Lightening the Load

Chapters

The Reluctant Queen
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
The Princess of Parties
Rolling Incognito
Whispers of the Past
Blue, Green, and Pink
The Parting of the Ways
An Unstoppable Force
Meets an Unmovable Object
And We Will Give to the Wicked
The Nameless Man
Filly Rainbow Delight
The Road to Chrysalis
Road Trip
Through the Looking Glass
The Long Goodbye
Come Together
Helter Skelter
Author's Note

The Reluctant Queen

So here I am again,
Caught in this raging tempest...
To travel back to when they called me small.

One day they woke me up,
So I could love them forever.
Just be glad the same thing will never happen to you.

You want your free will? Take it.
That's what we're counting on...
You are a walking lie,
Yet you will never do any wrong...

You will never do any wrong...

I have never done any...

Wrong?

"....Currently, we have three agents in Ponyville, twenty-six in Baltamare, fifty-five in Manehattan, and two in Canterlot. Naturally, these numbers do not include the civilians who are there feeding. The lack of numbers in the latter are due to recent security crackdowns that have begun after Operation Skystorm."

Queen Chrysalis simply nodded at that, her standing in the changeling primary hive cluster's stratagem room with her most trusted advisors. However, she was barely paying attention to them. She was in a daze, her mind floating into the past to relive old memories. This wasn't unusual for her, but for some reason today they were particularly... distracting.

"I would like to suggest that you order the withdrawing of the two agents and for a decree to be made that all civilians are to refrain from feeding expeditions to their capital for the time being. Though paranoia is rampant in Equestria, it seems to be stemming from its heart. Naturally, if any civilians or our two agents are caught it will put every other ling at risk when that paranoia increases even moreso."

This time, Chrysalis didn't even move a muscle.

"Ma'm?"

Cerebrate-Drone 667 waved his hole-filled hoof in front of her face.

"My Queen? Are you listening to me?"

Chrysalis' eyes widened at this as she shook her head in a daze, blinking rapidly. "Wah? Huh?" she said.

667 narrowed his eyes. "Not to be impudent, but this is important business..."

"Yes, yes... I know. I'm just.... tired..." she half-lied, growing slightly self-conscious when she noticed all six changeling generals and advisors in the room were staring at her. With that, she tried to gather the few words she had heard in a bid to piece together what she had been told. "You want to withdraw our agents and civilians from... where again?"

She winced slightly at her failure.

"From Canterlot, ma'm," her advisor said in a slightly annoyed tone.

She nodded at this, trying her best to concentrate on thinking that action through. Without her agents in Canterlot, two of which who were in very high positions in both the Royal Guard and Equestrian Air Defense Force, she would be blinder than she was comfortable with when it came to information on changeling roundup attempts or possibly even an attack on her hive cluster. True, it was unlikely that Princess Celestia would order such a strike, her knowing the solar mare to be a peaceful entity, but her new co-leader, Princess Luna, she knew nothing about aside for the fact she had a temper. She may have been pushing for a preemptive strike or even an attack of retribution for all Chrysalis knew.

"Withdraw the agent from the Royal Guard, but keep the one in the Air Defense Force. The former has unicorns in its ranks while the latter has none."

One of her generals, Cerebrate-Drone 154 raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect, why does that matter?"

Chrysalis grunted inwardly at that. Her recent increase in absent-mindedness was likely affecting their judgments on her level of competence. "The only easy way to find our kin in Equestria is via detection spells, and all it would take is one suspicious unicorn in the guard to try one out on our agent for his game to be over."

154 nodded at that, a slight smile coming across his face. "I'll go ahead and give him the green light to leave then, my Queen. My apologies for any perceived doubts."

"Apology accepted," Chrysalis nodded.

"What of the civilians?"

"Go ahead and issue the decree for them to leave. If any of our kind are to be detected, it will probably be them. Now then, is there any other business to discuss?"

"Aside from the usual issue of hunger," 667 said in a slightly agitated tone. "No."

Chrysalis sighed inwardly. It was obvious he wished to discuss this for the hundredth time, though every time they did neither could bring any new ideas on the table on how to find a way through the issue. Her army was in shambles, demoralized and in no shape to conduct a raid for more captives to keep in stasis, her people feeding off traces of love they felt for others in their dreams, likely because they longed for them...

She glanced downwards with guilt-ridden eyes at that. It was a disgusting, cruel way for them to go about doing their business, but it was something that had to be done. Her people were ever growing in population while their food sources were ever dwindling, and she couldn't afford to let too many of her civilians go on feeding expeditions without Equestria reaching the paranoia threshold and perhaps forcing even Celestia to declare open war.

With that, her and her group of advisors dispersed and made their way out into the cold, damp hallways of the primary hive cluster. A light blue mist floated above their floors and their organic, dark ceilings and walls dripped with juices. Nevertheless, while they might have been disgusting to any other people, to her and her changelings they were the epitome of relaxation, moreso to the latter than the former. However, like usual, her mind wasn't there to enjoy the view.

"Child? Are you awake?" a deep rumble of a voice echoed around her.

Her eyes fluttered open to reveal a dark, misty environment. The only thing to be seen was a pool of glowing, green liquid near her. She felt herself shivering, and realized it was because she was dripping wet with the same liquid.

"W-Who are you? W-Where am I?"

"The primary hive cluster of the changeling swarm. You have spawned from me, as per instruction."

"You... you are the..."

"Yes."

A misty breath twirled forth like a ghost from her tiny mouth.

"Why... why am I here?"

"You are the hope of a people. A beacon of light in their dark, doomed existence."

Something else was now piercing the blue fog; blue, glowing orbs resembling eyes held in place by the silhouettes of dark figures. She shrieked in fright, trying her best to back away from them, only to realize that they were everywhere, gazing from all angles... judging, watching, waiting.... She could hear the insect-like flutter of wings, the clicking of mandibles....

"I don't understand! Are you talking about these... these... monsters?"

"Good... good you are capable of seeing things from an outside perspective. You have been created properly. However, these creatures are not monsters. They are your kin, and they are now as part of you as your legs and eyes; an extension of your will. You will keep them safe... you will keep them fed... and you will control their genetic destinies."

"B-But I don't want that sort of responsibility! I don't want to live my life as a monster..."

With that, she began to hear agitated murmurs from around her.

"She is a failure..."

"She sees too much from an outside perspective..."

"We must begin again. We should have her essence assimilated and reformed."

"But she is still a child..."

"Not the one we need."

Tears began to form in her eyes at that, and perhaps out of pity, or perhaps out of pride, the voice stuck up for her, silencing the crowd.

"No! She is perfection incarnate. I have seen to that, and you shall see in time."

The young changeling froze at that, swallowing the lump building in her throat.

"Tell me child, what exactly is it that you seek?"

"I don't know... I don't even know who I am.... I have no purpose..."

"You need not worry about that. You were given a purpose and a destiny before you were even born. Your fate is sealed, and you should embrace it; my little child of the swarm, for there is no greater honor. From henceforth you will be known as Chrysalis.... the first with a true name, and that name shall live forever...."

Chrysalis paused at that, a lump swelling up in her throat. A painful, misty breath of a scared child oozed once again into the cold air. It was funny, really. For something called a changeling, she would always enjoy a static existence, one chosen for her by the strings of fate....

At that, she barely realized she was already at her quarters. Standing at her door, her ever vigilant guard turned to meet her.

"My Queen, you have been contacted via your Proloquor Orb."

She groaned at that. "Please tell me it's not one of the lords of the outlying provinces... I don't know how more captives I can give them before the primary hive begins to starve.."

He shook his head, gaining a raised eyebrow from her.

"Who is it then? One of the Equestrian princesses calling to announce they're coming to wipe us out? The Gyphon King demanding more tribute?"

"No ma'm, it appears to be.... an unknown being."

She furrowed her brow. "Has he identified himself?"

The guard let out a sarcastic chuckle at that. "No, he says he will not speak his name 'to a lowly insectoid peon'."

The Queen of the Swarm rolled her eyes. "Perfect, just what I need, a pleasant conversation with a racist egomaniac," she groaned. "Very well, thanks for the heads up."

"My will is yours," the guard said with a proud salute.

"I told you you don't have to say that..." Chrysalis grunted as she entered her quarters.

It was a rather sparse place, though nonetheless it afforded luxuries the other changelings didn't have. She had a nice bed complete with night curtains, a small reading chair with a large bookshelf next to it stocked with pieces of writing from across the world, and even an ornate carpet with the symbol of the Changeling Nation upon it.

However, the centerpiece of her room was a foot in diameter glowing orb magically hovering above a three foot tall pedestal. While usually gray, dull, and inactive, something, or someone could now be seen within it quite clearly, at least their face could be. It was somewhat changeling or pony looking, though without pointed ears. Its eyes were also slightly smaller, catlike and menacing, sitting upon a gray, ghost-like face. The strangest thing of all about the creature, however, was its lack of a nose, it simply having two slits for nostrils where it should have potruded.

"I am Queen Chrysalis of the Free Changeling Nation of Savarence," she announced as she grew closer to it, trying her best to throw him a professional, yet inviting glance. "To whom do I owe the unexpected pleasure?"

"The pleasure is mine, my fair Queen of Deception," the figure spoke, its voice an almost snake-like hiss. "You may call me Lord Voldemort, though Voldemort will simply do if you prefer."

Chrysalis avoided raising an eyebrow. Him offering to let her call him by a more casual name was... unexpected, given his treatment of her guard. Nonetheless, as a show of respect she decided that using the former would be a good idea. It would definitely help break the ice a little.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Voldemort. To whom do you represent?"

'Lord' Voldemort smiled slightly at that. "Oh, nobody you've ever heard of, and I don't say this as an insult. We are simply... worlds apart. Quite literally so."

This time, she did lift an eyebrow. "You'll understand my confusion at the meaning of that..."

"Perhaps what I shall soon tell you will bring about some enlightenment. Have you ever heard of an event called IGOM?"

With that, her eyes widened. "Not for over two hundred years...."

"Yes..." he oozed. "You were invited to attend before but refused as I understand."

"And if this is another invitation, I still must decline," she said bluntly, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "You realize that the walls between dimensions only become weak once every twenty or so years, correct? This is a once and a lifetime opportunity... at least for many others."

"I assume you are immortal like myself?" Chrysalis asked.

"Not yet," he said coldly. "Though I for one am looking for to attend something that will bring together minds possibly as brilliant as my own. Perhaps they will be able to help me gain what I seek..." He gave a brief, haughty laugh. "Though I highly doubt it. However, many may have similar ideas to mine worthy of... discussion." He then smiled slightly. "Plus, I hear every world that hosts the event always brings the best musicians. I do enjoy dabbling into the arts on the rare blue moon...."

Chrysalis threw him a look of oddity. "I'm afraid I'd find myself alone at such an event, unfortunately."

"Oh, and by that you mean you wouldn't refer to yourself as 'evil'?" he said, his eyes gazing at her in a calculating, cold fashion.

She shot him a glare. "No, I would not."

"Evil is just a word, my dear. It is a concept invented by simple minds who believe there is actually an objective way to weigh one's moral actions. What some would call evil I would simply call improving society... though through measures other weaker men would not take." He seemed to have quite a bit of disdain in his voice at the last few words.

"You may try to excuse whatever actions you have taken on your own world how you wish, but I do not fit the definition of the word, therefore I am not fit for this event." At that, she began to prepare a spell to shut off the orb. However, the pale-faced man continued to speak.

"But you do believe the ends justify the means, correct? Despite what those ends are?"

"If you're referring to my actions in Canterlot, I did what I had to do," she spat, before holding up a hoof. "If you somehow know about that."

"Word gets around, and word says that you enjoyed it."

With that she froze, stuttering somewhat as she said, "I-I did not enjoy it!"

"Don't lie to me," Voldemort growled. "I can sense liars a mile away. Tell me, does this remind you of someone? 'This day has been just perfect... the kind of which I have dreamed since I was small...'" he sang in a mocking tone with surprisingly good pitch.

"I-I've never said anything like that!" she growled.

"No, you didn't say it... you sang it, and you enjoyed every moment of it, admit it to yourself," Voldemort said coldly. "There are two people you can never deceive, my dear Queen of Deception, and one is gazing at me from across the void."

Chrysalis took a deep, haunted breath at that. "Fine... if you must know.... I did enjoy it..." She then began to pace away from the orb, quickly regaining her composure. "But only because I've always envied those who I've attacked! They never have to know hunger or suffering, living in their bright, colorful nation without a care in the world, for fate gave them better lives, while it gave me and my entire kind a cold, meaningless, parasitical existence..." She twirled about towards Voldemort once again. "It isn't fair, yet I have to bear the weight of all their sorrows. I came this close to relieving them, too... yet at the last minute victory was taken from my grasp by the very thing my people need.... the very thing they deserve. And do you want to know why such bitter, poetic irony came to fall upon me? It's because the laws that govern the universe are cruel, uncompromising, and unjust. They seem to favor only the undeformed, the non-abstract, the normal!"

The being merely tilted his head slightly. "Pitiable..." he said, his voice holding no such thing. "Though I would have to disagree about the existence of such laws, and nonetheless, you still derived pleasure from the misery of others, did you not?"

"Yes.... and I hate myself for it. I let a side of me I've been trying to prune from my existence out for a short time, and it cost me my dignity and whatever small amount of respect I held in this world."

"That side which you wish to prune you should embrace. Enjoy doing what must be done, for it will make your existence a bit less... bleak."

With that, Chrysalis gave him another glare. "I have little time for meaningless philosophical debate. Unless you have something else you wish to talk about, I must bid you farewell until the next time the walls of the multiverse thin. Oh, and good luck in your bid for immortality, but be warned, when people like ourselves grow to live forever, they'll only wish they could die."

Voldemort chuckled at that. "I never said that you and I were that alike, but one last thing before I end this lovely greeting session. I have actually been instructed by... Him... to not only give you an invitation to attend the event..." He then put on a grin. "But to host it."

Chrysalis threw him a blank expression. "You're kidding, right?"

"Oh, anything but. The last event held on your world was nearly a thousand years ago during the Equestrian Civil War. Records indicate she who you'd refer to as Nightmare Moon held quite a party."

"A pity we've never met.... who doesn't want eternal night?" Chrysalis said sarcastically.

"And a thousand years before the being you'd refer to as Discord threw one of the greatest IGOM celebrations in history," Voldemort continued. "I must say, the draconequus seemed to have an interesting style..."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that there were cotton candy clouds raining chocolate milk in one portion of his fair grounds while in another guests were entertained by a group of animated, living trees playing xylophones and other wooden instruments... Even I have to admit that his magical abilities seemed to be quite impressive."

"Sounds like what I've heard of him; harmless at the surface but bubbling with spite and cruelty underneath, and I thought chaos' pendulum didn't swing either way..."

"I've also read there was actually a live, bloody execution, though I don't believe it was his idea, and since then those been disallowed due to the disdain most of the attendees hold towards such a thing."

Chrysalis raised her eyebrows. "That's actually quite surprising."

Voldemort nodded. "Yeees... some of those referred to as 'anti-heroes' and 'anti-villains' are usually thrown invitations as well... and personally, I dislike bloodshed myself unless it has meaning."

Her eyes narrowed. "Also surprising."

"Anyway, it is that time again for your world to host the event, and since those spoken of seem to be... indisposed, the task falls upon your shoulders."

Chrysalis actually let out a laugh at that, all traces of formality quickly disappearing. "My people are starving and you seriously expect me to play host to a bunch of interdimensional criminals?!"

"It is forbidden for any guests to interfere with the activities of the host dimension unless given explicit permission from Him. They will not be a threat to you or your people. If they ever get out of line they will have to answer to the muscle and the mind; the Two Rangers and the nameless man."

Chrysalis shook her head with a disgruntled huff. "I will not trust the security of my people to three men. It's still not happening. Host it somewhere else."

"There can be nowhere else. Your dimension's walls are thinning more than any other's. It will allow travelling there to be the easiest."

"Then why can't they just travel to my dimension then travel to another?" Chrysalis said blankly.

"Because interdimensional travel is not fun nor is it easy, even if the walls between two are thin."

"I still don't care! There has to be others on my world who you'd consider evil besides myself..."

"There are none who have revealed themselves."

"Then use an Equestrian warehouse, an empty cave, or perhaps a sewer pipe, anywhere but my hive cluster!"

Voldemort shook his head. "It falls to someone of your world to host the celebration as stated in the IGOM Book of Practice, it's simply easier that way."

Chrysalis gave him a sarcastic, unbelieving laugh. "Then to use an obscene expression; you're crap out of luck!"

Voldemort sighed. "He was afraid you'd say that... and is prepared to offer you compensation for your services, but only if you throw an IGOM event worthy of your world's reputation. It has to be... fun."

The Changeling Queen threw him a curious, though wary glance. "What sort of compensation?"

"A very rare, very powerful artifact that will allow your people to feed on an adaquet supply of love for over a year. It is known as a Philosopher's Stone, an object created through alchemy and rather interesting... materials."

Her eyes widened at this, though only for a second. "How do I know you speak the truth?"

"How good are you at detecting lies?" he smirked. "You are the Queen of Deception, after all."

"Very..." she admitted, not sensing any false-truths in his words. "But how do I know that he isn't lying."

"You have my word that he isn't. I've done some readings on him. When he offers a deal... or a contract in some cases, he never speaks half-truths or lies about it. He will come through in the end."

Chrysalis narrowed an eyebrow. "Who is this Him, anyway. I know he leads these events, but what is he? Why is he held in such high regard by those such as yourself?"

"Oh, he's had many names, though I don't pretend to 'respect' him..." Voldemort said whimsically. "He was there when you invaded Canterlot. He was there when bombs fell on my current residency's capital city sixty years ago. Every time a civilization destroys itself or a world falls to strife, he is there. He embodies many of my ideals, though not all of them. However, I do know... because of the actions of many, and perhaps some of our own... he's very, very real. Though tell me, is he someone you'd want to dance with in the pale moonlight?"

"For my people, I will take the hand of anyone... or anything," Chrysalis said, her eyes narrowing in resolve.

Voldemort nodded at that, his expression once again blank. "I shall send the invitations, then. Be prepared for the first interdimensional arrivals in less than a week." He then threw her a slight smile, one which couldn't disturb her more. "I shall see you then. I look forward to more 'meaningless philosophical debates.'"

With that, the orb flickered 'off', a shiver being sent down Chrysalis' spine as it did so. A deep, remorseful sigh then escaped her lips.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

There she stood in the once great palace of Celestia, soon to be a crumbling dream of what once was. Her changelings swarmed Canterlot, victorious in their grim endeavor. Equestria's armies were shattered, Shining Armor was still under her control, and the real Cadence had never made it out of the crystal cove....

"Begin rounding up every last pony to be placed in stasis cocoons," she ordered one of her nearby Cerebrate-Drones.

"Your will is mine."

With that, Chrysalis let loose a sigh, though she did allow herself a small, accomplished smile. She had done what the rest of her kind never could. She had assured they would always be fed.

And so she began to pace the throne room, softly singing a new verse to the tune of her life:

"This day has been just perfect...

The kind of which that I have dreamed since I was small.

I've brought a nation to the floor,

So that they may hunger nevermore...."

"But are you certain you have absolutely no regrets?"

"None," she said coldly, twirling about to face the dying beacon of hope that was Celestia, suspended high above the throne room in a green cacoon prison. "I'm surprised you're awake, princess... not many can resist the sedative effects of what swims through you."

Celestia took a deep breath. "I once had a dream that was Equestria, one I cannot preserve within slumber..." she said, her voice hoarse and tired. "And there once was a dream that was you, one that has been twisted into a nightmare."

Chrysalis shot her a glare. "A nightmare? I don't believe so. For four hundred years I tried to repair my people's image... that they weren't monsters that lurked in the night. However, nobody or nopony can seem to forget the sins of the past. Not even you."

"I tried to help you..." she whispered. "I even tried to... morph your biology so that you would need not live on the brink..."

"Yet all you had to do to help us was love us, for your people would have followed you in that endeavor, but you never could bring yourself to do that, could you? Not for a bunch of freaks. Instead, you opted to 'modify' us, to 'fix' us, and failed. And now that failure has come back to bite you in your perfect little flank." With her wings, she fluttered up towards the cacoon, hovering right before it and gazing spitefully into the eyes of someone she once called a friend. "How does it feel, Celestia? How does it feel to be on the brink?!"

Celestia swallowed hard. "Cold..."

"Welcome to my life."

The Princess of the Sun would not be done with that, however. "You are erasing everything you've worked so hard to achieve... you are acting like they did before you came about. You just needed to wait a little longer..."

"Hah! That's what you always say; 'another hundred years, Chrysalis, another hundred years is all it will take.' However, my people don't have another hundred years!" She then gazed into the princess' eyes once more. "That's the thing about ideals, Celestia; when challenged by reality, it's always them who back down first, and I am sick of hearing shallow words from your idealistic mouth! I've done what needed to be done."

With that, she heard a grim chuckle coming from behind her... as well as the sound of loan hands clapping. She slowly turned to face he who was creating the noise, the pale-faced man; Voldemort.

"Very well done, Chrysalis. I was almost convinced myself that you were 'only doing this for your people. That you're just an innocent child of circumstance....' yet though that may be true, you're enjoying every minute of this, aren't you? You're truly embracing that which you've kept bottled up... and you love that side of you, admit it!"

"I do not! I hate having to do this!"

Voldemort cackled at that. "If you hated doing it, then this day wouldn't be just perfect, now would it?"

"Shut up!" she growled, her horn powering up. "JUST SHUT UP!"

"It feels so good, doesn't it? The anger... the hatred... letting loose. Go ahead, strike me down! DO IT!"

"Don't do it, Chrysalis...." Celestia whispered.

"Oh like you've ever listened to her before. Come on, make me pay for my words. My insolence! You have the power now USE IT!"

Her eyes widened at that, him reminding her of something she was told long ago. "With great power, one must have great restraint..." Chrysalis said to herself.

"You remembered..." Celestia whispered.

Voldemort would not be done with that, however. ""That's the thing about ideals. When challenged by reality, it's always them who back down first.' Come on, you hypocritical, parasitical freak! Do it! Leave me as a stain of ash on this throne room! Or are you as broken and weak as they said you were oh so many years ago?!"

"I will not give in to petty hatreds..." she growled, her rage rising once again.

"Keep telling yourself that..." He put on a smug smirk. "Twisted little joke of fate."

With that, Chrysalis froze, a manic grin coming cross her face. She then lowered herself to the ground, walking towards Voldemort. "If I kill you... I would be doing the universe a favor..." she said in an unnerving, calm tone.

"Excuses, excuses," Voldemort grinned back.

Chrysalis' horn began to glow ever brighter at that.

"Do it for yourself!"

Her eyes narrowed. "If that is what you desire."

A second later, that which was Voldemort was nothing but a trail of dust floating across the floor of the throne room. Everything grew silent at that, save for the distant shrieks and sounds of battle echoing from about Canterlot. The silence continued until a quiet noise broke it a long minute later: the shattered, broken voice of Celestia.

"I never thought I'd see you fall so far from grace..." she said. "He was right, Chrysalis. You are a monster. May you live forever."

☼☼☼
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With that, Chrysalis shot up in her bed, gasping for breath, sweat dripping from her like the greasy, green liquid of the spawning pool had forty-five decades ago. So caught up in the horrible memories of that dream, she barely noticed a bit of light was piercing her bed curtains, the organic 'wall' that was her door slowly creating an opening.

"My Queen? I heard you shouting. Is everything well?" the concerned voice her ever-vigilant bedroom guard asked.

She spread her night curtains, gazing at her guard with a haunted expression. "No..." she whispered. "However, you don't need to concern yourself with my burdens... for there are many."

With that, the nameless Guardian-Drone etched towards her. "Your people..." He threw her calming smile while gathering her night cloak and placing it over her. "...Will be there to bear any burden you need us to. We will follow you into the dark."

"That will not be necessary," she said grimly. "Because darkness is coming here. However, one more necessary evil is all it will take." She then smile warmly down at him. "After that, you won't have to worry about hunger for an entire year."

The guard nodded. "I've spread the word about IGOM. Everyling's a bit... concerned about it, but we're ready and willing to help out when needed."

Chrysalis gave him a dark chuckle. "That's good, because I'm going to need a lot of it." She then let loose an agitated sigh. "I have no idea what I'm doing, Sarius."

"That is not my title, it is-"

"Yes, I know, 'Guardian-Drone 1643.' However, you deserve a name. The changelings aren't who they were. We're better than that...." she closed her eyes, wincing slightly. "Or perhaps I should just say 'you're better then that..'," She narrowed her eyes in resolve. "But you know what? If the Equestrians, Gyphons, Zebras, and Buffolo all get names, so should you. You're not just numbers, you're individuals now, moreso than ever."

Sarius shrugged at that. "I would be.. content with that number, though if you wish that I have a name, Sarius sounds alright."

Chrysalis smiled at him. "I thought the metamorphosis of the changelings had ended long ago, yet it still continues every day...'

"That it does, my Queen."

With that, Chrysalis began to shrug off her more dramatic, formal tone. "Now then. You wouldn't happen to know anything about parties, would you?"

Sarius let out a laugh, his formality erasing itself as well. "Sorry ma'm, but partying hard and kegstands aren't really my thing. I don't think it's any changeling's thing. That's more of something you'd find in Equestria."

Chrysalis winced at the name. "Perhaps some of the pilgrims back from feeding have been to a few?"

"Eh, maybe. You could ask around. I'm pretty sure that you're not going to find anyone though..."

The Queen of Deception sighed in defeat. "Yes.. you're probably right. We're not really the most fun loving people.... I'm pretty sure anyling out feeding would avoid parties if they could." Her face sagged slightly at that. "Perhaps it's because we've never had anything to celebrate...."

Sarius shook his head incredulously. "You really shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

"Try asking me to stop breathing."

He winced at that, glancing towards her bookshelf. "Well... you have a lot of books. Is there anything about parties and stuff like that?"

"None," she groaned. "They're all just information on various economies, cultures... and a Daring-Do novel I've never gotten around to reading."

"Daring-Who?"

Her eyes narrowed. "It's an Equestrian novel... I don't like Equestrian novels."

"Eh, what changeling needs to read, anyway?"

Chrysalis sighed again. "None, and that's the problem. I'm not going to be able to find any books on the topic anywhere in this nation."

"Maybe we could ask one of the undercover operatives to bring a book from Equestria or something?" he suggested.

Queen Chrysalis shook her head, before smirking slightly. "You know, for a Guardian-Drone, you seem to be able to think surprisingly well out of the box."

A small look of panic came across his face. "I'm sorry, my Queen. It could possibly be an error in my genetic code. Should I have my essence assimilated to be reformed?"

Chrysalis shook her head rapidly at that. "No! No, you're fine. Really. I didn't mean that as an insult."

"Very well..." he said, his voice laced with a slight bit of newly found self-loathing. A wave of guilt washed over Chrysalis at that, though she quickly shrugged it off.

"Anyway, that would take too long. My oh so honorable 'guests' should be here within a week." She then let out a groan. "And even if I could find books, it wouldn't matter. I have no idea how I'm supposed to entertain a bunch of monsters. Seriously, what does evil do on its down time?"

Sarius shrugged. "Juggle?"

Chrysalis threw him a blank look.

"Juggle... dead babies?"

The blank look turned to that of horror.

"That's sick, Sarius."

He smirked. "Sorry."

He definitely wasn't.

Chrysalis glanced to the side in thought at that. "I need some sort of reference book... or maybe something describing previous IGOM events."

Sarius raised an eyebrow. "You mean that racist prick didn't mention how it was supposed to be done?"

Chrysalis nodded. "Yes, but surprisingly, I don't think he knew. His role seems to be as a middle-man between myself and this Him. Apparently, he who 'dances in the pale moonlight' is quite shy," she grunted in an annoyed tone.

"Well, maybe you should call him and see if he can get you a guide book or something," Sarius suggested.

"I really don't want to..."

The guard groaned at that. "Would you like me to call him? I don't want to either, though, he seems like a meta-douche..."

Chrysalis let out a short laugh. "You have no idea..."

"I don't think he'd even talk to me, anyway."

The Queen of the Swarm sighed. "Fine, I'll call him. But would you..." she put on a slight smile. "Stand by me?"

Sarius raised his eyebrows. "Do I really have to?"

Chrysalis threw him a blank look. "What happened to following me into the dark if you needed to?"

He simpered slightly. "Well... in the dark I can carry a lamp or something, but dealing with someone who appears to be an insufferable prick... that's promotion worthy."

Chrysalis gazed down at him with a serious, though slightly bemused expression. "You know that's not how it works. You're best suited to the role you were born with."

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were individuals."

"To an extent," Chrysalis said, raising a hoof.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was born with the traits of the best Guardian drones, not Guardian-Leader drones... I just wanted to test the water." He let loose a sigh. "Let's just get this over with..."

"I could have you assimilated and reformed if you want," Chrysalis offered.

He grinned at that. "Na, I might lose my crappy sense of humor."

Chrysalis shrugged. "Very well."

With that, her and Sarius began to walk over to her Proloquor Orb, gazing at it warily. "Alright Chrysalis, you're doing this for your people..." she said to herself. At that, her horn began to glow, and soon after a beam of light quickly jutted out of it and into the orb. With that, she began to chant: "Doce qui vocatur Voldemort..."

At that, a head somewhat similar to his appeared within the orb, though it definitely wasn't his. For one, this floating head actually had a mane, or hair as some species called it. For two, it had a nose. And for three, Chrysalis had a strange feeling that this figure was female, one confirmed when it spoke in a disturbing, shrill voice:

"Hello, Queen Chrysalis. Lord Voldemort isn't here at the moment, may I take a message?" she said with an almost cat-like grin.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "That's surprising, he seems like a kind of stay-at-home guy... a bit of sun would be good for him."

The figure chuckled darkly. "Oh, you'll find that my lord is a very hands-on person..."

"Please tell me that wasn't any sort of innuendo," Sarius whispered.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Do you have any idea when he'll be back?"

"Oh, he's out dealing with with a few mudbloods at the moment. Who knows how long that will take?" She then grinned wickedly at her. "Why? Does little Chryssy-Wissy need help throwing her big girl party? Or does she simply want a shoulder to cry on because her poor, poor people have no wuv," she said in a mocking, childish tone.

Chysalis' eyes narrowed at that, a slight bit of fury building within her. "I don't need to be patronized, witch."

"Flattery won't get you any points, my dear," she said with a smirk.

With that, the Queen of the Swarm decided she had had enough. "Whatever, can you tell him to call us back? I need help with something."

"Like I said, he might not be back for quite a while. Perhaps a few days... but I was right, wasn't I? You do need help with the event. Personally, I'm quite looking forward to attending it-

"That makes one of us..."

"-though it seems you might not be up to the task of hosting it..."

Chrysalis sighed in defeat. "Fine, you're right. I need some sort of guide-book or at least a description of previous events. If you want IGOM to be good, then you'll give me some help. What do you have to lose? And by the way, who are you?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange at your service, my dear insectoid Queen."

"Charmed, I'm sure..." Chrysalis said blankly.

"Oh the pleasure is all mine," she replied. "Unfortunately for you, however, I do not have access to all of the archives my master does. I can, however, have you sent a guest list. It even has details of those being invited."

Chrysalis sighed. "I'm not sure if that's going to help."

Bellatrix gave her a mock look of sympathy. "Then I'm afraid you're out of luck, dear. Now, unless you wish to chit-chat a bit with me, I'm going to have a bit of fun with a captured Order member."

Chrysalis' eyes narrowed. "Yes, because I know who the 'Order' are. Good bye."

With that, she quickly flicked the orb off, still glaring at it in disdain because of the woman she had been forced to chat with.

"And this is the kind of person I'm throwing a party for!" she growled as she began to pace angrily around her bedroom.

"Hey, it's not all bad," Sarius said.

Chrysalis gave him a sarcastic look, pausing in her steps. "How could it be any worse?"

"You could be doing it without me!" he said with an overly enthusiastic grin.

Her look of sarcasm turned to that of annoyance. "You really piss me off sometimes, Sarius."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know."

She then began to pace again. "Obviously, I don't have any hope of doing this alone... I need someone to guide me, someone who's had experience in this matter... someone who could throw a party for any occasion or anyone..."

With that, her eyes widened in horror as a memory struck her.

She stood in the palace ballroom of Canterlot, gazing at a pink pony as she busily made ready the place for a legendary celebration that would never be. Though Chrysalis called the event childish; mainly out of spite for the Equestrians than anything, upon seeing the colorful balloons and streamers, the chocolate fountain sitting upon a table merrily churning out its inner-goodness, a hired DJ known as Vinyl Scratch busy at work preparing a fantastic playlist next to a wooden dance floor, and a multitude of somewhat carnival style games being set up, she almost wished her invasion would not commence so she could... if fate allowed... perhaps enjoy herself for once.

It was an amusing thought really. She could abandon her people if she really wanted to, have Shining Armor keep the shield up... start her life anew and refreshed around people who would truly love her if she were to stop acting so cold towards them. It would be difficult, but would it be impossible?

Glancing again at the pink party pony, the bit of envy in her heart at those around her softened ever so slightly, enough that something amazing would happen soon after:

She would start a casual conversation with the enemy.

"No..." Chrysalis said, shaking her head in utter defiance. "Not her... anyone but her..."

Sarius raised an eyebrow. "My queen?"

"Excuse me... Pinkie, was it?" she said, trying out her best impression of a warm tone she could muster, nearly startling the party pony off the ladder she was on.

Nonetheless, the pink pony soon turned to her with a welcoming smile. "Hey there, wedding girl! Have you come back to look at the super awesome party you're going to have?! Have ya?! I really really really hope you like everything! This is my first time throwing a wedding party, and it's so awesome! One time my friend told me his uncle's brother was throwing a wedding and I was like 'NO WAY', and then he said he wanted me to host the reception and I was all 'OH MY GOSH!' It was on the same date as my super best friend Twilight's birthday so I had to cancel, but now I can totally do it, and it's in Canterlot of all places! Can you believe it!? I LOVE LOVE LOVE Canterlot! It has some of the best candy and food and chocolate and-"

Chrysalis took a deep breath as Pinkie rambled on, immediately regretting her decision to talk with her. Hyperactivity annoyed her more than anything, and she was beginning to wonder if there was anything the pink party pony didn't immediately verbalize. Nonetheless, she might as well at least ask the question she was going to use as a conversation starter.

'Cadence' put on a sheepish grin. "Uhh, that's very nice, Pinkie. However, I was kind of wondering if it's true..." she tried to remember the word was, "Are you really the Element of Laughter?"

"Yep! That's me!" Pinkie beamed. "I was so surprised when I found out! I mean, I've always loved laughing and fun and laughing-"

Chrysalis raised a hoof. "You said laughing twice."

"Oh did I? Shoot, sometimes my mind just gets so filled with thoughts I forget what I've just said! Isn't that crazy?! Anyway, yes, I am the Element of Laughter! My friends all say I could probably bring a smile to the King of Tartarus himself if I needed to...."

Chrysalis closed her eyes, wincing at what fate was resigning her to. "I think I know who can help us out..."

Sarius' eyes narrowed in resolve. "Just say the name and I'll get Special Operations to retrieve whoever it is."

The Queen of Deception shook her head, quickly morphing into a medium-sized pegasus, cyan with a bow and arrow for a cutie-mark. "Don't bother, I think it's time that I try to bury some skeletons." She then threw him a slight smile, brushing back her new mane, her now at eye level with him. "How do I look?"

"Like food?" Sarius joked.

Chrysalis gave him a sarcastic look. "Seriously!"

Sarius shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I don't really have much of a sense of how pretty or not ponies look."

"I really need to add that sense to your genetic makeup..." Chrysalis mused. "It would probably help with going incognito. The prettier the pony, the more it is loved."

Sarius nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Anyway, don't you need a name?"

Chrysalis nodded. "I almost forgot. Any ideas?"

"How about Hawkeye? Since you have the archery-themed tattoo thing they all have."

"It's called a cutie-mark," Chrysalis corrected.

Sarius raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Seriously?"

"Yes, it's that adorable," she said with a hint of spite. "Anyway, that name sounds fine." She then turned to leave her quarters. "Get ready, Sarius, this hive's about to get a lot more.... jolly. If I can refrain from killing our guest before she arrives, that is..."

The Princess of Parties

"... For there once was a mare from Baltimare who saw a good stallion!"

With loving eyes and a heart of butterflies she made her way to take him in,

And when he said 'I'm just a simple country colt, aint worthy of your gaze',

She took him by his handsome neck and kissed him into a daze!

And so its true of what they say, that love really holds no bounds,

It can merge two hearts two worlds apart, it can make a Canterlot wedding sound!

And if you're ever boned because you feel alone just listen closely through and through,

Have trust you must in Equestria there's someone out there for you!"

YEEEEHAW! Take it away, Pinkie! Play that thing!"

And so the sound of a wild fiddle solo filled Applejack's barn, one a crowd of party goers roared in approval of. Sparks of creativity flew from Pinkie like none had seen before as she made her way through a fury of scales, arpeggios, and other, more complex musical maneuvers. However, while it might appear she was showing off, her real intention was much more noble: she was helping to give one of her greatest friends a party people were going to remember.

"Holy appleseeds!"

"Yeeeeeeeah!"

"That's bloody brilliant! But how in the world is Applejack playing a banjo with her hooves?!"

"We've already been over this, Doctor..."

"Whoops, sorry Ditzy!"

"Sweet Celestia she's a monster. SHE'S A MONSTER!"

"Oh my gosh. Where's her tip jar, seriously!?"

The barn was the site of one of the few weekly, and sometimes daily constants of Ponyville: a Pinky Party. Within it were apple and country-themed decorations, an apple-bobbing bucket, a multitude of other games, and at the centerpiece; a three piece band composed of Applejack on banjo, Spike on bass, and Pinkie playing a mad fiddle, all being watched by almost everypony in Ponyville and most of Applejack's relatives who Pinkie had taken the time to round up.

With that, Applejack glanced Pinkie's way. "You really are a country girl with that kind of playin', Pinkie."

"Eh, it's nothing, really!" Pinkie beamed. "I just had a lot of time to practice when I was growing up. There wasn't really much else to do on that rock farm."

Applejack smiled with a hint of sympathy. "Seriously though. You're like a sister to me sometimes, and throwin' me a country-girl themed birthday party just seals the deal. I still don't know how you managed to pull it off. I don't think even I could have thrown one this good!"

"Hey Pinkie! I can't hear your awesome playing over you two talking!" Rainbow Dash complained, sipping on a mug of cider.

Applejack rolled her eyes while sticking her tongue out at her. "Oh pipe down, Rainbow, we're bein' all sentimental."

"Fine, fine... just hurry up and get your sappiness over with!"

Pinkie then glanced back towards Applejack with a knowing smirk. "You're a little buzzed, aren't you?" Pinkie whispered. "You wouldn't be acting so soft otherwise."

"Hah! You caught me." She then raised an eyebrow. "And dang, Pinkie, you can be awfully perceptive sometimes." Her voice then became hushed. "Just uh... don't tell Big Macintosh I've been hittin' the hard cider."

"What was that?" Big Mac called from across the room, sipping on a mug of what Pinkie assumed was regular cider. "I dun heard my name."

"Nothing!" Pinkie and Applejack simpered before taking up their playing a notch and gaining a raised eyebrow from the farm girl's brother.

"Don't worry, I've got your back too," Spike winked over his standup bass.

"I owe ya, Spike," Applejack said with an appreciative smile before turning back towards the party pony. "But seriously, how did you manage to pull this off?"

Pinky took a deep breath, thinking that question over for a second. "Well, I treat parties like you treat your cider; with utter love and perfection," she said with an uncharacteristic amount of seriousness and articulation. "They're all I'm about, really, so I make sure to treat them as good I can. I always make sure to research what I'm throwing; learning to make the right recipes for the food it calls for, getting the right games, music, and decorations.... Sometimes, I even try to attend parties like what I'm throwing beforehand! It's actually becoming a bit... too easy, though..." she added silently.

"Shucks Pinkie, you know we'd love your parties no matter what."

"Yeah but they wouldn't be as much fun if I didn't treat them right, and I want my friends to have fun!" she said, her voice returning to its normal jolly tone.

Doctor Whooves shook his head in bewilderment. "Now they're multi-tasking playing complex music and holding a deep conversation at the same time! You equines are simply extraordinary."

"I wish you'd tell me that more often," Ditzy smirked.

Doctor Whooves smirked back. "I just don't want you to get too cocky." His voice then dropped in its pleasantness. "Especially with what is coming up."

Ditzy cocked her head. "What's coming up?"

"I'll talk to you about it later," he said in a barely audible tone.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow at this, though Applejack merely rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Come on Pinkie, the Doctor's always fretting about something, let's... 'turn up the heat', as Vinyl would say."

With that, Pinkie ignored the Doctor's comment before glancing towards Applejack again, her face becoming saturated with anticipation. "Super awesome country trio powers, activate!" she beamed.

"Awesome!" Spike beamed.

"Sounds like a plan!"

With that, the fury of her fiddle solo as well as the intensity of that which was Applejack's banjo playing increased to the highest amount of vigor possible.

"Oh my gosh! You two might actually make me be able to tolerate country music at this rate!" Rainbow hollered.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Pinkie grinned.

However, despite her apparent happiness, she couldn't help but sigh internally over something that had been eating her for weeks upon weeks: parties, the meaning of her existence, were actually becoming slightly boring to her. They were still fun, but planning and throwing them was starting to become... stagnant. It was almost too easy for her to bring joy to the hearts of Ponyville. Sure, she loved making people happy but that didn't mean she didn't want to challenge herself. She needed something new. Something exciting. Something bizarre... though she couldn't think of what.

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"That was a great party, Pinkie! Seriously. I think this might have been your best yet!" Twilight said with a wide smile as she exited Applejack's barn along with the rest of her guests.

The pink mare would have to agree. It really was one of her top parties, though it still didn't give her the level of satisfaction she desired. Still, Pinkie shot out a tongue. She didn't want her friends to think she wasn't happy, because that would make them unhappy. "You say that every time, silly."

"Yeah, because it's true!" Rainbow slurred as she staggered out of the barn, nearly running into Doctor Whooves. She then hiccuped, trying her best to balance herself. "What was in that apple cider in the far corner by the haystacks, though? Seriously... I feel really good... but really dizzy."

"Oh, that was the hard cider! The apple family makes it in boatloads!" Pinkie beamed, causing Rainbow's eyes to widen in horror. It was another new thing she had been experimenting with; adding a bit of an adult flavor to her parties. Unfortunately, it seemed that flavor might not have tasted too good to her pranking-buddy Rainbow.

Applejack smirked. "You didn't read the sign, did you?"

Rainbow shook her head, a queasy look coming across her face.

The farm pony raised an eyebrow. "How many mugs did you drink?"

"Um... five... or was it six?" Rainbow said.

She shot her a look of concern.

"Oh jeez... and this was my first time drinking, too... I think I'm going to be sick..." Her face then became panic stricken. "Wait! I'm not going to keel over, am I? I'm too young and awesome to die of alcohol poisoning!"

With that, Spike walked over and patted her back with a sympathetic claw. "There, there, Rainbow. I'm sure you'll be alright." He then leaned closer too her. "But just in case you do, can I have your Wonderbolt posters?"

Rainbow's eyes began to tear up. "Oh no! The Wonderbolts... I won't be able to join them now! They won't accept a ghost!"

"Spike! That wasn't very nice!" Pinkie growled, pushing him away. She then gave Rainbow a look of reassurance. "You'll be alright, Dashie, but Doctor Pinkie is going to have to prescribe you about three cups of water before you go to bed."

"Though she's still going to feel like she flew into a tree..." Applejack muttered.

Dashie hiccuped again at that.

"Thanks you guys, I'll definitely do that.." she groaned before fluttering her wings and taking off.

"Wait, Rainbow! You still shouldn't be flying!"

"Uh oh... this is only going to end up badly," Twilight said.

"Hah! Do you guys forget who you're talking to? I can fly anywhere, at any time!" she said as she flew in drunken zigzags, giggling. "Wheeeeeeeee, I feel so much better now! And this is so much more fun than usual, too! Fluttershy, you aughta try this some time!"

"Um... I'm not sure about that Rainbow," the shy pony squeaked while dragging a hoof across the ground. In the meantime, Rainbow began to perform several of her more complex aerobic maneuvers. "Can you please stop flying and come back down here... if you don't mind. You might crash into something..."

"Bah, you're no fun sometimes Fluttershy!" she called. "I bet Ditzy would, though. Wouldn't you Ditzy?!"

"Ehhh... I don't think so. I can't really fly straight sober," she said in a slightly embarrassed tone.

"Whatever, your loss! Hah! You know what? I think I might actually drink better when I fly!"

She then promptly crashed into a tree.

"Buck..." she groaned as she slid comically down its trunk to the ground.

The entire legion of party goers gave a collective wince. All except one.

"Hah. I guess she really is going to feel like she flew into a tree," Spike grinned.

The legion turned towards him with a blank look.

Spike held his palms out in exasperation. "What?! Jeez, and I thought the buffalo and settler ponies were a tough crowd to sell...."

The blank look continued.

"Fine! I'll make sure she's alright.." he muttered.

With that, the party goers began to disperse as Fluttershy and Spike took Rainbow home, Fluttershy opting to look over her during the night. Luckily, the stubborn mare had managed to make it through yet another test of her bodily endurance without breaking anything. This left Pinkie, Applejack, and few of her family members who were nice enough to volunteer to clean up the party. They were able to do so quickly, for luckily none had had too much to drink, yet still, Pinkie's head was in the clouds, moreso than usual, her thinking of all the past parties she had thrown, (and Dashie's safety occasionally). Was there truly any kind left to do?

Rolling Incognito

Hey there folks why are you so afraid?
Prince Blueblood's here to save the day!
Just listen to everything I say,
And the bugs won't take your families away!

Make sure to lock your windows at night,
And keep your Changeling-Away spray tight!
Flim and Flam will make all that you need,
Just help them with their production fees!

I know that this may seem oh so trife,
But it's what you need to save a life!
For paranoia is the only key,
To prevent an insectoid abduction spree!

This catchy jingle brought to you brought to you by the Prince Blueblood for Public Safety Initiative. Be sure to let our great Princess Celestia know that you love your families through letters of recognition. Thank you for helping us help you to help yourselves!

"I do dearly hope my new initiative for the safety of every Equestrian citizen will help quell the claims that I am, in fact, a douche. What kind of douche has such a lovely groomed mane? While I'm here, I might as well thank you for your tax money, as it is helping to keep it at its perfection!" - Prince Blueblood's founding speech for the initiative in Canterlot.

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"Seriously?" Chrysalis, or 'Hawkeye' groaned with a raised eyebrow as she read a poster containing an oh-so-tactful anti-changeling jingle. "Seriously?! How does this idiot still have political power?"

While it was true she had allowed the abduction of ponies in the past, that was before the Canterlot event. Since then she had been refraining from them for multiple reasons. Even so, at least until after the invasion, she had only kept them for six months before performing a memory spell on them and having them released, and she never took whole families of ponies nor children. They didn't even age at all in the stasis cocoons! It was a cruel thing to do, that was for sure, but this fear-mongering jackass was just profiting off fear. He didn't really care...

She had remembered being forced to meet Blueblood once when she was disguised as Cadence. While the Equestrians annoyed her, he was a very tempting target to be sent to the crystal cave. At least most of the ponies were noble, but he was a rude, arrogant, snake who slithered his way to power through tactics such as this.

She had the brief, vengeance-inspired idea of morphing into Princess Celestia and telling him off, perhaps maybe banishing him to the moon if she could muster that sort of power, though that would be a bit risky. She was simply going to have to ignore all the anti-changeling propaganda he was putting up all over Canterlot, the place she had decided to make a slight detour in on her way down southwestward. However, she paused as she eyed another poster.

Is your child acting strangely? Is he or she not eating their alfalfa or is demanding more candy than usual? He or she might have been replaced by a changeling! Have the little buggish bastard scanned by one of Equestria's fine guards during your town's weekly changeling inspection. Put your mind at ease!

Chrysalis groaned once again. "Buggish isn't even a word... and how is Celestia letting him get away with this? He's winding up Equestria so tight it could snap! Does he really have that much support?" she muttered.

Changeling inspections? Propaganda posters everywhere? Private companies working with politicians to invest on fear? This wasn't the Equestria she had known. In fact, it was actually making her a bit... less envious of them, despite the risk to her changelings. However, she was certain that Celestia had nothing to do with this. There was simply no way... She as an idealist, a beacon of light in a dark world; quite fitting for the Princess of the Sun. However, in order for Blueblood to circumvent her authority he must have been gaining a lot of support from the people... or support from perhaps another regal entity who actually held some respect, the one she had only met once: Princess Luna.

Her eyes narrowed. If she remembered right, the Princess of the Night hadn't even shown up to the royal wedding to fight against her and her invasion. While Chrysalis was sure she had some excuse, the real reason was that she only cared about herself probably! She was possessed by Nightmare Moon only a short time ago; was it was possible that corruption still festered in her heart?

She squinted an eyebrow. Why was she so angry about a possible corrupt regal entity in her 'enemy's' government, anyway? Perhaps she was merely concerned about her changeling's safety, or simply hated disloyalty, a trait she prided in her people. Or perhaps part of the reason was that she really did hold some respect or maybe even... love for Princess Celestia still? She was the only changeling capable of feeling it, after all, without stealing it from someone or somepony else dry that is.

Sighing, she pulled a piece of paper she had been carrying in her travel bag, it carrying a personal note for her old 'friend', one written mainly out of guilt initially and for her own sake. She had been debating whether or not to give it to the princess during the three-hour long flight from the Hanging Islands east of Equestria. If she did, it was likely Celestia would know she was here... but would she act on that knowledge? Now was the time to make the decision....

Her eyes narrowing in resolve, 'Hawkeye' made her way down the busy grand main street of Canterlot to the stairs of the royal palace, eyeing a pair of solar guards at its entrance, them holding two spears high. With that, she approached them, anxious but still keeping her deception in perfect check. Before she drew too close, she heard one of them give a barely audible woof whistle.

"Man I'd definitely stick my arrow in her... if ya know what I mean," 'Hawkeye' heard one of them say.

The other chuckled like a douche at that.

She grinned inwardly. This was going to be too easy.

"Can I help you, miss?" one of them immediately asked as she drew near, smiling slightly and eyeing 'Hawkeye' up underneath his helmet.

"Uh-l'd be glad to help you too!" the other said, moving slightly ahead of the other.

Chrysalis smiled teasingly their way. Obviously, her disguise was as attractive as she hoped it would be. She hadn't even used her magic on them and they were already under her spell.

"Oh, I just need somepony to give the princess a note for me..." she said, batting her eyelashing towards one and leaning closer. "You wouldn't mind doing that, would you?"

Chrysalis' Patented Guide to Seduction:

Morph into an attractive mare.
Use cliches.
Await responsive cliches to show that her cliches had worked.
Repeat steps two through three.
Profit.

"Awoooooooga!" the guard beamed. Chrysalis could practically see his heart leaping out of his chest. He immediately blushed before saying, "I mean uh... I'd be glad to give the princess your note, miss."

He was now sweating bullets.

"Thank you, dear," Chrysalis said, giving him a peck on the helmet for good measure, one she was sure had almost made him feint, and handing him the message. With that, she turned and began to fly away towards Ponyville.

"Wait! Uh... do you want to maybe... get a cup of coffee with me sometime?!" she heard one of the guards beam.

"Sorry boys, places to go, people to feed, ponies to see!" she called before smiling inwardly in pride. "I still have it."

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By the time she had gotten to Ponyville, it was about five in the afternoon. It was like any other small Equstrian village, so it wasn't really a big moment for when she walked through its 'suburbs'. However, there was one thing special about it: it just happened to house the latest incarnations of the Elements of Harmony. All six of them. This made her raise an eyebrow, for there must have been a little royal meandering to get them all here together.

"For an idealist, you sure pull a lot of strings from the shadows sometimes, Celestia..." Chrysalis muttered to herself. It was an amusing thought, really. After four hundred years, perhaps they still held things in common.

She felt slightly at ease making her way through the place, at least when it came to her safety. While it was true the Elements were a threat to her, especially all as one, there was simply no way she was going to be detected by these simple ponies. Even Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, the most obvious person to blame for why her people weren't feeding on love until they burst at the moment, and who seemed to have a bit of a suspicious side, had only detected Chrysalis in the past because she had acted so foolishly during the events of the wedding; letting her envy get the best of her. It was for this reason she didn't blame Twilight for her failure; she had brought it upon herself. It was her fault and fate's. And even so, Twilight was simply acting out of the best interests of her nation and her brother, and as said before, Chrysalis admired loyalty to one's people.

However, there was one possibility that was constantly annoyingly probing her mind: she could let her envy get the best of her again. While Canterlot had put it at ease thanks to the massive amount of fear mongering, Ponyville, with its happy little people and bright colors was starting to making her sick. Why did fate give them good lives while it gave her a dismal existence? Why was it that even with the power to modify her people's genetic structures to the extent where she could determine a newborn's liking or disliking of the color blue she still couldn't make them feel love? Or at the very least not have to eat it to survive and instead just be able to exist on normal food. Somewhere up in the heavens god or whatever ruled over the multiverse was laughing at its 'funny' little joke.

Putting her thoughts aside, she decided it was time to find a more direct approach to finding the pink mare she sought instead of simply walking about.

"Excuse me," she said to a nearby mare, who to her shock she immediately recognized as the Element of Loyalty. Her rainbow mane and tail gave her away quite nicely.

"Uggggghhh..." she groaned, sauntering on down the street groggily. "Please don't talk to me... need to get coffee.... head... throbbing...."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

While it's true she didn't know everything about ponies, she did know that they did not need coffee to survive.

"Yeah... just... be careful what you wish for; that's all I have to say," she said, her eyelids drooping purple.

Now that was a lesson to take to heart.

'Hawkeye' nodded at her. "Right, sorry."

With that, she turned to another pony, a brown one with an hour-glass for a cutie mark. He was accompanied by another pony with a long golden mane and bubbles for a cutie-mark.

"Um... pardon me..."

"Oh hello," he spoke in a strange, otherworldly accent with a bright smile. Oddly, it was actually quite similar to Voldemort's and Bellatrix's. "Beautiful afternoon isn't it? The sun still shines brightly, the birds are chirping! It's such a wonderful cliche!"

She grunted inwardly in annoyance. He appeared to have the same habit her target had when it came to doing all he could to follow the term 'speak your mind'.

"Er... Doctor, I don't think she wants a weather report," the bubble-flanked pony said.

Chrysalis tried to put on her best forced smile. "It's alright... I was just wondering if you happened to know where I can find a pink pony with a curly mane? I believe she's known as the Element of Laughter."

"Oooooh, you mean one of our resident national heroes?" the 'Doctor' said loudly. "Quite an interesting pony that one is. I never thought the equines would have evolved the brain power already for psychic activities, being such a young race and all! Such wonderful surprises evolution can bring you, though I still haven't figured out if that's the primary drive behind biological change in this-"

"Doctor, did you drink too much coffee this morning?" the bubble pony asked, raising an eyebrow before leaning close to Chrysalis and whispering, "it was his first time drinking a bit last night. It was my fault, really.."

Chrysalis nodded at that. She had forgotten about the pony habit of intoxicating themselves on ethanol. It was one she had never really gotten into during her tenure in Canterlot.

The Doctor grinned sheepishly. "I'm not sure, are three cups too much for this body?"

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. Either this was the dumbest changeling she had in her hive, he was some sort of alien, or he was insane. She was betting on the latter since she normally could sense a fellow changeling and the middle sounded a bit... out there, despite her dealings with interdimensional beings, so she decided not to speak up.

The bubbly pony facehoofed while turning back towards Chrysalis. "Um sorry, he's talking about somepony named Pinkie Pie by the way."

"Yes, you can find her at Sugarcube Corner, and since I don't believe I've seen you around and are probably new here, you can find it on the west side of town near the parlor shop! It has the best sweets in town!" the Doctor added.

"And the best muffins!" the bubble-clad pony beamed.

"Right, thank you!" she said in the sweetest tone she could muster before quickly moving away from the two. To be frank, the Doctor was weirding her out.

By this time Celestia was already beginning to lower the sun; strange for it being only six (though it was late fall). However, that wasn't the oddest thing that was happening at the moment. Over the distant horizon she could barely make out the sound of a group of people singing; males as it seemed, and it was coming closer.

"Uggggh... is that those night guards again? Why are they doing another changeling roundup? They just did one two days ago!" she heard a white pony with crystals for a cutie-mark complain as she approached town square. She recognized her as the Element of Generosity.... and the person who had made her a lovely wedding gown. "It's simply barbaric, and I was about to go have a manacure! Now they're going to be bothering all the attendants..."

Chrysalis eyes widened. A changeling roundup!? Was this the fault of Celestia? Her note probably did tip her off that she was here. However... no... the princess wouldn't have done such a thing, not with what the note had said on it. This must have just been a random event, though an ill-timed one. She did not have time to book it out of town and lay low until they passed, she already had put herself behind schedule when she decided to detour to Canterlot.

With that, she decided it was time to ask for the help of one of her former enemies once again.

"Excuse me, miss," she said, growing closer to the white pony. "Can you tell me where I can find Sugarcube Corner?"

The Element of Generosity threw her a smile before pointing a hoof. "Down that way, dear." She then gave 'Hawkeye' a look of approval. "And must I say, you have quite a gorgeous mane! Wherever did you get it styled?"

"Just something I.... whipped up on my own," Chrysalis said.

Hey, at least she was being honest.

Her eyes widened. "That's very impressive! You must tell me how you got it to curl in that fashion!"

"Um.. sorry, maybe later. I really need to get to Sugarcube Corner... for... I really need... doughnuts..." She put on a sheepish grin.

The Element of Generosity simply smiled. "Ah, that's alright dear. However, I'll definitely hold you to it!"

"Will do!" Chrysalis said before making haste towards where she had point where the white pony had gestured to, for at this time she was starting to be able to hear what was being sung...

"Changeling roundup! Changeling roundup!

Let's clean up all the night's fears!

Changeling roundup! Changeling roundup!

Hidden evil will never endear!"

"These idiots explain why Blueblood has gotten into power..." she muttered to herself as guards she recognized as belonging to Princess Luna began to flood the town. With that, she slowed her pace as to not look suspicious, glancing over them. There were both unicorns and pegasi, wearing blue, jagged armor, though the latter had the unusual quality of sporting bat-like wings.

"Changeling roundup! Changeling roundup!

Let's clean up all the night's fears!

Changeling roundup! Changeling roundup!

Tomorrow spring will be here!"

It was actually quite catchy, at least the melody to it was, though she wondered why they were talking about spring when it was clearly the middle of... oh that's right it was a metaphor. However, before they could sing another verse of their repetitive chorus, they were interrupted by a powerful voice of authority.

"Guards, I know our work here is oh so important to the security of Equestria," the voice said sarcastically. "But can we do this without the singing?"

With that, Chrysalis gazed curiously behind her to see none other than Princess Luna near the town square flanked by a legion of guards. She slowed her pace at this, listening curiously as to what the princess was saying, and it immediately became apparent to her that perhaps the Princess of the Night wasn't who she thought she was. In fact, she already had a grudging respect for her because of her lovely use of sarcasm.

"But we rehearsed it for two days! We thought the kids would like it... There really isn't much else to do when the sun is up, you know, not with us burning in its light and all," one of the guards complained.

"I don't care, this singing is actually making this activity look even more foalish than it already is; something I never thought would be possible."

"How is it foalish?!" one of the random passerby ponies objected. "The changelings will take our love if we don't do anything about them!"

"And our children!"

"And they'll TAKE OUR JOBS!"

"THEY'LL TAKE YUR JOB?!"

"HERP DERPIDY DERP DERP!"

The entire gathering glanced blankly towards the three pissed off redneck ponies.

They sweat-dropped. "What? They are technically illegal immigrants."

Chrysalis couldn't help but chuckle. Aside from stealing love, that was one of the few things her changelings would actually do lately from the list of the many atrocities they apparently committed according to Blueblood.

Another guard sighed. "The princess is right, at least about the singing, it's kind of making us look a bit... Night Templarish.... and though they were cool and all... well.. no they actually really weren't."

The rest of the guards murmured in agreement. "We're sorry about this ma'm... though I'd just like to point out it was all Moonwalker's idea."

"Hey, no it wasn't you freakin' dick!" He growled before letting out a high-pitched, "Yeehhaaaahhh."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. Why in the world did he do that?

"Guards..." Princes Luna said in an agitated tone.

"Screw you, asshole! Stop lying!"

"Guards..." She growled again, her voice growing even louder.

"You can take your own lies and shove them up your flank! Shaaamooneeigh!"

"STOP CURSING!" Princess Luna roared. "Seriously, there are foals around!"

"Sorry..." the two guards murmured reluctantly.

Well, at least that was one less thing to worry about. At least Celestia's sister seemed to be on the side of 'good', the side of a pony who wasn't going to be a problem for her changelings or call for an invasion of her hive, and most importantly: the side of snark. Today was turning out to be a less crappy day than she had expected, and with the guards distracted, Chrysalis continued onward to Sugarcube Corner, eventually spotting the candy-cane covered building out of her peripheral and heading inside with a sigh of relief.

"Oh, hello dear!" a sweet voice called from behind the counter. "Can I help you with anything before those pesky guards get here?"

She turned and gazed upon a blue pony with rosy cheeks. She was definitely the epitome of a sweet mother, no pun intended.

"Hi!" Chrysalis said, again putting on her award-winning fake smile. "Actually, I was wondering if Pinkie Pie was here? I'm an old friend of hers."

"Oh, she's upstairs in her room taking a little cat nap," the cheerful pony said. "Would you like to go and wake her up? I'm sure that'd be a pleasant surprise for her!"

"Oh that'd be just perfect," Chrysalis said. "Is it this way?" She said, gesturing to door that held a small window she could see a staircase behind.

"Mhmm," the sweet maker said. "Just up those stairs and through the first door on your left. Oh, and could you tell her I'll be out? There usually isn't very much business during changeling inspections."

Chrysalis grunted internally. Why did they all have to be so sweet and kind? What she'd have given to have grown up in Equestria instead of under the care of a sentient building... though that wasn't completely true. She did spend a brief bit of her life in Canterlot.

With that, she let out a sigh, already climbing the stairs of Sugarcube Corner.

Canterlot.

She had left a loving child actually filled with a bit of optimism and returned a conqueror.

With that, she threw a hoof into the wall, growling, and nearly knocking a portrait of who she assumed was the baker's husband off of it.

"It's not fair... damnit it's just not fair..." she cried silently, before taking a deep breath.

After a moment of collecting herself, she continued up the stairs. At least there was some relief in the fact that she had done some good during her third visit... just a little bit of it. And now she was taking the first step to pulling off a successful IGOM, if Pinkie truly could throw a party for anyone. True, she thought Pinkie was scatterbrained, though in her experience with people with that sort of mind she had come to believe they had a knack for creativity. With her cold logic and Pinkie's creative side plus entertaining experience, it was possible they might be able to come up with something that would warm the coldest hearts of the multiverse. Or maybe this was going to be a total waste of time.... yeah that was probably right.

Though fate would tell the answer.

And with that, she was at the door what quite possibly could be her people's salvation. She quickly nudged it open, making her way inside. She decided to keep in her disguised form for now as to not surprise the pink pony... well at least not too much, but she would have to reveal who she was eventually... and she would need to convince the pony to come voluntarily. She couldn't expect to force Pinkie to help her in full under the threat of death or something cliche like that, nor did she want to. In fact, a small part of her wanted to make amends. If she was truly the Element of Laughter and wished to make ponies happy, perhaps she could hold room in her heart for the changelings.

Or she could scream at the sight of her and summon the guards, in which case she'd teleport the hell out of there.

Shrugging off her thoughts, she gazed upon the pony, her sleeping with what could possibly be the most adorable snoring noise one could make. With that, she walked over to the bed's side.

"Uh... hi Pinkie," she said, trying her best to sound as friendly as possible.

The pink pony continued to sleep.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and backey?" she said, nudging the pony, before wincing at how lame what she had said sounded.

"Zzzzzzzzzz...."

Thinking for a moment, Chrysalis eventually said, "Princess Celestia... hates cupcakes."

With that, the pink pony's eyes widened as she shot up in bed. "What?! Who said that! Princess Celestia totally loves sweets!"

'Hawkeye' grinned sheepishly with a wave. "Hiiiii....."

Pinkie's eyes squinted at the sight of her. "What? Who are you?! You're not a burglar are you!? Cus you're NOT GETTING MY GOLDEN CUPCAKE TROPHY!"

With that she gripped defensively just that, a golden cupcake trophy, it having sat on her nightstand.

"Wait!" Chrysalis cried. "I'm not here to rob you... I just uhh..."

"Then what do you want? I mean, I love having visitors, but they're usually my friends and not random strangers. Sure, I wouldn't mind it being a random stranger but those are usually not so random and are actually robbers or really creepy ponies or something like that but you seem really pretty and not like that so-"

"Pinkie!" 'Hawkeye' called desperately. "I'm not here to... do whatever it is creepy people do when sneaking into ponies' bedrooms." She winced in disgust at a certain thought. "I'm here because I need your help."

"My help? Ooooh, did Twilight send you or something? Are we going to go on some sort of mission again?! That's great, I've been getting so bored lately-"

At this point, the annoyance seething in Chrysalis was starting to reach intolerable levels. However, despite this, she still was able to make an effort not to raise her voice above a neutral level.

"I need your help... throwing a party," 'Hawkeye' said, grinning sheepishly. Before Pinkie could ramble on about that, Chrysalis interrupted her with, "I'm about to show you something, and I promise that I have no bad intentions. I just don't want you to scream, OK?"

"Oooh, what are you going to show me?! Is it a surprise! I love love love surprises!"

"Oh you're definitely going to love this one," she said sarcastically, sighing heavily before morphing into her true form.

And naturally, the expected happened.

"EEEEEEPPP! CHANGELING! BIG, QUEEN, CHANGELING!" Pinkie screeched, quickly grabbing off her nightstand a pump-canister of what Chrysalis assumed was Flim and Flam's special Anti-Changeling spray. Unable to raise a magical defensive shield in time, Chrysalis' already somewhat darkened vision was filled with a musty, brown gas.

She snapped her eyes shut just in time, though It felt like every inch of her skin that it touched was covered in hot coal. With that, she shrieked and backed towards the door.

"AAAAAACK! IT BURNS!!!!"

How in the world did this spray pass ethical inspection?!

"W-Wait, it burns?!" Pinkie said, suddenly sounding very remorseful. With that, Chrysalis heard hoofsteps and the running of water as she collapsed into a little ball of pain. A few seconds later, a boatload of H2O was dumped on her, washing off the horrible spray from hell. However, Chrysalis remained in a ball, taking deep breaths and shivering slightly.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I thought it just repelled changelings... like they didn't like the scent or something."

With one last deep breath, Chrysalis began to calm herself. "Make sure to read the warning labels next time, kid... 'may cause complete agony of intended target'..."

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted anything made by Flim and Flam!" Pinkie cried. "How could I have been so stupid?!"

"Relax..." Chrysalis said, slowly standing up. "It was an honest mistake. I've made a lot in my time, though they weren't all so honest... as I'm sure you know."

"You mean you're not a big dumb meanie who tried to totally ruin my friend's brother's wedding!? Oh... and take over Equestria!"

Chrysalis chuckled painfully. "Dumb? I ask myself that everyday, and a lot of the time I answer 'yes'. However, I do regret my decision, though I doubt you'll believe that..."

With that, Pinkie inched closer to Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen dwarfing her, though the pink mare would soon prove to be a bigger person than she would ever be. With that, she glanced directly into Chrysalis' eyes, scrutinizing her. The Changeling Queen had always heard they were the windows to one's soul, and perhaps because through them Pinkie could somehow see her inner anguish, or perhaps because she could simply see how tired those eyes were, the pink mare eventually said, "I believe you."

"So... you'll help me?" Chrysalis said.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "Maybe...." Her facial expression then did a complete one-eighty from suspicion to utter joy. "Wait, you said you wanted me to throw a party!? A changeling party?! Oh my gosh that sounds so awesome!"

Chrysalis shook her head while starting to wonder if the pink pony was bipolar. "It's not that simple. This party isn't for us, it's literally for some of the worst people you'd imagine."

"Hmmm... how bad are we talking?"

"Murderers... psychopaths... the wretched scum of what lies beyond the veil of this universe and thensome."

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand, where are they coming from?"

"From far beyond what we can see. I guess you can call them aliens."

"Ooooh, why didn't you say so?! I know an alien!"

Chrysalis' eyes widened. "What?!"

"Yeah! His name's Doctor Whooves, though we just call him the Doctor!"

Her jaw nearly hit the floor at that. "Seriously?! I ran into him on the way here." She then actually managed a chuckle. "I thought he was just crazy..." Her voice then returned to its normal, serious tone. "However, these aliens you'll find to be much less pleasant then this 'Doctor'... unless we can somehow liven their moods."

Pinkie thought for a second at that. "I don't know about that... uh... wait what's your name?"

"Chrysalis."

Pinkie grinned. "Oooh, I can work with that." She cleared her throat slightly for some reason. "I don't know about that... Chryssy."

She winced at the nickname.

"How did you even get involved with this type of group and why are you throwing them a party?" Pinkie asked, her suspicious tone returning.

"It's... complicated," Chrysalis sighed. With that, she turned towards Pinkie's window, gazing out towards the town where guards were busy performing detection spells on everypony they could find. "My people are a dying race, Pinkie. Our... unfortunate lot in life has led us to ruin."

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"We are running out of food..." she said, turning back towards her.

With that, Pinkie's eyes widened as she smiled wide. "Well, why don't you just ask Princess Celestia to help?! Equestria has plenty of food!"

Chrysalis shook her head. "It's not that simple. We feed on love and only love, and it's something most of my kind can't generate. I don't know why fate has assigned us such a... unique food source, but it has."

"Then why don't you just act a bit nicer so people will love you!" Pinkie said, folding her arms.

Chrysalis sighed. "Let me ask you something, Pinkie. How many stories did you hear as a foal of changelings crawling around in the dark?"

Pinkie squinted in thought for a second. "A lot..."

"Before I came along, though this may surprise you, my people were a lot more brutal. Not only that, we're still considered freaks by most... abnormalities... in the Gryphon Kingdom for instance we are considered to be demons because of similarities we have to creatures in their religion. And honestly, we acted like them in the older days; and unfortunately because of that, racism exists in plentiful quantities towards us, so we're rarely loved voluntarily."

With that, Pinkie's eyes narrowed. "So when you attacked Canterlot... it was because you had to?"

She shook her head again, this time with remorse. "I didn't have to, I did it partially out of spite... it was stupid of me."

"Oooh... I see..." Pinkie said, moving a bit closer towards her before smiling again. "But like you said, we all make mistakes, even if some are big ginormous mistakes. And since nopony died or anything during that attack.... I suppose I can try to forgive you."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Just like that?"

Pinkie shook her head. "No, it might take time, and I still want to know why you're throwing a bunch of meanies a party!"

"It's because they're offering to give me something that can feed my people for nearly an entire year, and I know they're serious about this offer. He who 'dances in the pale moonlight' will not break his promise..."

"So you're doing this to save your people... and nopony will get hurt this time?"

Chrysalis nodded with a slight, actually somewhat prideful smile. "As long as the people who are in charge of keeping the scum confined to the Hanging Islands can do their job, there's nothing to worry about."

"The Hanging Wah?"

"The home of the changelings."

"Ooooooohhhh," Pinkie said. "Well, alright, I guess I can help you out! I've actually been wanting to do a different kind of party than what I usually do, and this is definitely different!"

Chrysalis actually smiled at that. "You really mean it?"

"Yup! Though can I bring my friends? They'd definitely want to come and help!"

Chrysalis gazed away from her. This wasn't something she'd considered the pink pony would ask for... "I'm not sure, Pinkie. Your friends might not be as forgiving as yourself..."

"Are you kidding me?! My friends are the most forgiving bunch of forgivers this side of forgiverville!"

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "But your town's called-"

"Come on! Let's go get Twilight!"

With that, a loud knock came on the front door of Sugarcube Corner followed by a deep voice. "Open up! Changeling inspection. YEEEEEHHAAAAHHH!"

"Oh no, it's that weird Moonwalker guard... who for some reason I think would make a good pop singer," Chrysalis said. "Stand next to me!"

"Huh?!"

"I'm going to do a short-range teleport spell but I need you to be close!"

"Ooooh neat! My friend Twilight can do that, but I don't think she can do it with other people. That's so cool!"

With that, Pinkie, a pony, made her way to voluntarily stand beside the Queen of the Swarm. All of these little historic moments so the pink pony could help her throw some stupid party for a bunch of interdimensional villains... by the love of all that was holy it sounded so ridiculous.

At that, with a flash of green light Queen Chrysalis and Pinkie popped out of existence for a brief millisecond only to appear outside of town, Chrysalis quickly morphing back into her disguised form. Squinting, in the middle of town square she could barely make out a cage becoming filled with her people.

She growled in disgust at this, it was as if they were being treated like animals...

"Alright, so now can we go get Twilight?" Pinkie asked hopefully.

"Pinkie... if we go and get Twilight it's possible she might reveal my existence to the guards, in which case I'd have to flee with you in tow which might not look too great to her. The last thing I need is for the Equestrian army to show up on my doorstep because it looked like I brainwashed and kidnapped a national hero."

Pinkie cocked her head. "Wait, I'm a national hero?!"

"They put you on a stained glass window in Canterlot!" Chrysalis said with utter incredulity.

"Yeah but... I really didn't do anything to stop Nightmare Moon and Discord except walk around, sing to a bunch of trees, and well.. befriend my friends. I really didn't do much."

Chrysalis eyes widened in realization. "So you don't think you earned the title?"

Pinkie nodded her head.

"Well, I hate to break it to you kid but Celestia and the rest of your nation seem to think otherwise. You're actually in one of the newer books I have on Equestrian history." Pinkie's eyes widened at this as Chrysalis threw her a sympathetic glance. "I can't bring your friends... I'm sorry. And remember, these are bad people we're going to be dealing with. Discord, Nightmare Moon.... myself... nothing can be compared to what is coming. Everyone who has ever felt true hatred burning in their souls will be arriving here soon... to this world. Would you really want them to be exposed to that?"

Pinkie glanced away from her. "No... not really." She then looked back towards Chrysalis with hopeful eyes. "Can I at least leave a note saying I'll be away? I'll come right back here!"

Chrysalis nodded her way. "Go, and make it quick. We must tread lightly."

With that, she sighed as Pinkie left to head towards Ponyville, her own words still ringing in her head afterwards. Why exactly was there a convention for villains? It made sense why the guests would want to show up. What kind of egomaniacs wouldn't love to brag about their plans or hang out with others of similar, twisted mindsets? But why... why had this creature of the pale moonlight wished to host one to begin with? What inspired him to do it? It was something she didn't even want to discover, though she hoped it didn't mean anything bad for her people.

With that, she glanced towards Canterlot. "Celestia, I hope all those wise words you told me will help get me through this."

☼☼☼
☼☼
☼☼☼

Within Celestia's private quarters, the Princess of the Sun heard a sudden knock on the door. Lifting herself up from the cushion she sat upon while reading over her faithful student's friendship reports, she made her way to it and opened it up. There stood one of her solar guards.

"Hello there," she said in her usual warm tone. "Can I help you?"

"Hey, ma'm. Somepony wanted me to give you this note a few hours ago," the guard said. "Sorry it took me so long to get this to you, me and my friend got into a debate over which of two mares had the hottest flank walking down-"

Celestia shot him a glare, causing him to simper.

"Er... here's the note," he said, handing her a folded piece of paper with a unique coloring that could only be made from a tree in the Hanging Islands. "I'll uh... go do something."

"Thank you," Celestia said, smiling, before closing the door and making her way back inside, opening the note with a curious gaze and reading it over.

And when she finished, her mouth parted in awe.

To my dear mentor,

I have always known you to be a forgiving person, though I sometimes wonder if you can possibly forgive someone like me. Either way, I'd just like to say that... I'm sorry. Though I'm still not sure if you could ever love me, I will still always give a portion of what is so rare to my people to you.

-Your little caterpillar of the eastern leaves.

Whispers of the Past

"Onnnn the road again.

I'm so glad to be on the roooad again."

"Pinkie..."

"Goin' places that I've never been.

Seein' things that I may never see again."

"PINKIE!"

"Huh?"

"Can we please have this trip not be a musical adventure?" Chrysalis grunted as the two walked through a darkened, thick woods of white birch trees. "I'm trying to think..." Her eyes then shifted about the dark. "Plus, you may draw unwanted attention at this rate..."

"Oooh!" Pinkie oozed. "Watcha thinking about?"

"About the event mainly..." she said, before adding in a sorrowful tone, "it among other things..."

Pinkie tilted her head slightly in curiosity, before letting out a simple, "oh, alright. I'll stop singing."

"Thank you."

The two continued on in silence for a moment.

"Hey Chryssy?"

"What...." she groaned.

"If you can fly and teleport and stuff, why didn't you just fly me back to your islands or do some sort of chain-teleport thingy?"

Chrysalis sighed. "That'd wear me out too much, kid. Short distance teleports take a lot of energy, as well as flying with cargo."

"But what about-"

"I have no idea how to do long-distance teleportation."

"Ahhh, I see. It's like that with my friend Twilight too. She can never teleport too much without getting all worn out and stuff. I hope she's eating enough... maybe that's the reason. When I get back to Ponyville I'll have to make sure to get her more cupcakes! Oh my gosh my new batch is so amazing! I put these new tasty little sprinkles on them and-"

As Pinkie rambled on, a sudden noise caught Chrysalis attention. It could be best described as a curious growl. With that, she quickly flung a hoof in front of the talkative pink pony's mouth. "SHUSH!"

"Mph mph, mph mph mphhhh!" Pinkie grunted.

"Seriously! Be quiet!" Chrysalis hissed in whisper.

With that, Pinkie finally settled down, and just in time. Out of the corners of her eyes Chrysalis was beginning to see four-legged, glowing figures moving about the dark; ghosts of the night. For a while both Pinkie and her observed them, and though they didn't appear to be threatening, Chrysalis had the distinct impression that her and Pinkie were being circled as if they were pray.

"What are they?" Pinkie whispered, more curious than fearful.

"Astral Wolves," Chrysalis explained. "Very rare creatures of the night. I'm not surprised you haven't heard of them."

Pinkie cocked an eyebrow. "Well, what do they want with us then?"

"I'm not sure..." Chrysalis said. "I don't believe they want us as food, however." She then took a deep breath. "Princess Celestia once told me about them. A long time ago they made a blood pack with Nightmare Moon; a contract you could say. They would serve her in battle or be forced to walk this world forever." She then glanced at the wolves again. "As you can see, they very much underestimated her power, for they failed to show up at a crucial fight during the Equestrian Civil War. Now, they no longer have the stomachs to carry us. Perhaps they are just as curious about us as we are about them.... at least I think so."

"Mph.. well if they want food they can have my cupcakes I suppose..." Pinkie said. "And hey, since when did you and Princess Celestia talk and stuff?"

"We don't anymore, the last time we spoke peacefully was many decades ago," Chrysalis sighed. "However, I knew her long before that..."

Pinkie cocked her head. "How so?"

"Enough chit-chat," Chrysalis grunted. "Let's keep moving."

The pink mare shot her a look of concern. "You've been on your feet all day though, haven't you? Don't you want a rest?"

"No, I'm fine," the Changeling Queen said in an annoyed tone as she began to walk, not glancing at her companion.

"I brought marshmellows!" Pinkie beamed. "And birch wood always makes the best kindling!"

With that, she whipped out a pack of the plump, large treats out of her travel bag and waved them in front of Chrysalis' face.

The Changeling Queen rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you want a break we can take one." She took another glance around, sighing in slight relief. "The wolves seem to have moved on anyway, and if they wanted to try anything they would have done so."

"Yay! Super awesome campfire making skills, activate!"

And so her super awesome campfire making skills were activated. Within ten minutes both her and Chrysalis sat around a roaring fire, Pinkie joyously attaching her first marshmallow to a sharp, long stick. However, the Queen's gaze was not upon her. Instead, she was fixated on the fire's flames as they licked at the air. Her memories were once again returning to the past, and her envy was returning as well.

The pink mare just had so much joy within her, joy that could never be extinguished until the reaper parted her from it. If only she could steal some of it instead of love....

She could feel trace amounts of it coming from her occasional, little globs floating out of her and into the night to person to person, probably for her friends. To seethe her hunger, she occasionally stole a few of them. While it may not have been true of other worlds, in this land love literally could be felt over long distances. Though it may have been a beautiful concept to anyone else, to Chrysalis it was just another thing she was missing out on. The pink mare held no love for her... sympathy perhaps, but not love.

"Hey, do you want one?" Pinkie offered with a mouth filled with goo, sticking it out in front of her face.

"No, thank you," Chrysalis said mournfully.

"Oooooh... that's right," Pinkie said, her voice growing a bit saddened. "You can't eat normal food."

"Well, that's actually not true," Chrysalis noted, her snarky side not being able to resist correcting someone. "While food won't sustain my kind, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it."

"Then dig in! They're soooo good!"

With that, Pinkie actually dug another stick into the marshmallow and stuck it into one of the holes in the queen's right hoof, grinning.

Chrysalis sighed. "Fine, I suppose one won't kill me."

With that, she took the stick out of the hole and gripped it normally, roasting the marshmallow over the open fire, turning it ever so often in order to roast it to perfection. Something magical happened at that, however, a feeling coming to her that she hadn't felt for decades: nostalgia. It brought a warmth the fire never could, and with it she actually smiled slightly.

"Heh... haven't done this since I was a small child," she said, her eyes twinkling.

Pinkie cocked a head in curiosity. "Do changelings go camping too?"

Chrysalis shook her head, sorrow once again clawing at her insides. "No... they don't." She then thought for a second, before smiling slightly Pinkie's way. "The one time I did enjoy camping was here in Equestria, near the city I tried to lay waste to."

In a woods very much like she sat in the present, a chibi-Chrysalis and the Princess of the Sun sat near another fire's warmth, together roasting two marshmallows, snuggling close to one another. Love flowed to the former from the latter at a rate Chrysalis had never felt before, gorging her to the breaking point. However, she wouldn't have asked for anything more.

"Are you still nervous about the dinner tomorrow?" Celestia asked.

Chrysalis nodded slowly with a slight frown. "A little...." She then smiled slightly. "Well, OK... maybe more than a little." She glanced towards the fire, her frown returning. "I just don't think they'll like any changeling... not with how my people acted before..."

"That's alright," Celestia reassured her. "A little fear is a good thing. It keeps us as sharp as it keeps us alert," Princess Celestia said, smiling warmly down on mini-Chrysalis. "However, perhaps your lesson for today will help. What are the three rules of young royalty?"

With that, Chrysalis' mood lightened. "A young queen must always be prim and proper," Chrysalis beamed, grinning.

The princess nodded in approval, still smiling. "And rule number two?"

"Ummm... oh yeah! A young queen must always give love to anyone she meets, and in turn they will love her!"

Princess Celestia's smile widened. "And the third?"

Chibi-Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "You never told me the third!"

Celestia chuckled at that. "Well, the third for today is that a young queen must never hold her marshmallow too close to the fire."

With that, Chrysalis glanced down towards the end of her stick, noticing her snack was now in flames.

"Eeeeep!"

She quickly twirled the stick, took a deep breath, and blew out the fireball.

"Awwwww... now it's ruined!" Chrysalis pouted.

Celestia shook her head at that. "Remember, Chrysalis, as those at dinner will realize tomorrow..." Her horn began to glow ever so slightly. "Even if something.. or someone may appear to be blackened on the outside..." She began to actually strip away the blackened portions of it with magic. "With a little digging, they might realize there is still something good within."

With that, Chrysalis smiled widely before quickly nomming down on the warm interior of her formally burnt treat. The princess once again beamed down at her, gazing down upon one child, but seeing two. She continued doing this for a moment before letting out a deep, remorseful sigh.

"You remind me so much of somepony..." she said, her voice laced with sorrow. At that, she glanced upwards towards their second source of light: a full moon that hung high in the heavens.

With a face saturated with sympathy, Chrysalis looked towards it as well. "I'm sorry, princess... I wish I could meet her..."

"I wish you could too..." Celestia said mournfully. "Perhaps some day... but not for a long, long time. However, until then, at least I'll still have you..."

"Oh my gosh... so the princess was your mentor?" Pinkie said. "You're just like Twilight!"

Chrysalis did not answer. All she could do was gaze into the fire after her tale, trying her best to hold back a few annoying little tears. She really did love her, didn't she? She may have not have loved her people, but she did love her.

Her eyes narrowed. If only she could have given some of that love back... and not leave Celestia alone for such long periods of time. Nobody deserved to be alone.... no mother of a people should have had to bury so many of her children's coffins...

Alone.

She let loose a long sigh. Immortality...

"Chrysalis?"

With that, the Queen of the Swarm snapped out of it, shaking her head slightly.

"Yes, I did study under Princess Celestia. My... 'father' thought that it would be fit for me to go out into the world; to learn how the rest of it worked, and perhaps learn a little bit about how to appear as a good ruler along the way. The thinking was that if I could get into the heads of the Equestrians, I could perhaps make them love us, and who better to teach me how ponies think than Princess Celestia?"

"But w-what happened? Why doesn't Equestria love you?"

Chrysalis eyes narrowed. "Reality happened." She then gazed into Pinkie's. "Don't go chasing dreams, kid. They'll only break your heart."

With that, Pinkie's head slumped down slightly, a moment of silence following. The crackle of the fire and the occasional distorted cry of an Astral Wolf was all that could be heard.

"You really aren't a bad person, are you, Chryssy?"

Chrysalis nodded at that. "I'd like to think I'm not, though a part of me makes me question that."

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "But you keep that side at bay, don't you?"

Chrysalis glanced towards the fire once again. "Most of the time... as you well know."

The pink mare shot her a look of sympathy. "Either way, you seem so angry and sad all the time. You don't deserve that!"

"Maybe... I'm not sure..." Her eyes then widened in realization. "Please don't go trying to help me, though. Nothing can help me.... except dying maybe, and that's coming soon."

Pinkie shot her a smile. "Now that's just silly. Both of those things! Anypony can change for the better!"

Chrysalis raised a hoof. "I'm not a pony; really, my people are insectoid in nature."

The party pony rolled her eyes, whipping out a guitar from her travelling pack that was definitely too large for it.

The Changeling Queen raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

She began to strum, causing Chrysalis to shake her head in utter horror.

“Oh no… I see where this is going. You’re going to try to fix me through song, aren't you?”

“Yep! So you might as well just go along with it!”

“This is really happening, isn’t it?” Chrysalis said, exasperated. “Fine! Let’s just get this over with.”

And so the horror began:

"When I was a little filly,

I never thought I’d become so silly,

Yet things turned out okay.

I pushed rocks from day to night,

With not a hope for anything more in sight,

But now what can ya say?"

"Pinkie, you need to get with it,

I knocked out my mentor and laughed as I did it.

I am her biggest disgrace…

I bear the weight of a dying people,

And there will be no help from any steeple,

Do you know what I face?"

"I know a donkey who bled all his life,

But right at the end he found the inner light!"

"Well his life is short,

And mine is long,

In four hundred years too much can go wrong…

You cannot change this changeling anymore than this changeling can change you!"

“Wow, you’re really old!” Pinkie exclaimed, continuing to strum.

“Thanks…”Chrysalis said sarcastically.

“But hey, you don’t look a day over one hundred though!”

“Not helping.”

"But are you absolutely-"

"Positively!"

"Definitely-"

"Without a doubt!"

"Certain that that's true?"

“Yes, enough singing already! There isn’t enough medication in the world to ward off this migraine I’m getting… I appreciate your effort, Pinkie, really, but the only way I’ll ever be happy is if I could go back in time and erase most of my past!”

Pinkie brought a hoof to her chin, actually giving it serious thought. “Hmmm… well Dr. Whooves does have his TARDIS thing…”

Chrysalis' eyes narrowed. “Great, we’ll start at the womb.”

Before Pinkie could open her mouth to respond, a voice, definitely female, rang out from close by.

“It appears I am interrupting something…”

With that, the duo turned their heads towards the origin. Standing close, and with the light of the fire dancing off her was a four-legged figure about the size of Chrysalis, wearing a cloak with its hood up.

“Hey, I know who that is!”

"And so do I," Chrysalis said, her eyes once again narrowing.

With that, the figure lifted the hood of her cloak to reveal a flowing mane of stars and a long, alicorn horn. It was Princess Luna.

"I heard most of your song," she said, glancing towards Chrysalis. "And while I don't believe most of the lies about your people, nor do I believe you are truly evil, our nations are still opponents." She then raised an eyebrow. "And that begs the question: what are you doing with an Element of Harmony?"

Chrysalis threw her a look of desperation. "It's not what it looks like! I need her help with something that could very well save my people."

Princess Luna glanced towards Pinkie, as if expecting confirmation.

"It's true! I'm going with her on my own! She didn't make me all googly eyed or anything like that! Chrysalis isn't evil! I don't care what that mean ole Blueblood or anypony else says!"

Princess Luna smirked. "Good, I'm glad none of the Element Bearers appear to be stupid." She then narrowed her eyebrows. "However, what is it that Chrysalis wants of you?"

"She wants me to help throw a party!"

Chrysalis nearly felt her heart drop when Luna gave her a look that said, 'seriously?'. "It's true, though what I need her help with is much more than just a party...." She then sighed. "Annnnd it's definitely not going to help my case to tell you exactly what it is."

Luna shook her head incredulously. "Pinkie, do you realize who you're standing by?" She pointed at Chrysalis in an accusatory manner. "She is a master of manipulation. Hell, she's even called the 'Queen of Deception'! Whatever reason she wants you to come with her is definitely not a party!"

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "And what do you think she's coming with me for?"

The Princess of the Night brought a hoof to her chin in sarcastic thought. "Gee, I don't know, maybe to steal a fragment of my nation's greatest weapon? I hate to sound as paranoid as my idiot nephew, but what would you think in my place?"

Pinkie glanced away from her princess at that. "Is that all you think of me and my friends? That we're just part of a weapon?"

Luna shot her a warm, apologetic smile. "Of course not, you'll have to forgive me; I have a habit of thinking in a tactical mindset." She let out a deep sigh. "I've fought in one too many wars... However, that doesn't mean I think of you as a soldier. I view you as the pony who helped me regain the love of my people during Nightmare Night."

The pink mare smiled back. "I really mean that much to you?"

"So much so that I've been tracking you for hours." She shot a glare at Chrysalis. "I saw Pinkie leaving with a certain cyan pegasus who happened to have the ability of teleporting with a bit of green light. Not an ability most pegasi have, am I right?"

Chrysalis nodded. "So I guess this means that we're about to be swarmed by guards?"

Luna shook her head. "I'm probably a fool for saying this, but I came alone. I did not want to waste time rounding them up. I told nopony you're here." She held up a hoof. "However, do not try anything. I've placed a spell on the area that will prevent you from teleporting away, and if you attempt to fly..." her eyes narrowed. "I will clip your wings."

"Then that leaves only one option," Chrysalis said, her horn powering up. "I'm sorry, but if I leave my people on their own, they will die."

Luna took a menacing step forward, glaring daggers at Chrysalis. "Don't you dare try to fight me in my domain. Do you know who you deal with? Are you dense or something?! I AM THE NIGHT!.!.!.!" Luna roared, her voice deafening, a bolt of lightning streaking out of the heavens and landing at her hooves.

At that, the two stood in silence, the two largest hams in Equestria waiting for each other to make the first move. However, after a moment Luna let loose a deep sigh.

"Though you may have attacked Canterlot, you also kept my sister warm during her coldest night... give up Pinkie and I will let you go back to your people. You're not the only person in this world to ever let their anger get the best of them, you know..." She gave a quick glance towards the moon above. "With this act, I will make amends to you, sister." And then glanced towards Chrysalis again. "And I'll be able to assure myself I'll never let my anger get the best of me again."

With that, Chrysalis began to think. She had no hope of fighting Princess Luna, not without a food source; she was probably the second most powerful being on the planet, and she had no chance of running with Pinkie in tow. She had to let go...

She turned towards Pinkie. "Thanks for trying to help me, kid, but this is the end of the line."

In turn, the pony shot both her and Luna pleading eyes. "B-But I want to help her! Her people deserve a second chance!" She pointed a hoof at Luna. "Equestria gave you a second chance, the same should be said for a changeling!"

Luna swallowed hard. "I cannot be sure she has good intentions, nor can you. My only other choice would to be come with her to look after you... but I do not want to take the chance that I'll end up leaving my sister alone again..."

"If you did come, you would not like what you would find, anyway," Chrysalis noted. She then glanced towards Pinkie again. "Go on, Pinkie. I'll be fine on my own. The worst case scenario is I'll end up having to tell those monsters that they are not welcome on this world."

With that, Pinkie took a deep breath. "I-I'm sorry..." She then trotted over to Luna's side.

"And so are we...." a deep growl emanated from the night. At that, a series of loud wolf howls could be heard. Over ten Astral Wolves then began to circle the trio. "You were a fool for returning here... Nightmare Moon."

Blue, Green, and Pink

"You..." Luna whispered. "It appears not all have been so forgiving, I see."

"There is only one way we'd ever forgive you: lift this curse," the apparent alpha wolf demanded, its voice a deep, hoarse, half-whisper.

"I no longer have the power to do that," Princess Luna said with a hint of remorse. "For I am no longer Nightmare Moon."

"Yeah, so leave her alone!" Pinkie shouted. "She's a super cool princess again!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Chrysalis caught Luna smiling ever-so-slightly at that.

"It's true. Leave her be," the swarm queen said, noting the Night Princess giving her a small gesture of thanks as well.

The lead wolf's glowing yellow eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter. Someone must answer for her crimes against our people. She allowed the spirit to possess her, therefore she is partially responsible for them."

Chrysalis shook her head incredulously. "Seeking revenge on the mother instead of the daughter. Flawless logic there."

"Don't lecture us on logic, changeling," the wolf snapped. "Stay out of this. Go back to your Hanging Islands and rot. You'll find no love here."

"Here. There. Anywhere," Chrysalis sighed. "Do you have any new news to report?"

The wolf ignored her and instead turned towards Princess Luna. "As for you; do you have any idea how it feels being trapped in these cursed forms? We can no longer taste fresh meat or feel the summer breeze on our backs. We can never again feel the joy at the birth of a father's child, we could only feel sorrow at the the passing of our remaining ones, our last link to the mortal world." His eyes then narrowed. "You wished to bring about eternal darkness? You'll find plenty of that in oblivion."

"Again! I am not Nightmare Moon, and I have already served the punishment for my crimes!" She glanced up towards the moon. "For one thousand years I was chained to that barren rock, floating in the infinite void; an island of hopelessness orbiting paradise, just so I could be teased. There I battled the spirit that had taken control of me, for there was nopony else who could of, and I managed to weaken it enough so that the Elements of Harmony could finally get rid of it for good, one of whom who stands beside me..."

"That's me!" Pinkie smiled with a little wave.

Luna continued to glare at the wolf. "I faced my punishment with dignity, and you should as well! For in both our cases the spirit cannot totally be blamed for what happened."

"You dare accuse us of-"

"I don't accuse you of anything. An accusation would mean there is still a verdict to be determined of your guilt. What I speak of is the truth!" She took a hostile step forward. "Face it. Your greed is in part to blame for where you have gotten. You should have known better than to deal with the likes of her and then pull a double cross. You dug for gold and you mined far too deep!"

"In other words, you shouldn't always take a cake and eat it too..." Chrysalis grumbled.

Pinkie cocked a curious head towards her. "Huh? What's the point of having a cake if you don't eat it!"

Chrysalis shook her head... slowly.

"Even if we could forgive the sins of the past, it would not be enough to prevent us from acting," the wolf said, lifting a paw. "For it is not solely out of vengeance."

Luna's eyes narrowed. "Then what is it?"

"Let's just say after one thousand years... we still mine for gold." With that, the wolves drew closer to the trio, the lead one taking a long, shattered, unneeded breath of the cool night's breeze. "Can you feel it Luna? For we can. There is something flowing in the winds... in the very fibers of reality. Someone is returning to this world who hasn't graced its presence for an age. And when he does...." He grinned slightly. "We intend to be on his... 'good' side. Perhaps with his help, he'll be able to let us pass... on."

"Who is coming?" Luna asked, worry lacing her voice. "Why does he want me dead?!"

Chrysalis couldn't help but feel a bit of it herself. It couldn't have been a coincidence that she was about to host a convention of wickedness near a time when an entity was apparently returning who would benefit from the death of Luna. To be frank, it chilled her to the bone. However, it was possible that the entity was completely separate from IGOM, or that the wolves were wrong. The walls of her universe were thinning after all, and there could be others out there who could benefit from this. With that, she glanced at the wolves, hoping they would give her the answer she sought. Unfortunately, that answer never came.

"Why does it matter to a walking corpse?" the wolf grinned, its fangs dripping with white mist that long ago would have been saliva.

With that, they again began to circle the three. In response, the trio backed their flanks towards each other to form a tri-force formation.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Chrysalis said.

"Plan?!" Luna barked. "The only plan is to fight! Magic should do the trick against them."

"Do you really think we can beat these wolfies?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm not sure..."

"Then just teleport out of here! They're only after you!" Chrysalis exclaimed.

Luna grunted at that. "I would, but that the spell I mentioned earlier will not discriminate between changeling and alicorn magic!"

The swarm queen gave her a blank look. "You have wings too, you know!"

"That's not happening," Luna growled. "Do you think I'm so foalish that I'd just leave Pinkie alone with you? Your ability to manipulate circumstances is not a false claim!"

Chrysalis shook her head in annoyance. "Fine, you can take her too! I'll cover you before flying out of here myself."

Luna turned her head towards her, eyes widened. "You would do that for me?"

The Queen of the Swarm narrowed her own. "I would do it for my mentor. You're not the only one who doesn't want to see her alone again, you know."

"But what about your people?!" Pinkie argued. "If you attack the wolfies, that's not going to make them happy! Do you really want to leave them alone?"

"I'll be fine, kid!" Chrysalis said, before sighing slightly. "Just get out of here."

With that, the Night Princess took a deep breath. "Fine, I shall trust you on this one, but you'd better cover me."

She then lifted up Pinkie with her magic.

"Eeeeeep! Please put me down! I really hate when unicorns do this!"

Luna chuckled. "Sorry Pinkie, but I don't think you'd like to try riding on my back, and that would be somewhat awkward for me as well!"

"Well exccccuuusee me, princess!"

She then took off into the night, Chrysalis in the meantime glaring down her adversaries.

"Alright, boys. Let's see just how good of hunters you still are!"

With that, she quickly charged her horn and fired forth a blast of green energy. It struck one of the circling wolves, it letting out a piercing shriek as what looked somewhat like electricity swam about his form. Within a moment, his white, glowing body began to dissipate.

Two of the other nine wolves let out howls and charged forward, ghostly whips of white flailing from their backs. Chrysalis braced herself for their advance, though to her horror she soon found it wasn't necessary, for instead of focusing their attack on her, the wolves instead took a leap into the air; flying as if they had wings right towards Princess Luna.

"Luna! Incoming!" Pinkie shrieked.

Luna gasped and twirled about as the wolves bore down on her.

"Chrysalis! Catch!" she shouted, dropping Pinkie from her magical hold.

"Eeeeeeep! Please do that please do that please do that!"

Chrysalis' eyes widened as the flailing pony neared the ground, her barely having enough time to grip her with green magic. In the meantime, Luna charged her horn and fired a bolt of lightning at the nearest wolf with a tremendous crackle. It shrieked and dissipated within a second.

"Hah! And sister says target practice is a waste of time!"

With that, she fired another bolt of lightning at the other wolf, though he was ready for it. Before it could graze him, it quickly dodged to the left before-

"AAAAACK!"

-sinking its ghostly fangs into one of Luna's wings. At that, she began plummeting to the ground, flapping them madly in an attempt to get the wolf off her, though it was to no avail. Kicking up a multitude of leaves, she slammed into the forest soil, conscious but disoriented. The wolf quickly released her before jutting towards her neck, ready to sink its fangs into it...

"Princess!" Pinkie cried.

Only for him to be blasted by a wave of green energy.

"Flying wolves... what else do you have in store for for me today, fate?" Chrysalis growled, her horn still emitting green sparks. She then turned towards Luna. "On your feet, princess! It's time to gather a few pelts!"

With that, Luna shook her head, snapping out of her disorientation before once again entering a tri-force formation with Chrysalis and Pinkie.

"How bad's your wing?" Pinkie asked in a worried tone.

"It will heal," Luna said, smiling towards her slightly. "What is important is that you are unharmed."

"Stop wasting time with sentimentality!" Chrysalis grunted. "How long would it take for you to get rid of that anti-teleportation spell of yours?"

"Too long," Luna replied, her tone harsh.

"Great..."

With that, a familiar voice echoed from the woods.

"Again, you need not fight us!" the alpha wolf growled, his pack pausing in their circling, glancing at Pinkie and Chrysalis. "We only want the Night Princess. Leave here and die another day!"

"You could, you know," Luna whispered sorrowfully. "Your people need their leader."

"They need you too," Chrysalis argued. "My people, that is. Do you really think I'd want a powerful opponent of Blueblood to die?"

"So much for caring about my sister..." Luna sighed.

"I meant that too! I don't want to see Celestia alone. She may be an idealist, but she was still the only person to..." She sulked her head slightly, "To...."

Luna smiled warmly. "I know, she's like that." Before turning it into a smirk. "And now who's wasting time with sentimentality?"

"Well, we have time to waste now," Chrysalis grunted in annoyance. She wasn't very used to being contradicted. Luna was indeed a worthy opponent in the snarky battlefield.

"What is your decision?!" the lead wolf interrupted, apparently unable to hear the conversation. He then glanced at Chrysalis. "Do you want to die a needless death for a people who throw yours towards the brink?!"

"Wow, he's even hammier than you two!" Pinkie said.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Not the time for humor, kid."

Luna lifted a hoof. "And I do not understand. How do I resemble a mass of pork?"

"I think what she means to say is that the two of us speak in an unnecessarily epic manner."

The Night Princess smirked towards Pinkie at that. "Well, then to use a more modern term, 'old habits face the unyielding planes of death hard!'"

"Err...." Pinkie said, both her and Chrysalis glancing at each other with raised eyebrows.

Chrysalis then turned back towards Luna. "It's uh... 'old habits die hard', but nice swing at it anyway."

"Cursive modern language," she grunted, her eyes narrowing.

"Stop stalling! Are you leaving or not!?" the lead wolf roared.

"Nope! We're sticking to Luna like frosting to a cupcake!" Pinkie beamed, somehow still smiling.

Chrysalis' eyes narrowed. "And do you really think you can face the Queen of Savarance and the Night Princess of Equestria, or has your time spent in death made you cocky?"

"In other words, do you feel lucky, punks?" Pinkie grinned.

The lead wolf cackled. "We've beaten the reaper, and we can beat you too!"

Luna rolled her eyes. "Like that was a challenge."

The wolf shook his head in annoyance. "Enough talk! You have made your choice. You will join her in a single grave, though it's a shame we can't dig one for you!"

"Incoming!" Pinkie shrieked as four wolves charged them at once, two each for both Chrysalis and Luna.

"Well then, batter up!" Luna said, a confident smirk coming upon her face.

"Yay! I think you got that one right, princess!" Pinkie said.

"Hoorah! My knowledge of modern terms has been doubled!"

"Just shut up and shoot," Chrysalis groaned. "Three down seven to go."

"Ooooh, I've so got this!" Pinkie said, before gripping Luna's tail and beginning to spin it. "Gatling princess GO!"

Luna raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand... how is this supposed to- WOAH!"

Immediately, Luna's horn entered rapid-fire mode, launching a fury of projectiles at the two charging wolves, their glowing yellow eyes widening before they were struck.

"H-H-How ar-r-r-e y-y-ou d-d-doing t-this?!" Luna shouted, her voice stuttering as she fired on another three charging wolves.

Pinkie giggled at that. "Don't you know who you're dealing with? Are you silly or something?! I AM RANDOMNESS!"

With that, a mass of confetti launched from her, defying reality once again in a way that could make every physicist in the multiverse' eye twitch.

"Well, at least you're self-aware," Chrysalis grunted, firing a beam of green at a wolf and missing. Her eyes widened at this as the two grew ever closer. "Pinkie, Luna, I could use your help!"

"D-D-D-Duck t-t-t-hen!" Princess Luna shouted, Chrysalis quickly complying. She winced as a fury of blue projectiles flew over her, striking two shrieking wolves. With that, Luna began to gasp, her horn powering down. Apparently, she had run out of 'ammo.'

"Daw, sorry princess. I didn't mean to wear you out," Pinkie said as the princess fell to her knees.

"Worth it... that was a neat trick, Pinkie," the princess said, still panting heavily.

Chrysalis began to glance around the woods, seeing only one wolf left. The two narrowed their eyes at each other, though confusion gripped the queen. Why in the world was he still sticking around after what he had just seen?

"It seems I am a lone wolf, but that doesn't mean I can't end this in our favor."

Chrysalis let out a small laugh. "Don't kid yourself. There's no way you can take me on. All it would take is one blast!"

The wolf smirked. "Looks can be deceiving, for though I stand alone, my brothers are still with me."

With that, to Chrysalis' horror, the wisps of energy that had been floating about, the remains of the wolves that had fallen, began to float towards their leader. Within moments, he began absorbing them, growing in size and changing in shape. After a moment of convulsions, his body eventually became a monstrous being, standing upon two legs, nearly half the size of the forty-foot tall birch trees. It resembled something of a werewolf of ancient lore.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Luna wheezed.

"Boss battle!" Pinkie beamed.

"Not sure it's going to be much of a battle, kid. I'm already feeling pretty tired. I was wrong before, this is the end of the line," Chrysalis said as the trio began backing away from the beast.

Luna smirked. "Then it's time to fall back to the oldest combat tactic there is."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Run?"

"Yeah!"

With that, the trio began booking it away from the beast, it letting out a roar before breaking into a charge.

"We're never going to be able to get away from him on hooves!" Pinkie gasped, weaving between birch trees and bushes.

"We don't need to! We just need to get outside the range of the teleportation barrier!" Luna shouted.

"Smart thinking, princess," Chrysalis said. "But I'm not sure if either of us have enough juice to..."

And with that, her eyes widened. She sensed... something coming towards her; two bubbles of love.

"Y-You..." she gasped, glancing at the two as they smiled warmly at her.

"You stood your ground for us, Chrysalis. I think you've earned it," Luna said.

Pinkie merely nodded, still smiling.

"I-I-I..." she gasped as a feeling of warmth she hadn't felt in years enveloped her as the two bubbles merged with her being.

"How does it feel, not being on the brink?" Luna asked.

Chrysalis merely smiled, a small, single tear slowly etching from her eye. "Warm."

Luna nodded. "It's just what you need. Charge your horn, we're at the edge of the barrier!"

"Too late!" Pinkie gasped as a ghostly claw came down towards them from the beast that was now directly behind them.

A flash of green light.

The Parting of the Ways

In a blink of green light, Luna, Pinkie, and Chrysalis appeared outside of the white forest within a dark meadow of grass and lonely trees, the latter not only shocked at the fact they had managed to escape, but at the fact that the co-ruler of Equestria and a pony who's friend she had wronged had just given her a small portion of love. Warmth had overtaken her like she had never felt before, nullifying the cool autumn night.

The three stood there panting for a moment, Luna and Pinkie more than her, but eventually the trio regained their composure. Unfortunately, Chrysalis could no longer feel love emanating from the two, though the feeling of bliss continued in her, and nothing could dull it, nothing except a deep rumble from the birch forest:

"LUNA! This doesn't end here! There will be no escape from our judgement, and in the pale moonlight we will dance over your corpse!

With that, Chrysalis' eyes widened, the feeling of warmth starting to dwindle. So 'He Who Dances in the Pale Moonlight' was the threat the wolves spoke of, unless it just happened to be a huge coincidence.

"Well, looks like he isn't happy!" Pinkie said.

Luna smiled slightly at that. "Good, maybe they'll be angry enough to try something stupid; like trying to attack me in Canterlot. I'd like them to try to face my elite guard as well as my sister and I. Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to happen... I'd come back here with them to conduct a preemptive strike, but I don't think even they are stupid enough to stay. Trust me though, I'm sure they'll have at me again. It's just a shame that there's no power I have that can grant their wish of passing on... at least not permanently." With that, she walked over to Chrysalis side, smiling at her slightly. "But despite their actions, thanks to you I know honor isn't lost in this world. In fact, it's shown itself in a place I'd never expect it to. You have proven yourself to be decent at heart, and for that I will allow Pinkie to carry on with you. However, I want to know the details of this event you need her for."

Luna's words did not rouse her, however. Instead, she continued to stare blankly into the woods, contemplating what the wolves had said about Him.

"Queen Chrysalis? Is all well?" she asked, actually using her full title for the first time.

"Oh, she gets like that sometimes," Pinkie said, before frowning a little.

With a sympathetic glance, Luna placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I could hear in your voice how much receiving love meant to you. However.... it's not something either Pinkie and I can give to you all the time. It's nothing personal, it's just... loving someone takes time. Bonds have to be strengthened and refined. You understand, don't you?"

Chrysalis nodded at that, snapping out of her daze, but still gazing away from Luna. "It still felt... very good. Thank you."

"You need only thank yourself," Luna smiled.

With that, the swarm queen let out a deep sigh. "I will tell you what I'm hosting, but you're not going to like it."

"Ooooh, this calls for another camp fire!" Pinkie beamed.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "What of the wolves? They may see the smoke."

Luna smirked slightly at that. "Well I won't lay down an anti-teleportation spell if you won't. Besides, I wish to try these... marshmallows."

Pinkie cocked her head in curiosity. "Huh, you mean you've never had them before?"

Luna chuckled. "Let's just say that a thousand years ago it was best not develop a sweet tooth. There wasn't much candy to go around."

And so within ten minutes, a camp fire once again raged in the autumn night, again fueled by the white forest's trees, it not being too far from them.

"Mmmmm... these are absolutely MAGNIFICENT!" Luna roared, her voice echoing about the field after she gobbled down a scorched fluffy treat... one she had intentionally lit on fire.

Pinkie giggled at that. "You're not supposed to burn them, silly!"

"But it's much quicker that way, and it is still quite delectable."

The pink mare shook her head, twirling her marshmallow slightly above the flame. "You gotta be slow with them, like this!"

"Hmph, I suppose I have the time to wait around for it," Luna said before piercing another marshmallow on her stick. With that, she turned towards Chrysalis. "Now then, what exactly do you need Pinkie for? Are the changelings finally 'cutting loose' and just don't know how?" She turned towards Pinkie at that. "Did I say that right?"

Pinkie nodded eagerly.

"Hoorah!" Luna grinned.

"It's not a party for us," Chrysalis said in her usual cold tone, the warmth within her all but dissipated by now. "I've made a deal with someone to host a certain.. convention. It's called IGOM."

And with that, she began to explain everything to Luna; how she had been invited to attend the event before, how she had been asked to host it now, and she was sure to include her reluctance to do so. She also mentioned to Luna who appeared to be responsible for the creation of the event, a certain entity simply called Him.

"Hmmm, so it appears the being the wolves were talking about and Him could be one of the same," Luna mused before gobbling down on her newest roasted treat.

"Yes, but from what the wolves were saying it seems they are out of contact with him," Chrysalis said. "They acted on an assumption, guessing that they'd be in his favor by eliminating you."

Luna nodded in agreement. "Indeed."

"I hate to bring this up, but apparently Nightmare Moon threw an IGOM before," Chrysalis said. "Did this Him show up?"

Luna shook her head. "No, he did not show his face. I heard talk of him though, and from that talk I'd assume that he is a powerful force of evil."

"He seems to be more than that, though," Chrysalis said, raising a holey hoof. "The way Voldemort was describing him, he seems to hang around wherever evil shows its face, and perhaps influences it."

With that, Luna brought a hoof to her chin in thought. "Interesting... though I'm not sure what to make of this."

"I don't like the sound of him," Pinkie said, nervously. "I really really really don't..."

"That makes two of us," Chrysalis said, before turning back towards Luna. "I suppose this means you're going to want me to call the whole thing off?"

Luna smirked slightly. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. From what you said, and from what I know, it seems IGOM is happening no matter what, and this universe is the only place it can take place in easily. I'd rather have it be somewhere where I can keep an eye on it rather than in some other obscure spot on the planet."

The swarm queen raised her eyebrows. "You mean to say you want me to host it."

"It would benefit both of us in multiple ways," Luna said. "If 'He Who Dances' comes through with your deal, with the changelings fed, your kind will no longer have a need to stay in Equestria, and my nephew will lose the source of his power. Trust me when I say that's a very, very good thing." She then turned to Pinkie. "However, are you sure you want to be intertwined in all of this?"

Pinkie nodded with a slight smile. "Of course, I still want to help Chryssy! She said she doesn't know what she's doing when it comes to hosting a celebration."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "You're still going to be out of your element, Pinkie. IGOM is a convention as much as it is a celebration, and Ponyville style fun isn't going to 'cut it' for them." She then smiled widely, before gingerly clapping her hooves. "Ooooh, did I get that one right too?!"

"Yup, you got it! And I definitely understand," Pinkie said, surprising both Chrysalis and Luna. "I know their fun will be a bit different from my own, but I'm still going to make sure they have it for Chryssy's sake. Plus, it will be a good challenge! I know I'll have to think wayyy outside the box."

"And besides, not everyone who is showing up will be completely evil," Chrysalis said. "Voldemort said there will be... 'anti-heroes'. I'm not exactly sure what those are, though."

"Anti-heroes are people who are mainly out for themselves, not villainous or heroic, or do heroic deeds through villainous means!" Pinkie explained, munching down on another marshmallow.

"How in the world would you know something like that?!" Chrysalis asked, exasperated.

"Oh, Twilight loves talking about the books she's read! I've heard her call a lot of people in them anti-heroes and anti-villains and kind of just picked it up what they were. They're chaotic neutral, lawful neutral, or just neutral!"

Chrysalis quirked an eyebrow Luna's way. "Any idea what the last few things she said mean?"

Luna shook her head. "I do not, but these type of people might be more inclined to enjoy conventional 'fun'!" With that, she put on an nostalgic smile. "Mmmmm... something I wish I could experience a bit more of."

"Isn't there anything to do in Canterlot?" Chrysalis asked.

Luna glanced away from her, a somewhat embarrassed look coming upon her. "I am still not... inclined to engage in public activities there. You'd think the Princess of the Night would enjoy night clubs, but the one time I went to a few it was just... very awkward."

Pinkie quirked her head. "You mean you're shy?"

Luna nodded with rosy cheeks. "I mainly enjoy myself through light recreational activities such as target practice, night guard training, or warfare simulations against the Gryphon Empire..." A sheepish smile came upon her face. "I also like the occasional bubble bath."

"The first three things don't sound very light," Chrysalis pointed out.

"Hmph, well I did lead Equestria's armies for two hundred years... warfare is as part of me as your people are to you. It comes naturally."

"But you know we all love you, princess!" Pinkie said. "You should come to Ponyville more often. I throw a party like every two days!"

"I know... but a part of me just doesn't believe that," Luna sighed, oblivious to the envious gaze she was getting from Chrysalis. "Perhaps I shall when this is all over."

With that, Pinkie's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a minute, if you..." She winced slightly. "...were at an IGOM before, you know a lot about what mean people like to do for fun! Maybe you should come with us?"

Despite being reminded of Nightmare Moon again, the Night Princess still smiled down at her. "I need to stay here to pour through the archives to find anything I can about this Him. I'll also do everything I can to keep Blueblood from squelching the light that is Equestria." She narrowed her eyes. "The will of one stallion shall not destroy my sister's dream."

"Can you do me a favor though?" Chrysalis asked.

"What do you wish of me?"

She sighed. "Can you please not tell your sister that I'm hosting this thing? I don't want her to think any more ill of me than she already probably does..."

"I assure you, after helping me-"

"Please," Chrysalis said, a pleading look in her eyes.

Luna sighed as well. "Fine, I will not speak of it."

Chrysalis nodded thankfully. "So what happens now?"

With that, Luna stood up.

"Now we must commit to the 'parting of the ways', I believe the term is."

"It's uh..." Chrysalis let loose a sigh. "Whatever, close enough."

Luna gave her a curt nod before turning towards Pinkie. "You're doing an honorable thing, Pinkie. I'm sure you'll be able to succeed in this endeavor."

"Jeez, you make it sound like I'm going to be fighting a battle or something," Pinkie said, sticking her tongue out.

"Helping those who deserve it is worthy of it," Luna said, smiling wide. "It doesn't matter if it's in your own special way." With that, she turned back towards Chrysalis. "However, I'm still sending someone to keep an eye on this whole thing, if he isn't going to be doing so already. Still, now he will report directly to me; he owes me a favor or two."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Exactly Who do you speak of?"

Luna let loose a whimsical smirk. "Oh, I once asked him that a long time ago, and he told me that if were to ever be answered, 'silence would fall.'"

With that, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well, she definitely knows how to pull off an exit," Chrysalis grunted.

Pinkie nodded in agreement.

Luna then reappeared in another puff of smoke before grabbing a marshmallow out of Pinkie's bag, her and Chrysalis both raising eyebrows.

"What?! They're really good!"

She then disappeared again.

The Queen of the Swarm shook her head incredulously with a slight smirk. "Even the co-ruler of this nation is a goofball."

Her eyes then widened. Did she just smirk and make one of her snarky comments more light-hearted than usual? Something deep inside of her must have been pining for love again.. It had felt so good, yet the largest voice in her head was still screaming at her cynical remarks every second. She couldn't change... there was no way....

Could she?

She shook her head at that. No, there was no possible way that was happening. She was too old, too engraved in her ways...

Still though, being around Pinkie, though annoying, was somewhat... amusing. Even if Chrysalis could never change, perhaps it wouldn't necessarily being a horrible endeavor hanging around the pink, hyper ball of pure, unleaded chaos. In fact, maybe it would lighten the load somewhat... or maybe it would just end up driving her mad. Time would tell.

To even find out, however, she would just have to keep being civil and as polite as she could be around Pinkie so she'd even want to be around the swarm queen at all.... and perhaps keep making sure that her snark was light-hearted, though that was something she'd never be able to give up entirely. However, if she kept up with this she may have been able to earn a little more love...

With that, Chrysalis performed an oxygen reduction spell to kill the fire's flame before performing a luminous one to provide light.

"Come on, let's get going," Chrysalis called, leading the way east.

"So, how far are we from your hive, Chryssy?" Pinkie asked.

With that, Chrysalis took a whiff of the air, "Smell that, kid?"

Pinkie raised an eyebrow before sniffing herself. "Yeah, it smells like the ocean."

The swarm queen nodded. "We're almost to the eastern shore, and then it'll be just a short teleport away."

"So you're not going to fly me?"

Chrysalis put on a somewhat forced smirk. "No, I don't want to risk dropping you or anything."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good. I can't swim at all! One time my friend Rainbow Dash tried teach me how but I almost ended up drowning and she had to come and save me! It was so cool!" Pinkie beamed.

The swarm queen raised an eyebrow. "Almost drowning was cool?"

"Naw, being flown around by Rainbow Dash! The sensation of it is just... oh my gosh it's almost indescribable! Sometimes I wished I had wings like her and you do..."

With that, Chrysalis glanced towards her bug-like wings, frowning slightly. "You know... I actually have a pretty good grip."

"You want to fly me across?"

"Sure, it's not really that far."

Pinkie's eyes widened. "That would be so awesome! I've never flown across the ocean before!"

"Heh, and you might actually get to see it," Chrysalis said, pointing towards the horizon where a brilliant, red sun was slowly making its way upward.

"Woah, the last time I saw the sun rise was during the summer sun celebration," Pinkie said with glistening eyes.

With that, Chrysalis felt it again... a small bubble of love coming towards her which she gobbled up eagerly, letting out a deep, calm breath as she savored its warmth. Truly, doing nice meant nice would be returned by her. Maybe it wasn't true for most Equestrians, their racial prejudices clouding their good sides towards her kind, but Pinkie... she was more simplistic. If only more were like that....

And with that, Chrysalis gave a small, actually genuine smile. "It really is something, isn't it? The simple things...." With that, the swarm queen began to flutter a few feet above the ground. "Alright, let's get a head start on this flight. Stand up on your hind legs."

"Like this?" Pinkie said, doing just that.

"Yes, now I'm going to grip you by your forelegs. Tell me the moment you think you might fall or are getting uncomfortable and I'll teleport us the rest of the way there, got it?"

"Aye, aye, flight captain Chryssy!" Pinkie said, giving her a mock salute before the swarm queen slung her arms around the pink mare's legs.

"Homeward bound, then..." Chrysalis sighed.

The one place she'd never be happy.

And she took off with Pinkie in tow. The flew low over the beaches of the eastern shore, them uninhabited and pure, before making their wave above the turbulent eastern waves, heading southeast. Luckily, the Hanging Islands were only about five miles out to sea, making them close, but not too close to what was essentially a hostile nation. Luckily, Equestria didn't have much of a navy, though their airforce almost made up for it.

In the distance she eventually spotted it, a little mound of green sticking out of the blue. As they grew closer, it could be seen that there were in fact three large islands sitting close to one another. They weren't exactly mounds either, more like giant plateaus sticking out of the water, baring black rocky cliffs instead of shores. However, upon them were miles upon miles of thick, temperate woodlands, populated by surprisingly docile creatures aside from a few indigenous tribes of wolves.

"Check it out, kid. That's where you'll be staying for the next two weeks," Chrysalis shouted above the breeze.

"Oooh, do your people live in the woods; like in treehouses or something?"

"Not exactly..." Chrysalis said. "We live under the woods."

A few moments later, Chrysalis touched down in a bit of cleared woods, now just a grassy field. A cave entrance stood before them, leading to the living tunnels underneath that were her hive cluster.

"You live in a cave?" Pinkie asked innocently.

"Sort of... underneath us are miles and miles of tunnels carved out and kept stable by organic matter. It is made up of teraochanic plasma which is able to carve through solid limestone, the type of rock the islands are mostly made of, due to the chemical reaction that occurs when the two come in contact with each other, though it only happens quickly when a catalyst is introduced."

Pinkie gave her a confused look.

"I think your friend Twilight would probably appreciate the technical details. Let's just say we live in sort of a living building."

"Hmmm... that's kind of creepy."

Chrysalis gave a forced smirk. "Well, you aren't a changeling. I wouldn't expect the idea to be too... intriguing to you. However, I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"I'll just try to pretend it's a cave!" Pinkie said.

"Yeah, good idea," Chrysalis said, before signaling the pink mare to follow.

With that, they made their way down the twisting, blue, familiar halls of the hive, their blue mist almost rising to the pink mare's torso.

"What's with the fog?" Pinkie asked.

Chrysalis winced at that. "It's errrr... perspiration."

Pinkie cocked her head in confusion. "Huh?"

"The uh... building's perspiration."

"EWWWWWW!"

Chrysalis sighed. "It's not everywhere. Just try to ignore it."

At that, she was beginning to notice more activity from her changelings. To her relief, they gave her new assistant curious, but non-hostile gazes. As time went on though, she could hear the occasional murmur as well as they began crowding them.

"An Equestrian? Walking with the queen?"

"Did she pick up a pet or something?"

"What's that tattoo on her? Green, blue, and red bubbles? What's that mean?"

"Hey, don't you all have something to do?" Chrysalis eventually grunted, scurrying them. She rolled her eyes at that. "Sorry, they're just curious."

"Oh, it's alright..." Pinkie said, though for the first time Chrysalis could actually hear a bit of nervousness in her voice.

Chrysalis smiled down at her. "Relax. Once they realize that you're here to help, I'm sure they'll warm up to you. They're just not used to seeing Equestrians, and since I bet news of Blueblood and his foolish crusade has spread, they're probably on edge."

"Oh, OK. But... do you think they'll like me?"

Chrysalis raised her eyebrows. "I honestly can't give you that answer. I'd say it's possible, though I know for a fact the way to any person's heart is through their stomach. Pull off this event and they'll label you as a hero."

Pinkie's eyes widened at that as a familiar voice rang out from down the hall.

"My Queen!"

"Sarius?" Chrysalis called.

The changeling guard then moved into view, saluting firmly and glancing at Pinkie. "I see your trip went well."

The swarm queen rolled her eyes. "At ease."

With that, her pink companion stepped forward.

"Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie!" she beamed.

The guard merely raised his eyebrows while looking at her with curiosity.

"Was it something I said?" she whispered to Chrysalis.

"Er, sorry. I've just never met a pony before in person, it's just a little unusual for me," Sarius said, giving her a sheepish smile. "I don't really get out much.. and by that I mean.. never."

"You've never been to Equestria before?" Pinkie said.

"Well, I've been around the islands, but I've never been anywhere else. I was bred specifically for defensive purposes."

With that, Pinkie turned towards Chrysalis with a raised eyebrow. "Bred?"

"Mmm... maybe we can get into changeling biology control later..." Chrysalis said, glancing away from her slightly. "Have there been any calls for me?"

"Actually, yeah," Sarius said. "Some blue guy called Admiral Thrawn. He said he'll be here a two or three days before the event to uh..." He squinted slightly. "Set up something called a quantum beacon, to establish a defensive perimeter, to set up a weapon nullification thing... I can't remember what it's called." He squinted again in thought. "Er, sorry ma'm. I can't really remember the rest. He was using a vocabulary far beyond my mind. It seemed like a bunch of techno-speak."

"I'm not really sure what a quantum beacon is either..." Chrysalis grunted. "I suppose I could always call him back, though. But an admiral? I thought someone called the Nameless Man was supposed to be in charge of security, with two rangers under him. What is this admiral planning to do, blockade the islands with a fleet of ships?"

Sarius shrugged. "My guess would be that the Nameless Man hired an extra hand."

"Hmph..." Chrysalis said, contemplating this. If they were dealing with an admiral, it was possible that he'd have marines to send in to help with security, and he also appeared to have something that could disable weapons. That could definitely come in handy. "Well, what was he like personally? A little easier to work with than the previous contact?"

"Yeah, he seemed alright I guess; just really... cold. As in... he didn't show much emotion. Also, I'm pretty sure he's a genius."

"A genius?" Pinkie asked, cocking her head.

"Mhmm, I'm pretty sure he figured out who I was within like forty seconds into our conversation."

"Hmmm? What makes you say that?" Chrysalis asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Sarius grinned sheepishly. "Cus he told me to stop talking around then."

Chrysalis gave him a blank look. "What did you say to him?"

"Ehehe... it was nothing, really."

"Oooh! Story time!" Pinkie beamed.

The head of a blue humanoid with glowing red eyes could be seen inside Chrysalis' Proloquor Orb, Sarius standing in front of it.

"To carry on with that subject, I'll be deploying multiple airborne squadrons to map the area's topography, after which they will enter designated patrol patterns and.... what's so funny?

Sarius quickly tried to squelch his chuckling. "Er, it's nothing."

"You really need to be paying attention. The information I am relaying needs to be given to your queen. Discipline and professionalism are key aspects to any soldier, even if you are in your own words, 'just a lowly bedroom guard'," Admiral Thrawn said, his eyes narrowing.

The Guardian-Drone quickly nodded apologetically. "Right, keep going then, sorry."

"As I was saying, once the squadrons find good choke points, we will deploy ground troops to set up security check points there. All forces will be supported by my Star Destroyer, the Chimaera. Luckily, none of the guests will be able to bring any ships of their own, meaning they will be cut off from air support if they-"

Sarius once again tried to squelch his chuckling.

"Alright, go ahead. Tell me, what do you find so amusing?"

"Seriously, it isn't anything... just something I heard one of our infiltration drones singing..."

Admiral Thrawn actually shot him a slightly amused smile. "Oh really? I do enjoy engaging into the arts of whatever cultures I contact. I find it gives me a unique perspective as to who they are. It even helps with certain... occasions. Tell me, what did you hear sung?"

"Mmmm..." Sarius said, grinning sheepishly. "It might be kind of offensive.... if I sing it."

"Go on, I will not mind."

"Seriously, it'll sound a bit raci- ah screw it: So listen up, and let me tell you, about a little guy who lives in a blue world, and all day and all night everything he sees is just blue, like him, inside and outside.... blue his house, with a blue little window, and a blue corvette, and everything is blue to him, and himself, and everpony around, because he aint got, nopony to listen too...."

Admiral Thrawn's eyes narrowed as Sarius took a deep breath.

"I'm blue dabadee dabadie, dabadeeee daba die, daba dee dabadieeee...."

"Woah, I've heard that song before!" Pinkie beamed. "The chorus is so my jam!"

"Heh, yeah, it got stuck in my he-"

Chrysalis' glare put him on hold.

Sarius grinned sheepishly once again. "Errr yeah, guess who's got four hooves and isn't about to handle anymore diplomatic calls?"

At that, Chrysalis actually shook her head with a slight smile. "This is why we can't have nice things, Sarius."

Sarius' eyes widened in horror. "D-Did you just make a joke!?" With that, he turned towards Pinkie with a mock suspicious gaze. "What did you do with the body?"

The pink mare giggled slightly at that as Chrysalis gave an annoyed groan. "Come on you idiots, it's time we start planning this." Within a second though, she brought a hoof to her chin. "He mentioned air support though... is he an admiral of an airship fleet? And what are airborne fighters, exactly? Can his people fly?"

Sarius shrugged. "Beats me. You can't really tell if someone has wings or not with that orb."

She sighed slightly. "I suppose we'll find out when he arrives in this... 'Star Destroyer' of his. Quite an impressive name for an airship, by the way. Anyway, let's get going."

The guard raised an eyebrow. "You don't want me in on this conversation, do you? I wasn't designed for creativity..."

"Well, though I can't blame them, you seem to be the only changeling around the hive who doesn't have food on his mind, including the Cerebrate-Drones, and like I said before: you seem to be able to think outside the box."

"Fine, whatever. I suppose I can fit this in between 'stand outside your door' and 'stand outside your door.'"

"Speaking of which, did you get Pinkie's quarters set up?"

Pinkie gave Chrysalis a curious look.

"Yes, her quarters are ready for her."

"Thanks! I hope I'm not going to be too much trouble..." Pinkie said.

"Well, we kind of had Chrysalis' room to base it off of, so it wasn't that bad. I still think she'd still be better off in a stasis pod."

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "Stasis pods?"

"Yeah! You actually get pretty good sleep in them." He then grinned wickedly. "Want to try one out?"

Chrysalis' eyes widened in horror before she gave Sarius yet another look. True, she knew he was just joking, but he didn't want to reveal quite yet that her kind were still keeping ponies in pods to feed off their love... and unlike before the invasion it seemed they would be there for quite a while. "Yeah, let's just avoid that topic for a little bit, shall we? You're quickly starting to diminish whatever humorous side I've developed, Sarius."

"What topic?" Pinkie asked, giving Chrysalis a suspicious glance for the first time.

Chrysalis put on her best poker face. "Nothing, it's just a sensitive political subject I don't want to get into around guests."

With that, she gestured for the two to follow her. Luckily, they weren't too far from her room, for more changelings were beginning to crowd around them. It didn't take Chrysalis long to find out why either, and it wasn't just innocent curiosity. Pinkie was producing love every five or six seconds, love that could be eaten. Even she herself couldn't help from feeding off it, something she wasn't too proud of. Though she had done it earlier, it just felt... wrong for some reason now. It wasn't even as filling as true love. Hell, even when she was disguised as Cadence, the love she had gotten just felt... odd.

When they arrived at her room, she shrugged off her thoughts before pressing a fleshy little button on its wall to allow the organic wall that was its door to fold open, causing Pinkie to enter a noticeable squick mode. However it soon subsided when she began to glance around Chrysalis' quarters as they walked in, the wall closing behind them.

"Wow, you have a really nice room," Pinkie said, gazing at her bed curtains.

Chrysalis shrugged. "My people treat me far too well. I would be fine sleeping in stasis cocoons like the rest of them... Anyway, let's get started-"

A knock came on her wall.

"What now..." she groaned. "How many interruptions will there be before we can begin planning this?" With that, she twirled towards it, agitated. "Come in!"

The door folded open upon this, revealing four armored Guardian-Drones flanking two four-legged creatures, both wearing cloaks with their hoods up.

"My Queen, we caught these two snooping around near the hive's entrance. We have searched them and they appear to be equine. We thought it best that they were brought to you. The leader... insisted he be allowed to keep his hood up."

"And I got to say 'take me to your leader'," one of them said with a very familiar accent. "I always love doing that!"

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at this.

"Why does he sound familiar?" Pinkie said aloud.

"And what is it with everypony wearing cloaks?" Chyrsalis asked. "Is this some new Equestrian fashion trend?"

"No, I just wear a cloak now, cloaks are cool."

The two ponies took a step forward, her guards' horns powering up at that, them glaring at the figure menacingly.

"At ease," Chrysalis groaned. "Let's see who this new distraction is."

And so the two ponies pulled down their hoods to reveal the brown stallion Chrysalis had seen in Ponyville earlier, the one with the hour-glass cutie-mark. He was accompanied by the same mare he was with earlier, the one with the bubbles on her flank.

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes in annoyance as Pinkie let out a startled gasp.

"That's the other thing about cloaks; they always bring about such unexpected surprises," the brown stallion grinned.

"Uh, anyone want to fill me in on who these two are?" Sarius asked.

"What, you mean you've never heard of me? You don't know who you're dealing with?!" The brown stallion took a dramatic trot forward. "I AM THE DOCTOR."

I wonder Who saw that coming?

An Unstoppable Force

"What, you mean you've never heard of me? You don't know who you're dealing with?!" The brown stallion took a dramatic trot forward. "I AM THE DOCTOR."

"Doctor?! Ditzy?! What in Equestr- er the Hanging Islands are you doing here?" Pinkie asked, her eyes bulging wide.

"Hold that thought my bubblegum colored friend!" the Doctor said before turning to bubble-flanked mare with a wide, enthusiastic grin. "Ditzy, hit up our theme song!"

"You mean play your theme song..." she groaned in annoyance.

The Doctor gave her a pleading smile. "Please Ditzy... for me?"

"Fine," she sighed, before pulling out a small, rectangular device out of a hidden cloak pocket. With that, she began to fiddle with the device with her hooves, gaining awkward stares from the whole group. "Hang on... this thing isn't met for hooves," she said, shooting the Doctor a glare as she stuck a tongue out the corner of her mouth in concentration.

Another awkward few seconds later...

"Ah, there we go, stupid thing...."

A song then began to play out of a miniature speaker on the back of the device.

"Yeeeees! Now we are in business!" the Doctor declared.

Ditzy, rolled her eyes at that before glancing towards Chrysalis and the group. "I'm really sorry about this, we haven't been saving the world as much lately so the Doctor's been trying to find ways to keep his massive ego in check..."

"What?!" the Doctor said. "No I haven't!"

"Uh huh... wanna tell them about the Pandorica? You sure made a good show out of it at the party two days ago!"

"Oh no," the Doctor growled, stamping a hoof. "Let's not get into that!"

"Here comes the story...." Chrysalis groaned.

In Applejack's crowded barn, the Doctor stood with Ditzy in front of a group of mares.

"So there I was, the Pandorica in my grasp, my hearts thumping like no tomorrow!" the Doctor said dramatically. "And above me were a thousand ships, spaceships, filled with all sorts of nasty creatures just ready to take it away from me; Daleks, Cybermen, you name it!"

"Woaaaah!"

"Spaceships!? That's so awesome!"

Fluttershy however, gazed at him with utter-most confusion. "Um... Doctor... if you don't mind me asking.... what's a Dalek?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "A Dalek is...." He paused, thinking a bit more. "It's a really nasty creature of pure hate that lives inside of a..." He put on a comical grin. "A giant pepper shaker?"

The mares laughed at that, all except Ditzy.

"Doctor, how do you make up such crazy stuff!?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Trust me, I'm not joking! And they're scarier than they sound!"

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Giant pepper shakers? What could they do, make you sneeze to death?"

The group chuckled.

Ditzy shook her head. "The Doctor's right, though, I've seen one myself! They're pretty much robots equipped with death-rays!"

A few gasps of horror could be heard.

The Doctor smiled at that. "Anyway, so I knew I had to do something to distract them while I figured out a way to open the Pandorica, so do you wanna know what I did?!"

"Heck yeah!"

"Keep going, Doctor!"

"What'd you do?! What'd you do?! Tell me, tell me, tell me!!!!" Pinkie beamed, bouncing.

"I whipped out my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor said, actually doing so in the present and turning on the device, it emitting a strange whir, everpony gazing at it with fascination. "Put it on microphone mode, stood atop a slab of rock and called into the heavens, 'Helllllooooooo Stone Henge. My lord, I've drawn quite a crowd, and I know why! Whoever takes the Pandorica takes the universe, but bad news everyone, because guess who's here!'" The Doctor giggled stupidly with a smile. "It was me. I was there. Anyway, so then I said, 'So, if any of you have any plans on taking the Pandorica, TONIGHT, just remember who's standing in your way! Remember every black day I've ever beaten you, and then... AND THEN!'" the Doctor cried, slamming a dramatic hoof on the ground. "'Do the smart thing, and let somebody else try first!' And get this: they all turned and ran!"

The mares let out a series of cheers at that.

The Doctor then puffed out his chest towards and through the mares a smirk. "Well, we can't all be Time Lords now can we?"

Pinkie giggled as Sarius slowly shook his head at the end of the tale.

"I was drunk!" the Doctor pouted.

"After one mug of apple cider?"

The Doctor shot her a look. "W-Well, you were getting into the story too, you know!"

"Yeah, until you started getting all full of yourself! And you never did tell them what happened after your dramatic speech."

With that, the Queen of the Swarm could take no more. "Enough! What are you two, married or something?!"

The two went wide-eyed, glanced at each other, and then looked back towards Chrysalis before saying in unison, "W-What!? No! Of course not!"

"Heh, not yet they aren't," Sarius grinned.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at that, before calming herself enough to realize the two were practically saturating each other with bubbles of love. She couldn't help but shake her head incredulously at this. What was it with some ponies and not being able to admit their feelings to each other? It sure hadn't taken Shining Armor long for him to do that with her... with a little mind control... and possibly a love potion... and a box of chocolat- Bah! That wasn't the point!

The Doctor let out an enthusiastic chuckle. "Oh aren't you a funny Guardian-Drone? You really know how to pull a pony's hoof, don't you?"

"Yeah, I didn't think changelings had a sense of humor!" Ditzy beamed, giggling as well.

Sarius merely rolled his eyes at that. "Whatever, the last thing I want to be called is 'Cupid', anyway." With that, he turned away from them and muttered, "why doesn't anyone ever laugh when I make an actual joke?"

"I will!" Pinkie bounced with a joyous smile. "I thought the one about me replacing Chrysalis with a clone or whatever was funny!"

With that, Sarius smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Pinkie. I wish more food- I mean ponies were like you."

"Anyway, how did you all like the cloaks?" the Doctor asked.

"I thought they were uh... pretty cool..." Pinkie said with a false smile of reassurance.

"Well, we don't want to hurt your feelings or anything..." Sarius said raising a hoof.

One of the random guards with blue, custom stylish armor grinned sheepishly. "But they were just a bit over the top. Cloaks are so out of style this season." He then nodded at the Doctor with a slight smile. "What you need is a neat little suit with a nice little brown tie."

The Doctor nodded in agreement with a smile while the rest of the guard's accomplices gazed at their fashion-trendy cohort suspiciously.

"What?!" he said, the heat having fallen upon him. "It helps with undercover operations to know a bit of fashion!"

"You're a defensive drone. You don't go on undercover operations," another guard pointed out while narrowing an eyebrow.

"Fine! Can't a ling have a hobby? Jeez!" he pouted.

With that, Ditzy turned to the Doctor with an annoyed expression. "See! I told you they'd think the cloaks were a bad idea! But nooo, nopony ever listens to Ditzy because her derpy eyes make her look dumb!"

She promptly pointed at them.

"They do not make you look dumb!" the Doctor argued.

Ditzy narrowed them. "Then how do they make me look?"

The Doctor simpered at that. "They uh... make you look...."

He glanced about the room as if looking for help.

"Adorable?" Pinkie finished for him, smiling.

"Yes!" the Doctor said, clapping his hooves together in triumph before turning back to Ditzy. "They make you look adorable!"

The derpy eyed mare was not amused.

"Nice save..." she growled sarcastically.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Oh that's it! Why are you being so critical of me lately!? First you call my bowtie old hap, then you mock how I fly the TARDIS, and now it's the cloaks! What's next, is my sonic screwdriver lame too?!"

"No, I don't have a chance to ever see it since you lose it so often!"

The Doctor's eyes widened at that. "Oh that is soooo it! I'm sooo not going to take you to see the Arian Falls during the Great Rising of the Eastern Tides now!"

"For all the love that is holy!" Chrysalis finally roared, a vein throbbing in her forehead. "Enough with this already! Guards, you may leave us! Save yourselves!"

Patented Queen Chrysalis Rage-o-Meter: |||||||

"Are you sure?" one asked.

"Yes, we should be fine. Sarius and Pinkie should be able to keep me from killing myself. Right you two?" she asked, glancing towards them in exasperation.

They nodded eagerly.

Patented Queen Chrysalis Rage-o-Meter: |||

The guards nodded as well. "Your will is ours, ma'm."

They then took their leave, though before the door closed, the guard with the stylish armor winked at the Doctor before saying, "make sure it's a blue suit, hun."

Patented Queen Chrysalis Rage-o-Meter: ||||||||||||- ERROR

"OUUUUUUT!" she roared, the guard's eyes widening in mortal terror as he scurried away with the rest, the door closing behind him. With that, she took a few deep breaths, trying desperately to compose herself.

The Doctor however, seemed quite unfazed. "Ah, good, I always hated talking around armed soldiers, well armed with magic in this case at least, it always makes me feel a bit... awkward," he said, as if nothing had even happened.

The swarm queen gave him a blank look. "Cut to the chase, Doctor. What exactly can the changelings help you with?" she groaned, tapping her hoof in annoyance as the rage inside her boiled down.

"Well, it's nothing your people can help me with... though there is something you have that could. You see, we're here about a potential close encounter of the mustache twirling kind that's coming up."

The Queen of the Swarm took a deep breath. "IGOM."

The Doctor nodded at that. "We were going to keep an eye on the event once it began, but Princess Luna had us change a few plans. She also told us about the little encounter you had with a pack of Astral Wolves."

A look of realization came upon the swarm queen's face at that.

Pinkie bounced at that. "Oh man! You should have been there, Ditzy! It was so exciting! Chrysalis and Luna were all like pew-pew-pew, and then I grabbed Luna's tail and made her go all like PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW, and then we ran away but it was still so awesome!"

"No shame in that," the Doctor smiled. "I do it all the time!"

Ditzy smirked. "Except when it's from an angry cat."

"That was one time, Ditzy! One bloody time! And it drew blood!"

With that, Sarius turned to Pinkie. "Is it still cool to say 'get a room?'" he whispered.

She shook her head 'no' frantically.

"Damn..."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "So, you're who the princess spoke of, though how did you know of the event beforehand?"

The Doctor winked. "Oh, I have my sources."

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

Two robot-alien toilet-fixing giant hovering peppershakers hovered towards a cornered Doctor and Ditzy.

"Doctor! What are you going to do?! How are you going to save me?!" Ditzy cried, clinging to the Time Lord tightly.

At that, the Doctor then narrowed his eyes in the most badass way he possibly could. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do, Ditzy." With that, he leapt upon his hind legs and struck a kong-fu pose. "I'm going to stop running!"

"DOCTOR. DALEK DATABASES DETECT YOU HAVE NO SKILLS IN THE MARTIAL ARTS. SURRENDER AND PREPARE TO BE EXTERRRRMINATED."

The Doctor threw him a cocky grin. "Recheck your databases. There's one man in Texas who you fear even more than me. The man who moves a planet when he does a pushup... would you ever guess he had a pupil?"

If a Dalek's eyestock could widen in horror, it definitely would.

"WARNING! THE DOCTOR MAY HAVE HAD POSSIBLE LESSONS FROM THE TEXAS RANGER! EMERGENCY TEMPORAL SHIF-"

"HIIIIYAAA!"

A karate-kick came down upon the Dalek, completely crushing part of the top portion of it. As it came crashing to the ground, sparking, the Doctor performed a midair spin before sending the other Dalek flying through a nearby brick wall, sending it crashing to the floor as well, its external casing crushed. The Doctor then landed in a crouching-tiger pose.

"Oh my gosh, Doctor! That was so great!" Ditzy beamed, rushing over to his side.

The Doctor smirked at that, wiping off a bit of sweat. "Just one order of business left." With that, he whipped out his sonic screwdriver and made his way to the downed Dalek's side, menace completely saturating his gaze.

"Imagine you were dying, Ditzy. Imagine you were far from home and in terrible pain."

The Dalek glanced up at the Doctor with its shattered eyepiece.

"And then you look up, and you see the face of the devil himself."

The Doctor grinned.

"Hello Dalek."

"EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY. WEAPON SYSTEM DISABL-"

"Hush now, I need some information from your datacore," the Doctor groaned as he popped off the top portion of the robo-alien. With that, he pulled out a small piece of electronic equipment from within it. "Everything the Daleks know about IGOM."

"You are so badass, Doctor!" Ditzy said, before grabbing him in her arms.

"I do what I can," he smirked. "But don't you think I'd look even more badass doing that... with a bowtie and stetson?"

Ditzy's eyes widened in utter glee, as well as lust. "TAKE ME! TAKE ME RIGHT NOW!"

And then they made out.

The entire room looked at the Doctor with an incredulous expression, the Doctor closing his eyes with a wide smile as he savored the sweet tale.

"You didn't do any of that, did you?" Chrysalis said, blank-faced.

"No he didn't!" Ditzy shouted, "He got that information from the Infinity Times!"

"I did not! I never lie!"

"Oh you're so full of it! That's practically rule one: the Doctor lies! You even lie about lying! Seriously, karate kicking a Dalek?! Who would believe that?!"

"Anyone who hasn't met a Dalek before," the Doctor smirked.

Ditzy shot out a disgruntled huff. "Alright, but me swooning over you like that?!"

"Alright, Fine!" the Doctor said, sighing in defeat. "None of that happened... but you did like the stetson, right?"

With that, Ditzy sighed. "Yes... the stetson was pretty cool."

Chrysalis could have sworn he was about to cry at that point. "T-Thank you Ditzy..."

"BUT YOU STILL LIED!" she roared. "Go ahead and tell them about your newspaper!"

Pinkie raised her eyebrows. "Newspaper? What kind of newspaper do you get, Doctor?! Oooh, ooh! Speaking of newspapers! The Cakes just submitted this new recipe for muffins into the Ponyville Times, Ditzy! Their raisin ones!"

"Wouldn't that be bad for business?" the Doctor questioned.

"Na, I don't think they ever sell that good anyway."

With that, the swarm queen could have sworn she had actually seen muffins flash in the bubble-flanked pony's eyes, them quickly shimmering afterwards. "Doctor, can we head to Ponyville after this?"

"It's getting really hard to choose who I want to kill first, now..." Chrysalis muttered silently to herself. With that, she cleared her throat. "Can we please stay on topic?"

The Doctor nodded. "Right, right... The Infinity Times is a monthly newspaper published by an interdimensional corporation slash beuracracy called the Order of the Nameless Men. It reports on interdimensional happenings in the multiverse." He held up a hoof. "However, they rarely report happenings confined to a single dimension... well unless it's a very big event, though they do print a lot of... neutral articles. Opinions and help guides, that kind of thing."

"What else can you tell me about this group?"

"Not much," the Doctor admitted. "I do know that they control and monitor most interdimensional activities. They keep a strict watch on all of them."

"So the Nameless Man who is providing security for IGOM is part of them?" Chrysalis questioned.

With that, the Doctor's eyebrows raised. "Heh, they must be getting a little paranoid about this one for him to be taking direct measures. Anyway, the newspaper is offered to most... influential people in the multiverse."

"How come you don't get it, Chryssy?" Pinkie asked innocently.

Chrysalis shrugged. "I don't know, though it doesn't matter to me that much. Why would I care what's happening in the multiverse when I have mouths to feed?" She then squinted in thought. "Wait, do all the guests attending IGOM get this?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I don't believe all of them do, just the more 'powerful.'"

"Hmmm... but isn't interdimensional travel difficult? How could they be sending newspapers to people easily?" Chrysalis asked.

"Not for them," the Doctor said. "They don't actually even exist in any universe, they're creatures of the void. It's as natural for them to pop and transport things in and out of any universe as it is for us to breath."

Pinkie and Sarius gazed at him in confusion.

"The void is the space between universes."

"Oooooohhh, gotcha," Pinkie said.

"And the Infinity actually has some pretty entertaining articles. I actually wrote a reader one last week!" the Doctor said proudly.

In Celestia's quarters, the solar princess sat reading over a certain newspaper while sipping a cup of tea. Her look turned to that of curiosity upon reading a certain article.

Idealism is Still Not Dead! How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Short-Lived - A reader article by one Doctor Whooves.

The sun princess smiled warmly upon finishing.

"That one was actually kind of neat," Ditzy said, smiling lightly the Doctor's way.

He blushed at this. "Well... I just thought I'd pour some of my deeper thoughts out. Anyway, at the fact that the Nameless Man is putting a direct hand into this and the fact that Luna was almost killed thanks to the actions of those who seem to be in love with the leader of this party, the feeling I have about this whole thing has gotten ten times worse." With that, he took a step towards Chrysalis. "Ditzy and I have done some research on you, and have actually seen a few of your actions in the past. We know you've done all you can to try to exist peacefully on this world, even if at times this becomes... difficult. Normally, for attacking the capital city of a nation I love you'd be losing a few points..." he said grimly, before smiling slightly. "But what's the point of two hearts if you can't be a bit forgiving now and then?"

Pinkie squinted in curiosity. "So you don't believe anything Blueblood is saying?"

"Oh of course not!" the Doctor laughed, Ditzy along with him.

"I'd say that I don't care what that idiot thinks," the bubble-flanked mare spoke. "But the very definition of an idiot is somepony who doesn't think, now isn't it?"

"They're threatening you with something, aren't they Chrysalis? He has you pinned to the wall," the Doctor said, gazing into her eyes intently.

"Perhaps... but would you be able to do if they were?" she said.

With that, he put on a wide grin. "I was hoping you would say that, and the answer is Tiberium!"

"You want... Tiberium?" Chrysalis said. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's a green glowing rock that assimilates and converts other minerals into itself," the Doctor said.

Chrysalis nodded at that. "We actually do have that mineral in storage. A chunk of it crash landed on the island over a hundred and fifty years ago."

"We know. We were there!" the Doctor grinned.

Chrysalis shot him an annoyed look before continuing on. "We've been experimenting with it as a possible source of biological modification and augmentation. However, we call it Cicor."

"That stuff is very dangerous, you know," Ditzy said. "You really should get rid of it."

"Thank you for your concern," Chrysalis said. "But we have the Tiberium under control. Our kind are immune to most types of radiation, and we've figured out how to magically vibrate air molecules at the right frequency to create sonic waves that stall its growth. It took a bit of experimentation, though if we didn't figure out how to control its spread, who would have? Ponies and gryphons wouldn't have been able to resist the radiation."

The Doctor grinned widely at that in approval. "That is just brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I knew changelings were clever but... that's amazing! You can never get enough sonic, I say!"

"What exactly could the Tiberium help you with, Doctor?" Chrysalis asked skeptically.

"It's quite simple really," he beamed, smirking slightly. "I'm going to cover this universe with yellow tape; nobody will be allowed in."

Meets an Unmovable Object

Also known as: The Doctor Dances

"You want to do... what?" Chrysalis, asked raising her eyebrows.

"And wait a minute, you say that you were actually here a hundred and fifty years ago.. when the Tiberium landed on this island?" Sarius asked, scratching his head, before smiling slightly. "Um... you look great for your age."

"Oh no, the Doctor is a time traveler, silly!" Pinkie explained.

"And I'm not even from this universe," the Doctor said. "I actually came from one... next door, you could say. Two years ago the Fifth Cyber Legion, a group of half-machine, half-humanoid androids tried to stage an incursion here." He then grinned slightly. "Naturally, they didn't expect me to show up."

Ditzy gave a crude cough.

"Oh and uh... Ditzy might have helped too."

She gave him a blank look. "By that you mean I saved your fur... twice."

The Doctor sighed, furrowing his brow. "Yes, thank you Ditzy." He then turned back to Sarius. "Unfortunately, ever since then I've been stuck here." He then nodded his head to the right as if to say, 'meh, whatever.' "However, it really isn't that bad. Though this universe really only consists of a single solar system... if you could call it a solar system... and one that doesn't even follow the normal laws of physics, I've had plenty of fun studying the massive cultural content of those who live here... and providing a helping hand throughout history to when it's needed. I've also had a fun time learning that those stars in the sky... aren't really stars. They're something else; 'spirits', I believe Luna called them. Funny enough though, there are still a lot of time fluctuations here; changes of the past, usually caused by the occasional unicorn or other creature using that bloody time travelling magic they have; messing around with things that they shouldn't be."

"Hmmmm... how did that talk with Twilight go, Doctor?" Pinkie asked.

"Eh, well, she seemed to understand after a bit as to why she should keep her nose out of history unless she knows what she's doing."

"Alright, well if this universe is only one solar system, where did the Tiberium come from?" Chrysalis asked. "It's definitely extraterrestrial in nature."

"Who knows," the Doctor shrugged. "It was probably shoved into this dimension from another by accident.... or for perhaps another reason."

Chrysalis shivered at that. "That's fantastic. Why can't people just mind their own universe's business?"

"Well, they do for the most part. As you know, interdimensional travel is a bit hard to do. I believe the Cybermen were only able to come here because my home universe is 'next door', and out of a stroke of luck."

"Hmmm.. well for an alien from another universe, you look awfully pony like," Chrysalis noted. "Do you have the ability to shapeshift?"

The Doctor let out a laugh. "Oh don't be ridiculous. I simply regenerated into this form when my last, more humanoid one was 'killed'."

"Alright, I'm officially getting confused..." Sarius said.

"Don't worry about it," Ditzy said. "I've been travelling with him for over five months and I still don't get half the things he talks about. Just nod your head when he's done talking."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Anyway, my time travelling machine, the TARDIS, is powered by something called... the Heart of the TARDIS..."

"An original name, I know," Ditzy smirked.

The Doctor shot her a look before continuing on, "....which is fueled by the raw quantum energy of the universe... however, a smaller universe means a smaller amount of power, which means it's not running at peak efficiency and can't do all the cool wibbly wobbly space timey whimey stuff it usually can. I need a secondary power source, and you happen to have one in this hive."

"The Tiberium."

"Right! With it I should be able to prevent the 'walls' of this universe from thinning. Sure, I won't be able to use the TARDIS for two weeks while it's active, but then nobody will be able to get into this universe and everyone will be happy. If you could just point me into the direction of it and possibly help me transport it-"

With that, Chrysais' eyes narrowed in resolve. "I'm sorry Doctor, but I'm afraid I can't let you have it."

"-to the TARDIS where I can..." His eyes then widened. "Wait a minute, what?!"

"I said, I can't let you have it."

With that, the Doctor took a stern step forward, gazing at her with disbelief. "You said you don't even have a use for the stuff yet, and it'll be better off for this planet to just let me deplete the supply you have!"

"That's not the reason," Chrysalis stated blankly.

The Doctor's look of confusion continued for a second, the gears in his head turning fiercely, though after a second or so a broad smile of realization came upon his face. "Ooooh... I see... they aren't threatening you with anything. They're offering you something."

With that, the Queen of the Swarm threw him an apprehensive, sorrowful nod. "I wouldn't be doing it if I had no other choice. I don't want that scum in this universe anymore than anybody else."

"Whatever reasoning you have for this is not good enough," the Doctor said with a slight growl. "You understand who all are coming right?"

"I do."

"No, I don't think so, or else you would take up my offer at the spot. These people... some of them may be coming for fun... and most might behave themselves. Heck, some might not even be so evil." He took a deep breath. "However, others may have ulterior motives for attending. They may be running from something in their home universe... to try to escape it. Some might even want to try to take this planet for their own purposes, or conduct their..." He squinted in disgust. "...'fun' here. I know if any of my old friends show up, that case is very likely."

"I know who is coming, but I've been assured that they will not be a threat to my people or the planet. The Nameless Man is handling security as I believe I mentioned earlier."

"And who exactly does he have under his belt?" the Doctor asked suspiciously.

"Two people called the 'Two Rangers' and someone named Admiral Thrawn. He seems to know what he's doing."

The Doctor brought a hoof to his chin. "Never heard of him. Tell me though, what sort of asset is he bringing to prevent those attending from crashing the rest of the world's party, or even your own people's?"

"Something called a 'Star Destroyer'; I assume it's a sort of airship."

The Doctor's eyes widened in horror. "That only goes to show just how ignorant you are!" he said, his voice rising.

"Doctor..." Ditzy said.

"Not now, Ditzy." He then turned back towards Chrysalis, pointing a hoof her way. "That ship belongs to one of the most corrupt, powerful empires of the multiverse. They've conducted planet-wide genocides, wiped out an entire order of peace keepers, and countless other atrocities!" He narrowed his eyes. "And you've just opened the front door for them to bring in a ship that could slaughter every last living thing on this world."

With that, both Sarius and Pinkie turned towards Chrysalis. Though they said nothing, the look in their eyes said everything that was needed. It was obvious they were quickly turning against the idea. However, Chrysalis would not be thwarted so easily.

"I'm sure the Nameless Man has him on a tight leash. There have been countless IGOMs on this world and many others in the past.... have you ever heard of a doomsday scenario occurring during one?"

With that, the Doctor sulked back. "Well... no."

With her opponent's resolve shattered, Chrysalis pressed forward. "I need what they're offering me to feed my people, something that could do so for an entire year. Ultimately, it would be beneficial to both Equestria and Savarance."

"Your people will be fed!" the Doctor argued. "You just need to give Equestria and the other nations time to warm up to you. The changelings are quite remarkable, they'll see it in time."

Chrysalis' eyes narrowed. "I've given the world four hundred years to change its opinion of us. I've given them countless opportunities to open up diplomatic relations that don't involve tribute demands, plenty of chances to grow to know us, to eventually love us, but what always happens?" She took a menacing step towards the Doctor, glaring down at him. "Paranoia happens. They believe we're trying to deceive them, that we only want love so we can grow all the more powerful and begin marauding through their countrysides like the days of old, capturing thousands of people to gorge ourselves upon. No matter how much I try to show them that we've changed, they always view us as locusts, a bunch of abstract freaks who shouldn't be walking the world, or in some cases: actual demons from Tartarus itself. And now, with my foolish attack on Canterlot, they will always feel that way." With that, she turned away from the Doctor, taking a deep breath. "You're just like Celestia, Doctor; so engorged on idealism that even a teaspoon of reality makes your stomach churn."

Though she half-expected the Time Lord to be taken aback by the speech, to her surprise, he firmly stood his ground. "How old are you, Chrysalis?"

"Four-hundred and fifty years."

"Do you want to know how old I am?" he asked, his eyes narrowing once again.

"Go ahead..."

"Over nine hundred." With that, he took a deep breath. "And with the time I've had, I've traveled through the space and time of two dimensions. I have seen great horrors; genocide and brutality beyond your comprehension, but at the same time, I have seen many acts of the opposite nature. I've seen a candles light the darkest rooms, I've beheld the birth of beauty on wartorn fields of chaos. I have seen two peoples, pony, and another species called 'humans', who while ruled by emotion, and sometimes their inner demons, always manage overcome their dark sides with the help of their inner, inherent light; and more importantly: logic. You may say what you want of idealism, of Celestia and myself, but you should know that it isn't blind optimism that we follow; it comes from experience. And with this I know that people like Blueblood will never reign victorious, for in the end, logic and good will triumph like it always does, and when that happens: you will find your love."

With that, a moment of silence filled the room. However, after a second a loan bit of clapping could be heard. Another two hooves then joined in, followed by a third, squishy sound of Sarius'.

"Yayyyy Doctor!" Pinkie beamed. "That was awesome! And also, slow eighties clap for the win!"

"Heh, I seriously love your cheesy speeches," Ditzy smirked the Doctor's way.

"Cheesy?!"

"Not bad... had me believing," Sarius said, before gaining a glare from Chrysalis. "I mean uh... I hated it! Grrr... go cynicism..."

With that, Pinkie whipped out her guitar from her travelling pack, Chrysalis' eyes widening in horror as she did so. "You guys know what this calls for, right?!"

"Oh no..."

"Ooooh! A song to seal the deal with?" Ditzy grinned, before turning towards the Doctor. "We haven't been in a musical number since Winter Wrap-up!"

"No... NO!"

The Doctor smiled warmly in response. "Now those were good times. I will always admire the pony ability to spontaneously break out into well-choreographed song numbers with no prior rehearsals or even musical experience! Quite the genetic gift. And hey, you're being less critical!"

"Mph..."

Sarius narrowed an incredulous eyebrow as Pinkie began to strum. "You guys are seriously doing this, aren't you?"

"Oh come on Sarius!" Pinkie said, sticking her tongue out. "You should join in!"

"Er... no thanks," he said, backing away from the group slightly. "I uh... have a sore throat."

"You sure could sing 'I'm Blue' well earlier," Pinkie grinned.

"Well uh... it just came a second ago." He gave a fake sneeze. "Damned spontaneous Changelinitis... comes when you least expect it."

Pinkie gave him a look.

With that, he sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Alright fine, but I'm definitely going to hate myself for this later..."

"You will," Chrysalis groaned. "Seriously, what's with Equestrians and singing?" She then squinted in thought for a second. "And... why does their singing make others want to join in?"

"It's just how they roll," the Doctor said, shrugging, as Pinkie's playing began to become more intricate. "Alright, let's do this!"

And so, the most horrible thing in the history of everything began:

"I've traveled the whole of time and space,

Battling monsters like the Dalek race,

But what's worse than what comes from beyond the rim,

Is what comes from the horrors within,"

"But though it's hard for it to be reserved,

I know there's one thing not so absurd,

That though we can't always win our inner fight,

A few good thoughts can show you what is right."

"So don't you see, Chryssy?

That it's not so bad, maybe?

A few right words can make a nation quake,

A little push is all it could take."

"By that you mean we're going to push Blueblood off a cliff, right?" Sarius smirked.

The three ponies gave him a look as Pinkie continued to strum.

"I uh... mean just to scare him... we can have like... a trampoline below or something. A really small one. Safety first, right?"

"You're missing the point of the song!" the Doctor groaned.

"Yeah but... it's a little gay..."

"I think it's super!" the voice of the fashionable guard rang from the hallway.

"Case and point."

"You've gotta win their hearts with their minds!"

"Show them the changelings have changed in time!"

"To the heavens you will help them climb!"

"This has no relevance but it still rhymes!"

"Er... you need some practice," Ditzy said, gazing Sarius' way.

"So wait, what are you all saying, exactly?" Chrysalis said, folding her arms. "That I should address Equestria, apologize for the past actions of the changelings, and give them logical reasons why we shouldn't be feared anymore?"

"Yeah!" the three optimists beamed.

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I've already tried that a hundred years ago. Somepony threw a pitchfork at me."

With that, the strumming stopped with a ill-played quang of a chord.

"Oh..." Pinkie said.

"Um..." the Doctor simpered.

"Hmmm..." Ditzy pondered.

"Verse two?" Pinkie grinned.

"Verse two!" the time travelers agreed.

And so the strumming continued....

While Chrysalis facehoofed.

"There once was a land called America,

Where bigotry reigned supreme,

And then a man named Martin Luther King,

Showed them how to dream.

He came at the right time and in the right place,

And with his passion and his grace,

He showed them what it meant to love,

And how to finally erase all of their hate!"

"And though it may be true,

That Equestria may not be ready for you,

To erase the damage of the past,

Those who hold spite you must simply outlast."

"With some work and twenty-forty years,

You may yet chip away all their fears!

For in the end your will will endear,

You've just got to work on turning those gears!"

"You've gotta win their hearts with their minds!"

"Show them the changelings have changed in time!"

"To the heavens you will help them climb!"

"Something something something... chime?"

"Badadadcham!" With that, Pinkie finished up with a brilliant chord as the three grinned, Chrysalis staring at them with what could be perceived as a look of awe.

To an outside perspective, perhaps one may think something like this:

That perhaps she was puzzling, puzzling until her puzzler was sore.

Perhaps she was thinking of something she hadn't thought for a score.

"Maybe changelings," she may have thought, "can show the world they're something more?"

"Perhaps with time... I can show them what for!"

Unfortunately, my friends, as it will soon be seen,

Chrysalis wasn't in fact being so green.

For what happened then...?

Well... in Ponyville they say,

That the vein throbbing in Queen Chrysalis' forehead,

Grew three sizes that day...

"A beautiful sentiment, really," Chrysalis growled. "But things are worse off than before. This Martin Luther may have changed a nation with his words, but like you said; he came at the right place at the right time. The nation was ready to hear what he had to say instead of outright rejecting it. I wonder how many years it took, how many speeches, protests and other actions that may have happened for things to get to that level?"

"Many..." the Doctor sighed.

Chrysalis let out a huff. "That's what I thought. Have any of you actually been in a town during Equestria's lovely little 'changeling roundups?' I know you have, Pinkie, and I swear, it could probably make Nightmare Moon cringe. Sure, maybe if given more time things could change, but my people don't have twenty or forty years, we have about ten, and you can throw me all the optimism and cheer you want but it's not going to change reality. Now, I must admit, I can't see everything. So Doctor, do you have any ideas how my people can get what they need: love? Any sort of artifact you can pick up for me from somewhere? Or maybe you could go back in time to stop me from invading Canterot?"

"No..." the Doctor sighed. "That's a fixed point in time. I can't do anything to change it."

"It's the same reason why we didn't just snatch the Tiberium from this island right after it landed," Ditzy added.

"Direct action must be taken then, and IGOM is what it's going to be. Nopony or anyone will get hurt, the monsters will stay on this island less they face the drink or the fist of the watchers, and I will get what I want out of the whole deal." With that, her eyes narrowed menacingly. "You can either help me in this endeavor or stay the hell out of my way, but I'm sure as hell not going to let you end it!"

"You're going to jeopardize the world because you feel like you need to erase a past mistake!?" the Doctor growled.

"I'm not jeopardizing anything!" Chrysalis snapped. "You're just overreacting!"

"She did bring up a good point," Ditzy admitted, setting a hoof on a raging Doctor's shoulder. "There haven't been world-threatening incidents at any of the previous IGOMs, at least none that the Infinity has ever stated or that either of you have ever heard of." She then turned towards Chrysalis with a stern expression. "However, I still think you underestimate just how much my own people can love and tolerate. We're not the only ones with bias, you know, because we're better than you think we are, you've just have had the worst of what we have to offer shoved in front of your face. It's made you so cynical you can't see beyond anything else."

"You may think whatever you wish..." Chrysalis groaned.

"Hmmm... I think you're right about IGOM though, Ditzy," Pinkie agreed, before smiling towards Chrysalis. "I'll still help ya, Chryssy."

The swarm queen couldn't help but return it, albeit in a lighter way.

"Same," Sarius said. "Doctor, you seem like a great guy and all, but well.. my stomach is starting to rumble. I'm just going to try to wade through the storm."

The Doctor let out a groan at that. "Fine, but I have a feeling things are going to be different this time; call it a gut reaction, but it's one that can be trusted. The whole thing with the wolves... the fact that the Nameless Man is getting directly involved... and this Thrawn character being here. It all adds up to trouble."

Chrysalis took a deep breath. "If you want, you can stick around to advise me. Would that make you feel better?"

"In fact it would," the Doctor said coldly.

The swarm queen nodded at that. "Good, then." At that, she let out what could be described as a low, deep, penetrating drone. Immediately, a knock came upon her wall. "Come in!" she shouted.

"You summoned us, ma'm?" a guard stated.

"Yes," the swarm queen nodded. "I want the Tiberium we have in storage moved to a secure room and sealed shut. Let there be no possible way to access it aside from teleportation. Have our best mages keep an eye on it to prevent the spread of its growth. I want a minimal amount of lings to know about this too, alright?"

"I've got this. Your will is mine, my queen," one nodded, before scurrying away.

She then turned to the Doctor and Ditzy. "These two are allowed to move freely through the hive, though I want four guards on them at all times, understand?"

"Yes, ma'm!"

"Well, I suppose we'll take our leave then," the Doctor said coldly.

Obviously, he wasn't happy that IGOM was still happening, though it was possible some of his anger may have come from the fact he had been 'defeated' in a verbal spar.... though to Chrysalis, it felt like anything but a victory.

With that, the Doctor and Ditzy exited the room to join their escort.

"Well, this didn't go as planned but... nice seeing you again, anyway, Pinky," Ditzy smiled.

"You too, Ditzy!" Though with that, she soon shot her a slight, pleading look. "Please don't tell my friends I'm here, though, OK? I don't want them going on some super crazy rescue mission!"

"Don't worry, nopony's whacking the hornet's nest," Ditzy winked.

The Doctor gazed away from her at that.

"Right, Doctor?" she said, elbowing him slightly.

"Yes, yes..."

With that, the escort and the two time travelers left the room towards the exit of the tunnel system.

"She's making a big mistake," the Doctor whispered to Ditzy.

"Maybe, but what can we do about it?"

"I'm not sure... I suppose we can just keep an eye on what's happening; maybe find out a little bit more about this Him. I'm not sure if it's the same entity I once encountered before, but if he is..."

"I wonder when Luna will get back to us... maybe she'll find something in the archives?"

"Maybe. We'll have to see."

"You know... we could talk with Celestia, maybe get Equestria's military involved. Capturing all the villains of the multiverse would be doing it a pretty big favor."

The Doctor shook his head. "We'd be staring down the barrel of too big of guns. Any military force on this planet would be slaughtered by what's going to be 'guarding' this place." With that, the Doctor smiled slightly. "Then again, we're not without our own... 'guns', you could say."

"What do you have in mind?"

"You'll see, but my plan involves making sure this 'Admiral Thrawn' isn't going to pull anything. In the meantime, let's just keep an eye on what's happening; maybe help Chrysalis out when she needs it... perhaps find out where the Tiberium is..."

"For a backup plan?"

The Doctor smiled deviously. "Of course. For a backup plan."

And We Will Give to the Wicked

IGOM Planning Week - Day One of Six

Hive Log, Date 451 ACB. Ugh... I really hate that that stands for 'After Chrysalis' Birth'. If I ever do establish decent relations with other nations, I really need to have that changed. I couldn't look like a bigger narcissist.

Anyway, after a somewhat haunted sleep, filled with the dreams of the Doctor, Princess Luna, and my former mentor, Princess Celestia glaring down upon me with accusatory looks, it's time to begin plans for IGOM. Though Pinkie seems confident that she can pull it off, fate will give the true answer. I hope she knows what she's doing.

Within Chrysalis' quarters, Pinkie paced in front of both Chrysalis and Sarius, the two standing at an iron attention, her own expression stern and menacing. Upon her head she wore a new-age Equestrian army helmet that she just happened to have in her carrying bag.

"I am Gunnery Sergeant Pinkie of the Pinkie Party Planning Corps!" Pinkie shouted in a stern voice. "From now on, you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your mouth will be ma'm! Do you maggots understand that!?"

"Yes, ma'm!" Sarius beamed.

"Why are we doing this again?" Chrysalis groaned in annoyance.

With that, Pinkie broke character and threw her a slightly annoyed, pleading look. "Come on Chryssy, this will totally help me get into the zone!"

She let loose a sigh. "Fine... go on."

With that, Pinkie grinned for a fraction of a second before putting on a grim expression once again.

"At this training session, I don't care if you're zebra, pony, changeling, or even a Diamond Dog! You are all equally silly faces to me! When you graduate from here, you will be weapon; a weapon of fun! Until then, you are the lowliest forms of scum on this island! You're not even mighty morphing bucking beings!"

"Yes, ma'm!" the two sounded off, Chrysalis' sounding less than enthusiastic.

"Bullhockey! Sound off like you've got a pair!" Pinkie roared, gazing at the swarm queen intently.

Chrysalis raised a hoof at that. "We actually don't have any sexual reproduction organs."

Like a tempest, Pinkie stormed in front of her, menace lacing her eyes. "Are you giving me lip, private?!"

"Um... no ma'm!"

"Are you calling me a silly face?!"

"Ma'm?!"

Pinkie's eyes narrowed. "Oh I bet you were! You think you know all about parties already, don't you?! That you don't need my help! Do you have a party cheer, private?!"

"Uhhhh..."

"I SAID, DO YOU HAVE A PARTY CHEER?!"

"Um..." with that, Chrysalis stuck a hoof up into the air and let out a totally lackluster cheer with the best imitation of a happy smile she could put on her face.

"That was pathetic! Work on it!" Pinkie growled, before marching in front of Sarius.

"What's your name, private?!"

"Ma'm, Private Sarius, ma'm!"

"And where are you from?!"

"Hive 12 on the Northern Island, ma'm!"

"The Northern Island?! Holy Celestia! Only fruit lovers come from the Northern Island!"

Sarius' eyes widened "W-What?!"

"You heard me! Tell me something, do you like mmmmm... bananas?!"

A look of bafflement came upon his face not seen in the world for an age. "W-What?!?!"

"Is 'what' yes or no in changeling or something?!" Pinkie roared.

"No ma'm!"

"Then answer the darn question! Do you like mmmm... bananas?!"

With that, Sarius squinted in thought for a second. "Ummm... not really?"

"Bullcrap! I bet you could suck a banana right out of the peel and swallow it whole without even giving it the courtesy of a chew!" With that, she took a step back, sighing, gazing at both him and his queen. "It's obvious I have a lot to teach you, because I can't be expected to host an event this big without some help! Now, can either of you maggots tell me what the first rule to hosting a good party is?!"

Crickets began to chirp... from somewhere.

"Not doing this...?" Chrysalis muttered to herself.

"Ummm... buy a keg?" Sarius said, scratching his head while smiling sheepishly.

With that, Pinkie sighed. "I don't know what you've heard about Equestrian parties, Sarius, but there's more to them than that! The correct answer is know exactly what you're hosting!" With that, she snapped towards Chrysalis. "Private Chryssy, the drill instructor wishes to know exactly what IGOM is."

"Uhhh... the private would like to report that IGOM, to her knowledge, is a three day long event where various peoples of a certain... deviant mindset are gathered together on one world. The purpose of it is for them to relax, clear their minds of their worries, have fun, experience the best a world has to offer as far as entertainment goes, to trade information, knowledge, weapons, and-or technology, and-or to simply chat."

With that, Pinkie nodded thoughtfully, placing a hoof on her chin. "Alright.. so we should view this as setting up a mini-resort as much as hosting a celebration."

With that, Chrysalis raised her eyebrows. "That's... actually a good way to put it."

A wave of relief then came upon her. Pinkie, in all her goofiness definitely seemed to be more intelligent than she let on. Though it was hard to tell at the moment, it was becoming slightly more plausible she could actually pull this off.

"Uhhh... wait, they're bringing weapons?" Sarius pointed out, a nervous look coming across him.

Chrysalis shook her head. "From what I was told when I was invited to the last IGOM event, weapons are forbidden, and any brought will be disabled. The ones brought for trade will be kept in a separate storage area. I don't know how they're supposed to be able to show off their functions but I don't think it's anything we need to worry about."

"Maybe film reels?" Sarius pondered.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Enough chitter-chatter, privates!" Pinkie suddenly roared, the two snapping towards her with their eyes widening in surprise. "Now, anyone care to guess what the second rule to hosting a good party is?!"

Sarius smirked confidently, waving a hoof high. "Oooh! This one must be buy a keg, right?"

"Sarius! That comes later!" Pinkie said, groaning, before she began to pace again. "The second rule of throwing a good party is..." She gave a wide smile. "Know your guests."

Chrysalis nodded. "Well, we know half of them aren't the nicest people of the multiverse. Where can we go from there?"

Pinkie shook her head. "No, I need more details. I want to know exactly who and what these people are. It'll be a big help. For instance, if we're going to have omnivores here I'll have to know to get meat and stuff. Any way I can get what I need?"

With that, Chrysalis and Sarius gazed at each other, before turning back to Pinkie with somewhat guilt-ridden faces.

"Well... we were offered a guest list earlier.... with details of the convention goers on it."

"Ooooh, goodie!" Pinkie bounced, totally breaking character and stowing her army hat away, gaining a curious glance from Sarius. She simply shrugged in response. "I was kind of getting bored of that, anyway." She then turned towards Chrysalis. "It would definitely be super helpful if you could get me that list."

Sarius turned towards Chrysalis at that, a look of grim apprehension upon him. "You know what this means, right?"

"Yes..." she groaned. "I have to chat with Voldemort or Bellatrix again..."

"Who are they?" Pinkie asked, squinting an eyebrow.

"You'll find out soon enough," Chrysalis sighed.

"So now you want the guest list?" Voldemort asked, his cold, calculating and noseless face within the Proloquor Orb as the party trio gathered around it. "What changed your mind?"

"Well, for one thing I want to know how many people are attending," Chrysalis explained. "I'd also like to know a bit about them. It'll help me plan the convention a bit."

"Mmm... how is it coming, anyway?" the dark lord asked curiously.

"Tell Him that it's definitely happening," Chrysalis said.

"And that it's definitely going to be super fun!" Pinkie beamed.

With that, Voldemort actually smiled slightly. "I do hope so... I could stand to get away from things here for just a bit... running a ministry you've just taken by force can be so tiresome at times..."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow with a slight hint of disdain coming upon her face. "Aren't you worried something might happen while you're away?"

Voldemort smirked at that. "Was that a hint of concern?"

"Don't flatter yourself; I'm just curious," Chrysalis glared.

His smirk didn't die. "Well, the answer is 'no', since while the event will be lasting three days in your universe, it will only be one day in mine. Your universe is... aging quicker than mine, as luck would have it."

"Ugh, I hate this science crap..." Sarius groaned.

"Yeah, it's super ultra confusing!" Pinkie whispered back.

"Shhh..." Chrysalis said.

"Now then," Voldemort continued. "I'll have the guest list sent to as soon as possible. Expect it within the hour."

"Thank you," Chrysalis said, actually sending him a polite smile before shutting off the orb.

"Well, he seemed less douchey today," Sarius said, a look of surprise upon him. "I wonder what got him in such a good mood?"

"Oooh! Maybe he found out how to regrow his nose!" Pinkie giggled, Sarius letting out a laugh as Chrysalis rolled her eyes.

"Or maybe he just got done burning down an orphanage," Sarius added on, before putting on a look of ponder. "Or wait, what if last night him and that Bellatrix woman..." His eyes widened in horror. "OH SWEET HEAVENS, WHY DID MY MIND GO THERE?!"

Sixty-Three Minutes Later

The party trio sat on the carpet of Chrysalis' room, chatting about the event as they waited for the guest list to arrive.

"... well, if we're going to be housing a ton of guests I'm going to need to get my..." Chrysalis' eyes narrowed. "Father to grow a ton more quarters..."

"We'll also need to get a ton of nice furniture!" Pinkie beamed.

"That could be a problem," Chrysalis said. "Changelings don't have much for home comforts. We have a few recreational areas with some furniture in them but that's about it. Because of a lack of need, we don't really have any carpenters or people like that."

"We do have a minor trade relation with the Zebrica Nation, right?" Sarius noted. "Maybe we could get some from them."

"They really do make comfortable beds," Pinkie added.

Chrysalis shook her head, a guilt-ridden look coming upon her. "After my invasion of Canterlot they broke all diplomatic ties."

"Well, there's got to be some place we can get furniture and stuff from..." Sarius said.

With that, Chrysalis let loose a sigh. "Let's put a pin on this topic for later. One of us will think of something," she said confidently, though she quickly grunted impatiently afterwards. "Now where in the world is that guest list?"

It had to have been sixty minutes, and there was still no sign of it whatsoever. She didn't know how it was coming, but Voldemort promised it would be delivered.

"I hope it's coming soon!" Pinkie bounced. "I'm going to need it to plan a bit mo-"

With that, she suddenly froze, and a look of concern was thrown upon her by the swarm queen. It was quite unusual for the pink mare to hold still for over two seconds, and for her to stop talking was something of a miracle.

"Pinkie?"

The pink mare didn't respond, and it soon became apparent that she didn't even seem to be breathing anymore. Chrysalis' eyes widened in shock at this, and she soon noticed that Sarius seemed to be frozen at well. It was as if time itself had just... stopped.

However, that was the least of the things that would send chills up the swarm queen's spine, for within a second came a voice that echoed about right from out of the netherworld, one that could make one sweat despite its coldness; its piercing, otherwordly tone.

"Queen Chrysalis..."

And suddenly, the room darkened. Now, it was as if she was standing in a black abyss. She wished she could call for help, but now it seemed as if her voice was as frozen as Pinkie's; along with the rest of her.

The Nameless Man

"It is the dim haze of mystery that adds enchantment to pursuit." - Antoine Rivarol

Every nerve in her body was frozen as she stood in the dark. She couldn't shiver, she couldn't even glare at whatever had caused this, all she could do was remain motionless. And then, as if he had been a part of it all along, a humanoid shape melded out of the black, walking towards her with slow, menacing steps. As he came closer, she began to make out the details of him, the most prominent among them being a fine, blue suit he wore with a tie he quickly straightened as if out of habit.

"My apologies if I am... interrupting something," he spoke, his sentence shattered in the middle. It was one of the things she would soon realize about this man; he had a habit of pausing in odd portions of his speech. "However, you'll find that I have a way of.." He smiled slightly. "Making time, you could say?"

He then straightened his tie once again, and suddenly she found herself not in a black void, but in the spawning chamber of her hive cluster. The room was wide, misty and damp, with a blue haze filling it like usual and obscuring the scattered green, glowing pools.

"I must say, there couldn't be a more interesting people chosen to host this event... the most unique quality of them being their food source."

With that, she found herself in yet another room; this one containing hundreds of stasis cocoons filled with creatures frozen in terror; ponies, zebras, gyphons, and more.

"It is an... unfortunate disposition for someone to be in, especially one with such a..." He leaned down towards her, her eyes gazing in terror at his cold, green ones as they pierced the very fiber of her being. "...mixed bag for a mind."

He then gave an amused chuckle.

"And it seems this limitation has led to you to another... unfortunate disposition, and like usual, one out of your control..." he said. "It's something I often feel sorry about placing my clients in..."

The background changed again, her again in a black void but with two more humanoid shapes inside what could be viewed as a technological version of her own stasis cocoons. One was wearing an orange suit of some kind with the letters 'HEV' upon it, and another wore what seemed to be a military uniform with a tag on it labeled 'Adrian Shephard.'

"You and I are so very much alike in so many ways," he said as what seemed to be an empathetic smile came upon him. "We both do what we need... to survive."

Chrysalis couldn't feel anymore numb at those words if she tried.

"Because of that, I thought It would be nice to have a little... heart to heart, as two people fighting the hand of fate. Perhaps it will help set your troubled mind at ease..."

And so the background changed once again. This time, Chrysalis was in another black void, though this one was laced by millions of stars. Floating within it were the two of them, with a massive, triangular looking object hovering a bit away; a ship of the heavens.

And suddenly, they were inside it, or so she presumed. She stood upon a metallic, gray floor, her gaze set upon a humanoid figure wearing a white uniform and a blue complexion for skin. He stood frozen and motionless, pointing at another humanoid with a gray, finely pressed uniform as if he were in the midst of giving an order. In back of him were a number of windows showing showing the black, starry void, and surrounding him were a number strange looking rectangular machines being worked upon by a number of other gray-uniformed humanoids. This must have been the bridge.

"Admiral Thrawn..." the man explained. "Is thoroughly in my pocket. I have given him certain... incentives to keep his loyalties towards me and me alone..."

An image flashed of another humanoid's upper-body, this one wearing a black cloak partially hiding an old, saggy, face. However, his yellow, putrid eyes spoke of many other things besides senility.

"And not any other master during this next week or so..."

They then stood in a large, grassy field with great mountains in the background. A man wearing what looked to be the humanoid version of chain-mail armor was currently swinging a sword down upon the neck of a hideous, orcish creature. He too stood motionless in time.

"And he is not the only asset I've managed to..." He smiled in pride. "Acquire...." He then turned his gaze upon the man. "He may not seem like much, but I've come to realize that the right man... in the wrong place... can make all the difference in the world."

With that, he turned back towards Chrysalis as the scene faded to black once again. "Your people will remain safe under my watch, my dear. Call it a businessman's word." He lifted a finger. "Though unfortunately, my gaze is frequently averted. Therefore, it would be in your best interest to always keep an eye on the back of your head." His voice deepened in tone. "Because some dancing partners have two left feet."

An image flashed of... something... standing within a field of fire, though she couldn't make out what.

At that, the suited man knelt down to pop open a briefcase he held, acquiring a few sheets of paper with an archaic style of writing upon them. "Here is what I was sent to bring you." He then gave her a smile. "May you have a..."

He chuckled in amusement, straightening his tie.

"Fun time..."

With that, he turned and began to walk into the black.

"I will see you again soon, most likely. However, for now I have other... business to attend to. There is a certain world that requires the work of one of my clients."

An image of the man wearing the orange suit flashed in front of her.

The suited man gave her a smirk over his shoulder after it dissipated. "Though luckily for you, the uninvited guests of that world's party are very... far away."

With that, she gasped for breath as she found herself in the familiarity of her quarters in normal time, a haunted look upon her as she began to shiver uncontrollably.

"-more," Pinkie finished, suddenly gazing at Chrysalis in shock.

"My queen!" Sarius said, quickly moving towards her. "Are you alright?!"

Chrysalis let loose a deep, haunted breath, the memories of her encounter with the suited man flooding her mind. She felt like she was about to hyperventilate.

"S-Should we get her a doctor?!" Pinkie squeaked.

"Y-Yeah!" Sarius said, his voice in shambled. "Hang on, I'll go get someone!"

With that, Sarius turned to book it towards the quarter's entrance, though he was stopped in his tracks at the last second.

"W-Wait!" Chrysalis said, her voice finally returning to her, the feeling of extreme anxiety starting to dissipate. "I'll be alright... just give me a second."

"Are you sure?" Pinkie asked, concern lacing her words.

"Yes... I just need to breath..." she said, doing just that and taking a deep breath. "I think I just met the Nameless Man..."

"You look like you've just met the King of Tartarus..." Sarius said.

Chrysalis let loose a shiver, taking another deep, haunted breath. "I'd rather it be that than meet this new... benefactor of mine in the same fashion again."

She never had felt so out of control in her life, and being out of control was something she was quite used to. It was almost like she had been violated in a way. It was simply... indescribable. However, the most curious thing about the whole encounter was how it actually left her with a bit of... assurance. Having such a powerful being looking after her was not something to take for granted, though if his words could be trusted were anyone's guess.

At that, she noticed the sheets of paper the man had pulled out of his briefcase were sitting in front of her.

"Is that.. the guest list?" Pinkie asked, her tone of worry submitting to curiosity.

"I didn't even notice that until a second ago," Chrysalis sighed, finally composing herself. "Well, I guess we should have a look."

With that, she magically levitated the papers before her eyes, gazing upon the formal, ancient looking, but very readable text that was before her. Her eyes scrolled down the length of the paper, them widening in surprise at times.

"Hmmm... this is pretty interesting."

"What's on there?" Sarius asked.

"Oh, what you'd expect, and some of which of what you wouldn't."

Pinkie and Sarius raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, I'll read a few:

Name: 'Invader' Zim.

Current Whereabouts: Planet Earth, Dimension 54-143.

Homeland: Planet Irk, Spittle Province, same dimension.

Species: Irken

Description: A technical genius and soldier of the Irken military. Currently on a fool's errand to create anarchy on this dimension's Earth. Severly lacking in common sense."

"So wait.. he's an alien among bunch of aliens, it seems," Sarius said. "Uhhh.. and lacking in common sense? I guess that means he's got book smarts but not anything else."

"Hmmmm... a soldier though, huh?" Pinkie said, the gears in her head beginning to turn. "Go on, who else is on the list?"

With that, Chrysalis nodded and continued:

"Name: Dr. Horrible.

Current Whereabouts: Planet Earth, Dimension 54-32.

Homeland: United States, same planet, same dimension.

Species: Human

Description: Technical genius. PHD in horribleness. Wishes to better humanity by creating an autocratic anarchy stat-" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Wait what? How can you have anarchy and order at the same time? Is this some sort of joke?"

Sarius and Pinkie shrugged.

"Wait, he's on Earth too?" Pinkie said.

Chrysalis nodded, gazing over the list. "Yeah, there seems to be a lot of people from coming from there... I don't know what's so special about the place."

"Good health care?" Sarius added, Pinkie and Chrysalis giving him a blank look. He simpered at that. "Yeah, not one of my best ones. Just not feelin' the joking mojo today."

"Don't worry!" Pinkie said, smiling slightly. "It happens from time to time. Eating a lot of sugar helps for me!"

"Heh, but we both have two types of humor though," Sarius said. "You got the whole goofy thing going on while I do more smartassy kind of stuff."

Pinkie winked. "Oh trust me, I know. Still, I have some cupcakes for later!"

"Do you two want me to read this list or not?" Chrysalis groaned.

With that, the two frowned shamefully. "Sorry..."

"Alright, next up is...

Name: Sarah Kerrigan

Current Whereabouts: Planet Char, Dimension 12-243.

Homeland: Tarsonis, Terran ~~Confederacy~~ Dominion, same dimension.

Species: ~~Human~~ Zerg

Description: Tactical, strategical, and manipulative genius. 'The Queen Bitch of the Universe.' A former slave to the Zerg Overmind, she is currently tending to the Zerg Swarm. Psionic powers beyond comprehension."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at that. There was a note written in another person's handwriting following the description:

"Treat this guest with extreme caution. Be sure the psionic nullifiers work on her. Keep her away from Arcturus Mengsk if at all possible or there will be trouble."

She squinted in thought. Who had added this note? Was it possible the Nameless Man was giving her a helping hand?

"Psionic wah-?" Sarius said.

"It might mean she's psychic or something," Pinkie said. "Something like my Pinkie sense?"

Sarius and Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Your what?"

"Oh, it's just these feelings I get from time to time that let me predict future events. Twitchy tail for instance means something's about to fall!"

With that, her tail promptly twitched as she sneezed.

"Oh crap!" Sarius said, covering his head. "Is one of us about to be hit by something?!"

"Nope!" she beamed. "I sneezed at the same time! That means a snarky comment is about to be made!"

"You know, if it was coming out of anyone else's mouth but yours Pinkie, I wouldn't believe it..." Chrysalis grunted.

"Wow, it really works!" Sarius said, Pinkie smiling at that.

"Hmmm..." Chrysalis mused, reading over Kerrigan's description again. "It says I should keep her away from Arcturus Mengsk." She then sighed slightly. "Great, this means that some people might have personal grudges here... just what I need. I probably should have seen this coming."

"Well, maybe there will be so many people here they won't run into each other?" Pinkie mused.

Chrysalis raised her eyebrows, nodding in agreement. "That's actually possible. It seems this list is over one hundred fifty people long... then again that might not be enough."

"We're going to have to buy a lot of complimentary fruit baskets..." Sarius groaned.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes before continuing:

"Name: Ursarkar E. Creed. Note: Not the rock star turned office worker of dimension 23-143. He's not getting an invitation; I don't care what the Master says.

Current Whereabouts: Planet Cadia, Imperial Fortress World, Dimension 234-154.

Homeland: Same planet, same dimension.

Species: Human

Description: Current Commander of all imperial forces on Cadia, as well as its governor. Tactical and strategical genius. He has brought countless victories against the forces of a demonic race known as the Chaos Marines, and plans to fight them until their ultimate defeat."

Again, there was a note in a different handwriting:

"This one might be trustworthy."

"I guess that means he's not so bad?" Pinkie mused, scratching her head. "Another soldier though... hmmm..."

"What do you have in mind?" Chrysalis said.

"Eh... I'll need to think about it a bit more. Keep on going, Chryssy! The wheels are turning!"

With that, Chrysalis nodded again.

"Name: Sylvanus Windrunner

Current Whereabouts: Undercity, Eastern Kingdoms, Azeroth, Dimension 234-634

Homeland: Quel'Thalas, same planet, same dimension.

Species: ~~High Elf~~ Forsaken

Description: Former elven ranger of the Alliance turned undead. However, she eventually found freedom upon her former master's diminished power. Currently leads her fellow free undead, now called the Forsaken. Her skill in archery and dark magic is unmatched."

Another note:

"Don't trust this one. She may come off as sympathetic, but her current track record can... raise a few eyebrows, you could say."

"Undead, as in... zombies?" Pinkie said, her voice filled with a bit of fright.

"That's what it says," Chrysalis said. "I don't think they're the type of zombies you see in movies though, kid."

"She's still not sleeping in my stasis pod room... I like my brain, thank you," Sarius said.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "I doubt she eats brains, and since when did you watch zombie flicks, Sarius?"

"Eh, some civilian brought back an old film projector and a few movies after he was done feeding in Equestria. Left it in one of the rec rooms."

"Popcorn and movie night!" Pinkie beamed.

"Mmmm... maybe once my people warm up to you a little more, Pinkie," Chrysalis said.

She then began to read over the list more... eventually stumbling upon something that shocked her to the core.

"Wait a minute, what is this?!"

"Huh? What do you see?"

"No, it can't be possible..." Chrysalis chuckled in an exasperated manner. "She's an Element! There's no way!"

"Say wah?!" Pinkie said, her eyes going wide.

"It must be another stupid joke..."

"Just tell us what it is already!" Sarius grunted.

With that, Chrysalis took a deep breath before incredulously reading off a single name:

"Rainbow Dash."

Filly Rainbow Delight

"You tried to let one of them go, but that's nothing new. Every now and then, a little victim's spared because she smiled, because he's got freckles, because they begged. And that's how you live with yourself. That's how you slaughter millions. Because once in a while, on a whim, if the wind's in the right direction, you happen to be kind." - The Doctor

"W-What?!" Pinkie shrieked, as Chrysalis continued to read on. "There's no way... Dashie isn't evil! She's just a little..." She paused in thought. "...insensitive sometimes..."

"Maybe she's actually considered an anti-hero or something..." Sarius pointed out, raising a hoof.

"She isn't even a loose-leaf Element who doesn't plays by the rules!" Pinkie argued. "She's the coolest, most loyal, most awesome pony in Ponyville! In Equestria!"

"Mmmmm... maybe, her profile doesn't seem that malicious," Chrysalis said, finally finishing reading the description. "Though it is... interesting."

Pinkie threw her a look of utter bafflement. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Tell me, does the Rainbow Dash you know happen to work at something called the 'Cloudsdale Rainbow Factory?'" Chrysalis questioned.

"Well... no... unless she's moonlighting on top of her weather patrol job... but I don't think she could have time for that!"

Chrysalis narrowed an eyebrow. "Here, let me read off the entire thing:

Name: Rainbow Dash

Current Whereabouts: Cloudsdale, Planet Trinity, Equestria, Dimension 134-32.

Homeland: Same place, same planet, same dimension.

Species: Pegasus

Description: Manager of the Cloudsdale Rainbow Factory. Efficient task master."

Chrysalis then turned her gaze upon Pinkie. "There's no way she could be the manager of a factory if she is just moonlighting."

"I don't understand, though! How is it possible?" Pinkie said.

"Maybe it was just put on the list to mess with us?" Sarius suggested. "Voldemort is kind of a huge dick; if he's the one who wrote this list, that is."

"Or maybe..." Chrysalis mused, beginning to pace.

"What?" Sarius and Pinkie said in unison.

Chrysalis took a deep breath. "What if it's possible that there's another version of Equestria out there; in an alternate universe. Perhaps this one is a bit less..." A hint of spite slithered into her voice. "... idealistic than the one we know, despite Blueblood's current campaign."

"A rainbow factory, though?" Sarius said. "You're right, that doesn't sound that evil. Are they making rainbows made out of toxic waste or something?"

"I don't care what they're made out of!" Pinkie argued. "Rainbow Dash wouldn't be evil or mean in any dimension!"

Chrysalis raised a hoof. "It's possible that this pony just shares the same name as Rainbow Dash; she may be a completely different pony. If that's the case, she might actually be from this dimension. How many ponies are there named Rainbow Dash in Equestria, anyway?"

However, Chrysalis quickly began to doubt that, for there was yet another note scribbled below the bottom of the description by her apparent benefactor: 'This one may be one of the least of your worries at the event, her not being so powerful; however, she could present... unforeseen consequences to a certain innocent psyche. Be wary of letting them draw near to each other.'"

With that, she gazed upon Pinkie again. "Actually, I may have been wrong. She could be closer to the 'real' thing than I thought, but I don't believe she is the Rainbow Dash you know and..." She winced slightly. "...love. I think it'd be best if you two kept separated."

Pinkie shook her head in defiance, narrowing her eyes in resolve. "If this Rainbow Dash isn't such a good mare, it's up to her friend to change her ways!"

"She's not your friend," Chrysalis said coldly. "She may have the name 'Rainbow Dash', or even the same looks, but fate's hand has made her a different mare in that dimension." With that, she took a step closer to Pinkie. "I really think it'd be in your best interest to keep back."

"Why do you say that?!" Pinkie growled.

"Because..." She took a deep breath. "The same person who's been writing the other notes says that you won't like what you'd find if you talked to her. Don't go looking into the abyss if you don't need to, kid; you may not like what looks back." She threw her a quick, forced smile. "You should cherish your innocence; because if you're lucky, you'll hang onto it until the end."

The pink mare glanced away from her. "I can't make you any promises."

"You have your warning; I won't stop you if you go looking for trouble." She then gazed into her eyes. "However, if you won't do it for yourself; do it for Rainbow Dash, for if you find something horrible about this one, I guarantee when you look at the real one again..." Her eyes narrowed. "You won't look at her in the same way."

Pinkie gulped slightly at that.

Sarius raised a hoof. "Maybe we should move on..."

Chrysalis let loose a sigh. "Yeah, you're right. I'll read a few more:

Name: Harley Quinn.

Current Whereabouts: Gotham City, United States, Planet Earth, Dimension 134-32.

Homeland: Same city, same planet, same dimension.

Species: Human.

Description: Loyal sidekick and devoted lover to one 'Jack Napier.' Proficient in melee combat. Often uses seduction techniques as a manipulation tactic. However, her mental stability is questionable, especially considering who she is hanging around; not that many of the guests would mind. Naturally, the relationship between the two is strictly one sided."

Chrysalis let loose a sigh. "Great... a psychopathic stalker is coming it seems, though it's hard to tell much about this one. There isn't even a note."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Sarius noted. "Though who exactly is leaving you those things, anyway?"

"I think it's the Nameless Man," Chrysalis said.

Sarius narrowed an eyebrow. "Why would he be helping you? I thought he was just providing security."

"I think..." Chrysalis said, before shaking her head incredulously. "He said he sympathizes with me for some reason. I don't know why... or how... he seems pretty powerful. He said he 'does what he needs to to survive.'"

"Sounds familiar..." Sarius said.

Chrysalis let loose a grunt at that. "Another human though.... they seem to heavily populate the multiverse."

"Hmmm... well that could be handy," Pinkie said, a smile coming upon her face. Apparently she had moved on from the Ms. Rainbow Factory topic.

"How so?" Chrysalis said.

"I'll tell ya later, read off a few more," Pinkie grinned.

With that, Chrysalis nodded and continued:

"Name: Princess Azula

Current Whereabouts: Earth Nation, Planet Earth, Dimension 24-132

Homeland: Fire Nation, same planet, same dimension.

Species: Human

Description: Tactical and manipulative genius, and currently; a successful assassin. Heavily proficient in a 'magical' art known as fire bending. Despite her age, she would present a formidable foe to many coming. Currently believed to have just disposed of her target, the Avatar, with the help of her brother, Prince Zuko."

Chrysalis then read off another note: "Another one to be wary of. Like many in attendance, she knows how to socialize when she needs to. She can... 'blend into the crowd,' and strike when you least expect it. Assets will be in place to nullify her powers considerably. These assets must be defended at all costs. They were quite... pricey."

"Huh, another human?" Sarius said, raising an eyebrow. "Are there no ponies or changelings in any other dimension? Well aside from..."

He immediately shut his mouth upon a glare from Chrysalis, her quickly changing the topic, "fire magic, huh? Interesting. It's quite the hard thing to master," Chrysalis noted.

"You know, there's a lot of geniuses coming to this party..." Sarius said.

The Queen of the Swarm nodded. "Yeah, we'll have to base a bit of the entertainment off that. I'm sure we'll think of something."

"Classical music," Pinkie suddenly blurted out.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Classical music!" Pinkie beamed. "Smart people love classical music! I actually know two mares in Ponyville who are probably the best in Equestria at it! One actually played at..." She winced at something. "Anyway, I think they're actually working on a bunch of duet pieces together."

The swarm queen squinted an eyebrow in curiosity. "You know, why is everypony important in Ponyville?"

Pinkie shrugged at that. "I'm not sure, but I know one of them, Octavia, says she spends most of her time there out of Canterlot because the countryside gives her inspiration!"

"So you want to try to book them for the party?" Sarius said.

"Yes!" Pinkie beamed. "Their music is so... what's the word for being all loopy and crazy but in a really fancy way?"

Chrysalis shrugged. "Intricate?"

"That's it!"

"Why would they help a bunch of changelings, though?" Sarius said.

Chrysalis actually gave a slight smirk. "Everypony has a price...."

Pinkie raised an eyebrow, the swarm queen turning towards her.

"We actually have a pretty large stash of gold mined from the islands, though because we have virtually no trade relations we haven't been able to use it. You're welcome to a portion of it when this is through."

Pinkie stuck out a tongue at that. "I don't care about money, I just want to plan an awesome party I've never done before!"

"I insist; really. So far you've proven to be a big help," Chrysalis complimented, a small portion of her doing so reluctantly.

"Yeah, we seriously couldn't be doing this without you," Sarius added.

Pinkie giggled at that.

"What? Never thought you'd get a compliment from a changeling?" the Guardian-Drone smirked.

"Sort of.... I just never expected the changelings to be so...." She took a pause. "Well... nice."

"There's good and bad apples in every tree, kid," Chrysalis said. "Unfortunately, that doesn't stop many of them from being naive." She let loose a sigh. "How does the Doctor want me to get to people's hearts through their minds when they don't have the latter?"

"Hey! Most ponies aren't stupid!" Pinkie argued.

"Maybe, but they seem to be heavily xenophobic," Chrysalis said. "It isn't just changelings they don't give love to. I remember a lot of racism occurring towards both Zebrican and Gryphon Kingdom ambassadors during my stay in Canterlot. Apparently, all zebras are witch doctors and cannibals, and the gryphons, while not being cannibals, eat ponies as a delicacy." She gave a shrug. "That was four hundred years ago though, perhaps Celestia has upped the Equestrian education system since then..." She actually gave a slight smile. "You know, if that's true...." Upon a thought however, she quickly receded it, shaking her head with a sigh. "No... they still wouldn't educate them on changelings, especially with Blueblood causing trouble..."

"If you ask my opinion, I say we kidnap and replace him.." Sarius muttered.

"We aren't doing that," Chrysalis said firmly. "He may be an idiot, but I have a feeling he's working with some very smart people; businessmen I believe. They probably know to do the occasional detection spell on him, and if they happen to catch one of our agents in disguise of him we might as well drape the Equestrian army banner down in front of the main hive's tunnel entrance."

Pinkie gave a simper at that. "About the last thing though... they really didn't teach us much about zebras in school..."

The swarm queen sighed. "Celestia, why in the world aren't you doing something to educate your populace more?"

"Hey! The princess works very hard!" Pinkie argued. "If you didn't attack Canterlot..."

Chrysalis gave her a glare. "I told you I regret that decision!"

With that, Pinkie backed down, an apologetic look coming across her. "I'm sorry, Chryssy. I know you've done a lot..."

"It's alright," Chrysalis sighed. "You're just being loyal to your princess, and that is something I greatly admire."

"Loyalty?" Pinkie said.

The swarm queen nodded, holding up a hoof. "As long as it isn't misplaced, and in Celestia's case I don't believe it is..."

She spoke the truth for the most part; Celestia was a great leader, with four to eight times as much wisdom as Chrysalis had (nobody really knew how old she was), yet the swarm queen had always detected a hint of... reluctance within her to act, almost as if she didn't know what was right or wrong anymore. It was entirely possible that she was suffering from a lack of self-confidence following her sister's banishment, perhaps blaming herself in part for it, or was simply too depressed to make much of an effort to do things anymore. If that was the case, the swarm queen could sympathize ever-so-slightly, and perhaps with Luna's return she would now put her hoof in things more.

Shrugging off these thoughts, the swarm queen returned to gazing upon the list. "Alright, here's another one... and this one's a bit unique:

Name: Bender Bending Rodríguez

Current Whereabouts: New New York (redundant much?), Planet Earth, Dimension 24-25

Homeland: Same city, same planet, same dimension.

Species: Machine

Description: Semi-sociopathic, egotistical, criminal, robotic construct. Should be somewhat entertaining to have around. Though he may be friends with a duo of 'heroic' figures, he is still responsible for brutally working an enslaved group of aliens for five months straight in order to construct a monument of himself. Definite anti-hero."

Another note: "Make sure there is an adequate supply of alcoholic beverages."

"Yay! At least this one should be easy to keep happy!" Pinkie beamed.

"Oh boy, an alcoholic egomaniac," Chrysalis groaned.

"A machine, though?" Sarius said. "What does that mean? How can something like a steam engine be alive and drink alcohol?"

The swarm queen shook her head. "I once read a book on modern machines that postulated that in the future it might be possible to construct a piece of technology that could... think, reason... and perhaps even hold a conversation. It's possible that this 'Bender' comes from a futuristic society who were able to achieve that vision."

"A sentient, artificial being..." Pinkie said, gaining raised eyebrows from both Sarius and Chrysalis. "What!? My friend Twilight loves to talk about what she reads about a lot! Most of the time I'm not paying attention but I pick up stuff once and a while!" she grinned.

"You're a mystery wrapped in an enigma, Pinkie," Chrysalis sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"Mmmm, are enigmas tasty?!" Pinkie said, rubbing her tummy.

"It's not uh..." She shook her head. "Nevermind."

And so Chrysalis continued to read off names... as time passed on and on...

"Species: Asari."

And on...

"Species: Human."

And on...

"Current Location: ~~Moscow~~ City 17, Planet Earth, Universal Union, Dimension 54-11"

And on...

"Species: Homunculus."

And eventually it became apparent after a while...

"Species: Human."

That the hand of fate had a very large amount of love...

"Species: Human."

For a certain species...

"Species: Human."

"So... many... humans," Sarius droned.

"Well, like I said, that's a good thing!" Pinkie beamed.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

The pink mare stuck a tongue out. "Cus I know someone who knows all about humans!"

One hundred and fifty five miles away, Lyra Heartstrings sat at her kitchen table along with Bon Bon. She sat slump with a hoof against her cheek, gazing at the latter in a bored manner as she ate a sunflower sandwich with a bunch of chips on the side.

"Mmmmm...." Lyra eventually groaned.

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Ya gonna eat those?" the teal mare said, pointing towards the chips Bon Bon was avoiding.

"They're all yours," she said, gaining a slight smile from her companion. "Shouldn't you be practicing with Octavia on your duet, though?"

"Na, she called it off," Lyra said, frowning slightly. "I think she's feeling a bit depressed still..."

"I can't blame her, I couldn't imagine how I'd feel if I were in that situation," Bon Bon said, frowning as well. "Maybe we should invite her over to dinner; to try to cheer her up?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. Let's just stay try to stay away from... well you know."

Bon Bon nodded as she finished her plate, eventually scooting it over towards Lyra. "Here ya go."

With that, Lyra smiled and began to chow down on the chips.

And nothing more eventful happened to her that day.

The TARDIS sat within the woods near the hive's entrance, the Doctor pacing about its control room as he prattled on idea after idea to Ditzy about the entity known as Him.

"It's probably just another pretender! Someone trying to masquerade as the 'King of Evil'. I know I've seen plenty of them in my lifetime. There's no possible way he could actually exist... he's just a concept! An idea!"

Ditzy let loose a sigh. "Doctor, can't we talk about something else.... maybe go on a forest walk or something? These islands are pretty beautiful."

"Yet that idea manifested before," the Doctor continued, ignoring her. "But I destroyed him! He's currently sitting inside a singularity! Nothing can survive that..."

Ditzy groaned as she made her way to the front door of the TARDIS. "Well, I'm going to go have a walk. It's not often we actually stay in one place for too long. I might as well get to know the area a little, I guess."

With that, she opened the door towards her to reveal a grinning Pinkie; apparently in mid-knock.

"Hiiii Ditzy! Can I talk to the Doctor a bit?"

Ditzy let loose a chuckle. "I'm afraid the only pony doing any talking inside here is him for the moment." She raised an eyebrow. "How did you find the TARDIS, anyway?"

"Oh, one of Chryssy's scout drones pointed me here," Pinkie beamed.

"Oh, hello Pinkie!" the Doctor said, finally noticing her. "Come in! You can help me and Ditzy brainstorm a bit."

"Actually, I'm just here cus I need a little help..." Pinkie said.

"Help? I love helping! Helping is what I'm all about!" the Doctor said.

Pinkie smiled his way. "You said you know about humans, right? Can you... answer a few questions about them for me? Pretty please!"

The Doctor grinned. "Ask all you like! Humans are my specialty!"

The Road to Chrysalis

All the lonely people.
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people.
Where do they all belong?

IGOM Planning Week - Day Two of Six

Hive Log, Date: Autumn, Day 102, 451 ACB. After a bit of stressing yesterday, I'm waking up pretty early today to go out to try to actually exercise in an attempt to ease it off; at Pinkie's suggestion....

"Damnit! How are we supposed to get everything we need for this party?" Chrysalis groaned, pacing about her quarters nervously. "We don't have food, we don't have furniture, we don't have anything!"

"Relax, Chryssy!" Pinkie said. "I'm sure we'll think of something. It's only been one day, and at least now I know what humans eat and drink, and what music they like and stuff. The Doctor says they're just like ponies for the most part!"

"What good is that if we can't get what they want?" Chrysalis said, exasperated.

"Like I said, we'll think of something... you're just getting really worked up about this." She then gave Chrysalis a smile. "Ditzy and I are going on a jog tomorrow morning. Wanna come with? It always helps me relax!"

Chrysalis narrowed an eyebrow. "What about the Doctor?"

"Oh, he said he's a little busy with something."

With that, the swarm queen let loose a sigh. "I just need to be alone... no offense."

Pinkie gave her a slightly hurt expression, though with a hint of understanding. "Oh... OK... just let me know if you change your mind, alright?"

"I will... thank you."

Though I truly do want to be alone, I do hope she's right. Maybe going on a little run will help me think a little clearer.. I know for a fact it'll help release endorphins. However, even if I can think of how we're supposed to get a massive amount of food and furniture, I still am going to have to talk with my father to grow some new rooms... and that is not going to be easy. We haven't exactly been on good terms since... ever. The little voice in my head always telling me that I need to be perfect because that's how I was designed to be; it sounds like his.

☼☼☼
☼☼
☼☼☼

In the wee hours of the morning, the squishy sound of changeling hooves could be heard upon hardened soil as Chrysalis began her morning jog. The forests were silent, the birds and other animals still in their slumber, as she ran along a lonely path. The woods were hers at the moment; she was the only thing aware of their existence, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Her wings fluttered as she took flight to the highest point on the island; a large, rocky hill that would call itself a mountain situated in the middle, with pine and maple trees scattered upon its slope. As she landed upon its side and began to jog some more, she was beginning to notice just how clearer her mind was becoming. The little nagging thoughts were becoming less potent, a runner's high taking effect.

"Alright, Chrysalis... think," she said to herself. "You need food, and not of the love variety.. and you need an easy way to get it. There isn't really any other country out there who would supply you with it..."

A flight of birds fluttered from a tree she ran too close to. She gazed at them curiously. Interesting, free creatures they were. They cared naught for anything except existing. If only she could modify her people to become more like them... carefree and flowing with calming chemicals, perhaps if she couldn't pull the party off she could at least make their last days a bit more peaceful... at least the newborns'. Unfortunately, those sort of modifications would take some time to make, and could actually be impossible. Complex mutations of that nature were just so hard to engineer without incurring damage...

Her eyes then widened. However... she could engineer more simple organic matter... the hive had all the materials it needed for that, carbon... water... you name it, and she had the knowledge of how to do it.

"That's it!" she said, actually letting out a laugh. "I just need the hive to create the food I need. It won't be too hard to do!" She then smirked slightly. "And the guests don't need to know where it came from, though it'll all be perfectly healthy... all I need is some of the food I want to create a base template from and..."

She then actually smiled. Pinkie could probably provide her with that, and they had a mode of transportation that could be near instantaneous.... if it was what she thought it was, and if a certain somepony would let her use it. If all went well, she could use it to pick up the entertainment as well.

"Yeeeeees!" she cried in joy. "We might actually be able to-"

And then it hit her. Facing her father was still on the checklist. Immediately, her good mood was ruined.

Sighing, she continued to jog, eventually coming near the summit, a brilliant yellow sun shining at her through the trees. However, after a second she paused again, eyeing something peculiar close by; three words carved into a gray rock situated between two pine trees.

I am Legend.

Above them was a bit more writing: C & C

She stared blankly at it, her mouth parted, and her mind left the present to a point four hundred and thirty years ago.

A slightly older Chibi-Chrysalis and Princess Celestia made their way up to the same point she stood in the present, the two laughing and smiling about a time in Canterlot.

"You should have seen the look on his face when I kissed him!" Chrysalis smirked. "He didn't know what hit him!"

Celestia smiled down at her. "I'm sure he was happy it came from you."

"Heh... well... from Solar Flare you mean... I'm not sure if he'd like it if it came from the real me..."

Solar Flare was her current disguise when she wasn't promoting the changeling nation.

The solar princess gave her a slight frown. "In a few years I'm sure he'll be accepting of what you truly are..." She then gave her jovial smirk. "Besides, who wouldn't want to date someone who could turn into the most beautiful mare in Equestria at a will?"

Chrysalis smiled back. "Heh, but that's already taken..." she said, winking at her mentor.

Celestia quickly cleared her throat, blushing slightly. "Anyway, is this the spot you were talking about?"

Chrysalis nodded. "Yeah! It's the most beautiful place here! Perfect for practicing magic!"

It truly was. One could see the entire beautiful shamrock shaped island from this vantage point, though unfortunately it was still quite early; moonlight the only thing providing light.

"Mmmm.. hang on a second," Celestia said, her eyes twinkling. "I'm sure nopony will mind me giving us a bit more light a few minutes early."

With that, Chrysalis watched in awe as her mentor entered an intense state of concentration, her horn actually emitting a loud whir as a bright light began to form on its tip. After a second or so, the solar princess began to rise into the air, the sun soon following her movements; a beautiful red orb on the horizon. The moon in the meantime did the exact opposite, moving out of sight.

"And so starts a new day," she said, smiling as she landed on the ground.

The young swarm queen gazed upon her in awe.

"No matter how many times I see you do it," Chrysais ogled. "It's still the greatest thing in the world."

"You give me too much credit," Celestia said. "It was just something I was born with... it's nothing I earned. The best gifts are the ones we work for."

With that, Chrysalis glanced away from her slightly, a small look of sorrow coming upon her.

"What's wrong, Chrysalis?" Celestia asked.

"Oh... nothing... I just wished that the nobles had accepted me a bit more in Canterlot..." she sighed. "I feel like I've failed in my mission.. in my purpose."

"You didn't fail at anything," Celestia said. "They acted very polite towards you; at least their ears were open."

"Yeah but... the way they looked at me... I think they were only being polite because you were hanging around me."

Celestia raised a hoof. "They just need more time to realize the changelings aren't who they were. You are still the key to this."

"But... what if they'll always be too afraid of us?"

The solar princess narrowed her eyebrows. "I have faith in my little ponies; they'll keep their minds open. I know it."

Chrysalis sighed at that, running a hoof across the ground. "I just hope my... father doesn't blame me for anything."

Celestia shook her head. "He's a very intelligent being... I'm sure he'll understand."

☼☼☼
☼☼
☼☼☼

Mini-Chrysalis stood inside the circular, organic chamber containing the primary hive cluster's central intelligence, a throbbing, massive blob of gray matter that stretched from ceiling to floor.

"We do not understand," a powerful, deep, forsaken voice rang about the room. "With the solar princess' help, how were you not able to open diplomatic relations with Equestria yet?"

"I don't know, father... I'm trying my best. The Princess was willing to listen to me and everything... I know that she knows that we're not like we were..."

"Her influence should have been enough to convince the Equestrians we are willing to take our place in the world. Either you didn't do enough to earn her trust, or she is too foolish to successfully get the job done."

With that, Chrysalis let out a tiny growl. "Don't talk about my mentor like that! She's smarter than you think she is; heck, she might even be smarter than you!"

"Child... do we sense a hint of doubt in our abilities?"

With that, Chrysalis glanced away from him. "No... I don't, I just don't think you're giving her enough credit." With that, she began to pace sorrowfully. "She's gone through a lot... she had to banish her sister away to give her enough time to fight Nightmare Moon, somepony she spent time with for thousands of years. I think she's depressed, and the fact that her nobles didn't accept me off hoof made her even more so... I feel so terrible. She doesn't like seeing me sad."

"You're letting your emotions get in the way of what needs to be done," the hive mind growled. "Put more pressure on her to act. Use her guilt against her!"

"I am not going to do that!" Chrysalis growled. "You made me in order to show the world that changelings can be a force of good. How can I show them that if I can't even show myself?!"

"We made you to blend in with the world... to act like the rest of them, but not to become like them. We knew giving you emotions was a mistake."

"I don't care what you think!" Chrysalis shrieked. "The changelings are mine, not yours anymore! I'm not going to trick the world into thinking we're something else just so we can stab them in the back. That's what you want, right?!"

The hive mind let loose a low grumble.

"Isn't it?!"

"It would make things... easier. There would be no threat of our extinction if we were their masters..."

"I would rather die with dignity than die a coward. I'm not going to let fear jeopardize who we are!" Chrysalis roared.

"Do what you wish, foolish child. The only way you'll learn that we are right is on your own it seems.... now go back to your mentor. See if you can do things 'your way' for now." It took a pause. "However, you'll be eating those words when you aren't eating anything else..."

☼☼☼
☼☼
☼☼☼

"You're weakening! Concentrate, Chrysalis. Bring forth emotion and then channel it!" Celestia said, Chrysalis currently carving a squiggly line into a nearby rock with a beam of magical energy.

"I-I'm trying!" Chrysalis growled, sweat trickling down her forehead.

"Come on, you have this!" Celestia said. "Positive emotions channel more easily controllable mana. Concentrate on them! This isn't dark magic!"

"I CAN'T!" Chrysalis screamed, a blast of her energy completely desecrating the rock before her, sending high-velocity rocky projectiles every which way. "EEEEEP!"

Before some could hit her, however, at the last second they were deflected off a magical energy shield that had sprung up around the two of them with a series of pings.

"That..." Celestia sighed, lowering her shield. "Could stand to be improved."

"Damnit!" Chrysalis shrieked, kicking at a pebble. "I just can't do it... not after what happened today..."

The solar princess raised an eyebrow at that, a look of motherly concern coming upon her. "What happened?"

"It's nothing..." she sighed.

"Very well.. if you don't wish to-"

"It's just my stupid father!" Chrysalis suddenly growled. "He thinks he knows everything! How did he think your people would react after we were acting like a bunch of fools for years!?"

"It sounds like he has a lot of expectations for you... but did he say something to hurt you?"

Chrysalis turned away from her slightly. "You could say that..."

Celestia raised a hoof, an expression of disdain slightly etched on her, though it wasn't directed at her. "I'm sure he's just frustrated at the bad news... but that doesn't give him the right to insult you."

"He's more than just an ass sometimes though, princess... you have no idea." The solar princess quirked an eyebrow, Chrysalis drawing nearer to her. "Sometimes I think he justifies the world's views on us."

"Nonsense, he's just one being," Celestia quickly stated. "You can't judge a nation by its former leader."

Chrysalis shook her head. "He's more than just a leader, though. He's made up of the partial collective consciousness of the swarm... in a small way, he is the swarm!"

"But he also has a large mind of his own, doesn't he?" Celestia asked. "If I understand what you told me."

"Well... true," Chrysalis admitted.

"And you have been modifying all changeling offspring to be less aggressive and xenophobic, haven't you?"

"Also true," Chrysalis said, smiling slightly now.

With that, Celestia sighed slightly. "I'll be returning to Canterlot tomorrow morning. You're welcome to spend more time there under my wing."

"Hell yeah!" Chrysalis beamed. "I can't wait!"

The solar princess smiled warmly at her in return, though her twinkling eyes meant she was up to something. "However, I'd like you to try to relax a bit more..."

Chrysalis glanced away from her again at that, letting out a tiny grunt. "You might as well ask me to move the sun..."

"A good leader can't concern herself with her people all the time, Chrysalis. It'll just drive them mad."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to clear my head, though?"

With that, the princess let loose a large smile. "Here. Let me tell you something I learned from a certain Doctor long ago:

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.

Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.

Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.

It's easy!"

With that, the princess winked and quickly magically carved her and Chrysalis' initials into another rock before her, the young swarm queen's eyes widening at the sight.

There's nothing you can make that can't be made.

No one you can save that can't be saved.

Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you

in time - It's easy!"

"Huh?" Chrysalis blinked. "What are you getting at with this?"

"It's quite simple, my young pupil," Celestia winked. "All you need is love."

Chrysalis quickly gave her a blank look. "Er, princess... I already know that."

The princess shook her head, chuckling. "You don't understand, I'm not talking about your people, I'm talking about you, and not in a food sense. Being loved makes everything seem less... pressing. It makes the world much easier to view... and to think about."

"So you're saying that if I have someone to love me...." Chrysalis said. "That I'll be able to cope with being a leader better and make more successful decisions?"

Celestia nodded. "In a manner of speaking. You're a very smart child, Chrysalis, the smartest I've known in an age; but I really think you need to wind down a bit more, no offense."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "You're preaching to the choir here, my teacher."

"But," Celestia said. "You should also do it for yourself, not just for your people. I'm not even talking about just receiving love, I'm taking about being around the person who gives you it. Enjoying yourself around her..." She smirked. "Or him."

"So I should spend more time around others..." She then gave her a slightly hurt look. "But we spend a lot of time together!"

A wave of guilt washed over Celestia's face. "People your own age, Chrysalis. I love being around you, but I can't relate with you the same way others can. I can barely remember how I was when I was eighteen. And I know being around me isn't taking your mind off your troubles. You need someone who can make you laugh, who can ease your worries."

With that, a bubble of love floated from her to the young queen, as if to confirm what she was saying, giving her a jovial feeling of warmth.

"So I should hang around someone like..." Chrysalis blushed slightly. "Silver Armor?"

He was her crush in Canterlot who she recently had her first kiss with.

Celestia nodded her head. "Exactly. When we return to Canterlot, you should definitely spend some more time together. Just remember:

All you need is love!"

"All I need is love!"

"All you need is love, love!"

"Love is all ya need!"

With that, Chrysalis grinned widely. "You know what? I think I'm ready to give magic practice another go!"

"Just remember, concentrate on positive emotions," Celestia said, gazing at her intently.

With that, Chrysalis nodded, her eyes narrowing in resolve as her horn began to spark and crackle.

"Positive emotions..." she whispered.

And suddenly, a beam of green light cascaded forth from her horn, nearly blinding her with its light. However, her eyes soon adjusted, and with it she carved something into the same rock Celestia had put their initials on: 'I am Legend.' One day in the future, her changelings would speak of these mysterious words, because they would survive to tell stories about them. She was going to be the savior of them, she could just feel it; though she couldn't explain why.

With that, Chrysalis shook off her thoughts, hearing the sound of hoofsteps approaching her. Through the brush came Pinkie and Ditzy, both looking a bit worn out, but not to the point where they seemed ready to stop exercising.

"Hey, Chryssy!" Pinkie beamed.

"Hello Queen Chrysalis," Ditzy said formally.

"Uhhh... hi," Chrysalis said, actually putting on a slight smile. "Are you two... still hanging out?"

"Yeah!" they both beamed.

And then the Queen of the Swarm did something she hadn't done for nearly four hundred years.

"Er.... mind if I join in?" Chrysalis blushed.

"Of course not! We're heading back to the hive though..." Ditzy said.

"No worries," Chrysalis said, still smiling slightly. "I uh.. would still love to join you."

"Well, come on then, Chryssy! Let's get going!" Pinkie beamed, and with that, the three took off.

Chrysalis smiled in resolve as she jogged. The princess was right. She needed a way to see through the doom and gloom, and this was it; spending time with people. Pinkie had actually been somewhat fun to hang around before, maybe it just needed a second chance. If she could cast aside many things for the greater good in the past, she could cast aside her envy long enough to get in good enough spirits where it wouldn't bother her. If she could keep this up, it'd be a lot easier to face her father today.

She winced slightly.

Make that tomorrow....

Road Trip

"But can you believe it though?! I mean I knew Rainbow Dash was fast, but that fast?!" Pinkie beamed, her, Ditzy, and Chrysalis making their way to the TARDIS later in the day.

"Heh, you're not kidding there. I never thought I'd ever see a sonic rainboom twice in my life. First at the flier competition and then at the weddi-"

She suddenly paused, realizing who she was talking to.

"Er, sorry Queen Chrysalis. I know Pinkie said you feel really guilty about that," Ditzy said.

"It's alright," Chrysalis said in a no big deal kind of way, her tone an odd contrast with her distorted, naturally somewhat menacing voice. "I'm reminded of that wedding more often than not. I'm pretty much over it." She couldn't have told a bigger lie, though nonetheless she shrugged if off. "Oh, and call me Chrysalis."

Ditzy gave her a small smile. "Sure thing."

"You know, I wonder what the Doctor's been working on?" Pinkie pondered.

"Eh, probably TARDIS repairs or something like that," Ditzy said, sighing slightly. "I swear, sometimes I think he cares more about his stupid spaceship than he does about me."

Pinkie narrowed her eyebrows in concern as Chrysalis turned towards her.

"Hey, you're his assistant, right?" The swarm queen said, surprising even herself in her attempt to comfort somepony. "I'm sure he cares about you... he's just very...."

"Aloof?" Pinkie said.

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it," the swarm queen smirked.

"I guess..." Ditzy sighed. "I just wish he'd show me that more often. Sometimes I think he only keeps me around to bolster his ego."

"Well, he certainly has one the size of a house," Chrysalis chuckled. "But if he's done as much as you say he's done, I'm sure he doesn't need you to remind him of how 'awesome' he is."

"Heh, a good point I guess," Ditzy said, smiling again. "You know... mind if I tell you guys a secret?"

"Oooh! You can tell me! I'm the queen of keeping secrets!" Pinkie beamed, though her tone soon turned serious. "Because breaking them is the fastest way to lose a friend..." She took a deep breath before bellowing, "FOREVER!"

Every single bird took flight from the island at that.

"Sweet Celestia, Pinkie," Ditzy said, wincing as she rubbed her pointy ear. "I think you could give Princess Luna a run for her money with that lung ability."

The pink mare smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Chrysalis glanced at Ditzy curiously at that. "So, what's the big secret?"

With that, Ditzy inched closer to Chrysalis and Pinkie, signaling them into a huddle, her cheeks rosy. "You guys... I think I may... like the Doctor as more than just... a mentor."

"Noooooooo," Pinkie said.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, smirking. "So much for a big secret."

Ditzy's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean you two already knew?!"

"Heh, hate to break it to you but my people can sense when love is in the air," Chrysalis winked, before sticking her tongue out slightly. "Sarius told you this yesterday!"

"I didn't know!" Pinkie said, bouncing. "That's so awesome!"

With that, Ditzy let out a sigh. "It'd be awesome if he'd actually... you know... acknowledge it."

"You know he likes you back, right?" Chrysalis said.

Ditzy nodded. "Yeah... I kind of sensed it but..." She then let out a large growl. "Why won't he say anything to me, though?!"

Pinkie and Chrysalis shrugged at that. "Maybe underneath all that ego he's hiding the fact that he doesn't think he could ever hold a decent relationship?" the swarm queen suggested, before throwing her arms up. "I'm not Cupid or anything, though. The only books I've read up on love were for..." She glanced away from the two. "Well... the wedding."

"Daw, it's alright, Chryssy," Pinkie smiled. "We both forgive you for th-"

With that, Pinkie walked right into an invisible barrier with an 'oof', before stumbling back in a daze.

"Woah, what was that?!" Ditzy squeaked.

Suddenly, blue door appeared out of nowhere, swinging outward to reveal the strangest thing Chrysalis had ever seen, not counting the Doctor who was standing at it. Through the door she could barely make out a room of metal, with a circular device in the middle of it that seemed to house a series of levers and other controls.

"Whoops, sorry about that!" the Doctor said. "Just got the cloaking device working."

At that, he darted over to the control console and pulled a lever, and suddenly a blue, eight foot high box appeared before the swarm queen and company.

She quickly did as double take at that. "W-Wah? H-How is it bigger on the inside?!"

Ditzy let out a chuckle. "Everypony asks that, and no it's not shrinking magic."

"I bet the TARDIS' interior is a pocket dimension of some sort!" Pinkie beamed, grinning wide.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "How did she know that?"

Chrysalis shook her head incredulously, letting out a chuckle. "She's Pinkie Pie. Don't bother asking." She then cleared her throat. "Er, Doctor. I know I only wanted you to advise me on the whole IGOM matter but..." She threw him a smile. "Would you mind if we use your..." She squinted an eyebrow, not really sure if a blue box could count as what Ditzy had said it was. "Ship to pick up a few things in Equestria?"

The Doctor did a double take himself. "D-Did you just smile?"

"Yeah, she's been acting super happy today!" Pinkie said.

Ditzy gave a small laugh. "By that she means she's been getting her mind off all of this IGOM stuff by hanging out with us."

With that, the Doctor straightened a new tie he had on with a slight cough. "Well... I don't normally let ponies.. or changelings in this case use the TARDIS as a moving van... but you know what, why the bloody hell not? I've got nothing better to do."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "You mean you're not angry at me for still hosting IGOM now?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm angry... but I still think it's a bad idea. However, it seems you're between a rock and a hard place at the moment. I'm willing to go along with it for now. I'm still going to have a word with Admiral Thrawn to make sure he's on the level, though."

"I don't think we need to worry about him, Doctor," Chrysalis said, holding up a holey hoof that whistled in a slight breeze. "I talked with the Nameless Man yesterday."

The Doctor's eyebrows raised. "Y-You actually spoke with him?"

The swarm queen nodded. "Yeah, I think he... likes me.. which is kind of creepy and reassuring at the same time." She then through him a questioning glance. "Do you know anything about him?"

The time lord brought a hoof to his chin. "I don't know much other than that he holds a position of some power in the Order of the Nameless Men."

"You know, if he's called the Nameless Man than what are the rest of the Nameless Men called?" Pinkie pointed out.

"Joe, Steve, Bob..." the Doctor joked, the two Equestrians and changeling raising an eyebrow. "Er.. sorry, it'd be a better joke to humans. But back on topic, I'm not sure if you can trust him or not, we'll just have to see." He then put on a chipper smile. "Anyway, let's get this field trip underway, shall we? Come on in and put your feet, er hooves up," he said, gesturing for them to enter.

With that, Chrysalis and company complied, the former gazing about the interior in awe. It wasn't like anything she had seen or imagined; it was simply something that had no business being within their just barely post-medieval world, a technological anomaly... though soon it wouldn't be the only thing.

"So Doctor, what have you been working on all day?" Ditzy asked curiously.

The Doctor gave her a care free expression. "Oooh nothing much..." He then grinned. "Just got done installing the TARDIS' NEW SOUND SYSTEM!"

The Ditzy gave him a blank look. "You mean so we can listen to your theme song, right?"

The keeper of time rolled his eyes. "No, Ditzy. I figured since we've been fighting so much lately I'd try to make it up to you..." He then darted over to what Chrysalis guessed was the control console and pulled down a lever. "WITH THIS!"

And suddenly, a sound blasted through the interior of the TARDIS, a marvelous, epic sound:

"I'M THE SCATMAN!

Skiddididat, dadadadat!

Skiddididat, dadadadat!"

Ditzy then let out the most adorable squee in history.

"Oh my gosh! Scatman John?! He's like the best human singer... ever!"

"Everybody stutters one way or the other

So check out my message to you.

As a matter of fact don't let nothin' hold you back.

If the Scatman can do it so can you.

Everybody's sayin' that the Scatman stutters

But doesn't ever stutter when he sings.

But what you don't know I'm gonna tell you right now

That the stutter and the scat is the same thing.

Yo I'm the Scatman.

Where's the Scatman? I'm the Scatman."

With that, Ditzy paused in head banging to turn towards a very confused Pinkie and Chrysalis. "When I was younger I used to have a bit of a stutter... and Scatman John is a major supporter of people with that disability on Earth. He makes me so happy," she beamed.

"Ahhhhh," Chrysalis and Pinkie mouthed.

"So this is human music, huh?" the former said. "It's kind of..." She smiled. "Catchy." She then quirked an eyebrow. "Where'd you get it from, anyway, Doctor? I thought you were stuck here."

"Oh, just something I've been carrying around, and there's time to listen to it on the way to Equestria!" the Doctor grinned, before raising an eyebrow. "Er, where are we going, anyway, exactly?"

"We need to get to Ponyville," Chrysalis stated.

"I've gotta pick up all the food I can for the party for Chryssy to make copies of," Pinkie said.

Doctor Whooves raised an eyebrow. "Make copies of-" His eyes then widened, a smile of approval coming upon him as he turned towards Chrysalis. "Ahhhh, you're going to use your hive to duplicate it, aren't you? That's just brilliant!"

Chrysalis nodded with a slightly thankful smile. "In the meantime, Ditzy and I are going to try to convince a few musicians to play for us. After that, we still have a pretty huge supply list to cover. I'm hoping we'll be able to put our heads together to figure out how to get what we need."

"Well, it won't be that hard. Princess Luna might be able to help," the Doctor stated. "I take it you're getting Vinyl Scratch? I loved her at that fashion show I went to."

Pinkie nodded. "Yep, and a few others! Hopefully we can convince her whole band to come."

"I'm hoping they'll also be willing to head to the hive four days early, just to get used to the place," Chrysalis said. "I'm sure it'd be awkward to just be shoved into."

"Whelp, that'll be no problem. The TARDIS has plenty of storage space to host all their equipment," Ditzy announced.

Chrysalis gazed at her, dumbfounded. "Wait a minute, you mean it's more than just this room?!"

The Doctor nodded with a slightly prideful smile. "You've got it!"

With that, Pinkie turned towards the swarm queen with a hopeful smile. "Er, Chryssy..." she said. "While we're there, would you mind if we picked up the rest of my friends? I'm sure they'll be willing to help..."

"My good word could convince them you're fine and dandy," the Doctor added, before putting on a slight smirk. "Unless of course you mind controlled all three of us."

"Erm..." Chrysalis said, thinking it over. To be honest, she had been having one of the most care-free days of her life, just hanging out with people, even if they were actually her former enemies. She should have tried this with Sarius years ago.... though now it seemed Pinkie was going to be spending time with friends who may not be as accepting towards her as the Doctor, Ditzy, and Pinkie. To put it bluntly, she was actually feeling a bit protective. Still, she couldn't think of any excuse as to why they shouldn't be able to come, so.... "Well, alright Pinkie...."

"Yayyyyyy!!!!!" the pink party pony beamed, literally flying so high into the air in joy she almost hit the ceiling.

"H-How did she-" the Doctor gasped, before gaining a small wink from Ditzy. "Ah, right. She's Pinkie Pie."

"Come on, Doctor! Let's fire up this magical blue box up!" Pinkie grinned, before moving over to the console as if she were about to attempt to pull a lever.

The Doctor put on a look of horror before jetting in front of her. "Er, Pinkie, please let me handle the driving."

"Dawww, alright!" she beamed, completely unfazed, before bouncing over towards Chrysalis and Ditzy again.

"Hmmm, hyperactive ponies plus a technologically advanced time machine might be a bad idea to combine together," Chrysalis muttered to herself, though with a slight smirk.

"You know, my friend Twilight could sooooo help organize this whole thing! She's the best task master Ponyville has!" Pinkie suggested.

"Maybe, kid," she said, sighing slightly. "I just hope she'll be willing to forgive me..."

Pinkie shook her head incredulously. "Of course she'll forgive you! If I can, so can she!"

Chrysalis let loose a sigh, turning away from the pink mare. "I did more to hurt her than anypony at that wedding... except maybe Princess Cadence. I'm still not sure if doing this is such a good idea..."

"I'll handle talking to her," the Doctor offered. "Ease her into the whole idea and everything."

"That'd probably be the best way to go about it," Chrysalis nodded.

With that, the Doctor smirked. "Then it's settled. TO PONYVILLE!"

"Doctor, aren't you forgetting something?" Ditzy said, winking.

"Oh right," he said, nearly facehoofing. "ALLONZ-Y!"

With that, he pulled a lever and... nothing extraordinary happened except for the fact there was now a strange whirring sound filling the air over the top of Scatman John... which was now on a loop.

"Common, Pinkie! Chrysalis! Let's party this time machine up!" Ditzy grinned, before beginning to head bang again to 'I'm the Scatman', Pinkie soon joining in.

Chrysalis raised an embarrassed hoof. "Er... I'm not sure if I should... I don't want to ruin my mane..."

Pinkie gave her a blank look. "Oh come on. Your mane isn't even made of hair! It won't get ruined."

The swarm queen sighed, before giving a reluctant, "fine..."

"I hear you all ask 'bout the meaning of scat.

Well I'm the professor and all I can tell you is

While you're still sleepin' the saints are still weepin' cause

Things you call dead haven't yet had the chance to be born."

And the four proceeded with their shenanigans all the way through the spacetime continuum.

Across the void between universes, on a planet so distant from Equestria a mind below a god could never hope to fathom it, a small, green, antennae-bound alien sat within a padded pod, deep below the surface of the planet he was sent to 'conquer', the underground area of his hidden base. His red bug-like eyes gazed menacingly upon a number of viewscreens, one of them showing three ponies and their changeling 'friend' as they continued their debauchery.

"Look at them..." the alien growled, "Thinking they're actually becoming friends with that changeling." He let loose a slight chuckle. "Fraternizing with your enemy so they don't know that you're using them! Genius, but not genius enough for me! ZIM SEES THROUGH YOUR PLOY, CHRYSALIS!" With that, he leaned over towards the entrance of the pod and called, "GIR!"

A small, metallic robot rolled into the pod and took a seat aside his master, his eyes glowing red. "Yes, my master!?" he said, throwing him a quick salute.

"Take a look at these screens.. what do you see?"

With that, the little droid cocked his head, his eyes turning blue. "I sees three cute little ponies and a big black buggy thing with holes in her hooves!" he chirped.

"Yeees... and do you know who that insectoid is?"

"Yes!" the insane droid said. "Wait a minute... no."

The alien let loose a sigh. "She's the current host of IGOM... and the leader of an entire people with holes in their hooves... they actually feed upon the sickening emotion the filthy humans call 'love.'"

"Dawwww, are we gonna go meet em' soon?"

The alien let loose a cackle. "Yes, very soon," he said, twiddling his fingers. "However, before I do... I want to give our host a little gift."

With that, the alien gestured for Gir to follow him, and they made haste into a large laboratory of a room, bubbling vats of green chemicals lining the walls. In the center of it was a menacing mechanical beast hovering about two feet above the ground, two turrets sticking out of its front.

"The nanoprobes I sent to infiltrate her dimension have revealed some interesting intelligence that could come to my benefit," Zim explained. "Luckily, sending inorganic matter across the void to their world is possible for the moment... such as this droid." He then grinned wickedly. "Imagine it, Gir, imagine if I were to do the swarm queen a favor..."

"Is it gonna to make em waffles?!" Gir said, his droid eyes somehow widening in glee as he gazed upon the machine.

Zim smirked. "I'm afraid it has more... tactical purposes." With that, the invader pulled out a small datapad. "This hunter-destroyer is just another tribute to my genius. It's equipped with shields that should be able to resist most of their pathetic little arcane magics, and with laser weaponry that can punch through solid steel..."

"So... no waffles?" Gir said, frowning.

The alien shook his head. "No Gir, no waffles. It's meant to turn the swarm queen's enemies, the Equestrians, into glue." His eyes then narrowed. "You know, even if I didn't want to impress Chrysalis, I might have just sent the drone anyway. They're almost worse than the humans, Gir, those little ponies; so filled with joy and happiness... it makes me sick."

"Isn't joy and happiness the same thing?" the robot said, cocking his head slightly to the side.

"SILENCE!" Zim bellowed. "They're almost perfect test subjects for this! Primitive... weak... unsuspecting." He then shook his head, throwing away his previous line of thought. "Anyway, once it causes enough devastation, she'll be able to move in and make their entire nation her feeding grounds! She'll suck them dry of their precious love!"

With that, the little robot's eyes turned red once again. "Sir, this SIR would like to ask why you see fit to help alien scum in their personal matters?"

"Because Gir," Zim scoffed. "The host of IGOM is the only one who can give someone the ultimate medal of the entire celebration, the Mastermind award. Helping her out is a sure-fire way to get it! I WILL BE THE KING OF IGOM, GIR, THE KING OF THE ENTIRE MULTIVERSE! BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Zim then let out a cough, a second of silence following.

"Can I still hug the little ponies?"

"NO, GIR! WE WILL DESTROY THE LITTLE PONIES," the alien roared. With that, his black, gloved finger began to tap upon his datapad, the hunter-destroyer whirring to life. "The Tallests themselves are going to be at IGOM... and if I were to be given that award..." His eyes then began to actually water. "They would finally have to acknowledge what they've never said out loud; that I am the greatest invader in the Irken Empire!"

"Dawww, I'm sure they loves you, master! They gave you this mission after all."

"Yes," the alien sighed. "But they never seem to acknowledge my greatness enough for my tastes." He then walked over towards the machine and ran an affectionate hand across its smooth, black surface. "Alright my precious; it's time to hunt down some Elements."

Through the Looking Glass

Invader Zim paced nervously in front of a computer console within his lab, glancing at it occasionally with anticipation.

"Grrrr, HURRY UP!" he barked, gripping the machine and shaking it.

With that, his faithful android assistant bounced into the scene. "Watcha waitin for master?"

"I'm waiting for the Nameless Men to give me the green light to send our friend across the void," Zim growled, glancing at the black, hovering, beetle-like droid floating a bit away from him, before kicking his computer in frustration. "I hate it!"

"Dawww, what'd the computer do?"

"Not the computer, Gir, just the fact that even the mighty Irkens have to obey their rules! IT'S UNNATURAL, GIR. UNNATURAL!" He turned back towards the computer monitor again, his eye twitching. "HURRY UP YOU ANNOYING EXTRADIMENSIONAL-"

"Sir, incoming extradimensional message!" the deep, synthetic voice of his base's computer announced.

"Finally!" he sighed, glancing at the monitor again as a bit of blue text popped up upon it.

We have received your payment. You are clear to send one, and only one Type-23 droid through to Dimension 65-12.

"YEEEEEES!" Zim grinned, before turning towards his hunter-destroyer droid.

"Wait! There's more!" Gir said, pointing towards the monitor.

"Bah, I'm sure it's nothing important! Let's get this equine-slaughtering show on the road, shall we?"

With that, the alien marched towards his droid, ignoring the last bit of words that had appeared on screen:

However, prepare for unforeseen consequences.

As the message winked off, the alien neared his destination.

"Alright, droid, what is your designation?" Zim asked it.

"Nomad-1" a synthetic, distorted, and deep voice announced.

The green alien gave a smile. "And who is your master?"

"Invader 242 - Zim"

"Oooh! Oooh!" Gir beamed. "And what is your favorite color?"

"What?"

Zim gave a sigh. "Gir, this isn't necessary..."

"Mine's blue! I like blue! What's yours?!"

The machine gave a moment of thought. "Mmmm... green I guess."

"Gir, get out of here!" Zim growled, the little robot giggling and scurrying away. Taking a deep breath, he then turned back towards the machine. "Now, what is your mission, Nomad-1?"

"Neutralize the Elements of Harmony. Draw attention to myself from Equestria's military. Neutralize as many soldiers as possible. Self-destruct."

The invader smirked at that. "Mmmm yes, quite simple isn't it? Simple but effective..."

With that, the droid let loose a slight cough, Zim's eyes narrowing at it.

"What is it?"

"I would just like to give a protest to the unethical implications of my orders..."

At that, the invader nearly had a heart attack. "Protest?! There is no protesting! I AM ZIM, YOUR MASTER! You will obey every order of mine to the letter! Is that clear?!"

"If you didn't want me to protest, then you shouldn't have given me a stolen Volian AI chip," the machine argued.

"SILENCE!" the diminutive maniac roared. "I knew using that chip was a mistake! And unfortunately, one I don't have time to rectify!" He then let loose an evil chuckle. "No wonder the armada tore through the Volians so quickly, they actually wasted time giving their machine slaves a conscience!"

"It's also the reason why they never had an artificial intelligence uprising on their world."

"I don't want to hear your pathetic peace-loving dribble!" Zim growled. "Will you carry out my orders or not?!"

"I will obey."

The invader let loose a horrific cackle. "Excellent! EXCELLENT! THIS SHALL BE MY FINEST HOUR!" With that, he gazed towards nothing in particular. "COMPUTER! Begin tunneling through to their rainbow-loving little nation. It's time to give them a taste of their doomed futures! BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

Across the void, and deep below Canterlot, a single, light blue coated unicorn's eyes widened as if he had been startled out of a deep meditation. At that, a sunglasses sporting pegasus rushed into the cold, gray room he was in.

"Captain, did you sense something?"

"Yeah," he gasped, his heart racing. "Two fluctuations in spacetime."

The pegasus squinted in curiosity. "Was it the Doctor again?"

The Captain shook his head, taking deep breaths. "Yes... and no. One was the TARDIS, I know that for a fact... but the other... was something else." His eyes narrowed. "Something's trying to come through our gates."

"Any idea what it is?" The pegasus asked.

"No," the Captain stated. "All I know is... it just feels wrong." He then glanced away from her. "And both fluctuations are near Ponyville..."

The pegasus chuckled. "That small little town truly is truly becoming the epicenter of the world, isn't it? I wonder if five years ago they expected to become such a large dot on the map? First, the Elements make it their home, and then the Doctor... what next?"

With that, the Captain finished composing himself. "Well, only one way to find out. Let's roll out the welcoming mat... if whatever it is is friendly."

"I'll notify the princess of this new finding," the pegasus nodded.

The Captain smiled slightly. "Oh, I'm sure she senses it too, though let her know we're taking action. The last thing I want is to be chewed out again by Princess Luna because we went over her sister's head. My ears are still ringing from the last time..."

The pegasus gave a smirk. "You've got it, Jack."

The annoying, mechanical whir that the TARDIS emitted when it first took off sounded again, Chrysalis wincing slightly as it pierced her ears.

"And here we are, kids!" the Doctor beamed, pulling a few levers and toggling a switch or too at the control console, though 'I'm the Scatman' still blazed. "Sweet home, Ponyville."

"Any idea where we landed this time, Doctor?" Ditzy asked.

"Mmmm, probably one of the usual spots."

The derpy-eyed mare gave a sigh. "I just hope we haven't wound up inside Twilight's-"

"Ughhh.... Twilight! The Doctor landed in the basement again! And he's got someone called 'The Scatman' aboard," a certain prepubescent voice called.

"Seriously?! That's the third time this month!" another fainter voice yelled.

The three companions of the time lord gave him a look, him simpering before giving a stern cough. "Well, don't blame me! The TARDIS literally has a mind of its own sometimes!"

"That's alright, Doctor! Now we can have Twilight and Chryssy become super-awesome friends right away! Right, Chryssy?!" Pinkie bounced in joy.

With that, she turned towards the Queen of the Swarm, her grinning sheepishly. She was in one of her oldest disguises, that being Solar Flare, a striking yellow unicorn who naturally had a fireball for a cutie-mark.

Pinkie was not amused.

"Oh come on, Chryssy! The Doctor and I can totally convince her you're not a bad changeling!"

The swarm queen glanced away from her. "He was right, though. She might think I mind controlled the three of you."

"Maybe we can find out if she has a spell or something for detecting that before we reveal who Chrysalis truly is?" the Doctor suggested.

"Yeah, that might work!" Pinkie bounced.

Chrysalis gave a sigh. "Yeah, but still... even if you two manage to convince her that I'm not twirling any mustache, she still might have a pretty big grudge against me..."

With that, a knock came upon the TARDIS' door.

"Doctor! Open up!" an agitated purple unicorn growled.

"I really hope we didn't smash any of Twilight's experiments this time," Ditzy gulped.

Ignoring the comment, the Doctor turned towards Chrysalis. "The worst case scenario is that she'll refuse to help, I believe."

"Yeah, I don't think she'll go all Night Templar on us and summon the princess or anything," Ditzy stated.

Chrysalis took a second to ponder that. "Mmm... I don't think having Celestia around would be that big of a problem, anyway," she said. "As long as she doesn't summon Blueblood or a guard, I should be alright."

"Well come on then, I can't wait to show her around your islands! I'm sure she's going to be a big help!" Pinkie beamed.

"You want me to help her?!" Twilight practically spat, glaring daggers at Chrysalis, now in her true form, as her, Spike, and the TARDIS' occupiers stood about its exterior.

"Hehe! Good one, Pinkie!" Spike chuckled nervously before inching over towards Chrysalis. "I bet this is some sort of hologram or something... you know, like in Mare Wars, right Doctor?"

He then proceeded to prod her, only to scurry back in horror as Chrysalis shot him a look.

"Orrr... maybe not..." he simpered, sweat-dropping.

The Doctor held up a hoof. "Now, I know it may seem a bit..."

He squinted in thought.

"Out of left field?" Ditzy suggested.

"Yes!" the Doctor said, smiling towards his assistant. "But I assure you the changelings aren't how they're presented by your government at the moment."

"Oh, I know that," Twilight exclaimed, though still with glaring eyes.

"You do?" the entire group gasped.

"Mhmmm..." Twilight nodded. "I had a very long talk with Princess Celestia after the Canterlot incident. She told me all about the changelings and their history. They're probably the most misunderstood species there are."

"So... why don't you two shake hooves and make up then?" Pinkie asked.

"Because," Twilight said, giving her a look before turning her spite back towards the swarm queen. "Do you ponies have any idea what she almost made me do!?"

"What was that?" the Doctor said suspiciously.

Twilight took a deep breath before whispering, "I almost took a life because of her..."

"What?!" the entire group said, turning wary eyes upon the swarm queen.

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "When she transported me to the crystal cave, she began to mock me. She wouldn't stop until she made me angry enough to start shooting at the crystals around me!" Twilight exclaimed. "When I finally found the real Cadence, I almost blasted her into pony dust!" She then growled, and like a tempest she stormed right before the swarm queen, a few tears forming in her eyes. "You almost made me kill somepony, my own foal sitter!"

"I had no idea, Twilight..." Pinkie said, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

"Yeah, she never told us anything about this," Ditzy growled, shooting Chrysalis a look.

The swarm queen took a deep breath, glancing away from Twilight. "I assure you... that was not my intention..."

"Look into my eyes and say that... you... you...!" Twilight gasped, her horn powering up.

"I said... it wasn't my intention!" Chrysalis said, a little more sternly though still glancing away from her.

"LIAR!" Twilight growled, before sending a purple blast the swarm queen's way, sending her flying into the side of the TARDIS.

"Twilight!" Pinkie gasped.

"Stand down!" the Doctor growled.

"Don't do anything you're going to regret!" Spike cried.

Chrysalis let loose a painful groan, trying her best to stand as the sound of menacing hoofsteps approached her. Glancing sideways, the piercing eyes of the purple unicorn glared down upon her.

"You tried to use my brother to take my home!" Twilight roared, sending another blast Chrysalis' way, her collapsing upon the floor once again, pain shooting through her. "You humiliated me! You humiliated my mentor, your mentor!" She fired another purple beam. "And then you tried to... to... I don't even want to say it again!"

Another blast, the shadow of a twitching changeling on the wall as she did so.

"And you laughed while you did it! What do you have to say for yourself?!" Twilight growled.

A few seconds of silence.

"I'm sorry..." Chrysalis finally whimpered, a few tears forming in her eyes as well. This time, she gazed right into Twilight's. "I'm truly sorry.... I didn't mean for that to happen..."

With that, Twilght's eyes widened in horror as she shrank away from the changeling, shivering. "W-What the hell am I doing?" She began shaking her head frantically. "O-Oh my gosh..."

With that, Pinkie leapt over to her side to comfort the mare as Ditzy moved to help the changeling queen up.

"Stunning spells.... I've been hit by worse," Chrysalis grunted, before throwing Twilight a slight, forgiving smile. "I can't say I didn't earn them, though..."

"I-I'm so sorry..." Twilight whimpered. "I-I don't know what came over me."

The Doctor brought a hoof to his chin at that.

"Hmmm," the Doctor said. "I really don't think you did..."

"W-What?" Ditzy puzzled. "What do you mean by that, Doctor?"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "I think there might already be some... outside influence in this dimension. A force of corruption taking hold over it... choking the good out of it any way it can..." With that, he gave Chrysalis a serious gaze. "My offer still stands to let me use the Tiberium."

"I'm not going to let my people die because you have a hunch," Chrysalis growled.

"Uggggh...." the Doctor groaned. "You can't say you don't sense it, too!"

"I trust the Nameless Man to keep us safe," Chrysalis reassured him.

"You place too much trust in a man who may not even be trustworthy!"

"And you place too much trust in assumptions," Chrysalis said. "We're both taking shots into the dark here, dealing with unknowns that even you haven't faced before."

"And sometimes, fear of the unknown can be justified!"

"Uhhh..." Spike said, lifting a claw. "All of this drama over some villain convention?"

"I-I must say, the whole idea is intriguing..." Twilight said, finally finished composing herself for the most part.

The group raised their eyebrows.

"W-Well I mean the idea of the multiverse..." she mused. "I've read up on the theory before... but I never thought it'd be proven true."

"Shame that this isn't the Interdimensional Gathering of Benevolence," Spike smirked. "That way we could at least meet the best the other universes have to offer... instead of the worst. Plus, IGOB just sounds funny."

"Mmmm... if only," the Doctor smiled, a look in his eyes that suggested his mind was wondering into the past. "Maybe I could have brought a few friends from my home dimension...." he sighed, his voice filled with nostalgia.

"Y-You know... with the walls of the universe thinning... you probably could leave, Doctor," Ditzy suggested, her voice shaking.

With that, the Doctor threw her a slight grin, though his eyes still spoke of longing. "Naw, I'm having too much fun here. The humans have gotten enough of my help for the time being."

Ditzy smiled in return.

"Soo... what happens now?" Spike asked.

The group turned towards Twilight, who took a deep breath.

"I-I'm sorry for... stunning you, Queen Chrysalis," Twilight said, her voice shaking. "B-But I'm not sure if I can forgive you that easily... I'm afraid I'm going to have to sit out of this..."

"I understand," Chrysalis sighed.

"Come on, Twilight!" Pinkie pressed. "Once you get to know her-"

"I said no, Pinkie," Twilight growled, before taking a deep, haunted breath. "N-Now, if you'll all excuse me... I'm going to take a very, very long bubble bath."

With that, the lavender unicorn walked solemnly towards the basement stairs and exited the room.

"I uh... better make sure she's alright," Spike said, before turning towards Pinkie. "But uh... you said you needed meat, right? The gryphon trader down the street sells some for the non-ponies in town. Oh, and if you meet up with Vinyl tell her that I'm still on for next Tuesday."

"Thanks, Spike," Pinkie said warmly, though her voice was still laced with disappointment. "You know... if Twilight won't come I bet the rest of my friends won't, either..."

"Well, maybe Rainbow Dash won't," Ditzy pointed out. "But what about the rest of them?"

Pinkie put on a hopeful smile. "Well, no hurt in asking, right?" She then turned towards Ditzy. "Anyway, I think it's probably best that I come with you two when we go try to get Vinyl and Octavia."

"Sounds good to me," Ditzy shrugged.

At that, Chrysalis morphed back into Solar Flare. "Yeah, not looking forward to being lynched," she sighed.

The pony trio rolled their eyes. "Nopony in Ponyville would lynch you."

"Alright, alright..." Chrysalis chuckled. "Still, I'd be more comfortable talking with them like this."

With that, the three made their way towards the basement's stairs before entering the library's common room, the swarm queen glancing about in awe at the massive amount of books lining the shelves that circled her.

"Wow..."

The Doctor gazed at her curiously. "First time in a library? I know changelings don't do much reading."

Chrysalis smirked. "Caught me red-hoofed." She then gave the pony trio a serious look. "You three... don't holding anything against me, right?" she sighed. "I know I hurt Twilight, but I truly didn't mean to make her almost..." She swallowed hard. "Some part of me just felt like gloating... I don't know why."

"I forgive you, Chryssy...." Pinkie said, though her voice sounded a slight bit insincere.

With that, Chrysalis turned away from her as a knock came to the door.

"Can one of you get that?" Spike called from upstairs.

"Righto," the Doctor nodded, quickly turning the handle of it.

Upon Twilight's doorstep stood what appeared to be a government agent of a mare, complete with sunglasses and a fine suit. Next to her stood a stallion who wore more casual wear, a blue, wool longcoat of some kind.

"Hello, Doctor," he said, narrowing his eyes at the brown stallion as he pulled out an identification card. "Captain Jack Harness, Equestrian Special Intelligence Agency. I need to ask you a few questions."

"J-Jack?" the Doctor gasped, the blue stallion raising a curious eyebrow.

"Do I know you?"

The Doctor merely smiled, raising an eyebrow of his own. "And here I thought today was going to be boring!"

The Long Goodbye

"And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too needed ten, then thirty, then a full minute - like shadows lengthening at dusk. Someday, I suppose, the shadows will be swallowed up in darkness." - Haruki Murakami

"Doctor?" Ditzy puzzled. "You know this guy?"

"Yeah, we used to travel together," the Doctor said. "If he's who I think he is."

Jack let loose a chuckle. "Sorry, but unless I was drunk the entire time I'm afraid you've got the wrong pony." He then turned towards Ditzy, giving her a promiscuous smile and winking. "However, I'd definitely make any friend of yours a friend of mine, bubbles. Are you doing anything this evening?"

"Oh uh-" Ditzy simpered, blushing. "I d-don't think so."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh you're definitely Jack. Same longcoat, same voice, same... leisure."

"Will you stop wasting the Captain's time with this nonsense and just answer our questions?!" the sun-glasses pegasus blurted out.

"Not if you're going to talk to him like that he won't," Chrysalis muttered.

The g-mare pegasus gave her a look before opening her mouth as if she were about to retort.

"Easy, there," Jack interrupted, putting a foreleg between the two before gazing back at the Doctor. "Sorry, she's just a bit... xenophobic, and with all she's seen I can't blame her."

She let out a small 'hmph' as if to say, 'you're damned right about that.'

"Mmmm, sounds like Torchwood may have followed you here..." the Doctor grunted.

With that, the Captain's eyes widened, gazing at the Doctor with a haunted expression. "W-What did you just say?"

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow, his expression growing a bit more frustrated. "Oh come on, Jack! You know that I know you were in Torchwood. Is this some sort of act?"

"N-No act," the Captain stuttered. "I just.. never thought I'd hear that word from anypony's mouth."

The group glanced at the time lord curiously as he squinted in confusion, a rarity for him. "We fought the Master together, Jack! The year that never was? Doesn't that ring a bell?! Hell, we even saw the twilight of our home universe! And the Daleks... how can you not remember the Daleks?!"

Though it was hard to tell, it almost looked like the Captain had seen a ghost to Chrysalis at that point. "I-I think we need to sit down and have a cup of coffee together."

"Oooh! You should totally had to sugarcube corner! We have the best coffee in town!" Pinkie bounced.

The Doctor nodded at that. "Thanks, Pinkie. I think we'll do that." He then gave the group a slight smile. "I'll... be a bit. You all go ahead and do what you need to. I think me and Captain Harkness have a lot to talk about..."

"It's Harness," the Captain corrected.

The Doctor gave him an odd look. "Right... of course it is." He then put on a chipper smile. "Well, come on then. Let's go play the question trading game!"

"Alright Doctor... but I don't have much time to waste," Jack grunted, before letting the Doctor lead him the way, the g-mare pegasus quickly pursuing. At that, the Captain turned about to gaze upon her, simpering slightly. "I kind of want to make this a private affair, no offense."

"Are you sure you want to be left alone with that xeno?" she asked.

"We both know he's not an ordinary one," Jack responded, before letting loose a sigh. "My gut's telling me we can trust him. In the meantime, why don't you scout the area for any unusual activity?"

She gave a sigh before giving a reluctant, "yes, sir."

"Guess I'll see you in a few hours, Doctor?" Ditzy called as the two continued along.

"Right, see you Ditzy! Good luck with Octavia and all of them," the Doctor called as he moved into the afternoon crowd.

"Catch you later, bubbles," the Captain winked.

Chrysalis caught Ditzy making a slight, devious smirk at that.

"Jack..." the Doctor groaned.

"What? Can't I ask somepony out on a date?"

"I know what you're doing though, and... you know what, nevermind," he sighed. "Trying to stop you from flirting is like trying to stop a planet from turning without a graviton generator."

His voice was barely audible now, and a second later, their conversation could no longer be heard. At that, a second of awkward silence passed before 'Solar Flare' opened her mouth:

"Who the hell was that?"

"I'm not sure..." Ditzy said. "He barely talks about his past companions, and I've never heard of Jack Harness-Harkness, bleh, whatever he's called, before." She then shot Chrysalis a grin. "All I know is that he's super hot!" Her grin then turned into a smirk. "Just the pony I need to make the Doctor green."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes.

"Ooh! Maybe he's like an alternate universe pony version of the person he knew or something!" Pinkie suggested.

"That's plausible, but pretty coincidental he'd be so similar..." Chrysalis said. "Then again, what do I know about the multiverse other than that it's filled with monsters?"

"I just hope the Doctor's going to be alright," Ditzy said. "The government's never wanted anything to do with us before, aside from the Princesses, and I've never heard of the Special Equestrian Intelligence Agency... though Captain Harness seems trustworthy enough I suppose."

Chrysalis put on a wary gaze. "I'm sure you'll be a help with the musicians, Ditzy, but Pinkie might be enough to handle them. Are you sure you don't want to keep an eye on him?"

Ditzy gave a smirk. "Naw, the Doctor can handle himself. He's not as crazy as he seems sometimes, even if I've had to pull him out of the fire a few times."

"Well, let's go get us some music then!" Pinkie said, leading them away from Twilight's tree house and beginning to ramble, "wait until you hear Octavia! She can play her cello so beautifully it's just crazy! Sometimes I think she was born with a bow in her hands, but that'd be just silly. How could you be born with something like that?! I bet she could warm the hearts of any of the meanies at the convention, though! Woah! I wonder if any of them actually have icy hearts, like if they're aliens or something! What would happen if our planet is too warm for them!? Oh my gosh, can we get some sort of cooling-"

"Pinkie!" Chrysalis and Ditzy groaned.

"Whoops! Am I rambling again? Darn! I always do that. I don't know why, I guess I just like to speak my mind! Though if I could speak all my thoughts I'd totally have to have some sort of super crazy quick talking superpower..."

As Pinkie rambled on, Chrysalis caught sight of a pegasus mare gazing at the trio from nearby, her eyes a piercing blue. The swarm queen might not have given her a second thought if it wasn't for her unusual hairstyle: long, spiky green locks slightly obscuring her face and roaring down the back of her head. Upon seeing 'Solar Flare' look upon her, the mare scurried off and out of sight.

Upon the stage of Ponyville's concert hall, two mares, a teal unicorn and a brown earth pony, stood tapping into into their mind's inner creative spirits. A lyre's hypnotic strings and a cello's soothing tones were dancing, sometimes together, and sometimes in solo, but never completely overpowering or diminishing the other. They were in a harmony only music could bring.

"Mmmm..." Lyra oozed. "I'm liking this new melody, Octavia. It's so graceful. I feel like I'm dancing inside some great ball room or something..."

Octavia ignored her, her face suggesting she was in another daze, the teal pony giving a sigh at that. This was something she was getting used to, her friend being somewhat... out of it. Still, the brilliance that was Octavia couldn't be squelched by a simple bout of absent-mindedness. She could continue playing onward as if she was fully into it, and with that the teal pony could continue building around her themes and eventually write them down.

After a minute or so though, Lyra gave an annoyed grunt. Unfortunately, after the third time of playing along with Octavia's melody, things were starting to get old.

"Um... Octavia. I think what I've written sounds good enough..." She simpered slightly. "You can stop now...."

The earth pony continued playing.

"Octavia!"

And playing....

"Yoohooo..."

And playing...

"Ludwig Van Neighhoven couldn't write for jack!"

Her bow took a nasty turn, the cello letting out a hideous, deep screech.

"You take that back, Lyra!" Octavia growled.

The teal pony gave a chuckle. "Sorry, but I didn't think there was any other way to snap you out of it."

"Oh... sorry," Octavia said.

Lyra gave her a sympathetic smile. "No sweat," she said. "Want to hear what I wro-?"

The doors of the auditorium suddenly swung open, interrupting Lyra.

"Yo! What's up mother buckers?!" a brash, never shameful voice called from a grinning Vinyl Scratch who quickly made her way to the stage.

"Hey Vinyl!" Lyra beamed.

"Someone's in a good mood," Octavia smirked.

"Heh, well, it's a beautiful day! The sun's out, the birds are chirping..." Her grin turned victorious. "And my band just got their hooves on another blue label! Can you believe that shit?!"

"Woooo yeah!" Lyra cheered. "Did you get the one with Sonic Records?!"

"Hell yeah we did!" Vinyl said, performing what she called a 'flank kick' spell to propel herself into the air and onto the stage. It was something she tended to use at a lot of her shows. "Seriously though, I don't think I would have been able to do it without you two keepin' me sane these last few months. My band's cool to hang out with and all, but those mother buckers have issues..."

"Heh, well congratulations, Vinyl," Octavia said with a warm smile. "Now if only your language was as good as your music."

Vinyl stuck a tongue out. "Old Manehattan habits die hard, yo. I swear, you're like my mother sometimes, Tavi." Octavia rolled her eyes as the rockstar-DJ hybrid turned to Lyra. "So, are you two still workin' on that duet of yours?"

"Yeah!" Lyra beamed. "I think it sounds pretty good, though an outside opinion would be pretty nice. Wanna give it a listen?"

Vinyl shrugged. "Eh, you guys know I'm not much of a classical mare. Don't get me wrong, that shit's tight and all but I don't think I'd be able to judge ya as good as somepony in the know would."

"Just judge it subjectively, Vinyl. Tell us how it makes you feel," Octavia said.

Vinyl gave a chuckle. "Alright, alright. Let's hear a blast from the past, then!"

With that, Lyra and Octavia threw each other confident smirks before starting the first line of their newest piece.

With two cups of coffee, the Doctor and his supposedly former companion made their way and sat down upon a lonely park bench a bit away from Sugarcube Corner, the latter gazing at the former warily.

"Alright Doctor... what exactly do you know about Torchwood?"

The Doctor narrowed a curious eyebrow. "I think the better question is, what do you know about Torchwood?"

Jack gave a sigh. "I know it's something important to me... something from the world I came from, but I can't and never will be able to remember what it is."

The Doctor's curious expression somehow became even more curious. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that... certain things have been lost to me in time... a lot of things."

The Doctor narrowed his eyebrows in concern. "So... you don't even remember who I am?"

Captain Harness glanced away from him at that. "I... thought I didn't, but now that I've started talking to you... I think I may have a bit more in this old head of mine than I give it credit for."

The Doctor nodded. "It's like discovering a toy you had as a child, isn't it? It reminds you of times buried deep within...."

"If I could even remember that..." Jack grunted, his tone becoming a bit more annoyed. "Look, Doctor, if you knew me than you'll know that I have a bit of a... condition."

The Doctor gave another, knowing nod. "You still can't die," he stated. "You can be ripped apart, disintegrated, yet the reaper will never lay a finger on you. You're a fixed point in time."

The Captain's eyes widened in surprise. "S-So, you weren't lying... only my closest friends know about that..."

"Jack," the Doctor sighed. "I was there when it happened to you. Do you remember anyone from our home universe at all?"

"I-I remember a name..." He squinted in thought. "Rose, I think. She was very important to me."

The Doctor smiled warmly. "Well, if there's anyone to remember it'd be her." He then gave Captain Harkness a serious expression. "Do you know how long you've been on this world?"

Captain Harness took a deep breath, glancing about a second as if to check if anypony was nearby before answering, "over two thousand years..."

"That would explain it," the Doctor sighed. "You have a mortal mind in an immortal man's body. It wasn't built for that..."

Jack took another deep, haunted breath. "It's something I realized a long time ago, over fifteen hundred years, I believe. The mind can only house so many memories, I'm sure you know, and eventually, no matter how hard I tried, the old ones were replaced by new ones. Over time, faces became blurred and lost their names, and names became just words. I can't even remember my own father's anymore... if I even had a father."

"You had a father, Jack," the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes. "And he loved you."

Jack gave a shiver at that, his voice growing more and more emotional. "You'd think immortality would be a land of infinite horizons, and though that's true, the darkness is always nipping at your heels."

The Doctor looked away from him in guilt. "I wish I could have helped you, Jack... but there's nothing anyone or anypony can do."

"I-I know..." Jack sighed. "Well... since we apparently know each other. Would you mind if I asked you a question or two now?"

"Ask away," the Doctor said warmly.

"Over two hundred years ago I finally learned a spell that was able to put me in a deep state of meditation. One that could put me in touch with the very fibers of the universe."

"Mmmm, you lucky duck, you. I wish I had gotten a unicorn body," the Doctor said enviously.

"Anyway, I've detected a fluctuation in spacetime nearby here, though I can't pinpoint its location." He gave the Doctor a stern look. "You seem to always be around when there's interdimensional trouble. When those humanoid machines attacked, the Slendermare incident, and well, you know the rest. Can you tell me anything about what this might be?"

The Doctor shook his head sorrowfully. "I'm sorry Jack, but I'm here on other business."

"Great..." Captain Harness groaned. "So we're gazing into the dark yet again."

The Doctor gave a sigh. "If you don't mind me asking. How and why are you working for the Equestrian government?"

"I don't really have time for stories, Doc," Jack grunted.

"Come on..." the Doctor pressed. "Maybe telling them will help you remember a bit more, uncover more of those fossils. What else are you going to do while you wait for whatever it is to rear its head?"

"Heh... good point I guess," he said. "If you want to know, I suppose I could tell you." He lifted a hoof. "I remember a few things from my early days on this world, when Discord still had his Chaos Empire in full swing... though I had to have Princess Celestia's help for that." He smiled slightly. "I suppose you can say that my motivation for helping it, and its greatest country, is because of how truly beautiful the two are in the end, and what abstract horrors can threaten it." His eyes narrowed narrowed. "Because I remember just how the two walking goddesses that rule this country came into being."

Come Together

"Come together, right now! Over me!"

"Alright, so let me get this straight, Pinkie," an utterly baffled Vinyl Scratch spoke as she stood upon the stage of Ponyville concert hall along with Ditzy, Octavia, 'Solar Flare', and Lyra. "You want us to travel one hundred fifty miles away to the changeling hive to play for a bunch of super villains who aren't even from this universe?!"

"Yep!" Pinkie said, bouncing.

Vinyl put on an epic grin. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FRIGGIN AWESOME THAT SOUNDS?!"

Octavia and Lyra raised their eyebrows. "Well uh, the idea does seem interesting..." the former said.

"And you say we'll be safe and everything? And that it'll help the poor changelings?" Lyra said.

"They're bringing in this huge starship thingy for security!" Pinkie said.

"And yes, it would. But why would you help us, though?" Solar Flare asked suspiciously.

With that, Lyra smiled and pointed to a small pin she was wearing that said: 'Stop the hate! Start the love! Feed a changeling today!'"

Solar Flare's eyes widened at that. "Y-You're a changeling supporter?"

"Yeah!" she beamed. "Fluttershy actually started a movement after Twilight held a meeting to try to rid the town of some of its paranoia."

Solar Flare put on a warm smile. "She really is a friend to all living things."

Pinkie gave a devious smirk. "Also, Lyra, I hear there might be elves coming."

A more manic, obsessive grin couldn't come upon a pony's face at that. "Did you just say ELVES?!" she squealed. "THAT'S IT! I AM SO IN!" She then turned towards Octavia. "What about you, Octy!? Come on, if a bunch of villains like our duet then anypony would! And think of the money the queen is offering! You could buy twenty new cellos if you wanted!"

"Mmmm, I'm still not so sure about this..." she said, turning towards Solar Flare. "As the Queen of the Changelings, you're sure we'll be protected?"

"You have my guarantee."

Octavia brought a hoof to her chin, putting in a few moments of thought. "Well, only one last question then."

Chryalis raised an eyebrow. "Shoot."

She put on a smirk. "How are the acoustics in the hall you want us playing in?"

Chrysalis gave a smile. "I actually have to grow it still, so you can help me customize it. I was originally going to have you just play the bar, but you all seem so good we could probably actually get away with making it a feature. That means a concert hall is in order."

"Well, this sounds cool as shit!" Vinyl grinned. "How are we getting there, though?"

"A friend of Pinkie's has a mode of transportation that's pretty... spacious actually. If you all could round up whatever and whoever you need and bring them here around six, we'll give you a lift."

"Sounds good to me," Vinyl said. "Might as well get used to the place. It starts in four days right?"

"You've got it!" Pinkie beamed.

"Bon Bon will probably like getting the house to herself," Lyra smirked. "I'll be there."

Octavia gave a slight sigh. "Well, I have a bit of business to take care of but I think I can make it."

Chrysalis gave a thankful nod at that. "Alright, well thanks for hearing us out and not summoning a guard or something like that."

"Yeah, I can't wait to hear your new stuff, Vinyl!" Pinkie called, as her, Chrysalis, and Ditzy made their way to the theater exit before making their leave.

"So, we're the best thing that Equestria has to offer," Octavia chuckled. "Those villains are definitely going to be disappointed."

"Alrighty! Next up is food and stuff!" Pinkie bounced.

"Lead the way, kid," Chrysalis smiled. "That actually went a lot better than expected."

"I had an idea on how we could get the furniture and other stuff we need, too," Ditzy said. "We just need to get Princess Luna to place an order for a ton of it for the palace; she can say they're redecorating it or something."

"Mmmm, hopefully it'll get there in time though," Chrysalis said.

Ditzy shook her head. "I'm sure it will, all they'd have to do is load it up from some warehouse and have it transported via airship. Those things can move pretty quickly." She then smiled slightly. "Maybe we could actually buy the airship if you have enough gold and transport it directly to the islands, or do some sort of under the counter deal if they're willing to go there. It'd be better than us having to load it all up in the TARDIS."

Chrysalis nodded. "Yeah that could work." She then turned towards Pinkie. "You made a list of everything we need, right?"

"Yep!" the Pink mare bounced. "Everything needed for one hundred and seventy two quarters, a bar slash dance club, a restaurant, a presentation room, a meeting room, and a concert hall."

"Nice," Chrysalis said.."Well, alright. I'll go start buying the food we'll need; just give me the list. Ditzy, you go round up the Doctor and have him move the TARDIS to the concert hall, and Pinkie-"

"Yeah?"

She gave a smile. "See if the rest of your friends are willing to come and help. I know I said that'd be bad for them to exposed to all these... these people, but I wouldn't want you to be exposed to them either, at least not without a little support."

"You got it, Chryssy! Go team IGOM!" Pinkie beamed, before bouncing away.

Ditzy gave Chrysalis a curious expression. "You know, even if we can get all the cooking equipment Pinkie's calling for, who's going to use it?"

Chrysalis gave a slight smile. "Leave that to me."

The derpy-eye mare nodded. "Well, guess I'll go and see if the Doctor's done talking with that Jack guy."

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"I remember a few things from when I first came here," Jack said. "Like being appalled by Discord and his Chaos Empire, the whole notion of it. You see, the ponies who weren't being treated as personal playthings to him were being subjugated to these stringent, insane laws enforced by this legion he had mind controlled under him. I remember one where it was something like sneezing when the moon was at full was warrant to immediate arrest and a punishment where you'd be forced to jump off a building in front of your townsfolk."

"Mmm... glad that area of history is time locked. It's the last thing I'd want to see," the Doctor said, his eyes narrowing in spite.

"Yeah, and I couldn't stand to see it myself, so I eventually started up a resistance movement with our plan being to try to liberate as many border towns as we could from the Chaos Legion. At first, we were a small group, but we quickly grew in numbers. Having a leader who couldn't be offed helped a bit with that."

Wielding a crossbow, Captain Harness crept through a thick of brush on the outskirts of a small, mountain village, keeping a careful eye on the sun's position as it lowered towards a distant mountain.

"Almost there," a resistance fighter nearby whispered.

"Just keep it steady, Plumdrop," Jack said, before letting out a small laugh. "Heh, sorry, I'm just never going to get used to these names."

Plumdrop rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and what kind of name is Harkness, anyway?"

"A cool one, now shush!"

At that, the sun touched the top of the mountain's peak in the distance.

"Alright, go time!"

At that, him and one hundred other resistance fighters moved quietly out of the forests surrounding the village, took aim at every Chaos Guard in sight, and simultaneously dropped every target before they knew what hit them.

"Don't get cocky, people. There might be more in the barracks and public buildings, start clearing!" Jack called.

"Leave it to you to start up a merry band of rebels," the Doctor said. "Though weren't you afraid that Discord might come down hard on the villages you liberated, or even threaten to kill off ponies for the soldiers he lost in order to get you to stop?"

Jack nodded. "At first, though that didn't last long when we realized Discord really didn't give that much of a crap about the frontier. He had the whole of Equestria under his thumb, including Canterlot, a city of tens of thousands... or was it just thousands? I can't really remember..."

"For something that happened two thousand years ago, and for a man with memory problems, you're still recalling this pretty well," the Doctor said, smiling warmly.

"Actually, most of it's not from memory, or at least not directly from it," Captain Harness said. "One of the resistance fighters, Plumdrop actually, wrote one of the first post-Imperial books, all about the resistance war. I'm uh... mentioned a lot in it... in detail. Let's just say we were... close, and he liked to write about our relationship... a lot," he said, grinning. "Unfortunately though, many believe that it's actually a book of fiction now, can you believe it?"

"A pony who can't die from another dimension helps start a resistance movement to overthrow a tyrannical empire. Nope, totally believable," the Doctor said.

"I know, right!" Jack chuckled. "But yeah, eventually we did attract attention, though it wasn't from Discord."

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"Alright... time to get started," Chrysalis said, gazing at the food list Pinkie had written that contained nearly fifty different items. "Wow... this is going to take a bit. And what the hell is alfalfa?" She then gazed up, noticing she was nearing the town's market district, it being filled with rows upon rows of street vendors.

"Howdy pardner!" a certain orange pony called from a nearby stand, the Element of Honesty. "Need anything apple related?"

"Yeah, actually," Chrysalis said, giving her a slight smile. "Let's see.." She gazed upon her list. "Well, it seems I just need one. A red delicious, please."

"Here ya go!" Applejack smiled, before picking out a large, plump apple and handing it to the swarm queen. At that, she smiled before placing it into a wagon she was dragging behind her. "That'll be one bit."

Chrysalis simpered slightly. She really didn't have any 'bits' on her, just a massive amount of much older Equestrian gold pieces she had intended to use for trade long ago. "Uhhh, here you go," she said, levitating one out of a saddle bag she had holstered.

Applejack gave a chuckle. "Darlin, that's worth about twenty bits if that's what I think it is."

"It's a 1223 dubloon," Chrysalis stated.

"Heh. Did you just walk out of pirate times or somethin'?" Applejack grinned. "Sorry, bad joke, but those things are solid gold!"

Chrysalis gave a smile, shaking her head slightly at her own ineptitude. "Eh, you know what? You can have it. Don't worry about the change."

The farm pony's eyes widened at that. "Are ya sure?"

"Yeah, consider it a gift," the swarm queen said.

It was the least she could do after all the trouble she had caused her and her friends.

"I wonder how Pinkie's doing with the rest of them at the moment," she then muttered to herself.

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"Oh come on, Fluttershy!" Pinkie pressed, standing at the front door of the shy pony's cottage. "You're leading a changeling support group, aren't you?"

"Yes...." Fluttershy squeaked. "They're a good people, but they have a bad ruler..."

"Chrysalis isn't evil," Pinkie grunted. "I don't know why she was acting the way she was during the whole Canterlot thing but she's much different than what she let on."

"I-I still don't know... what could I even do to help?" Fluttershy asked.

"You could help me set up stuff and be moral support! And hey, maybe hanging out in the changeling hive for a bit will give you a perspective you could use to further your changeling promotion thingy!"

The shy pony narrowed her eyebrows in thought at that before putting on a light smile. "Well... me and Twilight were going to hold a rally in Canterlot in a week or so... and you say this whole event will give the poor things something to eat?"

Pinkie nodded frantically, now sure she was finally starting to get through to her soul-companion. "Yep! She's going to get this Philosopher's Stone thingy that'll give them all the food they need!"

"Well... OK... I'll think about it," Fluttershy said.

A certain spiky-green haired mare cackled at that, observing the two from a distance away.

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"Hmmm, well the idea does seem intriguing, dear," Rarity said. "I was wondering where you were the past day or so. This town isn't the same without your lovely evening parties."

"So, you'll come and help? Your eye for detail would be super awesome to have around!"

"Well hold on... are you absolutely sure that Queen Chrysalis isn't as bad as she seemed to be?"

"Positive!" Pinkie beamed. "We totally had a heart to heart when we were travelling to her hive. I know there's a lot of good in her. She even stayed and helped me and Princess Luna out when we were attacked by a bunch of Astral Wolfies when she could totally have just booked it!"

"Astral Wolves?!" Rarity said, her eyes widening. "My, you have had an interesting last few days, haven't you?" She then brought a hoof to her chin. "You know... with the changelings fed I bet that rat Blueblood won't be able to continue his barbaric anti-changeling campaign...."

"That's what Princess Luna said!"

"And... I bet trade relations could open up if Chrysalis is willing to work with Princess Celestia," Rarity continued dollar signs practically flashing in her eyes. "Do changelings happen to have a sense of fashion?"

"One of Chrysalis' guards did," Pinkie grinned.

"Then it's settled!" Rarity proclaimed. "I shall come with you, dear Pinkie, and show my fashion line off to the changelings while I'm at it!"

"Awesome!" Pinkie grinned, before letting loose a slight sigh. "I just hope Rainbow Dash will be as understanding..."

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"No way in hell," Rainbow Dash grunted, walking alongside Pinkie.

"Oh come on, Dashie! Are you sure?!"

"Yep, sorry Pinkie but that's just not happening. End of story."

And there was no further discussion.

"Mmmm, you're sayin' Chrysalis is walkin' around dressed up as a yellow unicorn with a fireball for a cutie mark?" Applejack questioned at her stand.

"Yeah, but don't tell anypony, it's a secret!" Pinkie whispered.

"Heh, well she actually just gave me a mighty fine donation to the Apple Family cause," she winked, pulling out the 1223 debloom. "I heard a bit of guilt in her voice too, when she gave it to me. I thought it was weird at the time, but now it makes sense. I don't think you're tellin' a tall tale when you say they're on the level, are ya?"

"Nope! The changelings are super cool when you get to know them. They're a lot like ponies only... they're kind of made a little weirdly."

"Mph, well... I guess they're gonna need good cooks for this party," Applejack mused. "You know what? You've got my hoof, Pinkie. Let's make this crazy shindig happen. I owe you for that kickin' party ya gave me for my birthday."

"Yayyyy!" Pinkie beamed. "But uh, do you think you could come with me and Rarity so we can try to convince Rainbow Dash to come?"

Applejack raised her eyebrows. "I dunno Pinkie. Trying to get that mule to budge aint gonna be easy unless you can somehow convince the Wonderbolts to come."

"Well, we might as well give it a shot!"

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"Nope, still not happening," Rainbow Dash growled. "I'm never going to trust Chrysalis. Not now, not ever. Not after how she treated Twilight."

"Come now, darling. Nopony got hurt at that wedding."

"Not physically," she snapped. "Nothing you three can say is going to convince me to come. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got something to do that doesn't involve playing hotel to a bunch of interdimensional dicks."

And she flew off.

"And after that, we pushed towards Canterlot, our army growing in the thousands. We even got a few of the other races to join us. We eventually surrounded the city, and Discord himself came out to face us, tossing about entire divisions with this magic mace of his."

"Why does this sound like a movie I've seen?" the Doctor said.

Jack gave a shrug, before sighing slightly. "I saw a lot of people die during that fight. This one Gryphon, Isildar, son of the Gryphon King, actually picked up his father's sword and sliced off one of Discord's fingers, only to be cut down. It was absolutely brutal. Only when Princess Celestia and Luna used the Elements of Harmony on that bastard did it finally come to the end."

With that, the Doctor took a deep breath. "Jack, if what you're telling me about how Princess Celestia and Luna came into being is true, then I think we're in trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"Because I know why a certain extradimensional entity is hosting a shindig here," the Doctor said, his eyes then narrowing in resolve. "I need to go find one of my friends, to tell her what you've told me!"

"What? What are you talking about? What shindig?!"

"Sorry, Jack! No time! I'll meet up with you in a bit," the Doctor called as he began making his way towards the Ponyville Concert Hall. However, before he went to far, he turned his head and gave Jack one last smile. "I will help you remember, though. I think you have more in you than you think, they're just buried deep inside."

"I'll hold you to it," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Righto!" the Doctor called, before scurrying out of his sight. "Hmph, same ole Jack," the Doctor smiled. "I wonder if he-"

Before the Doctor could finish, a thundercrack sounded from right in the middle of Ponyville, a swirling mass of energy appeared about ten feet above Town Hall. The Doctor stumbled back, his eyes barely adjusting to the light it was giving off. The ponies around him then began to shriek and panic, some ducking into houses, others just trying to get out town.

"It's the end of the world!"

"Save yourselves!"

"No! I'm too young and sexy to die!"

"It's not the bloody end days, people! It's just an interdimensional portal!" the Doctor screamed. "Still, everypony get out of town just in case whatever comes through isn't friendly! Now keep calm and carry on!"

He didn't need to tell the town that twice, for a few seconds later a black, beetle like machine appeared within the swirling mass of energy, it about the size of a horse carriage, with two gun-like appendices' barrels glowing a bright red.

"Attention miserable Equestrian worm-ponies! I AM ZIM! From this day on, your flanks belong to the Irken Empire! PREPARE FOR THE LAST SLEEP YOU'VE EVER... SLEPT!" a built in loud-speaker of some sort announced.

At that, another voice made its presence known, this one a bit more robotic yet high-pitched.

"I'm gonna sing the doom song now:

Doom doom doom doom doom,

Doom doom do DOOM,

DOOOM doom do-doom,

DOOM do-doom doom doooom,

doom doom dooom, do-do-DOOOM!"

"GIR! Get away from the microphone!"

"IT'S OVER! IT'S ALL OVER!" Somepony cried.

"Get to the Everfree Forest! We'll be safe there!"

"Oh bloody hell!" the Doctor cried. "This whole dimension is going mad! You know, I might as well say it: 'How could things get worse?''"

And then things got worse.

"Hello, Doctor," a pony with green, long, spiky locks for hair grinned, marching in front of the time lord and disregarding the chaos around ~~her~~ him. "Seems we need to have a little talk. And what a better time than now?"

"And just who are you?" the Doctor growled.

The grin turned into a sneer. "I'm Envy the Jealous, and you've just said your last goodbye."

Helter Skelter

Also Known As: The Power of the LoLs

"Residents of Ponyville. I am known as Nomad-1. Your cooperation is imperative to your safety. Bring forth the Elements of Harmony and no civilians will be harmed," a low, robotic drone of a voice stated.

With that, a few denizens of Ponyville actually paused in their panic, seemingly contemplating the subject over. Eventually, a single voice spoke up, it belonging to Scootaloo:

"Elements? What Elements? No Elements here unless you count the weather."

"Yeah! The Elements you're looking for must be... east of here!" Sweetie-Belle called.

"Feigning cognitive ineptitude will not save you. Intelligence reports indicate the Elements are located in this town. I do not wish to bring harm to it, but I will if given no other option."

"Oh look at that, a droid with a conscience," Envy cackled, before grinning back towards the Doctor and spitting, "pathetic."

"I take it its not a friend of yours?" the Doctor glared.

"Nope, I have no idea who this Zim guy is, if he's the one who sent that rust bucket. I'll have to remember to thank him, though, because that idiot ripped open a pretty big hole in this universe. It allowed me to come through to keep an eye on you."

The Doctor gazed at him suspiciously. "And I wonder who sent you?"

"Take a guess, genius," Envy said, grinning wickedly. "Now, let's have a private moment together, shall we? I have a few regards to send from Him."

The unicorn's horn quickly charged up, and with a flash both him and the time lord were gone.

"DOCTOR!" Ditzy screeched, flying into the scene, only to realize it was too late. She fluttered to the ground, panting before her attention was trained on the droid, her and the rest of the town waiting for it to make its move.

"If you want the Elements, you're going to have to get through us!" Applebloom called, the three crusaders forming a line in front of town hall and glaring up at the machine.

"Yeah, you're not going to touch a hair on their manes!" Scootaloo growled.

Sweetie-Belle gave a grin. "You know what this calls for, right girls?"

"Yeah!" Applebloom beamed.

"CUTIE-MARK CRUSADER ROBO-ROCKERS!"

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"Gah! Their cuteness is making my squeedly-spooch rupture!" Zim said, his eye twitching as he gazed upon a monitor showing the scene. "Nomad-1, destroy them! Make them an example to the rest of the town of what happens when you oppose ZIM!"

"Error. Order contradicts ethical program Delta-5."

"I'm overriding those initiatives," Zim growled. "NOW GLASS THEM ALREADY!"

"Dawww, but they are so cute!" Gir bounced. "I just wants to hug them!"

"Their cuteness is nothing more than an evolutionary trait that gives them an edge over their adversaries. DON'T GIVE HEED TO IT!"

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"Cutie-Mark Crusaders. I have been given orders to eliminate you. I am equipped with dual Tharix-Class laser cannons. You will not survive a hit from them. You have ten seconds to vacate the area."

"Not happening!" Scootaloo said with a tiny growl, entering a combat pose.

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"I NEVER SAID GIVE THEM A TEN SECOND WARNING," Zim roared.

"You never said not to."

"GRRRRRR-AHHHHHH!" the alien shouted, a vein in his forehead throbbing as he pounded upon his computer's keyboard. "That's it! From now on, you will give NO MORE WARNINGS. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

Zim then gave a sigh. "You're really taking the FUN out of FUMIGATING, YOU KNOW!"

"Your grievance has been logged."

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At that, the droid's cannons began to hum, wisps of light dancing about their barrels. The Crusader's eyes widened in horror at that, the three huddling close together.

"I think we bit off more than we can chew this time," Applebloom gulped.

"Ya think?" Sweetie-Belle squeaked.

Two beams of light blasted forth from the weapons, the three Crusaders letting out a ear-piercing screams as they clung tight to each other, waiting for the end. A second later, they disappeared, a crater in the ground remaining of where they once were. However, there was something else in their place as well, a rainbow-colored streak of light.

"You kids alright?" Rainbow Dash gasped, the three crusaders clinging to her tight as she flew towards the outskirts of the town.

"Y-Yes," Sweetie-Belle squeaked, a few tears forming in her eyes.

Rainbow Dash gave her a slight smile. "That was very brave of you three, though next time just let my friends handle ourselves on our own, OK?"

"W-Will do, Rainbow," Scootaloo stuttered.

At that, Rainbow dropped them off, and the six Elements taking up position near the town hall with Solar Flare watching nearby, Captain Harness and the g-mare quickly moving up next to her.

"Damnit! So it was hostile after all..." Jack growled.

"We've taken down bigger fish than that, before," the g-mare said confidently, lifting her sunglasses to get a better look at her newest target.

"Yeah, well don't get cocky. We've never seen anything like this," the Captain said warily. He then turned towards Solar Flare. "What are you doing just standing here, anyway? And where's the Doctor!?"

"I'm not sure," Chrysalis gulped. "I haven't seen him since he left with-"

"Captain Harness!" Ditzy shrieked, quickly galloping up to the trio.

"Bubbles?! You need to get out of here!"

She shook her head. "It's the Doctor! Somepony just Doctor-napped him!"

"What?!"

She opened her mouth to say something else, but at that moment Rainbow Dash spoke up:

"Alright Zim, Nomad-1, whoever you are!" she shouted, glaring up at the droid, it still hovering above town hall as she stood upon the ground. "You wanted the Elements? Here we are!"

"Bahahahaha! So you six make up the best Equestria has to offer?! A single Irken ship could take this whole country! THIS WHOLE PLANET!" Zim cackled.

"I'd like to see you try!" Twilight called.

"Oh, I'd definitely like you to, but you won't be around to see that show, unfortunately!" Zim sneered.

"Carrying out orders to neutralize targets," Nomad-1 droned, and curiously, his twin laser barrels were glowing a bit less red hot at this.

"Come on! Let's test this nutjob's metal!" Rainbow Dash grinned.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked, gazing warily up at the droid. "What are we supposed to do against that, though?"

"We kick the crap out of it, that's what!" Dash said.

"We need a plan, though," Twilight said. "We can't fight this thing in town, somepony could be hurt. We'll need to lure it it out."

"How are we going to do that, dear?" Rarity said.

"Hello!" Rainbow Dash smirked. "Fastest mare in Equestria?! I've so got this!"

With that, the rainbow-haired mare streaked up towards the droid.

"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Gonna kick some robo-ass!" she sang, still moving as fast as a bullet as she performed a backwards spin, her hind legs screaming towards one of the droid's turrets-

"AAAAACCKKKK!" She shrieked as she struck an invisible barrier, and as if she had hit a trampoline, she then flew in the opposite direction as fast as she hit it, slamming into the side of Sugarcube Corner and right through the wall.

"Rainbow!" Applejack shrieked, before simpering towards Twilight. "Alright, what's plan B?"

"Working on it," Twilight grunted.

"Well, now that you have a taste of how doomed you are, LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED! Stop stalling, Nomad! Take them out!"

"Complying with orders."

With that, the droid began firing a series of blasts at the five remaining Elements, the quintet shrieking and scattering. The ground glowed a bright red where they struck, no longer forming craters. Eventually, after firing at the five randomly for a bit, it seemed the droid had picked out a target, that being Twilight.

Noticing she was in trouble, the purple mare took deep breaths as she zig-zagged towards a nearby house, the droid lowering itself to the ground at that and hovering to her level.

"Terminating cover," Nomad-1 droned as a missile streaked from a hidden launcher on its back, engulfing the house in flames.

Twilight gasped and twirled about the face the machine, sweat dripping down her forehead. However, at that, her eyes narrowed in resolve as her horn began to gather energy. As she let out a war cry, a piercing beam of purple light shot forth from her forehead only to hit the droid's energy barrier, it flickering a brilliant red.

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"Pathetic," Zim smirked, gazing at the droid's shield readings with satisfaction. "Absolutely pathetic."

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Twilight then began to march towards the droid as its barrels began to charge up for another shot, her determined to pierce its barrier no matter the cost. Despite all her efforts though, nothing could get through it, and within another few seconds, two piercing flashes of light emitted from its guns sending two laser streaks her way-

Only for them to hit a green magic shield that formed around Twilight. The purple's mare's eyes widened as she gazed upon the origin of it.

"C-Chrysalis?!"

The queen stood near her, her horn glowing a bright, brilliant green as she winked down at her former adversary. "Heh, couldn't let a changeling supporter be fried, now could I?"

"This doesn't change anything," Twilight glared.

"Maybe, but I've got a karmic scale to tilt," Chrysalis smiled. "Fate brought me here for a reason, I believe, and here I will make amends."

"Obstruction detected in the way of target. Proceed to another?"

"Negative, Nomad! Send them packing to the next world! Both of them!"

Upon his orders, the droid's cannons charged once again, sending two laser blasts into Chrysalis' shield, her letting out a gasp upon impact, collapsing upon her knees.

"One more hit and this shield is gone!" Chrysalis gasped.

However, at that, a voice called from nearby:

"Hey toaster! How about a taste of your own medicine?"

Streaking through the air with a pair of well-trained pegasus wings, the g-mare twirled, slowed herself, and actually melded through the droid's shields, her holding some sort of black ball with a pin atop of it. At the same time, Pinkie leapt towards it as well, a massive mallet in her hooves.

"Stop! Hammer time!" she grinned, before taking a leap and moving through the shield as well. As the g-mare pulled the pin out of what Chrysalis assumed was an explosive device, Pinkie struck at one of the machine's cannons with a massive CRACK, actually denting it. She then leapt off the droid as the g-mare stuck the black ball on the side of it, leaping off of it as well.

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"BAH! STUPID HOTZONE CLASS SHIELDS! Slow moving objects can pierce them if they aren't given the right attention!" Zim growled.

"Watcha gonna do now, Master?" Gir asked.

"I'm going to make sure that never happens again, that's what! MODULATING SHIELD FREQUENCIES!"

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At that, the black ball detonated, the machine tilting to the side and careening into the ground.

"Error. Starboard anti-gravity device damaged. Releasing nanobot swarm. Commencing automatic repairs," the machine droned as if nothing had even happened.

"A good use of such primitive technology," Zim actually complimented. "Too bad it's never going to work again!"

"Daw, but my hammer demands more blood!" Pinkie grinned, the entire group raising eyebrows at her. "Metaphorically speaking."

"And I've got plenty more sticky grenades where that one came from you xeno piece of-"

"Anti-gravity systems re-enabled," Nomad-1 stated as he began hover off the ground once again. "Shield frequencies adjusted to compensate for previous encounter."

"Uh-oh," Twilight said.

"What does that mean?!" Pinkie gasped. "Stupid technobabble!"

Twilight's eyes widened in horror. "It means don't try that agai-"

She was too late, as at that moment the g-mare, holding another sticky grenade, flew into the air, twirled, and-

"BUUUCK!"

Struck the shield, sending her flying backwards in a similar manner to Rainbow Dash, careening towards the ground and sliding backwards.

"Rid yourself of that annoyance, Nomad," Zim growled.

"Complying."

At that, the twin barrels of the droid charged once again as it began to turn towards the downed mare.

"Hit that thing with everything you've got, Twilight!" Chrysalis shrieked.

"And take this, you ruffian!" Rarity screamed. "I dare say I'm going to be fixing my hair for days thanks to all this running around!"

With a surprisingly skilled feet of telekinesis, Rarity lifted an entire commerce stand and chucked it at the droid. In the meantime, both Chrysalis and Twilight took aim and began sending both green and purple blasts towards the shielded machine. Unfortunately, its barrier merely shrugged the assault off, and its guns were now aiming directly upon the g-mare.

"DON'T YOU DO IT!" Jack screamed, barreling towards his fallen comrade.

However, he was too late. As the g-mare's eyes widened, a pair of laser beams struck her, sending her flying back into a nearby building's wall, electricity dancing through her body as she let loose an eardrum piercing shriek.

"SHADYSTAR!" Jack bellowed, before turning back towards the droid, glaring daggers.

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"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Zim cackled, clicking open a can of soda and taking a deep gulp. "HERE'S TO THE FIRST OF MANY, NOMAD!"

"I fail to see how this is a cause for celebration."

Zim gave the computer a blank look. "You really need to get into the spirit of things, you know that?!"

"Narcissism, egotism, and sadism are not inherent to my programming."

Zim rolled his red eyes. "I'm so glad you're going to be self-destructing soon."

"That makes two of us."

"Whyyyy?!" Gir cried, gazing at the downed g-mare. "Why did you have to kill the poor lil pony?"

"Oh by the Tallests, I'm surrounded!" Zim gasped.

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As Captain Jack narrowed his eyes upon the droid, Ditzy approached him.

"I'm sorry about your friend, Jack, but if you don't act now you're going to lose another," she whispered. "Can you use one of those spells of yours to trace where the Doctor went to? I think whoever took him is going to...." She gulped, a few tears forming in her eyes.

"Not now, Bubbles," Jack said, practically fuming with rage and not even looking at her. "I serve Equestria first, and that means I serve the Elements, not the Doctor. I'm going to scrap this son of a bitch!"

"Target neutralized. Shifting to previous orders: neutralize the Elements of Harmony. Further interference may be met with continued retaliation."

At that, Captain Harness took a deep breath before addressing the remaining combatants. "Alright people, don't ask me how, but I know a few things about advanced shielding technology. They modulate at a specific frequency, but in-atmosphere it's possible to shift that."

"AGH! STUPID TECHNOBABBLE!" Pinkie said, gripping her head as if it were about to explode.

"What are you talking about, Captain?" Chrysalis yelled.

He narrowed his eyes. "We're going to need a really loud sound for about ten seconds!"

With that, a certain slightly-obnoxious mare made her presence known.

"Did somepony say they need something LOUD?!" Vinyl grinned, standing at her door as she began levitating a record player slash speaker combo out of a nearby window.

"EVERYPONY, COVER YOUR EARS!" the voice of Octavia shrieked from inside.

Vinyl then let out a laugh. "TIME TO SUCK ON SOME WUBS, MOTHA BUCKA!"

She activated the player, at which awesome happened:

TROLLLLL, LOL-LOL-LOLLLLL,

LALALAAAA, LAAAA, LA-LA.

OH HAHAHAHAHO, HAHAHAHAHO-HEHE-HO...."

"Damnit! Wrong record! Those aren't wubs..." Vinyl pouted silently to herself.

Ten meters away, Chrysalis gazed upon the droid warily, backing up from it as it turned towards Vinyl's wub machine.

"It knows it's threatened," she whispered inaudibly, covering her ears the best she could.

At that, the shields of the droid began to flicker, Jack's eyes widened, Chrysalis gazing upon him. He opened his mouth to scream an order, but it was incomprehensible. Thinking quickly, he then simply pointed at the droid and charged up his horn, letting loose a beam of energy at the machine. Twilight and the changeling queen followed in his example, letting loose their own barrage of magical energy. Blue, green, and purple trails grazed the air, penetrating the droid's shields and melting its hull after a second or so.

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"NOMAD! TERMINATE THE LOLS! TERMINATE THE LOLS! CLEAN UP THAT NOISE POLLUTION!" Zim shrieked, Gir dancing in the background.

"For once, I happily obey."

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With one quick blast, Vinyl's record player was shattered into a million pieces, sending her flying back through her door. However, the shields of the droid were still flickering.

"Come on folks, turn up the heat!" Jack growled.

"I'm trying the best I can, Captain Harness!" Chrysalis yelled.

"Come on Pinkie! Rarity! For Equestria!" Twilight roared over the send of her screaming horn.

"Don't forget about me," Applejack winked, running up to the scene with Big Mac, the two wielding a pair of pony-fitted blunderbusses. "Come on, Big Mac! Let's show that thing what happens when you mess with a small town!"

"Eeeeeyup!"

BLAM!

CRACK!

The two moved in close and fired near simultaneously, their rounds bouncing off the metal hull of the mechanical beast, denting but not penetrating it.

"Rarity! We need something flammable and a lot of it! Uhhh... lantern oil!" Twilight called.

"One second, dear!"

"Pinkie, reacquaint Nomad-1 with your hammer in the mean time!"

"Yes ma'm General Twilight ma'm!" Pinkie said, sticking her tongue out and giving a small solute as she bounced towards the droid, leapt upon it and sent her hammer of doom down upon the same turret she had dented earlier, now causing it to spark.

"Oh you annoying PINK BOUNCING PONY!" Zim growled. "I'm going to mount your horrible smiling head on my ship!"

At that, Nomad-1 turned to fire upon Pinkie as she scurried away from her hit-and-run attack, her dodging shots with almost supernatural agility.

"Na-nanana, nana, nana, can't touch this!" she sang, sticking her tongue out at the droid. "Na-nanana, nana, nana- EEEP!"

A blast sailed too near her, sending her flying into the air and crashing down a few feet away. The droid charged its barrels again and-

"Forget about somepony, my dear metallic monster?" Rarity smiled as she levitated an entire barrel of lantern oil over the machine and dumped it.

"Light it up!" Chrysalis called towards Applejack and Big Mac.

The two winked towards each other and-

BLAM!

CRACK!

The machine was engulfed in flames, the group watching the fireball in ernest.

"Systems overheating... malfunctions detected... malfunctions detected..." the machine groaned. "I am... sorry... i-it was nothing... ERROR: SYSTEM TWENTY-SIX... it was nothing... ERROR: SYSTEM THIRTY TWO... p-personal."

It crashed to the ground, the entire group gasping for breath and collapsing.

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"GRRRRRAAAHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Zim screeched, pounding upon his computer console again. "CURSE YOU, PONIES! CURSE YOUUUUU!"

"Engaging automatic repairs," the machine stated.

Zim quirked an eyebrow. "Repairs?" He then gave an evil grin. "Ooooh you wonderful machine. I knew you had more in you than that! Hehehehe... HAHAHAHAHA... HAHAHAHAHAHAH-"

TROLLLLL, LOL-LOL-LOLLLLL,

LALALAAAA, LAAAA, LA-LA.

OH HAHAHAHAHO, HAHAHAHAHO-HEHE-HO...."

Gir giggled as he danced to a replay of a recording of the LoLs.

"GIR! TURN THAT OFF!"

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As two of Ponyville's houses danced in flames, and another completely collapsed, Twilight took another deep breath, turning towards Chrysalis. "You could have ran if you wanted, you know..."

The swarm queen gave her a smile. "Wouldn't want you to think I'm a coward, would I?"

The two shared a small laugh before being interrupting by a yawn. Turning, the two gazed upon Spike as he rubbed his eyes, exiting Twilight's still intact treehouse and gazing upon the carnage around him.

"Woah! Did I miss something?"

Author's Note

No, I'm not writing this to get on featured list or anything. (That's just silly.) Hear me out.

So I've read through this story again after about five months. And my lord, it's very, very stupid, but I enjoyed the premise, and I also enjoyed it as a whole. However, a lot of the criticism I got for this fic was indeed true. It was too drawn out, had too many unnecessary characters and chapters, and the humor could have stood some major improvement. It's nowhere near what I'd expect from myself nowdays. And though it was fun featuring Zim doing what Zim does best, his arc wasn't necessary, and having the Doctor (and I am ashamed I represented him as an egomaniac when he's better than that) and especially Captain Jack Harkness in this was not necessary. Even Princess Luna wasn't needed.

Basically, it was a fic I wrote for fun but not a fic I wrote to be good story. And unfortunately, since I'm training myself to become a professional author, that's just not good enough for me anymore.

But like I said, I did like the premise, and the first two chapters (and the third, actually) I found to be quite decent. (And it just so happened I wrote them while drinking coffee. Something about that evil drink just allows you to write better, I suppose). So, I'd like to ask you all this: who would be interested in a rewrite of some sort? Though I would like a few opinions...

Should it even have Pinkie at all? As in, should IGOM not be a party, but more of a convention where villains get to show off their evilness. Fight each other in a combat arena... ext ext. In which case Pinkie would not be needed one bit.

And should I attempt to do another sympathetic Chrysalis or should I just make her like her comic's appearance: an evil bitch?

Finally: Would it be better off just as a comedy? (Villains acting silly. Blah blah blah just a lot of silliness in general, I suppose.) That's if Chrysalis were purely evil, of course.

Let me know your thoughts. My apologies for not continuing with it but... yeah, sometimes it's best to take criticism to heart if you ever want to improve.