Unity

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!”