How long has it been? Years now definitely. 3 years? 5 years? A decade?

I’m so hungry…

I wonder how the girls are doing? No, not again. You’ve been down this path before, and it only hurts.

I hope they’re still alive.

How can my throat feel dry if I’m breathing liquid? I still can’t figure it out.

…

…

…

I shiver. It’s time again. That all too familiar draining feeling courses across my body, making everything feel cold. I’m pretty sure the fluid around me is supposed to be body temperature, so the feeling is probably just in my head. Maybe it’s a magical coldness. I tried to use my magic to analyze it once, but it hurt too much. Darn this rod in my horn. Heh. I’ve suffered its debilitating effects for however long I’ve been down here and all I have to say is “darn”? The foals aren’t around, I can swear if I want, but I guess I’m still worried somehow. It is funny, and I’ll take all the amusement I can get down here.

I’m ninety percent sure these love harvests are daily. Better add it to the tally. 2006, plus or minus 10. I’m still kicking myself for not counting in the beginning; it makes the big numbers feel more important if I know it's exact instead of just probably correct. I wish it was easier to tell the passage of time, then I wouldn’t have to guess. Assuming they are daily, that would mean I’ve been here for about five and a half years. That feels right, I guess, not that I can prove any of that. If I got out and somepony told me it had been three years, I’d believe it. I’d probably believe ten years or maybe even twenty. Probably not a hundred though.

I can’t use the feedings to count it. If the love harvests are consistent, the food is not - if you can even call intravenous feeding food. Sometimes the food comes when I’m asleep, and sometimes, I don’t even notice it happening. They never feed me enough to feel full, so it’s hard to use that feeling as a unit of time. My, uh, urinary discharges and, er, bowel movements are also irregular, so I can’t use them either. Oh gosh that’s embarrassing to think about. It’s so absurd to me that I still am though. I’ve been here for so long, but I’m still not over peeing in the same liquid I breathe in. I haven’t gotten an infection yet, so there is obviously a system in place to keep things clean, but it’s still so… weird.

I let out a little laugh, just to remind myself I still can. It sounds strange in the liquid, but it gives my diaphragm some exercise. A little toilet humor to keep the spirits up, what a world.

…

…

…

I think I just fell asleep. It’s so easy to lose consciousness in here. It’s relatively dark, with the outside wall having only a few spaces where light can reach through. I imagine this is what the inside of a womb would look like. I don’t sleep normally anymore. With no temporal reference point, I find myself slipping in and out of consciousness arbitrarily. It doesn’t help that there is nothing to do here. Well, I guess I can work on my escape.

Obviously, I’m in no physical shape to make a run for it. I know I’m in the caves below Canterlot, but making it to the surface would be quite difficult. My muscles have atrophied from years of malnourishment and lack of use. I hope I can still walk. Maybe I can’t fly anymore, but I should still be able to glide if that somehow comes up. It did when Cadence and I were trapped down here in 1002. Oh Cadence, I hope you got out of the prison Sombra left you in… Anyways, until I’ve tried, I won’t know, so there’s no point dwelling on the worst case scenarios.

I use my wings to lift my lower body over to the edge of the pod. Cocoon? I still haven’t decided on what to call this thing. My front hooves are still tied to the metal plate at the back of the pod, but I can get my back hooves close because the plate is not quite securely attached to the wall. I get close to one of the gaps in the metal where the bare material of the cocoon is exposed to the outside world. These are the same places where my light comes from. I have little strength, but I put what little I have into rubbing the surface of the rubbery wall.

It will probably take a few more years to actually damage the thing enough to break it, but the one thing I do have is time. What will happen once I do though? Maybe it’ll start a leak that will force them to open the metal part and let me out of the cocoon temporarily to fix it. Then, maybe I can break free assuming I have the strength to. Who knows, they could be understaffed at the time, or maybe they won’t think I’m a threat and let a scientist do it with little supervision. Never underestimate the power of mismanagement.

I know the chances of success are remote, but 0.1% is infinitely better than 0. Even if I don’t decide to go all the way and poke a hole, at least I’ll have the option to, and having a choice is better no choice, even if the rock and hard place wouldn’t be caught dead near this one.

Swipe, swipe, swipe. Tap, tap, tap. Back and forth, back and forth. My legs are starting to hurt. I can keep going tomorrow or whenever I wake up.

I know that sound. That distinct rumble and sliding of metal on metal means the shell around the cocoon is being opened. More light starts coming through, and I open my eyes to see the outside. It’s always nice to see something that isn’t the same cocoon walls, even if it’s not always a sign of good news. What will it be this time? A new scientist being shown around? Chrysalis coming around to gloat? Maybe it’ll be the governor again, that was a nice chat - or maybe it’s the girls, swooping in for a rescue! Or Starlight, maybe even Sunset! That would be nice. Even if they never come, I will never stop hoping.

As usual, it takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the harsh lab lights. Two figures resolve before me, a changeling and - a pegasus? Something’s up. On the other side of the room, a group of changeling and pony soldiers are holding a group of changeling scientists at gunpoint. Is this a rescue? I look at the pegasus - something about him seems familiar, but I don’t know his name. The changeling next to him - wait, I remember her. It was a while ago now, but she was with Governor Jachs when he snuck in here to see me. Obersleutnant Alcippe, I believe.

Another changeling comes into view from the side. He looks familiar too - Marsilio, the medical officer that was also with the governor. He’s levitating a fire ax - I think it’s happening!
Marsilio slams the ax into the side of the cocoon, puncturing it. The goo starts flowing from the hole as Alcippe and the pegasus peel at the material, expanding the gash. I can feel myself moving downwards with the fluid, the metal plate I’m strapped to also lowering.

Wait, how do I go from breathing liquid to breathing air again? Uh, is this going to be a problem?

“Breathe out, Princess!” Marsilio shouts, “And don’t breathe in until you can get air!”

Breathe out? Ok, I can do that. I exhale with all of my strength, and hold. And hold. And hold. Suddenly, there is a catastrophic failure of the cocoon, and myself and the metal plate get ejected from the bottom. I feel air for the first time in years, and breathe in.

Ow. Ow. Ow. The air burns going in. I’m forced to cut my breath short as I’m overcome with the worst coughing fit of my life. Ow. Each cough rattles my weak lungs, but it is so good to finally breathe normally again. The dryness of the air on my wet fur - I haven’t felt anything close to this for so long…

I just focus on breathing until I can finally do so without coughing in the middle. I think somepony removed my shackles, but I didn’t notice when. Oh my Celestia, it is good to be free. I look up to see my rescuers.

“Alcippe, right?” I ask, getting a quick affirmation. I turn to the pegasus. He’s in a uniform similar to the royal guard’s, but it seems to have been modified with changeling designs. I switch to ponish, “You look familiar. Sorry, have we met?” I ask.

His face bundles up in shame, “Kommandant Second Wind,” he says, “I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I respond, “I should be the one apologizing. After all, I’m not exactly the pinnacle of regality right now.” I put a hoof on a patchy piece of fur for emphasis.

“No, I mean I’m sorry for betraying you. I was in the royal guard before, but now I’m… I’m…” he continues.

I think I understand. I cut him off, “It’s okay, Kommandant. I bear much more of the responsibility for Equestria’s loss than you do. You did what you had to.” He excuses himself and returns to his soldiers who are still keeping watch over the scientists on the other side of the room. Some of the soldiers, both pony and changeling, are looking over at me. I turn to Marsilio. “Sorry, do you have anything to drink? I’m terribly thirsty,” I request. His eyes widen, remembering our previous encounter.

“Of course, I should have remembered from before,” he says before levitating over a bottle of water from a table. He holds the bottle in his telekinesis, allowing me to drink from it. I don’t want to try any magic myself yet, so I’m grateful. Wow this feels good. Getting your liquids intravenously is not the same.

Having gulped down the water, I turn to Alcippe, “So what changed? I thought you said you weren’t going to free me?”

“A lot,” she says, “We’ll have a meeting going over everything that’s happened since you’ve been down here, but for now, we need to get you out of here.” Two changelings come over and move me onto a stretcher. As they carry me to the exit, Second Wind’s soldiers leave the scientists behind. We’re moving quickly now, with several changelings and a unicorn keeping my stretcher moving at a brisk pace. I shiver. The wind chill is making me cold. It’s exciting to feel something again, but I would prefer it if it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Someling notices, and covers me in a blanket, “Thank you,” I tell her, to which she looks a little guilty, before returning to her position with the others. Showing kindness to your enemies does not come naturally, it seems. Clearly, there is still animosity between our races, but this force is racially integrated. Maybe Jachs kept his promise to spread what little harmony he could.

We’re out of the lab and into the caves proper now. It is darker, but Alcippe and Second Wind’s soldiers turn on their lights, illuminating the path out. We pass another set of soldiers holding a group of changelings captive. They must have been the outer guards. As we pass, they form up with our group, leaving the captive guards behind. This is clearly not an official operation.

After a few minutes, we make it out. The entrance is small and nondescript, with a row of trucks waiting for us at the edge of a dirt road. The soldiers move with practiced efficiency, boarding quickly and driving off. They take more time with me though, gently pushing my stretcher into the back of a truck and closing the doors. Marsilio is here in the back with me, with Alcippe in the front. I can feel the engine starting, and we’re off to who knows where. Wait, I know who knows.

“Where are we going?” I ask Marsilio.

“The castle. We’ve arranged for a private room to treat you,” he responds, “Listen, I know you probably have a lot of questions, but I need to make sure you’re ok first. How are you feeling?”

How am I feeling? Glad to be free, but I think he means from a medical perspective. “Good, all things considered. It hurts like heck to breathe, I can barely move my limbs, and there’s a rod in my horn, but I feel better than I have in years,” I tell him.

“It hurts to breathe? Can you describe how?” he asks.

“Uh, it’s like a burning sensation in my throat? I can’t breathe too deeply before my chest starts hurting too,” I explain.

“Ok, I think that’s normal seeing as you had a lot of liquid in your lungs. Sorry, I work in a lab, so I haven’t treated a patient in a long time,” he says, “If it gets worse, tell me, but for now I’m going to take your blood pressure and heart rate.” He proceeds to begin running his measurements. I notice the IV needle still in my neck. Somepony or someling must have removed the tube going in while I wasn’t paying attention.

“Ok, Princess, your blood pressure is pretty low, so I’m going to give you some Hartwing’s solution to bring it up, if that’s alright with you?” Marsilio says, asking for my permission.

“Go ahead,” I say, “you don’t need to ask my permission, just do what you have to.” I’m hardly a medical expert, and at this point I’m pretty sure these changelings are trying to help me. He, a changeling, still calls me “princess”. I suppose I’m still the princess of friendship even if Equestria is defunct.

Friendship. It's the only reason I’m out of that place. Though it may not have been the friends I expected to rescue me, they are friends all the same. I met Jachs, Alcippe, and Marsilio when they snuck into the lab in the caves. It must have been years ago if my count of time is correct. Our conversation couldn’t have been longer than 5 minutes, but it seemed to be very impactful for them. I don’t know what made them go into the caves in the first place, but I’m glad they did.

Everything about them suggested that they were loyal to their queen but still wanted to show kindness. When they left, they looked a little defeated knowing they could never save me without also invoking the ire of the queen and probably losing their lives. To see them now committing arguably treasonous acts to free me, well, things must have changed a lot.

A part of me hopes that the story had a fairytale ending, with the changelings reformed and a mutual understanding reached between our two nations, but the evidence doesn’t support that. If this was just some splinter faction, these being the only bad changelings left, then Alcippe and Second Wind wouldn’t have been so quick to get in and get out. This is clearly going behind the backs of the Queen’s Guard.

And so, I ask Marsilio, “Why?”

He understands my meaning immediately and replies, “It’s… a long story, but suffice to say there is a world-ending threat, and we need you to save us.”

“Just like the old days,” I crack a wry smile. Something about the way he worded it brings back good memories of adventures from years ago. It feels like forever ago now, but how long was it really?

“How long was I in there for?” I continue.

“Er, we don’t really know exactly. You would know better than us, right?” he says apologetically.

“What’s today’s date?” I ask instead.

“Uh,” he glances at his watch, “April 19th, 1018.”

So the love harvesting was daily. I was in that cocoon for five years. If my number was so accurate, that means the harvests went on like clockwork through weekends and holidays. Probably an automated system then.

“So how long does that make it?” Marsilio asks.

“Five years,” I answer.

“Oh,” is the only response. I sense a level of guilt behind his words. He must be thinking of how he waited more than two years in the time since meeting me there first and now rescuing me. He is silent and continues his medical work. He must feel horrible. I won’t push him on the subject.

I wake up to the truck’s engine stopping. We’re here. A few changelings come open the back door and begin levitating the stretcher out. It is a standard military garage, and the troops start covering the truck like the others in the garage as soon as I am out, I assume to hide the fact that it was used. I’m transported through a number of hallways. The architecture of the royal castle is familiar, but the changelings have changed many of the banners and other designs. Eventually, I am brought into an office which looks to have been refurbished into an imitation hospital room where I am moved onto a bed. It isn’t a hospital bed, just a normal bed, but it will do.

Alcippe addresses the other changelings, “Remember, nothing you did here today happened. You saw nothing, you heard nothing, got it?” They give her a quick “yes ma’am” before leaving just me, Marsilio, and Alcippe alone.

“The governor will be here soon to explain everything,” Alcippe says.

“Marsilio tells me you have somecreature that needs to be rainbow lasered?” I say, keeping my tone light. They went through all this trouble - the least I can do is help them relax.

Alcippe looks quizzically but does let out a small laugh once she gets it, “Something like that, Princess.”

“So who, or what, is the problem?” I ask. I’m curious to know what is so terrible that it would make loyal changelings commit treason to get me. It must be some kind of threat bigger than Chrysalis’ war machine that, for some reason, only I and the elements of harmony can defeat. Is Grogar back again? Has Discord had enough of the changelings?

“You’ve probably never heard of her,” prefaces Alcippe, “but maybe this map can help.” She pulls out a map of the world and lays it out on my belly. I push down on the bed to move myself into a more upright position. Oof, that’s straining. I hope that gets easier. I lift the edges of the map to get a better view.

Ok, Canterlot projection, dated January of this year, continents look pretty normal-shaped, just your regular-old world map. Huh, there are only two colors on this map. Equus, in gray, marks the Changeling Queendom, with smaller divisions showing various administrative protectorates. I guess without Equestria in the way, Chrysalis was able to unify the whole continent. That’s big news to me, but I don’t think that’s what Alcippe is talking about. Why are all of Griffonia and Zebrica red? Is this just a map of Equus? Oh. Written twice, once for each continent, are the letters “V”, “I”, “I”, “R”, “A” and “D”.

This kerning is terrible. Whoever made this map probably could have gotten away with half the spacing between the letters. This spread apart, the letters barely look like a word, especially since I’m not already familiar with the country name. I probably won’t have an opportunity to send a letter to the cartographer for a while though. “Viirad”, I feel like I’ve seen that somewhere before. Where have I heard that before?

There’s probably a paper here about how extended sensory deprivation has negative effects on recall, but I need to stay on task. Viirad. Did I see it on a map? No, it was a newspaper article - something on the later pages. The Kasa Free State was invaded by Viirad. Yes, I remember now, this has to do with Barrad. There was reporting that the Magocracy had been taken over by Viira… something. I can’t remember her last name. Was it an L name? I remember thinking “haven’t I met her before?” Maybe I should have been paying more attention, but my hooves were full at the time keeping Equestria running. The door opens and another changeling walks in - it’s Jachs.

“Generalmajor,” Alcippe addresses him as she walks up to him, “I’ve just been getting Princess Twilight up to speed on the last five years.”

Jachs pulls up to the foot of the bed before speaking, “Thank you Alcippe, but let’s put ranks aside for now. Officially, none of this is happening, and we have much bigger problems. Just Jachs is fine. That goes for you too, Princess.”

“I appreciate that Jachs, but if we’re putting ranks aside, you don’t have to call me Princess either. I understand if you don’t want to use the term given how the war turned out,” I respond, trying to show some grace back.

He looks a little surprised at himself. I think he didn’t even notice he said the word, “Thank you, but I hope you understand if I still do.”

I smile back, “Well, you do seem to have big problems. Is Viirad controlled by a deer seer named Viira?”

Alcippe looks shocked, “Wait, you know of her, Princess?”

Marsilio speaks up, saying, “The dates line up, but Viirad was very small at the time.”

“I think I met her.”

Jachs joins in surprise, “You met her? VOPS has been basically kidnapping everycreature who knew her in Olenia and otherwise to get information. Did they interrogate you about her?”

Alcippe jumps in on the speculation, “They couldn’t have. The Queen’s Guard probably hid information about her from VOPS.”

Before the speculation starts running rampant, I answer to the best of my ability, “They didn’t, but probably because I only met her briefly. She came up to me after I gave a lecture about the magic of friendship. At first, she stuck out to me because there aren’t many seers, but then because she struck me as… weird.”

“That’s… amazing,” is all Alcippe can say.

“May I ask, Princess,” begins Marsilio, “What struck you as strange about her?”

“I’m also curious,” adds Jachs.

“Well…” I pause to think and remember. What did I think was so off about her? She gave off an uncanny feeling, as if she were merely pretending to be normal. But where did that come from? Was that a magical sense or a physical one? Was it the fact she was perfectly groomed? No, that’s normal among high class creatures with professional help at home. “I think it was in the way she approached the topic,” I finally say, “She was engaged completely, but seemed to miss the whole point of friendship. Like, the way she spoke of it, she gave me the impression that she was only after what friendship could do for her, like it was a game to be won. Honestly, she reminded me of Cozy Glow.”

“Sorry, who?” Jachs interjects.

“Just a failed student of mine,” I say. The full story isn’t important here, “She was very nice, but was only using kindness as a tool. I didn’t call her out at the time because it’s very difficult to tell those inner thoughts, and you don’t want to go around everywhere accusing creatures of not being genuine.”

“Fascinating,” Marsilio comments. His vacant gaze makes me think he’s imagining the situation in his head.

I return my attention to the map, “So she managed to take over all of Griffonia and Zebrica in less than ten years? That’s impressive. I don’t understand though, isn’t this a problem more suited for the military? Why is it that you need me?”

Jachs sighs before replying, “The problem is, Princess, we’re losing, and losing bad. May I?” He gestures to the map.

“Of course,” I say, instinctively trying to levitate the map to him with my magic. At first, it’s ok, but then a lance of pain strikes somewhere deep in my horn, causing me to drop it. “Ow!” I exclaim, causing looks of concern to appear on the faces of the three changelings. “I got it,” I reassure them. Do I “got it” though? I take it gently, slowly increasing my magic from nothing just to get the minimum strength required to move the map. Thankfully, this time, there is no pain. This is going to take some getting used to.

Jachs takes the map into his own levitation as I push down the feeling of impotence. Here I am, the Element of Magic, barely able to lift a piece of paper. He gives it a once over before beginning to speak.

“This map is out of date,” he starts with, “Right now, we no longer control Nova Griffonia.” He points to the northeast of Equestria to what once was Stalliongrad. “Just over two weeks ago, we nuked all of the traversable land between pony and griffon territories. This small strip of land here,” he gestures at it, “is the only way to get through to the rest of Equus besides the arctic wastelands and the mountains, and it’s now an irradiated line of craters. It took most of our stockpile and they didn’t even slow down. 3 days later, Manehattan was lost to a naval invasion, and a majority of our army was encircled by forces squeezing from Manehattan pushing north and from Stalliongrad pushing south. About a week ago, we lost contact with them.”

Wow. A lot to unpack there. First and foremost, “What do you mean by nuke? Like nuclear?”

Jachs has a moment of realization, “Right, sorry, five years. Three years ago was the first successful detonation of a nuclear bomb. It was used on the Everfree Forest when it was rampaging out of control, but that’s another story.”

It was finally invented huh. I remember thinking back when Fluttershy was asked to be an ethics advisor for the project that I was hopeful about it. A weapon so terrible the Changelings would have to stop. It was just theoretical back then… Wait, what did he say it was used on?

“You dropped a nuclear bomb on the Everfree Forest?” I repeat it back to him. It sounds crazy.

“And it wasn’t enough,” he answers, “Thousands of troops, 24/7 bombing, chemical and fungal agents - it meant nothing to the forest. Zecora’s Resistance couldn’t be stopped, and the forest kept growing. We lost a big chunk of territory to it. It’s mostly calmed down now, but it overran Ponyville and the other surrounding cities.”

Ponyville… gone? All those memories, swallowed up by plundervines and timberwolves. I feel my sinuses clogging as a tear forms in my eye. Not now, Twilight. You need to focus. You can cry later. Think about something else. Anything else. I wipe the tear away and take a deep breath. Why did the forest grow out of control? Were the elements of harmony removed from the tree? Wait, this seems familiar, I’ve seen this before. This isn’t like when we had to return the elements, this is like what I saw in that alternate timeline when I was fighting with Starlight. I never asked Zecora in that timeline how she controlled the forest, but it does explain what’s happening now.

“Oh, I think I know what’s happening in the Everfree Forest. Don’t ask how,” I say, “I’ll just say time travel loop and leave it at that.”

Raised eyebrows all around. Should have expected that. Let’s move on before I have to tell my whole life story. I quickly follow up, “Why did you say ‘lost contact’? Don’t you mean ‘surrendered’?”

Jachs and Alcippe look at each other before Jachs turns back and answers, “No. You don’t surrender to Viira - it just doesn’t work.” He thinks about how to word his next sentence before continuing, “She has formidable mind control powers. We theorize she travels to near the front lines before casting her spell, which then causes everyling in the vicinity to switch sides to her. We’ve been calling it a PSI emission. It means that whenever we think we’re making progress defensively, she comes in and turns our soldiers. Shields are helpful, but there are not a lot of changelings who can cast them. When I say we’ve lost contact, I mean every changeling in the encircled armies was either killed or turned.”

Ah, I can see how that would be difficult to counter. You would have to develop a counterspell, but you could never get close enough to the spell to observe it without getting caught in it yourself. That’s… scary. I guess it explains how she took over the rest of the world.

He continues, “Because of this, every soldier has standing orders to never surrender and fight to the last changeling. We lost two thirds of our mobilized creatures in that encirclement. That’s when I knew we had no choice but to get you out. I don't care what Chrysalis thinks; you’re our last hope.”

Me, the last hope? I joked about it earlier, but this sounds… terrible. I look down at myself. My fur is off color and patchy, I can count my ribs visually, I’m probably missing half the feathers in my wings, and I can barely do magic because there’s a steel rod drilled into my horn. A rod in my horn. I’m the secret weapon? Oh Celestia. No pressure Twilight. My breathing quickens.

Alcippe notices, “Sorry to put you on the spot like this Princess, but will you help us?”

What am I going to do, say no? The fate of the Changelings and Equestria, no the world is on the line. Some survival instinct kicks in and I’m filled with energy, but my body is too atrophied to make use of it. I’m able to take a deep breath. I look around. Something’s missing. Marsilio levitates a glass of water over. That’s what I needed, but I was expecting… something else? I gingerly take hold of the water in my levitation, “Thank you.” I gulp it down.

Spike. I was looking for Spike. He’s always been a constant in these situations though almost my entire life. Not having him here… the emotions I’ve been suppressing return.

Jachs sees this and begins to speak, “I understand you’ve had a long day, Princess. I know we’re asking a lot of you right now, but we both know this wouldn’t be happening if we thought there was any other way. We’ll… give you some time alone for now, but we’ll be back tomorrow - we can’t wait forever.”

I’m able to blink back my tears, but only just. “Thank you,” I tell the three, “I will help, but I’ll feel better once I make a plan.”

Oh Celestia, how I’ve missed solid food. I’m not supposed to eat a lot while my stomach gets used to being used again, but having not tasted anything in five years, the temptation is significant. That small bit of hay I was given was probably the best tasting thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. The three members of the “Canterlot Commissariat” as they are called are back, alongside another changeling who introduced himself as Finicus. He’s apparently an industrialist. All four of them want to know my plan to save the world.

“I can’t say I know a lot about Viira or how to defeat her,” I begin, “but I do know I’m going to need my friends.”

Jachs pulls out a set of manila folders, “Our intelligence says the six bearers of the elements of harmony alongside the artifacts themselves are required for the magical phenomenon we’re looking for to manifest.” He levitates the folders towards me, “Here’s all the information I could get VOPS to give me.”

Maybe it’s just the high of being free, but I’m feeling much better today, and I’m able to riffle through the information in the folders. Applejack - currently accounted for with the rest of the Ponyville remnants at a new Sweet Apple Acres just outside the Everfree’s expanded borders. Fluttershy - last seen 3 years ago during the Everfree Forest campaign. Pinkie Pie - last seen 3 years ago during the Everfree Forest campaign. Rainbow Dash - last seen two years ago in Marechester with the resistance. Rarity - currently accounted for in Manehattan. I check the date on Rarity’s file - last month, so that could be wrong given Jachs said Manehattan fell to Viirad just recently.

I look for any other files that could have information on my other friends, but it’s just these five, “Sorry Jachs, but do you know what happened to my other friends?”

“I only have these dossiers, but we’d be happy to tell you what we know if we know about them,” he offers.

“My pupil,” I start, “Starlight Glimmer. Do you know what happened to her after the war?”

Jachs and Alcippe give each other a knowing look, “You bet we do,” Jachs says, “She and a mare named Trixie Lulamoon have been spearheading the resistance. She’s, uh, been our main target for years.”

They look unsure. I can see how this would be a bit awkward to tell me. Their whole purpose here in Canterlot is to reduce resistance, and that includes hunting down leaders like Starlight. War makes strange bedfellows as they say, and I’m the fellow in bed right now. Well, I’m extremely proud, but this conversation would probably be very sensitive, so I move on.

“How about Sunset Shimmer, or Spike?” I ask instead.

All four look stumped. “Sorry, haven’t heard of them,” Alcippe finally says.

Ok then, so that’s not bad news per se. I asked Sunset to return from the mirror world to serve as a general, so she could have gone back and stayed under the radar and avoided a war tribunal. That or she was minor enough to just never reach the public consciousness and is in a prison somewhere. I hope for the former, but I can’t put aside the possibility of the latter. As for Spike, I told him to run the day I surrendered. Maybe he’s in the Dragon Isles, but maybe I shouldn’t hope for that seeing as yesterday’s map marked that in Viira’s red.

“What about Celestia and Luna?” This is one I’m curious about.

Jachs thinks for a second, “Well, they initially fled to New Mareland in Griffonia, but since Wingbardy conquered them and Viirad conquered Wingbardy, I don’t actually know where they are today.”

Finicus chimes in, “My friends think they’re hiding out in the Spa Islands. Remote enough to avoid our attention, but still Equestrian.”

“Well, wherever they are,” Jachs says, “they’re still raising the sun and moon every day.”

Just speculation then. At least this means they’re probably not under Viira’s spell, because I’m sure she would gloat about it. Let’s move on then. “Did Princess Cadence ever get out of Sombra’s prison?” I continue.

“No,” answers Jachs definitively, “The empress, she crowned herself Empress of Equus, keeps her in the same prison that Sombra kept her in. I hear she likes to take a monthly visit to gloat about revenge for the Humiliation of 1002.”

That’s disheartening. At least she’s alive, which is more than I can say for Shiny. Oh Shining Armor, you were taken from us too soon. Old grief from the war with Sombra comes back, but I’ve processed it by now.

I suddenly remember my niece, “Wait, what about Flurry Heart?”

“We don’t know,” says Jachs, “She disappeared after the war, but so did you. We found you by accident when Marsilio got access to a potent new form of love supposedly from Canterlot. I put that together with these mysterious requests for resources that reached my desk with no detail whatsoever about something in the caves below Canterlot. If I had to guess, something similar might be happening with Flurry Heart somewhere else that I don’t have command of. Sorry.”

How could the Changelings do that to a child? I guess I don’t need any more reasons to be opposed to Chrysalis, but regardless, we still need to save the world. However cruel and evil the Queendom is, it’s much better than everycreature in the world being Viira’s puppet.

“Ok then,” is all I can say, “back to the plan. I need to get all of my friends together, and then we need to find Viira, and use the elements of harmony to defeat her.”

“Getting your friends is going to be tough,” says Alcippe, “We could probably get Applejack no problem, but we’re going to need an exfil team to get Rarity from behind enemy lines.”

Jachs adds his own reasoning, “The three involved in the resistance are going to be the hardest though. Rainbow Dash we could maybe lure out, but we can’t even enter the Everfree Forest. We would need you for that.”

I suppose the Equestrian resistance wouldn’t want to kill their own Princess, but I’m in no condition to travel, let alone do the work needed to find them once we’re in their general location. If only we had some sort of all-powerful magical friend that could solve all our problems…

“Discord!” I shout suddenly.

The changelings look at each other, confused.

“You called?” The draconequus materializes in the room left of my bed, his serpentine body bending irregularly into his standing form. “You know, I noticed you didn’t ask about me when you were asking them about your friends. If I weren’t so evolved, I’d probably take it personally.”

The four changelings’ eyes are wide open. They’ve probably never seen a draconequus like Discord before except in a textbook.

“For that, I apologize,” I say.

Discord looks around the room before saying, “Well isn’t this quite the mix of canonicities. Apology accepted by the way. You should have asked for my help earlier.”

He’s got me there. I make my request, “I’m glad you’re here Discord. I’m not in any shape right now to find my friends. Could you help us locate them?”

He shrugs, “I could do that. I could just snap Viira out of existence too. I’m flattered by the request, but I don’t think you need me.”

“You don’t think I need you?” I say incredulously, “Have you seen me?”

“Yes, actually,” he says, “And do you know what I see? The protector of Equestria. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you still have all the magic you need, and that you’re more capable than you think you are.”

“I appreciate the pep talk,” I actually do, “but I’m asking you now for help. Can you help us? I know Fluttershy would appreciate it too.”

“That’s true. Fine,” he concedes, “I’ll bring Fluttershy here, but you could have done that yourselves.” He snaps his fingers and a surprised-looking Fluttershy appears on the other side of my bed. She’s covered in tribal paint and natural detritus, but I still recognize the three pink butterflies on her flank.

“Discord?” she says, “Twilight!?”

“Remember girls, I believe in you!” Discord pulls up the fabric of reality like a curtain and walks through it, disappearing. The changelings haven’t said a word and are still collecting themselves.

“Fluttershy!” I exclaim. Or at least try to exclaim. It comes out quite hoarse - shouting for Discord seems to have pushed my voice to its limits for now. “It’s so good to see you again!”

“Oh my goodness,” she says, bounding over, “What happened to you?”

Ooof, ouch, maybe not so tight. I hug back to the best of my ability. I can’t blame her for hugging so tightly. If I were in her horseshoes, I would definitely be squeezing as tight as I could. You have to - what if I disappear again, this time forever?

She releases me and looks suspiciously at the changelings in the room. I guess they knew better than to interrupt this moment.

“Wait, where am I, and who are they?” she asks me, referring to the changelings. She looks like she suddenly realizes something when she says, “How do I know you’re not a changeling too?”

“You saw Discord, right?” I ask her to recall, “He’s kind of impossible to imitate.” A look of relief crosses over her face.

“I’m so sorry,” she says before turning to face the changelings,” to all of you. I’m sure you were working very hard to help Twilight. It’s a pleasure to meet you…”

“Jachs”, he introduces, “This is my second-in-command Alcippe, and these two are Marsilio and Finicus.” The two of them give her a nod. “Honestly, we’re just very surprised at what just happened. I, uh, well, it’s not every day you see the Lord of Chaos.”

“Jachs,” Fluttershy dwells on the name, recognizing it, “I’ve heard you’re the kindest of all the regional governors of Equestria.”

“Er, probably, but I wish the others were kinder,” he replies, not really sure where to take the conversation, “Sorry, I haven’t planned what this conversation would be like. Let’s just call a truce for now - I know we were technically on opposite sides of the battlefield during the Everfree Crisis, but I’m willing to put that in the past to deal with the problem of Viira.”

Fluttershy looks sad, “War is terrible for all sides. I’m sorry for the changelings we killed. I accept your truce. I think I’ve heard of Viira. She’s trying to take over the world, right? Sorry, news is slow in the Everfree. Is she real?”

“Yes and yes,” I confirm, “And without the elements of harmony, she’s succeeding. We’re the last hope of the world. Viira’s army is going to reach us here in Canterlot soon, so we need to move fast.”

Fluttershy momentarily seems wary, unsure of whether working with changelings after years of guerilla warfare against them is the right choice, but the wariness quickly disappears. “I can’t excuse what Chrysalis has done, but right now, beating Viira is the right thing to do. I’m in, Twilight.”

“In what?” comes a familiar voice. I look over back to the left side of my bed to see - Pinkie Pie!?

“Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy and I both say. She’s wearing the same tribal marks as Fluttershy. The same ones they wore in that alternate timeline that reveals if somecreature is a changeling or not.

“Of course it's me, silly,” she says, “What’s up? Oh my gosh - Twilight? Where have you been?”

“Where have I been?” How is she focusing on that right now? “How did you just appear here? It’s not scientifically possible!”

“Oh, I just followed Discord after I saw Fluttershy disappear,” she explains casually, as if it were as trivial as the weather, “But Twilight, where have you been the last five years? That’s five birthday parties you’ve missed!”

I - oh boy my body is too weak to get riled up. Just another Pinkie thing, I suppose. Not that I’m ungrateful for it, given the situation, but still - how?

“I was in a cocoon being drained for love to be researched,” I tell her, “Sorry I haven’t been around.” Pinkie deflates for a moment on the sad news, but bounces back quickly.

“That sounds really terrible, but I’m super glad you’re back!” she says, “So what’s the ‘I’m in’ for? Are you planning something big? A surprise party? Wait, no, let me guess -” She pulls out a pipe and a deerstalker hat from who knows where and makes an exaggerated thinking expression, “Hmmmm… I know! You’re gathering all the elements of harmony together so we can blast Viira with the magic of friendship! That’s so great! I’m in too!”

She got it? Was it obvious? Did she hear our conversation? My thoughts are racing now. This is just like that time in the mirror world when - hang on, get back to reality Twilight.

“How did you know?” I finally say.

She gives me a “well, duh” expression as she says, “Why else would I have a deerstalker hat? Obviously, we’re hunting a deer, and that’s Viira!”

What. I guess I know better than to question Pinkie at this point. She hops over to the changelings who are even more flabbergasted than I am.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, what’s your name?” she asks them

Jachs stares blankly for a second before gathering himself, finally managing to utter, “Uh, Jachs.”

Pinkie Pie suddenly puts the hat back on, procures a magnifying glass, and starts speaking in her detective voice, “And tell me Jachs, are you a spy?”

“These are friends, Pinkie. They helped free me from my prison,” I inform her.

The investigative apparatuses pop off her body and out of sight as she returns to her normal personality, “Well if Twilight says you changelings are good, then that’s good enough for me! Nice to meet you!” She starts shaking Jachs’ hoof.

“Uh, nice to meet you too?” Jachs gets out, still conversationally unsteady after the whiplash of Pinkie’s tone.

“Girls, let’s give them some time to take in what’s happened. I think they need some time to process,” I say, trying to give the changelings some breathing room. Alcippe looks grateful. The two of them return their attention to me. Oh, right, I’m the leader.

I share with them my plan, “We need to find Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. Once the six of us are together, we need to find Viira and confront her. I’m so glad you girls were able to get here. I’m not really in any state to travel. We will need to soon though.”

Fluttershy gives me a concerned look, her eyes evaluating my appearance properly for the first time, “Twilight, your horn…”

I give her a pained smile, “Yeah, it’s not great.”

“Twilight, this is a really serious injury! When did this happen?” Fluttershy says with worry and care in her voice.

“Oh, five years ago before they first put me in the pod,” I say, trying to minimize it. We have bigger fish to fry than my horn right now.

“Have you seen it?” she asks.

“I, uh,” huh, I suppose I haven’t. I can’t exactly look up and see my own horn, and I wasn’t ever really given beauty time in the pod.

Marsilio walks up, speaking in ponish, “I wanted to talk to you about your horn too, Princess. It’s… well, Fluttershy’s right. Just take a look.” He levitates a hand mirror over for me to see.

Ok, I knew it was bad, but now I know it looks bad too. Just off center to the right of my horn is the rod: a straight metallic cylinder that covers three fourths of the distance between the tip of my horn and the base. I guess the horn that used to be there was drilled out. At its top is a spherical ball of metal, meant for connecting to electrodes which must have been disconnected as I was removed from the cocoon. I can see why they’re worried. I didn’t know it protruded this much. I’m overcome by the urge to touch it, but I suppress it. In the past when I tried to get a feel for it in the pod, it always hurt, so I never did so for long. My mane isn’t doing that great either.

Marsilio gives his advice, “Princess, I invited a surgeon I trust to operate on you. I believe she can remove the rod and give your horn a chance to heal. With it in the way, there’s no way for us to use a healing spell.”

That’s really considerate. They keep saying that they only rescued me for the world’s sake, but I think they were also disgusted at how I was being kept. I really want to say yes, but I’m not going to jeopardize the fate of the world for it. I’ve had this for five years now, and it doesn’t hurt unless I touch it. What’s another week?

“Do we have the time? What are the risks?” I ask Marsilio. I probably should have only asked one question at a time, but what’s done is done.

Marsilio turns to the more military-minded changelings, “How long before Viira reaches Canterlot?”

They both do some thinking. “Two weeks?” offers Alcippe, “Based on how fast they’ve moved so far that seems reasonable.”

Jachs nods, “Three at the most. Seeing as they nuked Crystal City this morning, I expect Canterlot to also be a crater by then. I’ve already moved most of the administration out of the city center in anticipation of a nuclear strike on Canterlot.”

“Two weeks,” I contemplate the number, “How long will the surgery take?”

Marsilio answers, “Well, I planned to do X-rays and ultrasounds today. Given the secrecy of this whole thing, I’m going to have to develop the film myself, so it’ll probably take a few hours. I asked Mint Leaf, my surgeon friend, to come over tomorrow. Based on how the imagery comes out, the surgery could be done on the same day, but recovery time could vary from almost none to a few days based on how deep the rod is.”

He stops for a second, deep in thought. “Actually,” he says, “if we could get a healer in, you probably wouldn’t need a recovery time of more than a few hours. We’d have to find someone discreetly though…”

“Oooo, sneaky,” comments Pinkie Pie.

“But why does everything have to be a secret?” Fluttershy asks, “If the threat is so great, surely Chrysalis would be alright with all this.”

“That’s possible,” says Jachs, his voice full of doubt, “but from my experience her pride outweighs everything. I chose to do everything secretly to avoid having to confront her in the short term, but she’s going to find out eventually.”

Alcippe chips in, “The scientists at the labs probably already reported it to the Queen’s Guard, so she probably already knows. Hopefully the war is in a bad enough state that she doesn’t have the resources to go after us until after Viira is defeated.”

Finicus gives an unsure look, “I don’t know. We all know how vindictive she can be. I wouldn’t put it past her to divert resources from the war just to punish us.”

“Well, I think we all knew our careers were over the moment we committed to this,” Jachs says, “We just have to move as fast as possible to stay ahead of VOPS. I hope everycreature is ready to be on the road continuously for the next however long it takes us to find all the elements of harmony.”

There’s little reaction from the room. Everycreature knew what they signed up for.

“How about this,” Jachs proposes, “We’re going to need resources to find the other three elements. I’m going to gather up some troops to build us a little mini-unit that will be our travel entourage, so to speak. That’ll take me at least a day. In the meantime, you get your surgery. Once we’re both done, we go find the elements.”

Oh, he’s asking me for approval. “Before I say yes,” I turn to Marsilio, “How confident are you that the surgery will work? The rod isn’t killing me. If the fate of the world is at stake, I don’t want to risk it all on an optional surgery.”

“I have every confidence in Mint Leaf,” he replies, “Also, this will make everything else easier. You probably won’t have your full magical capabilities immediately, but it will be improved. Think of it like this: you are going to save the world but have no legs. I have surgery that will give you legs. Yes, you didn’t strictly need your legs to save the world, but it’s going to help immensely.”

That’s a good argument. I look back at Jachs, “Let’s do it.”

The room springs into action. Jachs leaves to organize his soldiers, Alcippe moves to talk to Pinkie and Fluttershy about finding them accommodations, and Finicus approaches Marsilio.

“By the way, Marsilio, I know a pretty good healer. I can have my secretary call him up if you want,” Finicus says.

“Do it”, comes the reply. Finicus leaves the room leaving me just with Marsilio as Alcippe leads Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie out as well. The changeling starts pushing over a large apparatus that I recognize as an X-ray machine. He moves to the head of the bed and pushes it away from the wall a bit - the X-ray gun is too wide to get a good view of my head while the bed is still against the wall.

Marsilio then starts hanging a piece of metal with X-ray film on it onto a wheeled stand using clips. “Sorry for the improvised setup,” he apologies, “Given the circumstances, it’s the best I could put together.”

I smile at him. “It’s quite alright.” I feel a little bad actually. These changelings are risking everything for me, and all I can offer right now is sitting still for an X-ray. Marsilio takes a brisk pace back to the X-ray machine, aligning it with my head in profile.

“Just stay still, Princess,” he says, aligning his setup.

At the very least, I can do that. The whir of the X-ray machine’s vibration backdrops my thoughts. I do feel a little helpless. I wish I could do more. I guess that’s the purpose of this surgery is so that I can do more. More than anything though, I feel grateful. We all have moments when we need the help of others, and this is one of those for me. I was in the position to help for so long, I forgot a little what it meant to truly be incapable. That’s not exactly true, I guess. If anything, I was in the cocoon for much of that time and I definitely could have used some help then. I don’t know, maybe because it made me there was no way to seek help which made me feel less helpless. Maybe there’s a friendship lesson there -

The click of the X-ray machine’s switch again signaling its completion startles me from my thoughts. Marsilio takes the film and stows it safely away. He starts wheeling over another large machine.

“Thanks, Princess,” he begins, “I’ll get to developing those soon, but I want to take a look in ultrasound first.”

“I think I read a paper about imaging with ultrasound,” I recall, “Is it widely used now?”

“Not widely. I grabbed this baby from my lab,” Marsilio shares proudly, “This is a brand-new B-mode ultrasound machine. I can get a two-dimensional image of the inside of your head and it will show up on this screen here.” He points to a small screen on the machine. “Before I start though, I gotta rub some gel on your head, if you don’t mind. It helps the soundwaves.”

“Whatever you need, doctor,” I tell him.

He finishes up with the gel and grabs the transducer (I believe that’s what it’s called) into his levitation. He realizes he forgot something and places it back down.

“Sorry, Princess, please excuse me for a second,” he says as he leaves the room.

The door closes with a thunk. All alone again. I wonder if there will be any long-term psychological problems from living in isolation in a cocoon for so long. The gel kind of feels like the same liquid I was in, and that didn’t trigger anything. I’m alone now and was alone last night and I haven’t felt anything yet. Maybe it’s the fact I know they’ll be back. Hopefully it means I weathered the experience well.

The door opens, “Just had to grab a camera. I left it in another room because of the X-ray machine - wouldn’t want to accidentally develop the film. I wanted to make sure Mint got to see these ultrasound images too.” Marsilio sets the camera down and picks up the transducer again, “Where were we?”

He places the stick-like device on my head. I know ultrasound is outside the hearing range of most creatures, but, I don’t know, I expected to feel something. Instead, it’s just the feeling of being poked with a stick. Marsilio fiddles with the settings, sometimes moving the transducer around to get a better image. At least, that’s what I think he’s moving it for.

“How’s it look?” I can’t resist asking.

“Well…”, he starts. That’s never good. “It’s not the worst case scenario, but it definitely isn’t the best. If I’m seeing this right, the rod is embedded past the base of your horn where your keratinocytes are, which means there will be non-trivial healing involved after it is removed.”

“It didn’t come out after five years, so that makes sense,” I say,” What’s the worst case?”

“The worst case is that it extends even further past your skull and into your cranium. I don’t see any evidence of that here, but I’d want to see your X-rays before saying that definitively,” he explains. He levitates the camera and snaps a few photos before adjusting the settings on the machine and taking a few more.

With the photos he needs, Marsilio begins wiping the gel off and putting the equipment away. “Thank you,” I tell him. He blushes a little - at least that’s what I think he’s doing under the chitin.

“I swore an oath to do no harm,” he says, “At least with this, I know I’m not violating it. Sometimes, well, my research is in love harvesting, so… yeah.” He finishes cleaning up and is about to leave. “So, I’m just going to get these developed, do you…” he trails off.

“I’ll be ok,” I say. As he leaves, I wonder about the truth of those words. I hope they’re true.

The operating table is cold. I’m not on bare metal, but I didn’t realize how comfortable my bed was in comparison until I was moved onto the table. You’d think I would have realized the discomfort during my rescue, but I guess my mind was focused elsewhere - rightfully so. It doesn’t help that I’m so skinny now. I can feel the outline of my bones on the table in a way I never did before.

The healer that Finicus mentioned yesterday, who I learned is named Calyx, is helping Dr. Leaf strap my head in. Once I’m secured, they adjust the table into reverse Trendelengriff position, forming a 15-degree line off the horizontal with my head up top. I’m a little nervous, so Fluttershy volunteered to hold my hoof during the procedure. I can’t see her with my head strapped in now, but I can feel her hoof on mine.

“Twilight,” Fluttershy says with concern, “Do you think we should get a farrier? I’m worried you won’t be able to walk.”

A farrier? She has a point; I could use some professional hoof care. My hooves are very overgrown from going unused for five years. If I had the strength to walk, just standing would probably be very uncomfortable given the awkward shape. One problem at a time, I suppose.

“Maybe if we have time,” I respond, “I don’t think I have the muscle strength to walk right now, but if I’m going to walk, I’m going to need my hooves trimmed by somepony eventually.”

“Maybe I can trim them for you,” Fluttershy offers, “I don’t have the tools, but I’ll be sure to talk to Jachs about it later, though.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy.”

“Alright, Princess, we’re ready to begin,” says Dr. Leaf, “I’m going to start by injecting some Lidocaine.”

“No general anesthesia?” I ask.

“I saw the readings Marsilio gave me,” she explains, “With your health as poor as it is and without an anesthesiology consult, I don’t feel confident knocking you out. We can’t risk you not waking up again.”

“I understand, doctor. Sorry to make you rush everything,” I say.

“There’s no need for an apology, Princess,” says the unicorn, “I’m just glad to be of service.” I see her levitate something just out of vision. “This is going to go in the back of your head. That should numb you enough so that I can insert the May Field clamp to secure your skull fully. The straps are ok, but we’re going to need to exert a lot of pressure to get the rod out. This clamp has three pins we’ll insert in 3 different parts of your skull.”

“When the procedure is finished, I’ll heal the hole it leaves, so don’t you worry,” Calyx adds. I feel the needle enter the back of my head around the exact opposite point of my horn. The dull ache is like after getting a flu shot. Fluttershy grips me slightly tighter. I can’t tell exactly what caused her to do so, but I see parts of the clamp in my peripheral vision. Maybe it looks scary. I have no idea what a May Field clamp looks like, but I do know that Dr. Leaf said it will be inserted into my skull, so I would imagine that it will be quite intrusive.

My mind wanders, theorizing various horrifying ways the clamp could work. I wonder if it's good or bad that I can’t see it. I can see Calyx and Dr. Leaf levitating various metal shapes around my head, perhaps to position myself and the clamp properly. I have no idea what each is for individually, which only adds to my uncertainty. I squeeze Fluttershy’s hoof back.

I can hear an electric razor turn on. They shave the injection site before wiping it down, which I would assume is to disinfect it. Here we go.

“I’m going to start screwing the clamp in. You will feel some pressure, and maybe some pain. If you feel pain, we’ll add more Lidocaine for the other two clamp pins,” Dr Leaf says with deliberation. I start to feel said pressure as the first pin goes in. It’s alright so far -

"Urgh," I vocalize. I felt a moment of pain there, but it went away quickly enough. My grunt is vague enough for Dr. Leaf to continue. The pressure builds. I say pressure, but is it actually pain? I’m so focused on it that I don’t know if I could tell the line from where it switched from just a regular sensation to a painful one. Maybe I can convince myself this is not pain, just pressure, and I’ll feel mostly fine through the whole thing.

Ok, I can’t ignore it anymore. If there is a threshold where pressure becomes pain, I think I just crossed it. The throbbing ache sensation intensifies further. I give a little yelp to signify my pain.

“Is it starting to hurt?” Dr. Leaf asks.

“Yes,” I respond as calmly as I can. I’m trying to stay calm so I don’t accidentally move. Fluttershy gives my hoof a squeeze. Her presence is reassuring.

“Alright,” she acknowledges,” we’ll increase the dosage for the other two pins.”

Settling the other pins goes more smoothly. With the extra drugs, Dr. Leaf and Calyx are able to secure my head in place without it being too painful. I can still feel the pressure from all three points of contact, but it's more uncomfortable than painful.

“Let me explain what’s going to happen now,” says Dr. Leaf, “Your X-rays showed that the rod has a screw bottom, which means they used a drill to directly implant it into your horn. We’re going to attempt to screw it out. First, that means we’re going to saw off the circular electrode part off the top here, and then attach some more clamps to build some leverage. With the extra leverage, we should be able to twist the rod right out. It will hurt, but I’ll give you some more Lidocaine first.”

“Also,” Calyx adds, “Once we get the rod out, I’ll cast a healing spell on the bare flesh, which should help your recovery.”

“From what Marsilio showed me, the rod is in your skull, but did not penetrate it, so there should be no complications on that end,” Dr. Leaf finishes.

“I’m ready.”

I hear the whir of an electric drill as a familiar needle enters the base of my horn. It’s painful, but I’ve already felt it three times today. I can feel a faint vibration as the drill makes contact with the rod.

“Just drilling some pilot holes so we don’t have to saw through as much metal,” Dr. Leaf explains. Bits of metal shaving enter my vision, but given my head position, none are in danger of falling in my eyes. She drills a second hole. And then a third. I hear a different whirring sound - it must be the saw. All of these surgical instruments are electrified now; modern technology really is amazing.

The grinding of the saw on the rod vibrates my head. It’s a bit stronger than the drill. There’s no pop when the saw sound stops, so I can only assume the ball cap was levitated away.

It’s hard for me to tell what’s happening now. I hear the drill occasionally, and I get some glimpses of Dr. Leaf and Calyx moving around, but I can only speculate exactly how they are building a jig to twist the rod out. Then I hear it. A slow tone rising in pitch overpowering everything else. It’s an air raid siren.

I hear Fluttershy’s voice speak over the distant but persistent sound of the siren’s wail, “Um, is that something we need to be worried about?”

Silence. Then Dr. Leaf speaks, “I don’t think so. They’ve been getting more common these last few weeks, but the chances of them hitting any particular place is low.”

“We are in a hospital though,” Calyx counters, “In terms of military targets, well… I know it’s not technically a military target, but I’m sure you’ve read those stories of hospitals being struck.”

“That’s true,” she concedes, “I think the more likely situation is they hit a power station and our lights go out. We have a backup generator for that though. Princess, if you’re comfortable, I’d like to continue.”

“Is there a risk this is a nuclear attack?” I ask.

“Actually, I don’t think so,” says Dr. Leaf, “I’ve been treating a lot of patients for radiation burns recently, and some mentioned that the nuclear explosions seemed to come out of nowhere, no planes in the sky or anything.”

“I’ve heard the same from mine,” adds Calyx.

My question probably wasn’t even relevant. If a nuclear explosion is coming, we’re all dead anyways. Dr. Leaf and Calyx don’t know of my plan to defeat Viira, just that they were required urgently for a surgery. I don’t think Viira knows I’m around again, so this is probably not directly targeted at me. I’d also rather not have to get the clamp done over again tomorrow… Hmmm…

“Go ahead, doctor,” I decide.

“In that case, get ready for some pain, ok? Just keep as still as you can,” she instructs.

I take a deep breath. Nothing... Nothing… Nothing… Fire erupts at the base of my horn. I tense my muscles. Fluttershy reacts to my sudden change in posture as I feel a second hoof on mine. It feels like a friction burn, but somehow inside me. Each time they stop twisting to regrip with their telekinesis and go again, the burning feeling dulls, but the relief is just until they go again.

I grit my teeth. The pain is constant now. The rod must be out of my skull and just in the horn now. The vibration of each twist causes the newly exposed wound inside me to flare in pain. I squeeze harder on Fluttershy’s hooves. Just a little longer… I think I heard something, was that the rod breaking free? I can’t focus on it - my mind is too occupied by the pain. Wait, Dr. Leaf is talking.

“It’s out. I’m going to remove the scar tissue around it so Calyx can heal you.”

I whimper in response. The pain is both sharp and dull. I can’t tell if Dr. Leaf is cutting or what, but the pain is constant. Just a little longer, Twilight. Don’t move… Don’t move… I have to release the tension in my muscles as they are too weak to keep holding on. My muscles burn from the biggest exertion they have had in five years. I spend just as much energy resisting the urge to tense or thrash as I did while tensing.

The burning sensation is fading away. Is it done? Is it over? Slowly, the sharp pain dies down, and I can finally relax the hoof Fluttershy is holding on to. Her constant presence reassures me everything is fine. If it wasn’t, she’d speak up. As the dull pain begins to come down as well, I take my first regular breath in a minute.

“Done,” says Calyx, “Clamp?”

“Removing now,” Dr. Leaf responds.

The pressure of one of the pins fades away. Then the same on another, and then the last one. The pain each removal causes is quickly abated by Calyx’s healing. I breathe a sigh of relief. I hear the straps get undone, and I’m finally free to move my head. Oof, I’m a bit tired. I can move now, but I don’t really want to.

“Everything went well!” Dr. Leaf happily reports, “How do you feel?”

“Tired,” I reply, “But glad. Can I have a mirror?”

“Of course,” he says before levitating a hand mirror in front of me. My horn looks… almost normal. There’s a hole where the rod was before, but if I covered it with something, no one would know without looking very closely. I turn my head slightly to see where the clamp pins made contact. I’m surprised - no visible marks? I don’t even see where they shaved my fur.

“No marks where the clamp was?” I say with an inquisitive tone.

“Nope!” Calyx reports. He sounds… tired. “Made sure to heal you the best I could. If you’ll excuse me, I think I need to lie down after using that much magic.”

I feel extremely lucky. Getting a surgery with both a surgeon and a healer is quite the luxury. I know I’m a Princess, but my mind goes to those who can’t afford this level of care. The door to the surgical suite opens, revealing Pinkie Pie with a wheelchair.

“Congratulations on a successful surgery, Twilight!” she yells.

“But, how did you know it was successful?” I ask.

“Itchy back - that means it’s my lucky day!” she explains, “What could be more lucky than the friend I haven’t been able to see for five years having a successful surgery? I also brought you some cake!”

She pulls a cake out of nowhere. Never change, Pinkie. With the help of my friends, I’m able to shift into the wheelchair. Fluttershy feeds me a bite of the cake. Delicious. I’d probably say that about any solid food, but that doesn’t make it not delicious. I won’t be walking for now, but I should be able to do some magic again. Pinkie wheels me out of the surgical suite and through the hospital. Each corridor we pass is guarded by soldiers assigned by Jachs to keep my presence a secret. It must have taken the work of fifty ponies and changelings just to get me here, all so I could get to the operating room in Dr. Leaf’s hospital.

We eventually reach the garage where a line of trucks greets us. I guess this is going to be a common occurrence going forward. Marsilio is waiting for us, and he comes over to see my condition.

“Looks like the surgery went well?” he asks hopefully.

“It did. Your friend was all you made her out to be,” I respond.

“Yeah, Mint’s the best. Did she give you any advice about regaining muscle strength?” he asks.

“I don’t think so,” I say. I hope I didn’t miss anything.

“No problem,” he buzzes, “Here’s a list of muscle exercises I prepared for you that should be able to help you get back on your feet.” He levitates a packet of paper into my lap. “Er, don’t mind the torn ends, I ripped these out of one of my old textbooks.”

While I would normally object to this kind of book abuse, I suppose I can excuse it this time. As Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie operate the lift to get me into the truck, I take a look through the packet. Stretching, range of motion exercises, resistance training… Ok, that seems doable. I’ll just have to keep pushing until I can walk again.

Marsilio helps me from my wheelchair onto the truck’s bench, and takes a glance at the page I’ve flipped to, “Oh, uh, ignore the part about massage for now. We’re probably going to be pretty occupied for these next few weeks, so it can wait until after defeating Viira.”

After defeating Viira. He seems to realize the magnitude of what he said. “Well, assuming Chrysalis doesn’t have us all killed,” he adds. What will happen after? Will Chrysalis just let me and my friends walk free? Not that I can walk, but the point stands. What about Jachs and his friends? I can’t see Chrysalis offering lenience of any kind. I’m once again struck by the sacrifice these changelings are making by bringing me and my friends together.

The truck starts moving. “Are we headed back to the castle?” I ask.

“Actually,” he starts, “Jachs, well really Alcippe, already finished organizing a unit of soldiers for our travels. He thought he could get a head start on getting the elements together. First on the list is the easiest to find - Applejack.”

“Does that mean -” I say before Marsilio finishes my sentence.

“Yep, we’re headed to Sweet Apple Acres.”

Author's Note

Surprise! Remember when I said this would be the last chapter? Yeah, this is going to be longer that I thought. I figured I'd upload what I have first as to not make y'all wait however long it takes for me to finish the whole last "chapter". It's probably going to be like 20% of the whole thing at this rate, but whatever.

Quick rundown if you haven't played Pax Chrysalia:

Jachs, Alcippe, Marsilio, Second Wind, and Finicus are from the Pax Chrysalia storyline when you play the Changeling Lands and beat Equestria. There is a very big event in that plotline where they find Twilight in the caves underneath Canterlot, so I figured they would be in the best position to try and save the world. They're relatively nice for changelings, and you can get a "good" end for them where ponies aren't treated as badly. This is not the timeline where that happened. All the events they reference, however, are things that happen in the Pax Chrysalia path.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie appear as generals for Zecora's Resistance in the Pax Chrysalia plot just like in the alternate timeline of the show, so that is where they are here. The locations of the other members of the mane 6 are also taken from the Pax Chrysalia and Manehattan Protectorate events.

I've made a couple allusions to Grogar, but in this timeline, he and Tambelon did not return.

Equestria Girls may or may not be canon in the mainline show, but it is canon in Equestria at War - see Sunset and the Polaria Girls in the Northern Protectorate route.

I learned that horses do not menstruate and have estrus cycles instead. I figured they would be interrupted in the case of Twilight's poor health, so she wouldn't be able to track time with it either.

Had to look up a lot of stuff about surgery circa 1955, but it's all worth it to make the puns for the technical terms. Mayfield clamp to May Field clamp was the easiest - May Field already sounds like a pony name.