contents in them, but her friends knew better than to ask about anything Chrysalis personally sent to them. Up above the vent, Cadance glanced back at Sunburst with a puzzled look. Luckily, the stallion was quick to sign back at her about the context.

‘While you were out and waiting for your first incubation, our Queen sent out photos and videos of her triumphant return. From what I heard, your Ex’s wedding was on the cover of every newspaper in Equestria! She also sent out personalized videos of the egg depositing and laying processes for the Royals to see.’

Cadance almost let out an excited “Ooh!” in the duct, not caring one bit that the worst moment of her life was publicized so openly for everypony to see. Instead, all she did was sign back, ‘Wow, what a great idea! Hopefully more ponies will see how great it can be~’

Sunburst shrugged his head with a heavy blush. He then pointed at the device, and asked through sign, ‘Would you like to press the button yourself?~’

Cadance could hear her sister-in-law continuing to babble on about the plan beneath their hooves. But as her eyes darted between the device and Sunburst’s smirk, she couldn’t help asking silently, ‘What will it do?’

Sunburst grinned especially wide to that question, and answered through sign, ‘It will do all of the work for us~’

Cadance’s brows rose up with intrigue, and she gave a simple shrug before accepting that vague answer. She reached down, and pressed the red button while the fan was still running. The entire device started to shake from the motors inside, nearly rattling against the metal grates to alert the Map Room. Fortunately, Sunburst and Cadance were quick to put their shared weight down on the cylinder, which helped to keep it sturdy and quiet.

The glowing vials could be seen emptying out into the device, which made the whole container illuminate with that eerie green hue. The fan continued to spin at a faster rate, with Sunburst grinning evilly at his invention working properly. Even though a glowing liquid was going in through the top, the filtering and purification process of the motors inside were converting it to an invisible gas through the fans below. Cadance tried to look through the vents, but she couldn’t see any of the gas wafting into the room.

In fact, if somepony in the Map Room were to try and discern anything being deposited, the most they would see is a light ripple in the air like in a heat wave...