~Oh, we're the Wonderbolts and we're super fast~

~And we're from Cloudsdale which-is-a-part-of-Equestria, hehe~

~That we like best and we're proud and we're fast and we like it because it really has nice trees~

"It's all in there, gang! Leave it to Spike, champion gear carrier for all of your gear carrying needs." The small purple and green dragon proudly declared. Exiting the train last with Dawny, Somnia yawned out absently, still in the middle of waking up. Her other guards had already exited to the secure the area for what little chance there was that there was a danger waiting at the train station. A bit silly considering that everypony else left along with them.

"And the Ponyville flag? You sure? And what about the flagpole?" Apple Bloom asked concerned.

"In with the portable ramp!" Spike leaned against the piled luggage, pushing it a bit until he fell over. "Woah!"

"Give it a rest, Apple Bloom." Scootaloo lightly chastised.

Spike got back up and brushed himself off. "Aw, she's just nervous, that's all. Perfectly understandable. Whenever I'm afraid I'll forget something or start to panic, I have a simple trick. I count to ten, and by the time I'm done, I've calmed myself enough to get the job done right every time. Easy-peasy, cider-squeezy!" Spike reassured the crusaders.

From the side, Twilight spotted two royal guards carrying a portable throne rushing towards Spike, considering what they could possibly be in a rush to do. Her questioning was answered soon enough as they picked up the dragon and circled back with Spike yelling out: "Hey! Put me down!"

"What's going on?!" Scootaloo asked concerned, Twilight muttering under her breath before galloping after the dragon while everypony else proceeded towards their hotel. A game attendant pulled the luggage behind Somnia as she slowly woke up near the back of the group. The CMC fell back to include their sleepy friend in their conversation.

"Are ya excited to see yer first Equestria Games?" Apple Bloom asked royal filly.

"Yup!" Somnia answered affirmatively. "Did any of you get to go to one before?"

"I saw the Canterlot games when I was really young!" Sweetie replied happily, her expression falling for the second half of the statement: "Can't remember much of it though."

"Mom and dad are always away when it takes place." Scootaloo groaned. "I wish they would take me to one so that we could spend time together as a family."

"At least ya got parents to take ya." Apple Bloom nudged her friend. "With ma and pa not around to help out on the farm, we hadn't had the bits to afford going to see the games!"

"Hey now!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, flying in front of the four and hovering backwards so she could speak directly to them. "You're all here now, aren't you? You're going to be representing all of Ponyville with your awesome flag carrying! That's something to be proud of!"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo jumped into the air fluttering her wings, hovering for a moment. "It's going to be so cool to burst into the arena! I can't wait!"

"Me neither!" Sweetie squeaked as they approached their hotel. The elements checked in the group while the game attendants split the luggage, the crusaders 'supervising' to make sure nothing was lost. With nothing better to do while waiting, Somnia trotted over to her guards.

"Are you all liking your gifts?" The filly happily asked her trusty protectors.

"I can't wait to use this thing." Dusty examined the hoof-mounted canon. "It'll be like a bolt of lightning directly to the face."

"You all got the cool stuff!" Dawn complained, stretching out his wings to show off the metal blades along the front edge. "What do I have? Wings blades. I could have gotten these from some of my underworld contacts!"

"And your wing patches, don't forget those." Shield chuckled. "You're just jealous. This horn amplifier is pretty great though."

Scuttle shook his head. "Somnia, is a knife really a good investment? I literally could have grabbed one from the library kitchen."

"I like mine." Love ran her talon along the crossbow. "It's a lovely gift. Thank you, your majesty."

The five ponies fake gasped at the slip-up, all chuckling or giggling afterwards.

"I probably won't need you to guard me until the games are over. Feel free to explore the city while waiting." Somnia pawed the air playfully. "The guard presence is going to be on par with the castle in Canterlot."

"Never stopped us from doing our duty before." Shield responded. "Don't worry, we'll stay out of your way. Actually..." He turned to the other four. "Let's do some practice at the guard compound. It wouldn't hurt to coordinate our tactics to prevent a repeat of the rescue mission."

The five guards all headed off in the direction of the barracks while Somnia trotted back up to the elements who at this point were sorting out who was getting what room.

"Somnia! Hurry up or we'll be late!" Twilight called into the washroom, tapping her hoof impatiently on the crystal floor. The opening ceremony was in the last half of the day with events over the next two, concluding with ice archery and the closing ceremony on the third. The arena was truly marvelous to behold, made out of the same bluish crystal that made up most of the Crystal City.

Uncomfortably shifting on her hooves, she looked around to see if anypony else was coming. The upper section pretty much only included the royal stands and a few private booths further down, so the absence of ponies other than the guards was expected. Entering into the washroom, she could hear the hyperventilation of her daughter from one of the stalls.

"Som?" She gently said, causing Somnia to flinch in the stall to impact one of the walls.

"I'll be out in a minute!" She yelled back, her voice cracking as she fought the tears. Exiting the room, Twilight patiently waited for her to finish her most recent panic attack. It hurt to see her like this, but Twilight knew that Somnia would never accept help if she didn't expressly ask for it. It was on her list of things to talk to Duskwing about if she managed to corner him for a few minutes. Maybe he could get through to her where Twilight couldn't.

Another two minutes passed before Twilight heard a toilet flush from inside and the sound of water running. The filly came trotting out slightly embarrassed, but trying to put on a happy demeanor that didn't really conceal just how nervous she was. "Ready!"

"Your crown?" Twilight raised a brow.

Somnia sighed and went back into the the washroom to retrieve the tiara given to her by the princesses before the two made their way out of the inner area into the royalty stands. Twilight's throne was between Celestia and Somnia, giving a polite bow to the regal sister as she motioned for Twilight to take a seat. On the other side of Celestia was her sister, eyes focused intensely on the field below them. Cadance gave a wave from the far side to Twilight who happily returned it as she took her seat.

The filly looked around the arena for the last minute before the procession began. There must have been over twenty thousand of ponies in the arena, more than double the entire population of Ponyville.

The teams began leaving the gates to rounds of cheering from the crowds. Some were louder than others, such as the Crystal City or Cloudsdale, but there was still good spirit behind it. Somnia and Twilight both cheered out for Hollow Shades and Ponyville, Celestia smiling over to them amused. Somnia couldn't hear what the crusaders had yelled out from this far away, but she did see Scootaloo burst from the paper tarp carrying the Ponyville flag followed by the rest of the town's team.

Humming to herself: Should I tell mom about Spike? The decision was all hers. No matter what happened, Spike wouldn't be able to light the beacon and Twilight would do it for him with her newly healed horn, resulting in his pride being crushed. Nah.

"What's wrong?" Cadance looked worriedly to the beacon as it continued not being lit, teams all gathered at the center of the stadium.

"Equestria, we have a problem." Twilight bit her lip.

"Somepony go down and help him!" Cadance ordered one of the guards, who promptly rushed off.

After a minute of no progress and a great sigh, Twilight tried concealing her horn as she ignited the beacon. "Phew!" She exclaimed while wiping her brow.

"You'll have to tell him." Somnia turned to her. "He'll misinterpret it as a magic power he has."

"Did you- Of course you did." Twilight playfully rolled her eyes. "Do you know what was wrong with him?"

"Nervous, probably." The filly shrugged. "I don't know. I just saw what he did, I don't know what he was thinking."

The anthem of Equestria was played, ponies standing proudly and repeating after 'Countess' Coloratura as she sang the words with all her heart, and when the teams dispersed from the field, the crowd followed. It was a fairly short ceremony, meant to get everypony excited to watch their favorite towns and cities compete, a show of glory and nothing more. There were a few events in the evening but most ponies chose to spend the time between now and then exploring the Crystal City, making use of all the tourist attractions, to the delight of the local shop owners no doubt.

As she trotted back inside the stadium, Somnia had only one thing on her mind, and so it shall be made reality. Rather than heading out with her mother, she stopped by the concessions booths. "One extra large pretzel, please!" She leaned on the counter, eyes glimmering for the delectable taste of the salty pretzels. It wasn't something they had back in Excalicorn, and Pinkie had highly recommended it. Plus it would be something pleasant to indulge in after her earlier episode.

"Seven bits." The mare waited while Somnia took the bits from her mane, hoofing over the entire bag. She had exactly seven bits, as foretold.

Her dreams weren't always bad or consequential, and she learned to make the most of them whenever she could.

"Stop, stop!" Shield called out to the other guards. "Dawn! Too far with your wings. Do you want to give them a paper cut or separate them in two?"

"I'm trying to not hurt her!" He defended. "We don't need to give it our all in training."

"You can get a bit closer." Shield rubbed between his eyes. Love got back up from where she had been knocked down, retrieving her spear as she walked over to the other two.

"I don't see what the big deal is. When we're in the thick of it, we won't hold back." Love shrugged, twirling her spear. "Besides, what if one of us is hurt and there's some sort of attack in the next couple of days? Do we really want to be down a pony? Or griffon?"

"She's right, ya know." Dawn nodded.

"Only a fool would attack one of the most heavily guarded events, with all the princesses present, in the middle of the second largest city in Equestria!" Shield countered. "Do you honestly expect them to perform a suicide mission just to have the slim chance of eliminating a princess?"

Across the field between rows of barrels stacked tall, another of Queen's Guards was searching for their partner. "Scuttle, where the hay are you?" Dusty checked the last barrel in the small field of hiding places. "Honestly, if I didn't know better I'd say you just up and left."

"I've been above you the entire time." His voice called out. Dusty turned her head above her but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Invisibility spell?"

"Nope." He dropped the barrier around him. "Easy to spot that if you know what to look for. This is far more difficult to detect." He landed next to her, showing a smaller scale example of the spell. "It copies the light's trajectory from the other five sides and re-emits it from the direction you want it to fool. Plain as day that something is wrong from the other angles, but undetectable in the direction you're projecting."

"How did you see me then? Wouldn't the light from your target get caught by the field?" She poked the illusion, disrupting it.

"Combine it with a life detection spell or remote observance and you got a shield to trail unsuspecting targets. As long as it isn't raining or foggy out." Scuttle grabbed his water bottle and took a large drink. "Learned it during my training to be a long-term infiltrator. Takes a lot out of you to maintain it for long periods of time though."

"We can't just sit around and do nothing!" Shield yelled out, getting the attention of the last two guards. "I say we patrol the colosseum. Keep an eye on the guards and stragglers."

"Why?" Dawn offered a hoof while the other two walked over. "Somnia is safe with half the Crystal Guard protecting her, and she doesn't really care what we do in our free time. I want to go swimming at the hot springs, and I don't know about the rest of you, but it's going to be nice having time off."

"I second that." Dusty spoke up. "I want to go to the library to see what sorts of books they have in stock."

"I'm going to terrorize the city." Scuttle chuckled. "Maybe find security flaws in the colosseum defenses."

Shield growled. "Fine! But keep your equipment on you at all times just in case. If something happens, I want you to be able to respond within five minutes!"

"Deal!" The other three called out, dispersing.

"What about you, captain?" Love asked, bringing her twirling to a halt and folding back up the compact spear to reattach to her armor. "Anything you want to do in the Crystal City?"

"I'm going to patrol around the colosseum like I said I would." He groaned, turning away slightly as he reconsidered it for a few seconds. "I'm not used to having time off like this. I've served in the guard dutifully for nearly twenty years. It's my duty to serve, not relax on my flank getting fat."

"Why not come with me to the castle?" She suggested. "I've been hoping to see the inside since... well, I came to the city."

"What do I have to lose? Close enough to the colosseum in case something happens." He shrugged, following after her.

Getting up from bed, Twilight walked over to the door and opened it. "Oh, hi, Scuttle."

"Security is shitty around here." He smiled at her. "Didn't even need me to disguise myself in order to sneak past the guards."

"If you have suggestions, I'm sure my brother would love to hear them." Twilight stepped aside to let him in, both going over to sit at the small card table where Somnia was playing a game of solitaire.

"Nah, he's a right bastard that one." Scuttle chuckled, shaking his head. "Nearly had me arrested the moment I stepped into the guard compound."

"He's just paranoid about changelings, and rightfully so. Were you there for the Siege of Canterlot?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Yeah. I was an advanced infiltration drone. My job was to take up long-term residence within the city to feed reports for the tactical infiltration teams. It was one of my reports that helped Chrysalis take the place of that pink princess during a little get-together of nobles. After the magical burst broke my cover, three years of hard work building a profile turned into a game of survival as I made my way from the city."

"Must have been quite hard, given the changeling scare."

"It was. Couldn't disguise due to a magical overload, and could barely walk after my leg was broken from the impact against the wall. Hid in the sewers for days and left one night."

"Do you know how many other changeling spies are around Equestria? Or do they keep that information under lock-and-key?" Twilight floated over the kettle she requested earlier, pouring him a cup of lukewarm tea.

"Nah. Until my return to Canterlot around your coronation, no changeling spies had tried infiltrating the city from my understanding. We probably got some in other parts of Equestria, but I wouldn't really know them."

"So I've probably met somepony that was a changeling and didn't even know it?"

"Unlikely. We have very few long-term infiltrators due to the skill it requires. Not only do you need to form a complete history from scratch, but you also need to be suited for civilian life. I've checked around Ponyville and found one other 'ling, but they aren't associated with the hive."

"Wait, we have another changeling in Ponyville?!" Twilight sat up, eager to hear more.

"Don't try finding them. They want to be left alone to live their life." Scuttle sternly stated, drinking his cup of tea. "Few changelings betray the hive and live. If I wasn't a part of the Queen's Guard, I'd probably be hunted down and dragged back only to be executed. If they left, then they need to stay hidden."

"How did you meet them?"

"At the bar." He shrugged. "Offered me a drink and a dance, I accepted. We retired to their place for a bit of fun, then they asked me what I was doing in Ponyville with a knife to my throat. Turns out they assisted with the Siege of Canterlot and left after its failure. Lives out in the sticks alone. Goes by Kevin now."

"Oh... Right, him." Twilight turned away blushing. She remembered Kevin's accidental disguise slip up in the market. They lived outside of town, only entering while disguised and mostly for groceries. Not somepony seen often, much like Zecora in terms of reclusiveness, but she knew a few ponies that were on friendly terms with him. Still didn't make her feel comfortable around him though.

"What about you? Ever really spoken to one of us before?"

"Other than when Chrysalis was disguised as Cadance, no, not really. You're the only changeling I've ever spoken to without fear that you had other motives." She admitted.

"We're not all bad." He put down his cup of tea. "Honestly, we're not. The queendom is what keeps us in line and feared by others. If that filly is right, then she'll free us from the tyranny of Chrysalis once her uncle is found."

"Somnia, you never told me one of my brothers was a changeling." Twilight turned to her daughter lazily flicking through her cards.

"Oops?" She shrugged dismissively, keeping her eyes on the cards. "I mean, you technically had two between Uncle Tacis and dad. Does it matter?"

"No, but I still would have liked to know." Twilight shook her head, turning back to Scuttle. "That's why you are with the Queen's Guard? Because you believe that my brother will free you?"

"That, and because of what she represents." He ruffled up Somnia's mane. "She doesn't see us as monsters. To her, we're ponies like any other. That we deserve a chance at happiness and respect." Scuttle gulped down the remainder of the tea. "I gotta get going. It's going to be a long day tomorrow testing the security, and I still gotta sneak back to my room without being seen."

"It was nice chatting." Twilight shook his hoof, smiling gently. "It's good to know that I was wrong about changelings like I was about thestrals."

"Changelings can change, ya know?" He chuckled before going over and opening the door, looking into the hallway. With one last wave goodbye, he set off, closing the door behind him.

"Did you get to talk to dad?" Somnia turned up to her mother.

"Huh? No, I haven't had the chance to talk to him. I'm sure that I'll get to talk to him sometime before the games are over." She playfully squinted at the filly. "Not that somepony was helpful for telling all of Equestria."

Somnia giggled. "They would have found out eventually, better to get it out of the way now rather than wait until it blew up."

"Did you really have to say we were going to be married in a few years?" She softened her expression to wariness.

The filly put down the card she was deliberating on and leaned back in her chair smiling to her mom. "Having doubts?"

"I just want to make sure we'll get along, that's all." Twilight scooted her chair a bit closer, wrapping a wing around Somnia. "It's my first relationship, and I want to make sure this is who I want to be with for the rest of my life. It's probably hard to understand, but having patience for choosing a romantic partner is what a lot of ponies expect. We're not used to arranged marriages or being able to have foals without consideration for who the father is."

"Dawny would have made a great dad!" Somnia happily protested.

"Maybe he would, but I was just worried that you may have bitten off more than you can chew." Twilight kissed her on the head. "No getting pregnant before me, alright?"

"Don't worry, I don't plan to anymore." The filly snuggled into her.

Biting her tongue, Twilight thought this might be a possibility. Her daughter hadn't made any sex jokes or suggestive comments, hay, she even stopped flirting with Dawn. Her free-time activities also seems to have changed a lot since before the foalnapping, becoming far more... ambitious, and practical minded.

"When dad moves to Ponyville, I want to tell you the story of how you two originally met. It's really sweet." Somnia looked up to her mother. "I promise, you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will."

Day 2, event 6... or maybe 7? I still haven't found signs of interest among the observation subjects. Fellow researchers have been closely watching, seemingly enjoying the spectacle of the physical activities. I would much rather join them on the field than watch from on-high. That way I can feel as though I was doing something productive. If I pass unconscious from the strain of this task, I'm certain I'd never hear the end of it.

Quit being a drama queen, they are the best Equestria has to offer! At least, that's the principle.

Doesn't make it any less boring. Somnia huffed out. There was only one event she actually cared about, and that was the aerial relay. Everything between the start and then was an inconvenient royal chore to watch through. Maybe I'll join the games when I'm older...

Get through your coronation, then we'll see.

"Bored?" Twilight leaned over to her.

"Yeah..." Somnia admitted. "I just want to see dad compete."

"Not everything will be fun to sit through. You're going to have to go through even more boring things when you're older."

"I know..." The filly sighed. "When's the aerial relay?"

"Just after lunch. We're taking a brief break to eat after this event."

"Alright. Thank you." Somnia responded. One more event...

About thirty minutes later, and a hundred brain cells wasted- What did I say about being a drama queen? -the event was over. It was some sort of aerial dash. Speed over maneuverability. It actually surprised her to learn that the Griffish Isles actually had griffons on their team, making them the only non-ponies competing. It still perturbed her to see male griffons, but it was going to be something that she would have to get used to sooner rather than later.

Twilight and Somnia left the royal stands for the concession booths to grab something quick before the start of the next event while the other princesses stayed in their seats to talk to the Duke and Duchess of Maretania. While on their way through the inner atrium, a mare bumped directly into Twilight, stopping to glare at her.

"Sorry, I wasn't--" Twilight's eyes widened at the yellow and green mare's serious expression. Grabbing Somnia, the three of them made their way back towards a secluded area near the inner pillars for some privacy. "What's going on?" She whispered.

"It's bad. Really bad." Scuttle, who had disguised themself as a regular civilian, lowered their voice so nopony else could hear. "There's an entire area of the lower stadium that is being patrolled by mercenaries and soldiers. Mostly ponies, but some changelings and griffons too. I don't know what they have planned, but it's not good."

Twilight closed her eyes, mind spinning with possibilities. This can't be happening. Not now!

"What's your orders?" He asked seriously.

"Get the others. Take them down quietly. If a panic starts, I'll take responsibility for it." Twilight firmly whispered, giving him one last solid look before turning to Somnia. "Have you seen anything in your dreams that could help?"

The filly shook her head negatively, Twilight resolving to leave her decision stand. "This will have to suffice." Twilight nodded, sending off the mare into a casual trot to gather the others. She considered telling the other princesses, but it wouldn't matter until after the events when it was discovered. Was the Crystal Guard involved? How did they fail to secure the arena? None of this was adding up.

Hopefully the Queen's Guard would be able to eliminate them before anything happened.

"Can we get something to eat now? There isn't much time before they start!" Somnia grabbed her hoof, pulling her mother along.

"Rainbow Dash, right?" Duskwing stretched his wings as his competitor on the last third did the same.

"Yeah." She cracked her wings bones. "Long time no see. Get to see Twilight yet?"

"Nah. Too busy doing last minute practice." He chuckled. "Are your wings alright? That didn't sound good."

"Oh yeah, they're good. I always do that before flying my fastest." She began stretching out her glutes. "How long have you two been dating? Twi wasn't very specific on the details back in Rainbow Falls."

"That was supposedly our first date." He moved on to his forelegs. "Not our first kiss, but it wasn't bad."

"I can only wonder." She chuckled. "Good luck on the relay!"

"You too! Hopefully you'll win at least bronze."

"So you just left?" Shield sipped from his root beer mug across from Love, each spending time to get to know each other better at a small cafe near to the arena.

"Yup. Not like I was getting fed at home, so I decided to strike out on my own." She tapped the side of her glass with a talon. "Had to do a lot of uncomfortable things just to get by. Petty thievery, prostitution, extra muscle. That last one actually got me into mercenary work."

"Must of been hard, being forced into such things so young." He turned his mug a bit. "Regret anything from those days?"

She took a minute to think, furrowing her brow at the memory. "I regret this one time I was serving as extra muscle for some loan-shark. Beat a pregnant griff to a pulp because she owed a lot of money. I don't know if she had the fledgling, but I tried to avoid hitting that part of her."

"Yikes. That's something I'd only hear about on the news from some far corner of Equestria." He took another sip. "The only thing I regret from my rebellious years was not making more friends. I had my best buddy, and that was about it."

"Never thought about relationship stuff?" She turned her eyes up to him. "Never felt like you missed out?"

"Not really. I've never been one for civilian life." He sighed. "I do regret becoming a captain, though. It's not easy to be friends with your subordinates. I was friends with Pansy and Broken Dawn, but those friendships were kept professional. At least until Dawn screwed himself over by screwing the queen and came under my command." Shield chuckled, shaking his head in amusement at the memory.

"I gave up on relationships a long time ago." Love stared at the juice in her glass. "I got pregnant during that prostitution period, even managed to track down the customer responsible. I was willing to put aside my rebelliousness, then and there, but they weren't. Six stab wounds to the belly later, the thought of having a family was a distant memory."

Shield shook his head, breathing out the small spike of anger that shot through him. "Sounds like Griffonia is a lot worse than how its usually portrayed."

"It's bad, but Featherbin was particularly bad. I won't ever regret leaving that pit of Tartarus. After that, I got into serving as hired muscle. There were a lot of things I didn't like doing, but I tried my best to show a little kindness here and--"

"All guards, report in!" Scuttle's voice came over the earpieces. "We have a situation! Report to the stadium ASAP! And try not to make yourself seen for Somnia's sake!"

"Sounds like duty calls." Shield and Love gulped down the rest of their drinks.

"On your marks! Get set!" Shining Armor raised the flag in the air, his voice amplified into the arena. "GO!"

The contestants set off into flight, most of them speeding their way through the obstacles. From the royal stands, Twilight and Somnia watched in eager anticipation, each cheering for a different town.

Somnia watched intensely as the relay got hoofed off to Sadist Moon, Ponyville lagging significantly behind the rest of the competitors. Not that it would matter with Rainbow Dash in the last third.

"WOO! GO HOLLOW SHADES!" Somnia called out. They couldn't hear her, but it still felt good to cheer for them considering how few ponies likely did. She hadn't seen any other thestrals since arriving in the Crystal City except for the four from Hollow Shades who were competing. Maybe it was just too much of an inconvenience to come on such short notice, or maybe it was just too expensive. Either one would explain it.

Just before the horseshoe was hoofed over to Duskwing, Somnia's eyes instinctively shut. "No. No no nonoNONO!" She shouted as she watched the events play out before her, her eyes tearing up. This is the dream where mom dies...

"Somnia? Are you seeing somethin--"

A bright flash followed by the deafening roar of an explosion drowned her out. Twilight barely had time to cover her head from the stray bits of debris before the crowd erupted into complete mania. Quickly jumping over her mother's lap, Somnia barely dodged a barrage of laser fire from the crowd, showering Twilight in the bits of crystal as the throne next to her was blown to pieces.

Somnia propelled herself from Celestia's leg-rest directly into Luna, forcing her down as a stray laser managed to blow apart the top of the throne where her head formerly was. Barely having enough to time to understand what has happening, Twilight tried to raise a shield, her eyes widening in realization: The magic-nullification field was in effect.

"MOVE!" Celestia grabbed Twilight and rushed her to the exit so they could get into the cover of inside. Just before she passed the threshold, Twilight saw the relay teams scatter, some pegasi flying to intercept-- Sweet Celestia... Her heart sank at the sight of armed mercenaries flying over the stadium walls, changelings dive-bombing the crowd. It was Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding all over again.

Twilight didn't even see where Somnia was before another problem reared its ugly head. The guard in front of her got impaled by a thrown spear, another of their guards deflecting a second with their armored leggings. Down the hall, she caught a glimpse of a few traitor guards and their mercenary allies before Celestia whisked her in the opposite direction, nearly dislocating her fellow princess' shoulder.

Ponies poured in from the outside as they went down one level, encountering the mercenaries engaged with crystal guards waiting for them. It was complete mayhem. Celestia rushed Twilight forward past the terrified ponies of the upper stands until they reached where a few Crystal Guards stood at the ready. From the direction they had come, several more guards came rushing over with Cadance, Luna, and Somnia in their protection, albeit the guards showed signs of combat.

The wall to the outside next to them blew open, knocking Twilight and Celestia over from the shockwave. The armed ponies and griffons from outside charged the defenseless princesses.

From the arena outside, a rainbow blur crashed at full speed into one of the mercenaries, sending them skidding across the floor as the mare stood atop their crumpled form. A slightly battered and bloodied Rainbow Dash stood atop the body, a fire in her eyes Twilight had only ever seen on a few occasions. Two other blurs made contact with the now at-the-ready mercs, although far too late to mount a defense.

Standing between her and her attackers were Rainbow Dash, Duskwing, and Spitfire.

"MOM!" Somnia rushed to her as the altercation began between the mercs and the defenders. More mercs came from both sides, the limited guards they had taking up defensive positions. They were surrounded on three sides, cornered against the wall.

Steel wing-blades against barely armed ponies didn't fare well. Guards were cut down before her eyes, barely able to mount a defense without the unicorns providing shields. Rainbow Dash impacted her adversary, going straight for the the throat.

Twilight shrunk back as Rainbow took a nasty gash along her flank, but managing to impact the merc's throat with her hoof, pushing them to the ground and... grabbing the mercs head to break their neck.

Spitfire and Duskwing had picked up weapons from fallen guards to keep their attackers at bay with limited success. Several changelings flew through the opening, firing lasers at anything that moved.

A scream rang out as something jumped in front of her and the barrage, knocking Twilight over and tumbling into the hard crystal wall behind with an audible impact. Raising her eyes, she could see the broken form of her daughter in a slowly expanding pool of blood. Her heart pounded loud enough to drown out the sounds of combat around her, her ears ringing as everything blurred together.

A griffon jumped straight for her as she shakily got up, its wing close enough to decapitate her with its wing blades. Another pony jumped between them, using their own body as a shield and splattering blood over Twilight. They received a gash straight up their body from flank to collar but managed to plunge a spear directly into the griffon, sending their body straight over Twilight to skid to a halt on the crystal floor. She couldn't even focus on what was happening anywhere else as she saw Duskwing fall over.

"NO!" She cried out, cradling his rapidly bleeding form. His intestines were exposed to the open air, his rib cage having prevented it from outright killing him.

"Y-You're welcome, p-princess..." He tried chuckling as he collapsed, coughing up blood and his eyes fluttering shut.

"GET UP! STAY AWAKE, DAMNIT!" Her cries were answered as a bright light came from the hole the changelings had made, temporarily distracting mercenary and guard alike. Several of the mercenaries were immediately shot down by magic blasts or crossbow bolts before they could even turn to the new combatants.

In a blitz of fury, four figures moved from the light directly into the mercs. Her eyes saw the head of an attacking pony down the hall blow to pieces with a loud bang as a hoof made contact from the side, the guardian angel unhooking their compact spear to disembowel another in flourishing spin. Shields were erected around her and the other princesses as a unicorn sealed them away from the fight, a strange device on their horn.

She realized who they were in that moment. The entire world seemed to move in slow motion as she saw the changeling and griffon relieve the defending guards, stabbing their way into the enemy lines without mercy or concern for themselves, the earth pony mare among them using her spear as a vaulting pole to impact another, crushing their skull against a pillar in sickening crunch. The thestral used their wing to cut the arm off an attacking griffon before spinning to decapitate them.

Redirecting their magic, Shield forcefully broke the disabling spell from Cadance's horn. "Get to the queen! NOW!"

The Princess of Love didn't hesitate as she moved to the limp form of the filly while Shield broke the other princess' disabling enchantments while simultaneously holding the shield, horn amplifier sparking from the exertion. Luna and Celestia moved to Duskwing, both igniting their horns to try their best to stop the bleeding.

All Twilight could do was sit next to them, her mind shutting down at the level of violence thrust upon her and her family. The shield was dropped a few short seconds later, Shield firing off a barrage of laser fire of his own at an encroaching group of changelings from the outside, blowing the wing off of one and decapitating another.

Her vision shifted to Scuttle, Love, Dawn, and Dusty all engaged with the internal threats, blood and limbs strewn across the floor as the mercs were pushed back with not even a chance to flee, and those that did were shot in the back by Love and Scuttle without mercy. Finally reaching her breaking point, she turned away from the macabre display and threw up, her vision going dark in the process.

Before she opened her eyes, she could hear the distant panicked yelling out in the hallways and the sound of heart rate monitor. Slowly fluttering her eyes open, Twilight saw that she was in a chair leaned against a deflated pink pony. Across from her was a hospital bed containing--

"Somnia!" Twilight got up, shaking a bit on her hooves as she made her way to the bed. The filly had minor bruising on their face, but her back half was completely covered in bandages and she had a wrap around her head.

"Twilight! Yer awake!" Applejack called from behind, moving up next to her. "Didn't know how long ya would be out, so we brought ya here."

"I-Is she alright?" Twilight's eyes followed the bandages down to the hooves. Both back hooves were still there, and relatively untouched, providing some relief.

"Doc says she took a nasty hit to her back legs an' head. Prob'ly won't be walkin' properly for several weeks even with magic. They said they don't know how bad the hit to her head was." Applejack rubbed Twilight's back while Pinkie moved up next to her.

Twilight let out a shaky sigh. Her own daughter threw herself in the way to save her. And--

"Duskwing! How's he doing?!" Twilight grabbed her farmer friend. "Please tell me--"

"Still in surgery." Applejack answered with heavy regret. "Too soon to tell."

Her eyes misted over. "P-Please--"

"Shhh... They'll both be alright." Applejack hugged her, the party pony joining in as she sobbed into the orange fur of her friend. "No sense waitin' around here. Som will be out for another hour at least with what the doc gave her."

"Rainbow Dash will be happy to see you're awake." Pinkie nudged her along, despite her hesitation.

"I-I want to stay here in case she wakes up." Twilight said firmly, her teary eyes and quivering mouth giving all the certainty for her friends.

"We know." Applejack gave her one last tired smile before the two earth ponies left the room. Twilight grabbed Somnia's hoof and held on, her mind replaying the nightmare that unfolded again and again. She just stood there, helpless without her magic. She closed her eyes and kept seeing how she stood by while others fought to keep her safe, silently cursing herself for her uselessness.

A light knock on the door a few minutes later startled her. "Come in?"

Stepping in the room were Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and the CMC, all looking like they went through Tartarus. Rainbow had a large bandage along her back leg and a few smaller spots, limping towards her. Rarity's mane was uncharacteristically messy, and the CMC all looked anxious, their moods not being improved by the sight of their friend in the hospital bed.

"Thanks for coming to see me, good to know you care." Rainbow teased, sitting next to Twilight. "You doing alright?"

"No... None of this should have happened..." She laid her head on the sheets, tears wetting them as she looked up at Somnia's face, hoping she would wake up so she could know her daughter was alright.

"Nothing you could have done, darling. Nopony knew what was going to happen." Rarity comforted on her other side while the CMC moved to the opposite side of the bed.

"Is she going to be alright?" Sweetie asked concerned.

"Of course she is! She took worse hits than that!" Scootaloo replied confidently.

"She'll have trouble walking for the next few weeks." Twilight mumbled back.

"Ah take it Somnia Time is cancelled?" Apple Bloom asked, disappointment leaking from her voice.

"She won't be able to get up and down the stairs or move around to help you." Twilight answered sadly. "We can still continue Twilight Time, though. I'll be staying home to keep an eye on her."

"Sorry that this happened, Twi." Rainbow put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "I know it's probably going to be a rough couple of weeks."

"Did anypony else get hurt?" Twilight looked up, hoping that the damage wasn't--

"A few hundred." Rarity regretfully said, rubbing one of her forelegs. "Even more hurt during the panic. The city is under marshal law and ponies have been instructed to only come to the hospital if it's an emergency. We were able to enter because of who we are, but nopony else is getting visitors."

"Fleetfoot..." Rainbow gave a heavy sigh. "She lost a wing and crashed into the stands. Docs said her spine was permanently damaged, nothing they can do but manage the pain. Can't walk on her two back hooves, and can't fly." She silently cursed the entire event under her breath, turning away from Twilight. "And Soarin was pretty hurt, but he'll be flying again in a week or two. I'm just glad Fluttershy got out before she was hurt." Swallowing her feelings, she turned back with a forced smile. "Gotta look on the bright-side, y'know?"

The group sat in silence for a few more minutes, the occasional conversation striking up between the CMCs until everypony except Twilight left for the cafeteria. She stayed. She needed to be there when Somnia woke up.

Damage report?

Bad. Neurological functions were compromised when you cracked your skull on the wall. Not enough to kill you, gratefully, but enough to induce a coma.

Is there a way to bypass natural functions to make use of my soul like you or Excalion did?

Not without you being able to do it on your own. There's very little I can do to help, unfortunately.

Well what can you do?

I could try healing your brain, but that would take days of concentration. If Excalion knew, she could perform the task within a day. I'm afraid the brain damage is going to compromise certain functions until then.

Such as?

Vision, smell, touch, etc. Your senses will be greatly distorted until the brain can be fully healed.

Seriously? Isn't there some other way?

Theoretically, yes, but we don't have access to your magical potential. If we did, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Is there a way to speed it up? Make it so I can get my power faster?

Grar went silent for a minute, thinking about it. There was a contingency in such a case, but are you sure you want to skip these formative years? They are a treasure trove of experience, and you would have more responsibilities given to you.

I'll take that sacrifice if it means being able to stop ponies from getting hurt. You saw the explosion, at least a hundred ponies must have died! Nopony deserves to lose a loved one like that.

I'll speak to Excalion when we get back about fixing your brain, and have her reach out to Isirilas to see if they have any idea where the catalysts are.

Thanks. Can you fix enough of my brain so I can at least wake up?

Slowly opening her eyes, she was greeted by a whole lot of blurs and the smell she couldn't quite recognize.

"Somnia?" A slightly distorted voice of her mother spoke up. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." The filly closed her eyes, content to stew in the darkness. "Can you get me home as soon as possible?"

"Of course, sweetie." Somnia felt some pressure on her cheek, likely a hoof. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Besides the numb pain from my lower half, I can't see."

"Y-You--"

"Need to see Excalion. She'll fix the brain damage. Don't worry, my memory is safe."

"Oh..." A bit of pressure was applied to her right forehoof. "I was so worried it was going to be permanent."

"Nothing is permanent if you have the knowledge, determination, and capability to get it done." Somnia giggled, getting a cough or two at the end. "The world looks like a blur, I'm smelling something I can't recognize, and everything has a warped sound to it. The sooner I get back, the better."

"Alright, I'll talk to the doctor about getting you transferred to Ponyville General Hospital for the ride back."

"Do I still got my legs? I'm having some trouble feeling anything except pain and pressure."

"Yes, they're both there. You took a laser to the flank and it must have passed through one leg into the other." She briefly paused. "Do you mind if I go for an hour or two?"

"I'm not going anywhere, and it's not like we can play charades." The filly joked with a smile. "Go. I'll be fine."

"Thank you. I'll be back before you know it."

Somnia listened to a sound that was most likely the door closing. Sighing, her thoughts lazily drifted by. While she was stuck in bed, she might as well be productive.

Before reaching the cafeteria, Twilight was intercepted by a crystal guard, telling her that an escort was waiting outside to take her to the castle where the princesses were holding an emergency summit. While she wanted to see her friends, royal duties came first.

The streets on the way to the castle were practically empty, only guards and workers rushing around, every pony a guard coming across being scanned in case they were a changeling. The escort took her into the castle towards the large meeting hall, at the center of which were the other princesses and Shining Armor. She took her seat next to Cadance and waited for somepony to start the discussion.

"Thank you for coming, Twilight." Celestia finally spoke after a minute of silence. "It wasn't our intention to separate you from Somnia, but there are things that must be discussed." She paused, Twilight slowly nodding in understanding.

"The Duke of Maretania is dead, and the Duchess of Saddle Arabia has suffered injuries as well." Celestia regretfully continued. "Relations between Equestria and these external territories will be severely strained, perhaps to the breaking point considering the topic of the royal summit in a few days time. Negotiations for additional military assistance against threats within Zebrica have been cancelled until a replacement for the duke has been selected, which is going to prolong the diplomatic unrest towards Equestria. I know this is a lot to ask of you considering what happened to Somnia in the past few weeks--"

"What do you mean weeks?" Shining Armor interrupted. "Did something happen before I wasn't told about?"

"I didn't want to tell you while you prepared the city for the Equestria Games." Cadance admitted, wrapping a hoof around one of his legs while she leaned over. "She had been foalnapped and injured quite badly."

"In any event," Celestia regained control of the discussion, "Equestria will be severely impacted with the breakdown of relations. The Equestria Games were supposed to be a unifying experience for Equestria and its territories. With this terrorist attack, I'm afraid that national unity is going to be at an all-time low since the recovery period of the Lunar Civil War."

"What do you suggest we do then?" Twilight asked. "The country is already on edge after everything that's happened the past two months."

Celestia teleported sheets of papers in front of each of the princesses present. "We force the reforms. If all four of us and the other Elements of Harmony sign this royal decree, the regency council will come into full effect, the Noble's Council will be dissolved, and the wayward branch of the monarchy will be delegitimized. Somnia will officially become known as 'Queen of Equestria', and our hold over the country will be secured. The different municipalities of Equestria will willingly accept these changes, as they do not have loyalty to the nobility. I've spoken to Lord Fancy Pants, Mayor Oaks, Mayor Mare, and Councilor Dongle about this, and they all have agreed to declare in support."

"This is your solution? A power-grab when the country is looking for stability?" Cadance spoke up, her anger faintly noticeable.

"Understand that it is better to get it out of the way now rather than deal with the nobility's obstruction when the common pony isn't willing to accept a radical change." She gently smiled to each of the ponies across from her. "If I don't do this, then Somnia will when she's old enough. I doubt that her method would be much better."

"She's not like that!" Twilight protested. "She's not going to be some despot who rules by decree!"

"You're right, she'll be even worse." Celestia frowned. "She would wage a civil war if that's what it took for her to emerge on top. Excalion has told my sister and I about the Grand Council, how they used their authority and power to make others fall in line without recourse. She's no different from them, even if she doesn't realize it. A would-be tyrant not dissimilar to Queen Chrysalis but with the magical prowess to back it up."

"Shouldn't she be here for this?" Cadance straightened up. "If she's going to be the queen, then wouldn't it make sense to have her in on these meetings?"

"She'll find out about it after we put it in place. Nopony will take her signature seriously anyway." Celestia waved her hoof dismissively. "The princesses and the Elements of Harmony on the other hoof do have the recognition within the public eye to convince ponies it is in their best interests. Wouldn't some civil unrest now be better than a war down the line? This is a show of unity for all of Equestria, that we are devoted to keeping them safe and free."

"Will the territories have a say in this?" Cadance followed up slightly concerned. "The other three will probably reject it and declare independence if we do this without discussing it with them."

"They will either fall in line now or later." Celestia answered. "Right now we're giving them the choice, and they may have a few good years before Somnia marches on them."

"Again, what makes you so sure she's going to be some sort of warlord?" Twilight called out frustrated. "She wants to see ponies live long and happy lives, not send them off to war!"

"Twilight..." Celestia leaned in, her eyes piercing directly through her fellow princess. "Somnia is the army. Nopony will fight against a pony that could wipe out entire mountain ranges as if they were a mere inconvenience or summon hundreds of copies of herself to perform an invasion across an entire country all at once. She won't need a professional army behind her to force nations to surrender, especially once she makes an example out of one."

"This is still a bit unbelievable." Cadance chimed in. "You keep saying that she will have unimaginable magical potential but you haven't shown us any proof. Powerful, that's undeniable, but that powerful?"

"You didn't see her." Luna finally spoke up, staring at the table in front of her. "She's a product of desperation made by forces beyond our comprehension. I watched as ponies bowed to her power, willingly pledging themselves to her cause without a shred of doubt. I've seen the resurgence in Hollow Shades with my own eyes. They will fight for her to the death, and that was when she can't even control that power. She possesses the power of domination without side-effects or mental resistance. You can't counter a spell that isn't cast, break an enchantment that doesn't exist. I dread what she will be capable of when she does start getting control of her power. Nopony would stand against her, not because it would be a lost fight, but because they simply wouldn't."

"I'm still having a hard time believing any of this." Shining Armor spoke. "Princess Luna, are you absolutely certain? Has anypony measured it directly?"

"They can't." Celestia interjected. "Twilight tried that at Ponyville General Hospital and Somnia's strength just beneath the surface exceeded all other alicorns and the Elements of Harmony combined."

"Then how are we going to deal with her if she becomes a tyrant?"

"She won't." Twilight protested. "She's not like that."

"Ponies can--"

"Yes, ponies can change." Twilight cut her brother off. "But she already has a mindset that works for her, and wants ponies to be both safe and free. And Grar is making sure she stays on that path."

"I didn't mean to suggest she will become a tyrant. I merely want to know if we have some way to stop her or somepony like her just in case." Shining clarified.

"The closest thing would be the Elements of Harmony or the Tree of Harmony, and their power isn't even on the same scale." Celestia shook her head. "This is why I've been trying to get her to adjust her behavior to be compatible with everypony's best interests before she becomes unmanageable."

"Does she even want to rule?" Cadance asked uncertainly. "Why do we need to force her to rule if she doesn't want to?"

The regal sisters cast looks to each other, communicating the same thing before Luna replied. "Would you let ponies suffer if you had a chance to stop it? Would you be content to sit back when you had all the power in the universe in your hooves? Twilight, you know what she is like, what motivates her. You know as well as we do that she will do what it takes to bring an end to wars, to bring every creature under her protection. Either we get her aligned with us, or we dispose of her permanently. If we do nothing, then she will return stronger than we could ever deal with."

"She is not merely content to accept things as they are." Celestia continued. "It is who she is that we made these plans, that our mother and father did. Excalion called it an inevitability when she grows up, that nothing would stop her from carrying out her destiny." She straightened up in her chair, casting her eyes over the three other attendees. "We need to get her aligned with Equestria's interests, or she needs to die. There is no compromise."

Shield stood in the royal stands of the colosseum, gazing out over the recovery efforts taking place. A massive gaping hole with smoke billowing out was to the left of the beacon platform providing half the story of what occurred, the bloodied stands and halls the other half. Many of the bodies were still being accounted for. Cross-referencing the attendee lists with those that reported their safe exit gave a rough figure that still wasn't good enough.

Entire families had been killed by the explosion. It was a dark day, in spite of the sunny weather and clear night skies. Nopony would leave without remembering what happened at the 1003 P.B. Equestria Games.

"Shield?" Dusty came up from behind, standing next to him and surveying the arena. "Not the best place for fresh air, don't you think?"

"I came to get the preliminary estimates." He sighed. "One-thousand-two-hundred ponies so far."

"Yikes." She stayed silent for another couple of minutes, thinking it over. Crews moved around the large hole, lanterns hung all around it to illuminate the area to work through the night. "Do you regret not being here for the queen?"

"Yeah." He turned to her. "But nothing can be done now. She ordered us to keep our distance, and we carried it out until everything went to Tartarus. I can't imagine what would have happened if Scuttle didn't discover the unusual presence ahead of time."

"He did good work. We all did." She smiled to him. "Everypony will know of the brave guards that lost their lives today, but those who lived won't get the glory."

"There's no glory in this." He turned back to the arena at large. Near the hole, crews used construction cranes to lift rubble from the stands that had collapsed. The chief recovery officer told him that there were still some ponies calling out for help in the rubble. It would take months of constant effort to get the arena back to how it was at the start of the games, but the horrible memory would remain.

Probably will erect a memorial in the entrance atrium in remembrance of those lost. Unfortunately for the athletes, the Equestria Games were cancelled, meaning the events remaining will be left up in the air. Everypony needed a win, a show of unity. Instead, they got... this.

But that still left a few questions: Who could have orchestrated the attack? And who was the target?

Twilight wheeled Somnia into the room where her father was being kept. She had already come to say her piece before, not wanting to burst into a fit of crying with her daughter present. While Somnia shouldn't be sitting, she wanted to 'see' her dad before heading back to Ponyville.

After parking the wheelchair next to the bed, Twilight went next to her daughter as she looked him over. One of his sides was completely covered in partially bloody bandages, neck to tail. A feeding tube went into his mouth and several other machines were keeping him alive, an unfortunate consequence of the massive blood loss. The doctor's had said that they managed to trap his brain in a stasis field before it suffered damage, but that was only a temporary solution until his body healed sufficiently. If his body healed sufficiently.

"That bad, huh?" She coyly smiled to Twilight with the same tone as when Twilight and Duskwing had spoken in Rainbow Falls.

"Somnia, is he going to be alright?" She asked, hoping that her daughter would have some insight.

"Yeah, he'll live." She grabbed her dad's hoof. "It's going to be a while before he's awake though." Biting her tongue, she remembered the crystal interior, not too dissimilar to the Crystal Spire. Something was going to happen, but the dreams she had weren't very specific as to when they took place, only that they were in the future based on the scar.

"Is it a good memory?" Twilight leaned down to her, grabbing her foreleg. "I know that smile."

"Yeah, it is." She wistfully said, her heart fluttering a bit at the sight of her dad with a wing around her mom, their heads leaned against one another.

Author's Note

If anyone knows what the CMC were holding is called, please let me know.

Also, what is that internal part of the stadium? I know the vomitoria lead out into the stands, so what does it bridge from?