A change in Life

Chapters

Waking up Past Noon.
A letter.
Training and the Unknown secret.
Worry
Friends are those who accept you for you.
Changelings.
Escape!

Waking up Past Noon.

"Twilight!" Spike shouted, waking the alicorn from her sleep.

"Oh....good morning Spike...."

"Good morning? haha!, morning was 2 hours ago its two in the afternoon Twi" Spike stated, showing Twilight his wrist watch's time.

"Where did you even get that?"

"Pinkie Pie gave it to me"

"Of course"

Twilight forced herself out of bed, using her magic to pull the blankets over the mattress till she was satisfied with her job. She proceeded downstairs before realization hit her which brought a wicked smile to Spikes face, surprised it took her that long to realize. "My schedule! aaagh!! how could I have forgotten! Spike you didn't wake me up!" complained the alicorn, annoyance clear in her tone. How could she had slept for 17 hours?! it did not make sense to her!. She stomped her hooves and batted her wings as she scolded herself.

"Again with this? Twilight its not like I didn't try, you were practically brick, I even tried splashing water in your face and all you did was mumble something that was incomprehensible" the baby dragon explained, an unamused expression on his face.

Twilight sighed, now she would have to adjust her schedule for today and then adjust her schedule for tomorrow and the day after and the day after etc. She had been an alicorn for only a week and since her coronation her life of studying had not changed at all. Her friends and herself were expected to see princess Celestia and princess Luna in a weeks time and until then Celestia had requested her to improve her flying.

"Hey Twi, could you pick up my prescription at the hospital for me?" Spike wondered as he picked a book up from the table. Spike had suffered from a fall the previous week, he had landed on his tail which now was in a cast, preventing the limbs movement. It was not serious but the doctor had prescribed pain medication to the baby dragon.

"I don't see why not, I'm already hours and hours behind schedule" responded Twilight, her voice filled with slight annoyance to herself.

"Thank you Twi" Spike said, expressing his gratitude while he opened his book.

"Not a problem, I want those books we got from Cloudsdale on the shelf by the time I get back, got it?" Twilight asked as she opened the door, looking back to the baby dragon to see if he was still listening.

"Affirmative" Spike replied, his main focus on his book, not his friend. Twilight rolled her eyes before turning her head and proceeding out the door.

Twilight stepped out of the library and closed the door behind her. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and smiled at the sunny sky that shone on the daily life of Ponyville. Ponies talked to their friends, shopped in the market or galloped to and from their desired locations, a normal day. "Hey Twilight!" greeted Rainbow Dash from above. Looking up Twilight was met with the sight of her friend leaning over the edge of a cloud, a small smile on her face. Twilight smiled before spreading her wings and beginning to fly up to her friend, her wings causing her to shift left and right every few moments from the lack of practice.

Rainbow Dash moved over on the cloud to allow her friend to take a seat which she gladly accepted. "Clear skies?" Twilight asked rhetorically, though her friend answered it anyways.

"Yep we cleared the sky this morning, it was even more awesome than usual"

"What made it more awesome?" wondered Twilight before looking down at the ponies below. Amazing how only a week ago I was on the ground twenty four hours a day

"I cleared 7 clouds in 3 seconds!" exclaimed Rainbow with a boastful yet excited grin on her features.

"I've seen you clear a sky in 10 seconds flat" responded Twilight, unimpressed before Rainbow leaned back on the cloud.

"These were very big clouds Twi"

Twilight giggled at her friends ego. "I need to go to the hospital to pick up Spikes prescription, want to come along?"

"I got nothing else to do, even though a hospital is L.A.M.E, LAME" declared Dash.

"Then lets go"

"Right behind you"

The two winged ponies dove off the cloud and spread their wings before the two of them began flying towards the hospital. Rainbow Dash offering tips to the alicorn to fix her rhythm or recovery whenever she hit a unexpected gust of wind. In what normally would have been a 10 minute flight or a 30 minute gallop the two reached the hospital in 20 due to the lack of practice Twilight had with her new limbs.

"I'm glad to see how useful these things are" Twilight expressed before Dash giggled

"Duh!, Pegasi are awesome!" declared Rainbow, receiving a roll of the eyes from twilight

"Princess Twilight Sparkle!, welcome!" greeted a nurse before everyone in front of the two mares hit the ground and bowed. Twilight sighed. This was what annoyed her over everything else; everywhere she went she was treated like royalty, its true she was just that, but she missed the time where everyone just saw her as her, not a princess. She rarely had to pay for anything anymore and she couldn't socialize without the pony she was talking with agreeing with everything she said in an attempt to suck up to her.

"Uh.....well Twi that's different" commented her friend which brought a glare filled with annoyance from the alicorn

"I am here to pick up Spike's....." began Twilight but was stopped mid sentence by a doctor handing her a pill bottle full of medication. "Never mind....."

The two mares exited the hospital and Twilight growled with annoyance. "Doesn't anyone realize its still me, Twilight Sparkle?!" Twilight rhetorically asked no one in particular.

"Well theirs Luna, Celestia, Cadence, your brother, me....." began Rainbow but was cut off by her friend.

"I know you guys do Rainbow!, I am talking about the normal ponies of Ponyville. If I go somewhere everyone turns their attention to me, if I try to start a conversation it plummets into the ground because no one will disagree with me!" Twilight ranted to her friend who hovered beside her, listening to her friends current conflict.

"Listen it may be bad, but eh it could be worse. You could be hated like the changelings or feared like Sombra, Heck you could even be insane like Discord Twi but your not, princess Celestia and Luna have dealt with this problem for years. In a few months when I get my reply from the Wonderbolts and they accept me I will have the same problem as you. What I think you should do is send a letter to Celestia tonight asking for advice, They know more than anypony about this category" Rainbow explained to her friend which brought a smile to Twilight's features. Why didn't I think about that?

"Thanks Dash" Twilight thanked her friend who gave a nod and a smile before Twilight spread her wings and began flying back towards the library to give her dragon companion his pills and write the letter.

A letter.

"I believe you made a visit to the crystal empire two nights ago, is that correct?" Celestia asked her sister as she levitated her tea cup to her lips and took a sip. Luna looked away from the fireplace to her sister and nodded.

"Yes and I had a very nice visit sister" Luna responded, a smile on the younger princess' face before she levitated her tea cup and took a sip. "Though Cadence was a little under the weather and tired"

Celestia gave her sister a curious look at that statement before noticing the smile on Luna's features which caused her to gasp. "You mean she is?....." began Celestia but didn't have to continue due to the nod her sister gave her. "Oh that is wonderful news! when is...." began Celestia but was interrupted by a scroll appearing out of nowhere and knocking her tea cup off the plate and onto her legs below. The mood was killed instantly, for Celestia now had tea all over her and her ears were assaulted by her sisters laughter.

"Oh do stop laughing Luna" Celestia requested before using her magic to open up the scroll and begin reading it.

Dear Princess Celestia.

I am currently having trouble adapting to my new rank in society. No pony treats me the same. Everypony bows to me and agrees with everything I say as if they fear me. I do not know what to do and how to make everypony act normal around me. If you could explain it to me or help me with this it would be greatly appreciated.

Your most faithful student:

Twilight Sparkle.

"What does Twilight need?" wondered Luna after finishing her tea and setting the plate and cup on the small table to her left.

"I have a task for you sister, I believe your the right mare for this since you had a similar issue" Celestia explained before dropping the scroll in front of her sister who opened it with her magic and began reading.

"Oh, yes I believe I can help with this" Luna said happily before standing on her hooves. "I'll do this task now, I wish you a good sleep my sister and sweet dreams" Luna expressed before turning and trotting out of her sisters study as Celestia said good Night to her younger sister.

"Why hasn't she replied yet?" Twilight rhetorically asked as she paced back and forth in front of her baby dragon companion. Spike sighed as he shook his head slowly. Typical Twilight.

The two friends both jumped at the sound of thunder before hearing a chariot's wheels against the stone outside and 2 sets of hooves that carried it.

The two heard a knock before Twilight unlocked the door and opened it revealing the princess of the night. Luna smiled at the surprised alicorn before her.

"Princess Luna!, come in come in!" Twilight exclaimed, happy that she actually got to ask more questions. Luna gladly entered the library before using her magic to take her cloak off and hang it on a coat hanger on the back of the door.

"Greetings Twilight Sparkle. My sister received your letter an hour ago so I decided to pay you a visit to clear any questions you may have" explained the princess of the night with a kind smile on her face.

"That is wonderful!" Twilight stated happily.

"Wonderful for my ears too" Spike added to Twilight's sentence before turning and beginning to proceed upstairs. "Good night Twilight. My medication is making me sleepy so I apologize Luna" Spike explained to the two mares.

"Quite fine, enjoy your rest" Luna said before turning back to Twilight Sparkle. "Tea?"

The two alicorns sat across from each other at the small kitchen table. The kitchen being the room Twilight spent the least amount of time in left it bare with only appliances, a table, 2 chairs and cupboards. No flowers or any decorations were usually set up unless it was a holiday but those were done by spike every year.

"So tell me Twilight Sparkle, what is the problem you are facing?" the princess asked the alicorn in front of her. She already knew what the problem was but she wanted a full explanation from her.

"Well, I find that no one looks or talks to me the same other than my friends. Everyone is always looking up to me and kissing my flank....sorry for the simile but I feel like...." began Twilight before she found she could not find the right words to express it.

"Like Celestia?" asked Luna who received a nod from Twilight. "It is not uncommon to be a little....stressed and annoyed by the attention Twilight. When Cadence first was crowned a Princess she felt the exact same way as you did. The reason why the ponies of Equestria act this way around you is because they look up to you" Luna explained which confused Twilight.

"Look up to me? I haven't done much" Twilight said before Luna smiled again.

"You cured me of Nightmare Moon, you stopped Discord from destroying Equestria, you and your friends saved Canterlot from Chrysalis and most importantly you stopped Sombra from taking over the Crystal Empire. Twilight Sparkle I haven't done anything like that. The Ponies of Equestria look up to you because you are a perfect rolemodel. You yourself use to be a normal unicorn and now you are a princess, a hero and a celebrity. Me and my sister may have stopped Discord originally but look at what I did afterwords. I became bitter and turned against my sister. I spent 1000.....very long years on the moon. That is more than 75% of my life. I wasted that time because of my anger, my jealousy and my self centered personality at the time. I spent the year after I was restored from Nightmare Moon filled with regret, shame and sorrow. I had betrayed my subjects and my sister. When I came to socialize with the ponies of Equestria for the first time since my return during Nightmare Night I was saddened that everyone still feared me. I thought it would be that way forever until you came along and helped me. You see Twilight Sparkle the ponies of Equestria look up to you because you are a kind, generous and courageous pony. Young fillies are inspired by you because you worked hard all your life and obtained your current status. Just do not make the same mistake that I made" Princess Luna explained to the alicorn who thought about it. for a few moments.

"You have nothing to worry about Twilight Sparkle, It will all become clearer once me and my sister begin to teach you how to be a princess"

"So what your telling me is, I am a rolemodel and I need to tough it out till I get to Canterlot correct?" asked the alicorn.

"Yes"

"I was hoping for more information Princess..."

"I know you did, however some things you must wait for my sister wants to explain it all to you when you arrive" explained Luna as she rose from her seat and turned to the door. "Have a nice night Twilight Sparkle" Luna expressed.

"You too princess"

Training and the Unknown secret.

"You keep moving them to fast and in a weird jerking motion, relax Twi we aren't going anywhere" explained Rainbow as she hovered above her alicorn friend.

"I will have to!, I have a shipment of books coming in from Canterlot that I will need to put on the shelf and after that I then...." began the alicorn but was interrupted.

"Twilight!, relax....they do not matter, the princess has said you must learn how to fly right?"

"yes..."

"Then let me teach you, don't worry about that nonsense" stated the Pegasus. Rainbow Dash felt like she was talking to a wall some days when she talked to her alicorn friend. At first she jumped to the task of teaching Twilight how to fly happily; however she now was beginning to regret it. Twilight was even harder to teach than Scootaloo and she couldn't fly yet!. Of course Twilight could fly but it was a mediocre and awkward version.

"Stop" Rainbow ordered before her friend hovered down to the ground and she sighed with her eyes closed. She shook her head disapprovingly before returning to the ground herself, landing beside her friend. "I was trying to teach you how to fly as you would a pegasus who had amnesia, this isn't working and frankly its awkward. I don't mean to be blunt Twi, your flying is totally uncool, awkward and mediocre"

"I'm sorry?"

"We need to start from the basics, most Pegasi learn what you don't know when they are fillies. This is what your doing, you are not trusting your wings enough and are trying to move them as fast and as powerful as you can. You fear that they will fail you. This is the first step. Trust your wings as much as your horn Twi" said Rainbow before beginning to walk across the field they were in and towards a lake. "Come on Twi, I'll explain on the way"

"What do you mean by trust in my wings as much as my horn?, I know it seems like a stupid question and I get the main gist of the meaning but please evaluate this more" asked the alicorn. Dash looked at her friend as they walked.

"Your horn is not like a saddlebag or a pair of fancy shoes right?"

"My horn is my horn, Its never felt any different than it always has" Twilight replied.

"You don't think about it when you use your horn really right? It just comes naturally like breathing, walking, blinking etc correct?"

"That is the best way to describe it yes"

"You need to learn to do that with your wings. They seem out of sync when you fly sometimes and they are not graceful, its like flapping two boards with your hooves"

"Oh"

The two mares reached the small lake. Dash sat down, stretched her wings and then looked around to view her surroundings. "Alright I am going to teach you the proper way to fly, this is how Pegasi learn to fly. I was taught these techniques by my parents which I have taught to Scootaloo and now I will teach you. Usually Pegasi learn these before they are able to fly and then they practice swimming in water to get the techniques right" explained Dash as she stood and began walking into the water. "In we go"

"Uh Dash do we...." Twilight began to resist but in a flash her Pegasus friend flew up into the air at high speeds. Twilight lost sight of her friend in the sun after a few seconds before she felt someone crash into her from behind and grab her. Twilight screamed in terror and surprise before she was dropped into the freezing cold water below.

When she sat up, her entire body now soaking wet, she was met with the laughter of her friend. She glared daggers up at her pegasus friend before a dark idea came to mind. Using her magic she began to collect a large amount of water. 2 liters, 4 liters, 6 liters, 8 liters, that should be good.

With a simple thought she lifted the water from the lake and then threw it soaring through the air at her friend. Rainbow Dash had only half of a second to see it coming before it crashed into the pegasus, wetting her wings to the point of flight being impossible which caused her to collapse backwards, her wings flapping uselessly before she hit the water and sunk under the surface. Twilight giggled as her still half shocked friend rose to the surface, this causing Rainbow to want to get angry even though she couldn't help laugh herself.

"I'll give you that one Twi" Rainbow said before using her wings and legs to swim over to her friend till her hooves connected with the pebbles bellow. "Alright now before I get revenge on you I need to teach you this" the rainbow maned pegasus explained before sitting down. The water felt good as her wings sank under the surface with the rest of her body, the water surface now up to her neck. Rainbow Dash put her hooves up with the bottoms facing the sky. "Alright, lay down on my hooves so your wings are in the water, I then want you to pretend you are flying in the air, please use the most comfortable pose you use when you fly and move a little forward so I am not blocking you from opening them." Dash requested and her friend approached her.

Dash had her hooves towards the deeper part of the lake so once Twilight got into position Dash could lower her into the water so her wings were under the surface. "Open your wings as if you were flying" ordered Rainbow Dash before her friend did as she was told. "Now start moving them so you would be flying normally", again Twilight did as she was told.

Dash now clearly noticed that her friend had her wings flat each time she brought them up and back down. The water making it noticeable from slowing the motions down considerably. "Stop for a second" Dash ordered and Twilight followed the command. "You have them flat. What you need to do is curve them slightly so the are pointing to the ground. If you have them flat you will need to move them really fast like you have been doing and using more energy than you should to keep your flight. To much of a curve becomes useless, the curve allows the feathers in the wings to resist the air more. When you have them flat like you have had them the air will simply escape, the curve means more resistance which means more flying, less flapping" explained Rainbow before opening her left wing and showing Twilight how to do it, a very small curve was now noticed by twilight.

"So like this?" asked Twilight, curving her wing and trying to mimic her friends example.

"Thats right, though you cannot always fly with your wing like that" said the pegasus.

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight, now curious and confused.

"When you fly you need to adjust your wing angles according to the direction you want to go. To slow down you curve them back as far as you can and then start hovering once you get to the point of falling......does that make sense?" asked the Pegasus who received another nod from her friend. Thank Celestia she reads a lot of books and is smart enough to understand all this.... the pegasus thought gladly.

"Alright, is that it?" asked the alicorn who received a shake of the head from her friend.

"When you fly you move your wings up and down. You need to move them in circles" Dash explained before spreading her wings again. She moved her wings in a forward circular motion and imitated flying slowly so her friend could examine the motion. "This will allow you to fly faster, to go backwards quickly you use the same motion but in the opposite direction, try it" Dash requested before her friend began moving her wings once more. They weren't still as well coordinated as most pegasi's but Dash had expected this.

"I just got one question Dash, Why did we do this in water?" asked Twilight.

"I only know how to do this in water, besides I wanted to throw you into the lake and have an excuse" explained the Pegasus, flashing a smirk to her friend. "Now, I am going to tell you how to accomplish some simple flying techniques, once I am satisfied we will move from water to the air" explained Rainbow.

The rest of the day had been very uneventful. The two mares had finished the day training before sitting in the sun for an hour to dry off while Dash told Twilight about a new trick she was developing and wanting to show the Wonderbolts. Twilight had told Rainbow about Luna visiting her the night before after she was finished even though she hadn't gained much information from the night princess. A thought that had been floating through Twilight's head since earlier at the lake was still bothering Twilight as the two mares approached Ponyville.

"Dash, Why have I never heard about your family?" asked Twilight, looking to her left at her Pegasus friend galloping beside her. The pegasus slowed down to a simple jog for a moment. A blank look on her face before hesitation.

"Oh...uh....of course I have....." the Pegasus said, no longer moving and just standing there. Her cheeks had gained a small amount of pink and her ears were down against her head. Concern filled Twilight; her friend was hiding something but she did not know what. Why is she hiding her parents? was she embarrassed by them or were they not on good ground?, so many thoughts entered the alicorn's mind.

"Uh....listen Twi...I had a lot...and uh....I wish I could come back to....Ponyville but I am needed at uh....work" Rainbow Dash explained though Twilight knew she was lying and making it up on the spot. Twilight went to reply but was cut off unintentionally by Dash. "IhopetoseeyoulaterbyeTwi!" Rainbow Dash quickly said before turning and flying into the air at a very high speed as if she wanted to get as much distance between her and the ground.

"What?...." was all Twilight could say, her entire mind raced with questions. Why was Dash shy to talk about her parents? she never was shy about anything! the alicorn wondered as she continued galloping towards Ponyville only a kilometer away now.

Dash slammed the door behind her and sighed sadly. Folding her wings in she dropped down onto the cloud floor of her home. Tank was waiting for her and looking at her curiously. The tortoise was one of the 5 creatures that knew her secret. Fluttershy, Tank, her brother and her parents. "Stop giving me that look!" growled the angry cyan pegasus, pointing her hoof at her pet who did not flinch, just kept giving her the same curious look. "I...I'm sorry tank" apologized Rainbow before walking up to the tortoise, she sat down, picked him up and hugged her pet; the rough shell uncomfortable but she still received comfort from the pet as he stuck his head out so he poked her cheek. She giggled at that before setting him down.

She sighed once more. She wanted to tell her friends about the problem with her and her parents but was afraid her friends would react the same way that her parents did. Her brother hadn't contacted her in 6 years so she assumed he no longer cared. It wasn't that she did not like her parents or anything in that category. She loved them deeply, it was them that had the problem with her. When she was a teenager she told her parents her secret and what did they do? kick her out of the house and throw insults at her. When that had happened she never went back. She got a job at the weather factory and was assigned to the Ponyville district. She had not heard from them since that day. She growled with disgust, now angry at her parents for making her feel ashamed of her secret.

She looked down at her multi colored tail and chuckled with humor and sadness from the irony and the memory of insults she had heard from her family. "How ironic that I turn out gay..." the mare said before turning her attention away and looking out the window.

Worry

Cadence paced back and forth inside the royal quarters restlessly, her crystal pony servants watching her with concern on their faces. "Princess, You need to relax, Shining will be home soon" Ella, one of the servants said, trying to calm her down. Shining Armor had gone on a patrol the night before to the borders pf Equestria north of the Crystal Empire, he was originally only suppose to be 4 hours and now it had been 12.

"What if he isn't?, what if my Shining Armor is injured or or...."Cadence said unable to continue as hundreds of thoughts raced through her mind. The servants did not reply, how could they? what if the prince was truly in danger and they told her otherwise?

"My princess we will send a patrol in a hours time if....." began the servant before the doors were opened and all heads turned to the entrance. A guard wearing armor stood there breathing heavily.

"Princess!, we found Shining Armor!, he's badly injured though!" the guard explained before Cadence ran up to him.

"Where is he?!" she questioned, her heart beating faster and faster with fear and worry.

"The hospital your majesty" replied the guard before Cadence sprinted past the pony and began running down the crystal palace hallways, the servants and the guard following close behind her. Cadence ran down the crystal stairs and across another room before running out into the bright sunshine of the day. Will he be Ok? how badly injured is he? who did this too him?! If I find out who did this I will hunt them down an....calm yourself Cadence atleast he is alive!

The crystal ponies of the Crystal Empire bowed to her as she ran across the market place before watching her go, wondering what was going on. She had no time to stop and explain, she had to make sure her Shining Armor was Ok. She did not know what she would do without him, how would she run the Crystal Empire? how would she take care of the child she found out she was carrying 2 weeks ago? all these thoughts raced through her mind.

She reached the Crystal Empire hospital and went inside quickly. "Princess, I believe you are here to see Shining Armor?" asked the Nurse at the desk and Cadence nodded quickly, her run across the city catching up to her, causing her to gasp for air.

"Yes!" she gasped, her breathing quick and deep from exhaustion. "Follow me please, I advise to not run from now on, you are carrying a foal now and it is not good for the foal" explained the Nurse, she nodded her head as she began to follow.

The nurse opened the door to reveal Shining Armor in a hospital bed. His chest, stomach, front right hoof and scalp were all wrapped up along with a bandage taped to his cheek. Cadence immediately ran up to him and took his unwrapped hoof in hers. Shining Armor looked over at her and smiled. "Sorry I was not back in four hours...." he said weakly, she laughed for a moment as tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. Even in bad health he could still make a joke.

"What happened?, who did this to you?" she asked her husband who made a small noise of pain from his chest.

"We reached the border to find the guards....dead, upon further investigation we discovered......something that...looked like timberwolves.....They were white and....made of ice however" Shining Armor replied before releasing a cough.

"I will alert Princess Cel....." began Cadence but Shining armor interrupted her.

"Cadence its not necessary, we killed them. If more show up however we will, I don't want Princess Celestia sending unnecessary soldiers that could be used somewhere else..." Shining explained and she nodded.

"Was there anyone else?" she asked and he shook his head sadly, a pain look on his face as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"No.....the last soldier died on our way back.....his wounds were too severe for me to save him" Shining explained and Cadence nodded sadly.

"Its not your fault my husband, you did all you could.....we will send troops to collect their bodies for their families" Cadence declared and Shining Armor nodded.

"I am sorry princess but I must tend to the patient more, if we leave him how he is he may develop an infection, I recommend you return home and get some rest" the doctor in the room said and it hit her. She was absolutely exhausted.

"Yes....I shall" Cadence replied before leaning down and nuzzling her husband and he nuzzled back happily.

"Take good care of him, bye for now my Shining Armor I will be back later on to see how you are doing" Cadence said to him before exiting the room and he smiled.

"Good night prince Shining" said the doctor as he walked out of the room and turned the lights off. He closed the door, leaving the prince in the darkness.

"This plan has worked just perfect..." said the prince however it was not the prince. His voice sounded as if two voices were speaking at once but out of sinc slightly, his voice had become feminine and his eyes had changed to glowing green and blue orbs. Chrysalis giggled darkly before laying on her side and changing back to her disguise. "Yes....goodnight Cadence" Chrysalis said as her voice changed from hers to shining armors once more. Love is so blind, it makes you oblivious of everything and allows a parasite to eat you inside out. My memories of your screams will be my lullaby Cadence, good night.

With that the changeling queen disguised as the prince fell asleep, a grin on her disguises face.

Friends are those who accept you for you.

Fluttershy opened her cottage door to find Rainbow Dash standing on her welcome mat, an uncomfortable look on her face. “Oh, good morning Rainbow Dash.....what can I help you with?” asked Fluttershy before her friend approached towards her, forcing her to back up inside her cottage. Rainbow kicked the door closed before walking over to the couch and taking a seat.

“Fluttershy do you think that.....being gay is wrong?” Rainbow asked hesitantly, this brought a look of curiosity and confusion to the yellow pegasus’ face. “Be honest,” Rainbow demanded, not raising her voice but using a stern tone, keeping her eyes cast down at the floor which currently had animals running all around the cottage, playing or just exercising.

“I don’t, I also don’t believe you would have told me if you thought so....” Fluttershy replied before her friend looked up to her friend.

“Uh......Fluttershy....I didn’t really tell you, remember?, 3 months before Twilight arrived in Ponyville you came over one day, I didn’t answer my door so you flew up to my window, looked through the window and saw me and Blaze?” Rainbow asked before a bright blush came to her cheeks. Blaze had been Rainbow Dash’s ex, 3 months before Twilight came to Ponyville, the two had broken up in a bad fight. Rainbow had only seen Blaze once more at the best fliers competition. The two had said a few friendly words and then said their goodbyes.

“Oh...right.....that...was awkward....” Fluttershy commented.

“I am glad you don’t think its wrong fluttershy....it means alot...” Rainbow said gratefully before continuing. “I came to ask....what you think the others will think....what the princess’ will think of it....” Rainbow said slowly. She felt weak and silent like fluttershy right now, no matter how hard she wanted to she could not act like the normal boastful and proud Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy thought about her friends question. Canterlot was against gay stallions and mares she knew that clearly. Though the princess’ said that everypony was welcome in Canterlot and would never in a million years be refused a residence, the nobles made it horrible. About 1,000 years ago before Princess Luna was banished to the moon, a book was written by a member of royalty who was a unicorn. He was not related directly to the princess, he gained his royal title in his service and was named a prince by Princess Celestia. The book contained many rules of social behavior and etiquette that nobles to this day in Canterlot followed. The book was so influential that all of Equestria began believing it was true. The prince however was executed by princess Luna 3 days after its publication on the charge of causing hatred, discord and darkness among the ponies of Equestria. Her sister Celestia found this to be unjust and cruel of her sister to inflict a punishment of that degree unto him.

The paragraph in the book mentioned homosexuality being as dark as King Sombra and an abomination to all pony kind. This is where homosexuality in Equestria became ‘wrong’ and in modern times a lot of the population in Canterlot and Cloudsdale viewed it in the negative zone.

“I don’t think anyone will be bothered.” Fluttershy replied though she could tell her friend was unconvinced.

“Twilight is from Canterlot, she could have had it fed into her head that it is evil, knowing her she probably has read the damn book, what about Rarity?! she’s OBSESSED with Canterlot” argued Rainbow before sighing sadly. “I just don’t want them to be like my parents, I believe Applejack could understand it after a few minutes and Pinkie Pie is so silly that she would accept anything, Twilight and Rarity I don’t know though....” Rainbow said, looking back down at the floor. Fluttershy could hear her animal friends outside wondering where she and the food was but they would have to wait for a few more minutes.

“Um.....is it honestly...that bad between you and your parents?” Fluttershy asked her friend who seemed to stop breathing for a moment. ‘Oh darn...’ Fluttershy thought to herself.

“I’m Celestia and my parents are Chrysalis.....lets say that” Rainbow replied.

“I’m sorry...”

“Can you please stop pitying me!?” growled Rainbow, resorting to anger instead of tears. She felt pathetic that something this simple bothered her so much. I don’t need parents for Celestia’s sake!

“I’m sorry.”

Rainbow noticed the pained look on her friend’s face which made her feel worse. “Forget it Fluttershy, I am...sorry” Rainbow said after she felt the shame from her outburst.

“Its okay, I think you should tell our friends though-it will be easier.” Fluttershy explained. Rainbow looked her friend in the eyes; for once her friend had confidence along with usual kindness in her eyes. Rainbow smiled lightly. She always had the softest eyes no matter what the condition was....except during the stare she made.

“What if...they don’t approve?” Rainbow asked her friend, her worry once again returning. “What if Twilight hates me after it, she’s always been there to help us Fluttershy” Rainbow said before a look of curiosity came to Fluttershy.

“Do you have a crush on Twilight, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked and Rainbow froze.

“No!...W-well...y-yeah...a small one....since we all discovered the elements of harmony....she’s not gay, so of course I’ve never showed it” Rainbow explained, trying to finish this section of the conversation up before it got too awkward.

“How do you know that?”

“Does she seem like it?, does she ever look at mares the same way I do?, has she ever showed any signs at all of being a lesbian?” asked Rainbow who received a shake of the head from her friend.

“Maybe she is just better at hiding it?” Fluttershy offered and Rainbow growled with annoyance.

“Its one in 40,000 Fluttershy, I am not simply going to walk up to Twilight and ask ‘Hey Twi!, Question: are you gay? If so want to go out sometime?’ For Celestia’s sake Fluttershy!” growled Rainbow.

“I don’t know-its worth trying-right?” asked Fluttershy who got a blank stare from her rainbow maned friend.

“I’ll tell them but NO WAY IN EQUESTRIA am I asking that.” explained Rainbow before getting up off the couch and trotting out the door, leaving her oldest friend to tend to her animals.

“Heya Dashie” Applejack greeted her friend as she landed beside her. Applejack had been returning home from the Ponyville market when she saw her friend flying towards her.

“Hi Applejack, I need to talk to you about something important...now” Rainbow explained, a nervous look on her features. Applejack looked into her friends eyes to see her nervousness and fear, she nodded her head.

“Well alright, walk with me, no one is on the road” Applejack offered before the two friends began walking side by side.

“You know how I don’t like to talk about my parents....right?” Rainbow asked, receiving another nod. “Well....its because I am....different....I am in a very small category of ponies in Equestria....” Rainbow explained before earning a curious look from her friend, obviously wondering where Rainbow was going with this. “Well...you see...” began Rainbow before sighing. Spit it the buck out you coward! “I’m gay.”

Applejack stopped walking and Rainbow stopped as well, sighing and expecting her friend to criticize her, instead she was met with laughter. Not a mocking laughter but one of genuine humor. Rainbow looked up at her friend, her mind full of confusion at the sight of her laughing friend. “Thats it?!, Ah thought it was something serious like ya were maybe tellin' me that you were sick or somethin’ like that!, that stuff ain’t gonna bother me girl!” Applejack stated and Rainbow stared at her shocked.

“R-really?” Rainbow asked who received a 'mhm' from her friend as she nodded her head. “Its-its been my biggest secret for years” Rainbow explained.

“That's because your parents messed with your brain Dash, you yourself have began to think its wrong when its not. The nobles are cruel to everyone who is not them Rainbow, there even is a myth that Princess Luna is gay which is why she executed that prince a millennium ago for writing that damned garbage. Ya’ll need to stop hiding that, it aint healthy” explained Applejack.

“I...didn’t know....everyone else I’ve told before haven’t taken it so well....I guess the other 3 will take it easily eh?” Rainbow asked, gaining more and more confidence by the second.

“Of course!, and if they don’t they're gonna be answerin to mah hoof!” explained Applejack before smiling and Dash smiled back.

“Thanks Applejack” Rainbow thanked before jumping into the air and flying away.

“Hello Rarity” Rainbow said as she walked into the dress shop.

“Good day Rainbow Dash” Rarity greeted her friend before continuing to sew fabric together.

“I got something important to tell you” Rainbow explained.

“Thats nice Dash, what would that be?” the unicorn asked. Dash smiled to herself deciding to take Applejack's advice in the situation; finding the best source of the problem would be to say it as quickly as possible.

“I am gay, I never told everyone because until today I was afraid to say anything, Its been my deepest secret for a long time” Rainbow explained quickly before her friend turned around and looked at her, shock clear on her features. Dash felt her heart sink a little, maybe she had been wrong?

“THATS AMAZING!!, Your mane and tail fit that perfectly!” Rarity exclaimed and Dash blushed slightly before giggling a little nervously, her mental voice had been wrong again. “I am so glad how well it fits you inside and outside, I am also glad that you finally got that weight off your shoulders dear, they say the less stress the more your health improves” Rarity explained and Dash rolled her eyes at that. Rarity, the one pony who can take something like this and compare it to fashion and beauty.

“Alright...I’m gonna go tell Pinkie and Twilight now” Rainbow Dash explained and with that she turned and went out the door, not wanting to hear anymore about dresses and beauty from her friend.

“HeyDashiehowareyoudoingtoday?!” Pinkie pie wondered, seeming to appear out of nowhere. Rainbow Dash felt herself almost have a heart attack from her friend appearing directly in front of her. Realizing she had been holding her breath since Pinkies arrival she released it. Well I found Pinkie.

“Hi Pinkie, I am doing fine....listen I need to tell you something important” Dash said, each of her friends getting easier and easier to tell her secret to.

“Oh I love it when people tell me stuff!, What is it Dashie?!” the pink pony asked her friend, excitement beaming in her eyes as usual.

“Well, to put it simply I'm gay, I always have been, I’ve always kept it a secret because when I told my parents they....didn’t react too well” Rainbow explained before noticing her friend was staring at her and then went to open her mouth. Dash immediately covered it with a hoof so Pinkie didn’t scream it out for the entire town to hear. “SSSHHH!!!” scolded Rainbow before Pinkie nodded.

“Thats great!” exclaimed Pinkie, luckily not telling everypony what it was.

“I am glad” Rainbow said happily, each friend she told this to was lifting a weight of stress from her that she had bee carrying for years.

“Oh I know, I know!, We should throw a pa...” began Pinkie but Rainbow cut her off there.

“No, I am only telling you 5, I am not wanting everypony in town to know” explained Rainbow, this made Pinkie sad for a moment before her smile returned.

“Can I still bake you a cake?!” she wondered with excitement and Dash giggled.

“Of course Pinkie” Rainbow responded and Pinkie filled with excitement once more like a balloon.

“YAAAAY!!!” screamed Pinkie with joy, getting the attention of a few ponies trotting by before disappearing in a blink. Rainbow Dash stared at the place where her friend should have been at that second before shaking her head slowly and galloping away, off to find Twilight.

“Oh....hey Rainbow Dash” Spike greeted the Pegasus after opening the library door.

“Hello Spike, is Twilight here?” asked Rainbow who sadly, received a shake of the head for no.

“She went out to practice flying, she is in the field where you two were yesterday if you want to find her” explained the baby dragon before Dash took off in a blink, a rainbow streak following her flight.

Rainbow came across Twilight and giggled to herself when she saw her friend flying around and testing out all the different angles she had taught her the day before. She was getting much better, her flying actually was beginning to look smooth and natural to Dash.

“Hey Twi!” Rainbow Dash shouted, causing her friend to crash down against the ground from being distracted. Dash immediately flew down to her friend and landed beside her. “I’m sorry, are you OK?” Dash wondered before her friend looked up and smiled, giving a nod.

“Yep....listen Dash about yesterday I....” began Twilight as she rose to her hooves but Dash stopped her.

“No, I should tell you, as a matter of fact that is why I am here” Rainbow explained before sitting down and her friend did the same. “I finally realized today that I should not be hiding this from my closest friends. I have told the other 4 and now I am here to tell you......In truth I am telling you the full story” Rainbow said and her friend listened quietly.

Dash took a deep breath before beginning to tell this side of her life story.

“My first memories are my family, my father, my mother and my brother. I loved them all with all my being. My mother and I would go shopping together, my brother and I would play sports and my father taught me how to fly. My father and I both shared a passion, this was flying. Now you may think all Pegasi love flying and all that but it wasn’t like that. We loved fast and agile flying, the kind where your adrenalin kicks in and your heart beat reaches the moon, the kind of flying where you go so fast and work your body so hard that afterwards you collapse in glorious exhaustion” Rainbow explained, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her life's passion and talent, it only lasted for a few moments before she dropped her head.

“I was daddies little girl and he taught me everything I know today. He took me to the Wonderbolt shows and the two of us watched all the sporting events throughout Equestria when possible. Life was great till I reached my teens. In my early teens I began to notice something, I didn’t feel anything towards stallions, only friendship, disgust or hatred, depending who it was. Other mares began talking about the stallions at school, whenever I tried to socialize with them it became awkward for me. I didn’t know what they saw in them....at all, still don’t......instead I began feeling this way towards other mares” Rainbow explained and Twilight’s eyes widened a little with surprise and her mouth opened slightly with her shock. “I thought it was just a phase or something, but it didn’t go away. As I got into my mid teens I began to realize that I was a lesbian” Dash said, scratching the back of her neck with her right hoof nervously. “I wasn’t popular in school....I kind of was with the guys because I could kick their flanks in any sport they threw at me, but I was known as a friend, nothing more; but the mares hated me, I do not know why but they seemed to despise every fiber of my being. No one invited me to their homes as a friend except Fluttershy, I felt alone most of the time and usually found myself bored, this is when I met Gilda. Gilda had a badass personality that I soon mimicked off of her after we began to hang out.....this led to me dropping out of flight school. The day I did was the day I told my parents that I was gay” Rainbow Dash explained, tears rolling down her cheeks but she continued, despite the heartache these memories brought with them.

“At first they stared at me with shock, they then began telling me that I wasn’t and that it was a phase, I told them no. I had always been this way and they couldn’t understand that!.....my parents stopped doing things with me that they would normally do with me. Dad no longer took me to shows, my brother stopped caring and my mother....she rarely even talked to me. I began to fight with them on a daily basis and lastly they began calling me names and making fun of me. One day we got into a violent fight, my father at the end told me to get out and to never come back......I never did” Dash explained, her coat on her face now damp with tears.

“I left Cloudsdale and began searching for a new home, somewhere I could go where I would never risk running into my parents or family, somewhere I could start over. I finally got a job at weather management in ponyville and my life as a weather pony began. One by one I met my friends......and then you arrived in Ponyville” Rainbow said, facing her friend, her eyes now showing pure happiness and joy. “Twilight, you changed the atmosphere in Ponyville for all of us, though many ponies may ignore what you once were and now consider you a princess I still see you as the bookworm who came to Ponyville with a baby dragon on your back. I do not expect you to see me the same way but Twilight I have always had a major.....” began Rainbow Dash but was interrupted at the worst possible time.

“Twilight!, a letter from Princess Celestia!” Spike shouted, running down the hill as fast as he could, exhaustion clear on his face as he gasped in air. Twilight saw her friend look down at the ground, her teeth clenching with frustration. Whatever Dash had to say would have to wait till after the letter if it was so important that spike was running all the way out here.

Twilight grabbed the letter from spike with her magic when he came close and opened the scroll.

Twilight Sparkle.

I must inform you that your brother has been injured during a patrol on the borders of Equestria. He is stable and recovering well but thought that I should inform you. If you choose to visit the Crystal Empire I request that you come to Canterlot afterwards and do not return to Ponyville. If you do not go however then please take the train to Canterlot in 2 days time.

Princess Celestia.

“My brothers injured!” exclaimed Twilight, worry forming on her face.

“I am sorry Dash, I don't care what preference you have in that category, you’re still Dash to all of us, we must go to the Crystal empire A.S.A.P!” explained Twilight, standing on her hooves and beginning to run back to Ponyville in a full gallop. Dash stood and sighed before looking at spike with fire in her eyes.

“Could not have waiting for another 2 bucking seconds eh?, good job” Dash said in an angry tone before following her friend back to Ponyville, leaving a confused spike standing there for a moment before he too stood up and began running towards the small town.

Changelings.

“Here’s your tea” Cadence announced happily, placing a tea cup on a small plate on the small table next to her husband. He looked down at it from his book before giving her a curious look.

“Thank you...though I did not ask for tea...” he said and she smiled.

“true, but the doctor told me to make this kind, he said it would help you heal” she responded cheerfully.

“Oh thats nice....” Shining said before his eyes glowed green. A light green aura shot from his horn to hers before Cadence swayed on her hooves, now hypnotized. Chrysalis returned to her regular form, stood from the bed and hovered off it so she was standing beside Cadence. She took a deep breath before stretching her joints out in her legs, back and neck. “Being in bed all day is not nearly as fun as I would have expected” Chrysalis said to no one, the one other creature in the room currently brainwashed. She always heard voices, every thought, every emotion and every sense that her kind felt she felt as well. All changelings had their own mind, yet they all were one mind. Her mind as queen controlled all the others like a central computer, all the changelings had their own free will yet their idea of free will was to do anything and everything for their lovely, kind and beautiful queen as they saw her.

Chrysalis took another breath and smiled before looking back at the hypnotized princess. “Ah Cadence, you’re a very nice pony. A soft pink coat, a well kept mane, however you have one flaw.....your love controls you” Chrysalis explained knowing in 3 minutes Cadence would never remember this conversation. Chrysalis approached the princess before lifting her chin with her hoof so she was looking up at the changeling queen. “I bucked your husband” she said before giggling darkly. “I’ll give you this he is, quite the stallion, hahaha!” the changeling queen laughed to her own joke before looking into the currently blank glowing green eyes of cadence. “Know what I love about love?, its different for every pony, every dragon and anything else” Chrysalis explained before leaning in close so her snout was inches away from the princess’ before she opened her mouth and began to inhale. To the normal eye it would appear she was simply taking a slow deep breath, but she could feel it. A lovely warm sweet invisible sent that tasted good, very very good. A knock on the door tore the changeling queen’s attention away, making her snarl in anger.

“Princess Cadence and Prince Shining, Twilight Sparkle and her friends are here to visit!” a servant called from outside the room.

“Bring them in!” announced Shining before the servant opened the door to find Shining armor laying on the bed, a cup of tea floating in front of him and princess Cadence sitting in a chair beside him, smiling at him though she looked tired and a little unbalanced.

“Princess, are you ok? you look a little tired” the servant asked who received a nod from the princess.

“I am just a tad tired, its nothing to worry about though” Cadence explained before gaining a concerned look from her husband, in truth 100% fake due to her husband right now being a changeling that only wanted to feast on her love.

“Cadence she’s right, you should go have a nap” stated Shining before Cadence gave a small nod.

“Alright dear, I love you” Cadence said.

“I love you too” Shining replied before the princess stood on her hooves and walked out of the room.

“Are you sure you’re Ok bro?” Twilight questioned before receiving another nod.

“Of course Twi, its not as bad as it looks, I promise. Your friends are probably wondering where you are, I mean you’ve been here since the afternoon and its midnight now, I am glad that you have been catching up with me and Cadence but I need to sleep too” Shining explained, a small smile on his face.

“Oh right!, sorry!” apologized Twilight before her brother chuckled. “Goodnight big brother, I’ll see you tomorrow morning” Twilight said happily walking to the door.

“See you in the morning Twilight” he said back before she closed the door. Chrysalis smiled.

It is time.

With those 3 words in her thoughts she had activated part 2 of her plan.

Screams were what woke the 6 ponies from their sleep. Upon opening their eyes they could see that something was wrong. Buildings below the palace had been set ablaze, black clouds blocked the moon....wait black clouds?

Twilight galloped to the window with her friends and stared in horror at the sight before them. Thousand and thousands of changelings flooded the skies, giant swarms lead by changeling officers bombarded buildings below, using their magic to make a nose dive into a green missile. Crystal ponies below ran in terror only to be grabbed by a changeling and carried into the sky. We got to stop them!” Rainbow growled, slamming her hoof down on the crystal of the window.

“We can’t, if you haven’t forgotten we forgot the elements of harmony in Ponyville!” argued Rarity before Rainbow turned around and shot daggers at her friend with her eyes.

“We can’t just sit here and do nothing! how long do you think till those millions of changelings burst through the front door and claim us as their next snack huh?! Answer that RARITY!!” Rainbow screamed in her friends face, this broke into a giant argument amongst all of them.

“QUIET!!” yelled Spike, catching the attention of everypony in the room. “There is a way out but its risky, it could work two ways, we end up right in the middle of the changelings or we could end up on the other side, I do not know them well enough” Spike explained.

“Know what?!” Twilight shouted, demanding answers. “Ok the Crystal Empire has an underground cave system like Canterlot, I know this because I went exploring in them during the pony games. The caves however haven’t been used for over a thousand years, way back before Sombra took the empire over originally. The caves might have caved in and to be honest I do not know where they come out of if they are even finished. Like Rainbow Dash said, those changelings are coming in the front door any minute, we will have to move FAST if we want to make it there” explained Spike before allowing everyone to think about it quickly.

“Its our only chance” Twilight stated before the 5 mares nodded. Spike jumped up onto Twilights back and with that the 7 friends opened the room door. They didn’t get 2 feet without encountering the changelings and with them their Queen.

“Ah, Twilight Sparkle” Queen Chrysalis greeted, currently hovering in the air to their left with hundreds of changelings behind her, the first row all made up of officers identified by the extra armor and helmets.

“Chrysalis.....you heartless evil twisted....” began Twilight but Chrysalis interrupted, grinning proudly.

“Oh don’t waste your breath, I’ve heard it all: Parasite, witch, bitch, psycho, demon, succubus....husband thief” Chrysalis said, her grin growing wider with the last example.

“So what? you’re going to take Equestria, kill us all and then what?!” demanded Rainbow Dash, stepping forward a bit but stopping once the first row of officers stepped forward to stop her from getting to close.

“Simple, once Equestria is dead I move to somewhere else, maybe the griffons?, who knows I don’t care” Chrysalis responded before looking back to Twilight. “Since that day, the day you ruined everything we worked for, you Twilight Sparkle, I have dreamt of the day that I would suck you dry of your emotions Twilight Sparkle, today is that day” Chrysalis stated happily in a dark way that sent shivers up the 7 friends spines.

“You won’t win Chrysalis, you will fail just like before, Canterlot will never fall to your filth” Twilight replied before her and her friends began running in the opposite direction as fast as they could, trying to outrun the swarm they knew was going to attack any moment.

“Kill them” Chrysalis commanded calmly before her changelings flew past her with precision, avoiding her and their fellow changelings as they flew at high speeds through the narrow hallway after the 6 mares.

Escape!

Her and her friend ran faster as the wing beats echoed through the hallway like a hurricane. The changelings were gaining ground and she knew it. “Swarm K3!,right left left!” Twilight heard one of the changelings order before the noise quieted slightly. She was curious why until the smaller swarm crashed into them from the left, originating from the hallway to their left. The mares were knocked over in a blink of an eye, the 6 of them screaming out in terror and shock as the changelings came upon them, raising their hooves up and slamming them down, attempting to beat the mares to death.

Rainbow knew they had only moments before the changelings began weakening them to the point of slowing them down, when that happened they had no hope to escape. Being pinned on her back by a changeling she did not have many options except for one. She brought her head back, closed her eyes and brought it forward in a powerful headbutt. A loud crunch sounded along with a limp body replacing the strong one pinning her. She opened her eyes to find the changeling unconscious. In a blink she kicked it off, sending its body into two other changelings, one being an officer wearing purple armor and the other being a normal drone.

Rainbow jumped to her hooves and without a second thought, she crashed into the changeling currently attacking Twi. The changeling, shocked at first from the unexpected assault came off Twilight easily. It stood up for a moment before seeing Dash and it hissed; however its reward for hissing at the fastest pegasus in Equestria was a hoof to the teeth, stunning it and knocking 3 of its teeth out.Twilight turned and angled her horn to the changelings on her friend before beginning to fire bullets of magic at them, blasting them from her friends with ease.

“Spike get on my back!” ordered Twilight to the baby dragon who had been knocked off from the collision. The rest of the changelings were now only 20 hooves away and rapidly approaching with a general wearing light green armor leading the swarm. The friends turned and began running with the changelings not far behind.

As they neared a spiral staircase Twilight’s horn glowed once again however she cast a manipulation spell this time, just as the 6 mares reached the staircase. The stairs transformed into a ramp, causing the 6 friends to begin to slide down the polished crystal. The second she came out of the stairs she stood and steadied herself with her friends before they all galloped across the giant crystal room and towards the wooden door leading down to the dungeon.

The sound of the changelings crashing down the stairs uncoordinated and sloppily could be heard as the six ponies were halfway to the dungeon. Unexpectedly however somepony came crashing down on top of Twilight, her legs collapsing beneath her as she gasped. On top of her stood the changeling general, her light green armor unscratched compared to her fellow soldiers still gathering themselves from their failure at going down the staircase all at once. She looked at the other 5 mares, challenging either of them to try to help their friend while she dug her hoof brutally into a pressure point in Twilights back, keeping her from forcing her off.

In a second the 5 mares charged forward, Applejack in the front and Rainbow right behind her in the air instead of the ground. The changeling general hissed and bared its razor sharp teeth to Applejack who leaped through the air towards it. The general was smart however and jumped off Twilight before forcing Applejack down to the ground by landing on top of the orange earth pony. What it did not expect was Rainbow Dash to smash her hoof into its face which knocked it off her friend and sent it sliding across the floor, its armor creating sparks on the crystal.

Twilight jumped to her hooves the moment the unbearable pain in her spine had faded and caught sight of the changeling recovering from its daze. The others were on their way across the room now too, fury and hunger in their evil eyes as they flew after them.

“Ok down to the dungeon!” Spike ordered as he flung the door open. Fluttershy hesitated but was forced down by Dash, obviously not going to deal with Fluttershy’s fear today. The changelings were only 30 hooves away now and rapidly gaining ground. The second Twilight entered the dungeon Spike slammed the door shut which Rarity locked by placing a large wooden plank over the bars on each side of the door. The 6 friends began to gallop down the dark stairs, no longer lit and lacking any sign of a pony anywhere. The crystal no longer shone beautifully and was instead dark and even blood stained once they got down into the bottom. Around the 6 friends were torture devices ranging in age from recent devices to those from Sombra’s reign which left the 6 ponies horrified from what they imagined they did.

The changeling general rose to her hooves and saw her fellow soldiers fly by her full speed, directly into a closed, locked door. “Imbeciles!!” the general screamed before the door shattered and fell into the dungeon behind it. “Genius’!!” declared the general before jumping over the currently stunned changelings and leading the way down the stairs with those who had recovered following closely behind.

The general stopped when she reached the bottom and barely noticed the trap door close in the corner, but unluckily for the 6 friends she did. Without a second thought the general ran across the room, reared back so she was on her back legs before bringing her front legs down as hard as she could, the trap door shattering after this.

“They're still coming!” Rainbow shouted at the sight of the changeling general entering the crystal cave and beginning to sprint down the length of the tunnel with her soldiers closely following.

“Which way do we go?!” Twilight questioned Spike at the sight of the 6 different tunnels.

“Ah hate caves” Applejack commented at their current problem. No kidding AJ Twilight thought to herself.

“This one!” Spike stated as he began running down the 2nd from the right and the 6 mares quickly followed without a second thought.

The second the changeling general exited the first cave and went to follow the 6 ponies she heard another voice in her head.

Rexa....

The voice of the queen echoed through her head as it called her by name.

Yes your majesty?

Go down the 4th with the majority of the soldiers, send the rest after the 6 ponies.

Yes your majesty

“You 10! after them!, everychangeling else with me!” commanded Rexa as she began running down the tunnel her queen had ordered.

“Where is the exit Spike?!” Rarity demanded as the friends wandered through the cave, the sound of the destruction in the empire no longer able to be heard.

“Somewhere around here, I’m sure of it” Spike lied. He truly had never found the exit, he himself had walked for hours and never saw the light of day till he returned from the dungeon. According to the maps he had looked at though it had said there was an escape tunnel just in case a cave collapse ever happened, this would allow the miners to escape, meaning King Sombra would not need to waste more slaves on mining crystals.

Applejack stopped walking and heard one extra hoof step behind her and froze. “Uh....gals” Applejack spoke, getting her friends attention.

“What is it Apple....” Twilight began but froze. No farther than 9 hooves behind her friend were 10 pairs of glowing eyes all looking at them with a familiar hunger of a changeling. An odd clicking noise echoed from the changelings before silent giggles broke the silence further. “RUN!!!” Twilight screamed before firing a flash of light from her horn at the changelings. They all screamed in rage as they were temporarily blinded by the alicorn before her and her friends began to run away.

The 6 friends galloped faster than before, avoiding fallen crystals and avoiding anything the changelings tried to fire at them. As they rounded the corner they froze once more at the sight of the 50 sets of eyes staring at them. One set ahead of them all, glaring at them in a way that they could tell was of satisfaction, sadistic joy and hunger. “Number one tip, you can NEVER beat a changeling at a cave” general Rexa explained proudly before the changelings behind her giggled happily. The element bearers just glared at her with anger. “Oh what’s wrong? you thought you would actually get away from us? that is pathetic!” snarled the changeling, her eyes narrowing into that of hatred.

“I will personally kill Chrysalis you monster” declared Twilight, further angering Rexa.

“How DARE you threaten the changeling queen!, I...” began Rexa but paused, her eyes becoming blank before she began mumbling something. A second later she returned the exact same way she was. “Yes my queen. ATTACK!!!” snarled Rexa before the changelings galloped forward and the 6 friends ran towards them, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy attacking the 10 changelings while Rarity, Twilight and Applejack charged to Rexa.

Twilight jumped through the air at Rexa but from the changelings mobility she forced Twilight to the ground and landed on top. Rexa closed her jaws on Twilight's shoulder, sinking her razor sharp teeth and fangs into the flesh of the alicorn. Twilight screamed before using her magic to pull a rock the size of her head across the room which crashed into Rexa’s side, her armor protecting her but still breaking 4 ribs. The changeling made a odd scream of agony and fell off Twilight before Twilight lifted the rock again and pulled it around in a circle, crashing into a changelings face which caved in and tore the front legs off of another. Twilight brought the rock up with her magic and cracked the currently suffering changeling’s head open before seeing another one leap through the air towards her. He received the rock in the jaw, coming up from below and snapping his head back so violently that he did not move when he hit the ground.

Rainbow Dash brought her hoof forward and smashed it directly in the middle of a female changelings eyes causing the chitin to shatter. She rose onto her front legs before bucking another 3 behind her. A changeling jumped at her but missed as she flew up into the air. She angled herself down and rocketed down like a missile as fast as she could before smashing into a changeling. She forced him down onto his back before focusing both her hooves on his chest. From her speed and strength the changelings chitin shattered and his rib cage imploded into his vital organs. He fell silent in a second before another changeling crashed into Dash. She rolled with him or her before ending out on top again. She brought her head back and smashed it as hard as she could into the forehead of the changeling under its horn. Its chitin cracked and it got a dazed confused look on its face before Dash jumped off and charged towards two more.

Spike threw a rock up at a changeling who dodged it with ease and then giggled. It was stopped by a boulder covered in changeling blood crashing into its face from the side unexpectedly. The changeling had its head explode against the crystal wall as the rock forced it up against it. The second this happened the cave echoed and the cave began collapsing, a way out visible by the stars through a hole immediately.

“A way out!!” exclaimed Twilight which got her friends attention. Twilight threw the rock with all her might once more which floored 3 more changelings before beginning to blast rays of purple magic at the changeling soldiers. Rarity crawled her way out of the cave, coming out of the incident with blood in her mane from the changelings and crystal dust and dirt covering her coat. She was followed by Applejack who had lost her hat followed by Pinkie pie who crawled out quickly and then Fluttershy who was carrying spike by one of his spikes through her clenched teeth. The 4 ponies found themselves in a very isolated location nothing in front of them and a mountain behind them.

Twilight and Dash both turned to follow their friends but before they could a giant boulder of crystal came crashing down from above and covered the opening leading to their escape. Both friends glared at it for a moment before facing the changelings. “Fly” Rainbow ordered before turning, jumping into the air and opening her wings. Twilight followed without a second thought and so did the changelings, hissing angrily before the cave truly began to collapse. The roof fell after the 2 friends at a deadly speed, the noise causing from it caused thought to be impossible and the friends ears to ring. The changeling soldiers one by one began falling as rocks fell from the ceilings and crushed them against the cave floor. The 2 friends kept flying faster and faster, Dash having to hang back due to her friends lack of speed. Her friend had improved greatly but she still was far from perfect.

Twilight looked desperately left and right for a way out before seeing it. It wasn’t much but it was a turnoff into another tunnel coming up ahead large enough for one pony but it would have to fit two. In a last ditch effort she flew towards the tunnel and her friend, grabbing her friend and forcing her wings close before the two spun through the air.

Twilight collided with the ground the second the cave in stopped and was followed by the echo of the collapsing ceiling now in the distance before silence as it stopped. The two friends coughed violently on the crystal dust floating in the air for a few moments before the two looked at each other and the tunnel ahead of them, nothing but a black void of mystery. “Good job (cough) Twi” Rainbow commented and her friend smiled.

“Thanks Dashie” Twilight thanked before releasing her friend and attempting to rise, getting stuck twice in the process but finally escaping the small confinement and walking down the small tunnel a little bit. It was uneven and was wide at some points and thin at others, the endless darkness ahead did not help either, it looked more like something out of a horror story she would read on friday nights. “Lets hope for a way out” Twilight said before the two began walking down the tunnel, Twilight with a slight pain in her front left hip from where she had landed.

Walking for what seemed like 20 minutes the cave had finally widened a little bit, able to fit 3 ponies now if it was needed. Rainbow sighed and stopped walking, Twilight noticed and turned around before walking up to her friend. “Dash we need to keep going, we can’t stop” Twilight explained before her friend looked up to her friend. The darkness of the cave made it hard for the two friends to see each others faces.

“I know that Twi, but what if there is no exit? what if we hit a dead end around that corner?” Dash asked before Twilight looked behind her to see nothing but darkness. “I can’t see anymore than you, it was a....n-never mind” Rainbow explained, before sighing and looking up to her friend.

“Dash we can’t think like that alright? we need to keep our heads up, there will be an exit, alright?” Twilight encouraged.

“If there isn’t Twi....I want to tell you something, I know you probably don’t feel the same way but I want to get it out...just in case” Rainbow explained before her friend sat down and waited for her to continue.

“I love you” Rainbow said, her friends face turning to one of shock slowly. Rainbow took one more breath before beginning to explain. “I always have, the night we defeated Nightmare Moon I came home and felt closer than when I had first met our other friends. As the days and weeks went on I realized I had developed a crush for you. It kept building to the point where I realized it was more than a crush. I kept it under control this entire time and hid it away because....I didn’t know if you were gay. If this sickens you or you don’t feel the same way....please... just tell me so I know” Rainbow requested, another weight being lifted from her as her deepest secrets had finally been told.

She kept her head down, expecting her friend to deny her but after a few seconds she felt the alicorn's hoof push her muzzle up. She allowed her friend to raise her head and then she opened her eyes the second before Twilight kissed her, she was shocked at that moment but slowly closed her eyes once more. She had gotten her answer.

When the two mares opened their eyes they were no longer in the caves. The two of them were both sitting on a polished crystal floor with the queen of the changelings in front of them. Hundreds of changelings filled the room and Chrysalis sat on the crystal throne, looking at the two mares with an amused expression on her features.

Twilight smiled to Dash who smiled back happily before the two turned to the changeling Queen to face their fate. They had obviously been teleported by the changeling queen and how she had gained their location was obvious by a wounded general Rexa seated beside the queen, her armor dented still and her breathing hoarse.

“Oh how lovely, 2 mares who are looked up to by so many are gay” Chrysalis taunted before the changelings in the room giggled.

“We’re here, beaten and defenseless, just kill us you psycho” Rainbow said bitterly before Chrysalis laughed.

“Kill you? why would I do that when I can watch you suffer and hear your screams for killing my subjects? Kill you, ha! I have much bigger plans for both of you, something you truly deserve” Chrysalis responded before Twilight gained a worried look on her features.

“What are you going to do?” Dash asked hesitantly and a sadistic smile crept onto Chrysalis’ face.

“Well we will have to just find out won’t we?, guards take them away. Oh and Twilight say hello to your brother for me” Chrysalis requested darkly before the changeling guards walked up and began to lead the two friends away from their queen, her smile never leaving her face till her, herself disappeared from Twilight's view.