Unity

Chapters

The Start of the New
The Unity Chalice
Full Marks
Unexpected Allies
The Seer
Pieces to the Puzzle
A New Queen is Born
The Reveal
Old Hatreds
It Begins
Title Page
The Workshop

The Start of the New

Chrysalis hated this. She hated this weakness with every fiber of her being. Even now she could feel it running rampant through her veins, weakening her muscles and thinning her bones. The Queen of the Changelings lay in the same spot she’s rested in for the past several days, in the very center of her antechamber. The room appeared empty, devoid of all life but the queen. Her breathing was slightly labored, and her gossamer wings twitched spasmodically with cold. Her subjects had long since left the queen be, her dark thoughts keeping them well away from her private quarters. Her restless mind kept dwelling on the past, relieving that fateful day almost a year ago. Her plan had been so perfect. It had been almost completely foolproof. All it took was a single unicorn, too smart for her own good, to unravel all of her schemes.

“She’s a changeling! She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them!”

The accusatory words of the real Cadance echoed through Chrysalis’ fevered mind. In the space of a few heartbeats, her plans had been ruined. She had never anticipated that Twilight would find a way out of those gloomy caves, let alone find the real Cadance. Even her brainwashed bridesmaids had failed her; all it took was a simple bouquet of flowers and her enemies had been free. But try as she might, Chrysalis couldn’t bring herself to actually hate the lavender filly that had ruined her plans. If Chrysalis had bothered to study the real Cadance’s personality better, she would have been able to fool even Twilight. Simply put, Chrysalis was too mean. She had constantly degraded those around her, treating them just like she would her own subjects. It was a wonder that no one else had seen through the disguise from the start.

Chrysalis’ mad laugh echoed through the hall. “Right you are, Princess. And as Queen of the Changelings it is up to me to find food for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place I’ve ever encountered. My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!”

Even with her plan in ruins around her, Chrysalis had refused to give up. While the changeling hordes were not starving by any stretch of the imagination, Equestria would have given them the power to climb back to the top of the power ladder. She had the love of Shining Armor to fuel her. In a fair fight, Chrysalis never would have been able to stand up to Princess Celestia. Acting swiftly, however, Chrysalis had been able to take the Equestrian monarch by surprise. With Celestia out of the way, Chrysalis had expected her victory to be swift and absolute. She never even tried to stop Twilight and her friends from going after the Elements of Harmony, knowing full well her drones would overwhelm them. But once more, that cunning Twilight Sparkle foiled her plans.

The young unicorn managed to free Cadance from her bonds and allowed the Alicorn to approach her fiancée. After that, it was over. Chrysalis, blinded by her anticipated victory, failed to remember that Cadance’s power was, essentially, love. Combine that love with the anger and fear the two had for the changelings that had ruined their wedding… It was a wonder any of the changelings had survived, let alone their queen. But Chrysalis knew that she was lying to herself. She had not survived. While that spell cast by Shining Armor had love in it, it also had anger, hate, and fear—which was poisonous to changelings in any dose. Chrysalis, being the closet to the spell, had suffered the most from it. While she had seemed to recover from it only months after the incident, the poison was still there, like cancer, biding its time.

Now the poison was determined to finish its work. Changeling doctors from all over had flocked to their queen in an effort to diagnose her illness and to find a cure. They had all failed, without question. No matter what medicine they offered her, or what magic they tried, they couldn’t help their queen. She was slowly dying, and that was that. Chrysalis had long since accepted the fact that she was dying. The one thing that kept her from completely shriveling away was her need to find a new leader for her kin. She had no sons, no daughters. She had neither heir by blood nor a chosen heir. Without a new monarch to lead them, the changelings would run rampant, killing each other and those around them. They would practically turn insane.

Nor could she just summon some changeling noble to her and claim him or her heir. Truth be told, she did not want the changelings to be led by a monarch who would follow in her hoofsteps. By nature, changelings were often greedy and impulsive. The younger the changeling, the more hotheaded they were. She needed an heir that would care for her people, and lead the changeling race back to the prosperity they had before the War of the Sun and Moon. But none of her changelings were going to be up to that task. Chrysalis would have to find an Outsider to become the new queen. Chrysalis turned slightly, staring into the shadows to the left of her.

“Flicka,” the queen said softly, her voice hoarse and faintly laced with pain. Immediately, the cyborg unicorn bodyguard moved forward out of the shadows. Her mechanical right leg whirred softly as the unicorn moved, and her mechanical eye studied the changeling before her with faint worry.

“My Queen?” Flicka asked, dipping a short bow.

“Summon the Council of Elders here. I do not have much time left, and we must discuss things of importance.” Flicka was gone almost before Chrysalis had finished speaking, teleporting away. Flicka was an unusual case. Abandoned in the desert by her nobility Canterlot parents, the unicorn has faced nothing but trial and hardships in her eighteen years of life. By accepting Flicka as a bodyguard, Chrysalis had already done wonders to improve the cyborg’s life.

The council members filtered into the queen’s chambers one by one, twelve of the realm’s most powerful changelings. They remained silent out of respect, the only sound the faint buzzing of their wings. The settled in a rough half circle around their queen, watching her with glossy blue eyes. Chrysalis was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts, before she spoke.

“I am dying.” She spoke the words bluntly, dispassionately, as though she were discussing something that was happening to any changeling but her. The twelve council members shifted uneasily but remained silent. “As you know, I have no heir. I have no one to take my place when my time comes for me to return to the stone. We are going to need to find someone to replace me.”

One of the younger council members leaned forward eagerly. Chrysalis studied the youth opposite her with a critical eye. Vizio was an extremely new addition to the Changeling High Council, barely eighteen years of age and as far from wise as one could get. She was impulsive and hotheaded, and enjoyed drawing attention to herself, negative or otherwise. She was greedy, as was the nature of one so young, and she thirsted for any type of power she could get her fangs into. The Queen continued to study Vizio silently. The younger changeling stared right back, her bright blue eyes almost mocking the ancient changeling. “I would like the opportunity to place my name forward as a candidate, my Queen.” Vizio said boldly. “Who better to lead our people towards a better future?”

Chrysalis was already shaking her head, wincing as she did so. “No. It’s not going to happen again. You are nothing more than another me.”

Vizio scoffed. “Don’t you dare to presume to compare me to you,” she spat. “I am better than you and you know it.”

Chrysalis bared her fangs mightily, slowly wiping the grin from Vizio’s face. “Do not forget who your Queen is, changeling! You are not any better than I. All I see before me is another power hungry changeling who will stop at nothing until she gets what she wants.”

“Then why not the Council itself?” Vizio demanded. “Let the wisest and patient of changelings rule our people into a glorious future.”

Again Chrysalis shook her head. “You know nothing of our politics. The Council cannot rule, as all twelve of you have your own agendas you want to pursue. You would fight against each other more than you would help our people. While members of the Council would try to further their own wants, our people would slowly starve to death without anyone to properly guide them.”

“Then what do you mean for us to do, Queen Chrysalis?” Vizio could not hide the anger in her voice. “Every changeling is going to be like you all over again: A power hungry fool! It is the way of a changeling.”

Chrysalis snarled. She sent a tendril of green magic lancing into Vizio’s unprotected side. “Just because I am weak and dying does not mean I am completely without power. Greed is the way of a young changeling,” Crysalis corrected. Several council members nodded in agreement. “But I am not going to suggest we put an older changeling upon the throne. Even older changelings make their mistakes. No, what I propose is that we put Magic upon the changeling throne.”

A shivering beat of silence greeted the ancient changeling’s words. Then the chamber erupted into noise, each council member attempting to talk over another. Vizio, however, used her magic to amplify her voice, her horn glowing green. “Are you mad Chrysalis?! You want to put a non changeling upon the throne? Absolutely not! It is not allowed!” At this, Queen Chrysalis leapt to her hooves. Even though the action made her weak and lightheaded, she must be heard.

“Silence!” she roared, her voice crackling with barely bridled power. Immediately, there was complete silence in the chamber. “I am perfectly sane, Vizio. I would suggest you be careful of whom you call crazy in the future. Now, are you all really so forgetful as to not recall the old laws that were put into place by changelings before our time? Anyone can rule the changelings, so long as the council approves. Even a non changeling.”

“But to put one of our enemies onto the throne? Magic, out of all of our enemies?” Vizio tried to hide the derision in her tone.

“Who else could lead us to a better future?” Chrysalis demanded hotly, sinking back down to her belly. “Who else than the one who has defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, and helped drive us back in Canterlot? Who else than the one who is Magic incarnate? We need to stop living the way we are.” Chrysalis slowly ran her gaze upon the twelve council members. “You all know how old I am. I have been Queen for a very long time, longer than any other ruler before I. Yes, I am power hungry. Yes, I am greedy. I never said that I am not. Nor did I say I was happy about putting an Outsider upon my throne. But it is needed. I swore, before my mother passed away, that I would lead the changelings to glory again, the same glory we had before the War of the Sun and Moon. Since then I have tried to uphold that promise. For a thousand years or more I have strived to keep that promise, and I have failed. We are no closer to being accepted by the other races of Sol than we were all that time ago. Part of this blame rests upon me. I’ve become blinded by power. That was all I cared about. If we put another power hungry changeling upon the throne, then the changelings will always be seen as the lesser race of Sol.”

“Then why not put a warrior upon the throne, then?” A few younger council members nodded in agreement.

“No,” Chrysalis said again. “Were you not listening? We’ve had enough of war to last us the rest of our lives! A warrior will lead us into pointless battles just for the fame and glory instead of pointless power. We need someone to lead us with wisdom and modesty, not strength and fighting. Again, who better than Magic herself? Surely those of you who where there at Canterlot remember her power. Surely you remember that she never once tapped into her full capabilities. If she had, the entire city could have been razed in her efforts to stop us. Have none of you heard of her other exploits? She saved her town from a rampaging Ursa Minor. She helped save her friend’s home from a pair of dishonest brothers. She saved her friends from a hydra. All of this she has done and more. A lesser being than her would have let all of this go to their heads long ago. But Magic is completely oblivious to her deeds. Who else could better lead our people in our quest for peace and acceptance? Do any of you have a candidate?”

There was a flurry of headshakes from her fellow council members. They all knew that without Chrysalis’ arguments, they would have allowed another power hungry changeling become the next King or Queen. Even so, Vizio could not help but attempt to have the last word. “Humph. This sounds like a fool’s errand to me. Do you even have any idea where Magic is?”

“Of course I do,” Chrysalis said a trifle smugly. “In fact, an ex Harvester is living in the same town as she.”

This caused Vizio to glare at her queen skeptically. “You mean what’s-her-fangs—Amethyst? Amethyst is dead. She has been for years.”

“I most certainly am not dead,” A new voice interrupted. Twenty-four eyes turned as one to stare at the door to the chamber. In front of said door stood a cream colored mare with a two toned mane, blue and pink. Several changelings instinctively hissed, while others glared at the offending pony. The new arrival scowled back. A green flash illuminated her form. When it faded, a pitch black female changeling stood there, no seemingly different from other drones. “I’ve been gone from the hive for five years, and this is how I get treated when I return?” She demanded, her voice now carrying the same echoing quality of other changelings.

“You were pronounced dead when you separated yourself from the hive. You and your self proclaimed love are blight upon changeling history.” Vizio’s voice dripped with venom. “Tell me, is that naive little mare you fell in “love” with still ignorant of what you are?”

“For your information, Lyra Heartstrings knows exactly what I am,” Amethyst retorted coolly. “She has known since I broke away from the hive to be with her.”

Vizio’s eyes dilated in surprise. “She is still with you, knowing what you are? I don’t believe it. You’ve brainwashed her, I’d bet.” Vizio summoned her magic, pinning Amethyst to the floor. “Why don’t I just send you back to the hell hole you sprung from in pieces?”

Amethyst struggled. “Let me go, Vizio, or I swear I’m going to hurt you.”

A third voice chimed in from just behind Amethyst, a musical voice that was oddly soothing to Chrysalis’ ears. “Bon-Bon has not brainwashed me, changeling. I would suggest you be careful who you insult. And if you don’t leave Bon-Bon alone, you’re going to find out exactly how tough we are.” A mint colored mare stepped up next to Amethyst, a lyre cutie mark standing out boldly upon her flanks. She gave a whimsical smile, though her golden eyes never wavered from Vizio’s blue orbs.

Vizio’s eyes narrowed in anger as other council members buzzed excitedly. “Another one of you?” she asked loftily. “Please make sure you don’t touch me; I would not want to hurt you.”

Lyra took a hoof step forward. “Are you threatening me as well as my love?” She demanded softly. Chrysalis was close to warning Vizio to back down. But the scene playing out before her amused her greatly. She knew the rumors, as much time as her Harvesters spent around the ponies. Lyra Heartstrings was no laughing matter. It was said that the mint green mare with a whimsical sense of humor was probably one of the most dangerous ponies in Equestria. One of her Harvesters had actually seen Lyra fight, once. The fight had lasted no more than ten seconds.

Vizio snorted. “I don’t care what you think I am doing, pony. You have no business here in our realm or in our council. I suggest you leave before I make you.”

Lyra just shook her head, smiling gently. “I’m afraid I’m not just going to leave because you want me to.”

Vizio barked out a harsh laugh. “What’s the matter, greenie? Are you going to work some magic on me? Every changeling knows that unicorns are the weakest casters on Sol. What are you going to do, tell me I won’t like you when you’re angry?”

The unicorn gave a silvery laugh that only served to enrage Vizio further. “Goodness, no. I don’t like being angry. Such a negative emotion! Now, I’m only going to tell you this one more time. Let Bon-Bon go.”

Vizio just did not understand when she was outmatched. “No, I don’t think I’m going to do that,” the changeling said.

Lyra sighed and hung her head in defeat. Vizio relaxed her guard, thinking she had won the argument. Before the young changeling could react, Lyra’s horn flared with green-white light. Vizio tumbled from her seat like she had been given a nasty shove. There was another burst of magical light, and Vizo was tossed back against the wall of a chamber, wings buzzing angrily. With a third blast of light, the hostile changeling went limp as she collapsed to the floor. Amethyst was instantly released from Vizio’s magical grip and moved over to her lover. Lyra turned to look at Queen Chrysalis a small smile tugging on her lips.

“Assaulting a guest is a punishable offense, is it not?” The mint green unicorn asked. Queen Chrysalis regarded the mint green unicorn before her. She would make a powerful changeling, if they could convert her. Taking out a council member in only three attacks was pretty impressive.

“Yes, it is,” Chrysalis finally replied, turning to glare at the unconscious form of Vizio. She turned back to the pair before her. “I assume you got my message?”

Amethyst bowed. “We did, Queen Chrysalis. Lyra and I came as quickly as we could. The Unity Chalice is approaching soon. My sources say Twilight has been chosen to enter. It might be a good time to try to talk to her about all this. If all else fails, we can kidnap her. I can imagine she’ll want nothing to do with the changelings no matter how many times we explain.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Go then, both of you. I do not have much time left.”

**********

“Can I help you, young mare?” The receptionist barely glanced up from his paperwork. His tone was clearly bored, assuming she was only a tourist or something. He was black coated with flecks of brown, and his nametag identified him as Dry Parchment.

Twilight Sparkle strode up to the receptionist as confidently as she could, trying to stop the light jittery trembles shaking her form. “I’m looking for an audience with the Board of Arcane Sciences,” the young sorceress announced, her voice an octave or two higher than usual.

The receptionist frowned at her now, finally looking up from whatever he had been reading upon his desk. “It is normally required that you send in a written request first, so that they can determine whether or not your research is worth their notice. They are busy ponies, and as such they cannot grant an audience to just anypony.”

Twilight sighed. This receptionist was definitely new if he did not even recognize her at first glance. She turned her body sideways, showcasing her cutie mark to Dry Parchment. It was almost comical watching his eyes widen in alarm. “I’m not just anypony. I’m, ah, Twilight Sparkle. I was told I should come here—“

“Ah, miss Sparkle. Accept my apologies; I did not notice you there. Please, down this hall and the second door on the left. They are waiting for you.”

“Thank you,” Twilight moved down the hallway the receptionist had indicated, trying to smooth out her already frazzled nerves. It was bad enough that the Board of Arcane Sciences were wary of her and wanted to keep an eye on her, but to have them summoning her every time one of her experiments succeeded only made everything worse. She had graduated the top of her class at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and had passed challenges the Board could only dream of passing. She knew what she was doing when it came to magic and experiments and magical experiments. Yet… She understood why the Board continued to have a special interest in her. With her growing magical prowess and her extraordinarily keen mind, it was only natural for the Board to keep an eye on her.

The giant double doors creaked open slowly of their own accord as Twilight Sparkle approached them. Doing her best to swallow the last of her nervousness, Twilight stepped slowly into the dark room. Runes lined the walls and windows, gleaming quietly. Tossing a passing glance at them, Twilight determined they were designed to prevent noises from escaping outside the chamber. They had not been there the last time she had visited the Board. Twilight paused in the middle of the room. With a small whisper of her mind, she let her magic bleed into her eyes, allowing them to pierce the dark gloom before her. The Board stood upon the edges of the chamber, thirteen of them all, wearing cloaks and hoods that concealed everything from sight. Not a one of them moved, observing the young mage before them silently. Finally, one of them stepped forward slightly and spoke.

Twilight Sparkle,” the mare said, her voice seeming to echo from all directions. “We received your request for an audience regarding your latest experiments. While we are unsure that an experiment of that caliber can be completed successfully by a mage barely out of her filly years, we deemed it prudent that you be allowed to show us.”

Twilight’s ears fell flat against her head. Although she should be used to it by now, it still hurt. The Board went out of their way to remind her that they were the best in Canterlot, no matter how well Twilight preformed. She had been before the Board several times in the past, normally just for magical growth checkups. Each time, the Board felt it their duty to make subtle comments that they really did not have the time for some lesser spellcaster. If it were not for Princess Celestia’s insistence that Twilight be evaluated magically by the Board, the Board would not even give Twilight the time of day. Twilight mentally shook herself and stood up proud, her ears perking back up. Today was different, it had to be different. Today was the first day she had ever been before the Board because of a successful experiment.

“My experiment is a success,” Twilight answered proudly. Her horn glowed briefly. A small rift appeared next to her, causing the Board members to murmur. Out of this rift floated two square bricks of wood.

“Is that a space pocket?” the mare demanded, voice suddenly harsh.

“Uh, yes?” Twilight stammered. “I use it to store objects. It’s much easier than carrying around saddlebags all the time and I won’t have to worry about accidentally losing anything.”

“An interesting feat, Sparkle. Of the thirteen of us, only four can cast that particular spell.” Coming from the hooded mare, that was high praise from the Board of Arcane Sciences. “Now, what is it you have here? Do you mean to tell us that these little blocks hold your experiment?”

“They do,” Twilight said. A tendril of red magic yanked the blocks of wood from Twilight’s aura and pulled them over to the Board. Their earlier quiet murmurs grew steadily louder as they examined the blocks.

“You mean to tell us that there is enough energy in these blocks that they can power other objects? Could they power a train, perhaps? How would a non unicorn use these?”

Twilight hesitated a bit before replying. “Yes, all of the energy is in those blocks. I have not figured out a way for non unicorns to use them yet. To the best of my knowledge, a non unicorn just simply can’t access that much energy and use it. In essence, yes, they could power something like a train. A unicorn would only have to unleash the energy within, and the train would move, following the tracks. There would be no need for constant energy drain as a unicorn maintained the spell. There would be no need for earth ponies to be constantly shoveling firewood into a furnace, or tethered to the train to pull it up steep hills.”

“How exactly have you manage to accomplish this, and at such a young age? Members of the Board have attempted to do the same thing you seem to have done with no results. How do the blocks regain the energy?” The lead mare’s voice sounded doubtful.

“Well, regaining the energy is easy!” Twilight gushed, eager to be teaching about something. “I originally got the ideas from flora. They absorb light from Celestia’s sun, and turn it into energy they can use. But I couldn’t find a way to make that work on non organic objects. So instead I exploited the dimorphism of magic. The wood the blocks are made of is still alive, and serves as a “flora focal point” that polarizes the dimorphism. Then all I had to do was distill the energy into a reformed core.”

“Sparkle, I have been studying this myself for years and have no idea what you just said.

Twilight sighed in exasperation. “Basically, the living wood still absorbs light from Celestia’s sun and converts it into chemical energy, which is then converted into an easier to manage kinetic energy and stored elsewhere into the wood, waiting to be called upon by a unicorn familiar with the floes of energy. Just place one of these blocks out in the sun for a day, and by nightfall it will hold enough energy to power a train for a day or so.”

“Well, Sparkle, it seems we have underestimated you. We will need to perform our own experiments on the matter before we determine if this is something we could present to the Princess. We shall keep you informed of our findings. In the meantime, you are free to go.”

Knowing that this was the best she could have hoped for, Twilight turned and left.

**********

Twilight headed back to her old room in Canterlot Palace. She had been summoned to Canterlot by Princess Celestia, who wanted to personally see how well her student was progressing. Twilight had decided it would be the perfect time to bring her experiment to the Board. She had spent the morning with Princess Celestia, catching up on details of their lives and analyzing Twilight’s energy experiment. Princess Celestia had been pleased with how far her student had come, and had personally suggested that Twilight take it to the Board of Arcane Sciences. So when Princess Celestia took her leave to deal with the petitions of nobility, Twilight had set out to show the Board what she had accomplished.

Now, though, her only thought was to retire to her bedroom for a nap. However, as she pushed open the door to her quarters, she was welcomed by the sight of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. “Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” Twilight cantered over to her mentor and gave her a brief nuzzle, while a slightly more reserved hug was delivered to Luna, who accepted it with a smile.

“Good evening, Twilight Sparkle!” Luna’s voice bounced around the bookshelves lining Twilight’s room endlessly. The Princess of Night brought a hoof to her mouth. “We mean, good evening, Twilight Sparkle. Pray tell, what are you doing this fine evening?”

Twilight nickered slightly, trying to get her ears to stop ringing. “I just got back from the Board of Arcane Sciences, actually. Is there something I can help the pair of you with?”

“Ah, yes,” Princess Luna answered. “Our sister told us of your most recent success, Twilight. We extend our congratulations. Tonight’s visit is more along the social venue, but we are also here on a state of business.”

Twilight’s curiosity raised its head, sniffing the air. “What sort of business, princess?” In answer, Princess Celestia floated a letter off of Twilight’s bed. With an intrigued glance at her mentor, Twilight took the proffered letter and opened it to read.

Ms Twilight Sparkle

Twilight’s Suite, Canterlot

In recognition of your contributions to the magical arts, primarily friendship, and in further recognition of your services to your homeland and to the rest of Sol, you are cordially invited to participate in the 678th annual Unity Chalice. It has been agreed that you are to be placed in the young adult bracket according to your sponsorship. Please RSVP with confirmation of your participation in the tournament, as well as list the number of guests you will be bringing. Enclosed with this letter you will also find the name of your battle partner for this competition.

Signed

Princess Celestia of Equestria

Emperor Zackra of Zebrith

Flock Mother Godwyna of Griffon Nation

Queen Athest the Fire Starter of the Netherlands

Twilight stared at the invitation dumbly. Her expression was a cross between mortified and glee. “Are you talking about the same two versus two team tournament I’m thinking of?” She finally asked in a small voice. “But that… That is for experienced Magicians. And powerful ones! I’m not—”

“Powerful?” Celestia broke in. “If you are not powerful, than whom else is?”

“But… my schooling… I’ve not even reached the most advanced stuff yet. This tournament is for experienced wizards and magicians, not for some aspiring sorceress.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said. “What true scholar of magic is ever truly finished with their studies? You are still the most powerful sorceress I know, unicorn or otherwise. It has been a long time since a unicorn has studied the magic of a sorceress, let alone one as powerful as you. I do not expect you to win, Twilight Sparkle, but I expect that this will be a good experience for you. You are skilled, and you already have a sponsor. The judges have already agreed that you are more than qualified to compete at your age level.”

“Who is my sponsor, then? I don’t know anypony with that type of money…” Twilight trailed off as she stared at Princess Luna, who was striving to hide a grin.

“I am your sponsor, Twilight Sparkle,” the midnight Alicorn said. "I was imprisoned well before the very first Unity Chalice but when Celestia mentioned it to me I could think of nopony more deserving of a chance than you.”

Twilight was almost speechless. “Thank you, Princess! I just… wow. I’ve never dreamed of participating in a tournament like this!”

Princess Luna chuckled. “I am also offering a sponsorship to your partner.”

In answer, Twilight fumbled for the second piece of parchment. It read

Your partner for the 678th Unity Chalice is one Ms Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow is participating? And she is my partner?”

“Quite so, Twilight. I believe Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts had originally planned to sponsor Rainbow, but as Rainbow is one of her Trainees that would not have gone over well." Princess Luna laughed, and stood to leave, her sister following. “I had better hear you are training hard.”

On that final note, the royal sisters departed. Twilight barely noticed. Her mind was a million miles away, still trying to come to grips with what had just happened. She had been chosen to partake in the Unity Chalice. The princesses thought that she, a mere unicorn sorceress, was powerful enough and talented enough to partake in the very tournament that celebrated the unity of the races of Sol. As she sat there lost in space, her body finally insisted enough was enough. Curling up in the still warm space her mentor had just vacated, Twilight slowly began to drift off into slumber.

Power. Overwhelming power. It surged through the Rune beneath Twilight Sparkle’s hooves and through the air around her. Tiny sparks danced upon the magic laden atmosphere, looking as though she were standing in a snow storm of purple and white. Her eyes literally blazed amethyst, afterimages of flames dancing in front of the orbs. She could feel the raw magical energy swirling up through her body, leading directly to her horn. Twilight’s gossamer insect wings twitched with energy as the Changeling Queen struggled against completely letting loose. The cold taste of metal filled her mouth as more motes of energy flickered from it. She stared at her foe hovering across from her; the same foe who had tried to hurt her friends, who had tried to kill Twilight. Vizio, for her part, looked almost bored, unfazed by the raw power that filled her Queen’s trembling form. The Alicorn Amulet, an old artifact Twilight had encountered only once before, hung around the traitor’s neck.

Twilight tossed fitfully in her sleep. Her eyes were squinted shut, and a fine layer of sweat dusted her skin as she shivered. Flailing hoofs caught her bed sheets and drug them up over her, creating a stifling cocoon. A small whimper eased its way from her muzzle as she dreamed.

”Twilight!” Rainbow Dash’s voice could easily be heard over the din of the battle around the Pegasus. Bodies clashed against each other, the black of changelings and the gleaming color of ponies. Griffons darted to and fro, slashing all that came within reach. Zebra shaman and alchemists dotted the battlefield, trying to sooth wounds and poison enemies. Through it all Dash flew, weaving desperately around obstacles in her efforts to reach her friend. Something clipped her wing, causing her to dip dangerously before she recovered with a snarl.

“Get out of here, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted from where she stood, embroiled in a mass of foes. “This is not your fight! You’ll only get yourself hurt!”

“No!” Rainbow yelled back, turning sideways to buzz between two startled combatants. “Damnit Twi, this isn’t your fight either!”

“It’s always been my fight, Dash! I have to make this right! Get to safety. I can’t let you get hurt over me!”

Dash was only ten yards from her friend now. There was a sudden rumbling off to her left. She glanced over just in time to see a cascading wall of rubble heading directly for her. The cyan Wonderbolt banked sharply, trying to avoid it. With a resounding boom, though, it was upon her. Dash heard Twilight scream her name, distantly. A flying boulder smashed into her back, driving her to the hard ground below. More debris joined the first, smothering Rainbow Dash in a cloud of dust and rocks. She coughed, trying to clear her lungs and stay conscious all at once. There was something she had to tell Twilight!

“Tw-Twiight,” Dash coughed violently. She couldn’t even hear the sound of her own voice. “Twilight, I-I lo—“ Rainbow Dash sunk forward into black oblivion before she could finish her sentence.

Twilight whimpered, faint tears streaking her face. She tossed again, dangerously close to rolling off her bed into the floor. There was a faint rip as her blanket was torn asunder by a fore hoof. Dim sparks shot from her horn, dissipating harmlessly upon the mattress. She drew in wracking breaths as she silently cried, but she still did not wake.

The scene faded to black and then disappeared, to be replaced by a small Zebra, barely older than a filly. “Sleep, little Twilight,” the Zebra said, her voice soothing, compassionate. “Sleep, and do not let the Sight trouble you.”

Twilight’s shivering eased. She hiccupped once, her crying ceased. She turned over one last time before drifting off into an easy, dreamless slumber.

The Unity Chalice

When Twilight awoke the next morning, she could remember nothing from the dream. The young unicorn mare stumbled blearily out of her bed, tripping over a tear in her blanket. Frowning thoughtfully at it, Twilight managed to make it to her bathroom. For some strange reason, she was quite uncoordinated this morning, even more so than usual. As she went to move through the bathroom door, she paused. Something was… different. It was not different in a bad way, but it was still there. This had been her room ever since she had moved into the palace, and she new every feature of it by heart. Something had changed.

As Twilight went to nudge the door open with her magic, it hit her. She was taller. She was not much taller, or she would have immediately noticed the change. But it was still there. Twilight estimated she was a good three inches taller than she had been earlier in the day. It was then that Twilight also registered how she felt. She felt more powerful and not just magical wise. Her entire body felt loosely coiled and smooth. It was altogether an interesting, pleasant feeling. She cast a careful eye over herself craning her head around to stare at her own glossy back. She was not entirely sure, but she could almost imagine that she had actually developed more muscle mass. That was impossible. Ponies did not unexpectedly grow more muscle and become taller in the middle of the night. Shaking her head swiftly and whickering to herself, Twilight nudged open the door to the bathroom.

As she moved to her bathtub, she caught her reflection in the mirror. She paused, turned to stare, her mouth gaping open in shock. The unicorn regarding her from the mirror was not her. It couldn’t be. Twilight blinked several times, and so did the reflection. Okay, so it was certainly her. But, by Celestia, she simply looked drop dead gorgeous. Twilight leaned in a little, keen to take in every detail of her new appearance. Her horn was longer. That was the very first thing Twilight noticed. Her horn was her pride and joy; while she tried not to be a vain unicorn, her horn was the single most important feature she was proud of. Now it was longer, every bit as long as Princess Celestia’s. Twilight tore her eyes away from her longer horn and gazed at the rest of her.

She was taller, exactly three inches, like she had thought before entering the room. Instead of looking oddly out of place, it looked like she belonged that whole three inches taller. What she noticed next was her mane. It still hung in a ruler straight edge across her forehead, parting neatly and evenly across her horn. But it was glossy, practically illuminated from within. Looking closely, Twilight could make out little dancing sparks dotting her mane, like little bursts of magical energy. It looked rather like the stars that adorned the mane of Princess Luna. As she had suspected in the hallway, she had developed more muscle. It was very subtle, giving her curves that had never been there before. And, if Twilight had to admit to herself, those curves were quite enticing. All four of her legs were thicker too, corded with more muscle that still failed to make her look odd. Twilight felt as if these new muscles are designed to improve her reflexes and agility; they were nowhere near as prominent as Applejack’s leg muscles.

Above all the other physical changes wrought upon her, what caught her gaze the most was her eyes. Even though she was loath to admit it, her eyes were something else that she had been proud of, even vain of. They had been such a pretty purple color that matched the rest of her. Now, they were more than just a pretty purple. They sparkled and shone with what seemed to be intelligence. They spoke volumes of knowledge and study. Looking into those wise, amethyst orbs, Twilight could actually feel that this unicorn knew things that few other ponies ever would. Twilight opened and closed her mouth a few times, struggling to find words.

“Wow,” she finally breathed. Twilight froze again. That was not her voice. It was every bit as quiet as Fluttershy’s voice on her most quiet day, but it still managed to sound loud and clear and could probably capture the attention of everypony else. As she stood there dumbly and stared, her eyes caught sight of a small piece of folded parchment tucked behind the edge of the mirror. Her horn glowed softly, and the parchment unfolded itself and floated up to her eyes.

Twilight,

I hope you enjoy the changes we have wrought. Consider it a gift from your idols.

--C.

Twilight could only stare at the short mysterious letter. There was no way this was possible. Nopony could just turn her into an entirely different mare overnight. And who was C? Who were her idols? Those questions buzzed through her mind. The only ponies she knew with the initial C were Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance. Could it be possible her mentor had done this to her, to prepare her for the Unity Chalice? It did not seem likely; as a judge in the tournament, Princess Celestia was supposed to be impartial. Twilight felt her breath quicken as she began to feel the onslaught of her infamous "panic-mode". Twilight took deep, calming breaths. She has not had an episode for several months now, and she was not about to start. Resolving to ask her teacher later, Twilight mentally shrugged it off and stepped into the shower.

**********

Amethyst was disgruntled. After returning to Ponyville, the young changeling had staked out Twilight’s tree house home for hours. Even though she desperately could use some sleep, she dared not miss her chance to follow Twilight. Lyra, Celestia praise her lover, was still at home, preparing for their journey to Canterlot. The mint green unicorn had adamantly refused to remain at Ponyville while Amethyst trekked halfway across Equestria. Amethyst had given that argument up without much of a fight. Not only did she have a hard time saying no to Lyra as it was, but Amethyst would be glad for the company.

Even though Amethyst’s plan to keep an eye out on Twilight was a good idea, she had not realized she had already missed her opportunity. It was not until Rarity had passed Amethyst on her way to the train station that Amethyst discovered that Twilight was already in Canterlot, having left the previous day. Amethyst was all for tearing directly off to Canterlot, but Lyra had put her hoof down, saying that Amethyst really needed some sleep. So the pair had bedded down for the rest of the day and night, catching up on lost sleep from their time traveling to and from the Verdant Forests, the changeling lands.

This was the reason why Amethyst was currently disgruntled. After a long and uneventful train ride to Canterlot, the last thing the young changeling wanted was to be ensconced in the Grand Ballroom full of noisy creatures, attempting to find Twilight Sparkle and her group. Amethyst knew they had to be there somewhere; since Twilight was taking part in the Unity Chalice, she could not miss the opening ceremonies. Amethyst did not think that someone who radiated power like Twilight would be hard to find, but with everyone in the area gleaming with some sort of power, finding Twilight was proving to be impossible. Then, as a pair of griffons moved aside slightly, Amethyst saw them. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were sitting alone at an ornate table towards one of the corners of the room, facing the judge’s table. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Friends, a silver plague read in simple script. Lyra had spotted her too, and nudged her lover gently. Amethyst nodded.

Amethyst blinked, staining her senses. Twilight Sparkle was not entirely the same pony she had been the previous day. The first thing Amethyst noticed was the horn. It was almost as long as Chrysalis’. There were other changes, too. Her eyes were more alive than ever before. Twilight also seemed to have quite a bit more muscle mass, in addition to a mane that seemed illuminated and had little motes of magical energy dancing in it. If Amethyst was not mistaken, Twilight was also a bit taller. And her power! Twilight Sparkle had always radiated power, but now her future Queen was putting out so much power Amethyst could feel it all the way across the room. The young changeling wanted nothing more than to rush across the room and ask Twilight to be her Queen right then and there. Vizio’s arrogant look as Amethyst was sent on this mission still haunted her vision. Amethyst wanted nothing more than to prove Vizio wrong. It took all of her willpower to ignore this impulse. It was bad enough that she was practically stalking Twilight with an unbridled fervor; Amethyst could not act too rashly now or it was all over.

She turned to Lyra and saw her marefriend staring at her. Amethyst shrugged. Amethyst had her suspicions about Twilight’s transformation; but could not confirm anything yet. They both turned their attention forward again. Princess Celestia had stepped up to a raised platform before the judge’s table, as though planning to give a speech. The Emperor of Zebras and the Flock Mother of Griffons stood slightly off to either side of the radiant Sun Princess, with the Dragon Queen, Athest the Fire Starter, behind. Princess Luna was there too, watching her sister intently, along with half a dozen Solar Guards.

Princess Celestia spoke, her voice easily carrying through the great ballroom and causing a hush to fall over the crowd. “Good day, my subjects. Good day, Zebras of Zenith, Griffons of Gryphos, and Dragons of the Netherlands. Welcome. Welcome to the opening ceremonies of the six hundred and seventy eighth Unity Chalice. Before we officially open the tournament and prepare to move into the qualifying rounds, Emperor Zackra and Flock Mother Godwyna would like to say a few words.”

The Emperor was the next to step up to the dais. He is powerfully built, like an earth pony, all smooth muscle and hardened skin. “Welcome, all of you.” His voice was as powerful as his body, reverberating off the walls. “It brings me great pleasure to be here, once again, for the Unity Chalice. As Princess Celestia mentioned—” here he dipped his head to the Princess in question “—I am Zackra of the Zebras. Six hundred and seventy eight years have passed since the Zebras, the Griffons, the Ponies, and even the dragon Tribes have came to peace. The Unity Chalice is a testament to that ideal. When the Ponies had first approached outside nations in their quest for peace everywhere, we scoffed at them. Peace was only possible for ponies, we said. Ponies have had over a thousand years to find peace under the esteemed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Other leaders believed peace was not possible for anyone else. Fighting was in our nature, we told ourselves. So that is exactly what we did. We fought for land, for power, and for food. We seemed incapable of living in harmony.

“When Princess Celestia had no choice but to banish her sister to the moon to protect the peace they had both worked so hard for, she came to the rest of the us and demanded to know why we could not set aside our petty differences and live together. Princess Celestia argued that if she could banish her own sister until such a time a cure for her nightmare was found, then why could not the Zebras and Griffons and Dragons find peace amongst themselves? Were we not the greatest leaders of our nations? We thought about it, Zebras and Griffons and Dragons, and we decided the answer was yes! What leaders were we if we could not stop the fighting among our people? And so, the Unity Chalice was born. A friendly tournament to blow off some steam every now and then and to see who could boast the best champions the world has ever seen.”

The zebra raised his voice slightly. “Now I know, and so do my people in here today, that there is a particular Twilight Sparkle participating in this year’s Unity Chalice, in addition to her team member, Rainbow Dash.” Zackra’s eyes stared directly at Twilight and Rainbow, way in the back. The unicorn flushed in embarrassment as the eyes of everyone in the room turned to her and her friend. “I, for one, am eager to see how well this extraordinary pair performs. Twilight is the Element of Magic, Celestia’s Faithful Student, and she’s saved Equestria, and by extension all of Sol several times. Rainbow Dash has been right there with Twilight, steadfast and Loyal. She has preformed the Sonic Rainboom multiple times and is probably the fastest flyer we will ever see. You have the gratitude of the Zebra Empire, Miss Sparkle, Miss Dash, and I can give you no higher praise than that.” With those words, the Zebra stepped down, returning to his place to the left of Princess Celestia.

There was a thunderous round of applause and hoofbeats. Flock Mother Godwyna stepped forward to take Zackra’s place, and gradually the noise died down. When Godwyna spoke, her voice was surprisingly smooth, quite unlike a normal Griffon.

“Welcome, friends and allies. It seems that this year Zackra stole the limelight, so I shall spare you the same speech.” She smiled slightly at the zebra leader. “Now, I know some of you are wondering why the turnout for this year’s Unity Chalice has nearly quadrupled those of previous years. Part of this, I’m sure many have guessed, is because the Element of Magic and the Element of Loyalty is here with us today. While this might be some of the cause for such a large turnout, the presence of two Heroines is not the only thing drawing us here like moths to a flame. This year, for the first time since its creation, the Unity Chalice now has the honor of being judged by both Princesses of Equestria. Princess Luna, freed from the darkness that was Nightmare Moon, will join her sister Princess Celestia on the judge’s bench.”

Godwyna stepped back off the dais, gesturing Princess Luna forward. The midnight Alicorn approached the spotlight nervously, as though she expected to be ridiculed. When she spoke, her voice was soft, with no trace of the sometimes present Royal Canterlot Voice. “I am grateful for this honor, Godwyna of Gryphos, Zackra of Zebrith, Athest of the Netherlands. As you know, I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night skies. On this day six hundred and seventy eight years ago, I watched from my imprisonment on the moon as Celestia completed her quest for peace everywhere. The nightmare that had taken a hold of me at the time scoffed at the notion and laughed at it. I, however, was overwhelmed with compassion. Despite all that the darkness had done in my body, my dear sister was still striving to carry out our original plans. That right there showed me how much Celestia has always loved me, even if Nightmare Moon never wanted to acknowledge it. I am grateful to have her for a sister. However, I sense that you are eager for the start of the Unity Chalice. There will be time for more stories later.”

Princess Luna paused, surveying those around her. "I, Princess Luna of Equestria, hereby declare the tournament open!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tiny motes of sunlight began to filter into the spacious room. Celestia’s glorious Sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, its warming light caressing all of Canterlot well before any other place. Ponies who thrived upon the night life of the city that never slept were slowly returning to the comfort of their homes, fully prepared to sleep off their hangovers during the day. Other ponies, who slept during Luna’s night like normal creatures were slowly being roused by the insistent rays, just like they had been for thousands of years. One room, however, situated in one of Canterlot’s impressive towers, was doing its best to foil the attempts of the sun to rouse the ponies within. Even the radiant might of the life giver could be held at bay by a simple black curtain. But Celestia’s Sun was persistent, and little beams if light peeked in from the sides and top of the curtain. One such beam found itself lying directly across the closed eyelids of Twilight Sparkle.

The sorceress squirmed slightly, trying to unconsciously remove her head from the offending light before it could wake her fully. She only succeeded in making her predicament worse, however, and was slowly drug up from the realm of comforting sleep. Her eyes opened slowly, and she winced as the Sun’s light stabbed into her unprotected orbs. With a muffled exclamation of dismay, Twilight shifted over so that the slanted lance of light was positioned next to her, out of her eyes. She tried to drift back off to sleep, but the damage was done and she was thoroughly awake. She lay there for a moment, letting her protesting mind catch up with itself. She had not dreamed last night, which for some reason filled her with a mysterious sense of relief. She frowned as her brain followed that train of thought. Why would she be relieved to not have dreamed? Unicorns only ever dreamed once or twice a year, a phenomenon that was the result of their innate magic.

Twilight lay there, unmoving, as she tried to piece together the hectic events from the previous day. She remembered waking up and finding herself completely changed. She remembered the opening ceremonies for the Unity Chalice, but everything before her day started and most of the events after the opening events were nothing but a pleasant blur in her mind. It was almost as if somepony were shielding her memories, preventing her from remembering something that might have been important. Twilight snorted at the thought. She was just being silly. Nopony would just mess with her memories, and the only ponies who had enough power to do so where the Princesses. I’ll probably feel better after some breakfast.

Eventually Twilight became aware of another sound in the room: slow, steady breathing. In, and out. In, and out. The breaths never once sped up or slowed down, keeping that same even tempo. Rolling over upon her back, Twilight could just make out the shadowy form of Rainbow Dash on the darker side of the room. The newest Wonderbolt stood upright upon her hind hooves, wings flared to help keep her balance. Her forehooves are flung out to either side of her just under her impressive wingspan, further keeping her body centered. Her maroon eyes were closed as she breathed deeply. Twilight recognized this as the meditation stance Rainbow Dash preferred to take. The sight was almost enough to make Twilight laugh.

It was Captain Spitfire who had first suggested that Rainbow Dash should meditate on a regular basis, to help the cyan flier keep her energy under control and her body centered at all times. Apparently mediating was something that every Wonderbolt did, an easy method to become calm and flight prepared. Naturally, since Spitfire had suggested it, it did not take very long at all before Rainbow Dash was doing exactly as her idol had suggested. Her friends had never seen the cyan Pegasus sit still for very long at all, and seeing Rainbow Dash doing just that for long periods of time was a novelty. Rainbow had tried to explain it to them, telling them that it allowed her to keep her abundant energy and passive Pegasi magic always ready to be called upon. But for all of Dash’s explanations, the only one of her six friends who understood was Twilight Sparkle.

The mare in question found her own breathing slow to match up with Rainbow Dash’s. With practiced grace, Twilight rose onto her rear hooves. Her horn began to glow softly with record low power drainage, and her magic seeped out to cover her entire form. As it did so, Twilight raised both of her left legs out at a ninety degree angle from her still planted right rear hoof. Her right forehoof stretched out in the opposite direction of her left. She closed her eyes, and thus remained, balanced upon her right hoof only. Twilight felt her consciousness slowly grow distant as she lost herself in the simple action of meditation.

Trying to explain meditation to one who has not mastered the art was hard. Not only was it a good way to relax, but it also allowed the practitioner in question assess his or her magical reserves and physical, kinetic energy. Twilight always used meditation to accurately assess her magical font, rather than just quickly looking it over like other unicorns were wont to do. As her consciousness delved deeper towards the pool of simmering energy, Twilight could instinctively tell that it had grown—again. Twilight sighed softly to herself before she plunged her essence into her magical font. She began to count. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… On and on she went, counting steadily and evenly. She hit fifty and kept going. Then she hit one hundred, and shortly after one hundred and fifty.

After hitting nine hundred, Twilight began to grown concerned. She has spent roughly fifteen minutes trying to reach the other side of her magical font, and there were no signs of her reaching it soon. With a grim determination she continued on. One thousand. One thousand five hundred. Finally, right as Twilight hit the two thousand one hundred mark, she was through. It had taken her two thousand one hundred seconds to cross from one side of her magical font to the other. That was roughly thirty five minutes she had spent evaluating herself. The last time she had done this, it had only taken her fifteen minutes, and that had been a week and a half ago. Since then Twilight’s Font has easily doubled in size. She estimated her Font to be as big as Ponyville Lake, and almost just as deep. She had enough magical energy to flatten Canterlot Palace to its foundations at least twice. The thought made her shudder slightly.

With a tendril of thought, Twilight sliced away a small wagon wheel sized piece of her Font, binding it to the forefront of her reserves so that she would only use this piece. As long as Twilight made sure she only drew from this small portion of her Font, she wouldn’t have to worry about using too much energy. Twilight turned her attention back to her Font, and sighed. She couldn’t even tell that she had done anything. That was yet another thing that set her apart from any other caster alive: Her Font was unlimited. As fast as she could draw from it, it regenerated itself. It had taken several grueling tests to confirm this, but it was true. Twilight could levitate entire buildings for days on end without even falling into the Magical Fatigue phase. One of the first things Princess Celestia had taught her after that was how to draw upon a limited amount of her Font.

Twilight knew that she should be starting her day soon, but she was so relaxed. The worries of the tournament, the implied vigor of Dash’s training sessions for the pair… None of that mattered in the slightest right now. A sudden thought struck her, and she grinned inwardly. Slowly and gently, Twilight expanded her consciousness outward. In doing so, she could feel the things around her. There was the nightstand resting proudly next to the head of the bed. There was the coffee table, and the door to the bathroom. Then, at long last, Twilight came upon the object she had been seeking: Rainbow Dash’s warm body.

Or, more accurately, the bright pinprick that was her best friend’s mind. Reaching out a tentative tendril of thought, Twilight brushed against Rainbow’s mind, letting the mare know who it was. A moment later, Dash’s mind opened up and greeted Twilight’s, dousing the sorceress with the by now familiar sensations her friend experienced.

Hey, Twi, Dash greeted warmly. Sleep well?

Good morning, Rainbow Dash! I slept like a rock, I suppose.

Rainbow Dash mentally snickered, sending an odd rippling sensation through the mind link. Your snores certainly sound like you did!

I do not snore! Twilight retorted, indignant.

In response, Dash sent Twilight a mental image: Twilight, sprawled undignified upon her bed, snoring loudly. Oh really? The Wonderbolt giggled.

Twilight blushed, sending the heat undulating through the connection. At least I don’t drool, the unicorn snarked back, sending a mental image of Rainbow crashed at one of Twilight’s library tables, doing just that. Twilight felt a slight twinge of playful justification as Rainbow’s cheeks heated.

Dash sighed. Okay, you win this one. The cyan mare paused, sensing something through their connection. No matter how hard either one of them tried, it was nearly impossible to hide something while sharing this mental sharing of minds, this “Link” as Twilight so eloquently called it. Twilight had been the first to take notice of Rainbow Dash’s increased magical energy while she was meditating, being more sensitive than other unicorns. Dash had always been slightly more magical than other Pegasi; her natural affinity towards the air and weather proved this. As Dash meditated, though, her magic eventually coalesced itself into her own personal Font. With a bit of practice Dash discovered she could actually control her magic. She couldn’t do anything as fancy as levitation or the big magical activities Twilight partook in, but she was strong enough to control the winds and even lightning. Rainbow had also been the one to forge this Link between her and her purple friend. Losing control while experimenting with her powers, her magic had automatically sought out the nearest anchor to stabilize itself: Twilight Sparkle.

The result was this permanent mental link. Rainbow had not liked the idea of always being privy to Twilight’s mind and innermost thoughts. Sure she was a really close friend towards the egghead, but to be tethered to something else like that made her extremely uneasy. Eventually, however, Dash had discovered she could just “tune” Twilight out a bit, shoving the Link to the very back of her mind unless needed. But now Rainbow Dash could tell something was bothering her friend.

What’s the matter, Twi? Dash asked gently. I can tell something is bothering you.

Dash felt Twilight sigh. My Font has grown again. The sorceress said wearily.

Dash should have known this was the issue. Being this mentally close to Twilight, the unicorn couldn’t hide her concerns over her Font from Dash. It had taken a bit of coaxing, but eventually Twilight had told Dash the whole story. The day Rainbow Dash had pulled off her first ever Sonic Rainboom and Twilight had gotten her cutie mark, the unicorn had lost control of her magic. She startled the examiners, turned her parents into flora, and hatched the baby Spike into a giant full grown dragon, a task that was meant to be impossible. But that was not all Twilight had done. She had created a magical flare so immense in scale that it could have demolished all of Canterlot and a fifty mile radius around it. Princess Celestia had to close the flare itself, and help filly Twilight get her magic under control. Since then, Twilight has had an unprecedented magical growth. While other unicorns would have a small magical spurt, Twilight simply kept growing and growing.

How big? Rainbow Dash asked now. She was genuinely curious; she knew Twilight worried about losing control of all that magic, but Dash saw nothing to be concerned about. Twilight had never lost control in all of the years the librarian had been in Ponyville, and Dash knew Twilight was not going to any time soon.

Twilight hesitated. It’s now about the size of Ponyville Lake, and probably every bit as deep. I could probably level Canterlot at least twice with plenty of power left over.

Rainbow Dash whistled with her mind. That was a lot of power, all right. A small part of her insisted that she should be afraid of a unicorn with this much power, but the rest of her easily drowned that small voice out. This was Twilight Sparkle. The sorceress has been dealing with excess magic for years now. Even Princess Celestia had admitted that she had not seen a unicorn with so much control.

At the rate you’re going Twi, you won’t need me for the Unity Chalice.

Twilight could only chuckle weakly. Aren’t you afraid of me? I know I would be.

Dash frowned, making sure that Twilight felt it. Why would I be afraid of you? You’re Twilight Sparkle. Simple. If you were going to have another of your giant flare thingys then you would have done it before now.

But—

“No buts, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash spoke aloud, withdrawing almost completely from the Link as the cyan Wonderbolt returned to her body. With a slight gasp, Twilight did the same, her horn dying and flopping down onto her bed again. “Now, come on. We’ve still got to go get breakfast and meet our friends when the Friendship Express gets here.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flicka was ghosting a short distance behind Twilight Sparkle, following the mare’s every move as Twilight and Rainbow Dash roved through the milling pedestrians. Flicka highly doubted that something would befall Twilight before she could be brought before Chrysalis, but the dying changeling Queen was taking no chances. Flicka had originally refused to leave her Ward’s side, but Chrysalis had insisted. And despite the fact that Flicka was not a changeling, Chrysalis was still her Queen and employer. Lyra and Amethyst (disguised as Bon-Bon) had wanted to help keep tabs on their future Queen, but Flicka had asked that they keep their distance. It was easy enough for an unknown unicorn to blend in with a crowd, and if somepony recognized Lyra or Amethyst it could compromise their position.

Flicka swiped her organic forelimb over her left eye, hidden by her long bangs. Performing such a long distance teleport had taken a lot from the bodyguard, and she had spent the better part of the morning recuperating. Her mechanical monocle scanned the boisterous crowd of the train station carefully, seeking possible threats. It provided detailed information to her like a book, taking in distances and possible attack vectors and escape routes. Behind the monocle her luminous sky blue eye flashed before she pulled her hood more firmly around her face. It was a cool sort of morning, and a hooded pony was not going to draw much attention.

“Darling!” the voice carried over the din. “Who in Equestria did your makeover?” The voice belonged to an alabaster unicorn mare, which stopped a short distance in front of her Ward. Flicka studied the newcomer closely, taking in the cutie mark and elegantly styled mane and tail. This must be Rarity, Element of Generosity and a quickly rising fashionista. Flicka was too far away to hear Twilight’s reply, but the shadow of a grin flitted at the corners of her mouth for a moment. Amethyst had reported Twilight’s change, but, being away from the Hive for so long, the young changeling was unfamiliar with the Queen’s magic. Flicka, on the other hand, could smell Chrysalis’ magic covering Twilight completely. While Flicka decided that the changes really made Twilight look more regal, it still alarmed the cyborg; Chrysalis must really not have much time left if the changeling Queen was already slowly transferring power to Twilight before even speaking with her.

More of Twilight’s friends converged on her and the Element of Loyalty, temporarily obscuring her charge from view. Flicka relaxed a bit, positive that no dangers lurked upon the noisy platform. The bodyguard followed discreetly as Twilight bent down, picked up a young dragon, and began to move back towards Canterlot. Flicka glanced briefly at the sky as she did so, gauging the position of the sun. It was nearing mid afternoon, and Twilight would start her training regime soon.

Full Marks

The Great Library of Canterlot was practically Twilight’s second home, even after all these years. It was quite possibly the largest library to be found on Sol. White columns stood silently like many places in Canterlot, guarding wide open spaces and painted glass windows. Twilight had almost forgotten just how big the Great Library was. The bookworm loved her own little library in Ponyville, but the books she had there were nothing compared the vaulted room. Twilight doubted her entire collection would fill one tiny corner of this place. There had to be countless millenniums of wisdoms stored in this wellspring of knowledge. Even Twilight, who loved books a great deal, was daunted by the idea of even attempting to read every book this library had to offer. It just could not be done.

Twilight had insisted that her friends head out to the city to relax after their long journey to Canterlot. Marketplaces everywhere were flooded with new and exotic merchandise and foods. Twilight doubted that even Pinkie Pie, who loved food, could visit every food stall that seemed to have cropped up out of nowhere overnight. The only pony who accompanied her is Rainbow Dash, who is currently curled in a love seat a respectful distance from Twilight, reading a new Daring Doo novel. Twilight herself levitated several books over, eager to read about past Unity Chalice tournaments and tactics that had been employed. Even though she just wanted to make her teacher proud, Twilight was not about to face the unknown without at least preparing as best she could.

She lost herself in the books, the afternoon slowly waning away as it has so many other times when the young unicorn read. The studious mare glanced up finally, noting the last rays of sunlight gracing the Great Library’s huge windows. Rainbow had long since fallen asleep, causing Twilight to smile slightly. Twilight closed Advanced Spells of a Sorceress with a gentle thump, taking care to memorize the page she had been on. She stretched herself luxuriously, giving a happy little whimper as she did so. She then promptly giggled as her stomach rumbled gently. The giggle turned into a soft laugh as it roared louder, demanding that it get fed. She had completely missed dinner.

“Are you hungry, Twilight?” A familiar female voice spoke from behind her. Twilight turned to find Lyra Heartstrings of all ponies behind her, levitating three covered dishes in her gentle green magic.

Twilight smiled at Lyra. “I’m afraid I missed dinner,” she admitted with a small blush. “I got so caught up in reading—”

“That you promptly let time get away from you,” Lyra finished for her. “I know how you are, after all those years you’ve been in Ponyville now. Bonsie is a bit busy at the moment, and I did not feel like eating alone like I normally do when she’s not around.”

“You eat alone?” Twilight asked, incredulous. She seemed to conveniently forget that there used to be several occasions where she did the same thing.

“Sometimes,” Lyra replied easily. She levitated a nearby table over to them. “There are times I just enjoy the quiet while eating a meal. It gives me time to think, and to relax. Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash,” Lyra added, glancing over Twilight’s shoulder. The lavender mare turned to see that her best friend had awoken from her light doze and had joined the two unicorns. The Wonderbolt nodded in greeting.

Twilight turned back to Lyra, grinning. “You sound just like me.” She said. “I love the silence while thinking about much of anything, really. It lets me actually get something done. Back when I was living in Canterlot all the time, silence was my friend. My brother and foalsitter were the only ponies I would actually talk to on a regular basis, aside from Princess Celestia. And since they were not around all the time, I learned that being alone was my greatest defense.”

“What do you mean by your greatest defense?” Lyra asked.

Twilight took a dainty bite from her sandwich. “I mean the nobles of court. I had to endure all manner of foul taunts and mutterings from them. They did not care how much magical power I seemed to posses. Hay, I’ve even saved Equestria more than once and they still dislike me because of my lesser noble birth. The only reason it stopped was because I moved to Ponyville where I don’t have to hear it, and because my BBBFF married Cadance.”

“What do you mean by magical power you ‘seem’ to posses?” Lyra asked, curiously.

Twilight blushed deep purple. “Well, uh…” The sorceress seemed to have trouble stringing two words together. “Very few ponies believe that I have as much magical power as I do.” Twilight hesitated. “There are a few ponies, especially among the nobility, who are convinced that I lie about how powerful I am, and think that I’m only a ‘hero’ because I relied on my friends to save me.”

Rainbow glanced up from her meal, glaring hotly. “That’s a load of manure!” The unwaveringly loyal Pegasus looked like she was about to go deck somepony. “You are the single most powerful unicorn I know, Twilight. Sure, Ponyville might not have had a lot of unicorns for me to judge by, but here in Canterlot most unicorns have issues with fine levitation!”

“I think I’m definitely with Rainbow on this one, Twilight.” Lyra said. She paused for a moment, thoughtful. “What’s your horn control?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

Dash frowned. “What do you mean, you don’t know, Twi? Aren’t all unicorns supposed to get routine checkups on horn control after their magical growth spurt finishes?” Her face lit up in realization even as the words came out of her mouth, recalling the conversation from earlier in the day.

Twilight nodded, pleased at the Pegasus’ grasp on unicorn matters. “Ordinarily, yes. But that’s the problem. I have not stopped growing, remember, Rainbow Dash? I’ve been growing steadily magically ever since I lost control of my magic at twelve and created that Flare, the one the princess herself had to stop. Since then, I’ve been using a spell Celestia taught me that only lets me draw from a small portion of my magical font. Originally, the spell needed to be updated once every three months. Well, due to that, I never realized that all this time I’ve been going through a massive magical growth spurt. I had thought that after I received my cutie mark, I had stopped growing magically. I was wrong. My… My font is growing so fast I usually have to update the spell I’ve been using daily to try to help keep it contained. Shortly before my name was put forward for the Unity Chalice, I went to Princess Celestia because I was worried. I couldn’t feel the boundaries of my font any more. It was like there was no limit. When we went to test my horn control, the Arcanometer immediately went into the red, and it only goes up to six-hundred. We then tried a custom made ‘meter, one that went up to fifteen hundred, and it still went red. The princess and I guess my horn control to be at least two-thousand, and probably more. The Arcanometer couldn’t even register my font, so Princess Celestia had to do a Cornuoscopy.” Twilight stopped here, afraid of saying too much about her freaky condition.

Lyra’s eyes were wide, golden dinner plates. “And…?” She prompted gently.

Twilight closed her eyes. “Back then, my Font was only about the size of the town square of Ponyville. Big, yes, but not alarmingly so. Now my magical font is the size of Ponyville Lake, at least. When I went to evaluate myself this morning, it took me a good thirty five minutes to push from the center of my font to its boundary. I’m packing enough magical power to level Canterlot to its foundations roughly twice over. That’s not the only thing, either. When I draw directly from my font, the magic doesn’t go anywhere. As fast as I draw from my font, it reappears. Normally unicorn casters are required to take a nap or a good long sleep to replenish their font all the way. But mine self regenerates on its own. I’ve levitated the four thousand-pound weights Princess Celestia had brought me to practice on for three hours nonstop before we had to finally conclude my font was simply regenerating as fast as I spent it.”

Lyra looked more than a little shocked at this. Rainbow was the only one who seemed unperturbed. Lyra turned to Dash. Rainbow looked up. “What? You should know this, living with Twilight in Ponyville. We all know she is strong. Now I just know how strong she is.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’m going to lose control, though?” Twilight asked, feeling very small.

Rainbow snorted. “No. Why should I be? You’ve never harmed me or anypony else.

“But—”

“No buts, Twilight. This is the same argument we had this morning. You’ve got insane power, sure, but you have the will and the restraint to keep it contained. In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never lost control of your magic. Not once. I don’t know if you are subconsciously subduing your power, or if you’re just too powerful to lose control, but I’m not worried.”

“Thanks, Rainbow.” Twilight said softly. The Pegasus merely grinned and shrugged. “I ask that you make sure nopony else learns of this. Its bad enough they think I lie about my power. I don’t need to give them a reason to be terrified of me.”

“Does your partner know how strong you are?” Lyra asked cautiously.

Twilight grinned again. “Well, since Rainbow Dash is my partner, then yes, she does.”

Rainbow Dash returned Twilight’s grin. “Speaking of which come on, Twilight! We should get in some training before it gets too dark. The qualifying rounds start bright and early in the morning!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lightning arced down from the clear blue sky. It fizzled with potent energy, eager to be released. The bolts sliced through the air with ease, the accompanying booms causing Lyra’s sensitive ears to twitch in mild irritation. But even this did not stop her from staring in awe as Twilight Sparkle stepped out of her protective dome, completely unharmed. Each of those lightning bolts possessed enough energy to power a square block of Canterlot for a day at least, and yet Twilight shrugged them off like they were nothing. It’s been like this for a while now. No matter what attack was sent her way, Twilight Sparkle stopped them easily.

Almost as awe-inspiring as the sorceress was the Pegasus she was fighting against. Pegasi, for as long as anypony remembered, have always had an innate affinity towards weather and the skies in general. From manipulating clouds, to directing the winds, no other creature on Sol could match a Pegasus in the skies—something that Griffons especially were never thrilled over. But Rainbow Dash put almost every other Pegasus before her to shame. The cyan flier wasn’t just manipulating the skies, guiding them in the direction she wanted. She was controlling her natural element. Winds appeared at her bidding to try to keep Twilight off balance. Lightning slammed down from cloudless skies with unrivaled accuracy. Clouds formed out of the invisible water droplets upon the air to act as minor shields and wards. The only Pegasus known to have this much control over the skies was Commander Hurricane, the fearless Pegasus soldier from ages past.

Yet, despite Rainbow Dash’s obvious use of Pegasi magic, she was still no real match for Twilight Sparkle. Dash might be the uncontested best at navigating the skies, but Twilight Sparkle was born to control magic. Even as Lyra watched the duo, Rainbow Dash sent another three bolts of lightning screaming down at Twilight. Instead of shielding herself, Twilight reached out, plucked the bolts from midair, and sent them racing back towards Dash from three sides. The Pegasus twitched her body slightly to avoid the first two. The final bolt she deflected with a well placed wing, sending it back towards its original target a second time. But Twilight was already long gone, teleporting a distance off to the right of Dash and blasting the flier with a concussive burst of energy.

As Lyra watched the tournament participants, she found her mind wandering again. The original plan had been for Lyra to approach Twilight and subtly guide the conversation towards the changelings and how Twilight felt about them in general. Based upon Twilight’s body language and reactions, Lyra would have decided upon her next course of action. Lyra had promised Flicka that she would not do anything rash, but Lyra wanted this to be done and over with before she was caught. Being in love with a changeling was bad enough, but trying to keep her dual allegiance to the Equestrian Crown and the Changeling Swarms was hard. While they had no love of Chrysalis, especially after the failed invasion of Canterlot, Lyra and Bon-Bon still saw themselves as subjects of the Hive. And once Chrysalis realized that all out storming Canterlot really was not a good idea, the changeling Queen became a little bearable to interact with. She had even apologized to Lyra for brainwashing her and sending her to attack Twilight and Cadance.

Bon-Bon had originally believed that Chrysalis just wanted a pair of spies in Equestria, and that was why the Queen was suddenly contacting the pair all the time. When Bon-Bon had cut all ties with the Swarm, she literally cut all ties—as far as any other changeling was concerned, Amethyst was dead. But Chrysalis had quickly disabused Bon-Bon of that line of thinking. What Chrysalis wanted to do, more than anything, was learn. She wanted to know how it was possible for a changeling to fall in love with a pony. She wanted to know how Bon-Bon was not starving, if she did not have to take love from Lyra by force. Chrysalis wanted to understand. If she had understood before, she probably would have never invaded Canterlot.

So, the two lovers told their Queen everything they had learned. Lyra and Amethyst had fallen in love with each other long before Lyra had discovered her lover was a changeling. They were completely inseparable. When Amethyst finally came out and told Lyra what she was, Amethyst had fully expected Lyra to abandon her to the guards and the Equestrian Crown. Instead, like Chrysalis, Lyra wanted to understand before she made any hasty decisions. So, Amethyst explained. Amethyst never had to take love from Lyra by force. Lyra gave it all to Amethyst without even realizing it. Every touch, every caress, every kiss and intimate moment gave Amethyst more food than she know what to do with. Since Lyra loved her, even while disguised as the earth pony Bon-Bon, that love was freely given and was far more potent than any emotion taken against the host’s will. As Amethyst explained, Lyra realized that she had never loved Bon-Bon the sweets maker, who had probably never existed. She loved Amethyst, a changeling who just so happened to be rather good at making candy. Through this lesson, Chrysalis saw the error in her ways. If she had tried to at least make peace with the ponies, there was a strong possibility that the love they would have received would have been freely given. But by then, it was already too late.

Lyra’s thoughts brought her back to the present day again. With Rainbow Dash there in the Great Library with Twilight, Lyra had no opportunity to even broach the subject of changelings. Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty for a good reason, and Lyra knew the cyan mare still felt bad about just shrugging off Twilight’s accusations concerning the fake Cadance. As such, Lyra was sure that Dash would feel a great deal of animosity towards the creatures that caused her to doubt her best friend. The fact that Rainbow was Twilight’s partner in the Unity Chalice added further complications. If, as a last resort course of action, they did have to kidnap Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash would either have to be taken too, or removed temporarily from the equation. While Lyra did not particularly like this line of thought, Dash could not get in the way of their new Queen’s ascension.

Lyra was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts by a sharp flicker of movement. Instantly Lyra froze, barely daring to breath. Amethyst had stressed this to Lyra through countless training sessions: Somepony else was only likely to spot you if you moved. If you remained still, chances are anypony looking in your direction will miss you—especially if your coat color blends in with your surroundings. While Lyra was a rather bright mint green, with the green of all the other foliage around her she was rather camouflaged. So Lyra remained completely still, only her golden eyes slowly roving the opposite side of the clearing behind Twilight and Rainbow, who still fought with flashes of magic. Then it was there again. A small flash of movement, and then it was gone again. But in that brief glimpse, Lyra had seen something that made her blood chill.

Another changeling. One who was not Amethyst.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight Sparkle was awoken by a rather loud pounding upon her door. The unicorn muttered in her sleep, covering her head with her pillows. The relentless knocking continued, however, forcing Twilight up out of bed. The sorceress stretched leisurely, pleasantly surprised. After her rigorous bout of training with Rainbow Dash yesterday, she was fully expecting herself to be sore. But she felt refreshed and energetic. She snorted to herself. So maybe exercising with Rainbow every morning for the past several months has finally started paying off. Twilight threw a glance at her roommate’s bed, noting that it was empty. Seeing the position of the light streaming in through the windows, Twilight decided this was not unusual; it had to be at least ten in the morning. Walking over to the bathroom, her horn flared a moment, throwing open the door to the bedroom as she disappeared to do her morning routine.

“Twilight?” came the familiar voice of a certain fashionista.

“I’m in the bathroom, Rarity.” Twilight called back. “I’ll be out in a moment.”

Twilight paused in front of her mirror. Once more, her breath was taken away as she stared. There was not a hair out of place, despite having just woken up. Her mane still sparked with motes of magic. She ran a brush over her gleaming white teeth and a comb through her mane and tail, ensuring they were free of knots. Finally satisfied, Twilight exited the bathroom to properly greet her unicorn friend. The mare in question had sat down daintily upon the edge of Twilight’s bed, staring eagerly at the half ajar bathroom door. Twilight quirked an eyebrow slightly; there was an almost explosive energy about the pearl seamstress.

“What brings you here, Rarity? You seem to be quite excited over something.”

Rarity exploded into speech. “Oh, I am, Darling. Princess Luna requested that I craft you and Rainbow something for the Unity Chalice; it is a normal part of the tournament, and the princess wants the pair of you to look simply magnificent!”

Twilight had a sneaking suspicion that Rarity was the one who wanted the pair to look simply magnificent. Princess Luna would not care what they wore, so long as her participants had fun. “That’s nice, Rarity, but aren’t you afraid that Dash and I will only muss up your hard work?”

“I don’t care about that Twilight. I’m not going to be designing you a dress; such an article of clothing would only get in the way. No, I’m going to create something designed for the rigor of combat, whatever that might entail. I’ve already spoke with the Captain of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire agreed to lend me some of the Teflon they use to create their flight suits.” Twilight sighed mentally, preparing herself for a long next few hours.

In all actuality, however, it was not too bad. Rather than spend time re measuring Twilight, Rarity took Twilight’s old measurements she already had and added three inches to them. Then she left Twilight to watch in awe as she went to work, plying her craft once more. In almost no time at all Rarity was finished. The fashion designer ushered Twilight into the center of the room, directly in a beam of sunlight. Rarity’s tongue poked from her mouth as she worked, tightening and trimming. After several long minutes, Rarity stepped back and examined her work. Giving a small nod of satisfaction, the pearl unicorn summoned the full length mirror from the bathroom. The glass plopped in front of Twilight, who could do nothing but stare once again.

This was not her. There was no way this femme fatale sheathed like a dagger in black was her. Her mane and tail were done up in an elaborate braid, one that put Applejack’s to shame. The black Teflon trimmed in silver fit her like a glove, like she had been poured into the material. It covered her entire body, from barrel to back. Her legs were left bare, and her cutie mark had been stitched onto the sides. Her hooves were encased in slightly harder material: Little silver hoof coverings held in place by strings that crisscrossed up to her knees. On all four legs, right where the limbs met her barrel rested four little saddle pouches designed to hold first aid supplies or food. What really made Twilight gasp in wonder, however, was the matching cloak Rarity was levitating next to her.

“Rarity,” Twilight exclaimed, her voice hushed. “Where in Equestria did you get that?” For Twilight recognized this cloak. She could feel its magical energies.

“It is a gift from Princess Luna,” Rarity said softly, her usual posh demeanor gone. “She visited the old Canterlot treasury and found two. She said it might help protect you and Rainbow when things are direr than you might be able to handle.”

Twilight took the cloak with a reserved air. No name had ever been officially given to cloaks like these, and only two have managed to survive the years since their making. She was holding one of them. The cloaks were created even before the War of the Sun and Moon, when Princess Celestia had banished Nightmare Moon. Ultra light and designed to allow full movement, these cloaks were the bane of spell casters in that era. The knowledge of how to make them have long since been forgotten, but these cloaks always protected their wearer from most magic. Twilight swung the cloak around to her shoulders, fastening it to her combat suit. The cloak fit perfectly, hiding everything but her legs from sight.

“Why would Princess Luna think we might need such an extravagant gift?” Twilight seemed incapable of speaking above a whisper.

“This is the Unity Chalice, Darling. The judges and referees can only see so much. I know there have not been any serious injuries for the past couple of tournaments, but it has happened. Princess Luna seemed to prefer to err on the safe side of things.” Rarity glanced at the sunlight streaming in through the window before adding, “Twilight, you’ve got to go. You’re going to be late to your private qualification round.”

This last statement yanked Twilight out of her stunned stupor. She barely glanced behind her as she bolted out the door, her white friend following behind.

Twilight Sparkle finally checked her swift movement as she entered the training grounds. It was nothing more than an open field, really, where the Royal Guard trained and exercised. Twilight could sense the runes marking the edges of the field, designed to dampen sound and prevent curious outsiders from watching. Twilight exhaled a breath she did not know she had been holding. She had wondered how they were going to keep curious bystanders out. Performing in front of a panel of judges was going to be bad enough; she did not think she would have been able to cope with performing in front of other champions and an excitable crowd. Twilight scanned around slowly, seeking the familiar cyan blue.

Rainbow Dash found Twilight first, however, coming up next to Twilight. The latter turned and did a double take. Dash was dressed in the same uniform as Twilight, pitch black but trimmed in gold. Somehow Rarity managed to bring out Dash’s normal coloration, causing the Pegasus to look rather nice in full black. An identical cloak to Twilight’s, again trimmed in gold, fluttered in a small breeze. “So, this is it,” Dash said. She tried to keep her voice relaxed, but Twilight could hear the excitement coloring her words.

“Yup,” Twilight said. “What happens now?”

“We wait for the other participants. Princess Celestia would like to make a small announcement before shooing us out and calling us forward one at a time for our session.”

Right on cue, Twilight could hear the telltale sound of other creatures approaching. She turned to study the opposition, Dash flanking her. If her memory served, there were sixty four contestants accepted into the Unity Chalice, with a total of thirty two teams. They all differed greatly in size and appearance, from towering Griffons to small and sleek Zebras. Twilight found herself especially studying other casters. Each caster exuded a unique magical light that was their own. Some were quite bright, dimming others slightly, while others had very little magical brightness at all. Most of them had the magical energy focused inside gems and other objects, but there were a few unicorns here and there, their bodies gleaming. Twilight could not help but notice that none of the casters came close to possessing as much brightness as she did when she studied herself. The thought disconcerted her a bit.

But Twilight was not really worried about the casters. She could handle them. Probably, at least. What concerned her the most was all the muscle. There were giant earth ponies as big as MacIntosh. The few Pegasi Twilight could see all looked like they body built for a living. Griffons were just as intimidating, sporting scars and tattoos proudly. Even some of the non Zebra casters packed more muscle than Twilight had ever seen before. She darted a glance to her cyan friend next to her. Rainbow was sizing up her competition with her eyes, much like Twilight. As Twilight watched Dash, though, she slowly began to calm down. Dash could take care of physical hard hitters easily. Whereas some of their opponents were physically fit, Rainbow Dash was a bred athlete. She was probably just as muscular as any of the others, but in a good way. Her body was well toned, taut like a bowstring. While her physique was not as prominent, Twilight knew for a fact Dash was the only pony capable of wrestling Applejack and win. Dash was extremely quick on her hooves, and she was smart.

Or at least, smart in her way. While Twilight Sparkle could run circles around Rainbow Dash when it came to a great many things, the sorceress could never hope to match Rainbow when it came to anything that had to do with sports or physical exertion. Sure, books tended to give Twilight an edge, but when Rainbow Dash actually got her hot head under control, even books never helped much. Dash knew how to use her body, how to use her muscles. While some of the other contestants were strong, and more than a few probably participated in feats of strength, Twilight seriously doubted any of them would be able to stand up to Rainbow Dash. And that was not even mentioning Dash’s magic.

Twilight noticed several participants were eyeing her and Rainbow carefully, too. She could tell they were evaluating the pair. The Element of Magic and the Element of Loyalty, teamed together in a tournament that boasted the best champions it could find. Twilight even went so far as to half fancy that she and Rainbow Dash were quite impressive, dressed in their sleek black suits and flowing cloaks. Most of the other casters were only dressed in a loose robe meant only to guard against the natural elements, while the more physical contestants were garbed in various types of armor. Twilight shook such thoughts from her mind as Princess Celestia walked up to the group.

“Hello and welcome, all of you,” began Celestia. “It is an honor to see all of you here before me. Before the first match of the Unity Chalice, each team will be privately evaluated before a panel of judges. Each team will battle against an opposing practice dummy team. Based upon the performance of the team, the judges will assign each team member a number, which will then be added together to form a team effectiveness number. This team effectiveness number will determine the team’s place on the tournament roster, in addition to determining the winning team in the event of a draw. Are there any questions?”

There was a flurry of headshakes. “Good. I will return to the judge panel. I ask that you all wait outside the field’s perimeter. The judges will call the teams forward one at a time, starting momentarily.”

So the waiting began. One by one participating pairs were called forward to be evaluated. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, however, were partially oblivious to their surroundings. The pair had moved a small distance from the main group and started their meditating ritual. Other participants watched them with confusion, and a few even laughed. Twilight and Rainbow did not respond to anything, lost within their bodies. Nothing mattered to them but their magic and each other. Eventually, they heard Princess Celestia calling them forward. The pegasus and the unicorn returned to their bodies and stretched, making sure they were limber. As they did so, the pair noticed that they were the very last team to be evaluated. With a nervous glance at each other, Twilight and Rainbow entered the field.

At one end of the field waited two wooden dummies. Twilight could see the magic giving them life. The judges sat at a table off to the left: Princesses Celestia and Luna, Emperor Zackra, Flock Mother Godwyna, and Queen Athest in a less intimidating pony form. None of the judges said a word, but Celestia nodded. Before Twilight could decide what this gesture meant, she was being attacked. One of the training dummies, one resembling a Pegasus, smashed directly into her side, driving the breath out of her. She scrambled to her hooves as the fake Pegasus came around for another attack, followed by a beam of orange from the second dummy, a unicorn. Twilight teleported away from the Pegasus and raised a shield to deflect the bolt of magic, which had followed her through the teleport. As Twilight gasped for breath, she felt the comforting presence of Rainbow Dash.

Careful there, Twilight. Dash’s voice was oddly calm.

They moved so fast! Twilight exclaimed, throwing herself out of harm’s way again. I can’t even begin to think of a counter attack!

Twilight, calm down and think. We’ve got this. We’re stronger, faster and we have one advantage they will never have.

Our thoughts. Of course, it’s so simple! We can relay orders to each other before they even have time to react!

Exactly. Now let’s show them what we can do!

Now the battle began in earnest. As the pseudo pegasus came at her again, Twilight stepped lightly to the side and stuck out a hind leg, clipping its wing. The dummy tumbled to the ground, where it promptly bounded back to its hooves and charged her again, swinging a vicious right hook at Twilight’s horn. Twilight ducked, then jabbed her horn at the creature, causing it to dance away. It came at Twilight again, slowly. But it failed to notice Dash until she was upon it. The cyan mare swept it off its hooves with a clean sweep of her wings as the unicorn teleported off to Twilight’s left side. The sorceress turned in time to catch a blast of mental energy directly on her horn. Twilight snorted, repulsing the blast back onto its caster, whose ward it bounced off of harmlessly. Twilight pursued her foe doggedly, exchanging magical attacks that seemed almost as powerful as her own. Twilight glanced up briefly as the pegasus dive bombed her again, only to be intercepted by Rainbow Dash.

The two Elements of Harmony worked smoothly together, as though they have been doing this for years. The two teams raged all across the battlefield, no side neither tiring nor asking for quarter. Twilight ping-pong up and down the field, teleporting so rapidly she appeared to be in several places at the same time. She would teleport, loose a mental spike or a blast of energy at an opponent, and then wink away again before they could retaliate. Rainbow Dash was just as swift as her partner, out flying the Pegasus like it was standing still and exchanging the occasional magical blow with the unicorn. Eventually, though, the two fake ponies found they could not hope to stand against the pair. Twilight fired a beam of energy so powerful it tore right through the wooden dummy, and Rainbow smashed the pegasus into the hard ground, where it lay unmoving. The two turned as one to the judge panel, where all five judges seemed to be holding a whispered conversation.

Princess Celestia was the first to turn to the friends. Her horn shimmered for a moment, then a large golden thirteen formed upon the air. The figure then splits, and soars over to the duo, coming to a pause over their heads. Twilight feels as though her heart as stopped. Thirteen was the highest possible number a team could achieve for the Unity Chalice. The other judges are nodding their approval, but Twilight can’t even react. Numb, she reaches a hoof out to Rainbow, who seems just as rigid in shock.

Princess Celestia smiles at the two. “You both performed admirably. It is the decision of this panel that both of you be ranked number thirteen, with a team efficiency number of twenty-six. Well done, both of you. You are dismissed. I imagine some celebrating might be in order.”

Still stunned, Twilight Sparkle lets Rainbow Dash drag her from the field.

Unexpected Allies

Vizio clamped down upon the white hot flare of impatient anger that screamed through her veins. They were late. Every one of them. If she did not know any better, she would say that no changeling but her cared that their nation was moments away from being destroyed. It was bad enough that Chrysalis led the changelings further down into the path leading to their doom. But now the sickly queen wanted to finish the job by putting a powerful enemy upon the changeling throne. Chrysalis was so blinded by the thoughts of a conflict free future she never stopped to consider other implications. Namely, what would happen to the changelings as a whole if Twilight Sparkle ascended to the throne.

Changelings were not meant to be respected, or viewed as allies and friends. They were above such petty positions. They belonged as the true master race of Equis. They were leeches, designed to feed off of a host until the host could provide no more food. Changelings feeding off of love freely given was absurd, nothing more than another lie of Chrysalis’ in an attempt to get the rest of the council to side with her. Taking their food by force was the path to true power, and Vizio was going to show them the truth. This is also why she called this meeting in the first place.

Finally, at long last, she heard it: the quiet buzzing of gossamer wings. Her potential allies had arrived. They alighted around her, eight changelings in all, and none of them on the current High Council. Even as they gathered together Vizo began to exhort her mind, spreading her influence over them. She had gorged herself upon love earlier, to allow her to guide this moment. Yet everything was still not right. There were two extra changelings, ones she had not summoned. She observed the two newcomers, both with her mind and with her eyes. She knew who they were, too. The mammoth female changeling to the right went only by the name of Blockade. She was a giant, all corded muscle and hulking armor. She was also captain of the Peacekeepers, the primary changeling military force. The slightly smaller male changeling next to her was Harbinger. His armor was less bulky, but just as effective; he was commander of the Enforcers, the Queen’s personal guard. For the smallest space of time Vizo was afraid of these two.

But as she discretely examined their minds, her fear faded. While she could not fully delve into the Hivemind to determine a changeling’s true intent like a Queen could, Vizio could tell enough that they were on her side. She waited for the rustle of wings and clinking of chitin to die down before speaking.

“Welcome, my friends,” Vizo began warmly, infusing her words with a tiny bit of soothing magic. “It brings me great pleasure to see you all gathered here, especially you Blockade, and you, Harbinger.”

“It pleases us to be here, ready to help defend our kingdom, Vizio.” Blockade’s massive voice shook the very air it rode upon.

Vizo dipped her head in acknowledgement. “You have a pretty good idea of why I asked you to meet me here, upon this deserted plateau. Queen Chrysalis is not long for this world, and she wishes to place the Element of Magic upon the throne. We cannot let this happen.” A couple of changelings shifted slightly, making themselves more comfortable. “The Queen’s insistence that love freely given is more powerful than love taken by force is a white lie, in her final effort to get the Council to agree to her plans. Taking the love from other creatures, and crushing them like the pathetic things they are, is where the path to true power lies. If we act upon it and take this opportunity, soon the changelings will be the master race over them all! How could any stand against us, with as much power as we could hold?

“Chrysalis is dying and deluded. She sent her own bodyguard and two others off upon a suicide mission. They seek to bring the Element of Magic back as our new Queen. But the Solar Princess will not give up her beloved pupil so easily. She will imprison or kill the Queen's pets before ever letting Magic enter changeling lands. In the meantime, Chrysalis is still left without an heir. When she dies, so too will our nation unless we can put a stop to it.”

The eight changelings muttered uneasily. “What would you have us do, councilwoman?” Blockade finally asked.

“If I were to openly speak out against Chrysalis and her schemes, she’ll have me locked away as a traitor to the Swarm. I know I am asking a lot of you all. But we need to start whispering to our citizens. Guide them carefully, so that they may doubt Chrysalis. If enough of our nation begins to see through her lies, we can prevent our nation from dying by immediately appointing a new ruler as soon as our current Queen is dead.”

“We can do this, councilmare.” It was Harbinger who spoke this time, his voice surprisingly soft. “We can do this, to save our people and our nation.”

“Then go, and be swift! We must begin to lay our foundations before it is too late!"

* * *

Twilight could hear the whispers. She knew what they were talking about. It wasn’t just the other champions, either. Everyone was talking about it in hushed voices, almost as if the owners were afraid Twilight was going to suddenly leap up and zap them. Some, Twilight knew, automatically jumped to the worst conclusions. Twilight had cheated somehow. Twilight’s good graces with the Princess of the Sun influenced the decision. Twilight and Rainbow had done nothing overly special. Others offered reverential respect, visible in the slightly awed glances shot Twilight’s way. Either way, the fact of the matter remained: Twilight and Rainbow Dash had scored a twenty six on the team evaluation, a feat that had not been accomplished by any team for years. No one knew how, and Twilight Sparkle planned to keep it that way.

The Silver Wing Tavern was pretty rowdy tonight. The entire establishment took up two whole city blocks, and it was still full to bursting. Not only were all sixty four champions present, but a good deal of other patrons crowded inside. Twilight took another sip of her light apple cider. Rainbow and Twilight had already deflected more questions than they could keep up with, and eventually they were left alone. Dash, who normally enjoyed a little too many drinks, remained next to her tournament partner. Even Dash understood the importance of making sure her head was clear for the first match the next day. Unlike some of the other champions who were partying hard, both Twilight and Rainbow didn’t want to risk not even passing into the second round. The two friends sat there in companionable silence, grateful for each other’s company. Then Rainbow Dash spoke.

“I was thinking earlier, Twilight,” the cyan mare began. Twilight flicked an ear to indicate she was listening. “I’m really lucky that I’m partnered with you for the Unity Chalice. I couldn't think of any pony else I’d want by my side.”

Twilight turned slightly pink and turned to her friend with a small smile. “Why do you say that, Rainbow? I would have thought you’d rather have Applejack or somepony else with muscle on your side.”

Dash shook her head furiously. “No way, Twi. My magic can only accomplish so much. With you fighting next to me, I can leave you to focus on the magical stuff while I take care of the physical.”

“Well, I’m glad that you have that much trust in me.” Twilight was smiling wider now, the pink fading from her cheeks.

“Yea,” Dash was silent for a moment. “But it’s not just your aptitude in magic, ya know? You’ve gotta be the smartest pony I’ve ever met. Everypony knows that I’m not the best when it comes to thinking ahead or planning. If it were anypony else, I doubt I’d get past the first rounds.”

Twilight’s blush had returned full force. “Well, thanks, Rainbow. That means a lot, coming from you. But don’t sell yourself short. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for.”

Dash snorted. “Well, yea, now I probably am. I’ve been hanging with you too much. I mean, really. ‘Aptitude’? I never even knew that was a word, and here I am, using it in a sentence. Twice, I might add.”

Twilight giggled. “I think I’m starting to rub off on you, Dashie.”

“You are, Twiley. But that’s not a bad thing, ya know? Out of all my friends, I end up hanging with you the most. Applejack and I were friendly rivals before you came along. Fluttershy I’ve known since flight camp, but once she started sticking up for herself every once in a while I didn’t have to be there all the time.”

Twilight frowned thoughtfully. Now that Rainbow Dash mentioned it, the pegasus has been hanging with her quite a bit. She had never even noticed before, but Dash was right. From eagerly checking out the newest Daring Doo novel, to watching Twilight with her research and experiments, to just idly sitting and talking, Rainbow seemed to spend most of her spare time with Twilight. Then once Rainbow Dash started growing into her pegasi magic she started spending even more time with Twilight. Dash had even volunteered to accompany Twilight to Canterlot while Twilight saw the Board of Arcane Sciences. Part of this, Twilight was sure, was to check in with Spitfire. But rather than hang out with the Wonderbolts or head back to Ponyville, Dash had decided to stay with Twilight in Canterlot. Then the Unity Chalice happened.

Rainbow caught the frown and hurried to correct herself. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Twilight! I enjoy hanging with you, I really do. You’re fun to be around. You’re not like, hogging me from the rest of our friends or anything. Just…. After a day or pushing clouds or training, nothing sounds better than visiting Twilight and maybe crashing at the library. Come to think of it, that library of yours has almost become my second home….”

Twilight visibly relaxed, assured that she was not preventing Dash from being with their friends. She chuckled at that last statement, and privately agreed. Out loud she said, “I think I’m going to head back to Canterlot, Rainbow. It’s still rather early yet, but I’d like to talk to Princess Celestia before the big day tomorrow.”

Dash nodded in understanding. “I’ll stay here for a bit; if Pinkie winds up getting completely smashed again I’ll probably be the one escorting her back to her room.” Dash stood up and gave her purple friend a brief hug.

Twilight returned the gesture with a small smile and turned to exit the Silver Wing. She tried to ignore the stares as she made her way to the door, and then closed it behind her. It was a rather still evening, with the sun slowly sinking behind the last of Canterlot’s towering buildings. It was a cool night for the middle of summer, but not unpleasantly so. Twilight closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the slight breeze stroking her coat and ruffling her mane. She had set aside her jumpsuit before heading out; while the Teflon was extremely comfortable, nothing beat the feel of the wind. Twilight opened her eyes again and began the short trot back to Canterlot, heading to a familiar alley shortcut. The unicorn passed unmoving dumpsters and silent buildings without so much as a pause. She felt oddly at peace.

The slight whistle, almost too low for her to hear, was her only warning. She jerked her head back instinctively. In doing so, she saved her life. There in front of her, quivering in the wooden frame of an empty building was a dart. It was unremarkable in shape and color, a simple sharpened stake with tiny fletching. What was not ordinary was the bright green oozing from the dart’s tip. She stared at the projectile, transfixed. That green goo looked so familiar, and she could not understand why. Twilight’s eyes suddenly widened as she heard the all too familiar sound of chitin plates rubbing together. The sorceress turned just in time to catch a glimpse of glowing green eyes and elongated fangs before the changeling was upon her. The creature landed on top of Twilight with a tiny dagger, glowing with a nimbus of pale green magic. As she tried to form a ward to deflect the blade, another holed hoof shot from the darkness and slammed into her horn, breaking her concentration. The blade flashed down and Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, knowing her end was near. She didn’t even get a chance to tell Rainbow Dash good-bye.

The stabbing pain of the dagger never came. Instead, the changeling above her hissed in surprise and anger, almost drowned out by the sound of pounding hoof beats. Twilight felt the changeling thrown from her prone form and dared to open her eyes. For a moment all the dazed mare could see were shadows. There were more changelings hissing, issuing from several throats, followed by the sounds hooves cracking into hard shell. Twilight’s eyes slowly focused. Standing protectively before her was some other pony. Or, that’s what it looked like, if normal ponies had a metal limb and a blue glowing eye. Twilight gasped, trying to get her hooves under her. The pony in front of her never changed its protective stance. It glanced back at Twilight as if to make sure the mare was still okay.

The sounds of a fight broke Twilight’s gaze from the strange pony. The now risen moon caught one of the shifting bodies, and Twilight was rewarded with a confusing flash of mint green and golden eyes. “Lyra?” Twilight asked in stunned disbelief.

The unicorn ignored Twilight, delivering a well placed buck at a changeling. Then Bon-Bon was there, helping Twilight to her hooves. The earth pony spoke swiftly with her sweet voice. “Come on, Twilight. There are too many for us to handle. We’ve got to get you out of here. Lyra, Flicka, let’s go.”

The two other ponies followed Bon-Bon out of the alley. Twilight was dragged away, still in a daze. She shook her head violently and began running under her own power, throwing a fearful glance over her shoulder. She spoke in panting bursts. “What are—changelings—doing in Canterlot?”

Lyra spared a glance at Twilight. “They’re aiming to kill you, Twilight.”

This caused Twilight to do a double take; she stumbled and almost fell. “Kill me? Why?”

Bon-Bon shook her head. “We’ll tell you later, Twilight. Right now, we’ve gotta get you out of Canterlot. The changelings are going to have every route to Canterlot Palace blocked. We—” Bon-Bon was interrupted by a grunt of pain. A changeling had flown out of the inky blackness and raked her side. Suddenly the entire party was surrounded by more changelings. Twilight threw up a purple dome as she screamed with her mind.

Rainbow Dash! I need help! Changelings in Canterlot! Please! Twilight didn’t even know if Rainbow would hear her, as far as she was from the Silver Wing. The changelings were gathered around Twilight’s protective bubble now, testing it with flaring tendrils of green magic. A sharp report sounded in the distance as a certain prismatic maned pegasus brushed the sound barrier. A split second later, one of the changelings was sent reeling as Rainbow Dash waded into the fray with both hooves swinging. The others turned to face this new threat, only to be caught between the hammer of Dash’s unexpected, furious arrival and the anvil of Twilight’s shield. The bug like creatures scattered before reforming and darting back in for lightning quick attacks, throwing themselves upon Twilight's shield. They ignored everypony but Twilight, enforcing Lyra’s belief that they were determined to kill her. Dash threw a changeling away and then cleared a path straight ahead.

Suddenly the party was moving, galloping down the streets of Canterlot. Everything was completely black, and Twilight had no idea why. She dropped her shield and focused on tossing changelings away with blasts of magic instead. They turned down another street, still dark, still harassed by changelings that darted from the shadows. Twilight knew they were nearing the Canterlot city limit, but she didn't think they would make it. There were simply too many black forms leaping from the shadows. Without even thinking about it, Twilight turned to the strange pony galloping by her side. “Flicka, can you distract them?”

Flicka glanced over briefly, piercing the purple mare with that luminous eye. “Consider it done, my Queen.” With a puff of grey tinged purple, Flicka was gone.

Twilight stumbled again. “What did she just call me?”

Lyra was there again, steadying her. “There’s no time to explain. We've got to get you some place safe. Then we can answer your questions.”

The party of four thundered past the city limit of Canterlot and skidded to a halt, panting heavily. There were no changelings that they could see. Whatever Flicka had done had worked.

“Come, Twilight,” Bon-bon started leading the way. “We’ve got a safe point up ahead, and we can try explaining things to you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the first time since discovering that she was the strongest Seer born for generations, Nailiah wished that the Sight would just leave her alone. All of her training, all those years of experience were doing nothing to stem the tide of visions that plagued her inner Eye. Ordinarily, this would not be a problem. While the Stars were known for their ruthless way of showing the future, even the Stars needed sleep—which normally meant that the visions only bothered Nailiah when she was dreaming at night. However, thanks to a particularly nasty image rousing her from a light slumber, the Zebra was currently awake in the middle of the night, attempting to ensure that the future followed the most ideal timeline. Preferably, the timeline that did not involve Sol falling in flames.

During the past several months now, Nailiah had been visited by the same dreams, over and over again. At first, they had only shown her the worst possible future: Sol, a burning, barren world, devoid of all life. The atmosphere was thick with dust and sulfur, a mix that would prove deadly to any who inhaled it. Trees had long since fallen, branches bare and brittle. A single creature suddenly emerged from the thick air, garbed in black metal. An odd protrusion formed upon its forehead, the jagged remains of a once proud unicorn horn. Tattered gossamer wings sprouted from its back, long past capable of giving flight to the creature. Then the unicorn that used to be Twilight Sparkle raised its head, eyes glowing with red fire and scars crisscrossing her countenance…

After that, more dreams began to surface, all of them different endings to multiple futures. A bright and sunny Sol, marred only by the same scarred unicorn as the first vision. Another Sol bereft of Twilight Sparkle entirely, instead showing mourning friends. The most recent one, however, depicted a whole and healthy Twilight Sparkle, commanding the changeling Swarm against an enemy most foul, determined to destroy any who did not follow their religion. But she was not alone. The other races of Sol stood with her, accompanied by aliens unfamiliar to Nailiah. These new aliens were powerful, as powerful as any of the magic wielding forces of Sol. Twilight Sparkle directed them all, the tiara gleaming upon her head. But the Stars were tense, expectant. They began showing Nailiah what needed to be done to ensure the continued survival of Sol. So, even though she would rather sleep, even though she was sporting a headache of mammoth proportions, she was up and determined to influence the future as best she could.

Yet she was already too late. She could hear the sounds of fighting emanating from ahead. The Zebra Seer moved into a light canter, fearful that the future had already taken a change for the worse. As she did so, her Sight was disrupted by a powerful mental bellow.

Rainbow Dash! I need help! Changelings in Canterlot! Please! Nailiah breathed a sigh of relief, now slowing her pace for a bit. If Twilight’s new guardians had wavered, even for a moment, Twilight would have never been able to call for Dash, nor would she have made it out of Canterlot. There was no need to directly interfere at the moment. The Seer rounded the corner and stopped dead. It was as bad as she had feared. There were at least ten changelings attacking Twilight, undeterred by the efforts of the others. To make matters worse, the changelings had used magic to extinguish the street lamps in this area, making it even harder for them to be seen. However, Twilight’s shield seemed to be doing its job, throwing back the would-be assassins every time they tried to breech the field. Nailiah thought that these changelings were not very bright at all; while they were trying to breech the shield with magic of their own, the main thing they kept doing was bodily throwing themselves at the magic sphere.

Nailiah watched as one of Twilight’s defenders broke away. The escort in question appeared to be a unicorn with a metallic limb and a mechanical eye. The unicorn sideswiped a changeling, horn glowing with grey tinged purple. The changeling whirled and hissed at the unicorn, then lunged with bared fangs. With a flash of magic, the unicorn was gone, teleporting several yards back down the street. The other changelings inexplicably followed this unicorn as she drew them away from Twilight Sparkle. Then the small party was across the Canterlot city limits. They paused to catch their breath and by now Nailiah was close enough to hear words they spoke. She followed at a safe distance as her targets began to move off.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle’s head was spinning. She felt unsteady upon her hooves, almost as if the world as she knew it was coming crashing down around her head. Her over-active mind rapidly created a checklist of events that had rapidly spun out of control. Firstly, there were changelings in Canterlot, somehow avoiding detection by the anti-changeling spells her brother had implemented. Secondly, said changelings had just made an attempt on her life. Ordinarily, she would have thought the idea to be preposterous. Changelings did not suddenly decide to kill a specific pony. They were enemies that would strike at the first target they happened upon. But deep down, Twilight knew those changelings had been after her. They had completely ignored the other three, instead focusing their attacks on Twilight despite the shield. This also kind of brought her to her third point. Three different mares, two of whom Twilight viewed as good friends, seemed to know about events that had just transpired. They planned to explain what was going on, which meant all three of them were in this together. Then fourthly, the last Unicorn, Flicka, had called Twilight her Queen. What she was supposed to be Queen of Twilight had no idea, but Flicka had said those words with complete conviction.

The last thing upon her mental list, the one that terrified Twilight, was that she knew Flicka. How this was possible Twilight had no clue. She knew for a fact she had never met Flicka in her life. She would have remembered those non-pony attributes. But Twilight still knew who the cyborg was. She knew Flicka’s name, despite having heard it only once before. She knew that Flicka was a bodyguard to somepony (or something), but not what. Try as she might, Twilight could not remember who Flicka was supposed to be guarding. It was all fuzzy, like somepony was blocking her memories. It was the same feeling she had experienced when trying to remember why she was relieved to not have dreamed that one morning. She quickly stopped thinking about this, as she was giving herself a headache—again, it felt like the side effect of somepony blocking her memories.

So lost in her own conflicted mind Twilight almost did not notice that her little party had passed into a campsite. Two tents stood sentinel around a now smoldering fire. A couple of saddlebags rested off to one side, almost as if they had been tossed there in haste. Twilight stopped as Lyra stoked the fire with a bit of magic, hesitantly trying to figure out what to do next. Lyra took the problems out of Twilight’s hooves by gesturing next to the fire, where it was a bit warmer. Twilight took the proffered patch of ground, watching the other two curiously. She waited expectantly for one or the other to speak. When neither did, Twilight broke the silence herself. “So… What just happened back there?”

Bon-Bon threw a quick glance at her lover, almost as if she were asking permission. At Lyra’s nod, Bon-Bon began, “It’s a long story, Twilight. I’ll explain what I know to the best of my ability, but you might not like what I’m about to tell you.”

“I don’t understand,” Twilight said slowly. “Why would I not like your explanation?” Rainbow Dash, who had been uncharacteristically silent thus far, moved closer to Twilight’s side protectively. Come to think of it, Dash had never moved too far from Twilight since they escaped the changelings. Even Dash’s thoughts were muted, making it hard for Twilight to get a reading on her friend. Twilight laid a comforting hoof upon Dash’s side before turning her gaze back to the two before her.

Bon-Bon sighed. “I’ve got something to show you. All I ask is that you trust me, and try not to blast me too hard.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but her question died in her throat. Bon-Bon was changing. Slowly at first, then more rapidly, Bon-Bon shone with green magic Twilight Sparkle knew all too well. Starting with her hooves and working its way up the rest of her body, the green flare of changeling magic soon covered Bon-Bon’s form. Then the green flare fizzled and faded, and in Bon-Bon’s place stood a creature who had just tried to kill Twilight. Twilight’s reaction was instantaneous. She leapt backward away from the creature, horn already pulsing with dull magenta light. Dash took to the air with a muttered exclamation, sizzling bolts of lightning forming at her wingtips.

The only thing preventing the duo from attacking the changeling then and there was:

“Lyra,” Twilight breathed. The mint green unicorn had moved protectively in front of the changeling, her own horn glowing with aquamarine light. “Get away from the changeling, Lyra, or it will hurt you.”

Lyra shook her head, her golden eyes steady. “No. Listen to me, Twilight. Don’t let your natural fear of changelings make you do something rash.”

“I’m not afraid of it, Lyra. The changelings are sworn enemies to the Crown, and as such must be turned in to the nearest authorities. Don’t let it brainwash you.”

“She is not brainwashing me. I’m still the Lyra Heartstrings I’ve always been. I know I’m not match for your power, but I’ll go to Tartarus before I allow you to hurt Amethyst.”

Twilight heard all of Lyra’s words, but her mind focused on one thing. Twilight tried to form words past her confusion, but Dash beat her to it. “That thing is a she? And it has a name, Amethyst?”

“Yes,” the changeling named Amethyst said, stepping out from behind the protection of Lyra. “My name is Amethyst, ex-harvester to the changeling Swarm.”

Twilight frowned in confusion, her horn extinguishing as she lost her concentration on it. “Ex-harvester? What is that?”

Amethyst giggled, a strange sound, multiplied by the faint double layer of the changeling’s voice. The unexpected noise caused Twilight’s horn to flare to life again. “A Harvester is a changeling who serves the Swarm by “harvesting” love. We possess a slightly differed magic from the rest of the Swarm; while other changelings can only stay shifted for small periods of time before they need rest, a Harvester can keep their shifted form indefinitely. This allows us to integrate securely into society and leech love for the Swarm.”

Twilight’s mind was working overdrive. “Why do you call yourself an ex-Harvester?”

It was Lyra who stepped forward now. “She fell in love with me.” Twilight was so shocked; she fell flat on her rump, staring at Lyra with pricked ears. Her horn ceased its glow for the second time. A split second later Rainbow Dash fell out of the air; the rainbow maned pegasus was so surprised she stopped flapping to keep herself airborne.

Twilight could only stammer at first. “I—what—is that even possible?”

“We are living, proof, so I’d say yes,” Lyra nuzzled the changeling, causing Amethyst to blush green.

“B—but changelings are monsters! They suck you dry of all emotion, like a drink, before they kill you! They don’t care about their hosts, so long as they are fed!”

Amethyst snorted with laughter. “Let me guess, you read that from a book?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Did you ever stop to think that the author of said book might have just been making things up? Very few ponies honestly know anything about changelings, and this right here proves it.”

Amethyst’s answer caught Twilight like a well thrown javelin. She paused, analyzing. It did make sense. Nopony knew anything about changelings, except maybe the princesses. All anyone knew was vaguely what changelings looked like, and what they fed off of. As far as Twilight knew, everything she read in A Guide to Changelings could have been… not entirely true. The thought mortified Twilight. An author who just made something up based upon fanciful ideas or half truths was a criminal as far as she was concerned. The sorceress shook her head slightly, trying to refocus on the task at hand. Twilight glanced back at the pair before her and spoke one word.

“Explain.”

So explain they did. Lyra and Amethyst talked for minutes, recounting almost everything from their first meeting all those years ago. They recounted Lyra’s discovery, how Lyra had knew that she had never loved Bon-Bon the candy maker, but Amethyst the Harvester. At the end of it, Twilight was silent for a very long time. She was silent for so long that Lyra stoked the campfire twice, and shortly after Flicka returned, covered in green changeling slime but otherwise unharmed. Rainbow Dash had just started watching her friend with worry before Twilight finally spoke.

"This. All of this sounds like some crazy fairytale designed by some nameless author who has no idea what they are writing about. How do I know I can believe you? I see you two before me, standing far closer than any other pony and changeling has ever done. I want to believe you, I do. But how do I know your tale is true? How do I know you’re not in this with those so-called assassins?”

“Because it is true, Twilight Sparkle.” This voice was a new one. The lavender unicorn whirled around, seeking the owner of the voice. A Zebra stood there proudly, surveying the scene with careful eyes. The Zebra was small, smaller than most adults. She wore her mane in careful ropes along her back, and her tail looked as though it had been purposely cut short. With the uncertain shadows behind her, the Zebra almost blended in, save for the white parts of her coat. But what startled Twilight the most was the Zebra’s eyes. They were violet, just like Twilight’s. The Zebra must have seen the question about to spill forth from the sorceress, for she stepped forward a few paces.

“I am Nailiah, the most gifted Seer born to the Zebra tribes in generations.”

“A Seer,” Twilight breathed the simple statement almost a question. “But… Seers usually don’t appear to normal creatures. They keep to themselves. Unless…”

Nailiah was nodding. “I’m here to guide the future, Twilight Sparkle, a future that revolves around you. I’ve seen… some terrible things. Things that may happen if one little fragment of time goes awry. My very first suggestion to you is that you trust these three friends. The words they speak are as pure as fresh fallen snow.”

Twilight’s mind, however, was stuck on something else the Seer had said. Her brilliant brain attempted to make sense of her chaotic thoughts, and before the bookworm knew it she was asking questions before the words were processed. “What do you mean a terrible future? How do you know Lyra and Amethyst are being honest? Where did you come from? Why are your eyes the same as mine?”

Nailiah laughed, a light tinkling sound. With a great internal struggle, Twilight clamped her muzzle shut before it could ask more. “Well, Twilight, the last question you asked is the easiest for me to answer. Violet eyes are the color of those with Seer blood. Given enough training, you could even see fragments of the future as I do.”

The Zebra paused, as though considering her next words. “However, in the case of our eyes being completely similar… that would be because I’m your half-sister."

The Seer

Read First

Twilight could only stare at the Seer across from her mutely. Her overly analytical mind insisted that there was no possible way Nailiah spoke the truth. Her heart, however, told her differently. Looking closer, Twilight could almost see the resemblance. Those solemn violet eyes. That same gentle smile. Now that Twilight was paying proper attention, she noticed that even Nailiah’s mane was a violet color, but so dark it appeared to be black in the uncertain light. Take away the black and white stripes and the slightly narrower muzzle, and Twilight could easily have a clone. Her mind, however, would have none of this.

“You can’t be,” Twilight whispered, shaking her head. “I would know if I had a sister. Especially a Zebra one.”

“A Seer cannot tell a lie, Twilight Sparkle. Our relationship with the Stars prevents us from doing so. Think about it. Why do you think you never had the same fear of Zebras everypony in Ponyville seemed to have at first? Why do you think that you felt comfortable going to Zecora whenever you needed a potion made? Despite knowing that Zecora was relatively harmless, very few other ponies would dare approach her, aside from you and your friends.”

Twilight arched her eyebrows. “You know Zecora?”

Nailiah snorted. “Of course I know my own mother. That was one of the reasons she moved into the Everfree. She wanted to keep an eye on her ‘other daughter’, as she would call you. You never saw me on your visits because I was off partaking in my Seer training.”

“Does my own mom—Twilight Velvet—know about you?”

Nailiah frowned at Twilight, almost like the Zebra was disappointed at Twilight for asking the answers to questions that were obvious. “I would hope she does! She was there when I was born, and was there to see me off on the start of my training. Did she never tell you?”

Twilight shook her head. “She never told me I had a Zebra half sister. I’m still trying to figure out how all this is possible.” Twilight closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. “But now that I think about it… I never really saw much of my parents once I became Princess Celestia’s student. I was always so busy studying and learning in Canterlot. Whenever I did find time to take a break and visit, we always had so much other things to do and catch up on. I imagine telling me that I had a Zebra half-sister was relatively low on the list to do while I was unburdened by my studies.”

Nailiah was nodding. “I can imagine so. It’s a rather long story, and you’ll have to ask our parents all of the details. I’ll give you the short version. You know that both Twilight Velvet and Nightlight were a part of Equestrian Intelligence, correct?”

“Yea,” Twilight said, frowning. She wondered where this was going.

“Well, our mothers and our father were part of a herd back then. A decent sized one, too. They kept each other safe, watched each other’s backs while out in the field. Well, naturally, they also partook in… activities… that herds normally do. Our father, Nightlight, was the herd master—the only stallion in a group of about five mares. Velvet was the first one to get pregnant, with Shining Armor. She resigned from EI to raise him, but would still act as an ‘outside informant’ at times. But then Nightlight managed to get my mother pregnant with me, and Velvet pregnant with you. Both Zecora and Nightlight dropped out of EI then, to raise their growing families. Much like you have been over the past several years, I’ve been busy with my studies, and never have had an opportunity to actually meet the sister I knew I had.”

Twilight’s slightly frazzled mind finally slowed its pacing a bit. It all made since know. She had known her parents had served in Equestrian Intelligence, and had certainly heard the rumors that both of them had been in a successful herd. If Twilight had to be honest, she was overjoyed. She had a real sister, an honest to Celestia sister. As much as Twilight loved Cadance, the Alicorn of Love really did not count. Sure, Cadance was only a few years older, and sure the two had been inseparable since meeting, but it really was not the same. Cadance was a Princess, for starters, both a Princess of Equestria and the Princess of the Crystal Empire. This meant that these days, Cadance was really rather busy with one thing or another. But Nailiah, on the other hand… Nailiah had to be Twilight’s age, if they had been born roughly the same time. Since she was a Seer, Nailiah was probably as knowledgeable about some types of magic as Twilight was.

Twilight glanced over at Rainbow Dash, her eyes asking a question. The Wonderbolt rolled her eyes playfully in response. Dash would have no problems getting along with Nailiah. Deciding it was kind of creepy how easily Dash could read Twilight and vise-versa, Twilight turned her attention back to the Zebra before her. “So, what now?”

Nailiah shrugged. “I do believe it’s up to them,” the Seer said, tossing her head at the other three present, whom Twilight had completely forgotten about until now. She turned to them instead.

Amethyst (Bon-Bon?) headed Twilight’s question off before it could even get asked. “I’m afraid it is not up to us to answer the rest of your questions, Twilight.”

“What do you mean? You told me you’d give me answers!” Twilight knew that she sounded slightly whiney, but she did not care at the moment.

“And so we did,” Lyra replied. “We told you why me and Amethyst are together. The rest must be explained by Chrysalis.”

Twilight stopped dead. For a few moments, she was completely still. Even her mind was on hold, not even attempting to process this information. When she spoke next, her voice carried a hint of ice that made even Dash shy away a bit. “Let me get this straight. You want me to go talk to Chrysalis, all the way in the changeling lands, after I just got attacked by changelings that seemed bent on killing me. Is that right? I wouldn’t doubt it for a minute if she was the one that wanted me dead in the first place.”

“She doesn’t.” This was yet another knew voice. But unlike before, Twilight knew where it came from. The voice was slightly harsh, telling of a difficult past. At the same time, the voice held a haunting melody that made Twilight want to bury her face into Rainbow Dash’s shoulder and cry her eyes out. Twilight turned to Flicka slowly, properly studying the other unicorn for the first time. For the most part, Flicka appeared to be a normal pony. Her coat was storm cloud grey, with four jagged purple stripes arcing down either side of her barrel. Her mane, also purple, covers her left eye, while her right shines a luminous blue. A circular device rests over this eye, and her right foreleg is made of metal.

Twilight intended to ask how Flicka knew anything about Chrysalis, but the words seemed to get lost on the way to her mouth. Instead, she blurted, “What exactly are you?”

The question seemed to catch Flicka slightly off guard. The unicorn hesitated a moment. “I’m a cyberpony. It’s the unofficial name given to a pony that has been grafted with extensive machinery. Here, strike me in the chest.”

Twilight glanced at Flicka uncertainly as the cyberpony stuck out her chest. At the encouraging nod, however, Twilight reached out and thumped Flicka in the chest. It was not a particularly powerful blow, but it did not matter. Twilight’s hoof rebounded off Flicka with a metallic clunk. The sorceress stared at Flicka with wide eyes.

The ghost of a smile was tugging at Flicka’s lips. “I’m what I call a full cyberpony. I was so close to death when Crow found me, the only way he could save me was to graft me with machinery. I have all the essential organs and organisms to live, but my entire body is made of metal now. Without that metal, I’ll die in a matter of minutes.”

Twilight had instinctively known Flicka, and known who she was, but even Twilight did not know this. She started to panic. “But… I sent you off to fight! I could have caused you to become seriously injured!”

Flicka laughed a short barking laugh. “Relax, Twilight. I’m designed to be tough, designed to take a beating. Not only are my reflexes and other things enhanced, I’m extremely durable. I have to be. I would make a poor body guard to Queen Chrysalis indeed if I couldn’t take a beating and walk away from it.”

Twilight stared long and hard at Flicka. Something was off. Something concerning what Flicka had said earlier, but for the life of her Twilight couldn’t seem to remember. “You’re a bodyguard of Chrysalis?”

“I’m the bodyguard of the Queen, yes. We have our own combat force designed to keep the Queen safe, of course; I am merely the last line of defense should they fall. That is also why I can say, without a doubt, my Queen did not send those assassins after you. Whoever it was acted of their own violation, and without Queen Chrysalis’ consent or knowledge.”

“You seem convinced that Chrysalis is not the bad guy here,” Rainbow Dash broke in. “Last I checked, Chrysalis was the one who tried to conquer Canterlot not too terribly long ago. Or are we missing something?”

Flicka glanced over at Dash, piercing the Wonderbolt with an ice blue eye. “You’re missing something. Queen Chrysalis is dying.”

This bit of information stopped Twilight and Rainbow in their tracks. After yet another stagnant pause, Twilight finally said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Flicka shook her head. “Don’t be. Chrysalis lived her life the way she thought it should be lived, and nothing more. Those were her words. She has only made one last request of me, Amethyst, and Lyra.”

Despite herself, Twilight Sparkle felt her insatiable curiosity raise its head, sniffing at the air. “What last request was that?” She asked.

“She requested that we bring you to her. She wishes to talk to you personally.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight still could not believe she had agreed to this. Within the span of a few hours, the sorceress had been attacked, rescued by one she had thought would be a natural enemy, and for some reason had agreed to grant Chrysalis her last wish. Even now Twilight had no idea why she had decided to come along. Here she was, approaching the middle of the Verdant Forest, heart of the changeling lands. She was effectively surrounded on all sides by enemies everywhere. All it would take is a single word from the ‘sick’ Queen, and neither Twilight nor Rainbow would ever see their homeland again. Twilight sighed mentally. Despite her strong insistence, Dash had absolutely refused to leave Twilight. While Twilight was glad for the company deep down, it might complicate things if she had to execute an escape strategy.

Twilight found her eyes trailing back to Flicka again and again. The cyberpony did not even seem winded after such a long range teleport. Twilight estimated that Flicka had teleported their party of six at least a hundred and fifty miles; all the way from the outskirts of Canterlot, across the Everfree Forest and the Sweltering Wastes, directly into changeling territory. After resting under a massive tree for roughly ten minutes, Flicka had bounced back onto her hooves and started leading their party deeper into the Verdant Forest, horn aglow to light their way. Lyra and Bon-Bon ranged a little ways off on either side, acting as a defensive screen, while Nialiah brought up the rear. Flicka had mentioned it was unlikely that Twilight would be attacked now, but apparently Twilight’s guardians were not taking any chances.

The endless rows of trees abruptly ended and Twilight jerked to a halt, mouth agape. There, sitting before her, was the largest castle she had ever seen. There were entirely too many turrets for her to count, but hundreds upon hundreds of windows blazed with light; some were green, like the color of changeling magic, and others were yellow, like a the color of an ordinary lamp. Dash stopped next to Twilight, and the sorceress could tell the pegasus was just as awestruck. Flicka glanced behind her and grinned now, an honest, open uplifting of her lips. “Impressive, isn’t it? We’ve still got a little ways to go, through the actual town before we reach the castle proper.”

It was only after Flicka said something that Twilight realized that there was a giant city sprawled at the foot of the slightly intimidating structure. Even from this distance, Twilight could tell the changeling capitol rivaled Canterlot. A good deal of the city was dark, signaling that the occupants in those areas had long since retired for the night. But, dotted here and there were a few places that gleamed with light, just like the castle did. Flicka seemed to be waiting for something; she sat on her haunches and gestured for the others to do the same. “We’re waiting for two more. They said they would meet us up here.”

No sooner had the words left the bodyguard’s mouth than two shadows detached themselves from the outskirts of the changeling city and approached with the slight buzzing of wings. One of the shapes was gigantic, even dwarfing most Canterlot Royal Guard. The other was slightly smaller, but no less intimidating. A moment later both changelings alighted in front of Flicka, saluting respectfully. The giant one was a changeling mare. She did not look overly muscled, but she was huge. The only pony Twilight could compare this changeling to was Blockade, the pegasus captain who had once served under Shining Armor. She wore nothing but four odd little hoof boots, and two massive battle axes slung across her back. Looking closely, Twilight could see the magic roiling off of those boots. The second changeling, while smaller, was a stallion. He wore the same interesting boots, and a short baton sparked with blue flashes of energy at his side.

Flicka made introductions. “This is Blockade, commander of the Peacekeepers.” Twilight startled a little at the name, peering up at the hulking changeling mare.

Blockade offered a hoof to Twilight, smiling toothily at the unicorn. “Blockade reporting for duty. The Peacekeepers are the changeling’s main combat force, similar to your Equestrian Rangers. Though I daresay our technology is a bit more magically advanced at the moment.”

Twilight took the proffered hoof cautiously, half expecting Blockade to suddenly draw her axes and strike. The giant changeling did nothing of the sort, instead nodding with respect and turning aside to shake Dash’s hoof, letting her companion introduce himself.

“Harbinger,” the male changeling said shortly. “Captain of the Enforcers. We keep the peace of our capitol, Hive, and acts as a line of defense for the Queen should the castle ever come under siege.”

Flicka was on her hooves again, eager to be on the move. “Let’s go. The sooner we reach the capitol, the better.”

Blockade glanced at Flicka. “Why are you in such a hurry, little one?”

Flicka answered over her shoulder even as she began moving towards Hive. “Twilight was assaulted by changeling assassins in Canterlot. I do not know who sent them, or why, but I’m not going to rest easy until Twilight is safe before Chrysalis.”

Blockade did not ask any more questions after that. “Understood,” she said, and then drew her axes with a flash of green magic. With thunderous footfalls, the Peacekeeper took point. Her magical boots gleamed softly with white light, and Twilight saw several wards swirl about Blockade’s black form. Even without properly examining them, Twilight knew they were designed to allow Blockade to absorb attacks that might seriously injure somepony else. Harbinger took to the air with a buzzing of wings, providing airborne overwatch. The careful watchfulness of the others was starting to wear off on Twilight, and more than once she caught herself glancing around cautiously.

But they need not have worried. The party made it to the very fringes of Hive with no incident. Twilight hesitated briefly before stepping over that final invisible boundary separating the Verdant Forest from Hive. This, she considered, was a momentous moment. Knowing what little she did know about the changelings, Twilight was probably about to be the first non-friend of the changelings to cross into the changeling capitol in years. Some part of her, deep down inside, knew that if she took that final step, there would be no going back. No matter what else happened, no matter what Chrysalis wanted to discuss with her, Twilight knew this memory would stay with her forever. She could feel the very warm presence of Rainbow Dash right next to her, waiting for Twilight so they could take the first step together. Twilight’s half-sister moved up on the left side, and despite all of the craziness that has transpired recently, she felt oddly comforted having somepony else she could instinctively trust there too.

After what felt like days but in reality was only about thirty seconds, Twilight Sparkle lifted her first forehoof and stepped right into Hive. The rest of her quickly followed as she made to catch up with Flicka, who had not stopped for an instant. Once they began moving down what had to be the main street, though, Twilight soon found herself distracted. She was simply astounded to how similar changeling architecture was to ponies. She had fully expected the changelings to quite literally live in some giant cave they called the Hive. She was not expecting to see buildings that were only slightly different than the buildings she saw in Canterlot. Most of the buildings were more round, whereas Canterlot was built with square precision. There was also not a single door in sight. Instead, rounded archways marked the entrances to buildings and homes, which in turn were sealed by the familiar green goo. Signs were dotted here and there, naming buildings and providing information on products and services. If the buildings were truly amazing, however, it was nothing compared to the crowd.

Despite what had to be a rather late hour by now, the main street of Hive teemed with life. A sea of black flooded the wide road, glinting occasionally as a green or yellow lamp caught the chitin just right. Specks of sky blue and emerald green could be seen dotted among the black as various changelings went about their business; it took Twilight a moment to realize that these specks were actually changeling eyes. As the group of nine started to make their way towards the castle towering above everything, Twilight noticed that the mass of black bodies parted before Blockade easily. Most seemed to recognize her mammoth form and called greetings. These greetings rapidly fell silent as the changelings finally noticed just who Blockade and Harbinger were escorting. Soon, total silence dominated this section of the city. The only sound that could be heard was the thumping bass emanating from a couple of late night clubs deeper within Hive.

Then the first cheer rang out, so loud and clear it made Twilight jump. Then suddenly, the cheering and stamping of hooves was everywhere, sweeping the party up upon a whirlwind of sound. Confused, Twilight glanced around. As far as she could see at her level, every single eye was turned on her. Twilight felt Rainbow Dash tense next to her, and she turned to the pegasus. It looked like the cyan mare was doing everything in her power to avoid taking flight. Her wings were trembling, and she unconsciously pressed closer into Twilight’s side. The cheering seemed to refuse to die down, issuing from thousands and thousands of dual layered voices. When Twilight, finally curious, raised a hoof in a half greeting, the cheering redoubled. Dash seemed to calm down a bit, no longer shivering but still pressed as close to Twilight as she could get. Blocking out the multitude of voices around her, Twilight asked, Are you okay, Rainbow?

Dash glanced at her best friend with a half smile. Fine, I think. They unnerved me; I thought they were going to start attacking.

That makes two of us, Twilight replied with a mental giggle. Off on Twilight’s other side, Nailiah shook her head vigorously, as though to rid herself of a troublesome gnat. Twilight arched an eyebrow, and Nailiah sidled a bit closer to talk.

“All of this noise is disrupting my Sight,” She muttered. “It’s kind of nice to not be assaulted by images, but at the same time it’s unnerving.”

So they continued on. Past countless more shops and homes, all the way up the winding path to the looming castle. The cheering crowds of changelings remained at the city limits, but Twilight could still hear them even as she stood at the giant drawbridge. Once inside the courtyard the noise died down to a muted roar, but it was still there just the same. Twilight turned to the rest of the group.

“Well then. That was certainly unexpected. What in Equestria were they cheering about?” Flicka did not seem too keen to answer. She turned towards Blockade and Harbinger, but those two had already departed, presumably back to their other duties. Amethyst and Lyra had long since disappeared too.

“Come,” Flicka gestured impatiently. “I’ll take you to the waiting chamber. Queen Chrysalis may not entirely be ready to see you yet.”

So they followed Flicka down innumerable hallways, past walls every bit as opulent as those in Canterlot Palace. Twilight tried to memorize the path they took, but this task soon proved to be impossible. This castle was every bit as confusing as the Palace to those who were unfamiliar with its secrets. They were rejoined at some point by both Amethyst, in her Bon-Bon form, and Lyra, who reappeared out of nowhere. One moment they were not there, the next they were. If not for the lack of magic felt, Twilight would have though the duo had teleported. She did not comment on it though, instead continuing to follow their guide. Flicka eventually lead them into a rather simple room, furnished with a couple of couches, a small center table, and a metal rack with a few magazines.

“Wait here,” Flicka directed. “I’ll be back as soon as I talk to the Queen.” With that, she was gone again. Silence fell again as Twilight attempted to tame her chaotic thoughts. So much has happened in just a short while; this all was starting to feel surreal. Rainbow Dash curled up next to Twilight, too worn out to fidget like she normally did when she had to sit still and was not meditating. Nailiah curled up on her sister’s other side, seeking warmth from the sibling she had just met. Throughout it all Twilight just sat and stared at nothing, woolgathering. As her semi-tired mind alighted upon a question she wanted to ask, she turned to Lyra.

“I have a question, Lyra. I understand that you and Amethyst love each other. I honestly think it’s great. But throughout all of this, you have treated yourself as though you are actually a part of changeling society. Why is that?”

Lyra turned towards Twilight, obviously not expecting the question. She stared at Twilight for a moment, like she was trying to make up her mind how to answer. “I consider myself a citizen of the Swarm because Chrysalis saved my life.”

This got a raised eyebrow from Twilight. An identical right ear flick from both Dash and Nailiah signaled that the other two mares were listening. “Is this the same Chrysalis we are talking about?”

That got a chuckle from Lyra. “The very same. Without her, I‘d not be here right now. Do you recall how she had brainwashed me and the other bridesmaids at the wedding?”

Twilight nodded slowly. “I remember. You tried to stop me and Cadance.”

“Yes. The spell that Chrysalis used against us was different from the one she used to subdue Shining Armor. The spell on the Bridesmaids, while it would ensure our complete obedience while Chrysalis was not there to give us direct orders, had a side effect: It would eventually turn us into changelings.” Twilight was wide-eyed now, and even Rainbow Dash raised her head in surprise.

“That was about the time I discovered that Bon-Bon was a changeling. She’d heard what Chrysalis had done in her bid for power, and rushed off to save me. In order to cast the spell that would at least slow down the transformation, Bon-Bon had to be in her changeling form. Even though I was still under Chrysalis’ control, I could recall watching Bon-Bon change right before my eyes. After Chrysalis’ plan failed, Bon-Bon carried me to Hive. She planned to force Chrysalis to stop the corruption.

“Chrysalis, to Bon-bon’s surprise, readily agreed to stop the spell and reverse its effects. Before she could, however, I was attacked by a couple of rogue changelings who were convinced I was an abomination and had to be put down. Chrysalis intervened and sentenced those two to death. After that, I swore fealty to her for saving my life.”

Twilight let out a slow whistle. “That certainly explains a lot.” Before the discussion could continue farther, they were interrupted by Flicka from the doorway.

“Queen Chrysalis will see you now. All of you, follow me.”

Pieces to the Puzzle

It only took a single glance for Twilight Sparkle to confirm the simple fact: Queen Chrysalis did not have much time left. The truth hit her squarely, and despite the situation the unicorn felt a flare of relief flash through her. Assurances aside, her analytic mind had insisted that this was all a trap, some elaborate hoax. For the most part now, those fears had been laid to rest. While she was still exercising due caution, the sorceress was at least prepared to listen to whatever her old enemy had to say. But even as Twilight approached the sickly queen, she quickly found herself saddened by what she saw.

One of the very first things Twilight noticed was Chrysalis’ horn, much as Twilight had noticed her own after her change. Chrysalis’ horn had shrunk to the size of a young foal’s, and was no longer jagged and pointy. The second noted was the queen’s mane. Most of it had long since fallen out, leaving only a few frayed ends here and there. Her tail had gone entirely. Chrysalis’ eyes had been reduced to a dim green glow, laced with pain visible even at this distance. Her wings looked to be dissolving into thin air, leaving nothing but tattered remnants of what they had once been. As the changeling monarch slowly raised her head to look at the newcomers, Twilight also saw that she was missing a fang. Lastly, in the few moments it took to approach properly, Twilight could detect almost no magical glow within the dying changeling.

For several agonizing moments, there was complete silence within the chamber. Flicka, Lyra, and Amethyst stood off to one side of Chrysalis, seemingly content to observe what would transpire. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, inched ever closer to Twilight. She was so close the wing on her left side brushed gently against Twilight’s coat. A quick glimpse into the Link showed Dash’s thoughts to be a muddled mess of confusion and pity, a mess Twilight was not going to attempt to breach in an effort to speak to her best friend. Nialiah stood ready off to Twilight’s other side, her expression serene and confident. Twilight felt a bubble of loving friendship well up within her. She felt safe, protected, with her closest friend and her sister there. It gave her courage, enough to stand her ground and look Chrysalis in the eye, even as the monarch began to speak at last.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Those two simple words sent shivers arching down the unicorn’s spine. Chrysalis’ voice was so faint Twilight could barely hear it. It was hoarse, trembling with insurmountable pain. Now, more than ever, Twilight understood that she was standing before someone on the brink of death. The mere thought nearly sent her reeling. Never, in all of her years, had Twilight been this close to death. Granted, the Elements of Harmony bearers and the Crystal Heart had slain Sombra, but that had been different. Sombra had been pure evil, nothing more and nothing less. Chrysalis was a new matter all together. Despite the attempted invasion of Canterlot, Twilight didn’t see Chrysalis as evil, or full of darkness. She had only been trying to look out for her Swarm, her people. After millennia of segregation and hostility from others, it was no small wonder why the changelings had attempted to take over Equestria instead of attempting to find a more peaceful route.

“Calm yourself, child.” came Chrysalis’ next words, as she detected the rising hysteria within the purple mare. “There is naught you can do for me, and even if there was I would not accept your help. The most important thing is that you have come.”

Twilight swallowed around the lump caught within her throat. “I’m sorry. Why is that a good thing?”

Chrysalis let a faint ghost of a smile tug at her lips. “Because I am about to pass from this world, Twilight Sparkle. Transferring power over to you has almost heralded my time before I had a chance to talk to you.”

“Transferring power,” Twilight said. It was not a question. It was more like a simple statement of fact.

Chrysalis was silent for a moment, as though she were gathering her thoughts. “Do you know how we changelings came to be, Twilight?”

Taken aback by the seemingly irrelevant question, Twilight answered automatically. “No. I don’t think anypony does, except maybe the princesses. To my knowledge no accurate books of changelings exist.”

Chrysalis nodded slightly, as though she had expected this response. “At the very start of history, centuries and centuries ago, there were a total of four equine races, not the three most are familiar with today: pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies… and Flutter Ponies. During that age, we were all ruled by the chaotic being we know as Discord. He was as merciless as he was chaotic, constantly finding new ways to have a bit of what he called “fun”. The Discord you have encountered and defeated before was nothing more than a Shade of him, an echo of his full form. Everyone lived in absolute fear of him. There was no stopping him when he decided he wanted to do something, and for the most part, no one back then had a mind of their own. Even if anyone had wanted to stand up to him, they couldn’t. He’d just direct them to do something else, something that would please him.

“But then our ancient ancestors came onto the timeline: Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, Chancellor Puddinghead, and the Flutter Pony leader, Queen Summerdew. Back then, Flutter Pony magic was much more powerful than unicorn magic. Summerdew had enough raw power to foil the vast majority of Discord’s mind magic. She couldn’t stand up to him outright or alone, but her magic was able to keep the minds of the others clear of Discord’s influence. Together, these four unlikely heroes began to oppose Discord. Discord, naturally, fought back, going so far as to kill the family members of the Four. After countless years of fighting, countless moments of pain and suffering, Discord was laid low. No one is sure how this was possible, as Discord was practically a god; some even believe that Discord created the equine races to be his personal play toys. But in the final moments before Discord could be vanquished, he laid a curse upon Queen Summerdew and her people, and their descendants. They would become the first ever changelings.

“Queen Summerdew could feel the vile magic taking root inside of her. She knew she must flee, lest she become a pawn of Discord’s magic. Princess Platinum made a promise to search for Summerdew later, once the magic faded or proved to not be a threat. But Princess Platinum lied. She had no intention of looking for the Flutter Ponies. So Summerdew and her people fled into hiding with the belief that Platinum would offer a hoof in friendship once the worse was over. It was while in hiding that the Flutter Ponies completed their transformation into changelings. They viewed themselves as monstrosities, nothing remotely similar to the graceful and beautiful creatures they had once been. Summerdew could only hope that Platinum would keep her promise and come searching; While confused and hurt, Summerdew still had the presence of mind to understand that her and her people would likely not be welcomed with open arms. But Platinum never came. Summerdew watched from the shadows as the other three heroes fought over land, food, and magic. She watched them belittle each other, each one wanting to be in charge of everything. She watched as the windigos came. She watched as the three separate races formed an uneasy alliance. She watched the land slowly transform into what is recognized as Equestria today. And still, she waited for Platinum to remember a promise.

“But the fragile peace between the races did not last forever, and thanks to this, Discord was able to gain a foothold into the world once more. He killed them all—Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead. But try as he might, Discord could not find the race he had condemned to a painful fate. He did not know exactly what he had done to the Flutter Ponies, only that he had laid a curse upon them moments before he had fallen all those years ago. He had no knowledge of the changelings until Summerdew made her presence known. This is the start of where things began to look up for the changeling race. This was also the point where current scholar’s decided to start erasing old history, rewriting it to suit their needs.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight interjected quickly. The sorceress had been enthralled by this tale, despite the current situation. She had never heard it told like this.

“I mean that the reason there has been no accurate information of changelings within Equestria was because pony scholars rewrote history. They rewrote it all, erasing every mention of changelings, and the sacrifices we made in an effort to keep the equine species alive and free.”

“But… why? What historian in their right mind would do such a terrible thing?”

“I will get to that shortly. I must continue this lesson for you to understand. Now, Summerdew made her existence known to Discord. The chaotic being was greatly amused, at first. His curse had done something to the Flutter Ponies he had never dreamed possible! It changed their very nature, their entire existence! Soon, however, that amusement changed to astonishment and anger. As an entire species, the changelings were easily a match for Discord. Individually, even a single changeling could give him trouble. Discord simply could not understand it. How could some mutant stand against him? Well, as I’m sure you can guess, the answer came in the form of love. The changelings were the only creatures capable of combating Discord, and the other races loved us for it. That love fueled the power of changelings on to even greater heights. That love gave changelings so much power we could fight Discord. And while changelings couldn’t win against a being so powerful, we could at least hold our own.

“Then… Celestia and Luna appeared. They were naught but simple unicorns, but, like the changelings, they carried enough power within themselves to fight the draconequus. But unlike the changelings, Celestia and Luna did not draw power from love and compassion. They drew their power directly from the sun and the moon. To this day, there are no texts that can explain why these two unicorns possessed the power of the two heavenly bodies. I do not even think the sisters themselves know. So, together with Summerdew and her changelings, Celestia and Luna banished Discord. But banishing Discord would not be permanent. They needed an absolute way to keep the lord of chaos imprisoned. Thus, the Elements of Harmony were born, created by the sisters. They each took a part of themselves and sealed them within the artifacts. In doing so, they became elevated into the Alicorns they are today. This was the price of creating such power artifacts—artifacts powerful enough to lay low a god—the two sisters were to live forever.”

“How is being immortal a bad thing—a price? That sounds more like a reward, to me.” Rainbow Dash was the one to interrupt this time.

This time, it was Twilight who answered. “Think about it, Rainbow. The princesses never grow old. They watch over their ponies day after day, year after year, and they never grow older. They’ve watched their old family die. They’ve watched friends go old and die. They’ve watched lovers do the same. Could you live forever if it meant that you have to watch those around you fall fate to death, natural and otherwise?”

“Well, no…” Dash admitted.

“Then there is your answer,” Chrysalis spoke again. “In fact, if it had not been for the War of the Sun and Moon, my own mother, Summerdew, would still be alive.”

“Summerdew was your mother?” Twilight asked incredulously.

“Indeed she was. I am only the second queen the changelings have ever had. Changelings naturally live longer lives than most ponies do, but our queens are as immortal as any other Alicorn.”

“But if you are immortal… why are you dying now?” Twilight asked.

“Being immortal does not protect one from falling severely ill, or dying upon the field of battle. Even Celestia or Luna could potentially die from sickness or battle, although the magic of the heavenly bodies make it hard for either one to actually pass away. Seeing as the sun and the moon are always there, I would imagine that the Royal Sisters would eventually regenerate their bodies. I mentioned before that scholars rewrote history to exclude changelings. Well, the birth of Nightmare Moon, and the war that followed is the reason why. It was after Nightmare Moon appeared that my mother made a grave mistake. She sided with Nightmare Moon.”

The entire chamber went deathly silent at these words. Finally, Twilight found her voice. “Why?”

Chrysalis closed her eyes and sighed, a sound filled with infinite sadness. “Summerdew believed that she could save Luna. She believed that if she could get close enough to Nightmare Moon, she could save the sister that was trapped within the darkness. Naturally, the ponies of Equestria did not see it that way. Princess Celestia was prepared to believe Summerdew… but that began to change when changelings began to openly attack ponies. Summerdew knew that the only way to gain the trust of the nightmare was to carry out the fiend’s orders. So she did. When Moon ordered Summerdew to march against the ponies of Equestria, she did so. She did it with remorse, far more remorse than one would think possible. She did not want to attack her allies, her friends. But she had to. Equestria would not survive long without both sisters, and Summerdew was determined to bring the younger one back safe and sound.

“Yet she failed. Remorse. Sadness. Anger. Hatred. These types of emotions are poisonous to changelings. If we are exposed to it long enough, those emotions weaken us to the point we can be easily killed. In the final battle between Moon and Celestia, Summerdew was slain. She was so weak from those negative feelings. She never even had a chance to apologize for her actions, or tell Celestia what she had tried to do. I was the one to take up the legacy of the changelings, then. I ordered the Swarm to retreat. As I did so, I noticed that my mother was yet alive. I drug her with me as the changelings retreated from that killing ground. But it was already too late. I had enough time to promise her that I would fix her mistake before she passed for good. By the time I had processed everything that had happened, it was over. Celestia had used the Elements on Moon and banished the creature, never to return. I fled like the coward I am, fled back to our forests to lick our wounds. Despite my promise to my mother, I had no desire to even be in the same room as Celestia. I was a coward. I was afraid of what Celestia would do to me and my people.

“Over time, the grief over losing my mother twisted me into something else. I began to see it as Celestia’s fault my mother died. That feeling grew and grew, so that when my people began running low on food and starving, I decided to invade Canterlot, and make Celestia pay for murdering my mother by taking over Equestria. My promise to my mother would have been fulfilled: I would have led the changelings back to the glory they had before the War of the Sun and Moon. As you know, we failed. It was after that failed attack that I was poisoned. I never realized it until it was too late to do anything about it. Remember, negative emotions concentrated directly at changelings are the bane of my people. When you mix such powerful negative emotions with pure love, it creates an emotion so warped it can kill us outright. When Shining Armor and Cadance blasted us away, they injected their magic with that deadly mix. As queen of the changelings, I automatically took the brunt of it, so that my people would be unharmed. Eventually it started to kill me, to weaken me, and by then it was already too late.”

More silence greeted Chrysalis’ words. Finding her voice yet again, Twilight spoke. “But what does that have to do with me?”

Chrysalis closed her eyes, marshalling her thoughts. “When the Flutter Ponies were first transformed into changelings, Summerdew invoked the ancient, powerful magic of Sol to lay down three laws that all changelings follow. If they deviate from these supreme laws, they die. There is no stopping it. The first law states that the Queen is the highest changeling in the Swarm. Her word and her will is law. With our minds linked all the time the way they are, a changeling cannot disobey a direct order from their queen no matter how much they wish to do so. It was this law that I abused to get my forces to attack Canterlot. The vast majority of my people had no desire to be a part of this invasion, despite the promise of power. As their queen, I forced them to obey, and as a result they became nothing more than mindless drones—they could not turn against me, and they could not think for themselves.

“The second law decrees that the Swarm must always have a queen. Never a king, or a princess, or some other title. Always a queen. Without one, the changelings… well, we go crazy, or so the law says. We’d start attacking anything in sight, attacking and razing until there was nothing left. The third law—the law that involves you, Twilight Sparkle—states that, in the event of an unprecedented emergency, a non changeling can be put upon the Throne. Which is exactly what you are here for, Twilight Sparkle. You are to become the next Queen of the Changelings."

A New Queen is Born

Twilight Sparkle’s world came to a standstill. The gifted sorceress derailed off the Train of Logical Thought, crashed directly into Utter Disbelief, complete with Trembling Form and Mental Breakdown. Finally, after agonizing moments, she spoke. “That’s not funny, Chrysalis. This sick joke has gone on long enough.”

“I’m not joking, Twilight Sparkle. I have no heirs. I have no other changeling I want upon the throne—my throne. More than ever, my Swarm needs a true leader. One who will lead them with the wisdom I lacked and my mother misplaced. That leader is you.”

Twilight was still in full Denial. “No. No, no, no, no. I can’t. I won’t. You can’t make me. I want nothing to do with you… insects!” Twilight knew she sounded like a whining little foal, but she couldn’t care less.

Chrysalis actually managed a dry, wheezing laugh. “I’m afraid you are wrong on two out of three counts there, Twilight. First of all, changelings are not insects. We are ponies, or as close as we can be to one. Not having enough food can be very hard on us, to the point of our bodies becoming… decayed. Secondly, you will become the next queen. You are correct, I cannot make you, but I know you will anyway. I think it is time I lifted the little enchantment I placed upon you.” Chrysalis’ horn pulsed weakly.

If Twilight was in a panic mode earlier, now she was in a full blown Lesson Zero Breakdown. She blinked, once, twice, three times, and then she promptly shrieked. Her right hoof went first to her horn, feeling its long, sharp point. She then spun in place, trying to see all of the changes that had been wrought on her body. Even Rainbow Dash backed away a little, eyes wide. The chromatic pegasus seemed to be at a loss at words as she stared at her egghead friend. Finally, the unicorn came to a dead standstill and glared at Chrysalis with the force of a thousand brilliant suns. “What. Did. You. Do. To. Me?”

“I shielded your mind, Twilight, and those of your closest friends. I couldn’t have you or them panicking over the changes I wrought upon you. It would have made the process of transferring my power all that more difficult. This is why I’m so frail now. I’ve been steadily giving over the powers of the Hive Queen to you over the past several days.”

“But… how? Even the princesses can’t be fooled by a bit of mind trickery!” Twilight now sounded more lost and confused than anything else now. Rainbow Dash approached again and lifted a wing to drape it over the unicorn’s back in comfort.

“All Hive Queens are capable of performing one last, great spell before they pass. My mother used the last of her power to aid in our escape the night she fell. I have been using the last of my power to keep you sane. But alas, there can be no more questions. The rest you will have to figure out on your own, Twilight.”

“So that’s it, then?” Rainbow Dash demanded hotly, stalking closer to the dying monarch. “You’re just going to force this off to my best friend, and expect her to accept it?”

The only answer came from Twilight. Her horn pulsed a dull magenta. Then there was a slight pop, and she was gone. She reappeared on a nameless mountain some distance away. Teleporting without ever having seen the destination was risky, irresponsible, but the unicorn couldn’t care less at that moment. Her magical reserves could handle it. She could teleport around the entire globe and never enter Magical Exhaustion. Twilight scowled at nothing, her face drawn into a sharp frown. Her mane whipped chaotically behind her as she began to pace to and fro, her sharp mind quick at work.

Why, of all ponies, did this happen to me? Twilight thought piteously.

Oh, maybe its because you’re just that amazingly awesome. Came Rainbow Dash’s voice.

Rainbow! Get out of my head! A pause. Wait. I teleported some place as far away from the changeling lands as I could. How in Equestria are you still able to hear my thoughts?

Twilight could hear Dash shrug. Maybe this link has unlimited range. Anyway Twi, what’s up?

Twilight could feel herself reaching Irrationality again as she snapped, What do you mean, what’s up? I just found out my entire life was a lie! I just found out I’m not the same pony I thought I was! I just discovered that a creature I really, really do not care for has been tampering with my mind while she grooms me to become the next in line to her throne. Me! Queen of the Changelings!

Whoa, hold on there, Twi. What do you mean; your entire life has been a lie? You know that’s not true. Last I checked, all this craziness has only started happening recently. It’s not like this was something planned before you were born.

Twilight took a deep, shuddering breath. Yeah, okay. I know, I know. I probably overreacted a bit there. But still! She just… plans to foist all of this off to me, and expects me to go along with it! What do you think Dashie? What should I do?

There was a pregnant pause. Twilight, I’m afraid I can’t help you. As much as I hate seeing my favorite egghead confused and at a loss, this isn’t a decision I can make for you.

What are you saying? You’re just going to leave me to my fate?

Never. Rainbow’s voice was so icy during that one syllable Twilight shivered. Just because I can’t offer you a decision does not mean that I’m not going to be there. Got it? Sure, fine. All of a sudden you’re the next Changeling Queen. Big deal. Think about it, Twi. You’re nothing like Chrysalis. At all. You’re powerful. You’re compassionate. You’re so Luna-blasted modest it’s not even funny. I think you’d make a good leader to a species. If there’s anypony I’d trust to bring peace between the changelings and other nations, it’s you.

Twilight was silent. Almost against her will, her mind visualized Lyra and Amethyst. For the first time in a long time, changeling and pony stood side by side in a bond stronger than normal friendship. They supported each other. They loved each other. It was a never ending cycle. Amethyst fed off of the love that Lyra constantly gave her, without even meaning to. Lyra, in turn, had a lover she could trust, a lover who would always support her. Would Twilight just ignore this type of evidence? Could she? And then there was Flicka. Chrysalis had accepted the cyborg for what she was. She had offered the once broken mare a job, and a way to earn her keep. Was Twilight really going to deny Chrysalis’ final request, when there was so much evidence of Chrysalis attempting to make amends for the past? Deep in her heart of hearts, Twilight already knew the answer. With a last sigh, Twilight teleported once again to Chrysalis’ chambers.

“As you wish, then, Chrysalis. I will accept this burden you are asking of me.” Rainbow Dash bowed her head slightly, as though she had expected this outcome.

Twilight approached Chrysalis. “How are we going to do this, then? How are we going to finish making me Queen of the Changelings before you die?”

“Touch your horn to mine, Twilight Sparkle.” Hesitating, wondering what was going to happen next, Twilight did as she was bid.

Green light flashed around the chamber, blinding the other occupants and causing them to cry out in shock. But even their voices seemed distant to the sudden influx of voices stampeding into the chosen Queen’s mind. At first, the calls were only barely there, nothing more than tiny whispers within Twilight’s mind. But then they began to grow louder and louder, roaring and bellowing in one giant voice. Twilight buckled as she desperately tried to stem the flow of sounds. But it was no use. With a last head splitting shout, the cries rooted themselves within her mind, all calling out to their new leader.

“LOVE!” Twilight screamed suddenly, twisting in agonized torment. “There’s not… enough love… the hunger…!” The sorceress barely even registered Rainbow Dash as the Wonderbolt came hurtling out of nowhere, trying to get Twilight to calm down, and to speak coherently. There was a burst of magic, Twilight’s own magenta, which picked Dash up and sent her flying into the wall. Even as Dash struggled back to her hooves, Twilight could feel millions and millions of ravenous changelings begin to leech away her very life force. She didn’t have enough love, enough positive emotions within her to sate them all. She was going to die here, in this dank chamber, and she was not going to be able to stop it…

Then Rainbow Dash was there again, ramming into Twilight’s side and pinning the unicorn down. With an angry snarl, the pegasus wrapped both wings around Twilight’s horn and began pushing her own magic into the rapidly fading unicorn. Her voice also invaded Twilight’s mind, heard easily above the cries of hungry changelings. Luna damnit all, Twi, I’m not losing you! Hold on. Help’s here. Even as Rainbow Dash spoke, more voices, familiar voices, began to speak.

“C’mon, Twilight. We’ve got ya Sugarcube.” Applejack’s voice sounded loud and clear, even as a new torrent of energy from the Element of Honesty cascaded into Twilight.

“We’re here for you, Twilight.” Fluttershy was next, her thoughts soothing and calm.

“Darling, it’s going to be okay. Nothing is about to take our friend from us.”

“Let us support you, Twilight! We’ll have a party after you get back!”

Then, it was not just her friends. More voices began to speak, to be heard. Her parents, flooding their daughter with their own affection. Princess Celestia, Princes Luna, Princess Cadance. Shining Armor, her brother. Everypony from Ponyville, it felt like. Slowly, bit by painful bit, the changeling voices inside Twilight’s head grew silent. There was finally a blessed moment of silence before Twilight’s head exploded again—this time, with unrestrained joy. Love slammed back into Twilight Sparkle like a gale force storm, revitalizing her and healing her. More and more love flowed into Twilight’s prone form, changing her. Filling her with peace and purpose. Then, at long last, the voices fell silent. But Twilight could still feel their love, their happiness. She could even feel the threads of love connecting her to her friends and family, instead of exclusively her changelings. Then, at long last, Twilight Sparkle, Queen of the Changelings, opened her tear stained eyes.

The very first thing Twilight saw was Rainbow Dash. The sorceress blinked once. Then twice. Finally, she found her voice and whispered, “Sweet Celestia, what have I done?”

Rainbow Dash’s brows lowered. “Twilight?" She asked. “What’s wrong?”

Twilight could only reach a hoof towards her best friend. “You—you’re…”

Growing more bewildered by the moment, Rainbow Dash finally looked down at herself. The pegasus gasped. She was no longer the same cyan flyer she had been moments ago. She was a changeling. Or, a hybrid, at least. Instead of the soft cyan fur, Rainbow Dash was covered in sky blue chitin plating, just like any other changeling. Her wings were actually longer than they had been previously, and her mane and eyes seemed more vibrant, more alive. She did not have a horn. But the most amazing thing of all… there were no holes. Nothing but smooth, armored chitin. Twilight scrambled to her hooves, wings rustling. Wait… Wings?

Twilight’s head snapped around so fast she nearly toppled over. There, resting upon her sides was a pair of a gossamer changeling wings. But… they were not like any changeling wings Twilight had yet seen. They were just as long as Rainbow Dash’s new pegasus wings, and shaped just like hers. Twilight could almost tell that these wings were designed for swift flight—just like a pegasus. A cursory scan of the rest of her body showed her that she was just like Dash—nothing but smooth chitin. There were no holes in her legs, or her horn. Her horn was not jagged, but just as tapered as ever. Twilight felt her gaze gravitate back towards her best friend.

“Rainbow, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how this happened. I never wanted this to happen to you.”

Rainbow was currently examining her new appearance curiously. “I feel fine, though” she said, finally glancing up. “I feel… better than I have in a long time. I think… it’s because I can feel the love of the Swarm. It’s giving me so much energy.”

To Twilight’s pleasant surprise, it seemed as though Rainbow was right. Delving inside her mind—the Hivemind—she could feel the Wonderbolt as clearly as any of the millions of changelings Twilight now had access to. It was also then that Twilight became aware of another noise, a multitude of voices ringing out, physically and mentally.

“QUEEN CHRYSALIS HAS PASSED! LONG LIVE THE NEW QUEEN, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! LONG LIVE THE NEW PRINCESS, RAINBOW DASH!”

The Reveal

Time seemed to slow. Rainbow Dash turned to face Twilight. The new Queen felt her legs go weak and her breath come quicker. A trickle of sweat ran down her brow. Surprise, anger, confusion… all of these expressions showed clearly upon her best friend’s face. But the most dominant was betrayal. A thick silence hung between the pair, a bomb just waiting to be ignited. Then the chromatic Wonderbolt darted out the still open doorway and disappeared. Her wings snapped open and she brushed the sound barrier again; all she wanted right then was to get away. As far away as she could get.

Rainbow Dash took turns at random, blotting out the voices in her head as she did so. She’d had a lot of practice, denying Twilight access to her mind whenever the pegasus had wanted a bit of peace. She hadn’t always been successful, but now, full of so many raw emotions, it was easy for her to almost completely block out everything. She had no idea where she was going, nor did she care. Her only thought was to put as much distance between her and her traitorous friend as possible. She finally screamed to a halt in a deserted hallway, bodily crashing into a pillar that seemed to spring up out of nowhere. Dash dropped heavily to the floor, put her hooves over her face, and began to cry.

It had been a great many years since the last time Rainbow had truly cried. Though the thick and the thin, she had always been strong; showing the bravest face she could muster even in the direst of situations. She was an immovable rock, lending strength to those who needed it; the last time she had ever let her feelings show had been when she told her parents goodbye, before she had left Cloudsdale. That had been a good farewell, but the tears and the sadness had still taken its toll. Now, Rainbow Dash felt like that little filly again, sobbing on the stone cold floor of an unfamiliar castle in an unfamiliar realm. Eventually, however, the tears came to a stop and allowed the Wonderbolt to lament over her predicament.

She was a changeling princess. The very concept sounded ludicrous to her. Rainbow Dash was much too—what was the word Rarity would have used? Uncouth?—to be royalty of anything. But it wasn’t just the fact that she was now a princess to the very creatures that had attacked her home. Dash uncovered her eyes, staring at her hooves and forelimbs. She wasn’t a pegasus any more. She was something that nopony had ever seen before. She was… part changeling. It was the only explanation that made sense. She had their hardened shell, and she was a part of their Hivemind. But she still had pony blood. She still had her coloring, her beautiful mane and tail. She even still had her wings, the one thing she was absolutely proud of. In fact… Dash blinked, staring at her wings. She rubbed the leftover tears out of her eyes. Her wings were longer. The thing that made her so unique, that made her so happy to be alive, had been improved. The cyan mare could see how the longer wingspan would help her flight. They were a good four inches longer. That would help with acceleration and banking turns. It would also help her overall speed and her gliding.

Rainbow Dash stood up, flexing her wings, unable to take their eyes off of them. Out of everything that had happened to her, there was at least one good thing that had come of it. But then Dash paused, considering. She eyed her right shoulder, which had taken the brunt of her impact with that blasted pillar. There were no marks. No bruising. There wasn’t even a hint of pain to alert her to the fact that she had crashed into unforgiving stone. Curious, Dash lashed out at the same pillar, striking it with her right forelimb as hard as she could muster. There was a sharp crack as her chitin met the pillar, but nothing more. Suddenly invigorated, the flier backed up a few paces, darted into the air, then deliberately slammed her entire side into the stone. This time there was a small tinge of… something. It wasn’t any sort of pain, but Dash certainly felt it when she impacted the wall. It was similar to somepony poking her gently, trying to get her attention. The mare’s mouth quirked up into a lopsided grin. So maybe being… a hybrid… was not so bad after all. She had better wings. She had armor that would protect her from the normal crashes and injuries during intense practice sessions. But if her body was better now, why did she still feel hurt?

The answer came slowly as Dash thought about it. She wasn’t entirely sure… but it may be because she was averse to change. Particularly change to her body. She wasn’t a plain old pegasus any more, that was to be sure. What would her parents say? What would her friends say? What would happen with her future as a Wonderbolt? She didn’t have the answers to any of those questions, but the very last one was enough to fill her with a slight tinge of dread. Would Spitfire want somepony like her on the team anymore? Spitfire had told Rainbow repeatedly that she was the best flier seen in a long time. Dash did things with her wings that nopony had ever studied before, let alone understood. Did it matter that Dash was now so much more different? After considering it, the chromatic flier answered her own question: It didn’t matter. One bit. Spitfire would rather ground herself for the rest of her life than to give up on her protégée. Of that Dash was certain. Rainbow stood back up and stretched. She didn’t know what all the future would have in store for her, but she did know that she owed Twilight (her Queen!) an apology. It wasn’t her fault this had happened.

Twilight watched her best friend go. She wavered upon her hooves for a moment, and then she collapsed where she stood and began to bawl. She had just lost her best friend, alienated the one who had stood by her more firmly than any other. It felt as though someone was stabbing a giant knife directly through her heart. The pain was a dull, throbbing ache. All she could think about was that Rainbow Dash hated her. She had agreed to take up the mantle Queen of the Changelings without stopping to ask what would happen to the pegasus, seeing as they were so close to each other. She had just shoved Dash away, and it was all her fault. At that particular moment, Twilight didn’t want to continue on. She was all ready to give up before she had even begun.

She began to walk, slowly, head down to the floor as tears dripped down her nose and splashed onto the marble. She ignored Flicka, and Amethyst, and Lyra, none of whom looked as though they knew what to do. Twilight walked for what felt like hours, never paying attention to where she was going, aside from the fact that she was always descending through the castle. Her sorrow radiated through the Hivemind, and kept her subjects from approaching the new Queen. Finally, at long last, Twilight reached an enormous underground cavern that signaled this was as far down as she could go. To her vague interest, there was a lake down here, a giant body of water that was as still as glass. Eternally flaming torches upon the walls banished the gloom as best they could. Twilight walked to the very edge of the water and lay down, staring into her reflection. Tears dripped down into the surface of the lake, causing ripples upon its otherwise smooth surface. Twilight hiccupped once softly, and then began to sing.

♫Look at me

I can never pass for a perfect student

Or even a perfect daughter

Can it be I’m not meant to play these roles?

Twilight stood up slowly, tears almost dried now, and she began to walk along the very edge of the lake, left hooves splashing in the water.

♫I can now see

That if I were to truly become this Queen

I would break my family’s hearts.

What must they think of their daughter now?

Twilight stood still again, staring right at her reflection as her voice rose to the rocky ceiling high above her.

♫Who is this mare I see

Staring straight, back at me?

Why is my reflection somepony

I don’t know?

I cannot hide who I am now

Though I could try.

Why doesn’t my reflection show

Who I am inside?

Twilight meandered back over to where she started, tears still staining the rocks. She stared into the lake for long, long moments, before she finally whispered:

♫When will my reflection show

Who I am inside?

There was complete silence within the chamber. But as Twilight stood there, she felt something wonderful. Something miraculous. It was her subjects. They empathized with her. And with that empathy flowed a veritable bounty of love, like little invisible strings connecting Twilight’s soul to her new people. Twilight had never felt anything like it before. The changelings knew how she felt. This was an all too familiar feeling for them, a feeling that had been a part of their lives for so long. The love flooded into the Queen, instantly drying the last of her tears and vitalizing her. The changelings understood. They knew what it was like. The fact that their Queen was feeling this started to create the first bonds between her and her people.

But the most amazing thing of all wasn’t just her changelings understanding and supporting her. The best part was… Rainbow Dash. The pegasus had stopped blocking out the Hivemind, and had heard Twilight’s song. The love that flowed from the Wonderbolt was potent, far more potent than anything she had received yet from her changelings. It was also very sweet, and filled her with far more energy.

I forgive you, Twilight. It was not your fault. At these words, all was right with the world.

Twilight stood opposite Rainbow Dash in the Queen’s chamber, a slight blush adorning their cheeks. After a long, awkward silence, Twilight held out her hoof to be bumped by Dash. “I’m sorry. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.”

Ignoring the offered hoof completely, the Wonderbolt instead pulled the surprised sorceress into a hug. “I’ve already told you I’ve forgiven you, old friend. Whatever the future throws at us, we’ll stand against it together. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Twilight answered, smiling slightly. She then turned towards the still form of Chrysalis. The Queen was already long since passed from the world, undoubtedly breathing her last moments as she completely transferred her mantle over to her chosen heir. In death the old Queen looked much more peaceful, just like Twilight had often read the deceased did in books. While there was no hiding her decayed appearance, at least Chrysalis was no longer in pain. Twilight then turned to Lyra and Amethyst, and she gasped lightly as she saw the latter.

The new Queen blinked, surprised. Amethyst looked so much more… alive, so much more vibrant than she had before. Her chitin was whole, unblemished. There wasn’t a single hole in sight. Her horn was as straight and proud as a unicorn’s, and her mane, now a cheerful shade of purple that matched her namesake, was no longer scraggly and dead looking. Her eyes were, surprisingly, the exact shade of Twilight's now, and they held depths that had previously been absent. Her wings shined and glimmered in the bright lighting of the room. Amethyst grinned at her Queen. “This is what happens to us when we have more love than we know what to do with.”

Queen Twilight started when Amethyst spoke; her voice no longer held the odd timbre normally associated with changelings; instead, her voice was light and musical, almost resembling what Twilight would expect a Flutter Pony to sound like. The Queen tilted her head at those words. “I thought you got all of the love you needed from Lyra.”

Amethyst nodded. “All of the love I needed to keep me alive, yes. But even Lyra couldn’t give me the love and the positive emotions I needed to reverse my decay. Being a part of a Hivemind with so much food has been more than enough to heal me.”

"And what about the eyes? Why do they look like mine?"

The Harvester grinned. "It's because you are the new Queen now. The eyes of a changeling will change colors depending on what Queen they follow. For Summerdew they were orange, for Chrysalis they were that green, and for you they're purple."

“I see.” Queen Twilight paused for a moment. “Is there some sort of ceremony we should perform for Chrysalis?”

This question sobered Amethyst up a bit. “Yes. She was not entirely a good Queen to her people, but later in her life, she tried. And she gave us the greatest gift of all: You. Anyway, there is a certain ritual involved, and then we return her ashes back to the earth.”

“Can I trust you to make the preparations?” Twilight asked, asserting a tiny bit of her authority for the first time.

“Of course, my Queen.” Amethyst bowed low. “It won’t take long for any who wish to attend to gather.”

The ritual itself was rather simple, Twilight soon discovered, though it was nothing she had expected. It was performed in the same underground cavern Twilight had discovered earlier. When she and her band of friends arrived, an expectant hush fell over the gathered changelings. There must have been well over ten-thousand changelings in attendance, right up to the water’s edge. Here and there portable scrying wells had been set up, allowing those changelings unable to make it to the palace watch the proceedings from afar. Queen Twilight had never thought there were so many changelings. If she had to guess, there were at least two million changelings in the Swarm. It wasn’t anywhere near as impressive as Equestria with all of their cities and towns, but Twilight had a feeling that with so much food within the Swarm it wouldn’t be long before changelings would start increasing their numbers.

Blockade and Harbinger brought down Chrysalis’ body, carrying her upon a shield fashioned from their magic. Not a word was spoken as the pair lowered the body upon the small pyre built just for her. Twilight followed slightly behind and finally stopped right in front of Chrysalis. Twilight bowed her head and brushed the tip of her horn along Chrysalis’ still form. At the contact, magenta magic welled up suddenly, tracing Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark onto the body’s side: It was Twilight’s last tribute to the deceased Queen, and the best she could offer. As she stepped back, Twilight gasped, assaulted with images within her own mind. For a brief moment, she was not Twilight Sparkle. She was Chrysalis, standing in this very spot as she laid Summerdew to her final rest. Twilight’s head rose proudly, and she began to sing in a strong voice, a song she had never heard before. It was a song that spoke not of the passing of a Queen, but the intense burden she had passed on.

♫I am a mystery to the world

Not a surprise to be unveiled.

Or a feeling that’s held in your hooves

I won’t listen anyway, you don’t know me

And I’ll never be what you want me to be

And what do you think you’d understand

I’m a mare, no I’m your Queen

You can’t take me and laugh me away

And how can I learn what’s never shown

Yes I stand here on my own

They can’t ignore me

Cuz I’m right here!

Like before, Twilight’s voice rose to the heavens, echoing around and around. No changeling made any sound, staring at their Queen with wide eyes.

♫ And I want a moment to be real

Wanna touch things I don’t feel!

Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change?

They’re the ones that stay the same

They don’t know me cuz I’m not here!

Yes I’ve seen the things you never see

All you wanted I could be

Now you know me and I’m not afraid

And I wanna tell you who I am

Can you help me be a Queen?

They can’t break me

As long as I know who I am!

This time around, right as Twilight started the second chorus, Rainbow Dash peered inside Twilight’s mind. Then the pegasus joined in, her tomboyish voice providing a nice counterpoint.

♫And I want a moment to be real

Wanna touch things I don’t feel!

Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change!

They’re the ones that stay the same

They don’t know me but I’m still here!

The pair ended on separate notes, Twilight high and Dash low. The Wonderbolt moved up next to her best friend and draped a wing across the Queen’s back. Slowly at first, then with a greater intensity, cheering broke out. The changelings cried their approval and stomped their hooves, pleased at their new Queen and Princess and the united front they presented. Among the noise, Twilight whispered her final words.

“Rest easy, Chrysalis. Join your mother in the afterlife now, and know that your Swarm shall prosper.” The Queen knew it wouldn’t ever be that easy, of course. There was so much for her to learn, and so much for her to do. But she made a promise and what’s done is done. She would see this dream completed. Twilight turned as Amethyst, Lyra, and Flicka approached, trailed by a smiling Nialiah.

“How did you know that song?” Amethyst demanded. “That’s the same song Chrysalis sung at the passing of Summerdew.”

“I’m not sure, but I think it was Chrysalis’ memories.”

“Her memories?" Lyra sounded a bit impressed.

“I think so, yes. Chrysalis told me that she turned over all of her power to me. It would stand to reason that she imparted some, or most, of her memories to me, so that I can learn from them. I imagine if I tried hard enough or if I were thrust into just the right situation, I might even have some of Summerdew’s memories.”

“So, what now, Twilight?” This was Rainbow Dash. Twilight noticed that the cyan flier was looking at her expectantly, as were the others. Twilight sighed mentally. Having others looking at her for direction was going to take some time getting used to.

However, Twilight quickly came to a decision. “Well, I suppose we’ll start with Equestria. Amethyst, Lyra, I would like you two to go on ahead and tell them that the new Queen of Changelings seeks an audience. Amethyst, keep your Bon-bon disguise up until you are in the palace’s throne room. I don’t care if any of the nobles see your true form, but I don’t want to create mass panic among ordinary ponies. While you are at it, send a message to Princess Cadance and Prince Regent Shining Armor of the Chrystal Kingdom containing the same information. Tell them to meet us at Canterlot Palace as soon as possible. I would rather get all of this out at once.”

Amethyst was already bowing, while her marefriend snapped off a playful salute. Then they promptly disappeared, darting through the slowly dispersing changelings. Without any specific orders from their new Queen, they would return to their previous activities. Twilight sighed audibly this time and prepared herself for the great unveil.

To say that Celestia, Princess and Embodiment of the Sun, was a little frantic was an understatement. She had felt Twilight come close to death, as had Luna. However, with her own duties in the Sun Court needing attending to in accordance to the new day, she’d barely had enough time to ask the other Elements of Harmony if they had felt the same thing. The response she had received was troubling: Apparently they had all felt it, as did Twilight’s parents, and everypony in Ponyville. Celestia didn’t know what was going on or how much danger her favorite student was currently in. All she really knew for sure was that for the briefest of moments her mind and Twilight’s had been connected; she had felt her love for her student slam into the unicorn, and then the connection had been broken.

As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t put the entire Day Court on hold. The last time she had done so it took her another week to get things back on track again. All she could do is hope that her surrogate daughter was all right. Even so, it was difficult to keep her mind upon the petty squabbling of nobility before her. It was the same old same old to her, and her mind kept wandering back to Twilight. Thought she kept that same calm demeanor in place, and a removed part of her brain made the automatic responses to keep both sides happy, on the inside she boiled with worry and nervousness. It was a bit of a shock, then, when one of the guards who normally stood in front of the massive Day Court doors came cantering in and leaned in to whisper in her ear. Her eyes widened at the guard’s words, and she immediately stood up.

“Ladies and gentlecolts, the Day court is going to be placed upon a temporary hiatus. An urgent matter has arisen that I need to attend to. You are more than welcome to remain here and watch the proceedings.” There was some muted muttering here and there, but then Celestia raised her voice over them. “Bon-bon and Lyra Heartstrings, enter.”

The two ponies entered the room timidly, the vaguely familiar mint green unicorn and her two toned cream mate. Celestia had seen them both occasionally on her visits to Ponyville. The pair inched down the aisle slowly, before coming to a halt a respectful distance away. Celestia could barely restrain herself as she asked, “Do you have word from Twilight Sparkle? Please tell me she’s okay.”

“I can assure you that Twilight is fine, your highness, after a moment of small panic earlier.” It was Lyra who spoke, while Bon-bon offered some silent support.

“A small panic?” Celestia asked, almost dangerously. A few of the Griffons and Zebras who had been observing the Day Court shifted slightly.

“Yes, princess.” This time it was Bon-bon who spoke. “But please, before we explain, we would like to show you something.”

Celestia arched an eyebrow at the pair. Then the other eyebrow rose as Bon-bon grabbed her mate around the neck and kissed her deeply. Shocked murmurs echoed from nobility on all sides, and Celestia had to fight to keep her face neutral. She loved it when something riled up these insufferable nobles. She was about to open her mouth to comment, but the words died in her throat as she beheld what she was seeing. Bon-bon was changing, green fire arching across her form; green fire that was all too familiar. Soon enough, a changeling was standing there, with an amethyst mane and a hard, smooth shell. What was more amazing was that she was still kissing Lyra. Finally the two broke apart and turned to face the Princess of the Sun.

“This is what we wanted to show you, Princess.” Celestia started at Amethyst’s voice; it sounded exactly like a Flutter Pony’s voice, a sound Celestia had been sure she would never hear again. The normal echoing quality of the changeling voice was not present.

Even more surprised than Celestia were the guards in the room. One hesitated for a moment before crying, “Seize them!”

“Stand down!” Celestia ordered instead. The guards hesitated, then, as Celestia swung a burning gaze to them, resumed their previous positions. Although their grip on their weapons never relaxed. Celestia slowly walked towards the pair, her sister following along in her wake.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“We love each other, Princess.” Lyra’s voice was steady. “Amethyst and I have been proving for years now that it is possible for a pony and a changeling to love each other, and to be together.”

“Amethyst… is that your name?” Celestia swung her gaze to the changeling, who gulped slightly.

“Yes, Princess.” And there it was again. The same lilting, beautiful voice of a Flutter Pony.

Celestia tilted her head slightly, the only outward sign of emotion she showed. “But you are not like changelings I have previously met.”

“No, Princess. We have our new Queen to thank for that. She has already done so much for the Swarm.”

“You have a new Queen? Interesting. I shall have to meet her some time. But right now, all I want to know is this: What does any of this have to do with my student?”

Celestia began to first have her suspicions when the duo before her glanced at each other uneasily. “Actually, Princess, we would like you to meet our new Queen first. She has requested an audience with you.”

Celestia eyed the unusual changeling before her warily. “Very well. When can I expect the new Queen to arrive?”

Before either one of them could answer, Golden Bit, a noble with more greed than sense, blurted out, “But you can’t let the Queen of our sworn enemies come here!”

Celestia turned her fiery gaze upon him instead. “Oh? Are you going to go against the wishes of one of your leaders?”

“Well, no, but… You said yourself that changelings are sworn enemies of the Crown!”

“So I did. While they were under the rule of Chrysalis. Tell me, Bit, does Amethyst look like a changeling who attacked Canterlot? She looks almost like any other pony you’d find on the streets. I want to get to the bottom of this strange series of events. Now, when will your new Queen arrive?”

“Actually, she’s waiting just outside, Princess.” Amethyst then raised her voice, so that all could hear her beautiful tones clearly. “Fillies and gentlecolts, Princesses and Nobility and Guests of Equestria, may I present to you, for the very first time… Queen Twilight Sparkle!”

Old Hatreds

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud

Massive hoofbeats could be heard right outside the still closed doors leading to the Sun Court. Those nearest the portals took hesitant steps backward, as though expecting the door to come blasting off its hinges at any moment. Celestia narrowed her eyes sharply. She felt calm, serene, as she readied a spell to protect her subjects. Princess Luna, on the other hand, was staring at the doors with something close to awed excitement. She had actually risen from her spot next to her sister and was almost leaning forward with anticipation. The respective leaders of the other nations were more reserved, tilting heads at the shuddering hoofbeats. Then the double doors leading into the room swung open gently, and the entire room seemed to hold its breath.

A changeling so large it looked like it should be illegal stood between the portals. The changeling was every bit as big as Blockade, one of Celestia’s pegasus captains. Two giant axes were slung casually across the changeling’s back, and four hoof boots covered its hooves, sparking with visible magic. The giant held itself easily, proudly, not at all concerned that it had just walked into Princess Celestia’s Sun Court. It advanced forward slowly, so as not to startle the stunned guards still within the room. As it moved forward, another, smaller changeling followed at its side. This one wore the same boots, and carried what appeared to be a stun baton. Following these two was a unicorn with what appeared to be a prosthetic limb. All it took was a single glance for Celestia to know that this was a Nomad, one of the tribes of the desert outside of her influence and protection. Celestia also felt a small stirring of recognition. The way the unicorn unconsciously carried herself, a slight tilt of the jaw... it felt so familiar, but the Sun Monarch had no idea why. As she examined the non-changeling further, Celestia also discovered that this mare was not pure pony. She was part machine. Celestia blinked at that thought. She had never heard such a thing. But her Instinct, the same Instinct that knew all of her subjects by name, told her it was true.

Following after the nomad came a zebra. A seer, if her violet eyes were anything to go by. To Celestia, a zebra following a posse of changelings was not all that important, as, right next to the zebra.... was Rainbow Dash. It took every ounce of Celestia’s formidable willpower not to gasp and blast the one-time Element of Loyalty on sight. She could deal with standard changelings, for the most part. But this.... this was too much. They had turned one of her most loyal subjects into a love sucking parasite. Rainbow Dash was clad in form fitting silver armor and matching hoof coverings. Wing blades covered her wings, which were held loosely extended, as though warning potential attackers to just back off. To complete the outfit, Rainbow Dash was wearing one of the cloaks Princess Luna had given to her champions of the Unity Chalice. But that was not what drew Celestia’s attention. It was the flier in general. Gone was the silky smooth coat. Instead, the same chitin that covered changelings added another layer of protection onto Dash, cyan blue like her fur had been. Her wings were another oddity. Instead of the gossamer variety of changelings, these wings were like the wings of any other pegasus, but longer and more powerful looking. Dash lacked a horn, but Celestia doubted that would affect Dash’s own brand of magic.

But the changes wrought onto Rainbow Dash was nothing compared to who stepped out from behind her guards. Twilight Sparkle was barely even recognizable. She looked much the same as Rainbow Dash, but with subtle differences. While her lavender coat was now comprised of chitin, that was about as far as similarities between the two got. Firstly, Twilight was taller. Not nearly as tall as Princess Celestia, but tall enough it made her look like royalty. Secondly, her mane was different. It was still the three tone purple, pink, and blue, but it now gleamed with little motes of magical energy. A curtain of it also swept down to cover her left eye, much like the nomad’s did. Her horn was longer, jutting proudly from her head, and Celestia felt a slight twinge of jealousy; Twilight had a horn every bit as long as her mentor’s! Twilight’s wings were also unusual. They were gossamer, like any other changeling, but these wings were definitely shaped like an Imperial pegasus, designed for speed and long flights. Like Rainbow Dash, Twilight was dressed in obsidian black armor that hugged her form, and matching shoes. The Element of Magic sat atop her head, but it was no longer a simple tiara. It had changed into a full blown crown, simple yet efficient at marking her as an important ruler. But to cap it all, Twilight’s biggest change was how she carried herself. Gone was the little scholar who had once walked these halls. In its place, stood a Queen. Twilight carried herself with unmatched grace and poise, each step flowing smoothly into the next. Princess Celestia could tell what it was: The fluid movement of a battle seasoned commander.

The entire room was silent. Twilight’s eyes never wavered from her mentor and second mother. The new Queen took a step. Then another, and another, before launching herself towards Celestia in what was supposed to be a sobbing hug. Unfortunately, every pony guard in the room decided that Twilight was attacking the Princess. Twilight’s gaze only tore from Celestia’s when she noticed a Xenith Legionnaire bearing down upon her, sword raised. Twilight arched an eyebrow at the guard, as if to ask, Really? She then promptly sidestepped the incapacitating stroke of the guard, so that his attack went wide and left him unguarded. Twilight planted her front hooves and swept her body around, knocking the unprepared pegasus off his hooves with her rear legs. As Twilight completed this movement, Celestia noticed a giant broadsword slung flat across the mare’s back. Off to one side, the giant changeling parried an axe stroke of another guard with nothing more than its bare chitin. It then retaliated by shoving the guard back into the wall. As Princess Luna’s Nadir Wings rushed to help, the Night Goddess spoke.

“Nadir Wings, stand down! You are not to attack!” As one, Luna’s guards returned to where they had been previously, though with tension lining their bodies.

Celestia decided it was time to intervene. “Legionnaire, stand down!” Surveying the damage before her, Celestia noted it was a completely pointless order anyway. The Xenith Legionnaire who had attacked were all down for the count, unconscious or trying to limp away from the changelings. Not a single weapon the changelings had drawn, using nothing but their hooves and bodies to defend themselves. For a brief moment, Celestia felt a flash of admiration. But it was quickly doused by cold determination, and something else. Anger. Boiling, white hot anger that Princess Celestia had not felt in a long time. As the changelings started to move forward again, the Sun Monarch spoke again.

“Stay where you are. Do not come a single step closer.” She glared out at the Queen. “What exactly are you doing here, monster? Answer me truthfully, and maybe I won't smite you down where you stand.”

The entire Day Court was silent. The guards and soldiers were carefully silent, but Princess Luna and the other leaders were all staring incredulously at Celestia.

Twilight Sparkle froze, her eyes widening slightly. “Princess? What do you mean?”

“Do not play coy with me, changeling. I want to know why you and your ilk are in my Court.”

Tears began to well up in Twilight Sparkle’s eyes. Before she could speak, Luna interposed herself.

“What are thou doing, sister? That is your own student you are talking to!”

Celestia turned to regard her sibling coldly. “That is not my student. That is a changeling. Queen or not, changelings have been pronounced as enemies of the Crown. They should not be here.”

“Tia! That ‘changeling’ is Twilight Sparkle, Element of Harmony! She--”

“Whatever she had once been she is no longer. Legionnaire! Escort these changelings out of my palace.”

The words had barely left Celestia’s mouth before the doors of the Sun Court slammed open yet again. “Belay that order, Legionnaires!”

Instantly, every last one of Celestia’s guards halted and stood at stiff attention. Prince Regent Shining Armor strode through the doorway, Princess Cadance at his side and a half dozen Crystal Knights behind them. More crystal ponies could be seen in the hallway before the doors swung closed for the third time. Celestia whirled upon her old captain eyes narrowed in challenge. Shining Armor had never seen the Sun Princess like this before.

“Ignore him! Remove these parasites from my vicinity!” Not a single Xenith Legionnaire moved. The unwavering will of Shining kept them in place.

Shining moved closer. “This is what happens when you decide that I can still command the Legion in addition to my duties to the Crystal Kingdom, Celestia.”

“Shining, I’m only going to tell you once. I want these changelings gone.”

Shining looked his old Princess directly in the eyes. “No. That is my sister you are trying to turn away, before she even has a chance to tell her story. Even if you no longer see her as your beloved student or the Element of Magic, she is still my sister. No changelings can change that. If you want her gone, then the Crystal Empire will follow her.”

Celestia said nothing. A distant part of her knew she was being foalish, but the rest didn’t care. These were the monsters that had sided against her with Nightmare Moon. These insects had attacked her subjects without hesitation, turning against those who had once been friends. She had hoped things would be different, before she had seen the new Queen. But now, all Celestia saw was another hated changeling. The same one who had betrayed her all those years ago. Whatever the creature before her was, it was not Twilight Sparkle. Celestia had seen the changes. Saw how it walked. This was not her student. Only another monster.

After several more agonizing moments of silence, Twilight Sparkle drew herself up to her full height. “Come, my kin. We are unwanted here. Let us return to Hive and plan out next course of action. We still have a rogue changeling to deal with.”

Without another word, Twilight and her posse turned and exited the Sun Court. Shining Armor, Cadance, and their Crystal Knights followed suit. Shining was determined to hear his sister’s side of the story. Cadance paused at the doors and glanced back at Celestia for a long, hard, moment. Then she too was gone. Then, much to Celestia’s surprise, Princess Luna stood up and whirled to face her sister. “I think I shall follow them, sister.”

Celestia’s expression hardened again. “I will not allow my sister to go tramping off after a bunch of changelings.”

Luna shoved her face into Celestia’s. “Watch me, Celestia. I understand the pain you are feeling. I do. But those perceived wrongs happened over a thousand years ago by a monarch who was determined to do what was best for her pony allies: Saving me from the Nightmare. Summerdew knew that Equestria needed both of their rulers. Did you ever stop to ask yourself how the First Queen of the Changelings felt, turning upon her former allies while following the orders of the Nightmare? She followed the Nightmare’s wishes because she wanted to find a way to save me from myself. Then you destroyed her, and nearly all of her people. You were blinded by hurt back then, and you are blinded by hurt now. If you do not watch where you tread, sister, you will end up welcoming the Nightmare into your own heart.”

With those last words, Princess Luna turned heel, waved at the Nadir Wings to follow, and departed the Sun Court.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle was heartbroken. And to make matters worse, the entire Swarm felt her distress. The changelings with her were drooping, weariness outlining their every movement. Even the titanic Blockade seemed smaller than what she had been. Rainbow Dash was just as bad. While she still stood by Twilight’s side, her proud stance was gone. The cyan changeling’s ears lay flat against her skull and her wings fairly dragged the ground. Flicka was silently fuming over the reception they had received, and Nailiah had no idea how to help make things better. The little party continued on, ignoring the stares at the startled voices they attracted. No one stopped them as they made their way to the outskirts of Canterlot. Well, except one voice.

“Twilight!” the voice called, as familiar as Twilight’s magic. “Twiley! Wait!”

Twilight paused, turned, and was immediately assaulted by her big brother. The new changeling Queen was hugging her brother before she could even register what she was doing, fresh tears staining the stallion’s coat. Shining stroked his sister as Cadance snuggled close too, trying to offer as much support as she possibly could.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight sniffed. “I didn’t mean to cry. I just... I had thought everything would be better if I went to Celestia.”

A new voice interrupted. “Under ordinary circumstances, Twilight Sparkle, things would have been better after you went to my sister.”

Twilight looked up, wiping away more tears. “Princess Luna!”

A ghost of a smile touched Luna’s lips. “Just call me Luna, and I shall only call you Twilight. As I was saying, none of what happened is your fault. Celestia is still hurting for what happened over a thousand years ago.”

“You mean... when Summerdew sided with Nightmare Moon?”

“Sadly, yes. In all of my years, it has been a long time since I’ve seen Tia so irrational. You cannot and should not be held responsible for what transpired over a thousand years ago. Nor should you be blamed for the invasion of Canterlot. You’re Twilight Sparkle. I believe that you will make a much better Queen than Chrysalis.”

“That’s nice and all, Princess,” Rainbow Dash finally spoke, her normally chipper tone dull. “But it doesn’t change the fact that Celestia and the rest of Equestria want nothing to do with us.”

Princess Luna turned to the chromatic flier, studying her with interest. “I cannot say that I’ve ever seen anypony like you, Rainbow Dash. And your statement is not true.” At this, Luna gestured behind her. Bat ponies took up a vast majority of the street behind them, ignoring the curious looks of other passerby. “My bat ponies are grateful for the dedication Summerdew showed us all that time ago. Our Sister may not like it, but we are willing to be allies of the Swarm.”

“So too is the Crystal Kingdom, Twiley.” Cadance spoke next. “You’re still my little sister, you know. Anyone can see that.”

“But... what about Princess Celestia... she hates me now.”

Luna frowned thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t say she hates you. Not entirely. It would take a massive effort to show her that you are still the same Twilight Sparkle you always have been, but I believe it could be done.”

“Maybe.” Twilight allowed. “But right now, I’ve still got my own problems to deal with.”

“That rogue changeling you mentioned?” Luna asked. “So you’re brand new as a Queen and you’ve already got somepony fighting against you?”

Shining Armor interrupted. “Before we go off to save the changeling race, Twiley, we should really go visit Mom and Dad.”

Twilight nodded, if a bit reluctantly, before she suddenly jerked her head back around to her older brother. “We?” She asked suspiciously. “What do you mean, ‘we’?”

Shining Armor gave his sister a look. “What, did you think that I’d let my little sister face whatever this changeling plans to throw at her alone?” Shining snorted. “Not a chance, little sis. The Crystal Empire will stand with you. But for now, we should visit our parents. They’ve been worried about you. I think everyone who knows you felt that... whatever that was a day ago.”

It Begins

Vizio stood at the Gates of Death.

Well, this wasn’t technically true. It was nowhere near close to reality, actually. But that still did nothing to help the changeling relax. She hesitated before the yawning entrance before her, just as she did every other time she came here. The hesitation was pure instinctual. Every fiber of self preservation she possessed was screaming at her to get away from the swallowing darkness before her, as fast as she could possibly go. But she couldn’t. She had to approach, had to eventually get this done and over with. Her employer had called for her, and, as much as she dreaded this particular meeting, she was not about to ignore its summons. Vizio might be greedy and self absorbed, but she was not stupid. Avoiding It would bring about disaster. So, she steeled her resolve one last time, and entered the cave before her.

Nothing but blackness greeted her. Even with her sensitive changeling eyes, Vizio was literally blind. Her other senses fared little better. There was not a sound to be heard, not even a drip of water; nothing but an oppressive silence that forced itself down upon her, suffocating her. There was nothing to smell, and the only thing she could still feel was the cold stone beneath her hooves. How long Vizio stood like that, she wasn’t sure. She never was. It would make itself known eventually. In the meantime, she could do naught but wait. A deep part of her subconscious knew what was going on, why her employer did this every time it wanted to speak with her. Fear. The longer she was kept here, the more jumpy she became. She started breathing quicker, and began imagining sounds that weren’t really there.

Eventually, however, she realised that there was another sound with her. Breathing. The noise was slight, and could barely be heard over her own heavy pants. But when she held her breath for a moment, it she could hear it clearly. Vizio tried to get herself to calm down. This was nothing new. Her employer did this every time it called for her. Her instincts argued otherwise, insisting It was going to swoop through the fell darkness and drag her away, never to be seen again. Finally, at long last, her employer spoke, and It did not sound happy in the slightest.

“You have failed me, changeling.” Vizio never saw who was speaking to her, on any of her visits to this cave. The Voice filled her mind and her ears, echoing slightly around the pitch black cave. And what a Voice it was! It was rich and slimy, croaking and whispering all at the same time. It sounded like what Vizio imagined the voice of the living dead would be. “You promised me that you would be able offer me the rest of your kin as a stepping stone to my Ascension, and yet you have failed me.”

Vizio spoke now, her voice struggling to gain strength. “I sent assassins. They weren’t supposed to fail as they did.”

“Fool!” the Voice crashed upon her ears and her thoughts. “Sending assassins to do your dirty work is elementary! You should have confronted the Usurper directly and slain her yourself! It would have been the only way for you to be sure that the deed had been done, and leaving you open to take the crown. I’m of half a mind to kill you where you stand, insect.”

Vizio was not above pleading for her life, and she did so now. “Please, Mighty One, please let me have a second chance! I promise you I can still be of use!”

The Voice ignored her, almost talking to itself. “Every day that goes by without this backwater little planet within my grasp, the Alliance grow ever closer to stumbling upon this portal, just as I did. It must be mine before they find it! This planet, and all of its magic wielding inhabitants, must answer to me before the Alliance gets here. With so many new, powerful weapons at my disposal, the Alliance will no longer be able to resist me! I’ll finally get rid of them once and for all and turn the galaxy into my playground!”

“What shall I do, master?”

The Voice seemed to register Vizio’s presence again. “You might still be of use to me, changeling. These ponies you speak of are not used to war and strife, correct?”

“Correct, master. They have been surrounded by peace far too long. They have grown content and soft. What armies they do have only offer a symbolic gesture. And I must say, it was a stroke of pure genius that you managed to bring Celestia, of all ponies, under your sway... ”

The voice snorted. “Of course it was! It was almost too easy to subvert my old mentor to suit my needs. With her under my control, I don’t even need her weaker sister or niece. Now, changeling. Let me explain to you exactly what you are to do to remedy this situation...”

***

Queen Twilight Sparkle sucked in a deep breath. She could do this. She knew she could. She had faced Nightmare Moon. She had faced Discord, and Crysalis, and an Ursa Minor, and a whole host of other creepies and baddies. But never in her life had she had to break such momentous news to the ponies who conceived her. And telling herself she could do this didn’t really make anything better. How did one go about telling their parents that their daughter had changed overnight? Twilight was an outcast. So was Rainbow. They might be a Queen and Princess now, but it did nothing to change the fact that nothing like the pair had ever been seen before. Would Twilight’s parents see that their daughter was an abomination, and turn away from her? Would they be consumed by anger, like Celestia, and disown her? Try as she might, Twilight simply didn’t have any answers.

It took her a moment to realize that she had been standing outside the door of the Sparkle Manor for the past several minutes. No one rushed her. They stood, patiently, waiting for the nervous mare to gather her courage. As Twilight stood there, she took the opportunity to study her comrades, if only to get her mind off the task before her. First, there was Rainbow Dash. The Wonderbolt had been through so much, never wavering from her best friend’s side. Between the Unity Chalice and Chrysalis’ revelation, Dash had always been there. Then, in some freak twist of fate, Dash had been turned into a hybrid, just like Twilight. And the mare was still here, ready to face Twilight’s parents. Then there was Lyra and Amethyst. Two lovers from completely different cultures. They were able to overcome many obstacles to finally be together. Amethyst had aided Twilight out of respect for her future Queen. Lyra had helped Twilight as a good friend.

Next came Flicka. So far, the cyberpony had spoken very few words, and only when talked to. But she was still here. Twilight’s silent guardian. Twilight barely knew the pony. Didn’t know her story, or where she came from. But Twilight still felt comfortable with Flicka there. Maybe that had something to do with the memories Chrysalis left Twilight. And Nailiah was still here. The zebra Seer was every bit as silent as Flicka. But Twilight knew the Seer preferred the silence. She preferred to operate from the back seat. Eventually Twilight would get a chance to really talk to her half sister, but for now it was just enough to see her there. Blockade and Harbinger. Both had flat out refused to let the Queen tramp through potentially hostile territory. Twilight barely knew them, but they still treated their new ruler with respect they felt she deserved. Shining Armor. Cadance. Princess Luna. They all saw the real Twilight, the same Twilight she’s always been. They didn’t judge her. They were prepared to listen to the story before making comments. If those three especially supported her, there was no way Twilight Velvet and Night Light would turn their daughter away. Before Twilight could even register what exactly she was doing, she reached up a hoof and rapped on the door.

Immediately, the Queen was assaulted on two fronts. First came the outpouring of love and comradeship, flooding into her before the door had even opened. The emotions were slightly sweet and bubbly, and Twilight could guess who the emotions belonged to even before Pinkie Pie had tugged open the door and launched herself at her friend.

“Twilight!” Pinkie gushed. “You’re back! Omigosh you’re a changeling now! A Queen! This calls for a ‘Congratulations on becoming Queen of the Changelings party’! We must invite everypony! And cupcakes! Must have cupcakes! Do changelings eat cupcakes? What about punch? Can’t be a party without punch! Omigosh--”

“Jeese, Pinks, let the poor gal breathe.” A new voice interrupted Pinkie’s excited chatter, prising Laughter off Twilight as she did so. “Mighty good to see ya, Twi. Ah reckon we were all right worried.” Applejack moved aside to punch Dash on the shoulder and was immediately replaced by Rarity and Fluttershy.

Rarity looked to be close to tears, and couldn’t seem to manage any words. She settled for hugging Twilight tightly while Fluttershy spoke next. “You had us scared, Twilight. We could feel you fading away. Try not to do anything like that again, okay?”

Twilight could only nod dumbly as her last two close friends were replaced by the two ponies she dreaded to see the most: Twilight Velvet and Night Light. To Twilight’s surprise, Night Light had tears in his eyes as he hugged his changed daughter, and then Twilight Velvet was leading them all inside the manor with little insistent nudges, struggling to hide her own tears of relief. Twilight was completely nonplussed. This wasn’t how everypony was supposed to act at all! Where were all the hateful comments, the outpouring of anger? Wherever it was, it certainly wasn’t here. Despite being rather new at feeling emotions, Twilight couldn’t detect a single negative emotion. The Queen began to realize that whatever had went on with her former mentor wasn’t supposed to be the norm. This all changed slightly, however, when Twilight Velvet walked up and slapped her daughter across the face. It was a weak blow, meant to reprimand, but it still stung.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again, Twilena Star Sparkle!” The little foal inside Twilight recoiled instantly. Her mother never used her full name unless she was in some serious trouble. Twilight’s ears flattened against her skull and her tail instinctively tucked between her legs. Blockade and Harbinger looked nonplussed, completely unsure how they should react. On one hand, this unfamiliar mare had just struck their Queen. On the other hand, this unfamiliar mare was also the mother of said Queen. Lyra and Amethyst shrank back too, lest they become the next targets of a mother’s wrath. Only Flicka reacted, casually batting aside the next half-hearted blow Velvet directed at her daughter. When the enraged and still secretly worried mother whirled to the unimpressed cyborg, Flicka stepped closer to her ward.

“I cannot allow you to harm my Queen like so,” Flicka spoke softly, her tone warning.

Velvet’s eyes flashed, now truly annoyed that somepony had stood up to her in such a fashion. “I can discipline my daughter as I see fit.”

“Then you shall have to do it when I am not around. My magical contract with the changeling royalty demands I intervene when my Ward is attacked, no matter the intention. I cannot fight this even if I wished.”

Velvet regarded the machine pony for a moment longer, before her eyes softened and fresh tears began leaking down her muzzle. “My Sparkle… She came so close to death. We all felt it. We’ve been… so worried…”

To everyone’s great surprise, it was Flicka who approached the distraught mare. The cyborg gave Velvet a gentle hug, before saying gently, “I would never have allowed anything to happen to my Queen. Rest easy knowing from now on that she shall be safe with me.”

Velvet nodded once, jerkily, before finally expelling a breath. “Tell us, little Sparkle. Tell us what has happened to you.”

And so Twilight talked. She started with her arrival in Canterlot, detailing her visit to the Board, the subsequent visits of the Princesses with news of her selection into the Unity Chalice, and her training. Velvet and Nightlight knew most of this already, having received letters from Celestia. Then Twilight went on to explain other details. She spoke of her changes, how some sixth instinct nagged at her that not all was right, but couldn’t recall what or why. She spoke of the attack by the rogue changelings, how everything had come into the open. She gave credit where it was do to Lyra, Amethyst, and Flicka, then went on to describe the trip to Hive. Here she lingered, giving detailed descriptions of the great changeling capital, and how it really wasn’t all that different from a mighty place like Canterlot. She then launched into her arrival at the city, how it seemed every changeling there was out in the streets, cheering her on.

Pausing for a moment, Twilight accepted a glass of water from Pinkie Pie to wet her throat. The next part of her tale was important, and Twilight wanted to relate it all. She started with her arrival into Chrysalis’ quarters, and the subsequent blunt statement the old Queen had made. Twilight left nothing about their discussion out, before telling of her final decision and her ‘Ascension’ into being a Changeling Queen. She then spoke of Vizio, how the young changeling refused to accept Twilight as the new leader and seemed determined to overthrow the Element of Magic at any cost. Twilight ended by relating the funeral of the old Queen and her decision to immediately seek out an audience with a couple of the most important ponies in her life.

For the most part the others were a good audience, gasping in all the right places and listening raptly. At the end of it, silence reigned. Twilight bowed her head slightly, so she didn’t have to see the reactions of her parents, brother, and sister. Her head came up, though, when Shining Armor finally spoke. “What is your role in all of this, Rainbow Dash? You stand here as a changeling, but still with a pegasus colors and wings. Why?”

Twilight turned to steal a glance at her friend. The cyan flier was hesitating with something, showing it clearly in her maroon eyes. “I think its because me and Twilight already shared that link thingy, and, well, we’re already really close.” Rainbow’s mouth turned down in a slight grimace. “The changelings called me their Princess. I really wasn’t too keen on the idea, or about my transformation. I’m not sure I am, really. But honestly, I don’t have much of anything to be upset over. I’m stronger. Faster. I can beat myself up and not be sent to the hospital over it. I’ve made my peace with Twilight, and myself. I can’t say that I’ll be a good Princess at all, but I am still the Element of Loyalty.”

A slightly stunned silence greeted Dash’s speech. The hybrid glanced around uneasily. “What?”

Applejack chuckled. “Shoot RD, Ah don’t reckon Ah’ve ever heard something that well said ever come from your mouth.”

Dash glared playfully at the cowpony. “It comes with being inside the egghead’s head all the time. You start to learn things.”

Night Light interrupted the budding friendship argument by turning to his daughter. “So what do you want us to do, little Sparkle?”

Twilight stared at her father in slack jawed confusion. “What do you mean, do?”

“Exactly what I said, Twilight. What do you want us to do? If you think your mother and I are going to let you fight some rogue changeling and her renegades all on her own, you’re mistaken. We’ve still got contacts in Equestrian Intelligence. We can help.”

“No,” Twilight spoke flatly, and finality. “Siding with me means you’ll be siding with Celestia and your country. I won’t let you be branded a traitor.” Seeing the confused looks, Twilight launched into a clipped tale of her visit with the Solar Monarch, and all that had transpired.

It was Rarity who broke the stunned silence that followed. “Is our Princess mad?” She demanded. Then, when everypony turned to stare at her, she blushed crimson and tried to explain herself better. “Its just… she sees Twilight as a daughter. She’s practically Twilight’s second mother. And she just… spurned her best student away?”

Princess Luna answered, slowly and thoughtfully. “She’s not mad, We do not think, but she is not herself. Ordinarily We’d say that Tia is having issues relinquishing things that transpired in the past, but something is not right. I’ve been replaying the events in my head, and that was not Celestia that confronted Twilight and sent her away. Somepony--or something-- caused her to act the way she did.”

“You mean she’s--” Whatever Velvet had been about to say as Queen Twilight and Nailiah both stiffened simultaneously, then let out resounding cries of dismay. Both of their eyes were distant, unseeing, seemingly focused on things they could not see. Rainbow shook the lavender hybrid gently but the touch went ignored. Lyra tried the same with the Zebra but with little success. Princess Luna was staring intently at the pair.

“The future is changeing,” she half whispered, sounding slightly awed. “The future is taking a different course, and both of them are Seeing it.”

“Is that Nailiah?” Velvet said, voice shaking. “I’ve not seen her in years… I didn’t even know she was here!”

Luna was about to answer when both Seers, novice and expert alike, broke out of their wide eyed trances. Both had tears in their eyes, and Twilight could only stammer.

“The Princess… Celestia… She’s been attacked.”

”What?!” A multitude of voices cried out.

“It was Vizio… She changed into me and confronted the Princess. Celestia was acting funny, didn’t seem to know it wasn’t really me. Vizio attacked the Princess with my face. Oh, Luna… they’re coming for me.”

“Who?” Luna demanded, wings flared protectively.

“The Wonderbolts. They’re chasing who thought attacked their Princess. They’re coming to bring me to justice.”

Silence greeted her words for long moments. Then Night Light spoke. “Velvet, the secret passageway! It’ll lead to our old Equestria Intelligence headquarters. We can use it for our own base of operations. We can regroup there and find out how bad the damage is.”

Rainbow Dash was already shaking her head. “Not me. Its time I confronted my old division. Go, Twilight. I’ll be there later.”

Twilight’s friends were already dragging the still stunned Queen after them. They followed her father throughout the mansion, before disappearing behind an enchanted floor length portrait. Rainbow Dash, however, strode calmly out the door to await the arrival of the Wonderbolts. She didn’t have long to wait. Several blue and yellow streaks honed in upon the hybrid, before they dropped down directly in front of Dash. Dash recognized each and every one of them, but most of the ones she had expected to see were ominously absent. There was one, though, how stood out more than the rest. Dash strode out to meet him, cautiously prepared for an attack.

“Soarin’. What are you doing out here without the Captain?”

To Rainbow’s utmost surprise, Soarin’ shook his head and replied, “I am here for my own reasons, Captain.”

Rainbow’s thought processes almost shut down. “Captain?” She repeated. “Why did you…” It was then she actually realized who all was here. It was her entire squad, the same one she had flown with during the Academy, the same one she had formed once they had become real Wonderbolts. Flitter and Cloudkicker. Cloudchaser and Blossom. Thunderlane and Rumble. Pinkie’s cousin Surprise. Snowflake. As her gaze swept over the assembled ponies, she also recognized ones who weren’t a part of her squad. Soarin’ was one. Fleetfoot. Raindrops. Rapidash. Flareon. Lightning Dust. It looked like half of the entire Wonderbolt division stood before her, each of them alert and awaiting orders.

“What are you all doing here?” Rainbow demanded, prepared for the fight of her life.

Rainbow’s own second in command stepped forward. “Is it true Twilight is now a changeling Queen?” Flitter asked cautiously. The last thing she wanted to do was to set her captain off.

Rainbow hesitated. “Yes,” she answered curtly. “And I’m their Princess.”

Shocked silence greeted her words, before Flitter spoke again. “Our orders come from Princess Celestia. She directed the Wonderbolts to find Twilight. But most of them don’t know where she disappeared to after attacking Celestia. But we--”she indicated the ponies behind her with a wing-- “knew that if we found you, we find Twilight. Where is she?”

Rainbow Dash set her jaw. “Already on her way into hiding. If you expect to go after her, you’re gonna go through me first, Flitter. That goes for all of you,” she added.

Flitter snorted in slight annoyance. “Forgive me Captain, but sometimes you are so dense. We have no intention of bringing Twilight in. We’re here to help her. Celestia has declared all out war on any changeling who follows Twilight. She’s going to need all the help she can get.”

It was Dash turn to snort, this time skeptically. “I’m to believe that all of you are here to ‘fight’ for Twilight? I’m not buying it. Especially with some of Spitfire’s own squad present here.”

Soarin’ stepped forward. When he spoke, his voice was hard. “Spitfire is no longer our commander. She has forgotten her Oath, the same that binds us all. Until such a time Spitfire and the remaining ‘Bolts come to their senses, they are no longer worth anything. Do you recall your Oath, Captain?”

Rainbow Dash remembered, all right. It was a magically binding Oath, that when broken, stripped the offender of their Wonderbolt role and status. She then quoted the most important part of the Oath. “‘The duty of the Wonderbolts, first and foremost, is to ensure the protection of the Elements of Harmony. Should they fall, one of Equestria’s only lines of defense fails. The second duty of the Wonderbolts is to ensure the safety of the Princesses of Equestria. Should they fall, Equestria will sink into chaos. In the event of wartime, it is to be assumed that the almighty Princesses of Equestria are capable of ensuring their own well being, and as such, the Wonderbolts must make the Elements of Harmony their top priority.’ I rememer, Soarin’. Is that why you are here? You believe that Twilight is still the Element of Magic?”

“We know she is,” came a chorus of voices.

“So long as magic remains in the world, the Element of Magic still lives.” Raindrops said.

“That’s right!” Cloudchaser added.

“Our Oath is clear!” Thunderlane spoke his piece.

“And so you are our Captain, Rainbow Dash.” Flitter finished. “You have remained true to your Oath, whether you mean to or not. I doubt you’ve left Twilight’s side since this ordeal started.”

Rainbow could still barely believe what exactly she was hearing. There was just no way. “You say Equestria has declared war on any changeling who follows Twilight. What exactly is the deal with that?”

Flareon, who barely spoke a word as it was, stepped forward. “I saw it,” she said boldly. “I saw the evil changeling take the form of Twilight Sparkle and attack Princess Celestia. I tried to warn the Princess of the deception, but I don’t think she’s in her right mind. She wouldn’t listen to anything I say; and she always listens to the Wonderbolts, even the least of us. The next thing I knew, she had sided with the evil changeling, formed an alliance with her, and ordered the ‘Bolts to track down the Element of Magic and bring her in. I sent the general alarm and the true of us responded.”

Rainbow gazed thoughtfully at the sky. “So for the first time in years and years, Equestria is about to go to war again. What of the other leaders? What did they think?”

Flitter hesitated. “Most of them were unsure what to believe. No one could understand what transpired between Twilight and Celestia, and they were confused. Even as Equestria’s allies, I’m not too sure that they would have picked sides. The Dragons, they are still neutral. Their leader believes that there are pieces to the puzzle no one knows about yet. Officially, the Griffons and Zebras have sided with Equestria after the ‘attack’ on Celestia by Twilight. But there are pockets of them who are ignoring the call to arms to aid Equestria. These pockets are more likely to seek out Twilight and offer her aid. As for the ponies… I’m afraid us Wonderbolts are it. Even Shining’s Legion won’t listen to him, and he’s the one who created them from the hoof up. Ignoring the Princess when she gave them an unreasonable order was one thing. Siding with the Changeling Queen after she attacked Celestia is another.”

Rainbow sighed. “Come on then, all of you. Lets see if we can convince the others you’re on our side.”

Title Page

Unity

Fic one of the Tales of a Sorceress

The Workshop

Beep… Beep… Beep…Beep…

“Keep the shield up!” I barked the order without conscious thought. I knew it would be obeyed, as the only other option was death. I flickered out of the protective dome and promptly began to do what I do best: Teleport. No matter what those damn enemy-of-the-galaxy aliens threw at my home world, I was still the uncontested best at teleportation. I proved this now. I was not about to let my companions fall. I had done so once, a long time ago. I swore never again. You can’t hit a target that moves so fast it appears to be in about ten different places at once. And I sure as Tartarus knew that attempting to predict the moments of an incensed teleportation expert was nigh on impossible.

Beep.Beep.Beep.Beep

I could keep this up all day if I needed to. Growing up as the only unicorn among a bunch of earth ponies and pegasi had made me tough, impossibly so. I wasn’t like those other tenderhoof unicorns that lived in opulent manors in Canterlot. It became a game to me, a game I was confident I could win. Teleport, reappear. Lose a blast of raw energy, then teleport away again. Attack from a new angle, then step through the shadowy mists and attack from two directions at once. Shadowstep off to one side and attack again. I made sure to vary my attacks, keeping them strong but completely random and off balance. If I stood still, it was game over. And I was determined to win. Which is why it came as a shock when I suddenly found myself staring directly at his open palm.

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!

For a brief moment, time stood still. I stared at the open palm of the monster, swirling with a nimbus of magic far greater than my measly strikes. For the tiniest space of time, I knew what had happened, and I understood. I had lost the game. It was all over. Then, as if mocking me, time sped up and the last thing I saw was a flare of blinding light. I could still feel, though. I could feel my battered body flying through the air. I felt it slam into the side of what had once been a building. I would have cried out in pain, if I could have gotten my vocal cords to work. Or maybe I did and I just never heard myself. I didn’t know. I slid down the debris and lie there. All I was aware of was the agony. My entire face felt like it was being held next to a roaring bonfire, but the worst was my right eye. The pain was probably similar to having a white hot poker stabbed directly into my unprotected socket.

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!!!

"Get her a stronger dosage! She can’t wake up while I’m still working on her!”

“Technica, if we give her a stronger dosage it may well kill her!”

“Do it! I promised I’d save her life, and I’m going to keep it! Besides, you must be crazy if you think I’m just gonna give up one of my biggest projects!"

The rest of my body was slightly numb, but the stabbing lances of pain were no less. My spine felt as though someone had snapped it in two, which would explain why the rest of me felt numb. My right forelimb was throbbing in tune with my heartbeat, and I could feel a small pool of blood gathering upon where I lay. The smell of burnt hair was also present, suggesting that I had suffered severe burning in a few areas. How long I lay like that, I had no idea. Try as I might, I couldn’t get my eyelids open. Nor could I move any other part of me. It was like the commands were getting lost on the way to my muscles. After a time, though, I detected hoof beats, as well as somepony humming a mirthful tune. Though the effort cost me a great deal, I gave a pathetic groan—one I was not even sure would be heard over the odd humming.

But then the humming stopped. The mysterious pony crept closer, undoubtedly looking for the source of my noise. Trying with all of my might, I finally got my mouth to open, and I groaned out the only word I could manage. “He… help.” Even my voice sounded completely broken, unrecognizable.

“Oh my gosh, you’re alive!” There was a slight pause, followed by the mare moving closer. “Hey, can you hear me?

Summoning the last of my strength, I nodded. “Do you want to live?”

Another nod. “Will you accept any treatment?”

I managed another weak nod. A distant, removed part of my mind wondered how many more times I would have to do so. I could already feeling what little strength I had fading. I hear one last thing before blackness claims me:

“I can rebuild you… I have the technology.”

BEEBEEBEEBEEBEEEEP!

“Where’s that other dosage, Doc? I need it, now!”

I opened my eyes. The strange beeping I’d been hearing was still there, frantic, out of control. But even as I opened my eyes I knew something was wrong. I couldn’t see out of my right eye. I felt the eyelid open, but there was nothing there. It was like somepony had painted black over that side of my face. I couldn’t see. My breath came faster, as did the tempo of the beeps. They were almost a single sustained note now. My heart pounded in my chest, my breathing was harsh and whistling. I struggled to climb out of the unfamiliar bed, to get out of the unfamiliar room. None of this felt comforting. Before I got very far, there was somepony’s hooves on me, pressing me back down. At the same time, I felt a slight sting on the back of my neck. Immediately, my eyelids began to close. I could feel my heartbeat and breathing slowing down, slowing farther than was normal for any creature save a hibernating bear. The beeps slowed their insane pacing, too. The last thing I saw was a vaguely familiar cinnamon maned unicorn standing over me with a spot of blood under her eye.

Booting systems…..

Logistics Core… Done

Processor… Done

Security… Done

Sensors… Done

Servos… Done

All systems nominal…..

Pony Chip Operational

Armaments Engaged, Command Override: Ghost Activated.

Welcome, Ghost.

---Personal Log of Codename: Ghost

Flicka hesitated for a moment as her Ward was hustled off down to the hidden headquarters. She was torn between staying close to Twilight, or making sure Rainbow Dash was going to be okay. She decided that the Queen was fine with her family and friends for the moment, and trailed her new Princess. For all intents and purposes, she had two changeling royalty her contract ordered her to protect. And right now, Princess Dash was the one who needed watching the most. Flicka crept forward, taking care to stay right behind the target. The cyberpony’s cyber eye highlighted little dots in the distance, dots she wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise. She knew they had to be the Wonderbolts sent to bring Twilight in. Flicka felt my mouth melt into a hardened line. For the very first time since finding herself in this strange land so similar to her own, the unicorn was prepared to enter combat. She slipped off her ever present cloak and let it pool at her hooves. Next, the bodyguard’s weapons slid from the dimensional pocket she used to hide them, sliding into their sockets gently with dull clicks. Two little platforms were next, unfolding up out of her body as grey purple tinged magic slid two drums of ammunition from the pocket. These, too, were fastened to where they belonged with muted clicks.

Flicka caught her reflection in a nearby window, and, like always, she was transfixed. She would have thought after months and months of being able to turn into a mobile weapons platform the nomad would be used to the changes by now, but she wasn’t. Each and every time she caught a reflection of herself, she was awed. No one could barely even recognize her. Faint lines of dark silver crisscrossed the body, almost invisible against the already grey coat. These faint lines was actually a result of the Iridium bone lacing. Whenever she entered what she called, “combat mode”, Flicka automatically dropped the illusion that made her appear a ‘normal’ pony. The cyber eye glowed an even brighter ice blue, almost like the Fremen of her world, a fantasy race in a fantasy world. Of course, the thing that made it quite obvious the mare was not ordinary by any stretch of the imagination was the weaponry. Twin machine guns are mounted on swiveling turrets just behind the shoulder blades. They are, to Flicka’s eyes, quite beautiful. MH-74 Dragonfires, aptly named due to their quick cyclic rate and formidable stopping power. She could hit a target hiding behind drywall from fifty-five yards out.

The other changes that weren’t apparent instead made themselves known across her cybervision. All four of the foot docking clamps were primed and ready to be launched. Between those clamps and the hardened firing mounts, there wasn’t a thing she couldn’t hit if she tried hard enough, and good luck trying to move her from whatever position she had locked down. In addition, both Dragonfires can fire separately, on the move, and in any direction she tells them to, thanks to their shoulder mounts and the cyberpony’s smartlink, wiring them directly into her mind. In other words, she was a weapon. She has been ever since Technia rebuilt her. At one point in time, that notion had bothered her. She didn’t like being viewed as nothing but a highly advanced turret. In time, and with her Rarity’s help, she came to understand that she wasn’t some piece of machinery that killed things. She was a Marine. More specifically, she was a member of the Emergency Response Team. Flicka killed to save lives that mattered. Whether she was saving colonists from a natural disaster, or saving another squad of Marines from a man made catastrophe, the unicorn still did everything in her power to make sure those unable to protect themselves were well defended.

Flicka was finally pulled from her musings by voices right outside the front door of the Sparkle household. Silently berating herself for the lax in concentration, she cautiously approached the door. Flicka paused, ears swiveled in concentration. It was almost child’s play to hear what was being said.

“Soarin’.” Came the voice of Rainbow Dash. “What are you doing out here without the Captain?”

Another pony, a stallion, replied. “I am here for my own reasons, Captain.” Flicka could almost hear his shake of the head.

“Captain?” Dash repeated. She sounded bewildered. “Why did you… What are you all doing here?” She asked instead of whatever she had been going to say before. It sounded like she had just now noticed other ponies she recognized.

A new voice, a young mare’s, answered. “Is it true Twilight is now a changeling Queen?” The voice was cautious.

“Yes,” Dash answered curtly. “And I’m there Princess.”

“Our orders come from Princess Celestia. She directed the Wonderbolts to find Twilight. But most of them don’t know where she disappeared to after attacking Celestia. But we knew that if we find you, we find Twilight. Where is she?”

Dash’s voice grew chilly. “Already on her way into hiding. And if you expect to go after her, you’ll have to go through me first, Flitter. That goes for all of you.” Flicka silently agreed with her princess. With a simple thought, the cyberpony primed her Dragonfires and prepared to burst through the door with weapons blazing if need be. But then the one named Flitter snorted.

Dash snorted this time. “I’m to believe that all of you are here to ‘fight’ for Twilight? I’m not buying it. Especially with some of Spitfire’s own squad present here.”

“Spitfire is no longer our commander. She has forgotten her Oath, the same that binds us all. Until such a time Spitfire and the remaining ‘Bolts come to their senses, they are no longer worth anything. Do you recall your Oath, Captain?” Soarin’s voice was unforgiving.

“‘The duty of the Wonderbolts, first and foremost, is to ensure the protection of the Elements of Harmony. Should they fall, one of Equestria’s only lines of defense fails. The second duty of the Wonderbolts is to ensure the safety of the Princesses of Equestria. Should they fall, Equestria will sink into chaos. In the event of wartime, it is to be assumed that the almighty Princesses of Equestria are capable of ensuring their own well being, and as such, the Wonderbolts must make the Elements of Harmony their top priority.’ I remember, Soarin’. Is that why you are here? You believe that Twilight is still the Element of Magic?”

“We know she is,” came several voices.

“So long as magic remains in the world, the Element of Magic still lives.”

“That’s right!”

“Our Oath is clear!”

“And so you are our Captain, Rainbow Dash.” There was a small hint of admiration coloring Flitter’s words. “You have remained true to your Oath, whether you mean to or not. I doubt you’ve left Twilight’s side since this ordeal started.”

“You say Equestria has declared war on any changeling who follows Twilight. What exactly is the deal with that?”

Another new voice piped up. “I saw it. I saw the evil changeling take the form of Twilight Sparkle and attack Princess Celestia. I tried to warn the Princess of the deception, but I don’t think she’s in her right mind. She wouldn’t listen to anything I say; and she always listens to the Wonderbolts, even the least of us. The next thing I knew, she had sided with the evil changeling, formed an alliance with her, and ordered the ‘Bolts to track down the Element of Magic and bring her in. I sent the general alarm and the true of us responded.”

“So for the first time in years and years, Equestria is about to go to war again. What of the other leaders? What did they think?”

“Most of them were unsure what to believe. No one could understand what transpired between Twilight and Celestia, and they were confused. Even as Equestria’s allies, I’m not too sure that they would have picked sides. The Dragons, they are still neutral. Their leader believes that there are pieces to the puzzle no one knows about yet. Officially, the Griffons and Zebras have sided with Equestria after the ‘attack’ on Celestia by Twilight. But there are pockets of them who are ignoring the call to arms to aid Equestria. These pockets are more likely to seek out Twilight and offer her aid. As for the ponies… I’m afraid us Wonderbolts are it. Even Shining’s Legion won’t listen to him, and he’s the one who created them from the hoof up. Ignoring the Princess when she gave them an unreasonable order was one thing. Siding with the Changeling Queen after she attacked Celestia is another.”

“Come on then, all of you. Lets see if we can convince the others you’re on our side.”

Flicka had no time to hide her weaponry, or anything else that made the pony abnormal. With a sigh and a slight shrug, she decided it didn’t matter much anyway. With the way things were progressing, having a little bit of real firepower on their side was going to be needed. The look on Rainbow Dash’s face as she came through the door was priceless. The alarmed expressions of the Wonderbolts who followed her was simply icing on the cake. “Flicka? Is that you?” Dash sounded like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to be nervous or curious.

Flicka’s only response was to nod her head, and then say, “Come. We must catch up with the Queen. My scanners sense that there is a cave-in that’ll prevent us from going the way we want. We might have to find someplace else to turn into a headquarters.” She didn’t wait to see if they would follow. They would, or they wouldn’t.

“What in Equestria is that?” one of the Wonderbolts whispered, undoubtedly thinking Flicka wouldn’t hear.

The cyberpony, however, flicked one ear back and offered a reply. “I’m a ZX73 Gammaware cyborg. Otherwise known as Flicka, Savior of Equestria, Defender of the Alliance, Lieutenant of the Emergency Response Team, Commanding Marine of Accord Squad, Codename: Ghost.”

Rather than answering the question, the unicorn’s cryptic reply only served to confuse the pegasi behind her. They bit back their questions for the moment, although that may have been because one of the Dragonfires swiveled around on its platform to aim at a spot somewhere above their heads. Facing forwards so they couldn’t see her grin, Flicka led the group right to the same secret hallway her Queen had taken moments before. Her keen ears could even make out the sounds of dismayed voices; it seemed as though the rest of their little resistance had ran into the cave-in. Sure enough, Flicka had barely trotted for five minutes before she caught sight of her Queen, surrounded by everyone else as they attempted to decide what to do. Twilight Sparkle glanced up, and Flicka saw her eyes widen. She stumbled backwards, a look of pure shock on her face, and the cyborg finally understood what the Queen was seeing: she thought that Dash had betrayed her.

Before much else could happen, Dash stepped forward and held up a placating hoof. “Its okay, Twilight. These guys are on our side.”

Twilight’s eyes widened even further, if that was possible. Then the light of understanding lit within them. “Their oaths. They’ve come into effect, haven’t they?”

It was Dash’s turn to look surprised. “How do you know about the Oath?”

The unicorn hybrid merely gave her best friend a look. “There is a reason I’m probably the most learned pony in Equestria, Dash. Of course I know about the infamous Wonderbolt Oath, even if very few others do.”

Flitter stepped forward. “That’s why we’re here. The Oath states that the Elements of harmony come first. We’ll help you get through this, Queen Sparkle.”

Twilight visibly shuddered at last words. “Ugh, just Twilight, please. I get enough of this ‘Queen’ business from Flicka. I don’t need it from the rest of you, too.”

Flicka stepped forward. “My Queen,” the cyberpony inwardly grinned; this was what they had just discussed, “We won’t be able to get to the Equestria Intelligence base any time soon. My scanners indicate this landfall is huge. It would take days to clear it out.”

It was as she spoke that the non Wonderbolts noticed her for the first time. There were muttered exclamations and a general shifting backwards movement. Princess Luna seemed to be the only one unaffected by Flicka’s drastically changed appearance. “I was wondering when you would finally reveal your true nature, cyberpony.”

Flicka spared a glance at the Moon Goddess. “You know what I am?”

“I do. I am more aware of what transpires in the desert than my sister is. I was aware of your presence almost the instant you arrived here.”

“Yet you’ve not apprehended me, nor taken me in for questioning? I’m practically an alien in your home planet, here.”

Luna shrugged. “There was no reason for me to. You never gave me one. You never threatened any of Our subjects or Our allies, and instead strived to hide who you were. We left you be because we had no idea exactly what you were going to do. But now you’ve helped Twilight and protected her, and are ready to do so again, by the looks of things. I do not know from where you hail, but for now, you are welcome in this quest.”

Flicka turned back to Twilight and saw the questions burning deep in those violet eyes. The nomad shook her head. “I’ll answer your questions later, Twilight. Right now we need to figure out where exactly we’re going to go.”

Twilight Velvet spoke up. “We could return to the mansion. Night Light and I still have a few favors with EI contacts. We can find some other place to set up operations.”

Flicka shook her head again. “Going back is out of the question. Even as we speak, Celestia’s and Vizio’s forces have already invaded the Sparkle Mansion.”

“They what?” Night Light sounded infuriated. “They can’t just storm into our home without a warrant!”

Twilight nudged her father gently, trying to hide her worry.. “They believe I’m a dangerous criminal now, or something worse. They don’t need a warrant if they suspect you’re hiding me. But Flicka, how do you know this?”

“My scanners,” came the clipped reply. “A nearly indestructible body and alien weapons aren’t the only thing I have. I can detect friends or foes in a hundred and fifty yard radius around me. Even now, they’ve discovered the secret passageway and will be on the way to meet us.”

Dash looked to Twilight. Everypony did. “What do we do, Twilight?”

Twilight, for her part, looked to be on the verge of panicking. Her eyes darted from place to place and she looked close to just breaking down. However, she took several deep breaths and instead turned to Flicka. “What you do suggest we do, Flicka? You’ve kept me safe this long. Judging by your physical makeup you’re more accustomed to battle than I.”

Flicka nodded in approval. It was good that Twilight was willing to turn to others for aid if need be. “I’ll distract them. The rest of you will find an exit and get out of here.”

One of the Wonderbolts stepped forward. “We’ll help you keep them away from the others.”

Flicka was quick to disagree. “No. These guys could be dangerous. Until I can get you guys properly equipped, just run. I’ll rendezvous with you once we’re out on the Sparkle grounds. Its a big place, we should be able to shake them off. Once there, I’ll take you to my own camp. Wait until you hear them attacking me, then go!” Flicka didn’t wait to see if they understood. She was already taking back off down the way they had come, Dragonfires ready. She burst from the hidden painting and bowled over a couple of changelings who stood there. The cyberpony paused there for a moment, surveying the situation.

Firstly, they were all changelings. And judging from the green of their eyes, they were following Vizio. Secondly, all of them were carrying guns. Well then. It looks like someone’s been supplying these guys. Before the slightly surprised cyborg could act further, she was immediately peppered with gunfire. Round after round tore at Flicka, the reports nearly deafening. The shots eventually stopped. Flicka still stood in the same place as before, this time with a smirking smile upon her lips.

“You guys forgot to equip your armor penetration rounds, didn’t you? Want a little tip? Easiest way to kill a cyborg is to use rounds that’ll penetrate armor. Of course, such bullets won’t stop me anyway, but its the thought that counts.” Then it was Flicka’s turn to engage. Bullet’s tore up the surrounding walls, and Flicka winced inwardly at the damage; she didn’t have time to engage her docking clamps, and her accuracy was paying for it. Nonetheless, the Dragonfires did their job, mowing down the changelings who threatened her Queen. It also attracted any other forces in the immediate vicinity. Flicka took off, bowling through startled changelings, headed for the front door. Her scanner warned her that Twilight’s posse had exited the hidden hallway and were headed to the back of the mansion, presumably to access the back entrance. The cyberpony slammed into the front door, throwing it off its hinges and into the changelings stationed outside. Sometimes, having super strength was awesome.

Flicka tore through the grounds, using the neatly placed trees to her advantage. She ran faster and faster, a silver bullet travelling through the foliage. Her Ward had headed towards the farthest rear corner of the sprawling estate, undoubtedly waiting for her to arrive. Gathering her magic in her horn, Flicka winked out of existence. She then exited out of her teleport in a long, controlled slide a few yards in front of the other group, all four legs locked. She threw herself forward, enveloped the group in a dome of grey tinged purple, and teleported again.

The party reappeared in the desert. Flicka was panting hard, running high on adrenaline. However, the cyberpony immediately went over to a well concealed cave entrance. She glanced back expectantly at the still stunned ponies, then ducked inside. Naturally, the first to follow her was Twilight. Rainbow Dash came next, then all of the others. Even Princess Luna stopped her head to walk through the opening, before straightening back up once inside. Their hooves rang, not on rock as they were probably expecting, but on what appeared to be metal. On and on they walked, the passageway sloping gently down. No one said a word for whatever reason, although Flicka thought Twilight was going to explode from curiosity. At long last they entered a huge chamber with a high ceiling, and every single other pony except for Flicka and Princess Luna gasped. Honestly, the nomad could tell why.

Everywhere one looked there was something strange that they had never seen before. Against one wall of the chamber was several somethings that were rectangular in shape, with screens full of vibrant colors. Against another wall was what appeared to be weapons similar to Flicka’s own she carried on her back. A third wall was covered in various wires nopony but the cyborg seemed to know anything about, and the fourth had some sort of metal table set against it. And then, from the ceiling, there was hanging what appeared to be several…. pony harnesses, of all things.

Flicka cleared her throat, a bit self consciously. “Welcome to my workshop, guys.”